700 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY them during their declining years. After she arrived in Ohio she was married in Pike County to a Mr. Richert, a farmer living near Beavertown. Mrs. Magdalene Miller lived to a good old age. Henry Miller, who was born nine miles from Frankfort-on-the-Main, in Germany, October 8, 1848, was very young when he came with his mother to America, and his education, begun in his native land, was continued in American schools. He grew up to habits of industry and thrift and as early as thirteen began working by the month. At first his wages were only $9 a month and they rose as his usefulness increased. From the savings of his earnings made by hard toil he in the course of time was able to secure equipment and rent farming land. Gradually his means increased and he bought land of his own, and in 1883 acquired seventy-five acres in Scioto Township of Ross County. That farm has since been increased under his management to 243 acres. He also owns 276 acres in Deerfield and Concord townships. Henry Miller was during his active years known as one of the most progressive and successful farmers of Ross County. In 1907 he retired and has since lived in his home on West Main Street in Chillicothe. In 1868 Henry Miller married Elizabeth Hamman. She was born in Pike County, Ohio, a daughter of Philip and Martha (Bumgarner) Hamman and a granddaughter of Peter and Laura Hamman, both natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Miller reared eight children : George W., Magdalene, Henry C., Benjamin F., Mary E., John F., Carl and Alpha. The son of a prosperous farmer, George W. Miller was none the less given a very thorough and practical training as a boy, and industry has been second nature to him. His early education was acquired in the public schools. When very young he began assisting his father on the farm, and until the age of twenty-two lived at home. Starting out to make his own way in the world, he rented land, and for a couple of years kept bachelor's hall. He then rented the Dick Fullerton farm until 1898, and in that year he located on the farm where he has since resided. This is one of the choicest tracts of land in Deerfield Township, and was bought by his father in 1898. George W. Miller is making a success of general farming and stock raising there, and the many people who know him speak most favorably of his intelligence and energetic qualities of character. In 1893 he married Laura Ulen, who was born at Bainbridge, in Ross County. Mrs. Miller's father was Hamilton men, who was also born in Bainbridge. Her grandfather, Amos Ulen, was of German ancestry and an early settler of Bainbridge. A miller by trade, Amos Men at one time operated the flour mill owned by Judge Benner, and afterwards operated mills in different places. His last days were passed in Frankfort. Amos Ulen married Rebecca Middleton, of English ancestry, and both of them lived to a good old age. Mrs. Miller's father learned the trade of miller under his father, and was also employed in that business at different places. The last mill he operated was Barrett's Mill, in Highland County. His last years were spent in retirement in Bainbridge. Hamilton Ulen married Emma Crooks, who was born in HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 701 Bainbridge, a daughter of Andrew and Ann (Wetherbe) Crooks. Ann Wetherbe's father was one of the very first settlers in Southern Ohio, and at one time was part owner of the pike leading from Lancaster. Andrew Crooks was a hardware merchant in Bainbridge, where he spent his last days, and he and his wife both rest in the Bainbridge cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are the parents of twin daughters, Marjorie and Marie. The daughter Marjorie is now the wife of Noel Wright, and they have a son named Miller Eugene. In political matters, George W. Miller is entirely independent in local affairs, though nationally he is a democrat. Fraternally, he is affiliated with Clarksburg Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Frankfort Lodge of the Masons, and also the Knights of Pythias Lodge at Frankfort. JAMES WATTS, whose life work has been farming, and who is successfully engaged in that industry in Union Township, represents a number of old and prominent families in this section of Ohio. He was born at the Village of Yellowbud, in Ross County, April 29, 1875. His great-grandmother, after the death of her first husband, married a man named Thompson and spent her last years in Chillicothe, where she died when well upwards of ninety years. Mr. Watts' paternal grandfather, Henson Watts, who was quite young when his father died, located on land in the north precinct of Union Township, which was his wife's inheritance. After a few years he sold out and bought a farm in Indiana. After two years he was defrauded out of this property, and then returned to Ross County, renting land in Union Township, where he lived until his death on June 21, 1858. Henson Watts married Mary Ann Thompson, who was born on the Williamsport Road, in the north precinct of Union Township. Her father, Ezekiel Thompson, was also born in Ross County. His father, Philip Thompson, a great-grandfather of James Watts, was one of the earliest settlers of Union Township, securing a. large tract of timbered land in. the north precinct and building a cabin in the wilderness. Subsequently he gave his years to the clearing of the land and its cultivation, and lived there until his death. Both he and his wife, Lovina, lived to be very old. Ezekiel Thompson, great-grandfather of James Watts, was blind from early youth. He inherited land, and in spite of this handicap, was a successful farmer, erecting some good frame buildings on his land and living there until his death in old age. He was a skilled player of the violin and was widely known as the blind fiddler. His death occurred when upwards of eighty years of age. Mrs. Henson Watts died December 20, 1893, at the age of seventy-seven. Her children were Cyrus, Eliza, Maria, Hannah, Ezekiel, Silas and Milton. Silas Watts, father of James Watts, was born in the south precinct of Union Township December 27, 1852. He grew up on a farm and has always followed farming as his regular vocation. Since 1907 he has lived on the Joseph Atwell farm in the south precinct of Union Township. He married Emma Henry, who was born in Mooresville, Harrison Township, Ross County. Her father, Robert Henry, was born in Ireland 702 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY of Scotch ancestry, and when quite young was brought to America by his parents, who located in the south part of Ross County and spent their last days there. Robert Henry learned the trade of carpenter, and followed it while a resident of Mooresville and Yellowbud. Robert Henry married Julia Merriman. Her father, Samuel Merriman, another great-grandfather of James Watts, was born at Lansing, Pennsylvania, in 1789, and in 1819 came to Ross County as a pioneer, settling in Cole-rain Township. An old history of Ross County says of him that for twenty years he was engaged in boating on the Ohio River, and it also states that he was a fighting man and a good singer. He finally located on Walnut Creek and died there when one hundred and one years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Silas Watts reared four children, named James, Floyd, Allen and Albert. Of these, James Watts grew up as a farmer, gained an education in the local schools, and has made agriculture his chief pursuit. Since 1900 he has operated the David Dunlop farm in the south precinct of Union Township. General farming and stock raising are the chief sources of his profits. In 1898 Mr. Watts married Josephine H. Shaw. She was born in Wayne Township of Pickaway County. Her father, John Shaw, was born in Hocking County, Ohio, December 11, 1842. Her grandfather, James Shaw, was a native of Virginia and the son of a Revolutionary soldier. The mother of James Shaw lived to be one hundred and six years of age, and so far as known she spent all her life in Virginia. James Shaw was one of the pioneer settlers of Hocking County, Ohio, and, securing a tract of timbered land, he improved a farm near the present site of Bloomingvale, and lived there until his death. The maiden name of his wife was Nancy Chilcote, who was of Scotch-Irish ancestry and the daughter of a Revolutionary patriot. Mrs. Watts' father was reared on a farm, and on August 16, 1862, enlisted in Company G of the Ninetieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Going to the front, he was with his regiment in all its service until captured at the battle of Chickamauga on September 20, 1863. After that he remained a prisoner of war in Southern prisons for seventeen months, until hostilities were almost over. He received his honorable discharge, and resumed farming in Ohio. After marrying he moved to Wayne Township, in Pickaway County, where he was engaged in farming until his death at the age of sixty-eight. The maiden name of the mother of Mrs. Watts was Almira Jordan, who was born in Hocking County, a daughter of James and Sarah Jordan, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Hocking County. The mother of Mrs. Watts died in 1874, leaving three children, Angeline, Ella and Josephine. Mrs. Watts' father married for his second wife Josephine Wolfe, and the four children of that union are Myrtle, Maude, Beatrice and Sadie. Mr. and Mrs. Watts are the parents of one daughter, named Berle. The family are active members of the Andersonville Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically, Mr. Watts is a republican, and his first presidential vote was cast for William McKinley. Fraternally, he is affiliated with Camp No. 10323 of the Modern Woodmen of America at Yellowbud. