850 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY erine Waldren. She was born at Carpenter Station in Meigs County, Ohio, October 18, 1855, a daughter of Henry and Rebecca Jones. She was reared in Pike County, Ohio, attended the common schools and married for her first husband James D. Waldren, on December 24, 1882. The only child of their marriage died young. Mr. Waldren died June 22, 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Rotroff are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he is one of the trustees of his home society. Politically he has always been identified with the republican party, and is a citizen whose name means a great deal in Ross County. For seventeen years he has conducted a successful store in Twin Township, and he served as postmaster until the office was abolished. JOHN T. DOWLER has been well known in Ross County for a great many years. He owns a large amount of the fine farming land in this and adjoining counties, and is also a successful merchant at Nipgen. He was born in Athens County, Ohio, January 2, 1850. His parents were Richard and Elizabeth (Jordan) Dowler, his father a native of Pennsylvania and his mother of Morgan County, Ohio. His mother grew up in that section of Ohio and lived there until her marriage. After their marriage, Richard Dowler and wife located on a farm in Athens County. There he successfully followed farming and became the owner of 130 acres. In 1867 he moved to Ross County, locating in Twin Township, and finally traded his farm of 360 acres for a store at Good Hope. That place was his home until the death of his wife, when he returned to Athens County and remained a resident there until he passed away. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and for over thirty years he was one of the class leaders. There were six children born to Richard Dowler and wife, and the four now living are : Isaac, a retired farmer living at Lawrence, Kansas; Almeda, wife of John Young, living in Athens County ; Alice, widow of Joseph Moore, living near New Holland, in Pickaway County ; and John T. The son Lorenzo gave his life for his country while a soldier of the Union army during the Civil war. John T. Dowler was seventeen years of age when his father moved to Ross County. He had previously attended the public schools of Athens County, and completed his education in Ross. He has lived in this county nearly half a century and has accomplished a great deal worthy of the notice and recognition of mankind. He lived at home until he was twenty-one, and on starting out for himself had neither capital nor any special experience except in farm work. He accepted any employment that offered, and for two years dug coal in the mines. Later he took an interest in a store and has been more or less actively engaged in the mercantile business for a great many years. At the present time Mr. Dowler owns more than 400 acres of land in Ross and Pike counties. He also owns property in Washington Court House, and his activities as a business man were formerly quite widely dispersed over this section of Ohio. He was in the grain business at Williamsport HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 851 and Good Hope, and also at one time manufactured drain tile on a large scale. Mr. Dowler married Emma Pennisten, who was born in Pike County, Ohio, in 1847. She was the daughter of Joseph Pennisten, a pioneer of Ross County. Mrs. Dowler's mother, Sarah Ann Hill, was a native of Highland County, Ohio. She lived to be eighty-nine years old. Mrs. Dowler is the granddaughter of two revolutionary soldiers. Of the four children born to them, Mr. and Mrs. Dowler have only one still living, Edwin E. Edwin graduated from the Washington Court House High School and from the State University, and is now actively engaged in business with his father. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Washington Court House, while Mr. Dowler belongs to Heber Lodge, No. 501, Free and Accepted Masons, and politically is a republican, though he has never sought nor cared for office. FRED M. OGLE. The elements of character depicted in the best type of American manhood are energy, enterprise, integrity and a loyal spirit manifested by devotion to the general good along lines pertaining to public progress and improvement. Among the citizens of Ross County who exhibit these qualities in a marked degree is Fred M. Ogle, a successful farmer living on route No. 2 out of Bainbridge, in Paxton Township. In the house where he now resides he was born March 8, 1879, a son of John W. and Rosa L. (Collins) Ogle. His father was born in Paxton Township of Ross County, March 14, 1859, and died July 20, 1886. The mother, who was born in Kentucky, February 3, 1861, came in girlhood to Bainbridge, Ohio, was married there, and she died August 11, 1881, when her son Fred was less than three years of age. There was one other son, Harry Ogle, who is a farmer in Highland County, Ohio. After the death of his mother, Fred M. Ogle lived with his Grandmother Ogle, who took excellent care of him and gave him a good home training and an education in the local schools. His Grandmother Ogle was born January 10, 1825, and died February 3, 1908. At one time she owned more than 500 acres of land in Ross County. Fred Ogle bought 135 acres of his grandmother's estate, and has since enjoyed much success in its cultivation, and he is also a man of great public spirit in his locality. For nine years he served as a member of the Paxton County School Board. Politically he is a republican. On February 23, 1908, he married Grace Mercer, who was born in Pike County, Ohio, April 5, 1888, and was reared in this state. Mr. and Mrs. Ogle have three children : Collins M., born August 29, 1909; Faith, born July 14, 1911; and Rosalie, born November 2, 1913. J. B. F. MORGAN, M. D. A genial old-time physician who did his first professional work more than half a century ago and for many years has lived retired at Clarksburg, Doctor Morgan is now in the eightieth year of his age, and his life has been one of signal usefulness and honor in his community. He is a native of Ross County, and has spent most of his active career within its 852 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY As a native son he has been more than ordinarily interested and active in preserving the early history of this county. Many articles from the pen of Doctor Morgan have appeared in various publications and have served to enrich the historical literature of this section of Ohio. His sketch of the life of Col. John McDonald is prominent among his productions. Doctor Morgan has in manuscript the history of the Methodist Church of Southern Ohio. For many years he has been one of the leading advocates of the temperance cause. His influence and energies have gone to benefit his community in many directions. His birth occurred in Concord Township of Ross County May 26, 1837. He comes of old and notable American ancestry. The first of the name concerning whom there is accurate information was Thomas Morgan, who was born in Virginia in 1670, and spent his life in that old commonwealth. His son, Lewis Morgan, great-grandfather of Doctor Morgan, was born in Bedford County, Virginia, in 1728. He married Christina White, who was born in Virginia in 1730. Lewis Morgan founded the family name west of the Alleghenies in Tennessee. He, with his wife, moved to East Tennessee previous to 1786, and lated moved to Pulaski County, Kentucky, where he died in 1814 and his wife in 1816. They became the parents of three children, Thomas, Amaziah and Adonijah. Amaziah was captured by the Indians in Virginia when he was five years of age and carried into the wilderness to Paint Valley, which is located in what is now Ross County, Ohio. Ten years later he was discovered by some Indian traders. His father was notified of his discovery, and soon an attempt was made to recover him. The father made various offers for his release, but without avail. By his own will he remained with his captors, married an Indian woman and reared three daughters. He was killed as a chief fighting with the Indians in St. Clair's defeat. Adonijah Morgan was born May 6, 1765, in Virginia, and was quite young when his parents moved to Tennessee. In Green County of that state he married Isabell Jane McMahon. She was born July 21, 1765. In 1800 they moved to Pulaski County, Kentucky, and in 1818 to Fayette County, Indiana, where Adonijah died December 27, 1827, and his wife, July 20, 1829. These parents reared six sons and five daughters. One son, Amaziah, located in Ross County, Ohio, at Paint Valley, in 1810. He was married to Mary Ford in 1814. He served as a mounted ranger in the War of 1812, volunteering from Ross County. At the close of that struggle he was elected colonel of the State Militia. In 1818 he became one of the first settlers of Rush County, Indiana, and assisted in the organization of that county, being a member of the first board of county commissioners and the first state senator elected from that county. He was repeatedly elected to the State Senate, serving fifteen years with credit and distinction. He also continued his activities in the State Militia, being elected a brigadier-general and finally major-general. At the time of his death he was the candidate for governor of Indiana on the whig ticket, 1839. Another son of Adonijah Morgan was Lewis Morgan, who settled in HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 853 the wilds of what is now Shelby County, Indiana, and lived there when his nearest neighbor was fifty miles away. Erecting a commodious log house, he operated a tavern to accommodate the hunters and explorers, and when Shelby County was organized was elected a member of the Legislature. He was a preacher of the United Baptist Church. In 1834 he was appointed by the Missionary Baptists of New York as a traveling missionary to establish