He learned the carpenter's trade in New Jersey with a mechanic named Halsey. He emigrated to Washington County, Pa., in 1800 with Philip Axtell, where he married. He removed to the adjoining county of Greene in 1815, where he purchased four hundred acres of land near the line between Greene and Washington counties. He occupied this farm eighteen years, then sold it for twelve hundred dollars and purchased three hundred acres further south, near what is now Nineveh, Greene County. There he remained until his removal to the residence of his son, Sylvester, in Iowa, where he died. Zenas was ordained ruling elder in Upper Ten-Mile Presbyterian Church in 1825, and remained such until his removal to Iowa. Being a devout student of the Bible, his aptness in using Scriptural phrases is remembered by all who knew him. An eminent divine once remarked that he "feared theological combat with no one but Uncle Zenas Condit." His son, Ira S. Condit, resided on the old farm in Greene County.8