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	B. F. A. PENCE.     B. E. A. Pence, one of Champaign county's best-known and most substantial farmers and stockmen and the proprietor of the celebrated "Shadeland Stock Farm" in Jackson township, two and one-half miles southwest of St. Paris, on the Carlisle and Quincy road, is a native son of Champaign county and has lived here all his life.  He was born on a pioneer farm in Johnson township, in the house in which his father also was born, July 17, 1845, son of Allen and Sarah R. (Riker) Pence, who were for years regarded as among the leaders in that part of the county.      Allen Pence was born on a pioneer farm, the place now owned by B. F. Pence, three miles east of St. Paris, Jan. 29, 1819, a son of Isaac Pence and wife, the latter of whom was a Wiant, who came to this county from Virginia in the early days of the settlement of this section of Ohio and here spent their last days, useful and influential pioneers of Johnson township.  Isaac Pence was twice married and by his first wife had six children, Alexander, Allen, Isaiah, Emanuel, Eliza and Mary, all now deceased.  After the death of the mother of these children he married Martha Brown and to that union were born seven children, B. F., James E., John E., Isaac, Charles, Jason and Jennie.  Reared on the farm on which he was born, Allen Pence was from the days of his boyhood well trained in the ways of farming, and after his marriage to Sarah R. Riker continued to make his home on the old home place for several years, at the end of which time he moved to a farm one-half mile south of St. Paris, established his home there and there spent the remainder of his life, coming to be regarded as the foremost citizen of that neighborhood, the owner of seven hundred acres of land and a leader in all public movements.  He was one of the first agitators in behalf of better roads in that part of Champaign county and the early grave-road movement had a powerful champion in him.  For nine years he was a member of the County Fair board, vice-president of the association for some time, and did much to promote the interests of agriculture in this county.  Politically, he was a Democrat and for some time served as treasurer of his home township.  He died on Oct. 29, 1895, and is buried in the Spring Grove cemetery, the beautiful burial ground, the location of which was first proposed by his wife, who died in 1885, and is also buried there.  Allen Pence and wife were the parents of eight children, six of whom are still living, those besides the subject of this sketch being George W., a farmer in Jackson township; Winfield S., now a resident of Virginia; Elizabeth, wife of J. C. Martin, of Dayton, Ohio; Amanda, widow of J. G. Lear Smith, of St. Paris, and Lottie, wife of Wilson Baker, of Urbana.  The two deceased members of this family were Mary, who married James Wiant, and elnora, who was the wife of T. P. Kite.      B. F. A. Pence was about three years of age when his parents moved from the old Pence place in Johnson township to the farm on the outskirts of St. Paris, on this latter place he grew to manhood, receiving his schooling in the village schools.  From the days of his boyhood he was an active assistant in the labors of the farm and early became not only a good farmer, but an excellent judge of live stock and an intelligent fancier of good horses.  He remained on the home farm until after his marriage in the summer of 1867, he then being somewhat under twenty-two years of age, and on Mar. 10, 1868. moved onto the farm on which he is now living - beautiful "Shadeland Stock Farm," southwest of St. Paris, and has ever since made his home there, he and his family being pleasantly and comfortably situated.  Mr. Pence is the owner of three hundred and twenty-eight acres of splendid land and has one of the best farm plants in the southwestern part of the county.  He has long given his particular attention to the raising of fine live stock, with particular reference to fine horses and made two trips to Europe for stock to import to his farm,  English Shires and Cleveland Bays being his specialty.  As was his father, Mr. Pence ever has been an ardent champion of public improvements and has done much to help promote the material development of the county.  He was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of St. Paris and is also a stockholder in the Central National Bank of that place. Politically, Mr. Pence is a Democrat and is now serving as trustee of his home township.      On June 12, 1867, B. F. A. Pence was united in marriage to Josephine R. Hill, who was born in Brown township, in the neighboring county of Miami, July 12, 1848, daughter of John and Hannah Hill, and to this union four children have been born, two of whom died in infancy, the others being Georgia M., who studied art in the Ohio Wesleyan College at Delaware, and is now the wife of George Cox, of Oberlin, this state, and Blanche E., also an artist, who has done some fine wood carving and who is at home with her parents.  The Fences have a very pleasant home at "Shadeland" and have ever given their proper attention to the general social and cultural activities of the community in which they live, helpful in many ways in promoting movements having to do with tlie advancement of the common welfare thereabout. Source:  History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II - publ. 1917 - Page 61
