John H. Warren
John H. Warren, formerly treasurer of Delaware County and long identified with the agricultural interests of Scioto Township, has been a resident of Delaware since 1906. He was born in Radnor Township, Delaware County, Ohio, October 20, 1833, and is a son of William M. and Mary (Jones) Warren.
Thomas Warren, the grandfather of John H., was one of the hardy pioneers of Radnor Township, Delaware County, where he cleared land and erected a log house in the wilderness. He was born in Pennsylvania and was of Scotch-Irish extraction.
William M. Warren, son of Thomas, was born in 1802, in Pennsylvania, and died in Ohio in 1882. He accompanied his parents to Delaware County and grew to manhood on the home farm near Radnor. A few years after his marriage, he moved to what was then the village of Millville, the name of which was later changed to Warrensburg, he being the first of the family to locate there; and for many years following he was a justice of the peace for Scioto Township. He was active in public affairs and was frequently sent as a delegate to important party councils and was the member from Delaware County in the Ohio Constitutional Convention. Like many other strong men of high character of his day, he was prominent in Masonry and belonged to Hiram Lodge, No. 18, F. & A. M., at Delaware. He married Mary Jones, who was born in that part of Radnor Township which is now included in Scioto Township. Her father, John Jones, was born in Wales. Four of their six children reached maturity, namely: Robert W. and Benjamin F., both now deceased; and John H. and William M., the latter residing at Warrensburg. The parents of the above family belonged to the old stone Presbyterian Church of South Radnor.
John H. Warren was about three years old when his parents moved to Warrensburg. He can recall the first school he attended, which was held in a log house furnished with slab seats. When 18 years old he came to Delaware and for a few years he worked as a clerk, the city being then of so insignificant a size as to enable him to know personally every resident. After gaining some mercantile experience, he returned to Warrensburg, where he opened a general store and built a brick store building, his brother, William Warren, entering into partnership with him. They continued the business for eight years, under the firm name of J. H. Warren & Company, when John H. sold his interest to his partner and retired from the firm. Shortly afterward, in 1876, he was elected county treasurer, a responsible office that he filled very efficiently for four years, and during this period he resided at Delaware. Upon the expiration of his term of office, Mr. Warren engaged in farming in Scioto Township, and he continued to be engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1906, when he retired to Delaware, making his home in a comfortable residence on the northwest corner of Liberty and Griswold Streets. During his life on the farm, he was also engaged for some years in operating a flour mill. His rural industries are continued by his sons.
Mr. Warren married Annie E. Austin, who is a daughter of John Austin, a resident of Scioto Township, and they have had nine children, namely: Harry G., residing in Scioto Township; Mary Belle, now deceased, who is survived by her husband. William Sipes; Nellie, residing at Mt. Gilead. Ohio, who married Sherman Jackson; Charles F., a resident of Columbus; Eugene A., residing on the home farm; Caroline M., residing in Scioto Township, who married Ernest Decker; Miller M., residing in Scioto Township; Fannie, who is now deceased; and Louise, residing in Thompson Township, who married Merlin Stults. Mrs. Warren is a member of the Presbyterian Church and a sympathetic worker in the field of charity. In politics, Mr. Warren has always been a Democrat and he has been an influential member of his party in this section. He is a Mason, belonging to Hiram Lodge at Delaware.
20th Century History of Delaware County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, Edited and compiled by James R. Lytle, Delaware, Ohio, Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, 1908