The Mellinger Families of Clark County, Ohio

JOHN H. MELLINGER.

John H. Mellinger, now deceased, was for many years a respected and worthy resident of Clark county. He was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, July 24, 1835, a son of Jacob and Martha (Hertzler) Mellinger. The father’s birth occurred in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and there he learned the miller's trade, which he followed during his early manhood, while later he devoted his energies to farming. When the subject of this review was about fourteen years of age the father came with his-family to Clark county, Ohio, settling below Springfield on the Mud Run pike, where he purchased a large tract of land and there carried on agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred when he was eighty-six years of age. A prosperous man, he owed his success to untiring energy, business ability and executive force, and his life proved conclusively that prosperity can be obtained along these lines. His wife survived him only about two years, passing away when seventy-eight years of age. Both were members of the Mennonite church and Mr. Mellinger was a Republican in his political views, endorsing that party from its organization.

John H. Mellinger of this review spent the first fourteen years of his life in the county of his nativity and then accompanied his parents on their removal to Ohio. His education was secured in the public schools of his native city and of Clark county, and when not engaged with the duties of the school room he gave his attention to the work of the farm, being employed upon the old family homestead until after he had attained his majority. He was married on the 20th of November, 1860, the lady of his choice being Miss Rachel Rosser, a daughter of William and Maria (Snyder) Rosser. A native of Scotland, her father came to America in early life and located near Springfield, Ohio, making his home in this county throughout his remaining days. He was engaged in the lumber business at the time of his death, which occurred in 1860, when he was about fifty-two years of age. His widow still survives him and resides with Mrs. Mellinger at their attractive home on West Pleasant street. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Mellinger was blessed with five children, of whom four are yet living, namely: Harry S., a well known citizen of this county; Emma M., the wife of David Herr, an undertaker, of Springfield, Ohio, by whom she has one child, Harry Samuel; Martha, the wife of Harry Hedges, who resides in Cleveland, Ohio, and has one child; and John, a farmer, who resides in Springfield. The deceased member of the family is Annie, who was the wife of Robert Mills, a dealer in stone, lime and

cement in Springfield. She had three children, but the youngest, Robert, died before the mother’s death. The others are Rachel and Ralph.

After his marriage John H. Mellinger engaged in business as a stock dealer and jobber, making extensive shipments to the He carried on business on a large scale, and his industry was not only the means of bringing to him a very handsome competence, but also proved of benefit to the community, for he furnished a home market to the local stock dealers. In all his business transactions he was fair and just and was held in the highest regard by those with whom he came in contact, by reason of his honesty and his genuine worth.

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

HARRY SNYDER MELLINGER, proprietor of the Maple Grove Farm, a tract of one hundred and eighty-two acres located four miles west of Springfield on the Fail-field Pike, is one of the representative farmers and most highly respected citizens of Springfield Township. He was born on his present farm December 20, 1861, and is a son of John Hertzler and Rachel (Eosser) Mellinger.

John H. Mellinger was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and when a lad of six or seven years came to Ohio with his parents, Jacob and Martha Mellinger, who settled on a tract of one hundred and eighty-five acres in Mad River Township, now known as the David Herr farm. His paternal grandparents both died on this farm at an advanced age. They were the parents of four children, namely: Mary, now deceased; John H., father of our subject; Martha, the wife of M. Patton, who resides in Springfield, Oliio; and Jacob, who is deceased.

John H. Mellinger spent the greater part of his boyhood days on the farm in Mad River Township. When a young man he began dealing in stock, and he was at one time the largest shipper of stock in Clark Connty. He became an expert at guessing weight and was financially very successful. In 1860 he purchased the present farm of the subject of this sketch, then consisting of timberland, from A. Letfel, and followed farming on it for many years thereafter. Later he moved to Yellow Springs in order to secure educational advantages for his children. There his death occurred at the age of sixty-one years. He was married about 1860 to Rachel Rosser, a native of Springfield Township, and daughter of William Rosser, a native of Wales.

