USA > Ohio > Clinton County > The history of Clinton County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; history of the Northwest territory, Volume 2 > Part 99
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JAMES VILLARS, farmer, P. O. Clarksville, is a son of the wealthiest and most prominent farmers in this part of the county. He is a son of James and Rebecca (Davidson) Villars, and was born in Jefferson Township, Greene Co., Penn., October 28, 1800. He was reared on a farm. In April, 1806, his parents moved to Deerfield, Warren Co., Ohio, where they remained one year, and then moved to Washington Township, same county, where they bought a farm of fifty acres, where the Widow Kirk now lives. They afterward purchased 100 acres near by. In the summer of 1812, they purchased 364 acres of land in this township, adjoining the farm where our subject now lives. They did not move here till the fall of 1813, when they had some land cleared and other improvements made, also had a crop to harvest. They had eight children, five sons and three daughters, of whom only three sons are now living. In August, 1823, James, Sr., died, and the care of the family and charge of the farm fell to James, Jr. He purchased the interests of the other heirs
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in the homestead, and lived at home with his mother. He was married in Cuba, this county, June 15, 1830, to Frances Gregg. They had ten children, six now living- John W., Mary D., Rachel, Hiram J., Jane F. and Alfred T .; the deceased were named Rebecca, George W., James . M. and Samuel H. After traveling together through this life over half a century, Mrs. Villars departed June 7, 1881. In 1837, Mr. Villars bought the farm where he now lives of 361 acres, but did not move on it till the spring of 1848. Mr. Villars has always been a hard-working, industrious man, and through careful management has accumulated quite a large amount of land. He now owns 1400 acres of land in this county, 600 acres in Clark and Union Counties, Ill., besides 1200 acres he has given to his children. He also built a fine brick chapel on part of his land at a cost of $10,000, which he presented to the Methodist Protestant denomination, of which himself and wife were members a num- ber of years, joining together in 1845, although they formerly belonged to the M. E. Church, which Mr. Villars joined in 1822. He also bought the Baptist Church of Clarksville, on which he expended about $3,000, and still owns. He was a local Deacon in the M. P. Church, a number of years, and is at present local Elder, which position he has held several years. Has been one of the Trustees ever since he built the church in 1868. A number of years ago, Mr. Villars held the offices of Town- ship Trustee and Supervisor several years.
JAMES VILLARS' first schooling was obtained in 1807, in a small round.log cabin, daubed with mud, stick and clay chimney, roofed with clapboards, and a dirt floor, and stood about thirty rods west of the iron bridge, and north of the turnpike, and about three-fourths of a mile west of Clarksville. The windows of this building consisted of greased paper stretched across an opening cut into the logs, extending the whole length of the building, about as wide as a pane of glass. When he was eight or nine years of age, he attended school in a log house somewhat similar to the above. This house stood about one and one-half miles southwest from where William Van Doren now lives, in Washington Township, Warren County. The third school le attended was in a log schoolhouse with a stick and clay chimney, in each end, with a writing desk through the center ; it stood between a one-fourth and one-half mile south of where the Mount Pleasant Meeting-House now stands, in Vernon Township. ITis fourth experience in schooling was in a vacated log house, two and one-half miles cast of Clarksville, on the banks of Sewell's Run, having to walk three miles. The fifth and last schooling was in a building formerly used as a horse mill, which was fitted up and used as a Methodist Chapel, in Wilmington, being the first Methodist Chapel ever built in Wilmington, it was also used for school purposes ; it was a frame building and stood on the same ground now occupied by the Methodist Chapel, in Wilmington. James Villars was given 150 acres of uncleared land by his father; he has now added to it, so that he has 1,400 acres here, 600 in the West, and has already given away to his children 1,200 acres of land. The religious meetings that Mr. Villars attended when a boy were held in the log houses of the settlers, and alternated from house to house, as convenience dictated. The meetings held were principally Methodist, New Lights or Christian and Baptist. The first preacher he recollects of hearing was a Baptist preacher, about 1807-by name, Joshua Carmen, grandfather of Dr. Carmen, of Martinsville. The meeting was held