USA > Ohio > Greene County > History of Greene County, Ohio: its people, industries and institutions, Volume II > Part 32
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the trade of blacksmith at which he worked, at Yellow Springs and at Salem, until he was twenty-five years of age, when, in 1856, he joined that con- siderable band of Greene county young men, including Senator Plum and Captain Frazer, who went to Kansas in 1856 and started things going in the vicinity of where the flourishing city of Emporia now stands. George Baker set up the first blacksmith shop in Emporia and remained there for three years, or until 1859, being thus an active participant in the desperate struggle that then was being waged in "bleeding Kansas" between the free-soilers who wanted to preserve the Territory of Kansas against .the intrusion of the institution of slavery and the "border ruffians" who, coming in from Missouri, across the river and from other points south, were determined to fasten slavery on the prospective state. The struggle finally became so acute that Mr. Baker, in 1859, became disgusted with the unsettled condi- tion of things and came back home and resumed his labors as a blacksmith at Yellow Springs and was living there when the Civil War broke out. Early in the progress of that struggle between the states he enlisted his services in behalf of the Union and went to the front as a member of the One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which command he served until the termination of his term of enlistment, when he returned home and started farming ; but a short time later he enlisted in Company K, One Hundred and Eighty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which command he served until the close of the war, then returned to his farm and there remained until January 3, 1881, when he bought a farm of one hundred acres three miles west of Yellow Springs, moved onto the same and there spent the rest of his life, his death occur- ring on February 6, 1890. His widow survived him for more than twenty years, her death occurring on January 18, 1911. George Baker was reared in the Methodist church and his wife was reared in the Catholic church, and their children were reared in the faith of the latter communion.
On September 14, 1864, at Springfield, George Baker was united in marriage to Elizabeth Higginson, of Yellow Springs, who was born in Ireland, but whose girlhood was spent at Albany, New York, where she was living when her family came from that place to Greene county during the '50s. To that union five children were born, namely : John Wentworth, who died in 1866; Mamie C., who is still living on the old home place, keeping house for her brothers, William and George, who are farming the place; William J. and Elizabeth (twins), the latter of whom is now a nun, a mem- ber of the Visitation Order, in the convent at Georgetown, Kentucky, and the former of whom is noted above as remaining on the home farm, and George, who is also living on the home place, he and his brother operating the same, while their sister Mamie keeps house for them. The Baker broth-
(18)
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ers are good farmers and have a well-kept and profitably cultivated farm. They are Republicans, as was their soldier father, and take a proper interest in local civic affairs, but have not been seekers after public office.
LESTER S. BARNES.
Lester S. Barnes, proprietor of a decorating, paint and book store at Xenia, was born in Xenia and has lived there all his life with the exception of a brief period during his young manhood, when he was employed in a book store at Cincinnati. He was born on April 24, 1877, son of the late Major George A. Barnes and wife, the latter of whom is still living at Xenia, where Major Barnes died on September 19, 1907, and where he was born on July 14, 1837, son of Henry and Ruth Barnes.
Reared at Xenia, the city of his birth, Lester S. Barnes received his schooling in the schools of that city and upon leaving school became en- gaged as clerk in a local book store. He later went to Cincinnati and in that city was employed in the wall-paper department of the Fair store for some time, returning then to Xenia, where on November 20, 1899, he be- came engaged as a clerk in the White wall-paper store which then was doing business on Greene street, continuing thus engaged for six years, at the end of which time he became engaged in business on his own account, open- ing the store which he is now operating on April 1, 1906. Mr. Barnes car- ries a general line of wall paper, paints, stationery, books, magazines and such other articles as are included in the stock of stores of this character.
On December 20, 1899, Lester S. Barnes was united in marriage to J. Olive McDonald, who also was born in Xenia, daughter of Charles W. and Mary (Boots) McDonald, who are now living in Florida and who are the parents of four children, Mrs. Barnes having two brothers, Elmer and John McDonald, and a sister, Myrtle. Mr. and Mrs. Barnes are members of the First Reformed church. They have two children, a son and a daugh- ter, Ruth, born on December 28, 1900, now a member of the class of 1918, Xenia high school, and Nelson, born on December 22, 1903. Mr. Barnes is a member of the local lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons and of the local camp of the Sons of Veterans.
