William Franklin Hatcher

Back row: W. F., Thurman, Luella; front row: Cinda, Ester, Ruth.

William Franklin Hatcher, son of William and Margaret (Clements) Hatcher, was born November 21, 1865, near West Mansfield, Ohio, in Logan County. His parents were of rugged pioneer stock, who came to Ohio from Virginia, when it was still known as the Northwest Territory. He leased land from the Ohio Land Company in Virginia. His father served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was discharged at Columbus because of poor health and died soon after returning home. His death left William Franklin a boy of 6 years, two older brothers, and three older sisters to be raised by the widowed mother. She worked so hard to keep the farm worked during his absence in the Army, and his death after his return, that she died soon afterward. An older sister, Elizabeth, who had married, took the boy to live with her until he was grown.

At the age of 21, he married Luella Watson. To this union, one son, Thurman Clements, and three daughters, Ester, Cinda, and Ruth, were born. Thurman lost his life accidentally at the age of 20. Ester married Floyd E. Johnson. Cinda was stricken with polio at the age of 20 months. She attended Bowling Green University after high school and taught at McClure for 38 years, as long as she could walk alone. Ruth married John Daubel and resided in Toledo until his death, when she returned to McClure to live with Cindy in the Hatcher homestead.

William Franklin and wife Luella came about the year 1890, to the black virgin forest called the Black Swamp of Richfield Township. With his wife's support he cleared inany acres of virgin forest into the fertile farm land of today. Because his wife became very sick with Malaria fever, the doctor told             him she would die if they did not leave the swamp soon after the birth of their daughter Ester, they moved to Paulding and bought a farm where Cinda and Ruth were born.

He built a new barn on the farm and when he was painting the roof the ladder slipped. He fell to the ground and suffered a severe back injury, which caused him to quit farming for several years. He sold the farm and moved back to the hills of Logan County.

The urge to go West caused him to go to southeastern Missouri. He bought land near the Mississippi River. All their possessions, including the livestock, were loaded into a box car and moved. They lived there just one year, when the mighty river went on a spring flood. They moved back to West Mansfield, Ohio, to live until 1914.

Then he said that Henry County was the best country he had ever seen and he wanted to go there to live the rest of his life. When school was out for the summer, he loaded his family in the car and went to an old Uncle's home at Weston, Ohio. Uncle Will and Aunt Addie Hatcher made us welcome. Uncle Will went with William F. to find a farm to his liking for sale, while we visited the family at Weston.

He finally settled on the Leonard Weaver farm east of McClure. They moved there in February of 1915. I (Ester) agree with my high school superintendent who said, "Henry County is the garden spot of Ohio," when I told him I would be leaving to live in Henry County after high school commencement in May. This has been true all down through the years.

Submitted by Floyd E. Johnson, Sr.