FOUSTS, SMITHS AND ALLIED FAMILIES

Written by Edith Smith Collins

Typed by Jerome Samuel Rash

January 6, 1936

The Heritage

"Hold me not boastful that I take pride

In what my forefathers have achieved;

I honor not myself, but them who gave

A priceless heritage on which to build;

Not selfishness, for they knew sacrifice,

Not cowardice, but courage for the right.

Not boldness, but a quiet dignity.

Not false pride, but a love of high ideals

And a reverence for things to be revered;

Heir to these qualities, so may I prove

More worthy of the blood that flows in me,

The great foundation of my life today,

Which by the toil of patriots has been formed."

#######

When we review the past three hundred years and consider the vision, courage and character of our forefathers--their industries under trying conditions, their lack of advantages and of comforts, their patience in the midst of difficulty, and their generosity in the hour of need; we deem it a privilege to pay tribute to their achievements and express appreciation of their efforts in helping establish the wonderful civilization that is ours today.

Although very incomplete, this record will disclose that for more than two centuries they were pioneers, starting from the east and progressing towards the west, always in the vanguard as civilization advanced across our great continent.

The hardships of these pioneer people are beyond the comprehension of our generation, yet all record show that they were more contented with their lot than many of us. They were a happy people with time to live and time to enjoy life.

They put first things first.

An intense patriotism is revealed in the fact that from 1676 they have been recorded as having served in the defense of their country as the occasion demanded. Devoutness and piety have gone with them from generation to generation.

Little did they realize as they lived their simple life--blazing the trail, clearing the forest, breaking the sod and establishing their schools and churches--that they and their kind were essential factors in laying the enduring foundation of the greatest nation of the world.

Olds

Extracts from "Olds Family in England and America" by E. B. Olds, contributed by Albert Huff and Pansy Lindsey Huff of Washington D.C.

The history of the Olds family begins in Anglo Saxon times. Some of the members were Saxon noblemen and are mentioned in the "Domesday Book of William the Conqueror." The original name was "Wold" pronounced "Old". There is a village in Huntingdonshire called "Wold or Old", and it once belonged to the "Wolds" of Derby.

Members of the family lived in Yorkshire and then moved to Rowton Hall in Shropshire where they lived from 1257 until 1815. They were people of standing and prominence and good education. Evidently cloister bred as education at that time came through the cloisters and churches. They held to the old religion, after the Reformation, and during civil wars they were Royalists.

The family was known as one of the best country families of southern England and intermarried with titled personages. The pedigree is unusually long, even for a country with well preserved records.

For the different branches of the family, the Coat of Arm differs, but they generally have the same crest.

Line of Descendancy

Roger Wold of Yolthorpe County York, Thane lived on his estate in 1199 during the reign of Richard I and was the father of four children of whom William (3) was our ancestor. William (3) lived in the reign of King John and King Henry III. He married Alice, daughter of William Erneburg of Flixtune. They were the parents of four children of' whom Thomas (8) is our ancestor. He lived in the reign of Edward I in Colohester County, Essex. He married Christiana and they were the parents of William (13) who succeeded to the estate of his kinsman, John C. Olde, of Averfeld, Isle of Wight. In "Domesday Book" he is mentioned as one of the three Thanes who held their lands of the king.

John Olde (20) of Sherborne was born in 1615 and married Gatheret, who was buried in Chard, May 15, 1660. John (20) was buried at Hillfield, January 15, 1682. They were the parents of five sons: Andrew born in 1642-1704, Oulds of Ireland; Robert--1645-1728, Olds of America; John--1647-1697, Olds of Sherbourne; Hannibal, Olds of Glanville-Wooten; Francis, Olde of Piddle-Trenthide.

There were three principal emigrations to America. I--Robert, 1645-1720, emigrated to New Windsor, Connecticut in 1667. He became the ancestor of most of the Olds families in America. II--Andrew went to Ireland, established the Irish family, spelling the name Ould, and probably from him descended the southern Oulds of this country (Judge Robert Ould of Richmond, Virginia who was "Commissioner for the exchange of' prisoners for the South" during the Civil War.) III--Several Olds brothers emigrated to Pennsylvania during the 18th century and John and James Olde were noted iron masters of that state during its early development. John Olde of Berka county, Pennsylvania was voted by Thomas Jefferson to be the first iron founder of the state of Virginia.

