Pleasant Township (part 2 of 2)

RDTLEDGE FAMILY. The history of Hardin County would be incomplete without it contained allusions to the family of Rutledges, who were among the earlier settlers of the county, and who have figured more or less conspicuously in its history from the time before the county was organized until the present writing. Richard Rutledge was born near Hagerstown, Md., in 171^6, and when but seven years of age removed with his father, William Rutledge, to Fleming County, Ky. , where the famiK resided till 1812, when they removed to Champaign County, Ohio. Here Richard Rutledge married Miss Mary Lewis, also a native of Maryland. A few years later, they removed to' Logan County, near the present village of Richland. Here they built a mill on Cherokee Creek, and, in 1832, they met with the misfortune of having it burned, which meant the loss of all their earthly possessions. They then decided to push out into the wilderness, and did so in the autumn of 1832, and entered land three miles northwest of Round Head, in Hardin Ci)unty. Richard Rutledge served many years as Justice of the Peace, and rode through the wilderness for fifty miles in almost every direction to solemnize the marriage of many a pioneer couple, and was regarded and esteemed highly as an honorable Christian gentleman. He was industrious and persevering, and ended a successful life after having lost two companions, the last of whom was a widow lady --Mrs. Sarah Lay, nee Hill. He died in the spring of 1875. By his first wife he had born to him a large family of children, most of whom died in childhood. Those who lived to maturer years were Lewis, Benjamin, Harriet, Richard, Jr., and Jeffei'son. Richard Jr., died in 1859 or 1860. By his last wife, he had one child, a son, Sampson, who now resides on the farm near Round Head. Lewis Rutledge, his eldest son, was born in Champaign County, Ohio, September 2, 1818. He married Jane Tidd, who was born November 15, 1823, in Round Head Township, this county, and who was the first white female child born in what is now Hardin County. Lewis and Jane Rutledge were married in 1845, and commenced life in the woods, going in debt for their scanty house furniture and $8 for their first cow. They had born to them six children, four of them dying in infancy; two still live, George W. and Charles H. Jane Rutledge died March 17, 1873, and was followed by Lewis, her husband, in June, 1875. George W. Rutledge was born August 16, 1851, three miles north of Round Head. He was a lover of books and took early to a fair common school education. He taught his first country school in Taylor Creek Township, when but sixteen years of age, and entered the Northwestern Ohio Normal School in 1870, and graduated from there in 1875, embarking in the meantime in the mercantile business, which he followed until December, 1876. Losing his father at a time when he most needed his counsels, the financial depression of those years and a generous and speculating disposition brought upon him financial misfortunes. But through the advice and assistance of friends he purchased and took charge of the Kenton Republican, in April, 1880, and is still connected with that journal. He was married in September, 1873, to Miss Sudie Shuler, of Allen County, Ohio. She was born June 30, 1856, near Lima, Ohio. To them have been born four children, three sons and one daughter, Earl Ernest, born August 13, 1874; Carl Clyde, born October 14, 1876; Donna Dean, born November 26,1879; and Warren Wilson, born August 24, 1881. Charles H. Rutledge, was born near Round Head July 25, 1861, and was married to Miss Laura Hubble, of Ada, on June 9, 1881. To them was born a daughter, Jessie, on July 15, 1882. Charles H. Rutledge now owns the old homestead of his parents and an interest in the Kenton Republican, and resides in the city of Kenton, in this his native county.

HERMAN SAGEBIEL, Postmaster, Kenton, was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, June 22, 1842. He is a son of Frederick and Elizabeth Sagebiel, both natives of Germany, whence the former emigrated in the year 1820, the latter in 1803. His mother's family settled in Lancaster County, Penn. After their marriage, our subject's parents settled in Basil, Ohio, where Mr. Sagebiel engaged in the practice of medicine, he having been a practicing physician. In 1856, he came to Hardin County, locating in Kenton where he pursued his practice until his decease in October, 1859. He reared a family of six children, three now living. Oar subject is the youngest living child. In 1859, he went to Shelbyville, 111., where he learned the tinner's trade and then entered the army during the rebellion. He enlisted in the One Hundred and Fifteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Company B, and fought in the following battles; Perryville, Ky., October 6, 7 and 8, 1862; Stone River, December 31,1862, to January 3, 1863; Chickamauga, September 23, 1863; and Franklin, Tenn. , February 1, March 9, April 10 and 27, and June 4, 1863. He received several wounds from spent balls, but, with the exception of a six weeks' sickness in 1862, near Covington, Ky., was always on duty. He received his discharge on March of 1864. On his return home, he worked at his trade until May, 1873, when he was appointed Postmaster of Kenton, re-appointed in 1877, and is still discharging the duties of that office. He was married in 1865, in Hardin County, to Miss Ruth, daughter of Joseph Lambert. She is a native of Belmont County, Ohio, and has reared a family of three children - Perry W., Olive R. and Perly L. Mr. Sagebiel is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of the Knights of Honor and of the Grand Army of the Republic. The father of Mr. Sagebiel was the only representative bearing that name