Sunday schools. Subsequently he moved to Illinois and from there to Iowa, and died in the latter state. Col. White Morgan, father of Doctor Morgan, was born in Eastern Tennessee April 11, 1794, and was six years of age when his parents moved to Kentucky. He lived in that state until 1818, in which year he came to Ross County. On the 20th of March of that year he married Mariah Louisa McDonald, daughter of Col. John McDonald, the pioneer author of Ross County. White Morgan had learned the trade of stone mason and followed it for a number of years in connection with farming. On March 21, 1820, he settled on a farm two miles north of Bloomingburg in Fayette County, but in February, 1826, moved to the McDonald farm in Twin Township of Ross County. In 1829 he bought a farm in Concord Township. Concord Church now stands upon that land. That was his home until his death, February 20, 1869. His wife was born December 14, 1802, and died September 20, 1887. White Morgan had a strong and active mind. He possessed a memory that was equalled by few and excelled by none. He never would accept public office other than military. For that he had a liking. During the days of the militia muster he served in the capacity of major and of lieutenant-colonel. He was six feet high, straight as an Indian and possessed a magnificent voice. He had the credit of being one of the best regimental commanders in Ohio. He and his wife reared ten children : John M., Adonijah, Amaziah, Henrietta, William Lewis, Louisa Jane, Enos White, Dr. J. B. Finley, Catherine and Oscar White. Of these children William Lewis learned the trade of carpenter, subsequently became a farmer and still later a merchant in South Salem and Williamsport, was one of the ardent prohibitionists of his time, and died at the age of eighty years. Another son, Oscar White Morgan, was born December 9, 1846, was educated in the district schools and at the preparatory school at Lebanon conducted by Professor Holbrook, and spent twenty-eight years as a teacher in the schools of Ross and Pickaway counties. He is now living at Clarksburg. Within the personal recollection of Doctor Morgan nearly all the important developments in Ross County have taken place. He was a boy when the first railroads were built through Ohio. He was born the same year that the telegraph became general as an instrument for rapid transmission of news (1837). He cast his first vote in a presidential campaign when the whig party was still in existence. In the meantime he had attended the district school and the high school at Frankfort in Ross County, and began the study of medicine under Dr. William Latta at Frankfort. Doctor Morgan began the practice of medicine at Jasper in Pike County, Ohio, in 1863. For the preceding Vol. II-24 854 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY three years he had taught school. When General Morgan's Confederate raiders came through Pike County they invaded his home and office and appropriated practically all his possessions. He then moved to Pancoastburg in Fayette County, and was in active practice there until 1868. In 1863 he had attended his first course of lectures in the Medical College of Ohio at Cincinnati, and in 1868 returned to that institution, where he was graduated M. D. in 1869. Following that he located in Clarksburg, soon had built up an extensive practice which kept him almost constantly riding and driving about the country, and he continued to look after the bodily and mental health of his patients for many years. In 1900 Doctor Morgan retired from active practice, and has since found employment for his many cultivated tastes in his home at Clarksburg. On October 25, 1869, Doctor Morgan married Mrs. Amnette (Loaf-burrow) Parker. She is a daughter of Lemuel P. Loafburrow and the widow of Lieut. Joseph Parker, who served with that rank in Company G of the One Hundred and Thirteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and he was killed while leading his company in a charge at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia, June 27, 1864. By her first marriage Mrs. Morgan has one son, Albert Ross Parker, who married Theodosia Brown and they have a daughter, Ursula. Doctor and Mrs. Morgan had one son, Rea White Morgan. He was educated at Clarksburg, took advanced studies in the State University of Ohio for two years, and then spent three years as a teacher in the vicinity of Clarksburg. Following the example of his father, he began to prepare for a medical career, spending one year attending lectures at Indianapolis and later the Medical College of Ohio at Cincinnati, where he graduated. With this preparation he located at Clarksburg, and his ability won him a large patronage. He continued in active practice until his last illness. He died March 18, 1913. He married Frances A. Willis, daughter of John W. and Jane (Templin) Willis. She and her only daughter, Jeanette, survive. Doctor Morgan, Jr., had served as a member of the school board, and was affiliated with Clarksburg Lodge, No. 721, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Williamsport Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Because of his congenial spirit and whole heartedness he was exceedingly popular with all with whom he came in contact. WILLIAM E. METTLER. Representing one of the families that early settled the Hocking and Scioto valleys, William E. Mettler has spent his active career as a farmer and stock. raiser in Springfield Township of Ross County. In that locality he has the reputation of doing everything well that he undertakes, has lived an honorable and upright career. and is a man whose word counts for something. Born in Springfield Township February 25, 1863, he is a son of Peter Mettler and a grandson of Francis Mettler, both of whom were natives of New Jersey. Grandfather Mettler in 1838 started with his family and a wagon and team over the western trails for Ohio. At that time HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 855 the greater part of the southern part of the state was heavily timbered, and the more fertile bottom lands, not having been drained, were fertile sources of malaria and other diseases. In consequence of this condition, Francis Mettler settled on the hills of Hocking County, in the vicinity of Rockhouse. He devoted his remaining years to clearing and cultivating the soil, and died there at the age of seventy-five. He married a Miss Mashon and they became the parents of a large family of fifteen children. Peter Mettler, who was quite young when brought to Ohio, reached manhood in Hocking County, and having been reared on a farm, adopted farming as his regular career. He began his independent work in that line in the south part of Pickaway County, and after renting for a few years, bought land in sections 17 and 18 of Springfield Township in Ross County, thus establishing the family within the limits of this county. His land included a tract of table land commanding an extensive and entrancing view of the Scioto and Paint Creek valleys and over a wide stretch of surrounding country. He also bought another piece of 119 acres on the Columbus Pike. He was a very thrifty and progressive citizen and enjoyed prosperity in keeping with his energy and character. His death occurred there in 1905. His wife, Elizabeth Lay-cock, who was born in Springfield Township, a daughter of William Laycock, died in 1872, being survived by four children : Alice, William, Clarence and Laura. William E. Mettler grew up on the fine rural estate of his father. His education came from the rural schools, and having assisted in the work of the home farm, he was well qualified for his chosen work when he reached manhood. He rented land from his father for some years, but then took up commercial lines in Chillicothe and was in business there for ten years. Since then he has lived on the home farm, and now owns and occupies a fine place in Springfield Township, devoted to general farming and stock raising. In June, 1902, Mr. Mettler married Mary M. Hammel, who was born in Chillicothe, daughter of Daniel and Cornelia (Bowman) Hammel. Mr. and Mrs. Mettler have a daughter, named Elizabeth Lenna. Fraternally, Mr. Mettler is affiliated with Chillicothe Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. ADAM FALTER, who is one of the present county commissioners of Ross County, has been a sturdy representative of the agricultural industry of Green Township for many years. A native of Germany, he came to this country when a youth, had to adapt himself to American ways and customs and the language, started without influential friends or capital, and has raised himself by sheer force of energy, good judgment and experience to an influential place in this large and populous county of Ohio. He was born in the Village of Woldmichelbach in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, April 25, 1856. His parents were George Adam and Eva Elizabeth Gartner Falter. Both were lifelong residents of Hesse Darm- 856 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY stadt, while his father was a farmer. Their seven children were Eva Elizabeth, George, Elizabeth, Margaret, Adam, Gretchen and John. The daughter Margaret married J. A. Breming and settled in Chillicothe. Gretchen married Leonard Baugard, and they now live in Fostoria, Ohio. George settled in Ross County as a farmer for several years and then moved to Franklin County, where he died. The children Eva Eliazbeth, Elizabeth and John all remained in Hesse Darmstadt. Adam Falter grew up in his native land, attended the schools steadily until he was fourteen years of age, and learned farming by practical experience under his father. At the age of sixteen he set out for America. Sailing from Bremen, he landed in New York City sixteen days later, and came thence to Ross County. For a time he worked on a farm for his brother George, near Hopetown. For several years he continued