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 703 CHARLES M. DUNLAP. A number of the high-class farms in Ross County have been continuously in the ownership of one family for a century or more. One of these families of old settlers and prosperous farmers is represented. by Charles M. Dunlap, of Union Township. He was born on the farm that he now owns and occupies. His birth occurred on March 19, 1853. His ancestry in America begins with his great-grandfather, who was born in Ireland of Scotch-Irish ancestry. On coming to America he bought land in Virginia and operated his farm with slave labor. His son, John Dunlap, Sr., was born in Virginia in 1776. In 1796, at the age of twenty, he visited the Northwest Territory and entered a large tract of military land in what is now Union Township. Included within the tract is the land now used for the county infirmary. After securing title to the land, John Dunlap, Sr., returned to Virginia, but made several subsequent trips on horseback and under his supervision a portion of the land was cleared. He also erected a log house, and in 1825 settled there permanently with his family. John Dunlap, Sr., married Dorcas Dowel, who was born in Virginia and died in Ross County at the age of eighty-nine years. The "Finley and Putnam History" says that she was a granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin. John Dunlap, Jr., father of Charles M., was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, in 1811, and was fourteen years of age when his parents came to Ross County to make their permanent home here. His early education was received in the old field schools of Virginia, and after coming to Ohio he found every possible opportunity for developing his physique and his good judgment by the heavy tasks confronting the pioneers. He inherited a part of his father's estate and became a very successful farmer, stock raiser and stock dealer. He lived on the old farm until his death in 1879. John Dunlap, Jr., married Mary A. Minear. Her name is one of those familiar in the pioneer annals of Ross County. She was born in South Union Township May 26, 1818, a daughter of Philip Minear, Jr. Her grandfather, Philip Minear, Sr., came from Germany to America when young and lived in Virginia until 1796. In that year, only a short time after the Northwest had finally been conquered from the Indians and the occupation of Ohio lands had been secured to white settlers, he came to that locality and was one of the original settlers of South Union Township. At that time the only buildings in Chillicothe were a log cabin and a large stable, and Indians were fully as numerous as the whites. Buying a tract of land, Philip Minear improved a farm and spent the rest of his days there. He passed away at the age of eighty-two. His sons, Solomon and Adam, were Methodist Episcopal preachers, while Stephen and Philip became farmers. Philip, Jr., was born near Parkersburg, Virginia, and after reaching his maturity settled on land in North Union Township. This tract was heavily timbered, and it was his task to clear it up and develop it as a farm. He was very successful, and at his death left a fine estate. He married Elizabeth McCallister, who was born in Maryland. a daughter of Robert and Polly (Stinson) 704 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY McCallister. Mrs. Minear outlived her husband nine years, and her children were Samuel, Mary A., Maria, Abner, Ann Eliza, Charles, Hester Ann, Elizabeth and Marian, all of whom grew to years of maturity and married. Mrs. John Dunlap, the eighth of these children, is still living in Chillicothe and is now ninety-eight years of age. Her five living children are Samuel Wesley, Nelson John, P. M. Marion, James M. and Charles M. The mother was reared in the Methodist faith and many years ago united with the Andersonville Methodist Episcopal Church. As a boy Charles M. Dunlap attended the district schools, and was well trained in habits of industry on the home farm. He succeeded to the ownership of the homestead, and there for many years has been successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising. There he has 185 acres of valuable and well-improved land, and he also has 320 acres of land in North Dakota, improved with house and barns and good buildings. His earlier life has been spent on his home farm. On October 16, 1879, he married Mary Murgluff, who was born in Chillicothe, a daughter of Ferdinand and Elizabeth (Armbruster) Murgluff, natives of Germany, who came to America and located in Chillicothe. Mr. and Mrs. Dunlap have five children : Clara, who is a trained nurse now in Cleveland ; Walter, who married Miss Ebenback and has two children ; Charles; Blanche, a dramatic reader, now located in New York City ; and Thelma, who died at the age of sixteen years. Mr. Dunlap is an active members of Scioto Lodge, No. 6, Free and Accepted Masons, at Chillicothe, and is also affiliated with Chillicothe Chapter, No. 4, Royal Arch Masons; Chillicothe Council, No. 4, Royal and Select Masters, and Chillicothe Commandery, No. 8, of the Knights Templar. J. FINLEY JONES. The claim of J. Finley Jones upon the good will and consideration of the people of the region of Gillespieville is based upon many years of effective work as an agriculturist, upon his record as a public-spirited citizen, and upon his activity in promoting education and kindred accompaniments of advanced civilization. He has nearly reached man's allotted three-score-and-ten years, but is still active, both bodily and mentally, and in addition to supervising operations on his farm in Liberty Township, takes a keen interest in the affairs of his community. Mr. Jones was born on the farm upon which he now resides, October 11, 1847, and is a son of Thomas and Susanna (Pierce) Jones, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Virginia. They came to Ross County as children, with their parents, and were here reared, educated and married. After their marriage they settled down to housekeeping on a farm in this neighborhood, and here the rest of their lives were spent. Mr. Jones was a hard-working and industrious farmer and had established himself well, with every chance of winning a full measure of success, but did not live to see his efforts fully appreciated, as his death occurred in 1848, before J. Finley Jones was one year old. There were nine sons and two daughters in the family, and of these four are HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 705 living at this writing, namely : Wilson ; Thomas, whose home is in Kansas; James W., of Liberty Township, a farmer; and J. Finley, of this notice. J. Finley Jones received his education in the early district schools of Ross County and was reared on the farm in Finley Township. When he reached. manhood he began farming operations on his own account, and the old homestead, upon which his father located on first coming into this county, is still his home. He has made many improvements in regard to ditching, tiling, fencing, etc., has installed up-to-date equipment and machinery, and has a fine, substantial set of buildings, with all modern accommodations and comforts. Mr. Jones has carried on general farming, and as new methods have been proven good, has adopted them, although his practicality has not allowed him to dispense with time-honored and tried customs until he has found that they could be bettered. His farm now consists of 262 acres, and is one of the valuable ones of Liberty Township. Mr. Jones was married to Miss Edith E. Pummell, who died in 1899. They were the parents of four sons, of whom but one, Scott F., is now living. Mr. Jones is a republican but not a politician. Scott F. Jones was born July 18, 1893, on the home farm, and is one of the enterprising and energetic young farmers of the township. He attended first the district schools, folowing which he pursued a course in the Chillicothe High School, from which he was duly graduated. After that he taught school for three months in the country district of Harrison Township and one year in Liberty Township, and then returned to the home farm to become his father's assistant. He is a member of the Concord Methodist Episcopal Church, in the work of which he has been active, as he has also in the Sunday school. Like his father, he is a republican in matters of public policy. EDWARD E. TOWNSEND is one of the most capable all-around mechanics, farmers and business men in Ross County. He became well known in business affairs at Chillicothe, but has recently given all his energies to farming, and now has a fine place in Union Township. He was born in Athens County, Ohio, December 11, 1871. His father, John Miller Townsend, was a native of Pennsylvania. The grandfather, Uriah H. Townsend, was a native of New York State, whence he removed to Pennsylvania, and from there came to Athens County, Ohio, as an early settler. Securing land, he improved a farm and occupied it until late in life, when he removed to Missouri and spent his last years with a son in that state. John Miller Townsend was a child when brought to Ohio, and as his early life was spent on a farm, he adapted farming as his regular vocation. He finally bought land in Athens County, and that was his home until 1888, when he came to Ross County and bought a place in Springfield Township. There he was successfully identified with general farm 0- until his death, in January, 1914. He is well remembered by the people of his section of Ross County. He married Sarah McCune, 706 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY who was born in Athens County, a daughter of Samuel and Mary McCune. Samuel McCune in the early days acquired a tract of land a mile south of the present site of Amesville, in Athens County, and on the farm which he developed there he and his wife spent their last days. There were twelve children in the McCune family. Mrs. Sarah Townsend is still living on the old homestead in Springfield Township. Her six children are Eliza, Lenora, George, Reed