H. H. HARLAN, a prominent attorney and enterprising and progressive business man of Mount Gilead, Ohio, dates his birth in Noble county, this State, March 22, 1851.
     His father, Caleb Harlan, was born in Harford county, Maryland, August 20, 1808, and in 1841 came from there, with his wife and two children, to Ohio, locating on a farm near Quaker City.  In the early part of his life he worked at the trade of cooper, but after locating in Ohio he gave his attention to farming.  In 1857 he came to Morrow county and purchased and took up his abode on 160 acres of land, two miles southwest of Mount Gilead.  Here he died December 4, 1864.  His father, John Harlan, was a native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, and went from there when a young man to Baltimore, Maryland.  He was married in Maryland, passed his life on a farm there, and died in Harford county, that State, in 1824.  His father and grandfather were each named Joseph and his great-grandfather was Ezekiel.  Ezekiel was a son of George Harlan, a native of England, who came to this country with William Penn and settled in Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he held high official position at the time Penn was Governor of Pennsylvania.  George Harlan was a son of James Harlan, whose whole life was spent in England.  The Harlans on down to the present generation have been identified with the Society of Friends, and the subject of our sketch has a birthright in the church.
     Caleb Harlan was married in the Friends’ Church in Harford county, Maryland, May 11, 1837, to Pamelia Benson, a native of that county, born February 20, 1814.  She survived him a number of years, and died September 10, 1879.  Her parents, Levi and Mary (Malsby) Benson, were both natives of Harford county and were married there December 12, 1806, the mother being of Welsh descent.  Mrs. Harlan’s grandmother Benson ran away from her home in England and came to America, on account of her father’s insisting upon her marriage to an English Lord whom she did not love.  The Bensons also were Quaker.  Caleb Harlan and his wife were the parents of the following named children: Edward, born May 19, 1838, died June 23, 1867, from injuries received in being kicked by a horse, and he left a widow and two daughters; Mary Jane, born November 5, 1840, died May 31, 1866, leaving a husband and two children; Lewis, born September 14, 1843, was injured in a railroad accident, and died from the effects of his injuries October 9, 1864, being unmarried; Oliver, born February 22, 1846, met his death April 19, 1878, by an accident in a steam sawmill, and is survived by his widow and one child; Phoebe A., born December 24, 1848, is the wife of Robert F. Mosher, a prominent and highly respected citizen of Morrow county, Ohio; Henry H. is the subject of this sketch, and John W., born January 5, 1854, resides at the old Harlan homestead in this county.
     Henry H. Harlan was six years of age at the time his parents came to Morrow county, and on his father’s farm he was reared, receiving his education in the district schools and in the Union school at Mount Gilead.  While still in his ’teens he began teaching school.  The close confinement of the school-room, however, did not agree with his health, so he resumed farming, and took charge of the home place, his father having passed away a few years before.  Subsequently he and his younger brother purchased the interest of the other heirs to the farm, and they have since held it jointly.  After his mother’s death, which, as above stated, occurred in 1879, our subject attended school for one year at Delaware, after which he began the study of law under the instructions of General J. S. Jones, with whom he remained from 1880 to 1881, when he was taken sick, and temporarily dropped his studies.
     In the summer of 1882 he married Martha Mosher, daughter of Nathan N. and Sarah (Bovey) Mosher.  They resided on the farm until 1891, when they removed to Mount Gilead.  In the meantime he completed his law studies, and was admitted to the bar in 1885.  In 1890 he formed a partnership with Mr. C. H. Wood, under the firm name of Harlan & Wood, which association still continues.  Mr. Harlan is prominently identified with various interests in his town and county.  Besides being in partnership with his brother in the farming operations at the old home place, he is interested with his brother-in-law, Mr. R. F. Mosher, in both farming and stock raising.  He is a director in the First National Bank of Mount Gilead, a director in the Hydraulic Press Manufacturing Company, and a member of the board of managers of the Mount Gilead Dry Goods Company, Limited.
     Politically he is a strong Prohibitionist, active in the interest of his party, and is the only Prohibitionist attorney in the county.
Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 379-380
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

JOSEPH HOBSON, a venerable citizen of Gilead township, Morrow county, Ohio, and for forty years identified with the ministry of the Friends’ Church, forms the subject of this article.
