DICE-Franklin - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

It is a well known fact, fully recognized by physicians and by all others who have made the subject a study, that a quiet life and steady habits promote longevity. In the cities where the people are falling over each other in their desperate attempts to get rich suddenly, and where they are, of a consequence, on a severe nervous strain all the time, the mortality tables are much higher than in the country. The farmer may, therefore, congratulate himself that, though his life may be less eventful, it is certainly much longer and more satisfactory in the main than that of his cousin in the city. This important fact should be borne in mind when the young men of the rural districts contemplate going into the cities and taking some poorly-paid position in a store or machine shop, and thus grind out their lives. How much better is the healthful life of the farmer who has developed a productive place from the virgin soil, reared his family in the comfortable home which he has himself made and is known and respected by his neighbors near and far. Some such man is Franklin Dice, a venerable and honored agriculturist of Van Buren township, whose sturdy old age is no doubt the result of right living in the country. Mr. Dice is one of the oldest native sons of Fountain county, and here he has spent his long and industrious life, having lived to see the community advance from a wilderness to one of the leading farming sections of the state. His birth occurred in Van Buren township, this county, May 10, 1830. He is the son of John and Elizabeth (Hop) Dice, both parents horn in 1817. The father in Rockbridge county, Virginia, and the mother in West Virginia. The subject's paternal grandfather came here in 1827 and settled in Van Buren township, having purchased land from a Mr. Funk, the place being partly improved, and here he spent the rest of his life engaged in farming, and was well known among the pioneers. His son, John Dice, lived on eighty-acre farm here also. His family consisted of seven children, namely: William, John and Jacob are all deceased; Henry, deceased; Franklin, of this sketch; George, also deceased; James is deceased. Politically, the father of the above named children was a Democrat, and he belonged to the Presbyterian church He was a plain, hard-working, honest man who had many friends. Franklin Dice grew to manhood on the home farm and he knew the meaning of hard work when but a boy. He received such education as he could in the old log school house, in which was a fire place across one end, greased paper for window panes and slabs for seats. He began his life work by clerking in a general store at Chambersburg, this township, but desiring to make agriculture his life work, he purchased his present farm, on which he has lived for a period of sixty years, having taken up his residence here in 1852 and he has been very successful as a general farmer and stock raiser, his fine place of two hundred and forty-two acres, all tillable, being one of the choice farms of the township. He has rotated his crops and so skillfully manipulated the soil that it has retained its original fertility. He has a pleasant home and large, convenient outbuildings. For years he has made a specialty of raising graded hogs and sheep. He has made all the improvements on the place, which is very admirably situated just east of Stone Bluff. He is now living in practical retirement,, merely overseeing his farm. Mr. Dice was married in 185.1 to Melinda. Redden, daughter of William and Kittora (Glascock) Redden, old settlers of this county, having come here from Kentucky. Six children have been born to the subject and. wife, namely: Ollie, deceased; Ginevra married Wallace Campbell of Cain township, this county; Walsey married Lottie Romine, and they live on part of the subject's farm; Hattie, who married John Campbell, lives in Troy township, this county. her husband being deceased; Flora is deceased.; Boswick lives in Van Buren township. Politically, Mr. Dice is a Republican and he has always been loyal to his party. He has served the people as township clerk to the satisfaction of all concerned. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Stone Bluff. Religiously, he is a member of the United Brethren church. He is deserving of a great deal of credit for what he has accomplished, having made what he has by his own efforts.

Prepared by: Thomas H. Campbell