History of Greene County, Ohio: its people, industries and institutions, Volume II, Part 77

Author: Broadstone, Michael A., 1852- comp
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Indianapolis, B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1440

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On December 25, 1883, at Moores Hill, in Dearborn county, Indiana, Charles E. Confarr was united in marriage to Belle Lloyd, daughter of John W. and Clarissa Ellen (Lambertson) Lloyd, of that place, who were mar- ried on June 23, 1850, and who were the parents of seven children, of whom four are still living, Mrs. Confarr having two brothers, John F. and Omar Lloyd, living at Indianapolis, where the latter is engaged as superintendent of mail carriers in the postoffice, and a sister, Mrs. Alice Eudora Craven, also of Indianapolis. The deceased children of the Lloyd family were Helena, William and Henry. Mr. and Mrs. Confarr have one son, John Lloyd Confarr, born on October 13, 1887, who was graduated from the Clif- ton high school in 1905 and in the fall of that same year entered Cedarville College, from which institution he was graduated in 1909 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. For two years after leaving college John L. Confarr was engaged in teaching school and then he became engaged in the mercantile business at Cedarville, a member of the Robert Bird's Sons Company. On October 22, 1913, at Cedarville, John L. Confarr was united in marriage to Verna Bird, of that place.

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WILLIAM R. STERRETT.

William R. Sterrett, formerly and for years engaged in the coal and grain business at Cedarville and now a member of the firm of Clemens & Sterrett, general dealers in real estate, with offices at Jamestown, though he continues to make his home at Cedarville, is a native son of Ohio and has lived in this state practically all his life, a resident of Cedarville nearly all the time since his father, the Rev. Samuel Sterrett. located in that village as pas- tor of the Reformed Presbyterian church in 1868.

The Rev. Samuel Sterrett also was a native of this state, born on a farm in Muskingum county, January 8, 1818. His parents were members of the Covenanter or Reformed Presbyterian church and he was reared in accord- ance with the rigid tenets of that faith, early turning his attention to prepara- ion for the gospel ministry. He was graduated from the college at Athens, this state. in 1840 and for thirty-three months thereafter was engaged in teaching school, meanwhile continuing to pursue his studies with a view to the ministry. In due time he entered the theological seminary of the Re- formed Presbyterian church at Allegheny and after a four-years coursc there in theology was licensed to preach, April 4, 1847, was later ordained and on June 23, 1848, was installed as pastor of the Little Beaver and New Galilee congregations in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where he remained for twenty years or until his acceptance of the call to the Reformed Pres- byterian church at Cedarville in 1868. The Rev. Samuel Sterrett was in- stalled as pastor of that church on May 16, 1868, and continued thus in serv- ice until his death on October 29, 1871. He was twice married, his first wife having been Elizabeth Kernohan, who was born in Guernsey county, this state, September 10, 1825, and who died on February 18, 1858. To that union were born four children, namely: Elizabeth Ann, wife of William D. Beggs, living in the neighborhood of Youngstown, this state; Samuel Ruth- erford, who died in 1851; William R., the subject of this sketch, and Mary Jane, who is now living at Warren, this state, widow of Dr. J. D. Henning. Following the death of the mother of these children the Rev. Samuel Sterrett married Elizabeth George, of New Galilee, Pennsylvania, who survived him for more than twenty-five years, her death occurring on February 22, 1897.

William R. Sterrett, only surviving son of the Rev. Samuel and Eliza- beth (Kernohan) Sterrett, was born in the vicinity of Youngstown, this state, March 8, 1853. He was five years of age when his mother died and was fifteen when his father moved with his family to Cedarville in 1868. He entered the Cedarville schools upon his arrival in that village and was grad- uated from the high school there in 1871, later supplementing his local school- ing by a course in Western University at Pittsburgh and was graduated from

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the Iron City Commercial College, Pittsburgh, in 1871. Following his mar- riage in 1876 Mr. Sterrett was for four years engaged in farming in the vicinity of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and then returned to Cedarville and was for a year thereafter engaged in farming in this county. He then left the farm and in 1881 became engaged in the coal and grain business at Cedar- ville under the firm name of Ervin & Sterrett, which firm was maintained until 1895, when he became sole owner and so continued until he sold the business in 1905. Not long after his retirement from the grain and coal.busi- ness Mr. Sterrett became engaged, in February, 1906, in the real-estate busi- ness, a member of the firm of Clemens & Sterrett at Jamestown and has since been thus engaged, also selling insurance. Though his office is at Jamestown Mr. Sterrett continues to make his home at Cedarville. Politically, Mr. Ster- rett is a Prohibitionist and by religious persuasion is a Covenanter or member of the Reformed Presbyterian church, with which communion his family has been connected for generations. Mr. Sterrett has been a teacher in the Sab- bath school since he was eighteen years of age; is now and for many years has been superintendent of the Sabbath school in the home church at Cedar- ville, and for forty years, or since 1878, has been one of the ruling elders of that church.

