BROWN COUNTY, OHIO
OHGenWeb Project
M
MANN, Jonas
Jonas A. Mann, farmer, P.O. Ripley, was born in Jefferson Township August 30, 1834. He is a son of Jonas and Mary (Burgett) Mann. He was reared to manhood on his father's farm, and for an education enjoyed only the advantages of the schools of the day, which were held in rude log cabins. When of age, he engaged in farming, which he has followed most of the time up to the present. In 1868, he moved to Ripley, and lived one year, then returned to his farm. In 1870, he moved to Washington C.H., residing there till 1873, when he came back to his farm. He was married in February, 1858, to Miss Susan E. Jolly, a native of Union Township, and a daughter of Philip C. and Phebe Jolly.
The History of Brown County, Ohio Containing A History of the County; Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, Etc.; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio; Map of Brown County; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1883), 74-75.
MARSHALL, John
John Marshall, farmer, P.O. Ash Ridge. Benjamin Marshall, one of Brown County's pioneers and father of our subject, was born in Pennsylvania. He married Betsy Ashunhust, by whom he had nine children, three of whom were born in Pennsylvania; four of those children are still living. In 1817, he emigrated to Ohio, and settled in what is now known as Byrd Township, Brown County...After living a life of usefulness to his fellow-men and country, this old pioneer passed away about the year 1840. His widow survived him perhaps thirty years. John Marshall, our subject, was born December 15, 1802 in Pennsylvania, and, when about fifteen years old, his parents emigrated to Ohio. He married Mary Campbell, daughter of Matthew Campbell, by whom he had thirteen children, four of whom are still living--Benjamin, Nathaniel, Wilson and Hannah. About two years after his marriage, he moved to a farm in the southeastern portion of this township where he still resides.
The History of Brown County, Ohio Containing A History of the County; Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, Etc.; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio; Map of Brown County; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1883), 280.
McCALL, Samuel
submitted by Yolanda Campbell Lifter
Samuel McCall, farmer, P.O. New Hope, was born in Scott Township April 6, 1828, he is the son of Robert McCall and was a brother of John C. McCall, whose biography appears in this work. He received his education in the township schools and, having chosen farming for an occupation, he commenced working at it by the month. He afterward purchased land for himself and now owns 300 acres. In 1856, he married Nancy Parker, daughter of Stephen Parker, and a native of Brown County. They have four children, all girls—Mary, Addie, Nettie and Maggie. Mr. McCall is a Democrat in politics, and now occupies the office of Township Trustee. His father was a soldier in the war of 1812, and belonged to the family that entered Scott Township at a very early day.
The History of Brown County, Ohio Containing A History of the County; Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, Etc.; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio; Map of Brown County; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1883), 250.
McCLAIN, Fogus
submitted by Lorraine Hatfield
Fogus McClain was one of Union Township's foremost settlers. He was from Western Pennsylvania; was implicated in the whisky insurrection there, and when matters came to a crisis took French leave and hurried off down the Ohio in a boat landing on Eagle Creek. He here bought a farm from Mitchell, and remained through life. He had been a Revolutionary soldier and was a Mason. He had but one child, John.
The History of Brown County, Ohio Containing A History of the County; Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, Etc.; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio; Map of Brown County; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1883), 414-415.
McLAIN, Thomas E.
Thomas E. McLain came to Pike township as early as 1834 and purchased the land now belonging to David Wilson in the northern part of the township. He was born in the county on the old homestead in Sterling Township, which is now the property of his brother, Archibald, and was married in 1833 to Mary A. Hiles. He lived on the farm which he purchased until his death which occurred in 1863.
The History of Brown County, Ohio Containing A History of the County; Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, Etc.; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio; Map of Brown County; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1883), 561-562.
McMANIS, Samuel
Samuel McManis, farmer, P.O. Winchester. Joseph McManis, father of our subject, was born in Pennsylvania in 1796. In 1815, he emigrated with his parent, Charles and Ellen McManis, to what is now known as Brown County, Ohio, and settled in Jackson Township, near Carlisle Village. His parents, after living in Brown County several years, moved to Adams County, and settled about two miles east of Winchester, where they remained until their decease. In March, 1819, Joseph married Jane Donaldson, by whom he had nine children, six of whom are still living--William, James, Samuel, Mary E., Hiram and John; she died in May, 1838, and in 1840 he married Mary Bishop, by whom he had three children, two of whom are still living--Alexander and Francis. She died in June, 1845, and he again was married in November, 1847, this time to Ruth Mathias, by whom he had seven children--Jacob, Catherine J., Lydia, Eliza, Martha, Sarah and Wilson. He was a resident of Brown County for forty years; he then moved to Adams County, and located eight miles east of West Union, where he remained eleven years. From Adams County he emigrated to Livingston County, Ill., where he remained until his decease in November, 1872. Several of his sons fought under the flag of the Union during the late war of the rebellion; they all, however, returned home at or near the close of the war, and are now scattered from Brown County, Ohio to the Walla Walla Valley, Washington Territory, and in several States and Territories. Samuel McManis, our subject, was born in October, 1827, in what is now known as Jackson Township. In April, 1851, he married Martha Greathouse, by whom he has four children, three of whom are still living--Edwin, Maria and Barton L. In 1853; our subject moved to the eastern portion of Jackson Township where he still resides.
