Greenville Twp. -
ANDREW ROBESON CALDERWOOD, attorney-at-law of Greenville, and one of the old settlers of Darke county, was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, September 14, 1818, and died at Greenville several years ago. He was a son of George and Margaret (Robeson) Calderwood, natives of Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania.  They Were married September 14, 1811, and in the fall of 1817 moved to near Dayton, Ohio, going thence in 1832 to Darke county, where George Calderwood died September 7, 1849. His wife survived him until August 12, 1873, when her death occurred. George Calderwood was of Scotch parents and though uneducated was a man of sound judgment, great firmness and courage, of large stature and possessed of an iron constitution. He was kind and generous to a fault. Margaret Robeson descended from Scotch, Welsh and Irish ancestry, and was a woman of remarkable good sense, fine natural talent and great kindness. Our subject was employed in early life upon a farm, digging ditches, mauling rails, etc. His education was meager, but being called upon to serve as juror, he was so inspired by the eloquence of some of the attorneys in the case that he resolved to become a lawyer and at once commenced the study of law, being admitted to the bar and beginning practice in 1851. He was elected probate judge in 1854 and after serving three years he entered the Union army as second lieutenant; was promoted to captain of Company I, Fortieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry; resigned his commission on account of injuries received from being thrown from a horse, and on regaining his health he was re-commissioned by Governor Tod, and by Colonel Cranor was assigned to the command of his old company. After six months' service in the above position, by loss of his voice and previous injuries, he was again compelled, to leave the active service of the army and acted in the capacity of recruiting officer until the close of the war, after which he resumed the practice of law. On December 3, 1876, he assumed the editorial control of the Sunday Courier, a leading organ of the Republican party of Darke county. He was three times elected mayor of Greenville, and .in 1868 the Republicans of Darke county presented his name in the fourth congressional district of Ohio for congress, his competitor, Mr. McClung, being nominated by a small majority over him. He always had a liberal share of the law practice in this county and enjoyed more than a local reputation as a criminal lawyer; at the forum his abilities were best known; he had an original faculty of developing a subject by a single glance of the mind, detecting as quickly the point upon» which every controversy depended. There was a deep self-conviction and emphatic earnestness in his manner, and a close logical connection in his thoughts. He wove no garlands of flowers to hang in festoons around a favorite argument, yet for impromptu appeals and eloquence he stood among the first of his profession, and, by his great knowledge of human nature he was acknowledged to be one of the best judges of a jury at the bar.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 481

Greenville Twp. -
CHARLES CALKINS, attorney at law, Greenville. The subject of this sketch was born in Burlington Township, Bradford Co., Penn., Feb. 11, 1827, and is a son of Moses Calkins, who is prominently mentioned in the biography of Henry Calkins in this work. The early education of our subject was obtained like other boys of the age, in an old log schoolhouse; at 16 years of age, he entered the academy at West Troy, where he received his academic education under the instruction of Ezra Long. Afterward, his father becoming largely indebted to the Bank of North America, in Philadelphia, for lands then owned by him, required all his efforts, as well as of his son, to liquidate the same; accordingly he built four saw-mills, and Charles run one of them one-half of the time, day and night, until his majority, the balance of the time being employed in rafting and running lumber down the Susquehanna River. At the age of 21, he commenced the study of law at Towanda, Penn., with John C. Adams, who was an able lawyer, a just man, and distinguished throughout the State for his prominence and ability. He continued his studies with the above gentleman until April 11, 1849, when through the kindness and generosity of Allen and Eliza McKean, he was furnished with means to take him to the gold mines of California, and to the above parties he holds the deepest feelings of gratitude and esteem. After remaining in California some eighteen months, meeting with fine success, he returned to Bradford Co., Penn., thence to Darke Co., with a cousin, in 1851, with the expectation of remaining but two weeks, but through the fortuity of Providence, he has made it his home for nearly thirty years. Upon the 1st of June, 1852, he formed a partnership under the firm name of Collins & Calkins, this partnership continuing until September, 1855, when it was dissolved by the death of Mr. Collins. In 1854, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney for two years; re-elected in 1866 for two years, and again in 1868 for the same length of time, and has had an honorable and lucrative practice since being admitted to the bar in 1852. His marriage with Elizabeth Stamm was celebrated in the spring of 1853. She was also a native of Pennsylvania. They have four children now living, viz., Leulla, Harriet and Henry (twins) and George.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 481

