The Cline Families of Clinton County, Ohio

JOHN J. CLINE, retired, P. O. Sabina, is another of the old and well-known citizens of Clinton County. He was born in Virginia in 1806, and is a son. of Philip and Mary Cline, natives of the same State. In 1813, they came to Clinton County and purchased 100 acres of wild land in Richland Township. This land he cleared up and improved, and lived on during his life. They were entirely successful in their new home and accumulated a good property. Both were members of the Christian Church, and were exemplary people. Eight children were born to them, two of whom are living in this county, viz., Philip and John J. George resides in Fayette County, Ohio, and a daughter, Elizabeth Antrim, in Iowa. The deceased are Maria, Anna, Polly and an infant. Mr. C., Sr., died at the advanced age of eighty-four; his wife at the remarkable age of nearly one hundred years. Our subject was reared on the farm, and was married to Ida, the daughter of Ephraim Ditmus, February 9, 1826. She was born in New Jersey in 1806. Eight is the number of their children, all living, viz., William T., Kitty A., Greorge, Harrison, Charles, Mary, Maria and Alex. Mr. C. owns 200 acres at this time, and has helped his children to good homes. Both he and his wife are consistent members of the Christian Church, to which they have been connected for many years.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

PHILIP CLINE, farmer, P. 0. Sabina, born in Clinton County, Ohio, May 27, 1816, is a son of Philip and Mary (Turner) Cline, natives of Virginia. The grandfather was also Philip Cline, a native of Germany, but when young, in an early day, emigrated to America and located in Virginia, where he died. Philip, the father of our subject, was born in Virginia March 16, 1781; his wife, Mary Turner, was born May 18, 1778. They resided in Virginia till about 1813, when they emigrated to Ohio, and located near Wilmington, in Clinton County, where they lived till 1818. They removed to near Sabina, locating on the place now owned by Peter Kelso. There he opened out right in the woods, not a stick miss, and there endured all the hardships of pioneer life; settlers were then few and far between; then there was but one house, a log-cabin, where Sabina now stands, and that was where a Mr. Love lived and kept a tavern. Mr. Cline remained Qn’ that farm till the death of his wife, June 24, 1863, aged eighty-five years. He died at his son Philip’s house, January 21, 1865, aged nearly eighty-five years. They had three sons and four daughters; four now survive — John, George, Elizabeth (married Thomas Antrim (now deceased) and resides in Iowa), and Philip. Mr, Cline was truly one of the pioneers of Clinton County, and one who did a great work in bringing out from the woods these now fine farms with all their present comforts and conveniences, which the present and future generations will continue to enjoy for ages to come. He was a man of very firm character, whose integrity was undoubted, and whose life was filled up with good works; a devoted Christian, and worthy member of the Christian. Church to which he belonged for many years, and in his death the Church lost a devoted man and the community a worthy citizen. Our subject was the youngest child of his father, and grew to manhood fully acquainted with the trials and hardships of the early settlers; was married July 14, 1836, to Delilah, daughter of Aden and Mary Antrim, who was born October 3, 1820. By her he had seven sons and five daughters, eight now living — John, born August 6, 1838; Alfred, December 10, 1840; Mary, May 19, 1843, married Amos Rooks; Thomas, April 1,1846; Anna Jane, July 30, 1848, married James Pavey; Sarah E., July 9, 1853, married Norman F. Martin; Philip A., December 14, 1855, and Martha A., born November 9, 1859, married Sanford West. Of those deceased, George J. settled in Marion County, Iowa, November 5, 1879, where he resided till his death, November 12, 1881. On that day, in attempting to ford the South Cedar Creek with his team, he and team were swept down the stream by the current, and both he and his horses were drowned. He was a man of great integrity of character, a devoted Christian, and also a worthy member of the Masonic fraternity. Though

