MRS. DELIA VIOLA TAYLOR.  Mrs. Taylor, a highly esteemed and hononer citizen of Arcanum, Darke county, Ohio, was born in Tarlton, this state, Apr. 30, 1849, and is a daughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Van Tress) Bitler, both natives of Pennsylvania.  Her paternal grandfather, George Bitler, was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and from there removed to Lancaster, Ohio, where he owned and operated a large iron foundry for some time and later lived retired.  He finally moved to Missouri and located near Edina, where he owned large tracts of farming land, and there died.  He was twice married.
     Michael Bitler, Mrs. Taylor's father, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and was only four years old when brought by his parents to Lancaster, Ohio, where he grew to manhood and married.  At the age of nineteen years he was licensed to preach in the United Brethren church, but as he afterward joined the Independent Order of Odd Fellows while that church was opposed to secret societies, he entered the Methodist Episcopal ministry, joining the Cincinnati conference.  He was the chaplain of the Forty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil war.  He preached in Cincinnati two years and in the suburbs of that place for many years, but finally removed to Ithaca, Darke county, where he remained for a short time, and then came to Arcanum, where he practiced medicine until his death, having graduated at a medical college, during his younger years.  He died May 10, 1889, aged seventy years, and his wife died May 25, 1896, aged seventy-six years.  They were the parents of ten children, namely: Clinton, who died at the age of eighteen years; Mary C., who died in infancy; Sarah deceased wife of Z. H. Delapp; Samuel, a resident of Gordon, Darke county; Isadore, the wife of Joseph Brown, of Columbus, Ohio; Delia Viola, our subject; John a resident of Galveston, Indiana; Mary the wife of Rev. J. Klingel of Devil's Lake, North Dakota; Emma, the wife of Professor B.. F. Peters, of Indiana; and Leota, the wife of William Mummert of Wawaka, Indiana.
     During her girlhood Mrs. Taylor attended the public schools, completing her education at Ithaca, this county.  On the 13th of September, 1863, she gave her hand in marriage to John Smith, a prominent merchant of Arcanum, who was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, in 1828, a son of Jesse and Christina (Dietrick) Smith also natives of that county.  In 1835 he removed with his parents to Preble county, Ohio, where he made his home until 1850, and then came to Sampson, Darke county, where he remained about a year.  In 1851 he took up his residence in Arcanum and embarked in general merchandising, opening the first store in the place.  His popularity, strict integrity and honorable dealing soon won for him an excellent trade, which was second to none in the county.  He died Feb. 18, 1890, honored and respected by all who knew him.  In 1851 he married Sophia McNutt, who died Feb. 7, 1859, leaving three children, namely: Milton W., Leonidas H. and Theophilus d. all living at the present time.  By his second marriage he had eight children: Elmer Ellsworth, who died in infancy; Edwin Stanton; Bertelle; Roy; Maude C., the wife of Eldredge Faulkner; Mamie Winifred, who died at the age of five years; John A.; and Chester, who died in infancy.  On the 14th of September, 1894, our subject married W. Scott Taylor, but has no children by this union.  She is a lady of culture, refinement and high social qualities, and has a large circle of friends and acquaintances in Arcanum where she makes her home.
Source: A Biographical History of Darke County, Ohio, Compendium of National Biography - Illustrated - Publ. Evansville, Ind. - 1900 - Page 413

NORMAN TEAFORD, one of the most prominent and prosperous farmers of German township, whose home is on section 21, has spent his entire life upon the farm where he was born March 24, 1861. His father, Barney Teaford, .was born in German township, February 3, 1825, and is a twin brother of Jonathan, the two being the only survivors of a family of twelve children. He was reared and educated in his native township, and was . there married, March 20, 1859, to Miss Margaret E. Stapleton, who was born in Wayne county, Indiana, November 13, 1838, and when six years of age came to Darke county, Ohio, with her parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Stapleton. They began their domestic life in a log house on the farm in German township, where the father still lives. He has ever been devoted to his home and family, and has never been outside of Darke county a week during his life, and has been in only two states—Indiana and Ohio. In his fam­ily were seven children, six sons and one daughter, but Norman, the second child an 1 second son, is the only one now living. Jonathan died October 29, 1862, at the age of two years; a son died in infancy, April 15, 1862; Oscar, born June 30, 1864, died September 25, 1866; Samuel, born July 20, 1867, died February 28, 1889; Charles B., born November 18, 1870, died June 25, 1871; and Flora A., born May 10, 1874, died December 19, 1892. The mother passed away March 14, 1889.
