The William Earl Farison Family

William Earl Farison was born May 7, 1889, in Flatrock Township, Henry County, Ohio, to Wm. Henry and Mary Etta (Moore) Farison. He was the grandson of Uriah and Elizabeth (Stauber) Farison and the great grandson of William Farrison believed to have come from the East to settle in south Flatrock Township in the early 1800's.

Earl was one of eleven children. His brothers were: Charles Henry, Napoleon; Ray O., RR# 5, Napoleon; Donald B., Oakland, Calif.; Maynard (Babe), Chicago, Ill., deceased; Richard D., deceased; and George W., Phoenix, Arizona, deceased. His sisters were Bess Mattlin, Toledo, deceased; Gladys, deceased; Clara E. Sumner, Chicago, Ill., deceased and Dorothy, twin of Donald, deceased in infancy.

All the Farisons began their education in the Farison one-room schoolhouse which still stands at the corner of Roads L and 14 in Flatrock Township. Earl says that his education consisted of everything that was in the middle of the book as he attended school in the winter time only. His father was in failing health and needed him to help with the farming in the spring and fall.

In 1904 the family moved from the original homestead to the former Battenfield farm located on Road L2 just ahalf mile west of Route 108 where Earl still lives. Wm. Henry and Etta Farison spent the winters in Florida in an attempt to improve Mr. Farison's health to no avail. His father died of tuberculosis in 1911 at the age of 53 years leaving his widow to raise a large family. The younger members of the family and his older sister, Clara, were able to go to high school. Clara boarded with the R. B. Jaquith family in Holgate while she attended Holgate High School and Earl remembers hitching up the horse to make the long trip to Holgate to fetch her home for the weekends. His younger sister, Gladys, died of T.B. just after graduation from high school in 1915 and Richard (Pete) died of a ruptured appendix in 1922. Don, Pete, and Maynard (Babe) attended Napoleon High School and were widely known for their athletic prowess. Babe finished high school at Scott High School in Toledo where he excelled in football and went on to play with the Chicago Bears.

The older Farison Brothers operated a threshing ring in Flatrock Township and at one time those mechanically inclined operated a garage in Napoleon. Old timers will remember the car they built and drove on the streets of Napoleon. It was built in the image of a battery to advertise their garage.

On September 5, 1918, Earl volunteered for service in the Army in World War I in spite of the fact that his age and his need at home would have exempted him from military service. He was attached to B Company of the 15th Machine Gun Battalion of the famous "Red Diamond" 5th division. He spent almost all of his service time in the front line trenches of France. In April, 1919, he was discharged and returned to Henry County to resume farming the home farm. On the morning of December 11, 1919, after donning his best bib and tucker, informed his family that he was being married that day and drove to Defiance, Ohio, where he and Eva Elizabeth Nestleroad were married in the Lutheran parsonage. They returned that same day to the Farison farm to find that his sister Bess, in spite of such short notice, had prepared an elaborate feast in celebration of the wedding. Bess was noted for her culinary skill. She married Jo Mattlin of Toledo and died after the birth of her first child, Mary Etta, in 1921. Mary Etta was later adopted by Earl's sister, Clara Sumner.

[Photo A, p. 187] Farison Family Home — Flatrock Township, burned in 1936.

Eva Nestleroad was born in Bloom-dale, Ohio, on January 10, 1891, to William and Julia (Bohlke) Nestleroad who moved shortly thereafter to Findlay, Ohio, where her brother, Clarence, was born. When he was four years old they moved to Defiance, Ohio, where her father operated an upholstery shop. Eva was educated in the Defiance Schools and taught school in a one-room school in Paulding County. After deciding that the teaching profession was not for her, she became a legal secretary until the time of her marriage.

The couple continued to farm the home farm. Earl's mother moved to Chicago to live with her daughter, Clara. In 1929 Earl bought an adjoining 35 acres of the estate of his grandmother. In 1950 he purchased 100 acres of the home farm when his mother's estate was settled.

Their first child, Betty Jeanne, was born January 27, 1921. She began her education in the Farison School and graduated salutatorian of the 1939 Class of Florida High School. She worked in the Fahringer greenhouse, Napoleon, until she went to Toledo to become associated with the Heinl Greenhouses there. She traveled extensively in the United States for them and managed their gift shop in Jacksonville, Illinois, for some time. She is unmarried, lives in Toledo, and is now employed as a purchasing agent for a plastics firm.