JOHN SAYLOR, farmer and stock- grower, P. O. Kenton, was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, October 21, 1829. His father, Micah Saylor, was a son of Jacob Sayler, who was brought from Germany to this country when a small boy. He learned the trade of gunsmith, and during the Revolution was detailed as artificer for the colonial forces, for which services he was paid in continental money; this money becoming worthless, the family were almost reduced to poverty. Removing to Bedford, Penn., he worked at his trade some years, and was elected to the State Legislature, when death came, and the hopes of the family were again frustrated, The widow was left with a young family of nine children, and after battling with the stern realities of life in that hilly region, she determined to emigrate to the West. Being a woman of strong will and energy, she finally accomplished her purpose, reaching what was then called the Northwest Territory, after many hardships, and settling about midway between Chillicothe and Circleville in the year 1798. Here Micah Saylor, the father of our subject, grew up to manhood, acquiring the scanty education afforded by the early schools, consisting of about six weeks of schooling. Having a good memory, he thoroughly mastered the principals of arithmetic and grammar, becoming a fair scholar both in English and German. He delighted greatly in reading and the solution of intricate problems, in the exercise of which he would sometimes sit up all night. He died in Hardin County, Ohio, April 12, 1856, aged seventy years. He was married in 1819 to Elizabeth (Hillory) Monnett, of French descent, who was born in Virginia, about six miles from Cumberland, in 1791. She was brought in 1800 to that part of the territory afterward included in the State of Ohio, locating about fourteen miles northeast of Chillicothe. They lived in Pickaway County, Ohio, and raised a family of four children, three daughters and one son, viz., Ann, wife of Peter Warren, Kingston, Ohio; Margaret, wife of Jacob Sayler, Hillsboro, Ohio; Esther (deceased), wife of William Kinnear, Kenton, Ohio; and John, our subject. The subject of this sketch came with his parents to Hardin County in 1851, settling near Kenton, his father having made a purchase previous to his coming, and afterward buying a homestead near the city. Micah Saylor was a successful farmer and stock-raiser in the country he came from. The education of our subject was derived from the common schools and from Hillsboro Academy, which he attended in the winter of 1849 and 1850. His father deeded him 160 acres of land in 1851, in addition to Avhich he has made subsequent purchases of 440 acres. On this land, he erected a large, commodious brick dwelling, occupying it in December of 1882 He is considerably engaged in raising stock, dealing mostly in cattle. On November 13, 1856, he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah E., daughter of Elias and Elizabeth Benton. His wife is a native of- Pickaway County, Ohio, where her father had settled in 1817. Mrs. Benton died May 7, 1865, at Kenton, and was the mother of six children, two of whom are living, Daniel W. and Mrs. Saylor. Mr. Benton again married on February 12, 1867, Mrs. Catherine Cherry, the widow of Nathaniel Cherry, who moved to Hardin County in 1867. The five children born to Mr. and Mrs. Saylor are all living, viz., Almira B. , Oscar M. , Oraella E. , Elias T. and Myrna L. Mr. Saylor was nominated as a Representative of the Legislature on the Republican ticket, but was defeated by eighty- eight votes for John Haley. His nomination had been entirely unsolicited, the selection being the choice of the people. The family are all connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church.

FAYETTE SCHOONOVER, farmer, P. O. Kenton, was born in Tioga Coanty, N. Y., in 1825. His parents were Joseph and Margaret (Decker) Schoonover, natives of the State of Delaware, and who came to Hardin County in 18B8, settling on the Saylor farm, and were among the first to pay a tax on land. Joseph Schoonover resided in the same neighborhood until his decease in 1804; he had been preceded by his wife in 1853. They reared a family of ten children, five of whom are now living, the subject of this sketch being the next to the youngest. In 1846, Mr. Fayette Schoonover was married in Hardin County to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Richard F. and Catherine Holmes, pioneers of Hardin County in the year 1839. Mr. Holmes died July, 1852; his widow is still living, and has attained the eightieth year of her age. Mr. Schoonover and his wife have had a family of fifteen children, four of whom are living, viz., Mary, wife of Calvin Hickernell, resident of Ada, Iva, Richard H. and Frank. Mr, Schoonover has held various offices of trust, and is connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he has been Class Leader for thirty years.