     Our subject passed his boyhood and .youth upon the home farm, where he is still living, early becoming familiar with every department of farm work, and he acquired his literary education in district school No. 7, German township. He has a valuable and well improved farm of four hundred and seventy-five acres, which is devoted to general farming, and has an interest in sixteen hundred acres of timber land in Mississippi. He is also interested in the Greenville Lumber Company of Greenville, and a hardware store and livery stable at Palestine, this county. He is an enterprising, progressive busi­ness man, upright and reliable, and has been uniformly successful in his investments.
     On the 6th of August, 1882, Mr. Teaford was united in marriage with Miss Lillie I. Brown, who was born in German township, August 18, 1865, and died May 30, 1897, leaving one daughter, Grace, born December 24, 1884. Mrs. Teaford's parents, Jesse and Martha (Mansfield) Brown, were natives of Maryland and early settlers of Darke county.
     By his ballot Mr. Teaford supports the men and measures of the Democratic party, and he has efficiently served as a member of the school board in his district. He is also a member of German Grange and has held office in the same. He is one of the most popular and influential citizens of his community and is held in high regard by all with whom he comes in contact, either in business or social life.
Source: A Biographical History of Darke County, Ohio, Compendium of National Biography - Illustrated - Publ. Evansville, Ind. - 1900 - Page 582

MOSES TEEGARDEN - See Mrs. Samuel Bailey

Source: A Biographical History of Darke County, Ohio, Compendium of National Biography - Illustrated - Publ. Evansville, Ind. - 1900 - Page 554

MOSES S. TEEGARDEN.  No student can carry his investigations far into the history of Darke county without finding the name of Teegarden figuring conspicuously on its pages in connection with the account of its development along material, moral and intellectual lines.  For more than half a century Mr. Teegarden has been a resident of that county and is numbered among the honored pioneers who have laid broad and deep the foundation for the present prosperity and advancement of this section of the state.  Mr. Teegarden was born on the homestead where he now resides Apr. 9, 1836, and is the third in a family of eight children six are yet living.  One sister is a resident of Kansas and two brothers are living in Indiana, but the others make their home in Ohio.
     The father was born in Butler county this state, and died on the old homestead in Darke county Nov. 15, 1868, at the age of seventy-two years.  He was reared as an agriculturist and obtained his education in the primitive schools of the day.  He started out in life for himself without capital working first by the day or month as he found opportunity, saving his money which he earned and thus acquired a sum sufficient to secure a claim and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land from the government, the deed bearing the signature of Martin Van Buren, then the president of the United States.  The first home which he erected upon the place was a log cabin and in that primitive residence occurred the birth of our subject.  Many Indians still roamed through the forests and to them Mr. Teegarden frequently sold corn meal.  He killed deer upon his own place and venison was a frequent article of diet on the family board.  The old-fashioned cradle, sickle and scythe were used in harvesting their crops and farming was done without any of the improved machinery which both lightens and hastens labor at the present day.  In his business affairs, however, Mr. Teegarden was very successful and at the time of his death owned a thousand acres of land in Jackson and Brown townships.  He started out in life a poor boy, but by industry and frugality he worked his way steadily upward, overcoming all difficulties and obstacles in his path and attained a proud position among the substantial residents of his adopted county.  His descendants are now in possession of two deeds from the government, one executed Aug. 1 1838, for one hundred and sixty acres, and the other on July 11, 1837, for eighty acres, and both are signed by Martin Van Buren.
     Mr. Teegarden was originally an old-line Whig and at the organization of the Republican party he became one of its stanch supporters and a great admirer of Abraham Lincoln.  His fellow townsmen, realizing his worth and ability, called him public office, and he served as trustee and as school director at various times.  He was himself particularly expert as a mathematician and always stood firm in support of his honest convictions, and his word was a good as his bond.  He and his wife were consistent members of the Presbyterian church and he was one of the foremost builders of the first house of worship erected by that denomination in Brown township, the building standing upon a part of his farm.  His connection with Darke county extended back to the time when his voting place was at Beamsville, underneath an apple tree.  He took a deep interest in the development and progress of the county and his name should be inscribed on the pages of its pioneer history.  His wife was born in Virginia and died mar. 27, 1864, at the age of forty-two years.  She was a kind and loving mother, strict in her religious belief, and her Christian teaching have borne fruit in the upright lives of her children.
