Israel Johns
Israel Johns was born in Kentucky, in 1803, and came to this county in 1828. His family then consisted of his wife and three children. They settled in what is now Noble township, then Wayne township, Mercer County. He reared a family of ten children, of whom four are still living. Mr. Johns was one of the exemplary pioneers of this section. While he was actively engaged in improving and cultivating his land he yet found time for works of charity. He became a minister of the gospel, and one year he filled four appointments, for which his compensation was three white handkerchiefs. He was a wheelwright by trade, but could work at any of the mechanical arts. He made shoes, built wagons, and did smithing for his neighbors. Of his children, Mrs. A. B. Covert, William Johns, Esq., Azariah Johns, and Sarah J. McDonald are still living.
From History of Auglaize County, Ohio, with the Indian History of Wapakoneta, and the First Settlement of the County, Robert Sutton, Publishers, Wapakoneta, 1880