Springfield Township (part 24 of 69)

The constitution of 1852 gave to the Probate Court certain defined jurisdiction, and siich other as may be provided by law. This provision allowing other jurisdiction to be conferred upon the Probate Court has made it a court very little inferior in its importance to the people than the Court of Common Pleas. As first intended by many of the members of the Constitutional Convention, it was to be an inferior court which might be presided over by men not learned in the law. With the extended jurisdiction that has been conferred, it is now universallj' believed that on account of its importance, its occupant should not only be a lawyer, but a good lawyer. The first person to fill the position of probate judge was not of our profession.

James S. Halsey was born in Warren County, December 7, 1804; he came to Springfield in 1822, and served as auditor from 1826 to 1836 ; and from 1836 to 1852, clerk of the Court of Common Pleas. In the fall of 1851 he was elected probate judge and served one term. He died in Plymouth, Ind., January, 1876. It has been said of him that "he had an innate scorn of meanness, mendacity and sham, which was as natural to him as it was to breathe the vital air. His charity was large, and while giving unostentatiously, he gave munificently; indeed, in everything he did there was an entire absence of ostentation, and, next to dishonesty and fraud, it was probably the object of his profoundest contempt." Such were some of the characteristics of the first probate judge.

James L. Torbert - The next probate judge was James L. Torbert, of whom we have spoken heretofore as an occupant of the Common Pleas bench. Upon Judge Torbert 's death, in 1859, John H. Littler was appointed to the vacancy, and thereafter elected for three full terms, going out of office in 1870.

John H. Litti-er was born near Winchester, Virginia, September 1, 1820. He came to Clark County in his youth. In 1855 he was elected a member of the Legislature of the State of Ohio. In 1857 he was admitted to the bar; in 1881, twentysix years from the time that he first entered the General Assembly of Ohio, he was again elected a member of that body and re-elected in 1883. He died June 8, 1885. Judge Littler was perhaps more of a politician than a lawyer, yet it may, however, properly be said of him that he was a faithful, honest public servant, and a good citizen.

Enoch G-. Dial - The successor of Judge Littler upon the Probate bench was Enoch G. Dial, who was born in Clermont Coimty in 1817. He came to this county in 1845 as a professor in the Springfield Academy. In 1849 he was admitted to the bar. He occupied the position of probate judge for two terms, from 1870 to 1876. In 1879 he was elected and served two terms in the Ohio House of Representatives. He was a man of scholarly attainments, possessed of fine literary taste and acquirements; active and industrious in promoting the interests of various character which affected the welfare of the City of Spring-field. He was careful and painstaking, and left the reputation of an able, cautious and conscientious judge. He died in 1896.

Judge Dial was succeeded on the Probate bench by John C. Miller, who occupied the same until December, 1890, when he resigned to accept the position of Common Pleas judge. Madison Over was appointed to fill the vacancy of seven weeks, to February 9, 1891, when the writer of this paper assumed the position of judge of Probate Court. He occupied the same for two terms, and was succeeded in 1897 by James P. Goodwin, and he, in 1903, by Frank W. Geiger, the present incumbent.

In 1883 an amendment was passed affecting the judiciary of our state by the organization of a new intermediate court, known as the Circuit Court. Previous to this time, it was the practice for three members of the Common Pleas bench to sit as an Appellate Court and review actions brought from the Common Pleas. As this court was composed of members who sat in the trial of the case below, it therefore made the judge review his own decision. It was not very satisfactory, and, besides, the Common Pleas Courts, by the increase of business, had so much of the time of their judges taken up that, as judges of the District Court, they could not give that consideration to the causes before them that was required. Any way, the people were satisfied to have a new intermediate court. At the first convention to select judges for this new court, Clark County presented the name of Judge Mower, but was unsuccessful in having its candidate endorsed for the nomination. Afterward, when Judge Williams was promoted to the Supreme bench, Clark County again presented a candidate in the person of Judge Charles R. White, but was again doomed to the disappointment of defeat. In 1894, upon the retirement of Judge Stewart, Clark County again presented a candidate in the person of Augustus N. Summers. This time carrying into execution the old adage that the third time brings success. Mr. Summers received the nomination. He was elected in the fall of that year and again re-elected in 1900. Judge Summers was born in Richland County, June 13, 1856; admitted to the bar in 1881. His gentlemanly conduct, courteous bearing, and industrious habits, have made him a wise, and successful judge. He was promoted to a Supreme Judgeship in 1904, which position he still occupies.

Until the year 1887, the mayor of the City of Springfield performed the duties of a police magistrate. The Legislature of the previous year passed a law creating the office of police judge. The first occupant of this position was Luther F. Young. He was succeeded in 1891 by Charles E. Morris, now a resident of Columbus. In 1893, 0. B. Trout became judge of the Police Court, and in 1895 he was succeeded by William R. Horner, who in turn was succeeded in 1899 by J. J. Miller, the present incumbent. All the occupants of the Police Court bench were members of our bar and are still such with the exception of Charles E. Morris.

This, no doubt, has been the penalty of a large portion of the members of our bar. The court records disclose the individual names of persons who had proceedings there. But otherwise no record appears containing the names of the members of our bar, since the organization of our Common Pleas Court. In order to enable future generations to know who have been so fortunate or imfortunate as to expend their eloquence in our courts, I would suggest that a register be kept by the clerk of our court, in which every person practicing there should be required to register. The first attorney whose name appears upon our law record is that of Henry Bacon. Other names closely following are those of George W. Jewett and I. C'ooley. In the Chancery Court, the first paper was filed by H. Flournoy, and soon thereafter the names of T. C. Flournoy and William Elseberry appear as attorneys. I am not positive that anj^ of these, with the exception of George W. Jewett, were residents of our city. Jewett eo.inbined the newspaper business with his law business, and was editor of the "Pioneer." The records of our court would not be an infallible guide to furnish a list of attorneys of our bar; for, in the earlier times, it was the custom of the lawyers to practice in various counties in the circuit. Throwing their saddle-bags, with a few books on their horses, they would follow the judges from county to county, either to try causes in each county, or in the hope of being retained in some one. Clark County being new, and the City of Springfield young, many distinguished counsel came from distant parts of the state. From recollection, an early settler has given the names of the following lawyers who practiced law here prior to the adoption of the present constitution : George W. Jewett, Piatt, Higgins, Mott, A. G. Burnett, William A. Rogers, James M. Hunt, William White, J. B. Underwood, Joseph B. Craig, Joseph Anthony, James L. Torbert, Robert W. Carroll, William Cushing, Samson Mason, Charles Antbony and Harvey Vinal.

In 1852, a directory of the City of Springfield gave the occupation of the following persons as attorneys-at-law : Charles Anthony, J. R. Coverdill, Johr.

Foos (the directory was mistaken; Mr. Foos read law, but was never admitted to the bar), George Frey, J. S. Goode, Samson Mason, Rodney Mason, R. R. Mc- Nemar, A. D. Rogers, Samuel Shellabarger, George Spence, J. L. Torbert, William White, and H. Blair Wilson.

General Samson Mason and General Charles Anthony were by far the most conspicuous members of our bar from 1824 to 1860. While both were of the same political faith, yet they were rivals in politics as well as at the bar. General Mason was more aristocratic in his bearing and deportment, and more scholarly in his attainments, and more popular with the learned and aristocratic element of our people, while General Anthony, of fine presence and agreeable manners, was more approachable and more popular with those who scoimed to belong to what they termed the "cultured aristocracy." General Mason was born in New Jersey in 1793. He was the first prosecuting attorney of Clark County, sei^ved a number of terms in the Legislature, was eight years in the United States Congress, and during the administration of Millard Fillmore was United States attorney for Ohio and was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1852. As a lawj^er he had a reputation which extended beyond the state. His professional circuit embraced the counties of Clark, Greene, Champaign, Union, Logan and Madison. He was an honest lawyer and faithful manager of all business intrusted to his care. His bearing was dignified, and his language that of a scholarly gentleman. He was in every sense of the term a true gentleman of the old school. He died in this city, February 1, 1869.

General Anthony was born in Richmond, Virginia, and came to Ohio in 1811, and to Springfield in 1824, and died March 31, 1862. His popular manners soon gave him a practice and a prominence at the bar that established him as a worthy rival of General Mason. He was not so fortunate in being elected to public positions, but for a number of years was a distinguished member of the General Assembly. In 1840 he was appointed by General Harrison as United States attorney for Ohio, and held it for four years. Always active and enterprising, in all public measures he was foremost. He gave very great attention to the Masonic fraternity, and was elected grand master of the state. After his death a new lodge of Masons was organized in our city which bears his name.

Samuel, Shellabaegek - A great lawyer who came upon the scene of action about the time that Mason and Anthony were drifting away by reason of old age, was Samuel Shellabarger. In many respects he was the most prominent and gifted of the lawyers that ever honored the bar of Clark County with his presence. He was born December 10, 1817, in Mad River Township, of this county, and died August 7, 1896, in Washington, D. C. Admitted to the bar in 1846, he came to practice law in Springfield in 1848. He was elected to the General Assembly in 1852, and to the Congress of the United States in 1860, and served several terms until 1873. In the United States Congress he was recognized as among the foremost of statesmen, and it was said by Blaine that "he was distinguished for the logical and analytical character of his mind. Without the gift of oratory, pajdng little heed to the graces of speech, Mr. Shellabarger conquered by the intrinsic strength of his argument, which generally amounted to demonstration. His mind possessed many of the qualities which distinguished Mr. Lincoln." After retiring fromCongress, he removed to Washington for the purpose of practicing his profession, and was engaged in many of the most important matters of litigation that appeared in the Supreme Court of the United States. His industry and faith to dut.y and to his country were crowning virtues ; he was as good an example as the historj' of our profession furnishes, of an able, learned and Christian lawyer.