in the house of Timothy Titus, on what is known as the Rochester road, two miles west of Clarksville, near the present Union Meeting-House, and during the summer he preached from a stand in the woods, near where Charles Hadley now lives, and in bad. weather in Smalley's mill house. The first Methodist preacher was James Davidson ; he preached in a log cabin on the banks of Cowan's Creek, one-half mile west of the bridge, near Clarksville, on the north side of the creek ; the house was occupied by William Austin. The second Methodist preacher was William Austin ; he preached in a log house occupied by Mr. Villars' father. The first house of worship that Mr. Villars remembers was erected on land donated by his · father ; it was log, and stood on land where the present frame church stands at Mount Pleasant. Their principal market in those days was Cincinnati ; everything had to be hauled by wagon, with a four or six horse team. Mr. Villars has often made the trip
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when it would take six to ten days to make the trip, oftentimes sleeping overnight in his wagons ; they would get 40 to 75 cents for wheat ; fine flour, 82.50 per barrel ; corn was sold at 11 cents per bushel ; port at $2.50 net, etc. The young people of those days thought they were well fixed if they had a horse and saddle to use. He remembers it was a proud day when he secured his first saddle. James Villars, Sr., the father of our subject, started from near Jeffersontown, Greene Co., Penn., with his wife and five chil- dren, in 1806, on April 6-John, Mary, James, William and Rachel ; his wife's maiden , name was Rebecca Davidson. They procured a flat-boat, on which, with their family, goods and two horses, they floated down the Monongahela River on their way to seek homes in the West. When near Wheeling, the boat ran against a rock and was stove in-which caused a delay of two weeks at Wheeling in order to make a new boat ; with the latter they floated on down the Ohio River to Cincinnati; the only means for a fire on the trip was an eightcen gallon iron kettle, in which the fire was made; at Cincin- nati they hired a man and team and brought his effects to Deerfield, where he rented a little cabin on the bank of Turtle Creek. The night of his arrival, his son George was born ; soon afterward he rented a field and house near Lebanon, and raised a crop of corn that summer ; that fall he moved near Clarksville and rented a house. The second season he bought fifty acres of land, about one and one-half miles west of Clarksville; he afterward bought and owned 670 acres at his death (which occurred on the farm where his son George Villars lives, then his residence), on the 28th of August, 1823. His wife died January 16, 1852. George, Rebecca and Hiram, their children, were born in Warren County. Himself and wife were both very religious people, and were members of the Methodist Church for many years.
STEPHEN WHITAKER, farmer, P. O. Clarksville, is the third of twelve sons of James and Mary (Adams) Whitaker; was born in Lebanon, Warren County, Ohio, in 1824. He was reared on a farm. When seven years old, his parents moved to Butler County, where they both died. Stephen resided in Huntsville, and was mar- ried, in 1850, to Sarah A., daughter of Andrew and Sarah A. Irvin. They had eleven children, six now living-Irvin, John, Lena, Ella, Samuel and Joseph. Mr. Whita- ker moved to this township in 1850, and in 1870 he bought 104} acres of land in the southeast part of the township. Iu 1877, he also bought the farm where he now lives, of fifty-three acres, near Clarksville, on the Cuba pike; he also owns Lot 49 in W. H. Baldwin's Addition to Blanchester. Mr. Whitaker is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, and himself and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Six brothers of Mr. Whitaker's served in the late war.
HENRY C. WISBY, farmer, P. O. Blanchester, son of Lewis and Agnes (Clark) Wisby, was born in Cincinnati August 20, 1858. His father is an old resident of that city, and is at present acting as Assistant Fire Marshal. Henry came to this township in 1876, and worked at farming one season, and then took the farm where he now re- sides of 185 acres, owned by his father, where he makes a speciality of fine blooded stock. He has six registered head of Alderneys, named as follows : Nellie O'Brien, Minnie Gomme, Maude Wisby, Oakley Queen, Jacob Strader and Ephraim Bates, besides a number of half-bloods. He also has some very fine Poland-China hogs, and six head of pure-blooded Cotswold sheep. Mr. Wisby is doing much to introduce fine stock in his neighborhood, being of the opinion that it costs no more to keep good stock than an inferior grade. He was married near Bainbridge, Pike Co., Ohio, March 17, 1881, to Ida, daughter of Benjamin and Martha Cole, born near Blanchester. They have one son-Charley, born January 2, 1882.
