CHRISTOPHER McCRACKEN, Infirmary Director at Chesterville, was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, July 15, 1826, the second son of Joseph McCracken.  When ten years of age Christopher came to Ohio, and attended the schools of Holmes county, completing his education at Chesterville at the age of nineteen years.  He then learned and followed the blacksmith’s trade in Franklin township, and afterward embarked in the grocery business at Chesterville two different times.  He still occasionally works at his trade.  In August, 1861, Mr. McCracken enlisted for service in the late war, entering Company A, Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in the three years’ service.  At the close of his three years’ service he veteranized at Vicksburg.  He was first appointed Sergeant, later Orderly Sergeant, and afterward promoted to First Lieutenant, serving in that capacity until the close of the struggle.  He took part in all the battles in which his regiment participated, including Fort Donelson and both days at Shiloh.  At Atlanta Mr. McCracken was wounded in the left ear by the explosion of a shell.  He was mustered out of service in July, 1865, having participated in the grand parade at Washington.  Mr. McCracken is a charter member of John Bayne Post, G. A. R., of Chesterville, and forty-two years ago became a member of the I. O. O. F., having been one of the first initiated in that order.  He has passed all the chairs in the latter lodge, and has also been a member of the encampment.  In his political relations he affiliates with the Republican party, has served as Trustee of Chester township five years, been a member of the School Board, has frequently been a delegate to county conventions, and is now serving as Infirmary Director of Morrow county.  He has also been a member of the City Council of Chesterville.
     In 1848 Mr. McCracken was united in marriage with Elizabeth States, who was born in Tompkins county, New York, September 30, 1829, a daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Hinckley) States, natives of New York.  They came to Ohio in 1832, locating on a farm in Huron county, afterward spent seven years in Richland county, and in 1839 located at Center Corners, then called States Corners, having been named in honor of the States family.  Mr. and Mrs. States had nine children, all now deceased but Mrs. McCracken, who was the youngest of the family.  The parents were members of the Baptist Church, in which the father was one of the leading singers.  He was an active worker in the Whig party.  Christopher McCracken and wife are the parents of two children, W. Thurston, who married Lottie Trowbridge, resides in Cleveland.  They have one son, Fred. T.  Loa B., is the wife of James Thomas, of Chesterville.  Mr. and Mrs. McCracken are members of the Baptist Church, in which he is a Deacon.
Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 280-281
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

CAPT. JAMES E. McCRACKEN, who is a well known and most popular resident of Mt. Gilead, Morrow county, has passed a somewhat eventful life, and has attained a military record of marked brilliancy.  To him is due particular recognition in this work, whose purport is the reviewing of the lives of the representative citizens of this and two adjoining counties.
     His father, Robert McCracken, was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, being the son of James McCracken, who was born in the north of Ireland, and who came with his family to Pennsylvania in an early day.  Robert McCracken married Elizabeth Irwin, a native of this county (then a part of Knox county), and the daughter of Rev. James and Susan (Holt) Irwin, both of whom were born in New Jersey, and the latter of whom was the daughter of Evans Holt, a Revolutionary soldier.  James Holt participated in the war of 1812, having settled in that part of Ohio now comprised in Chester township, Morrow county, in 1820, and having been one of the pioneer clergymen of the Baptist Church in the Buckeye State.
     The paternal grandfather of our subject was one of the first settlers in Chester township, having located there about 1814.  He purchased a large tract of land and erected a large house, which was the voting place of the pioneer locality.  He passed the remainder of his life on this farm.
     The parents of our subject were married in Chester township and settled there, on a farm which had been given them by the father of the young man.  This continued to be their permanent home, and there both parents died.  They had four children, namely: Arminda, deceased, was the wife of George W. Freeman, of Union county, and had two children; Susan is the wife of George W. Freeman, and has three children; William W. married Mary Green, has two children, and resides in Mt. Gilead; and our subject is the youngest in the family.  After the death of his first wife the father consummated a second marriage and had one son, Charles E.  The mother was a devoted member of the Baptist Church.  Robert McCracken was a Democrat and a very active politician, being a man of considerable influence in his locality.