George Spence - George Spence's name appears upon the record about the same time as Mr. Shellabarger 's. He was born in Pike Township in 1828, and was admitted to the bar in 1850, died February 6, 1895. He had the reputation of being the best jury lawj^er that ever appeared in our court. Popular in his manner, he had a larger personal acquaintance in the days of his prime than any person in our county. Active in body, with a wonderfully live and vigorous mind, he brought into the trial of his cases great vigor. His argument in a cause was sometimes compared to zigzag lightning - you never knew where it was going to strike, but it was sure to strike somewhere, and with great force. Mr. Spence had the misfortune of not receiving what might be termed a good education, and his environments and associations in early life were not such as led him to the highest elevation of a good citizen. Naturally, he had a mind which, perhaps, never was surpassed by any member of our bar. He was active and energetic in matters pertaining to the welfare of our city. His be- ing a Democrat in politics, prevented his acquirement of political positions. But for many years he was acknowledged as one of the wheel-horses of that party. He was a delegate to the celebrated Charleston Convention, in 1860, which adjourned to Baltimore and nominated Stephen A. Douglas for the Presidency, which precipitated the terrible civil conflict of 1861. Large investments and loose business habits caused Mr. Speuce to lose his property in his declining days. He possessed many excellent traits of character, and was very faithful to the interests of clients confided to his care. In his long active professional and business career he aided many persons needing aid and assistance. While he was not a great jurist, he was, in his palmiest days, an exceedingly good trial lawj^er.

Samuel, A. Bowman - Purely as a lawyer - and he sought distinction in no other way, excepting that of good citizenshii5 - Samuel A. Bowman had no peer at the bar of Clark County, and but few in the State of Ohio or the United States. He was born at Zanesville, January 13, 1832, graduated from our own "Wittenberg College in 1852, and commenced the practice of law in the City of Springfield in 1854, continuing in a large and lucrative practice until the day of his death, which occurred July 5, 1895. His early associations with General Mason gave him a lai"ge clientage in his younger days. He was purely a law^-er, and his profession was his only ambition. His practice extended through all the courts of the United States, and he was able and worthy to meet any adversary in that' broad field. He possessed a mind of great natural vigor, which was trained to its highest capacity by methodical study, reading and thought. Often on the street his mind was engrossed with thoughts of matters pertaining to his profession, and he would pass a friend without recognizing him. This gave the impression to many people that he was aristocratic in his ideas and selfish in his disposition. It is true he was not a good "mixer" with the populace; as a politician he was not a success; but as to all his dealings with man, he was just and generous. He had the power to grasp the salient features of his case to a wonderful degree, and could plan and formulate the method of action and execute a defense second to none. He was the originator of the beautiful Ferncliff Cemetery, the Savings Bank, the Associated Charities, and other matters pertaining to the city's welfare. Three sons - Edmond 0., John E., and Border - continue in the practice and exhibit many of his distinguishing characteristics. Border giving his attention chiefly to the practice of patent law, in which his noted father was an adept.

There are other members of our bar whose names do not appear in the list above given, who died in early age or removed to other scenes of action. James Willis came within forty votes of being elected mayor, and died suddenly about the year 1870. He was a young lawyer of brilliant parts and promising future. Milton Cole, a member of this bar, was born in 1848, elected Mayor of the city in 1875, and again in 1877; was a man of quiet demeanor, with considerable legal ability. For a number of years before his death he suffered from a paralytic stroke, which incapacitated him. He died in 1894. J.

J. Hanna, a member of this bar and mayor of the city in 1870, removed from the city, and shortly thereafter died. J. F. Oglevee was a former member of this bar and partner of General Keifer, served as County Auditor from 1871 to 1874 ; thereafter represented this county two terms in the Legislature, and was state auditor for a number of years, and is now a resident of Columbus, engaged in manufacturing.

Frank C. Goode, son of Judge James S. Goode, was born in this city in 1853, admitted to the bar in 1875, and died in 1887. He was a young man having many of the striking characteristics of his distinguished father, and,- had not death called him so soon, would no doubt have had a very distinguished legal career. Willis S. Walker, son of General Moses Walker, of Kenton, was for a short time a member of our bar. Afterward he was chief clerk in the secretary of state's office under General Robinson. From there he went West, and died in the prime of young manhood. He was of studious habits, and, for his age, a very good lawyer.

John D. Burnett, who died in January, 1899, was a member of our bar, but for many years was not actively engaged in the profession. He is remembered as a kindly old gentleman who painstakingly and carefully looked after the interests entrusted to his care. John H. Thomas was admitted to the bar in 1851, but soon thereafter went into the manufacturing business, in which he acquired great wealth. In later years he mingled some in state politics, but held no important positions. Percy Norton, James Homan and Randolph Coleman, one time mem- bers of our bar, are now also engaged in the more lucrative calling of manufacturing. George Prey, who was a member of the bar in 1852, and is yet alive and with us, was but a short time if ever an active practitioner. The venerable Thomas F. McGrew was for nine years an active member of the Steubenville bar, but never practiced here.

William D. Hill, later a Congressman in Northern Ohio, was at one time a member of our bar and mayor of the city in the early sixties. Charles Evans, who was afterward a Common Pleas judge in Cincinnati, and now a practicing member of that bar, was a member of our bar during the latter part of the sixties. There was also about the same time an attorney by the name of Jacob R. Mc- (iarry, a member of our bar, who afterward went to Cincinnati.

From the time of his admission, in 1868, until 1893, when he left for New York City, no one was better known at our bar than Edward S. Wallace, who was born in Kentucky in 1846 and came to Springf.eld in 1855. Mr. Wallace was a man of commanding presence,versatile in thought and action, popular in manner and demeanor. His greatest force was in the criminal practice, where his fine appearance and great oratorical powers gave him more than ordinary success. He was a brilliant conversationalist, but not as careful and cautious in his habits as he might have been. He was at one time a Democratic candidate for attorney general, afterward elected as an independent candidate for mayor, and still later chosen by the Republicans of Clark County as their candidate for Congress.

General Keifer - Of the present members of our bar in active practice, General Keifer is the oldest as well as the most distinguished. He is strictly a product of Clark County, born in Bethel Township, January 30, 1836. Admitted to the bar in January, 1858; entering the Civil War in 1861, he rose to the rank of brevet major general of volunteers in 1865. In 1876 he was elected to Congress and thereafter re-elected three tunes. In 1881 he was elected speaker of the House of Representatives. In 1898 he was appointed a major general of volunteers in the Spanish War. While no.t engaged on the field of war or in the halls of Congress, General Keifer was an active, energetic member of our bar, and still continues to be such. He never in his life knew what it was to be idle or take a vacation. A few years ago there was issued from the press a very creditable work of which he was the author, entitled, "Slavery and Four Years of War." He was an excellent soldier, an energetic legislator, a good lawyer, and in all respects ever was and still is a good citizen of our community. It is the wish of all that he may long continue to remain with us. On January 11, 1908, the bar gave a complimentary banquet to him on the fiftieth anniversary of his admission to the bar.

A. P. Linn Cochran - Among the older members of the bar, perhaps it would be not unjust to mention the name of A. P. Linn Cochran. Mr. Cochran was born in Cumbei-land County, Pennsylvania, in 1836, came to our bar in 1859 and continued thereat until 1907, a space of fortyeight years. Exceedingly courteous and gentlemanly in all his conduct with the court and the public generally, it could be said that no one stood higher in public estimation ; and when it was rumored that his deahngs with his clients with respect to some estates that he represented had not been strictly according to legal ethics^ everyone who knew him was shocked. However, charges were made and presented to the court, Judge Allread of Greenville hearing the same, and finally Mr. Cochran was suspended from practice for two years. Soon thereafter he removed to Cincinnati, where he is now located. No one has ever been able to explain satisfactorily why one of such high standing should have allowed himself to get into such a position.

T. J. Pringle was born in Clark County, near South Charleston, in 1838, was admitted to our bar in 1864, and was prosecuting attorney from shortly thereafter for seven years. No one was better liked by the members of the bar generally than Mr. Pringle. He was of fine appearance, affable and genial, and during his career at our bar was as well beloved for his kindly social qualities as any member who ever graced it by his presence. Mr. Pringle served two terms as State Senator from our Senatorial District. He died in 1903.

Geoege C. Rawlins, a present, able, active, and energetic member of our bar, was prosecuting attorney from 1876 to 1880, and thereafter served with distinguished honor for two terms in the lower house of the General Assembly. Walter L. Weaver served ten years creditably as prosecuting attorney, and from 1896 to 1900 was an able member from this district to the United States Congress.

in the General Assembly. Horace W. Stafford and John B. McGrew each have served two terms as prosecuting attorney. M. T. Burnham and D. Z. Gardner have each ably served one term as city solicitor. Albert H. Kunkle creditably filled the ])osition for four successive terms. He was followed by Y. Y. Smith for one term and he by Stewart L. Taytum two terms and he by Roger V. Smith, present incumbent. John L. Plummer very ably served one term as State Senator from this Senatorial District.

