Fairfield County, Ohio - Chapter 20: Conclusion, 1912 (part 1 of 12)

Chapter 20: Conclusion

Influences that Helped to Build a Great County - A Brave, Dez'oted and Enterprising People - Fairfield County a Type of the Great American Nation of To-day - Sail On! Sail On!

History is a record of what man has done. The tides of old ocean; the storms of winter; the torrid blasts of summer - all the influences of Nature combined have not wrought as great changes upon the earth's surface as has man, the type of an endless life.

Long before the dawn of civilization man commenced to make history, to change the face of Mother Earth. In all the ages of civilized man, these changes have been growing at an increased rate. The great virgin forests, once covering the earth with a shield, have been laid low by the hand of man. The streams have been bridged, and the marshes drained. The black diamond and the amber oil have been brought from the depths for the comfort and necessity of man. The East and the West, the North and South have been brought together by steam and electricity, almost causing us to forget time and space.

The old Swamps - once a menace to health and a bar to progress - have been made to blossom like the rose, and well-ordered farms with commodious dwellings and giant barns, are seen on every hand. The primeval forest has been converted into polished floors

Schoolhouses and churches stand at every crossing of the ways, and these silent emblems are the means by which a great and noble people was evolved. Fairfield County, with her millions of wealth, her yet undeveloped resources, is an excellent type of the great American Nation of which she is a part. The same brand of patriotism that was born in the breast of Otis, Hancock, Jefferson, Henry and Adams, was found, fully ignited in the breasts of the people of Fairfield County when Lincoln sent forth his call for help, and in just sixty hours thereafter soldiers from this county were en route for W^ashington. Of the 100.224 common soldiers which Ohio sent to the war, Fairfield County furnished 3,000.

In the veins of the people of this county pours a flood of rich blood, formed from the mingling of the best of many nations - the German, the Welsh, the Scotch-Irish, the French, the Danish, and the English - and tile product is a type of citizens of energy and determination.

county have always taken an advanced standing. They have been prominent in law, medicine and statesmanship. Her voice has been heard in the councils of the State, and of the Nation. Her people are independent and courageous - they could live well if shut off from the rest of the world by some impassable barrier. From the soil, responsive to the farmer's patient toil, comes annually 400,- 000 bushels of wheat, and a million bushels of shelled corn, and other cereals in like proportion.

The future of Fairfield County is assured - her rank and her standing in the sisterhood of counties of a great State, are unalterably fixed. She cannot retrograde; she must go on to still greater achievements.

It is fitting to close this History of grand old Fairfield County with Joaquin Miller's inspiring poem on Christopher Columbus for the poet sees in him what we see in this County - "the embodiment of the deathless surge that sends men and nations ever forward."

JOHN SCOFIELD BRASEE, the leading lawyer of his generation at the Fairfield Co. bar, was one of Nature's great men. He was bom in Gallipolis, Ohio, August 19, 1832, his parents being John Trafford Brasee and Mary Jane (Scofield) Brasee.

Mr. Brasee was descended from numerous long lines of distinguished ancestors, among whom may be mentioned the old Saxon family of Trafford, that flourished long before the Norman conquest (1066), and has since uninterruptedly held a high place among the prominent families of England. The present English representative of the family is Sir Humphrey de Trafford, of Trafford Park, Patricroft, near Manchester, which land is a portion of the original tract that has been handed down from his Sa.xon ancestor who lived prior to 1030.

' Several branches of this family have come to America. Richard and John, both sons of John Trafford. came in 1672, and later William came and resided in Livingston Manor.

The Brasee family was Huguenot, going from France into England at the time of the persecution. There were several memljers of this family which came to America, became prominent and served with distinction during the whole period of the Revolutionary War. Andreas Brasee, the great grandfather of John

S. Brasee, was one of them. The head of the family in England is Baron Brassey (Sir Thomas, K. C. B., D. C. L.), of Buckley, county palatine of Chester.

Col. Thomas Cresap was another English ancestor, who accpiired fame during the I'Yench and Indian war and the War of the Revolution. He was a member of the House of Burgesses and was the founder and one of the organizers of the first Ohio Company. Scharf, in his history of Maryland, speaks of him as "the guardian genius of the Western frontier." His son. Capt. Thos. Cresap, who was killed at the foot of Savage Mountain during the Indian wars, was a maternal great grandfather of Mr. Brasee. Col. Cresap's descendants have served with distinction in the Revolution, the War of 1812, Mexican War, Civil and Spanish Wars, both in the army and navy. They have helped to frame the constitutions of different states, have become judges of Supreme Courts, United States senators and members of Congress.

Mr. Brasee's mother. Mary Jane Scofield Brasee, was a daughter of Judge Elnathan Scofield, who was in direct descent from the Scofields of Scofield. county of I^ncaster. England. Judge Scofield was one of the men who surveyed the Northwest Territory. There are many branches of this old family in Amer-

Garret Van Swearengen, patroon, a younger son of a titled family in Beemsterdam, Holland, came to America on the "Prince Maurice" in 1656. having been sent out by his government in charge of supplies for the Dutch West India Company in New Amsterdam. He married Barbara De Barrette, of Valenciennes, France, returned to Holland for two years in the interest of the colony. When he came back to America he went to Maryland and was the ancestor of a long line of distinguished men and women. Mr. Brasee is seventh in line of descent from this immigrant.

His grandmother, Drusilla Reid, wife of Judge Scofield, was a daughter of John Reid of Maryland. Another daughter, Elizabeth, was married to a brother of Governor Huber, of that state. Another, Sophia, was married to Elijah Merwin, a lawyer who practiced in Lancaster from 1804 to 181 5, and later moved to Zanesville, Ohio.

In 1833 the parents of the subject of this sketch, John T. Brasee and Mary Jane (Scofield) Brasee, removed with their two children - Ellen (later Mrs. T. W. Tallmadge) and John S. Brasee - to Lancaster, Ohio, where the latter continued to reside until his death, which occurred February 23, 1905. His early education was obtained in the public and such private schools as were available. At the age of thirteen he entered the Greenfield Academy, remaining there two years, under the tutorage of the distinguished educator Dr. John Williams, after which time he spent one year at Milnor Hall, Gambier, Ohio, under the Rev. Norman Badger. He then entered Kenyon College, became a member of the Philomathesian Literary Society, and at the completion of the entire scientific and classical courses, ranked

A pleasing incident occurred in 1882, when John Trafford Brasee Jr., son of John S. Brasee, was receiving his A. B. degree from this same institution. Without solicitation, or any knowledge of the faculty's intention on his part. President Bodine, with an eloquent tribute to the achievements of John S. Brasee, conferred upon him the M. A. degree.

On the completion of his college course, John S. Brasee immediately entered upon the study of law with his distinguished father, John Trafiford Brasee, and was admitted to the bar in 1854. In partnership with his father he began the practice of his profession and continued with him until the latter's retirement in i860.

When John S. Brasee came to the bar he was indeed a finished scholar, possessing that rare classical and philosophical equipment essential to great professional eminence, and for which there is no substitute. He had mastered the Greek and Latin languages, was familiar with the ancient and modern classics, was conversant with the Bible and had a love for literature, history and the sciences, all of which, together with the law, he continued to study throughout his life. He was endowed by Nature with a master mind, and by the opinions of his elder compeers, among whom were Thomas Ewing, Sr., Henry Stanberry, John Trafford Brasee, Hocking H. Hunter, and many others, he rapidly rose to great distinction as a lawyer of thorough and complete education, great genius and power at the bar, both as a profound jurist and brilliant advocate, and as a student and leader of thought and argument on great legal questions. One by one these legal lights went out and he remained the oracle of the Lancaster bar as long as he lived.

vigor and professional greatness, and as counsel in more than two hundred cases pending at one time upon his home docket, and a practice extending over the State of Ohio and into various other states, and into all the courts, State and Federal, he was for many years the busiest man in Fairfield County. His friends and contemporaries throughout the State conceded that, as lawyer and advocate, his talents and achievements were second to none in the judicial history of this County.

Gen'l. Chas H. Grosvenor in writing of Judge Brasee says : - "It is seldom that there has appeared in Ohio a man who reached such distinction as a lawyer and yet took so great and constant an interest in public affairs of every character. ... He was able, eloquent and accurate, he never boasted. . . He held the profession of law in such esteem and placed its attributes and requirements at such high valuation, that he could not do any act in connection with his profession that did not honor his life and adorn his character. . . . In social life John S. Brasee was one of the pleasantest of men. His wit and repartee were of the highest character and an hour with him in social conference was a pleasure and a joy to his friends, among whom I might mention Gen'l Sherman. John Sherman, Gen'l Lew Wallace, Gen'l Tliomas, Gen'l Custer, Gen'l Scofield, Rutherford B. Hayes, James G. Blaine, Gen'l Phil Sheridan and Chief Justice Waite. He left behind him a record of a great lawyer. He was a faithful friend and a citizen the memory of whom the state of Ohio may well be proud."

Mr. Brasee was a general practitioner, excelling in all departments of the law and was an expert in railroad corporation law. He lived in an age of great development of railroads and always manifested an active interest in the same. He was the efficient power in the organization of the Ohio and West Virginia Railroad, now a part of the Hocking Valley, and was its first president. As a boy he assisted in the survey of the Cincinnati & Muskingum Valley Railroad, now a part of the Pennsylvania system, and during his entire professional career of nearly fifty years, was employed by them in some legal capacity, and as general solicitor for about forty years prior to his death. He was tendered the position of general counsel for the Pennsylvania lines west of Pittsburg and was sought by the Nickel Plate Railroad magnates to locate in New York City and there engage exclusively in this department of law, both of which offers he declined, not wishing to remove from his native state.