* * Jssti* * *r* thus early and suddenly taken away in the prime of life, yet his life and character will remain as a bright and shining example, and one whose merits and hopes reached beyond the shores of time, and were anchored in the harbor of eternal bliss. Our subject lost his wife by death, December 8, 1875. She was a woman of excellent Christian character, a very worthy companion and mother, seeming to possess those qualities of mind which remarkably fitted her to fill all the duties of a wife, a mother and a Christian. On May 2, 1879, Mr. Cline married for his second wife, Mrs. Eliza A. Toner, a daughter of Jonathan H. and Lavina ( Donahue) Boyd, natives of Ohio. Eliza A. was born in Scioto County, October 22, 1836. She was first married, to Dr. Jacob M. Tcner, practicing physician of Sinking Springs, Highland Co., Ohio, where he spent most of his life; he died March 2, 1877, aged forty-seven years. By him she had three children, one only now living — Sampson Milton, born September 13, 185G. Mr. Cline has been a resident of Clinton County from his birth; has always followed farming as a business. He located where he now lives, about 1845, where he has since resided, He is a man of undoubted integrity of character, a member of the Christian Church, and as a man and a Christian is highly esteemed and respected by all who know him.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

WILLIAM T. CLINE, farmer, P. 0. Sabina, is a son of John J. Cline, a pioneer whose sketch appears in this work. William T. was born in this township in the year 1826. Ho remained with his parents on the farm until twenty-four years of ago, at which time, in 1850, ho was married to Julia A., the daughter of John Mathew, an old settler in Clinton County. For a short time after his marriage, he lived in Fayette County, Ohio, and then settled where he now lives. He owns 108 acres of well-improved land, which he has brought to a high state of cultivation by a plentiful use of tile in under draining. Mr. C. is one of the prosperous and enterprising farmers of the county, and his accumulations have resulted in an excellent and comfortable homo. His family has been sorely afflicted with much sickness, which resulted in the death of his beloved wife and three of his children. Mrs. Cline died November 19, 1879, at the age of about forty-two years. Their children were ten in number, viz., Albert, Angeline, John A., Silas F., Mary E., Allen T., Maggie, David H., Harriet E. and Lucy J. Mr. C. is a member of the Methodist Protestant Church, to which he has belonged since 1872. His deceased wife was also a member of the same church, and a very exemplary Christian lady, whose death cast a gloom of profound sorrow over a happy home, wherein lived an indulgent and affectionate husband and loving children.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

ALEXANDER CLINE, farmer, P. O. Sabina, is a son of John J. Cline, an old and well-known citizen, whose sketch appears in this work. Our subject was born on tho old homo farm in this township, in the year 1845. lie remained at home with his parentsuntil twenty-three years of age, at which time he began life on his own responsibility. In 1869, he was married to Susan J., the daughter of George Johnson, an esteemed citizen of this township, whose sketch also appears in this work. For three years after his marriage he lived on the home farm, and in 1872 came to where he now resides. He owns fifty-three acres of good land, which is comfortably improved. He and his estimable wife are members of the Christian Church, to which they have belonged fifteen years. To them have been born seven children, six of whom are living, viz., James E., George It., Gilbert T., Mary A., Reuben F. and Thompson Douglass; Emma A., deceased. Mrs. Clino was born in Clinton County in tho year 1848.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