Frank AV. Geiger is now referee in bankruptcy. J. F. McGrew served two terms in the Legislature. He was a prominent member and came very near being elected Speaker. He is a good public speaker and now president of the Commercial Club.

James Johnson, Jr., a good lawyer and good fellow, creditably served one term as mayor. Lawrence Laybourne is tbe present prosecuting attorney. Oscar T. Martin and George Arthur, both eminent members of our bar, have never held publie positions. Mr. Arthur has not, for the reason that he belongs to the party in the minority, and. further, that he thinks more of his profession than he does of political positions. Mr. Martin has not occupied )3ublic positions solely for the reason that he wishes to devote all his time and energy to the practice of his profession, and bj^ doing so he has built up an enviable practice and bids fair in the not far distant future to be the leading member of our bar.

It is no fault of John L. Zimmerman's that he has not occupied public positions. He expects to be governor some day, and all join in wishing him success.

There are other members of our bar who, by their merit, are entitled to distinct mention in this paper, and some of whom no donbt have occupied positions of trust and honor. But these matters are common to the knowledge of all, and the limits of my paper will not permit them to be individualized.

On several occasions in the past the bar has organized for the purpose of advancing the interests of its members and maintaining the dignity of the profession. But for various reasons about all that would be accomplished, would be a meeting, some strong speeches about maintaining the dignity of the profession, possibly an assessment for dues, an election, and then - ii quiet, unobtrusive death. However, probably by reason of the interest that the bar has in maintaining an excellent law library, the present Bar Association has had a longer existence than any of its predecessors and bids fair to remain with us for some time to come. The present Clark County Bar Association was organized July 6, 1888, with Hon. J. K. Mower as president; A. N. Summers, vicepresident; W. M. Rockel, secretary, and George S. Dial, treasurer. In March, 1892, for the purpose of raising money to buy books for the library, it became incorporated. An enjoyable feature of the meetings of this Bar Association is the custom that has come into vogue, of the new president, on his induction into office, annually, giving a spread to which all members of the bar are invited.

The Bar Association formerly met monthly, and should do so now in compliance with its by-laws, but usually the meetings are only held annually, or at the call of the president. There is an annual fee of five dollars attached to the membership, which is applied to the fund for the purchase of books to keep up the library. The present oCScers of the association are: Chase Stewart, president; Clem V. Collins, vice-president; Arthur J. Todd, secretary, and Frank M. Krapp, treasurer.

This sketch of our bench and bar would be incomplete did it not contain a word in reference to our present excellent library. From the beginning of a few volumes, it has grown until it now numbers nearly three thousand volumes at a total cost of about $10,000. For a considerable time the matter of a library had been a subject of speculation and discussion among the members of our bar, and when the new Court House was completed, a room was provided for that purpose. But, unlike many other things, it needed something to make the start in that direction. In 1886 or 1887, in a casual conversation. Judge Charles R. White remarked that he had a fund in his hands as treasurer of a defunct Bar Association, and that he would like to be relieved of his responsibility, but there was no knowledge of the persons who had contril)uted the fund, or to whom it should be returned. The writer suggested to him to invest it in books, for the nucleus of a library in the Court House. He responded that if the consent of certain members of the bar, whom he presumed had contributed the fund, would be secured, he would gladly turn it over for that purpose. The consent of such members of the bar having been obtained, and the fund turned over to the writer, it was by him invested in the We^st System of Reporters. The bound volumes were placed in the library and the advanced sheets were kept at the writer's ofiSce until a librarian was appointed. The fund amounted to $306. Afterward, upon the organization of a Bar Association, a Board of Trustees was appointed for tlie library. This first board was composed of Judge C. R. White, Oscar T. Martin and W. M. Rockel. Afterward A. S. Rogers, Albert H. Kunkle, F. M. Hagan, with Rockel and White, constituted the board. By this time it was ascertained that the library of George Spence could be purchased for a very, reasonable sum. A contribution was taken up among the members of the bar, and the library purchased. This was the first substantial addition to the previous purchase of the West Reporters. Judge Mower has been an active member of the Board of Trustees for the library for the past ten years. The Legislature having in the meantime passed a law permitting the court to appoint a librarian, Mr. Oliver H. Miller, a member of the bar, accepted the position for a number of years and turned the salary over to be applied in the purchase of books. Funds were also received from certain Police Court fines. In order to increase the usefulness of the library and secure the purchase of more books, in 1892 the Clark County Bar Association was incorporated and shares of stock of fifty dollars each we*e issued. In these various wavs, and from time to. time, funds were secured, with which the excellent library now in the Court House was procured. A complete set of the reports of all the important states of the Union are now on its shelves, together with modern digests and encyclopedias. A subscription has just been made for the Engli.sh Reports. W. F. Bevitt and Charlotte Cross have been the accommodating librarian and assistant librarian for some time. The present trustees are : Judge A. H. Kunkle, Judge A. N. Summers, Judge F. M. Hagan, Oscar T. Martin, J. PI Bowman, J. F. Mc- Grrew and W. W. Keifer.

and "Oily Gammons" at our bar. It can be truthfully said that there is no class of persons in the community that stand higher than the members of the bar. In the last one hundred years but one member was disbarred from practice. Generally, in all matters that pertain to the welfare of our city and county, they are found ever contending for that which will bring iDrosjDerity and honor to our city and its people. If the next hundred years can show as bright a history as the past one hundred, the bar of the City of Springfield can indeed well be proud of its record.

Chapter Xxi

The history of the earliest practitioners of the healing art in Clark County is very meager. What is known of them has come from two soiirces; that which has been handed down from one generation to the next in the memories of men, and that which has been preserved in the more or less incomplete records of the Clark Comity Medical Society. Some physicians, of course, were not members of the Society, and so nothing is known of them from that source. In the early days there was no elaborate system of registration, such as we have today, by means of which some record is kept of every legalized practitioner and will be preserved for future generations.

Two physicians are still living whose lives span the greater part of the history of the county. For more than a half century they have been useful and honored members of the profession and of the County Society. These men are Dr. Isaac Kay and Dr. John H. Rodgers, both of whom read interesting and valuable papers on medical history upon the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of membership in the society of Dr. Isaac Kay and the

The Clark Coimty Medical Society has an ancient and an honorable history. The records of the society have been preserved from its earliest infancy. They were well written and are of great interest, especially to physicians, as they show in a definite manner the progress of medical thought. One thing that is inclined to cause a feeling of sadness as they are read, is the fact that they contain the names of so many men who were evidently prominent members of the society and probably influential citizens of the community, who are practically unknown today only a few decades after they have gone to their rewards, so fleeting is human memory, and so few men there are who succeed in making a secure place even in a local history.

In 1815 the Legislature divided the state into medical disti'icts, the Seventh, which was composed of the following counties : Montgomery, Champaign, Greene, Preble, Miami and Darke. The medical society organized in this district, licensed to practice medicine, among others, Dr. Isaac Hendershott and Dr. W. A. Needham, who located in this county and who were probably among the very earliest pioneers of the profession in the county.

In 1824 the Legislature again divided the state into districts, this time twenty in number, of which the Seventh 'was composed of Montgomery and Clark Counties. The Clark County physicians who were members of the society organized in this district were as follows : Drs. W. A. Needham, Richard Hunt, Elijah Lawrence, Ambrose Blount, Job Haines, Thos. S. Towler and Robt. Houston of South Charleston.

De. Richaed Hunt was probably the first i^hysician to locate in Springfield. He was born in Greenwich, Cumberland County, New Jersey, in 1780. He came to Cincinnati in 1807, and learning that there was no physician in Springfield, came here at once and began to practice, boarding at Griffith Foos' tavern. He is said to have been present at the Indian conference when Tecumseh refused to disarm his followers and it was he who offered the clay pipe which Tecumseh tossed away in disgust. In 1818 he wrote to a friend that Spring-field "had four public houses, eleven stores, three physicians, three attorneys, and mechanics of every description. ' ' He married Miss Frances Eeeder, then living on the Yellow Springs Road about three miles from town. His daughter, Miss Sophia Hunt, is living here. He died in 1848.

De. William A. Needham was born in Shoreham, Vt., in 1776, and came to Springfield in 1813. He first located near Lagonda, which for that reason was called "Pillville." He afterwards lived in a log cabin on the southwest corner of Columbia and Factory Streets until 1817, when he moved to his own frame house on the corner of Main street and the first alley east of Limestone, where he died in 1834. An interesting fact in his history is that his last visit was made upon the occasion of the birth of William Needham Whitely, "The Reaper King," the middle name of whom is thus accounted for. He, sick as he was, returning from this call, died in four days of some malignant epidemic fever. He was buried in the old Colum-

Dr. Isaac Hendershott is another of the pioneers of special interest to presentday physicians, as he was the first President of the Clark County Medical Society and one of the few physicians who have held an elective office in Clark County, excepting that of coroner. Nothing is known of the date or place of Ms birth or of his coming to Springfield. He was a criiDple, walking with one cane, as the result of hip-joint disease, and had a very beautiful daughter who became afflicted with and died as a result of the same disease. He was at one time postmaster and twice was elected county recorder, from 1835, and from 1856 to the time of his death, in 1862.

De. Job Haines was born in New Jersey in 1791 and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1815. He practiced medicine in partnership with Dr. Hunt until 1817, when he removed to Dayton, where he practiced until he died in 1860.

