Madison County, Ohio - Biographical sketches, 1915 (part 3 of 20)

Elijah Walker Bales was born on the old Bales farm in Fairfield township, Madison county, Ohio, on January 14, 1855, son of Moses and Rachael (Chenoweth) Bales, the former of whom was born in Virginia on August 80, 1811, and died at his home in this county on July 25, 1885, and the latter was born in Ohio on April 24, 1815, and died on September 5, 1897. .

Moses Bales was the son of Thomas Bales, a prominent planter of Virginia, who. becoming wearied of the slave-holding system. liberated his numerous slaves and moved with his family to this county, where he bought a farm and entered vigorously into the pioneer life of this section, early becoming one of the most influential men in the part of the county in which he settled, he and his wife ever exerting a wholesome influence in the community. The remainder of their lives was spent here, and their memory is not forgotten.

' "Moses Bales was a young man when his father came to this county, and he early became one of the most prominent residents of Fairfield township. He was one of the early trustees of that township, and for years was a strong factor in the development 'of that community. Moses Bales married Rachael Chenoweth, a member of a pioneer family, and to this union ten children were born, namely: Catalina, born on August 20, 1835, widow of H. W. Bail; Malinda, November 11, 1838, wife of Gibson Bail; Louisa Jane, February 4, 1840, who married Robert Rea, of London, this county, and is now deceased; Thomas Marion, August 4, 1844, now deceased; William Pingle, September 14, 1846, now deceased; John Foster, June 5, 1848, who married Alice Jane Rife, and lives in Circleville, Ohio; Mary Margaret, August 26, 1850, who married Dr. Charles Snyder, of London, and is now deceased ; Charles Lewis, December 81, 1852, now deceased, "married Mary Susan Fitzgerald, of Fairfield township, this county; E. W., the immediate subject of this sketch, and Ada 'Leona, June 25, 1857, who married Frederick W. Pierce, of London, and she is now deceased.

es Elijah Walker Bales was reared on the home farm in Fairfield township, receiving his, education in, the excellent district schools of that neighborhood, and grew up - thor- oughly grounded in the essential details of farm life, becoming, in his turn, a fine farmer, even as. his father and his grandfather. Following his marriage, in 1880, he bought the home farm, his father and mother being dead, and he continued to live there until he moved to town, in the fall of 1914. His farming affairs prospered from the very start, and he gradually added to his holdings, until he became the possessor of four hundred and twenty-seven acres, as noted above, all well improved and under a fine state of cultivation.

On September 16, 1880, Elijah Walker Bales was united in marriage to Mary HB. Robinson, daughter of Samuel Robinson, of Pleasant township, and to this union three children have been born, Bonna Lee, who is at home with her parents in London ; William Robinson, who married Mary Chenoweth, of Fairfield township, is operating the old home farm, and Rachael Margaret, also at home with her parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Bales are Methodists and their children have been reared in that faith, the family being highly regarded for its devotion to the general welfare of the community. Mr. Bales is a member of the Masonic lodge at London, and is a Republican, for many years having taken a warm interest in the political affairs of the county. He has served as township trustee in both Pleasant and Fairfield townships, in which capacity his services proved of large benefit to the public interests under his charge. He is cordial in his intercourse with his fellow men and is held in the very highest regard by all who know him.

Thomas A. Gallagher

A representative in the third generation of a family that has been prominently identified with the affairs of Madison county since the year 1850, there are few men in this county who have a wider acquaintance, or who are held in higher regard than Thomas A. Gallagher, a popular merchant of London, who, in addition to his mereantile interests, owns a fine farm six miles south of London and some valuable town property.

Thomas A. Gallagher was born on a farm in Paint township, this county, on October 9, 1874, son of John I. and Ann (Dean) Gallagher, prominent and highly respected residents of that section of the county. John L. Gallagher was born in County Sligo, Ireland, on Good Friday, 1826, son of Patrick and Ann (McDermott) Jallagher, both natives of the same county. In 1848 John L. Gallagher came to America, landing at New Orleans, where for a while he. worked on the levee, finally working his way up river, as a fireman on steamboats, until he reached Cincinnati, from which point he worked his way up state to South Charleston, at which point his parents, who had come to America in 1849, had located for a season. At that point John LL. Gallagher engaged with bis father in working out a land lease in Clark county. Ten years later he took a lease on David Harold's farm, near South Solon, this county, where he worked for six years, at the end of which time he bought a tract of one hundred and fifty-three acres in Union township, to which he gradually added, as he prospered, until he was the owner of twelve hundred and eighty-five acres of choice land in this county and was accounted one. of the most substantial citizens in that neighborhood. In the meantime his parents also moved to this county and here their last days were spent. John I.. Gallagher was a pioneer in that section of Union township. in which he settled. his original land holdings having been but a wilderness of tangled woods and swamps. Out of this he developed a fine farm, to which, by industry, eaenlity and good management. he added until he became very well-to-do.

When twenty-five years of age, John L. Gallagher was. united in marriage, at Cincinnati, to Bridget Gilmore,. to which unio one ehild was born, a daughter, Mary Jane.

who died in infancy. Bridget Gallagher died about two years after her marriage, and one year later Mr. Gallagher married, secondly, Ann Dean, of Xenia, Ohio, who also was a native of County Sligo, Ireland, and to this union twelve children were born, as follow: Frank, who lives in London, this county; John P., also a resident of London; Peter A., also of London; Anna, wife of J. C. Dineen, of Springfield, Ohio; Mary, wife of John Murray, of London, this county; Katherine, wife of William A. Dunn, of London; Margaret, wife of Thomas Moore, of 60 Patterson avenue, Columbus, Ohio; Ella, wife of Thomas C. Enright, who lives on the old home farm in Union township; James F., living on Logan avenue, in London, this county; Thomas A., the immediate subject of this biographical #Ketch; William, who died in March, 1900, and Edward F., who died in February, 1911. John L. Gallagher, father of these children, died in January, 1911, at the age of eighty-five years, and his widow survived him but little more than a year, her death occurring in March, 1912, at the age of seventy-four.

Thomas A. Gallagher was reared on the home farm in Union township and remained there until he was thirty years of age, at which time his father retired from the farm and moved into the city of London. He accompanied his parents to the county seat and there, in association with his brother. Frank, engaged in the lumber business, with yards there and at Mt. Sterling. After being thus engaged for five years, he disposed of his lumber interests and entered the mercantile business, forming a partnership with a Mr. Polster, under the firm name of Polster & Gallagher, in the clothing and men's furnishing line, and has ever since been thus engaged, the firm having one of the most popular and largely patronized stores at the county seat.

Mr. Gallagher is a Democrat and takes a good citizen's interest in the political affairs of the county, though not what might be called an active politician; his extensive business interests requiring his close personal attention. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and is very popular with all his friends. He is recognized as an excellent business man, enterprising and up-to-date, and possesses in large measure the confidence of commercial circles generally hereabout, all who know him holding him in the highest regard.

John T. Vent

No name in Madison county is better known or held in higher repute than that which the reader notes above. For many years prominent in the civie life of this county, retiring with official honors well won, and then taking up the cares of a financial career, Mr. Vent has acquitted himself most admirably in all his undertakings . and very well deserves the high place he holds in the community. A soldier of his country at seventeen, Mr. Vent gave valiant service in defense of the Union and at the end of this service returned to school, completing his education, after which he engaged in farming in this county on a large scale. All this time his fine personality was making him friends in all parts of the county and presently he found himself elected sheriff of the county. Before completing his second term in that office he was elected county treasurer, also being re-elected to that important office, an attestation of popular favor on the part of the community that was most unmistakable. Upon completing his public career, Mr. Vent engaged in the grain business very successfally for a few years and then was called to accept the presidency of a bank. That was in 1896 and since that time Mr. Vent has been one of: the most conspicuous figures in the financial life of this section of the state, his management of the London Pxchange Bank having been such as to asin from the very start, the unbounded confidence of the entire community.

of J. W. and Sarah (Gray) Vent, natives of Delaware, who came West, locating in toss county, this state, where they resided for several years, at the end of which time they moved to Pickaway county, where they lived for about seven years, moving then to Fayette county. After two years of residence in the latter county, they came to Madison county, locating in Paint township, where the rest of their lives were spent.

To J. W. and Sarah (Gray) Vent ten children were born, five of whom are still living, the others, besides the subject of this sketch, being James T., of Monticello, Illinois; KE. S., of London, this county; M. H., of Union township, this county, and Mrs. Miranda Willis, of Fayette county, this state. The mother of these children died in 1856 and Mr. Vent married, secondly, Virginia Gill, to which second union there was no issue. J. W. Vent died in 1885, at the age of seventy-five and his widow died a few years later.