His mind was keen and broad ; his knowledge of the law wide and accurate. He had, to a marked degree, that valuable faculty of being able to determine, at the outset, just what legal principle a given controversy involved. His great power of analysis and ability to get almost instantly at the very vitals of a case, together with his knowledge of the law and its reasons, made him one of the greatest and most profound lawyers I have ever known. He was remarkably balanced, and always fair and courteous. He was a dangerous adversary, in the sense only, however, that it is always dangerous to be pitted against a man possessing such a combination of abilities. Judge Brasee was a profound jurist and a great trial lawyer.

The Bar of Fairfield County has included, among others, such giants as the elder Ewing and Henry Stanberry; and a greater compliment cannot be paid to it than to refer to the fact that in later days it numbered among its members John S. Brasee ; the peer of any lawyer that Ohio has yet produced.

In 1883 Governor Charles Foster tendered him an appointment as member of the Second Supreme Court Commission of Ohio, and this too he decHned. He kept aloof from public office, and with but one exception his career was that of a strict practitioner. In politics he was a Republican and was a delegate to the National Convention at Philadelphia in 1872, which nominated General Grant. He ,was a member of St. John's Episcopal Church and was always a consistent Christian gentleman.

In 187s (March 27th) the Legislature of Ohio passed a bill creating a commission to revise and consolidate the statutes of Ohio. Governor Hayes tendered to John S. Brasee an appointment on this commission which he accepted. The labors of this commission extended over a period of four years and were attended by many perplexities and complications. The general laws of Ohio and the decisions thereon, from the origin of the state down to 1880, occupying many volumes, with varied and complicated indexes and arbitrary arrangements, were to be revised, compiled and abridged into two volumes. So confusing and complicated was all this mass of legislative enactments, that it was impossible to secure and maintain concurrent court decisions in different parts of the state, or permit the most intelligent legislators any latitude in reenactments or repeals of laws in, or supposed to be in force. When these facts are taken into consideration, some idea of the magnitude and importance of this work may be realized. In this capacity Judge Brasee rendered, with the other gentlemen on this commission, great and valued service to the state, and as a result the State of Ohio, its l>ench, bar and people, were given one of the most complete, accurate and convenient Revisions of the Statutes to be found in the United States.

addresses delivered by members of the Lancaster bar upon the occasion of the public proceedings of the Bar Association in commemoration of the life and character of John Scofield Brasee.

"In the death of Judge Brasee, personally I feel that the lawyers here have lost a staunch and true friend, this bar has lost its greatest lawyer and tlie state has lost an eminent jurist."

"There was no deceit nor duplicity in this man. This great head of his contained a brain and mind that already furnished the sufficient and logical reason for every position and attitude that he assumed in life, and having once taken a stand, his moral and physical courage to maintain it were simply sublime. He once said to me that he had never experienced the sensation of fear."

"As a lawyer, I find my vocabulary too meagre to portray him as his merits and abilities deserve. . . . His thirst for knowledge was insatiable and I think his learning covered a wider range and a greater variety of subjects than that of any person of my acquaintance. He especially enjoyed the study of medicine, and it would undoubtedly be conceded by those who have had the opportunity to witness his attainments in this line tliat in his knowledge of medical jurisprudence he was without a superior any where among lawyers."

"He was a man of marvelous mental powers. Perhaps the most prominent was the power of analysis and his application of the old fashioned logical syllogism. From the time he began to examine a witness until the time he closed his argument, every third sentence of his meant victory for his client. There never was a confusion of tangled and contradictory testimony that he could not, if he took his time and gave his attention to it, analyze and harmonize with the truth." Referring; to the Revision and

Consolidation of llie SuitiUes: "He brought to that work liis analytical mind and ]nit tlie state and the profession under lasting oblig^itions to him as one of the codifiers. That same logical cast of mind, that same analytical power ])ut him head and shoulders above his fellows. He came from a generation of lawyers. His contact with men of the former system of pleading made him a sort of connecting link between the common law and the code. He got the benefit of the accuracy of the first sj'stem together with the comprehension and breadth of the latter system. He was an accurate, I might almost say a perfect pleader, a master of the art of cross-examination, an eloquent advocate, but through it all ran as a sort of minor theme the syllogistic proposition in which the third sentence was in favor of his client. He will ever be remembered as a lawyer without a superior."

"The one impression which consultation with him has left with me is. that he always seemed to know the law because he knew what it ought to be, resulting from that unerring and almost infallible understanding of natural justice which is back of and the foundation of all law.

If I were now called upon to express my opinion of the most eloquent, the most convincing- and most effective address delivered to a jury in this court room within the last twenty years. I would name the argument of Mr. Brasee in the celebrated Thompson will case. In my judgment it was never surpassed in this court room. He was a companionable man, a loyal friend, and the master mind of this bar for more than a quarter of a century."

Lancaster. She was born October 29, 1832, a daughter of Dr. Joseph Aston Heeley Dickinson and Marianne Morris, his wife, of Newark, Ohio. Dr. Thomas Dickinson and wife and children, including Dr. J. A. H. Dickinson and wife, came to America from Staffordshire. England, in 1832. The Doctors Dickinson were both prominent physicians and surgeons, both having graduated from the London Medical College and Guy's Hospital, London, under the tutorage of Sir Astley Coo])er and of Abernethy. Members of this family had earlier come to this country, prominent among whom were John Dickinson, signer of the Constitution, and Aim, who was the wife of Benjamin Harrison, member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and signer of the Declaration of Independence. She was grandmother of William Henry Harrison, ninth President of the United States, and great grandmother of Benjamin Harrison, twenty-third President of the United States. Dr. Thomas Dickinson left a sister in England, who was the mother of Sir James Joseph Alport. Knt.. of Littleover, County of Derby, and grandmother of Lady Agnes Lydia Brocklebank. wife of the late Sir Thomas Brocklebank. Baronet of Liverpool and Irton Hall. Holmwood. Cumberland.

Mr. and Mrs. Brasee were the parents of six children, all of whom are living at this time, namely: John TrafTord Brasee; Marian Amelia Brasee who was married to Charles Hilliard Sawyer, of Meriden, Conn. ; Charles Dickinson Brasee ; Alice Louise Brasee who was married to Frank l-'Jbert Sands, of Meriden, Conn.; .\nna Dickinson Brasee: and Clara Ellen Brasee who was married to Frederick Mortimer Towt. of Xyack, X. Y. There are also six living grandchildren, namely : Anna Brasee

THOMAS H. DOLSON, who has been called the foremost criminal lawyer in the state of Ohio - a title not easily won in a commonwealth where so high a standard of legal ability obtains - has been established in practice in Lancaster for almost forty years, and although now in his sixty-first year, has lost no part of his force or brilliant qualities as a lawyer. He was born in Morgan county, Ohio, November 22, 1851, a son of Ebenezer B. and Huldah (Stevenson) Dolson. He is a grandson of Thomas H. Dolson and a great grandson of John Van Dolson, who served as a "minute man" in the Revolutionary war. This Revolutionary ancestor of our subject served under Washington at the battle of Trenton, Christmas night, 1776, was present at the surrender of General Burgoyne and his army, October 17, 1777, at Saratoga, N. Y., and later witnessed the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Va., October 19, 1 78 1, which marked the attainment of American independence. He died at the age of 84 years, his father at 104 years, and his grandfather at iii years, this extraordinary longevity proving the soundness and vigor of the Dolson stock.

Thomas H. Dolson, grandfather of the present bearer of that name, served as a soldier in the Mexican war. Coming from New York state, he settled in Muskingum county, Ohio, acquiring large tracts of land in the then new territory. There Ebenezer B. Dolson was reared and subsequently married Huldah Stevenson, a native of Virginia. They reared their children in Ohio, but spent their latter years in Kansas.

Thomas H. Dolson, our direct subject, attended the public schools in his home neighborhood and was also for three years consecutively under the instruction of a celebrated teacher (Mr. Geo. W. Pickrell). This was during the rebellion and whilst his father was in the army, being Q. M. Sergt. 1st Ohio Heavy Artillery. He subsequently entered the high school at Logan, Ohio, where he was creditably graduated in the class of 1868. After leaving school he had two years of business experience as bookkeeper for his brother-in-law, who was a merchant at Cameron, Mo., and with whom he remained for two years. He had resolved, however, to adopt the law as a profession, and with this intention he then returned to Ohio and for two years was a student in the ofifice of Judge C. D. Martin, at Lancaster. In December, 1873, he was admitted to the bar, and immediately afterward established himself at Lancaster. Since then he has devoted the best years of his life to his profession and has been rewarded by a high degree of success, having gained a reputation as an adept and able lawyer that extends far beyond the confines of his native state. Though thoroughly proficient in every branch of the law, it is perhaps as a criminal lawyer that he is best known. His services are in demand in the most important cases, civil or criminal, and his legal learning, his clear concise logical and forceful presentation of facts, his skill in interpretating the technicalities of the law, together with his convincing oratory, have gained for him many notable victories at the bar. His success in the defense of men charged with murder in the first and second degree, has been remarkable. Of scores of such cases in which he has appeared, not one lias been convicted of a higher grade of homicide than manslaughter and his percentage of acquittals, considering the number of cases tried, is the highest. Mr. Dolson has been associated with partners and has at times also practiced alone, at present being a member of the firm of Dolson & Dolson, at Lancaster. His brilliant son, Ben R. Dolson, being the other member of the firm. He served six years as prosecuting attorney of Fairfield county, but has never show^n any undue interest in public position, reluctingly consenting, at one time only, to be the nominee of the Democratic party for the State Senate.

Mr. Dolson was married in 1876 to Miss Alida Reinmund, a daughter of B. F. Reinmund, of an old and honored Fairfield county family her brother H. J., having been commissioner of insurance under Governor Hoadly. They have four children. The family belongs to the English Lutheran church.

