Biographies
(Source: See Biographical Index for sources)

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DR. CHRISTIAN SAYLER was born in Virginia in 1804.  His first wife was Esther Lining, by whom he had three children, two of whom, James and Caroline, are living.  His second wife was Catharine Bruce, by whom he had six children, four of whom now survive:  William, Elizabeth, Rachel, and W. Scott.  Dr. Sayler, sr., has has the principal practice in Gratis for more than fifty years, but has now entirely retired from the practice of his profession.  His two sons - both graduates of the Ohio Medical college - succeeded him.  He owns one of the finest farms in the country, containing three hundred and forty acres adjoining the town.  Dr. Sayler held the office of trustee some forty years ago, but has confined himself too closely to his profession to serve as a public office for many years. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 190

CHRISTIAN SAYLER was born in Frederick county, Maryland, June 5, 1785, and subsequently removed with his brothers, Daniel, Martin, and John, to Franklin county, Virginia.  In 1806, he and his brothers, and their widowed mother, emigrated to Preble (then Montgomery) county, Ohio.  In 1811 he was married to Mary, daughter of Samuel Teal, also of Franklin county, Virginia.  He settled in 1814 in what is now Gasper township (then Washington), in section thirty-six, where his son, Abraham T., now lives.  At that time the region round about him was an unbroken forest.  He continued to live there until was an unbroken forest.  He continued to live there until the day of his death, which occurred on his sixty-seventh birthday, June 5, 1852.  His widow is still living with her son, Abraham, on the old homestead, at the advanced age of ninety-one.  She was born in Frederick county, Maryland, Sept. 11, 1789.  They had a family of nine children, four of whom are now living, as follows:  Abraham T., on the old homestead; Elizabeth, wife of Jacob Shewman; Joseph, and Maria, wife of John W. Allen, all of Monroe township.      Abraham was born in Lanier township, March 5, 1812, and was married to Elizabeth Rinehard in 1838.  He has three children living and six deceased. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 201

MARTIN SAYLER was born in Frederick county, Maryland.  In 1809 he emigrated to Ohio and settled in section three, of Gratis township.  He died in Gratis in 1852.  The town of Winchester if now standing on the land he entered.  His wife, Elizabeth Wilson, died in Gratis in 1843.  Mr. Sayler was one of the first trustees of his township.  He was a millwright by trade and built most of the mills during the infancy of the township.  Eleven children were born him:  Catharine (deceased), Elizabeth (deceased), Christina, Anna, Patty, Sarah, Susan, Sebastian, Rachel, William (deceased), and one who died in infancy. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 190

DR. WILLIAM SAYLER, son of Dr. Christian Sayler, married Miss Sophia Nicodemus, daughter of Joshua Nicodemus, who came to Preble in 1838.  They have two children, Lerton Roscoe and Mary Catharine. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 190

JOHN SCHNEIDER was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1819, and came to America in 1847; he went to Cincinnati, and for three years followed the bakery business.  In 1850 he moved to West Alexandria, where he stayed until 1856, at the time he moved to Lewisburg, where he has lived ever since. For the first four years he followed his trade as baker, at the expiration of which time he bought a small house from Franklin Payne. To this he built extensive additions and began business as proprietor of the Eagle hotel, and has been in that position ever since.  In 1853, while in West Alexandria, he married Anna M. Schlotterbeck, born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1833.  Four children have been born to them, all of whom are living.  As hotel proprietor Mr. Schneider has been successful, and is at present at the head of an establishment that does credit to his skilful management. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 210

JOSIAH SIMONSON.  Among the earliest settlers of the Sugar valley neighborhood was Josiah Simonson.  His son, Jessie, is now living there.  Josiah Simonson was killed by the accidental discharge of a gun.  He took the piece down, and, thinking it to be unloaded, he pushed the hammer back with his foot, putting his mouth at the same time to the muzzle, for the purpose of blowing the tube clear.  The hammer slipped from under his foot and the gun, which was heavily loaded, went off, sending the entire charge through the lower part of his head.  He lived until early morning and then expired.  Mr. Simonson was one of the pioneers of his district, and his frightful death cast a deep gloom over the community which had grown up around him. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 ~Page 163

