Fayette County, Ohio - Biographical sketches (2 of 2 so headed), 1914 (part 4 of 11)

Harlan T. Thompson was educated in the schools of Jasper township in the rude log school house built in the woods. All of his life has been spent on the farm, and since reaching the age of twenty-one years he has been working for himself. At the age of thirty-five he bought his first farm in Logan county, this state, but later he disposed of this farm and bought his present farm of one hundred acres, two miles west of Bloomingburg on the Lewis pike, and he has a well improved and highly productive farm and keeps well abreast of the latest advances in agriculture.

Mr. Thompson was married February 24, 1892, to Etta Hidy, the daughter of William and Lucinda (West) Hidy. Mrs. Thompson's father was a native of this county, being the son of George and Barbara (Sanderson) Hidy. Eleven children were born to William Hidy and wife: Etta, Albert, Arthur, Carey, Frank, Hayes, Charles, Harley, Mrs. Gertrude Flax, Mrs. Ethel Allen, and Mrs. Elba Smith. All of these children are still living except Hayes.

Mr. Thompson and wife are the parents of three children, Nona, Carrie,.and Edith, deceased. Fraternally, Mr. Thompson is a member of the Patrons of Husbandry, while, religiously, he and his family are loyal and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

James Perrill

One of the men of Fayette county of a past generation who has long since gone to his reward is James Perrill, who lived the life of a farmer for many years in Jasper township.. He was a man of kindly impulses and gentleness of heart and so lived as to endear himself to a large circle of friends and acquaintances. He was scrupulously honest in all of. his dealings and a man who was sincerely mourned by everyone who knew him. He performed many acts of charity, about which the public knew nothing, as he never let his many acts of kindness become known. He was always glad to succor those less fortunate than himself, yet in this, as in everything else, he was unostentatious. Such a man is a blessing to the community in which he lives, and thus did Mr. Perrill live and die.

James Perrill, the son of Hugh and Margaret (Caldwell) Perrill, was born in Virginia in 1821, and died in Fayette county on the 22d day of November, 1898. He was only a small boy when his father, who was a millwright in old Virginia, was drowned. Hugh Perrill and wife reared a family of five children, Margaret, Mrs. Mary Brown, John, Nathan and James.

James Perrill was a very small child when his mother moved from Virginia to Ohio and located in Highland county. Here he received his education, which was very meager, owing to the limited educational advantages to be found in his county, and when a very young lad began t to work for himself. Several years before his marriage he bought 'his first 'piece of. land in Jasper township, starting in as land owner in 1850. He gradually added to his land holdings. until at the time of his death he was the owner of fourteen hundred acres of fine land in the county and was one of its largest land owners. . i

James Perrill was married in September, 1862, to Rebecca Cheneworth, the daughter of Abraham and Jemina (Blackstone) 'Cheneworth. Mrs, Perrill's family came from England and settled in Berkeley county, Ae -ginia, Abraham Cheneworth being the son of Thomas and Mary Cheneworth. To Thomas and Mary Cheneworth were born twelve children, Martha, Sarah, Mary, John, Thomas, Arthur, Richard, William, Elijah, Ann, Hannah and Abraham. Abraham and Rebecca (Kerr) Cheneworth were the parents of fourteen children, Mrs. Martha Hackney, William, Jacob, Mrs. Anna Moore, John, Mrs. Susannah Turner, Mrs. Mary Hibbins, Noah, Mrs. Sarah Moore, Mrs. Hannah Blackstone, Abraham, Mrs. Rebecca Talbert, Joel and Gideon. Abraham and Jemina (Blackstone) Cheneworth were married in 1835, at the foot of Cooper's Mountain, in Ross county, Ohio, and reared a family of thirteen children: John, born in 1836; William, born in 1837; Anna, born in 1838; Rebecca, who-is Mr. Perrill's wife, born in 1840; Elizabeth, deceased; Thomas B., borns March 28, 1844; Mary, born in 1846;. James; Sarah, born in 1851; Margaret; Gideon, born in 1853; Mrs. Susan Armsey, born in 1855, and Addie). M., born in 1857.

Mr. and Mrs. Perrill reared a family of seven children: Jesse- (died in infancy), Jennie, James, John, Mary M; Carrie and Gilbert. Jesse 'is the only one of the family who is deceased ; E married John B. Shoop, the assistant superintendent of the Chicago schools, and they have two sons, Arnold and Edwin; James married Naomi Henkle; John married Grace Burnett and.has two children, Helen and Eugene; Carrie is the wife of C. W. Beard and has three sons, John P., Boyd and Charles N.; Gilbert married Anna Slagle and has two sons, James H. and Charles H.

Mr. Perrill was a strong Republican and always took an active interest in political matters. For years he was a school director in Jasper township and still later served as trustee of the township. In whatever official capacity he was found he always did his work faithfully and well, and no more conscientious public servant ever served the people of. his township than did Mr. Perrill. He was a man who was always busy, yet in the midst of his labors he was never too busy to lend a helping hand to anyone in distress. He was a man whom everyone trusted, and because of his high character and clean and wholesome life he left a name which will long be remembered by his friends and acd uaintances and always cherished by his family.

One of the most successful farmers and stock raisers of Fayette county is Jacob A. Wissler, of Paint township. His whole life has been spent on the farm where he is now living and, consequently, he is well known in the community. That he is held in high esteem by his fellow citizens is due to the clean and wholesome life he has lived and the interest he has always manifested in the general welfare of the locality where he has lived so many years. By good management and well-laid plans he has attained a success commensurate with his efforts and has earned the right to be classed with the progressive farmers of his township.

Jacob A. Wissler, the son of Simon and Anna (Seychrist) Wissler, was born January 2, 1876, on his present farm of fifty acres, which lies six miles north of Bloomingburg. Simon Wissler, the son of Henry Wissler, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and came to Fayette county with his parents in 1856. Eight children were born to Simon Wissler and wife: Mrs. Susan Yates, Mrs. Alice Dixon, Mrs. Elmira Watts, Ulysess G., Jesse, Jacob A., John, and Clarence.

Mr. Wissler was educated in the schools of his home neighborhood and remained at home until he was married at the age of twenty. He then rented a farm from his father-in-law, Luther Irwin, and, with commendable zeal, he and his wife started in to save so that they might have a home of their own. Mr. Wissler made all the improvements on part of the old home place where he lives, it being a bare field when he took possession of it. This farm is known as Maple Lodge farm. Mr. Wissler has placed some extensive improvements on the farm since acquiring it and always keeps the farm in such a condition as to get the best results from his efforts. He has made a specialty of the raising of Duroc hogs and has been very successful in this feature of his farming.

Mr. Wissler was married on the first day of January, 1896, to Lelia Irwin, the daughter of Luther and Mary Jane (Jones) Irwin. Mr. Irwin is a native of Paint township and is one of the most successful farmers of the township. He and his wife have reared a family of five children: Lelia, the wife of Mr. Wissler; one who died in infancy; William H., deceased; Ethel, the wife of Carl Culbertson; Mary J., the wife of J. A. Hill, of Jeffersonville, Ohio. The one son born to Mr. and Mrs. Wissler is deceased.

Fraternally, Mr. Wissler is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and he and his wife are both members of the Daughters of Rebekah. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in whose welfare they have always been greatly interested.

William Johnson Selsor

To attain a worthy citizenship by a life that is always honored and respected, even from childhood, deserves special commendation. The late William Johnson Selsor was such a man and was honored and well known throughout this county as a highly respected and esteemed citizen, not because of the vigorous training of his special talents, but because of his daily life, each day having been one that was above criticism and passed upon in the light of true manhood. Strong and forceful in his relations with his fellow men, he not only made his presence felt, but also gained the good will and commendation of both his associates and the general public. He retained his reputation among men for integrity and high character, no matter how trying the circumstances, and never losing that dignity which is the birthright of a gentleman. Consequently his influence for good in the general life of his community was most potent and he will long be missed from the various circles in which he moved and over which his influence was like a beneficent ray of sunshine.

The late William Johnson Selsor was born in Madison county, Ohio, August 20, 1834, and died in Fayette county, May 6, 1908. He was one of six children born to Frederick and Mary (Rankin) Selsor who grew to maturity, the other children being Elizabeth, Margaret, Susanna, John and Mary.

Frederick Selsor and his wife were natives of Virginia and early settlers in Madison county, Ohio, where they lived until the death of Mrs. Selsor, when Frederick Selsor came to Fayette county, and bought a farm in Paint township, where he lived until his death at the age of eighty-six, in 1886, his birth having occurred on the 1st day of January, 1800. At the time of his death he was the owner of one thousand acres of land in Fayette county and nine hundred acres in Madison county, this state, and was probably the wealthiest farmer of the county. Before his death he divided his large estate among his children.

William J. Selsor was reared on his father's farm in Madison county, and came with his parents to Fayette county in 1862, where he lived until his death. Upon reaching his majority he began farming for himself and became recognized as one of the most extensive cattle breeders of the county, making a specialty of Shorthorn cattle. He exhibited his stock frequently at the fairs and was a winner of numerous prizes. From time to time he added to the farm which was given him by his father until at one time he owned about one thousand acres of land in this country. The farm on which he lived was located on the Danville pike, and here he erected a fine country home and other buildings to correspond, making the farm one of the most attractive in this section of the state.

