Dayton City (part 49 of 50)

Herebiah Joseph Bradford

HEREBIAH JOSEPH BRADFORD, a prosperous farmer of Van Buren township, Montgomery county, and a member of a prominent Ohio family, and one of the oldest families of the United States, was born October 12, 1870, on the farm upon which he now resides. He was trained to be a farmer, and has made an unquestioned success in that vocation. He is a son of George G. and Elizabeth (Butterfield) Bradford. On the first of September, 1892, he was married to Miss Annie E. Rice, daughter of Fleming and Mary E. (Miller) Rice, and has one child, George Fleming. Mr. and Mrs. S. J. Bradford are members of the United Presbyterian church, and in politics he is an independent republican. He farms 165 acres of the old homestead, upon which his grandfather settled many years ago. It is finely improved and has upon it one of the best orchards in the county.

George G. Bradford, father of S. J. Bradford, was born on the farm upon which he now lives, March 14, 1833. He is a son of George G. and Margaret (McCandless) Bradford, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. They were the parents of nine children, five sons and four daughters, only two of whom are now living, viz: J. J. and George G., the latter being the father of S. J. Bradford. George G. Bradford, the grandfather, was a farmer and died in 1841, when his son, George G., was eight years of age. His wife died in 1882, aged seventy-six years. She and her husband were members of the Presbyterian church, and he was a soldier in the war of 1812.

The great-grandfather of S. J. Bradford was of Scotch-Irish ancestry and a native of Pennsylvania. He came to Ohio at an early day, and located in Van Buren township, north of Beavertown, Montgomery county, where he bought land and lived until his death, which occurred when he was very old. He had a familj' of eight children. The maternal grandfather of George G. Bradford was James McCandless, of Scotch ancestry and a schoolteacher.

George G. Bradford, father of S. J. Bradford, has always lived on his present farm. After his father's death this farm was divided between him and his brother, George G. still later purchasing his brother's share. On March 29, i860, he married Miss Elizabeth Butterfield, daughter of Sherebiah A. and Mary Butterfield. To this marriage there were born six children, three sons and three daughters, four of whom are still living, as follows: Annie, Sherebiah J., Jennie and Blanche. Annie married William Bryan, of Dayton, and has two children, Alonzo and Marguerite. Sherebiah J. married Miss Annie E. Rice, and is living on the farm. Jennie and Blanche are living at home. Mr. and Mrs. George G. Bradford are members of the United Brethren church, and in politics he is a republican.

The Bradfords of Van Buren township descended from John Bradford, who was a first cousin of William Bradford, the second governor of Massachusetts. John Bradford, the founder of the family in this state, came to Ohio in 1800, settling in Beavertown in 1801, and bringing with him a family of nine children. Here he carried on farming, and here died at an advanced age. He was a native of Pennsylvania, and married Miss Mary Gillespie July 1.5, 1782. To them there were born twelve children, the names and dates of birth of whom are as follows: Robert, born January 7, 1784, and died March 4, 1795; George G., born April 29, 1787, and died June 1, 1840; John, born April 25, 1790, and died February 9, 1863; Jean Eleanor, born March 14, 1792, and died April 19, 1831 ; James G., born January 27, 1794, and died October 14, 1823; William, born May 15, 1796, and died September 25, 1862; Samuel D., born September 22, 1798; Mary, born December 15, 1800, and died June 28, 1812; Margaret, born February 22, 1803, and died March 16, 1856; David D., born July 30, 1805, and died April 8, 1833; Martha Allen, born October 27, 1807, and died April 16, 1808; Allen, born December 12, 1809, and died October 25, 1866.

John Bradford, father of the above-named children, died March 22, 1820. Robert Charlton and Jean E. Bradford were married May 29, 1817. James G. Bradford and Caty Ann Conover were married-October 7, 1817. John

Bradford and Rachel Retenhouse were married September 9, 1819. George G. Bradford and Margaret McCandless were married March 29, 1821. John Bigger and Mary Bradford were married October 23, 1823. Joseph Bigger and Margaret Bradford were married October 26, 1825. William Bradford and Margaret Logan were married May 2, 1825. Samuel D. Bradford and Mary Ann Johnston were married April 24, 1827. David D. Bradford and Serphina Crane were married May 10, 1827. Allen Bradford and Eliza Johnston were married December 20, 1831.

John Bradford was one of the first settlers in the vicinity of Dayton. He came to Ohio in the year 1800, and located near Cincinnati, where he remained one year, and then entered 160 acres of land a short distance south of Dayton, upon which he moved with his family in 1801. To him and his wife there were born twelve children, of whom all save two lived to adult years. All of those that reached maturity followed farming for a living. In 1801, when Mr. Bradford settled near the present site of Dayton, there were but four log cabins within about five miles, and one of these was on the bank of the river at the head of what is now known as Main street.

George G. Bradford, grandfather of S. J. Bradford, was born in Redstone, Pa., and came with his father, John Bradford, to Cincinnati. Afterward he located on a farm near Beavertown, which farm was later owned by George D. Bradford. George G. Bradford married Miss Margaret McCandless, daughter of James McCandless. To this marriage there were born nine children, as follows: James J.; Mary A. ; John; Jane A.; William; George G., father of the subject of this sketch; Margaret; Martha D.; and Joseph A., all of whom lived to be men and women. George G. Bradford was a member of the Associate Reformed church, and in politics he was a whig. His

James J. Bradford, son of the above-named George G. and Margaret Bradford, and who is a deacon in the United Presbyterian church, supplied this work with most of the history and genealogy of the Bradford family. He was born February 13, 1822, and, of course, had but limited educational advantages in his youth. He lost his father when he was eighteen years of age, and the duty of caring for the family devolved upon him. For eleven years he worked for his mother by the month, and this was the way in which he began life on his own account. By dint of hard work, integrity of purpose and a natural aptitude for business, he became a prosperous and wealthy man. On February 13, 1861, he married Miss Harriet P. Wead, who was born August 26, 1819, and was a daughter of Robert and Mary Wead, of Van Buren township. To this marriage there was born one daughter, Mary G., born July 30, 1862. James J. Bradford has been for many years a deacon in the United Presbyterian church. In politics he is a republican, and while he has not sought office, he has been elected to various positions of honor and trust. His wife's parents, Robert and Mary Wead, settled near Beavertown in 1799. They reared a family of eleven children, ten of whom lived to become men and women, but only four of them are now living. The father of Mrs. Bradford, Robert Wead, was born September 17, 1781, in York county, Pa. He was by trade a tailor, and removed with his family to Kentucky in 1797, remaining in that state two years. He married Miss Jane Gipson, who was born February 13, 1784, the marriage occurring September 30, 1806. They were the parents of two children, John S. and Mary J. Mrs. Wead died November 7, 1811, and for his second wife Mr. Wead married Miss Mary Gipson, who was born April 5, 1788.

Their marriage took place November 2 5, 1813, and they became the parents of nine children, as follows: Ebenezer G. ; Eliza; Harriet P. ; William W. ; James W. ; Samuel G. ; Margaret H. ; Joseph W. , and one that died in infancy. The others lived to become men and women, but only four of them are now living. Mr. Wead was a member of the Associate Reformed church, and in politics was a whig. His second wife died September 12, 1871, and he died July 30, 1873, being then nearly ninety -two years of age. He had lived on his farm near the asylum more than sixty-seven years.

Elizabeth (Butterfield) Bradford, mother of S. J. Bradford, is a daughter of Sherebiah and Mary Butterfield. Mr. Butterfield was a descendant and representative of an ancient and noble family of Scotland, which for about three hundred years owned one of the renowned castles of that country. At the time of the contest between England and Scotland, which resulted in the union of the two kingdoms, an old man and his five sons were banished to the American colonies. They landed in Boston, Mass., and it is from them that the Butterfields of this country have descended. One of these five sons was the father of Benjamin Butterfield, the father of John Butterfield, the father of Jeremiah Butterfield, the latter of whom was born in Massachusetts March 4, 1776. In 1787 John Butterfield traveled through the northwest territory, now Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and on into the country then belonging to Spain. In 1800 he made a second journey through this great section of country, accompanied by nis brother and brother-in-law, who returned in the fall. He was engaged in surveying and assisted in establishing the Ludlow line of survey.

In 1 799 Jeremiah Butterfield married Mary Campbell, a native of Massachusetts, who was born in 1781. Returning to New York he then in 1802 brought his wife to their new home in the wilderness, and erected his first cabin within the limits of Hamilton county, Ohio. Here he owned upward of a section of land, which he cleared and improved, but afterward built a house in Butler county, where the remainder of his life was spent. Mr. Butterfield traveled thousands of miles in the wild western country, and endured many hardships seldom experienced even by the pioneers. He traveled on foot, on horseback, and in every way then in vogue. He swam and waded streams, exposed himself to danger from wild beasts and Indians, as well as to the diseases peculiar to a new and unsettled country, yet came through all unharmed. After settling in Butler county he dealt largely in hogs, making frequent trips by means of fiat boats to New Orleans. On arriving in that city he sometimes found the market overstocked with hogs, and would then take ship for Havana, Cuba.

Sherebiah Butterfield, eldest son of Jeremiah, was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, was reared a farmer and was familiar with all the trials and hardships of the pioneer farmer's life. He used to accompany his father on his trips down the Ohio and Mississippi to New Orleans. His marriage was celebrated in 1828, and his grandson, Sherebiah J. Bradford, has in his possession a gun which Mr. Butterfield's uncle carried through the Revolutionary war, and which his father carried on his journeys in the northwest.