     Moses S. Teegarden, whose name begins this article, has spent his entire life in Darke county.  He has reared in the usual manner of farmer lads of that period and received but limited educational privileges, for the schools of that day were not of the best class and his labors were needed upon the home farm.  He early became familiar with the arduous task of developing new land and his life has ever been one of marked industry and enterprise.  He married Miss Nancy J. Hetsler, who was born in Butler county, Ohio, Mar. 22, 1840, a daughter.  Her parents had four children, - two sons and two daughters, - and all are yet living in Darke county with the exception of Katurah A., wife of Jacob Kilmer, a carpenter and contractor.  Mrs. Teegarden spent the first thirteen years of her life in Butler county and has since been a resident of Darke county.  She has been to her husband and faithful companion and helpmeet and to her children a kind and loving mother.  Mr. and Mrs. Teegarden have one son and one daughter, the former being J. P. Teegarden, who resides in Woodington, Ohio, where he is engaged in general merchandising and grain dealing.  He was educated in the common schools and married Miss Lara Belle Mendenhall.
     In politics he is a Republican, is now serving as justice of the peace and is a young man who merits and receives the respect of all who know him.  The daughter, Telitha A., is the wife of William Hopper, a farmer residing in Jackson township.  In his political views Mr. Teegarden, of this review was a stanch Republican and has supported  the party since casting his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln.  He is unwavering in his advocacy of the party principles and does all in his power to secure their adoption.  He and his wife are faithful and consistent members of the Teegarden Christian church.  He contributed most liberally to the erection of the house of worship and was a member of the building committee.  Both he and his wife are kind and generous people and have won that good name which is rather to be chosen than great riches.  They now occupy a pleasant home, which was erected in 1887.  It is a tasteful brick residence and stands upon a farm of one hundred acres in Brown township, where are found all of the model farm.  The respect so freely accorded them results from their upright lives, and throughout the community Mr. and Mrs. Teegarden are widely and favorably known.
Source: A Biographical History of Darke County, Ohio, Compendium of National Biography - Illustrated - Publ. Evansville, Ind. - 1900 - Page 380

WILLIAM W. TEEGARDEN, the subject of this sketch, is a member of the Darke county bar. He was born July 17, 1862, and is a representative of one of the oldest pioneer families of Darke county. The family is of Dutch origin and its history in this county antedates the period of the American Revolution, the place of original settlement being in southwestern. Pennsylvania, where, in. an early day; certain of its members took a. prominent part in the disputes which arose between Pennsylvania and Virginia concerning the boundary line between these two provinces. His great-grandfather, Moses Teegarden, was born in Pennsylvania in. 1762. He married Mary Huston, and in. about the year 1795 removed with his family to Ohio, settling near Cincinnati. Subsequently he removed to Butler county, Ohio, settling at Darrtown, where he resided until his death, following the occupation of farming. He reared a family of ten children and his death occurred April 20, 1844.. His wife was born in 1765 and died June 21, 1830.
     William Teegarden, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Pennsylvania February 22, 1793, and accompanied his parents on their removal to Ohio. His early life was spent at the old home at Darrtown, where he grew to manhood, and when the war of 1812 broke out he joined the American army and served loyally in the defense of his country until the end of the conflict. He then returned to his home, where he was married to Catharine Watts. While in the service of the United States his company marched through Darke county and he discovered a fine spring flowing from the side of a hill on the old St. Clair trail from Greenville to Ft. Recovery and about eight and one-half miles north of Greenville. He marked the place and after the close of the war he gathered together what property he then had and with his family returned to the location of the spring, entering from the government the quarter section of land on which it was located. Here, in 1817, he established his home, and here he resided until his death, which occurred on February 16, 1855. His wife, who was born November 6, 1792, passed away September 24, 1856. They were the parents of ten children,—five sons .and five daughters.
     William Teegarden, the grandfather, was a farmer and engaged largely in stock raising. He was very successful in his business enterprises and at the time of his death was possessed of more than fourteen hundred acres of land. At the time of his settlement in Brown township his was the only house, save one, between Greenville and Ft. Recovery, a distance of twenty-two miles. For miles in all directions the country was almost an unbroken wilderness, inhabited by wild beasts common to that region. There were still many Indians, but they were always friendly, and with them a profitable trade was carried on until they became extinct. As one of the earliest pioneers of the locality in which he spent his life, he bore an active part in subduing the wilderness and of reclaiming it from the wild state of nature in which he found it, and no man was more actively identified with the work of development than he.