     Mr. Hobson’s father, Joseph Hobson, was a native of Maryland and a son of Joseph Hobson, the latter emigrating to Jefferson county, Ohio, about 1800 and making permanent settlement on a half section of land, he being one of the most prominent and influential citizens of the community.  The mother of our subject was before her marriage Miss Rebecca Talbut, she being a native of Maryland and a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Johns) Talbut.  She first came to Ohio with her brother Joseph about 1800 and settled in Jefferson county.  She and Mr. Hobson, however, were married in Pennsylvania, and they made the trip from there on horseback to Jefferson county, taking up their abode on a piece of land owned by his father in a Friends’ settlement.  There he ran a mill for a few years, and afterward removed to Stark county and settled on a piece of land his father had entered for him.  This tract he cleared up and developed into a farm, and on it he died in 1828 or ’29, leaving a widow and seven children, five sons and two daughters.  The mother kept her children together and returned with them to Jefferson county, where she bought a small farm and resided for many years.  Only two of the family are now living, Joseph and Abraham J., the latter still a resident of Jefferson county.
     Joseph Hobson was born December 14, 1818, in Stark county, Ohio, and remained with his mother until he was nineteen years of age, his educational advantages being limited to the common schools.  Leaving home, he went to Columbiana county, Ohio, and for two years cultivated a farm there on shares.  In 1842 he came to Morrow county, then a part of Marion county, making the journey here on horseback, and at that time having no capital save his willing hand.  April 27, 1842, he married Miss Amy P. Stanley, a native of Columbiana county, Ohio, born July 30, 1815, daughter of James and Rhoda (Cobbs) Stanley, her family having settled in this county in the spring of 1839.  After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hobson located on forty-eight acres of land, the property now owned by Nelson Newsom, and from there removed to his present farm in 1850.  At one time he owned 160 acres here, but has disposed of thirty acres of it.  He cleared the greater part of this farm and made all the improvements upon it, including buildings, fences, etc., and now, in their old age, he and his good wife are enjoying the fruits of their honest toil, and are surrounded with all the comforts of life.  They have had six children, four of whom are living, namely: Rhoda A. Goodman, Thomas C., Elizabeth T., and Louisa.
     As above stated, Mr. Hobson has been a minister in the Friends’ Church for forty years, and until recently he has had active work.  By his own plain, Christian life he has exemplified the truths he has so earnestly taught, and few have exerted a greater influence for good than has Joseph Hobson.  In his early life he was an Abolitionist, and took an active part in that movement.  He has always been a temperance man, and is now identified with the Prohibition party, and, indeed, throughout his whole life, his influence has ever been directed on the side of truth and right.
Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 407-408
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

SAMUEL HOFFMIRE, a retired farmer of Lincoln township, Morrow county, was born in Knox county, Ohio, March 24, 1824.  His father, Isaac Hoffmire, was a native of Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and a son of Samuel Hoffmire, also born in that State.  He came to Knox county, Ohio, in 1810, locating on Owl Creek, four miles north of Fredericktown, where he entered land.  He was one of the earliest settlers there, and remained there until his death.  Isaac Hoffmire located on a farm a mile and a half from his father’s place, where he also departed this life.  He was of German descent.  The mother of our subject, Margaret (Packer) Hoffmire, was a Quaker by birth.  Her parents located in Richland county, Ohio, in 1810.  She was a daughter of Moses Packer, and one of her brothers was a Quaker minister.  She had three brothers who were Mormons, and participated in the Mormon massacre at Nauvoo, Illinois.  Isaac Hoffmire and wife had eight sons, namely: Luther, deceased; Samuel, the subject of this sketch; Milton, of Fulton, Morrow county; Moses, deceased; Job, who is supposed to be a resident of Oklahoma; Thomas, who died from wounds received in the late war; James, of Colorado; and Burr, who was lost in the mountains and died there.