The above meager facts are about all that can be learned of the first generation of physicians, the real pioneers of the profession. There are no doubt persons living, who, if they were known, could give something of interest of others, especially of those who practiced outside of the City of Springfield. If there be any such, the writer would be more than pleased to have them communicate with him in regard to the matter.

The Clark County Medical Society was organized on April 4th, 1838, at the Buckeye Hotel. A preliminary meeting to arrange for the organization had been held March 1st, 1838, in the office of Dr. Robert Rodgers. The following officers were elected: President, Isaac Hendershott,

Robert Rodgers; tx'easurer, William Murdock; Board of Censors, Berkley Gillette, E. W. Steele, and Robt. Rodgers. The constitution was signed by the following: Isaac Hendershott, Benj. Winwood, Berkley Gillette, Elias Garst, Robt. Rodgers, Wm. Murdock, Robt. Houston, John C. Stone, Michael Garst and James Robbins. In addition to these there ajjpear in the minutes the names of Happersette and Towler. Two meetings were held each year; the annual meeting in April and semi-annual in November, somewhat in contrast to the present society, which meets twice each month. The first paper was read April 30tb, 1838, by Dr. Winwood on "Progressive Improvement of Medicine in America," and another at the same meeting by Dr. Garst on "The Mucous Membrane of the Alimentary Tract." The infant could not survive the second summer, and passed away after the election of officers, April 14, 1840.

A meeting was held to reorganize in the office of Dr. Robt. Rodgers May 31, 1850, and elected the following officers : President, Robt. Rodgers; vice-presidents, Berkley Gillette and Isaac Hendershott; secretary, E. M. Buckingham; treasurer, G. H. Bupyan; Board of Censors, B. Gillette, Jesse Cook, J. N. Stockstill, G. H. Bunyan and Robt. Rodgers.

long since gone to their rewards, it is during this period that names begin to appear that connect it with the present. At the May meeting, 1853, tlie late Dr. H. H. Seys was admitted to membership, and one year later the same honor was bestowed upon Dr. Isaac Kay, who is the senior member of the present society. Dr. John H. Rodgers, the second member of the present society, in the point of age, and one of the first in interest, was admitted in 1856.

After five years of activity the society was again allowed to discontinue, this time for nine years, or imtil April 12th, 1864, when it was reorganized and again the meeting was held in the office of Dr. Rodgers. Of the eight men at the meeting in May, 1850, Dr. Rodgers was the only one present at this one, the others having all died or moved away. The following were the officers elected at this meeting: President, Robt. Rodgers; vice-presidents, A. C. McLaughlin, and Edward Owen; secretary, Isaac Kay; treasurer, A. Dunlap; censors, A. Dunlap, E. M. Buckingham, Geo. F. Kennedy, H. H. Young and Isaac Kay. Of the officers elected at this time. Dr. Kay alone sur^dves.

During the periods of the history of the medical society just passed over there appear the names of the truly great men of the profession, 7nen whose lives and deeds were such that they deserve to be handed down to future generations as Clark County's examples of "The doctors of the old school," men who braved the perils of flood and storm, of pestilence and fever, just as real as those faced by that great creation of the novelist's imagination, Weelum MacCIure of Drumtockty. All of them are worthy of mention, but space and available material will permit of only the briefest mention of some of them.

Dr. Robert Rodgers was born in Cumberland County, Pa., September 11, 1807. After graduating at the University of Pennsylvania in 1828, he practiced in his home county for three years, moving to Portsmouth, Ohio, and two years later to Springfield, where he died in 1880. No name has been more intimately associated with medical history and but few with the history and progress of our city than that of Rodgers. Three times the society met in his office to organize and reorganize, twice he served as its president. He had a very extensive general practice, and had the reputation of being a skillful surgeon. He read a paper before the society giving an account of an operation which he performed, being the only Caesarian Section ever performed in the county. Dr. Kay said of him in a memorial address, "Being sedulously devoted to the healing art, of indomitable perseverance and courteous in his manners, he attained to a high degree of influence among his professional brethren towards whom he conducted himself in accordance with the best requirements of ethical and Christian principles."

Dr. Berkley Gillette began to practice liere about 1836. He had one of the largest surgical practices in this vicinity, and stood high as a member of the county and state society. Of him Dr. Kay said, "He was a man of firmness and practical skill in his profession, and despised quackery and sham of evei'v kind. He was plain and blunt in his manner and language, and scarcely ever dealt in flattery or blarney," all of which goes to prove that he was one of the truly great.

Dr. Andrew Britce came here in 1849, having practiced previous to that time in Western Pennsylvania. He had a large general practice and died October 17, 1873. He was at one time in partnership with Dr. Geo. P. Haekenberg, who attained some fame as a surgeon, in New York State, where he located after leaving here. He was a surgeon in the Civil War and afterwards in the regular army, finally locating in Austin, Tes. He wrote largely for medical journals, and was the author of a pretentious work entitled the "Medical Consultation Book."

Dr. Benjamin Win wood was born in 1804, in Soho Square, London. His family came to Baltimore, Md., early in his life, where he received his medical education, having been a student of Prof. Davis Davvidge. He first located in Dayton, coming here in 1842, and practiced here until he was appointed to the Union Military Hospital at Nashville, Tenn., where he died in 1864.

Alexander Dutstuap, A. M., M. D., was the most renowned physician who ever practiced in this county, and but few in the state or nation have been any more widely known. He was born in Brown County, 0., in 1815, graduated from Miami University in 1836, and from the Cincinnati Medical College in 1839. He practiced with his brother at Greenfield, Ohio, until 1846, when he moved to Springfield where he practiced until the date of his death.

He is known throughout the world as one of the first surgeons to operate for ovarian tumors. The first operation of this sort was performed by Ephraim Mc- Dowell of Kentucky in 1809. It was met with such opposition that it was abandoned. Clary of England again tried it in 1842 and Atlee of Philadelphia in 1843. Two months after Atlee 's operation, and knowing nothing of it. Dr. Dunlap performed his. The woman had urged him repeatedly to do it, and finally told him she would cut it out with a butcher knife if he continued to refuse. In the presence of a few country physicians, without an anesthetic, he successfully removed a 45- Ib. tumor. The woman died a few weeks later of other trouble. Dr. Dunlap was denounced by the medical profession, the journals refusing to publish reports of his case, because it was an unsafe and unjustifiable operation. Time, however, demonstrated that he was right, and then the honors came thick and fast. He was elected president of the Ohio Medical Society in 1868, and twice a member of the Judicial Council of the American Medical Association, which position he resigned, to become vice-president of the same in 1877. He was a Fellow of the American Gynecological Association, with a membership limited to sixty. In 1875 he was elected to the chair of surgical diseases of women in Starling Medical College. He was married in 1839 to Miss Maria E. Bell, of Highland County, and two children were born to them, a son and a daughter. The son. Dr. C. A. Dunlap, spent his professional career in this city within the memory of most of the physicians of today.

the Clark County Medical Society and one of the most devoted members of the society and profession, was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, in 1828, and moved to Preble County, Ohio, in 1836. When eighteen years of age he began to read medicine in the office of Dr. William Gray of Lewisburg, Ohio, and graduated from Starling Medical College in 1849. After practicing a few years in Lewisburg he came to Springfield in 1853. He was secretary of the medical society for twenty-six years and his minutes of the society meeting during those years are interesting and valuable documents. He has written a number of articles, both for lay and medical publications, all of which are interesting, couched as they are in beautiful diction.

John H. Rodgees - Another of the pioneer physicians, whom the present also claims, is Dr. John H. Rodgers, who was born here August 19, 1834, the son of Dr. Robert Rodgers, whose name is so intimately associated with medical history in this county. He received his literary degree from Miami University and his medical from the University of Pennsylvania in 1856. He answered his country's call, enlisting in 1861 as assistant surgeon to the Forty-fourth Regiment, 0. V. I., and after eighteen months' service, was jiromoted to the position he held until 1865, since which time he has followed his chosen calling in this city, although of recent years he has been living a retired life, so far as active practice is concerned.

Dr. H. H. Sets was born in Ogdensburg, N. Y., October 13, 1830. He was the son of Rev. John Seys, a Methodist missionary, and was one of a family of twelve. Dr. Seys graduated from the University of Maryland in 1853, locating here the same year. He served in several important positions during the Civil War, where he gained a wonderful store of experience, both surgical and general, and it was always a pleasure to hear him relate some of his experiences, which he could do both eloquently and graphically. However great the value of Dr. Seys' services to his country in time of war, they could not possibly compare with those which he rendered this community in times of peace as city health officer. He was appointed to this position in 1888 and still retained it at the time of his death, June 17, 1904. Single-handed and alone he has more than once in the face of criticism and opposition stood between this city and positive disaster. By reason of his overpowering personality, his habits of discipline inculcated during his army life, and his strenuous methods of dealing with dangers, seen and unseen, he has saved this community many precious lives and untold treasure. Nature certainly did unite in him all of the qualities that made an efficient health officer.

