HARRY EDSELL. Through one of the youngest, this gentleman may also with justice he called one of the most successful, newspaper men of Hardin County.  Possessing natural ability for journalistic work, as well as more than ordinary intellectual acumen and discernment, he is thoroughly fitted for the occupation he has chosen, and will undoubtedly in future yeas gain a position of prominence among the journalists of the state. He assisted in starting the Kenton Daily News in 1889, and has since been closely identified with the growth and prosperity of this popular paper, in addition to which he is one of the publishers of the Graphic News.
     The Edsell family has been identified with the history of Ohio for several generations, and its members have been known for probity of character and energy of disposition. Nor was the father of our subject, Harry Edsell, Sr., an exception to the rule, for he, too, was a man of lofty principles of honor and justice, and his early death was a lost to his community. He was born in Greenville, Ohio, where his parents were well-to-do farmers, and in his youth he received fair common-school advantages, which he later supplemented by self-culture. It was his ambition to become a physician, and he studied medicine, gaining a thorough theoretical knowledge of the profession, but the condition of his health would not permit the exposure incidental to practice. For a umber of years he taught school in Columbus and Dayton, and from this state he removed to Topeka, Kan., where his death occurred at the age of about twenty-eight.
     In 1869 Mr. Edsell married Miss Lydia A. Hatch, who was born in Delaware County, Ohio, and by their union one child was born, the subject of this notice. Mrs. Edsell was a daughter of T. B. Hatch, who was born in New York State in 1814, and died in Ohio in 1883, his occupation throughout his entire active life being that of a farmer.  In 1848 he married Miss Eliza J. Sutton, who was born in England, accompanied her parents to New Hampshire, and died in Ohio at the age of sixty-four years.
     The birth of Harry Edsell, Jr., occurred in Delaware County, Ohio, June 1, 1871.  His education, which was an excellent one, was commenced in the common schools of Kenton, and has been supplemented by practical observation of men and things, and thoughtful reading of historical and current literature.  In boyhood he learned the printer's trade, and from a lowly position has worked his way upward to success and prosperity.  There is no department of the business with which he is not thoroughly familiar, and his tact and skill are brought into daily requisition in the many details connected with the publication of the paper.  As already stated, he assisted in establishing the Kenton Daily News, which has the distinction of being the first successful daily in Kenton. He is still associated with it as one of the publishers, and is also connected with the Graphic News, a county weekly.
     Mr. Edsell is well known as a member of the Ohio National Guards, and at Present holds the rank of Lieutenant of Company I, which he as a Presbyterian and holds membership with the church of that denomination in Kenton.  From boyhood his political preferences have been toward the Republican party.  As a citizen he advocates, both personally and through the press, such enterprises as will most rapidly promote the growth of Kenton, and secure the greatest good to its residents.

WILLARD C. EMERY, M. D.  A position of prominence in the medical fraternity of Kenton is held by the subject of this notice, who began in the spring of 1884, and has since had a large and remunerative patronage.  He is a following of the homeopathic school, and is ability and success have done much toward gaining popularity for that system among the people of this locality.  In the diagnosis of intricate and complicated cases he displays an accuracy and skill that prove his thorough knowledge of the profession in its every department.
     The Emery family originated in Germany, but has been represented in America for many years, and three generations have been residents of Ohio.  Peter H. Emery, the father of our subject, was a native of Pennsylvania, whence he removed to Ohio Early  in the 40s, and with his brother started the first carriage factory in Bellefontaine.  His death occurred in that city in 1865.  The lady whom he married, Mary Ann Anderson, was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and her father, Matthew Anderson, was one of the pioneers of Logan County, his home being on a farm near West Liberty.  During the last twenty years of his life he was totally blind.  One of his sons was a member of the Wisconsin State Legislature and State Senate, and now makes his home in that state.  Mr. Mary A. Emery survives her husband, and now resides in Bellefontaine.