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CAPT. ISAAC B. ALLEN, farmer, P. O. Cuba, late Captain of Company C. Seventy-ninth Regiment Volunteer Infantry, in the civil war, was born in Chenango County, N. Y., June 17, 1824. When ten years of age his parents, Timothy and Patience Allen, removed to Medina County, Ohio, and in 1836 to Pike County, where he was reared to manhood. In 1846, he began teaching, which he followed six years. He read law in the mean time with Col. O. F. Moore, of Portsmouth, and was admitted to the bar at Piketown October 1, 1852. November 22 following, he engaged in the practice of law in Marysville, Union County. January 16, 1856, he removed to Wil. mington, and resumed his profession. He established a very lucrative business, and at the outbreak of the rebellion, April 22, 1861, he enlisted in Company B, Twelfth Reg. iment. On May 15, he was chosen Second Lieutenant, and served three months. He aided in recruiting Capts. Miller's, Haworth's, Moon's and Higgins' companies. He re- cruited more soldiers than any other man in Clinton County. The fall of 1861 he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Clinton County. He resigned this office July 21, 1862, and the same day was assigned the captaincy of Company C, Seventy-ninth Reg- iment. This company was known as the Allen Guards. Capt. Allen resigned his offi - cial position April 23, 1863, on account of disability. He was a patriotic soldier, and efficient officer, and eminently deserves this tribute. On account of ill health, Capt. Allen did not resume the practice of law. In 1865, he removed to his farm in Wash- ington Township, and lived eight years, then returned to Wilmington and practiced to some extent till October, 1881, when he returned to his farm. Capt. Allen was mar- ried February 5, 1857, to Eliza W. Gaither, daughter of Henry and Arianna (Hughes) Gaither. Mrs. Allen was born in Georgetown, D. C., May 13, 1826. Two children are living-Effie, born September 1, 1860, and Alfred G., born July 23, 1867. Ed- ward R. is deceased. Mrs. Allen is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Allen is a Democrat politically ; he owns a good farm of 180 acres.
WILLIAM BAKER, deceased, was born in Nicholas County, Ky., March 1, 1805. He was the third son and sixth child of Jacob and Barbara Baker. In 1820, his father died, and soon after he came to this county. In 1833, he purchased eighty acres of the homestead, which was then all woods. Few were the roads that were yet made, and very inferior were the improvements. Mr. Baker was an honest, industrious, hard-working man, and by these means he acquired good property, owning at the time of his death 370 acres of finely improved and cultivated land. In 1850. he erected on his farm a commodious frame residence. April 11, 1833, he was married to Miss Sarah Brown, daughter of Asa and Anna Brown. Mrs. Baker, a native of Washington Township, was born July 13, 1811. Of eleven children, nine are living, viz., Jefferson, born December 11, 1836 ; Barbara, born December 24, 1838, wife of John Deck ; Anna, born December 22, 1840, wife of Amos W. Lieurance ; Nancy, born January 22, 1843, wife of William Clevenger, and died in August 1864 ; Elisha, born April 10, 1846 ; Sarah R., born October 27, 1847, wife of James P. Roberts ; William, born September 14, 1849 ; Maranda, born January 19, 1851, wife of Frank Fisher ; Clarinda, born January 8, 1853, wife of J. W. Crouse ; Emily, born March 26, 1858, wife of Isaac Crouse; and Rebecca, deceased. Mr. Baker departed this life June 16, 1872, after a life of earnest labor and successful industry. '
JOHN C. BARNES, farmer, P. O. Cuba, second son of Ezra and Anna Barnes, was born near Hagerstown, Md., May 7, 1831. His parents settled in Washington , Township in 1836, and died here in subsequent years. Mr. Barnes, our subject, was reared to manhood on a farm, and has always followed its pursuits. He was married, March 18, 1856, to Miss Anna Brown, daughter of Asa and Anna Brown. She was
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born in this township July 26, 1826. Seven children were born ; of these five are liv- ing, viz., Rosena M., born March 16, 1857, wife of Charles D. Mckenzie ; Emerson W., born June 24, 1858 ; Lemma M., born December 26, 1859; Chilton V., born February 1, 1864, and Effie E., born October 3, 1871. Luther D. and an infant son are deceased. The former was born July 6, 1870, and died August 25, 1870. In 1856, Mr. Barnes located on this farm, which contains seventy-seven acres of well-im- proved land. He is by occupation a farmer and stock-raiser, and is successful in his pursuits.
WILLIAM BATES, P. O. Cuba, a representative farmer of Washington Town- ship, was born in Monroe County, N. Y., January 28, 1817. His father, Thomas Bates, was born in Derbyshire, England, February 2, 1790, and emigrated to America with his parents in 1805. They settled in Oneida County, where they died in subse- quent years. Mrs. Bates, nee Miss Sarah Hollister, our subject's mother, was born in Fairfield County, Conn., February 25, 1795. They were married, and in 1836 came to Warren County. Mrs. Bates died near Springboro, May 3, 1853. In 1855, Mr. Bates came to Washington Township, where he died November 20, 1856. William, the sub- ject of this sketch, is the oldest of a family of twelve children. When of age, he gave his attention to the carpenter trade, which he learned and followed for seventeen years. In 1856, he came to this township, and since 1859, has pursued farming and stock- raising as a business. March 20, 1845, he was married to Miss Phoebe Jenks, daugh- ter Patten and Polly Jenks. Mrs. Bates, a native of Berkshire County, Mass., was born August, 1824. One son and three daughters were the children of this union. Three are living-Jerusha A., born October 15, 1846, married George H. Smith, deceased, and has two children-Edmund J. and Frank R .; David W., born October 20, 1851, married Mary Lorea ; and Sarah J., born December 25, 1856, mar- ried Ira Hodson. Elsina L., born July 9, 1849, and died June 4, 1879. Mr. Bates owns a finely improved farm of one hundred and twenty-eight acres, and he is ranked with the first-class farmers of Washington Township. In politics, he entertains purely Republican sentiments.