She is still living in Spring-field, Ohio. They were the parents of five children — Harry Snyder, subject of this sketch; Emma, wife of D. Herr, who conducts an undertaking establishment in Springfield; [martha, who married H. Hedges of Cleveland, Ohio; John, who is deceased; and Anna, also deceased, who was the wife of Robert Mills.

Harry S. Mellinger has spent the greater part of his life on his present farm and obtained his educational training in the district schools. Being the eldest son, it fell to his lot to assist his father to a large extent, and he was practically reared in the saddle, beginning to work as soon as he was old enough to be of service. He later bought the farm from his father's heirs and has since followed general farming and stock-raising, breeding principally hogs, cattle and horses. He keeps about twenty head of horses, some of which he has bred himself.

Mr. Mellinger was married February, 1901, to Enna Flenner, a daughter of Charles and Cora Flenner. Mrs. Mellinger died in January, 1904, leaving one child, Harry Flenner Mellinger. Politically, Mr. Mellinger is a Republican; fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pvthias lodge at Enon, Ohio.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

BENJAMIN F. MELLINGER, a much esteemed citizen of Mad River Township, who is engaged in general farming on a tract of seventy-eight acres, was born July 17, 1851, in Mad River Township, Clark County, Ohio, and is a son of John E. and Mary Elizabeth (Pfoutz) Mellinger.

John E. Mellinger was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and was the eldest of a large family of children, of whom those now living are as follows: Johu, father of our subject; Jacob, Henry, a resident of St. Louis, Mo.; David; Mrs. Beard; and Elizabeth, who is unmarried and lives in Pennsylvania. The father, Benjamin Mellinger, followed farming in Pennsylvania all his life, also operating a small distillery and mill for some years.

John E. Mellinger was reared on his father's farm in Lancaster County, and assisted in the work of the mill, distillery" and farm. He was married in Hagerstown, Maryland, to Mary Elizabeth Pfoutz, a native of that village. In about 1851, when forty years of age, he and wife came to Ohio and settled on a farm in Clark County. They subsequently bought the farm, which the subject of this sketch now owns, from the Martin heirs, and there his wife died shortly after, leaving two children: Benjamin F., and Ann Elizabeth, the latter of whom is unmarried and lives at Yellow Springs, Ohio. Mr. Mellinger subsequently married Sarah A. Lewis, who died twenty years later, in 1870. There were no children born of the second union. Mr. Mellinger died in June, 1901, at the advanced age of'ninety-one years.

Benjamin F. Mellinger has spent the greater part of his life in Mad River Township, where he has always been engaged in agricultural pursuits. His early life was spent on the home farm, assisting in Its work, and he attended the Rock Point district school for three months during the winter. He was married January 10, 1878, to Emma L. Johnson, who was born at Yellow Springs, Green County, Ohio, and is a daughter of Asahel and Mary A. (Gilmore) Johnson. Her father came to Ohio from Kentucky, and here married Sarah E. Elwell, who died leaving no children, and he later married Mary A. Gilmore. Mr. Johnson's occupation in early life was that of a wagon-maker, but he subsequently conducted a general store at Yellow Springs, during which time he was appointed ticket and freight agent of the Little Miami division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, conducting that part of his business in the store. The last few years of his life were spent on a farm, where he died at the age of seventy-two. He was the father of three children: Emma, wife of our subject; Frank W., who lives on the home place in Green County, Ohio; and Charles S., who conducts an undertaking establishment at Xenia, Ohio, and is coroner of Green County.

After Mr. Mellinger's marriage he spent four and a half years on his father-in-law's farm in Greene County, and on April 1, 1881, returned to the old home farm in Mad River Township and purchased his sister's interest in the farm. Here he has since been successfully engaged in general farming, and is recognized as one of the township's substantial and representative citizens. The large brick house which he and his family occupy was erected in 1869 by his father, who had the brick burned on the place. Mr. and Mrs. Melhnger have one child, Charles J., who was born July 16, 1881. He passed the Boxwell examinations at the age of thirteen years, attended the Springfield High School for two years, as a graduate of Wilts Commercial College of Dayton, Ohio, and also attended the Ohio State University a short time. Politically Mr. Mellinger is a Republican.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.