Jerome Township (part 15 of 19)

John Bishop was reared on his father's farm in Paris township and educated in the flistrict and German parochial schools of the countv. At the age of twenty-one he began working for himself by the month on farms in his liome neighborhood. At the age of twenty-three he married and began farming for himself, and during the past twenty years he and his wife have labored to build up a comfortable home for themselves and their children. It is very apparent to anyone who passes by their attractive country home that the\' have succeeded to a marked degree. Mr. Bishop now has the pleasure of driving down the road in his own automobile and passing the farm where he worked as a hired hand twenty years ago. In addition to his fine farm of one hundred and ninety-three acres, he is a stockholder in the Farmers and Merchants Bank at Milford Center. In the year of 1913 Mr. Bishop remodeled his home and installed a nuniher of modern improvements, thereby addmg to its attractiveness as well as to its convenience.

Mr. Bishop was married February 26, 1895, to Barbara Mary Weaver, who was born in Paris township, the daughter of Calvin and Margaret (Shalip) \\'ea\er. To this union tW(j children have been born, Leona Anna Alargaret and Harold Martine. Leona is a graduate of the Milford Center high school and is now a student at O.xford, Ohio. Harold is a sophomore in the high school at ^lilford Center.

Mr. Bishop and liis family are loyal members of the German Lutheran church of Alarysville. Politically, he is a Democrat, but has never taken an active part in political affairs. He is a quiet and unassuming man and is held in high esteem throughout the township and county where he has spent his whole career.

A truly representative citizen of L'nion C(.iunty, Ohio, is Leonidas H. Sor'i rd, who is proba])ly as well known throughout the countv as anv other m; Starting in to teach his way through college and graduating with distin. .. from the college, he has taken an important part in the history of his county since reaching his majority. -\ striking feature of tlie career of Mr. Southard is the fact that he has seiwed as sui)erintendent of his Sunda}' school since he was sexenteen years of age, and not only has he been a ])ower for good in the church and Sunday school, but also in aft'airs of state, he has played an important part as well. He has ser\-ed two terms in the ( )hio legislature and while in that lawmaking body, gave his lieartx' support to all measures of public welfare. Such a man deserves recognitii>n and it seems especially fitting that a record of his career should be preser\ed in this \(j1- nme in order that future generations ma_\' note the kind of men Union countv has produced in the past.

Leonidas H. Southard, proprieor of the Place l\arm," of three hundred and forty-si.x acres in York townshi]^, was born in the township where he is now lixing, November 8, i85_'. His ]5arents, Rev. SvKester F. and Rebecca (Tilton) Southard, natives of Licking countv, Ohio, were the parents of ten cliildren. se\-en of whom are still living: ^lar\- E., the wife of Alalcus V. Stamets: Emih , the wife of Lemuel LangstaiT: Frank

H., of West Mansfield, Ohio; J. W., of Marysville; Caroline, the widow of C. F. Reams: Annie B., the wife of John Duffy, and Leonidas H., of York township.

The parents of Re\'. Sylvester Southard were Frank Southard and wife, both of whom were natives of New England, of Scotch-English descent. Frank Southard came from the eastern state and located in Lickingcounty, Ohio, where he followed farming the remainder of his days. Rew Sylvester Southard was reared on his father's farm in Licking county, and as a VLiuth exhibited marked characteristics. Before reaching his majority he was nnlained as a minister of the Gospel in the Methodist Episcopal church, and until the da}' of his _\'outh he preached the Gospel in a manner which brought hope and happiness to thousands of souls. In 1850 Rev. Sylvester Southard and his family came to Union county and located on a farm in York township, and here he lived the remainder of his days. His wife was truly a lovable woman and a dex'out and faithful wife and mother. Rev. S. F. Siuithard was a man well known throughout the county and performed a large number of marriages. He was a power for good, and his influence for morality was a large factor not onl_\' in York township, where he made his home, l)ut throughout the c<nint\' as well. For several vears he served as a missionary in the northwest, wliere he laljored valianth' for the cause of the Master. His children have been honorable members of the various communities where they ha\e located, and are worthy offspring of a truly worthy father.

Leonidas H. Southard was reared on his father's farm in York townshii). and his elementary education was recei\-ed in the district schools of the same township. Later he became a student in the Ohio ^Vesleyan Universit}- and still later entered Hillsdale College at Flillsdale, Michigan. In order to attend college he taught and saved his money and thus worked his way through college. After his marriage at the age of twenty-si.x he began farming and has been very successful in his agricultural pursuits, as is shown Iw his well improved farm of three hundred and forty-six acres. In addition to his farming interests he is also engaged in the real estate business, having lieadquarters at Columbus.

Mr. .Soutliard was married February 14, 1878. to Anna E. Penhorwood. a d.-uigliter of Jrihn and Flizalieth (Lyale) Penhorwood, early settlers in N'lirk t(j\vnslii]). Mrs. Southard's ])arents were natix'es of England and came to the I'nited States about i8_|0 and located in Knox county. Ohio. Mr. Southard and his wife are the ])a rents of two children. Will C. and Ethel.

Will, whose wife is now deceased, attended the Normal Schuul at Ada, Ohio, and is now farming in this township. Ethel graduated from the Chattanooga, Tennessee, University, and is now the wife of Rev. Gilhert Stansell, D. D., of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs. Southard and famil\' spent twelve years in the south, and while living there, Ethel graduated from the University of Chattanooga.

All the members of the family are strict adherents of the Methodist Episcopal church, and, as before stated, Mr. Southard has ser\-ed as superintendent in the Sunday school since he was seventeen \'ears of age. Xo more loyal worker of the church has ever sat in its pews than Mr. Southard.

The Republican party has claimed the hearty support of Mr. Southard since reaching his majority, and for many years he has been a leader in his party's affairs in Union count)'. His ability has been recognized and his party has nominated him as a candidate for the Ohio Legislature, and twice has he been elevated to this high position by the suffrages of his fellow citizens. During his second term he was speaker pro tempore of the senate, a fact which shows that his aliilit}- was recognized among his fellow legislators. While in the legislature he was active in furthering the interests of all public-spirited measures, and was a true friend to the peo])!e in e\-ery measure which was brougiit Ijcfore tlie Legislature. Such, in l)rief, is the history of a man who has brought honor to Union county, and it is such men whose li\"es should l)e recorded as fitting examples to generations yet to come. The life of such a man does not go out, it goes on.

Joseph P. Evans

A highl_\- esteemed retired farmer of Raymond, Ohio, is Joseph P. Evans, who is spending his declining \-ears in ease and comfort after a life of hard work on the farm. He is one of the many veterans of the Ci\'il War still li\-ing in L^nion count\', and too much honor can not be gi\'en these men who oft'ered their li\-es tliat this country should not 1:>e divided. They are fast passing away and it will not be manv vears before they will all have answered the last roll call. For the past half century Mr. Evans has been engaged in agricultural pursuits and with a success which speaks well for his ability and good management. For several years he farmed in the state of Illinois, but for the past quarter of a centurv, he has been li\ing in Union countv. F<ir tlie last ten vears he has been liviu"- a retired life in Ravmond.

Joseph p. E\ans, the son of Joseph and Margaret (Harlan) Evans, was bom in Champaign county, Ohio, January 19, 1843. His parents, who were natives of Pennsylvania, reared a family of eight children, six of whom lived to maturity; Alary, Orpha, died October, 1905 the wife of John Dixon; John, died at the age of twelve; Thomas L., of Decatur, Illinois; Elizabeth ]M.. of Broadway; Joseph P., of Raymond; Sarah A., died November, 1892, the wife of James Marshall: Lydia, who died in infanc}'; Joshua H., of Newark, Ohio.

Joseph E\ans, Sr., was a stone and brick mason in his young manhood and afterwards engaged in farming. He came from Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1837, and located in Champaign county, Ohio, where he bought a small farm whicli was jiartly improved, but later disposed of this farm and moved to Union county, arri\ing in this county on April 9, 1851. He bought a farm of one hundred and seventy-six acres near Peoria, which he cleared, improved and lived on until his death in 1881, at the age of eighty. His wife sur\i\-ed him many years and died in 1897, ^t the age of eighty-six. Thev were of Quaker extraction and people who enjoyed the respect of the community in which they lived. He was a man of influence and held various tiiwnship offices during his active life.

The paternal grandparents of Joseph P. Evans were Caleb and Elizabeth Evans, natives of Pennsylvania of Welsh descent. They died in Pennsylvania, he in middle life, and his widow after reaching the age of ninety. Caleb Evans and wife reared a large faniih^ of children, among them being the following : Joseph, Caleb, Margaret, Eliza, Rachel and Sarah. The maternal grandarents of Mr. Evans were natives of Pennsylvania, and lifelong residents of that state. Both of them died in early life, leaving a family of se\'eral children, Alargaret. Sarah, Mar}', John. Louis. Joshua and Harmon.

Jnse])h P. E\-ans was reared on his father's farm near Peoria, in Taylor township, and attended the district schools in his home neighborhood. Upon reaching his majority he went to Illin(^is and l:)OUght a farm of one hundred acres in l-'ord cc unity, on which he lived for ten years. He then came l)ack to C)hi(i, mai-rieil in 1879. and at once returned to Illinois, where he remained until 1881, when his father died. He then returned to Union county, Ohio, and bought a farm of one hundred and sixteen acres near Broadway, in Liberty townshi]i, which he still owns. He lived there until tin- sjtring of 1904 and tlien moved to Raymond, where he is now living.