     James E. McCracken, the immediate subject of this review, was born in Chester township, Morrow (then Knox) county, February 10, 1841, remained there until the outbreak of the civil war, and received a good common-school education.
     April 22, 1861, he enlisted in the three-months’ service as a member of Company G, Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was recruited in the neighborhood of Chesterville.  During its term of service the regiment was engaged in guarding the line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in West Virginia.  At the end of his term of enlistment our subject returned home and was discharged from the three-months’ service.  August 18th of the same year he again enlisted, for three years, as a member of Company A, Twentieth Regiment, entering as a private, but being soon promoted to the rank of Corporal, serving as such until April, 1862, when he was promoted as Sergeant and served in that office until he veteranized, in January, 1864, when he was chosen Sergeant-Major of the old Twentieth, served one year, was then promoted Captain of Company A, and as such continued until he was mustered out.
     Into the details of his service as a member of the Twentieth Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry we cannot enter minutely, but deem it but consistent to incorporate the following brief review:  The regiment rendezvoused at Camp Chase, then at Camp King, back of Covington, Kentucky, until the expedition to Fort Donelson was organized, when it joined the forces thus sent forward and took part in the battle; after the fall Fort Donelson the regiment took charge of prisoners and conveyed them to various prisons in the North. Reassembled at Paducah, Kentucky, in March, 1862, and then joined Grant’s army on the Tennessee river, being among the first troops to land at Pittsburg Landing; then dropped to Crump’s Landing, moved out in the direction of Purdy and there remained until Sunday morning; then joined Grant’s army on the same night, taking part in the second day’s battle, in command of General Lew Wallace.  Took part in the siege of Corinth, then moved to Bolivar, Tennessee, and there remained all summer, scouting and foraging.  August 30, were attacked by Confederate General Van Dorn, at Middleburg, and under command of General Ross, routed Price and Van Dorn in the battle of Hatchie Ford; moved back to Bolivar, and joined Grant’s Mississippi Central campaign, being assigned to Logan’s division, the Third and Seventeenth Corps; moved down the Mississippi Central railroad toward Vicksburg, with almost daily skirmishes.  Their brigade was the farthest south of the entire body of infantry, and at Water Valley acted as rear guard on the retrograde movement.  They then moved back to Memphis, and February 22, 1863, took boats to Lake Providence, Louisiana; engaged in the work of cutting a canal with a view to securing access to the Red River below Vicksburg; March, 1863, were flooded out and compelled to abandon operations by reason of the tide of backwater; took steamers to Eagle Bend, on the Mississippi side, thence to Milliken’s Bend, where they remained until the blockade was run; then moved across to Grand Gulf.  May 1, crossed the river and participated in battle of Port Gibson, then moved to Hankins’ Ferry, where a lively skirmish took place; then moved in the direction of Jackson, Mississippi, and Logan’s division fought battle of Raymond, May 12, and the battle of Jackson two days later; started for Vicksburg, and on May 16, fought battle of Champion Hills; the succeeding day were in second line at battle of Big Black.  May 18 closed in on Vicksburg, May 22 engaged in the charge in front of Fort Hill: passed through the entire siege, and July 4, 1863, was present at surrender of Vicksburg, Logan’s division being the first to enter.  In August participated in the raid into western Louisiana, destroying the Shreveport & Texas railroad; remained at Vicksburg until December, 1863, when he re-enlisted, and in March following went to Meridian, Mississippi, participating in the raid made by General McPherson.  Captain McCracken arrived in Ohio in April, 1864, and received a furlough for that month, at the expiration of which he proceeded to Cairo, Illinois, thence by boat to Clifton, Tennessee, via Huntsville, Alabama, to Rome. Georgia, joining Sherman’s army at Big Shanty, the division being in command of General M. D. Liggett.  Participated with his regiment in the battles of Kenesaw Mountain and Nickojack; moved up the Chattahoochee river to Roswell’s factory, where they crossed and struck the line of the Augusta railroad, at Decatur.  Moved on to Atlanta and reached the earthworks July 21, 1864.  The great battle ensued the next morning and was the hardest fight our subject ever saw during his long term of active service.  July 27 his regiment was in the body which swung around twelve miles to extreme right of the army, effectually repulsing the precipitate attack made by Hood.  The regiment joined in the siege of Atlanta until September 1, then pulled out at night, moved to Jonesboro, where there was a hot conflict in which the Federal troops were victorious, as also at Lovejoy Station; then moved back to Atlanta, remained a few days, then followed Hood on his raid in rear of the city to the Smyrna camp ground, remaining there until November 10, when began the memorable march to the sea, the troops eating Christmas dinner in Savannah.  Our subject was then in command of his company as they moved to Beaufort, South Carolina, and participated in fight at Pocotaligo; then moved with the Army of the Tennessee forward to take part in the battle at Orangeburg, South Carolina, thence on to Columbia, taking part in the burning of that city.  Thereafter our subject participated with his regiment in the fights in turn at Cheraw, Fayetteville, Bentonville (where they encountered Johnston’s army), Goldsboro, and thence to Durham Station to the surrender of Johnston.  After this Captain McCracken accompanied Sherman’s army on to Washington and participated in the Grand Review, being thence ordered to Louisville, Kentucky, and being mustered out in August, 1865, having been with his regiment on every occasion when it was under fire.
