Joseph McCormick
the son of Adam McCormick and Margaret Ellison, his wife, was born in 1841 in Cincinnati. He was an only child. As a child, he lived a part of the time in Cincinnati and a part of the time in West Union. He is said to have attended college at Marietta. In 1831 and 1832, he was at Pine Grove Furnace, ostensibly as a store-keeper. He studied law soon after this under Nelson Barrere and was admitted to the bar in about 1835. Directly after his admission to the bar, he located in Portsmouth, where he remained for only a few months. He then went to Cincinnati and remained there most of the time until 1838 when he be came prosecuting attorney of Adams County. In 1843 he was again prosecuting attorney of Adams County, first by appointment and afterwards by election, until 1845; On May 20, 1840, he was married to Elizabeth Smith, sister of Judge John M. Smith, of West Union. They had three children, two sons and a daughter, born in Adams County, but only one survived to maturity, Adam Ellison, born January 31, 1843. He was a fine looking man, of magnificent physique, an Apollo Belvidere, but the bane of his life was the drink habit. His father died in July, 1849, of the Asiatic cholera and left a large estate, which was disposed of by will. He gave a life estate in it to his son, Joseph, with the remainder over to his grandchildren, Adam and Mary, the latter of whom died at the age of ten years. He made Judge George Collings trustee of his estate and directed him that in case his son should reform his present unfortunate habit as to drinking, he was to turn the whole estate over to him. That event, however, never occurred and the estate was held by the trustee until his death, when it was turned over to his son, Adam. He was elected to the Constitutional Convention in 1850 from Adams County, where he served with much distinction. On May 5, 1851, he was appointed, by Governor Wood, attorney general for the state of Ohio in place of Henry Stansberry, whose term had expired. He served about seven months, until George E. Pugh, the first attorney general under the new constitution was elected and qualified. At the time of Mr. McCormick's appointment, the salary of the office was $750. Henry Stansberry was the first attorney general appointed in 1846, and Mr. McCormick was the second.
In about 1857, he left Adams County and went to the state of Cali fornia, where he remained until his death in 1879. His wife and son continued to reside in Manchester from 1857 until 1872 when she died.
From "History of Adams County, Ohio from its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time" - by Nelson W. Evans and Emmons B. Stivers - West Union, Ohio - Published by E. B. Stivers - 1900