LAFAYETTE W. COFFMAN, whose finely improved farm of 127 acres lies in Greenfield Township, Fairfield County, O., is a prominent citizen and successful farmer and stockraiser of this section. He was born in Bloom Township, Fairfield County, September 10, 1853, and is a son of Samuel and Jane (Allen) CofYman.

Samuel Cofifman for many years was engaged in the nursery business in Bloom Township and was a pioneer in this industry in this section of the state. He later retired to Carroll, O., and served many years as a justice of the peace for Greenfield Township. He was a man of liberal mind but in politics usually voted with the Republican party. He belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church and was liberal in his support and constant in his attendance.

Lafayette W. Coffman was reared in Bloom Township and attended school there and later at Carroll. From youth he has been interested in farm pursuits and owns one of the best improved farms in Greenfield Township, with buildings of modern construction and with machinery and appliances which facilitate farm work. He is a man of progressive ideas and uses scientific methods in the conduct of his business.

On March 7, 1877, Mr. CofTman was married to Miss Ella Azbell, who was born in Logan County, O., a daughter of the late John Azbell, of Carroll, O. Mr. and Mrs. Cofifman have three children : Gertrude, who is the wife of William Scott, of Greenfield Township; Theodosia, who is the wife of Charles Witham, of Lancaster; and Clarence \V., who is a well known dentist at Lewisburg, O. For three years Mr. Cofifman has served on the township school board and for three years was road supervisor. He is a Republican in politics.

WILLLAM H. SHAFFER, president of the school board of Walnut Township, is a well known resident of Thurston, O., and is manager of the Columbus Gas and Fuel Company. He is a native of Ohio, born near Marshfield, in Athens County. October 18, 1855, and is a son of Milton B. and Phoebe (Kerr) Shafifer.

The parents of Mr. Shaffer were born in Penn.sylvania. A short time after marriage they came to Ohio and settled in Athens County, where Milton B. ShafTer followed the carpenter's trade. He died in 1887, at the age of sixtv-seven years and his widow in 1901, when aged sixty-six years. The}- were well known and highly respected people. Six children were born to them, namely: George A., wlio lives at Jackson, O. ; William Huston; Alice, who is the widow of David G. Jones, and lives at Pittsburg, Pa. ; Margaret, deceased, who was the wife of A. C. Cumpston; Hugh B., who lives at Jackson, O. ; and John Franklin, who probably lost his life at the time of the earthquake at San Francisco, of which city he was then a resident.

William H. Shaffer obtained his education in the schools of Marshfield and in a private seminary conducted by Prof. .\.mos Miller. He was industrious as a boy. working for different farmers in the neighborhood during the busy seasons and afterward became a school teacher and taught for seven years in Athens County. With his father he learned the carpenter's trade and for four years worked as a carpenter at Jackson, O. In February, 1890, he came to Fairfield County and for five years rented farm land in Walnut Township, in October, 1895, coming to Thurston and accepting his present position. In politics Mr. Shaffer is a Democrat. He was elected a justice of the peace and served one year and then resigned, and in the fall of 1909 was elected a member of the school board and has given careful attention to educational matters in his township on ail occasions.

Mr. Shaffer was married October 19. 1876, to Miss Martha A. Herrold, a daughter of the late William and' Sarah fBlack- Viood) Herrold, former residents of Athens County. Mr. and Mrs. Shaffer have had the following children born to them : Catherine, who is the wife of C. F. Turley and they reside at Pickerington and have three children - Louise. Albert and Howard; J. Randolph, who resides at Thurston, married Sarah Shriner and they have three children - Doris, Mildred and Elsie; Grace, who is deceased, was the wife of C. P. Leach, and they had three children - Pearl, Mabel and Kenneth, the last named being deceased ; Orland, who died at the age of twelve years; and ^\'ilbur, who is a telegraph operator at Thurston. Mr. Shaffer and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a trustee. He belongs to the Masonic lodge at Baltimore and to the Knights of Pythias and the Red Men at Thurston. Mr. Shaffer purchased his comfortable and attractive residence on Market Street, from C. F. Turley.

George W. Boerstlek. M. B.

GEORGE W. BOERSTLEK. M. B. This revered and eminently useful man was born in Funkstown, Md., A. D. 1792, and died at his residence in Lancaster, Ohio, in 1 87 1. He received a good education and when sufficiently advanced, he yielded to paternal persuasion and commenced to study for the "ministry in the Lutheran church. The mind of young Boerstler, however, had been fixed in another pursuit for life; it was the ilustrious profession of his father - the science and practice of medicine. The. more this occupied his thoughts, the more it won the approval of his judgment and propitiated the desires of his heart. At last, all obstacles being removed, he entered in earnest upon the study of medicine, and graduated Bachelor of Medicine, at the University of Maryland, in Baltimore, in the year 1820. when he received from Professor Potter the folowing commendatory certificate, which, coming from such a broadly known and eminent source, was to young Boerstler a credential letter, introducing: him in flattering terms

"The bearer hereof, Dr. George W. Boerstler, has been duly examined by the professors of the University of Maryland and acquitted himself to their entire satisfaction in every department. No man ever left the Faculty of Physic with more eclat. He carries with him as much knowledge as has ever fallen to the lot of any one man since the establishment of the institution. His capacity is not equalled by any man and his industry is equal to his capacity. His sterling integrity and moral worth will always recommend him to the consideration and patronage of the wise and the virtuous as soon as he becomes acquainted with them.

Dr. Boerstler was married to Elizabeth Sinks, and removed from Hagerstown, Md., to Lancaster, Ohio in 1833. The deeply lamented Robert McNiel, M. D., had died shortly before his advent, leaving a wide field of practice unoccupied, of which he rapidly gained possession and made his own. Mrs. Boerstler died in 1878. The Doctor married his second wife, Elizabeth Schur, who died in 1889. The medical reputation of Dr. Boerstler was built upon a foundation of solidity and this grew up into vigor and public appreciation more and more with his advancing years. He was a medical student to the end of his life ; kept uniform step with the onward progress of his profession ; was familiar with all its specialties; was well informed in its leading scientific expositions; was cognizant of every public valuable curative discovery, and was therefore fully prepared for every existing emergency in his own immediate practice. His diagnosis of disease in its subtle and more complicated forms was always received by his professional brethren with confiding and commanding respect. .\s an experienced and learned consulting physician, he acquired a wide reputation. To accomplish the greatest good in the practice of his profession was the passion of his life. No one ever sought his aid in vain, rich or poor, misery in rags or disease in tapestry ; he went to all, if practicable, to relieve all. In whatever household he was called ks a physician, he left it as a dear and confidential friend. In his intercourse with his medical brethren he was governed by the strictest formulas of honor. No man understood more sensitively than himself the delicate obligations of the professional code of ethics, and no one was more courteous and punctilious in observing them.

Dr. Boerstler was a member of the Fairfield County Medical Society, and the Ohio State Medical Society, being twice elected president of the last mentioned society. He became a member of the American Medical Association in 1850.

JESSE BROOKE, a retired merchant and a former school teacher, has been a resident of Pleasantville, Fairfield County, O.. since 1880, but still retains his farm in Pleasant Township. He has led a very active and useful life and is a man widely known and highly esteemed. He was born at Havensport. on the old canal, in Fairfield County, March 6, 1839, and his spent his life and carried on large business enter-

The Brooke family was established in Fairfield County by James Brooke, the grandfather, who came here from Virginia but was of English ancestry. He settled in the deep woods of Greenfield Township, Fairfield County, where from forest and swamp he developed a productive farm and here spent a long life, dying at the home of his son James, at Baltimore, O. He had eight children : George, Joseph, James, Benjamin, Izaiah, Hezekiah, Hannah and Ann, all now deceased.

Hezekiah Brooke, the sixth member of the above family, spent his entire life in Greenfield Township, where he died in 1895, aged eighty-seven years. He was married first to Mary Pence and they had two children : Efiie, who married George Swander (both now deceased), and Sarah, who married John Gessell and they are also both deceased. Hezekiah Brooke married for his second wife, Frances Ann Brant, who was a cousin of his first wife, and eleven children were born to this union, namely : Oliver, who lives at Logan, O. ; Emma, who is the wife of Levi Keller, residing at Pleasantville ; Jesse ; Frances Ann, deceased, who was the wife of Joseph Williamson ; Henry, who lives at Columbus, O. ; Louisa, deceased, who was the wife of Samuel Kindler; Jane, who is the wife of William Leightnaker, of Basil, O. ; James Alanson, who lives in the neighborhood of Kansas City, and is a graduate of Fairfield Union Academy and Wittenberg College and was for twelve years superintendent of Groveport schools; Allen H., whose home is at Logan, O. ; Dora E., who is the widow of Arthur Finks, of Basil, O. ; and an infant, of whom we have no special record. Of these eleven children three attended Wittenberg College and nine became school teachers.