The History of Brown County, Ohio Containing A History of the County; Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, Etc.; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio; Map of Brown County; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1883), 280-281.
MEFFORD, John W.
John W. Mefford, farmer, P.O. Ripley, is a son of George and Polly (Ellis) Mefford. He was born in Union Township February 3, 1814. His father, a native of Pennsylvania, was born November 22, 1786. His father, John Mefford, was born April 19, 1764, and in 1787 removed with his family to Mason County, Ky., where he lived a short time; then came to Levanna, Brown County. Their immigration from Pennsylvania was by flat-boat. They descended the Ohio River to Roup's Run and spent the night in the hollow trunk of a monster sycamore tree. Mr. M. purchased a tract of 500 acres and located on it. He died April 21, 1834. George, the father of our subject, was reared to manhood on the farm. He engaged in transporting produce and provisions to New Orleans, and made eighteen trips. He was for several years a member of the Board of Township Trustees, and was also identified with the Baptist Church. His death occurred October 30, 1872. His wife preceded him in 1832. John was reared a farmer boy. September 25, 1834, he was united in marriage with Anna Pangburn, daughter of Lyons and Rebecca Pangburn. She was born in Union Township August 31, 1817. Fifteen children were the fruits of this union; of these, twelve are living—George W., Melissa (wife of Perry Drake), Clamenza E. (wife of David Smith), Lyons P., Elizabeth H. (wife of Aaron Burgett), John W., Joseph P., Flora D. (wife of Jacob White), Emma C. (wife of N. Burgett), Thomas E., William P. and Emma C. Mr. Mefford has occupied the Mefford homestead since 1842. He owns 131 acres and is engaged in agriculture. He and wife are members of the Christian Church. He has served as Deacon for thirty-five years. Politically, he is a Republican.
The History of Brown County, Ohio Containing A History of the County; Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, Etc.; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio; Map of Brown County; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1883), 77.
MERANDA, Margaret
submitted by Lee Liming
Margaret Meranda was born in Washington D. C. in 1917. She is the daughter of John Wesley Meranda and Lucy Margaret Robinson. Her father was one of ten children born to John Albert Meranda (1847 – 1925) and Mary Elizabeth Beebe (1853 – 1925). Wesley Meranda was a farmer for a while. Within a few years, he was hired to teach school at the nearby Mt. Nebo School and later began working at the Citizen’s Bank in Hamersville, Ohio. In 1920 when Margaret was three years old, her sister, Ercil and twin brother, Russell, were born. Margaret’s mother was one of four children born to Andrew Jackson Robinson (1856 – 1944) and Margaret Olive Colthar (1852 – 1927). She is descendant of John Phillip Colthar, an early Clark Township pioneer. It was in 1919 that her parents chose to move back home to her mother’s family farm on Sterling Road in Brown County. This house had been built in 1884 by Andrew Jackson Robinson. When Margaret was five years old, she would walk to Mt. Nebo School, about a mile and a half from home with neighbors. They would meet up with other children at the corner of Starling Road and what is now Route 774. Mt. Nebo School was one of several one-room schoolhouses in the area. Margaret attended Hamersville Elementary School in the second grade. Her father taught at Mt. Nebo while her mother taught at nearby Liberty School and also at Yankeetown School. Margaret still lives on this farm and in the same house, although remodeled. Mr. Robinson had inherited this farm from his father, Doctor Thomas Robinson (1828 – 1912), Margaret’s great grandfather. Dr. Thomas Robinson was a well known country doctor in the Brown County area for many years, and is a descendant of Charles Robinson (1763 – 1846), a Revolutionary War soldier, and Assenth Martin (ca. 1768 – 1835), early pioneer settlers near Batavia, Ohio, Clermont County. On Christmas Eve in 1939, Margaret married Ray Burbage of Decatur, Ohio. He was the son of Lee Burbage and Marie Shelton. The ceremony was held in the front room of the house where both she and her mother had grown up. Ray farmed for many years and later became a rural mail carrier out of the Bethel, Ohio, post office. They enjoyed a joyous relationship and raised three children: Ken, Gary and Janie. Ray died in 1982 and is buried in Confidence Cemetery at Georgetown, Ohio. Margaret always enjoyed school and always studied hard. They had a good girl’s basketball team and won the county tournament when she was a junior. Her father would always sit in the front row of seats on the stage. He would drive Margaret and her cousin, Mary, to games in Ripley and Georgetown. When they had a problem with ice on the windshield, she remembers her dad would stop and rub onion on the windshield. She graduated from Hamersville School in 1933 and began attending Miami University of Oxford, Ohio. After receiving her teacher’s certificate in 1935, she began teaching school in Hamersville. She had always wanted to be a teacher. Except for a short period of time when her children were very young, she continued to teach a Hamersville Elementary until retiring after 26 years. It was in the mid of 1970’s when she was inflicted with the family history research bug, and began to research her father’s family history. Her uncle Bob, who was the only living sibling of 10 children in her father’s family, went along with her to the Shinle’s Ridge Cemetery where so many of the Meranda’s are buried. Uncle Bob (who later died in 1978 at the age of 87) would walk about the cemetery saying things like, "There is Uncle Joe, there is Aunt Maud, here’s Mom and Dad, I want to be buried by them." And he was. Margaret continued to search cemeteries and began to do library research. It wasn’t long before she learned of the Brown County Genealogy Society in Georgetown, Ohio. While working on this hobby she has made booklets on approximately 25 families. She helped compile a Liming History Booklet with Richey Liming of Hamersville. She has donated numerous hours of her time and energy as well as her research papers to the Genealogy Library in Georgetown.
