Shelby County, Ohio - The whole text, 1883 (part 21 of 30)

The ancestors of the Fulkersons are from Holland and England, but who they were, or when they came, we cannot learn. The first we know of them was in the person of Joseph Farling Fulkerson, the father of the above. He was born in New Jersey in the year 1796. When a young man he went to Pennsylvania. It was here, in the year 1822, that he married Margaret A. Messiuger. They resided in Easton, l'a. About the year 1826 they removed to the city of New York, where Dr. Fulkerson was born in 1828. In 1839 they emigrated to Monroe County, Ohio. From there they removed to Crawford County, Ohio, where he died in 1875. His wife died at the same place in 1874. They reared a family of nine children. Dr. G. W. was the fourth of the children. He lived with his parents until he had arrived at his majority, at which time he commenced the study of medicine under Dr. Joel Johnston, of Bucyrus. He remained there but a short time, when he and his preceptor went to Bellefontaine, and engaged in the drug trade until 1855, when they dissolved partnership, and Dr. Fulkerson went to Pleasant Hill, Ohio, and associated himself with Dr. Cable in the practice of medicine. In 1857 he married Elizabeth Nishwitz, of West Milton, Miami County, and the same year came to Newport, Shelby County, Ohio. He took his medical course, and graduated at the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati in 1859. He has been for a number of years a member of the Eclectic Medical Society of Ohio. His wife died in 1858. In 1876 he married Miss Maggie Mills, a daughter of D. C. Mills, one of the pioneers of Cynthian Township. Mrs. Fulkerson was born near Newport in 1852. By this union 'they have two children, John Medaris, born 1878, and Waiter Roy, born 1880. The doctor is engaged in the drug trade in connection with the practice of medicine, at which he has been engaged for the past twenty-five years. He has been one of the leading spirits in starting and building up the M. E. Church of his town. Although not a member of the church at the time of its erection, he was made one of the trustees and building committee. He has given much of his time and means to the public interests of his town and township.

John Schwartz (the father of the above) was born in Germany in 1803. Came to the United States in 1829, and located in Pennsylvania. He was the only one bf the family or name that ever came to America. In 1831 he married Marinh Rhorer, and immediately came to Ohio, and located in Dayton, where he remained a couple of years, then removed to Piqua. Here he engaged in hotel-keeping, which he followed about twenty-two years. In 1855 he bought land in Cynthiah, where his son Samuel now lives. They raised a family of seven children, viz., Samuel, Elizabeth, Mariah, Daniel, Lydia, Tracey, and Frances. Mr. Schwartz died in 1872. His widow still survives, and makes her home on the old home place. Samuel, the eldest of the family, was born in Piqua in the year 1838. He made his home with his parents during his minority. In 1861 he entered the army under Gen. Fremont in the Benton Cadets; served until they disbanded. In 1862 he re-enlisted in the 118th 0. V. I., was made orderly sergeant of Company C, and served until the close of the war; never was off duty during his service. In an engagement at Resaca every commissioned officer of his company was either killed or wounded, and the command of the company fell upon him for some length of time. In 18^7 he married Elizabeth Mormann, a daughter of Benjamin Mormann. By this union they have four children, viz., Frank T., Tracey C., Samuel A , and James M. Mr. S. is now the owner of the old homestead of his father, containing 190 acres. He 'has been honored by his township electing him to fill the offices of township trustee, clerk, constable, and land appraiser.

The Killians are of German extraction, but it was several generations back when they came to this country. The first we know of them was in Pennsylvania^ It was here that Jacob Killian was born in 1813. In 1829 he came to Stark County, Ohio. He married Cassannah Dellinger in 1832, and came to Shelby County in 1852. They had born to them eleven children, six of whom are now living. Mr. Killian died in 1873.

Daniel Killian, son of the above, was born in Stark County in the year 1846. He lived with his parents until his majority, and afterwards learned the blacksmith trade, which he has followed until the present time. In 1870 he married Miss Rachel Crossley, a daughter of Joseph and Joanna ( Davis) Crossley, of Allen County, Ohio. By this union they have two children, Lilly M. and Ira D. In 1877 they located in Newport, where he carries on a smith shop.

The Crossleys, the parents of Mrs. Killian, were pioneers of Allen County. They were the first settlers on the land now occupied by Lima. Mr. Crossley was a brickmaker. He made the first brick and built the first brick house in the town of Lima.

was born in Pennsylvania in the year 1803, and was brought by his parents to Montgomery Count}', Ohio, in 1806. In 1826 he married Ann M. Dota. They came to Cynthian Township in March, 1832. He died in 1871. Ilis wife died in 1854. John Taylor, his father, was born in Pennsylvania in 1778, and married Rosanna Alexander in 1801. Three years later (1806) they found a home in Montgomery County, Ohio, and built the first frame house in Washington Township. He died in 1843.

a- son of William Taylor, was born in Montgomery County in 1830, and married Rachel Hughs, a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Raines) Hughs, in 1857. Their family of children were nine in number, as follows: Ann M., Alexander, Margaret J., Ocea A., Lucinda D., Mary A., Willie, Clara, V., and Addie L.

Richard Short, the eldest one of the name who came to Shelby County, was born in Virginia. He came to Montgomery County in 1830, and from there to Shelby County in 1833. He died in 1846. George, his son, was born in Virginia in 1811. He came with his father to Shelby in 1833. and married Elizabeth Clayton in 1835. Their family consisted of six children, Mary, William, Ann, Elizabeth, John, and Harriet. Mrs. Short died in 1876.

Isaac Short, Esq., was born in Virginia in 1804, and married Mary Vandegrif in 1827. In 1830 they moved to Montgomery County, Ohio, remaining there until the spring of 1833, when they came to Shelby County. They reared a family of ten children, viz., Susannah, John, Christopher, George, Isaac N., Rachel, A. Jason, Martha, Richard, and William. Mr. Short was one of the prominent men of his township

He served for many years as justice of the peace, and filled other official positions in his township. He died in 1873. His widow still survives and makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. Hollinger, who resides on the old homestead.

Allison J Short, a son of Isaac Short, was born in Cynthian Township in 1841. He married Sarah E. Butt, a daughter of George and Lucinda (Mann) Butt, in the year 1862. Their family of children are as follows: Thomas N., Martha A., Allie G., and William J.

deceased, was born in France in 1836. He was a son of Francis Marshall. Just when he came to the United Stales we cannot learn, but he settled in this township in 1853. In 1864 Joseph married Philomenn Spraley, who was born in Germany in 1844. John Spraley, her father, came from Germany to the United States in 1847, and made their settlement in this township the same year. Mr.and Mrs. Marshall, after their marriage, engaged in the hotel and saloon business in Newport, which he followed during the remainder of his life. He died in 1881. During the rebellion he served as a soldier in Company C., 118th 0. V. I. He was wounded at the battle of Mossy Creek, Tenn., and was discharged from the service on account of his wounds in 1864. His wounds never healed, and he died from their effects. The year 1881 was a sorrowful year to Mrs. Marshall; she buried her husband, father, and mother all the same year. She was left alone with three small children. Since the death of her husband she has carried on the business of the hotel and saloon, as did her husband in his lifetime.

A petition was presented to the Commissioners at their session in March, 1825, for the formation of a new township under the name of Grayson. The township was formed from parts of Loramie, Clinton, and Turtle Creek. An election was ordered to be held at the house of Joseph Stewart the April following, for the purpose of electing officers, but owing to an appeal being taken from the decision of the Commissioners to the Court of Common Pleas, the election was not held until the September following.

The township was named Grayson by Col. Jesse Wilson, in honor of the county in which he was born, in the State of Virginia, but retained this name but a short time, when it was changed to that of Washington. It is one of the southern tiers of townships, and borders on Miami County, and has an area of about twenty -five square miles. Its surface is undulating, but not broken, except along the streams. The soil generally is of a rich clay loam and gravel, except in a portion of the northern part, where clay predomi nates, and the soil is rather thin, but with good cultivation is productive. The township is well watered ; its eastern boundary is formed principally by the Great Miami River. Loramie Creek, a stream of considerable magnitude, enters the township near its northwest corner, and flows southeast and enters the Great Miami just outside the county. Turtle Creek enters the township from the north, flows south, and empties into the Loramie near the centre of the township. Beside these there are other streams, and numerous springs run in different parts that afford ample drainage and water fpr stock. Also the Miami and Erie Canal and its feeder both cross this township In addition to the drainage afforded by these streams, the canal and Loramie Creek give excellent water-power for mills. The Miami and Erie Canal Feeder, which lakes its water from the Great Miami River near Port Jefferson, enters the main canal at Lockington, in this township. This is the summit of this canal. The water flows from the feeder both north and south. The water from this point south has a fall of sixty-seven feet, passing through six locks within the distance of one-half mile.

The system of gravelled roads, for which Shelby County is noted as being »ne of the best in the State, is to be seen in this township. All the principal roads and thoroughfares are graded and gravelled; also, many of the more private ones ; and the time is not far distant when every man will have a gravelled road from his door to any part of the county. The north part of the township is crossed by the C. C. C. and I. R. R., on which is a station, giving the advantage of shipment by rail as well as by water on the canal.

