My Genealogy Hound

GEN. JOHN WEBB, farmer; P. O. Casstown. Gen. John Webb, who was born in Mason Co., Ky., May 7, 1793, is son of John and Rachel (Davis) Webb, he being a native of Virginia, and she of Pennsylvania; the ancestry on the father’s side were from England, and on the mother’s side from Wales. The father, John, removed from Kentucky in 1797, and located near Dayton, Ohio, where he resided till 1811, when he started on horseback to come to Miami Co., to view and purchase some land; his horse becoming frightened, he was thrown to the ground and killed, right in sight of his family, Nov. 28, 1811. Gen. Webb, the subject of our sketch, located in this county in 1807, and engaged in teaching a school, which was the first in Lost Creek region; the school-room was a small log house with windows made by holes cut through the logs, and sticks placed perpendicularly, with greased paper pasted over them, through which they received the light; the seats were hewed timbers with legs put into them, constituting benches for the pupils. In this kind of schoolhouses our subject, John, attended, and obtained the limited education qualifying him for his work of teaching, and acquired, prior to 16 years of age, at which time he taught the above-mentioned school; he followed the occupation of teaching for seven or eight years. In the spring of 1812, he bought 128 acres of land, where he now lives, residing in the log cabins then on it. In 1813, he enlisted in the war, expecting to go to Detroit, but the Indians became so dangerous through this section that they had to build block-houses, and reserve a great portion of the soldiers for the home defense. John was among those sent to Greenville, where he served about 6 months; he returned to his farm and mother, who resided with him till her death. On Nov. 14, 1815, he celebrated his marriage with Priscilla Knight, daughter of William and Priscilla (Corbly) Knight, who were natives of Pennsylvania. By this union they had eleven children, viz., Lewis R, William K., Thomas, Benjamin F. and John Shelby, both deceased, dying in California; Jabez S., dying in infancy; Anna, Eliza, dying at 10 years of age; Elvira, now Mrs. Jacob Weatherhead, living in Shelby Co., Ohio; Ellen Maria, deceased, and Julia Ann, deceased. His wife, Priscilla, departed this life from a stroke of palsy, in January, 1870. Gen. Webb has passed through all the trying ordeals of a pioneer life, but his labors have been crowned with success; he has a good farm and everything to make life comfortable and happy; he has been spared to the advanced age of 87 years. In his military life, he passed through all the grades of offices from a common soldier to a Major General. In civil life he has held the offices of Assessor, Appraiser, Constable, Township Trustee and Justice of the Peace; the latter office lie held for thirty years; he has been an active member of the Baptist Church for fifty-three years, and its Clerk for forty years, also Clerk of the Mad River Association for about forty years.