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were natives of Miami Co., and the parents of six children, of whom five are liv ing, viz., Noah, Eunice, Charles, Celia and Albert; Mary A., deceased. Mr. Hoover was killed by a falling tree in May, 1858; he went into the woods one morning before breakfast for the purpose of cutting down a tree, and, as supposed, started for the house as the tree began to sway, calculating it would fall in an opposite direction, but, swinging around, he was caught by the branches and instantly killed. The accident happened on the farm where our subject now resides. Mr. Reck followed the farm till 1872, when he engaged in the butcher business in Gettysburg, which he followed four years, and was very successful, handling over $4,000 worth of stock in the first five months of his business; in 1876, he dealt exclusively in stock, and previous to this winter he has been engaged in butchering, and prosecuting his labors on the farm in the summer time. He only received the advantage of a common-school education, such as the county afforded in his day, but by studious habits has acquired a good understanding of things in general, and his correct business habits predict a successful career. He has been identified with the offices of the township, and also in the church, and is taking considerable pains in educating his children, and, with the aptness they display, we predict the full realization of their parents' desires. He has 80 acres of land where he resides, all in a good state of cultivation, and well improved; he and his wife have been members of the Methodist Episcopal Church for nineteen years; they are observant, Christian people, and take a lively interest in their church, and are laboring for the advancement of Christianity. They are the parents of six children, of whom five are living, viz.: Harvey S., born Oct. 8, 1866; Harry G., born March 17, 1868; Lova P., born Oct. 7, 1870; Forrest, born Aug. 20, 1874, and died May 5, 1875; Berta F., born April 13, 1877; Celia M., born May 9, 1879. Mrs. Reck was born March 8, 1847.

HIRAM ROADS, farmer; P. O. Painter Creek. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch, was born in Montgomery Co., Ohio, in July, 1838, and is a son of Jacob and Barbara Roads, natives of Ohio; his father is yet living; his mother departed this life in 1846; they were the parents of sixteen children, fourteen of whom are living. Our subject's boyhood days were spent on his father's farm, and not until he was 25 years of age did he leave the parental roof to become an actor on the stage in the great drama of life; in 1864, he began his career by locating in this township on 75 acres of land, where he still resides; prosperity has crowned his efforts, and he is one of the largest landholders in the township, having about 300 acres under his control, all of which is in a good state of cultivation and highly improved. He was united in marriage with Sarah, daughter of Jobu Hittle, Feb. 8, 1863; her parents were natives of Pennsylvania, afterward resi dents of Ohio. Mr. Hittle resides in Dayton; Mrs. Hittle is dead; they were the parents of five children. Mr. and Mrs. Roads are the parents of six children, viz. Mary C., John, Jacob. George, Jonas and Franklin. Mrs. Roads is a member of the German Baptist Church, and a consistent Christian woman.

DANIEL SCHAURER, farmer; P. O. Laura, Miami Co. The subject of this sketch was born in Germany Jan. 10, 1833, and is a son of Frederick and Eve Schaurer, natives of the same place, who lived, died and are buried in their native place. Our subject was reared on his father's farm, and assisted in the labors of the same till his 21st year, when he emigrated to America, leaving Germany Oct. 2; he landed in New York, his voyage occupying thirty-four days; he came directly to Cincinnati, where he remained two years, and was employed in the iron works and mills; from there he went to Montgomery Co. and followed farming and milling for ten years, thence to the place where he now resides. He first purchased 80 acres of land, partly improved, and by his own enterprise has erected splendid buildings, and, with the cheerful surroundings, his home is a very pleasant one; is one of our self-made men, having began life with only a small capital, but energy and persevering industry have overcome the obstacles in life's pathway, and their beautiful home is the reward of their toil. His marriage was consummated

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with Elizabeth, daughter of Peter and Barbara Shanck, March 10, 1864; their life's history also appears in this work; to their union two children have been given, viz. Henry, born March 22, 1865; Andrew J., born Oct. 2, 1866. He was a member of the 29th O. V. I., Co. C, commanded by Capt. R. L. Jones, and was enrolled Sept. 23, 1864; he joined the regiment at Atlanta, Ga., but was soon after stricken down with sickness, and laid in the hospitals of Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta, for about one month, then he was sent to Madison, Ind., and soon after to Jeffersonville, of the same State, where he remained some four weeks, from there to Camp Dennison for a short time, thence to Columbus, Ohio, and from there to Governor's Island, N. Y., where he remained one month, thence by steamer to New Jersey, from there to Goldsboro, N. C., and then to various other points, till the war closed, when the regiment was ordered to Washington, where they took a part in the grand review, and were immediately after sent to Camp Dennison, where he was mustered out on the 5th day of June, 1865. He has four brothers and two sisters living, viz., Jacob, Peter, George, Michael, Anna M. and Kate; the four latter live in Germany.

