My Genealogy Hound

JOSEPH W. PAGE This intelligent, enterprising and Christian gentleman is now engaged in agricultural pursuits in Pleasant Township, Clark County, and ranks among the leading farmers and stock-raisers of that well-developed region. He was born January 3, 1853, in this county, and was reared on a farm, receiving an excellent education in the common schools. He adopted the profession of a pedagogue, but after teaching in the common schools some ten years turned his attention to the work in which he is now engaged. After his marriage which occurred December 22, 1881, he located in Moorefield Township, whence in March, 1887, he removed to his present home. This is two and one-half miles southeast of Catawba, the farm which he owns and occupies consisting of one hundred and seventy-seven acres. The estate bears adequate improvements and is a home of culture as well as of comfort.

The worthy lady who presides with admirable tact and grace over the home of Mr. Page, became his wife December 22, 1881. She bore the maiden name of Sarah E. Yeazel and was born in Champaign County, November 14, 1863. She belongs to an excellent family which has long been represented in this county. She received excellent advantages in her maidenhood and is instilling into the youthful minds of her daughters — Bessie B. and Mary E. — the principles of conduct which should be manifested by all. She is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as is her husband. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

The grandparents of Mrs. Page were Jacob and Ellen (Foley) Yeazel, who came from the Old Dominion to this county, being early settlers in Moorefield Township. Their son, John A., was born in that township, and after reaching years of maturity married Mary Ann Baird, who belonged to an equally respectable family in Harmony Township.

In the paternal line, Joseph W. Page is descended from Jonathan Page, a native of North Carolina, who removed thence to Kentucky, where his son, James C. was born, May 6, 1795. From the vicinity of Cynthiana the family removed to Clark County, Ohio, in the fall of 1803, locating in Moorefield Township, near Moorefield Chapel, where James Page grew to manhood. He died at the home of his son, Jonathan H., in Pleasant Township, July 31, 1886. He married Keziah Harris, who was born March 20, 1803, in the Eastern part of the township, to which her parents had come from New Jersey. She died March 10, 1864. To this worthy couple ten children were born, and named respectively, Hannah A., Jonathan H., Jacob A., Sarah, Achsah, James N., Isaac E., Keziah, Joseph L., and May J. The last named died in childhood.

Jonathan H. Page, the second child in the family above noted, was born April 10, 1827, and on October 15, 1863, removed to Pleasant Township, where he resided until March, 1869. He then went to Sangamon County, Ill., but in the fall of 1872 returned to his native county and took up his residence on a farm two miles southeast of Catawba. For the past four years he has been living in the village. He has served as Township Trustee three terms and has been Assessor during the past four years. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His wife, Elizabeth Runyan, was born in Pleasant Township, November 11, 1829, being one of the eight children of George and Catherine (Jones) Runyan. Her father was a farmer and a strong and devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the work of which he was quite a leader. He was one of the five sons and six daughters born to Joseph Runyan who located in this county in 1811, having come to Warren County from Harrison County, Va., in 1806. The brothers of George Runyan are Thomas, Isaac, William and Eli.

Mrs. Elizabeth (Runyan) Page has borne her husband four children, the subject of this sketch being the first-born. The second child is Charles B.; the third is Isaac C., a Methodist Episcopal minister of South Charleston who was educated in Wittenburg College; the youngest son, John W., died May 9, 1889, just after his graduation from the Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati, thus cutting off a life which gave promise of much usefulness.

Jonathan Page Sr., the paternal great-grandfather of our subject was born October 4, 1766, in North Carolina and came from English stock. He departed this life July 26, 1840. He was one of the early settlers of Kentucky and purchased a tract of land near Cynthiana, Harrison County, upon which he resided fora few years but becoming dissatisfied with the title sold out and in the autumn of 1803 removed to Moorefield Township. He settled in the vicinity of the ground now occupied by Moorefield Chapel, on land now owned by A. W. Mumper, Esq.

In the spring of 1806, great-grandfather Page purchased and settled on a half section of land in the eastern part of the township where he resided until his death. On this farm was planted one of the first orchards in the county. He was one of the early pedagogues of that region, a man of more than ordinary intelligence and looked up to in his community. He served as a soldier in Hawley’s Army and was one of those in the famous St. Clair’s defeat. While a resident of Kentucky he married Miss Hannah Jones who was born August 12, 1773, and who died March 3, 1852. The result of this union was six children, namely: James C.; Evan; Hannah, Linsey and Jonathan B. and John, twins. The latter died August 10, 1825, aged eighteen years.