Abraham Thompson was born in Guernsey County. In 1861 he enlisted in Company H, Seventy-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served until the close of the war.

He was wounded by a shot through the leg at Atlanta, and Gen.M.B. Leggett carried him from the field to the hospital, a distance of nearly two miles. Mr. Thompson is almost blind from the effects of disease contracted in the service.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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John Miley, a son of one of the Noble County pioneers, was born in Center Township in 1828. He is a Republican, a farmer and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. In 1851 he married Mary Coen, of Seneca Township. The children are: Martha E., Abraham V. (deceased), Richard B. (deceased), Charles W. and Eva L.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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George W. Robinson was born in Beaver Township. In 1861 he enlisted in Company F, Twenty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served until July 8, 1864, when he was discharged on account of disability. He was captured at Chickamauga and held a prisoner at Richmond and Danville for over seven months.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Prior to 1812 Jesse Davis and family, from Pennsylvania, settled in this township. His children were Isaac, Kinsey, Jesse, Nathan, Rebecca (Mrs. James Sweeny), Rachel (Mrs. Francis Miller), Polly (Mrs. Emanuel Hupp), Annie (Mrs. Henry Pryor) and Louisa (Mrs. William Enochs). The family became scattered, and now has but few representatives in the county.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Samuel Pryor came to this township at an early date. The Pryors were of German origin and had lived on Captina Creek before coming here. Samuel was the father of Elijah, John, Henry, William, Mary, Nancy, Sarah and Elizabeth. Henry is the only survivor. He lives in Minnesota. William died in this township in 1886 aged sixty-eight.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Isaac Pryor settled in this township in 1827, near Harrietsville. He was the father of Margaret, Jane, Lila, Maria, John and Howard. John is still living.

Separate entry
Isaac Pryor came from Belmont County to this township quite early and remained here until his decease, in 1866. John Pryor, born in Belmont County in 1815, came to this township at the same time. He has been a deacon in the Baptist church. He married Elizabeth Cousins in 1849, and is the father of nine children, seven of whom are living.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Moses T. Spencer, from Maryland, was one of the most prominent of the early settlers. He and his brother-in-law, Jonas Lovett, lived near Harriettsville and owned the land on which the town is situated. The town was laid out by Spencer and named for his youngest daughter. He built a saw-mill on the creek and afterward a grist-mill, the first in the township. Spencer and Lovett had more means than most of the early settlers. Both were leading Methodists.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Enoch Enochs, a brother of Elisha Enochs, the pioneer settler at Carlisle, was among the early settlers of this township. His father, Enoch Enochs, Sr., served in the Indian wars and the War of 1812. He came with his son to this township and died here in 1835. Enoch, Jr., from his eighteenth year to middle age was a keel-boatman and a steamboat hand on the Muskingum and Ohio. He was a large man physically and a thorough backwoodsman. He lived in Noble County until 1878, when he removed to Tyler County, W. Va., where he died in 1886, at the age of eighty-five.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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The first blacksmith shop near Harrietsburg was started by Charles Lloyd in 1835.

James Lloyd, from England, entered land in the township in 1830 and in 1832 moved hither with his family. His son Charles, of Harriettsville, is among the oldest residents of the township.

Charles Lloyd was born in Cheshire, England, in 1811. He came to this country in 1827 and to this township in 1832. In early life he followed blacksmithing. He is an expert and ingenious mechanic and has invented several articles, some of which have been patented. After working at the blacksmith's trade twenty-one years he engaged in the mercantile business, which he still follows. In 1837 he married Sarah Booth, of Belmont County, who died in 1885. Six of their nine children are living: John, Thomas, Edward, J.F.M., Hannah and Lydia A. Thomas was county recorder for one term. He married a daughter of Hon. W. H. Frazier. Mr. Lloyd is an Odd Fellow and a Mason, also a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Charles Lloyd of Harriertsville, has in his possession the horns of the last deer killed in the township. It was shot by his father, James Lloyd.

