HomeALLEN BARB, who owns a fine farm on the Hebron road in Etna township, where he makes a specialty of the dairy business, was born where he now resides October 23, 1863, and over a century ago when this part of Licking County was a vast forest, having in it scarcely an acre of developed land, his great-grandparent., came from Virginia, settling in Rushville, Fairfield county, with their family. Among their sons was Bathuel Barb, who there wedded Elizabeth Sturgeon with whom he subsequently removed to a farm situated one and a half miles east of that on which his grandson Alva Barb resides, and there they spent their remaining, days. In their family were four children, namely Robert, Allen, Alva and Hester Jane. In this part of the country, the maternal grandfather of Allen Barb also settled ,and bore the reputation of being the most powerful man physically in this part of the state, holding the record for being able to lift a full barrel of whiskey as high as his head and thus imbibing of its contents.
Robert Barb, father of the subject of this review was born in Rushville, Fairfield county, September 5, 1835, and spent a great deal of his time in this township where he owned an eighty acre farm, also possessing a farm containing one hundred acres in Fairfield county and another embracing twenty acres in Truro township, Franklin county, and after a useful career devoted to agriculture he departed this life March 9, 1906, in Reynoldsburg, in which place he had been living in retirement. His wife, Mary Ann Harmon is a native of Etna township, where her birth occurred in July, 1838, and a daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Myers) Harmon, natives of Maryland who with their parents settled in Lancaster, Fairfield county this state, where they were united in marriage. Mr. Harmon who later removed to Etna township where he cleared and cultivated a farm passed away here, in 1859. when in his sixtieth year. They reared a family of seven children Orphie, Jacob, John, Sarah. Mary Ann.. James Charles and Jane To Mr. and Mrs. Barb were born: Jane, wife of M.D. Brock of Summit Station; Allen; Harry, a resident of Fairfield comity; and Corrie, who lives in Reynoldsburg.
On his father's farm in this township Allen Barb spent his boyhood and while assisting in the duties of the fields also attended the district schools, where he acquired his education. In 1878, he removed with his parents to their farm in Truro township, Franklin county, where he remained for ten years, at the termination of that time returning to his present place, where he has since resided, cultivating one hundred and sixty acres of land located on the Hebron road, and here in connection with general farming he makes a specialty of dairying. This farm has always been in possession of the family and is bounded on the south by Fairfield county and on the west by Franklin county and, having had many years of careful attention it is in excellent condition and is one of the finest for the production of general crops in this part of the county.
In 1887 Mr. Barb wedded Elizabeth Bender a native of Franklin county where he was born September 15, 1866, and a daughter of Lewis and Helen (Ruppert) Bender.. natives of Germany, both of whom passed away in this county Mr. and Mrs. Barb have eight children: Frances, deceased- Eva; Lewis; Robert Hazel, deceased; Lloyd, deceased; Ruth and Lawrence. Politically Mr. Barb is a strong prohibitionist and, believing that the prosperity of the country is more or less dependent upon the health and habits of its citizens and that the liquor traffic is detrimental and at the same time the arch degrader of morals he stands on the side of those who are opposed to the manufacture and sale of intoxicants and. believing that the prohibition party must finally win, inasmuch as it is fundamentally right, he always votes that ticket and as far as possible uses his influence in the community to induce the citizens to espouse and advance its sentiments he is greatly interested in the moral welfare of the neighborhood and, being upright in all his dealings and one who upholds all measures designed for the public good, he merits the reputation of being one of the township's most worthy citizens.