Hundred and Thirty-sixth l-iL-i^inieiit (.)hio N'okiiilcc-r Infantry, and served four months towartl the close of tlie war. His brother, Thomas L. Evans, enhsted in the Civil War as a meriilier of Company K, Ninety-sixth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry: and served from 1862 until the close of the war, during which time he s])ent eight months in a southern prison.

yii-. Evans was married January 2t,. 1879, to Sarah Price, who died April 7, 191 1, leaving no children. On December 4, 1911, Mr. Evans was marrieil to Mrs. Lorinda Miller, the widow of John Miller, and the daughter of .\ra and Lydia (Safford) Gleason.

Mrs. Lorinda Evans was born in Liberty township, Union county, Ohio, Jul}' 26, 1844. Her parents were natives of Vermont, and early pioneers in Union county. They built the first house in Raymond, the town then being known as Xewton. They later went to Illinois, where thev died. Mr. Gleason and his wife reared a family of several children, Amanda, Maiy, Nathaniel, Lorinda, Charles A. and George.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church ani.l luue always been interested in church work. Mr. Evans is a trustee of his denomination at the present time. Politically, he has been a life-long Republican, but has never taken an acti^'e part in political matters, preferring to de\'ote all of hi.^ time to his agricultural interests. He and his wife are higlily esteemed in the community where they ha\-e spent so manv years, and have a host of friends who wish them manv happv vears vet in this countv.

William N. Plotner

The life of ^Villiam N. Plotner has already co\-ered a span of fifty ^-ears and all of this has been spent in York tcnvnship, where he was born. For more than a score of years he was a teacher in the jniblic schools of this county and since that time he has been activeh'" engaged in general farming and stock raising.

^^'illiam N. Plotner, the son of \\'illiam II. and Mary A. ( \\'hite ) Plotner, was born in York township. Union county, Ohio, March Q, 1865. His parents were both born in A\'est X'irginia, his mother being a daughter of John V. and Malinda White. His parents came to Ohi(.) al)out 1S33 and settled in Tuscarawas county, and in 1864 located in Union county, in York township, where they lived until their death. William H. Plotner died in 1904, his wife having passed away the year previously. There were seven cliildren born to William H. Plotner and wife, five of whom are now living: John \\'., of Kansas; G. F., of West Mansfield, Ohio; Laura, the wife of F. K. Keller, of Holton, Kansas; J. A., an attorney of Kansas City, Missouri; and William N., of Union county, Ohio.

\\'illiam X. Plotner was reared on his father's farm in York township, educated in the district schools and later attended the high school at Richwood. He then entered Skidmore College, at East Liberty, Ohio, and after leaving that institution, became a teacher in the public schools of Union county. For twenty-one consecutive years, he followed the teaching profession in this county. During his long service in the school room, thousands of children came under his care and were benefited by his good counsel as well as his excellent instruction.

During the time that he was teaching, he was also interested in farming and stock raising and several years ago, he retired from the schoolroom in order to devote all of his time to his farming interests. He is now extensively engaged in the breeding of Percheron horses and registered Chester \\'hite hogs.

Mr. Plotner was married September 2, 1885, to Anna L. Morrow, the daughter of William ^I. and ]\Ialinda (Langstaff) Morrow. To this union ha\e been I)orn three children: E\a L., the wife of Ray Davis of East Liberty. Ohio ; J. Rea. a graduate of the Byhalia high school, who married Florence Tallman, of ]\Iarysville. Ohi(5; and Charles I\I., who was born August 30, 1908.

The father of Mrs. Plotner was born in Delaware county. Ohio, and her mother in Union county. Her father was a school teacher and farmer and now owns one hundred and seven acres, three miles northwest of York Center, in ^'ork township.

Mr. Pldtner and his famih- are members of the [Methodist Episcopal church at Tj\-lialia, Ohio, and have always taken an active interest in its welfare. He is a class leader and also holds the position of steward and treasurer of the official board of the church. He is president of the Union County Sunday School Association and interested in everything which pertains to the work of the Sunday school. He is a member of the Lidependent Order nf Odd Fellnws and has filled all of the chairs in his lodge. He has never been active in jjolitics, although he has given his support chiefly to the Re])ublican candidates. He is one of the directors in the L'nion Banking Coinpan}- at West Mansfield and has other interests in the county as well. Mr. Plniiier is essentiall}- a self-made man and one whose high character has endearefl hiiu to a large circle i)f friends and acquaintances.

George W. Connolly

The Connolly family are of Irish descent, both the parents of (ieorge \V. Connolly, whose histor}- is here presented, having been bom on the Emerald Isle. As a race the Irish are characterized by an industry and patience which overcomes all obstacles and insures them success in whatever undertakings they choose to follow. There are many citizens in Union county, Ohio, of Irish descent but none of them have taken a more prominent part in the life of the county than have the Connolly family.

George W. Connolly, the sdii of Edward and Charlotte (Wilson) Cuninolh', was born in Allen tnwnship, L'nion county, Oliio, March 14. 1S70. Both oi his parents were born in Ireland but were not married until after the}' located in L'nion count}-, Ohio. Edward Connolly came to .\merica wlien a voung man and was on the ocean for fifty-six days. On coming ti> this county, he at once located in L^nion cr)unty, Ohio, and shortly afterwards met and married Charlotte Wilson, who had also come to this county with her parents. Edward Connolly and his wife li\'ed a year or two in Union countv after their marriage and then moved away, but shortl}' afterwards returned to this count}- and located in Allen township, settling there in 1863 and li\'ing in that township until their death. Edward Connolly died December 31, 1879, his wife having passed away in 1872. There were twel\-e children born to Edward Connolly and wife, nine of whom are still living: Thomas, a famier in Logan county. Ohio; Mary, the wife of Thomas J. Creviston, a farmer of Logan county: Eliza, deceased: John, a farmer of Allen township: Edward, a farmer of the same township; Benjamin E., a farmer oi Logan county. Ohio; Lottie, the wife of George Williams, of Ada, Ohio: Cassie M., the wife of Job Alexander, of East Lilierty. Ohio; Alice, the wife of Cersie Stewart, of Columbus, Ohio; Sarah M., deceased, the wife of David Edwards, and George W., of Allen township.

George \A'. Connolly was reared on the farm which he now owns. He attended the public schools of .Allen township and early in life Ijegan to work at hard manual labor. His mother died when he was two years of age and his father died when he was only nine. He tlien lived with his brother until he was seventeen years of age and at that time started to wiirk out b\- the month on a farm in Logan county, and worked in that count}- for three vears. He then returned to Union county, where he has since lived. After his marriage he began farming for himself, and by dint of hard work and 0-130(1 manasrement he has accumulated a farm of eightv-eight acres in Allen township, three and one-lialf miles south of Marysville. He has a handsome country residence and substantial and commodious barns and out buildings. His farm is well drained and evei-ything about the place indicates that the owner is a man of thrift and taste.

Mr. Connolly was married October 21, 1896, to Sylvia Poling, the daughter of S. H. Poling, of Allen township. Mr. Connolly and his wife have no children of their own but have reared Florence Moody since she was fourteen months of age. She is now eleven years old.

Mr. Connolly is a Democrat in politics but has never taken an active part in political affairs. He has always been found on the right side of all cpiestions aft'ecting the public welfare of his community, and his life has been such that it is a credit to the county honored by his citizenship.

David S. Davis

The "Shady Brook Stock Farm'' of one hundred and seventy-five acres in York township, Union county, Ohio, is the home of David S. Davis, one of the prosperous farmers of this township. He was born in this same township and has spent his whole life here. His grandfather came to this county in the early thirties and was one of the prominent citizens in the early history of the county. Mr. Davis has devoted most of his life to agriculture, although he was in the mercantile business in York Center for a few years. His home farm is located five miles east of West Mansfield and is one of the most attractive farms in the county.

Da\id S. Davis, the son of Finley D. and Margaret J. (McAdow) Davis, was born October ig, 1859, in York township, Union county, Ohio. His father was born near Stillwater, Ohio, March 6, 1827, and his mother was born in Union county, Ohio, in 1831. Finley D. Davis came to this count}- with his parents wlien a small lad and located in Y'ork township, where he grew to manhood and married Margaret J. McAdow. To this union were born six children, four of whom are still living: T. J., a farmer of York township, who married Mary N. Fulton; David S., of York township: Mattie M., the wife of Cha^-Ies G. Morrow, a farmer of Y'ork township, and Ada .\., the wife of John H. Montgomery, a farmer of Y'ork townshi]). l-'inley 1). Da\-is was a prominent farmer and at the time of his death owned two hundred and fort}' acres of good land in this county. He enlisted in Coiupany D. One Hundred and Eighty-seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in January, 1865.

Mr. Davis was educated in the schools of York township and spent his boyhood days assisting his father on the home farm. He began farming for himself when he was about seventeen years of age. He has given his whole life to the tilling of the soil with the exception of six years, which he spent in the mercantile business in York Center. He ranks among the best stock raisers of his township, and has gi\'en particular attention to the breeding of Holstein cattle, Percheron horses and Duroc hogs.

Mr. Davis was married March i8. 1897, to Nellie V. Waltz. She was born in Summit county, Ohio, December 2, 1865, and is the daughter of Reuben and Margaret (Worbs) Waltz. Her father was a professional musician. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Davis : Margaret E., born June 16, 1898, a student in the Marysville high school; D. Kenneth, born December 27. 1900: Martha E.. born July 15, 1903, and M. Ester, born June 2"], 1909.