In the entire city of New York there is perhaps no more interesting spot than Trinity churchyard. Upon one of the tombstones therein is the following epitaph:

" Here lies the body of Mr. William Bradford, Printer, who departed this life May 23, 1752, aged ninety-two years. He was born in Liecestershire, in Old England, in 1660, and came over to America in 1682, before the city of Philadelphia was laid out. He was Printer to this government for upward of fifty years,

ALTER L. MARTINDALE, one of the younger members of the bar of Ohio, and of the fifth generation bearing his name in the Buckeye state, is a son of Capt. Samuel and Melvina Cary (Strong) Martindale, allusion to the former of whom is made in the history of Martindale family, and whose biography in full will be found on page 1304.

Capt. Samuel Martindale was born January 10, 1830, in Monroe township, Miami county, Ohio, a son of John and Amelia (Campbell) Martindale, and was always a tiller of the soil. He received a good common-school education, also attended the college at Delaware, Ohio, for a year or more, and continued to live on the paternal farm until twenty-three years of age, when he married, in Butler township, Montgomery county, June 3, 1853, Miss Melvina Cary Strong, who was born in Butler township, April 14, 1835, a daughter of John and Sarah (Pearson) Strong.

Col. John Strong, Sr., great-grandfather of Walter L. Martindale, was born February 17, 1724, and was married to Louisa Crouch, his first wife, in 1744; to them were born four children. He was married to his fourth wife, Deliverance Cary, whose maiden name was Grant, widow of Dr. Samuel Cary, of Lynn, N. H., in 1786; of this last marriage were born John Strong, Jr., at North Hetford, Vt. , March 25, 1787, and Zebulon Strong, born Septem- ber 7, 1788. Col. John Strong, Sr., died November 17, 1795, aged seventy-one years. His wife, Deliverance Strong, died at Cincinnati in 1810.

When a young man, in company with his brother, Zebulon, John Strong, father of Mrs. Martindale, came to Ohio and located at College Hill, near Cincinnati, where he was employed for some years at his trade of carpenter and cabinet-maker, and first married, February 4, 1813, Miss Sarah Pearson, who was born April 7, 1793. In August, 1832, he came to Butler township, Montgomery county, and in 1833 entered 319-I acres of land, all in the woods. He proved to be a capable farmer and added 120 acres to his first entry, and his homestead was one of the best in the township in its day. In politics he was a whig and in his religious views was independent. To his first marriage were born the following-named children: Sarah, John, George, Mary, Eber, Gilbert L. , Julia Ann, Benjamin G. , Bela F. and Melvina C. - all now deceased with the exception of the youngest (Mrs. Martindale). Mrs. Strong died January 25, 1846, a devoted member of the Methodist church, and September 20, 1852, Mr. Strong married Phebe French, but to this union no children were born. Mr. Strong was himself called away January 15, 1897, at the age of seventy-nine years, nine months and twenty days, and no man of his day stood higher in the esteem of the community. Mrs. Phebe (French) Strong survived until 1895.

Samuel Martindale and wife, at their marriage, first located on a part of the Strong homestead, where they made their home until 1869, but between these two dates a digression may be made in order to record the war history of Mr. Martindale, which must be brief: In three years' service, which was mustered in at Camp Hamilton, September 9, i8'6i, as company H, Thirty-fifth Ohio volunteer infantry, of which company he was commissioned first lieutenant, under Capt. Michael Gunckel, and took part in the engagements of Corinth, Perryville, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Buzzard's Roost, Atlanta, Dalton, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Chattanooga, Pine Mountain (general assault) and Peach Tree Creek. He was promoted to be captain of his company in October, 1862; at the siege of Chattanooga his hearing was destroyed through concussion caused by the bursting of a shell (1863), and he was finally honorably discharged, at the same point, April 8, 1864.

Capt. Martindale, after his return from the war, remained on the Strong homestead, as stated, until 1869. Fie then moved to the western part of Butler township and settled on a farm of 143 acres, was industrious and managed well, and in due course of time acquired 800 acres, located in Butler township, Montgomery county, and in Union township, Miami county. Before the war and during its progress Mr. Martindale was in politics a republican, but afterward became a democrat. He held the office of county commissioner from 1872 to 1875, and served also, at different periods, as township treasurer and township trustee, and was likewise an officer in several stock companies; fraternally, he was a member of the Dayton lodge of Freemasons, and in religion was a consistent member of the United F3rethren church.

To the marriage of Capt. and Mrs. Martindale were born the following children: Edmund D., Warren O., Florence L., Samuel C., Wilson C., Walter L. , Urilla A. and Arthur A. The death of the captain took place April 29, 1894, at the age of a little over sixty-four years. He was a faithful soldier, always active and prompt in the discharge of his duty; was possessed of excellent business abilities; he was a loving husband, a kind father, faithful and warm in his friendships, and a power in the community in which he lived. Mrs. Martindale is now living in Harrisburg. Through her father she is connected with the well-known New England family of Carys and also with the famous Ohio poets, Alice and Phebe Cary.

Walter L. Martindale, the subject proper of this biographical memoir, was born December 19, 1868, on the Martindale (or John Strong) homestead in Butler township, Montgomery county, Ohio. His preliminary education was acquired in the district school, and when sufficiently advanced, he attended the Ohio Normal university at Ada. After his graduation from the literary department of this institution, he taught school for five years - three in Ohio and two in New York state - -at the same time studying law. He then entered the law department of the Ohio Normal university, and graduated from both the scientific and law departments in 1894, in which year, also, he was admitted to the bar of the state of Ohio. He at once entered upon the practice of his profession at Harrisburg, Montgomery county, where his abilities were speedily recognized, and where, during the short space of time since intervening, he has secured a patronage respectable in its proportions and remunerative in its returns.

Mr. Martindale was happily united in marriage June 2, 1892, in Stokes township, Logan county, Ohio, with Miss Minnie L. Brubaker, who was born October 8, 1871, a daughter of Joseph T. and Sarah (Loudenbock) Brubaker. For a year after marriage, Mr. Martindale taught school in Vandalia, Montgomery county, and it was shortly after the birth of his daughter, Ethel M., July 13, 1894, that he located in Harrisburg, his present home. In politics he is a democrat, and fraternally is a member of the I. O. O. F. lodge at Union, Ohio. As a citizen he is respected and well-to-do, owning 350 acres of excellent farming land, and as an attorney is well-equipped, popular and unusually successful.

Joseph T. Brubaker, father of Mrs. Martindale, was born November 12, 1846, in Page county, Va., and is a son of Peter Brubaker, who was of Pennsylvania descent, and in Page county, Va. , was a wealthy planter and slaveholder and the father of the following children: Joseph T. , John, Perry, Abraham, Charles, Emma and Linna. Joseph T. Brubaker was a well-educated gentleman, and married, in Champaign county, Ohio, December 15, 1870, Sarah R. Loudenbock, and first located in Washington township, Logan county, on Loudenbock land, comprising 218 acres, and later settled on 100 acres of his own land in Stokes township. His wife died May 1 3, 1874, the mother of two children - Minnie L. (Mrs. Martindale) and one that died in infancy. Mr. Brubaker still resides on his farm and is an excellent citizen. During the Civil war he was drafted into the Confederate army at the age of eighteen years, and served until the close.

OBERT CARSON, one of the exsoldiers of the late Civil war, springs from Scotch ancestry, his parents being natives of Scotland. He was born October 3, 1838, on the Atlantic ocean off the banks of Newfoundland, while his parents were on their voyage to the United States. Reared in Newark, New Jersey, he received there a good common-school education, and when twelve years old became a cabin boy on the sea, sailing until he was fifteen years of age, and visiting different countries. After some further schooling he taught for a time, and then learned the painter's trade. In 1862 he enlisted at Buffalo, N. Y., for three years, or during the war, in company B, Sixteenth New York volunteer infantry, which regiment, after seeing some service, was consolidated with the Twelfth New York volunteer infantry. After serving nearly three years he was honorably discharged on account of wounds received in the service. At the time he was discharged, in 1865, he was in hospital at Washington, D. C. Mr. Carson was in many skirmishes in Virginia, on the Potomac river, at Alexandria, and was in Washington when Gen. Early made his famous raid on that city. He was also with Sherman on the march from Atlanta to the sea, and took part also in many skirmishes and foraging expeditions in the southern part of the country. He received his wound in the battle of Gettysburg, in a cavalry charge, the ball passing through the right shoulder, paralyzing his entire right side and limbs. He lay in hospital at Washington eight months, and after leaving there went to Rochester and thence to Chambersburg, Ohio, where he had lived before the war, and where he owned land.

Mr. Carson is a member of Weaver post, G. A. R. , of Vandalia, Ohio. In politics he is a republican, and in religion a Presbyterian. He is one of those who served his country well during her hour of need and trial, and thereby lost his health, and partially lost the use of his body.

John L. Carson, his father, was born in Scotland, near the town of Dumfries, learned there the trade of painter, and married Margaret Miller. They became the parents of two children - Robert and Isabella. Mr. Carson came to the United States in 1838, settling in Newark, N. J., where Mrs. Carson died. By a second marriage Mr. Carson became the father of five children. John L. Carson and his first wife were members of the Presbyterian church, his second wife being a member of the Baptist church.

of Chambersburg, who died February 24, 1894, and who was a member of the United Brethren church. His second marriage took place October 21, 1895, a t Chambersburg, Ohio, to Kate Hilderbrand, a widow, whose maiden name was Watkins, and who was a daughter of David and Angeline (Whittacer) Watkins. David Watkins is a prominent citizen of Warren county, and his children were Oscar, Kate, Almira and Esther. Mr. Watkins' first wife died, and he then married Jerusha Witcey, by whom he had one daughter, Emma.