JOHN SPIDEL, farmer, P. O. Painter Creek.

URIAS WEAVER, farmer; P. O. Red River. Another of the old settlers of Ohio; he was born in Montgomery Co., Ohio, Oct. 18, 1833, and is a son of John and Catherine Weaver; his father was born in Pennsylvania, and emigrated to Montgomery Co. with his parents when 7 years of age; his mother was born in Virginia and came to Ohio when quite young; both are living and reside in Jackson Township, Montgomery Co.; they are the parents of seven children, of whom five are living, viz., Mary M., Catherine, our subject, John D. and William A.; the deceased are Sarah and Malinda. Urias was raised on the farm and assisted his father in the duties of the same until he was 26 years of age, when he began life for himself, and celebrated his marriage with Hester, a daughter of Henry and Mary Bowser, Jan. 1, 1860; they are natives of Montgomery Co., where Mr. Bowser continues to reside; Mrs. Bowser departed this life in 1859; they were the parents of four children, of whom two are living, viz. Hester and Elizabeth; the deceased are Susannah and Allen; the latter was a member of the 91st O. V. I., and was among the slain on the bloody field of Franklin, Tenn. After his marriage, our subject began life in good earnest by engaging in farming, which pursuit he followed for four years, when he closed out and purchased a steam saw-mill, which he operated very successfully for ten years, when he disposed of the mill and appurtenances and purchased 102 acres of land; his home farm contains 82 acres of choice land and is well improved ; he is another of the self-made men of Darke Co., he having begun life heavily encumbered, but by strict business integrity, coupled with good management, he has kept ahead of the hounds, and has a good home as the reward of his perseverance and industry. They are the parents of ten children, of whom seven are living, viz., Romancey A., William C., John H., Oscar O., Bertha L., Maryetta C. and Fernandis G.; the deceased are Franklin H., Clarence L. and Edgar E. Our subject has had his full share of township offices, having served as Trustee one term, Assessor three terms, and at present is one of the Land Appraisers, thus showing the good people of the township have confidence in the executive ability of our subject. He and his amiable wife are life-long members of the Lutheran Church, and warmly espouse the cause. This organization is presided over by the Rev. P. C. Schmogrow, and has a membership in the district of about twentyfive. Mrs. Weaver was born in Indiana, Feb. 27, 1842.

SOLOMON WEILLS, retired; Painter Creek. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch was born in Preston Co., Va., Feb. 12, 1818, and is a son of William and Sarah Weills; his father was born in Maryland in 1775, and died in 1848; his mother was born in 1781, and departed this life in 1848; they are the parents of sixteen children, of whom all are living, so far as is known, except four. Our subject was reared on the farm, where he labored till he began his

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labors in the schoolroom, which he followed till he was 23 years of age. He received his preparatory education in Washington, and studied theology under his brother, who was a very eminent minister of the Lutheran Church; he frequently filled his brother's appointments, during his studies, thus gaining a practical and theoretical experience at the same time; he was ordained a minister of the Gospel in 1847, his first regular charge being in Washington Co., Penn.; here he labored for ten years, and frequently preached to other congregations; at the expiration of this time, he removed to Union Co., Ind., and was placed in charge of the Lutheran Church in Liberty, also St. Paul's Church, in an adjoining county; here he labored for seven years, and was then called to Tippecanoe, where he labored for four years, filling two regular appointments, and, he informs us, while on this charge, he preached more funeral sermons than in all his previous life in the ministry; in 1866, he went to live near Greenville, and was actively engaged for awhile; thence to Adams Township, where he remained one year; thence to the place where he now resides; he owns 163 acres of improved land, which is in a high state of cultivation. He celebrated his marriage with Lydia, a daughter of John and Hannah Shaffer, May 2, 1844; to this union six children were given, viz.: Alpheus, born Feb. 6, 1846; Mosheim, born March 4, 1848; Henrietta, born March 9, 1850; Herman J., born May 23, 1851; Agnes H., born Aug. 21, 1854, died Jan. 13, 1868; Hazelius, born March 3, 1858; Mrs. Weills died in 1865; he was again united in marriage with Martha J., a daughter of Elisha and Eliza Penny, March 5, 1873.

