Clement E. Durbin

As printed in 1912

CLEMENT E. DURBIN.

The people who constitute the bone and sine of this country are not those who are unstable and unsettled, who fly from this occupation to that, who are continuously moving from one place to another, who do not know how to vote until they are told, and who take no active and intelligent interest in affairs effecting their schools, churches and property. Knox county, Ohio, is today fortunate in having so many citizens who have lived here from their birth, whose parents and grandparents spent their lives here, or the major part of them. It shows that this is indeed a favored country and that the first settlers were content to spend their lives in our midst and that they have laid good foundations for the descendants, who are today enjoying, in a way, the fruits of their labors. One of these old and highly respected families is that represented by Clement E. Durbin, farmer of Union township. who was born on August 16, 1863, on a farm in Howard township. Soon afterwards his parents, Benjamin and Margaret (McNamara) Durbin, moved to Union township, where the subject was reared and where he has since resided. The father was born in Belmont county, Ohio, and the mother in the state of New York, she being of Irish descent, her people having come to America from Ireland only a short time before her birth. They located for a time in New York, later coming to Knox county, Ohio. Grandfather Baptist Durbin brought his family to Knox county, Ohio, in 1830, when Benjamin Durbin, father of the subject of this sketch, was only two years of age. Here the family became well established and here the subject’s father grew to manhood, received his education in the common schools and spent his life engaged in agricultural pursuits, becoming a large landowner and one of the influential and highly respected men of his county. Politically, he was a Democrat and always interested in good government and very creditably filled a number of township offices, though he never sought official preferment. He and his family were members of the Catholic church and faithful in their support of the same. The death of Benjamin Durbin occurred on October 19, 1906, his wife having preceded him to the grave on February 6, 1883. They were the parents of eight children, four of whom died in infancy; those surviving are: Clement E, of this review;

Selora A. married Albert Logsdon, of Champaign county, Ohio; Mary J. married Thomas B. Durbin, of Union township; Olive Bertha married Willliam Grassbough and they live in Union township.

Clement E. Durbin was reared on the farm and when a boy he assisted with the general work on the place, attending the common schools in the winter time, in Danville, until he became of age. thereby receiving a good education.

Mr. Durbin was married on April 11, 1888, to M. Catherine Durbin, daughter of John C. and Margaret (Colopy) Durbin, of Howard township, and to the subject and wife seven children have been born, namely: Alice

G. is teaching in the Danville schools; Pauline C. is teaching in the schools of Union township; Bernadette A. is a graduate of the Danville high school; austin L. is a student; Beatrice T., Mary M., Ignatius O.

Mr. Durbin and his wife began housekeeping on the farm where he now resides, the old Banbury homestead. This place, which consists of one hundred and sixty-five acres, he has kept well improved and under a high state of cultivation, and in recent years he has erected a modern and commodious dwelling and has convenient and substantial outbuildings In connection with general farming he pays much attention to the raising of good live stock, and he has been very successful in whatever he has undertaken, farming along modern lines of soil adaptation and crop rotation.

Politically, Mr. Durbin is a Democrat, and he is a member of the Catholic church and active in the work of the same. His daughters are well educated and prominent in the social life of this part of the county; they are very successful as teachers, and they are decidedly musically inclined, being splendid performers on the piano and violin and frequently sought in public performances of a musical nature.

JOHN C. WINlTERRINGER.

One of the best known pioneer families of Knox county, one whose various members have done their full share of the work allotted to them in furthering the work of transforming the primeval forests into a fertile, productive country, equal to any in the great Buckeye state, is that worthily represented in the present generation by John C. Winterringer, of Buckeye City, Pinion township. His useful and industrious life has been spent in his home community, for he had the sagacity to foresee a great future for the same and he knew that for him no better opportunities were to be found in any other section of this or any state, so he has been content with home, which, most people will agree, is the best place after all.