John T. Vent was but ten years old when his mother died. He was reared on the home farm, attending the township schools, and at the age of fourteen began working for himself, his services being engaged by neighboring farmers. He continued this form of service for two years, going to school a part of the time, and at the age of seventeen enlisted as a soldier in the Union army, serving in two. enlistments, the first of which was in Company C, Thirty-second Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. When this regiment was mustered out he re-enlisted in Company I, One Hundred and Fiftyfourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which regiment he served until it was mustered out in September, 1865. Mr. Vent was with Sherman's army in the South during the last year of his service and was engaged in the battle of New Creek. He participated in the Grand Review in Washington and at the close of his service returned home and resumed his studies for a year or two. He then engaged in farming for himself, leasing three hundred and fifty acres in Paint township, operating this farm very successfully until he was elected to the office of sheriff in 1885, on the Republican ticket. So satisfactorily did he handle the affairs of this office that he was re-elected in 1887 and before his second term as sheriff had expired he was elected to the office of county treasurer, in 1889, to which 'office he was re-elected in 1891, serving two full terms in that important public capacity. At the close of this form of public service, Mr. Vent went to Sedalia, this county, where he engaged in the grain business with W. H. Riddle, a partnership which continues very profitably to this day, although of recent years Mr. Vent has given little of his personal attention to the business.

Without any solicitation on his part, John T. Vent was elected president of the Tondon Exchange Bank in 1896, since which time his attention has been almost wholly devoted to the affairs of that sound financial concern. At the time of his election to this important post. Mr. Vent had for some time been serving as a director of the Madison. National Bank, at London, and had acquired a thorough knowledge of the banking business. The London Exchange Bank in 1896 was a private bank and Mr. Vent played a prominent part in the reorganization of the concern as a state bank. In addition to his banking business, Mr. Vent has given much attention to the handling of large estates for heirs, widows and non-residents, in which relation he has been very successful, having a remarkable record for the systematic manner in which rentals thus entrusted to him have been collected; he having collected more than one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars in this fashion during the seventeen or eighteen years he has been thus engaged. Asa banker, Mr. Vent has displayed executive ability which places him well up in the front rank of financiers in this section of the state and to his prudent and wise management much of the success of the London Exchange Bank has was born and reared in Union township, this county, to which union two daughters have been born, Imogene, who married Walter . Booth, assistant -cashier- of. the Madison National Bank, and Fannie F., who remains at home. Mrs. Vent was a member of the Methodist church and was active in all its works. She passed away on April 24, 1913.

Mr. Vent for many years has been a strong and influential supporter of the Republican party and at one time was a candidate for the nomination for state senator from the counties of Madison, Clark and Champaign. In the joint senatorial conyvention he lacked just seven votes of enough to insure the nomination, the nomination at that time being regarded as equivalent to an election. He was offered seven votes from Clark county to secure the nomination, but his fine sense of honor compelled him to decline the proffer, he being unwilling to accept the nomination without the unanimous yote of his own county. During bis service as county treasurer he was for two years president of the Ohio State County Treasurers Association and his influence in that body was reflected throughout the entire state. Mr. Vent also served the public as jury commissioner for a period of ten years and at one time served very acceptably as township trustee of Paint township. He is a fine, wholesome force in the community and is honored by the general confidence and esteem of all in this section. For thirtyfive years John T. Vent has ben a member of Chandler Lodge No. 128, Free and Accepted Masons, at London, and is also a member of the- chapter and of the council of that order. He has taken the higher degrees of Masonry and is a member of Springfield Commandery, Knights Templar, and of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at Columbus.. He also is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being affiliated with the lodge of that order at London.

Austin S. Hutson

Iew men in Madison couuty have richer memories of the early days in this community or minds better stocked with the lore of the past, in so far as relates to the history of this county, than Austin S. Hutson, prominent veteran of the Civil War and member of the London city council. Born in 1839, Mr. Hutson has spent his whole life in this county, having for years been one of the strong factors in the development of the commonwealth, and consequently possesses an acquaintance with conditions as they exist now and as they existed in the past generation which makes him a veritable storehouse of information on most all matters relating to Madison county. Genial, kindly, companionable and enterprising, Mr. Hutson is a friend to the whole world, and in consequence is accorded the highest esteem of his fellow men.

Austin 8. Hutson was born on a pioneer farm in Stokes township, Madison county, Ohio, on August 14, 1839. son of John K. and Hannah (Mahaffy) Hutson, the former a native of Kentucky, born in 1799. and the latter a native of Adams county, Ohio, born in 1803. John K. Hutson was a son of Skinner Hutson, a native of London, England, who emigrated to 'America and settled in Kentucky, where he remained until 1804, in which year he came to this county, locating in Stokes township on a farm which he entered from the government, and there he spent the rest of his life, becoming in his day 2 powerful factor for good in that pioneer settlement. John K. Hutson was but five years of age when his parents migrated to 'this county and consequently grew to manhood here amid pioneer conditions. He became a man of substance and of large influence, doing well his part in the development of Stokes township, in which section of the county, he owned two hundred and sixty-six and one-half acres of fine land, part of which lay in the village of South Solon. John K. Hutson died in the year 1874, he then being seventy-five years of age. His wife died in 1877, when seventy-two years of: age.

Austin S. Hutson received his early education in the district schools of his honie neighborhood and when thirteen years of age left his home to reside with "Major" Peter Buffenburg, his brother-in-law, where he remained until September 17, 1861, on which date he enlisted in Company B, Fourth Ohio Cavalry, at Cincinnati, and thus became a soldier in the army of ten thousand men under Gen. Ormsby McKnight Mitchell, known as the old Army of the Cumberland. Mr. Hutson subsequently served under Generals Sherman, Rosecrans, Sheridan, Burnside and Grant; re-enlisted as a veteran, and was through the Atlanta campaign and in the battles of Lookout Mountain, 'Huntsvilie, Alabama; Bridgeport, Alabama; Middleton, Tennesse; Noonday Creek, Georgia; Kilpatrick's raid; Nashville, 'fennessee; Selma, Alabama; Columbus, George and others. He was wounded in the shoulder at the battle of Stone's River and was'mustered out as a non-commissioned officer on July 15, 1865, after a term of service of four years and two months.-

Upon the completion of his army service, Mr. Hutson returned to the Buffenburg farm, as assistant superintendent, and upon "Major" Buffenburg's death was promoted to the responsible position of superintendent of the great estate of five thousand and two hundred acres, the duties of which position he performed faithfully for twenty-nine years, or until his retirement in 1896, in which year he bought a fine house on Maple street, in the city of London, this county, where he since has resided, enjoying in comfort the well-merited rewards of a life of industry and conscientious application to the duties of the high trust reposed in him. For thirty-five years he has been a strong advocate of woman suffrage.

On December 7, 1865, Austin S. Hutson was united in marriage to Fanny Curtis, daughter of Jesse and Charlotte (Patterson) Curtis, the former of whom was an early brieckmaker in London. This union was without issue, but Mr. and Mrs. Hutson reared two adopted sons, William Rudel and Austin S. Smith. Mrs. Hutson died in 1895, and Mr. Hutson married, secondly, in 1897, Mrs. Ceraldia (Paulin) Pancake, widow of the late John Pancake, who was born in Clark eounty, this state, and who, by her first husband, is the mother of six children. Though to this second union no children have been born, Mr. and Mrs. Hutson are friends of all children, and they have done much toward helping the children of others, who, from time to time, they have discovered to be in need of properly directed assistance.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Hutson are members of the Methodist church and are active in 'all good works. Mr. Hutson is one of the strongest and most pronounced foes of the liquor traffic in Madison county, and for years has been counted among the leaders in the determined war which is being. waged against that traffic in this state.

Mr. Hutson always has taken a keen interest in fine horses, and during the many years of his superintendency of the Buffenburg estate was noted as a_ breeder of blooded stock. This interest in horses has waned but little since his retirement from active direction of such affairs, and he still owns some very fine horses, in which he takes a very proper pride. Mr. Hutson is a Republican, with Prohibition leanings, and for years has been an influential factor in the political life of Madison county.. For twenty-nine years he was a. member of the Paint township school board and is now a member of the city council.of London, a-position in which his wide acquaintance with affairs and mature judgment. are proving of great service to the public.: He is a member of Lyon Post.No. 121, Grand Army of. the Republic, Department of Ohio, and for many years has been one.of the leaders in the affairs of that. post. | In many ways Mr. Hutson | has denionstrated the eminent value of his service to the public, and he is held in the very highest regard throughout the whole county, being universally regarded as one of the best citizens of the county.

Harry S. Mitchell

Few men in this section of Ohio are better known than the gentleman whose name the reader notes above, and few are more active factors in the promotion of the best interests of the entire region hereabout. Known generally throughout this region as "the land man," Mr. Mitchell is one of the most energetic real-estate promoters in this part of Ohio, his operations covering a wide territory throughout central Ohio, his particular specialty being farm lands, in which he has extensive dealings. Mr. Mitchell is a native of this county, as was his father before him, his grandfather having been one of the pioneers of this section, and is earnestly devoted to the best interests of the same, being unong the most energetic "boosters" of Madison county and Madison county lands in all that: enterprising band of "boosters" who have made of this county one of the best in the state. Proprietor of large farming interests himself, Mr. Mitchell has qualified as un expert on land conditions hereabout and his services are in wide demand throughout this part of the state as an intermediary in extensive land transactions.