On October 5, 1876, William R. Sterrett was united in marriage to Julia Creswell, daughter of Samuel and Eliza Jane (Huffman) Creswell, of Cedarville township, and a member of one of the- oldest families in Greene county, as is set out at considerable length in a history of the Creswell family presented elsewhere in this volume. Samuel Creswell, who was fourth in order of birth of the five children born to James and Ann (Junkin ) Creswell. was born on January 12, 1820, and spent all his life on the old home place in Cedarville township, now owned and occupied by his son George, his death occurring thereon July 16, 1912. One June 10, 1846, at the home of William Reid, in that same township, he married Eliza Jane Huffman, who was born in the vicinity of Selma, in the neighboring county of Clark, March 22, 1827, daughter of Aaron and Martha (White) Huffman, and who died on August 10, 1910. Samnel Creswell and his wife were the parents of ten children, of whom Mrs. Sterrett was the fifth in order of birth and all of whom are men- tioned elsewhere in this volume.

To William R. and Julia (Creswell) Sterrett seven children have been born, namely: Samuel Leroy, who married Elizabeth Scott, of Houston, Pennsylvania; Echo D., wife of the Rev. W. G. Robb, pastor of the Re- formed Presbyterian church at Washington, Iowa ; Mary E., wife of the Rev. WV. A. Pollock, pastor of the Second United Presbyterian church of Chi- cago; Elizabeth M., who is at home; Ida Lounette, a school teacher, also at home; Walter R., who married Pearl Creamer and is now living at Pitts-

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burgh, where he is engaged as a draughtsman, and W. Dwight, who married Florence Clemens and is now living at Greenville, this state, where he is en- gaged as a teacher in the high school.

JAMES W. HUSTON,

James W. Huston, proprietor of a farm on the Dayton pike about two miles southwest of Yellow Springs, in Miami township, is a native son of Greene county and has lived here all his life. He was born in Xenia, October 16, 1866, son of James and Mary E. (Baker) Huston, both of whom also were born in Ohio, the former in Knox county and the latter in Greene county and whose last days were spent on their home farm in Miami township, the place on which the subject of this sketch is now living, where they had resided since locating there in 1876.

James Huston was born February 27, 1824, and was thirteen years of age when his parents, Robert and Anna (Lyon) Huston, moved from Knox county to Greene county in 1837 and settled on a farm in what is now New Jasper township. Robert Huston was born in Pennsylvania in 1793 and was nineteen years of age when he came with his father, Robert Huston, a soldier of the American Revolution, to Ohio in 1812, the family settling on a tract of land in the Martinsburg neighborhood in Knox county. There he presently, about 1820, married Anna Lyon, who was born in that section in 1798, and after his marriage settled down on a farm he had purchased there and there continued to reside until 1837, when he disposed of his interests in Knox county and came to Greene county with his family, settling on April 16 of that year on the farm he had bought in that section of the county which in the summer of 1853 became organized as New Jasper township, and there he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring in 1857, twenty years after his settlement there. He had accumulated there a tract of three hun- dred acres of land, the homestead now owned by the subject of this sketch. His widow survived him for twenty-eight years, her death occurring in 1885, she then being eighty-seven years of age. They were the parents of eleven children and as most of these children married and had children of their own the Huston connection in the present generation is a quite numerous one.

Having been but thirteen years of age when he came to this county with his parents, James Huston completed his schooling in the schools of Greene county and remained on the home farm until he was twenty years of age, when he became employed as a millwright, a vocation he followed for five or six years, at the end of which time, about the time of his marriage, he became engaged in the mercantile business at the village of New Jasper.

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Four years later he sold his store and bought a farm in his home township, but several years later moved to a farm in Xenia township and later bought the farm of one hundred and fifteen acres in section 31 of Miami township, now owned and occupied by his son, the subject of this sketch, has added to it until he now owns two hundred and twenty acres. In 1886, James Huston erected on that place a new house, which was destroyed by fire three years later and was replaced by the dwelling which has since served as a family residence.