	BENJAMIN F. PENCE.     Among the well-known and substantial farmers of Johnson township, who has lived in the county all his life, is Benjamin F. Pence, who was born on the farm where he now lives, Dec. 21, 1851, the son of Isaac and Martha (Brown) Pence, the former of whom was born in Virginia, and the latter in Champaign county, Ohio.      Isaac Pence was born in Shenandoah county, Virginia, in 1797, and was reared to manhood in his native state.  He served with a Virginia regiment during the War of 1812, and upon returning from that service, came as a young man to Champaign county, Ohio, with his parents, who entered land from the government in the then almost trackless wilderness of this section.  He also entered land on his own account and started to clear and cultivate the place, making a home for himself in the new country.  Here he married Sarah Wiant, and to this union six children were born, none of whom are now living.  The mother of these children died and afterwards Isaac Pence was married to Martha Brown, and to this second union were born seven children, six of whom are now living: Benjamin F., the subject of this review; James Ezra, living in Concord township; Joseph W., a farmer of Concord township; Isaac S., whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume; Sarah J., the wife of John Bedell, Mercer county, Ohio; Charles M., living in the state of Washington, and William J., deceased.      Benjamin F. Pence was reared on the home farm, receiving his education in the district schools of the county, and lived with his parents until his marriage, when he started farming for himself.  He has been successful in his chosen calling and is now the owner of one hundred and thirty acres of fine farming land, his farm being well equipped with good buildings and the best of modern farming machinery.      On Oct. 14, 1876, Mr. Pence was married to Rosetta Ward, the daughter of Edemond and Christina (Smith) Ward.  Mrs. Pence was born and reared in this county, as were her parents before her.  Her grandparents came from Virginia in an early day, and were among the early settlers of this county.  Mr. and Mrs. Pence are the parents of two children: Edward, living on the home place, married Pearl Group, and Pearl married Wheelock Bingham, who is employed by the Van Camp Condensing Company, of Watertown, Wisconsin.      Mr. Pence is a Democrat in politics, and active in the councils of his party.  He is one of the wide-awake, substantial farmers of this section, and lends his hearty support to any movement having for its object the betterment of his community. Source:  History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II - publ. 1917 - Page 722
	ELI PENCE.     Eli Pence, a farmer of Johnson township, Champaign county, was born two miles north of St. Paris, Ohio, Jan. 20, 1842.  He is a representative of one of the old families of this county, where he has spent practically all of his life of seventy-five years during which he has seen many important changes in a material way.  He is a veteran of the Civil War in which he fought gallantly for the Union.      Mr. Pence is a son of Samuel and Mary A. (Howard) Pence, and a grandson of Daniel and Elizabeth Pence, who came to Champaign county from Virginia in early pioneer times, settling in Jackson township, where they carved a home from the wilderness and spent the rest of their lives.  They were parents of the following children: Elizabeth, who married Jacob Kibbinger; Susan, who married David Gump; William, who married Zenella McDaniel; Amos, who married Clarinda Browning; Eli, who married Mary Grove; Sarah, who married Willam Rusk; Samuel, father of the subject of this sketch.      Samuel Pence devoted his active life to farming in Champaign county.  His family consisted of the following children: B. F. died in childhood; Isaiah was a soldier in the Civil War; Sarah J. married John Apple; Susan married Daniel Poorman; Elizabeth married Samuel Heck; Samuel. Jr. died when a boy.      G spent his boyhood days on the home farm in Johnson township, and there he attended the rural schools, but only for a short time, in fact, he had little opportunity to obtain an education.  On Aug. 5, 1862, he enlisted in Company H. Forty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and he saw considerable hard service in the Fourth Army Corps, later being transferred to the Twenty-third Army Corps.  He was in the Atlanta campaign and under General Sherman on his march to the sea.  He was wounded in the right shoulder at the battle of Resaca, Georgia, and was away from his regiment three months thereafter, and he still carries the bullet.  