Mr. Selsor was married April 21, 1870, to Electa J. Morris, the daughter of Samuel and Phoebe (Groves) Morris, and to this union four daughters were born, Idella, Edna Dean, Florence Ethel and Ercell Morris. Idella married W. W. Fenner and lives in Washington C. H. Mr. and Mrs. Fenner have four children, Edna Lucile, Gladys Dean, William Selsor and Jane Louise. Edna Dean died at the age of eighteen, Florence Ethel married Harrison F. Brown and has two children, Mary Elizabeth and William Selsor: Ereell Morris, deceased, was the wife of Forrest W. Cline and the mother of two children, Helen Lucile and Ercell Marie. The mother died at the birth of the last daughter.

Mrs. Selsor was born in Paint township, near the Madison county line, March 13, 1841. She lived in that neighborhood for sixty-seven years and for the past six years has lived in Washington C. H. on East Court street. Mrs. Selsor's father, Samuel Morris, was born in Clermont county, Ohio, and her mother in Jackson county, this state. Samuel Morris and wife were early settlers of Fayette county, where they lived all their lives, his death occurring in 1868 at the age of sixty-three, and she in 1890, at the age of seventy-six years. They reared a family of eight children, Daniel G., Samuel R., John E., Electa J., William W., Martin W., Amanda E. and Elma E. Samuel Morris was an extensive farmer and sheep grower, and during one year of the Civil War he sheared two thousand sheep and sold the wool for a dollar a pound. Samuel Morris was the son of John and Elizabeth (Tway) Morris, natives of New Jersey and early pioneers of Madison and later

Fayette counties, Ohio, both dying in the latter county. John Morris and wife reared a large family of children, William, Cynthia, Calvin, Jane, Elizabeth, Samuel, Letha, Caroline and Sarah. The maternal grandparents of Mr. Selsor were William and Elizabeth (Stinson) Groves, natives of Pennsylvania and early settlers in Jackson county, where they lived for some years. Later they removed to Indiana and located near Warsaw, where they died. William Groves and wife were the parents of eight children, Daniel, Melinda, Mary, Lydia, Dorcas, Phoebe, Elizabeth and Eliza.

Mr. Selsor was a life-long member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as was his wife, and in the welfare of their favorite church they were always deeply interested. Mr. Selsor tilled a large place in the ranks of the enterprising men of his day and generation and the luster of his deeds and the memories which attach to his name and character form no inconsiderable chapter in the history of the community where he did his work and achieved his success. That he did his part nobly and well cannot be gainsaid and though he has passed away he yet speaketh in the work which he accomplished and in the many kindly deeds and wholesome influence which not only his friends, but the community as well, will always prize as a grateful heritage.

Jared W. Howard

The whole career of Jared W. Howard has been spent in Jeffersonville, Fayette county, Ohio, where he was born nearly sixty years ago. He has been engaged in business in the town of his birth most of this time, although he has a fine farm of one hundred acres near Jeffersonville to which he has always given careful attention. As a public spirited citizen he has always been deeply interested in everything which pertains to the welfare of his community and has given his unreserved support to all enterprises which he felt would benefit the locality where he has spent so many years.

Jared W. Howard, the son of William T. and Elton (Sexton) Howard, was born in the town of Jeffersonville on July 22, 1855. His father was born in Warren county, Ohio, October 15, 1821, the son of George and

(Crone)- Howard. His mother was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, May 22, 1816. The marriage of William T. Howard and Elton Sexton occurred October 30, 1841, and to their union were born five children, Sexton, Sarepta, Jared W., and two who died in infancy. At the age of fourteen William T. Howard went to Vrginia, but returned a-year later and in 1838 located in Washington C. H., where he learned the hatnessmaker's trade. In 1840 he permanently settled in Jeffersonville, where he lived until his death in 1899. In 1850 he went to California with the gold seekers, but returned two years later with nothing but his experiences.

Jared W. Howard is the only one of the five children born to his parents who is now living, the others having passed away more than thirty years ago. He received the best education which was afforded by the schools of Jeffersonville, and early in life started to learn the harness trade in his father's shop. He married at the age of nineteen and at once began to work in his father's shop and two years later his father turned the shop over to him and retired to his farm near the town. He has been in business in Jeffersonville since 1876 and at the same time had the management of his farm. He has been very successful and has laid aside a very comfortable sum for his declining years.

Mr. Howard has been twice married. He was married in August, 1874, to Mary Johnson and to this first union was born one child, Floy S. His second marriage was to Anna L. Johnson in October, 1892. She was the daughter of Simon B. 'and Catharine (Maddux) Johnson, of Cincinnati, Ohio, where Mrs. Howard was reared and educated.

Politically, Mr. Howard has been a loyal supporter of the principles and policies of the Republican party since reaching his majority. He has served as a member of the council of Jeffersonville and has always been interested in every measure which was promoted for the benefit of his home town. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Knights of Pythias.

Aebert Haigler

Nearly half a century ago there was born in a rude log cabin in Paint township, Fayette county, Ohio, a lad who was christened by his parents as Albert Haigler. They were descended from sturdy pioneers of this country and the son has inherited those sterling characteristics which marked his worthy ancestors. The rude cabin of his boyhood days has given place to a fine home with all the modern conveniences and he is now enjoying life to its fullest extent.

was a native of West Virginia and came to this county when a young man. His parents were John and Phoebe (Skidmore) Haigler. Five children were born to Elijah Haigler and wife: John W., Mrs. Julia Kennedy, Albert, Charles E., and Jennie, the wife of Tod Hunter. The father and mother were both loyal members of the Methodist Episcopal church and are buried in the cemetery at Bloomingburg. l

The education of Mr. Haigler was received in the Robuck and Rogers schools in Paint township. He worked on the farm during the summers while in attendance at school during the winter seasons, and has never left the farm where he was born. He has never married and is now living with his tenant on his farm. Mr. Haigler gives his support to the Republican party, but has never been active in political matters, preferring to give his time and attention to his agricultural interests. His farm of one hundred and twenty acres is five miles east of Jeffersonville on the old State road.

Cetmpsoncsearoclce Tee

The grandfather of the subject of this sketch was a native of France. When a young man he came to America and settled in this state about the year 1800, about two years before this portion of the country was admitted to the Union. At that time the state was practically a wilderness and the Indians were here in large numbers and were still fierce from their participation in the Revolution on the side of the British. Isaac LaFollette, the French emigrant in question, secured a tract of government land in what is now Perry county and began to clear off the timber. More than once he and his good wife, Libby Secrist, were in imminent peril from the savages and for many years after taking up their abode here they endured the hardships and privations of the early pioneers. Wild animals were frequently met with and no little danger was encountered from some of them, particularly in the night time, but rapidly advancing civilization in time disposed of such annoyances and Isaac lived to see a better day dawn for his children. He was the father of John LaFollette, who was born on the homestead in Perry county, and John was the father of the immediate subject, who was born on July 26, 1865, in Brown township, Vinton county. The subject's mother was Martha Craig, a native of that vicinity. C. L. LaFollette, who resides on his farm of thirty acres on the Danville pike, about one mile and a half from Bloomingburg, was one of a family of six children, being the second child of the family. W. E., the oldest, lives in Madison township, this county, while Robert and Hugh are both residents of Paint township. Eliza, the only daughter of the family, is the wife of Doctor Murphy and resides in Vinton county, while Charles, the youngest of the family, is dead.

C. L. LaFollette in his early boyhood attended the schools of Delaware . county, later attending those of Vinton county, where he finished his schooldays. When quite a young boy he began assisting with the work of the farm and early knew the meaning of hard work. At the age of twenty years he began life on his own resources, coming to Fayette county where he hired out among various farmers, receiving eighteen dollars per month for his services. After a few years passed in this manner, he purchased the farm which is his present home and where he has made all of the improvements. Mr. LaFollette has been twice married. His first wife was Nettie Dunlap, with whom he was joined in holy wedlock on February 6, 1880, and who was called to the higher life in 1901. She was an excellent woman, much liked and admired by friends and neighbors. She was a devout men» ber of the United Brethren church, being active in the work of her local organization, and she was buried in Vinton county, near her home. She was the mother of two children, Blanche and Howard, who married Blanche Reynolds. Mr. LaFollette was wedded the second time on March 20, 1902, to Ellen Dunlap, younger sister of his first wife, this marriage being without issue. Mr. Lalollette is a man who has worked hard, who possesses a commendable degree of energy and ambition and is well deserving of the success he has attained. He gives particular attention to the raising of live stock, which he finds a most lucrative line of business and in which he is highly successful.

While not a member of any church society, Mr. LaFollette is interested in the work of all and contributes to the best of his ability from time to time to various deserving benevolences. Politically, he is a stalwart Republican, although not devoting much time to public issues. However, for seven years he has been a member of the school board of Paint township and in this and other ways shows the keen interest he feels in the educational and other phases of community life. Mr. LaFollette has a host of warm friends in all walks of life, which is ample testimony as to the value of his citizenship and the usefulness of his life.