Moses Teegarden, the father of the subject of this review, was born on the 9th day of December, 1827, on the home farm in Brown township. With the exception of the last two years prior to his death he passed the whole of his life in the near vicinity of his birth. He was the fifth child and the third son of the family. His educational privileges were limited to the advantages afforded by the common schools of the day, imperfect as they then were. On October 7, 1849, he was united in marriage to Hannah D. Mendenhall, a native of Preble county, Ohio. She came to Darke county with her parents, Marmaduke and Nancy Mendenhall, in the year 1844. Her father was born in the state of Georgia October 4, 1797, and removed to Preble county in the year 1818. He died April 11, 1864. Her mother was Nancy Griffin. She was born April 20, 1803, and was called to her final rest October 18, 1849. The Mendenhalls are of English descent and came to this country and settled in Pennsylvania about the time that province was founded by William Penn. Moses Teegarden, the father of our subject, was chiefly engaged in farming as an occupation, but also spent considerable time in the construction of turnpikes under contract with the county, and in buying and shipping timber. He was a regularly ordained minister of the Christian church and labored earnestly, both through his ministry and by example, for the cause of Christianity in the community in which he lived.  He was chiefly instrumental in organizing the Teegarden Christian church, his father having donated a plot of ground as a site for a church building, and also the five acres of land comprising the Teegarden cemetery. He was a stanch advocate of the right as he conceived it, generous and hospitable in disposition and ever ready to extend the hand of sympathy to the needy and distressed. As the result of his first marriage eight children were born, all of whom, except three, died in early childhood. Of the three survivors Mary F., the oldest, is now the wife of Samuel Bailey, residing in Brown township; Evangeline married Henry J. Courtner, of Winchester, Indiana, and died on March 18, 1881, at the age of twenty-six; the third and youngest is the immediate subject of this sketch. On November 5, 1863, he lost his wife by death, and later he again married, his second union being with Mrs. Elizabeth Beardslee. Two children were born of this union,—Wilson L., who died July 2, 1890, and Bertha M., now the wife of Charles D. Stephens, of Oklahoma territory. The mother of these children died in 1871 and for his third wife Mr. Teegarden chose Mrs. Elizabeth Travis, by whom he had one child, Mary E., born in 1875, and now residing in Illinois. She is a popular teacher in the public schools of that state. The father died May 19, 1875, near Bryant, Jay county, Indiana, to which place he had removed with his family about two years previous. By his death the community lost one of its most valued members, whose life is well worthy of emulation.
     The subject of this review was born in Brown township. His mother died when he was little more than a year old and the death of his father occurred when he had not yet reached the age of thirteen. After the death of his father he made his home with his sister, Mrs. Samuel Bailey, in Brown township, until he was eighteen years of age and assisted in the work of the farm. He attended school in the winter season, where, though in attendance not more than half of each season's term, he managed, by close application to his studies, to keep up with his classes composed of pupils in attendance the whole of the term. At the age of eighteen. he had acquired sufficient education to obtain a county teacher's certificate and three-years later he began teaching, his first experience as a teacher being in his home district at Woodington. He continued to teach in the district schools for three years and then obtained a position in the graded schools of Ansonia, which position he held for six years. During this time he worked himself rapidly to the front in the profession, spending a part of two years as a student in the Northwestern Ohio Normal University, at. Ada, Ohio. He held a five-years teacher's certificate, this being the highest class of certificate then granted by the county board. He was prominently connected with the County Teachers' Association and his influence was always exerted for the advancement of the interests of the profession and the adoption of a higher standard of qualifications among teachers. Not finding the work of teaching congenial to his ambitions, he determined to leave the profession and immediately began the study of law under the direction of the firm of Knox, Martz & Rupe, of Greenville, Ohio. He continued to teach, however, pursuing his legal studies of evenings and in the summer vacations until 1893, when in June of that year he passed a successful examination before the state board at Columbus and was admitted to the bar. He removed to Greenville in the autumn of that year and began the practice of his chosen profession in partnership with D. W. Younker. This business connection continued until February, 1896, when it was dissolved and Mr. Teegarden associated himself with Judge J. I. Allread. The firm of Allread & Teegarden enjoys an enviable reputation and is one of the leading firms of the Darke county bar.
     On the 24th day of December, 1885, Mr. Teegarden was united in marriage with Catharine C. Hershey, who was born November 20, 1865, in Darke county. Her parents, John S. and Anna (Young) Hershey, are natives of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. The former was born March: 29, 1829, and the latter February 28, 1836. 'They now reside in Greenville township, this county. Mr. and Mrs. Teegarden are the parents of four children,—Chester H., born January 20, 1887; Rolland E., born November 22, 1888; Harold B., born May 17, 1894-; and Anna L., born January 29, 1896.
