William Layton

As printed in 1908

WILLIAM A. LAYTON, township trustee and owner of 112 acres of fine farming land in Mad River Township, Clark County, Ohio, was born in Bethel Township, Clark County, November 15, 1 845, and is a son of John A. and Eveline (Tullis) Lay ton.

The paternal grandfather of Mr. Layton, Arthur Layton, came to Ohio with his father, Williain, from Pennsylvania in 1787, settling on Mad River. Arthur Layton married a Miss McKinney, who was later killed while riding horseback. William Layton was the parent of eight children, five sons and three daughters, Joseph being the first Common Pleas judge of Clark County. Arthur Layton, who died in Bethel Township when John was eight years old, served as a colonel in the War oJF 1812, and John Tullis. the maternal grandfather of our subject, helped to erect the first brick wall in Springfield.

John A. Layton was born in 1838 on the old home farm in Bethel Township and devoted his life to farming, making a specialty of fruit trees during the latter part of his life. He married Eveline Tullis and they were the parents of two children, Lucinda, who married, first, A. N. Brown, secondly, Harry Kryder and thirdly, P. Moudy, now deceased; and William A. The death of Mr. Layton occurred while he was in his sixty-third year and his wife died aged seventy-four.

When William A. Layton was seven years old the family moved to Yellow Springs and seven years later to his present farm, which was purchased from John Flohr. Mr. Layton attended the district schools of his native locality, and also Antioch College for two years. After his marriage he spent seven years on his present farm, then bought a farm of 145 acres in German Township, residing there for the succeeding twelve years. At the end of this period he bought his present farm and has since devoted his time to general farming and stock-raising. Mr. Layton was married December 30, 1869, to Angeline Wolf, who is a daughter of Michael and Sarah (Ruppert) Wolf. Seven children were born of this union, namely: Carrie, who died aged four years; Claudius A., who married Alice Arthur, lives in Clark County, and has two children — Arthur and Lowess; Charles, who married Dora Ada, and lives in Clark County; Edward A., who married Ijaura Dunevant, resides in Clark County, and has one child — Aldrich E.; Louie B., married H. Birch, of Springfield, Ohio, and has two children — Arthur and Eugene; Myrtle E., who married Wilbert Newlove, of Clark County; and Frank, E., who is living at home.

In political affairs Mr. Layton is a Republican, and in 1905 was elected township trustee and president of the school board, holding both of these offices at the present time. He has served as a member of the school board for about thirty-seven years. Fraternally Mr. Layton belongs to the Masonic Lodge, No. 421, at Yellow Springs and is master of the Husted Grange. Religiously he is connected with the Lutheran Church, in which he is a member of the council, having just been re-elected for two years.

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.