Olds in America--1667

Robard (Robert) Ould, 1645-1728, son of John of Sherbourne county, Dorset, England, became the founder of our branch of the family in America in 1667, when he came as an immigrant and settled at Windsor, Hartford county, Connecticut.

He was married to Susannah Hanford in 1669. She died in 1688 and he married Dorothy, daughter of Launcelot Granger, in 1689.

In 1673 he moved to Suffield, Connecticut and was granted land in Suffield, and he became one of the proprietors agents for the town to the General court of 1694.

He was a soldier in King Phillips' War serving under Captain William Turner, and was in "Falls Fight Battle" May 18, 1676. It was one of the decisive battles of this war. At that time he was a resident of Springfield, Massachusetts and was voted a plot of land soon after the war ended.

Robert Ould was the father of six sons, Robert Jr., 1670, who moved to Springfield, Massachusetts and was a prominent man in town and one of the first five property owners.

Jonathan, 1672, lived at Springfield, Massachusetts and had land allotted to him in 1720.

Hanford, who moved to Westfield, Massachusetts.

Nathaniel and Ebenezer of whom no record is found.

William, 1682, (our ancestor) moved to Brookfield, Massachusetts.

The letter "u" was dropped from the name, and the letter "s" adopted in the first generation after Robert.

The descendants of Robert Olds migrated to various New England states and then the Middle States. They are now found in the Western States extending to the Pacific Coast.

Robert Olds died in 1728, aged 87 years and is buried at North Hampton Road, Massachusetts, and there is a slab in the church yard to mark his grave.

#######

William Ould (1682-1749) was the Son of Robert and Susannah Hanford Ould and was born in l682. He married Elizabeth Walker who was born in 1691 and who died in 1782, aged 91 years. In Vital Statistics of Massachusetts, William Ould is recorded as having served as a corporal in a detachment from Captain Wright's Company which served from June 10 to July 25, 1725 at Brookfield; Massachusetts. The Abridged Compendium of "American Genealogy of the First Families of America" records William Ould, descendant of Robert Ould, as a Captain in the French and Indian War. It was about this period that the name began to be written Olds instead of Ould. William Olds died in 1740, aged 67 years.

Comfort Olds (1724-l779) was one of the sons born to William Olds and Elizabeth Walker Olds. He was born May 14, 1724 at North Brockfield, Massachusetts. He married Abigail Barnes, May 25, 1745. They were the parents of ten children.

Comfort Olds is recorded as having served as a private in Captain Iabez Upham's Company, which marched on the alarm for the relief of Fort William Henry, August 9, 1757. This was probably a mounted company according to the records.

His brother, William Jr., also served in the Company as a Sergeant.

In the Revolutionary War, Comfort Olds served as a private in Captain Daniel Oibert's Company and Colonel Job Cushing's Regiment, and was a Bennington and Half Moon; service July 30, 1777, to September 2, 1777.

#######

Ezra Olds (1747-1815), son of Comfort and Abigail Barnes Olds, was born May 25, 1747 in Brookfield, Worcester County, Massachusetts. He was twice married; his first wife, Sarah Dougherty, died in 1775.

On May 29, 1780, he was married to Mary Thompson who was born in 1755 and who died in 1824, aged 69 years.

They were the parents of four children--Comfort, born in 1786; Ezra, born in 1790; Mary, born on July 3, 1793; and Benjamin, born in 1795.

Ezra Olds Sr. served in the Revolutionary War as a private in Captain John Bannister's Company and Colonel Job Cushing's Regiment and was credited with 6 and 1/3 months service, according to record found in Volume XI, page 630, Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of Revolutionary War.

His place of residence at that time was Brookfield, Worcester County, Massachusetts, which is located geographically about the center of the state. Brookfield had a population of 3,100 in 1790, when the first census of the Colonial states was taken.

