Samuel Reeder Battin

As printed in 1908

SAMUEL REEDER BATTIN, president of the Clark County Farmers' Mutual Protective and Aid Association and a prominent resident of Madison Township, has been a citizen of this comity since

1874. He was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, March.3, 1829, and is a son of David and Sarah Ann (Reeder) Battin, a grandson of John and Ann (Raley) Battin, and a great-grandson of Richard and Elizabeth (James) Battin.

The Battin family is of Welsh origin, its members being in general of the Quaker faith. The name at one time was spelled Batten. It is an old family in this country, its establishment on American s.oil, as traditionally given, dating back to a short time after the arrival of William Penn. Richard Battin, above mentioned, and his family located in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. They were valued members of the Society of Friends.

John Battin, the grandfather, was born near Wilmington, Delaware, June 13, 1767, and in early life learned the trade of a cooper. After arriving at maturity, he moved to Washington County, Pennsylvania, where he followed his trade in connection with farming, and here he married Ann Raley, and they were parents of ten children, each of whom lived to a ripe old age. The combined ages of these children at the time of their respective deaths, totaled seven hundred and seventy years, or an average of seventy-seven years, which is truly remarkable for so large a family.

David Battin, father of Samuel R., was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, June S, 1803, and as a child accompanied his parents on their removal to Stark County, Ohio, thence to Columbiana County, where his father died in 1847. There he grew to maturity and was engaged in farming and stock-raising all his life, being especially prominent as a breeder of fine sheep. Upon reaching man's estate lie had bought a heavily timbered tract of land, which he cleared and transformed into a good farm, and as his two sons grew up and assisted in the work the acreage of the farm was increased to more than double that of the original purchase. David Battin married Sara Ann Reeder, a daughter of Samuel and Ann (Malone) Reeder, who were among the pioneers of Columbiana County, coming from near Westtown Boarding School, Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 1806. They also were members of the Society of Friends. Mr. Battin died September 6. 1877, aged seventy-four years, and his wife, who survived him six years, died at the age of eighty years.

Samuel Reeder Battin was reared on the home farm in Columbiana County, and attended the common schools during the winter months of his boyhood days. He was brought up to hard work and at the age of twenty years began working on a farm for ten dollars per month, a paltry sum in view of the present day wages and hours. He soon turned his attention to the saw-mill industry, purchasing a half interest in a mill, for which he made part payment with what he had been able to save of his wages, giving a note for the balance to his uncle who had faith in his honesty and capacity. He subsequently resumed farming in that county, and so continued until 1874, when he came to Clark Coimty, Ohio. Here he purchased one hundred acres in Madison Township (to which he has since added eighty-three acres), and set about making much needed improvements and converting it into a modern farming property. At the time of his arrival here, he was four thousand dollars in debt, and the fact that he now takes rank among the substantial and affluent residents of his community is ample evidence of his industry and his ability in matters of business. He has followed general farming and stock-raising, paying especial attention to the raising and breeding of fine wool sheep and shorthorn cattle. Mr. Battin was one of the charter members of the Clark County Farmers' Mutual Protective & Aid Association, of which he was adjuster for many years, and now holds the office of president. Under his able direction the association has prospered, doing an extensive business in insuring farm property in Clark and adjoining counties and now carrying two and a half million dollars of risks, its membership being over twelve hundred.

In 1853 Mr. Battin was united in marriage with Miss Lydda Ann Winder, a native of (Columbiana County, Ohio, and a daughter of Joseph and Efphama (Yates) Winder of Carroll County, Ohio. Four children were born to them, of whom the following is a brief record: Efphama Ann married John Cole of Fairfield County, and died leaving a son, Harry Battin Cole, who is now married and has a (laughter and son; David, now Dr. David Wilmot, and a resident of Shell Rock, Iowa, married Jui-a Cubbison and has a daughter Edna Cubbison Battin; Charles Sumner, a plumber of South Charleston, married Mary Ann Mather and has two children, Leonard Winslow and Jessie; Amanda, the youngest of the family, died at the age of three years. Mrs. Lydda Battin died December 24, 1864, and Mr. Battin married June 7, 1866, for his second wife, Emilv Tomlinson, a native of

Jefferson County, (Jliio, and a daughter of Samuel S. and Eachel (Street) Tomlinson. Of this union there are four children, namely: Orlando T., who assists his father on the farm, married Esther Matthews, and has three children — Edith W., Edward M. and Raymond Francis; Kersey Raley, who is now engaged in the building of electric railways; Martha Alma, who lives with her father; and Mary Alice, wife of Walter Sanders Boone, whose home is near Richmond, Indiana, and who has a daughter, Emily Elizabeth.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Battin remain steadfast members of the Society of Friends. In politics, the former was a Free Soiler up to 1856, since which time he has uniformly cast his vote for the Republican nominee for president. He is a broadgauged, thinking man, and believing it to be a duty as well as a pleasure to get out of the beaten path of everyday life, has traveled quite extensively, visiting many points of historic and national interest in our country, as well as the original homesteads of some of his ancestors.

As printed in 20th century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens (1908). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.