USA > Ohio > Fairfield County > History of Fairfield County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 61
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In all probability the Griffiths family is of Welsh extraction. Isaac Griffiths, the grandfather, settled at Lancaster, O., prior to 1818. as in that year his son William was born there, in a house that then occu- pied the present site of the court-house of the present day. William Griffiths was a farmer all his active life. He married Pris- cilla Welshamer, who was born one mile northeast of the present village of Amanda, and eight children were born to them, namely : Mary, Edward, Emanuel, Emma, George S., Clark, Henry and Alice. Both Mary and Alice are deceased, the former having been the wife of George Bursler. Mr. and Mrs. Griffiths were members of the Lutheran church. He was a Republican in politics. During the last year of the Civil War he was drafted for army service but
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HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
his regiment advanced no farther than Zanesville, O., when hostilities came to an end.
George S. Griffiths obtained his educa- tion in what was known as the Leathers school, in the neighborhood of his father's farm. Afterward he assisted his father until he was twenty-three years old and then rented his present farm for some twenty years, purchasing it in 1899. Here he has carried on farming and stock raising ever since and is numbered with the suc- cessful agriculturists of this section. His residence was erected about 1830 and was the first brick house built in Clear Creek Township.
Mr. Griffiths was married in 1879 to Miss Mary Devoll, a daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Brown) Devoll and a granddaugh- ter of Levi Devoll and William Brown. The father of Mrs. Griffiths was born in Noble County, O., and the mother in Mon- roe County, and they came to Fairfield County in 1867, where the father engaged in farming. Mrs. Griffiths has two broth- ers and two sisters: Henry, Frank, Emma and Estella. Emma is the wife of Samuel Fisher and Estella is the wife of W. M. Pinnix. Mr. and Mrs. Griffiths have two children: Florence, who married Otto Dil- lon, of Lancaster, and has one son, Ralph ; and Otto, who married Grace Thomas. In politics Mr. Griffiths is a Republican. He belongs to Scipio Lodge, No. 255, Knights of Pythias, at Stoutsville. With his family he attends the Methodist Episcopal church.
· RICHARD MIESSE, general farmer and stock raiser in Amanda Township, and a well known and respected citizen of this section, was born in Amanda Township, June 8, 1853, and is a son of William and Rebecca (Moyer) Miesse.
William Miesse was born in Berks County, Pa., and from there came to Ohio in early manhood, settling in Pickaway County. Later he moved to Amanda Township, Fairfield County, where he owned 240 acres of land. During the clos- ing twenty years of life he was a resident of Marion County, Kan. He was identified with the Masonic lodge at Amanda, and was a member of the Evangelical church. To his first marriage one daughter was born, Rachel, who is now deceased. His second union was with Rebecca Moyer, who was born in Pennsylvania and died in Kansas. Her father, George Moyer, moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio and settled in Walnut Township, Pickaway County. To the second marriage the following children were born: Daniel, who is deceased, lived in Amanda Township; George, who is an Evangelical preacher, lives at Circleville, O .; Sarah Jane, who is Mrs. Kitching, lives in Coffey County, Kan .; Isabel, who is the wife of Monroe Lape, of Stoutsville, O .; Richard; Flora, who is the wife of Samuel Burkholder, lives in Kansas; Wesley, who is a resident of Columbus, O .; Lavina, who is the wife of John Ferguson, lives in Kan- sas; Emma, who is the wife of Fred Griffith, and also lives in Kansas; Hannah and Eliza- beth, both of whom died young; William (1), who died in infancy ; William (2), who lives in Kansas; and Noah, who died in California.
Richard Miesse was reared in Amanda Township and attended the district schools. Several years after his parents moved to Kansas he joined them there and remained in that State for two years, but in the fall of 1888 returned to his native neighborhood and subsequently bought thirty-seven acres of the old Dysinger place, on which he took up his residence in 1909. He carries on gen-
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eral agriculture. In 1873 he was married to Lydia Higginbotham, who died without issue. In 1885 he married Miss Samantha Smith, who was born and reared in Clear Creek Township, a daughter of Abram and Mary Ann (Kesler) Smith. The former was born in 1829, in Amanda Township, a son of John Smith, who came from Pennsyl- vania. Abram Smith died in 1906, and his burial was in Dutch Hollow. His widow survives and is now eighty years of age. Mrs. Miesse is the eldest born of the fol- lowing family: Nancy Jane, wife of Salem Aldenderfer, of Oklahoma; Sarah Alice, wife of William Myers, of. Franklin County, O .; Rebecca, wife of William Chambers, of Wood County, O .; Emma Elizabeth, de- ceased, formerly wife of Benjamin Lape; Anna, deceased, formerly the wife of Homer Aldenderfer; William Harrison, of Wood County; Charles Luther, deceased ; and James Edward, who lives with his mother in Clear Creek Township. Mr. and Mrs. Miesse have one daughter, Stella, who lives at home. Politically Mr. Miesse is a Republican. He has been identified with the Masonic lodge at Amanda since he was twenty-one years of age.
