Eugene B. Willard
Probably no one individual through his own career and through the activities of his family has had more intimate relations with the general industrial and commercial life of the Hanging Rock Iron Region than Eugene B. Willard of Ironton. As Mr. Willard is associated with the "History of the Hanging Rock Iron Region" in the capacity of editor, the publishers desire to take this opportunity to insert in the biographical section a sketch of Mr. Willard and his interesting family.
Eugene B. Willard is a native of the Hanging Rock Iron Region, and was born at Pine Creck Landing. Scioto County, Ohio. September 23, 1842. His is one of the oldest American families represented now in Southern Ohio. 1. Simon Willard, the first American ancestor, was born in the Parish of Horsmonden, County of Kent England, in 1605, baptized April 5, 1605, a son of Richard Willard, and came to America in April, 1634, landing at Boston. He was a member of the General Court, surveyor of arms, representative, major of militia County of Middlesex, and had many years of active service against the Indians. He died April 24. 1676. Simon Willard married, first, Mary Sharpe, daughter of Henry and Jane Sharpe in England; second, Elizabeth Dunster, sister of Rev. Henry Dunster, a president of Harvard College; third, Mary Dunster, who died at Sudbury in December, 1715. 2. Josiah, who died at Weathersfield, Massachusetts, in 1674, married March 20, 1656-57, Hannah Hosmer. 3. Samuel, born September 19, 1658, married Sarah Clarke June 6. 1683, died at Saybrook, Massachusetts, in 1713-14. 4. .Joseph, born at Saybrook, graduated at Yale College, 1714, married Susanna Lynde, was preacher at Sunderland, then at Rutland, and was killed by Indians August 23, 1723, after a struggle in which he had killed one Indians and wounded another. 5. Joseph, second son of Rev. Joseph and Susanna, married Huldah Willard, who was daughter of Lieut. Moses Willard, who was killed by Indians June 18, 1756, near Charlestown. New Hampshire. 6. Francis Willoughby Willard, married Deborah Blood December 3, 1772. 7. James, born in Charlestown, New Hampshire, and died in 1851, married Lydia, daughter of Jonathan and Catherine Willard of Langdon, New Hampshire. 8. James Orville, born at Charlestown, New Hampshire, July 7, 1814, removed to Painesville, Ohio, in November, 1834, married Anna M. Sceley in 1839, and died at Ironton, Ohio, May 19, 1855. 9. Eugene B. Willard, born as above stated September 23, 1842.
James O. Willard, the father, was educated at Plainfield, New Hampshire, was reared on a farm until twenty, then became clerk at a furnace, and then furnace owner and manager in the Hanging Rock Region in 1840. He was the first president of the Iron Railroad in 1850, and then cashier of the Iron Bank of Ironton. He was a Congregationalist and a whig in polities. His wife, Anna M. Seeley, was born at Easton, Connecticut, was brought by her father to Painesville, Ohio, in 1814, was educated there in the public schools and in a seminary at New Haven, Connecticut, and she died at Ironton June 17, 1873. Her father was Uri Seeley, who was a son of Ebenezer Seeley, who was son of Nathaniel Seeley, son of Nathaniel Seeley, all of Connecticut.
Eugene B. Willard when nine years of age was brought to Ironton, Ohio, in October, 1851, and acquired his early education in the public schools of that city. In September, 1859. he entered the freshman class of Marietta College, Ohio, left there in May, 1861, because his mother, who was then a widow, was afraid he would enlist in the army. He was the only son, and for a time he yielded to his mother's wishes that he should remain at home. During the winter of 1861-62 he taught school, and wrote in the office of the county auditor at Ironton until President Lincoln called for "600,000 more" in July, 1862. August 15, 1862, he enlisted in Company H, Ninety-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, served in West Virginia and in the Shenandoah Valley, was under Generals Hayes, Crook and Sheridan, was wounded in battle July 20, 1864, near Winchester, was promoted to second lieutenant in January, 1865, and mustered out with the regiment June 30, 1865. He saw comparatively little fighting during the first two years, since the regiment was engaged in scouting and garrison duty in the mountains of West Virginia. The last year was one of heavy campaigning in Virginia. At the beginning of the engagement on the afternoon of July 20, 1864, near Winchester, Company H had forty-seven men present for duty, and of these eleven were killed or mortally wounded, and fourteen wounded. The company during its entire term of service lost but one man by disease, and twelve killed in battle.