JAMES M. CLINE, farmer, P. 0. New Vienna, born in Clinton County September 8, 1834, is a son of Richard and Prescilla (Cowgill) Cline, he a native of New Jersey and she of Virginia. The grandfather was Ephraim Cline, who lived and died in New Jersey. The maternal grandfather, Henry Cowgill, was a native of Virginia, but emigrated to Ohio with his family in 1813 and settled in Clinton County, near Morrisville, where he remained till his death. Of the Cline family, three brothers, Charles, Richard and Jesse, emigrated to Ohio, and all settled in Clinton County on the same tract of land where our subject and his brother Samuel still reside. They located here about 1822, and here they remained till their death. Richard was a young single man when he came to Clinton County, and here married and became the father of three sons and two daughters, four now survive — Rebecca J. (wife of Blackburn Holmes), James M., Mary Ann (wife of Bryant Robinson), and Samuel H. Mr. Cline devoted his entire life to agricultural pursuits, and as a farmer was very successful and became owner of 441 acres of land. The land he first purchased was nearly all in the woods. He was a man of great integrity* of high moral and Christian character and a worthy and devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and as a neighbor and citizen was highly esteemed and respected. He died February 1, 1881, in his eightieth year. His wife still survives, aged seventy-one years. The subject of this sketch was married August 18, 1859, to Salinda Smith, who was born in Highland County, Ohio, September 26, 1840, daughter of Raleigh and Rebecca N. Smith, he a native of North Carolina and she of Virginia, but who became early settlers of Clinton County, Ohio. They have only one child living — Salinda. Mr. Cline and wife have had five children, four now survive — Edward W., born October 5, 1861; Anna B., born November 26, 1863; Harry M., born August 14, 1871, and Charles W., born April 2, 1874. Mr. Cline after his marriage located on a portion of his father’s home place where he now lives and has ever since resided except about thirteen months’ residence in New Lexington, Highland County. He erected all the buildings on his place, has good improvements and a good farm of eighty-five acres. Mr. Cline is one of the substantial farmers of this community, a man who lives and acts upon principle in all matters, whether political, secular or religious. He and wife have been members of the Methodist Episcopal Church for many years.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

SAMUEL H. CLINE, farmer, P. O. New Vienna, born where he now lives March 20, 1843; is a son of Richard and Priscilla Cline, whose history is given in sketch of James Cline. Our subject was married October 2, 1867, to Euphemia M. Holmes, born in Highland County, Ohio, September 17, 1846, a daughter of James R. and Mary Holmes, he a native of New Jersey, and she of Kentucky. They were married in Highland County, and settled there, where he resided till his death in August, 1874, aged seventy-five years. His wife still survives, and now resides in New Lexington, Highland County, aged sixty-seven years. They had nine children, five now survive: Alfred, Martha, wife of D. Ockerman; Ann, wife of David Morris; Euphemia,

.md Katie (wife of William Riley). Mr. Holmes devoted his life to farming; was a man of integrity, honest and upright, an excellent neighbor and citizen. Mr. Cline and wife have three children — Wilber P., born November 15,1868; Lillie A., born June 21, 1872; and Elbert Walter, born July 23, 1874. Mr. Cline located upon the old home farm, where he has lived from his infancy to the present time, where all the memories and scenes of his childhood still cluster about him. Mr. Cline, during the war of the rebellion, enlisted in the 100-days service, in Company G, One Hundred and Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry; served out his time and was discharged; was engaged in one quite brisk fight at Monocacy Junction; having but a small force to contend against a much larger force of rebels, they were finally routed and driven back into the woods, where they remained about four days on very short rations, but finally escaped, as the rebels were driven back by Gen. Sheridan and his forces. Mr. Cline and wife are worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which they have belonged teen years.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

P. P. CLINE, of the firm of Savage & Cline, merchants, Sabina. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch was born in Fayette County, Ohio, in the year 1850; his early life was passed upon the farm, the district schools affording him the advantages of a good practical education. He followed the fortunes of the farm until 1877, at which time he entered into a copartnership with his present partner, Mr. O. B. Savage in their present business. Being young men of good business qualifications and unquestionable integrity, they have aided very materially in making Sabina a trade center. Mr. Cline was united in marriage with Miss Alice Woodmansee, in the year 1872. Mr. O. B. Savage is a native of Highland County, Ohio, born in the year 1845. Unlike Mr. Cline, he was reared to mercantile pursuits; his long experience makes him familiar with every department of the mercantile business. He carries on a store in New Lexington, Ohio, which, however, has no connection to the house in Sabina, it being under the management of Mr. Cline, while Mr. Savage resides in New Lexington and attends to the business there.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.