Mr. Davis and his family are earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal church at York Center and have always been active in its behalf. Mr. Davis is now the treasurer of the church and his wife is the chorister. Mrs. Da\'is is a member of the Ladies' Aid Society and president of the Dorcas Society of her church. She is also a member of the missionary society and a teacher of the young ladies' class in the Sunday school. Mr. Davis has always given his hearty support to the Republican party and has served as trustee of his township in a manner which indicated that he is a man of ability and integrity.

Joshua S. Rea

A farmer and highly respected citizen of Liberty township. Union county, Ohio, is Joshua S. Rea, who has been a resident of this county for four years. He is a quiet and unassuming man who, by a life of honest endeavor, has endeared himself to a wide circle of friends and acquaintances during the years he has made this county his home.

Joshua S. Rea, the son of David and Ruth (Skidmore) Rea, was born in Logan county, Ohio, January 6, 1848. His father was a native of Virginia, and his mother was born in Columbiana county, Ohio. David Rea and his wife were married in Logan county and were among the early pioneers of that county. David Rea secured his land through the profits of a sugar camp. For his first augur, to be used in tapping sugar trees, he paid (61) two coon skins, and was compelled to go to Urbana, a distance of twenty miles to secure the augur. After clearing his land in Logan county he built a log house and otherwise improved his farm, and here he and his wife lived the remainder of their lives. David Rea was a soldier in the War of 1812, and a highly respected citizen of the community where he spent the greater part of his life. David Rea and wife were the parents of thirteen children, Joshua S. being the only one now living. The others were John, Mrs. Fannie Brooks, Mrs. Mary Ann Meade, Mrs. Shady Heath, Mrs. Caroline Perkins, Mrs. Ruth Hisey, David, Jr., Joshua S. and five who died when young.

Joshua S. Rea was reared on his father's farm in Perry township, Logan county, Ohio, and received such education as was afforded by the common schools of his boyhood days. He remained at home until his marriage in 1868, and then located in his home county on a farm in Perry township, where he remained until 1910. He then came to Union county and located in Liberty township, where he has since resided. He is the owner of a fine little farm of forty-three and one-half acres which, by intensive farming, yields him a very comfortable living. He and his wife are interested in the various activities of the community and are held in esteem by their neighbors and friends.

Joshua S. Rea was married January i, 1868, to Jane C. Supler, a native of Logan county, Ohio, and to this union six children have been born : Irwin D., a decorator living in Bellefontaine, Ohio; Thomas C, a farmer of Liberty township, who married Iva B. Skidmore; Guy, a decorator living in West Mansfield, Ohio : Ogle Herman, a railroad man ; Samuel, deceased, and Iza, deceased.

Mrs. Rea is a daughter of Samuel and Nancy (Campbell) Supler, lier father being a native of West Virginia and her mother's birth having occurred near Circleville. Pickaway county, Ohio. They were married in the latter county where they remained two years, when they moved to Logan county, Ohio, near East Liberty, and here they lived the remainder of their lives. They were among the early pioneers of Logan county, arriving there when the county was practically a wilderness. They were the parents of eleven children, all of whom are deceased with the exception of Mrs. Rea and her sister, Sarah Ann. The others were Mary, Rachel, Edward and Thomas. Edward died while in Libby prison, in the South, during the War of the Rebellion and Thomas died in a hospital during the war. The rest of the children died when young. Nancy Campbell's great-grand- mother, Mary Campbell, was taken prisoner by the Indians while living near Chillicothe, Ohio, while her husband was absent from home. The Indians destroyed the home by fire, and at first they permitted Mrs. Campbell to carry her one-year-old baby away from the house. However, they shot and killed her after traveling a short distance. The baby lived for a time afterwards. Besides these depredations the Indians took as prisoner two girls and two boys, and killed and quartered another girl, strewing her remains along the road of the father's return. The other children were kept in captivity so long that the youngest forgot his name, but they were later returned to their relatives near Chillicothe.

Mr. Rea and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at North Greenfield, Ohio, and have long been interested in its welfare. He is a member of East Liberty Lodge No. 247, Free and Accepted Masons, while politically, he has long been affiliated with the Republican party. In all the elements of manhood and good citizenship Mr. Rea has measured up to the full standard of the good American citizen and is well deserving of the hiarh esteem in which he is held.

Nathan L. Moffitt

The ]\Ioffitt family are of Scotch-Irish descent and came to America about the year 1770 and located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first member of the family, concerning whom definite information is recorded, is Robert Moffitt, the great great-grandfather of Nathan L. Moffiitt, with whom this narrative deals. About the middle of the eighteenth century Robert Moffitt emigrated from Scotland to Ireland and there married Margaret Stewart and both he and his wife lived the remainder of their days in Ireland, where they reared a family of eleven children, James, Charles, William, Adam, Alargaret, Mary, Catherine, Robert, Hugh, John and Patrick.

Of these eleven children, Hugh became the head of the line represented by Nathan L. Moffitt, of York township, LTnion county, Ohio. Hugh, the great-grandfather of Nathan, emigrated about 1770 and located first in Philadelphia and later in Randolph and Calhoun counties. North Carolina, where he lived until about 1798. In that year Hugh Moffitt and his family came to Chillicothe, Ohio, where he died in 1799. The wife of Hugh Moffitt was a daughter of Charles Davis, of North Carolina, a native of England who had come to the United States and first located at Philadelphia and later removed to North Carolina. Hugh Moffitt and wife were the parents of ten children, Robert, John, Joshua, Charles, Joseph, Jeremiah, Ruth, Xathan, Hannah and JNIary.

Nathan JMoffitt, the grandfather of Nathan L., was born in 1783 in North Carolina and married Catharine Raines, a native of Highland county, Ohio. To this union nine children were born, Benjamin, Hugh, Nathan, Lawrence, William, Adam, Charity, Hannah and Anna.

Lawrence Moffitt enlisted in Shelby county, Ohio, in Company D, Se\enty-hrst Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served from 1861 to 1864, being discharged for disability and dying in 1865, ^^ Bodkins, Ohio. He was the son of Nathan jMoffitt, was born in Champaign county, Ohio, October 25, 1811, and married Elizabeth Johnson, of Greene county, Ohio. To this union five children were born: John D., a sailor; Nathan L., with whom this narrative deals; William F., of Urbana, Ohio; Carrie, the wife of J. W. JMiller, and Isabelle, the wife of Mahlon Wright. The mother of these children died September 14, 1911. at Byhalia, Ohio.

Nathan L. Moffitt was born in Highland county, Ohio, May 29, 1853, and was reared in Greene and Shelby counties, Ohio. He applied himself with diligence to his studies and after completing his education in the common schools, qualified for the position of a teacher in the public schools of his county. For twenty-five terms he taught in the district schools of York and Washington townships, in Union county, Ohio, during which time he attended the Ohio Normal School at Ada, becoming a student there in 1879. In 1912 Mr. Moffitt entered the law department of the Normal School at Ada and in the following year graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws, being sixty years of age at the time he received his degree. He has the honor of being the oldest man who ever graduated from the school and the oldest man in the state of Ohio who ever passed the bar examination. He was admitted to the practice of law in Union county in June, 19 14, and is devoting all of his time to his law work. He has been a justice of the peace of York township for the past fourteen years, and in this capacity had read widely in order to administer the affairs of his office in a satisfactory manner. During his long career as a teacher he has filled various official positions, having been president of the school board of his township as well as holding other township offices.

Mr. Moffitt was married April 30. 1879, to Dillie Stalder, the daughter of Casper and Alarj' (Howard) Stalder, and to this union one daughter has been born. Gertrude, who is now a teacher in the public schools of Union county.

Casper Stalder, the fathei" of Mrs. Moffitt, was bom near Berne, Switzerland, September 24, 1S09, and died near York in Union county, Ohio, P"ebruary 11, 1894. He came to the United States with his parents in 1819 and located at Marrietta, Ohio, where he grew to manhood. He first worked on the Ohio canal in 183 1, receiving twenty-five cents a day for his services. His father bought land in Athens county for twenty-five cents an acre and lived there until his death in 1824. Casper was fifteen years of age at the time of his father's death and then began drilling salt wells, and for fifteen years followed this line of business. He bought a drilling outfit for fifteen hundred dollars and drilled for himself for several years. He helped to drill the first salt well in the Hocking valley. Casper Stalder was married December 15, 1836, to Mary' Howard, and to this union several children were Ijorn, Henry. Elizabeth, Lydia. Charles, Johannah, Senica, Dilley and Ruth.

Mr. Mofifitt has been a life-long Republican and has held many official positions at the hands of his party and filled all of them with commendable satisfaction. ~\[t. Mofiitt has been deeply interested in the welfare of his community and has never failed to lend his hearty support to all measures of general good. He is a man of indomitable energy% as is shown by the fact that he entered law school and graduated at the time that he did. His zeal is indeed comniendalile and the history of such a man should find a place in the annals of his countv.

The best history of a community is that which deals most with the lives and activities of its people, and especially of those who by their own endeavors and energy have forged to the front and placed themselves where they deserve the title of progressive men. In this brief biographv will be found the record of ^^'. F. Stiner. who has worked himself up froiu the foot of the ladder and has achieved a career which speaks well for his industry, his application and his high integrity. Born and reared on the farm, he has that independence of mind and self-reliance which characterizes men who are born on the fann and reared close to nature. No truer blessing can befall a bay than to be reared on the farm, in the healthful, life-inspiring labor of the fields.