In October, 1865, a few months after his return from the war, Mr. Willard became clerk at the Buckhorn furnace in Lawrence County. In August, 1866, he went to the Ohio furnace in Sioto County, owned by Means, Kyle & Company, to serve as clerk. This company was owner of the Ohio and Pine Grove furnaces and the Hanging Rock coal works, and at that time was the strongest and most progressive company in the business of making charcoal iron in the Hanging Rock Region. In May, 1868, Mr. Willard entered the general offices of Means, Kyle & Company at Hanging Rock as general bookkeeper and cashier, remained with the company as cashier, general manager and president by successive promotions until October, 1902. It was this company that built the Hamilton coke furnace at Hanging Rock in 1884-85, and thereafter the manufacture of coke pig-iron was its pricipal business. After nearly forty years of active connection with the furnaces and related industries of this region Mr. Willard resigned and ceased active business in 1902.
While always a republican, Mr. Willard has usually belonged to the rank and file of the party. His only offices have been township or school board positions. However, he was chairman of the commission which built the Lawrence County courthouse. Mr. Willard has been a member of the Presbyterian Church since 1866, and an elder for more than thirty years.
On July 23, 1868, at Ironton, Ohio, Eugene B. Willard and Alice Valentine were united in marriage. Alice was born at Cincinnati. Ohio, March 8, 1844, and died at Ironton, October 25, 1910. She attended the public schools of Ironton until September, 1862, and then entered Granville Female College at Granville, Ohio, from which she graduated in June, 1865. Her father, John Valentine, was a mechanical engineer and lost his life in 1852 at New Orleans, Louisiana, while engaged in erecting sugar machinery for Miles Greenwood & Company of Cincinnati. Her mother, Phebe Walton, was born and reared near Chester, Pennsylvania, of Quaker stock, but came to Ohio about 1830, and died at Hanging Rock in October, 1895.
With all the work and accomplishments of a long life Mr. Willard may be pardoned for finding his highest satisfaction in the group of children who have grown up in his home, to each of whom he has been able to afford a collegiate education, and who already do honor to their parents by the worthy stations they have found in life. His children, all born at Hanging Rock, briefly mentioned, are: Mary, born January 23, 1870; James Orville, born December 15, 1872; Eugene B., born October 19, 1874; Alfred S., born August 29, 1879; Anna, born June 25, 1881 ; Alice, born January 30, 1883 ; and Ruth, born June 1, 1888. Mary Willard attended the public schools of Hanging Rock, afterwards spent three years at the Granville Female College, where she graduated in June, 1890, and on October 16, 1895, married Edward L. Lambert, and they now live at Ironton, parents of four children, three girls and one boy. James Orville was graduated from the Pennsylvania Military College at Chester in June, 1894, as a civil engineer, entered the employ of the Carnegie Steel Company the same year, remained in its service seven years, then entered the employ of Jones & Laughlin Steel Company of Pittsburg as engineer in charge of construction at their Eliza furnace plant, and is still with that company in charge of the six Eliza blast furnaces; he is unmarried. Eugene B., Jr., attended the Hanging Rock public schools until the age of fifteen, then entered the Pennsylvania Military College at Chester, graduating a civil engineer in June, 1894, became assistant manager at Hamilton furnace, Hanging Rock, for two years, following which he spent two years at the Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland, and then took charge of Hamilton furnace as manager. In 1900 he went to the Iroquois furnace at Chicago, remained there until 1902, then took the management of the furnaces at Wellston, Ohio, remained there until 1906, and then took charge of the Eliza furnaces at Pittsburg. On May 21, 1907, he with five other men was instantly killed by an explosion at the Eliza furnaces; he was unmarried. Alfred S., after attending the Hanging Rock public schools until June, 1896, spent two years in the Pennsylvania Military College, nearly two years at the Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland, taking a course as mechanical engineer, served his time as machinist in the Norfolk & Western Railroad shops at Portsmouth, and has continued in the employ of that railroad as machinist, foreman and general foreman of shops to this time, having heen general foreman of the shops at Williamson. West Virginia, for the past three years; he married Ethel Mills of Cleveland, Ohio, October 16, 1905, and has two children. The daughter Anna attended the public schools at Hanging Rock until June, 1897, followed by two years at Lake Erie College at Painesville, Ohio, then four years in the Western College for Women at Oxford, Ohio, graduating in June, 1903; at Ironton, June 5, 1907, she married Osbert E. Irish, a lawyer, and has two sons and one daughter. The daughter Alice attended public schools at Hanging Rock until June, 1899, entered the Western College for Women at Oxford, Ohio, in September of that year, wasgraduated in June, 1905, and is yet unmarried. Ruth after her graduation from the Ironton High School in June, 1907, spent four years in the study of music at Oberlin, Ohio, is unmarried, and is now organist at the Presbyterian Church of Ironton.
From "A Standing History of the Hanging Rock Iron Region of Ohio" by Eugene B. Willard, Daniel W. Williams, George O. Newman and Charles B. Taylor. Published by Lewis Publishing Company, 1916