Lewis C. Manning, farmer; P. O. Casstown. Among the names of the early settlers of Miami County, we find that of John Manning, who was born in Maryland in 1742, and was a son of John and Sarah (Hall) Manning, who removed from Maryland to Loudoun County, Virginia when John, their son, was about 6 or 7 years of age. Soon after their arrival, they died, leaving John and a younger brother, Edmund, orphans. They were taken and raised by a Mr. Hutcheson and, when arriving at majority, were among the first pioneer settlers of Red Stone country, Pennsylvania. Here John was united in marriage with Sarah Shauhan, by whom he had four or five children, two of whom lived to grow to maturity. The eldest, Amos, was a teamster in General Wayne's campaign against the Indians; was taken sick and died at Greenville in 1796. Betsy, the other child, was married to Bethuel Covault. John, having lost his first wife by death, was afterward married to Elizabeth Harnett, by whom he had thirteen children, ten of whom grew up and married as follows: Sarah, married Charles Hilliard; John, married Jane Berry; Enos, married Grassell Cox; Nancy, married Daniel Hilliard; William married Ruth Julian; Benjamin, married Harriet Denman; Edward, married Mary Danford; Amos, married Rachel Dills; Nathaniel, married Sarah Line; and Elias, married Sarah Frost. The four first mentioned were born in Pennsylvania, and the others in "The Northwest Territory." Mr. Manning lost his second wife by death and was married the third time to Elizabeth Hamlet, by whom he had one child, viz., Margaret, grew up to womanhood and married T. J. Larsh, of Preble County, Ohio. In the establishment of the "Mason and Dixon Line," Mr. Manning was employed as an axeman in cutting through the heavy timbered lands; and while performing this duty, observed the Red Stone country on the Monongahela River, where, a short time later, he settled as above related. For some time, he dealt extensively in furs and ginseng; they, being at that time, chief articles of export from that part of the country. Afterward, he erected a grist-mill, which was the first one ever in that country; which he ran successfully till 1789, when he sold out and then moved to what was then known as the Northwest Territory, locating at the mouth of the Miami at a place called Columbia; here he remained about three years, then went up the river about 8 miles to a place called Round Bottom. Here he erected a grist-mill, which was probably the first mill on the Little Miami; this mill he ran till 1799, when he sold out to John Smith, who was one of the first Delegates to Congress from this territory. Afterwards, he located at what is now Piqua, in Miami Co., and here he soon erected a saw and grist-mill, being the first mill in what is now Miami County. In the erection of the mill, the stone was hewn out of a bowlder, and the spindles made from iron hinges taken from the fort at Greenville, after its reduction; the bolting-cloths he obtained by riding all the way to Lexington, Kentucky on horseback. Under all these disadvantages to obtain material for the building of the mill, through the enterprise and energy of this pioneer, the work was accomplished; which proved so great a blessing and convenience to this new settlement; their appreciation of this mill was evidenced by the anxiety manifested for its preservation during the great freshet of 1805, which threatened its destruction as it was surrounded by water from the overflow of the river. Squire Caldwell, the first Justice of the Peace of Washington Township, recommended passing a cable around the mill and making it fast, to secure its safety; but the mill stood unscathed and remained for many years to serve the community. Mr. Manning, with the assistance of Armstrong Brandon, in 1807, platted and laid out the town of Piqua; Mr. Brandon, receiving for his services in this work, each alternate lot. In April 1817, Mr. Manning's labors were finished, and he was called from works to his rewards. Here ended the life of one of the most enterprising pioneers of Miami County, whose whole life was made up of the greatest activity and who, not being satisfied with the routine of old settlements, continually sought wider fields for activity and usefulness; in the opening-out and establishing business in pioneer settlements like Washington, his name will be handed down to future generations for praise and admiration. Enos, the father of our subject, came to Ohio with his father when only 2 years of age, and to Piqua when about 13 years of age; here he remained with his father till the War of 1812, when he entered the army as a teamster, and was active in service as such during the war; he was at Detroit at the surrender of Hull'sarmy, and there lost his team, his only property, for which he afterward received remuneration from the Government. After the close of the war, he engaged in the mercantile trade in Piqua for several years, but proved financially unsuccessful. He was one of he proprietors and laid off, in lots, the North Addition of Piqua. He, like his father, was a very active, energetic, business man, seeming to possess the same proclivities for the milling business, having, during his life, erected three mills in the vicinity of Piqua. Though not financially meeting the same success as his father, he lived through the panic, or convulsions, of the war times; never wholly prostrated financially, as he had an energy and business tact which enabled him to overcome all obstacles. He was united in marriage May 16, 1816, with Grassel Cox, who was a daughter of Benjamin S. Cox, a native of Maryland; by this union, they had nine children, of whom two are now living, viz., Lewis C. and James S. (now living in Dayton, Ohio); Mr. Manning lost his wife by death in 1840, and, Oct. 24, 1854, he, too, passed away, without one moment's warning, by a stroke of palsy. Lewis C. Manning, our subject, was born in Piqua March 23, 1817, and remained with his father till his death. June, 1855, he was united in marriage with Mrs. Elizabeth Williamson, who was a daughter of William and Elizabeth Mendenhall, who were early settlers of Miami Co.; by this union, they had two children, viz., William and Harry; in October, 1870, he lost his wife by death and, in 1873, he was married to Mrs. Melvina Beamer, who is a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Rossiter, who are fully mentioned in the sketch of B. V. Rossiter in this work. After Mr. Manning's first marriage, he located in Piqua and, like his father and grandfather, engaged in the milling business; this mill he ran till 1864, then going to Shelby County where he ran a grist and saw mill for four years; then, back to Piqua where he served as Justice of the Peace for six years; finally settling on the farm upon which he now resides; this farm consists of 120 acres, is the old Rossiter homestead farm. Here he anticipates spending the balance of his life in agricultural pursuits, looking upon this occupation as one of the most independent and pleasant pursuits man can engage in. Mr. Manning, in his childhood days, obtained but a limited education; as he possessed a naturally quick, perceptive, intellect through application and observation, combined with study, he is now a man of more than ordinary attainments; quite well read in law, and possessing a general knowledge of business, political and civil government. We have here made quite an extended sketch of the Manning family because, as a pioneer family of Miami Co. of more than ordinary interest, and of active lives of labor and usefulness, they deserve a special and prominent place in this history.