\\'. 1"". Stiner, the proprietor of a general store at New Dover, Ohio, was born March 2. 1868, in Paris township, this county. He is a son of

Joseph and Margaret (Louck) Stiner. His father was born in this county and is the son of Christopher and Ruth (Gilson) Stiner. Joseph Stiner was a fanner and influential citizen of this county, and is now making his home in New Dover. He and his wife iiave reared a family of seven children, all of whom are still living: W. F., of New Dover; Ora, the wife of R. D. Cook; Trell; Roy; Laura, the wife of George Lowery; Mollie, the wife of Frank Land, and Effie, who became the wife of Charles Hildreth.

\\'. F. Stiner attended the school at District No. 12, in his home township, and worked on his father's farm from his earliest boyhood days. He continued farm life until about six years ago, when he bought the general store of L. L. \Villiams, at New Dover. He owns the store building and also a comfortable home in New Dover. Since acquiring the store has largely increased the stock of the store. He is a genial man and by his courteous manner and honest methods of business has attracted new customers with the result that his trade is increasing rapidly.

yir. Stiner was married in April, 1891, to Grace Montgomery, the daughter of John C. and Rebecca (Williams) Montgomery. John C. Montgomery is a plasterer by trade and lives in New Dover, having been born in this count)'. Mr. Stiner and his wife have two children, Carl and Ethel. The daughter is the wife of Walter Thompson and has one daughtei", Madeline.

Politically, Mr. Stiner is a Democrat and has served his fellow citizens as township assessor. The earnest labors and honest dealings of Mr. Stiner have resulted in a large measure of success in a material wa}', and at the same time have Ijeen the means of winning for him the confidence and hearty approbation of his neighbors and fellowmen.

Joseph W. Kirby

The greater portion of the wealth of Union county, Ohio, is invested in farming land and much of the material prosperity of the county is due to the success which has attended the farmers in the tilling of the soil and the raising of live stock. Dover township has many excellent farmers, and among them Joseph W. Kirby has occupied a prominent place for the past sixteen years. His father came to this county seventy years ago and since tliat time the various members of the family have taken a prominent part in the history of Union county. Mr. Kirby has taken an active part in the civic life of his township and has served with eminent satisfaction to his fellow citizens as trustee, in which office he has performed faithful and efficient service.

Joseph W. Kirby, the son of Thomas and Rebecca (Shinnaberry) Kirby, was born January 3, 1852, in Claibourne township. His father was a native of Frederick county, Maryland, and came to Knox county, Ohio, when a young man. He grew to manhood in that county, married and bought a farm, which he later sold and moved to Union county, arriving here in 1845. He purchased a farm in Union county and here he lived for the remainder of his days. Ten children were born to Thomas Kirby and wife, William, Matilda, Lydia, Fleming, Elizabeth, Kate, Abner, Mary, Thomas and Joseph. All of these children with the exception of William and Joseph are deceased.

The education of Joseph W. Kirby was received in the schools of Claibourne township. He assisted his father on the home farm until he married in 1877, after which he farmed on the old homestead for three years and then moved to Delaware county. He lived there ten years and then moved to his present farm of sixty-three acres, where he has since resided. It lies about seven miles northeast of Marysville. He has divided his attention between general farming and stock raising, and by careful tilling of his land has succeeded in winning a very comfortable competence from the soil.

Mr. Kirby was married October 14, 1877, to Eva Ledley, the daughter of Lloyd and Amanda fCosner") Ledley. The Ledley family came from Maryland and located first in Morrow county, Ohio, and then moved to Delaware county, and still later to I'nion county, where they located in 1871. Mr. Kirby and wife are the parents of six children: Marietta, deceased; Elsie, the wife of C. W. Griffith, and the mother of one son, Ray: Joseph Alva, who is still at home: William, who was married November 24, 1914, to Effie Mathews, of Virginia; Dora A., who married James H. Rittenhouse and has one daughter, Eva Fern; Glenn, at home.

Politically. Mr. Kirby has been a Democrat since reaching his majorit}' and has always taken an active interest in local political matters. His party nominated him for the office of township trustee a few years ago, and he was subsequently elected to that position. He filled it with credit to himself and satisfaction to the citizens of his township. Mr. Kirby has lived his entire life in Union county with the exception of the ten years in Delaware county, and has so lived that he has won and retained the high esteem of all with whom he has come in contact.

Clayton I. Powell

A prominent young farmer and stock raiser of Liberty township, Union county, Ohio, is Clayton L Powell, who is the proprietor of the "Glendale Stock Farm." He is engaged in the breeding of Duroc hogs, his herd being headed by Defender Colonel. Mr. Powell is a young man of great energy and ability, a graduate of Antioch College, and an auctioneer who is already making a name for himself throughout this section of the state. He is one of the few auctioneers of the state who has attended an auctioneering college, and it is safe to predict that within a few years Mr. Powell will be ranked among the leaders in his profession in the state of Ohio.

Clayton L Powell, the son of Edgar and Amanda (Kilbury) Powell, was born in Canaan township, Madison county, Ohio, July 12, 1881. His father, the son of Joshua and Lavina (Eisher) Powell, was bom in Logan county, Ohio, April 19, 1856. Joshua Powell was a son of William Powell, who came to the United States from Germany. Joshua Powell was born near New Cleveland, Ohio, and came to Union county, where he married Lavina Eisher. Edgar, the father of Clayton L, was the fourth child in the family. Edgar Powell was reared on his father's farm in Logan county, Ohio, and educated in the common schools of his county and also in the schools of Ridgeville, Indiana. He was married September 30, i8'8o, to Amanda Kilbury, the daughter of T. T. and Darthula ( Perkins) Kilbury.

Edgar Powell and wife are the parents of four children, Clayton, Ida, Dale T. and Glenn B. Ida is the wife of Joseph Zimmerman and lives in this county. She graduated from the Plain City high school and later from the Ada Normal School of Elocution. Dale T. is a graduate of the Plain City high school and of the Bliss Business College of Columbus, and is now a bookkeeper, (jlenn B., who is only eighteen years of age, is the bov who raised the champion acre of corn in Canaan township, Madison county. Ohio, in the year 1914. He also exhibited the prize Duroc sow in the boys' judging contest in September, 19 14.

Clayton I. Powell was Irorn in the same house in which his maternal grandfather was born in Madison county, Ohio. His maternal great-grandfatlier Ijuilt the house. Mr. Powell's great-grandfather was Thomas Kilbury, a sun of Richard Kilbury, of Vermont, who came from England on the eve of tlie Rex'olutionary War and served in that conflict.

Ohio. He then entered the Missouri Auction School at Trenton, Missouri, and graduated August i, 1911. Since that time he has done a large amount of auctioneering in Union and surrounding counties, and has already made a name for himself in this particular line of activity. Mr. Powell has a fine farm in Liberty township, where he is extensively engaged in the breeding of Duroc hogs, and has made a pronounced success in this venture.

Mr. Powell was married September 8, 1906, to Celia Skidmore, the daughter of John H. and Elizabeth (Inskeep) Skidmore. Mrs. Powell was born in Logan county, Ohio. August 3, 1884, and is a graduate of the high school. To this union four children have been born : Eileen, born June 6, 1907; Imogene, born July 11, 1908; Opal, born October 11, 1910, and Grace, born February 15, 191 3.

Mr. Powell and his family are memliers of the Methodist Episcopal church at West Mansfield, Ohio. He is a member of the West Mansfield Lodge of Free and .Accepted Masons and is at present the master of his lodge. Although he is a stanch Republican in politics, yet he has never taken an active part in political affairs. He is one of the most progressive young farmers of the county and a man of great energ}- and ability. He has a host of friends and accfuaintances who are attracted to him because of his winning personality and high character.

Warren S. Lock Wood

A life long" farmer of LInion county, Ohio, as was his father before him, Warren S. Lockwood has been a valued citizen of Liberty township for more than half a century. He has never failed to give his hearty support to such measures as make up good citizenship. Li this respect he measures up to the highest standard of the good American citizen who is interested in his country's welfare. He and his gO(_id wife have reared a large family oi children to lives of usefulness and have had the satisfaction of seeing them take their places as good members of society.

Warren S. Lockwood, the son of Thomas E. and Julia (Safford) Lockwood, was born in Taylor township, LTnion county, Ohio, in a log cabin on the ]jresent site of the village of Broadway. His father was born in Li!;)erty townshii) and bis mother was born in the state of New ^'ork. They were married in L^nion county, Oliio, and were the parents of eight children, five of whom are still living: Evaline, the v,idow of A. Martin: Harrison.

of Kansas ; Edward, a farmer of Liberty township : Ella, the wife of J. J. Ford, of Kansas, and Warren S. Thomas E. Lockwood was a soldier in the Civil War and was killed in the battle of Shiloh, April 7, 1862.

Warren S. Lockwood was reared on a farm in Union county and educated in the district schools of his immediate neighborhood. Upon reaching his majority he was married and began farming in Taylor township, where he resided until the year 1878. Then he moved to Liberty township to the fami where he now resides. He has a fine farm of fifty acres three miles from Raymond, and here he lives that quiet and unostentatious life of the good American fanner and devotes himself to general farming and stock raising, and by a system of intensive farming has made a comfortable lixing for himself and family.

j\lr. Lockwood was married in 1871 to Martha J. Elliott, who was born in Union county, Ohio, in 1848. To this union eleven children have been born, nine of whom are still living, Harry E., Abner, Clara, John J., Otto, Otis, Robert, Austin and Etta. The two daughters are married ; Clara is the wife of O. E. Willitt and Etta ig the wife of Lemuel Patrick. The deceased children are Delia and Clarence.

