"The proper study of mankind is man," said Pope, and aside from this, in its broader sense, what base of study and information have we? Genealogical research, then, has its value, be it in the tracing of an obscure and broken line, or the following back of the course of a noble and illustrious lineage, whose men have been valorous, whose women of gentle refinement. We of this twentieth century, democratic type cannot afford to scoff at or to hold in light esteem the bearing up of a scutcheon, upon whose fair face appears no sign of blot, and he should thus be the more honored who honors a noble name and the memory of noble deeds. The lineage of the subject of this review is one of most distinguished and interesting order, and no apology need be made in reverting to this in connection with the individual accomplishments of the subject himself.

His ancestry can be traced directly back to the royal families of Europe. Hugh Capet, King France, had a son, Robert, who also ascended the throne and was the father of the princess Adela, who married Baldwin V, of Flanders, and their daughter, Princess Matilda, became the wife of William, the Conqueror, the first King England. Their daughter, Princess Guidred of Normandy, married William de Warren, who was knighted earl of Surrey by William Rufus, King of England. They had a son, William, the second earl of Warren and Surrey, who married Lady Isabel de Vermandois, widow of Robert, Earl of Mellent, and daughter of Hubert, fourth count de Vermandois, by Lady Alice, his wife, and the daughter of Hugh the Great, count de Vermandois, son of Henry, first King of France. Among their children was Lady Adaline, or Ada de Warren, who married Henry, prince of Scotland. In another branch the ancestry is traced down from Alfred, King of England, through Edward, Edmund, Edgar, Ethelred II, Edmund II, and Edward, the exiled prince of England, whose daughter, Margaret, became the wife of Malcolm III of Scotland and the mother of St. David, King of Scotland, who married Lady Adaline de Warren. Their son, David, earl of Huntington was the father of Isabel, who married Robert, lord of'Annandale, and they were the parents of Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, whose son, Robert Bruce, became King of Scotland. The last named was the father of Mary, wife of Walter, lord high steward, and their son became Robert II, King of Scotland, who married Lady Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Adam Mure, knight of Rowalton. Their son, Robert Stuart, duke of Albany and earl of Monteith and Fife and regent of Scotland, was born in 1339 and died in 1419. He married Lady Margaret, granddaughter of Alan, earl of Montieth, and their son, Murdock Stuart, became second duke of Albany and governor of Scotland. He married Lady Isabel, daughter of Duncan, earl of Lenox, and their daughter, Lady Isabel Stuart, became the wife of Sir Walter Buchanan, twelfth laird of Buchanan.

Forgallus, the one hundred and fifty-sixth monarch of all Ireland, who was killed 718, A. D., by Morock, King of Leinster, had a son, Conchobhar, prince of Leiman, Modaidh and Londonderry, brother of Mall Frasach, one hundred and sixty-second monarch of Ireland. He died A. D. 773, and from him the line is traced down through Hruagain, Dungan, Cathain and Cathusach O'Cathain or O'Kyan to Dermond O'Kyan, King of the southern part of Ulster. His son was Anselan Buey O'Kyan or O'Bocainain, which name has been anglicized to the form Buchanan. He succeeded as provincial King of south Ulster and took part as a soldier of Turgesius, the Danish general, and his army at Limerick, and with his followers was compelled to flee to Scotland, in 1016. Soon afterward he entered the service of King Malcolm II against the Danes. He so signalized himself in his monarch's service that he gained from him many grants of land in the northern part of Scotland as a reward, among which were the lands of Pitwhonidy and Strathyre, and was recognized as the first laird of Buchanan. He married the daughter of the laird of Denniestown and their son, John, the second laird of Buchanan, was the next in the line of descent, which is traced down through Anselan, Walter, Gerald, McBeath and Anselan, all of whom were lairds of Buchanan. The last named was chamberlain to Maldwin, earl of Lenox, in 1225, and obtained a charter from him for an island in Loch Lomond, which he called Clareinch, the slughorn or war cry of the family of Buchanan. His son, Gilbert Buchanan, the eighth laird of Buchanan, was the first to assume the surname. He succeeded his father as seneschal or chamberlain to the earl of Lenox. His son, Sir Maurice Buchanan, knight and the ninth laird, was the father of Sir Maurice Buchanan, who became the tenth laird and married the second daughter of Sir John de Menteith, who died in 1324, and was the second son of Walter Stuart, earl of Menteith in 1258. The third son of Walter Stuart was lord high steward of Scotland, and his wife, Lady Beatrice, daughter of Gilchrist, earl of Angus, and his wife, daughter of Maritius, earl of Menteith, Walter Buchanan, knight, and eleventh laird of Buchanan, had a son, John Buchanan. He married Lady Janet, the daughter of John Buchanan, laird of Lenny, and their son, Sir Walter Buchanan, knight and laird of Buchanan and of Lenny, married Lady Isabella Stewart, granddaughter of Murdoch, second duke of Albany and governor of Scotland. Thomas Buchanan was the third son and younger brother of Patrick, thirteenth laird of Buchanan, from whom he had, in 1461, a grant of the lands of Gartincober. In 1476 he was the first laird of Carbeth. His son, John Buchanan of Easter-Ballat, is a second son and the younger brother of Thomas, second laird of Carbeth, died before his brother, leaving a son, Thomas Buchanan, who succeeded as Third laird of Carbeth, in 1555. By his second wife, Janet, a daughter of the laird of Buchanan, he had a son, John Buchanan, of Gartincober, eldest son, who was a half brother of Thomas, fourth laird of Carbeth and a brother of William Buchanan of Blairnborn, whose grandson, Archibald Buchanan, settled in Virginia.

