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FROM THE PRESS OF WILSON. HUMPHRYES * CO., 
 FOURTH ST., LOGANSPORT, IND. 
 
 
Preface. 
 
 Tin?) importance of placing in book form biographical histor)' of representative 
 citizens — both for its immediate worth and for its value to coming generations 
 — is admitted by all thinking people; and within the past decade there has 
 been a growing interest in this commendable means of perpetuating biography 
 and family genealogy. 
 
 That the public is entitled to the privileges afforded by a work of this nature 
 needs no assertion at our hands; for one of our greatest Americans has said that the 
 history of any country resolves itself into the biographies of its stout, earnest and 
 representative citizens. This medium, then, serves more than a single purpose: 
 while it perpetuates biography and family genealogy, it records history, much of 
 which would be preserved in no other way. 
 
 In presenting the Commemorative Biographical Record to its patrons, the 
 publishers have to acknowledge, with gratitude, the encouragement and support their 
 enterprise has received, and the willing assistance rendered in enabling them to sur- 
 mount the many unforeseen obstacles to be met with in the production of a work of 
 this character. In nearly every instance the material composing the sketches was 
 gathered from those inmiediately interested, and then submitted in type-written form 
 for correction and revision. The volume, which is one of generous amplitude, is 
 placed in the hands of the public with the belief that it will be found a valuable addi- 
 tion to the library, as well as an invaluable contribution to the historical literature of 
 the State of Ohio. 
 
 Tin: I'LIJLISHEKS. 
 
\ 
 
BlOGRAPHlGAk 
 
 ENERAL RALPH P. 
 BUCKLAND. Lead- 
 ers of men in all afjes 
 have not only pos- 
 sessed rare natural 
 and acquired abili- 
 ties, but in almost 
 every instance they 
 have been launched 
 into the stream of life under circum- 
 stances peculiarly favorable for their de- 
 velopment, and have had to pass throuj^h 
 severe trials aiul discipline preparatory 
 to their life work, aptly illiislratinf; that 
 " There's a divinity that shapes our ends." 
 or "There is a God in history. " 
 
 As a hi;,'hly worthy example of Ameri- 
 can leaders who have left their indelible 
 impress upon the pa^es of United States 
 history we present the subject of this 
 sketch. His ancestn*', his natural en- 
 dowments, his education, his environ- 
 ment and achievements, both in civil and 
 military life, resembling in some respects 
 those of his illustrious cf)ntemporaries, 
 Lincoln and (irant, furnish valuable ob- 
 ject lessons to young Americans, and are 
 eminently worthy of a place in the local 
 biographical record of the people of a his- 
 toric locality. 
 
 The ancestor from whom arc descend- 
 ed the Huckland families in Sandusky 
 county. Ohio, was a citizen of Hartford, 
 Conn., in Colonial times, and was of En- 
 glish descent. His son. Stephen Buck- 
 
 land, of East Hartford, grandfather of our 
 subject, was a captain-lieutenant in Bige- 
 low's Artillery Company, raised in Con- 
 necticut during the Revolutionary war. 
 [ This was an independent company, re- 
 i cruited earlj- in 1 776, and was attached 
 to the Northern Department, where it ap- 
 pears to have been accepted as a Conti- 
 nental company. It was stationed dur- 
 ing the summer and fall at Ticonderoga 
 i and vicinity. Stephen Buckland was 
 comtnissioned captain-lieutenant of this 
 company January 23, 1776, and was pro- 
 ' moted November 9 to Maj. Steven's Con- 
 ' tinental Artillery. He was afterward a 
 ! captain in Col. John Crane's Third Regi- 
 ! ment of Continental Artillery, commis- 
 sioned January 1, 1777. and was detached 
 ' with his company to serve with (iates 
 against Burgoyne. He was subsequently 
 stationed at various points, and was at 
 I'^armington in the winter of 1777 78. 
 I He was furloughed by Gen. Washington 
 for five weeks, from October 30. 1778. 
 and was on command at Fort Arnold. 
 West Point, in 1779. He afterward be- 
 came captain of a privateer which was 
 captured on the second day of April. 17S2. 
 by the British brig •' Perseverance," Ross, 
 commander, and was with his officers 
 confined in the "Old Jersey" prison 
 ship, where he died on the 7th of May, 
 of the same year. His remains are prob- 
 ably now, with other martyrs of the 
 i prison ships, buried in P'ort Green, Brook- 
 
8 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ]yn, N. Y. , near Washington Place, in 
 that city. He had married a Miss Mary 
 Olmsted, who was born September 27, 
 1774, and their children were Mar}'; 
 Hannah; Stephen, who died in infancy; 
 another child, also called Stephen, who 
 also died in infancy; Betsey, and Ralph. 
 
 Ralph Buckland, born July 28, 1781, 
 son of Stephen, came in the year 181 1 to 
 Portage county, Ohio, where he served 
 in the capacity of land agent and sur- 
 veyor. In 18 1 2 he removed his family 
 in a one-horse sleigh from their home in 
 Massachusetts to Ravenna, Ohio. His 
 wife's maiden name was Ann Kent. Some 
 few years after his death Mrs. Buckland 
 married Dr. Luther Hanchett, who then 
 had four children by a former marriage; 
 six more children were born to them. 
 Ralph Buckland served as a volunteer in 
 Hull's army during the war of 18 12. He 
 was second sergeant in Capt. John Camp- 
 bell's company, which began its march 
 on the 4th of July, 1S12, to join the regi- 
 ment commanded by Col. Lewis Cass, at 
 Detroit. After great suffering and hard- 
 ship, because of the character of the 
 country traversed, they finalh' reached 
 the river Raisin, and were surrendered by 
 Gen. Hull on the i6th day of August, as 
 prisoners of "war. Mr. Buckland returned 
 to his home in Ravenna, "prisoner on 
 parole," and died May 23, 1813. His 
 children were: An infant daughter who 
 died on the way west, and was buried at 
 Albany, N. Y. ; Ralph Pomeroy, our sub- 
 joct; and Stephen, who for nearly forty 
 years was a leading druggist at Fremont, 
 Ohio. 
 
 Ralph Pomeroy Buckland was born at 
 Leyden, Mass., January 20, 181 2. Dur- 
 ing his early life he lived with his step- 
 father and family on a farm, but the 
 greater part of the time previous to the 
 age of eighteen he lived with and labored 
 for a farmer uncle in Mantua, excepting 
 two years when he worked in a woolen 
 factory at Kendall, Ohio' and one year 
 which he spent as clerk in a store. In 
 
 the winter he attended the country 
 schools, and in the summer of 1830 at- 
 tended an academy at Tallmadge, Ohio, 
 where he commenced the study of Latin. 
 In the fall of 1831 he embarked, at 
 Akron, Ohio, on board a flat-boat loaded 
 with a cargo of cheese, to be transported 
 through the Ohio canal, down the Mus- 
 kingum, Ohio and Mississippi rivers to 
 Natchez, Miss. At Louisville he secured 
 a deck passage on the " Daniel Boone," 
 and worked his way by carrying wood on 
 board. At Natchez he found employ- 
 ment, and secured the confidence of his 
 employers so far that at the end of a few 
 months they put him in charge of two flat- 
 boats lashed together and loaded with 
 1200 barrels of flour for the New Orleans 
 market. On this trip he served his turn 
 with the rest of the crew as company 
 cook. The voyage was successfully com- 
 pleted, and at the solicitation of his em- 
 ployers he remained in New Orleans, in 
 charge of their commission house. Here, 
 for a time, he was under the influence of 
 companions who indulged in drinking, 
 gambling and other vices, and was con- 
 firmed in his resolution to avoid the evils 
 by the sudden death of a fellow clerk, a 
 victim of dissipation. He saved his 
 money, and spent his time in the study of 
 the Latin and French languages, and in 
 reviewing common-school branches. 
 
 In June, 1834, Mr. Buckland started 
 for Ohio, on a visit to his mother, leaving 
 New Orleans with the fixed idea of return- 
 ing and making that city his future home. 
 He had been offered several first-rate 
 situations, but on arriving home his moth- 
 er induced him to remain in the North. 
 After spending one year at Kenyori Col- 
 lege, he began the study of law in the 
 office of Gregory Powers, at Middlebury, 
 now apart of Akron, Ohio, and completed 
 it with Whitiessy & Newton, at Canfield, 
 being admitted to practice in the spring 
 of 1837. During the winter of the pre- 
 vious year he had spent several months 
 pursuing his studies in the office of George 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 B. Way, who was then editor t>f the 
 Toledo lilmif, and in whose temporary 
 absence he acted for a few weeks as echtor 
 pro tint. Immediately after Mr. Hiick- 
 lund's admission to the bar, with only 
 about fifty dollars in his pocket, loaned 
 him by his uncle, Alson Kent, he started 
 in quest of a favorable location for an at- 
 torney. The failure of the wilil-cat banks 
 was what settled him in Lower Sandusky. 
 for on arriving here he had not good 
 money enough to pay a week's board, and 
 was obliged to stop. He was kindly 
 trusted by Thomas L. Hawkins for a 
 sign, opened a law office, and soon se- 
 cured enough business to pay for his ex- 
 penses, which were kept down to the 
 lowest possible point. At this date he 
 was not only without means, but still 
 owed three hundred dollars for his ex- 
 penses incurred while a student, and for 
 a few necessary law books; but he was 
 confident of ultimate success, for eight 
 months after opening up his law office in 
 Lower Sandusky he went to Canfield, 
 Ohio, and married Charlotte Boughton, 
 returning with her the following spring. 
 Being strictly economical, their expenses 
 during their first year of married life did 
 not exceed $300. His credit was good 
 and his business steadily increased, so 
 that at the end of three or four years he 
 had all he could attend to. He was at 
 that time slender in build and troubled 
 with dyspepsia, but out-door exercise, 
 gained in traveling on horseback to the 
 courts of adjoining counties, during term 
 time, cured him and gradually increased 
 his weight and physical strength. In 
 1846 Kutherff)rd H. Hayes became a 
 partner with Mr. Huckland in the practice 
 of law, and the partnership continued 
 until Mr. Hayes removed to Cincinnati, 
 three years later. He afterward had as- 
 sociated with him Hon. Homer Everett, 
 under the firm name of Buckland & 
 Everett, and still later James H. P'owler. 
 the finn name beconiing Buckland, 
 Everett & Fowler. succeede<l by K. P. & 
 
 H. S. Buckland. R. P. & H. S. Buck- 
 land & Zeigler. and Buckland & Buck- 
 land. 
 
 From his youth K. F. Buckland took 
 an active interest in politics, ami was a 
 strong partisan, outspoken in his views. 
 He was mayor of the village of Lower 
 Sandusky (now Fremont), in 1843-45. 
 and hehl other positions of public trust. 
 He was a delegate to the Philadelphia 
 Convention in 1843 which nominated Gen. 
 Zachary Taylor for the Presidency. L'pon 
 the organization of the party he became 
 a Republican, and never wavered from 
 his principles. In 1855 he was elected 
 to the Ohio Senate as a Republican, and 
 was re-elected in 1S57, serving four years. 
 He was the author of the law for the 
 adoption of children, which was passed 
 during his service in the Senate. 
 
 Mr. Buckland's nature was intensely 
 patriotic under the molding influences of 
 his father and grandfather, who had been 
 soldiers of the American Republic. 
 Hence, at the outbreak of the Rebellion, 
 in 1861. he threw his whole soul into the 
 struggle. His military record is a matter 
 of history. Gen. Hayes said of him: " He 
 was the best soldier of his age in the vol- 
 unteer service. " In October. 1861. he 
 was appointed lieutenant-colonel by Gov. 
 William Deniiison, of Ohio, and given 
 authority to raise a regiment for the three- 
 years' service. In three short months the 
 glorious Seventy-second Regiment, which 
 he organized, was ready for the field, (^n 
 January 10, 1862, he was mustered into the 
 United States service as colonel of the Sev- 
 enty-second Regiment, O. V. I., and two 
 weeks later left with his regiment for 
 Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio. In Feb- 
 ruary he was ordered to report with his 
 command to Gen. W. T. Sherman, at 
 Paducah, Ky., and here the regiment was 
 assigned to the Fourth Brigade, l*"irst 
 Division, Army of the Tennessee, and 
 Col. Buckland placed in command of the 
 brigade. At the battle of Shiloh, the first 
 week in April. 18C2. the Colonel won en- 
 
10 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 during fame as an heroic soldier and com- 
 mander, and his brigade covered itself 
 with glory. Buckland was not surprised 
 at Shiloh, but was expecting an attack. 
 His brigade and the Seventy-second Regi- 
 ment were at the keypoint of the fight, 
 on the extreme right of the attack, and 
 withstood the fierce onset of the enemy 
 on the morning of the 6th. When the 
 brigade did fall back, it was done in per- 
 fect order, contesting every foot of the 
 ground. On the 7th Buckland's brigade 
 participated in the advance that swept the 
 enemy from the field, and at night they 
 rested in advance of the position they oc- 
 cupied on the 6th. Gen. Sherman al- 
 ways accorded to Gen. Buckland the high- 
 est praise for his bravery and coolness at 
 Shiloh, and the splendid services rendered 
 by his brigade. Had some other man 
 been where Buckland was, the final out- 
 come of the battle might have been far 
 different. 
 
 That Gen. Grant appreciated and 
 recognized the military skill of Gen. R. P. 
 Buckland is shown by his letter to Gen. 
 Sherman, on November 10, 1862, in re- 
 lation to operations in western Tennes- 
 see and northern Mississippi. He writes: 
 " I will not be able to send you any gen- 
 eral officers, unless possibly one to take 
 command of the forces that will be left at 
 Memphis. Stuart and Buckland will 
 both command brigades or even divisions 
 as well as if they held the commissions 
 which they should and I hope will 
 hold."* In battle Gen. Buckland was 
 cool and fearless, but not reckless. He 
 looked well to the comfort and health of 
 his men on all' occasions, and this made 
 him loved and respected by the soldiers. 
 On November 29, 1862, he was promoted 
 to the rank of brigadier-general, for his 
 bravery at Shiloh, and on January 26, 
 1864, Gen. Sherman placed Gen. Buck- 
 land in command of the District of Mem- 
 phis, where his administrative abilities 
 
 *War of the Rebellion. Official Records of tlie Union and 
 Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume XVII, Part II, page 
 336. 
 
 were exemplified and his integrity o. 
 character clearly manifested. Here he 
 promptly repelled an attack of Gen. For- 
 rest, and put him to flight. While serv- 
 ing in the army, in the fall of 1S64, Gen. 
 Buckland was elected to Congress. He 
 remained in command of the District of 
 Memphis for the balance of the year, on 
 January 6, 1865, tendered his resignation 
 at Washington to the Secretary of War, 
 and was duly mustered out of the service. 
 On August 3, 1866, he was commissioned 
 brevet-major-general, U. S. V., to rank 
 from May 13, 1865, for meritorious serv- 
 ice in the army. 
 
 After an honorable career in Congress 
 during the reconstruction of the Southern 
 States, Mr. Buckland returned to Fre- 
 mont, Ohio, where he resumed his law 
 practice. During recent years his sons, 
 Horace S. and George, were associated 
 with him in the law firm of Buckland & 
 Buckland, and relieved their father of the 
 arduous work of the profession. Gen. 
 Buckland's legal career was marked b}' 
 the same thorough integrity, ability and 
 success that characterized him in his en- 
 tire walk through life. To his example 
 and influence the city of Fremont is in- 
 debted for much of its material prosperity 
 in the matter of public improvements. 
 He erected the first substantial three- 
 story brick building in that city, now 
 known as Masonic Block. In 1853 he 
 built the residence he ever after occupied, 
 and it was at that time the finest dwelling 
 in northern Ohio. Subsequent!}' he built 
 the three-story block at the corner of 
 Front and State streets. He took an 
 active part in securing railroads and man- 
 ufactories for the city, and always stood 
 in the front rank of citizens who worked 
 for the upbuilding of Fremont. 
 
 Gen. Buckland was a charter member 
 of Eugene Rawson Post No. 32, G. A. R. , 
 Fremont, Ohio, and was its first com- 
 mander. He was a companion of the 
 Lo3'al Legion, and a member of the S. A. 
 J. Snyder Command, Union Veteran's- 
 
COMMBMORATIVB BIOORAPUWAL RECORD. 
 
 11 
 
 Union; also belonjjing to the Society of 
 the Army of the Tennessee, and to other 
 army societies. He was the life presi- 
 <lent of the Society of the Seventy-second 
 Kej^imeiit O. V. I., and was for a time 
 president of the Sandusky County Pio- 
 neer and Historical Society. He was 
 for forty-hve years a member of Croghan 
 Lodge, I. O. O. F. , and for many years 
 had been junior warden in and an active 
 member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 
 Fremont. Thus for more than half a 
 century he had been a conspicuous figure 
 in Fremont and northern Ohio. He was 
 a pioneer settler, a distinguished lawyer, 
 a gallant soldier, an eminent member of 
 the Ohio State and the National Legisla- 
 tures, and an enterprising and public-spir- 
 ited citizen. He was an educated and 
 courteous Christian gentleman, and his 
 name and his accomplishments are indel- 
 ibl\' stamped on the history of the city of 
 Fremont and of the Nation. He will 
 never be forgotten. His death occurred 
 on Friday, May 27. 1S92, when he was 
 at the venerable age of more than eighty 
 years. From the announcement of his 
 death until after his funeral many flags 
 floated at half-mast all over the city, and 
 nearly all the business houses were closed. 
 At his funeral the spacious residence, the 
 grounds and the adjoining streets were 
 thronged with people anxious to pay the 
 last tribute of respect to the departed. 
 The funeral discourse was delivered by 
 Kev. S. C. Aves, pastor of the Episcopal 
 Church, Norwalk, Ohio, and was touch- 
 ingly eloquent and sympathetic. .At the 
 close ex-President Hayes paid a fitting 
 tribute to his life-long friend in a !)rief, 
 concise and masterly manner. At the 
 tomb, in Oak Wood Cemetery, the Grand 
 Artnv of the Republic conducted its im- 
 pressive burial service. Closely following 
 this event many worthy tributes of re- 
 spect were paid by the various societies 
 of the city, among which were the Fre- 
 mont Har Association, the Union \'cter- 
 an's Cninii flu' Sun-, nf Veterans, the 
 
 Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the 
 city council of Fremont, and St. Paul's 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 The children of Gen. K. P. and 
 Charlotte Buckland were: Ralph Bough- 
 ton I^uckland, who died at Fremont. 
 Ohio, in 18S0; Ann Kent Buckland. wife 
 of Charles M. Dillon; .Alson Kent liuck- 
 land and Thomas Stilwell Buckland, both 
 of whom died in infancy; Caroline Nichols 
 Buckland, who died at Memphis, Tenn., 
 at the age of sixteen; Mary Buckland, 
 who died at the age of six; Horace Step- 
 hen Buckland, attorney at law, just 
 elected Judge of the Court of Common 
 Pleas for the second sub-division for the 
 Fourth Judicial District of Ohio (\\e mar- 
 ried Miss Elizabeth Catherine Bauman, 
 of Fremont) [a more extended account of 
 Judge H. S. Buckland is found elsewhere 
 I in this volume]; and George Buckland, 
 I an attorney at law. of Cincinnati. Ohio, 
 1 who married Grace Huntington, daughter 
 I of J. C. Huntington, of Cincinnati. The 
 ' General's grandchildren are the children 
 of his daughter, Mrs. C. M. Dillon, viz. : 
 George Buckland Dillon, who died in in- 
 fancy; Mary Buckland Dillon; Ralph Put- 
 nam Dillon, a graduate of the Case 
 School. Cleveland. Ohio; Kent Howard 
 Dillon, a student of the same school; 
 Charlotte Elizabeth Dillon, a student at 
 the Lake Erie Sennnary. Paincsville. 
 Ohio; Edward Bonghton and Edwin Dil- 
 lon (twins), who died in infancy, and 
 Charles Buckland Dillon. 
 
 Gen. Bucklands son, Ralph Bough- 
 ton Buckland. was a man of more than 
 usual force of character. At the break- 
 ing out of the war he enliste<l in Capt. 
 Tillotson's Company of the Eighth O. V. 
 I., nincty-day-mcn. and went with that 
 company to Cincinnati. Upon his return 
 his father would not permit him to re-en- 
 list, but required him to remain at home 
 to look after the family and his varied in- 
 terests there, which Ralph did nobly im- 
 til the close of the war. when he went 
 
 Sciiitli to Inolc ;ifliT j)l.iiit:iliiiiis which his 
 
12 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 father had purchased. The venture not 
 proving profitable, the plantations were 
 sold and he returned to the homestead in 
 the North, where he died in 1880. He 
 never married. 
 
 Caroline Nichols Buckland died of con- 
 gestive fever, at Memphis, Tenn., May 
 21, 1864. She had gone down to Mem- 
 phis in company with her mother and 
 little brother George, to visit her father, 
 who was then in command of the District 
 of Memphis. A few days before the time 
 for their return North, Carrie was taken 
 suddenly ill with the dread disease, and 
 died after an illness of only three days. 
 On Sunday evening, after services at the 
 house, Carrie began her last journey, sur- 
 rounded by the Seventy-second Regiment 
 O. V. I., which by its own request acted 
 as escort. She was only fifteen years and 
 eight months old, and was probably the 
 only young girl who had a military fu- 
 neral during the war of the Rebellion. 
 She was brought home, and now lies 
 buried in Oak Wood Cemetery, Fremont, 
 Ohio. The following lines were pub- 
 lished in the Memphis Bulletin at the 
 time of her death: 
 
 WNES ON THE DEATH OF MISS CARRIE BUCKLAND. 
 How still she lies amid the flowers. 
 
 And nig^ht itself seems dead; 
 The city sleeps; no sound we hear 
 
 Save the lone sentry's tread. 
 
 The slender fingfers slightly clasp 
 Pale flowers, sweet and white ; 
 
 All pure and lovely as yon moon 
 Of cold and silver light. 
 
 The soft, luxuriant, pale brown hair 
 Waves in the evening wind; 
 
 Yet in that marble, changeless face 
 No wave of life we tind. 
 
 The fair face looks like peaceful sleep. 
 
 The lips full as in life; 
 Yet the red blood has ceased to flow — 
 
 Ceased has life's busy strife. 
 
 A broken lily-bud; no eye 
 
 Of earth may ever see 
 How gloriously it blooms above, 
 
 Flower of Eternity. 
 
 Were death but an unchanging sleep, 
 How sad would be this night; 
 
 But there's a land beyond the grave — 
 A home of living lig^ht. 
 
 Memphis, June 18, 1864. 
 
 The Memphis Bulletin said of her: 
 ' ' Three weeks ago she arrived with her 
 mother from Ohio. With all the attrac- 
 tions of her si.xteen summers about her, 
 an amiability that won every heart, a 
 fascination of manner whose gentle influ- 
 ence, wherever she appeared, awakened 
 interest and admiration, and a kind and 
 genial sympathy that captured affection, 
 she was everywhere a favorite, and her 
 company was sought and valued wherever 
 she became known. 
 
 " Fresh as the spring whose charms 
 at the moment deck every hill and 
 meadow, she enjoyed her advent to new 
 scenes, welcomed with youthful zest the 
 appreciative regard of the new circle amid 
 which she was introduced, and rejoiced 
 once more to join her honored and happy 
 sire, himself proud of the sweet blossom 
 Providence had vouchsafed as the treas- 
 ure of his life — when death plucked the 
 flower in the very youth of its loveliness, 
 and stamped the fleeting charm with the 
 impress of immortality." 
 
 OSCAR J. DONCYSON, of Fre- 
 mont, Sandusky county, is a na- 
 tive of the same, having been born 
 March 14, 1862, a son of Chris- 
 tian and Marie Magdalen (Engler) Doncy- 
 son. The German spelling of the name 
 was Danzeison. 
 
 Christian Doncyson was a native of 
 Dentzlingen, Baden, Germany, born De- 
 cember II, 1 81 2, son of Bernhardt and 
 Anna (Hugin) Doncyson, who were also 
 natives of Baden. His mother died in 
 Dentzlingen in 181 3, during the Napo- 
 leonic war, and in 18 1 5 his father married, 
 for his second wife. Miss Christina Stribin. 
 Christian Doncyson was educated in the 
 public schools, and at the age of fourteen 
 became a member of the Evangelical 
 Protestant Church. He learned the trade 
 of baker, at which he labored two years, 
 and then worked in a brewery at Emmen- 
 dingen, at the age of twenty-one com- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BfOORAPnWAL RECORD. 
 
 18 
 
 mencing to serve in the Second Regiment 
 of Baden Dragoons at Mannheim. After 
 thirteen months' service he was honor- 
 ably discharged, at the reqin^st of his 
 father, who had decided to emigrate to 
 America. 
 
 The Doncyson family left their home 
 in Baden Jimc 30, 1834, and after a tedi- 
 ous journey of nineteen days arrived at 
 Havre, where they took passage for 
 America. The company consisted of 
 Bernhardt Doncyson and wife, their sons 
 John and Christian, George Engler and 
 wife, and their children — Marie Magdalen 
 (afterward wife of Judge Doncyson), iNfrs. 
 Christian Shively, ^frs. Catherine Ochs, 
 George Engler, Andrew Engler, Henry 
 Engler and Mrs. Kosina I^ongenbach. 
 After a voyage of thirty-seven days they 
 reached New York, from which city they 
 proceeded by canal-boat to Buffalo, 
 thence on the steamer "Harrison" to 
 Portland (now Sandusky City), and by 
 boat to Lower Sandusky. Bernhardt 
 Doncyson bought eighty acres of wild land 
 in Sandusky township, near the mouth of 
 Little Mud creek, where he followed 
 farming about twenty-three years. His 
 death occurred February i, 1867. and 
 that of his wife in July, 1867. 
 
 Christian Doncyson assisted his father 
 in farm work until 1836, when he found 
 employment, as a baker, with Fred Wise, 
 who occupied a wooden building on the 
 site of the Star Clothing House, Fremont. 
 He next worked a few months with Fred 
 Boos, a baker, at Sandusky City, and 
 then went to Nfanhattan (now Toledo), 
 Ohio, where he plied his trade, and where, 
 on P"ebruary 7. 1837. he married Nfarie 
 M. Engler. Returning to Sandusky county 
 he again assisted his parents on their farm 
 until 1838. when he hired out to John 
 Stahl to nianage a bakery in a building 
 then belonging to Mrs. S. A. Grant, near 
 the west end of State street bridge. Lower 
 Sandusky. Here he remained until 1844, 
 when he and George Engler jointly 
 bought out John Stahl's grocery, and con- 
 
 ducted the business together for several 
 years. In 1853 Mr. Doncyson erected a 
 three-story brick building on ground 
 which he afterward sold to the Wheeling 
 & Lake Erie Railroad Company, and car- 
 ried on a grocery and provision store for 
 upward of twenty years. In 1883 he 
 built a fine brick mansion on the corner 
 of Croghan and Wayne streets, which he 
 occupied as a family residence during the 
 rest of his life. He held various offices 
 of honor and trust in his community, hav- 
 ing been treasurer of Sandusky township 
 from 1846 to 1S62. county infirmary di- 
 rector from 1867 to 1878. probate judge 
 from 1878 to 1884. member of the city 
 council of Fremont two terms, and of the 
 city board of education twelve years. He 
 was quiet and unassuming in manner, but 
 proved a faithful and obliging official. 
 During the last ten years of his life he 
 lived partly retired from business, serving 
 occasionally as deputy clerk for Hon. E. 
 F. Dickinson and Hon. Joseph Zimmer- 
 man. He was for many years a member 
 of Fort Stephenson Lodge, F. & A. M., 
 and worshipful master of the same. The 
 children of Christian and Marie M. Doncy- 
 son, all born in Sandusky, were: Chris- 
 tena, wife of Leonard Adier. a butcher on 
 East State street, Fremont; Elizabeth, 
 deceased wife of Charles Geisen. a brew- 
 er; Lucy A., who married Herman J. 
 Gottron. a marble dealer (both now de- 
 ceased); Henry G., a soldier of the Civil 
 war, who served in Company K. One 
 Hundredth Regiment O. V. I., married 
 Miss Carrie Brown and is living at Tope- 
 ka, Kans. , where he is employed in the 
 pension office; John R., a grocer of Fre- 
 mont, who married Farry Kent; Herman 
 W.. an architect, of F'remont. married 
 to Amelia Hidber; George E.. a liveryman, 
 of Fremont; 0.scarj.. whose name intro- 
 duces this sketch; Ella, widow of Jesse 
 Schultz. whoiwas a teacher; and two sons 
 and one daughter who died in infancy. 
 Judge C. Doncyson died at his home in 
 Fremont, Ohio. June 14, 1893, and was 
 
14 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPETCAL RECORD. 
 
 buried with Masonic honors, in Oakwood 
 cemetery. His wife preceded him to the 
 grave May i8, 1892, at the age of seven- 
 ty-two. 
 
 Oscar J. Doncyson, the subject prop- 
 er of this sketch, spent his youth in as- 
 sisting his parents and attending the pub- 
 lic schools of his native city, Fremont. 
 At the age of eighteen he entered on Hfe 
 for himself as clerk in a grocery store. In 
 1886 he established a grocery and provis- 
 ion store on his own account; but two 
 years later he sold his grocery stock, and 
 became an employe in the county audi- 
 tor's office, where he served as deputy for 
 a number of years. He had previously 
 assisted his father in th« office of probate 
 judge. In religious connection he is a 
 member of Grace Lutheran Church; so- 
 cially he is affiliated with the German Aid 
 Society of Fremont. 
 
 BASIL MEEK. The subject of 
 this sketch was born at New Cas- 
 tle, Henry Co., Ind., April 20, 
 1829. He came of Anglo-Saxon 
 ancestry, his paternal great-grandfather, 
 Jacob Meek, having come from England 
 to Virginia, whence later he moved to 
 North Carolina, finally settling in Mary- 
 land. His maternal great-grandfather, 
 James Stevenson, a native of Pennsylva- 
 nia, but moving to North Carolina and 
 finally settling in Tennessee, served as a 
 soldier during the war of the Revolution, 
 and held a commission as captain in that 
 war. His paternal grandfather, John 
 Meek, moved from his native State of 
 Maryland to Pennsylvania when the father 
 of the subject of this sketch, whose name 
 was also John, was a small boy; but after 
 a few years' residence there, he, in 1788, 
 removed with his family and all his ef- 
 fects to Kentucky, settling at New Cas- 
 tle, Henry county, in that State, where 
 he died in 1803. He had been the owner 
 of slaves, but in his will manumitted the 
 last one he owned. 
 
 John Meek (father of Basil), a farmer, 
 was born in 1772, near Ellicott's Mills 
 (now Ellicott City), in the State of Mary- 
 land, going with his father first to Penn- 
 sylvania and thence to Kentucky where 
 he grew to manhood, and at New Castle, 
 Ky., July I, 1 792, was married to his first 
 wife, Miss Margaret Ervin, who bore him 
 nine children — six sons and three daugh- 
 ters — their names and dates of birth being 
 as follows: William, May 29, 1793; 
 Joseph, March 3, 1795; Sarah, 1797; 
 Mary, 1800; Jeptha, November 3, 1803; 
 Jesse, May 27, 1806; Elizabeth, August 
 9, 1808; John (date lost); and Lorenzo 
 Dow, May 29, 1S12. These all married 
 and raised families. Of them, Sarah was 
 married at Richmond, Ind., to John 
 Smith, son of one of the founders of that 
 city, and Joseph married Gulielma, a sis- 
 ter of John Smith. Mary became the 
 wife of Rev. Daniel Fraley, a pioneer 
 Methodist preacher of Indiana. The 
 last surviving one, Elizabeth, was the 
 wife of Rev. John Davis, a local Method- 
 ist minister, who died at Wabash, Ind. ; 
 she died at Stratford, Ontario, Canada, in 
 i893' aged eighty-six years. John Meek, 
 about 1 812, moved from Kentucky to 
 Wayne county, Ind., and settled at Clear 
 Creek, on a farm now embraced within 
 the limits of the present city of Rich- 
 mond. Here his first wife died while 
 Lorenzo D. was a small boy. He con- 
 tinued to live there some years, and then 
 moved to New Castle, Henry Co., Ind., 
 where in 1827, he married Miss Salina 
 Stevenson, daughter of John Stevenson; 
 she was only twenty while he was fifty- 
 five years old at the time. 
 
 There were six children born to 
 him of the marriage — four sons and two 
 daughters — of whom are now living the 
 subject of this sketch, and Capt. James 
 S., who was born August 17, 1834, 
 now living in Spencer, Ind. ; Laurinda, 
 born June 2, 1831, now the wife of 
 Stephen Clement, of Newton Iowa; 
 Cynthia J., born November 29, 1836, now 
 
t 
 
 /' 
 
 /( 
 
COMMSMOltATIVE BIOORAPmCAL BBCORD. 
 
 15 
 
 the wife of Jesse Clement, of Scandia, 
 Kans. One of the sons died in infancy; 
 the other son. TfioniasJ., bt)rn January 
 15, 1843, died in early manhood. The 
 mother of these died at the home of her son, 
 Capt. James S. Meek, at Spencer, Ind., 
 in 1S83, at;ed seventy-six years. In the 
 year 183; John Meek returned to Wayne 
 county, and there resided until 1841, 
 when he removed with his family to Mor- 
 gan township, Owen Co.. Inii., then a 
 very new and unimproved section of the 
 State, with but very limited school or 
 other privileges. Here he died in 1849, 
 and was buried in Pleasant Grove Ceme- 
 tery, in tliat township. 
 
 Basil Meek was only twelve years old 
 when his father settled in Owen county, 
 and, havinf; no opportunity of attending 
 any of the higher educational institutions, 
 his school education was limited to that 
 of the common schools of that compara- 
 tively new country; but being naturally 
 inclined to study, he improved every op- 
 portunity that was afforded for self im- 
 provement, and to none of these is he 
 more indebted than to a few years' resi- 
 dence at the falls of Eel river — Cataract 
 village — in the cultured family of Alfred 
 N. Bullitt, Esq., in whose store he served 
 as clerk. This was a Kentucky family 
 from Louisville. Mr. Bullitt was a man 
 of fine abilities, a graduate of Yale and 
 had been possessed of what was in his 
 day a large fortime in Louisville which 
 through some misfortune he had lost, and 
 having an interest in a large tract of land, 
 which included the " falls." he removed to 
 Cataract village with his accomplished 
 family in 1846, and there kept a general 
 store. To his valuable library of rare 
 books, the subject of this sketch had ac- 
 cess; which, together with the friendly 
 interest of Mr. Bullitt and his family, 
 awakened in him a desire, and supplied 
 the opportimity for a higher and better 
 education than could be obtained short of 
 -college. 
 
 While residing at Cataract village, De- 
 
 cember 23. 1849, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Nfiss Cynthia A. Brown, tiaugh- 
 ter of .Xbner Brown, of Morgan township, 
 the result of this union being four chil- 
 dren, namely: Minerva Bullitt; Mary E. ; 
 Lenora Belle, and Flora B. Of these, 
 Minerva li. died at Clyde. Ohio. Novem- 
 ber 22. 1869. in the eighteenth year of 
 her age; Flora B. died in infancy; Mary 
 E. is the wife of Byron R. Dudrow. at- 
 torney at law of Fremont; and I^enora 
 Belle is the wife of L. C. Grover, farmer, 
 near Clyde. The mother of these died in 
 Spencer, Owen Co., Ind., in August, 
 1861. On September 30, 1862. Mr. 
 Meek married Miss Nfartha E. .\nderson, 
 daughter of Alvin and Harriet (Baldwin) 
 Anderson, of Bellevue, Ohio. By this 
 marriage there are two children, namely: 
 Clara C, wife of Dr. H. G. Edgerton, 
 dentist, of Fremont, Ohio, and Dr. Rob- 
 ert Basil, a brief notice of whom follows. 
 Our subject's grandchildren are: Robert 
 Basil Grover. Mary B.. Rachel, Dorothy 
 and Henry Meek lidgerton. 
 
 In 1853 at the age of twenty-four 
 Basil Meek was elected clerk of the cir- 
 cuit court and moved from Cataract to 
 Spencer, the county seat of Owen cotmty. 
 He was re-elected without opposition in 
 1857, serving tvvo terms of four years 
 each. During these eight years he de- 
 voted such time as could be spared from 
 his official duties in studying law, and in 
 1861 was admitted to the bar and formed 
 a partnership with Hon. Samuel H. Bus- 
 kirk, of Bloomington, and practiced law 
 at Spencer for about two years. In 1864 
 he removed from his native State to San- 
 dusky county. Ohio, making at first his 
 home on a farm which is now within the 
 village of Clyde. In 1871 he became a 
 member of the Sandusky countv bar, and 
 formed a partnership with Col. J. H. 
 Rhodes in the practice of law at Clyde. 
 This partnership continued for four vears, 
 after which he practiced alone until b'eb- 
 ruary 10, 1879. when he entered upon his 
 duties as clerk of courts, to which ofti:; 
 
16 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 he had been elected at the previons fall 
 election by a large plurality, running 
 ahead of his ticket in his own village and 
 township 284 votes. In the fall of 1879 
 he removed with his family to Fremont, 
 where he now resides. At the close of 
 his term he was re-elected clerk of courts 
 by a majority of 1,100 votes, and served 
 six years in all. On retiring from this office 
 he resumed the practice of his profession, 
 with F. R. Fronizer as partner, until he 
 was appointed, by President Cleveland, 
 postmaster at Fremont. He took charge 
 of this office September i, 1886, and 
 served until March i, 1891, a period of 
 four years and six months. In this office 
 he took much interest, and devoted his 
 entire energies in rendering an efficient 
 and highly satisfactory service to the 
 public. It was during his term and 
 through his efforts that the free-delivery 
 sj'stem was extended to this office, and 
 put into very successful operation under 
 his management and that of his son, Rob- 
 ert B., who was his first-assistant post- 
 master. On April I , I S91 , he became asso- 
 ciated with his son-in-law, Byron R. Dud- 
 row, in the practice of the law in which 
 he has since been engaged, and is senior 
 member of the law firm of Meek, Dudrow 
 & Worst. As a lawyer he is careful and 
 painstaking in the preparation of his 
 cases, and in their presentation he is clear 
 in statement and forcible in argument. 
 As an advocate he believes in his client, 
 making his cause his own and serving him 
 with a warmth and zeal which springs only 
 from a conviction of the justness of his 
 client's cause. 
 
 Mr. Meek has been a member of the 
 board of education since April, 1894, and 
 also clerk of that body. As a member of 
 this board he was influential in the re- 
 organization of the high school in 1895, 
 in creating the principalship, adoptjng 
 new courses of study and supporting other 
 measures tending to advance the interests 
 of said schools, and establish therein 
 methods of instruction both modern and 
 
 practical. He was also active in making 
 free Kindergartens a part of the public 
 school system of the city, and is chairman 
 of the standing committee on Kindergart- 
 ens. Politically he has all his life been 
 a Democrat, loyally supporting the meas- 
 ures and candidates of his party, and 
 cheerfully working for the promotion of 
 its principles, serving on several occasions 
 as chairman of the County Executivft 
 Com mittee, with acceptability to his party. 
 He is a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and has been such 
 since 1857. Asa lover of truth and free- 
 dom of thought and action, himself, he 
 is not only resolute for what he believes 
 to be the truth, but is tolerant of all who 
 are seeking the same of whatever name 
 or creed. 
 
 ROBERT BASIL MEEK, M. D., 
 son of Basil and Martha E. (An- 
 derson) Meek, was born at Clyde, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, January 14, 
 1869. His paternal ancestry is given in 
 the foregoing sketch of his father. On 
 his mother's side he is of Scotch descent. 
 The Andersons were Covenanters, and 
 during the persecutions waged against 
 their faith in Scotland they emigrated to 
 the North of Ireland. From here David 
 Anderson, the great ancestor of this fam- 
 ily line, about the year 1740, with a col- 
 ony of Scotch Presbyterians, who brought 
 with them a minister and schoolmaster, 
 came to this country and settled first in 
 Massachusetts; later in Lawrence county, 
 N. Y. Among his children was a 
 son named John, then a small boy, who 
 here grew to manhood and married Eliz- 
 abeth McCracken, who also was of this 
 colony. John Anderson had five sons — 
 David, Samuel, Joseph, James and John 
 — all of whom were soldiers of the Revo- 
 lutionary war, fighting for their country. 
 James Anderson married Betsy Dodge, 
 and several children were born to them. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BWORAPUJCAL RECORD. 
 
 17 
 
 one being Alvin Anderson, who married 
 Harriet Baldwin. 
 
 Amonj,' the children of Alvin Ander- 
 son was Martha E. Anderson, who mar- 
 ried Basil Meek, and is the mother of the 
 subject of this sketch, Robert B.. who. 
 when he was ten years old, mnved with 
 his parents to Fremont, Ohio, where he 
 completed his elementary and high-school 
 education. In 1887, while his father was 
 postmaster at this place, he was appoint- 
 ed first assistant, and served as such until 
 September, 1890, rendering very efficient 
 and satisfactory sers'ice to the public, 
 among whom he was universally popular. 
 During 1890-91 he pursued a scientific 
 course at Adelbert College. Cleveland, 
 Ohio, preparatory to entering upon the 
 study of medicine. In 1891 he entered 
 the Western Reserve Medical College at 
 Cleveland, where he remained two years; 
 then became a student in Woostcr Medi- 
 cal College, in that city, taking his senior 
 course therein, and graduating in the 
 spring of 1894. During his three-years' 
 course in the medical college he spent his 
 vacations in the office of his able and 
 skillful preceptor. William Caldwell. 
 M. D., of Fremont. In the summer of 
 1894 Dr. Meek opened an office in Fre- 
 mont and entered upon the practice of 
 his profession. In the spring of 1895 he 
 was chosen one of the city physicians of 
 the board of health. He is a member of 
 the Northwestern Ohio Medical As.socia- 
 tion. In August, 1895. he went to Eu- 
 rope to further pursue his medical educa- 
 tion, and is now (1895) in N'ienna, Aus- 
 tria, where he is devoting his time to 
 study ill the clinics of the large hospitals, 
 and in taking special courses under the 
 instruction of eminent professors in that 
 great medical center of the Old World. 
 He expects to return home during the 
 sunnner of 1896, to resume his practice 
 in Fremont, in which he was meeting 
 with very flattering success when he gave 
 it up. temporarily, to go abroad. 
 
 ! >' Vfcek is a young man of '"'• 
 
 natural abilities, and with his medical 
 education received at home, and the rare 
 opportunities he is now enjoying abroad 
 for further e()uipment, it is safe to pre- 
 dict for him a useful and a successful 
 career in his chosen profession. 
 
 ROBERT S. RICE, M. D.. was 
 born in Ohio county, V'a. (now W. 
 Va.). May 28. 1805, and died in 
 Fremont, Ohio, August 5, 1875. 
 At the age of ten he came to Ohio with 
 his father's family, who located in Chilli- 
 cothe, Ross county, the family in 181 8 re- 
 moving from that place to Marion county, 
 and in 1827 our subject settled in Lower 
 Sandusky. He worked at his trade as a 
 potter until about the year 1847. when, 
 having long employed his leisure hours 
 in the study of medicine, he commenced 
 practice. Although he labored under the 
 disadvantages of limited educational op- 
 portunities in his youth, and of not hav- 
 ing received a regular course of medical 
 instruction, his career as a physician was 
 quite successful, and he numbered as his 
 patrons many among the most respectable 
 families in his town anil county. 
 
 Dr. Rice was a man of sound judg- 
 ment, quick wit, fond of a joke, and sel- 
 dom equaled as a mimic and story teller. 
 He was a keen observer, and found 
 amusement and instructicm in his daily 
 intercourse with men by perceiving many 
 things that commonly pass unnoticed. 
 His sympathies were constantly extended 
 to all manner of suffering and oppressed 
 people. He denounced human slavery, 
 and from an early period acted politically 
 with the opponents of that institution. 
 He also opposed corporal punishment in 
 schools, and favored the humane treat- 
 ment of children. He was a member of 
 the Methodist Protestant Church, and 
 was deeply religious. In early years, 
 when preachers were few in this then 
 new country, he often exhorted and 
 preached. His public sjiirit was shown 
 
18 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 on many occasions. He was colonel of 
 the First Regiment of Cavalry Militia or- 
 ganized in Sandusky county, and also 
 -general of the first brigade. He assisted 
 in running the line between Ohio and 
 Michigan, near Toledo, Ohio, the dispute 
 in regard to which led to the bloodless 
 "Michigan war." He served several 
 terms as justice of the peace, and one 
 term as mayor of Lower Sandusky. 
 
 On December 30, 1824, Dr. Robert 
 S. Rice married, in Marion, Ohio, Miss 
 Eliza Ann, daughter of William and Mary 
 (Park) Caldwell, born near Chillicothe, 
 Ohio, March 19, 1807, and who died at 
 Fremont, Ohio, January 17, 1873. They 
 had seven sons and two daughters: The 
 first two were sons who died in infancy; 
 William A. was born in Fremont, Ohio, 
 July 31, 1829; John B. was born June 23, 
 1832; Sarah Jane, February 20, 1835; 
 Robert H., December 20, 1837; Alfred 
 H., September 23, 1840; Charles F. , 
 July 23, 1843; Emeline E., January 14, 
 1847. Of this family Sarah Jane died 
 June 20, 1 84 1, and Emeline died Sep- 
 tember 19, 1859. 
 
 John B. Rice, M. D., was born in 
 Fremont (then Lower Sandusky), Ohio, 
 June 23, 1832, son of Robert S. and 
 Eliza Ann (Caldwell) Rice. During his 
 boyhood he attended the village schools, 
 and learned the printer's trade in the 
 office of the Sandusky Coiiutv Democrat, 
 where he worked three years. After this 
 he spent'two years in study at Oberlin 
 College, subsequently taking up the study 
 of medicine, and graduated from the 
 Medical Department of the University of 
 Michigan in 1857, soon after which he 
 associated himself with his father in prac- 
 tice at Fremont. In 1859 he further 
 prosecuted his studies at Jefferson Medi- 
 cal College, Philadelphia, and at Bellevue 
 Hospital, New York City. On returning 
 home he resumed his practice. 
 
 On the breaking out of the Civil war 
 Dr. Rice was appointed assistant surgeon 
 ■of the Tenth O. V. L, and served with 
 
 his regiment under the gallant Col. Lytle, 
 through the early battles in West Virginia. 
 On November 25, 1 861, he was promoted 
 to surgeon, and assigned to his home regi- 
 ment, the Seventy-second O. V. I., which 
 first felt the shock of battle at Shiloh. 
 Through the long years of the war Dr. 
 Rice served with conspicuous bravery and 
 devotion. He was, on different occasions, 
 assigned to duty as surgeon-in-chief of 
 Lauman's and Tuttle's Divisions of the 
 Fifteenth Army Corps, and of the District 
 of Memphis, when commanded by Gen. 
 R. P. Buckland. To the members of 
 the Seventy-second regiment and Buck- 
 land's Brigade he was as a brother. None 
 of the thousands of soldiers who came 
 under his care can ever forget or cease to 
 bless his memory. He was always cheer- 
 ful, sympathetic, and watchful for the 
 interests of his comrades. After the Re- 
 bellion Dr. Rice returned to Fremont, 
 and "resumed the practice of his profes- 
 sion. His skill in medicine and surgery 
 was unsurpassed, his practice was large, 
 and he was called in consultation all over 
 this section of the State. There are few 
 capital operations in surgery that he had 
 not performed many times. Dr. Rice 
 was a member of the county, district and 
 State medical societies, and for several 
 years lectured in the Charity Hospital 
 Medical College, and the Medical Depart- 
 ment of the University of Wooster, at 
 Cleveland; his topics were military surg- 
 ery, obstetrics, etc. He contributed ex- 
 tensively to the medical journals of the 
 country, and was everywhere recognized 
 as one of the able men of his profession. 
 He was one of the founders of the Trom- 
 mer Extract of Malt Company, and was 
 connected with other enterprises; he serv- 
 ed on the city board of health, and was a 
 member of the board of pension examiners ; 
 and he was ever ready, with his means 
 and influence, to aid in any project for 
 the prosperity and welfare of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 In 1880 Dr. Rice was nominated for 
 
COMMJCMUIiATlVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 19- 
 
 Congress by the Republican p:irt\ of the 
 Tenth District, composed of the counties 
 of Krie, Hancock, Huron, Sandusky and 
 Seneca, and was elected by the handsome 
 plurality of almost 1,400 votes. He 
 served with ability in the XLN'IIth Con- 
 gress, receiving the commendations of his 
 constituents and the esteem of his political 
 associates of both parties, and was re- 
 nominated for the XLNHIth Congress, 
 but declined the notnination, resuming 
 the practice of his profession and the 
 management of the Trommer Extract of 
 Malt Works. 
 
 In his demeanor Dr. Rice was simple 
 and unostentatious. He was always the 
 friend and defender of the poor, the weak 
 and the oppressed. No one ever ap- 
 proached him for charity and was sent 
 away empty. No one ever sought his ad- 
 vice in hours of trouble that did nui receive 
 full sympathy and generous counsel. No 
 one has done more than he to aid worthy 
 veterans in obtaining their haril-earned 
 pensions, and for his services in their be- 
 half he took no pay. Possessed of an 
 attractive physical development, sound 
 judgment and rare common sense, the 
 versatility of his knowledge and the magic 
 charm of his wit and humor made him 
 the central figure around which all were 
 delighted to gather. He always carried 
 his good humor with him. and it became 
 contagious. He was the master of the 
 story-teller's art, and often left the mem- 
 ory of a rollicking story, a hearty laugh 
 or an appropriate joke to do its good work 
 long after he had takon his departure on 
 his daily rounds. The affection in which 
 he was held by all tells the story of his 
 life, and is that life's best eulogy, as the 
 remembrance of it will be his most fitting 
 epitaph. Dr. Rice was received into the 
 communion of St. Paul's Episcopal 
 Church; was a member of the Grand 
 Army of the Republic, of the Loyal Le- 
 gion and of the Masonic fraternity. He 
 died January 14. 1893, and was buried in 
 Oakwood ccmeter)'. 
 
 On December \2, 1.S61, Dr. Rice 
 married Miss Sarah I£.. daughter of Dr. 
 James \V. anil Nancy E. (Justice) Wil- 
 son, of Fremont, Ohio, and the children 
 born to this union were: Lizzie, born 
 September 18, 1865, and Wilson, born 
 July 2, 1875. 
 
 RoHKKT H. Rue, M. D., was born in 
 Lower Sandusky (now Fremont), Ohio, 
 December 20, 1837, a son of Dr. Robert 
 S. and Eliza Ann (Caldwell) Rice. In 
 his youth he attended the village schools, 
 and was for several years employed as. 
 clerk in the store of O. L. Nims. He 
 afterward attended school at Oberlin Col- 
 lege a'ljout two years, and then com- 
 menced the study of medicine with his 
 father and brother, John. Later on he 
 attended medical lectures in the Medical 
 Department of the University of Michi- 
 gan, and graduated from that institution 
 in March. 1863, on his return to Fremont 
 engaging in the practice of medicine with 
 his father, his brother John being then 
 in the army. He soon actjuired a very 
 extensive practice, which, later, in part- 
 nership with his brother. Dr. John B. 
 Rice, he prosecuted with untiring zeal, 
 and he has been eminently successful in 
 his profession. 
 
 In 1872-73 Dr. Robert H. Rice, 
 spent a year in Europe, during which 
 time he traveled e.xtensively over the con- 
 tinent, Great Britain and Ireland, devot- 
 ing some time, in the medical schools of 
 Paris and Berlin, to the study of his 
 profession. His knowledge of the Ger- 
 man and French languages, which he had 
 ac<iuired by his own efforts, and for which 
 he has a great fondness, enabled him to 
 derive unusual pleasure and advantage 
 from his travels abroad. On his return 
 home he resumed his practice, and soon 
 after entered into the establishment of 
 the Trommer Extract of Malt Works at 
 Fremont. Ohio. Being possessed of a 
 kind, sympathetic and generous nature, he 
 has won a high place in the esteem of 
 those with whom his professional rela- 
 
20 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BE CORD. 
 
 tions have brought him in contact. Dr. 
 Rice has for some years taken considera- 
 ble interest in agricultural pursuits, having 
 greatly improved and reclaimed a large 
 tract of land by means of a steam-pump 
 apparatus used to remove surface water 
 whenever required. He aided in the or- 
 ganization of the Sandusky County Medi- 
 cal Society, of which he has been secre- 
 tary since its organization, and he is also 
 a member of the Ohio State Medical So- 
 ciety, and of the American Medical Asso- 
 ciation. He has been a member of the 
 Masonic Fraternity for nearly thirty years, 
 and has repeatedly served as presiding 
 officer of that body. Dr. Robert H. Rice 
 was married June 14, 1865, to Miss Cyn- 
 thia J. Fry, daughter of Henry and Abi- 
 gail (Rideout) Fry, and their children are: 
 Henry C, Anna and Ada. 
 
 William A. Rice was born in Lower 
 Sandusky (now Fremont), Ohio, July 31, 
 1829, a son of Dr. Robert S. and Eliza 
 Ann (Caldwell) Rice, who were among 
 the early pioneers of Sandusky county. 
 Nearly all his life was spent in Fremont, 
 Ohio, where he was widely known and 
 universally respected. For twenty-five 
 years he was one of the leading dry- 
 goods merchants of that city, retiring 
 from business in 1883. He was a member 
 of the Protestant Methodist Church, an 
 unostentatious and consistent Christian. 
 Socially he was a member of Croghan 
 Lodge I. O. O. F. , for thirty years, and 
 a member of Fremont Lodge K. of H. 
 He was a successful businessman, a pub- 
 lic-spirited citizen, a loving husband, 
 father and friend. He died at Fremont, 
 Ohio, April 24, 1893. On October 8, 
 1858, William A. Rice married Miss 
 Juliet M. Moore, of Ballville township, 
 by whom he has four children, two of 
 whom are deceased. A son, Dr. James 
 M. Rice, lives with his mother on the 
 farm homestead, and a daughter, Mrs. 
 Hattie E. Bates, resides in Illinois. 
 
 James M. Rice, M. D., was born 
 November 5, 1859, at Fremont, Ohio, 
 
 a son of William A. and Juliet M. 
 (Moore) Rice. His boyhood and youth 
 were spent at the Fremont city schools, 
 helping his father in his dry-goods store, 
 or working with other hands on his 
 father's farm near the city. In the years 
 1879-80-81, he attended achool at the 
 Adrian (Michigan) College, and, returning 
 to Fremont, studied medicine with his 
 uncle. Dr. J. B. Rice, about one year, 
 after which he attended the Ohio Medical 
 College, at Cincinnati, one year, and then 
 took a course in the Medical Department 
 of the University of Louisville, Ky. , 
 from which he graduated, March 13, 
 1894. Shortly after this he opened an 
 office for the practice of medicine, in the 
 same room formerly occupied by Dr. J. 
 B. Rice, opposite the City Hall, in Fre- 
 mont, Ohio. 
 
 LORENZO DICK, the popular ex- 
 sheriff of Sandusky county, was 
 born in Erie county, N. Y. , May 
 15, 1838, a son of Jacob and 
 Catharine (Vogel) Dick, who were natives 
 of Lorraine, France, married there, and 
 emigrated to America, locating in Erie 
 county, N. Y. , where the father died at 
 the age of forty, and the mother when 
 eighty years old. 
 
 Our subject grew up in Erie county, 
 N. Y. , and there learned the trade of 
 cabinet-maker. In 1858 he removed to 
 Fremont, Ohio, where he followed his 
 trade for several years with success. At 
 the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted, 
 at Fremont, Ohio, October 15, 1861, in 
 Company H, Seventy-second Regiment, 
 O. V. I. The regiment was assigned to 
 the first brigade, first division. Fifteenth 
 Army Corps. Mr. Dick was elected or- 
 derly sergeant by the men of his company, 
 November 18, 1861. He veteranized 
 Januar}' i, 1864, at Germantown, Tenn., 
 entering the same company as first lieu- 
 tenant. He had been commissioned 
 second lieutenant, April 6, 1862, at the 
 
COMMEXOItATtVE DIOOIiAPUWAL REL'OIW. 
 
 21 
 
 battle of Shiloh, for meritorious conduct. 
 He participatcii in the battles of Shiloh, 
 siege of Corinth, Champion Hills, Jack- 
 son, Black River, the siege of Vicksburg. 
 and numerous other engagements. The 
 first move of the regiment after veteran- 
 izing was to Fadiicah, Ky.. where they 
 drove out the enemy, and then to Mem- 
 phis, Tenn. They soon after started on 
 the Guntown expedition, and here they 
 encountered the enemy, who had their 
 lines drawn up in the shape of a horse- 
 shoe, and into this trap the Union boys 
 were led. Lieut. Dick and about thirty 
 men of his company were taken prisoners, 
 andwere first sent to Andersonville, whence 
 Lieut. Dick was sent to Macon, Ga. , 
 where he reinained until the first of Sep- 
 tember. While in prison, Mr. Dick was 
 commissioned captain, but did not know 
 of the promotion until he reached home. 
 He was sent to Charleston, S. C., as 
 prisoner, and placed in a building called 
 the "Workhouse," which was under fire 
 from the Union guns. At the end of three 
 weeks he was sent to Columbia, S. C, 
 thence to Raleigh, N. C. , thence to Wil- 
 mington, N. C, thence to Annapolis, 
 Md., where they were paroled and sent 
 home on thirty days' furlough. Owing to 
 severe exposure in the field and privations 
 during his prison life, Mr. Dick contracted 
 rheumatism and other physical disabili- 
 ties. He was honorably discharged. May 
 15, 1865. 
 
 For some years past Mr. Dick has 
 been engaged in the restaurant and grocery 
 business in Fremont, receiving a liberal 
 patronage. He was nominated for coun- 
 ty sheriff by the regular Democratic cau- 
 cus, and elected in 1889; served two 
 terms, his last one expiring. January i, 
 1894. At the spring election held on the 
 first Nfonday in April, 1895, Mr. Dick 
 was elected mayor of the city of Fremont, 
 Ohio, which position he now holds. He 
 is a member of the Eugene Rawson Post, 
 No. 32, G. A. R. , of which he has re- 
 cently been elected commander. He has 
 
 for many years been a member of Fort 
 Stephenson Lodge, F. & A. M., is a 
 member of Humbolt Loilge, K. of H., 
 and of the German Mutual Aid Society. 
 At Fremont, Ohio, April 4, 1864, 
 Lorenzo Dick married Miss Catharine 
 licnchler, who was born in Germany, 
 September 27, 1841, a daughter of John 
 and Mary (Eisenhart) Renchler. The 
 names and dates of birth of the children 
 born to this union are as follows: Lo- 
 renzo, Jr., January 9, 1865, died January 
 24, 1873; Charles F., October 25, 1866. 
 died at the age of twenty-seven years; 
 Jacob, May 9, 1S69; Katie, August 6, 
 1872; George, March 4, 1876; Gertrude, 
 December 12, 1882, died in infancy. 
 
 G 
 
 i:ORGE SLESSMAN. .sheriff of 
 Sandusky county, Ohio, was born 
 June 27, 1853, in Adams town- 
 ship. Seneca Co., Ohio, a son of 
 John M. and Mary (Freymoth) Slessman, 
 natives of Germany, who came to America 
 when young, and after their marriage, 
 which took place in Huron county, Ohio, 
 settled on a farm in Seneca county, 
 which they made their permanent resi- 
 dence. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in 
 1806. By trade he was a wagonmaker, 
 but he followed farming in Seneca county, 
 and died in 1862; the mother is still living 
 on the old Slessman homestead, six miles 
 south of Clyde. They were the parents 
 of eight children, four of whom are living, 
 namely: Barbara, deceased wife of Charles 
 Drumm, a farmer of lirie county, Ohio, 
 who had two children, one living. Lizzie, 
 and one deceased; John, a farmer, who 
 married Phyan Peters, of Seneca county, 
 and had seven children; Catharine, who 
 died in 1885, and who was the wife of 
 Jacob Trott, a farmer of Seneca county, 
 by whom she had five children; Mary, 
 who married Samuel Swartz, a farmer 
 I of York township, Sandusky county; Mar- 
 I garet, who married Herman Baker, a 
 
22 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHIGAL RECORD. 
 
 farmer of Seneca county, and had five 
 children (he died in 1894); Samuel, who 
 died in childhood; Henry, who died in 
 childhood; and George, our subject. 
 
 George Slessman grew to manhood on 
 his father's farm, and attended the public 
 schools. In 1872 he married Miss Clara 
 E. Whiteman, who was born October 16, 
 1852, a daughter of A. G. and Mary 
 (Myers) Whiteman. A. G. Whiteman 
 was born in Ohio, August 25, 1808, and 
 died February 8, 1869; his wife was born 
 in Virginia February 8, 181 1, and died 
 November 30, 1878. He was a Repub- 
 lican, and they were both members of the 
 Free-will Baptist Church. Our subject, 
 after marriage, settled on the Slessman 
 homestead, where he dealt in live stock 
 for about nine years. He then moved 
 upon a farm in Sandusky county, one mile 
 south of Clyde, where he engaged in farm- 
 ing, also buying and shipping live stock, 
 and running a meat-market in Clyde, for 
 about eight years. He then sold out and 
 went into the grain business in Clyde, 
 with which he is still connected. 
 
 Mr. Slessman has for some years been 
 recognized as one of the efficient men of 
 the Republican party of Sandusky county. 
 In November, 1893, he was elected to the 
 office of sheriff of the county, on the Re- 
 publican ticket, and entered upon the dis- 
 charge of his official duties January 2, 
 1894. He has an honorable standing in 
 society circles, being a member of the 
 Knights of Honor, Royal Arcanum and 
 Knights of Pythias. In religious connec- 
 tion he is a member of the Lutheran 
 Church. To George and Clara Slessman 
 were born children as follows: Lena, 
 Allen, Martin, Frank, Mary, and two who 
 died in childhood — Charlie and Leta. 
 
 EDWARD LOUDENSLEGER.— 
 Among the honored pioneer citi- 
 zens of Fremont, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, the more prominent of whom 
 find place in this volume, none enjoys to 
 
 a greater extent the confidence and es- 
 teem of the community at large than the 
 gentleman whose name is here recorded. 
 He is a native of Seneca county, 
 Ohio, born February 28, 1836, of Penn- 
 sylvanian ancestry, proverbial for their 
 healthy vigor and traditional probity and 
 virtue. Daniel Loudensleger, his father, 
 was of Union-county (Penn.) birth, where 
 he was reared to manhood and married to 
 a Miss Barger. In 1831 he and his young 
 wife moved to Seneca county, Ohio, lo- 
 cating in Flat Rock, Thompson town- 
 ship, until 1844, in which year they came 
 to Sandusky county, making a new home 
 in York township, with by no means 
 favorable prospects, having a large and 
 helpless family of children to support. 
 For several years Mr. Loudensleger main- 
 tained them by renting farms, which he 
 worked; but as the children grew up to 
 usefulness, they prevailed on their father 
 to purchase a farm (which he didj, the 
 boys promising to remain at home, and 
 assist in the clearing up and improving of 
 same — and it was in the performance of 
 this duty that our subject learned his first 
 lessons of industry and privation. Ac- 
 cordingly, with the assistance of the sons, 
 the father paid for and improved his 
 farm, which, in 1863, he sold, removing 
 then to Monroe county, Mich., where, on 
 a farm, he passed the rest of his days, 
 dying February 28, 1881. In his polit- 
 ical sympathies he was a Jacksonian 
 Democrat, and in religious faith he was 
 an adherent of the Evangelical (formerly 
 known as the Albright; Church. His 
 wife, who was also of Pennslyvania birth, 
 born in the same locality as he, passed 
 from earth in Sandusky county, when the 
 subject of these lines was a fourteen- 
 year-old boy. They were the parents of 
 ten children, of whom the following brief 
 mention is given: Mary Ann married 
 John Brand, and now lives in Columbia 
 City, 'Ind. ; George is a farmer and stock 
 raiser at Blue Hill, Neb. ; Edward is the 
 subject of this sketch; Lovina married 
 
f» 
 
 « 
 
 
 (J. ^^^'^ci^ls^Ci^ 
 
 
 'C£^^l^7--^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPIIICAL RECORD. 
 
 •2'i\ 
 
 Daniel Wagner; William was a farmer 
 until recent years, and is now in the prod- 
 uce business at Kockwood, Mich.; Ar- 
 niinda married a Mr. Boycr. and is liv- 
 ing near Delta, Ohio. ; Matilda died at 
 the age of eif^hteen years; Franklin, a 
 painter by occupation, resides in Churu- 
 busco, Ind. ; two died in infancy. For 
 some years after the death of the mother 
 of these, and until after the marriage of 
 his eldest daughter, Mr. Loudensleger re- 
 mained a widower, and he then married 
 a widow lady, Mrs. Wagner, by whom he 
 had four children, vi/. : Daniel, who lives 
 on the old homestead in Michigan; Charles 
 Wesley, who resides in the same lo- 
 cality; Allen, a minister of the United 
 Brethren Church, and living n6ar his 
 brothers; the youngest chiKi died when 
 five years old. 
 
 The education of the subject proper 
 of this article was limited to such as was 
 acquired at the common schools of his 
 boyhood, consisting of three months' at- 
 tendance in the winter seasons, many of 
 the scholars, our sul>ject included, having 
 to travel long distances through frozen 
 swamps, and cross running streams by 
 jumping from one chance-fallen tree to 
 another; yet, notwithstanding all these 
 difficulties and obstacles, the lad succeed- 
 ed, by natural acumen and persistent 
 study, in securing sufficient education to 
 enable him to teach in the public schools 
 of the county. .As an illustration of his 
 fidelity to his parents and home, it is 
 worthy of record that the salary he earned 
 during his first term of school he freely 
 ami filially han<led over to his father. In 
 1S4.S Mr. Loudensleger saw I'remont for 
 the first time, and he well remembers it 
 as an essentially "wooden town, " com- 
 posed for the most part f)f small impainted 
 frame buildings; and little did he then 
 dream that he would ever see the place 
 in its present advanced condition, nuich 
 less that he himself would play such an 
 important part in its development and 
 progress as the tide of time has proven. 
 
 On November 33. 1861. he enlisted in 
 Company A, Seventy-second Regiment 
 O. \. I., which was attached to the army 
 of the Tennessee, and the first battle he 
 took part in was Shiloh. or Pittsburg 
 Landing. April 6 -7. 1S62, after which the 
 regiment participated in the siege of 
 Corinth, and was then stationed at Mem- 
 phis, Tenn.. where it lay till the fall of iSfo. 
 It was then ordered to V'icksburg. but our 
 subject, being invalided in the hospital, 
 could not accompany it. and as a conse- 
 quence was placed on detached duty in 
 the Commissary Department, in which he 
 served until mustered out of the army at 
 Columbus. Ohio, December 13, 1864, the 
 term of his enlistment having expired. 
 
 Mr. Loudensleger's domestic history, 
 sad, it is true, in some particulars, has 
 been strongly interwoven with his life, 
 which has always been pacific in the ex- 
 treme, and which has been made the 
 more noble by many self-sacrifices. He 
 1 has been thrice married: first time, in 
 1 1856, to Miss Kmma Bellows, a native of 
 New York State, who died in 1859. the 
 mother of one child, Frances E. , now 
 the wife of Frank J. Tuttle, an attorney 
 at law of Fremont, Ohio (she has two 
 children: Howard and Florence). Mr. 
 Loudensleger's second marriage, which 
 occurred after his enlistment in the army, 
 was with Mrs. Mary Jane Stevenson, «<V 
 Stahl, who unfortunately was soon griev- 
 ously stricken with consumption, and 
 during her husband's absence with his 
 regiment was well nigh at the point of 
 I death. Obtaining a furlough, Mr. Lou- 
 densleger returned hoenc and took his 
 wife back with him to Memphis, Tenn , 
 where she remained a couple of winters, 
 her health thereby improving to such an 
 extent that she became a much stronger 
 woman than she had been for several 
 years. When her husband received his 
 discharge they returned to Memphis, 
 Tenn.. for the winter, then coming north 
 to Fremont, and Mr. Loudensleger, hav- 
 ing n«) special vocation, concluded to 
 
24 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 purchase a lot whereon to build a home, 
 later to look around him for some suita- 
 ble business in which to engage. The 
 residence he built, and the good taste he 
 exhibited in the beautifying of it, etc., 
 attracted such general attention that he 
 soon received many offers from bidders 
 for the property at advanced prices. Sell- 
 ing this house and lot accordingly, he 
 proceeded in the same way with a second 
 and even third residence, before he moved 
 into any as a permanent home for him- 
 self and family; thus in this unexpected 
 manner was laid the foundation of his 
 future vast real-estate business in Fre- 
 mont, where for years he has been recog- 
 nized as one of the leading dealers and 
 improvers of city property. The hand- 
 some block which bears his name, erected 
 in 1888, and situated in the business 
 center of Fremont, is acknowledged to be 
 one of the finest in the city, and he still 
 owns and deals in a considerable amount 
 of property. 
 
 A short time after their return to Fre- 
 mont from Memphis Mrs. Loudensleger's 
 health again gave way, and Mr. Louden- 
 sleger subsequently made many trips with 
 her to the balmy South, sometimes at 
 heavy expense, being absent from home 
 and business entire seasons; but he never 
 complained, and when his wife at last, 
 in 1874, succumbed to the dread disease 
 that clung so cruelly and tenaciously to 
 her, he had left at the least the conscious- 
 ness of having done for her all that lay 
 in human power. He started anew, a 
 poorer man than when he came home 
 from tne war, and entered with renewed 
 vigor and resolution into the insurance and 
 real-estate businesses. His third wife, a 
 sister to his second, was Mrs. Nina A. Mil- 
 ler, who, by her first husband, had a son, 
 Isaac T. Miller, whom Mr. Loudensleger 
 reared as his own; he is now deputy 
 postmaster under his stepfather, and mar- 
 ried to Miss Libbie Setzler, by whom he 
 has one child, William. By his present 
 wife Mr. Loudensleger has one daus^hter. 
 
 Nellie, who is in her seventeenth year, 
 and now attending Lake Erie Seminary, 
 at Painesville, Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Loudensleger has filled many po- 
 sitions of trust in his city, and is highly 
 esteemed in business and social circles for 
 his sound judgment and unquestioned in- 
 tegrity. In 1875 he was chosen one of 
 the trustees of Oakwood Cemetery, in 
 1878 was elected secretary of same, and 
 has served in that incumbency ever since. 
 His associate trustees were Gen. R. B. 
 Hayes, Stephen Buckland, C. R. McCul- 
 loch and Dr. L. Q. Rawson. In his polit- 
 ical affiliations he has always been active- 
 ly identified with the Republican party, 
 and his influence therein has ever been 
 felt for good. In 1880 he was elected a 
 member of the city council, and in the 
 second year of his term was chosen pres- 
 ident of the same. At that time the 
 mayor in office died, only one month of 
 his term having expired, and the council 
 chose Mr. Loudensleger to fill the vacant 
 chair, into which he was accordingly in- 
 stalled. He pursued the course repre- 
 sented by the policy on which his prede- 
 cessor had been elected, a polic}' known 
 in the main as the " Law and Order" 
 movement, and his administration was 
 remarkable for the stand he took against 
 the saloons, many of them being so ob- 
 trusively open on Sundays that he issued 
 a proclamation to the effect that all such 
 establishments should be closed on the 
 Sabbath. This proclamation was re- 
 spected, and to all intents and purposes 
 its requirements were complied with under 
 Mr. Loudensleger's wise jurisdiction; but 
 as soon as he retired from office some of 
 the saloons were again thrown open. He 
 also caused the cit}' to be purged of all 
 manner of "fakirs" et hoc genus otniie, 
 thereby protecting not only the merchants 
 but the citizens in general. 
 
 On September 19, 1881, occurred the 
 death of President James A. Garfield, the 
 funeral on the 26th, and Mayor Louden- 
 sleger issued the following proclamation: 
 
COMUBMORATTVE BTOOItAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 25 
 
 Concurring- with Hon. Charles Foster, Gov- 
 ernor of Ohio, in his suK'trestions to the jwoplc 
 of Ohio, and in view of the deep .solemnity of 
 the occasion, and as a most deserved and liltinp 
 act of resjiect to tlie memory of onr !anientcd 
 President. I would resi)ect fully suis'jrest to the 
 citizens of Fremont that upon Monday, the 26th 
 inst., all business pursuits be suspended, also 
 that memorial services be held next Sunday in 
 the city churches, and that the hells in the city 
 l>e tolled duriuK^ the last hour (11 to 12 o'clock) 
 of the solemn funeral rites, on Mt)nday. 
 
 Of this the following acknowledge- 
 ments were received from James G. 
 Blaine, Secretary of State at the time; 
 By telegram September 2 2, i88i, "To 
 Hon. E. Loudcnsleger: In the name of 
 the sorrowing, family of onr beloved 
 President of the Government I tender 
 heartfelt acknowledgements of your touch- 
 ing tribute of the love and sorrow of the 
 people of Fremont. — James G. Blaine, 
 Sec'y of State." Also by letter dated 
 Department of State, Washington, Octo- 
 ber 13, iSSi : 
 
 Hi.>i Honor, G. Loudensle^er, 
 
 Mavor of Fremont, Ohio: 
 Sir: 
 
 It affords me sincere, although mournful, 
 gratification to make feeling; ,icknowledjfe- 
 mcnt, in the name of the late President (Jar- 
 field's prief-stricken family, of the many 
 heartfelt tributes of sorrow for our common 
 loss, and of admiration for the hiRh character 
 of the revered dead, which come to them and 
 the American (Jovernment and j>cople in this 
 hour of deep aHliction from every part of the 
 Union, and especially for the touchinp notifi- 
 cation of the President's death, made by you 
 to the citizens of p'remont on the 23d ultimo, a 
 copy of which I have received. 
 
 I have the honor to be. Sir, your obt, ser- 
 vant, 
 
 James G. Bi.aine. 
 
 In 1 888 Mr. Loudensleger was induced 
 to allow himself to be nominated for the 
 mayoralty by the "Law and Order" 
 party, Viut at the primaries the opposition 
 to that party proved too strong. To his 
 position of postmaster, as, in fact, to all 
 other offices he has held, he was appointed 
 without any solicitation on his part, and 
 ho has tilled san)e with characteristic 
 ability and hdelity from 1891, the year of 
 his appointment by President Harrison, 
 to 1895, the affairs of the office never 
 
 having been more satisfactorily conducted 
 in the history of Fremont; and Mr. Lou- 
 densleger ascribes much of the success of 
 the department to his stepson, Isaac 
 Tickner Miller, who, as already stated, 
 was assistant postmaster under him. 
 
 In religious faith our subject is an ad- 
 herent of the Presbyterian Church, of 
 which he is a trustee, having been elected 
 to that office in 1867; and he has been an 
 elder of the same for about ten years. 
 He was a charter member of Eugene 
 Rawson Post, G. A. R., and is now a 
 member of Moore Post, of which he was 
 also a charter member. He is the owner 
 of one of the most attractive and pleasant 
 residence properties in Fremont, adjoin- 
 ing that of the family of the late President 
 Hayes. 
 
 ANSON H. MILLER, banker, of 
 I'Vcmont, Sandusky county, was 
 born at Hinsdale, N. H., May 2. 
 1824. His father, John Miller, 
 was a descendant of Nathan Douglas, 
 whose property was destroyed by the 
 burning of New London, Conn., by the 
 British, during the Revolutionary war, 
 and to whose heirs was granted a portion 
 of the " I-'irelands," in New London 
 township, Huron Co., Ohio. John Mil- 
 ler, by inheritance and purchase, came 
 into possession of a large tract of these 
 "Firelands," and in 1825 he removed 
 with his family to Norwalk, Ohio, set- 
 tling o\\ the lands in New London in 
 1839. His children were Celemene, 
 John. .Anson H., Thomas D. , and Eliza- 
 beth D. — five in all — of whom John and 
 Thomas D. are tieceasetl. 
 
 During the residence of the family in 
 Norwalk Anson H. Miller attended the 
 seminary at that place, and during the 
 year 1845 continued his studies at Milan 
 Academy. In 1847 he entered the em- 
 ploy of Prague & Sherman, lumber deal- 
 ers at New Orleans, remained there about 
 fourteen months, and after his return in 
 
26 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 1848 was engaged in farming on the New 
 London lands until 1S52, when he took a 
 course of study in the Br}'ant, Lusk & 
 Stratton Commercial College, at Cleve- 
 land, after which he accepted a position as 
 bookkeeper in the office of the treasurer 
 (Dr. William F. Kittrege) of the Toledo, 
 Norwalk & Cleveland railroad, which he 
 held about two years. In 1854 he was 
 offered the position of cashier of the 
 banking firm of Birchard & Otis, Fre- 
 mont, Ohio, made vacant by the resigna- 
 tion of Rev. F. S. White. He accepted 
 the offer, and coming to Fremont August 
 2, 1854, entered at once upon the duties 
 of the position. Judge Otis, being about 
 to move to Chicago, retired from the firm 
 of Birchard & Otis, and on the first day 
 of January, 1856, Mr. Miller became a 
 partner with Mr. Birchard, under the 
 firm name of Birchard, Miller & Co. One 
 year later Dr. James W^ Wilson came 
 into the bank as partner, the firm con- 
 tinuing under the name of Birchard, 
 Miller & Co. They occupied a small, 
 one-story brick building on the east side 
 of Front street, between Croghan and 
 State, and the bank did a good business 
 and prospered, without further change, 
 until 1863, when it was merged into the 
 First National Bank of Fremont, with a 
 paid-up capital of $100,000, and an au- 
 thorized capital of $200,000. This bank 
 was the fifth National bank organized in 
 the United States. The articles of asso- 
 ciation were signed by Sardis Birchard, 
 James W. Wilson, Anson H. Miller, 
 James Justice, R. W. B. McLellan, Jane 
 E. Phelps, La Ouinio Rawson, Martin 
 Bruner, Robert Smith, Abraham NefT and 
 Augustus W. Luckey. The first board 
 of directors was elected May 27, 1863, 
 and consisted of Messrs. Birchard, Wil- 
 son, Justice, Bruner, Smith, Luckey 
 and Miller. The first officers of the 
 board were Sardis Birchard, president; 
 James W. Wilson, vice-president; and A. 
 H. Miller, cashier. 
 
 At the time the old bank wns merged 
 
 into the First National, Mr. Miller, with 
 the help of a young clerk, did all the 
 routine work of the bank, which now re- 
 quires six experienced men. The bank 
 occupies the ground floor of its fine three- 
 story block, with Amherst stone front, 
 erected by the stockholders, on the south- 
 west corner of Front and Croghan streets, 
 Fremont. Mr. Miller still holds the po- 
 sition of cashier. There were five pioneer 
 National banks organized in 1863 in the 
 United States, and^Mr. Miller and Mor- 
 ton McMichael, of the First National 
 Bank of Philadelphia, are the only men 
 still living who are occupying the same 
 positions in the same banks that they did 
 at the beginning. 
 
 In March, 1854, Mr. Miller married 
 Miss Nancy J. Otis, daughter of Joseph 
 and Nancy B. Otis, of Berlin, Ohio, and 
 children as follows came to their union: 
 Mary O., born April 11, 1856, who was 
 married October 3, 1S94, to Samuel 
 Brinkerhoff, an attorney at law, of Fre- 
 mont, Ohio; Fannie B., born June 15, 
 i860, who married Thomas J. Stilwell, 
 and who died April 4, 1887; and Julia 
 E., born March 27, 1865, who died 
 March 2, 1884. 
 
 WV. B. AMES, M. D., a practic- 
 ing physician of Fremont, San- 
 dusky county, was born in Hu- 
 ron county, Ohio, in 1821, a 
 son of Jason C. and Sarah Ann (Moore) 
 Ames, the former born in New Haven, 
 Conn., the latter in New York. 
 
 The parents of our subject each re- 
 moved in pioneer days to Huron county, 
 Ohio, where they were married, and 
 where the father followed the trade of 
 shoemaker in connection with farming. 
 They had a family of seven children, of 
 whom five are now living: W. V. B., 
 our subject; Cynthia, wife of D. F. Web- 
 ber, of Charlotte, Eaton Co., Mich.; 
 Emeline, widow of Smith Bodine, of 
 Charlotte, Eaton Co., Mich., who en- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 27 
 
 listed from Plymouth, Huron Co., Ohio, 
 as a soldier in the Civil war, and died in 
 Libby prison ; George W. , who resides 
 at Sacramento City, Cal. ; Aufjeline, 
 wi<low of James Steele, of Charlotte, 
 Mich., who died in 1S93; Catharine, 
 widow of Mr. Lewis Garsey, of L'kiah, 
 Mendocino Co., Cal., and Edward, who 
 resides at Ukiah, California. 
 
 Dr. Ames was reared in New Haven 
 township, Huron Co., Ohio, and was 
 educated in the public schools of the 
 Western Reserve. He bepan reading 
 medicine in his native county, and com- 
 menced practice at South Bend, Ind., 
 where he remained from 1845 to 1851. 
 He then went by the overland route to 
 California, locating in Yuba county, where 
 he prarticeil medicine about four years, 
 having been engaged in mining for some 
 time priortothat. Abouttheyear 1855 he 
 returned to Seneca county, Ohio, and 
 thence, in 1858, moved to Fremont, 
 where he has since been engaged in the 
 practice of his profession. He was mar- 
 ried, in Huron county, Ohio, to Miss 
 Adaline Harrington, a native of that 
 county, daughter of Benjamin and Betsey 
 (Taylorj Harrington, who were early pio- 
 neers of the Western Reserve, having 
 come from the State of New York. The 
 children of Dr. and .Adaline Ames were: 
 Elizabeth, wife of Evandor Dunning, of 
 Eaton county, Mich.: Alice, wife of 
 Charles A. Norton, of Kansas City, Mo. ; 
 William V. B., a dentist of Chicago, til.; 
 and Rose, who resides at home. Mrs. 
 Adaline Ames died May 30, i860, and 
 Dr. Ames subsequently wedded Miss 
 Catharine Strohl, a native of Sandusky 
 county, daughter of Peter Strohl 'now de- 
 ceased), who was one (jf the early pioneers 
 of Ballville township, Sandusky Co.. 
 Ohio. The children by this marriage 
 are: Nell, Jane, and Frank. I'rank 
 Ames married Miss Grace Ford, and lives 
 in Sacramento, California. 
 
 Dr. Ames is a Republican in politics, 
 but not a partisan. He is one of the old- 
 
 est and most successful medical prac- 
 titioners of Fremont, having built up a 
 widely e.xtended and lucrative practice. 
 He owns valuable interests in Fremont 
 and vicinity, and a fine farm in California. 
 
 JAMES JUSTICE, one of the early 
 pioneers of Sandusky county, and 
 for nearly fifty years one of the live 
 business men of flower Sandusky 
 (now Fremont), was born in Bedford 
 county, Penn.. .August 18, 1794. a son of 
 William and Illeanor (Umstedj Justice, 
 the former of English, and the latter of 
 German ancestry. 
 
 At about the age of nine years our 
 subject removed with his parents to Ross 
 county, Ohio, near Chillicothe. where he 
 received a limited rudimentary education. 
 Here he worked for a time at the busi- 
 ness of tanning hides, but discontinued it 
 to volunteer, under Gen. William H. Har- 
 rison, in the war of 1812. He was with 
 Harrison at Fort Seneca, at the time of 
 the battle of Fort Stephenson, August 2, 
 18 1 3. After the war he resided at Chilli- 
 cothe, and resumed tanning. Abf)ut the 
 year 1817 he engaged in the flat-boat 
 trade with New Orleans, by which the 
 early settlers along the Ohio river found a 
 market for their bacon, flour and whisky, 
 in e.xchange for sugar and other groceries. 
 In this trade he displayed first-class finan- 
 cial talents, and accumulated considerable 
 cash. 
 
 On October 12, 1820. he married 
 Miss Eli/a Moore, daughter of David 
 Moore, and sister to John and James 
 Moore, two well-known citizens of Ball- 
 ville, both millers and manufacturers, and 
 both wealthy and enterprising men. 
 
 In the month of September. 1822. Mr. 
 Justice removed from Ross county to 
 Sandusky county, and located at first in 
 Ballville township. His manner of mov- 
 ing was decidedly primitive, he placing 
 his wife and child on horseback while he 
 journeyed with them on foot. I'or a 
 
28 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 time after his arrival at Ballville he as- 
 sisted his father-in-law in running his 
 grist and saw mill at that place. In 1S42 
 he removed to Lower Sandusky, and 
 erected a tannery on the north side of 
 State street, at the foot of the hill on the 
 west side of the river. With the tannery 
 he connected the business of harness 
 making and shoe making, managing only 
 the financial department, leaving the 
 manual labor to expert workmen whom 
 he employed in the different shops. About 
 the year 1847 he turned the business over 
 to his son, Milton J. Justice, and gave 
 his attention to investing and managing 
 his capital. He made large gains by buy- 
 ing and selling lands, sometimes on his 
 own account, and sometimes in partner- 
 ship with Rodolphus Dickinson and Sardis 
 Birchard. He took a prominent part in 
 the construction of the Tifhn and Fostoria 
 plank roads. When the Wyandot res- 
 ervation at Upper Sandusky was sold, 
 and the Indians removed to the Far 
 West, Mr. Justice was selected by the 
 Government as appraiser of the land, on 
 account of his soundness of judgment in 
 matters of value. 
 
 Shortly after coming to Lower San- 
 dusky Mr. Justice was chosen, by the 
 legislature of Ohio, one of the associate 
 judges of the Court of Common Pleas of 
 Sandusky county, which office he filled 
 with singular promptness and fidelity for 
 a number of years, under the first consti- 
 tution of the State. For a period of 
 about ten years he discharged gratuitously 
 and efficiently the duties of a member of 
 the board of education of the city of Fre- 
 mont, acting most of the time as treas- 
 urer. He was also mayor of the village 
 for a term. In the summer of 1859 Mr. 
 Justice was chosen one of the jurors in 
 the U. S. Court at Cleveland, Ohio, in 
 the famous " Wellington Rescue case," in 
 which thirty-seven citizens of Oberlinand 
 vicinit}' were prosecuted and imprisoned 
 at Cleveland, Ohio, for recapturing and 
 assisting to freedom a runaway slave 
 
 He left a large 
 
 named John Price, who had left his mas- 
 ter in Kentucky to escape to Canada, and 
 had been concealed at Oberlin, where he 
 was discovered and kidnaped by the slave- 
 hunters who were on the return to the 
 South to restore him to his master. 
 
 When the First National Bank of 
 Fremont was organized, in 1863, Judge 
 Justice placed some capital in the stock 
 of that institution, and was one of the 
 first board of directors; and he held this 
 position by successive re-elections until 
 his death. May 28, 1873. 
 estate to his wife and children. 
 
 In person Judge Justice was a man of 
 impressive presence and strong magnetic 
 power, of large size, weighing over two 
 hundred pounds, with light hair and com- 
 ple.xion, blue eyes, and full, round head 
 and face. In business promptness and 
 integrity no citizen surpassed him. His 
 portraits, drawn by his son Milton with 
 remarkable accurac}', may be seen at the 
 First National Bank, and at Birchard Li- 
 brar3^ presented by his children. 
 
 The wife of Judge Justice was born in 
 Huntingdon county, Penn., October 13, 
 1800. At the age of fourteen years she 
 came with her parents to Ross county, 
 Ohio. Her father, David Moore, was of 
 full Scotch blood; her mother was born in 
 Pennsylvania. The child Nancy, which 
 she brought with her on horseback, is now 
 the wife of Dr. James W. Wilson, presi- 
 dent of the First National Bank of Fre- 
 mont. Their way was through an almost 
 unbroken wilderness, and on their arrival 
 here they lived for a time in a fisherman's 
 shanty until their own log cabin was fin- 
 ished. Their means were scanty, and for 
 nine months she never saw the face of 
 another white woman — only Indians, and 
 many of them intoxicated. Her fireplace 
 was a wall of stones in one corner of the 
 shanty, above which was an opening in 
 the roof for the escape of smoke. If the 
 rain put out the fire she would go to the 
 home of the nearest neighbor, a mile and 
 a quarter away, to get live coals to re- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 29 
 
 kindle il. Among her cooking utensils 
 was a Dutch-oven, an iron shallow kettle, 
 with an iron lid or cover, in which all her 
 baking was done by setting the kettle 
 over coals and piling coals and hot ashes 
 on the cover. 
 
 Mrs. Justice survived her husband 
 until October 17, 1876, when she died at 
 the advanced age of seventy-six years. 
 Their chiMren were: Nancy E. Wilson 
 (wife of Dr. Jatnes W. Wilson), Nfinerva 
 li. (relict of Hon. Homer Everett), and 
 Mrs. S. Eliza Failing (relict of Dr. John 
 W. Failing), all now residing in Fremont; 
 Milton J. Justice, a resident of I-ucas 
 county, Ohio, and Granville M., who died 
 at Lower Sandusky at the age of sixteen 
 years. The old Justice homestead is 
 still occupied by Mrs. Everett and Mrs. 
 Failing, who cherish the memory of their 
 parents, and preserve with scrupulous 
 care the old-time family relics, consisting 
 of household furniture and pioneer-day 
 portraits. 
 
 WILLIAM CALDWELL, M. D., 
 was born May 27. 1837, at Fre- 1 
 mont, Ohio, a son of William 
 and Jane A. (Davis) Caldwell, 
 who were among the early pioneers of 
 Sandusky and Ottawa counties. 
 
 Dr. Caldwell spent his early life in 
 securing a liberal education, and in teach- 
 ing school. He next attended Oberlin 
 College several years, and acquired his 
 medical knowledge in the Medical De- 
 partment of the University of Michi- 
 gan, in Charity Hospital Medical Col- 
 lege, and in Bellevue Hospital Medical 
 College. New York, being admitted to 
 practice in 1862. He was assistant sur- ' 
 geon of the Seventy-second Regiment 
 O. \'. I., and served from April, 1863, I 
 until January 4. 1865. After the war he 
 !• ! Michigan for the practice of his 
 
 1' 11. in June, 18S0. taking up his 
 
 residence in Fremont. Ohio, where he has 
 since met with flattering success. Ho 
 
 has been a member of the Hoard of 
 I'nited States Examiners for Pensions, is 
 ex-president of the Northwestern Ohio 
 Medical Society, vice-president of the 
 Ohio State Medical Society, and a mem- 
 ber of the American Medical Association, 
 as well as the National .Association of 
 Railroad Surgeons. He has also for a 
 number of years been a liberal contributor 
 to several medical periodicals. His en- 
 terprise is not confined to his profe.ssion 
 alone, for he takes a deep interest in the 
 municipal affairs of his native city. So- 
 cially he is a member of the Masonic 
 Fraternity. 
 
 On January 15. 1S6.S, Dr. Caldwell 
 was married, at Byron. Mich., to Miss 
 Arilla Cook, who was born March 1 5. 
 1848. daughter of Horace L. and Eliza- 
 beth Cook. Their children were: Bessie 
 C, born November 10, 1869. died August 
 12, 1870; Maud, born January 23, 1873, 
 who, after attending the Fremont City 
 schools, entered upon a liberal course of 
 study in the University of Michigan; and 
 Robert L. , born October 2 r . 1881. 
 
 William Caldwell was born De- 
 cember 23. 1808, near Chillicothe. Ohio. 
 His father was a soldier in the war of 
 1812, and was at Detroit when Gen. 
 Hull surrendered his army to the British. 
 In 1828 the family removed to Port Clin- 
 ton, and four years later William Cald- 
 well came to Fremont (then Lower San- 
 dusky). On .August 14, 1836, he married 
 Jane .A. Davis, and they resided at Fre- 
 mont until 1850. when Mr. Caldwell 
 Went to California, remaining in that 
 State three years, and on his return set- 
 tling in Elmore, Ottawa county. At El- 
 more he served for eighteen consecutive 
 years as justice of the peace, and was 
 also township treasurer and a member of 
 the village council for a portion of the 
 time. In 1881 Mr. Caldwell was elected 
 probate jtulge of Ottawa county, and 
 moved to Port Clinton; he was re-elected 
 in 1884. 
 
 On .August 14, 1886, Judge an«l Mrs. 
 
30 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Caldwell celebrated their golden wedding 
 anniversary at the home of their son, Dr. 
 William Caldwell, at Fremont, Ohio, 
 which was attended by many distinguished 
 guests from Fremont and Port Clinton, 
 and at which they were the recipients of 
 many beautiful and valuable presents, 
 among which was a valuable gold watch 
 for the Judge from the courthouse offi- 
 cials of Ottawa county. At the expira- 
 tion of his term of office Judge Caldwell 
 and his wife moved to Fremont, purchas- 
 ing the " Dryfoos House," on South 
 Front street, where, on September 9, 
 189Q, the worthy couple, after a happy 
 married life of more than fifty-four years, 
 were separated by the death of Mrs. Cald- 
 well. They were the parents of four 
 children, all born at Fremont, of whom, 
 Charles died in 1852 at the age of thir- 
 teen; Robert. H. became a member of 
 the Twenty-first O. V. I., and was killed 
 at the battle of Stone River, at the age of 
 twenty-two; and Dr. William and Miss 
 Juliet Cladwell are still living in Fremont, 
 Ohio. Judge William Caldwell died at his 
 home No. 415 South Front street, Fre- 
 mont, on May 14, 1892. 
 
 JUDGE HORACE S. BUCKLAND. 
 The subject of this biographical 
 sketch is a prominent attorney of 
 Fremont, Ohio, and on November 
 5, 1895, was elected one of the common 
 pleas judges of the Fourth Judicial Dis- 
 trict of Ohio, comprising the counties of 
 Erie, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa and San- 
 dusky. 
 
 He is a son of the late Gen. Ralph P. 
 Buckland, and was born in Fremont, 
 Ohio, April 21, 1 85 I. His education was 
 gained in the public schools of his native 
 city, the preparatory school at Gambier, 
 Ohio, a like school at East Hampton, 
 Mass., Cornell University, and the Law 
 Department of Harvard College. He 
 supplemented his school studies by read- 
 ing and practicing with his father, until 
 
 August 16, 1875, when he was admitted 
 to the bar. Shortly afterward father and 
 son formed a partnership, continuing their 
 practice in the office which the latter still 
 occupies in the Buckland block, corner of 
 State and Front streets. George Buck- 
 land, a brother of the Judge, was also a 
 member of the firm from June i, 1886, 
 until May 9, 1892, when he withdrew, 
 and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. After 
 the death of the General, which occurred 
 May 27, 1892, H. S. Buckland became 
 his father's successor, and on October 
 19, 1892, he formed a partnership 
 with Mr. D. B. Love, which still 
 continues. Judge Buckland's practice 
 has been general and successful. His 
 knowledge of the law, his sound judicial 
 mind, and his fairness and integrity at the 
 bar and as referee have been universally 
 admired, and his decisions have generally 
 been upheld. 
 
 Judge Buckland is engaged in various 
 enterprises. He is president of the 
 Wickland Mnfg. Co., a director of the 
 H. B. Smith Building and Loan .Associa- 
 tion, and is also interested in other indus- 
 tries. Upon the death of Gen. R. B. Hayes 
 he was chosen his successor as a director 
 of the Birchard Library Association. He 
 is an enterprising citizen, always ready 
 with his means and influence to aid in the 
 general growth and prosperit}' of his city 
 and county. In 1884 he organized the 
 Buckland Guards, a local volunteer mili- 
 tary organization, which has attained a 
 national reputation. It was named in 
 honor of his cousin, Chester A. Buckland, 
 a young man who died during the Civil 
 war from wounds received at the battle of 
 Shiloh. Our subject remained captain of 
 the same until 1891, when he was elected 
 colonel of the First Regiment S. of V. 
 Guards. In 1893 he was elected com- 
 mandant of the S. of V. Guards of the U. 
 S. A., with the rank of general, and as 
 such had several thousand men, fully 
 armed and equipped at their own expense, 
 and well drilled, under his command. 
 
/vWve^fL- ^ .'Ctc< e.-A^^ae^^*^^— 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 81 
 
 Updii his election as commandant his 
 re>,'iinfnt would not acrc|)t his resifjnation, 
 but {javc him inJcHnitc leave of absence; 
 and at the close of 1894 he resigned as 
 commandant of the Guards and returned 
 to the ref^inient. In 1894. while sersiiif:; 
 as commandant of the (iuards, he held 
 two fielil encampments, one at Daven- 
 port. Iowa, and the other at Pittsburf;, 
 Penn., in connection with the G. A. K. 
 encampment. At the former he planned 
 one of the finest sham battles ever at- 
 tempted, iri which the Guards, members 
 of theG. A. K., and other military orf^an- 
 izations, participated. His regiment has 
 encamped in various places, viz. : Wash- 
 ington, D. C, in 1892; Columbus. Ohio, in 
 1893; and Pittsburg, Penn., in 1894. It is 
 needless to say that the interest he has 
 taken in military affairs has given him a 
 wide ac>]uaintance, and added greatly to 
 his popularity. Col. Buckland is also a 
 member of the Masonic Fraternity, the 
 Sons of the .\merican Ivevolution. and the 
 Military Oriier of the Loyal Legion. 
 
 During the Judicial Convention at 
 Sandusky. Ohio. July 25 and 26. 1895. 
 Col. Buckland was imanimously nomi- 
 nated for Common Pleas Judge on the 
 147th ballot. The convention was re- 
 markable in iiKiny respects, and marks an 
 epoch in the political history of the dis- 
 trict. The Sanduskv Kt\i^istir, in speak- 
 ing of the nomination, sajs: "The name 
 of Col. Horace S. Buckland was present- 
 ed to the Republican Judicial Convention 
 by Dr. Frank Creager. of Fremont, in 
 the following eloquent address: 
 
 Mr. ChairiiKin and (tcntleiiicn <>f the Con- 
 vontimi: (Jnc of the iticist notable features in 
 politics one. certainly, which attracts more 
 than anythinp else the attention of the people 
 - is the proniinont |>OHition to which the young 
 men have cliinlied during the political progress 
 of the New World. 
 
 From the tirst formation of society he ha.s 
 invarial>ly been a distinctive feature, the prime 
 factor in the world"* history: and surely the 
 destiny of the republic was never so thoroughly 
 and systematically cemented, with such a fra- 
 ternal bond of loyalty encircling the globe, 
 binding man to man, and brother to brother, as 
 
 it is to-day by the young men of the present 
 generation. Everywhere we s»c the results of 
 his ambition and energy. We find him all 
 along the pathway of perpetual progress. We 
 find him upon the avenues of life, buckling on 
 the armor and fighting the political battles of 
 his country. We find liim in the halls of Con- 
 gress. We find him everywhere carrying aloft, 
 proudly and triumphantly, that banner of 
 beauty and glory, with its magnificent embla- 
 zonry of f.tars and stripes the escutcheon of 
 free States — the emblem of the Republican 
 party. No victory intoxicates him; no defeat 
 dismays him; but with integrity too deeply 
 rooted to be shaken by the vicissitudes of fate 
 he treads the path of life unfalteringly, still 
 laboring for the success of the party he so hon- 
 orably represents. 
 
 With such an impulse, with such a frater- 
 nal feeling, we come before this convention 
 tod.iy with the name of one who was born, 
 reared and educated within the sacred folds of 
 ourcountry's banner. Il is with pleasure, then, 
 that I present the name of Horace S. liuckland. 
 Perhaps it would be best to take the finger of 
 time and move it backward over the dial of hu- 
 man progress and .see where it stops. We will 
 find among other things that he is a young 
 man, a gentleman in the fullest sense of the 
 term, and that to know him per-onally is to 
 love him dearly. We will find that he belongs 
 to the Republican party as the lighthouse does 
 to the mariner who steers his bark by its stead- 
 fast rays. We will find that he is earnest, in- 
 telligent, and Commands respect in every posi- 
 tion in which he may be placed, particularly so 
 in the common walks of life. Place him where 
 you will, his fitness and fidelity will manifest 
 themselves, and his true worth will win ever- 
 lasting favor. You will find that this is the 
 first time he has asked the people for their suf- 
 frage, and were it not for the urgent solicita- 
 tion of his friends you would not h.ive heard of 
 him being a candidate. Yes, gentlemen of the 
 convention, you will find that he is ever true to 
 his friends, self-sacriticing. not courting popu- 
 larity, but .seeking proficiency and good re- 
 sults. 
 
 During the Lite war, although too young to 
 enlist, he even lan aw.iv to do so, ;ind were it 
 not for the timely discovery might have sealed 
 his youthful life in active service, or else been 
 a veteran of the army to-day. Hut with loyalty 
 too deeply rooted to be shaken by the dissuasion 
 of friends, he still persevered, until at Mem- 
 phis, Tenn., when he was taken into .service by 
 the musicians of the camp, marching at the 
 head of the old Seventy-second, proudly victori- 
 ous over his youth. I.,et it be remembered, 
 now. that the old Seventy-second was his 
 father's regiment, and as a mother's love goes 
 out to her first-born, who has come to her " 'mid 
 suffering and pain," so the few survivors of 
 that dear old regiment revere the name of Gen. 
 Huckla'id. whose honored remains lie sleeping 
 tieneatli the silent clo<lsof < tak Wood Cemetery, 
 that beautiful citv of the dead, where the wild 
 
32 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ■winds chant his requiem, and where the vir- 
 tues of his life of liberty and service will for- 
 ever live in the hearts of his comrades. * * 
 
 Such, then, is the national character and 
 standing- of our candidate. A true American, 
 readj' to serve his country at a moment's no- 
 tice. A g-entleman capable of surrounding 
 himself with the truest, the bravest and the 
 most honored guests the world has ever known; 
 and whose every act and purpose are those of 
 an ideal citizen. It is needless to say that he 
 enjoys a large and lucrative practice, being 
 educated at one of the best law schools in the 
 country, and is perfectly familiar with the 
 lower and higher courts. In his profession he 
 is modest and just. His actions at the bar, and 
 his conduct and decisions as referee, have gen- 
 erally been upheld. His fitness and ability 
 have also been universally approved by his as- 
 sociates. One of the most fitting- testimonials 
 that could possiblj' be offered, one, certainlj', 
 that commends itself to this convention, was 
 the universal endorsement of the non-partisan 
 meeting of the bar, which was held in the city 
 of Fremont but a few weeks ago, when he was 
 so magnanimously recommended as a person 
 particularly fitted for Common Pleas Judge. 
 No higher compliment was ever paid so young 
 a practitioner. It marks a page in the judicial 
 history of the country. Men who have grown 
 gray in active practice, his fellow associates 
 in the temple of justice, his brother practition- 
 ers at the bar — Democrats and Republicans 
 alike — irrespective of party or politics, not 
 only asked, but actually demanded of this con- 
 vention the nomination of Col. Buckland. 
 Nay, more: knowing the principles of economy, 
 and the urgent appeal of tax-payers, said that 
 it would be the saving- of thousands of dollars to 
 this judicial district by placing himon the bench. 
 
 With such a compliment, with such an en- 
 dorsement, and in the very face of the brazen 
 effrontery of power and wealth, he buckled on 
 the armor and entered the race. It is unneces- 
 sary to recapitulate the glorious achievements 
 of that campaign. The people have spoken. 
 The farmer left the harvest and attended the 
 caucus. The merchant closed his store and 
 went to the polls, and to-day we lay the tro- 
 phies of his victory at j'our feet. * * * 
 
 The Toledo (Ohio) Blade says that 
 "Col. Buckland deserves all the kind 
 things said of him by his neighbors. The 
 situation is truly remarkable. All the 
 prominent Democratic attorneys of Fre- 
 mont have the highest regard for him as a 
 lawyer and a man, and openly e.xpress 
 themselves as willing for the Democratic 
 Judicial Convention to endorse him. They 
 also recommended him at the time of the 
 non-partisan meeting of the bar as a per- 
 son particularly fitted for the bench." 
 
 WELCOMED HOME FROM THE CONVENTION. 
 
 The Fremont Journal sd^ys: 
 
 Several hundred citizens of all political 
 parties welcomed Col. Buckland and the San- 
 dusky county delegates, whose fidelity for him 
 won the day, on their return from Sandusky at 
 6:30 Friday evening. Music and cheers and 
 congratulations greeted them as thej' left the 
 train. Then the crowd, headed by the Light 
 Guard band, escorted the Colonel to his resi- 
 dence on Birchard avenue. Here he was in- 
 troduced by Mr. H. R. Shomo and made a short 
 address, thanking his friends for their cordial 
 reception, and for the support he had received 
 in the contest for the nomination, and saying 
 if elected he would try to perform the duties of 
 the responsible position of Judge of Common 
 Pleas Court to the best of his ability. His re- 
 marks were modest and in good taste. The 
 reception, which was entirely impromptu, was 
 a surprise to Col. Buckland, and is an evidence 
 of the high esteem in which he is held by the 
 people of our city. 
 
 At the general election in Ohio, held 
 on the 5th day of November, A. D., 1895, 
 Horace S. Buckland was elected judge by 
 nearly 8,000 majority, that being the 
 largest majority ever given to any candi- 
 date in the district, carrying his native 
 city and county, though Democratic, and, 
 in fact, carrying every county in the dis- 
 trict but Ottawa. He succeeds Judge 
 John L. Greene, and will take office May 
 9, 1895. 
 
 Judge Horace S. Buckland was mar- 
 ried June 10, 1878, to Elizabeth Bau- 
 man. He is one of a family of seven 
 children, three of whom are living, the 
 other two being George, a graduate of 
 Cincinnati Law School, and Mrs. Charles 
 Dillon, residing on Buckland avenue, 
 Fremont, Ohio. The mother still sur- 
 vives. 
 
 JAMES W. WILSON, M. D., of Fre- 
 mont, Sandusky county, was born 
 in New Berlin, Union Co., Penn., 
 February i, 18 16. His grandfather 
 James Wilson, of old New England stock, 
 about the year 1791 went from Connecti- 
 cut to eastern Pennsylvania, where he 
 married. His father, Samuel Wilson, 
 only son of James Wilson, was born 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 88 
 
 in Schuylkill county, Fenn. November 
 25. 1793- He was married to Miss 
 Sarah Nlauck, a native of Pennsyiva- 
 vania, at New Berlin, and resided there, 
 a iimch-esteemed and successful iner- 
 chatit, until his death, November 3, 1X55. 
 His wife, the mother of the subject of 
 this sketch, died May 31, 1872, aged 
 eighty- four years. 
 
 Our subject chose the profession of 
 medicine, and made his preparatory 
 studies under the direction of Dr. Joseph 
 R. Lot/, of New Berlin. He subsequent- 
 ly attended lectures at Jefferson Medical 
 College, Philadelphia, where he gradua- 
 ted in March, 1S37. in November of the 
 same year commencing the practice of 
 medicine in Center county, Penn. He 
 came to Ohit) in June, if>39, in company 
 with Dr. Thomas Stilwell, and settled in 
 Lower Sandusky (now Fremont), July 
 24, 1839. That part of northwestern 
 Ohio in which he embarked in his pro- 
 fessional career was a comparatively un- 
 settled country. A few pioneers, living 
 mostly in log houses erected by their own 
 hands, had made but a beginning of the 
 long and laborious task of clearing the 
 land and fitting it for cultivation. The 
 soil was indeed of unsurpassed richness; 
 but before it could be subdued and brought 
 to the condition of fertility now seen on 
 every hand, it was necessary that a whole 
 generation of hardy men and women 
 should wear out their lives in incessant 
 toil. It was a country of sluggish streams 
 and stagnant swamps, and consequently 
 was a sickly country. 
 
 It is difficult to imagine the arduous 
 character of the labors of the country 
 physician engaged in general practice fifty 
 years ago. He was able to prove suc- 
 cessful only under the conditions that he 
 possessed unusual powers of endurance, 
 thorDUgh devoti<jn to the duties nf his 
 calling, self-reliance and true courage. 
 Dr. Wilson was successful. During the 
 years he was engaged in the practice of 
 his profession he ranked among the most 
 
 successful physicians in this section of the 
 State. He was distinguished for prompt- 
 itude and faithful punctuality in fulfilling 
 engagements. The urbanity of his man- 
 ner made him ever welcome to the bed- 
 side of the suffering. His intelligence 
 and manly deportment won general con- 
 fidence. His acknowledged skill, and 
 the painstaking care with which he in- 
 vestigated the cases snbuiitted to his 
 judgment, commanded the respect and 
 regard of his fellow practitioners. It is 
 probable that no physician outside of the 
 large cities of Ohio has ever enjoyed a 
 larger practice or performed more arduous 
 labor in meeting its requirements. 
 
 In consequence of severe exposure 
 while attending to this large practice, in 
 January, 1S5S, he suffered from a severe 
 attack of pneumonia, from the effects of 
 which he has never completely recovered; 
 nor has he since devoted himself to the 
 practice of medicine. He has, however, 
 retained a lively interest in the progress 
 of medical science, and whatever pertains 
 to the welfare of his chosen profession. 
 He is president of the Sandusky County 
 Medical Society, and a member of the 
 Ohio State Medical Society. During the 
 war of the Rebellion, in August, 1862, he 
 was appointed, by Governor Tod, surgeon 
 for Sandusky county to examine appli- 
 cants for exemption from draft. In 1858 
 he was elected treasurer of the Sandusky 
 County Bible Society, which trust he 
 kept until 186S, when he was chosen 
 president of said society. This position 
 he has retained to the present date, mak- 
 ing thirty-seven years of faithful and ctni- 
 tinuous service. He has also for a num- 
 ber of years l)een president of the San- 
 dusky Coutity Pioneer and Historical So- 
 ciety, in which he takes a deep interest; 
 and he has been president of the Birch- 
 ard Library Association since the death 
 of ex-President K. B. Hayes, whom he 
 succeeded in that office. 
 
 On May 25. 1841. Dr. Wilson was 
 married to Miss Nancy E. Justice, daugh- 
 
34 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ter of Judge James Justice, one of the 
 early settlers of Lower Sandusky, and for 
 a long period a director of the First Na- 
 tional Bank of Fremont, Ohio. They 
 have four children — two sons and two 
 daughters: Charles G. , the eldest son, a 
 graduate of Kenyon College and Harvard 
 Law School, now of the law firm of Pratt 
 & Wilson, of Toledo; married Nellie, 
 daughter of I. E. Amsden, of Fremont, 
 Ohio. The younger son, James W. , is 
 connected with the First National Bank 
 of Fremont, with his father. The eldest 
 daughter, Sarah W., is the widow of Hon. 
 J. B. Rice, of Fremont, Ohio. The 
 youngest daughter is the wife of Charles 
 F. Rice, of New York City. 
 
