WILLIAM M. NEVILLE.  Doubtless no citizen of Hardin County is better known in the village and township of Roundhead than the subject of this sketch, who occupies and cultivates a valuable farm on section 33.  For some years he was engaged in the mercantile business in Roundhead, and later, elected Sheriff of the county, he removed to Kenton, where he remained until the expiration of his term of office.  With the progress of the county he has been closely identified, and no man has contributed more to its development than has he.  While a member of the Board of Commissioners, he assisted in putting in a ditch that has drained thirty thousand acres, thereby greatly increasing the value of property.
     In the city of Bellefontaine, this state, the birth of William M. Neville occurred Jan. 14, 1840.  His parents, Samuel and Maria (Murphy) Neville,
were born in Virginia, the former Mar. 6, 1802, and the latter December 28, 1802.  The paternal grandfather was also a Virginian by birth.  In 1837 Samuel Neville settled in Bellefontaine, Ohio, where he followed the trade of a saddle and harness maker, and also made a specialty of the manufacture of the Neville Horse Collar. In 1845 he moved to Roundhead, where he carried on business in the same line until his death.  For a time he was proprietor of the only hotel in the village.
     In the parental family there were four sons and six daughters, all of whom attained years of maturity and eight are still living.  Rebecca is the wife of Dr. Leedon, of Quincy, Ohio, formerly Master Mason of the state.  Mary married Dr. Parker, of Parishville, N. Y.  Lizzie H. is the wife of Hon. Edward Cooper, who represented Shelbyville, Ind., in the State Legislature for two terms.  J. S. is a physician; and Matilda R., his twin sister, married G. R. Forsyth, of Louisville, Ky.  Samuel W., who for some years was a railroad engineer, is now engaged in the lumber business in Virginia.  Maria M. is the wife of Dr. John Perry, an influential citizen of Shelbyville, Ind.  Wesley L., who died May 26, 1870, was a graduate of the Cincinnati Medical College and a successful physician.  William M. is the ninth in order of birth.  Emma V., who died Nov. 12, 1867, married Albert V. Gorgus, a wholesale and retail hardware dealer of Shelbyville, Ind.  The father of these children was a life-long Democrat, and for twenty years filled the office of Township Clerk.  Mrs. Neville was a life-long worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church.  Her husband died June 3, 1873, but she survived him many years, dying Nov. 2, 1887.
     Jan. 19, 1870, at Roundhead, occurred the marriage of William M. Neville and Laura C. Vandemark.  This lady was born Feb. 25, 1845, and is a daughter of Daniel and Margaret (Du Bois) Vandemark, natives of New Jersey, but for many years residents of Middletown, Ohio.  The seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Neville are still living, namely: Emma V., who was born Mar. 3, 1871; Clarence E., Nov. 23, 1872; William V., Aug. 14, 1874; John D., Sept. 5, 1876; Grace E., Nov. 14, 1878; Lester R., Jan. 22, 1881; and Earl Augustus, Oct. 28, 1882.
     Since a lad of thirteen years, our subject has made his own way in the world. In the spring of 1855 he received a certificate to teach school, and at once entered that occupation, his first term being in Logan County.  For eleven consecutive years he taught in Logan and Shelby Counties, after which, in 1867, he came to Roundhead and accepted the position of Principal of the school here.  It is worthy of note that during the two terms he taught in this village fourteen were prepared under his instruction for the teacher's profession.  He had an average attendance of seventy-six pupils in the school.
     In 1868 Mr. Neville erected the store he now occupies on Lot No. 8 in Roundhead village, and here he embarked in the general mercantile business under the firm name of Neville & Pfeiffer.  Nineteen months later the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Neville selling out to his partner, but in a short time he bought a new stock and moved back to the old, stand . He carried on a profitable trade until 1874, when he sold to Robert Lyle.  Two years prior to this he bought one hundred and sixty acres, to which he has since added until he now owns two hundred and eight acres on sections 32 and 33. In connection with general farming he has been an extensive dealer in horses and cattle, and has been especially successful in the breeding of Shorthorn cattle.