James Lloyd kept the first tavern in the neighborhood of Harrietsville. He also sold goods long before there was any store in the village. His wife was a woman of good business qualifications, and she attended to the store.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Adam Crum, a native of Germany, was a soldier in the War of the Revolution; he was wounded at the battle of Bunker Hill. At the close of the war he settled in Pennsylvania, from when he immigrated to Monroe County, Ohio, in 1808. Two of his sons, David and William, were pioneers in what is now Elk Township. David married Miss Mary, daughter of Martin Crow, a German, who settled near Carlisle; he had five sons and five daughters; the latter were massacred by Indians, an account of which is given in the chapter devoted to Stock Township. David settled in Elk, and is said to have taught the first school in the townshi and was one of the early trustees. He had seven sons: George, James, Martin, Henry, William, Michael and David. George married Agatha Roe, and is on of the prosperous farmers of the township; he has a family of four sons and three daughters: Peter D., J. Martin, William T., George I., Mary E., Louisa J. and Susan V. J. Martin is a prominent young teacher and a very worthy young man. Henry has four sons: William, James, Philo and Henry, Jr. James is the only one of the family living in Elk. William entered land near Frederickton and for many years was a magistrate.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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David Bonar, a soldier of the War of 1812 and one of the pioneers of this township, was born twelve miles above Wheeling W. Va., in 1796. He settled four miles above Harriettsville on land which he entered from government. The country at this time was almost a wilderness. Marietta was the nearest trading point until Summerfield became able to supply the demands of the settlers. He took an active part in the politics of the township, and was one of the judges of the first township election, and held nearly all of the township offices. He was an earnest Christian and aided largely in the building of the Road Fork Baptist church. He had a family of five children: Silas, Isaac, Vincent, Nancy and Jasper. Silas, the eldest, was born in 1823, and married in 1845 Miss Freelove A. Grey. He has always resided on the old homestead and is a worthy citizen; his family of eight children are named as follows: Sarah E., Louisa J., Mary M., Celestial A., Sylvester W., George M., Savannah and Albert M. Isaac, the second son of David, was born in 1824; was twice married; by his first wife, Miss Ellen Jones, he had four children: Olive, Florence, Isaac W. and Mary O. Isaac removed to Kansas. In 1849 he went to California, "sailing round the horn." By occupation he is a teacher and farmer. Vincent Bonar was born in 1825 and died in 1880. He married Margaret Hardy in 1851; she died in 1857. Of a family of four, only one, Elizabeth, is now living. In 1860 he was again married, to Emily Brown, by whom he had eight children: Henry S., Nancy A., Jesse, Charles, Mary, Adoniram J., John M. and Laura B. Vincent was one of the leading citizens of the township, holding all of the offices in the the gift of his fellow citizens. He built the Road Fork Baptist church. He was a prosperous farmer and always resided on the homestead farm. His wife owns the residence and is an excellent Christian lady and an efficient Sabbath-school worker. She was the daughter of Hon. Jesse Brown and Elizabeth Brown, of Monroe County, Ohio. Nancy Bonar was born in 1833 and married Albert Rogers in 1856. She moved to Iowa in 1865, thence to Missouri in 1866, where she now resides. They have seven children: Francis, Margaret E., Newton R., Otto C., James, Lydia J., and David. jasper was born in 1835, and married Mary Leonard, of Marietta, in 1865, and moved to Fulton County. Originally he was a teacher, but is now a prosperous farmer. He has a family of three children: Albert, Tilla and Belle. The first and last named are graduates of Granville College.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Johyn Howald is said to have been the first German settler of the township, not including "Pennsylvania Dutch." He was not properly a German, but a native of Switzerland, as was also Jacob Rohrer, who came soon after. Howlad obtained a title to his land in 1836, buying from William Cantwell. He lived on L.L. Lovett's present farm. Howald came to Pittsburgh in 1826; thence to Captina and this township. He died in 1864. He was a wagon-maker by trade. It is said that he brought the first wagon into the township. The names of his children were Mary (Lindewood), Jeremiah, John, Joseph and Louisa (Lovett), all living except Mary.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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As an example of German pluck and perseverance, let us take the case of John Smithberger. He came to America in 1840 and resided for a time in Pittsburgh. In 1841 he went to Marietta to enter the land on which his son, William Smithberger, Esq., now lives. Finding that the land office had been moved to Chilicothe, he set off for that place on foot, secured his patent and returned to Pittsburgh. In 1842 he moved with his family to Elk Township. He planted his first corn on a smalling clearing in the woods, preparing the ground with a mattock, as he had no plough. Many times he carried a half bushel of corn on his shoulders three miles, to have it grounds at the neighbor's hand mill. Mr. Smithberger died in 1859. Three sons and three daughters came to this township with him, the sons and one daughter being unmarried. The names of these children were John, Peter, William, Elizabeth (Long), Catharine (Rothfuchs) and Margaret (Yost).

