Phillip Michael Hughes
Phillip Michael Hughes was born in Adams County. Franklin Township, February 22, 1844. His father was Peter L. Hughes and his mother, Mary Carrigan. His father was born in Ireland in 1790 and came to this country in 1798 at the age of eight years. His mother was born in Franklin Township, Adams County. Her father, Andrew Carrigan, was a native of Ireland. Peter L. Hughes, father of our subject, had four sons and two daughters who grew to maturity. His daughter Hannah married John B. Allison, who has a separate sketch herein. A son, Frank O., and his wife, a daughter of Hugh Breslin, are both deceased. Mary Hughes, the second daughter, married Joshua Hatcher. Tobias Hughes married Flora Cannon, a daughter of Eleven Cannon and granddaughter of General Daniel Cockerill. He died at the early age of thirty-two, leaving his widow and three children. Another son, John W. Hughes, died in young manhood.
Our subject obtained his education in the common schools. He attended a commercial school in Cincinnati in 1863 and 1864, and directly atter that began farming on his own account. About 1870, Jacob Weaver and his sister had a delightful home just south of the Serpent Mound. Our subject was a visitor there and soon found out what a good housekeeper and what an attractive young woman Miss Mary L. Weaver was, and he deliberately broke up that pleasant home, by marrying Aliss Weaver on the fifth of October, 1871. Jacob Weaver then went to live with his sister and brother-in-law for a year, and his observance of married life was such, that he went and obtained a wife for himself.
Of the children of our subject, Hannah A., married John E. Swearingen. They reside at Clintonburg, Miami County, Ohio. John J. Hughes, a son, aged twenty-two. resides at home. Our subject's daughter, Kate Mary, is a young woman at home; Ferris L., aged fifteen, and Rosa Belle and Mary Grace, younger, are with their parents. Mr. Hughes has six hundred acres of land in one body in Bratton Township lying between the Baker Fork and the Middle Fork of Ohio Brush Creek. A more pleasant location was never found by man. Mr. Hughes has a large and commodious residence. The suggestion of thrift shows everywhere over his broad acres. Talk of the pastoral lives of the Patriarchs. They weren't in it compared with Phil Hughes. His farm and home are more desirable than the whole belongings of the Patriarch Jacob after he had done up his father-in-law, Laban. If any one desires to take lessons in thrift and how to care for farms to make them productive, and a delight to every one who has any appreciation of nature, and of the improvements of it by cultivation, let him visit Bratton Township and call on Phillip M. Hughes, John B. Allison and Alfred R. Fulton, and if he does not come away pleased and with a whole swarm of new ideas, then the writer has not told the truth and is incapable of it. All three named are model farmers and have the finest of farms, but, Mr. Hughes has the advantage in situation.
In his political faith. Mr. Hughes is a Democrat. In his religion he is a communicant of the Mother Church of all, the Roman Catholic. His wife and children are Methodists. Mr. Hughes possesses the confidence of all his neighbors and well deserves it. One of the best evidences of it is, that he was President of the School Board of the Township for twelve consecutive years. He was a Commissioner of the county from 1890 to 1893. He is strictly honest, honorable, and upright. He attends strictly to his own business, and does unto others as he wishes to be done by. As a public officer, he was capable, honest, and efficient. He is an honor to himself, to his family, and to the community, and his character estimate was furnished by one of his neighbors who knows him so well that he could not possibly be mistaken about him.
The writer regards him as one of those magnetic men whom it is a pleasure to meet, and would like to live neighbor to him.
From "A history of Adams County, Ohio: from its earliest settlement to the present time" By Nelson Wiley Evans, Emmons B. Stivers, 1900