USA > Ohio > Highland County > The County of Highland : a history of Highland County, Ohio, from the earliest days, with special chapters on the bench and bar, medical profession educational development, industry and agriculture and biographical sketches > Part 43
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James McNary, one of the prominent farmers of Paint township, residing about two miles north of Cynthiana, Pike county, is a son of the pioneer, Robert McNary. Robert was born at Cannonsburg, Pa., October 30, 1800, was married in early manhood to Delena Alloways, born in the same state, June 23, 1816, and came to Paint township with his wife and children before 1833, making his home at New Market, Highland county, Ohio. He was a wheelwright by trade, and a man much respected, but his life was comparatively brief, as he died October 4, 1846. His wife survived to January 31, 1872. They had six children : Ann Eliza, wife of John Watson ; John, Robert, James, Margaret and David. James McNary was
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born March 22, 1842, in Highland county, and reared in this county. Before he was of age he enlisted for the defense of the Union, in the early part of the civil war, as a private in the Sixtieth regiment, Ohio infantry, and served until honorably mustered out at the expiration of his enlistment, November 11, 1862. Returning home, he was married January 24, 1864, to Mary L., daughter of John and Rebecca (Overman) Rains. Mr. McNary is a prosperous and progressive farmer, owning 163 acres of land, in Highland, Pike and Ross counties, and is held in high esteem by his neighbors. He and his wife have had four children: Charles W., born May 26, 1866; Sannie L., born June 7, 1868; Nellie D., born May 6, 1870, and Maggie A., born October 6, 1874. The two last named died in infancy, and Sannie makes her home with her parents. Charles W. was married January 28, 1892, to Anna M. Rigdon, who was born September 18, 1874, daughter of John and Jane Rigdon, and they have had five children : Elsie Delena, Edwin Lyle, Blanche, and two sons who died in infancy. Mrs. Mary L. McNary was born October 16, 1843, and is a descendant of prominent pioneer families. Her father, John Rains, who was born in Randolph county, N. C., Feb- ruary 14, 1804, and died August 6, 1852, was a son of George Rains, a native of Randolph county, N. C., who moved from that state with his wife and seven children to Tennessee, and thence in 1809 to Paint township, where he purchased two hundred and ten acres of land, including the site of the present town of Rainsboro, for $1.25 per acre. There he lived in the enjoyment of well-earned prosperity to the good old age of seventy-six years, and left at his death (July 10, 1845) a large family. By his marriage to Amy McMannes he had nine chil- dren, and by a second marriage to Nancy Overman, three. They were: Catherine, born September 21, 1793, married James Grady ; Sarah, born August 27, 1795, married John Cooper; Aaron, born November 5, 1797; Hannah, born April 7, 1800, married Nelson Taylor; Isaac, born February 10, 1802; John, born February 14, 1804; Ishmael, born November 12, 1806: Amy, born May 9, 1809, married Eli Overman; Charlotte, born October 11, 1811, married Joseph Craig; Martha, born October 10, 1827 ; Mary, born Septem- ber 3, 1829, married John Marsh; Elizabeth, born January 23, 1833. The greater part of the family lived and died near Rains- boro, and Mrs. Mary Marsh is now the only survivor. The village of Rainsboro was laid off on the farm of George Rains October 15, 1830, the surveyors being Garrett Copes and David Davis, and the first business enterprise there was the grocery of Aaron Rains, in the second house built in the town. He continued in business until 1867. The third house was built by John Rains in June, 1831, and was used by him as the first tavern. It is vet standing.