     He left the army with shattered health, and the winter of 1865 he passed in Missouri, going thence in the spring to Fort Benton and then to Helena, Montana, where he engaged in gold mining for two years; he then returned home, and in the spring of 1869 went to California, via New York and the isthmus route, remaining there until 1871.  He then returned to Morrow county and engaged in the grocery business in Mt. Gilead until 1878, then removed to Cleveland and conducted a cold storage enterprise for five years.  Returned to Mt. Gilead in 1883, and was in the furniture trade until 1886, then teller in the Morrow County National Bank until December 31, 1887.  In that year he was elected Clerk of the courts and served as such until August 6. 1894.  In politics the Captain is a stalwart Republican, and fraternally he is a member of Mt. Gilead Lodge, No. 206, F. & A. M., and Hurd Post, No. 114, G. A. R., being Past Commander of the latter.  He is also identified with the Union Veterans’ League, and has held preferment in the same as officer of the day.
     Captain McCracken was married October 23, 1873, to Miss Elsie N. Rhodes, a daughter of John Rhodes.  She was born in Knox county. September 3, 1849, and was reared there.  She is a member of the Baptist Church.  Our subject and wife have one child, Sadie, born August 23, 1877.
Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 32-34
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

JOHN McCRACKEN, a farmer of Morrow county, is a son of Joseph McCracken, born in Bengal township, Washington county, Pennsylvania, August 8, 1800, a son of John and Hester McCracken.  The father, of Scotch-Irish descent, was one of the early pioneers of Pennsylvania, and remained there until his death.  Joseph McCracken was a harness-maker by trade, and remained in his native place until 1836, when he came to Ohio, locating on a farm in Holmes county.  From 1840 to 1850 he lived on a rented farm in Chester township, now Morrow county, spent the following ten years on a farm in Harmony township, and then returned to Chesterville.  His wife died there in 1874, and since that time he has made his home with his daughter one mile south of Chesterville, aged ninety-four years.  Mr. McCracken was married in Pennsylvania to Elizabeth Weirich, born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1809, a daughter of Christopher and Sarah Weirich, of Pennsylvania Dutch descent.  Joseph McCracken and wife had ten children, all of whom grew to years of maturity, namely: John, the subject of this sketch; Christopher, of Chesterville; Sarah, deceased; Samuel, a resident of Michigan; Wilson, deceased; Simon, of Centerburg, Ohio; Isaac, of Newark, Ohio; George, also of Centerburg; Hettie, wife of Sampel Stilly, of Chester township; and Charlotte, wife of Benjamin Wilson, of Centerburg, Ohio.  Mr. and Mrs. McCracken were members of the Methodist Church.
     John McCracken, the subject of this sketch, was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, December 22, 1824.  When twelve years of age he came to Ohio, attending school two winters, and worked on his father’s farm until seventeen years of age.  He learned and followed the blacksmith’s trade in Chesterville until 1873, and since that time has followed agricultural pursuits.  He now owns 300 acres of the best farming land in the county.