David Allen

A substantial and progressive farmer of Jefferson township, Fayette county, Ohio, is David Allen, who was born in this township sixty-five vears ago. He is strictly a self-made man, and by his own hard labor has seen his possessions grow from a paltry ten acres to an extensive farm of three hundred and sixty acres. Not only has he gained material prosperity for himself and family, but he has also been very much interested in everything pertaining to the welfare of his community. For twenty-five years he performed unselfish service as a member of the school board of his township, and in this capacity did everything he could for the benefit of the children of his township. He and his wife have reared a family of six children to lives of usefulness and honor, all of whom are married and are rearing families of their own. A greater thing than this can no man do, and for this reason, if for no other, David Allen should be classed among the representative men of his township and county.

David Allen, the son of Ethan and Susan (Straley) Allen, was born in 1849 in the township where he has always lived. His father was a native of West Virginia, a son of Adam and Nancy Allen. Ethan Allen and wife reared a family of fifteen children, Elizabeth, Nancy, Adam, Joseph, Charles, Eliza, Harvey, David, James H., William, Orville, Arthur, Susan, Alice, and one who died in infancy. Adam Allen was in the War of 1812, and to him and his wife were born five children, Aaron, Adam, William, Elijah and Ethan.

David Allen attended the schools of his home neighborhood and early in life began working for himself. He married at the early age of twenty, and he and his young wife took a horse, cow and one hog, rented a farm and started in to make their fortune. They worked and planned together, and as they prospered they added to their land holdings until they now own about three hundred and sixty acres of fine land in Jefferson township. To the original ten acres which they bought was first added fortythree acres, then one hundred and twenty-seven, then fifty-nine, then sixtyfour, and finally, seventy-two. As he has enlarged his land holdings. he has improved his farm until now he has probably one of the largest farms of the township, and one of the most attractive as well. i

Mr. Allen was married in 1869 to Isabel West, the daughter of Edmond and Mary (Edge) West. Edmond West came from Virginia and settled in Jefferson township, where Mrs. Allen was born. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Allen, all of whom are married: Edgar, Oscar, Clyde, Ernest, Lena and Mary. Edgar married Bertha Coin and has three children, Mabel, Donald and Marion; Oscar married Mata Patch and has three children, Annabelle, Harold and Florence; Clyde married Jennie Janes: Ernest married Edith Baughn and has two children, Lester and Pauline; Lena is the wife of N. W. Lemon and has two daughters, Ruth and Marjorie; Mary became the wife of Chester Janes and has four children, Lucile, Carl, Helen and Janice:

Fraternally, Mr. Allen is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while he and his wife are members of the Daughters of Rebekah. Politically, he is a Republican, and while never taking an active part in politics, he has always shown his hearty support of all measures which he felt weuld benefit his.community in any way. He has always stood for clean living and high thinking and is one of the substantial men of his township.

Igen C Couch

One of the representative farmers and stock growers of Fayette county, Ohio, is John G. Couch, who is known as one of the alert, progressive and successful agriculturists of this favored section of the Buckeye state. In his labors on the farm he has not permitted himself to follow in the rut in a blind way, but has studied and experimented and thus secures the maximum returns from his efforts. He has so ordered his course at all times as to command the confidence and regard of the people of his community, being a man of honorable business methods and upright principles of life. l

John G. Couch, who is now living near the town of Bloomingburg, in Paint township, was born August 12, 1857, near Bourneville, this state. He is a son of John and Margaret (Gregg) Couch, his father being a native of Pennsylvania and an early settler in Ross county, Ohio. John Couch, Sr., enlisted in Company D, Seventy-third Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served two years before dying with the typhoid fever in Maryland. He is buried at Frederickstown, in that state. His brother, Agr, Couch, was the captain of the company to which John Couch belonged.

John G. Couch attended the public schools of Pike county, Ohio, and also was a student in the Waverly high school, in that county, for two years.

At the age of twenty he began renting land and continued to live on rented land until 1899, when he purchased his present farm of one hundred and ten acres, which is located in Paint, Union and Marion townships. Since acquiring this farm he has placed many improvements upon it and has the satisfaction of seeing his farm yield handsome returns in response to his efforts.

Mr. Couch was married in April, 1882, to Anna E. Mark, the daughter of Alfred H. and Mary (Harris) Mark, and to this union have been born four children, Maud, Edna, Harry and Martha. Maud married F. E. Eichelberger; Edna married Earl Speaks, and has two children, Kenneth and Juanita; Harry and Martha are still single and residing with their father. Mrs. Couch, the mother of these four children, died June 22, 1902.

In politics, Mr. Couch has long been identified with the Republican party, but has never been an aspirant for public office. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as was his wife, and in its welfare he has always been very much interested.

The true measure of individual success 1s determined by what one has accomplished. In enumeration of the men of the past generation in Fayette county, Ohio, who have succeeded in their special vocation we find that Michael C. Creamer occupies a very important place. The splendid success which came to him was the direct result of the salient points in his character, for with a mind capable of laying judicious plans and a will strong enough to carry them into execution, his energy, foresight and perseverance carried him forward to a position in the front ranks of the successful men of his community. To accumulate a farm of eleven hundred acres is sufficient evidence that he was a man of keen business ability. At the time of his death he was one of the largest farmers in the county, and one of the four men who owned more than one thousand acres of land.

The Creamer family has been identified with the history of Fayette county for more than one hundred years. The family trace their ancestry back to Germany, where George Creamer was born in 1746. His wife, Barbara Clover, was also a native of Germany and after their marriage in 1774 they came to this country and located in Pennsylvania. Later they went to Virginia, and from that state migrated with their four sons, Michael, Joseph, David and George, to Fayette county, Ohio. This county was organized in 1810 and in the summer of that year George Creamer, the greatgrandfather of Michael C. Creamer, with whom this narrative deals, arrived in this county with his four sons, two of whom were already married and had families of their own. The two married sons were George and Michael, the latter being the grandfather of the present Michael C. Creamer. The whole family settled on Sugar creek, in Jefferson township, and in that township the descendants of the family have now been living for more than a century. After the surrender of General Hull at Detroit in 1812, Joseph, Michael and David joined the United States regular army and helped to drive the British out of this country. .

One of the several children of Michael Creamer was Simeon, the father of Michael C. Creamer. Simeon married Elizabeth Connor and reared a family of ten children, William, Michael, Rosanna, George, Polly, Jacob, Philip, Christian, Wesley and Isaac.

Michael Connor Creamer, the second of the ten children born to Simeon Creamer and wife, was born March 20, 1830, in this county and died April 19, 1911, on his homestead in Jefferson township. He was born in a rude log cabin which stood on the site where the present substantial dwelling of the Creamer family now stands. As a youth he was very studious and, although his education was very limited, yet he was an omnivorous reader and was practically self-educated. He started to teach school in his early manhood and taught for several years, and during this time he farmed in the summer seasons. He finally left the school room and devoted all of his attention to his agricultural pursuits and with a success which was indeed remarkable.

Mr. Creamer was married October 14, 1862, to Ruhama Scott, the daughter of Charles C. and Jane (Porter) Scott, natives of Virginia and early settlers in Harding county, Ohio. To this union were born seven children: Ethel, deceased; U. G., unmarried, a farmer and stockman; C. L., who farms one hundred acres of the home place; S. C., who married Anna Mertz and has two children, Forrest and Dwight; Gertrude, who married James Coin and has two children, Tully and Lasca, deceased; Celeste, the wile of Frank Zimmerman and the mother of three children, Brenton, Fay and Ruth: Maude, the wife of Lewis B. Creamer, and Ethel, deceased.

eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on May 2, 1864. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic post at Jeffersonville, while, religiously, he and his family were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Although a quiet and unassuming man, with no ambition for public position or leadership, yet Mr. Creamer contributed much to the material, civic and moral advancement of his community. His admirable qualities of head and heart and the straightforward, upright course of his daily life won for him the admiration, esteem and confidence of the circles in which he moved. To him home life was a sacred trust, friendship was inviolable. and nothing could swerve him from the path of rectitude and honor.

William Clay. Bostwick

Farmer, soldier and public spirited citizen, William Clay Bostwick has lived his life of seventy years within this county in such a way as to make him one of the most highly respected and honored citizens of the county. Enlisting for service in the Civil War when but a mere youth, he served gallantly and well, participating in a large number of the severest engagements of that memorable struggle. Upon the close of the war he returned to peaceful pursuits and by good management, close economy and strict attention to his interests, he has accumulated an estate of one thousand one hundred and seventeen acres in Madison township, this making him one of the four men in the county who owns more than one thousand acres of land. The Bostwick family has been identified with the history of this county for more than a century, and during all of these years the family has occupied a prominent place in the various phases of the county's de velopment.