Jesse Brooke grew up on the home farm on which his parents settled when he was one year old. He attended the district schools and Wittenberg College in 1858 and 1859 and then taught a term of school. On the outbreak of the Civil War his elder brother entered the army as a soldier, and he remained at home to conduct the farm for his father, afterward resuming school teaching. Subsequently, for some twelve years he was engaged in a lumber business and when he came to Pleasantville, in October, 1880, he moved his saw-mill machinery here and for three years afterward operated a planing-mill. He then sold his mill and embarked in the dry goods business, in which he continued for seven years, when he sold it to the Henry Company and went into the coal, grain and tile business, but eighteen months later he turned his attention to hardware, entering into partnership with M. D. Wildermuth. Later he disposed of his interest to J. A. Keller, his nephew, and then bought his farm which is located one mile out of Pleasantville. He operated the farm for a short time but V\'hen a business transaction made him the owner of the Knight of Pythias building at Pleasantville, he purchased a furniture business here. In many ways Mr. Brooke has been an enterprising and progressive man in this town and it is said that he has erected more buildings in the place than any other single individual. He erected the first public scales in Pleasantville and in all movements looking to the developments which make a town known to the outside world as well as a desirable place to live in,

On August 30, i860, Mr. Brooke was married to Miss Elizabeth Yencer, and the following children were born to them : Carrie, who is the wife of T. H. Henry, and they have had three children - Everett B., Margaret and Thomas J. ; Henry M., who died at the age of twenty-three years ; Frances Catherine, deceased, who was the wife of M. D. Wildermuth; Albert H., who married Emma E. Klahr, lives in Lancaster and has a daughter, Gladys ; James, who married Iva Dollison and has four children - Marion, Donald, Dorothy and James F. ; Jessie, who is the wife of D. E. Sites, and has three children - Elizabeth A.. Harriett and Mary Catherine; Mary Ivlay, who is the wife of Silas Kissler, and has two children - Isabella and Mary; Ray, who married Carol Kelly, and has three children - Phebe. Phillis and Jesse Robert ; and Lindley Jav. who married Nellie Wooley and has one son, Edward. Mr. Brooke is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Brooke is a Christian Scientist.

WILLIAM A. MEYERS, cashier of the Farmers and Citizens Bank of Stoutsville, O., of which he was one of the organizers, when this institution was founded. July 6, 1909, was born in Clear Creek Township, Fairfield County, O., October 31, 1867, a son of Peter and Susan (Mowery) Meyers, and a grandson of George Meyers and of John and Rachel (Stump) Mowery.

After he had completed the common school course, William A. Meyers entered Heidelberg University, where he was creditably graduated with the class of 1888. For some twenty-two years afterward he was connected with the C. & M. V. Railroad and then resigned in order to become cashier of the Farmers and Citizens Bank. Like his late father he is a stanch Democrat. For ten years he was township clerk and in July. 191 1, was elected township treasurer.

Mr. Meyers was married in January, 1890, to Miss Mattie Thatcher, a daughter of Frank and Maurine (Siddons) Thatcher, residents of Columbus. They have two daughters. Blanche and Ruth, both of whom are accomplished young ladies, graduates of the Stoutsville High School. The family belongs to the Reformed church. Mr. Meyers' fraternal connections include membership in Scipio Lodge No. 255, Knights of Pythias; and Camp No. 1325, Modern Woodmen of America, both at Stoutsville.

SAMUEL L. FISHER, an honored veteran of the Civil War and a leading and substantial citizen of Greenfield Township. Fairfield County, O., residing on his farm of 200 acres, was born March 29, 1842. in Greenfield Township, and is a son of Daniel and Mary (Wagner) Fisher.

Daniel Fisher was born in Pennsylvania and was three years old when his parents. Henry Fisher and wife, moved to Fairfield County and settled in Greenfield Township, in the midst of the virgin forest, they being real pioneers. Daniel Fisher became a farmer and was a representative citizen of his township, serving some years as one of its trustees. He married Mary Wagner, who was born in Ohio, and of their children there are five survivors, namely: John and Samuel L., both living in Greenfield Township: Louisa, wife nf Charles Harter, living in the same township; Sarah, wife of Samuel Yencer, residing

Samuel L. Fisher was reared on the home farm and has engaged in farm pursuits during the greater part of his life. When the Civil War broke out, he was an early volunteer, enlisting in September, 1861, in Co. I, 17th O. Vol. Inf., which became a part of the Army of the Cumberland. He took part in many of the greatest battles of the war, including the siege of Atlanta, marching with Sherman to the sea, and was honorably discharged in July, 1865. He returned to Fairfield County and resumed farming and has lived a busy agricultural life ever since, being not quite so active as formerly, but still taking a keen interest in the products of his lands and the increase of his stock. He is a Democrat in politics and for twenty years has been a member of the school board of Greenfield Township and for a part of this period has been president of this body.

Mr. Fisher married Miss Catherine Harter, who was born in Greenfield Township, and died April 4, 1910. She was an estimable woman in every relation of life and had a wide circle of friends. She was the mother of four children, namely. William, residing in Greenfield Township; Minnie M., the widow of Charles Marks, living at Lancaster; and Sylvester and Daniel, both living in Greenfield Township. Mr. Fisher is a member of the English Lutheran church at Lancaster, O.

FRED A. HAMPSON, who is engaged in business at Pleasantville, O., where he has well arranged and suitable funeral directing parlors and is well equipped for undertaking, is a lifelong resident of Fairfield County and was born on his father's farm in Walnut

Henry J. Hampson was born in 1853 in Pleasant Township, Fairfield County, O., and is a son of James and a grandson of James Hampson. The elder James Hampson secured land in Fairfield County that is still in the possession of the family, in 1803, during the administration of President Jefferson. With the help of his sons he cleared the land. James Hampson, grandfather of Fred A., was one of the original directors of the Fairfield Union Academy and was also one of the organizers of the Fairfield Agricultural Society. He married Mary Hite and they both died in Pleasant Township. They had the following children: Henry J. ; Levi, who lives in Pleasant Township; Lillian, who- is the wife of M. F. Manger, and lives at Lancaster, O. ; and James, who resides in Pleasant Township. Henry J. Hampson was reared in Pleasant Township but has been a resident of Walnut Township for the past thirty-five years, where he carries on general farming and is a well known and respected citizen. He married Zetta Outcault, who was born in Liberty Township, Fairfield County, a daughter of Harvey G. Outcault, who lives in California. Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hampson, namely : Ermine ; Harvey, who died in February, 1908 ; Mary, who is the wife of James Pruden, of Detroit, Mich. ; Fred A. ; Clark, who lives at Comly, O. ; Elizabeth, who is the wife of Arthur Holliday, of Columbus ; Charles M., who is a student in the Ohio State University ; and Helen and Martha.

Fred A. Hampson grew to manhood on the home farm and attended the public schools and a business college at Columbus. In 1907 he entered the employ of the firm of Fletcher & Brown, undertakers at Columbus and re- mained until he had learned the business. In 1909 he came to Pleasantville and bought the interests of W. I. Winegarner and has equipped his quarters with up-to-date furnishings, has a private ambulance, funeral carriages and cars and a mortuary chapel. He conducts his business along quiet, orderly, dignified lines and has patronage from a wide territory.

In September, 1908, Mr. Hampson was married to Miss Mina Phipps. a daughter of Aaron and Rachel (W'orall) Phipps, this family having come to Fairfield from Morgan County in 1896. Aaron Phipps is an honored member of the G. A. R. Post at Chesterhill, Ohio, having served in the Civil War from 1862 until its close. He was a member of the 97th O. Vol. Inf., under Captain George Davis, enlisting at Chester Hill, O., and after participating in twenty battles, was mustered out at Nashville, Tenn. Mr. and Mrs. Hampson have one son, Harvey Levi. Politically he is a Democrat and is a member of the town council and in 191 1 was elected township clerk. He belongs to the Masonic lodge at Pleasantville.

GEORGE W. BEERY, M. D.. a prominent citizen of Lancaster, O., is a representative of one of the old and leading families of the state. He was born October 27, 1857, at Bremen, Fairfield County, and is a son of John and Lydia (Foreman) Beery.

John Beery was born also in Fairfield County, November 8, 1837, and was a son of Joseph and Mary (Brenneman) Beery. They were natives of Virginia, the birth of Joseph Beery taking place August 8. 1798, and his death in 184 1. To Joseph Beery and wife five children were born: Catherine, Abraham, Joseph. Magdalene and John, all of whom are deceased. The first of the family came from

Switzerland and settled in Pennsylvania in 1736, and his son, Abraham Beery, was born in Adams County, Pa., in 1762 and moved from there to Rockingham County, Va. He was twice married and was the father of thirteen children.

On the maternal side, the Foremans were found in Lancaster County, Pa., prior to the Revolutionary War, in which Jacob Foreman served and participated in numerous battles including that of Trenton. After the close of his military service he moved to Ellicott Mills, twelve miles from Baltimore, Md., where he married Annie Martin, after which he returned for a time to Pennsylvania and then moved to Baltimore. They had the following children : Jacob, Henry, George, Mary, Kate and Andrew. .Andrew Foreman married Rachel Poling, in Muskingum County, O., after which they went I)ack to Maryland for a few years and then returned to Muskingum County and still later moved to near Brownsville, in Licking County, and subsequently to Hopewell Township. Perry County, where they died. They had the following named children: George. Daniel, Andrew J., Samuel, Henry, Annie, Peggy, Sarah Ann, Rachel. Bettie, Elizabeth and Lydia, the last named beoming the wife of John Beery, .\fter the death of Mr. Beery, on March 23, 1858, when only twenty-two years of age, Mrs. Beery and her infant son, George W., remained in Fairfield County until her second marriage, with Isaac Switzer, who was a resident of Licking County. Three children were born to the second union, namely : Henry and Howard, both of whom are deceased; and John, who is a practicing physician at New Straitsville, O. He married Lucy Webb, a daughter of W. C. Webb, of Hocking County, and they have one son, Webb.

schools and also the Normal School at Bremen, O. When seventeen years of age he became interested in photography and as he combined taste with talent in this direction, he built up a fair business in which he continued until he was twenty-nine years of age. In the meanwhile he had completed his preliminary medical reading and accordingly entered the Georgia Eclectic Medical College, at Atlanta, Ga. He later took a course in the Cincinnati Eclectic College, secured his diploma, and in 1889 began practice at Union Furnace, Hocking County, where he continued for seventeen and a half years. He then practiced for two and one-half years at Logan, also in Hocking County. During this long period he became widely known in that section and when he came to Lancaster, in the spring of 1909, left behind him many yarm personal friends and an enviable professional reputation. At Lancaster he has found a wider field and is in the enjoyment of a large and substantial practice. He is a man of wide reading and of considerable travel. In 1907 he visited all the principal countries of Europe and returned to his professional duties enriched with many new experiences.