All the members of the Lockwood family are loyal adherents of the Friends church and are deeply interested in its welfare. Politically, Mr. Lockwood gives his allegiance to the Republican party, but beyond casting his ballot for the candidates at election time has never taken a very active part in political affairs. He is a man who is highly respected because of his excellent character, his honesty and the interest which he takes in the public welfare.

John B. Weller

Ohio was not lacking in loyalty during the dark days of the Civil War, and at the time when the ship of state was almost stranded on the rocks this state contriljuted more than three hundred thousand brave and valued men to assist in preserving the integrit}^ of the government. Union county sent liundreds of her brave boys to the front and among these John B. Weller, a prominent farmer of Dover township, bore an honorable part. The ranks of the boys in blue are rapidly thinning by the one invisible foe, and it is eminently fitting of Union county to pay special tribute to those who served during the greatest civil war known to history.

ler, was born December 3, 1838, in Mill Creek tovvnsbip, Union county, Obio. His fatber was born at Hastings, England, about sixty miles south of London, and was twenty-two years of age when be came to America and located in New York. A year later Edward Weller went west and located in Sandusky, Obio, and in 1832 came to Union county and located in Mill Creek township on the farm now owned by the Henderson family. Some years later the father of Edward Weller came to this country where he spent the remainder of bis days. Nine children were born to Edward Weller and wife, Malinda, Harriett. Joseph, Thomas, Betsy, John B., Edward, Mary and Melissa.

John B. Weller received a limited education in the old log scboolbouse which stood in bis neighborhood. His fatber was a well educated man, and he received more of his education at home than he did on the rude log on which be sat in the primitive scboolbouse in the woods. As a lad be worked on his father's farm and in a brick-yard, and was at home when the war broke out in 1861.

Mr. Weller enlisted in August, 1861, and was a member of Company D, Thirty-fourth Regiment Obio Volunteer Infantry, and served continuously until after 1864, when be was finally discharged from the service. He fought in some of the fiercest battles of that terrible struggle, among them being the battles of Fayetteville, Wittville and Charleston, fighting in these three battles under the leadership of Col. A. S. Payette in West Virginia. He was under General Crook, who was on the staff of General Sheridan, and most of his ser\ice was in the eastern states.

Immediately after bis discharge from the service Mr. Weller returned to E'nion county and bought a farm in Dover township, where be has since resided. He has added to bis farm from time to time and now has a well improved farm of three hundred thirty-two and one-half acres on the Delaware and Mani^sville road, about three miles east of Marys- , ville. The half century which he has de\-oted to agriculture has been crowned with success, which speaks well for his industry and unflagging application to bis daily duties. He is now retired from active farm life but still gives bis careful attention to the general supervision of his farm.

Mr. Weller was married December 30, 1875, to Emily Judy, the daughter of Michael and Sarah (Turner) Jud3^ To this union four children have been born; Victor B.. who married Lida Loveless and has two children, Beatrice and Victor Carlisle : Edward, deceased ; Ethel, who married ^^^alter Diebl and has two children, Iva Eloise and Faby Eugene, and Fred, the youngest child, at home. l\Irs. Weller died November 6, 1909.

Politically, Mr. Weller has been a life long Democrat and always took an interest in the welfare of his party. He served as treasurer of Dover township for two terms with entire satisfaction to his fellow citizens. He is a member of the Ransom Reed Grand Army of the Republic post and takes a deep interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of the old soldiers. He has a reputation for honesty and integrity, which has been the direct result of his square dealings through his long years of residence in this county, and for this reason has won the esteem of his fellowmen by the clean and wholesome life which he has lived.

Charles Coe

The career of Charles Coe began in Allen township. Union county, Ohio, fift}- years ago, and in this same township he has lived since his birth. Mr. C(ie is a thriving farmer and while advancing primarily his own individual interests has not neglected to participate in the affairs of the community about him. He and his wife are rearing an interesting family of daughters, to whom they are giving the best of educational advantages. Mr. Coe himself is a college man, his wife is a graduate of the high school, and his children are now students in the high school.

Charles Coe, the son of Philip and Louisa ( Smith) Coe, was born in Allen township. Union county, June 29, 1865. His father was a native of Pennsyl\-ania, while his mother was born in Union county, Ohio, and to them were born eight children : Anna, the widow of E. G. Piper ; Mar}-, the wife i)f Rev. E. W. McDowell, both of whom are now missionaries in Turkey; Lottie, the wife of Rev. F. M. Myers, of Plain City, Ohio: William, decea.sed : Charles, of Allen township : James, a farmer now living on the old home place: Martha, the wife of Rew Vernon Sydenstricker. a Presbyterian minister, and Walter, a fanner living near Westerville, Ohio.

Charles Coe was reared on his father's farm in Allen township, and after completing his education in the common and high schools of his home county became a student at Wooster, Ohio. After remaining in college one year he retiu'ned home, married antl began farming. He has been identified witli tlic agricultural interests of Allen township as an independent farmer for the ]5ast score of years, during which time he has ranked among the most jirogressive farmers of the township.

J. D. and Addie (Wilber) Wood. Mrs. Coe was born in tliis county and is a graduate of the Alaiysville high school Mr. Coe and his wife have a family of four interesting daughters, Rutli, Mary, Ehzabeth and Mariorie. Ruth is a graduate of the Marysville high school and the other daughters are following in her footsteps.

Mr. Coe and his wife are loyal and consistent members of the Presbyterian church at Mil ford Center and are deeply interested in everything which jjertains to its advancement. Mr. Coe is a member of the board of trustees of his denomination. Politically, he is a Republican, but while giving his stanch support to his part}-, has ne\er been an aspirant for public office. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Royal Arch JMasons and the Royal and Select Masters. He is a member of the Raper Commandery. He and his wife are both members of the Patrons of Husbandry at Milford Center. Mr. Coe and his family are held in high esteem in the community where they live, being people of refinement and culture, and vitall}^ interested in the general welfare of their particular locality.

Arthur Graham

An enterprising and progressive farmer and stock raiser of Dover township, Union county, Ohio, is Arthur Graham, who has a well improved farm of one hundred and two and one-half acres on the Perkins pike road about six miles northeast of Marysville. Born and reared in this county, he has spent his entire life within its limits, and is consequentl)^ well known to a large number of citizens throughout the county. His whole life has been such as to commend him to his neighbors, and it is safe to say that no man has a higher standing in the community. In the civic life of his township he has taken a commendable part and is now serving with credit as trustee of his township.

Arthur Graham, the son of Jasper and Louisa (Battees) Graham, was born in Mill Creek township. Union county, Ohio, August 9. 1875. His father was born in the same township, the son of Ralph and Hannah (Burdick) Graham. Ralph Graham, the grandfather of Arthur Graham, was bom in England, and came to this country when a young man and settled in Mill Creek township, in Union county, Ohio. Jasper Graham and his wife have reared a family of seven children, all of whom are still li\-ing, Lvde. Levi, Alvi. Arthur, Edith. Charlie and I\Lav.

Artliur Graham was educated in the common schools of Mill Creek township, and early in life decided to follow the vocation of a farmer. He remained on the home farm until he reached his majority and then worked for farmers in the immediate neighborhood. In about 1899 he went to Dover township, and in 1910 bought his present farm where he has since resided. He has placed many improvements upon this farm since acquiring it. and has engaged in general farming and stock raising with a success which places him among the most progressive farmers of his township.

Air. Graham was married in 1909 to Nettie Owen, the daughter of A. A. and Mary (Davis) Owen, and to this union have been born two children, Faye M. and Dwight L.

Politically, Mr. Graham is a stanch Republican and has taken an active part in Republican politics in his township and county for many years. At the present time he is serving as trustee of Dover township, and is filling this office with credit to himself and satisfaction to the citizens of the township, irrespective of their politics. He and his wife are consistent members of the Baptist church and are interested in all church and Sunday school work. Mr. Graham is a trustee of his church at the present time. He is a man of large acquaintance and has many friends and a host of well-wishers throughout the township and county. He has ever given his aid in serving the general interests of his locality and is at all time publicspirited in his attitude toward all things for the benefit of his community.

John Easton

A public spirited citizen and an enterprising farmer of Dover township, Union county, Ohio, is John Easton, who is now serving as trustee of his township and filling this position with eminent satisfaction to all concerned. He has been a resident of this county for the past half of a century and has taken an active interest in everything jiertaining to the material, moral, civic and educational advancement of the county. He is a man of generous impulses and a firm believer in those principles of honesty and integrity which he has always employed in his private aifairs. He is a man of simple and domestic tastes, devoted to his family and to his church, and because of his clean and wholesome life in this county he has won the esteem of his friends and neighbors.

was born in Sussex, England, and came to this country when he was sixteen years of age with his brotlier, Daniel. Upon landing in America Joseph came to Ohio and located in Coshocton county, where he found work on a farm in the county. Later he worked on the railroad and after his marriage lived a few years in that county. In 1865 Joseph Easton came to Union county and located in Jerome township, where he lived some time. He then bought a farm in Mill Creek township where he lived the remainder of his days. Eight children were born to Joseph Easton and wife, Mrs. Mary Kirby, John, Artensa, Mrs. Martha Clarke, Meronda, deceased, William, ]\Irs. Lou Graham and C. H.