OHN W. DRILL, of Chambersburg, Ohio, one of the old soldiers of the late Civil war, is a son of George and Jemima (Leakins) Drill. He was born February 9, 1828, in Frederick county, Md., and was brought the same year to Montgomery county, Ohio, by his parents. Reared among the pioneers, he acquired their habits and customs, and was educated in the little log schoolhouse, common in the country in the days of his boyhood. When he was about twenty-one years of age he married, November 30, 1849, Lebina Hosier, who was born in Butler township, October 21, 1829, and was a daughter of Robert and Nancy (Compton) Hosier. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Drill settled on land in Harrison township, which Mr. Drill had purchased, and lived thereon two years, when he sold it and bought ten and a half acres, where he now lives. To Mr. and Mrs. Drill there were born the following children: Martha J., who died at the age of three years; Mary J., who died at the age of twenty-eight years; Nancy and Jemima; Robert, who died in infancy; and Josephine. The mother of these children died December 11, 1896.

or during the war, and was honorably discharged at Savannah, Ga., by reason of the expiration of his term of service, January 6,. 1865. At the time of his enlistment Mr. Drill was thirty-five years of age and left at home his wife and one child. He was at the battles of Stone River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge and many smaller battles and- skirmishes, including all of those of the great Atlanta campaign, when the Union troops were under fire for four months. He was in the battle in which Gen. McPherson fell, and in that of Jonesboro, after which he went with Sherman to the sea. He was in the battle of Savannah, and that at Columbia, after which he was discharged, his term of service having expired. Sent by ship from Hilton Head to New York, he returned home from this latter city. He was one of the fortunate soldiers of the war, never being wounded nor taken prisoner and being sick in the hospital at Nashville only three weeks. He was in all the marches, campaigns, battles, and skirmishes in which his regiment was engaged, and was always prompt and cheerful in the performance of his duties. As a republican he has held the office of supervisor ten years and is an honored member of Vandalia post, No. 94, G. A. R.

George W. Drill, father of John W., was born in Frederick county, Md., October 7, 1787, and married in that county Jemima Leakins, who was born December 6, 1791, in the same county. Their children were Daniel, Elizabeth, Jacob, George, John W. , Ann R. and Thomas. All except Ann R. lived to mature years. In 1828 Mr. Drill came to Montgomery county, Ohio, making the journey with a four-horse wagon and a one-horse carriage, or rockaway, as it was called. He settled in Harrison township, three miles from Dayton, at Ebenezer church. Here he purchased 160 acres of land, mostly Stillwater bottom land.

With the exception of ten acres he cleared this tract of its timber, made of it a fine farm and lived thereon the remainder of his days, dying January 26, 1835. His wife died June 23, i860, at the residence of John W. Drill. Mr. Drill was a member of the Protestant Episcopal church, and the Ebenezer Methodist Episcopal church was built on his land. He was of German ancestry, his father having come from Germany to the United States.

Robert Hosier was born in Virginia, was a farmer by vocation and was a teamster in the war of 1812. He married in Montgomery county, to which he came when about thirty years of age. His wife was Nancy Compton, born in South Carolina, daughter of William and Tetty Compton, both of English descent. Robert Hosier was one of the original pioneers of Montgomery county, settling here when there was but one store in Dayton. He entered 300 acres of land one-half mile east of Chambersburg before the Indians had left the country. He and his wife had the following children: Nancy, Isaac, Zimri, Rebecca, Rhoda, Mary, Joshua. Eli, Leona and one that died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Hosier were members of the Christian church, and he was well known throughout the country as a sturdy and prosperous pioneer.

QOSES EVANS, one of the most substantial farmers of Butler township, whose post-office is Fidelity, Ohio, springs from Welsh ancestry. His grandfather, Joseph Evans, was a farmer of Georgia, and in 1773 married in that state Miss Esther Buffington. Their children were Samuel, born January 27, 1775; Hannah, born October 27, 1776; Isaac, born November 7, 1778; Moses, born September 24, 1780; Margaret, born October 17, 1782; Adam, born December 30, 1784; John, born February 16,

Joseph Evans, father of these children, moved to Ohio in 1802 by means of wagons. The Evans family were Quakers, and moved away from Georgia on account of their opposition to slavery. They settled in Butler township, Montgomery county, near Vandalia. Here Mr. Evans passed his remaining days, dying August 31, 1828, when seventy-nine years and eleven days old. Esther Buffington, his wife, was born February 1, 1756, and died May 30, 1830. Mr. Evans was one of the sturdy, thrifty pioneers, and owned land enough to give each of his children a good farm.

Robert Evans, his son, and the father of Moses Evans, was bom in Georgia, and according to his own statement was a small boy when the family moved to Ohio. Robert Evans received a fair common-school education in his youth, and became a farmer. July 12, 1812, he married Esther Jenkins, of Ohio, daughter of Thomas Jenkins. Mr. Evans after his marriage settled in Miami county on 170 acres of land, which he cleared from the woods. The town of Tippecanoe, Ohio, now stands on this farm. Mr. Evans became a prosperous man, and bought additional land for his children. This land lay in St. Joseph's county, Ind. Politically he was an old-line whig and later a republican, and a strong Union man. Four of his sons were in the Union army, Jesse, Robert, Moses and Eli. The first three were in company G, One Hundred and Fortyseventh Ohio volunteer infantry, and served 100 days, and Eli served in an Indiana regiment. Mr. Evans was a Quaker in religious belief, like his ancestors before him.

and all married and reared families. There were several other children who died young. The mother of these children died January 26, 1835, and Mr. Evans again married, his second wife being Mary Jenkins, by whom he had the following children: Jesse, Mary L., Robert,

Moses Evans was born January 17, 1826, on his father's farm in Monroe township, Miami county, Ohio. His early education was only a limited one, but sufficient for all the practical purposes of a farmer's life. When about twenty-one years old he married, on February 25, 1847, Elizabeth Pearson, who was a daughter of Noah and Florentine Pearson. Noah Pearson was an excellent man and a good farmer of Miami county. His children were Simeon, William, Elizabeth, Mary and Henrietta. Mr. Pearson was also a Quaker in religion and lived to the age of seventy years. After their marriage Moses Evans and wife settled in Monroe township, within four miles of Tippecanoe, on his father's farm, of which his father gave him eighty acres. In 1865 he sold it and moved to his present farm of eighty acres, which he has much improved. His wife died October 13, 1856, a woman of excellent character and many virtues. December 31, 1857, Mr.

Evans married Ruth Russell, who died April 25, 1859, leaving no children. On May 3, 1865, Mr. Evans married Delilah Fanner, a widow, whose maiden name was Yount. She was born in Montgomery county, July 21, 1833, and was a daughter of Solomon and Eve (Fouts) Yount.

Solomon Yount was a son of John and Mary Yount, the former of whom was a pioneer of Montgomery county and of German descent. He came with his family from North Carolina with the old Friends or Quakers, and settled in Butler township. His children were Frederick, Henry, Rebecca, Delilah and Solo- mon. Solomon Yount was born July 22, 1797, in North Carolina, and came with his parents to Ohio in 1802. He married Eve Yount, a widow, nee Fouts, who was a daughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Sinks) Fouts. Solomon Yount settled on the land where now lives Isaac Macy, which land he cleared and then removed to another farm in Butler township, this latter farm containing 170 acres, and upon which he became a substantial farmer. His children by Eve Yount were Enos, Frederick, Mary, Roanna, Elizabeth and Delilah. He had previously been married to Joanna Insco, and by her had one child, Insco Yount.

In religion Mr. Yount was a Quaker or Friend, and in politics was first a whig and then a republican. He died April 10, 1870, a man of most excellent character and of strict integrity.

Mr. Evans is a member of the Christian church, as also his wife. He served in the one hundred days' service as a member of company E, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Ohio volunteer infantry, and was stationed at Fort Marcy, W. Va. Mr. Evans is an honored citizen, and has held the offices of supervisor and member of school board. By his first wife, he had four children who are now living: Hester M.; Nancy J.; Noah D. and

Harriet. Mrs. Evans was married first to Allen Fanner, a farmer of Miami county, and by him had three children, Webster, Callie and Arnold. Allen Fanner died at the age of twenty-seven years.

HE ARNOLD FAMILY. - Samuel, Joseph, Elizabeth, Henry H. and Abigail Arnold were born near Harrisonburg, Rockingham county, Va., and with their parents, Daniel and Catherine (Harshbarger) Arnold, emigrated to Ohio in the year 1830.

Samuel Arnold, a worthy citizen and pioneer settler of Wayne township, Montgomery county, Ohio, was born June 24, 1817, and was thirteen years of age when brought to Ohio by his parents. He received a common-school education and became an energetic and successful farmer, managing the farm and raising the crops while his brothers worked in the sawmill. At twenty-two years of age he married Miss Hannah Wolf, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Ullery) Wolf. Samuel Arnold, after marriage, settled on a farm of 110 acres on Little Bear creek, Montgomery county. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold are Jacob W., Abigail and Samuel A., all of whom are married and living on homes of their own in Montgomery county. Hannah (Wolf) Arnold was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, March 23, 1821, and died May 10, 1873. Samuel Arnold then, on March 3, 1878, married Mrs. Lizzie Stoneroad, who died in March, 1879. He then, in April, 1884, married Mrs. Polly Warner, with whom he is living a retired life near Brookville, Ohio. Samuel Arnold is of the Old German Baptist faith, and has held the office of deacon for many years.

Rev. Joseph Arnold, a devout minister of the Old German Baptist church, was born October 27, 1818, and was twelve years of age when brought to Wayne township, Montgomery county. He received a good education and was reared on his father's farm. Being a natural mechanic, and particularly apt with carpenter's tools, he was able to erect all his own buildings, besides planning and aiding others in the construction of theirs. May 19, 1840, he married, in Clarke county, Ohio, Miss Elizabeth Frantz, who was born in Botetourt county, Va., January 30, 1821, a daughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Crist) Frantz.