The mother of Mrs. Mary L. McNary was a granddaughter of Obadiah Overman, a native of Green Brier county, Va., who moved
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from Randolph county, N. C., with his wife, Martha Mills, and three children, to Paint township, Highland county, in June, 1805. There he lived until his death in October, 1841, at the age of ninety- three years, five months and sixteen days. His son, Isaac Overman, born in 1787, died October, 1823, married Nancy Harbor in High- land county in 1807, who was born January 22, 1792, in Mont- gomery county, Va., came to Highland county in 1804, and died April 30, 1881. Their children were Enos, born February 1, 1808, married Elizabeth Graybill; Eli, born 1809, married Amy Rains ; Rachel, born December 18, 1810, married Samuel Rittenhouse ; Rebecca, born July 19, 1812, married John Rains; Elijah, born May, 1814, married Rebecca Spargur; Rhoda, born November 9, 1815, married Charles Copes ; Nancy, born 1817, died July 23, 1845; Isaac, born 1819, married Elizabeth Wilburn; Sarah Ann, born March 11, 1821, married George Craighead; and three who died in infancy.
John W. McNicol, one of the prosperous farmers in the eastern part of Penn township, is descended from a Scottish family whose first representatives reached central Ohio about the middle of the nineteenth century. James, son of Robert and Jane (Aitkin). McNicol, was born in Sterlingshire, Scotland, in 1801, and in early manhood married Katharine, daughter of Hugh and Janel (Mitchell) Campbell, who resided on the Isle of Skye. After his marriage James lived some time in his native country and in 1851 emigrated to Highland county where he spent the remainder of his days and died in 1874. His children were Robert, John, Jane Margaret, Kate, Ellen and Hugh. Robert McNicol, eldest of the children, was born in Scotland October 20, 1828, and was consequently about twenty-three years of age when his parents reached Ohio. March 21, 1858, he was married to Elizabeth L. Leaverton, member of one of the oldest families in Penn township. Her grandfather, Solomon. Leaverton, was a native of Maryland and first came to Highland county in 1806, but spent some years in North Carolina, where he married Lettie Thompson, and returned to Ohio in 1817. John F. Leaverton, third in age of his eleven children, was born in Guilford county, North Carolina, in 1812, and five years later came with his father to Highland county, where he became a leading farmer in Penn township. He married Sally Ann Wright, by whom he had fourteen children, including Elizabeth L., who became the wife of Robert McNicol. The latter learned the shoemaker's trade, which he followed until well advanced in years. He was esteemed in the community where he lived, both as a man and a citizen. His chil- dren, ten in number, were James, John W., Sallie, Kittie, Hugh, Robert, Ella, Lizzie, Vena and Etta. John W. McNicol, second of the family, was born in Penn township, Highland county, Ohio,
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October 15, 1860, and has devoted his whole life to agricultural pur- suits. The farm on which he resides is situated in the eastern part of Penn township and he ranks as one of the representative farmers in that section of Highland county. By industry and good manage- ment he has achieved a fair measure of prosperity and is surrounded by all the comforts of a pleasant rural home. December 29, 1881, he was married to Clara Ella, daughter of I. E. and Mary (McWill- iams) Johnson, of Highland county, by whom he has three children : Ernest, born October 20, 1882; Vena, born February 15, 1886; and Robert, born September 21, 1890. Mr. McNicol is a member of the order of Knights of Pythias.
