My Genealogy Hound

JOHN EARLY, Hamersville, station agent of the Cincinnati, Georgetown & Portsmouth Railroad, was born in Clermont County, Ohio, November 9, 1818. Hi§ parents were Thomas Early and Mary Stevens, natives of Maryland, and of English descent. The former, in 1814, carried the first wagon load of produce from Brown County to Cincinnati. He subsequently removed to Texas, where he was afterward killed by a man named Isaac B. Desha. The latter expiated his crime on the gallows, being probably the first man ever hung in Texas. This was in 1829. There were nine children in the family at the time of his father’s sudden death, of which our subject was the fifth. His father was a school teacher and himself and brother attended school, although it was only a log schoolhouse of those primitive times. He was reared on a farm, and in 1838 was married to Rebecca, daughter of Hugh Wisley, and a native of Brown County. After marriage, he rented a piece of land, on which he farmed for four years. He then commenced blacksmithing at $75 per month and boarding himself, and followed that for two years. He then rented a farm near Georgetown, and borrowed money to buy his farming tools. He remained there three years, working hard and exercising great economy. In 1847, he removed to Hamersville, and followed his trade of blacksmithing till 1868. He was farming the last four or five years of this time. He took a contract for carrying the mail from Hamersville to Higginsport, remaining in this business many years. He has been agent of the C., Gr. & P. R. R. at Hamersville since the completion of the road to that point. He is connected with the Masonic fraternity. Mr. Early has been thrice married. Four children were born to his first union, two living, Melissa, wife of Thomas Molen, of this township, and Nancy, wife of Thomas Statman, of Hamersville. Mrs. Early died in 1848. He was again married in 1850, to Catherine, daughter of Robert Ellis, and a native of Brown County. Five children were given them — Mary E., wife of John Moore, a blacksmith of Hamersville; Martin; Hanson Lee; Melitia, wife of J. Hannah; and Olive, widow of Columbus Poe (deceased). This wife died August 18, 1866. Mr. Early’s third marriage were in May, 1873, to Rebecca, daughter of John Gallaher, a native of Kentucky, as was also her parents. Mr. Early is the owner of 130 acres of land and property in New Hope. He is Republican in politics and was Township Assessor many years.