Mr. Deweese, of Troy, is descended from good old Revolutionary stock. His great-grandfather, Samuel Deweese, held a commission in the Continental army during the war which brought independence to the nation. His son, Joshua Deweese, grandfather of our subject, located in Concord township, Miami county, at a very early day. He is said to have been the first Baptist minister in this locality, and was licensed to preach about 1824. He came from the Shenandoah valley of Virginia, and proclaimed the glad tidings of great joy among the pioneers of the Buckeye state. When his country's liberties and rights were threatened, however, he showed the spirit of the warrior by promptly responding to his country's call for aid in the war of 1812, taking part in the warfare against the Indians, under General Wayne. He wedded Miss Mary Gerard, a daughter of Henry Gerard, who came from Pennsylvania to Staunton township, Miami county, with the Knoop family in 1798. They made the first settlement of which there is authentic record in the county, although, doubtless, the French visited the locality in 1749, and their descendants remained in this part of Ohio as Indian traders. Henry Gerard surveyed a large portion of the land in Miami county, and as compensation for his services received about eight hundred acres, extending from Spring Creek to Troy. Some of his survey field notes are now in possession of the father of our subject. Mr. Gerard took an active part in the early development of the county. He built the first mill within it's borders, and in all possible ways aided in its progress and advancement. In his later life he removed to Attica, Indiana, where he died at the extreme old age of one hundred and twenty-four years. Isaac Gerard was the first teacher in Concord township, and David Gerard, a son of Henry, was the last white man killed by the Indians in this county. He and a companion, by the name of Ross, were hewing timber one afternoon about four o'clock in 1812, when two Indians passed by and shot Gerard. Ross made his escape, but the Indians proceeded two miles further north, where they found Mr. Dilbone at work in a flax patch, mortally wounded him and also scalped his wife before his eyes.

Samuel McDougall Deweese, the father of our subject, was born in Concord township, Miami county, in 1819, and was reared amidst the wild scenes of the frontier. Having arrived at years of 511 maturity, he married Rachel Connell, a native of Pennsylvania. Both the father and mother are still living and enjoying good health, having reached the ages of eighty-two and seventy-eight, respectively. He is perhaps the best informed man in local history in the entire county, and is one of the oldest settlers, his residence here covering a period of eighty-one years. In his family were six sons, namely: Albert, a resident of Troy; Edwin, who is living in Philadelphia; Allen, of Pleasant Hill, Miami county; Judson, of Decatur, Alabama; and Arthur, of Tippecanoe City, Miami county. There were also two sisters, Mrs. Flenthan Buckler, of Tippecanoe City, and Mrs. Oresta Cory, of Springfield, Ohio. The parents are now living in Tippecanoe City.

Mr. Deweese, of this review, was born on the old family homestead in Concord township, December 13, 1845, and pursued his education in the schools of Troy. He entered the high school, but when the civil war was inaugurated he put aside his textbooks, and, at the age of eighteen enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-seventh Ohio Infantry, in 1864, for three months service. After receiving his discharge he returned to the home farm, where he remained until twenty-four years of age. He was married, in 1870, to Elizabeth A. Frazee, a daughter of James Frazee, of Lost Creek township, and a granddaughter of James Frazee, Sr., who was one of the pioneer settlers of Miami county. The last named wedded Miss Knight, also a member of one of the prominent families.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Deweese has been born two daughters, one, Otilia, dying at the age of twenty-two years. She was a natural artist in oil and crayon; and Lucia, who resides with her parents in their pleasant home in Troy. Mr. DeWeese and his wife are consistent members of the Baptist church, and socially he is connected with the Grand Army Post. His political support is given to the Republican party, but he has never been an aspirant for public office, preferring to devote his energies and time to his business affairs. He is regarded as the best mechanic in the building trade in Troy, and has a record of more buildings in the city than any other contractor. He performs his part of a contract most faithfully, and his reliability and energy have secured to him a very liberal patronage, and is constantly increasing.