FRANK WESLEY SIMISON.
Frank Wesley Simison, a farmer of Spring Valley township and operat- ing his mother's farm on which he lives, was born on that farm, as was his father, and has lived there all his life. He was born on October 25, 1855, son of Milo D. and Mary (Kelly) Simison, the latter of whom is still living,
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now a resident of the village of Spring Valley. She was born in County Mayo, Ireland, in 1835, and was thirteen years of age when she came to America. She came to the United States with her aunt, Mrs. Mary Gibbons, and thus became a resident of Greene county, where she grew to woman- hood and married Mr. Simison.
The late Milo D. Simison, who died at his home in Spring Valley on January 20, 1907, was born on the farm in Spring Valley township now operated by his son. Frank, November 19, 1830, son of John and Nancy (Knight) Simison, the former of whom was born on March 9, 1798, and the latter, May 8, 1807. John Simison was born in Pennsylvania, a son of Robert Simison, a native of Ireland, who had located in the Keystone state upon his arrival in this country, and was a well grown lad when he came with his father and the other members of the family to Greene county, Robert Simison here buying the farm upon which his great-grandson, Frank W. Simison, is now living, paying five dollars an acre for the same. Later Robert Simison bought the farm which long afterward came to be known as the Scarff farm and after the marriage of his son John turned over to the latter his original purchase and moved to the second farm, where he spent the rest of his life. On January 1, 1828, John Simison married Nancy Knight, who was born in this county, daughter of Samuel and Hannah (Caine) Knight, North Carolinians and pioneers of this county. After their marriage John Simison and his wife established their home on the place on which the former's father had settled on coming to this county and there they spent the remainder of their lives, the latter dying on March 29, 1847, and the former, February 2, 1853, and their son, Milo D. Simison, succeeded to the property by buying out the other heirs.
On January 28. 1855, about two years after the death of his father, Milo D. Simison was united in marriage to Mary Kelly, of Spring Valley township, who, as noted above, was born in Ireland, a daughter of Michael and Ann (Hennegan) Kelly, and after his marriage continued to make his home on the place on which he was born, remaining there until his retirement from the farm in 1888 and removal to Spring Valley, where he spent the rest of his life and where his widow is still living. He was a Democrat and served one term as a member of the village council. To him and his wife were born three children, the subject of this sketch having had two sisters, Nancy Caroline, born on May 13, 1858, who is now living at Spring Valley, widow of Joshua Barnett, and Mary Catherine, who died in infancy.
Frank W. Simison grew to manhood on the farni on which he was born, and on which his father had been born, and received his schooling in the local schools. After his marriage his parents retired from the farm and its management was turned over to him. He established his home there and
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has since made that his place of residence. He has a farm of one hundred and thirty-five acres where he and his sons are carrying on their farming operations. Mr. Simison is a Democrat and has served as director of schools in his home district.
On December 27, 1887, Frank W. Simison was united in marriage to Emma Babb, a member of one of the old families in Spring Valley town- ship, daughter of Smith and Amanda Babb, and to this union three children have been born, Earl M., Imogene and Ormond K., all of whom attended high school and all still at home. Mrs. Simison is a member of the Metho- dist Episcopal church at Spring Valley.
JOHN H. BRICKLE.
The late John H. Brickle, who died at his home in Caesarscreek town- ship on October 26, 1904, and whose widow is still living there, was a native son of Greene county and had spent all his life here. He was born on a farm in the vicinity of the village of Jamestown on September 14, 1845, son of Jacob and Mary (Phillips) Brickle, who upon their retirement from the farm moved to Jamestown, where they spent their last days. Jacob Brickle and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church and their children were reared in that faith. There were nine of these children, four of whom are still living, namely : Daniel Brickle, of Jamestown; Cather- ine, wife of Thomas Moon, of Jamestown; Frank Brickle, who is living on a farm east of that village, and Emma, who is now a resident of the city of Dayton. The others of the children of Jacob Brickle and wife, besides John H., were Amanda, Margaret, Louis and Harvey.
