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Surnames: Marsh Borton Tetirick Wire
Classification: Biography
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/gh.2ADI/5920
Message Board Post:
Elisha Marsh, a prominent resident of Jefferson Township for thirty-seven years, was born
in Guernsey County, Ohio, December 11, 1827. His parents were Jesse and Rachel (Borton)
Marsh, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and was a Quaker; the latter was a native of
New Jersey, also reared a Quaker. They were quite young when their parents moved to
Guernsey County, Ohio, and were reared in that county. The father of Jesse was Enoch and
the mother Phebe Marsh. Jesse and Rachel were married in Guernsey County, Ohio, and
resided there until 1836, when they removed to Grant County, Ind., and settled in
Washington Township; all of that part of the county was a wilderness then, but the sturdy
pioneer went to work with a will and soon made a showing in the wilderness. Mr. Marsh
began life a very poor man. About 1809 he was married and was just beginning to get a
start in life when the War of 1812 broke out, and Mr. Marsh being compelled to hire a
substitute it compelled him t!
o part with his last house, but he never lost his courage and when he was called away in
1852, he was in comfortable circumstances. When he arrived in Grant County he entered
1,400 acres of land, and together with his large family worked very hard to improve it.
Elisha, our subject, was the ninth child in a family of fourteen children. As stated he
accompanied his parents to Grant County when about ten years of age, and spent his boyhood
and youth amid the hardships of pioneer days. At the age of twenty-two he began to do for
himself, by engaging at farm work. On June 2d, 1849, he was united in marriage with Miss
Charity Tetirick, daughter of John and Mary (Borton) Tetirick, the former a native of
Pennsylvania, and the latter a native of New Jersey, Charity was born in Guernsey County,
Ohio, July 17, 1828, where she spent her young life, and returned to Grant County with her
step-father, George Wire, and her mother in 1846. This union was blessed with ten
children: M!
artha, Mary, Lavina, George and Minnie (twins), Enoch, Reuben, Elias,
of whom Mary and two infants unnamed, are deceased. Politically Mr. Marsh is a staunch
Republican, and firmly upholds the principles of that party, but never sought political
honors. He removed upon, and purchased the farm he now resides upon in 1850; this was
heavily timbered land and required an unlimited amount of hard labor to clear up a home.
He moved into a very rude cabin with a puncheon floor, and Mr. Marsh says to-day that he
never remembered seeing a worse abode. This he was compelled to live in for three or four
years; many a day he would work in the clearing and spend half the night in burning brush.
We have no hesitancy in saying that undoubtedly Mr. Marsh has done more hard work than
any other man in the township, and it is said today that he has split rails enough to
fence the township. He has assisted in laying out almost all the public highways in the
township. We now find Mr. Marsh owning a fine farm in Section 19. He and his venerable
wife, who has!
constantly stood by his side through adversity and prosperity, have reared a large
family and have set an example for them to follow when they have passed away. Honest and
upright in all his dealings. Mr. Marsh now holds the respect of the entire community. He
bids fair to live and enjoy many years of happy old age where they have spent the best
part of their life in making a comfortable home. Mrs. Marsh owns a copper kettle that
belonged to her grand mother, Charity Borton, that is 150 years old and a valuable relic.
History of Huntington County, Indiana. (Brant and Fuller; Chicago, IL). 1887.
Biographical Sketches Jefferson Township. Page 681 and 682.