ALBERT D. MURPHY, who resides on his valuable farm of 184 acres, which lies in Sections 20 and 21, Walnut Township, easily approached on the Millersport and Thurston turnpike road, is a well known and representative farmer and stock raiser in this section and a highly respected citi- zen. He was born December 2, 1851, on the same farm in Fairfield County as was his father, and is a son of William and Mary Jane (Cherry) Murphy.
William Murphy was a son of William Murphy, who came to Fairfield County from Maryland and was of Irish parentage.
He located on what is now known as Sum- merland Beach, which was then wooded down to the brink of the water. He en- tered 400 acres and spent the rest of his life there, clearing a portion and improving it. Some 200 acres of his land was found to be under water and he was given water dam- ages from the state when the reservoir was built and that water land he never sold. His son William came into possession of his father's property and during his lifetime added to the original. He died n 1892 at the age of seventy-three years. He married Mary Jane Cherry, who was born on an ad- joining farm, August 22, 1830 and died in her seventy-eighth year. Her father, Thomas Cherry came to Fairfield County from Pennsylvania and was of German parentage. Eleven children were born to William and Mary Jane Murphy, three of whom died young. Albert D. is the eldest of the survivors. Catherine is the widow of Thomas Gill. Charles, Mary, Emma, Thomas, all reside in Fairfield County, May being the wife of John W. Frey, and Emma the wife of George Taylor. The youngest two, William and Frank, live at Columbus, O.
Albert D. Murphy grew to manhood on the home farm and after attending the dis- trict schools became a student in the Fair- field Union Academy. Farming has been his business, more or less, all his life. He inherited fifty-two acres of the old home farm which he traded for 108 acres of his present farm, in 1894, and bought the re- mainder of it from Jeremiah Dennis. For six years he was in the hardware and grocery business at Millersport and then sold to Peter B. Cool and returned to farm life, renting for one year in Licking County and then coming back to Fairfield County. While he has never been led away by prom-
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ises of great financial returns through changed methods of land cultivation, he has always been ready to investigate and when he has been convinced has adopted changes which have appealed to his good sense. This practical method of proceeding has resulted very satisfactorily and he is numbered with the successful farmers and stock growers of Walnut Township.
On March 13, 1877, Mr. Murphy was married to Miss Jennie Smith, a daughter of Elijah and Clara A. (Walter) Smith, the latter of whom came from Pennsylvania with her father, Joseph Walter. Elijah Smith was a son of Warren Smith, who was Mrs. Murphy have ten children, namely : Catherine, who is the wife of Charles Sny- der, of Walnut Township; and they have a pioneer in Fairfield County. Mr. and two children-Mary Jane and Albert ; Maud, who is the wife of Wilfred Beery, of Walnut Township and they have five chil- dren-Janet, Theron, Beecher and Pren- dell, and an unnamed infant ; and William, Fred R., Addie, Joseph B., Robert, Albert, Rex and John F. Mr. Murphy thus has plenty of help on his farm, all his sons re- siding at home. He has given them all the advantages in his power and they are a credit to him. He belongs to the Masons at Millersport and the Knights of Pythias at Thurston. Politically he is a Republican.
JOSEPH EDGAR HEWETSON, M. D., who has been engaged in the prac- tice of medicine at Amanda, O., since 1896, in association with his father, Dr. Peter Hewetson, was born at Amanda, December 28, 1872. He is a son of Dr. Peter and Effie A. (Dum) Hewetson.
Joseph Edgar Hewetson was reared in the village of Amanda and after graduating from the local High School, he naturally
turned to the study of medicine, in which his father and grandfather had been emi- nent and to which profession a number of his other kindred had devoted themselves through life. In 1896 he was graduated from the medical department of the Univer- sity of Cincinnati and since then has been associated with his father at Amanda, under the firm style of Drs. P. & J. E. Hewetson. He is a member of the Fairfield County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Association, and the American Medical As- sociation.
On March 28, 1908, Dr. Hewetson was married to Miss Mary E. Griner, who was reared at Amanda, O., a daughter of Ed- win Griner, and they have one daughter, Jeanette. Dr. Hewetson is a member of Amanda Lodge, F. & A. M., and of Center Star Lodge, Knights of Pythias. Dr. and Mrs. Hewetson are members of the Pres- byterian church.
