HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY                      505

leading and active members of the Methodist church. He himself a
farmer throughout life and, died November 1, 1896, upon his homestead of
one hundred and twenty acres. His wife followed him August 15,1903.

    James M. Ringo was reared to manhood in Posey township and
creditably completed the common school course. He has engaged in
farming all his mature life with the exception of three years when he
was engaged in the mill and feed business at Brazil, being during that
period associated with W. W. Lathrop. At the present time he is
engaged in his life avocation on a farm of forty acres. He is a Demo-
crat but has never sought public office or advancement. He is also a
Mason in good standing, belonging to Brazil Lodge, No. 264, A. F. &
A. M. On October 13, 1886, Mr. Ringo married Miss Myra,Wilkerson,
daughter of Urias and Penelope Wilkerson, of Cass township, this
county. Their two children are Clifford W. and Cora E. Mrs. Myra
Ringo died May 1, 1891, and January 12, 1893, Mr. Ringo married Miss
Elnora Elliott, daughter of William and Chariot (Winters) Elliott The
parents of his present wife were natives of Ohio, and came at an early
day to Clay county, where Mrs. Ringo was born, reared and educated.
The children born to this second union were: Hallie, Effie, Maude,
Harvey Raymond, and Stanley and Wesley, twins.

    JOSEPH A HERRON, a prominent and well known oil merchant in
Brazil, has been identified with the business interests of this city for a
number of years, first owning and residing on property in the northern
part of the city. After five years there he sold and bought a house and
lot at 24 West Logan street and began dealing in fire insurance, in which
line he continued for a year and a half. On the 1st of January, 1884,
he embarked in business as a retail oil merchant, delivering to customers
in Brazil and vicinity, and he is now at the head of a large and
remunerative business.
    Mr. Herron was born in Perry township, Clay county, April 16,
1861. His father, James Herron, was born in Lancaster county, Penn-
sylvania, March 8, 1798, a son of John and Rebecca (Clark) Herron,
both of whom were born in Ireland. In Ohio, in 1833, James Herron.
was united in marriage to Margaret L. Archerd, who was born in
Clearmont county, that state, in June, 1814, a daughter of, John and
Mary (McMichael) Archerd, natives respectively of England and of
Scotland, In 1838 Mr. Herron came with his young wife via the Ohio
and Wabash rivers to Terre Haute, Indiana, entering two hundred acres
of timber land from the government in Perry township, which he par-
tially cleared and improved. In 1851 he sold his farm there and bought
one hundred and fifty acres in Posey township, four miles west of Brazil,
where he spent the remainder of his life and died on the 10th of Sep-
tember, 1869. In 1901 Mrs. Herron sold the farm and moved to Brazil,
where she died February 8, 1908. Of their family of eleven children
eight are now living, three sons and five daughters, seven of whom are
living in this vicinity, and the eldest son is in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
    Joseph A. Herron spent his boyhood days on the homestead, assist-
ing his mother with the work of the farm until his marriage, which
occurred on the 10th of July, 1881, Carrie Cook becoming his wife.
She was born in Clearmont county, Ohio, a daughter of William and
Sophia (Enlows) Cook, natives of Baltimore, Maryland, and a grand-