In many respects the most remarkable family in Morgan County is the Ephraim Mummey family of Windsor Township. Mr. and Mrs. Ephraim Mummey will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Oct. 2nd next. Mrs. Mummey ten days later will celebrate her 80th birthday anniversary while Mr. Mummey will be 81 on the 26th of May this year. More remarkable still they have twelve children and have never had a death in the family. There are two sets of twins in the family. That's why we say it is one of the most remarkable families in the county and when you think of the size of the family, the length of life of the parents and that there has never been a death in the family, the reader will understand that it is a record scarcely equaled in the state of Ohio.

The writer enjoyed the hospitality of the Ephraim Mummey home recently and had the pleasure of hearing these aged people tell of the struggles and hardships they have endured and the happiness they have enjoyed. Parents today imagine they have a big contract when they have four or five children to care for, feed and clothe. Mr. and Mrs. Mummey raised their family of 12 children during the civil war when coffee was 75 cents a pound, flour $16.00 per barrel and woolen and cotton cloth so expensive that to dress to go to school would have necessitated Mr. Ephraim Mummey's having toiled 500 days each year at $2.00 per day and then he would have to crowd another 500 into each 365 to get bread, meat and the other present necessities for the 14 appetites that faced his table three times each day.

Through all those years Mr. Mummey was cheerful, contented and happy. He was not afraid of work and when one is busily employed he has not time for the 'blues.' He even offered his services to his country as a soldier, but was rejected, having sustained an injury to one foot by a cut that made him unable to stand long marches.

Mr. and Mrs. Mummey are another proof of the fact that hard work neither shortens life nor diminishes enjoyment. These aged people have been compelled by circumstances to labor arduously to provide for their large family and have had little time for rest or recreation and yet we doubt if they would have been as happy if they had been permitted to live lives of ease and luxury.

The Democrat takes pleasure in presenting a short sketch of these aged pioneers and a picture of them and ten of their twelve children.

Ephraim Mummey was born near Cadiz in Harrison Country, May 26th, 1828. He was a son of Charles and Rebecca Hedges Mummey. Charles was a native of Brooke County, Virginia. He was a son of Christopher Mummey. Ephraim's grandfather, Christopher, settled in Meigsville Township in 1818. His descendants were numerous in Morgan County some years ago. Many have moved to the West and many others have passed away, but there are still quite a number who claim descent from Christopher Mummey, although many of them do not bear the name Mummey. Some prominent citizens of McConnelsville are among the latter, including Mrs. A. G. Pyle and Mr. C.H. Morris. Among the children of Christopher Mummey who came to Morgan were Charles, John, Joshua, Thomas, Mrs. Rebecca Hill and Mrs. Eleanor Hammond. John married Sarah Hammond, Joshua married Catherine Hammond and Eleanor married William Hammond, all three children of Mr. and Mrs. John Hammond.

Ephraim Mummey when about 20 years old came, in 1848, with his father to Morgan County and settled in East Windsor on the farm now owned by Charles Mummey, a brother of Ephraim. On October 2nd, 1849, Ephraim Mummey was united in marriage to Martha Jane Glen, daughter of John A. and Elizabeth Glen. The ceremony was performed by Squire Nicholas Coburn.

Longevity is hereditary in both the Mummey and Glen families. Charles Mummey died April 1, 1876 aged 79 years, 1 month and 23 days. His wife Rebecca Mummey, died July 8th, 1874 aged 74 years, and 29 days. John A. Glen was born Nov. 12th, 1805 and died July 11th, 1890, aged 84 years. His wife, Elizabeth Glen, was born Sept. 15th, 1806 and died Jan . 25th, 1893, aged 86 years. Mr. And Mrs. Charles Mummey and Mr. and Mrs. John A. Glen are all buried at the Fairview Cemetery in East Windsor.

Ephraim Mummey was one of six children - Maria, Susan, Ephraim, Mary, Charles and Rebecca. Mary married James Magers. Rebecca married William Hanna. Ephraim and Charles are the only ones now living. Charles married Josephine Sells and lives on the old home place of his father in East Windsor. Of Their 11 children, eight are living - five sons and three daughters.