William Clay Bostwick, the son of Oliver and Malinda (Thomas) Bostwick, was born on the farm where he is now living, May 28, 1844. His father was born in this same township in October, 1816, and died April 29, 1867. Malinda Thomas was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, March 25, 1816, and died at Mt. Sterling, Ohio, July 14, 1885. Oliver and Malinda Bostwick reared a family of eight children: Morton, deceased: Francis. who married Sarah Smith; Annette, the wife of James Jones, deceased; Eliza, the wife of S. F. Terry, deceased; William Clay, whose history is here presented; Melvina, the wife of C. H. Strawbridge; Sarah, deceased,

Oliver Bostwick was the son of William and Sallie (Carter) Bostwick, natives of Vermont and early settlers in this county, where they reared a family of eight children, all of whom are deceased, Adoniram, Sarah, Joseph, Frederick C., William, Lucy Ann, Oliver and Adley. William Bostwick came from Vermont to Fayette county, Ohio, about 1805, and settled on land in the vicinity of Yankeetown. William was the son of Joseph Bostwick, a native of Vermont, who, in turn, was a descendant of Arthur Bostwick, the first member of the family to come to America.

William C. Bostwick attended the rude district schools of his neighborhood, and when eighteen years of age answered the call of his country for volunteers and served for nearly three years at the front. He enlisted August 13, 1862, at Mt. Sterling, Ohio, in Company G, One Hundred and Thirteenth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. His regiment, under the command of Col. James A. Wilcox, was attached to the Army of the Cumberland and saw service in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, and finally participated in the Grand Review at the nation's capital at the close of the war. Among the battles in which this regiment participated may be mentioned the following: Chickamauga, Knoxville, Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Jonesboro, Savannah, Averasboro and Bentonville. Mr. Bostwick was with Sherman on his famous march through Georgia to the sea, and thence northward through the Carolinas into North Carolina. He was finally discharged at Columbus, Ohio, July 6, 1865, lacking but a month of being in the service three years. Mr. Bostwick is a loyal member of the J. C. Bostwick Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Mt. Sterling, Ohio.

Immediately after the close of the war Mr. Bostwick returned to Fayette county and started farming on a farm of one hundred acres. To this as a nucleus he has gradually added to his land holdings until he now owns one thousand one hundred and seventeen acres of fine farming land in Madison township. In the accumulation of this splendid estate Mr. Bostwick has found a true helpmate in his wife, who has ably assisted him and who is entitled to a due share of the credit.

Mr. Bostwick was married November 6, 1873, to Clara Beatty, the daughter of Isaac and Margaret (Hidy) Beatty, of Pickaway county, this state. She was born October 22, 1852, and was one of three children, having a brother, Scott, and a sister who died in infancy. Mrs. Bostwick's grand- father came to Fayette county, Ohio, from Virginia in 1818. James Beatty was a soldier in the War of 1812, and about the year 1847 served as associate judge of Fayette county. He died in 1879, at an advanced age. Mr. and Mrs. Bostwick are the parents of two children, Harley Oscar, born October 10, 1875, and Oliver Newton, born May 6, 1880. Harley O. married Maude S. Welton, and has two children, Medrith and Welton; Oliver Newton married Loye A. Julian, and has one daughter, Willa Jean.

Politically, Mr. Bostwick has long been identified with the Republican party, and while always taking a deep interest in the current issues of the day, yet has never been an aspirant for public office. He retired from active work several years ago, but still maintains his interest in the breeding of pure-bred Shire horses. He is an extensive stockholder, a director and vice-president of the First National Bank of Mt. Sterling, Ohio. The management of his farm has been entirely turned over to his two sons, Harley Oscar and Oliver Newton.

In 1884 Mr. Bostwick organized a military company in Mt. Sterling, of which he was elected captain and served the state in that capacity for moré than eight years.

Philip Fl Ortman

The invention of the automobile and its subsequent development has created several industries in the United States in which there are several millions of dollars invested. When Elwood Haines displayed his first little gasoline motor in the streets of Kokomo in 1891, he probably little realized that within the course of a few years the automobile would be the highly developed machine it is today. Automobiles have been built which have traveled faster than any engine which was ever placed on a railroad track, and the makers of automobiles say that the limit has not yet been reached. The automobile and its manufacture has given employment to thousands of men, while other thousands are engaged in automobile repairing. There is scarcely a city of any size in the United States but has a garage of some kind with facilities for the repair of automobiles. Washington C. H. boasts of one well equipped garage and repair shop and Philip F. Ortman, the manager of the P. F. Ortman Motor Company, is recognized as one of the most expert machinists of this section of the state.

was born in Prussia, Germany, and came to this country when a young man, settling first in Ross county, Ohio, and later in Fayette county. After coming to this country he married Elizabeth Yeoman, who was born in this county, she being his second wife. His first wife was a Miss Compton, and to his first union four children were born, George, John, Albert and Charles. To the second union there were four children born also: Enos, a farmer of Union township, this county; Amy, the wife of M. L. Johnson, of Columbus, Ohio; Philip F., with whom this history deals, and Milton C., of Washington C. H. Charles Louis Ortman was a soldier in the regular army in Germany and served three years, as was required by the law of that country. He died in Fayette county in 1875, being about sixty . years of age at the time of his death. The parents of his second wife, Elizabeth Yeoman, were Enos and Amy (Baughn) Yeoman, natives of Fayette county. Enos Yeoman and wife were the parents of thirteen children, Elizabeth, Lucy, Bethiah, Sarah, Allen J., Walter, Milton, Newton, Albert and four who died in early childhood.

Philip F. Ortman was reared in Fayette and Ross counties, Ohio, on the farm and received a good common school education in the publiq schools and remained with his parents until he was grown. He then opened a general repair shop in Lattisville, Ohio, and a year later moved to Fayette county, where he opened a shop in Eber, and lived there for several years. In 1908 he came to Washington C. H. and opened the first automobile agency in the city, since when he has sold several hundred machines in the city and the surrounding community, handling several different kinds of automobiles. He also has a large garage and a machine shop equipped with all the latest and most approved machinery for any kind of automobile repairing. Being an expert mechanic it was easy for him to become acquainted with the mechanism of the automobile, and he has built up a reputation as an expert in this new line of business.

Mr. Ortman was married August 16, 1891, to Vianna Davis, the daughter of Ira and - - - - (Bryan) Davis, and to this union has been born one daughter, Lela Grace. Mrs. Ortman is a native of this county, as were her parents. Her mother died several years ago and her father is still living in this county. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are the parents of several children, Amaljah, Vianna and several who died in childhood.

Fraternally, Mr. Ortman is a member of Confidence Lodge No. 265, Knights of Pythias. Politically, he is not affiliated with any particular party, but casts his vote, especially in local elections, for the best men, and not because they happen to be on some party ticket. While living in Union township. in this county, he served as school director, filling that position in an acceptable manner for fifteen years. He is a popular business man and as manager of and stockholder in the P. F. Ortman Motor Company, has built up a business which is second to none in the county. He has a large acquaintance throughout the county and is well known and highly esteemed as a reliable and straightforward business man and good citizen.

The fifty years which David H. Wissler has spent in Paint township, Fayette county, Ohio, has given his neighbors a chance to know him in every phase of his character, and that they respect him and hold him in high regard is due to the fact that he has led a life free from blame and censure. He is one of the successful farmers of his township, and has succeeded in his chosen vocation through his own courage, persistency and good management. He is a man who believes in lending what aid he can to his neighbors and to the general public, while at the same time advancing his individual interests. He has always been identified with the civic life of his community, giving his fellow citizens conscientious and efficient service.

David H. Wissler, the son of Christian and Eliza (Core) Wissler, was born January 10, 1864, on the farm where he is now living, about six miles from Bloomingburg. His farm of one hundred sixty-one acres, known as the Spring Brook farm, is on the Danville pike and is one of the most attractive farms of the township. His father, Christian Wissler, was the son of Henry and Susan (Neff) Wissler, both father and son being born in lLancaster county, Pennsylvania. Christian Wissler located in Madison county, this state, in 1855. . In 1856 Henry Wissler came to Ohio and he and his son, Christian, both came to Fayette county and bought farms in Paint township. Christian Wissler and wife reared a family of five children, Charles, David H., Mrs. Evelyn Hosier, Emma and Howard, the last two named being deceased.

David H. Wissler attended the Wissler school in his home township, and then spent three years, 1881-4, in the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, where he took the commercial and civil engineering courses. After the death of his mother, in 1886, he returned home-and took over the management of the paternal estate, and at the death of his father, in

1907, he inherited the old homestead. He has never married and has always devoted himself to farming and stock raising, paying particular attention to the breeding of Shorthorn cattle and Berkshire hogs. His brother, Howard, who is now deceased, was educated at Ada, Ohio, and married Catherine Kellough, leaving his widow with two children, Wayne and Grace, who are attending school at Bloomingburg.

Mr. Wissler is a Republican in politics, and has been one of his party's leaders for many years. He is a man of high character, and. enjoys to a marked degree the confidence and esteem of those with whom he has been associated. ^A man of broad education, he is deeply interested in everything pertaining to the advancement of the community, and for years has been recognized as one of the progressive and representative men of his township and county. He isa man whom to know is to respect and admire, because of his sterling qualities.of character and upright life.

From the earliest ages agriculture has been an honored vocation and men of honorable and humane impulses, as well as those of energy and thrift, have been patrons of husbandry. The free, out-door life of the farm has a decided tendency to foster and develop that independence of mind and self-reliance which characterizes true manhood, and no greater blessing can befall a youth than to be reared on the farm. One of the most prosperous of the younger farmers of Fayette county is Elmer McCoy, who is now managing the McCoy estate of one hundred and seventy acres on the Haves road about three and one-half miles from Bloomingburg.