Christian, Jacob, Joseph, Annie, Elizabeth, Lydia and Susannah, all born in Botetourt county. After the death of her husband Mrs. Frantz came to Ohio and settled in Logan county, where she passed the remainder of her life, and in the year 1840, at seventy years of age, died in the faith of the Old German Baptist church. Michael Frantz, father of Mrs. Arnold, was born September, 1791, and married Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob and Margarette (Hoh) Crist, of Augusta county, Va., but who became residents of Botetourt county. Jacob and Margarette (Hoh) Crist reared a family of four daughters and one son, viz: Betsy, Barbara, Catherine, Jacob and Susan. Jacob Crist, the father of this family, died in Virginia, in 1805, aged about forty years; his widow, Margarette (Hoh) Crist, came to Ohio in 1826, and died in Clarke county in May, 1840, aged seventy-two years and five months. The children of Michael and Elizabeth (Crist) Frantz were David, Elizabeth and Catherine. Elizabeth (Crist) Frantz, the mother of Mrs. Arnold, died in Clarke county, Ohio, May 31, 1823, aged thirty years, seven months and seven days. The father next married Susannah Neher, and to this union were born John, Susannah, Lydia, Michael, Samuel and Annie. The mother of these children also died, and the father next married a widow, Catherine (Ohmart) Crist, who bore him one child, Aaron. Michael Frantz came to Ohio in 1823 and settled on 160 acres of land in Pike township, Clarke county, cleared up a good farm from the forest, and died on his homestead in February, i860, aged sixty-eight years and five months. He was a member of the Old German Baptist church, and recognized as one of the most responsible and useful citizens of his township.

After marriage, Joseph Arnold settled on his present homestead, which consists of seventy-six acres in Wayne township, Montgomery county, in a fine state of cultivation, and improved with a modern and commodious dwelling. Mr. Arnold also owns a fine farm of 126 acres in Miami county. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold have no children of their own, but have reared three with the kindest of parental care and affection, "viz: Catherine Neher, who died at the age of twenty-two years; John and Melissa Baird, both now married and settled in life. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold are members of the Old German Baptist church. Mr. Arnold has been a minister since 1856, has extended his labors in the cause of the church over at least twelve states of the Union, and has been in attendance at each annual conference since 1870.

Elizabeth Arnold was born November 29, 1821, was nine years of age when brought to Wayne township, Montgomery county, Ohio, was here married to Daniel Funderburg in 1840, and settled on a farm of eighty acres in Miami county, Ohio, where Mr. Funderburg died in March, i860. Mrs. Elizabeth (Arnold) Funderburg married George W. Stuaebakerin February, 1863, and they are now living a retired life in Fredonia, Wilson county, Kans. Both are devout, active members of the German Baptist church, Mr. Studebaker being a minister and elder.

Henry H. Arnold, one of the old-time farmers and mechanics of Wayne township, Montgomery county, Ohio, was born January 1 1, 1827, and was but four years of age when brought to Ohio; he was reared to farming among the pioneers, received the usual common-school education, and was also taught the use of tools, for which he had a natural aptitude, but he and his brother Joseph both worked in a saw-mill when young, and both learned to do millwright work. His maternal grandfather, Henry Harshbarger, who settled in Wayne township in 1830, at the same time with the Arnold family, bought the farm on which Henry H. now lives; this farm was then mostly in forest; game, such as deer and wild turkey, was plentiful. In the winter of 1830-31, he built a saw-mill on the farm on Dry Run, it being the first mill in Wayne township. He sold the farm in 1831 to his son-in-law, Daniel Arnold. This mill was run almost continuously until 1875, and here the two brothers worked for thirty-five years, both becoming expert saw-millers. At nearly the age of twenty-one years Henry H. Arnold was united in marriage, September 12, 1847, in Clarke county, Ohio, with Magdalena Crist, born in that county, August 5, 1825, daughter of Jacob and Magdalena (Frantz) Crist.

Jacob Crist, the father of Mrs. Arnold, was born January 11, 1801, in Augusta county, Va., and was married to Magdalena Frantz, of Botetourt county, Va. , in 1822, emigrated to Ohio by wagons in 1823, settled on eighty acres of land in Pike township, Clarke county, and cleared up a farm. Magdalena (Frantz) Crist, who bore to him two sons and one daughter, viz: Joel, Jacob and Magdalena, died in Clarke county, Ohio, August 5, 1825, at about twenty-five years of age, and is buried in the Meyers cemetery, Clarke county, Ohio. She was a daughter of Peter, Jr., and Peggie (Garst) Frantz. Peter Frantz, Jr., was a 'large landholder of Virginia, and he and his family were members of the Old German Baptist church, Mr. Frantz being a minister and elder for many years. He died in Botetourt county, Va., in 1852, aged eighty-seven years. Jacob Crist was next married to Catherine Ohmart, in Clarke county, Ohio, in 1826, and in 1828 moved to Logan county, Ohio, bought 160 acres, and cut the first tree from the land, which was all in the forest. Here he hewed out a well-improved farm, on which they lived thirteen years, then returned to Clarke county in 1840, and cleared up another farm of 160 acres in Pike township, built a large frame dwelling and made a comfortable home. Catherine (Ohmart) Crist bore him nine children, viz: Polly, John, Adam, Christopher,

Barbara, Margarette, Samuel, Catherine and Aaron. All his children excepting two reached mature age and were married. Jacob Crist died in Clarke county, Ohio, in January, 1849, aged forty-eight years, and is buried in the Meyers cemetery. He was an earnest Christian and a faithful member of his church, the Old German Baptist, for many years holding the office of a minister and elder.

Henry H. Arnold, after marriage, settled on his present place of 144 acres, a part of the old Arnold homestead, which he bought of his father in 1861, and here there have been born to him nine children, viz: Elizabeth, Daniel

(who died at the age of ten years), Silas J., Henry C. , Emma A., and four who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold have been members of the Old German Baptist church for more than fifty years, and two of their children are likewise members. Aided by his faithful wife and children, Mr. Arnold has greatly improved the old homestead. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold have met with the prosperity their industry deserves, and their undeviating rectitude has won for them the respect of the community.

Abigail Arnold was born September 4, 1829, and was one year old when brought to Ohio, and died in Wayne township, Montgomery county, March 20, 1840.

Samuel Arnold, the great-grandfather of this family, came to America from Germany, arriving at Philadelphia when it was quite a small town, and, with his wife, settled in Frederick county, Md. He was the father of Daniel, Zachariah, David, Samuel, Betsey and

Mollie. The father and sons were all farmers and of the Old German Baptist' faith. Daniel, David, and Samuel were ministers and elders of their church, and Zachariah was a deacon. Zachariah Arnold, son of Samuel and grandfather of our subjects, was born in Frederick county, Md., December 5, 1766, and married Abigail Miller, who was born in Germany January 8, 1776; they moved to Hampshire county, W. Va., and settled on a large farm near Romney, where they reared a family of eight sons and two daughters, viz: John, Daniel,

Joseph, Peter, Samuel, David, Benjamin, Zachariah, Betsey and Peggy. The family were members of the Old German Baptist church, Joseph and Benjamin being ministers and Zachariah and Daniel deacons. The sons all owned large farms in West Virginia, with the exception of Daniel, who emigrated to Ohio; all were married and reared large families, except Peter, who remained unmarried and died in 1875, aged about eighty years. Zachariah Arnold, father of this family, died June 5, 1829, aged sixty-two years and one month. His wife, Abigail (Miller) Arnold, died October 24, 1856, aged eighty years, nine months and sixteen days; both are buried on the old Arnold homestead in West Virginia, which is now in the possession of the third generation.

Daniel Arnold, son of Zachariah, and father of our subjects, was born in Hampshire county, W. Va. , June 30, 1792, and September 3, 1816, was married to Catherine Harshbarger, of Rockingham county, Va. , who was born in that county, January 17, 1795, and was the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Rhinehart) Harshbarger. To Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Arnold were born three sons and two daughters, whose names open this record. Daniel Arnold, after his marriage, bought 200 acres of land in Rockingham county, Va. , and there followed the pursuit of agriculture until 1830,

Henry Harshbarger, and part of his family, and Jacob Snell and family, a party of sixteen persons, emigrated to Ohio in wagons. This colony arrived in Wayne township, Montgomery county, in September, 1830; of this number only five are living at this date, March, 1897; they are the three sons and one daughter of Daniel Arnold above mentioned, and John Snell, of Miami county, all between the ages of seventy and eighty years.

Upon his arrival, Daniel Arnold rented land in Wayne township, on which he passed the first winter, and Henry Harshbarger bought the farm of 160 acres, which he sold a year later to his son-in-law, Daniel Arnold, who then moved on the farm. By hard work, as was usual as well as necessary in that early day, assisted by his sons, he converted the wilderness into a comfortable home, where he passed the remainder of hisdays. On December 3, 1845, he bought fifty acres adjoining the south side of his farm; about the same time he sold seventy-six acres to his son Joseph, where he still lives. Daniel Arnold died at the home of his son Henry H., July 11, 1864, aged seventy-two years and eleven days, from injuries received by an accidental fall from a wagon. Catherine (Harshbarger) Arnold died December 6, 1852, aged fifty-seven years, ten months and nineteen days. Both are buried in the family graveyard on the old Arnold homestead. Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Arnold were members of the Old German Baptist church, and were greatly respected for their general usefulness as citizens, and for the reason that they did as much as any pioneers of the township to redeem it from the forest and advance its civilization. Henry Harshbarger, the maternal grandfather of our subjects, was born in Virginia February 28, 1774, and was married to Elizabeth Rhinehart, who was born in Virginia March 18, 1775. They owned and lived on a farm near Dayton, Rockingham county, Va., where they reared a family of two sons and five daughters, viz: Catherine (the mother of our subject), Magdalene, Elizabeth, Barbara, John, Henry, Jr., and Anna, all of whom came to Ohio, except John, who remained in Virginia. Mr. Harshbarger, after leaving Wayne township, bought and occupied a farm in Bethel township, Miami county. Here his wife died, April 2, 1833, aged fifty-eight years and fifteen days, being the first person buried in the Hickory Grove cemetery. Mr. Harshbarger then married a widow Ullery, and returned to Montgomery county, where he died at his home on Little Bear creek, June 3, 1847, aged seventy -three years, three months and three days, and is buried in Bright's cemetery in the vicinity.