On May 1, 1849, James Huston was united in marriage to Mary E. Baker, who was born in the vicinity of the village of Jamestown, in this county, July 9, 1829, daughter of Mathias W. and Matilda (Moorman) Baker, natives of. Virginia, who were the parents of four children, Mrs. Hus- ton having had two brothers, Salathiel and William C. M., and one sister, Lavina. William C. M. Baker served for some time (1861-67) as auditor of Greene county and later became engaged in business as a stock broker at Kansas City. Salathiel Baker became a commissioned officer in the Union army during the Civil War and died at his home in Xenia in 1866. To James and Mary E. (Baker) Huston were born four children, of whom the su'- ject of this sketch was the last born, the others being Lucretia E., formerly and for years a teacher in the schools of this county; Robert F. B., who died at the age of twelve years; and Mary E., wife of M. A. Hagler, of New Jasper township, this county. James Huston died at his home on the farm on which he had lived for more than thirty years, April 22, 1899. His widow survived him for nearly fourteen years, her death occurring on March 22, 1913.

James W. Huston took part with his father in the labors of the home farm when the family located in Miami township in 1876 and remained there after he had reached manhood's estate and after his marriage in 1891 established his home there and has ever since continued to reside there. Since coming into possession of the farm he has made numerous improve- ments on the same and has given considerable attention to the raising of livestock.

On November 4, 1891, James W. Huston was united in marriage to Mary J. Sparrow, of the neighboring county of Clark and a daughter of John B. and Anna (Johnson) Sparrow, the latter of whom was born in England and who had come to this country with her parents when but a girl of eleven years, and to this union six children have been born, namely : Ernest Homer, who was graduated from Antioch College. spent one year in the law school of the Ohio State University at Columbus and is now serv- ing as a member of the National. Army ; Robert Alton, a rural mail carrier, who continues to make his home on the home farm; Herbert Dwight, who

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died at the age of five months; Edgar J. and Edna J., twins, who are now students in the high school at Yellow Springs, and Harold, also in school. The Hustons are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Yellow Springs. Mr. Huston is a Democrat in his political views, and he and his two older sons are members of the Masonic order.

SAMUEL LEONARD.

Samuel Leonard, one of the real "old settlers" of Greene county, one of the "squirrel hunters" during the Civil War, for many years a blacksmith and later a farmer and landowner, now and for years past a resident of the village of Alpha, in Beavercreek township, is a native "Buckeye" and has lived in this state all his life, a resident of Greene county practically all the time since the middle '40s. He was born at Bunker Hill, in Butler county, May 26, 1836, son of Samuel and Catherine (Franer) Leonard, both of whom were born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, where they grew up and were married; shortly after their marriage coming to Ohio and locating in Butler county about the year 1832.

During his residence in Butler county the elder Samuel Leonard's activ- ities were chiefly concerned with the leveling of the big timber and lie became locally quite famous as a wood-cutter and rail-splitter. He remained in Butler county until about 1846, when he came up into this part of the state with his family and located at Dayton, but a few years later came over into Greene county and settled at Alpha, where he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring at the age of seventy-four years. His wife died at the age of seventy and both were buried in Mt. Zion graveyard. They were the parents of four children, of whom the subject of this sketch, the third in order of birth. is now the only survivor, the others having been William, a retired farmer, who died at Dayton in 1910; Matilda Ann, who was the wife of John Engle, a Beavercreek township farmer, and Louis, who was a black- smith.

Samuel Leonard's early youth was spent in the backwoods of Butler county and he was about ten years of age when his parents moved up to Dayton. He later came with them over into Greene county and his schooling was completed at Alpha. Not long after the family located at Alpha he became apprenticed to a blacksmith at Fairfield, though continuing to make his home with his parents at Alpha, and in due time he became a proficient blacksmith, a vocation he followed most of his life thereafter until his retire- ment. In 1860 he married and for four years thereafter operated a black- smith shop at Medway, up in Clark county, returning to Alpha in 1864 and opening a blacksmith shop there. Ten years later he bought a farm in