Drs. Buckingham - Time and space will permit only the briefest mention of such splendid representatives of the profession as Drs. Buckingham, senior and junior. The former had one of the largest practices of any Clark County physician, especially in obstetrical work. The latter succeeded Dr. Seys as health officer, and his untimely death but a few months later came as a great shock to the community. Dr. John Buckingham was a typical professional gentleman, well worthy of the respect of all who knew him.

been prominent members of the county society, Drs. McLaughlin and Sensemen of Tremont are the most conspicuous. The former was six feet and one inch tall and weighed over 300 pounds. He was at one time president of the society and vice president of the Ohio State Society. The minutes of the society show that these two men were frequently appointed delegates to both the state and national association meetings.

The county society is now in the most prosperous condition in its history, having about seventy-two members. The change in the spirit of the profession is shown in the fact that graduates who are reputable men, of all schools of medicine, are eligible to membership. The present

Perhaps the greatest impetus the profession of this community has ever had has been in the establishment of the City Hospital, one of the most complete and best equipped general hospitals operated by any city in the state. The capacity of the hospital, including the "contagion" building, is 100 beds. There is in connection a training school for nurses, under the direction of Mrs. Elizabeth Hartsock. There are at present twenty-two pupil nurses, and three graduate nurses connected with the institution.

GOV. ASA SMITH BUSHNELL, who was once the chief executive of the great Commonwealth of Ohio, in passing out of life left behind him a record of public sei-vice and private virtue which places his name among the distinguished citizens of the state.

Mr. Bushnel! was bom September 16, 1834, at Rome, Oneida County, New York, and Avas a sou of Daniel and Harriet (Smith) Bushnell. He belonged to one of the prominent colonial families of New England and was descended from Revolutionary stock. His grandfather, Jason Bushnell, a native of Connecticut, served in the War of the Revolution, and died at Lisbon, Connecticut, full of years and honors. Daniel Bushnell, father of the governor, was born at Lisbon, February 7, 1800, and died at Oberlin, Ohio. For a number of years he resided in New York, but came to Ohio in 1845, settling first at Cincinnati and later at Oberlin. On March P, 1S25, he married Harriet Smith.

The only college from which Governor Bushnell graduated was the common school, and he was sixteen years old when he began his business career in Springfield. After an experience of three years as a salesman in the mercantile establishment of a local firm, he became bookkeeper for Leffel, Cook and Blakeney, and was later with Warder, Brokaw and Child. In the fall of 1858, he entered into partnership with Dr. John Ludlow, in the eonduct of a drug store, and for the succeeding ten years continued to be interested in that business. Subsequently he became a partner with Warder, Mitchell and Company, which later became the Warder, Bushnell & Glessner Company, manufacturers of mowers and reapers. In 1886 Mr. Bushnell became president of that company and to his business ability has been attributed much of its remarkable success. He was financially interested in many other large business enterprises and was president of the First National Bank at Springfield and of the Springfield Gas Company. If he had no other claim to fame, his success in business life would have made him notable, even in the day when the captains of industry are numerous. He was a man of great decision of character, combined with a quickness of comprehension that made it possible for him to view a business field and realize its possibilities with a quick understanding that inspired confidence in his associates.

can leader before he was liouored with election to the chair of governor of Ohio. In 1885 he was made chairman of the Republican State Executive Committee; in 1886 he was appointed ciuartermaster general on the staff of Gov. J. B. Foraker; and in 1887 he was nominated as a candidate for lieutenant governor, an honor he declined, as he did a nomination for governor in 1889. In 1891, Mr. Bushnell ardently supjDorted McKinley, and in 1892 he was sent as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, serving subsequently many times as such. In May, 1895, the nomination for governor came to him without solicitation on his part, and his election by a larger majority than was ever before given a candidate for the office, with one exception, was a grand testimonial to the confidence felt in him by his fellow-citizens. As the fortieth governor of Ohio, he was inaugurated January 13, 1896, and was re-elected in 1897. History records the achievements of his. administration and it accords him a leading place among a long line of brilliant statesmen and true patriots.

In September, 1857, Mr. Bushnell was married to Ellen Ludlow, daughter of Dr. John and Elmina (Gretman) Ludlow. The late Dr. John Ludlow, who for many years was president of the Springfield Bank, was one of the valued and honored citizens of Spring-field. He was born in Clark County, Ohio, in 1810, and was a son of Cooper Ludlow, who was a pioneer from New Jersey. In 1835 he married Elmina Getman, who was bom in Herkimer Cormty, New York, and they had three children, namely : Ellen, who is the widow of the late Gov. Asa S. Bushnell; Frederick, who died January 18, 1906; and Charles, who resides at No. 148 East High Street. His son, Charles R. Ludlow, is connected with the First National Bank at Spring-field. An extended sketch of Dr. John Ludlow will be found in this work.

Governor Bushnell and wife reared two daughters and one son, viz: Fanny (Mrs. John F. McGrew), Harriet E. (Mrs. H. C. Dimond), and John L. Mrs. Bushnell occupies one of the most beautiful homes of Springfield, her residence being situated at No. 838 East High Street.

John L. Bushnell, the only son of the late Governor Bushnell, is one of Springfield's most prominent citizens. He is president of the Champion Constniction Company, and of the Springfield, Troy and Piqua Railway Company, and second vice president of the First National Bank, and attends to his large business interests at offices located in the Bushnell Block, which is the finest office structure in this city.

During a period of the Civil War the late Governor Bushnell saw hard service in the army, and was captain of Company E, One Hundred and Fifty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, leading it on many victorious fields. He subsequently became a comrade in the Grand Army of the Republic, and its interests always commanded his attention. He belonged to the higher branches of Masonry, had attained the 32nd degi-ee, and was one of the few who have received the 33rd degree of the Scottish Rite. He was noted for his abimdant charities, which were the natural outcome of a kind and generous nature. The needs of the poor and afflicted always appealed to him and, both as a high public official and as a private

For many yeai's he was a communicant and for forty years a vestryman of Christ Episcopal Church, and probably within that body alone was known the extent of his private benevolence. The beautiful Parish House that was presented to the church as a memorial of her husband by his devoted widow, Mrs. Asa S. Bushnell, was thus a most appropriate gift, and it was given and received as a fitting tribute to one who, as the rector of the church declared, "drew to himself the love and friendship of a whole city; who knew no class distinction, and who was the friend of every man, irrespective of his worldly possessions."

This chapel was dedicated by Right Reverend Bishop Vincent, bishop of the Southern Diocese of Ohio, and was presented by Mrs. Bushnell to the vestrjTuen of Christ Church on April 24, 1907, the touching presentation speech being made by. John L. Bushnell, the only son of the late Governor Bushnell. The cost of this chapel was $15,000. It is designed for the use of the pastor, the Women's Guild and the Sunday school and is elaborately fitted with every modern comfort and conven-

HON. JOHN H. THOMAS. The death of John H. Thomas, which took place at his home on East High Street, Springfield, January 23, 1901, removed from this city a man whose business success, public spirit and sterling character, identified him for all time with the agencies which contributed largely to the upbuilding of

After satisfactorily completing the public school course, Mr. Thomas entered Marshall College, at Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, where he was graduated with the class of 1849. He then turned his attention to the study of law, entering the office of Hon. S. W. Andrews, at Columbus, Ohio, and, in 1851, that of William White, then the leading attorney at Springfield. For two years after admission to the bar, he continued to practice law at Springfield, and was then chosen county recorder, a rather unusual token of appreciation, as Mr. Thomas had so recently become a resident of Clark County. In the meanwhile this section was just awakening to the possibilities afforded in the direction of manufacturing, and Mr. Thomas was one of the first to take advantage of the situation. He entered into partnership with P. P. Mast and they founded the well known agricultural implement firm of Thomas and Mast, and upon so sound a foundation, that it weathered the storms of financial depression in 1857, continued to grow in imi^ortance, and within a few years ranked with the largest in the state. Mr. Thomas remained a member of this firm until 1872.

In 1874, after two years of rest, Mr. Thomas re-entered the manufacturing field in partnership with his two sons, Wilham S. and Findlay B. They erected the large plant which stands on South Limestone Street and there The Thomas Manufacturing Company began, which still continues the extensive manufacture of all kinds of agricultural implements, having established a reputation second to none in the specialties of hay machinery, harrows and grain drills. William S. Thomas is president of the above mentioned company, as well as its treasurer, and Findlay B. is also associated in the business of manufacturing farm implements.

For very many years, the late John H. Thomas stood as one of Springfield's most public-spirited citizens. He sei-^'ed on the City Council with marked usefulness and was chosen a member of various civic boards, at the time of his death being a member of the Snyder Park Board. He was a stanch member of the Democratic party and was held in such esteem by its leaders that in 1868 he was nominated for Congress and still later was made the Democratic standard-bearer for the United States Senate against Hon. Calvin S. Brice. The duties of every office he held were performed with the ability and capacity which marked the management of his private affairs.

In 1854, Mr. Thomas was married to Mary Bonser, who was the j^oungest daughter of Hon. Jacob Bonser, of Chillicothe, Ohio, and they had four children, namely : William S., who is president of the Mad River National Bank of Springfield and of The Thomas Manufacturing Company; Findlay B., who is prominent also in the business life of Springfield; Nellie, who is the wife of Judge A. N. Summers ; and Mabel, who is the wife of L. P. Matthews. Mr. Thomas was a member of the Presbyterian Church and was always a liberal supporter of its many charitable enterprises. His private philanthropies were numerous and one of these, a notable one, may be mentioned - the Mitchell-Thomas Hospital, which was a joint gift to the city for the benefit of its sick and afflicted, from Ross Mitchell and John H. Thomas.