HENRY W. SENEY, attorney, Kenton, was born in Tiffin, Ohio, in 1847, and is a son of Joshua and Ann (Ebbert) Seney, natives of Maryland and Pennsylvania respectively. His parents were pioneers of Seneca County and early settlers of Tiffin. Joshua Seney was a lawyer, as well as his father before him, whose name was also Joshua. The latter was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Maryland. Joshua, father of our subject, at the early age of fifteen years, was private Secretary to Albert Gallatin, who was Secretary of the United States Treasury under Jefterson. Joshua Seney was a graduate of Columbia College, New York, and was a practicing lawyer in Seneca County, Ohio, where he died in 1854. He served the county as Treasurer and Clerk of the Courts. The subject of this sketch attended the common schools of Tiffin, also the Notre Dame University at South Bend, Ind., and Heidelberg College at Tiffin, Ohio. He took a commercial course at Cleveland, Ohio, proceeding thence to Cincinnati, where he was engaged in the Merchants' Union Express office. He was subsequently engaged as book-keeper by Patterson Brothers, with whom he continued for three years. In 1871, he came to Ada and read law under his brother's instruction at Tiffin for two years. He was admitted to the bar in September, 1873, by the District Court at Kenton, and commenced to practice in partnership with Mr. Johnson, of Kenton. On January, 1880, this patrnership was dissolved and Mr. Seney has since pursued his calling alone. His name was presented in the Convention for District Judge in 1880, and again in 1882, but he withdrew his name. Mr. Seney was married in January of 1870 to Miss Lizzie, daughter of Allen Cullum, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. Two children have been born to this union - Allen J. and Elma B. Mr. Seney' s brother at Tiffin, Ohio, is a Congres now residing. In the spring of 1869, our subject visited Montana, remaining there for three years, being engaged in mining, at which he was very successful. He then spent one year at home, and returning to the mines he subsequently left them for Knoxville, Iowa, where he carried on, for three years, the livery and stage line business. Again returning to his native place, he entered mercantile business, pursuing it for five years, and tlien came to Kenton. Here he established himself in the livery business in the spring of 1876. succeeding Lynch & Poor in the adjoining stable, and in 1881 he purchased his present commodious stable on the corner, where ha keeps a full line of livery in horses, buggies and carriages. He uses from sixteen to eighteen horses, has a good trade, and also has an omnibus line running from the Chicago & Atlantic road. Mr. Van Horn was married in Bethlehem, Penn., in November, 1875, to Miss Miriam Freese, a native of Hope, N. J. , and their family numbers three children, two living, viz., Carrie and Irving. Mr. Van Horn is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and is one of the substantial business men of Kenton.

LEVI WAGNER, farmer, Kenton, was born on the homestead farm of his father, Samuel Wagner, in 1837. His mother, whose maiden name was Mary A. Hosrnan, was a native of Richland County, Ohio, his father of Berks County, Penn. The latter came to Hardin County, from Pennsylvania, and settled on his present farm, which he had entered, taking up a large tract of land. He is still living, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. He had a family of eleven children, seven of whom are living. The subject of this sketch was married, in Hardin County, in 1862, to Miss Grace E., daughter of Alexander Morrison, and a native of Muskingum County, Ohio. To this union were born six children, all living, viz., Luella B., Harry M., Mattie I., Samuel A., Robert M. and Cecil C. Mr. Wagner's maternal grandfather was an early pioneer of this County. Mr. Wagner is a member of the Christ Church. He numbers among the oldest residents of the county.

DANIEL H. WAGNER, farmer, P. O. Kenton, is the second son and fourth child of Samuel and Mary (Hossman) Wagner, born May 21, 1841, in Section 35, Pleasant Township, on the old home entered by his father in 1833, on which his parents still live. His father is of German descent, born in Bucks County, Penn., November 5, 1800. At the age of eighteen, he learned milling, and when twenty-five years old went to Hagerstown, Md.,to superintend the then largest flouring mills in the country. In the spring of 1833, he came to Hardin County, and entered a large tract of land in the vicinity of Kenton, giving to his three surviving sons - Levi, Daniel and Phiotas - as well as his daughters, large farms. Phiotas remained on the homestead, and married Emma L. Williams and has one child - Orpha May. Mr. Samuel Wagner, the father of our subject, was married, December 25, 1834, to a daughter of Levi and Mary A. (Wilson) Hossman, and to them were born eleven children, viz., Susan (deceased), Levi, Citharine A., Daniel H., Mary A., Margaret E. (deceased), Samuel T. (deceased) Rachel E., Eunice C. (deceased), Isadore P. and Phiotas V. Mr. Samuel Wagner is the youngest child of fourteen children of John and Susan Wagner, who were born and buried in Pennsylvania. He is now nearly eightythree years old, is smart and active, performing all the reaping and mow ing of the homestead of 163 acre.s. Mrs. Wagner's parents, Levi and Mary Hossman, are of English descent; her father a native of Virginia, her mother born in New York City. They were married in what is now Carroll County, Ohio, and came to Hardin County in the fall of 1833, settling in

Pleasant Township, Section 22. They died in Iowa, and were the parents of four daughters and two sons. Mrs. Wagner's great-grandfather was from London, and possessed great wealth. Daniel, the subject of this sketch,

* helped to clear the old homestead, also the farm in Section 27, where he now resides. On November 5, 1868, he married Rachel, eldest child of W. J. and Sarah Emmons. She was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, June 28, 1848, and was brought to Goshen Township, this county, by her parents, when but two years of age. The fruit of this marriage has been four children, viz., a son, who died in infancy; Carroll H., born March 15, 1872; William Dowling, born January 31, 1875; and Nellie E., born September 23, 1878, died July 24, 1879.