MR. AND MRS. SAMUEL LEONARD

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Beavercreek township as an investment, renting the same, and kept that farm until in December, 1917, when he sold it, feeling that he was nearing an age at which he would be unable to give its management the care he would desire. For years Mr. Leonard continued his smithy at Alpha and then retired from active labors. Since the death of his wife in 1906 he has been living alone at his home in Alpha. He is a Democrat and for fourteen years served as treasurer of his home township, being kept in that office by suc- cessive re-elections in a stronghold of Republicanism, a compliment on the part of his friends which he has never ceased to appreciate. During the days of the Civil War Mr. Leonard rendered service as a member of the locally famous organization of "squirrel hunters" and with that command marched away toward Cincinnati to help in repelling Morgan's invasion of the state. It was in 1860 that Samuel Leonard was married. His wife, who, as noted above, died in 1906, was Rebecca Engle, who was born in Beavercreek town- ship, this county, daughter of Henry Engle and wife, well known among the early settlers of that township and the former of whom lived to be past ninety years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Leonard had no children and Mr. Leon- ard is thus alone in his declining years. Though now in his eighty-third year he continues to take an active interest in current affairs and retains dis- tinct memories of other days, being able to tell many an entertaining story of the days now long past.

JOHN W. SMITH.

John W. Smith, now living practically retired at his farm home in Sugar- creek township, is a native son of Greene county, born on a farm in Spring Valley township on August 22, 1846, son of James and Sarah A. (Dill) Smith, both of whom also were born in Ohio and whose last days were spent here.

James Smith was a farmer and for several years after his marriage lived in Spring Valley township, moving thence in 1847 to Sugarereek town- ship, where he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring on June 30, 1899. His widow died on September 5, 1909. They were the parents of five children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the second in order of birth, the others being William J., now a resident of Detroit, Michigan; Elizabeth Ellen, now living at Spring Valley, widow of John D. Haines ; Daniel Freeman, who is still living on the old home place in Sugarcreek township, and Sarah Jane, widow of Wilson J. Osborn, of Spring Valley.

John W. Smith was under two years of age when his parents moved from Spring Valley township to Sugarcreek township and on the home farm (44)

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in the latter township he grew to manhood, receiving his schooling in the local schools. He was married when twenty-one years of age and then began farming on his own account. In 1886 he bought the farm on which he is now living, on rural mail route No. 2 out of Spring Valley, and has since resided there. Mr. Smith has a farm of sixty acres, but for the past ten years has been living practically retired from the active labors of the farm. He is a Democrat. For fourteen years he was a member of the board of directors of the Sugar Creek Cemetery Association.

Mr. Smith has been thrice married. On February 13, 1868, he was united in marriage to Rebecca J. Steelman, who died in 1897 leaving one child, a daughter, Rilla, wife of Carson McCoy, of Sugarcreek township. Mr. Smtih later married Mary E, Lampton, who died on February 1, 1909, without issue, and on May 29, 1912, he married Martha Esther Howland, who was born in Highland county, this state, daughter of the Rev. Ralston and Rebecca Jane (Gilliland) Howland. The Rev. Ralston Howland was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church and further mention of him is made elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Smith is a member of the local branch of the Order of the Golden Eagle at Dayton.

WILLIAM STEVENSON HOPPING.

William Stevenson Hopping, proprietor of a farm in Cedarville town- ship, on rural mail route No. 2 out of Xenia, was born on a farm on Caesars creek in New Jasper township, this county, a son of Albert and Eliza (Stevenson) Hopping, both of whom were members of old families in this county, their respective grandparents having been among the pioneers.

Albert Hopping was born on the farm mentioned above as having been the birthplace of his son William S, and was a son of William and Sarah (Galloway) Hopping, bothi members of pioneer families, William Hopping having been a son of James Hopping, who came up here from Kentucky in the early days of the settlement of this county and located on the farm above mentioned along Caesars creek, in that part of the county that in 1858 was set off as New Jasper township. William Hopping became the owner of a farm in that same locality, but in 1871 sold that farm and bought about six hundred acres in the southern part of Cedarville township and there spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring about 1885. His widow sur- vived him for several years. They were reared in the Seceder faith and after the "union" of 1858 became members of the United Presbyterian church at Xenia. Albert Hopping grew up on the home farm and after his mar-

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riage established his home there. During the Civil War he served as a member of the Home Guards and during this service accompanied that command to Cincinnati to help in repelling the threatened invasion of the state by the Rebels. He inherited the home farm of six hundred acres and bought more land adjoining. He died on that farm in 1902, he then being seventy years of age, and his wife died in that same year, she being sixty- eight years of age. She was born, Eliza Stevenson, in the vicinity of Yellow Springs, daughter of William and Eliza Stevenson, the former of whom was one of the early settlers on Massies creek in Xenia township. William Stevenson was a typical frontiersman, a soldier of the War of 1812 and an old deer-hunter, and when settlers began coming in here in considerable numbers he resented being thus "crowded" and moved up into the then wilds of Hardin county and there spent several years, but returned to Xenia, where he spent the rest of his life. To Albert and Eliza ( Stevenson) Hop- ping were born four children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the first-born, the others being the Rev. Walter Hopping, a minister of the United · Presbyterian church, now in charge of a church at Buffalo, New York; Eliza- beth, wife of C. G. Paul, a real-estate dealer at Dayton, and Charles Hop- ping, who is engaged in the automobile business at Dayton.

