Peffley - John Robison
Source: The Peffley, Peffly, Pefley Families in America, A historical and genealogical record of the Peffley, Peffly and Pefley families from 1729-1938; Published in 1938, By May Miller Frost and Clarence Earl Frost
698--JOHN PEFFLY (son of No. 665 ) married about 1857, Darke Co., O. ATHERINE NISWONGER, born at Phillipsburg, O., Aug. 3rd, 1836, died Aug. 24th, 1912 (dau. of GEORGE and ELIZABETH (Warner) NISWONGER).
Issue: All born in Darke Co., Ohio.
1--CORNELIUS D. PEFFLY, b. 11-13-1858, d. 11-29-1933.
2--MOSES PEFFLY, b. 1860, d. 1868.
3--GEORGE WASHINGTON PEFFLY, b. 11-8-1862.
4--JACOB B. PEFFLY, b. 2-10-1865.
5--ALPHEUS PEFFLY, b. 1-8-1866, d. 1888.
6--CLARA ELLEN PEFFLY, b. 10-16-1868.
7--MARY ELIZABETH PEFFLY, b. 10-9-1871.
8--LYDIA PEFFLY, b. 1872.
9--SARAH PEFFLY, b. 1874.
10--HERMAN B. PEFFLY, b. 11-17-1877.
11--CORA BELLE PEFFLY, b. 6-27-1879.
12--ALONZO NORTON PEFFLY, twin, b. 12-15-1881.
13--GUY C. PEFFLY, twin, 12-15-1881.
SKETCH OF JOHN PEFFLY, furnished by his son Jacob B. Peffly.
John Peffly was born four miles northwest of Dayton, Ohio, presumably upon his grandfather Jacob's farm. When he was about a year old his father, Jacob bought a farm in Clay twp., one mile east of Phillipsburg, Ohio. John attended school in a log school house where educational advantages were poor to say the least, but being of an ambitious nature he took advantage of all available opportunities which presented themselves. By so doing he had a fair education for those days. For amusement he attended spelling bees, singing school, husking bees, or went to a sugar camp where maple sap was being boiled down for sirup or sugar.
When John married Katie Niswonger he moved on a farm in Darke Co., Ohio, three miles east of Arcanum on what was known as the State Road. There he began the clearing of land and the erection of a log house and barn, which meant the laborious task of cutting and hewing the logs, notching and dove- tailing the ends, splitting the clapboards for the roof from oak with frows. For other lumber required logs of the desired length were cut and hauled to the mill. Along with the clearing and farming there was well digging and fencing. About the second year the house was sufficiently advanced to be inhabitable and John moved in with his wife and son, Cornelius. Having a small tract of land cleared he planted it to corn, potatoes, vegetables, and grains required for the family and stock. In addition to all of this work he found time to add a wagon shed and corn cribs of logs. Then he met the problem of drainage and in time had his entire farm tile-drained. He planted a fine orchard and later added a frame addition to his house and built a tobacco barn. Being skilled in the handling of tools he made some of his farm implements, such as cultivators and spiked tooth harrows, field rollers and swingletrees. Another venture was splitting staves for a cooperage and hauling them to Salem, Ohio, a distance of fifteen miles. With a larger acreage in cultivation a larger barn was required. He cut logs and had lumber sawed for a large bank barn, 40x72 feet.
As the country developed he took much interest in civic development. He served as school director and also as township trustee. As the years went by the farm was developed to a high state of cultivation. Both John and his wife were overworked and decided to rent the farm. Then he bought a farm of eighty acres which cornered with his father's and moved there March 2nd, 1880. This farm was in Montgomery Co. The iron constitution which John thought he possessed gave way and his days of manual labor were at an end. He spent much time in church work and became affiliated with the United Brethren in Christ, commonly called "Wengerts." He contributed substantially to a new church edifice. Katie's greatest delight was to prepare a feast and invite ten or twelve home to Sunday dinner.
His travels were not extensive. Occasionally he went to Kansas to visit his brothers living there, or to Toronto to a church conference. When Clara Ellen was married he bought an eighty acre farm. He and his wife finally moved to Phillipsburg in 1901 where they built a home and spent the remainder of their days.