CHARLES NELSON LEFFEL, proprietor of the C. N. Leffel saw-mill of New Carlisle, has been a resident here since 1899, and is recognized as one of the substantial business men of the village. He was born December 24, 1869, on a farm in Champaign County, Ohio, and is a son of Frederick and Ehtha (Long) Leffel.

Frederick Leffel, a native of Clark County, was the eldest child of William Leffel, who settled near the Black Horse Tavern at a very early period. His early boyhood days were spent on the farm and he later operated a water-power saw-mill and also a threshing machine. He was first married to Mary Slusser, also a native of Clark County, who died in Champaign County, Ohio. Six children were born of this union, but one of whom is living, Margaret Ann, who is the wife of David Poorman. His second marriage was with Elitha Long, a daughter of John Loilg, who came to Ohio from the east. Three children were born of the second imion, namely: Carry, who married Charles Berry, of St. Paris, Ohio ; Charles Nelson, subject of this sketch; and Geoi'ge Franklin, of New Carlisle. The second wife died in Champaign County, Ohio. Frederick Leffel sold his mill in Champaign County and, coming to New Carlisle, purchased the mill which our subject now operates. His death occurred here in 1906, when he was seventy-five years of age.

public and high schools of St. Paris. Al the age of nine years he began devoting his spare time to work in his father's mill and has since made milling his life occupation. He operated a saw-mill in Memphis, Tenn., for about ten months, and in 1889 he came to Clark County and operated his father's mill at New Carlisle until 1906, when he purchased it and has since been engaged in business for himself, employing eight men in the mill, which is situated on the P. & E. division of the Big Four Railroad.

Mr. Leffel was first married in 1888 in Champaign County, Ohio, to Elizabeth Apple, a daughter of James and Susan- Apple, and to them was bom one child, Blanche May. His second marriage was with Pearl Mitchell, a daughter of Walker and Sallie Mitchell, and of this union were born three children - Catherine, Charles Frederick, and Marietta. Mr. Leffel and family reside in their commodious home on Church Street. Politically. Mr. Leffel is a Democrat; fraternally he is connected with the I. 0. 0. F. No. 505, of New Carlisle.

of Pleasant Township's prominent citizens, has resided on his present farm of 427 acres, situated three and one-half miles south of Catawba, since 1871. Mr. Runyan was born in Pleasant Township, Clark County, Ohio, May 26, 1837, and is a son of George and Catherine (Jones) Runyan. -

The Runyan family is one of the old and substantial ones of this section. It was established here by Joseph and Eliza Runyan, the grandparents of Thomas W..

who came to Ohio from Kentucky and settled near Asbury Chapel. The country was still full of Indians and they were actively hostile, the settlers frequently having to seek safety in the block-house which had been erected for that purpose. George Runyan, father of Thomas W., was born in Kentucky in 1808. He was about eight years old when his parents came to Clark County, and here he was reared. He married a daughter of George Jones, of Pleasant Township, and they had the following children: Ann, Elizabeth, Eli, Josiah, Thomas, William, Lucinda, George Washington and John W. The eldest daughter of this family married Michael Wiet and their surviving children are: James, Mary, Catherine, Frank, Lucinda, Asa and Millie. Elizabeth, the second daughter, was married March 25, 1852, to John Page and their children are: Joseph, Charles, Isaac and John W. Eli Runyan married Jane Wilkinson and their sui-viving children are: Jane, Mary Ann, Lizzie, Ella and Georgia. Georgia Runyan married Ashby Allender and they have five children and reside at Springfield. Josiah Runyan, who was born in 1834, died July 31, 1907. He married Elizabeth Hendricks and they had two children, Oscar and George. Oscar married Alice Smith and they have one daughter, Glennie. George married Carrie Patterson and they had two children, Bruce and Lewis, who were reared by their grandfather, their father having died when they were young. Lucinda Runyan was born March 20, 1840, and resides at Catawba. George Washington Runyan was born February 17, 1843, and died January 13, 1862, from the results of an accidental burn. John Run- yan was born April 16, 1849. He married Frances Ropp, a daughter of Jacob and Isabel Ropp, of Pleasant Township, and they had two children, twin sons. Forest M. and Foster M., the latter of whom survives. He was accidentalh' poisoned.

Thomas William Runyan attended the district school in his boyhood and has always taken a prominent place in his community. He was reared on the home farm but also learned the blacksmith trade. In a shop which he has near his home, all the large amount of blacksmith work required to be done on his large estate, is attended to. He continues to be actively engaged in general farming and is assisted by his son, Charles E., and his son-in-law. Minor Hardman.

Mr. Runyan was married February 25, 1858, to Phoebe Ann Demory, and they had two children, Charles E. and Hattie. Charles E. Runyan married Luella Mc- Chntock, and they have had four children, Stella, Ethel and Russell still surviving. Stella married Edward McCuUough. Ethel married "William Sanders, and they have had three children, Helen L., Maurice C, and Martin Lee, deceased. Russell Runyan lives at home. Hattie, the only daughter of Thomas W. Runyan, was born May 29, 1863. On December 29, 1881, she was married to Minor N. Hardman, and they have three children, Charles 0.. who was born November 19, 1882, holds a responsible position in the Mad River Bank at Springfield; Annie M. ; and Ralph 0., who was born December 25, 1894.

Thomas William Rimyan is the oldest member of Catawba Lodge No. 349, Odd Fellows, to which Minor N. Hardman and Charles E. Runvan also belong. The latter is also a member of the Knights of the Golden Eagle No. 4, at Catawba, and also of the Rebecca organization. The whole family is more or less identified with the leading interests of this community.

HON. FRANCIS M. HAGAN, an eminent member of the Springfield Bar, formerly judge of the Common Pleas Court of this county, was born June 10, 1844, in Mad River Township, Clark County, Ohio. His parents were Hugh and Ann Furay Hagan. The Hagan family has been known in Clark County since the days of Denny Hagan, the grandfather of Judge Hagan, who was of Scotch-Irish blood and came from North Ireland to America in 1798, settling first in Pennsylvania, in 1815, and afterwards in Clark County, Ohio, where he resided until his death' in 1825.

Hugh Hagan, father of Judge Hagan, was born June 3, 1803, in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. He was twelve years of age when he accompanied his parents to the great wilderness which occupied almost all of Southern Ohio. He married Ann Furay, who was born in Ross County, Ohio, October 3, 1816, and died September 22, 1892, Hugh Hagan having died November 5, 1879. They were people of sterling character, intelligent far beyond their neighbors, and with them it was a duty to give to their children all the educational opportunities the unsettled condition of the country at the time afforded. Through the maternal line Judge Hagan traces his ancestry to both Ireland and Fi-ance, with a strain of German blood.

The early education of Francis M. Hagan was tlae best offered by both public and select schools in his locality, supplemented by attendance at Antioeh College. He was a bright, ambitious student, but ill health interferred with tfis collegiate career, and he was forced to give up his books before graduation. For a number of years his occupation was teaching in the public and select schools, and he attained a high rank as an instructor. During this period he prepared himself for the bar, to which he was admitted in 1873. In the spring of 1874 he opened up an office at Spring-field, and this city has been his home ever since.

In 1879 he was elected city solicitor of Springfield, and was re-elected to that office in 1883, although the city has always been strongly Republican in state and national elections, his administration of that office proving to be most acceptable to all classes of his fellow-citizens, irrespective of party. In 1890 he became judge of the Common Pleas Court of Clark County, Ohio, succeeding the Hon. Charles R.White, and ser\'ing with the greatest efficiency until the election of his successor, the Hon. John C. Miller. Upon his retirement from the bench he resumed his private practice. During a period of some years he was a partner in the practice of law of Hon. A. H. Kunkle, now judge of the Common Pleas Court of this county. Judge Hagan has always been a zealous and influential Democrat. In 1887 he was appointed postmaster at Springfield, Ohio, by President Cleveland, and served in that capacity for several years. He has been called to fill many other offices of trust and responsibility. He has long been a member of the

Clark County Historical Society. From 1885 until 1890 he served as a trustee of the Mitchell-Thomas Hospital of Springfield, and in the latter year was elected Ijresident of the Springfield Board of Trade. From 1892 until 1893 he was president of the Clark County Bar Association, and for a number of years was one of the trustees of the Associated Charities. In collaboration with Judge A. N. Summers, Judge Hagan prepared the special civic code under which the City of Springfield was governed for more than a decade, and from 1904 to 1907 was one of the trustees of the sinking fund of said city.

He was chairman of the general committee having in charge the centennial of the City of Spring-field in the year 1901. At all times he has been a progressive, public-spirited citizen, ready to lend assistance and encouragement to all and every laudable movement for the general welfare.

Mr. Hagan is a man of wide and extensive reading and has carefully studied social, economic and political questions. He has made many addresses along these lines and at pioneer meetings. He has been a leading member of the Literary Club of Springfield since its organization, about fifteen years ago, and in that period has prepared and read to the club papers on various subjects, among which were: ' * Influence of the Dutch on American Civil and Religious Liberty"; "Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jetferson, a study"; "The Single Tax"; "American and European Municipal Government Contrasted"; "Balzac"; "James Madison " ; " The Striker and the Law. ' ' ried to Justina Bevitt, who was a daughter of Dr. Bevitt, of St. Charles, Missouri. Mrs. Hagan is one of the leaders in the social, educational, and religious life of the City of Springfield. They have three children, Francis M., Hugh, and Margaret. Judge Hagan and family belong to the Second Presbyterian Church of Springfield, Ohio, of which he is an elder. The family reside at a beautiful home known as Oak Place, in the city of Springfield.

