Traine C. Kirk
One of the oldest families in the county is the Kirk family, who came here nearly one hundred years ago. James Kirk, the first of the family to locate in Fayette county, married Nancy Smith in Rockingham county, Virginia, and located on Paint creek, in Paint township, about 1811, a year after this county was organized. Thomas Kirk and wife reared a family of twelve children, Madison, Mrs. Jane Stanley, Raburn, Mrs. Charity Sellers, Augustus P., James S., Addie, Ward B., Henry, Alice, William and Dora.
Henry Kirk, the father of Traine C, of this record, was born in a log cabin on Paint creek June 23, 1821, and died in the same room in which he was born after a long and useful life in this county. He is now buried at VVashington C.H. Henry Kirk was a man of strong convictions and a Democrat of the Southern school. He firmly resolved never to sit on a jury with a negro, and kept that resolution throughout his whole life. At one time he was chosen as a jurist, but when he saw that there were already two negroes accepted for jury service he refused to serve. The judge told him that he could not excuse him on such grounds and that he must abide by the law or be imprisoned. One of the attorneys said the penalty might he made a fine and, upon the judge so deciding, Mr. Kirk paid his fine and left the court rather than sit in the jury with a negro. He also refused to accept a county or township office and upon being elected supervisor at one time paid a fine rather than serve. Henry Kirk and wife reared a family of six children. Mrs. Florence Marshall, Traine C, James E., Georgiana, Willard H. and Lucy P. Georgiana is a teacher in the Jeffersonville schools; Willard H. married Lillian Creamer and has one daughter, Adelaide; Lucy P. is the wife of A. C. Carr. Elmira Parrett, the wife of Henry Kirk, and the mother of these six children above mentioned, was the daughter of George Parrett.
Traine C. Kirk was born November 24, 1862, on the old Kirk farm, two and one-half miles south of Jeffersonville. He was born in the same house where his father was born in 1821. He attended the Smith school in his home neighborhood and later the Roebuck and Walnut Ridge schools. He then attended the high school at Jeffersonville, after which he spent one year in Valparaiso University, at Valparaiso, Indiana. He began farming for hiniself at the age of thirty on rented land and a few years later bought his present farm of one hundred and three acres on the Welt road near Jeffersonville. The farm is highly improved and he has always kept it in a high state of productivity by scientific crop rotation and commercial fertilizers. The farm is known throughout the county as the Poplar Grove farm, the name being chosen bv his two sons.
Mr. Kirk was married May 26. 1896, to Nora P. Eichelberger, the daughter of G. M. and Hannah (Coyner) Eichelberger, and to this union have been born two sons, Willard C. and Grayson L.
The Republican party claims the support of Mr. Kirk, but he has never been active in political matters. He is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Jeffersonville and a trustee of that denomination. He and his family have been prominent in all church and Sunday school work for several years. In fact, they actively identify themselves with all worthy movements which have for their end the betterment of the communitv in any way
From History of Fayette County Ohio - Her People, Industries and Institutions by Frank M. Allen (1914, R. F. Bowen & Company, Inc.)