He rejoined his regiment at Nashville, Tennessee, and was under General Thomas until the close of the war.  Although wounded he was never in the hospital.  He was mustered out and honorably discharged in June, 1865.  He had been a very faithful and loyal soldier according to his officers and comrades.      After his army career Mr. Pence returned to Champaign county and has since resided on a farm in Johnson township.  He has lived on his present farm, five miles northwest of St. Paris, since 1867.  He has been very successful as a general farmer and stock raiser.  He is now living in retirement.      Mr. Pence was married on Mar. 4, 1866, to Rachel Srofe, who was born on the farm where they now live, her parents being early settlers in Johnson township, and here she has spent her life.  She is a daughter of George W. and Isabelle (Grimes) Srofe.  Her maternal grandfather, Benjamin Grimes, was a soldier in the War of 1812.  He lived to the advanced age of one hundred and thirteen years.      To Mr. and Mrs. Pence six children have been born, named as follow:  Orlando married Dora Apple and they live in Johnson township; William F. married Flora Hamilton; Samuel, now deceased, married Clara Maxin; Mary is the wife of Perry E. Apple; Emma E. is deceased; Mrs. Thursa Hobbins is deceased.  There are six grandchildren.      Politically, Mr. Pence is a Democrat.  He has served as school director and supervisor.  He has been a member of the Baptist church at Mt. Pleasant since 1868, and is a deacon and trustee in the same, and at one time served as treasurer, and was a member of the building committee.  He has always been active in the church, in fact, has been one of the pillars of the same for nearly fifty years.  For a period of eleven years he was treasurer of the Mad River Association. Source:  History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II - publ. 1917 - Page 572
	GEORGE W. PENCE.     George W. Pence, a well-known and substantial farmer of Concord township, living on his son's farm of eighty acres located four miles east of Millerstown, on rural route No. 9, out of Urbana. is a life-long resident of this county, his birth having occurred on a farm in Concord township, known as the Joe Pence farm, on Aug. 16, 1844.  He is a son of G. W. and Mary (Barger) Pence, both of whom were natives of Virginia.      G. W. Pence was born on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, and came as a lad with his parents to Ohio, the family being among the early pioneers of this county. Mary Barger was also a native of the Shenandoah valley, Virginia, who came with her parents in an early day to Ohio.  The Pence family and the Barger family settled on adjoining farms in Concord township, and the children were all brought up together.  Each of these families consisted of a large number of children, who all grew to manhood and womanhood, being among the sturdy pioneers of this part of the county.  After the marriage of G. W. Pence and Mary Barger, they settled first on the old Pence homestead with the former's father, whose wife had previously died, and where they lived for some time, looking after the management of the home farm.  In 1854. G. W. and his family went to Allen county, Indiana, where they located on a farm near Monroeville.  This farm consisted of eighty acres of raw, unimproved land in the wilderness.  Here they erected a log cabin in true pioneer style, with neither door nor windows, and proceeded to clear and improve their farm and make a home.  After having cleared and improved a goodly part of this farm, the family returned to Ohio, where they rented land in Concord township, locating first on what was known as the George Zimmerman place.  After leaving this farm they moved to the old James Russell place in this same township, where they lived two years, after which they moved to the Jesse Kite place east of Millerstown. and here G. W. Pence and his wife lived the remainder of their lives.  They were the parents of eight children, all of whom are now living: Kate, widow of Russell Cornet; John, living in the West; George W., the immediate subject of this sketch; James A., a farmer of Concord township: Jennie, widow of James Heath, now living in the West; Andrew Jackson, a farmer of Johnson township, this county; Emma, the wife of Peter Wilson, a farmer of Adams township, and Joseph, a farmer of Concord township.      George W. Pence, Jr., was reared to the life of a farmer, receiving his education in the district schools.  He lived at home with his parents until his marriage, when he engaged in farming for himself, locating on a part of the old Miller farm in Mad River township, where he lived four years, after which he moved to a farm in Concord township.  In 1881 he purchased a piece of land in Concord township, where he lived for two years, after which he bought a farm in Mad River township, where he lived for the next two years, at the end of which time he bought the farm where he now lives, and has lived here since.  This farm consists of eighty acres of fine land, well improved and cultivated.  