My Genealogy Hound

JOHN PERSON, late a resident of Springfield Township, and who departed this life at his homestead March 6, 1889, was born at Marston, between Leeds and York, in Yorkshire, England, July 21, 1823. He was reared on a farm and educated in the schools of his neighborhood. His parents were John and Mary Person who spent their entire lives in their native England.

When the subject of this sketch was twenty-two years old he was married to Miss Sarah Burnley. This lady was born March 26, 1826, two miles from the birthplace of her husband, and in 1850, a year after their marriage, they emigrated to America. Before the end of the year they settled on a tract of land in the southeast part of Springfield Township, Clark County, where they lived four years. Mr. Person then determined to seek the farther West and removed to Iroquois County, Ill. After a four year’s sojourn in the Prairie State, he returned to Ohio and resumed his residence in Springfield Township, purchasing eighty acres of land, whereon he lived with his family for a period of twenty years. Thence they removed to the present residence on High Street, just east of the corporation limits which has been the home of the family since 1876.

Mr. Person was a man unusually ambitious and energetic, industrious and frugal, and by the help of his estimable wife accumulated a good property. There were born to them nine children, the eldest of whom, William B., formed the third member of their little family while they were still in their native England, and died when a promising youth of sixteen years; John died at the age of eleven months; George Edward was married and died in 1889, at the age of thirty-seven years, leaving four children: Eliza married Francis Sultzbaugh and they live at the homestead being the parents of two sons and one daughter; James is married and lives a half mile east of the old farm; he is the father of one daughter; Mary, Mrs. Joseph Hinkle, has one child, and her home is near the old place; Martha Ann married William H. Snyder, has one child and lives in Springfield; Willie J. died when six years old; one infant died unnamed.

Mrs. Person was born March 26, 1826, and is a daughter of John and Hannah (Bust) Burnley, of Lincolnshire, England. Her parents with their family of several children set sail for Australia when Miss Sarah was but five years old. There is now living in Australia only one of her family, her sister, Mrs. Mary Appleton. The mother, one sister and an aunt died on shipboard before reaching their destination. The father subsequently returned to England and died at Weathersby some years after Mrs. Person had come to America.

Mr. and Mrs. Person had very little means when beginning the journey of life together, but by the exercise of great economy and the most unflagging industry they managed to keep the wolf from the door and finally built up a good home and accumulated a competence. Mr. Person was a public-spirited citizen and had a hand in many of the early improvements at Springfield, among other things assisting in building the Charleston Pike and the London Railroad. Mrs. Person is the owner of nearly four hundred acres of land adjoining her homestead and two hundred and eight acres in Moorefield Township, besides other farm property probably aggregating thirteen hundred acres of land. She is an attendant and member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Fletcher.