My Genealogy Hound

EDWARD R. WALTON, a leading farmer of Spring Valley Township, Greene County, has a finely located country home a half mile north of New Burlington, comprising one hundred and thirty-one acres under good cultivation and embellished with neat modern buildings. This township has been the life-long home of Mr. Walton as it was here he was born January 5, 1832. His parents were Samuel and Catharine (Mendenhall) Walton. Samuel Walton was born March 26, 1804, in Frederick County, Va. His wife, Catharine, was born September 19, 1801, in Guilford County, that State.

The father of our subject emigrated to Ohio with his parents by wagon, and they settled upon the present site of Spring Valley, which remained the home of Samuel Walton until his death, March 9, 1844. The mother survived her husband for a period of twenty years, her death taking place at the old homestead, April 18, 1864. They reared six children to maturity, these being Ruth, who married James Mills and is now a resident of Marion County, Ind.; Milo in Spring Valley; Edward R., our subject; John, who died in December, 1860; Moses A. is the Superintendent of the County Infirmary of this county, and William M., of California. The father was a Whig politically, and religiously, belonged to the Society of Friends. He left a well-improved farm of one hundred and twenty-three acres which he had built up from the primitive soil and which furnished to himself and family a comfortable home. He was a man respected by all who knew him.

The paternal grandfather of our subject was Edward Walton, a native of Shenandoah County, Va., and born January 3, 1777. He married Deborah Allen, who was born April 10, 1775, likewise in Virginia, they becoming the parents of the following children, namely: Samuel, Elizabeth, Moses, Eunice, Edward, Hannah and John. The two eldest were natives of the Old Dominion. Grandfather Walton emigrated to Ohio overland with teams and settled on about four hundred acres of land where Spring Valley now stands. He laid out the first lots for the town, together with his son Moses, twenty-four in all; he spent the remainder of his days in this region, dying at a ripe old age. Being a Quaker in religious belief, he refused to enter the military service and was fined accordingly a number of times. He departed hence April 10, 1867, having survived his wife many years, her death taking place September 11, 1842. Grandmother Walton was sixty-seven years old. The family in this country descended from three or four brothers who came over from England in 1664 in advance of William Penn and settled on the Schuylkill River above Philadephia, Pa.

The mother of our subject was the daughter of John and Ruth (Brown) Mendenhall, who were born in Guilford County, N. C., March 6, 1759, and April 4, 1767, respectively. Grandfather Mendenhall came to this county in 1804, and located in Spring Valley Township, four miles south of Xenia, where he secured between three and four hundred acres of land. The children of this worthy couple were named respectively, Richard, Joseph, Margaret, Aaron, Ruth, Catherine, William, Benjamin, Nathan, John and Nancy. The two last mentioned died young.

The subject of this notice spent his boyhood and youth under the parental roof, acquiring a common-school education in his native township and becoming familiar with the various employments of farm life. Upon leaving school he taught two terms, one in Spring Valley Township and one in Iowa. When twenty-two years old he began farming on his own account, and in 1856, went to Adair County, Iowa, where he spent two years on a farm, having in the meantime purchased, in 1854, four hundred acres of land. Upon this he built three houses then sold out and in 1859, crossed the plains to California, locating in Siskiyou County. He occupied himself in mining and teaming and after spending five years in the Golden State, went into Nevada and for some time was engaged in prospecting and hauling ore and salt.

Mr. Walton spent ten years on the Pacific Slope including three years in Montana. In 1869, he returned to Iowa where he remained until 1873. That year he came to this county and located where he now resides. He is looked upon as a useful and reliable citizen, is Republican in politics and has served as Justice of the Peace for two terms. He has held the office of Township Trustee for ten years. He was married March 2, 1871, to Miss Alice, daughter of John and Rebecca (Steddon) Compton. This lady was born January 7, 1836, in Spring Valley, of parents who were natives of Ohio, and are now living in this township. Of her union with our subject there have been born three children, the eldest of whom, Ruthetta, died at the age of six years and eight months; Anna E. was born September 11, 1876, and died January 29, 1878; Catherine was born May 14, 1874, and died December 20, 1878; Hettie, their only remaining child, was born January 24, 1880.

The maternal grandmother of our subject, Ruth (Brown) Mendenhall, witnessed the Indian battle of Guilford Court-House, N. C. Her father was killed by the Indians in Eastern Ohio while on a prospecting tour prior to 1800. Mr. Walton during his sojourn in the far West also had some experience with the treacherous savages.