S., Edward E. and Miles. All these children have given good accounts of themselves. Miles is an attorney at Greenfield. Eliza married H. F. Patterson, and Lenora is the wife of Elba Wymer. The sons George and Reed S. are both residents of Chillicothe. Edward E. Townsend spent his early life partly in Athens County and partly in Ross County. He is liberally educated, having attended after the district school course, Hillsboro College, where he spent four years and was graduated with the class of 1896. On leaving college, his ambition was for a business career. At Columbus he spent two years as shipping clerk with the firm of Jones, Wetter & Company. A natural gift that has had much to do with his prosperity was a fondness and inclination for mechanics. On leaving the business firm at Columbus, he returned to Chillicothe and began working at the machinist's trade and also became an expert tinsmith. He was in that line of business for eight years and most of the time was connected with the automobile industry. In 1915 Mr. Townsend bought a farm 31/, miles from Chillicothe. on the Frankfort Pike, and now finds both pleasure and profit in running his place. In 1903 he married Christina A. Frick, who was born in Scioto Township, daughter of Gottfried Frick, reference to whom is made on other pages of this publication. Mr. and Mrs. Townsend have one daughter, Mary Catherine. Mrs. Townsend is a member of the First Evangelical Church of Chillicothe. Fraternally, Mr. Townsend is affiliated with Tent No. 9 of the Improved Order of Red Men. FRANK NORRIS has long been identified profitably with the agricultural interests of Union Township. He has made a home, has made a name for fair dealings and industry, and is one of the substantial men of the county. His birth occurred in Deer Creek Township of Pickaway County, Ohio, July 29, 1854, and he is of old American ancestry. His great-grandfather, Lawrence Norris, was a. native of England, followed the sea for a number of years and on quitting it located in Virginia, where he spent the remainder of his days. William Norris, grandfather of Frank Norris, was born near Winchester, Virginia, in 1794, grew up in his native state, but afterwards moved to Ohio and became one of the early settlers of Pickaway County. Pickaway County was then in the wilderness and just on the fringe of civilization. Deer, turkey and other wild game roamed at will, and a number of years passed before the construction of the first railroads or canals, the few straggling settlements being connected by stage routes: HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 707 William Norris' place of settlement was in Deerfield Township, and there he was concerned the rest of his days with the development of a farm. The maiden name of his wife was Annie Maddox. Her father. David Maddox, was born in England or in America of English parentage, became a Methodist minister, and as a co-worker with Lorenzo Dow, preached in many places of Pickaway and surrounding counties, being a typical circuit rider and making his rounds on horseback. He and his wife lived to a good old age and are both buried in Brown's Chapel Cemetery. John S. Norris, father of Frank, was born in Deer Creek Township, Pickaway County, September 25, 1827, and grew up on a farm and made farming his regular vocation. On August 15, 1862, he enlisted in Company A of the Forty-fifth Ohio Infantry. The command was sent south in time to participate in the battle of Stone River, and he also fought at Chickamauga, and then in the many battles during the 100 days or more required for the advance from Chattanooga to Atlanta and the siege and capture of that city. After the fall of Atlanta, he was with Thomas' command in pursuit of Hood's army, and thus fought in the great battles of Franklin and Nashville. He received his honorable discharge on the 12th day of June, 1865. After his military career he resumed farming in Pickaway County and subsequently moved to the south precinct of Union Township, Ross County, where he bought a farm that he occupied until his death on November 14, 1910. John S. Norris married Nancy Hatfield, who was born in Monroe Township of Pickaway County February 11, 1832, a daughter of John D. and Maria (Baker) Hatfield, natives, respectively, of Virginia and Delaware. Mrs. John S. Norris died in 1902, having reared eleven children. The old farm in Pickaway County was the scene of Frank Norris' early experiences and activities. He attended the local schools and on reaching manhood adopted farming as his regular life work. For many years he has lived on a farm in Union Township, his land being a part of the Flesher homestead. In 1898 Mr. Norris married Effie Flesher, who was born in Union Township July 29, 1876. Her father, Michael Flesher, was born in Pennsylvania December 23, 1819, a son of Peter Flesher, also a native of Pennsylvania and one of the very early pioneers of Union Township in Ross County. Peter Flesher improved a farm in this county and remained a resident there until his death. Michael Flesher grew up on an early Ross County farm and in time became a quite extensive land farmer, but as a result of his going security for others, he lost a large part of his fortune. His death occurred in Union Township December 23, 1899. Michael Flesher married Susan Fraler, who was born in Darke County, Ohio, and died December 19, 1907, the mother of eleven children. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Norris comprises six children, named Blanche May, Glenn, Cecil, Reva, May and Dora. D. GARFIELD DE VOSS. Prominent among the younger generation of business men in Ross County is found D. Garfield De Voss, who is 708 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY conducting a successful general merchandise store in the thriving community of Fruitdale. This establishment represents Mr. De Voss progressive spirit and enterprise, and the trade connected with it has steadily grown since its founding. In addition to handling the affairs of his business, Mr. De Voss is acting in the capacity of postmaster of Fruitdale, and both as business man and official is discharging his duties in an eminently able and satisfactory manner. Mr. De Voss was born August 18, 1880, in Fayette County, Ohio, and is a son of Samuel and Nancy (Terrell) De Voss. His father was born in Adams County, Ohio, close to Buena Vista, in 1841, and received his education there, in his youth learning the trade of wagonmaker. In following his vocation, Mr. De Voss went to Fayette County, where he met and married Nancy Terrell, who had been born there, and they settled down in that community and resided there for some years. Mr. De Voss conducted a wagonmaking shop at New Martinsburg for some time and later moved on to Leesburg, where he had his home and business for seven years. His next move was to Fruitdale, were he now resides, and where for a number of years he carried on a thriving business. At the present time, however, he is retired from active affairs, having accumulated a competency. Mr. De Voss was a soldier of the Union during the war between the North and South, having enlisted in 1861 in Company C, Eighty-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and serving until the close of the struggle. He fought in some of the most hotly contested battles of the war, the Eighty-first being famed as a hard-fighting regiment which lost a large percentage of its members. When he received his honorable discharge he took with it a fine record for bravery in action and faithful performance of duty at all times. Mr. De Voss is a stanch republican and has been a loyal supporter of his party in every campaign since he reached manhood, but never has been a seeker for personal preferment. He has contributed to the community welfare in other ways than by public service. Mr. De Voss takes an active part in the work of the Grand Army of the Republic, of which he has been a member for many years. With his wife, he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church at Greenfield. They have been the parents of four children, of whom three are living: Flora, who is the wife of W. H. De Voss, of Greenfield, Ohio; Bertha, the wife of J. M. Gadbury, of Greenfield ; D. Garfield, of this review ; and Thomas, who died in 1915. D. Garfield De Voss received his education in the public schools of Greenfield, and his earliest employment was in a store at that place, where he received his introduction to business methods. When he was twenty-four years old he embarked in commercial pursuits on his own account as the proprietor of a grocery at Greenfield and continued in business at that place until 1913, when he came to Fruitdale, where he has constantly added to his stock and increased his patronage. By his diligent attention to the requirements of the public, his careful and intelligent buying, his courteous treatment of customers and his prompt and honest dealings, he has established an excellent trade. He is young, HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 709 businesslike, enterprising and promising, eager not only legitimately to advance his own interests, but anxious to promote public movements which are meritorious and feasible. A republican in his political views, he is serving as postmaster of Fruitdale under a democratic administration and is giving the people of this community an excellent mail service. On February 7, 1905; Mr. De Voss was married to Miss Annetta Carey, daughter of Alonzo and Josephine (Anderson) Carey, and granddaughter of William Carey, who came of Quaker stock and was an early settler of Highland County, Ohio, from Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. De Voss are the parents of three sons: Charles, Dwight and Delbert. WERTER M. SEYMOUR. Among the representative men of Ross County, Ohio, is Werter M. Seymour, whose magnificent estate of 540 acres, known as Maple Lawn Farm, is