Ezra Olds Sr., who is our direct ancestor, is recorded as being the first settler of Oxford township, Delaware county, Ohio. He located in the northwest quarter of the township in 1810. The section was declared as Oxford township in 1815, and the location called Windsor Corners. Here he built the first log cabin, a structure 20 feet square.

In the "reminiscence" recorded of Ezra Sr. in the Early History of the state of Ohio, he related of going to Oxford to vote when there were but five votes cast. He was the first juror appointed from his township in the county of Delaware.

Comfort Olds Jr., the brother of Ezra, was also a Revolutionary War soldier, enlisting in Brookfield, in 1780 at the age of 20 years. The certificates of the military records of the above named men may be obtained from the Archive Division of the State Library of Massachusetts.

Ezra Olds Jr. was the second Justice of the Peace e1ected in Oxford township, and he served thirty years.

The first death in the township was a child of Comfort Olds Jr.

The first Methodist Church services in the township were held in the home of Benjamin Olds.

Ezra Olds Sr. died in Delaware county, Ohio, in 1815, aged 68 years. Benjamin Olds was in the War of 1812.

#######

In the fall of the year 1810, Henry Foust located on a farm a short distance east of the Olds' farm and became the second settler of Oxford township. In 1812 he married Mary Olds, the only daughter of Ezra and Mary Thompson Olds as is recorded elsewhere.

This was all dense forest land--oak, walnut, beech, hickory, ash and elm. The soil was found fertile and productive as the land was cleared and cultivation begun. It was the favorite hunting ground of the Indian, and Wyandottes roamed the forests and had a well-beaten trail along the Indian River bank to their reservation. Block houses were built for the safety of the settlers. The old chief, Sciento, trapped here and was a great favorite of the settlers. The Indians began to be crowded back in 1815. Wolves, deer and bears added to the sport of the huntsmen; wolves, however, were troublesome, and livestock had to be protected.

#######

The above recorded information has been obtained from the records of the Vital Statistics of State of Massachusetts; Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of Revolutionary War, volume I, page 630; Abridged Compendium of American Genealogy of First Families of America, volume 5, page 776 and volume 3, page 540-675; and History of Delaware County Ohio by Perrin and Battle, chapter XXIII.

Earlier reference to the Olds family is furnished in "Olds Family in England and America" by E. B. Olds; also the Coat of Arms of the different branches of the family are given in "Olds Family in England and America" found in the Congressional Library in Washington D. C.

#######

Jacob Foust I -- The family is of German ancestry, and the earliest record which we have found is in Berks county, Pennsylvania where Jacob Foust I was granted a license by the government as an Indian trader, March 11, 1762. This information is given through the Historical Department of the State Library of Pennsylvania.

Jaccob Foust II (1755-1841) -- He was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, December 1755. His military record at Washington D. C. reveals that he enlisted in the Revolutionary War in the fall of 1776 and served about six months as a substitute for his father as a private in Captain Jacob Ladish's Company and Colonel Lindenuth's Regiment. He was at the Battle of Princeton.

He enlisted the following summer, serving three months as a private in Captain Wy's Company and Colonel Daniel Utery's Regiment and was in a skirmish at Flourtown. He was granted a pension--claim 2560--March 4, 1831, at the age of 76 years.

During his residence in Pennsylvania, he married Christenah Alspach who was born in 1762.

In the year 1802 they moved to Ohio, first locating in Muskingum county, but later going to Westfield township, then in Delaware county. In after years, when Morrow county was founded, a strip one mile by five miles was taken from the north side of Delaware county, Ohio.

Jacob and Christenah Alspach Foust were the parents of eight sons and one daughter, namely Jacob III, born 1786; John, 1788; Henry, 1792; David, 1794; Abraham, 1796; Mary, 1799 (all of whom were presumably born in Pennsylvania); and Jonas, 1806; Samuel and Andrew, whose birth dates are not recorded, were born in Ohio.

In the early history of Ohio as compiled by W. H. Perrin and J. H. Battle, Jacob Foust II and these sons are mentioned repeatedly in connection with the early settlement of the townships of Westfield and Cardington in Morrow county and Oxford township in Delaware county.