Greenville Twp. -
HENRY CALKINS, lawyer, Greenville. The subject of this memoir was born in West Burlington, Bradford Co., Penn., upon the 5th of December. 1832, and is a son of Moses and Eveline (Broflett) Calkins, who were married in Pennsylvania about the year 1826; Moses Calkins was born in Bradford Co., Penn., April 6, 1797, his father being one of four men who first settled in the county in 1790, was the father of five sons and four daughters, and died at the advanced age of 80; his widow's decease occurred two weeks later, at the age of 78; of their children, three now survive, viz., Moses, the father of our subject, now 84 years of age, and two daughters, aged 82 and 86 years, all in good health; the children of Moses and Eveline (Broffett) Calkins were six in number, of whom five are now living, viz., Charles, born Feb. 11, 1827, and whose biography also appears in this work, our subject being the next surviving member; Edward, born in 1836, a prominent lawyer of Richmond, Ind., since 1862; Alfred, born in 1833, a resident of and Mayor of New Paris, Ohio; Emma, born in 1841, now Mrs. C. B. Northrup, of New Madison. The maiden name of the great-grandmother of our subject on his mother's side was Gore; her husband was killed at the Wyoming massacre; she, with two children, one of them the grandmother of Mr. Calkins, escaped with other fugitives by boat up the Susquehanna River, then across the mountains, and located in the Sheshequin Valley, Bradford Co., Penn., where she died in 1833, being 90 years of age; her daughter Rebecca, the grandmother of Mr. Calkins, was born in 1774; was married, in 1794, to James Broflett, and were the parents of five children, all of whom were early settlers of Darke Co., viz., Silas and Alfred Broffett, at Broffettsville, Harrison Township; Celinda, wife of Judge Jaqua, of New Madison, and Lucinda, wife of Rial Lawrence; her second husband was Joseph Bloom, by whom she had four children — Charles, Guy. Hiram, and Celinda, now the wife of A. L. Northrup, residing in New Madison; she died at the age of 84; the parents of Mr. Calkins are now living at New Paris, Preble Co.; they came to Darke Co. in 1852, and settled in Harrison Township. The education of our subject was obtained in the common schools up to 16 years of age; he then received an academical course at Troy, Bradford Co., Penn.; then was a student of the Delaware (Ohio) College two years; afterward studied medicine and attended a course of lectures at Cincinnati Medical College : in the spring of 1856, he went across the Plains, remaining until 1859. Upon Dec. 12, 1862, he was married to Harriet E. McClure, at Peru, Ind. The following August, he enlisted a company of 101 men, and went out as Captain of Co. C. 87th Ind. V. I, serving through Kentucky and Tennessee. After returning from the army, he returned to Illinois and engaged in farming, stock-raising, etc. Was Police Judge of the city of Jerseyville, Ill., in 1868; was admitted as a member of the bar in 1870, and was afterward elected two terms as City Solicitor; in 1874, he came to Greenville, and engaged in the ' law business with his brother Charles. Was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Darke Co. in 1877, and re-elected in 1879. Has always voted the Democratic ticket. Henry Calkins is the father of three children now living, having lost three by death. During the residence of Moses Calkins in Pennsylvania, he was largely identified with the lumber trade, and, upon locating here, has been engaged in loaning money, etc.; he is a man of sterling worth, and a great champion of the cause of temperance.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 481

Wabash Twp. -
JOHN H. CAMPBELL, merchant; P. O. North Star; a son of D. C.  and Mary (Starr) Campbell; was born in Jamestown, Greene Co., Ohio Aug. 8, 1847, and settled in this county with his parents in 1850.  Was married to Miranda Riegel at North Star Apr. 3, 1870; she was born Jan. 5, 1852; three children - Mary T., born Dec. 31, 1870; Dora D., born Aug. 31, 1875; James T., born Dec. 19, 1878.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 761

Washington Twp. -
JACOB B. CHENOWETH, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 17; P. O. Hill Grove; was born in Pike Co., Ohio, May 13, 1824, adn came with his parents to Washington Township, where he now resides, in December, 1829; his father, John Chenoweth, was born in Pike Co., Ohio, Nov. 7, 1797, and is said to be the first white child born on the Scioto River in that county; he married Mary E. Barger April 13, 1820; she was born inVirginia in 1797; her father, Jacob Barger, was born Mar. 13, 1769, and married Susan Barger, who was born in Germany; he died Sept. 7, 1822, and she died Oct. 24, 1845.  Jacob B., the subject of this sketch, began life poor; he worked for small wages, farming up to 1850; his limited education he procured here in a hut built of round logs, small and so low a big boy could barely stand upright; in place of glass window-lights was greased white paper, through which only dim knowledge could be obtained.  He married Sarah Wagemon Sept. 10, 1857; she was born in Darke Co., Sept. 8, 1837; her father, William Wagemon, was born in Pennsylvania, and married Mary Baker, of Virginia; he died in Wabash Co., Ind., in teh winter of 1867; she died in Randolph Co., Ind., in March, 1876.  Mr. and Mrs. Chenoweth have four children, viz., John W., born Sept. 6, 1858; Mary A., Oct,. 21, 1860; Flora J., Mar. 30, 1863; and Ira O., Mar. 15, 1874.  He owns 100 acres and a good home; he has been Supervisor, Trustee School Director, etc., but has never aspired to public office.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 495