 In 1857 Dr. Wilson became a partner 
 in the banking house of Birchard, Miller 
 & Co. In September, 1863, the bank 
 was merged into the First National Bank 
 of Fremont, -with Mr. Sardis Birchard as 
 president and Dr. James W. Wilson as 
 vice-president. On January 27, 1874, 
 after the death of Mr. Birchard, Dr. Wil- 
 son was elected president, which position 
 he still (July, 1895) holds. Dr. Wilson 
 was one of the charter members of the 
 Fremont Savings Bank Company, which 
 was organized in 18S2, under the State 
 laws of Ohio. He was elected a director 
 and president, and has held these posi- 
 tions continuously up to the present time. 
 Thus has Dr. Wilson, through a long 
 period, borne important relations to the 
 principal financial institutions of Fremont. 
 He is a conservative banker, and yet a 
 popular one, ever ready to respond to the 
 demands of the business public, and 
 watchful that the affairs of the bank shall 
 be conducted in accordance with those 
 sound business principles which alone as- 
 sure success and safety. He has wit- 
 nessed with deep satisfaction the growth 
 of Fremont, and the remarkable develop- 
 ment of the surrounding country. It is 
 not overstating the facts to say that he 
 has never been lacking in public spirit of 
 the commendable kind, and that he has 
 
 been a liberal contributor toward the vari- 
 ous enterprises which have had for their 
 object the promotion of the prosperity of 
 the community. 
 
 . Dr. Wilson is fond of reading, and it 
 has long been his habit to devote most of 
 his leisure hours to favorite books, peri- 
 odicals and the current news. He loves 
 to mingle with his fellow citizens and join 
 in pleasant conversation. He is a man of 
 conservative views, but liberal and toler- 
 ant. He freely accords to others that 
 liberty of opinion which he desires for 
 himself. He is firm in his religious belief, 
 and his daily life is consistent with his 
 convictions. He is a thorough believer in 
 the doctrines ef Christianit}', and that the 
 highest welfare of humanity can be at- 
 tained only through obedience to the pre- 
 cepts of Jesus Christ. For forty-five years 
 he has been a member of St. Paul's Prot- 
 estant Episcopal Church, its senior war- 
 den for more than forty years, and he is a 
 regular attendant upon its services, and 
 a liberal contributor toward its support 
 and its charities. 
 
 THOMAS STILWELL, M. D., was 
 born in January, 181 5, in Buffalo 
 Valley, Union Co., Penn., five or 
 six miles west of Lewisburg. His 
 father, Joseph Stilwell, for more than half 
 a century an honored citizen of that coun- 
 ty, died in 185 i, aged seventy-four years. 
 His mother, Anna Stilwell, died eleven 
 years later, aged eighty-four years. 
 
 When Thomas was a child his parents 
 removed to New Berlin, the county seat 
 of Union county, where he continued to 
 reside — with the exception of such time as 
 he was absent at school — until he left to 
 make the West his future home. After 
 a full academic course at Milton, Penn., 
 under the tuition of Rev. David Kirk- 
 patrick, a distinguished teacher in that 
 section of the State, and a brief course of 
 selected studies at La Fayette College, 
 Easton, Penn., he entered upon the study 
 
COMMEMORATtVh: liWaiiAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 85 
 
 of medicine with Dr. Joseph R. Lotz, at 
 New Berlin, and j^railnatcil at Jefferson 
 ^^cdil■al College, Philadelphia, I'enn.. in 
 Marrli, 1X39, the same year locating at 
 Lower Sandusky. Ohio. In iS4Jhewas 
 married to Miss Jerusha A. Hoiij;hton. of 
 Canfield, Mahoning (then Trumbull) Co., 
 Ohio, and the children born to this union, 
 five in number, are: Charles B. , residing 
 at Watertown, N. Y. ; Thomas J., at St. 
 Louis, Mo.; Charlotte E. , married to 
 John T. Lanman, living at New London, 
 CJonn. ; Mary, married to \\'. T. Jordan, 
 of Louisville, Ky. ; and Anna M.. at home 
 with her parents. 
 
 Ur. Stilwell has always occupied a 
 place in the front ranks of his profession. 
 For several years he was vice president 
 of the Sandusky County Medical Society, 
 and for many years a member of the 
 State Medicaf Society. He was among 
 the first appointed pension examining 
 surgeons (February, 1863}, holding that 
 position until he resigned, in 1S-9. To 
 his letter of resignation the Commissioner 
 of Pensions replied in very complimentary 
 terms, expressing regret for its having 
 been tendered. He was afterward elected 
 one of the censors of the Medical Depart- 
 ment of Western Reserve University, 
 Cleveland, having held the same position 
 in Charity Hospital Medical College, 
 afterward known as the Medical Depart- 
 ment of Wooster University. Dr. Stil- 
 well has been a member of the Presby- 
 terian Church during the whole of his 
 mature life, and has for many years been 
 an elder. 
 
 The following account of some of the 
 Doctor's e.xpieriences was furnished by him 
 for W'illianis' History of Sandusky Coun- 
 ty, from which we take it: " Drs. Wilson 
 and Stilwell grew up together in close 
 companionship in their Penn.sylvania 
 town, were fellow students in Dr. Lotz' 
 office, graduating at the same college, 
 and formed the purpose, while yet otTice 
 students, to migrate to the West together. 
 Accordingly, on the 13th of June, 1839, 
 
 in a two-horse covered carriage, purpose- 
 ly constructed, with ample room for 
 themselves and baggage, which included 
 a small stock of books and instruments, 
 they left their home for a Western pros- 
 pecting tour, with the design, if no loca- 
 tion to their liking offered sooner, of going 
 on to Illinois, at that day the 'Far West." 
 Traveling leisurely, they stopped long 
 enough at each important town on the 
 way to ascertain what inducement it could 
 offer two adventurous young men who 
 were in the pursuit of bread and fame. 
 Calling on their professional brethren, 
 both as a matter of courtesy and interest, 
 the pleasure of their journey was much 
 increased thereby. In this way they 
 reached Lower Sandusky Fremont). 
 Spending a few days visiting friends, who, 
 a few years before, on coming West, set- 
 tled in the neighborhood of Lower San- 
 dusky, they continued on to Perry.sburgand 
 Maumee. Herethev saw what had often 
 been the exciting theme of their children — 
 a tribe of Indians, the Ottawas, who were 
 encamped on the Hats opposite Maumee. 
 preparatory to their being removed to 
 their new hunting grounds west of the 
 Mississippi, assigned them by the Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 •' [-"inding the roadsimpa.ssable for their 
 carriage, the travelers returned to Lower 
 Sandusky, and turned south. At Tiffin 
 they met Dr. Dresbach, of lasting reputa- 
 tion in that locality for his genial manner 
 and his ability as a physician and surgeon. 
 Advised by him, they decided to remain 
 at Lower Sandusky, to which they re- 
 turned, and put up at Corbins later the 
 ' Kessler House,' now the Wheeling rail- 
 road depot), it being then the 24th day of 
 July. 1839. A week subsequently, on 
 the 2nd of August, the citizens of San- 
 dusky and neighlwring counties celebrated 
 the anniversary of Croghan's victory by 
 barbecuing an ox on the commons, now 
 the courthouse park, Eleutheros Cook, 
 of Sandusky city, delivering an oration 
 from the porch of the low frame dwelling 
 
36 
 
 COMMEMOBATrVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 house erected a few years before by 
 Jaques Hulburd, standing in the middle 
 of Fort Stephenson, and which, a few 
 years ago, was removed from the grounds 
 when they became the property of the 
 city and Birchard Library by purchase. 
 The breastworks of the fort were, at that 
 day, still conspicuous. 
 
 ' ' Within a few days after their arrival 
 both were taken sick with fever. Occu- 
 pying beds at the hotel in the same out-of- 
 the-way room, they were left prett\' much 
 to themselves, to acquire experience as 
 patient, nurse and doctor, all at the same 
 time and at their leisure. A new settler 
 had a good deal to learn about sickness, 
 and but few lacked opportunities for ac- 
 quiring knowledge by personal experience. 
 A notable fact connected with the history 
 of the hotel that season is remembered by 
 living participants, namely: That at one 
 time for a few daj-s not a woman remained 
 in the house ^filled as it was with guests 
 and borders, of whom many were sick — ex- 
 cept the landlord's wife, and she, too, down 
 with the fever. The women help had all 
 gone home sick. It was very hard to obtain 
 others. A colored man — a steamboat 
 cook — with man help for general house- 
 work, supplied their place. 
 
 "The sickness that season being very 
 general all over the town and country, 
 before either had so far recovered as to 
 be able to do more than leave their room, 
 they were importuned to visit the sick, 
 and were compelled to comply long before 
 they were fit for service. They secured 
 for an office a little one-story frame struc- 
 ture, which stood where Buckland's 
 Block now stands, at the corner of Front 
 and State streets. It was an unpreten- 
 tious building, belonging to Capt. Morris 
 Tyler. Their neighbors on the south 
 were Morris & John Tyler, merchants, 
 whose store occupied one-half of a low 
 two-story frame house, of very moderate 
 dimensions, but for size and appearance 
 one of the noted mercantile establish- 
 ments of the town. To the north they 
 
 were in close proximity to Gen. R. P. 
 Buckland's law office, of about the same 
 size as their own, and in no way superior 
 to theirs, excepting that it was a shade 
 whiter from having probably had two 
 coats of paint, while theirs had but one, 
 and that one almost washed off by the 
 northeasters which swept its front, unob- 
 structed, as now, by three-story blocks, 
 on the opposite sides of the street. This 
 office at one time narrowly escaped de- 
 struction: A cannon fired at the intersec- 
 tion of State and Front streets, on tl^e 
 occasion of a jollification in 1842 over 
 the election of Wilson Shannon as Gov- 
 ernor of Ohio, burst, sending its butt end 
 through the north side of Gen. Buck- 
 land's office, and but for its wise discrim- 
 ination in the interest of humanity it 
 would have gone through the north side 
 of the doctors' office as well. 
 
 "The 'doctor's ride,' in that day, 
 meant twelve or fifteen miles in all direc- 
 tions, and on horseback, mostly through 
 woods on newly cut-out roads, often 
 paths for some part of the way. He 
 found his patients in the scattered cabins 
 in which the farmers of Sandusky county 
 then lived. During the continuance of 
 their partnership, and until Dr. Wilson's 
 health became impaired by a severe at- 
 tack of sickness from exposure, as noted 
 in his personal biography on a preceding 
 page, they so arranged their business that 
 their attendance upon patients was by al- 
 ternate visits, making thus an equal division 
 of the labor. He who went on the east- 
 ern round to-day would go on the western 
 to-morrow. The ' sickly season ' — mean- 
 ing from about the middle of July to the 
 middle of October — was a phrase very 
 familiar in those times, happily not appli- 
 cable to this day, for the State may be 
 challenged to name, within her bounds, 
 a county now healthier than this same 
 Sandusky. The change has been wrought 
 partly by clearing up the land, but mostly 
 by constructing ditches to carry off the 
 water that overspread the surface. Dur- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPIIICAL RECORD. 
 
 87 
 
 iiiR the sickly season the pressure on 
 their time was such as to enable them to 
 make the rouiul only once in two days. 
 Oftentimes each passed over the other's 
 route before they met in their office — not 
 sceinj;;'each other for days — the necessary 
 conimuiiicatioiis beinjj made on a lar^e 
 slate kept in tiie office for that purpose. 
 The story of the daily ride, extending far 
 into the night, oftentimes with fog above 
 ami mud below, the weariness of body 
 and limb, the loss of sleep, the burden of 
 thought — all this now sounds like exagger- 
 ation, but to those who underwent it all it 
 is a well-reineinbered and now wondered- 
 at realitj". Their contemporary physi- 
 cians were e<iually hard pressed. 
 
 "In the season of which this is writ- 
 ten, in the cabins visited, which some- 
 times meant every cabin on the road 
 traveled, it was very exceptional to find 
 but one of a family sick. To find three 
 or four was commonly the case. Not 
 infrequently the whole family were pa- 
 tients, and this with no outside help, 
 sometimes not procurable even in times 
 of dire necessity. While extreme cases 
 could not fairly be given as the general 
 experience, yet this class after all consti- 
 tuted a large proportion of the whole. 
 An enumeration would include cases of 
 scanty house-room, of lack of supplies, 
 of distance from neighbors, of remote- 
 ness from physicians, of absence of help, 
 of the number down in a family, of ne- 
 glected ones, of work undone, of fields, 
 such as they were, unprepared for seed. 
 These, in their varied forms, composed a 
 large list. In making the rounds one 
 day he whose circuit included a cabin to be 
 visited which had recently been erected in 
 a small clearing, a half acre or so, in a dense 
 woods, south of where Hessville now 
 stands, and reached by passing through 
 David Berry's lane and then along a path 
 which led to the opening — found, upon 
 entering, the man of the house lying up- 
 on a bed in one corner of the room, in a 
 burning fever; the woman in another 
 
 part of the room sitting upon the edge of 
 an extemporized bed, with a face Hushed 
 with fever, and wild with excitement, 
 leaning over a cradle in which lay their 
 little child in spasms, it too having the 
 fever. (,)uickly enquiring of the woman 
 for the water-bucket, he was told that it 
 was empty, that their well had just been 
 dug, and was un walled and uncovered; 
 the only way they had to get water was 
 to climb down a ladder that stood in the 
 well and dip it up, which neither had 
 been able to do that day, and no one com- 
 ing to the house, they had no water. Pro- 
 curing water from the well, he remained 
 till the child was relieved of the spasms, 
 when, having dispensed the medicines ne- 
 cessary, he departed, telling them to ex- 
 pect someone in soon, as the result of his 
 efforts to get somebody, if possible, from 
 the first house he reached on the way. 
 "The fevers of this country had pe- 
 culiarities which for years have ceased to 
 be observed, and which were the condi- 
 tions exciting anxiety in the mind of the 
 doctor as well as in the friends of the sick. 
 Intermittent fever, one of the forms very 
 common, was sometimes ,with chills, 
 sometimes without, as now, and was man- 
 ageable enough unless, as not infrecpiently 
 was the case, it assumed a malignant 
 type, known in the books as congestive 
 chill, or pernicious intermittent. With 
 the best that could be done, the cases 
 were often fatal, many times for want of 
 care at the critical perod. But more 
 marked was the condition which attend- 
 ed the latter stage of bilious remittent 
 fever, the other form of miasmatic fever, 
 generally prevalent in the latter part of 
 summer and in the autumn months. 
 Whether it nm a short or a long course, 
 whether of high or low grade, it usu- 
 ally terminated with a sweat and ex- 
 treme exhaustion. A 'sinking spell,' as 
 it was commonly called, was frequently 
 its dreaded sc(]uence. and the danger to 
 life at the time imminent. .A failure on the 
 part of the attendants then to keep up the 
 
38 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 circulation — by rubbing the surface, by 
 applying warmth to the extremities, by 
 spreading plenty of cover over the bed, 
 and by administering stimulants freely, 
 with liberal doses of quinine — was sure to 
 seal the fate of the patient. Many died 
 in this way. A representative case oc- 
 curred in a small frame house of two 
 rooms, which stood on what was then 
 open common (now the corner of Croghan 
 and Wood streets), occupied by a man 
 and his family of the name of Tyler, 
 strangers, no relatives of the Tyler family 
 resident here. He was a stone mason, 
 and came to work at the courthouse, the 
 building of which had just been com- 
 menced. He and his wife were taken 
 sick with the fever. No one could be 
 found to take the constant charge of them. 
 The neighbors, sparsely settled then in 
 that part of the town, as they could be 
 spared from home, went in, one now, and 
 another then, and did what they could, 
 but withal the care was far from what 
 their condition required. The fever of 
 the husband yielded first; instructions had 
 been left as to what was to be done when 
 the crisis came, which during the day gave 
 signs of its near approach. The doctors, 
 both having reached their office on their 
 return from the country at the same time 
 — about 12 o'clock at night — upon being 
 informed that a messenger had just been 
 down for them from the Tylers, went to 
 the house to find the patient cold and 
 pulseless, no appliances, no stimulants 
 having been used as directed, and he died. 
 They had the wife removed to a neigh- 
 bor's house. When the crisis came to 
 her — the breaking up of the fever in the 
 manner described — she had the necessary 
 care and lived. 
 
 "And here it should be remarked 
 that whatever allusions may have been 
 made in this or any other sketch of years 
 ago, to hardship suffered for want of help 
 in times of sickness, it was never refused 
 when it could be given. To the extent 
 of the ability to give it, no neighbor with- 
 
 held it. The brotherly spirit displayed at 
 such times made itself proverbial, and 
 could the deeds to which it prompted be 
 written they would form a grand chapter 
 in the history of Sanduskj' county." 
 
 BURGOON. The ancestry, from 
 whom are descended the Burgoon 
 families of Sandusky and other 
 counties of Ohio, was John Bur- 
 goon, who served in the French army, 
 and about the year 1740 emigrated from 
 Alsace, France (now in Germany), to 
 America. Here he married and had a 
 family of seven children: Charles, Robert, 
 Peter, Jacob, Francis, John, and Honore, 
 the only daughter. Of these Peter be- 
 came a Methodist minister; Honore mar- 
 ried Ulrich Sate, and removed to Penn- 
 sylvania, but the six sons all came to Ohio 
 in an early daj', and their descendants are 
 found in Perry, Muskingum and Morgan 
 counties. The father of this family died 
 at his home in Frederick (now Carroll) 
 count}', Md., and his remains rest in the 
 St. John's Catholic Cemetery at \\'est- 
 minster, he being of that faith. The 
 mother was of the Protestant faith. 
 
 Francis Burgoon, son of John Bur- 
 goon, the immigrant, and Elizabeth, his 
 wife, was born in Frederick county, Md., 
 where he married Miss Elizabeth Low, a 
 lady of English descent. In 1824 they 
 moved to Perry county, Ohio, in company 
 with a colony of nineteen other families 
 from the same neighborhood, all related 
 to each other. They both died in Perry 
 county, and their remains rest in St. 
 Joseph Catholic Cemetery, two miles 
 southeast of Somerset. Their children 
 were: David, Mary, Jacob, Theresa, 
 William, Rachel, Peter, Edith and Sarah. 
 Of this family, the youngest died in child- 
 hood, and was buried at Taneytown, Md. ; 
 David moved to Knox county, Ohio, 
 where his descendants still reside; Mary 
 married Joshua Coe, and their descend- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 89 
 
 ants are to be found in Licking county, 
 Ohio; Jacobs descendants live in the vi- 
 cinity of Somerset, Perry Co., Ohio; 
 Theresa's descendants are found in Ver- 
 niiUion county, Ind. ; the descendants of 
 Wilhani live in Carroll county, Md. ; 
 Rachel married Basil Cue, and lived in the 
 the vicinity of Fremont, Ohio; Edith 
 married David Engler, and lived in San- 
 dusky count)-, and was one of the earliest 
 pioneers of the county. 
 
 Peter Burgeon, son of Francis and 
 Elizabeth Burgeon, was born in Frederick 
 county, Md., near Westminster, July 
 13, iSoo. His educational advantages 
 were limited, and for a trade he learned 
 that of a stone mason. On October 18, 
 1 82 1, he married Miss Margaret Fluegel, 
 at Littlestown, Penn., a daughter of John 
 and Margaret Hahni F"lucgel, who lived 
 near Westminster, Md. John Fluegel was 
 a son of \'allen Fluegel, an emigrant from 
 Germany, who had settled on a large 
 farm near Westminster. Margaret E. 
 (Hahn), his wife, was a daughter of An- 
 drew Hahn. The names and dates of 
 birth of the children of John and Mar- 
 garet Fluegel are as follows: Elizabeth, 
 February 6, 1791; John, July 25, 1793; 
 Polly F., January 19, 1795; Samuel, 
 August 18, 1796; George, July 23, 179S; 
 Margaret, July 18, 1801; Henry, October 
 22, 1S02: Daniel. June 25, 1804; Sarah, 
 June 3, 1806; Simon, June 9, 1808; Ben- 
 jamin, September 23, 1809; and Levi, 
 November 29, 181 1, who is still (1895) 
 living. John Fluegel, the father of this 
 family, served in the Revolutionary army 
 as fife-major; he died at the age of eighty- 
 three, his wife Margaret at the age of 
 seventy-three, and their remains are buried 
 in Bausts churchyard, near Uniontown. 
 Md. Of the above named children of 
 John and Margaret Fluegel, Elizabeth 
 married Cornelius Baust, and lived in 
 L'niontown, Md. ; Polly married Jacob 
 Miller, and lived in Jay county, Ind.; 
 Margaret married Peter Burgeon, and 
 they became the parents of our subject; 
 
 Sarah married Peter Shriner, and lived 
 near Union Mills, Md. Three of the 
 sons — Henry, Simcm and licnjamin — be- 
 came ministers of the Gospel. The 
 average age of all these sons and daugh- 
 ters was upward of eighty years. Levi 
 Fluegel, now in his eighty-third year, is 
 living at Frizellburg, Md. In religious 
 faith the family originally belonged to the 
 Reformed and Lutheran Churches, but 
 later most of them became members of 
 the Church of G(jd. 
 
 Peter Burgeon, the father of our sub- 
 ject, came west from Maryland in 1824, 
 first locating in Somerset, Perry Co., 
 Ohio, where he worked at his trade about 
 two years; then removed to Licking coun- 
 ty, and there staid one year. In October, 
 1 829, he came to Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 and settled in the forest of the Black 
 Swamp, on the bank of the Little Mud 
 creek, about four miles northwest ef 
 Lower Sandusky fnow Fremont). Sev- 
 eral tribes of Indians were living here 
 then, and the woods were teeming with 
 wild animals. The Burgeon family had 
 no white neighbors -nearer than two miles 
 distant, with the exception of Mrs. Rachel 
 Coe, who had settled on an adjoining 
 farm. Here Mr. Burgeon built a log 
 cabin, and began to clear up the land 
 with all the energ>' ef a man ef pluck, 
 resolution and perseverance. Being 
 possessed of sound practical common 
 sense, he was often consulted by his 
 neighbors en matters ef business. In 
 connection with farming he worked at his 
 trade about twelve years, and was em- 
 ployed on the residence of Dr. L. Q. 
 Rawson, which was the second brick 
 edifice erected in Sandusky county. With 
 many of the business interests ef the coun- 
 ty he became identified, and he held 
 various offices ef honor and trust. In 
 politics he was originally an ardent Demo- 
 crat, but during the Civil war he was a 
 firm supporter of the L*. S. Government, 
 and from that time forward he affiliated 
 with the Republican party. He was 
 
40 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 possessed of robust health, a strong physi- 
 cal constitution and an iron will, and by 
 his many sterling traits of manly charac- 
 ter he gained and held an honorable 
 place among the pioneers of Sandusky 
 county. He died March 17, 1879, and 
 was buried with Masonic honors; his wife 
 passed away June 8, 1871, a member of 
 the Reformed Church. Their remains 
 rest in the Lutheran and Reformed Ceme- 
 tery, four miles west of Fremont. Their 
 children were named as follows: William, 
 Washington, Miranda, Upton, Elizabeth, 
 Margaret, Romanus, David, Isadore H., 
 Mary and Malinda. Of these, William 
 Washington died July 21, 1846, aged 
 twenty-four years; Miranda married N. 
 R. Tucker, a farmer of near Fremont, 
 Ohio; Upton married Nancy A. Kerr, 
 April 8, 1848; Elizabeth died October 4, 
 1835, aged six years; Margaret married 
 Solomon Albert, July 4, 1852; Romanus 
 married Mary Taylor, April 12, 1858 (he 
 died January 14, i860); David married 
 Cynthia Skinner, May i, 1863; Isadore 
 H. married Eliza Ann Chapman, October 
 19, 1865; Mary married August Baumer, 
 September 18, 1862; Malinda married O. 
 R. Smith, April 6, 1869. 
 
 Major I. H. Burgoon, railroad man- 
 ager, Fremont, Sandusky county, was 
 born in Sandusky township, Sandusky 
 Co., Ohio., January 25, 1839, a son of 
 Peter and Margaret (Fluegel) Burgoon, 
 who at that time were living on a 200- 
 acre farm about four miles north of Lower 
 Sandusky (now Fremont), Ohio. He 
 spent his early life on his father's farm, 
 and received a liberal education at the 
 common schools of the district. In the 
 fall of 1858 he commenced teaching a 
 country school, and in the fall of the fol- 
 lowing year he attended Oberlin College 
 three months, after which he taught 
 another term of winterschool in the coun- 
 try. On September 10, i860, he came to 
 Fremont and took the position of office 
 boy and clerk for Dr. L. O. Rawson, presi- 
 dent of the Fremont & Indiana railroad. 
 
 He remained in the service of that road 
 eighteen years, as follows: From 1861 ta 
 1864 he was clerk in the president's office, 
 and freight and ticket agent; 1864 to 1865, 
 conductor; 1865 to 1866, train master; 
 1866 to 1867, assistant superintendent; 
 1868 to 1872, superintendent; 1872 to 
 •S/S' general superintendent; 1875 to 
 1878, receiver; 1878 to 1879, general 
 superintendent of the Lake Erie & Louis- 
 ville railroad, after the sale and reorgani- 
 zation; October, 1879 to 1881, general 
 superintendent Toledo, Delphos & Bur- 
 lington railroad; August i, 18S1, to 
 1883, general manager of the Ohio Con- 
 struction Company; 1881 to 1885, gen- 
 eral manager Cleveland, Delphos & St. 
 Louis railroad; May, 1881, to 1885, gen- 
 eral manager, secretary and treasurer, of 
 the Cleveland, Delphos & Western Tele- 
 graph Company, and general manager of 
 the Cleveland, Delphos & St. Louis rail- 
 road; May, 1885, to June 30, 1886, general 
 agent of the Indiana, Bloomington & 
 Western railroad ; July i , 1 886, to Decem- 
 ber 31, 1890, receiver and general man- 
 ager of the Bellaire, Zanesville & Cincin- 
 nati railroad; September I, 1889, to Octo- 
 ber, 1 892, general manager and treasurer of 
 the Terre Haute & Peoria railroad. When 
 the Terre Haute & Peoria railroad was 
 leased to the Terre Haute & Indianapolis, 
 he was made superintendent of the Peoria 
 division, serving as such from October, 
 1892, to October, 1893. In January, 1894, 
 he accepted the position of general super- 
 intendent of the Findlay, Fort Wayne 
 & Western railroad, under a receiver. 
 Upon the sale and transfer of this prop- 
 erty, Mr. Burgoon was called to Salt 
 Lake City, Utah, on August 15, 1894, 
 and was appointed general superintendent 
 and general freight and passenger agent 
 of the Utah Central railway, his head- 
 quarters being at Salt Lake City, where 
 he is at present, though retaining his resi- 
 dence at Fremont, Ohio, having here 
 many business and social interests. Dur- 
 ing all his management of these roads he 
 
COSntBMORATTVE BTOORAPHWAL RBCORD. 
 
 41 
 
 made a clean record. By his enterprise, 
 prudence, economy and inteprity he secured 
 the good will and best wishes of all par- 
 ties concerned. He received many flat- 
 tering testimonials from his superior offi- 
 cers, and from those who had confided 
 their interests to his care, of which the 
 following may serve as a sample: After 
 having acted as receiver of the Lake Erie 
 & Louisville railway, about three years, 
 Mr. Burgoon filed in the court of com- 
 mon pleas, of Sandusky county, his final 
 report and the account of his doings and 
 dealings in the management of the road, 
 of which he had full charge as receiver, 
 under direction of the court, and his re- 
 port and accounts were confirmed not 
 only without a question but by consent of 
 counsel on both sides, and he was highly 
 complimented for his management of the 
 affairs of the road, as is shown by the 
 order of confirmation which follows: 
 
 And this Court, havinff examined the said 
 final .iccount and re|x>rt, and found the same 
 in all respects in accordance with law and the 
 order of the Court, and that the said receiver 
 has duly jiaid and delivered all money, credits 
 and property of every kind which came into his 
 possession or control, by virtue of his ap- 
 pointment and office in accordance with the 
 order and direction of the Court, and has in 
 all respects well and truly and faithfully dis- 
 charjred all his duties as such receiver, it 
 is hereby ordered that the said final report 
 and account be and the same is hereby ap- 
 proved and confirmed, and the said Isadore 
 H. nur»foondischarf;ed from all further account- 
 ability as such receiver. And he is especially 
 commended for the ability and faithfulness 
 with which he has discharg-ed the arduous 
 duties of his office. 
 
 Approved. 
 
 K. P. BrcKLANi) ANi> Calvin S. Bkice, 
 Attorneys for Lake Erie & Louisville Railway 
 
 Company. 
 
 Otis, Adams & Rcsskli., 
 Attorneys for plaintiffs, the trustees. 
 
 On May 2, 1864. Mr. Burgoon entered 
 the militarj' service of his country, as 
 private in Company F, One Hundred and 
 Sixty-ninth Regiment, O. N. G. 1. He 
 served with his regiment at Fort Ethan 
 Allen, Virginia, a term of four months, 
 and was promoted to the rank of sergeant- 
 
 major, a position he held until the expir- 
 ation of his term of service, September 4, 
 1864, having earned a record for promo- 
 tion in the discharge of his duties. He 
 wrote many interesting letters to his 
 home papers during his time of service. 
 
 Nfr. Burgoon has for many years been 
 an active member of the Sandusky Coun- 
 ty Pioneer and Historical Society, of 
 which he is still vice-president and secre- 
 tary, and has been one of the leading 
 spirits in making the annual reunion 
 pioneer picnics a success. He takes a 
 laudable interest in all public affairs in 
 the city of Fremont, but has never been 
 a political office seeker. He was raised a 
 Democrat, and cast his first vote for 
 Stephen A. Douglas, for president, since 
 which time he has been a I^epublican. 
 He has been a member of the Masonic 
 Fraternity since 1862, and has taken all 
 the degrees in the York Rite, and the 
 Scottish Rite to the 32d degree. He is 
 a member of the Eugene Rawson Post, 
 G. A. R., at Fremont, Ohio, and has al- 
 ways taken an interest in the welfare of 
 the soldiers. Since the year 1888 he has 
 been president of the One Hundred and 
 Sixty-ninth, O. V. I. Regimental .Asso- 
 ciation. 
 
 On October 19, 1S65, I. H. Burgoon 
 was married at Fremont, Ohio, to Miss 
 Eli^a \. Chapman, who was born Feb- 
 ruary 10, 1844, at Marion. Ohio, a 
 daughter of Joseph and Uorinda (Ayers) 
 Chapman, and their children were: J. 
 Chajmian Burgoon, born .\ugust 10, 1874, 
 died September 19, 1874; and Charles 
 Paine Burgoon, born May 25, 1878. A 
 lasting honor was fittingly and worthily 
 bestowed on Mr. Burgoon, when, on No- 
 vember 18, 1873, the citizens of the new 
 town, established at the crossing of the 
 Lake Erie & Louisville and the Toledo, Tif- 
 fin & Eastern railroads, in Jackson town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, concurred in ask- 
 ing the Post Office Department to name 
 the new post office '"Burgoon" after Mr. 
 I. H. Burgoon, whcse uniform courtesy 
 
42 
 
 COMMEMORATTVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 as an official of the Lake Erie & Louis- 
 ville railroad had won for him the best 
 wishes of the people of that community. 
 
 s 
 
 HARON C. LAMBERSON, editor 
 and co-proprietor of the Denio- 
 Mcsscngcr, Fremont, San- 
 
 crntic 
 
 dusky county, was born in Serleca 
 , Ohio, November i6, 183S, a son 
 and Anna Mary (Creager) 
 
 county 
 
 of William 
 
 Lamberson. 
 
 William Lamberson was born at Eas- 
 ton, Penn., March 23, 181 3, and came 
 with his parents to Ohio in 1830, locating 
 in the forests of Seneca county, where he 
 helped to clear up a farm. In politics he 
 was a radical Democrat. He married, 
 January 4, 1838, and died January 15, 
 1882. Ann Mary Lamberson was born 
 in Montgomery county, Ohio, June 12, 
 181 5, and died February 6, 1887, and 
 died a member of the Reformed Church, 
 in which faith she was reared. Their 
 children were: (i) Sharon C, our sub- 
 ject; (2) Eunice A., wife of John Huston, 
 living near Dayton, Ohio; (3) Virgil D., 
 a veteran of the Civil war, living at Tiffin, 
 Ohio; (4) Janett C, widow of Victor J. 
 Zahm, and one of the proprietors of 
 the Democratic Messenger; (5) Her- 
 schel W. , a farmer, living at Ha- 
 vana, Huron Co., Ohio; (6) Curtis 
 M. , who lives in Wamego, Kans. ; (7) 
 Dewitt C, who died August, 1875; (8) 
 M. Marcena, a maiden lady, living at 
 Tiffin, Ohio. Daniel Lamberson, our 
 subject's paternal grandfather, was born 
 near Easton, Penn., served in the war of 
 18 1 2, became a pioneer settler of Seneca 
 county, Ohio, and died at a good old age. 
 Our subject's maternal grandparents came 
 from Maryland, and settled near Dayton, 
 Ohio. Both of S. C. Lamberson's parents 
 were of German descent. 
 
 Our subject was reared on a farm, and 
 after receiving a common-school educa- 
 tion in Seneca county took a course of 
 study at Heidelberg University, Tiffin, 
 
 Ohio, from which institution he graduated 
 in 1859, with the first honor of his class. 
 He followed school teaching and farm- 
 ing, alternating these occupations until 
 1873, when he engaged in the mer- 
 cantile business at Tiffin for two years. 
 He then became connected with the coun- 
 ty auditor's office at Tiffin, for six years. 
 On April 7, 1885, in partnership with his 
 brother-in-law, V. J. Zahm, he purchased 
 the Democratic Messenger, the organ of 
 the Sandusky county Democracy. His 
 partner died in August of the same year, 
 and Mr. Lamberson has continued to 
 conduct the paper since that time. Polit- 
 ically, he is a Jeffersonian Democrat, 
 and socially, has been a member of 
 Seneca Lodge, No. 35, I. O. O. F., 
 about thirty years. On April 18, 1887, 
 he was married, at Tiffin, Ohio, to Miss 
 Johanna C. Zahm, who was born in 
 Buffalo, N. Y. , November 30, 1838. Mrs. 
 Lamberson's parents were born in Ger- 
 many and came to America, her father in 
 1832, her mother in 1833. 
 
 PETER BEAUGRAND, M. D., of 
 Fremont, Sanduskj- count}-, one 
 of the oldest living practitioners 
 in the State of Ohio, was born at 
 Detroit, Mich., August 26, 1 8 14. 
 
 The Beaugrand family is of French 
 origin, the grandfather of Dr. Beaugrand, 
 John Baptiste Beaugrand, having emi- 
 grated from Bordeaux, France, to Canada 
 about the year 1760. But little of his 
 life's history has been preserved; but it is 
 believed that he was a merchant, and 
 spent his life in barter with the Indians. 
 Dr. P. Beaugrand is a son of John B. 
 and Margaret (Chabert) Beaugrand, the 
 father born in Three Rivers, Canada, in 
 1768. He grew to manhood there, and 
 at the age of twenty-one migrated to 
 Detroit, Mich., where he engaged in busi- 
 ness as an Indian trader with good suc- 
 cess until during the war of 1S12, when 
 he was burned out by the Indians. He 
 
COMMBMORATrVB BIOORAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 48 
 
 removed with his family to Fremont (then 
 Lower Sandusky), Ohio, settling; here 
 during the first week of January, 1S23; 
 he had spent the previous year here as a 
 trader. The mother of our subject was 
 born in Detroit, Mich., February 26, 
 1781, and died May 12, 1859, at Fremont, 
 Ohio. 
 
 The family consisted of ten children: 
 (l)Margaret, who married Kodolphus 
 Dickinson, a brilliant young lawyer, who 
 came to Lower Sandusky frotn the East 
 shortly after the Beaugraud family took 
 up their residence there; afterward was 
 member of Congress, and died during his 
 second term in Congress, in 1S49. (2) 
 Julia, who married B. F. Fletcher, who 
 died in 1849, just after his election for the 
 second term to the office of county re- 
 corder. (3) Sophia, who married La 
 Quinio Rawson, a physician who became 
 very eminent in his profession, and died 
 in 1888. (4) Isidore D. , at one time 
 sheriff of Sandusky county. (5) JohnB., 
 who was a sailor and a captain on the 
 lakes; he was strong and athletic, and of 
 a venturesome spirit; in 1 846 he was pre- 
 sented by the mayor of Cleveland with a 
 stand of colors for safely bringing into 
 that port, during a severe storm, his boat, 
 having on board a large number of passen- 
 gers. (6) Peter, the subject of our 
 sketch. <~) James, born in I3etroit, died 
 at Fremont at the age of three years. 
 (8) Richard, who was also a sailor on the 
 lakes, enlisted, and died during the Civil 
 war. (91 Helen M., who married M. S. 
 Castle, an attorney at law, of Cleveland. 
 Ohio, where she resided until her death 
 in 1890. (10) James A., who has always 
 been engaged in clerical work, is now liv- 
 ing in Racine, Wis., and is deputy clerk 
 of courts at that place; he and the Doctor 
 are the only survivors of the family. 
 
 Dr. P. Beaugrand is a man much 
 respected in I'roinont and vicinity, both 
 as a skillful physician, and a gentleman of 
 culture. He has been a student of the 
 most ardent tyj>c during a long and busy 
 
 life, and is remarkable for his intellectual 
 talents and his genial, kindly disposition. 
 His profession has been to him as his 
 bride, for he has led none other to the al- 
 tar. Quick in perception, broad and 
 charitable in his sympathies, with a mem- 
 ory that has never failed, and an integ- 
 rity that has never wavered. Dr. Beau- 
 grand possesses the essential qualities of 
 a successful physician; and if implicit 
 faith in a man by a whole community is 
 of any solace to him, as he descends the 
 western slope of life, the Doctor should 
 be one of the most contented of mortals. 
 He has also been a favorite in literary cir- 
 cles, there being few important facts of 
 history or science with which he is not 
 familiar. 
 
 In 1823, Dr. Beaugrandcame with his 
 parents to Fremont. He recollects dis- 
 tinctly the trip from Detroit to Lower 
 Sandusky on the ice on Lake Erie, and 
 the incidents that occurred on the way, 
 one of which was the breaking of the ice. 
 by which the parties in the sleigh all got 
 wet, and how they all made for the shore, 
 and built a huge fire by which to dry 
 themselves. Ho is still able to point out 
 the very spot at which they came ashore 
 to make the remainder of the trip over- 
 land. Dr. Beaugrand attended the com- 
 mon schools here, and at the age of eight- 
 een was a student one term at Wells' 
 Academy, Mich. In March, 1833, he com- 
 menced the study of medicine at Findlay, 
 Ohio, with B. and L. O. Rawson, and 
 when the latter returned to I'remont he 
 came with him. During the winter of 
 1834-35, he attended medical lectures at 
 the College of Physicians and Surgeons, 
 Fairfield, Herkimer Co., N. Y. During 
 the scholastic year of 1844-45 ^*^ gradu- 
 ated from the Ohio Medical College, at 
 Cincinnati, Ohio. Ik- began the practice 
 of medicine at Lower Sandusky in 1834, 
 continuing thus up to 1845 before he took 
 the degree of M. I)., and he now has a 
 retrospect of more than sixty years of 
 professional life, at the beginning of which 
 
44 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOQBAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 our country was in its infancy. He re- 
 calls with accuracy the great questions 
 which agitated the public mind during 
 the da3's of Clay, Webster, and their il- 
 lustrious compeers. 
 
 In the spring of 1864 Dr. Beaugrand 
 was appointed surgeon of the One Hun- 
 dred and Sixty-ninth Regiment, O. V. I., 
 at Cleveland, Ohio, and served one hun- 
 dred days at Fort Ethan Allen, Va. 
 On his return home he resumed the prac- 
 tice of his profession, which he still pur- 
 sues, not from personal necessity but to 
 accommodate old patients. He has ac- 
 cumulated a handsome competence which 
 enables him to complete the rest of life's 
 journey at his ease. The Doctor was a 
 Democrat before the war, and during that 
 struggle voted for Republican candidates; 
 but his views at present are Democratic. 
 He has always had a high regard for his 
 mother, who was a remarkable woman, 
 very active in visiting the sick and poor 
 among the early pioneers, and who was 
 very charitable. An oil painting of her 
 now adorns the public library at Fremont. 
 
 WILLIAM E. LAY. Since the 
 year 1828, this venerable, intel- 
 ligent and highly-respected citi- 
 zen of Sandusky county has 
 lived upon the one farm in Green Creek 
 township, a residence that is perhaps 
 unequaled in the county. He has been 
 an eyewitness to the growth of the county 
 from its primitive condition to its present 
 advanced stage of development. But the 
 feature of his citizenship is not chiefly its 
 duration. In public spirit and character, 
 he ranks among the foremost residents. 
 
 Mr. Lay was born in Tompkins coun- 
 ty, N. Y. , October 20, 1809, son of John 
 and Mary (Squires) Lay. John Lay was 
 born in Connecticut January 22, 1775, 
 and was the son of Aaron Lay, who, 
 when a young man, emigrated with two 
 brothers from England. One of these 
 brothers, James Lay, afterward settled 
 
 near Buffalo, N. Y. Mary Squires was 
 born September 9, 1777, and was married 
 January 22, 1797, to John Lay. Their 
 eight children were as follows: (i) Jere- 
 miah, born January 17, 1798, married in 
 1826, settled in Seneca county, Ohio, 
 and died there about 1879. (2) John, 
 born September 7, 1801, a shoemaker by 
 trade, lived at Attica, Seneca Co., Ohio. 
 By his first wife, Aurora Ewer, he had 
 one child, Henry, who died young; b}' 
 his second wife, Mary Silcox, he also had 
 one child, William, born September 6, 
 1850, and died June 18, 1873. John died 
 August 12, 1889. (3) Almira, born No- 
 vember 16, 1803, married John Woodruff, 
 lived in Jackson township, Sandusky 
 county, and reared a large famil}'; she 
 died in 1874. (4) Eustacia, born August 
 9, 1805, married John Bartlett, lived in 
 Green Creek township, and reared a 
 family; she died in 1877. (5) Harmon, 
 born June 13, 1807, died April 30, 18 10. 
 (6) William E. is the subject of this 
 sketch. (7) Mary Ann, born September 
 8, 1 81 7, married Hiram Babcock, of 
 Green Creek, and died leaving six chil- 
 dren. (8) Susan J., born February 16, 
 1820, was married first to Jacob Martin, 
 of Castalia, by whom she had one child, 
 and afterward to Horace Simpson; she 
 died near Fremont, Michigan. 
 
 After marriage John and Mary Lay 
 settled in Seneca (now Tompkins) county, 
 N. Y. , but moved thence to Steuben 
 county. In 18 16 he migrated to Ohio, 
 going by team to Buffalo, and there tak- 
 ing passage on the schooner "American 
 Eagle,'' and landing at the mouth of the 
 Huron river. Living at Speers' Corners 
 two years, he moved to the eastern part 
 of Seneca county, and three years later 
 crossed the Sandusky river to the western 
 part of the county. He then moved back 
 to Clinton township after five years, and 
 in 1828, or three years later, settled on 
 the farm in Green Creek township, San- 
 dusky county, which his son William E. 
 now occupies. Here the parents re- 
 
COMMBMORATIVB BIOGRAPHICAL BBCORD. 
 
 46 
 
 mained until their death. They were 
 buried on Hutternut Ridge, or Lay's 
 Cemetery. John Lay was a Henry Clay 
 \Vhi},',aiid he votetl at the first election held 
 in Sandusky county, in 1.S19; in early life 
 he was in religious faith a close-commun- 
 ion Baptist, and for over thirty years he was 
 either clerk or deacon of the Church; in 
 after life he accepted the Universalist faith. 
 
 The boyhood of William L. Lay was 
 spent in the wilderness home of his par- 
 ents in Seneca and Sandusky counties. 
 Indians were then abundant, and he had 
 more Indians for playmates than white 
 boys. The Seneca reservation was just 
 across the river from the first home of the 
 Lays in Seneca county. He received lit- 
 tle education at Speers' Corners, Huron 
 county, and scarcely any more in Seneca 
 county. His chief instruction he obtained 
 sitting in his father's cabin, book in hand, 
 and reading by the light of the log fire. 
 One winter he attended school there, but 
 his days were pretty well occupied by farm 
 work, and the echo of his a.\e was heard 
 in the forest until midnight. 
 
 Mr. Lay was married April 11, 1833, 
 to Margaret Lee. who was born in North- 
 umberland county, Penn., September 15, 
 1815, moved with her parents to Franklin 
 county, Ohio, and thence in 1823 to 
 Seneca county, Ohio. After marriage he 
 began housekeeping on the farm his 
 father had occupied five years earlier, and 
 has lived there ever since; he now owns 
 2(X) acres of well-improved land. Eleven 
 children have been born to William and 
 Margaret Lay, as follows: (1; Polly 
 Minerva, born January 26, 1834, died 
 July 26 of the same year. (2) Harkness 
 N., born December 8, 1836, worked on 
 the farm until the war broke out, and then 
 enlisted in Company A, Seventy-second 
 O. \. I. ; he was orderly sergeant, and 
 was taken prisoner at Brice's Cross Roads, 
 near Guntown, Miss., June 10, 1864, with 
 247 other members of the regiment, and 
 was confined in .Andersonville prison nine 
 months. Oil October 4, 186;, he was 
 
 married to Jemmetta Almond, anil has 
 two children living — Francis M. and Bes- 
 sie. He has followed farming and car- 
 jjentry since the war, and now lives at 
 Chicago. (3) Ann E., born April 20, 
 1839, died unmarried February 25, 1888. 
 (4) Cornelia, born July 29, 1840, married 
 Jacob D. Le Fevre October 4, 1865, and 
 died, childless, February 10, 1892. (5) 
 Henry S., born June 16. 1842, unmarried, 
 lives at home and operates the farm. (6) 
 Clementine. born August 6, 1844, at home, 
 unmarried. (7j I-'rancis Marion, born 
 August 24, 1846. enlisted in April, 
 1 864, before he was eighteen, was taken 
 prisoner at Guntown, June 10, 1864, 
 and died from exposure and starvation at 
 Savannah. Ga., October 24, 1S64. (8) 
 Fidelia, born September 12, 1848, mar- 
 ried Cyrus Ale.xander February 2. 1870, 
 lives on a farm in Erie county; they have 
 no children. (9) Alice, born August 2, 
 1 85 1, married December 30, 1892, to 
 Abraham \'an Doren, and resides at Clyde. 
 (lOj William B.. born May 15, 1858, 
 farmer, of Sandusky county, married Alice 
 L. Jones October 24, 1883; they have no 
 children. (11) Mabel V., born July 27, 
 i860, married Fred Hutchinson March 12, 
 1884, and has five sons — Claire L. , Ern- 
 est D., Karl A., Frank M. and Ralph. 
 
 In politics, William E. Lay was a 
 Democrat until the repeal of the Missouri 
 Compromise, when he became a Republi- 
 can. He cast his first vote for .\ndrew 
 Jackson at his second term. He is a man 
 of the strictest integrity, and one of the 
 most highly respected in Sandusky county. 
 In social affairs he has been a leader. 
 Having amassed a goodly fortune, he con- 
 tributes liberally to public enterprises. 
 His family is highly cultured, and the af- 
 ternoon of his life is cast in an atmos- 
 phere that is most congenial. Com- 
 manding the esteem of all good citizens, 
 his life reflects the abilities and virtues 
 that have lifted him to the enviable niche 
 he occupies in the great social fabric of 
 our land. 
 
46 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Progress is 
 
 LEWIS W. WARD 
 born of courage. Courage stands 
 erect and thinks while fear re- 
 treats. Courage advances step by 
 step, believing in science and in eternal 
 law. If properly guided by a conscience, 
 courage will achieve deeds of heroism in 
 defense of right and honor and friendship 
 worthy of the noblest knighthood. As a 
 living example of one who in early life 
 had the courage of his convictions, in 
 manhood dared where others faltered, 
 one who was willing to forego his golden 
 schemes of wealth for the sake of caring 
 for his widowed mother, and who later 
 kindly cared for other aged people left in 
 his care, we present the subject of this 
 sketch. 
 
 L. W. Ward, insurance and real-es- 
 tate agent of Fremont, Sandusky county, 
 was born in Reading township, near Som- 
 erset, Perry Co., Ohio, May 27, 1832, 
 son of Amos and Polly (Shoup) Ward, 
 who were natives of Pennsylvania. Amos 
 Ward was born in 1797, and came at an 
 early day to Perry county, Ohio, where 
 he married and carried on farming. Late 
 in the fall of 1834 he removed with his 
 family through the wilds of Ohio in a 
 large wagon loaded with household goods, 
 provisions and grain for seed, to the 
 northwestern part of Sandusky (now Ot- 
 tawa) county, Ohio, and settled on 160 
 acres of land about midway between Port 
 Clinton and Locust Point. He also bought 
 1 60 acres in Washington township. As the 
 ground was then frozen solid, it was easy 
 to get about with a team in the erection 
 of a log cabin and sheds, the building of 
 fences and the clearing of land for farm- 
 ing purposes. Work progressed fairly 
 well, but there were some drawbacks. 
 The surrounding country being then a wil- 
 derness, the family were often anno3'ed 
 by the howling of wolves near their cabin 
 before they secured substantial doors and 
 windows, and for greater safety they built 
 a high fence of rails and poles to keep off 
 these midnight prowlers. One incident 
 
 in this connection is worthy of record. A 
 pack of hungry, howling wolves came in- 
 side the inclosure one night, and threat- 
 ened an attack. Mr. Ward was alarmed 
 for the safety of his family, and decided 
 to test the mettle of his big brindle dog, 
 "Lion," who crouched in a corner for 
 fear of the wolves, by throwing him out 
 of the cabin and making him fight or die. 
 He did so. There was heard a sudden 
 terrific snarling, an encounter for a few 
 seconds, and then a running away and a 
 howling which died off in the distance, 
 the dog having made hasty tracks for 
 Perry county, followed by the wolves, 
 perhaps, for many miles, leaving the ter- 
 rified family in quiet the rest of that night 
 and for many nights thereafter. A few 
 weeks later the family learned that 
 "Lion" had indeed escaped the jaws of 
 the wolves, and made his appearance at 
 his old home in Perry county in an almost 
 famished and exhausted condition. He 
 had made the trip of about i 50 miles in 
 an incredibly short time, as was learned 
 by comparing the records of the two fam- 
 ilies. The dear old fellow was afterward 
 taken again to Sandusky county, became 
 a great pet in the family, and died of old 
 age. 
 
 In the spring of the year, after the 
 frost had disappeared, the family were 
 distressed to find that the ground was so 
 soft and spongy that they could not use 
 their team to go to mill at Cold Creek, 
 and for six weeks they were obliged to 
 do without bread, except what could be 
 made from grain pounded in a mortar or 
 hollow stone. There were many other 
 hindrances on account of the wet soil. 
 After a residence of about six months in 
 this marshy, malarious region, Mr. Ward 
 died in June, 1835, leaving a widow and 
 seven children in the wilderness. His 
 family remained there for some time, and 
 then moved upon the 160 acres in Wash- 
 ington township, same county, on what is 
 known as the Limestone Ridge, a few miles 
 southeast of Hessville. The children of 
 
^^f ^^-Cf-^^h^ 
 
 ''J 
 
 -^,^/r~c.^z(^ 
 
OOMMBMOHATJVB BWOHAPUWAL RECORD.- 
 
 47 
 
 Amos ami I'ollv Ward, born in Perry 
 county, were: Harriet. John. Hiram. 
 Isaac, lili/a. Lewis W. (our subject), and 
 Sarah. 
 
 Lewis W. Ward grew to manhood in 
 Washington township. Sanihisky county, 
 amid the toils, hardshijis and privations 
 of pioneer life, in a family bereft of a 
 husband and father when they most need- 
 ed his assistance. His physical powers 
 were developed by a frecjuent and vigor- 
 ous use of the axe. the mattock, the maul 
 and wedge, and his love of sport gratified 
 by the use of a trust\' gun. On leaving 
 his mother's roof, in 1S47, he hired out 
 to A. W. Green, a neighboring farnier. 
 (or six months, at $3 per month. He gen- 
 erously contributed one dollar of the 
 money thus earned to rebuild the Deal 
 Block, in Lower Sandusky, which had 
 been destroyed by fire. His brother Isaac 
 took jobs of clearing land for farmers at 
 $8 per acre, and sometimes the broth- 
 ers worked on the Western Reserve and 
 Maumce pike. Mr. Ward's schooling in 
 the country was very limited, and in 1852 
 he resolved to get a better education by at- 
 tending a school taught in town by James 
 Smith, son of Sheriff Jonas Smith, of 
 Hallville township. He managed to pay 
 his board and tuition by clerking evenings, 
 morning and Saturdays for John F. 
 Wooster. a druggist. His Sundays he 
 usually spent at home or in attendance at 
 the M. E. Church and Sunday-school. 
 He next engaged as clerk on probation 
 with Mr. David Betts. general merchant, 
 and suited his employer so well that he 
 was entrusted with the most valuable 
 papers and records. At the end of about 
 three years the store was destroyed by fire. 
 Mr Ward was accustomed to sleep in the 
 store, and when roused out of sleep by the 
 alarm of tire he was so intent on saving his 
 employer's papers that he neglected to save 
 his own valuables, consisting of a new 
 suit ol clothes and two watches. He 
 next clerked about a year for Charles 
 Haynes, and then started for California. 
 
 He was one of a company of seventeen 
 who had agreed to go there together, but 
 at the time appointed for starting he alone 
 was ready, and so set out alone. It took 
 him five days to reach New York, and 
 having just missed going on the steamer 
 for the Panama route he took a vessel 
 going by the Nicaragua route, which had 
 on board 400 filibusters, on their way to 
 Granada, South ,\merica. In due time 
 he arrived at 'Frisco, went up the Sacra- 
 mento river, passed Marysville to Sierra 
 county, and found work for about two 
 years as an honest miner. In 1858 he 
 returned to Ohio to visit and care for his 
 mother, intending to go back to Califor- 
 nia. Finding strong inducements for him 
 to remain in Fremont, he clerked for Mr. 
 Edgerton, who had taken the stock in 
 Betts & Kreb's store, until Edgerton 
 failed, after which he clerked for Mr. A. 
 Gusdorf. In 185S he bought out S. H. 
 Russel, and for eight years carried on a 
 grocery and saloon on Front street. In 
 1S66, his lease having expired, he sold 
 out his stock and engaged in the insur- 
 ance and real-estate business, in which he 
 has continued ever since. His mother, 
 for whom he had kindly cared, died at 
 her home in Elmore in 1S79. 
 
 On October 31, 185.S. Mr. Ward mar- 
 ried Miss Julia E. Leppelman, daughter 
 of E. J. Leppelman. who with his wife 
 afterward lived in the family of Mr. 
 Ward for twenty odd years. Mr. Lep- 
 pelman was killed by the cars at a cross- 
 ing of the L. S. & M. S. railroad, on 
 Main street. Fremont. June 30, 1892; his 
 wife died in July. 1893. Mr. Ward is a 
 regular attendant at St. Paul's Episcopal 
 Church, of which his wife is a member. 
 Socially, he is a charter member of Fre- 
 mont lodge No. 204. K. of P.. and is also a 
 member of L. W. Ward Division No. 87, 
 Uniformed Rank, K. of P., which was 
 named in honor of him. He was for many 
 vears a member of the I. O. O. F. Mr. 
 Ward served four years as major of the 
 Sixth Regiment, U. R. K. P., and was 
 
48 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 reelected for four years, but declined to 
 serve longer. 
 
 Our subject is one of the best pre- 
 served specimens of physical manhood in 
 Fremont, being six feet tall, with broad 
 chest and shoulders, erect carriage, digni- 
 fied appearance and commandingpresence. 
 His fondness for out-door sport and horse- 
 back riding, from his youth, has con- 
 tributed no little to his good health and 
 marked cheerfulness, while his business 
 ventures have secured for him a comfor- 
 table competence. 
 
 PROF. W. W. ROSS, superintend- 
 ent of public schools, Fremont, 
 Sandusky county, and one of the 
 oldest established and most widely 
 known schoolmen in Ohio, was born in 
 Medina county, Ohio, December 24, 1824. 
 The Ross family descended from an- 
 cient and time-honored Scottish blood. 
 Our subject's great-grandfather, Capt. 
 Alexander Ross, was an officer in Gen. 
 Wolfe's army of invasion, and took part 
 in the battle on the Plains of Abraham, 
 Quebec, which resulted in the defeat of 
 the French, and the conquest of all Cana- 
 da. For gallant services he subsequently 
 received a grant of lands from the 
 Crown, and settled in Prince Edward 
 county. Upper Canada, in 1785, where 
 he lived until his death, in 1805. Ac- 
 cording to the genealog}', as traced by the 
 Canadian cousins of W. W. Ross, 
 "Capt. Ross was a grandson of Alexan- 
 der Ross, Laird of Balnagown, Ross- 
 shire, Scotland, who descended in direct 
 line from Hugh Ross, of Rairiches, who 
 was second son of Hugh, the sixth and 
 last Earl of Ross, of the old family." The 
 fifth Earl of Ross led the Ross-shire clans 
 on the field of Bannockburn. In the an- 
 cestral line was Rev. Alexander Ross, of 
 Aberdeen, Scotland, Chaplain to Charles 
 I, of England, and a distinguished author 
 of many religious works, both in English 
 and Latin. 
 
 When Capt. Ross received the grant 
 of lands in Canada he took his family 
 from the Highlands of Scotland to live 
 there. His son Alexander was the grand- 
 father of our subject, W. W. Ross. He, 
 Alexander, was born in Ross-shire, in 
 the Scottish Highlands, not far from the 
 site of the castle of Macbeth, before the 
 family went to Canada. It is said he 
 spent his life on his father's estate in 
 Canada, near Picton, Prince Edward 
 Co., Ontario. The full details of 
 his life history seem not to be recorded, 
 for his son, Joseph Ross, the father of 
 Prof. W. W. Ross, was born, it is known, 
 near Saratoga, N. Y. , in 1805, a few 
 months after his father's death. Joseph 
 Ross married Mary Harkness. He was a 
 shoemaker by trade, and in his earlier 
 days spent his time between New York 
 State and Canada. He migrated from New 
 York to Medina county, Ohio, in pioneer 
 days, in 1830, and was one of the first set- 
 tlers at Seville, where he worked at his 
 trade until he was elected justice of the 
 peace, in which capacity he served over 
 thirty years 
 formation, 
 
 judgment. His probity and knowledge of 
 law were universally recognized, and it 
 became a proverb among the attorneys 
 that if a case had been tried before Jus- 
 tice Ross an appeal was useless. It is 
 said that not a single case tried before 
 him was ever reversed in the higher 
 courts during his thirty years of service. 
 His death occurred in 1876. Mary Hark- 
 ness, the mother of our subject, was born 
 in Salem, Washington Co., N. Y. , in 
 1806, and is still alive, having her resi- 
 dence with her son, W. W. Ross. She 
 removed to eastern Ohio about the same 
 time as her cousins of the same name 
 (Harkness), who settled a little farther 
 west, and who eventually became the 
 multi-millionaire founders of the Standard 
 Oil industrj". She was a teacher in both 
 New York and Ohio, and was married to 
 Joseph Ross at Seville in 1831. To their 
 
 He was a man of good in- 
 broad views and discerning 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 49 
 
 union were born seven children: Alex- 
 ander DeW'itt, wlio died at the a},'e of 
 seventeen; Zaccheus, who died in in- 
 fancy; McDonoufjh, who died in child- 
 hood; /achary, who now resides in Fre- 
 mont; Mary K. , wife of William Decker; 
 Albert, a farmer, of Sandusky county, 
 and W. W. 
 
 Prof. \V. W. Ross received his school 
 training almost exclusively in the com- 
 mon and academic schools at Seville, 
 Ohio, one term onl\', 1S52, having been 
 passed at the Twinsburgh Institute, 
 Twinsburgh, Ohio. His parents gave him 
 and his elder brother, .\lexander De Witt 
 Ross, their entire time for school work, 
 besides rendering them much assistance 
 and encouragement at home. Under the 
 inspiration and guidanceof Charles Foster, 
 a graduate of Dartmouth College, who 
 was eminent as a preceptor and educator, 
 and who taught a flourishing school for 
 years at Seville, he made rapid progress, 
 and in his earliest " teens '" was well along 
 in algebra, geometry and other studies, in 
 all of which he excelled. [His teacher, Mr. 
 Foster, died during the war of the Re- 
 bellion, in which he was serving as cap- 
 tain.] 
 
 Our subject commenced teaching when 
 sixteen, in Seville, and for fourty-four 
 years since has been engaged, almost un- 
 remittingly, in school work, giving thirty- 
 one consecutive years of this time to 
 superintending the schools of Fremont, 
 Ohio. After a first trial in a small, select 
 school at home, he taught two winter 
 schools in the country, and then in the 
 fall of 1S53 organized a select and nor- 
 mal school at Spencer, Medina Co., Ohio, 
 over which he continued to have charge 
 for four years, building up a large and 
 flourishing school which drew pupils from 
 thirty miles around. He immediately 
 thereafter took charge of the academy in 
 his native village, which he taught for 
 three years, beginning with the fall of 1S57. 
 In both these schools he established a 
 reputation as a most successful teacher. 
 
 He again taught in Spencer in the fall of 
 1860, and in Wadsworth in 1861 62; in 
 the fall of 1.S62 he took charge of the pub- 
 lic schools of Clyde, Ohio, and after two 
 years of successful work there was, in 
 1864, elected superintendent of the Fre- 
 mont public schools. Thirty-one years 
 have rolled away, and still Prof. Ross is 
 holding his position of superintendent. 
 L'nder his supervision great improvement 
 and progress ha\e been made, and Fre- 
 mont boasts that no city is her peer in 
 school equipment. 
 
 During the vacations of his school 
 work in Spencer and Seville Prof. Ross 
 studied law under J. C. Johnson, of Se- 
 ville, Herman Canfield, of Medina (who 
 fell, while serving as lieutenant-colonel of 
 the Seventy-second Ohio Regiment, at 
 Shiloh . and in the office of Noble & Pal- 
 mer, Cleveland, Ohio, and was admitted 
 to the bar in 1861. More or less famil- 
 iar from childhood with law proceedings 
 in his father's courts, where he was ac- 
 customed to hear such distinguished men 
 as D. K. Carter (afterward chief justice 
 of the District of Columbia) and John 
 McSweeney (one of America's most bril- 
 liant bar orators), his early aspirations 
 were all in the line of the legal profes- 
 sion. His health had partially failed him 
 some years before his admission to the 
 bar, and the apprehension that his health 
 and strength would not justify the labors 
 necessary to eminent success in a new 
 profession he continued to work in a field 
 with which he was already familiar, and 
 in which he was already assured of suc- 
 cess. It was nearly a score of years be- 
 fore he fully abandoned the study of the 
 law, but he was eventually well satisfied 
 with his chosen work, into which, from 
 the first, he threw his whole soul and all 
 his energies. He never recovered vigor- 
 ous health, and has said that he had not 
 seen a perfectly well day in forty years. 
 Although achieving an immense amount 
 of work, he has always found it necessary 
 to restrain his ambition within prescribed 
 
50 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 limits, in order to avoid nervous exhaus- 
 tion. 
 
 He early evinced, through the inspira- 
 tion of his father, his academic school 
 life and the environments of aiitc-bclhnn 
 pioneer times on the Connecticut Western 
 Reserve, a love for historical, dramatic 
 and forensic literature, for public debate 
 and general politics. In his earliest 
 " teens " he had read, re-read and re- 
 written Plutarch's Lives and gone through 
 Gibbon's three thousand stately pages. 
 Always punctual in his school composi- 
 tion and declamation work, he early laid 
 a foundation for subsequent success in 
 public speaking on the lecture and polit- 
 ical platform, and in general literary work. 
 In his earlier school work he prepared 
 many dramas, Shakespearean and others, 
 for presentation on the school stage, and 
 found in the preparatory work e.xcellent 
 elocutionary drills both for himself and 
 pupils. He was always an active partici- 
 pant in the debating societies, and the 
 mock congresses that on the Connecticut 
 Western Reserve were wont to discuss, in 
 the years before the war, the great ques- 
 tions growing out of slavery, and was an 
 active public speaker in the Douglas cam- 
 paign of i860. His services were always 
 in demand on the Fourth of July occa- 
 sions, which were unfailingly observed in 
 his native village. 
 
 Prof. Ross has ever kept abreast with 
 educational progress in both local and 
 national matters. He has served three 
 terms as a member of the Ohio School 
 Board of Examiners, and was president of 
 the same most of the time. He was a 
 candidate for State School Commissioner 
 in 1 87 1, but being a Democrat was de- 
 feated. He has served as president of 
 the Ohio State Teachers' Association, 
 and also as president of the Tri- 
 State Teachers' Association, composed 
 of the States of Ohio, Indiana and 
 Michigan, and has been quite a regular 
 attendant of the National Teachers' As- 
 sociation. The honorary degree of M. A. 
 
 was conferred upon him by Western Re- 
 serve College, Hudson, Ohio (succeeded 
 by Adelbert University). As an educator 
 Prof. Ross has few peers. He is a man 
 of broad general knowledge, a close stu- 
 dent of economics, and, like most public 
 economists, is an ardent advocate of 
 tariff reform. He has published a series 
 of masterly pamphlets on tariff reform, 
 in which he shows the absurdity of pro- 
 tection, and handles McKinleyism with- 
 out gloves. The titles of some of the 
 pamphlets are: "Tariff Reform" (pub- 
 lished October 15, 1888), "Indirect 
 Tariff Taxation," and "Governor Mc- 
 Kinley, at Fremont," etc. His paper 
 entitled " Free Text Books," read before 
 the Ohio Teachers' Association, at Chau- 
 tauqua, N. Y. , and published in Xh.^ Edu- 
 cational Jlloiit/ily, Akron, Ohio, and in 
 the School Commissioners' Report to the 
 Ohio Legislature, is an able treatise in 
 favor of the idea it suggests. Prof. Ross 
 is a lecturer of ability, and his patriotism 
 and true Americanism are evident in all 
 his writings and lectures. In the Con- 
 gressional campaign of 1894 his name 
 was urged by his party friends for con- 
 gressional honors; but he declined to 
 allow its use, stating that he had outlived 
 all personal political aspirations, and was 
 conscious that he had not the health and 
 strength to stand the wear and worry of a 
 congressional campaign, especially the 
 labors of the stump. Mr. Ross is the 
 inventor of a set of dissected mathemati- 
 cal forms, and the author of an accom- 
 panying treatise for illustrative instruction 
 in mensuration and concrete geometry, 
 which have been received with unqualified 
 commendation by the leading educators 
 of the country. 
 
 Prof. W. W. Ross was married, in 
 1863, to Miss Julia Houghton, of Well- 
 ington, Ohio, and they have three chil- 
 dren: William DeWitt, who has charge 
 of the high school at Fremont, Ohio; 
 Clara J. ; and Harry Houghton. In re- 
 ligious connection Prof. Ross is a member 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 61 
 
 of the M. E. Church, and has had charge 
 of the Sunday-school about thirty years. 
 Socially he is a ineinbcr of the Masonic 
 Fraternity. 
 
 I 
 
 JUDGE JOHN I. GARN. If history 
 teaches by example, the lessons in- 
 culcated by biography must be still 
 more impressive. We see exhibited 
 in the varities of human character, under 
 different circumstances, something to in- 
 struct us in our duty, and to encourage 
 our efforts, under every emergency. And, 
 perhaps, there is no concurrence of events 
 which produce this effect more certainly, 
 than the steps by which distinction has 
 been acquired through the unaided efforts 
 of youthful enterprise, as illustrated in the 
 life of Judge John I. Gam. 
 
 Our subject is by birth a Pennsylvan- 
 ian, having been born in Bedford county 
 October 27, 1833, a son of C. M. and 
 Elizabeth (Ickes) Garn, both also natives 
 of the Keystone State, the former born in 
 Bedford county, in 1799, the latter in 
 York county. The father was a lifelong 
 farmer in Bedford county, dying there at 
 the advanced age of eighty-four years, the 
 mother passing away when a few months 
 older; they were members of the Lutheran 
 Church, and in politics he was originally 
 a Whig, later a Republican. Frederick 
 Garn, father of C. M. Garn, came from 
 his native country, Holland, to America, 
 settling m Pennsylvania. Judge Garn is 
 the third, in the order of birth, in a family 
 of eleven children, a brief record of the 
 others being as follows: Susan (now de- 
 ceased; married E. Conrad, and lived in 
 Blair county. Penn. ; Catherine married 
 S. Mauk. and resided in Bedford county, 
 Penn. ; George lives in Sandusky county, 
 Ohio; Daniel also lives in Sandusky coun- 
 ty; Hannah married John Kesoberth; Mar- 
 garet lives in Bedford county, Penn. ; the 
 other four are ileceased. 
 
 Judge Garn received a liberal educa- 
 tion at the public schools of his native 
 
 place, and assisted his parents on the 
 farm until he was twenty-one years old, 
 when he came to Sandusky county and 
 bought an eighty-acre farm in Jackson 
 township which he cleared with his own 
 hands and carried on some eighteen years. 
 He then entered the service of the Penn- 
 sylvania Railroad Company as ticket and 
 freight agent at Millersville, Sandusky 
 Co., Ohio, a position he filled with effi- 
 ciency the long period of twenty-one 
 years, when he came to Fremont. In 
 November, 1893, he was elected, on the 
 Republican ticket, probate judge of San- 
 dusky county, taking his seat February 
 j 12, 1894. While at Millersville he served 
 as justice of the peace some fifteen years, 
 which gave him good insight into the 
 laws of the State, thereby well qualifying 
 him, in that respect, to fill the position of 
 probate judge. 
 
 In January. 1855, Judge Garn was 
 united in marriage in Sandusky county 
 with Miss Maria Garn (no blood relation), 
 and seven children were born to them, 
 to wit: Elizabeth J. married Abram 
 Rinebolt. and they have two children — 
 John and Minnie. Anna Mary married 
 Henry Madison, and they have six chil- 
 dren — Lottie, Anna. John, Charles, Ida 
 and Grace. Delilah married Robert Mc- 
 Caul, and has one child, Minnie. Han- 
 nah is the wife of .Mexaiider Claycom, 
 and has one child, Delilah. Sarah C. is 
 at home. Minnie is at home. John mar- 
 ried and is now deceased; he was a tele- 
 graph operator. In religious faith Mr. 
 and Mrs. Garn are members of the Evan- 
 gelical Church, and they are both highly 
 respected in the community; socially he 
 is affiliated with the Knights of Honor. 
 
 AK. FERGUSON. M D.— The 
 old-time pioneers of the far-famed 
 Black Swamp, who transformed 
 a howling wilderness into the gar- 
 den spot of northern Ohio, are fast pass- 
 ing away. Especially is this noticeable 
 
52 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in the case of the pioneer preachers, 
 doctors and lawyers, who traveled on foot 
 or on horseback through dense forests, 
 along winding obscure roads or Indian 
 trails, to visit their patrons in lonely 
 cabins, to administer their primitive rem- 
 edies for the ailments of mind, body and 
 soul. As an example of one of the best 
 preserved medical gentlemen of those 
 early days, who is now an octogenarian, 
 and whose tales of adventure and privation, 
 experienced and observed among the early 
 settlers in Woodville township, Sandusky 
 county, Ohio, would fill a volume, we in- 
 troduce the subject of this sketch. 
 
 Dr. A. R. Ferguson, Ballville town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was born in 
 Trumbull county, Ohio, on September 
 20, 1 8 14, a son of Samuel and Mary 
 (Ralston) Ferguson. Samuel Ferguson 
 was born in Antrim county, Ireland, and 
 came to America with his parents when 
 he was sixteen years of age, settling in 
 Beaver county, Penn. He was the young- 
 est of the family, a farmer by occupation, 
 a Democrat in politics and a member of 
 the Seceders, a branch of the Presbyte- 
 rian Church. About the year 1808 he 
 married Mary Ralston, who was then 
 living at the home of her uncle, Nathaniel 
 Ralston. In Trumbull county, Ohio, 
 during the war of 1812, SamuelFerguson 
 and Nathaniel Ralston were drafted into 
 the U. S. military service, and were sent 
 under Gen. Wadsworth to guard the 
 mouth of the Sandusky river. Mary 
 Ralston was born in Pennsylvania, in 
 1776, and died in Trumbull county, Ohio, 
 in 1854. The children of Samuel and 
 Mary Ferguson were: (i) James, a car- 
 penter and joiner, of Warren, Trumbull 
 Co., Ohio, born in 18 10, died in 1840; (2) 
 Andrew, a farmer, same locality, born 
 in 1812, died in 1889; (3) Archibald R., 
 our subject; (4) William, a lawyer, who 
 went to the West and died there; (5) 
 John, born in 18 16, who died in Kansas. 
 
 Our subject grew to manhood in Trum- 
 bull county, where he attended common 
 
 schools, and spent several years at Farm- 
 ington Academy. He studied medicine 
 about four years under John W. Seely, 
 one of the pioneer doctors of Trumbull 
 county, who became one of the leading 
 stockholders in the Western Reserve Bank 
 at Warren, Ohio. In the fall of 1839 
 Dr. Ferguson located and began the prac- 
 tice of medicine in Woodville, Sandusky 
 Co., Ohio. Here he kept a small drug 
 store, and served the country people as 
 family physician for many miles around, 
 during a period of about twenty years, 
 traveling usually on horseback. His 
 practice was unusually lucrative, netting 
 him $1,000 the first year. In addition to 
 his medical projects, the Doctor also 
 found time and means to engage in sev- 
 eral other enterprises which were profit- 
 able. He was for a time proprietor of an 
 ashery, a dry-goods store, a saw and grist 
 mill, and he built at Woodville the nicest 
 tavern stand then known in Sandusky 
 county. He owned the first buggy ever 
 used in Woodville, for which he bought 
 the wood-work of a wagon-maker at 
 Tiffin, Ohio, had the ironing done at 
 Lower Sandusky, and did the painting of 
 it himself. During the construction of 
 the Toledo, Norwalk & Cleveland rail- 
 road through Sandusky county. Dr. Fer- 
 guson was emplo3'ed by the projectors of 
 the road to assist in securing the right of 
 way through Woodville township, and to 
 solicit subscriptions to stock from indi- 
 viduals and trustees in Ballville and Green 
 Creek townships. When the route was 
 changed so as to pass through Elmore 
 instead of Woodville, the Doctor lost no 
 time in selling out his property in Wood- 
 ville and locating in Ballville township, 
 which has been his permanent home since 
 that time. The Doctor's enterprise and 
 public spirit were recognized by his neigh- 
 bors in his election to the office of justice 
 of the peace two terms in succession, and 
 to the office of sheriff of Sandusky county, 
 two terms. During the past twenty years 
 he has devoted most of his time to the 
 
COMMEMORATn^E BIOORAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 68 
 
 improvement of his model farm of 200 
 acres, lyinj; two miles east of Fremont, 
 and to the raisinp of choice farm products. 
 He was for several years president of the 
 Sandusky Comity Farmers' Club, and has 
 since that time kept in touch with the 
 best methods of agriculture by the read- 
 ing of select farming literature. He has 
 also taken an active interest in educa- 
 tional matters in his neighborhood. From 
 his many tales of pioneer adventure we 
 give the following as a sample: Once upon 
 a time a man came after the Doctor from 
 the present site of Pemberville to secure 
 his services for a sick friend, and returned 
 homeward on foot through a dense forest, 
 walking some distance in advance of the 
 Doctor, who followed on horseback. 
 Thinking to play a joke on the Doctor, 
 he turned aside and stood behind a tree, 
 and howled in imitation of a wolf. The 
 Doctor, not suspecting deceit in his fellow 
 traveler, yelled and shouted to scare away 
 the supposed wolf, but kept briskly on his 
 way. In a few minutes he heard the howl 
 of a real wolf in an opposite direction. 
 In a short time the man who had raised 
 the tirst howl was alarmed by the howling 
 of a pack of wolves, and had to run like 
 a deer to escape being attacked by them. 
 He afterward told the Doctor that he 
 came near losing his life by trying to play 
 this unkind trick on him at the wrong 
 time. 
 
 Dr. A. K. Ferguson was married in 
 1843 to Miss Marietta Hart, a native of 
 New York, who died at W'oodville, Ohio, 
 in 1850. They had two children: (i) 
 Archibald, who resides at Tiffin. Ohio, 
 was a soldier in the Civil war, served as 
 bugle boy in the One Hundred and 
 Eleventh O. \'. I., and now receives a 
 pension; has two children, Lillie and 
 Clarence. (2) Mary, who died at Tiffin. 
 Ohio, at the age of thirty-one, and was 
 buried in Mt. Lebanon Cemetery, Ball- 
 ville township. 
 
 After the death of his first wife Dr. 
 Ferguson married, in 1855, Sevilla E. 
 
 Cook, who was born January 5. 1835. in 
 New York State, a daughter of John G., 
 and Lucy (Martin) Cook. Her father 
 was born in 1 776, in Massachusetts, and 
 her mother in New York. Her father was 
 wont to say: "I lived si.x weeks under 
 the King of England, and then rebelled." 
 He died in 1861, praying for the success 
 of the Union army. His parents were 
 English, and came to America — a part of 
 the " Pilgrim Fathers." The children of 
 Dr. Ferguson by his second marriage 
 were : William, who grew up on his 
 father's farm, married Miss Georgia \'an- 
 demark, of Green Creek township, and 
 their children are — Mabel, Charles, Fred 
 and Edward Glenn; Edward, who mar- 
 ried Miss Nattie Young, and whose chil- 
 dren are - Ha/el, Kupert and Clifton; 
 Lillie B., wife of Kelly N. Myers, drug- 
 gist, Fremont, Ohio, whose children are — 
 Hazel and Cecile; Nellie, wife of George 
 Harris, whose children are — Hallie, 
 Archie, George J., and Ruth; Lulu, wife 
 of Hiram Smith, of Fort Wayne, Ind., 
 who has one child— \'eta; Sevilla E., 
 living at home; Frank R., a citizen of the 
 State of Washington, who married Clara 
 Whitmore, and has two children — Wan- 
 eta and Wan; and Fannie G., Alice and 
 John Albert, living with their parents. 
 
 R 
 
 EV. MICHAEL LONG. Any pio- 
 neer record of the Black Swamp, 
 in northern Ohio, which does not 
 give an account of the old-time 
 traveling preachers or circuit riders, who 
 did so much to cheer the homes of the 
 early settlers, must be incomplete, and 
 any list of such itinerants which does not 
 include the familiar name of Rev. Michael 
 Long is untrue to history. For more than 
 fifty years he traversed this region in 
 every direction, and thousands loved to 
 listen to the voice of his unstudied elo- 
 quence. 
 
 Rev. Michael Long was bom May 3, 
 1814. in Guernsey county, Ohio, son of 
 
•54 
 
 COMMEMOBATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 Daniel and Margaret (Brill) Long, natives 
 of Pennsylvania. He vvas reared to farm 
 work, and was educated in the common 
 schools. At an early age he joined the 
 United Brethren Church, and at the age 
 of twenty-one years was licensed to preach 
 the Gospel. In 1834 he migrated from 
 Guernsey to Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 where he married, on April 20, 1837, 
 Miss Sarah Gear, of the same county, and 
 they lived at various places most conven- 
 ient to his fields of labor. On April 26, 
 1836, he joined the Sandusky Conference, 
 and was assigned to a circuit of twenty- 
 eight appointments, at which he preached 
 regularly every four weeks, requiring for 
 each round a travel of four hundred miles, 
 for the most part through the forests, 
 either on foot or on horseback. For his 
 services the first year of his ministry he 
 received a salary of forty dollars. His 
 circuit the second year, and indeed for 
 quite a number of subsequent years, was 
 much like the first, with salary ranging 
 from one hundred to one hundred and 
 seventy-five dollars. 
 
 He was an active itinerant, and for 
 fifty years was continuously employed by 
 the Conference as missionary, pastor or 
 presiding elder, which, with one year's 
 subsequent service as supply, made fifty- 
 one years of active itinerant life. He was 
 a member of the Conference and present 
 at every session for fifty-six years, never 
 missing the opening prayer. For many 
 years he was almost constantly engaged 
 in revival work, for which he was natur- 
 ally fitted. His voice was wonderfully 
 strong, clear and voluminous, his nature 
 genial and his deportment dignified. He 
 was directly instrumental in the conver- 
 sion and addition to the Church of about 
 five thousand persons. He solemnized 
 more marriages and preached more fu- 
 neral sermons than any other minister 
 within the bounds of his acquaintance, and 
 he no doubt traveled longer and suffered 
 more privations than any other minister 
 in his Conference. His unwritten stories 
 
 of daring adventure and hair-breadth 
 escapes would fill a volume. When trav- 
 eling in the Maumee Valley he sometimes 
 passed trains of Indians half a mile long. 
 He was endowed with remarkable phys- 
 ical powers, and could endure hunger and 
 fatigue with little apparent discomfort. 
 He was a friend to the so-called higher 
 education, and encouraged it in his family, 
 the fruits of this being manifest in the 
 honorable standing of his three sons in 
 the active ministry. He and his noble 
 wife were examples of economy after 
 which it would be well for many of our 
 young people to pattern. Starting in life 
 with scarcely an3-thing of this world's 
 goods, they lived within their small in- 
 come, and so managed that a small per 
 cent, was saved year after year until they 
 were able to provide a comfortable home 
 for themselves and family, near Fremont, 
 and render aid in the education of their 
 children at college. Mrs. Long died at 
 the family residence on January 15, 1889, 
 and his death occurred at the home of his 
 nephew, Rev. James Long, at Weston, 
 Ohio, November 17, 1891. Their chil- 
 dren were: Martha Jane, deceased wife 
 of John Ernsberger; Desire Angeline, 
 wife of Martin Maurer; Rev. N. S. Long, 
 of the U. B. Church; Rev. B. M. Long, of 
 the Presbyterian Church; Calista, wife 
 of J. W. Worst; and Rev. Milon De Witt 
 Long, of the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 FRANK HEIM. That a review of 
 the life of such an energetic and 
 enterprising individual as is the 
 subject of this memoir should have 
 prominent place in the pages of a work of 
 this kind is peculiarly proper; because a 
 knowledge of men, whose substantial 
 record rests upon their attainments and 
 success, must at all times exert a whole- 
 some influence on the rising generation 
 of the American people, and can not fail 
 to be more or less interesting to those of 
 maturer years. 
 
q/7Ccu^(^ 
 
COMMEMOUATIVH BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 55 
 
 Mr. Heim was born February 26, 
 1852, in tlie State of New York, a son of 
 Albert and Margaret (Malkanuisj Heim. 
 natives of Hessia, Germany, the father 
 born August 28, 1826, the mother in 
 1 83 1. They were married in the Father- 
 land, soon afterward emigrating to the 
 United S ates, for a time sojourning in 
 New York State, whence, in 1853, they 
 came to Fremont, where the father fol- 
 lowed his trade, that of carpenter, and was 
 also in the retail liquor trade. He died 
 November 25, 1867; the mother passed 
 away in 1871. Children as follows were 
 born to them: Frank, subject of sketch; 
 Joseph, now living in Indian Territory; 
 William, conducting a dry-goods busi- 
 ness in Fremont, and Clara, Henry 
 and Charles, all three at home. The 
 maternal grandmother of this family 
 died in Germany at the age of ninety 
 years. 
 
 The subject proper of these lines was 
 about a year old when his parents 
 brought him to Fremont, and at the 
 public schools of that city he received 
 a liberal education, at the age of eigh- 
 teen commencing business for his own 
 account in the retail licjuor trade. In 
 1877 he purchased an interest in the 
 Fremont Brewery Co., of which he is 
 now the president, and since he has been 
 associated with the concern its output 
 has been increased, whilst many im- 
 provements have been made. He is 
 also president of the Electric Light and 
 Power Co. of Fremont, and of the 
 Opera House Co. As a public-spirited 
 and liberal citizen, he is more or less 
 identified with most enterprises tending 
 to the welfare of the city and the com- 
 munity at large. 
 
 On March 27. 1890, Mr. Heim was 
 united in marriage with Miss Delilah 
 Soward, who was bom in Seneca county, 
 Ohio, daughter of Thomas Soward. In 
 politics our subject is a Republican, and 
 in religious faith a member of the Roman 
 Catholic Church. 
 
 SARDIS BIRCHARD. merchant, 
 banker and philanthropist, Fre- 
 mont, Sandusky county, was born 
 at Wilmington, Windham Co., 
 Vt., January 15, 1801. Both of his par- 
 ents died when he was yet a child, the 
 father, Roger Birchard, in 1805, the 
 mother, Drusilla (.•\ustin) Birchard, in 
 181 3. Both of his grandfathers were 
 Revolutionary soldiers. His grandfather, 
 Elias Birchard, died of disease contracted 
 in the service toward the close of the war. 
 His grandfather, Capt. Daniel Austin, 
 served as an officer under Washington 
 throughout the war. and survived many 
 years. The Birchards were among the 
 first settlers of Norwich, Connecticut. 
 
 When the mother of our subject died, 
 five children survived her, Sardis being 
 the youngest. He was placed in charge 
 of his sister, Sophia, wife of Rutherford 
 Hayes (father of Gen. R. B. Hayes), be- 
 came one of their family, and lived with 
 them at Dummerston, Vt., until 181 7, 
 when he accompanied them in their emi- 
 gration to Ohio. In N'ermont young 
 Birchard had acquired the rudiments of an 
 English education, by an irregular at- 
 tendance at such schools as were in ex- 
 istence at that day in the country towns 
 of that State. He had also become an 
 expert hunter and horseman, for a boy of 
 his age, and gained some knowledge of 
 business in the store of his brother-in-law, 
 Mr. Hayes. In Ohio he worked with the 
 latter in building, farming, driving and 
 taking care of stock, and employing all 
 his spare time in hunting. He was able 
 with his rifle to supply his own and other 
 families with turkeys and venison. In 
 1822 his brother-in-law, Mr. Hayes, died, 
 leaving a widow and three young children 
 and a large unsettled business. Of these 
 children of his sister, the eldest, Lorenzo. 
 was drowned at the age of ten years; 
 Fanny became the wife of William A. 
 Piatt, of Columbus, Ohio; and the young- 
 est, Rutherford Birchard Hayes, born the 
 year of his father's death, 1822, became 
 
56 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the nineteenth President of the United 
 States. Mr. Birchard, who was barely 
 twenty-one years of age, at once assumed 
 the duties of the head of the family, and 
 applied himself diligently to the manage- 
 ment of the unsettled affairs of the es- 
 tate, and the care of the household. In- 
 heriting from his father what was con- 
 sidered a handsome start for a young man, 
 possessing a genial and friendly disposi- 
 tion and being fond of wild sports and 
 wild company, with no one to look up to as 
 entitled to control or advise him, his fu- 
 ture might well have been regarded with 
 apprehension. He was then a slender, 
 delicate, handsome youth, with engaging 
 and popular manners, and was a favorite 
 among the young people in the new coun- 
 try. Warmly attached to his sister and 
 her children, he devoted himself to their in- 
 terests and was the mainstay of the family. 
 While yet a boy he was hired to help 
 drive some hogs to Fort Ball (now Tiffin), 
 Ohio, to feed the first settlers, in 1817. 
 This was his first visit to the Sandusky 
 region. His first visit to Lower San- 
 dusky was made in 1824, in company with 
 Benjaming Powers, a merchant of Dela- 
 ware, Ohio. They stopped at Leason's 
 tavern, a log house on the east side of 
 Front street, where Shomo's Block now 
 stands. The pickets were still standing 
 around Fort Stephenson, and the ditch 
 was quite perfect. The village then con- 
 tained about two hundred inhabitants. 
 After a trip to Portland (now Sandusky 
 City), they returned home, and the same 
 fall Mr. Birchard, with Stephen R. Ben- 
 nett as partner, bought and drove to Bal- 
 timore, in the first cold weather of the 
 winter, a drove of fat hogs. Mr. Birchard 
 has narrated two incidents of the trip: 
 The young men had to swim their hogs 
 across the Ohio river at Wheeling, and 
 came near losing all of them by the swift 
 current of the river. By great exertion, 
 and at considerable risk to themselves, 
 they got all but four or five across. In 
 the meantime they were overtaken on the 
 
 road by a tall fine looking gentleman on 
 horseback, who had also a carriage drawn 
 by four horses, and two saddle horses 
 with attendants. The gentleman helped 
 Mr. Birchard get the hogs out of the way, 
 chatted with him about the state of the 
 markets, and the prospects of the weath- 
 er, and advised him as to the best way to 
 dispose of his hogs at Baltimore. This 
 gentleman turned out to be Gen. Jackson, 
 on his way to Washington after the Pres- 
 idential election of 1824, in which he re- 
 ceived the highest vote, but was not 
 finally the successful candidate. 
 
 In the summer of 1825, while mowing 
 in the hay field, Mr. Birchard was 
 seriously injured in health by over-exer- 
 tion, his ambition not allowing him to fall 
 behind the stronger men. From the ef- 
 fects of this he never fully recovered. In 
 the winter of 1825-26 he was confined to 
 his bed by an attack called "consump- 
 tion," and it was supposed that he would 
 not live until spring; but his cheerful dispo- 
 sition and the elasticity of his constitution 
 carried him through. In the month of 
 May he set out on horseback eastward, 
 making short daily journe3's as his strength 
 would permit, and in due time reached 
 Vermont, where he remained until the ap- 
 proach of winter, when he traveled south 
 to Georgia and remained until the spring 
 of 1827. This year he made his first 
 purchase of goods as a retail dry-goods 
 merchant. He went to New York with- 
 out money and without acquaintances, 
 but soon found a friend in William P. 
 Dixon, who sold him a stock of goods in 
 his line, and recommended him to others. 
 His stock of goods was made up and 
 shipped to Cleveland, himself accompany- 
 ing it, intending to sell to laborers on the 
 Ohio canal, which was then being built 
 from Cleveland southward. On passing 
 down into the Tuscarawas valley he be- 
 camed dissatisfied with that trade, sold 
 part of his goods to another trader, and 
 took the rest to Fort Ball (now Tifiin), on 
 the west side of the Sandusky river. Here 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 hT 
 
 he remained, trading successfully with the 
 new settlers, until December, 1S27, when 
 he removed to Lower Sandusky, having 
 decided to go with Dr. L. Q. Rawson, 
 who preceded him a few days. He at 
 first went into business alone in a store, 
 on the corner of Front and Croghan 
 streets, where the Dryfoos clothing house 
 now stands, which was erected and owned 
 by Richard Sears, who had made a for- 
 tune, trading with the Indians, and had 
 left for Buffalo, N. Y. in the spring of 
 1827. 
 
 Though there were three other stores 
 in the place and two distilleries, Mr. 
 Birchard received the Indian trade to a 
 large e.vtent by refusing to sell them 
 liquor. He was in trade three or four 
 years, and, having accumulated about ten 
 thousand dollars, considered himself rich 
 enough to retire. About the year 1831, 
 however, he formed a partnership with 
 Rodolphus Dickinson and Esbcn Husted, 
 himself furnishing the capital. The firm 
 name was R. Dickinson & Co., and they 
 soon had in operation one of the largest 
 retail stores north of Columbus and west 
 of Cleveland, their yearly sales amount 
 ing to fifty thousand dollars, the sales being 
 largely on credit. Mr. Birchard, with 
 Richard Sears, bought the first sailing 
 vessel (each owning an equal interest), a 
 schooner named "John Richards," worth 
 then four thousand dollars, and of about 
 one hundred tons burden. The first ship- 
 ment of wheat out of Lower Sandusky was 
 made on this schooner, and it was prob- 
 ably the first one sent eastward from any 
 port west of Cleveland. 
 
 The Indians with whom Mr. Birchard 
 chiefly traded were the Senecas. They 
 drew an annuity from the State of New 
 York, payable at Albany, amounting to 
 $|,7CX3, and among Mr. Birchard's cus- 
 tomers, whom he trusted during the year, 
 were Tall Chief. Hard Hickory, Seneca 
 John, Curley Eye, Good Hunter and 
 others. Before the annuity was paid he 
 would get authority to draw money, signed I 
 
 by the chiefs, and go to Albany to collect 
 it. This he did three times, with some 
 risk but without loss. Besides the Seneca 
 tribe he also traded with the Wyandots,. 
 Ottawas, and a few Delawares. The 
 Senecas owned a reservation of forty 
 thousand acres east of the Sandusky 
 river, on the line of Sandusky and Seneca 
 counties. Their principal settlement was 
 north of Green Spring, where they had a 
 mill near the site of where Stoner's mill 
 stood later. Their Council House was 
 not far from the mill, northwestward. 
 Mr. Birchard attended some of the Indian 
 dances, both in the daytime and at night, 
 and was present at the religious ceremony 
 of burning the white dogs. The Indians 
 danced in the Council House, in the center 
 of which was a fire over which was boiling 
 a pot of corn and meat Their musicians 
 had in their hands some bundles of deer 
 hoofs, which they rattled and pounded on 
 a skin stretched over a hoop. Among 
 the white men who joined in the Indian 
 dance, were Mr. Birchard, Rodolphus 
 Dickinson, Judge Justice, and Mr. Fifield. 
 Mr. Birchard was the guest at night of 
 Hard Hickory, and he was called by the 
 Indians "Ausequago, " or the man who 
 owns the most land. Seneca John was 
 in the habit of trading with Mr. Birchard, 
 and called at the store to see the amount 
 of indebtedness the evening before he 
 was killed by Coonstick and Steele for 
 witchcraft. His friend, Tall Chief, settled 
 the account for him later, as he believed 
 that no Indian can enter the happy 
 hunting grounds of the Spirit Land untif 
 his debts are paid. This chief was a man. 
 of great dignity of manner and character. 
 In their business transactions these In- 
 dians were generally very honest. They 
 would not steal as much as the same num- 
 ber of whites with the same opportunities. 
 Mr. Birchard sometimes had his store 
 room full of Indians, sleeping all night on 
 the floor, with no watch or guard, and he 
 himself sleeping on a cot near them. The 
 Indians paid for goods mostly in deer skins. 
 
58 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 finely dressed, and in coon, muskrat, and 
 sometimes in mink, otter and bear skins. 
 The Indians dressed these skins much bet- 
 ter than white men could. 
 
 In 1835 Mr. Husted died, and his 
 place in Mr. Birchard's firm was taken by 
 George Grant, who had been a clerk in 
 the establishment since its formation. He 
 was a man of great business capacity and 
 energy, of prepossessing appearance, tall, 
 slender, of fine address and full of life and 
 ambition. He died in 1 841, at the age 
 of thirty-two, after which the firm was 
 dissolved, and the business settled by Mr. 
 Birchard. 
 
 On the first day of January, 1851, Mr. 
 Birchard, in partnership with Lucius B. 
 Otis, established the first banking house 
 in Lower Sandusky, under the name of 
 Birchard & Otis. On the removal of 
 Judge Otis to Chicago, in 1856, Mr. 
 Birchard formed a partnership with Anson 
 H. Miller, and a year later with Dr. 
 James W. Wilson, under the name of 
 Birchard, Miller & Company. In 1863 
 the First National Bank of Fremont was 
 organized, and the banking house of 
 Birchard, Miller & Co., was merged into 
 it. This was the second National Bank 
 organized in Ohio, and the fifth in the 
 United States. Mr. Birchard was elected 
 president of the bank at its organization, 
 and he held that position by re-election 
 until his death. 
 
 When Mr. Birchard came to reside in 
 Lower Sandusky there were only two 
 lawyers in the place: Harvey J. Harmon, 
 was cultivating the island in the river, 
 and Rodolphus Dickinson, a graduate of 
 Williams College, Mass., who had a good 
 knowledge of the law, having studied 
 under Judge Gustavus Swan, in Colum- 
 bus, Ohio. The latter was active in the 
 politics of his time, was thrice elected a 
 member of the Board of Public Works, 
 and twice elected to Congress, and died 
 while a member of the House of Repre- 
 sentatives of the United States, in 1849. 
 For his private virtues and his public 
 
 services he is still held in grateful remem- 
 brance by the people not only of San- 
 dusky county but throughout northwest- 
 ern Ohio. 
 
 There were no church buildings in 
 Lower Sandusky in 1827. Religious 
 meetings were held in a log school house 
 that stood nearly where the high school 
 building is on Croghan street. Court 
 was held in the same building, until the 
 frame court house was finished, in which 
 Rev. H. Lang afterward lived. The 
 preachers were Rev. Mr. Harrington, a 
 Presbyterian, and Rev. Mr. Montgomery, 
 a Methodist missionary, who lived with 
 the Seneca Indians, near Fort Seneca. 
 
 During the years that intervened 
 between his arriving at manhood and his 
 death, Mr. Birchard was ever conspicu- 
 ous in, and the ardent promoter of, every 
 good work designed to advance the wel- 
 fare of the town of his residence. As has 
 been stated, he was connected with the 
 first enterprise that opened river and lake 
 commerce between Fremont and Buffalo. 
 Appropriations by the State, for the con- 
 struction of the Western Reserve and 
 Maumee road, had in him an early, un- 
 tiring, and efficient advocate; and through 
 his efforts in circulating petitions through 
 the State to influence public opinion, and 
 thus secure favorable legislation, that 
 work was doubtless completed many years 
 earlier than it otherwise would have been. 
 
 He ne.xt became enlisted in the enter- 
 prise of constructing the Toledo, Nor- 
 walk & Cleveland railroad. The chances 
 then were that the northern and rival 
 route, now known as the Northern Divi- 
 sion, would be constructed first, and a 
 long struggle ensued between the sup- 
 porters of each route. In connection 
 with C. L. Boalt, of Norwalk, Mr. 
 Birchard was so effective in advancing 
 the success of the southern route, by the 
 pledge of every dollar of their private 
 fortunes, and thus raising the funds to 
 prosecute the work, that the issue turned 
 in their favor, and the work went on to 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 50 
 
 completion that, but for their extraordin- 
 ary efforts, would probably not have been 
 finished for many years afterward. Mr. 
 Boalt was made the first president of the 
 road, upon the organization of the com- 
 pany, and heartily co-operating with him, 
 Mr. Hirchard, through his inlluence with 
 leading capitalists of New York, was 
 successful in obtaining the necessary 
 means to push forward the work. 
 
 Mr. Birchard was a Whig while that 
 party existed, and subsequently an earn- 
 est supporter of the Republican party, 
 the administration of Abraham Lincoln, 
 and the prosecution of the war for the 
 Union. Hospitable, warm-hearted and 
 friendly, in addition to his contributions 
 to religious and benevolent objects, he 
 cheerfully aided all really charitable ob- 
 jects. He had a deep sympathy for the 
 poor, and could not bear to know suffer- 
 ing without offering relief. During the 
 last years of his life, when poor health 
 required confinement at home, he left 
 with Mr. Miller, cashier of the bank, 
 standing instructions to contribute liber- 
 ally to worthy charities. His tenderness 
 and solicitude for the unfortunate is illus- 
 trated by a letter which Mr. Miller still 
 preserves. It was written on a cold, 
 stormy day in early winter, and reads as 
 follows: "Mr. Miller: What a storm! 
 I fear many poor people are suffering. 
 If you hear of any such, give liberally 
 forme. S. Birchard." 
 
 In 1 87 1, Mr. Birchard presented to 
 the city of Fremont the large park be- 
 tween Birchard avenue and Croghan 
 street, and the small triangular park at 
 the junction of Birchard and Buckland 
 avenues. In 1873 he set apart property 
 amounting to fifty thousand dollars for 
 the purpose of establishing a free public 
 library in Fremont, appointed trustees to 
 take charge of the fund, and provided 
 for their perpetuity. The first collection 
 of books was placed in Birchard Hall, 
 on the corner of Front and State streets. 
 In order to obtain a location suitable 
 
 for putting up a library building, the 
 trustees united with the city council to 
 purchase the Fort Stephenson property 
 at a total cost of $18,000, the trustees 
 paying $6,000, and thus was secured 
 the famous historic locality to the people 
 of Fremont forever. From the address of 
 Kev. Dr. Bushnell, delivered at the laying of 
 the corner-stone of the Birchard Library 
 Building, July 18, 1878, we take the fol- 
 lowing: •' It was not in his thought, at 
 first, that this bequest of his should be 
 coupled with the commemoration of the 
 defense of Fort Stephenson, but the 
 proposal to join with the city council 
 in this movement received his hearty 
 consent. And thus the building itself 
 with its uses, and the site on which it 
 stands, combine, like strands of gold, 
 to form a cord of hallowed recollections 
 ever attaching our thoughts alike to the 
 deed of heroic defense, and to the be- 
 quest of kindly esteem. For, I wish 
 personally to take this occasion to sa^' 
 that the bequest for this library was 
 born in Mr. Birchards heart, of the 
 most kindly consideration for the people 
 of Fremont and of Sandusky county. 
 I know whereof I speak, for this is not 
 a mere inference. He first determined 
 to devote a liberal sum of money to 
 some public benefit which all might have 
 opportunity to enjoy; as to the especial 
 form of it he took council, and what he 
 said to others I do not particularly know, 
 but he repeatedly expressed to me in this 
 connection, his kindly feeling toward all 
 in the community." 
 
 Mr. Birchards gifts to the city are 
 estimated at $70,000, or about one-fifth 
 of his estate. In addition to these gifts 
 made during his lifetime he made in his 
 will bequests to Oberlin College, to Home 
 Missions, to the Fremont Ladies' Relief 
 Society, and to the Conger Fund, a fund 
 designed for the relief of superannuated 
 preachers. 
 
 Mr. Birchard was benevolent to a 
 degree and in a manner known only to 
 
-•eo 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 his most intimate friends. Aid in neces- 
 sity was extended to many when none 
 knew it except the recipients, and per- 
 haps a friend whom he consulted. Mr. 
 Birchard was especially devoted to the 
 fine arts, and during his eventful life made 
 a fine collection of oil paintings, which 
 will eventually form one of the chief at- 
 tractions of Birchard Library. Among 
 them is an oil painting of his favorite 
 horse, "Ned." 
 
 In May, 1857, Mr. Birchard became 
 a member of the Presbyterian Church of 
 Fremont, and he remained in its com- 
 munion the remainder of his life. He 
 contributed constantly to its incidental 
 and benevolent funds. He also contrib- 
 uted $7,000 to the erection of the new 
 edifice now occupied by the congregations. 
 In this he took especial satisfaction. He 
 also aided other congregations without 
 distinction of denomination. He gave 
 most satisfactory evidence of sincerity in 
 his religious experience, and died in per- 
 fect composure of mind. He had talked 
 much with his friends concerning death, 
 and seemed to be altogether ready. He 
 was one of the marked characters in the 
 ■early history of the country, and his life 
 was fortunately spared to a ripe old age. 
 Of him it may well be said, as the faith- 
 ful steward he received the gifts of for- 
 tune and gave, in his turn, freely as he 
 had received. He died January i, 1874, 
 aged seventy-three years. His funeral was 
 attended by the largest concourse of citi- 
 zens ever assembled on such an occasion 
 in this vicinity. As a testimony of respect 
 to the deceased all the stores and shops of 
 the city were closed from one o'clock un- 
 til four, in the afternoon, when he was 
 laid to rest in Oak Wood Cemetery. 
 
 REV. PATRICK O'BRIEN, pastor of 
 St. Ann's Congregation, Fremont, 
 was born at Piltown, County 
 Wexford, Ireland, February 20, 
 1844. He arrived in America on April 
 
 15. 1857, being at that time only thirteen 
 years old. 
 
 Like all young men of his age and na- 
 tionality, seeking a home in the New 
 World, our subject applied himself as- 
 siduously to the task. The American 
 Civil war, as the reader well knows, com- 
 menced in 1861, and our subject haviiig 
 imbibed that spirit of patriotism which is 
 so characteristic of his race, handed down 
 to him by his undeniable Celtic ancestors, 
 donned the blue, enlisted in the Northern 
 army for the purpose of assisting the Re- 
 public in preserving the life of the Union. 
 Owing to ill health he could not render his 
 adopted country that assistance for which 
 he had hoped; however, he did his duty 
 as a loyal subject of ' ' Uncle Sam, " to the 
 best of his ability, actuated by the purest 
 patriotic motives, until by reason of ill 
 health, he was discharged from the or- 
 ganization in which he had enlisted. Af- 
 ter his return from the service he resumed 
 his studies, and very soon realized that 
 his vocation was that of a priest. He was 
 encouraged by his parents and friends in 
 this idea, and attended college with a view 
 of studying for the sacred ministry. Fi- 
 nally, Bishop Rappe received him into 
 St. Mary's Seminary, at Cleveland, Ohio, 
 as a student, and in a short time the stu- 
 dent became master of philosophy and 
 theology, and the late lamented Rt. Rev. 
 Bishop Gilmour, D. D., bishop of Cleve- 
 land, ordained him priest July 21, 1872. 
 
 Father O'Brien has been recognized 
 by those who know him as one of the 
 ablest priests in Ohio, and especially in 
 oratory he is unsurpassed anywhere in 
 this section. He has had charge of the 
 largest congregations in the diocese of 
 Cleveland; was for some years pastor of 
 the Immaculate Conception parish in 
 Toledo, Ohio, one of the largest English- 
 speaking congregation in that city. He 
 was transferred from the Immaculate 
 Conception parish to St. Francis De- 
 Sales, on Cherry street, Toledo, and re- 
 mained there a short time, when he was 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 61 
 
 again transferred to the pastorate of St. 
 Patrick's Congregation of Cleveland, the 
 largest congregation in the diocese. 
 While pastor of St. Patrick's he built one 
 of the finest schoolhouses in the State, 
 which is an ornament not only to the city 
 of Cleveland but to the State of Ohio. 
 
 Owing to the hard work that he was 
 compelled to do at St. Patrick's, our sub- 
 ject was broken down in health to a cer- 
 tain extent, and, procuring a leave of ab- 
 sence, he traveled abroad extensively, 
 making a flying trip to Ireland on his 
 way to Rome and Jerusalem. During his 
 absence he wrote very interesting letters 
 on his travels abroad, which were pub- 
 lished in the leading journals of this sec- 
 tion. W'hile visiting in the Holy Land 
 he encountered a severe rain storm, and 
 the result was that he contracted rheuma- 
 tism, and it was on this account that he 
 asked to be relieved from the charge of 
 St. Patrick's, and to be sent to a place 
 where he would not be required to do so 
 much work. His request wns granted, 
 and he was transferred to St. Ann's, Fre- 
 mont, Ohio. 
 
 While Father O'Brien is a celebrated 
 poet, patriot and writer, perhaps his 
 principal work outside the priesthood is 
 that which he gives to the temperence 
 cause. He has been identified with the 
 Catholic Total Abstinence Union of 
 America since its organization, or nearly 
 so, and has held many prominent offices 
 in the Union. He is to-day president of 
 the C. T. A. U., of Ohio, and at a recent 
 convention held in New York City was 
 chairman of the committee on resolutions, 
 and drafted the resolutions which created 
 so much discussion at the National con- 
 vention. He is a thorough American in 
 every sense and meaning of that word, and 
 is respected and has always been respected 
 by Protestants and Catholics alike. He 
 was assigned to the pastorate of St. Ann's, 
 Fremont, Ohio, in 1893, and he has been 
 a valuable accession to the roll of the 
 prominent pastors and citizens, and both 
 
 he and the temperance and other organ- 
 izations of St. Ann's have done a vast 
 amount of good in the community. 
 
 SAMUEL DOLL. Among the active 
 spirits, which the oil and gas dis- 
 coveries in Sandusky county have 
 brought to the front in business 
 circles, the name of Samuel Doll stands 
 prominent. He is a widely-known pio- 
 neer of Jackson township, and in the 
 spring of 1892 he organized the S. Doll 
 Gas & Oil Co., of which he is now vice- 
 president. The company has leased a 
 large amount of land, and is pushing the 
 new industry with energy and dispatch, 
 and with marked success, having opened 
 fourteen or more wells, the majority of 
 which have produced gas in paying quan- 
 tities. 
 
 Mr. Doll was born in Jackson town- 
 ship, March 3, 1835, son of John and 
 Catherine (DayhofT) Doll. The father 
 was born, in 1797, in Bedford county, 
 Penn., married in that State, and in 1S34 
 migrated to Ohio, settling in Jackson 
 township. Sandusky county, where he re- 
 mained until his death, in 1865. He 
 was a Democrat in ante-bellum times, but 
 during the closing years of his life he 
 voted the Republican ticket. His wife, 
 Catherine Dayhoff, was a native of Mary- 
 land, and died in 1875 at the age of 
 sixty-four years. A large family of chil- 
 dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Doll, as 
 fellows: Two who died in infancy; Joshua, 
 who enlisted in the army during the 
 Civil war, and died in Tennessee; John, 
 who married Margaret A. Sprout, and 
 died in 1890, leaving four children — Ralph 
 P., Nancy, William and Fmma; Daniel 
 (deceased), who married Adeline Kennon 
 and had six children — Alice, Byron D., 
 Elmer, John, Peter and Nettie; Samuel, 
 subject of this sketch; Mary E., who 
 became the wife of Solomon Warner, of 
 Jackson township, and has had seven 
 children — Emma, Laura, Elsie, Charles, 
 
62 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Chauncey.Estelle and Blanche; Sarah A., 
 who died young; Noah, a resident of 
 Neosho county, Kans. , whose children 
 are Alfred, Chalmer, Edith, Henry and 
 Mary; one who died young; Susan, wife 
 of Isaac Hite, of Jackson township, and 
 mother of the following children — Doro- 
 thy, William, Francis, Irvin, Milan, 
 Edward, Lee, Verna and Franklin; and 
 Jacob, who enlisted in the fall of 1864, 
 and died at Camp Chase, Ohio. 
 