working by the month, until he had saved enough to buy a team and implements, and with that modest equipment farmed as a renter until his marriage. After his marriage, Mr. Falter located on the farm he now owns and occupies and has been continuously a resident there for over thirty years. His fine farm is in the Scioto Valley and in Green Township. The passing years have marked many additions in the way of improvement and other valuable features to his farm, and it has well repaid his industry as a general farmer and stock raiser. In 1882 Mr. Falter married Bertha Elizabeth Erdman, who was born in New York City. Her father, Zachariah Erdman, was born in Prussia, where he was reared and educated and where he served an apprenticeship at the tailor's trade. Coming to America in youth, he was married in New York City, followed his trade there several years, then moved to Cincinnati, and in 1868 came to Chillicothe, where he was in business as a merchant tailor until he was about eighty years of age. After more than sixty years of continuous work as a tailor he retired with a competency, and his death occurred in his eighty-sixth year. Zachariah Erdman married Mary Lippert, who was born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, and who died at the age of fifty-four, having reared nine children, named Bertha Elizabeth, Catherine, Charles, John, Fred, Frank, Gustav, Edward and William. The four children of Mr. and Mrs. Falter are : Luella, Emma, Elsie and Herman. The son Herman was graduated from the Chillicothe High School with the class of 1916. Luella is now a teacher in the Chillicothe public schools. Emma married Jefferson Willis and they have a daughter, named Mary Bertha. Elsie is the wife of John Chester. Mr. and Mrs. Falter are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. While a progressive farmer, Mr. Falter has not neglected public affairs and has filled a number of places of trust and responsibility in his home township and county. He served as road supervisor, was a member of the Green Township School Board twenty years, was trustee ten years, and is now serving his second term on the board of county commissioners. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 857 OLIVER A. CORY. The best purpose that can be served by such a publication as this is to give some record to those families who have been longest and most closely identified with the development and progress of Ross County. One such family, a resident of this section of Ohio almost 120 years, is represented by Oliver A. Cory, who resides in Concord Township on land that was originally secured by his grandfather soon after the Corys came to Northwest Territory. His home is also interesting from an osteological standpoint, since it stands on a site at one time an Indian mound, and in the process of excavation many old Indian relics were taken from the mound. The Corys have not only helped to clear and develop the land of Ross County, but have impressed themselves in many ways upon the county's institutions and civic affairs. Mr. Cory's great-grandfather, Elnathan Cory, was born in New York State, moved from there to New Jersey and thence to Kentucky, where he spent his last days and died in 1791. Thus it is apparent that the Corys were identified with the first movement of civilization beyond the barrier of mountains which so long hemmed in the colonial settlers along the Atlantic coast. Elder Nathan Cory, grandfather of Oliver A., was born in New Jersey in 1766. From New Jersey he moved to Virginia and thence crossed the mountains into what was a Virginia province and was subsequently organized as the State of Kentucky. In 1797 Elder Nathan Cory crossed the Ohio River and penetrated the Northwest Territory, locating in what is now Concord Township of Ross County. The following year he bought a tract of land three-quarters of a mile northeast of the present site of Frankfort. One of the remarkable things about the early pioneers was their courage in undertaking the heavy task of settling in a new country with practically no capital or resources except those contained in their own resolute will and physical manhood. When Nathan Cory arrived in Ross County his only possessions were $1 in cash and a pony that stood thirteen hands high. With the dollar he bought a peck of salt. As there were no mills in Ross County, he used a mortar and pestle to reduce his corn to meal. The nearest mill was sixty-five miles away, near Maysville, Kentucky. Occasionally four or five of his neighbors combined for the purpose of protection and companionship and each carried a bushel of corn in a sack over one shoulder and a rifle over the other, and then walked the entire distance to the mill in Kentucky, and after getting their corn ground would return to their families with the meal. This is only one item out of many that might be mentioned to show the primitive conditions that surrounded the Corys and other early families in Ross County. Nathan Cory built a log house on his land, and in the course of time had improved a good farm, upon which he resided until his death, on September 3, 1843. Another fact that should be mentioned concerning his early residence in Ross County is that he assisted in raising the first two-story log house built in Chillicothe. Nathan Cory was a minister of the Baptist Church. and was one of the leaders in establishing that denomination in this part of Ohio. In 1802 he was one of a company of twelve persons 858 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY who organized a Baptist society in his house. Later he assisted in erecting a log building to be used as a place of worship. This log church stood about one-quarter of a mile east of Frankfort, in what is now known as the Baptist Graveyard. The society worshiped in that primitive chapel for seventeen years. They next built a church at the southeast corner of High and Second streets, in Frankfort. That was the home of the congregation until 1864, when the society moved to Roxabell and built the church edifice which is still used. Elder Nathan Cory married for his first wife Sarah Wright. The names of their large family of children are as follows: David, Joseph, John, James, Abraham, Anna, Stephen, Noah, Mary, Israel, Daniel. Solomon. Of this large family, Noah Cory, father of Oliver A. Cory, was born in Concord Township September 25, 1802. He was reared amid the pioneer scenes which have been briefly suggested in the previous paragraph. He was a very influential and useful worker in the Baptist denomination. Elder Nathan Cory was ordained an itinerant preacher, and in that capacity traveled over many counties, both in Ohio and Indiana. He was a typical circuit rider, going about from community to community and from house to house on horseback, and he organized many Baptist churches. It should be noted that he was a member of the convention meeting at Zanesville, which organized the Ohio State Baptist Association. In attending that convention he walked the entire distance to Zanesville and back home. While carrying on his labors as a pioneer preacher he also bought land. Noah Cory, after his marriage, began housekeeping in a log cabin. His family occupied that home for several years, but in 1839 he built a substantial brick house near the site of the old log house. This brick dwelling is on the west side of the Westfall Road. That was the home of Noah Cory until his death, which closed a long and fruitful career, at the age of eighty-six years. Noah Cory married Lucretia Shoots. She was born in Concord Township, and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Shoots, came from Virginia to Ross County in 1797, at the same time as the Corys. After a few years of residence in Ross County, Joseph Shoots moved to Pickaway County, settling about PA miles from Adelphi, in Salt Creek Township. There he and his wife passed away at a good old age. The children of Noah Cory and wife were as follows : Sally Ann, born November 17, 1824; Hannah Jane, born October 8, 1826; Solomon T., born July 6, 1828; Joseph B., born June 9, 1830 ; Anjaline, born August 12, 1832 ; John Nathan, born February 18, 1834 ; Mary Ellen, born June 2, 1836 ; Elisabeth, born December 13, 1837 ; Nancy Louisa, born February 8, 1840 ; Julian Lucretia, born October 29, 1841; William Noah, born June 10, 1844 ; Landy Shoots, born May 14, 1846; Oliver A., born July 23, 1848. Thirteen children in all, of whom Sally Ann, the first born, and Oliver A., the last born, are living at this writing, aged ninety-four and sixty-eight years, respectively ; also three other sisters and one brother. Noah Cory was a very successful farmer. The first tax he ever paid was for the sum of 341/4 cents. Gradually he improved his condi- HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 859 tion, and in time had title to 389 acres of land, including his father, Nathan's, old homestead, which is now owned and occupied by Oliver A. Cory. The youngest of his parents' large family, Oliver A. Cory, was born in Concord Township July 23, 1848. He attended the district schools as a boy and largely through his own efforts acquired a better education than most young men of the time had as the foundation for real life. He became a student in the National Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio, and there gave special attention to civil engineering, completing the full course. At the age of nineteen Mr. Cory began teaching in the district east of Frankfort, and later taught in the Kauffman and in the Taylor districts, 11-A miles from Washington Court House. Since 1871 his efforts have been employed systematically and profitably to farming. After two years on his father's farm as a tenant, he and his brother William bought a tract of land which their grandfather had acquired in 1798. Mr. Oliver• Cory now has the deed signed by Thomas Jefferson, conveying this land to General Massie, from whom