66                      HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

marriage namely: Esther, who died at the age of seven months; Mary
E.; Olive: Joseph R.; and Frances Anna.

    ELISHA F. COOPRIDER.—Among the best-known and most highly
esteemed residents of Clay City is Elisha F. Cooprider, a representative
of one of the earliest families to make a permanent settlement in Clay
county. A native of Harrison township, he was born October 29, 1833,
and is the only surviving son of John and Elizabeth (Fleshman) Coop-
rider of whom a sketch may he found elsewhere in this biographical

    Born and bred in pioneer times, Elisha F. Cooprider obtained his
early education in the rude log schoolhouse, with plain slab benches for
seats, while on a board placed against one side of the wall the pupils took
turns in writing. Light was admitted through a piece of glass inserted
in place of one log, and the children sitting on the front benches were
nearly roasted by the intense heat from the fireplace, while those in the
rear of the room almost perished from the cold. In the days of his youth
the country roundabout was in its pristine wildness, and deer, turkeys and
other game was abundant, He was a hunter of some note, and relates
that on his last hunting expedition he and his brother started a lot of deer
on the present site of Clay City, and before night had killed six of them.
Learning the carpenter’s trade. Mr. Cooprider, with his brother, Wash-
ington, erected the first frame house built on the present site of the vil-
lage of Middlebury. He remained an inmate of the parental household
until his marriage, after which he lived for a number of years on the
home estate. Mr. Cooprider then purchased a part of the Storm home-
stead, had it surveyed and platted, and made an addition to Clay City.
He continued in his chosen occupation, that of a farmer, until 1897,
when he rented his property and removed to Missouri. Purchasing a
farm, in Bates county, he carried on general farming there for six years,
when he sold out and returned to Clay City, where he has since resided.
    Mr. Cooprider married, February 6, 1859, Christina Storm, who
was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, a daughter of George Storm and
granddaughter of John Storm. John Storm was born at Crab Orchard,
Kentucky, of German ancestors. His mother died when he was a small
boy, and his father married again. Not liking his step-mother he ran
away from home, going to Pennsylvania, where he resided several years.
From there he moved with his wife and children to Ohio, settling in Mill
Creek, Coshocton county, where he entered eighty acres of government
land, from which he cleared and improved a farm. When he located
there the country in that vicinity was but a dense forest, and the near-
est neighbor was seven miles away. Deer, turkeys, bears and wild hogs
were plentiful, and Indians roamed at will through the wilderness. He
spent the remainder of his life on the homestead which he improved, in
the meantime seeing the country well settled, having taken an active
part in developing and advancing its agricultural resources. The maiden
name of his wife was Bettie Slonaker, and she proved herself a true and
constant helpmate to him.
    George Storm, Mrs. Coopriders father, was born in Pennsylvania,
and when a boy went with his parents to Ohio, assisting in driving the
stock during the overland trip. He grew to manhood in Coshocton
county, and after his marriage bought a tract of land near Bedford, and
was there employed as a tiller of the soil for a number of seasons. Sell-