William Winget was born in Pennsylvania in 1797. In 1802, he traveled to Ohio and settled in Madison County. He eventually moved to Union County, where he lived out the rest of his life. He purchased nearly 200 acres of land, which was a dense forest at the time, and began clearing it out. William became the trustee in Union Township and also served on the local school board. He was a religious and generous man, one who contributed freely to his church up until his death in 1874.

Reuban L. Partridge was born on September 10, 1823 in New York. His parents, Cyrus and Lucina Partridge, eventually traveled to Franklin County, Ohio. They were among the early settlers of the county. When Cyrus died in 1836, Lucina moved the family to Marysville, Ohio. Reuban learned the wood working trade from his half-brother, Rowland Lee. Partridge was a wagon maker for roughly eight years. He later chose to follow the carpenter's trade.

In 1855, Partridge got his first bridge building contract, which was the first self supporting bridge in Union County. By 1866, Partridge was building bridges full time. In 1872, he received a patent for his truss design, the Partridge Truss. By 1883, Partridge had built over 125 bridges. Most of them were built in Union County. In his later years, Partridge became the vice president of the Columbus Bridge Company. He often supervised the construction of the bridges. In July, 1900, he was supervising the repair of the Alsaugh Bridge when he fell and broke his leg. Reuban L. Partridge died in July, 1900 from complications due to the broken leg.