 Samuel Doll was reared in the pioneer 
 wilderness of Jackson township. Educa- 
 tional facilities were meager, and the 
 ambitious boy or girl must perforce stimu- 
 late his or her waking mental powers by 
 poring over books beside the log blaze 
 in the home cabin. Education was ob- 
 scured, or wholly ignored. Other needs 
 were pressing. The clearing of the land 
 was the prime consideration, and the lad 
 who could swing the ringing axe the 
 lustiest was the hero of the day rather 
 than the pale-faced youth who could spell 
 down the entire school. Mr. Doll amply 
 filled the requirements of that day, as he 
 does, too, at the present time. He was 
 a young man of almost gigantic stature, 
 and of unusual strength and activity, and 
 even to-day, though he has turned his six- 
 tieth year, he can do more physical work 
 than many a man at forty. He was mar- 
 ried in 1S59, to Mary Hummel, who was 
 born in Scott township, April 12, 1839, 
 daughter of George J. Hummel, a native 
 of Germany, and to this union were born 
 eleven children, as follows: A. J., born 
 June 6, 1 860, who married Emma J. Beau- 
 man, and has a family of two children 
 ■ — John F. and Jay; Mary C. , wife of J. F. 
 Hartman, and mother of three children — 
 George, Clark and Vera; Harmannus, 
 born September 2, 1861, died in infancy; 
 John, born in 1862, died November 7, 
 1872, Lucy M., wife of William Hey- 
 man, of Sandusky county, and the mother 
 of two children — Cecil and Veva; Eddie, 
 who died in 1872, aged four years, nine 
 months and twenty-seven days; George, 
 
 who died November 12, 1872, aged two 
 years, one month, twenty-two days; Elsie, 
 wife of F. B. Rollins; Orville and Arvilda, 
 twins; and Estella. Mrs. Doll died Jan- 
 uary 21, 1889. She was a devoted wife 
 and mother, and a devout member of the 
 United Brethren Church, where Mr. Doll 
 also worships. Mr. Doll served in the 
 Union army during the summer of 1864 
 at Fort Ethan Allen, near Washington, 
 and he is now a member of Manville Moore 
 Post, G. A. R. , Fremont. He is a 
 prominent member of the P. of L Our 
 subject devoted his life exclusively to 
 farming up to the time he entered the 
 oil business, and now owns a large and 
 well-cultivated farm, which he has always 
 tilled with signal profit and success. 
 
 GEN. RUTHERFORD BIRCH- 
 ARD HAYES, the better part 
 of whose life is so closely inter- 
 woven with the history of this en- 
 tire nation — whether we speak of him as 
 General, Governor, or President — was 
 born at Delaware, Ohio, October 4, 1822. 
 He was descended from George Hayes, 
 a native of Scotland, who came to Amer- 
 ica in the latter part of the seventeenth 
 century, settling at Windsor, Conn. Ruth- 
 erford Hayes, of the fifth generation from 
 this George Hayes, was born, in 1878, in 
 West Brattleboro, Vt., and in 181 3 mar- 
 ried Sophia Birchard, of Wilmington, in 
 that State, " a lady of fine intellect and 
 lovely character." In 18 17 the family 
 moved to Ohio, the trip being made in a 
 covered wagon and consuming forty-seven 
 days, and in the town of Delaware they 
 settled. Here in July, 1822, Mr. Hayes 
 died, leaving a wife and one daughter, 
 and in less than three months the future 
 president of the United States was born, 
 a posthumous child. The estate and 
 management of the family affairs were en- 
 trusted to Sardis Birchard, Mrs. Hayes' 
 brother, then a young man, who took a 
 loving interest in his sister's welfare, and 
 
LUCY WEBB HAVES. 
 
1 
 
 
 "t 
 
 
 ^T'WU 
 
 1 
 
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 ^ 
 
 ^.SI^^^^B^^^^^^^^^^I 
 
 H^^^^^HP^K'*^ • 
 
 ^9 
 
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 K. II. 11. \^ IS. 
 
COMMEMOUATIVB BIOQRAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 68 
 
 became very fond of his young nephew, 
 takiiifj him under his immediate charge. 
 The lad received his early education at the 
 common schools, attended an academy at 
 Norwalk, Ohio, and in 1837 went to Isaac 
 Webbs school at Middletown, Conn., to 
 prepare for college. In 1842 he gradu- 
 ated from Kenyon College, valedictorian 
 of his class. During this school period 
 he spent a large part of his vacation time 
 at the residence of his uncle at Lower 
 Sandusky (now Fremont), Ohio; in the 
 meantime his sister had married William 
 A. Flatt, of Columbus, and the mother 
 made her home in that city. Having con- 
 cluded to make the profession of law his 
 life work, Mr. Hayes commenced study 
 in the office of Thomas Sparrow, of Col- 
 umbus, Ohio, and was graduated at the 
 Law School of Harvard University, in 
 1S45, on May 10 of which year he was 
 admitted to the bar at Marietta, Ohio. 
 He began practice at Lower Sandusky 
 (now Fremont) where, in April, 1846, he 
 formed a partnership with Hon. Ralph P. 
 Buckland (now also deceased). 
 
 In 1S49 he opened a law office in Cin- 
 cinnati, where he soon attracted attention 
 through his ability and acquirements, and 
 where he successfully pursued the prac- 
 tice of his profession till the breaking out 
 of the war of the Rebellion. In 1 856 he 
 declined a nomination for judge of the 
 Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas. 
 Two years later he was appointed city 
 solicitor of Cincinnati, and served until 
 April. 1861. On the organization of the 
 Republican party, he at once became one 
 of its active supporters, being attracted 
 thereto by his strong anti-slavery senti- 
 ments. 
 
 At the outbreak of the war, he was 
 elected captain of the militarv' company 
 formed from the celebrated Cincinnati 
 Literary Club. In June, 1861, he was 
 appointed major of the Twenty-third 
 O. V. I., and in July following his regi- 
 ment was ordered to West Virginia. Gen. 
 Hayes' verj- gallant and meritorious mili- 
 
 tary career has been overlooked in the 
 prominence given to his political life. An 
 examination of his record in the army 
 shows that such brave, gallant and able 
 service has rarely been equalled, even in 
 the annals of war. 
 
 In August, 1864, while fighting under 
 Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley, Gen. 
 Hayes was nominated by a Republican 
 district convention, in Cincinnati, as a 
 candidate for Congress. He was elected 
 by a majority of 2,400. The General 
 took his seat in Congress December 4, 
 1865, and was appointed chairman of the 
 Library committee. In 1S66 he was re- 
 elected to Congress. In the House of 
 Representatives he was prominent in the 
 councils of his party. 
 
 In 1867 he was the Republican can- 
 didate fur governor of Ohio, and elected 
 over Judge Thurman. In 1869, he was 
 re-elected governor of Ohio over George 
 H. Pendleton. In 1872, despite his fre- 
 quently expressed desire to retire from 
 public life, Gen. Hayes was again nomi- 
 nated for Congress by the Republicans 
 of Cincinnati, but was defeatad. 
 
 In 1873 he returned to Fremont, and 
 the next year inherited the considerable 
 estate of his uncle, Sardis Birchard. In 
 1875, notwithstanding his well-known 
 desire not to re-enter public life, he was 
 again nominated for governor of Ohio, 
 and, although he at first declined the honor, 
 he was subsequently induced to accept 
 the nomination, and after a hard-fought 
 canvas was elected over William Allen by 
 a majority of 5,500! This contest, by 
 reason of the financial issue involved, be- 
 came a national one, and was watched 
 with interest throughout the country, and 
 as a result he was nominated for the 
 Presidency on the seventh ballot of the 
 National Republican Convention which 
 met at Cincinnati June 14, 1876. The 
 doubtful result of the election in three 
 Southern States threw the whole country 
 into a state of an.xiety which continued 
 until inauguration day; but Gen. Hayes 
 
64 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 was declared elected by the highest author- 
 ity in the government, and on the 4th of 
 March, 1877, he took his seat in the 
 Presidential Chair. 
 
 The administration of President 
 Hayes, although unsatisfactory to ma- 
 chine politicians, was a wise and conserv- 
 ative one, meeting with the approval of 
 the people at large. Throughout, his 
 administration was intelligently and con- 
 sistently conducted with but one motive 
 in view — the greatest good to the country, 
 regardless of party affiliation. That he 
 was eminently successful in this, and was 
 as wise, patriotic, progressive and benefi- 
 cial in its effects as any the country has 
 enjoyed, is the judgment of every intelli- 
 gent person who gives it an unbiased 
 study. 
 
 On the expiration of his term, ex- 
 President Hayes retired to his home in 
 Fremont, Ohio. Here he died January 
 17. 1893. of neuralgia of the heart, deeply 
 lamented not only by relations and friends, 
 but by the entire nation, whose welfare 
 he had ever at heart. That he was pre- 
 eminently a soldier, his career as such, his 
 interest in the Grand Army, the Loyal 
 Legion, the Union Veterans Union, and 
 all other organizations associated with the 
 army, prove beyond peradventure. As a 
 lawyer he was successful; as a congress- 
 man he was popular; as Governor and 
 President he revealed the statesman. He 
 was never idle — wherever duty called there 
 was he ever to be found, and in this re- 
 spect the many claims upon his time made 
 him almost ubiquitous. 
 
 Gen. R. B. Hayes was the recipient 
 of the degree of LL. D. from Kenyon, 
 1868; Harvard, 1877; Yale, 1880; and 
 Johns Hopkins University, 1S81. He 
 was commander-in-chief of the military 
 order of Loyal Legion; was first president 
 of the Society of the Army of West Vir- 
 ginia. He was president of the John F. 
 Slater Education Fund, and one of the 
 trustees of the Peabody Fund — both for 
 education in the South. He was also 
 
 I 
 
 president of the National Prison Reform 
 Association, and a trustee of a large num- 
 ber of charitable and educational institu- 
 tions. After leaving the Presidency, Mr. 
 Hayes was actively engaged in education- 
 al, reformatory and benevolent work, and 
 became president of many societies and 
 associations, the chief object of which was 
 the welfare of his fellow-men. Indeed, 
 his life from beginning to end was a very 
 busy one, and no less beautiful. 
 
 On October 30, 1S52, Gen. R. B. 
 Hayes was united in marriage with Miss 
 Lucy Webb, who was born August 28, 
 1 83 1, in Chillicothe, Ohio, at that time 
 the Capitol of the State, daughter of Dr. 
 James and Maria (Cook) Webb, and 
 descended, on both sides of the house, 
 from Revolutionary stock. Miss Webb 
 was instructed by the university profes- 
 sors, preparatory to entering the Wes- 
 leyan Female College at Cincinnati, and 
 it was while attending this institution that 
 Mr. Hayes made her acquaintance. Mrs. 
 Hayes first became known to the outside 
 world during the Civil war, and in the 
 army, among volunteer soldiers, she found 
 ample opportunity for the exercise of her 
 rare faculties in making people happy. 
 Upon learning of the severe wound re- 
 ceived by her husband at the battle of 
 South Mountain, she hastened east and 
 joined him at Middletown, Md. As soon 
 as he was able to be about she would 
 spend a portion of each day in the hos- 
 pitals, cheering and comforting the wound- 
 ed of both armies with delicate attentions 
 and tokens of sympathy. Eminently 
 social and domestic, her residence, 
 "Spiegel Grove," was seldom without 
 visitors, and was always, in every station, 
 mistress of her own household. The fol- 
 lowing named children were born to Gen. 
 and Mrs. Hayes: Birchard A. Hayes, of 
 Toledo; Webb C. Hayes, of Cleveland; 
 Rutherford P. Ha3'es, of Columbus, and 
 Fannie and Scott R. Hayes, of Fremont. 
 Eight years of beautiful private life were 
 granted Mrs. Hayes, years which were 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 Co 
 
 filled to the brim with joy and occupa- 
 tion. On June 21, 1889, she was stricken 
 with apoplexy, resulting in paralysis, and 
 on the 2Sth her soul took flight. She 
 took an interest in all charities, and was a 
 leader among the originators of the Sol- 
 diers' and Sailors* Orphans' Home in 
 Ohio. She was also a member of the 
 Womans' Relief Corps of the State of 
 Ohio. To her husband and herself the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church in Fremont 
 is largely indebted for its beautiful Church 
 edifice. 
 
 T.WLOR FULLER, president of 
 the Peoples Bank at Clyde, is a 
 business man of recognized and 
 deser\ed prominence among the 
 diversified interests of Sandusky county. 
 He is one of those sound, conservative 
 men, whose judgment is rarely if ever at 
 fault. He possesses a mind of those 
 qualities which thoroughly grasp the sub- 
 ject it engages itself upon, determines its 
 relation to extraneous matters, and finally 
 passes unerring judgment upon the con- 
 sequences of given conditions. He is 
 thoroughly conversant with the principles 
 which rule in the commercial world. 
 Men like him are needed in every com- 
 munity to give voice to sound business 
 principles, and to give proper direction to 
 enterprise and industrj-. 
 
 Mr. Fuller comes of sterling pioneer 
 stock. He was born in Townsend town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, March 29, 1840, 
 son of William and Emma M. (Levisee) 
 Fuller. William Fuller was one of the 
 hardy and respected pioneers of Sandusky 
 county who, perhaps, met with more than 
 his share of severe hardships and misfor- 
 tunes, but whose strength of character 
 conquered every obstacle and bore him 
 safely on to eventual comfort and af- 
 fluence. William Fuller was born in 
 Hawley, Mass. , Januarj- 23, 1799. His 
 father was Jason Fuller, a native of Con- 
 necticut, where he was born May 24, 
 
 1767. When a young man Jason Fuller 
 moved to Massachusetts, and there mar- 
 ried Fhilanda Taylor. In 18 16 he moved 
 with his family to what is now Livingston 
 county, N. Y. , and here his wife died two 
 years later, aged forty-nine years. Jason 
 Fuller died October 25, 1819, at the 
 home of his son William, in Milan town- 
 ship, Huron county. He had been a 
 farmer through life. Both he and his 
 wife were honest, upright people, and 
 members of the Baptist Church. They 
 had eight children, as follows: Cynthia, 
 who married, in Massachusetts, Silas 
 Pratt, moved in 1824 to Sandusky county, 
 Ohio, and died here; Rachel, who mar- 
 ried Amos Hammond, in New York State, 
 and died in Michigan; Philanda, first wife 
 of James Morrill, died in Massachusetts; 
 Electa, second wife of James Morrill, died 
 in Kansas; William, father of Taylor Ful- 
 ler; John, who married Rhoda Powell in 
 Green Creek township, and died in Ne- 
 braska; Betsey, who married Ichabod 
 Munger in New York State, and died in 
 Michigan; Thomas, who married Margaret 
 Ewart in New York, and died in Michigan. 
 William Fuller remained in his father's 
 family until F"ebruary, 1818. He then 
 started alone and afoot for the wilds of 
 Ohio, arriving thirteen days later in Milan 
 township, Huron county, where his father, 
 his eldest sister and his youngest brother 
 joined him two weeks later, and took pos- 
 session of a tract of land for which Jason, 
 the father, had previously negotiated. 
 William engaged to clear ten acres as a 
 compensation for his time during the two 
 remaining years of his minority. In July 
 of the same year he returned to New 
 York and to Massachusetts on business. 
 While at the New York home his tnother 
 died, before the father could arrive. 
 Here William Fuller married Mehetable 
 Botsford, November 7, 1818, and in Feb- 
 ruary, with his wife and his father, re- 
 turned to Ohio with a yoke of oxen and a 
 sled, the journey consuming twenty-two 
 days. His father died in the following 
 
66 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 autumn, and William continued to re- 
 side in Milan township until 1824, cul- 
 tivating and clearing land which his 
 father had negotiated for, but had never 
 purchased. In 1823 William Fuller 
 purchased forty acres in Green Creek 
 township, Sandusky county, and in the 
 spring of 1824 moved to the little place 
 and began to clear and improve it. 
 But misfortunes overtook him. He was 
 taken ill in June, and was unable to work 
 until late in August. Through the fall he 
 suffered with ague. During the following 
 summer he could do scarcely any work. 
 In August, 1826, his oxen ran away, 
 throwing his eldest child from the cart, 
 and killing him. The same month his 
 wife and youngest child died. Leaving 
 his two remaining children in the care of 
 his sister, Mrs. Hammond, he returned to 
 New York State and worked there four 
 years. He, in Livingston county, married 
 Cynthia Havens, May 15, 1831, and with 
 her returned to his home in Green Creek 
 township. In 1S34 he bought wild land 
 in Townsend township, and again began 
 a pioneer career. Death entered his 
 household January 23, 1835, and again 
 took away his wife. Left with four chil- 
 dren to care for, he could not well break 
 up housekeeping, and on July 6, 1835, he 
 married Marcia M. George, a native of 
 New York State. She survived her mar- 
 riage just one year. Mr. Fuller was 
 again united in marriage October 19, 
 1837, this time to Emma M. Levisee, who 
 survived him. She was born in Lima, 
 N. Y. , March 24, 1818, daughter of Aaron 
 and Anna (Lyon) Levisee. 
 
 Aaron Levisee was born in New Jersey, 
 June 19, 1774, son of James Levisee, who 
 had previously moved to that State from 
 Connecticut. Aaron was the eldest child 
 of a family of nine children. His boy- 
 hood was passed in Connecticut and 
 Massachusetts. He acquired a fair -edu- 
 cation, followed the seas three years as 
 clerk of a sailing vessel, then taught 
 school. While teaching a term at 
 
 Lanesborough, Mass., he had for a pupil 
 Anna Lyon, whom he soon after married. 
 She was born at Lanesborough, May 13, 
 1778, daughter of Thomas and Thankful 
 Lyon, both natives of Massachusetts. 
 After marriage Aaron and Anna Levisee 
 lived in Massachusetts, in Greenfield, Sara- 
 toga Co., N. Y. , in Lima, Livingston Co., 
 N. Y. , and in Allen, Allegany Co., N. Y. 
 Here Aaron Levisee died June 18, 1828. 
 Four years later the widow migrated with 
 her children to Townsend township, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio. In 1844 she moved 
 to the home of her daughter, Mrs. Thank- 
 ful Botsford, near Ann Arbor, Mich., and 
 died there July 3, 1845. The nine chil- 
 dren of Aaron and Anna Levisee were 
 Almedia, born August i, 1799, married 
 Ezra Lyons, and died in Townsend town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio, June 28, 1853; 
 Eveline, born June 21, 1801, married 
 Hubbard Jones, and died in Townsend 
 township June 13, 1873; Thankful, born 
 July 15, 1804, married David Botsford, 
 and died in Washtenaw county, Mich. ; 
 Eliza Ann, born May 6, 1806, first mar- 
 ried to Jonathan Wisner, afterward to 
 Joseph Cummings (she died in Townsend 
 township November 6, 1838); John L. 
 and Sarah L. (twins), born July 4, 1809, 
 the former a prominent citizen of Town- 
 send township, died at the age of eighty- 
 six, the latter dying at the age of four years 
 in 1813; Sarah Sophia, born February 
 14, 181 5, married Charles Gillett, and 
 died in Steuben county, Ind. , March 16, 
 1847; Emma M., born March 24, 181 8; 
 and Aaron Burton, born March 18, 1821, 
 a prominent lawyer of Fargo, North 
 Dakota. 
 
 After his marriage to Emma M. Levi- 
 see, William Fuller continued farming in 
 Townsend township. His industry and 
 patience were rewarded in time. He ac- 
 quired much land, and each of his five 
 sons who grew to maturity were helped 
 to a farm by their father. William Fuller 
 was a Democrat until 1856; but from that 
 time to his death, which occurred Janu- 
 
COintEMORATIVB BIOORAPHTCAL RECORD. 
 
 67 
 
 ar)- 7, 1S84, he wasa Rcpublicin. In re- 
 ligious faith lie was a Universalist. Two 
 children by his first wife, Uavid and John, 
 grew to maturity. David was born July 8, 
 1S21, married, for his first wife, Mary Z. 
 Hi;;lcy, and, for his second, Eli/a J. 
 Plumb. He died May 18, 1879. John, born 
 April 7, 1823. married Eliza Mallory, and 
 removed to Branch county, Mich. By his 
 second wife William Fuller had two chil- 
 dren: William T., who was born April lO, 
 1832, married Mary J. Van Buskirk, and 
 resides at Townsend; and Cynthia M., 
 born November 2, 1833, and died Decem- 
 ber 22, 1853. One child was born to his 
 third wife, Jason E., who died in infancy. 
 Three children were born to William and 
 Emma M. (Levisee) Fuller, as follows: 
 Taylor, James and Albert. James was 
 born October 13. 1844, married Betsey 
 Richards, and lives in Townsend town- 
 ship; Albert, born June 22, 1846, died 
 September 26, 1849. 
 
 Taylor Fuller, the eldest of these three 
 children, grew up on the farm in Town- 
 send township, and attended the district 
 schools. He enlisted in August. 1862, in 
 Company K, One Hundred O. \'. I., 
 which was organized at Toledo. The 
 regiment was sent to Kentucky, and oper- 
 ated against the forces of Gen. Kirby 
 Smith. During the winter of 1862-6311 
 remained in the vicinity of Lexington, 
 and in the fall of 1863 crossed the moun- 
 tains to Kno.wille, Tenn. A detachment 
 of 240 men, sent up to the Virginia State 
 line to guard the railroad, was captured 
 by the Rebels. The regiment was en- 
 gaged in nearly every battle of the Atlanta 
 campaign, then returned to Tennessee, 
 and met Hood at Columbia. Franklin and 
 at Nashville. After Hood's defeat at 
 Nashville, Mr. Fuller, then a sergeant, 
 went with the command to North Caro- 
 lina. It was actively engaged at Wil- 
 mington and assisted in the capture of 
 that city, then moved to Goldsboro and 
 met Shermans army. The regiment was 
 mustered out at Greensboro. N. C, 
 
 June 20. 1865, and discharged at Cleve- 
 land, July I, following. Sergt. Fuller was 
 a faithful soldier, and was with the regi- 
 ment during the whole of its active and 
 eventful service. Returning to his home, 
 he again took up the vocations of peace. 
 On December 3. 1867, he was mar- 
 ried to Miss Lina E. Stone, who was born 
 in Seneca county. Ohio, April 15, 1843. 
 Their only child, Dermont E., was born 
 November 6, 1868, and was educated in 
 the schools of Clyde and at the Ohio 
 Wesleyan University, Delaware; he is 
 now assistant cashier of the Peoples Bank 
 at Clyde. Taylor Fuller began house- 
 keeping on a farm in Townsend township 
 which he had previously purchased, but 
 later settled on his present farm in York 
 township. Besides looking after his farm- 
 ing interests he has been one of the lead- 
 ing stock farmers at Clyde for ten years 
 or more, and for a number of years he 
 has been a prominent wool dealer also. 
 He was one of the founders of the Peo- 
 ples Bank, which was organized in 1883 
 with a capital stock of $50,000, and which 
 is one of the leading and prosperous finan- 
 cial institutions of the county. He served 
 as vice-president continuously until elected 
 to his present responsible position of presi- 
 dent of the bank. In politics Mr. Fuller 
 is a pronounced Republican. He is a 
 member of the G. .\. R.. and of the 
 U. V. U. No man in the township ranks 
 higher as a public-spirited citizen, and as 
 a capable business man. 
 
 SAXTON SQUIRE R.ATHBUN 
 (deceased). For over seventy years 
 this venerable and hearty pioneer 
 was a resident of Green Creek 
 township. Sandusky county, and at the 
 time of his death he was one of the oldest 
 settlers of the county. When his people 
 came to the wilderness there was not a 
 residence of any kind between Green 
 Creek township and Sandusky Bay, and 
 Indians inhabited the woods on every 
 
68 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 side. It was in 1820 that Jonathan Rath- 
 bun, grandfather of Saxton S., migrated 
 from Genesee county, N. Y. , to Ohio, 
 settling first in Lorain county, and four 
 years later coming to the farm in Green 
 Creek township lately occupied by S. S. 
 Rathbun, where he permanently located. 
 Jonathan Rathbun was one of three 
 brothers who emigrated from England to 
 America and the fourth in a family of ten, 
 children. He settled in Tyringham, 
 Mass., and later migrated with his family 
 to Genesee county, N. Y. He had four 
 sons — Clark, Chaplin, Lucius and Mar- 
 tin— and four daughters — Sally, Marvel, 
 Eliza and Laura — all of whom moved with 
 him to the Western home. 
 
 Chaplin Rathbun, father of Saxton S., 
 was born in Tyringham, Mass., July 3, 
 1793. He was married in New York 
 State to Lucinda Sutliff, who was born 
 on the Genesee river. New York State, in 
 1792, and whose grandfather. Gad Sut- 
 liff, a ship carpenter by vocation, emi- 
 grated from England, and died in New 
 York State, at the age of ninety-three 
 years. Many of his descendants now 
 live in Lorain county, Ohio, among 
 them being William H. H. Sutliff, of 
 Wellington. The children of Chap- 
 lin and Lucinda Rathbun were as 
 follows: Saxton S. , born in Genesee 
 county, N. Y. , June 3, 1813; Jeannette, 
 who married James Cleveland, and died 
 in Green Creek township; Jonathan, who 
 died aged seven years; Catherine, who 
 married Christian Huss, and died in 1894; 
 Lucinda, married to Morris Lemmon, and 
 died in Steuben county, Ind. ; Sarah, who 
 married H. Foster, and died recently in La 
 Grange county, Ind. ; Bliss, who died in 
 Green Creek township, aged twenty- 
 five years; Eliza, wife of John Hunter, of 
 La Grange county, Ind. Chaplin Rath- 
 bun died January i, 1865. He was a man 
 of large size, hardy constitution and mus- 
 cular frame. In politics he was a Whig 
 and Republican successively. 
 
 Saxton S. Rathbun was a lad of 
 
 eleven years when his parents entered the 
 dense wilderness which covered the now 
 fertile farms of Green Creek township. 
 The educational possibilities of the back- 
 woods were not great, but he took ad- 
 vantage of such opportunities as the fron- 
 tier then afforded. He attended a school 
 in a log cabin wherein, as a substitute for 
 a window, a hole was cut in a log and 
 paper pasted over the opening. On 
 April 9, 1S35, he was married to Bar- 
 bara E. Huss, born in Lancaster county, 
 Penn., December 27, 18 16, and their 
 children were as follows: (i) Edwin, born 
 March 10, 1837, who, while a river man, 
 unmarried, died of yellow fever at St. 
 Louis, Mo., in 1880. (2) Norton G., 
 born September 19, 1839, now of Green 
 Creek township, an ex-county commis- 
 sioner, married, and is the father of three 
 children — Edwin, Arthur and Herman. 
 (3) Burton, married, and is the father of 
 one child — Leonard. (4) Thaddeus, who 
 died aged eight years. (5) James, who 
 yielded up his life for his country on the 
 battlefield of Stone River, December 30, 
 1862, after a service of nearly two years; 
 he was a member of the 121st Illinois 
 Regiment, in the division of Gen. Rose- 
 crans; was six feet one inch tall in his 
 stockings; alwa3's read}' for duty, and the 
 best man in his regiment; the bereaved 
 father went to Tennessee and brought 
 home the remains. (6) Norman died of 
 t3'phoid fever, aged twenty-two years. 
 (7) Chaplin L. married, and is the father 
 of eight children — Harry, Edith, Fannie, 
 James, Nina, Lucy, Ollie and Mabel. (8) 
 Lucinda is the wife of Charles Storer and 
 the mother of five children — Alice, Bes- 
 sie, Mary, James and Carrie. (9) Brace, 
 of Eaton Rapids, Mich., is the father of 
 three children, one of whom died at the 
 age of four years, those living being Ban- 
 nie and Bertha. (10) Orvilla, wife of H. 
 Sackrider, of Fremont, is the mother of 
 five children, two of whom died in in- 
 fancy, the living being Lynn, Blanche 
 and Grace. (11) Jacob died in infancy. 
 
COMlfEMOIiATIl'E DWQIiAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 69 
 
 (i2) John E., connected with the Oak- 
 wood Cemetery Association, of Fremont, 
 for the past fifteen years, has one child — 
 Ferra Fern. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Rathbun pur- 
 chased eifjhty acres of land in Green 
 Creek township. The original deed for 
 the land bears the signature of Andrew 
 Jackson, President, under date of 1832, 
 and Mr. Rathbun paid for the land by 
 working fur $ 1 o per month. Nobly aided 
 by his wife, he essayed the task of clear- 
 ing the land, and gradually increased the 
 acreage until it developed into the pres- 
 ent excellent farm of 200 acres, all of 
 which was acquired and improved by its 
 worthy owner and his faithful helpmeet 
 and co-worker, whose loss by death, oc- 
 curring March 13. 1894, he deeply 
 mourned. The rearing and educating of 
 their large family consumed much of her 
 time, but she proved equal to the stern 
 responsibilities, and to her Mr. Rathbun 
 ascribed due meed for the efficient man- 
 ner in which she contributed to the accu- 
 mulation of the estate. In politics Mr. 
 Rathbun was a Democrat until the open- 
 ing of the Civil war, after which time he 
 was a Republican. He was trustee of 
 the township fourteen years. In the es- 
 teem of his fellow citizens no man ranked 
 higher than this brave and earnest pio- 
 neer. His life work was well done, and 
 its remembrance will Imger long in the 
 memories of men. He passed from earth 
 February 3, 1895. 
 
 WB. HEIM. Among the enter- 
 prising and successful young 
 business men of Fremont, San- 
 dusky county, may be justly 
 mentioned William B. Heim, of the well 
 known dry-goods firm of Heim & Barnum, 
 corner of Front and State streets. Al- 
 though of German parentage, Mr. Heim 
 is a native of the " Buckeye State," hav- 
 ing been born in Fremont, Ohio, June 6, 
 
 1S57, a son of Albert and Margaret (Mal- 
 kamus) Heim. 
 
 William B. Heim entered business life 
 as a clerk in the dry-goods store of J. 
 Ryan, in 1875, and remained in that ca- 
 pacity until 1882. Having mastered the 
 problems involved in mercantile transac- 
 tions thoroughly, and economized his 
 time and means, he found himself ready 
 to embark in an enterprise for himself, 
 and in 1S85 became a member of the firm 
 of Heim & Richards, successors to J. 
 Ryan. This firm was afterward changed 
 to Heim & Barnum, our subject remain- 
 ing connected with the firm. There are 
 few men in any community who can boast 
 of having gained the confidence of the 
 public more thoroughly than he; and this 
 has been done by fair dealing and genuine 
 courtesy. The store of Heim & Barnum, 
 No. 1 16 N. Front street, is 86 by 23 feet, 
 and they occupy part of the second story of 
 of the building; eight clerks are employed. 
 
 Mr. Heim was married in 1887 to 
 Miss Clara A. Dorr, of Fremont, and they 
 have one child, Bogniard. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Heim are both possessed of good educa- 
 tional ideas, and their aim is to give their 
 son the advantage of modern methods of 
 culture. Mr. Heim is a Democrat, a 
 member of the Roman Catholic Church, 
 and of the National Union. 
 
 HON. JOHN KELLY (deceased), 
 who, for the long period of over half 
 a century, was a resident of what 
 is known as the Peninsula, Ottawa 
 county, was born in the city of Truy, N.Y., 
 December 14, 1809. In the fall of 18 18 
 he came to Ohio with his father, the fam- 
 ily settling at Sandusky, at that time a 
 wilderness inhabited by Indians and wild 
 animals. In 1832 our subject moved to 
 the Peninsula, and on July 23, 1835, was 
 married to Elizabeth Pettibone, soon 
 after which event he purchased the farm 
 whereon he passed the rest of his days. 
 Mr. Kelly enjoyed about the usual 
 
70 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 school advantages of pioneer days, and, 
 such as they were, they ended with his 
 fourteenth year; but his extreme fondness 
 for reading in a measure suppHed the 
 deficiencies of his early training. The 
 Bible, the Iliad, Shakespeare, Goldsmith, 
 Scott, Burns and Byron were among his 
 favorite books and authors. He was a 
 man of strong, resolute, independent 
 character, possessed of deep convictions 
 which were not shaken in the least, even 
 if all the world disagreed with him. He 
 would allow himself to be under no obli- 
 gations to any one, and would not suffer 
 anybody to have any power or control 
 over him. He would deny himself a ne- 
 cessity before he would contract a debt 
 that might embarass him in the future. 
 He was very exact in the performance of 
 all his engagements; a debt with him must 
 always be paid on the day it fell due. 
 Though not pretending to a knowledge of 
 the details of the law, he was well-versed 
 in legal maxims, and had such rare judg- 
 ment in their application that he was 
 often called upon by his neighbors for 
 legal advice, and in this way ofttimes 
 rendered them material aid. He had a 
 retentive memory, and could repeat en- 
 tire many of the longer poems of his 
 favorite poet, Burns. He never held a 
 public position that was not given with- 
 out asking. He served his township as 
 justice of the peace for twelve consecu- 
 tive years, and held various other minor 
 public positions. In 1862 he was elected, 
 on the Republican ticket, to represent the 
 Thirtieth Senatorial District in the Fifty- 
 fifth General Assembly of Ohio, wherein 
 he served a term of two years — 1862-63. 
 Mr. Kelly firmly believed in an over- 
 ruling Providence, in retribution for evil 
 doing, and in good works as an infallible 
 index of good character; further than which 
 it is doubtful whether he had any formu- 
 lated belief. Upon this, as, indeed, upon 
 every subject, he did his own thinking; 
 he accepted nothing upon authority, scout- 
 ing the idea that a man jiiiist believe any- 
 
 thing. He felt that the average Church 
 creed was too detailed and definite to be 
 wholly true, or even reverent. 
 
 He passed from earth April 18, .1883, 
 at the age of seventy-three years, after 
 but two days' illness, although he had 
 been in feeble health for many years, the 
 immediate cause of his demise being con- 
 gestion of the lungs. His death-bed was 
 surrounded by his wife and every one of 
 his living children, who mourned the de- 
 parture from their midst of a kind, affec- 
 tionate husband and loving, indulgent 
 father. 
 
 HON. WILLIAM KELLY, one of 
 Ottawa county's prosperous farm- 
 ers and stock dealers, is a native 
 of the county, having been born 
 March 17, 1838, in Danbury township, 
 and is the son of the Hon. John Kelly, a 
 sketch of whom precedes this. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared 
 on a farm, during this time receiving a 
 common-school education, which was 
 afterward supplemented bj' a two-years' 
 course at Oberlin College. About this 
 time he made his choice of a companion 
 who was to share with him the joys 
 and sorrows that might await him, and 
 on March 27, 1859, he wedded Miss 
 Laura Lockwood, also a native of the 
 county, born May 20, 1840, and a daugh- 
 ter of Edward J. and Lydia (Ramsdell) 
 Lockwood, a sketch of whom follows. 
 The young couple started out on life's 
 journey full of hope and with bright pros- 
 pects of success, which time has shown to 
 have been fully realized. To this union 
 have come four children — one son and 
 three daughters — to wit: (i) Arthur A. , 
 born February 23, i860, married to Jen- 
 nie Latimore, and they are now the par- 
 ents of two children — Edward L. , born 
 February 8, 1888, and Mary Gertrude, 
 born January 25, 1895. (2) Mary E., 
 born August 6, 1862, and married to Dr. 
 Carl Esch, of Cleveland, Ohio. (3) 
 
Thr^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAFUICAL RECORD. 
 
 71 
 
 Josephine, born March 17, 1864, mar- 
 ried to Dr. K. L. Waters, of lilniore, 
 Ohio. (4) Lydia, born October 17, 1S75, 
 still livinj; with her parents. 
 
 Mr. Kelly has always been engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits, including dealing 
 in live stock, and besides general farming 
 he has engageii extensively in the culture 
 of fruit, an industry for which the Penin- 
 sula, on which his farm is located, has 
 become noted. He is energetic and pub- 
 lic^pirited, and has held many positions 
 of local trust. Always identified with 
 educational interests of Port Clinton, he 
 served as a member of the Board of Edu- 
 cation for over seventeen years, and for 
 ten years was its president. He was like- 
 wise several times elected a member of 
 the council, which incumbency he filled 
 with ability. In 1890 he held the posi- 
 tion of receiver for the Lakeside & Mar- 
 blehead railroad, having been appointed 
 by the court pending the adjustment of 
 difficulties among its stockholders. In 
 this position he managed the affairs of the 
 company with such prudence and faith- 
 fulness that the court allowed him a lib- 
 eral compensation, and -what was more 
 gratifying to him -conmiended him highly 
 for his ability. 
 
 In 1891 Mi; Kelly was elected a mem- 
 ber of the Seventieth General Assembly 
 of Ohio, on the Republican ticket in a 
 county largely Democratic, and in 1893 
 he was again honored by a re-election. 
 While in the Seventieth Mr. Kelly served 
 on several important committees, promi- 
 nent among which was the "Committee 
 on I'ish Culture and Game." In this ca- 
 pacity he secured the passage of an act 
 reimbursing fishermen for large losses 
 sustained by them in consequence of the 
 destruction of their nets by the Fish War- 
 den under an act afterward declared un- 
 constitutional. During the same session 
 he was instrumental in securing the pass- 
 age of a joint ditch law. In speaking of 
 Mr. Kelly's efforts in this instance, we 
 can do no better than to quote the 7"<>- 
 
 licio Bti- oi April 19, 1S92, a Democratic 
 paper, reading as follows: ' ■ Representa- 
 tive Kelly, of Ottawa, last evening se- 
 cured the passage of his bill amending 
 the existing statutes, so that, in the con- 
 struction of a joint ditch, reviewers shall 
 assess the damages to be paid by the up- 
 per county. This is a fight between Ot- 
 tawa and Wood counties. Representa- 
 tive James fought the bill at every stage 
 of the proceedings, but the quiet, unas- 
 suming ways of Kelly, of Ottawa, cap- 
 tured the House, as he made one of the 
 ablest business-like arguments that has 
 been delivered on the floor of the House 
 this winter. His influence over fellow 
 members of the House consisted largely 
 in the fact that he was never known to 
 introduce, favor or support any measure 
 savoring of schemes; but was ever on the 
 alert, watching closely every measure un- 
 der consideration, and always taking sides, 
 favoring or approving every measure 
 pending before the House, as the interest 
 of his constituents and the welfire of the 
 State might dictate." 
 
 In the Seventy-first General Assem- 
 bly, he was again placed on several im- 
 portant committees, one of these being 
 appointed by the Speaker under a resolu- 
 tion passed by the House. Mr. Kelly 
 was made chairman of this committee, 
 whose duty was to prepare plans for re- 
 modeling the State House with a view to 
 making room for the Supreme Court of 
 the State to hold its sessions, this body 
 having been increased by a former Legis- 
 lature to six members in order to facili- 
 tate the work of the court and to get im- 
 portant cases disposed of, by making two 
 divisions of the court, making more room 
 necessary. The work was acceptably 
 done, but never executed for want of a 
 fund from which to make an appropria- 
 tion for carrying on the same. Sir. Kelly 
 likewise was instrumental in securing the 
 '• passage of a law allowing courts, whose 
 I term expired by limitation, to reconvene 
 ! at once when in the midst of a lengthy 
 
72 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 case, to complete it, saving much time 
 and needless expense. 
 
 Mr. Kelly has always been a promi- 
 nent and influential leader in public af- 
 fairs, possessing almost unrivaled gifts of 
 persuasive eloquence and convincing 
 logic. He is courteous in debate, fer- 
 tile in resource, and a powerful sup- 
 porter of any cause to which he may give 
 his sanction. These characteristics, in 
 connection with his able work in the 
 Legislature, brought him into prominence, 
 and made him the recipient of many 
 complimentary notices from the Press of 
 the Ninth Congressional District. At the 
 Republican convention held in Toledo, 
 June 19, 1894, Chairman of the Conven- 
 tion complimented the convention on hav- 
 ing so many candidates, any one of whom 
 would make admirable representatives, 
 mentioning Mr. Kelly's name among the 
 number. When the time came for nom- 
 inations, the Hon. William Miller, of Ot- 
 tawa, and Presidential elector who cast 
 the vote of his Congressional District for 
 Mr. Harrison the second time, announced 
 the name of William Kelly, ''the only 
 man who had twice carried that Bourbon 
 stronghold." The Toledo Blade oi that 
 date, in speaking of the different candidates 
 before the convention, says: "Mr. Kelly re- 
 ceived a continuous ovation all last evening 
 from his many friends, not only from To- 
 ledo, but also from the other delegations." 
 
 With this brief account of his life and 
 work, we leave the subject of this sketch 
 in the enjoyment of good health at his 
 pleasant home in Port Clinton, surround- 
 ed with the comforts of life, and the 
 well-earned confidence and esteem of his 
 many friends, the ripened fruit of a dili- 
 gent and honorable life. 
 
 Edward J. Lockwood, who for over 
 seventy years has been a continuous resi- 
 dent of Ottawa county, and to-day is one 
 of the few surviving pioneers who have 
 been spared to see flourishing towns and 
 productive farms and orchards supplant 
 the primeval forests, was born in the city 
 
 of Albany, N. Y., August 17, 18 13, and 
 is a son of Col. Samuel M. and Mary 
 (Doughty) Lockwood, the former a na- 
 tive of Stamford, Conn., the latter of 
 New York Cit)'. 
 
 The parents and five members of their 
 family came to Ottawa county a short 
 time prior to the arrival of the subject of 
 this sketch, when it was a part of Huron 
 county, a wild and uncultivated tract of 
 land, and they participated in all the 
 trials and hardships that fall to the lot of 
 early settlers. C3n November 9, 18 17, 
 Mrs. Col. Lockwood died in Danbury, 
 Ottawa county, Ohio, and on November 
 30, 1818, Col. Lockwood was again 
 united in marriage, this time to Gertrude 
 Doughty (a sister of his former wife), who 
 survived him many years, dying June 6, 
 1875, at Plasterbed, Ottawa Co., Ohio. 
 The children by the latter union are John 
 Wickliffe Lockwood, Horace A. Lock- 
 wood, A. Piatt Lockwood, Hon. James 
 K. Lockwood, Lane Lockwood, Laura 
 Lockwood, Emeline Lockwood and Imo- 
 gene Lockwood. Col. Lockwood was one 
 of the energetic pioneers of this country. 
 He made quite a history, a part of which 
 was his service for four terms in the Leg- 
 islature of Ohio, serving two terms in the 
 House of Representatives, and two terms 
 in the Senate. He was president of the 
 first railroad built in Ohio. 
 
 Our subject, who is the only surviving 
 member of Col. Lockwood's family by his 
 first wife, was reared as a farmer boy, re- 
 ceiving a limited education in the old log 
 schoolhouse near his home. After com- 
 ing to Ottawa county he worked in the 
 quarries at Plasterbed, where for some 
 years he operated a stationary engine, 
 afterward receiving a position as engineer 
 on a steamboat; but the greater part of 
 his life has been devoted to agricultural 
 pursuits, and his industry and close atten- 
 tion to business have made his farm one 
 of the finest in Ottawa county. He set 
 the first vineyard and the first peach and 
 quince orchard that was set on the Pen- 
 
COMMEMORATIVB BIOORAPUWAL RECORD. 
 
 78 
 
 insula, a locality that has since become 
 so famous as a fruit-f^'rowiuf^ section. 
 
 Edward J. Lockwood has been twice 
 married; first time to Lydia Ramsdeli, a 
 dauf:;hter of Jacob and Experience Kams- 
 deil, who where ainonj; the honored pion- 
 eers of Ottawa county. Hy this union there 
 were born four daughters: Laura, now 
 the wife of Hon. Kelly, of Port Clinton; 
 Ellen, wife of William Sloan, who is 
 livinjj in Portafje township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty; Experience; and Elizabeth, wife of 
 George K. Marshall, of Mansfield, Rich- 
 land Co., Ohio. The mother of this 
 family died March 24, 1890. and Mr. 
 Lockwood subsequently married Mrs. Julia 
 (Streeter) Wonnell, widow of James Won- 
 nell, Esq., of Portage township, and a 
 daughter of Solomon and Sarah (Arnold) 
 Streeter, of New Hampshirf. 
 
 Mr. Lockwood has never desired or 
 sought the honor or emoluments of public 
 office, preferring to give his time and at- 
 tention to the duties of his farm, yet he 
 has, by the earnest solicitations of his 
 friends, accepted and efficiently filled var- 
 ious positions of trust in the township. 
 In his political views he was formerly a 
 Whig, giving his first vote for William 
 Henrv Harrison, and when the Republi- 
 can party was formed he joined its ranks, 
 and is still one of its earnest advocates. 
 Although well-advanced in years, and one 
 of the oldest citizens in Ottawa county, 
 Ohio, he is still hale and hearty and more 
 active than many men that are some years 
 his junior. He gives his personal atten- 
 tion to his large and productive farm, and 
 spends his evenings amidst the surround- 
 ings of his comfortable home in Port Clin- 
 ton, where he has many friends who hold 
 him high esteem. 
 
 JUDGE MALCOLM KELLY, who 
 since the latter part of 1S91 has 
 been judge of the court of conunon 
 pleas of the first subdivision of the 
 Fourth Judicial District of Ohio, is a 
 
 native of Ohio, son of Hon. John Kelly, 
 having been born July 31, 1S44, in Dan- 
 bury township, Ottawa county, on his 
 father's farm. Here he grew up, going 
 to school winters and working on the farm 
 summers. 
 
 During the years i860 and 1861 he 
 attended the high school at Sandusky, 
 and the winter before he was twenty-one 
 years of age he taught his first country 
 school. During the winters of 1865-66 
 and 1866-67 he again taught school, and 
 in spring of the latter year entered the 
 Business Institute at Oberlin, Ohio, but 
 in consequence of sickness did not finish 
 his course till the latter part of the sum- 
 mer of 1868. As soon as his course was 
 completed he was offered the position of 
 teacher in that institute, which he ac- 
 cepted, and he continued in that position 
 till the spring of 1870, when he returned 
 home, remaining there for a year. In the 
 spring of 1 87 1 our subject began the study 
 of law in the office of Homer Goodwin, at 
 Sandusky, Ohio, and in the following 
 October entered the law department of 
 Michigan University, Ann Arbor. Mich., 
 where he was graduated in March, 1873, 
 and received the degree of Bachelor of 
 Laws. Immediately thereafter he was 
 admitted to practice in the State of Michi- 
 gan. In .\pril following he formed a 
 partnership and commenced the practice 
 of law in Chicago, having been admitted 
 to the bar of Illinois. During the entire 
 winter following he was suffering from ill- 
 ness, and had to submit to a severe surg- 
 ical operation; afterward, in April, re- 
 turning to Chicago, where he remained 
 till late in the fall. .At that time he sold 
 out his interest in the partnership, and 
 removed to Port Clinton. Ohio, where he 
 has ever since made his home. 
 
 Early in 1875 Judge Kelly was admit- 
 ted to practice in Ohio, and he then 
 formed a partnership with T. L. Magers 
 now of Tiffin under the firm name of 
 Magers & Kelly, which partnership was 
 dissolved in 1878. Our subject c<intinued 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the law practice without any other busi- 
 ness connection till the fall of 1891, when 
 he was elected judge of the court of com- 
 mon pleas, to fill the unexpired term of 
 Judge J. L. DeWitt, and was elected for 
 the full term next following. He assumed 
 the duties of the office in the latter part 
 of 1 89 1, and has ever since been acting in 
 that capacity with his characteristic abil- 
 ity and zeal. 
 
 In 1876 Judge Kelly was married to 
 Miss Susie Smith, and they have three 
 children — two daughters and one son. 
 The Judge in his political preferences is a 
 Republican, has served on the board of 
 school examiners of Ottawa county, and 
 was mayor of Port Clinton one term. In 
 religious faith he is a member of the Con- 
 gregational Church. For the past two 
 years he has held the position of presi- 
 dent of the German-American Bank of 
 Port Clinton. 
 
 WILLIAM D. SHERWOOD, re- 
 tired farmer, Fremont, San- 
 dusky county, was born in Sen- 
 eca county, Ohio, April 22, 1822, 
 a son of William D. Sherwood and Martha 
 (Allen J, daughter of David Allen, of Es- 
 sex county, N. J., who was a brother of 
 Col. Ethan Allen, of Vermont, famous 
 for bravery in Colonial days. 
 
 The father of our subject was born on 
 a farm in Dutchess county, N. Y., which 
 lay on the Hudson river, and has since 
 become a part of New York City. He 
 was educated in the city schools, studied 
 law, was admitted to the bar and prac- 
 ticed law a few years. During the war 
 of 1 8 1 2 he served as captain of a com- 
 pany of Jersey Grays, and also as colonel 
 of a regiment; during the latter part of 
 the war he served as commissary. After 
 his marriage he began the manufacture of 
 edged tools, at Plainfield, N. J., and con- 
 tinued at the same with good success 
 about ten years, employing usually about 
 forty men. In 1 820 he sold his plant and 
 
 moved to the then wilds of Seneca coun- 
 ty, Ohio, north of Tiffin, where he en- 
 tered 820 acres of government land, on 
 which not a stick of timber had been cut 
 except sufficient to open a winding road 
 through the woods from Lower Sandusky 
 to Delaware, Ohio. He cleared about 
 fifty acres for farming purposes and erect- 
 ed a double hewed-log house, a part of 
 which was afterward sided up with boards, 
 and is still (1895) standing as one of the 
 oldest pioneer landmarks. Six years later 
 he sold this land to different parties, 
 among whom were the Souders and the 
 Stoners, and himself located on 160 acres 
 of government land on Green creek, three 
 miles east of Lower Sandusky. . This was 
 in 1826, when the country was a wilder- 
 ness, and Indians and wild animals 
 roamed the forests in all directions at 
 their will. With herculean labor he cut 
 the heavy timber from one hundred acres, 
 and cleared the land for farming pur- 
 poses, using ox-teams and pioneer imple- 
 ments. 
 
 Physically, Mr. Sherwood was a 
 heavy-set man, muscular, five feet eight 
 inches in height, of light complexion, with 
 blue eyes, and in the enjoyment of robust 
 health, regarded as one of the most pow- 
 erful men in the settlement. He could 
 wield an axe or a maul, or drive a yoke 
 of oxen at loggings, or plow among roots 
 and stumps to pioneer perfection. Among 
 his scattered neighbors he was public- 
 spirited and progressive, and held the 
 offices of school director and township 
 clerk for a number of years. In politics 
 he was an Old-line Whig, and in religious 
 faith a Universalist. His first wife died 
 near Tiffin in 1822. For his second wife 
 he married Miss Lois Emerson, sister of 
 Jesse Emerson, late of Ballville township. 
 Mr. Sherwood's death occurred in Au- 
 gust, 1846, and he was laid to rest in a 
 burial lot on his farm which he had pre- 
 viously given to the public for a ceme- 
 tery, now known as the Dana Cemetery. 
 The children of William D. Sherwood, 
 
OOMMBMORATfVB BIOORAPUWAL RECORD. 
 
 75 
 
 Sen., by his first marriage were: James, 
 Mary. Janettc. Kuth, Nancy, Joseph, John 
 and William U. 
 
 William D. Sherwood, our subject, 
 spent his childhood anionfj Indian [ilay- 
 mates, and prow up to hard work on his 
 father's farm. He helped to set out one 
 of the first apple orchards in Sandusky 
 county. In 1839 he went to Iowa, then 
 a territory, to locate land, and spent a 
 year among the Mus(]uaka Indians, whom 
 he taught many things, and by whom he 
 was a petted hero. He next took a trip 
 to Tennessee and Kentucky, to visit his 
 brother James, and while there engaged 
 in steamboating. In 1S45 he returned 
 to Ohio, where he married Miss Mary E. 
 Scovill, and farmed for his father. In 
 the fall of the same year he moved to 
 Burlington, Iowa, where for four years 
 he assisted his brother, Joseph, to run a 
 steamboat wood-yard. In 1849 his wife 
 died of cholera, and he then abandoned 
 business for a time. In the spring of 
 1850 he started for California with a party 
 of prospective miners, by the overland 
 route. They drove ox-teams, and took a 
 herd of cattle with them over the plains 
 and mountains and across the rivers, oc- 
 cupying six months and one day on their 
 journey. They operated gold mines chiefly 
 on the Yuba and Feather rivers. In the 
 winter of 1853-54 Mr. Sherwood re- 
 turned to Fort Seneca, Ohif). where, after 
 farming one year, he married Miss Frances 
 Elizabeth Harris, daughter of Mark Har- 
 ris. In 1856 he engaged in the tanning 
 business at Fostoria. and continued there 
 until 1861. within which time he held the 
 offices of township trustee and mayor of 
 the village. At the outbreak of the Civil 
 war, in iS^n, Mr. Sherwood, as first lieu- 
 tenant, joined Company B, Fifty-fifth O. 
 v. I., under Col. J. C. Lee, of Tiffin, and 
 se^^•ed with his regiment about a year, 
 when, on account of impaired health, he 
 resigned and returned to Fostoria. In 
 1865 he came to Fremont, and bought a 
 tannery of Jesse S. Van Ness. This he 
 
 worked about two years, when he sold 
 out and purchased the property now oc- 
 cupied as a parsonage by the pastor of 
 St. Ann's Catholic Church, where his 
 family resided several years. Here he 
 suffered another attack of the gold fever, 
 and went on the newly-constructed Union 
 Pacific railroad westward as far as he 
 could, to Evanston, 300 miles east of 
 Salt Lake City, from which place his party 
 were obliged to " stage it " to Diamond 
 City, a distance of 1,200 miles, crossing 
 the Rockies twice, and suffering many 
 hardships. In 1870 he returned again to 
 Fremont, and for two years, kept the 
 " Croghan House " billiard saloon, and for 
 one year a saloon on Front street. In 
 1874 he sold out, and went again to Cali- 
 fornia to engage in mining on the Yuba 
 river. He operated a hydraulic mine, at 
 great expense, on Slate creek, and sunk 
 about ten thousand dollars. Two years 
 later he returned to Ohio, and for six 
 years kept a saloon on Croghan street, 
 Fremont, where the A'<"i'i- office is located. 
 In the meantime he bought lot 1018, on 
 Hayes avenue, which he improved as a 
 place of residence. Later he kept a sa- 
 loon, two years, on the corner of Garrison 
 and Front streets. His second wife died 
 October 2, 1884, and on December 26, 1888, 
 he married Miss Ida May Hawk, daugh- 
 ter of Joseph Hawk, a pioneer of Green 
 Creek township. His children by his first 
 wife were Alice and John, those by the 
 second wife being Norman C, Eugene H., 
 and William D. ; those by his third wife 
 being Harry Allen and Olive May. 
 
 Mr. Sherwood has held various local 
 offices. He has been sanitary policeman, 
 health officer, street commissioner, asses- 
 sor, and since he quit keeping saloon has 
 been janitor of the Union Club room. He 
 is a member of the Masonic Fraternity 
 and of Eugene Kawson Post, G. A. R. ; 
 in politics a Republican, and in religious 
 faith a Universalist. A full account of 
 his exploits would fill volumes. Though 
 past his three score and ten years his 
 
76 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 health is good, his mind clear and his 
 memory undimmed; results which he at- 
 tributes to the fact that he never used 
 tobacco in any form, nor intoxicating 
 drinks, nor indulged in gambling, nor in 
 any social impurity. 
 
 Norman C. Sherwood, treasurer of the 
 Trommer Extract of Malt Co., Fremont, 
 was born at Fostoria, Ohio, May 17, 
 
 1857, a son of William D. and Frances 
 E. (Harris) Sherwood. His childhood 
 was spent at Fostoria where he attended 
 the village schools, and at the age of eight 
 years he came with his parents to Fre- 
 mont, where he grew to manhood, mean- 
 while attending the city schools. At the 
 age of twenty he took a position as book- 
 keeper in the above named company, and 
 has remained with them, serving in vari- 
 ous relations, for a period of more than 
 eighteen years, and becoming a stock- 
 holder in the same. Being possessed of 
 a genial and social nature, he is popular 
 in the various social circles of Fremont. 
 He has served as chorister of the M. E. 
 Church for a number of years very ac- 
 ceptably; is a member of the Masonic 
 Fraternity, and in politics is a Republi- 
 can. On April 19, 1882, he married Miss 
 Susan Lewis,who was born November 16, 
 
 1858, at Fremont, Ohio, daughter of B. 
 W. Lewis. Their children are: Charles 
 Lewis, Norman Dickinson, Jeannette and 
 Norma, all born in Fremont. 
 
 LEVI WOLFE, a farmer of San- 
 dusky township Sandusky county, 
 was born April 10, 1836, in Union 
 county, Penn., a son of Michael 
 and Margaret (Engleman) Wolfe, who 
 were of German descent. 
 
 Mr. Wolfe's paternal great-grand- 
 father was one of three brothers who 
 emigrated from Germany to America, and 
 served with Washington in the Revolu- 
 tionary war, and later settled in Union 
 county, Penn. This great ancestor of 
 
 the Wolfe families, from whom our sub- 
 ject is descended, died in Union county, 
 Penn. , at the age of eighty years. Amongst 
 the first settlers in the Buffalo Valley was 
 George Wendell Wolfe, who served as a 
 private in Capt. Clark's company. Col. 
 Patton's regiment, in the Revolutionary 
 war, in 1776. He had seven sons: Mich- 
 ael, Peter, John (surnamed the strong), 
 Jacob, Christian, Leonard and Andrew. 
 
 Michael Wolfe, the eldest, and grand- 
 father of our subject, was a man of large 
 stature and robust health, as were also 
 his father and brothers, who were noted 
 for feats of strength. He was a black- 
 smith by trade. He married Miss Cath- 
 arine Smith, and settled on a farm in 
 Union county, Penn., where he died. 
 Their children were: George, Margaret, 
 Mar3', Elizabeth, Abraham, Julia, John, 
 Michael (Jr.), and Catharine, of whom 
 all except John became heads of families, 
 and only three are now living — Elizabeth, 
 Julia and Catharine, who are widows. 
 
 Michael Wolfe (Jr.), father of our sub- 
 ject, was born August 6, 1809, in Union 
 county, Penn., and on January 31, 1833, 
 married Miss Margaret Engleman, who 
 was born August 17, 1812, in Union 
 county, Penn. She was the daughter of 
 Solomon and Anna M. (Bruner) Engle- 
 man, the former of whom was born Octo- 
 ber 2, 1753, in Maryland, the latter on 
 December i, 1753, in Lehigh county, 
 Penn. They died in Union county, Penn. 
 Their children were: Elizabeth, David, 
 Amelia, Jonathan, John, Margaret, Rachel 
 and Tobias, all of whom became heads 
 of families except Jonathan. Of these, 
 only Margaret, mother of our subject, is 
 now living. In 1843 Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe 
 came to Ohio, moving from Pennsylvania 
 in a one-horse and a two-horse wagon, 
 and located on a farm two miles west of 
 Fremont, on Muskallonge creek, in San- 
 dusky township. Michael Wolfe had 
 twice previously walked and staged the 
 distance, a journey of more than four 
 hundred miles through the forests. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE DIOOIiAPnWAI. l;i:roiiD. 
 
 11 
 
 The recortl of the children of Mich- 
 ael and Margaret Wolfe is as follows: 
 Two sons, one born June 2, 1834, and 
 another March 28, 1835, died in infancy. 
 Levi, born April 10, 1836, is mentioned 
 farther on. Solomon Wolfe, born Feb- 
 ruary 8, 1838, was married January 16, 
 1862, to Mahala Bowlus, who was born, 
 April 21, 1839, and they had five chil- 
 dren — George W. (who was killed by a 
 traction engine when a young man), 
 Kosa, Catharine, Jessiah and Howard; 
 they live in Seneca county, Ohio, where 
 Solomon Wolfe is a farmer and grain 
 thresher; he is a I^epublican in politics, 
 and a member of the M. P. Church. 
 Jessiah Wolfe, born February' 17, 1840, 
 was married May 9, 1867, to Elizabeth 
 Loose; they had three children — one that 
 died in infancy, and Clarence and Monroe; 
 they live at Lindsey, Ohio, where Jes- 
 siah is engaged in the grain, produce and 
 live-stock business. Andrew J. Wolfe, 
 born July 19, 1842, married Jemima 
 Stults, February 16, 1865 (he is men- 
 tioned farther on). One son, born June 
 6, 1844, died in infancy. Jane Ellen, 
 born May 27, 1845, was married in July, 
 1879, to A. D. Hook, of Fremont, Ohio, 
 proprietor of a shirt factory; they have 
 no children. Catharine Ann, born No- 
 vember 29, 1847, was married February 
 16, 1 87 1, to William L. Baker, of the 
 firm of Engler & Baker, grain and pro- 
 duce dealers, of Fremont; they have two 
 children — Harry M. and Verna L. Mar- 
 garet Savilla, born January 25, 1850, 
 was married in 1872 to James U. Hensel, 
 a farmer west of Fremont; they had five 
 children — two living, Nora and Mabel, 
 and three deceased. Two other children 
 of Michael Wolfe dietl in infancy. In the 
 spring of 1865 Michael Wolfe moved 
 from his farm on the Muskallonge creek 
 to his farm on the Western Reserve and 
 N!aumee pike, to enjoy the fruits of his 
 labor and economy, where he lived until 
 his death, April 15, 1879. He was ever 
 a kind and devoted husband, an affection- 
 
 ate father, always looking after the wel- 
 fare of his children, and it is said of Mr. 
 Wolfe that he never had an enemy. 
 
 Levi Wolfe, our subject, came with 
 his parents from Union county, Penn., 
 to Sandusky county, Ohio, when seven 
 years of age, and grew to manhood on 
 his father's farm. He received his early 
 education in the country schools, and 
 later attended several terms in the Fre- 
 mont schools and at Oberlin College. On 
 December 17, 1857, he married Chris- 
 tiana M. Lantz, who was born July 31, 
 1836, in Northumberland county, Penn., 
 daughter of John and Elizabeth (Dieffen- 
 bach) Lantz, whose other children were 
 Mary Ann, Simon, Nicholas, Kosanna, 
 John, Henry, Philip, and Emanuel, all 
 of whom came to Ohio about the year 
 1846, and settled on a farm in Washing- 
 ton township, Sandusky county. In May, 
 1864, Mr. Wolfe enlisted in the One 
 Hundred and Si.xty-ninth Regiment, O. 
 \'. I., under Col. Nathaniel E. Haynes, 
 in Company H, Capt. Jacob D. Thomas, 
 and served four months at P"ort Ethan 
 Allen, Virginia, one of the defences of 
 Washington City, whun Gen. Early at- 
 tempted to take it. Mr. Wolfe was hon- 
 orably discharged in September, 1 864, and 
 resumed farming in Jackson township. 
 A year later he removed to the old home 
 farm, which he conducted, and also en- 
 gaged in grain threshing. He operated 
 one of the first steam-threshing machines 
 in the county. In 1883 he abandoned 
 farming, moved to Fremont, and sold 
 farming implements and machinery. In 
 1 884 he went to his mother's farm, to man- 
 age and care for her, and continued the 
 sale of farm machinery. In 1895 here- 
 moved to Fremont, his present residence. 
 
 The children of Levi and Christiana 
 Wolfe, which includes two pairs of twins, 
 are: (ij Robert Andrew, born October 
 31, I S58, who married Miss Jane Druck- 
 enmiller, November 6, 1879. and had si.x 
 children — Blanche B., Harry and Clyde, 
 who are living, and Claude, Daisic E. , 
 
78 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and James O., deceased. In 1885 the 
 family moved upon a prairie farm in 
 Edwards county, Kans. (2) Lydia Ce- 
 cilia, born February 25, i860, died Feb- 
 ruary 17, 1862. (3) Catharine Cadilia, 
 born February 25, i860, married Feb- 
 ruary 20, 1882, to John J. Stein, whose 
 children are — Essie A., Minor W., Mary 
 C. , and Matilda W. Mr. Stein is a 
 butcher by trade. In 1890 he removed 
 with his family to Lewisburg, Penn. , 
 where he had formerly resided, and is at 
 present engaged with the Quaker City 
 Meat & Provision Company, at Sunbury, 
 Penn. (4) Emma Rosanna, born April 
 28, 1 861, married Elliott T. Fox, Feb- 
 ruary 23, 1887, whose children are — Adda 
 Corinne, and George Chester. Soon af- 
 ter their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Fox 
 moved upon a new prairie farm in Ed- 
 wards county, Kans. {5) Ellen Helena, 
 born July 19, 1862, who, August 10, 1883, 
 married David Svvinehart, and whose 
 children are — Alva A., and Merrill James. 
 Mr. Swinehart lives on his father's farm 
 in Washington township. (6) James H., 
 born October 31, 1863, married November 
 18, 1 89 1, Miss Kate Boyer, of Fremont, 
 and has one child, James Robert. J. 
 H. Wolfe is assistant secretary of the 
 Lehr Agricultural Company, Fremont. 
 (7) Chester Edward, born November 28, 
 1865, married November 28, 1889, Miss 
 Hattie Waggoner, and lives on the Samuel 
 Waggoner farm, five miles west of Fre- 
 mont. (8) Michael John, born No- 
 vember II, 1867, married September 18, 
 
 1889, Miss Minnie Boyer, of, Fremont, 
 and has one daughter — Corinne W. ; 
 M. J. Wolfe is a butcher in the em- 
 ploy of the Quaker City Meat & Pro- 
 vision Company, Sunbury, Penn., where 
 he resides. (9) Margaret Elizabeth, born 
 November 11, 1867, married June 26, 
 
 1890, Calvin Benner, a blacksmith, of 
 Fremont, and has two sons — James Levi, 
 born March 27, 1891, and Robert Rice, 
 born January 18, 1894. (10) AddaSavilla, 
 born August 5, 1874, married, Augusts, 
 
 1894, William H. Hensel, a farmer, four 
 miles west of Fremont. 
 
 In politics Levi Wolfe is a Republi- 
 can, and has held various local offices. 
 He has cared kindly for his aged mother 
 who has been an almost helpless invalid 
 for the last two )'ears, and who has now 
 reached the advanced age of eighty-three. 
 
 WASHINGTON GORDON. For 
 more than half a century the 
 name of Gordon has been closely 
 identified with the growth and 
 progress of Ottawa county, more particu- 
 larly with Salem township. The family 
 is of Scotch ancestry on the father's side, 
 while the mother is of Yankee parentage. 
 The parents and grandparents of our sub- 
 ject were natives of Somerset county, 
 N. J. The first members of the family 
 to settle in Ohio were John and Rachel 
 (Smith) Gordon, parents of our subject, 
 who removed from Somerset county, N. 
 J., in I S3 1, and located in Salem town- 
 ship. After residing here for about six 
 months, they removed to Harris town- 
 ship, where they remained three years, at 
 the end of that time returning to Salem 
 township, making it their place of abode 
 during the remainder of their lives. They 
 were honored and respected people, and 
 had a large circle of warm friends. The 
 father passed away November 7, 1S51, 
 preceded to the grave by the mother, who 
 departed this life March 3, 1842. 
 
 In every community various pursuits 
 are followed which add to the material 
 prosperity of the neighborhood, while ad- 
 vancing the interests of the individual. 
 Among the worthy representatives of the 
 commercial class in Ottawa county, there 
 is no one more highly respected than 
 Washington Gordon, of Salem township, 
 a self-made man, who is now a prosperous 
 lumber dealer of Oak Harbor. He was 
 born in Harris township, Ottawa Co., 
 Ohio, January 9, 1834, and since his in- 
 fancy has resided in Salem township, 
 
^'. 
 
 c 
 
 ■^ "t t^l I 
 
 C-^l"^ 
 
COyfJdF.yrORATIVE BWORAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 79 
 
 being to-day one of its oldest residents. 
 His educational advantages in early life 
 were of a very limited nature, his boyhood 
 having been largely occupied with the 
 arduous duties that accompany farming in 
 a new region. Not wishing, however, to 
 engage in agricultural pursuits through 
 his entire business career, he turned his 
 attention to the manufacture of lumber, 
 and is one of the leaders in this line of in- 
 dustry in Ottawa county. 
 
 On July 7, 1857, in Portage town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, was celebrated the 
 marriage of Mr. Gordon and Miss Mar- 
 garet Kymers, who was born in Stark 
 county, Ohio. January 25, 1834. daugh- 
 ter of Frederick and Catherine (William- 
 son i Kymers, who came to Ohio, and 
 settled in Ottawa county in 1S41. liy 
 this union there were six children: Will- 
 iam H., born June 13, 1858, and died 
 December 8, i860; Frank, born August 
 13, i860, died February 25, 1867; Will- 
 iam, born December 15, 1862, now 
 prosecuting attorney of Ottawa county 
 (on September 12. 1893, he was married 
 to Elizabeth Gernhard, who was born 
 December 8, 1874. daughter of Conrad 
 and Augusta (Wilke) Gernhard. who 
 came from Germany); Eva, born Janu- 
 ary 31, 1865, married October 11, 1882, 
 to William Hleckner, postmaster at Oak 
 Harbor (Mr. Bleckner was born Febru- 
 ary 14, 1854); Nora, born June 20, 1867, 
 wife of H. A. Kilmer, of Oak Harbor; 
 and Harry J., born November 7, 1870, 
 now a school teacher. 
 
 Mr. Gordon capably served for many 
 years as treasurer of Oak Harbor, for 
 four years was county treasurer, was jus- 
 tice of the peace three years, and was 
 a member of the board of education of 
 Oak Harbor. In all these positions he 
 dis' barged his duties with protnptness an<l 
 tiilility. and won the commendation of 
 all concerned. Socially, he is connected 
 with Oak Harbor Lodge, No. 495, F. & 
 A. M., and in his political affiliations he 
 is a stanch advocate of Democratic 
 
 principles. The family attend the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Gor- 
 don is a man of more than ordinary 
 natural ability, and has made good use of 
 his opportunities in life. With a gener- 
 ous sympathy, kindliness, and a desire to 
 live an upright and helpful life, he has 
 endeared himself to a large circle of 
 friends. He has devoted himself to his 
 business — pleasure coming as an after 
 consideration — and his success, therefore, 
 has been but the consequence of a natural 
 law. His prosperity is well merited, and 
 his honorable straightforward career has 
 earned for him the prominence he now 
 enjoys in the community. 
 
 PETER SFIELDENNER. farmer 
 and importer of thoroughbred 
 horses, Fremont, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, was born October 25. 1840, in 
 1 I^orraine, France, a son of I-'rancis and 
 I Elizabeth (Gerber) Spieldenner. The 
 j father was a native of the same place, 
 and a farmer by occupation. In 1845 he 
 emigrated to .America with his family, 
 and locating in Washington township, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, bought forty acres 
 of the forest land, which he cleared up 
 for a home. Here he died September 15, 
 1 850, aged forty-seven years, four months, 
 three days, leaving a wife and five chil- 
 dren, viz. : Peter, the subject of this 
 1 sketch; Frank, who resides in eastern 
 Ohio; Margaret, who married John 
 Nomene, and resides in Putnam county, 
 Ohio; Elizabeth, who married Peter 
 Nomene. and resides in Putnam county, 
 Ohio; and John, who lives with his broth- 
 er Frank. The mother of this family 
 passed away February 28, 1895. at the 
 advanced age of eighty years, si.x months, 
 three days. 
 
 .After the death of Francis Spielden- 
 ner. our subject remained with the family 
 to provide and care for them until the 
 children were all grown up. on which ac- 
 count he was deprived of educational ad- 
 
80 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 vantages, but he mastered the rudiments 
 of English and German by private study 
 at home. On May 2, 1865, he was mar- 
 ried to Mary Snider, and they have two 
 children: Fredolina, who married John 
 L. Reineck, of Fremont, Ohio, a mem- 
 ber of the firm of Hetrick, Bristol & Co., 
 dealers in hardware, and Adolph, unmar- 
 ried, who lives with his parents. Two 
 children died, Johannah at the age of 
 seventeen, and one in infancy. Mrs. 
 Spieldenner is the daughter of Martin and 
 Mary (Flatz) Snider, and was born No- 
 vember 19, 1846, in Tyrol, Austria, being 
 educated at Wolfurt, near Bregenz. 
 When she was twelve years old her par- 
 ents came to America, and the family set- 
 tled in Rice township, Sandusky county, 
 Ohio. The mother died on the second 
 day after reaching Fremont. The chil- 
 dren remained at home until their mar- 
 riage, and the father is now living at 
 Millersville with his son-in-law, F. Fish- 
 er. He was born November 11, 1806, 
 in Austria, and was alwavs a farmer; his 
 wife, born in 1809, died June 25, 1859, and 
 was buried in Ludwick Cemetery. There 
 were fourteen children in the family, six 
 of whom are living, one in California and 
 the others in Sandusky county. Mrs. 
 Spieldenner's maternal grandmother, May 
 Ann Grising, was born in Austria about 
 1778. 
 
 After his marriage Peter Spieldenner 
 settled on a farm in Ballville township 
 and followed agriculture exclusively for 
 about six years; then moved to Sandusky 
 township, where he bought eighty-five 
 acres of land west of Fremont, just out- 
 side the corporation, on which he now 
 lives. Upon his removal to this place he 
 engaged in buying and shipping live stock 
 to Eastern markets, chiefly to Buffalo, 
 N. Y. , and a few years later he became 
 interested in the breeding of horses, be- 
 coming an importer of French stallions. 
 He went to France about the year 1882, 
 and purchased two Percheron stallions, 
 which he brought to Fremont. For sev- 
 
 eral years subsequent to this he devoted 
 his attention to the breeding of horses, 
 and on a second trip to France he im- 
 ported six stallions. While abroad in 
 Europe he traveled through Scotland, 
 England and parts of France, visiting his 
 relatives in Paris. During the last thirty 
 years Mr. Spieldenner has been well 
 known in the vicinity of Fremont as a 
 popular auctioneer, being able to speak 
 both German and English fluently. He 
 is a Democrat in politics, and has served 
 as trustee of Sandusky township. He 
 and his family are members of St. 
 Joseph's Catholic Church of Fremont. 
 
 LAUREL ELMER ROBINSON, 
 M. D., a successful and thoroughly 
 trained medical practitioner of 
 Clyde, Sandusky county, was born 
 in Holmes county, Ohio, August 14, 1845, 
 son of Basil \V. and Elizabeth (Blair) 
 Robinson. 
 
 The father was born at Danville, Ivnox 
 county, in 18 18, and now lives at Mt. 
 Vernon, Ohio, a successful retired farmer 
 and stock dealer. He bought horses and 
 sheep extensively, selling them at Chi- 
 cago and in other markets. The pater- 
 nal grandfather of B. W. Robinson emi- 
 grated from Scotland about the middle of 
 the last century, and settled near Harris- 
 burg, where he was engaged in general 
 merchandising. He died possessed of 
 considerable property, and his will is now 
 in the possession of B. W. Robinson. 
 William Robinson, one of the sons of 
 this Scotch emigrant, was a member of 
 one of the early legislatures of Ohio. 
 Solomon Robinson, another son, father of 
 B. W., migrated from Pennsylvania to 
 Ohio in 1799 or 1800. He had eleven 
 
 children, the eldest of whom was born in 
 Ohio in 1801. Solomon Robinson died 
 of apoplexy in his eighty-sixth year on 
 the farm he had cleared near Mt. \'ernon. 
 Only three of his children survive: Dan- 
 iel, of Lima; Mrs. Brooks, of Newark; 
 
COMMBMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 81 
 
 and B. \V. The latter is a Republican 
 in politics; and a nionibor nf the Baptist 
 Church. His wife, liiizabcth Blair, was 
 born in Ashland county. Ohio, in 1821. 
 and died in 1S89. Her father was a 
 Scotch emigrant; her maternal grand- 
 mother was stolen from Ireland by a 
 brother, and educated in America. The 
 mother of Elizabeth Blair is said to have 
 been the first white child born west of the 
 Ohio river. When a child, during,' the 
 early Indian troubles, she witnessed, 
 through a crack in the stockade, the mas- 
 sacre of her brother — twenty-one years 
 old — and of her sister — two years younjjer 
 — both victims of the tomahawks and 
 scalping knives of the savages. B. W. 
 and Elizabeth Robinson had five chil- 
 dren, four of whom lived to maturity, as 
 follows: Kovilla, who married John God- 
 frey Jones, a Methodist minister, and a 
 graduate of Kenyon College, and now re- 
 sides near Portsmouth: Laurel Elmer, 
 subject of this sketch; W'infteld Scott, a 
 physician, who was educated at Mt. Ver- 
 non. Ohio, and Philadelphia, Penn.. and 
 who died in 1893; R. J., also a physician, 
 now deceased; and one child that died in 
 infancy. 
 
 Laurel Elmer Robinson was educated 
 at Mt. X'ernon. In 1868 he entered the 
 U. S. regular army as hospital steward 
 for a term of five years, passing a strict 
 technical examination before his appoint- 
 ment could be made effective. From this 
 service Dr. Robinson received great pro- 
 fessional benefit. He was stationed in 
 Arizona during the Indian troubles of 
 1870, and in his professional capacity was 
 often under fire from the savages. His 
 hat brim was once shot off, ami bullets 
 several times pierced his clothing. He 
 was under Gen. Crooks comman<l, and 
 not infrequently prescribed medicine for 
 this unassuming commander, but brilliant 
 Indian fighter. Retiring from the army 
 service. Dr. Robinson completed a course 
 of study at Rush Medical Ctjilege, gradu- 
 ating with the class of 1874. He prac- 
 
 ticed two years at Mt. Vernon with his 
 brother, R. j., then three years at Re- 
 public, Seneca county, and in 1879 set- 
 tled permanently at Clyde, where he has 
 since built up a large practice. Dr. Rob- 
 inson was married at Mt. \'ernon. in 
 1876, to Miss Cora B. McElroy. and four 
 children have been born to them — How- 
 ard, Lester, Carl and Russell; the latter 
 died in June, 1894, aged two years and 
 si.\ months. Dr. Robinson is a member 
 of the Sandusky County Medical Society, 
 and in politics he is a Republican. 
 
 SB. TAYLOR. M. D., physician 
 .ind surgeon, Fremont, Sandusky 
 county, has been engaged in the 
 practice of medicine for thirty 
 years. He was born at Lower Sandusky. 
 Ohio, March 19, 1844. son of Austin B. 
 and Delia A. (Pettibone) Taylor. His 
 father was born in Newfane, \'t., in 1814, 
 and at the age of twenty-four came to 
 Lower Sandusky, Ohio, to clerk for Sardis 
 Birchard, of the firm of Birchard, Dick- 
 inson & Grant, whom he afterward suc- 
 ceeded in business, and was one of the 
 pioneer merchants of the village. He 
 died February 22, 1863. Dr. Taylor's 
 mother was born in Granby. Conn., in 
 1822. daughter of Hon. Hiram Pettibone. 
 a native of Connecticut, who in 1S36 
 came to Lower Sandusky, and was one 
 of its first attorneys. He died at Fond 
 du Lac, Wis., in 1886; his wife died at 
 Fremont in 1854. Mrs. Taylor died in 
 1888. at Fremont, Ohio. 
 
 The children of Austin B. and Delia 
 A. Taylor were: Mary, who died in 1857. 
 at the age of fourteen; Sardis B. , our 
 subject; Charles, who died in Dunlap. 
 Iowa, in 1891; George, who died in At- 
 tica. Harper Co.. Kans.. in 1891; Oscar 
 W.. who died in Dunlap, Iowa, in 1891; 
 Austin B., who resides at Dunlap, Iowa; 
 and Delia, who is a teacher of German 
 I in the Fremont public schools (Miss 
 
82 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Taylor is a graduate of Wells College, 
 N. Y.). 
 
 Dr. S. B. Taylor was reared in Fre- 
 mont, there receiving his primary educa- 
 tion in the public schools, and subse- 
 quently passed through the Preparatory 
 Department of Western Reserve College, 
 at Hudson, Ohio. He then commenced 
 the study of medicine at Cleveland, Ohio, 
 under Dr. S. R. Beckwith, and later en- 
 tered Cleveland Medical Institute, from 
 which he graduated with the class of 
 1864. He afterward attended Starling 
 Medical College, Columbus, Ohio, from 
 which he graduated with the class of 
 1872. He began the practice of his pro- 
 fession in 1864, in the capacity of assist- 
 ant-surgeon of the One Hundred and 
 Sixty-ninth Regiment, O. V. I., at Fort 
 Ethan Allen, Va., and since that time he 
 has been in constant practice at Fremont, 
 Ohio. He was physician at the County 
 Infirmary from 1868 to 1872, and he is 
 now president of the Sandusky County 
 Soldiers' Relief Commission, and a mem- 
 ber of the Sandusky County Medical 
 Society, of which he was the first libra- 
 rian. Dr. Taylor is a member of Dick- 
 inson Tent No. 21, K. O. T. M., of 
 which he has been physician, and a mem- 
 ber of Eugene Rawson Post No. 32, 
 G. A. R. , numbering 170 members, of 
 which he has been surgeon for twelve 
 years. He was aide-de-camp to the G. 
 A. R. for Sandusky county in 1890. He 
 is a Democrat in politics. Dr. Taylor is 
 a lineal descendant, great-grandson, of 
 Brig. -Gen. Chauncey Pettibone, who 
 served in the Revolutionary war. 
 
 JOSEPH L. RAWSON. Few fam- 
 ilies have honored the memory of 
 an illustrious line of English ancestry 
 more than has the Rawson family in 
 Sandusky county, Ohio. Depending 
 whoU}' upon their own exertions, each has 
 left the impress of his life and character 
 upon the history of the community in 
 
 which he lived and labored. As an honored 
 representative of the Rawsons we present 
 the one whose name opens this article. 
 
 Joseph L. Rawson, surveyor, was 
 born in Fremont, Ohio, in 1835, a son of 
 Dr. L. Q. and Sophia (Beaugrand) Raw- 
 son, the former of English and the lat- 
 ter of French descent. Dr. Rawson was 
 a native of Irving, Franklin Co., Mass., 
 born September 4, 1804, a son of Lemuel 
 Rawson, who was also a native of Massa- 
 chusetts, born January 18, 1767. Lemuel 
 Rawson was a tanner by trade until 1812, 
 after which he was a farmer; he was mar- 
 ried on September 8, 1 791, to Miss Sarah 
 Barrus, and after farming successively at 
 Orange, New Salem and Irving Grant, 
 Mass., until 1836, came to Bath, Summit 
 Co., Ohio, where he remained until Sep- 
 tember 20, 1844, when his wife died, and 
 he then removed to Lower Sandusky. 
 Their children were: Sallie Rawson, 
 who was first married to Capt. Jesse 
 Thompson, and after his death to Mr. B. 
 Hubbard, who settled in Putnam county, 
 Ohio; she died October 15, 1853. Lemuel, 
 born December 14, 1793, died October 6, 
 1866; he settled on the Rawson farm, in 
 South Orange, Mass. Secretary Rawson, 
 who practiced medicine in Summit county, 
 Ohio, forty-two years, after which he 
 went to DesMoines, Iowa, where he died 
 in 1 89 1, aged ninet3'-five years; he was a 
 member of the Presbyterian Church. 
 Elizabeth, twin of Secretary, died when 
 two years old. Abel Rawson, an attorney 
 at law of Tiffin, Ohio, died in 1871. Bass 
 Rawson, who was a hatter b}' trade, and 
 later a physician and surgeon of Findlay, 
 Hancock Co., Ohio; he died in 1891, 
 aged ninety-two j'ears. Hannah Rawson, 
 wife of John Galbraith, of Seneca county, 
 Ohio; she died in September, 1867. L. 
 Q., father of our subject. Alonzo Raw- 
 son, who published a weekly paper at 
 Athol, Mass. , called the Freedom Sentinel, 
 until 1833, when he cametoTifiin, Ohio, 
 and published the Independent Chronicle 
 two j'ears; after this he engaged for a 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 88 
 
 time ill mercantile pursuits, and then 
 studied and practiced medicine; he died at 
 Colton, Ohio, November 25, 1864, aged 
 fifty-eight years. 
 
 Dr. L. y. Rawson was reared and 
 educated in Massachusetts, and in 1824 
 attended a medical college at Cincinnati, 
 Ohio. He began the practice of medi- 
 cine in 1825, in Wyandot county, and in 
 1826 came to Lower Sandusky, whence 
 after a brief stay he then went east and en- 
 tered the Medical College of the Uni- 
 versity of Pennsylvania, where he finished 
 his education and received the degree of 
 M. D. ; he returned to Sandusky county, 
 and continued in the practice of his pro- 
 fession until 1855. He held various of- 
 fices of honor and trust in hiscoiimiunity, 
 for a time serving as clerk of courts, and 
 also as clerk of the supreme court from 
 1836 to 1851. From 1853 he devoted 
 part of his time to the building of the 
 Lake Erie & Western railroad, of which 
 he was president several years. The 
 town of Kawson was named after him, 
 as was also Kawson avenue, Fremont. 
 He was considered a man of good finan- 
 cial ability and force of character. On July 
 8, 1829, Dr. Kawson was married to 
 Miss Sophia Beaugrand, at Lower San- 
 dusky (now Fremont), Ohio, who was 
 born October 20, 1810. a daughter of 
 John 11 Beaugrand, one of the early 
 pioneers of the lilack Swamp, who was 
 a merchant at Maumee from 1 802 to 1812. 
 He had married in 1802, at Detroit, 
 Mich., Miss Margaret Chabert, daughter 
 of Col. Chabert de Joucaire. of the 
 French army. Dr. L. Q. Kawson died at 
 Fremont, in September, 1888, and his 
 wife in May. 1882. Their children were: 
 Milton E., a physician, who graduated 
 from Cleveland Medical College, practiced 
 medicine in Grand Haven and Muskegon, 
 Mich., and at Fremont, Ohio; Xavier J., 
 who died in infancy; Joseph L. , whose 
 name opens this sketch; Josephine, who 
 died in childhood; Ko.xine H., born in 
 1838, and died in 1846; Eugene A., born 
 
 March 14, 1840, a soldier of the Civil 
 war, who died July 22, 1864, and after 
 whom a G. A. R. Post is named (he 
 enlisted in the Twelfth New York In- 
 fantry, was transferred in December, 
 1861, to the Seventy-second Regiment, 
 O. V. I., with the rank of adjutant, and 
 soon afterward received the rank of major 
 which he held up to the time of his 
 death. He participated in the battles of 
 Shiloh, first liuU Run, siege of Corinth, 
 V'icksburg, and other engagements of less 
 note. During a skirmish near Guntown, 
 Miss., July 15, 1864, he received a wound 
 which resulted in his death a week later, 
 at Memphis, Tenn.); and EstelleS., born 
 March 2, 1849, wife of L. .\. Russell, of 
 Cleveland, Ohio. 
 
 Joseph L. Rawson was reared and 
 educated in Fremont, and occasionally 
 performed farm labor. He took up civil 
 engineering, which he followed for a time, 
 and for about ten years also had charge 
 of a grain elevator at the docks in Fre- 
 mont. In September, 1859, he married 
 Miss Margaret A. Gelpin, of Fremont, 
 Ohio, whose parents were Lyman and 
 Martha (Stevenson) Gelpin, the former 
 from New York State, the latter from 
 Maryland, both having come to the 
 Western Reserve at an early day, where 
 they died. To our subject and wife Avere 
 born three children: Sophia E., born 
 July 4, i860, wife of Theodore Harris, a 
 merchant of Tecumseh, Mich., who has 
 one child, Jennie May; Jennie A., born 
 February 7, 1863, wife of Dr. O. H. 
 Thomas, of Fremont, Ohio, and La 
 yuinio G., born October 28, 187 1, an 
 attorney at law of Cleveland, Ohio, who 
 read law with James H. Fowler, Fre- 
 mont, attended the Cincinnati Law 
 School, from which he graduated, stand- 
 ing fifth in a class of ninety-seven, and 
 was admitted to the bar in 1891. 
 
 Our subject is a Republican in 
 politics; his family are members of the 
 St. Pauls Episcopal Church. The Raw- 
 son family is of English ancestry, being 
 
84 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 descended from Edward Rawson, who 
 came to the Colony of Massachusetts, in 
 1636-37, and settled at Newbury, Mass. 
 Some of the family line were ministers, 
 some sea captains, and others physicians. 
 The family have a coat of arms traced 
 back to England, and a well-written 
 book of family genealogy. 
 
 IVl 
 
 AJOR EUGENE ALLEN 
 RAWSON. Prominent among 
 the patriotic and brave young 
 men of Sandusky county, who 
 voluntarily sacrificed their lives on the 
 altar of their country during the Civil war, 
 1861-65, was he whose name introduces 
 this article. 
 
 ^^'hile a student at Homer, N. Y., and 
 just about finishing his academic course 
 preparatory to entering Yale College, he 
 promptly responded to Abraham Lincoln's 
 first call for volunteers by enlisting in the 
 Twelfth New York Regiment. In the 
 capacity of private he took a noble part 
 in the battle of Bull Run, evincing great 
 coolness and bravery. In December, 
 1 86 1, he was appointed adjutant of the 
 Seventy-second Reginent O. V. I., by the 
 governor of Ohio, and was accordingly 
 transferred to it by the War Department. 
 He left Fremont with the regiment in 
 January, 1862, when it moved to Camp 
 Chase, preparatory to going to its final 
 destination — Paducah and the Southwest. 
 He shared its perils after it joined the 
 army of the Tennessee, and moved down 
 the Mississippi to Pittsburg Landing. 
 Many boys of the regiment were sick with 
 the diseases peculiar to that Southern 
 climate, and Mr. Rawson's natural buoy- 
 ancy of spirit and cheerful sprightly man- 
 ner did no little to drive away despond- 
 ency. A few incidents will give an idea 
 of his bravery. On Frida}' preceding the 
 battle of Shiloh, at the head of Company 
 B, Adjutant Rawson, with forty men, 
 having only a fallen tree for their breast- 
 work, kept six hundred Rebel cavalry in 
 
 check for several hours, until relieved by 
 the timely arrival of Col. Buckland. 
 When the battle opened on Sunday 
 morning, April 6th, and the Rebels came 
 like an avalanche upon the unsuspecting 
 Union troops, Buckland's brigade re- 
 sponded to the beat of the "long roll" 
 with such alacrity that they stood in the 
 very front of Sherman's Division, ready 
 for action, before the enemy had gained 
 rifle distance of their position. Col. R. 
 P. Buckland being in command of the 
 brigade, the command of the regiment 
 devolved upon Lieut. -Col. Canfield, and 
 as Major Crockett, the only other field 
 officer of the regiment had been taken 
 prisoner two days previous. Adjutant 
 Rawson, by common consent assumed 
 the duties of major for the occasion. At 
 the first or second fire, Lieut. -Col. Can- 
 field fell mortally wounded, and Adjutant 
 Rawson alone remained to command the 
 regiment, and cheer the boys who stood 
 steadfast amid the storm of leaden hail 
 that mowed through their ranks, until 
 Col. Buckland, seeing their extremity, 
 came to their relief. The horse of Adj. 
 Rawson was shot from under him, and 
 another that had been sent for him was 
 captured before it reached him, but he 
 performed his duties promptly and effi- 
 ciently on foot. He distinguished himself 
 later in the three-days' fight at Pittsburg 
 Landing, at the siege of Corinth, in the 
 pursuit of Forrest through Tennessee, in 
 the marches, skirmishes and battles from 
 Memphis to Vicksburg, in the pursuit of 
 Johnson, under Sherman, to Jackson, in 
 the return to Memphis, and in the expe- 
 dition into Mississippi. 
 
 After the Seventy-second had re-en- 
 listed as veterans, and after the main body 
 composing Sherman's expedition had 
 moved southward, a small force of about 
 1,600 men was sent out on the venture- 
 some expedition of making a feint into the 
 enemy's country, where they were hold- 
 ing a position on the bank of the Talla- 
 hatchie to intercept and defeat the cross- 
 
COMVEMORATTVB BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 86 
 
 ing of reinforcements moving to the sup- 
 port of Sherman. Of this small force, 
 theScventy-second regiment, under Lieut. - 
 Col. Eaton and Maj. Kawson formed a 
 part. Tlie latter officer had been pro- 
 moted by common consent to the rank of 
 major, and performed his part of the un- 
 dertaking with rare good judgment and 
 intrepidity. From the badly managed 
 expedition of which the Seventy-second 
 regiment ft)rmed a part, which was sent 
 out from Nfemphis under Gen. Sturgis, 
 and which ended so sadly at Guntown and 
 Kipley, in .Mississippi. Maj. Rawson 
 reached Memphis with such of the officers ' 
 and men as were saved from the general 
 disaster; marching over eighty miles with- 
 out food or rest, in less than forty-eight 
 hours. The Seventy-second regiment 
 acted as a rearguard to the fleeing troops, 
 and valiantly beat back the pursuing foe 
 until out of animunition and having their 
 supplv train destroyed by the Kebels, 
 when they were at last forced to make 
 good their escape by flight after 250 of 
 their men had been captured. Scarcely 
 rested from this scene of suffering, the 
 Seventy-second regiment, imder Maj. 
 Kawson, started again, under. Gen. A. J. 
 Smith, to encounter the same foe. Com- 
 ing up to the enemy at Tupelo, Miss., 
 Maj. Kawson was mortally woundeil at 
 Old Town Creek, while gallantly leading 
 a charge against the Kebel lines. He 
 was borne from the field and conveyed 
 back to Memphis, where he died July 22, 
 1864, aged twenty-four years. His re- 
 mains were embalmed and sent home to 
 Fremont, Ohio, where with appropriate 
 ceremonies they were interred in Oak 
 Wood Cemetery. Kcsolutions of respect 
 were adopted by the remaining officers of 
 the regiment, and forwarded for publica- 
 tion to the Press of Sandusky county. 
 In the year 1881, the first organization of 
 the Grand Army of the Republic, at I're- 
 mont, was named after Maj. Eugene Al- 
 len Kawson. and among its charter mem- 
 bers were Gen. K. P. Huckland and Gen. 
 
 R. B. Hayes, the latter of whom donated 
 the use of Hirchard Hall to the Post. free, 
 as long as they shall maintain their organi- 
 zation. 
 
 Major Rawson was the son of Dr. La 
 Quinio and Sophia (I^eaugrand) Rawson, 
 and was born at Fremont, Ohio, March 
 14. 1S40. While absent from his regi- 
 ment on furlough. August 31. 1863, he 
 married Miss Jennie Snyder, an amiable 
 and accomplished lady of Cortland. New 
 York. 
 
 JD. BEMIS, M. D., is a native of 
 Ohio, born in Elyria, March 14. 
 1858, a son of Eri and Lydia A. 
 fGriswold) Bemis, the former of 
 whom was a well-to-do farmer of I^orain 
 count}' until the breaking out of the Civil 
 war. At that time, tired with the spirit 
 of patriotism, he gave his services to the 
 government, for the preservation of the 
 Union, by enlisting, in .\ugust, 1862, in 
 Company E, First Ohio Light Artillery 
 (Edgerton's Batteryi, in which he bravely 
 served until he died at Nashville, Tenn., 
 July 13, 1863; his remains were sent 
 home to Elyria for burial. The mother 
 of our subject also died in comparatively 
 early life, leaving four children, namely: 
 Charles, who lives in Elyria, Ohio; H. 
 E., in California; Dr. J. D. ; and Clara, 
 now the wife of C. W. Benton, of Elyria, 
 Ohio. 
 
 The subject of these lines after the 
 death of his parents was placed in care 
 of his uncle. Dr. Griswold, of Elyria, 
 Lorain county, and attended the schools 
 of that city until he was about nine years 
 of age, when he was received into the Sol- 
 diers and Sailors Orphans himie. at 
 Xenia. Ohio (of which institution his 
 uncle had just been appointed superin- 
 tendent . remaining there until he was 
 thirteen years old. This brings us now 
 to 1871. at which time our subject re- 
 ceived, at the hands of Lieut. -Gov. J. C. 
 Lee. the appointment of bill-room mes- 
 
86 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 senger for the Ohio Senate, in which ca- 
 pacity he served two years. During the 
 State Constitutional Convention, 1873-74, 
 he was appointed page, and later he filled 
 the office of assistant sergeant-at-arms, 
 under appointment from M. R. Waite, 
 president of the convention, and after- 
 ward chief justice of the United States. 
 In 1874-75 Dr. Bemis attended Baldwin 
 University, and from there returned to 
 Elyria, where he pursued the stud}' of 
 medicine in the office of Dr. Perry, having 
 previously studied at intervals with the 
 aid of his uncle's medical library. From 
 Dr. Perry's office he went, in 1876, to 
 the Eclectic Medical Institute, Cincin- 
 nati (Ohio), graduating thereat in 1879, 
 and then came to Fremont, where he at 
 once commenced the practice of his 
 chosen profession, and, as a hard student 
 of advanced ideas in both medicine and 
 surgery, has placed himself in the fore- 
 most rank of skilled practitioners in the 
 county. 
 
 In 1892 the Doctor was elected health 
 officer for the city of Fremont, and is at 
 present filling the incumbency with his 
 proverbial skill and efficiencj', the quality 
 of which is well evidenced by the present 
 high sanitary condition of the city. In 
 1892 he was appointed a member of the 
 United States Board of Pension Examin- 
 ing Surgeons, and has been its secretary 
 since 189^. 
 
 WILLIAM A. CLEMONS, famil- 
 iarly known as "Judge dem- 
 ons," one of the most prominent 
 citizens of Ottawa county, was 
 born in Erie county, Ohio, December 15, 
 1 829, and is a son of Alexander and Ange- 
 line (Hollister) demons, the former a 
 native of Maine, the latter of Connecticut. 
 They were of Scotch ancestry on the ma- 
 ternal side, but the demons family, as far 
 as known, originated on the Isle of Guern- 
 sey, where two little boys, Isaac and 
 » John demons, were stolen while on their 
 
 way to school, and brought to America, 
 locating at Salem, Mass., in the early 
 part of the eighteenth century. 
 
 Our subject is descended from Isaac, 
 who afterward located in the State of 
 Maine, and became the father of two 
 sons — Edward and John. The former 
 had four sons — Jock, Samuel, Jabez, and 
 Frank — and these four brothers removed 
 to Madison, N. Y., in 1795. The first 
 named became the father of three sons 
 and two daughters. Samuel had one son 
 and two dughters; Jabez, two sons and 
 three daughters; Frank had three daugh- 
 ters. Jabez became the father of David 
 demons, the father of the celebrated 
 humorist, who is best known to the world 
 as Mark Twain. John, the brother of Ed- 
 ward, had three sons and three daughters, 
 namely: John, Jonathan, Eli, Ruth, 
 Hannah and Eunice. John wedded Mary 
 McLellan, of Gorham, Maine, and their 
 children were — Cary, Andrew, Alexander, 
 John, Eunice, Ai, Elijah, Nancy, Samuel 
 and William. Ruth, a sister of the father 
 of this family, became the wife of Col. 
 Charles Wadsworth, son of Gen. Peleg 
 Wadsworth, of Revolutionary fame, and 
 the brother of the mother of Henry 
 Wadsworth Longfellow. Hannah mar- 
 ried William Cotton. The mother of 
 John demons, and the great-grandmother 
 of our subject, was Abigail Wetherbee, 
 who lived to be one hundred and four 
 years old, and left one hundred and sixty- 
 four descendants. 
 
 Alexander demons, father of our sub- 
 ject, was born in Hiram, Maine, February 
 II, 1 794, and was a cabinet maker by 
 trade, but after locating in Ottawa county 
 engaged in stone quarrying. He was one 
 of the best known and most prominent 
 men of his day. He was married February 
 1 1, 1824, to Almira Angeline Hollister, who 
 was born in Glastonburg, Conn., April 5, 
 1806. Their children were: Winslow, 
 born in Sandusky, Ohio, December 29, 
 1824; Milo, born April 6, 1S27, and died 
 March 6, 1 888 ;William Alexander;Phineas 
 
nui lA 
 
OOXMEilORATIVB BWORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 87 
 
 Harrison, born February i6, 1832; Sarah, 
 born March 4, 1834; Frances, born April 
 6, 1836; Myron Ehjah, born l-'ebruary 
 25, 183S; Albert Alonzo, born April 9, 
 1840; Lucian Monroe, born November 
 28, 1S41; Lester Newton, who was born 
 in 1843, and died March 5, 1S46; Lucia 
 Louise, who .was born in December, 
 1844, and died November 20, 1849; Hub- 
 bard Mortimer, born March 27, 184S; Ai 
 Jay. born June 17, 1S50; Eunice, who 
 died March 6. 1888; and one son who 
 died in infancy. 
 
 When our subject was three years old 
 he was brought by his parents to Dan- 
 bury township, Ottawa county, and he is 
 to-day an honored pioneer whose resi- 
 dence covers a period of sixty-three years. 
 His father passed away March 12, 
 1 886. his mother on March 24, 1861. 
 William obtained a limited education in 
 the district schools, and then worked in 
 his fathers quarry, after which he en- 
 gaged in business for several years with 
 his brothers, but later was associated with 
 no partner. Since 1891 he has lived re- 
 tired, enjoying a rest which he truly 
 earned and well deserves. 
 
 Mr. demons was married at Marble- 
 head Lighthouse, January i, 1856, to 
 Alvira V'.. daughter of J. B. and Arvilla 
 ( Knappj Keyes. the former a native of 
 New York, the latter of \'ermont. Her 
 father was born May 8, 181 5, was a sea- 
 faring man, and for several years light- 
 house keeper, at Marblec ead. He was 
 niarried December 24, 834, to Mrs. 
 Arvilla Wolcott. who wjjJborn Septem- 
 ber 21, 1810, and February 21. 1830, 
 married W'illiam B. Wolcott. In her 
 family were i-ight children: Harrison W. 
 born February 21, 1S31; Mary F., born 
 December 20, 1832, and Arvilla A., born 
 April 21. 1835, all three now deceased; 
 Alvira V., born September 17, 1837; 
 Charles M.. born October 28, 1840, now 
 living in Sandusky City; Thomas J., born 
 December 28, 1842, is at Berlin Heights. 
 Ohio; Jane Ellen, born March 21, 1845, 
 
 • died in infancy, and Jennie V. , born Sep- 
 ten)ber 5, 1846, now the widow of Hor- 
 ace Fond, of Elyria. The father died 
 
 I July 20, 1891, the mother on June 8, 
 1892. 
 
 Our subject and his wife have had 
 twelve children, as follows: Ada \'. , born 
 February 16, 1857, now the wife of 
 Richard Coorty, a prominent merchant 
 of Marblehead; Arvilla C, born March 
 I, i860, and died December 3, 1869; 
 
 I Cora A., born April 19, 1862; Sarah E., 
 
 i born July 12, 1864; James A., born 
 August 29, 1866, a merchant of Marble- 
 head; Charles B. , born August 22, 1868, 
 now a member of the crew of the Mar- 
 blehead life-saving station; Francis J., of 
 Marblehead, born April 12, 1870; Harry 
 R., born November 12, 1S72; Clarence 
 M., and Clement M., born June 17, 1874, 
 and died in infancy; Walter L. , born 
 July 26, 1876: and Erie May, born Feb- 
 ruary 21, 1879 
 
 In his political views, Mr. Clemons is 
 a Republican. His business enterprises 
 have been generally successful, and by in- 
 dustry, integrity and perseverance he has 
 accumulated a snug fortune, ami to-day 
 is in a position to enjoy the rest which he 
 has so well earned. He has lived in Mar- 
 blehead for sixty-three years, and has ap- 
 plied himself to business pursuits unfalter- 
 ingly, never failing to discharge his pe- 
 cuniary obligations, and his business rec- 
 ord is without a blemish. Most of the 
 pioneers of the county have passed to 
 their long homes, yet they were men of 
 sterling integrity who left the impress of 
 their individuality upon the community 
 with which they were identified. The 
 log cabins of the early ^ 'ttlers, in which 
 all received a hearty wccr«me, have dis- 
 appeared, and in their place stand hand- 
 some and imposing res' <ences. Where 
 once there was not! inp^j'ut a dense forest 
 there are now wiH. cultivated farms and 
 fruit orchards, and most of this change 
 has taken place within the memory of 
 Mr. Clemons. The good old pioneer days 
 
88 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL liECORB. 
 
 have passed, but he well remembers the 
 generosity and helpfulness which charac- 
 terized the early settlers. He was fav- 
 ored with but few advantages in his youth, 
 yet he made the most of his opportuni- 
 ties, and is known as a straightforward 
 business man, a public-spirited and pro- 
 gressive citizen, an affectionate husband 
 and kind father, and a trusted friend and 
 neighbor whose example is well worthy of 
 emulation. 
 
 ELIJAH CULBERT, who has been 
 a resident of Sandusky township, 
 Sandusky county, for the past 
 several years, is a native of Ire- 
 land, born August 9, 1821, in the city of 
 Belfast, County Antrim. 
 
 William Culbert, grandfather of our 
 subject, was born in County Donegal, 
 Ireland, and was there married to Sophia 
 Greer, of the same nativity, by whom he 
 had four children, as follows: David (our 
 subject's father); Sophia, who married 
 Hugh Patton, and died in Belfast; Mary, 
 who married William Ross (they both also 
 passed away in Belfast); and Andrew, 
 who was drowned about the year 1830 at 
 Belfast. The parents both died i.; that 
 city. The family are of Scotch descent, 
 the father of William Culbert having 
 migrated from Scotland to the North of 
 Ireland. 
 
 David Culbert, eldest son of William 
 and Sophia (Greer) Culbert, and father of 
 Elijah, was born in County Donegal, Ire- 
 land, removing to Belfast with his father's 
 family. He was a wholesale and retail 
 merchant in glass, oils and colors. In his 
 native land he married Eleanor Patton, 
 who was born in Newtownards, County 
 Down, Ireland, and a record of the chil- 
 dren of this uni'^n is as follows: David, 
 born January, t-^-\'J, died July, 1888, at 
 Southampton, Cour/,- . of Bruce, Upper 
 Canada (now Province of Ontario) ; Will- 
 iam, born October 23, 1819, died in 
 Toronto, Canada, July 16, 1893; Elijah, 
 
 who is the subject proper of this sketch, 
 comes next; Mary, born in 1823, died in 
 Belfast, Ireland, in 1828; Sophia, born 
 in 1825, was married in 1857 to John 
 Moore, and died in Lindsay, Canada, in 
 1877; Thomas, born August 12, 1828, 
 died December 20, 1877, at Cape Croker. 
 County of Bruce, Upper Canada (now 
 Province of Ontario); Isaac Cookson, 
 born in 1830, died in Lindsay, Canada, 
 November, 1856; Mary Amelia, born 
 January 19, 1834, in Lindsay, Canada, 
 died September 12, 1855, in Toronto, 
 Canada. All the others were in the city 
 of Belfast, Ireland, and on April 26, 1833, 
 the family set sail for the New World, 
 Little York, Upper Canada (now the city 
 of Toronto, Ontario), being their destina- 
 tion. From there, after a brief sojourn, 
 they moved to Lindsay, County of 'Vic- 
 toria, where the mother died May 6, 
 1853, the father on Good Friday, 1856. 
 He was a man of mark in his day, and 
 while a resident of Lindsay held four 
 commissions under the Canadian govern- 
 ment, to wit: commissioner of the Court 
 of Queen's Bench; commissioner of the 
 Court of Requests; justice of the peace 
 (under commission from the Governor 
 General of Canada); and postmaster at 
 Lindsay, holding all the offices up to the 
 time of his death. 
 
 Elijah Culbert, of whom this memoir 
 more particularly relates, was a lad of 
 twelve summers when he accompanied 
 the rest of his Hther's family across the 
 ocean. On A, ril 30, 1846, he was mar- 
 ried at Port H 5e, Canada, to Miss Eliza 
 Day, Rev. Joan Genley officiating; in 
 1848 he moved to Lindsay, where he re- 
 sided nine years, and then left Canada 
 for the United States, making his first 
 home under the Stars and Stripes at East 
 Hamburg, Erie Co. , N. Y. From there 
 he, in 1859, removed to Fremont, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio, where he engaged in 
 the nursery business for a short time, or 
 until his enlistment in the Union army 
 during the Civil war, an account of which 
 
VOMMEMORATiVB BIOORAPUICAL HECORD. 
 
 S« 
 
 will presently be given. Since his dis- 
 charge from the army in June, 1865, he 
 has been enfjaf^ecl more or less in af;ricul- 
 tural pursuits. 
 
 To Elijah and Eliza (Day) Culbert 
 were born ten children, as follows: (i) 
 Eleanor Jane, born in Toronto, Canada, 
 March 2. 1S47, died in Lindsay, Canada, 
 September 2, 1848. (2) Sophia Eliza- 
 beth, born in Lindsay, Canada, January 
 
 21, 1S49. graduated from the Fremont 
 rOhio) public schools, and is a teacher in 
 the Fremont Grammar Schools of twenty- 
 five years' standing. (3) Thomas Andrew, 
 born in Lindsay, Canada, July 5, 1851, 
 died at the same place, March 7, 1853. 
 (4) Samuel James, born in Lindsay. July 
 
 22, 1853, married Margaret Conly, and 
 has three children — Gracie. Walter, and 
 one whose name is not given fhe lives in 
 Michigan. (5) John Patton, also born in 
 Lindsay. Canada, September 1, 1855, 
 died in Ballville township, Sandusky Co. , 
 Ohio, November 13, 1893; he married 
 Lena Cook, and has six children — Jessie, 
 Eva, George \V., Wilbur. Susan and 
 Lula. (6) Letitia Emily, born in Lind- 
 say. Canada, September 2, 1857, was 
 married, in 1880, to John Nickles, by 
 whom she had the following children — 
 Lottie, Maud, Lucy E., Helen S. , .Addie 
 E.. Walter W., and Kuth. the last named 
 dying Augiu^t 11. 1894. (7) Charles 
 Henry, born in Ballville township, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio, December 24. 1859. 
 and died unmarried. December 10. 1889, 
 in Sandusky township. (8) Albert Ed- 
 ward, born in Ballville-^township, San- 
 dusky Co. . Ohio, March 27, rS62, married 
 Mary Rose, and has three children — 
 Chester, Stella and Ralph P. (9) Mary 
 Eleanor, born in Ballville township. San- 
 dusky Co. , Ohio, January 15. 1866, and 
 is still living at home, single. (lo^ Edgar 
 Augustus, born in Sandusky township. 
 Sandusky Co.. Ohio. June 25. 1868. 
 