his grandfather bought the land. In the last forty-five years Mr. Cory has not only improved his land in point of fertility and productiveness, but has erected a fine set of frame buildings, has planted fruit and shade trees, and has one of the most beautiful places in Concord Township. He may well be classed as a diversified farmer. For many years he had a large apiary, and was unusually successful in the handling of bees. On March 16, 1871, he married Ruey Ella Jones. She was born near Staunton, in Fayette County, Ohio, a daughter of Jonathan and Mary (Cory) Jones. Mr. and Mrs. Cory have two children, Obert A. and Mary V. The daughter is now the wife of Walter N. McCoy, and they have a son, Paul. Obert A. Cory has always been an invalid. Mr. and Mrs. Cory are active members of the First Baptist Church at Roxabell, this being the church which was originally organized in his grandfather's house more than a century ago and which had the several changes already noted until, more than half a century ago, it was moved to Roxabell. WILLIAM M. WOODROW. A man of excellent business judgment and intelligence, William M. Woodrow is actively identified with the advancement of the industrial interests of Chillicothe, his home city, and as the owner of a large Ross County farm is doing much towards the development of that branch of agriculture relating to the breeding of fine horses and the raising of swine. He was born September 9, 1872, in Chillicothe, which was also the birthplace of his father, Henry W. Woodrow. Rev, Thomas Woodrow, Mr. Woodrow's grandfather, was born and bred in Paisley, Scotland, where his father was engaged in the manufacture of the famous Paisley shawls. Scholarly in his tastes and ambitions, he acquired a liberal education in his native land, being graduated from the University of Scotland. In 1835 he came to the United States, and two years later settled in Chillicothe, Ohio. In 1849 he removed to 860 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY Columbus, from there going to Nicholasville, Kentucky. At the outbreak of the Civil war he returned to Columbus and was there an honored and respected resident until his death, April 27, 1877. Rev. Thomas Woodrow was twice married. His first wife died in early life, leaving five children, namely : Thomas, John, William, Marion, and Jessie, who married Thomas Wilson, and whose son, Woodrow Wilson, became President of the United States. Rev. Mr. Woodrow married for his second wife Mrs. Harriet L. (Scott) Renick, widow of Ashahel Renick, daughter of John Caile and Ann (Love) Scott, and granddaughter of Gustavus Scott, of whom mention is made on another page of this volume, in connection with the sketch of Gustavus Scott Franklin, M. D. Four children were born of that marriage, as follows : Edward, Henry W., Charles, and Mary. Born in Chillicothe, March 8, 1847, Henry W. Woodrow received a good common school education in his native city, after which he attended the old Nicholasville Academy, later being instructed in the classical languages by his father, who was a student in Greek, Latin and Hebrew. After settling in Columbus, he was engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1869, when he came to Chillicothe, and for two years was clerk in the store of his half-brother, later having charge of a hat store. In the meantime he studied law, and on October 1, 1878, was admitted to the bar. He met with success in his profession and was quite active in public affairs, serving as a member of the Chillicothe Board of Elections and as president of the city council. He was also for several years president of the Valley Agricultural Society. Henry W. Woodrow married, December 30, 1869, Elizabeth Carlisle Miner, who was born in Columbus, Ohio, a daughter of William L. Miner. Her grandfather, Isaac Miner, who was of Scotch descent, was a pioneer of Madison County, Ohio, later becoming one of the earlier settlers of Franklin County. He there bought 2,000 acres of land from the Government, and a part of it is now included within the limits of the City of Columbus. He resided on his farm until his death, being engaged in agricultural pursuits. William L. Miner was born on the homestead in Franklin County, and having inherited a portion of the parental estate, superintended its management during the remainder of his life. He married Sarah Dougherty, who was born in Franklin County, where her parents, William and Eliza Dougherty, were pioneers. Mr. and Mrs. Henry W. Woodrow were the parents of two children, Harriet L. and William M. Having completed the course of study in the Chillicothe schools, William M. Woodrow attended the Ohio State University for two years, and in 1894 was graduated from the Michigan Military Academy, at Orchard Lake, Michigan. He then began the study of law, but a professional life not appealing to his tastes and inclinations, he embarked in the ice business, with which he has since been associated, at the present writing, in 1915, being secretary of the Chillicothe Ice Company, manufacturers and distributors of ice. Mr. Woodrow is much interested in agriculture, on his large farm, advantageously located in Concord and HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 861 Deerfield townships, being extensively engaged in the breeding of Norman Percheron horses and the Duroc-Jersey swine. Mr. Woodrow married, in 1900, Miss Nettie Duncan Campbell, who was born in Chillicothe, a daughter of Duncan Campbell. Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow have one child, Marion Elizabeth Woodrow. Fraternally, Mr. Woodrow is a member of Chillicothe Lodge, No. 52, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. MRS. MARTHA LANE JONES is one of the few survivors of the early members of the teaching profession in Ross County. All honor is due to ,those who formed and trained minds of the youth of this county forty or fifty years ago, and she has many interesting recollections of school conditions and educational affairs in general in Ross County up to the time the first free public school system was established. Born in Concord Township October 27, 1840, Martha Lane is a daughter of Pleasant Lane, who was born in Ross County, where Mrs. Jones' grandfather came as a pioneer, buying a tract of timbered land in Concord Township and developing a farm from the wilderness. The father of Mrs. Jones grew up on that farm, and made farming the basis of his career in this county. He spent all his life in Concord Township, where he and his wife died may years ago. The maiden name of the mother of Mrs. Jones was Nancy Parish, who was born in Concord Township, a daughter of Samuel Parish, likewise a pioneer there. Mrs. Jones was one of the five children : Sarah, John, Martha, Catherine and Robert. As a girl Mrs. Jones made the best of her opportunities and managed to acquire a good education in the local schools. When only sixteen years of age she taught her first term in Concord Township, and she remained active in that profession until her marriage. At the age of twenty-two she married James Harvey Jones. The late Mr. Jones was born in Vermont, where he was reared and educated and had the usual influences and environment of the New England boy. When a young man he came west, and he also for several years taught school in Ross County. He finally bought a farm in Concord Township and was engaged in its management, raising field crops and stock until his death. Mrs. Jones died August 27, 1916, at Clarksburg. She was the mother of three children. One son, James Morton, died in infancy. The living children are Nancy Ellen and William D. William D. Jones graduated from the Frankfort High School and took up the career of medicine. He studied with Doctor Barnett, and then attended lectures in the Starling Medical College at Columbus, now the medical department of the Ohio State University. Graduating M. D. in 1892, he forthwith began practice in Franklin, where he remained five years, and since 1897 has been one of the leading physicians of Clarksburg. In 1898 Doctor Jones married Cora Wilkins. She was born in Concord Township, a daughter of Owen and Susan Wilkins. Doctor and Mrs. Jones have two daughters, Ruth and Hazel. In 862 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY the line of his profession Doctor Jones is a member of the Ross County and the Ohio 'State medical societies. He is also affiliated with Frankfort Lodge, No. 721, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; with Frankfort Lodge of the Masons, and with Chillicothe Chapter, Royal Arch Masons. JOHN F. MORGAN. A well-known and highly esteemed citizen of Chillicothe, John F. Morgan holds a position of importance and responsibility, being superintendent of Grand View Cemetery, one of the many beautiful suburban cemeteries of the state. A son of Adonijah Morgan, he was born in Pickaway County and came to Ross County when six years of age, of substantial pioneer stock. His grandfather, White .Morgan, a Kentuckian by birth, was one of the earlier settlers of Pickaway County, Ohio. Coming from there to Ross County in 1829, he purchased a tract of wild land in Concord Township and was there engaged in agricultural pursuits during the remainder of his life. He married Maria McDonald, whose father, John McDonald, acquired fame as author of "McDonald's Notes," the first history of Ross County ever published, and which was for many years much quoted. Born in 1823, in Pickaway County, Adonijah Morgan was educated in the pioneer schools, and as a boy was well drilled in the different branches of agriculture. He followed farming throughout his life, dying at the age of seventy-three years on the farm adjoining the McDonald homestead. He married Rhoda Mobray, a daughter of Fletcher and Hester (Rowe) Mobray. She died at the early age of thirty-nine years, leaving four children, namely : John F., Banner W., Anna and Marion. Remaining beneath the parental roof