USA > Ohio > Fayette County > History of Fayette County, Ohio : her people, industries and institutions > Part 65
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Dick and has one son, Harold), Pearl (married Ray Downs and has one child, Minnie Marie), William, Glenn, Willard and Robert. Alice Gertrude Parrett is deceased. Noyes M. Parrett married Ellen Terry and has three children, Olive, Clay and Margaret. Dio Ladell Parrett married Belle Coe and has one son, George, deceased. George Clyde Parrett married Alda Long and has two children, Cleo and Eugene. Anna Blanche Parrett mar- ried Benton Cross and has one son, George Benton.
Mr. Parrett was a life-long member of the Methodist church and was always interested in the welfare of the church. He was a stanch advocate of temperance and was a loyal supporter of the Prohibition party. He was one of the most successful farmers of Madison township and left a well- improved farm of two hundred acres. He was a man of kindly impulses and was always ready to assist those less fortunate than himself, with the result that he was one of the best loved men in the county. He was a man of domestic tastes and was never happier than when seated by his own fire- side surrounded by his loved ones. He left a name which was free from all censure and a reputation which places him among the representative men of his county.
CAPT. THOMAS F. PARRETT.
The Parrett family was one of the first to settle in Fayette county after its organization in 1810 and have been prominently connected with the vari- ous phases of its history for more than a century. A large number of the family served in the Civil War and made gallant records for themselves. One of the leaders of the family in this county for nearly seventy-five years is Captain Thomas F. Parrett, a distinguished veteran of the Civil War and one of the most successful farmers of Fayette county.
Thomas F. Parrett, the son of George and Anna ( Fletcher ) Parrett, was born April 19, 1840, in Jefferson township, in this county. His father, the son of John and Catherine (Wendell) Parrett, was born in the same township in 1813. being one of the first white children born in the county. John Parrett was a native of Rockingham county, Virginia, and was married in that state before coming to Ohio. To John Parrett and wife were born ten children, Mrs. Sarah Griffith, Eli, George, A. F., Mrs. Leah Allen, Mrs. Bessie Kirk, Allan T., Mrs. Balinda Brown and two who died in infancy. The first two children were born in Virginia before the family located in
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Fayette county, while the rest of them were born in Jefferson township in this county.
The log school houses were all that the county had during the school days of Mr. Parrett and in them he learned the three R's, "readin', 'ritin' and 'rithmetic." He worked on the home farm after leaving school and at the age of twenty-two enlisted in the Civil War. He served about a year as a member of Company H, Sixtieth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, en- listing in 1862. Upon the organization of the One Hundred and Sixty-eighth Regiment of Volunteer Infantry he was elected captain of Company D. This regiment was mustered into the service May 2, 1864, and continued in the field until the close of the war. Captain Parrett made a splendid record as a soldier and has always been very much interested in everything pertaining to the welfare of the old soldiers. He is a loyal member of the Grand Army of the Republic, belonging to Hays Post at Washington C. H.
.At the close of the war Mr. Parrett returned to peaceful pursuits, buy- ing a small farm of thirty-three acres near Parrett's Station. In the fifty years which have elapsed since the war closed he has accumulated a fine farm of six hundred acres about six miles from the county seat in Wayne town- ship. He has been an extensive stock raiser and ships several car loads of stock to the markets every year.
Mr. Parrett was married first to Mary M. Greenlee and to this union were born three children, Frank L., Fantie B., and Carey G., who married Cora Hays and has two children, Thomas and Mildred. The second mar- riage was to Mary B. Coffman, the daughter of Nathan and Sarah (Edwards) Coffman. Nathan Coffman was born in Wayne township, this county, and was a prominent farmer and influential citizen. Eight children were born to Mr. Coffman and his wife, William, Lois, Mrs. Charlotte Priddy, Benjamin F .. John M., Mary B., Esther and Mrs. Jeanette Coffman. To the second marriage of Mr. Parrett has been born three children, Harry C., T. F., Jr. ( deceased), and Louis C. Harry C. married Madge Anderson and has two children, Dorothy M. and Robert C. Louis C. married Mary Hazel Sollars and has two children, Walter L. and Mary B.