The schools of Washington Township are equal to those of any others in the county. There are good substantial brick school-houses in every district, in which schools are supported from eight to nine months in tiie year.

The first permanent settlement made within the present boundary of Shelby County was made within the limits of this township. It was in the northwest corner on Loramie Creek that James Thatcher built his cabiu, and brought his family as early as 1805. It is not known that there was any other that preceded him in any other part of the county. In 1806 we find that John, Joseph, and David Mellinger had located here in sections 29 and 30, near where Loekington now is. Thomas Karl was found here in 1806. John Wilson settled on the bank of Turtle Creek in section 7, in March, 1807. He was followed by Samuel Marshall in 1808, and he by Samuel McClure in 1810. In 1811 Richard, James, and John Lenox, with their mother and sisters, made their advent. There were probably a few others who came about the same time, but of whom we have no knowledge. The exact year that some of the above settled in the township cannot be definitely ascertained, but from the best information we can gather the time given is not far wrong.

The early settlers of Washington, in common with all the pioneers of the Northwest, endured hardships and privations of which we of to-day have but little conception Their food was always coarse and unpalatable to the modern taste, and often scant - not sufficient for the demands of nature. Their principal food was corn bread and wild meat. Should a settler be fortunate enough to have wheat flour and tame meat, lie was considered to live like a king. It was not the quality of the food that gave them uneasiness, but the quantity. As a substitute for tea and coffee, they used the spice bush and sassafras. Many of the children of that day lived to become men and women without knowing the taste of store tea or coffee. Their clothing consisted of the furs and skins of animals the}' had killed, or a little later along, of flax raised, spun, and woven bj- their own hands. Any article that they had to depend upon purchasing at a store was dispensed with, for there were no stores within reach of them. Their nearest point of trade for several years was Cincinnati, at that time a small village, and it would take them a week or ten days to make the trip through the woods without a road.

The first birth of a white child in this township was a child of Richard Lenox, Julia Ann, who became the wife of William Stephens. The first marriage of which we can learn was William Manning and Ruth Julian. The first brick house was built by John Wilson in the year 1816. The same is now occupied by his daughter, Mrs. Sally Lenox. The first frame barn probably was erected by Gideon Wright. The first sawmill in the township or county was built by Samuel Marshall on Turtle Creek, in the year 1815 or 1816 on the farm now owned by Win. Marshall.

The date of the organization of the Methodist Episeopal Church in this township is cotemporaneous with that of its early settlement. The township being the earliest settled portion of the country, and being settled by Protestants, the missionary of this church soon found his way among them, although perhaps for a number of years after the first pioneers located on the Turtle and Lorauiie creeks, there was no regular organized society. Yet we find James B. Findley and others of the Methodist missionaries preaching to this people. There was no stated lime or place of meeting for worship for a number of years. At one time preaching would be at the cabin of one man, the next time at that of another. It was not very long, however, before a class was formed, and stated meetings were held. Who constituted this society, or when it was organized, cannot now be ascertained, as those who were here at t hat time have long since passed away, and no record has been left behind except such as tradition has handed down. The first society of which we have any definite knowledge was organized at the house of James Thompson, in the year 1825 or 1826. The first class consisted of James Thompson and wife, .Jane Thompson, Joseph Caldwell and wife, Jane Patterson, Thomas Plummer, and Amos Travers. The first leader was James Thompson. Meetings were held at the house of James Thompson for a few years, then at the house of John Legg for about three years. In the year 1838 the society erected a hewed log church on the land of John Legg, and dedicated it under the name of Ebenezer Church. The pastor at this time was Rev. Dixon. The names of the members at the time of the erection of this church were: James Thompson and family, John Legg and family, Ainos Travers and family, James Jackson and family, N. M. Sullivan and mother, Jane Patterson, and Margaret

Thompson. This society was kept up until about 1872, when, owing to there being a society at Loekington and the church building being somewhat dilapidated, the society was abandoned, and its members transferred to Loekington and elsewhere.

The Loekington society was organized in December. 1847, by the Rev. Jacob W. Young, at the home of Wilkinson Post. The first members were W. Post and wife, Mrs. Patten, Mrs. Munson, and Mrs. Harper, with Isaac W. Legg as leader. They worshipped in private houses for about two years. In the summer of 1848 a subscription was taken for the erection of a church, but owing to the cholera epidemic that raged during the summers of 1848 and 1849, the church was not commenced until the year 1850, at which time they built a neat frame church, which was dedicated in June, 1850, by the Kev. Michael Marley. This society has kept up its organization, and has prospered from that time to the present. The present membership is nearly two hundred. The church having been built some thirty years, the society in 1881 enlarged and remodeled it, and now it is a modern and commodious structure. Therg is a flourishing Sabbath-school in connection with the church, which has been kept up from the first organization of tlte society. It has a membership of teachers and scholars of an average of one hundred and fifty.

The first society of this denomination of which we can gain any knowledge in Washington Township was organized at Rock Run about 1844 ; by the Rev. James Winters. The first class consisted of Francis Bailey j and wife, Sarah Rasor, William Dunlap and wife, John Bower and wife, and Blakely Dunlap and wife. The first leader was Francis Bailey. 'J his society kept up its organization for many years, but in course of time, there being churches at Pontiac and Loekington, and they having no church to worship in, the class was broken up by some of the members joining at Pontiac, and others being transferred to Loekington. j The Loekington Society was formed in 1850 by the Rev. Henry Toby. Meetiugs were held for some two years in a school-house. The first members were William Valentine and wife, W. Furnace and wife, C. Beadle and wife, Abram Rasor and wife, Jacob Rasor, and Stephen Alexl ander and wife. The first leader was Jacob Rasor. In 1851 they erected their present church. It was built under the supervision of Jacob Antrim, and dedicated in 1854 by Rev. Henry Cumler. This society has | a present membership of eighty, with a Sabbath-school attached, under the superintendence of Jasper Buxton. The following is a list of the pastors who have been on the Loekington charge since its organization i in 1850, viz.: Jacob Antrim, Phebe Benton, John L. Hoffman, A. W.

This society in Loekington was organized in the year 1871 by Elder John M. Smith. fThe names of the constituent members of the church were Joseph T. Wilkinson, C. Johnston and wife, S. A. Johnston and ! wife, William Beauchamp, John P. Johnston and wife, Joseph T. Barkalow and wife, Henry P. Johnston and wife, Sarah A. .Johnston, Harriet Johnston, and Mrs. .Midlie Mellinger. Services were held in the schoolhouse for about one year, when they bought the same building and reseated, papered, and painted it, and dedicated it as a place of worship, and it has been used as such from that time to the present. The first elders of the church were Joseph T. Wilkinson and Christopher John-, ston. The first deacons were William Beauchamp and S. A. Johnston. In 1872 Elder George Hill was elected pastor, who served about one year. He was succeeded by William Stone, who was followed by Aaron Moore, and he by Elder Blackburn, John Kesler, D. C. Call, and C. G. Bartholomew, the present pastor. The church has a present membership of I about forty. The present officers are S. A. Johnston and C. Johustou, elders; A. L. Gillis and William Beauchamp, deacons.

range 6 east, and was surveyed by Jonathan Counts for David Mellinger, the proprietor, November 17, 1837. Main Street is five rods wide, and bears south 85£ c west. Cross Street is four roils wide, and bears norm 4^° west. All lanes it re two rods wide ; all alleys are one rod wide; all lots are four by ten rods, and contain one quarter of an acre each. Whole number of lots, as shown by original plat, thirty-two. Platted November 17; acknowledged November 28, and recorded December 18, 1837.

The town is thus located in the south part of Washington (originally Grayson) Township, on the summit of the Miami and Erie Canal, this being the point at which the Miami Feeder enters the canal and distril)- utes its waters to the north and south. The point is one of considerable topographic and hydraulic, almost of romantic interest. If not romantic it is at least highly picturesque and interesting. Within a half-mile to the southward are sis canal locks, affording navigation over a fall of some sixty-seven feet within the distance mentioned. To the northward of the town, the canal extends at a dead level for a distance of about twenty-two miles, the first lock in this direction being at New Bremen, Auglaize County. From Lockinglon the Miami Feeder affords canal navigation through Sidney to Port Jefferson, in Salem Township. From the fall afforded by the Lockington Summit, an aqueduct is constructed, by which an unlimited water power is conducted to Piqua, Miami County, a distance of five miles. With the sixty-seven feet of fall at this little town, water-power enough could be utilized to almost drive the industrial wheels of a world. It is of rare interest to the visitor in this section to witness canal boats locking themselves up or down a height of over sixty feet at six steps or bounds, and traverse a distance of a half mile beside, within the short space of one hour. To one not acquainted with the lock system, a visit to this place would prove of rare and pleasurable interest, for if the town presents nothing else of a novel character, its artificial water power and dispersion of water is a peculiar feature possessed by no other town in our State. Besides these artificial water peculiarities, the Loramie Creek, almost a river, sweeps bv the town - a beautiful stream, not devoid of majesty and grace, across which the canal and Piqua water-power are carried by separate aqueducts, constructed of timber alone. Such are the peculiar features which invest this little town with more than every -daj' interest, although its plat and population are small.