Greenville Twp. -
L. E. CHENOWETH, attorney at law, Greenville; was born in Washington Township, on the 3d of December, 1840. His father, Thomas F. Chenoweth, came to Darke Co., from Franklin Co., Ohio, in 1818, and entered the farm on which he has since resided. L. E. Chenoweth was brought up a farmer, but with three brothers learned the trade of bricklaying. He received a good common-school education, and, at the age of 16, taught a district school. He taught school several terms. On the 13th of May, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Co. K. 11th O. V. I., for three months' service, and was honorably discharged Aug. 17, 1861; re- enlisted Oct. 25, 1861, in Co. E, 69th O. V. I.; was appointed Commissary Sergeant of said regiment, Feb. 1, 1863, at Murfreesboro, Tenn., and soon after appointed Quartermaster Sergeant of said regiment. Re-enlisted as veteran volunteer, Feb. 26, 1864, at Chattanooga, Tenn.; was discharged from service as Quartermaster Sergeant, at Sister's Ferry, Ga., Feb. 1, 1865, and was mustered in on same day as First Lieutenant of Co. H, 69th 0. V. I., and, on same day, was appointed Quartermaster of said regiment. Was appointed Brigade Quartermaster on the staff of Gen. George P. Buell, commanding 2d Brigade, 1st Division, 14th Army Corps, at Goldsboro, N. C., March 27, 1865. Was commissioned and mustered as Captain of Co. I, O.V.I., June 16, 1865, at Louisville, Ky., and was discharged on the 17th of July, 1865, at the close of the war. Was present at the following battles: Stone River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Ringgold, Snake Creek Gap, Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Marietta, Chattahoochie River, Peach Tree Creek, siege of Atlanta, Jonesboro and Savannah and Goldsboro, N. C. Since the war, has been engaged in the grocery business, miller, engineer, merchant tailoring, boot and shoe store, foundry and machine shop and a traveling salesman, handling school furniture and supplies, in Ohio, Indiana. Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Canada. On the 5th day of December, 1876, in the Supreme Court of Ohio, was duly admitted to the practice of the law, since which time he has been engaged in the business of his profession. He married, on the 3d of July, 1867, Effie A. Arnold, daughter of Noah Arnold, Esq., of Jaysville. Darke Co. Has two children — Millie and James.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 483

Washington Twp. -
THOMAS F. CHENOWETH, farmer and brickmason, Sec. 32; P. O. Darke; was born in Franklin County, Ohio, July 17, 1808; his father, John Chenoweth, was born in Virginia, and married Betsey Foster; she was born in Maryland July 16, 1788; he died in Tippecanoe County, Ind., in 1865; she died in Darke County, Ohio, in 1876; the family moved to this section in February, 1818.  (See biography of Jacob Chenoweth.)  The subject of this sketch attended school with about an equal number of white and colored children, as the Clemens (colored) settlement was made soon after they moved here; up to the age of 21, Mr. Chenoweth followed farming, then learned the brickmason's trade, which, with farming, he has ever since followed; was elected Justice of the Peace in 1852, and served until 1879 (twenty-seven years).  He married Christina Thomas Nov. 10, 1831; she was born in Anderson County, Tenn., Feb. 1, 1810; her father, John Thomas, married Catherine Albright Oct, 31, 1799; she was born Mar. 14, 1784; both were born in North Carolina and died in Preble County, Ohio.  Mr. and Mrs. Chenoweth have had the following children, viz., Lewis A., born Aug. 6, 1832, died Apr. 4, 1836; John, born Nov. 19, 1833; Louisa, Dec. 16, 1835; Nelson T., Oct. 8, 1837; Emeline, Dec. 7, 1839, died Feb. 18, 1840; Catherine, born Jan. 13, 1843; Joel T., Dec. 29, 1844; Mary Jane, Sept. 18, 1848; and Benjamin F., Sept. 27, 1852; Louisa married Martha Jeffries, Catherine married Daniel Clapp, Mary Jane married George McClure.  In the winter of 1830 and 1831, Mr. Chenoweth hauled with a four-horse team out of Greenville all the wheat that was marketed there at that time, i. e., two loads a day, twenty-five bushels to the load; it was sold for 37½ cents per bushel in merchandise.  He owns a good farm of 160 acres.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 252