until nineteen years old, John F. Morgan was educated in the district school, and as a boy was trained to habits of industry and thrift. He was subsequently employed in a sawmill until 1889, when he came to Chillicothe to accept his present position as superintendent of the Grand View Cemetery. Courteous, accommodating and painstaking, Mr. Morgan is exceptionally well fitted for his work, of which he has a thorough knowledge, and is performing the duties devolving upon him in a most efficient and acceptable manner. On October 19, 1882, Mr. Morgan married Ella Gray, daughter of George and Margaret Gray, and into their home four children have been born and reared, namely : Henry Clayborn, who married Hilda Schram, and has three children, Arlie, McDonald and John ; Banner C., who married Emma Young, and has one child, Sue Nell ; Rhoda A., wife of Edward Trador ; and Clorinda J., at home. Mr.. and Mrs. Morgan are consistent members of the Third Presbyterian Church. Fraternally, Mr. Morgan is a member of Camp No. 4111, Modern Woodmen of America, and Protected Home Circle of Chillicothe, Ohio. WILLIAM JOSEPH ATWELL. Occupying a foremost position among the trustworthy and esteemed citizens of Chillicothe, William. Joseph Atwell is numbered among the wealthy landholders of Ross County, and for many years was conspicuously identified, in a legal capacity, with HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 863 some of its more important industrial interests. He comes from honored colonial ancestry, and is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, which was likewise the birthplace of his father, Samuel Atwell, and also of his grandfather, William Atwell. Born and bred in Baltimore, William Atwell spent his entire life in his native city. A shipbuilder by trade, he carried on a substantial business as owner and manager of a shipyard until accidentally meeting his death by a fall on one of the vessels that he was building. He married Martha Stokes, who was born in Petersburg, Virginia, the descendant of one of the early families of that state, and who spent her last years in the family home at Baltimore. Spending his brief life of thirty years in Baltimore, Samuel Atwell followed his trade of a ship smith throughout his active business career. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Vernon, was born in County Cork, Ireland, near Queenstown, a daughter of Joseph Vernon, who came with his family to America in 1841, locating in Baltimore, where he was first employed as a manufacturer of rope, later establishing himself as a ship chandler. He died at the age of eighty-seven years. The wife of Mr. Vernon, whose maiden name was Helen 0 'Brien, survived her husband, and died in the ninetieth year of her age. At his death, Samuel Atwell left his young widow with three small children, namely : Annie E.; William Joseph, the special subject of this brief sketch ; and John, who died in infancy. She subsequently married her second husband John Gale, and in 1868 came to Chillicothe with her family, and was here a resident until her death, in July, 1913, in the eightieth year of her age. Brought up in Baltimore, William Joseph Atwell gleaned his early education in the public schools, and later came with the family to Chillicothe. After remaining in this city two years, he returned to Baltimore, where he served an apprenticeship of three years at the joiner's trade, in the meantime greatly advancing his education by attending the evening sessions of the Maryland Institute. Returning then to Chillicothe, Mr. Atwell, instead of following his trade as he had intended, was for six years employed as a bookkeeper. He was then appointed deputy county clerk to fill out the term of the office made vacant by the death of Edward Pearson. Mr. Atwell subsequently accepted a position with the well-known firm of McClintock & Smith, attorneys, who at that time were general counsel for the Marietta and Cincinnati and the 0. and M. railroads, and Mr. McClintock was president of the 0. and M. Soon after he entered their employ Messrs. McClintock and Smith became extensively engaged in coal mining operations, securing a controlling interest not only in the Wellston Coal Company, but the Milton Coal Company, the Jackson County Coal Company, and in the Dayton Coal and Iron Company, in the last three companies Mr. Atwell being made secretary and treasurer. Mr. Atwell continued with his employers as confidential clerk until after the death of both Mr. McClintock and Mr. Smith. During that time Mr. Atwell wisely invested his surplus money by purchasing farm 864 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY lands of much value in South Union Township. His farms are most judiciously managed by a superintendent, and bring him in a good annual income. In 1898 he erected the beautiful home that he now occupies on West Fourth Street. Mr. Atwell married, in 1889, Margaret Smith, who was born in Louisville, Kentucky, a daughter of Bartholomew and Jane Smith. Five sons blessed their union, but three are deceased, the oldest and the two youngest. The two now living are Oswald B. and Norbert S., graduates of the Ohio State University. Mr. Oswald B. Atwell on September 28, 1916, was united in marriage to Miss Helen R. Neuding of Circleville, Ohio, and is now employed as a mechanical engineer with the Illinois Steel Company at Gary, Indiana. Fraternally Mr. Atwell is a member of Chillicothe Lodge No. 52, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. GEORGE F. HATFIELD. One cannot follow the long career of George F. Hatfield without renewing appreciation of those homely, sterling qualities which, when allied with practical business sense, lift men from poverty to wealth, from obscurity to prominence. He has been a resident of Ross County since 1913, and since the year following has lived on his present property, located in the vicinity of Vigo, where he owns and operates 240 acres of land. His career has been a successful one and his fortune and prestige have been gained solely through his own efforts. Mr. Hatfield was born November 12, 1865, in Pike County, Kentucky, and is a son of Judge Basil and Nancy Jane (Lowe) Hatfield. His paternal grandfather was George Hatfield, who went from Virginia into Pike County, Kentucky, as a pioneer settler, and there passed the remaining years of his life as a farmer. Basil Hatfield was horn on Blackberry Creek, Pike County, Kentucky, November 17, 1839, and during the greater part of his life has been identified with public life. Reared as a farmer, in early life he became a preacher in the Baptist Church, and for fifty years has preached in various communities of Kentucky, although at this time he is .semi-retired. As a stalwart supporter of republican principles, he attracted the attention and confidence of his fellow citizens, Who recognized in him good official timber, and who demonstrated their faith by electing him a magistrate in his native. county. After two terms in that office he was elected judge of the county court for two terms, or eight years, and this was followed by his election as sheriff of Pike County, an office which he held for one term, which at that time amounted to four years. Judge Hatfield at that time removed to Lexington, Kentucky, where he lived for two or three years, then going to Pikesville, where he was again nominated for public office, being the candidate of the republican party for the county judgeship. He tied with the democratic candidate, but after a count-off was counted out by a small margin. He is now living at Prestonburg, Kentucky, at the age of seventy-six years, while Mrs. Hatfield is two years his junior and also survives. Throughout his career Judge Hatfield has maintained HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 865 a high standard of honor, and few men are more deserving of the esteem in which they are held by their fellows. He and his wife have been the parents of twelve children, all of whom have grown to maturity, as follows: Polly, who is the wife of Granville Smith, of Pike County, Kentucky ; Matilda, who is married and a resident of Muncie, Indiana ; Jeremiah, who is now deceased ; George F., of this review; Orrison R., of St. Paul, Kentucky; Emily Jane, who is the wife of Doctor Truggle, of New York City ; Nancy, who is the wife of James H. Ball, of Pike County, Kentucky ; Lydia, the wife of Sam Nunery, also of that county; Hays, a resident of New York City ; Thomas Jefferson, who is deceased ; Emma, the wife of W. H. Blair, of Prestonburg, Kentucky; and Lundy, who is a resident of Portsmouth, Ohio. All of the children were given good educational advantages and reared to lives of industry and sobriety. George F. Hatfield received his education in the district schools and lived at home until he reached the age of eighteen years. On December 6, 1883, he was united in marriage with Miss Flores Layne, a daughter of W. H. and Emily (Smith) Layne. Mr. Layne and his wife were reared near the mouth of Mud Creek, on Sandy River, in Floyd County, Kentucky, Mr. Layne being the son of Judge Lindsey Layne, who was a prominent man in Kentucky during his day. In the first year of his marriage Mr. Hatfield lived on the old home place, and then moved to Sandy River, Floyd County, where he was also engaged in farming for one year. Returning to Pike County, he assumed the duties of deputy sheriff, an office which he held for five consecutive years, and then passed a like period in farming and sawlogging. With his earnings thus gained he purchased the homestead place on which he had been born, a tract of 160 acres, from his father, but after a short time sold this property and moved to Flat Gap, Johnson County, Kentucky, bought property in town, and embarked in the mercantile business, which demanded his attention for a period of twenty years, a part of this time as Hatfield & Vaughn and later as George F. Hatfield. In 1896 