Albert M. Mackerly, former mayor of Greenfield, Ohio, and prom- inent in law and politics, comes of a family of ingenious mechan- ics and inventors whose skill and industry were important factors in the early development of Highland county. In the first decade of the nineteenth century Michael Mackerly was a prosperous iron foun- dry man in Morris county, New Jersey. He enlisted for the War of 1812 and when he returned home after considerable absence found that his partner, who had been left in charge of the business, had absconded and taken with him most of the property. Sorely disap- pointed and disgusted with this treachery, Michael Mackerly sold what was left for $500 in gold, which he invested in horses and wagons with a view of leaving the scene of his calamities to seek a new home in the western wilderness. His objective point was the White Water valley of Indiana, but on the journey through Ohio in 1816 one of his horses died after reaching the then small settlement of Greenfield, which misfortune compelled an alteration of plans. Abandoning the design of going farther west, Michael Mackerly set- tled with his wife and nine children on Paint creek, at a point five miles south of Greenfield. He purchased eighty-two acres of land, paying for it five dollars per acre, and on this farm he passed the remainder of his days. His sons, being mechanics of unusual abil- ity and energy, naturally desired to put their constructive talents to good use and for this purpose they built a mill for grinding corn and also an establishment for manufacturing wagons and other vehicles. This enterprise, so useful and so much needed in the new country, was conducted for years by the Mackerly boys under the lead of Benjamin, the eldest and most ingenious of this talented family. Benjamin Mackerly, for many years a familiar figure in the county's industrial affairs, is deserving of much more than a passing notice. A mechanic of rare skill and ingenuity. he invented many valuable labor-saving devices, upon several of which he se- cured patents. His attention was turned to the application of atmos- pheric pressure to use upon car and machinery brakes, and his pat- ents, which were the first of this kind, and cover all the points sub-
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sequently claimed by Westinghouse and other later inventions, with the exception of the idea of direct pressure. He also invented and patented the principle of the horse tread-mill, and it was in the endeavor to regulate the motion of this that he discovered the brake. As has so often been the case with mechanical geniuses, the practical and pecuniary benefit of Benjamin Mackerly's work was largely reaped by others. He was early employed by manufacturer James, first in putting in machinery at his furnace in Brown county, and afterward to perform a similar duty at the Rapids Forge establish- ment, then building on Paint creek. Several of Benjamin's brothers became men of note and influence in their communities. Elisha Mackerly, the second son in order of birth, was for many years a merchant at New Petersburg, where he ended his days. Louis and Michael Mackerly engaged in the manufacture of wheeled vehicles at Rainsboro and became famous for the excellence of their work. They turned out the first buggy built in Highland county and in ten years made three hundred and ten of these vehicles, all of ele- gant design and superior workmanship. At a later period, Michael Mackerly was engaged, for many years, in merchandising, and subse- quently embarked in sawmilling and carriage manufacturing at South Salem, of which town he served as postmaster and died in 1895. Of the children of Michael Mackerly, Sr., Henry was for several years engaged in the clothing business at Greenfield ; Lucinda married Dr. John Wilson of Washington Court House, Ohio; Mary M. became the wife of James Douglass, the well known farmer of Madison township; Emily M. is the wife of Judge Alfred S. Dickey, and Sarah, now Mrs. Norman, is living in New Jersey. Albert M. Mackerly, second child in order of birth of Michael Mackerly, Jr., was born and bred in Highland county, and obtained superior edu- cational advantages as he grew to manhood. After attending the excellent academy at South Salem he entered Miami university at Oxford, Ohio, where he was given a diploma entitling him to the degree of A. B. and A. M. The following two years were devoted to study of the law in the office of Judge Alfred Dickey, afterward completed under the tutelage of Hon. Henry L. Dickey, who repre- sented the old Sixth district in Congress for two terms. Subse- quently, Mr. Mackerly matriculated in the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and was graduated as B. L. with the class of 1875. In 1877, he entered upon the practice of his profession at Greenfield and two years later was admitted to practice in the United States court at Cincinnati. In addition to his law practice, Mr. Mackerly has been interested in the real estate business in association with Mr. Caldwell. He has been active in politics and popular with his party associates. In 1892 he was elected mayor of Greenfield and served two years; was again elected in 1898 and reelected in 1900; and at the last general election was
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a candidate for the Ohio state senate on the Democratic ticket. In 1894 Mr. Mackerly was married to Mrs. Ella Bell, a popular and accomplished lady of Greenfield. He is a member of the Presby- terian church at South Salem and of the Knights of Pythias frater- nity.