#######

Cardington Township

The first step toward civilization in Cardington township in Morrow county began in 1814, when John Foust, Jacob Foust III, and a surveyor by the name of John Milligan surveyed and blazed out the Delaware and Mansfield road. The Fousts had first settled in Peru township but later came to Cardington township. They were preceded by one man by the name of Bunker who had settled where the town Cardington now stands. They were joined by their father, Jacob II, in 1822, who had first settled in Muskingum county. He took a claim on the banks of the Whetstone River, and just west of this farm, Jacob III located in the southwest corner of the township. Zanesville was the only source of supplies, and Jacob Sr. used to make the journey with an ox team taking eight days on the trip, and bringing back four or five barrels of supplies as the limit of a load the cattle could drag along the improvised trails through the forests. His arrival put the whole settlement in commotion--salt sold for $15.00 per barrel--and the purchase consideration was paid in barter or work.

It is also recorded of Jacob Foust Sr. that once when his wife was ill and suffering from loss of appetite, he walked from his home in the forest to Zanesvil1e, a distance of eighty-five miles, and carried a bag of wheat which he had ground into flour that she might have a more tempting diet than the ordinary fare of the settlement.

The road from Marion to Delaware was blazed out in unique fashion by Jonas Foust. Returning from his work, he turned his horse loose and, following him through the forest, blazed the trees with his tomahawk along the path the horse took

Jonas Foust was considered a great hunter and crack shot among the early settlers and added not a little to the limited resources of the frontier with his skill. About the year 1822, he was instrumental in bringing a Free Will Baptist preacher into the community who held church services in the cabin of Jonas Foust. In 1824 he purchased a tannery in Oxford township from its original owner and operated it.

The first school house of the settlement was a log cabin, 18 x 22 feet, built in 1826--the exact location is now a matter of controversy.

#######

Westfield Township

The first settlement of Westfield township in Morrow county was in 1821 when John, Abraham and Samuel Foust, all of whom had been in the War of 1812, came into that territory.

Samuel Foust in 1836 hauled 2,000 bushels of corn to Delaware where he received 10 cents per bushel for it. Salt sold for $18.00 per barre1. These two examples show the relative prices of articles.

#######

Oxford Township

Henry Foust (1792-1877), third son of Jacob and Christenah Alspach Foust is our direct maternal ancestor, became the second settler in Oxford township in 1810--a date four years earlier than those already mentioned. This location is near what is now known as Windsor's Corners. He was preceded some few months by Ezra Olds who also is our maternal ancestor, and who located on a farm a short distance west of the Foust location. As mentioned elsewhere, Henry Foust married Mary Olds, the only daughter of Ezra and Mary Thompson Olds, in 1812, and they spent the remainder of their lives on this farm. He cleared the forest by his own efforts and added improvements from time to time. In 1840, he had the distinction of erecting the first frame house in all that neighborhood. The log house or cabin was the common shelter of the pioneers until a later date.

The first election of Oxford township was held in the home of Henry Foust. In 1812, when James Madison was a candidate for President for a second time, Henry Foust was one of the judges of the election, and besides the votes of the election board, but two votes were cast; this would indicate that the township was slow in being settled.

The first birth in Oxford township was Job Foust.

Through the kindness of Mrs. Mabel Foust Morsches of Columbia City, Indiana, we have a tax receipt issued to Henry Foust receipting him for 94 cents and 6 mills as the amount in full for his tax on 75 acres of land valued at $66.00; also 16 cents and 4 mills in full for his chattel tax, appraised value $24.00. This was dated November 13, 1827.

Also of interest is a copy of a deed in which Ezra Olds conveys to Henry Foust twenty-five acres of land for a consideration of $110.00. This is drawn on May 3, 1821 and recorded on October 6, 1821. This must be Ezra Olds Jr., the brother of Mary Olds Foust, as Ezra Sr. died in 1815. We also have a pension voucher which reveals that Henry Foust, as well as his three brothers, served in the War of 1812, serving as Sergeant in Captain Drakes Company of Ohio Militia. For this service he was granted a pension--No. l8534--of $8.00 per month, pension beginning on February 4, 1871.