 War record of Elijah Culbert is as 
 follows, from his own graphic pen; "On 
 September 7. 1 863. I enli.sted at Fre- 
 
 mont, Ohio, in Company \, Twelfth O. 
 V. C. for three years or during the war. 
 My regiment belonged to the Fourth Cav- 
 alry Brigade, Twenty-third Corps, Army of 
 the Cumberland. I participated in three 
 battles, the first being at Mt. Sterling, 
 Ky. . when we encountered Gen. John 
 Morgan, Gen. Marmaduke and others. The 
 engagement commenced in the early morn- 
 ing of Thursday, June 9, 1864, and con- 
 tinued until 9 A. M. ; at 10 A. M. Morgan 
 was reinforced and the fight was renewed, 
 lasting till 3 I'. M.. Morgan being defeated 
 in both engagements, and terribly used 
 up. On the Ticktown pike his dead lay 
 like ranks of cordwood, presenting a hor- 
 rible sight such as I wish never to set eyes 
 on again. At 3:30 i-. m. the Rebels start- 
 ed for Lexington, Ky., twenty-six miles 
 from Mt. Sterling, and there plundered 
 the stores and banks, besides looting the 
 government corrals of the best horses 
 and mules they could lay their hands on, 
 destroying the remainder. Our divisiort 
 lay at Mt. Sterling that afternoon and 
 night, on the following morning proceed- 
 ing to Lexington. Morgan's rear guard 
 leaving that city just as our advance 
 guard was entering it. At this time we 
 wep.' under Gen. Burbridge, who for some 
 re'-3on halted our division on the main 
 street, keeping the men standing at their 
 horses heads all day. At night we pur- 
 sued the Rebels, and reached Paris about 
 sunrise Saturday morning. Jtme 11, where 
 we remained all day; the following night 
 found us riding to Cynthiana, overtaking 
 Morgan on the morning of June 12, with 
 whom we had another stubborn tussel. 
 again defeating him. This was Morgan's 
 last fight, for we slew and took prisoners 
 a great number of his inen; most of the 
 remainder sought safety in the mountains, 
 while Morgan himself and his generals 
 fled to Tennessee, where he was after- 
 ward betrayed by a woman and killed. 
 
 "My third and last engagement oc- 
 curred on Sunday. October 2. 1864. at 
 Sallville. \'a.. when we foutrht airaiust 
 
90 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Gens. Earl}', Breckenridge, Roberts, 
 Jackson and others. It looked as if the 
 mountains were covered with the Con- 
 federate soldiers, so vast was their num- 
 ber, at least five to one of us. We ex- 
 pected to be reinforced by Gen. Gillam, 
 but his corps did not arrive in time; 
 however, we kept the enemy at bay all 
 day, and at night our division retreated. 
 Our officers detailed men to light fires on 
 the mountains and the Rebels thought 
 they had us all ' bagged, ' but our men 
 got safely awa}'. Tfie Eleventh Michi- 
 gan Cavalry was rear guard at first, on 
 this retreat, and next day fought like 
 good fellows, but were unable to check 
 the enemy, who were now in full pursuit, 
 and Gen. Gillam then ordered the Twelfth 
 Ohio Cavalry to act as rear guard. In 
 this engagement I, among hundreds of 
 others, was taken prisoner, and we were 
 at first confined in an old shed at 
 Fort Breckenridge, Saltville, six days, 
 where we were stripped of our boots and 
 clothing, and fed on nothing but a little 
 flour once a day. On the night of Octo- 
 ber 8. a bitterly cold night, we were 
 hustled off, half-naked as we were, to 
 Glade Springs, eight miles distant, where 
 we changed cars for Lynchburg, but had 
 to wait several hours for the train, dur-jig 
 which time we tramped up and down the 
 station platform on our bare feet, al- 
 though the ice and snow was several 
 inches deep. When we reached Lynch- 
 burg prison we were driven, like so many 
 hogs, into the yard which was paved with 
 nigger-heads, and most of the prisoners 
 had to pass the night there. I was more 
 fortunate, being permitted to sleep with 
 some others in a sort of boarded-up 
 place under the stairs, but were nearly 
 suffocated to death when the doorway 
 closed. From Lj'nchburg we were con- 
 veyed to Libby, arriving there October 
 13, where our first day's rations consisted 
 of one tub of ' Mississippi pea soup ' to 
 be divided among 1 50 famishing men. 
 Having no such luxury as a spoon or 
 
 ladle we were content to dip the soup up 
 with the half of a tin tobacco box, and 
 pass it round. This, however, was too 
 slow a process for a lot of starving men, 
 so three or four of the boys grabbed the 
 tub, and turning it to one side, as many 
 as could get their heads into it at a time 
 did so; then they had to be choked off 
 to allow others to get a chance, and such 
 pushing, crawling and fighting over that 
 tub I never saw equaled except, perhaps, 
 by a lot of pigs at a newly-filled swill 
 trough. 
 
 "I was confined in Libby until No- 
 vembers, 1864, and was removed to Pem- 
 berton prison, at which time the cold was 
 intense. There were 300 men on each 
 floor, and when time to ' retire ' at night 
 we would divide into three squads of 100 
 e3ch; one squad would take the center of 
 the floor, the other two being stretched 
 out by the walls. Before lying down we 
 would take a sort of plebiscite vote as to 
 which side we would lie on — ' right or 
 left ' — and once down we could not ' turn 
 over ' until another vote was taken, the ma- 
 jority always carrying the day — or rather 
 'the night.' This is only one example 
 of the many methods we unfortunates 
 used to adopt in order to keep ourselves 
 warm; but in spite of all our precautions 
 many of our poor boys were badly frozen. 
 Our rations generally consisted of pieces 
 of corn bread (two inches square, the 
 flour being made of corn and cob ground 
 together) every twenty-four hours, and if 
 any mules got ly lied in battle, and any 
 bones were left after the Confederates 
 had picked them clean, we got the bones. 
 I have even seen some of our boys hunt 
 in the spittoons for any stray bones, 
 which, if found, they would take to a 
 windlass near by, crush them between the 
 cogs and then swallow the fragments. 
 But I will refrain from dwelling further on 
 such disgusting episodes, true though 
 they be, those I have here related being 
 mild in comparison to many I could record. 
 In December, 1864, I was seized with 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 91 
 
 congestive chills, and had to run up and 
 down the prison floor for three consecu- 
 tive days and nights, or die. On Christ- 
 mas Day. 1S64. I was carried to the Con- 
 federate Hospital No. 21. Carey street, 
 Richmond, the prison doctor who sent 
 me there affirming that I could not live 
 more than two or three hours. [Only titc 
 iiyini:;u\rc scut to the liospitixl !\ It was 
 found I had pleuro-pneumonia, and I live 
 to be able to say that I was the only pneu- 
 monia patient in my ward who survived! 
 " On the 5th day of February, 1865, I 
 was paroled, and same day left Libby 
 prison for home, after being a captive 
 four months and three days. On Sun- 
 day, February 5, 1865, we left Rich- 
 mond, Va., on the steamboat "Cyrus Al- 
 lison ' which conveyed us to Aikens Land- 
 ing, on the James river, where I once 
 more beheld 'Old Glory,' at the sight of 
 which tears came unbidden to my eyes. 
 Aikens Landing, some nine miles from 
 Richmond, was neutral ground, set apart 
 for the exchange of prisoners. At this 
 time one thousand and twenty of us were 
 paroled and sent north, the Northern 
 steamer ' City of New York ' taking us 
 down the river, on Sunday afternoon, as 
 far as Bermuda Hundred, where we re- 
 mained until morning, when we started 
 for Fortress Monroe; thence crossed 
 Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis, Md. , 
 which city we reached on Tuesday morn- 
 ing in a furious snow-storm. All the 
 clothing I had on was a ragged pair of 
 pants, an old unlined blouse, with no 
 shirt under it, a well-wr.rn pair of shoes, 
 four sizes too large for my weary feet, 
 most of which apparel had been stripped 
 from the dead bodj' of one of my com- 
 rades in the hospital — in fact the dead 
 had to be stripped in order to provide 
 covering for his lii'ine^. But at Annapolis 
 ' Uncle Sam ' supplied us with new and 
 comfortable clothing. After remaining 
 in camp there si.Nteen days, we were sent 
 to Camp Chase. Columbus. Ohio, where, 
 not having fully recovered my health and 
 
 strength, I received a thirty-days' fur- 
 lough. On this I went home, but took a 
 relapse and became very ill, so much so 
 that I was under the necessity of having 
 my furlough twice renewed before I was 
 able to return to parole camp at Colum- 
 bus. On June 10, 1865, I received my 
 discharge from the service by War De- 
 partment Order No. 770. Thus ends the 
 record of my army service." 
 
 In May, 1886, Mr. Culbert was mus- 
 tered into Manville Moore Post No. 525, 
 G. A. R. ; was junior vice-commander in 
 1890; elected senior vice-commander in 
 1 89 1, and post commander in 1892. On 
 September 4, 1889, he commenced re- 
 cruiting for S. A. J. Snyder command of 
 Union \'eterans Union, an organization 
 composed only of the soldiers who were 
 in active service at least six months, a 
 part of the time at the front engaged in 
 actual warfare. On Novembers, 1889, 
 he had his command ready for muster-in, 
 which was effected by Gen. Loomis, of 
 Norwalk, Ohio, at that time Department 
 commander in the State. Mr. Culbert 
 was elected its first colonel; for two years 
 was staff officer on Gen. Ellis' staff; in 
 1893 was elected lieutenant-colonel, and 
 in 1894 was appointed colonel by Gen. 
 W. T. Clark, of Cleveland, Ohio, which 
 position he holds at the present time. 
 
 CAPTAIN ANDREW NUHFER. 
 retired farmer, Woodville, San- 
 dusky county, was born in Bava- 
 ria, Germany, October 19. 1819, 
 a son of Nicholas and Eve (Weaver) Nuh- 
 fer. also natives of Bavaria. 
 
 They came to America and first set- 
 tled in Lancaster county, Penn., in the 
 fall of 1S35. where for two years they 
 engaged in the nursery business. In 1839 
 the\' removed to Maumee City, Ohio, 
 remained two years, and then located in 
 Woodville township. Sandusky county, 
 on the Western Reserve and Maumee 
 turnpike, three nules east of Woodville. 
 
92 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Here Nicholas Nuhfer died, two years 
 later, at the age of sixty-eight years, and 
 his wife at the same age, in 1854. While 
 in Germany they were members of the 
 Roman Catholic Church, but soon after 
 coming to Ohio they joined the M. E. 
 Church. Their children, all born in Ger- 
 many, were: (i) Frederick, a soldier and 
 sailor; (2) Margaret, now dead, who 
 married William Geyer, of Washington 
 township; (3) Anthony, a baker, now 
 living at Maumee, Ohio, who, at the time 
 of his parents' emigration, was in the 
 German army, as body guard to King 
 Otto, whom he accompanied to Athens, 
 Greece, and to other parts of the East, 
 but, wishing to accompany his parents to 
 the New World, escaped from a fort by a 
 ruse, made his way to France,' and thence 
 to the United States; (4) Nicholas, who 
 died in Toledo, Ohio, in 1892. was for- 
 merly a well-known minister of the Ger- 
 man M. E. Church; (5) Maria, wife of 
 William Behrends, now living in Illinois; 
 (6) Andrew, our subject; (7) Catharine, 
 wife of Rev. E. Riemenschneider, who 
 was sent as a missionary to Germany, by 
 the M. E. Church, where she died; 
 (8) Helen, who married Jacob Artz, and 
 now lives at Lindsey, Ohio. 
 
 Our subject first came to Woodville 
 with his parents. Later he spent three 
 seasons as fireman and assistant en- 
 gineer on lake steamers. After having 
 learned the blacksmith trade in Maumee 
 City, he returned to Woodville and started 
 a blacksmith shop, buying his tools in 
 Buffalo, and the first hard coal ever 
 burned in Woodville township. He car- 
 ried on his trade at this place with good 
 success for twenty years, until the fall of 
 1 86 1, when, under a commission from 
 Gov. Tod, as second lieutenant, he en- 
 listed and organized Company D, Seven- 
 ty-second Regiment, O. V. I. This com- 
 pany was composed largely of the best 
 young men of Woodville township, and 
 they subsequently chose him captain. 
 At the head of this company he followed 
 
 the various fortunes of his regiment, par- 
 ticipating in all its campaigns and en- 
 gagements, except when incapacitated by 
 wounds or confined in Rebel prisons. At 
 the battle of Shiloh he was wounded, 
 but he remained with his company until 
 the enemy were driven from the field. 
 For his bravery and soldierly conduct on 
 this occasion he received special mention 
 in the report of Col. R. P. Buckland 
 who commanded the brigade. Owing to 
 the serious nature of his wound he was 
 sent to the General Hospital at Cin- 
 cinnati, where his limb barely escaped 
 amputation, and he was shortly after 
 ordered home to recuperate. As soon 
 as he was able to walk about he re- 
 joined his command at Monterey, Miss., 
 and later participated in Grant's futile 
 campaign in northern Mississippi; helped 
 guard our line of communications along 
 the Memphis and Charleston railroad; 
 took a part in the campaign which re- 
 sulted in the fall of Vicksburg; was in 
 two battles at Jackson, Miss., in the latter 
 of which he commanded the skirmish 
 line which drove the enemy into their 
 breastworks on the day prior to their 
 evacuation; was with the advance on 
 Brandon, and for a short time was in 
 command of the regiment at Oak Ridge, 
 in October, 1863. 
 
 The regiment having by this time been 
 much reduced in numbers, Capt. Nuhfer 
 was sent home in charge of a recruiting 
 party. While he was engaged in this 
 duty, the regiment veteranized, and he 
 rejoined it after its veteran furlough. He 
 was with it at Paducah when Gen. Forrest 
 made his attack, and when Sturgis made 
 his first expedition into northeastern 
 Mississippi. On the second and ill-fated 
 Guntown expedition, along with about 250 
 other officers and men of his regiment, he 
 was taken prisoner by the forces under 
 Gen. Forrest and conve3-ed to Anderson- 
 ville prison. Here Capt. Nuhfer, as the 
 ranking officer of the regiment, and being 
 able to speak German, was requested b}- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BWOHAPIflCAL RECORD. 
 
 UU 
 
 his comrades to interview Capt. Wirz. in 
 cominanil o( the prison, and pet hinj to 
 allow all the officers and men of the 
 Seventy-second regiment to remain to- 
 gether. The request was made, but W'irz 
 refused and at once became abusive. He 
 held the privates at Anderson vi lie. but 
 sent the officers to Macon, Ga. When 
 the latter place was threatened by Union 
 troops, they were sent to Charleston, S. 
 C, then to Columbus, S. C, then to 
 Raleigh. N. C, then to Goldsboro. N. C. 
 and thence to points in \'irginia and to 
 Wilmington. N. C, for exchange, after a 
 continenientof nine months. At Columbia, 
 S. C, Capt. Nuhfor was taken down with 
 fever, and would have died had it not 
 been for his iron constitution and the care 
 he received from a brother officer, Lieut. - 
 Col. \'on Helmrich, formerly an officer in 
 the Prussian arm) , who also loaned him 
 a sum of Confederate money. After his 
 exchange he was furloughed for thirty 
 days to recover his health, and meanwhile 
 the war closed. 
 
 Capt. Nuhfer married, October 23, 
 1843. Miss Elizabeth Shuler. of Perrys- 
 burg. Wood Co.. Ohio, born in Witten- 
 berg, Germany. Their children were: 
 (1) John George, of Fremont, Ohio, who 
 married Miss Olivia J. Totten, by whom 
 he had one child, George Bartlett, after 
 which she died, and he afterward married 
 Mrs. Martha G. Hafiford; (2) Caroline, 
 deceased wife of Theobald Schunck, who 
 had five children — George D., Charles. 
 Caroline. William and .Albert; (3) Sophia, 
 who married John Otjen. and had four 
 childron^ — Caroline E.. Nellie O.. Kate 
 and William: (4) Daniel, who died in in- 
 fancy; f5) Catharine, who became second 
 wife of Theobald Schunrk; (6j .\gnes 
 Amelia, dcrcased wife of George Hlake. 
 who had one child — Flossie; (j) Esther 
 Elizalicth. unmarried, who died at the 
 age of twrnt) -seven; fS) Charles A., 
 fanner of Wondville township, who mar- 
 ried Caroline Haker. and has a son — 
 Elmer L. : (9; Minnie, wife of John Blake. 
 
 whose daughter, ^finnie E.. died shortly 
 after the <leiith of her mother, who was 
 aged twenty-one; ( lOy William, a clerk in 
 Toledo, who married Miss Sarah Unger. 
 who has a son — Earl A. 
 
 Since the war Capt. Nuhfer has been 
 engaged in mercantile business, the sale 
 of hardware, the management of his farm 
 property, fifty acres just outside of the 
 Woodville village limits, and in the over- 
 sight of his real estate in the oil region. 
 For fourteen years he was village post- 
 master, under the administration of Presi- 
 dents Grant and Hayes. He has twice been 
 nominated for county treasurer by the 
 Republicans, and in each election polled 
 more than his party's vote. He has been 
 township trustee six years, and a member 
 of both township and village school 
 boards for some twelve years, and a mem- 
 ber of the city council. He has always 
 tried to promote the interests of his adopt- 
 ed county in the lines of education, tem- 
 perance and religion. For the last thirty 
 years he has been a member of the Evan- 
 gelical Association. During his residence 
 of fifty-five years in Woodville, he has 
 seen it grow from a collection of half a 
 dozen scattered houses to hundreds of 
 handsome homes occupied by well-to-do 
 and happy families. Of the early pio- 
 neers of the place, only he and his faith- 
 ful wife remain. 
 
 HON. JOSEPH /IMMEKMANN. 
 editor of the Fremont Courier, the 
 German organ of the San<lusky 
 county Democracy, was born in 
 the city of Mainz, Germany. June 19. 
 i8;i. .After his graduation in the Prot- 
 estant public schi>(>ls of his native city he 
 studied the languages and prepared him- 
 self for mercantile pursuits, under private 
 tutors. In 1866 he came to America, 
 and. afi :i years of newspaper work 
 
 in Peiin .ind Ohio, he in 1S77 took 
 
 editorial charge of the Fremont Coiirii-r, 
 to succeed Judgi- I" Wilmer. In f'*'^' 
 
94 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 he was elected member of the board of 
 education, and was re-elected in i8S6 and 
 1889, serving as president of the board 
 six j'ears and clerk two years. While 
 presiding over the deliberations of the 
 board he displayed great executive ability, 
 and under his administration three fine 
 new school buildings were erected in 
 Fremont, while all his dealings with 
 school officials, teachers and the public, 
 were characterized by good tact and judg- 
 ment. He is a stanch friend of the pub- 
 lic-school system, and keeps thoroughly 
 informed on all matters pertaining to ed- 
 ucational peogress. 
 
 In 1885 Mr. Zimmerniann was elected 
 State senator of the Thirtieth District of 
 Ohio, consisting of the counties of Erie, 
 Huron, Ottawa and Sandusky, and was 
 re-elected in 1887. As a State senator 
 he was in favor of every measure tending 
 toward educational progress, and was also 
 one of the most active promoters of the 
 compulsory education law now on the 
 statutes of Ohio, which has worked so 
 well for the promotion of the interests of 
 Ohio's school youth. Though a Demo- 
 crat in a legislative body which was two- 
 thirds Republican, he was elected chair- 
 man of the committee on public printing. 
 
 On October 6, 1S91, he was ap- 
 pointed, by Gov. Campbell, probate judge 
 of Sandusky county to fill the vacancj' 
 caused by the death of Judge E. F. Dick- 
 inson, and in November following was 
 elected to that office by the people, by a 
 large majority. Since that time he has 
 devoted his attention to professional 
 duties as editor of the Courier. His of- 
 fice is in the New Opera House, corner 
 of Arch and State streets, and is well 
 supplied with literary helps, a well se- 
 lected library, maps and pamphlets. 
 Judge Zimmerniann is the author of the 
 Criminal History of Sandusky County, 
 published by Williams Brothers in 1882, 
 giving a detailed account of the Sperry 
 and the Thompson murder trials. He 
 also wrote the first Masonic history of 
 
 Fremont. Socially he is a member of 
 Fort Stephenson Lodge, F. & A. M., Mc- 
 Pherson Lodge, I. O. O. F., the Knights 
 of Honor, B. P. Order of Elks, and other 
 organizations. Since 1877 Mr. Zimmer- 
 mann has been local representative of the 
 Cunard, the Hamburg-American and the 
 North German Lloyd lines of ocean 
 steamers. 
 
 AB. LEVISEE, familiarly known 
 as Judge Levisee, was born in 
 Livingston count}'. State of New 
 York, March 18, 1821. In 1832 
 he migrated, with his mother, an older 
 brother and a sister, to Ohio, and settled 
 in Sandusky county, where the brother 
 and sister still live. The mother died, in 
 July, 1845, 3-t the home of an elder daugh- 
 ter in Michigan. 
 
 Sandusky county was at that time es- 
 sentially a wilderness, interspersed here 
 and there with hardy pioneer settlers — 
 most of them located right in the solid 
 woods, with but little to aid them save 
 their brave hearts and strong arms. Here 
 the subject of this sketch, with an axe or 
 a hoe in his hands, from one end of the 
 year to the other, practically "grew up 
 with the country." The only educational 
 facilities he enjoyed in his youth were 
 those afforded by the primitive log school- 
 houses, with such teachers as the time 
 could furnish. It was in these circum- 
 stances that he lived and grew to the 
 years of early manhood. In the meantime 
 he had become inspired with a purpose to 
 improve his education. Under the impulse 
 of this thought he labored in season and 
 out of season to accumulate the necessary 
 means wherewith to accomplish this great 
 purpose. At length, in March, 1844, 
 with the few hundred dollars thus gather- 
 ed at the slow rate of $10 to $11 per 
 month, he went to Ann Arbor and became 
 a student at the University of Michigan, 
 where he pursued the regular undergrad- 
 uate course until November, 1847. For 
 
CM 
 
COMMBMORATIVB BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 95 
 
 want of means to continue his studies 
 lonjier at the University, he left without 
 a degree and went directlj' to Louisiana, 
 where he taught in a private school in 
 Baton Rouge a short time, and then went 
 to Alabama. He spent about two years 
 teaching in Selma and Montgomery, and 
 in the spring of 1850 went to Talladega, 
 and there established an independent 
 private school, which he continued to con- 
 duct some three years, and which won for 
 him a wide reputation as a successful 
 teacher. One of his students entered the 
 Junior Class at Princeton, New Jersey, 
 while one entered the Junior Class of the 
 University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, and 
 others in the lower classes. The board 
 of regents of the last-named school recog- 
 ni2ed his scholarship and efficiency as a 
 teacher by conferring on him the honorary 
 degree of A. M. 
 
 During the years 1853 and 1854 our 
 subject attended law lectures in New 
 York; then returned to Alabama and was 
 tendered the presidency of the teaching 
 faculty of the Female Collegiate Institute 
 at Talladega, which he accepted tempor- 
 arily to accommodate the board. At the 
 close of 1854 he resigned the same, and 
 went to Louisiana to enter upon the prac- 
 tice of law, and located at Shreveport in 
 March. 1855. where he continued to 
 practice until 1877, including nearly five 
 years, during which he occupied the bench 
 as judge of his district. The Judge's 
 thorough education, previous mental train- 
 ing and studious habits, brought him 
 rapidly forward in his new profession in 
 which he achieved a high degree of finan- 
 cial success, and an enviable reputation 
 as a jurist and attorney. In 1875 76 he 
 held the position of commissioner of 
 United States Circuit Court. 
 
 In politics Judge Levisee was a fol- 
 lower of Clay and Webster while they 
 lived. He was a Republican and Anti- 
 Secessionist in i860, and took a decided 
 staml against the secession movement. 
 He remained in Louisiana during the en- 
 
 tire war; was nominally in the Confeder- 
 ate service from July, 1863, to the close, 
 as an attache of the Inspector General's 
 department, with the rank of first lieuten- 
 ant. He was never assigned to any com- 
 mand. In April, 1868, he was elected 
 judge of his Judicial District, and was re- 
 elected in the general election of 1873 by 
 at least 1,500 majority and was "counted 
 out." By that time the survivors of the 
 lost cause had partially recovered from 
 the fright incident to their defeat. The 
 returned brigadiers and their subordinates, 
 together with the small politicians, were 
 reorganizing the Rebellion under the 
 auspices of the White League. It was 
 the same old fight under changed circum- 
 stances and a new name. The White 
 League was the paramount authority in 
 the State at that time, and, of course, 
 dominated all elections and dictated the 
 results. In 1874 Judge Levisee was elect- 
 ed a member of the State Legislature, 
 and was "counted out; " but under the 
 Wheeler Compromise the leaders of the 
 White League were themselves compelled 
 to admit that he was elected and he held 
 his seat. In the National campaign of 
 1876 he was a candidate for Presidential 
 elector for the Fourth Congressional Dis- 
 trict of Louisiana, comprising an area of 
 not less than ten thousand square miles. 
 He made at his own indiviilual expense a 
 thorough canvass of the entire District, 
 which was the first time that it had been 
 undertaken by any Republican. He went 
 up and down throughout the District, 
 rallied the negroes in great mass meet- 
 ings, told them their rights, and encour- 
 aged and emboldene<l them to assert their 
 rights in a proper and legal way by regis- 
 tering and voting. The result was a 
 larger majority in that District than the 
 entire Republican majority in the State. 
 But he was "counted out" again; and 
 this time it required the National Elec- 
 toral Commission to settle the matter. At 
 length, disgusted and weary of the insane 
 strife that had raged about him so long. 
 
96 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 he determined that the opportunities of 
 life were too valuable to be further thrown 
 away in such bootless contest, and at the 
 cost of professional prestige and wealth 
 honorably earned by useful service, he 
 abandoned the home of his adoption to 
 find again a place where he could live a 
 free life and enjoy the equal privileges of 
 a citizen. 
 
 For three years from July, 1878, he 
 held the position of a Government Agent 
 in the Internal Revenue Service, at the 
 close of which period he resigned that 
 position, and in 1881 located, with his son, 
 in North Dakota. In addition to his 
 other professional labors in Dakota, Judge 
 Levisee rendered a highly appreciated 
 service to the bar of that then Territory 
 by the preparation and publication of an 
 annotated edition of the Dakota Codes, 
 which was approved and adopted by the 
 Legislature and the profession, and is still 
 in general use. 
 
 After e.xperiencing the vicissitudes of 
 frontier life for twelve years in North 
 Dakota, the Judge began to feel that it 
 was time to retire from active pursuits, 
 and to prepare for the end. He returned 
 to his old home — the home of his child- 
 hood and youth. Here in the beautiful 
 village of Clyde, Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 he has built for himself a sumptuous place 
 of abode. Here, in elegant retirement, 
 amid his books and maps, he spends the 
 evening of his long and useful life, sur- 
 rounded by all that can make old age 
 agreeable, blessed with excellent health 
 and cheered by thfe merited friendship and 
 esteem of all who know him. 
 
 RW. SANDWISCH, ex-sheriff of 
 Sandusky county, was born in 
 Woodville township, that county, 
 July 20, 1846, a son of Hermon 
 and Catharine (Mergel) Sandwisch. The 
 father was born in Hanover, Germany, 
 in 181 1, and died at Woodville in 1854, 
 of Asiatic cholera. He had come to this 
 
 country a young man, married in this 
 country and worked at the blacksmith 
 trade. The mother was born in Hanover, 
 Germany, in 18 10, came to this country, 
 and is still living as one of the pioneers 
 of Woodville. Their children were: 
 Mary Jane, wife of Jacob Bishoff; Louisa, 
 wife of Benedict Emch; R. W., our sub- 
 ject; J. G., in Bowling Green, Ohio; and 
 Emeline, who married C. G. Bradt, a 
 contractor, living at Atlanta, Georgia. 
 
 Our subject grew to manhood in Wood- 
 ville township, on a farm, learned the 
 blacksmith trade in early life at Wood- 
 ville, and later worked two years at the 
 same in Toledo, Ohio. In the fall of 
 1868 he opened a blacksmith shop in 
 W^oodville, which he operated himself for 
 eighteen consecutive years, making twen- 
 ty-two years of work at his trade. For 
 several years past he has been promi- 
 nently identified with politics in Wood- 
 ville township as an ardent Democrat. 
 He was first elected supervisor of roads, 
 and afterward justice of the peace for 
 three terms. He became the regular 
 nominee of the Democratic party for 
 sheriff, and was elected to that position 
 in 1885, taking charge of the office in 
 January, 1886. In 1887 he was re-elect- 
 ed, serving a second term. After leaving 
 the sheriff's office he engaged in selling 
 farming implements, and in that capac- 
 ity traveled extensivel}' over Sandusky 
 county. 
 
 Mr. Sandwisch was married, in 1868, 
 to Miss Clarinda Swartzman, who was 
 born in Woodville township, January 11, 
 1849, a daughter of Isaac Swartzman, a 
 native of Pennsylvania, and an early 
 pioneer of Woodville township. They 
 have children as follows: Albert H., 
 born May 30, 1869, who was his father's 
 deputy when he held the office of sheriff, 
 and is engaged with him in business at 
 the present time. Catherine Lovisa, born 
 September 20, 1871, living at home; and 
 Adolph Franklin, born January 18, 1877. 
 Mr. Sandwisch is a member of the 
 
COMMEMORATIVB BIOGRAPHIOAL RECORD. 
 
 y? 
 
 I. O. O. F.. MclMiersoii Lodge. No. 637. 
 Fremont, and has tilled all the chairs in 
 the subordinate loilfje. having been a mem- 
 ber since 1S70. He is also a member of 
 Fort Stephenson Masonic Lodge. Fre- 
 mont, and has taken the third degree. 
 
 C.\PTAIN B. S. OTTEN. In 
 scanning the pages of this volume 
 one will tyid the history of many 
 men who nave made a success of 
 life in various lines of terrene occupations; 
 but the subject of this sketch is a man 
 who has been highly successful not only 
 on land, but also on the sea. 
 
 Many a time has Capt. Otten stood on 
 the deck of his vessel in the night time 
 and ga^ed at the great clock whose face is 
 the blue heavens, the markings on which 
 are the glittering stars, and whose hand 
 is the silver moon. With his sextant he 
 has measured the moons distance from 
 some prominent star, thus determining 
 the variation of his chronometer. Then 
 on a beautiful morning we again see him, 
 measuring the altitude of the sun, by 
 which means he determined the latitude 
 and longitude of his vessel, thus enabling 
 him to guide her safely into port. 
 
 Capt. B. S. Otten, the subject of this 
 sketch, now one of the most prominent 
 merchants of Woodville, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, was born in Hanover, Germany, Jan- 
 uary 26, 1835. son of Herman and Anna 
 (Juils) Otten, both of whom dieil in their 
 native country, the former at the age of 
 eighty-tivc years, and the latter at the end 
 of her three-score years and ten. To 
 them were born six children, as follows: 
 Margaret and Etta, who now live in 
 Germany; Marie, who came to America, 
 and settled in Woodville; Herman, a 
 commission merchant in Germany; B. S. ; 
 and Gerhard, who lives in Pember\ille, 
 Ohio 
 
 Our subject attended the public 
 schools of his native place until about 
 si.\teen years of age, when he went to sea 
 
 on the Atlantic as mast-boy, in which 
 capacity he served si.v years. He then 
 returned to Ciermany and took a full 
 course in navigation at one of the leading 
 schools of that country, graduating there- 
 from in 1859, after which he resumed 
 sailing, putting into practical use the 
 studies of his college course. Mr. Otten 
 now entered marine life as mate, in which 
 position he served for two years, when he 
 was given a ship and made captain there- 
 t of, serving ably in this capacity for thir- 
 teen years. Be it said to his credit as a 
 j sea captain that while he encountered 
 severe storms, he never, in the entire 
 I time he had charge of a boat, lost a man 
 I by accident. His first wife. Betty Bring- 
 i man, who accompanied him many a time 
 on long journeys on the sea. was born in 
 1850. and they were married in 1S72. 
 To their union came one child. Otto I)., 
 born July 19, 1874, in Baltimore, Md., 
 who never saw his mother, as she died 
 the ne.xt day after his birth. She was 
 the daughter of John and Rebecca (Bring- 
 manj Bringman. the former of whom was 
 a sea captain for many years, and now 
 resides in Wood county, Ohio; his wife 
 died some time ago. In January, 1876, 
 Capt. Otten marrieii Miss Matilda Bring- 
 man (a cousin of his former wife), who is 
 a daughter of Borchard and Marguerite 
 Bringman. Borchard Bringman was also 
 a sea captain, and was drowned in the 
 Atlantic while on a voyage; the mother 
 still lives in Germany. To them were 
 born five children, of whom Mrs. Otten 
 is the second: her brother Gustav was 
 : washed overboard in a high sea and buried 
 I in a watery grave, as was also her brother 
 Borchard. The grandfathers on both 
 sides were sea captains. 
 
 On leaving the sea, Capt. Otten was 
 for two years engaged .is ship chandler 
 in Baltimore, Md. . after which, in 1876, 
 he sold out, anil came to Woodville, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio, where two years later 
 he embarked in the general mercantile 
 business, which he ha-; ••>••■• -^incc sue- 
 
98 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 cessfully conducted. Mrs. Otten is a 
 thorough business lady, and is well ac- 
 quainted with their extensive mercantile 
 business, being often found assisting in 
 the different lines of their enterprise. To 
 Mr. and Mrs. Otten have been born six 
 children, three of whom are living, name- 
 ly: Anna, who is now in the store; Etta, 
 who is devoting her time to study in the 
 public schools of Woodville; and Olga. 
 The family is one of the most prominent 
 in Woodville, in both a business and 
 social way. Capt. and Mrs. Otten are 
 highly esteemed by all who know them, 
 while their beautiful brick residence on 
 Main street is a standing witness to their 
 admiration of a modern home. 
 
 ISAAC MARVIN KEELER, senior 
 editor of the Fremont Journal, and 
 one of Fremont's most respected citi- 
 zens, is of Puritan parentage on both 
 sides of his family. Of his ancestors to 
 the seventh generation, Ralph Keeler 
 came from England in 1639, settling at 
 Hartford, Conn., and Matthew Marvin 
 preceded him in 1635. His grandfathers, 
 Luke Keeler and Isaac Marvin, emigrated 
 with their families to Ohio in wagons 
 from Norwalk, Conn., in 181 7, coming 
 by way of Pittsburg and making the trip 
 in six weeks. Two of their children, Eri 
 Keeler and Sally Marvin, both born in 
 Connecticut in the last year of the pre- 
 ceding centur}', were married in July, 
 1 821; and Isaac Marvin Keeler was born 
 in Sharon township, Richland Co., Ohio, 
 September 8, 1823. Five years later the 
 father, Eri Keeler, and the grandfather, 
 Luke Keeler, were among the incorpora- 
 tors of the town of Norwalk, Ohio, named 
 after their old home, Norwalk, Conn. 
 Eri Keeler died April 11, 1894, lacking 
 but a few days of being ninety-five years 
 of age. 
 
 The subject of this sketch lived at 
 Norwalk until 1840, when he came to 
 Lower Sandusky (now Fremont), and en- 
 
 tered the office of the Lower Sandusky 
 J r/iio- as Sin apprentice. Between 1843 
 and 1849, Mr. Keeler was temporarily 
 in Milan, Norwalk, Sharon and New York, 
 and in 1850 was commissioned postmaster 
 at Fremont, serving in that capacity two 
 years. In 1854 he purchased the Fre- 
 mont Journal, the predecessor of which 
 was established in July, 1829, which he 
 edited and published until 1865, during 
 all the bitter years of the Civil war, sell- 
 ing the office at last on account of poor 
 health, and going into the insurance and 
 i real-estate business. In December, 1877, 
 he repurchased the Journal, and in asso- 
 ciation with his son, S. P. Keeler, con- 
 tinues to edit the paper. 
 
 Mr. Keeler was married June 23, 1847, 
 to Anna F. Hulburd, of Lower Sandusky, 
 who died October 26, 1850, leaving one 
 child. On May 12, 1857, he married 
 Janette Elliot, daughter of Judge Samuel 
 and Linda (Hayes) Elliot, of Brattleboro, 
 Vt., by whom he has two children — one 
 son and one daughter. In the more than 
 fifty 3'ears of his residence in Fremont 
 Mr. Keeler has not only watched its de- 
 velopment from a rough frontier hamlet 
 into a beautiful and thriving city, but he 
 has been prominently instrumental in that 
 development; and while his voice and 
 pen have ever been on the side of muni- 
 cipal progress they have never swerved in 
 time-serving expediency from what was 
 pure and just and of good report. 
 
 BYRON A. FOUCHE, attorney at 
 law, Fremont, Sandusky county, 
 was born in Wayne county, Ohio, 
 September 8, 1858, a son of 
 Josiah and Susannah (Stutzman) Fouche. 
 The father of our subject was born in 
 Somerset count}-, Penn., in 1830, where 
 he grew to manhood, and whence he 
 came at the age of twenty-three to 
 Wayne county, Ohio, where he still re- 
 sides. He was a school teacher by pro- 
 fession, and followed his vocation in 
 
COUMBMORATTrB BIOORAPHTCAL RECORD. 
 
 99 
 
 Wayne, Holmes and Tuscarawas coun- 
 ties for many years. He finally settled 
 on a farm where he is now passing his 
 declining years. 
 
 Our subject's mother was born in 
 Wayne county. Ohio, in 1833, and here 
 she grew to womanhood and became the 
 wife of Josiah Fouche. Nine children — 
 two sons and seven daughters — were the 
 fruits of their marriage. Our subject's 
 paternal grandfather was born in 1793, 
 either in France or in Somerset county, 
 Penn. He emigrated thence to Holmes 
 county. Ohio, where he died in 1873. 
 His father (subject's great-grandfather) 
 was a native of France, enlisted under 
 Lafayette, came to America, and assisted 
 the Colonies in the Revolutionary war. 
 
 Byron A. Fouche attended the com- 
 mon schools in his native place, and then 
 the University of Wooster, at Wooster, 
 Ohio, from which he graduated in the 
 class of 1883. He worked his own way 
 through college by teaching school. He 
 studied law in the office of the famous 
 criminal lawyer and advocate, John Mc- 
 Sweeny, and was admitted to the bar in 
 1886 He located in Fremont. Ohio, in 
 1888. He is at present Deputy State 
 Su|>ervisor of Elections for Sandusky 
 county. In politics he is a Republican. 
 On December 31, 1887, he married Miss 
 Jane Parmeter. at Caanan, Wayne coun- 
 ty, Ohio 
 
 WKIGLEY BROTHERS, proprie- 
 tors of the Daily and Weekly 
 A'tTi'j-, Fremont, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, are sons of James and Mary 
 (Haywood) Wrigley. James Wrigleywas 
 born in eastern Pennsylvania, September 
 25. 1821, and died December 16, 1878. 
 His wife was born in Lancashire, England, 
 in 18^4, and came when a child with her 
 parents to .\mcrica. She resided at Dcni- 
 son. Iowa, where she died July 15, 1895. 
 To them were bom ten children, of whom 
 seven are hving: Alfred C, December 19, 
 
 1849: Mark H., July 12, 1853; James 
 B.. February 21. 1859; Alice J.; Ger- 
 trude \'. ; Anna A. , wife of Philip A. 
 Schlumberger: and Mary H. All of the 
 daughtersreside at Fremont. Ohio, except- 
 ing Mrs. Schlumberger. 
 
 The Wrigley Brothers are natives of 
 the town of Conshohockcn, Penn., where 
 they grew up, attended the public schools 
 and learned the printer's trade. They 
 were proprietors of the Conshohockcn 
 Reeonler, a weekly paper, from 1877 un- 
 til i88t. when they sold it and removed 
 to Denison, Iowa, where they bought the 
 Denison Review, which they published in 
 English and German. In 18S8 they sold 
 out, and next published the Boone Week- 
 ly Repiibliean. at Boone. Iowa, about 
 four years. In June, 1892, they purchased 
 the Fremont .Wrij, the only daily paper 
 in Fremont, Ohio, with a circulation of 
 1.250, and also publish a weekly, which 
 has a circulation of 3,200. It is devoted 
 to the business interests of Fremont and 
 Sandusky county, furnishes fresh and re- 
 liable news from all parts of the world in 
 a brief and attractive form, and is neutral 
 in politics. The proprietors are sparing 
 no pains to make it the best local paper in 
 northern Ohio. 
 
 HG. EDGERTON. D. D. S. The 
 name Edgerton is of English 
 origin, but representatives of that 
 family have been many years in 
 the United States. 
 
 Prominent among the business men 
 and manufacturers of Fremont. Sandusky 
 county, for nearly half a century has been 
 Chester Edgerton. who was born in 
 Pawlct. \t., in 1819. and came to Ohio 
 in 1844. He is now seventy-six years 
 old. and is living retired. He was an at- 
 torney in his day. and a very successful 
 collector. He was also for a number of 
 years engaged in the lumber business, as 
 a member of the firm of Edgerton Bros. ; 
 by fair dealing and close attention to busi- 
 
100 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ness he accumulated a small fortune, and 
 is recognized as one of the most success- 
 ful men of the early days of Fremont. 
 He is a Republican in politics, and in the 
 year 1847 was elected mayor of the city. 
 In 1845 he married Miss Augusta F. 
 Fusselman, who was born in 1826, and 
 six children were born to them: Frank, 
 now living in Tennessee; Hattie, wife of 
 G. Ivinney, an attorney at law, of Fre- 
 mont; Fannie A., who died in 1879; 
 Maude, wife of Lieut. John Garvin, U. S. 
 N. ; Chester, living in Kansas City, Mo. ; 
 and H. G. 
 
 Dr. H. G. Edgerton was born in Fre- 
 mont, Ohio, April 23, 1859, and was edu- 
 cated in the Fremont public schools and 
 at Oberlin College. He began the study 
 of dentistry in 1875, and graduated from 
 the Dental Department of the University 
 of Ann Arbor (Mich.) in 1881, with the 
 degree of D. D. S. He practiced his pro- 
 fession at Toledo, Ohio, one year, and 
 then came to Fremont, where he has had 
 a leading practice for several years in his 
 pleasant rooms over the First National 
 Bank. He is a Republican, a member of 
 the I\nights of Pythias and of the National 
 Union, and is connected with several 
 social clubs of the city. On January 29, 
 1884, he married Miss Clara Meek, 
 daughter of B. Meek, an attorney at law, 
 and four children have been born to them: 
 Mary B., Rachel, Dorothy and Henry 
 Meek. 
 
 JOSEPH KINDLE, attorney at law, 
 Fremont, Sandusky county, was 
 born at Caroline, near Republic, 
 Seneca county, Ohio, December 
 9, 1858, a son of Gottlieb and Mary 
 Magdalena (Michels) Kindle. 
 
 Our subject's father was born in 
 Triesen, Principahty of Lichtenstein, 
 Germany, and emigrated to America in 
 1852. He had followed the trade of 
 blacksmith in the Fatherland, but on 
 settling in Seneca county, Ohio, upon a 
 
 farm, he devoted his time to agricultural 
 pursuits, and did only his own black- 
 smithing. Our subject's mother was 
 born in Baden, Germany, in 1837, and 
 came with her father's family to San- 
 dusky county, Ohio, when three years 
 old. Here she grew to womanhood, be- 
 came the wife of Gottlieb Ivindle, and 
 died March i, 1866. Their children 
 were: Regina, who married Frank Bin- 
 sack, of Fremont, Ohio; Rosa Ann, who 
 died at the age of eighteen; Mary Ann, 
 who is unmarried; and Joseph, our sub- 
 ject. 
 
 Joseph Kindle came with his parents 
 at an early age to New Riegel, Ohio, 
 where he attended school until he was 
 fourteen years of age, also a parochial 
 school, in which he was at the head of 
 his classes at the age of eleven, and kept 
 his place as they progressed upward for 
 three years. In August, 1871, the 
 family removed to Green Creek township, 
 Sandusky county, where they remained 
 about five years. In March, 1876, they 
 moved to Sandusky township, near Book- 
 town, at the mouth of Muskallonge 
 creek, upon a farm where the parents 
 lived and died. After settling up his 
 father's estate, our subject, being of a 
 literary turn of mind, sought the halls of 
 learning to qualify himself for an occupa- 
 tion better suited to his tastes. He at- 
 tended school two years at Notre Dame 
 University, South Bend, Ind., devoting 
 the first year to a commercial course, 
 from which he graduated, and received 
 his diploma, and the second year he took 
 a mixed course, scientific and literary, in 
 a line with the study of law. On his re- 
 turn from school he followed the occu- 
 pation of bookkeeping for a year, and 
 then went into a general mercantile busi- 
 ness for himself, in which he continued 
 with good success for ten years, most of 
 the time at Fremont, Ohio. He then 
 sold out and resumed the study of law 
 with the firm of Meek & Dudrow, and, 
 was admitted to the bar on December 8, 
 
COMMEMORATIVB BIOOKAPIIICAL RECORD. 
 
 101 
 
 1892. He now has an office on Croghan 
 street, Fremont, opposite the First 
 National Hank. 
 
 Mr. Kiiullc is a man of large stature, 
 manly form and commanding presence. 
 He possesses great strength and power of 
 endurance, physically and intellectually, 
 which, coupled with his ability to use the 
 German language as fluently as the 
 English, gives him a vast advantage over 
 the ordinary man. He is a Democrat in 
 politics, and, as were his parents before 
 him, he is an ardent Roman Catholic. 
 He is one of the most prominent tnem- 
 bers of Branch No. 290, Catholic Knights 
 of America, also a member of Branch No. 
 8, Catholic Knights of Ohio, of which 
 Branch he is the present president, and is 
 a member of St. Josephs Parish. He 
 has been an officer of trust in these so- 
 cieties during nearly all the time of his 
 membership therein, and has represented 
 them in diftorent state councils. 
 
 Mr. Kindle was married April 28, 
 1884, to Miss Mary Drum, daughter of 
 Jacob and Anna (Durnwald) Drum. Her 
 father was a Union soldier in the late 
 war, and is now a member of Eugene 
 Rawson Post, G. A. R., Fremont, Ohio. 
 The children of Joseph and Mary Kindle 
 are: Frank J., Edward A., Gertrude M., 
 and Laura Ann. 
 
 FRANK E. SEAGER, prosecuting 
 atti>rney for Sandusky county, was 
 born in Ballville township, San- 
 dusky Co.. Ohio, October 17. 
 1861, a son of Charles D. and Caroline 
 (Hoover) Seager, natives of Sandusky 
 county. Charles I). Seager was an only 
 son of Charles L. Seager, a native of New 
 York State, who came west in 1835, was 
 one of the early pioneers of Sandusky 
 county, and died in 1843. Our subject's 
 maternal grandparents. Lawrence Hoover 
 and wife, were natives of Germany, and 
 also came at an early day to Sandusky 
 county; they are both now dead. Our 
 
 subject's parents were married in Ball- 
 ville township, Sandusky county, in 1858. 
 
 Frank E. Seager was reared in the 
 place of his nativity, attended the com- 
 mon schools and the Fremont city 
 schools, later the Normal University, at 
 Ada, Ohio, where he completed the clas- 
 sical course in 1886, and then attended 
 the Northwestern College, at Naperville, 
 III., from which he graduated in 1887. 
 He then began studying law, alternating 
 that with teaching winter schools. He 
 located in Fremont in 1888. and entered 
 the law office of Finefrock iJv: Brinkerhoff, 
 for the purpose of continuing his law 
 studies and engaging in the insurance and 
 loan business. He was admitted to the 
 bar in 1893. and in 1S94 was elected 
 prosecuting attorney, which office he still 
 holds. 
 
 Socially, our subject is a member of 
 Croghan Lodge, No. 77, I. O. O. F. . 
 and Fremont Encampment. No. O4. He 
 is also a member of the Uniformed Rank, 
 Patriarchs Militant, and, of the Masonic 
 Fraternity, a Royal Arch Mason. He is an 
 active member of the Church of the Evan- 
 gelical .Association; was for several years 
 its efficient Sunday-school superintendent; 
 he also superintends a Sunday-school at 
 Ballville village. In politics he has al- 
 ways been a Republican, and takes an 
 interest in local and national affairs. On 
 May 16, 1895. Mr. Seager was married, 
 at New Carlisle, Clark Co., Ohio, to .Miss 
 Marie Gates. 
 
 FRED R. FRONIZER, attorney 
 at law. Fremont, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, was born near Buffalo, N. Y., 
 in 1852, son of Henry and Mary 
 (Young) Fronizer. natives of Germany, 
 who emigrated to New York, where they 
 were married. In 1853 they came to 
 Sandusky county. Ohio, locating in Ball- 
 ville township, where they followed farm- 
 ing. The mother died in 1885. Their 
 children were: Fred R.. our subject; 
 
102 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 John, a carpenter, of Fremont; Simon, a 
 contractor and grocer; Matilda, who died 
 at the age of four; Lana; Susan; Katty, 
 and Joseph. 
 
 Our subject was reared to farm labor, 
 and attended the country schools. At 
 the age of eighteen he entered upon life 
 for himself, attended the Fremont city 
 schools, and taught country schools in 
 the winter seasons to pay his way. Later 
 he went to a Normal school at Fostoria, 
 Ohio, for a few terms, and then taught 
 the Woodville High School two years. In 
 the spring of 1874 he commenced the 
 study of law in the office of J. T. Garver, 
 in the meantime continuing to teach 
 winter schools, and was admitted to the 
 bar in April, 1877. He held the office of 
 justice of the peace in Ballville township 
 six years, and in 1887 was elected to the 
 office of prosecuting attorney for San- 
 dusky county, which he held six years. 
 He was county school examiner from 
 August, 1 88 1, to 1887. Mr. Fronizer is 
 a life-long Democrat, and a member of 
 the M. E. Church of Fremont. Socially, 
 he is a member of Croghan Lodge, No. 
 "/"J, I. O. O. F. He was married, in 
 Sandusky county, to Miss Isabella Boyer, 
 daughter of George Boyer, a pioneer of 
 Washington township, that county, and 
 two children have blessed their union — 
 Irvin F. and Harry L. 
 
 DAVID GORDON. For more than 
 half a century the name of Gor- 
 don has been closely identified 
 with the growth and progress of 
 Ottawa county, and more particularly with 
 Salem township. The family is of Scotch 
 ancestry on the father's side, the mother's 
 people being Yankees. 
 
 The parents and grandparents of our 
 subject were natives of Somerset county, 
 N. J., and the first members of the fam- 
 ily to settle in Ohio were John and Rachel 
 (Smith) Gordon, who removed from Som- 
 erset county, N. J., in 1831, and located 
 
 in Salem township. After residing here 
 some six months they removed to Harris 
 township, where they remained for three 
 years, and returning then to Salem town- 
 ship made it their place of abode during 
 the remainder of their lives. They were 
 honored and respected people, and had a 
 large circle of warm friends. The father 
 passed away November 7, 1851, the 
 mother on March 3, 1842. 
 
 It will thus be seen that the famil}- 
 has been identified with Ottawa county 
 since pioneer days, and David Gordon is 
 now the oldest living resident of Salem 
 township. He is numbered among the 
 prominent and progressive farmers and 
 stock raisers, and has a home pleasantly 
 situated about one mile and a half from 
 Oak Harbor. Born in Somerset county, 
 N. J., March 19, 1827, he came to Salem 
 township with his parents when only four 
 years old, and since 1831 has been a con- 
 tinuous resident of the farm he now owns. 
 The township in those days was an un- 
 broken wilderness, without roads and 
 without schoolhouses, the latter being at 
 that time considered a needless luxury. In 
 consequence David Gordon received very 
 meager privileges for obtaining a literary 
 education. From early life he was ob- 
 liged to engage in the arduous duties of 
 developing a new farm, a work that had 
 to be accomplished with rude machinery, 
 for the wonderful inventions in farm im- 
 plements were then a thing of the future. 
 He perseveringly continued his labors, 
 however, and is still engaged in farming, 
 now on an extensive scale, being number- 
 bered among the most prosperous agricul- 
 turists of his adopted county. 
 
 Mr. Gordon was married, December 
 I, 1 85 I, in Erie township, Ottawa county, 
 to Miss Caroline Redding, who was born 
 in Warren county, N. J., February 9, 
 1827, daughter of David B. and Anna 
 (Engler) Redding, natives of New Jersey, 
 who located in Ottawa county in 1839. 
 Ten children have been born to Mr. and 
 Mrs. Gordon, but the eldest died when 
 
-/^ L^T-'/y^ 
 
 Cr'i ^r' ^S^-^-t 
 
C0MM3M0RATIVE DIOQRAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 108 
 
 only a (ew hours old. The others are 
 John, who was born September lo, 1854, 
 and is now a prominent farmer of ICrio 
 township; Rachel and Cornelius (twins), 
 born February 22, 1S57, of whom Cor- 
 nelius was drowned February 27, 1S59, 
 and Rachel is the wife of \V. A. Kisenhour, 
 who was clerk of Ottawa county, and is 
 now a farmer of Erie township; David and 
 George (twins), born January 9, 1859, 
 the former a resident of Montana, the lat- 
 ter a prominent farmer of Salem town- 
 ship, Ottawa county; Kvaline, born Feb- 
 ruary 3, i860, deceased in infancy; Cath- 
 erine, born July 26, 1862. who died in in- 
 fancy; Marian, born September i 5. 1864, 
 who also died in infancy; and Helen, born 
 May 16, 1865. 
 
 Mr. Gordon is a charter member of 
 Oak Harbor Lodge No. 495, F. & A. M.. 
 and belongs to Fremont Chapter No. 64, 
 R. A. M., and Fremont Council No. 61, 
 K. T. He and his family attend the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, and in poli- 
 tics he is a stanch supporter of the Demo- 
 cratic party. He is numbered among the 
 honored pioneers of Ottawa county, who 
 have witnessed its growth and develop- 
 ment from the days of its infancy, and in 
 the work of progress and advancement he 
 has ever borne his part as a faithful citizen. 
 
 DR. FRANK CREAGER, the well- 
 known dentist of Fremont, San- 
 dusky county, was born July 25, 
 1850, in York township, San- 
 dusky Co.. Ohio, on the farm of David 
 Moore, about four miles southwest of 
 Bellevue, Ohio, son of Jacob and Mar- 
 garet Ann Creager. The parents, who 
 were of 'German descent, came from 
 Hagerstown, Maryland. 
 
 In early life our subject removed 
 with the family to White Pigeon, Mich., 
 and thence to Elkhart county, Indiana, 
 where he was reared on a farm, and 
 where he received a common-school edu- 
 cation. In 1865 he commenced the studv ! 
 7 
 
 of dentistry with Dr. H. H. Boswell, of 
 Rochester, N. Y., and in 1870 accepted 
 a situation as an assistant in the office of 
 Drs. Cummins and Hawk, of Elkhart, 
 Ind., remaining with them three years. 
 To these gentlemen he is indebted for 
 much of his early education in dentistry. 
 In 1873 he located in Fremont, Ohio, 
 for the practice of his profession, soon 
 establishing a large and lucrative busi- 
 ness, and gaining the national reputation 
 he now enjoys. He also enjoys the d s- 
 tinction of having spent more years in 
 active practice than any other dental 
 practitioner in the history of Sandusky 
 county. It is needless, however, to speak 
 of him in a professional light, for his 
 skill as an operator and his mechanical 
 abilities are extensively known. The 
 prominent positions he has occupied in 
 the various dental societies of the country 
 are also matters of history. He has one 
 of the finest dental offices in the State, 
 provided with all the modern improve- 
 ments and appliances known to the pro- 
 fession, many of which are of his own 
 invention. 
 
 On March 11, 1875, Dr. Frank 
 Creager was married to Miss Clara L. 
 Moore, of Hallville, Ohio, daughter of 
 John and Eli/a Moore; the children born 
 to them were Edna, Volta, Grace, Bes- 
 sie and Frankie Bon. The first two died 
 of diphtheria in the latter part of the 
 winter of 1880, Edna dying February 
 19, and Volta on the 29th of the same 
 month, only a difference of ten days 
 in the time of their deaths. When 
 twenty-one years of age Dr. Creager 
 joined the Masonic Fraternity at Bris- 
 tol, Ind., but shortly afterward he 
 took a dimit and united with Brain- 
 ard Lodge No. 336, F. & A. M.. 
 Fremont, and has been an active mem- 
 ber ever since. He is now the master of 
 the Lodge, a position he has held con- 
 tinuously for three terms, and under his 
 guidanceship it has ac<iuire<l an enviable 
 reputation In fni ii i-; conceded to be 
 
104 
 
 COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 one of the best working Lodges in the 
 State. He is also a member of the Grand 
 Council, Royal Arcanum; but the efforts 
 which brought him most prominently be- 
 fore the people were in the interest of 
 the National Union (a similar beneficial 
 organization), and especially the local 
 Council which was named, in honor of his 
 little girl, "Edna." The loss of this 
 child, their first-born, was a severe blow 
 to the parents, and the honor thus be- 
 stowed by his associates in naming the 
 Council after her perhaps made the Doctor 
 take more than the usual interest in its 
 welfare. Edna Council was instituted 
 December 3, 1883, with forty-nine 
 charter members, and Dr. Creager was 
 chosen its first president. The following 
 January he was re-elected, and the of- 
 ficers and members went to work in such 
 an earnest manner that in less than six 
 months the roll was swelled to more than 
 a hundred members, and Dr. Creager's 
 nameappears on nearly all theapplications. 
 At a meeting of the Ohio State As- 
 sembly, which was held in the city of 
 Fremont June 10, 1884, he was chosen 
 Senator for two years, being one of the 
 first Senators elected by the Councils to 
 represent the Order in that Supreme body. 
 The Edna Ritual was exemplified by the 
 Council to the members of the Assembly 
 during their stay in the city, and although 
 in rather a crude state, it was well re- 
 ceived. At the session of the Senate in 
 1884 Dr. Creager was elected speaker, 
 and also a member of the Finance Com- 
 mittee. At the session of 1885, held in 
 the city of Chicago, he was elected vice 
 president, and was also retained on the 
 Finance Committee, of which he was a 
 valuable member. During 1885 he was 
 a member of the Committee on Laws. 
 At the session of the Senate held at Mans- 
 field in 1886, he was chosen president, 
 and on his return home was met at the 
 depot by the council in a body, and es- 
 corted to his residence on Main street, 
 where he was most cordially received by 
 
 his neighbors and the members of his 
 Council. The following year he was 
 unanimously re-elected president of the 
 Senate, and was also made a life member 
 of that Supreme body — one of the highest 
 honors within its gift. In 1888 he re- 
 vised the Ritual originally prepared by 
 him, which has been unanimously en- 
 dorsed by every Council and member of 
 the Order. 
 
 In 1 89 1, during the session of the 
 Senate at Milwaukee, Wis., he presented 
 to the assembly a beautiful and impres- 
 sive Burial Service, in perfect keeping 
 with the tenets of the Order, which has 
 been universally admired. His last and 
 best effort, however, in ritualistic work, 
 was the Public or Private Installation 
 Ceremony written and arranged by him 
 in 1894. It is a scholarly production, 
 and commends itself to nearly all the fra- 
 ternal societies of the country. It can 
 truly be said that Dr. Creager has tried to 
 serve the order faithfully and well — 
 "With malice toward none, with charity 
 for all. " Taking the office at a time when 
 affairs at headquarters were not in the 
 best condition, he has triumphantly come 
 through it all, and to-day the National 
 Union is recognized as one of the leading 
 beneficial societies. 
 
 Dr. Creager is a pleasant and fluent 
 speaker, most of his addresses being in 
 connection with the Grand and Supreme 
 bodies with which he is affiliated. In 
 1895 he entered actively into the cam- 
 paign which terminated in the nomina- 
 tion of Col. Horace S. Buckland as a can- 
 didate for common pleas judge, announc- 
 ing his name to the convention in an elo- 
 quent speech, which was most enthusias- 
 tically received. 
 
 JACOB GABEL. The value of a 
 biographical work, such as the one 
 in which these sketches are found, 
 is readily conceded when one realizes 
 how fast the old landmarks are disappear- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 105 
 
 ing in the onward march of time, and how 
 few are left of that generation of brave 
 pioneers under whose patient strokes the 
 forests gave place to well-tilled fielils with 
 their wealth of golden grain, and these, 
 in their turn, to busy, thriving villages, 
 which anon grew into cities, the smoke of 
 whose countless iniUistries ascend without 
 ceasing, and the names of whose citizens, 
 famous in statesmanship, war or com- 
 merce, have become known throughout 
 the world. 
 
 The men and women who contributed, 
 even in the humblest way, to the planting 
 and growth of this great commonwealth, 
 must feel a laudable pride, when, them- 
 selves in the sere and yellow leaf, they 
 can look back on lives spent in honest 
 industry and patient toil, and see the re- 
 sults in the happy homes and wonderful 
 progress of the State, which has been the 
 birthplace of so many great men, and 
 which holds so enviable a place in the 
 Union. Of the early settlers ot this State, 
 as well as others, many were of German 
 birth, and to no class of people is the 
 country more indebted for its substantial 
 properity. Hardy, industrious and frugal, 
 they were well adapted to confront the 
 obstacles which lay in the path of the 
 pioneer, and to them and their children 
 are due the thanks of those now enjoying 
 the benefits of their labors. 
 
 Jacob Gabel, the subject of this 
 sketch, who is now enjoying at his pleas- 
 ant home in Fremont, Sandusky county, 
 the rest earned by a long life of activity, 
 was born May 4. 1821. in Alsace. Ger- 
 many. His parents. Jacob and liarbara 
 (Lebald) Gabel. who were natives of the 
 same place, sailed for America in 1829. 
 when their little lad was about eight 
 years old. Their first location was at 
 Buffalo. N. Y., where they were engaged 
 in farming for seven years. In 1836 they 
 removed to Ohio, and settle<l in what was 
 known as the Black Swamp, in Jackson 
 township, four miles from Fremont. Their 
 home was a small log cabin, in the midst 
 
 of a dense forest; no roads through the 
 timber, no neighbors, no comforts or con- 
 veniences of any kind, and mud, mud 
 everywhere. Nothing daunted, their busy 
 hands cleared away the trees, tille<l the 
 gnjund, sowed and reaped the abundant 
 harvests and reared the children who 
 came to cheer their loneliness. On this 
 farm, wrested from the wilderness by in- 
 cessant toil, Jacob Gabel, Sr. , lived his 
 long life, dying in 1S72, at the advanced 
 age of eighty-nine years, five months and 
 some days. The mother passed away in 
 1866, at the ripe age of eighty-two years. 
 
 To this worthy couple were born six 
 children — three sons and three daughters 
 — all of whom lived to a goodly age: 
 Joseph, a farmer in I^allville township. 
 Sandusky county, who lived to be eighty- 
 two years old; Michael, who followed 
 farming in Jackson township, and died 
 when si.\ty-two years old; Jacob, our sub- 
 ject; Catharine, who married Louis 
 Schutz, and resided in Ballville township, 
 where she died at the age of si.xty; Eliza- 
 beth, who married George Rimmelspach- 
 er, and Magdalena. wife of Adam Bien- 
 sack. 
 
 Jacob Gabel. the subject of this 
 sketch, grew up on his father's farm, and 
 at the age of twenty-three was married to 
 Miss Magdalena Durr. who was born 
 January 20, 1826, in Wurtemburg, Ger- 
 many, and came to this country when 
 twelve years old. making her home in 
 Ottawa county. Their marriage took place 
 in I-'remont, Nfay 12. 1845. and the 
 young couple took up their abode with the 
 father of our subject, where they resided 
 until the death of the fornier. A large 
 family, eleven children in all. was born 
 to this estimable couple, and on February 
 13. 1876. the beloved wife and mother 
 passed away, leaving behind her a most 
 gracious memory of a loving and well- 
 spent life. The follcwing brief record is 
 given of the children of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Gabel: (1) Catherine, born May 8, 1846, 
 married Joseph Dolweck. and lives in 
 
106 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 'Ottawa county, this State; she is the 
 another of six children — Clara (who mar- 
 ried Fred Bauer; they reside in Cleveland 
 and have one child, Helen), Lena, Jacob, 
 John, Frank and Alpha. (2) Peter, born 
 October 25, 1847, niarried and living in 
 Fremont, has seven children — Rosa, 
 Anna, Katie, Mamie, Alois, Herman and 
 Estella. (3) Caroline, born May 22, 
 1850, married John Busold, and lives in 
 Fremont; they have had four children, 
 of whom the following are living: Rosa, 
 Frances and Lidwina. (4) Jacob, born 
 November 20, 1852, is married, and lives 
 in Jackson township; his children are 
 seven in number: Henry, Ella, Minnie, 
 Edward, Herman, Max and Clara. (5) 
 Mary, born March 3, 1855, married 
 Joseph L. Fegelist, lives in Bellevue, and 
 has three children — Ervin, Leander, and 
 Oliver. (6) Charley, born April 21, 
 1857, lives in Jackson township, and has 
 had four children — Frances, Lucy, Leo, 
 and Hedwig (deceased). (7) Frank, born 
 May 25, 1859, lives in Fremont, and has 
 four children — Lidwina, Alphonse, Oscar 
 and Olive. (8) Louis, born May 28, 1 861, 
 lives in Jackson township, and has four 
 children — Ida, Roman, Cletus and Clem- 
 ent, thelatter two being twins. (9) John 
 S., born June 23, 1864, lives in Jackson 
 township, and has three children — Flo- 
 rine, Walter and Bernard. (10) Albert, 
 born September 29, 1866, lives in Jack- 
 son township, and has one child — Anna. 
 (11) William, born September i, 1870, was 
 educated in the Ohio Normal University, 
 and subsequently clerked in the drug 
 store of Thomas & Grund, in Fremont, 
 after which he accepted the position 
 which he now holds, that of bookkeeper 
 in the First National Bank of Fremont. 
 He is a Democrat, and an active member 
 of the Young Men's Sodality of St. Jo- 
 seph's Church. 
 
 Jacob Gabel, the father of this inter- 
 esting family, has for fifty years been a 
 successful farmer in Jackson township, 
 where he now owns some 600 acres of 
 
 land, accumulated by industr}' and econ- 
 omy. He gives the credit for his success 
 to his noble wife, who, he thinks, was the 
 best woman in the world. After her 
 death he could not bear the loneliness of 
 country life, and came to Fremont, where 
 he resides with his daughter Caroline. 
 Although he has given up the care of his 
 farm to his sons, he frequently goes out 
 to it and looks after his interests there. 
 He also owns a grocery store in Fremont, 
 which is managed by one of his sons. 
 In politics Mr. Gabel is a Democrat, and 
 in religion a devout Catholic. His father 
 was one of the founders of St. Joseph's 
 Church in Fremont. The last years of 
 his life are passing peacefully by in the 
 society of his numerous children and grand- 
 children, with the sustaining thoughts of 
 a life well spent, and the hope of a glori- 
 ous immortality. 
 
 CALEB TAYLOR (deceased) was 
 born in Mar3land, October 20, 
 1800. His parents moved to Vir- 
 ginia when he was a lad of seven 
 years, and after living there two years 
 located in Belmont county, Ohio, where 
 they remained until 1828, in that year 
 moving to Richland county, Ohio, 
 
 In the spring of 1822 Caleb Taylor 
 was united in marriage, in Belmont coun- 
 ty, with Sarah Yost, who was born in 
 that county, October 21, 1802. Her 
 parents were of German ancestry. For 
 nine years, or until 1837, Caleb Taylor 
 worked at his trade of blacksmithing and 
 also at farming, and in that year located 
 in Sandusky county, Ohio, on an eighty- 
 acre tract of timberland, the greater part 
 of which he had cleared by the time of 
 his death. He passed away on January 
 12, 1 87 1, at the age of seventy-one j'ears. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Taylor had eleven 
 children, as follows: John, a carpenter, 
 who married Barbara Shrively, and had 
 six children; Elizabeth, who married Eli 
 Reeves, a retired carpenter of Gibsonburg, 
 
COXUBMORATTVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 107 
 
 Ohio; Lydia, who livos in Oregon, mar- 
 ried to Christian Rhcinhart, by whom 
 she had five children; Ben, who died in 
 1864 in the war of the Rebellion; Will- 
 iam, who died at the age of seventeen; 
 George, who died in Michigan June 12, 
 1893, at the age of sixty years; J. B., a 
 resident of dibsonburg, Sladison town- 
 ship, who married Cynthia Campbell, and 
 has had two children; Enoch, born April 
 I, 1837; Hannah, who married Eli Khein- 
 hart, a farmer of Indiana; Mary J., who 
 married James Wells, a weaver, and lives 
 in Hradncr, Wood Co., Ohio; and Aaron, 
 who died in infancy. Mrs. Taylor is still 
 living, at the advanced age of ninety- 
 two, having her home with her daughter 
 at dibsonburg part of the time, and on 
 the old homestead. She has for the 
 greater part of her life been a devout 
 member of the German Baptist Church. 
 
 Enoch Taylor, a son of Caleb Taylor, 
 always lived at home, excepting the time 
 he was in Steuben county, Ind., where he 
 bought forty acres of land on which he 
 lived two years. On December i, 1864, 
 he was united in marriage with Elizabeth 
 Rheinhart, who was born June 4, 1844, 
 and they have had five children, namely: 
 Martha A., who died young; L. C, a 
 school teacher in Gibsonburg. Madison 
 township, who received most of his school- 
 ing at the district school, attended school 
 one term at Angola, Ind., and one at 
 Fostoria, Ohio (he married Eliza Schnei- 
 der); George W.. born January 29, 1875, 
 who works at home; Mary E., born March 
 31, 1877; and Orphia. born March 28, 
 1883. Mrs. Taylor's parents. Christian 
 and Barbara Raymer* Rheinhart, were 
 natives of Pennsylvania. 
 
 In 1863 Enoch Taylor took his father 
 to a railroad station, and on their return 
 home the team became frightened and ran 
 away, throwing him out and fracturing 
 his right shoulder, which injury has caused 
 him a great deal of inconvenience in later 
 years. In 1876. by a kick from a horse 
 in the forehead, his skull was fractured, 
 
 and he was picked up for dead, but after 
 two months he was able to get around 
 again. Since then his eyesight has been 
 impaired. He has always worked hard 
 from his youth, and since the death of 
 his father has had charge of the old 
 homestead. 
 
 DAVID GARN. Jr. The entrance 
 of the darn families into Wash- 
 ington township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, dates back as early as 1834. 
 They have been widely and favorably 
 known as enterprising farmers and busi- 
 ness men, and the parents of our subject 
 were among the early pioneers of the 
 Black Swamp. 
 
 David Garn, Jr., the subject of this 
 sketch was born June 3, 1846, in Wash- 
 ington township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, a 
 son of David Gam and NIargaret fickes) 
 Garn, the former of whom died in Feb- 
 ruary, 1S48. David Gam's earlier edu- 
 cational advantages were limited, but he 
 afterward attended the high school at 
 Fremont two terms; Normal school at 
 Milan. Ohio, two terms; and business 
 college at Oberlin, Ohio, one term. He 
 was a Union soldier in the war of the 
 Rebellion, having enlisted at Fremont, 
 Ohio, May 2, 1864, in Company G, One 
 Hundred and Sixty-ninth Regiment, O. V. 
 I., and served four months at Fort Ethan 
 Allen, Virginia, where he suffered from 
 sunstroke and camp-fever. On Septem- 
 ber 4, 1864. he was honorably discharged 
 at Cleveland, Ohio. He was a member of 
 Eugene Rawson Post, No. 32, G. A. R., 
 at Fremont. Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 David Garn. Sr. , were born children as 
 follows: Sarah, wife of Daniel Swickard; 
 Daniel, who was a member of Company K, 
 One Hundred and Sixty-ninth O. \. I. 
 (he married Miss Hattie King, and their 
 children are — Ella, Mary, William, .Albert, 
 Edward, Samuel); Mary, wife of Michael 
 Weible, farmer of Sandusky township 
 (they had one child, who with parents are 
 
108 
 
 COMMEMOBATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RE COED. 
 
 all deceased); Isaac, a commission mer- 
 chant, of Vinton, Iowa, born February 
 
 9, 1 84 1, married to T. C. Mitchell, daugh- 
 ter of Jacob Mitchell (Isaac was a mem- 
 ber of Company G, One Hundred and 
 Eleventh O. V. I); Alexander, born July 
 
 10, 1843, was a soldier in the Civil war, 
 in Company I, Seventy-second Regiment 
 O. V. I., and died near Memphis, Tenn. ; 
 David, Jr., is the subject of our sketch. 
 
 David Garn, Jr., was married in San- 
 dusky county, January 20, 1884, to Miss 
 Anna Hoffman, who was born August 10, 
 1864, at Hagerstown, Md., a daughter of 
 Jacob and Johanna (Lesher) Hoffman. 
 Their children are: Firm, born December 
 10, 1884; Ray, born January 3, 1886; 
 David, born June 10, 1887; Leo, born 
 February 6. 1895. Mr. Garn is a mer- 
 chant at Helena, Ohio, and has held the 
 office of notary public and of postmaster 
 since 1885. He previously held the 
 offices of precinct assessor, school direc- 
 tor and clerk of the board of public 
 schools for eleven years. 
 
 WILSON DWIGHT (deceased) 
 was a son of Josiah and Abigail 
 (Fish) Dwight, and was born 
 June I, 1 8 19, upon a farm near 
 Cincinnatus, New York. 
 
 When seventeen years of age he came 
 to Huron county, Ohio, where he rented 
 land and engaged, in his own behalf, in 
 agricultural pursuits. One year later his 
 father's family also came to Huron coun- 
 ty, purchased a farm, and Wilson made 
 his home with them until he had passed 
 his twenty-seventh birthday anniversary, 
 when he wedded Electa Osterhout. To 
 this union came four children, viz. : 
 Charles G. , who died when eight years of 
 age; Jennie M., deceased wife of James 
 Swisher; Emma L. , wife of William Lev- 
 ering, a contractor, of Findlay, Ohio; and 
 Flora Bell, wife of Lester Wilson, an at- 
 torney at law of Fremont, Ohio. 
 
 Shortly after his marriage, Mr. Dwight 
 
 moved to La Grange county, Ind., and 
 purchased a farm upon which he resided 
 for three years, when he sold out and re- 
 turned to Ohio, buying a farm in Groton 
 township, Erie county. Here he made 
 his home until 1873 when he removed to 
 Clyde, Ohio, and purchased a splendid 
 home where his widow now resides. 
 During the twenty-two years of his resi- 
 dence in Clyde, although he lived a quiet 
 life and gave little attention to business 
 other than a general supervision of his 
 farm, he came to be universally known as 
 a man of kind and accommodating dis- 
 position, and the personification of honesty 
 and integrity. He passed away June 6, 
 1895, and was laid to rest in the beauti- 
 ful McPherson cemetery, adjoining the 
 village. 
 
 DAVID R. RUSSELL, who in his 
 lifetime was an honored citizen of 
 Riley township, Sandusky count}", 
 was born November 23, 1855, in 
 Castalia, Erie Co., Ohio, and is a son of 
 Alonzo and Sarah (Baker) Russell, both 
 also natives of Ohio, the father born in 
 Erie county, April 8, 1823, the mother 
 in Castalia, Erie Co., Ohio, March 28, 
 1829. They were married August 28, 
 
 1848, and were the parents of eight chil- 
 dren as follows: Sophronia, born in 
 
 1849, and now living in Erie county, 
 Ohio, was married to James Lemon, who 
 died in 1881; Lafayette born in 1851, 
 married Nettie Lemon, and the}' have 
 two children (they live in Erie county); 
 Mary, born in 1853, married George Rig- 
 gel, and they have had four children 
 (they live in Huron county, Ohio); David 
 R. , is the subject of this sketch; Emma, 
 born in 1857, married Eugene Zabst, and 
 they have one child (they live in Bay 
 City, Mich.); Frank, born in 1859, died 
 at the age of eighteen years; George, born 
 in 1 86 1, married Maud Upton, by whom 
 he has four children (they live in Mis- 
 souri); and Sarah, born in 1863, married 
 
COMMBMORATIi'E BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 100 
 
 Hiram Harris, and has two children (they 
 live in Miclii^^an). 
 
 Aion/o Kussell when a yoiinfj man 
 was employed by the day. After his 
 marriajje he moved to Michigan, bought a 
 farm there, lived on it for two years, and 
 then seilinj^ it removc<l to Erie county, 
 Ohio, where he worked four years for a 
 man by the name of David Richmond. 
 He saved his money and bought fifty 
 acres of land, later purchasinj; sixty-five 
 more. He died February 7, 1874. since 
 when his widow has managed two farms. 
 
 David K. Kussell. the subject proper 
 of these lines, was raisetl by his parents, 
 received a common-school education, and 
 worked at home until his marriajje. On 
 May 2, 1S82, he was wedded to Miss 
 Harriet Livingstine. who was born April 
 8. 1S63. in Sanilusky county, and five 
 children have blessed their union, as fol- 
 lows: Sadie May, born March 7. 1883; 
 Charles David, born February 9, 1883; 
 Rosa Harriet Gertrude, born I'obruary 2, 
 1887; Clara Catherine, born November 
 12. 1 888; and John Robert, born Sep- 
 tember 5. 1891. Of these children. Sadie 
 May died January 17, 1895. aged eleven 
 years, ten months and ten days. The 
 father. David R. Russell, departed this 
 life September 26, 1895. at the age of 
 thirty-nine years, ten months and three 
 days. He died, of enlargement of the 
 spleen, at the home of his sister in West 
 Bay City, Mich., whither he had gone for 
 the benefit of his health, and his remains 
 were brought back to his home by his fath- 
 er-in-law, Charles Livingstine, and were 
 laid to rest in the Scotch cemetery in Riley 
 Riley township. Sandusky county. The 
 services at the funerals of both father and 
 daughter were comlucted by Rev. V. Feifler. 
 in Grace Lutheran Church, at Fremont. 
 
 After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. 
 David R. Russell settled in Riley town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, her father having 
 given her thirty-three acres of land there. 
 In 1884 Mr. Russell bought thirty-five 
 acres adjoining, paying for it at the rate 
 
 of seventy-five dollars per acre. As did 
 his father before him in political matters, 
 he voted the Republican ticket, and he 
 donoted liberally toward the support of 
 the Lutheran Church. 
 
 Gi:ORGE REYNOLDS, a retired 
 farmer of Sandusky county, living 
 in Ballville village, near Fremont, 
 was born March 9, 1S17, in Essex 
 count)', N. Y. , near Eli^abethtown, son 
 of Daniel and Betsey (Adams; Reynolds. 
 Daniel Reynolds was born near Sara- 
 toga Springs, N. Y. In 1834 he migrated 
 to Ohio with his son, George Reynolds, 
 and settled in Lorain county, near Elyria, 
 where he remained for some years. In 
 the latter part of his life he removed to 
 Ballville township, Sandusky county, on 
 land now occupied by his son George, 
 where he died at the age of sixty-six. the 
 mother also passing away at the same 
 age. Mr. Reynolds was a Whig in poli- 
 tics, a descendant of an old Yankee family. 
 There were eleven children born to him 
 and his wife — Lyllis, George, Harry, 
 Melissa, Ransom, Daniel, Rosetta, Phile- 
 mon. Lucinda. Edgar and Rousseau — six 
 of whom are still living. 
 
 George Reynolds spent his youth and 
 attended school in the State of New York. 
 After coming to Ohio, he resided about 
 five years in Elyria, and afterward re- 
 moved to Fremont, settling in Ballville 
 township, where he has resided on the 
 same farm for fifty years. He has a tract 
 of 145 acres of land under a high state of 
 cultivation, lying on the east bank of the 
 Sandusky river. Here, on F'ebruary 6. 
 1844. he married Miss Maria Prior, who 
 was born, November i, 1823, in Sandusky 
 county, on their present farm. A brief 
 record of their children is as follows: ,1) 
 Chauncey. born October 17. 1844. mar- 
 ried Miss Effie Bender, and they have two 
 chiklren - George and Bessie. (2) Cyn- 
 thia, born June 6. 1850, married T. L. 
 Parker, and now resides with her parents 
 
110 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 (they have one child, Effie, who married 
 James Hill, and has a daughter — Delia 
 Irene). (3) Orrin, born May 23, 1855, 
 was an attorney at law, and died at Fre- 
 mont, Ohio, in 1879. (4) Delia, mar- 
 ried R. W. Mitchener, and they have 
 two children — Kent and Robert Don- 
 nell. (5) Ransom, born May 15, 1859, is 
 unmarried, and is living with his parents. 
 All the married children were married on 
 the home farm. Our subject is a Repub- 
 lican in politics, and for about eight years 
 has been a member of the M. E. Church, 
 with which his wife has been united from 
 childhood, she being the oldest living 
 member of that organization in Fremont. 
 Mrs. Reynolds is one of the old pioneers 
 of Sandusky county, and can relate many 
 incidents of early pioneer life. 
 
 HON. SOLOMON W. REED.— 
 Among the men of mark of Ottawa 
 count}, and representative citizens 
 of this section of Ohio, stands the 
 gentleman whose name is here recorded. 
 A native of Sandusky township, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio, born February 9, 1840, 
 he was there educated at the public 
 schools, and also learned the trade of 
 carpenter with his father, who was born 
 about the year 18 10, in Pennsylvania, 
 and died in 1869. The mother of our 
 subject passed away on November 4, 
 1895, s^t the age of seventy-seven years. 
 This honored couple were the parents of 
 fourteen children — seven sons and seven 
 daughters. At the age of twenty-three 
 3'ears our subject moved to Elmore, Ot- 
 tawa county, where he has ever since, 
 now a period of thirt3'-two years, been a 
 highly-esteemed citizen. For one year 
 he was engaged at his trade, and then 
 embarked in lumbering and farming, bus- 
 inesses he still carries on, in connection 
 with which he is also interested in the 
 manufacture of staves and headings. In 
 1870 Mr. Reed appraised the real estate 
 of Harris township to the unqualified sat- 
 
 isfaction of all concerned, thus establish- 
 ing a recognition of his adaptability for 
 positions to which good judgment is an 
 importance essential. In iS92the "oil 
 boom " reached Elmore, and our subject 
 at once embarked in that speculation, and 
 he has since put down fifteen wells, most 
 of which are producing. In 1893 he 
 purchased of Caleb Klink the Elmore 
 Wagon and Carriage Factory, in which 
 he placed the machinery for the manu- 
 facture of heading, staves and lumber, 
 and in his various businesses he now em- 
 ploys an average of some seventy-five 
 hands. In the year just mentioned he 
 was appointed assignee for the Ottawa 
 County Bank, located at Elmore. 
 
 Mr. Reed, in his political proclivities, 
 is an ardent supporter of Democratic 
 principles, and in 1895, justly appreciat- 
 ing his merits and abilities, that party 
 placed him in nomination as representa- 
 tive of Ottawa county for the Ohio State 
 Legislature. On the 5th of November, same 
 year, he was elected by a majority of 374 
 over his opponent, Emery Thierwechter, 
 of Oak Harbor, which in itself is substan- 
 tial enough evidence of his popularity. 
 
 In i860 Hon. S. W. Reed was united 
 in marriage with Miss Emma Hetrick, 
 daughter of George and Catherine Het- 
 rick, and to this union have been born 
 eight children, to wit: Saloma (Mrs. John 
 Reber, of Elmore), William Lester (de- 
 ceased, who for several years prior to his 
 death was engaged with his father in 
 business), EmbroT. (a farmer at Elmore), 
 Franklin M. (in a lumber and stave busi- 
 ness), Ella, Edwin E., Eva and Warrie 
 W. The entire family enjoy the high- 
 est esteem and regard of the community 
 in which they live. 
 
 EMBRA T. REED. Among the 
 younger representatives of the ag- 
 ricultural interests of Ottawa coun- 
 ty is this gentleman, who was 
 born on March 10, 1865, in Washington 
 
COMHEMORATirE BIOORAPnWAL RBCORD. 
 
 Ill 
 
 township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, a son of 
 Solotnon Wilson and Etneline (Hetrick) 
 Reed. The former was born in Wash- 
 ington township about 1840, and his first 
 business venture was the purchase and 
 sale of horses which he secured for the 
 Union army during the war of the Ke- 
 belhon. In i860 he married Miss Het- 
 rick, who was born in the same locality in 
 1 838. and they became the parents of eight 
 children — five sons and three daughters — 
 seven of whom are now living; William 
 Lester died in 1890 from an injury re- 
 ceived several years before. 
 
 The boyhood days of our subject were 
 spent under the parental roof at Elmore, 
 Ohio, and he there obtained his educa- 
 tion. In 1884. at the age of nineteen, he 
 started on a trip through the South and 
 West, first going to Texas, thence to Cali- 
 fornia, where he remained a year, and 
 then on to Montana, returning to his Ohio 
 home by the way of North Dakota. He 
 continued with his father through the 
 winter, and in the succeeding spring went 
 to New Mexico and to Colorado, where 
 for two years he was engaged in silver 
 mining. On the expiration of that period 
 he made his way to Oregon and Washing- 
 ton, remaining in that section of the 
 country for nine months when he again 
 came to Ohio. 
 
 On October 11. 1888. Mr. Reed was 
 joined in wedlock with Miss Julia James. 
 of Elmore, who was born in Harris town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, January 21, 1867. 
 She was educated in the district schools, 
 and until her marriage remained at home 
 with her parents. Her father, Orin James, 
 was born in Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 February 7, 1S32, and came to Ottawa 
 county during his boyhood. He married 
 Miss Mclvina Richards, who was born in 
 Ottawa county in 1830, and died in 1873. 
 Three children grace the union of our 
 subject and his wife: Le Koy Trask, born 
 July 28. i88y; Carl Ue Witt, born De- 
 cember 28, 1892; and Arzella, born Sep- 
 tember 23. 1894. For a year after his 
 
 marriage Mr. Reed lived in Findlay, Ohio, 
 engaged in the cooperage business. He 
 then came to Harris township, Ottawa 
 county, and took charge of one of his 
 father's farms which he is still operating. 
 He is also engaged in raising stock for 
 the local trade, and is doing a good busi- 
 ness. In his political views he is a Repub- 
 lican. He and his wife hold membership 
 with the Disciple Church of Elmore, and 
 are highly-esteemed residents of his lo- 
 cality, having many friends. He has the 
 culture which travel brings, and many in- 
 teresting incidents which he can relate of 
 his journey make him an entertaining com- 
 panion. 
 
 CS. KEATING. Although he has 
 long since passed his allotted 
 three score years and ten, and 
 has now entered his eightieth 
 year, tliis well-beloved old gentleman of 
 Clyde, Sandusky county, is at this writ- 
 ing as erect in figure, as quick in action, 
 as a man of half his years. His eye- 
 sight is keen, and he is yet an active fol- 
 lower of Nimrod and of Walton. Each 
 summer he visits the haunts of noble 
 game, and the favorite nooks of the trout 
 and the muskallonge, while his pleasant 
 home is adorned with numerous and 
 valuable trophies of the chase. In this 
 respect it resembles rather some old ba- 
 ronial hall than a modern dwelling house, 
 and for each trophy Mr. Keating has an 
 interesting storj-. 
 
 He was born in Main April 8, 18 16, 
 son of John and Elizabeth (Mathews) 
 Keating, both also natives of the "Pine 
 Tree State." John Keating was a man 
 of earnest convictions. About 1819 he 
 with his wife and family made the long 
 and tiresome journey by wagon from 
 Maine to Ohio, settling near Zanesville, 
 whore he farmed and followed the trade 
 of millwright. In 1825 he moved to a 
 farm in Clinton township, Seneca county. 
 There was then but one frame house in 
 
112 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Tiffin. He cut a wagon road from Tif- 
 fin to his little log cabin in the woods 
 two and a half miles away, and soon 
 after found employment as a ship carpen- 
 ter at Sandusky, Huron and Fremont, 
 following that trade for ten years or 
 longer. He was also a Baptist minister, 
 and preached the Gospel at frequent in- 
 tervals from a sense of right, and not for 
 emoluments, and each Sunday he made 
 long trips on horseback through the mud 
 and woods to fill these clerical appoint- 
 ments. He had nine children as follows: 
 John M., who died at the old homestead 
 after marriage; Joseph, a boss ship- 
 builder, who married and lived at Toledo, 
 where he was accidentally killed at the 
 age of fifty-six years; Edward and Ed- 
 win, who both died young; Capt. A. C. 
 Keating, of Clyde; C. S., subject of this 
 sketch; Henry A., who lives on the 
 pike below Clyde; George L., residing 
 on the old homestead near Tiffin; Louisa, 
 who married Elias Jackson, and is now a 
 widow, living in Indiana (Mr. Jackson 
 died several years ago); Elizabeth, mar- 
 ried to Charles Sloat, now living in Cali- 
 fornia; and one child who died in infancy. 
 
 C. S. Keating grew to manhood on ; 
 the pioneer farm in Seneca county, re- 
 ceiving a scant education in the log school 
 houses of that age. He paid for one 
 term of instruction by chopping trees, 
 and remembers that one tree which he 
 tackled was too large for him, and he was 
 obliged to call his father's assistance in 
 felling it. He remained on the home 
 farm till twenty-two j'ears of age, then en- 
 tered the shipyard at Marblehead as car- 
 penter; he followed this trade at Lorain, 
 on the Black river, at Vermilion, Huron 
 and Fremont, for about two years. On 
 December i, 1839, he was married to 
 Miss Olive E. Butler, born near Rock- 
 land, Maine, August 29, 1822, a distant 
 relative of Ben. Butler. She is the daugh- 
 ter of Brackett and Nancy (Mathews) 
 Butler, the former of whom was of En- 
 glish ancestry, and by his wife Nancy had 
 
 five children, as follows: Myra, wife of 
 Samuel Russ, of Boston, Mass. ; Lucj', 
 who died at Clyde, the wife of Gilbert 
 Perry; Olive; Marie, wife of Charles Brad- 
 bury; Amanda, now Mrs. Boston, of Bos- 
 ton, Mass. Mrs. Butler died in 1827, 
 and Mr. Butler married again, b}- his sec- 
 ond marriage rearing a family; he died in 
 Indiana. Olive met her future husband 
 while visiting in Ohio. Mr. Keating be- 
 gan housekeeping at Hedges Springs, 
 Seneca county. He lived there six years, 
 and followed his trade of ship carpenter 
 at Fremont as well. He also cleared up 
 some land in Adams township, Seneca 
 county, and farmed there for several 
 years; then bought timber land on the 
 pike below Clyde, paying $14 per acre, 
 and selling it for $80 per acre during the 
 Civil war. At the close of the war he 
 bought another farm. He lived on the 
 place about six 3'ears, then moved to 
 Clyde, where he now resides. To Mr. 
 and Mrs. Keating were born four children, 
 a brief record of whom is as follows: (i) 
 Joseph B., born July 8, 1841, was edu- 
 cated in the Clyde schools and in a Com- 
 mercial College at Cleveland, followed 
 railroading and, subsequently, the jewelry 
 business; he died at Huntington, Ind., 
 February 25, 1889, leaving two children 
 — Laura and Truman. (2) Alice K., the 
 widow of William Weaver, is an in- 
 structor in the public schools at Hunting- 
 ton, Ind. (3) Russ, born October 29, 
 1853, is a traveling salesman at Fond du 
 Lac, Wis , for the Diebold Safe & Lock 
 Co. ; he is married and has one child — 
 Charles. (4) Walter L. , born January 
 17, 1859, engaged in the safe business at 
 La Crosse, Wis., is married and has one 
 child — Florence. Mr. and Mrs. Keating 
 celebrated their golden wedding in 1889. 
 Mrs. Keating is an active member of the 
 Methodist Church, and an earnest worker 
 in the temperance cause. Her father was 
 a Baptist from boyhood, and was a leader 
 in the Church choir, having a cultured 
 voice. 
 
OOMMKMOHATiyE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 118 
 
 Mr. Keating has not yet lost his keen 
 zest f(jr the gun ;ind fishing rod. He at- 
 tributes his well-preserveil eyesight and 
 his unimpaired vitahty, not so much to 
 his hardy physique as to the excellent 
 care he has taken of himself. The tro- 
 phies of his skill which adorn his home 
 recall the lines of Walter Scott, in "The 
 Lady of the Lake:" 
 
 Here jjrins tin- wolf a.s when lie dieil. 
 There haii).;.- the wild cat's brindled hide. 
 And all around, the walls to tfr.ice, 
 Han^ trophies of the fi)fht and chase. 
 
 In the year 1852 Mr. Keating became 
 a I'ree Mason at Clyde, Ohio, joining 
 Monticello Lodge No. 244. In politics 
 he is non-partisan, with a predilection 
 toward the Republican party. Convic- 
 tion and principle dominate his ballot as 
 well as his religion, and his relations to 
 his fellow men. He is a genuine-hearted 
 man, held in highest esteem by all who 
 know him. 
 
 JOHN L. LEV I SEE is one of the 
 comparatively few men born so far 
 back as 1809. He is the oldest man 
 in and one of the earliest pioneers of 
 Tovvnsend township, Sandusky county, 
 having located there on October 29, 1 83 1 . 
 His parents were Aaron and Anna (Lyon) 
 Levisce. 
 
 James Levisee, his paternal grand- 
 father, was born in Connecticut, and went 
 from there to New Jersey. He had two 
 sons: Aaron Levisee, born in New Jersey, 
 July 9, 1774, and John. During their 
 younger days these brothers followeil the 
 sea. While their vessel was lying off the 
 coast of South America, a number of the 
 crew were stricken with yellow fever, in- 
 cluding the brothers, Aaron and John. 
 When they reached New York, John died 
 in the hospital there, but .Aaron survived, 
 although all his hair fell out. leaving him 
 entirely bald. In 1798 Aaron Levisee 
 was united in marriage with Anna Lyon. 
 win, was born in Massachusetts, and their 
 
 children were: Almeda, born August i, 
 1799; .Xvelina, June 21, 1801 ; Thankful. 
 July 15, 180?; Eliza Ann, May 6, 1806; 
 John L. and Sarah L. , July 4. 1809; two 
 who died in infancy; Sophia, born Feb- 
 ruary 14, 1815; Emma, born March 24. 
 1818; and .\arnn Hurton, born .March 18. 
 1821. Of these, the survivors arc: John 
 L. , the subject of this sketch; Emma, 
 widow of William Fuller, of Townsend 
 t<jwnship, Sandusky township; and .\. H. 
 Levisee, of Clyde, Green Creek town- 
 ship, Sandusky county. Aaron Levisee, 
 Sr., died June 18, 1828. in Allen, Alle- 
 gany coimty, N. Y. ; his widow died in 
 1S45. Mrs. Levisee was a daughter of 
 Thomas and Thankful Lyon. 
 
 John L. Levisee was born in Charles- 
 ton, Ontario Co. (since Lima, Livingston 
 Co.), N. Y. , on the east bank of the Gen- 
 esee river, and went with his parents to 
 Allegany county in 182^. .At the age of 
 twenty-two he left his native State to 
 make him a home in the unbroken wil- 
 dernessof northern Ohio. His mother and 
 the other members of the family came in 
 the following year. Of these sturdy pio- 
 neers, it could well be said: "There 
 were giants in those days" — giants in en- 
 durance, strength and courage. Here 
 Mr. Levisee worked for five years, clear- 
 ing and preparing a tract of land. At the 
 end of that time he was united in mar- 
 riage with Diana Stanley, who \sas born 
 in Jefferson county, N. Y., October 25, 
 1810. They have the following named 
 children: Sarah, born May 5, 1838; .Anna, 
 July 28, 1840; Elizabeth, October 27, 
 1842; Eliza, August 18, 1844; Mary Jane. 
 October 23, 1846; Civilia, January 30. 
 1849; David. November 21, 1850; and 
 Chauncey, May 23, 1855. Mrs. Levisee 
 was a ilaughter of .Asa and Anna Stanley, 
 of York township. Sandusky county, and 
 was a member of the Methodist Church; 
 her death occurred July 4, 1835. 
 
 On November 15, 1866, Mr. Levisee 
 again married, taking for his second wife 
 Mrs. Statira E. (Cable; Reynolds, who 
 
114 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL BECOBD. 
 
 was born in Lorain county, Ohio, June 7, 
 1830, a daughter of Shubael and Ehza- 
 beth Reynolds, and thej' had two chil- 
 dren: Francis A., born August 12, 1868, 
 and Willie, born July 12, 1870, and died 
 December 14, 1870. In his younger days 
 Mr. Levisee worked somewhat at the 
 carpenter trade. He lives on the farm, 
 which he cleared over sixty years ago, but 
 retired from the active supervision of the 
 place several years since, and his son 
 Chauncey now has the management. Mr. 
 Levisee is a Republican in politics, and 
 in Church connection is a Universalist. 
 
 FJ. WHITTEMORE, M. D., a 
 prominent and leading physician 
 and surgeon of Clyde, Sandusky 
 county, was born in Massachu- 
 setts, January 15, 1831. In the Willis- 
 ton Seminary of East Hampton, Mass., 
 he was prepared for college, after which 
 he entered the New York University, 
 where his literary education was com- 
 pleted, graduating in the class of 1851. 
 Later he became a student in the med- 
 ical department of the same university, 
 where he received the degree of M. D. 
 In Plymouth, Conn., he began the prac- 
 tice of his chosen profession, and re- 
 mained there for ten years — the follow- 
 ing years in New Haven, Conn., until 
 about four years ago, when he came to 
 Ohio, leaving his son, a skillful physician, 
 in charge of his extensive practice. He 
 belongs to the Allopathic school, and in 
 New Haven did a general practice; but 
 since coming to the Buckeye State has 
 made a specialty of chronic diseases, and 
 his practice has grown so rapidly that he 
 has almost more than he can attend to. 
 He has ever been a close student of his 
 profession, and well deserves the liberal 
 patronage which he receives. 
 
 The Doctor is a son of Amos and 
 Clara (Hamilton) Whittemore, both na- 
 tives of Massachusetts, the former born 
 at Spencer, the latter at Chester. The 
 
 father began business as an agriculturist, 
 but later became connected with railroad 
 work, serving for many years as yard- 
 master. He was of English descent, the 
 great-grandfather of our subject coming 
 from Wales at an early day, locating in 
 New England, where the grandfather was 
 born. The maternal grandfather, John 
 Hamilton, came to the New World from 
 Ireland, and during the Revolutionary 
 war served as lieutenant in the Continen- 
 tal army, which rank he was holding at 
 the time of Burgoyne's surrender. The 
 father of the Doctor was called from this 
 life about 1862, at the age of seventy-six 
 years; the mother passed away at the age 
 of fifty-seven years. They left one son 
 besides our subject — Louis W. , a resident 
 of Hartford, Connecticut. 
 
 At Plymouth, Conn., Dr. Whitte- 
 more was united in marriage with Miss 
 Fallah Terry (now deceased), daughter of 
 Eli Terry, who made the first clock in this 
 country, and was the first large manu- 
 facturer of clocks in the United States. 
 His father, a resident of Windsor, Conn., 
 constructed the first wooden clock. To 
 the Doctor and his wife have been born 
 four children: (i) Dr. Frank H., a gradu- 
 ate of Bellevue Hospital Medical College, 
 New York, who also studied in Europe, 
 and has succeeded to his father's prac- 
 tice in New Haven, Conn. ; he is mar- 
 ried and has one child — E. Reid. (2) 
 William R. , who studied law, but is now 
 traveling. (3) Clara, wife of Rev. E. 
 Oakley, of Romeo, Mich.; they have three 
 children — Frank, Ralph and Roy. (4) 
 Lillie (now deceased), who married Charles 
 L. Knapp, a manufacturer, of New York 
 City; they made their home in Brooklyn. 
 For his second wife Dr. Whittemore wed- 
 ded, in 1887, Miss Alice J. Blackman, of 
 New Haven, Connecticut. 
 
 Although he has but lately come to 
 Sandusky county, Dr. Whittemore has 
 made many warm friends, and has secured 
 a lucrative practice. He uses his right 
 of franchise in support of the Republican 
 
COMMEMOliATlVB BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 115 
 
 party; while in religious faith he belongs 
 to the Congregational Church. He oc- 
 cupies quite a prominent position among 
 the medical fraternity and holds member- 
 ships with the State Medical Association, 
 and also with the Sandusky County Medi- 
 cal Society. 
 
 JAMES RAMAGE, postmaster at Gib- 
 sonburg, Sandusky county, has been 
 a resident of that city for about 
 twenty-two years, and is held in the 
 highest esteem by his fellow citizens. He 
 is now holding the office of postmaster 
 for the second time, having been ap- 
 pointed under Cleveland's first adminis- 
 tration, and again under his present one. 
 Abner Kaniage. the father of our sub- 
 ject, was born in Fayette county, Penn., 
 and came to Ohio, settling in Holmes 
 county in 1823, where he carried on 
 farming. He was born in 1800 and died 
 in 1 86 1. He was married in Holmes 
 county to Mi.ss Susannah Custer, who 
 was born in Leesburg, Penn. , and was 
 a full cousin of Gen. Custer, who was 
 massacred by the Indians on the Little 
 Hig Horn, during the Indian troubles in 
 the West some years ago. Mrs. Ramage 
 was about fifty years old at the time of 
 her death. She was the mother of ten 
 children, of whom our subject is the eld- 
 est, the others in the order of birth be- 
 ing as follows: Mary, who married John 
 Malone, is deceased; Sarah, who married 
 a Mr. Mitchell, is also deceased; John J. 
 lives in Delaware county, this State (he 
 enlisted, at the commencement of the war 
 of the Rebellion, and served all through 
 the struggle, receiving a severe wound in 
 the hip; he went to the front as orderly 
 sergeant, and returned as second lieuten- 
 ant; he was with Sherman on his march 
 to the sea. On his return home he 
 sened two terms as county auditor of 
 Delaware county, Ohio/. Elizabeth died 
 in youth; George is a practicing physician 
 at Jennings, La. (he was an assist- 
 
 ant surgeon through the war); William 
 lives in Memphis. Tenn. ; Delila married 
 M. J. \'anSsvearengen. and lives in Illi- 
 nois; Lydia died when sixteen y^ars old; 
 Hampton lives in Findlay, this State. 
 The Kamagcs are of French descent, 
 and were early pioneers in America. The 
 Custers are of Pennsylvania-Dutch stock. 
 
 James Ramage grew to manhood in 
 Holmes county, this State, in his boyish 
 da_\s attending the common schools which 
 were held in log schoolhouses. with 
 puncheon floors, greased paper for win- 
 dows, and slab seats and desks. He 
 worked on his father's farm until twenty- 
 eight years of age. in the meantime, when 
 twenty-five years old. marrying Miss 
 Christma Mills, who was born in Tu.sca- 
 rawas county, Ohio, in 1831, and died in 
 1886. This worthy couple were the par- 
 ents of nine children, as follows: Eliza- 
 beth, now the widow of S. C. Bevington. 
 and living with our subject (she has two 
 children — Elsie and Floyd); .•Kbner N., 
 who died when seven months old; Joseph, 
 who died when three ^ears old; Ida. de- 
 ceased at the age of two years; Elmer, who 
 died when about ten months old; John, 
 unmarried and living at home; Alice, now 
 the wife of P. A. Rust (they have two 
 children — Florence and Dewitt); Hattie, 
 who died when nineteen years old; and 
 Rena. at home. 
 
 The subject of this sketch learned the 
 carpenter's trade in Holmes county when 
 he was twenty-eight years of age, and 
 followed that occupation until 1 861. He 
 then entered the dry-goods business at 
 Middletown. Holmes county, and carried 
 same on for four years, when he sold out 
 an<i went to Mansfield, this State, work- 
 ing at his trade for about four years. In 
 1873 he came to Gibsonburg, at the time 
 the Pennsylvania railroad was being 
 built, and has worked at his trade most of 
 the time except when acting as postmas- 
 ter. Mr. Ramage has always been a 
 stanch Democrat, and has been active in 
 promoting the interests of his party. In 
 
116 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 religious faith, he has been a member of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church for about 
 thirty years; socially, he belongs to the 
 I. O. O. F. , and is a member of the 
 Masonic lodge, at Genoa. 
 
 FRED CURTISS. The annals of 
 the lives of some men read more 
 like a romance than sober history, 
 on accout of the adventurous turn 
 of their mind, and the circumstances un- 
 der which they have lived, causing them 
 to roam from place to place. Among these 
 is the gentleman whose name introduces 
 this sketch , and who is engaged in the 
 grocery business in Clyde, Sandusky coun- 
 ty. In Green Creek township, that coun- 
 ty, he was born September i6, 1855, and 
 is a son of Charles and R. J. (Hurd) Cur- 
 tiss. 
 
 Tradition has been more often con- 
 sulted and relied upon than recorded 
 facts, and as a consequence the English 
 origin of the Curtiss family — like Homer's 
 birth-place — has many locations. It is 
 believed that our subject is descended 
 from the Curtiss family of Stratford, 
 Conn., who are known to have lived there 
 in 1658, as the record shows, and were de- 
 scended from William Curtiss, the founder 
 of the family in America being one of the 
 passengers on board the ship "Lion," 
 which arrived in Boston harbor, Sunday 
 evening, September 16, 1632. The pa- 
 ternal grandfather of Fred was born in 
 New York State, and came to Ohio at an 
 early day, locating in Sandusky county, 
 where his son Charles was born; but the 
 former, who bore the name of Benjamin 
 Curtiss, died when his son was a mere 
 child. The mother again married, and 
 the son was reared by his uncle, James 
 Cleveland. After his marriage the father 
 of our subject settled on the farm near his 
 uncle, and after clearing up this tract he 
 sold and bought the old homestead in 
 Townsend township, Sandusky county, 
 whese he engaged in farming, but later 
 
 became a merchant of Clyde, and was 
 thus engaged until the time of his disap- 
 pearance. He had been unfortunate in 
 business, and those who knew him best 
 assert that he was swindled by his part- 
 ners. He took the matter deeply to 
 heart, and one day, saying he was going 
 hunting, he started out with his gun and 
 was never heard of afterward. His fate 
 will doubtless always be an unrevealed 
 mystery. This occurred when our sub- 
 ject was only five years old, and his 
 mother was left with five helpless chil- 
 dren and only five dollars of visible means 
 for their support. She was born in San- 
 dusky county, and is still living at the age 
 of sixty-six years. 
 
 The family comprised (i) Benjamin, 
 who, at the age of fourteen years, enlisted 
 in the United States army. His mother 
 afterward secured his release on the 
 grounds of his minority, but as he was 
 anxious to go into the field he re-enlisted 
 for actual service, which he experienced 
 until the close of the war, after which he 
 came home on a visit. He then went to 
 the Pacific coast where he remained 
 twenty-two years, most of the time being 
 in the employ of the government, but for 
 the past few years he has been in the 
 timber business. (2) Frank, who also 
 served in the regular army, subsequently 
 secured a position with the government, 
 hauling supplies to the great Northwest. 
 He became a hunter and trapper of Wash- 
 ington and Idaho, and in the latter State 
 was married, but he now resides in Seneca 
 county, Ohio. (3) Fred is next in order of 
 birth. (4) Mary is the wife of Robert Foster, 
 of Townsend township, Sandusky county. 
 (5) Ada, who lives in London, Ohio, is 
 the wife of George J. Holgate. As the 
 mother was unable to support the family, 
 the boys were obliged to go among strang- 
 ers as soon as they were able to earn their 
 clothes and board, and consequently the 
 early life of Fred Curtiss was not a very 
 pleasant one. At an early age he began 
 peddling fruit on the cars and around the 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 117 
 
 depot, after which he drove milk wagon, 
 ice wapoii and dray, and later became 
 brakenian fur the Lake Shore & Miclii- 
 gan Southern railroad. On quitting that 
 occupation he worketl for one season on 
 the farm of Wiliiain McPherson, a brother 
 of Gen. McFherson, and for a while lived 
 with the General's mother, working during 
 the winter for his board and being allowed 
 to attend school, while during the sum- 
 mer season he was employed in a brick 
 yard. 
 
 On attaining the age of nineteen years, 
 after a series of trials and vicissitudes, 
 Mr. Curtiss determined to act on Horace 
 Greely's advice to "Go West" and grow 
 up with the country- Accompanied by 
 an old friend, he accordingly started for 
 Wisconsin, and on arriving in New Lis- 
 bon, that State, he secured employment 
 in a dry -goods store, where he remained 
 six months. He then went to Minnesota, 
 and thence to Iowa, but found no per- 
 manent employment. At Siou.x City, 
 Iowa, he engaged with the captain of a 
 steamboat to work his passage still 
 farther west. He stood the life of a 
 " roustabout " until he reached I'ort Ran- 
 dall, whence he proceeded to Yankton, 
 S. Uak., and later went to V'ermillion, in 
 the same State. On reaching the latter 
 place he had but twenty-five cents re- 
 maining, and employment was a neces- 
 sity. While looking around, to his great 
 surprise he met Frank Haywood, the 
 friend whom he had left in Wisconsin. 
 Through that gentleman he soon found 
 employment in a brickyard, where he re- 
 mained until securing a better position in 
 a sawmill up the river, where he received 
 $2.00. On leaving that place he went to 
 Nebraska, thence to Missouri, and still 
 later we find him in Kansas, where he 
 went to work as a stock drover, remain- 
 ing there until shipping time in the fall, 
 when he came East with the stock. 
 
 On returning home Mr. Curtiss be- 
 gan work with J. L. Ames, a farmer of 
 Sandusky county, with whom he remained 
 
 for four or five years, after which he be- 
 gan railroading again as brakeman. On 
 giving up his position he was employed by 
 his uncle, T. P. Hurd, of Clyde, until he 
 started in business for himself. He 
 opened his present store in 1886, where 
 he carries a full and complete line of 
 staple and fancy groceries, and has now 
 the largest trade of any dealer of the 
 kinil in the city. 
 
 In 1885 Mr. Curtiss wedded Miss 
 Catherine Mulchy, a native of Sandusky 
 county, where thej- are both widely and 
 favorably known. He holds membership 
 with the Masonic Fraternity, belonging 
 to the Blue Lodge, Clyde, and is also a 
 member of the Knights of Pythias. As a 
 man and citizen he is respected and es- 
 teemed by the community in which he 
 lives, and enjoys the regard and confi- 
 dence of all who know him. He is now 
 serving as director of the First National 
 Bank. Politically he votes with the Dem- 
 ocratic party. 
 