     At the time of the death of Peter H. Emery, his wife was left with four small children dependent upon her.  Of these the eldest, W. C., was born in Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio, April 16, 1856.  His three sisters are Jennie, who resides with her mother at Bellefontaine; Sallie, wife of E. W. Patterson, a well-to-do stockman of Bellefontaine; and Mamie, wife of Dr. Frank Griffin, a dentist of Bellefontaine.  The subject of this sketch received his literary education in the common and high schools of his native city, and in 1876, when twenty years old, commenced to read medicine with Dr. J. H. Wilson, of Bellefontaine.  Later he attended lectures at the Pulte Medical College of Cincinnati, from which institution he was graduated in the spring of 1879.
     Forming a partnership with his former preceptor, Dr. Emery remained in Bellefontaine until 1884, when, as above stated, he came to Kenton.  He was united in marriage, in 1884, with Miss Emma May Kerr, the daughter of an extensive and successful commission merchant of Buffalo, N. Y.  Unto their union there have been born two sons and two daughters, named as follows:  Hazel, Marguerite, Horace Clayton and Willard Sprague.  The religious connections of Dr. and Mrs. Emery are with the Presbyterian Church, in the welfare of which he takes a deep interest.  In political affairs he advocates the principles of the Republican party, and is well informed concerning matters pertaining to local and national prosperity.  His residence, an attractive house recently erected, is situated on North Detroit Street, and is one of the most cosey and pleasant homes in the city.
Source:  Portrait & Biographical Records of Marion & Hardin Counties, Ohio - 1895 - Page 386

THOMAS ESPY, President of the Kenton Milling Company and President of the Kenton Gas and Electric Company, was born in Beaver County, Pa., May 12, 1837.  He is the son of John Espy, a native of the same county, born in 1812.  The original progenitors of the family in America were two brothers who came hither from the North of Ireland in Colonial times, one settling east of the Alleghany Mountains, near Philadelphia, and the other making his home on the west side of the mountains.
     The paternal grandfather of our subject was born in Beaver County and there engaged in farm pursuits.  He had a large family of children, among whom were two sons, John and Thomas.  The latter went to North Carolina, married, and became a prominent minister in the Presbyterian Church.  The two brothers were separated, and nothing was heard of Thomas for many years.  About the time of the outbreak of the Rebellion, our subject went to North Carolina to learn if any trace could be found of his uncle.  He discovered that he was dead, and that his only child, Harriet Newell, was the wife of United States Senator Vance  In this way the cousins became known to each other, and Senator Vance and his wife visited the family at Kenton on several different occasions.  Mrs. Vance died in North Carolina in 1877.
     The father of our subject, who was a miller by trade, came to Hardin County, Ohio, in 1838, when Thomas was a child one year old.  Settling on a farm, he remained there for two years, but in 1840 located in Kenton, where, in1845, he built the first steam flouring mill in Hardin County, on the present site of the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad Depot.  During the remainder of his life he was engaged in milling and farming in Kenton, and through his industrious efforts and excellent management became the possessor of a fortune.  He passed away in 1878, in the faith of the Universalist Church, to which he had belonged for some years.
     The maternal ancestors of our subject were of Scotch origin.  His mother, Jane Anderson, was born in Beaver County, Pa., and makes her home with her only child, our subject.  Though seventy-six years of age, she retains her mental faculties and physical strength, being as keen of intellect as many twenty years her junior.  The subject of this sketch received his primary education in the schools of Kenton, after which he spent two years in a college at Northwood, Logan County.  In 1856 he attended a commercial college in Cincinnati, and in 1861 entered the Cincinnati Law School.  The following year he was admitted to the Bar, but never engaged in the active practice of his profession, preferring to take up a business life.  In 1864 he became associated with his father in the milling business, in which he has since engaged.
     In company with William Ochs, in 1866, Mr. Espy erected the mill now owned by the Kenton Milling Company, of which he is President.  When a mere lad of eleven years, he commenced to keep his father's books, and during his school life attended to this branch of the business.  In 1855 he became Deputy County Treasurer, and occupied that position for four years.  For some time prior to 1874 he was interested in a private bank which was owned by Joseph Paulucci and others, and for two years afterward held the position of cashier with the Hardin Savings Bank, in which the former institution had been merged.  At the organization of the First National Bank in 1878 he became one of the Directors.