Commissioners' Office, September 9, 1857. The petition of thirty of the inhabitants, being qualified voters embraced within the proposed limits of Lockington, was presented to the Commissioners of Shelby County th is day, and by them ordered to be filed by the auditor in his office for the inspection of all persons interested, and the said Commissioners appoint the 9th da}' of December, 1857, as the time for the further determination on the prayer of said petitioners.

Commissioners' Office, December 9, 1857. It is ordered that the village of Lockington be incorporated in accordance with the petition presented in September, under the provisions of an act entitled "An act to provide for the organization of cities and incorporated villages."

Lockington, March 6, 1858. This is to certify that we, as agents of the qualified electors of the incorporated village of Lockington, Ohio, at a meeting held this date, did appoint the first Thursday of April next for the election of municipal officers in said village, to be advertised on the 8th of March, and the succeeding month, which advertisement wrote and truly and duly set up on said day, the following being a true copy of the same : -

The qualified voters of the incorporated village of Lockington, Shelby County, Ohio, will take notice that there will be an election held in said village on the first Thursday of April next, 1858, for the purpose of electing municipal officers, as provided by statute, to wit: one mayor, one recorder, five trustees, one marshal, and one treasurer.

Also appointed, next Monday night week, it being the 15th inst., requesting the qualified voters of Lockington to convene at early candlelight at the school-house in said place, for the purpose of appointing a board of judges and clerks for said election, and to attend to any other business which may arise.

March 15, 1858. The citizens of Lockington, agreeable to previous notice, assembled at the school-house this date for the purpose of electing three judges and a clerk to serve at the coming election for corporation officers, whereupon the meeting organized by appointing VV. S. Burns chairman, and A. J. Campbell secretary. The following persons were chosen: W. B. Valentine, C. Hill, Jacob Rasor, judges, and John Humphrey, clerk. The meeting thereupon adjourned.

Thursday, April 1, 1858. The board of judges and clerks met, agreeable to 'foregoing appointment, this day, to wit : VV. B. Valentine, C. Hill, and Jacob Ilasor, judges; and John Humphrey and George Gillespie, clerks; and were sworn as the law directs, whereupon they proceeded to open the polls for the election of town officers. It is hereby certified that the number of electors at this election was forty-nine. W. S. Burns had 45 votes for mayor ; G. A. Gillespie had 48 votes for recorder ; Jacob Rasor had 25 votes for treasurer; John Agenbroad had 25 votes for marshal ; W. B. Valentine had 47 votes, F. Whitby had 25 votes, D. K. Gillespie had 25 votes, N. B. Boust had 25 votes, and Thomas Wilson had 25 votes, for council.

At this period a number of the citizens entered the army, and dissensions existed to such an extent among those at home, that the incorporation was abandoned. Ten years later it was revived, since which time it has been sustained.

1881. J. C. Althoff, clerk ; D. Rasor, treasurer ; J. Barrett, marshal ; S. D. Smith, Jacob Rasor, and Robert Simpson, councilman ; William McDonald, street commissioner.

About the year 1830 a man b}' the name of Steambarger, or Steinberger, built a small flour mill on Loramie Creek, near where Lockington now is. Prior to his building this mill a man by the name of Aldrich had built a sawmill near the same site, but it had gone down. This sawmill was rebuilt, and run in connection with the flour mill. In 1837 he sold these mills to John Brown, who attached a woollen mill. After a few years he sold to Robert Ewing, who in the year 1844 built a new flouring mill, and ran it up to 1859, then sold to D. K. Gillespie, who sold to John Johnston, and he to John Fuller, who soon afterward died ; it then passed into the hands of O. C. Horton, who owned it about one year, when it was burned. This was in the year 1872. This same year Rasor & Bro. bought the site, and the following year erected the present mill. From Rasor & Bro. it changed to D. Rasor & Son, who are the present owners.

The first sawmill in the town of Lockington was built by William Stephens in 1845 or 1846. From him it went into the hands of Reed Bros., who owned it a few years but let it go down. In 1860 Daniel & Jacob Rasor bought the site and erected a new mill, and attached to it a corn crusher and chopping buhr. The Rasors owned and ran it until 1873, when the Summit Paper Mill Company bought it, but owned it but a few months, then sold to Francis Bailey and two of his sons, who were its owners until 1876, when it passed into the hands of J. T. <fe H. P. Bailey, who are its present owners. These mills derive their power from the canal, they having two turbine wheels, giving them a 70-horse power. These mills are used in the manufacture of lumber, with a capacity of 12,000 feet per day. Beside the manufacture of lumber they have several lathes, on which they manufacture handles of all kinds, beside other turned work. They keep in employ about fourteen hands.

This Grange was organized Sept. 16, 1873, at Liberty School-house, by S. H. Ellis, Master of Ohio State Grange. The charter members were, J. J. Johnston, Miss Martha Johnston, James Weymer and wife, S. A. Johnston and wife, James Ewing, Win. Beauchamp and wife, George A. Marshall and wife, John Weymer, A. N. Brading, H. C. Wilson and wife, Mary A. Lenox, J. J. Alexander, James H. Hardesty and wife, I'. B. Weymer, Joseph A. Wilson, J. L. Mellinger, A. S. Davenport, Widiam Mellinger, Ida Mellinger, A. C. Adams, JL). J. Thompson, James Caldwell, Harriett Johnston, and S. J. Johnston.

The first officers were: Master, S. A. Johnston; Overseer, II. C. Wilson ; Lecturer, G. A. Marshall; Steward, John Johnston; Asst. Steward, Jas. Weymer; Chaplain, W. Beauchamp; Treasurer, J. J. Alexander; Secretary, A. N. Brading; Gate-keeper, James Ewing; Ceres, Jenny Weymer; Pomona, Mrs. S. A. Johnston; Flora, Mrs. H. C. Wilson; Lady Asst. Steward, Mrs. G. A. Marshall.

After all, Fate is only the caprice of conditions; to-daj* a sunbeam of happiness, to-morrow a night-cloud of gloom ; filling one life with the tender bloom of hope, another with the withering blight of despair. This very caprice is the foundation of hope, for, if the life born to adversity did not feel a potent strength within, capable of contending against a hard fate with something of a promise of success, the light of that life would go out in gloom and despair. These lives, which know only a hard condition of existence, are sustained and cheered by that manhood in man which, willing to perform mighty deeds, is also able to endure the cruelty of biting wrongs. He finds his condition his inveterate, bitter, and relentless foe, and takes up arms against that condition. When he battles against the hard surroundings of his birth, no measure can be taken of his endurance and strength. In that war he becomes his own fate, and struggles on, determined to triumph or perish in the effort If he succeeds, the world calls him a genius or a hero; but if he fails, he was only a trifler or a fool. Success is the measure of effort with humanity, and simply means that a man must accomplish whatever he undertakes.

Let us look for a moment upon the eventful life of a man upon whom Fate seemed only to frown, but who, battling against the enemies of his very birth, at length became master of his fate, and received the plaudits bestowed upon the hero. Go backward, then, in years beyond the birth of our proud Republic, to the first decade of the eighteenth century, and enter one of the homes of England. Then and there Thomas Bailey sprang into being under conditions against which two continents of men afterward arose in arms in order that life might be rendered worth the living. It was a century before the judicial declaration that "a slave cannot breathe the air of England and live," for human piracy and slavery were yet legalized and encouraged. The tree of liberty had produced no fruit, and under the very conditions of his birth Thomas Bailey found himself in deadly conflict with his surroundings. When a mere child he was kidnapped and taken aboard a vessel then about to sail for America, where slavery and barbarism were yet at a premium. The "home of the free and the asylum of the oppressed" existed as yet only in dreams of the future.

On reaching our present free and hospitable shores, the lad was readily put in the market of human chattels, and sold to a Virginian, the proceeds to be applied to the payment of the child's fare for his captive transportation. He was then held in bondage by his purchaser until about twenty-one years of age, when he was captured by a warring tribe of Indians, and so escaped from the service of a white robber of labor to that of savages, who vied with the whites in the nefarious traffic in human beings. True, it does not appear that during his first service he suffered any abuse or wrongs beyond what is implied by involuntary service. To rob a man of the fruits of his toil appears severe and heartless enough, and ever was a giant, inhuman wrong. As if this were not enough, a worse fate awaited the captive when once at the mercy of the Indians. By them he was held in the most abject and degrading bondage for several years, during which period he suffered untold abuse and unnumbered tortures. His treatment, besides being that of an abject menial in the service of ignorant and cruel barbarians, was frightful and shocking beyond the power of expression. On one occasion, after a long series of tortures, his hair was all plucked from his head and eyebrows, and such other slow abuses inflicted that he lost the use of his eyes, and suffered such other misfortunes as to render him almost helpless to himself, and largely useless to his tormentors. See him in this abject and pitiable condition, and tell us what could have been the measure of his hope! View him in the hands of a tribe whose rule was to put to death all useless captives, and then predict his ultimate fate! In his seemingly undone condition, if the words were ever justifiable, he might have exclaimed

