Thornton Douthitt
Thornton Douthitt, farmer, P. O. Atwater Center, was born in Edinburg Township, this county, October 11, 1831; son of Daniel and Rachel (Pumphrey) Douthitt, the former born in Pennsylvania, the latter a native of Huron County, Ohio, and who joined the early settlement at Edinburg. They were parents of twelve children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the third. Daniel Douthitt, in the latter part of his life, removed to Hardin County, Ohio, where he died in February, 1881, Mrs. Douthitt dying in 1849. The subject of this sketch was brought up on a farm with scarcely any educational advantages outside the severe discipline of labor, which taught him economy. Honesty, perseverance and regular habits, giving him a vigorous constitution, combined with a natural ambition to achieve success, seconded by excellent judgment, have caused him to more than equal his greatest anticipations. Neither early habits nor later indulgences have weakened him in body or mind, using neither strong drink nor tobacco. He married, February 16, 1852, at Atwater, Ohio, Miss Matilda Ann Siddull, second child of Mahlon and Elizabeth (Gould) Siddall, of Atwater, Ohio. Mrs. Douthitt was born April 1, 1831, and in all the laborious undertakings of her husband has borne her equal share, acting nobly and truly a self-sacrificing part. She is a kind friend, affectionate mother and good wife; their home being ample and sufficiently ornamental to dispense to a large circle of friends that free-hearted hospitality for which they are justly noted. She (Mrs. Douthitt) has borne our subject five children: Andrew M., born April 20, 1853, admitted to the bar, but engaged in teaching (has two children: Bertha Ann and Dudley M.); George F., born June 12, 1856, a teacher in the Union Schools, but preparing for the practice of law; Jennie T., born September 10, 1864, married, January 1, 1885, to H. Alva Myers, a teacher; Thomas D., born January 27, 1867, engaged in teaching: Clinton A., born June 1, 1870, attending school and helping his father on the farm. During the late war Mr. Douthitt located on his present farm of 225 acres, clearing it of timber, etc., besides several other large tracts, and with the revenue received from the railroad company (in payment for thousands of cords of wood) he has paid for the farm and liquidated other large obligations. The majority of the family are regular attendants on the service of the Methodist Episcopal Church, but not any are members of any religious denomination. In politics Mr. Douthitt is an unswerving disciple of Jefferson, but although living in a township overwhelmingly Republican, his fellow-townsmen have seen fit to repose in him the responsible position of Real Estate Assessor in 1880, and Township Trustee for three terms.
From History of Portage County, Ohio, Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, 1885