Thomas Alexander Arthurs
The late Thomas Alexander Arthurs, who died at his farm home in Cedarville township in 1906, was a native son of Ohio and had lived in this state all his life, a resident of Greene county since the days of his young manhood. He was born in the city of Springfield, in the neighboring county of Clark, August 2, 1850, son of Thomas Alexander and Jane (Taggart) Arthurs, whose last days were spent there.
The elder Thomas Alexander Arthurs was born in County Armagh. Ireland, as was his wife. They were married in their native land and then, in 1847, came to the United States and proceeded on out to Ohio, locating in Springfield, where they established their home and where they spent the remainder of their lives. They were the parents of three children, all of whom are now deceased, the subject of this memorial sketch having had a brother, Robert, and a sister, Annie, who died in April, 1917, wife of J. G. Nelson.
The younger Thomas Alexander Arthurs was reared in Springfield and received his schooling in the local schools. As a young man he came down into Greene county and here was married. He later became engaged in farming in Cedarville township, farming for nine years on one farm and for eleven years on another and then in 1904 bought the farm on which his widow is now living, known as the Dan McMillan farm of one hundred and forty-three acres, and there continued his operations until his death, which occurred on June 18, 1906. Mr. Arthurs was a Democrat and for some time served as director in his home school district. He was affiliated with the Congregational church at Springfield.
On November 6, 1876, in this county, Thomas A. Arthurs was united in marriage to Jane Mathison, who was born in Perthshire, Scotland, and who was but a child when she came to this country with her parents, John and Catherine (Blair) Mathison, in 1852, the family locating at Tiffin, Ohio. Three years after taking up his residence at Tiffin John Mathison died. His widow later married James Anderson and in 1858 came to Greene county, where she spent tlie remainder of her life, she being eighty-six years of age at the time of her death. By her first marriage she was the mother of four children, of whom Mrs. Arthurs was the last-born, the others having been Mary (deceased), John (deceased) and Jessie, who married Charles Stewart. By her second marriage she was the mother of one child, a daughter, Rebecca, wife of Joseph Adams, of Yellow Springs.
To Thomas A. and Jane (Mathison) Arthurs were bom five children, namely: Warren, who married Genevieve Harvey and is now living at South Charleston, in the neighboring county of Clark, where he is engaged as manager of the Houston store; Stewart Thomas, who is at home running the farm; Eva Jane, also at home; Mary Belle, who died in the days of her girlhood, and Dr. John Robert Arthurs, who was graduated from the Selma high school and from the dental department of Ohio State University and for the past four years or more has been practicing his profession as a dental surgeon at Dayton. Doctor Arthurs married Goldie Line and has one child, a son, John Robert. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Arthurs has continued to make her home on the home farm. She is a member of the Reformed Presbvterian church at Cedarville.
From Portrait and Biographical Album of Clark and Greene Counties, Chapman Bros., Chicago, published 1890