MOSES B. WALKER, LL. D., Kenton, was born July 16, 1819, in Ohio, and is a son of John and Mary (Davis) Walker, of Scotch-Irish descent. His ancestry, on the paternal side, is traced to John Walker, a native of England, who migrated to the colonies with Lord Baltimore and settled in Maryland. The grandfather of our subject, Ignatius Walker, was a lineal descendant of John Walker, and was born on the Potomac River in Virginia. He owned slaves on his plantation in Virginia, and was an intimate friend of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton. He was an officer during the Revolution, and died on the field of battle at Dtah Springs. The father of our subject was born on the homestead in Virginia and settled in Kentucky, where he located military land. In 1798, he sought a new home in the Scioto Valley, now embraced in the limits of Pickaway County, Ohio. His wife was a native of Maryland and an aunt of Henry Winter Davis. Her fattier was a soldier in the Revolution, who died of wounds received at Dtah Springs. At an early age, our subject worked on his father's farm. His rudimentary education was picked up at odd times from school books, and in his seventeenth year he entered the freshman's class of Augusta College, in Kentucky. Two years after, he returned home on account of poor health. He subsequently went to Woodward College, in Cincinnati, remained there two years, and then, for three years, attended Yale College, an attack of hemorrhage of the lungs compelling his return home. Recovering his health, he entered on the study of law in Springfield, Ohio, and the following year in Montgomery County, Ohio, under the preceptorship of Judge Joseph H. Crane, of Dayton, Ohio. He attended lectures at the Cincinnati Law School, from which he graduated with the class of 1846; The same year, he practiced his profession with H. V. R. Lords, opening offices at Dayton and Germantown. At this time, the Mexican war breaking out, he formed a company in and about Germantown, and equipped it at his own expense. There being a surplus of troops, the largest part could not be mustered in, so w'^ere sent home. He consequently retired to his practice and continued until 1861, practicing under the firm name of Walker, Holt & Walker, one partner being Judge George B. Holt, an eminent lawyer of Dayton, the other his nephew. In 1850 and 1851, he was a member of the Ohio Senate. In 1864, and again in 1866, he was nominated to Congress, and was defeated, first by 1,600 and next by 600 votes, in the old Fifth District. At the breaking-out of the rebellion, Gov. Dennison tendered him command of one of the regiments, and he was commissioned Colonel of the Thiity-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He accepted a commission offered him in the regular army, on the condition he could go out with the Thirty-first regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. His Ohio regiment became a part of the Cumberland Army, and he participated in all the engagements except at Mission Ridge. He was severely wounded at Hoover's Gap and at Chickamauga, after which he received a commission as Brigadier General of Volunteers; also the respective ranks of Major and Lieutenant Colonel, by brevet, in the regular army. After four months spent in the hospitals, he returned to duty, and took part in the Atlanta campaign, after which he joined Thomas at Nashville. He was mustered out with his regiment and placed upon the retired list with the rank of Colonel, for wounds received at Chickamauga. At a critical period of the war, he was ordered home to deliver speeches at various points to counteract the influences that served to injure the cause. All this he did, and also aided in fresh enlistments, and to arouse a general spirit of loyalty. This service he considers of more value than his conduct on the field. He was often intrusted with the most dangerous and important duties, and enjoyed the full confidence of Gen. Thomas, with whom he fought through the entire war. He was also among the brave old Fourteenth Corps. During the autumn of 1868, he was ordered to Texas for duty. He was sub sequently appointed Judge of the District Courts, and the }^ear after was transferred to the Supreme bench. His colleagues were Ogden Evans and McAdo, A. J. Hamilton, Morrell Lindsay and Dennison, He served for six years, when Texas was admitted into the Union and returned to his home. He was re-appointed Supreme Judge by Gov, Davis, and went back to Texas and served three years under the constitution of 1869. He returned to the North in the fall of 1875, and settled in Kenton. For a time he engaged in the practice of law, but his declining health necessitated a retirement. He was married, November 10, 1842 to Miss Maria, daughter of Tobias Van Skoyck, a descendant of the Knickerbockers, and resident of Germantown, Ohio. Mrs. IValker died in July, 1853, leaving three children, all living. The oldest, Mary E., is the wife of John T. Carlin, of Kenton; John O. resides in Kenton, and Grace M. A. is the wife of P. M. Butheraff, of Austin, Tex. On the 1st of May, 1855, our subject married Miss Mary H., daughter of Dr. Willis H. Hitt, of Vincennes, Ind. The eight children by this union are as follows: Willis S. , Harriet R. (wife of Dr. L. B. Tyson,

Kenton), Mosella, George W., Bessie F., Frank M., Mary E. and Della. Mr. Walker met with an accident, in the fall of 1879, at Springfield, Ohio, by falling into an excavation in a sidewalk, and was injured to such an extent that he is obliged to use crutches, and is confined mostly to his home.