Adams Twp. -
SOLOMON B. CHRISTIAN, farmer, Sec. 9; P. O. Bradford; Solomon, his father, was a native of Pennsylvania, born in Huntingdon County on the 25th of December, 1789. He married Mary Bauslaugh, who was a native of the same State and county, and was born March 4, 1794; in 1814, Mr. Christian made a visit to Darke County, Ohio, and while here entered the east half of Sec. 9, and in 1829 he settled on his tract of land, which at that time was a dense forest; his wife did not come till 1834, as she was afraid of the Indians; she came with a firm determination to share the trials, dangers and hardships with her devoted husband, in the then almost unbroken wilderness, with here and there a family, at the mercy of the bloodthirsty red man, and for twenty-five years she nobly acted her part of the great drama of life; on the 26th of September, 1859, the messenger of death entered the household, removing her from earth to heaven; Solomon, her husband, survived the storm of life till Feb. 10, 1862. when he, too, sank peacefully to rest in the blessed knowledge of the immortality of the soul; they were the parents of seven children, of whom four are living, viz.: Susan, now Mrs. Brakebill; Anna, now Mrs. Katherman; Sarah, now Mrs. Wise, and Solomon B., the subject of this sketch, who is a native of Darke County, Ohio, born Jan. 9, 1836; he received his education in the district schools by the time he was 19 years old, during which time he assisted his father in the clearing and the cultivation of the soil. On the 19th of January, 1854, he celebrated his marriage with Miss Mary Brumbaugh, who is a daughter of Jacob and Susan Brumbaugh, natives of Montgomery County, Ohio; Mary was born in Miami County on the 27th of December, 1830. being the fourth child in a family of eight children, viz.: Catharine, John, Carrad. Mary, Emanuel. Esther, Elizabeth and Susan; after his marriage, he farmed the old homestead, where he has resided ever since; he came in possession of the home farm at the death of his father; Mr. Christian has accumulated a considerable amount of property by his hard labor, in which he has been nobly assisted by his good and amiable wife; he is strictly temperate in all his habits, being a member of the Masonic Order, also of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Patrons of Husbandry. He is a firm Democrat; Mr. Christian is not a political aspirant, although he has been identified with the township offices, served as Township Trustee two terms, one year as Pike Superintendent and as School Director ten years.  Mr. and Mrs. Christian are highly esteemed by their many friends and acquaintances for their good qualities; Mrs. Christian is a member of the German Baptist Church; they are the parents of eight children, of whom seven are living, viz.: Susan, born May 18. 1855; Philip, Jan 1, 1858; George W., July 4, 1860; Mary, July 14, 1863; Martha, Jan. 13, 1866; Solomon, Sept. 7, 1868; John S. R., Oct. 31, 1871. Jacob Brumbaugh was born March 14, 1803, died Jan. 27, 1843; Susan, his wife, was born Nov. 11, 1807, died March 29, 1852.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 541

Greenville Twp. -
B. H. CLARK, Sec. 4; P. O. Woodington; an early pioneer of Darke Co.; born in Lebanon Co., Penn., Sept. 16, 1821; he was a son of Samuel Clark, who was born in Pennsylvania March 31, 1796; he came to Darke Co. in 1831, and located in Washington Township, where he lived until his decease, which occurred in November, 1872. He married Margaret Hofnagle in Pennsylvania; she was born in the same State in 1797, and died in Washington Township in February, 1863. Our subject came to Darke Co. with his parents in 1831, and is, consequently, one of the early pioneers, and among the oldest continuous residents of the county, having lived here nearly half a century; his education was obtained in a log schoolhouse with stick-and-mud chimney, a large fireplace in which they used logs as large as two or three of the largest boys could handle, and the desks and seats were made of slabs, as well as the writing-desks which extended around the house; he remained with his father until 21 years of age, when he commenced farming for himself, and. in 1857, moved upon his present place, where he has since lived; he has about 80 acres of land, with good farm buildings, which he has secured by his own hard labor, in which he has been nobly assisted by his amiable wife, to whom he was united in marriage April 25, 1844; she was born in Washington Township, Darke Co., April 18, 1830; her maiden name was Mary Ann Martin, a daughter of Hugh and Eve (Cox) Martin; her father was one of linearly pioneers, emigrating from Pennsylvania in 1818. and locating in Washington Township; her mother was a daughter of Jacob Cox, who located here in 1816; he was born in 1801 and died April 7, 1842, upon the farm he first settled on after his marriage; her mother was born in 1796, and died Dec. 13, 1866. The children of B. H. and Mary Ann (Martin) Clark were thirteen in number, of whom eleven are now living — William H., Isaac X., John C., Frank, Margaret E., Clatie F., Angeline M., Jennie, Sherman, Walter and Arthur; the deceased were Charles and Baxter, dying in infancy.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 483

Greenville Twp. -
JOHN C. CLARK, firm of Breaden & Clark, attorneys at law, Wilson & Hart's Block, Greenville. The subject of this memoir was born in Washington Township, Darke Co., on the 17th of January, 1849, and is the son of B. H. Clark, another of our old settlers, whose biography also appears in this work. The early occupation of our subject was that of a farmer's son, his education being obtained in the common schools, until 18 years of age, after which he attended the graded schools of Greenville for three years; the following three years he devoted to school-teaching, and, during vacation, gave his whole attention to study; in 1873, he commenced the study of 'law with Calderwood & Cole, was admitted to the bar in 1877, and, shortly after, associated with J. E. Breaden, Jr., under the firm name, now doing an extensive law business, which is yearly increasing.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 484

