In the book's own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
From History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens (1906)
JOSS NEFF, of the younger generation of prominent agriculturists, comes of a family well known and thoroughly respected in Pickaway County. He is the owner of 180 acres of valuable land in Darby township, divided into two bodies. The home farm, which he bought from the Mitchell heirs in 1899, comprises 121 acres; the other tract of 59 acres he purchased in the spring of 1905.
Our subject is a son of Isaac V. S. and Sarah Malinda (Neff) Neff, and a grandson, on the paternal side, of Elijah and Mary A. (Powell) Neff and, on the material side, of Absalom and Sarah (Reay) Neff. The grandparents on both sides came to Ohio from Virginia. Seven children were born to Elijah and Mary A. (Powell) Neff, as follows: William, deceased; Isaac V. S., father of our subject, who died on the lath of June, 1892; James, deceased; three girls who died in infancy; and George S. W., who married Elizabeth Powell and, with his wife, is living in Darby township.
Isaac V. S. Neff was born in Virginia and when 14 years of age came to Ohio with his father. The latter ‘purchased 212 acres of land where George S. W. Neff, the uncle of our subject, now resides. Isaac V. S. Neff lived at home until he married Sarah Malinda Neff, daughter of Absalom Neff, who also had migrated from Virginia. Five children were born to this union, viz.: Mary Jane, who died when a child; Ada, who died in 1885, and William, who died in 1894; Ross; and Catherine; who died when an infant.
Ross Neff was born on the old home farm in this county, September 2, 1868, and on February 28, 1900, he was married to Effa May Murphy, daughter of W. F. Murphy, of Derby. Besides herself, there were four children in the family of Mrs. Neff’s parents — George, now deceased, who married Emma Neff; Joseph, also deceased, whose wife was Molly McKinley; Charles, who married Clara Dennison; and Sally, wife of Abraham J. Dennison.
Mr. Neff is identified with the Knights of Pythias and attends the Methodist Episcopal Church. Although still comparatively a young man, he already is placed in the ranks of the reliable and progressive citizens of the township.
As printed in History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens (1906). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
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