MILLER, Rudolph
Rudolph Miller, farmer, P.O. South Fincastle, was born in January, 1808 in Germany; his parents were Rudolph and Mary Miller; he was reared on a farm, and received a fair German education. In December 1832, he married Mary S. Loganbaehl, by whom he has six children, viz.: Charles, Jacob, Frederick, Philip, Lewis and Elizabeth. In August 1846, he emigrated to America, came to this township where he still resides. Mr. Miller is a member of the German Lutheran Church, and the owner of 195 acres of land.
The History of Brown County, Ohio Containing A History of the County; Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, Etc.; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio; Map of Brown County; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1883), 227.
MOORE, James P.
submitted by Yolanda Campbell Lifter
James P. Moore, farmer, P.O. Decatur, is a son of Samuel and Betsy (Gilliland) Moore, natives of Virginia and Pennsylvania respectively. He (Samuel) came to Adams County with his father, James Moore, in 1815. James was a native of Rockbridge County, Va., and ranked among the early pioneers of Adams County; he died in 1835. Samuel is at this time living in the seventy-seventh years of his age. His wife (Betsy) died in 1862. The subject of this sketch was born on the homestead in Liberty Township in 1830. Securing such education as could be had in the schools of the day, he followed teaching for twenty years in the district schools of Brown, Adams and Champaign Counties. He was married in his native township, Adams County, in 1856, to Miss Mary A., daughter of William B. Ellis. To them eight children have been born, seven of whom are living, viz., William E., Samuel A., Louis E., John T., Lorena, Ella C. and George H. Mr. Moore moved to Brown County in 1869, and settled on his present estate, consisting of 157 acres, valued at $40 per acre. He is Township Trustee and School Director, and an Elder in the Liberty Presbyterian Church. He was appraiser of the township in 1880, and served on the committee of elections, and has always taken an active interest in public affairs. Politically, he is a Republican.
The History of Brown County, Ohio Containing A History of the County; Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, Etc.; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio; Map of Brown County; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1883), 303.
MOORE, Nathaniel
Nathaniel Moore was born in Pennsylvania in 1770, he spent his boyhood days in the Susquehanna Valley. When quite young, he made his way across the mountains to Pittsburgh, and engaged in boating and rafting on the Ohio River. From Pittsburgh he went to Limestone (now Maysville), and in 1799 he married Nancy Welch; in the following year, he moved to Ohio and located on Eagle Creek. On his farm the first church in that region was built; it stood on the site of Moore's Chapel of today. In 1821, he moved to Brown County, where Hamersville now stands, his son Henry having cleared some land and built a cabin the previous year. The house was the first one in this settlement that had stairs, hewed plank floor and doors. It was the meeting house for years, and in it such pioneers of the pulpit as Quinn, Findley, Collins, Westlake and others were entertained. As soon as he had his farm in shape, Mr. Moore commenced saving lumber with which to supply the country for miles around. In 1828, he, with several others, contracted to carry the mails from Cincinnati to Portsmouth, and in this he was engaged twelve years. In 1844, he lost his wife, and went to live with his youngest son in Indiana, where he died in 1861.
The History of Brown County, Ohio Containing A History of the County; Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, Etc.; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio; Map of Brown County; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1883), 524.
MOYER, Henry, Sr.
Henry Moyer, Sr., born in 1767, came to Brown County, Ohio in the year 1816; lived on the land now owned by his sons and heirs in the wester part of the township, near Locuts Ridge, making that his residence until his death in 1829, aged sixty two years. Henry was father of John and George F. Moyer. He was a native of Chester County, Penn. The father of Henry came with him to Ohio; died in earlier days, and of his history not much can be gathered except he was a native of Germany. John and George F. Moyer came with their father in 1816 both being born in Chester County, Penn., John on June 24, 1805 and George on January 10, 1810. John's son William H. Moyer is a citizen of the township at this time.
The History of Brown County, Ohio Containing A History of the County; Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, Etc.; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio; Map of Brown County; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1883), 555-556.
Yolanda Campbell Lifter, Brown County Coordinator
Copyright © 2005-2010 Yolanda Campbell Lifter
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