     Believing that increased transportation facilities would rapidly enhance the prosperity of Kenton, Mr. Espy in 1868 became connected with a projected railroad to run from Pittsburg, via Kenton and Huntington, Ind., to Chicago.  In 1881 the road was completed and was called the Chicago & Atlantic.  Mr. Espy was one of the first Directors, and so continued until the line was sold to the Erie system.  In the mean time, in connection with the late General Robinson, he built the connection, twenty-six miles, between Kenton and Marion.  In 1886 he assisted in the organization of the Scioto Natural Gas Company, of which he was elected President.  This enterprise has been extended from time to time, penetrating the Hancock County fields, until now it has thirty miles of main pipe.  In 1891 this was connected and consolidated with the Kenton Gas and Electric Company.
     Mr. Espy was one of the first Board of Directors of the County Infirmary, and for twenty years as Treasurer of Buck Township.  While serving as one of the first pike in Hardin County.  Altogether he has been one of the most active business men of this county.  Socially he has been a mason since 1858.  In politics he has always adhered to Democratic principles.
     The marriage of Mr. Espy, in 1870, united him with Miss Sallie Johnson, of Madison County, Ohio, who prior to her union with our subject was a teacher in the Kenton schools.  They are the parents of three living children, two sons and a daughter.  The latter, Anna, by name, is being educated in Auburndale Seminary, near Boston, Mass.  The sons, Frank and Jesse, are students in the union school of Kenton.
†Source:  Portrait & Biographical Records of Marion & Hardin Counties, Ohio - 1895 - Page 387

BENJAMIN P. EULINE, an honored resident of Cessna Twp., Hardin Co., has lived on the farm which he now cultivates for the past twelve years.  The estate comprises one hundred and twenty acres, in addition to which Mr. Euline owns a two thirds interest in his father's old farm.  He is a practical and enterprising business man and has been very successful in the varied undertakings.
     Benjamin Euline, grandfather of Benjamin P., was born in Virginia, but took up his abode in Pennsylvania at an early day.  Later he moved to Coshocton County, Ohio, and about 1830 drove across the country to Hancock County, and a year afterward became a citizen of Washington Township, this county.  He bought eighty acres of Government land, praying therefore $1.25 per acre.
     John P., son of Benjamin Euline, Sr., was born in Columbus, Ohio, July 18, 1818, being one of eight children.  His mother bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Wolford.  He was set to work at an early age, and when in his nineteenth year started out on his own account.  At the rate of $10 per acre he cleared ten acres of the land on $10 per acre he cleared ten acres of the land on which Dunkirk now stands, and also worked on the canal running through Columbus.  After his marriage he engaged in operating a saw and grist mill near Huntersville for a few years.  Subsequently he purchased land in Washington Township, and cultivated the same until 1862, when he came to this locality, buying one hundred acres on section 12.  There he departed this life Mar. 1, 1887, and his remains were interred in Grove Cemetery at Kenton.
  He was a good Republican, and held numerous local offices, among them being Trustee and Constable.  In 1842 he married Elizabeth Lynch, who was born in Coshocton County, Aug. 7, 1825.  She became the mother of three children: Hannah E., born in 1844, the wife of George W. Darst, ex-Sheriff of this county, and now policeman at the State House in Columbus; Benjamin P.,  of this sketch; and Emma E., born Sept. 15, 1849.  The last mentioned, who was the wife of Conrad Reynolds, died in 1867.  The mother died May 22, 1891.
     Our subject was born in Marion Township, Oct. 26, 1847, and was reared on a farm.  When about fifteen years of age he came to this township and here grew to manhood.  When he was twenty-four years of age he purchased eighty acres of land, and continued to manage the old farm in conjunction with his later acquisition.  In 1883 he removed to his present home.
     Nov. 7, 1872, Mr. Euline married Rachel O. Cessna, who departed this life Mar. 10, 1875.  Their only child, Cora E., died in infancy.  On Christmas Day, 1878, Mary E. Smith, a native of Fayette County, Ohio, became Mrs. Euline.  They have no children of their own, but have taken a little girl to care for, who came to them when one year old.