Mr. Winterringer’s birth occurred here on February 7, 1840, on a farm three miles southeast of Buckeye City. He is the son of Jesse B. and Rhoda (Workman) Winterringer, both natives of this part of Ohio, both these families having been early pioneers of the same, coming here in 1816 when the land was covered with far-reaching forests and still the above of Indians and all kinds of wild beasts common to this latitude. They endured the hardships and privations incident to life in such an environment, and, not discouraged by obstacles, they went to work with a will, built log cabins and cleared the land, finally owning comfortable homes. The Winterringers were originally from France and the hardy blood of their sterling ancestors stood them well in hand after taking up their above in America. They first settled in Maryland, later coming to Jefferson county, Ohio, and on to Kffox county with the first settlers. Upon arriving here the family first found shelter under wide-spreading limbs of a hugh oak tree, and under such a canopy a brother of the father of the subject of this sketch was born.

Jesse B. Winterringer, mentioned above, devoted his life to farming, his work being necessarily arduous, hut he persevered in the new country and became a large landowner and a prosperous farmer, one of the substantial and influential men of his community. He was a life-long Democrat and more or less active in the affairs of his party. Religiously, he belonged to the Presbyterian church, to which his family also belonged. He lived to a good old age. dying on October 5, 1897, after a successful and honorable career, having survived his wife a number of years, she having preceded him to the spirit land about 1889. Jesse B. Winterringer was born on September 13, 1813, and his wife was born in 1818. They were the parents of ten children, four sons and six daughters, namely: Eliza, now the widow of

Joseph Hanger; Julidia is deceased; John C, of this review; Martin L. lives in Union township; Edith married Lyman Welker, of Butler township, this county; Martha married Jacob Parsons, of Union township; Joseph lives in Mt. Vernon; Mary married David Welker, of Mt. Vernon; Alexander and Hulda died in infancy. The parents of these children are buried in the Workman cemetery near Buckeye City.

John C. W interringer was reared on the home farm where he assisted with the general work about the place during his boyhood days, attending the old-time public schools in the winter months, also the Millwood Academy. When he was a young man the Civil war was in progress and, like many of his public spirited neighbor boys, he proved his patriotism by enlisting early in 1861 in Company E, Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served very faithfully until after the battle of Fort Donelson. About this time he was attacked by typhoid fever and after his recovery he was discharged on account of disability. He was such a splendid soldier that he was given the rank of corporal. Returning home from the army, he engaged in the mercantile business at Millwood, but remained there only a short time when he moved to St. Louisville, Licking county, Ohio, and there sold dry goods for three years. He was making a success as a merchant, but the free life of the country drew him back to Union township, Knox county, and here he took up farming. However, having for some time felt that his true bent was along the line of the medical profession, he began to study such medical books as he could procure in his community, and later attended medical lectures in Cleveland, where he made rapid progress. Thus becoming well ecpiipped for his life work, he came to Buckeye City in 1874 and engaged in the practice of medicine, soon building up a very lucrative patronage and here he has continued to reside to the present time. He continued practicing until 1892 with marked success, when he was appointed postmaster at Buckeye City, and about the same time he started a drug business which he continued for some time.

Doctor Winter ringer was married on December 27, 1864, to Almeda Critchfield, daughter of Hiram and Harriet (Porter) Critchfield, an influential family of Union and Howard townships, prominent there since the pioneer days, and here Mrs. Winterringer grew to womanhood and was educated. Three children have been born to the subject and wife, namely: Gertrude, who married C. B. Purcell, of Buckeye City; Charles E., who is married, is city passenger agent of the Pennsylvania lines entering Columbus west of Pittsburg. He lives at Columbus. Rolland I. Winterringer is private secretary to the vice-president (Herman Hoster) of the Columbus Lithograph Company and lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Politically, Mr. Winterringer is a loyal Democrat and he has long been active in party affairs. He has served as mayor of Buckeye City, in an able and acceptable manner. In fact, he has been incumbent of this office from the time the city was incorporated to the present time, with the exception of only a few years, having served as mayor fourteen years in all. During this period he did much for the general upbuilding of the place; in fact, no one man has done more, and he has the hearty thanks of the entire community for his fidelity to the trusts reposed in him. He was postmaster for four years and also served in the village council. For several years ht has been a notary public. For a number of years he was one of the most active members of the Democratic county central committee, and he has been a frequent delegate to party conventions, where he has always made his influence felt for the good of his people and the party. Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic order, and he belongs to the Progressive Brethren church, his wife being a consistent member of the Catholic church. Personally, he is a man of the highest sense of honor and his course has been such as to inspire in others confidence and esteem.

As printed in Past and present of Knox County, Ohio (1912). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.