Franklin Twp. -
MOSES COATE, farmer; P. O. Red River.  To the subject of this memoir we are pleased to accord a place in the front ranks of the early pioneers; he was born in Miami County the 9th day of the twelfth month, 1815; his father.  Moses Coate, was born in South Carolina in the fifth month, 1767; his mother, Elizabeth Coate, was born in South Carolina the 9th day of the eleventh month, 1776; they were the parents of twelve children, viz.:  Jane, born the 19th day of the seventh month, 1796; Mary, born the 15th day of the eleventh month, 1797; Thomas, born the 7th day of the fifth month, 1799; Esther, born the 1st day of the second month, 1801; Joseph, born the 22d day of the tenth month, 1802; William, born the 6th day of the fifth month, 1805; Margaret, born the 16th day of the fourth month, 1807; Samuel, born the 29th day of the twelfth month, 1808; Benjamin, born the 23d day of the ninth month, 1810; Elizabeth, born the 10th day of the ninth month, 1812; Moses, born the 9th day of the twelfth month, 1815; Jesse born the 1st day of the third month, 1818. Our subject was reared on the farm and assisted his father in agricultural pursuits till his 23d year, when he began life for himself and was united in marriage with Elizabeth Brown in 1839.  Her parents were natives of South Carolina, and emigrated to Darke Co. in 1822, and settled on Ludlow Creek, in Monroe Township.  They were the parents of twelve children, of whom only six are now living.  Mr. Brown was born in 1797, and died at the age of 82 years; Mrs. Brown was born in 1800, and departed this life at the age of 66 years.  In 1844, our subject settled in Darke Co., in Adams Township, where he remained for three years, and then removed to the place where he now resides, in 1848.  Just after his marriage, they removed to the vicinity of Terre Haute, Ind., where they remained over three years, when, becoming dissatisfied, they returned to their native State, where they have resided ever since.  The land where he now lives was a howling wilderness when he first came on it, but through hard work and good management, coupled with frugality, they have made a beautiful home and are surrounded by all the comforts of life.  They age the parents of thirteen children, of whom nine are living, viz., Ezra, Esther, Bethana, Nancy J., Samuel, Elwood, Susannah, Emma E., Martha O.; the deceased are Job, Calvin, Edmund and Jesse; Ezra was a member of Co. B, of the 44th O. V. I., and on account of sickness received his discharge and returned home till health and vigor were restored, when he again returned to the front and nobly did his duty.  Edmund was killed by accident when he was in his 13th year; he was covering corn in the field, and, while passing near a large tree, that had become detached from the roots and loosened, it fell as he was passing by, and striking him, he was crushed to the earth; he lingered a few hours in an unconscious state, and then passed quietly into the arms of his Savior.  Mr. Coate was raised a Friend, but has been a member of the Christian Church for forty years - laboring long and earnestly in the cause he loves so well.  Mrs. Coate is a member of the German Baptist Church of eighteen years' standing, and is an exemplary Christian woman.  Their daughters, Susannah and Emma, are members of the church, the former belonging to the German Baptist and the latter to the Christian Church; both are excellent young ladies and are co-workers with their parents in their respective churches.  Bethana married Noah Arnett in March, 1866; Esther married Z. Boggs in 1871; Nancy J. married Samuel Hall; Ezra married Melissa Thomas in April, 1866; Samuel was married to Mary Engall in June, 1876.
*Source:  History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880 - Page 679

Adams Twp. -
GIDEON J. COBLENTZ, farmer, Sec. 28; P. O. Bradford, Ohio. Daniel, the father of Gideon J., is a native of Maryland; born in Frederick County in April. 1814. He married Margaret Worman, who was born in Ohio in 1815; she departed this life in 1855. Mr. Coblentz celebrated his second marriage with Sarah Shepherd; they now reside three miles east of Dayton, Ohio. Gideon, the subject of this sketch, is a native of Ohio, born in Montgomery County, on the 17th of October 1838; he spent his boy-hood days in Montgomery County, assisting his father on the farm till he became of age, obtaining his education in the district schools.  On the 7th of January, 1 863, he celebrated his marriage with Mary E., daughter of John and Sarah Hinsey, who was born in Mad River Township, Montgomery  County (now in the Corporation of Dayton), on the 29th of April, 1838. After his marriage, he moved on his father's farm, where he remained about two years; after which he rented the Barlow farm, remaining for a period of about three years; when he moved near Fort Wood, on a small farm for which he paid money rent, remaining three years; he followed farming for four years on three different farms, and in March, 1876, he purchased 40 acres in Adams Township, Sec. 28. where he moved and resides at present; has since added 8 acres more, making in all 48 acres in a good state of cultivation. Mr. Coblentz has accumulated some property by his hard labor, in which he has been nobly assisted by his good and amiable wife; is strictly temperate in all his habits; two children have been born to them, viz.: John D. W., born July 20, 1865; Sarah E. M. A., born March 27, 1872.   Mrs. Mary E. Coblentz is a clairvoyant and has remarkable powers in the faculty of clairvoyancy; to diagnose disease and prescribe for the same, and has a large practice in the counties of Darke, Miami and Montgomery. After an illness of ten years, receiving treatment from the most able physicians of the county, but all to no avail until the 4th day of July, 1874, when the faculty of clairvoyancy was brought into action, and the beautiful "Beyond " was opened up to her vision; in which a tall, venerable old gentleman, with gray hair and beard, spoke to her, saying : "I come to cure you." She was then ordered by her control to read the thirty-fourth chapter of of Ezekiel; after which she was ordered to go where there was a pool of dead water and remove from her person all but three garments and dip herself seven times, after which burn the three garments, which she did and in six weeks she had recovered from her illness so as to be able to do her housework.  We now leave the reader to draw his or her own conclusions, however, the writer can truthfully say that she possesses remarkable magnetic powers, and has great power over disease.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 542