     Samuel Hoffmire, the eldest child now living, was reared in Knox county, and received his education in the subscription schools.  During those days he had to cut his regular share of wood to keep the old school-house warm, the windows of which were made of greased paper.  His father purchased forty acres of land, except a small payment down, on credit, and they put in twenty acres of wheat, from the sale of which they received sufficient money to pay for the land.  At the age of twenty-two years Mr. Hoffmire left home and began work by the month, receiving $10 per month, for three months, after which he worked for himself at harness-making and blacksmithing.  In 1849 he came to Lincoln township, Morrow county, bought an improved farm, on credit, remaining there six years, then moved to Perry township, and then in 1858 bought an improved farm in Lincoln township, on ten years’ time, and in 1865 moved where he now lives.  During his residence in this county he has owned ten different farms.  Mr. Hoffmire began life for himself with nothing but a three-year-old colt, and he now owns forty-three acres of well-improved land, and has given too acres to his children.  In political matters, he votes the straight Republican ticket.  He served as Trustee for many rears in Lincoln township, having been first elected in 1873, and is at present Justice of the Peace.
     In November, 1847, Mr. Hoffmire was united in marriage with Catherine Carr, a native of Richland county, Ohio, and a daughter of David Carr, who came to this county before the land came into the market.  He located in the woods, and purchased a farm after the land became salable.  Her mother was formerly Sallie Fisher.  Mrs. Hoffmire was their second child, and her death occurred May, 1888, leaving three children, ––Melvina, born in February, 1849, is the wife of F. M. Carpenter, of Lincoln township; L. B., born in 1850, married Ellen Coomer; and W. T., born in 1865, married Effie DeMuth, and they reside with our subject.
Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 374-375
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

BENJAMIN HULL, a man whose memory links the mystic old pioneer days with those of the period which marks the century’s end, and who is one of the oldest settlers now living in the thriving little city of Mount Gilead, Morrow county, must be granted a consistent attention in this connection.  He is one who knew much of the arduous toil and the hardships of the pioneer epoch and who has played well his part in life, never shrinking back from duty, nor from the line where industry directs the efforts of her stalwart devotees.
     The father of our subject was Mahlon Hull, who was a native of New Jersey, and a farmer by occupation.  The latter was a son of Benjamin Hull, also born in New Jersey, a representative of one of the old and prominent families of that State.  The mother of our subject, whose maiden name was Eve Snook, was likewise a native of New Jersey, being the daughter of Henry Snook.
     The marriage of our subject’s parents was consummated in Sussex county, New Jersey, and there they continued to abide for several years.  In 1825 they came to Ohio and settled on a sixty-acre tract of wild and very poor beech land in Chester township, Knox county (now Morrow county).  Mr. Hull built a little log house in the woods and here established his home, remaining until he had cleared up the place, after which he sold the same, for a consideration of $500, and then removed to Indiana, settling in La Grange county, where he died, in the spring of 1839, his wife having passed away the preceding fall.  They became the parents of a family of nine children, seven of whom arc yet living: Benjamin is the subject of this review; Alice is the wife of Benjamin Thomas, of Chester township, this county; Lucinda, widow of the late Henry Keiser, is a resident of Mount Gilead; William lives in Mount Gilead; Daniel is a resident of the State of Washington; Phoebe Ann is the wife of Abram Newson, of Gilead township; Henry is deceased, as is also Alfred.
     Benjamin Hull, subject of this sketch, was born in Sussex county New Jersey, December 20, 1819, and was but five years of age when his parents removed to Ohio and located in this county.  His educational discipline was secured in the primitive log school houses of Chester township.  After the death of his parents our subject brought his younger brothers and sisters back from Indiana to this township, and, though himself but a mere boy, set valiantly to work to assist in their maintenance.  He first secured work on the farm of a Mr. Struble, remaining thus employed for four months, after which he apprenticed himself to learn the mason’s trade, with James Beers, with whom he remained three years.
     He came to Mount Gilead in 1844 and here continued to work at his trade for a full score of years.  Somewhat later he became concerned in a speculation in connection with the Ohio Central Railroad, and as a result sustained a financial loss of $1,200.  This loss was one for which he felt that he owed an expiation, and accordingly he again resumed work at his trade until he had made good the amount.  For the past fifteen years he has been retired from active business.
     In 1847 Mr. Hull was united in marriage to Elizabeth Newson, daughter of Abram Newson.  She was born in Maryland, and was an infant when her parents removed to Ohio.
     Mr. and Mrs. Hull are devout members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which our subject has been identified for half a century, having held prominent preferment as Steward and Class-leader.  In politics he was originally a supporter of the Democratic party, but now gives his influence and vote to the Prohibition cause, being a most earnest worker in its behalf.
     An honest man and a true one, he is held in the highest esteem in the community, where he has lived and labored for so many years.
Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 328-329
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.