Among the members of the family there is a tradition that at an early date there came from Scotland to America three brothers: William Buchanan, who settled in Pennsylvania; James, who took up his abode in Virginia, and John or George, who became a resident of Tennessee. James Buchanan, of Rockbridge county, Virginia, married Isabella Hall and lived on land which was part of the Ben Burden grant from the crown of England. They had eleven children, as follows: William lived and died on the old homestead; James, who located near the present site of Lockington, Shelby county, Ohio, was married and about 1840 removed to Elkhart, Noble county, Indiana, where he and his wife died; Andrew emigrated to Kentucky and served in a company of mounted volunteers in the service of the United States for seventy days in the expedition under command of Major-General William Henry Harrison near Canada in the war of 1812, when that company was attached to the Fourth Regiment of Kentucky Volunteers, performing his duties faithfully as a soldier, and was honorably discharged from the service on the 8th of November, 1813. Later he removed to Missouri. He was married and his son, James Archibald, resided in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the early '60s. Later he lived for a short time in Piqua, but afterward returned to Indiana. George was the next of the family. John, who remained on the old homestead in Virginia, married Rhoda Corby, of Augusta county, Virginia, and had a family of eight children. In 1859-60 he visited Ohio, accompanied by his son, John Rice. Jane became the wife of James Parks. Mary became Mrs. Walker and afterward married John Rice. Isabel became Mrs. Scroggan. Hannah married Adam Reed, of Eaton, Ohio. Nancy married John Acton, of Eaton. Paxi Washington married Samuel Pettigrew.

Colonel George Buchanan, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Rockbridge county, Virginia, not far from the natural bridge, April 23, 1781. He was the fourth son of James and Isabel (Hall) Buchanan. On the 23d of June, 1803, he married Nancy Cassady, who was born in Rockbridge county December 16, 1782. They came across the mountains on horseback and settled in Marietta, Ohio, whence they removed to Deerfield, Warren county, where their first child, James Harvey, was born December 20, 1804. The following year they removed to West Milton, Miami county, where they remained until after the Indian war of 1812. During the time of that war George Buchanan raised a company of volunteers and received a commission as captain, having his company enrolled, drilled and ready for service before the formal declaration of war was made. For the protection of the settlers he built a block house or fort, which was called Fort Buchanan, on the present site of Covington. For some time he and his command occupied that fort. He was also stationed at Greenville for a part of the time and after the war he served as an officer in the militia in the early days of Miami county. He was a man of great courage and integrity, strong and fearless and of decided character, and a natural leader, who was recognized as a very energetic and useful man in civil as well as military circles. He purchased a farm on section 6, Newberry township, whither he removed his family in 1830, there residing until July 20, 1862, when he died, respected by all who knew him. The old sword and epaulets worn by Colonel George Buchanan are now in possession of George David Buchanan, of Sidney, Ohio. Their presentation to the present owner was made in a very impressive manner. In the summer of 1861, just a few weeks before his death, when he had grown too feeble to walk without help, he left his bed and crept on his hands and knees up the stairway. True to the character of the successful army officer, he did not make known to any one the purpose of his mission up stairs, but a little later he came into the room where the family were assembled and addressing his grandson, whom he always called by his middle name, said: "David, I have brought down my sword and epaulets, which I carried in the war of 1812, and placed them in the bureau drawer of the west room. You will find them in the second drawer from the bottom. I present them to you as a keepsake to remember me by. I want you to keep them as long as you live. The sword is in its scabbard and I want you never to unsheath it unless in defense of your country."