~ Elmer McCoy, the son of James R. and Martha J. (Hays) McCoy, was born July 10, 1884, in Paint township, three and one-half miles west of Bloomingburg, on the farm where he now resides. James R. McCoy was married November 4, 1880, to Martha J. Hays, and to this union were born two children, Elmer, and Laura, the wife of James Collett.

Elmer McCoy attended the district school of his home neighborhood for the first three years of his school life, finishing his education in the Bloomingburg school, graduating from the high school at that place. At the age of twenty-one he began the management of the McCoy estate and has been successfully operating this farm ever since. This is one of the best improved and most highly productive farms of the county and, under the skillful management of Mr. McCoy, is bringing good returns each year. He raises a large amount of live stock, giving particular attention to the cattle industry and the raising of Duroc-Jersey swine, in which he has been very successful.

Mr. McCoy was married June 26, 1907, to Forest M. McCoy, the daughter of Allison and Francenia (Bonham) McCoy. Although his wife has the same family name, they are no relation. To this union has been born one child, Almer Lynn, who is deceased.

Fraternally, Mr. McCoy belongs to the Knights of Pythias, while, politically, he gives his allegiance to the Republican party, but his extensive agricultural interests have prevented him from being actively identified with his party. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, as are all the members of the McCoy family. They are prominent in church work and deeply interested in everything which pertains to its wel-- fare. Mr. McCoy is still a young man and the success which he has attained thus far indicates that he will become one of the substantial men of his county in the course of time.

Wallace Creamer

To attain the age of ninety-five is an unusual thing and yet Wallace Creamer reached that remarkable age on the 16th day of April, 1914. He was a babe in arms when James Monroe was President of the United States, voted for William Henry Harrison in the fall of 1840 and had been married twenty years when the battle of Gettysburg was fought. The Creamer family was one of the first to settle in this county and its members have been prominently identified with its history for more than a hundred years.

Wallace Creamer was born on the farm where he is now living and has spent all of his life in Jefferson township. He is the son of David and Elizabeth (Smith) Creamer, natives of Berkeley county, Virginia, and early settlers of Fayette county, Ohio. David Creamer was a soldier of the War of 1812 and was living in this county at the time the war opened. David Creamer was the son of George Creamer, who was the first of the family to come from Virginia to this county. George Creamer had a family of six children, Michael, George, Joseph, David, Mrs. Rosana Christy and one who died in infancy. David Creamer and wife were the parents of eight children, Sarah, Wallace, Jaxon, Nancy, Cynthia, Caroline, Kate and Washington. David Creamer took an important part in the early history of this county and served as surveyor of the county for many years.

Wallace Creamer went to the Creamer school, a little log cabin in the woods, and learned to read, write and cipher in the manner of all the boys of that time. He is the only living person who attended this school and can relate many interesting stories of his school boy days. The home farm was largely in woods and his first labor found him swinging the axe, burning logs, splitting rails and doing all of that heavy work which was the lot of the pioneers of this county.

Mr. Creamer was married in 1843 to Elizabeth Gray and consequently has been married more than seventy-one years. He started in with a farm of one hundred acres, all of which was covered with woods, and now has a finely cultivated farm of two hundred and fifty acres acres in Jefferson township. He has lived to see farming methods completely revolutionized and as new machinery has come into use he has added it to his equipment, and to the end of his active life was fully abreast of the times along agricultural lines.

Mr. Creamer voted for the Whig candidates from 1840 until the organization of the Republican party in 1854, and has since cast his vote for the party which elected Lincoln in 1860. He has been a life-long member of the Methodist Protestant church and interested in its welfare. It is no small honor to be known as the oldest man in his county, and when to this is added the fact that his life has been one of usefulness and honor it can readily be seen why Mr. Creamer is called "The Grand Old Man of Fayette County."

George Elba Zimmerman

To make a success of agriculture it is necessary to be something more than merely a hard worker. In these days when modern machinery has made it possible for the farmer to dispense with laborious efforts in order to get a good crop there is demanded a technical knowledge which it was not considered necessary to know fifty years ago. There are fields in Fayette county which fifty years ago would even produce twice as much corn as the same fields will yield today for the reason that the soil has lost much of its former fertility. Continuous cropping, without proper rotation of crops or scientific fertilizing, has depleted the plant food in the soil. The wise farmer of today realizes that a knowledge of the constituent elements of the soil is necessary if he wishes to secure the maximum results from his efforts. One of the progressive farmers of Fayette county who keeps well abreast of the latest advances in agriculture is George E. Zimmerman, a prominent farmer and stock raiser of Jefferson township.

George Elba Zimmerman was born April 12, 1869, in Greene county, Ohio, and is the son of Fletcher and Lucy (Preddy) Zimmerman. His father was born in this county and was a son of Obadiah Zimmerman, a native of Virginia and an early settler in Union township, this county. Fletcher Zimmerman and wife were the parents of eleven children, Alvin B., Osman l. Frank R., Trustin, George Elba, Dean, John, Mrs. Anna Ellis, Samuel, Mrs. Flora. Haas and Mrs. Edith Neal. Fletcher Zimmerman is still living and is the owner of about two hundred acres of land, part of which lies in Fayette county.

`- George E. Zimmerman attended the Hargrove school in Jefferson township and later went to the Luttrell school, where he completed his educa tion. He remained at home until he was twenty-one years of age and þegan farming on the shares, after which he rented a farm of one hundred and fifty acres, on which he lived for three years, when he bought his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres about three and one-half miles north of Jeffersonville. His farm, known as the Poplar farm, is one of the most attractive in the county and he has always taken great pride in keeping it in good repair. He is an extensive raiser of Duroc hogs and high grade cattle and derives the major portion of his income from the sale of his live stock. Mr. Zimmerman was married December 27, 1893, to Maude Perkins, the daughter of Absalom and Jennie (Hitchcock) Gordon. Mrs. Zimmerman's mother died when she was fifteen months old and she was then adopted by David and Elizabeth (Ervin) Perkins and by them reared to womanhood. David was born in Washington county, Ohio, and is a son of Samuel Perkins and is living with the subject. Nine children were born to Samuel Perkins and wife: Weston, Willard, Mrs. Matilda Durken, Walter, David, Mrs. Sarah Thomas, Mrs. Columbia Ervin, Esther and Abbie. All of these children are deceased except Matilda and Columbia.

Mr. Zimmerman and his wife are the parents of five children, Harold W., Donald R., Amos V., Ala L. and Theron A. Harold is a graduate of the Jeffersonville high school, while the other four children are still students in the common schools. Their parents are firm believers in the great value of a good education, and they are giving their children the benefit of the best educational training that can be had in the county. The family are all loyal members of the Christian church, in whose welfare they are interested and to whose support they are liberal contributors. Fraternally,, Mr. Zimmerman is a member of the Knights of Pythias. Genial and unassuming in manner, he easily wins friends and always retains them because of his high personal qualities.

The career of any man who wins a definite goal in life always presents certain features which should be of interest to the rising generation. The farmer who starts in with seventy-seven and one-half acres and accumulates enough to make a farm of one hundred and fifty-five acres, as has Perry C. Mowery, of Paint township, this county, deserves a great deal of credit. In these days a man cannot live the life of a hermit, but must be a part of the community in which he lives; therefore, the most valuable citizens to any community are the men who not only are able to manage their own affairs successfully, but also to take an intelligent part in the affairs of the community. Mr. Mowery has not only been successful in his own private affairs, but has, when called upon by his fellow citizens, contributed his share to the welfare of the community in which he resides.

Perry C. Mowery, the son of John and Margaret E. (Smith) Mowery, was born October 7, 1868, in Jefferson township, Fayette county, Ohio. His father was a native of Pendleton county, Virginia, and when a young man came to Fayette county, Ohio, and worked upon farms in Jefferson township for some time. He worked for the Haigler and Parrett families and shortly after coming to the county married and located in Jefferson township, where he acquired a very comfortable farm. Six children were born to John Mowery and wife: Perry C., Albert R., Seymour, Bertha, Minnie M. and Myrta M.

The education of Mr. Mowery was received in the Hidy district school and was confined to a few months during the winters of his boyhood days. At the age of twenty-one he began working out by the month, and upon his marriage, at the age of twenty-four years, his wife inherited seventy-seven and one-half acres of his present farm. To this he has since added an equal amount, so that he has one hundred and fifty-five acres of excellent farming land in Paint township. He has divided his attention between the raising of crops and live stock in such a manner as to secure the maximum results from his efforts. Being a man of progressive ideas and good management, he has had the satisfaction of realizing a handsome income from his farm each year.

Mr. Mowery was married August 4, 1892, to Dollie A. (Brock) Allen, the widow of. Coleman Allen and the daughter of Evan and Susanna (Griffith) Brock. By her first marriage Mrs. Mowery had one son, Leonard. To Mr. and Mrs. Mowery have been born five children, Ruth A., Russell W., Lawrence A., Dorothy M. and J. Delbert.