Eli Martin, deserving of note among the enterprising and suc- cessful farmers of White Oak township, was born in that township, December 25, 1854, on the farm now owned by his father, William Martin. The latter was born June 21, 1816, son of Andrew Martin, one of the pioneers of Highland county, whose descendants are now numbered among the most worthy people of the region. William Martin was reared in the pioneer home and educated in the log school house of his day, and in early manhood was married to Abigail Gib- ler, also a native of Highland county. They had their home upon a farmi of 128 acres in White Oak township until the death of the mother in 1861. A few years later, having married a second time, to Elizabeth Roberts, Mr. Martin moved to Concord township, where he is still living, at the age of eighty-six years, one of the oldest of the survivors of the early days, a devoted member of the United Brethren church, and held in high esteem by the many who recall his many years of prominence and influence in the affairs of the township. He had twelve children by his first marriage-James, living in Brown county ; Daniel, deceased ; Millie, of Adams county ; Cynthia, of Brown county; Sarah, deceased; Mollie and Josie, of Fayette county ; Rilda, of White Oak township; Martha, of Mowrys- town; Eli, the subject of this sketch; William, living on the old homestead, and Henry, in Fayette county. Eli Martin was reared at the White Oak township homestead, and educated in the district school. In early manhood he was married to Ella Hicks, daughter of Wilson and Rachel Hicks, respected and well-known early settlers, and the young couple began their married life in Concord township. Two years later they moved to White Oak township, and in 1894 he bought the farm of sixty acres where they now live. Three children have been born to them-Denver C., Carlis W., and Glenn, all living at home. Mr. Martin is a valued citizen, he and his wife are mem- bers of the Christian church, and he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and in politics a Democrat, like his father. In 1902 he held the office of assessor for White Oak township.
Edgar J. Martin, M. D., a popular young physician of Greenfield, Ohio, comes of a family which for four generations has had repre- sentatives in the medical profession. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all doctors of eminence. The first mentioned, the late Dr. A. J. Martin, was for years one of the leading physi- cians of Wilmington, Ohio. He was educated at Norwalk and was
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graduated as M. D. at the Cleveland Medical college in 1859. He located without delay in Wilmington, and, with the exception of one year while he was with the Seventy-ninth Ohio regiment during the Civil war, he was in continuous practice until his death in 1898. His son, E. J. Martin, inherited the family predilection for medicine and lost no time in preparing himself for the profession. He was born in Clinton county and educated in the public schools of Wil- mington. With this literary equipment he entered the Medical col- lege of Ohio and by diligent attendance and close study received his diploma as M. D. in 1889. Immediately after graduation, Dr. Martin located in Cincinnati, where he practiced five years, during most of that time being assistant surgeon of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern railroad company. In 1894, he took up his residence at Greenfield, where he has since remained with a widening patron- age and increasing prospects of success.
John Allen Martin, a well-to-do farmer of Marshall township and veteran of the Civil war, comes of one of the old families of High- land county. His grandparents were William and Nancy (Mason) Martin, Pennsylvanians who came to Ohio in 1820 and located in Highland county and reared the following named children: Keziah, Hannah, William, Nancy and Mary Ann. William Martin, junior, was born in Pennsylvania, January 26, 1811, and married Mary Ann, daughter of Jacob and Sarah (McKnight) Moyers. The chil- dren of this union were: Clarissa, who married Christopher C. Underwood and died in 1891: Ann Eliza, who married William C. Fenner and died in. 1902; John A., subject of this sketch; Wilson Howell, who was taken prisoner during the civil war and confined at Libby and Danville, dying at the latter place; Sarah Jane, wife of Jacob W. Lucas, who resides near St. Joseph, Mo .; Joseph Perry, died at the age of thirty-two; Lydia V., the wife of Theodore F. Brown, of Washington Court