#######

About 31/2 miles northwest of Westfield on a high wooded mound that overlooks the Whetstone River is a cemetery known as "The Foust Mound." It was an early day family burying ground, and is no longer used. Here rests the remains of Jacob Foust Sr., who died in 1841, aged 86 years, and his wife, Christenah Alspach Foust, who died in 1845, aged 83 years. Here also lies the remains of several of their sons and their families, namely--Abraham, Samuel, David, John, and Jonas Foust.

Henry Foust, also a son of Jacob, and our direct ancestor, who died in 1877, aged 85 years, and his wife, Mary Olds Foust who died six months later in 1878, aged 85 years are buried in the Oxford cemetery which is about 31/2 miles northwest of Ashley, Ohio. This also was an early day burial place, and more than fifty marked graves of the Foust and Olds' family are to be found here, including two of the three brothers of Mary Olds Foust, and their families, namely--Ezra Olds Jr. who died in 1858, aged 68 years, and Reverend Benjamin Olds who died in 1881, aged 86 years. The location of Ezra Olds Sr. and Mary Thompson Olds' graves could not be established, but no doubt they are buried here in unmarked graves.

Henry Foust and Mary Olds Foust were the parents of sixteen children, nine of whom lived to maturity. They were all born in the old family home some little distance west of Ashley, Delaware county, Ohio, and were as follows:

#######

Emily Foust, born in 1815, married John Moffatt, a clergyman, in 1840, and in the course of time, they moved to Bristol, Elkhart county, Indiana. They were the parents of three children--LeRoy, Hattie and Mary. Emily Moffatt died in Bristol, Indiana in 1896, aged 81 years.

We have no further record of LeRoy Moffatt.

Hattie Moffatt married a Mr. Kline, and they were the parents of one son, Kenneth.

Mary Moffatt married Mr. Ferrel, and they were the parents of two sons, Charles and Harry.

Mabala Foust was born in 1816 and was united in marriage to John Sisson in 1840. She died in 1856, aged 42 years.

#######

Mary Foust was born in 1820 and was married to Christopher Joy in 1851. Christopher Joy was the son of Solomon Joy who came to Delaware county from the State of Vermont in 1815, and who was identified with the early day progress of the pioneers. He was the first treasurer of the Methodist Church, organized in 1815 at Windsor Corners, and was elected councilman at the second election held in the town of Ashley.

In after years Christopher and Mary Joy moved to Peoria, Iowa, and from there to Osceola, Nebraska where she died July 28, 1887, aged 67 years. They were the parents of at least a son, Solomon Joy Jr.

#######

Franklin Henry Foust was born in 1825. In the year of 1845 he left his native state of Ohio and went to Whitley county, Indiana, where his first business activity was in the fanning mill business. He afterwards became identified with various enterprises of the times, and finally engaged in the banking business in Columbia City, which at that date was a new and pioneer town and the major years of his life were so spent.

He was also interested in farming and stock raising, and at the time of his death he owned 600 acres of valuable farm land adjacent to Columbia City which with his other possessions rated him as a man of wealth. He was united in marriage to Maxie Jones in 1850 who was also a native of Ohio. They were the parents of twins who died in infancy, and of a foster son, Archie H. Foust, who was the nephew of Franklin H. Foust.

Franklin H. Foust died in Columbia City, Indiana, in 1912, aged 87 years. His wife preceded him in death some few years.

Archie H. Foust, the foster son, was born in 1871, in Delaware county, Ohio; he married Jessie Hunter of Colombia City, and they were the parents of two daughters, Virginia who died in early childhood, and Mary, who married Edgar Strouse of Columbia City, where they now reside and Mr. Strouse is engaged in business. They are the parents of a daughter and a son. Archie H. Foust died in 1900 and is buried in Columbia City, Indiana.

#######

Eunice Foust, our direct ancestor, was born March 15, 1827, and was married to James Hayes Smith on July 15, 1846, and is further mentioned in reference to the Smiths.