Mr. Parrett has always given his support to the Republican party and has voted for every President from Lincoln to Taft. He was formerly very active in local politics and served several years ago as county commissioner. The career of Mr. Parrett has been commendable in every respect and such has been his life that he has earned the high regard and esteem of every one who knows him.
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FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO.
WILLIAM FRAYN.
A man who has been actively identified with the progress and growth of his township and county is William Frayn, the present trustee of Jasper township and a man who has been identified with the business life of the township for many years. He had previously served on the school board of this township for eight years, has been the proprietor and general manager of a grain elevator and ticket agent at Glendon for the Baltimore & Ohio Railway Company, and a farmer. In these various positions he has ac- quitted himself with credit and is justly deserving of being classed among thie representative men of his township and county. He is a man of excellent business ability and by honest methods and scrupulous attention to details he has won the respect of his fellow citizens to a marked degree.
William Frayn, the son of Thomas and Catherine ( Borden) Frayn, was born March 7, 1857, in Ross county, Ohio, near Slate Mills. His father was a native of Ireland, his birth having occurred near Dublin, and he lived in his native land until he was twenty-six years of age. He then came to this country alone and located at once in Chillicothe, Ohio, where he subsequently married. Later the parents of Thomas Frayn, William and Catherine (Ma- honey) Frayn, came to America and both of them died in Chillicothe, Ohio. Thomas Frayn and wife reared a family of four children, Mrs. Mary Sheri- dan, William, Thomas and Catherine. All of these children are still living with the exception of Mary.
William Frayn attended school in Fayette and Clinton counties, Ohio, finishing at Shiloh in the latter county. He then began farming and team- ing and for a few years worked in Cleveland, Ohio, after which he located in Clinton county, where he followed agricultural pursuits for a short time. He came to Fayette county more than thirty years ago and located in Jasper township, where he has since resided. He is the owner of an excellent farm of sixty acres on the Ford pike, about six miles from the county seat. Since coming to this county he has been very actively engaged in the various phases of the township development. As a merchant he operated a general store at Glendon for some years, managing the elevator at the same place during that time. He was also the freight and ticket agent for the Baltimore & Ohio Railway Company for four years. He has shown marked ability as an official and has served as postmaster at Glendon, Ohio, formerly known as Rattle Snake. In local affairs he has been a member of the school board of Jasper township. filling this office for eight years to the entire satisfaction
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of all concerned. At the present time he is serving the citizens of his town- ship as trustee and giving the office his careful and conscientious attention.
Mr. Frayn was married in 1893 to Mary Ann McDonald, the daughter of John and Bridget (Templeton) McDonald, and to this union have been born four children. William, Anna Alice, Marie D. and Mary. William is a graduate of the Washington C. H. high school and Anna and Marie are still in attendance at the high school : Mary, the oldest daughter. is deceased. The family are devout members of the Catholic church, in whose welfare they are deeply interested and to whose support they are generous con- tributors at all times. Mr. Frayn is a member of the Catholic Order of For- esters. He is a man of genial and jovial disposition and is one of the best known men in the township and county. He is ever ready to assist those in distress and is known as a man of kindly impulses, deeply interested in everything which pertains to the welfare of his community.
JESSE DEWITT.
One of the highly respected and honored citizens of the past generation in Fayette county, who has passed to his reward, was Jesse DeWitt, a native of this county and a lifelong resident. He was successful in his life work and at the same time left the impress of his strong personality upon the com- munity where he lived and worked. He is now sleeping the sleep of the just. yet his influence still pervades the lives of those who were so fortunate as to enjoy his acquaintance and his name is deeply engraved on the pages of Fayette county's history. While his life was a busy one. he never allowed anything to interfere with his Christian obligations or the faithful perform- ance of his everyday duties. Efficiently able to cope with every adversity which thwarted his pathway through life. he left a comfortable competence for his family and a name which is cherished by his family and honored by his friends.
The late Jesse DeWitt was born in Fayette county, on March 4, 1829. and died April 14, 1907. His father, John DeWitt, was born on the same farm and in the same house. John DeWitt served his country in the War of 1812 and was a highly respected and influential citizen of this county for many years. Jesse DeWitt was one of twelve children. John. William, James S., Wesley N., Anderson, Darlington, Decatur. Greenup, Candace, Jesse M., and two who died in infancy.