     In April, 1861, Mr. McCracken enlisted for service in the late war, entering Company G, Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, of which he was appointed Corporal, and served until the expiration of his three months’ term of enlistment.  In May, 1864, he entered Company F, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was appointed Sergeant, and served his term of enlistment at Alexandria, Virginia.
     In 1846 our subject was united in marriage with Elizabeth Meredith, born in what is now Morrow county in 1825, a daughter of William and Mary (Farmer) Meredith, early pioneers of this locality, but both now deceased.  Mr. and Mrs. McCracken had two children: Weirich, deceased; and Mary, wife of Phineas Squires, of Chesterville, and they have four children.  Mrs. McCracken departed this life in 1890.  In the following year our subject married Sarah J. (Blakeley) Meredith, born in Belmont county, Ohio, March 4, 1829, and educated at Mount Gilead.  She is the daughter of John and Jane (Talbot) Blakeley, natives of Loudoun county, Virginia, the former born in 1801, and the latter in 1800.  They came to Ohio at the age of seventy years.  The paternal grandparents, William and Letitia (Russell) Blakeley, were natives of Virginia, of Scotch-Irish descent.  The maternal grandparents, Thomas and Ruth (Ferguson) Talbot, were also natives of Virginia.  John Blakeley and wife had six children, viz: Ruth, wife of John Newson; Letitia, widow of Nathan Coe; Sarah J., wife of John McCracken; Nancy Livenspire, of Mount Gilead; Mary Miller, deceased; and Susan Corwin, also of Mount Gilead.  Mrs. McCracken is a member of the Baptist Church.
     John McCracken is a member of the Masonic order at Chesterville, having been the first to take the third degree in Chester Lodge, No. 236, and is at present the oldest in membership in the lodge.  He has served as Junior Warden, Treasurer and Trustee of the order.  In political matters he affiliates with the Republican party.  He has served as Trustee of Chester township six years; in 1886 was elected County Commissioner for three years, and refused to serve longer.  He has been constantly a delegate to conventions, in which he has always taken an active and leading part.  He has settled several estates, having been assignee of two large firms, which were settled satisfactorily to all parties concerned.  One of the old-time blacksmiths of Chesterville was Sanford Modie, now deceased.  He and Mr. McCracken were partners in the business here for thirteen years, they never having had a word of disagreement during the entire time.
Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 244-245
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

JUDGE W. D. MATHEWS, a farmer of section 31, Gilead township, is a son of William Mathews, born in Wyandot county, Ohio, in 1817.  His father, Isaac Mathews, was a native of Virginia, and a soldier in the war of 1812.  The mother of our subject, formerly Rebecca Marlow, was also born in Virginia, a daughter of Jeremiah Marlow, an early settler of Richland county, Ohio.  Mr. and Mrs. William Mathews were married in Richland county, three miles west of Mansfield, and located on an unimproved farm in Hardin county.  Isaac Mathews entered a large tract of land in that county, with the intention of giving each of his sons a farm of eighty acres.  William Mathews improved his place, and remained there until the failing of his wife’s health made it necessary for them to change their residence, and they removed to near Mansfield, again settling on his grandfather’s old farm.  He afterward purchased land two and a half miles north of Lexington, remaining there until 1865, when he sold that place and purchased a farm in Troy township, Morrow county.  His death occurred in 1871.  His widow lived with her children until her death in 1883.  William Mathews and wife had two children, ––Martha J., wife of A. Whissemore, of Mansfield, and they have two children; and W. D., the subject of this sketch.  The parents were members and active workers in the Presbyterian Church, both grandfathers having been Elders in that church.  William Mathews was first a Whig, and afterward a Republican.
