John Speers

Captain John Speers, son of Henry and Esther (McCreary) Speers, was born in Washington county, Pa., January 13, 1822. His grandfather, of German descent, was a Baptist preacher of Pennsylvania, and died there in 1840. His mother was of Scotch-Irish origin. Of her nine children, three are now living: William, in California; Plessy, wife of E. Baker, of Springfield, Mo., and John, of Valley township. Samuel Speers, uncle of John, served in the Revolution, and was wounded — remaining a crippled victim of British tyranny up to the period of his death. Abraham, a brother of our subject, served in the Mexican war. His father was a soldier of 1812, and was present at the capture of New Orleans by "Old Hickory." He avenged there the wounds inflicted on his older brother by the British during the Revolution. Captain Speers passed his early years on the farm or attending school. At the age of fifteen he entered a machine shop, remained five years there, and then took the position of engineer on a western river steamboat. For thirteen years he was in this service, being captain of the vessel for two years. Early in 1855 he came to Valley township, purchased a quarter section to which he has since added 360 acres together with presenting eighty acres to one son, 120 acres to another and the cash equivalent of eighty acres to a third son. He also owns a section in Washington county, Kan., half of which is fenced and stocked. In 1844 he married Miss Sarah Cartwright, a native of England, who came to the United States with her aunt, Mrs. Sarah, wife of George Price, a machinist, who settled at Brownsville, Pa., moved to Jackson county, Ohio, in 1852, where he died, and where Mrs. Price still resides, in the eighty-sixth year of her age. Both of Mrs. Speers' parents died in England, but a brother and sister reside there still. Captain Speers and wife were the parents of eleven children, two of whom died in infancy: William F., the eldest, who served three years m Company E, Eighty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, lost his wife in 1882, leaving three children. He married Mrs. Elizabeth (McCowan) Boughton, for second wife and resides at Stark Station. Henry C, who served one year in the war, married Miss Mary Nixon, resides in Kansas. Albert J. is a farmer of Valley township; Mary E. was a school teacher until her marriage with William Gray, of Chillicothe, November 25,1886; Thomas M. died in his twenty-ninth year, February 21,1886; Oliver C. died March 7,1868, in his eighteenth year; Esther C., Ella M. and James A. reside with their parents. The father of this large family is a staunch Republican, and declares his boys and girls to be also of that political faith. Is a member and stockholder of the Central Agricultural Society, liberal in religious matters, and equally liberal in his financial support of all Christian churches. He has been school director for twenty-three years; has served as supervisor, road commissioner, justice, collector, and filled other township offices, and during his residence here of over thirty-one years has never been plaintiff or defendant, but served as juryman several times in a court of justice. Many of his children attend the Congregational church, and some of them are members thereof. At the date of his marriage he had eighteen dollars capital.