LEANDER HAY, who is one of the leading citizens of Madison Township, for- merly a justice of the peace and township clerk, owns 300 acres of valuable land here and successfully carries on general farming. He was born in Amanda Township, Fair- field County, O., April 14, 1841, and is a son of Peter and Christiana (Platter) Hay.
Peter Hay was born in Virginia, a son of Peter Hay, and was brought to Fairfield County in youth and followed an agricult- ural life until death, his burial being in Amanda Township. He married Christiana Platter, who was born in Ross County, O., and she also was brought young to Fair- field County and died on the home farm in Amanda Township. They were parents of the following children: Joseph, who is de- ceased ; Margaret, deceased, who was the wife of Col. Schleich; Catherine, Peter,
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Edwin R., Edward, Sarah Jane and Zelda, years and devotes it to general farming and all of whom are deceased; and Leander, who is the youngest of the family. The parents were members of the Presbyterian church.
Leander Hay was given exceptional edu- cational advantages, after the common schools spending one year at the South Salem Academy, then one year in the Ohio University, after which he took a commer- cial course in a business college at Colum- bus. Although well prepared for a profes- sional career, Mr. Hay chose farming as his life work and since the spring of 1866 has resided on his present property. He has personally cleared some forty acres here and has erected all of the substantial build- ings on the place, his residence occupying one of the finest sites in Madison Township. He has always been a wide awake, intelli- gent and enterprising citizen, interested in everything of general importance in this section and has always given political sup- port to Democratic candidates and policies.
Mr. Hay was married in January, 1866, to Miss Malinda C. Strickler, a daughter of Isaac and Mary (Young) Strickler, for- mer well known people of Fairfield County, Mr. Strickler being a large landowner in both Madison and Clear Creck Townships. Mrs. Hay has the following brothers and sisters: J. N .; C. M .; Ellen, wife of J. D. Landis; and Elmyra, wife of J. N. Beatty. Mr. and Mrs. Hay had but one child, Frank Edwin, who died August 29, 1894. He mar- ried Rose Hanaway, who survives. Mr. Hay and wife are members of the Reformed church.
ALVIN E. PETERS, whose well im- proved farm of 83 acres lies in Range 18, Section 16, Walnut Township, has owned this desirable property for the past sixteen
stock-raising. He was born March 16, 1863, in Richland Township, Fairfield County, O., and is a son of Edward A. and Refina (Crippen) (Cherry) Peters.
Edward A. Peters was born in Pickaway County, O., and was one year old when his father, Jonathan Peters, came with his fam- ily to Fairfield County. The latter was born in Virginia and came to Pickaway County to teach school, married there and afterward moved to Fairfield County and acquired a farm in Richland Township, on which he spent the rest of his life. Edward A. Peters was one of a family of eleven chil- dren. His death occurred on his own farm in Richland Township, in 1905, his age be- ing sixty-seven years. He married Mrs. Refina (Crippen) Cherry, widow of Thomas Cherry. She was born in Fairfield County, O., and spent her life here, dying when aged thirty-two years. To her first marriage one child was born, William H. Cherry, and to her second marriage two sons more were born-Alvin Elmer and Jonathan C. Edward A. Peters later mar- ried Abigail Forsyth and they had two sons: John Enos and Ira Thomas. Mrs. Peters and sons still reside on the old Peters homestead, which is situated four miles east of Pleasantville, O.
Alvin E. Peters has been engaged in agri- cultural pursuits ever since leaving school. He remained on the home place until his marriage when he rented the Perry Teele farm in Richland Township for seven years, after which he bought the farm he yet owns, in 1895, from Charles Leach. Mr. Peters has taken interest in improving his prop- erty, as his substantial farm buildings show, and some years ago he put up his comfort- able 12-room frame dwelling. His gardens, orchards, fields, herds and flocks all give
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evidence of care and attention and give silent testimony concerning the comfort- able independence of the Fairfield County farmer of the present day.
Mr. Peters was married September 6, 1888, to Miss Emma D. Teele, who was born in Richland Township, Fairfield County, a daughter of Nathaniel Perry and Almeda (McCleery) Teele, and a grand- daughter of Arthur Teele, who came to this section early and entered land. For many years the father of Mrs. Peters engaged in farming and then retired to Pleasantville but died at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Peters in 1907, at the age of eighty-four years. His widow survived him but one year. They had the following children : Edward, who is deceased; Nora, who is the widow of Dr. L. C. Crossman; Fannie, who is the wife of Marshall Dunlap; Washing- ton C., who is living on a farm in Richland Township; Leota, who died at the age of three years ; and Emma D., who is the wife of Alvin E. Peters. Mr. and Mrs. Peters are members of the Methodist Protestant church at New Salem. He is a Republican in politics and is a well informed and repre- sentative man of his community.
