A L Speer

SPEER, FERGUSON, JOHNSTON

Posted By: County Coordinator (email)
Date: 11/11/2006 at 15:50:47

A L Speer, mayor and justice of the peace, Boonesboro, was born in Philadelphia, April 25, 1821, his paternal grandparents came from Ireland to that city in an early day, when about two years of age he accompanied his father to Chester county, Pennsylvania,, and in 1831 moved to Pittsburgh, same State, in 1832 he came to Harrison county, Ohio, where he spent his youth and early manhood, and when fourteen years old he left his home, working as a farm boy for two years, then worked in a mill for the same length of time, and then engaged in the carpenter and builder’s trade, in the mean time attending school winters, when twenty-one years of age he made choice of the mason trade and followed that occupation until 1878, May 24, 1854, he came to this county and spent the winter on Sec 4 Worth township, and the follow spring he built a house in Boonesboro, there being but six buildings there at the time, the first plastering done in the county was done by him in the fall of 1854, in 1855 he was elected school-fund commissioner of the county, the office at that time being quite an important one, having under its control all school lands, site of schoolhouses, etc., he held that position until it was abolished and for ten years past has been justice of the peace, was elected mayor in 1878, and still retains that office, in the fall of 1861 he was elected to the State Legislature and the honor was well conferred on him, as his actions there in the war measures were commendable, etc., he was married in May 1851, to Miss Sarah E Ferguson, a native of Ohio, they have six children living : Ophelia, (wife of J S Johnston, of Boone), Clara, Dora, Florence, Rachel May and Alfred Ellsworth, Mr Speer is one of twelve children, eleven of whom are living and there have been no deaths in the last generation, he has been school director and president of the board, and has been closely identified with all school interests, he has done as much, if not more, toward the advancement of educational matters that nay other man in the county

1880 Boone Co History Book