Fraternally, Mr. Mowery is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, while, politically, he is a member of the Democratic party. While interested in all the great issues of the day, he has never been an aspirant for public office, preferring to devote his time and energies to his farming interests. In the course of an honorable career he has been successful in the lines to which his efforts have been directed and such has been his clean and wholesome life in this county that he has won the esteem and respect of all who know him, and he is regarded by all as one of the substantial and progressive citizens of his community.

Ulysses Grant Wissler

The modern system of agriculture demands that farmers be as scientifically trained as are the physicians of the country. It has been proven that the man with the college education who is trained in the best agricultural schools of our country has all the advantage over the farmer who lacks this training. There are many factors of efficiency in farming which are totally unknown to the untrained farmer and for this reason there are thousands of farmers in Ohio today who are just able to make a bare living. There are two conditions which make farming very profitable without diversity of enterprises. One of these conditions arises when in any community a particular farm enterprise is for any reason exceedingly profitable. For example there is one section in northwestern Iowa where more popcorn is raised than any other place in the world. As long as this condition lasts the greatest profit may be made by sticking to this one enterprise, even if it leaves the farmer and his working force idle for a considerable portion of the year, The other condition under which farming may be quite profitable without diversity of enterprises is that under which a single farm enterprise permits a large acreage of crops and gives good seasonal distribution of labor. This is the case with the wheat culture as conducted in the Northwest. However, single-crop system of farming is also exposed to the danger which inheres in any farm business based on a single enterprise, namely, fluctuation in prices and danger from loss because of untimely weather conditions. Divetsified farming is, therefore, safer than farming based on a very small number of enterprises and, under most conditions, is more profitable. It is diversified farming that has placed Fayette county, Ohio, where it is today.

Ulysses Grant Wissler, a farmer and stock raiser of Paint township, this county, was born on the farm where he is now living, September 10, 1866. He is a son of Simon and Anna (Sechrist) Wissler, who reared a family of eight children: Mrs. Susan Yates, Mrs. Alice Dixon, Mrs. Elmira Watts, Ulysses Grant, Jesse, Albertus, John and Clarence. Simon Wissler is a son of Henry and Susan (Neff) Wissler and was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, coming to Fayette county, Ohio, when he was twenty-one years of age. He remained in this county one year and then returned to Lancaster county, in his native state, and brought back his father and mother with him. Henry Wissler became one of the largest land owners in Fayette county and from the time of his arrival in this county, in 1853, until his death he was prominently identified with the history of the county. At the time of his death he was the owner of one thousand acres of fine farming land. Henry and Susan (Neff) Wissler were the parents of seven children, Christian, Mrs. Mary Anderson, Henry, Simon, Mrs. Elizabeth Barrett, Elias and one who died in infancy.

Ulysses G. Wissler received his education in the schools of his home township and spent his boyhood vacations assisting his father on the home farm. At the age of twenty-one he began working by the month and a year later went to Cass county, Missouri, where he lived for twelve years. He was married while living in the West and settled on a farm in Cass county, Missouri, where he lived until 1901. He and his wife then took a long trip throughout the Northwest, where he went for his health, and fol- . lowed this with a trip through the Southwest. He then returned to Fayette county, Ohio, and located on the farm where he is now living. He has been uniformly successful in all of his farming operations since locating in this county, and by a system of properly supervised diversified farming has made his farm highly remunerative.

Mr. Wissler was married January 14, 1891, to Nettie Watts, the daughter of Henry and Martha (Parks) Watts, natives of Kentucky. Henry Watts was born in Warren county, Kentucky, as was his wife, and they lived there until after the death of Mrs. Watts, at which time Henry Watts and his children moved to Missouri, where he married again. To the first marriage of Henry Watts were born six children: Basis, of Kansas; Blanche, - of California; Jennie, of Kansas; Vernon, of Alaska; Nettie, the wife of Mr. Wissler, and Briggs, of Idaho. Mr. and Mrs. Wissler have one daughter living, Edith Ann, the wife of Ernest Garrison.

A successful farmer and stock raiser of Paint township is Carey G. Parrett, whose ancestors have been identified with the history of Fayette county for more than a century. The Parrett family came to this county shortly after its organization in 1810 and its various members have filled many positions of trust and honor in the county. They have been people of high ideals and straightforward methods and have risen to places where they have been the leaders in their respective communities.

Carey George Parrett, the son of, T. F- and Mary (Greenlee) <Parnett, was born in Fayette county, July 5, 1871. His father, the son of George Parrett, was born in this county and was twice married. His first wife was Mary Greenlee and to this marriage were born three children, Frank, Fantie and Carey George. The second wife of T. F.. Parrett was Mary Belle Coffman and to this union there were born three children: Thomas, deceased: Harry C., who married Madge Anderson; Louis, who married Hazel Sollars.

The elementary education of Carey G. Parrett was received in the district schools of his home township and his high school training in the schools of Washington C. H. He assisted his father, who was a large land owner, on the farm during the summer vacations and thus gained an intimate knowledge of the various phases of agriculture by the time he was old enough to begin farming for himself. Upon reaching his majority he started. in as a renter and is now one of the largest renters of the county. He owns a farm of one hundred and six acres on the Prairie pike and rents five hundred acres in addition. He recently bought eighty-seven acres in Paint township near Bloomingburg and will move there soon. He has one of the

Mr. Parrett was married March 10, 1896, to Cora Hays, the daughter of James and Mary E. (Armstrong) Hays. Mr. Hays was born in Paint township and was the son of John and Catherine (Wibright) Hays. Mr. Parrett and his wife have two children, Thomas H. and Mary Mildred, both of whom are in the schools of Bloomingburg.

The Republican party has claimed the support of Mr. Parret and he has always taken an intelligent interest in its success. At the present time he is serving as road supervisor in his township and filling the office to the entire satisfaction of all those concerned. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythiàs at Bloomingburg. Mr. Parrett is a man of strong convictions and by his straightforward and upright life has gained the high esteem of all with whom he has been associated.

Poets often tell the truth and the old song which contains the refrain, "The farmer feeds them all,' states a very fundamental and economic truth. The products raised on the farm are the sources of the world's food supply, and should the farmer cease his work for a year the whole world would starve to death. Every other occupation might be done away with but farming and people could live, but a total cessation of farming for a short time would actually depopulate the world. A man can live without banks all his life, but deprive him of his bread and his career is soon ended. Farming is becoming an honored profession. Our district schools are teaching it as a science, and our colleges are granting degrees for agricultural work. Farmers of any community sustain the people dependent on the workers of any other profession. Without the farmer the banker would close his doors, the manufacturer would shut down his factory and the railroads would suspend operation. Among the progressive farmers of Fayette county, Ohio, who are helping to keep the banker, the manufacturer and the railroads there is no one more worthy of mention than . Jesse B. Kellough, the proprietor of the Valley View farm of three hundred and twenty acres in Paint township.

son of John W. and Rebecca (Pummell) Kellough, and was born on the Wabash river near Logansport, Indiana, July 5, 1839. John W. Kellough, Jr., lived in Indiana two years and then removed with his parents to Ohio, where the family first located near Chillicothe. Here he grew to manhood, married and lived for several years. In 1872 John W. Kellough came to Fayette county, where he is still living. Ten children have been born to John W. and Senith (Poole) Kellough: Mayme, Charles C., Nellie B., Anna W., Sallie C., William S., Claude H., Jesse P., Catherine and Robert W. Three of these children, Sallie C., William S. and Claude H., are deceased. John W. Kellough is still living at Mt. Sterling, Ohio, and his wife died August 29, 1913.

Jesse P. Kellough was educated in three different | states, Ohio, Illinois and Iowa. He attended school for a time in Fayette county, Ohio, and spent one year in Piatt county, Illinois, and one year in schools of Cerro Gordo county, Iowa, near Mason City. After completing his education he returned to Fayette county, Ohio, and at the age of twenty-five began renting land in Clark county, near South Charleston, but only remained in that county a year, and then located in Paint township on a small farm of fifteen acres. That he has prospered is shown by the fact that he has added to this small acreage until now he is the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of excellent farming land in Paint township. He has placed extensive improvements upon his farm and Valley View farm is known throughout the county as one of the most attractive farms of this section. It requires skillful management and scientific farming to accumulate land .at the price which the farmer has to pay for land today. The money which will buy one acre of land today would buy more than fifty acres one hundred years ago, and it is hardly possible that the farmer derives fifty times as much revenue from the land at the present time.

Mr. Kellough was married March 11, 1897, to Iva W. Woods, the daughter of Ashley and Amanda (Zimmerman) Woods, and to this union one son has been born, who first saw the light of day December 9, 1899.

Mr. Kellough and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the welfare of which they are actively interested and to the support of which they are liberal contributors. Fraternally, Mr. Kellough belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while, politically, he is identified with the Republican party, although he has never been an _aspirant for any public office. The career of Mr. Kellough has been such as to win the hearty commendation of his fellow citizens, being a man who has won his success by the use of honorable methods and the exercise of the Golden Rule in all of his dealings. Such men are a credit to the community in which they live, and the fact that Mr. Kellough has stood for the best interests of his community in all lines shows why he is so highly regarded by all with whom he is associated.