John Easton was about fi\'e years of age when his [jarents moved from Coshocton county to Union county and, consequently, all of his education was received in the schools of L'nion county. He remained at home until he was twenty-five years of age and then began working on the farms in his immediate neighborhood. He is essentially a self-made man and his present farm of ninety-five acres has all been made by the sweat of his brow. Fifty-seven acres of his farm are on the Easton road about five miles northeast of Maiysville. The rest of his farm, thirty-eight acres, is located one mile north of his other farm. His land is well improved and under his skillful management yields a satisfactory .return year after year.

Mr. Easton was married March 20, 1901, to Margaret Bown, the daughter of Charles and Catherine (Burgis) Bown. To this union have been born four children, Joseph. Erma, Paul and Fred, three of whom are now attending school at Dover.

Charles Bown, the father of Mrs. Easton, was born in England, and came here with eight children in 1873. He was the son of John and Anna (Crees) Bown, who lived all of their days in England. Ten children were born to Charles Bown and wife, Charles, Frederick, Frank, Harry, John. Arthur, ]\Iargaret, Stanley, Ernest and Norman.

Politically, Mr. Easton has always afiiliated with the Denmcratic party and has taken more or less of an active part in its councils for many years. At the present time he is filling the office of trustee of his township in such a manner as to elicit the commendation of all the citizens, irrespective of their politics. He and his family are earnest members of the ^Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Easton is a trustee nf the church. His earnest labors and his hr)nest dealings with his fellnw men have resulted in winning for him a large measure of success in a material way, while at the same time he has earned the confidence and admiration of his neighbors and fellowmen.

Walter M. Staley

A widely known farmer and sheep raiser of Union county, Ohio, is \\alter M. Staley, who has been a resident of this county for the past half century. He has built up a reputation as a sheep breeder which extends far beyond the limits of his own state, and his herds of Spanish Merino sheep have taken numerous prizes in county and state fairs. His rams have been shipped as far away as South Africa, as well as to all parts of the United States where sheep are raised. He owns a fine farm of more than two hundred acres and ranks among the most progressive and enterprising farmers of the county.

Walter y[. Staley, the son of William and Roxie J. (^Amrine) Staley, was bom July 24, 1864, in Marysville, Ohio. His mother was born in this same county. Eight children were born to William Staley and wife, seven of whom were still living in 1914: Julia, the wife of Solomon Turner; Simon, a farmer and stock raiser of Paris township; Josephine, deceased; Waller AI.. of Allen township; Harriett, of Cleveland, Ohio; George W., a farmer and stock raiser of Paris township: Nettie, the wife of Harrison Enix, of I'aris township, and Jennie, the wife of W. A. Vleit, of Cleveland, Ohio.

Walter 'SI. Staley was about two years of age when his parents moved from }ilarysville to a farm in Paris township, the same farm on which Mr. Stalev is now living. He was educated in the common schools of Paris township and remained at home until his marriage, when he began farming in Allen township. He has given particular attention to the raising of Spanish ^^lerino sheep and has made a pronounced success of the sheep industry. He has l)een a frequent judge at county and state fairs throughout the state of Ohio, as well as in other states, and is recognized as one of the leading authorities on sheep in the state. For four years he was a judge at the Ohio State fair. Within the past few years he has sold sheep in South .Africa, recei\ing three hundred dollars for some of his best rams. In addition to his sheep he raises other kinds of high grade stock. His farm of two hundred and twehe acres is four and one-half miles southwest of Marys- \'i]le. on the Lewisburg pike, and is one of the most attractive farms of the county. .Mrs. Staley has raised Bronze turkeys for the past twenty years and shipped turkeys to every state in the Union for breeding purposes.

Mr. Staley was married November 15, 1891, to Delia Leonard, a native of this county and a daughter of Jacob and Marv Jane McGill, both deceased.

Walter M. Staley

To this union two ciiiklren ha\e been born, Phyllis Bell and Walter AL, Jr., both of whom are attending the public schools of their township.

Mr. Staley has been a Republican in politics and has taken a leading part in the political activities of his party in this county. He has served as committeeman from his township and been a delegate to various conventions. He is a member of the L'nion County fair board as a representative from Allen township. Mr. Staley is one of the township trustees at present and has also served as a member of the school board. He has made all the improvements on his place. He has a fine brick home, a new barn, forty-eight .by eighty-si. \ feet, one of the strongest and best barns in the township, built in 1906.

John H. Shearer

The Shearer family have been identified with the newspapers of Marysville, Ohio, since 1858, when John H. Shearer, Sr., located in this city. When he arrived in iNIarysville, I\Ir. Shearer was poor in purse, but full of ambition. He had already learned the printer's trade and was fully competent to manage a paper alone. He bought the Marysville Tribune the same year he came to the county, and from that year until his death in 1896 he remained its editor, having some years previous taken into business partnership his eldest son, Will O. Shearer, who was identified with the business as editor and manager until the latter's death, April 19, 1913. In 1896 the younger son, John H. Shearer, Jr., succeeded to his father's half interest in the business and on the death of W. O. Shearer he came into full possession of the business. The Tribune is recognized as one of the best in this section of the state.

John H. Shearer, Jr., the son of John H. and Joan Abigail (Carson) Shearer, was l)orn in Marysville July 3, 1870. His father was twice married. His first wife, to whom he was married September 8, 1842, was Matilda Ream, who died in Marysville in March, 1865, leaving her husband with two children, Mrs. Retta Zeigler, of Columbus, Ohio, and W. O. Shearer, who died April 19, 191 3. The second marriage of John H. Shearer, Sr., was with Airs. J. A. Johnson, whose death occurred October 22, 1881, leaving her husband with one son, John H., Jr.

Shearer was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, in 1781, and removed to Perrv county, Ohio, in the autumn of 1805. Daniel Shearer died in 1820 at the age of twentv-nine, leaving his widow and four children to struggle alone in developing a half improved farm. The widow later married a Mr. Kishler, and died in Marysville in 1875, being eighty-five years of age at the time of her death.

John H. Shearer, Sr., was the fourth child and second son of Daniel and Martha (Miller) Shearer. When a mere lad he showed a marked aptitude for schooling and although he had to walk two and a half miles each dav to attend school it did not dampen his enthusiasm for an education. The school was taught by a woman of Catholic faith, and according to the testimony of Mr. Shearer, later in life, she was an excellent instructor. ^^'ithin a few vears a new schoolhouse was built within a half mile of the Shearer home, and here he completed his elementary education and, in fact, all he ever learned within the schoolroom.

In those days boys with an ambition began to look around early in life in order to leam some trade. In the spring of 1836 John H. .Shearer, Sr.. saw a brief notice in the Western Post, which definitely decided'his future career. This notice was to the effect that this paper desired an apprentice, and in his enthusiasm Mr. Shearer answered the advertisement in person. The Western Post was published in Somerset, a village near his home. For the next three years he spent all of his time learning the printer's trade. In 1839 he attended school for a very short time and then bought a half interest in the Somerset Jl\'sfeni Post. He remained with this paper until 1844 as half owner and then acquired the sole interest in the business. Some time shortly after he acquired the sole ownership of this paper the county seat was moved from Somerset to New Lexington, and this fact, together witli some unfortunate endorsements for other people, caused him to stop the publication of his paper. He had become security on notes for some of his friends and the payment of these notes left him practically penniless.

The next cliapter in the history of the career of John H. Shearer, Sr., begins in August. 1858. As the sun was going down on one of the days in the latter part of that month he walked into Marysville, Ohio. The Tribune of this city was owned at that time by C. S. Hamilton and Samuel Mc- I'ratney, and Mr. Shearer soon found that the office was for sale. The owners asked fifteen hundred ddllars for the ])lant, and with not a dollar to his name Mr. .Shearer finallv entered into a contract to secure McBrat- ney's interest in the paper. He was to pay three hundred dollars witliin tlie first few months, and it is to his credit that he liad the money ready when the notes became due. For the next thirty-eight years John H. Shearer, Sr., piloted the Marysville Tribune and during all of that time he made it a paper always welcome in every home in the county. He died at his home in Marysville July 5, 1S96. His last words were, "All is peaceful." Thus ended the career of one of the noblest citizens Union county has ever had.

John H. Shearer, Jr., received his elementary and high school education in the schools of Marysville, graduating from the high school in 1888. He succeeded to his father's interest in the Tribune in 1896, and purchased the interest of his half-brother, W. O. Shearer, when the latter died in 1913. His whole career has been spent in the newspaper office, and consequently he is fully acquainted with every detail of the publishing business. He is a Republican in politics, as was his father before him. and his paper reflects the sentiments of his party.

j\lr. Shearer was married February 19, 1896, in Columbus, Ohio, to Lucia C. Daniels. She was born at Reno, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of Lucian H. and Emma (Cook) Daniels. Mr. Shearer and his wife had one son who died in infancy.

The family are all members of the Congregationalist church at Marysville, and the senior Shearer was a pillar in the church during all the time he lived in Marysville. Fraternally, ^Mr. Shearer is a member of the Free and Accepted ^lasnns and lias attained tn all the degrees up to and including the Mvstic Shrine.