#######

Solomon Joy Foust was born March 19, 1829. His boyhood days were spent in Ohio. In 1847 he went to Columbia City, Indiana, and engaged in the fanning mill business with his brother, Franklin H. Foust. He was twice married.

His first wife was Barbara Shinneman of Columbia City who was born in 1833. They were married in 1853, and Barbara died in 1858, aged 25 years. She is buried in the Oxford Cemetery northwest of Ashley. They were residents of Columbia City at this time but had been in Ohio for a brief time, and it is supposed--owing to poor traveling facilities--her remains rest in Ohio. They were the parents of two children, Dulsena who died in infancy, and Franklin B. Foust.

Franklin B. Foust, the son of Solomon Joy Foust and Barbara Shinneman Foust, was born January 25, 1857 in Columbia City, Indiana. As the mother died the following year, his early childhood was spent in the home of his paternal grandparents in Ohio. He married Ambic Tulley of Columbia City, and they were the parents of several children. The wife passed away several years ago, and he now resides in South Whitley, Indiana.

Solomon Joy Foust later married Catherine Edwards who was born October 31, 1839. She was the daughter of John and Margaret Edwards of Columbia City. Her parents passed away within three days of each other in July 1863.

Solomon Foust was a volunteer in the Civil War, serving 19 months in Company E--17th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and for this service he was granted a pension--No. 802225--by the government.

In February 1884 the Fousts moved to Kansas, locating southeast of Atlanta, Cowley county, Omnia township, where he engaged in farming until failing health made it necessary for him to retire. They then moved to Atlanta where his remaining years were spent. He passed away July 21, 1909, and Catherine Edwards Foust, the wife, died six weeks later on September 3, 1909, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. C. C. Clover in Cambridge, Kansas.

Solomon Joy and Catherine Edwards Foust were the parents of eight children, five of whom lived to maturity. All of them were born in Columbia City, and later came to Kansas with their parents.

The eldest son, William K. Foust, was born July 22, 1862. For a few years after coming to Kansas, he was engaged in farming; then for several years he held positions in various places as telegraph operator, but his whereabouts have not been known for a number of years, and it is supposed he is no longer living.

Orpha J. Foust was born October 19, 1866. She married George Ridpath who was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ridpath of Peoria, Iowa. Some years after their marriage, they moved to Goodnight, Oklahoma, where they have since resided, and where he engaged in farming. They are the parents of the following sons and daughters--Merritt, Walter, Orpha, Mary, Nellie, Mabel, Jack, Frank, and Grace Ridpath. George Ridpath died December 31, 1933.

Mary Elizabeth Foust was born April 7, 1869. She married Charles C. Clover, son of Mr. and Mrs. B. H. Clover of Cambridge, Kansas.

The Clovers were natives of Franklin county, Ohio, and were prominent in the early day history of Kansas and have always been engaged in farming and stock raising. Charles C. Clover is regarded as one of the best judges of livestock in the southwest and buys, feeds, and ships cattle on a large scale.

They are the parents of three children--Ruth who died in her eighteenth year; Paul, who is a graduate of Pittsburg State School, and who is associated in the stock and farming business with his father. On December 31, 1933, he was married to Miss Edith Kempster, who is also a graduate of Pittsburg State School.

Elizabeth, who is the wife of Clifford Hancock, lives in Cambridge, Kansas. They are the parents of two children.

Charles V. Foust was born March 25, 1872. He came to Kansas with his parents when he was twelve years of age. He, early in life, engaged in farming; but eventually moved to Atlanta, Kansas, and engaged in the hardware business with Daniel Jenkins in 1906. Later he was identified with the Citizens State Bank of Atlanta and served as president of the institution for some time. At present he is engaged in general merchandising business. He is prominently identified with the public affairs of northern Cowley County and has been president of the "Mount Vernon Homecoming" organization for ten years. The family is active in the church and social life of Atlanta and vicinity.

He has been twice married. His first marriage was to Maisie Wingert (1879), the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Wingert, who came to Kansas in an early day from Illinois. This marriage occurred October 20, 1897, and they were the parents of two sons--Clyde, who married Ellen Olson and who resides in Chicago, and Claud, whose wife is Ruth Ferrel, and who lives in Waco, Texas.

