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    WILLIAM SCOTT

    William Scott, merchant and banker, Piqua; was born in Jessamine Co., Ky., Sept. 25, 1801 ; a brother and himself are all that survive of the family of seven children of Hugh Scott and Mary Moffatt; his father came from North Carolina to Kentucky in 1784, and, in 1808, became a pioneer of Piqua, Ohio, where, for many years, he filled the office of Justice of the Peace, his jurisdiction embracing a circuit of thirty to forty miles, extending from Ft. Wayne to Dayton; he died in 1850, aged about 80 years. William Scott received his early education in the old pioneer log schoolhouse, where, in those early days, the facilities were very limited. Feb. 14, 1823, he embarked in business as a merchant, with a capital of $120, without friends or credit, and in competition with a firm with a capital of $10,000, in a small town of about 200 inhabitants; by economy , industry and close application, he was soon able to extend his business, including within his scope all that pertained to a complete frontier trading store; at this time, there were no railroads here, or even pikes, and his goods were hauled in wagons from Cincinnati, the wagons being first loaded, at his store, with produce of various kinds taken in exchange from the surrounding country, for goods, and hauled over the muddy roads to Cincinnati, there sold or exchanged for such merchandise as he needed for his trade, the wagons reloaded and started for home, where they would arrive after a tedious journey of several days; for twelve years he bought and sold all the pork raised in the county, making large shipments to the best markets; in 1829, he found it advisable to buy the property upon which he is now located, and built a business. house, in which he moved. his stock; here he continued his occupation, which, through his industry, good management and honorable dealing, had won him many friends and a great increase of trade, which, together with the growth and improvements of the town, demanded that he should build larger and more commodious rooms for the convenience of his growing and extensive business; in 1855, he built the large brick block known as "Scott's Block," which is three stories high, and where he has very pleasant, and commodious rooms, into which he moved his stock, and has since dealt chiefly in dry goods; in 1847, he was made President of the Piqua Branch of the State Bank of Ohio, and remained such till the State Bank was merged into the Piqua National Bank in the spring of 1865, of which he was elected President, and has so continued to the present time; in 1872, Mr. Scott built a large extension to the building put up in 1855, being two stories high, all brick, with five business rooms on the ground floor, so that the whole "Scott's Block " now consists of six business rooms on the first floor; in addition to his regular business, Mr. Scott has also dealt largely in real estate. Here we have recorded an uninterrupted mercantile career of fifty-seven years, extending over a period of time during which several financial panics occurred., sweeping away the property of scores of old and prominent business men, and yet Mr. Scott never experienced a failure in business; and, during a third of a century in which he has been a Bank President, his name has never been on any of its discounted paper, either as endorser or principal; it is questionable whether such a record can be found in the history of any business man in the country; he was formerly connected, as Director and Treasurer, with the Piqua & Columbus Section of the Pan Handle Railroad, and was also a stockholder in the Dayton & Michigan road; he was formerly a member of the Whig party, but, latterly, a Republican of staunchest cast; public-spirited and enterprising, he has been a very liberal supporter of local enterprises of merit, and has always contributed freely to the public improvements of the place; he has ever been a warm friend to educational progress; was for about twelve years a member of the Piqua Board of Education, and, while serving in that capacity, took a very prominent part in securing the erection of the union school building of that city, furnishing the money for that purpose, and thus most effectually assisting in the success of the enterprise; he holds his religious connection wit h the Episcopal Church of Piqua, having been a leading member of that denomination for many years he has been specially distinguished for his inflexible integrity and promptness in all his dealings, coupled with great caution and more than ordinary shrewdness in business; the quiet and unostentatious manner in which he has contributed to worthy objects of charity has also been very marked. On Oct. 4, l826, he was united in marriage with Jane, daughter of John and Catherine Morrow, who came from Baltimore, Md., and settled in the neighborhood of Piqua at an early day; this union resulted in the birth of seven children, two of whom died in infancy; the oldest surviving son, John Morrow Scott, is a partner with his father in the dry-goods house of John M. Scott & Co.; he married Helen Talmadge in 1858, .James Scott is a hardware dealer in Piqua, and is unmarried; Mary L., the oldest daughter, is the wife of Collins R. Jordan, formerly of Piqua, now a resident of Chicago; Jane, the second daughter, married James Johnston, of Piqua, in 1857; she died in 1864; the other daughter, Sarah Matilda, still resides at home. Mrs. Scott died Feb. 21, 1876, respected and beloved by all who knew her. We here have chronicled, upon the pages of this history, a life remarkable for all those sterling qualities which insure success, and which will stand forth as a bright and shining example, to be seen and read by future generations for all time to come.

    Since writing the above, Mr. William Scott has passed away; having been stricken with paralysis, he died June 1, 1880, after an illness of but two days. John M. Scott has been chosen to fill the positions of President and Director of the Bank, mad e vacant by his father's death.

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