     In the fall of 1883 Mr. Neville was elected County Commissioner, in which capacity he served for one term.  In 1889 he was elected Sheriff of Hardin County, and filled that responsible position to the utmost satisfaction of all concerned.  In 1868 he received the appointment of Postmaster, and was again chosen for that position in 1892.  During the last-named year he again entered the mercantile business, and, in partnership with his sons, carries on a profitable trade among the people of the village and the farmers of the surrounding country.  He takes an active interest in political affairs, and is a stanch advocate of Democratic principles. In religious belief he is a Presbyterian.  Both as a general farmer and business man, he has been remarkably successful, and justly deserves the honored place he occupies among the best people of the county.
Source: History of Hardin Co., Ohio - Publ. Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co. - 1883 - Page 470

WILLIAM A. NORTON, Cashier of the Kenton Savings Bank, was born at Marseilles, Wyandot County, this state, Dec. 17, 1852.  He is the only son of Anson Norton, whose birth occurred in Litchfield County, Conn., in 1828.  His father, who also bore the given name of Anson, was born in the same county and was descended from a New England family of prominence and influence.
     The paternal grandmother of our subject was Lucretia Woodruff, the daughter of Lieut. David and Esther (Clark) Woodruff, of Derby, New Haven County, Conn.  She was the youngest daughter in the family, and was well educated for the day in which she lived.  Her father obtained his title for gallant service rendered during the Revolutionary War.  Grandfather Anson Norton departed this life at Mt. Morris, Livingston County, N. Y., in 1844, and had been a resident of that section seven years at the time of his decease.  Afterward, the father of our subject, together with his mother, came West, locating in Wyandot County, Mrs. Norton passing away at Marseilles in 1855.
     In the above city Anson Norton, Jr., obtained a situation as clerk in a store, and from that time was connected with the mercantile business until 1876, the year of his branching out into the insurance business.  He made his advent into Kenton in 1864, and was for many years associated with his brother-in-law, Lewis Merriman, in conducting an extensive mercantile trade, under the firm name of Merriman & Norton.  He now gives the greater part of his time to looking after his insurance business, and is also one of the Directors of the Kenton Savings Bank.
     The mother of our subject was prior to her marriage Miss Rachel Hooker, a native of Knox County, this state, and the daughter of Henson and Susannah (Young) Hooker, both of whose families lived near Baltimore, Md.  The Youngs were of Irish ancestry.  George Young, who was the grandfather of our subject’s mother, served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, in which conflict he lost a leg.  He later became one of the pioneers' of Wyandot County, this state, coming here in company with Cornelius Young.  He departed this life in 1844, at the remarkable age of one hundred and five years.  The Hookers were prominent in the political life of Maryland, and were extensive slave-owners.  Rachel was the youngest in the parental family of ten children, comprising five sons and five daughters.  Her brothers are now living in five different states in various parts of the country, and are principally engaged in farming.
     Our subject, as stated above, was the only son of his parents.  There were four daughters, however, two of whom are now living: Emma C., the wife of Henry J. Miller, a shoe merchant of Kenton; and Alta M., who married B. F. Schultz, a commercial traveler.
     Mr. Norton, of this sketch, was a lad of twelve years when his parents came to Kenton.  His education was therefore obtained in the schools of this city, and in 1871 he was graduated from the high school, being at that time the first boy to complete his education in that school.  A notable fact in this connection is that in the class with himself were four girls, only one of whom ever married, and she died a few months afterward. 
     Upon beginning life for himself, young Norton clerked in his father’s store, and in July, 1878, after the business was disposed of, was made Assistant Cashier in the Kenton Savings Bank.  In 1888, however, he assumed the responsibilities of Cashier of the same institution, a position he has since filled with marked ability.  He is also one of its Directors and largest stockholders, and is interested in various other enterprises in the city, being a Director of the Kenton Free Library and one of the Trustees of the Kenton City Water Works.  At all times he can be relied upon to support measures which are calculated to upbuild the city.  He is a Thirty-second Degree Mason and a member of the Shrine.  He makes his home with his parents, who occupy one of the pleasantest residences in the city.  As a citizen he is progressive, able and honorable, and his record is blameless, both in private life and as a bank official.  In politics he is a stanch Republican.
†Source:  Portrait & Biographical Records of Marion & Hardin Counties, Ohio - 1895 - Page 201