     Judge W. D. Mathews was born in a log cabin located in a cornfield in Richland county, Ohio, three miles east of Mansfield, September 6, 1844.  He completed the studies in the district school, and then attended Lexington Seminary, under Professor Gailey.  During that time the war broke out, and in June, 1862, Mr. Mathews became a member of Company B, Eighty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry.  He was under General Miles at the battle and surrender of Harper’s Ferry, was captured, paroled, and returned home.  In 1863 he enlisted in Company C, Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as Sergeant, assisted in the capture of John Morgan in Ohio, assisted in the capture of Cumberland Gap, and garrisoned it until the expiration of his term of service.  In 1864 Mr. Mathews helped recruit a company in Richland county, and was mustered into service as First Lieutenant of Company G, One Hundred and Seventy-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry.  He did guard duty at Tullahoma, Tennessee, up to the time of the battles of Franklin and Nashville.  They then moved to Murfreesboro, where they had almost daily skirmishes with Forest’s men in order to secure corn for rations.  While at Tullahoma Mr. Mathews was detailed on a general court martial, and when the regiment was ordered to Murfreesboro he went to General Rosseau and asked to be relieved, in order to join his regiment.  The General refused, but the court temporarily adjourned, and Mr. Mathews served with his company through all their engagements.  The regiment was next ordered to Clifton, Tennessee, and the General disbanded the court, but not in time for our subject to join his command, but, traveling by water, he met it at Clifton.
     After rejoining his regiment he went with them to Washington, District of Columbia, passing through Ohio in freight cars during the cold winter of 1864-5.  They camped on the ice at that city, a part of the time without shelter.  They were ordered to join Schofield in North Carolina, arriving at Fort Fisher immediately after the surrender of that place.  Returning to Beaufort, North Carolina, they became a part of the Twenty-third Army Corps, which joined Sherman at Goldsborough, North Carolina, and participated in the battle of Kingston.  Mr. Mathews had charge of a part of the skirmishers the night before the battle, March 7, 1865.  He remained on picket duty all night and was relieved the next morning.  The little squad under command of our subject opened fire on the advancing rebels; the other troops joining, the battle became general.  The regiment, after the surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston, did garrison duty at Charlotte, North Carolina.  Mr. Mathews was discharged July 8, 1865.  He was then transferred to a regiment which was to remain in the service.  An order was sent to the Colonel to grade his officers into three classes, also to ascertain which of them desired to remain in the service.  Two out of nine were selected, and Mr. Mathews was one of the former, the other being Lieutenant W. P. Shrome, who is now a Presbyterian minister near Zanesville, Ohio.  He was ordered to report to the One Hundred and Fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, but after due consideration he was mustered out with the regiment.
     Returning home, he again attended the seminary, after which he taught school three terms, and then began farming in Troy township.  He next began the study of law.  Mr. Mathews is a stanch Republican, having always taken an active part in the work of his party.  In 1878 he was elected Probate Judge of Morrow county, serving in that capacity six years.  In his first race he was two votes behind the State ticket, but his own townships, although both Democratic, gave him 150 majority over his opponent.  His last majority was 600 votes.  The Judge was nominated for the Legislature in 1886, but was defeated by reason of a dissension in the party as to whom his vote should be cast for United States Senator.  He was appointed by Governor Steele of Oklahoma as County Judge of Beaver county, in that Territory, and held that position six months, after which he was re-elected by the people, resigning in 1892.  The Judge then practiced law there until May, 1893.  While serving as County Judge he received a telegram from Governor Steele, stating that he had recommended our subject for appointment as United States Marshal of Oklahoma Territory, General Sherman having endorsed the recommendation, but Mr. Mathews requested the Governor to withdraw his name.  He had contracted asthma while in the military service, and at the expiration of his two terms as Probate Judge of Morrow county change of climate became absolutely necessary, and he accordingly spent eighteen months in Colorado.  He then returned to Ohio, and afterward to Oklahoma.
     Judge Mathews was married in 1867 to Miss Marietta C. Dean, a native of Washington township, Richland county, Ohio, and who was a schoolmate of her husband at the seminary.  She is a daughter of Benjamin F. Dean, a farmer by occupation, and also an active politician.  Mr. Mathews and wife have eight living children: Gertrude D., Grace A„ Lora R., Mary Edith, Lucy D., William D., Edwin M. and Herbert D.  They have one daughter deceased, a bright little child named Anna, who died at the age of eighteen months with croup.  The family are members of the Presbyterian Church.  The Judge is a member of the Grand Army Post, and was its first Commander.
Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 355-357
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

JOHNSON MAXWELL, one of the prominent farmers and stock dealers of Morrow county, is numbered among the native sons of Ohio, his birth having occurred in Marion county on the 26th of April, 1844.  His grandfather, Franklin W. Maxwell, was a native of Virginia and spent his entire life upon a farm in the Old Dominion.  His father, Marshall Maxwell, was born in West Virginia and grew to manhood in the State of his nativity.  Emigrating Westward he took up his residence in Richland township, Marion county, where he made a permanent location.  His wife, who bore the maiden name of Margaret Johnson, was born in Ohio and was a sister of Mrs. H. N. Curl.  This worthy couple held membership with the Methodist Episcopal Church, took an active part in its work and were consistent Christian people who left the world better for their having lived.  In his political views Marshall Maxwell was a Republican.  His death occurred at the age of seventy-six years and his wife passed away when forty-five years of age, mourned by all who knew them.  They had a family of seven children, five now living, while two have been called to their final rest.  In order of birth they are as follows: Melville, who is living in Cardington township; Minerva, deceased; Melissa Roby, who is living in Kansas; Johnson, of this sketch; Levi, also deceased; Catherine Scribner, whose home is in Missouri; and Estella Gruber, of Cardington township.
     In taking up the personal history of Johnson Maxwell, we present to the readers of this volume the life record of one who is both widely and favorably known in this region.  He was reared upon his father’s farm, and there made his home until about eight years ago.  At the age of seventeen he chose as a companion and helpmeet on life’s journey Miss Nancy Stanton, a native of Marion county, Ohio, and their union has been blessed with a family of three children.  The eldest, Clara A., is now the wife of Jerome Cline, of Marion county, and they have five children.  Rolvin Curtis married Estella Shaw, and, with their four children, they reside in Cardington township.  Harley J. completes the family.  He is now twenty-eight.  He pursued his art studies in Rensselaer, Indiana, and is now very proficient in crayon work.
     The wife and mother having died, Mr. Maxwell was again married, in December, 1869, the lady of his choice being Viola Scribner, a native of Morrow county and a daughter of William Scribner, one of the honored pioneers of this locality.  Her grandfather, Samuel Scribner, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was one of the earliest settlers of Marion county.  William Scribner was born in that county, in 1821, and, after a long and well-spent life, passed away September 22, 1890.  He married Susan Sophia Newberry, who was born in Marion county in 1829, and nine children were born to them, of whom seven are living at the time of this writing, in January, 1895.  Mrs. Maxwell first opened her eyes to the light of day in the same county, the date of that important event being August 3, 1852.  In the schools of Cardington township she acquired her education, and throughout the community she is recognized as a cultured and refined lady, who, by her many excellencies, has gained a wide circle of friends.  She belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has long been an active worker in church and Sunday-school, doing effective service in the cause of Christianity.
     During the late war Mr. Maxwell gave evidence of his loyalty to the Government and the Union cause by enlisting on the 2d of June, 1862, in Company C, Eighty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served for three months, at Camp Chase, Ohio.  He was then honorably discharged, but his faithfulness to his duties of citizenship was not laid aside with the warrior’s dress.  He has given his support to all enterprises calculated to prove of public benefit and his co-operation is withheld from no interest which will promote the general welfare.  He votes with the Republican party but has never been an aspirant for public office, preferring to give his time and attention to his business interests in which he is meeting with a good and well-deserved success.  For the past ten years he has been engaged in dealing in fine horses, handling nothing but roadsters.  He purchased the farm formerly owned by M. L. Maxwell (and upon that place is now residing Rolvin Curtis Maxwell, ––one of the leading and representative agriculturalists of Morrow county.
Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 423-424
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

J. M. MOODY, the efficient Treasurer of Morrow county, Ohio, was born in Marion county, this State, January 11, 1842.  Joseph Moody, his father, was a native of Maryland, was reared in Pennsylvania, and was one of the early settlers of Marion county, Ohio.  He cleared away the forest and developed a farm in Tully township, Marion county, and lived there for a number of years.  Subsequently he removed to Morrow county, where in died in the seventy-fifth year of his age.  John B. Moody, the grandfather of J. M., is supposed to have been born in Massachusetts.  He was of Scotch, Welch and Irish descent, was captain of a vessel, and during the war of 1812 was in the United States Navy.  Joseph Moody married Miss Ezemiah Mickey, who was born and reared in Pennsylvania, daughter of Robert Mickey, who was of Scotch origin.  She died in her forty-fifth year.  They were the parents of ten children, only two of whom reached maturity, namely: Mary A., wife of Ed. Beatty, of Pennsylvania, and J. M.