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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William Smithberger, Esq., is one of the leading business men and most prominent citizens of the township. He was born in Prussia, in 1825, and came to America with his father's family in 1840. He came to Elk Township in 1842 and remained one year. he then went back to Pittsburgh, learned the machinist's trade, and followed it five years. He next engaged in the mercantile business in Pittsburgh. In 1853 he returned to this township, where he has since resided. He has been a successful farmer, and since 1874 has been in the mercantile business. In 1861 he began buying and packing tobacco, which business he still follows. He has held the office of justice of the peace since 1858 - which is sufficient proof of the high esteem in which he is held by the citizens of the township. He is a leading Catholic and donated the lot and built St. Henry's church. Mr. Smithberger was married in Pittsburgh, in 1849, to Theresa Fauth. They have reared a family of eight sons and four daughters, all of whom are still living.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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John W. Evans, a native of West Virginia, removed from Monongalia County, in that State, to what is now Elk Township, Noble County, in 1836. He was born in 1790 and died in 1874. His wife, Nancy, born in Maryland, in 1798, died in 1879. When the family came their neighbors were few and far apart.. It was a common thing for a settler to go five or six miles to assist a newcomer in raising his cabin. Cornmeal was made by means of a grater or else with a hand-mill, there being few mills of any importance nearer than the Muskingum River. People were often for weeks without bread-stuff of any kind in their houses, living on potatoes, pumpkins and roasted ears. There was little market for any kind of produce. Mr. Evans carried his wheat to Marietta on horseback and sold it for fifty cents per bushel. Wheat was thrashed with a flail and winnowed by hand. Dressed pork brought only $2.50 per hundred pounds. Squirrels, wild turkeys and raccoons and sometimes deer, made fearful work in the cornfield, which had to be watched constantly in order to secure a crop. Flour was only used on rare occasions. Dudley Evans, still a resident of the township, was born in Marion County, W. Va., January 23, 1834, and has a vivid recollection of pioneer days. He received his first schooling in a log cabin with greased paper windows, one end of the house entirely occupied by a huge fireplace. In his early years he followed school-teaching. Mr. Evans has served as township assessor several terms.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Andrew Holschuh, one of the early German settlers, was born in Hesse Darmstadt, January 3, 1812. He came to America in 1828, and to Elk Township in 1839. He died in 1882. His wife, nee Sophia Schenk, whom he married in 1837, came to this country with her parents in 1833. When Mr. Holschuh came to the township, the country was still new and very wild. He sometimes went fifteen or twenty miles to mill, and ten miles to a store. Often he was called to assist in raising cabins five or six miles distant. Living was very frugal, and at times the family subsisted for several days without bread, eating potatoes, roasting-ears and pumpkins. Mr. Holschuh was a Lutheran, and one of the founders of that church in this section of the county. His son, Adam Holschuh, at present one of the township trustees, was born May 7, 1855, and is a farmer and a prominent member of the Lutheran congregation. In 1883 he married Caroline, daughter of Jacob Ullman, one of the pioneers of the township. They have two children - a son and a daughter.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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William Masters came from Guernsey County in 1845, and settled on an unimproved farm. It is said that he drive the first four-horse team that ever came down the East Fork of Duck Creek, from Carlisle to Harriettsville. The wagon was a covered one, with a Jersey bed, and attracted great attention, many having never seen anything of the kind before. The settlers, after viewing the wagon to their entire satisfaction, assisted Mr. Masters in opening a road from Harriettsville to Masterton, Monroe County. This was in the year 1837. William Masters died in 1853. His son Richard is still a resident of the township. Richard Masters was born in Guernsey County, May 11, 1829, and is a farmer by occupation. August 15, 1862, he enlisted in Company K, Ninety-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served until mustered out June 10, 1865. He has held the offices of class-leader and trustee of the Methodist Episcopal church.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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J.C. Wernecke is one of the most prominent and successful business men of the county. He came to Harriettsville in 1849. In the fall of that year he engaged in the mercantile business in which he still continues. In 1856 he purchased 160 acres of land adjoining the village, on which he has built up quite extensively. He is one of the largest tobacco merchants in the county and has the leading general store in Harriettsville, carrying a much greater variety and a much larger stock than is usually found in country stores. Mr. Wernecke has always given a hearty support to educational and religious interests, and is a leading member of the Lutheran church.