HE MARTINDALE FAMILY is one of the oldest, most substantial and respected in the county of Montgomery, Ohio, and is noted for its intelligence, thrift, industry and sturdy traits of character, as well as for its prominence in the social and material progress of the county. The founders of the family in America were three brothers, who came from England in the colonial days, and settled near Philadelphia, Pa., and a son of one of these, Maj. James A. Martindale (or Martindill, as the name was originally spelled), was a patriot of the war of the Revolution, and was a great-great-grandfather of Walter L. Martindale, the lawyer of Harrisburg, Ohio.

Maj. James A. Martindale was born in South Carolina in 1754. His father was of Irish and his mother, nee Alexander, of Scotch parentage, and both came to America with their parents about the year 1735. James A. Martindale enlisted in 1780, served as a private one year, as lieutenant two years, and eventually attained the rank of major, and in 1832 was granted a pension, having rendered valuable service at King's Mountain, N. C,, siege of Ninety-six, S. C., Cowpens and elsewhere. After the war he moved to Greenbrier county, now in West Virginia, where several of his children were born, and in 1811 came to Ohio and settled in Gallia county. He was three times married - first to a Miss Bishop, and of the children born to this union the names of Samuel, Thomas and Mattie are remembered; after the death of his first wife he again married, and after the death of his second wife he married a third, being then over ninety years of age. He came to Montgomery county from Gallipolis some time after his son Samuel had settled here, and it is remembered that at one time the major, his son Samuel, his grandson Jesse, and his great-grandson Makinny- - four generations - cradled wheat together on the farm of Samuel, near Troy. The major lived to reach the age of ninety-six years, and his remains lie interred in the soil of the Buckeye state.

Samuel Martindale, son of Maj. James A. Martindale and great-grandfather of Walter L. Martindale, was born in South Carolina and was twice married. After the death of his first wife he married Elizabeth Campbell, of Scotch descent, and to this second union were born Rebecca, John, Hester, Lydia, Rachel, Martha and Samuel. The father, Samuel, was a farmer and in 1803 came to Ohio, bought forty acres of land near Waynesville, Warren county, on which he resided until 1807, when he came to Montgomery county and settled on 160 acres on the north line of Butler township, prospered greatly, acquired several farms and became a citizen of great influence and prominence. He was an old-line whig in politics and he and his wife were members of the Christian church. He was really the founder of the Martindale family in Montgomery county, as his father, Maj. James A., was an aged man when he came here. He also lived to a great age, be-

John Martindale, eldest son of Samuel and grandfather of Walter L. , was born in South Carolina in 1798 and was brought when a child to Montgomery county, Ohio, by his father. He here grew to manhood on his father's farm among the pioneers, and first married Miss Mary Sidney, a native of North Carolina, who had come to Ohio in company with two sisters, makingthe trip on horseback, after the death of their parents. To this marriage was born one son, Jesse, and after the death of the mother, Mr. Martindale married Miss Amy Campbell, daughter of Robert and Amelia (Henderson) Campbell. This lady was born in Pennsylvania and her parents were of Scotch-Irish extraction. This second union was blessed with ten children, viz: Elizabeth, Robert, Mary,

Samuel, Rachel, John, William, Stewart, Martin and Rebecca. John Martindale, after marriage, first located in Fidelity, Miami county, where he worked at the trade of blacksmith (which he had learned when a young man) until 1821, when he settled on a farm of eighty acres on the north line of Butler township, Montgomery county. This farm he cleared up in great part from the woods, made a success of farm life, and added to his possessions until he owned 520 acres, situated in Montgomery and Miami counties, Ohio, and in Indiana, thus becoming one of the most substantial citizens of Butler township. He was a man of sterling qualities, and was a deacon in the Christian church, and in politics was a whig. His death took place in 1859, ar the age of sixty-one years, and his loss was deeply felt throughout the entire community. Of his sons, Samuel served three years in the Civil war as captain in the Thirty-fifth Ohio volunteer infantry; Stewart was an orderly sergeant in the Sixty-third Ohio infantry; Robert served in the One Hundred and Fortyseventh for 100 days and was promoted to be sergeant, and John served as private in the same regiment for the same length of time. Of Samuel Martindale, the fourth child born to John and Amelia (Campbell) Martindale, full mention will be made in the biography of Walter L. Martindale, of Butler township.

AMUEL F. NORTH, one of the veteran soldiers of the late Civil war, springs from Scotch ancestors on his father's side, and on his mother's side from German ancestry. His grandfather came from Scotland, and his father, David North, served as a soldier when he was eighteen years old, in the war of 1812. David North married Susan Fair, a daughter of Michael Fair, in Dayton. She was born in Taneytown, Md., of German ancestry. Mr. North was a saddler by trade and lived in Dayton until he moved to Vandalia, where he died in 1849, at the age of fifty-three years, a member of the Lutheran church. Mrs. North, who still lives at the age of eighty years, is a member of the United Brethren church. The children of Mr. and Mrs. North were George W. , Martha J., David

W. was in, an Ohio regiment; Thomas J. was in the Seventy-fourth Ohio volunteer infantry, marched with Sherman to the sea and participated in many battles, and Michael J. was in company G, Second Illinois volunteer cavalry. David V., when a young man, went to Memphis, Tenn., where he followed his trade, that of molder; he went with Gen. Walker on his ill-fated expedition to Nicaraugua and there perished with many others.

mon-school education, learned early in life what hard work meant, and was but nine years old when his father died. Becoming a farmer, he went to Mason county, 111., in the spring of 1861, and then enlisted at Havana in July following, being enrolled on the 23d of that month, in company C, Second Illinois volunteer cavalry, to serve three years or during the war. He was honorably discharged from the service January 3, 1864, at Memphis, Tenn., in order to re-enlist as a veteran to serve again for three years or during the war. He was honorably mustered out the second time at San Antonio, Tex., January 2, 1866, by reason of the close of the war. He was promoted to sergeant of his company, and held that office when finally discharged. He was in the battle of Holly Springs, Miss., and on the Obion river, Tenn., on the Tallahatchie, and in many skirmishes. He was in a raid with Col. Sperling from the Florida coast to Gravel Hill station on the Mobile & Columbia railroad, and on the Blakely & Claiborne when a fight occurred. He marched on through to Vicksburg and up the Red river country to Shreveport and then to San Antonio, Tex., being on the march from March 20, 1865, to August 18, 1865. Mr. North was a faithful and efficient soldier throughout the war.

The great conflict having come to a close, Mr. North returned to Montgomery county, and on March 7, 1867, at Vandalia, married Cynthia A. Collins, who was born in 1847, and is a daughter of William and Nancy (Roberts) Collins. Mr. Collins was of Irish descent, but was born in Highland county, Ohio, and was a blacksmith by trade. He married Nancy Roberts, of New Antioch, Clinton county, Ohio, by whom he had two children, who lived to mature years: Henry and Cynthia A. Mr. Collins settled in Auglaize county, at Saint Mary's, where he ran a blacksmith shop and also managed a farm of eighty acres. He died

January 1, i860, a member of the Christian church. His widow lived on the farm until November 17, 1895, when she died at the age of eighty-two years, two months and seventeen days. She was a member of the church and a woman of excellent traits of character and attractive disposition.

Mr. North settled in Auglaize county, and there lived until within a few years, when he sold his farm and removed to Montgomery county, buying his present farm in Butler township in 1891. His children are Jennie and Nannie. Mrs. North is a member of the Christian church and the children are members of the Brethren church. Mr. North is a republican in politics, and is a member of Milton Weaver post, G. A. R. His daughter Jennie married Sherman S. Sunderland, and Nannie married Allen T. Routson, and has one son, Nevin S.

George North, the grandfather of Samuel F. North, came from England with Lord Baltimore. He was for many years a justice of the peace in Maryland, and died in Cumberland county, that state. His children were John, George, David, Michael, Samuel, Polly, Betsey, Nanny, Susan and Sallie. Mr. North was a member of the Lutheran church.

David North, father of Samuel F. , was born March 17, 1796, in Cumberland county, Md., and received a limited common-school education. While he was a farmer, he also carried on the saddler's trade at Hagerstown, Md., and, having married in Maryland, removed to Ohio, settling in Montgomery county. By his first wife he had no children. After her death, which occurred a few years after marriage, he married Betsey Harvey, in Montgomery county, Ohio, and by her he had two children, George and Martha J. This wife also died a few years after her marriage, and Mr. North then married Susan Fair, who was born March 10, 1816, in Frederick county, Md., and was a daughter of Michael and Sarah (Krouse) Fair. Michael Fair was a native of Maryland, his parents having removed thither from North Carolina. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. He married in Maryland, and had the following children: Volusha, Mary, Elizabeth, Susan, Rebecca, Samuel and Sarah. Mr. Fair came to Montgomery county in 1834, settled in Dayton, and worked at his trade of shoemaker. He died in Chambersburg at the age of sixty-nine. He was a member of the Reformed church.