Howard Foster

Prominent in the affairs of his own locality and distinguished as a citizen whose influence is far extended beyond the limits of the community honored by his residence, the name of Howard Foster stands out a conspicuous figure among the successful farmers of the locality of which this volume treats. All of his undertakings have been actuated by noble motives and high resolves and characterized by breadth of wisdom and strong individuality and his success and achievements but represent the result of fit utilization of innate talent and directing efforts along those lines where mature judgment and rare discrimination lead the way.

Howard Foster, well known trustee of Paint township and one of the leading farmers of this section, was born on March 9, 1858, on the old Clever farm near Yatesville, this state, the son of Daniel Sturgeon (better known as ""Doe"') and Elizabeth (Clever) Foster. The subject's father was a native of the state of Pennsylvania, born in Uniontown, and when a young man he emigrated westward in search of better opportunities than his native section afforded. He decided to make Ohio his future home and did so, locating in Fayette county. He had been well educated in his native state and upon settling in this state decided upon farming as his life work, in which he was successful. He was the father of seven children, the immediate subject being the first-born. John was the second son; Irskine; Sturgeon; then followed Herbert; Alpha, widow of Al Sorrell and mother of one child, Zoe, and Frank.

When a boy, Mr. Foster attended the schools of the home district, later spending one year in the schools of Bloomingburg, where he took the higher grades and finished his school days. During his school years he assisted in the work of the home place during his idle hours and vacation times and in this way acquired a liking for and knowledge of the life of a farmer. Consequently, it was but natural that he should decide upon this vocation as that of his life work, and in his venture he has succeeded admirably. He today operates the estate of one hundred acres of as fine land as the county boasts, splendidly located just on the edge of the city of Bloomingburg. Here he carries on general farming and kindred work, giving particular attention to the raising of live stock, which he has found to be a profitable source of income. He gives intelligent direction to his efforts and has attained a degree of success commensurate with the effort and energy expended.

Mr. Foster is the father of an interesting family of nine children, Vere, Ray, Honor, Roscoe, Edna, Bernice, Florence and two infants which died when very young. Mrs. Foster before her marriage was Mary E. Bloomer, her marriage to the subject being solemnized on November 10, 1880. She is the daughter of J. G. and Jane (DeWitt) Bloomer.

Mr. Foster's fraternal affiliation is with the time-honored body of Free and Accepted Masons and he is also a member of the Knights of Pythias, taking intelligent and pleasurable interest in the work of these two societies. He is a stanch Republican, politically, and is active in the local affairs of the party. Mr. Foster has long had the best interests of this locality at heart and has sought to advance them in whatever way possible. His career has been characterized by untiring energy, uncompromising fidelity and an earnest desire to advance himself in his chosen vocation. He is quick of perception, forms his plans readily and executes them with alacrity, at the same time winning and retaining the high esteem of all with whom he comes in contact by the honorable course which he has pursued.

Russell Parrett

One of the highly respected farmers of a past generation in Jefferson township, Fayette county, Ohio, was the late Russell Parrett, whose whole life was spent within the county where he was born. He was not only interested in the material prosperity of his county, but took an active part in church work, and was always interested in everything pertaining to the educational welfare of his township and county as well. He was a man of high ideals, strict integrity and great earnestness of purpose, and in everything he did he held duty conscientiously before him. He was charitable to the faults of his neighbors, exhibited a kindly disposition towards everyone with whom he came in contact and was always willing to help those less fortunate than himself.

county, Ohio, and died in the county where he was born on July 26, 1905. He was the son of Joseph and Rebecca (Fansher) Parrett, both of whom were born in Cocke county, Tennessee. The Parrett family originally came from Virginia to Tennessee, and subsequently to Fayette county, Ohio. Joseph Parrett was married before leaving Tennessee, and upon coming to this county early in its history entered a tract of government land where he lived the remainder of his days. The early education of Russell Parrett was received in the district schools, and all of the education he acquired was received in these schools. He has a fine farm of eighty acres, which he acquired after his marriage in 1855, but he did not confine all of his attention to his own farming. He bought and sold live stock practically all of his life and made a marked success of this kind of work. He was considered one of the best judges of live stock in the county, and so well established was his reputation that he had no difficulty in securing the best stock in the county for his shipments. He was honest in all of his business transactions and thereby gained the confidence of all with whom he had any business dealings.

Mr. Parrett was married March 23, 1865, to Rebecca Carley, who was born in September, 1845, in Clermont county, Ohio, near Batavia, and was the daughter of Elijah and Margaret (Wiley) Carley. To this union were born six children, Montress, Homer, Alberta, Blanche, Emma and Albert R. Two of these children are married, Homer and Blanche. Homer married Louisa Griffith and has three children, Edith, Russell and Anna L. Blanche married Arthur Parrett. Alberta is deceased, while the other three children are still single and living in this county.

The parents of Mrs. Parrett came from the state of Vermont to Ohio. Elijah Carley was the son of Elijah and Agnes (Graham) Carley. Mrs. Parrett was one of nine children born to her parents, the others being as follows: Caroline, Frank, Emma, Albert, Locke, Warren, Clayton and Orla. All of these children are now deceased with the exception of Rebecca, the widow of Mr. Parrett, and Clayton and Orla.

Mr. Parrett was a member of the Methodist Protestant church and took a deep interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of his denomination. Educational matters attracted him from the fact partly that he had such limited education in his boyhood days. He served on the school board of his township for many years and favored any measure which he felt might improve the schools in any way. Mr. Parrett was truly one of the representative citizens of his day and generation and when he passed away the county lost one of its worthiest citizens.

Isaac Wal Les

Immediately after the Revolutionary War the government undertook to organize the Northwest Territory and open it for settlement. Three years after the war had closed Virginia had ceded her claims over the Northwest Territory to the government, and six years after the close of that war the first settlers arrived in what is now Ohio. In 1803 Ohio was admitted to the Union and seven years later Fayette county was organized. In those early days Ohio was a tempting field for the energetic, ambitious and strongminded men of New England. Hundreds of old Revolutionary soldiers came to this state and their descendants are to be found everywhere in the state at the present time. There was a certain fascination in the broad fields which this new region presented, and the fertile valléys induced men to brave the discomforts of early life here for the purpose of gratifying their desire to find homes for themselves and their posterity. It is an axiom of history that only the strong willed and most energetic men flock to a new and unsettled community, and this accounts for the sturdiness exhibited by our forefathers.

The Waples family were among the early settlers of Fayette county, Ohio. William and Mary Waples were among the first of the family name to locate in Ohio. They were born in the state of Delaware and came to this state after their marriage and carved a home for themselves in the virgin forests of Paint township, this county.

One of the many children of William and Mary Waples was Burton, the father of Isaac Waples, with whom this narrative deals. Burton Waples was born in Fayette county and spent his entire lite within its precincts He married Elizabeth Moore and reared a family of five children, Mary, Anthony, William, Isaac and Catherine. Mary and Anthony are deceased, while the other three are still living. Catherine was twice married, her first marriage being to James Haam. After the death of her first husband she married William Shelpman. To her first marriage two sons, Ray and Earl, were born.

Isaac Waples, the proprietor of a fine farm of one hundred and twenty acres on the State road in Paint township, was born October 14, 1860, on the farm where he is now living. His boyhood days followed the usual routine and consisted of a few months of schooling during the winter seasons and hard work on the home farm during the summers. At the age of eighteen he commenced working for himself and continued working for the next eighteen years before he located on a farm of his own. He married in 1896 and then took charge of his present farm of one hundred and twenty acres, on which he has placed many improvements of all kinds.

Mr. Waples was married April 15, 1896, to Jeannette (Boone) Montgomery, the daughter of Thomas and Ellen (Inskip) Montgomery. Thomas Montgomery was a native of Brown county, Ohio, as also was his wife. On her mother's side Mrs. Waples was related to Daniel Boone, the famous frontiersman of Kentucky. Thomas Montgomery and wife were the parents of six children: Mary E., Mrs. Catherine Edwards, Mrs. Jeannette Waples, Nancy A., Ella M. and Mrs. Minnie B. Brown.

Politically, Mr. Waples has always been affiliated with the Republican party and has been active in local matters. At the present time he is serving with credit on the school board of his township.

No occupation has gone through more radical changes within the past _ half century than farming. When the virgin soil of Ohio was first cleared there was no difficulty in raising crops of all kinds, but with continual cropping the land lost its pristine fertility and artificial means were resorted to in order to keep the farms of the state to a high state of productivity. In order that land may be profitable the crops and live stock maintained upon it must be adapted not only to local conditions of soil and climate, but also to existing economic conditions. On those farms which combine these factors of efficiency the profits are the greatest, yet in the last analysis the farmer himself is the determining factor in every successful agricultural enterprise. It must not be overlooked that the farmer is just as quick to take advantage of economic principles as he is of improved methods of growing crops and feeding animals. Experience has shown the farmer that the problems of farm organization are usually those of readjustment and improvement, of existing systems rather than the introduction of wholly new systems. There are many acres in Fayette county, Ohio, which have been under cultivation for more than one hundred years and are still capable of raising good crops. One of the county's best farmers, who thoroughly understands the best methods of getting the maximum results from the soil, 1s Charles C. McCoy, of Jefferson township.

was born December 20, 1869, near Good Hope, in Wayne township, this county.' His parents were natives of Fayette and Clinton counties, Ohio, respectively, but the father being born and reared in Fayette they settled here after their marriage and later moved to Clinton. John McCoy was the son of Thomas and Margaret (Harper) McCoy, emigrants from Frederick county, Maryland. Thomas McCoy and wife were the parents of eleven children, James, Joseph, Allen, Judson, John, Hugh, Thomas, William (died in infancy), Elizabeth, Sarah, Maria and Ann. All of the boys are deceased except Thomas, and all the girls are living except Sarah.

