In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1910) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1845, Stark County
From Twentieth century history of Findlay and Hancock County and representative citizens (1910), History of Hancock County, Ohio : containing a history of the county, its townships, towns ... portraits of early settlers and prominent men, biographies, history of the Northwest Territory, history o (1886)
S. H. BOLTON, farmer and stock raiser and apiarist, P. O. Stanley, Putnam County, was born in Stark County, Ohio, January 10, 1845, son of John and Mary (Houk) Bolton, natives of Pennsylvania, of German descent. John Bolton was a carpenter in early life, but in later life became a farmer and was among the early settlers in Blanchard Township, Hancock Co. Ohio. He reared a family of eight child-en, S. H. being the seventh. Our subject was reared on a farm, received a common school education, and has made agriculture the occupation of his life; also, for several years past, has devoted considerable time to the raising of bees, making a specialty of the Italian bee. He imports his queens and has paid $5 for a single one. At the present time he has ninety stands of bees. In 1885, when the beekeepers of Hancock County, Ohio, met and formed the Bee-keepers' Association, Mr. Bolton was elected secretary. Mr. Bolton owns a well improved farm of 100 acres of land. In 1862 he enlisted in Company D, Ninety-ninth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Col. Bope, and served eighteen months when he was transferred to the United States Signal Corps, in which he served until the close of the war. Mr. Bolton married, in 1860, Lucretia E., daughter of Charles Moffit, a pioneer farmer of Blanchard Township, this county, and the children of this union were Mary E., Cora O., Ella M., Willie M., Elva L., John A., Samuel E., Nellie Grace (deceased), and Lloyd Blain. Mr. and Mrs. Bolton are members of the Church of God, in which he is elder, and has been trustee and Sabbath-school superintendent. In politics Mr. Bolton is a Republican; he holds the office of school director; is a Master Mason. Mr. Bolton's father died in Findlay, in 1884, where he had retired to pass the last years of his life.
As printed in History of Hancock County, Ohio : containing a history of the county, its townships, towns ... portraits of early settlers and prominent men, biographies, history of the Northwest Territory, history o (1886). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
SAMUEL H. BOLTON, postmaster at Mc- Comb, O., of which place he has been a resident for the past twenty-five years, is an honored member of John Howard Post, No. 154, Grand Army of the Republic, having bravely won a right to this comradeship through years of valorous service as a soldier in the Civil War. Mr. Bolton was born in Stark County, O., January 10, 1845, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Houk) Bolton.
Both parents of Mr. Bolton were born in Dauphin County, Pa., where they were married and then came to Stark County, O. There John Bolton worked at the carpenter trade until 1846, when he decided to turn his attention to farming, having had some previous experience in Stark County, and after coming to Hancock County he invested in 145 acres of land on the Blanchard River. Later he moved from there to five miles west of Benton Ridge, on the county line of Putnam County, and there his first wife died when about seventy years of age. The father then moved to Findlay where his death occurred when in his seventy-eighth year, and both he and first wife were buried in the Clymer Cemetery. Eight children were born to John and Elizabeth Bolton, as follows: Reuben, who was a minister of the Church of God, died at Findlay, in the midst of usefulness; Cyrus S., who is a retired minister of the Disciples church, at Davenport, Neb.; John Henry, who is a farmer, residing near New London, la.; Amanda, who is the wife of Levi Hummon, of Leipsic; Michael, who died at the age of twelve years; Samuel H.; Benjamin F., who is a retired minister of the Disciples church; and one that died in infancy. Three of the above family served in the War of the Rebellion — Cyrus being a member of Co. F, 2 1 st O. Vol. Inf.; John H. serving under Col. William Gibson, in the 49th O. Vol. Inf.; and Samuel H., being a member of Co. D, 99th O. Vol. Inf., all surviving the many hazards of war and living useful lives after their patriotic services were over.
Samuel H. Bolton attended the district schools in his boyhood and then went to work on the home farm which he left in order to take up arms for his country. His regiment was attached to the Army of the Cumberland and the first great battle in which he participated was that of Stone River. He was engaged also at Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain and was with his command under General Thomas on the march to Atlanta. He was then connected with the Signal Corps at General Sherman’s headquarters after the memorable march to the sea, and from there marched to Goldsboro and then to Raleigh, N. C., and was in that city at the time of General Johnson’s surrender. He remained in the army until the close of the war and took part in the triumphant review at Washington, D. C., and was honorably discharged at Gen. Sherman’s headquarters at St. Louis, Mo., July 11, 1865.
Mr. Bolton then returned to Hancock County and for twenty years followed farming successfully on the old homestead and then removed to McComb. Ever since he has been more or less interested in building cement tanks, taking contracts for the same all over the country. He has been a lifelong Republican and on May 7, 1906, he was appointed postmaster at McComb. This is ranked as a third class office and Mr. Bolton has proved a very popular public official.
In 1866, Mr. Bolton was married to Miss Lucretia Moffitt, a daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Moffitt, of LInion Township, Hancock County, O., and nine children have been born to them: Mary Elizabeth, Cora O., Ella, William M., John A., Elmer, Elva, Blaine and Nellie Grace. Mary Elizabeth married Wilson Boyer, a very successful farmer of Blanchard Township, and they have four children: Gayle, Carroll, Catherine and Robert. Cora O. and Ella are both popular teachers, the former in the public schools of Cleveland and the latter at Lima. William M. Bolton is principal of one of the public schools of Cleveland. He was educated at Ada, O. He married Miss Pearl Coni ne, at that time a teacher at McComb, and they have two children, Dorothy and William. John A. Bolton was educated at Ada, O., and Ann Arbor, Mich., and subsequently was graduated in the class of 1910, at the Western Reserve Medical College and is serving as an interne in a hospital in Cleveland. Elmer, who is a member of the present senior class of the medical department of the Western Reserve, attended the Ohio Normal University and other excellent schools. Elva, who was also educated at Ada, O., is a teacher in the Cleveland public schools. Blaine, who is a graduate of the Findlay High School, is assistant postmaster at McComb. The youngest of the family, Nellie Grace, died in infancy. William M. Bolton of the above family served as a member of the First O. Vol. Cav., in the Spanish- American War, enlisting at Cleveland. For many years, Samuel H. Bolton has been identified with the Masonic fraternity. He is a member of the Church of God. This is one of the prominent and representative families of Hancock County.
As printed in Twentieth century history of Findlay and Hancock County and representative citizens (1910). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
The printed record stops around 1910. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.