Excerpt from A Centennial Biographical History of Richland County, Ohio UT of the depths of his mature wisdom Carlyle wrote History is the essence of innumerable biographies. Believing this to be the fact, there is no necessity of advancing any further reason for the compilation of such a work as this, if reliable history is to be the ultimate object. The section of Ohio embraced by this volume has sustained within its confines men who have been prominent in the history of the State, and even the nation, for a century. The annals teem with the records of strong and noble manhood, and, as Sumner has said, the true grand eur of. Nations is in those qualities which constitute the greatness of the individual. The final causes which shape the fortunes of individuals and the destinies of States are often the same. They are usually remote and obscure, and their influence scarcely perceived until manifestly declared by results. That nation is the greatest which produces the greatest and most manly men and faithful women; and the intrinsic safety of a community depends not so much upon methods as upon that normal development from the deep resources of which proceeds all that is precious and perma manent in life. But such a result may not consciously be contemplated by the actors in-the great social drama. Pursuing each his personal good by exalted means, they work out as a logical result. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.