situated in Paint Township, four miles west of Bainbridge. Sturdy ancestors are back of Mr. Seymour and he bears a family name well known and honored almost a century ago in old Virginia, now a part of West Virginia. There, in Hardy County, on February 4, 1821, his father, Aaron W. Seymour, was born, and twenty-seven years later came to Ross County, Ohio. Werter M. Seymour was born in Paxton Township, Ross County, October 25, 1854. His parents were Aaron W. and Catherine E. (McNeill) Seymour, the father a native of Hardy County, Virginia, and the mother born in Ross County, Ohio. They were married at Frankfort, Ohio, June 30, 1847, and in the following year they came to Ross County and settled in Paxton Township, two miles east of Bainbridge. They lived on that place for forty-eight years, it being the property now owned and occupied by L. C. Anderson. He accumulated 1,400 acres of land and resided on it until late in life, when he removed to the home of his son and there he died March 22, 1900. In every relation of life he was a man of worth, an elder in the Presbyterian Church, a leader in moral and benevolent movements, a good neighbor and a worthy example in kindness and generosity to everyone. He was a strong supporter of the principles of the democratic party and quite often was chosen by his neighbors to serve in responsible positions. Of his three children, Werter M. is the only survivor. Werter M. Seymour was reared on a farm, mainly in Paxton Township. He was given better educational opportunities than many country boys of that day enjoyed, for after attending the district schools he was sent to a higher grade school in Kentucky. To some extent this has had an effect in the management of his large estate, leading him intelligently to accept modern methods in agriculture and to stock his farm with approved live stock of every kind. The products of Maple Lawn Farm are known all over the county and command the highest prices. On October 31, 1883, Mr. Seymour was united in marriage with Miss Agnes E. McMeachen, who was born in Ross County in September, 1856, and died November 7, 1909, a daughter of Seymour and Catherine (McAllister) McMeachen. Mrs. Seymour was a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church. She was the mother of three children, two of. Vol. II-15 710 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY whom survive: Allen H., who was born July 1, 1888, is a graduate of the local high school and the Ohio State University at Columbus, and lives at home; and Catherine H., who was born September 3, 1891, who is a graduate of the Bainbridge High School as well as of the local body. Mr. Seymour stands high in the estimation of his community and is an elder in the Presbyterian Church. On numerous occasions he has been elected on the democratic ticket to township offices, in filling the duties of which he has been honest and faithful. JOHN A. MOOMAW. That men of broad and general experience are particularly fitted for the vocation of farming is denied by no one familiar with the intellectual and general demands placed upon present day exponents of scientific agriculture. The knowledge gained by the educator, for instance, especially if he has been a worker in the country districts, is an important item in the equipment of those who conduct the basic industry of the world, and it is this advantage which has contributed largely to the success of John A. Moomaw, of Paint Township. Mr. Moomaw was formerly an educator, but since 1900 has been engaged in farming and is now the proprietor of Maple Lawn Farm, situated one mile north of Fruitdale, in the Buckskin Valley, a tract of 114 acres, and of a farm of seventy-three acres located on Price's Ridge. Mr. Moomaw was born in Paint Township, Ross County, Ohio, May 21, 1854, and is a son of Jacob B. and Vashti Carolina (Morton) Moo-maw. His paternal grandparents were Henry and Anna (Gray) Moomaw, the former of near Roanoke, Virginia, and the latter of Ohio, of Pennsylvania parents. Vashti Carolina Morton was born in Ross County, Ohio, near South Salem, her father being a South Carolinian and her mother an Ohioan. The Morton family history extends hack to Scotland, from whence, because of religious persecution, an early member of the family fled to Ireland. About 1768, because of continued religious trouble, several of the name crossed the ocean to refuge in America, and took up their residence in Pennsylvania, but in order to find a more desirable climate, went later to South Carolina. They were active during the Revolutionary war, and after the close of that struggle, because of the prevalence of slavery in the South, of which they did not approve, made their way overland by wagon, with oxen and cows. John and Margaret (Alexander) Morton, the grandparents of Mrs. Vashti C. Moomaw, made this journey in 1806, settling first in Highland County, and later removing to near South Salem, Ross County. in 1807. The father of Margaret (Alexander) Morton was captured by the British while fighting as a soldier of the Continental line in the war of the Revolution. To Jacob B. and Vashti C. Moomaw there were born four children : John A., of this record ; Anna, who is the wife of Albert C. Ellenberger and lives at South Salem ; Frank Morton, a farmer in Paint Township; and William, who died at the age of fourteen years. John A. Moomaw was reared on the home farm and received his education in the public school and South Salem (Ohio) Academy, from which he was duly graduated in 1875. At that time he began teaching HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 711 and continued as an educator until the year 1900, when he turned his attention to farming, as already noted. In addition to being a practical and successful farmer, Mr. Moomaw is a broad-minded and progressive man, well posted on current events and entertaining sensible opinions on questions of public interest. He is president of the Buckskin Valley Farmers Institute, and a member of the executive committee of the Buckskin-Lyndon Picnic Association, and in other ways has shown himself alert and alive in affairs of his community. He is a republican in his political views and in the primary of August 8, 1916, was a candidate for the nomination to the office of county commissioner of Ross County on the republican ticket, believing that Paint Township should have a candidate on that ticket, something it has not had in twenty years. Fraternally, he is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Royal Arcanum, in both of which he has numerous friends. He has likewise been active in religious work, being a member and elder of the Presbyterian Church and a commissioner to represent the Chillicothe Presbytery at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1912. On November 23, 1881, Mr. Moomaw was married to Miss Sarah Reihle, who was born in Pike County, Ohio, November 28, 1851, and they have had six children : F. Ray, a graduate of South Salem Academy, who spent two years at Miami University, Oxford, was a teacher in the schools of Porto Rico for six years, and present county surveyor of Carroll County, Tennessee, married. Anna Hamm, of Chillicothe, Ohio; Forest E., a graduate of Salem Academy, teacher in the high school at Bainbridge, and a farmer in Paint Township, married Mary Grove, and they have two daughters, Eleanor Elizabeth and Margaret Victoria; Willis R., a graduate of the same institution and a teacher in this and other counties, married Mildred Hoffman, and they reside in Paint Township and have one son, John Hoffman ; Lina, born April 12, 1889, who died July 23, 1903, when fourteen years of age ; Mary E., a graduate of Greenfield High School and now the wife of Seigel Mossburger, of Buckskin Township ; and Venna R., a graduate of Buckskin High School, now residing with her parents. WESLEY VINCENT. One of the solid and substantial old families of Ross County is represented by Wesley Vincent, who at one time was a merchant in Chillicothe, but has for many years been a practical farmer, conducting the old Vincent homestead near Chillicothe, and has also made a success of the business of buying and selling livestock. He was born March 17, 1855, in Ross County, a son of William and Mary Vincent. William Vincent was also a native of Ross County, was a substantial farmer for many years, and established his home 21/, miles from Chillicothe, where he lived and reared his seven children, three of whom are still living. Later he moved to Chillicothe and engaged in the grocery business, which he continued until his death. Next to the youngest in the family, Wesley Vincent grew up partly on the farm and partly in Chillicothe, gained a fair education in the local schools and early became associated with his father in conducting 712 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY the grocery 'business. After his father's death he remained in trade only a short time and then sold out in order to give his entire energies to the management of the old farm. He has made a model place of the old homestead near Chillicothe, but has been most successful in a business way through his extensive interests as a buyer of horses and cattle. He now has capable assistants in this business in the persons of his two sons. In Ross County on April 29, 1884, he married Miss Anna Weigher. To their marriage have been born eight children, seven sons and one daughter, namely : William, George, Earl, Geraldine, Joseph, Marshall, Conrad and Chester. CHARLES W. KNOLES. Engaged in the prosecution of a calling upon which the wealth and support of the nation so largely depends, Charles W. Knoles, of Chillicothe, holds a position of note among the successful agriculturists of Ross County. He was born December 11, 1870, in the southeastern part of the City of Chillocothe, on the farm which he now owns and occupies, having inherited it from his father, the late Daniel Knoles. His