Greenville Twp. -
HENRY M. COLE, lawyer, Greenville; was born in Darke Co., March 17, 1845. His grandfather, Samuel Cole, Sr., was a native of Sussex Co., N. J.; he was one of the earliest settlers, and the first Justice of the Peace of Washington Township; his father and mother are natives of the same township; his father, Samuel Cole, Jr., is a substantial farmer; his mother was Elizabeth Cox; of a family of eleven children, our subject is the eldest; by arduous study, with only common-school advantages, he obtained a fair English education; he entered the service of the United States in the war of the rebellion in 1864, and was fifer-boy in Co. G, of the 152d 0. N. G.; he read law with Messrs. Knox & Sater, of Greenville; graduated from the Cincinnati Law School in the spring of 1869; was at once admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in Greenville; in August, 1872, he formed a law partnership with Judge A. R. Calderwood, of Greenville, and is still so associated. Politically, he is a Republican. He possesses good legal talent, is a close student, and is devoted to his profession; as a pleader and advocate, he is effective; in legal and general literature, he is well informed, and has the manners of a polished gentleman.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 484

Washington Twp. -
JOSEPH COLE, JR., retired farmer, Sec. 33; P. O. Darke; was born in Washington Township, Darke Co., Dec. 29, 1823; at the age of 17, he began teaching school in the first schoolhouse erected in Washington Township, and followed teaching most of the time until he was 30 years old; he built and managed a saw-mill about three years; he went into merchandising in Coletown and followed it four years; he since has followed dealing in life-stock and farming; he has never been a political aspirant; he is now Secretary of the Darke County Pioneer Society.  His father, Samuel Cole, was born in Sussex Co., N. J., July 3, 1787, and married Mary Elston, of the same county, in 1812; she was born Nov. 27, 1792; his father, Samuel Cole, was born on the Hudson River, near New York City, Nov. 5, 1751.  He first married Janey Davis; she was born July 2, 1755; his second wife was Anna Rider; she was born Oct. 25, 1760; his father was David Cole, a descendant of the Coles who were among the first settlers of New York City or New Amsterdam; Samuel Cole, the father of the subject of this sketch, moved to Washington Township in March, 1817; his father came the next year and died here Jan, 8, 1829; Samuel, father of Joseph, the subject of this sketch, died in Greenville Township, this county, Feb. 21, 1866; he was a farmer but taught the first school in Washington Township; he was the first Justice of the Peace, and was Township Clerk in 1823; his widow Mary, died Aug. 10, 1831; they had eight children, viz.: William, born July 25, 1813, in New Jersey, died Apr. 3, 1836; Asa, born July 26, 1815, in New Jersey, died May 29, 1857; Jane, born Apr. 20, 1817; the first white child born in Washington Township; she married Leonard Wintermute, and now resides in Greenville Township; Betsey, born Mar. 23, 1819, died Feb., 6, 1872; she married George Elston, deceased; Samuel, born Apr. 5, 1821; Joseph, Dec. 29, 1823; Polly, __ 18, 1826, died Sept. 25, 1831, and Henry, June 20, 1829; he is a Christian minister and resides in Kansas.  Joseph, the subject of this sketch, married Sarah Ann Shively April 6, 1850; she is the daughter of Daniel Shively, and was born May 14, 1831; they have had seven children, viz.: Arthur, born Jan. 18, 1851, died Mar. 16, 1852; Wallace S., born Apr. 6, 1853; Flora A., born Mar. 26, 1855; she married B. F. Chenoweth; William H., born Dec. 16, 1859; Mary C., born Apr. 23, 1862; Charlie W., born Oct. 12, 1866, and Benjamin F., Nov. 12, 1874.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 753

Greenville Twp. -
WILLIAM COLE, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 14; P. O. Greenville; born in Greenville Township, Darke Co., March 3, 1849; he is a son of Samuel Cole, who was one of the early settlers of Darke Co., and is one of the oldest continual residents of the county, and is now living in Washington Township, and is a brother of Joseph Cole, whose biography appears among the sketches of Washington Township in another part of this work. Wm. Cole received a common-school education, and assisted his father upon the farm until he attained his majority; in 1872, he located upon his present place where he has since lived; he has 160 acres on his home farm, with good buildings. He married Clarissa Alexander Aug. 3, 1871; she was born in Preble Co., Ohio, Sept. 7, 1852; they have five children— Baxter, born April 11, 1873; Samuel G., Aug. 8, 1874 , John, Sept. 21, 1875; George, March 25, 1877, and an infant, July 10, 1879. Mrs. Cole was a daughter of Samuel Alexander, who died in Washington Township Oct 7, 1873; her mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Roberts, who died in 1874.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 484