AMUEL SOUDERS, M. D., a prominent physician of Montgomery county, living at Beavertown, was born near Zanesville, Ohio, September 15, 1830. He is a son of Jacob and Mary M. (Slater) Souders, both natives of Loudoun county, Va., and the parents of ten children, all of whom lived to mature age, and five of whom are still living, as follows: George, of

Hocking county; Eli, of the same county; Samuel; Mary Ann, wife of G. W. Baughman, of Muskingum county, Ohio, and Amos, of Morgan county, Ohio.

Jacob Souders, the father of this family, was a farmer by occupation, came to Ohio in 1816, and located in Morgan county, building his log cabin just across the line from Muskingum county. He at first took up 160 acres of land for himself, and later bought land for his' children. There he continued to live until his death, which occurred December 22, 1866, when he was seventy-six years of age. His wife survived him until August 10, 1886, when she died at the age of ninety years and five months. They were members of the Lutheran church.

The father of Jacob Souders was a native of Maryland, in which state he died in middle life. His family consisted of three sons and two daughters. The maternal grandfather of

Samuel Souders, John Slater, was a native of Loudoun county, Va. , and there he died at middle age, and his wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Comfort, survived him for some years, dying at the ripe age of ninety-four.

Samuel Souders, M. D., received his education in the district schools, making such good use of his opportunities as to begin teaching school when nineteen years of age. He continued to follow the "profession of teaching for eight years, attending Muskingum college in the meantime, and paying his expenses with the money he earned as a teacher. He was a regular graduate of the Ophthalmic hospital in New York in 1861, engaged in practice and intended to make ophthalmy a specialty; but, ophthalmy alone not being remunerative, he entered the medical department of the university of New York, and ten years later graduated from Bellevue Hospital Medical college. In 1871, after a thorough preparation. Dr. Souders began the general practice of his profession in Beavertown, Ohio, and has continued to practice there ever since, but, as he had practiced from 1861 to 1871, he has consequently been in continuous practice now for a period of thirty-five years.

On the 6th of August, 1863, he married Miss Jennie O'Neill, daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Sherman) O'Neill, natives of New Bedford, Mass. Mrs. Souders was born in Franklin county, Pa., October 28, 1842. She was educated in the east, and after coming to Montgomery county, Ohio, at the age of sixteen, was a successful school teacher from that time until her marriage.

Dr. and Mrs. Souders are the parents of four children, all of whom are living, as follows: Minnie Anna, wife of Rev. E. W. Darst, now of Chicago, but who was formerly minister for seven years in Boston; J. Maud, yet single; Samuel Mott, principal of the Beavertown public schools; and Myrtle, a graduate of the

Conservatory of Music, in which she took the normal course, finishing in 1896. Dr. and Mrs. Souders are members of the Lutheran church. He is a member of the Montgomery county Medical society, and also of the state and national Medical associations. In his practice he has met with unusual success, and is recognized throughout a large district as one of the best of its physicians. In his early life he was a whig, voting first for Gen. Winfield Scott. From the organization of the republican party he was a republican until 1871, when he became a prohibitionist, and has since adhered to that party. Dr. Souders has been a resident of Montgomery county for thirtyeight years, and has a beautiful residence in Beavertown.

He is a firm believer in the education of the young, and all of his children have been given a classical education. In his profession Dr. Souders enjoys the confidence of a large circle of patients, and in the community where he has spent so many years of useful labor he is esteemed as a good and honorable citizen.

OHN P. CREAGER, farmer, of Van Buren township, Montgomery county, was born in Franklin, Warren county, Ohio, in 1844. He is a son of William and Susanna (Doland) Creager, the former of whom was a native of Maryland and the latter of Warren county, Ohio. When yet a small child William Creager was brought to Ohio by his parents and was reared at Franklin, where his father followed his trade, that of blacksmith, for some years, but afterward bought a farm upon which he lived the remainder of his life. William Creager and his wife were the parents of eleven children, six sons and five daughters, seven of whom are now living, as follows: John P. ; Mary Ann, wife of Otho Mundebaugh; Ezra; Susanna,

William Creager grew to man's estate near Franklin, in Warren county, and in 1856 moved to Van Buren township, Montgomery county, where he bought a farm of 1 5 1 acres, afterward selling six acres, and lived on this farm the remainder of his life, dying November 1, 1892, aged nearly eighty years. His wife died March 18, 1893, aged seventy years. She was a member of the Catholic church, and he was a Lutheran. Both were good citizens, and dying left many friends to mourn their loss.

The paternal grandfather of John P. , Casper Creager, was a native of Maryland, but of German descent. At an early day he came west and settled in Warren county, where he died at a great age. There also his wife died. They reared a family of five children. The maternal grandfather, Mr. Doland, located at Franklin county, Ohio, as one of the pioneer settlers of the county, and died there at an advanced age.

John P. Creager, the subject of this sketch, was reared to farm life and labor on his father's farm, which he now owns. He received his rudimentary education in the district schools, but has added to and supplemented this education, which was necessarily somewhat crude and deficient, by personal study, reading and observation, and has thus become one of the well-informed and intelligent citizens of his county. On March 17, 1887, he married Miss Julia M. Ditman, daughter of Jacob Ditman, and by this marriage he has two children, viz: William Howard and John. Politically Mr. Creager is and always has been a democrat, but has never sought any official position, preferring the certain profits and quiet happiness of farm life to the turmoil and disappointments of politics. His farm, which is among the best in the county, contains 145 acres, is well im- proved and stocked, and furnishes him and his family with all the necessities and many of the luxuries of life. Mr. Creager's excellent qualities have made him many friends throughout the surrounding country, wherever known.

AMUEL SWADENER, one of the successful farmers of Montgomery county, Ohio, was born in Van Buren township, this county, October 23, 1821, his farm lying in section 4, of the township. He is a son of Henry and Ellen (Suman) Swadener, the former of whom was a native of Maryland. Henry and Ellen Swadener were the parents of nine children, three sons and six daughters, six of whom are still living, as follows: Daniel; Samuel; Sarah, widow of Joseph Brown; Henry; Clarinda, wife of Henry Roussong; and Lavina, wife of Riley Shank.

Henry Swadener was a mechanic, and while yet a young man located in Montgomery county in its early pioneer days, and bought a small farm in Van Buren township. Here he died in 1858, at sixty-nine years of age. His father died in Maryland. The maternal grandfather of Samuel Swadener, Mr. Suman, located in Van Buren township as one of the earliest of the pioneers, and lived here all his life.

Samuel Swadener lived with his parents in Van Buren township until he was twenty-two years of age. He was married, February n, 1847, to Miss Caroline Roussong, daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Flook) Roussong. To this marriage there have been born seven children, three sons and four daughters, five of whom are now living, as follows: Michael J.,

Frances G. , Ida Belle, Margaret A., and Samuel C. Those that died were named William H. and Julia A. Michael J. married Miss Joanna Miller, by whom he has one child living, Royal. Frances G. married William Cress; they have two children, Clarence E. and Edna

May. Ida Belle married Perry Saylor; they also have two children, Goldie May and Samuel Roscoe. Margaret A. married Joseph Saylor, and they have two children, Otho and Clifford. Samuel C. married Miss Elnora Michaels, and they have one child, Harry LeRoy.

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Swadener are members of the German Reformed church, and in politics Mr. Swadener is a democrat. He is a most industrious and prosperous man, owning a farm of 100 acres, which is well improved. He has lived in Van Buren township during his entire life, a period of seventy-five years. His wife's people came to Montgomery county from Maryland in the early pioneer days, and settled in Van Buren township, where they have always been held in high esteem. They have contributed largely to the growth and prosperity of the county, and have done well their part in life. Too much cannot be said in honor of the pioneer settlers of Ohio, who laid well the foundations of the commonwealtn, which now deservedly claims so proud a place in the long list of great states of the Union.

OHN ZEHRING, a retired farmer of Brookville, Montgomery county, Ohio-, was born in Jackson township, in the same county, March 8, 1841, a son of Barnheart and Elizabeth (Swartzel) Zehring, who were of Pennsylvania-German stock, of whom mention is made in the biography of Rev. Aaron Zehring.

Johnsville, he was mustered into the Union service at Camp Chase, Ohio, under Capt. Coaler, but served under Capt. David Holderman at Federal Hill, Baltimore, Md., on guard duty, and was honorably discharged at Camp Chase, August 25, 1864, having served about two weeks over his term of enlistment. His marriage took place at Lewisburg, Ohio, October 15, 1868, to Lucretia Kumler, who was born near Lewisburg, Ohio, August 13, 1844, a daughter of David and Frances (Disher) Kumler, both of German descent and respectively of Pennsylvania and Virginia parentage.

Rev. Henry Kumler, father of David, was a son of a pioneer minister, also named Henry, whose wife lived to the great age of ninety-seven years - her portrait, which is still in the family, being included in a group of five generations. Rev. Henry Kumler, the younger, and the grandfather of Mrs. Zehring, was a bishop in the United Brethren church, and traveled through many circuits, but made his permanent home in Lewisburg, Ohio. He lived to be eighty years of age, and was the father of nine children, viz: David, Andrew, Noah,

Henry, Susannah, Jesse, Salome, Daniel and Samuel, of whom two of the sons - Jesse and Samuel - served three years each in an Ohio regiment during the Civil war.

David Kumler was born in Harrison township, Preble county, Ohio, was a millwright, and also a surveyor, and lived to the age of seventy-two years. To him and his wife, Mrs. Frances (Disher) Kumler, were born two children - Lucretia and Civilla.