Mr. Hatfield was appointed postmaster at Flat Gap, a capacity in which he acted for seventeen years, and until he sold his mercantile business, at which time he resigned from the Government service. At that time, in 1913, he again decided to take up farming, and accordingly came to Ross County and bought a farm of 107 acres of good land near Anderson. This he sold after about twelve months, when he closed a deal for his present farm, a property of 240 acres of good bottoms land, located one mile northeast of Vigo, in Liberty Township. He has made numerous valuable improvements since his arrival, and his handsome, well-improved and highly cultivated farm is a monument to his ability and industry and an illustration of what may be achieved through individual and determined effort. Mr. and Mrs. Hatfield are the parents of five children: Emily Jane, who is the wife of Glenn Walters and resides on the home farm ; James Trimble, who married Miss Shaffer and assists his father in the cultivation of the Liberty Township farm ; Lundy, whose home is in the State of Washington ; Dixie, who is the wife of W. B. Hall and lives on the 866 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY home farm; and Tera, the wife of Isom Salyer, of Flat Gap, Johnson County, Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Hatfield and their children are members of the New Regular Baptist Church, in the work of which they have taken a keen interest, Mr. Hatfield having been clerk of the church at the time he left Johnson Gap. In political matters he is a republican. and his public services have included the duties of the office of vice president of the Herrick Commission, which he now holds. Aside, from his agricultural labors, he has done some business in a real estate way and has been the medium through which some large deals have been consummated. CHARLES M. DRUMMOND. An old family name in Liberty Township, Ross County, is that of Drummond, a well-known representative of this family being found in Charles M. Drummond, farmer and thresher. whose 172 acres are situated two miles northwest of Gillespieville. This is a part of the old homestead farm and here, in a log cabin, Charles M. Drummond was born December 6, 1858. His parents were Daniel and Mary (Smith) Drummond. Ninety-two years have passed since the grandparents of Mr. Drummond brought their son Daniel to Ohio from New Jersey, where he was born in 1810, landing at Chillicothe in September, 1824. The travelers ate their first meal in that city under the shade of a large sugar maple tree, standing . near what is now the southwest corner of Green Lawn Cemetery.. Later on Daniel Drummond purchased a portion of what became known as the Drummond homestead, from his father, Robert Drummond, and still later entered four lots in Liberty Township, which brought his possessions up to 244 acres. When he was married, Daniel Drummond built a second cabin on the farm, and in that he and his wife lived until some time in the '60s, at which time a frame building was erected, in which they lived during the rest of their lives. Her name was Mary Smith and she was born in Ohio, but was of German descent. They had eight children, five of whom are deceased : Robert V., Lewis H., John, William and Elizabeth. The survivors are : Alfred W., of Canton, Ohio ; Mary J., widow of David Sollars, Jr., living on a portion of the old farm ; and Charles M., the youngest of the family. Both parents were faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was active in all church work and served long as a trustee. His memory is perpetuated in a beautiful memorial window in the Methodist Church in Londonderry. In politics he was a democrat and by that party was elected to local offices. He and wife were fine people in every way, hospitable, charitable and neighborly. Charles M. Drummond remained at home with his parents as long as they lived. He ,attended the district schools in boyhood and afterward assisted in the carrying on of the farm, and his interest in farming still continues. In addition, for twenty years he has been in the threshing business and owns one of the most modern and complete threshing outfits in the county. He is secretary and treasurer of the Ross County HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 867 Brotherhood of Threshers and is vice president of the Ohio Brotherhood of Threshers. On February 18, 1891, Mr. Drummond was married to Miss Hattie Ault, who was born in Ross County in 1866, and is a daughter of Rhoda Ault. They have two sons, Carl, who was born in February, 1893, and Robert L., who was born in November, 1895, both unmarried and living at home. Mr. Drummond and family belong to the Methodist Church at Londonderry, in which he has served as chorister. In township affairs he is quite prominent, serving in offices with the greatest efficiency and to the entire satisfaction of his fellow citizens, these including two terms as assessor of Liberty Township and one term as clerk of the township, and one term and part of another as township trustee. In the Improved Order of Red Men he has reached high positions, being past sachem of the local body and twice a representative to the great council of the State of Ohio. MATTHIAS LEWIS. For many years prominently identified with the business affairs of Ross County, Matthias Lewis, late of Chillicothe, was also, as an extensive land owner, actively associated with, the develop- ment of agricultural interests of this section of the state. A life-long resident of Chillicothe, where his birth occurred on March 17, 1825, he was a worthy representative of all that constitutes a desirable citizen, in his domestic relations having been a kind husband and father, and in business circles an honored and trusted man. Henry Southard Lewis, his father, was born and reared at Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and in his native state acquired an excellent education. Upon leaving school he came to Chillicothe, and for a time was tutor in Governor Worthington's family. Attaining prominence in public matters, he was elected county treasurer of Ross County in 1836, and served with such acceptation that he was continued in that office by repeated re-elections for twenty years. His wife, whose maiden name was Dorothy Miller, was born and educated in Baltimore, Maryland. She survived him, living to be more than eighty years of age. Matthias Lewis was educated in Chillicothe, and after his graduation from the academy taught school a short time. Preferring, however, a business life rather than a professional career, he embarked in the mercantile business as a hardware merchant, and having built up an extensive and prosperous trade was thus employed for many years. Having accumulated considerable wealth, he then retired from active pursuits, although he still retained an interest in the business. In the meantime, Mr. Lewis had wisely invested in valuable farm lands, not only in Ross County, but in Fayette and Pickaway counties, and after retiring from the hardware business he 'superintended his farms, continuing his residence, however, in the city of his birth. He lived to be nearly seventy years old, his death occurring at his home, on Second Street, Chillicothe, October 4, 1894. The maiden name of the wife of Mr. Lewis was Ann Maria Casad. She was born in Maysville, Kentucky, November 2, 1828, a daughter of 868 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY Hon. John Anthony and Orpha (Williams) Casad. Her father, Mr. Casad, moved from Kentucky to Bellefontaine, Ohio, and in addition to becoming one of the foremost lawyers of Logan County was active and influential in public affairs, having represented his district in the State Legislature. Mrs. Lewis died September 27, 1910. Of the six children born of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, five grew to years of maturity, namely : Charles Casad; Lillian, who died at the age of twenty-eight years; Mattie, living in Chillicothe; Henry Southard ; Minnie Edith, who married Arthur Metcalfe, and has one child, Eleanor Lewis Metcalfe. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lewis were consistent members of the First Presbyterian Church, to which their daughters also belong. SCHMIEDER CARRIAGE COMPANY. This is one of the old established local industries of Chillicothe, and is now one of the largest and most important concerns of its kind in the county. This company does a large business in the manufacture of buggies, carriages and delivery wagons and also operates a large shop with ample facilities for painting and trimming of automobiles, repair of all manner of vehicles, and the high standard of mechanical proficiency set many years ago has been consistently maintained. This business was started on a small scale at Chillicothe nearly half a century ago by the late August Schmieder. The present company is made of Henry W. Schmieder, son of August, and David L. Schneider. Henry W. Schmieder was born April 28, 1872, in Ross County, a son of August and Johanna (Benner) Schmieder. August Schmieder was born in Germany, June 14, 1839, and after coming to Ross County enlisted and gave valiant service to the Union cause during the Civil war. He served as a private with Company B of the Twenty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry for two years, nine months, and was then given an honorable discharge. His regiment spent most of its time in the Department of Missouri, and participated in a number of the campaigns by which the Mississippi Valley was wrested from the Confederates. After the war, in 1867, he began the manufacture of wagons and buggies at Chillicothe and continued that business actively until his death, June 14, 1911. He and his wife were the parents of four children. The third in order of birth Henry W: Schmieder grew up in Chillicothe, attended the public schools and the Scioto Business College, and after the death