House; and Luella, wife of James T. Miller, a farmer of Marshall township. Mrs. Martin, the venerable mother of these children, was born February 28, 1813, now resides with her daughter, Mrs. Luella Miller, and is approaching her nine- tieth year. John Allen Martin, the third in order of the children, was born at the parental home in Highland county, April 4, 1838, and as he grew up learned the business of farming which he has followed all his life. In July, 1863, he enlisted in Company A, Second regiment Ohio heavy artillery, with which he remained until mustered out of the service in August, 1865. While serving with this battery, Mr. Martin took part in the battle at Strawberry Plains and other minor engagements during the campaigns in East Ten- nessee. Since the war he has been engaged in farming, has served as trustee of Marshall township several terms and performed the duties of director of schools. November 7, 1861, he was married
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to Emeline Tedrow, by whom he had two children: Carrie Kate, wife of Lewis Bevan, of Missouri, and Elizabeth Della, wife of G. M. Ansbach, of Iowa. Their mother dying, Mr. Martin was married August 22, 1872, to Celinda Bell. Their children are: Eva M., at home; Anna Belle, died in infancy ; Luella, teacher in the public schools; Charles Chenowith, also a teacher ; Cora Emma, died in in- fancy; William Brown, Clara and John Joseph at home. Mrs. Martin is a daughter of Thomas Bell, who came to this country from England when twenty-two years old, and married Susan Montgom- ery. Their children, brothers and sisters of Mrs. Martin are: Andrew S. Bell, a farmer and dairyman of Madison county ; Nelson, who died in the Union army ; John, a Union soldier who died after the war; and Eva, wife of Caleb B. Lucas of St. Joseph, Mo. The half sisters of Mrs. Martin are Lacy, widow of Robert Thomas, and Elizabeth, resident of Madison county.
Martin Luther Matthews, secretary of the Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Association, of Greenfield, O., is a man who deserves well both as a neighbor and citizen. His father, James D. Matthews, was one of the old settlers of Concord township, Ross county, of which he served as assessor, and was identified with the agricultural inter- est of that community for many years. In 1880 he retired from active business and removed to Greenfield, where he lived until his death, which occurred in 1896. He married Mary A. Wilson, of Ross county, by whom he had three children. James H. Matthews, the eldest of these, was in the business of photography at Greensburg, Ind., and died in Indianapolis in 1898. William E., youngest of the family, has been engaged in the shoe manufacturing business at Lancaster, Ohio. Martin L. Matthews was born and reared in Ross county, Ohio, educated at the South Salem Academy and afterward taught school nine years. In 1888 he located at Greenfield and em- barked in the creamery business, but after one year a disastrous fire, which completely destroyed the equipment, put an end to his ambi- tion in this direction, and he resumed his veterinary practice. In 1897, he was elected to the office of justice of the peace and two years later was chosen secretary of the Farmers Mutual fire insurance asso- ciation, which has a capital of $2,000,000.00. He also has the agency for a number of insurance companies doing business in adjoining counties with Greenfield as his headquarters. The associ- ation of which he is secretary does business in ten townships, four of which are in Fayette county, three in Ross and three in Highland counties. Mr. Matthews is a man of many talents and manages to make himself useful in many ways. Among his other accomplish- ments is his skill in veterinary surgery, in which department of med- ical science he has considerable reputation. He lends a hand in poli- tics and is generally in the thick of the fray when a heated political
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campaign is in progress, and does what he can to suppress any form of dishonesty and lawlessness by acting as secretary for the Anti- Horse-Thief detective association. Though he has met his full share of financial reverses, he is not to be discouraged but comes up again undaunted to continue the battle of life. In 1874 he was married to Catherine M., daughter of William Long, of Ross county, and they have an only child, Jennie A. Matthews. The family are communi- cants of the First Presbyterian church, in Greenfield, of which Mr. Matthews has for some years been deacon.