JAMES WATT, cashier and attorney at law, Kenton, was born in Kenton, Ohio, December 6, 1839. He is a son of Samuel and Sarah Watt and a grandson of William Watt. The latter emigrated from Ireland at an early time, and probably located at Philadelphia, then in Cadiz, Ohio, where he died. The father of our subject was born near Cadiz, Ohio, January 16, 1805. His wife was a native of Jefierson County, Ohio. They were the parents of six children, four living. Samuel Watt was educated for a physician at Jefferson College, Washington Co., Penn., and studied under the tuition of Dr. Wilson, of Cadiz, Ohio. He practiced in Jefferson County, Ohio, until 1839, coming thence to Hardin County, locating in Kenton, where he followed his professional calling up to 1858. In 1848 and 1849, he represented Hardin County in the Legislature, and in 1858, was elected Probate Judge, serving three terms. He then retired from public and professional life, removing to Ada in 1873. His decease occurred in October, 1876. The subject of this sketch was the fourth child of his parents. He received his primary education from the schools of Kenton, and entered Westminster College, New WTlmington, Penn., in 1860, graduating in 1865. The following year he attended the Albany Law

School, from which he gradaated in the same year. He began his practice in Kenton in 1867, and pursued his professional calling until March of 1882, when he was elected Cashier of the Kenton Savings Bank. He served for two terms as Prosecuting Attorney in Kenton, and has always taken an active part in the growth and enterprise of that city. In 1873, he was united in marriage to Miss Ida M., a daughter of Harvey Chapman, of Hardin County. To this union two children have been born - Edna C. and Ida Marcella.

JASPER N. WELCH, County Auditor, Kenton, was born in Seneca County, Ohio, November 3, 1842, and is the eldest son of William and Margaret (Smith) Welch, the former a native of Seneca County, and the latter of Wayne County, Ohio. His grandfather, John Welch, was a Pennsylvanian, who came to Seneca County, Ohio, in the year 1819. He was Justice of the Peace for fifteen years, served one term in the Legislature and one in the Senate and was County Commissioner of Wyandot County for nine years. Although but a farmer, he all his life occupied positions of honor and trust. His wife's name was Sarah McMullin, a native of Pennsylvania. They moved to Wyandot County, Ohio, and settled near what is now Nevada, where John Welch died in 1860. The parents of our subject are at this time of that county, and have raised a family of six children, four of whom are living, viz., Jasper N., James A., Amanda A. and William M. The maternal grandfather of our subject, George W., a native of New Jersey, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was among the pioneers of Seneca and Wyandot Counties. He is now a resident of Blue Earth County, Minn., and is in the ninet] -fifth year of his age. The subject of this sketch was reared in Wyandot County, where he lived until his enlistment in Upper Sandusky, September 11, 1861, in the Fifteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company D. He enlisted as a private, was commissioned Second Lieutenant December 16, 1864, and First Lieutenant February 22, 1865, in which latter rank he served until the close of the war. In the summer of 1865, the regiment was sent to Texas, where the}^ remained in service until December, 1865, and were mustered out at San Antonio, Tex., and discharged at Columbus, Ohio, December, 1865. He participated in the battles of Stone River, Liberty Gap, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Atlanta campaign, where he was wounded May 27, 1864, and returned to the regiment in October. He then took part in the battles at Franklin and Nashville, Tenn. At Dallas, he received a wound in the right shoulder. May 27, 1864. Returning to peaceful pursuits in Wyandot County, he engaged in the lumber business, which he followed until 1870, and then came to Hardin County. He located at Dunkirk, in the livery business, which he subsequently sold, and was employed as salesman in Mahan Brothers' agricultural implement and general store. In the fall of 1878, he was elected County Auditor and filled the position with satisfaction, receiving a re-elec tion in 1881. He was united in marriage, at Fostoria, Ohio, May 4, 1871, to Miss Anna E., a daughter of Rev. James C. McClean, Presbyterian minister (deceased). She was a native of Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Mr. Welch has a farm of 107 acres in Dudley Township, where he is engaged in raising thoroughbred merino sheep and Poland-China hogs. He is Vice President of the Ohio Spanish Merino Sheep -Breeders' Association, which was organized in 1882. Mr. Welch organized Company Hof the Eleventh Ohio National Guards in June of 1877. He was appointed Captain, then Lieutenant Colonel in August of 1877, and in December, 1879, Colonel of the regiment, which position he resigned in June of 1882.

