JACOB SIDNER
The Sidner family of Madison county had its original home in the Old Dominion state, Philip Sidner having lived in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. He had ten sons, all of whom located near Lexington, Kentucky, soon after the time of Daniel Boone. All of them were slaveholders.
Philip was the only one of the ten brothers who came to Ohio, although descendants of the other brothers came later.
The old Sidner nomestead is located on the West Jefferson pike in Deer Creek township, six miles east of London, and it was there that Jacob Sidner, the son of Philip, lived until his death in 1880, and it is there that his grandson, W. Clark Sidner, lives today.
Jacob Sidner was born in Kentucky in 1799. His father, Philip Sidner, had lived near Columbus, Ohio, but Indians had driven him back to Kentucky, where Jacob was born. The family later returned to Ohio, locating in Madison county in 1802, and built a fort on what is now the site of the Henry Wilson residence at West Jefferson, on the hill. Later Philip Sidner settled at Little Darby on land now owned by David Sidner, and there he died about 1822.
Jacob Sidner obtained the land, now owned and occupied by his son, six miles east of London on the West Jefferson pike, the township line passing through the farm. He acquired altogether more than one thousand acres of land, having started in the wilderness. His old hewed-log house still stands on one part of his old farm, but not a part of the old homestead. The present house was erected about 1852, and was made of heavy frame timbers mortised and tinned, adn is finished in walnut and ash, all cut and seasoned on the farm, and all hand-planed.
Jacob Sidner managed to put about three hundred acres of land under cultivation, and was an extensive breeder of cattle, but more generally bought young cattle and pastured them on his land. He was also an extensive sheep grower.
Jacob Sidner never held any public officers, but he was active in religious affairs. He helped organize the Glade Methodist Episcopal church and for many years was a class leader in the church.
The Sidners were originally Whigs, but at the organization of the Republican party identified themselves with the new party organization.
About 1830 Jacob Sidner was married to Margaret Erwin, the daughter of Joseph Erwin, a pioneer of Madison county, who had come here from Licking county, where Margaret was born. She died within one year of the time of her husband's death, the latter having been eight-one years old at the time of his death, in 1880. They had, therefore, lived together for a half century, and their house was well known by the ministers of the community, who made it their headquarters while traveling circuit in this section. Mrs. Jacob Sidner was also active in church work, a veritable "mother in Israel," and both she and her husband were leaders in all good works thereabout.
By a former marriage to a Miss Ewing, there were four children born to Jacob Sidner, one of whom was Philip, of West Jefferson, a prominent stockman and now deceased. Another son, Charles, went West and died there. Jane married Thomas Davidson and removed to Illinois. Barbara died early in life.
Jacob Sidner's second family consisted of Irving, Wesley, Angie, Delia, Carmanda, Josephine, W. Clark and O.D. Of these children, Irving served in the One Hundred and Thirteenth Regiment, Ohio volunteer Infantry, during the Civil War, and now resides at Des Moines, Iowa. Wesley was a afarmer on a part of the old homestead, and died at the age of seventy-two. His family still lives on the farm. Angie married George Fifer, and died in London, this county. Delia died after reaching young womanhood. Carmanda died early in life. Josephine died in childhood. W. Clark Sidner is living on the old home place, and O.D. Sidner lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Although a pioneer in this section, Jacob Sidner killed only one deer in all his life. He occupied himself closely in farming. although not active politically, he was a strict Republican. In later years he kept buying more and more land and paid as high as sixty dollars and acre for much of it. The original home of one hundred and thirty-three acres was bought for five dollars an acre.
W. Clark Sidner was born in the old hewed-log house on the Sidner homestead January 5, 1845, and has lived all his life on the farm, except a few years spent in London and Columbus. Mr. Sidner has one hundred and ninety acres of the farm, having sold over one hundred acres some time ago. He operated the farm himself, and has been quite successful. Before the death of his father, W. Clark Sidner had operated the farm for some years. Lately he has installed a great deal of underground drainage on the farm, something that had been needed for years.
W. Clark Sidner first married Jennie Jones, who died leaving two sons, Ernest and Earl, the latter of whom married Eloise Florence. Both live on the farm with their father. Mr. Sidner married, secondly, Elizabeth Rubert, who died, after which he married Sadie Parker, who is also deceased. Both the second and third marriages were without issue.
W. Clark Sidner was elected township trustee of Deer Creek township as a republican, and he has helped to sustain the local church, although he is not a member of church. In his community, Mr. Sidner is known as a sportsman, and very much enjoys bird shooting. He also keeps good road horses, and enjoys driving them.

Two of his sons marry daughters of William Jones, London Ohio.