     For the past two years Mr. Euline has been Chairman of the Republican party of Cessna Township, and has held the office of Constable for a like period.  He was also Assessor for one year and Town Clerk for three years, besides holding different school positions.  Religiously Mr. and Mrs. Euline are Methodists, and the former is Superintendent of the Sunday school.  He has been a Class-Leader and Steward in the congregation, and is always liberal in his donations to worthy charities.
†Source:  Portrait & Biographical Records of Marion & Hardin Counties, Ohio - 1895 - Page 558

THOMAS P. EVANS owns a valuable homestead in Buck Township, Hardin County, and has been engaged in farming here since he started out to make his own livelihood.  For many years he has been very successful as a buyer, seller and shipper of live stock.  His experience as an agriculturist covers about half a century, forty-five yeas of which have been passed on the farm referred to.
     The father of our subject, David Evans, was born June 20, 1813, in Wales.  When he was three years old he was brought by his father, Thomas Evans, across the Atlantic on a sailing-vessel, the voyage taking six weeks.  They landed at Baltimore, whence they proceeded to Gallia County, Ohio, and later to Delaware County.  There the father purchased two hundred acres of land in the unbroken forest, on which he built a log cabin, 18x20 feet in dimensions, and containing only one room.  He was killed in 1818, and his brother took charge of the place.  His wife lived until 1859.  David Evans married Lovina Price, who was born in Union County, Ohio, September 11, 1816.
     Thomas P. Evans was born Mar. 20, 1845, in Delaware County, Ohio.  Of his brothers and sisters we mention the following:  Elizabeth, who was born in 1837, married James Bailey, of Pleasant Township, who died in 1888; they had seven children.  Margaret, born in 1839, married P. K. Sieg, and died in November, 1888, leaving nine children.  Bathena married Rev. Ira Richards, of Silver Creek, and is the mother of two children.  Mary became the wife of Thomas J. McMcElree, who died Jan. 2, 1895.  Nancy married Edward Moy, who died in April, 1889, leaving two children.  Phoebe is the wife of Charles White, a farmer of Allen County, Ohio.  Maria died in 1867, aged nineteen years.  William H., a farmer of Taylor Creek Township, married Mattie Wiser, by whom he has five children.  Maud married John Jackson, a farmer of McDonald Township, and has three children; and four children died in infancy.
     In March, 1867, Mr. Evans married Laura Tyler, who was born Mar. 7, 1846, and is a daughter of John H. and Salome (Gates) Tyler.  The father was born Nov. 2, 1793, in Rutland, Vt., and the mother Aug. 13, 1814, in Orleans County, N. Y.  They were married in 1844, and had three children, of whom Mrs. Evans is the eldest.  Lydia was born in August, 1847, and married Morris Mansfield, to whom she has borne four children.  John J. was born Mar. 2, 1850.  John H. Tyler died Aug. 1, 1856, and his wife departed this life Feb. 14, 1881.
     To Mr. and Mrs. Evans were born six children.  Salome, born Dec. 14, 1867, was married, Dec. 24, 1892, to J. E. Hannah, a farmer of this county; Arthur T., born Feb. 7, 1869, married Avice Gary, and lives in Buck Township; Loah was born Jan. 2, 1871; Asher was born Aug. 17, 1872; Gertrude, born Sept. 11, 1874, died Apr. 16, 1888; and Alta Maude was born Aug. 7, 1880.
     Soon after his marriage Mr. Evans began farming on eighty acres of this had been cleared of timer, and from time to time he has added more land to his original farm.  In 1880 he purchased forty-two acres, which were partially cleared; late in 1882 he bought forty acres more; and seven years later purchased an additional two hundred and ten acres.  Of three hundred and seventy-two acres which he owns, all but fifty have been cleared.  During the quarter of a century in which he has been extensively engaged in the shipping of horses and cattle, he has become widely known.
     Though interested in the success of the Republican party, with the welfare of which he is associated, he has never been desirous of holding public office, and has never served in a public capacity  Mr. Evans belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church of Kenton.
†Source: Portrait & Biographical Records of Marion & Hardin Counties, Ohio - 1895 - Page 545