JOHN MIKESELL, an honored resident of Covington and one of Miami County's most venerable citizens, was born October 21, 1817, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of William and Susanna (Holsinger) Mikesell.

The parents of Mr. Mikesell moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio and in 1822 settled on a farm near Pleasant Hill, Miami County, where they spent the remainder of their lives. This farm was a wild, uncleared tract of land at that time, and John Mikesell assisted his father to improve it and as he grew into manhood learned the wagon-making trade. He opened a shop of his own north of Pleasant Hill, which he later traded for a farm, but Mr. Mikesell shortly afterward became afflicted with rheumatism, which made farm work impossible, and he therefore disposed of his land and went to selling goods in a store at Pleasant Hill and later at Clayton. In 1850 he came to Covington and was engaged in the mercantile business in this city until 1856, when he sold out and embarked in the milling business, which he continued until 1866. During two and one half years of this time he operated the Sugar Grove mill, and after that had charge of the Covington mills. Mr. Mikesell next became interested in the nursery business, and for the next fifteen years sold fruit trees, meeting with success wherever he traveled, his journeys taking him over a large extent of country. In 1880 he was appointed land assessor, and in that year assessed Newberry Township. Feeling that his weight of years then entitled him to rest, Mr. Mikesell retired from active pursuits. He makes his home with his son-in-law, W. V. Swisher, at Covington.

W. V. SWISHER was born February 4, 1848, near Versailles, Darke County, Ohio, and is a son of William and Mary (Ward) Swisher. He was reared on his father's farm, which he left in 1869 in order to become a railroad man, starting in 1870 with the old C.C.C.& I., which is now the Big Four Railroad, on the run between Union City, Indiana, to Galion, Ohio, and for five years he lived at the latter place. After that road took over the I.& St. Louis, he was transferred to what is now the St. Louis Division of the Big Four and for fourteen years he was engineer between Indianapolis and St. Louis, living during that period at Mattoon, Illinois. In 1894 he retired from the railroad and moved to his farm two miles northeast of Covington, where he resided until September, 1906, when he came to Covington. Mr. Swisher still retains his farm of sixty-five acres.

Mr. Mikesell was married (first) to Susan Fridley, who died four years later, leaving three children, namely: Andrew F., who lives on a farm north of Covington; Mary, who is the wife of John Rapp, and lives on a farm in Concord Township; and Elizabeth, now deceased, who married Martin Mohler and left three children. Mr. Mikesell was married (second) to Elizabeth Thompson, who is now deceased. There were seven children born to the second union, namely: Thompson, who died when aged four years; Jacob, who died in childhood; Catherine, who is the wife of W. V. Swisher, of Covington; Elnora, who died in childhood; Charles, who died in infancy; Amelia, who married J. L. Miller, of Dayton, Ohio, and has one son, Joseph Mikesell; and Jennie, now deceased, who was the wife of George McGowan and is survived by one son, William Lawson. The mother of these children died December 29, 1900. Mr. Mikesell is the oldest member and a deacon in the German Baptist Church at Covington.