John H. Brickle was reared on the home farm, receiving his schooling in the neighborhood schools, and early became a practical farmer, a vocation he followed all his life. After his marriage in the summer of 1870 he for three years made his home on a farm on the eastern edge of the county and then moved to Cedarville, but a year later bought a farm in New Jasper township and on that place made his home for seven years, or until 1881, in which year he sold the place and bought the farm on which his widow is now living, in Caesarscreek township, and there established his home and spent the rest of his life. Mr. Brickle first bought there a tract of one hundred and fifty-nine acres, but as he prospered in his undertakings he enlarged his holdings and at the time of his death was the owner of two hundred and thirty-five acres. In addition to his general farming Mr. Brickle had given considerable attention to the raising of live stock. By political affiliation he was a Democrat and by religious persuasion was a member of the Methodist Protestant church at Paintersville, with which he had
MR. AND MRS. JOHN H. BRICKLE.
.
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become connected when sixteen years of age. Mr. Brickle was in the six- tieth year of his age at the time of his death in the fall of 1904.
In August, 1870, John H. Brickle was united in marriage to Catherine F. Clemens, who was born in New Jasper township, this county, daughter of George and Susanna (Fichthorn) Clemens, both of whom also were born in this county, the parents of the former having come here from Pennsyl- vania and those of the latter, from Virginia, both the Clemenses and the Fichthorns being old-established families in Greene county. George Cleniens became a substantial farmer and his last days were spent at Jamestown1, where he died at the age of eighty years and six months. He was twice married, his first wife having died at the age of forty-seven years, after which he married Harriet Sterritt, of Cedarville. By his first union he was the father of eight children, of whom Mrs. Brickle was the second in order of birth, the others being the following: Jesse Cyrus, who at the age of nineteen years enlisted his services in behalf of the Union during the Civil War, went to the front and died of typhoid fever in an army hospital in Maryland; Mary Elizabeth, wife of Jeremiah Tolman, of New Jasper town- ship; Melvina Ann, widow of John J. Brown, of Jamestown; Amanda, who died at the age of twenty-four years, unmarried; Emma Jane. now also deceased, who was the wife of William Gordon; John Orville Clemens, of Dayton, this state, and William Merritt, deceased.
To John H. and Catherine F. (Clemens) Brickle were born four chil- dren, namely : Minnie, who is at home with her mother; Mary S., wife of Frank Street, of New Jasper township; Orville, who is farming in Caesars- creek township and who married Effie Hiles and has one son, Howard; and Cyrus Clemens Brickle, farming the old home place, who married Elsie Hiles and has one child, a daughter, Wanda. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Brickle has continued to make her home on the home farm, rural mail route No. 9 out of Xenia, where she is very comfortably situated.
CHARLES F. ALEXANDER.
The late Charles F. Alexander, who died at his farm home, the old Alexander homestead place in Spring Valley township, early in 1912 and whose widow is still living there, the operations of the farm being carried on by their son Lawrence Alexander, was born in Spring Valley township on a farm now owned by Reverend Collins, January 30, 1859. son of Willian J. and Elizabeth (Weller) Alexander, the former of whom was a son of Washington Alexander, who was a son of the Hon. John Alexander, the first lawyer to locate at Xenia and who many years ago represented this district in the Congress.
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It was in the year 1803, the year in which Greene county was erected into a civic unit of the new state of Ohio and the county-seat town of Xenia was laid out, that John Alexander and his wife Isabella and their little family came up here from Butler county, in which county they had been located for a short time after coming into Ohio from their native South Carolina. John Alexander was a school teacher who had given con- siderable attention to the study of the law and upon locating at Xenia "put out his shingle" for the practice of law, the first lawyer to invite the atten- tion of the people of the new county. He was elected prosecuting attorney in succession to Arthur St. Clair, Jr., the second prosecutor for the new county, and with the exception of four years served in that office by suc- cessive re-elections until 1832, the longest tenure ever held by any prose- cutor in this county. He represented this legislative district in the Ohio General Assembly and for two terms represented the district in the Con- gress. He died at Xenia in 1848.