William S. Hopping received his early schooling in the district school in the neighborhood of his boyhood home and supplemented the same by attendance for two years in the Xenia high school and for two years in the private school at that time being conducted by Professor Mott at Xenia. As a young man he took part in the labors of the home farm and upon his father's retirement from the active labors of the place took charge of opera- tions there and so continued until his father's death in 1902, when he inherited two hundred and ten acres of the home place. In the meantime he had been developing a business in the live-stock way and after his father's death rented the farm out and gave his personal attention wholly to the live-stock business, buying and selling, and while thus engaged made his headquarters at Cedarville and at Dayton. After his marriage in 1912 he returned to his farm, erected there a house of the bungalow type and has since made his home there. Mr. Hopping, in addition to his general farming, retains his · interest in live stock and still keeps a good herd of cattle, besides a flock of Delano sheep and a good many Duroc-Jersey hogs. Mr. Hopping is a. Republican.

On July 8, 1912, William S. Hopping was united in marriage to Mary Boots, who was born on July 15. 1878, in Randolph county, Indiana, daughter of David and Nancy (Tomlinson) Boots, the former of whom is a retired farmer, now living at Farmland, Indiana.

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CHARLES A. HARNER.

Charles A. Harner, one of Greene county's farmers and landowners. now living on the old Cromwell place on the Fairground pike in the neigh- borhood of the Oldtown mill north of Xenia, is a member of one of the county's pioneer families, as is his wife, the latter of whom was born at Oldtown Mills and later moved to her present abode with her parents.

Elsewhere in this volume there is set out at considerable length something of the history of the Harner family in Greene county and it hardly is neces- sary to go into all those details in this connection, further than to say that the family was founded here by Jacob Harner, a German, who came. to this country in the days of his young manhood and was married at Hagerstown, Pennsylvania, to Anna Heffley, who was born at that place. Almost imme- diately following their marriage Jacob Harner and his wife came to Ohio and settled on a tract of land in Beavercreek township, this county. Jacob Harner died about 1846 and his widow survived him until 1868. They were the parents of ten children, of whom Charles Harner, father of the subject of this biographical sketch, was the seventh in order of birth.

Charles Harner was born on the pioneer home farm in Beavercreek township on February 19, 1817, and there grew to manhood. After his :marriage in 1840 he established his home on a farm he had bought in the Old- town neighborhood, in Xenia township, where he continued to reside until his removal to Oldtown, where he spent his last days, his death occurring there in August, 1908. At the time of his death he was the owner of eleven hundred acres of land in this county. He was a Democrat and he and his wife were members of the German Reformed church. His wife preceded him to the grave some months more than a year, her death having occurred on January 1, 1907. She was born, Mary Morgan, in Beavercreek township, March 14, 1823, daughter of Morgan and Elizabeth (Reel) Morgan, both of whom were born in Washington county, Maryland, where they were mar- ried, later coming to Ohio and settling in Beavercreek township, this county, where they reared their family and spent their last days. Morgan Morgan and wife were the parents of six children, five sons and one daughter, · Mary, the latter having been the second on order of birth. She married Charles Harner on March 19, 1840, and to that union were born eleven chil- dren, namely : Martin, who is now living retired in the state of New Hamp- shire : David, who became a resident of Xenia, where he died in February, 1015; Morgan, a farmer, of Xenia township: Charles" A., the immediate subject of this biographical sketch ; Frank, a farmer, living on the Springfield pike in Xenia township: James, a farmer living on the lower Bellbrook pike. a mile out of Xenia ; Samuel, who is still living on the old home place at Okl-

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History of Greene County, Ohio: its people, industries and institutions, Volume II, Part 77

Author: Broadstone, Michael A., 1852- comp Publication date: 1918 Publisher: Indianapolis, B.F. Bowen Number of Pages: 1440

Author: Broadstone, Michael A., 1852- comp
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Indianapolis, B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1440