The children of Colonel George and Nancy (Cassady) Buchanan were: James, who was born December 20, 1804, and was married January 5, 1826, to Joanna Hall, eldest daughter of William and Mary (Cammack) Hall; George Washington, who was born December 2I, 1805, and died in infancy; William Madison, who was born February 10, 1807, and died in infancy; Alexander Hueston, who was born October 26, 1809, and died in infancy; Isabella, who was born January 11, 1811, and became the wife of Nathan W. Perry April 30, 1829, and died May 12, 1854; Mary, of Rochester, Indiana, who married Frederic Sinks, and after his death wedded Adolphus Stone; John Harrison, who was a twin brother of Mary, and died in infancy; Eliza Jane, who was born January 31, 1815, and is the deceased wife of George Dively, her death having occurred May 28, 1892; Nancy, who was born April 16, 1816, and died in November, 1886, and was the wife of James McClary; David Jackson; Hannah Lavinia, of Macy, Indiana, who was born May 21, 1819, and became the wife Job Stahl, and after his death wedded A. Horton; and Cynthia Ann, who was born May 15, 1822, and died October 18, 1848.

James Harvey Buchanan, the eldest child of Colonel George Buchanan, was married January 5, 1826, to Joanna, the eldest daughter of William and Mary (Cammack) Hall. Her father was born in the Newberry district of South Carolina March 29, 1763, died March 3, 1858, when nearly ninety-five years of age. His wife, born October 12, 1775, died March 4, 1850, in her seventy-fifth year. They were married in October, 1792, in North Carolina, and their children were James, who was born December 13, 1794, and died December 13, 1854; John, who was born January 8, 1797, and died February 12, 1812; Joanna, born November 1, 1799, and died April 17, 1878; Dorothy, born May 20, 1802, and died February 17, 1859; Mary, born February 20, 1805, and died October 18, 1874; Hannah, born November 1, 1807, and died April 23, 1850; Samuel, born March 12, 1812, and died March 23, 1864; Sarah Ann, born September 14, 1814, and died March 12, 1874; William Hall, born December 27, 1817, and died April 2, 1846. The Buchanan-Hall marriage was celebrated at the residence of the bride's parents in Montgomery county, Ohio, and on the 16th of November, of the same year, they removed to a farm which they had previously purchased in Newberry township, Miami county, on a part of which the Union church now stands, while adjoining this is the old burying ground. Only a few acres of the land had been cleared and the improvements consisted of a log house of one room, in which, however, was a fireplace with a hearth of large dimensions, over which hung a long frame, which was a source of curiosity to the children in later years. Here the young couple lived, developing not only their farm but also characters worthy of the highest respect. Their home was frequently the place of entertainment for ministers who visited the settlement, and oftentimes religious meetings were held in their dwelling. As the years went by several additions were made to the house, a story was added and portions built, until now it is a large and roomy old homestead, rich in its memories, standing on a hill among tall trees, many of which were planted by the grandfather; but whether the house was large or small the hearts of the inmates always extended a warm welcome to visitors and the bountifully spread board furnished many an inviting meal, for Grandmother Buchanan was well known throughout this and adjoining counties for her superior ability as a cook,-- a talent which has been inherited by her daughters. James Harvey Buchanan was a carpenter, and in addition to building his own house and making his own furniture he frequently worked at his trade in his vicinity and also near West Milton, while his good wife managed the affairs of the family and farm until his return. She was a woman of excellent executive ability, well qualified for her work. Both lived to an advanced age and witnessed the remarkable growth and improvement of the county. Here amidst the vicissitudes inseparable from the pioneer life, in a home which soon became the center of art and culture, they reared the majority of their six children.

The children of Colonel Buchanan's youngest child are: William Warren Volney, who married Phoebe Dye and has children; George Preston, who married Eliza Gibson and afterward Susanna Tobias, having children by both marriages; Mary, wife of John Nicholson, by whom she has two children; Mary, wife of Wesley M. Deboe; James Harvey, who died in 1848; and Nancy Jane, who became the wife of J. King and has children.