Charles C. McCoy, the only child of his parents, was educated in the schools of this county and later attended Wilmington College, after which he entered Ohio State University for two years. He was married in 1902, and at once settled on a part of the Parrett home farm in Jefferson township, where he has since resided and which he now owns. Being a man of progressive ideas, he has made a pronounced success of his chosen life work and his farm is one of the most attractive of the township.

Mr. McCoy was married January 30, 1902, to May Parrett, the daughter of Benjamin Hinton and Nancy (Allen) Parrett. Mrs. McCoy is one of five children born to her parents, the other four being Seth E., Mrs. Eva Miller, Mrs. Ora Hayes and Mrs. Cora Wood. Mr. and Mrs. McCoy have no children.

Politically, Mr. McCoy is independent, but has always taken an intelligent interest in all matters of a local nature. He has preferred to devote his time and energies to agricultural pursuits rather than to take an active part in political campaigns. He and his wife are loyal and consistent members of the Methodist Protestant church, in the welfare of which they are interested and to the support of which they are liberal contributors.

Orvileer-Cabrock

It is a pleasure to investigate the career of a successful, self-made man such as Orville C. Brock, a prosperous farmer of Paint township, this county. His whole life of more than a half century has been spent within this county, and he has so conducted himself as to merit the high and generous esteem in which he is universally held. He began life practically unaided and alone and has removed one by one the obstacles from his pathway and succeeded in forging his way to the front, thereby winning for him- self a competency and a position of influence among his fellow men. Knowing that this county was destined to take a high rank among the productive counties of Ohio, he applied himself closely to his work and waited for the future to bring its reward.

Orville C. Brock, the son of Evan and Susanna (Griffith) Brock, was born February 4, 1859, in the township where he has spent his entire life. His father was a native of Madison county, this state, and was the son of Evan and Mary E. (Brown) Brock, who settled in Madison county, Ohio, in 1812. Evan and Mary E. (Brown) Brock were the parents of seven children, Richard, Saul, George, Cooper, Elizabeth, Mrs. Strong, and Evan, the father of Orville C., with whom this narrative deals.

Evan brock, Jr., was reared in Madison county, Ohio, and shortly after his marriage to Susanna Griffith located in Fayette county. His farm was covered with timber and he and his young bride went to housekeeping in a new log house, which was hastily constructed, and he applied himself with indefatigable energy and perseverance to the clearing of his farm, and before his death had cleared four hundred acres of land in this county. Not all of this work was done by himself, since he had a large family of children and his sons were hard workers from their earliest boyhood days. Evan and Susanna (Griffith) Brock reared a large family of children: Mrs. Libbie Hays, Oliver, Orville C., Jeptha, Evan, Dolly, Ray, Francis, Minnie, Jemina, Florence and two who died in infancy.

Orville C. Brock was born in a log cabin on the old Brock farm and attended the rude log school house of his home neighborhood. He remained at home until he reached his majority and then began working out by the month. He saved his money and with his earnings purchased a smali farm when he was married at the age of twenty-five, and he has since added to this farm until he is now the owner of one hundred and twentyfive acres of fine land on the Prairie pike in Paint township. He has placed extensive improvements upon this place and now has one of the most attractive farms in his township.

Mr. Brock was married in 1884 to Miranda Coe, who was the daughter of William and Lucy J. (Everett) Coe. William Coe was a native of Frederick county, West Virginia, and settled in this county in the pioneer days. He and his wife reared a family of ten children, Charles, Scott, Mrs. Miranda Brock, Jasper, Curtis, Reese, Leighton, Irvin, Mary and Mrs. Anna Stoughton. William Coe was the son of William and Mary Coe and was one of ten children born to his parents, the others being Jane, George, Mary, Henry, Norvall, Emma, James, Susan and Anna.

Mr. Brock and wife have five children: Bertha, who married Floyd Minick and has one son, Earl B.; Goldie, the wife of Lee Vannorsdall; Octa B., who married Frank Shippley and had one infant child, who is deceased ; Lester, who married Ola Durfinger, and Nellie, who is still living with her parents and is a graduate of the Jeffersonville high school.

Politically, Mr. Brock is a Democrat, but has never had any aspirations to hold office or inclination to participate in political matters. Nevertheless, he takes an active interest in the civic life of his community and lends his hearty support to all public measures advanced for the general welfare of his community.

Samuel Etshulciz

Although a resident of this county but a few years, Samuel Shultz has won honor and recognition for himself as a farmer and public-spirited citizen. He takes a deep interest in everything pertaining to the material advancement of his adopted township and county, and every enterprise intended to promote the welfare of Fayette county is sure to receive his hearty support. He is rated as one of the most progressive farmers of his township, and the high respect in which he is held by all classes of people is a deserving compliment to an intelligent, broad-minded and worthy man.

The Shultz family trace their ancestry back to colonial times. The first member of the family of whom definite information has been preserved was Jehu Shultz, a native of Pennsylvania and a soldier of, the Revolutionary War. Shortly after the close of that war Jehu Shultz, the great-grandfather of Samuel Shultz, with whom this narrative deals, came to Ohio and settled in Adams county. One of his sons was Edward B., who grew to manhood in Adams county, married Elizabeth Watson and spent all of his days in the county of his birth, dying at an advanced age.

John W. Shultz, one of the children born to Edward B. Shultz and wife, was a native of Adams county, Ohio, where he lived until he was about forty-five years of age. He then removed to Champaign county, Illinois, where he is now living. Four children have been born to John W. and Nancy E. (Polly) Shultz, Samuel, Rhoda, Alva and Walter, all of whom are still living except Rhoda.

Samuel Shultz was born in Adams county, Ohio, February 29, 1872, and moved with his parents to Illinois, where he lived from the time he was about eight years old. He received part of his schooling in Adams county,

Mr. And Mrs. Samuel E. Shultz

Ohio, and finished in Champaign county, Illinois. Upon reaching manhood he worked by the month for several years and then went west and worked on a cattle ranch for a time. He married in Champaign county, Illinois, and bought a farm which he operated there for about eighteen years, after which he sold his land holdings in Illinois, moving to Fayette county, Ohio, where he purchased a farm of three hundred and twenty acres one mil efrom Jeffersonville. He maintains an interest in several grain elevators in Shelby county, Illinois, where he lived for some years.

Mr. Shultz was married January 24, 1897, to Hannah E. Potter, the daughter of John and Rebecca (Gibson) Potter, he a native of Oldham, England, and she of Guernsey county, Ohio. Mr. Shultz and wife are the parents of four children, three of whom are still living, John H., Irene and Stanley. Edward W. is deceased.

Politically, Mr. Shultz is a Progressive, and while living in Illinois was very active in local politics. He served as ditch commissioner and had served two years of a four-year term as county commissioner when he resigned and moved to this county. Since coming here his agricultural interests have demanded all of his time and attention, but is at present candidate for county commissioner on the Progressive ticket. The family are all loyal and consistent members of the United Brethren church, and take an active interest in the welfare of their denomination. They live in one of the finest homes in the township.

Lenna Long

Dependent very largely upon his own resources from his early youth, Lenna Long has attained to a prominent position among the agriculturists of his township. He has encountered many obstacles and met with reverses, but, nevertheless, has pressed steadily forward, ever willing to work for the end he had in view. For several years he worked as a molder throughout the Central West, but the call of the farm drew him back to the old home place, where he is now living. His tenacity and fortitude are due in a large measure to the worthy traits inherited from his sterling ancestors, whose high ideals and correct principles he has ever sought to perpetuate in all the relations of life.

in his young childhood, grew to maturity, married and reared a family of seven children: Ira, who lives in Columbus, Ohio; Lenna, with whom this narrative deals; Frank; Fay; Claire, deceased; Clara, who resides in the state of Rhode Island, and Louisa. The mother of these children died in 1906. Frank Long still lives on the home farm of one hundred acres.

[Lenna Long received his education in the Whissler school of his home neighborhood and the Spring Fork and Roberts schools of Madison county, this state. His boyhood days were not unlike those of the average farm lad and consisted of attendance at the district schools during the winter seasons and hard work upon the home farm during the summers. After leaving school he learned the trade of a molder and for a few years worked at this trade in several different cities throughout the country. However, he never lost his love for the farm and after his marriage, in 1903, located on the old home farm, six miles north of Bloomingburg, in Paint township, where he has since lived.

Mr. Long was married June 22, 1903, to Lucy Harrow, the daughter and John D. and Lucretia (Shaw) Harrow. John D. Harrow is a prominent citizen of Columbus, Ohio, where he and his family are now living. Six children were born to John D- Harrow and wife: Lucy, Steel, David, Grace, Luella and Christian.