My Genealogy Hound

WILLIAM IDDINGS, farmer; P. O. Pleasant Hill; is the son of James Iddings, who was born in Bedford Co., Penn., June 27, 1783; emigrated from his place of nativity to Greene Co., Tenn., with his parents, when only a child, and when quite young, again emigrated to the Northwest Territory, his parents settling in what is now Union Township, in Miami Co. He married Miss Mary Davis, who was born May 9, 1789, on the banks of the Savannah River, about forty miles above Augusta, Ga.; she emigrated to this county with her parents and located in Union Township; she was the daughter of Abiathar and Lydia Davis; Lydia Davis was a native of South Carolina, and died in Georgia. Mr. Davis again married, and came to this county with a family of three sons— John, Samuel and Benjamin; and four daughters— Rhoda, Mary, Sarah and Lydia, leaving one daughter, Rachel, in Georgia, and one son, Amos. Mr. Davis’ death occurred at an advanced age. James Iddings was the son of Benjamin, a pioneer and prominent citizen of this county; he was born in Pennsylvania, and united in marriage to Phebe Wilkinson; he reared a family of three sons— Talbot, Joseph and Benjamin, and six daughters Rachel, Mary, Ruth, Emilia, Hannah and Phebe; all of these emigrated to this State, and a numerous line of descendants have sprung from them. Benjamin was a man with a fine education, spending several years of his life in college at Philadelphia. He was reared in the Friends’ Church, and for many years before his death, held an eldership in the same. For a long period, his usual seat at the Friends’ meetings, at Union Chapel, was regularly filled by him, but finally death made his place vacant; his brother James was also a finely educated man and was the author of a rhyming geography. Our subject was born Sept. 26, 1809, in Newton Township, in the log cabin of pioneer days. The wilderness surrounded him, and his early training, both mentally and physically, was obtained from its solitudes. He early became inured to the privations and hardships of frontier life; his early educational opportunities were very meager. The first 25 cents he ever owned was invested in a book, showing the early bent of his mind. This literary inclination he has been assiduous in cultivating, as his fine and large selection of books indicates. He married Miss Margaret Coppock April 2, 1829; she was a daughter of Thomas Coppock, and died 30th of March, 1869. After his marriage, Mr. Iddings moved to the place where he now resides; he has a farm of 140 acres under the best of improvement; he has taken a great interest in the cause of religion since his membership with the church in November, 1842; he has donated considerable sums to the Antioch College, of Yellow Springs, Ohio, and the Merom College, of Indiana. He is an ordained minister in the Christian denomination; contributed largely to the building of the Shiloh Church on his own farm, an organization of 164 members. Five children were born to Mr. Iddings by his first union, all of whom died in early life. His second marriage was celebrated, July 14, 1870, with Miss Mary Cuthbert, a native of Ireland. They have four children; three sons and one daughter.