WILLIAM B. HAWN, a leading citizen of Bethel Township, who successfully operates a valuable farm of eighty acres, which lies in Section 19, near Phoneton, on the National Road, was born August 22, 1844, in Bethel Township, Miami County, Ohio, and is a son of John and Margaret (Saylor) Hawn.

John Hawn was born in Pennsylvania and in young manhood came to Miami County and secured farm work with the old Knoop family. Following his marriage, he moved to Bethel Township and bought 172 acres of land, all of which he cleared. He was a man of unusual energy and robustness; in addition to clearing his land and putting it under cultivation, he engaged in milling and blacksmithing. He also found time and opportunity to serve his country in time of war, and went out with an Ohio company in the War o f 1812, returning home unharmed. He died when aged seventy-three years, having been respected from youth into old age. He served his township as school director for a number of years, but would not accept other public office. He married a daughter of John Saylor and they had fifteen children, Elias and William B., the twelfth and thirteenth members of the family, being the only survivors. The remains of both John Hawn and his wife rest in the old Saylor Cemetery.

William B. Hawn attended the Fairview school in his boyhood and remained on the home farm until his father died, when the property was sold, each survivor at that time getting his share. For several years he worked at farming by the month, and was then engaged in farming for himself on related land near Brandt, for three years, when he married. After this he bought his present farm from Mr. Neff, of Montgomery County. He cleared about twenty acres of the land, put in 1,000 rods of tile and erected all the substantial buildings. With the exception of eight acres of timber, he has all his land under good cultivation.

On August 8, 1865, Mr. Hawn was married to Miss Melissa Booker, a daughter of Solomon Booker, and they have had the following children born to them, namely: Elizabeth, who is the wife of John Staub; Minnie, who married Frank Brooks; Margaret, who married Irvin Cavanaugh; Mary, who married Jacob Heffner; Jesie, who married Walter Hartman; Ora and Dora, twins, who live at home; Charles, who married Dolly Dill; Samuel, who married Augusta Brooks; and Earl, Clara and John. Of these Margaret, Clara an John are deceased. Mr. Hawn and family are members of the Lutheran Church at Brandt.

In politics Mr. Hawn is an active Democrat and has frequently been chosen by his party for offices of responsibility in the township. For thirty years he has been constable of Bethel Township, for years has been a trustee, during two terms served on the School Board and has held other positions of a public nature. Formerly he was identified with the Odd Fellows at Osborn. If all men were like Mr. Hawn, the doctors in this section would have a hard time making their living, for, with his robust constitution and perpetual good health, he never has cause to consult them. In all his life, he asserts, he has never spent even fifty cents for a physician's prescription for himself. There are millionaires who would be glad to be able to make the same assertion.