History of Pickaway County
 

SCIOTO TOWNSHIP
 

* SCIOTO TOWNSHIP
       * ANCIENT WORKS
       * EARLY EVENTS
       * SETTLEMENT
       * GENOA - COMMERCIAL POINT
       * CORPORATION
       * CHURCHES
       * CEMETERIES
       * SOCIETIES
       * CELEBRATION
       * BUSINESS HOUSES AND PHYSICIANS
       * BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
 

BIOGRAPHIES
 

JOHN W. LANE, with his wife and three small children, emigrated from Albermarle county, Virginia, to Ohio, in 1831.  The only start Mr. Lane had in the new country was the team and wagon which constituted the moving outfit,, and about ninety dollars in money.  They came to Scioto township, Pickaway county, and settled on land belonging to Mr. Shaw.  Mr. Lane worked Shaw's land two years, and then bought of him a tract of ninety acres, a mile north of his first location.  This land he cleared and improved, and now occupies.  Four children were born to them after their settlement, making a family of seven children, as follows:  William F., Sarah V., John Monroe, Lucy Ann, James, David A., and one who died in infancy.  Mr. Lane was so unfortunate as to contract the small pox, in Columbus.  The disease was brought home by him, and every member of the family contracted it.  He recovered, but his son, John Monroe and an infant child, died.
     William F., the oldest of the family , is now dead.  Sarah V. married Samuel Shaw, and now lives in Christian county, Illinois.  Lucy Ann married Harrison Haywood; he died, and, after remaining a widow ten years, she married James Corey, and now lives in Frnaklin county.  James married Lucinda Wheeler, in 1858, by whom he had six children.  She died in May, 1870, leaving him with a family of small children, and no one to care for them but himself.  In Dec., 1870, he married Martha A. Wheeler, a sister of his deceased wife, by whom he has one child.  When he was first married, in 1858, he settled on a part of his father's farm, where he cleared forty-five acres.  He remained there some seven years, but worked at farming only about four years, when his health became poor, and he was obliged to give up hard labor.  He then commenced dealing in horses, buying and selling, for use in the army.  He continued at this about a year, and accumulated a little property, which he invested in hogs and cattle.  He was continued in that business since that time (1863).  In 1865, when the price of almost every article declined, and a general panic came on, he lost a large amount of money.  During the months of November and December, 1865, and January, 1866, he lost ten thousand dollars.  For a few months he was much discouraged, but, finally, he found he had many friends, who would stand by him in his adversity, and his courage revived.  He again engaged in the stock business, with greater energy than ever before.  In eighteen months after he started in business a second time, he had paid all his liabilities, and was again on his feet.  Since that time he ahs sometimes lost money, but in the main has gained.  In March, 1865, he bought his present farm of eighty-five acres, a half mile north of Commercial Point, to which he has added, from time to time, until he now has three hundred and eighty-seven acres.  When he purchased the land, a part of his present frame house stood on it.  He enlarged and built to it until now he has a pleasant home.  He has provided convenient and ample barns and out buildings for his business, and his fences and all his surroundings reflect credit on a farmer who makes a specialty of keeping everything in order.  An engraving representing his premises, accompanies this sketch.  The children of James Lane are:  Benjamin F., John W., Emma J., James Edwin, William A., Horatio N., and Harry H.
     David A., a son of John Lane lives half a mile west of Commercial Point.
     John Lane, when a young man, and living in Virginia, served eight or nine months in the army, during the war of 1812.  He is the only survivor of the war of 1812 now living (1879) in Scioto Township.

     JOHN MUNDELL was born in Scotland.  He immigrated to the United States when he was twenty years of age, and settled in Virginia.  A few years later he married Miss Jannett McIntosh, by whom he had four children, two of whom - John David and Walter McIntosh - were born in Virginia, and two - James Grieve and Emily Thompson - were born in Ohio.  He came to Ohio, with his family, in 1833, and purchased seven hundred acres of forest, a portion of which is still owned and occupied by his daughter.  At the time of this settlement, it was almost an unbroken wilderness from the Scioto river to the head waters of the Big Darby.  Of the seven hundred acres purchased by Mr. Mundell, seven acres were indifferently cleared, but no buildings of any kind had been erected.  With that energy and determination which characterized his life, he went resolutely to work and subdued the forest, erected suitable buildings for his family, which, at the time of his settlement, consisted of his wife, tow sons - already mentioned - and a niece, Miss Jannett Filcomb, who still remains with the younger member of the family.  Her qu8et, consistent, christian life, entitles her to prominent mention with this family.
     Our subject, John Mundell, donated the ground, hewed the logs, and helped to erect the First Presbyterian church then west of the Scioto river.  He was one of its first members, and was a ruling elder from that time until his death.  He was a fearless advocate of the right, and as fearlessly denounced wrong.  He was a kind and indulgent father, and lived to see the fruition of his life - an educated family, and all members of the Presbyterian church.  In early life he was a whig, but was identified with the Republican party from its organization.  His motto was "equal rights and universal education."  He died in 1870, of heart disease, in the seventy-ninth year of his age.
     Mrs. Mundell was also born of Scotch parents, though a native of Virginia.  Her mother, Mrs. Margaret Shannon, came to Ohio with the Mundell family, and a few years since died, at the age of one hundred and four years.  Mrs. Muncell died in the year 1875, at the age of seventy-four years.  While both Mr. and Mrs. Mundell lived to a good old age, yet it is quite evident that the labor and hardships, incident to new-county life, materially shortened the life of each.
     The first-born, John David, has been twice married.  Miss Mary A. May, of Kingston, Ross county, Ohio, was his first wife, and Miss Matty Maxwell, his second and present wife, also of Kingston, where they now reside.  Walter McIntosh enlisted in the three months' service, and served in the One Hundred and Fourteenth Ohio.  He was never married.  He gave his life to his country.  After the expiration of the term of his first enlistment, he re-enlisted for the war.  His health finally gave way, and he lived but a few months after reaching home.  James Grieve married Mary W. Renick, and lives in Kansas.  Emily Thompson, the youngest of the family, in unmarried, and occupies the old homestead, and, to all appearances, manages all the details of farming with good judgment.