Greenville Twp. -
FRANK T. CONKLING, book-keeper, Greenville; born in Hamilton Co., Ohio, Feb. 27, 1858; his early education was obtained in the common schools of his native place, and completed by a study of eight yeas in Cincinnati; in 1875, he came to Greenville, and in July, 1876, accepted a position as book-keeper of the Greenville Bank, which situation he has since filled with credit to himself, and satisfaction to his employers.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 485

Greenville Twp. -
JACOB W. COX, manufacturer of boots and shoes, Sec. 31; P. O. Greenville. One of the old settlers, born in Greenville Township, Darke Co., Ohio, Aug. 12. 1841. He was a son of Jesse Cox, the first white child born in Washington Township (date of birth, 1817), whose occupation was farming; his death occurred on Oct. 4, 1873. He married Prudence J. Wintermute, a native of New Jersey, born in 1820, who is still living in Greenville Township. Jacob W., raised to farm labor until 14 years of age, when he commenced to learn the shoemaker's trade, which business he followed in connection with farming until 1873, since which time he has devoted his whole attention to his trade upon Sec. 31, where he resides. Upon the 14th of March, 1869, he was married to Mary E. Bechtold, daughter of Samuel Bechtold, whose sketch appears among the biography of Greenville Township; they have three children — Charles N., Francis M. and Bellzoria.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 484

Greenville Twp. -
DAVID CRAIG, retired; P. O. Greenville; another of the early pioneers of Darke Co. is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch; born in Montgomery Co., Oct. 5, 1804, and was a son of John Craig, a native of Virginia, who had a hatred to the institution of slavery, and emigrated to Kentucky, then a free State, but upon slavery being admitted as one of its institutions, he came to Montgomery Co., Ohio, where his death occurred in 1812; in the spring of 1816, our subject came to Darke Co., being then 12 years of age, and he and his twin brother contracted and cleared several acres of land in Wayne Township, by which they cleared upward of $1 per day each; at 15 years of age, he went to Butler Co., and learned the blacksmith trade; his skill and reputation in the making of edge tools soon became established, and for three years he found employment at Amanda, most of the time making stonecutter's tools for the contractors of the Miami Canal; he was a witness to the commencement of the building of the canal, and saw the first dirt thrown out by Gov. Merrill, of Ohio, and Gov. Clinton, of New York; in 1828, he and his twin brother purchased two lots on Main street, Greenville, erected a wagon and blacksmith shop, and carried on the above business in connection with the manufacture of plows and agricultural implements until 1850, when he located upon his farm, two and a half miles south of Greenville, and here he engaged in farming until the spring of 1877, when he disposed of his farm, removed to Greenville, where he has since lived. Mr. Craig has suffered the privations and hardships of frontier life; upon locating here he had to go to Montgomery Co., purchase corn at $1 per bushel, and bring it to Greenville upon horseback; it may be said of him that he is one of the self- made men of Darke Co.; coming here at 12 years of age, he battled against adversity for many years, and now at the advanced age of 75 years is in possession of all his faculties, and has accumulated sufficient property by his hard labor and correct business habits to carry him and his amiable wife through their declining years. Upon the 3d of August, 1834, he was united in marriage with Ruhanah Shanon, who was born in Cumberland Co., Penn., Feb. 17, 1816, and came to Darke Co. with her parents in 1832. They were the parents of three sons and four daughters, viz., Elizabeth A., born Sept. 15, 1835; James M., Nov. 29, 1836, now in Government employ at Washington; Thomas A., born March 2, 1839— died Feb. 22, 1845; Marietta. May 5, 1842; Martha J., Jan. 18. 1844; Phoebe S., Dec. 17, 1845, and David Edgar, June 1, 1852. 
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 485

Adams Twp. -
SOLOMON CREAGER, farmer; P. O. Gettysburg; was born in Maryland in 1809; was the son of Henry and Susannah Creager; they had seven children, viz., Polly, Thomas, Charlotte, Rebecca, Valentine and Solomon; the grandparents, Conrad and Susannah, were born in Germany; Susannah's maiden name was Wolf.  Henry and Susannah Creager came to Montgomery Co., Ohio, in 1810, when Solomon was about 9 months old, and located six miles south of Dayton, where they lived and died. Mr. Creager, the subject of our sketch, was married in 1833 to Maria, daughter of George and Susannah Martin; George was born in England, and Susannah in Maryland; Maria had two brothers and four sisters, viz., Elizabeth, Maria, Ann, Mary, George and John Thomas; the eldest and youngest being dead, and the rest are living; they have had as the issue of their marriage six children, three of whom are living, viz., Henry, George M. and Cora Francis, all married and settled in life. Mr. Creager after his marriage, lived with his father about six years, till the year 1840, when they came to this county; having entered eighty-three acres of land about five years previous and settled upon it while it was a wilderness, and cut the first stick of timber; made an opening and put up a small cabin, into which they moved; then commenced clearing up, working and toiling from day to day and year to year; making such improvements as time and means would admit, till at present they have about 65 acres cleared and in cultivation, and a good comfortable house, a large bam and other buildings for comfort and convenience. When Mr. Creager started in life he began without any capital, and has made all his property by his own industry and diligent labor, except a very small amount received from their parents. Mr. Creager has always been an active Democrat; has been School Director and Trustee of his township some six years; and also filled other township offices. He is a member of the Reformed Church, having belonged to the same for nearly half a century; he and his wife were two of the six  constituent members who organized the Zion's Church, the first Reformed Church established in this county; he has been Elder in the church for eighteen years. Thus, while we have here a sketch of one of the old settlers of the county, we have also a sample of pioneers in the church work rarely excelled in length of time of service; here we have a noble example of the coupling together of pioneer work in opening out the forests, and that of building up the church, which shall ever stand upon the pages of history as a bright and shining light to guide the children's children and future generations to industry in life, and a sure way to a happy immortality beyond.  
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 543