In 1879 Dr. Beery was married to Miss Llannah .E. Roley. a daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth (Christ) Roley, of near Hebron, Licking County, and they have three children : Blanche, Jesse and Bessie, the two latter being twins. Blanche married S. S. Still, of Zanesville, O., and they now live at Montgomery, Ala., and have one child, George. Jesse married Minnie Folk; they reside at Lancaster, and have a daughter, Georgie. Bessie married Edward Oliver, who is in the furniture and undertaking business at Logan. Dr. Beery is prominent in Masonic circles. He is a member of Mingo Lodge, No. 71, F. & A. M., Logan, O. ; Enoch Lodge of Perfection; Franklin Council, Princes of Jerusalem, Columbus ; Rose Croix Chapter, Columbus; Ohio Consistory, S. P. R. S. 32nd degree, Cincinnati. He belongs also to Center Valley Lodge, No. 548, I. O. O. F., Amanda, O., and Mineral Encampment, Logan O., and Kilbourn Lodge, No. 635, Knights of Pythias, Union Furnace, O. Politically he is a Republican and for six years while residing in Hocking County, was a member of the Pension Examining Board.

LOUIS J. SNYDER, who conducts a very successful business at No. 244 W. Main Street, Lancaster, O., a dealer in groceries, coal, lime, and cement, exclusively wholesale, is not only a representative business man of this city but is a citizen who has frequently demonstrated his public spirit and through his good judgment and enterprise has brought about many needed reforms. He was born at Lancaster, O., December 23, 1859, and is a son of Henry and Catherine (Hengst) Snyder.

Henry Snyder and his wife were both born in Germany, came to America in youth, were married in Lancaster and in this city their quiet, virtuous lives came to a close. Of their nine children, Louis J. was the eighth in order of birth.

Louis J. Snyder was reared and educated in Lancaster. O. After leaving school he was employed for two years by his brother and was for one year in the employ of his brotherin-law. Later he was employed as a clerk in other establishments. On April 9, 1877, he started into business for himself as a retail grocery merchant. In 1878 he entered into the coal business, and in 1890 into the cement and plaster business. Proof of his business capacity is shown in the extraordinary success which has attended his efiforts, enabling him to advance until at present he has wholesale interests which make his name a familiar one in marts ol trade at various points. For many years he has also judiciously invested in city realty and owns a large amount of valuable property and for some years was a director in the Citizens' Loan and Building Association. In politics he is a Democrat and at times has consented to serve in civic offices, his high qualities of business ability making him especially useful. During the period of fourteen years which covered his service as secretary and superintendent of the Lancaster City Water Works, the system was practically renewed and the improvements then brought about have made it a source of civic pride. He has taken an interest also in other civic utilities and has cooperated with other capitalists in advancing many public spirited enterprises. He was reared in the Lutheran church and has been a liberal supporter of benevolent and charitable movements.

Hon. Christian H. Sexauer

HON. CHRISTIAN H. SEXAUER, mayor of Lancaster, O., who is now serving in his third term, is one of the strong, broadminded and representative public men of Fairfield county. He was born at Sulphur Springs. O.. January 19. 1871, Ijeing one of the family of five children of William F. and Mary J. (Rupertsburger) Sexauer. The father of Mayor Sexauer was a native of Gallion, O., where he was engaged in manufacturing; he died in 1895.

Christian H. Sexauer's first business connection was with a manufacturing house, after which he went into the drug business with his brother, F. E. Sexauer. first at Bellaire, O., afterwards at Columbus, and then at Lancaster, O.. conducting the same under the firm name of Sexauer Brothers. In the conduct of his business and in his relations with his fellow citizens, the young man gained public confidence and became popular. In November, 1907, he was first elected mayor of Lancaster, on the Democratic ticket, with a majority of 752 votes, entering upon the duties of the office in 1908. Public approval of his administration was shown by his subsequent re-election with a majority of 1350. Lancaster has enjoyed a gratifying degree of prosperity under his able administration, the benefits of which are universally acknowledged.

Mayor Sexauer married Miss Bertha Abendroth, a daughter of Fred Abendroth, of Crawford county, O., and they have four children, namely : Paul C, Frederick W., Ralph E. and Dorothy C. The family belong to St. Peter's Lutheran church, of which Alayor Sexauer is one of the trustees. A member of the Masonic order, he belongs to the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Council ; he also belongs to the Knights of Maccabees and Royal Arcanum, just retiring from the office of Grand Regent of Ohio. The family residence is at No. 221 N. Maple street, Lancaster.

JOHN C. RARICK, a leading citizen and substantial farmer of \\'alnut Township, Fairfield County, O., where he owns a valuable farm of 100 acres, which lies in Section I, Range 18, has lived on this farm for almost a half century. He was born March i, 1836, in Thorn Township, Perry County, O., and is a son of Peter and Lydia (Weimer) Rarick.

Peter Rarick was born in Pennsylvania and came to Ohio at the age of three years. His father, Peter Rarick. settled on high land in Thorn Township. Perry County, three miles east of Thornville, which town, however, at that time had not yet been founded. In those days sugar making was an important industry and it was traded at Zanesville for household supphes. The boihng of the maple sap was often attended with considerable danger, as the country was then so wild that wolves came dangerously near the campers at night, a close watch having to be kept in order to drive them off. Peter Rarick, the elder, and his wife lived to be old people and both died in Thorn Township. Of their large family their son Peter was the eldest and he grew to manhood on the pioneer farm and came into possession of it when his father died. He completed a large part of the clearing and his sons finished it, and subsequently he sold the place and purchased the farm on which he died when aged seventy-seven years. He was twice married, first to Lydia Weimer, a daughter of Godfrey Weimer, of Pennsylvania, and secondly to Polly Humbarger, his children being of the first marriage. Five of these grew to maturity, namely : John C. ; Simon ; Elizabeth, widow of John King; Mahala, deceased, formerly wife of Adam Koontz, also now deceased ; and Peter.

John C. Rarick can remertiber the old log schoolhouse, with its slab benches and huge fire-place, in which he learned his lessons when a boy and often contrasts it with the comfortable structures in which his grandchildren receive instrviction. He grew to manhood strong and hearty from his active, out-door life and by the time he had reached marriageable age was looked upon as one of the successful young farmers of his neighborhood. He has devoted himself to farm pursuits and has prospered and not only owns this large body of valuable land but is also a stockholder in the People's Bank at Thornville and was one of its organizers. This fann his father bought from the Gill estate and Mr. Rarick purchased it and moved here in the spring of

1863. He remodeled the house after a time and all the farm buildings now standing were built by him. Mr. Rarick has always been a stanch Democrat and an active party worker. He has served in township offices, especially as trustee.

On December i, 1859, Mr. Rarick was married to Miss Malissa Cupp, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Simon) Cupp, and the following children have been born to them: Ida, who is the wife of Lewis Radebaugh, of Walnut Township; Emma, who is the wife of Richard Neil of Thornville, and has one son, Raymond; and Clara and Clarence, twins. The former, Clara, married Robert Noble Kochensparger and they live in Cleveland and have one daughter, Ruth. Clarence operates the home farm. In 1889 he married Bertha Boganwright and they have four children - Floe Gertrude, Bessie B., Anna M. and Lucile. Mr. Rarick and family belong to the Lutheran church and in earlier years he served in church offices.

WILLIAM FETTERS, one of the solid, reliable citizens of Pleasant Township, who is a surviving soldier of the great Civil War, resides on his well cultivated farm of 104 acres which he devotes to farming and stockraising. He was born November 2, 1842, in Pleasant Township, and is a son of Thomas and Sarah (Bright) Fetters.

Thomas Fetters spent his entire life in Pleasant Township, where his father, Philip Fetters, was one of the early settlers. Thomas Fetters died in 188 1. He had followed farming all his active life. At times he served as township trustee and also was a director of the Fairfield County Infirmary. He married Sarah Bright, who was born in Greenfield Township, Fairfield County, and they had nine children, namely: Isabel, who is the wife of Joshua Miller, of Greenfield Township; Margaret, who is the wife of Noah Walters, of Lanacster; Susan, who is the widow of Hery Drunim, of Greenfield Township; William and John, both of whom live in Pleasant Tow nship ; Zachariah, who lives at Bluffton, Ind. ; Leonidas, who also lives at Bluffton ; Mahala, who is deceased ; and Charles, who is also a resident of Bluffton.

William Fetters attended the district schools in boyhood and then learned the principles of farming, in a practical way. On June lo, 1862, he enlisted for service in the Civil War, entering Co. K, 185th Ohio State Guards, this company being later transferred to the 88th O. Vol. Infantry. He was a member of the victorious army that marched to Atlanta and the sea under General Sherman and participated in the battles of Resaca, Goldsboro, Atlanta and others and was also out in state defense when Gen. Morgan raided Ohio. Mr. Fetters re-enlisted on January 30, 1864. in Co. I, 17th O. Vol. Inf., and remained until he was honorably discharged on July 16, 1865. and afterward returned to Fairfield County and has resided ever since in Pleasant Township.