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Jesse De Witt was reared under pioneer conditions and received only a very limited education. As a youth he had to clear the land and prepare it for cultivation and early in life decided to devote his career to agricultural pursuits. He remained at home until his marriage and then began farming for himself in Wayne township, where he lived until his death.
Mr. De Witt was married in 1862 to Mary J. Taylor, the daughter of Elisha and Rebecca ( Faust) Taylor, and to this union a large family of chil- dren were born, Charles, Minnie, Carrie, Dale, Lottie, Adah, Florence, Will- ard and Albert. Charles married Minnie Kimble, who is now deceased ; Carrie is the wife of John Post; Dale married Ollie Ferman and has five children, Pauline, Ruth, Harry, Mary and Walter; Lottie, deceased, was the wife of Charles Drooley, also deceased; Adah is the wife of Harry Burnett and has one daughter, Helen; Florence is living with her brothers on the old home farm; Willard and Albert are now managing the home farm of one hundred and forty-two acres. Willard is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
In politics, Jesse DeWitt was a stanch Democrat and, while he always was interested in political matters, yet he never aspired to public office. pre- ferring rather to devote all of his attention to his farming interests. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. While Mr. DeWitt was always a busy man, yet he found time and opportunity to take an interest in matters pertaining to the progress and growth of his community. He was devoted to his family and was held in high esteem by everyone who knew him.
MILTON S. ELLIOTT.
Many of the veterans of the Civil War are still living in Fayette county. Ohio, and practically all are now passed the allotted age of three score and ten. One of these gallant old soldiers is Milton S. Elliott, the owner of three hundred acres of valuable land in Wayne township and the present trustee of his township. He is a self-made man, having started in life with nothing and has accumulated a comfortable estate by the exercise of good manage- ment and close application to his business interests.
Milton S. Elliott, the son of William W. and Sarah W. ( King) Elliott, was born January 7, 1844. near Newark, Ohio. His father was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and was reared to manhood in that city. He learned
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the carpenter trade and after his marriage went to Licking county, Ohio, where he followed his trade, later locating in Allen county, Indiana, and settling in Fayette county, Ohio, in 1856. Nine children were born to Will- iam W. Elliott and wife, Milton S., John, W. T., George J., James W., Joseph H., Hugh S., Marion F. and Edgar ( deceased ).
The education of Milton S. Elliott was received in the schools of Lick- ·ing county, Ohio, Allen county, Indiana, and completed in Fayette county, Ohio. He was about twelve years of age when his father permanently lo- cated in Fayette county and his subsequent career has been spent in this county. At the age of nineteen he enlisted in Battery A, Ohio Heavy Artil- lery, at Bloomingburg, and served for a total of twenty-six months before being mustered out of the service. He was in the Army of the Cumberland and saw hard fighting in the states of Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia.
Immediately after the close of the war he returned to Fayette county and began working out by the month, saving his money in order to buy a farm of his own. After his marriage, in 1870, he bought his first farm of thirty-three acres and to this he has gradually added until he now owns three hundred acres of fine land in Wayne township. He has engaged in general farming, dividing his attention between the raising of crops and the breeding of live stock. He has kept his farm in a high state of productivity by scien- tific crop rotation and has thus secured the maximum results from his efforts.
Mr. Elliott was married September 6, 1870, to Ursula Grubb, the daughter of Jacob and Susan (Wentworth) Grubb. To this union there have been born five children, Hugh E., Jacob W .. Nettie E., Robert W. and Leigh B. Hugh E. married Mary Moore and has two children, Leverne and Levern. Jacob W. married Helen Paul. Nettie E. is the wife of Frank Carr and has one son, Delbert. Robert W. married Desse Mays and has one son, Paul. Leigh B. married Grace McVicker and has one daughter, Vir- ginia Leigh.
