JOHN KISER, retired farmer; P. 0. Tremont City, Clark Co[., Ohio]. The Kiser family were natives of Switzerland. Jacob and his wife emigrated from there previous to the Revolutionary war; they settled in Virginia and reared a large family, of whom Philip, the father of John, our subject, was one. He [Philip] came to this county in 1805 and settled where the old Kiser mills were located. He was a very wealthy man, and when he left Virginia he purchased a flat-boat and loaded his things, intending to locate near Cincinnati. The river was high, and Mrs. Kiser being very timid, induced her husband to land near Gallipolis, and she afterward refused to board the boat, and Mr. Kiser was therefore forced to unload his goods and rent a cabin. He lived here only a few months and then came to the property previously purchased by him. This was the best mill site on Mad River, and he built a new mill, which did a good business. During the war of 1812, he built a fort near his house, and people came from every direction for security. Philip was Captain of a company during this war, and did duty on the frontier. He was one of the first Justices in the county, and was a good official ; he was a very prominent man, and was one of the largest landowners ; he died in 1817.

His widow lived until 1837 and reared her family ; she was one of the best business women of her time-buying stock, superintending the mill and attending to many other duties that are usually performed by men.

John Kiser was given a good education and graduated at Urbana, in 1825 ; he studied medicine one year, but, upon his mother's account, gave up the idea of practice and commenced the agricultural business. He was born Sept 7, 1809, and was married, Jan. 31, 1831, to Elizabeth Yarnell, of Champaign County [Ohio]; she was born in 1815, in Virginia. They were parents of ten children, two of them died in infancy; the living are Lucinda, Philip, Annie, Jane, Victoria, Emma E., Lewis C., the inventor of the celebrated air motor, and Thomas. Mrs. Kizer died in 1875, since which time his daughter Emma has been his housekeeper; she was married, in 1878, to Adam Frantz. Mr. Kiser has been liberal in giving information of the early life of their family, and we are glad to assign them a place in the history of this county. He is owner of 1,871 acres of choice land, that brings him a nice income. He is 71 years of age, and has plenty of this world's goods to enable him to live at his ease.