Washington Alexander, son of Judge Alexander, was born in South Carolina in 1801 and was thus but two years of age when his parents settled at the new county-seat town of Xenia. In his youth he studied law under the preceptorship of his father, but never practiced, instead turning his atten- tion to farming in Spring Valley. After his marriage to Rachel Clark, of Spring Valley, he established his home on the farm and there spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1867. His wife had preceded him to the grave about eighteen years, her death having occurred in 1849. They were the parents of seven children, of whom William J., the father of the subject of this memorial sketch, was the second in order of birth, the others having been Jesse, Augustus, Isabella, who married William S. Frazier, Frank, Aurelius and John.
William J. Alexander was born in Spring Valley township on June 10, 1827, and was educated in the Xenia schools. For some time after leaving school he spent his winters teaching school, farming on the home place during the summers, and in the meantime gave attention to the study of law and in due time was admitted to the bar and opened an office for the practice of his profession at Spring Valley, later moving to Wilmington and thence, after a time, back to Xenia, where he opened an office. In the mean- time he had been keeping up his farming interests and became the owner of several hundred acres of land in Spring Valley township, where he pre- ferred to make his home. For twelve years he served as justice of the peace, for twenty-two years was township trustee and was for a time the superintendent of the Orphans Home. He was a Baptist and was affiliated with the Masons and with the Odd Fellows. On February 28, 1850, Will- iam J. Alexander was united in marriage to Elizabeth Weller and to that
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union were born three children, two sons and a daughter, the latter of whom died in infancy. Both the sons, Perry A. and the subject of this memorial sketch, became well-to-do farmers in Spring Valley township. William J. Alexander died on April 18, 1897, and his widow, who was born in Wash- ington township, in the neighboring county of Montgomery, April 18, 1825, survived him until 1904.
Charles F. Alexander, second son of William J. and Elizabeth (Weller) Alexander, was reared on the home farm in Spring Valley township and received his schooling in the local schools. After his marriage in the spring of 1882 he made his home on a farm south of Spring Valley and there continued to reside for seven years, at the end of which time he re- turned to the old Alexander homestead place, one hundred and sixty-nine and one-half acres of which he owned, and there spent the remainder of his life engaged in general farming, his death occurring there on February 8, 1912. Mr. Alexander was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Spring Valley, as are the members of his family, and served as treasurer of the building committee at the time the new church was being erected. He was a Democrat, as was his father, and was affiliated with the Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Junior Order of United Ameri- can Mechanics.
On February 2, 1882, in Spring Valley township, Charles F. Alexander was united in marriage to Sadie Compton, who also was born in that same township, daughter of Eber and Mary Jane (Babb) Compton, both members of old families in this county. Eber Compton was a son of Henry and Catherine (Mock) Compton, the former of whom was born in North Caro- lina and was but seven years of age when he came to this county with his parents, Stephen and Dinah (Millhouse) Compton, who were Quakers, the family settling on a farm in the vicinity of the village of New Burlington. Henry Compton grew up there and all his life followed farming, becoming in time the owner of about four hundred and seventy-five acres of land in this county and six hundred acres in the neighboring county of Fayette. Eber Compton also grew up to the life of the farm and after his marriage to Mary Jane Babb, who was a daughter of Peter and Jane (Scarf) Babb, substantial residents of Spring Valley township, located on a farm on the Cincinnati pike, five miles south of Xenia, where he spent the rest of his life. After his death his widow moved to the village of Spring Valley and there her last days were spent, she being seventy-five years of age at the time of her death. Eber Compton was a Republican and he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which faith their chil- dren were reared. There were six of these children, of whom Mrs. Alexander was the fourth in order of birth, the others being the following: Ambrose,
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now living at Xenia; Wilson, also a resident of Xenia; Alice, who married Frank Hupman and died in Xenia; Della, wife of Melvin Beal, of Xenia township, and Clifford, who is farming in Spring Valley township.
To Charles F. and Sadie (Compton) Alexander were born five chil- dren, all of whom were educated in the Spring Valley schools and all of whom are still living, namely: Dena, who married W. W. Trout, of Spring- field, Ohio, and has two children, Jean and Bettie; Nellie, who married John Peterson, of this county, and has three children, Wayne, Donald and Dean; Louise, wife of Joshua Inwood, of Rockford, Illinois; Lawrence, who is farming the home place and who married Eva DeHaven and has two chil- dren, Dorothy and Lucile; and Mary E., who is now (1918) a student in the Xenia high school. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Alexander has continued to make her home on the old home farm.