paternal grandfather, William Knoles, was born in the State of Delaware, in 1795, and came from there with his parents, Mr,. and Mrs. Eleazer Knoles, to Chillicothe in pioneer days. One of the earlier merchants of Chillicothe, William Knoles, purchased a tract of land on Paint Street, opposite the courthouse, where he built up a profitable trade as a grocer, and in addition to his mercantile interests invested largely in farm lands. His home for a number of years was on Paint Street, across from the city buildings. He was quite prominent in business affairs, and lived to a good old age, passing away in 1877. The site of the grocery store that he operated has been in the possession of the Knoles family for nearly a century, and is now owned by his grandson, Charles W. Knoles, of whom we write. The maiden name of the wife of William Knoles was Margaret Ott. She was born in Virginia, and came to Ohio with her parents, who were pioneer settlers of Ross County. But two children were born of their union, John, who died unmarried. and Daniel. Daniel Knoles was born, June 25, 1833, in Chillicothe, and acquired his education in the public schools. When ready to begin life on his own account, he settled in the southeastern part of the city, on land that his father had previously purchased, and on the farm which he improved spent his remaining days, dying January 14, 1892. He married Sophia Shoeffe, who was born in Germany, February 4, 1845, a daughter of Jacob and Louisa, and died on the home farm, October 5, 1910. The only child of his parents, Charles W. Knoles received an excellent education in the Chillicothe schools, in the meantime assisting in the various labors of the home farm, which he now owns and occupies. When the farm came into the possession of his grandfather it was partly improved, and on it was a substantial hewed log house, which has been weather-boarded on the outside, and ceiled on the inside, and now forms HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 713 a part of the house occupied by Mr. Knoles and his family. A man of sound judgment and good business ability, Mr. Knoles is devoting his time to the attention of his private affairs, and the care of his estate, which, with its excellent improvements, constitutes one of the most desirable pieces of property in the neighborhood. Mr. Knoles married, March 18, 1896, Frederica Manger, who was born in Huntington Township, Ross County, a daughter of William Mauger. Her paternal grandfather, Matthew Manger, came from Germany, his native land, to America as a. young man, and was a pioneer settler of Pike County, Ohio. At that early day all of this section of the country was a vast wilderness, and deer, turkey, and other kinds of wild game were plentiful, while the forests were habited by Indians, who were friendly, and with whom he became well acquainted. He bought a tract of timbered land near Waverly, and had many improvements well established when he was accidentally killed by the falling of a tree during a heavy storm, leaving his wife, whose maiden name was Agatha Gang, with ten children to care for. William Mauger, father of Mrs. Knoles, was but twelve years old when his father was killed, and he did his full share in helping to support the family, laboring early and late. He has always followed farming, and now lives about a mile west of Waverly, not far from his birthplace. He married Augusta Wagner, who was born in Germany, and came to America in a sailing vessel with her parents, Godfrey and Caroline Wagner, who located in the southern part of Ross County, where both spent their remaining years. William :gauger and his wife reared seven children, as follows : Frederica, now Mrs. Knoles ; Lena; William ; Anna ; John ; and Minnie. Three children have been born of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Knoles, namely : Charles Edgar; William Daniel ; and a daughter, Faith Augusta, who died in infancy. Mrs. Knoles was reared in the Lutheran Church, and has always been true to that faith. T. E. BANKS. Chillicothe is the home of a number of railway men who, in addition to their connection with the organizations of their profession, also belong to the order of merit, in that they have risen by personal efficiency and loyalty to many of the larger responsibilities in the service. Among them is T. E. Banks, who is now trainmaster of the Baltimore and Ohio Railway, Southwestern Division. A native of Claremont County, Ohio, he was born September 27, 1872, the youngest of six children, of whom only two are now surviving, born to Robert and Hannah (Berrill) Banks. His father was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and died in 1910, while the mother passed away in 1915. Robert Banks was also a railway man, and continued active in the service until his death. He lived in Chillicothe from 1889. T. E. Banks had only a common school education. At the age of thirteen he was paying his own way as messenger boy. Afterwards he worked in a planing mill, and for one year was in the local office of the Adams Express Company. For four years he was connected 714 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY with the Arbanz Furniture Company as foreman of their mechanical room. His career as a practical railway man began in 1894 when he found work in the same department of the Baltimore & Ohio as freight brakeman. He familiarized himself with all the duties of his position, and in 1903 was promoted to the next grade in the service, that of freight conductor. For ten years he was one of the trusted conductors of the road, and in 1913 was made assistant trainmaster and in 1914 was given the full duties of the position of trainmaster for the Southwestern Division of the Baltimore & Ohio. Mr. Banks is a popular member of the Order of Railway Conductors and is also affiliated with Scioto Lodge No. 6, Free and Accepted Masons. In politics he is a republican. November 5, 1890, at Chillicothe he married Miss Mary Reihart, daughter of Henry and Lena Reihart. The Reiharts came from Germany and were early settlers in Jackson County, Ohio, but in 1888 moved to Ross County. Mr. and Mrs. Banks have one daughter, Mabel, born July 22, 1891. GEORGE J. HERRNSTEIN. A man of rare business tact and ability, George Herrnstein, now living retired from active pursuits at his home in Chillicothe, was for nearly two score years prominently identified with one of the foremost industries of Ross County. A native of Chillicothe, he was born November 30, 1846, coming on both sides of the house of honored German ancestry. George Herrnstein, his father, was born and educated in Germany, and there served an apprenticeship at the jeweler's trade. Immigrating to the United States in early manhood, he came to Ohio before the days of railroads, at a time when all transportation was by rail or stage coach, locating in Chillicothe. The principal hotel of the city was then situated at the corner of Mill and Hickory streets, in the very midst of the business center. He first worked as a jeweler, and then learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed a few years. Later establishing a planing mill on Park Street, he managed it successfully until 1872. Going then to Lewis County, Kentucky, he purchased 1,000 acres of heavily timbered land, and having installed a portable sawmill engaged in the manufacture of lumber, the greater portion of his output being shipped by him to Chillicothe, and sold by his sons. He there continued in business until his death, January 16, 1891, at the age of seventy-two years. His body was then brought back to Chillicothe, and interred in Grand View Cemetery. He married Mary Kaiser, a native of Germany, and to them five children were born, as follows: Mary, George J., Jacob, Philip, and Henry. The mother died in 1897, aged seventy-six years. Acquiring a practical education in the Chillicothe schools, George J. Herrnstein began when quite young to assist his father, and soon became familiar with the details of the business. In 1872, in partnership with his brothers, he acquired possession of the mill and lumber yard, and as senior member of the firm of George J. Herrnstein & HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 715 Brothers established a substantial. business. Enlarging his operations from time to time, Mr. Herrnstein became head of one of the most important and extensive industries of the city. His plant, which occupied two squares, included a commodious two-story brick building, amply fitted with all the modern machinery and appliances used in the manufacture of sash, doors and blinds, moldings, stairs, and verandas, and a finely equipped brick kiln. In addition to this plant, the enterprising firm operated a branch lumber yard on Bridge Street, and another at Circleville, building up a large and highly remunerative business in the sale of undressed lumber. Having been actively and prosperously engaged in the lumber business for thirty-seven consecutive years, Mr. Herrnstein retired from active pursuits, and is now devoting his attention to his private interests. On September 26, 1872, Mr. Herrnstein was united in marriage with Catherine Brehm, who was born in Chillicothe, in 1853. Her father, Philip Peter Brehm, was born, in 1821, in Germany, where he learned the bricklayer's trade, and also served for three years in the German army. When a young man he came to America in a sailing vessel, landing in New York, from there going to Buffalo by river and canal, thence by way of Lake Erie to Cleveland, and from that city by way of the canal to Chillicothe, where he followed his trade during the remainder of his active life, dying in this city in 18—. Mr. Brehm, who was a great lover of music, and a fine player on the bass horn and other wind instruments, was for many years a valued member of the Chillicothe Band. Mr. Brehm married Margaret Pettiheimer, who was born in Germany, and died in Chillicothe, and they reared five children, as follows: Margaret, now Mrs. Herrnstein ; Catherine ; Charles; Adam ; and Philip. Mr. and Mrs. Herrnstein have three daughters, namely : Margaret, wife of Chauncey A. Herrnstein; Anna Marie, wife of Newton Adams; and Elizabeth. Religiously Mr. and Mrs. Herrnstein are conscientious members of the First Evangelical Church of Chillicothe, and have brought up their family in the same faith. CHARLES HOYT, M. D. Conspicuous on the long roll of eminent names that have gained recognition in the professional, business and social circles of Chillicothe is that of the late Charles Hoyt, M. D., who was not only an honored and successful physician, but was one of the most loyal, popular, and best beloved citizens of Ross County. A man of high intellectual attainments, kind-hearted, unselfish and sympathetic, he was ever ready to lend a helping hand to the needy and unfortunate, and was a liberal subscriber to every good and worthy cause. The descendant of a New England family of prominence, he was born, January 20, 1854, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, a son of Nason Hoyt, Jr. His grandfather, Nason Hoyt, Sr., was born in New England, of English ancestry, and there spent his entire life, during his active career having been engaged in mercantile pursuits. 