Mr. Pence has always been engaged in general farming and stock raising, and has met with a very commendable degree of success.  At the present time he is not operating his farm actively himself, being content to live in comfortable and pleasant retirement enjoying the fruits of his many years of active farm life.      On Aug. 19, 1875, George W. Pence was married to Elizabeth Miller, the daughter of Jacob Miller.  She was born and reared in Mad River township, this county.  To this union three children have been born: Claude, a farmer of Mad River township; George G., living at home, who is an employee of the United States railway mail service, and Emma A., the wife of Augustus Jenkins, a farmer of Concord township.  Mr. Pence is a Republican in politics, and takes a good citizen's interest in the civic affairs of his community. Source:  History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II - publ. 1917 - Page 603
	GEORGE W. PENCE.     One of the well-known farmers of Jackson township, this county, is George W. Pence, the owner and proprietor of a fine farm of two hundred and thirty acres on the Kirkpatrick road two miles south of St. Paris.  He was born on what is known as the old Brubaker farm, one mile south of St. Paris, Jan. 22, 1848, the son of Allen and Sarah (Riker) Pence, both of whom were natives of this county.      Allen Pence was born on the old Pence homestead farm in Johnson township, this county, east of St. Paris, the son of Isaac Pence, who came from Virginia to Champaign county, Ohio, being among the early settlers of the county.  After his marriage to Sarah Riker, Allen Pence continued to live on the old home farm for a few years, two of their children being born there.  They then moved to Jackson township, where they lived the remainder of their lives.  Allen Pence was a successful and well-to-do farmer and stockman, and during his lifetime accumulated about seven hundred acres of land, always investing any surplus capital he had in land, this being in his judgment the safest investment.  He was a Democrat in politics, and active in the councils of his party, being a man of strong convictions.  He and his wife were the parents of eight children, six of whom are now living: Mary, deceased, who was the wife of James Wiant, also deceased; B. E. A., a farmer of Jackson township; George W., of this review; Winfield, living in Maryland; Elenora, deceased; Elizabeth, wife of James Martin, of Dayton, Ohio; Mandy, widow of Leer Smith, of St. Paris, Ohio, and Lottie, wife of Wilson Baker, of Urbana, Ohio.      George W. Pence was reared to manhood on his father's farm in Jackson township, receiving his education in the district schools of his home township.  After his marriage he started out in life for himself on eighty acres of land in Jackson township, and has since made this place his home, on the old Grafton farm.  Here he has carried on general fanning and stock raising, and that he has been unusually successful in his chosen calling is attested by the fact that he added to his land holdings until he became the owner of three hundred and thirty acres of fine farming land in the township.  However, he now has but two hundred and thirty acres, having divided one hundred acres between his two children.  For many years he and his brother, B. F. A. Pence, were engaged in importing and breeding thoroughbred Shire horses, in which they were very successful.  However, Mr. Pence has discontinued that branch of farming, and now devotes his attention to the breeding and selling of thoroughbred Polled Durham cattle and hogs.  Besides his farming-interests, Mr. Pence is a stockholder and director in the St. Paris Grain Company.      On Mar. 1, 1873, George W. Pence was united in marriage to Minerva Long, daughter of Sampson and Elizabeth Long, residents of Johnson township, and to this union have been born two children: Cory, living on part of her father's farm, married Dove Ward, and is the mother of two children, Grace and Harold; and Otie, the wife of Ira E. Hance, of Indianapolis, Indiana, is the mother of two children, Richard and Georgotta.      Mr. Pence is a Democrat in politics, but has never taken a very active part in political matters, although interested in the social and civic betterment of his community. Source:  History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II - publ. 1917 - Page 636