L. H. WELLS, Sheriff, Kenton, was born in Hocking County, Ohio, March 7, 1844. He is the oldest living son of John and Rachal (McGillis) Wells, the former a native of the District of Columbia, the latter of Hocking County, Ohio. He is of Irish descent. His maternal grandfather, Thomas McGillis, a native of Ireland, was a soldier in the Revolution and in the war of 1812. He was a pioneer of Ohio, and was among the earliest settlers of Perry County, where he died at the age of eighty-six years. John Wells, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was a native of Ireland, an architect by profession, and a pioneer of Perry County. Heerected the St. Joseph's Church at Somerset, in that county, and died in Lexington, Ky. The parents of our subject were married near Wolf's Station, Perry County, and settled in Hocking County, whence they moved, in 1875, and are now residing in Ada, Hardin County. They have reared a family of four children, two living - James H. and our subject. John Welch served three months in the Twenty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry; re-enlisted in the First Ohio Cavalry in August, 1861, serving until after the close of the war; remaining to do active service in Texas, and was discharged in the fall of 1865. He was color bearer for two years, and then Commissary Sergeant, and participated in all the cavalry battles of the Cumberland. He was wounded in the left leg at La Vergne, Tenn., and was confined two months. The subject of this sketch followed farming until the breaking-out of the war, when he enlisted, in August, 1861, and was mustered, in October of the same year, in Company F, First Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. He fought in the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Perry ville. Stone River, Chickamauga, and in the Atlanta campaign, in the taking of Jonesboro and Mission Ridge. From Jonesboro, the regiment returned to Louisville, were re-mounted, and joined Gen. Thomas at Nashville. Our subject was mustered out at Columbus, Tenn., October 26, 1864, and returned home in the spring of 1865. He was married, in Perry County, Ohio, March 16, 1865, to Miss Eliza McGinnis, a native of Perry County. After marriage, he engaged in farming and stock-dealing. In 1868, he came to Hardin County, locating on a farm near Ada, in Liberty Township. He remained there until his election to the office of Sheriff in 1881, in which position he has given unqualified satisfaction to the people. Mr. and Mrs. Wells have had three children, all living, viz., William, Maggie T. and James H.

CHARLES WENDT was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, July, 1850, and is a son of Frederick and Fannie Wendt, the former a native of Germany and the latter of Switzerland. His parents have been residents of Campbell County, Ky., for thirty years, and previous to that lived in Hamilton County, Ohio, Welve years, and Mr. Wendt has been interested in the iron works of ship-building business for many years. Our subject was a member of a family of five boys and six girls, all living. He was for several years in the grocery business at Newport, Ky., and subsequently traveling agent for Voige & Winter, cigar manufacturers, of Cincinnati, Ohio, traveling through the States of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and some of the Southern States. In the fall of 1879, he established himself in his present business, opening the " Bee Hive Cash Grocery," in Kenton, Ohio. His store is complete, and fully stocked with staple and fancy groceries, fruits, etc. He carries a stock of from |6,000 to $7,000, and does a business of about $50,000 a year strictly cash. In January of 1880,' he was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Marr Rhodes, daughter of William and Mary S. Rhodes, of Albion, N. Y. Her father is now dead, bnt her mother is living in New York. Mr. Wendt is connected with the Masonic Lodge o*^ Newport, Ky., being a Knight Templar, and is a wellknown business man of Kenton, Ohio.

CUETIS WILKIN, real estate dealer, Kenton, was born April 22, 1828, in Harrison County, Ohio. His father, William Wilkin, was the eldest son of James Wilkin, a native of County Antrim, Ireland. His mother, Mary Holmes, was the daughter of Jacob Holmes, who, with several brothers, was among the early settlers in Harrison and Jefferson Counties, William Wilkin removed from Harrison to Highland County in the year 1829, and resided there until the year 1846, when he came to Hardin County and settled in what was then Taylor Creek (now Lynn) Township, on the farm now owned by Henry N. Bradley. His was the first house in that part of the county between the Bound Head road and the Scioto Biver. Here the subject of this sketch grew to manhood, and, in October, 1852, was married to Sarah H. Maloy, who died May 3, 1864. In April, 1865, he was again married, to Mrs. Fietta Wilkin, widow of his cousin William F. W'ilkin. In November of the same year, he moved to Kenton, where he has since resided. At the time of the settlement of his father's family in Taylor Creek Township, that part of the county was a dense forest, and the hardships and privations, though not so great as in former years, were sufficient to give a fair lesson of the inconveniences attending the first settlement of a new county. Mr. Wilkin's early years were spent on a farm and teaching school. Lie filled the office of County Treasurer from 1874 to 1878, and is at present (1883) engaged in real estate business. He now resides in the western suburb of Kenton, on the Lima pike, about half a mile west of the court house.