JAMES M. GREGG, whose well culti- vated and productive farm of eighty-two acres lies in Section 15, Walnut Township, Fairfield County, O., is now a peaceful agri- culturist, but there was a time when he hon- orably wore a blue uniform and gave three years of his young life to the service of his country, on battle-field and in prison dun- geons. Many years have passed since the days of the Civil War, but the heroes of that time deserve to be well remembered. Mr. Gregg was born in Morgan County, O., July 1, 1844, and is the only surviving son of
Stephen Gregg and his wife, Rachel (Win- rod) Gregg. The father was born in Vir- ginia and the mother in Maryland, and they came early to Morgan County, where the latter died in 1880, aged sixty-eight years, and the former in 1883, aged seventy-eight years.
James M. Gregg obtained his schooling in one of the old log structures that stood not far distant from his father's house and then helped on the farm until he was eigh- teen years of age, in the second year of the Civil War. Many of his acquaintances had already gone into the army and the youth decided for himself that he too would be a soldier. On November 2, 1862, he took the important step that made him a member of Co. E, 75th O. Vol. Inf., under Capt. J. C. S. Miller. At a later date the regiment was re- organized and his company became Con- pany B of the same regiment. This regi- ment was sent to the South and its skirmish- ing and active fighting was mainly done in Florida and South Carolina. At Camp Baldwin, near Gainesville, Fla., on January 26, 1865, Mr. Gregg was taken prisoner by the Confederates, and he was but a shadow of himself when he was paroled April 28, 1865, after being incarcerated for three months and two days at Andersonville, Ga. Many of his comrades never escaped from that unspeakable prison pen.
Two years after his return to Morgan County, on November 26, 1867, Mr. Gregg was married to Miss Minerva Murphy, who died in August, 1884. His second marriage took place December 27, 1896, to Mrs. Nancy Hite, a daughter of Willianı Palmer and the widow of Henry Hite. Mrs. Hite at that time had four children-Charles, who lives at Columbus and married Addie Mack- lin ; Elmer E., also living at Columbus, who
MR. AND MRS. JAMES M. GREGG
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married Augusta Miller; Harvey E., who married Dessie Clear; and one that died. Henry Hite died in September, 1893, aged forty-eight years. Mrs. Gregg was born in Fairfield County, her parents, William and Margaret (Hovermill) Palmer, being among the pioneer settlers.
In 1889 Mr. Gregg purchased his present farm from Joseph S. Holliday and located here in March of that year. He has made many improvements and devotes himself to general farming. He belongs to the G. A. R. Post at Baltimore, and is a member of the board of trustees of the Antioch Mission church at Millersport. He votes with the Prohibition party, being a strong advocate of temperance.
A. T. KELLER, president of the Buck- eye Planing Mill Company, at Baltimore, O., has been interested with his son, S. W. Keller, in the lumber and planing mill busi- ness at this point, for a number of years. He was born in Walnut Township, Fair- field County, O., in 1846, and is a son of Frederick and Fannie (Thomen) Keller.
Frederick Keller was born in Tuscara- was County, O., and came from there to Fairfield County when twenty years of age, subsequently becoming a good citizen and substantial farmer in Walnut Township. He there married Fannie Thomen and they had the following children : a babe that died unnamed; Mart, who was a soldier in the Civil War and survived its dangers only to meet accidental death on the railroad when on his way home; A. T .; S. T., who was born in 1848, lives at Baltimore, O., and married Emma C. Andrews; and Anna M., who is the wife of R. L. Warner, also of Baltimore.
A. T. Keller followed farming for five
years after his school days were over and then moved to Baltimore, where he was concerned in several business undertakings before engaging in his present one. The Buckeye Planing Mill Company is capi- talized at $15,000, and is in a very prosper- ous condition, its officers being A. T. Kel- ler, president, and S. W. Keller, vice presi- dent. They own a planing mill and lumber yards and do a general lumber business.
Mr. Keller was married first to Miss Agnes Alspaugh, who died December 6, 1903, the mother of five children, namely : Frances, who married Thomas Johnson, of Baltimore; George W., who is deceased; Mary E., who married W. E. Burton, (they have five children-Amos, Carrie, Agnes, Fred and Freda); Etta, who is the wife of John Gearhart; and S. W., who is vice president of the Buckeye Planing Mill Com- pany. He married Hattie E. Eversole. Mr. Keller was married a second time, on Octo- ber 26, 1905, to Miss Anna E. Whithurst. With his family Mr. Keller belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. He is an in- dependent in politics and has served on the town council.