But just such crises as this sometimes in the history of nations as of men, marks the introduction to a new and better life, by building hope on the ruins of despair. So in this case. The blind captive steals away, inspired by thirst, in search of water, and after wandering about for a time hears the thrilling music of a rippling stream, which he approached, and cooled his parching lips. This done, his fever allayed, he crept aimlessly, perhaps despairingly, away among the bushes which bordered the banks of the friendly stream. At length, in the solitude of nature, beyond sight and hearing of man, his bitterest foe, he threw himself upon the earth, and fell into a soft and soothing slumber, a sleep so kind that it brought him a dream of beauty, because a dream of liberty and strength. In that dream he was no longer blind, for blindness could not look upon its picture of beauties and delights which he held in adoration. But it was a transitory joy, and he awoke to realize that "a sorrow's crown of sorrow is remembering happier things." He awoke to hear the rustling of bushes, and human voices just lieyond his place of hiding. He listened, and learned he was the object of search, and that upon being discovered, being no longer of any particular use, it was the intention to put him to death. Perhaps iu his forlorn condition this information was not invested with horror to him. But it was still a terrible awakening from a beautiful dream of liberty* and manhood. Again he listened, and heard a squaw observe that in case she found the object of the search, she would claim him as her servant, and spare his life that he might take care of her child. Perhaps he did not realize the kindness of that fate, but it presided, unconscious though he was of the fact. Perhaps he dreaded his life n^ore than his death, and preferred to be discovered, if at all, by those who would end his misery by death, "the poor man's dearest friend, the kindest and the best." But it was not so; as it was, the squaw who intended he should live was the first to discover him, and so became the preserver of his life. Taking him to her wigwam, she at once set about the treatment of his eyes, and with that success for which the Indian medical treatment is proverbial. By the kind treatment of his preserver his eyesight was fully restored. During the period of this treatment he had been given charge of the child of his benefactress, until the red-skin child and pale-face man became almost inseparable companions. This companionship may have been, in fact must have been, something of a joy to the man who found in the child the first human being he had ever known who did not seek to oppress and enslave him. This manner of life continued for some time, finally culminating in a day of general sport and feasting. On this occasion, as wa3 their custom on field days, the Indians gave themselves over to the demoralizing influences of liquor, and became an intoxicated mob. The captive-nurse saw another dream of liberty, but this time in his waking hours. He thought fully upon the matter, and finally resolved to make an effort to realize that dream.

Accordingly, he walked back and forth near the scene of revelry and debauchery, carrying the child in his arms, apparently concerned only about its welfare and happiness. The child was fretful, and the ruse successful, for it was not known by the Indians that the child was being tormented by pinching in order to cause the crying. Thus with his fretful, restless charge, the captive walked back and forth, each time extending his walk away from camp and captors. Finally, thinking himself unnoticed, he started on a wild flight for the nearest fort aud that liberty for which he thirsted. The fort was distant several miles, but he knew its whereabouts satisfactorily enough to undertake to find it. With the child still in his arms, he hastened onward, finding presently the Indians were in hot and furious pursuit. To be overtaken was to suffer a horrible death just after his first breath of liberty. It was now a race for life itself, and clinging to the child to prevent the use of arrows by the pursuers, who were now close upon his back, be kept up the race, and reached the fort just as he fell exhausted by his burdened flight. The occupants of the fort favored putting the child to death, but he remonstrated, declaring that as it had saved his life, its own must now be spared. He then restored it to its mother, but for himself declined all invitations to return with the Indians, although their offers were profuse and liberal, aud possibly sincere. From that day Thomas Bailey, for the first time a free man, realized his manhood, renounced his savage life, turned his back upon a long period of bondage, and looking about him for a moment was dazzled by the glory of freedom's sunlight, and stood amazed at the realization of his brightest hope. He, the victim of piracy, slavery, and barbarism; who had bowed his head in despair, crushed in spirit, and, for a time, wrecked in body, stood forth after all an evidence of the tenacity of the life of man when put to the severest test. Turning his face to civilization, he sought the settlement of the whites in Virginia, the scene to him of so much suffering, but now the theatre in which he was to enter upon a new life, presided over by a kinder fate. Measure, if you can, the joy of the tortured slave, when in the enjoj'inent of " life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," and when, for the first time, he realizes he is master of his fate, and recognizes the divinity of man. Thomas Bailey entered upon a new life, under new conditions, inspired by a new purpose. Reaching the settlement he plunged in active labor, and after a time was married to an estimable lady, reared a large and respectable family, and closed his eventful life surrounded by the blessings of liberty, prosperity, and peace.

William Bailey, a grandson of Thomas Bailey, the story of whose checkered life has just been told, was bora in Virginia in the year 1785. When about twenty years of age he married Sarah Reison, a lady of Virginia, and shortly afterward came to Ohio and settled in Warren County. Here their son, Francis Bailey, was born in the year 1815. His youth was passed with his parents at his native place until he attained his majority, or in 1836, when he married Rachel Northrup, of Clinton County, and came to Montgomery County the same year, where he located and learned the milling trade. He continued at this occupation until

1844, when he came to this county and located on a farm in Washington Township. Here he gave his attention to farming until 1863, when he purchased a stock of dry goods and groceries at Loekington, and conducted a general store during the following three years. From 1866-69 he was employed in buying grain at Loekington for D. K. Gillespie, proprietor of the warehouse. About the latter date he became a stockholder in a company organized to construct and operate a paper mill at Lockington, but the project failed, and Mr. Bailey sold his interest at a heavy sacrifice. He next bought a sawmill, but soon disposed of it to his sons and retired from active work. He is now mayor of Loekington, and has in the past held the offices of township trustee, treasurer, and finally, that of land appraiser in 1880. In 1858 his first wife died, leaving eight children to mourn the loss of a mother. In 1862 Mr. Bailey married his second wife, Rosanna Boyer, the results qf the marriage being one child, which died in infancy.

a farmer, and one of the trustees of Washington Township, was born in Montgomery County, O., in 1839. He has devoted his life to farming, except three years that he was part owner of the Loekington Lumber Mills. In 1863 he married Cynthiann Valentine, a daughter of David Valentine. She was born in Shelby County in 1842. They have a family of four children, viz., Laura E., Anna M., Carrie M., and Lida. They reside on section 16, where he commenced when his land was nearly all in the woods. Beside this he has another farm of eighty acres of improved land.

a son of Francis Bailey, was born in Montgomery County, 0., in 1840; lie is a resident of Loekington, and is engaged in the manufacture of lumber and handles. In 1868 he was married to Miss Eleanor J. Jackson (a descendant of Edward Jackson, one of the pioneers of Shelby County). She was born in 1841.

The Lenox family traces back in a direct line to Scotland, although the date of immigration of the American branch of the family cannot be clearly ascertained. Still that immigration was at least prior to the Revolutionary period, for it is known that John Lenox served in the continental army throughout the war for independence. He came, then, during the colonial period, and passing through the Revolutionary war, married Rachel York and settled in Virginia at the dawn of the national period. Alter his death, which occurred in Virginia, his widow and family came to Ohio in search of a new home. This was in the year 1796, or seven years prior to the admission of Ohio as a State. The family on coming to the Northwest Territory, settled near that old territorial town, Marietta, which had witnessed the solemn inauguration of the first court held in "the territory northwest of the Ohio River." Here the Lenox family remained until 1811, when they sought the valley of the Great Miami and settled within the present limits of Turtle Creek Township, this date being eight years prior to the organization of Shelby County. Of this family James Lenox became one of the leading spirits in the new community, and one of the principal citizens of the new county. He was born in Virginia on tflie 14th of February, 1793, aud was one of the children who, with his widowed mother, came to the county in 181 1. He was thus here just in tjme, although yet young, to breathe the spirit of war, for the air was then filled with that war germ which developed the second war for independence. His father had served in the first, and he entered the second, serving throughout the campaigns of 1813 and 14 in the operations in Ohio, Michigan, and Canada. Returning at the close of that war, he resumed the vocations of peace, and assisted in the development of that community which was yet to erect itself into a new cohnty. On the 12th of February, 1818, he married Sally, daughter of John and Anna (Webb) Wilson. The Wilson family had come from Virginia to Ohio at an early date, even settling in this county's limits as early as 1807. Before coming here they had settled for a time in Warren County, and it was at this place their daughter Sally was horn, Jan. 1, 1803. After his marriage Mr. Lenox settled in Turtle Creek Township, on land which the family had entered in 1811. Here he lived until 1845, when he moved to Washington Township, having purchased the old John Wilson farm, which had been entered by- Wilson in 1807.

