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JOHN T. EVILSIZOR.     John T. Evilsizor, farmer of Urbana township, Champaign county, was born in Jackson township, this county, Nov. 6, 1852.  He is a son of Squire and Christiana (Comer) Evilsizor, natives of the Shenandoah valley, Virginia, from which locality they came to Champaign county, Ohio, when young with their parents.  Here they grew to maturity and were married, locating on a farm near St. Paris.  At first Squire Evilsizor worked out as a farm hand, but later he farmed for himself, finally moving to Urbana township, where he died in Fremont City at the advanced age of eight-four years, and his wife at the age of seventy-nine years.  They were members of the Hickory Grove church.  The father was first a Whig and later a Republican.  To Squire and Christiana Evilsizor eleven children were born, namely: Mary, the wife of James Dye, the former of Marion county, Ohio, but later of Nebraska, where her death occurred; Solomon who was a farmer in Urbana township, this county, died in 1915; Rebecca, who first married Joseph Bisseth of Pennsylvania, and secondly Joshua Zerkle, both are now deceased; Lewis, who served in the Civil War, established his home in Fremont City, Ohio; Eliza, wife of John Fanning, Westville, Ohio; John T., of this sketch; Isaac, a farmer in Clark county, Ohio; Sarah, who married Andrew Shafer, of Quincy, Ohio; Rose Etta, wife of Thomas Nitchman, of Terre Haute, Ohio; Charles Wesley, retired farmer of Fremont City, this state; and Jasper, who died in infancy.      John T. Evilsizor grew up on the home farm and received a limited education in the public schools, being compelled to go two and one-half miles through the woods to the school house in his district.  He helped his father on the home place until he was twenty-one years of age, then worked for Christopher Metz in Urbana township for a period of twenty-four years.  In 1872 he married Permetta Metz, a daughter of John and Martha Metz, who were pioneer farmers of Champaign county.  Their family consisted of eight children, namely: Permetta, the wife of John T. Evilsizor; Kate, Letitia, Ellen, Emma, Edward, Otto and Richard.      Eight children were born to John T. Evilsizor and wife, namely:  Frank, a farmer in Clark county, Ohio; Ida, the wife of Alfred Garard, of Springfield, Ohio; Carrie, who married Worden Hupp, of Fremont City, this state; Walter, living in Urbana township. Champaign county; Clarence, at home, a farmer and railroad man; Lottie, wife of Philip Geron, of Clark county, Ohio; Christopher, at home; and Ethel, who married Fred Weimer, a farmer of Urbana township, this county.      The mother of the above named children died on Jan. 6, 1913.      Politically, Mr. Evilsizor is a Republican.  He is a member of the Junior Order of American United Mechanics.  He has served as trustee of Urbana township for a period of nine years in an able and satisfactory manner.  At present he resides on a farmer in Urbana township, where he has lived forty-two years, his place consisting of ninety-three acres.  He is well and favorably known throughout the county. Source:  History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II - publ. 1917 - Page 789

JOHN W. EVILSIZOR.     One of the best-known and leading farmers of Champaign county is John W. Evilsizor, living in his beautiful home on "Spring Run Farm," a place constisting of one hundred and sixty-five and a quarter acres of fine farming land located two miles north of Terre Haute, in Mad River township on rural route No. 4 out of Urbana, Ohio.  Mr. Evilsizor was born in this county, Dec. 31, 1865, and is a son of William and Julia Ann (Lee) Evilsizor, both of whom were also natives of Champaign county, Ohio.      William Evilsizor was born on a farm in Mad River township, this county, Sept. 9, 1837, and died on July 20, 1895.  He was a son of William Evilsizor, Sr., who was born in Kanawa county, Virginia, June 8, 1808, and died on July 25, 1892.  William Evilsizor. Sr., came as a lad of six years with his parents to Ohio in 1814, where he was reared to manhood.  He was twice married, his first wife being Nancy Jenkins, to whom he was married in 1829, and to this union thirteen children were born.  The mother of these children died, and he again married Frances Jane Allison, and to this second union seven children were born.  He was of the Baptist faith, and always took an active part in the affairs of the church.  William Evilsizor, Jr., married Julia Ann Lee, who was born in Champaign county, the daughter of William Lee, who accompanied his parents to this county from Virginia when an infant, the Lee family being among the pioneers of this county.  William Evilsizor, Jr., and wife were the parents of eleven children, six of whom are now living: Laura A., wife of George Shaffer, a farmer of Mad River township; John W., of this sketch; Emory T., a resident of Mad River township; Marley E., living on the old home place; Verna A., of Mad River township, and Oran W., a farmer living in Jackson township, this county.      John W. Evilsizor was reared on his father's farm in Mad River township, receiving his education in the district schools of his home neighborhood, and lived at home until his marriage, when he started farming for himself on the place where he is now living, but in a different house, where he lived four years.  He then moved to Clarke county, Ohio, where he rented land for three years, after which he lived on a farm on the Valley pike in Mad River township for three years.  In 1900 he purchased his present farm, where he has since lived, and here he is very successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising, making a specialty of the breeding and raising of blooded live stock, such as Jersey cattle, Percheron horses and Duroc hogs.  That he has made a success in his chosen calling is evidenced by the fact that he has one of the most attractive farm homes and well-equipped farms in the county.  His buildings are all new and modern and beautiful in appearance, all being painted white.  He has a modern and convenient home of eight rooms, a large barn seventy-six by forty-five feet in dimensions, and both house and barn are well-lighted by an acetylene gas plant.  His farm is well-equipped, naturally for live stock, having natural spring water running through it; this, with the modern and scientific system with which Mr. Evilsizor operates, makes his farm one of the best in the county.      On Sept. 12, 1888, John W. Evilsizor was united in marriage to Amanda Gentis, the daughter of Daniel and Clarissa (Netchman) Gentis, and to this union seven children have been born, four of whom are living:  Alpha, a farmer of German township, Clarke county, Ohio, who married Nellie H. Foster; Edith, the wife of Alpha C. Faulkner, a farmer living west of Westville, in Mad River township; Ethel, at home, and Ada, now in her second year in the high school at Terre Haute, Ohio.  The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, while Mr. Evilsizor is of the Baptist faith, being one of the trustees of the Harmony Baptist church at Terre Haute, Ohio.      Mrs. Evilsizor was born on a farm in Mad River township, Jan. 18, 1886, a daughter of Daniel and Clarissa (Netchman) Gentis, the former being a native of Clark county, Ohio, and the latter of Champaign county.  They were the parents of eight children, the six who are living are: Frank, a farmer living in Jackson township; Tully, of Terre Haute, Ohio; Justin, also a resident of Terre Haute; Clifford, a farmer living on the Valley pike in Mad River township; Ernest, of Thackery, this county, and Amanda, the wife of John W. Evilsizor, the subject of this review. Source:  History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II - publ. 1917 - Page 1018

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