My Genealogy Hound

WILLIAM HUNTER. An excellent representative of the agricultural class of Pleasant Township, Clark County, is found in William Hunter, who occupies a front rank among the farmers and stock-breeders, his specialty being blooded cattle and hogs, he occupies an estate of two hundred and twenty-one acres and owns one hundred and fifty-eight acres adjoining. He operates both farms in a manner which does credit to his judgment and zeal, every detail of the work carried on being carefully overlooked and managed. The personal character of Mr. Hunter is an upright one, and he is, therefore, regarded with due respect by those about him. He belongs to the social order of the. Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he and his worthy wife are members of the Methodist Protestant Church.

The natal day of the subject of this sketch was March 8, 1841, and his birthplace the village of Catawba. He was reared on a farm, receiving his education in the common schools and acquiring a practical knowledge of agriculture on the home acres. In September, 1864, he became a member of the Sixteenth Ohio Battery, and served in the ranks of the Union army until June 15, 1865, being mustered out in New Orleans. He returned to his home, resumed his labors upon the farm, and on February 15, 1866, took to himself a wife, removing to his present location in the following fall. He is the father of three children — Torrance Milton, Oliver C. and John L., the latter of whom died in infancy.

The wife of Mr. Hunter bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Cartmell, and was born near Mechanicsburg, January 17, 1844. Her father, John L. Cartmell, was born in Virginia, and came to the Buckeye State with his parents, John and Sophia (Lantz) Cartmell. They settled in Champaign County, where John L. remained until after his marriage, when he removed to Madison County. In 1853 he changed his location to Clark County, purchasing one hundred acres of land in Pleasant Township, where he resided until 1868. He then sold his farm and engaged in business in Marysville as a grocer, carrying on the establishment until his death, November 26, 1876. His wife was Mary Ann Applegate, daughter of David and Martha Applegate, who moved from Cincinnati to Antwerp, Ohio, and thence to Pleasant Township, and who died at Mutual, Champaign County.

To Mr. and Mrs. John L. Cartmell six children were born, namely: Elizabeth; Sarah C., wife of Austin Hanks, of Wilmington; Martha, wife of Nathan Ferguson; Eliza, wife of Lewis Myers, of Cedar Falls, Iowa; Oliver, whose home is in Marysville; and William, of Anderson, lad. The father was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; in politics he was a Democrat, except during the Civil War, when he was a Republican, voting for Lincoln in 1864. The elder John Cartmell came from Germany to Virginia. His family comprised John, Isaiah, Joseph, Thomas, William, Nathaniel, Margaret, Sarah C. and Nancy, all of whom married and reared families, except Sarah.

The gentleman of whom we write is descended in the third generation from Jonathan Hunter, a native of Virginia, who married a Miss Chance and very early in the present century removed to Ohio. The journey occupied thirty days, being performed by wagons and horses, as was the common method of travel at that early day. Jonathan Hunter had five sons and five daughters, among them being William, who was born in Loudoun County, Va., near Harper’s Ferry, September 11, 1777. He accompanied his parents to Ohio, settling with them on section 22, Pleasant Township, where his father took up an entire section. There William Hunter lived until his death, in 1864, clearing and improving one hundred and sixty acres. He served for a time in the War of 1812. Politically, he was a Whig and then a Republican, and his religious belief was that of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He married Blanche Hendricks, who was born in Jefferson County, Va., February 28, 1787, to William and Susan (Taylor) Hendricks. The latter removed to Ohio in 1803 or 1804, and settled in what is now Pleasant Township. They died in Champaign County, leaving two sons and three daughters, all of whom married and in their turn left families.

William and Blanche Hunter were the parents of nine children, among whom was a son, Lemuel, who was born two miles west of Catawba, February 24, 1814. He received a common-school education, and was trained to farm pursuits. Following the example of his ancestors, he became a tiller of the soil, and is now one of the wealthy agriculturists of this county. His home occupies a site on which he has lived since 1840, and the homestead now comprises about seven hundred acres. He also owns two hundred and seventy-five acres in Moorefield Township, all of which has been secured by his labor and prudence. He has served three terms as Trustee, and during the war was liberal in his gifts to the Union cause. In politics he is a stanch Republican.

The marriage of Lemuel Hunter and Nancy Marsh took place March 1, 1828. Mrs. Hunter was born October 6, 1816, on the farm which her husband now occupies, being a daughter of Israel and Sarah (Marsh) Marsh. This couple had become residents of Ohio early in the present century, in 1811, settling at Catawba on two hundred and twenty-six acres of land. Their family consisted of two sons and three daughters, all of whom lived to mature years. They were of the Baptist faith and reared their offspring with firm principles and useful habits. To Mr. and Mrs. Lemuel Hunter seven children were born, the subject of this sketch being the second in order of birth. The other members of the household band were: Mary A., wife of James Milton Hodge; Sarah J., wife of James Yeazell, both deceased; Lewis, who died when twenty years old; Eli; Miranda, the second wife of James Yeazell, both deceased; and Bruce, who died when eighteen years old.

In connection with this sketch are presented portraits* of Mr. Hunter and his wife, both of whom are highly esteemed in their community, and are identified with its development.

*Portraits were included in the original printed volume.