JOHN YEAGER, for many years was a successful farmer and highly respected citizen of Liberty Township, where, in ad- dition to farming he was engaged also in milling. He was born in Liberty Townshp. March 26, 1846, and died April 16, 1907. His father was Henry Yeager, who came to Ohio from Pennsylvania.
During boyhood John Yeager attended the township schools and thus obtained a practical education. He was industrious, temperate and capable, a man of his word on every occasion, a friend of the public schools and a liberal supporter of the
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church. From the time of his marriage he operated the farm of his father-in-law, and brought the land up to a high state of culti- vation. He was a consistent member of the Reformed church and a church official.
Mr. Yeager married Miss Sarah A. Giesy, and they had one son, Charles F., who is a traveling salesman for the D. C. Cook Company. He married Miss Della Fisher, a daughter of Jacob and Mary Fisher. Like his late father he is a Repub- lican. Mrs. Yeager owns the residence in which she lives at Basil and also the farm of ninety-nine acres, which she has rented to a capable farmer and from which she re- ceives a satisfactory income. She is a mem- ber of the Reformed church.
CHARLES D. MCKENZIE, M. D., one of the leading physicians of Lancaster, O., was born in Clinton County, Ohio, May 18, 1855, a son of William C. and Lucinda (Morton) Mckenzie. His parents are both now deceased, the father. who was a farmer, dying at the age of 70 years in 1898. His wife, Lucinda, who was about the same age as himself, passed away in 1894. They were the parents of five children, as fol- lows: Jane, wife of Solomon L. Whitlow, residing in Clinton County, O .; Ellen, now deceased, who was the wife of John Boring; Mary Emily, who married George Bloom, both being now deceased ; James, who mar- ried a Miss Rebecca Truitt, and died in 1874; and William B., who married Miss Jennie Wood Mansey, and is now a drug- gist in Chicago. The maternal grandfather of our subject was Joab Morton, who was an early settler in Clinton County. On the paternal side the Doctor's grandfather was John McKenzie, who was of Scotch ances-
try, as the family name indicates, and who was possibly himself born in Scotland. He was an early settler in this section and was engaged in farming and also for some time was a distiller.
Charles D. Mckenzie was reared on his parents' farm and educated in the public schools. He studied his profession in the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, being graduated in the class of 1896, after a three years' course. He first located for practice in Sabina, Clinton County, O., where he remained for seven years. He then sold out his practice there and went to Octa, Fayette County, and from Octa subsequently to Bowersville, Green County. In 1907 he came to Lancas- ter, O., having for nine months previously, however, been engaged in traveling. Since coming here he has built up a good practice and is regarded locally as one of the fore- most men in his profession. He belongs to several fraternal societies, including the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America and the Royal Neighbors, an auxilliary branch of the Woodmen. In politics he is a Democrat.
Dr. Mckenzie married Miss Rosena Barnes, a daughter of John and Anna Barnes of Clinton County, O., their union being solemnized in 1879. They have a son, Charles Ira, unmarried, who is now in the employ of the Standard Oil Company, at Columbus, O.
GEORGE P. WOOSTER, a successful general farmer and buyer and shipper of stock, carries on his agricultural operations on his excellent farm in Liberty Township, where he owns 122 acres within two and one-half miles of Basil, O. He was born
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January 28, 1855, in Pleasant Township, Fairfield County, O., and is a son of Lewis and Mary (Judy) Wooster.
Lewis Wooster was born in Germany and came to America with his parents, they settling first in Pennsylvania and later com- ing to Fairfield County, Ohio, and here he spent the rest of his life. He devoted him- self to farm pursuits and acquired an ample fortune. His death occurred here when he had reached the age of eighty-six years. He married Mary Judy, a native also of Fairfield County, who lived to be seventy- four years old. They had nine children born to them, seven of whom survive.
George P. Wooster obtained his school- ing in Fairfield County. Since the age of sixteen years he has been dealing in live stock, of which few men in this section are better judges. For some years he rented the William Watson farm and then moved to the Henry Lamb farm in Walnut Town- ship, where he remained for six years. In 1891 he came to his present place, finding it in need of improving, and during the past twenty years he has changed its whole appearance. He keeps up a high standard of farming and raises excellent crops and additionally does a very large business in handling stock, shipping to the leading markets.
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