Harry S. Mitchell was born on a farm four miles west of the city of London, county seat of Madison county, Ohio, on August 5, 1869, son of Oliver and Cornelia (Clark) Mitchell, the former of whom also was born in this county, son of James Mitchell, a Virginian, who settled in this county at an early day in the settlement of the same and became an influential and prosperous farmer. |

Oliver Mitchell was a prominent farmer and sheep raiser in his vicinity and was highly regarded throughout that part of the county. He married Cornelia Clark, who was born in Connecticut, but who came to Ohio when a little girl with her parents, "down-east Yankees," who located near Woodstock, where they spent the remainder of their lives. To this union there were born but two children, the subject of this sketch, and another son, who died in infancy. Oliver Mitchell, by energy and industry, rose to be one of the most substantial farmers in his neighborhood and at his death (his son, Harry S., being but three yeurs'of age at the time), left a fine farm of four . hundred and fifty acres. His widow is still living, and for years has made her home pen the death of her husband in 1872, Mrs. Mitchell moved from the farm into the city of London and there her son, Harry S., was reared, receiving his education in nee me sig ee SRS eee London high school with the class of cee o versity, at Columbus, and completed the scientific conte in 1890, specializing in metallurgy, with a view to becoming a steél and iron chemist Yor one year after completing his studies, Mr. Mitchell devoted his entire Pa rth ae anes in the home farm, recuperating meanwhile

: placed bim under, and then took employment rhamates He: didtet.remain, tongagitiy Hie ote ee strain thus imposed upon his death entirely 'epee rns ppg ec ae his original plan of being a professional nied and pe pat i aes Ais se flit two years in Chattanooga, aimee as ae a i ee ine tie manufacturers of lime and lime DEAtuEA in Coes = ze h comet ania Compbeny; Upon returning home from Tennessee Mr Mitchell gettin : Zp set tien to his moter'. large farming ine eae oa eevee eek ene'? 1909, when he established himself in She real-est ' . hi: Pas 220 ON a neeaess ' : al-estate business in London, specializing in central Ohio farm lands, his business in this connection growing so rapidly that he presently became known as the "land man," by which title he is generally known throughout this section.

On January 31, 1899, Harry S. Mitchell was united in marriage to Gertrude Smith. youngest daughter of the late Auburn Smith, in his day one of the most prominent druggists and business men of London, and to this union two children have been born, Oliver Tress, born on November 29, 1899, and Ann Arnett, March 13, 1903. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell are interested in all good works in and about London, and no couple in the community are held in higher regard by their large circle of friends than they, they

Mr. Mitchell is a Republican and has ever given a good citizen's attention to the political affairs of the county. Though not, by any means, being included in the officeseeking class, he has been called on to serve the public as a member of the London city council and is now performing equally faithful service as a member of the city board of education and is also giving good service as a member of the board of trustees of the Kirkwood Cemetery Association.

Among the real-estate dealers of this state, few are better known than Mr. Mitchell. and he is actively identified with the National Association of Real-Estate Dealers, being affiliated with the board at Columbus, this state. He is a Mason of high degree, being & member of the Knights Templar and also of the Mystic Shrine. and is exceedingly popular with his lodge associates. During his school days at Ohio University, he was elected to the university chapter of the Phi Gamma Delta and still takes a warm interest in the affairs of that fraternity. Public spirited, enterprising and energetic, Mr. Mitchell is regarded as one of the most influential factors in. the building up of the best interests of this section, and in commercial and financial circles he is held in very high repute. possessing the unbounded confidence of all his business associates.

F. E. Rosnagle was born at Springboro, Warren county, Ohio, on September 18. 1885, son of Francis E. and Alice (Hayner) Rosnagle, both natives of that county, prosperous farmers who still live there, and who are the parents of four children.

Educated in the common schoois of Springboro, F. E. Rosnagle was graduated from the high school of that town, after which he entered Lebanon University, at Lebanon, this state. attending the course of instruction there for two terms. Becoming confirmed then in his earlier decision to become a physician, he entered the medical school of the University of Cincinnati, and after a year there entered the medical department of the Vniversity of Ohio. heing graduated from that excellent institution three years later, in June, 1914, receiving the degree of Doctor of Medicine.

Upon securing his diploma, Doctor Rosnagle came to Madison county and on September 19, 1914. entered upon the practice of his chosen profession at London, where he ever since has been quite successfully engaged in general practice. He immediately entered into the common life of the people with such hearty interest as to convince his many new-found friends that he was prepared to devote himself unreservedly and wholeheartedly to the general welfare of the community which he had thus so earnestly adopted.

On September 3, 1913. F. F. Rosnagle was united in marriage to Lelia D. Jack, of Lebanon. Doctor and Mrs. Rosnagle are attendants of the Presbyterian church, and their devotion to the good works of the community attests their hearty interest in all measures designed to promote the common welfare, both having made many warm friends.since their arrival in this county.

Doctor Rosnagle is a member of the Madison County Medical Society and of the Columbus Academy of Medicine, and is also a member of the University of Ohio chapter of A. K. K. Doctor Rosnagle also is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

Bringing to his practice all of a student's enthusiasm, together with a zealous faith in the humanities, Doctor Rosnagle is giving of the best of himself to his profession, and the success which already has attended his practice in this county is taken by his friends as a fair augury of the firm place he is destined to establish for himself in this community. .

Horace Greeley Jones

One of the leading banks of Madison county and of London is the Central National Bank, of which Horace Greeley Jones is president. Not only is he president of this bank, but he is heavily interested in various business enterprises in London and owns au magnificent farm of two hundred and sixty acres opposite the prison farm.

Horace Greeley Jones was born in London on September 6, 1852. He received his education in the public schools of London and in the high school under Professor MecClintick. His parents were John and Jane H. (Melvin) Jones, the former of whom was reared in London and who, although he attended school not more than two years, became a well-informed man and a prominent factor in his father's store, in which he clerked as a boy. John Jones. also, clerked in the store of William Warner for two years, and, in February, 1841, was married to Jane H. Melvin. She was the daughter of Jobn and Sarah Melvin, natives of Madison county. In the fall of 1841, John Jones became deputy sheriff under William Warner. He served in this position for four years. Later he was elected sheriff for one term and served two years. Still later he served twelve years as justice of the peace. He also served one term as mayor of London. In the meantime, he had purchased a grocery store, which he conducted a great many years, and upon his retirement he sold to his two sons, Lucien and Frank.

His younger brother, an attorney at Champaign. Illinois, was partly reared and educated by him. At the time of the organization of the Odd Fellows lodge, in 1846, he became a charter member. Six children were born to John and Jane H. (Melvin) Jones, as follow: Mary, Lucien, Frank, Dollie, Horace and Emma. Horace is the subject of this sketch. Dollie is the widow of Valentine Wilson. Emma is the wife of Harvey Chandler. Mary and Lucien are deceased. .

The late John Jones, who was born at London, October 21, 1818, was the son of William Jones, who was born and reared near Knoxville, Tennessee, and who came with his father, Solomon Jones, to Ohio. William was a blacksmith by trade. He settled at London in 1814, and for a time dealt in property, grain and other merchandise. He became wealthy but, nevertheless, was a liberal man and extended financial assistance to many of his neighbors and friends. In the financial panic of 1837, he suffered severely as a consequence of having secured the debts of others. Still later, he removed to a farm. He died at London a few years after the panic of 1837.

Horace Greeley Jones, after finishing his education, clerked for his two brothers, Lucien and Frank, in the general store established by their father. At the death of his brother, Lucien Jones, in 1876. after having spent six years in the store, Horace Greeley Jones succeeded to his brother's interests. The firm was continued as Jones Brothers until 1912. In the meantime, about 1903, Horace Greeley and Frank Jones had organized the London Coal. Company on West High street. This company did no retail business and was very successful. On June 1, 1915, the company was sold to the Pierce Lumber Company. Mr. Jones was manager of the coal company, and did all the buying for thd firm. In 1918, the Central Bank, of which he had acted as president for a number of years, became the Central National. Bank. Mr. Jones continued as president. He is at present one of the liquor commissioners of Madison county. |

On September 10, 1879, Horace Greeley Jones was married to Lizzie easton the daughter of Doctor James and M. J. Houston. Mrs. Jones's father was a fine physician, who also owned a drug. store at Jamestown. He finally sold the store and spent his later years with his daughter, passing away at the age of eighty-one. Not only was he a successful physician, but he was a brilliant man personally and a man who was always well informed in regard to current history. He liked to argue political and religious questions. He, himself, was an ardent devotee of the Universalist faith.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones spent a year in Europe, taking a very extensive tour of the principal points of interest. They also spent three winters in Florida and one in California. Likewise, they yisited Cuba and Nassau, and were in the Northwest on two occasions. About the same time, they visited the Grand Canyon. Mr. Jones is a man who believes in seeing America first. Mrs. Horace Greeley Jones is prominent in all the clubs of London, and has been president of most of the clubs. She is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Houston ancestry dating from Revolutionary stock.