The great-grandfather of Mrs. Lucretia Zehring, Peter Discher (as the name was originally spelled), came from Germany prior to the Revolution, was a soldier in that glorious struggle, and fought under Benedict Arnold at Quebec, Canada. At the close of the war he located in Maryland, but some years later removed to Botetourt county, where his death took place about 1821 or 1822. Of his seven children, the youngest, Christian, was born in Maryland in 1788, was a lieutenant in the war of 1812, and was stationed at Norfolk, Va. He married Frances Circle and settled on a farm in Botetourt county, Va. , where he lived until the fall of 1829, when he came with his wife and five children to Ohio, and settled on a farm in Harrison township, Preble county, where his son, Christian, now lives, and where he died in 1871, at the age of eighty-two years and eleven months. His son, Capt. Matthias Disher, raised or recruited company H, Ninety-third Ohio volunteer infantry, and fought through the Civil war, thus continuing the military record of the family.

After marriage Mr. and Mrs. John Zehring located on a farm of ninety-seven acres in Harrison township, where there were born to them three children - Estolle, Clare and Ernest. In 1882 they removed to Brookville, where they bought a pleasant residence, which is still their home. They are members of the United Brethren church - -old constitution - in which Mr. Zehring has held the offices of trustee and steward. He has alwaysbeen zealous and active in his church work, and largely aided with his means in the erection of the United Brethren church in Perry township. He is a republican in politics, but has never been ambitious for public office. He is greatly respected by his neighbors in Brookville, and was always regarded with esteem in his township as a man of the strictest integrity.

Source changes here: from History of the City of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, by Drury, A. W. (Augustus Waldo), published 1909; 7,616 words in this source stream.

Dayton City

In the the winter of 1796-7, soon after the Dayton settlement was formed, Dayton township was formed. The name Dayton was properly g^ven because, next to Symmes, Honorable Jonathan Dayton was the most prominent man on the side of the proprietors, within the limits of the Symmes' purchase. In negotiations, as a promoter within congress, and as an active participant in affairs within the purchase itself, he had a prominent part. Dayton township was bounded as follows: "Beginning at a point on the east bank of the Big Miami, where it was intersected by the north line of the fifth range of townships; thence up that river in all its meanderings to the Indian boundary-line, at a point where said river crossed the said Indian boundary-line, in section eighteen, township two, in the fourteenth range of townships, between the Miamis ; thence along said line to Ludlow's line, and down that line to the southeast comer of section five, township six, in the eighth range of townships between the Miamis, where was a branch of the Little Miami river ; thence down the river to the north line of the fifth range of townships; thence west with said line to the place of beginning."

Within these liberal dimensions, several present counties and large portions of other counties were embraced. In brief, the township embraced all of the territory between the Miamis from an east and west line through the middle of Washington and Miami township to the Indian boundary line. Likewise that part of Hamilton county between the Little Miami and the Scioto, east of the boundaries named, was in a loose way attached to Dayton township. The commissioners of Hamilton county, June 10, 1797, appointed officers for Dayton township as follows: assessor, James Brady, and collector, John Kitchell. The last named failing to qualify. Colonel Morrill was appointed to serve in his place. Cyrus Osborn was made constable. The fees received will show something of the duties required and performed. The following entries will be of interest. To Stephen Wood, Treasurer of the County of Hamilton:

Sir - ^You will pay James Brady five dollars and twenty cents, out of the first monies that come into your hands, the same being his perquisites in full as assessor for the township of Dayton for the year 1797, and this shall be your warrant for so doing.

Sir - You will pay Cyrus Osborn, Constable of Da3rton township, one dollar and ninety cents, which by law he is entitled to for his trouble and attention in executing and returning the commissioners' warrant for ascertaining the taxable property for the present year; and also fifty cents for one quire of paper used in the aforesaid business.

In 1798, the officers of Dayton township were D. C. Cooper, assessor; George Newcom, collector, and James Thompson, constable. The rates, or valuation for taxation gives us an insight into primitive conditions. The following rates were fixed by the commissioners: Single men with no property, one dollar; cleared land, per acre, twenty dollars; cattle, per head, sixteen dollars; horses, one hundred and seventy-five dollars; cabins, twenty dollars; houses, six hundred dollars; gristmills and sawmills, each six hundred dollars. The following list of tax-payers and assessments in Dayton township for the year 1798, gives us our fullest introduction to the people at the time immediately following the Dayton settlement:

Some of the persons named may have been west of the Great Miami and others may have been east of the Little Miami, the extension of the township moving westward with the extension of the county in that direction. Certain it is that in 1801, Dayton township included territory to the east and to the west of the Miamis.

The northwest territory was, according to the ordinance of 1787, to have a representative assembly whenever the inhabitants numbered five thousand. In October, 1798, Governor St. Clair declared that that number existed and fixed the third Monday in December as the date for holding an election. The representatives elected from Hamilton county were William Goforth, William McMillan, John Smith, John Ludlow, Robert Benham, Aaron Caldwell and Isaac Martin. Jacob Burnet and James Findlay were appointed members of the legislative council from Hamilton county. The territorial legislature met in Cincinnati, February 4, 1799.

The officers appointed for Dayton township in 1799 were Samuel Thompson, constable, John McGrew, assessor, and John Ewing, collector. A new office was created for Dayton township, that of justice of the peace, to which D. C. Cooper was appointed. His docket, beginning October 4, 1799, and closing March I5> 1803, is the earliest local official record in existence. The first case was a suit brought by Abram Richardson against George Kirkendall for $8.00. Judgment was entered with costs amounting to thirty-three cents, divided as follows : summons, ten cents; entering judgment, ten cents; subpoena, thirteen cents. Another case was a suit brought by Andrew Lock against John Riggs. The record shows judgment in full rendered for the plaintiflF amounting to two dollars and fifty cents; costs, capias, ten cents; subpoena, ten cents; judgement, twenty cents ; swearing witness, six cents ; constable's fee, fifty cents. The dis- position to litigate, so common in all new communities, was shown by the fact that from 1799 to 1803, when Montgomery county was formed, the number of cases tried by the first local justice of the peace was one hundred and eighteea

The assessments for Dayton township for 1799 were two hundred thirtythree dollars and seventy-two cents, of which the amount collected was two hundred and twenty-four dollars and sixty-four cents.

In 1800, Jerome Holt was appointed constable of Dayton township and was directed to "list the free male inhabitants of twenty-one years of age and older" for which service he was paid nineteen dollars and fifty cents. The rates of taxation for this year were, for houses, mills and other buildings, forty cents on each one hundred dollars of valuation ; horses, forty cents each ; cattle, ten cents ; young or single men, fifty cents to two dollars ; bond servants, one dollar.

In 1801, Benjamin Van Cleve was appointed county surveyor and lister for Da3rton township. The following is his entry in his diary as to the duties performed: "1801. - ^This year I took in the returns of taxable property in Da3rton township, which was all the Miami country from the fifth range upwards. The number of free males over twenty-one years old from the south line of the township to the heads of Mad river and the Great Miami was three hundred and eighty-two; west of the Great Miami, twenty-eight; east of the Little Miami, less than twenty." For his services, Mr. Van Cleve received twenty-nine dollars and fifty cents. The taxes for the township that year were five hundred seventy-six dollars and sixty-two and one-half cents. As the population was increasing rapidly, it was ordered by the general court that a more complete organization of Dayton township should be efifected as indicated by the following order of the court :

The United States to Jerome Holt, of Da)rton township, greeting: You are hereby required to give notice to the inhabitants of said township, in three of the most public places thereof, at least ten days before the first Monday in April next, that they may and shall convene on said day at the house of George Newcom, in the township aforesaid, and then and there proceed to elect by ballot a chairman, town clerk, three or more trustees or managers, two or more overseers of the poor, three fence viewers, two appraisers of houses, lister of taxable property, a sufficient number of supervisors of roads, and one or more constables, agreeable to a law entitled an act to establish and regelate town meetings. And of this warrant make due return. By Order of the Court:

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed the seal of our same court of general quarter sessions of the peace, at Cincinnati, this second day of March, in the year of our Lord, 1802. John S. Gano, Clerk.

The officers elected served till the organization of Montgomery county the following year. Their names, however, are not known as no records have been handed down.

Land Titles

Notice has already been taken of the resurvey in 1802, of land between the Miamis north of the Symmes' patent. We have also noticed that on the basis of an earlier survey and of contracts made with land proprietors, a large amount of land between the Miamis within the limits of Montgomery county was settled between 1795 and 1801. Though the government refused to accept an additional payment from Symmes in the winter of 1796-97, he continued to advertise and sell land till after 1800. On complaint of the people, who feared the loss of what they had paid for land and expended in improvements, congress March 2, 1799, passed a preemption act, securing to those who had a written contract with Symmes before April i, 1799, the privilege of purchasing the land thus contracted for at two dollars per acre. Few took advantage of this act. March 3, 1801, the privilege was given to all who had written contracts prior to January i, 1800. In 1802, 1803, and in 1804, the time for complying with these acts was extended. Very complicated were the claims rising under these preemption privileges.

West of the Great Miami, complications arose through tomahawk claims and squatter rights. In western Pennsylvania, land was to be had for the taking - four hundred acres for the building of a cabin and the raising of a small crop, with the privilege of preempting one thousand acres adjoining. All through the west the claims of first comers were loud and often effective. By blazing a few trees about a selected locality a "tomahawk claim" was established, which though having no validity in law, was yet often bought and sold. The erection of a cabin was sometimes supposed, though erroneously, to secure preemption rights. West of the Great Miami, beginning with 1797 and 1798 in the south part of what is now Montgomery county, and a few years later in the land further north, a considerable number of squatters established themselves. Most of them were a roving, adventurous class and soon gave place to regular settlers. Others were earnestly desirous of securing permanent homes, but were compelled to settle irregularly and await the survey of the land and the opening up of the land-office.