JOHN W. WILLIAMS (deceased) was born in Woodsboro, Md., April 20, 1800, His father was a son of John Williams, who landed in America about 1760, and settled in the colony of New Jersey. He Joined the patriot army at the beginning of the Bevolution, and was killed at the battle of Trenton. He left one child, aged eight years, the father of this sketch. Near the close of the war, the widow married a planter from Virginia, and moving there, nothing was heard from her afterward. Her boy was apprenticed to be a house-carpenter. Making his way into Maryland, he married, in 1796, Catherine, daughter of Col. Joseph Wood. She was born in Wo.odsboro, Md., in 1776. Her father, Joseph Wood, emigrated from Gloucester, England, in 1750, settling in Cecil County, Md., removing shortly after to Frederick Manor (now Frederick County), where he owned a large tract of land on Israel Creek. He laid out the town of Woodsboro, naming it after himself; opened up an extensive plantation, and erected the first grist mill of the State, He owned a number of slaves, whom he set free at the close of the Bevolution, in which w'ar he was commissioned as Colonel, commanding the Cotocton Battalion. During the war, he loaned the Government a great deal of money, besides furnishing large quantities of flour, grain and cattle to the army. Fart of his claim^ amounting to 169,000, was paid in Continental money, which, becoming worthless, was all lost to him. The subject of this sketch moved, with his parents, to Tuscarawas County, Ohio, in 1811; thence to Kenton in 1833, and finally to Williamstc>wn, of which latter village he was the proprietor, in 1836. In 1824, he was married to Mary Furgeson, by which union four children were born, the first in Kenton. Their names are as follows: James F., residing in Cowden, 111., a private in the Mexican war, and who served as a Captain in the Thirty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry in the rebellion; Lewis H., also of Cowden, and who was a Captain in the same regiment; Catherine Miller (deceased), of Eamsey, 111., and Elizabeth Gallagher, also in Cowden, 111. The family landed in Kenton when the second child, Lewis, was eleven weeks old. Soon after removing to Williamstown, Mr. Williams' wife died, and he stibsequently married Elizabeth, daughter of Joshua Hall, an early settler on the Blanchard River. To them were born the following- named children, all living, viz., John W. F., of Washington, D. C., residing in Schuyler, Neb., and who served three years as Sergeant in Company G, Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a company raised in May of 1861 in Kenton; Nancy J. Mathewson, of Williamstown, Ohio; William H., of Schuyler, Neb., who enlisted at the age of fifteen, at Kenton, in the Eighty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry; Angeline S. and Mary E,, residing with the widow at Williamstown. Mr. Williams died at Williamstown, Ohio, in September, 1874. His family have quite a war record - his father was Captain in the war of 1812, stationed in defense of Baltimore; one son was in the Mexican war, and his only four sons* enlisted in the Union army at the fall of Fort Sumter; his paternal grandfather was killed at Trenton, and his maternal grandfather was a Colonel during the Revolution.

ISAAC G. WILLIAMS (deceased) was born in Grayson County, Va., May 29, 1810. He was first married at Zanesfield, Ohio, having settled there with his father, John Williams, at or near a town called Mingo. His wife's maiden name was Lydia Wright, by whom he had two sons and three daughters, four of whom are now living, viz., Granville S., at Kenton, Ohio; Eliza J. Maslin, widow of John Mastin (deceased), residing in Washington County, Miss.; Mary E., wife of E. Brown, Cincinnati, and Eudora H. , wife of Adam Stewart, Belief ontaine, Ohio, tiis wife died in Zanesfield, Ohio, in 1839, and he was subsequently united to Miss Margaret Brown, a native of Baltimore, Md. They were married in Zanesfield, Ohio, and moved to Walnut Grove, Logan County, where he carried on a dry goods and grocery business. He moved from there to Hardin County in 1851, and located on a farm south of Kenton, Ohio, in 1857, engaging in the dry goods business for twelve years. He afterward established the " Williams Bank," under the firm name of J. G. Williams & Son, which he conducted successfully to the close of his life, which occurred in Kenton September 16, 1868. He was for twelve years a Justice of the Peace in Zanesfield. He was brought up in the Quaker persuasion in his native place, and lived and died in that faith. By his second marriage there are eight children, five girls and three boys, all living, viz., Charlottio A., wife of S. B. Detray, Kenton; Hester A., wife of Frank Deakin, South Bend, Ind. ; Ruth A., wife of L. W. Barr, Kenton; Eda A., wife of John A. Givney, St. Louis, Mo., and Marie L., wife of K. L. Steiner, Allegheny, Penn. The three boys are Isaiah N., Oran Otis and Eugene V. Oran O. married Ida Feiring, by whom there are two children - Isaac G. and Oran Otis. Eugene V. married Louisa Knapp, and lives in Kenton. Isaac N. Williams was born at Walnut Grove, Logan County, was reared in Kenton and studied dentistry with Dr Satzman, with whom he worked five years. He then opened his present office, in February, 1883, and continues to practice his profession.

NATHANIEL AVILLIAMSON, farmer, P. O Kenton, was born in Richland County, Ohio, in 1828, and is the eldest son of William and Catherine (Bryte) Williamson. They emigrated from Virginia at an early time, and after living in Richland and Ashland Counties, Ohio, for a number of years, came to Hardin County, arriving March 13, 1834. They were eight days on the road, a distance of only seventy-five miles. Mr. Williamson settled on the homestead now occupied by our subject, where he entered 160 acres of what at that time was a wilderness. He erected a small cabin, where he lived until his decease in February, 1836. He left a wife and four children (the oldest being ten years of age), three now living, viz. , our subject; Hannah J., widow of Thomas Davis, residing in Kenton, and Bartholomew, a resident of Buffalo, N. Y., formerly a stock-dealer of Hardin County. The widow subsequently married John Gunn, a resident of Washington Township, by whom she had one child, John, who died while in the army; she lived to be seventy-one years of age. With the exception of eight years, our subject has always resided on the homestead, which is now one of the most productive farms in the township. He and his brother worked diligently in clearing this land and making it what it is. Mr. Williamson was married, in Marion County, Ohio, in 1855, to Miss Serena, daughter of Walter Davis, a pioneer of Marion County, where she was born. To this union eleven children have been born, ten living, namely, Ida, wife of George H. McFarland, residing in Buck Township, this county, Florence

K. , Walter D., Mamie E., Belle O., Lillie M., Nettie V., Willie, Sheridan E. and Edna A. Mr. Williamson and family are connected with the Disciple Church, he being one of the Elders, and are among the esteemed families of Kenton. Mr. Williamson was for eighteen years engaged, during the winter months, in teaching. His second daughter - Florence - graduated in the scientific course of the Ada Normal School, and has taught in the public schools at Kenton and in various parts of the county. Three of the daughters have been teachers, giving their time to educational advancement.