Although Horace Greeley Jones is a Republican, he is not a political worker, and is. not especially interested in politics. Fraternally, he is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason, a life member. of the consistory, a life member of Mt. Vernon 'Commandery No. 1, at Columbus, a life member of Syrian Temple Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of Columbus Lodge Lodge No. 37, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Formerly, he was a member of Mystic Lodge No. 36, Knights of Pythias. Mr. Jones is interested in the Young Men's Christian Association, and in all such religious influences. He was reared in the Methodist Episcopal church, but is not now a member of any church, Mr. Jones is a member of the London Club of this city. '

J. W. Hume

Few names in the pusiness life of London, the county seat. of Madison county, are better known than that of J. W. Hume, member of the well-known firm of'Anderson & Hume, hardware merchants, a past president of the London Board of Trade and one of the most active figures in the commercial circles of the county. Before going to London to engage in business, Mr. Hume had. for years been engaged in the hardware business in the pleasant village of Big Plain and had done much for the advancement of the general interests of the eastern part of the county. While living at Big Plain he had tuken an active part in the civic affairs of Fairfield township. He owns a good farm in Kairfield township and is regarded as one of the substantial men of Madison county, a very proper subject for review *in a volume of this character, carrying, as it does, biographies of those enterprising men and women who are doing so well their respective parts in the common life of this favored commonwealth.

J. W. Hume was born on a farm near Big Plain. in Fairfield. township. Madison county. Ohio. on August 19, 1872, son of George W. and Isabelle (Davidson). Hume, the former of whom was born on the same farm, son of one of the. best-known pioneers of that section. George W. Hume was a man of substance, an excellent farmer and a good citizen. who did much to advance the welfare of that section of the county in which he so long lived and labored. He remained on the: farm on which he was born until 1895, in which year he and his wife moved to Pickaway county, this state, where they spent their last days. both dying within ten days of each other; Mrs. Hume's death occurring on August 28, 1914, and Mr. Hume's death occurring on September 6, of the same year. They were the parents of two children, the 'subject of this sketch having a brother, Edward D. Hume, living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Reared on the farm and educated in the schools of his home neighborhood, J. W. Hune engaged in the hardware business at Big Plain shortly after reaching his majority, he having opened his store there in 1895, and he was thus engaged until 1907, in which year he moved to London, forming a partnership with Charles B. Anderson in the hardware and furniture business, under the firm name of Anderson & Hume, which partnership is still continued, mutually agreeable and very successful, this firm being one of the best known of its kind in this part of the state.

On December 25, 1895, J. W. Hume was united in marriage to Laura L. Looker, of Lilly Chapel, this county, and to this union two children have beeen born, Robert and Horace. They are active in the good works of the community and are held in bigh regard by all who know them.

Mr. Hume is a Republican and gives proper attention .to the political affairs of the county. During his residence at Big Plain he held the office of township assessor for a time and also served as clerk of the township. Since his arrival in-London he has given close attention to the general commercial and civic affairs of that city and in 1913 was elected president of the Board of Trade there, his activity in advancing the general interests of the county seat having been greatly appreciated by his business associates, all of whom 'give him their fullest confidence and hold him in high esteem. Mr. Hume is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Lilly Chapel and of the Knights of Pythias lodge at Big Plain. He has a wide acquaintance throughout the county and is popular with all who know him.

Robert W. Boyd

For many years the name Boyd has been indissolubly connected with the best affairs of Madison county, the Boyds, father and son, having been prominently associated with almost every movement for the advancement and betterment of local conditions that has arisen hereabouts in the last quarter of a century. In a biographical sketch covering the interesting and useful career in this county of the late Robert Boyd, president of the London Exchange Bank, presented elsewhere in this volume, a history of the beginnings of the Boyd family in Madison county is given, to which the reader is respectfully referred in connection with the present subject. it thus being sufficient to say here that Robert W. Boyd, cashier of the London Exchange Bank and son of the late Robert Boyd, former president of that sound old financial institution, is representing honorably and serviceably the third generation of the Boyd family in this county, even as his father and his grandfather had served the community in their day and generation. Fulsome praise has no place in a work of this character and, indeed, ought never be countenanced; yét it is not too much to say that Robert W. Boyd is one of the most popular men in Madison county. Emerson, in his great essay on "Character," recalls the indignation of an eloquent Methodist at the kind admonitions of a doctor of divinity, - ''My friend, a man can neither be praised nor insulted ;" and, indeed, in this age when the superlative is shrieking throughout the land, it would seem that even the common acceptance of the term praise had out- -worn its wonted use, for everything whose praises the promoters are shouting from the housetops is either the greatest this or the greatest that that ever was. What with "the puff direct and the puff collateral and the puff oblique" of the old time, magnified by the megaphonic methods of the modern advertiser, praise - if, despite the eloquent Methodist whom Emerson cites, praise be possible - has overshot itself. When every- 'thing has become alike superlative, there are no superlatives and the promotet's adjec- tives are regarded askance by those whose ears are assaulted by the tumult of his cries. However, there is such a thing as proper and due praise, the modest meéed that merit claims, and it surely is not ill-timed or unfitting that, on such a page as this, a few words be said in passing regarding the life and the personality of Robert W. Boyd, whose enterprising, energetic and public-spirited career in this county has been productive of such large results in the way of bettering conditions hereabout.

Robert W. Boyd was born in the city of London, this county, on October 4, 1864, son of Robert and Caroline (Wilson) Boyd, the former of whom was the eldest son of James and Martha (Millikin) Boyd, who came to this county in 1830 from Pennsylvania, Martha Millikin having been a daughter of Col. James Millikin. Caroline Wilson was the daughter of Valentine and Nancy (Roberts) Wilson, who settled in this county in the year 1810.

Reared amid the very best parental influences, Robert W. Boyd received his elementary education in the public schools of the city of London, the county seat, and was graduated from the London high school with the class of 1882. He then entered Ohio Wesleyan University, where he spent two years; following which excellent course he entered Duff's Mercantile College at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated with high honors. Upon receiving his diploma, Mr: Boyd returned home and for six years was employed in the county treasurer's office, a period of public service during which he created the best possible impression upon business circles generally in London. From the county treasurer's office Mr. Boyd went to the London Exchange Bank, of which his father was the president, being installed as cashier of that excellent institution on May 15, 1898, and has ever since that time been thus engaged.

Enterprising, energetic and public spirited, Mr. Boyd 'soon found himself called upon to take an interest in numerous enterprises of a local character and for years he has been regarded as one of the busiest and most influential men in Madison county. He not only operates large farming interests, comprising the properties of Shields & Boyd and of Boyd & Foley, all situated near the London corporation, but is the treasurer of the Thomas & Armstrong Manufacturing Company; president of the West Jefferson Telephone Company; treasurer and director of the Madison County Automobile Company, of London; president of the London Creamery Company and director of the London Board of Trade. He also is half owner of the Murray-Boyd building, the finest office building in London, and also is interested, as part owner, in the Hote) London building, the London Exchange Bank building and many other important busiuess properties in London, besides having a helping hand unselfishly outstretched in behalf of every movement or measure iy to promote the best interests of- Madison county and the county seat town.

Mr. Boyd is a Republican and for years has taken an active interest in the political life of the county, his efforts in behalf of good government being' generally recognized throughout this part of the state. For four terms he served as treasurer of the London corporation and has been one of the most influential promoters of civic betterment. In social affairs Mr. Boyd is looked upon as one of'the leaders and is an active and useful member of the influential London Club. He is a thirty-second degree membér of the Masonic fraternity, being a member both of the Scottish rite and of the commandery, and is also a member of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, holding his membership in Aladdin Temple, at Columbus. He also is a member of the Odd Fellows and of the Knights of Aone and in all his eis relations has borne his part well.

'Few men in Madison county ever mee fnepered a larger measure of pail confidence and esteem than. has Robert WwW. apa and he is held in - - - regard throughout the whole county. Diligent in business, he has prospered; cordial in his conversation with his fellowmen, affable and obliging in all his relations in life, he holds the respect of all and is immensely popular with his associates generally.

Ralph V. D. Coons

One. of the most active promoters of the interests of the city of London, county seat of Madison county, is the gentleman whose name is here noted. Though having been identified with the interests of the town for less than ten years, few men there are giving more of their time and talents to the betterment of general conditions than he and since taking up his residence in London he has made a wide circle of friends throughout the county, all of whom have the utmost confidence in the sincerity of his efforts on behalf of the common welfare.

Ralph VY. D. Coons was born in the city of Columbus, the capital of the proud state of Ohio, on September 6, 1872, son of Isaac N. and Agnes (Tracey) Coons, the former of whom was a native of Licking county, Ohio, and the latter of Cumberland, Maryland. Isaac N. Coons for many years was engaged in mercantile business at Columbus, he having been well known there as a dry-goods merchant, but is now living in the Isle of Pines, off the coast of Cuba, to which place he moved on January 11, 1903, and where he is successfully engaged in fruit growing. His wife died on February 11, 1910. They were the parents of five children, namely: M. D., of Marietta, Ohio; Ralph V. D., the immedate subject of this sketch; C. N., of Columbus, Ohio; one deceased, and Ray M., of the Isle of Pines.