	ISAAC S. PENCE.     One of the native-born sons of Champaign county, who has lived all his life on his present farm, is Isaac S. Pence, who was born in Johnson township, on Feb. 3, 1857, the son of Isaac and Martha (Brown) Pence, the former of whom was a native of Virginia, and the latter of Champaign county.      Isaac Pence, Sr., was born in Shenandoah county, Virginia, in 1797, and was reared and educated in his native state, where he grew to young manhood, and served his country in a Virginia regiment during the War of 1812.  As a young man he came with his parents to Champaign county, where the family became identified with the earliest settlers of this county.  At that time Urbana was but a trading point with but two houses in the town and very few settlers in the county.  Indians and wild game abounded in the almost unbroken forests, and after arriving at Urbana, the Pence family, which consisted of four brothers and two sisters with their parents, proceeded to the land which the father had entered from the government, and it required two weeks' time to cut .their way through the trackless woods to the land, which was all in timber.  Here they began the task of clearing and cultivating their farm and making a home in the wilderness, and here the wife and mother died.  Afterwards Isaac Pence married Martha Brown, the mother of the subject of this sketch, whose parents were also among the early settlers of these parts, and who was born near Terre Haute, Mad River township, this county.  Her parents were also natives of the Old Dominion state.  To Isaac and Martha (Brown) Pence seven children were born, six of whom are living: B. F., a farmer living in Johnson township; James E., of Johnson township; John W., a resident of Concord township; Isaac S., the immediate subject of this review; Jennie, the wife of John Bedell, of Celina, Ohio; Charles, living in Seattle, Washington, and Jason, who died, leaving five children.  Isaac Pence, Sr., was an earnest member of the old Reformed church, and was a Democrat in politics.      Isaac S. Pence was reared on the old home farm, receiving his education in the rural schools of his county, and assisting with the work of the farm during the summer seasons.  After his marriage he and his brother, B. F., divided the home farm, and Isaac S. moved to that part of the farm where he is now living.  Here he owns seventy-five acres of fine land, as well as fifty-five acres adjoining it.  He has a well-equipped farm in every particular, with good buildings and machinery, and has made a very commendable success of his chosen calling.      On Dec. 7, 1877, Isaac S. Pence was married to Rebecca Offenbacher, who was born in Johnson township, this county, on a farm about two miles west of where she is now living, and who is a daughter of Isaiah Offenbacher.  Her father was also a native of Johnson township, his parents coming to the county among the early settlers from Virginia.  Isaac S. Pence and wife are the parents of four children, three of whom are now living: Otto, a resident of Johnson township, married Blanche Berry, and they are the parents of one son, Donald; Walter, of St. Paris, Ohio, married Carrie Jenkins, and they have one son, Herbert; Willard, living on the home farm, married Ethel Body.  The family are members of the Myrtle Tree Baptist church in Mad River township.  Mr. Pence is a Democrat in politics, and deeply interested in all movements which have for their object the betterment of his community. Source:  History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II - publ. 1917 - Page 698
	JACOB N. PENCE.     Among the substantial citizens and progressive farmers of Johnson township, this county, is Jacob N. Pence, living on his well-improved and highly cultivated farm of forty acres four miles northwest of St. Paris, on rural route No. 1. He was born in this township, on Sept. 22, 1865, the son of Wesley and Lydia (Amnion) Pence, and was one of nine children born to his parents, only six of whom are now living: Delelia A., the wife of Rastus Mercia, of St. Paris, Ohio; Russell, of Johnson township; Jane, the wife of Orin Decker, of St. Paris; John W., of St. Paris: Millie, the wife of Jacob Robbins, a farmer of Johnson township, and Jacob N., of this sketch.      After his marriage Wesley Pence and wife located on the farm now owned by Jacob Robbins and Russell Pence, where he lived the remainder of his life, after which his widow moved to St. Paris, where her death occurred some years later.  They were members of the Baptist church, and actively interested in the affairs of the local church of that denomination.  In politics he was a Democrat, but never took an active part in political affairs.      Jacob N. Pence was but a boy when his father died, and early in life learned the habits of industry and frugality.  He was reared to the life of a farmer, receiving his education in the township schools of his home neighborhood. After his marriage he and his wife lived in the old homestead for two years, when they moved to a farm of their own, which they had purchased.  On Feb. 27, 1907, they moved to their present farm of forty acres, which they had purchased the year previously, and here they have since made their home.  His farm is well equipped for modern farming, having good buildings and machinery.      On Nov. 28, 1886, Jacob N. Pence was united in marriage to Cora Ellen Poorman, a native of Johnson township, the daughter of Daniel and Susanna (Pence) Poorman.  To this union have been born five children, only one of whom grew to maturity, Zetta Ellen, who was born on Aug. 13, 1888.  She received her education in the township schools, and after leaving school, became the wife of Jasper Leon Scott, a farmer of Johnson township.  Mrs. Scott died June 5, 1915, leaving one son, Stanage Asa.      Mr. Pence and his wife are earnest and devoted members of the Zion Lutheran church, at St. Paris. Ohio, in which Mr. Pence is serving as deacon.  He is a member of St. Paris Lodge No. 246, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and both he and his wife are members of Lodge No. 469, Daughters of Rebekah. Source:  History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II - publ. 1917 - Page 735
