George W. Bernard

As printed in 1882

GEORGE W. BERNARD, farmer, P. Q. New Vienna, was born in Goochland County, Va., September 13, 1799; is a son of Thomas and Mary Bernard, natives of Virginia. The grandfather, William Bernard, was a native of England, and married Mary Fleming. They became early settlers of Virginia, where he became owner of 3,000 acres of land; also became a large wholesale merchant of Richmond, and during the war of the Revolution his store was robbed of nearly all of his goods. They resided in Virginia till their death. Thomas was born in March, 1756, and grew to manhood in Virginia, and served as a soldier through the war of the Revolution; was engaged in the battles of Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Stony Point and others. He married Mary Hicks, and in 1807 removed from Virginia to Ohio, and settled in Highland County, near Clinton County line, and there opened out right in the woods. Wolves and deer were in abundance, and one morning he heard a loud beating near his cabin, which he thought was one of his calves in the merciless clutches of a wolf; hurrying to his cabin door, he beheld a wolf fast hold of a deer; the wolf at once looked his prey and fled, and the deer escaped in an opposite direction. In 1832, they removed to Leesburg, where he died June 11, 1833. His wife survived till May 22, 1847, when she died, then a resident of Clinton County. They had three sons and five daughters; two now survive — George W. and Nancy, wife of Thomas Riley. Our subject was about eight years of age when brought to the wilderness of Ohio, and here grew to manhood fully accustomed to pioneer life. On March 28, 1831, he married Harriet McConnell, who was born in Brown County, Ohio, October 12, 1810, a daughter of James and Sallie (Downing) McConnell, natives of Pennsylvania, who became early settlers of Brown County, and removed to Clinton County about 1821. They had four sons and five daughters, four now living — Thomas, Betsey (wife of Isaac Wilson, and residing in Illinois), Harriet and Joseph M., the latter resides in Oregon. Mr. B. and wife have had eleven children, nine now living — Thomas F., James K., Mary E. (wife of Joshua Wilson), John W., Matilda Jane (wife of Edmund West), George W., Charles B., Martha H. (wife ofEdward McVey), and Elijah M. In 1832, Mr. Bernard located on the farm where he now lives and here has made a continued residence of half a century. This place had twenty acres cleared, and the balance of his large farm he and his sons have cleared from the woods. He is now probably the oldest man in Greene Township; has lived to see all his children married and settled in life, all doing well and generally becoming wealthy. In early life Mr. Bernard obtained but little education, as there were but few advantages of schools in those days. But by energy, industry and economy, he has acquired a large property. He and his sons now own over 1,300 acres of land; and now in his advanced years he can enjoy the fruits of his many labors, and rejoice with his children in their prosperity and the advantages they now enjoy.

As printed in The history of Clinton County, Ohio (1882). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.