 JACKSON TINNEY (deceased) was 
 born in Niagara county. N. Y. , June 
 15, 1832. and died at Greensburg, 
 Ohio, June 24, 1891. His father, 
 Stephen Tinney, was a native of Massa- 
 chusetts, and his mother, Julia Scott, was 
 born in New York. When Jackson was 
 only one year old his parents moved to 
 Lenawee county, Mich., where they 
 remained six years, thence removing to 
 Ohio, and settling in Scott township, 
 Sandusky county, in the spring of 1839. 
 where the family has since resided. He 
 was the third son in a family of four chil- 
 dren. 
 
 On Jidy 4, 1S63, he was united in 
 marriage with Miss Sarah Inman, daugh- 
 ter of William Inman, one of the pioneer 
 settlors of Scott township; as a result of 
 this union two children have been bom — 
 one son and one daughter. His wife and 
 children survive him. His worth as a citi- 
 zen was appreciated, as is shown by the 
 
118 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 fact that he was several times elected 
 township clerk, while in 1890 he served 
 as appraiser of the real estate of Scott 
 township, to the great satisfaction of the 
 public and with credit to himself. He 
 was a man of honesty and upright char- 
 acter. On the day before his death he 
 worked as usual in the field, but in the 
 evening complained of feeling ill, and took 
 some home remedies, thinking he would 
 feel better in the morning. About mid- 
 night he rapidly grew worse, and died 
 early Wednesday morning of heart di- 
 sease before a physician could be sum- 
 moned. His health failed about one year 
 before his death when he had an attack 
 of the "grip," from which he never re- 
 covered. He died June 24, 1891. His 
 funeral occurred on Friday following his 
 death from the M.,E. Church, of Greens- 
 burg, the services being preached by Rev. 
 S. Kaiser, of Gibsonburg, the text se- 
 lected being Matthew vi: 25. The inter- 
 ment was made in Metzger Cemetery. 
 
 Mrs. Tinney, widow of our subject, 
 was born at Fremont, March 7, 1841. 
 When she was a child her parents came 
 to Scott township, where her father 
 cleared a farm and made a home for him- 
 self and family. For fourteen years he 
 was assessor of Scott township, and was 
 an esteemed citizen of the community in 
 which he lived. Mrs. Tinney was edu- 
 cated in the public schools of Scott town- 
 ship. 
 
 Alfred W. Tinney, the son of Jackson 
 Tinney, was born May 7, 1864, on the 
 farm where he now lives. He was edu- 
 cated in the common schools of the town- 
 ship, in the Fremont High School, and 
 Normal at Ada. For several years he has 
 been one of the most successful teachers 
 of Sandusky county, and is pronounced 
 by those who know him as one of the 
 ablest young men of Scott township. In 
 addition to his school work he carries on 
 the old farm of his father as well as a 
 small farm of his own. He is always 
 found attending to his business, never hav- 
 
 ing any time for the frivolous things of 
 life. Cora, his sister, now Mrs. Kleinhen, 
 was born August 8, 1868, and acquired a 
 common-school education at home. She 
 was married June 2, 1893, to Oscar Klein- 
 hen, and they now live at Tinney; they 
 have one child, Ida Loree, born August, 
 1894. 
 
 CAPTAIN WILLIAM J. LAUNDY, 
 who now lives a quiet and peace- 
 ful life on his well-improved farm 
 near Green Spring, Sandusky 
 county, after a thoroughly successful and 
 prosperous career on the great inland 
 lakes, is by birth an Englishman; but it 
 would be difficult to find in this coun- 
 try a native-born citizen more intensly 
 patriotic than he. His ancestry were 
 liberty-loving people, and Captain Laun- 
 dy reveres the stars and stripes as the 
 only flag to which he now owes any alle- 
 giance. 
 
 He was born in the county of Essex, 
 England, April 26, 1842, and is a son of 
 Henry and Sarah Ann (Fletcher) Laundy, 
 people of Cambridgeshire, England, the 
 former of whom was a gardener for Sir 
 John Young. Grandmother Laundy was 
 a preacher in the Friends Church in Eng- 
 land, and in her old age wrote many 
 letters to her descendants in America. 
 The father of Henry Laundy was a re- 
 ligious refugee in England from Germany. 
 Sarah Ann Fletcher, wife of Henry Laun- 
 dy, was an Episcopalian. When William 
 J. was a small child his parents emigrated 
 to Canada from England in a sailing 
 vessel, the trip consuming eleven weeks. 
 They located on the St. Lawrence river, 
 nine miles below Kingston, thence, in 
 1 86 1, removing to Huron county, Ontario, 
 where they died at the ages of eighty- 
 two and eighty-four respectively, eight 
 days apart. Henry Laundy was an or- 
 thodox Quaker, a strong anti-slavery man, 
 and an active "agent" for the "under- 
 ground railway." 
 
OOMMEHORArtVS BWOIiAPJIWAL llECOHD. 
 
 119 
 
 At the ajje of about twenty William 
 J. crossed the border to the United States 
 (or the express purpose of taking up arms 
 in behalf of its national preservation. 
 He expected to join his brother Fletcher, 
 who was a meniberof an independent com- 
 pany of Illinois cavalry: but before he 
 reached him Fletcher had lost his health 
 in military service, and strongly dissuaded 
 William from enlistinfj. The latter, there- 
 fore, went to Milwaukee, where, in 1S63, 
 he went on the lakes. He commenced 
 as a watchman, and worked up rapidly 
 to the position of master, or captain, in 
 which capacity he plied many years be- 
 tween Huffalo and Chicago, being, all 
 told, some twenty-three years on the 
 lakes. In 1879 he had purchased his 
 present farm, located close to Green 
 Spring, Sandusky county, and when, in 
 1883, he resigned his captaincj", he came 
 to his fertile acres, and has been here 
 ever since. 
 
 In 1872 Capt. Laundy was married to 
 Miss Deborah A. Rouse, who was born 
 in Ottawa county, Ohio, December 20, 
 185 1, youngest daughter of George La- 
 throp and Mary (Knapp) Rouse, both of 
 old New England stock, the former born 
 in New York State September 18, 1809, 
 the latter on September 13, 1818. They 
 were married in Danbury township, Ot- 
 tawa Co., Ohio, .\i>ril 27, 1838, and were 
 early pif)neers of that county. Subse- 
 quently they removed into the village of 
 Marblehead, where Mr. Rouse was for 
 many years engaged in general merchan- 
 dising, and where he to some degree fol- 
 lowed his trade of ship carpenter. He 
 died May 26, 1853, and his widow sub- 
 sequently married Robert Killey; she still 
 lives at Marblehead. George L. and 
 Mary Rouse were the parents of eight 
 children, as follows: Sabra. born Jan- 
 uary 8, 1839, married Dominick Barn- 
 holt/er. and died July 22, 1895; Laura, 
 born .August 3, 1S41, wife of John Bos- 
 chen; Lucretia, born Januar)- 10, 1843, 
 married James Fletcher, and died De- 
 
 cember II, 1856; Betsy, born September 
 24, 1844, married T. Sexton, and died 
 March 20, 1864; George Lathrop, born 
 June 17, 1846, lives near Grand Island, 
 Neb.; Ida, born April 24, 1848, died un- 
 married. May 26, 1894; Joseph, born 
 July 30, 1850, died February 24, 1864; 
 and Deborah. Robert and Mary Killey 
 had three children, of whom Frances, 
 born December 15, 1S55, and now the 
 wife of Frederick Daily, survives. 
 
 To William J. and Deborah Laundy 
 three children were born, their names and 
 dates of birth being as follows: Fannie, 
 September 13, 1882; Mary, August i, 
 1888; Luff, August 19, 1893. Capt. 
 Laundy is a man of extensive information 
 and broad and liberal views. He has 
 been a great traveler, and his wide ex- 
 perience in life has left upon his receptive 
 mind deep impressions, thoroughly as- 
 similated by his reflective faculties. His 
 wife is a bright, sensible business woman, 
 and the devoted couple have the universal 
 esteem of the community in which they 
 live. 
 
 WILLIAM J. HAVENS. As a 
 pioneer of the Black Swamp, a 
 region lying between the San- 
 dusky and Maumee rivers, ex- 
 tending several miles on each side of a 
 line drawn from Fremont to Perrysburg, 
 and as one who has spent the greater part 
 of a busy life in helping to subdue the 
 dense forests, reclaim the marshes and 
 change the once howling, malarial wilder- 
 ness into one of the choicest and healthi- 
 est garden spots of the Buckeye State, 
 the subject of our sketch is well worthy 
 of place in these pages. Having his resi- 
 dence on the old parental homestead 
 which he has so grandly improved and 
 beautified, he is able to appreciate the 
 marvelous changes which have taken 
 place in this region within the last half 
 centur)", and is worthy of the modest 
 laurels of pioneer heroes. 
 
120 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject was 
 WilHam Havens, a farmer, hving in the 
 State of New Jersey, who married a Miss 
 Mackley, and about the year 1815 re- 
 moved with his family of eight children 
 to Franklin county, Ohio, and settled on 
 Black Lick creek, about twelve miles 
 east of Columbus. Here, after experi- 
 encing the usual vicissitudes of pioneer 
 life, he died in 1820; his wife passed 
 away twenty years later. Their children 
 were Mary, Thomas, Susan, John, Sarah, 
 Henry, Martha and William, all now 
 dead e.xcept William, who is eighty-one 
 years of age. 
 
 Henry Havens, the father of our sub- 
 ject, was born in New Jersey, in 1809, 
 and at the age of six years came with 
 his father's family to Ohio. He grew 
 up on the home farm in Franklin coun- 
 ty, his educational advantages being 
 very limited. In the fall of 1 831, having 
 saved up his hard-earned money, he came 
 to Sandusky county and entered 160 acres 
 of government land in Section 10, Jack- 
 son township, at $1.25 per acre. He 
 was married the same year to Miss Sarah 
 lams (daughter of Hugh lams, who died 
 in 1837), and on March 10, 1832, moved 
 upon his farm in the Black Swamp. The 
 moving party were ten days on the way 
 through the forests, being obliged to cut 
 out their way as they went among logs 
 and underbrush. They built a double 
 log cabin in which they lived comfortably 
 for twelve years, when they built a frame 
 residence, and herein he resided until 
 within one year of his death, which oc- 
 curred in 1853, when he was aged forty- 
 four years; his wife died in 185 i, at the 
 age of thirty-eight. Their children were 
 William J., Hugh, Birchard, Mahala, 
 Ora and Mary J. Henry Havens was a 
 highly-respected citizen, and held the 
 office of justice of the peace in his town- 
 ship for a term of years. He was one 
 of the jurors in the first murder trial ever 
 held in Lower Sandusky, known as the 
 Sperry case. 
 
 William J. Havens was born Decem- 
 ber 13, 1833, in Jackson township. He 
 received only a common-school education, 
 but by reading and observation he has 
 developed a broad and liberal intelligence. 
 For many years he has been engaged in 
 mixed farming, the raising of grain and 
 live stock of superior quality, and at one 
 time was the owner of over five hundred 
 acres of land, only two hundred acres of 
 which he now retains, having divided the 
 remainder among his sons. He has given 
 special attention to the breeding and fat- 
 tening of fine hogs, while his farm is a 
 model one in point of culture. Mr. 
 Havens is a public-spirited citizen, and 
 has held various offices of honor and trust 
 in his community, such as land appraiser, 
 town clerk, treasurer, trustee, and mem- 
 ber of the board of education. In 1S63 
 he enlisted in Company B, Fiftieth Regi- 
 ment, Ohio Home Guards, became first 
 lieutenant of his company, and in the fall 
 of that year assisted in the guarding of 
 Johnson's Island, in Sandusky Bay, where 
 Rebel officers were confined as prisoners 
 of war. In the spring of 1864, when 
 Abraham Lincoln called on Ohio for 
 troops, and Gov. Brough responded with 
 40,000 Home Guards, Mr. Havens went 
 with his regiment to Cleveland, Ohio, 
 where, after consolidation with other 
 companies, they were mustered into the 
 United States service, and he took his 
 place as first lieutenant of Company H, 
 One Hundred and Sixty-ninth O. V. I. 
 They were sent to the defense of Wash- 
 ington, D. C. , and were also located four 
 months at Fort Ethan Allen, Va., where 
 Mr. Havens was taken down with malar- 
 ial fever, which impaired his health and 
 rendered him unfit for service. After 
 returning with his regiment he resumed 
 farming. Mr. Havens is a member of 
 the Sandusky County Pioneer and Histor- 
 ical Society, of Manville Moore Post, G. 
 A. R., Fremont, and of the One Hundred 
 and Sixty-ninth O. V. I. Regimental As- 
 sociation. He is a Republican in politics. 
 
COltMEMORATlVE BIOORAPBJCAL RECORD. 
 
 i2r 
 
 and in religious affiliation is a member of 
 the U. B. Church, with which he and his 
 wife united in 18O8. 
 
 On October i, 1852. William J. Hav- 
 ens married Miss Ann M. Padcn. daufjhter 
 of Alexander and Maria ReMisbur;;) Paden, 
 who migrated from Maryland, where 
 they were both born, the father in Hagers- 
 town, the mother in Middletown. The 
 children born to this union were George 
 W. , who married Marcella Swickard, and 
 has two children — Frank and Dora; Ann 
 Rebecca, who married Jerome N'oorhies, 
 and haii two children — Stella who dietl 
 at the age of seven years) and Lula; John 
 F.. who married for his first wife Ann 
 Fry (by whom he had one child, Ida), 
 and after her death weddeti Miss Fanny 
 Winters, by whom he had four children; 
 Charles, who married Miss Celiette War- 
 ner, and has two children, Milo and Rus- 
 sell; Frank, who married Avikia Winters, 
 and whose children are Flavel. Robert, 
 Essie, Ray. and one son unnamed; James, 
 who died in Denver. Col., at the age of 
 twenty years; two children who died in 
 infancy; Emma Jane, who married C. C. 
 Ritter. and has one child, \irgil; Orrviile. 
 who married Miss Cora Fought, daughter 
 of William Fought, of dibsonburg, Ohio, 
 and whose children are Chattie and Orlie. 
 
 SOLOMON S. WRIGHT, an hon- 
 ored pioneer of Scott township. 
 Sandusky county, was born in St. 
 Lawrence county. N. Y.. August 
 35. 1816, and died in Helena, Sandusky 
 county. Ohio. June 5, 1892. 
 
 He came to Ohio with his parents in 
 1835, settling in Scott township, whore 
 he resided until 1877, when he purchaseil 
 a store in the village of Millersville. Mr. 
 Wright, like his brother, settli-d in Scott 
 township when it was comparatively a 
 wilderness, and lived, not only to see it 
 one of the best agricultural townships in 
 Sandusky county, but helped to make it 
 such, clearing and making for himself a 
 
 good home, and an excellent start in life 
 for his children. In 1856 he was married 
 I to Miss Louesa Brownell. formerly of 
 Rhode Island. Mr. Wright began his 
 career as a merchant in the little village 
 of Greensburgh (Tinney), in 1856. and 
 the firm of S. S. Wright & Brother was 
 well and favorably known throughout 
 Sandusky and adjoining counties as one 
 of the most substantial county general 
 merchants in that part of the State. Mr. 
 Wright was a man noted for his integrity 
 and uprightness of character. He left a 
 wife and two sons. His funeral services 
 were held at his residence at Helena. 
 June 7, 1892. the sermon being preached 
 by Rev. Schumaker. of Tiffin, and the in- 
 terment was made in Mctzgcr Cemetery. 
 His wife. Louesa Brownell. was born 
 October 12. 1837. in Rhode Island, and 
 now makes her home near Fremont. 
 Her father. Horace Brownell. was a na- 
 tive of Rhode Island, born in 181 1. In 
 1S30 he came to Ohio, bought a farm in 
 Scott township, where he died June 10, 
 1869. He was one of the pioneers of 
 Scott township, making for himself and 
 family a comfortable home from the 
 wilderness where he first located. His 
 wife was born in Rhode Island in 1813, 
 and died at Gibsonburg. in February. 
 1887. She was the daughter of Amasa 
 and Debora (Ross) Harris, who were the 
 parents of four children: Elias; Louesa. 
 born October 12. 1837; Julia, born May 
 15, 1842; and Mary, born October 12. 
 1844. Louesa Brownell s ^^!rs. Wright 
 paternal grandfather. George Brownell. 
 was born alxiut 1786; his wife. Mary 
 Bussey, was born about 1790. They 
 had one child. Horace Brownell. Mrs. 
 Wright's maternal grandmother. Debora 
 Ross, was born about 1773. and was the 
 mother of a large family. 
 
 The children born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Solomon S. Wright are as follows: Silas 
 E.. born January 22. 1857. completed 
 his education in Fostoria Normal School, 
 and has been associated with his father 
 
122 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BTOGBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in business at Millersviile; on December 
 21, 1885, he was married to Anna Schu- 
 maker, of Toledo; about 1S88 they left 
 Millersviile and located on the farm where 
 he now lives, and where he has erected a 
 good house and outbuildings. Mr. Wright 
 is a member of the I. O. O. F. , and politic- 
 ally is a Democrat. To them have been 
 born two children — Inez, born October 
 18, 1886, and Martin, born January 9, 
 1890. Mrs. Wright was born December 
 3, 1864, in Toledo, where she was edu- 
 cated, after which she learned dressmak- 
 ing, which she followed until her marriage. 
 She is the daughter of John C. and Mary 
 Schumaker. Her father was born, Au- 
 gust II, 1829, in Hanover, Germany; 
 his wife was also born in the same place 
 in 1833; they were married April i, 1853, 
 and had a family of six children. Mrs. 
 Wright's paternal grandfather was born 
 in Germany in 18 14, as was also his wife, 
 ^bout the same year. 
 
 W. R. Wright, the other son of S. 
 S. Wright, was born January 19, 1864, in 
 Scott township, where he received his edu- 
 cation, and at nineteen years of age went 
 into the livery business at Gibsonburg, 
 after one year transferred his business to 
 Millersviile, where he remained three 
 years. He then sold out and settled on 
 the farm where he now lives at Tinney. 
 In 1889 he married Miss Louisa Snear- 
 ing, of Fremont, who was born March 
 2, 1865, in Sandnsky county; she was 
 educated in Fremont, and afterward made 
 a specialty of music under Prof. Dickin- 
 son. For five terms Mrs. Wright was a 
 teacher in the public schools of Sandusky 
 county. Her father, Sophferia Snearing, 
 was a fine linguist, writing and speaking 
 fluently three different languages. He 
 was born in France about 1830. In 1856 
 he was married to Mrs. Nancy Miner, /u'e 
 Nancy Stull, who was born in Reading, 
 Penn., in 1829. Four children were born 
 to them. Mrs. Snearing's parents were 
 born in Germany, and moved to this 
 country in 1827. 
 
 GEORGE D. CLEVELAND, 
 though still in the prime of life, 
 has witnessed a wonderful trans- 
 formation in the land about 
 Clyde, Sandusk}' county, in the village 
 itself, and in the conditions under which 
 the people here live. 
 
 He is the son of honored pioneers, 
 James and Jeannette (Rathbun) Cleve- 
 land, and was born in Green Creek town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio, September 9, 
 1838. In his youth Clyde was known as 
 Hamer's Corners, and only a few build- 
 ings were then grouped here. The old 
 stage-coach lumbered lazily through the 
 straggling village, stopping at the inn for 
 refreshments, while the passengers dream- 
 ed about the time when they might hope 
 to reach their destination. There were 
 then no railroads. ' The inhabitants had 
 not the thrifty and bustling metropolitan 
 airs of the present citizens, but the trans- 
 position has been made, swift, it seems, 
 as the shifting panorama. To one who 
 has seen it all, as has George D. Cleve- 
 land, the change has been almost magical. 
 Clark Cleveland, Sr. , his grandfather, 
 migrated with his wife, Jemima (Butler), 
 and family early in the century, from Mount 
 Morris, Livingston Co., N. Y. , to northern 
 Ohio. He first settled in the forests of 
 Huron county, and had made improve- 
 ments, when he learned that his title to 
 the land was not good. He then packed 
 up his few household effects, and pene- 
 trated deeper into the western wilderness, 
 entering eighty acres of government land 
 in Green Creek township, and there 
 building his second pioneer cabin some 
 time prior to 1822. Here he remained 
 until his death, which occurred in 1S31, 
 in his seventy-first year. The children 
 of Clark and Jemima Cleveland were as 
 follows: Abigail, who married Oliver Hay- 
 den; Cozia, who married William Hamer; 
 Moses; Sally, whose first husband was 
 Benjamin Curtis, her second, AlpheusMc- 
 Intyre; Clark, Jr., who married Eliza 
 Grover, and left six children; Polly, who 
 
co.v.vE.voiiATrrf: BiooR.ipnrcAL record. 
 
 123 
 
 married Timothy Babcock; Betsy, who 
 married Samuel Baker, and James. James 
 Cleveland was born at Mount Morris, X. V. , 
 March 14, 1S06, and migrated with his 
 father to the pioneer home in northern 
 Ohio. He remained with his father until 
 his marriafje. March 3, 1S31, to Jeannette 
 Kathbun, who was born in (icnesee coun- 
 ty, N. v.. May 9, 181 5, daughter of Chap- 
 lin and Lucinda (Sutliff) Kathbun, pio- 
 neers of Green Creek township, Sand.usky 
 county. At the time of his marriage 
 James Cleveland had saved money enough 
 to buy forty acres of land in Green Creek 
 township, a part of the old Sawyer farm. 
 For five years he was clearing and culti- 
 vating the land. Then during one winter 
 he rented, with his father-in-law, a saw 
 and grist mill on Green Creek, several 
 miles from the farm. He supported his 
 family, and accumulated enough lumber 
 to build a barn on his farm, and in the 
 spring he returned to his farming opera- 
 tions, and purchased some additional land. 
 In 1S41 he took a contract to grade 
 a half mile of the ^faumee and Western 
 Reserve turnpike. He moved his family 
 near the scene of the operations, and 
 upon its completion five months later re- 
 turned to the farm richer by $600, paid 
 in "State scrip." A part of this he 
 traded for building hardware, and erected 
 a large frame dwelling in 1845. Mean- 
 while he kept adding more acres to his 
 now quite extensive farm. He was a 
 sagacious, tireless, thrifty pioneer, and at 
 the time of his death, which occurred 
 September 1, 1878, he owned nearly 
 4(X> acres of land, containing some of the 
 best and most extensive improvements 
 His wife, who survived 
 1891, was a woman of 
 and was in every sense 
 ambitions and plans for 
 She ably seconded his 
 efforts to secure a competence that might 
 support them in their declining years. In 
 physique somewhat below the medium 
 size, scarcely weighing 1 20 pounds in her 
 
 in the county, 
 until August 8. 
 unusual energ)'. 
 worthy of his 
 advancement. 
 
 ' best days, she left nothing undone to ad- 
 vance the interests of her family. When 
 her husband was clearing up the farm 
 she hauled the rails which he split 
 
 ! and made the fences with. Once, when 
 help was scarce, she fastened her child 
 
 I to her back by a shawl, and. thus burden- 
 ed, she planted and hoed corn in the 
 field. Her first calico dress she earned 
 by picking ten quarts of wild straw- 
 berries, and walking to Lower Sandusky, 
 where she traded them at a shilling a 
 quart for five yards af calico worth two 
 shillings a yard. Few pioneer families 
 in Sandusky county have left a worthier 
 record than that of the Clevelands. Ten 
 children were born to James and Jeanette 
 Cleveland, as follows: James, born De- 
 cember 3, 1 83 1, who reared a family and 
 died in 1890, a farmer of Green Creek 
 township; Eliza, born November 29, 
 1833, married A. J. Harris, of Clyde, 
 and died in 1861, leaving two children; 
 Clark R., of Green Creek township, born 
 April I. 1836; George D.. of Green 
 Creek township, born September 9, 1838; 
 Lucinda, born May 29, 1841, married 
 Horace Taylor; Chaplin S., born July 
 28, 1844. a resident of Green Creek 
 township; John H., born November 21, 
 1847. died October 28, 1879. leaving one 
 daughter; Sarah, born September 22, 
 1 85 I. married Charles Sackrider. and now 
 living on the old homestead; Mary, born 
 February 25, 1854, married George Cros- 
 
 ! by, of Clyde; Charles, born December 
 30, 1857, died December 14, 1879. 
 
 George D. Cleveland grew to man- 
 hood on his father's farm near Clyde, and 
 attended the schools in that village. He 
 was married in 1864 to Miss Rosa Metz. 
 who was born in Seneca county, near 
 Green Spring, in 1842. She died in 
 1880, leaving three children: Clark. Min- 
 nie and Olivia; Bertie died aged thirteen 
 months. The second and present wife 
 of Mr. Cleveland was Miss Mattie Stroup, 
 who was born April 30. i860, in Craw- 
 ford county, where she was raised. She 
 
124 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPMWAL RECORD. 
 
 was married June 29, 1882, to George 
 D. Cleveland. After living a few years 
 •elsewhere Mr. Cleveland settled on his 
 father's old homestead. He has been 
 buying out the heirs, and now owns 135 
 acres located just outside the corporation 
 limits of Clyde. He is engaged in gen- 
 eral farming and stock-raising, and in later 
 years he has also devoted considerable 
 attention to fruit. He has built an excel- 
 lent barn, and his improvements are 
 among the best in the township. In 
 politics Mr. Cleveland is a Democrat, and 
 as a thrifty progressive citizen he has few 
 equals. 
 
 JOHN FRABISH (deceased) belonged 
 to that class of valued and progres- 
 sive citizens to whom any commu- 
 nity owes its advancement and pros- 
 perity, and his death was a loss to the 
 entire county. He was born in Saxony, 
 Germany, August 16, 18 14, and was a 
 son of Godlup Frabish, a farmer of Sax- 
 ony. He acquired his education in his 
 native town, and then began learning the 
 shoemaker's trade. In 1838 he crossed 
 the Atlantic to America, locating in 
 Wheeling, W. Va., where he followed 
 shoemaking for a short time, later com- 
 ing to Ohio, where he engaged in the 
 same pursuit in Fremont. 
 
 In 1852 Mr. Frabish became a resi- 
 dent of Woodville township, Sandusky 
 county, where he purchased one hundred 
 acres of land covered with timber. There 
 were no roads in the localit}', and only 
 two other settlers in the neighborhood. 
 In true pioneer style he began life upon 
 this place, building a log cabin and con- 
 tinuing the work of cultivation and im- 
 provement. His task was a hard one, for 
 his farm implements were crude; but un- 
 daunted he continued his labors, cutting 
 down the trees, removing the stumps and 
 planting crops which soon yielded to him 
 good harvests. He had to cut his grain 
 with a sickle and thresh it with a flail, 
 
 for the improved machinery of to-da}' was 
 then unknown. He hauled his products 
 to the mill at Green Springs with ox- 
 teams, a distance of twenty-four miles, 
 and there had it ground into flour that 
 the family might have bread. He had to 
 go to Fremont to market, and went 
 through all the experiences and hardships 
 of pioneer life; but time and his arduous 
 labor brought a change, and a substantial 
 frame residence took the place of the 
 rude cabin, a fine orchard supplanted the 
 wild forest trees, ditches for drainage 
 were dug, barns and out-houses were 
 built, and all the improx'ements and ac- 
 cessories of a model farm were added. 
 Around the home is a well-kept lawn, and 
 in front is an ornamental hedge fence, 
 making the Frabish farm one of the fin- 
 est in the township. 
 
 Mr. Frabish was married in Fremont, 
 Ohio, in 1842, to Mrs. Rosenia (Walters) 
 Bowers, a sister of Lewis Walters, and 
 widow of John Bowers. For more than 
 a quarter of a century this happy couple 
 lived together in their cabin home, shar- 
 ing in the trials of pioneer life, the wife 
 encouraging and aiding her husband in all 
 possible ways. She died in 1869, and in 
 1870 Mr. Frabish married Mrs. Hester 
 (Mohler) Tucker, widow of Thomas 
 Tucker, who was a native of New York, 
 and a farmer by occupation. Removing 
 to Ohio, he (Mr. Tucker) followed the 
 same pursuit in Madison township, San- 
 dusky county. He was married in Fre- 
 mont in 1856 to Hester Mohler, and they 
 became the parents of four children — Nel- 
 son Tucker, a farmer of Woodville town- 
 ship, Sandusky county; Addie, wife of 
 Reuben Clink; Sebastian, who died in 
 childhood, and Franklin, who died in in- 
 fancy. Mrs. Frabish was born in Basel, 
 Switzerland, in 1833, and came to this 
 country in 1847. 
 
 Mr. Frabish was a well-known and 
 highly-esleemed citizen, and for a num- 
 ber of years held the office of township 
 supervisor, being elected on the Repub- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOIiAPHJCAL RECORD. 
 
 125 
 
 lican ticket. He was also a director of 
 schools for a number of years, taking a 
 deep interest in the cause of education. 
 He was unfaltering in his support of the 
 Republican party. and in his religious views 
 was a German Methodist. His life was 
 that of an upright and just man, whose 
 kindness and generosity were manifest 
 toward all. He was a loving husband 
 and good neighbor, his genial disposition 
 winning for him many friends, and mak- 
 ing him very popular with all classes of 
 people. His integrity and honor were 
 above question, and his fidelity to the 
 best interests of his adopted county was 
 shown in his devotion to everything cal- 
 culated to prove of public benefit — in- 
 deed, this Biographical Record would be 
 incomplete without a sketch of his life. He 
 passed away in 1892 at the advanced age 
 of seventy-seven years, five iiK^nths, twelve 
 days, mourned by all who knew him. Mrs. 
 Frabish. a most estimable lady, still re- 
 sides on the homestead, which is now 
 operated bv her son. Nelson Tucker, who 
 was married, in 1882, to Miss Emma 
 Rearick, oT Woodville, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio, and resides with his mother. She 
 is now surrounded with the comforts of 
 life, and enjoys the esteem of a large cir- 
 cle of friends. 
 
 JAMES CAMPBELL. One does not 
 have to be very old to recall the 
 time when the greater part of the 
 magnificent State of Ohio was a 
 "howling wilderness," nor even to have 
 been a participant in the work of the pio- 
 neer settlers, clearing away the mighty 
 forests, cultivating the virgin soil, building 
 roads and bridges, and subduing Nature 
 until she became the obedient servant of 
 her masters. Then, as the years rolled 
 by, these same pioneers have seen the re- 
 sults of their labors in busy hamlets, towns 
 and cities, in schoolhouses and churches, 
 and, best of all, in their children grown 
 to be strong and noble men and women. 
 
 who take their places among the wisest 
 and best of the land. Happy the people 
 who have watched the steady progress of 
 the glorious Buckeye State in her march 
 to prosperity and honor. 
 
 Among the early settlers of Sandusky 
 county were the parents of our subject, 
 James and Nancy (Mickminj Campbell, 
 who came hither December 2, 1835, from 
 Beaver county, Penn., and settled on 
 eighty acres of land in Madison township. 
 The father was born March 17, 1796, in 
 Beaver county, Penn, of Scotch and Irish 
 descent, his paternal grandparents being 
 natives of Ireland, those on his mothers 
 side coming from Scotland. The mother 
 was born in 1794, in Pennsylvania, and 
 died in November, 1878, in Sandusky 
 county. When this worthy couple came 
 west and took up their abode in Sandusky 
 county, they settled in the midst of a 
 forest. With the assistance of their 
 .'turdy boys a space was soon cleared, a 
 log cabin erected, and the almost inces- 
 sant stroke of the a.\es told daily of fallen 
 trees, whose space was speedily converted 
 into fruitful fields, smiling with golden 
 harAests. On this land, wrested from the 
 wilderness, the brave pioneer passed the 
 remainder of his peaceful life, closing his 
 eyes in death March 17, 1861, at the age 
 of seventy-three years. His wife survived 
 until November 20. 1878. 
 
 .\ family of nine children composed 
 the parental household, of which our sub- 
 ject was the youngest. The others in 
 order of birth were as follows: Robert, 
 born June 19, 1823, lives in Madison 
 township, where he carries on farming; 
 Elisan, born July 17, 1825, died May 10, 
 1848; Mary, born March 15, 1827, is the 
 wife of .Adam Ickes, a farmer in Steuben 
 county, Ind. ; Daniel, born September 16, 
 1828, lives in Indiana; Louise Jane, born 
 April 3, 1830, died August 8, 1832; 
 Beisilvc born December 19, 1831, died 
 July 16, 1862; George, born December 
 1 1, 1833, is a farmer of Madison township; 
 Sinthiann, born September 8, 1836, is 
 
126 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 the wife of Jonathan Taylor, and lives in 
 Madison township. 
 
 James Campbell, the subject of this 
 sketch, was born in Madison township, 
 August 1 6, 1839, on the home farm one 
 half mile from Gibsonburg. His early 
 days were spent in the hard work which 
 falls to the lot of a pioneer's son, and he 
 chopped timber and cleared away brush 
 with his father and brothers, the only 
 break in the steady labor being the few 
 weeks in the depth of winter, when he 
 attended the primitive schools of those 
 days and gained what meager stock of in- 
 formation could be imparted in that short 
 space of time. He grew up, however, to 
 be a strong and sturdy young man, and 
 in 1862, at the age of twenty-three, fired 
 with the patriotism which is inborn in a 
 native American, he laid aside his axe 
 and plough and donned the Union blue, 
 enlisting in Company H, One Hundred 
 and Sixty-ninth Regiment O. N. G. 
 They were sent to Virginia to guard the 
 Capital from the advancing Rebel army, 
 and were on duty for i i 5 daj's. He then 
 returned to the farm and resumed his 
 peaceful occupations. 
 
 On April 11, 1878, Mr. Campbell was 
 married to Miss Caroline Zorn, daughter 
 of Christian and Catherine (Snyder) Zorn, 
 her parents being natives of Germany. 
 Mrs. Campbell is the eldest of four chil- 
 dren, viz.: Caspar, unmarried and living 
 in Deuel county. Neb. ; Philip, who lives 
 in the same county, married Miss Santa 
 Hartman, and has one child; Mary, who 
 is the wife of John Blausley, also living in 
 Deuel county, Neb., and has three chil- 
 dren. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell have had 
 a family of six children, of whom one is 
 dead; their names and dates of birth are 
 as follows: Eda, August 3, 1879; Eli, 
 August I, 1 881; Nelia, September 15, 
 1883; Ira, July 24, 1886 (died June 28, 
 1891, aged four years, eleven months and 
 four days); Matilda, June 6, 1892; and 
 Ray, July 1 1, 1894. 
 
 Mr. Campbell has always lived upon 
 
 the home farm, he buying the interests of 
 his brothers and sisters after the death of 
 the father. He has upon this property 
 nine oil wells, which yield him an income 
 of $50. per month. He is a Democrat 
 in politics, and a man of integrity and good 
 business ability. While he is not con- 
 nected with anyreligious body, he believes 
 in Christianity, is a reader of the Bible, 
 and donates liberally to all good causes. 
 He has filled the office of school director. 
 His wife is a member of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 FLETCHER HARTSHORN. The 
 subject of this memorial was born 
 March 17, 1831, at Danbury, Ot- 
 tawa county, where he spent the 
 days of his boyhood, youth and early 
 manhood. He was a son of Wyatt and 
 Jane (Kelly) Hartshorn, the former born 
 October 16, 1793, the latter on Septem- 
 ber 17, 1805. His parents were married 
 on the 1 8th of March, 1824, and he was 
 the fourth in their family of eight chil- 
 dren: Catherine D., born March 8, 1825, 
 became the wife of George Mallory, May 
 18, 1845; Isaac B., born November 11, 
 1826, married Matilda Bryson, January 
 28, 1853; Byron, born January i, 1829, 
 wedded Mary Knapp, July 28, 1853; 
 Sarah M. was born August 17, 1833; 
 Alfred, born October 31, 1835, married 
 Jane Mathews, August 31, 1859; Harriet, 
 born December 27, 1837, became the 
 wife of Charles D. Johnson, February 1 3, 
 1859; and Jane, born September 17, 
 1842, married Marshall Durov, March 6, 
 1864. 
 
 His studious habits enabled Fletcher 
 Hartshorn to quickly master all that the 
 common schools of that day had to teach, 
 and to this he added a course of study at 
 Delaware and Oberlin. At an early age 
 he left school to take charge of his father's 
 business, and was soon brought to notice 
 as a business manager by the success 
 which attended his efforts. Soon his 
 
vO /. 
 
 /I 
 
 ^ 
 
 y^ J^/i^/:j^n * 
 
COMMBMORATIVB BWORAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 127 
 
 financial abilities became well known in 
 the commercial circles in which he moved. 
 His energy was untiring and his integrity 
 beyond question. His sagacity and in- 
 sight led to many desirable offers of busi- 
 ness connections, some of which he made 
 available. He had the Midas touch — all 
 ventures seemed to prosper under his 
 hands. He became interested at different 
 times in farming, grazing, fruit growing, 
 the handling and shipping of live stock, 
 speculating in real estate, and later in the 
 manufacture and shipment of lime. In 
 furtherance of the last-named enterprise, 
 contiguous to his extensive quarries and 
 kilns, he built the work that is known as 
 Hartshorn's Dock. 
 
 Mr. Hartshorn was a man of strong 
 reliance, resolute character, always re- 
 markably reticent in matters concerning 
 himself. In such an active career he 
 must have met with disappointments, but 
 he made no mention of them. He was an 
 enthusiast in outdoor sports, his dogs and 
 gun furnishing the pastime in which he 
 most delighted. He was a royal enter- 
 tainer, and in his younger days delighted 
 in playing the host to his bachelor friends, 
 and later his home, until darkened by the 
 affliction under which he suffered, was a 
 model of hospitality. When a student at 
 Oberlin, he was converted, united with 
 the Congregational Church, and often 
 acted as teacher in the Sabbath-school. 
 He was free from narrowness and bigotry, 
 had an open hand for all worthy objects 
 of charity, and accepted nothing but good 
 works as proof of good character. 
 
 On December 9, 1869, Mr. Harts- 
 horn was united in marriage with Ann 
 Jemmctta lilwell, the eldest daughter of 
 H. H. Klwell, a former resident of San- 
 dusky, Ohio, now of Danbury township, 
 Ottawa county. Two children were born 
 of this union — Lee, born December 10, 
 1872, died January 25, 1873; and F. 
 Pierre, born June 4, 1875, still residing 
 on the homestead. Remaining on his 
 (arm for several years, his time and en- 
 
 ergies were given to the development of 
 its superior resources. 
 
 While still a young man in the enjoy- 
 ment of a prosperous and rapidly increas- 
 ing business, Mr. Hartshorn was stricken 
 with paralysis. The best medical advice 
 was summoned, mineral springs sought, 
 and every known means employed, hop- 
 ing to prevent a recurrence of the dread- 
 ed malady. Few may know the deep 
 anxiety which his case elicited from all 
 his friends. His aged mother, who still 
 survives him, with her superior intelli- 
 gence and skill; with the accumulated ex- 
 perience of years, gave her loving, watch- 
 ful care, striving with a mother's solici- 
 tude to lessen his sufferings. His young 
 wife, with devotion unparalleled, was 
 ever at his side to comfort and cheer, and 
 to minister to his every want. But the 
 insidious disease could not be eliminated. 
 The attacks were repeated, and as time 
 passed slowly but surely he was forced to 
 yield to the blighting intUience, and at 
 length became' a hopeless invalid. 
 Through years of physical suffering, 
 though disappointed in hopes and aspir- 
 ations, his unimpaired mind was actively 
 engaged with his business interests, which 
 he advised and dictated with the clear- 
 ness and precision of former days until a 
 short time before the end came. 
 
 Mr. Hartshorn knew his life work 
 was well done, his loved ones abundantly 
 provided for, and he often expressed a de- 
 sire to be released from the life which was 
 now a burden, to enter into rest — to go 
 to his leather's house, and there in the 
 beautiful mansion prepared for him, abide 
 the coming of his beloved whom he was 
 to leave for a short time. He knew his 
 time was very brief at most — a mere frag- 
 ment, as he indicated by measurement 
 upon his wasted finger — when they might 
 join him there. As these thoughts were 
 presented, the light in his dimming eyes 
 grew brighter and an expression of satis- 
 faction and trust came to his countenance. 
 By faith in the precious promises vouch- 
 
128 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPEICAL RECOBD. 
 
 safed him, he had gained a victory over 
 death. The tardy messenger came on 
 Sunday morning, December 22, 1889. 
 The church bells were tolling the hour of 
 six as the released spirit took its flight, 
 leaving in, our presence the "temple" un- 
 tenanted; the seeming requiem of the bells 
 unbroken. The wife and only living child, 
 though bowed with sorrow inexpressible, 
 could not ask that he might longer remain 
 this side of the "portal." For weary 
 years they had witnessed the ravages of 
 relentless disease ; with tender sympathy 
 felt his affliction — had been " sad in his 
 sadness," and now they were "glad in his 
 gladness" and they saw him 
 
 Sustained and soothed 
 
 By an unfaltering trust, approach the grave. 
 Like one who wraps the drapery of the couch 
 About him and lies down to peaceful dreams. 
 
 The obsequies, conducted by Rev. 
 George Peeke, pastor of the Congrega- 
 tional Church, were observed at the fam- 
 ily residence on East Washington street, 
 Sandusky, Ohio, Tuesday, December 24, 
 at two o'clock in the afternoon. Mrs. 
 Mary Robinson assisted by Messrs. Mc- 
 Fall and Talcott of the Aeolian Quartette, 
 rendered with much feeling the beautiful 
 hymn, ' ' Weary of Earth and Laden With 
 my Sin." Rev. Peeke selected for the 
 subject of his sermon the following appro- 
 priate text, taken from St. Paul's Second 
 Epistle to Timothy, second chapter and 
 twelfth verse: "If we suffer, we shall reign 
 with Him." After an eloquent and pa- 
 thetic address on the sufferings of man- 
 kind and the reward thereof, he referred 
 to the departed in the following touching 
 manner: 
 
 "The scope of these remarks applies 
 to our departed friend, Fletcher Harts- 
 horn. God called him toward suffering 
 in order to prepare him for divine no- 
 bility. During seventeen years he has 
 been a sufferer, and during the past 
 nine years a sufferer confined to his home, 
 shut in from the busy activities he so much 
 loved. The keenness of his suffering can 
 
 be somewhat estimated by considering 
 the exceptional vital force with which he 
 was endowed. He was a man with im- 
 mense vital powers, which, had he care- 
 fully considered, might have given him 
 an active life until four-score years, but 
 his ambition to achieve business success, 
 coupled with a desire to see all his affairs 
 progress rapidly and hormoniously, made 
 him unsparing in his application to every 
 detail of business. Early in his business 
 life he paid the price of his devotion by a 
 paralytic shock. The last nine years 
 were years of patient waiting and uncom- 
 plaining suffering. It was a signal and 
 unusual providence that called so strong 
 a man to so many years of trial apart from 
 that business life with which his sympa- 
 thies were entwined. None but the un- 
 seen witnesses of God's moral kingdom 
 can know what a soul so placed could suf- 
 fer. A disciplining providence placed him 
 in the hottest fires, but it melted his dross 
 and refined his gold. The result of this 
 trial was an unwavering faith, a beautiful 
 confidence in God. His frequent express- 
 ion was 'It is all right, all right.' Dur- 
 ing all his years of trial this was his un- 
 swerving attitude. To sit nine years 
 wasting away and waiting for the end and 
 to feel ' It is all right ' is the very sub- 
 limity of confidence and trust. His kind- 
 ness was as marked as his confidence. 
 The tendency of suffering is to make one 
 sensitive, acerb and impatient. None of 
 these in our friend. His soul was serene 
 and sweet. Conspicuous above all 
 shone his remarkable patience. He suf- 
 fered and was resigned. His royalty was 
 apparent day by day. His patience 
 was truely sublime. No saint ever 
 suffered martyrdom with more appar- 
 ent submission and fortitude than he. 
 During my six years acquaintance with 
 him, he has been to me a constant 
 wonder. To the end he resigned in true 
 nobility. All that suffering can do for a 
 soul seemed to have been produced in 
 Fletcher Hartshorn, and we devoutly 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPIIICAL RECORD. 
 
 129 
 
 recognize the fact that he won the crown 
 of spiritual martyrdom. Such siifTerinR 
 as his could only lead to humble trust in 
 Christ. His confessions of confidence 
 and hope were clear and explicit. Pa- 
 tiently he waited for the hour of deliver- 
 ance, and after the fierce conflict of years 
 he rests; 
 
 Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep, 
 
 From which none ever wake to weep." 
 
 The services were concluded with the 
 singing; of that beautiful hymn " Lead 
 kindly light amid th' encircling gloom." 
 The burial was in Oakland Cemetery. 
 The spires of the " Silent City" were 
 casting lengthening shadows across our 
 pathway when we left him to his long 
 coveted rest. — [The foregoing is from the 
 pens of his loving and devoted wife and 
 her mother, Mrs. H. H. Elwell.] 
 
 In connection with the above sketch 
 so ably written, there is little to add, 
 though it might truthfully be said of the 
 deceased that he was a man of fine edu- 
 cation, broail and general reading, and 
 of a genial, sunn)' temperament, and 
 every citizen in Ottawa county was his 
 warm friend. In his domestic life he was 
 a devoted husband and lather, attentive 
 to his home duties through all his under- 
 takings; economical, yet given to acts of 
 kindness and deeds of charity where de- 
 serAed. Always busy himself, he had no 
 sympathy for the shiftless and idle; but to 
 the unfortunate he was a kind and help- 
 ful friend, whose sympathy was shown in 
 acts rather than words, and in all plans 
 for the advancement of his community, 
 his active co-operation could be relied up- 
 on. 
 
 No biography of Mr. Hartshorn would 
 be complete which failed to make men- 
 tion of his most estimable wife and widow. 
 Side by side for twenty years they jour- 
 neyed along life's pathway together, mu- 
 tually encouraging and helping — he a kind 
 husband and indulgent father — she a 
 faithful w ifc .md loving mother. During 
 
 his long and tedious illness, she was not 
 only his constant attendant and faithful 
 I nurse, but also looked after his business 
 matters, in connection with his quarry in- 
 terests, and in these matters not only 
 proved her love and devotion, but also her 
 excellent executive ability as a thorough 
 business woman. 
 
 EDWIN C. TINNEY, one of the 
 pioneers of Scott township, is a 
 son of Stephen Tinney, and was 
 born in Niagara Co., New York 
 State, June 0, 1828. When five years 
 old he moved with his parents to Lena- 
 wee county, Mich., where he lived six 
 years; thence came to Scott township, 
 Sandusky county, where he has since 
 lived. After the death of his father there 
 was quite an indebtedness on the farm, 
 but the boys remained at home and paid 
 up the debt, during which time they added 
 one hundred acres to the original pur- 
 chase. When all was paid the four chil- 
 dren — three boys and one girl — divided 
 the property among them, our subject 
 taking the eighty acres where he now 
 lives at Tinney. On his farm is a very 
 productive gas well, which supplies the 
 home with fuel and light. 
 
 On November 25, 1858, Mr. Tinney 
 was married to Miss Catherine Wiggins, 
 of Tinney, and to them were born two 
 children: Ida May, born March 2. i860; 
 and Charlie, born September 21, 1862, at 
 Tinney. Ida was educated in the district 
 school, ancl the Normal at Fostoria and 
 Fremont High School. She made a 
 specialty of music under Prof. Menkhous. 
 of Fremont, and for fourteen years has 
 been a teacher of instrumental music, she 
 finding this preferable to public-school 
 teaching, in which she was engaged for a 
 time. The son Charlie was educated in 
 the Mansfield Normal and in the district 
 schools. He was one of Sandusky coun- 
 ty's most promising teachers, and had 
 also acquired an enviable reputation as an 
 
130 
 
 COHMEhORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 editor, his first work in that line being on 
 the Daily Herald oi Fremont; durinjj the 
 last years of his life he was local and 
 managing editor of the Fremont Messen- 
 ger. He died in the prime of life Janu- 
 arj'3i, 1885. Mrs. Tinney, wife of our 
 subject, was born January 22, 1837, in 
 Scott township, Sandusky county, daugh- 
 ter of John and Jane (Kell}') Wiggins. 
 She was educated in the country schools, 
 and was for a time a teacher in Sandusky 
 county. When she was a child her 
 mother died, leaving her with Mr. and 
 Mrs. Andrew Swickard, by whom she was 
 brought up and with whom she lived un- 
 til she was sixteen years of age, after 
 which she made her home with D. S. 
 Tinnej" until her marriage. Her father, 
 John Wiggins, was one of Sandusky coun- 
 ty's early settlers, coming hither when 
 the country was new, and began the 
 clearing of the forest and making a home 
 for himself and family. He died in 1841, 
 at an early age, his wife dying in 1S44. 
 Mrs. Tinney 's parents are thought to have 
 been born about the year 1808. 
 
 E 
 
 LI REEVES. A man can not hold 
 public office without either gain- 
 ing the confidence and esteem of 
 his fellow citizens, or incurring 
 their distrust and animosity. That he 
 can retain the same office or be elected to 
 others equally responsible, for long terms 
 of years is, therefore, proof that he has 
 performed his duties in an acceptable man- 
 ner, and is popular in both public and 
 private life. The record of the subject of 
 this sketch, who since boyhood has been 
 a resident of Gibsonburg, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, illustrates this argument. For twenty 
 terms he filled the important position of 
 township assessor; he was a notary public 
 for eighteen years; justice of the peace 
 from 1854 to i860, and township clerk 
 for si.K years. In all these capacities he 
 earned the commendation of the com- 
 munity by his integrity of character and 
 
 upright dealings, while his genial disposi- 
 tion has gained him many warm personal 
 friends. 
 
 Mr. Reeves was born February 7, 
 1 819, in Burlington county, N. J., son of 
 David and Grace (Rineer) Reeves, the 
 former born in 1 778, in Burlington county, 
 N. J. David Reeves was married in 
 1807, and with his family came to Ohio 
 in July, 1 82 1, settling in Salem, Colum- 
 biana county. Here he worked at his 
 trade of a carpenter until 1832, when he 
 removed to Cleveland, Ohio, remaining 
 one 3'ear. He then located in Madison 
 township, Sandusky county, and was 
 elected count}' survevor, which office he 
 filled eleven years. At the expiration of 
 that time he removed to Fremont, and 
 again worked at his trade for several 
 years, when he returned to Madison town- 
 ship and there died in 1849; his wife sur- 
 vived him until 1871, dying at the ad- 
 vanced age of ninety years. They had 
 a large family, thirteen children in all, of 
 whom four are living. 
 
 Eli Reeves was married September 
 26, 1844, to Miss Elizabeth Taylor, who 
 was born December 2, 1824, in Belmont 
 county, Ohio, daughter of Caleb and 
 Sarah (Yost) Taylor, the former born Oc- 
 tober 22, 1800, in the State of Maryland, 
 the latter on October 21, 1802, in Bel- 
 mont county, Ohio. The father came to 
 Ohio, in 18 10, living in Belmont county, 
 where, on arriving at manhood, he rented 
 some land which he farmed until 1822. 
 In that year he was married, and then re- 
 moved to Richland county, where he 
 lived nine years, at the end of which time 
 he took up his residence in Madison town- 
 ship where he spent the rest of his days, 
 dying in 1S73. The mother is still living 
 at the venerable age of ninety-three years, 
 and makes her home with our subject and 
 his wife. She was the mother of eleven 
 children, six of whom are living. At the 
 time of his death Mr. Taylor owned a 
 farm of 120 acres, eighty of which he 
 cleared. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 181 
 
 To our subject and his wife have been 
 born ten children, two of whom died in 
 infancy; the others in order of birth are as 
 follows: Lucinda, born April 38, 1845; 
 Melissa, November i, 1847; Miriam, Sep- 
 tember 18, 1849; R. D., October 13, 
 185 1 ; John C , April 2\. 1854; Sarah A., 
 September 17, iS'o; Candis E., October 
 6, 1864, and Grace S., December 27, 
 1866. Nfr. Reeves be^an to learn the 
 carj)enter's trade when eleven years old. 
 In later life he bought twenty acres 
 of land, and afterward purchased eighty 
 acres more. He retired from active work 
 in 1889. In politics, he is a Democrat. 
 Popular with all classes, and interested in 
 everj'thing pertaining to the welfare of 
 the community, he enjoys the respect and 
 esteem of all. 
 
 I 
 
 CONRAD OBERST. Prominent 
 among the surviving pioneers of 
 Madison township, Sandusky 
 county, stands this well-known 
 agriculturist, who is a native of Germany, 
 bom near the city of Lx>uden. Baden, 
 near the River Rhine, September 10, 
 1827. 
 
 John Ol)erst. the father of our subject, 
 was a native of W'urtemburg, Germany, 
 and followed the trade of a wagon maker 
 in his native country' until 1832, when he 
 crossed the Atlantic to America, the 
 voyage occupying ninety days. He was 
 married in Germany to Barbara Ault, and 
 they became parents of eight children: 
 Daniel, a farmer, who died in Indiana: 
 John, who also followed farming, and 
 died in that State; Conrad; George, who 
 died and was buried in Nebraska; Maria, 
 widow of F'-t'-r Bowman, a farmer of 
 Jackson • county; 
 
 Elizabeth, . .1..:;... ..., a farmer 
 
 of Nebraska; Catherine, wife of Solomon 
 
 Hineline. f •• 
 
 pursuits ill 
 
 farmer of Indiana, who served m the Civil 
 
 war, and still carries a bullet by which he 
 
 was wounded at Lookout Mountain. On 
 coming to this country, John Oberst lo- 
 cated in Bay township, then a part of 
 Sandusky county, but now in Ottawa 
 county, Ohio, where he farmed 140 acres 
 of land. He was one of the signers of 
 ■ on to - 
 ntly he , i 
 
 in Sandusky county, which he owned and 
 operated up to the time of his death, and 
 he also followed his trade in this country. 
 His wife died in Ottawa county. They 
 experienced all the hardships and incon- 
 veniences of life in such an unsettled re- 
 gion, and they were often obliged to go 
 as far as Fremont to mill. Their stock 
 of provisions, at the time of their com- 
 mencing life in Ohio, consisted of one 
 bushel of cornmeal, one-half bushel of 
 U,xi-i:n roffi.-i-. forty pounds of maple sugar 
 iiiiil fourteen liuiii-jis of potatoes, but no 
 meat whatever, and they ate many a 
 meal from the old chest in which their 
 wearing apparel was kept. 
 
 Conrad Oberst attended the schools of 
 Bay township, and at the tender age of 
 twelve years began to earn his living by 
 working on his father's farm, also cutting 
 and hewing timber for building purposes 
 to be used for dwelling houses, barns, 
 bridges, etc. He continued to make his 
 home under the paternal roof until twenty- 
 two years of age, when he went to Erie 
 county, and worked for one year as a 
 farm laborer, being employed by the 
 month. Later he came to Sandusky coun- 
 ty, and worked by the year for his brother 
 on the latter's f r 
 .\fter two years , 
 
 ried, and then operated, on shares. 160 
 acres of land owned by his brother, bein;; 
 thus engaged for several years, durint,' 
 which time, through industry and econ - 
 my, he saved enough capital with which 
 to purchase forty acres of wooded land in 
 
 tion he sold out. with the 
 going to Michigan; this plan 
 
 .vjljll- 
 
132 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ed, however, and purchasing another farm 
 in Sandusky county, set about its further 
 improvement and development. He has 
 erected a substantial residence, good 
 barns and other outbuildings, planted an 
 orchard and made all the improvements 
 that are found upon a model farm, and 
 is also the owner of three oil wells, which 
 are now operated by a Toledo oil firm. 
 
 On September i6, 1853, in Madison 
 township, Sandusky county, Mr. Oberst 
 married Betsy Florence, who was born 
 April 21, 1S32, and is one of the twelve 
 children of John and Lydia (Roberts) 
 Florence. Her father, a prominent farmer 
 of Madison township, died in i860; her 
 mother passed away in 1862. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Oberst became the parents of eight 
 children, the eldest of whom was Jennie; 
 Robert is engaged in farming and bee 
 culture in Jackson township, Sandusky 
 county (he married Hattie, daughter of 
 Peter Bauman, a farmer of Jackson town- 
 ship, Sandusky county); Ellen is the wife 
 of Augustus Bowman; Frank is a con- 
 tractor and builder; Lucy is engaged in 
 school teaching; Harry is a farmer and 
 oil pumper (he married Minnie, daughter 
 of John Peoples, an agriculturist of Madi- 
 son township, Sandusky county); Tillie is 
 the wife of William Peters, an oil operator 
 of Woodville township, Sandusky county; 
 John M., who is a farmer and oil operator, 
 married Minnie, daughter of Casper Dau- 
 sey, an oil speculator of Rollersville, Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Oberst was for many years elected 
 trustee of Madison township, of which he 
 was treasurer some eight years, and dur- 
 ing the Civil war he had at one time over 
 $2,000 in his log cabin belonging to the 
 township. He was also elected constable, 
 filling that position for a long period, in- 
 cluding the trying times between i86i 
 and 1865. He also did police duty, and 
 his service often equaled in danger and 
 hardships that of the "boys in blue " at 
 the front. He would have gone to the 
 war had it been possible, but there would 
 have been no one left to care for his wife 
 
 and children; so he discharged his duties 
 to his family by remaining at home, and 
 to his country by helping to send substi- 
 tutes for those drafted, until he paid $175. 
 He has held the office of school director, 
 was clerk of school District No. 9 for a 
 number of years, is still serving as director 
 and is one of the most earnest and effi- 
 cient advocates of the cause of education in 
 this locality, doing all in his power to ad- 
 vance the standard of the schools and 
 secure capable teachers. While serving 
 as trustee he did much for the improve- 
 ment of the township in the way of mak- 
 ing roads. His duties of citizenship have 
 ever been faithfully performed, and his 
 irreproachable service in office won him 
 the confidence and respect of all. For 
 some years he has been a member of the 
 band of Rollersville, playing the tuba. 
 His success in life has been secured 
 through his own enterprising and well- 
 directed efforts, and industry and energy 
 are numbered among his chief character- 
 istics. In politics he is a Democrat, and 
 he and his family attend the Disciple 
 Church. He and his estimable wife are 
 now enjoying the fruits of their former 
 toil, and the high regard of many warm 
 friends who respect them for their genu- 
 ine worth. 
 
 M 
 
 D. WELLER, attorney at 
 law, Fremont, Sandusky coun- 
 ty. It is generally admitted 
 that rural pursuits and rural 
 scenes are most conducive to health, 
 happiness and contentment, which city 
 life and the mere accumulation of wealth 
 can never impart. As a professional 
 gentleman who enjoyed these favorable 
 environments in his younger days, and 
 who appreciates their salutary intfuence 
 on him in later life, we present the sub- 
 ject of this sketch. 
 
 Mr. Weller was born in Thompson 
 township, Seneca county, Ohio, May 9, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 188 
 
 i860, a son of John and Christena 
 (Orneri Wcller. The father of our sub- 
 ject was born in Freeburfj, Snyder Co., 
 Penn., March 18, 1831, a son Isaac and 
 Elizabeth Weller, well-to-do farmers of 
 that county, and who died there. John 
 Weller catne from Pennsylvania to Ohio 
 when a young man, and worked as a 
 farm hand about a year at Osceola, 
 Crawford Co., Ohio; then four years on 
 the njodel farm of George Close, north of 
 Bellevue, Ohio; then si.\ years for Daniel 
 Close, one of the substantial farmers of 
 Seneca county; then one year for his 
 next neighbor. Edward Kern, taking good 
 care of his earnings and investing them in 
 real estate. He first bought and moved 
 upon a farm of eighty acres, which in the 
 pioneer days constituted a part of what 
 was known as the Henry Miller farm, on 
 the Kilburn road, northwest of West Lodi. 
 This he sold a few years later, and then 
 bought the John Payne farm, in Adams 
 township, which he likewise sold. He 
 afterward bought and sold other landed 
 property, until he now owns about 500 
 acres, some of which is valued at $125 
 per acre. Mr Weller was self-reliant, 
 never had a dollar given him, but accumu- 
 lated all his property by hard work, econ- 
 omy and prudent investments. In all his 
 deals he never gave a mortgage in his life. 
 His school education was limited to three 
 months, in Pennsylvania, but he snatched 
 many spare moments from his daily toil for 
 self-instruction in the common branches 
 of an English education. In 185 1, he 
 married Miss Christena Orner, daughter 
 of Joseph and Elizabeth (Keller) Orner. 
 of Adams township, Seneca Co., Ohio, 
 and their children were: Henry J., attor- 
 ney at law. in the firm of McCauley & 
 Weller. Tiffin, Ohio; .Amanda, wife of John 
 Dornbach, a farmer of .Adams township. 
 Seneca county; M. D., our subject; Laura, 
 wife r>f Louis Hreyman. a railroad man. 
 of Republic, Ohio; De.xter B., a (.inner, 
 living with his parents; Andrew J., a 
 farmer, living on one of the old home- 
 
 steads; Emma C, at home; one that died 
 in infancy; B. Jay, also at home. 
 
 Our subject grew up on his father's 
 farm where he learned valuable lessons in 
 practical agriculture, and from which he 
 attended a country school near by. He 
 made such rapid progress in his studies 
 that at the age of seventeen he was able 
 to teach a country school with good suc- 
 cess. After spending one whole year in 
 attendance at the Bellevue Union schools, 
 he resumed teaching winter schools and 
 working on a farm during the suunner 
 seasons; by the age of twenty-two he had 
 taught seven terms of school in the vicin- 
 ity uf his home, his last term being at Flat 
 Rock, Ohio. .Mr. Weller began the study 
 of law in April, 1S83, with Smith & Kin- 
 ney, Fremont, Ohio, was admitted to the 
 bar December l, 1885, and has been in 
 the legal practice at Fremont and vicinity 
 ever since. From August, 1887, to Au- 
 gust, 1 89 1, he was in the firm of Weller cS: 
 Butman, in fire and life insurance. In 
 1884 he was chosen secretary of the San- 
 dusky County Agricultural Society, and 
 held that office four years with credit to 
 himself and profit to the society. He is 
 at present a member of Croghan Lodge 
 No. jj, I. O. O. F. , and of Brainard 
 Lodge, and Fremont Chapter, F. & \. M., 
 also of the Knights of Pythias, Clyde. 
 Ohio, and last, but not least, of the Fre- 
 mont German .Aid Society. 
 
 Mr. Weller was married January 30. 
 1889, to Miss Carrie Smith, daughter of 
 S. H. Smith, grain and lumber merchant, 
 of Green Spring, Ohio. Her mother's 
 name was Van Sickle. Both of her par- 
 ents came from New Jersey. She was 
 reared at Green Spring, attended the 
 I'nion schools of that village and then the 
 academy, from which she was the first 
 graduate, and had the honor of receiving 
 her diploma from the hands of ex-Presi- 
 dent K. B. Hayes, chairman of the board 
 of trustees of that instituti<jn. She after- 
 wards taught school in Seneca county, 
 and later took a course in painting in an 
 
134 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 art school at Cleveland, Ohio. In addi- 
 tion to his law practice, Mr. Weller is at 
 present engaged in a general loan and real- 
 estate business. He is the owner of 
 landed property in the oil and gas region, 
 Wood county, where he has several oil 
 wells in operation. In politics he is a 
 Democrat; his wife is a member of the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 CHRISTOPHER STREETER is 
 one of the best known old pioneers 
 of Green Creek township, San- 
 dusky county. He was born in 
 Heath, Franklin Co., Mass., April 9, 
 181 5, son of David and Sylva (Roach) 
 Streeter, the former of whom was a 
 native of the same county, and a farmer 
 by occupation. He was a lifelong resi- 
 dent of Massachusetts, where he died at 
 the age of seventy years; the mother died 
 when about sixty years of age. The 
 family is one of old New England stock. 
 Our subject broke away from the an- 
 cestral ties in his young manhood at the 
 age of twenty-two years, and sought a 
 home in the then distant West. In 1837 
 he disposed of his interest in the home- 
 stead, and in the fall of the same year 
 came to Ohio by means that now seem 
 insufferably tedious and slow. He settled 
 on a farm in York township, Sandusky 
 county, which he opened up, erecting a 
 small dwelling. On December 3, 1835, 
 he had married Miss Louisa Kennedy, and 
 to them were born four children: Edward, 
 born in Heath, Mass., June 25, 1837; 
 Albert, born September 29, 1839; and 
 Alonzo and Lorenzo, born June 25, 1842, 
 the latter of whom died September 30, 
 1 851; the mother passed from earth De- 
 cember 26, 1851. Thus within the space 
 of three short months Mr. Streeter lost 
 a dear child, and the partner of his youth, 
 who died with the confident hope of 
 Heaven and a bright place on the Resur- 
 rection morn. Edward, the eldest son, 
 is married, and had five children — Lydia, 
 
 Charles, Ira, Louisa and Levi — of whom 
 Louisa died while young. Albert, the 
 second son, married and had four chil- 
 dren — Minnie, George, Alice and Mabel — 
 the last named dying young. Alonzo 
 married, and had seven children — Waller, 
 Roly, Elmer, Clarence, Abbie, Nora 
 and Lena, of whom Abbie died young. 
 On February 2, 1853, our subject mar- 
 ried his present wife, Henrietta Clark. 
 Mr. Streeter in politics has been a Whig 
 and a Republican, and cast his first Presi- 
 dential vote for William H. Harrison. 
 In religious faith he has been a promi- 
 nent member of the Advent Church. He 
 has been an eminently successful farmer, 
 and accumulated 300 acres of well-im- 
 proved land. This farm he divided among 
 his three son — one hundred acres each — 
 and there they reside with their families. 
 In 1882 Mr. Streeter erected a fine brick 
 residence in Clyde, where he now lives a 
 retired life, with the respect and esteem of 
 the entire community in which he dwells. 
 
 DAVID A. C. SHERRARD. This 
 prosperous farmer of Sandusky 
 county, Ohio, near Fremont, was 
 born January 10, 1820, at Rush 
 Run, Jefferson Co., Ohio, a son of Robert 
 Andrew and Mary (Kithcart) Sherrard. 
 
 Robert Andrew Sherrard is a descend- 
 ant of Huguenot ancestors who, having 
 been driven out of the north of France, fled 
 to the Lowlands of Scotland and afterward 
 removed to Ireland. A coat of arms, and 
 a pedigree in tabular form, were in ex- 
 istence in 1872, tracing the lineage of the 
 Sherrard family back to Robert, whose 
 father emigrated with the Duke of Nor- 
 mandy. There were two brothers, Hugh 
 and William Sherrard, whose father came 
 over from Scotland about 17 10, and set- 
 tled in Limavady, County Londonderry, 
 Ireland. Here Hugh and William were 
 born, and when the former arrived at 
 manhood he married and settled across 
 the Bann Water, near Coleraine. He 
 
MRS. NARCISSA T. SHERRARD. 
 
^./>^/Ke-A/-^</-^<^. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD. 
 
 185 
 
 had a son, Hugh Sherrard, who emi- 
 grated to America in 1770, and settled on 
 Miller's run, in Washington county, 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 William Sherrard, from whom are 
 descended the Sherrard families in San- 
 dusky county, Ohio, was born in 1 720 in 
 Limavady, where he carried on the busi- 
 ness of farming and linen weaving. He 
 died wealthy in 1781. In 1750 he mar- 
 ried Margaret Johnston, by whom he had 
 five children — John, Elizabeth, Margaret, 
 James and Mary. John Sherrard was 
 born about 1750, immigrated to America 
 in 1772, and on May 5, 1784, married 
 Mary Cathcart, by whom he had chil- 
 dren as follows: William J., David 
 Alexander. John James, Robert Andrew, 
 Ann and Thomas G. The last named 
 was one of the pioneers of Sandusky 
 county, and was foumi dead in Sandusky 
 river April 21, 1824, supposed to have 
 been murdered by parties who had rented 
 his brother John's sugar camp, of which 
 he was manager at the time. John 
 Sherrard was with Col. Crawford's expe- 
 dition against the Indians at Upper San- 
 dusky, during which he had many nar- 
 row escapes. Robert Andrew Sherrard 
 was born May 4, 1 7.S9, and married Mary 
 Kithcart, by whom he had five children: 
 Mary Ann, Joseph K., David A. C, 
 Elizabeth and Robert. For his second 
 wife Robert A. Sherrard married Miss 
 Jane Hindnian, by whom he had seven 
 children: Nancy, who for the past 
 twenty-one years has been principal of 
 the Female Seminary of Washington, 
 Penn. ; J. H., a Presbyterian minister at 
 Kockville, Ind. ; June; Susan; Sarah, de- 
 ceased; William, deceased; and Thomas 
 J., who is also a Presbyterian minister, 
 now preaching in Chambersburg. Penn. 
 During the winter of 1894-95 three of 
 the sons of Robert A. Sherrard paid a 
 visit to Hurof)e, visiting, among other 
 places, England, Scotland, Ireland. Ger- 
 many, France and Italy, in which latter 
 country they trod the streets of old 
 
 Rome; thence they journeyed to Egypt 
 and Palestine; near Limavady, Ireland, 
 they found some of their cousins living. 
 Robert Andrew Sherrard was the author 
 of a genealogy of the Sherrard family of 
 Steubenville, which was edited by his son, 
 Thomas Johnston Sherrard, in 1890. 
 
 David A. C. Sherrard, our subject, 
 grew to manhood on his father's farm, 
 two miles southwest of Steubenville, Ohio. 
 On June i, 1844, he came to Sandusky 
 county on horseback, and immediately 
 began to improve the forest land which 
 he had bought of his father. For about 
 three weeks he made his home in a hewed- 
 log house which he had rented of his 
 uncle Thomas, and which was said to be 
 the first hewed-log house erected in Ball- 
 ville township, having been put up in 
 1823. He then returned to Jefferson 
 county, and, on the 4th of September 
 following, set out from there with his wife 
 and seven-weeks-old child, in a covered 
 two-horse wagon, arriving at Lower San- 
 dusky September 12. He finished clear- 
 ing up nine acres, fenceti it, plowed it and 
 sowed it to wheat, and then commenced 
 the struggle of clearing up a home in the 
 Black Swamp. His timber was chopped 
 into cordwood, and sold in Lower San- 
 dusky. In October, 1851, Mr. Sherrard 
 took the job of clearing off the timber on 
 Sections 24, 25, 26 and half of 27, for the 
 T. , N. & C. railroad (now the Lake Shore 
 & Michigan Southern), and graded half a 
 mile of the road-bed east and west of Lit- 
 tle Mud creek. In May and June, 1852, 
 he furnished and delivered timber for 
 bridges over the Muskalounge and over 
 Little Mud creek, and hauled and deliv- 
 ered timber for Big Mud creek and Nine- 
 Mile creek bridges. On September 20, 
 1852, he left home with men, teams and 
 tools for Hardin county, Ohio, where he 
 had a contract on the Pittsburgh & Fort 
 Wayne railroad, spending thirteen months 
 at grading Sections 43 and 45 of that 
 road. In .\ugust. 1853, he contracted to 
 clear and grade Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the 
 
136 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Fremont & Indiana railroad (now the 
 Lake Erie & Western); he also sent part 
 of his men and teams to work upon the 
 Pittsburg & Fort Wayne railroad, grading 
 the road-bed. In the summer of 1854 
 the finances of the Lake Erie & Western 
 Company failed, and the work stopped. 
 In March and April, 1854, he bought wild 
 land in various places, at second hand, 
 giving as part pay some horses and oxen 
 which he had been using on public works; 
 he bought forty acres in Barry county, 
 Mich., 320 acres in Ottawa county, Ohio, 
 and eighty acres in Sandusky county, 
 Ohio. These lands he kept from ten to 
 twenty years, and sold them at a profit. 
 In January, 1858, he bought of his father, 
 R. A. Sherrard, the east half of the 
 northwest quarter of Section 5, Ballville 
 township, which is now half of his home 
 farm. He dealt in real estate in Kansas, 
 and in Putnam and Fulton counties, Ohio, 
 and he and his son, J. F. Sherrard, bought 
 a farm in the oil and gas region west of 
 Fremont, which they have leased to the 
 Carbon Company of Fremont for a term 
 of years. Mr. Sherrard was the first man 
 to ship lime in barrels from Fremont, 
 Ohio, to the glass works at Wheeling, W. 
 Va. , in 1864, and he continued this for 
 eighteen years, also shipping largely to 
 other points for the manufacture of glass 
 and paper, and for plastering purposes. 
 During the Civil war Mr. Sherrard bought 
 horses for the Ohio cavalry. Since 1875 
 he has rented his farms and bought up 
 live stock, cows and sheep for Eastern 
 men, who sold them principally in New 
 Jersey. He has now 125 acres under 
 cultivation on each of his two farms. In 
 1 89 1 he bought a farm of 190 acres in 
 Alabama, ten miles north of Huntsville, 
 on which his two daughters, with their 
 husbands and families, reside. This land 
 is very productive, yielding large crops of 
 clover, corn, wheat, oats and garden vege- 
 tables. In politics Mr. Sherrard has acted 
 with the Whig and Republican parties. 
 On July 4, 1843, our subject married 
 
 Catharine M. Welday, by whom he had 
 three children — Laura A., Keziah W. and 
 Elizabeth C. The mother of these died 
 September 29, 1847, and on Febru- 
 ary 24, 1848, he wedded Narcissa T. 
 Grant, by whom he had children, as 
 follows: Harriet B., Robert W. , John 
 F., Emma V., Mary J., Rose T. , 
 and Ida M. Of this large family, 
 Laura A. married Benjamin Mooney, 
 and their children are Lottie S., Emma, 
 Mary A. and Nettie. Keziah W. married 
 Homer Overmyer, and their daughter, 
 Dora, is the wife of Clifton Hunn. Eliz- 
 abeth C. married J. S. Brust, and they 
 have a daughter — Ida. Harriet B. mar- 
 ried Charles E. Tindall, and died Sep- 
 tember 16, 1873; they had a daughter, 
 Hattie, who married William, son of A. 
 J. Wolfe, a farmer west of Fremont, Ohio. 
 Robert W. is fully mentioned farther on. 
 John F. married Jennie E. Bowlus, by 
 whom he had five children — Harry, Ida, 
 Robert, Zelpha and Don. Emma V. 
 married Josiah Smith, and to them were 
 born the following named children: Mi- 
 lan, Robert, Jesse, Howard, Orie, Lulu 
 and Granville. Mary J. married David 
 W. Cookson, and they have a son — Clar- 
 ence. Rose T. married John R. Tindall, 
 and they have had three children — Mabel, 
 Louis and Etta. Ida M. is the wife of J. 
 U. Bodenman, a druggist, of St. Louis. 
 
 ROBERT W. SHERRARD, of the 
 firm of Plagman & Sherrard, deal- 
 ers in groceries, provisions and 
 queensware. East State street, 
 Fremont, Sandusky county, was born 
 December 21, 1849, 'n Ballville town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, Ohio, a son of D. 
 A. C. Sherrard. 
 
 Our subject grew to manhood on a 
 farm in the vicinity of Fremont, and at- 
 tended the country and city schools. He 
 remained with his parents until he was 
 twenty-one years of age, and while yet in 
 his "teens" began to alternate each year 
 
CO.V.Vt:.V(>HATJVE BIOaiiAPUICM. UKCORD. 
 
 18; 
 
 between teaching country school in the 
 winter season and farininj; the rest of the 
 time. In the si)rinf,' of 1872 he attended 
 the State Normal School at Lebanon, 
 Ohio, and in the fall of the same year 
 and the sprinf^ of the next he attended 
 the Seneca Cuuntv Academy at Republic, 
 Ohio, then in charge of Prof. J. Fraise 
 Richards. He then taught four more 
 terms of winter school, alternating with 
 farming. In 1885 he bought out the in- 
 terest of John Ulsh, in the firm of Plag- 
 man & Ulsh, grocers, and has since con- 
 tinued in the same place with his 
 brother-in-law, C. H. Plagman. By en- 
 terprise, fair dealing and good manage- 
 ment this firm have built up a prosperous 
 trade. Our subject is a Republican in 
 politics, and has held various local offices. 
 He and Mrs. Sherrard are members of 
 the Presbyterian Church, and socially he 
 belongs to McPherson Lodge, I. O. O. 
 F. , to the Order of the Red Cross and 
 the Equitable Aid Union. 
 
 Robert \V. Sherrard married, on May 
 18, 1875, Miss Clara A. Karshner, who 
 was born November 23, 1855, daughter 
 of Daniel and Lydia (Robinson) Karsh- 
 ner, of Riley township, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio. Daniel Karshner, born September 
 9, 1822, was a son of John and Christena 
 (Drum) Karshner, both of whom died at 
 an advanced age in Riley township. The 
 children of Daniel Karshner were: F'rank, 
 who married Louisa Niester; Charles, 
 who died in childhood; Alfred L. , unmar- 
 ried; Clara A., wife of Robert W. Sherrard; 
 Ella L., who died when aged seven; 
 Sarah L. , wife of H. C. Plagman; Anna 
 N., wife of John N. Smith; Edwin U., 
 who married Mary Bardus; and Willis 
 C, who died at the age of fifteen. 
 
 Mrs. Clara A. (Karshner) Sherrard 
 grew to womanhood in Riley township, 
 attended the country schools and the 
 Fremont High School, and taught three 
 terms of school in the vicinity of 
 her home in Riley and Sandusky 
 townships. She now presides over a 
 
 neat family residence on East State 
 street, honored by its historic connection 
 with Gen. Bell, one of the earliest pio- 
 neers of Lower Sandusky. The children 
 of Robert W. and Clara A. Sherrard are 
 Blanche Mae, born March 10, 1876, and 
 Zella Gertrude, born January 18, 1884; 
 the former is a graduate of the I*"remont 
 High School, and the latter is a student 
 of the same. 
 
 S.\LES A. JUNE was born in 
 Tompkins county, N. Y., August 
 2, 1829, son of Peter June. In 
 1833 he came with his father's 
 family to Ohio, locating in Sandusky 
 city, where he remained until 1849, when, 
 at the age of twenty years, he went to 
 Cleveland to learn the trade of machinist. 
 During the period from 1849 to 1856 
 Mr. June alternated between sailing on 
 the lakes as an engineer in the summer 
 time, and working in the Cuyahoga shops 
 in the winter time. About the year 1857 
 he went to Brantford, Canada, where he 
 became connected with sawmilling, and 
 took a contract for furnishing lumber for 
 a branch of the Grand Trimk railroad. 
 He had a partner in the business, and the 
 enterprise was successful, they furnishing 
 lumber for the western end of the Buf- 
 falo \- Lake Erie, then known as the 
 Buffalo A: Lake Huron Branch, Grand 
 Trunk railroad. Mr. June next took a 
 contract to build a plank road into the 
 oil regions of Canada, at Ennisskillen, 
 which he completed just before the Civil 
 war broke out in the United States. He 
 then returned to Cleveland. Ohio. In 
 1862 he went to Buffalo and assisted in 
 building and finishing out the United 
 States steamer "Commodore Perry." 
 and became engaged as an engineer on 
 the vessel, in the employ of the United 
 States Government, continuing thus until 
 the latter part of 1865. .After this he 
 superintended the building of a propellor 
 for the Fremont Steam Navigation Com- 
 
138 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 pany, and ran her on the lakes until about 
 1867, at which time he started a boiler 
 works in Fremont, Ohio. After opera- 
 ting these works about eight years he sold 
 out to D. June & Co., remaining in the 
 employ of said company, and being a 
 partner in the same until 1890. In the 
 year 1891 he received an appointment 
 from the United States Lighthouse Board 
 at Washington, D. C. , to go to Cleve- 
 land, Ohio, and superintend the build- 
 ing of engines and boilers of two light- 
 house boats, the "Columbia" and the 
 "Lilac;" the latter boat is now on the 
 coast of Maine, and the former on the 
 coast of Oregon. In the fall of 1892 Mr. 
 June returned to Fremont and engaged 
 in the manufacture of the boiler-scale 
 solvent, which has been introduced into 
 all the leading boiler shops of Ohio, and 
 is presumed to be a great success. 
 
 Sales A. June was married to Miss 
 Jane J. Campbell, who was born in Cuya- 
 hoga county, Ohio, December 29, 1827, 
 daughter of John N. and Jane (Quiggin) 
 Campbell, and three children were born to 
 them, of whom (i) Adelaide J., born May 
 10, 1857, was married in 1880 to William 
 Waugh, a Scotchman, who is a whole- 
 sale fur dealer at Montreal, P. O. ; their 
 children are Florence, Oliver S., Marion 
 and William. 
 
 (2) Peter J. June, born September 6, 
 1858, grew to manhood and received his 
 education in Fremont, where he learned 
 the trade of mechanical engineer in the 
 shops of D. June & Co. , subsequently going 
 to Cleveland, where he worked in the Cuy- 
 ahoga shops and for the Globe Shipbuild- 
 ing Co. several years. After this he fol- 
 lowed steamboating, as engineer, on the 
 lakes from 1S78 until 1892, during the sum- 
 mer seasons, for several lines, running the 
 "Conestoga," "Gordon Campbell," and 
 "Lehigh," of the Anchor Line; the 
 "Wocoken," " Egyptian " and " Cormo- 
 rant, "of the Winslow Fleet; the " North- 
 ern Light," of the Northern Steamship 
 Co., and the "City of Toledo," of the 
 
 Toledo & Island Steam Navigation Co. 
 In the season of 1890 he had charge of 
 the McKinnon Iron Works at Ashtabula, 
 Ohio. He is now a partner in the Fre- 
 mont Boiler-Scale Solvent Co., Fremont, 
 Ohio. Mr. June was married at Tyler, 
 Texas, to Miss Jennie, daughter of J. C. 
 and Agnes (Boyd) Jones, who were from 
 Beaver county, Penn., and of Welsh de- 
 scent. They have one child, Robert F. , 
 born October 24, 1887. 
 
 (3) Elmer Ellsworth, youngest in the 
 family of Sales A. June, was born in 1861, 
 and died when nine months old. 
 
 In politics Sales A. June and his son 
 are Republicans. They are members of 
 the Masonic Fraternity, the former hav- 
 ing attained the seventh and the latter the 
 third degree. 
 
 GEORGE JUNE, retired farmer and 
 horse dealer, Fremont, Sandusky 
 county, was born in the town of 
 Dryden, Tompkins Co., N. Y. , 
 December 26, 1822, son of Peter June. 
 He came with his father's family, in 1833, 
 to Sandusky city, where he attended 
 school a few terms, as he could be spared 
 from work. 
 
 At the age of fifteen George June left 
 home to work on his own account, going 
 with his brother Daniel to serve as team- 
 ster, in the construction of mason work 
 in Maumee (Lucas county) and vicinity, 
 and helped build the first poor house in 
 Lucas county. In 1838 he went south to 
 Springfield, Cincinnati and other cities in 
 quest of work. He drove a stage for the 
 Ohio Stage Company, on the National 
 road, about eleven years, and also drove 
 stage for some time at Bellefontaine, his 
 wages being usually about $14 per month 
 and board. After this he went to Cincin- 
 nati, and engaged first as a common hand 
 to assist a stock company in shipping live 
 stock down the Mississippi river; but his 
 natural tact and his long experience in 
 handling horses soon caused him to be put 
 
OOMMBMORATTVE BTOORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 180 
 
 in charge of large consignments of horses 
 on vessels, as foreman. For about ten 
 years he went south in the fall, and re- 
 turned in the spring. Having accumu- 
 lated some money, he invested it in a 
 large farm in Sandusky county, whereon 
 he afterward settled. During the Civil 
 war Mr. June furnished cavalry horses for 
 the Ohio troops, at the rate of nearly 
 2,000 per year. He shipped the first car- 
 load of horses that ever was shipped from 
 Fremont to Boston, and has shipped 
 many a carload since. By his long and 
 active out-door life, and his temperate 
 habits, he has retained robust health in a 
 green old age. 
 
 JOHN GEIGER, farmer, of Fremont, 
 Sandusky county, was born in Baden, 
 Germany, March 12, 1819, a son of 
 John and Josephine (Cramer) Geiger. 
 His father was born in the same place, 
 and was by occupation a glass-cutter and 
 window-grainer. He died at the age of 
 forty-eight years. His widow came to 
 America, and died at the advanced age of 
 ninety years, in Reed township, Huron 
 Co., Ohio. Their children were: Law- 
 rence, who died at the age of forty-eight 
 years in Shannon township (he was a 
 farmer and wagon-maker by trade); Rosa, 
 who married a Mr. Nesser, and died in 
 Huron county; Mary Ann, a widow, liv- 
 ing in Huron county; Frances, who died 
 young in Germany; John, the subject of 
 this sketch, and Rudolph, who lives in 
 Sherman township, Huron county. 
 
 Our subject worked by the month and 
 by the year until he came to America, 
 and continued thus for some time after 
 coming here. On March 14, 1840, he 
 landed in New York City after a voyage 
 of forty-eight days, and shortly after 
 came to Huron county, Ohio, where he 
 settled. He borrowed $8.00 in Buffalo 
 from an old schoolmate with which to 
 come to Ohio, where he worked for $8 
 per month at harvesting. After working 
 
 for a while on a farm he commenced 
 wagon-making, but in about two weeks 
 he was taken sick with a fever which did 
 not leave him until cold weather — in 
 fact, it was the ague. He left Huron 
 county to get rid of it, coming to Fremont 
 in the fall of 1840, and remaining in the 
 region of the Black Swamp about three 
 months, after which he went to where 
 Toledo now is, but failing to get any busi- 
 ness he returned to Bellevue. When he 
 left Huron county he owed a doctor bill, 
 to pay which he had to sell his clothes. 
 He had had the ague every other day, 
 and the rest of the time was employed 
 driving a team, but he only received two 
 dollars of his wages in money, the rest in 
 trade to the amount of si.x dollars. In 
 the latter part of February he had a fall- 
 ing out with his employer, and would not 
 stay with him over night. He concluded 
 to go away ten or twelve miles, to Green- 
 field township, and on the way he went 
 through a wilderness and found himself 
 on a prairie. Here he fell into a ditch 
 where the water was up to his waist, but 
 he managed to get out, and proceeding 
 on his way fell into another ditch in try- 
 ing to jump it, this time losing his bundle 
 of goods. He now was soaking wet, but 
 he had saved his money. He went on 
 until he saw a light, which he followed. 
 The light went out, but he found a house, 
 and when the door opened he dodged in 
 without invitation among a Yankee fam- 
 ily, with whom he could not talk a word 
 of English. He was not slow, however, 
 in making his wants known by gestures, 
 at which the Germans are so apt, and 
 was at once providecl for; but he shool 
 with the ague, which was worse than th< 
 wet. He got to Greenfield township 
 and then started for Huron. On the way 
 he took a chill, and lay down till it was 
 over. On reaching Huron he got on a 
 boat, but he was too sick to sit up, so he 
 lay down in a bunk and waited till the 
 boat should get ready to go, saying to 
 himself, •' Let the boat go where it will," 
 
140 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and fell asleep. The boat started, and 
 on the voyage he got seasick, but the 
 ague left him, and the next morning he 
 was in Cleveland, where he found work. 
 When he was getting off the boat they 
 stopped him to get his passage money. 
 He said, "No monish. " He got a kind 
 Dutchman to help him out, whom he paid 
 later. Subsequently going to Buffalo, he 
 was employed there as a hostler, earning 
 $25. He then took passage to Canada, 
 where wages were good, and worked there 
 two years for a Dutchman at twelve dol- 
 lars per month. His employer was a 
 kind man, and paid him $200 in good 
 money. After working for others and 
 earning some more money Mr. Geiger re- 
 turned to Huron county, Ohio, and bought 
 forty acres of land in Sherman township. 
 Here at Milan he started a brick-yard, 
 and continued to run it about si.x years. 
 He hauled lumber sixteen miles with one 
 horse to build his house, paying out every 
 dollar he had for it, and gave a chattel 
 mortgage for a barrel of flour. He sold 
 these forty-two acres and bought seventy- 
 two acres between Norwalk and Milan, 
 which he fitted up for a home, and after- 
 ward traded it off for one hundred acres 
 in Sherman township, upon which he 
 moved and went to farming during the 
 Civil war. He was drafted on the first 
 draft, and hired a substitute, but he was 
 loyal to the Government. From Sher- 
 man township he moved to Peru town- 
 ship, where he was again drafted, and 
 here he put in a substitute for three years, 
 or during the war. When he was to be 
 drafted a third time he was exempted by 
 this last substitute. In Peru he cleared 
 up a farm of 160 acres. Mr. Geiger is a 
 Republican and a Catholic. 
 
 On June 11, 1847, John Geiger mar- 
 ried Miss Catharine Grabner, who was 
 born January 30, 1823, in Bavaria, and 
 the children born to this union were: 
 John J. ; Laura, who married Louis 
 Hours and had children as follows — Fan- 
 nie, Metz, Alpha, Arthur and two others; 
 
 Mary, who married Albert Smith and had 
 children — Rosa, Alta, Charles and Frank; 
 Frank, who married Mary Hippie, and 
 had six children, and Mathias, who mar- 
 ried Ann Bitzer, and whose children were 
 Herod, Alice, Theresa, and Ada May. 
 Mr. Geiger moved to his present resi- 
 dence May 8, 1891. Mrs. Geiger was a 
 daughter of Lawrence and Ivatharine 
 (Ohl) Grabner, who landed in America 
 after a passage of eight weeks on the 
 ocean, and settled in Huron county, Ohio, 
 in 1839. Mr. Grabner died at fifty-three 
 years of age. His children were: Mary, 
 who married John Suter; Margaret, who 
 married Casper Kirgner; Catharine, now 
 Mrs. Geiger; John, who married Rebecca 
 Bigler (now deceased), and Peter, who is 
 also deceased. 
 
 JOHN B. LOVELAND, of Fremont, 
 Sandusky county, was born Feb- 
 ruary 20, 1827, in New Haven town- 
 ship, Huron Co., Ohio, of English 
 descent, his great ancestor having settled 
 in the Connecticut Valley in the year 1635. 
 At the age of nineteen Mr. Loveland 
 left his father's home and farm for Ober- 
 lin College, which was then a manual la- 
 bor institution, and here for four years 
 he paid his way with manual labor dur- 
 ing term time, and by teaching district 
 schools during the winter vacations. In 
 1854 he took a position as teacher in the 
 Fremont Union Schools, which he held for 
 ten years with credit to himself and to the 
 entire satisfaction of all concerned. He 
 next served as superintendent of schools 
 at Bellevue, Green Spring and Woodville, 
 adjoining towns in the same county, and 
 during his connection with these schools 
 he was a member of the Sandusky County 
 Board of school examiners, faithfully dis- 
 charging the duties of his office for the 
 term of fourteen years. He was also an 
 officer of the Sandusky County Teachers' 
 Institute some twenty-five years. Having 
 found leisure time for the study of law, Mr. 
 
COMMKMOUATIVK DIOGRAPUICAL IlfCOIiD. 
 
 141 
 
 Loveland was admitted to the bar March 
 20, 1876, by the district court at Fre- 
 mont, but he does not make the practice 
 of law a specialty, preferrin;^ the retire- 
 ment of his farm just outside the city 
 limits. He is the author of "The Love- 
 land Genealogy." in three large octavo 
 volumes, published in 1892-95. Mr. 
 Lovelaiui is a stanch Kepublicaii, and be- 
 lieves that the mission of the Republican 
 party is not yet ended. He cast his first 
 vote in 1848 for the nominee of the Free- 
 Soil party, in 1852 voted for John P. 
 Hale, candidate of the new party, in 
 1856 for John C. Fremont, and in i860 
 for Abraham Lincoln. From first to last 
 he was opposed to slavery. He is a de- 
 cided advocate of temperance and prohi- 
 bition, uses no tobacco, and despises the 
 use of alcohol in all its forms as a bever- 
 age. He believes the use of the one is 
 the stepping-stone to the use of the other. 
 
 John 13. Loveland was married at New 
 Haven, Huron Co., Ohio, August 22, 
 1850, to Miss Martha Jane, daughter of 
 Nicholas and Delilah (Hunsicker) Watts. 
 She was born in Owasco, N. Y. , March 
 3, 1831, and died at Fremont, February 
 27, 1883, the mother of children as fol- 
 lows: Martha Amelia, born July 31, 185 i, 
 died August 22, 1851; Nicholas Eugene, 
 born November 20, 1852; and John El- 
 mer, born December 22, 1862. On April 
 22, 1884, John B. Loveland,for his second 
 wife, married, at Fremont, Mrs. Harriet 
 Newell Fa.xson, //<V Loveland, who was 
 born at Waterville, Penn., February 17, 
 1838. At the age of sixteen our subject 
 united with the Free-Will Baptist Church 
 in New Haven, and he and Mrs. Love- 
 land arc now members of the M. E. 
 Church at Fremont. 
 
 N. E. Loveland, farmer, of Green 
 Spring, Ohio, was born in Greenfield 
 township, Huron county, November 20, 
 1852, and spent his early life on his fa- 
 ther's farm at Fremont. In 1 872 he gradu- 
 ated from the Fremont High School, after 
 which he served as superintendent of the 
 
 Port Clinton and Woodville schools. He 
 studied law with the firm of Everett & 
 F'owler, Fremont, and was admitted to 
 the bar by the district court, March 20, 
 1876, subsequently practicing his profes- 
 sion at Columbus Grove and at Fremont, 
 but he has now retired to his farm. He 
 is a strong advocate of temperance, and 
 in politics is a Republican. On November 
 16, 1876, he married Miss Annie Parker, 
 of Green Spring, who was born there 
 July 24, 1857. They are both members 
 of the Seventh-Day Advent Church. The 
 names and dates of birth of their children 
 are Bertha Eugenie, December 15, 1S77; 
 Grace Eola, April 25, 1883; Roy Dana, 
 April 2, 1886; Daisy Melita, June 3, 1889; 
 and Ernest Eugene, October 20, 1892. 
 
 J. Elmek Loveland, an emyloye in 
 the Carbon Works, was born at Fremont, 
 December 22, 1862, and received his 
 education in the F'remont city schools. 
 His present residence is on a lot of land 
 adjoining that of his father. On October 
 29, 1882, he was married, at Clyde, 
 Ohio, to Miss Anna Murphy, who was 
 born in New York city September i, 
 1864, daughter of Michael and Nora 
 (Dillon) Murphy, and their children are: 
 Martha Hazel, born April 22, 1884; 
 Herman, born September 26, 1887; and 
 John Talcott, born July 22, 1892. 
 
 JOHN F. GOTTRON. proprietor of 
 stone quarry, and dealer in building 
 stone, lime, etc., at Fremont, San- 
 dusky county, is a native of same, 
 having been born there July 21, 1855, a 
 son of Philip and Clara (F"ertig) Gottron. 
 Philip Gottron was born September 
 12, 1812, in Mumbach, Germany, where 
 he grew to manhood, and was engaged in 
 the lime and the roofing-tile business un- 
 til he emigrated to America. He was 
 mayor of Mumbach, and at different times 
 held other public offices, serving as a 
 member of the city council. In 1834 he 
 came to America, locating in Fremont, 
 
142 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 Ohio, where he conducted a hotel for 
 some years and a brick-yard. About the 
 year 1862-63 he did the first extensive 
 business in hme in Fremont. He bought 
 a part of the extensive quarries now 
 owned by his sons, and carried on a prof- 
 itable trade, retiring from business in 
 1878; he died in 1881. He was a Dem- 
 ocrat in politics, and a Roman Catholic 
 in religious faith. His wife was also born 
 in Mumbach, Germany, where they were 
 married, and she came with him to 
 America, dying April 26, 1871. They 
 had eleven children (two of whom were 
 born in America), as follows: Margaret, 
 wife of George Engler, of the firm of 
 Engler, Baker & Co., stock and grain 
 buyers, Fremont, Ohio; Clara, widow of 
 Philip Setzler; Herman, who died at the 
 age of thirty-four; Frank, who is foreman 
 of the kilns in connection with his broth- 
 ers' business at Fremont, Ohio; Anna, 
 widow of Andrew Hodes; Anthony N., 
 keeper of a restaurant at Fremont, Ohio; 
 Rosa, wife of S. Geier, of Cleveland, 
 Ohio; Barbara, wife of W. G. Andrews; 
 of Cleveland, Ohio; Adam, who is a part- 
 ner with his brother John F. in the stone 
 quarry, of Fremont, Ohio; John F. ; 
 and Philip, who married Miss Ellen Hid- 
 ber, and lives at Fremont, Ohio. 
 
 John F. Gottron was reared in Fre- 
 mont, where he attended both parochial 
 and public schools, and assisted his father 
 in business. At the age of thirteen he 
 was taken out of school to do work in 
 lime-kilns, continuing thus until he was 
 twenty, when he went to Cleveland. Ohio, 
 and worked a year and a half on Broad- 
 way and Central avenue, for a brother- 
 in-law, after which, in 1877, he returned 
 to Fremont, where he has been engaged 
 in the lime business ever since. When 
 the Gottron Brothers started in this busi- 
 ness, our subject had only $20 and his 
 brother $100. In 1890 they bought out 
 all competitors, and now have full con- 
 trol of the business. They furnish founda- 
 tion stones for buildings and bridges, 
 
 employing twenty-five men in the sum- 
 mer season in the quarries, and ship lime 
 to various parts of Ohio, Michigan, In- 
 diana, Pennsylvania and New York. 
 
 On October 3, 1882, John F. Got- 
 tron married Miss Bertha Andrews, who 
 was born June 13, 1859; she received a 
 part of her education in a convent in 
 Germany. Her parents were Christo- 
 pher and Mary (Fertig) Andrews, the 
 father born in North Germany January 
 8, 1828, and the mother June 11, 1824, 
 in Bensheim. They both came to 
 America in childhood. He died March 
 27, 1878; she is living with her daugh- 
 ter at Fremont, Ohio. Their children 
 were: William G. , who married Barbara 
 Gottron, and is in the milling business at 
 Cleveland, Ohio, being vice-president 
 and one of the principal stockholders in 
 the Broadway Mills Co., of which he was 
 one of the organizers; T. M., living at 
 Cleveland; Catharine, wife of A. N. Got- 
 tron, of Fremont, Ohio; and Bertha, wife 
 of our subject. 
 
 After marriage Mr. Gottron moved to 
 his home in the Fourth ward of Fremont, 
 and during the second year thereafter 
 was elected to the city council, of which 
 he was president from 1885 to 1889, and 
 served as clerk for four years following. 
 In 1894 Mr. Gottron completed one of 
 the most beautiful homes in the city at 
 the corner of Birchard avenue and Mon- 
 roe street, where he now resides. He is 
 a member of the Roman Catholic Church, 
 the Catholic Knights of Ohio, the Order 
 of Elks and of the German Aid Society. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Gottron have two children: 
 Mabelle and John F. , Jr. 
 
 M 
 
 ERLIN BABCOCK, one of the 
 substantial and popular farmers 
 of York township, Sandusky 
 county, comes of pioneer stock. 
 He was born in Ontario county. New 
 York, June 27, 1819, son of Elisha and 
 Prudence (Hinkley) Babcock, both natives 
 
cv^'/^'^'i^ '-^^/i'^^^^^^ 
 
 \- 
 
OOilMEMORATIVB BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 148 
 
 of Stevens township, Rensselaer Co., 
 New York. 
 
 I£lisli:i Babcock was born in 1783, of 
 remote Holland ancestry, but he himself 
 always used to insist that he was a Yan- 
 kee. He was a Whig in politics. In 
 \^2l he migrated by team with his family 
 from New York to Green Creek town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio, where he 
 purchased government land, and was 
 among the earliest settlers, the family 
 living (or a few weeks in -an old sugar 
 shanty while a cabin was being erected. 
 The parents went to their long rest many 
 years later, after they had converted the 
 wilderness into a fruitful farm. To Elisha 
 and Prudence Babcock were born five 
 children, as follows: Laura, who first 
 married P. C. Chapel, and for her second 
 husband wedded J. C. Coleman, a grocer 
 of Fremont, where she died; Esther, who 
 married George Waldorf, of Allegany 
 county, N. Y., and died there; Clark, 
 who married Ann Lee, and was a farmer 
 of Porter county, Ind.; Hiram, who 
 married Mary Ann Lay, and after her de- 
 cease wedded Josephine Woodruff, and 
 who died in Green Creek township, in 
 1886, leaving seven children; Merlin, the 
 youngest child, is the only survivor of the 
 family. 
 
 Merlin Babcock was but four years of 
 age when he migrated with his parents to 
 Sandusky county. He remained on the 
 old homestead in Green Creek township 
 until he was twenty-seven years old, in 
 his youth attending school in winter about 
 three months, and in summer two months. 
 For his first wife he married Almira Uir- 
 1am, a native of Massachusetts. She died 
 in 1846, leaving three children: Sarah, 
 wife of John J. Craig, of Coffey county, 
 Kans. ; Callie B., who married G. M. 
 Kinney, by whom she had one child, 
 Merlin, and who now keeps house for her 
 father; and Frank, a resident of Gibson- 
 burg, who has five chiKlren — Burton, 
 Edith, Amy, Chauncey and Jesse. After 
 the death of his first wife Mr. Babcock 
 
 left his father's homestead and moved to 
 his present farm in York township. Here 
 he married Agnes E. Donaldson, by whom 
 he had one child, John C, now a resi- 
 dent of Nevada. He engaged in general 
 farming for a time, then removed to Wads- 
 worth, Nevada, and there engaged in the 
 hotel business. After his wife died in the 
 western home he returned to Sandusky 
 county, and has since resided on his farm 
 in York township. In politics Mr. Bab- 
 cock has been a Henry Clay Whig. He 
 cast his first vote for W. H. H Harrison, 
 and also voted for his grandson, Benjamin 
 Harrison, for President. Mr. Babcock 
 remembers hearing Gen. Harrison make 
 a speech at Old Fort Meigs in 1840. He 
 remembers, too, with vividness, the re- 
 markable change that has come upon the 
 face of the country during the past fifty 
 years, and among other things the three 
 old mills on Coon creek, near Clyde, that 
 ran several months each year, that stream 
 then being filled from bank to bank, in 
 striking contrast to the present attenuated 
 How of water. He served York town- 
 ship for nineteen years as assessor, and 
 has filled various other local offices. Mr. 
 Babcock is an upright citizen, and is with- 
 out an enemy. At his old home in York 
 township he enjoys the serenity and com- 
 fort which should crown a life so well spent 
 as his has been, and he commands the 
 highest respect and esteem of a wide cir- 
 cle of friends and acquaintances. 
 
 A J. HALE, station agent of the 
 Lake Shore & Michigan Southern 
 railroad, Fremont, was born in 
 Steuben county, N. Y., May 25, 
 1828, son of Samuel and Sarah Hale. 
 
 Samuel Hale was born in Massachu- 
 setts, and his wife in Connecticut, whence 
 she early removed to western New York, 
 and there grew to womanhood. They were 
 married at Albany. He was first a lumber 
 dealer in various sections of the State of 
 New York, and later a general merchant. 
 
144 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 doing business at Tyrone, Steuben county. 
 He died in 1842, at the age of fifty-seven 
 years, and sfie died at Lake Geneva, in 
 1857, at the age of sixty-three, a member 
 of the Baptist Church. Ten children 
 were born to them, nine of whom grew 
 to maturity. 
 
 A. J. Hale was reared in Steuben 
 county, N. Y. , and attended the public 
 schools until thirteen years of age. He 
 then served as clerk in a store, in New 
 York State, for two years when, in 1842, he 
 came to Bellevue, Ohio, and was there 
 actively engaged in business until 1852, 
 when he removed to Fremont, becoming 
 agent for the Lake Shore & Michigan 
 Southern railroad, in 1857, which position 
 he filled until 1861. At the outbreak of 
 the Civil war, in 1861, he helped to raise 
 the first company of three-year men in 
 Fremont, and entered the service as sec- 
 ond lieutenant of Company E, Twenty- 
 fifth O. V. I. After serving with the 
 company a short time at Camp Chase, 
 Columbus, Ohio, he was appointed and 
 commissioned quartermaster of the 
 Twenty-fifth O. V. I., under Gov. Tod, 
 at the suggestion of Gen. R. B. Hayes. 
 Mr. Hale had not sought the position, 
 but was chosen on account of his fitness 
 for the place. His regiment was assigned 
 to duty with the army of Western Virginia 
 and he became senior regimental and 
 post quartermaster, in October, 1863, 
 resigning his post and returning to Fre- 
 mont, where he resumed his old place as 
 ticket and freight agent for the combined 
 offices of the Lake Shore & Michigan 
 Southern and the Lake Erie & Western 
 railroads. He continued thus until 1880, 
 when the increasing business of the roads 
 demanded that the business departments 
 be separated, and he became freight and 
 station agent for the Lake Shore alone, 
 and is now acting in that capacity. His 
 long period of service before the public 
 and his excellent qualities as a citizen 
 have made him one of the best known 
 and most highly respected citizens in the 
 
 community. In fraternal affiliation he is 
 a member of the Knights of Honor and 
 of the Royal Arcanum. Mr. Hale was 
 married, in Bellevue, Ohio, in 1850, to 
 Miss Elizabeth A. Simkins. 
 
 ALBERT VOGT BAUMANN is a 
 native "Buckeye," having been 
 born in Fremont, in 1S59, a son 
 of Jacob and Elizabeth (Vogt) 
 Baumann, natives of Switzerland, who 
 came from their native country to Fremont 
 in 1854. 
 
 Jacob Baumann, his father, has been 
 identified with the business interests of 
 Fremont since 1856, and by his persever- 
 ance and strict attention to business has 
 acquired a competency which places him 
 in the front rank as one of the solid, sub- 
 stantial business men of Fremont. He is 
 and always has been an active Democrat 
 in politics, but never seeking ofifice. His 
 wife died January 7, 1892, aged fifty-six 
 years. Their children were: Jacob Bau- 
 mann, Jr., of Fremont; Emma Baumann, 
 who died recently; Elizabeth Baumann, 
 at home; and Albert Vogt, our subject; 
 they also had an adopted daughter, named 
 Hattie. 
 
 Our subject grew to manhood in Fre- 
 mont, attended the city schools, and then 
 took a thorough business course at East- 
 man College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. He has 
 been identified with the progress and de- 
 velopment of his native city since his boy- 
 hood days, and has taken an active in- 
 terest in everything designed for the good 
 of the county. He has recently become 
 prominent among the oil and gas men of 
 Sandusky and adjoining counties. In 1884 
 and 1885 he was principal owner and 
 manager of the Democratic Messenger, 
 the organ of the Sandusky County Demo- 
 cracy at Fremont. He was elected city 
 clerk in 1882, and served in that capacity 
 for six years, having been twice unani- 
 mously re-elected. In 1884 he received 
 the nomination of the Democratic party 
 
OOtniEMORATIVB BIOORAPHIOAL RBCORD. 
 
 145 
 
 for auditor of Sandusky county, and was 
 defeated bv William L. Baker. In 1887 
 he was ajjain nominated by the Demo- 
 cratic party for county auditor, and was 
 elected over Nfr. Baker, who defeated him 
 three years previous. In 1891 he was re- 
 nominated and re-elected county auditor, 
 receiving the largest niajority of any on 
 the county ticket. His whole time and 
 attention is now devoted to his business 
 interests, which have become extensive, 
 mainly through his persevermg nature and 
 untiring efforts. He is largely interested 
 in The Fremont Gas Company and The 
 Fremont Electric Light Company, being 
 a director in each and secretary and treas- 
 urer of both companies. In January, 
 1889, Mr. Baumann was married at Fre- 
 mont to Miss Anna Rose Greene, daugh- 
 ter of Judge John L. Greene, of Fremont. 
 To their union were born two children: 
 Albert Vogt, Jr.. and Elsie Elizabeth. 
 To his wife and children he is devotedly 
 attached. 
 
 C.\PTAIN O. L. SHANNON was 
 born in Sandusky township, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio, March 30, 1848, 
 grew up there and attended the 
 district schools. Being a weakly child, 
 the physicians ordered that he should take 
 a voyage, hence he started on one on the 
 lakes when he was a boy ten years old. 
 He succeeded in sustaining himself from 
 the outset, and sailed on the lakes every 
 summer. He finally went before the mast, 
 remaining in that capacity until his mar- 
 riage, in 1873, to Miss Delia Morrow, 
 who was born in Sandusky City, Ohio, in 
 1854, and ilied in 1876, leaving one child, 
 Le Roy, who is now a drug clerk in Fre- 
 mont, Ohio. Our subject's second wife, 
 Martha F. (P'linck), was born in Erie 
 county, in 1867, married in 1882, in Lo- 
 rain, Ohio, and has two children: Wilson 
 O.. and Westford ¥. 
 
 After his first marriage Mr. Shannon 
 located in Fremont, where he served in 
 
 various occupations until 1874, when he 
 passed the examinations in Cleveland, 
 Ohio, and received his certificate as mas- 
 ter seaman and first-class pilot on the 
 Great Lakes. He has sailed a boat near- 
 ly every summer since after his location 
 in l-'remont, also operated his farm in 
 Sandusky township in connection with 
 sailing; but five years since he located per- 
 manently in Fremont. He is still com- 
 manding a steamer. He is a member of 
 the I.O.O.F. and of the Disciples Church 
 of Lorain, Ohio. His wife is also a mem- 
 ber of that Church. Capt. Shannon is 
 well known on the lakes and around Fre- 
 mont. 
 