A second daughter, Kathleen, was born May 28, 1922. She also began her education in the Farison School and graduated salutatorian of the 1940 Class of Florida High School. On April 11, 1943, she married Warren Gessner. The couple moved to Florida, Ohio, in 1958 and she has served as clerk-treasurer of the village since then. She is a licensed insurance agent by profession and has been employed as secretary-treasurer of the Henry County Mutual Insurance Association since 1968. She was named Henry County Woman of the Year in 1973. Four children were born to the Gessners: Douglas Michael; Warren Scott; Kelly Clare; and Debra Kay who married Randall Fahringer of Napoleon to whom two daughters — Heidi Kay and Tara Lynn — were born.

The Farisons' first son, Wm. Earl, Jr. (Bill) was born November 5, 1924. He also attended the Farison School and graduated from Florida High School in 1941. He served with the Navy in World War II and married Marie Brothers of St. John's, Newfoundland, in Boston while he was in service. The couple live in Napoleon and he works at Gould, Inc. They have four sons: Wm. E. Farison III, California; Patrick, now serving with the U.S. Navy; and Sean and Kevin at home.

A second son, Richard Donald, was born March 29, 1926. He graduated from Florida High School in 1943 and served with the U.S. Navy in World War II. He married Emily Hinderer of Wauseon in 1948. He farms the family farm and lives on and farms the Parry farm just west of Florida. He is skilled in the carpenter trade. Three children were born to this couple: Richard Donald, Jr. (Rick) who served with the U.S. Navy in the Viet Nam War and presently is dispatcher for the Napoleon Police Department. He suffered an accident aboard ship which resulted in a leg amputation. He lives in Napoleon and is unmarried; Sandra Jo who lives in Maumee, Ohio, is employed as a medical secretary to Dr. James; Kent Edward who is a mechanic at HoeffelMeyer in Napoleon. Kent married Linda Carico of Holgate and a daughter, Kristy Jean, was born to them in 1974. Dick's wife, Emily, suffers from multiple sclerosis and is confined to a wheel chair.

The Farisons' last child, Julia Etta, was born April 2, 1931. She attended Florida and Napoleon Schools and graduated valedictorian of her class from Florida High School. She married Lyle Heilman of Florida and they have two sons — Mark William, who is serving with the U.S. Marine Corps, and Todd Edwin who is a junior at Four County Vocational School. The Heilmans live in Florida. Lyle is employed at General Motors, Defiance, and Judy is a secretary at Home Saving and Loan Association, Napoleon.

In 1936 the spacious brick home on the Farison farm burned to the ground. A recently built chicken coop was remodeled into a three room home where the family lived until 1953 when a two-story frame home was built by their son Dick on the site of the old home. It is constructed of native timber cut from the woodlot and features oak paneling and woodwork.

Earl continued farming until 1942 when he was named deputy to Henry County Sheriff Fred Bartels and moved to Napoleon. He served in this capacity until 1943 when he returned to farming and was named truant officer for the Henry County Schools. He held this position until 1963 when he retired. He also worked at the Rossford Ordnance Depot during World War II and served on the Selective Service Board from 1941 to 1947. He tells tales of the time when he, as a young man, went to northern Canada to cut Christmas trees and of driving a sled to the canal in Florida to "Make Ice" to be stored in ice houses for summer use. He was an avid fisherman — a hobby he pursued as long as he was physically able.

He is a life member of the American Legion, having joined the Bert G. Taylor Post #300, Napoleon, in its infancy and transferring to the Gerken-Hurd Post # 654, Florida, who awarded him a life membership in 1973.

[Photo B, p. 187] Farison Brothers threshing rig, Chas. Farison — operator.

[Photo, p. 188] William Earl and Eva Farison

In the late 1960's the couple were vacationing in Wisconsin and spent the night at Trail's End Lodge, Circle Lily Lake at Manitowish. They fell in love with the old logger's camp set in the forest with its log cabins and peaceful surroundings. They later returned to buy a cottage where upon retirement, they have spent the summers from early May to October enjoying the fishing and leisurely life.

At the time of the printing of this book, the Farisons are 84 and 86 years of age, in reasonably good health, and still actively interested in civic and community affairs and still maintain their home on the farm.

Submitted by Kathleen (Farison) Gessner