- On December 26. 1867, Mr. Fetters was married to Miss Mary Wygum, a daughter of George J. and Margaret (Geil) Wygum. The father of Mrs. Fetters was a soldier in the Civil War and later was a well known merchant at Lancaster. He died when seventy years of age. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Fetters : Albert G.. living at Los Angeles, Calif.: George W.. in Pleasant Township: Sadie, wife of John Dauterman, living in Clear Creek Township: Ada and William S.. both living at home; Pearl, wife of William Duncan, of Hocking Township; Margaret, wife of Herman Kerns, of Hocking Township; and Harley J. and

Daniel, both residing at home. Mr. Fetters is a republican in his views on public questions. He and wife are both members of the U. B. church. The family is a very highly respected one in Pleasant Township.

CAPT. ALBERT GETZ, a prominent citizen of Lancaster, a veteran of the Civil War, and a well known business man who has been identified with the retail and manufacturing shoe industry in this city for the past 28 years, is a native of Germany and was nine years old when he accompanied his parents to America. Their death in Rochester, N. Y., left him an orphan. He was placed under the guardianship of Mr. Ferdinand Getz, who later brought him to Lancaster.

The subject of our sketch, after some early schooling, entered into the boot and shoe trade under Jacob Wolfinger and Adam Hoffman, formerly well known citizens of Lancaster, which city has been his home ever since, with the exception of three years of his early life that he spent in military service as a member of the 114th Regiment. O. V. I. In 1881 he oreanized the Mt. Pleasant Guards and when under his command - a period of eight years - it was regarded as the best disciplined company in the State of Ohio.

In 1889 Capt. Getz organized the A. Getz Shoe Manufacturing Company at Lancaster, and subsequently, in 1895, was the organizer with others of the Lancaster Shoe Factory, which was the direct offspring of the former company. He was one of the first organizers of the first Natural Gas Company at Lancaster, serving for some time as its vice president and for nine years as a trustee for the city Natural Gas Company.

Capt. Getz was married September i, 1869, to Clara C. Ream of Lancaster, C, a daughter of Daniel and Catherine (Osenbaugh) Ream. To him and his wife have been born two children - Edward R. and Paul, the latter of whom died in his 20th year. Edward R. Getz married Vinzela Hardesty and they have six children - Edna L.. Clarence D., Morbert G., Mary Catherine, Edward William and Raymond T.

ANDREW ELLINGER, who is a representative farmer and stock raiser of Pleasant Township, Fairfield County, C, where he owns 130 acres of well developed land, was born in Hocking County, O., December I, 1852, and is a son of Jacob and Helen (Ulmer) Ellinger. The parents were natives of Baden, Germany, and were early settlers and respected residents for many years of Marion Township, Hocking County.

Andrew Ellinger and his brother, John F., who lives in Walnut Township, were raised in Marion Township, Hocking County. He remained there until in his twenty-third year, when he came to Fairfield County, after which he worked for some years on dififerent farms. He had his own way to make and his sole capital in money when he left Hocking County, was the sum of seventy-five cents, while at present, his name at the bottom of a legal paper means a great deal and illustrates what may be accomplished by persistent industry and right living. He has been a resident of Pleasant Township since the spring of 1874 and is one of the useful and respected citizens of this section.

and they have had four children: Minnie G., wife of P. W. Thoman, of Pleasant Township; Adelia M., wife of Willis Kufifman, of Pleasant Township; and Helen and Blanche, both residing at home. In politics Mr. Ellinger is a Democrat and he and family belong to the Lutheran church.

HENRY D. SMITH, of the firm of Smith Bros., general merchants at New Salem, O., has been a resident of Fairfield County all his life. He was born in Walnut Township, May 4, 1867, and is a son of Leonidas G. and Honora C. (Berry) Smith.

Leonidas G. Smith was born at Brownsville, O., and was left an orphan when young. He grew to manhood in Fairfield County and became a man of substance and importance in Walnut Township, engaging in farming and also for twenty-five years served as a justice of the peace at New Salem, where he died April 25, 1906, when aged sixty-nine years. His widow survives and resides in W^alnut Township, in which section she was born. Her father, Henry Berry, was one of the old pioneers here. Five children were born to Leonidas G. Smith and wife, namely : Henry D. ; D. Linden; Ottobine. who died in infancy; Mary, who is the wife of G. R. Wiseman; and Curtis Ray.

Henry D. Smith spent his boyhood on the home farm and obtained his education in the district schools but merchandising rather than farming appealed to him and he secured a position as soon as he was able, with a general merchant at New Salem. In 1897 in partnership with D. Linden Smith, his brother, he bought the general store of G. A. Albrecht and still later that of B. C. Ortman at New Salem. The Smith Bros, moved to their present fine where they do a large business, carrying a of the board of education in that city. complete line of dry goods, groceries, boots William S. Gearhart, son of George, was for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have one daughter, Mildred Baker. Mr. Smith belongs to the Methodist Protestant church ; his wife belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. Politically he is a Democrat and at one time was his party's candidate for the office of county treasurer. He belongs to the Alaccabees and attends lodge

GEORGE J. GEARHART, auditor of Fairfield County, O., has been a prominent factor in Democratic circles in this part of the state and for a number of years was identified with several of the leading journals of Lancaster, in an editorial capacity. He was born at Stoutsville, Fairfield County, O., January 12, 1877. and is a son of William S. and Isabel (Stout) Gearhart.

The Gearhart family has been known in in Pennsylvania in the year 1800. and mar- Ohio for many years, its founder here hav- ried Nancy Christy. Of their nine children ing been the grandfather of George J. Gear- who reached maturity, Isabel, the mother hart, who bears his ancestor's name. Orig- of our subject, was the youngest. The inallv the Gearharts came from Germany his commission as first lieutenant reached him ; Samuel, who is a resident of Columbus, O. ; William S., father of the subject of this sketch ; Lucretia, who resides at South Bloomfield. Pickaway County, and is the widow of Daniel Bock, who died in November, 191 1 : Mary, who is the wife of W. A. Bowsher, in Indianapolis, Ind. ; Kate, who is the wife of E. E. Bock, of Columbus; Nannie, who is the wife of William H. Snively. of Dayton, Ohio ; and Ella, who is the wife of A. K. Reed, of Lancaster, O. William S. Gearhart still resides at Stoutsville and is connected with the rural mail service.

On the maternal side, the ancestors of George J. Gearhart came also from Germany and through Pennsylvania to Ohio. The grandfather. Jonathan Stout, was born others were Amos, who is a retired resident of Lancaster: Israel, who occui)ics the old homestead one mile north of Stoutsville ; Reuben, who is a resident of Indiana ; Jonathan, now deceased, who is survived

George S. Baker, who twice represented Fairfield County in the state legislature (and the mother of County Treasurer C. V. Baker) ; Catherine, who was the wife of Jacob Ernst, the latter a resident of Stoutsville ; Margaret, who was the wife of Ira Nefif, and died at her home in Indiana ; and Malinda, who is the wife of George W. Neff, of Paulding County, O.

To William S. and Isabel (Stout) Gearhart the children born were as follows : George J., whose name appears at the head of this article ; Nannie, who resides at home ; Kirby, a horticulturist residing at Stoutsville, who married Addie Courtright ; Rollo, who died when aged eighteen months; and \\'illiani S., who lives with his parents.

George J. Gearhart attended the Stoutsville schools until he had attained the age of eighteen years and then began to teach school, afterward, as he had opportunity, attending local normal schools. During the period of seven years in which he was engaged in educational work he taught in different parts of Fairfield and Pickaway counties, during the two last years being a preceptor in the grammar department at Stoutsville. He retired from this field of effort in December, 1902.

In the meanwhile, in addition to his educational work, he had been correspondent for a number of the leading newspapers. He was a frequent contributor to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Columbus journals, the Circleville Democrat and Watchman, and the Eagle and Fairfield County Democrat, of Lancaster. In the closing days of 1902 he came to Lancaster to accept the position of managing editor of the Fairfield County Democrat, to which he devoted four and a half years of earnest work. In July, 1907, he resigned in order to become city editor of the Lancaster Daily Gazette. In August, 1908, his services were partially recognized by his party and he was elected to the position of clerk of the county election board, and in August, 1909, he was reelected to this position. As he entered more actively into politics his editorial duties became a drag on his activities and he resigned his position on the Gazette, on November i, 1909. In the May primary of 1910 he was nominated for county auditor and in the succeeding November was elected to this important office, the duties of which he assumed October 16, 191 1. His intimate acquaintance with public men and public affairs in the county through his newspaper connections, have qualified him for almost any public office, while the high personal esteem in which he is held assures him of the support of the best element of his fellow citizens.

Mr. Gearhart was married November 20, 1909. to Miss Pearl Shallenberger, a daughter of Theodore Shallenberger, who was a commissioner of Fairfield County for six years. The mother of Mrs. Gearhart was Cornelia (Bechtel) Shallenberger, a member of one of the substantial old German- American families of this section. Her death took place April 22. 1910. Mr. Gearhart is a member of the German Reformed church. He belongs to the order of Elks, in which he holds office and is also identified with the Royal Arcanum.

Ever since its organization, Mr. Gearhart has been president of the Gearhart family association which holds annual reunions in Franklin Park in Columbus each Fourth of July.

GEORGE W. TAYLOR, of Millersport, O., resides on his farm of 140 acres, which lies on the Millersport and Thornville road, situated in Section 27, Walnut Township, Fairfield County, and in association with his wife owns a number of building lots at Sandy Beach, on Buckeye Lake. Mr. Taylor has been a resident of Fairfield County since 1893. He was born in Licking County, O., near Newark, at the old Taylor canal locks, April 24, 1861, and is a son of James and Lydia (Bowlby) Taylor.

James Taylor was born in Licking County, a son of William Taylor, who was a native of Virginia and came to Ohio when the canal was in course of construction and built nine miles of this waterway. He died at Taylor Locks. He was the father of six children, James Taylor being the eldest born. The others were as follows : Ellen, now deceased, who was the wife of William Lynn ; John and Thomas, both of whom are deceased; Emma, deceased, who was the wife of Jackson Davis ; and Alonzo.