 John Shannon, father of our subject, 
 was born March 2, 18 13, in the " Block 
 House" at Scioto, which was erected as 
 a fortress during the war of 181 2. The 
 name Shannon is of Low-Dutch origin, 
 descending from our subject's great-grand- 
 father, George Shannon. He came to 
 America in the seventeenth century, lo- 
 cated at Schenectady, N. Y., and was 
 well-to-do financially. He died about the 
 year 1828, at an advanced age. He had 
 two children: John and George, the lat- 
 ter of whom, our subject's grandfather, 
 came west to Ohio in 1809. Soon 
 afterward he was married, in Sandusky 
 county, to Mary Whittaker, who was 
 born in that county in 1 799, and died 
 in 1827. She was the daughter of 
 James and Elizabeth (Fulks) Whittaker, 
 who were both stolen by a party of In- 
 dians from the Mohawk Valley, New York 
 State. The great-grandfather of our sub- 
 ject was about two years old and his great- 
 grandmother about four years old when 
 they were taken to Lower Sandusky (now 
 Fremont), which was then the headquar- 
 ters of the Indians in this section. They 
 were reared by Indians, and by some 
 means were made head of the Indian 
 tribes. They were married by Indian 
 ceremonies. In due course of time they 
 established a trading post on the Whit- 
 taker Reserve, which was given them by 
 
146 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the Indians. They also had a trading 
 post at Upper Sandusky. Mr. Whittaker 
 kept that post, and Mrs. Whittaker the 
 one on the Whittaker Reserve. The In- 
 dians traded, from many miles around, at 
 Lower Sandusky, and recognized the 
 Whittakers as their rulers and chiefs. 
 Mr. Whittaker had a partner at Lower 
 Sandusky, and was poisoned by him so 
 that he died; he was hurried on the Whit- 
 taker Reserve. Our subject's grand- 
 mother died in the spring of 1832. They 
 had children as follows: Isaac, Nancy, 
 Mary (subject's grandmother), James, 
 Rachel, Charlotte and George. Our sub- 
 ject's father saw and knew all of them 
 except Nancy, who was married early in 
 life to a Mr. Wilson, and moved to 
 Canada. In 1 832-33 two of her daughters 
 visited here, and afterward a young man 
 came and staid a short time; he was here 
 at the time of grandmother's death, but 
 was never seen afterward. The rest of 
 that branch of the family died in Canada, 
 or, at all events, all trace of them has 
 been lost. Isaac died in Indiana; James 
 died in White Pigeon, Mich., where he 
 had been a merchant (our subject's father 
 was there at that time); Rachel married 
 James A. Scranton, of Lower Sandusky, 
 and was a prominent figure here for years; 
 Charlotte died single; George, the young- 
 est, died in Indiana. 
 
 Our subject's paternal grandfather 
 never knew what became of his uncle 
 John. Grandfather married asecond time, 
 but nothing positive is known of their 
 history. He was a farmer and a great 
 hunter. He made hunting his chief occu- 
 pation, and employed others to operate 
 his farm. He died at the age of forty- 
 two, and his wife at thirty-si.x. They had 
 eight children, six of which grew to ma- 
 turity: Elizabeth, married to Samuel 
 Hubble, a ship carpenter at Fort Miami; 
 James, who died near Oregon; John, sub- 
 ject's father; William, a farmer, who died 
 at Genoa, Ohio; Rachel, who died young; 
 Samuel, who died at Plaster Bed, Ottawa 
 
 Co. , Ohio, and Jacob, who died in Fulton, 
 Ohio. Our subject's father, John Shan- 
 non, is the only one of these now living. 
 Capt. Shannon's paternal grandpar- 
 ents went away for safety from the war 
 in the fall of 1812, and subject's father 
 was born in the block house built at 
 Scioto, to protect the whites against the 
 Indians. While a party of whites were 
 digging potatoes and tending other crops 
 they were attacked by Indians, and the 
 paternal grandfather of our subject was 
 so badly wounded that he had to crawl 
 two days and nights to reach a friendly 
 Indian's cabin, and was assisted back to 
 Scioto. He was severely wounded in the 
 back, from which he suffered two years, 
 during which time the doctor took thirty- 
 one pieces of bone from his back. He 
 was a strong man and a great hunter. 
 Our subject's father grew up among the 
 Indians, was a great hunter in the early 
 days, and is still a noted duck shooter. 
 On October i, 1840, he was married to 
 Miss Eveline Patterson, who was born in 
 Onondaga county, N. Y. , in 1824. She 
 died October 9, 1893. They had ten 
 children: Sarah, Emma Jane, Julia (who 
 married Andrew Franks, and lives in 
 Michigan), Capt. O. L. (oursubject), John 
 W. (who lives in Sandusky township), and 
 Fannie (wife of Frank Scheffler, of Fre- 
 mont, Ohio); the rest of the children 
 died young. After the death of our sub- 
 ject's mother, his father, John Shannon, 
 married Mrs. Sophia Peter, who was a 
 widow at that time. 
 
 BYRON R. DUDROW, a resident 
 of Fremont, Sandusky county, is 
 a native of Ohio, born March i, 
 1855, in Adams township, near 
 Green Spring, Seneca county, and is a 
 son of David W. and Mary J. (Rule) 
 Dudrow, the former of whom was born 
 October 25, 1825, in Frederick county, 
 Md., a son of David and Elizabeth 
 
OOMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 147 
 
 (Hines) Dudrow, also natives of Mary- 
 land, born of German ancestry. 
 
 David W. Dudrow settled in Seneca 
 county, Ohio, in 1845, becoming the 
 owner of a large farm there, which he 
 conducted up to the time of his decease, 
 prospering himself and assisting others to 
 prosper, his life presenting a striking ex- 
 ample of industry, integrity and unselfish- 
 ness. On January 8, 1853, he was mar- 
 ried to Miss Mary J. Rule, who was born 
 in Seneca county, Ohio, daughter of 
 Daniel and Jane (Grosscost) Rule, to 
 which union were born eight children, 
 four of whom died in infancy, and three 
 sons and one daughter are yet living, to 
 wit: Byron R., in Fremont, Ohio; Will- 
 iam and Fred, in Adams township, Sene- 
 ca county, engaged in farming and stock- 
 raising; and Jennie, with her mother on 
 the old homestead. On May 16, 1888, 
 the father, David W. Dudrow, met with 
 a fatal accident, being instantly killed by 
 the kick of a horse. 
 
 Daniel Rule, grandfather of Byron R. 
 Dudrow, was born October 28, 1801, on 
 the banks of the Susquehanna river, in 
 Perry county, Penn., was of Teutonic de- 
 scent, and spoke the German language 
 fluently, while his wife. Jane (Grosscost), 
 was of Scotch-Irish lineage. In the fall 
 of 1824 he moved to Seneca county, 
 Ohio, at which time the Seneca Indians 
 lived on the Seneca Reservation, and he 
 became well acquainted with many of 
 them, some of whom were Redmen of 
 note in their day, including the famous 
 warrior chief Small Cloud Spicer, who at 
 that time was a resident of the Sandusky 
 Valley. Samuel Rule, brother of Daniel, 
 owned and improved a large farm in Me- 
 nard county. 111., dying there November 
 7, 1884, while George, a half-brother of 
 Daniel, was one of the pioneers of San- 
 dusky county, Ohio. Daniel Rule's 
 grandfather was a soldier in the Revolu- 
 tionary war, serving under Gen. Wash- 
 ington, and participated in the siege of 
 Yorktown; after the surrender of Com- 
 
 wallis he returned to his home in south- 
 ern Pennsylvania, and there succumbed 
 to an abscess which had formed in his 
 side. 
 
 Byron R. Dudrow. the subject proper 
 of these lines, received his elementary 
 education at the district schools of the 
 neighborhood of his place of birth, which 
 was supplemented with a course of study 
 at the Union schools of Tiffin and Clyde, 
 Ohio. This for a few years occupied his 
 winter days, his summers being passed 
 for the most part in assisting on his 
 father's farm in Adams township. In 
 the autumn of 1872 he entered the Pre- 
 paratory Department of Baldwin Uni- 
 versity, Berea, Ohio, remaining there 
 continuously until June, 1877, returning 
 home only for his vacations. By close 
 application and hard study he gained one 
 year upon his class, and did not require to 
 attend college during the session of 1877- 
 78; but in the latter year he returned to 
 Berea, and on June 6th graduated from 
 Baldwin in the classical course, receiving 
 the degree of B. A. On June 9, 1881, 
 the degree of M. A. was conferred upon 
 him. 
 
 On June 18, 1877, Mr. Dudrow com- 
 menced the study of law in the office of 
 Basil Meek, at Clyde, Ohio, and was ad- 
 mitted to the bar by the District Court, 
 April 26, 1879. He did not, however, at 
 once enter into active practice, but 
 served as deputy clerk of courts of San- 
 dusky county from the time of his ad- 
 mission to the bar until April 26, 1880, 
 at which time he commenced the practice 
 of the law. He has been engaged in the 
 trial of some prominent cases, and with 
 success. One of the most important 
 trials in which he has engaged was the 
 defense of Mrs. Lizzie Aldridge. who was 
 charged with the murder of her husband, 
 John Aldridge, the trial taking place at 
 Hastings, Neb., in June, 1889. Mrs. 
 Aldridge was acquitted, and of Mr. Dud- 
 row's efforts in this case the Hastings 
 (Neb.) ^<*/»«/^/;Vfl« said: "Mr. Dudrow, 
 
148 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHIOAL RECORD. 
 
 of Fremont, Ohio, was an earnest and 
 pleasing talker; every word and action 
 had power and weight that exerted an in- 
 fluence upon the jurors." The Adams 
 county (Neb.) Democrat, also speaking 
 of his able argument at the same trial, 
 said: "Of Mr. Dudrow, of Fremont, 
 Ohio, it may be said that during the trial 
 he won the good opinion and admiration 
 of our people by his manly, eloquent and 
 logical argument to the jury, and by the 
 able manner in which he conducted the 
 part of the case assigned to him." From 
 1883 till 1888 Mr. Dudrow practiced law 
 in partnership with H. R. Finefrock, and 
 since 1891 he has been associated with 
 his father-in-law, Basil Meek, and John 
 W. Worst. 
 
 On November 21, 1878, Mr. Dudrow 
 was united in marriage at Clyde, Ohio, 
 with Miss Mary E. Meek, daughter of 
 Basil Meek, and who for several years 
 had been a teacher in the Clyde public 
 schools. In his political predilections 
 our subject is a Democrat, and has three 
 times been elected to the office of city 
 solicitor of Fremont, his services in that 
 capacity covering a period of six years. 
 Besides his residence on Birchard avenue, 
 Fremont, he owns a 300-acre farm in 
 Townsend township, and he is considered 
 one of Sandusky county's most useful, 
 progressive citizens. 
 
 HA. VAN EPPS. Thirty years 
 have passed since the ' ' cruel 
 war" waged between the North 
 and South was ended, and even 
 the youngest of the men who served their 
 country in those dark days are growing 
 old. But they never tire of the stories 
 of camp life, of forced marches through 
 the burning heat and deadly swamps of 
 the South, of hair-breadth escapes and 
 desperate encounters, or of the dreary 
 days in Libby Prison, or the lingering hor- 
 rors of Andersonvilie and Belle Isle. A 
 few more years, and these stories will be 
 
 handed down by their descendants, for 
 the old soldiers will have answered to 
 their last roll call, and will have passed 
 beyond, happy in the thought that they 
 leave behind them a government united 
 and at peace. While they live, how- 
 ever, it is our privilege to honor them for 
 their noble deeds, and to show our grati- 
 tude for the bravery and zeal with which 
 they defended the homes and institutions 
 so dear to us. 
 
 It is, therefore, with pleasure that we 
 are enabled to give the record of the 
 veteran whose name opens this sketch, 
 and whose recollections of the war are 
 always listened to with delight, especially 
 at the camp-fires and reunions of the 
 "boys in blue." Mr. Van Epps is a 
 ready writer, and portrays most vividly 
 the scenes which were enacted under his 
 personal observation, especially the story 
 of Grierson's raid, in which he was an 
 active participant. The limits of a bio- 
 graphical sketch will not permit an ex- 
 tended account of Mr. Van Epps' life 
 during the war, but the following brief 
 story of his career will prove of interest 
 to his many friends and acquaintances. 
 
 H. A. Van Epps was born in Middle- 
 bury, Wyoming Co., N. Y. , March 8, 
 1842, and came of good old Knicker- 
 bocker stock. His father, Charles Van- 
 Epps, was born on the Mohawk river, N. 
 Y. , and removed to Middlebury, Wyoming 
 Co., N. Y. , in 1806. He was a carpen- 
 ter by trade, and subsequently engaged in 
 farming; in politics he was a Democrat. 
 He died in Middlebury in 1854. Our 
 subject's mother, whose maiden name 
 was Betsy Wilson, was born in Middle- 
 bury in 1812, and died in 1893 at the 
 good old age of eighty-one years. She 
 was the mother of children as follows: 
 Elizabeth, who married H. M. Choat, 
 and lives in Darien, Genesee Co., N. Y. ; 
 Jane, who died when ten 3'ears old; 
 Charles, who lives on the old homestead 
 in Middlebury, and is iifty-five years old; 
 H. A., our subject; Fayette, deceased 
 
OOMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 140 
 
 when quite young; Delphene, who lives 
 in Darien, N. Y., and is unmarried; 
 George, who died when fourteen years 
 old. Mrs. Van Kpps' father was a na- 
 tive of Vermont, of sturdy Yankee ances- 
 tors, and held the rank of colonel in the 
 war of 1812. 
 
 The subject of our sketch grew to 
 manhood on the home farm in Middle- 
 bury, assisting his father in agricultural 
 pursuits and obtaining his schooling in the 
 district schools and Wyoming Academy. 
 In March, 1861, he went to Carroll 
 county. 111., where he was engaged in 
 (arming. When the call to arms sounded 
 throughout the land the patriot blood in 
 his veins responded, and laying aside all 
 personal considerations he enlisted Sep- 
 tember 5, 1 861, in Company B, Seventh 
 Illinois Cavalry, for the three-years' ser- 
 vice. When the three years had expired 
 the Rebellion was still unsubdued, and on 
 February 10, 1864, he re-enlisted in the 
 same company and regiment, and re- 
 mained until the close of the war, being 
 honorably discharged November 12,1865, 
 after a continuous service of four years 
 and two months. During this time he 
 received several well-earned promotions. 
 In 1863 he was made a corporal, in 1864 
 a sergeant, and April 20, 1865, he was 
 appointed second lieutenant. 
 
 During these four years Mr. Van- 
 Epps followed his regiment through a 
 considerable portion of Missouri, Tennes- 
 see, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. 
 He was in si.xty-three engagements, great 
 and small, among which were the follow- 
 ing: The siege of Corinth, in the spring 
 of 1862; battle of Corinth, in October, 
 1862; luka; Coffeeviile; Colliersville; 
 Lynnvillc; West Point; Okalona; Sum- 
 mersville; siege of Port Hudson; fight at 
 Clinton, La. ; CampbcUsville, Tenn. ; 
 Shoal Creek, Franklin and Nashville, 
 when Hatch's brigade, of which he was 
 a member, captured three forts or re- 
 doubts. He was also with his regiment 
 when following Hood on his retreat from 
 
 Nashville to the Tennessee river, a dis- 
 tance of 125 miles. This was a terrible 
 experience, the marches being made 
 through rain, sleet and snow, and when 
 the weary soldiers reached Gravel Springs 
 no food was to be obtained, and for two 
 weeks they lived on parched corn. 
 
 Mr. Van Epps also took an active part 
 in the famous " Grierson Raid," from La 
 Grange, Tenn., to Baton Rouge, La. 
 He, with his company, was detached from 
 the balance of the command and remain- 
 ed alone for five days in the very heart of 
 the Rebels' country, during which time, 
 it is estimated, they traveled four hun- 
 dred miles, being in the saddle night and 
 day and enduring untold hardships. While 
 on picket duty at Coldwater, Tenn., 
 guarding a bridge eight miles from camp, 
 the enemy charged upon his company, 
 capturing all but five of them — himself 
 among the number — who made their es- 
 cape by running across the fields. They 
 finally reached camp at Colliersville, giv- 
 ing the alarm in time to save the entire 
 command from being captured, as the 
 enemy shortly made their appearance, ex- 
 pecting to take the Union soldiers by sur- 
 prise. They met with a warm reception 
 instead, and were badly defeated. While 
 acting as sergeant Mr. \an Epps com- 
 manded his company for five months, and 
 at the second day's battle before Nash- 
 ville, while engaged with the enemy in 
 the woods, his captain, who at the time 
 was acting-major, fell mortally wounded; 
 under Mr. Van Epps' leadership his little 
 band held the Rebel line in check while 
 the dying officer was removed from the 
 field. Mr. Van Epps served under Gens. 
 Rosecrans, Denver, Hatch, Grierson, 
 Wilson, Thomas, Banks and McPherson, 
 in different divisions and army corps. 
 While escaping almost miraculously any 
 serious accident during his long term of 
 service, he was not without some mishaps. 
 While on drill in the summer of 1864. he 
 was thrown from his horse and received a 
 severe injury from wlii.h bi- b.is never 
 
150 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHTCAL RECORD. 
 
 fully recovered. He was taken with the 
 measles while at Bird's Point, Mo., and 
 was removed to the hospital at Mound 
 City, 111., and also spent about five wee.ks 
 in the hospital at Town Creek, Ala., suf- 
 fering from fever. 
 
 After the war was over Mr. Van Epps 
 returned to his home in New York, where 
 in 1867 he was married to Miss Ellen 
 Bailey, who died July 16, 1872. To this 
 union three children were born: Gertrude 
 E. ; Leona M., and Elmer A. Mr. Van- 
 Epps was married, the second time, to 
 Miss Isadora Cornell, who was born at Lin- 
 don, Genesee Co., N. Y., in 1847. Two 
 children have been born of this marriage 
 • — Ethel A. and Ernest C. Our subject 
 followed farming with success in New York 
 until he sold out and came west. Locat- 
 ing in Fremont, in 1881, he purchased the 
 Starr ilouring-mills. These he remodel- 
 ed to the roller process, adding the latest 
 improvements, and also erecting fine ele- 
 vators. He carried on these mills, doing 
 a large merchant and domestic business, 
 until the close of the year 1893, when he 
 disposed of this property, and the follow- 
 ing April purchased the flouring-mills and 
 warehouse at New London, Ohio, and is 
 at present operating the same. During 
 his residence in Fremont he made many 
 friends and was considered one of the sub- 
 stantial business men of the town. He 
 served four years in the city council, and 
 he is past commander of the G. A. R. 
 
 WILLIAM DRIFTMEYER, a sub- 
 stantial and prosperous farmer 
 of Madison township, Sandusky 
 county, was born November 26, 
 1816, in Hanover, Germany. His parents, 
 Louis and Isabelle (Tichen) Driftmeyer, 
 rope makers by vocation, lived in Ger- 
 many and died there, the mother in 1822, 
 the father in 1843. 
 
 In early life William Driftmeyer re- 
 ceived a good German education. He 
 worked out by the day till the age of 
 
 twenty-one years, and in 1842 he came 
 to America, immediately after landing 
 coming to Ohio and renting forty acres of 
 land in Madison township, Sandusky 
 county, on which he lived one year. 
 Then he bought forty acres of timber 
 land, twelve of which he sold, and cleared 
 the remainder, later buying forty acres, 
 then twenty, then another forty, all 
 timber land, which he cleared. 
 
 On January 31, 1843, William Drift- 
 meyer was united in marriage with Mary 
 Cook, a daughter of Henry Cook, and 
 they have had eight children, of whom 
 William, born July 16, 1844, died at the 
 age of seventeen; Henry, born October 
 21, 1845, lives in Washington township, 
 Sandusky county; Mary, born November 
 26, 1847, married John Michael, a farmer 
 of Michigan, and they have had two 
 children; Eliza, born August 6, 1850, 
 married Fred Demschroeder, of Wood- 
 ville township, Sandusky county, by 
 whom she has had four children; Sarah, 
 born November 11, 1852, married Will- 
 iam Helambrecht, a farmer, and they have 
 had si.\ children; Frederick, born May 5, 
 1855, married Mary Wendler, by whom 
 he has had two children, and lives in 
 Washington township; Sophia, born De- 
 cember 30, 1857, married Henry Kilgus, 
 and they have had two children, of whom 
 one is deceased; and Louis, born Febru- 
 ary 2, 1862, married Minnie Friar, 
 whose parents, Henry and Rebecca (Sam- 
 sell) Friar, live in Madison township. 
 Mrs. William Driftmeyer's parents lived 
 and died in Germany. 
 
 Mr. Driftmeyer laid out the road 
 which separates Washington township 
 from Madison and Woodville townships. 
 The first oil well in Madison township 
 was drilled on his land, and on the land 
 upon which he makes his home in that 
 township he has six good oil wells that 
 yield six hundred barrels monthly; and on 
 a thirty-seven-acre tract in Washington 
 township he has two wells that will aver- 
 age two hundred barrels each month. Mr. 
 
^ 
 
 
 
 fL^^- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 151 
 
 Driftmeyer is a Republican in politics. 
 and has been repeatedly honored with 
 public office, having been trustee for two 
 years, and road supervisor and school 
 director for many terms. In religious 
 affiliation he is a member of the German 
 M. E. Church of Elmore. 
 
 JH. CLAUSS, president and man- 
 ager of the Clauss Shear Company, 
 Fremont, Sandusky county, was 
 born in New York City June 4, 1855. 
 His parents were Henry and Jennette 
 (Flersch) Clauss, natives of Germany, 
 who emigrated to America, sojourned for 
 a time in New York City, finally locating 
 in Cleveland, Ohio, where they now re- 
 side. 
 
 J. H. Clauss was reared in Cleveland, 
 where he received somewhat limited school 
 privileges. His business experience from 
 the time he was fourteen years old was 
 that of apprentice in a German printing 
 office, porter in a wnglesale millinery 
 house, and bookkeeper for a brass manu- 
 factory. He did not like to work for 
 others, so after attaining his majority he 
 began business on his own account as 
 manufacturer of cigar bo.xes. in Cleveland. 
 This he carried on some four years, after 
 which he sold out, and seeing a chance at 
 Elyria, Ohio, went there and invested 
 what means he had in the Shear Com- 
 pany in that city. Seeing that the con- 
 cern was not on a safe footing, he manipu- 
 lated affairs so that he became secretary 
 and treasurer, and finally full manager. 
 The business thrived under his control, 
 and he remained there until August, 1887, 
 when he sold out the boiler, engine, and 
 a part of the fixtures of the plant, and 
 removed the rest to Fremont, Ohio, here 
 meeting with unprecedented success in 
 the history of shear manufacturing; but a 
 check was put upon his prosperity for a 
 brief period by his entire factory being 
 burned to the ground on January 1 7, 1 889. 
 
 With his characteristic enterprise Mr. 
 10 
 
 Clauss at once resolved to rebuild, this 
 time with brick, the former having been a 
 frame structure. The dimensions were: 
 Main building, 165x40 feet; two wings, 
 each 96x40, all three stories high, with 
 a basement and engine room 60x40. 
 The building of this was accomplished 
 from January 17 till March 4, in the 
 short space of forty-six days, and is said 
 by authority to have been the most ex- 
 peditious work of like magnitude ever ac- 
 complished. The building is located on 
 East State street, on the right bank of the 
 Sandusky river, and is one of the hand- 
 somest plants of any kind to be found in 
 Ohio. The magnitude of the Clauss 
 Shear Company is not appreciated until 
 we realize that it is by far the largest con- 
 cern of the kind in the world. They give 
 employment to 250 men in the shops, 
 have twenty traveling salesmen in the 
 United States, two in Canada and seven 
 in Europe. They have a branch office at 
 Kansas City fMo. ), in New York City, in 
 Toronto (Ontario^, and in London (Eng- 
 land). The building-up of this vast indus- 
 try is due entirely to the business sagacity 
 and enterprise of J. H. Clauss. He has 
 pushed the trade into all parts of the 
 world. By the erection of this vast manu- 
 factory in Fremont, Mr. Clauss has con- 
 tributed largely to the city's growth and 
 prosperity. Aside from this he also mani- 
 fests a leading spirit in all social and local 
 affairs. He has just completed an elegant 
 new residence on Hirchard avenue, which 
 is considered not only the finest in Fre- 
 mont, but one of the finest in northern 
 Ohio. Mr. Clauss is a stanch Republi- 
 can, and a Scottish Rite Mason of the 
 Thirty-second Degree. 
 
 WEN DEL SPRANG and wife are 
 among the wealthiest and most 
 prosperous residents of Green 
 Creek, Sandusky county. Their 
 success in life is due to frugal habits, 
 unfailing industry and sagacious judg- 
 
152 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BI06RAPBICAL RECORD. 
 
 ment in farming. For the latter quality 
 Mr. Sprang is indebted to his wife, for 
 when he came to Sandusky county he was 
 wholly ignorant of farming life, and from 
 his efficient helpmeet he received his first 
 instructions in rural pursuits. That the 
 teachings were sound maybe judged from 
 the signal success that has attended the 
 lives of this devoted couple. 
 
 Mr. Sprang was born in Grafenhausen, 
 Baden, Germany, September 19, 1833, 
 son of Thomas and Euphemia (Me3-er) 
 Sprang, who in 1852 emigrated to Amer- 
 ica, locating near Sandusky, where he 
 bought a small piece of land and worked 
 as a laborer. He died in 1877, aged 
 sixty- nine years, and his wife, who was 
 born September 15, 18 10, died October 
 3, 1880. They were members of the 
 Roman Catholic Church, and had seven 
 children, four of whom lived to maturity, 
 as follows: Philip, who was killed by a 
 falling tree at Wolf Creek; William, fa- 
 tally crushed by the cars at Mansfield; 
 Wendel; and Mary E., wife of Godfrey 
 Young, of Green Creek township. The 
 paternal grandfather of Wendel Sprang 
 was killed at his home in Germany, in 
 181 3, by Napoleon's French soldiers, dur- 
 ing their retreat from the disastrous Rus- 
 sian campaign; the soldiers had demanded 
 food which he was unable to supply. 
 
 In 1858 Wendel Sprang was married, 
 in Brownhelm township, Lorain Co., Ohio, 
 to Anna Margaret Mary Jaeger, who was 
 born in Bavaria, Germany, July 31, 1835, 
 daughter of Adam John and Anna Do- 
 rothea (Schellhouse) Jaeger. Her pater- 
 nal grandfather was by birth a Frenchman. 
 Mrs. Sprang was only three years old 
 when she came to America with her 
 parents, who settled in Brownhelm town- 
 ship, Lorain Co., Ohio, where her only 
 brother, John Henry Jaeger, now lives. 
 After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Sprang 
 settled in Sandusky City, and began house- 
 keeping with a capital of $150. Mrs. 
 Sprang sewed for two shillings a day, and 
 Mr. Sprang worked in a stave factory for 
 
 75 cents a day, one-half of which amount 
 was payable in store goods, and Mr. 
 Sprang says he would have preferred to 
 work for 50 cents per day in cash. Thus 
 they lived for two years, at the expiration 
 of which time they had $250, which they 
 deemed a sufficient sum to begin farming 
 with. Coming to Green Creek township, 
 Sandusky county, they bought twenty- 
 five acres of land at $19.00 per acre, 
 reserving $50, with which to build a house 
 and "start on." It seems remarkable 
 that with this small start the couple could 
 make much progress in life; but to-day 
 they own 250 acres of fertile and well- 
 improved land. During the first season 
 Mrs. Sprang cradled all the wheat, while 
 Mr. Sprang bound it. Mr. Sprang had 
 done no farm work up to that time, and 
 his wife with good humor tells many 
 amusing stories of how she had to teach 
 him. When the Lake Shore road was 
 under construction he chopped and hewed 
 ties in the woods, and she loaded them 
 on the wagon and hauled them to the 
 roadbed. Mrs. Sprang also assisted him 
 in sawing with a cross-cut saw. She 
 laughingly remarks that if it were neces- 
 sary she could do the same work now, so 
 excellent is her health and robust her 
 strength. It is no wonder that with a 
 helpmeet like Mrs. Sprang his success 
 has been so great. Mr. and Mrs. Sprang 
 have one son, John H., and two grand- 
 sons, Henry W. and William Harrison. 
 In politics Mr. Sprang is a Democrat. 
 His religious faith is that of the Roman 
 Catholic Church, and his wife is a devoted 
 Lutheran; but they have never permitted 
 their differences of belief to mar their 
 domestic harmony nor cast a shadow 
 upon their common, interests. 
 
 PHILIP BRADY, who is numbered 
 among the leading and influential 
 farmers of Clyde, Green Creek 
 township, Sandusky county, is a 
 native of County Wexford, Ireland, born 
 
OOMMEMORATIVS BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 158 
 
 in 1824. His parents, Terrance and 
 Mary (Clear) Brady, were both born in 
 County \N'cxford and were of old Celtic 
 stock. The father died on the Emerald 
 Isle, after which the mother came to 
 America, where her death occurred at 
 the age of seventy years. They were 
 farming people of Ireland, where the 
 grandfather, Patrick Brady, also carried 
 on agricultural pursuits, and for genera- 
 tions the family occupied the same home- 
 stead. 
 
 Our subject is one of a family of 
 eight children, comprising six sons and 
 two daughters, and the eldest sister still 
 occupies the ancestral home. In order 
 of birth they are as follows: Ellen, still 
 a resident of Ireland; Thomas, who died 
 in Clyde, Ohio; Patrick, who makes his 
 home in Wisconsin; Mary, who was the 
 wife of Matthew Nolan, and died in this 
 country: Michael, a resident of Clyde; 
 and Martin Philip and James. Philip, 
 the subject of this memoir, grew to man- 
 hood in his native land, with such meagre 
 school and other advantages as were 
 available to him. Like so many of his 
 countrymen who love the greatness of 
 American liberty, he resolved to cast his 
 fortunes under the flag of the young re- 
 public, and make it his adopted land. 
 Accordingly at the age of si.xteen he em- 
 barked for the Western World. He took 
 passage on board a ship leaving Ross, 
 Ireland, and in due time reached Quebec, 
 Canada. He found his first employment 
 in the New World with farmers in Lower 
 Canada, but subsequently came to the 
 United States, where he worked on the 
 railroads, or at any emplovment which 
 he could find. 
 
 Desiring to become a permanent resi- 
 dent, Mr. Brady purchased five acres of 
 land near Clyde, Ohio, and by frugality 
 and thrift soon became the owner of a 
 good home. This he subsequently sold, 
 and then bought a tract of uncleared 
 and unimproved land north of Clyde. 
 Here he found in the densely wooded 
 
 land ample field to exert all his 
 energy and indu.-;try; but stubborn 
 nature yielded, and Mr. Brady is now the 
 proud proprietor of an excellent and well- 
 tilled farm. It has now all been cleared, 
 and there is no better land to be found 
 anywhere in the county. His old log 
 house, which he erected tnany years ago, 
 is still standing as a relic of the times 
 that were, and a memento of the hard- 
 ships of pioneer life. At Elyria, he wed- 
 ded Miss Mary Keating, a native of 
 County Carlow, Ireland, and to them 
 have been born eight children, as follows: 
 Mary is the wife of John Furlow, of Buck- 
 ley, Wash., and they have two children 
 — John and Eustatia; Ella is the ne.\t in 
 the family; Joseph is a resident of Buck- 
 ley, Wash. ; Maggie is the wife of Grant 
 Andrews, a merchant of Millersville, San- 
 dusky county, and they have two children 
 — Mabel and May; John. Philip, Jr., Kit- 
 tie and Martin complete the family. 
 
 On his arrival in the New World, Mr. 
 Brady had only a few shillings left; but 
 by enterprise, industry and economy he is 
 now one of the well-to-do citizens of San- 
 dusky county. He is a man whose honesty 
 and integrity are above (juestion; is of a 
 happy, genial disposition, and th<iroughly 
 enjoys a good joke. In his political views 
 he strongly adheres to the principles of 
 the Democratic party, and he and his 
 family are members of the Roman 
 Catholic Church. 
 
 GRANT FORGERSON, a substan- 
 tial farmer and public-spirited 
 citizen of Rice township, San- 
 dusky county, was bom in that 
 county, February 22, 1829. He is a son 
 of Thomas and Mary (Hull) Forgerson, 
 who were born March 30, 1795, and I'eb- 
 ruary 1, 1810, respectively, the father in 
 Orange county. New York. 
 
 Thomas P'orgerson worked for his fa- 
 ther, Sidney I'orgerson, in New York 
 State, and in 18 19 came with him to F^re- 
 
154 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 mont, Sandusky Co., Ohio, the father 
 buying a home here which he occupied 
 till his death in 1830. On July 5, 1827, 
 in Sandusky county, Thomas Forgerson 
 was united in marriage with Mary Hull, 
 and five children were born to them, as 
 follows: Grant, the subject of this sketch; 
 Dorcas A. and Wilford N., born August 
 2, 1832; Christina, born December 10, 
 1835; ^^^ Thomas, born February 17, 
 1 84 1. In 1 830 Thomas Forgerson moved 
 to Rice township, and in 1833 bought 124 
 acres of land, where he lived up to the 
 time of his decease. He was township 
 clerk and trustee, and for four years was 
 school director. 
 
 In 1844, at the age of seventeen years. 
 Grant Forgerson entered the Mexican 
 war as a drummer boy in Company C, 
 Fourth O. V. I., in company with his 
 uncle, Isaac Swanck, who was quite up 
 in military tactics. He and his com- 
 rades started from home in wagons, being 
 conveyed to Maumee City, thence jour- 
 neying via canal to Cincinnati, and from 
 there to New Orleans. Reshipping, they 
 crossed the gulf to Brazos Island, and 
 went up the Rio Grande river as far as 
 Matamoras, where they remained six 
 weeks, then proceeding to Vera Cruz and 
 on to Pueblo, Me.xico, where they were 
 stationed until the close of the war, Mr. 
 Forgerson being in the service for about 
 a year. There are few men who, like 
 himself, have engaged in actual warfare 
 before reaching the age of eighteen years, 
 and he can relate many interesting experi- 
 ences which he underwent during his serv- 
 ice. After the war he came back to 
 Rice township, and then going west 
 remained two years, again returning to 
 Rice township. On January i, 1854, he 
 was united in marriage with Nancy Park, 
 who was born in Ohio April 29, 1835, and 
 they had four children, namely: (i) Mary 
 E., born October 8, 1854, married Joseph 
 Young, and they live in Rice township; 
 (2) James G., born Oct. 29, 1856, mar- 
 ried Clara House, and seven children were 
 
 born to them, as follows — Mabel, Janu- 
 ary 26, 1883, Hattie, June 6, 1884, Jes- 
 sie, December 22, 1887, Addie, January 
 26, 1889, Clara, July 9, 1890, Laura, 
 February 19, 1892, and Scott, November 
 15, 1894; (3) Addie, born Feb. 24, 1861, 
 married Frank Foster, and they live in 
 Fremont, Sandusky county (they have 
 three children, namely: Louis, born June 
 19, 1884; Achiel Grant, born December 
 28, 1886, and Ida, born March 28, 1893); 
 (4) Ida N., born February i, 1861, died 
 November 17, 1861, and was buried in 
 Rice township. 
 
 Grant Forgerson is engaged in gen- 
 eral farming, having 166 acres of land 
 worth one hundred dollars an acre. He 
 was clerk of Rice township for two years, 
 and school director and supervisor for 
 twelve years. In politics he is a good 
 Republican, and in religious affiliation be- 
 longs to the Presbyterian Church, as does 
 his entire family. In 1861 Mr. Forger- 
 son became a member of the I. O. O. F. 
 at Fremont, joining Croghan Lodge No. 
 T/, and he has passed all the Chairs; he is 
 also a member of the Knights of Honor, 
 Lodge No. 95. He is a gentleman of 
 mild manners, is widely known as an en- 
 tertainer, and, it is almost needless to add, 
 his friends are numerous. 
 
 EMANUEL WENGERD is a well- 
 known farmer and minister resid- 
 ing in Washington township, San- 
 dusky county, and has the respect 
 of all who know him. Having a wide 
 acquaintance in this locality, we feel as- 
 sured that the record of his life will prove 
 of interest to many of our readers, and 
 gladly give it a place in this volume. 
 
 Mr. Wengerd is numbered among the 
 native sons of Ohio, his birth having oc- 
 curred on the old family homestead in 
 this State February i, 1849. He is a 
 son of Joseph W. and Marden Julie 
 (Walter) Wengerd, who at an early day 
 migrated westward from Pennsylvania and 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGHAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 155 
 
 took up their residence upon the farm 
 which was the birthplace of their son 
 Emanuel. The father was at that time 
 about thirty years of age. and there re- 
 mained until he passed from earth, at the 
 age of seventy-two. His wife passed 
 away when seventy-six years old. Mr. 
 VVengerd was one of nature's noblemen, 
 his life filled with jj;ood deeds and kind 
 actions. He was generous and benevo- 
 lent, a good supporter of the Church and 
 of all interests that were calculated to 
 benefit humanity. When he was taken 
 away the community lost one of its best 
 citizens, but he left to his family the. price- 
 less heritage of a good name. 
 
 The gentleman whose name begins 
 this record profited by the good teachings 
 and e.xample of his parents, and the lessons 
 which he learned in his youth have borne 
 splendid fruit. He was trained not only 
 to habits of industry, but also learned and 
 developed those traits which in any place 
 command the respect of all. He now 
 devotes his time and energies to farming 
 and to work for his fellow men. and has a 
 good property in Wa.'^hington township, 
 Sandusky county, its neat and thrifty ap- 
 pearance well indicating his careful super- 
 vision. 
 
 On December 31. 1869, Mr. Wengerd 
 was united in marriage with Miss Mar- 
 garet Nichols, daughter of Peter Nichols, 
 a well-known resident of Sandusky coun- 
 ty. Two children — George F. and Ar- 
 thur W. — came to bless and gladden their 
 home, which was a bright and happy 
 spot until the hand of death was laid upon 
 the wife and mother. Mr. Wengerd re- 
 mained single for a year, and then was 
 united in marriage with Miss Catherina 
 A. Snyder, whose parents, William and 
 Sarah (Heller) Snyder, are residents of 
 Seneca county. Ohio; Nfr. Snyder is a 
 miller by occupation. This marriage was 
 blessed with three children; John M.. 
 Charles S. and Howard H.. of whom 
 Charles S. is the only one now living; 
 John M. died at the age of eight years, 
 
 and Howard E. in infancy. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Wengerd have many warm friends 
 in this community, and their own home is 
 noted for its hospitality. 
 
 ABf^AHAM BLANK, one of the 
 most popular and highly-esteemed 
 citizens of Sandusky county, car- 
 ries on agricultural pursuits in 
 Woodville township, and is also engaged 
 in speculating in oil. Although an East- 
 ern man by birth, he possesses the typ- 
 ical Western spirit of progress and enter- 
 prise. A native of Columbia county, 
 Penn, ;he was born September 9, 1827, 
 son of William Blank, and a brother 
 of Amos Blank, the latter a well-known 
 resident of Sandusky county. 
 
 In 1836, when a child of nine sum- 
 mers, our subject accompanied his parents 
 and the other members of the family to 
 Ohio, locating in Madison township, San- 
 dusky county, where he worked on his 
 father's farm. They were the earliest 
 settlers of that portion of the county, and 
 went through all the experiences and 
 hardships of pioneer life. Abraham re- 
 ceived but limited educational privileges, 
 for schools were few and far between, and 
 the advantages afforded therein were not 
 always of a superior quality. In the 
 practical school of experience, however, 
 he has learned many valuable lessons, 
 and through reading, experience and ob- 
 servation has become a well-informed 
 man. He continued working on the farm 
 of his father from early boyhood until 
 1873, when he started out in life for him- 
 self, purchasing 120 acres of land, all of 
 which was covered with timber. With 
 characteristic energy he began to clear 
 the place; the trees fell one by one before 
 his sturdy strokes, and acre after acre was 
 placed under the plow and made to yield 
 a golden tribute in return for the care 
 and cultivation he bestowed upon it. He 
 erected a dwelling house; also built barns 
 and outbuildings, put up fences which di- 
 
156 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 vided the place into fields of convenient 
 size, planted an orchard and made other 
 general improvements which add to the 
 value and attractive appearance of the 
 place. He also engaged in the oil busi- 
 ness, and in two years made in speculation 
 upward of $31,000. 
 
 Mr. Blank has traveled extensively 
 through both the Southern and Western 
 States, going on business trips to Ken- 
 tucky, Indiana, Chicago, Michigan and 
 Wisconsin, where he owns large tracts of 
 land. He is a man of broad and liberal 
 views, and is well liked and very popular 
 with all classes of people, being highly 
 respected throughout the county in which 
 he makes his home, where his acquaint- 
 ance is a wide one. For several years he 
 has held the office of trustee of Woodville 
 township, and during his administration 
 a number of roads and bridges were con- 
 structed, as well as ditches and other im- 
 provements. He is a stanch Democrat, 
 warmly advocating the principles of the 
 party. An entertaining conversationalist, 
 he can relate many interesting instances 
 of pioneer life in this locality. He is 
 still engaged in the oil business in connec- 
 tion with his nephew, and has practically 
 retired from farming, having acquired a 
 handsome competence which supplies 
 him with all the comforts and many of the 
 luxuries of life. 
 
 WILLIAM W. POORMAN is num- 
 bered among the leading agri- 
 culturists of Sandusky county, 
 having for many years been iden- 
 tified with its growth and upbuilding. He 
 was born in Townsend township, San- 
 dusky county, January 15, 1828, a son of 
 John and Phoebe (Wetsel) Poorman, the 
 former of whom was born in 1773; the 
 latter was born about 1793, and died in 
 Detroit, Mich., at the advanced age of 
 eighty-three. Their family numbered four 
 children. The Poormans are of German 
 descent. 
 
 At an early age our subject accompa- 
 nied his parents to Sandusky Cit}^ Ohio, 
 where his father was engaged in the gro- 
 cery business until his death, which oc- 
 curred at the age of sixty 3'ears. When 
 William was a youth of fifteen, he accom- 
 panied his mother and the other members 
 of the family to Fremont, where he 
 worked in an ashery for two years, at the 
 end of which time his mother removed to 
 Ballville township, Sandusky county, pur- 
 chasing forty acres of wild land. This 
 our subject and his brother cleared, mak- 
 ing there a comfortable home. The wild 
 land \yas transformed into rich and fertile 
 fields, and a good farm resulted from their 
 earnest and persistent labors. While re- 
 siding on that farm Mr. Poorman was 
 married, January 6, 1850, to Miss Je- 
 mima Ann Hutson, of Ballville township, 
 a native of Franklin county, Ohio, born 
 December 4, 1829. Her father, James 
 Hutson, was born February 13, 1807, and 
 died June 18, 1893; her mother, who 
 bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Stultz, 
 was born August 28, 1828; they were the 
 parents of the following children: Mrs. 
 Poorman, John, Peter, Vincent, William 
 M., Nathaniel W. and James S. The 
 mother of this family passed away August 
 4, 1877. The paternal grandfather of 
 Mrs. Poorman was John Hutson, who 
 married a Miss Needles. The former was 
 born in Maryland about 1784, and served 
 in the war of 1812; the latter was born 
 about 1787, and lived to be 104 years 
 of age. The maternal grandparents ■^vere 
 Peter and Elizabeth (Cliner) Stultz, the 
 former born in 1776, the latter in 1780. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Poorman have one child, 
 Emma A., born October 2, 1850, and ed- 
 ucated in Fremont. On November i, 
 1867, she became the wife of Robert A. 
 Forgrave, of Scott township, Sandusky 
 county, and to them have been born four 
 children, one of whom, a son, is now 
 living. 
 
 For a year after his marriage, Mr. 
 Poorman lived on the farm which his 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 157 
 
 mother had purchased, and then removed 
 to the villaRc of Ballvillc, where he 
 resided some six years. Purchasing 107 
 acres of land in Section 15, Scott town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, that farm has 
 since been his home. The greater part 
 of this farm was in its primitive condition; 
 but by patient toil he has made it one of 
 the best places in the neighborhood, the 
 forest trees giving way to fields of golden 
 grain, and the log cabin to the spacious 
 frame dwelling. There are also good 
 outbuildings, and all modern improve- 
 ments. In 1890 he leased the entire farm 
 to the Sun Oil Company for an annual 
 rental of $1, 100 and one-eighth of the oil 
 produced on the farm. Four wells are 
 now in operation, yielding about fifty 
 barrels per day, and Mr. Poorman there- 
 fore secures a good income. He has 
 served as township treasurer, and for sev- 
 eral terms has been township trustee, 
 discharging his duties in a most creditable 
 and acceptable manner. His political 
 support is given to the Democracy, and 
 he is a progressive and public-spirited 
 citizen, giving his aid to and co-operation 
 with everything pertaining to the welfare 
 of the community. 
 
 Robert A. Fcjrc.rave was bom 
 November 27, 1842, in Pcrrv county, 
 Ohio, and is one of the five children born 
 to Robert \V. and Mary (Kuhn) Forgrave. 
 The father was born in Philadelphia in 
 1807, and was a pioneer of Perr>' county; 
 the mother was born in 1818; her father, 
 Adam Knhn, was also a native of the 
 Keystone State, and lived to the advanced 
 age of ninety-two years. Mr. Forgrave 
 was educated in the common and select 
 schools of the neighborhood, and for some 
 years engaged in teaching in Sandusky 
 county, at one time being principal of the 
 high school at Oak Harbor, while his wife 
 was teacher of the primary department. 
 In 1861 he joined the Union army, and 
 for four years aided in the defense of the 
 old flag and the cause it represented, par- 
 ticipating in some of the most hotly con- 
 
 tested engagements of the war, including 
 the battles of Cold Harbor, Petersburg 
 and Spottsylvania, and was at Appomat- 
 tox when Lee surrendered to Grant. At 
 the close of the war he returned to Scott 
 township, and for some years successfully 
 carried on agricultural pursuits. He then 
 leased his land to the oil company, and 
 as the flow of oil is a good one he derives 
 an excellent income therefrom. He is a 
 man of good business ability, and his man- 
 agement of his business affairs has made 
 him a substantial citizen. 
 
 AB. KEMMERLING. The hardy 
 pioneers of the Northwest, who 
 developed the land out of which 
 some of the proudest States of 
 our Union were constructed, were men 
 not only of muscle but of brains; men 
 who combined great endurance and in- 
 dustry with intelligence and religious prin- 
 ciple, and with their wives, as brave and 
 courageous as themselves, reared up their 
 children in such habits of thrift and mor- 
 ality that the country has reason to be 
 proud of them. 
 
 Of such worthy parentage was born 
 the subject of our sketch, a well-known 
 and prosperous dry-goods merchant of 
 Gibsonburg, Sandusky county, who is 
 among the youngest of the men in that 
 place to carry on an independent busi- 
 ness, and who may be styled a self-made 
 man. He was born in Madison township, 
 Sandusky county, October 12, 1863. A 
 brief sketch of his parents, Peter and 
 Catherine (Unger) Kemmerling, will be 
 read with interest by their friends: His 
 father was born in Union (now Snyder) 
 county, Penn., near Louistown, Septem- 
 ber 27, 1813. Here he spent his boy- 
 hood days, and in 1835, when twenty-two 
 years of age, came to Ohio, locating in 
 Wooster, where he lived two years, re- 
 nioving in 1837 to Madison township. In 
 that early day this part of Ohio was a wil- 
 derness, just as it left the hand of nature, 
 
158 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPSICAL RECORD. 
 
 and dense forests covered the face of the 
 country, in which wild animals abounded. 
 Deer were plentiful, and wolves made 
 night hideous with their howls. Settlers 
 were few and far between, but their hos- 
 pitality was freely given, and they greatly 
 enjoyed visiting each other. Mr. Kem- 
 merling on coming here entered govern- 
 ment land, which he cleared, and began 
 farming. This occupation he followed 
 until 1873, when, yielding to the infirmi- 
 ties of old age, he retired from active 
 work and took up his residence in Gibson- 
 burg. Early in life he became identified 
 with the Evangelical Church, and for 
 many years was a local preacher, at the 
 same time working on his farm. He 
 traveled all over that section of the coun- 
 try on horseback, as was the custom in 
 those days, holding meetings at different 
 points, sometimes being for weeks on the 
 road. The life was one of hardship, but 
 no one can tell the amount of good ac- 
 complished by these pioneer preachers, 
 the advance guard of the great army of 
 Christian people who now fill the churches 
 of our land. Mr. Kemmerling was faith- 
 ful in his self-imposed task until he grew 
 old and his voice gave out, and he was 
 obliged to cease preaching. He died Oc- 
 tober II, 1893, regretted by all who knew 
 him. He was an old-time Whig, and la- 
 ter, when the Republican party was 
 formed, joined its ranks. 
 
 The mother of our subject, who was 
 the second wife of Mr. Kemmerling, was 
 born March 23, 1835, daughter of Abra- 
 ham and Elizabeth (Snyder) Unger, and 
 is still living. She became the mother of 
 five children, as follows: Salome, who 
 married Charles Fairbanks, and lives in 
 Madison township; Samantha, wife of 
 Alpheus Fraunfelter, living in Gibson- 
 burg; A. B., our subject; Franklin, living 
 in Cleveland, Ohio; and Lillie, wife of 
 James Bowerson, who lives in Cleveland. 
 By his first marriage our subject's father 
 had thirteen children, five of whom are 
 deceased; the others are: Catherine, 
 
 wife of David Garn, living in Indiana; 
 James, John and Edward, all of whom 
 live in Michigan, and who were all sol- 
 diers in the Union army during the Civil 
 war; Mary, married to Mr. Mowry, and 
 living in Illinois; Maggie, married to H. 
 Overmyer, and living in Indiana; Julia, 
 wife of James Garn, of Indiana, and El- 
 len, who married H. C. Brost, and re- 
 sides in Michigan. 
 
 The subject of this sketch grew to 
 manhood in Madison township, attending 
 the schools at Gibsonburg and gaining a 
 common-school education. At twenty- 
 two years of age he began taking contracts 
 for timber from a railroad company, which 
 business he carried on until nearly two 
 years ago, in the meantime clerking at 
 times. On November 16, 1893, he 
 bought out the dry-goods firm of J. W. 
 Miller, of which he is the sole proprietor. 
 He is doing a flourishing business, and 
 ranks among the best and most progres- 
 sive citizens of Gibsonburg. Mr. Kem- 
 merling was married February 26, 1891, 
 to Mrs. Emma Downing, who was born 
 in Cornwall, England, in 1859, and they 
 have one child. Bliss. Socially Mr. Kem- 
 merling is affiliated with the I. O. O. F., 
 K. of P., K. O. T. M., P. O. S. of A. and 
 F. & A. M. ; in politics he is a Repub- 
 lican. 
 
 DANIEL KERNS is one of the most 
 widely-known and highly-respect- 
 ed citizens of Sandusky county — 
 a man whose well-spent life has 
 gained for him the esteem of all with 
 whom business or social relations have 
 brought him in contact. He was born 
 June 23, 1817, in Columbiana (now Ma- 
 honing) county, Ohio, son of Abraham 
 and Elizabeth (Misheye) Kerns, who were 
 natives of Pennsylvania, where the pater- 
 nal grandfather, George Kerns, was also 
 born. 
 
 The parents of our subject removed to 
 Ohio during its pioneer days, and settled 
 
c4y. 79' ^^^f^ 
 

COMMEMORATIVB BIOORAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 150 
 
 upon an 8oo-acre tract of land that form- 
 ed a part of WashinRtoii township, San- 
 dusky county. The place being then 
 heavily covered with timber, Mr. Kerns 
 at once began to clear and improve it, 
 and at the time of his death all but a few 
 acres had been placed under the plow. 
 He was an industrious and energetic man, 
 and those traits of industry and economy 
 which had so much to do with his success 
 were early instilled into the minds of his 
 children. The family was a large one, 
 numbering eleven children, namely: >fary, 
 who was killed by accident during her 
 early girlhood; John, of Wayne county, 
 Ohio; Anna, who became the wife of 
 Michael Powell, and died leaving four 
 children — Albert, Richard, Susan and 
 Lydia; Sarah, who became the wife of 
 Samuel Powell, and died when well ad- 
 vanced in years, leaving a large family; 
 Jacob, a retired farmer of Alliance, Ohio; 
 Daniel, subject of this sketch; Solomon; 
 Lydia; Lavina; Josiah, an M. E. minister 
 of Kansas; and Isaiah, of Newton, Iowa, 
 land agent, notary public and abstracter 
 of titles. 
 
 Thus amid the wild scenes of the fron- 
 tier Daniel Kerns was reared, and with 
 the family shared in the usual e.xperiences 
 of pioneer life. He remained at home 
 with his (ather until his twenty-first birth- 
 day, attending the district school in the 
 winter, and aiding in the labors of the 
 farm through the summer months. On 
 attaining his majority he began studying 
 for the ministry, and after a thorough 
 course returned to his home and became 
 a circuit preacher, traveling through 
 Washington township. After remaining 
 here for a year, he went to Illinois, being 
 the first minister to establish an Evan- 
 gelical society in the city of Chicago, 
 where he spent one year, and then again 
 returning to Sandusky county was placed 
 on the Marion circuit. The succeeding 
 seven years of his life were devoted to 
 ministerial work, and then, on account of 
 ill health, he was compelled to retire. 
 
 During this time he had saved what little 
 he earned, and he now invested his capital 
 in eighty acres of farm land, which owing 
 to his care and cultivation has become 
 valuable property. In the years that fol- 
 lowed he devoted his energies to agricul- 
 tural pursuits until 1886, when he retired 
 from active business life and took up his 
 residence in Lindsey. He still retains 
 possession of his farm, which comprises 
 285 acres and yields him a good income. 
 
 On March 30, 1843, Daniel Kerns 
 was united in marriage with Miss Julia, 
 daughter of Rev. Michael and Polly (Wolt) 
 Walter, whose family numbered four chil- 
 dren — John, Julia, Susan and Katie. The 
 marriage of our subject and his wife has 
 been blessed with thirteen children: Caro- 
 line Mary, born March 5, 1845, and be- 
 came the wife of William Collar; Almira, 
 born October 28, 1846, died at the age 
 of four weeks; Rebecca P., born Novem- 
 ber 5, 1847, became the wife of W. W. 
 Smith, a farmer of Sandusky county, and 
 they have two children; Lidda Anna, 
 born January 17, 1850, is the wife of 
 Theodore Kerns, a coal dealer of Cleve- 
 land, Ohio, by whom she had one child, 
 now deceased; Isaiah M., born August 9, 
 1 85 1, died at the age of nine years; Ben- 
 jamin F. , born September 22, 1853, is 
 deceased; Josiah, born January 19, 1856, 
 and John C, born April 22, 1857, are 
 both deceased; Obadiah, born July 3, 
 1859, is a farmer; Emma, born August 
 21, 1 86 1, is the wife of John Slates, a 
 miller by trade, residing near Fremont, 
 and they have two children; Allen, born 
 November 5, 1863. is a farmer; Ida, bom 
 May 9, 1866. died at the age of eighteen 
 years; Dora V., born October 9, 1868, is 
 the wife of Charles Schaebner, a razor 
 grinder, and they have one child. 
 
 Mr. Kerns was formerly a member of 
 the Grangers. He votes with the Prohi- 
 bition party, and is a warm advocate of 
 the cause of temperance, giving his sup- 
 port to all reforms and measures calcu- 
 lated to uplift humanity in general. His 
 
ICO 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 noble Christian life is one well worthy of 
 emulation, and all who know Daniel 
 Kerns have for him the highest regard. 
 
 JOHN MALCOLM, one of the sub- 
 stantial and influential citizens of 
 Clj'de, exemplified in his younger 
 days the nobility of labor in a man- 
 ner so thorough as few of his compeers 
 have done. He is a native of Scotland, 
 and brought with him to Ohio a rugged 
 constitution, an invincible spirit, a latent 
 gift of energy which was expended upon 
 the primeval forests of Ashland county 
 with telling effect. It has been said that 
 the Malcolm family cleared up more land 
 than any other in Ashland county. In 
 one year it cleared off forty-two acres, 
 fenced it, and put the virgin soil in wheat. 
 In that elder day the recital of this feat 
 meant more than it does now, for the 
 present generation can not so well grasp 
 the tremendous amount of labor involved 
 in the primitive clearing of land as could 
 their forefathers who did the work. Labor 
 was then the cardinal virtue, the chief 
 avenue to success. 
 
 Mr. Malcolm was born at Aberdeen, 
 Scotland, October 15, 1821, son of Alex- 
 ander and Barbara (Richie) Malcolm. 
 Alexander Malcolm was a gardener, and 
 his father, William Malcolm, was a milk- 
 man, among whose customers was the 
 Aberdeen Lunatic Asylum. Two sons of 
 William Malcolm, Arthur and James, par- 
 ticipated in the battle of Waterloo, one 
 of the most fateful in the world's history. 
 They were stationed in the famous wheat 
 field, where the regiment, or rather the re- 
 mains of it, had ' ' formed square, " and for 
 some time were confronted on three sides 
 by Napoleon's heavy cavalry, who charg- 
 ed them again and again without breaking 
 the square. Both were wounded, and 
 both drew subsequent pensions for their 
 injuries. A son of Arthur Malcolm, Ar- 
 thur by name, and also a daughter, now 
 reside at Akron, Ohio. Alexander Mal- 
 
 colm in 1835 emigrated with his large 
 family to America. Landing at New York 
 he came directly to Ohio, and after spend- 
 ing several months in Westfield township, 
 Medina county, and Savannah, Ashland 
 county, he purchased one hundred acres 
 of forest land in Ruggles township, in the 
 latter county. There were then no roads, 
 game abounded, and bands of wandering 
 Indians still strolled through the premises. 
 Here Alexander fashioned for himself his 
 permanent home, clearing the land and 
 farming industriously until his death, 
 which occurred when he was aged sixty- 
 seven years. His faithful wife, ten years 
 his senior, preceded him to the grave by 
 about eighteen months. He was a Presby- 
 terian in religious faith, and an unwaver- 
 ing Whig and Republican in politics. His 
 family of ten children was as follows: 
 Alexander, who died in mature life; Archi- 
 bald, a resident of Northwest township, 
 Williams county; William, who reared a 
 family, and passed away many years ago 
 (his eldest son David died in the Civil 
 war); John, subject of this sketch; Jane, 
 wife of Conrad Brandeberry, of Mont- 
 pelier, Williams county; James (retired), 
 of New London; Charles, who died un- 
 married; Thomas, who reared a family in 
 Williams county, and died there; Robert, 
 who reared a family in Ruggles township, 
 and is now deceased; David, who died at 
 the age of two years. 
 
 John Malcolm was in his fifteenth 
 year when he came with his father's fam- 
 ily to Ohio. He assisted his father on 
 the farm, but after the latter's start there 
 was an abundance of labor in the family, 
 and John became a clerk for King & 
 Gunn, of Medina, afterward King & 
 King. After a clerkship of several years 
 he returned to the farm, where he re- 
 mained until his marriage, in 1844, to 
 Miss Harriet S. Munger, who was born 
 
 Livingston county, N. Y. , April 5, 
 
 m 
 
 1826, and the daughter of Jehiel and Be- 
 linda (Janes) Munger, both natives of 
 New York. In 1831 they migrated to 
 
OOmfEMORATrVB BTOORAPmCAL RBCORD. 
 
 161 
 
 Ohio and settled in Townsend township, 
 Sandusky county, where the father died 
 in 1845. and the mother some years later. 
 Here, too, died the father of Jehiel, also 
 named Jehiel Munj,'er, an Enfjlishman by 
 birth. The children born to Jehiel and 
 Belinda Mungerwere as follows: Chapin 
 Richard, who reared a family and died in 
 Oregon; Clarissa, who died in chiKlhood; 
 William K.. who died, unmarried, in 
 Townsend; Hiram .\., of Clyde; Harriet 
 S. , wife of John Malcolm; Daniel N., 
 who died in California, unmarried; Tem- 
 ple Jane, deceased in childhood; Tylei 
 E., also deceased in childhood; Axie I., 
 who married Edward Wheeler, and died 
 in Rochester township, Lorain Co., Ohio; 
 Jehiel, a bachelor, residing in California; 
 Theresa M., whose child by her first mar- 
 riage, Rufey Jordan, was the first woman 
 admitted to the bar in the United States 
 (she practiced at Seattle, Wash., and died 
 at Chicago during the \\'orld's Columbian 
 E.xposition. Theresa M. married, for her 
 second husband, Simeon Ketchel, of Cold- 
 water, Mich.). 
 
 After marriage John and Harriet 
 Malcolm began housekeeping on a farm 
 in Ruggles township, Ashland county. 
 He helped to clear up the old farm, then 
 bought I 36 acres and helped clear it also. 
 Since marriage he, with his own hands, 
 cleared 100 acres or more, and he still 
 owns 106 acres of fine land in Ruggles 
 township. He was engaged in grain and 
 stock-farming until 1866, when he re- 
 moved with his family to Clyde, and he 
 has since been a resident of that city. 
 Mr. Malcolm has two children, Barbara 
 B. and Marvin J., the former of whom is 
 the wife of B. F. Rogers, and lives on 
 Piety Hill, at Clyde; her children are 
 Malcolm, Lillie and Archie. Marvin J. 
 is married to Adelaide Rober, and lives at 
 Clyde. Mr. Malcolm has been marshal 
 of Clyde for nearly five years. He has 
 served as cemetery trustee three years, 
 and for twenty-seven years has been a 
 prominent member of the I. O. O. V. In 
 
 politics he is a Republican. In June, 
 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm took a pro- 
 tracted trip to California, visiting friends 
 at Yuba City, Sutter county, and travel- 
 ing extensively on the Pacific coast. He 
 now lives a retired life in the full enjoy- 
 ment of the comforts which have come to 
 him after a busy and well-spent career. 
 
 AB. FRENCH. There are lives 
 which rise so high above the 
 level of the masses as to give to 
 the disinterested spectator the 
 impression of picturesque Alpine scenery, 
 in contrast to the monotony of the prai- 
 rie. Spirits are born to dwell in a human 
 incasement of a fiber more delicate, of a 
 strength more tenacious and of a mental 
 force more subtle and elusive than falls 
 to the usual lot of mortal man. The ca- 
 reer of A. B. French, a prominent citi- 
 zen of Clyde, is a most remarkable one, 
 remarkable for the strange powers he has 
 possessed and exercised among men; re- 
 markable for its literary excellence; re- 
 markable for the various channels in 
 which his efforts have been successfully 
 exerted. As lecturer. Spiritualist, orator, 
 nurseryman, author and lawyer, in what- 
 ever he has undertaken, he has excelled. 
 Mr. French was born in Trumbull 
 county, Ohio, September 13, 1838, son 
 of Samuel and Amelia (Belden) FVench, 
 the former of whom still survives; the 
 latter died in 1879. Samuel French was 
 born in Oswego county, N. Y., October 
 2, 1815, son of Byron F'rench, a New 
 Englander of Puritan stock. Amelia Bel- 
 den was born near Hartford, Conn., in 
 1812, daughter of Asel Belden. Byron 
 French and Asel Belden were both early 
 pioneers in the wilderness of northeastern 
 Ohio, and here their son and daughter 
 married. Samuel French is a representa- 
 tive type of the sturdy Jacksonian-Demo- 
 crat. In his school d.iys A. B. French, 
 the subject of this sketch, was a pre- 
 cocious youth. He acquired his lessons 
 
162 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 without apparent effort, and easily led his 
 class in mental attainments. It was dur- 
 ing these days that perhaps the greatest 
 crisis of his life occurred. Spiritual rap- 
 pings began to be heard in his native 
 town. The mother and sister of Mr. 
 French were among the first to be in- 
 fluenced. They were both highly me- 
 diumistic. A. B. was at the age of six- 
 teen a student at Western Reserve Semi- 
 nary, at Farmington, with an enviable 
 record, high ambition and the brightest 
 prospects. During vacation he was at 
 work on his father's farm one day, when, 
 weary and athirst, he sought the house. 
 Entering, he found mother and sister 
 both entranced. To him it was a strange 
 manifestation, and filled his mind with 
 dread. He attempted to leave, but invisi- 
 ble beings commanded him to stay. Power- 
 less, he sat down. A strange spell, such 
 as he had never before experienced, came 
 over him. He seemed both asleep and 
 awake. Mortified and humiliated, he 
 strove to shake off the influence, but it 
 held him fast. He began to talk and he 
 kept on talking. His destiny had come. 
 His school days were over. The inspira- 
 tion of the spirit world moved him. He 
 found no rest save when obeying its be- 
 hest. At schoolhouse and hall in neigh- 
 boring towns he lectured. He constantly 
 rebelled, for the public silently condemn- 
 ed, and the sensitive boy, then without 
 prophetic eye, keenly felt the ostracism 
 to which he was subjected. Repeatedly 
 he avowed that he would never speak 
 again, but the influences held him fast. 
 Before he was twenty years of age he had 
 more calls than he could fill. His fame 
 had widely extended. His charm of ut- 
 terance and the new strange thoughts he 
 voiced held spellbound the crowds that 
 nightly greeted him. Wherever he went 
 a revival of pentecostal times was in his 
 midst. The operation of the psychic 
 force is thus described. When Mr. 
 French with closed eyes first began to 
 speak he was almost unconscious. His 
 
 condition slowly changed till it blended 
 with the normal state. Thoughts surged 
 irresistibly for utterance at times, and the 
 audience was carried along by the liood of 
 thought. Mr. French's powers have 
 been exercised mostly in speaking, but to 
 some extent in writing, and there appear 
 equally successful. 
 
 In the summer of 1859 Mr. French 
 removed to Clyde. In 1863 he started a 
 nursery, with an outlook not especially 
 encouraging for the enterprise, as his 
 means were limited, but by untiring energy 
 and liberal dealing he has built up a com- 
 manding business, which ranks among the 
 largest in this line in the State, and now 
 requires the services of fifty laborers and 
 salesmen. In 1870 he began reading law, 
 in 1871-72 attended the Law Department 
 of the University of Michigan, at Ann 
 Arbor, and was admitted to the bar at 
 Tifiin in 1872. Mr. French began prac- 
 ticing law at Clyde in partnership with 
 Judge John M. Lemmon. Their clientele 
 grew rapidly, and our subject was retained 
 in many important cases; but his health 
 failed, and in 1875, after three years' 
 practice, he was compelled to retire. He 
 has never, however, withdrawn from the 
 platform. His services have been actively 
 sought in many capacities. While devot- 
 ing his attention to his nursery chiefly, he 
 has lectured on Sundays, delivered various 
 public addresses, including many funeral 
 discourses, and has perhaps officiated at 
 more funerals than any other speaker of 
 his age. His happy manner of present- 
 ing the glorious truths of immortality, and 
 glimpses of a new and beautiful existence 
 beyond the fleeting shadows of this life, 
 has made calls upon his services very 
 numerous. In 1876 Mr. French was 
 unanimously nominated on the Republi- 
 can ticket for representative, and made a 
 noteworthy run, pulling the Democratic 
 majority of 800 down to about 200, re- 
 ceiving in his own township the largest 
 vote ever given any one candidate. In 
 1878, when absent from home, he was 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BtOGHAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 I6« 
 
 again unanimously nominated, but refused 
 the honor. From 1881 to 1888 he was 
 en^aped almost exclusively in lecturing, 
 and from 18S8 to 1.S90 was a member of 
 the Lyceum Bureau of Chicago, and 
 while lecturing before Spiritualistic audi- 
 ences on Sunday, addressed many literary 
 and church societies from Omaha to Bos- 
 ton with marked success. He has every 
 natural endowment of the popular orator, 
 and has won an enviable reputation under 
 difficulties known only to his most inti- 
 mate friends. During the past few years 
 ht has devoted most of his time to his ex- 
 tensive nursery business, and the building 
 up and improvement of the village of 
 Clyde, in which he takes especial interest 
 and pride. 
 
 In 1892 there was published a volume 
 of lectures entitled " Gleanings from the 
 Platform, by A. V>. French." The lec- 
 tures included "William Denton," "Leg- 
 ends of Buddha," "Mohammed, or the 
 Faith and Wars of Islam," "Joseph Smith 
 and the Book of Mormon. ' "Conflicts of 
 Life," "The Power and Permanency of 
 Ideas," "The Unknown," "Probability 
 of Future Life," "Anniversary Address," 
 "The Egotism of Our Age, " " \\'hat is 
 Truth," and "Decoration .Address." 
 These lectures, which are artistic gems of 
 literature, fairly illustrate the author's 
 lucid literary style, and his originality of 
 thought and expression. The volume has 
 had an extensive* circulation, and is a 
 valuable addition to American literature. 
 The voluminous contributions of Mr. 
 French to the Spiritual Journal have 
 been widely disseminated. In his busy 
 life have been blended the expression of 
 a rare psychic faculty and the exercise of 
 business abilities of a high order. He has 
 associated in the incorporation of Clyde, 
 has served in the city council, and has 
 ever been identified with its best inter- 
 ests. 
 
 In 1859 Mr. French was married to 
 Miss S. A. Dewey, and to them were born 
 two children: William B., who died at 
 
 the age of twenty-nine years, leaving one 
 child, and Miss L. L., who married A. 
 Byers, and has two children. In Decem- 
 ber, 1891. Mr. French was married to 
 Mrs. Marv E. Thomas, of Cardington, 
 Ohio. 
 
 FREDERICK FABING, gas and 
 steam-fitter and plumber, Fre- 
 mont, Sandusky county, is one of 
 the oldest established business 
 men in the city. He is a native of France, 
 born in Lorraine June 14, 1832, a son of 
 John and Mary Ann (Greiner) Fabing, 
 who were also natives of Lorraine. 
 
 John Fabing in early life learned the 
 trade of gunsmith and jeweler, which he 
 followed until he came to .America. In 
 1834 he emigrated, locating in Fayette- 
 ville, Onondaga Co., N. Y. , and there 
 pursuing his trade until 1844, when with 
 the sweeping tide of emigration westward 
 he came to the village of Lower San- 
 dusky, now Fremont, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio, and established a home. His death 
 occurred July 2, 1845, his wife surviving 
 until 1882, when she died, at Fremont, at 
 the age of seventy-nine years. Their 
 children were: Catharine, wife of John 
 Young, of Pilot Hill, Cal. ; John, a farmer 
 of Jackson township, Sandusky county, 
 who died at the age of fifty-two years; 
 Lena, who married in 1S45, and died in 
 1847, leaving two children; one that died 
 in infancy; Frederick, subject of this 
 sketch; and Barbara, wife of M. Hazel- 
 tine, of Baker City, Oregon. Mr. Fabing 
 was a Democrat and a member of the 
 Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 Frederick Fabing attended the com- 
 mon schools in Fayettcville, N. Y. , until 
 twelve years of age, when he came with 
 his father's family to Sandusky county, 
 Ohio. He remembers distinctly the open 
 winter of 1844, the voyage on shipboard 
 from Buffalo to Sandusky City, the subse- 
 quent trip to Lower Sandusky, all the 
 way by boat, and the landing at that 
 
164 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPBICAL RECORD. 
 
 place on the 24th of December, 1844. 
 The famous " Black Swamp" was then a 
 wilderness, and only ten or twelve families 
 had settled between here and Toleflo. 
 He used to engage in the sports of the 
 time, hunting deer and other wild game 
 in the deep forests. In 1850 Mr. Fabing 
 joined a caravan to cross the Western 
 Plains to California. This caravan was 
 in charge of a Mr. McClure, who was 
 familiar with the Indians and believed in 
 treating them kindly, adopting military 
 rule for the government of his men in or- 
 der to prevent any mistreatment of the 
 Indians. On one occasion a man of his 
 party shot at a buck and squaw sitting on 
 a log some distance away, but did not hit 
 them; McClure at once had the offender 
 arrested and tried by court-martial — by 
 which the man was condemned to be tied 
 across a wagon wheel during a half-day's 
 travel over the sandy plain, so that his 
 head and feet were alternately up and 
 down. Most of the party remonstrated, 
 but McClure was firm in carrying out the 
 verdict, claiming that if the Indians had 
 been shot or even slightly wounded the 
 whole caravan might have been massa- 
 cred. On being released the man was 
 more dead than alive, but he soon re- 
 covered, and it is needless to say that he 
 did not shoot at the Redmen again during 
 the journey. Another precaution of Mc- 
 Clure for the safety of his party was that 
 of not allowing any Indians into his 
 camp. He posted his pickets outside, 
 and when Indians came to beg food they 
 were given coffee, sugar, salt, etc., which 
 was divided up amongst them, and they 
 went away peaceably. In this manner 
 the caravan passed through the most pow- 
 erful tribes of the West unmolested. The 
 party fared well until near the end of 
 their journey, when rations became short. 
 From the time they reached the valley of 
 the Humboldt river until they entered 
 California each man got only one cup of 
 soup (made from a cow so poor that there 
 was nothing left upon her) and a handful 
 
 of crackers per day. Upon nearing points 
 where supplies could be had a couple of 
 men were sent ahead on the best horses 
 they had, and they purchased flour, for 
 which they were obliged to pay two dol- 
 lars per pound, and eighteen dollars worth 
 of it was cooked into cakes for the crowd 
 for one dinner. The first appearance of 
 white men after crossing the Missouri 
 river was at Fort Laramie on the Upper 
 Platte, where one company of United 
 States troops was located. Mr. Fabing 
 walked all the way across the plains, ex- 
 cept one day in each week, when he was 
 obliged to drive a team. 
 
 On reaching California, in August, 
 1850, he engaged in gold digging, at 
 Cold Springs, near Placerville, remaining 
 there until fall, when he went to Shasto, 
 on Clear creek, where he continued dig- 
 ging with good success in 1854. He re- 
 turned home by way of the Panama route 
 and New York City, remaining a short 
 time to visit with friends, returned to the 
 gold field by the Tehuantepec route, lo- 
 cated on the upper branch of the Amer- 
 ican river for a time, and then returned 
 to Shasto. Here he had fair success and 
 secured enough gold to pay him for all 
 his time. Mr. Fabing in 1857 returned 
 to Fremont, and in 1862 became con- 
 nected with the Fremont Gas Company, 
 with which he continued about twenty- 
 eight years, most of the time in the ca- 
 pacity of superintendent. He became 
 interested and skilled in the gas- 
 fitting and plumbing business, which 
 he followed in connection with his 
 other duties, so that on retiring from 
 the office of president he found him- 
 self controlling the chief trade in 
 that line in Fremont. In 1865 Mr. 
 Fabing and Mr. Heim jointly built the 
 block which bears their names, Fabing 
 & Heim, and the former still hold his in- 
 terest in it. He is also one of the heavi- 
 est stockholders in the Opera House 
 Company. In politics he is a Repub- 
 lican. In 1865 he joined the Masons, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPffWAL RBCORD. 
 
 Irtli 
 
 being a member of Fort Stephenson 
 Lodf^e. No. 225, of I'remont. and ad- 
 vancetl in Masonry to Knight Templar, 
 becoming a member of De Molay Com- 
 mandcry, No. 9. K. T. . Tiffin, Ohio. 
 In 1858 Mr. Fabing married Miss Mary 
 J. Webber, who was born in Alsace, 
 Germany, in 1833. 
 
 EDWARD H. RUSSELL, a real- 
 estate and insurance agent, and 
 manager of the Opera House, Fre- 
 mont, Sandusky county, was born 
 at I'remont June 14. 1S55, son of Henry 
 S. and Margaret Hawkins; Russell. 
 
 Henry Shubel Russell was born in 
 Morgan county, Ohio, in 181 7, and came 
 to Lower Sandusky, now F'remont, with 
 his father, in pioneer days. He was a 
 master builder and contractor. He served 
 as sheriff of Sandusky county from 1865 
 to 1869; he married in Lower Sandusky, 
 in 1843, a daughter of Thomas L. Haw- 
 kins, a local preacher of the M. E. Church, 
 from Franklin county, Ohio. Mr. Haw- 
 kins and his wife were natives of Ken- 
 tucky, and came in 1817 to Lower San- 
 dusky, of which town he was one of the 
 incorporators, and he was a man of re- 
 markable pluck and energy. He was a 
 cabinet maker, and to get water-power 
 built the mill-race which is still in exis- 
 tence at F'remont, and erected thereon a 
 sawmill. In politics he was an Old-line 
 Whig. In March, 1856, he moved to 
 \'inton, Iowa, where he and his wife died 
 at an advanced age. To Henry and Mar- 
 garet (Hawkins) Russell were born four 
 children: Frank W., who enlisted August 
 7, 1862. at I'remont. Ohio, in Company 
 K, One Huii(ire«ilh Regiment, O. \ . I., 
 went into active ser^•ice, was captured at 
 Limestone Station, Tenn., September 8, 
 1 863. and died in a Rebel prison at Rich- 
 mond, Va., July 24. 1864: Henry, who 
 died at the age of fifteen years; Ella, wife 
 of C. A. Freeman, a grocer of Fremont, 
 Ohio; and Edward H., whose name intro- 
 
 duces this sketch. The fathers death 
 occurred May 18, 1876. In politics, he 
 was a Democrat. 
 
 Edward H. Russell was reared in the 
 city of I-'rcmont. and educated in the jnib- 
 lic schools. On leaving school he trav- 
 eled as business manager of a theatrical 
 company for a period of eight years, and 
 then returned to Fremont to engage in 
 the insurance business. In 1890 he took 
 stock in the Fremont Opera House Com- 
 pany, and became its business manager. 
 Socially, Mr. Russell is one of the charter 
 members of Fremont Lodge No. 204, 
 Knightsof Pythias; a charter member and 
 Past Exalted Ruler of IVemont Lodge 
 No. 169, B. P. O. E. ; a charter member 
 and first financial secretary of Sherman 
 Lodge No. III. A. O. U. W. ; a member 
 of Edna Council No. 64. National I'nion; 
 and a charter member and first presiding 
 officer of Onoko Tribe No. 140. Improved 
 Order of Red Men. On January 9. 1883. 
 Mr. Russell married Mi.ss Laura L. Sny- 
 der, daughter of Maj. S. A. J. Snyder, of 
 the Seventy-second Regiment, O. V. I., 
 ex-postmaster of Fremont, who died in 
 1889, and whose widow, Clementine 
 (Creager), resides in I'remont, Ohio. 
 The children of E. H. and Laura L. Rus- 
 sell are: .Arthur McKnight, Major Henrj', 
 Harry Allen and Paul Edward Russell. 
 Mrs. Russell is a member of St. Paul's 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 STARR \ TUNNINGTON. pro- 
 prietors of the Fremont Steam 
 Laundry, are well-known business 
 men of Fremont, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, and have been engaged in their present 
 enterprise since 1.S90. Their excellent 
 work, especially in the line of shirts, col- 
 lars and cuffs, has gained for them an ex- 
 tended reputation, and been the means 
 of establishing a trade which comes to 
 them from all over Northern Ohio, and 
 also from Michigan and Indiana, within 
 a radius of 1 50 miles. They have the 
 
166 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 finest plant and the best equipments 
 for a laundry that the most advanced 
 ideas in machinery and methods have 
 been able to perfect. Besides these almost 
 perfect appliances and skilled operators, 
 Fremont affords them a quality of water 
 not to be found elsewhere. With these 
 advantages and the well-known business 
 ability and integrity of its managers, the 
 success of the enterprise is assured. Of 
 the proprietors themselves, the following 
 sketches will be of interest. 
 
 H. J. Starr was borninElyria, Ohio, 
 in 1857, and is the son of Horace Starr, 
 of Starr Brothers, who were for years 
 among the leading merchants of north- 
 ern Ohio, and were very prominent in 
 Elyria. He was educated in the public 
 schools of his native place, and on arriv- 
 ing at manhood took charge of a Boston 
 mining compan}'. Later he filled the po- 
 sition of commissary for a railroad con- 
 struction company in Virginia. When 
 this work was completed he decided to 
 take up some business more permanent 
 in its nature, and with Mr. Tunnington 
 purchased the laundry which they are 
 now operating. Mr. Starr is a man of 
 excellent business abilities, very accommo- 
 dating, and of a quiet, pleasant disposi- 
 tion which makes him friends wherever 
 he goes. He is very popular with the 
 people of Fremont, and is a good citizen. 
 
 F. M. Tunnington, the other partner 
 in this firm, is a native of this State, hav- 
 ing been born in Cleveland, December 19, 
 1858. He grew to manhood in Elyria, and 
 learned the trade of a printer in the office 
 of the Republican in that place, working 
 at this about seven years in Elyria and 
 Cleveland. He subsequently embarked 
 in the laundry business in Cleveland for a 
 short time, and then went to Friendship, 
 N. Y. , where he perfected himself in the 
 details of the business, carrying on a 
 laundry there for two years. He then 
 sold out and went on the road for a year, 
 selling laundry fixtures and machinery. 
 Returning to Elyria he purchased a 
 
 laundry, but subsequently disposed of it, 
 and with his present partner, Mr. Starr, 
 came to Fremont, where they have estab- 
 lished the fine plant which has already 
 been spoken of. Mr. Tunnington is an 
 expert in his line, and it is mainly due to 
 his advanced methods of doing work that 
 the Fremont Steam Laundry has acquired 
 its enviable reputation. 
 
 M 
 
 ARIv THRAVES, farmer and 
 dealer in live stock, Ballville 
 township, Sandusky county, 
 was born in Nottinghamshire, 
 England, December 7, 1832, a son of 
 William and Marilla (Graves) Thraves, 
 whose history appears elsewhere. 
 
 Our subject came with his parents to 
 America when he was eleven years of 
 age, and grew up on a farm in Washing- 
 ton township, Sandusky Co., Ohio. In 
 the latter part of 1859 he went to Fre- 
 mont to learn the trade of blacksmith, 
 serving an apprenticeship under Solomon 
 Lansing, who afterward removed to Mich- 
 igan, and after whom it is probable the 
 city of Lansing was named. In Decem- 
 ber, 185 1, Mr. Thraves started for Cali- 
 fornia by way of the Panama route, tak- 
 ing passage on a steamer at New York 
 bound for the town of Chagres, at the 
 mouth of Chagres river, on the Isthmus 
 of Panama. The trip was a most haz- 
 ardous one, the steamer losing one of her 
 side-wheels and being nearly wrecked, 
 making it necessary to put in for repairs 
 on the way. Upon reaching the Isthmus 
 of Panama, the passengers were rowed 
 and poled up the river Chagres, in small 
 boats, by the natives, and were some- 
 times obliged to land and walk while the 
 boats were carried around the rapids. 
 After leaving this river the passengers 
 had to make an overland trip of twenty- 
 five miles before reaching the Pacific 
 coast. The men walked, while the wo- 
 men rode mules furnished by the citizens. 
 To the consternation of Mr. Thraves and 
 
^-^iiaA s^^ 
 
 '^l^i^-iA^ 
 
OOMMBMORATIVK BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 IGi 
 
 his fellow travolers, upon rcachinR the 
 port on the Pacific, they learned that the 
 re^;ular steamer was already so loaded 
 with passengers that they could not get 
 aboard, and that nothinf,' remained (or 
 them but to take a sailing vessel for the 
 vovape to San I'rancisco. The N'aiider- 
 bilt Line, with whom they had shipped 
 from New York, had no steam line on the 
 Pacific, and so they took pjissage on the 
 brif; " NlarRaret." They put out to sea 
 with a fair wind, but when within one 
 degree of the equator struck a dead calm, 
 in which they were obliged to lie helpless 
 (or two weeks, during which time twelve 
 of the passengers took sick and died. 
 They finally succeeded in pulling into the 
 harbor of San Bias, Mexico, where the 
 brig lay (or a week, to the no small solic- 
 itude o( the 250 passengers. The re- 
 mainder o{ their voyage was tedious in 
 thf e.xtreme. Perhaps apprehending 
 further trouble, the captain of the brig 
 put it in charge of the mate, and himself 
 remained behind. Provisions ran short, 
 and for the last three weeks each person 
 had to live upon three spoonsful of cooked 
 rice and a pint of coffee per day; and up- 
 on reaching San Francisco there was not 
 a half bushel of rice left on board the 
 brig, and no other article of food what- 
 ever. They had been thirteen weeks up- 
 on the sailing vessel, whereas only four- 
 teen days were requisite to make the trip 
 by steamer. 
 
 Unlike most other men wht) went to 
 California' at that period, N(r. Thraves 
 turned his attention at once to farming, 
 the raising of wheat and other grains in 
 Sacramento county, a5> on account of the 
 high price of flour ($50 per sack) it was 
 more profitable than gold mining to one 
 who knew more about farming than about 
 mining. In the month of June. 1S5O, 
 Mr. Thraves returned home to Ohio, and 
 remained among his friends until the fol- 
 lowmg .Xpril. when, with his brother 
 William, he started back for California. 
 
 On crossing the Isthmus of Panama they 
 11 
 
 met with a sad accident. The train upon 
 which they were riding was wrecked, and 
 William Thraves, with sixty others, was 
 crushed to death; more than 360 were in- 
 jured. All those who were killed were 
 buried on the Isthinus. Controlling his 
 grief as best he could, our subject com- 
 pleted his journey to California, where he 
 followed gold mining in Yuba county, on 
 the American river. In 1858 he made a 
 trip into British Columbia and Vancou- 
 ver Island. In December, i860, he re- 
 turned to Ohio, where he has since that 
 time been engaged in his favorite pursuit 
 of farming and stock raising, in which he 
 has been remarkablv successful. 
 
 In politics our subject is a Democrat, 
 and though not an office seeker has held 
 various offices in his township, where he 
 is justly recognized as one of the leading 
 and most enterprising citizens. He has 
 for many years been a member of the I. 
 O. O. F. , at Green Spring, Ohio. 
 
 On April 3, 1862, Mark Thraves was 
 married to Miss Sarah Htifford. who was 
 born April 17. 1834. daughter of Cornel- 
 ius and Mary Jane (Zook) HufTord. with 
 whom she came to Sandusky county, 
 Ohio, when two years old. and has since 
 lived here. Her education was obtained 
 in the district schools of Ballville town- 
 ship, and, with the exception of two years 
 previous to her marriage, she resided with 
 her parents. Her father was born in 
 1806 in Kentucky, became an early pio- 
 neer of Ohio, and died in Ballville town- 
 ship, Sandusky county. March 14. 1884. 
 being buried in Washington Chapel Cem- 
 etery. Washington township. Sandusky 
 county; he was a blacksmith by trade, 
 and a model farmer. His wife was born 
 in 1809 in Pennsylvania, died in 1882, 
 an<l was also laid to rest in the above- 
 named cemetery. Their children were: 
 Sarah (Mrs. Thraves). Simon. Elizabeth 
 (Mrs. N. Rathbun). Catharine (Mrs. J. 
 Emerson), and Martha (Mrs. Ferrenberg), 
 all of whom are living. .Mrs. Thraves' 
 paternal grandfutlur |.(r<ili Ifufford, was 
 
168 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPSICAL RECORD. 
 
 born in Kentucky in 1770, and died in 
 Ohio in 1850; his wife, Catharine Crea- 
 ger, was born in Ohio about the same 
 date. Her maternal grandfather, Abram 
 Zook, was born in Pennsylvania in 1765. 
 The children of Mark and Sarah Thraves 
 were Delphin, born February 28, 1863; 
 William, born May 15, 1865, and married 
 to Ida, daughter of Walter F. and Emma 
 (Young) Huber; Mattie M. , born October 
 30, 1869, and Ida F., born August 15, 
 1867. 
 
 The Thraves Family. Samuel 
 Thraves, the great ancestor from whom 
 are descended the Thraves families in 
 Sandusky county, Ohio, lived and died in 
 Nottinghamshire, England. He married 
 Miss Ann Moult, and their children were: 
 John, Elizabeth, William, Thomas, Grace, 
 George, Faith, Robert and Mark. About 
 the year 1830 Thomas came to New York 
 city, where he died, leaving one son. 
 George came to America in 1833, and 
 settled in Virginia, where he died in 1882, 
 leaving several sons, one of whom, Joseph, 
 went to California. 
 
 William Thraves, son of Samuel, 
 was born December 27, 1799, in the town 
 of Tythby, Nottinghamshire, England, of 
 Anglo-Saxon descent. He was live feet 
 ten inches in height, with blue eyes and 
 flaxen hair, and when in the vigor of man- 
 hood weighed about 180 pounds. He was 
 a member of the Church of England, and 
 his occupation was that of butcher. In 
 1827 he married Miss Marilla Graves, 
 who was born December 29, 1799, in the 
 village of Austin, Nottinghamshire. She 
 was also a member of the Church of Eng- 
 land. The names and dates of birth of 
 the children born to them in England 
 were: George, July 19, 1828; Ann, July 
 19, 1828; Robert, May 14, 1830; Mark, 
 December 7, 1832; Faith Elizabeth, March 
 20, 1835; William, July 15, 1837; Thomas, 
 September 6, 1839. In 1844 the entire 
 family emigrated to America, and settled 
 in Washington township, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio, where they followed farming and 
 
 stock-raising, and here the youngest son, 
 Levi, was born March 2, 1847. I" 1854 
 they settled upon a farm of eighty acres, 
 in Ballville township, which they had 
 bought. This was their family home for 
 many years, and here William Thraves 
 and his sons followed farming and dealing 
 in live stock with good success. In 1882 
 he retired from active life to a quiet home 
 which he had bought, adjoining the farm 
 of his son, Mark. William and Marilla 
 Thraves celebrated their golden wedding 
 in 1877. She died April 2, 1883, after 
 which Mr. Thraves lived here and there 
 among his children at his own pleasure 
 until August 21, 1889, when he passed 
 away at the home of his son, Mark. Both 
 were buried in McGormley cemetery, 
 Ballville township. Of their children, 
 Ann M. Thraves married John Crowell, 
 and subsequently moved to California, 
 where they both died — she in 1867, he in 
 1882 — leaving three children. Robert 
 Thraves is in Camptonville, Yuba Co., 
 Cal. Faith E. Thraves married Henry 
 Bowman, and died in 1867. William 
 Thraves (son of William, Sr. ,) was killed 
 in a railroad accident on the Isthmus of 
 Panama in 1856, and buried there. 
 George, Mark and Thomas are all farmers 
 of Ballville township, Sandusky county. 
 
 GEORGE THRAVES, farmer and 
 dealer in live stock, son of Will- 
 iam Thraves, was born in Eng- 
 land, July 19, 1828. Heattended 
 school a few terms in Nottinghamshire, 
 and at the age of sixteen came with his 
 father's family to America, into the region 
 of the Black Swamp, about four miles 
 west of Lower Sandusky (now Fremont), 
 Ohio. Here he endured some of the toils 
 and privations incident to pioneer life, 
 and attended a few terms of school in the 
 country. After working on a farm for 
 several years he served an apprenticeship 
 at the blacksmith trade in Lower San- 
 dusky with Mr. Lansing, afterward fol- 
 
COMMEilORATIVS BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 169 
 
 lowiiifj his trade about two years in the 
 shop of Samuel Moore, in Fremont. Ohio. 
 On April 14. 1853, he was married to 
 Miss Mary Jane Crowcll, who was born in 
 Sandusky township, in 1829, a daughter 
 of Samuel and Mary (Link) Crowell. She 
 had received a very liberal education, and 
 had tau>;ht several terms of school in the 
 country districts. 
 
 In 1.S55 Mr. Thraves and his wife went 
 to California by the Panama route, and 
 located in Yuba county where he bou},'ht 
 a mining claim and worked at gold min- 
 ing about four months. He then sold his 
 claim and bought a blacksmith shop in 
 which he worked about one year, doing a 
 thriving business. The society of the 
 miners not being congenial to his wife, he 
 returned with her to Ohio in 1858, and 
 purchased a farm of eighty acres in Ball- 
 ville township. Sandusky county. Here 
 he followed mi.xed farming and stock rais- 
 ing for about thirty-tive years with good 
 success. Mr. Thraves has been an active 
 friend of education in his neighborhood, 
 having held the t>ffice of local director for 
 twelve years, and taken a deep interest in 
 the literary exercises of the young people. 
 He also. held the office of township trus- 
 tee, and other positions of honor and 
 trust in the community. He has been a 
 member of Croghan Lodge, I. O. O. F. , 
 at Fremont, Ohio, since 1852, and held, 
 at intervals, all the offices of the subor- 
 dinate lodge. In politics he was a Whig 
 until the Know-nothing agitation in 1856, 
 ever since when he has been a Democrat. 
 Mrs. Thraves became a member of the 
 Methodist Protestant Church, near her 
 old home, three miles west of Fremont. 
 She proved a faithful and acceptable work- 
 er in Sunday-school and society work, and 
 maintained a high standar<l of C'hristian 
 character. She die<i at her home August 5. 
 1885. and was buried in McGormley Ceme- 
 tery. Mr. Thraves has continued to reside 
 on the farm with his youngest daughter. 
 Lillie. The children of (ieorgeatui .Mary 
 Jane Thraves were; (ij Samuel, whuiiicd 
 
 in infancy. (2) Ann Marilla. born in San- 
 dusky county, Ohio. July 2. 1S55. mar- 
 ried to Charles Young. September 25, 
 1878. and their children arc: Justin Irv- 
 ing, born July 13, 1879, and Elsie Lois, 
 born December 21, 1883. (3) Mark Eu- 
 gene, born April 18. 1859. now residing 
 in the vicinity of Los Angeles, Cal. (4) 
 Ida Hortense, born July 4. 1861, mar- 
 ried to George Sommer. of Green Creek 
 township, October 18, 1882, and their 
 children are Wilbur, born in September. 
 1883; Fred, born in October. 1885; Bar- 
 bara, born in September, 1887; Robert, 
 born in November 1891, and Corinne, in 
 August, 1893. (5) Meade George, attor- 
 ney at law, Fremont, Ohio, born F"eb- 
 ruary 15, 1863, who was married April 9, 
 1890, to Miss Mary M., daughter of Ever- 
 ett .\. and Maria L. C. Bristol; she was 
 born at Fremont. Ohio. November 2. 
 1 868. (6) Lillie May. born September 
 13. 1865. who was married April 9, 1895, 
 to Merritt Cornell Huber, of near Green 
 Spring, Ohio. 
 
 LEWIS K. WRIGHT, the subject 
 proper of this sketch, has seen the 
 development of Scott township, 
 Sandusky county, from the time it 
 was a wilderness down to 1895. He was 
 born July 13, 1812. and is the son of 
 William and Polly (Stjuire) Wright, who 
 were born in Vermont in 1784. and Can- 
 ada in 1788. respectively. 
 
 At the age of twenty-four years our 
 subject came to Scott township, Sandusky 
 county, at a time when no roads were 
 made in the township, and when it took 
 two days to go to I'remont and back, a 
 distance of ten miles. He cleared a fine 
 farm, and made :i coTnfortable home for 
 himself and family, which he is now en- 
 joying in his old age. On May 7, 1835, 
 he was married to Miss Finette Lock- 
 wood, of Madrid, N. Y.. and their union 
 was blessed with three children : ( 1 ) Ellen 
 r., born Sfpi.inbi-r 4, 1 836, now rcsid- 
 
170 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ing with her father and mother at Tinney, 
 Ohio; (2) Levi L. , born September 12, 
 1838, married to JuHa Green, of Fremont, 
 and now residing in Lincoln county, 
 Tenn., and (3) William L. , born in 
 Cuyahoga county, Ohio, September 26, 
 1847, and married to Almeda Tinney, 
 daughter of Darwin Scott and Sarah (Wig- 
 gins) Tinney, pioneers of Scott township 
 (to them were born three children — Clara 
 F., born September 3, 1874, was gradu- 
 ated in music from the Musical School of 
 Indianapolis, Ind., June, 1895; Ralph R., 
 born September 29, 1880, is also a mu- 
 sician and member of the Tinney Cornet 
 Band, and Stella E., born September 9, 
 1882, who is also developing her musical 
 talent on the piano; the children inherited 
 their musical talents from their father, 
 who is a violinist and also a cornetist; he 
 in turn inherits his ability in this line from 
 his mother and her ancestry); William L. 
 is a merchant, having a general store at 
 Tinney, Ohio, and is also engaged with 
 his father in farming. Politicall}' the 
 Wright family are Democrats. Mrs. Will- 
 iam Wright was born March 5, 1852, at 
 Tinney, Ohio, where she has always re- 
 sided. 
 
 The father and mother of our subject 
 were pioneers of Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 and the fatherdied in 1856. They reared 
 a family of four children, of whom our 
 subject is the only one living; the other 
 children were: Martin, born in 1810; 
 Harriet, born in 18 14, and Solomon, born 
 in 1816. Our subjects paternal grand- 
 mother was born about 1756, and died in 
 1820; she was born in Vermont, and 
 moved to New York, where she married 
 Solomon Squire. The maternal grand- 
 father of our subject was born in Lower 
 Canada in 1756, and was the father of 
 three children. 
 
 Levi Lockwood, the father of our sub- 
 ject's wife, was born April 24, 1781, in 
 Vermont, and died January 13, 1854; he 
 went to New York, and thence to Ohio, 
 locating near Cleveland, where he died. 
 
 His wife was born March 20, 1788, in 
 Connecticut; they were married March 30, 
 1803, and were the parents of ten chil- 
 dren; she died October 10, 1850, in 
 Brighton, Ohio. The paternal grand- 
 father of .Mrs. Wright, Nathaniel Lock- 
 wood, was born in 1750, in Connecticut; 
 he moved to Vermont, thence to New 
 York, and died in 1830. His wife, Annie 
 (Bostwick), was born about 1754 in Ver- 
 mont, and moved to New York. Mrs. 
 Wright's maternal grandfather, Reuben 
 Stone, was born about 1756, and his wife, 
 Deborah (Comstock), was born about the 
 same time, and died in 1855. 
 
 FRANK M. METCALF, as a pro- 
 duce merchant of Clyde, has a 
 wider acquaintanceship than most 
 citizens of that city can claim. 
 In the parlance of trade he is a " hustler," 
 and the splendid business which he does 
 is the fruit of his own unremitting efforts. 
 Ever since he came from the service of 
 his country as a veteran he has followed 
 his present vocation, save three years 
 which he spent in the mining regions of 
 Arizona. 
 
 Mr. Metcalf was born in Monroe 
 county, Mich., May 11, 1843, son of 
 Joseph and Sarah (White) Metcalf. 
 Joseph Metcalf, who was born in Ver- 
 mont in 1810, migrated when a boy with 
 his father, Samuel Metcalf, from the 
 Green Mountain State to New York State, 
 and subsequently to Toledo, Ohio, whence, 
 after engaging there for some years in the 
 lumber trade, he removed to Monroe 
 county, Mich., and there followed the 
 same business. In 1843 he returned to 
 Ohio, locating in Wyandot county, where 
 his father, Samuel Metcalf, died aged 
 eighty-si.x years. In 1857 Joseph came 
 to Clyde, where he died two years later. 
 Joseph Metcalf was a public-spirited and 
 enterprising citizen. In New York State 
 he had been appointed captain of militia, 
 and he also served there as justice of the 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BlOORAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 171 
 
 peace. For several terms he was justice 
 of the peace in Michigan, and in W'yandot 
 county he was elected to the same judicial 
 office. He was a man of ripe judgment, 
 possessing that rare common sen.se upon 
 which all law decisions rest, and few of 
 the decisions he made were ever reversed. 
 He was well-read in law, and acquaint- 
 ances frequently consulted him in business 
 and legal matters. Sarah, his devoted 
 wife, who was born in St. Lawrence 
 county. N. Y. , in 1820, is at this writing 
 still living at Clyde, an active lady for her 
 many years. She was one of the organ- 
 izers of the \N'oman's Relief Corps in 
 Clyde, and has since been an active mem- 
 ber of the same. Both her sons fought 
 upon Southern battlefields for national 
 union. Her parents died at Berlin 
 Heights, l£rie count)', aged eighty-si.\ and 
 eighty-seven years, respectively. The 
 three children of Joseph and Sarah 
 (White) Metcalf were Judge L. , Louisa 
 and Frank M. 
 
 Judge L. Metcalf was born in Monroe 
 county, Mich., in 1839. He enlisted in 
 Company K. One Hundreth O. V. L, and 
 was taken prisoner at the battle of Lime- 
 stone Station, Tenn., in 1863. He was 
 imprisoned on Belle Isle and at Richmond, 
 \'a., about a year. He never recovered 
 from the effects of prison life, and died 
 in 1874, as a result of the indescribable 
 hardships, the starvation and exposure to 
 which he was subjected. Louisa was born 
 March 2. 1841, and married Henry Miller, 
 of Clyde. She died in 186;. 
 
 Frank M. Metcalf was fourteen when 
 his parents came to Clyde, and here for 
 several years he attended the village 
 schools. In July, 1861, when eighteen 
 years of age, he was one of a company 
 of young men from Clyde, Green Spring 
 and Tiffin, formed to join a regiment of 
 sharpshooters in New York City, but that 
 r<".,'iM)ent not being fully recruited they 
 I nlisted in the First United States Chas- 
 seurs, and were afterward assigned as the 
 Sixty-fifth N. Y. V. I. This regiment 
 
 saw hard service from the start. In a 
 letter to the editor of the Xalionat 
 Tribune, Washington, D. C, and pub- 
 lished in the issue of June 21, 1894, F. 
 M. .Metcalf thus recounted a few of his 
 army experiences as follows: 
 
 Editor Natiiinal Tribnnr: Well do I rcinein- 
 bcr the .skirmishes during the fall of '61 in Vir- 
 ffinia above the Chain Hridfre; also. McClellan's 
 move toward Centerville. and our return; also, 
 the trip on the Peninsula; Yorktown; the hot 
 fiyht at WilliamsburK^. and the ti|ifht around 
 Kichinond: how (Jen. Casey's troops were forced 
 back from their breastworks by the Confeder- 
 ate troops. 
 
 The First U. S. Chasseurs were sent across 
 the railroad to reinforce the Thirty-first Pcnn. 
 and Brady's battery. After Casey and Couch 
 had been driven back we were north and rear 
 of the Confederates, picking up prisoners. At 
 this time a man rode over to us from the ene- 
 my's lines and told us we would all be captured. 
 Tlie boys were inclined to give him the laugh. 
 He said he was only doing his duty: also, that 
 the woods to our right and front were full of 
 Southern troops, which we soon found ti> be a 
 fact. This man again rode back to the enemy's 
 lines. The question has always been in my 
 mind, who was he? He at least showed us 
 where his sympathies lay. We then, on a dou- 
 ble-quick, fell back through a strip of woods; 
 Uradv's battery, near the railroad, with the 
 Thirty-first Penn. and Cha.sseurs behind an old 
 rail fence and woods in front. The enemy 
 ma.ssed, and. amid a deadly fire of shell and 
 canister and musketry, charged, and would 
 have captured our battery but for the timely 
 arrival of a portion of Sumner's Corps, which 
 turned the tide of battle here. After the Chas- 
 seurs saw the First Minn, forming behind them 
 they felt safe, as these two regiments had seen 
 service together before. Our infantry reserved 
 their fire until the enemy were within a few 
 xoAs of our line of battle. The rebel loss was 
 terrible; the ground was covered with their 
 dead and wounded. They made a noble fight. 
 This was their first repulse and defeat that 
 day. The next day our troops retook the 
 ground lost the day before, but the loss on both 
 sides was heavy. 
 
 My memory will ever follow the marches 
 and battles of the army of the Potomac — Mal- 
 vern Hill, Manassas, South Mountain, Antie- 
 tani, Fredericksburg, under Ournsidc and Hook- 
 er. The Chas.seurs were the second regiment 
 to cross the river below Fredericksburg. and its 
 skirmishers the last to rccross after the fight 
 under llurnaide. After the Pennsylvania Re- 
 serves had made their fatal charge the writer 
 was with the triKips who relieved this command. 
 The moans of the dying and the ap|>eals of the 
 wounded in front of us was enough to touch 
 the hardest heart. During Hooker's Chanccl- 
 lorsville fight the Sixth Corps wa« below Fred- 
 
172 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ericksburg. At night, about 10 or 11 o'clock, 
 the Chasseurs were deployed as skirmishers, 
 and advanced to drive the Confederates out of 
 the city. We met with such resistance we con- 
 cluded to wait for daylig-ht. The writer and 
 fifteen or twenty men were with the Chasseur 
 colors on the Richmond turnpike. We ran 
 against their reserve pickets, who were behind 
 a barricade across the road. They had us at a 
 disadvantage, and we had to either be shot 
 down or run to the rear or front. We gave 
 them a volley, fixed bayonets, and with a gen- 
 uine Yankee yell charged them from their po- 
 sition. They then withdrew their forces from 
 the city back into their intrenchments on the 
 heights, probably thinking the balance of our 
 troops were at our heels. We kept hid in the 
 city until morning, between the two lines, not 
 daring to show ourselves to either side, and ex- 
 pecting to be captured by the Johnnies, but 
 came nearer being shot the next morning by 
 our own troops before we could make them be- 
 lieve we belonged to the Chasseurs. 
 
 History tells how Marye's Heights were cap- 
 tured at the point of the bayonet by the troops 
 under our old Col. Shaler. The general's metn- 
 ory will ever be fresh in the minds of the sol- 
 diers in that charge by the daring and courage 
 he displayed riding along the line, and with his 
 presence encouraged the boys charging the en- 
 emy's works. The next morning found the 
 Sixth Corps silently recrossing the Rappahan- 
 nock, where we all breathed freer, as we could 
 tell by the distant "boom, boom" to our right 
 and rear that Gen. Hooker had run against a 
 snag at Chancellorsville. The writer was with 
 the Sixth Corps at Gettysburg, Wilderness, 
 Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, 
 against Early's raid on Washington, and Cedar 
 Creek; but space will not permit making men- 
 tion of incidents during these hard-fought bat- 
 tles. Where are the Chasseurs now? 
 
 After the war Mr. Metcalf returned to 
 Clyde and engaged in the produce-ship- 
 ping business. During the three years — 
 1882-85 — he was located in the Santa 
 Rita mountains, Arizona, looking after 
 the interests of the Salero Mining and 
 Milling Co., of New York City, and also 
 operating silver mines of his own there. 
 Mr. Metcalf is a man of energetic, push- 
 ing habits, and he has thereby built up a 
 large trade. He is a prominent member 
 of the U. V. U. command at Clyde. Mr. 
 Metcalf was married in February, 1 886, to 
 Miss Emma J. Miller, daughter of Lyman 
 Miller. Her three brothers were in the 
 war of the Rebellion, and the oldest was 
 shot and killed in that war. 
 
 GEORGE J. BLOOM. Among the 
 thousands of emigrants, of vari- 
 ous nationalties, who, during the 
 last half of the nineteenth cen- 
 tury, have come to our shores from the 
 overcrowded hives of population in the 
 Old World, none have contributed more 
 to our national prosperity and the stabil- 
 ity of our American institutions, than 
 those who came from the German Father- 
 land. Wherever they have settled, whether 
 in the busy marts of our rapidly growing 
 cities, the stirring lumber and mining re- 
 gions of the mountains, or the broad fer- 
 tile prairies of the West, they have, as a 
 class, established an enviable reputation 
 for industry, frugality and thrift, and are 
 to-day among our most trustworthy and 
 law-abiding citizens. As a gentleman 
 possessing these characteristics, in a mod- 
 est way, we present the subject of this 
 sketch. 
 
 George J. Bloom, retired farmer, Fre- 
 mont, Ohio, was born in Baden, Germany, 
 November 25, 1836. His parents were 
 Jacob Bloom and Barbara (Florien), the 
 former of whom was also born in Baden, 
 where he followed the trade of shoemaker, 
 and after his marriage in the year 1854, 
 emigrated with his family to America. 
 They took passage in a sailing vessel, en- 
 countered severe storms and adverse 
 winds, and were fifty-four days on the 
 ocean. Proceeding westward, they came 
 to Sandusky county, Ohio, and settled on 
 a forty-acre farm in Ballville township, 
 on which they made their home. After 
 a useful and exemplary life, and living to 
 see his children in good circumstances, 
 Jacob Bloom died, July 2, 1883. His 
 wife, Barbara, was born in Alsace, France 
 (now Germany), and passed away at the age 
 of forty-five, after faithfully performing 
 her duties as a helpmeet to her hus- 
 band and mother to her children. Her 
 father, Joseph Florien, a pioneer of San- 
 dusky county, died here at the advanced 
 age of one hundred and nine years. His 
 children were: Joseph, Barbara, Mag- 
 
COMMBMORATIVK BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 178 
 
 dalene. Catharine, Georpe and Julia. 
 The children of Jacob and Harbara Bloom 
 were: Jacob, a physician, who lived in 
 Indiana and died in Ballviilc township, 
 Sandusky county (he was unmarried); 
 Willian). who is enRaped in the manufac- 
 ture of potash, at Fostoria, Ohio; George 
 J., our subject; Barbara, who married 
 Lewis Mutchler, and lives on a farm near 
 Green Spring; and Mary, wife of George 
 Bloom, a laborer, at Fremont, Ohio. 
 
 Our subject went to school in his na- 
 tive city of Baden about eight years, also 
 attending the services of the Lutheran 
 Church, and learned the trade of barber. 
 At the age of eighteen years he came with 
 his father's family to Sandusky county, 
 Ohio, where he assisted his parents in the 
 purchase and clearing up of a farm, be- 
 sides working several years as a farm hand 
 among the neighbors, learning the meth- 
 ods of well-to-do farmers. On February 
 1 8, 1863, he married Miss Annie Cole- 
 man, who was born February 2, 1841, in 
 Hanover, Germany, of which place her 
 parents, Frederick and Marie (Stratman) 
 Coleman, were also natives; they emi- 
 grated to America in 1845. and settled 
 near Woodville, Ohio, where the father 
 died in 1887, aged eighty-one years, and 
 the mother at the age of thirty years. 
 Their children were: Annie, wife of our 
 subject; William, a farmer, living in Ot- 
 tawa county, Ohio; Henrj', a farmer of 
 Sandusky county; John, a soldier of the 
 Civil war, now an employe of the Lake 
 Shore & Michigan Southern railroad, 
 living at Fremont, Ohio, and Frederick, 
 living at Woodville, Ohio. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Bloom settled 
 on a farm near Green Spring, Ohio, where 
 he lived about nine years. He then sold 
 his farm and bought another near Genoa, 
 in Ottawa county, on which he remained 
 four and a half years, when he again sold, 
 next buying a farm of eighty-five acres in 
 Ballville township, about three miles 
 southeast of Fremont, which he greatly 
 improved and made his home thereon for 
 
 seventeen years. He was quite successful 
 in the raising of grain and the rearing of 
 live stock. In the year 1893 he bought 
 property in and removed to Fremont, to 
 give his children the advantages of the city 
 schools. This property he traded, a year 
 later, for a farm of seventy-three acres 
 (formerly the Thraves' homestead), ad- 
 joining his other farm in Ballville town- 
 ship. 
 
