H. Allen Gaskins
H. Allen Gaskins, of Manchester, Ohio, was born at Sardinia, Brown County, Ohio, January 19, 1857, the son of Dr. John and Mary (Woods) Gaskins, of Bentonville, Ohio. Thomas Gaskins, his grandfather, was a native of West Virginia, and when a young man. started "out West.'' coming down the river in a keel boat. He was taken suddenly ill and put ashore at Nine Mile, in Clermont County. On recovering his health, he became so favorably impresed with the neighborhood that he decided to stay. The chief attraction, however, was doubtless, Miss Phoebe Ward, whom he married. John Gaskins, their son and father of our subject, studied medicine and located at Sardinia, where he practiced his profession until 1859, when he removed to Youngsville, Adams County, where he remained until 1861, finally settling at Bentonville, where he continued the practice of medicine until recently, when he retired and went to his farm in Sprigg Township.
Our subject attended the Bentonville schools until the age of twenty-one. On March 14, 1877. he was married to Mary C. Roush, daughter of William Roush, of Sprigg Township. Their children are William, a graduate of the Manchester High School, Class of 1899, and Carrie and Aaron, all at home. Mr. Gaskins served as School Director in Bentonville for nine years, and has held the offices of Treasurer and Assessor in Sprigg Township. In politics, he is a Democrat, and has served as delegate to the State and County Conventions on several occasions. He is a member of the Knights of Phythias at Manchester. Ohio, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, No. 570. at West Union, and of No. 43, Free and Accepted Masons, of West Union. He united with the Christian Church at Union in 1887, and in 1893, began studying for the ministry. He was admitted to the Southern Ohio Christian Conference as a Iicentiate minister in October, 1896, and was regularly ordained by the same Conference, March 25, 1899. At present he is pastor of the churches at Eagle Creek and Stout's Run and is Vice-President of the Ministerial and Sabbath School Institute. Since 1897, he has given his entire attention to the ministry. He is an untiring student, and, by earnest application, has won for himself a place among the ablest men of the Southern Ohio Christian Conference, of which he is a member.