My Paternal Grandparents

John was the son of Asa and Mary Ann (Semler) Babcock. He was born July 19, 1870, in Henry County. His childhood was spent around Malinta.

John and Clara Babcock

In 1895, John married Clara Ellen Crockett, daughter of James and Mary (Nestleroad) Crockett and started housekeeping in Malinta, Ohio. John was a farmer most of his life from 1902 till 1937, working the following farms in Monroe Township: 1902, Scott Andriks and George Piltman farms; 1904, Wells farm; 1905, Henry Poll-man; 1910 Abraham Litchenberg; 1912-1930, Dave Watson; then farmed with son Harman at Grand Rapids till he moved to his home in McClure on Haley Street.

Clara was born December 17, 1876, in Henry County and as a young girl, she attended the Spangler School located two miles north and one mile west of Malinta.

To this union four boys were born: Charles, December 26, 1896; James, October 29, 1898; Howard, November 2, 1901; and my father Harman, December 26, 1904. The boys attended the following schools: Brush College School, Struble School, Dunbar School, and Malinta School. Harman went to Napoleon High School for his fourth year of high school. The boys loved to fish, swim, and ice skate at the pond in Malinta.

My grandmother Clara worked a full week for her first fifty cent piece and she never spent it and I have this now.