Gen. Batteal Harrsion
Was born in Warfield, Virginia, in 1780. His father's name was Benjamin, a cousin to the father of W. H. Harrison, whose name was also Benjamin. Batteal's father was a soldier in the Revolution, fought under Washington; was a descendant of the illustrious Benjamin Harrison, who led the army of Cromwell in his long and bloody struggle. When quite a child Batteal and his parents started for the wilds of Kentucky. While waiting at his aunt's, in Wheeling, where they were to take the boat, she prevailed upon his parents, on account of the great danger from Indians, to leave the boy with her until the family were located and the danger had subsided. Two years after they returned for him, but he had become so attached to her that he refused to leave her; they even undertook to force him to accompany them, but she persuaded them to let him stay and they returned without him, and he remained with her until he was grown to be a man. Wishing to see his parents he started, first going to St. Clairsville, Ohio, then to Chillicothe, where, learning that his mother was dead, he abandoned the idea of going to Kentucky, recruited a company and entered the war of 1812, during which, in 1812 or 1813, he married Miss Elizabeth Scott, daughter of Dr. Joseph Scott, of Chillicothe, and after the war, in 1815, removed to the north fork of Paint Creek and settled on a tract of land located by John A. Fulton on a warrant obtained by the services of his father in the revolutionary war, and which during his (Batteal's) services in 1812, he employed Fulton to enter on the best vacant land, and by reason of his failure to do so, he sued him for breach of contract and recovered heavy damages. This tract of land was situated in Madison Township, on the north fork of Paint Creek near the center of the township on the Columbus pike, now occupied in part by Sheffelbarker. There were one thousand and forty acres in this body. He also owned six hundred acres not far from it and other pieces amounting in the aggregate to about two thousand two hundred acres.
He was one of the most prominent men in the county; served gloriously in the war of 1812 (which see), was elected one of the earliest associate justices of the court, at first a colonel, then commissioned a brigadier general of the home militia, and served several terms in the legislature, during which the following anecdote is related of him:
Harrison had one failing; honest and upright in all things, he had a strong liking for whisky. While he was a member of the legislature, and during a session of the same. Judge Green, then of Chillicothe but now a resident of Columbus, and also a member of the legislative body, introduced a bill which provided for the employment of a corps of men who were to make a geological survey of the state. Harrison opposed the measure, giving as his reasons that the general condition of the state and her inhabitants did not justify the commencement of the work at that time. It was discovered by the friends of the bill that it could not be passed unless Harrison was induced to alter his opinion regarding it. Green proposed that five or six of them meet in his room on a certain evening, Harrison was to be invited and liquor was to be furnished in abundance. On the appointed evening all the parties, including Harrison, met at Judge Green's rooms. After the guests had imbibed pretty freely of the liquor, the possibility of passing the "geological survey bill" was discussed and Harrison was importuned to use his influence in its support. The latter when driven to the wall would say: "Let's have another round of Judge Green's good whisky." His request was complied with several times in quick succession. Finally all the occupants of the room became very drunk, Harrison being more sober than his companions. Again they requested him earnestly to come over to their side of the question, to which he replied: "Well, General Green, let's have a little more of your whisky and then I'll talk about the 'geological survey.'" The bottle was passed; he took another drink and said: "Gentlemen, this is excellent whisky, and it is certainly very kind in General Green in supplying us with such a good article, but I will see you all eternally d—d before I will vote for that bill."
General Harrison lost his wife in 1851, he following in 1857. Three sons and one daughter are still living. William lives in Washington, this county; Benjamin, in Madison, Ohio, and David in Missouri. Their sister married Thomas Vance, still survives as his widow, and lives on a portion of the original tract owned by her father. John J., the youngest son, participated in the rebellion and died at Augusta, Georgia. Scott, captain of a regiment in the One Hundred and Fourteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, died in S— County, Missouri, October, 1878.
From R. S. Dills' History of Fayette County