"Robert Kerr remained with his parents until nineteen years of age,rec eiving scarcely any advantages for securing an education. He beganto l earn the tanner's trade, at Martinsburg, Ohio, and completed hisappren ticeship in two years and five months. At the end of this time,he hire d out to drive hogs through to Baltimore, Md., at threeshillings a day a nd board, excepting dinner, which he had to furnishhimself, if he had a ny. On his return to Ohio, he found employment atgeneral work around a s awmill for several months, at $11 a month.While employed in the follow ing harvest, he was prostrated by afever. This sickness, with the expe nses attached to it, soon took thegreater part of his earnings on hes r ecovery, and for some timethereafter, lie followed the business of cle aring up land fordifferent parties, and from $2.50 to $3 per acre. His p art of thecontract was complete when everything was cleared up within t welveinches of the ground; 113 or more acres of land was cleared up by h imin that mariner. While clearing this land he cut 1,000 cords of wood and upward, at 20 cents per cord, and made many thousand rails at 50cen ts a hundred. About this time, or a little before, he had boughttwo ei ghty-acre pieces of land, then in Scott Township, MarionCounty, but no w in Crawford County; for the first eighty acres hepaid $100, and for t he other $200. He was married in 1833 and at oncecommenced keeping hou se on his 160 acres of land. From this time hegave his attention to fa rming, clearing $100 cash the first year.About the third year on the f arm he began handling stock, whichturned out tolerably well. He now, w ith what money he had made,purchased 360 acres of land in Scott Townsh ip for $1,500 on fiveyears' time, at six percent interest, payments to b e made of $300yearly. He stocked this land with sheep, and made enough m oney tomeet his payments promptly as they fell due. He was then told b y anold Pennsylvanian, one Stephen Ulery, that he could make more mone yby raising sheep than in anything else, and Mr. Kerr, acting upon hisa dvice, bought quite a large number. The first year he sold his woolfor 2 1 1/2 cents per pound. The second for 22 1/2 cents, the thirdcrop at 2 9 cents, the fourth at 31 cents, the fifth crop for 40cents, the sixth f or 50 cents, and the seventh crop at 80 cents apound. The last season h is receipts from the sale of wool and sheepamounted to $33,000. After t his the price of wool declined to 50cents, and kept going lower, and M r. Kerr sold out all his sheep andquit the business. Up to 1876-77, hi s principal business had beenhandling sheep and stock, and he now owne d (1883) a herd of 1,024head of cattle in the Indian Territory, 1,059 a cres of land inCrawford County, 443 acres in Wyandot County, and 2,573 a cres inMarion County. He was one of the original stockholders of the Farmers' Bank of Marion, Ohio, and of the Nevada Deposit Bank, ofNevada , Ohio, and now owns a large amount fo stock in each; he isalso a stoc kholder in a bank at Winfield, Kansas, which has butrecently been esta blished. He built, and still owns, the Kerr Houseat Marion, at a cost o f $60,000, and the Kerr House, at Nevada, at acost of $18,000, both fi ne buildings and ornament to the towns wherethey are located, and monu ments that speak well for the enterprise ofthe builder. He has made va rious donations of considerable amounts,one of about $53, 000 to Hiram C ollege, and another of $23,000, toBethany College, of Virginia, and va rious minor amounts to otherinstitutions. He is the wealthiest citizen a nd largest landholder inthis section of the country. He has 4,007 acre s of valuable land,free of incumbrance, and other propery, which, at a c ash valuation,would amount to $600,000. This large propery was acquire d byfifty-four years of untiring energy, combined with excellent financial ability and strict integrity in all business transactions. He wasf ormerly a member of the Disciple Church for many years; but, forwhat h e considered unchristian conduct of some of the members, hewithdrew fr om that church, and has not been a member of any Christiandenomination s ince. His wife, Matilda, died in February 1859. By thismarriage there w ere eleven children. Mr. Kerr was married the secondtime, in July 1861 , to Martha Williams, by whom there was one child.On New Year's Day, 1 883, Mr. Kerr met with a serious accident atCaledonia, while walking d own the street, which was very icy; heslipped and fell, causing a frac ture or dislocation of the hip jointon the left side, and has not been a ble to walk since (September1883), and has made his home at Nevada, Oh io. He lived for forty-fouryears on tile place where he first commence d in keeping house, butfor the ten years previous to the accident abov e mentioned, had livedin a house erected on his land in Scott Township , a short distancefrom his old home. Barring his inability to walk; he i s enjoying goodhealth for a man of his years. He is now seveny-six (18 83)."