From a date prior to the organization of Shelby County Mr. Lenox held a commission as justice of the peace, an office he retained for many terms in succession. At the erection of the county he became the first treasurer, having been appointed to this office by the Board of Commissioners on the 7th of June, 1819. He also held the various township offices, including the appraisership. He is said to have been a man of reserved manners and domestic tastes, who was greatly devoted to literature, and as such a man is still highly revered by those who knew him best. Having exceeded his " threescore years and ten," he laid down the burdens of life December 9, 1865, having closely approached his seventy-third year. Though greatly enfeebled by age, and wearied by the burdens of a toiling life, Mrs. Lenox still survives at the advanced age of seventy-nine years. The family consisted of twelve children, viz.: Emeline M . born May 19, 1819; died, 1822. Napoleon B., born June 9, 1821 ; died Nov. 28, 1862. Anna VV , born Aug. 4, 1823; died Oct. 5, 1823. John VV., born Sept. 21, 1824; died Sept. 12, 1851. William F., born May 25, 1827 ; died Oct. 17, 1865. Hamilton C., born Nov. 5, 1829; lives on homestead. Jesse W., born Jan. 22, 1832; died Aug. 26, 1864. Julia A., born April 12, 1834; resides in county. Abraham, born Aug. 5, 1837; died March 12, 1863. Hiram, born July- 24, 1839; resides in Illinois. Laura L., born Dec. 28, 1841 ; resides at old home. Virgil C., born April 5, 1844; resides in Illinois. Of these, four sons were in the war of the Rebellion, one of whom died from the effects of a wound ; one from disease while in service; one after the war, from disease contracted in the service; while one only of the four survives, viz., Virgil C., who resides in Illinois. Hamilton C. now, together with his sister, Laura L., resides on the old homestead.

The ancestry of this pioneer of Shelby County is lost in the person of his father, Jeremiah, who was a resident of Virginia prior to the period of the Revolution. It is certain he was of Irish descent, if not a native of Ireland. His son John was born in Grayson County, Va., in the year 1774, during that agitation and unrest which was nerving the infant colonies for the supreme moment which came but two years later, and saw defiance flaunted in the face of the mother country. There is nothing of moment connected with his youth, and so he is found to have remained at his father's home until about 1799, when he married Anna Webb, who was a native of Georgia, a lady of much refinement, and a descendant of the royal family of England. When but a child she had been entrusted to carry several military despatches of great importance during the closing scenes of the Revolution. In this capacity she won many expressions of gratitude and admiration for her sagacity and daring. In 1801 Mr. Wilson, with his wife and one child, came to Warren County, Ohio, then a part of the Northwest Territory. Here he remained until March, 1807, when, with his family, consisting of his wife and three children, he came to the newer community of the north Miami, and settled within the present limits of Washington Township. Here he entered 160 acres of land in section 7, and erecting a cabin, went bravely to work to carve a farm from the almost unbounded wilderness. It could scarcely have been a cheerful task, for, aside from the arduousness of the labor incident to his situation, he found himself practically isolated from society, for he had overstepped the boundary of civilization. Still he went about his task with that determination which always wins, and directing his whole energies to the development of his home farm, he was soon enabled to reach out and acquire other lands, until, at his death, ho he was able to give a farm of 160 acres to each of his children. At the organization of the county he became an active public spirit, and we find him a member of the first board of County Commissioners, which met in regular session at Hardin, June 7, 1819. During the succeeding years he devoted his time to farming and the acquisition of farm lands, and was at all times considered one of the most energetic and public spirited citizens of the count} - . His death occurred June 7, 1841, and was caused by the blow of a falling limb of a tree. Ilis wife survived him until 1847, when she passed from life, and was laid by his side in the old cemetery at Hardin. Their children, three in number, were named Jesse, who was born Nov. 12, 1800 ; Sally, born January 1, 1803 ; and Hiram, born November 5, 1804.

This son of John and Anna ( Webb) Wilson was born in Grayson County, Va., November 12, 1800, and was but a few months old when his parents caine to the Northwest Territory. At their removal to this county he was but seven years of age; his whole memory and all his associations cling aud cluster about the county upon whose sunrise he looked in his own youth, and the development and growth of which he has witnessed with ever-increasing interest. During his boyhood he helped his father on the old Turtle Creek farm. When he was about thirteen years old his father concluded to move his wife and children to a place of safety about two miles south of I'iqua, as Indian troubles had arisen, and the Garrett and Diibone murders had been committed. Accordingly Mr. Wilson took his family, and was about to leave his wife and children at the house of a man named Stnller, but Mrs. Wilson, wilh womanly devotion and heroism, refused to remain in safety while her husband was exposed to danger, and so she accompanied him back to the frontier home. Jesse, however, was left at Stallers, but soon became restless, and expressed a determination to return home. Everything which could be done, was done to dissuade him, but all to no purpose, for on the third day he stole away and pursued the route to his home, which lie. reached in safely, to the glad surprise of his parents. Mr. Wilson and his few neighbors had constructed a block-house on the Wilson farm, but fortunately for the infant settlement, it was never needed for protection against the Indians. Mr. Wilson was known as a very athletic and muscular man, although not above the average in size and weight.

During the days of the old Ohio militia and the gala-day " musters " he became colonel of a regiment in which his brother Hiram was major. On November 18, 1819, he married Abigail Brodrick, of Wapakoneta, the service being performed by James Lenox, J. P., of Turtle Creek Township.

After attaining a ripe old age, Mr. Wilson passed from life July 19, 1881, carrying with him the respect and confidence of a whole community. His wife had preceded him to the grave, her death having occurred August 23, 1851, when she was mourned by a large family and an extended circle of friends.

They reared a family of thirteen children, whose names, dates of birth, and place of residence or date of death are as follows: Alfred D., born Sept 26, 1820; resides at Columbus, Kansas. John B., born August 5, 1822; died June 15,1845. Anna, born Oct. 1, 1824; died Nov. 24,1880. Albert, born Sept. 14, 1826; resides at Sidney. Robert, born Sept. 26, 1828 ; resides in Clinton Township. Hiram, born Sept. 21, 1830; resides in Boone County, Iowa. Mark, born March 2, 1832; resides in- Turtle Creek Township; Meliala, born December 7, 1833; died July 19, 1849. Henry 0., born Sept. 26, 1835; resides in Washington Township. Theodore G ,born July 14, 1838 ; resides at Jonesboro', Indiana. Nehennah F., born Nov. 11, 1840; resides in Washington Township. Cassius C\, born Feb. 16, 1843; resides in Champaign County, Illinois. Maria L., born Sept. 14, 1848; died August 9, 1851.

This son of Jesse and grandson of John Wilson was born in this county in the year 1835, and is still a resident of Washington Township, where he is a leading farmer and stock-raiser. In 1860 he married Margaret J., daughter of John and Rebecca (Shaw) Wright, who was born in this county in 1838. Their family consists of nine children, whose names and dates of birth appear as follows: Mary A., born 1860; Jesse C.,,1863; Hannah A., 1865; Sallie F., 1866; Emma A., 1868; Anna M., 1870; John C., 1873; Stella M., 1876; Ralph W., 1880.

Years prior to the Revolutionary war four brothers by the name of Mellinger came from Germany to America and settled in Lancaster or Westmoreland County, Pa. Some of the descendants of these four brothers afterward went to Kentucky. The names of three of them were Joseph, John, and David. The date of their immigration to Kentucky is not knowm, but we find them there as early as 1795. In 1806 these three brothers and two sisters found their way through the forests of Ohio to the present limits of Washington Township ; here they entered two half sections of land on Loramie Creek. Lockington is now located on part of this land. The date of the settlement of the Mellingers in Shelby County is in some doubt: by some it is claimed that they came as early as 1806 ; by others, not until 1809. From the best information we can gather we are of the opinion that they came in 1806. It is well known that they were among the very first settlers in the county.

To attempt to give a history of the early settlement of these pioneers is impossible, for there are none now living who know anything of them except as tradition has handed it down from one generation to another. It is known that there were but few white settlers in this part of the State. All their trading was done in Cincinnati. There was not a road, mill, school, or church within many miles of them. Of these three brothers and two sisters, we can write only of the three brothers. Joseph Mellinger, the eldest of the three, was born in Pennsylvania in 1772. When or whom he married we cannot learn. He was one of the prime movers in the organization of Shelby County, and was one of the first board of commissioners of the county. Of his family we know nothing except of one son, Benj. F., who was born in 1821, and in 1841 married Eliza Yanvactor, with whom he raised a family of three children, Joseph L., Louisa F., and Sarah. Benjamin F. and his wife both died in 1849. Joseph Mellinger (sen.) died in 1840.

John, the second brother, was born in Pennsylvania about 1774, married in Kentucky about 1795, died in Shelby County - date of death not known. He was the father of Wm. Mellinger, Esq., who was born in Kentucky in 1797. He was the oldest of the family, and was raised in the woods without any advantages of schools, for it will be remembered there were no schools in his boyhood days. Yet Esq. Mellinger did not suffer himself to remain without an education, which he acquired by his he married Jane Huey. By this union they had eleven children, who grew up to their majority. Esq. Mellinger was a prominent and useful man in his county. He served as commissioner of the count}' for six years, and was justice of the peace of his township for more than twenty years. He died in 1869, esteemed and respected by all. His wife died in 1871.

Wm. Mellinger, Jr., a son of the above, was born in 1833, and lived with his parents during his minority. In 1855 he married Margaret Campbell, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Brown) Campbell, who settled in this county in 1834. Mr. and Mrs. Mellinger have a family of five children, whose names are as follows: Ida A., Olive J., Frank B., Carrie B., and

Allen B. Mellinger, another son of Wm. Mellinuer, Esq., was born in 1841. In 1861 he married Mary Rouse, a daughter of Furnam and Margaret (Silders) Rouse. They have five children, viz., Viva, Jesse, George, Grace, and Walter.

