ORIN L. VEAZEY.     On the fine farmstead, in Nile Township, Scioto County, where he now holds prestige as one of the representative agriculturists of the younger generation, Mr. Veazey was born on the 6th of October, 1886, and he is a scion of one of the old and honored families of Southern Ohio.  Progressiveness and well ordered enterprise are shown by him in connection with the operations of his well improved farm, and in his native county he has secure place in popular esteem, his status in the community clearly entitling him to recognition in this history of the Hanging Rock Iron Region.
     Mr. Veazey is a son of Armour King Veazey and Dolly (Kennedy) Veazey, the former of whom was born in Greenup County, Kentucky, on the 13th of November, 1857, and the latter of whom was born in Scioto County, Ohio, a member of a sterling pioneer family of this section of the Buckeye State.  Joseph W. Veazey, grandfather of him whose name introduces this article, was born and reared in Pennsylvania, from which state he went as a cadet to the United States Military Academy, at West Point, in which institution he was graduated.  He was a valiant soldier in the war of 1812, and at the time of the Civil war, though venerable in years, he gave excellent service in drilling recruits for the Union army.  From the old Keystone State he came in an early day to Ohio and settled in Jackson County, whence he later removed to Greenup County, Kentucky.  Within a short time thereafter he came again to Ohio and established his residence at Ironton, Lawrence County, where he became associated with William D. Kelley in the iron business.  Finally he purchased a farm near South Point, that county, and there he continued to reside until 1879, his wife having died in 1877. In the year 1879 he removed to Scioto County, but he passed the closing period of his life at Ashland, Kentucky, in the home of his daughter, Mrs. Sarah Williams, his death there occurring when he was in his eighty-fifth year.  As a young man he married Miss Elizabeth Campbell, who was born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, the youngest of the eleven children of William Campbell, who was a native of Scotland, where all of the children were born except Mrs. Veazey.  Immigrating with his family to the United States, William Campbell established his home at Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the work of his trade, that of cabinetmaker, this continuing to be his vocation until the time of his death.  Mrs. Elizabeth Veazey died in 1877, and of the seven sons and two daughters three were born in Pennsylvania, three in Kentucky and three in Ohio.
     Armour King Veazey was an infant at the time of the family removal from Kentucky to Lawrence County, Ohio, where he was reared and educated and where in his youth he was for several terms a successful teacher in the district schools.  In 1879 he passed the winter in the lumber woods of Louisiana and in the spring he returned to Lawrence County.  In 1881 he removed with his family to Scioto County and purchased a farm on the Buena Vista turnpike road, in Nile Township, where he continued as a successful and honored representative of the agricultural and stock-growing industries for more than thirty years.  He then sold the farm to his son, Orin L., of this review and he has since lived retired, in this township.  The maiden name of his first wife was Dolly Kennedy, and she was summoned to the life eternal in 1891, being survived by two children, Stella and Orin L.  A number of years later Armour K. Veazey wedded Miss Lucille Honaker, who was born at Quincy, Lewis County, Kentucky, a daughter of Dr. Cornelius Honaker and Emily (Storer) Honaker.  Two children were born of this union, one who died in infancy and a son, Morris H., who is living with his grandmother in Nile Township.
     Armour K. Veazey is a stalwart republican in politics, has served as notary public and as a member of the school board of his district, the latter position having been held by him for sixteen years, in Nile Township.  He has served also as township assessor and as a member of the township board of health.
     Orin L. Veazey was reared to manhood on the farm which he now owns and occupies, and is indebted to the public schools of Scioto County for his early educational discipline.  He has given unwavering allegiance to the basic industries of agriculture and stock-growing and his success has been on a parity with his energy and progressiveness.  In politics he gives unfaltering support to the cause of the republican party, and he is now serving as justice of the peace, of which office he has been the incumbent since 1908.  At the age of twenty-one years he was elected constable of Nile Township, a position in which he served two years.  Mr. Veazey is past noble grand of Buena Vista Lodge, No. 842, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he attends and supports the Methodist Episcopal Church at Buena Vista, his wife being a member of the same.
     In 1907 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Veazey to Miss Belle Metzger, who was born in Lewis Township, Brown County, Ohio, and who is a daughter of David and Mary E. (Shinkle) Metzger.  David Metzger was born in Lewis Township, Brown County, on the 28th of December, 1851, and on the same farm was born his father, Joseph Metzger, the date of whose nativity was Aug. 16, 1817. The latter was a son of Conrad Metzger, who was born in Pennsylvania, of sturdy German ancestry, and whose father came to Ohio when well advanced in years, the closing period of his life having been passed at Circleville, Pickaway County.  Upon coming to Ohio from the Keystone State Conrad Metzger became a pioneer settler in Brown County, where he purchased a tract of heavily timbered land and instituted the reclamation of a farm, in what is now Lewis Township.  He contributed his quota to the civic and industrial development of Brown County, where he continued to reside on his farm until his death, when about seventy years of age.  His son, Joseph, succeeded to the ownership of the old homestead farm and there continued to reside until his death, in 1887.  He married Miss Nancy Watson, who was born in Clermont County, this state, on the 31st of May, 1815, and who was summoned to the life eternal on the 14th of January, 1882.
     David Metzger was one of a family of seven children and was reared to manhood on the ancestral homestead farm, the while he availed himself of the advantages of the common schools of the locality and period.  He continued to be associated with his father in the work and management of the home farm until he had attained to the age of twenty-eight years, when he purchased a farm in Clark Township, Brown County, whence he returned a few years later to the old homestead place.  Later he was engaged in farming in Green Township, Adams County, and in 1899 he removed with his family to Nile Township, Scioto County.  In 1909 he purchased the fine farm on which he now resides, in the same township, and he is one of the  substantial farmers and honored citizens of this section of Scioto County.  In 1879 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Metzger to Miss Mary E. Shinkle, who was born in Lewis Township, Brown County, in which county also were born her father, Walter Shinkle, and the latter's father, Michael Shinkle.  Michael Shinkle was a son of Jonathan Shinkle, who was one of the early settlers of Brown County, where he reclaimed a farm from the wilderness and where he passed the residue of his life.  His son, Michael, succeeded to the ownership of a portion of the old homestead and there passed his entire life as an industrious and prosperous farmer.  He wedded Miss Sally Gardner, who likewise passed her entire life in Brown County.  Walter Shinkle, who celebrated his seventy-seventh birthday anniversary in 1914, has been a lifelong resident of Brown County, where he has long been a representative agriculturist and stockgrower and where he has also been successful as a dealer in leaf tobacco.  His wife, whose maiden name was Nannie Nowlin, was born near Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and is a daughter of Silas and Mary Nowlin, pioneers of the Hoosier State.  David and Mary E. (Shinkle) Metzger reared seven children, of whom Mrs. Veasey was the third in order of birth.  The names of the other children are as follows: Nannie, Jesse, Earl, Minnie, Lewis and John.  Jesse married Miss Nellie Cameron and they have one son, Raymond.  Earl wedded Miss Irene Sortraan and they have two sons.  Minnie is the wife of Cleo Snyder.  Mr. and Mrs. Veasey have one daughter, Elizabeth.
Source: A Standard History of The Hanging Rock Iron Region of Ohio, Vol. II - Illustrated - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, 1916 - Page 934