LEMEEL WILLMOTH (deceased) was born in Boss County, Ohio, in 1805. His parents were of German descent, and both died when he was quite young, leaving him to know but little of the family history. He was a member of a family of six children, five sons and one daughter, one brother and sister surviving, the former living near Neville, on the Ohio Biver, in Ohio, the latter is the wife of Mr. Badley, who keeps a provision store. Our subject came to Hardin County in the spring of 1831, having been preceded by two brothers, and bought forty acres of land, now included in the town of Kenton, on which he built his cabin. In 1838, his wife died. They had a family of seven children, three sons and four daugh ters, six living, viz., Nancy J., John, Bachel, Melvina, Levin G. and Lydia A. He assisted in the laying of the public square, and his cabin was often frequented by the Wyandot Indians, it being directly on their way from Lpper Sandusky to Chillicothe. Nancy J., the oldest child of Lemuel, was born in Union County, Ohio, November 11, 1825, and married, in October of 1845, Newton Howell. The latter was the son of Israel and Sarah Howell, and was born in Logan County. He served a four years' apprenticeship at harness-making and opened in the business at Kenton, remaining there until 1854. He was then engaged in business at Waterloo, Iowa, and, in 1865, moved to Chillicothe, Mo., where he served for six years as Commissioner, returning, in 1871, to Bussell, Iowa, where he opened a shop. He had a family of five daughters and two sons, viz., Lydia V. (w ife of George W. Plotts), Julia A. (wife of John Chriswell, farmer), Staley

L. , William C., Mary A., Hattie J. and George E. John Wilimoth, the second child of Lemuel, was born March 2, 1827, in Union County, Ohio, and married Maggie Bough in 1856. He left Kenton in that year; went

West, living in Missouri until 1882, removing to Marshall County, Kan. His wife was the daughter of Thomas Rough and Grace Collins. Rachel Willmoth was born in Union County, Ohio, and married, in the spring of 1854, O. Osborn, a farmer of Hardin County, and had eight children, three daughters and five sons. Her husband and four children are deceased, and she now resides in Kenton. Melvina Willmoth was born in Union County, Ohio, and is the wife of L. D. Longman, dry goods merchant, of Kenton, moving in the spring of 1856, to Newton, Iowa, where she died December 27, 1856. They had two children, one daughter, and a son named Benson. . Benson was born in Union County, Ohio, February 12, 1831, and came to Kenton with his parents in the same year. He was married, September 3, 1857, to Miss Sarah J. Dunlap, by whom there were five children born, viz., WTlliam E., born October 18, 1858; Gustine R. , born September 4, 1863; Maurice L., born September 28, 1866; Josephine Maud, born September 12, 1868; Mattie, born August 19, 1871. Mrs. Benson Willmoth' s parents were of Scotch and Irish descent. Her father died April 13, 1862; her mother died October 19, 1860. Levin G. Willmoth, the fifth child of Lemuel, was born in Hardin County August 12, 1834, and married, in 1858, Miss Elizabeth A. Hosman. He moved to Chillicothe, Mo., in 1866, arid is now living in Marionville, Mo. He has a family of five children, three, born in Hardin County. Lydia A., the sixth child of Lemuel, was born in Hardin County in 1835; married, in 1862, Jacob A. Holmes, carpenter, and hjis two sons. Mr. Lemuel Willmoth married, a second time, May 29, 1840, Miss Mary M. Davis, and the same year moved on a farm of eighty acres, one mile and a half north of Kenton, where he resided for twenty-seven years. His wife was born in Adams County, Penn., in 1814. Her father, a miller, was a native of Ireland and was married to Mary McGrew, moving to Harrison County, Ohio, in 1817. They were the parents of nine children. Mrs. Davis died December 29, 1848, and was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, having joined when she was nine years of age. Mrs. Lemuel Willmoth united with the church in 1838, under the prestige of Rev. Mr. Welch. Our subject, by his second marriage, had a famil}' of seven children, all born on the old homestead. The home place was sold in 1867, the family moving to the present farm, where Mr. Willmoth died February 3, 1879, after a protracted illness; and thus passed from the ranks one of the early pioneers of Hardin County. The children born to him are as follows: Mary W., born in Hardin County May 2t),

1842, wife of John A. Holmes; Wellington L., born May 6, 1844, married, in 1869, to Anna C. Girod, residents of Hardin County; William A., born March 17, 1846, married to Anna Yauger in 1872; Amina J., born July 17, 1848, married to John Woods in 1869; Elizabeth L., born April 28, 1851, married to George W. Charlton in 1874; Eugen