 Mr. Bloom has been a Democrat in 
 politics, but is not a partisan. He and 
 his wife were reared in the doctrines of 
 the Lutheran Church, but during the last 
 twenty years have been worthy members 
 of the Evangelical Association. Their 
 children were: Caroline, wife of Charles 
 Martin, a farmer, who has four children — 
 Ralph, Blanche, Vinnie and Mabel; 
 Amelia, who married Oscar Lemon, and 
 has two children — George Edward and 
 Hazel; and Mary, Barbara, Anna, George, 
 Ida and Charles, all of whom arc unmar- 
 ried and living with their parents. 
 
 FREDERICK SMITH, a resident 
 of Sandusky township. Sandusky 
 county, was born in Baden, Ger- 
 many, June 2, 1829, a son of 
 John and Catharine (Ernst) Smith. The 
 parents were also born in Baden, the 
 father August 24, 1783, the mother No- 
 vember 5, 1787; both died in Rice town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio, where they 
 had settled in the then forest. John 
 Smith served in the Napoleonic wars, be- 
 ing with the staff of officers. He was on 
 the famous march to Russia, where so 
 many thousand soldiers were fro/en, and 
 was one of the few who escaped impris- 
 onment. 
 
 Frederick Smith grew to manhood in 
 Sandusky county, and attended the com- 
 mon sclujols a short time. He remained 
 with his parents on the farm, and by dili- 
 gence and hard labor cleared ofT the 
 heavy timber and drained a large tract, 
 now some of the finest farming lands in 
 
174 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the county. In 1852 he married Miss 
 EHzabeth Kaiser, born in France, Febru- 
 ary 22, 1830, who is still living. 
 He and his wife remained with his parents 
 until their death, in 1870, soon after 
 which time he removed to his present 
 home in Sandusky township, but a short 
 distance from Fremont. His brick resi- 
 dence is one of the finest in the township. 
 Mr. Smith and his family are members of 
 the Lutheran Church; in politics he is a 
 Democrat, and has held public offices for 
 twenty-two years. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 Smith were born children as follows: 
 Christina, deceased; Frederick, Jr., who 
 is married to Caroline Loganbach; Car- 
 oline, wife of Lewis Nicholas; J. Will- 
 iam, married to Maud Kinman; Eliza- 
 beth, Clara, Amelia, all at home, and 
 Edward F. , now at Toledo, Ohio. 
 
 GEORGE W. KENAN. Among 
 the hardy sons of toil who have 
 subdued the towering forests, 
 drained the malarious swamps 
 and developed the vast agricultural re- 
 sources of the region of northern Ohio 
 known as the Black Swamp, the subject 
 of this sketch deserves honorable men- 
 tion. Beginning at the very foot of the 
 ladder, at the age of ten, he patiently 
 worked his way up the rounds, step by 
 step, until he reached the height of com- 
 petence. 
 
 George W. Kenan was born July 31, 
 1824, a native of Perry county, Ohio. 
 His paternal grandfather, James Ivenan, 
 was born about 177S, in Ireland, and died, 
 in 1858, in Jackson township, Sandusky 
 Co. , Ohio. The grandmother was born in 
 1780. They reared a famih' of eleven 
 children, three of whom are yet living. 
 The father of our subject, Silas Kenan, 
 was born February 3, 1807, near Wheel- 
 ing, W. Va., and migrated thence to 
 Perry county, Ohio, where he remained 
 until 1835, the year of his removal to 
 Jackson township, Sandusky county, 
 
 where he resided till his death in 1875. 
 He married Barbara, daughter of Jacob 
 and Mar}' Overmyer, of Harrisburg, 
 Dauphin Co., Penn., the father born in 
 Pennsylvania about 1784, the mother 
 about the same time. They reared a 
 family of nine children, only one of 
 whom survives, Peter, now aged eighty- 
 five years, and a brief record of them is 
 as follows: Barbara, Mrs. Kenan, was 
 born February 20, 1802. Hugh, a 
 farmer in Jackson township, married Miss 
 Nellie Yost, and has eight children — 
 Henry, Harrison, Mary, John I., Frank 
 Mitchell, France, Martha and Hiram — • 
 three of whom are living; he is a Demo- 
 crat, and a member of the Baptist 
 Church. Margaret married Hugh Mitch- 
 ell, a farmer, and has four children; Mr. 
 Mitchell is a Democrat and a Baptist. 
 Lewis, a farmer of Jackson township, like 
 his brothers, is a Democrat and a Baptist, 
 is married and has five children — Susan, 
 Ellen, Ben, Catharine and Hugh. Eva 
 married Rev. Mr. Dahouf. Catharine 
 married Emanuel Roberts, and had two 
 children, both now deceased. Polly, who 
 married Benjamin Hammit, a farmer of 
 Iowa, has eight children; he is a Demo- 
 crat and a Baptist. Peter, also a farmer 
 in Iowa, married Elizabeth Hill, and had 
 five children; he is also a Democrat and 
 Baptist. The name of the ninth child is 
 Betsy. 
 
 The children of Silas and Barbara 
 Kenan, parents of our subject, were: 
 Hugh, who died in childhood; George W. ; 
 Thomas J., born in 1826, who married 
 Jemima Housman, and was killed in a 
 runaway at Fremont, Ohio, December 
 31, 1 864, being preceded to the grave by 
 his wife, who died August 23, 1864; Peter, 
 born November 22, 1829, who was mar- 
 ried March 4, 1856, to Sarah A. Hodgson 
 and has had one child; William Manville, 
 who, in 1878, married Miss Sylvia A. 
 Powell (he has a fine collection of Indian 
 relics); Minerva, born December 6, 1830, 
 who married William Jackson, of Fre- 
 
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 ^jt^'t"^ 
 
,..-) ^^^^^b^ri^H^^mft 
 
 
 ' '^^^^Bk^^ JVr< 
 
 
 
 
 ^j^^^^HH^^H^^^PJr^ 
 
 
 9BH^ ^M ~ ■<- ->--'- 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 ^ ^^ /^' 
 
 e^cc:^ 
 
CoMimMuliATlVK BIOORAPUICAL RBCORD. 
 
 175 
 
 inont, Ohio, and has two children — 
 Thomas G. and Charles H. (Mr. Jack- 
 son is a Republicanj; Mahala, born April 
 24, 1832, who married Thomas J. lild- 
 ridpe, a farmer of Indiana, who was a 
 soldier in the Civil war (he is a Repub- 
 lican and a member of the U. B. Church); 
 Francis, a blacksmith of Green Sprinp, 
 Ohio, who married Kli^a Strouse. and has 
 four children — Ellen, Minerva, William 
 O. and Birchard (he served in the Civil 
 war in Company I, Seventy-second O. V. 
 1); Mary Ann. who married Charles 
 Robinson, a farmer of Michigan, and has 
 six children — Francis. Milo. Charles, Clif- 
 ford. Howard and Minnie (Mr. Robinson 
 is a Republican and a member of the M. 
 F. Church; he was a soldier in the Civil 
 war); Oscar, who is a farmer near Gales- 
 bur;,', III., married Margaret Ickes, and 
 has five chiklren (he is a Republican and 
 a member of the M. E. Church); and 
 Caroline, born July 10, 1847, who mar- 
 ried Daniel Condon, a carpenter and 
 school teacher, and died July 25. 187 1 
 (they had a child that died in infancy; 
 Mr. Condon is a Republican). 
 
 Our subject started out to work on a 
 farm by the month when he was only ten 
 years of age. saved his money and made 
 prudent investments, and is now enjoying 
 the fruits of his early economy and in- 
 dustrj'. At the age of twenty-seven. Oc- 
 tober 13, 1851, he married Miss Elizabeth 
 I'osey, who was born August 30, 1832, 
 and they had seven children, of whom, 
 Orin married Angeline King, and has two 
 children — I*"rank ami Lulu (he is a Demo- 
 crat and a member of the U. B. Church); 
 Charles, who is a farmer, married Mary 
 Cooksf)n (he is a Democrat and a member of 
 the Evangelical Association); Lodemie 
 V 'lied Michael Mowery. and has three 
 
 -Iren — Charles, Lewis and Webb; Mar- 
 shall, a farmer, married Miss Carrie Smith 
 (he is a Democrat); Lorema married 
 Elijah Voorhies, a farmer of Seneca coun- 
 ty he is a Republican and a member of 
 the- r. H. Cliunh;. I'r.ink ;i farmer, of 
 
 Jackson township, married Miss Clara 
 Havens (he is a Democrat); the name of 
 the seventh child is Barbara A. Mrs. 
 Kenan is the daughter of Isaac and Sabra 
 (Preston) Fosey. both of whom were na- 
 tives of Pennsylvania, the former born in 
 1804 near Philadelphia, the latter in 18 10 
 in Mercer county. They had a family of 
 children as follows: Sarah. Elizabeth 
 (Mrs. Kenan), Sabra, Luther, Rachel and 
 Hannah (twins), Harriet, Bell. Susanna, 
 Martha, Mary. John, David, Esther and 
 William, ten of whom are living. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Posey migrated to the Black 
 Swamp. Ohio, .when Mrs. Kenan was but 
 two years of age, and the father died in 
 1858. the mother September 20, 1888. 
 Grandmother Elizabeth Preston was born 
 in England, about 1777, and had six chil- 
 dren, four of whom are living. Mrs. 
 Kenan's paternal grandfather, Micaga 
 Posey, was a major in the Revolution- 
 ary war. 
 
 The first land Mr. Kenan bought was 
 180 acres in Jackson township; he next 
 purchased 122 in Scott township, then 
 about 200 of his neighbor's land, making 
 in all 327 acres. He has retired from 
 farn)ing, his .son, G. F. Kenan, operating 
 the farm; but during his active life he 
 cleared many acres of heavily-timbered 
 land which he now owns. He has leased 
 his land in Scott township to the Stand- 
 ard Oil Co., receiving a snug income from 
 this source. In politics he is a stanch 
 Democrat, and in religious faith a member 
 of the Baptist Church, to which he con- 
 tributes liberally. 
 
 z 
 
 ACHARV TAYLOR. In the two 
 worlds of Clyde. Sandusky county, 
 its business and its social circles, 
 the names of Zachary Taylor and 
 his accomplished wife rank as lead- 
 ers; and in the joyous and prosperous 
 lives of these two people the two spheres 
 arc most happily blended. Mrs. Taylor, 
 while possessing all the womanly graces 
 
176 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 of her sex, has a keen business sense, a 
 rare taste and judgment, exercised in the 
 selection of stock which attracts to her 
 husband's dry-goods store the best trade 
 from a wide region of country. The mer- 
 cantile career of Mr. Taylor has not been 
 one succession of successes. Sunlight has 
 followed shadow, but through it all runs 
 the gleam of mercantile ability. As a 
 child of six years Zachary Taylor sold ap- 
 ples on the train and peddled molasses 
 candy. At the age of thirteen years he 
 went behind the counter for W. B. Clock, 
 and for ten years he clerked for various 
 firms before entering business for himself. 
 He has become a prominent merchant of 
 northern Ohio, and is distinctively a self- 
 made man — one who realizes the talis- 
 manic powers of industry and business 
 push. 
 
 Mr. Taylor was born at Clyde Sep- 
 tember 1 6, 1849, son of George W. and 
 Abigail C. (Whitcher) Taylor. George 
 W. Taylor was born in Rensselaer county, 
 N. Y. , in 1825, and comes from old Ver- 
 mont stock of Scotch and Irish ancestry. 
 He learned the saddler's trade in New 
 York and followed it at Troy and at New 
 York City. Coming west, he worked at 
 his trade for a short time at Milan and 
 Sandusky, and about 1S45 came to Clyde. 
 Here he conducted a dry-goods and gro- 
 cery store for a time, but later returned 
 to the saddlery business. He was a Re- 
 publican in politics, and his blameless life 
 was dominated by a spirit of practical 
 Christianity. He died of paralysis in 
 1 88 1. Abigail (Whitcher), wife of George 
 W. Taylor, was born at Gasport, N. Y. , 
 February 3, 1828, and migrated with 
 her brothers and her widowed mother to 
 Milan, where she met her future husband. 
 The Whitchers are of English extraction. 
 Generations ago three unmarried brothers 
 of the name came to America, two of 
 whom returned to England, where they 
 acquired wealth and died childless. The 
 third married in America, and from him 
 the present Whitchers in this country 
 
 have descended. An absence of legal 
 records prevents the representatives from 
 obtaining the English inheritance. The 
 Whitchers are hardy, frugal, honest peo- 
 ple, of great industry, and it is from his 
 mother that Zachary Taylor has inherited 
 his push and executive business ability. 
 To George W. and Abigail Taylor four 
 children were born: Erastus, accident- 
 ally killed at the age of fifteen years, 
 while hunting; Zachary; Emma A., wife 
 of L. C. Carlin, a real-estate dealer of 
 Findlay, and Ida L. 
 
 At the age of twenty-three Zachary 
 Taylor, in partnership with G. S. Rich- 
 ards, established at Clyde a dry-goods 
 business, which they conducted seven 
 years. In the latter years they did not 
 prosper, and were compelled to make an 
 assignment; investigation revealed that a 
 confidential clerk had been a large em- 
 bezzler. Left penniless at thirty by this 
 betrayal of trust, Zachary Taylor went 
 on the road; first traveling through Ohio 
 and Indiana for E. M. McGillen & Co., 
 of Cleveland, for three years, then for 
 Mills & Gibb, a New York house. In 
 1888 Mr. Taylor was again on his feet 
 financially. He re-established a business 
 at Clyde in dry goods, carpets, furnishing 
 goods, etc., which has grown rapidly. 
 He now employs from six to seven clerks, 
 and occupies two floors, 25 x 100 feet, 
 centrally located. When he opened his 
 business in 1888 most of the best trade of 
 Clyde was going elsewhere, but he put in 
 a line of goods that could not be excelled, 
 and as a result Clyde not only holds her 
 own in trade, but draws upon that of 
 other neighboring cities. 
 
 Mr. Taylor was married, October 2, 
 1877, to Miss Julia R. Klink, who was 
 born December 24, 1861, daughter of 
 Rev. Charles M. and Julia (Black) Klink. 
 Rev. Klink was an English Lutheran 
 minister. He was born at Newville, 
 Cumberland Co., Penn., in 1824, son of 
 John George and Elizabeth (Humes) 
 Klink. John G. Klink was born in Eng- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BTOORAPiriCAL RECORD. 
 
 177 
 
 land of Knglish and German parentage. 
 He was a man of force and character, 
 but without titled name. Elizabeth 
 Humes, the girl he loved and married, 
 was the daujjhter of an English lord, and 
 for her plebeian marriage she was dis- 
 inherited. The young couple emigrated 
 to America, settling at Newville, Penn.. 
 and here Mr. Klink acquired wealth. He 
 was a man of temperate habits, and was 
 highly honored for his integrity and many 
 other virtues. Charles M. Klink attended 
 a theological seminary at Cincinnati, 
 Ohio, expecting to become a Presbyterian 
 minister, but at the earnest solicitation 
 of his father he was ordained a minister 
 of the English Lutheran Church. At 
 Cincinnati he met his future wife. Miss 
 Julia Black. She was born at College Hill, 
 a suburb of Cincinnati, and was a cousin 
 of Henry Ward ISeechcr. Mr. Klink was 
 introduced to her by that afterward dis- 
 tinguished divine, who was a fellow stu- 
 dent at the seminary. Many years of his 
 pastoral work were spent by Rev. Klink at 
 Middletown. Md. He was there during 
 the Civil war, and had just completed a 
 new church when the battle occurred in 
 that vicinity. His new church was con- 
 verted into a hospital, and the wounded 
 and disabled soldiers were the first bene- 
 ficiaries of the new upholstered seats. 
 His health failing, Kev. Klink came to 
 Ohio. He purchased the Uriah Lemon 
 farm, south of Sandusky, and sitting in a 
 chair he preached on the last Sunday of 
 his life: he died in 1S62. To Kev. and 
 Mrs. Klink six children were born: Mary 
 Elizabeth, wife of Arthur G. Ellsworth, a 
 farmer of Sandusky county; George A., 
 in the oil busine.ss at Cleveland. Ohio; 
 John W. , a farmer of Eaton Kapids, 
 
 Mich. ; Jennie E., wife of \V. E. Bunker, 
 of Eaton Kapids, Mich.; Julia R. ; and 
 William E., an insurance agent of Rich- 
 mond, \'a. To /achary and Julia Taylor 
 one child, Z. Arthur, was born March 1 1, 
 
 1881. 
 
 Mrs. Taylor is a member of the M. E. 
 
 Church and a leader in Church work. She 
 has been a member of the choir, and as a 
 Sunday-school teacher her class grew in 
 a short time from eighteen to fifty-six 
 members. Both Mr. and Mrs. Taylor 
 are members of the Chosen Friends, and 
 he is now Regent of the Koyal .Arcanum. 
 In politics he is a radical Republican. In 
 business Mrs. Taylor is of great assistance 
 to her husband. It would be difficult to 
 find anywhere a woman of superior or 
 even equal business abilities. In busi- 
 ness and social relations they work as one 
 individual. Mr. Taylor is a great "home 
 man," and perhaps carries more insur- 
 ance than any other resident of Clyde. 
 The city is indebted to this couple per- 
 haps as to no other for the charms and 
 refinements of its better life. 
 
 DANIEL BEMIS, widely known as 
 a liberal and well-to-do farmer of 
 York township, Sandusky county, 
 was born in Ontario county, N. 
 Y. , July 3, 1825, son of James and Anna 
 (Merely) Bemis, both natives of Connec- 
 ticut. 
 
 James Bemis, when a young man, 
 emigrated from his native State to New 
 York, and about 1832 came to Ohio. He 
 located in Groton township, Erie county, 
 erected a shop on his farm, and for many 
 years engaged jointly in clearing and till- 
 ing the soil, and in following his trade of 
 blacksmithing. He was an Old-line 
 Whig, and died before the war. Both he 
 and his wife were buried at Bellevue. 
 Their family of nine children were as fol- 
 lows: James, who died in Clyde, aged 
 seventy-two j-ears; Harriet Nichols, who 
 died at her home in Clyde October i, 
 1894; Chauncey, of Strawberry Point, 
 Iowa; Shepherd, of Bowling Green; 
 Daniel, subject of this sketch; Harvey, 
 who died at his home in Illinois, in Sep- 
 tember, 181J5; Sally Ann, wife of James 
 Tuck, of Lansing, Mich. ; Emeline. wife 
 of John Gardner, of York township; and 
 
178 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Leonard, who died at the age of fourteen 
 years. 
 
 Daniel Bemis grew to manhood on his 
 father's farm in Erie county, and received 
 his education in the district schools. He 
 was married, March 2, 1854, to Cordelia 
 Laughlin, who was born July 8, 1835, in 
 Erie county, daughter of John and Harriet 
 (Call) Laughlin. John Laughlin was born 
 in Beaver county, Penn., March 3, 1796. 
 His father was a native of Ireland. John 
 Laughlin was a soldier in the war of 
 1 812, and when a young man he came to 
 Berlin township, Erie county, where he 
 married Harriet Call. She was born in 
 New York State, November 26, 1807, 
 daughter of Rev. Call, who was a Baptist 
 missionary among the Indians. He had 
 married a Miss Cross, and settled in Ber- 
 lin township, Erie count}'. After marriage 
 John and Harriet Laughlin lived in Berlin 
 township until 1842, and then moved to 
 Beaver county, Penn. Nine years later 
 they returned to Erie county, where the 
 father died soon after, on September 3, 
 1 851; the mother survived until Novem- 
 ber 19, 1857. The children of John and 
 Harriet Laughlin were as follows: Melissa, 
 born April 7, 1833, married Reuben Met- 
 calf, and lives in Muscatine county, Iowa; 
 Cordelia, wife of Mr. Bemis; Levi, born 
 September 17, 1837, lives in Wood coun- 
 ty, Ohio; Cyrus, born December 24, 
 1839, enlisted in the autumn of 1861 in 
 Company F, Forty-ninth O. V. I., and 
 died at Louisville, Ky. , in August, 1864, 
 from a wound received in service; Hud- 
 son, born May 9, 1842, died July li, 
 1857; Clara, born August i, 1846, mar- 
 ried Zeno Bush, and died August 23, 1875; 
 Dana Franklin, born September 23, 1850, 
 died March 12, 1852. 
 
 After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Bemis 
 began housekeeping on a farm in Erie 
 county, and remained there until 1856, 
 when they removed to Sandusky county, 
 where they have since resided. To them 
 have been born children, as follows: 
 Emeline, born April 11, 1855, died June 
 
 19, 1856; Daniel H., born July 11, 1858, 
 died April 18, 1865; George Laughlin, 
 born May 12, 1861, married and has one 
 child — Edna — born March 12, 1888 (they 
 live in Sandusky county); Effie, born 
 July 25, 1863, died April 5, 1864; Fred 
 H., born February 16, 1865, married 
 Nellie Pickering, and they are the parents 
 of three children — Elsie, Zeno and Her- 
 bert; Zeno, born June 14, 1870, resident 
 of Iowa; Clara B., born March i, 1875, 
 at home; and Burton W. , born July i, 
 1877, at home. Mr. Bemis takes an active 
 interest in politics, and is a stanch mem- 
 ber of the Republican party. 
 
 GEORGE B. SMITH, dental sur- 
 geon, one of the leading profes- 
 sional men of Fremont, Sandusky 
 county, is a fair example of the 
 success which may be attained, even early 
 in life, by concentration of purpose and 
 thoroughness of preparation in any chosen 
 calling. 
 
 Dr. Smith, who was born May 5, 1864, 
 in Ballville township, Sandusky county, 
 was the son of a farmer, but decided to 
 forsake the pursuit of agriculture which so 
 many of his ancestors had followed, and 
 to prepare himself for a professional ca- 
 reer. His early education was acquired 
 in the district school, that ahna mater to 
 which so many of the brilliant minds, not 
 only of Ohio, but of numerous other 
 States, owe allegiance, this being followed 
 by a course in the high school at Fre- 
 mont. He began the study of dentistry 
 under Dr. Cregar, of the same city, and 
 afterward attended the Dental College at 
 Philadelphia, Penn., from which he was 
 graduated in 1887. He returned to Fre- 
 mont and at once entered upon his pro- 
 fession, in which he has been eminently 
 successful, having built up a large and 
 constantly increasing practice. 
 
 Dr. Smith is so admirably equipped 
 for his work, both from natural ability and 
 thorough acquaintance with its details. 
 
OOMMEMORATIVB BJOQRAPUWAL RECORD. 
 
 70 
 
 that the public place the utmost contideiice 
 in his professional skill. Added to this, 
 his well-known integrity and many de- 
 lifihtful social qualities render him a very 
 agreeable companion, and it follows as a 
 matter of course that he occupies a promi- 
 nent place in the community. He is 
 president of the lipworth League of Fre- 
 mont, and is also a member of the I. O. 
 O. F. He is non-partisan in politics, but 
 rather leans to the Republican party, with 
 which he generally casts his vote. On 
 May I, 1893, he was married to Miss Iva 
 M. Fitch, who was born in Angola, Ind., 
 and is a daughter of Dr. John and Kmma 
 Fitch. Dr. Fitch died from the effect of 
 wounds received in the army; his widow 
 still resides in Fremont. The pleasant 
 home of Dr. and Mrs. Smith is the resort 
 of a large circle of friends. 
 
 It may not be amiss to add here a 
 short sketch of the immediate family of 
 our subject. His father, John C. Smith, 
 who is a farmer of Ballville township, 
 was born in Warren county, N. J., July 
 9, 1828. He was a son of William and 
 Sarah (Trimmer) Smith, of Dutch de- 
 scent. William Smith's father was Peter 
 Smith, who was born in Holland, emi- 
 grated to the United States, served dur- 
 ing the Revolutionary war, and died in 
 New Jersey. William Smith grew to 
 manhood in New Jersey, where he fol- 
 lowed farming and teaming. He removed 
 to Ferry county, Ohio, in 1839, and to 
 Ballville township, Sandusky county, in 
 1847, where he cultivated a farm; he died, 
 in 1865. at the age of seventy-tive years. 
 In politics he was a Democrat. His wife 
 died July 3, 1858, aged si.xty-four years. 
 Their children were: Henry, who is a 
 grocer at Newark, Ohio; Sarah, married 
 to Jacob R. Cole, a farmer of Ballville 
 township; William, a farmer, who mar- 
 ried Sarah Sibbrel, and was for eighteen 
 years treasurer of Ballville township ; 
 George, a farmer, married to Fli^abeth 
 Petty; John C who was married Novem- 
 ber I, 1850, to FUcnora Bowland, and 
 
 Hannah Maria, who died when eleven 
 years of age. The children of John C. 
 and Kllenora Smith were as follows: 
 Susan, born October 4, 1 851, married 
 Judge Kelley, of Port Clinton, Ohio, their 
 children being Amy, Bessie and Donnell; 
 Frank P., born July 27, 1855. is a farmer 
 (he married Laura Spade, and has two 
 children, Homer and Cleve), and George 
 B., the subject of this sketch. 
 
 AARON SMART. This well-known 
 farmer and lumber-mill owner has 
 been identified with the growing 
 interests of Townsend township, 
 Sandusky county, for a period of thirty 
 years. Much of the prosperity of this 
 township, as well as of the village of 
 V'ickerv, is due to his profjressiveness and 
 indomitable industry, and, knowing and 
 appreciating this fact, his fellow-citi/ens 
 hold him in high esteem and regard. 
 
 Mr. Smart was born in Erie county, 
 Ohio, December 18. 1842. and is a son of 
 Pettis and Sophia (Kraemer) Smart, who 
 had a family of eight children, of whom the 
 following named five survive: Camellia, 
 wife of Franklin Plantz, residing in Kan- 
 sas; Aaron, the subject of this sketch; 
 Elizabeth, wife of John Leary, residing 
 in Wood county; Martha, wife of F"red- 
 erick Wallie, living in Elmore; and La- 
 fayette, residing near Fremont. When 
 four years of age Aaron Smart came with 
 his parents to Madison township, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio, his boyhood days 
 being spent here upon his fathers farm, 
 and he received his education in the dis- 
 trict schools. Here he resided until 1861, 
 in which year he enlisted in Company A, 
 One Hundred and Eleventh O. V. I., and 
 served his country faithfully for three 
 years during the war of the Rebellion, 
 taking part in no less than thirty-one en- 
 gagements. He was mustered out and 
 finally discharged at Cleveland in the 
 spring of 1865, and went to Fremnnt, 
 Sandusky county, whither his parents 
 
180 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 had removed during his absence. He there 
 again engaged in agricultural pursuits for 
 about a year, removing to Townsend in 
 1866, since which date he has been a con- 
 tinuous resident of that township, closely 
 identified with its varied interests. 
 
 In Riley township, Sandusky county, 
 January i, 1867, Aaron Smart was united 
 in marriage with Abigail Lutes, who was 
 born in Stark county, Ohio, March 30, 
 1846, daughter of Adam and Elizabeth 
 (Faber) Lutes, and they had ten children, 
 eight of whom are now living, their names 
 and dates of births being as follows: John 
 W. , August 6, 1870; Samuel M., March 
 II, 1872; Clara B., June 10, 1875 (she is 
 now the wife of Ernest Werman); Wes- 
 ley P., November 3, 1877; Aaron L. , 
 December 27, 1879; Zella E., January 9, 
 1882; Roscoe C, May 8, 1884; and 
 Glennie G., March 3, 1886. Politically, 
 Mr. Smart is a good, active Democrat. 
 He has served his township efficiently as 
 trustee for six years, and has also held 
 other township ofBces. Both he and his 
 family attend the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 HENRY SCHROEDERwasbornin 
 Hanover, Germany, October 19, 
 1829, and is a son of Charles 
 and Julia (Glaisecik) Schroeder. 
 Charles Schroeder, a shoemaker in Ger- 
 many, came with his family to America 
 in 1842, and located in Woodville town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co., Ohi^. Here he 
 bought eighty acres of timberland, cleared 
 it, and made it his home until his death, 
 which occurred in February, 1882. His 
 widow died in 1893. 
 
 Henry Schroeder was reared on his 
 father's farm, and obtained a good En- 
 glish and German school education. In 
 his eighteenth year he went to Toledo, 
 Ohio, where he worked three years at the 
 shoemaker's trade. He then returned to 
 Woodville, Sandusky county, and became 
 associated in business with Nicholas 
 
 Smith, continuing for only three months, 
 when he built a shop, and went into busi- 
 ness for himself. In 1852 Henry Schroe- 
 der was united in marriage with Sophia 
 Dickmeyer, by whom he has had eight 
 children, as follows: Lucy, who married 
 Fred Sandwisch, of Woodville township; 
 Richie, who married Henry Snyder, and 
 lives in Michigan; Carrie, who married 
 Gus Shepherds, and is living in Michigan; 
 Minnie is deceased; Charles married Amy 
 Kinker, of Toledo, Ohio; William lives in 
 Michigan; Harry died in infancy; Sophia 
 is deceased. Mrs. Henry Schroeder died 
 December 18, 1874, and in October, 1876, 
 Mr. Schroeder again married, taking to 
 wife Angeline Shepherds, daughter of 
 Harmony Shepherds, a farmer of Indiana. 
 Mr. Schroeder still has forty acres of 
 valuable land in Woodville township, San- 
 dusky county, which he rents out. He is 
 a Democrat in politics, has been superin- 
 tendent of roads, is trustee, and is a mem- 
 ber of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 HG. GIBBONS is a leading real- 
 estate dealer of Clyde, Sandusky 
 county, and is a native of New 
 York State, born July 27, 1842, 
 at Lisbon, St. Lawrence county. 
 
 On his father's side he is descended 
 from old English stock, while on his 
 mother's he claims Scotch descent. His 
 paternal grandparents in an early day 
 emigrated from their native land, Eng- 
 land, to Upper Canada (now Province of 
 Ontario), where, in the then village of 
 Renfrew, they passed the rest of their 
 lives. Their children were: James, Will- 
 iam, George, Joseph, Thomas and Mary, 
 of whom James was a ship captain on 
 the lakes many years; William and George 
 were extensive lumber and timber mer- 
 chants; Thomas was the father of our sub- 
 ject, and will be more fully spoken of 
 presently; Mary married Philip Thomp- 
 son, all of whom made their home in the 
 vicinity of Renfrew, Canada. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 l^l 
 
 Thomas Gibbons was born at Renfrew, 
 Canada, in 1810, whence he moved to 
 New York State, making a permanent 
 settlement there. For many years he was 
 clerk of the court at Canton, St. I^aw- 
 rence county, and enjoyed a wide popu- 
 larity. He owned a larpe farm, and at 
 one period of his life was a steamboat 
 clerk on the river St. Lawrence, at another 
 time conducting a mercantile business. 
 He was married at Canton, N. Y.. to 
 Isabella Thompson, who was born in 
 Scotland in 18 10, and when an eight- 
 year-old girl came to America with her 
 parents, who settled in St. Lawrence 
 county, N. Y., where they followed agri- 
 cultural pursuits. To Thomas (libbons 
 and his wife were born eleven children, a 
 brief record of whom is as follows: (i) 
 William was a veteran in the war of the 
 Rebellion, and was made prisoner at the 
 battle of Spottsylvania Court House, 
 where he was wounded; he died recently 
 in St. Lawrence county, N. Y. (2) James 
 was a clerk in Ogdensburg, N. Y., for 
 about fifteen years, and subsequently fol- 
 lowed the trade of jeweler. (3) Jona- 
 than was a wholesale merchant at Flack- 
 villo. St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. (4) Isaac 
 ran a mail stage for many years at 
 Ogden, N. Y., and is now a wholesale 
 merchant at Hermon, N. Y. (5) Mary 
 Jane married Lli Vandelinder, and they 
 live at DeKalb Junction, N. Y. (6) Ag- 
 nes married Samuel Baxter, a farmer and 
 <lairyman of DeKalb, N. Y. (7) H. G. 
 is the subject proper of this sketch. (8) 
 Marcelia married Joseph Lawrence, and 
 they are residents of New York State. 
 (9) Susannah married Thomas McConkey, 
 and they moved to Toronto, Canada, 
 where they died. (10) George is a whole- 
 sale and retail merchant at DeKalb Junc- 
 tion, N. Y., where he is a leading politician. 
 (II) Helen married Albert Lawrence, a 
 furniture dealer of DeKalb Junction, N. Y. 
 The parents of this numerous family died, 
 the father in i860, the mother in 1874. 
 H. G. Gibbons received a liberal edu- 
 
 cation at the public schools of the vi- 
 cinity of his place of birth, subsequently 
 attending college at Canton. N. Y., after 
 which he went to Canada and there taught 
 school some seven years. Returning to 
 New York State, he did not long tarry 
 there, having concluded to try his fortune 
 in the then Far West. After a brief resi- 
 dence in Chicago, however, he "drifted" 
 from there to New Orleans, whence after 
 a stay of some three months he returned 
 north, and in 1863 took up his tenjporary 
 abode in Cleveland. Ohio. brom there 
 he once more proceeded to New York 
 State, thence a second time to Canada, 
 where he again took up the profession of 
 school-teacher. At the end of about a 
 year he returned to the United States, and 
 in Riley township. Sandusky Co.. Ohio, 
 made a more permanent settlement. Here 
 for twenty years he taught school, be- 
 coming a representative "dominie," a 
 veritable reproduction of the school-mas- 
 ter Oliver Goldsmith had in his mind's eye 
 when he penned the lines: 
 
 A man severe he was, and stern t<i view: 
 I knew him well, as every truant knew; 
 
 Well had the boding tremblers learned to 
 trace 
 The day's disasters in his morninp face. 
 
 After this e.xtensive and honorable pro- 
 fessional career Mr. Gibbons retired from 
 the field of pedagogy to engage in other 
 pursuits, among which may be mentioned 
 the selling of farm machinery among the 
 agricultural classes, more recently taking 
 up the real-estate business, in which latter 
 occupation he is at present extensively 
 engaged in the city of Clyde. 
 
 Mr. Gibbons has been twice married 
 first time m 1869 to Miss Sarah Van Bus- 
 kirk, who was born in Riley township, 
 Sandusky Co.. Ohio, and who passed 
 away two years after marriage, leaving 
 one child, Justin R., born February 11, 
 1868, died April 16, 1888. For his sec- 
 ond wife Mr. Gibbons was married in 1871 
 to Miss Sarah Hawk, who was born in 
 Green Creek township, Sandusky Co , 
 
182 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Ohio, November i, 1848, and the record 
 of the children born to this union is as 
 follows: (i) Maude M., born March 14, 
 1874, is one of the most estimable young 
 ladies of Clyde, and is at present assisting 
 her father in his real-estate business; (2) 
 Mabel L. , born December 28, 1882; (3) 
 Harry G., born October 21, 1886; (4) 
 Clyde, born April 13, 1890, died Decem- 
 ber 8, 1890. Mr. Gibbons is a man of 
 impulsive yet sympathetic temperament, 
 scourging all that is wrong with unrelent- 
 ing lash, and cleaving to what is right 
 with fierce tenacity. To his enemies he 
 is generous, though antagonistic; to his 
 friends he is faithful and sincere. In his 
 political preferences he is an ardent Dem- 
 ocrat, and he enjoys the esteem and re- 
 spect of a wide circle of friends. 
 
 GEORGE A. ZIMMERMAN, one 
 of the well-to-do farmers of Green 
 Creek township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, and a citizen of high type, 
 who is interested in all affairs of public 
 moment, is by birth a Marylander. He 
 was born in Frederick county, that State, 
 October 29, 1830, and is the son of 
 George and Rosanna (Barrack) Zimmer- 
 man. 
 
 His father was of the old Pennsylvania- 
 German stock, and was born in the 
 " Keystone " State. He was by trade a 
 shoemaker, and also engaged extensively 
 in farming. He was a man of thrifty 
 habits, and by industry accumulated a 
 competence. He died in Frederick county 
 at the age of sixty-four years. In relig- 
 ious belief he was a Lutheran; while his 
 wife was a member of the German Re- 
 formed Church. The family of George 
 and Rosanna Zimmerman consisted of 
 eight children, as follows: William; Mary, 
 now Mrs. Shank; Wesley (deceased); 
 Minerva, wife of Oliver Lease; Barbara, 
 wife of C. Myer; Theodore Jacob (de- 
 ceased), all of the State of Maryland, 
 and George A., subject of this sketch. 
 
 George A. Zimmerman was reared in 
 Maryland, attending the district schools 
 and assisting on his father's farm. In the 
 spring of 1857, at the age of twenty-sev- 
 en years, he came to Tiffin, Ohio, and in 
 the autumn of the same year he moved to 
 Sandusky county. On the 13th of Sep- 
 tember, i860, he was married to Miss 
 Mary Ira, a native of Germany. The 
 union of George and Mary Zimmerman 
 has been blessed by the birth of four 
 children, as follows: Francis (deceased) 
 and Franklin (twins), born December 5, 
 1 861; Rosanna, born January 2, 1864 
 (died March 2, 1893), and George Wes- 
 ley, born June 14, 1875. The son Frank- 
 lin is a prominent minister of the Ohio 
 Conference Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 receiving his collegiate and theological 
 education at Delaware, Ohio, and Bos- 
 ton Theological Seminary. Rev. Zim- 
 merman began his ministr)' in i 889, and 
 was married to Miss Mary Grove, of Find- 
 lay, Ohio. Four children have been born 
 to them, namely: Ruth, Paul, Helen and 
 Kenneth. The younger son, George, is 
 now engaged in tilling his father's farm, 
 and promises to soon be one of the suc- 
 cessful agriculturists of Sandusky county. 
 
 Mr. Zimmerman is a prominent and 
 consistent member of the Green Spring 
 M. E. Church, being a liberal contributor 
 to all the Christian charities, and prac- 
 ticing in his daily walk all he professes. 
 Mrs. Zimmerman is no less known for 
 her many virtues, being a life member of 
 of the Women's Foreign Missionary So- 
 ciety of the M. E. Church, and a cheer- 
 ful laborer in all Church work. 
 
 AMBROSE KERNAHAN, deceas- 
 ed. If character counts for aught, 
 the subject of this sketch was a 
 wealthy man. His neighbors 
 learned by experience, if they did not ac- 
 quire the knowledge by intuition, that the 
 word of Mr. Kernahan was worth its face 
 value any time, that he never made a 
 
AMIlRoSK KF.RNAHAN. 
 
M> 
 
COMMJCMOaATIVB DIOORAPUICAL liECOliD. 
 
 188 
 
 [iromise without fiiltilling it, unless cir- 
 cumstances, impossible to control, arose 
 to prevent. This regard for his word, 
 however, was not a hobby with Mr. Ker- 
 nahan, nor was it the absorbing quality of 
 his mind; it was only an index to the 
 moral and mental soundness of the man. 
 
 He came of Scotch-Irish stock, and 
 was born in Livinjjston county, N. Y., 
 July 19, 1S36, son of Alexander and Han- 
 nah (Clapp) Kernahan. Alexander Ker- 
 nahan was born in Ireland about i8cx5, 
 ami when a young man emigrated to 
 .\morica, settling first in Onondaga county, 
 N. v.. where he worked for eight dollars 
 per month, and subsequently moving to 
 Livingston county, N. Y., whence, in 1S54. 
 he came to Sandusky county, Ohio, where 
 he bought land and spent the remainder of 
 his years, dying in 1876. In politics he 
 was a Republican, and in religious belief 
 a Presbyterian. Strict in his habits, he 
 was universally esteemed. Hannah 
 (Clapp) was a native of England, and 
 died in Sandusky county. The children 
 of Alexander and H-annah Kernahan were 
 five in number, three of whom — Ambrose, 
 James and Eliza —grew to maturity. 
 
 Ambrose Kernahan was reared to 
 fariTiing on his father's land in Green 
 Creek township. He was a strong Union 
 man during^ the Civil war, and was a 
 member of the One Hundred and Sixty- 
 ninth O. V. I., which in 1864 was called 
 out in the one-hundred-days' service, and 
 liid guard duty at I'ort Ethan Allen and 
 Washington when Gen. Jubal A. Early 
 was making a demonstration against the 
 capital city of the nation. After the war 
 he settled on the farm, and in 1870 he 
 married Miss Elizabeth McKinney, who 
 was born in New York, July 29. 1840. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kernahan had no chil- 
 ilrcn. Mr. Kernahan was a prominent 
 member of Eaton Post No. 55, G. A. R., 
 of Clyde. He was engaged in general 
 farming, and was progressive and thor- 
 ough in his methods, being recognized as 
 one of the best farmers in Green Creek 
 
 township. He was a keen observer, not- 
 ing with intelligent care the magnitude of 
 the changes which occurred in doing 
 business since his boyhood days, a half 
 century ago. He was popular in the 
 conmiunity wherein he had so long had 
 1 his home, and when he was called from 
 earth, on January 15, 1895, his fellow 
 citizens mourned the departure of a 
 much beloved and deservedly esteemed 
 man. 
 
 HOMER BRUBAKER, a success- 
 ful farmer and a jirominent and 
 popular citizen of Madison town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was born 
 February 9, 183S, and is a son of John 
 and Esther Brubaker. 
 
 John Brubaker was born in Bedford 
 county, Penn., in the year 1801, and 
 married Esther Miilur, who was born 
 in Pennsylvania in 181 1. Her father's 
 name was John Miller. Mr. Brubaker 
 came to Ohio in 1830, and located on an 
 eighty-acre tract of timber land, where 
 he afterward lived. He died there in 
 1848, and his wife, surviving him, died in 
 1889. They had ten children, namely: 
 Jacob, married Susan Mills, a farmer in 
 Indiana, and they have hail nine chil- 
 dren; Elida died at the age of twenty- 
 one; Elizabeth married John Kelly, a 
 farmer in Illinois; Susan married William 
 Scott, they had nine chiKircn, and both 
 parents are now dead; Mary was twice 
 married, first time to Lee Mills, and they 
 had four children; after the death of 
 Mr. Mills she married Daniel Smith, and 
 they live in Waterloo. Ind. ; Michael mar- 
 ried Susan Miller, and they had six chil- 
 dren; he died in 1864. Henry was twice 
 married; first time to Elizabeth Kline, 
 by whom he had two children, both of 
 whom died young ; his second wife 
 was Mary Sturtevant, and they had 
 three children, one of whom died 
 young; Henry died in 1870, and the 
 widow and her two children went west, 
 
184 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 where she married again. Mahelia died 
 young. John, now a farmer, married 
 Delia Garn; they have had seven chil- 
 dren, and they now live in Jackson town- 
 ship, Sandusky county; and Homer is 
 the subject of this sketch. 
 
 During his earlier years Homer Bru- 
 baker lived at home, and worked out at 
 times until he married. On October 23, 
 1858, he was united in marriage with 
 Margaret Ickes, who was born February 
 9, 1840, and they have had the follow- 
 ing named children: Alfred, now an oil 
 speculator and farmer, born March i, 
 1862; Ida, born February 22, 1864, mar- 
 ried Albert Klotz, and they have had two 
 children, and live in Washington town- 
 ship, Sandusky county; Gary, born March 
 II, 1869, died December 25, 1879; 
 Laura, born July 20, 1875, married John 
 Allison, of Oil City, Penn. ; Stella was 
 born September 24, 1877; Lester and 
 Lesta (twins) were born January 4, 1S81, 
 and Lesta died February 16, 1881. 
 
 Mrs. Brubaker's father, George Ickes, 
 was born August 7, 1800, and died in 
 1890. Her mother, whose maiden name 
 was Margaret Croyle, was born February 
 20, 1803, and died April 18, 1867. They 
 had thirteen children, two of whom died 
 young. The others are: Henry married 
 Susan Stainer, and they had eight chil- 
 dren. Adam married Mary Campbell, 
 and they live in Indiana. Catherine mar- 
 ried Ed Burkett, of Washington town- 
 ship, and they have had twelve children. 
 Thomas married Margaret Long, and 
 they have had four children; they live in 
 Scott township, Sandusky county. Bar- 
 bara married John Valentine, and they 
 have had two children; they live in Madi- 
 son township. Susan died young. Sarah 
 married David Miller, a farmer in Wash- 
 ington township, and they have had six 
 children. Michael married Ellen Russell, 
 and they have had two children; they 
 live in Nebraska. Margaret is Mrs. 
 Homer Brubaker. Sophia married John 
 Rosenburg, who died, and she afterward 
 
 married Jacob Clapper, and they have 
 had four children; they live in Madison 
 township. George married Mary Garn, 
 and they have had one child; they live in 
 Grand Rapids, Mich. George Ickes (Sr.) 
 came to Ohio in the fall of 1832 and en- 
 tered eighty acres of land in Madison 
 township, on which he built a log cabin, 
 wherein he lived. He was one of fifteen 
 who attended the first election in Madison 
 township, which was held in an old 
 blacksmith shop owned by Jacob Garn. 
 He did a great deal in making roads and 
 settling up Madison township, and was 
 well known far and near. At that time 
 the nearest gristmill was at Fremont, 
 Sandusky county, and it took them sev- 
 eral days to make the trip. 
 
 About the time of his marriage Homer 
 Brubaker rented 120 acres of land, on 
 which he lived one year, then bought 
 thirty-seven acres where Gibsonburg now 
 stands, which cost him six hundred dol- 
 lars. He lived on this land seven years, 
 then sold it and bought ninety-five acres, 
 and later twenty-five, after which he 
 moved upon this property and has lived 
 here ever since. He also has 120 acres 
 in Madison township, Sandusky county, 
 known as the George Ickes property. He 
 deals in horses and cattle. His land is 
 situated in the oil belt, and has been 
 leased to the Standard Oil Company. Mr. 
 Brubaker, as is also his wife, is a mem- 
 ber of the Evangelical Church at Gibson- 
 burg. He is a Democrat, has several 
 times held different offices such as those 
 of school director and supervisor, and is 
 well liked in the community. 
 
 JOHN SNYDER, who is successfully 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits in 
 Sandusky county, his home being in 
 Washington township, is numbered 
 among the native sons of that county, 
 where he was born May 25,1 846. His par- 
 ents were James and Elizabeth (Fought) 
 Snyder. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 185 
 
 His father was born in Berkeley 
 county. Nirginia. December 15, 1800. He 
 was in his early life one of the hardy and 
 exemplary young men who sought early a 
 a home in the wilds of the Western coun- 
 try, which was then principally inhabited 
 by will! animals, savage beasts and veno- 
 mous reptiles. His father was a mill- 
 wright; also the owner of a large grist- 
 mill, and his vigorous and reliable son 
 Jamts was the miller. This was his prin- 
 cipal occupation until he arrived at the 
 age of twenty-three years. Having never 
 attended school, except about two months, 
 in all his life, he had at that time a very 
 limited knowledge of books, and nearly 
 everything else save what his father as a 
 millwright had taught him. The thrilling 
 stories of Western hunters and adventur- 
 ers, which he had frequcntl)' heard, had in- 
 spired within him adesire to emigrate west- 
 ward, and to obtain for himself a satisfac- 
 tor)' knowledge as to the truth of these 
 statements. The necessary arrangements 
 were soon made, and in the spring of 
 1825 he bade adieu to the home of his 
 childhood with all its endearments, and 
 came, in company with his brother-in- 
 law, Andrew Miller, in a two-horse wagon 
 to the central part of Ohio, where he 
 spent about two years in different parts 
 of the State working at times for a shill- 
 ing a day. He then concluded to return 
 home and visit his father's family and 
 friends. With but a few dollars jingling 
 in his pockets, and with no friend to ac- 
 company him save his rifle, he set out on 
 foot f(jr his fathers home in \'irginia. 
 There was a long and dreary road stretch- 
 ed out before him; but his determination, 
 supported by his physical strength, was 
 more than equal to the task. He accom- 
 plished his journey in safety, subsisting 
 principally upon what game he killed 
 along the way. 
 
 He remained at home a few months, 
 and again set out on foot, and came to 
 Ferry county. Ohio, where he soon after 
 married Elizabeth, a daughter of Michael 
 
 Fought, with whom he lived peaceably 
 and happily from that time until his death, 
 which occurred July 20, 1876. He came 
 to this county in 1 830. and in Washington 
 township entered eighty acres of govern- 
 ment land, upon which he built what he 
 called a snug little log cabin. He was 
 now surrounded on all sides by large for- 
 ests, extending for many miles in every 
 direction. The tall and stately trees pre- 
 vented even the sun from shining down 
 upon the little log cabin which he had 
 built. The hungry wolves and other wild 
 animals would come at night and howl 
 and bark around his door, as though they 
 craved him for their prey. It was not 
 long, however, until he had cleared away 
 a spot of ground upon which to raise 
 some corn, which was the only grain that 
 he could raise for a number of years. 
 Thus he obtained for himself and family 
 a scant living, for a few years subsisting 
 chiefly upon cornbread and wild game. 
 His neighbors were few and far away, and, 
 being as poor as he, could therefore give 
 him but little or no assistance. He 
 would frequently carry a bushel of corn 
 to mill all the way to Lower Sandusky 
 (now Fremont), eight miles through the 
 mud and water, and return the same day, 
 and then take mush and milk for his 
 supper. He was firm and determined in 
 everything he undertook. Patience, per- 
 severance and hard labor procured for 
 him and his companion a comfortable and 
 pleasant home which has been their en- 
 joyment for a number of years. His 
 companion died September 17, 1881, aged 
 seventy-two years, six months, and six- 
 teen days, a grand and heroic woman, no 
 work being too laborious for her to do for 
 the comfort of her family. There were 
 eleven children in the family: Eii^a Ann, 
 wife of Philip Kluts, a Jackson township 
 farmer; she was the eldest of the family 
 of children, was born in Perry county, 
 and died in Sandusky county May 12. 
 1890. aged sixty years, three months, 
 five days; she was a faithful member of the 
 
186 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 United Brethren Church; her hope was 
 very bright, and she requested her friends 
 to meet her in heaven. Sarah, wife of 
 Joel Dershem, a farmer, was born January 
 5, 1832, and died January 25, 1895; she 
 was a faithful member of the Methodist 
 Church, and her prayer was turned to 
 praise before her spirit took its flight. 
 Jacob Snyder, the oldest of the boys, a 
 a highly respected citizen, in religious be- 
 lief belongs to the Reformed Church. 
 William Snyder died when about a year 
 old. James Snyder died in January, 1 862. 
 Levi Snyder, a farmer in Sandusky coun- 
 ty, is in Church belief a Methodist. Sam- 
 uel Snyder is living in Fremont, a respected 
 citizen. Noah Snyder, by occupation a 
 restaurant man, lives in Fremont. John 
 Snyder, the seventh son, is the subject 
 proper of these lines, and will be more 
 fully referred to presently. Elizabeth be- 
 came the wife of Jackson King, a Sandusky 
 county farmer, who died, and afterward 
 she was the wife of Samuel Lay, living in 
 Fremont. Ertima, the youngest, is the 
 wife of James Seagraves, a farmer living 
 in Michigan. The children are worthy 
 representatives of that class which consti- 
 tutes America's best citizens, and they 
 owe it all to the training they received 
 under the parental roof. 
 
 John Snyder can distinctly remember 
 when he could sit in his father's half- 
 bushel measure, twelve inches in diameter, 
 very comfortabl) , and as soon as he was 
 able to carry a hoe he went into the corn- 
 field, and has ever since been accustomed 
 to hard work. On October 2, 1873, he 
 was joined in wedlock with Miss Mahala 
 Cookson, a daughter of one of the lead- 
 ing farmers of Sandusky county, and they 
 have one child, Mabel, born September 
 25, 1884. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder are 
 widely known throughout the communit}', 
 and have a wide circle of friends and ac- 
 quaintances who esteem them highly for 
 their sterling worth. Mr. Snyder is a 
 warm advocate of temperance principles, 
 while in religious belief he is a Methodist. 
 
 THEODORE BROWN, one of the 
 progressive and highly-respected 
 citizens of Clyde, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, is a native of Ohio, born near 
 Republic, Seneca county, December 8, 
 1844, a son of Elijah and Catherine 
 (Sherrick) Brown. 
 
 The birth of the father occurred near 
 Frederick City, Md. , May 31, 1806, and 
 his father, who was a native of England, 
 and in this country kept a hotel, died 
 when his son was quite young. In 1828 
 the latter emigrated to Perry county, 
 Ohio, where he married Miss Sherrick, 
 and to them were born seven children: 
 Henry, born in 1837, was a telegraph 
 operator of Baton Rouge, La., where he 
 died of yellow fever in 1856; William, 
 born in 1838, is a telegraph operator of 
 Brainerd, Minn. ; Eliza Jane, born in 
 1840, married Edward Crockett, and 
 lives near Green Springs, Seneca Co., 
 Ohio; Mary, born in 1842, died at the 
 age of two years; Theodore is the next in 
 order of birth; Ann, born in 1848, mar- 
 ried Wesley Miller, and resides on the old 
 homestead in Seneca county; and Sam- 
 uel, born in 1851, is married and lives at 
 Ottawa, Kans. In 1841 the father located 
 in Scipio township, Seneca Co., Ohio, 
 three miles northwest of Republic, where 
 he entered a tract of land from the gov- 
 ernment, which he cleared and developed, 
 and on that place made his home until his 
 death January 9, 1885. He identified 
 himself with the cause of Christ in early 
 life, uniting with the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. Politically, he first supported 
 the Whig party, but later became a Dem- 
 ocrat. His wife, who was born in Perry 
 count}', Ohio, in 181 1, is still living, mak- 
 ing her home with her children, and she 
 also is a consistent member of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. 
 
 On the old farm near Republic, Theo- 
 dore Brown was reared to manhood, at- 
 tending the district schools, and assisted 
 in the management of the home place 
 until reaching the age of twenty-four 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 187 
 
 years, with the exception of one year, 
 which was spent as fireman on a railroad. 
 He now began operating his father's farm 
 on his own account, and there remained 
 until 1885, when he located on a farm at 
 Lakeside. Ottawa Co., Ohio, which he 
 carried on for three years, when he again 
 removed to Republic, thence to Lakeside 
 whore he lived nine months, thence to 
 Green Creek township. Sandusky county, 
 arriving here in 1 886. Here he purchased 
 1 18 acres of fine land. 
 
 On September 2. 1S68, Mr. Brown 
 and Miss Nellie Hogg were married, the 
 ceremony being performed by Kev. Ed- 
 ward Jewett, of Sandusky, Ohio, one of 
 the oldest ministers of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. He has also baptized 
 the two children of Mr. and Mrs. lirown 
 — Robert H.. who was born August 5, 
 1872, and Thomas W., who was born May 
 22, 1874, and on February 14, 1894, was 
 married to Ida Smith; they now make 
 their home with our subject. Mrs. Brown 
 was born in Paterson, N. J., October 25, 
 1837; but her childhood was passed in 
 Sandusky county, where she received an 
 excellent education in the public and high 
 schools, and at the age of fifteen years 
 she began teaching, which occupation she 
 followed in this locality and at Put-in- 
 Bay Island until she was married. 
 
 Mrs. Brown is a daughter of Thomas 
 and Jeannette (Lachlison) Hogg. Her 
 mother was born in Preston, England, 
 November 11, 181 i, and in her maiden- 
 hood came to America. In 1836. at Pat- 
 erson. N. J., she wedded Mr. Hogg, and 
 by her marriage became the mother of 
 three children — Nellie, now Mrs. Brown; 
 Robert, an engineer on the Lakeside & 
 Marblehead Short Line railroad, and Isa- 
 bel, living near Lakeside, Ottawa Co., 
 Ohio. The mother died at Sandusky, 
 Ohio, in 1844. The father was also a na- 
 tive of Preston, England, born March 16, 
 1808. He learned the trade of a ma- 
 chinist, and, after coming to America, 
 worked for a number of years in the Rogers 
 
 Locomotive Works at Paterson, N. J. 
 When the Mad River & Lake Erie rail- 
 road was built, Mr. Hogg was sent west 
 in charge of a locomotive for that com- 
 pany, the first one purchased by it, and 
 the pioneer railroad locomotive west of 
 the Alleghany mountains. This was in 
 1837, and he made the trip over the Hud- 
 son river, Erie canal and Lake Erie, land- 
 ing at Sandusky. Ohio. After getting this 
 engine, "Sandusky" by name, up and in 
 operation, he was induced to remain as 
 its engineer; and later he was made mas- 
 ter mechanic on that road. After the 
 death of his first wife, Mr. Hogg wedded 
 Mary Driver, a native of Montreal. Can- 
 ada, and by this union four children were 
 born — Stella, Alice and Nettie (twins), 
 and Thomas. The mother is still living 
 and resides near Lakeside, Ohio. For 
 many years Mr. Hogg followed railroad- 
 ing, but in 1867 he retired to his farm in 
 Danbury, Ottawa Co., Ohio, where his 
 death occurred April 21. 1881. He was 
 a man of unusual physical and mental 
 vigor; of strong will and honest purpose, 
 and made his mark wherever he went. 
 
 Theodore Brown, the subject proper 
 of this sketch, attended the lectures given 
 by Miss Frances E. Willard at Lakeside, 
 Ohio, and by her was converted, becom- 
 ing a strong Prohibitionist. He voted that 
 ticket when only two others were cast in 
 Green Creek township. Sandusky county. 
 He and his wife are earnest members of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. They 
 enjoy the friendship of a large circle of ac- 
 quaintances, and are numbered among 
 the prominent and influential citizens of 
 Sandusky county. 
 
 ORSON HIGLEV, a successful 
 farmer and one of the oldest 
 residents of Townsend township, 
 Sandusky county, is a son of 
 Hezckiah and Jerusha (Clock) Higley, and 
 was born in Cayuga county, N. Y., June 
 24, 1827. 
 
188 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Hezekiah Higley was born of English- 
 Scotch ancestry in New York State in 
 1794. Heenhsted in the American army, 
 served during the war of 1812, and was 
 honorably discharged. In 1824 he was 
 united in marriage with Jerusha Heath, 
 who was born in New York State in 1797, 
 and they had the following children: 
 Anson, who died at Hudson, Mich. ; Orson, 
 the subject of this sketch; William, of 
 Seneca county; George, who was a mem- 
 ber of the Seventy-second O. V. I., and 
 died in hospital; Laura, Mrs. Cyrus Dan- 
 iels, who died in Riley township, Septem- 
 ber, 1894; Sophia, Mrs. David Fuller 
 (deceased); and Sophronis, who died at 
 home in June, 1861. In 1829 Mr. Hig- 
 ley moved to Erie county, Ohio, and five 
 years later to the then unbroken wilder- 
 ness of Riley township, in this county. 
 The only means for finding one's way was 
 to follow trails or "blazed" trees, as no 
 roads had been marked out in the entire 
 township. Mr. Higley bought and cleared 
 forty acres which a few years after he 
 traded for eighty acres of land in Town- 
 send township, where he made his home 
 during the remainder of his life. Shortly 
 before his death the government began to 
 substantially reward him for his services 
 in the war of 1812, by granting him a 
 pension. He died January 19, 1886; Mrs. 
 Higley preceding him, having passed away 
 in 1880. 
 
 When Orson Higley was but two years 
 old his parents came to Ohio, where the 
 meager education which was granted him 
 was obtained. He remained at home 
 helping his father until 185 i, and on June 
 15, of that year, was united in marriage 
 with Miss Permelia A. Twiss, who was 
 born December 21, 1831, in Wayne 
 county, N. Y., and they had one child, 
 a daughter, Lydia L. , born June 24, i860. 
 Mrs. Higley's parents, Clark and Polly 
 (Tyler) Twiss, came to Huron county, 
 Ohio, in 1844. After a few years they 
 went to Riley township, from there com- 
 ing to Townsend township, where Mrs. 
 
 Twiss died. Mr. Twiss died in Michigan 
 while visiting his daughter Lovina, wife of 
 Sullivan Davenport; she died March 16, 
 1883. Shortly after his marriage Mr. 
 Higley bought forty acres of land from 
 his father, and, when his brother went to 
 the army, purchased the remainder of the 
 farm. He cared for his father nineteen 
 years prior to his death. Mr. Higley has 
 had the privilege of seeing the virgin for- 
 est give way to well-tilled fields and pretty 
 meadows, which are monuments to the 
 industry and energy of the pioneers. In 
 politics Mr. Higley has been a Republican 
 since the organization of the party. 
 
 Lydia L. Higley, who was an only 
 child, was married December 25, 1878, 
 to Jerome Bixby, of Castalia, Erie Co., 
 Ohio, and they have had one child. Pearl 
 J., born March 25, 1885. Mr. Bixby 
 was formerly a general merchant at Cas- 
 talia, but is now an insurance agent. For 
 nine years Mr. Higley was interested with 
 Mr. Bixby in the store; but city life was 
 not congenial to a man of Mr. Higley's 
 temperament, and he returned to the 
 farm. 
 
 SAMUEL F. JONES, a prosperous 
 and inliuential farmer of Green 
 Creek township, Sandusky county, 
 was born in Wayne county, Ohio, 
 October 9, 1825, son of Nicholas and 
 Elizabeth (Pierce) Jones. 
 
 Nicholas Jones was a native of West 
 Liberty, Penn., and his father, Samuel 
 Jones, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. 
 Nicholas was reared in Pennsylvania, and 
 when a young man migrated to Wayne 
 county, Ohio, where he married Elizabeth 
 Pierce (a first cousin to President Pierce), 
 and lived for some years. About 1835 he 
 moved to Thompson township, Seneca 
 county, and had his home there for many 
 years. He died near South Bend, Ind., 
 about 1868, at the age of seventy-five 
 years, and was buried there; his wife 
 lived to the age of eighty-two years. 
 
COMMKMORATH'E DIOORAPIIICAL RECORD. 
 
 180 
 
 Nicholas Jones was a man of about 
 niccliuni weight — 135 pounds. In relgi- 
 ious belief he was a Universalist, and in 
 politics a Whig and a Republican. His 
 ten children were as follows: Erneline, 
 who married Joseph Highland, and died 
 in Indiana, aged fifty years; Uriah, who 
 died near South Hend, I nd., aged seventy- 
 one years; John, who now lives near 
 South Bend, Ind. ; Elizabeth, who died 
 aged thirty-two years, wife of David Clay; 
 Samuel F., subject of this sketch; Lu- 
 cretia, widow of Sylvanus Wright, of 
 Fremont; Johanna, wife of C. Rector, of 
 Norwalk; Mary, wife of James Shoup, of 
 Clyde; Margaret, wife of Daniel White- 
 man, living in Indiana; Silas, a resident 
 of Illinois. 
 
 At about the age of sixteen years 
 Samuel F. Jones left the home farm in 
 Seneca county and came to Sandusky, 
 where for ten years he engaged in farm- 
 ing. He then began railroading at San- 
 dusky City, and for ten years ran an ex- 
 press train engine on the Baltimore & 
 Ohio road (then the old Sandusky, Mans- 
 field & Newark railroad). From the loco- 
 motive Mr. Jones stepped down to the 
 farm in Green Creek township, which he 
 has ever since operated. On October 30, 
 1S34, he was married to Miss Ellen M. 
 Almond, who was born in New Jersey 
 .August 3, 1832, daughter of Thomas and 
 Mary (Lachlison) Almond. To Mr. and 
 Mrs. Jones four children have come, as 
 follows: Alice, born in May, i860, wife 
 of W. B. Lay; Lawrence, senior member 
 of the Cutlery Works Co., who married 
 Miss Jessie Russell, a cousin of Gen. Mc- 
 Pherson. and has three children — Lamar, 
 Margaret and Maurine; Nellie, at home; 
 and Robert, engaged in the cutlery busi- 
 ness at Clyde, who on October iS, 1894. 
 wedded Miss lone Smith, and has one 
 child — Dorothy. Mr. Jones has ninety- 
 eight and one-half acres of fertile, well- 
 improved and very productive land, well 
 tilled and laid out in fine fruits, and is 
 engaged in general farming and fruit- 
 
 growing, raising wheat, oats, potatoes, 
 etc. ; and all the buildings and improve- 
 ments that now are upon the place were 
 put there by his own hands. In politics 
 Mr. Jones is a Republican, and while not 
 a church member he inclines toward the 
 Universalist belief; Mrs. Jones is a mem- 
 ber of the Episcopal Church. He has by 
 his g(jod judgment and business ability, 
 aided by natural industry, accumulated a 
 comfortable competence, and is one of 
 the most prosperous citizens of his town- 
 ship. 
 
 SAMUEL SPROUT is numbered 
 among the native sons of Sandusky 
 county, and has not only witnessed 
 the growth and development of 
 this region, but has also borne an active 
 part in the work of progress and upbuild- 
 ing, and well deserves mention among the 
 honored pioneers. 
 
 Mr. Sprout was born in Scott town- 
 ship, October 1, 1840, on the farm 
 which he now owns, and which has al- 
 ways been his place of residence. His 
 parents, Samuel and Nancy (Long) 
 Sprout, cast in their lot among the early 
 settlers of Sandusky county when it was 
 largely an unbroken wilderness. The 
 father was born in Pennsylvania, June 
 15, 1807, removed to Guernsey county, 
 Ohio, in 1S25, and ten years later came 
 to Sandusky county, where from the gov- 
 ernment he entered a claim that has 
 never passed from the possession of the 
 family. His wife was born April 27, 
 1S12, and died January 10, 1887, her 
 husband surviving until April 21, 1890. 
 Ten children graced their union: Mrs. 
 Margaret Doll, John, Sarah Elizabeth, 
 Samuel, Michael (born September 27, 
 1842;, Marion, Casaline, James (de- 
 ceased), Mrs. Mary Jane Hayes, and Mrs. 
 Nancy Hippie The paternal grandfather 
 of our subject was born in Ireland about 
 1766. and died in Seneca county, Ohio, 
 about 1 856,surviving his wife several years. 
 
190 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 In her maidenhood she was Mary Hilter- 
 brand, and was a native of Germany. 
 The maternal grandfather, Daniel Long, 
 was born in Sweden, and married Miss 
 Brill, a native of Germany. In the war 
 of 1812 he served as a soldier, and he 
 was numbered among the pioneers of 
 Ohio. 
 
 In a manner not unlike that of other 
 farmer boys, our subject spent his \'outh 
 and bore his part in the development of 
 the old home farm, working hard through 
 summer months, while the winter afforded 
 him an opportunity for education in the 
 district schools, which he eagerly utihzed. 
 Thus he was employed until August, 
 1862, when, at the age of twenty-two 
 years, he joined his country's troops in 
 defense of the Union, and was a member 
 of Company K, One Hundred and First O. 
 V. I. until the close of the war. He 
 participated in a number of hotly-con- 
 tested engagements, and at the battle of 
 Stone River his clothing was pierced by 
 no less than nine bullets, and his canteen 
 completely shattered. He also partici- 
 pated in the battles of Perryville, Liberty 
 Gap and those of the Atlanta campaign, 
 and followed Hood from Columbus to 
 Franklin. He was also in the two-days' 
 battle at Nashville, which resulted in vic- 
 tory for the Union soldiers, and altogether 
 was a very faithful, loyal citizen, one who 
 gallantly followed the old flag until it was 
 planted in the capital of the Southern 
 Confederacy. At the close of the war 
 Mr. Sprout returned to the farm where he 
 now lives, and began operating 120 acres, 
 which he purchased in 1883. His landed 
 possessions now aggregate 170 acres, and 
 all that he has has been acquired entirely 
 through his own efforts. He certainly 
 deserves great credit for his success in 
 life, and his example should serve as a 
 source of encouragement to others. 
 
 On February 13, 1889, Mr. Sprout 
 married Miriam Kuhn, of Fremont, Ohio, 
 who was born in Allen county, Ohio, 
 March 11, 1854. Her parents, John and 
 
 Mary (Miller) Kuhn, were pioneers of 
 Sandusky county, as was also her grand- 
 father, Adam Kuhn, who was born about 
 1800, and died at the advanced age of 
 eighty-two. Of his family of nine chil- 
 dren, six are yet living. The maternal 
 grandmother, Maria Myers, was born 
 about 1796, and departed this life in 1866, 
 having for many years survived her hus- 
 band. The parents of Mrs. Sprout were 
 both born in 1823, and are still living. 
 Their family circle numbered ten children: 
 Maria, wife of John Myers, of Wood 
 county, Ohio; Harriet, who became the 
 wife of George Gephart, and died about 
 1882; Charlotte, at home; Mrs. Sprout; 
 Paul Luther and Isaac N. , who are resi- 
 dents of Wood county; Philip M. ; John 
 }V. ; Charles M. ; and Theodore Allen. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Sprout are highly- 
 esteemed people of Scott township, and 
 their pleasant home is noted for its hospi- 
 tality and good cheer. The farm is well 
 developed, the fields being under a high 
 state of cultivation, and the improve- 
 ments in keeping with the accessories of 
 a model farm of the nineteenth century. 
 
 NB. MASON, who has been act- 
 ively identified with both the busi- 
 ness and agricultural interests of 
 Sandusky county, is a native of 
 New York State, born in Canandaigua 
 April 9, 1839. 
 
 Our subject's parents, John B. and 
 Laura (Shaw) Mason, were natives of 
 Massachusetts and Canandaigua, N. Y. , 
 respectively. In 1856 they came to San- 
 dusky county, Ohio, but after a residence 
 of two years here migrated still farther 
 west, to Wisconsin, where they made a 
 permanent home. The father died there 
 in July, 1888; the mother, while on a 
 visit to her son in Clyde, in 1885, was 
 suddenly taken ill and died. This worthy 
 couple lived to celebrate their golden wed- 
 ding. Theirfamily were as follows; Van- 
 
COMMEMORATIVK BIOORAPHICAL IIKCURD. 
 
 101 
 
 Rensselaer, who was lost when only eight- 
 een years of ape while on a whaling voy- 
 age to the South Pacific Ocean; Joseph, 
 who died in 1885 from disease contracted 
 while in the service of his country (he 
 was in the Thirtieth Wisconsin In- 
 fantry); lili/a, wife of Martin Booth, of 
 Plainfield, Wis. (he served in the Six- 
 teenth Wisconsin Infantry); N. B., our 
 subject; John Colby, who resides at Fre- 
 inf)nt, Ohio (he was in the liighth O. \'. 
 I.); Mary, who wedded Bemis Culbert- 
 son, who was a soldier in the Thirty-sec- 
 ond Wisconsin Infantry, and who died 
 shortly after the war from disease con- 
 tracted while in the service, and Brooks H. 
 Mason (they now reside at Lake Mills, 
 Wis); and Fred E., who died at Ashland, 
 Wis., when a young man. The father of 
 this family was a soldier in the Mexican 
 war. He was first a Methodist clergy- 
 man, later becoming a minister of the 
 Baptist Church. 
 
 The school privileges enjoyed by N. 
 B. Mason were those of the common 
 schools, and he also attended Madison 
 Academy for one and a half years. At the 
 age of fourteen he engaged to carry the 
 mails and passengers on the old stage 
 coach between Ontario and Rochester, 
 sometimes driving four horses, and some- 
 times three abreast, conveying mail, ex- 
 press and passengers. In 1856, at the age 
 of seventeen years, he came west "with his 
 parents to Sandusky county, locating near 
 Clyde. On February 22, 1859, he was 
 united in marriage with Elizabeth L. 
 Carlton, daughter of Rev. Thomas J. 
 Carlton, and to this union came children 
 as follows: Nellie, wife of R. G. Tyler, 
 of Greene, Iowa, who has one son and 
 one daughter — Carl and N'ira; Elizabeth, 
 who died when six years of age; Nate H., 
 a postal clerk between Cleveland and 
 Chicago on the I^ake Shore railroad (he 
 wedded .\llie While, and they have two 
 sons — Hi>ward and James); George A., 
 who wedded Annie \\hitc, and has one 
 daughter — Nellie; Maude, wife of O. C. 
 
 Perrin, of Greene, Iowa; and May, at 
 home. 
 
 On October 12, 1861, Mr Mason en- 
 listed in Company A, Seventy-second O. 
 V. I., and served until July 21, 1865, 
 participating in all engagements in which 
 his command took part until the time of 
 his capture by the enemy, June 1 1, 1864; 
 he was taken near Davis Mills, Miss., and 
 conveyed to Andersonville, where he was 
 kept until the following September, when 
 he was transferred to Florence, S. C, 
 and paroled at Wilmington, N. C, March 
 I, 1865. During his service he was cap- 
 tured three times, escaping twice, and he 
 was in every southern State but Texas. 
 After the war he returned to Clyde. Since 
 residing here he has followed various pur- 
 suits, having been engaged in merchan- 
 dising, publishing and farming. Mr. 
 Mason is a member of the U. V. U. and 
 G. A. R. , was first post commander of 
 McPherson Post, G. A. R., in 1867, and 
 was first captain of McPherson Guards, 
 organized August 15, 1878. On March 
 17. '873, he organized the first hook and 
 ladder company, of which he was made 
 foreman. Socially he has been an active 
 Odd Fellow for twenty-seven years, pass- 
 ing all the Chairs in the Subordinate 
 Lodge and all save one in the Encamp- 
 ment. In politics, he is a radical Repub- 
 lican; he is now serving as justice of the 
 peace, and also as trustee of his township. 
 
 While a prisoner of war at Florence, 
 S. C. , Mr. Mason was chosen by his com- 
 rades chief of the Federal Police, a force 
 of 270 men organized fimong the prisoners 
 to keep good order in the prison, the ap- 
 pointment being confirmed by Col. Iver- 
 son, the prison commandant. He de- 
 clares the sufferings of the prisoners there 
 were even greater than at .Andersonville. 
 Most of them had been prisoners for 
 many months, and were very destitute of 
 clothing, many being almost naked and 
 barefooted. .\bout fourteen thousand 
 persons were taken to Florence; about 
 three thousand were paroled in October 
 
192 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and November; the balance (except those 
 who died) remained until the first of 
 March, 1865. Their only shelter was 
 holes dug in the ground, some of them 
 roofed over with limbs and pine boughs 
 covered with earth. Their food was one 
 pint of corn-meal per day, and for ninety- 
 three days no other was issued except two 
 rations of salt, a table-spoonful to five 
 men; two rations of sorghum molasses, 
 one barrel to 11,000 men; two rations of 
 rice, one pint to five men. Many ate 
 their corn-meal raw, and what was cooked 
 was mostly mush cooked in tin cups and 
 tin cans. Mr. Mason says the most of 
 his regiment (the Seventy-second Ohio In- 
 fantry) were from Sandusky county. Of 
 the 1,400 on the muster rolls about 380 
 are yet living. His regiment lost heavily 
 at Shiloh and at Vicksburg, and at Gun 
 Town, or Brice's Cross Roads, the regi- 
 ment lost eleven officers and 238 men. 
 About 1 70 landed in Andersonville; seven- 
 ty-eight (or over 45 per cent) died while 
 prisoners of war; six were shot after being 
 captured, and nine perished on the steam- 
 er "Sultana," above Memphis, on April 
 27, 1865. 
 
 Mr. Mason asks: " Do the people of 
 this country appreciate the sacrifice made 
 by the Union prisoners of war .-' Do they 
 realize that 34, 000 men died in the prison 
 pens of the South, as men were never 
 called upon to die before .''" Men have 
 died for home and countr)', and for prin- 
 ciple upon the scaffold, the wheel and the 
 rack, in the dungeon and upon the bat- 
 tlefield; but never before did thousands 
 of men refuse liberty with a dishonored 
 name, and suffer on from hunger and ex- 
 posure until they died gibbering idiots. 
 And now even before one generation has 
 passed these same men are almost for- 
 gotten! They are remembered only in 
 the homes made sad and desolate by their 
 tragic death! Millions upon millions of 
 money have been paid for ' ' Piles of 
 Granite" and "Heaps of Bronze" to 
 commemorate the heroism of a few, while 
 
 the graves of these martyrs are marked by 
 gray marble tablets that cost two dollars 
 and forty cents each; and more — thous- 
 ands of these same markers are inscribed 
 " Unknown." 
 
 HENRY MOOK, farmer of York 
 township, Sandusky county, was 
 born in Union county, Penn., 
 January 10, 1814, son of John 
 and Rosina (Sorrel) Mook, both of whom 
 were natives of Pennsjdvania. His grand- 
 father was from Germany. 
 
 John Mook, the father of our subject, 
 died in the State of New York, whither 
 he had removed from Pennsylvania, and 
 he subsequently took up his home in 
 Ohio. After living some years with his 
 children in that State, he was taken back 
 to New York State at the request of his 
 son Samuel, a minister of the Evangel- 
 ical Association, so that in his old age he 
 might be cared for in his former home, 
 and he died there in the eighty-fifth year 
 of his age. He was the father of twenty- 
 three children, and our subject is the 
 youngest by the first wife, and the four- 
 teenth child. The children of John Mook 
 by his first wife were: Jacob, three that 
 died in infancy, Samuel, Polly, Betsey, 
 Anthony, Conrad, John, Catharine, Su- 
 san, Daniel and Henry. Of this family, 
 Henry Mook is at this writing (1894) the 
 only surviving member. After the death 
 of his first wife, John Mook married Polly 
 Polkie, by whom he had nine children: 
 Mary, Benjamin, Ambrose, Elias, Effie, 
 Solomon, Sampson, Barbara, and one 
 that died in childhood. 
 
 The subject of our sketch went with 
 his parents to the State of New York 
 when he was about eleven 3ears old, and 
 lived with them at various places until the 
 age of twenty-three. He then came to 
 Ohio, spent one winter in Thompson 
 township, Seneca county, and the next 
 spring located in York township, San- 
 dusky county, on land where he has since 
 
COMMEMORATIVE B/OGItAPmCAL HBOORD. 
 
 198 
 
 resided. Here he erected a log house and 
 kept bachelors hall for several jears while 
 enRaged in clearing up a farm. In addi- 
 tion to agricultural pursuits Mr. Mook 
 spent the fall of eight seasons threshing 
 grain for his neighbors with an old-fash- 
 ioned eight-horse-power, open-cylinder 
 machine, without separator, going as far 
 south as Lodi, in Seneca county. He 
 threshed in this way as many as 400 bush- 
 els per day. He has been an active, ener- 
 getic, hardworking, economical farmer, 
 and has accumulated a handsome prop- 
 erty for his children; a substantial brick 
 house and a convenient bank barn adorn 
 his farm. In religious connection he and 
 his family are members of the Evangelical 
 Association. He contributed liberally for 
 the erection of a church building not far 
 from his residence. He has reached the 
 age of four score years with a vigor of body 
 and mind which enables him to see and 
 appreciate the wonderful changes going 
 on in the world about him, and especially 
 the great improvements in the method of 
 farming. 
 
 In 1837 Henry Mook married Miss 
 Catharine Hoyer, who was born in Penn- 
 sylvania, June 26, 1 8 14, and died in York 
 township, August 17, 1890. Their chil- 
 dren were: Sarah, born October 4. 1S41; 
 Christina, born August 7, 1844, died June 
 23, 1866; James Milton, born July 20, 
 1847, and Lovina, born April 30, 1852. 
 Christina Mook married Michael Filsinger 
 December 2 2. 1864, and they have one 
 son. John, who is married and has two 
 children — Pearl and Morris; after the 
 death of his first wife, Christina, Mr. 
 Filsinger married her sister Sarah, by 
 whom he had four children — Emma. \'cr- 
 nie, Martin and Charles. Emma married 
 Daniel Swartz, and they have one child — 
 Lulu. James M. Mook married, in 1870. 
 Miss Mary Gahn. who was born in the 
 Black Swamp, west of Fremont. Ohio, a 
 daughter of Kev. Conrad Gahn. and was 
 educated in the Cincinnati schools; their 
 children are — Charles, Granville, Myrtle 
 
 and Lovina; James M. Mook is at present 
 manager of his father's farm, and is taking 
 care of his father in his declining years. 
 He is a Republican in politics, a member 
 of the Evangelical Association, and of the 
 l-'armers" Alliance. Lovina Mook, daugh- 
 ter of Henry Mook, married Martin Rich- 
 ards, and they live on one of Mr. Mook's 
 farms, east of the homestead; they had 
 one child that died; she is a member of 
 the Evangelical Association. 
 
 LEONHARD SCHNEIDER was 
 born August 31, 1842, in Austria, 
 Europe. His father, Martin Schnei- 
 der, was born November 1 1 . 1 806, 
 in Austria, and married Anna Maria Flatz. 
 They came to America in 1859, landing 
 in New York, where they remained for a 
 short time, after which they continued 
 their journey to Ohio, locating in Jackson 
 township. Sandusky county. The mother 
 died shortly after their arrival. In that 
 family were seven children: Frank, who 
 was born in 1831, and died September i, 
 1887; John G. , born in 1836, and mar- 
 ried Mary Reineck; Regina, born in 1834, 
 and became the wife of Casper Haltmeier; 
 Martin, born in 1844, and now living in 
 California; Johanna became the wife of 
 Ferdinand Fischer, by whom she has one 
 son, named Frank, born in 1874; Mary 
 became the wife of Peter Spieldenner, 
 and they have two children: Fredolina, 
 now the wife of John Reineck, and a son 
 named Adolph. 
 
 Leonhard Schneider, our subject, spent 
 the days of his boyhood and youth in the 
 land of his birth, was reared in his par- 
 ents' home and obtained his education in 
 the public schools of the neighborhood. 
 When the family sailed for America he 
 bade adieu to friends and native land, and 
 came with them on the long voyage across 
 the Atlantic, which took them thirty days. 
 He has since been a resident of Ohio, and 
 to-day is numbered among the leading and 
 influential farmers of Rice township, San- 
 
194 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 dusky county. Having arrived at years 
 of maturity he chose, as a companion and 
 helpmate on life's journey, Miss Rosa Bin- 
 sack, and their home has been blessed 
 by the presence of five children: Anna, 
 the eldest, is now the wife of Albert Darr, 
 a resident farmer of Rice township, San- 
 dusky county, and they have three chil- 
 dren; the other members of the family — 
 Ida, Rudolph, Edward and Arnold — are 
 still under the parental roof. 
 
 In 1 86 1 the father of our subject pur- 
 chased seventy-three acres of land in Rice 
 township — the place upon which Leon- 
 hard now resides — paying for the same at 
 the rate of seven dollars per acre. Eight 
 years later, in 1879, he sold the place to 
 his second youngest son, Leonhard, for 
 $2,000. It is a good property, highly 
 cultivated and improved, and the neat 
 and thrifty appearance of the place indi- 
 cates the careful supervision of the owner. 
 In 1887 he built a new barn, and in 1892 
 he erected the new house, at a cost of 
 $3,000. In connection with general farm- 
 ing he successfully engaged in stock deal- 
 ing, raising cattle, horses and hogs. He 
 ■ successfully manages his business inter- 
 ests, and his energy and industry have 
 brought to him a comfortable competence, 
 which numbers him among the representa- 
 tive farmers of the neighborhood. In 
 politics he is a Democrat, and in religious 
 belief he is a Catholic. 
 
 GEORGE W. KING, a well-to-do 
 farmer of Ballville township, San- 
 dusky county, was born in Pick- 
 away county, Ohio, March 20, 
 1849. 
 
 His father, John King, was born 
 March 2, 1819, in Fairfield county, Ohio, 
 and married Miss Mary Mowry. Their 
 children were: (i) Catharine, wife of Val- 
 entine Moshier; she died at the age of 
 twenty-one years, leaving one son, John, 
 living in Allen county, Ohio. (2) Mary 
 is the wife of Valentine Moshier, a farm- 
 
 er, residing in Allen county, Ohio. (3) 
 Elizabeth is the wife of David Roberts, 
 of Scott township; she died at the age of 
 forty-four years, and is buried in Oak- 
 wood Cemetery. (4) Lydia is the wife 
 of William Reichelderfer, by whom she 
 had four children — Hattie, George, Frank 
 and Lettie — and after his death she mar- 
 ried, in 1890, William Slates, a farmer 
 of Tipton county, Ind. (5) George W. 
 is our subject. (6) Sarah, born in 1851, 
 in Pickaway county, is the wife of Jacob 
 Mowery, a farmer of Michigan. (7) John, 
 born 1854, married Miss Carrie Hunlock, 
 and has one son, John Clarence. (8) 
 Jacob, born November 20, 1856, is a 
 farmer in Ballville township, married to 
 Miss Fredie Crites, and has two chil- 
 dren — Omer and De Witt. (9) Elmira, 
 born in 1859, is the wife of John Searfoss, 
 a farmer of Scott township, and has two 
 children — Bessie and Stella. (10) Perry, 
 a farmer of Scott township, born in 1861, 
 married Sadie Hunlock, and has four 
 children — Pearl, Iva, Hazel and Carrie. 
 
 Our subject started out in life for him- 
 self at the age of twenty-two with the 
 health, pluck and perseverance which en- 
 sures success. He worked three years 
 in the oil fields of Warren county, 
 Penn., then returned and worked at his 
 trade as a carpenter until December 9, 
 1875, when he married Miss Mary J. 
 Ludwig, daughter of Jacob and Louisa 
 (DeLong) Ludwig, farmers of Allen 
 county, Ohio. He next farmed in Jack- 
 son township one year, then five years in 
 Allen county, and on his return to San- 
 dusky county, bought eighty acres of 
 Jacob Ludwig for $4,500. On January 
 30, 1882, he moved upon the farm where 
 he now lives, remained nine years, then 
 located near Fremont, where he remained 
 three years, finally moving back on the 
 farm of 133 acres, which cost him $10,000. 
 Here he follows mixed farming, raising 
 grain, grass, fruit and live stock, with 
 good success. He is a man of enterprise 
 and public spirit, and has held various 
 
COMMEMOHATIVS BIOORAPBWAL RECORD. 
 
 195 
 
 public offices. The children of George 
 W. and Mary Kinp are: M. Louisa, born 
 April 7. iSSo; Ada M.. September 19, 
 18S3: Charles L.. July 9. 188 5; and Mvan 
 M. , September n , 1 889. The brothers 
 and sisters of Mrs. King are Isaac, John, 
 Charles, Obed and Jacob. 
 
 M 
 
 j. KEINBOLT, a farmer and 
 stockman of Jackson township, 
 Sandusky county, was born Oc- 
 tober 15, 1828, in Seneca coun- 
 ty, Ohio. His father, Michael Kcinbolt, 
 was born in Germany, whence he emi- 
 grated to .America, where he married Miss 
 Louisa Kechner. whom he first met on 
 the steamer which brought them to the 
 New World. 
 
 He worked about two years as a com- 
 mon day laborer, then five years for an 
 Indian chief near Tiffin, Ohio, by the 
 name of Spicer. During these years he 
 saved enough to buy forty acres of gov- 
 ernment land at $1.25 per acre, in Seneca 
 county, Ohio. One year later he bought 
 eighty acres more at the same rate. After 
 a life of toil and self denial, he and his 
 wife passed away, among the early pio- 
 neers, and are buried in the cemetery at 
 Tiffin, Ohio. Their children were: Joseph, 
 born 1838, died June 4, 1862; George, 
 who married Amelia Haldrom, and had a 
 family of seven children; Catharine, who 
 died at the age of thirty years; Charles, 
 who married and has eight children, and 
 lives on the old homestead; Daniel, who 
 married Catharine Riser, and has seven 
 children; and Mary, wife of Nicholas 
 Workman (both are deceased and are 
 buried at Tiffin, Ohio). 
 
 On leaving home our subject worked 
 about four years among farmers as a day 
 laborer, then rented a farm and remained 
 on it twenty-three years. He then bought 
 tracts at different times, amounting in all 
 to 336 acres, valued at $100 per acre. He 
 is a model farmer, and keeps pure Jersey 
 cattle and fine-bred horses. Mr. Rein- 
 
 bolt is a Republican, and he has held vari- 
 ous offices of trust in his township. He 
 is a consistent member of the Roman 
 Catholic Church. On October 16, 1862, 
 he married Miss Annie Fanning, born in 
 New York City, and they have three chil- 
 dren: James F., born July 30, 1864, 
 and married to Libbie Chariot, their 
 children being: Michael J., Julia, and 
 Irene; James A., who married Rosine 
 Bower, and their children are: Carl M., 
 Annie and Pauline; and Mary E., born 
 September 11, 1872, was the wife of 
 Peter Nape. 
 
 JOHN G.\BEL, a successful farmer 
 and substantial citizen of Rice town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was born 
 May 28, 1853, and is a son of John 
 M. and Mary (Wyce) Gabel, who were 
 born in Germany in 1812 and in 1822, 
 respectively. 
 
 John M. Gabel, father of the subject 
 of this sketch, before his marriage worked 
 for his father, Jacob Gabel, on the farm 
 in Germanj', and at the age of eighteen 
 came with him to this country, settling in 
 Buffalo, N. Y. He lived there about four 
 years, then moved to Jackson township, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, where he bought 
 forty acres of land; later purchased 190 
 acres more, and there lived until about 
 1873. He then moved to F"remont, San- 
 dusky county, and resided there with his 
 daughter until his death. He worked 
 hard for all his money. When he first 
 came to this country he was a good Dem- 
 ocrat and a Catholic. John M. Gabel 
 died in 1874, his wife preceding him to 
 the grave in 1870. They were the par- 
 ents of seven children, six of whom were 
 as follows: (i) Jacob died at the age of 
 six; (2) Katie at the age of five, and (3) 
 Laney at the age of one year; (4) Magda- 
 lena married Henry Hodcs, who died in 
 1887 (they lived in Fremont, and had 
 three children — Celia, Henry and Joseph); 
 (5) John M. married Mary Richards, who 
 
196 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 died in 1880, after which he married Anna 
 Miller, and they live in Fremont; (6) 
 Elizabeth married Mr. Dolnick, by whom 
 she had ten children — Michael, born 
 April 28, 1870; Mary, born in 1871; 
 Rosie; Elizabeth, who died at the age of 
 three years; Allie, Celia, Edith, Urbin, 
 Clara and Teresa; (7) John Gabel was 
 united in marriage on June 29, 1873, in 
 Jackson township, Sandusky county, with 
 Celia Dorr (who was born January 6, 
 1855), and lived there until 1880, when 
 he sold out and moved to Rice township, 
 in the same county, and bought fifty- 
 three acres, paying one hundred dollars 
 an acre for it. Their children were as 
 follows: Edward, born August 10, 1876, 
 and died January 9, 1879; Ida M. was 
 born November 13, 1877; Allie C, March 
 4, 1879; Sylvester P., June 5, 1880; 
 Horbert M., June 19. 1881; Charles D., 
 October 9, 1883; Julie L., May 20, 1884; 
 Urbin, March 31, 1887; Cornelia C, 
 born June 22, 1890, and died September 
 28, 1893; and Corlette G., born Novem- 
 ber 6, 1894. In 1874. when John Ga- 
 bel's father died, he left him eighty acres 
 of land in Jackson township, Sandusky 
 county. Mr. Gabel is engaged in general 
 farming. He is much respected, is well 
 and favorably known in the community 
 in which he lives, has been constable of 
 Rice township for five years, school di- 
 rector four years and supervisor seven 
 years. 
 
 JACOB G. METZGER, one of the 
 intelligent, liberal-minded farmers 
 of Green Creek township, Sandusky 
 county, enjoys the possession of a 
 competency, and he believes the state- 
 ment made by Gen. Washington, that 
 agriculture is the noblest vocation cf man. 
 He lives in ease and comfort upon his 
 well-tilled and well-cared-for farm of 127 
 acres, made profitable by his good busi- 
 ness ability and his inherited aptitude for 
 a farming life. 
 
 Mr. Metzger was born in Adams town- 
 ship, Seneca county, November 2, 1842, 
 son of Samuel and Rebecca (Heltzel) 
 Metzger. The great-great-grandfather of 
 Mr. Metzger, who was a Revolutionary 
 soldier under Gen. Washington, was the 
 son of Archibald Metzger, twin brother 
 of Gen. Theodore Metzger, an able of- 
 ficer in the German army. The Rev- 
 olutionary soldier was lost in the woods 
 of Pennsylvania and probably starved to 
 death. His remains were afterward found 
 and identified by means of gun and cloth- 
 ing. He had emigrated from Germany 
 to America in Colonial times, and his son, 
 the great-grandfather of Jacob, was the 
 only child aboard the ship that escaped 
 the fatal ravages of smallpox. The son 
 of this fortunate child, Jacob Metzger by 
 name, grandfather of the subject of this 
 sketch, was born in Pennsylvania and ac- 
 quired the trade of a shoemaker. He was 
 a member of the United Brethren Church, 
 and in the autumn of 181 3 migrated with 
 his family from Union county, Penn., to 
 Pickaway county, Ohio, settling on a farm 
 near Circleville. 
 
 Samuel Metzger, his son, was born in 
 Union county, Penn., in April, 181 3, and 
 was but si.x months old when he came to 
 Pickaway county, Ohio. He grew up on 
 the farm, and before he was of age he 
 came to Adams township, Seneca county, 
 where he entered a farm in the wilder- 
 ness. Returning to Pickaway county, he 
 married, in April, 1834, on his twenty-first 
 birthday, Rebecca Heltzel, who was born 
 in Shenandoah county, Va., in 18 12, the 
 daughter of Henry Heltzel, an old-time 
 schoolteacher, of German ancestry, and 
 an early pioneer of Pickaway county, 
 Ohio, who afterward removed to Noble 
 county, Ind., where he was elected county 
 recorder and served as such for many 
 years. After marriage Samuel and Re- 
 becca Metzger moved to the new pioneer 
 home in Adams township, Seneca county, 
 where he proved in subsequent years to be 
 one of its best farmers, and where he 
 
COMAtEMOIiATH'E DIOGIiAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 197 
 
 lived until 1 88 1 . Ho then moved to Green 
 Creek township, Sandusky county, and 
 lived near his son Jacob, until his wife's 
 death, in 1S90. He died April 11. 1893, 
 at the home of his son. Samuel Metzger 
 at the time of his death owned 205 acres 
 of choice land, and owed not a dollar. 
 He wuscareful in his business transactions 
 and scrupulously honest. In politics he 
 was a Democrat, and in reliRious faith a 
 prominent member of the United Breth- 
 ren Church. He was an ordained ex- 
 horter in the Church, possessed a remark- 
 able memory, and had almost the whole 
 Bible at his tonfjue's end. He was de- 
 votedly attached to the work of his 
 Church, and was perhaps its chief sup- 
 porter in Adams township. 
 
 Five children were born to Samuel 
 and Rebecca Met/per, as follows: (i) H. 
 H., born in 1836, a farmer of Adams 
 township, Seneca county, who married 
 Rebecca Urinkwater and had five chil- 
 dren — Alton (who died aged two and a 
 half years); Ida J.; James; Hulda F. , and 
 Olive. (2) John C of Adams township, 
 Seneca county, who first married Sarah 
 A. Miller, by whom he had three children, 
 now living — .Mvvilda E., Gertrude and 
 Samuel H. ; after his first wife's death he 
 wedded Mrs. L. Berrj', by whom he has 
 one child — Julia C. (3) Sarah .\. , mar- 
 ried to C. W. King, of Noble county, 
 Ind., and d'ed leaving two children — 
 Maud M. and MiKlrcd (j.. who now make 
 their home with Jacob Metzger, our sub- 
 ject. (4) Jacob is the subject of this 
 sketch. (5) Lavina married Alfred F"ront/, 
 and has three children — Rebecca, Roy 
 and Dora F. ; she lives on the old home 
 farm in Adams township, Seneca county. 
 
 Jacob Metzger grew to manhood on 
 his father's farm in Seneca county, and in 
 1S64, as a member of Company B, he 
 served in the Washington campaign of the 
 One Hundred and Sixty-fourth O. \ . I. 
 When mustered out in the fall of 1864 he 
 joined a construction corps, which oper- 
 ated through Kentucky, Tennessee, Ala- 
 
 bama, Georgia and \\'est Virginia. Six 
 months later he returned home and was 
 married, April 27, 1865, to Sarah Jane 
 Shellhammer, who was born in Adams 
 township, Seneca county, January 30, 
 1845. Mr. and Mrs. Metzger have one 
 child, Alva E., a well-educated and suc- 
 cessful veterinary surgeon at Clyde. In 
 politics Jacob Metzger is a Democrat. In 
 manners he is genial and affable. He is 
 remarkably well versed in public matters, 
 and, while engaged in general farming, he 
 takes a deep interest in all the affairs and 
 conilitions of mankind. No man stands 
 higher in the esteem of his fellow men. 
 
 WILLIAM WOODFORD, a suc- 
 cessful farmer, and one of the 
 prominent citizens of Riley 
 township, Sandusky county, was 
 born May 28, iS^i. He is a son of Syl- 
 vester and Sarah (Lowrie) Woodford, 
 both born in America, the former on Jan- 
 uary I, t786, the latter on January 17, 
 1788. 
 
 They had a family of nine children, as 
 follows: Zerah, born April 6, 181 2, mar- 
 ried Sarah Karshner; they were engaged 
 in farming in Riley township, and had a 
 family of five children; Zerah died June 
 27. 1872; Aurilla, born December 28. 
 1814, married Elijah Higbee, a farmer in 
 Riley township, and they had one child; 
 the wife and mother died January 30, 1886; 
 Lois, born April 24, 181 7, became the 
 wife of William Laird, and they had three 
 children; the wife and mother died Jan- 
 uary 30, 1846; Sylvester, born June 16, 
 1819, died October 28, 1836, at Shippens- 
 burg, Penn. ; Martin, born August 24, 
 1821, married Mary Homer, who lives in 
 Kansas, and he died February 5, 1884; 
 Lorinda, born September 23, 1823, died 
 in 1839; Luther, born December 27, 
 1825, lives in Kansas; William is the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, and Sidney, born July 
 20, 1S33, died January 2 1, 1839. Syl- 
 vester Woodford (Sr. ) came to Ohio, 
 
198 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 settled in Trumbull county, and bought 
 eighty acres of land, on which he lived 
 until 1834, when he moved to Riley town- 
 ship and here bought 160 acres of land, 
 upon which he lived until his death, 
 which occurred September 2, 1834, about 
 three months after they had settled at 
 their new home, and his wife, Sarah, 
 passed away four days before him, viz. : 
 August 29, 1834. He voted the Old-time 
 Whig ticket, and was a member of the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 After the death of his parents, William 
 Woodford, being only a little more than 
 three years old, was taken to Vienna 
 township, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and was 
 placed in the family of a relative, where 
 he was reared and educated, working a 
 part of each year on a farm to the age of 
 eighteen, when he commenced teaching 
 school. He followed this vocation one 
 year in Ohio, taught one year more in 
 Mercer county, Penn., then went to Ken- 
 tucky, where he continued teaching school 
 for eleven years. He is now engaged in 
 general farming. In 1861 he came to 
 Riley township, where he married Rachel 
 Gibbs, who was born October 15, 1832, 
 and they have a family of five children, 
 namely: William C, born April 28, 1862, 
 and died August 27, 1862; Clara J., born 
 September 13, 1863; Alva, born Septem- 
 ber 9, 1866; Ada, born May 16, 1869; 
 and Louis, born March 8, 1854, and mar- 
 ried to Dora Lindsay, who died February 
 12, 1888. 
 
 Isaac Woodford, grandfather of Will- 
 iam Woodford, marriec^ Sarah Fuller, of 
 Burlington, and they had ten children — 
 seven sons and three daughters, namely: 
 Isaac, married Statira Cowles, by whom 
 he had twelve children, ten of whom — 
 four sons and six daughters — lived to 
 marry, and two died in childhood; Darius 
 married Bethiah Bass, and they had six 
 children; Asaph married Alma Potter, and 
 they had fourteen children; Sylvester, 
 father of our subject, comes next; 
 Romanty married Betsy Hart, and they 
 
 had twelve children; Sidney married 
 Betsy Wheeler (no children); Zerah mar- 
 ried Minerva Potter, and they had six 
 children; Huldah married Nathaniel 
 Clarke, and they had eight children; Cyn- 
 thia married Theodore Humphreys, and 
 was left a widow with five or six children 
 (she afterward married Ely Alderman); 
 Sarah married Chauncey Wheeler, and 
 they had six children — two sons and four 
 daughters. Of this large family of chil- 
 dren, all, save one, were professing Chris- 
 tians. 
 
 Our subject votes the Democrat ticket, 
 and has been honored with public office, 
 having been justice of the peace for 
 twelve years, township clerk for six years, 
 and school director and supervisor. 
 
 RICHARD E. BETTS, a substantial 
 farmer of Green Creek township, 
 Sandusky county, is more than a 
 tiller of the soil or the owner of a 
 productive and finely located farm; he is 
 a student of the world's history, and by 
 means of the leading newspapers from va- 
 rious cities he is thoroughly informed upon 
 the varying phases of current national af- 
 fairs. He is distinctively a man of ideas. 
 He wants first the facts of history.- His 
 clear and well-trained intellect can then 
 make proper deduction from these facts, 
 and the opinions thus formed are modern, 
 considerably in advance of those held by 
 the average citizen. His deep convic- 
 tions are inherited, and have received an 
 additional impetus from associations. 
 His ancestors, of Quaker faith, came from 
 England in Cromwell's time. His father- 
 in-law, "Uncle" George Donaldson, was 
 one of the most noted Abolitionists in 
 northwestern Ohio, at a time when Abo- 
 lition sentiment was a reproach and 
 stigma, often a menace to personal safety. 
 Mr. Betts was born in Cayuga county, 
 N. Y., December 30, 1829, son of Zach- 
 ariah and Mariah (Mitchell) Betts. Zach- 
 
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COMMEMORATIVE BJOGBAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 100 
 
 ariah Betts was born in Bucks county. 
 Penn.. December 24, 1793. In Crom- 
 well's time three brothers named Betts 
 came to America, settlinj,' near Philadel- 
 phia. The eldest, who had an entailed 
 inheritance in lingland, at one time placed 
 in jeopardy, returned to that country when 
 political turmoil subsided. The younger 
 two remained in America and founded a 
 numerous family of their name, Zachariah 
 being one of the descendants. His wife, 
 Mariah Mitchell, was born March 4, 1798. 
 After marriage Zachariah Betts moved to 
 Aurora, Cayuga Co., N. Y. , where he 
 farmed for many years, and in 1834 he 
 moved to Honey Creek, Seneca Co., 
 Ohio, where he purchased a large farm. 
 Many years later he removed to La Grange 
 county, Ind., where he died February 3, 
 1868, his wife surviving until July 23, 
 1874. In politics he was a Whig. In 
 early life he held allegiance to the Quaker 
 faith, but later became a member of the 
 Protestant Methodist Church. In physique 
 he was a man of powerful frame. The 
 nine children of Zachariah and Mariah 
 Betts were as follows: Edward L. , born 
 December 18, 1.S21, serveil in an Indiana 
 regiment in the army of the Potomac dur- 
 ing the Civil war. and died in La Grange 
 county, Ind., March 2, 1894: Howard 
 M., born August 25, 1823, for thirty 
 years a druggist at La Grange, Ind. ; 
 Louis C. , born October i, 1825, moved 
 to Iowa in 1856, and died at Mt. Pleasant, 
 that State, November 19, 18O7; Albert 
 P., born .August 27, 1827. a tanner and cur- 
 rier at Republic; Richard E. , subject of this 
 sketch; Elizabeth A., wife of Van Norris 
 Taylor, of Wolcottville, Ind. ; Thomas 
 C. , born August 20, 1833, an e.\-soldier 
 of the Civil war, ex-sheriff of La Grange 
 county, Ind., now living at La Grange; 
 Martha M., born April 30. 1836, lives, 
 unmarried, at La Grange, Ind. ; Emiline, 
 born January 14, 1838. wife of Nelson 
 Sclby. of La Grange, Indiana. 
 
 Richard E Betts was five years old 
 when he migrated with his parents from 
 
 13 
 
 New York to Seneca county. Ohio. He 
 was reared on his father's farm, and Oc- 
 tober 28, 1852, he married Miss Lavinia 
 Donaldson, who was born in Pickaway 
 county, Ohio, in 1823, daughter of "Uncle " 
 George and .\nn (Patterson) Donaldson, 
 the former of whom was born in Center 
 county, Penn., July 7, 1793, the latter on 
 January 15, 1796. He learned the black- 
 smith's trade, and lived for a time in 
 Lycoming county, Penn. ; then migrated 
 with his family in a one-horse wagon to 
 Pickaway county, Ohio, arriving with a 
 capital of five dollars. Seven years later 
 he moved to Tiflin, and in 1833 to Green 
 Creek township, Sandusky county, where 
 he followed his trade and farmed. Him- 
 self and wife were Methodists, and in 
 political convictions he was a radical Abo- 
 litionist. He was connected with the 
 "underground railroad," and once sent 
 his team with five runaway negroes, 
 concealed beneath straw and carpets, to 
 Sandusky City, whence they escaped to 
 Canada. "Uncle" George Donaldson 
 was the most noted character of his time 
 in this part of the country. On account 
 of his Abolitionism an attempt was made 
 to expel him from the M. E. Church. He 
 gave James G. Birney, Abolition candi- 
 date for President in 1840, the only vote 
 cast for him in Green Creek township, 
 and for its numerical insignificance the 
 judges, who were in sentiment stronganti- 
 Abolitionists, refused to count it. Mr. 
 Donaldson died September 14, 1873, his 
 wife November 30. 1863. Their nine chil- 
 dren were as follows: James, born Febru- 
 ary 13, 1820, died November 15. 1843; 
 W'illian). born February 25, 1821, died 
 April 21, 1846; Rol)ert, born November 
 21, 1822, died December 30, 1846; La- 
 vinia, wife of Mr. Betts; Susannah, born 
 August ri, 1827, wife of W. Dixon, of 
 Rome City. Ind.; Saul, born December 
 20, 1829, residing in La Grange county, 
 Ind.; David, born April 10, 1831, died 
 December 13, 1881; Elizabeth, born Au- 
 gust 14, 1834, died October 11, 1858; 
 
200 
 
 Commemorative biographical record. 
 
 Nanc}' Ann, born June 29, 1839, died 
 January 7, 1850. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Betts lived for 
 several years in Seneca county. He then 
 came to Sandusky county, bought a farm, 
 and for two years lived with his father-in- 
 law. In 1856 he purchased his present 
 farm, and has occupied it ever since. He 
 owns 114 well-cultivated acres, and en- 
 gages in general farming. Mr. Betts cast 
 his first Presidential vote for J. P. Hale, 
 anti-slavery candidate for 1852, and in 
 1 876 voted for Peter Cooper on the Green- 
 back ticket. He has been a prominent 
 member of Monticello Lodge No. 244, F. 
 & A. M., for many years. He is a firm 
 believer in Spiritualism, as was also his 
 wife, who passed from earth in February, 
 1895. She was a lady of high mental and 
 moral attainments. In political affairs 
 Mr. Betts thinks the election of million- 
 aires to Congress and the various State 
 Legislatures is highly detrimental to the 
 best interests of the people. 
 
 Mr. Betts has a number of relatives on 
 his mother's side residing near Rochester, 
 N. Y. , among them an aunt, Sarah Co.x 
 (sister to his mother), who is now at the 
 advanced age of ninety years, with her 
 faculties unimpaired. Mr. Betts' weight 
 at the present time is 260 pounds. 
 
 GEORGE A. BURMAN, of Wood- 
 ville, Sandusky county, was born 
 January 17, 1844, son of Ernest 
 H. and Elizabeth (Maenert) Bur- 
 man, the former of whom was born De- 
 cember 4, 181 1, in the Kingdom of Han- 
 over, Germany. 
 
 Ernest H. Burnian was married in his 
 native countr\-, came to America in 1843, 
 settling in \^'oodville township, Sandusky 
 Co. , Ohio, where he bought eighty acres 
 of land on which he made improvements. 
 He died September 9, 1891, a member of 
 the Lutheran Church. Our subject's mo- 
 ther was born in 181 5, and died in 1875. 
 Their children were Carrie, who died in 
 
 Germany; Carrie, who married G. Otten; 
 George A. ; Henry, who died when seven 
 years old; Louis, a blacksmith, now living 
 in Toledo; Harman, who works in the 
 car shops at Toledo; Fred, who died in 
 infancy; and Elizabeth, who married K. 
 Kuhlman, of Ottawa county, Ohio. 
 
 Mrs. George A. Burman is a daughter 
 of H. H. and Clara (Fochthous) Kuhlman, 
 the former of whom was born in Hanover, 
 in 1 812, and died September 4, 1887; the 
 mother was born in 1 8 1 7, and is still living. 
 They had six children: Henry Kuhlman, 
 living at Woodville; Carrie, who married 
 FredTaulker; Eliza, who died when three 
 years old; one that died in infancy; Will- 
 iam, who is living on the old homestead; 
 and the wife of our subject. George A. 
 Burman and his wife were both born in 
 the same house in Woodville township, 
 she on July 2 T, 1851. Her parents came 
 to America the year before his, and when 
 his parents came they moved into the 
 same house, and our subject was born 
 while they were living there. They were 
 both reared in Woodville township, and 
 attended the primitive district schools. 
 They were married November 16, 1871, 
 and the children born to them were Car- 
 rie, born March 10, 1873, who died when 
 one year old; George, born May 27, 1875, 
 who is now a grocer of Tiffin, Ohio; 
 Henry, born September 4, 1878, now 
 studying for the ministry of the Lutheran 
 Church, in Capitol University, Columbus, 
 Ohio; Clara, born July i, 1880, died Au- 
 gust 19, 1882; and August, born October 
 18, 1883. 
 
 Our subject as he grew to manhood 
 found himself possessed of strong mechan- 
 ical powers and of natural skill as a work- 
 man, and so without serving an appren- 
 ticeship he became a good carpenter and an 
 all-around wood workman; he also became 
 an engineer, and ran a stationary engine 
 in the mills at Woodville for seventeen 
 years, and he has worked in the Lake 
 Shore yard in Toledo. He has never de- 
 voted his time to farming, but some years 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 201 
 
 since .purchased the old homestead in 
 Woodville township, which he now owns, 
 and which contains eight good oil wells 
 at present. Mr. Burman was one of the 
 first men in this section to invest in the 
 developing oil business here, and as the 
 result of his investment he recently sold 
 out his interest in his lease wells for $r 5,- 
 000. As a result of his ample means 
 from this source he is now in good finan- 
 cial circumstances, but he still does some 
 work himself to pass the time away. He 
 is a member of the Lutheran Church, and 
 in politics is a Democrat. 
 
 SAMUEL J. YETTER, junior 
 member of the livery firm of 
 Harvey & Yetter, and one of the 
 popular and reliable business men 
 of Clyde, was born in Townsend town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, February 6, 1866, 
 a son of Charles and Mary (Speaker) Yet- 
 ter, both of German descent. 
 