James Taylor spent his youth on the home farm and attended the country schools when he could be spared, but in his boyhood farming and raising stock involved harder labor than at present. There were no transportation lines that could carry stock to tlie distant markets and the only way to reach the Baltimore market was to drive the stock over the mountains and deliver them to buyers there. These trips James Taylor frequently made, traveling on foot and attending to the business in a way that was entirely satisfactory to his father. He died in September, 1880, at the age of sixty-one years. He married Lydia Bowlby, who was born in 1823, in New Jersey, and died in February, 1892. They had seven children, as follows: Eliza A., who is the wife of O. N. Penny, and resides in Missouri; John, who died young; Ella, who is the wife of Thomas Clunies, of Hebron, O. ; Sarah Jemima, who is the wife of William Larmore, of Kirkersville, O. ; Elizabeth, who is the wife of T. M. Rugg, of Newark, O. ; Samuel W., who lives at Luray, O. ; and George Wallace, of Walnut Township, Fairfield County.

George Wallace Taylor was reared on the old Taylor farm until fifteen years of age, attending the country schools and later the schools at Kirkersville. Farming and stock-raising have been his main occupations for many years. After the death of his father-in-law, his wife inherited a part of the Murphy farm, her grandfather, William Murphy, having entered the land from the Government, and as her inheritance included the comfortable farm-house, the family came to Walnut Township in 1893.

Mr. Taylor was married December 25, 1884, to Miss Emma Murphy, a daughter of William and Mary Murphy, the former of whom was born on the present farm and spent his life here. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor: Robert S., who assists his father on the farm, and married Carrie Auer; and Ella May, Mary Jane and Frances Irene. Politically Mr. Taylor is a Democrat. He belongs to the Masonic lodge at Millersport.

GEORGE MATT, president of the Lancaster Gas Light and Coke Company, also of the Lancaster Electric Light Company, is identified also with many other leading business enterprises of Lancaster, O., and has been one of the leading factors in the development of the fire insurance interests here for a quarter of a century. Mr. Matt was born November 6, 1842, at Ravens- burg, in the Kingdom of Wiirtemburg, South Germany, his parents being John and Maria (Leser) Matt, and he is a grandson on the maternal side of Joseph and Anna Leser, old and respected residents for years of the town of Ravensburg.

In the fall of 1854 the parents of Mr. Matt emigrated to America, settling soon after their arrival at Lancaster, O. Of formal schooling, especially in the English language. Mr. ]\Iatt had little and what he had accjuired in his own tongue was not extensive, but Nature had endowed him with a quick and retentive mind and he soon became so closely associated with practical business men that mere book learning became the least of his necessities. Mr. Matt early developed considerable business talent and has since been closely associated with many of the enterprises that have contributed to the advancement of Lancaster. He was one of the first business men of the city to enter into fire insurance to any great extent and was also one of the first to see and avail himself of the benefits accruing from building and loan associations ; he early recognized the city's need of adequate public utilities, and at one time invested in an artificial gas plant, which only failed of being successful on account of the discovery of natural gas, and in numberless other ways he has fostered industries and enterprises more likely to be beneficial to the general public than especially so to himself. In almost all of those he has been associated with other practical business men and capitalists and often became connected with them because his co-operation was sought. While a Democrat in his political views, Mr. Matt is a broad-gauged man and on public questions generally is very liberal-minded. At different times he has served in public ofifices. He is treasurer of the Board of Trade and has rendered efficient service on other official boards.

Mr. Matt was married on April 6, 1863, to Miss Helena Hite, of Lancaster, and their six children reflect credit on their parentage and rearing. They are as follows : Frank, who married Miss Grace Whitley, and has a daughter, Catherine ; George L., who married a lady from Mt. Carmel, 111. ; Edward, who married Lula McFee; Harry, who married Lillie Owen and has three children - Marion, Helen Marlow and George B. ; John, of whom we have no special record ; and Helen, who became the wife of Charles Trimble and has three children - Richard, Harriett Marie and Isabel. Mr. Matt and family are members of St. Mary's Catholic church, and he is officially connected with its various benevolent organizations. He is widely recognized as one of Lancaster's substantial and reliable citizens.

JOSEPH D. SHUMAN, who died October 20, 191 1, was the proprietor of a fine farm of 135 acres lying in Pleasant Township, and was well known all throiigh this section as a successful dealer and broker in cattle. He was born in York County, Pa., September 22, 1851, and was a son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Dietz) Shuman, both of whom were natives of Chester County, Pa., and of German ancestry. In 1869 they came to Fairfield County and settled in Pleasant Township and passed the remainder of their lives here.

Joseph D. Shuman in early manhood learned the trade of cabinet-maker and after coming to Fairfield County in 1870, found employment as a house and barn builder and worked as such for five years. He then embarked in the butchering business, in Pleasant Township and was thus associated with his father for eight years, under the firm name of Joseph Shuman & Son, besides carrying on the farm. For the last twenty-five years of his life he was largely interested in dealing in cattle. He was a Republican in politics and was the only member of his party elected in 1900, when he served as land appraiser. He was prominent in agricultural afifairs in the county and for two years was president of the Fairfield County Agricultural Society. He also served for six years on the township school board.

Mr. Shuman married Miss Julia Macklin, who was born in Pleasant Township, a daughter of the late venerable Benjamin S. Macklin, whose father settled on the present homestead in 1799, and it has never been out of the family. Mr. and Mrs. Shuman were the parents of two daughters : Nellie, who lives at home ; and Dellie, who is the wife of Ernest Rowles, of Lancaster, O. Mr. Shuman was identified with the Elks at Lancaster.

CHARLES C. BEXIDUM. senior member of the general mercantile firm of Benidum & Peters, prosperous business men of Millersport, Fairfield County, O., is also general manager of the Millersport Improvement Company, and is actively interested in everything that adds to the importance of the town. Mr. Benidum was bom at Baltimore. Fairfield County, O., May 23, 1863. and is a son of Joseph and Rebecca (Sellers) Benidum.

Joseph Benidum was a lifelong resident of Baltimore, O.. where, for a number of years, he carried on a saddlery business. His death occurred in 1864 and he was survived by a widow and three children. He married Rebecca Sellers, who was born in Pennsylvania and died at Baltimore in 1907, aged seventyone years. She contracted a second marriage, with Emanuel Ault, who survives. Her children were born to her first marriage. Ida, the eldest, is the wife of Henry Hansbarger and they are residents of Columbus, O. Frances is the wife of James Bope and they live at Thurston, Fairfield County. Charles Chase was the youngest born and was only one year old when his lather died, after which his mother moved to Etna, in Licking County, where, when he was seven years old, she married.

Charles C. Benidum accompanied his mother and step-father and remained on the Ault farm in Liberty Town.ship until he was twenty-two years of age, when he came to Millersport. Here he became a clerk for his brother-in-law, Henry Hansbarger, who was conducting a general store where Mr. Benidum now does business. On September 25, 190 1, Mr. Benidum and .Arthur W. Peters bought the business, Mr. Peters having had previous mercantile experience at Thurston. They carry a large and well selected stock of general merchandise and have the bulk of the trade in town and outlying districts, keeping up with the times in their displays and treating their customers courteously and honestly. Both members of the firm have additional interests, Mr. Peters being vice president of the Millersport Bank, in which Mr. Benidum is a director, and both being financially interested in the Millersport Improvement Company, which was incorporated in 1908, with the following leading men of the place as interested members: A. W. Peters. C. C. Benidum. Charles Decker, Thomas Smith. Clay Bright, Lena Trigg, T. W. Stif? and C. A. Bright. The company purchased a large body of de- sirable real estate including a number of lots on Buckeye Lake and the object of the company is to improve and sell this property with advantage to both seller and purchaser and incidentally to further build up the town.

On February 7, 1887, Mr. Benidum was married to Miss Flora Eader, a daughter of John and Sarah Eader, and they have three children : Beulah, who is gifted with musical talent, and employs the same in teaching at Millersport; and Ethel and Frances. Mr. Benidum is identified with the Masonic bodies at Millersport and also with the Knights of Pythias.

JOSEPH P. HERSHBERGER, M. D.. an eminently successful practicing physician of ]_.ancaster, O., is a lifelong resident of Fairfield County and was born in Berne Township, October 23, 1855. His parents were Louis and Catherine (Stuckey) Hershberger.

Louis Hershberger was born in Germany and came to America in company with his two brothers, Jacob and Godfried Hershberger. the former of whom started for Wheeling and was afterward lost to his family, and the latter of whom went in an opposite direction, finally settling at Fairfield, la., where he left a large family at death. Louis Hershberger was probably the youngest of the three brothers and was eighteen years of age when he came to the United States in 1827. In 1833 or 1834 he settled in Berne Township, Fairfield County, where he engaged in farming until 1857, when he moved to Lancaster, O., and continued to reside there until the time of his death, in 1887, he then being aged seventyeight years. He was married first to Rachel Ream, probably in 1835. His second marriage was to Catherine Stuckey, who was born in 1819, and died in 1865, aged forty-six years. She was a daughter of Peter Stuckey, a pioneer of Muddy Prairie, Fairfield County. After the death of the mother of Dr. Hershberger, Louis Hershberger married Catherine Schaffer. His children were all born to his second marriage, four in number, the two survivors being: Joseph P. and Angeline, who is the widow of a Mr. Christ, and lives in Perry County, O. Mary died in infancy and Elizabeth died when aged six years. Louis Hershberger was a member of the Lutheran church.