JOB SMITH was born in New Jersey in the year 1776.  He emigrated from that State, and settled on section seventeen of Gratis township, in 1827, where he died in 1844.  His wife was Hannah, daughter of Mahlon Gibbs.  They have had nine children, seven of whom survive, viz.:  John, William, Charles, Louisa, Ann G., Ellis C., and Mary H.  Ellis C. Smith has been married twice - first to Mary Swann, and then to Bathenia Swann.  He had had five children, four of whom are now living, viz.:  Albert W., Mary A., Charles A., and Kittie.  He was born in the year 1818.  His farm contains about one hundred and forty-two acres.  For two terms he was a member of the board of education, and also supervisor for some length of time. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 192

In the year 1898 JOHN STIVER settled in Montgomery county.  He was born in Pennsylvania about 1791.  From this State he emigrated to Ohio, and died in Jackson township, Montgomery county, in 1821.  His wife was Margaret Vance.  After the death of Mr. Stiver she married for a second husband Abraham Garrer.  John Stiver had four children, tow of whom are still living:  Mary, who married David Basore, and is now living in Indiana, and Absolom, who married Rachel, daughter of William Sayler.  They have had no children born to them, but have adopted two - Esther Bickers and Winfield Freeman.  Mr. Stivers is a lawyer, and has practiced for seventeen years.  He was justice of the peace from 1852 to 1870, and again from 1874 to 1880.  in 1862 and 1863 he was a member of the State legislature.  He was a county commissioner from 1854 to 1857. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 192

DANIEL STOVER, a Virginian, settled in Ohio in 1826, in Lanier township.  His wife was Susannah Funk,who died in 1870, in Lanier township. They had eight children - Mary (deceased), married Jacob Coffman; Susannah (deceased), married David Coffman; Nancy; Jacob, married Catharine Chrisman; Elizabeth, married Wilson Eby; Sarah, married Joseph Schenk; and Hannah (deceased).  Jacob Stover has only one child - John C.   Mr. Sstover is a farmer, living with Mr. Chrisman.  Both he and his wife are members of the German Baptist church. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 192

JOHN STUBBS came with his father, Joseph Stubbs, to Ohio in the year 1805, and settled on section thirty-four, of Gratis township.  John Stubbs was born in Georgia in the year 1801.  His wife, Eleanor Taylor, who was New Jersey, in 1809, is still living.  Mr. John Stubbs died in gratis in 1864.  Eleven children were born to them, five of whom survive.  Mariah  married Joseph Brown; Joseph married Esther Cooper; Keziah married Isaac Commons; John F. married Rachel Kenworthy, and Samuel A., born in 1849, married Lydia Ann Stubbs, daughter of Zimri Stubbs, of Preble county.  They have one child, Mabel.  Mr. S. A. Stubbs is engaged in the general merchandise business in West Elkton.  He belongs to the society of Friends. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 189

JOHN H. STUBBS, son of Thomas Stubbs, was born in Butler county in 1805.  His father moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, from there to Georgia, and finally to Ohio.  The first wife of J. H. Stubbs, who was Margaret E. Hart, died in 1840.  They had ten children:  Levi, Zimri, Aaron, Thomas, Isaac, Lydia, Ira, Esta, Elizabeth,  and Sarah.  His second wife was Lydia M. Eccles, by whom he had eight children:  Enoch, Emma, Ezra, Harriet, Eli, Allison B., George H., and Katie. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 188

LEVI STUBBS married Mary Thomozin Thayer.  By her he had nine children:  John E., Lewis E., Ira S., Charles Z., Walter I., Luella, Aaron A., Lizzie Ann,  and Sarah Margaret.  Ira Stubbs, married Rebecca J. Swain.  Nine children were born him, viz: Ollie, Charles S., Russel F., Curtis A., Mary L., Lurton H., Frank C., Orion J.,  and Helen B.   Mr. Stubbs has a farm of forty-four acres.  He is a merchant in West Elkton. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 188