-R. V. D. Coons was educated in the public schools of Columbus and his first work was performed as a messenger in the office of Bradstreet's at Columbus, he having worked there for eight months, at the end of which time he was engaged as a messenger in the office of the Western Union Telegraph Company, serving in.that capacity for six months, He then took employment with McCord & Kelly, grain dealers, of Columbus. and remained with that firm for nine years. He later spent five years with another grain firm in Columbus, at the end of which time he became associated with the Cohen & Spencer Lumber Company, of Columbus, remaining with that firm for five years, leaving on January 17, 1907, to go to London, this county, as manager of the Pierce Lumber Company, the largest concern of its kind in Madison county, which was organized in the year 1906, and there he has remained ever since.

On August 31, 1898, Ralph V. D. Coons was united in marriage to Ella McFarland, who was born near Pancake chapel, this county, a daughter of W. H. McFarland, and to this union three children have been born, all of whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Coons are attendants at the Methodist church and Mr. Coons is a member of the men's Bible class of that church. He and his wife are actively interested in the good works of the community and are held in the highest regard therein.

Mr. Coons is a Democrat and though giving due attention to the political affairs of the county, never has been included in the office-seeking class. He is a member of the Masonic order at London and is worshipful master of the lodge in. that city. Mr. 'Coons is especially active in the business affairs of the city and was one of the organizers of the London Board of Trade, which he served as president for the year 1914. He also was one of the organizers and was the first president of the Madison County Fish and Game Protective Association and isa member and director of the London Club, serving that influential club as chairman of the house committee. _He also is a member of the Health and Welfare League of the city:-ofsLondon and of the Business Men's Credit Association. ' self in the business lifé of the city and has also in every way extended the influence of his strong personality throughout the county, he being found in the forefront in all movements designed to promote the general welfare. His straightforward manner and earnest interest in the city of his adoption have won for him the admiration and respect of all who know him and he is held in very high regard in business circles, his associates reposing in him the highest possible confidence.

George Creath

The late George Creath, a successful merchant, who was well known in Madison county and who during his entire life occupied a position of prominence in. the commercial and financial circles of the city of London, was born on October 5, 1837, near Mt. Sterling. He was the son of John and Elizabeth Creath, the former of whom was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, in 1797, and the latter of whom was born in Virginia in 1794. John Creath was the son of William and Margaret Creath, the former of whom was of Irish descent and a pioneer in the state of Kentucky. In 1811, William Creath removed to Ohio and settled near Mt. Sterling, when his son John was a lad fourteen years old. There William Creath lived until his death. On March 25, 1823, John Creath was married to Elizabeth Robey, the daughter of Notly Robey. They had seven children, none of whom are living at the present time. The last survivor was Wiley Creath, who died some years ago. John Creath was captain of a militia for seven years. Although reared in the Presbyterian faith, he later became a member of the United Brethren church. He died on January 15, 1881, at the age of eighty-three years. His wife died previously in December, 1873.

George Creath was only one year old when his parents removed from near Mt. Sterling to airfield township, where they settled on a farm. There they lived for fortythree years. George left the farm at the age of twenty years and came to London, where he clerked in a general store. After working in London for a number of years, in company with his son, Murray. he purchased the store which he conducted until the time of his death, July 28, 1903. Since the death 'of the father, the business has been conducted by his son Murray. The store is that formerly owned by Thomas Rowlen.

On November 23, 1859, George Creath was married to Josephine Murray, the daughter of Maxwell and Jane (Armstrong) Murray, the former of whom was a native of Ross county, Ohio. The complete family history of Mrs. Creath is to be found in the sketch of Clark Murray, presented elsewhere in this volume. .

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Creath lived for a time on Oak street, until their residence burned. They then removed to South Oak street. Still later they removed to West High street, and finally to Elm street, the present home of Mayor Burns. Mrs. George Creath died on September 24, 1908.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Creath were members of the Presbyterian church at London and were strong in the faith of this denomination. Mrs. Creath's father had been one of the founders of the Presbyterian church in London. George Creath was an ardent Republican, ana a prominent member of the 'Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was a man who, despite business cares, was devoted primarily to the interests of his home and family. He disliked to leave home under any and all circumstances. He and his wife were keenly devoted to each other, and enjoyed a most happy married life. They had six children: Carrie married Walter Arbuckle, and died at the age of fifty: Wiley died on September 29, 1880, at the age of eighteen; Herman died in infancy; Minnie J. is the wife of Lester Bidwell, referred to elsewhere in this volume; Murray M. is a well-known merchant of London, and is referred to elsewhere in this volume; Louise married Harry E. Baner, of Springfield. Ohio.

'The Creath fumily has always been regarded as one of the substantial famities of Madison county. They have been prominent in the various phases of the. community life in the city of London and vicinity. George Creath, during his life, enjoyed. the admiration of a large circle of friends.

Robert Boyd

In waking up the annals of Madison county, the historian is confronted at many points by the indisputable evidences of the permanence of the work accomplished by the late Robert Boyd, one of the leading men of his day and generation in this county. Robert Boyd was a man of high ideals and of extraordinary power of initiative, whose life touched at many angles the common life of his community and whose strong personal influence ever was. directed along right channels. A resident of this county from the time he was six years of age, he grew into the very life of the commonwealth and became a powerful factor therein. Enterprising, energetic and public spirited, Mr. Boyd's rapid progress to a position of power and influence in this section of the state was but natural and the large rewards he gathered along the way were but proper guerdons of the race well won. Touching at many points the commercial, finaneial and industrial life of the county, he brought to all these relations the best service of his vigorous intellect, his fine courage and bis rare wisdom and in whatever field his labors carried him he wrought well. Growing up on a farm-in Canaan township, this county, Mr. Boyd became one of the largest landholders and most extensive livestock dealers in the county; later entering the banking business he rose to a position of large influence in financial circles hereabout and became interested in numerous enterprises, all of which profitec by his connection therewith. In .his church and social relations, Mr. Boyd was equally prominent, his fine manly qualities being impressed upon all with whom he came in contact, and his death in 1905 was widely and sincerely mourned, for he was a man who had done well his part in life.

Robert Boyd was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, on October 9, 1824, the eldest son of James and Martha (Millikin) Boyd, natives of that state, the latter of whom was the daughter of Col. James Millikin. James Boyd and his small family came to Madison county in 1830, locating on a farm in Canaan township, quickly taking their places among the leaders of the community life of that section of the county. James Boyd died at the early age of thirty-three years and his widow lived to a ripe old age, being, in her day, one of the best-known and most widely respected and influential women in her neighborhood. They were the parents of four children.

Being the eldest of the children of his widowed mother, Robert Boyd early was compelled to assume a responsible position in life and thus, by the time he had reached manhood's estate, had acquired those fine qualities of rugged independence and developed that keen sense of initiative which later in life were to stand him so well in stead. He remained on the home place, assisting his mother in the management of the farm until the time of his marriage in 1849, in which year he engaged in farming for himself, on a tract of one hundred and forty-five acres, a portion of the home farm. Here he prospered and later sold this tract, buying four hundred acres in Jefferson township, where he resided for five years, at the end of which time he left the farm and moved into the city of London, for the more convenient and advantageous prosecution - of his rapidly growing live-stock interests. Even when quite young, Mr. Boyd had. taken an active interest in the live-stock business and gradually developed the same until he became probably the most extensive grazier and. dealer in live stock in the county, a business which he maintained with much success for many. years. During. this time he also extended his land holdings, until he presently became one of. the largest landowners in Madison county. His interests also extended in numerous other directions and as president for many years of the London Exchange Bank of London, he exerted an influence in general business and financial circles second to none in this community. That this influence ever was exerted in behalf of the better interests of the county and that, in all his doings, Mr. Boyd ever was prompted by a desire to further the common good, his unselfish labors thus proving of large value to the public, is one of the best commentaries on his useful life than can be penned. He believed in his fellow men and they trusted him, few men in this county having enjoyed a larger measure of general confidence and esteem than he.

On October 18, 1849, Robert Boyd was united in marriage to Caroline M. Wilson, daughter of Valentine and Nancy (Roberts) Wilson, early settlers of this county, they having come here in the year 1810, and to this union five children were born, namely: Nancy, who married James W. Byers, of London, this county; Alice, who married the Hon. A. G. Carpenter, judge of the appellate court at Cleveland, Ohio; Albert W., of London; Caroline M., who married George W. Kohn, of Van Wert, Ohio, and Robert W., cashier of the London Exchange Bank of London, this cvunty.. The mother of these children died on February 21, 1900, and the father survived until February 15, 1905. Both counted their friends by legions and they were sincerely mourned, it being felt by all that their passing had created vacancies in the community life hereabout that would, indeed, be difficult to fill. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd were earnest members of the Methodist church and for many years had been among the most active workers in the congregation to which they were attached, Mr. Boyd long having been a trustee of the church, in which capacity his services were rendered with the same faithful regard to the best things that characterized all his service in this community. His was a well-filled and a useful life, and his memory long will be cherished in Madison county.