Politically, Mr. Elliott is a Republican and has always been active in local political matters. His worth as a citizen is shown by the fact that his party nominated him for the office of township trustee and subsequently elected him to this responsible position. He is filling this office to the entire satisfaction of the citizens of the township irrespective of their political affil- iations. Fraternally, Mr. Elliott is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Grand Army of the Republic. He has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church for the past thirty-six years and has al- ways been a liberal supporter of his favorite denomination.
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FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO.
CYRUS PATTERSON WEST.
The best title one can establish to the high and generous esteem of an intelligent community is a protracted and honorable residence therein. Cyrus P. West, one of the largest land owners of the county and one of the best known and highly esteemed men of this section, has resided here many years and the genuine liking and universal respect accorded him by all speak vol- umes for the exemplary life he has led. Mr. West takes a justifiable pride in the fact that he can trace his family directly back into the early seventeenth century and that in their various days and environments his ancestors have all been good men and true, each seeking to benefit his generation to the best of his ability. Mr. West has won special renown throughout this section by reason of the excellent strain of Shorthorn cattle which he has produced.
Cyrus Patterson West is a native of the old Buckeye state, born in Highland county on November 9, 1845, the family residence at that time being near Hillsboro. He is a son of AAllen and Isabelle ( Patterson) West, Allen having been born and reared on the same farm where the subject first saw the light of day. Allen West received his education in the schools of the county and followed in his father's footsteps as a farmer and raiser of stock, being highly successful in his business ventures. He was a devout member of the Christian church and was one of the most active and in- fluential Grangers in these parts. He was a broad-minded and sympathetic man, whose kindly disposition won him many friends and whose helping hand was extended to all in need. Both he and his good wife lie buried in the old cemetery at Hillsboro. Allen West was a son of John and Barbara ( Platter ) West, and John was a son of Joseph and Judith ( Ballinger ) West. Joseph, the great-grandfather of the immediate subject, was a soldier during the early struggle of the colonies for independence, and from 1777 until 1782 was under Col. William Grayson, enlisting from Virginia. He received his discharge from Gen. George Washington, all of which is duly certified to by Levend Powell, late lieutenant-colonel of the regiment in question. ( National Serial No. 73,746). The father of this Joseph West was also named Joseph, his mother being Jane Owens, who came from Delaware. This Joseph West was a son of John and Sarah ( Pearson ) West, natives of England. John was born in that country in 1684, came to America in his earlier life, and later returned to his native land, where he died in 1764 at a ripe old age. This is as far back as the present members of the family can trace their lineage and is a record most highly prized.
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CYRUS P. WEST
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FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO.
Cyrus P. West received his early education at the Beechwood school in Highland county, later attending the higher grades at Lebanon, this state. From the time he was a small boy he assisted the father in the work about the farm, showing a special aptitude in the care of stock. After his school days were over, he remained with the father on the homestead until twenty-three years of age, when he started out in life for himself by purchasing six hun- dred and eighty acres of land in this county. He has succeeded well in his various undertakings and now owns one thousand acres of excellent land located in Madison and Marion townships. Mr. West devotes considerable time and acreage to the raising of grain, but this is principally for his own feeding. He is known far and wide as a breeder of Shorthorn cattle and has produced many extremely fine animals.
On December 25, 1877, Mr. West was united in marriage with Lida Smith, daughter of Frederick and Sarah ( Smith) Smith, of Madison county. (While of the same family name, no relationship existed between Mrs. West's parents. ) To their reunion have been born five children : Imogene, the oldest, is dead; Stella is a graduate of Bloomingburg high school and attended the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware: Fred married Elizabeth B. Jenkins; Allen P. chose Mary Hewitt as his wife and to them have been born three children, Cyrus H .. Robert A. and Dorothy; Sallie, the youngest of the family, is the wife of Elton Marine. The family has always been looked up to as among the leading ones of this section and because of some special ad- vantages have each contributed their share to the general development of the community. Mr. West is an earnest member of the Christian church and gladly gives to the best of his ability to forward the work of the local society. Politically, he is affiliated with the Republican party, but has never given much time to such matters. However, he has served Madison town- ship most efficiently as trustee. He is one of the leading Grangers in this section and has done much to forward the interests of that organization. Mr. West has throughout his lifetime shown himself worthy of the high esteem in which he is held. His life has been filled with activity and useful- ness, while his untiring energy and ability have secured for him a conspicuous and honorable place among the citizens of the community. Ilis strict in- tegrity and unpretending bearing have elevated him in the confidence of his fellow citizens, and his influence has always been exerted in the interest of those things which have helped to elevate his fellow men socially. morally and educationally. Because of his successful career and his high personal character, he is eminently entitled to representation among the leading men of the county.
