Earles, William

Lawrence County History Ironton Register 16 OCT 1938 R. C. Hall, Ph D. Editor’s note ----------- This is the third of a series of articles by R. C. HALL concerning the pioneer families of Windsor township. The fourth article will appear next Sunday. William EARLES was born in Lee county, Virginia, May 10, 1809. Thus he was a few years younger than his brother Bennett. When his parents Charles and Mary Martin Earles migrated from Lee county Va. to southern Ohio, they settled first near Oak Hill, in Jackson county, but remained there only about one year before coming on down into what is now Windsor township. Lawrence county. While yet a mere boy, William Earles became the victim of one of those accidents all too common on the frontier. It appears that he was helping, or at least accompanying some men at their work of clearing the forest, and, in some way was struck by one of the giant trees as it crashed to the ground. The tree, or portion of it which fell in his direction was some fifty feet tall and struck him with such force that it crushed his skull and broke one of his legs, but in spite of the seriousnessof the injury, he finally recovered. When William Earles was a boy his parents made practically all the clothes for the family, raised its own food and made about all the conveniences their home afforded. It is said that they even raised the cotton from which they spun the cloth from which they made the family clothing. Their principal food was corn and pork. William, like others of his family, had little chance for an education as there were no schools except the pioneer subscription schools and money was too scarce to provide such schools longer than a few months each year and even these schools could usually boast only the poorest kind of instructors. These facts do not, of course indicate that the Earles family was either ignorant or poverty stricken. They simply represent the general condition of culture and wealth on the frontier, both in Virginis and Ohio. The fact that such families produced civic leaders, militaey heroes and capable citizens, is proof enough surely, that they had education and culture of their own altho they were largely deprived of formal schooling. After the Earles family settled in Windsor township, its principal work, for a time, was clearing the land and preparing it for agriculture. Log rollings were the order of the day, so to apeak, and William Earles worked with his father and others in the clearing until 11 o’clock when they would go home and pound corn for their dinner. After about two years spent at such toil these early settlers had enough land cleared to raise a crop of wheat. Thereaftert hings were a little easier for them and their diet became a little more varied. An old fashioned grist mill having been established in the neighborhood they now began to have flour as well as meal but the mill was only prepared to grind the wheat in about the roughest fashion imaginable and had no arrangement whatever for bolting, or even sifting the flour. So, Mr. Earles did his own bolting, furnishing his own bolting cloths. So when he wanted some flour, instead of going to a store and buying it, he had to raise his own wheat, take it to the mill, wait for it to be ground, do his own bolting of the product and then finally return home with the flour. It is said to have required a whole day to bolt ten bushels of flour by this crude method of sifting. William Earles married Arta M. BRAMMER, July 22 1832, and they became the parents of 12 children named: Sarah J., Bennett, f., John W., Charles L., Mary A., Eliza V., Lucinda A., James W., Carolina F., Amanda F., Flora E., and Ella V. Earles. The parents of Mrs. William Earles were James Brammer who was born in 1790 and passed away in 1847 and his wife Sarah (SEAMONDS) Brammer who passed away in 1866. That William Earles became a trusted civic leader of Windsor township is shown by the record of his public service. He served as township trustee from 1853 to 1857, becoming township treasurer in the latter year and holding that office for a decade. Then he was again chosen township trustee and after serving three more years in that office, he was again chosen treasurer oof the township and again served in that capacity for three years. While these positions may appeal to some people as of little importance, those familiar with township government know that the duties of those officers bring government closed (as source) to the people than almost any others, and the (source document ends)....