The children of William W. V. and Phoebe (Dye) Buchanan are: Alvin Curtis, who married Anabel Shoemaker and has children; James Dorsey, who married Emazetta Cox and has children; Carra Belle, wife of Jeremiah S. Shearer, by whom she has children; Anne Catherine, deceased; and Frank and Lulu, twins. The former married Olive Orchard.

The children of A. C. and Annabel (Shoemaker) Buchanan are: Warren Thomas, Mary Belle, Eva Viola, Kate Dye, Augusta Rebecca, William Leonard, Charles Franklin, Marguerite, George David and Emma Estella.

J. D. and Emmazetta (Cox) Buchanan have five children: Bessie Pearl; John Robinson, deceased; Herbert Ward; Mary Helen and Edna Marie.

J. S. and Belle C. Buchanan have three children: J. Warren and Eva Lulu, both deceased, and Florence Katrina.

Frank and Olive (Orchard) Buchanan have two children: Lenore and Ralph.

G. P. and Mary Eliza (Gibson) Buchanan had three children: William Insco, who married Lulu Williams and has two children, Florence and William Donald; Ralph Lane, who married Charlotte Koster and they have a daughter, Lillian; and Alexander, the youngest, deceased. After the death of the mother George P. Buchanan married Susanna Tobias and has one son, who married Bessie Thompson and has three children, Jean, Hazel and James.

John and Henrietta (Nicholson) Buchanan had two children: Emma Isadore, deceased wife of William Hart, by whom she had two children, Clarence and Eva Florence; William Preston, who married Carrie Shipley and has two daughters, Maude Blanche and Glenna Marie.

A. J. and N. Jennie (Buchanan) King had a daughter, Mabel Adale.

David Jackson Buchanan, the father of our subject, was born October 5, 1817, at Milton, Miami county, and when about twelve years of age went with his parents to Newberry township, where he grew to manhood. He aided in the operation of the home farm, and when his father became too old to care for the property he assumed its management and continued its cultivation until 1875, when he removed to Covington, where he lived until the death of his wife, October 16, 1885, when he moved back on the old farm, where he lived until his death, July 18, 1899. He married Minerva Hershbarger, the wedding taking place in 1846. The lady was born in Augusta county, Virginia, in 1818, and with her parents came to Miami county, Ohio, when a little maiden of six summers. She was a daughter of John and Rachel Hershbarger, both natives of Virginia, whence they emigrated to Miami county in 1824, locating in Newberry township, where the father entered a tract of canal land, now owned by Uriah Rhodes. He died in March, 1858, in his seventieth year, and his wife died May 6, 1859, at the age of sixty-nine years. Their children were as follows: Rachel Ann, who died at the age of three years; Levi Hueston; John A.; George David, a resident of Boston, Massachusetts; James E., who is living in Toledo, Ohio; and William Perry, of Philadelphia.

Levi H. Buchanan, whose name introduces this review, was born February 10, 1849, and was reared amid pleasant home surroundings. He acquired his preliminary education in the Hart school, No. 13, and completed his studies in Covington. He was reared in the usual manner of farmer lads, early becoming familiar with the labors of the field and meadow, and in his youth he also learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed for a time. As a companion and helpmeet on life's journey he chose Miss Susanna Seas, the marriage taking place in Newberry township January 11, 1872. She was born March 17, 1850, near Georgetown, Miami county, and is a daughter of Jacob and Christina (Mishler) Seas, who resided in Newberry township. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan has been blessed with four children: Oren Francis, who was born June 2, 1873, and is living in Newberry township, married Cammie Zimmerman and has one child, Otis Ray; Elmer Ray, born October 16, 1877, is at home; a son born January 9, 1881, died in infancy; Alpha Earl, born February 4, 1890, is now attending school.

About 1875 Mr. Buchanan located on his share of the old homestead farm and resides in the picturesque old residence which for many years has looked forth on the surrounding country, a mute witness of the changes that have occurred through the past decades. When his father died, in Covington, Mr. Buchanan assumed the management of the entire farm of one hundred and sixty acres and operated it until it was divided, about 1882. He is an enterprising and progressive farmer and is an esteemed citizen, who is found true to every relation of life. He and his wife hold membership in the Dunkard church, and in his politics he is a Democrat.