	JOHN E. PENCE.     An enterprising and progressive farmer and life-long resident of this county is John E. Pence, the owner and proprietor of a fine farm of eighty acres one and one-fourth miles northeast of St. Paris, in Johnson township, on rural route No. 5 out of that village.  Mr. Pence was born on this farm on May 6, 1852, the son of Andrew and Eliza (Garringer) Pence, both of whom were natives of Ohio.      Andrew Pence was born on the same farm as his son, John E., on Mar. 22, 1830, and was a son of Jacob and Sarah (Nepperd) Pence.  Jacob was a son of Frederick Pence, who came in an early day from Virginia to Ohio, locating in Champaign county, among the first settlers in these parts.  Frederick Pence was a gunsmith and wagonmaker by trade, and followed that occupation after coming to Ohio, living here the remainder of his life.  Besides John E., there were six other children born to the family of Andrew Pence, being as follow: Samuel, a farmer of Johnson township; Simon, also living in Johnson township; Allen, of Millerstown, Ohio; Mary, the wife of John Norman, of St. Paris; Sarah, the wife of Steven Corwin, of Xenia, Ohio, and Ellen, wife of Clarence Pressler, a farmer of Johnson township.      In 1873 John E. fence was married to Mary E. Norman, who was born on a farm in Johnson township, Sept. 8, 1852, the daughter of Lemuel and Susanna (Kaufman) Norman, and a grandniece of Christian Norman.  To this union three children have been born: Clarence, a farmer of Concord township, this county, married Belle Jenkins; Asa, a farmer living near Millerstown, Ohio, married Grace Folts, and Fred, who is in Alaska.  The family are earnest and devoted members of the Reformed church, in which Mr. Pence has served as deacon and treasurer.  Fraternally, Mr. Pence belongs to St. Paris Lodge No. 446, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which organization he takes an active and interested part.  He is a Republican in politics, and has always been deeply interested in local political matters, and any measure having for its object the welfare and betterment of his community, has his unqualified support. Source:  History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II - publ. 1917 - Page 534
	JOSEPH O. PENCE.     Joseph O. Pence, a farmer living in Concord township, Champaign county, was born on a farm near where he now lives on July 12, 1858.  He is a son of George and Mary (Barger) Pence.  The mother was a native of Virginia.  George Pence was born in 1820 in Champaign county, Ohio.  After his marriage he lived in Concord township and several years later he went to Indiana and established the future home of the family.  His children were named as follows: Catherine is the wife of R. S. Comer; John lives in Chicago; George W., of Concord township; Adam is farming near Woodville, Ohio; Jennie is the widow of James Heath of California; Andrew J. is farming in Johnson township, this county; Joseph O., of this sketch: Emma is the wife of Pete Wilson and they live in Rosewood, Ohio.      Joseph O. Pence was reared on the home farm.  He attended the district schools until he was thirteen years old, when he started working out, working in a brickyard for some time.  He was employed by James Heath awhile, later returned home and lived with his mother until her death.      Mr. Pence married Sarah Woodard, on Oct. 6, 1885.  She was born Nov. 12, 1848.  To their union one daughter was born, Bertha F. Pence, whose birth occurred on Feb. 4, 1890, she was graduated from the high school at Eris, Champaign county, and she is now the wife of Charles Chester and they live in Salem township, this county: they have two children, namely: Wendall V., and Boneta F.      Mr. Pence owns forty-one and one-half acres in Concord township, where he is making a very comfortable living.  Politically, he is a Democrat.  His wife is a member of the Concord Methodist church. Source:  History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II - publ. 1917 - Page 527