G. J. Mayerhoefer, the energetic and popular pastor of St. Mary's (Roman Catholic) church at Hillsboro, though he has only been a resident of the parish a few years, has already gained distinction as a progressive and resourceful man both in affairs spiritual and secu- lar. As the name would imply he is of German lineage, his parents being George J. and Anna Eve (Haidt) Mayerhoefer, who came from the fatherland and settled in Cincinnati about the middle of the nineteenth century. Father Mayerhoefer was born in Cincin- nati, July 24, 1871, and after he reached suitable age entered the excellent parochial schools of St. Francis de Sales, on Walnut Hills in his native city. At the age of fourteen he matriculated at the famous Notre Dame university, of South Bend, Ind., and spent the next four years in passing through the various grades of its elaborate curriculum. Thus equipped with a fine classical education, the young student entered Mt. Saint Mary's seminary at Cincinnati and took a thorough course in philosophy and theology at that popular institution. All this long and arduous study was but the prelim- inary to entrance into holy orders, and Father Mayerhoefer's ordi- nation to the priesthood took place June 19, 1894, as he was nearing the twenty-third year of his age. From that time for nearly six years he was assistant pastor at St. Lawrence church in Cincinnati, and April 26, 1900, was transferred to the parish of Hillsboro where he has since remained. Father Mayerhoefer now has spiritual care over nearly one hundred families, with whom he is quite popular in his pastoral relations, and his business ability has been thoroughly demonstrated by the tact and energy with which he put through the erection of the extensive additions to St Mary's church. As St. Mary's was established in 1852, it will complete its semi-centennial of existence in 1902, and it is the intention to dedicate the remodeled structure at that time with a celebration in the nature of a golden jubilee.
John A. Mercer, M. D., a popular physician of Rainsboro and conspicuous in connection with various fraternal orders, is an Indi- anian by birth and of Irish parentage. His father, Thomas Mercer, who was born in county Down, crossed the ocean in 1833 when a
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boy seven years old, with his parents, who made their first home in Pennsylvania. This, however, was but temporary, as after a few years they removed to Baltimore and from there went first to Illinois, then to Iowa, where they died. Their son Thomas remained at home until he was about nineteen years of age, when he engaged in school teaching and followed that occupation ten or twelve years. He then entered the ministry of the United Presbyterian church, his first charge being in Indiana and the second at Jackson, Ohio. In the latter place he married Rebecca J., daughter of Archibald Hunter, and of Pennsylvanian nativity. The first housekeeping done by the newly wedded couple was in Clinton county, Ind., but later they returned to Jackson, Ohio, and spent four years in that city. The next move was to Decatur, in Brown county, Ohio, where ten years were passed, after which Mr. Mercer took up his residence in Adams county, where he still lives in retirement. Of his six children three, Margaret E., Mary J. and Emma B. are dead, the latter being drowned at five years of age while crossing a stream in Indiana with her parents. The three living are John A., William H., a physician at Raymond, Ill., and Thomas H., a resident of Adams county. John A. Mercer, eldest of the living children, was born in Clinton county, Ind., April 25, 1866, and remained at home until he began the study of medicine with Dr. A. Ellison, of Duncansville, Ohio. He attended lectures both in Cincinnati and Louisville, Ky., being given a diploma by the Medical college in the latter city with the class of 1888. After graduating, Dr. Mercer first located at Wake- field, in Pike county, Ohio, but before the year was out came to Rainsboro where he has since practiced his profession. Dr. Mercer is quite prominent in the fraternal orders, having filled every chair in Odd Fellowship, all the offices of the Knights of Pythias besides being representative to the grand lodge two years, and has occupied several chairs in the Masonic lodge. He holds membership in the following orders: Rainsboro lodge, No. 453, Knights of Pythias ; New Petersburg lodge, No. 211, Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; Greenfield Blue lodge, No. 318, Greenfield chapter, No. 133, Hills- boro council, No. 16, and Highland commandery, No. 31, in Free Masonry ; and Greenfield lodge, No. 717, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Dr. Mercer married Edith B., daughter of Dr. D. N. McBride of Rainsboro, and they have two children, Harry Mc. and Mary O. The family are communicants of the Methodist Episcopal church and quite popular in the social circles of Highland county.
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