Joseph P. Hershberger was two years old when his father moved to Lancaster and thus he had excellent school advantages. With a local physician he did his preliminary medical reading and then entered Hahnemann Medical College, where he was graduated three years later, in 1881, immediately afterward entering upon the practice of his profession. He has served for over twelve years as health officer of this city and is among the foremost citizens in all matters of public importance, especially when the general welfare along medical lines is under consideration. He is identified with the leading medical organizations of the country and is a Knight Templar Mason.

In January, 1883, Dr. Hershberger was married to Miss Mary Donaldson, who was born at Brownsville, now known as Gratiot, O., a daughter of Thomas and Adella (Flowers) Donaldson. They have had five children, two of whom died in infancy. Three survive, namely: William K., who is a machinist in the Pennsylvania Railroad shops; Joseph P., who is a student in the senior class of the agricultural department of the Ohio State University; and Mary H., who is a student in the Domestic Science department of the State University. Dr. Hershberger and family are members of the Lutheran church. He is a Democrat in his political attachment. Since

Me. And Mrs. Geokge Darfus

1883 he has occupied his handsome residence at No. 351 East Main Street, Lancaster, and he still owns his father's old farm in Berne Township.

GEORGE DARFUS, formerly a director of the Fairfield County Infirmary, is a well known farmer, oil contractor and well digger, and resides in Pleasant Township, where he owns 103 acres of well tilled land. He was born in this township, March i, 1862, and is a son of John and Anna (Ziegler) Darfus.

The parents of Mr. Darfus were born in Bavaria, Germany. John Darfus came to America when twenty .years of age and after reaching Fairfield County, O., looked about for land that suited his requirements and found it in Pleasant Township, the place he settled on being ever since known as the Darfus homestead. He became a well known man and a useful one in his neighborhood and was serving in his second term as an infirmary director at the time of death, February 7, 1897. He married Anna Ziegler who survives and is now in her seventyfourth year. Of their family of children there are five yet living: George; Lina wife of Levi Hite, of Walnut Township; Anna, wife of Dr. L. A. Parks, of Pleasant Township; John H., of Pleasant Township; and Henry P. A., also of Pleasant Township.

George Darfus attended school in Pleasant Township in his boyhood l)ut early began to help his father and has always been more or less engaged in farm pursuits, but, as mentioned above, he has additional interests. He has been an active member of the Democratic party in his township and has served on the school board for six years. He also served two terms as a member of the board of directors of the Fairfield County Infirmary, for four years being secretary of the board, and his books were always at the court house open for inspection.

Mr Darfus was married to Miss Almeda \Volf, who was born in Perry County, O., a daughter of Frederick Wolf, who is a resident of Lancaster, O. They have had si.K children, namely: Altie J., who is a student at the State University at Columbus; Clara L., who is a student in the Pleasantville High School; George F., who is also attending the Pleasantville High School ; Lewis A. and Walter A., residing at home; and Anna E., who is deceased. The eldest son has decided to make a specialty of agricultural chemistry at the university and proposes to remain until he completes the course of four years. The training in military tactics, which is a part of the course, he also enjoys and is now first Lieutenant of his company of cadets, and a very popular student. Mr. Darfus and wife are members of the German Lutheran church at Lancaster.

ALBERT MONDHANK. whose excellent farm of sixty-six acres lies near Lancaster, O., on the Millersport road, in Pleasant Township, and who also has 100 acres more in Pleasant Township and 105 acres in Greenfield Township, Fairfield County, was born .April 27, 186..), in Hocking Township and is a son of \\'illiam and Nettie (BoeckeH Mondhank.

^^'illiam Mondhank was born in Germany and for many years was a respected resident of Fairfield County, where he died in 1907, his home being in Lancaster, to which place he had moved from Pleasant Township. He married Nettie Boeckel. who was also born in Germany and they had eleven children, eight daughters and three sons, all of whom survive, as does the aged mother now in her ninety-first year.

Albert Mondhank obtained his education in the schools of Pleasant Township and has spent the larger part of his life here, his business being farming and stock raising. He is a Democrat in politics and served four years on the school board. He married Miss Mary Reef, a daughter of the late John Reef, of Greenfield Township, and they have six childlren - Clarence, Vernon, John, Annabel. Mary and Pauline. Mr. Mondhank has very pleasant surroundings, having improved his farm, and his commodious residence is a model of a rural home. With his family he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church at Dummontsville.

family has been prominent here for a very long period, his grandparents, Benjamin and Polly Stout coming in pioneer days and the town is named in honor of Benjamin Stout.

N. F. Stout was married in 1879 to Miss Rosetta Odaffer, a daughter of Henry and Martha Odaf¥er, old residents of Tarlton, O. Mrs. Stout has one brother, William, and two sisters, Isabel and Emma, the former of whom is the wife of Henry Mowery, and the latter tne wife of Earl Thomas. To Mr. and Mrs. Stout two daughters were born - Bertha Blanche, who is the wife of F. L. Crites; and Mabel, who is a trained nurse, a graduate of the Protestant Hospital at Columbus. Mr. Stout and family belong to the Reformed church. He is a member of Scipio Lodge No. 255, Knights of Pythias. In politics he is a Democrat.

N. F. STOUT, owner and proprietor of a general store at Stoutsville, O., and one of the leading and substantial residents of the place, was born in this town, April 30, 1857, a son of Simon and Louisa (Nefif) Stout.

Simon Stout, who was born in Ohio in 1830 and died at Stoutsville in 1907, was one of the earliest business men in this section and was the first merchant here. He married Louisa Nefif, a member of an old settled family of Ohio and they had the following children : N. F. ; Lucretia. wife of Amos Shupe; W. V. ; Anna C, wife of F. W. Smith, a prominent business man of Stoutsville; Bertha M., widow of Edward Smith; Maggie, wife of Lee Leas ; and Minnie Lee, wife of Mathew Miller.

N. F. Stout was educated in the district schools and at Stoutsville and shortly afterward embarked in the mercantile line here, in which business he has been continuously engaged for the past twenty-two years. His

WILLIAM H. WATSON, who has spent his long and industrious life in Fairfield County, O., and resides on his excellent farm of 160 acres which is situated in Walnut Township, is numbered with the highly respected citizens of this section and the successful farmers and stock raisers. He was born on this farm December 2, 1838, and is a son of James C. and Rebecca (Cunningham) Watson.

James C. Watson was born in Ireland and was sixteen years of age when he accompanied his father, Thomas Watson, to America. The family settled near New Salem, O., and there Thomas Watson died. James C. Watson became a farmer and raiser of stock and about the time of his marriage settled on the farm now owned by his son in Walnut Township where he spent the remainder of his life, dying at the age of sixty-eight years. He married Rebecca Cunningham, who lived to the age of eighty-two years and is still remem- bered in this section. They had the following children: Deborah, Christianna, Elizabeth, Jane, Rebecca, Thomas, James, Jonathan, Joseph, William Hand, Ryan K., Emma, and one that died in infancy. Five members of this family still survive - Jonathan, Joseph, William H., Ryan K. and Emma.

Much more interesting than poring over old township annals is a conversation with an intelligent and well informed man like William H. Watson, whose memory covers every important township occurrence for almost seventy years, in many of which he bore his part. In his boyhood three winter months were all that could be used for school instruction and he easily recalls the merry troop that went from his own home to the little log schoolhouse some distance away. He gave his father much needed help on the farm not only in cultivating but in clearing, which was a very laborious task, and took pride in the way he could excel. Many changes in the neighborhood have taken place, old families have died out and new ones come in. The greater part of the once wild land has been put under cultivation, the township is proud of its good roads and since his boyhood a' more comfortable way of living has come about, and in all these things Mr. Watson has l)een more or less concerned. For many years he engaged in farming and rai.sed stock, turning out many fine horses on his place. He is no longer so active, his youngest son, Fred, now managing the farm for him.

Mr. Watson was married in 1865 to Miss Almeda Brandon, who was born on the farm of her father, John Brandon, four miles west of the present farm. Nine children have been born to them, namely: Mirtie, who is the wife of Elmer Cooper ; James B. : Ella, who is the wife of Otto Grove : John F. : Euphemia. who is the wife of Darrell Christ; Georgie, who is the wife of Clyde Berry; Harry; Grace, who is the wife of J. C. Zollinger; and Fred. In addition to this creditable family, Mr. Watson has sixteen grandchildren. He is one of the pillars of the Methodist Episcopal church and for many years has been an official. In politics he is identified with the Republican party but has always refused political honors. In 1874 he erected the handsome brick residence that is the family home.

ABRAHAM D. GOSS, a well known farmer and stock raiser of Pleasant Township, Fairfield County, O., was born on his present farm, I'cbruary 17, 1835, and is a son of John and Annie (Doomy) Goss, both natives of Switzerland. John Goss came to America in early manhood and settled in Pleasant Township, Fairfield County, when the whole country in this section was covered with heavy timl^er, and lived here until his death. John Doomy, the maternal grandfather, brought his family with him from Switzerland and also settled early in Fairfield County.

Abraham D. Goss had but few educational advantages as we consider such at the present day, but he had much practical experience that supplied him with knowledge that he could never have secured from books. For many years he has carried on agricultural pursuits with much success and owns 221 acres of excellent land. Mr. Goss was married first to Miss Mary A. Miller, a daughter of John Miller, a former resident of Pleasant Township, and she became the mother of four children, as follows : Charles C, who lives in Pleasant Township: Adelia C. who is the wife of William T. Betz. of Franklin County, superintendent of the Hartmann stock farm near Columbus, this being famous all over the United States: Effie P., who is deceased; and Minta, who is the wife of S. S. McDowell, of Columbus. For his second wife Mr. Goss married Mrs. Tilla Miller, widow of the late Isaiah Miller of Licking County. Mr. Goss is a member of the Evangelical church, in which he has served as a deacon. In politics he is a Democrat but has never accepted any public office except that of school director of District No. 3, Pleasant Township.