	ORLANDO PENCE.     Orlando Pence, one of the best-known farmers in Johnson township, this county, and the proprietor of a fine place on rural mail route No. 1 out of St. Paris, was born in that same township and has lived there all his life.  He was born on Dec. 26, 1866, son of Eli and Rachel (Shipp) Pence, both also natives of this county, the latter on the farm on which they are still living, and to whom six children have been born, three of whom are still living, the subject of this sketch having a brother, William F. Pence, a farmer of Johnson township, and a sister, Ellen, wife of Perry Apple, of Jackson township, this county.  Of the deceased members of this family, Samuel Pence married Clara Maxim and had one child; Thursa was the wife of Frank Robbins, of Johnson township, and Emma died unmarried.      Reared on the farm on which he was born and where his parents are still living, Orlando Pence received his schooling in the schools of that neighborhood and remained at home, a valued assistant in the labors of the farm, until his marriage in the fall of 1888.  For four years thereafter he and his wife made their home on one of his father's farms and then they moved to the farm on which they are now living, in that same township, and where they are very comfortably situated. In addition to his general farming, Mr. Pence has given considerable attention to stock raising and has done very well.  He is a Democrat, but has not been a seeker after public office.      In October, 1888, Orlando Pence was united in marriage to Dora E. Apple, who also was born in this county, daughter of Abram and Jane (Sice) Apple, both of whom are still living.  Abraham Apple, long recognized as one of the most substantial farmers of the western part of Champaign county, began his farming operations on forty acres of land and as he prospered added to his holdings until he had enough land to give each of his six children one hundred acres and still retained one hundred and eighty acres for himself.   Mr. and Mrs. Pence have two children, Abraham Eli Pence, who married Delia Everingham, and Romie, who is unmarried and still living on the home place.  Mrs. Pence is a member of the Lutheran church at St. Paris and Mr. Pence is a member of the Mt. Pleasant Baptist church. Source:  History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II - publ. 1917 - Page 558
Mr. & Mrs. William I. Pence	WILLIAM I. PENCE.     Among the enterprising farmers of Champaign county is William I. Pence, the owner of a fine farm on the Runkle road about one mile south and one mile east of St. Paris, on rural route No. 3.  Mr. Pence was born in Mad River township, this county, Sept. 8, 1836, the son of Aaron and Rebecca (Runkle) Pence, and, with the exception of six years spent in Hardin county, Ohio, he has lived in this county all his life.      Aaron Pence was a native of Ohio, his parents having come to this state in an early day from Virginia.  Rebecca Runkle was a native of the Old Dominion state, and came with her parents as a small child to Ohio.  Her father, Peter Runkle, settled on a farm in the south part of Jackson township, this county, where he and his wife lived the remainder of their lives.  A few years after his marriage, Aaron Pence purchased eighty acres of land, this being the same farm where William I. Pence now lives, and here he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives.  They were the parents of eight children, only three of whom are now living: William I., of this review; Mrs. Ella Zimmerman, of Urbana, Ohio, and Mariah, the widow of Simon Snapp.      William I. Pence was reared to manhood on his father's farm, receiving his education in the district schools of his home neighborhood.  In 1861 he moved to Hardin county, this state, where he lived six years.  In February, 1867, he returned to the old home place in this county on account of his father's failing health, and after the latter's death, in March of that year, he took active charge of the farm, and has since made this place his home, although in later years Mr. Pence has turned over the active management of the farm to his two sons.  Besides his farming interests, Mr. Pence engaged extensively in the manufacture of tile, having started one of the first tile factories in these parts.  For many years he supplied the neighboring farmers with tile with which to drain their lands.      On Apr. 22, 1858, William I. Pence was united in marriage to Catherine Walgamuth, who was born on a farm in this township and who grew up in the same neighborhood with her husband.  They were the parents of twelve children, nine of whom are now living: Douglas, a farmer living in Mad River township, this county; Elmer, of St. Paris, Ohio; McClelland, a farmer of Jackson township; Charles, living in Miami county, Ohio; Emmet, at home; Fletcher, at home; John, a resident of Jackson township; Rose, the wife of McClellan Fitzpatrick, of Jackson township; Emma and Hattie, at home; Lydia and Ada, both deceased.  The mother of these children died on Jan. 20, 1911, loved and mourned by all who knew her.  The two sons, Fletcher and Emmet, have active charge of the farm work, and are very successful in their farming operations.      Mr. Pence is a Democrat in politics, but not active in political matters, although taking a warm interest in local public matters.  Mrs. Pence is a member of the Myrtle Tree Baptist church and Emma and Hattie are members of Mt. Zion Baptist church. Source:  History of Champaign County, Ohio, Vol. II - publ. 1917 - Page 632

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