Of David, the third pioneer brother, we only know that he raised a family of ten children, all of whom have died or moved away, and only one of his descendants is left in the county, viz., Elizabeth A. Burnett.

was born in Shelby County Sept. 19, 1815, near where the town of Sidney is now located. He is the youngest of the family of Daniel and Catharine (Bush) Vandemark. He was raised in the wilds of Shelby County, but received a fair common school education. He was an apt scholar, particularly in mathematics. He remained at home on the farm during the lifetime of his parents, and took charge of the farm until the death of his father in 1840. In 1844 he married Susan Boyer, a daughter of Jacob Boyer. She was born in Miami County in 1821. After their marriage he took his wife to the home of his mother and lived with her until her death, which occurred in 1848. After the death of his mother he became the owner of the homestead : this was in Orange Township. In 1855 he traded this place for the one on which he now lives. This farm contained over 400 acres. Since .that time he has added to his possessions until he has at the present time over 900 acres, all within three and a half miles of Sidney. Beside this Mr. V. has at least ten thousand dollars' worth of town property. Mr. Vandemark's farm is one of the best grain and stock farms in the county. He sold from his farms the last year $4500 worth of stock, 2500 bushels of wheat, and over 7000 bushels of corn, beside other grains, all the product of the farm. They have raised a family of five children, viz.. Arvesta, Daniel, Cly, Jacob N., and Harry. Of these five, only Arvesta, Daniel, and Jacob N. are living. Mr. Vandemark has retired from labor on the farm, having a competence for himself and family. Jacob N., the youngest son, who was born in 1853, has charge of the home place, and resides with his parents.

The Alexanders are from Scotland. They were Protestants, and were driven to Ireland, where they remained until 1736, when John Alexander came to America, and settled in Chester County, Pa. Others of the same family soon followed. From here they soon scattered to Western Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina. It is claimed of them that they became the basis of the Presbyterian Church in America. A whole volume could be written of this noted family, but space will not permit. We will trace a brief genealogy of the direct ancestors of the Shelby County Alexanders.

James, a son of John Alexander, was born in Ireland in 1726. Came with his father to Chester County, Pa., in 1736. From there they removed to Cumberland County, where lie married Rosey Reed. In 1755 he removed to Mifflin County, and located on the Kishacoqtiillas. Here he erected his cabin in the dense forest, near one of the Logan Springs. His nearest neighbor was Logan, the chief of the Mingo tribe. Here was his habitation and home, and where he lived long on friendly terms with his neighbor Alexander. His wigwam was long preserved by Alexander after Logan had left the valley. The tourist who would visit the celebrated Logan Spring will find it at the head of Spring Run, where some of the Alexanders still live. This mountainous country was infested with rattlesnakes. Mr. Alexander had taken with him to his new home an Irishman. One day he sent his son, together with this son of the Emerald Isle, to a meadow to cut some grass. While mowing, the Irishman uncovered a blowing viper. His snakeship, enraged at the intrusion, spread his neck, and hissed loud as a goose. Terrified at the sound and sight, the Irishman leaped back. With scythe raised aloft, he exclaimed, "Bab! bab! here is the devil all coiled up like a screw! Be dad if he stirs, 1 'll sind his head off him." James Alexander died here at the age of sixty-six years, leaving a very large posterity.

John, the second son of James, was born in Mifflin County, Pa., in 1769. In 1791 he married Ann Taylor. After marriage he located on part of his father's land, near the celebrated Logan Springs, and built ins house near where stood the wigwam of Logan. The great oak, on which Logan cut the effigy of an Indian with tomahawk in hand, stood near the barn of John Alexander. This tree and wigwam were long preserved until the tree died, when it was cut down. This homestead of John Alexander, now occupied by his nephew, is still regarded with great interest for its Important historical associations. At this place was the first meeting of Logan with Judge William Brown, recorded in the Historical Collections of Pennsylvania. John Alexander raised a family of six sons and four daughters. He died in 1820.

James T., a son of John (last spoken of), was born in Mifflin County, Pa., in 1807. In 1832 he married Mary Sterrett, who was born in Juniata County, Pa., in 1814. In 1837 they emigrated' to Shelby i County, Ohio, and located in this township on land entered by one o the McClures. They had four children, but only one lived to grow up. Mr. Alexander and two of his children died in 1839, one having died in 1837. After the death of her husband in 1839, Mrs. Alexander returned to Pennsylvania with her only son, John J., and remained theri until 1854, when she and her son returned to Shelby County to their former home. John J., after the return of himself and mother, commenced the improvement of the farm, and has since erected upon it good substantial buildings, and has added to the farm until he has now 325 acres of well improved land. Mr. A. was born in 1833. He remained single until 1874, when he married Mary A. Lenox, the widow of Ahraham Lenox. She was a daughter of Michael and Mary Weymer. Mrs. Alexander was born in Shelby County in 1839. Mr. A. is one of the prosperous farmers of his township, and has ever had the esteem of his neighbors. He has filled the more important offices of his township.

The Weymers (formerly written Weinmar) came from Wittenburg, Germnny, to America in 1764. They located in New York, and remained there during the Revolutionary War. George Weymer was a son of this first settler in the country. He was born in New York in 1767. He married Mary Strock, and raised a family of five children. Of this family only two came to Shelby County. Michael G. Weymer was born in New York in 1811. In 1836 he married Mary Barnes, and in 1838 came to Shelby County. His father, George Weymer, came with him, and died here in 1851. Mr. W. raised a family of six children, viz., James, Mary A., Peter, Harriet, Caroline, and John. He died in 1877. His widow still survives him, and is living with her son John.

James Weymer, the eldest of these six children, was born in New Jersey in 1838, and was brought by his parents the same year to this township, where he has lived since that time. In 1869 he married Jennie Johnston. By this union they have three children, viz., Horace, Anna D., and Warren.

Prior to 1766 Robert Dinsmoore came to America from North Ireland. He was a young man of liberal education, and was from a family of wellto-do farmers, they having a leasehold of forty acres of land for lifetime. Upon his arrival in the Colonies he landed in Baltimore, and first made his home in Maryland. Here, in 1766, he married Jane Gault. He engaged in the .business of tanning for several years. After the close of the Revolutionary War he sold his possessions in Maryland, took his pay in continental money 7 , then removed to Pennsylvania, but before making a purchase of property his continental script became worthless, and he was left penniless. He remained in Pennsylvania a few years, then removed to Kentucky, where he died, but the date of his death is not known.

Matthew Dinsmoore, a son of the above, was born in Maryland April 13, 1773. Was taken by his parents to Pennsylvania, and from there to Kentucky. It was here, in the year 1801, that he married Margaret Johnston. He purchased a piece of land, on which he settled and had made payment, but on account of imperfect title he lost his land. He then, in the year 180»7, moved to Ohio, and took a lease on some land. The country was new and wild. Misfortunes came upon him. He was taken sick, and for tiie space of several years was unable to do much labor. His children being young were of but little help. His wife had to principally support the family. This was in Greene County, Ohio. Afler regaining his health he worked at his trade, ttiat of a stone and brick mason. A few years later he moved to Montgomery County, Ohio, and from there to Miami County, where he died January 11, 1848.

Robert Dinsmoore was born in Kentucky in the year 1 802. He was the eldest son of Matthew Dinsmoore, and was his main dependence for the support of his father's family in their early struggle through their pioneer life in Greene and Montgomery counties. He learned the stone mason trade witli his father. It was while working at his trade in Montgomery County, in the year 1832, that he married Elizabeth M. Kephart. In 1842 he moved to Shelby County, and settled in Washington Township. They raised a family of eleven children, seven of whom are now living, viz., Matthew G., John K., William H., Robert J., Catharine, Sarah E., and Nettie A. He bought 160 acres of land when he first came to the county. He lived to clear this farm, and died August 19, 1875. Mr. Dinsmoore in 1846 was elected justice of the peace of his township, which office he filled for a number of years. He was a man of fair liberal education, and followed the profession of a teacher foy many years. He also had the gift of a poet, and used to spend idle time with the im^ses. Mrs. Dinsmoore since the death of her husband has remained on the homestead with two of her sons.

The Ewings are of Scotch descent. Their ancestors were driven from Scotland to Ireland on account of religious persecution. From there they came to the American colonies about 1716. They landed at Philadelphia when there was but one shingle roof in the city. The first who came over was Alexander Ewing, the great grandfather of Samuel Ewing. He first located in Chester County', Penn., where James Ewing, the grandfather, was born and died. James Ewing, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Chester County in 1759. At the age of seventeen years he entered the Colonial army. About 1785 he married Mary Blackburn. By this union there were six children, viz , Samuel, born 1788; James, 1791; John, 1793; Mary, 1796; Robert, 1798 ; Jane, 1803; and Martha, 1805. They came to Ohio in 1804 and located in Jefferson County. Here he died in 1815. The widow and part of the family moved to Wayne County, Ohio, about 1830. Samuel was the eldest of the family. He was born in 1788. In 1818 he married Margaret Ewing, a distant relative. In 1832 he moved to Wayne County, Ohio, where he remained until 1835, when he moved to Shelby County, Ohio, nnd settled in Washington Township, where he now resides in his ninety-fourth year, he being perhaps the oldest man in the county. They raised a family of ten children, viz., James, John, Jane, Mary, Samuel, Robert, William, Martha, Margaret A., and Isabel. In January, 1861, Mr. Ewing's wile died at the age of sixty years. Mr. Ewing cast his first vote for President for James Madison, and has voted at every Presidential election since that time. During the days of the Whig parly he was a Whig. Since that time he has voted the Republican ticket. Mr. Ewing has been a member of the U. P. Church for over fifty years.

was born in Montgomery 7 County, Ohio, in 1821. In 1847 he married Elizabeth A. Mellinger. They raised two children, Ida M.and Willis C. Mr. Burnett died in 1877. David Mellinger, the grandfather of Mrs. Burnett, was one of the three brothers who came to Shelby County in 1806. He raised a family of ten children. Of the descendants of these ten children there is not one left in the county except Mrs. Burnett. She is a daughter of David M. Mellinger. He was born in ls02 and died in lh50. His father died in 1848.