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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John N. Van Fossen, son of John Van Fossen, was born in Belmont County in 1836, came to this county with his parents in 1844 and has resided here ever since. His father entered land in Stock Township. He reared six children, five of whom are now living. J.N. Van Fossen entered the Thirtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry in October, 1862 and served about eleven months. March 2, 1865, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Ninety-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was discharged October 4, 1865. He participated in the Vicksburg campaign and other noted movements. He is a thrifty farmer, and has served as township trustee for eleven years. He married, first, Rebecca Barnes; and second, Mrs. Catharine White (nee Morrison). Two children were born of the first marriage and ten of the second.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Lloyd L. Lovett, one of the prominent farmers and best citizens of Elk Township, ws born in Allegheny County, Md., February 10, 1837, and came to this township in 1854. He located on the farm of John Howald, the German pioneer, whose daughter, Mary Ann Louisa, he married in 1856. He has resided on this farm ever since, and has added to the old homestead until he now has 352 acres of good land. Mr. Lovett is the father of eight children: Carey E. (Bote), Lola N. (Kirchner), Elmer E., John T., William B., Mary A., Ernest S. and Nellie R. Mr. Lovett has served as township trustee four terms. He is a leading member of the Methodist Episcopal church and has served as trustee and steward of that organization for twenty years.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Nelson C. Lovett, son of John Lovett, was born in Allegheny County, Md., in 1840, and came to this county in 1857. In 1866 he married Cynthia S. Hallett, of Washington County. They have one child, a daughter. Mr. Lovett enlisted in June, 1861, in the Twenty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was discharged in December, 1862, from disability caused by a wound. He was in many severe engagements. After being wounded at the second battle of Bull Run, he was captured and paroled. He was left on the field for two days without food or care and was two days more in the ambulance before reaching the hospital at Alexandria, Va., where he could receive treatment. He was among the best of the many brave soldiers furnished by Noble County.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Peter Crow is a son of Martin Crow, a pioneer prominently mention in the history of Stock Township. He was born in that township November 6, 1814, and has followed farming. In 1835 he married Sarah, daughter of Samuel Pryor. Their children were: Sarah, Samuel, George W., William U., John W. and Francis M., of whom only George and William are living, the former in Michigan and the latter in this township. Peter Crow settled on his present farm when it was entirely unimproved. He at first bought a piece of land for $100 and afterward entered 160 acres at government price. He now has a good and well-improved farm. He has served as township trustee, assessor and land appraiser, and has been a leading member of the Methodist Episcopal church for many years. He was married the second time in 1868 to Mrs. Mary Dye, neeMcPherson.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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John Lee, Sr., was born at "Cassel on the Fulda," Germany, in 1788. In 1836 the family embarked for America, and after an uneventful voyage landed in Baltimore, Md.; thence they moved by teams to Pittsburgh, Pa., where he and three of his sons found employment in a glass factory. In 1839 they came to what is now Elk Township, where the elder Lee located a quarter section of land one half mile northeast of the village of Harriettsville, where he resided until his decease in 1871. He was a thrifty farmer and a valued citizen. His wife, nee Martha A. Braham, whom he married in 1817, died in 1852, at the age of eighty-three. Their children were Henry A., John, Christian, Barbara, Benjamin and William. Henry, the elder was born in Bradenburg, Germany, in 1818. He followed the fortunes of the family, and in 1840 married Miss Elizabeth Enochs, daughter of the pioneer whose history is given elsewhere. Twelve children were the result of this union: William, Louisa, John, Martha, Frederick, Mary, Russell, Sarah, Henry H., Hannah E., Edgar Earlwine and Albert S. He is a prosperous farmer and one of the most extensive tobacco growers in this region. William, son of Henry Lee, was born in 1841, and married Jane Carmichael in 1864. Their children are: Arminda C., Ellsworth, Columbus, Emerson B., Mary E., Rilla A., Wilbert, Evert, William, Floyd and Clarence. William is one of the prominent citizens of the township and is a large tobacco grower. Louisa was born in 1842, married Thomas Pyles, who at the age of sixteen entered the service as a member of the Ninety-second Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Their children are William H., Wesley, Minnie, Mary, Nancy, Martha, George, Thomas, Arthur and Bertha. They reside in West Virginia. Martha Lee became Mrs. Frank Shaffer. He died in 1884. He was a soldier in the late war. Frederick Lee is a resident of Ritchie County, W. Va. He married, in 1879, Miss Mary A. Haught. They