The biographical encyclopœdia of Ohio of the nineteenth century:

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.
sisted his father in laboring on the farm. In I839 he left
the paternal acres, and began life on his own resources, as
a school teacher in Felicity in Clermont county, where he
was engaged in educational labors during the ensuing two
years. While occupied as a teacher, he applied himself
also to the study of law, and in I842 was admitted to the
bar, whereupon he entered on the practice of his profession
in Batavia, Clermont county. After his admission, in order
to secure the means to embrace more comfortably professional life, he drove an ox-team for one month. Since then
he has resided permanently in Batavia, constantly occupied
in guarding the interests of an extensive practice. At the
outset, he was associated for about-two years in partnership
with Martin Marshall, a distinguished attorney, who belonged to the family which produced Chief-Justice Marshall. In I866-67 he acted for one year as Revenue Collector for the Sixth Ohio District. With this exception he
has never sought or held public office. At the outbreak of
the war with Mexico, he entered the army as a volunteer,
and started with his regiment for the field of operations.
But owing to disability resulting from a broken leg, the consequence of a fall from his horse, he was incapacitated for
duty, and -having advanced only to Cincinnati, returned
thence to his home. In I86I he accompanied to the field
the 22d Regiment of Ohio Volunteeer Infantry, as Captain
of Company E, the first company furnished by Clermont
county to assist in suppressing the rebellion. He was
shortly after promoted to the rank of Major, and remained
in service with his regiment in Virginia for about five
months, participating during that time in a number of skirmishes and minor engagements. Politically he is attached
to the Republican party, and cast his first vote for General
Harrison. He is widely known as a zealous advocate of
the temperance cause, is in favor of prohibition, and both in
public and in private orations has earnestly denounced the
evils attendant on intemperance, and originated measures
designed to eradicate the baneful influence of strong drink.
Also, in I873, he canvassed Clermont county as a temperance advocate. Religiously he is a Methodist. He was
married December 2d, I846, to Elisa C. Minor, a native of
Clermont county, from whom be,nras divorced in Ia5.
H-e was again m-arried, May 2d, iS6o, to Miary I. Brock, a
native of Crawford county, Indiana.
tion. His m other, "Los ae decea se o ccurred in I83e, was o f
English-German descent. Until fifteen years of age he wa s
employed as an assistapnt on the farm, and later was placed
to learn the saddlery t rade in Jefferson county, Virgini a,
which he pursued for about six years. His early education
was limited, and was obtained at common school s, and b y
attentive reading during the leisure hours of his service as a
saddler. In I835 he moved to Augusta, Kentucky, iand
entered the primary department of Augusta College, the
first cMetho dist in stit ution of the kin d e stablished in the
United States. Its president ",as then Dr. Joseph S. Tom li nson. There he passed through a thorough curricul uml
of literary study, grad uating in I 839. During this time he
became very profici ent in mat he ma tics, b oth pure and
mixed, a branch of study for which he had early displayed
a notable aptite a and tal ent. H e supported himself in the
meantime by workin g fice hours per day at his trade. In
his youthful days he ha d proposed to apply his attention to
the study of medicine, an i ntention whose o rigin is attribut able probably to the fact that in the ranks of the medical
profession several members of his family had already acquired distinction. Whil e pursuing a collegiate course,
how e ver, he abandoned this design, and res olved to apply
h i mself to the study of law, de eming the l egal profession
one m ore il harmony with his tastes and mathematical
abilities. In I839, accordingly, under the guidance of
Martin Marshall, an accomplished scholar and legal practi tioner of Kentucky, and a member of the family that pro duced Clhief-Justice Marshall, he began to prepare himself
for the bar. Within one year he qualified himself for ad mission, and in I84o established his office in Batavia, Clermont county, where he has since resided, engaged in the.
control of a diversified and an extensive business. From
I845 to I849 he acted as Prosecuting Attorney of Clermont
county, having been twice elected to this office. In the
latter year he was elected to the Senate of Ohio, and served
for one term. In I858 he was elected to Congress on the
Democratic ticket. Also, in I866, he was a candidate for
Congress, but owing to the increasing power of the Republican element in his district, failed to secure an election.
The district referred to then embraced the counties of Clermont, Brown, Highland, Fayette and Clinton, while the
district from which he had been elected comprised the
counties of Clermont, Brown, Highland and Adams. In
military matters also he has been prominently before the
public. In I847 he accompanied to the scene of operations
in Mexico, the 2d Ohio Regimei't of Infantry, and, as
Second Lieutenant of Company C, served actively with this
body until the termination of the conflict. During those
eventful days he w~as employed on the line, under General
Winlfield Scott, from Vera Cruz to Pulebla. In September,
I86I, he accompanied the 59th Regiment of Ohio Volunteer
Infantry to the field as Major, and remained in service for.
about eighteen months. In x862 he was promoted to a
Lieutenant:Colonelcy. He waswMith his regiment in Ken —
t OWARD, COLONEL WILLIAM, Attorney-at Law, ex-Member of Congress, was born in Jeffer son county, Virginia, December 3Ist, 81I7. He
was the third child in a family of seven children,
whose parents were Thomas IHoward and Re becca (Likins) Howard, also natives of Jefferson
county, Virginia. His father followed through life agricultural pursuits, and after his removal to Wheeling, Virginia,
died there in I853. He was originally of English extrac
I47
6 4