This is one of the oldest and most prominent families of Shelby County, as already indicated by the county records. Judge Samuel Marshall was born in Ireland in 1775, but came with his father to the United States in 1784 and settled in Washington County, Pennsylvania. Here Judge Marshall married Margaret Cracraft, and shortly afterward moved to Butler County, Ohio, where he resided until 1808, when he came and located on land now owned by William Marshall, in Washington Township, this county. Here he became one of the most prominent men of his day, and served as one of the first associate judges of the county, a position he held during a number of y'ears. He was one of the first contractors for the old Piqua and Fort Defiance mail route, and the route from Piqua to Bellefontaine. His sons Hugh and C. C. Marshall carried the mail over these routes at a very early day. Judge Marshall also served as county commissioner, and in all official capacities, as in the private walks of life, he was greatly respected during his active and influential career. His death occurred February 7 12, 1838, and he bore with him to the grave the deep and abiding esteem born of that confidence reposed by a whole community. His widow survived him until A ugust, 1854, when she laid aside the cares of a useful life to be mourned by a host of devoted friends.

William Marshall, a son of Judge Marshall, was born in this county January 30, 1819, his age thus corresponding exactly with that of the county. As a boy he commenced life by purchasing furs through the country 7 , in which business he was engaged for several years. Later along he took a contract for the grading of two miles of the C. C. C. and L, or old B. and I. Railroad bed. All this time, in fact nearly all his life, he has been engaged in the live stock trade, and has probably done more horseback riding in this occupation than any other man in the county 7 . He is now the owner of the old home farms of his father and father-in-law, these being two of the earliest settled farms in the township. In 1841 he married Margaret Leighty, who was born in Shelby County 7 October, 1818, with whom he raised a family of five children, four of whom are living, viz., Orlando S., Martha, Samuel C., and Allen L. Mrs. Marshall died February, 1850. In November, 1852, he married Martha A., daughter of Moses and Ann {nee McCullough) Sturgeon. This family had come to Shelby County in 1816, and it was here that Martha was born in 1820. Her parents were born in Pennsy lvania in 1776, and coming to this county reared a family of ten children, of whom four are still living. Mr. Sturgeon died here in 1849, while his wife survived him until 1850.

After his marriage Mr. Marshall continued engaged in farming and stock-dealing, to which his life has been almost wholly devoted. One of his sons, Vincent, moved to Illinois, where he became an extensive stockdealer, occupying a prominent and respected position up to the date of his death, which occurred in that State in 1873. His loss was lamented by a large circle of relatives and friends. The only child of William Marshall by 7 his last wife is one daughter, Margaret, born in 1854. George died September, 1877.

was born in Ashland County. Ohio, in 1853. In 1874 he came to Shelby County, where, in the year 1878, he married Maggie Marshall, a daughter of William and Martha (Sturgeon) Marshall. 'I hey have had born to them two children, viz., George W. and John. They are located on the old Sturgeon farm near Lockington.

John Betts, the father of Isaac, was born in Pennsylvania in 1797; when two years of age he was brought by his parents to Cincinnati, where he lived to grow up to manhood. In 1824 he married Phebe Kelly. Mr. B. was a brickmaker by trade, but for a number of years engaged in the grocery trade. They continued to reside in Cincinnati until 1837, when they removed to Shelby County and located in Washington Township. They raised a family of fourteen children, only five of whom are now living. Mr. Betts died in 1870: his wife died in 1872. The father of John Betts at the time of his settlement at Cincinnati, bought quite a tract of land where the city now stands. This land was held for many years, and some of it is still in the hands of some of his sons. When Mr. Betts came to Shelby County he owned a large amount of real estate in Cincinnati, but owing to his having to pay security debts, he was obliged to sacrifice much of it; but at the time of his death he was the owner of about $100,000 worth of property, principally in Cincinnati. Isaac, the son of John Betts, was born in Shelby County in 1842, and has had his home in the county since that date. In 18G2 he married Aurelia R. Wilson, a daughter of Hiram J. and Elizabeth (Vandemark) Wilson. By this union they have six children, whose names and dates of birth are as follows: Edna A., born 1865; Charlie E., born 1870; Isaac S., born 1872; Anna A., born 1874; Joseph A., born 1877 ; and James It., born 1880. Mr. Betts is now the owner of the homestead of his father, his farms consisting of 429 acres of well-improved land. Mr. Betts is one of the prominent fanners of his township; he is devoting his entire time to agriculture and stock-raising. As a citizen he is esteemed, having for a number of years been justice of the peace and trustee of his township.

The Wrights are of Irish origin. We first find them in Juniata County, Pa. It was here that James Wright was born in the year 1800. In 1829 he married Mary A. Jacobs. Their family' consisted of eleven children, seven of whom grew up to maturity, viz., George, Nancy, Sarah L., Thomas N., Samuel H., Jane M., and Albert W. They remained in Pennsylvania until 1853, when they came to Shelby County, where he died in 1871 : his wife died the same year. There are only two of the family left, Samuel II. and Sarah. Samuel H. was born in 1841 : he was twelve years of age when brought to this county. After arriving at manhood he learned the carpenter trade, followed it a few years, since which time he followed farming. In 1873 he married Virginia Carper. They have no children. They reside on the old home of Frederick Carper, the father of Mrs. Wright.

Frederick Carper was born in Pulaski County', Ya., in 1788. In 1808 he married Sarah Scyles. In 1831 he brought his wife and ten children to Shelby County. Here he entered eighty acres of land, and cut the first timber and built himself a cabin. They were among the first settlers in this part of the township. He lived to clear his farm and make all the improvements that are on it at the present time. He died in 1869: his wife died in 1847. There. were two children born after they came to the township. Of this family of twelve children there arc only four now living.

was born in Shelby County in 1838. He was reared on a farm. During the rebellion he enlisted in the 45th O. V. I. and served almost three years. He was engaged in twenty -seven battles. In 1866 he married Miss Mary' Wright, a daughter of William Wright, who was a son of Gideon Wright, one of the pioneers of Shelby County', who entered 160 acres of land in Washington Township in the year 1817 and settled on it with his family the same year. The family' consisted of seven children. William Wright, one of .the seven, was born in the State of Vermont in 1801, consequently was sixteen years of age at the time of their settlement in the county. In 1829 he married Caroline Broderick. There were by this marriage twelve children. Of this number there are but four living in the county: Aloma, the wife of Robert Fulton; Charles, of Sidney; Mary C., wife of Joseph Stewart; and Louisa, wife of James McDaniel. Wm. Wright died in 1863: his wife died in 1847. Gideon Wright died in 1863: his wife died in 1844. Gideon Wright was born in 1776: he was married to Abigail Bloomer.

Robert Patterson was born in Ireland in 1781 : married Jane Brown. In 1818 they emigrated to the United States, and immediately located within the present limits of this township, where he entered 160 acres of land. Their family' at this time consisted of three children. Mr. P. lived on this place until the time of his death in 1847: his wife died in 1862. Of this family there is but one left, viz., Margaret, the widow of Freeborn Thompson. She was born in Ireland in 1814. In 1832 she married Freeborn Thompson, who died in 1837. By' this union they had two children, Robert P. and Elizabeth E. After the death of her husband Mrs. Thompson returned to the home of her father and has lived there a widow since that time. Her daughter, Elizabeth E., was born in 1835, and married George J. Legg in 1852. There were born to them five children, only two now living, viz , Nora B. and Georgians. Mr. Legg died in 1859. His widow now resides with her mother, Mrs. Thompson, where she has lived since the death of her husband.

This family can be traced to Virginia, where, about the middle of the last century, Thomas Botkin was born. He married Elizabeth Devincks. They raised a family of eight children. James Botkin, one of the above, was born in Virginia in 178 ', and married Mary McCray about 1808. In 1812 he entered the army and served his term of enlistment. There were born to him by this marriage thirteen children. His wife died in 1844. He afterward married Rebecca Elliott. By this marriage there were eleven children - making in all twenty-four children by both marriages. In 1847 Mr. Botkin moved to Shelby County', but remained but one year, then moved to Illinois; was there four or five years, then returned to Shelby County, where he died in 1855. Sarah A. Wise was the twelfth child by the first marriage of James Botkin. She lived with her father until the time of her marriage. In 1853 she returned to Shelby County, where she. has resided since that time. Her family consists of four children, viz., Celina, Mary Frances, Anna, and Tracy J.