Some years after the death of Maisie Wingert Foust, he married Florence Houser. She is the daughter of Doctor and Mrs. F. A. Houser who were natives of the states of' Ohio and Indiana respectively. This marriage occurred May 8, 1914, and they are the parents of two children--Cleon and Doris who are students in Pittsburg State School.

Solomon J. Foust Jr. was the youngest child of Solomon Joy and Catherine Edvards Foust and was born January 12, 1875. He was striken with typhoid fever and passed away October 19, 1894, aged 19 years. He is buried in the Mount Vernon Cemetery, as are his father and mother.

#######

Theda Foust was born in 1831 and was the sixth daughter of Henry and Mary Olds Foust. She married William Sharp in 1857. They were the parents of at least one child, Elva. She passed away in 1859, aged 28 years, and is buried in the Oxford Cemetery at Ashley, Ohio.

#######

LeRoy Foust was born in 1836 and was married to Elizabeth Hall in 1962. He was a minister of the Gospel prior to his enlistment in service during the Civil War. He died in action, falling in the Battle of "Noonday Creek" four miles north of Mariette, Georgia, June 20, 1864. He was 27 years, 8 months, three days of age at the time. His remains rest in the south, but in the family plot, in the Oxford cemetery, and a memorial tablet is erected to his memory. Here also rest the remains of his wife.

#######

Alfred Lorain Foust was the youngest child of Henry and Mary Olds Foust and was born in 1839. In 1869 he was married to Loretta Smith, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan Smith. They were the parents of four children--Archie Foust who has been mentioned elsewhere as the foster son of Mr. and Mrs. F. H. Foust, Mabel, Claud and Cleon.

Alfred Foust spent the early years of his young manhood in the parental home looking after the affairs and comfort of the father and mother who were both becoming aged and feeble, and who, in 1877, passed away within six months of each other.

In 1883 his wife, Loretta, died, and soon after he moved to Columbia City, Indiana, where he devoted his time to superintending the farming interests of his brother, Franklin H. Foust. A short time after moving to Columbia City, the son, Claud, died. In 1899 Alfred Foust died in Columbia City, aged 60 years.

#######

Mabel Foust Morsches was born in Ohio and is the daughter of Alfred and Loretta Smith Foust. Her adult life has been spent in Columbia City, Indiana, where she became the wife of Fredrick Morsches who is actively engaged in the lumber business and a prominent factor in other commercial enterprises of Whitley county, and she is engaged in numerous activities. They were the parents of two children--Elizabeth who died in her early girlhood, and Karl who passed away in 1918 while a student at Culver Military school.

Mabel Foust Morsches has in her possession the family Bible of the grandfather, Henry Foust, containing the records of four generations, at least, and many of the records here, have been received from her.

#######

Cleon H. Foust is the youngest son of Alfred and Loretta Smith Foust and was born in Delaware county, Ohio, but has spent most of his life in Columbia City where he has engaged in the banking business--succeeding his uncle Franklin H. Foust. He married Miss Lea Steman of Columbia City, and they are the parents of three sons--Franklin was associated with his father in the banking business; Cleon (Bill) who is a graduate of Wabash and Harvard Colleges, and Steman, who was educated in Purdue University. The family now resides in Tuscon, Arizona.

#######

References: Historical Department of the State Library of Pennsylvania.

Bureau of Pensions, Washington D. C.

Family Bible of Henry Foust, in possession of Mabel Foust Morsches.

History of Delaware county, Ohio, published by C. L. Baskin and Company, Chicago. (Chapters VII and XXIII).

#######

Important to those interested in genealogy

a. The Abridged Compendium of "American Genealogy of the First Families in America" reveals on page 540 that the Olds family lineage is traced back to James Chilton, who was the twenty-fourth signer of the "Mayflower Compact" and was one of the immigrants on the Mayflower. His daughter, Mary, was known among the Pilgrims as the "Mayflower Orphan" as the father and mother both died in 1621. Mary, who later married John Winslow was the great grandmother of Robert Olds.