of his father, under whom he had been thoroughly trained as a capable mechanic, he took over the business and formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, David L. Schneider, under the firm name of Schmieder Carriage Company. Mr. Schmieder was married, January 20, 1910, in Chillicothe, to Miss Mary A. Hildenbrand. Their two sons are : William A., born, November 28, 1910 ; and Ralph J., born, August 8, 1914. David L. Schneider, the other member of the firm of Schmieder Carriage Company, is a son of Louis and Margaret (Lorbach) Schneider. His father, a native of Germany, after coming to America was employed at his trade as a confectioner and baker in various cities, but during the HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 869 decade of the '50s located at Chillicothe and for more than forty years was one of the leading bakers and confectioners, being located on Water Street. His place of business became a landmark there and his reputation as a baker as well as his genial personality are still held in grateful memory by the older citizens. Louis Schneider died in 1903. Of his family of seven, David L., is the youngest, and two others are still living. David L. Schneider began his early business career in the upholstering establishment of the Champion Bed Lounge Company. He remained there twelve years and until he became associated with Mr. Schmieder in the Schmieder Carriage Company. He is one of the charter members of the Calvary Lutheran Church and has been very actively identified with its work for many years. He was one of the first officers, as a deacon, held that position twelve years and for more than fifteen years was superintendent of the Sunday school. Mr. Schneider married Miss Ella L. Schmieder, and they are the parents of two children, August Louis, nine years old, and Margaret Jane, twelve years old. AUTIMER S. BONE. Of the men who are contributing to the material growth and advancement of Ross County through their connection with important and long-established enterprises, Autimer S. Bone is deserving of mention. As head miller and partner in the Salt Creek Valley Mill, at Gillespieville, he is identified with one of the oldest industries in this part of the state, and one which has grown with the county and has aided in its progress. Mr. Bone was born on a farm in Jackson Township, Vinton County, Ohio, May 9, 1878, and is a son of Samuel and Sarah (Jordan) Bone. Mr. Bone comes of honest Pennsylvania Dutch stock, the progenitor of the family in Ohio settling first in Noble County. There was born William Bone, the grandfather of Autimer S. Bone, who moved from that community at an early date and located in Vinton County, where the remaining years of his life were passed in the pursuits of agriculture. Samuel Bone, the father of Autimer S. Bone, was born in Vinton County, where he received his education in the district schools, and was reared as a farmer, an occupation which he took as his own when ready to enter upon his independent career. He was the operator of the old homestead place for several years, the property which had been owned by his father before him, but later moved to another property and continued its cultivation and management during the remainder of his active life. Both Mr. Bone and his wife died in 1888, the parents of seven children, all of whom survive : J. G., who is his brother's partner in the Salt Creek Valley Mill, with his headquarters at Londonderry; Sarah, who is the wife of Frank Johnson, of Saint Louis, Missouri; Nancy, who is the widow of William Fitzgerald, and lives at Chillicothe ; Hester Viola, who resides at Londonderry with her brother, J. G.; Carl James, a resident of New London, Missouri; Doctor Pinckney, a specialist in eye, ear, and throat diseases, of Lancaster, Ohio; and Autimer S., of this review. The children were all small at the time of their parents' Vol. II-25 870 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY death, the mother following the father to the grave within forty days after his demise, but J. G., the eldest managed to keep the children together and to rear them to sturdy man and womanhood. Samuel Bone was not active in political matters, but took a good citizen's part in the promotion of public-spirited enterprises. While a religious man, he was not connected with any particular denomination, and his quiet, unassuming nature disliked any untoward display in any direction. Autimer S. Bone was educated in the public schools and although he was but ten years of age when his parents died, managed to get also a course in the normal school. He remained at home with his brothers and sisters until his marriage, September 26, 1898, to Miss Louisa M. Ankrom, who was born in Vinton County, Ohio, a daughter of William Ankrom, of Jackson Township, and a member of an old and well known family of that county. After his marriage, Mr. Bone resided on the home place for about five years and then entered the milling business as an employe, learning it thoroughly in every department. For two years he applied himself to a mastery of the engineering department and then took up the trade of miller, which he followed for several years at South Bloomingville, Hocking County, Ohio. In 1907, with his brother, J. G. Bone, he came to Londonderry and purchased the Salt Creek Valley Mill, which they have since conducted with the greatest success. Mr. Bone is an excellent business man, who has the reputation of being possessed of the strictest integrity and whose reputation is therefore an enviable one in business circles. Fraternally, he is affiliated with Wattawamat Tribe No. 194 of the Improved Order of Red Men, at Londonderry, in which he has passed through the chairs. He is a democrat politically, but not a seeker after public office. All good civic movements have his earnest support. Mr. and Mrs. Bone are the parents of four children : Paul, who is in third year of high school ; and Hazel, Helen and James, who are attending the graded schools. The Salt Creek Valley Mill, of which the Bone brothers, J. G. and A. S., are proprietors, is one of the historic spots of Ross County. The original mill was built by Joseph Dixon, in 1803, and has continued in usefulness up to the present time, a period of about 113 years. Joseph Dixon was born in Pratt County, North Carolina, and in 1802 moved to Ross County, Ohio, in the following year erecting the mill and installing the buhr system.. The buhrs for this early enterprise were quarried at McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio, and were hauled by team to Salt Creek, it being necessary to cut the road through from Allensville to the destination, as there were no roads over which they might be taken at that early day. From the outset the business was a profitable one, and Mr. Dixon was forced to work the mill day and night in order to care for the custom that flocked to him. At the time of his death the business passed to his two sons, Joseph, Jr., and Abel Dixon, who continued to operate the business with equal success for upwards of forty years, and who kept it equipped with up-to-the-minute machinery. It was the regular HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 871 custom of these brothers in the early days, whenever they got a good stock ahead, to load the product on a raft and float it down the Ohio River, and thence to New Orleans via the Mississippi River, where they found a good market. They would then return to Salt Creek overland, on foot, and once more resume business, repeating the process when a new stock accumulated. After the death of the Dixon brothers, this old mill went into the hands of Brown and Hoover, who, in 1891, tore up the old built system and installed a roller system, manufactured and put in by the Case Manufacturing Company, of Columbus, Ohio. They, in turn, sold out to J. M. Slone, who operated it until his death, in 1904, when the site and mill were purchased by Bone and Stevens, who put in a sifter system in order to keep it up to date. In 1907, Bone brothers bought out Mr. Stevens, and the mill has since been operated under their management, J. G. Bone being manager, and A. S. Bone, head miller. The product of the mill, "Valley Patent" and "Gilt Edge" brands of flour, have a wide sale throughout the Central West and are noted for their purity and general excellence. BOYTON G. JONES. The farming men of Ross County have played an important part in the fortunes of that section, and among them' should be mentioned Boyton G. Jones, one of the younger and very progressive agriculturists of Liberty Township. Diversified farming is his plan, and he is making a notable success of his endeavors. His home is the farm of 260 acres in Liberty Township, owned by his father, T. C. Jones. He also owns eighty acres in Liberty Township. His home place is on Rural Route No 3, out of Gillespieville. Boyton G. Jones was born in Liberty Township, February 14, 1879, a son of T. C. and Martha J. (Rittenhour) Jones. His father was also born in Liberty Township, and members of the Jones family located here in the very early pioneer epoch. The great-grandfather, William Jones, was the founder of the family in this section of Ohio. The grandfather was Mason Jones, who when T. C. Jones was a boy of four years, moved to Pike County, Ohio, and lived there until he and his wife died. T. C. Jones grew to manhood in Pike County, was married there, and soon afterwards returned to Liberty Township and bought the farm of 287 acres of land, which he made the nucleus of his farming enterprise for many years. His success as a farmer is indicated by the fact that he now owns 770 acres in Liberty Township. His has been an active career, and business has not claimed altogether his attention. He is a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and a loyal republican and has been honored by his fellow citizens with the office of township trustee four