In 1769 two brothers, Thomas and John Buxton, came to the United States from England and settled in Montgomery County, Md. Sir Thomas Folwell Buxton, M. P., who died in 1848, noted for his antagonism to slavery, and his life-long efforts in Parliament to abolish it from English colonies, was a blood-relation of theirs and descended from the same original stock.

Upon the arrival of the brothers in America, John, the younger, purchased a large tract of land and became a planter, being at one time among the largest slave owners in Maryland. He married a Miss Stafford, of Maryland, about the year 178D, and by her had three children, Brock, Elizabeth, and John. Near the latter part of his life he set his slaves free, and moved to Montgomery County, Ohio, where he died at the age of eighty y'ears >

At the age of eighteen years Brock Buxton, his son, married a Miss Ketro, of Maryland, and in 1809 emigrated to Ohio, settling in Montgomery County. The result of their union was nine children, four boys and five girls. The only survivor of these nine, all of whom lived to a good old age, is Singleton B. Buxton, the father of Jasper S., of this county. He still lives in Mercer County, this State, where he settled forty-four years ago. In 1830 he married Elizabeth Cox, of Butler County, Ohio. By this marriage there were seven children, all of whom are still living, except Isaac N., who was killed by the bursting of a steam chest in the Lockington paper mill in 1873.

Jasper S. Buxton, a resident for eighteen years of Washington Township, is the oldest of the seven children. He was. born in Butler County, Ohio, in 1835, and in 1856 married Miss Abigail 11. Wilkinson, of Mercer County, Ohio, and is the father of a family' of six children, all living, viz., Lucinda, Albert J., Elizabeth, Frank, Jennie G.,and Daisy M.

Daniel Rasor, the grandfather of the above, was born in Pennsylvania about 1740. He married and raised a family of eight children, and came to Ohio at the beginning of the present century and located in Montgomery County, ten miles north of Dayton, where he died about 1820. Daniel Rasor, a son of the above, was born in Pennsylvania in 1786, and came to Ohio with his parents, where in 1810 he married Elizabeth Weybright. They raised a family of ten children, eight of whom are still living. He died in- 1860. His wife died in 1832. Of this family four came to Shelby County, viz., Daniel, Abram, Jacob, and Susannah.

Daniel Rasor, the subject of this sketch, was born in Montgomery' County in 1811, he being the eldestof his father's family. He lived with his parents until 25 years of age. He worked at milling, in a distillery and woollen mills up to the time of his marriage. In 1832 he was married to Sarah Anderson; In 1836 they moved to Shelby County and located in Orange Township on the banks of the Miami River, where Joseph Fergus now lives, where he built a saw mill which he ran some nineteen years, then sold and bought a farm in Washington Township, which he lived on some seven years, then sold his farm and removed to Lockington in 1862, where he built a saw-mill on the canal, which he ran until 1873. This mill he sold to the Summit Paper Company, and bought the site of the Lockington Flouring Mills, of which he, together with his son Daniel, are the present owners and proprietors.

was born in Orange Township in 1844. In 1866 lie married Sarah E. Bryan. They have by this union three children, viz., John C., Jason, and Fred C. He is in company with his father in the Lockingtcn Flouring Mills.

was born in Montgomery County in 1819. He is the sixth of the family of Daniel Rasor. He lived with his father until he had passed his eighteenth year. About a year and a half prior to this time his brother Daniel had located in Shelby Count}' and had built a saw-mill, and desired to have his brother come and work for him. Jacob being anxious to go with his brother, his father gave him permission to go on condition that he would pay him enough to hire another man in his place. Jacob came to Shelby County and lived with and worked for his brother some sixteen years. His health then failed and he retired from labor for about five years. In 1860, he, together with his brother Daniel, bought the site of the Lockington Saw-mills, anil erected a mill which they ran until 1873; then they sold it to the paper company. They then bought the site of the Lockington Flour Mills, upon which they built the present mills. In 1875 he sold his interest in these mills to his brother and his son, and has since that time given his attention to farming. .

In 1863 Mr. Rasor married Rebecca Zigler, with whom he is living at the present time. They have acquired a competence, and are living a retired life in the enjoyment of a pleasant home. Mr. R. has for many years been a member of the U. B. Church, and was one of the founders of that church at Lockington. Mr. and Mrs. Rasor have never had any children of their own, but have raised a nephew and niece, Andrew and Emma J. Hurley.

George Althoff, the father of the above, came from Hanover, Germany, to the United Slates in 1834. A short time previous to his emigration, he married Anna M. Kramer. Immediately upon their arrival in this country they came to Auglaize County, then Mercer, and settled near New Bremen, where he entered a small piece of land, upon which they settled and made a home. At the time of his arrival he had no means. He labored on the canal to get means to support his family and pay for his little home. They lived here to raise a family of ten children, six of whom are still living. Mr. Althoff lived to see his family grow up. lie died in lo76 at the age of seventy-four years. His widow still survives him at the age of seventy years, and reskles on the homestead they first entered.

John C. Althoff, a son of the above, was born in Auglaize County in 1840. He lived at home with his parents until fifteen years of age, when he went to clerk in a store. He continued as clerk until 1859, when he married Miss Anna M. Sollman, of the same county. He immediately, in company with his brother-in-law, started a small store in New Bremen. They continued in trade in Bremen until 1865, when they removed to Lockington, Shelby County. In 1868 he bought out the interest of his partner, and has carried on the business successfully since that time.

They have had born' to them four children, only two of them now living, viz, George M., born 1862, and Mary M., born 1866. Mr. Althoff has been treasurer of his township for the past twelve years, and is also postmaster of Lockington, Ohio. The parents of Mrs. Althoff came from Germany about the same time, and located at the same place with that of the Althoffs, where they lived the balance of their days.

was born in Ireland in 1782. While a boy he was apprenticed to a wheelwright, at which he served his full time of indenture. Some time after the close of his apprenticeship he sailed for the United States, and lauded in Philadelphia about 1803, and located in Uniontown, Pa., where he remained about four years. Before leaving Ireland he had paid his addresses to a young lass in his native isle, and had promised to return as soon as he was able, and take her with him to the "new world," as they called it. After spending about four years in the United States, he bethought himself of his lass across the sea, and the promise he had made to her, and determined to return to the green isle again to redeem his promise. Instead of going direct from Philadelphia, he made his way to Pittsburg. There he took passage on a flat-boat that was going to New Orleans, and worked to pay his passage. At New Orleans he set sail for Ireland. This was in the year 1807. When he arrived in Ireland he found that the maiden he had left behind was still true, and waiting for him. In the same year (1807 ) he was married to Miss Ann Armstrong. They remained in Ireland until 1822, when he started with his wife and five children for the United States, but not having means enough to pay their passage through, they landed at St. Johns, New

Brunswick. Here they remained until 1831, when they set sail for New York; from there they came by river, canal, and lake to Newark, Ohio; from whence they came by wagon to Piqua, landing there July, 1831. Here they found some friends - Col. John Johnston - who had preceded them from Ireland many years. It was through the influence of Col. Johnston that they were induced to enter land, and locate in Shelby County, which they did in the fall of 1831. When Mr. Johnston landed in Piqua he had but $60 in the world. Col. Johnston loaned him $50. With this he entered eighty acres of land in Loramie Township, on which he settled with his wife and three children in the green woods. This farm they greatly improved, then sold, and removed to Mercer County in 1837, where they remained until 1864, when he again returned to Shelby County, where he died in 1869, his wife having died in 1856.

was born in Ireland in the year 1816. Came with his father, Stephen Johnston, to Shelby Count}' in 1831, consequently was fifteen years of age at the time he made his advent into this county. Hero he was given an axe, and assisted his father and brothers in clearing their farm. Esq. Johnston never had the advantages of education that many boys even of his day had, he never having had more than two months' schooling in his life, and that was when he was nineteen years of age. In 1836 he was married to Miss Elizabeth Peck, and in 1837 removed to Mercer County, and settled on 108 acres of wild land that his father gave him. He remained on this land, and improved it until 1850, when he removed to Montezuma, where he and his brother Christopher built a steam sawmill, which he took charge of until the fall of 1859, when he again returned to his farm. During his time in Montezuma he had added to his farm two hundred acres. This land he sold in 1863, and returned to Shelby County, and bought part of the Judge Cecil farm; also bought the homestead of his wife's father, John Peck, where his wife was born in 1816. This farm he afterward traded to D. K. Gillespie for the Lockington mills and the land attached to them, lie owned the mills but a short time when he sold, reserving fourteen acres attached, upon which he has erected fine and substantial buildings, making for himself and family a comfortable home, all made by his own industry and economy and that of his wife and family. They have raised a family of eight children, whose names and dates of birth are as follows: Sarah A., 1839 ; Samuel P., 1841; Barbary, 1844; Jane, 1847; Mary, 1849; Stephen T., 1853; Martha, 1857 ; and Emma P., 1860. Esq. Johnston has ever had the confidence and esteem of his neighbors, which is evidenced by his having filled the office of justice of the peace for twelve years. He is now living a retired life in the enjoyment of a competency, which it is to be hoped he may live long to enjoy.