JESSE STROUP, a venerable and honored citizen of Madison Township, residing on a tract of fine farming land located just beyond the limits of the city of South Charleston, was born March 1, 1828 on a farm in Madison County, Ohio, and is a son of David and Maiy (Ray) Stroup.

John Stroup, grandfather of Jesse, was one of the early settlers of Pennsylvania. He served throughout the entire Revolutionary War and was a valiant and daring soldier. At one time he was taken prisoner and wounded while resisting an officer, who endeavored to place him in the dungeon, but after a desperate struggle was finally released because of his pluck and valor. Later he became a farmer. He was married in Madison County, Ohio, his wife having been a native of Chillicothe, and they reared a family of five sons, and two daughters.

David Stroup, the father, was l)orn in Pennsylvania, but was reared near Chillicothe, Ohio. He moved to Madison County and located in what was called "The Barrens." He always followed farming and acquired a large amount of land, having at one time 500 acres. David

Stroup died April 30, 1876, and was survived by his widow until June 28, 1881. He married Mary Ray, a native of Clark County, and they reared a family of nine children, five boys, and four girls, all being now deceased except Jesse and a sister, Mrs. Rebecca McCollum, a resident of South Charleston.

Jesse Stroup spent his early life in Madison Comity, and attended the district schools. Upon starting out in life he first could earn but fifty cents per- day, but by much hard work, combined with good management of his business atfairs, has become possessed of large landed interests, having during his life time acquired over 1,300 acres and has given to each of his six children, a tract of 150 acres, as well as $500 in cash. Although an octogenarian, being now in his eighty-first year, Mr. Stroup is still actively engaged in managing his business affairs, and is one of the influential and most highly respected citizens of the township. In politics he is a Republican, and his religious connection is with the Methodist Church.

Mr. Stroup was united in marriage with Lavina Woosley, who was born in 1842, in Clark County, Ohio. Her parents were Benjamin and Keturah (Hunt) Woosley. Benjamin Woosley was a man of ample fortime, owning over 1,000 acres of land at one time. Mr. and Mrs. Stroup had the following children: Keturah, Mary Ellen, Rebecca, Emma L., Jesse and Lulu, the latter of whom resides with her parents. Keturah married Lewis Hunter, of Madison County and they have five living children: Carl Edgar, Jessie, Clarence, Louise and Harold. Mary Ellen married George Clemans, of Madison Township, and they have seven chil- dren: Foster, Florence, Esther, Gladys, Hazel, Grace aud Geneva. Rebecca married R. M. Bennett of Madison Township, and they have one child, Rodger. Emma L. married James G. Lewis, of Madison Township, and they have one child, Margaret Lavina. Jesse married Grace Herrick and they live in Madison Township. Their children are: Harry, Alice, Helen, Florence and an infant son.

JAMES H. KITCHEN, who comes of a prominent old Clark County family, is a prosperous farmer residing on a tract of 185 acres about one mile south of Pitchin, in Green Township. He was born on the old homestead, located about eight miles southeast of Springtield on the South Charleston traction line, September 7, 1875, and is a son of Erasmus Jones and Lavina M. (Hatfield) Kitchen.

Stephen Kitchen, paternal great-grandfather of James H., was born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in 1785, and on coming to Ohio in 1818, he located in Clark County. His father, Richard Kitchen, was the first of the family to leave England for America, settling in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, about 1750. The latter married Margaret Vorhees, who was of the family from which Senator Vorhees, of Indiana, was descended. Abraham Kitchen, grandfather of James H., was united in marriage with Matilda Jones, and of their children one was Erasmus Jones Kitchen.

Erasmus Jones Kitchen was born on the same farm as was his son James H., his natal day being August 11, 1836, and he was educated in the district schools.

He engaged in farming on the home place until 1861, when, in answer to President Lincoln's call to arms, he responded by enlisting in Company F, Forty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. After the expiration of his term of enlistment, he re-enlisted as a member of Company M, Eighth Ohio Cavalry. With his command he was sent to aid in the capture of Floyd at Cotton Mountain, in West Virginia, and was at Lewisburg when his regiment was driven back to the Ohio River, fighting all along the way. He subsequently participated in many important engagements, among them Button Hill, Cumberland Gap, Siege of Knoxville and battle of Bristol. In January,

1864, he returned home on a thirty-day furlough, at the end of which time he went to the front with the Eighth Ohio Cavalry, participating in the battles of Lynchburg and Bristol. At the time his regiment was captured, he escaped by remaining in his bunk until daylight. He then went out to give himself up, but as none of the enemy remained in sight, he started on a weary march of three days for the Union lines, suffering much from cold and hunger. He spent a day and night in the snow on the mountains, and but for an exceptionally hardy constitution would have fared badly from the ex- IDOSure. He continued in the service until

1865, when he Avas honorably discharged and returned home. He shortly afterward bought a farm of eighty acres, and operated it successfully the remainder of his days, adding to his holdings from time to time until he was possessed of some 615 acres of valuable land.

Laviua M. Hatfield, a daughter of James and Margaret (Kitchen) Hatfield, and they became parents of the following children : Joseph L. ; Abraham, who died at the age of twenty-two years; James H. ; Stephen; Erasmus J., Jr., and Wayne, who died at the age of ten years. Mr. Kitchen was a member of the Free Will Baptist Church. He was a Republican in politics, and although he held a position on the School Board several years, was never an office seeker. He was one of the charter members of Mitchell Post, G. A. R., Springfield.

James H. Kitchen attended the schools of his home district, and then assisted his father on the farm until the latter 's death. He continued on the home place four years afterward and then located upon his present farm of 185 acres near Pitchin. He has demonstrated superior business ability and is making a success of his work. He is a Republican in politics and takes an earnest interest in the success of the party and the principles it stands for.

HON. J. WARREN KEIFER, president of the Lagonda National Bank, at Springfield, and one of the oldest and ablest members of the National Congress, has long been one of Ohio's honored and distingaiished citizens. He was born on Mad River, Clark County, Ohio, January 30, 1836, and is a son of Joseph and Mary (Smith) Keifer.

Joseph Keifer was born at Sharpsburg, Maryland, December 28, 1784, and died in Clark County, Ohio, April 13, 1850, having come to this county in 1812. He had qualified himself for the civil engineering profession, and while the main occupation of his life was farming, his professional knowledge was of use in the development of these then wild regions, the constriiction of highways, and other work of a civilizing tendency. He married Mai'y Smith, who was born January 31, 1799, in Losantiville (now Cincinnati), and died at Yellow Springs, Clark Coimty, March 23, 1879. Through his mother. General Keifer traces his ancestral line to England. The Smith family was one early established in New Jersey, and in 1790, a branch removed to Ohio.

J. Warren Keifer was educated in the public schools and at Antioch College. Upon completing his collegiate course, he returned to the home farm and between the intervals of agricultural labor he devoted himself assiduously to the study of law. After further student work in the law office of Anthony' and Goode, he was admitted to the bar in 1858, at Springfield, Ohio.

Almost before the young lawj^er had an opportunity to prove his ability, the Civil War was precipitated upon the country and his ambitions, like those of hundreds of his fellow-citizens, fell into abeyance before the great wave of patriotic enthusiasm that then swept Ohio. He no longer saw before him forensic triumphs and the judicial toga, the picture of a disrupted country filling his whole vision. He enlisted in defense of the Union on April 19, 1861, being among the first to proffer his services. They were so prolonged and of so distinguished a character that their records appear in every contemporary history of Ohio. On April 27, 1861, he was commissioned major of the Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for a period of three months, and before the expiration of that time was commissioned for three years. He participated in the battle of Rich Momitain, July 11, 1861, and in the same year was on the field at Cheat Mountain and Elk Water, West Virginia. On February 12, 1862, he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the Third Ohio Infantry regiment and was present at the capture of Bowling Green, Kentucky; Nashville, Tennessee, and Huntsville and Bridgeport, Alabama. In April, 1862, he led an expedition into Georgia and performed an important service in destroying the saltpetre works at Nickajack Cave. On September 30, 1862, he was commissioned colonel of the 110th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and being assigned to General Milroy's division in West Virginia, was placed in command of a brigade and the post at Moorefield. On June 13th, 14th and 15th, 1863, was fought the battles of Winchester, in which Colonel Keifer was twice wounded.

On July 9, 1863, Colonel Keifer was assigned to the Third Army Corps, Army of Potomac, which pursued General Lee's army and fought at Wapping Heights. In August, 1863, Colonel Keifer was dispatched with his command to New York City to suppress riots and enforce the draft. This work successfully accomplished, in September he rejoined the army and November 27, 1863, he took part in the battle of Mine Run. On March 24, 1864. he was transferred to the Sixth Army Corps. At the battle of the Wilderness, May 5, 1864, he was seriously wounded, but in August following, in spite of his disability, h? resumed command of his brigade. His adoring soldiers saw their commander, with his wounded arm still in a sling, fighting at their head under Generals Sheridan and Wright through the battles of Opequou, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, down to Shenandoah Valley, having his horse shot from under him in the first named battle. Recognition of his bravery and indomitable courage was shown by President Lincoln, who brevetted him a brigadiergeneral.