years, township treasurer and membership on the school board. T. C. Jones and wife have three sons : Boyton G., Arsene J., and R. Everett. Boyton G. Jones grew up on the old homestead in Liberty Township, and besides such advantages as were given by the district schools spent two terms in Wilmington College in Clinton County, Ohio. After re- 872 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY turning home, he found a place on his father's farm, and worked industriously there until his marriage. March 1, 1900, he married Sophia Jane Calver, daughter of Marvin Calver and wife whose maiden name was Stratton. During the first year after marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Jones lived at Vigo, employed by his father, and then moved to the place where he still resides. He and his wife are the parents of three sons : Lauris C., who was born, January 16, 1901, and is now in high school ; Leslie M., born June 6, 1906, and a student in the public schools; Lloyd M., born April 9, 1910, and recently started to school. Politically, Mr. Jones is a republican. He has served on the township school board two years, and is now filling with much credit and ability the office of district assessor for the years 1916-17. HUSTON T. ROBINS. A well-known and successful attorney of Chillicothe, Huston T. Robins was born December 3, 1866, in Bainbridge, Ross County, where his father, Charles Robins, settled as a young man. His paternal grandparents, Martin and Elizabeth (Crites) Robins, were life-long residents of Pennsylvania, and there reared their six children, Charles, Mary, Samuel, Jonathan, William and Martin. Born May 13, 1820, in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Charles Robins acquired a good education in his native town, and in 1839, ere attaining his majority, he migrated to Ohio and for four years after his location in Pickaway County taught school at Tarlton. Moving to Bainbridge, he first conducted a drug store, then engaged in the mercantile business during the Civil war, and afterwards resumed the drug business with which he was subsequently associated in that town during the remainder of his active life. He served as postmaster and mayor, and in other official positions at Bainbridge. At the time of his death, February 9, 1906, he was residing with his son in Chillicothe. The mother of Huston T. Robins was Elizabeth (Taylor) Robins, a daughter of Price and Catherine (Smith) Taylor, who died when he was not quite ten years old. She was born in Paxton Township, Ross County, on the Taylor farm which was also the birthplace of her father. Her grandfather, Joseph Taylor, a son of William Taylor, came from Kentucky to Ross County, Ohio, in 1801, and located near Bainbridge where he cleared and improved from its original wild state the farm on which he spent his remaining days. Price Taylor came into possession of the parental homestead on which he was horn, resided there until his death in 1883, and reared six of nine children born to him, one of whom, William Taylor, continued a life-long resident of Ross County until his death in 1911, having been prominent as a teacher in the Chillicothe schools in the early part of his mature manhood, and later a well-known and influential citizen and farmer at Bourneville, in Twin Township, where he died. The other five children were Sarah, Theophillus, Catherine, Penelope and Elizabeth. Huston T. Robins began his studies in the public schools of Bainbridge and subsequently completed the course of instruction at the HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 873 academy at South Salem, from which time-honored institution he was graduated in 1887. He then taught a district school near Bourneville for one school year, after which he taught in the public schools in South Salem three consecutive years. Resigning this position he accepted a position on the reportorial staff of the Chillicothe Leader in 1891, and continued in the newspaper work for four years during which time he assisted in launching the Daily Gazette. During his career as teacher and newspaper reporter he read law and for a time was a student in the law office of Judge Wm. Edgar Evans. He was graduated from the Cincinnati Law School in 1895, since which time he has been engaged in the practice of his profession, excepting the six years (1900-1905) he served as judge of the Probate Court to which official position he was elected in 1899, and re-elected in 1902. He was also elected as Ross County's representative to the State Legislature in 1916. His wife was Miss Inez M. Roach to whom he was married June 2, 1897, and who was born in Madison County, Ohio, a daughter of Reuben W. Roach, and a granddaughter of Simeon and Phoebe (Koontz) Roach who moved from Virginia, their native state, to Gallia County, Ohio, in pioneer times. Her mother, Mary (Workman) Roach, was a daughter of Lewis and Narcissus (Worley) Workman, natives of Belmont County, Ohio. Politically, Judge Robins is a republican, and true to the religious belief of his parents and grandparents he is a staunch Presbyterian. He and his wife are members of the First Presbyterian Church of Chillicothe, and he has served as a member of the board of trustees of that church. He has also served as a member of the board of trustees of the Chillicothe Public Library, is a member of the board of directors of The Fidelity Building and Loan Company, and the attorney for that organization. GEORGE A. MURRAY. While George A. Murray has spent his most productive years as a farmer in Concord Township, his family name is one that is especially identified with that historic old locality of Ross County known as Buckskin Township. It was in Buckskin Township that George A. Murray was born, August 24, 1856. He is of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and his great-grandfather, Thomas Murray, was a native of Pennsylvania, two of whose brothers served as soldiers in the revolution and two of the brothers are said to have gone south and settled in North Carolina. Thomas Murray, himself, spent his life in Pennsylvania and his body is now at rest in the Paxton Cemetery, near Harrisburg. James Murray, grandfather of George A., was born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and in 1812 he married Mary Mitchell, a native of that state also. Immediately after their marriage they set out for their new home in the western wilderness. With a wagon and team they enjoyed the comforts and hardships of a honeymoon journey such as few bridal couples of modern times could experience. Arriving in Ross County, James Murray bought a tract of timbered land in Buckskin 874 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY Township. Building a log cabin, he began at once the heavy task of subduing the wilderness, and for years he lived isolated from railroads and canals or convenient markets, and when there was very little money in circulation and most of the meat for the table was supplied by the wild game then so plentiful. He cleared up quite a tract of land and lived on the old home until his death, which occurred about 1840. His widow survived him several years. Their children were named Mary, Ellen, Mitchell, Samuel, Thomas, James, and John. Thomas Murray, father of George A., was born in Buckskin Township of Ross County, September 2, 1819. He finally bought the interests of the other heirs in the old homestead, continued its improvement and clearing, and after living for many years in a log house he erected, in 1854, a substantial frame building. In 1865, he sold the homestead and bought another farm about a mile northeast of the first place. That was his home when he died, November 26, 1896. Thomas Murray was a man of more than ordinary influence in his community, served several terms as a member of the township board of trustees, and was active in the First Presbyterian Church of Greenfield, and he and his wife reared their children in that faith. Thomas Murray married Margaret Parrett. She was born in Buckskin Township, a daughter of George and Mrs. (Wilkins) Parrett, who were among the early settlers of Buckskin Township. Mrs. Thomas Murray is still living and occupies the old homestead. Her five children were named George A., Anna, Arthur, Charles and Frank. In addition to the advantages of the district schools, George A. Murray attended the noted South Salem Academy. When not in school he helped on the farm, and that early training proved valuable to him when he made farming his regular vocation. In 1898, Mr. Murray settled on the place he now owns and occupies, in Concord Township, about a mile north of Austin. Without any question, this is one of the best farms in point of improvement and productivity in the county. It contains 185 acres, and in every detail it gives testimony to the proficient husbandry of Mr. Murray. Mr. Murray is also interested in everything that concerns his home locality. In 1898, he married Carrie Peterson, who is a. member of one of the very oldest' families of this part of Ohio. She was born in Concord Township, a daughter of Albert C. Peterson, who was born in Concord Township, December 14, 1836, and died, December 15, 1895. Her grandfather was Martin Peterson, who was born in Hardy County, Virginia, May 19, 1795. He was a colonel of militia in the War of 1812. The great-grandfather was John Peterson, son of John Martin Peterson, and he came from the State of Virginia to Ohio and identified himself with the very early settlement of this state. It is said that he first located in the wilderness where the city of Columbus now stands. That was a very unhealthy region, and on that account he moved to Ross County, and lived several years in Concord Township. Finally he moved to Indiana and spent his last years there. Mrs. Murray's great-great-great-grandfather, John Jacob Peterson (Hans Yacob Bidert), Bidert being incorrectly translated Peterson, was born January 7, 1706,