have seven children: Verne, Henry D., Alverde, Clinton T., George W., Preston and Dessie. Mary Lee married William, son of the pioneer, Frederick Miller. Their children are Arthur W., Ada M., Harkass and John. The children of Russell Lee and his wife, Caroline (Miller) - are Lily, Wesley, Willard, Francis, Alberteen, Martha and Nora B. He resides on the old homestead. Sarah Lee became Mrs. Philetus Miller. Their children are Winona, Tunny, Mary, Nellie and Henry W. Henry H., one of the rising young farmers of Jackson County, W. Va., married Flora A. Thompson. Their children were Debert, Walter and Henry. Hannah E., married W.J. Kelby. They have one child, Shella. Albert S., youngest child of Henry Lee, is a promising young teacher and bids fair to become a useful citizen. Martha Lee, daughter of John Lee, Sr. was born in 1829. She married Charles Huffman and reared a family of eleven: Margaret (died in 1860), Martha (Williams), Barbara (died 1850), John W., Frank, James B., Miles S. (died in 1886), Lovina B. (Morris), Philo T., Allen (died in 1873) and Ernest.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Edgar Earlwine Lee was born near Harriettsville, Ohio, in 1861. He received an academical education, and at the age of eighteen began teaching and is one of the prominent teachers of the county. He takes an active interest in political matters and is at this time (1887) clerk of the township. He is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and an efficient Sabbath school worker. In 1886 he was married to Miss Mannie A., daughter of Vincent and Emily Bonar. His future is full of bright promises.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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James Carmichael, merchant at Crumtown, was born in Monroe County, August 11, 1833. His father and grandfather were both early settlers in that county, near Stafford. The latter, James Carmichael by name, was the son of a Revolutionary soldier; he was a prominent citizen, a justice of the peace and a local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal church. Samuel L., the father of the subject of this notice, was born in Virginia and came to Ohio with his parents about 1820. He is now a resident of Elk Township, and is eighty-three years of age. For some years he was engaged in the mercantile business with his son. James began the mercantile business in Crumtown in 1863, with a capital of $60. He has since erected a good store and does a prosperous business. He was married in 1853 to Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob Richey, of this county.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Solomon and Elizabeth Murrey came to Belmont County, about 1811. The wife died in that county in 1839. In 1847 the father removed to Franklin Township, in Monroe County, where he died two years later. Of the family of four sons and two daughters, only two sons survive. One of the sons, James L. Murrey, is a prominent farmer of Elk Township. He was born in Belmont County in 1826, and was brought up amid the scenes of pioneer life. In the winter of 1848-9 he taught school, and for twelve successive winters followed the same occupation, excepting 1853-4 when he was in the West. In 1855 he married Margaret Sill, and settled on a part of his present farm. Mr. Murrey served one term as justice of the peace. He has been class-leader of Mt. Tabor Methodist Episcopal church over twenty years.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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W.G. Williams was born in Belmont County in 1836. He has followed milling and farming. He enlisted in the Twenty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in July, 1861, served three years, then re-enlisted in the same regiment, and was mustered out in July, 1865. At Atlanta he was wounded in the arm. He has served as township clerk and trustee.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Sebastian Shafer, born in Germany in 1824, came to America in 1847, landing in New York April 15. After working a year at mining in Pennsylvania, he came to Ohio, and thence to Noble County, where he engaged in wagon-making, which trade he still follows. He sent to Germany for his brothers, Charles and Christian and his sister, Caroline, who came to this country in 1853. In 1849 he married Barbara, daughter of John Lee, of this county. Their children are William H., Frederick, Martha L. (died in 1878, aged twenty-six), John, Alexander, Malinda, Lydia, George B.M., and Hammond O. William H., born in 1850, followed the wagon-maker's trade and carpentry for some time, but for the past twelve years has been engaged in boot and shoe making, and is at present the leading man in Harriettsville in that business. He married Lucinda Eppler. They have five children, born as follows: Arthur L., September 19, 1875; Ora O., March 28, 1878; Augusta C., December 28, 1879; Henry I., September 17, 1881; Myrtle L., March 7, 1883. Frederick, the second son of Sebastian Shafer, married Mary F. Bowlinger; John married Susan M. Eppler; Alexander married Margaret Huffman; Melinda is the wife of John Crow; Lydia married W.M. Martin, son of Dr. W.G. Martin. Sebastian Shafer has served as township trustee, and as trustee and president of the Lutheran church. He was school director for fifteen years, and is an earnest friend of religion and education.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
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Deb Murray