HENRY BATES, farmer and bee-raiser, P. O. Cuba, was born in Monroe Coun- ty, N. Y., December 20, 1825. He is a son of Thomas and Sarah (Hollister) Bates, who came to this county in 1836. Mr. Bates was reared to manhood on a farm. The year before he was of age, he took up the carpenter trade, which he followed till 1857. He located on his present farm the same year. He pursued farming up to 1875, when he turned his attention to the culture and raising of bees. He has since adopted the Ital- ian bee, and now possesses an apiary of eighty-three stands of that species, besides a few stands of other kinds. He claims that he has improved the principle of arranging a bee-house for the comfort and preservation of bees in winter, by furnishing artificial heat, which is condemned by some bee-men. Mr. Bates has been eminently successful with bees, and always has on hand bees and honey for sale. Mr. Bates' marriage took place March 20, 1850, to Eliza A. Nichols, daughter of Thornton T. and Eleanor Bates. Mrs. Bates was born in Clarksville, April, 1831. Mr. and Mrs. Bates have been blessed with three children -- Charles T., Harry T. and Walter T. Mrs. Bates is an as- sociate member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Bates is a Republican in his political affiliations. He owns a farm of one hundred and twenty acres with good im- provements.
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WILLARD BATES, farmer, P. O. Cuba. This model farmer of Washington Township was born in Monroe County, N. Y., August 7, 1830. He is the youngest son of Thomas and Sarah Bates. His early life and manhood were passed principally in the region of' Clinton County. August 31, 1851, he was joined in matrimony with Miss Eliza Kisling, daughter of William and Martha Kisling. Mrs. Bates is a native of Warren County, and was born August 14, 1832. Eight children were the fruits of this marriage, viz., Alfred, born August 23, 1852 ; Martha E., born January 21, 1854; William K., born March 9, 1856; Horace, born November 2, 1858; Isabell, born November 24, 1860 ; Clara E., born May 15, 1862; Lewis, born August 25, 1869 ; and Eliza, born November 5, 1871. Mr. Bates located on his present farm in 1855.
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It contains 1702 acres of well-improved land. Mr. Bates is a real scientific farmer, and by closely devoting his time and attention, has made the business an enviable success. Ile and wife are members of the Universalist Church. Politically, he votes Repub- lican.
EPHRAIM BATSON, farmer, P. O. Clinton Valley, son of Samuel and Eliza- beth Batson, was born near Westboro November 30, 1826. He is the oldest of a family of nine children, of whom eight are living. He was reared and brought up to farming till eighteen years of age, when he took up the carpenter trade and followed it five years. In 1853, he located on the farm he now occupies, and has since been en- gaged in agriculture. His marriage took place January 22, 1853, to Miss Louisa A. Wright, daughter of James and Elizabeth Wright. She was born in Clark Township January 22, 1829, and dicd August 9, 1878. Six children were added to this mar- riage ; of these, four are living, viz., Christopher H., born November 24, 1853 (married Maria Moon) ; Jesse G., born November 2, 1857 (married Clara Hodson) ; George W., born April 25, 1861, and Sarah A., born November 26, 1864. Isabella and Jemima are deceased. Mr. Batson served as School Director for twenty-eight years. Politically, he is a Democrat. He owns a good farm of 121 acres, and is engaged in farming and raising stock.
