William H. Creswell
The beginnings of the Creswell family in Greene county date from the coming of Mrs. Catherine Creswell, a widow, with her eight children, two sons, James and Samuel, and six daughters, up here from Scott county, Kentucky, in the days of the beginning of the past century, the family thus being numbered among the first to settle here. Mrs. Catherine Creswell was a Pennsylvanian, as was her husband, James Creswell. They had settled in Kentucky and were there members of the widespread congregation of Seceders to which the Rev. Robert Armstrong ministered before he came up here and settled on Massies creek, many of the members of his congregation having previously come up here to escape slavery conditions in Kentucky and more coming after he had established his church on Massies creek and on Sugar creek. James Creswell was slain by Indians in Kentucky and his widow later came here with her children and settled on what is now the Jackson farm west of Cedarville. Her son James married Ann Junkin, daughter of Lancelot Junkin and wife, the latter of whom was a Galloway, Pennsylvanians, who had come here with the Galloways in 1797, and after his marriage in 1811 settled on the farm at what is now the crossing of the Federal pike and the Cedarville and Jamestown road, two and one-half miles southeast of Cedarville. There his pioneer mother spent her last days and there he and his wife also spent the remainder of their lives. James Creswell died in 1866. He and his wife were the parents of five children, of whom Samuel Creswell, father of the subject of this sketch, was the fourth in order of birth, all of which is set out, together with much additional matter of a historical and genealogical character relating to the Creswells in this county, in a biographical sketch relating to James H. Creswell, elder brother of the subject of this sketch, presented elsewhere in this volume.
Samuel Creswell was born on the old Creswell home farm, now owned and occupied by his son, George H. Creswell, a biographical sketch of whom also is presented elsewhere, and there he spent all his life, having established his home there after his marriage in 1846 to Eliza Jane Hufifman, who also spent her last days there, her death occurring on August 10, 1910, she then being eighty-three years of age. Samuel Creswell survived his wife about two years, his death occurring on July 16, 1912, he then being ninety-two years of age. As is set out elsewhere, he and his wife were the parents of ten children, mention of whom is made in the sketch of the elder son referred to above.
William H. Creswell, seventh in order of birth of the ten children born to Samuel and Eliza Jane (Huffman) Creswell, was born on the old Cresswell farm in Cedarville township on February 26, 1859, and there grew to manhood. He completed his schooling in the Cedarville high school and remained at home until after his marriage in 1887, when he bought a tract of sixty-five acres adjoining his father's place on the southeast, built a house on the same and there established his home. Since entering upon possession of that place Mr. Creswell has enlarged his land holdings until now he is the owner of one hundred and ninety acres. In 1902 he remodeled and enlarged his dwelling house, which is equipped with an electric-lighting plant and everything "ship-shape." In addition to his general farming Mr. Creswell has for years given considerable attention to the breeding of Poland China hogs for stock purposes. By political affiliation he is a Republican, with well-defined leanings toward the principles of the Prohibition party.
On June 7, 1887, William H. Creswell was united in marriage to Flora Sterrett, who was born in Muskingum county, this state, daughter of John and Rebecca Sterrett, both now deceased, who many years ago moved from Ohio to Johnson county, Kansas, where their daughter Flora grew to womanhood and where she married Mr. Creswell. To that union three children have been born, Howard, Andrew and Helen, all of whom are living. Howard Creswell, who is now living on a part of his father's farm, is a graduate of Cedarville College. He married Mary Ellen Lownes, also a Cedarville graduate, and has two children, Mary Helen and Alice Rachel. The second son, the Rev. Andrew Creswell, was graduated from Cedarville College and from the United Presbyterian Theological Seminary at Pittsburgh and is now pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian church at Coulterville, Illinois. He married Mary Eleanor Wilson, of Columbus, this state. Miss Helen Creswell was graduated from the Cedarville high school and is now a student in Cedarville College. The Creswells are members of the Reformed Presbyterian church at Cedarville, with the congregation of which the family has been identified ever since the church was established there more than a hundred vears ago, and Mr. Creswell is one of the ruling elders of the congregation.
From History of Greene County Ohio, Its People, Industries and Institutions, vol. 2. M.A. Broadstone, editor. B. F. Bowen & Co., Indianapolis. 1918