William Burton, farmer; P. O. Box Casstown; born in North Carolina Dec. 23, 1799; a son of Thomas and Phoebe (McCrary) Burton, both probably born in North Carolina; he lived and died in his native state, but she came to Ohio, where she departed this life in the house now occupied by William. The ancestry on the father's side were probably from Wales; Thomas and Phoebe were parents of only one child, William; the mother, Phoebe, with her second husband, Z. Brevard, removed from North Carolina to Miami County in Nov., 1816 and located in Elizabeth Township; thence to Lost Creek Township, and finally to Troy, where they died in 1840; they had one child, Thomas. Mr. Burton, our subject, came to this county with his mother and step-father and remained with them till October, 1823, when his union with Elizabeth Saunders was celebrated; she was a daughter of Theodore and Catharine (Holstrin) Saunders, who were born in Pennsylvania; by this union they had ten children, of whom six are now living, viz., Joel, Phoebe, Martha, George, William and John; he lost his wife by death in 1841. In 1842 was married to Elizabeth Knoop, daughter of Benjamin and Christiana (Holstrin) Knoop, who were among the very earliest pioneers of the county; the daughter, Elizabeth, born April 13, 1799 was the first white female child born in Miami Co.; he lost his second wife by death Nov. 7, 1860; Aug. 11, 1861 was celebrated his third marriage with Mary Collins, daughter of Cornelius and Nancy (Keith) Collins, who were natives of Virginia; by which union they have two children, viz., Joseph and Nancy; Mr. Burton, after his first marriage, located in Elizabeth Township, where he resided till 1827, when he bought the farm upon which he now lives and where he has resided for fifty three years; he has an excellent farm of 130 acres; Mr. Burton is one who has had the confidence of the people, having held offices of Supervisor, Township Trustee, and Justice of the Peace, the latter of which he held for nine years. In religious belief, he is a Universalist, having been a member of the church for over thirty years; politically, he is a staunch Democrat, having, as he says, "been such from my mother's breast." We here have the record of another of the early settlers of Miami Co., by marriage connected with the very pioneers of the county; his second wife, as stated above, was the first white female child born in this county.