Washington Twp. -
JAMES B. CREVISTON, school teacher, Sec. 4; P. O. Hill Grove; was born in Washington Township, Darke Co., Ohio, Jan. 17, 1826.  His father, Henry Creviston, was born in Bedford Co., Penn., in February, 1780, and married Mary Burnham, of North Carolina; they moved to Darke Co., Ohio, in 1808, and settled near Greenville; he mainly followed farming, but was a noted hunter, as game was abundant and the country a dense forest; he was in the war of 1812, and acted as scout for Gen. William H. Harrison, from Ft. Greenville to Tippecanoe and other points in the Northwest, among the Indians; he died in September, 1855; his wife survived him until February, 1865.  James B. Creviston commenced teaching school at Hill Grove, where he now resides, in 1849, and has continued up to this time, within the four adjoining districts, and is now the oldest native teacher in the county, and if not the first, he was the second, white child born in this township.  In April, 1861, he enlisted in Co. I. 11th O. V. I.; went out as first Lieutenant, and on Sept. 9, following was appointed Adjutant of the 40th Ohio Regiment under Col. Jonathan Cranor, and served until discharged, on account of inflammatory rheumatism; he was commissioned Captain of Co. G, of the 193d Ohio Regiment of Infantry in February, 1865, and served until the surrender of all the rebel armies; was mustered out in September, 1865.  He married Mary Ohler Aug. 29, 1849; she was born in this township Sept. 23, 1849; they have had four children, viz., Kate, born July 1, 1851 (she married Henry Cook); Bruce, born Sept. 20, 1859 (died Nov. 7, 1860); Johnny, born Oct. 18, 1867 (died Aug. 21, 1868); and Mary Agnes, born July 22, 1872.  Himself and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church; in politics, he is a Republican.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 754

Greenville Twp. -
T. W. CULBERTSON, farmer and stock-raiser; P. 0. Greenville; was born Oct. 25, 1828.  within sight of the place where he now resides; he is the son of Samuel Culbertson, a native of Pennsylvania, who was born in June, 1801, and emigrated with his family to this county at quite an early day, settling on a piece of land in Van Buren Township. At that time, this county was almost entirely covered over with dense forests and immense swamps; the labors of the pioneer had not yet made extensive inroads on the vast wilderness. He was united in marriage with Miss Rebecca Westfall in 1823; six children were born of this union, to wit : Orin, Mary J., T. W. Elizabeth and James; Orin and Elizabeth are deceased; the others are settled in this county. The privations and hardships of pioneer life soon told upon the health of the elder Culbertson, and in 1837, he was called to bid farewell to his family and take his departure to that u undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns," leaving a loving wife and six small children to contend with the trials and difficulties incident to frontier life; his wife remained upon the homestead and survived him about sixteen years, dying in 1853. Our subject was quite small at the death of his father, after which he remained with his mother till her death, assisting in sustaining her and giving her the comforts of a home; he early learned the brickmason's trade. His educational advantages were necessarily limited, as a pioneer's life is one of constant exertion for sustenance, but what opportunities did offer in this direction were well improved. At the death of his mother, the home was broken up and he went to live with his sister, Mrs. Studabaker. Nov. 26, 1857, he celebrated his marriage with Elizabeth Harper; she is the daughter of William S. Harper, a native of Pennsylvania, who also emigrated to this county at quite an early day. Immediately after the marriage of our subject, he moved upon a piece of land in Sec. 7, which he had previously purchased; this was all in the woods, and he was obliged to clear off a spot large enough to erect a cabin on; this constituted the first home of his own; here, in the dense forest, he set out with his helpmeet, on the course of life, and by their own exertions they have caused the golden grain to wave where once stood the mighty forest; in his rich fertile farm, we again behold industry and frugality bountifully rewarded. They are the parents of seven children, to wit: Frank, Edward, Charlie, William H., Hany, Cora B. and Purley, all of whom are yet living and residing under the parental roof. Mr. Culbertson, realizing the advantages of an education in this advanced day, is offering his children all the opportunities now afforded by this county in this direction, and they, we are glad to chronicle, are making good use of them.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 485