JOHN N. WILLIAMS, farmer; P. O. Pleasant Hill; the subject of this memoir was born in Miami Co., Ohio, in 1839, and is a son of Isaac and Sarah Williams; his father was born in Miami Co.; lived, died and is buried in the county of his nativity; his grandfather, John Williams, was born in Virginia, and settled on the farm where our subject's father spent a lifetime, where his eyes first beheld the light of day, and where he met the summons of death; on the land where his grandfather located was a place held sacred by the Indians, was a place of general rendezvous for all neighboring tribes, and on the same spot the early pioneers erected four block-houses, forming a square, which gave the settlers a place of protection and security from the many attacks of the Indians in those troublesome times. Isaac Williams was born in 1810; his wife, Sarah, was born in Montgomery Co., in 1820, and is still living; the land entered by his grandfather remained in the family name for nearly three-quarters of a century. Our subject was reared on the farm, and assisted in the labor of the same till his 21st year, when he united his destiny at the marriage altar with that of Sarah. a daughter of S. C. Miles, in 1861. In 1864, he volunteered in the 147th 0. V. I. one hundred-day men; served his time and was honorably discharged; he afterward emigrated to Kansas, where he remained one year to a day, and then returned and settled on 117 acres of land in Darke Co., where he resided for six years, and then disposed of this land and removed to where he now resides; his brother Daniel was Adjutant of the 61st O. V. I., and was among the slain at the battle of Gettysburg, Penn. Mr. and Mrs. Williams are members of the Christian Church, and are exemplary Christian people; they are the parents of four chil dren, viz., Floy, Perry L., Daniel W. and Allen.

GEORGE W. WRIGHT, minister, merchant and Postmaster, Painter Creek The subject of this memoir was born in Montgomery Co., Ohio, Dec. 3, 1835, and is a son of Robert Wright, a native of Pennsylvania, who removed to Ohio in a very early day; he is still living, and resides in Miami County, his wife departing this life when in the bloom of womanhood; they were the parents of six children. three of whom are living, viz.: John, George and Susannah; the deceased are Elizabeth, Barbara and Catherine. Our subject assisted his father in agricultural pursuits till he was of age, when he began life for himself, and chose farming as his occupation, which he followed till 1867, when he came to Painter Creek and entered a partnership with his father-in-law, John Hayworth, in a general mercantile business, which they successfully followed for a period, and at his father-in

law's death he assumed individual control of the business, and is still to be found at the old stand, ready to cater to the wants of the buying public; he was appointed Postmaster Nov. 14, 1879; he received his education in the common schools, which he only had the privilege of attending at certain times, but, by making good use of his time and being studious in his habits, he acquired a fair understanding, and is well fitted to discharge the many responsibilities incident to his ministerial duties; he began his labors in the ministry in 1874, and was regularly ordained a minister of the Brethren in Christ Church Nov. 14, 1877, when he received a regular charge; in 1878, he was chosen a delegate to a convention, held in Pennsylvania in November of the same year, to revise the constitution of the church; in 1879, he filled three regular appointments; this year, he fills only two. He celebrated his marriage with Elizabeth, youngest daughter of John Hayworth, May 13, 1858; her parents were among the first settlers of Darke County, both deceased; Mr. and Mrs. Wright are the parents of nine children, seven of whom are living, viz., Aaron, Eliza A., Angeline, John, Simon, Clara M. and Forrest; the deceased are Delmont and Ivens; Mr. Wright has filled the Treasurer's office of the township for two terms, and is the present incumbent; he has also filled the office of School Director for three terms; his grandfather was born in Ireland, and emigrated to America and settled in Pennsylvania, where he married, and afterward removed to Montgomery County; the D. & U. R. R. passed between his house and barn, and, while attempting to pass from the barn to the house, he was caught by a passing train and thrown some seventy feet from the point of collision and instantly killed, aged 70 years; his grandmother survived a few years, and departed this life at the age of 95.

HARRISON TOWNSHIP.

JACOB ARMACOST, farmer, Sec. 17; P. O. New Madison.

GEORGE BACON, hardware merchant, New Madison; was born Dec. 26, 1826, in Jefferson Co., N. Y.; removed with his parents to Michigan in 1834. where he remained until 1848, when he went to Cincinnati, and thence to different parts of Ohio, locating in New Madison in 1849, and engaged in mercantile business, which he has continued ever since, having now become one of the substantial business men of New Madison, being one of the firm of Bacon & Aughee. Mr. Bacon was married to Clara Aughee Feb. 17, 1850, at the home of her parents, near New Paris, Preble Co. They have two children-Orla and Flora.

JOHN BILLMAN, farmer, Sec. 26; P. O. New Madison.

