My Genealogy Hound

JOSHUA TOWNSEND, farmer; P. O. Greenville; is the son of William Townsend, who was a native of North Carolina, and was married to Mary Edwards, a native of Tennessee; they came to Darke Co., at an early day. The subject of this sketch was born in Darke Co. in 1824; he was left fatherless at the age of 4 years; his mother had two other sons, both younger than Joshua, but she managed to keep the family together, and by hard labor and some assistance from her father, Eli Edwards, she managed to live until Joshua had grown up; when he was about 20 years of age, they went on to a farm which the father had purchased, but had not cleared, and Joshua and his two younger brothers undertook and did make a living by leasing cleared land close by, until they got their own under cultivation; the next brother younger got married first, and then Joshua and his younger brother bought the other out; afterward Joshua bought the whole place and continued to farm there until 1855; having been elected Sheriff of Darke Co., he removed to Greenville, and held the office two terms; afterward he removed to Jaysville and engaged in the stock trade; in 1864, he purchased a farm and commenced farming again, but continued the stock-dealing, until, within a few years past, he has turned his attention entirely to farming; he now has over 1,000 acres of improved land, all in Neave Township. Mr. Townsend was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention at Charleston, in 1860, and is a leading and highly respected citizen. He was married in 1852 to Mary A. Bierly; she was born in Montgomery Co., Ohio, and resided at the time of her marriage with her stepmother, who married Noah Arnold, a resident of Neave Township; they have had eight children— J. H., now married and a resident of Neave Township; William H., Frank B., Miranda B., Charles E., Mary M., Ellen J. and Lillie May.