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FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO.
JOHN E. FREE.
Among the men of sterling worth and strength of character who have made an impress upon the life of the locality in which they live, no one has achieved a larger meed of popular respect than John E. Free, a prosperous farmer of Wayne township and the president of the school board of his home township. His whole life of more than a half century has been spent on the farm where he is now living and thus the people have had an opportunity to know him in every phase of his character, and that he has been true to life in its every phase is manifest by the esteem and regard in which he is held by all those who know him. He has gained his success by his honest endeavor and indomitable energy, and has placed himself in the front rank of the farmers of his community by exercising these excellent qualities. He has outstripped the less active plodders on the highway of life and has achieved a marked suc- cess in agricultural affairs and won for himself a name which all men who know him delight to honor.
John E. Free, the son of John and Mary ( Hixon) Free, was born on the farm where he is now living March 23, 1863. His father, the son of John Free, was born in Ross county, this state, and he and his wife reared a family of six children: Mrs. Louisa DePoy: Samuel, who married Josie Smith; Fred, who married Alcina Bainter ; Elizabeth, deceased ; Almetta, de- ceased, who was the wife of Charles Burns, and John E., of whom this record speaks. The grandfather of John E. Free, whose name was also John E., was a native of Virginia, and came to Ohio and settled in Ross county in 1800.
John E. Free received his education in the common schools of Wayne township, and at the age of eighteen began farming for himself by renting land from his father. After the death of his father the paternal estate was divided and John E. Free received the home place as his portion of the estate. On this farm he has placed many improvements and keeps it in a high state of productivity by scientific crop rotation and the proper fertilization of the ground. He raises good crops and feeds most of his grain to live stock, which he always keeps on the farm.
Mr. Free was married December 24. 1891, to Lula Ware, the daughter of Anaias and Melinda ( Eyman) Ware, and to this union have been born three children, Francis M., Walter and Dwight. Francis M. married Everett Rife, and has one son, J. Norborn.
Politically, Mr. Free is a Democrat and has always been interested in
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local politics, and at the present time he is a member of the school board of his township, serving as its president. Fraternally, he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. The members of his family are adherents of the Methodist Episcopal church, in whose welfare they are deeply interested and to whose support they are liberal contributors.
LAWSON A. PARRETT.
There is no group of men to whom greater gratitude is due from the world at large than those who fought for their country in the dark days of the sixties. These patriotic, sacrificing citizens who left their firesides and enrolled to fight for their country's flag that this might be a united nation cannot be accorded too much honor. They fought to establish forever on this continent the self-evident truth that "all men are created free and equal." and with the fall of Robert E. Lee in the spring of 1865 there passed from this country the blackest stain which has ever figured in its history. Fayette county, Ohio, furnished hundreds of brave men for this struggle, and among them is Lawson A. Parrett, a life-long resident of this county, a public-spirited citizen and a man who is greatly beloved by all who know him.
Lawson A. Parrett, the son of Isaac F. and Mary Ann (Keplinger ) Parrett, was born at Parrett Station in Jefferson township, this county, November 10, 1841. His father was a son of Joseph J. and Rebecca (Fansher) Parrett, and was born near Knoxville, Tennessee. Isaac Parrett came to Fayette county, Ohio, when he was one year old with his parents and lived in this county the remainder of his days. Joseph J. Parrett was in the War of 1812, and his wife's father, Isaac Fansher, was a soldier of the Revolutionary War from the state of Virginia. Joseph J. Parrett, familiarly known to his friends as "Tennessee Joe." was one of the first settlers in Fayette county and a man who took a prominent part in its early history. Isaac Parrett and wife were the parents of five children, Mrs. Rebecca J. Allen, Noah B., Lawson A., Mrs. Caroline Welton and Mrs. Susan Welton.
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