     J. M. Moody was the second born in the family.  He was reared in his native county, receiving his education in the district school and at Central College, and remaining at home until the outbreak of the civil war.  October 22, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company H, Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered out December 10, 1864, at Nashville, Tennessee.  Among the battles in which he participated were those of Stone River, Atlanta, Spring Hill, Franklin and many others.  At the battle of Franklin he had his ear pierced by a ball, and after his return home his mother found in his ear a piece of lead which she extracted.
     After the war Mr. Moody settled down to farming in Marion county.  Subsequently he removed to Iberia, Morrow county, and engaged in the manufacture of drain tile, which he continued for some years.  He still has the tile business carried on at that place.  For four years he was traveling salesman for the Standard Oil Company.  In 1892 he received the nomination for County Treasurer of Morrow county, was duly elected, and has rendered a high degree of satisfaction in this office.  At this writing, 1894, he has the nomination for a second term in the same position.  While a resident of Washington township, he served as Township Clerk.
     Mr. Moody married Miss R. M. Colmery, who was born in Pennsylvania but who has been a resident of Morrow county from her early childhood, and they have a family of four, two sons and two daughters, namely: Jennie L., E. C., M. L. and Robert M.  Jennie L. is the wife of J. F. McClaren, of Whetstone.
     Like his father before him, Mr. Moody is a stanch Republican.  He is a member of Wallace McNeal Post, No. 687, G. A. R., and he is also identified with the K. of P., U. V. L. and I. O. O. F.  For many years he has been a Deacon in the Presbyterian Church.  Thus in business, political, social and religious circles he is alike prominent and active, and he is as highly respected as he is well known.
Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 272-273
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

ROBERT F. MOSHER, a prominent citizen of Gilead township, Morrow county, Ohio, was born in Cardington, this county, September 4, 1848, son of Nathan N. and Sarah A. (Bovey) Mosher.  The genealogy of the family is as follows:
     Hugh Mosher, the progenitor of the family in America, was born in England in 1640 and made his first settlement in this country at Bristol, Rhode Island, whence he removed to Dartmouth, Massachusetts, in 1689.  He died in 1714.  His wife was Lydia Dixon, and they had six children: Nicholas, Joseph, James, Daniel, John and Rebecca.  Nicholas was born in 1665.  He had a son Joseph, born July 16, 1693, who married Mahitable Smith in 1718.  Their son Barnabas, born December 28, 1720, married Bethiah Wollsen in 1743.  Their son Lemuel, born October 21, 1749, married Ruth Gifford in 1770, and their daughter Bethiah, born July 23, 1771, died in 1856.  She married Asa Mosher, February 27, 1794.  Their son Robert, born March 27, 1800, married Edith Nichols February 14, 1822.  She died February 14, 1894, and he May 5, 1886.  Their son Nathan N., born February 2, 1827, married Sarah Ann Bovey April 15, 1847, and their son Robert F. is the subject of this sketch.
     Hugh Mosher’s youngest son, John, and his wife, Experience, had a son John, Jr., who married Hannah Duvall.  A son of theirs, Obediah, born January 12, 1731, died March 24, 1808.  He married Hannah Brownell, who was born July 22, 1732, and died March 8, 1825.  Their son Asa, born November 25, 1771, died March 4, 1843.  He married Bethiah Mosher February 27, 1794.  Therefore the last named Asa and his wife, Bethiah, the great-grandparents of our subject, were both descendants from Hugh Mosher, Asa through his youngest son and Bethiah through his oldest son.
     Of the Bovey family, we record that Christopher Bovey emigrated from Lorraine, then in France, during the latter part of the last century and settled in Maryland.  He had a family of children as follows: John Jacob, Christopher, Adam, Mary and Margaret.  John Jacob married Elizabeth Burgher, and their daughter, Sarah Ann, the mother of our subject, was born February 28, 1824, in Frederick county, Maryland.  Her parents removed with their family to Ohio in 1832 and settled in Knox county, where they made their home for six years, coming in 1838 to Morrow county.  The father was a soldier in the war of 1812.