HENRY BERLIN, farmer, P. O. Cuba. This well-to-do farmer of Washington Township was born in Frederick County, Va., June 28, 1822. He is the second son of Jacob and Mary (Crouse) Berlin, who were also natives of Fredcrick County. At the tender age of four years, his father died, and from his early youth he had to assist in supporting his mother and family. In 1840, she removed to Clinton County, and settled in Washington Township, where her death occurred in March, 1863. When a young man, our subject formed tastes for farming and has always followed that voca- tion with good success. In 1850, he moved near Wilmington, where he lived nine years and returned to Cuba ; thence, to his present farm, in 1867, which contains 235 acres of finely-improved land. He also owns 137 acres near Burtonville, and fifteen acres of woodland in the southern part of Washington Township. Mr. Berlin also raise? stock to considerable extent, in connection with agriculture. He was married September 5, 1841, to Miss Hannah Crouse, by whom he has had seven children ; six are living-Mary E. (wife of Samuel Carpenter), William H., John M., James, Charles E. and Rhoda E. ; Jacob is deceased. Mr. Berlin served his township in the office of Trustee for three terms. His political views are with the Democratic party.
RHODA BIGGS, daughter of Oliver Whitaker, was born in New Jersey in the year 1799, and in the year 1804 emigrated with her father to the then new State of Ohio, coming by way of Wheeling and the Ohio River to Cincinnati, where her father remained but a short time, and from whence he removed to near Clarksville, this county, where he lived one 'year with Judge Burr, whose wife was a sister of Oliver Whitaker. This was in the year 1805. Their nearest neighbor at that time was Mor- · gan Van Meter, who lived twelve miles to the east. Her father opened a farm uear the present site of Villars' Chapel, where they lived until about the year 1816, when they removed on Cowan's Creek and settled in Col. Thomas Ridley's Survey, No. 2,028. About this time, Aunt Rhoda says, Col. Ridley came to her father's from Virginia, the visit being made on horseback with his colored servant. The Colonel is represented by Aunt Rhoda as being a middle-aged gentleman, dressed scrupulously clean, with buch. skin overalls, which the colored servant removed on his alighting from his horse, leav. ing him, as Aunt Rhoda expressed it, like he had jumped out of a " band-box." This visit of Col. Ridley's was caused by some imposters infringing on his right as owner of several military surveys in the Virginia Military Reservation. At this time, says Mrs. Biggs, there was no church in all that part of the country. Occasionally an itinerant preacher would pass through, and when they did, they usually called on their neighbor, Judge Sewell, who lived one-half mile west of them, where they would go to hear preaching. After they removed to Cowan's Creek, they attended church at Wilson's Mill, near where the road leading from Wilmington to Georgetown crosses the creek. These meetings were held by what was then known as the Covenanters. In 1818,
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Rhoda was married to William B. Biggs, with whom she lived fifty-four years, raising a large family of children, many of whom reside in this county. Her husband died in the year 1873. If space would permit, we could insert many anecdotes and reminis- cences connected with the carly settlements which were related to us by our subject. Aunt Rhoda is at this writing in her cighty-third year, a halc, hearty, intelligent old lady.
ALEXANDER BROWN, farmer, P. O. Cuba, a worthy pioneer of Washington Township, was born in the place of his residence, August 1, 1813. He is a son of Asa and Anna Brown, of Maine and Kentucky, respectively. They were married in Ken- tucky, and removed to this county about 1807, and settled in what is now Washington Township, where they were among the first settlers. Mr. Brown bought fifty acres of the original surveyors, and settled on it and cleared up a home. They both died in subsequent years, after long lives of usefulness. Our subject is the second son of his father, and was reared to manhood surrounded with all the elements of primeval nature, and was educated in the pioneer schools, which in no way were very excellent. He aided his father in clearing up a farm and in other public improvements. Mr. Brown embarked on " life's sea " with rather limited means, but by his untiring energy and in- dustry he has acquired a sufficient competency to insure his last days ones of pleasure and retirement. He owns a valuable farm, of 186 acres, on which he located in Oc- tober of 1842. All the improvements that it enjoys were placed there by Mr. Brown. His marriage occurred August 11, 1836, to Miss Malinda Mann, daughter of Jacob and Catharine Mann. Mrs. Brown was born June 25, 1816, and died April 15, 1873. The . four children are as follows: Jane, born May 10, 1837, wife of F. F. Mitchell ; Nancy, born May 18, 1842, wife of Dr. S. B. Judkins ; George W., born January 23, 1846, married Martha J. Athia; and Henry L., born January 10, 1854, married Miss Elmira Bales. Mr. Brown's second marriage occurred January 27, 1873, with Mrs. Lizzie H. Cummins, widow of Norman Cummins, by whom she had one child-Jesse L. Cummins. Mrs. Brown was born in Highland County, October 12, 1823. Her first husband was Jesse Hundley. Two children were the fruits of this union-John D. and Wiley W. Mrs. Brown is connected with the Lutheran Church, and Mr. Brown's religious views are Universalist. Politically, he adopts Republican doctrines and principles.
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