MILTON STUBBS is the son of Nathan and Ann (Mendenhall) Stubbs.  He married Sarah J. Cooper.  They have four children - Jonathan, Elizabeth Ann, Esther E. and Zimri.  Milton has a fine farm of two hundred and four acres.  Marmaduke Stubbs married Susan Kenworthy.  He was born in 1838, and is the father of two children - Zimri A. and Mary L.  The first meeting of the Friends' society was held on the farm on which he lives. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 189

SAMUEL STUBBS was born in Georgia in 1766, from which State he emigrated to Ohio, and in 1805 settled on section twenty-nine of Gratis township.  He died while on a visit to Indiana in 1846.  His wife, Mary Jones, was born in Georgia in 1771, and died in Gratis in 1843.  She was a descendant, in the third generation, from Sir Isaac Newton.  Sir Isaac's sister Rachel married a Francis Jones.      Mr. and Mrs. Stubbs had ten children: Rebecca, William, Tabitha, Newton, Martha, Sarah Ann, Nathan, Rachel, and Jesse Stubbs.  Jesse Stubbs married Mary Jones, and has had nine children, six of whom are living.  Mr. Stubbs now resides in the spot where he was born, and is seventy-one years old. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 187

THOMAS STUBBS was born in Georgia in the year 1770.  From Georgia he emigrated to Ohio, and in the year 1805 he settled in Gratis township.  Like a good many of the emigrants from the south, he was obliged to leave on account of his anti-slavery views.  His wife was Mary, daughter of Charles Hobson.  They had ten children born to them:  Elisha, Arah, Charles (deceased), John H., Keziah, Lydia, Rebecca, Sarah (deceased), and Lorenzo.  The latter, born in 1818, married Sarh Maddock, and has had five children, three of whom survive.  Mr. Stubbs has a farm of one hundred and eighty acres.  This farm was given him by John Overpeck, as a recognition of a kindness done him by Lorenzo Stubbs.  During an illness of Mr. Overpeck's his own children deserted him and left him to Mr. Stubbs' sole care.  At Mr. Overpeck, as a recognition of a kindness done him by Lorenzo Stubbs.  During an illness of Mr. Overpeck's his own children deserted him and left him to Mr. Stubbs' sole care.  At Mr. Overpeck's death, at the age of eighty-two years, he left his farm to Mr. Stubbs. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 187

HENRY SURFACE came to Ohio from Virginia, and settled west of Eaton, in Jackson township.  He entered a farm of eighty acres.  His wife, Catharine Long, was also a native of Virginia.  Eight children were born to them, seven of whom are still living, viz: Henry in Sonoma; Elizabeth (Brower) in Jefferson; John L. in Iowa; Jacob L. in Jackson township; Christina (Howard) in Indiana, and George in Jackson township.  Henry Surface, son of the above, was born about 1810, and about 1832 married Elizabeth Redman, born in 1815.  Seven children were born to them, all of whom are living.  Mr. Surface was at one time a dry goods merchant in New Hope, and was also mayor of that town at the time of its incorporation.  He was afterwards a minister in the United Brethren church, but has since retired from all active work.  Cornelius Surface, M. D., son of the above, was born in Jackson township in the year 1833.  He married Catharine, daughter of Isaac Dickey, born in 1833.  She died in 1857.  One child was born of this marriage.  In 1861 he married Mrs. E. A. Crume, born in 1838.  He has had three children by his second marriage, all of whom are living.  Dr. Surface was, for a few years, a farmer, but has followed the practice of medicine for the most of his life.  He is a graduate of the Philadelphia Eclectic school of medicine, but is, at present, an adherent of no school in particular. Source: History of Preble County, Ohio - H. Z. Williams & Bro, Publishers - 1881 - Page 211

 

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