T. J. BLOOM, miller; P. O. and residence New Madison. The business interests of New Madison could not be properly presented without a more than passing notice of "The New Madison Mills," of which Mr. Bloom is proprietor. He came here in 1868; the business of the mill could then be done in from two to three days' run in each week. In 1875, Mr. Bloom determined on improvement; tore down the old mill and rebuilt it, placing an entire new set of machinery, which included the patent process, and now has a capacity to produce forty barrels of flour and grind 150 bushels of corn in a twelve-hour run, and is prepared, both by experience and improved methods, to produce the very best of flour; he is doing both a custom and merchant business, and such is the reputation of his flour, that he sells all of it on orders, thus saving the expense and risk of consignments. Mr. Bloom, although a young man, is already one of the prominent and substantial business men of New Madison. He was born in Preble Co. in 1845; his father was a miller, and T. J. naturally grew to be a miller while young He enlisted in the three-months service in 1862, and was taken prisoner at Harper's Ferry and held until some time after the expiration of his term of service, then

paroled, after which he returned to New Madison and resumed milling. Was married in 1864 to Miss Mary C., daughter of Lewis S. Davis, of Richmond, Ind.; they have one child-Charles.

WILLIAM BROWN, farmer, Sec. 36; P. O. Brinley Station; was born in Virginia Nov. 21, 1807; his parents came to Ohio in 1808, traveling on horseback, and first settled in Washington Co., afterward in Clinton Co; about the time of becoming 21, his parents removed to Warren Co., when he began life for himself; having had but little education, he worked out by the day or month, as he had opportunity, until 1840, when he came to Preble Co. and took charge of a farm belonging to his sister, her husband having died March 17, 1842. He was married to Susanna Shuman; she was born in Preble Co. Nov. 29, 1823; they settled on a farm he had previously purchased in Harrison Township, Darke Co.; after remaining about two years he removed to Preble Co., where he purchased a farm; they remained here until 1853; he purchased 151 acres in Darke Co., where they removed and have since lived. Mr. Brown now owns two 80-acre tracts in Preble Co., under good cultivation, besides the home farm, which is well improved, and altogether worth at least $15,000. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are the parents of eight children-Hannah, born Jan. 6, 1843, now Mrs. Milton Thomas, of Preble Co. Joseph, born Nov. 25, 1844, now living in Preble Co., on Sec. 25, Harrison Township; Sarah J., born Feb. 5, 1847, now Mrs. Geo. Miller, also of Harrison Township; Wm. S., born April 14, 1849; John H., born Oct. 9, 1851; Thomas M., born July 9, 1854; Franklin J., born Oct. 23, 1856; Jacob S., born May 12, 1859; all of whom are now living.

EDWARD J. BUNCH, retired; New Madison; born in Harrison Township Jan. 17, 1827. His parents, Nazareth Bunch and Permelia (Simons) Bunch, were among the pioneer settlers of Darke, having emigrated from Perquimons Co., N. C., in 1824, and entered a quarter-section of land, upon which this son was born, reared, and now owns. Mr. E. J. Bunch commenced business for himself in 1853. purchasing a stock of goods in New Madison, which business he continued about two years, when he sold out. A short time after this a remarkable incident occurred; he was bitten by a rabid dog, and, although the same dog had bitten a son of Washington Ubrem, and also a number of cattle, hogs, etc., he alone recov ered, being attended by Dr. G. Miesse, of Greenville. Mr. Bunch and Miss Catherine Coblentz were married at the home of her parents, in Butler Township, Nov. 22, 1855; soon after they went on a farm he owned in Harrison Township, and have continued to live in Harrison Township ever since, owning different tracts of land until 1862, when he purchased the old homestead, where he lived until 1873. when he purchased a handsome residence property in New Madison, where he now resides; he has just completed a fine brick building, near the railroad track, which he designs for a warehouse. Mr. and Mrs. Bunch are the parents of three chil dren-Eva and Edward, the first having died in infancy.

CHARLES W. CHENOWETH, farmer, Sec. 5; P. O. Hollandsburg, Ohio was born in Maryland Sept. 3, 1830; in 1838, he came with his parents to Darke Co.; they settled in Harrison Township, and afterward removed near Arba, Randolph Co., Ind.; his mother now resides there; his father's death occurred in 1876. The subject of this sketch remained at home with his parents until his marriage with Minerva J. Harrison, which occurred Feb. 24, 1853, after which they lived with her parents in German Township until the following fall, then removed to Randolph Co., Ind.; remained there until 1856, when they removed to Harrison Township, Darke Co., and lived on Sec. 3 eight years; then removed to the farm in German Township, upon which her father settled in 1832; remained there until 1876, then removed to the farm near Hollandsburg, where he now resides; his wife's death occurred here Sept. 28, 1878. The following is an extract from the obituary notice, written by her Pastor : "In the death of Sister Chenoweth the husband has lost a kind and affectionate wife, the children a loving and indulgent mother, the church a worthy member, and the community an exem

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