GEORGE ABRAM KEITER.
The late George Abram Keiter, who died at his farm home in Xenia township, rural route No. 9 out of Xenia, April 4, 1918, was a native son of Greene county and had lived here all his life. He was born on a farm on the Wilmington pike in Caesarscreek township, seven miles south of Xenia, March 17, 1838, son of Frederick and Mary (Weaver) Keiter, who were born in Hampshire county, Virginia, where they grew up and were married and who then, in 1833, drove through to this part of Ohio and located in the woods of Caesarscreek township, where they established their home and where the subject of this sketch was born. Previous to that date Mrs. Mary Keiter's parents, Abram and Cynthia Weaver, had come out here from Virginia and had settled on a tract of Congress land that Abram Weaver had bought in Caesarscreek township and it was a part of that land that Frederick Keiter settled on, buying it from his father-in-law, the Weavers and the Keiters becoming substantial pioneers of that commun- ity. Those of Abram Weaver's children who came to this state, besides Mrs. Keiter, were Benjamin, John (who lived in Licking county). Frank, Abram, Samuel, Sallie and Nancy. Frederick Keiter was a son of George Keiter, a Pennsylvanian, who was married in Virginia, where he spent his last days. George Keiter and wife had ten children, those besides Frederick having been Polly, Hester, Maria, Peggy, Betsy, Benjamin, Jacob, George and John. In addition to the general farming that he carried on on his pioneer farm in Caesarscreek township, Frederick Keiter also had a black- smith shop. He was a Democrat and he and his wife were members of the Baptist church. They had twelve children, of whom the subject of this memorial sketch was the seventh in order of birth, the others being the
MR. AND MRS. GEORGE A. KEITER.
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following: Elizabeth, deceased, who was the wife of James Nolan; Harri- son, deceased, who was a farmer in Caesarscreek township; John, who also was a farmer in that township and who died there; Margaret, who is now living in the Paintersville neighborhood, widow of Elisha Bales; Nancy, deceased, who was the wife of Thomas Middleton; Susan, who is living in Spring Valley township, widow of Daniel Bean; Jane, wife of Joseph Buck- walter, of Caesarscreek township; James and Edward, twins, both of whom are farmers, living in the Lumberton neighborhood, and Sarah, wife of Aseph Haines, of Caesarscreek township.
George A. Keiter was reared on the place on which he was born, in Caesarscreek township, receiving his schooling in the neighborhood schools, and remained at home until his marriage when twenty-seven years of age, after which he established his home on his grandfather Weaver's place on the Wilmington pike and was there located for twenty-five years, at the end of which time, in 1892, he bought the place on which he lived until his death, the William Beal farm of eighty-four acres in Xenia township. Upon taking possession of that place Mr. Keiter made numerous improve- ments on the same and in 1911 remodeled the house in up-to-date fashion. In addition to his general farming Mr. Keiter gave considerable attention to the raising of live stock and of late years particularly he and his son have kept a good many Jersey cattle and Poland China hogs. Mr. Keiter was a Democrat.
On February 2, 1865, George A. Keiter was united in marriage to Mary Catherine Bootes, who was born in Spring Valley township, this county, daughter of Edmund and Elizabeth C. (Hanes) Bootes, natives of Vir- ginia, who had come to this county with their respective parents in the days of their youth and were here married. Edward Bootes was born in 1817 and was but a lad when his parents moved here from Virginia, and here he grew up and married. His wife, Elizabeth C. Hanes, was born in 1823 and was but six years of age when her parents came to this county from Virginia. After his marriage Edward Bootes got a hundred acres of his father's place in the neighborhood of Anderson's Forks and later moved to Spring Valley, where he worked at the carpenter trade until 1859, when he moved to a farm in Caesarscreek township, where he was killed by a falling tree in 1863. His widow survived him for many years, her death occurring in 1908, she then being eighty years and six months of age. Of the nine children born to Edward Bootes and wife five grew to maturity, those besides Mrs. Keiter being Lewis H., who went to the front as a soldier of the Union during the Civil War and died at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1863; Samantha Jane, who died in 1908; Joseph H., who is engaged in the electric-light business at Jackson, Michigan, and
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