Mrs. Minnie J. Bidwell

Born in the city of London, and for a number of years prominent in the educational circles of Madison county, Mrs. Minnie J. (Creath) Bidwell was educated in the public schools of London, was graduated from the high school at the latter place in the class of 1887, and was also a student in Wooster University, of Wooster, Ohio, and at Chicago University.

Mrs. Bidwell is the fourth child born to her parents in a family of six children. Her parents were the late George and Josephine (Murray) Creath, the former of whom was born October 5, 1837, at Mt. Sterling, and who died July 28, 1903, and the latter was born November 23, 1859, the daughter of Maxwell and Jane (Armstrong) Murray. The late George Creath was a son of John and _ Elizabeth Creath, natives respectively, of Kentucky and Virginia, the former being born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, in 1897, and the latter in the Old Dominion state in 1794. John Creath was a son of William and Margaret D. Creath, the former of whom was of Irish descent and a pioneer of the state of Kentucky. In 1811 William Creath emigrated to Madison county, Ohio, and settled near Mt. Sterling, where his death occurred. He married Elizabeth Robey. March 25, 1823. She was a daughter of Notly Robey. John Creath and wife were the parents of seven children, of whom Wiley, the last survivor, died several years ago. John Creath died January 15, 1881, at the age of eighty-three, while his wife had passed away previously in December, 1873. He was the captain of a militia company for seven years, and although reared in the Presbyterian faith, in later years became a member of the United Brethren church.

Mrs. Minnie J. (Creath) Bidwell taught twelve years in the London high school, and was principal of the high school for three years. This high school has an enrollment of one hundred and seventy-five pupils, graduating thirty-one with the elass of 1915.

During the previous year a class of forty-two was graduated from the high school. Mrs. Bidwell began her career as a high school instructor about 1903, and for a number of years taught English and history. Before this she had taught first in the schools .of Range township, and afterward in the city schools, where she taught all grades (except the fourth) at various times.

While engaged in teaching Mrs. Bidwell was a prominent worker in teachers' institutes and teachers' associations, including the National [ducational Association. She has also been prominent in the work of women's clubs in Madison county. She is ardently devoted to educational work, and also takes an active interest in the work of the Presbyterian church, of which she is an earnest and devoted member. Mrs. Bidwell spent the summer of 1913 touring Europe. She visited Italy, Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland and other old world countries.

On September 12, 1913, just after her return from abroad, Minnie J. Creath was married to Lester J. Bidwell, and they are now residing in London.

Guy Underwood

Among the prominent London attorneys is Guy Underwood, a native of this city, who has served as private secretary to a member of Congress from this district, as assistant librarian of the House of Representatives, as Washington correspondent of the Ohio State Journal, and as campaigner in behalf of the re-election of President Taft in 1912.

Guy Underwood was born in London, January 3, 1867, and is the son of the late Dr. A. H. Underwood, who was born on April 21, 1836, in Brimfield, Portage county, Ohio. Dr. A. H. Underwood read medicine with Dr. A. S. Weatherby at Cardington, Ohio, in 1862, and was graduated from the Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1865. He began the practice of medicine at South Charleston, and in February, 1866, came to London where he practiced his profession continuously until his death. September 2, 1890.

Born in London, reared in this city where he received the rudiments of an education, having graduated from the London high school with the class of 1884, Guy Underwood has become a well-known attorney in this section of the state. He taught school for four years in Madison county, and served as deputy county clerk for four years under Frank Dun and as deputy county treasurer under John T. Vent, serving the first part of two terms.

In April, 1890, Mr. Underwood was appointed bookkeeper in the sixth auditor's office of the treasury department at Washington, D. C. When George W. Wilson, of London, was elected to Congress, in 1892, he chose Mr. Underwood as his private secretary. This position was held for a period of one term, and Mr. Underwood was appointed as assistant librarian of the House of Representatives, which position he held until 1901, a period of seven years. Mr. Underwood was Washington correspondent of the Ohio State Journel on the floor of the House of Representatives. In the meantime, he graduated from the old Columbian, now the George Washington Law School, with the class of 1896, and later took a post-graduate course in the same school. He was admitted at this time to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. After leaving Washington, Mr. Underwood began the practice of law at London. He has since practiced there, with the exception of about one year and one-half, in 1913 and 1914, when he was located at Seattle, Washington. A Republican in politics, Mr. Underwood "stumped" the state of Washington and also the state of Ohio in the second campaign of President Taft.

Mr. Underwood is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and at the old Columbian University, was a member of the Greek letter society, Phi Gamma Delta. Mrs. Underwood is a member of the Hpiscopal church, and is prominent in the various societies and activities of this church. _

Charles Sherwood

The words "London, Ohio," with the trade-mark wreath in gold is the only advertisement on the end of the "'London" copper-finished vault. This trade-mark is viewed by thousands every day at interments in every part of the United States. And so it is a fact that the "London" vault advertises Madison county.

This vault is 'a London invention. Several years ago Charles Sherwood conceived the idea of an ornamented vault. Up to that time grave vaults had been strictly utilitarian, made for use and, while there were a number that were made which were satisfactory, Mr. Sherwood felt that this article (used at a time of great tension) should be more than a mere steel rough box. So, after designing an especially effective lock and other mechanical features, he drew the original plans and took out. patents on the device practically as it is made now. .

The finished article, as made by the London Graye Vault Company, is 5g tbhncdael even by competitors to be the most beautiful and satisfactory article of its kind on the market. So that in this instance, as well as in others, London, Ohio, stands for "first grade." The vault was developed in its entirety in London by the best grade of designing talent that could be secured. It is first class in every particular as is the concern which makes it. .

As the general manager of this concern, Mr. Sherwood is doing his share toward placing London as a high-grade manufacturing center. The carefully prepared literature of the company goes to all parts of the United States, and the company has customers now in forty of the states.

As the "London" vault is favorably known locally, it is scarcely necessary to refer to the beauty of the design, and to the security which it gives, not only from grave robbery, but from water in the grave. Many Madison county citizens have felt and appreciated the relief which this excellent device has given them at the one moment when any relief is so acceptable. This relief is not only due to the positive assurance of protection. put also to the beauty which this device lends to the last moment at the grave side. The time has passed when those who are left are called on to suffer from the thought that the remains of their beloved repose, in a water-filled grave. The time is also passed when those who are left will remember only the crude rough-box that covered the casket. For the beauty of the "London" vault, with its positive assurance of safety. has eliminated all of this.

If the "London" vault were a common-place steel box, as are all of the other vaults, while London might be proud of the success of the institution making such a vault, it would not have the satisfaction that it now has. For. the 'London" grave vault, in its beautiful copper finish. and with its well-designed and massive bronze rests, is a thing of beauty. It stands in the first class. Mr. Sherwood's credit lies in the conception and execution of an article that is far in advance of anything of the kind that has ever been manufactured. And London and Madison county are benefiting by. this commercial and artistic idea properly put into execution.

The London Grave Vault Company is well worth a visit and any who are intersetea are always welcome to the factory, which is on the Big Four. track west of Maple street.

It occupies two and one-half acres of ground, and the building is of brick and steel con- * struction. The company does an annual business of one hundred thousand dollars and it is certain that this will be increased many fold in the next few years.

Michael S. Murray

That there are enormous differences in the casual power exerted by different minds, depending on their place of vantage in the social system, is, of course, true. Most men merely echo the prevailing opinion or swell the general tide of passion. Even so, such men in the aggregate give to opinion its tendency to prevail, and to passion its tidal and overwhelming power. But the contribution of a single member of the mass is not comparable with that of the individual who occupies a place of prominence or authority. Such a mind operates at a source, coloring all that springs from it, or at a crucial point, where every slight deflection is enormously magnified in the consequence. There are not a few such men of initiative in Madison county, one of the best known of whom is Michael §S. Murray, the subject of this interesting biographical review, ope of the most prominent and influential personages in this section of Ohio.

Michael S. Murray was born on a farm in Stokes township, this county, on January 1, 1856, son of Martin and Bridget (Roddy) Murray, both natives of County Mayo, Ireland, the former of whom was born near Castlebar, the chief town of Mayo, and the latter near the town of Ballina. Martin Murray emigrated to America in 1847, iocating at Springfield, this state, near which city he engaged in farming. In July 1853, Martin Murray was united in marriage to Bridget Roddy, who had come to America in 1850, locating also at Springfield. In 1854, they came to Madison county, locating on a farm near the village of Solon, in Stokes township, where they remained until the year 1860, at which time they removed to a farm near Jeffersonville, in Fayette county. In 1866, they moved to the farm in Union township, Madison county, where they lived until 1892, in which year they retired from the farm and moved into the city of London, where their last days were spent, Mrs. Murray's death occurring in March, 1910, and Mr. Murray dying in December, 1911. They were the parents of eleven children, seven of whom are still living; the others, besides the subject of this sketch, being John, of West Jefferson, this county; James, Martin, Mary and Margaret, of Columbus, this state, and Katherine, who is a nun in a convent in Kentucky.

