David H. McFarland
David H. McFarland, mayor of Cedarville, justice of the peace in and for Cedarville township, a former member of the town council and for years a building contractor at Cedarville, was born in that village and has lived there all his life. He was born on December 16, 1850, son of Robert Patterson and Emily (Booth) McFarland, both of whom were members of pioneer families in that part of the county.
Robert Patterson McFarland was born on a farm two and one-half miles east of Cedarville, a son of Robert McFarland and wife, the latter of whom was a White and both of whom were born in the vicinity of Lexington, Kentucky. Robert McFarland was a son of Arthur McFarland, who came to this country from Scotland, the land of his birth, and after a sometime residence in Kentucky came up into Ohio with his family and settled on a track of land south of Cedarville, in this county, where he spent the rest of his life. Arthur McFarland and wife were members of the Christian church and were the parents of eleven children, Clark, Joseph, Lewis, Robert, William. James, Priscilla, Ann, Lavina, Emily and Cynthia. Robert McFarland established his home on a farm two and one-half miles east of Cedarville and there he and his wife reared their family and spent the rest of their lives, he living to be eighty-three years of age. Their son, Robert P. McFarland, grew up on that farm and afterward became a wagon-maker, establishing a shop at Cedarville, where for many years he was thus engaged. He was a Republican and held various public offices of a local character. By religious persuasion he was a Methodist. Robert P. McFarland married Emily Booth, who also was born in Cedarville township, a daughter of Caleb Booth, who died at his home five miles east of Cedarville when forty-five years of age. Caleb Booth was twice married. By his first marriage he had one child, a daughter, Mrs. Rainey. After the death of his first wife he married her sister and to that union were born six children, Belle. Emily, Ann, David, John and Alfonso. To Robert B. and Emily (Booth) McFarland were born five children, namely: Calvin, deceased; David Henry, the immediate subject of this biographical sketch; Mary, wife of Charles W. Harris, a retired farmer living at Cedarville; Charles B., who died at his farm home in the neighboring county of Clark in February, 1911, and William Edgar, who is now farming in the vicinity of Everson, Montana.
David H. McFarland was reared at Cedarville and received his schooling in the village schools. He learned the trade of wagon-making under the direction of his father and for some years was engaged in working in his father's shop. In 1873 he married and began working on his own account as a building contractor and has ever since been engaged in that vocation, many of the principal buildings in and about Cedarville having been built under his direction, among these works having been the reconstruction of the Whitelaw Reid home. Mr. McFarland is a Republican, and for the past six years has been serving as mayor of his home town and for an equal length of time has been justice of the peace in and for Cedarville township. He also has served as a member of the common council, as a member of the school board and for fifteen years as local health officer.
In 1873 David H. McFarland was united in marriage to Eleanor J. Owen, who also was born in Cedarville, daughter of John S. and Jane (Butler) Owen, who came to this county from Butler county, Virginia, and located at Cedarville, where they spent the remainder of their lives, John S. Owen there following the blacksmith trade and the practice of veterinarv surgery. John S. Owen and wife had six children, those besides Mrs. McFarland, the last in order of birth, being James (deceased), John (deceased), Alexander, Catherine and Susan. To David H. and Eleanor J. (Owen) McFarland have been born six children, namely: Berton E., who married Daisy Ford and is living at Cedarville, where he is engaged as foreman for the Cedarville Lime Company, having formerly and for years been the assistant agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at that place; Arthur B., a painter, now living at Dayton, this state; Aletha J., who married William Parkman and is also living at Dayton; Merle, who is at home; Albert Raymond, who is now living at Columbus, this state, where he is engaged as auditor in the office of the State Savings and Trust Bank, and William Leroy, a cartoonist, who was killed in an elevator accident at Columbus in 1909, he then being twenty-four years of age. Miss Merle McFarland completed her schooling at Oxford and began teaching in Clark county, but for the past six or seven years has been engaged as a teacher in the Cedarville schools. The McFarlands are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
From History of Greene County Ohio, Its People, Industries and Institutions, vol. 2. M.A.Broadstone, editor. B.F.Bowen & Co., Indianapolis. 1918