     Robert Mosher came to Ohio from New York State in 1818.  He was thirteen years of age at the time of the battle of Lake Champlain, which was fought near his father’s home.  Nathan N. Mosher and his wife were married in Morrow county, in the spring of 1847, and after their marriage settled in Cardington, where he carried on the business of wagon-maker for a while.  He moved to Warren county, Iowa, in 1853, and farmed there for four years.  Then he returned to Ohio, and three years later went back to Iowa, where he spent five years.  In April, 1861, he enlisted in the Union army, but was not mustered in until June 4, when he became a member of Company G, Third Iowa Volunteer Infantry, which was organized at Keokuk, Iowa.  He remained with his command, participating in its numerous engagements until the fight on the Hatchie river, when, on account of ill health, he was ordered to the hospital.  He afterward served as nurse in the hospital, and was sent in charge of sick and wounded to Jackson, Tennessee, where he was given the position of ward master.  There he was discharged by the Medical Inspector of the United States Army, after having served in the war over two years.  In 1865 he moved to Kansas and located in Douglas county, where he engaged in freighting, and whence he subsequently removed to Page county, Iowa, and resumed farming, also teaming there.  In 1867 he came to Warren county, Ohio, and farmed there until 1872, after which he kept a hotel at Waynesville, Ohio, for six years.  Following that, he was for three years employed on the Cincinnati Times.  He now resides on a farm in Gilead township, Morrow county.  He and his wife became the parents of ten children, two of whom are now deceased.  Of the children we offer brief record as follows: Robert F. is the subject of this sketch; Mary E., born December 22. 1850; Edith, born February 28, 1853; Martha, November 11, 1855; John Jacob, born January 8, 1857, died June 9, 1894, leaving a widow and three children; Amanda, born December 22, 1858; Samuel F., February 14, 1861; Gideon, born February 5, 1864, died November 1, 1881; Charley, born April 6, 1867; and William, January 28, 1870.  All the surviving children, except William, are married, and all are prospering in life.
     Robert F. Mosher received his education in the district schools and at the Waynesville, Ohio, high school, being a student in the latter for three terms.  He began life on his own responsibility when he was twenty-one and when he was twenty-two he left home in Warren county and came to Morrow county.  Here he worked one year for his grandfather Mosher.  After his marriage, which occurred in 1873, he settled on the farm on which he now lives.  He rented this place for five years and at the end of that time purchased it.  It comprises ninety-four acres, all well improved and in addition to this he has a half interest in an adjoining farm of 112 acres.  His elegant residence, built in 1893, is one of the finest homes in the township.  He gives his attention to general farming and stock-raising, making a specialty of sheep and heavy draft horses.
     Mr. Mosher was married April 29, 1873, to Miss Phoebe A. Harlan, who was born in Noble county, Ohio, December 24, 1848, daughter of Caleb and Pamelia (Benson) Harlan.  The Harlans came to Morrow county in 1857, and both parents died here.  Mr. and Mrs. Mosher have five children, namely: Ralph N., born October 2, 1874; Henry H., born December 27, 1877; Mary M., born August 30, 1881; Samuel J., born October 30, 1884; and Phoebe H., born May 17, 1890.
     Mr. and Mrs. Mosher both come of old Quaker families, and are themselves active members of that church.  He is a Sabbath-school Superintendent and his wife is a teacher in the Sabbath-school.  Mr. Mosher has always been interested in educational affairs and has afforded his children good educational advantages.  He has served as Director of his school district for fifteen years, and as a member of the Township Board for twelve years He has also served as Road Supervisor several terms.  In this capacity he clearly demonstrated what could be accomplished by the application of business principles in discharging the duties of his position.  His road district is well graded and drained and a large portion graveled,––this being accomplished by the agency of only the ordinary road tax.  Politically he has been identified with the Prohibition party since its organization, in 1869, and has served on both the County Executive and Central Committees and the State Central Committee.  He has also been the candidate of his party for County Auditor, Recorder and Commissioner.  Few men are better known or more highly respected in Morrow county than is Robert F. Mosher.
Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 380-382
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.