716 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY Born and brought up in New Hampshire, Nason Hoyt, Jr., became a farmer from choice, for a time being engaged in tilling the rocky soil of his native state. After his marriage he lived first in Ontario, Canada, from there moving with his family to Chautauqua County, New York, where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, at the age of sixty-eight •years. He married Susan Webster, who was born in New Hampshire, which was likewise the birthplace of that noted statesman, Daniel Webster, who belonged to the same branch of the Webster family that she did. She survived her husband, passing away at the age of seventy-three years. Both were faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The youngest member of the parental household, Charles Hoyt obtained his preliminary education in the public schools of Chautauqua County. Beginning the battle of life as a school teacher, he employed all of his leisure time while thus employed in studying medicine, for which he had a natural aptitude, and a genuine liking. Having thus acquired his rudimentary knowledge of medical science, he entered the Pulte Medical College, in Cincinnati, and was there graduated in 1878. The doctor then formed a partnership with his brother, Dr. William Hoyt, a practicing physician in Hillsboro, Highland County, remaining there until the spring of 1880. Doctor Hoyt then located at Chillicothe, and having met with most favorable results in the exercise of his profession remained here in active practice until his death, June 20, 1913. Public-spirited, progressive and enterprising, Doctor Hoyt was ever among the foremost in promoting the welfare of Chillicothe, and in the establishment of projects tending toward the upbuilding of the city. He served as president of the Chillicothe Chamber of Commerce ; was one of the originators of the Sunset Club ; and one of the organizers of the Ross County Tuberculosis Society. Fraternally the doctor was a member, and past master, of Scioto Lodge No. 6, Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons; a member, and past high priest, of Chillicothe Chapter No. 4, Royal Arch Masons; a member, and past thrice illustrious master, of Chillicothe Council No. 4, Royal and Select Masters; a member, and past eminent commander, of Chillicothe Commandery No. 8, Knights Templar; a member of Columbus Consistory and of Aladdin Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Doctor Hoyt was likewise a member of the American Institute of Homeopathy ; of the International Hahnemannian Association ; and of the Ohio State Medical Society. Doctor Hoyt married, September 6, 1883, Helen E. Will, who was born at McArthur, Ohio, a daughter of George B. and Helen A. (French) Will. Two children blessed their union, namely : Loy E., of whom a brief sketch may be found on another page of this volume : and Donald C. Politically the doctor was a republican. Religiously he was a member, and one of the trustees, of the First Presbyteriah Church. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 717 LOY E. HOYT, M. D. A prominent physician of Chillicothe, Loy E. Hoyt, M. D., has inherited to an eminent degree the talent and ability of his father, who was for many years a prominent member of the medical fraternity of Ross County, and is making rapid strides in his professional career. He was born, July 7, 1884, in Chillicothe, and acquired his preliminary education in the public schools of this city, in 1903 completing the course of study in the high sohool. Going then to Ann Arbor, Michigan, Loy E. Hoyt was graduated from the literary department of the University of Michigan, with the degree of bachelor of arts, in 1907. Taking up the study of medicine, he was graduated from the Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, in 1909, and the following year was an interne at the Hahnemann Hospital in that city. Returning to Chillicothe, Doctor Hoyt began the practice of his profession in this city, having succeeded to a considerable extent to the practice of his father, Charles Hoyt, M. D., of whom a sketch is given elsewhere in this work. Doctor Hoyt married, in 1914, Madeline Evans White, who was born at Winchendon Springs, Worcester County, Massachusetts, a daughter of Joseph N. and Anne White. A son, Charles Nelson, has been born to them. Doctor Hoyt is a member of the Ross County Academy of Medicine; of the Ohio State Medical Society ; and of the American Institute of Homeopathy. Active in educational matters, he is vice president of the Chillicothe School Board. Socially he belongs to the Sunset Club, of which his father was a charter member; he is likewise an active member of the Anti-Tuberculosis Society. Fraternally the doctor is a member of Scioto Lodge No. 6, Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons; of Chillicothe Chapter No. 4, Royal Arch Masons; of Chillicothe Council No. 4, Royal and Select Masters ; and of Chillicothe Lodge No. 52, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Doctor Hoyt is a member of the Presbyterian Church. JAMES HARRY BLAIN. After nearly half a century of fruitful toil as one of Ross County's agriculturists, James H. Blain and his good wife are spending their declining years in a fine home in Scioto Township near Chillicothe. There like patriarchs of old, they live surrounded by children, grandchildren and have also six great-grandchildren. A native of Ross County, James H. Blain was one of the gallant soldier boys who went from this county to the defense of the Union in the dark days of the Civil war. He was born in a log cabin in Scioto Township in 1844. His father, John Blain, was born in the same township. This is one of the very early families of Ross County. His grandfather, William Blain, was born in Virginia and came from there to the Northwest Territory in 1797, nearly one hundred twenty years ago. It was five years before Ohio was created a state and everything was wild and new and practically all the population of Ohio was confined to the southern counties. Only a small part of the present state 718 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY had ever been visited by white men, and the Indians still found their favorite hunting ground on the sites of many now prosperous and thriving cities. The early settlers found a large part of their subsistence in the game which roamed through the forests. Grandfather William Blain lived for a time in the bottom lands of Paint Creek until finding them a source of ill health to his family he moved to the present site of Massieville. There he bought a tract of government land, and was beginning its improvement when the War of 1812 broke out. He enlisted for service, went away with the troops, and was never afterward heard from. The circumstances of his death are thus unknown. John Blain was only an infant when his father went to the army, and was the only son. He inherited the eighty acre farm at Massie-vine, and spent his life quietly and industriously on it. He died at the age of sixty-five and his wife passed away at the same age. Her maiden name was Elizabeth Truitt, and she was born in Ross County, a daughter of Samuel Truitt. They reared three children, Joseph, James H., and Millie. The habits of industry implanted in James H. Blain as a boy on the old farm never left him, and has been the keynote of his successful career. In his early life he assisted in supporting the family and when quite a good sized boy worked for James Stinson for the low wages of twenty-five cents a day. He continued working by the day and month until November, 1861. At that time came his enlistment in Company I of the Seventy-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In 1863 he re-enlisted and veteranized in the same regiment, and was with that gallant fighting unit of the Northern army until the close of the war. Few men who went out from Ross County had a longer and more active service than James H. Blain. At first he was in the fighting in Virginia, participating in the second Battle of Bull Run, Cedar Mountain, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. He then went with his regiment to the great army of General Sherman in the operation through Eastern Tennessee and Northern Georgia. He fought at Lookout Mountain, known as the battle above the clouds. He was with Sherman's command in the stubborn campaign lasting for a hundred days or more against Atlanta, was at the siege and capture of that city, then followed Sherman on the glorious march to the sea, and from Savannah went north through the Carolinas. He was present at the surrender of Johnston's troops, went on to Richmond, and from there to Washington, where he participated in the grand review. Receiving his honorable discharge with his regiment he returned home with a record of service which will always be cherished by his descendants. Once more back in Ohio he resumed his work on the farm at day and monthly wages, and gradually accumulated enough to buy equipment for independent work. He rented land at first, and for several years cultivated the Massie and Renick farms, which have long been noted as among the most fertile in Ross County. After many years of successful work as a farmer Mr. Blain retired and now lives in his present home just outside the city of Chillicothe. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 719 In 1866 he married Nancy Burns. She was born in Orange County, North Carolina, daughter of Gideon and Mary Ann (Lashley) Burns, who were also natives of Orange County and of Scotch ancestry. The Burns family came to Ross County in 1850, making the entire journey from North Carolina across the mountains and over the rugged highways with wagons and teams. They established their home in Scioto Township. Mr. and Mrs. Blain have reared six children, Charles, William, Mary, Harry, James, and Carrie. Charles married Blanche Edwards, and their eleven children are named Ira G., Ruth M., Edith M., Euphemia, Howard E., Carrie E., Floyd, Virgil, Helen, Neva, and Willis. The son William married Hannah Hammond and their two children are Edna and Ada. Mary is the wife of George Clymer and their one son is Harry W. Harry married Hazel Barclay and has a daughter named Margaret. James married Ella Nebergall and has two children, Clarence and Everett. Carrie is the wife of John Miller, and her two sons are Robert and John. THOMAS JUNK, now deceased, was one of the sterling old time citizens of Ross County. Few men followed farming with the success that he did. He accumulated a large property, and was always one of the enlightened and progressive factors in his community. His descendants may well take pride in his achievements and in the honored name he left. He was born in Deerfield Township of Ross County, November 28, 1816. This date in itself indicates that the family were among the pioneers. His father, John Junk, was born in Pennsylvania in 1794. The Grandfather Thomas Junk was born in the state of New Jersey about 1760 of Scotch-Irish parents. From New Jersey he moved to the wilderness of Pennsylvania, settling near the present site of Uniontown. From there in 1798 he came to the northwest territory, accompanied by his wife and children. That was in the closing years of the eighteenth century. There were no canals, railroads, and hardly a highway worthy of the name on the west side of the Allegheny Mountains. Consequently the journey was made with wagon and teams through unbroken forests and over unbridged streams. To traverse the distance from western Pennsylvania to Southern Ohio was as great an undertaking then as a trip around the world would be now. Arriving in the northwest territory the family located in what is now Union Township of Ross County. There Thomas Junk bought a tract of timbered land, and in that locality spent the rest of his industrious days. John Junk, father of the late Thomas Junk, was only a child when he came to Ohio. He was still young when he enlisted and served through the War of 1812. Later he bought a tract of timbered land in Deerfield Township, and there cleared out a farm from the woods. He became a competent frontiersman, axman and hunter. It was possible to supply the meat of a household from the wild game that was then so plentiful in the forest, and he took part in all the hard 720 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY labors, sports and diversions of the early days. It was his home until his death in 1864. John Junk married Susan Pryor Shields. She was born in Union Township of Ross County, a daughter of Thomas and Susan (Pryor) Shields. Thomas Shields and wife were natives of Virginia, whence they came to Ross County in 1798 and settled on what has ever since been known as Shields Hill two and a half miles west of Chillicothe. Mrs. John Junk survived her husband twenty years and died in 1884. She reared five children. The late Thomas Junk grew up in Ross County under conditions that were little removed from the most primitive aspects of the frontier. He was a grown man before a system of public schools was established, and such education as he acquired was in the old fashioned subscription schools conducted for only two or three months each year. Some of the first crops he raised were still transported by river boats from Chillicothe down the Scioto, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to Southern markets. After reaching manhood Thomas Junk bought a tract of land near his father's home. A log house stood on the land, and into that humble abode he took his bride. In spite of the hardships with which he contended in early years, he became splendidly successful, and with increasing means he bought additional land until he was the owner of six hundred fertile acres of Deerfield Township. That land he leased to tenants, and finally moved to Austin in Concord Township, where he bought a farm with good building improvements and lived there until his death at the age of fifty-seven. Thomas Junk married Phoebe Peterson, a daughter of Col. Martin and Elizabeth (Coyner) Peterson, who were among the pioneers of Concord Township. Mrs. Thomas Junk passed away April 12, 1897. The children of this worthy couple were as follows : Milton, Martin. Maria, Thomas, Susan, Charles, Mary and Martha, twins, and Albert. the son, Milton, enlisted for service in the Union army when a boy, being a member of Company C of the 149th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and he died while still in the army in his nineteenth year. Maria is the wife of John Cline of Frankfort. Thomas lives in Fayette County. The daughter Susan is now deceased. Martin, Charles and Albert are all farmers in Concord Township. The twin daughters, Martha and Mary, enjoy the comforts of a pleasant home in Frankfort, where they are both active in church and social affairs. EDWARD J. WITTWER has long been prominently identified with the business history of Adelphi and with various other communities in this section of Southern Ohio. He has been a merchant, has dealt extensively in land, particularly in suburban development, and in 1908 he organized the Adelphi Banking Company, of which he has been president. He is a man of broad and varied interests, has traveled extensively, and is noted as a local archeologist and undoubtedly is one of the best authorities on the archeological remains found in Ross County. His birth occurred in the house which he still occupies, January 11, 1868. His father was John Wittwer, who was born near the City of Speiz HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 721 in the Canton of Berne, Switzerland, in 1820. The grandparents spent their lives in Switzerland. John Wittwer was reared and well educated in Switzerland and served there an apprenticeship at the cabinetmaker's trade. In 1850 he came to America, making the voyage on a sailing vessel and spending forty days on the ocean. From New York he came west to Columbus, Ohio, and a little later arrived at Chillicothe, where at the time he had only $2 in his pocket and a well-worn pair of shoes on his feet. At that time the "castle" as it was called was in process of erection. He was employed at his trade as cabinet-maker and spent nearly a year on the interior finish of that building. Later he opened his cabinet shop on Walnut Street between Water and Second streets, and, conducted business there until 1865. Then on account of the ill health of his family he closed his Chillicothe business and removed to Adelphi, where he set up in the undertaking and furniture business. While growing up in Switzerland, John Wittwer developed his life romance with Marie Lortscher, a member of a very prominent Swiss family. Her father, Christian Lortscher, was born in Canton Berne, was well educated, and exercised a more than ordinary influence in public affairs. For twenty-four years he was a member of the Swiss Senate. He was in the prime of his usefulness when the Swiss Confederation was formed. A commission was sent by the Swiss Government to visit the United States and study the workings of the American Constitution. When this commission reported its findings Christian Lortscher was one of those most actively engaged in preparing the present Constitution of Switzerland, which has long been considered a model of republican government. He remained a lifelong resident of Switzerland. Christian Lortscher married Magdalene Augstein, who also lived out her life in the old country. Mrs. John Wittwer was born in 1824, and in 1852 she set out for America and immediately on her arrival married the sweetheart who had preceded her to this country, John Wittwer. She died August 2, 1884. Her five children were: Mary, Caroline, Jahn, Lydia and Edward J. The daughter Mary died at the age of eighteen. Caroline now lives with her brother and family on the old home place. Lydia died at the age of forty-two. John became associated with his father and brother Edward in business, is now living at Columbus, and by his marriage to Elizabeth Koch has two children named Marjorie and Pauline. Edward J. Wittwer while growing to manhood attended the public schools of Adelphi and finished his education in the Ohio Northern University at Ada, the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, and also attended the U. S. Grant University at Athens, Tennessee. When he left school it was to become associated with his father and brother in business, and he and his brother John continued the local enterprise established by their father