I-Ieber H. Herd

A prominent public school teacher of Union county, Ohio, is Heber H. Herd, who is district superintendent of the schools of the special district of Peoria, Liberty, York and Taylor townships. Mr. Herd was l)orn in this county and has spent practically all of his life within the limits of the county. He is a man of high educational qualifications, a college graduate, and deeply interested in everything pertaining to educational matters. As an instructor of }-outh he not nnly has the acquired ability to instruct but also has those high qualities of character which should dominate e\'ery teacher.

in Liberty township. Union county, Ohio, April 2, 1881. His parents, both of whom are still living, were born in Union county, Ohio, and England, respectively. His mother came to the United States with her parents when she was five years of age and settled in Knox county, Ohio. She came to Union county at the age of twenty and after her marriage she and her husband moved to Iowa, where they lived for a number of years. Then James Herd and his family returned to Union county, Ohio, where they have since resided. He is a prosperous farmer and has four hundred and fifty-two acres of well improved land in this county. There has been twelve children born to James Herd and wife, nine of whom are still living : Emma, a graduate of the National Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio, and the wife of Claude L. Williams ; U'ill, also a graduate of the National Normal School, who married Ida Ballinger; Ida, single; Charles, who still resides at home; Fay, who married Winnie Smith; Flora, the wife of Frank I. Brown, of Dayton, Ohio; Cora, the wife of W. F. Knight; Bry, a farmer of Liberty township, and Heber H., of Liberty township.

The elementary education of Heber H. Flerd was received in the schools of Liberty township. He then entered the Ohio Northern Normal University, at Ada, Ohio, and took the classical course, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in the spring of 1902. He then spent one year in the south, traveling for the National Publishing Company, after which he returned to this county and farmed until 1906, and then began teaching in this count}'. He served as principal of the high school at Raymond and was later elected superintendent of the school. He gave such excellent satisfaction in this capacity that he was later appointed district superintendent of the schools and the special district Peoria, Liberty, York and Taylor townships, a position which he has been filling with marked ability.

j\Ir. Herd was married December 22, 1910, to Nellie Earns, a native of Pennsylvania and a graduate of the Raymond high school. To this union two children have l)een born, Lloyd and Margaret.

Mr. Herd and his wife are members of the Disciple church. Fraternallw he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Knights of Pythias. He is the past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias and secretary of tlie local Masonic lodge. Politically, he gives his support to the Democratic party and, while taking an intelligent interest in the current issues of the day, yet has never been active in political matters. He is a young man of liigli character and strength of purpose and ranks high among the educational leaders of his county.

John M. Nicol

For three score years John AI. Nicol has been a resident of Union county, Ohio, and practically his whole life has been spent in Paris township, where he was born. His father was a native of Germany, a nation which has furnished thousands of good citizens for the state of Ohio. All of the descendants of these early German settlers in Ohio are characterized by the same thrift and economy which made their fathers leading fanners and business men of the various communities in which they settled.

John M. Nicol, a prosperous farmer of Paris township, was born April 29, 1855, in this same township, the son of John Leonard and Margaret (Starr) Nicol, and one of a large family of children.

John L. Nicol was born in Mecklenburg. Germany, and came to America with his parents when he was a young man and located in Columbus, Ohio. A few years later the parents of John L. Nicol came to Union county and settled on the Plain City road about three and one-half miles south of Marysville, and here they reared their large family of children, John Leonard, George, Conrad, Martin, John, Michael, Carl and Margaret. Of these children, all are still living with the exception of George, Michael and Carl. Margaret, the one daughter, married George Starr and has eleven children, John, Michael, Charles, George, Fred, Crist, Martin, Maggie, Mary, Lizzie and Anne. John L. Nicol was married in Union county and lived here until his death. He was killed as a result of a kick received from a horse in his stable. Five children were born to John L. Nicol and wife: George, deceased; Charles, of Paris township; John, of Paris township; John M., with whom this narrative deals, and Margaret, the wife of John G. Rupright.

John M. Nicol was educated in the German school in his neighborhood and remained on the home farm until he was twenty-two years of age. After his marriage in 1878 he bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, on which he lived for fifteen years. He then sold this jjlace and bought his present farm of one hundred and forty acres in Paris township. He is a progressive farmer and by good management has brought his farm to a high state of cultivation, and has the satisfaction of seeing it yield a satisfactory return year after year.

Air. Nicol was first married on June 5, 1878, to Barbara Shalip, the daughter of John and Margaret (Six) Shalip. and to this union four children were born : William, deceased ; Margaret, who married George Geer, and has two sons, Clarence and Lewis; John, who married Lena Kendall, and Laura, who married Otto Moder. Mr. Nicol was married the second time December 4, 1901, to Anna Elizabeth Noelp, the daughter of Martin and Anna (Weaver) Noelp.

Mr. Nicol and his wife are members of the Lutheran church. Politicall}-, he has always been affiliated with the Democratic party, and has always taken an active part in local politics. At the present time he is a member of the school board of Paris township, and gives his hearty support to all measures which he feels will benefit the educational interests of his township.

Thomas F. Lockwood

A farmer and stock raiser of Liberty township, Union county, Ohio, who has made a pronounced success of this dual line of activity, is Thomas F. Lockwood, who has been identified with the agricultural and stock raising interests of Union county for many years. His farm, known as the "College Hill Stock Farm," one mile west of Raymond, is one of the most attractive farms in the township and bears ample witness to the industry and taste of the owner.

Thomas F. Lockwood, the son of David B. and Mary J. (HarshaJ Lockwood, was bom in Liberty township May 15, 1863. His father was born in Canada and his mother in the state of New York, and both of them came to Union county with their parents before their marriage. David B. Lockwood was a farmer in this county until his death, March 29, 1912, his widow passing away May 14, 19 14. David B. Lockwood was a soldier in the Civil War in the one hundred-day service. Four children were born to David B. Lockwood and wife ; Lavina, the wife of N. G. Dillon, a soldier of the Civil War; Alice, the wife of J. W. Mahaffey, of Columbus, Ohio ; Charles H., a farmer of Liberty township, and Thomas F.

The education of Thomas F. Lockwood was received in the schools of Liberty township and the Central Ohio College at East Liberty. After leaving college he engaged in farming in this township on his present farm of ninety acres. He has divifled his attention between general farming and stock raising, giving his particular attention to the breeding of draft horses, an industry with which he has been connected for the past ten vears. He has two registered flraft horses and one registered road horse, and is recognized as one of the leading horse breeders of Union county.

Mr. Lockwood was married December 13, 1888, to Laura M. Burnham, who was born in Milford Center, Ohio. She died January 26, 1914, leaving two children, Alice and Burnham. Alice graduated from the Raymond high school and taught live years in this county. Burnham is now fourteen years of age and is a student in the high school at Raymond.

Mr. Lockwood is a charter member of the Raymond lodge of Knights of Pythias. He is a past chancellor of his local lodge and is a member of the grand lodge of Ohio. Politically, he has always given his loyal support to the Republican party, although he has never been a candidate for a public office. Personally, Mr. Lockwood is a quiet and genial man and has so interested himself in the civic life of his community and its general welfare as to gain the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens to a marked degree.

Alvin Stlmmel

Since the year 1859 Alvin Stimmel has been a resident of Alill Creek township, Union county, Ohio. He has been a life long farmer, and on his fine farm of one hundred and eight acres he has made a comfortable living for himself and family, as well as laid by a competency for his decliningyears. He is a man of strength of character and has so conducted himself and his affairs as to gain the hearty commendation of those who know him best.

Alvin Stimmel. the son of Robert L. and Rebecca E. (Hutchisson) Stimmel, was born in Alill Creek township, Union county, Ohio, November 23, 1859. His father was born in Franklin cotmty, Ohio, and came to Union county at the age of seven with his parents, and lived here until he was nineteen years of age. He then returned to Franklin county, where he married and shortly afterwards located in Union county, where he lived until his wife's death, October i, 1894. Two years later he retired to Columbus, Ohio, where he died in 1901. The wife of Robert L. Stimmel was born in Mill Creek township on the farm where George Liggett is now living. Eleven children were born to Robert L. Stimmel and wife.

Alvin Stimmel was reared on his father's farm in Mill Creek township and has lived in this same neighborhood all of his life. LTpon reaching his majority he began farming, and after his marriage located upon his present farm. He has placed many improvements upon it and as new inventions have come upon the market he has added them to his farming equipments.

He is a scientific fanner and keeps thoroughly abreast of the advances in agriciiUural science, and thus is able to get the maximum results from his efforts.

Mr. Stimmel was married December 31, 1889, to Mrs. Anna E. Parmlev, who was the mother of two children by her former marriage : Bessie, the wife of Cora P. Hutssion, of Licking county, Ohio, and Lillian, the wife of Ashton Smart, of Mill Creek township.

Politically, Mr. Stimmel has been a life long Democrat but never held any official position until 1914, when he was appointed deputy tax assessor of his township. He is a man of quiet and unassuming demeanor and well known throughout the township for his many good qualities.

Christopher Grubbs

The Grubbs family have been residents of Union county, Ohio, since the early forties and have been prominent in the history of the county since that time. Five of the Grubbs brothers were in the Civil War at the same time, and four of them are still living. Christopher Grubbs, whose history is here related, was only thirteen years of age when the Civil War opened, but this did not hinder him from offering his services to his country. At a time when every boy of Union county today is in the school room, Christopher Grubbs was marching with the veteran troops of General Sherman through Georgia to the sea in the summer of 1864, and it seems very fitting that the career of such a man be recorded in the annals of his county's history.

