LEVI DIVENS, residing on a farm of eighty acres in Section 23, of Newton Township, is a progressive farmer and a well known citizen. He was born in Newton Township April 18, 1864, and is a son of Samuel and Mary (Switzer) Divens.

Samuel Divens was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, April 13, 1811. He came from Pennsylvania when a young man of twenty years and at the age of forty-nine years September 16, 1860 he was married to Miss Mary Switzer and settled down in Newton Township, where he lived the remainder of his life. He died there April 17, 1885, and lies buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery. He was a member of the German Baptist Church. In politics he was a Republican. His wife Mary was a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Konkle) Switzer, and they had three children, Ella, Levi and William. Mrs. Divens now resides at Pleasant Hill.

Levi Divens attended the Fairview School west of Pleasant Hill, and after leaving school farmed for his father until his marriage. He then located on the sixty-five-acre farm on which his father had lived, and continued to reside there for thirteen years. He and his wife then purchased the eighty-acre farm where they now live from Frank M. Blackmore. It is a well improved farm, provided with a good comfortable residence and other substantial buildings, and is under a high state of cultivation except four acres which is still in timber. Mr. Divens is engaged in general farming and tobacco raising, having about eight acres devoted to the latter commodity each year.

October 1, 1891, Levi Divens was married to Huldah Mowery, a daughter of Martin L. and Elizabeth (Ullery) Mowery. and they have had seven children whose record in brief is as follows: May Virgil and Ray Virgin (twins) were born June 30, 1892. Ray Virgin died July 8, 1892, aged eight days; May Virgil died July 17, 1892, aged seventeen days. Leroy was born August 24, 1893, and died May 31, 1894, aged nine months and seven days. The living children are: Treva Blanche, Iva Pearl, Hazel Irene, Clarence Arthur, all of whom are attending the public school. Religiously, the family attends the Brethren Church. Politically, the subject of this sketch is a Republican.