There are six children in the John A. Glen family - Martha Jane, James, Thomas, John, Albert and William. Of these three are living - Mrs. Ephraim Mummey, Thomas and William. The latter two reside in Missouri.

The John A. Glen family resided near Hooksburg have moved there from Belmont County in 1833. The only daughter, Mrs. Ephraim Mummey, was born in Belmont County, October 12th, 1829.

Mr. and Mrs. Ephraim Mummey have spent their entire married life in East Windsor and have resided on the farm where they are now located for about 50 years. Here are their 12 children in order of birth:

James - married Lucetta Barnhouse. They live near Hooksburg and have two daughters.

Rebecca - married Percival Henry. They reside in Marietta and have three children, two sons and one daughters.

Susan - married David Lyne. He died about 20 years ago. She resides in East Windsor and has one son and two daughters.

Charles - married Eva Brown. They are located in Meigsville Township and have a son and two daughters.

John - married Ella Lyne. Their home is in East Windsor. They have two daughters.

Ella - married Marshall O'Neal. He died about 22 years ago. The widow resides with her parents. She has no children.

Etta - married George Tennent. They reside in Blountsville, Tennessee, and have three sons and three daughters.

George Washington - married Mina Judkins. They reside in East Windsor and have two sons and a daughter.

Thomas Jefferson - married Viola Hawk. They reside in Belpre, and have a son and a daughter. The son graduated from the Parkersville school the past year and is a very brilliant young man.

Jennie - married Kyle Gooden. They reside in Washington County near Ludlow and have one son. Mr. Gooden is a carrier on Beverly R.F.D. No. 2.

Fred - married Florence Parmiter. They reside in Meigsville Township and have one son.

Frank - married Mattie Richardson. They live near his father's on the home farm and have one son.

George and Thomas are twins as are Fred and Frank. James, the oldest child, was only about 24 when Fred and Frank were born. Charles and John are known far and wide as sawmill men and threshers. Fred and Frank are both expert blacksmiths. George is a carpenter. Thomas is an engineer on the Ohio and is employed at $125 per month. There are very few people who have made fortunes with threshing machines and portable sawmills. The Mummey boys have made both employments pay and the secret of their success has been their complete knowledge of the business together with industry and careful attention to business.

When Ephraim Mummey came to Morgan much of that country was in woods. Mr. Mummey tells us that when he came to East Windsor in 1848 there were but two graves in the cemetery at Mt. Olivet - Mrs. Boler and James Longerbeam, the latter having been killed by lightning. The cemetery at Fairview was started many years later.

Among his associates in East Windsor 60 years ago were John Sells, Thomas Blake, John Sheets, David Thorne, Samuel Magill, Leroy Gheen, David Phillips, Simeon McVeigh, Samuel Fitch, Thomas Gatewood, John McSwords, William Hance, William Phillips, Lemuel Lawrence, Nicholas Coburn, John Buck, Jesse Blackmer, John Lyons, Elias Olney and John Black. Of these Lemuel Lawrence, Elias Olney and John Buck are the only ones now living.

Mr. and Mrs. Ephraim Mummey started life poor but by industry, economy, and good management they succeeded in providing for their large family and accumulated enough property to meet all their wants in their declining years. While they could not give their children much of the world's goods, yet they taught them to be industrious, honest and self supporting, which is far better than large bequests of property.

The parents have every attention shown them by their daughter, Mrs. O'Neal, who resides with them and by their son, Frank, who lives in a new residence built near the home of the parents. No parents ever had more devoted children and children ever had parents who deserve more of their care and sympathy.

Mr. and Mrs. Mummey are well preserved and active for persons of such advanced years. Mr. Mummey is quite deaf but otherwise enjoys life as well as any aged person can.

On Sept. 5th last, a family reunion was held at the parents' home at which all the children except Etta and Jefferson were present. In addition, 12 grandchildren and 11 greatgrandchildren were also present.

The family will probably hold a family reunion this fall to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the wedding of the parents and we trust all will be spared to enjoy this notable event in the lives of this aged and highly respected couple.