Michael S. Murray was reared on the paternal farm, receiving his elementary education in the' common schools of his home township, which was supplemented by a course in a select school at Springfield and at the National Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio. For several years then he taught school in this county, meantime reading law, and in 1884 was admitted to practice law at the bar of the Madison circuit court, in which year he moved to London, the county seat, which ever since has been his home. For more than twenty years Mr. Murray practiced law alone; in January, 1904, he formed his present effective and mutually agreeable partnership with P. R. Emery. From the very start Mr. Murray has occupied a prominent position at the bar of the Madison county courts and at the bars of the courts of adjacent counties, and few lawyers in this section of the state have a wider reputation than he. Vigorous, forceful, a master of the law, skilled in practice and possessed of a singularly engaging personality, Mr. Murray has made for himself a name to conjure with in the courts of this district and he possesses the utmost confidence and the highest respect of bench and bar alike. The firm of Murray & Emery has charge of the legal business of many important interests in Madison and adjoining counties, to all of which the most careful attention is given, among the firm's clients being the Madison National Bank and the extensive Houstonian interests.

On November 22, 1881, Michael S. Murray was united in marriage to Anna Gallagher, of South Charleston, Clark county, this state, to which union three children have been born, namely: Mayme, who is at home with her parents; Frank J., who is probate judge of Madison county, and John Emmet, an attorney of Chehalis, Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Murray are members of the Catholic church and their children have been reared in that faith. They are earnestly interested in the good works of their home city and are held in the highest esteem by the entire community, their many fine qualities, both of head and heart, attracting to them a large circle of very warm friends.

Mr. Murray is a Democrat and. his voice for years has been an influential one in, the deliberations of the party managers of this district. He never has held office, though he was candidate, in 1908, for judge of the common pleas court of this district. Though he carried his own county and two others of the five counties in the district, he was defeated, the Republican "land slide' in the two counties that went against him being sufficient to turn the tide of popular favor against him. Mr. Murray is an active, energetic, public-spirited citizen and for many years has been regarded as one of the foremost leaders in the business and professional life of this section. He is a director in the London Exchange Bank and also holds other important connections, his position in business and financial circles being as firmly established as is his exalted position in legal circles.

Samuel S. Van Cleve

One of the flourishing industries of Madison county, Ohio, is the Madison Tile Company, located between the Pennsylvania and the Big Four railroad tracks in the city of London. In 1896 the firm was established as the Van Cleve Brothers. The company now owns about seventy acres of fine clay and makes tile from four to twenty-four inches in diameter, having a capacity of six hundred carloads annually and employing about twenty-five men and six teams for delivering farm drain tile. The business has been growing for many years, the output in 1914 having been the largest in the history of the business. Within recent years, the capacity has been increased on several occasions. This business was started in a small way, but the capital has been increased from time to time, growing to its present large proportions.

Samuel S. Van Cleve, who has had charge of this plant for some time, formerly operated a plant at Big Plain, in Madison county, and has been in the tile business in this county for twenty-five years. He had learned all of the details of manufacturing tile at the age of eighteen. :

Mr. Van Cleve was born in Madison county, three miles west of London in Union township, August 15, 1866. He is the son of B. T. and Amanda Van Cleve, of Dayton, who came to Madison county in 1865, and who engaged in farming near Lilly Chapel in Fairfield township. Both died in this county.

In 1892 Samuel S. Van Cleve was married to Minnie Higgins, the daughter of Dr. C. W. Higgins, of Derby, Pickaway county, Ohio. Mrs. Van Cleve was born in Madison county. Her father was a successful physician at Big Plain for many years and one of the best-known men in this section of Ohio. He died at Derby, while engaged in the . grain business and in farming. Mr. and Mrs. Van Cleve have been the parents of two children, Jane and Charles, both of whom live at home.

C. B. Van Cleve, one of the Van Cleve brothers, has been engaged in the manufacture of tile at different places in Ohio for the past thirty years or more. He is known as one of the most successful tile men in this state. Another brother, Simpson Van Cleve, of West Mansfield, Ohio, is engaged in the manufacture of tile at Ada, West Mansfield and Marysville. He is one of the best-known tile manufacturers in Ohio at this time and it is his son, Harry, who is a member of the firm, the Madison Tile Company, at London, Still another brother, J. W. Yan Cleve, is also engaged in the. manufacture of tile and was in partnership with S. S. Van Cleve until his death in March, 1913, after twenty-three years continuous experience in the tile business.

'he Madison Tile Company has a business which extends all over Madison county, nud all over this section of Ohio. 'hey take contracts from county commissioners and some of these contracts amount to several thousand dollars. In fact, the manufacture of tile under contract is one of the principle businesses of the Madison Tile Company.

The Rowland Family

In a plot of ground a little way from Mt. Sterling, Monroe township, Pickaway county, Ohio, are the graves of three generations of distinguished men. Distinguished they were for love of country and love of liberty, a rich legacy to bequeath to their children and their children's children.

John Rowland, the first of the name in the new country, was a soldier in the War of Independence, the record of his services being on file in the archives of Mt. Sterling chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. As has been written of him: "A young min of thirty-one at the time of the birth of the republic, he helped to rock the eradle and then participated in the life of the republic through its infant struggles, its vigorous youth and its matured manhood." John Rowland came to Ohio in a wagon from the state of Delaware in 1811 and bought a farm in Monroe township, Pickaway county, where he spent the rest of his life and 'was buried, his death occurring on March 18, 1850, at the great age of one hundred and five years and seven months. Mary Osborne, wife of John Rowland, died on February 26, 1858, aged one hundred and three years, and is buried by his side.

Samuel Rowland, the eldest of the eight children of John and Mary (Osborne) Rowland, born on May 4, 1792, is the second soldier to be buried in the hallowed spot above referred to. He served in the War of 1812, receiving for his services a land warrant which he later sold in Circleville. About the year 1824 Samuel Rowland married Rebecca Dyer, a native of Virginia, a young woman of beauty and spirit, who came on horseback with a party of pioneers from Harper's Ferry, bringing with her her small sister and a young negro, her father having been a slaveholder. She was proud of her. soldier husband and displayed for many years on the wall of their cabin his army cap, sword and musket. She died on September 2, 1872, aged eighty years and five months. and is buried in the Rowland cemetery.

The third soldier to be buried there is Samuel Rowland, Jr., third son of Samuel and Rebecca (Dyer) Rowland. While serving as first lieutenant of Company E, One Hundred and Fourteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, he fell a victim of fever and died at Youngs Point, Louisiana, February 15, 1863, aged thirty-five years.

K1za Rowland, eldest son of. Samuel and Rebecca Rowland, was born in Monroe township, Pickaway county, April 8, 1826. A young man of studious habits, by diligent application he acquired considerable education, being proficient especially in mathematics. and he readily passed the required examinations and for some years taught school. He had some knowledge of legal forms. such as agreements, leases and contracts, and his services were in frequent demand. As Squire Rowland. he was. peacemaker and arbiter in all the neighborhood differences, and the marriage ceremony also was within his province. Being of a cheerful.. genial disposition the squire was always a welcome guest at the social gatherings of his people, and the sick and the needy ever were subjects of his personal ministration. Squire Rowland was chiefly engaged in farming and stock raising. his pride in this pursuit for years having led him to be an unfail- ing exhibitor and patron at the county fairs, which ,in an earlier time, were the great annual visiting seasons of the farmer. He bought and sold live stock, and for a number of years was perhaps the largest shipper. to the Eastern markets in, Ohio. At this writing, in his eighty-ninth year, he lives. in his own home in Mt. Sterling, near the home of his daughter, Mrs. J. Wesley Beale, his only surviving child. With his great height, a family mark, and kindly dignity, he has a truly patriarchal appearance. For some years his birthdays have been occasions of general interest in the community in which, he lives surrounded by the affectionate respect of. many friends and. greatly beloved by the children. . ;

On October 2, 1846, Elza Rowland was married to Mariah Jane Thomas, a beautiful girl in her eighteenth year. Of gentle birth and exquisite breeding, she graced and dignified the cabin home. Like the Rowland family, of whom they were neighbors, the Thomases were pioneers, Jane Thomas's grandparents, Jeremiah and Ellen (Norris) Thomas, having come to Ohio from Harper's Ferry, Virginia, in 1807. Her greatgrandfather, Jeremiah, a soldier in the patriot army during the War of the Revolution, is buried at Harper's Ferry. His wife, Mary, came to Ohio with her family after his death and is buried in the Thomas burial ground on the banks of Clarks run not far from Mt. Sterling. The family records, which are filed with the Carnegie library at Mt. Sterling, show the family to be descended from Thomas Thomas, a native of Wales, who emigrated with his family to a plantation near Baltimore, Maryland, early in the seventeenth century. From 1651 until 1656 he was high commissioner of the provincial court. . .