     Mr. Teegarden is a prominent member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity and was at one time, since his removal to Greenville, a member of the city board of school examiners. He is a Republican in politics and is always actively identified with the interests of his party in the conduct of its affairs, though never an aspirant for office. He is deeply interested in his profession and strives to elevate the ethical standard of the practice. He despises the trickery and other questionable methods too often resorted to by members of the profession and prefers to gain whatever advantages the profession may offer by a straightforward course of dealing. He is regarded as one of the rising members of the bar, well versed in the science of jurisprudence, careful and accurate in his application of law principles to points in litigation and conscientious in the discharge of his duty to his clients.
Source: A Biographical History of Darke County, Ohio, Compendium of National Biography - Illustrated - Publ. Evansville, Ind. - 1900 - Page 585

Source: A Biographical History of Darke County, Ohio, Compendium of National Biography - Part I - Illustrated - Publ. Evansville, Ind. - 1900 - Page 127

WILLIAM TOWNSEND.  At the time of his death this gentle­man was one of the prominent farmers of Van Buren township. He had won by an honorable and upright life an untarnished name, and the record which he left behind him is one well worthy of emulation. He was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, December 24, 1830, a son of James and Lydia (Arnold) Townsend, who spent their last days in Van Buren township, Darke county. They were married in September, 1818. The father was born in South Carolina September 12, 1796, and died when our subject was quite small, and the mother was born in the Newbury district of the same state in January, 1791, and died when William was fifteen years of age. He was reared near Jaysville, this county, and after the death of his mother remained on the old homestead until his marriage.
     It was on the 8th of February, 1855 that Mr. Townsend wedded Miss Elizabeth Hartzell, who was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, February 9, 1834, a daughter of Jonas Hartzell, who is mentioned more fully in the sketch of J. W. Hartzell on another page of this volume.  Mrs. Townsend was but three years old when brought by her parents to Darke county, Ohio, and here she grew to womanhood, acquiring her education in the district schools. To our subject and his wife were born six children, namely: Marie Belle, born December 8, 1854, married John Markwith, and died August 31, 1885; Josephine, born September 20, 1856, is the wife of John Bittner, of Keokuk county, Iowa; Harrison, born November 21, 1859, is a resident of Dayton, Ohio; James H., born April 13, 1865, lives in Van Buren township, this county; and Elman S. and Elmer Sherman, twins, born June 1, 1868, are residents of Greenville township, this county.
     After his marriage Mr. Townsend continued to live on his father's old farm until 1865, when he purchased the mill in Adams township, which he operated for four years. He then bought one hundred and sixty acres of land near the Abbottsville cemetery and made his home there until his death, which occurred June 12, 1892. In his political affiliations he was a Republican. He was a consistent and faithful member of the United Brethren church and merited and received the .confidence and high regard of all with whom he came in contact, either in business or social life.
Source: A Biographical History of Darke County, Ohio, Compendium of National Biography - Illustrated - Publ. Evansville, Ind. - 1900 - Page 714

JACOB K. TURNER.  Prominent among the business men of Greenville, Ohio, is numbered Jacob K. Turner, who is now successfully engaged in the real estate and loan business. He is a native of this state, his birth occurring in the village of Liberty, Montgomery, county, December 5, 1838, and he is a son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Burtch) Turner, both natives of Pennsylvania. The father was born in Lancaster county and in early life learned the cabinetmaker's trade. After his marriage he located in Liberty, Ohio, where he followed his chosen occupation for several years and enjoyed a large trade, as all of the furniture at that day was made by hand. He also manufactured coffins and in that branch of his business was kept extremely busy, especially during the cholera epidemics in 1848 and 1850.
     The subject of this sketch began his education in the public schools of Liberty, but having lost his mother when he was quite small he removed to a farm and completed his education in the country schools, which he attended until eighteen years of age. Subsequently he was variously employed until 1862, when he came to Greenville and obtained a position as a clerk in the store of Adams & Snyder, dry-goods merchants, with whom he remained for three years. During the following seven years he was in the employ of Moore & Wenner, also merchants of Greenville, and at the end of that time embarked in the grocery business on his own account at that place. On disposing of his stock of groceries he turned his attention to the real estate and loan business, to which he has since devoted his energies, handling farm and city property for both local and eastern parties. In this enterprise he has met with well deserved success.
     In 1864 Mr. Turner was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Doty, who died the following year. For his second wife he married Miss Lanasa Meisse, of Greenville, a daughter of the late Dr. Meisse, an early settler and one of the prominent physicians of that place. By this union were born four children, namely: William A., who is in the railroad service at Washington, D. C.; Frank A., who is interested in the same business at Decatur, Alabama; August M., a civil engineer in the Indian territory; and Rome E. Turner, at home.
Source: A Biographical History of Darke County, Ohio, Compendium of National Biography - Illustrated - Publ. Evansville, Ind. - 1900 - Page 641