Christopher Grubbs, the son of Christopher and Elizabeth (Skidmore) Grubbs, was born in Allen township, Union county, Ohio, July 12, 1847. His father was born in Virginia, but came to Union county, Ohio, with his parents when he was twelve years of age and lived here the remainder of his life. The mother of Christopher Grubbs, Jr., died when he was a small boy. There were ten children born to Christopher Grubbs, Sr., and wife, six of whom are still living: Madison, a retired farmer and veteran of the Civil War, and now a resident of Logan county, Ohio: Lydia U., the wife f>i Henry West of Kansas; Atlantic, the wife of Keleb H. Haines of Kansas; Benjamin, a veteran of the Civil War, and a farmer of North Lewisburg. Ohio: Oliver, also a veteran of the Civil War and a retired farmer of Kansas, and Christopher, of Allen township. Thomas, another brother, was also in the Civil War. Evelyn is deceased.

The grandfather first settled in Logan county, Ohio, where he laid out the town of Aliddleluirg. He farmed and kept tavern there a good many years.

Christopher (iruhbs was reared in .Mien township and there received such schooling as was given by the schools of his neighborhood before his marriage, after which time he began farming for himself. He now has ninety-two acres of excellent fanning land in Allen township, as well as two acres in Pottersburg, where he makes his home. He has been interested in the raising of Percheron horses and has had marked success in this.

Christopher Grubbs was married February 27, 1873, to Isadora Lary, the daughter of Abel and Mary A. (Swisher) Lary, who was born in Champaign county, Ohio, September 27, 1856. To this union two children have been born ; IMabel, the wife of Andrew Robinson of Springfield, Ohio, and Lerov. who married Bertha Congrove.

Mr. Grubbs and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Pottersburg, and have always taken an active interest in all church and Sunday school work. At the present time he is one of the trustees of his church. Mr. Grubbs and his wife are both members of the Patrons of Husbandry. In politics, he is a supporter of the Republican party and is now serving as one of the township trustees.

The Loveless family have been residents of Union county, Ohio, since 1850, and have taken an active part in the advancement of everything pertaining to the welfare of the county. William E. Loveless is a worthy representative of the family and lives on a well improved farm of one hundred acres, one and one-fourth miles south of Dover.

Loveless, and was the third child in a family of twelve children. He was born in Delaware county, Ohio, May 10, 1840, and died in Union countv, Ohio, October i, 1904. Tlis father, John Loveless, was a native of Prince George county, Maryland, and with his parents came to Delaware county, Ohio, when twelve years of age. When William H. Loveless was ten years of age, the family residence was changed to Dover townt)86 UNION COUNTY. OHIO.

ship, ill Union county, Ohio, ahhough some of tlie family later removed to Illinois, where they are still residing. William H. Loveless enlisted for service in the Union army on November 15, 1861, as a private in Company F. Sixty-sixth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was severely wounded at the battle of Port Republic, June 9, 1862, and was later discharged on account of disability. He returned to his home and upon the recovery of his health, he again enlisted in May, 1864, as a member of Company D, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was chosen second lieutenant and served in this capacity until his regiment was discharged at the close of the war. William H. Loveless was married November 26, 1863, to Mary Ritchie, the daughter of J. K. and Nancy Ritchie, of Dover township, and to this. union were born five children, all of whom lived to maturity, married and reared families of their own : Carrie, the wife of John A. Shoemaker, of Delaware, Ohio; Nane, the wife of D. E. Liggett, of New Dover. Ohio; Charles D., of Davis township; William E., of New Do\er. and Lida, the wife of Dr. V. ,B. Weller, of Ostrander, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Loveless adopted Watt R. Sharp, when he was a baby of onlv a few weeks, and reared him as one of their own family. He is married and lives in Dover township.

William H. I,oveless was a man of strict integrity, upright in all of his wavs, and cheerfully lent a helping hand to all good causes. He was naturally of a jovial disposition and possessed the happy faculty of making friends and keeping them. "Doc" Loveless, as he was known to everyone, possessed a wider acquaintance and was more widely and favorably known and respected than falls to the lot of many men. Although incapacitated by disease for twenty-five years before his death, yet he kept his farming and stock interests well in hand until the year before he passed away. He took a very acti\'e interest in all good causes, and his death was a distinct loss to the communit}'. He was an active member of the Masonic order, the Grand Army of the Repuljlic at Marysville and the Knights of Pythias at New Dover. He contributed liberally toward the building of churches and also toward their support and, to his best conception, fulfilled the duties of a true Christian by caring for the fatherless and keeping himself unspotted befure the world. He was such a man as all should emulate and the virtues he [jracticed before the world were such that he left a name which is cherished by his children and honored bv his friends.

William F.. Loveless was educated in the public schools of New Dover and w'irkfd nii the home farm until he reached his twentv-first vear. He then began renting land, and after his marriage in 1895 purchased his present fann of one hundred acres at the junction of the Thompson and Hinton mill road, south of Dover. He is engaged in diversified farming and divides his attention between the raising of crops and the breeding of live stock.

jNIr. Loveless was married November 7, 1895, to E\a Stephens, the daughter of Elmer and Mary (Beem) Stephens, and to this union have been born four children, who are still living with their parents, Thelma, Elmer, Ethel and Ruth.

The father of Mrs. Lo\'eless was born in Madison county, Ohio, and is now a merchant in Missouri. He was formerly a farmer and large land ow^ier in this county. Mrs. Loveless was the only child born to Mr. and Mrs. Stephens. The parents of Elmer Stephens were John and Jane (Patterson) Stephens.

Politically. ^Ir. Lox-eless is a Republican, and while taking an active interest in everything pertaining to good government, yet has never been an aspirant for any public oftice. He and his family are consistent members of the ^lethodist Episcopal church at Marysville, and generous contributors to its support. Fratemally, he is a memlier of the Knights of Pythias at New Dover.

Monroe Amrine

To a great extent the prosperity and steady development of our country is due to the honest industry, the sturdy persistence and wise econom_\- which has so prominently characterized those whose labors have always been to agriculture. Li no section of the state is there a more enterprising and prcjgressive class of farmers than is found in Union county. From the time of the early settlement the farmers of this county have been men of tireless energy and masterful courage which overcomes difficulties, and this spirit has characterized the sons who have succeeded these pioneer fathers. This same spirit has been a marked characteristic of those who have come to this county from other states, and it is the intelligent industry and wise application of modern methods in farming by this class of farmers that brought the farm lands of Union county to the high state of cultivation which now so generally prevails.

Among those who are entitled t(.) honoralile mention in the class of enterprising and progressive farmers of L'nion county is the gentleman whose name stands at the head of tliis article. Monroe Aiiirine may be said to be a farmer by Ijirth anil inheritance. He was born on a farm and continues to live on the fami where he first saw the light of day. The date of his birth is November 2-j, 1853. He is a son of Smith and Elizabeth (Westlakej Amrine. who were among the early settlers of Union county. The father was born in the old log house that stood on the ground of the present farm residence. The paternal grandfather of our subject was Henry and the maiden name of his wife was Mary Powers. They came to Union county from Belmont county, Ohio, in 1817. The grandfather was a soldier in the War of 1812.

Monroe Amrine lived on his father's farm and was accustomed to work from his early youth. Such time as he could be spared from work in the fields he was privileged to attend the common schools of the neighborhood and thus obtained a fair education. Supplementing these elementary studies with intelligent reading and application to the practical affairs of life, he was fitted for making a success in the business to which he has devoted his life. He began farming on his own account when he came to the age of maturity and has followed that occupation ever since. He has added stock raising to his farming industry and makes a specialty of fine breeds for which he finds a ready and profitable market. He owns ninety acres of land, about two miles west of Marysville, and also owns the original eighty acres of land that was entered by his grandfather in 181 7, on which he settled with his parents.

Mr. Amrine was married September 20, 1883, to Mattie L. Thompson, (laughter of A. J. Thompson, and to this union five children were born, Edward, Leonard, Blanche, Goldie and Trubey. The family of the father of our subject consisted of five children, namely: McClellan, deceased; Smith, deceased; Armintha, wIki married Sol Turner; Monroe, our subject; Mary C, who married Richard Turner. Mr. Amrine is a Democrat in politics and takes an active interest in party affairs. He is a member of the county central committee and one whose counsel and advice is considered valuable in the conduct of the party political campaigns. His fraternal affiliation is with the Inde])enflent Order of Odd Fellows, His church relationship is with the Mctlmdisl I'lpiscniial church nf which, the family are consistent members and to which they contribute liberally nf their means. For more than twenty years .Mr. .\mrine was a member of the schoul l)oard, and in this, as in all his other relations of life, he sustained the re])utation of a citizen of strict integritv worthv of tlie hi"ii esteem in wliich he is held hv his fellow citizens.

George M. Wilber

Among the many prosperous and progressive farmers and stock raisers of Union county, Ohio, must be mentioned George M. VVilber, who operates a farm in Paris township, adjoining the corporation limits of Marysville. He was born in Paris township July 3, 1862, and is the son of George and Annette (Coolidge) Wilber. The father of our subject was born in New York state and lived in that state during his minority. When he was twenty-one years old he came to Cleveland and was employed for some time as steward on a lake \'essel. Later he was superintendent of tlie Erie canal between Buffalo and Albany. Then he decided to engage in farming, and for that purpose came to Union county and settled on a farm in Paris township, where he continued to make his home.