One hundred acres and the cabin built of logs was a marriage gift to Jane Thomas and Elza Rowland from her father and mother, John and Abigail (Van Buskirk) Thomas, and was located on a corner of their lands. Describing her. early surroundings with loving remembrance in after years, Mrs. Rowland often was wont to relate that in going back and forth to her father's house, a daily occurrence to which she confessed with smiling apology, she followed a "blazed trail' through the wilderness. The trials and hardships incident to a new country were to her but pleasant duties; so, throughout her life responsibilities were assumed and disasters met with unflinching courage. Her world was bounded by home and children, and the death of three children, grown to manhood and womanhood, overwhelmed her with grief and shadowed her remaining years. She died at her home in Mt. Sterling on May 29, 1905, aged seventy-five years, ten months. The family were of the faith of the Christian church and gave generously to its support. In times of health they were regular in attendance at the services.

Caroline, daughter of Elza and Jane (Thomas) Rowland, was born on November 26, 1848, and was educated in the public schools and the Zenia Seminary. She had a decided talent for music, and while her opportunity for study was not. great, her taste and appreciation have ever been a source of pleasure to herself and her friends. Her life is the not uncommon one filled with domestic routine and her devotion to her aged father is a beautiful feature of her daily concern. It may be truly written of her, "she was her 'mother's daughter." On July 23, 1868, Caroline Rowland was married, at the family home on the Chillicothe road, near Mt. Sterling, to J. Wesley Beale, and lives in Mt. Sterling.

A gracious Providence was generous in her gifts to Perry C.. Rowland. the eldest son of Elza and Jane (Thomas) Rowland. A man of commanding presence, of quiet reserve and dignity, he lived a life of activity amid exciting events. While claiming Ohio as his native state, the greater part of his business career was lived in Pittsburgh, that city of eternal hurry. To have lived in those stirring times when panics and industrial strikes were the rule rather than the exception, and to have weathered the-storm in a business fraught with many interests, required alertness, a well-balanced mind and keen insight into business conditions. Kindly and generous to a fault, Perry C. Rowland viewed life and success by what use was made of it, and many times his was the helpful hand which intervened when misfortune threatened some friend or associate. Mspecially was he interested in the boys and young men in the office, counseling them in matters relating to the value of education, in more than one instance giving them opportunity for college study when some special talent seemed to justify it. Mr. Rowland had a sincere interest and kindly supervision over the young men from "back home," who sought him in the-city in pursuit of education or employment. Perry C. Rowland's business career covered a period of thirty years, in which he was engaged as a commission merchant in Ft. Wayne and in Indianapolis, Indiana, and for twenty years in the Pittsburgh-Central stockyards. It was during this latter period that he acquired lands in Ohio and became actively engaged in farming.

Perry Rowland's boyhood was spent in and around Mt. Sterling, this county, where he attended the district school, getting whatever education the opportunity offered. He entered college at Merom, Indiana, and completed the college course at Lebanon, Ohio. For:a time he studied law, but financial reverses occurring in his father's affairs, he abandoned this chosen profession for a business career. He was born on June 3, 1851, near Vive Points, Pickaway county, this state, and was married to May Morgridge, at Indianapolis, Indiana, on October 16, 1880. He died on October 14, 1901, at the Hotel Rider, Cambrdige Springs, Pennsylvania, and is buried in the Morgridge burial ground at Plain City, this county. His widow and two children, a daughter, Jane, and a son, Hoyt, survive him, living at "Homewood," London, this county.

Mrs. May (Morgridge) Rowland, widow of Perry C. Rowland, is the fourth daughter and fourth child of J. Bailey and Harriet Hoyt (Tuttle) Morgridge, a family whose history has been closely identified with that of Madison county for a hundred years. She was born and reared at "Hickory Grove Farm," the Morgridge homestead, and her childhood days were filled to overflowing with small pleasures, derived from an outdoor life. To that life she attributes her splendid health, she never having been ill for a day in more than half a century. It is with a feeling of gratitude and fervent prayer that this is recorded.

May Morgridge received the usual benefits from attending the country school, and at the age of ten entered the public school at Marysville, Ohio. She later became a pupil at Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, this state, and still later, a student at Buchtel College, Akron, entering there the second year after the founding of that institution. Referring again to her country school days, a word should be written regarding two school districts on the Darby Plains, one known as the Lombard school, and the adjoining district known as the Worthington school. For several years these little local schools were examples of higher education through the efforts of the efficient student-teachers from the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware. A Mr. Ward, who married Miss Alden, of Mechanicsburg, should be mentioned as the first university student-teacher in the Lombard district. It is more than forty years since then, but his "story-telling hour" still lives in the memory of a generation that has passed the meridian of life. A Mr. Carpenter; who married Miss Boyd, of London, was another university student-teacher, who is remembered as a pioneer in tree-planting; the school yard in the Worthington district being today a beautiful example of his work. He put enthusiasm into his advocacy of the outdoor life and was the idol of the school boys.

After her marriage, though going directly from the country to the city, Mrs. Rowland, in a measure, continued the outdoor life. Life there was exceedingly pleasant. As a concession to Madison county antecedents, a spirited horse was always at the beck of her pleasure, with which more fully to enjoy the beautiful parks and miles. of splendid boulevards in Pittsburgh. The city offered many attractions, notably the Carnegie library, built of white marble and stone and erected, far from the heart of the city, in that fine park which is the gift of the beneficent Mrs. Schenley and a monument forever to the generosity of woman. The library building, with its great collection of books, contains also a museum, a notable art gallery, a music hall, with a wonderful organ played by an equally wonderful organist, all "Free to the People." Then there were the great plays and players, not quite so free, perhaps, but one does not count the cost to hear Adelina Patti or Christine Nilsson or to see Edwin Booth, John McCullough, Irving, Miss Terry, Madame Bernhardt and many others equally entertaining. With the passing of the fleeting years, interest in former things lessens; domestic duties are less exacting; there are new interests and new work. Mrs. Rowland is a member of the various progressive organizations in the community - a member of the Madison County Farmers' Club, a charter member of the Mt. Sterling chapter. Daughters of the Ameri-. can Revolution, and a charter member of the London chapter of the same patriotic society, having served as regent and as a member of the state regents' council for the year 1912-13. She is a member of and has served as president of the Woman's Club of London, an organization which has her heartiest co-operation in the splendid work it is doing. Through the initiative and energy of these representative women, a Carnegie library was brought to London, and the public school grounds were permanently beautified and made the peer of any in Ohio. The inspiration for the first municipal Christmas celebration emanated from the Woman's Club, and the tree itself came from the grounds of "Homewood." In times of public calamity and of private misfortune, the Woman's Club has ever been one of the many channels through which the prosperity and good will of this garden spot, Madison county, flow to less favored communities.

Underlying all and dominating a busy life, Mrs. Rowland finds her deepest satisfaction and benefit in her lifelong. membership in the Episcopal church. She and her daughter, Jane, and son, Hoyt, are communicants of Trinity church, London, and are deeply interested in the various beneficences of that parish.

The important advances made in the undertaking business in recent years have completely revolutionized many of the basic details of that business, and the equipment required to be carried in stock by the modern funeral director is far different from that of a generation ago. In the well-equipped and up-to-date undertaking establishment of W. HE. Lukens, at London, this county, there is carried not only an auto funeral car, the only one in London and the first of the kind brought to Madison county, but an auto ambulance, which also is the only one of the kind in the county. In every other respect Mr. Lukens is up-to-date in his manner of conducting his business, and in connection with his place there is an admirably-fitted funeral chapel, while his horse equipment leaves nothing to be desired for the proper conduct of funerals. Mr. Lukens is a first-class undertaker and is an active and influential member of the Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association of Ohio.

W..E. Lukens was born on a farm in Franklin county, Ohio, oun November 16, 1883. the only son of G..K. and Mary (Moore) Lukens, both natives of that county, who moved to Madison county when their son was six years of age, buying a farm in the Lilly Chapel neighborhood, where they now live. They have one other child, a daughter, Elta, who is with them on the home farm.

_After finishing the. course in the schools at Big Plain, si this county, W. E. Luken spent two years on the home farm, assisting his father in the operation of the sane, and then went to Columbus, this state, where he entered the undertaking establishment of Pletcher-Brown Company, where he remained 'for one year, at the end of which time he went to Springfield, this state, where he acquired further valuable experience in the undertaking business in the establishment of C. F. Jackson, in which he owned oné-half interest..° After which he returned to this county and located at London, where he bought the undertaking parlors of G. W. Lewis and has since been very successfully engaged 'in this business, having one of the best-equipped establishments of this kind in central Ohio.

On November 7, 1907, W. E. Lukens was united in marriage to May Van Horn, of Big Plain, this county, and to this union one child has been born, a daughter, Margaret. Mr. and Mrs. Lukens are members of the Methodist church, Mr. Lukens being connected with the official board of the same, for two years being financial secretary, and are earnestly interested in various movements for the advancement of all good causes hereabout, their many friends holding them in the very highest regard.