In December, 1864, with his own corps, General Keifer rejoined the Army of the Potomac in front of Petersburg, and March 25, 1865, he led a successful assault which received commendation in general orders; on April 2, he charged with his division in the final assault which carried the main works and resulted in the capture of Petersburg and Richmond : Quoting from an authority: "April 5, his command aided in cutting off the retreat of Lee's army and forced it to give battle on the 6th at Sailor's Creek, the wings of the army (General Keifer commanding the left) being forced forward, surrounded and effected the capture of above 6,000 of the enemy, including Generals Ewell, Kershaw, Cnstis Lee, Barton, Corse, Hunton and other officers of high rank."

General Keifer again distinguished himself. On information reaching him, at this time, that a body of the enemy was concealed in a dense forest to the right, he rode in person to find out if the information was correct and came suddenly upon the Confederate troops. The shades of night were fortunately falling and the air was clouded with the smoke of battle and when he shouted to the waiting troops the command "forward," they followed after him, suspecting nothing. The great moment came when the edge of the wood was reached and discovery was made that they had been obeying the commands of a Union officer. It probably has never yet been thoroughly explained why he was not pierced then by a hundred Confederate bullets, but possihly his unflinching courage and cool presence of mind so excited the admiration of the Confederate officers that they permitted him to escape to his own troops. The latter soon surrounded the Confederate body, capturing them all. Later, Ueneral Keifer used his influence in having the Confederate officers paroled from Johnson's Island. His corps was later sent to aid in the capture of General Johnston's army in North Carolina, and he was present at the capitulation of General Johnston, as he had been at that of General Lee. Thus was ended a military service scarcely equalled by any other officer in detail. In 1866 he was tendered a commission as lieutenant-colonel of the Twenty-sixth United States Infantry, but this honor he declined.

Many years after General Keifer added another page to his military career. In April, 1898, when war with Spain was declared, he was again ready for service, although sixty-two years of age. Apliointed a major-general by President Mc- Kiuley, he served in command of the Seventh Army Corps at Miami and Jacksonville, Florida, and embarked at Savannah, with 16,000 men for Cuba, establishing his headquarters at Buena Vista, just outside the ancient city of Havana. He was in command of the United States military forces which took possession of that city, January 1, 1899. In May, 1899, he was mustered out of the military sei-vice, and quietly resumed his interrupted law practice at Springfield. This practice has covered a period of fifty years and at present General Keifer is associated in law partnership with his two sons, William W. and Horace C.

The political life of General Keifer also covers a long period, and as a statesman he has won the commendation and admiration of his fellow-citizens in equal degree as a soldier. From 1868 until 1870, he served with marked efficiency as a member of the Ohio State Senate, and he is the author of many of the most important laws adopted during that period. In 1876 he was sent as a delegate to the Republican National Convention and in the same year was elected to Congress, where he served continuously from 1877 until 1885. In December, 1881, he was chosen speaker of the House, which position he filled with his usual distinction, enjoying the prestige of being the first and only Ohio man who was selected for this office, until March 4, 1883. The public records show how untiring were his labors for the welfare of his county. Following his service in the Spanish-American War, General Keifer was again called into public life, and in 1904 he was again elected to Congress. He was reelected again and again and still, like a sturdy oak, stands as the representative of his district at Washington. As a matter of fact there are few members of the House of Representatives who can trace their service back so far as can Ohio's favorite son, Joseph Warren Keifer.

On March 22, 1860, General Keifer was married to Eliza Stout, who was born in Springfield, Ohio. He and his wife have been the parents of three sons and one daughter, namely: Joseph Warren (now a member of the Nebraska Legislature), who resides in Nebraska ; William W. and Major Horace C, both of whom are associated with their father in the practice of law; and Margaret E., who is now deceased. Major H. C. Keifer is a member and officer of the Ohio National Guard.

General Keifer has served almost continuously as president of the Lagonda National Bank, at Spring-tield, since 1873. From 1870 to 1878 he served as one of the trustees of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphan Home, at Xenia, he having organized its Board of Control in 1868. As a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, he has done much for the interests of the soldiers and has been honored with official position. So full has been his life of active participation in public matters that it is remarkable to find that beside his close study in connection wth an immense legal practice, he has found the time to turn his attention to literature. He wrote his political histoiy, "Slavery and Four Years of War," in 1895-6, but interesting addenda was made after the Spanish-American War, prior to the issuance of the book, in 1900. The work is comprehensive and convincing.

Since beginning public life. General Keifer has been noted for his oratory and he has not yet ceased gathering laurels. At the annual banquet of the Pittsburg Board of Trade, held at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, March 26, 1907, he delivered an eloquent address on "The Panama Canal," having recently returned from a trip to the canal zone. He i-esides in a beautiful home which stands at No. 1220 East High Street, Springfield.

I. John Stewart moved from Scotland to the North of Ireland, locating in Drumore Township, Coimty Down, twelve miles from Belfast, during the reign of Charles II. of England, shortly after the commencement thereof (his reign extending from 1660-1685).

III. Samuel Stewart was the son of Robert, who was born in 1698 near Glasgow, Scotland. He moved to the North of Ireland, and died in 1770 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In 1735, accompanied by his youngest brother, Hugh, he crossed the ocean, landing in Philadelphia, and settled in Drumore Township, Lancaster County, Province of Pennsylvania, near Chestnut Level, a Scotch- Irish settlement, where had been established a Presbyterian meeting-house. In person, Samuel Stewart was large and well proportioned, six feet in height, Roman nose, bluish-gray eyes, brown hair and ruddy complexion. He married in Ireland, Mary McClay, who was noted for her very dark complexion and large person. There was bom to them ten children.

IV. The second son was Samuel, who was born in County Down and was brought to Pennsylvania in the emigration of his father's family in 1735, and, on coming of age, settled as a farmer in Hanover Township, Lancaster County, now West Hanover, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, about 1750. In the book published by William H. Egle, State

Librarian of Pennsylvania, entitled "Pennsylvania G-enealogies " in referring to Samuel Stewart, among other things the author uses the following language; "A public meeting of the citizens of Hanover Township, June 4, 1774, has gone into history, showing the earliest recorded movement toward independence, and, when the Revolutionary War began, the liberty-loving and patriotic Scotch- Irish of Hanover were found faithful and active participants. Samuel Stewart entered as a private, serving in Colonel Timothy Green's battalion for the defense of the frontier, and on June 6, 1776, in Captain James Rodgers' Lancaster County Associators, 'destined for the camp in the Jerseys.' His first wife was Nancy Templeton, and his second wife, Agnes Calhoun. Children were Sarah, Robert Templeton, Samuel Elder, James B., Charles, John Templeton, Mary Mc- Clay and Agnes. Sarah married Joseph Stewart; Joseph and James moved to Butler County, Ohio, in 1805. Robert Templeton Stewart was admitted to the bar in Center County, Pennsylvania. Samuel Elder Stewart, James B. Stewart and John Templeton Stewart moved to Clark County in 1806, locating on the Miami. John T. Stewart married Ann Elder on March 2, 1815; she was a daughter of Robert Elder, of Hanover, of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. They had issue: Julianna, who married David Anderson; Perry, who married Rhoda Ann Wheeler ; Elder R., who married Rachel E. Jacoby; Samuel, who married Mary Ann Marshall ; Charles, whose first wife was Isabel Nicholson; James M., who married Rebecca C. Jacoby ; Thomas Elder, who married Delilah A. Marshall; Oscar Nesbit,

CHASE STEWART was bom in Yellow Springs, Ohio. His grandfather, John T. Stewart, located on the Miami River in what is now Green Township, Clark County, Ohio, in 1806. His father, Samuel Stewart, was born in Clark County, Ohio, in 1823, and his mother, Mary Ann Marshall, was born in the same county in 1825.

Mr. Stewart attended law school for two years in Washington, D. C, having prior thereto studied in the office of Judge William Lawrence for a short period. On his return from Washington he commenced the practice of law in Springfield, Ohio, and has continued as an active practitioner in the courts of Clark County and elsewhere.

He served as prosecuting attorney of Clark County for six years, and was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives for two terms. He was chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House.

AMOS SMITH, whose valuable farm of 250 acres lies partly in Harmony and partly in Pleasant Township, is one of the leading citizens of this section of Clark County, where he is a prosperous agriculturist and also a successful inventor. Mr. Smith was born in Clark County, Ohio, Jime 16, 1848, and is a son of Eli and Minerva (Shaw) Smith.

father, Peter Arbogast, who entered this land from the Government, in 1812. He came overland across the mountains from Crab Orchard, now in Lee County, Virginia. He was accompanied by his family, who were compelled to utilize the big emigrant wagon as a place in which to live until their cabin could be erected. The land has never gone out of the possession of the family. The Smiths are of English extraction and when the great-grandfather Smith came to America he settled first in Pennsylvania. Prior to 1823 he came to Clark County, accompanied by his son Jacob and the latter 's wife, Priscilla.

Their son, Eli Smith, father of Amos, was born in 1823, in Clark County, and died December 22, 1891. In 1846 he married Minerva Shaw, who was born in 1821 and died in 1895. They had three children, namely: Amos; Mianda, who died in 1871, married J. W. Wright, who survives her, but their children, Bertram and Ella, are both deceased; and Alice, who was bom July 3, 1858, married Oscar Eunyan, residing in Clark Coimty, and they have one child, Glennie.