at Adelphi until 1892 when they sold the furniture stock. Since then they have continued to operate together in varied enterprises, particularly the handling of real estate and development of coal lands in Jackson County, Ohio, and in West Virginia. As real estate operators they have purchased suburban property 722 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY in the cities of Chillicothe, Lancaster and Columbus, and have platted; improved and in many cases have built houses before selling. On July 14, 1897, early in his career, Edward J. Wittwer married Mary Patterson Nowlan. She was born at Newark Valley, Tioga County, New York. Her father Hon. Edward G. Nowlan was born at Coles Hill in Broome County, New York, a son of Thomas and Sophia (Enders) Nowlan. Edward Nowlan learned the blacksmith's trade at Newark Valley, followed it for a number of years, and took a very prominent part in local and state politics in New York state. He served as supervisor at Newark Valley, represented his county in the state assembly and was a stout supporter of Roscoe Conkling in the latter's final senatorial campaign. Edward Nowlan married Ann Amelia Patterson, who was born at Newark Valley in 1840, a daughter of Hon. Chester and Mary (Elliot) Patterson. Chester Patterson, the grandfather of Mrs. Wittwer, was a presidential elector in 1824, casting his vote for John Quincy Adams. An interesting history of this branch of the Patterson family has been published by D. Williams Patterson of Newark Valley. Mr. and Mrs. Wittwer have one daughter, Grace Marie, who graduated with the class of 1916 from the Adelphi High School. Mrs. Wittwer is a writer of poems. At the branch meeting of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society the Methodist Episcopal Church held at Huntington, West Virginia, October 16, 1916, including delegates from six states, Mrs. Wittwer was elected corresponding secretary for the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Ohio Conference, and was sent as a delegate to the national executive meeting at Minneapolis, Minnesota. At this meeting only twenty-two delegates are sent from the entire United States. As already stated Mr. Wittwer has used his ample means to enjoy life to the best advantage. Travel has appealed to him, and he has made many journeys for pleasure and instruction both in this and foreign countries. He took his wife, daughter and sister abroad a few years ago and has twice witnessed the Passion Play at Oberammergau. Since boyhood days he has been interested in archeology and undoubtedly has the finest and most valuable privately owned collection of specimens in Ross County. When the subject of the erection of a memorial building at Chillicothe was proposed, Mr. Wittmer was the first to advocate the setting aside of a room for the purpose of preserving and displaying archeological specimens. He and his family are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and Sunday school, and fraternally he is affiliated with Adelphi Lodge No. 512, Free and Accepted Masons, and Adelphi Lodge No. 675, Knights of Pythias. Mr. Wittwer has been identified extensively in lecturing for churches and schools and bankers' conventions. On October 3, 1916, he delivered a speech before the bankers of Group Four, comprising thirteen counties of Ohio, at Chillicothe, which was most enthusiastically received, and a request was made for a repetition of the same for Group Five, at Newark, Ohio, on October 19, 1916. Mr. Kiser, of Sidney Spitzer, of Toledo, Ohio, asked permission to have this speech printed for distribution among bankers of the State HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 723 of Ohio. Mr. Wittwer has a lecture, "Glimpses of Europe," which he has delivered more than seventy-five times. Mr. Wittwer at one time rode the old style high wheel from Adelphi to Des Moines, Iowa, and return, and has the wheel in his possession as a relic. His Columbus address is 200 East Seventh Avenue. AUSTIN A. HEGLER. Since pioneer times the name Hegler has stood for success and extensive holdings of land in Ross County. It is in many ways an honored name. Hundreds of acres of the fertile land of Ross County has been developed by Hegler enterprise, and the members of the family have also borne a worthy part in every movement for community betterment. The founder of the family in Ross County was Hon. Abraham Hegler. He was born in Virginia, a son of Jacob and Mary (Dice) Hegler, and was a grandson of Sebastian Hegler, who owned and operated a farm on the south branch of the Potomac River, and spent his last days on that plantation. Abraham Hegler came to Ohio in 1807. In Virginia he married Dolly Stookey, who died in 1858. He brought her as a bride to Ohio, and they had come the entire distance on horseback, carrying their few household and personal possessions. Abraham Hegler established his home in Concord Township, and was soon in the midst of the heavy work required for the clearing and cultivation of a farm. He and his wife had very few white neighbors for several years, and land was very cheap, and could be bought as low as twenty-five cents an acre. Abraham Hegler was a man not only proficient in the arts of farming, but a splendid business man. He kept investing until at one time he was among the largest land owners in Ohio. His first home was a log house, but later he built a substantial brick residence and continued to live there until his death. At one time Abraham Hegler served in the State Legislature, having been chosen by his fellow citizens to that honor and responsibility for two terms. Cyrus Hegler, a son of Abraham and Dolly Hegler, was born in Concord Township in 1823. After reaching manhood he started out to farm a portion of his father's estate, and when he married he took his bride into a log home. Log houses were then not a mark of poverty or shiftlessness but were the typical homes of the early settlers. Later Cyrus Hegler moved to another tract of land given him by his father on Washington Pike. On that land in 1854 he completed a commodious frame house in the colonial style of architecture. That house even to this day is one of the finest country residences in Ross County. It is massive and substantial, built of timbers that will last for generations to come, and it has many attractive features that more modern homes strive in vain to imitate. Cyrus Hegler was not only successful as a farmer but enjoyed country life as a means of recreation. For many years he maintained a deer park on part of his fine estate. He lived there until his death at the age of eighty-four. The maiden name of his wife was Mary J. Hopkins. She was born in Fayette County, Ohio, a daughter of Jeremiah and Nancy (Claypool) Hopkins. Mrs. Cyrus 724 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY Hegler died in 1909, aged eighty-two. Her family consisted of three daughters and one son, named Cordelia, Austin, Ella and Dolly. Austin A. Hegler, the only son of his parents, was born in Concord Township October 20, 1850. Being one of a household of substantial means, he was given all the opportunities he desired for an education. He attended the country schools, also a select school at Bloomingburg, and completed his education in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware. While he might have made a choice of various vocations, farming was his favorite occupation from the first, and for many years he has devoted his best time and energies to that calling. In 1889 he moved from Concord Township to Washington Court House, where for ten years he conducted a livery business. Since then he has resided in Concord Township on his farm, though for two years he traveled in the West and South. In 1903 he located on a part of the homestead and is successfully identified with its management. Mr. Hegler has never identified himself with any secret society, or social organization of any kind. His spare time is spent in reading and he is one of the best posted men on current affairs in Ross County. His only daughter is the wife of Otto Tritcheler of Chillicothe. CEPHUS C. RITTENHOUSE. Many of the oldest families of Ross County are found in Concord Township. One of these is the Rittenhouse, represented by Cephus C. Rittenhouse, an old and prominent farmer of that section. His name has always had an honorable standing in Ross County, and its bearers have been men of integrity and solid worth, of great patriotism, serving in the various wars of their country, and in many ways have contributed to the substantial benefit of their communities. The founder of the family in America was Mr. Rittenhouse's paternal great-grandfather, who came from Germany and settled near Richmond, Virginia, where he spent the rest of his days. The grandfather, Samuel Rittenhouse, was born near Richmond, Virginia, grew up there, and soon after his marriage brought his young bride to Ohio, which was then practically at the beginning of its development. They made the journey across the mountains to their destination on horseback. All their earthly possessions they brought along with them, and on arriving in the wilderness of Ross County they adapted themselves to the primitive necessities of the time. They located near the present site of Musselman's Station in Ross County, and at once began clearing up their land and making a home. A man of industry such as Samuel Rittenhouse was had no special difficulty in providing all of the simple necessities then demanded. People lived in very rude homes, chiefly log cabins, clothing was obtained by spinning and weaving in the house, and what food could not be grown on the land was supplied largely from the wild game which was then so abundant. Deer and wild turkey were an important source of that meat supply. Samuel Rittenhouse lived in Ross County many years and there reared his family, but subsequently moved to Union County and spent his last