Land Sales

The special commissioners of the government to sell lands to persons having preemption rights to lands between the Miamis opened up an office at Cincinnati, November 9, 1801. The price of public lands to these persons was fixed at two dollars per acre. At this session of the commissioners, which lasted till December 31st, one hundred and two thousand six hundred and sixty- three and one-half acres were disposed of, the purchasers paying down one-fourth of the purchase money. The sales did not need to wait for the re-survey in 1802, as the special act of congress providing for that survey made it to conform for the most part to previous surveys. If those who had bought of Symmes the seventh and eighth ranges east of the Great Miami and Mad rivers and other large tracts had chosen to do so, they could have secured the lands contracted for at two dollars per acre, but they had already sold large parts of these lands at one dollar and less per acre and for the most part did not avail themselves of their privilege. Small purchasers in these tracts, if not protected by the proprietors, had a right to preempt land at the same price per acre. Lands not applied for under preemption rights were later sold as the lands west of the Miami were to be sold. A few persons had availed themselves of the privileges offered in the act of congress in 1799 for the relief of purchasers from Symmes. The commissioners were especially charged with the duty rightfully to adjust conflicting claims.

In the plat of Dayton, in-lots 3, 5, and 20 and out-lots 5, 26 and 52 were entered by Jonathan Mercer, and in-lots 8, 14, 46, 51, 52 and 78 were entered by Benjamin Van Qeve. The entire cost and expense for an in-lot was about one dollar. Other persons who had bought lots of the proprietors made arrangements, with D. C. Cooper and he entered in November, 1801, the land that included the site of Dayton with the exception of the lots named above and became titular proprietor of the town. Likewise, prior to the close of 1801, he entered other land between the Miamis, his entries amounting in all to three thousand one hundred and ten acres. As congress from time to time extended the time when delayed payments were to be made, Mr. Cooper did not apply for or receive patents for his land till in 1812 and 1813, at which time he made deeds to those who were entitled to them. The government records show that a large number of entries were made for land between the Miamis within the present limits of Montgomery county in 1801 and immediately following years. The special survey in 1803 of preemption lots based on contracts with Symmes shows who the earliest settlers were. The sale of the lands west of the Great Miami was on an entirely different basis, as compared with the sale of lands between the Miamis. A regular land office was opened in Cincinnati the first Monday in April, 1801. Colonel Israel Ludlow was the first register and General James Findlay was the first receiver. General Findlay was also one of the three commissioners to dispose of lands between the Miamis to those having preemption rights. In 1800, General William H. Harrison, then delegate in congress for the Northwest Territory, secured the passage of a law authorizing the sale of parts of congress lands, to which class the land west of the Great Miami belonged, in tracts of three hundred and twenty acres. Before this no tracts of less than six hundred and forty acres, or section lots, were sold. All congress lands at this time were to be sold at public vendue or auction at not less than two dollars per acre. In few cases was more than the minimum price bid. Some of the best land in Hamilton and Butler counties commanded only ten cents premium per acre. Land not sold at auction was subject to entry by any one at two dollars per acre. Nearly all of the congress lands were thus sold. Later the land was offered for sale in smaller subdivisions - one hundred and sixty acres, then eighty acres, then forty acres. In 1820, the price of government land was placed at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre.

In the southern part of Montgomery county, west of the Great Miami, a number of entries of land were made in 1801, the entries becoming fewer or disappearing altogether as the northern part of the county was reached. Many entries were made in 1802. At first five per cent of the purchase money was to be deposited at the time of purchase, the amount to be increased to one- fourth of the purchase money within forty days. Another fourth was to be paid within two years ; the next within three years ; and the final installment with all accumulated interest within four years from the day of sale. Under the credit system, a vast debt, amounting in 1820 to twenty-two million dollars, came to rest on the purchasers of lands. For their relief the time and method of payment were changed again and again.

Memorial To Congress

The following memorial to congress, drawn up probably in 1803, by the hand of Benjamin Van Cleve, gives interesting information as to the Dayton settlement and the distress caused by their invalidated land titles. ''To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the United States

"The petition of the first settlers at Dayton and Mercer's Station, in Montgomery and Greene counties, Ohio, respectfully sheweth: That the Hon. Judge Symmes having made a relinquishment of his claim to a certain tract of lands lying between the Miami rivers, to Gov. St. Clair, Gen. Wilkinson, Jonathan Dayton and Israel Ludlow, Esquires, the said lands being all the seventh and eighth ranges of land east of Mad river; in order to form settlements on the same and augment its value the proprietors offered certain gratuities and privileges to such as might engage to become first settlers, which are contained in the articles accompanying the petition.

"On the 5th of November, 1795, forty-six persons engaged to become settlers at Dayton, but from the many difficulties in forming a new settlement so far in a wilderness country, only fifteen of those came forward, with four others, making nineteen in all.

"From the threats and ill-treatment of the savages to the people of Mercer's Station it was once evacuated, and at several times Mr. Mercer with two brothers maintained the station at the risk of their lives. These settlements were formed by your petitioners a few months after the treaty of Greenville, when we had not faith in the friendship of the savages. Our settlement was immediately on their hunting grounds. We were not able to keep a horse amongst us during the first season, by reason of their stealing. The scarcity of provisions had raised flour to nine dollars a barrel, and other articles in proportion^ which we had to purchase and transport fifty miles through a wilderness, clearing roads, etc. ; under all these and many more difficulties we labored in hopes of obtaining our lands at a low rate and the small gratuity offered. Several of your petitioners have not been able to procure any land ; others have laid their claims before the commissioners agreeably to the late law, and purchased at two dollars an acre. We beg leave to state to your honorable body that the proprietors have not received the expected advantages from the forming of these settlements; that your petitioners have been at a vast expense, labor and difficulty in forming the said settlements, and have received no recompense nor privilege other than subsequent settlers; that they first opened a way, in consequence of which the country has become populous and the United States has received a handsome revenue from the sale of the lands ; that the town of Day- ton is purchased by a subsequent settler, and we pray that congress will make to us such gratuity in lands, or deduction from payments of land, or grant such other relief as our case merits.

"Your petitioners further pray in behalf of Rev. William Hamer, a settler at Dayton, who, having settled on the section twenty-nine in the second township and seventh range, before the lines were run, with an expectation of holding it agreeable to the terms set forth in Article A, has since continued to cultivate and improve it, as it was supposed to be appropriated for religious purposes, he being a preacher of the Gospel and having the approbation of Mr. Ludlow, one of the proprietors, as appears by the Article C. Now, as the said section is to be sold as other lands, the said Hamer is willing to pay two dollars per acre for it, in installments, agreeable to the late laws for the disposal of United States lands. We pray your honorable body may grant him a preemption and the indulgence he wishes ; and your petitioners shall, etc.

"Thomas Davis, representative of John Davis, deceased; William Hamer, representative of Solomon Goss; B. Van Cleve and William Gahagan, representatives of John Dorough ; Jonathan Mercer, for himself and others of Mercer's Station, on Mad river."

An explanation of the reference to William Hamer may be necessary. In Symmes' contract it was stipulated that the proceeds of section sixteen should be devoted to education and those of section twenty-nine should be devoted to the maintenance of religion. In Symmes' first advertisement, he had asked teachers and preachers of the gospel to occupy these sections. As Mr. Hamer was occupying section twenty-nine without any contract that would give him the right to preempt, intercession was made in his behalf. In government sales, section twenty-nine was sold in the usual way. August i8, 1804, Mr. Hamer entered the northeast quarter of section twenty-nine. Probably no one put in a bid against him.

Suits In The Supreme Court

As if the troubles already named were not enough, two suits relating to conditions and acts in 1801 and 1802 were beg^n in 1807 against D. C. Cooper, on whose title the people were so largely dependent, the suits running through the courts till 181 3.

The one case was brought in the supreme court in Montgomery county, November I, 1807, against D. C. Cooper by Jonathan Dayton, Arthur St. Clair, Ralph Phillips, William P. Meeker and Samuel Denman through Judge Jacob Burnet, their attorney. The plaintiffs averred thereon or about June 17, 1802, an agreement was entered into between D. C. Cooper and Jonathan Dayton, Matthias Denman, Samuel Meeker and Israel Ludlow, by which it was agreed to purchase not exceeding ten thousand acres of land on joint account on both sides of the Great Miami river, including the town site of Dayton, said tract to be as close to the town of Dayton as D. C. Cooper and Israel Ludlow should select, and should include such sections and parts of sections as said Cooper had claimed to acquire through preemption, except certain lands named as excluded from the common possession. It was also alleged that Governor St. Clair should have the privilege of becoming a joint partner. The land was to be surveyed into small tracts and what should not be sold by 1808, should be divided among the shareholders. Denman, Meeker and Ludlow were to make the first payment as a balance against the service of Cooper in surveying and acting as agent. Cooper was to have restored to him such expense as he had incurred in preempting the land that should be thrown into the common possession. Denman sold an interest to Ralph Phillips. William P. Meeker also purchased an interest. Other changes were made. It was charged that Cooper made entries of valuable tracts in his own name and combined with others to defeat the agreement named. Cooper made answer through his attorney, Joseph H. Crane, admitting the asjreement, but declaring that the complainants had not made payments according to the agreement, with the exception of three hundred and seventy-five dollars, paid by Denman toward a proposed purchase of three thousand acres west of the Great Miami river. It was claimed further by Cooper that he was informed by Denman that the other parties were not favorable to proceeding in the way outlined, and that he therefore was absolved from the agreement. After a number of continuances the complainants withdrew the suit in 1813.