 His father was born near Harrisburg, 
 Penn., in 1840, and at the age of fifteen 
 years came with his parents to Ohio, first 
 locating at Chicago Junction, Huron 
 county. Later he came to Sandusky 
 county where he engaged in farming in 
 Townsend township, and there the mother 
 of our subject died at the age of thirty- 
 two years. They were married near Cas- 
 talia, Ohio, and by their union five chil- 
 dren were born: (i) George, drowned 
 in Lake Erie, off Kelly's Island, at the 
 age of twenty-one years. He was cap- 
 tain of a fishing smack, could swim well, 
 but was struck with a boom while turn- 
 ing the boat. (2) Henry is a farmer of 
 Riley township, Sandusky county. (3) 
 Samuel J. is ne.xt in order of birth. (4) 
 Ella is the wife of G. W. Reddock, of 
 Riley township. (5) Nettie is the wife of 
 Ward Strohl, a hay dealer and presser, 
 of Clyde. After the death of his first 
 wife Mr. Yetter wedded Miss Lois Baker, 
 and they have three children — Bert, John- 
 
 nie and Mabel. In political sentiment 
 the father is a Republican. 
 
 In the schools of Townsend township, 
 Sandusky county, the early education of 
 Samuel J. Yetter was received, after 
 which he entered the public schools of 
 Clyde, and for one term was a student at 
 the Normal in Ada, Ohio. On the com- 
 pletion of his education he taught for one 
 term, but at the end of that time re- 
 turned home, where for a year he worked 
 on the farm. He then entered a grocery 
 store in Clyde, where he clerked some 
 three years, and for the same length of 
 time resided in Michigan. He then re- 
 turned to Clyde, where for one year he 
 served as hotel clerk, and in 1892 be- 
 came interested in his present business, 
 which he has since conducted with e.\- 
 cellent success. The firm have the only 
 first-class livery in the city, and they re- 
 ceive a liberal patronage. 
 
 Though young in years Mr. Yetter is 
 one of the most energetic and enterprising 
 business men of Clyde, and is highly es- 
 teemed and respected by all who know 
 him. He has a wide circle of friends and 
 acquaintances, among whom he is famil- 
 iarly known by the name of "Sammie." 
 Socially, he is identified with the Royal 
 Arcanum, while his political affiliations 
 are with the Republican party. 
 
 PETER J. BEIER, one of the wor- 
 thy citizens that the Fatherland 
 has furnished to Ohio, was born in 
 Laembach, Kurferstanthum Hes- 
 san, Germany, a son of Joseph and Cath- 
 erine (Geable) Beier, natives of the same 
 countr)-. They had a family of eight 
 children, as follows: (i) Fronie, the eld- 
 est, was born in Germany, in 1831, and, 
 is the wife of Michael Siferd, a farmer 
 now living in Minnesota, by whom she 
 has ten children. (2) Agnes is the wife 
 of Miran Hoffman, and they have five 
 children — Joseph, Annie, Frank, Clara, 
 and Willie. (3) Maggie, born in 1833, 
 
202 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPBICAL RECORD. 
 
 died and was buried in Germany in 1871. 
 (4) John Joseph married Catherine Kirch- 
 gar, and they have eight children. (5) 
 Annie is the wife of Conrad Busolt, a resi- 
 dent of Fremont, Ohio, and their family 
 numbers eight children. (6) Peter J. is 
 the next younger. (7) Budenz married 
 Nicholas Goodbellat, and resides in Ger- 
 many; they have three children. (8) 
 Westena is the wife of Albert Konney, 
 and they have one child, Nellie, born in 
 
 1883. 
 
 In the land of his birth our subject 
 was reared to manhood, and the days of 
 his boyhood and youth were quietly 
 passed. He came to the United States 
 and to Sandusky county, Ohio, in 1866, 
 has been a resident of Rice township since 
 1874, when he purchased forty acres of 
 land, which was still in its primitive con- 
 dition, being covered with a thick growth 
 of trees. He cleared all this himself, 
 plowed and planted it, and in course of 
 time the once wild tract was transformed 
 into rich and fertile fields. As his finan- 
 cial resources increased he e.xtended the 
 boundaries of his farm until it now com- 
 prises eighty acres. In 1890 he built a 
 house at a cost of $1,550, and, in 1892, a 
 barn at a cost of $1,000, and is now en- 
 gaged in general farming and stock rais- 
 ing. He has a well-improved place, and 
 is meeting with good success in his under- 
 takings. His possessions have been ac- 
 quired entirely through his own efforts, 
 and he may well be termed a self-made 
 man, for he started out in life for himself 
 empty-handed, and his success is the re- 
 ward of labor and perseverance. 
 
 On June 14, 1870, Mr. Beier was 
 united in marriage with Catherine Bean- 
 sack, a native of Fremont, Ohio, and 
 twelve children were born to them, their 
 names and dates of birth being as fol- 
 lows: Clara, May 28, 1871; Mary L. , 
 May 9, 1873; Lewis H., June i, 1875; 
 Frank J., March 12, 1877; Matilda C, 
 February 26, 1879; Charles M., Decem- 
 ber 21, 1881; William A., February 15, 
 
 1883; Leo J., March 13, 1885; Rudolph 
 C. , July 25, 1887; Rosa K., September 
 19, 1890; John A., June 8, 1892; Roman 
 P., May 16, 1895. Of these, Clara be- 
 came the wife of George Widman, and 
 they have one son, Joseph, who was born 
 in Sandusky township; Roman P. died 
 May 21, 1895, and the rest are still under 
 the parental roof. In his political views 
 Mr Beier is a Democrat; in religious be- 
 lief he is a Catholic. 
 
 AMOS BLANK, a prosperous and 
 representative farmer of Wood- 
 ville township, Sandusky county, 
 was born April 20, 1841, and is a 
 son of William and Anna (Hess) Blank. 
 William Blank was born in north 
 Cumberland county, Penn., in 1790, came 
 west and settled near Rollersville, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio, in the spring of 1836. 
 He married Anna Hess, and they became 
 the parents of eleven children, namely: 
 George, David, Abraham, Peter, Amos, 
 Mary, Elizabeth, Matilda, Melinda, Will- 
 iam and Emeline, all now living but three. 
 When Mr. Blank came to Ohio he rented 
 a piece of land of J. M. King for two 
 years, then moved to Madison township, 
 Sandusky count)', where he bought eighty 
 acres of timber land, commenced clearing, 
 and put up a cabin with a stone chimney. 
 The country was very wild, and bears and 
 wolves were plentiful and troublesome. 
 The nearest mill was at Fremont, and it 
 took several days to make the trip. Mr. 
 Blank helped lay out and make most of 
 the roads in the vicinity, and cleared up 
 over 100 acres of land. He held several 
 township offices, and always voted the 
 Democratic ticket. At the time of his 
 death he left 440 acres of valuable land. 
 He died June 8, 1 87 1 , at the age of eighty- 
 one years, five months and thirteen days; 
 his wife died in 1844, and was laid to rest 
 in Sugar Creek cemetery. 
 
 On August 30, 1868. Amos Blank was 
 united in marriage with Emma J. Clifford, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 203 
 
 who was born at Wellington, Lorain Co. , 
 Ohio, August 20, 1848, and they have had 
 eight children, namely: Florence A., 
 born January i 5, 1870, died July 11, 1871 ; 
 Amos B., born October 24, 1871, unmar- 
 ried and living at home, and has been in 
 the oil business since 1889, having several 
 hundred acres of oil land leased, also 
 owner of 960 acres of land in Henry 
 county, Ohio; Myrtie M., born May 17, 
 1873, married S. F. Osborne, a telegraph 
 operator, July i , 1 893 ; John P. , born Janu- 
 ary 12, 1875; Iva B., born April 28, 1877, 
 married Charles F. Haggerty, and they 
 have one child — Charles Amos, born Sep- 
 tember 4, 1894; Willie H., born Decem- 
 ber 5i 1880; Bertha L. , born March 15, 
 1882, and Effie J., born March 12, 1886. 
 After his marriage Amos Blank oper- 
 ated a sawmill in Woodville township 
 from 1866 to 1872, then sold out to Tille 
 Brothers, and bought 1 20 acres of partly- 
 cleared land. Recently he purchased a 
 farm of 180 acres near Napoleon, Henry 
 Co., Ohio, and removed on said farm, 
 but still owns the 120-acre farm in San- 
 dusky county. He raises bees very ex- 
 tensively, also cattle and horses, and car- 
 ries on general farming. Mr. Blank do- 
 nates liberally to the cause of religion and 
 prohibition of the liquor traffic. In poli- 
 tics he was always a Democrat until 1886, 
 when he joined the Prohibitionists, and 
 has since worked hard for that part}'. 
 Socially he is a Mason, is very popular, 
 and much esteemed for his many good 
 qualities. His grandparents were Hol- 
 landers, and his grandfather served in the 
 war of 18 1 2. 
 
 CHARLES CLINK, a practical and 
 progressive agriculturist of Wood- 
 ville township, Sandusky county, 
 was born December 23, 1843, in 
 the township which is still his home, and 
 is the second son of Caleb Clink. The 
 family is well-known throughout this lo- 
 cality and his brothers — Jacob, Reuben 
 
 and A. J. — are prominent farmers and 
 stock dealers. In the district schools he 
 acquired a fair education, while his father's 
 farm afforded him physical training, and he 
 was there employed from an early age until 
 he had reached his twenty-fifth year. He 
 then entered a dry-goods store at Wood- 
 ville, where he spent three years in the ca- 
 pacity of clerk, after which he was for 
 several years a salesman in a similar house 
 in Elmore. He was employed in the same 
 capacity for four years in Pemberville, 
 and during all that period gave general 
 satisfaction, winning for himself the 
 good will of his employers, and the con- 
 fidence of his customers. 
 
 On leaving Pemberville, Mr. Clink re- 
 turned to Woodville township, locating on 
 an eighty-acre tract of timber land, on 
 which he built a small frame house and 
 installed his family therein. His next 
 task was to remove the trees and stumps 
 upon the place, and transform it into 
 fields of rich fertility. Some of the 
 timber was sold for manufacturing pur- 
 poses, and tree after tree fell beneath 
 his sturdy strokes until sixty acres had 
 been cleared and highly cultivated, while 
 a fine orchard of five acres yields to him 
 its fruits in season. Good fences divide 
 the place into fields of convenient size, 
 the latest improved machinery is there 
 seen, and the accessories and conveniences 
 of a model farm may there be found. 
 Mr. Clink has worked early and late to 
 accomplish this desired result, and now 
 has the satisfaction of being the owner of 
 one of the finest farms in his section. 
 The small frame house into which he first 
 moved his family has been replaced by a 
 large, substantial and ornamental dwell- 
 ing which was erected at a cost of 
 $1,800. The surrounding grounds pre- 
 sent a picturesque appearance, and the 
 neatness and taste there displayed indicate 
 the progressive spirit of the owner. 
 
 Mr. Clink was married February 28, 
 1869, in Pemberville, Ohio, to Miss Caro- 
 line Pember, daughter of Hiram Pember, 
 
20-4 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 in whose honor the town of Pemberville 
 was named. He was born in New York, 
 and there learned the trade of black- 
 smithing and iron working. In the 
 Empire State he married Matilda Heath, 
 and in 1832 removed to Ohio with his 
 family, locating in Wood county, where, 
 with others, he founded the town of 
 Pemberville. Eight children were born 
 of that marriage, three of whom are liv- 
 ing: Adeline, the first white child born 
 in that section of Wood county, and now 
 the wife of Charles Stabler, a farmer of 
 Pemberville; Still well, a retired farmer of 
 Kansas; and Caroline, wife of our subject. 
 The father died in 1878, the mother on 
 September 2, 1874. Three children bless 
 the union of Mr. and Mrs. Clink, viz. : 
 Maud, born in Pemberville, Wood county. 
 May 12, 1874, educated in Woodville 
 township, Sandusky county, and mar- 
 ried October 16, 1890, to B. I. Ross, a 
 resident of Mansfield, Ohio, employed as 
 a railroad engineer (he has been em- 
 ployed by the Pennsylvania Company- 
 twelve years); Claude, born September 5, 
 1876, in Woodville township, attended 
 the district schools and the Normal of 
 Ada, Ohio, and is now engaged in opera- 
 ting in the oil fields; the third child died 
 in infancy. In 1884 Mr. and Mrs. Clink 
 adopted a nine-weeks-old baby boy by 
 the name of Frank C. Foster, who has 
 since been one of the family. 
 
 For six terms, Mr. Clink has been 
 elected and served as supervisor, and has 
 also been school director four years, dis- 
 charging his duties with a fidelity worthy 
 of all commendation. He is a member 
 of the Foresters Association, and of the 
 Masonic Lodge of Pemberville, while the 
 family attend the Peoples Church of 
 Woodville. Mrs. Clink is a member of 
 the Lady Maccabees, Harmon Hive No. 
 36, and the son Claude, is a member of 
 the Knights of the Maccabees, DeMolay 
 Tent No. 211. In their pleasant home 
 Mr. and Mrs. Clink are enjoying the 
 fruits of their former toil, and throughout 
 
 the community are held in the highest 
 regard by a wide circle of friends and 
 acquaintances. 
 
 CHARLES B. HUTCHINSON, one 
 of the leading and most progress- 
 ive farmers of Green Creek town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, is a na- 
 tive of same, born in Green Creek town- 
 ship March 21, 1848. In all matters of 
 public interest Mr. Hutchinson is wide- 
 awake, and by his progressive ideas is 
 doing much for the people of his native 
 and neighboring townships. 
 
 Nathaniel Hutchinson, great-grand- 
 father of our subject, was a native and 
 resident of Cambridge, whose three sons — 
 John, Thomas and Joseph — in 181 8 mi- 
 grated to Clark county, Ohio. John 
 after a short period, removed to Wabash, 
 Ind. , where he and his family fell victims 
 to an epidemic . of fever. Thomas re- 
 mained in Ohio some twenty years, and 
 then removed to La Grange county, Ind., 
 where he died. Joseph, grandfather of 
 Charles B., was born April 21, 1782, and 
 was married in his native State, in Octo- 
 ber, 1805, to Mary A. Hodgman, who 
 was born in Cambridge, Mass. , October 
 10, 1783. After coming to Ohio they re- 
 sided in Clark county until April, 1827, 
 when they moved to Green Creek town- 
 ship, Sandusky county. Joseph Hutchin- 
 son was a mechanic, and followed his 
 trade through life. After locating on a 
 farm in Green Creek township he went 
 to Monroeville, Ohio, and there worked 
 for about six years, then returning to his 
 farm and remaining until his death, in 
 January, 1S55; his wife died in 1851. 
 This couple had eight children, as follows: 
 Mary A., born September 9, 1807, mar- 
 ried Ashel Franklin in Clark county, June 
 14, 1829, and died in May, 1848; Joseph 
 H., born April 17, 1809, died November 
 24, 1823; Charlotte, born February 7, 
 181 1, married S. S. Kellogg, of Huron 
 county, February 10, 1831, died in Feb- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 205 
 
 ruary, 1854; Louisa, born September 12, 
 1 8 14, who married Elisha Lake, and, 
 after his death, Charles Petty, died in 
 Woodbury county, Iowa; Josiah B., born 
 November 30, 1817, died May 28, 
 1836; Alfred, father of Charles B., born 
 September 17, 1820; Phcebe M., born 
 May 29, 1825, married Noble Perin, who 
 died in Andersonville prison during the 
 war (she lives in Green Creek town- 
 ship); Joseph, born May 29, 1830, fatally 
 crushed by a loaded wagon, from which 
 he fell. 
 
 Alfred Hutchinson was seven years old 
 when his parents settled in Green Creek 
 township. The schools at that period 
 were very primitive; but he received the 
 best education the locality afforded. At 
 the age of eighteen years he began an ap- 
 prenticeship to the brick-layer's and plas- 
 terer's trade, which he followed for about 
 thirty years. He was married April 6, 
 1843, to Mary M. Dirlam, born in Massa- 
 chusetts August 18, 1823, daughter of 
 Orrin and Annis (Gibbs) Dirlam, both 
 born in Blandford, Mass., the former on 
 February 22, 1792, the latter on August 
 18, 1797. Annis Dirlam died in Massa- 
 chusetts November 6, 1830, and three 
 years later Orrin Dirlam migrated with 
 his seven children to Green Creek town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio, where he en- 
 tered a large tract of land. These seven 
 children were as follows: Sarah, born 
 September 28, 18 18, married Samuel 
 Chapin, and died in Clyde September 10, 
 1873; Orrin M., born February 7, 1820, 
 died in 1889 in Sullivan, Ashland county; 
 Dolly Almira, born October 27, 1821, 
 married Merlin Babcock, and died March 
 26, 1848; Mary M. ; Franklin, born De- 
 cember 12, 1824, resident of Townsend 
 township, Sandusky county; James M., 
 born February 21, 1826, a resident of 
 Wood county; and Spencer, who died in 
 infancy. For his second wife Orrin Dir- 
 lam married Elvira Smith, who was born 
 in Massachusetts April 18, 1807. By this 
 marriage he had nine children: Henry S., 
 
 born February 9, 1843, who enlisted in 
 the army at Cleveland, and while acting 
 captain of his company was seriously 
 wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, 
 dying from the effects of the wound De- 
 cember 18, 1865; Zadoc, born September 
 16, 1836, resident of Clyde; Verrazano, 
 born July 25, 1839, served in the army 
 and died August 3, 1882; Theodore, born 
 January 22, 1842, participated in the one- 
 hundred-days' service, now living in Lo- 
 rain county; Sidney, born September 8, 
 1844, a resident of New London; Minerva, 
 born January 2, 1847, died November 8, 
 1879; Walter S., born January 28, 1853, 
 a resident of Lorain county; and two chil- 
 dren who died young. Orrin Dirlam was 
 the father of sixteen children, fourteen of 
 whom grew to maturity. He died at 
 Huntington, Lorain county. May 20, 1882. 
 
 The children born to Alfred and Mary 
 M. (Dirlam) Hutchinson were as follows: 
 Zemira, born December 2, 1844, enlisted in 
 Company A, Seventy-second O.V. L, and 
 died in prison at Florence, S. C, October 
 30, 1864; Charles B., subject of this sketch; 
 Fred, born January 28, 1861, married 
 Mabel Lay, daughter of William E. Lay, 
 and has five sons — Clare, Ernest, Karl, 
 Frank and Ralph; Fred lives on a farm in 
 Green Creek township. Alfred Hutchin- 
 son died on the old homestead in Green 
 Creek township in 1 889, and his widow 
 at this writing still resides there. Neither 
 had been identified with any Church or- 
 ganization, but both believed in and fol- 
 lowed practical Christianity. Their lives 
 have been illustrations of their belief that 
 to do good is the highest function of man. 
 Alfred Hutchinson during his lifetime was 
 recognized as one of the leading citizens 
 of his community, and he was elected to 
 many of the township offices. 
 
 Charles B. Hutchinson, his son, is 
 likewise one of the most prominent men 
 of the township to-day. He possesses 
 business ability of an advanced order, and 
 his capacity is demonstrated by his visible 
 works. He was thoroughly educated in 
 
206 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 the common branches, and in addition 
 attended the Clyde High School. On 
 November i6, 1864, when only sixteen 
 years old, he enlisted in Company B, 
 Second U. S. A. Regulars, and was in 
 service four months when his parents, on 
 account of his youth, succeeded in getting 
 him back on the farm. When a few 
 days under twenty years of age, March 
 17, 1868, he married Miss Emma Strick- 
 land, who was born in Clyde in April, 
 1850. They started young in life, but 
 during the happy and successful career 
 that followed they have never had cause 
 to regret their early marriage. Seven 
 children have been born to them, five of 
 whom survive, as follows: Dr. A. F., who 
 is a graduate of Clyde High School and of 
 the class of 1893 in the Medical Depart- 
 ment of the University of Michigan (he 
 married Miss Mildred Ward, and is now 
 practicing medicine at Banfield, Barry 
 Co., Mich.); Chella, a Clyde High School 
 graduate of 1892, at home; Lotta, Lou 
 and Delmer. Claude died at the age of 
 eight years and Floyd at the age of four 
 years. Since his marriage Mr. Hutchin- 
 son has been engaged in farming. He 
 owns 1 1 5 acres of choice land, and in his 
 methods no farmer of the township is 
 more progressive or successful. In poli- 
 tics he is a Republican. He is taking 
 pains to carefully educate his children, 
 and in all things he is public-spirited and 
 enterprising. 
 
 HENRY MILLER was born in To- 
 ledo, Lucas Co., Ohio, Septem- 
 ber 23, 1835, son of Fred and 
 Sophia (Mintkink) Miller, natives 
 of Hanover, Germany, who came to 
 America in 1835, and settled in Toledo, 
 Ohio. 
 
 Fred Miller secured a position in a 
 sawmill in Toledo, and worked there 
 about two months; then removed to Wood- 
 ville, Sandusky county, where he bought 
 
 twenty-five acres of timberland as an in- 
 vestment. This he sold a short time 
 afterward, and then bought eighty acres, 
 later eighty more, and lived on this land 
 till 1865, when he moved to the village 
 of Woodville, where he passed the re- 
 mainder of his life, dying in 1873; his 
 widow passed away in 1 890. Seven chil- 
 dren were born to Fred and Sophia Mil- 
 ler, as follows: Frederick, who lives in 
 the village of Woodville; Henry, the sub- 
 ject of this sketch; Sophia, who married 
 John Horseman; William, who lives in 
 the village of Woodville; Detrick, Mary 
 and Harmon. 
 
 At the tender age of three years Henry 
 Miller was taken sick with an affection 
 known as the rickets, and from that time 
 until his sixteenth year he was confined 
 to his bed. After that he improved some- 
 what, and endeavored to secure an edu- 
 cation, of which he felt the need, all the 
 more as the disease had left him unfit for 
 manual labor. In 1859 he went to work 
 for Jacob Nagle, as an apprentice to learn 
 the harness-maker's trade. Afterward he 
 entered into the service of Daniel Coe. in 
 the harness business in Elmore, Harris 
 township, Ottawa county, and remained 
 there four years. In 1864 Mr. Miller 
 bought out his employer. Shortly after- 
 ward his place of business was burned, 
 and he then came back to Woodville, 
 Sandusky county, and entered into the 
 harness business. Here he has conducted 
 business ever since. He is a Republi- 
 can in politics, and in religious connec- 
 tion is a member of the German Methodist 
 Church. 
 
 HUFFORD FAMILY. The great 
 ancestor from whom have de- 
 scended the Huffords now living 
 in Sandusky county, Ohio, was 
 Jacob Hufford. He was born in Mary- 
 land in 1772, where he learned the trade 
 of blacksmith. It was in his native State 
 
^ ^ /^ 
 
 i^4 
 
c/ay^u^ ^-^^/^^'^' 
 
 ^/'^t?C^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 207 
 
 that he met and married Miss Catharine 
 Creager, and shortly after their marriage 
 they came to Kentucky, where for a few 
 years Mr. Hufford worked at his trade. 
 About 1811 they emigrated to Greene 
 county, Ohio, where they hved until 1836, 
 during which time Mr. Hufford continued 
 at his trade, and it was here that his chil- 
 dren — Cornelius, Jacob, Elizabeth, James, 
 Levi, William, Isaac and Catharine — 
 were born and brought up. In 1836 this 
 ancestor came to Sandusky township, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, where he purchased, 
 in Section 31, 200 acres of land, which 
 was held in the family until about 1881. 
 After his death, in 1851, the land was 
 owned by his sons, Jacob and William. 
 None of the children of this old pioneer 
 are now living, the last one, James, hav- 
 ing died in the spring of 1895. The de- 
 scendants of the children of Jacob, the 
 pioneer, are now, many of them, living in 
 Sandusky county, and it is of one of them, 
 William T. Hufford, and of his father, 
 James, whose portraits are here given, 
 that we now write. 
 
 James Hufford, the third son of 
 Jacob Hufford, was born November 23, 
 18 1 2, in Greene county, Ohio, and came 
 with his parents to Sandusky county, in 
 1836. Here hestarted in life forhimself, his 
 only endowments being good health and 
 a determination to accomplish something 
 in the world. In June, 1837, he was mar- 
 ried to Miss Susan Arnold, of Greene 
 county, and to them were born three 
 children: George W., born in 1838, and 
 died at Memphis, Tenn., during the Re- 
 bellion, a member of the Seventy-second 
 Regiment, O. V. I. ; Harriet A., who mar- 
 ried William Slates; and Joseph M., born 
 in 1845, and died in 1868. Mrs. Hufford 
 was called from earth June 23, 1846, and 
 was buried in Muskalonge Cemetery. 
 On December 24, 1847, Mr. Hufford was 
 married to Elizabeth Fisher, of Sandusky 
 county. She was born in Perry count}', 
 Ohio, January 9, 1829, and came with 
 her parents to Sandusky county when 
 
 eight years of age, where she has since 
 lived. Mrs. Hufford is a daughter of 
 William and Jane (Anderson) Fisher, the 
 former of whom was born and married in 
 Virginia, and to them were born five chil- 
 dren, three of whom are now living: Mrs. 
 Hufford, George Fisher and Mrs. Margaret 
 Hummell; the father died in 1872, the 
 mother in 183 1. To Mr. Hufford by his 
 second wife was born one child, William 
 T. Hufford, whose sketch follows. 
 
 James Hufford was a highly esteemed 
 citizen, and an affectionate husband and 
 father. He was a very intimate friend of 
 Dr. Wilson, president of the First National 
 Bank, of Fremont, Ohio. By hard work 
 and strict integrity he accumulated a hand- 
 some property, west of Fremont. At his 
 death, which occurred March 31, 1895, he 
 owned 277 acres of as fine land as can be 
 found in Sandusky county. Mr. Hufford 
 had all of his business settled, his will exe- 
 cuted and his son, William, appointed 
 executor of his estate. The property is 
 to remain intact during the life of Mrs. 
 Hufford, then descend to the children- — 
 William T. , and his half sister. 
 
 William T. Hufford was born Sep- 
 tember 26, 185 1, in Sandusky township. 
 He was educated in the high school at 
 Fremont, Ohio, and was for seven years 
 a teacher in the Sandusky county public 
 schools. On December 25, 1873, Mr. 
 Hufford was married to Miss Sarah J. 
 Rideout, of Sandusky county. Since their 
 marriage they have resided on the old 
 homestead, on which, in 1894, Mr. Huf- 
 ford erected one of the finest dwellings to 
 be found in Sandusky county, either in the 
 city or country, the plan of the house be- 
 ing designed by Mr. Hufford, himself. It 
 is finished inside in oak, which Mr. Huf- 
 ford took from his own timber lot. The 
 style of the house, both inside and out- 
 side, is modern in every way; the sitting- 
 room and parlor are provided with hand- 
 some grates and mantels. The house is 
 heated from cellar to garret by a furnace, 
 thus freeing the rooms from all dust and 
 
208 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 litter attending tiie use of stoves. On en- 
 tering the sitting-room from the porch 
 one is brought in front of a fine piano, 
 which instrument is played by Mrs. Huf- 
 ford herself, while at either end of the 
 piano stands a base viol, and on top of the 
 piano lies a violin, which instruments are 
 played by the two boys at home. The 
 musical development of those who inhabit 
 the house serves to make the modern ar- 
 chitecture of the building more highly ap- 
 preciated. Mr. Hufford, like his father, 
 is a thorough business man, and highly 
 respected by all who know him. His 
 ability to give facts and dates connected 
 with the lives of his ancestry is remarka- 
 ble, thus showing that any subject that in 
 any way engrosses his attention is thor- 
 oughly mastered. 
 
 To William T. Hufford and his wife 
 have come three children: (i) Eugene 
 L. , born September 26, 1S74, whose edu- 
 cation was completed in Adrian College, 
 Michigan; he was married April 3, 1894, 
 to Estella Smith, of Sandusky county. (2) 
 James F., born April 13, 1877, and (3) 
 Ray v., born May 4, 1884. Mrs. Huf- 
 ford, the estimable wife of our subject, 
 was born December 25, 1853, in San- 
 dusky county, where she received her edu- 
 cation in the country schools. She has 
 paid considerable attention to music, and 
 it is from their mother that the children 
 inherit their musical taste. Mrs. Hufford 
 is the daughter of William and Mary Ann 
 (Huggins) Kideout, the former of whom 
 was born February 10, 18 19, a carpenter 
 by trade, though he followed farming as 
 his principal occupation; he died April 6, 
 1892. His wife was born March 4, 1822. 
 To them were born si.\ children, Mrs. Huf- 
 ford being next to the youngest, and the 
 only daughter in the family; her brother, 
 Lafayette, died at F"ort Ethan Allen, Va., 
 July 3, 1864 (he belonged to the One 
 Hundred and Sixty-ninth Regiment, O. 
 V. I.); another brother, Frank, lives in 
 Ottawa, 111., and two other brothers, Ar- 
 thur and John, live in Tuscola, Illinois. 
 
 HIRAM P. DEYO. one of the pros- 
 perous and influential farmers of 
 York township, Sandusky county, 
 was born in Erie county, Ohio, 
 December 31, 1845, son of John P. and 
 Sarah A. (Foster) Deyo. 
 
 John P. Deyo, better known as " Dr. 
 Deyo," for in his younger years he was an 
 active practitioner of medicine, still sur- 
 vives at the ripe old age of ninety years, 
 and is now a member of his son Hiram's 
 household. He was born December 14, 
 1804, in Ulster county, N. Y. , and when 
 about nineteen years of age migrated to 
 Ontario county in the same State. At 
 Geneva he studied medicine under a pre- 
 ceptor, and began to practice. In the 
 spring of 1833 he migrated to Ohio, mak- 
 ing the journey on horseback. His par- 
 ents, William and Elizabeth (Ketcham) 
 Deyo, both of whom were born in New 
 York, east of the Hudson river, also mi- 
 grated to Ohio. William Deyo, the son 
 of Henry Deyo, of Holland birth, was a 
 carpenter and joiner by trade, and died 
 in his pioneer home in Erie county, Ohio, 
 at the age of sixty-five years. He had 
 served his country as a soldier in the war 
 of 1812. His wife, Elizabeth Ketcham, 
 was of New England parentage. She 
 lived to the age of eighty-six years. Dr. 
 John P. Deyo settled in Huron county, 
 four and one-half miles north of Belle- 
 vue, and was the pioneer phj'sician in 
 that locality, making his visits on horse- 
 back and carrying his medicines about 
 with him in saddlebags. After his father's 
 death he quit the active practice of his 
 profession and settled on the old home- 
 stead in Erie county, which was part of 
 the " P'irelands," and which had been 
 purchased before he moved to Ohio. He 
 was married, April 4, 1836, to Sarah 
 Foster, who was born in Erie countv, 
 N. Y., March 24, 1819. To Dr. and 
 Mrs. Deyo were born the following chil- 
 dren: Maria L. , born in Erie county 
 November 9, 1 840, married to Henry 
 Miller and living in Clyde; Allen H., 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 209 
 
 born June i, 1S43, now a farmer near 
 Sedalia, Mo.; Hirain P., subject of this 
 sketch; Frank F., born December 2, 
 1847, living at Pekin, 111.; B. W., born 
 November 11, 1850, a resident of Clio, 
 Mich.; Delavan J., born November 18, 
 1852, implement dealer at Sandusky 
 city; William J., born April 29, 1855, 
 died March 5, 1858; Fred W. , born Sep- 
 tember 10, 1858, a salesman at Sandusky 
 city; and two children, who died in in- 
 fancy. 
 
 Hiram P. Deyo grew to manhood on 
 the home farm in Erie county, attending 
 the district schools and also taking a term 
 or two at Milan. He was married, Jan- 
 uary 6, 1870, to Francis P. Thompson, 
 who was born in Thompson township, 
 Seneca Co., Ohio, November 5, 1845, 
 daughter of William and Hannah (Hol- 
 man) Thompson. William Thompson 
 when a boy came from Pennsylvania with 
 his parents, who settled in Thompson 
 township, Seneca county. He died at 
 the age of seventy-five years, in Erie 
 county. Children as follows were born 
 to William and Hannah Thompson: 
 Sarah Ann, who married Theophilus 
 Gardner, and is now deceased; Delia, 
 wife of Charles Russell, of York town- 
 ship; Josiah, who lives on the old home- 
 stead; William H., of Thompson town- 
 ship, Seneca county, and Celesta M. 
 wife of S. E. Bardwell, of Erie county. 
 
 Mr. Deyo has been a lifelong farmer, 
 except for about eight months, when he 
 was on the road as a Baltimore & Ohio 
 express messenger. He came from Erie 
 county to York township, Sandusky 
 county, purchasing the excellent farm 
 of eighty-seven acres which he now culti- 
 vates. Mr. Deyo affiliates with the Peo- 
 ple's party, and himself and wife are con- 
 sistent members of the M. E. Church. 
 They have one child. Miss Stella Deyo, a 
 handsome and highly-accomplished young 
 lady. She taught her first school at the 
 age of fourteen years, and has since taken 
 a thorough course of instruction in the 
 
 Musical Conservatory at Oberlin. She is 
 now a teacher of vocal and instrumental 
 music, and is one of the most popular 
 belles in the social life of Sandusky 
 county. 
 
 CHARLES HURLBUT. This 
 young and enterprising agricul- 
 turist and oil speculator of Madi- 
 son township, Sandusky county, 
 was born February 28, 1867, son of E. A. 
 and Christina (Blank) Hurlbut. He is a 
 representative of prominent families of 
 the community, being a nephew of Amos 
 and Abraham Blank, leading farmers of 
 Sandusky county. 
 
 When Charles was quite a young man 
 his father went west, and he then lived 
 with his uncle, Abraham Blank, who cared 
 for him and his mother. His elementary 
 education was obtained in the schools of 
 Woodville township, Sandusky county, 
 and for a short period he pursued his 
 studies in Gibsonburg, afterward working 
 on his uncle's farm until he had arrived 
 at years of maturity. Having a desire to 
 to see the W^estern States, he started in 
 188S for California, traveling through 
 Colorado, Arizona, Texas and New Mex- 
 ico, and at last reaching the Golden State. 
 He visited many portions of California, 
 spending some time in Los Angeles, San 
 Diego, San Francisco and other points of 
 interest, and upon the return trip he vis- 
 ited Kansas, remaining some months in 
 that State. 
 
 On reaching Ohio again, he took up his 
 residence upon his uncle's farm, which 
 has been his home continuously since. 
 Three years ago he entered into partner- 
 ship with his uncles and other enterpris- 
 ing business men of the township in the 
 formation of a company for oil specula- 
 tion, of which he was made secretary and 
 treasurer. This concern, which is a purely 
 local one, is meeting with good success. 
 Besides aiding in the operation of the 
 large farm belonging to his uncle, Mr. 
 
210 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Hurlbut himself owns 140 acres of rich 
 and arable land in another part of the 
 township, which is now highly cultivated 
 and on which he is making some exten- 
 sive improvements. 
 
 On September 25, 1890, Mr. Hurlbut 
 led to the marriage altar Miss Elsie R. 
 Krotzer, a daughter of Ira W. Krotzer, a 
 farmer of Madison township, Sandusky 
 county. Two children bless this happ}- 
 marriage — Ira W., born August 2, 1891, 
 and Walter H., born July 15, 1893. Mr. 
 Hurlbut is a very intelligent and enter- 
 prising young man, and, possessing good 
 business tact and ability, has met with 
 success in his undertakings. Within the 
 past year he has erected a beautiful home, 
 the finest in the neighborhood, which 
 stands as a monument to his industry. 
 He possesses a genial, affable disposition, 
 is widely and favorably known through- 
 out the county, and is popular with all. 
 His business integrity is above question, 
 and commands universal confidence and 
 respect. Socially he is connected with 
 Gibsonburg Lodge No. 687, I. O. O. F., 
 and in politics he supports principles rather 
 than party, and is a stalwart Silverman. 
 
 GEORGE BOWE, son of George 
 Bowe, Sr. , and Catherine (Weg- 
 stein) Bowe, was born August i. 
 1835, on the old homestead in 
 Section 7, Scott township, Sandusky 
 county, and where his brothers first saw 
 the light. 
 
 In May, 1861, Mr. Bowe was united 
 in marriage with Miss Mary Bordner, of 
 Freeport, Ohio, and shortly after their 
 marriage they settled in Section 18, Scott 
 township, where they remained three 
 years; about 1863 he built a house on his 
 own farm and removed there. Sixty 
 acres of his farm were heavily timbered at 
 that time, which he has cleared and made 
 of it one of the model farms of the town- 
 ship; later Mr. Bowe added to his first 
 piece of land until he now has 210 acres. 
 
 In addition to his arduous work as a 
 farmer he followed threshing for twenty- 
 eight years, wearing out several machines 
 and making money at the business. Like 
 his brothers, Mr. Bowe entered into the 
 oil business, and like them made several 
 leases of his farm before one was made 
 that resulted in any practical benefit. Fi- 
 nally, February 17, 1895, he leased his 
 farm to the Sun Oil Company, for one- 
 sixth of the oil produced. Four wells are 
 now being operated, and a well is to be 
 put in each sixty days until twelve wells 
 are down. The wells now in operation 
 produce about twelve barrels of oil per 
 day, or six barrels each. The oil is 
 pumped to Toledo through an oil pipe. 
 While a well was being put down on his 
 neighbor's land Mr. Bowe's barn acciden- 
 tally took fire and was completely de- 
 stroyed. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Bowe have come 
 children as follows: W. M., born Feb- 
 ruary 25, 1862, resides on the old farm; 
 he was married October i, 1885, to Ro- 
 sette Day, of Rising Sun, Ohio, and they 
 have one child, Shurley, born October 
 20, 1889. Ellen Catherine, born June 19, 
 1864, is the wife of Wilbert Phillips. 
 Charles Henry, born October 30, 1866, 
 married Ellen Roush, of Rising Sun, Ohio. 
 Fanny is Mrs. W. Day, of Rising Sun. 
 Mary Elizabeth, born July 8, i86i, was a 
 teacher in Sandusky county a few years 
 before her marriage; she married J. H. 
 Burnette, of Rising Sun. R. G., born 
 May I, 1873, was also a teacher for two 
 years. Roscoe F. was born December 1 9, 
 1877. Verna L. was born February 
 II, 1880. Mrs. Bowe was born October 
 II, 1 838, a daughter of Michael and Leah 
 (Buchtel) Bordner. When she was only 
 a young girl her mother died, and she 
 was obliged to assist in the household du- 
 ties for her father. 
 
 Michael Bordner was born February 
 28, 18 12, in Pennsylvania, where he lived 
 until he was fifteen years old. He then 
 came to Stark county, Ohio, where, on 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 211 
 
 December ii, 1S34, he married Miss 
 Leah Buchtel, of that county. For eight 
 j'ears he worked at shoemaking, but dur- 
 ing the latter part of his active life he fol- 
 lowed agricultural pursuits. He is now 
 living in Bradner, Wood county, at the 
 age of eighty-three years, a pleasant and 
 genial old gentleman. His wife died in 
 1859, and was buried in the Bradner 
 Cemetery. To them were born children, 
 the names and dates of birth being as fol- 
 lows: Henry, September 9, 1S36, died 
 in the Civil war; Mary, Mrs. Bowe; Lucy, 
 January 25, 1841, died September 24, 
 1894; Calvin, April 30, 1S43, who died 
 July 28, 1862, in the army; Rachel, Au- 
 gust 9, 1846; Ellen, September 14, 1848; 
 Alfred, January 28, 1851; and Sarah, 
 March 24, 1855. After the death of his 
 first wife Mr. Bordner married Miss Polly 
 Yohe, who is also deceased. 
 
 Peter Bordner, the paternal grand- 
 father of Mrs. Bowe, was born about the 
 year 1766 in Pennsylvania, and died in 
 1816; his wife, Catherine (Cotherman), 
 was born in 1770 and died in 1866. Mrs. 
 Bowe's maternal grandfather, Henry 
 Buchtel, was born about 1790 and died 
 in 1875; his wife, Elizabeth Avers, was 
 born about 1791, and died in 1850. They 
 had fifteen children — two sons and thir- 
 teen daughters. 
 
 George Bowe, Sr. , father of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, was born in France in 
 1802, came to America in 1832, settling 
 in New York State, near Buffalo, where he 
 remamed three years, thence moving to 
 Ohio, where in Scott township he entered 
 210 acres of land, one-half for his sister, 
 and the balance for himself. In the 
 winter of 1834-35 he married Catherine 
 Wegstein, a daughter of Michael Weg- 
 stein, and born in Baden, Germany, 181 3. 
 To them were born ten children, three of 
 whom died in infancy, the others being: 
 George (our subject), Jacob, Frederick, 
 Henry, Michael, Jr., David and Mary C. ; 
 Frederick and Mary C. , died some time 
 ago; the others are yet living. Mr. Bowe's 
 
 father was an old pioneer of Scott town- 
 ship. He owned at one time 600 acres 
 of land, which he divided among his chil- 
 dren, thus giving each a start in life, from 
 which they have progressed and become 
 well-to-do, highly esteemed by all who 
 know them. His wife, the mother of our 
 subject, died July 9, i89i,and was buried 
 in the Bradner Cemetery. 
 
 Our subject's maternal grandfather, 
 Michael Wegstein, was born about the 
 year 1779 in Baden, Germany, where he 
 was married. In 1832 he started for 
 America, and during the voyage his wife 
 died and was buried in mid-ocean. In his 
 family there were six children, of whom 
 only two are living; one son, Capt. 
 Michael Wegstein, of Company H, Sev- 
 enty-second Ohio Regiment, was killed at 
 the battle of Shiloh. 
 
 JM. YEAGLE is of that type of citi- 
 zenship most valuable to any com- 
 munity. That people is perhaps 
 best governed that is least governed; 
 but the withholding of governmental re- 
 straint is only possible when the people are 
 in themselves sufficiently self-restrained. 
 Mr. Yeagle has learned the value of at- 
 tending strictly to his own business, and 
 also of attending to it well. Denied the 
 advantage of a higher education himself, 
 he has made it a duty to give to his chil- 
 dren that which he lacked. 
 
 Our subject was born in Sandusky 
 county February 26, 1846, son of Michael 
 and Sarah (Kreilick) Yeagle, the former 
 of whom was born in Pennsylvania in 
 1 8 10, and died in December, 1893, a re- 
 spected farmer of Sandusky county. In 
 politics he was a Democrat, and in re- 
 ligious faith a Lutheran. His wife, also 
 a native of Pennsylvania, was born in 
 181 3, and died at the age of sixty-five 
 years. They had seven children, as fol- 
 lows: Mary, wife of John Faden, of Ot- 
 tawa county; Jeremiah; Henry; Catherine, 
 who married John Henrick; J. M., sub- 
 
212 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE HIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ject of this sketch; Sarah, who married 
 Joseph Leiser, and Lavina, who married 
 Israel Burkett. J. M. Yeagle grew up in 
 the county of his birth, attending the 
 schools of Rice township. In 1871 he 
 married Miss Mary Flatz, who was born 
 in Germany, May 30, 1848, and after his 
 marriage he purchased and settled on a 
 farm in Salem township, Ottawa county, 
 where he remained about ten years. He 
 then farmed for two years near Fremont, 
 and in 1890 purchased his present farm 
 of seventy acres in Green Creek township. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Yeagle have six children: 
 Cyrus, born October 15, 1871, who was 
 married May i, 1894, to Pheama Tuttle, 
 and lives at Toledo; John, born December 
 28, 1872, a graduate of Green Spring 
 Academy, and a student at Adelbert Col- 
 lege, Cleveland; Irene, born April 7, 1875, 
 a student at the Fremont schools; Charles, 
 born April 20, 1876, also a student of 
 Green Spring Academy; Michael, born 
 July I, 1878. attending the Clyde High 
 School, and William, born January 26, 
 1 88 1. Mr. Yeagle is a fruit and grain 
 fanner. He has highl\' improved his pro- 
 ductive acres, and last year he erected one 
 of the best frame residences in Green 
 Creek township. He is progressive in his 
 views and well-to-do. His easy financial 
 situation is due to his own industry and to 
 the care and management which he has 
 bestowed upon his property. 
 
 SAMUEL BOOR has pushed his 
 way through the ranks of the 
 many, and stands among the suc- 
 cessful few, being numbered 
 among the prosperous agriculturists of 
 Scott township, Sandusky county. He 
 is also one of the honored veterans of the 
 Civil war, and a valued and progressive 
 citizen. 
 
 Mr. Boor was born in Bedford county, 
 Penn., August 27, 1835, and when a 
 child came with his parents to Sandusky 
 county, the father purchasing 160 acres 
 
 of land in Jackson township for $500. 
 This he cleared, making for himself and 
 family a comfortable home in which he 
 spent his remaining days. He, too, was 
 a native of Bedford county, born in 1799, 
 and was descended from Holland ances- 
 try, while his wife, who was born in 1 804, 
 was of French-Irish lineage. They had 
 a family of ten children, namely: Josiah, 
 May E., Margaret, Jane C, W. C. , 
 Samuel, Annie, James, S. E., and F. 
 M., eight of whom are now living. James 
 entered the naval service during the 
 Civil war, and died while defending his 
 country. The maternal grandmother of 
 our subject was born about 1766, and 
 made the journey from the Keystone 
 State to Ohio in a carriage, returning by 
 the same convej'ance. 
 
 Mr. Boor, whose name opens this re- 
 \\q\\\ remained on the home farm until 
 twenty-two years of age, when he made 
 a trip to Kansas, at the time of the 
 great slavery agitation there; but there 
 was too much danger and excitment con- 
 nected with life in that State, and he re- 
 moved elsewhere, spending a year in the 
 West. He then returned to his old home 
 in Sandusky county, and after the open- 
 ing of hostilities joined the boys in blue 
 of Company I, Seventy-second O. V. I. 
 When his three-years' term expired he 
 re-enlisted, continuing at the front until 
 the close of the war. He was actively 
 engaged in many battles, including Shiloh, 
 Corinth, Jackson, Vicksburg, Nashville 
 and Mobile, and at the first named re- 
 ceived a bullet wound in the right leg, 
 though he fought the remainder of the 
 daj-. The succeeding day, however, 
 he was unable to walk. He was 
 a loyal, faithful soldier, in whom the 
 Union cause found an able defender. 
 
 On the close of hostilities Mr. Boor 
 returned to his home. On September 11, 
 1869, he married Miss Ellen Snyder, 
 who was born in 1847, daughter of 
 George N. and Mary (Harmon) Snyder, 
 of Scott township, Sandusky county. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPBWAL RECORD. 
 
 213 
 
 Her father is still livini; in Scott town- 
 ship, at the advanced age of eighty-seven. 
 He was born March 6, i8oS, in Pennsyl- 
 vania, son of Philip and Elizabeth (New- 
 man) Snyder, the former of whom was 
 born in 1770. In an earl}' tlay George 
 N. Snyder came to Sandusky county, 
 and he voted at the first election held in 
 Scott township, more than fifty years 
 ago, ranking among the honored pioneers. 
 On April 14, 1S34, he wedded Mary Har- 
 mon, and they had six children — one 
 who died in infancy; Elizabeth; M. L. ; 
 Harvey; Mary Ellen, and Sarah. The 
 mother of this family died, and on June 
 20, 1872, Mr. Snyder married Mrs. 
 Alexander Houston, who was born De- 
 cember 14, 1825. 
 
 Upon their marriage Air. 
 
 Boor located upon the farm 
 
 and Mrs. 
 which has 
 
 since been their home — originally a part 
 of the farm owned by John Scott, in 
 honor of whom the township was named. 
 Our subject has seen the forest give way 
 before the woodman's axe, the log cabin 
 supplanted by the commodious dwelling 
 and the ox-sled replaced by modern 
 vehicles. He has aided in the general 
 work of improvement and development, 
 having his own farm under a high state 
 of cultivation, good fences enclosing 
 well-tilled fields, ample barns and out- 
 buildings providing shelter for grain and 
 stock, while a substantial residence, built 
 in modern style of architecture and roofed 
 with slate, is the pleasant home of the 
 family. In addition to his extensive 
 farming interests, Mr. Boor is largely 
 engaged in buying and selling stock, 
 frequently purchasing cattle in Chicago, 
 which he fattens and ships to Buffalo. 
 He has found this a profitable branch 
 of his business. His career is that of 
 a self-made man who has worked his 
 way upward from a humble position to 
 one of affluence, and he deserves great 
 credit for his success in life. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Boor had five chidren, 
 two of whom died in infancy: Mary 
 
 was born July 28, 1873; Jes.;ie, born 
 October 6. 1876, is successfully engaged 
 in teaching in Sandusky county; J. C, 
 born January 12, 1S80, is at home. 
 The family occupies an enviable posi- 
 tion in social circles, and the Boor house- 
 hold is noted for its hospitality. Mr. 
 Boor has served for several years as 
 trustee of his township, and for two 
 j'ears was county commissioner of San- 
 dusky county, discharging his duties 
 w'ith the same fidelity and conscientious- 
 ness which characterized his military 
 career. , 
 
 JACOB CRAMER, a farmer of Jack- 
 son township, Sandusky county, was 
 born April i, 1857, in the township 
 where he now resides. His father, 
 Conrad Cramer, was born November 10, 
 181 1, and in 1841 married Catharine 
 Miller, who was born April i, 1818, 
 daughter of Isaac Miller, of Alsace, Ger- 
 many, a market gardener by occupation, 
 whose other children were Barbara and 
 Margaret. Our subject's grandparents 
 lived and died in Hessen Cassel, Ger- 
 many. His grandfather was a brewer by 
 trade, and also owned and operated 100 
 acres of land in Germany. 
 
 Jacob Cramer was one of a family of 
 five children: Conrad, born in 1844, 
 who is a wholesale grocer of Toledo, 
 Ohio, married Miss Hulda Swigart, and 
 has two children — Frances and Roy; po- 
 litically he is a Republican. Anna, born 
 in 1846, married Henry Lance, a farmer 
 of Riley township, and has two children — 
 Frank and Myrtie; he is a member of the 
 U. B. Church. Catharine, born in 1848, 
 became the wife of John Hollinger, a 
 dealer in agricultural implements, and a 
 member of the firm of Hollinger & Pal- 
 mer, of Fremont, Ohio; in politics he is a 
 Democrat. Jacob is our subject. William, 
 born in 1865, a farmer by occupation, 
 married Miss .'\manda Smith, of Jackson 
 township, arid their children are Walter, 
 
214 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPBWAL RECORD. 
 
 Frank and Esther; he affiliates with the 
 Democratic party, and is a member of the 
 U. B. Church. 
 
 Jacob Cramer remained at home with 
 his parents until his twenty-first year, 
 working on the farm, and saving enough 
 money to buy fifty-two acres of land in 
 the spring of 1882. This he sold three 
 years later and bought the forty-acre lot 
 where he now resides for $3,200; he has 
 since that time bought forty acres more 
 in Seneca county. His home farm is sit- 
 uated eleven miles west of Fremont, and 
 two miles north of Kansas, Ohio. Mr. 
 Cramer is a strong Prohibitionist, and in 
 religious connection is a member of the 
 U. B. Church, of which he is a liberal 
 supporter. On December i, 1881, he 
 married Mary J. Humphrey, who was 
 born December 24, i860, a daughter of 
 Isaac and Rebecca Humphrey (deceased). 
 They have two children— Cora May, born 
 August 21, 1883, and Clarence J., born 
 November 14, 1886. 
 
 NELSON R. TUCKER, a prosper- 
 ous farmer and extensive land- 
 owner of Sandusky township, 
 Sandusky county, was born April 
 16, 1823, in Jefferson county, N. Y. The 
 great ancestor of this Tucker family came 
 from England to America before the Revo- 
 lutionary war, and settled in Massachu- 
 setts. He was a farmer. One of his 
 sons, Caleb Tucker, married Miss Kate 
 Billins, at Shrewsbury, Mass, where he 
 afterward carried on farming. Here, ac- 
 cording to the custom of the times, he 
 bought a colored man-servant to assist 
 him in farming, and a colored female- 
 servant to help his wife about the house- 
 work. They treated these slaves kindly, 
 finally giving them their liberty. Caleb 
 Tucker afterward bought a farm near 
 Johnstown, N. Y. , where he reared a 
 family of eleven children, namely: Na- 
 thaniel B., Melinda, Hiram, Caleb, Katie, 
 
 Parmelia, Henry, Harriet, Thomas, Jane 
 and Ezekiel. 
 
 Nathaniel B. Tucker was born Octo- 
 ber 29, 1797, and on June 16, 1821, mar- 
 ried Miss Mary Ann Ballard, daughter of 
 Rufus and Martha (Swartwout) Ballard. 
 Rufus Ballard was a son of Thomas Bal- 
 lard, a soldier of the Revolutionary war, 
 who lived in the Mohawk Valley, Mont- 
 gomery county, N. Y. , and was the own- 
 er of several slaves, who worked as farm 
 hands. The children of Nathaniel B. 
 and Mary Ann Tucker were: Nelson R., 
 Mary, Henry and Phoeba. In 1825 the 
 family moved from Jefferson county, N. 
 Y. , to St. Lawrence county, N. Y. , which 
 was then a wilderness, and they at first 
 had only one neighbor within a radius of 
 eight miles. About the year 1835 they 
 moved to Jefferson county, and in 1836 
 again located in St. Lawrence county. 
 About the year 1838 Nathaniel Tucker 
 took a prospective trip west, and traded 
 his fifty acres in New York for eighty acres 
 in Sandusky county, Ohio, whither the 
 family moved in June, 1839, proceedingto 
 Sackett's Harbor, where they took boat 
 for Buffalo, thence to Cleveland, thence 
 to Portland (now Sandusky City), and 
 thence across the country to their destina- 
 tion near the mouth of ^iuskalonge creek, 
 about five miles north of Lower Sandusky, 
 now Fremont. They made the trip of 
 600 miles in seven days. Their money 
 had dwindled down to $27 in specie, which 
 Mr. Tucker now paid out for a cow and a 
 barrel of flour. He found work among 
 some neighbors at fifty cents per day, and 
 he once took an eight-days' job of " grub- 
 bing" for Mr. Thomas Holcomb for a pig 
 that weighed si.xty pounds. Being a 
 shoemaker by trade, he soon found work 
 among neighbors at cobbling, or "whip- 
 ping the cat," as it was called. After 
 working for Jeremiah Everett on a farm 
 during the hot weather of July, Mr. Tuck- 
 er and his son Nelson were taken ill with 
 bilious fever, and the rest of the family 
 also took sick, one after the other, with 
 

 X 
 
 D 
 
 Z 
 
 < 
 
 2i 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 215 
 
 the same malady, until there was not one 
 left well enough to hand the rest a drink 
 of water. Kind neighbors, however, came 
 to look after them until those who were 
 first sick began to recover. Their first 
 family doctors were L. O. Rawson and P. 
 Beaugrand. By patient endurance of pri- 
 vations, self-denying sacrifices, untiring 
 industry, and prudent management this 
 pioneer family gradually improved their 
 condition and rose to competence. 
 
 Nathaniel Tucker was a lithe, active 
 man, of medium height, with blue eyes 
 and a light complexion. He was of a 
 social disposition, and in his younger days 
 was an expert dancer. He and his wife 
 became members of the M. E. Church in 
 New York State, and after settling in 
 Sandusky county united with the Church 
 of the United Brethren in Christ at a re- 
 vival meeting held by Rev. M. Long, in 
 their neighborhood, in 1840. Religious 
 services were held for many years in the 
 Tucker schoolhouse, which was built on 
 the Tucker farm. Mr. Tucker died at 
 the home of his son. Nelson R. Tucker, 
 July 15, 1884, at the age of eighty-seven 
 years, eight months, seventeen days, and 
 was buried in Brier Hill Cemetery, near 
 his old farm. His venerable wife survives 
 him to cheer their grandchildren by her 
 acts of kindness and her stories of pioneer 
 experiences. She was a member of the 
 Pioneer and Historical Society of San- 
 dusky County, and at the last picnic pre- 
 vious to her death took the annual "bou- 
 quet" given to the oldest lady pioneer 
 present. She passed away September 19, 
 1892, at the age of ninety-one years, three 
 months, nineteen days. She was buried 
 beside her husband. 
 
 Nelson R. Tucker came to Sandusky 
 county at the age of sixteen, and remained 
 in his father's family until after he was 
 married. Among his recollections of child- 
 hood days is a trip he once made, at the 
 age of eight, to mill on horseback, five 
 miles, with a sack of wheat, returning 
 with the flour. On leaving home he 
 
 14 
 
 bought eighty acres of land in Washington 
 township, but finding it too stony he sold 
 it and bought in Sandusky township the 
 site of his present home, where he now 
 owns 240 acres of fertile land, which has 
 been extensively tiled. He follows gen- 
 eral farming and takes pride in raising the 
 best crops of grain and grass, and the 
 most profitable breeds of live stock. 
 During the war of the Rebellion Mr. 
 Tucker was a decided Union man. In 
 his earlier years he was a Democrat until 
 the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, 
 when he joined the Republican party; 
 subsequently he became a Greenbacker, 
 and more recently has cast his influence 
 with the Peoples party. He was the first 
 organizer of the Farmers Alliance in San- 
 dusky county, where he organized thir- 
 teen lodges, and he served as their lec- 
 turer. He is now one of the leading 
 members of the Patrons of Industry of 
 Sandusky county, and in all things that 
 pertain to the advancement and progress 
 of his neighborhood Mr. Tucker has ever 
 been in the front rank. He has been in 
 advance of his time, but on account of 
 his enterprise and push he has succeeded 
 in bringing the community to his stand- 
 ard. Through his efforts was brought 
 about the construction of the Oak Harbor 
 and Fremont pike, which was opposed at 
 first and is now admired. 
 
 On March 16, 1843, Nelson R. 
 Tucker married Miranda Burgoon, daugh- 
 ter of Peter Burgoon, one of the pio- 
 neers of Sandusky county. Their chil- 
 dren were: Adelia M., born July 9, 
 1844, and died in infancy; Barrette, born 
 October 26, 1845, and died when eleven 
 months old; Martha Ann, born January 
 17,1 848, is unmarried, and lives on the old 
 farm; Mary E., born November 26, 1851, 
 married John C. Parish, now deceased, 
 and had four children — Perry, Fos- 
 ter C, Boswell E., and Gouldie L. ; 
 Rachel T., born November 20, 1853, 
 who married Peter Klinhaunce, and had 
 children as follows — Nelson, Sadie, Rod- 
 
21G 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ney and Bessie; Hattie, born January 14, 
 1855, who married Charles Baker, and 
 has one child — Glenn; Nellie Ida, born 
 November 24, 1857, who married R. R. 
 Strubble, and has one child — Carl; Julia, 
 born December 24, 1859, who married 
 D. B. Hartmann, and their children are 
 — Ralph, Rollo, Roswell, Roscoe and 
 Mabel; Charles C, born March 7, 1861, 
 who married Minnie E. Nowlan, Decem- 
 ber 6, 1883, and has had four children — 
 Harry Lee, Elmer R. , Mae E. , and Ada; 
 Lillie v., born January 14, 1865, who 
 was married April 18, 1889, to G. W. 
 Strang, and has two children — Ray and 
 Paul; John P., born January 16, 1867, 
 who married Fannie Hartman, and lives 
 on the farm. Mr. Tucker was educated 
 in the district school; he is a man of fine 
 appearance and large physique, and an 
 ardent member of the Peoples party. 
 The mother of this large family passed 
 to the home beyond F"ebruary 3, 1895. 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Tucker were noted 
 for their generosity, kindness and charity. 
 They took great pleasure in lending a 
 helping hand to everybody, and especially 
 to people in times of need. They suc- 
 ceeded in instilling good principles in 
 their children. And as they pass from 
 this life the community where they have 
 lived realizes that they have been bet- 
 tered by their having lived in it. 
 
 SAMUEL FOSTER, one of the 
 progressive and prosperous agri- 
 culturists of Washington township, 
 Sandusky county, is a native of 
 same, born in the village of Hessville, 
 February 16, 1838, a son of John and 
 Susan (Runkle) Foster. 
 
 The parents of our subject, well-to-do 
 farming people, were both born in Perry 
 county, Ohio, to which State the paternal 
 ancestry came from Pennsylvania, and 
 the maternal from the State of Virginia. 
 In Washington township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, John Foster, father of Samuel, pur- 
 
 chased of the government 160 acres of 
 timber land, and removed thither in 1832. 
 This property he set to work to clear and 
 improve, in course of time developing a 
 fine farm. Here our subject's mother died 
 in January, 1S55, the father subsequently 
 marrying Mrs. Catherine (Overmeyer) 
 Foster, widow of his brother. John Fos- 
 ter was called from earth January 30, 
 1889, at the advanced age of eighty-one 
 years, a Democrat in politics, and a mem- 
 ber of the Lutheran Church. He was 
 one of seven children, all of whom are 
 now deceased. His second wife died 
 September 30, 1888. 
 
 Samuel Foster, whose name intro- 
 duces this sketch, is one of si.\ children: 
 Christian, a farmer of Wood county, 
 Ohio; Samuel; Noah, a farmer of Wash- 
 ington township, Sandusky county; Em- 
 anuel, now a resident of East Toledo, 
 Ohio; Lucinda (Mrs. Charles Dodd), de- 
 ceased; and Sophia (deceased). Our 
 subject remained at home up to the age 
 of twenty-one years, being the mainstay 
 of his father, and as a consequence his 
 education was somewhat limited. On 
 leaving home he first found employment 
 for eight months on the farm of J. B. 
 Mugg, in Townsend township, Sandusky 
 county, then returning to the parental 
 roof remained there during the winter 
 months. In the following spring he moved 
 to Van Wert county, this State, where he 
 was employed some ten months, after 
 which he again returned to Sandusky 
 county and worked for his wife's parents 
 (for he had in the meantime married) on 
 their farm. For two years he farmed 320 
 acres of land on shares, and then bought 
 eighty acres in Freedom township, Wood 
 county, on which he resided some six 
 months, at the end of that time purchas- 
 ing the eighty-four acres in Washington 
 township whereon he now has his home, 
 having built a comfortable residence, be- 
 sides commodious barns and outhouses. 
 
 On August 8, 1 86 1, Mr. Foster was 
 married to Miss Mary Humberger, daugh- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 217 
 
 ter of Benjamin and Mary (Zartman) 
 Humberger, and nine children were the 
 result of this union, a brief record of them 
 being as follows: Franklin A., born July 
 5, 1862, is now a farmer of Jackson town- 
 ship, Sandusky count}'; William H., born 
 December 2, 1863, is a farmer near Four- 
 Mile house, Sandusky county; Calista, 
 born January 28, 1866, married Edward 
 Snavley, of Jackson township, Sandusky 
 county; Orpha A., born Februarj' 8, 1868, 
 married H. D. Jenning, a farmer in 
 Michigan; Elmer, born March 20, 1870, 
 is a farmer in Scott township, Sandusky 
 county; Wilmer, born March 20, 1870, 
 is now in the oil business in Madison 
 township, Sandusky count}'; Adelbert, 
 born November 16, 1874, is in Madison 
 township, in the oil business; Grace, born 
 March i, 1877, died July 27, 1887; 
 Allen |., born Decembers, 1881, lives at 
 home. Mr. F"oster in politics is a Demo- 
 crat, is a member of the school board, 
 and also serves as road superintendent; 
 he is identified with the Reformed Church, 
 and is a good, substantial, well-known 
 and honored citizen of the township in 
 which he lives. 
 
 HENRY HUGHES. Among the 
 \oung men of Fremont who have 
 worked their own way in the 
 world, and by manliness, honesty 
 and pluck achieved success, our subject 
 takes an honorable place. He was born 
 in Scott township, Sandusky county, De- 
 cember 16, 1866, son of Michael and 
 Catharine (Conolly) Hughes. 
 
 Michael Hughes was a native of Coun- 
 ty Tyrone, Ireland, and came to America 
 when eighteen years of age. He stopped 
 in Philadelphia one summer, and then 
 coming west located on a farm in Scott 
 township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, in which 
 township he still resides; he is now fifty 
 years of age. His wife died April 2, 1892. 
 They had ten children, two of whom died 
 in childhood; the living are: Henry (our 
 
 subject), Mary, Ellen, Sarah, Lillie May, 
 Michael, William and George. Mr. 
 Hughes is a member of the Roman Cath- 
 olic Church, and in politics he is a Demo- 
 crat. 
 
 Henry Hughes grew to manhood on a 
 farm in Scott township, in the region of 
 the Black Swamp, where he attended 
 country schools until such time as he suc- 
 ceeded in perfecting himself so as to be 
 able to secure a certificate for teaching. 
 This he obtained in 1883, and at the age 
 of seventeen taught the summer term 
 of the Millersville school, and for six con- 
 secutive winter terms thereafter he was 
 engaged for the same school. In the 
 spring of 1888, at the age of twenty-one, 
 he was elected assessor of Scott town- 
 ship, and was re-elected the following 
 spring. In the fall of 1888 he began the 
 study of a special course of surveying and 
 civil engineering, at the Ohio Normal 
 University, Ada, Ohio, graduating with 
 honor. He located in Fremont in 1890, 
 and has since remained here, engaging in 
 surveying and civil engineering in San- 
 dusky and adjoining counties. 
 
 On January 2, 1894, Mr. Hughes was 
 married to jNIiss Mamie Ouilter, an esti- 
 mable and accomplished lady, who was 
 born in Fremont, Ohio, daughter of Tim- 
 othy M. and Mary (Reardon) Ouilter, na- 
 tives of Ireland. Her father is a retired 
 grocer of Fremont, Ohio. A son, Henry 
 Melvin Hughes, has blessed the union of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hughes, born January 25, 
 1895. ^ff"- Hughes was elected surveyor 
 of Sandusky county in the fall of 1894, 
 and in the spring of 1895 was chosen city 
 civil engineer of the city of Fremont. 
 
 SOLOMON HUMBERGER has 
 spent his entire life in the locality 
 which is still his home, Washing- 
 ton township, Sandusky county, 
 having been born there October 19, 1840. 
 He is a son of Benjamin and Mary 
 (Zartman) Humberger, who were reared 
 
218 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in Perry count}', Ohio. The paternal 
 grandparents were residents of Lancaster 
 county, Penn., and the maternal grand- 
 parents also lived in the Keystone State. 
 The respective families came to Ohio 
 when the Indians were more numerous 
 than the white settlers, and were honored 
 pioneers, actively identified with the up- 
 building and development of the com- 
 munity in which they located. The father 
 of our subject was born April 22, 1809, 
 son of Peter and Mary (Snyder) Humber- 
 ger, and the mother was born February 
 19, 1 81 3, daughter of Jonathan and Bar- 
 bara (Anspaugh) Zartman. Their mar- 
 riage was celebrated in Perry county, 
 Ohio, and in 1834 they took up their res- 
 idence in Washington township, Sandusky 
 county, where the father entered 160 
 acres of wild government land, the deed 
 for which, signed by Andrew Jackson, then 
 President of the United States, is still in 
 the possession of our subject. This is 
 the old homestead which is still owned by 
 Solomon Humberger, and which the fa- 
 ther made his place of residence until his 
 death, February 25, 1864. His wife sur- 
 vived him a little over one year, passing 
 away July 26, 1865. The family of this 
 worthy couple numbered ten children, as 
 follows: Melinda, widow of David Hen- 
 dricks, resides in Missouri, and has ten 
 children; Margaret died at the age of four- 
 teen years; Levina is the wife of Barn- 
 hart Faust, of Michigan, and has ten chil- 
 dren; Mary is the wife of Samuel Foster, 
 a resident farmer of Washingon township 
 (Mrs. Foster having part of the old home- 
 stead), and has nine children; Lucinda 
 became the wife of E. F. Whitney, and 
 died leaving four children: Samuel, Isa- 
 bella, Elizabeth and Barbara, all of whom 
 died in childhood; Solomon is the subject 
 proper of these lines. 
 
 Solomon Humberger has passed all 
 his life on the homestead, with the ex- 
 ception of about eight weeks, when away 
 on a visit. He early became familiar 
 with farm work in its various departments. 
 
 and is now a thorough-going agriculturist, 
 successfully managing his business inter- 
 ests and having thereby secured a com- 
 fortable competence. Upon his father's 
 death he bought out the interests of the 
 other heirs in the old home place, and is 
 now sole owner; in 1890 he erected his 
 present commodious and substantial resi- 
 dence. In the same year he leased his 
 land to the Standard Oil Company, and 
 they have sunk six wells, each of which 
 produces at present twelve barrels of oil 
 daily. 
 
 On March 22, 1866, Mr. Humberger 
 wedded Miss Hetty A. Burkett, daughter 
 of Leonard and Fannie (Cotzmeyer) Bur- 
 kett. Nine children blessed this union: 
 David, born January 6, 1867, who resides 
 in Lindsey; Cora Ellen, born February 
 8, 1868, wife of Samuel Kretzer, who is 
 in the oil business in Washington town- 
 ship, Sandusky count}'; Ira, born June 14, 
 1870; Orva Allen, born October 17, 
 1873; William F. , born October 26, 1874; 
 Rosa, born July 31, 1876, wife of Charles 
 Waggner; Benjamin L. , born July 18, 
 1879; George W. , born September 13, 
 1880, and Cornelia L. , born July 26, 
 1884. Since attaining his majority Mr. 
 Humberger has been identified with the 
 Democratic party, and has been honored 
 with several local offices, having served 
 as school director and road supervisor, 
 and for nine years filled the position of 
 trustee, his long-continued service well 
 indicating his fidelity to duty and the 
 confidence reposed in him — a confidence 
 that has never been betrayed. 
 
 DOMINICK SMITH is a worthy 
 representative agriculturist of San- 
 dusky county, and at the same 
 time a representative of its early 
 pioneers. He was born in Wittenberg, 
 Germany, July 10, 1830, son of Bern- 
 hardt and Theresa (Krimm) Smith, and 
 there received a liberal education in the 
 German language. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 219 
 
 In 1854 Mr. Smith came to America, 
 and wending his way to what is now Fre- 
 mont, Sandusky Co. , Ohio, arrived there 
 about the time of the construction of the 
 Lake Erie & Western railroad. It was 
 in the construction of this railway that 
 Mr. Smith did his first day's work in Ohio, 
 arranging with the contractor for perma- 
 nent employment. At the end of the first 
 month of Mr. Smith's hard labor in this 
 capacity the contractorhad left the county, 
 and our subject, as well as the other la- 
 borers, received no remuneration. Pen- 
 niless and in debt for his board, Mr. 
 Smith made his way to the neighborhood 
 in which he now resides, and engaged to 
 work for a Mr. John Rearick during the 
 winter for his board. In the spring work 
 opened on the old jail at Fremont and also 
 in the stone quarry, and here our subject 
 found employment and learned the trade 
 of stone-cutting, which he followed for 
 about ten years. 
 
 During this time Mr. Smith had be- 
 come a warm friend of the Rearick fam- 
 ily, especially the daughter, Barbara, with 
 whom he was united in marriage June 10, 
 1857. Mr. Smith and his estimable wife, 
 by hard labor and economy, secured a 
 fine home in Sandusky township, four 
 miles west of Fremont, where Mrs. Smith 
 departed this life on December 20, 1891, 
 aged sixty-six years, five months and ten 
 days. She was an affectionate wife, a 
 kind and loving mother, and a lady highly 
 esteemed in the community. To Mr. and 
 Mrs. Smith came two sons, of whom 
 Charles L., born November 22, 1859, 
 was married December 25, 1888, to Miss 
 Emma Hiett, and is now on the old home- 
 stead, caring for his father in his declin- 
 ing years. He is a highly respected citi- 
 zen and one of the progressive agricultur- 
 ists of his time. He has one child, a 
 son, Ralph W. John Smith, born April 
 3, 1 86 1, received his early literary train- 
 ing in the Fremont High School under 
 Prof. W. W. Ross, and completed his 
 education at Kenyon College, of which 
 
 institution he is a graduate. Since fin- 
 ishing his college course Mr. Smith has 
 been engaged in the teacher's profession, 
 in which he is eminently successful. For 
 nearly three years he was principal of the 
 high school of Napoleon, Ohio, and for 
 the past six or seven years has held a 
 similar position at Findlay, Ohio. Prof. 
 Smith is also clerk of the board of exam- 
 iners at Findlay, in which capacity he is 
 making his natural adaptability to his 
 profession felt in the furtherance of mod- 
 ern educational ideas. On September 2, 
 1886, he was married to Miss Addie 
 Miller, and to their union has been born 
 one son, Walter. 
 
 Bernhardt Smith, the father of our 
 subject, was born in Germany in 1801, 
 was a farmer by occupation and for four 
 years an officer in the German army. He 
 married Theresa Krimm, also a native of 
 Germany, and to them were born the fol- 
 lowing named children: Dominick, Amos, 
 John, Bernhardt, Philip, Francis, Sardis, 
 Theresa, Amelia, and Edith. Dominick 
 Smith is a Republican in politics, is an 
 active member of the M. E. Church, as 
 was also his wife, and the entire family are 
 noted in the neighborhood in which they 
 .live for intellectuality and respectability. 
 Mr. Smith came to America penniless, 
 but by honest industry and strict integrity 
 he has accumulated a nice property and 
 gained the confidence of all who know 
 him. His success is meritorious, and in 
 language stronger than pen can express 
 shows the true make-up of the man. 
 
 JOHN DYMOND, who, as a soldier 
 on the Union side in the war of the 
 Rebellion, was one of the "boys of 
 '61," is well and favorably known in 
 Green Creek and other neighboring town- 
 ships, as well as in York township, San- 
 dusky count}', which is at present his 
 home. He is a son of William Dymond, 
 and was born in Devonshire, England, 
 December 25, 1842. 
 
220 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 William Dymond was born in Devon- 
 shire, England, in 1807. He worked at 
 his trade, which was that of a mason, 
 both before and after coming to America. 
 In 185 1 he crossed the stormy Atlantic 
 and cast his fortunes in this "land of the 
 free," which his son John showed by his 
 courageous deeds a few years later is the 
 "home of the brave." He first located 
 at Bellevue, Huron county, his family 
 coming one year later. Being of a roving 
 disposition, he went to Illinois in 1854, 
 locating in Rockford, where he remained 
 but one year, returning to Bellevue, pre- 
 ferring to live among the peaceful settlers 
 of Ohio rather than in the crude Western 
 society of nearly forty years ago. 
 
 In his boyhood John Dymond received 
 a common-school education, and he was 
 but little past nineteen when, on August 
 16, 1 86 1 , he enlisted in Company F, Forty- 
 ninth O. v. I. After serving for thirteen 
 months, during which time he was in the 
 battles of Munfordville, December 17, 
 1 861, and Shiloh, April 7, 1862, at which 
 latter place half of his knife was shot out 
 of his pocket. He was discharged for dis- 
 abilit}-, and on recovering his health he 
 re-enlisted, August 17, 1863, in Company 
 B, First Ohio Volunteer Heavy Artillery. 
 He served until the close of the war, and 
 was mustered out July 25, 1865. In the 
 fall of 1867 John Dymond was united in 
 marriage with Miss Sarah Cupp, who was 
 born in York township January 31, 1849, 
 and they had six children, four of whom 
 are now living, namely: William E., an 
 employe of the Nickel Plate road at Colby, 
 Sandusky county; John V., who is at 
 home; Ada M., wife of Frank Tea, of 
 York township; and Essy M., at present 
 living with her grandparents in Kansas. 
 After his marriage Mr. Dymond farmed 
 in York township for severel years, and 
 then in February, 1878, moved to Kansas, 
 where the death of Mrs. Dymond occurred 
 in September of that year. Later the be- 
 reaved family returned to Ohio. 
 
 On May 4, 1880, John Dymond was 
 
 again married, this time to Mrs. Sophia 
 Douglas, and they have had four children, 
 as follows: Edward C, born April 26, 
 i88[; Louis H., August 30, 1882; Ezra 
 E., June 27, 1884, and Mary E., Feb- 
 ruary 23, 1888. Mrs. Dymond is a 
 daughter of Daniel and Ruth Jones, and 
 was born August 16, 1847, her maiden 
 name being Sophia Jones. Mr. Jones is 
 now eighty-two years old, and is living 
 with his daughter, Mrs. Jones being dead. 
 Sophia Jones was united in marriage with 
 ^^'illiam Douglas on March 28, 1867, and 
 their children were: EmmaT., wife of 
 William Lawrey, of Green Creek town- 
 ship; Lottie R. , wife of William Spitler, 
 of Tiffin, Seneca county; and Alvin and 
 Celia at home. Mr. Douglas died Jan- 
 uary 2, 1877, and in 1880 his widow mar- 
 ried Mr. Dymond. 
 
 Mr. Dymond cast his first vote for 
 Lincoln, then he embraced Democratic 
 principles, and for years cast his ballot 
 for the candidates he preferred, and ex- 
 pounded Jeffersonian doctrines; but within 
 the past few years he, like many others, 
 has lost faith in the old parties, and joined 
 the party of radical reform, the People's 
 party. Mr. and Mrs. Dymond are both 
 members of the conservative wing of the 
 United Brethren Church. 
 
 SILAS M. TEACHOUT. a well- 
 known resident of Benton town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, where since 
 1 891 he has been engaged in the 
 insurance business, was born in Lorain 
 county, Ohio, June 23, 1831, son of James 
 and Eliza (Haywood) Teachout. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject was a 
 native of Scotland. His father, James 
 Teachout, a minister of the Gospel, was 
 born about 1780, and the mother in 1800, 
 both in New York State. The father had, 
 by long illness, become somewhat unbal- 
 anced mentally, and on hearing that his 
 son was very sick he left the house and 
 was afterward found on the beach of Lake 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 221 
 
 Erie; it is supposed the news of his son's 
 severe ilhiess so overcame him that pro- 
 bably he accidentally tell into the lake. 
 The mother died in 1836. The father's 
 health being poor at the time of the 
 mother's death, it became necessary for 
 him to break up housekeeping, and put 
 the children out. Mr. Teachout, our 
 subject, being ne.xt to the youngest child, 
 was thus at the age of five years put 
 out among strangers to find a home. His 
 advantages for an education were very 
 limited, it being necessary for him to 
 work early in life. However, he was de- 
 termined to secure a liberal education, to 
 acquire which he worked by the month 
 on farms during the summer to clothe 
 himself, and in winter worked for his 
 board in order that he might attend the 
 district school. "Where there's a will 
 there's a way." 
 
 At the age of eighteen he went into 
 the " Weedle Hotel," in Cleveland, re- 
 maining there one year, and then for six 
 months worked in the "Forest City 
 House," also in Cleveland, going thence to 
 Buffalo, where he was employed in a res- 
 taurant a few months. He then shipped 
 on a steamer running between Chicago 
 and Buffalo, on which he spent the sea- 
 son, and, later, was porter in the " Lake 
 House," at Sandusky about a year. 
 Thence removing to Columbus, he con- 
 tinued the same line of business some 
 three years, or until 1856, in the " Xeal 
 House," when he again commenced farm- 
 ing. After working by the month for 
 two summers, he rented a farm which he 
 worked t\vo years. 
 
 In 1863 Mr. Teachout enlisted in Com- 
 pany G, One Hundred and Twent\'-third 
 O. V. I., and served until the end of the 
 war, participating in the battles of New- 
 market, Mount Crawford, Lynchburg and 
 Cedar Creek, and in other engagements. 
 He was also in hospital five months. On 
 the retreat from the battle at Lynchburg, 
 two hundred miles, he with the remainder 
 of his company was without rations for 
 
 four days, the only nourishment being 
 coffee; when the provision wagon came 
 the soldiers did not stop to cook their 
 meat, but eat it raw along with their 
 hard-tack. After his honorable discharge, 
 May 13, 1865, Mr. Teachout returned to 
 Ohio, and in Sandusky opened a restau- 
 rant, which at the end of one year he sold 
 out, moving to Oak Harbor, Ottawa 
 count}', where for some time he was em- 
 ployed in getting out axe-helve timber. 
 In the spring of 1867 the whole family 
 were taken sick with fever and ague, which 
 made it impossible for them to do any- 
 thing for nearly a year, and when able to 
 renew work Mr. Teachout found employ- 
 ment in the sawmill of Doolittle & Co., 
 with whom he remained until 1868, when 
 he engaged in the manufacture of flat 
 barrel hoops. This business he carried 
 on some fifteen years, in 1883 building a 
 shop of his own; but in 1891, the timber 
 having become very scarce, he abandoned 
 the business and commenced handling in- 
 surance (fire and tornado), in which line 
 he has since continued with gratif3'ing 
 success. 
 
 On May 15, 1853, Mr. Teachout was 
 married to Miss Julia McAul, of Sandusky, 
 Ohio, and to their union came two chil- 
 dren: Mary Ann, born March 18, 1854, 
 died May 10, 1854, and Albert, born July 
 8, 1858. On May 14, 1S60, the mother 
 of these died, her malady being consump- 
 tion of the bowels, and is buried in San- 
 dusky city. After her death Mr. Teach- 
 out continued to work on farms for two 
 years, and in the meantime, on June 22, 
 1 861, he was wedded to Miss Sarah Mc- 
 Namara, of Cleveland, Ohio. By this 
 marriage there were nine children, six of 
 whom are living, their names and dates 
 of birth being as follows: Cornelius 
 Walter, October i 8, 1 862 ; Delia May, Feb- 
 ruary 16, 1866; Silas William, June 4, 
 1868; Lillie Maud, May 3, 1873; Myron 
 W. , April 2, 1876, and Harvey S., Feb- 
 ruary 14, 1878. On July 17, 1 88 1, Mr. 
 Teachout's second wife died, and Sep- 
 
222 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 tember 30, same year, her eldest daugh- 
 ter passed away; they were buried in 
 Benton township cemetery. On October 
 28, 1884, Mr. Teachout wedded, for his 
 third spouse. Miss Elizabeth Gilbert, of 
 England. This union has been blessed 
 by one child. Mr. Teachout is therefore 
 the father of twelve children, eight of 
 whom are living. His eldest son, Albert, 
 has, during the past ten years, been en- 
 gaged in the barrel stave business in Lucas 
 county, Ohio. Another son, Myron W., 
 now nineteen years of age, is one of the 
 promising teachers of Ottawa county. 
 He is full of perseverance and determin- 
 ation to make a success of anything he 
 undertakes. He has the pleasant faculty 
 of winning friends wherever he goes, and 
 has the good-will and love of all his pupils, 
 without which no teacher can e.xpect suc- 
 cess. 
 
 On February 25. 1877, Silas M. Teach- 
 out became a member of the First Presby- 
 terian Church of Graj'town, Ottawa Co., 
 Ohio; on September 11, 1877, he was 
 chosen and ordained ruling elder of that 
 Church, since which time he has been a 
 consistent Christian, and a large share of 
 the time he has been a faithful worker for 
 Christ in the Sabbath-school and other 
 Christian work. 
 
 J 
 
 MARION HAWK. Most soldiers of 
 the great Civil war look back upon 
 their army e.xperiences with fond 
 memories. There were thrilling ad- 
 ventures, imminent dangers, deeds of 
 heroism, hair-breadth escapes, that rise 
 in their recollections like living pictures, 
 and too often, to look on the other side, 
 scenes of sadness and distressing death. 
 It is doubtful if there is in Sandusky coun- 
 ty a surviving soldier of the war whose 
 career during the momentous struggle was 
 more thrilling than that of J. Marion 
 Hawk, now a leading farmer and citizen 
 of Green Creek, his native township. 
 
 He was born March 31, 1845, and is 
 
 the son of Joseph and Sarah (Tillotson) 
 Hawk, the former of whom was born in 
 Pickaway county, Ohio, in 1814. His 
 father, Conrad Hawk, a native of Penn- 
 sylvania, was an early pioneer of Pick- 
 awa}' county, later, about 1824, settling 
 with his family in Green Creek township, 
 Sandusky county. Joseph was about ten 
 years old when he came to Green Creek 
 township, and he was a lifelong citizen 
 there, dying in 1889. He was twice mar- 
 ried, first time to Sarah Jane Tillotson, by 
 whom he had four children: William, who 
 died in Michigan; Maria, who married 
 Joseph King, and died in Green Creek 
 township; Elizabeth, wife of Henry 
 Baker, of Green Creek township; and J. 
 Marion, subject of this sketch. The 
 second wife of Joseph Hawk was Martha 
 Harris, by whom he had the following 
 eight children: Sarah, wife of H. G. Gib- 
 bons, of Clyde; Alva; Mary, wife of B. 
 Snyder, of Fremont; Charles and Ida 
 (twins), the former a resident of Oregon, 
 the latter the wife of S. Sherwood, of 
 Fremont; Byron; Anna, wife of Cyrus 
 Harnden, of Clyde; and Etta, wife of 
 Cyrus Kessler, of Cleveland. The mother 
 of this family is still living. 
 
 J. Marion Hawk, usually known as 
 Marion, was reared on the farm, and dur- 
 ing his boyhood attended the district 
 schools. He was barely si.xteen when 
 Fort Sumter was fired upon, and between 
 impetuous patriotism for his country's 
 flag, and the love of excitement, he was 
 eager to enlist, but his father frowned 
 upon his wishes. Yielding to his impulses, 
 in the fall of 1861, Marion ran away from 
 home and enlisted in Company D, of the 
 gallant Third Cavalry Volunteers. He 
 remained with the regiment for three 
 years and nine months, during which long 
 period the history of the regiment was his 
 historv. It was in constant and perilous ser- 
 vice throughout Tennessee, Alabama and 
 Georgia. While on his way home in the 
 fall of 1864 he and a number of comrades 
 were taken prisoners at Columbia, Tenn. 
 
Jk/. /V^. 
 
 r 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 223 
 
 They were escorted to a prison atCahaba, 
 Ala. , and thence were transferred to the 
 stockade at Macon, Ga., where they re- 
 mained two months. While here he, with 
 a few companions, attempted an escape. 
 They had tunneled over loo feet, and 
 were almost read}' to escape, when a Con- 
 federate officer noticed the string attached 
 to a small pan used in drawing out the 
 dirt, and pulled. The prisoner in the 
 tunnel, thinking it was a companion, cried 
 out: "No, wait; it is not full yet." "You 
 had better come out," drawled the officer, 
 and the countenance of the grimy tunneler 
 fell when he emerged and beheld the grey 
 coat. All the work had been in vain. 
 
 When removed from the Macon 
 stockade to a train, Mr. Hawk and sev- 
 eral others felt that the dreaded Ander- 
 sonville was their destination, so eight of 
 them resolved to escape. They were in 
 a stock car, near the front end of the 
 train, and surrounded by three guards, 
 but knocking down the guards they 
 jumped from the swiftly moving train. A 
 Rebel guard on a following car aimed his 
 musket at Mr. Hawk, but, noticing the 
 gray jacket which he wore, and which he 
 had traded for as a protection in a pos- 
 sible emergency like this, the guard re- 
 frained from shooting. The train passed 
 by and the eight prisoners made the best 
 of their newly-found liberty. They 
 tramped through tangled swamp and mire 
 until nearly sunset, when the ominous 
 blast of a horn told them that the South- 
 erners were in pursuit. They separated, 
 five starting one way, three another. 
 Mr. Hawk and his two companions 
 reached the edge of a swamp. Beyond, 
 the water was deep, and the baying of 
 the bloodhounds grew louder. Recap- 
 ture was certain, and to climb trees was 
 the onl\' means of safety against the dogs. 
 The two companions climbed trees upon 
 the dry land, but Mr. Hawk, to give the 
 "Johnnies" all the trouble possible, 
 waded a long distance into the swamp, 
 till it was waist deep, then climbed a tree 
 
 himself. This was February 2, 1865, 
 and the weather was raw and chilly. He 
 heard the " Rebs " arrive, and take away 
 the two companions. After dark he de- 
 scended, waded ashore and tramped on 
 alone quite a distance, when a light ap- 
 peared. Approaching, for he was hungry 
 and tired, and ready to meet any human 
 being, he found on investigation that the 
 light was in a negro shanty. Gaining ad- 
 mission, he was asked if he was one of 
 the escaped Yankees whom the Confed- 
 erates were pursuing with bloodhounds, 
 and he admitted that he was. The col- 
 ored man fed him, and assured him that 
 if he would take dirt from a grave and rub 
 it on his feet and clothes the scent of the 
 bloodhounds would be destroyed. They 
 urged him to take the precaution, and 
 two darkeys procured some of the magic 
 mold. Though skeptical, he tried the 
 charm, and somewhat refreshed con- 
 tinued on his weary journey north- 
 ward ail that night, and until three 
 o'clock the next day, when the bay- 
 ing of hounds and the blast of horns in- 
 formed him that relentless pursuers were 
 on his track. He was then in an open, 
 rolling country, and knew that further 
 flight was useless. Selecting a scrub oak, 
 large enough to bear his weight and keep 
 him beyond the fangs of the hounds, he 
 climbed the tree and awaited the inev- 
 itable. Soon the bloodhounds were leap- 
 ing, and howling, and gnawing at the 
 base of the tree. Their howls were hid- 
 eous and deafening. Three elderly men 
 appeared on horseback and requested 
 him to descend. He complied, where- 
 upon the dogs became uncontrollable and 
 Air. Hawk quickly regained his lofty 
 perch. The old gentlemen finally si- 
 lenced the hounds, and the escaped pris- 
 oner frankly admitted his identity. Upon 
 the return journey he was permitted to 
 ride each of two horses alternately, but 
 not the third, which was a superior ani- 
 mal, and Mr. Hawk thus lost an oppor- 
 tunity to make another break for liberty, 
 
224 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 for he had resolved to risk the shotguns 
 of the old men if once mounted on the 
 fast horse. But thoujjh each of the three 
 old gentlemen walked alternately they 
 kept the best horse to themselves. Stop- 
 ping at night at a farmhouse, Mr. Hawk 
 was left without a guard; but the blood- 
 hounds, let loose outside, deterred him 
 from attempting to escape. 
 
 Mr. Hawk was forthwith sent to An- 
 dersonville, and there met his seven late 
 companions, all of whom had preceded 
 him. He saw the notorious Capt. Wirz, 
 and was imprisoned there about two 
 months. Luckily Mr. Hawk did not fare so 
 badly as many of his compatriots. He 
 and four other prisoners had a tent and kept 
 a peanut stand; also bought corn meal 
 from the Rebel guards and sold it to the 
 prisoners. At the end of two months he 
 had $6 in greenbacks and about $600 in 
 Confederate money. Prisoners were 
 being exchanged every few days, and the 
 Rebel officials were compelling the prison- 
 ers to pay for the privilege of being placed 
 on the e.xchange list. By giving up all 
 their money and other effects Mr. Hawk 
 and his companions finally got out. They 
 were placed on a cattle car and sent to 
 Vicksburg, where thej' were exchanged. 
 Here, with about twenty-two hundred other 
 passengers, mostly Union soldiers, but in- 
 cluding a few Confederates and a few 
 women, he boarded the ill-fated "Sul- 
 tana." The history of tiiat steamer is 
 well known. It blew upabout eight miles 
 above Memphis, April 27, 1865, and over 
 seventeen hundred passengers were lost. 
 Mr. Hawk was on top of the boat near 
 the pilot house when the e.xplosion oc- 
 curred. Putting on his clothes he rolled 
 up his blankets, and looking around for 
 some means of escape he saw a stateroom 
 door lying loose, and took possession. 
 The scene was horrible beyond descrip- 
 tion. There were mangled dead and 
 dying lying about, and hundreds were 
 wailing, who must choose between a death 
 by fire or water. Watching his oppor- 
 
 tunity' Mr. Hawk shoved off with his door. 
 He swam bravely for a while, but was 
 seized with cramps in his legs, and got 
 badl}' tangled in the vines and debris of 
 the river drift. Finally reaching shore he 
 made his way northward, and was hon- 
 orably discharged from service May 15, 
 1865. 
 
 He returned to his father's farm, and 
 was married, in 1870, to Miss Mary A. 
 Bower, who was born in Sandusky City 
 March 21, 1850. Her parents were na- 
 tives of Baden, Germany. Mr. and Nfrs. 
 Hawk have three children: Pranklin M., 
 born August 6, 1873; Irma G., born Au- 
 gust 10, 1876; and Ruth E., born June 
 7, 1885. Mr. Hawk owns 104 acres of 
 good land, and is decidedly one of the 
 best farmers in his township. He is tall 
 of stature, well informed, and socially, a 
 leader. In politics he is a Democrat. He 
 is a prominent member and now chancellor 
 commander of the K. of P., and is also 
 past colonel of the U. V. U. 
 
 A J. CASTLE, one of the substan- 
 tial farmers of York township, 
 Sandusky county, has won ad- 
 miration by his sure and steady 
 rise to comfort, possesses unquestioned 
 integrity, and has acquired a modest 
 competency by his own unaided efforts. 
 He was born in Erie county December 
 26, 1 84 1, a son of John and Rhoda (Mc- 
 Gill) Castle. 
 
 John Castle, the father, was born in 
 Lycoming county, Penn., in 1800, son of 
 David Castle, of Scotch-Irish extraction. 
 When a young man John Castle migrated 
 to Groton township, Erie county. Here 
 he married Rhoda McGill, who was born 
 in Groton township in 181 3, of New Eng- 
 land parentage. John Castle in 1852 re- 
 moved to Thompson township, Seneca 
 county, and four years later he came to 
 York township, Sandusky county, where 
 he lived until his death in 1867. He was 
 a man of tall stature and hard)- constitu- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 225 
 
 tioii, and had been sick less than two 
 days when he died. He threshed the day 
 he became ill and died diirin<( the follow- 
 ing night. In politics John Castle was a 
 Republican. In early life he was a mem- 
 ber of the M. E. Church, but later he be- 
 came connected with the U. B. Society 
 near his home. His wife survived until 
 1881. 
 
 A. J. Castle, the subject of this sketch, 
 remained with his father, attending the 
 common schools, until he was eighteen. 
 He then began farm work by the month 
 until August 22, 1862, when he enlisted 
 in Company B, One Hundred andTwentj'- 
 third O. V. I. The regiment was as- 
 signed to the Eighth Corps in West Vir- 
 ginia, and served three years. Mr. Castle 
 participated in the battles of Winchester 
 (Va.), Newmarket, Piedmont, Lynch- 
 burg, Snicker's Ford, Berry ville, Fisher's 
 Hill, Cedar Creek, High Bridge and 
 others. He saw Gen. Sheridan on his 
 famous ride to Winchester, Va. ; was 
 mustered out in June, 1865, returned 
 home and resumed farming, working also 
 in a sawmill. Including his military serv- 
 ice, Mr. Castle worked for si.xteen years 
 for monthl)' wages. 
 
 In 1880 he was married to Miss Alice 
 Moyer, who was born in Sandusky county 
 October 14, 1856, daughter of Samuel 
 and Eve (Kline) Moyer, both natives of 
 Union county, Penn. The father, who 
 was of German ancestry, was born in 
 1804, the mother in 18 10. They married 
 in Pennsylvania, and about 1S53 migrated 
 to York township, Sandusky county. 
 Later Samuel Moyer removed to Michi- 
 gan, where he died in 1876; his wife after 
 lived in Kansas, whence she returned in 
 May, 1895; a few weeks later she was 
 stricken with paralysis, and died at the 
 home of Albert Streeter August 2, 1895. 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Castle four children 
 have been born: Mabel, Carmi, John 
 and Rhoda. After his marriage Mr. Cas- 
 tle rented a farm and continued to till the 
 land of others until three years ago, when 
 
 he purchased a fertile farm of forty-three 
 acres. He is engaged in general farming 
 and in raising vegetables, especially cab- 
 bages. In politics he is a Republican. 
 His wife is a member of the U. B. Church. 
 Mr. Castle was in 1894 elected trustee 
 of the township. He has many friends, 
 and bears the reputation of being an un- 
 usually successful farmer. 
 
 GEORGE WALTERS, a promi- 
 nent and substantial farmer of 
 Woodville township, Sandusky 
 countv, is a native of that 
 county, born February 3, 1855, and is a 
 son of Louis and Anne (Hinnes) Walters. 
 Louis Walters was born in \\'itten- 
 berg, Germany, in 1809, received his 
 education in his native town, and en- 
 gaged in farming. When but a young 
 man he came to the United States, lo- 
 cating first in Virginia, where he drove 
 teams for a livelihood. In Wheeling, \'a., 
 on February 12, 1834, Louis Walters 
 married Anne Hinnes, who was born in 
 Hanover, Germany, and they had the 
 following children: Rosina, born in Febru- 
 ar3% 1836, wife of Edward Swit^keble, 
 a farmer of Michigan; John, born in 
 1838, and died in Libby prison during 
 the Civil war; Louis, born in 1840, now 
 a farmer in Michigan; Peter, born in 
 1842, who also resides in Michigan; 
 Rebecca, born in 1844, wife of Henry 
 Clockems, of Michigan; Wesley, born 
 February 14, 1853, and burned to death 
 in the fire on the homestead, in 1894; 
 David, a farmer; George, the subject of 
 this sketch; and Mary, born August 11, 
 1858, now the wife of Albert Windier, a 
 farmer of Ohio. 
 
 Louis Walters remained in Virginia 
 three years, and after his marriage came 
 to Sandusky county, Ohio, where he 
 bought eighty acres of land, all in tim- 
 ber, and inhabited by wolves, deer, and 
 other denizens of the forest. Having 
 
226 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 built a log cabin for himself and family, 
 when there were only two other settlers 
 in the neighborhood, he went to work 
 with a stout and willing heart to make a 
 farm from the wilderness. The trees 
 soon gave way before the axe in the 
 the hands of the hardy woodman, and 
 the stumps and gnarled and interlacing 
 roots of the forest monarchs were sup- 
 planted in a short time by stalks of 
 corn and waving fields of wheat. While 
 the summer sun was still high in the 
 heavens he garnered the golden grain, 
 and when the leaves took on the brilliant 
 hues of the declining year he threshed 
 out, with swinging ilail, the myriads of 
 kernels, the bounty of the harvest. And 
 this he bore for many miles, on bended 
 back, with toiling feet, to the mill that 
 ground for those who brought, and then 
 returned, while autumn winds sighed 
 through the woodland, sometimes when 
 wintry blasts blew keen and chill. And 
 thus bread was provided for himself and 
 family. Many were the hardships he 
 endured while laboring to make a 
 farm and home for his family. There 
 were no roads or ditches, and he 
 often had to wade through the water 
 that stood in places on his land. But 
 from year to year the good work was 
 continued, with ever-increasing facilities, 
 until the eighty acres were cleared, and 
 most of the superfluous water drained 
 off with suitable ditching. He erected a 
 good dwelling house, built a barn and 
 outhouses, planted a fine orchard and 
 made various other improvements, event- 
 ually finding himself the possessor of one 
 of the finest and best cultivated farms in 
 the township of Woodville. Mr. Walters 
 was a stanch Republican, and always 
 took a deep interest in the political affairs 
 and school matters of the township. He 
 died on the homestead in July, 1893, at 
 the ripe age of eighty-four years, 
 lamented by a large circle of friends, 
 and by his sorrowing wife and family. 
 His widow, who is still living, resides 
 
 with her son David, who is caring for her 
 in her old age. 
 
 George Walters attended school in 
 Woodville township, worked with his 
 brothers on his father's farm, helped to 
 clear the homestead, ditch the land, 
 plant the orchard, and in the general 
 routine of daily toil. His father divided 
 the farm between him and one of his 
 brothers, and he attended to its culti- 
 vation and built a very fine dwelling 
 house. In 1894 this was destroyed by a 
 fire, in which he lost all his household 
 effects, and, saddest of all, his brother 
 was burned to death. The property 
 lost was valued at over $3,000, but 
 there was an insurance of $2,000. Mr. 
 \\'alters is now constructing a fine dwell- 
 ing house on the ruins of his old home, 
 at a cost of $2,400, and when completed 
 it will be one of the finest in the town- 
 ship. 
 
 On December 29, 1882, George Wal- 
 ters was united in marriage with Helen 
 Nuhfer, daughter of Anthony Nuhfer, 
 and they ha\e had two children: Frank, 
 born September 29, 1883; and Carroll, 
 born February 27, 1891. Mr. Walters 
 has two oil wells on his farm, which is 
 one of the best cultivated in the neigh- 
 borhood. He is an industrious, hard- 
 working man, an enterprising citizen, 
 is much respe.cted, and has many friends. 
 
 JOSEPH JORDAN is highly respected 
 as one of the most industrious and 
 prosperous citizens of York town- 
 ship, Sandusky county. It is the 
 theory of Mr. Jordan that if each mem- 
 ber of society will carefully attend to his 
 own affairs, the great body politic will 
 fare well. He thinks that human char- 
 acter in the main is sound and honest, 
 and therefore does not need officious in- 
 spection. Acting on this opinion and be- 
 lief he has assiduously applied himself to 
 the work that lay before him, and the re- 
 sults have been gratifying to himself and 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 227 
 
 a source of commendation for his many 
 friends. 
 
 Mr. Jordan was born in Thompson 
 township, Seneca county, in September, 
 1835, son of Adam and Sophia Jordan. 
 Adam Jordan was born in Union county, 
 Penn., in 1S07, and his father, who was 
 of French ancestry, was a native of the 
 same county. The grandfather lived to 
 the age of only forty, but the grand- 
 mother attained the ripe old age of ninety- 
 seven years. About 1836 Adam Jordan 
 migrated with his family from Pennsyl- 
 vania to Thompson township, Seneca 
 county, and later he came to York town- 
 ship, Sandusky county; he was a member 
 of the Lutheran Church, and died in 1862. 
 His wdfe, who was born in 181 7, lived 
 until 1869. Their children were as fol- 
 lows: Sarah, wife of U. Weaver, of 
 Lucas county; Martin, also of Lucas 
 county; Lucy (now the widow of John 
 McCauley), of Bellevue; Joseph, subject 
 of this sketch; Mary Ann, unmarried, liv- 
 ing on the old homestead; George W. , 
 who also lives on the old homestead; 
 Hannah, a maiden lady; James, of Belle- 
 vue; and John, who died aged twenty-six 
 years. 
 
 Joseph Jordan grew up in York town- 
 ship, and in his youth worked on the 
 home farm. He also thoroughly learned 
 the trade of brick burning, and followed 
 that occupation some eighteen or twenty 
 years in Sandusky county, part of the 
 time at Fremont. Mr. Jordan is in a 
 great measure self-educated. In 1858 he 
 was married at the age of twenty-three 
 years to Miss Hannah Gamby, who was 
 born in Huron county in 1836, and six 
 children have been born to them: Adam, 
 Samuel, Alice, Clara, Minerva and Irvin. 
 Of these, Adam married Susan Spriggs, 
 and lives on an adjoining farm (he has one 
 child — Carmi); Samuel died at the age of 
 twenty-seven years; Alice is also deceased; 
 Clara is the wife of George Parker; Mi- 
 nerva is at home; Irvin is married to Miss 
 Gertrude Diment. Mr. Jordan after his 
 
 marriage lived for a time in Green Creek 
 township, then purchased his present 
 farm of 104 acres in York township, and 
 has lived there twenty-one years. He is 
 a member of the Patrons of Husbandry, 
 and in local politics he votes rather for 
 the man than for the part}'. 
 
 ANDREW PFEIFER, a prominent 
 farmer of Green Creek township, 
 Sandusky county, was born in 
 Hesse, Germany, December 11, 
 1856, a grandson of Andrew Pfeifer, and 
 son of Conrad Pfeifer and Elizabeth 
 (Simon) Pfeifer. Conrad Pfeifer was 
 born in Hesse, and was by occupation a 
 railroad man. He was killed by acci- 
 dent, at his employment, at about the 
 age of fifty. Mrs. Elizabeth (Simon) 
 Pfeifer was born in the same locality, 
 and died in Germany at the age of sixty. 
 She was the mother of six children: 
 Adam, who now lives in Germany, and 
 is a railroad man ; Henrj-, a farmer in 
 Fulton county, Ohio; Catharine, who 
 married Fred Schaffer, and now resides in 
 Huron county, near Norwalk; Andrew, 
 the subject proper of this sketch; and 
 Elizabeth and Conrad (twins), the latter 
 of whom was drowned when thirteen 
 years of age. 
 
 Andrew Pfeifer came to America at 
 about fifteen years of age, landing at 
 New York City, whence he proceeded di- 
 rectly to Sandusky City, Ohio, where he 
 found employment as a laborer on a 
 farm, at which he continued six years. 
 Having judiciously saved his earnings, he 
 rented a farm, purchased the necessary 
 equipments, and commenced doing bus- 
 iness for himself. He farmed in Erie 
 county about nine 3'ears. In 1881 he 
 married Miss Katie Strack, who was born 
 in Germany January 6, 1853, a daughter 
 of Philip Jacob and Marguerite (Gross) 
 Strack, the former of whom was a laborer 
 in Germany, and died at the age of sixty- 
 eight; the latter, now eighty years of 
 
228 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 age, resides at Sandusky City. Six of 
 their children grew to maturitj': PhiHp, 
 who Hves at Sandusky City; a daughter 
 who married WilHam Gross, of Bellevue; 
 W'iHiam, Hving in Sandusky City; Chris- 
 tian, of the same place; Margaret, who 
 married a Mr. Wise, and lives in Belle- 
 vue; and Katie, wife of our subject. 
 
 The names and dates of birth of the 
 children born to Andrew and Katie 
 Pfeifer are as follows: Katie M., Oc- 
 tober 21, 1883; Henry E., May 9, 1885; 
 Frederick A., April 6, 1887, George A., 
 December 15, 1888; Charles A., April 
 14, 1891; and William J., March 29, 
 1894. The two eldest were born in Ox- 
 ford township, Erie Co., Ohio, the others 
 in Green Creek township, Sandusky 
 county. 
 
 In 1887 Mr. Pfeifer purchased 160 
 acres of land in Green Creek township, 
 near Green Spring, which he has worked 
 to good advantage up to the present 
 time. With a farm of more than the 
 average in size and fertility, rendered 
 still more productive by careful cultiva- 
 tion, Mr. Pfeifer bids fair to become one 
 of the most substantial men in his com- 
 munity. Mr. and Mrs. Pfeifer are mem- 
 bers of the Lutheran Church, and for peo- 
 ple of their years, having the greatest 
 portion of life still before them, they have 
 been unusually successful. 
 
 EDWARD JESCHKE was born in 
 Pomerania, Germany, May 25, 
 1858, and is a son of August and 
 Augusta (Runje) Jeschke, both of 
 whom were born in Germanj', and came 
 to America in August, 1874. 
 
 August Jeschke, although quite old, 
 still follows his trade of blacksmith, and 
 does an amount of work every day that 
 many a younger man might emulate. 
 Charles, born January 24, 1846, and Ed- 
 ward, the subject of this sketch, are the 
 only ones remaining of the five children 
 
 of Mr. and Mrs. August Jeschke, who 
 are at present living with their son Charles. 
 Edward Jeschke received a common- 
 school education in his native land, which 
 he left for the United States in the spring 
 of 1873. Coming at once to Townsend 
 township, Sandusky county, which is still 
 his home, he worked at the blacksmith's 
 trade for several years. He then opened 
 a store and saloon in Vickery, Townsend 
 township, which he continued until ' ' local 
 option " was carried in the township, pro- 
 hibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors. 
 In November, 1879, he was united in 
 marriage with Miss Bena Mapus, who was 
 born March 28, 1861. Of their nine 
 children, seven are still living, their names 
 and dates of birth being as follows: Mary, 
 July 6, 1881; Hannah, October 23, 1883; 
 Fred, April 17, 1885; Pearl, June i, 1887; 
 August, December 14, 1888; Charles, 
 November 12, 1890; and John. January 
 30, 1894, all living at home. Mr. Jeschke 
 now represents the Stang Brewing Co. , 
 of Sandusky county, at Gibsonburg. In 
 politics he is an ardent believer in and 
 defender of the Democratic doctrine. 
 
 DANIEL I. GARN, a citizen of Fre- 
 mont, Sandusky county, was born 
 in Union township, Bedford Co., 
 Penn., March 31, 1844. His 
 father. Christian Garn, was born Februarj' 
 13. '799> in the same locality, and, in the 
 fall of 1826, married Catherine, daughter 
 of Henry Ickes, a native of the Keystone 
 State. 
 
 Our subject was one of a family of ten 
 children: (i) Catherine, born April 6, 
 
 1828, who married Solomon Mauk, and 
 their children were — George, Louisa, 
 Christian, Joseph, Hannah, Jane, Will- 
 iam, Frank and Annie; politically the sons 
 were Democrats, and in religious affiliation 
 the family were members of the Reformed 
 Church. (2) Susan, born in October, 
 
 1829, married to Edward Conrad, a 
 mason by trade, who was a member of 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHIVAL RECORD. 
 
 229 
 
 the Reformed Church, and in pohtics a 
 Democrat; they had children as follows — 
 Elizabeth, John, George, Joseph, Daniel, 
 Abner, Edward, Mary and Levi. (3) Mar- 
 garet, born October i, 1831, married 
 Adam Briggle, a farmer, member of the 
 Reformed Church; the result of their 
 unipn was children as follows — Hannah 
 and Daniel. (4) John I. was born October 
 27i 1833, probate judge of Sandusky coun- 
 ty, Ohio, in politics a Republican, and a 
 member of the Evangelical Association; 
 the names of his children are: Jane, 
 Hannah, Delilah, Mary, Catherine, Minnie 
 and John C. (5) Jacob died in childhood. 
 (6) George, born 1838, a farmer in Jack- 
 son township, married Elizabeth Walters, 
 and they had two children — William and 
 Emma; he was a member of the Evangel- 
 ical Association, and in politics was a 
 Democrat. (7) Hannah, born February 
 27, 1 84 1, married John Kisaberts, a farmer 
 of Seneca county, Ohio; he was a mem- 
 ber of the Evangelical Association, polit- 
 ically a Republican. (8) Daniel!., sub- 
 ject of this sketch; and two that died in 
 infancy. 
 
 Daniel I. Garn grew to manhood in 
 the State of Pennsylvania, and at the age 
 of twenty years was drafted into the mili- 
 tary service of the United States, in the 
 war of the Rebellion, serving in Company 
 G, Ninety-first Pennsylvania Infantry, 
 Army of the Potomac. He went to Cham- 
 bersburg, then on to Richmond, Va. He 
 was in the Weldon Railroad raid, and 
 helped destroy the track, so as to cut off 
 connection with Nashville, Tenn. Being 
 taken sick there with fever, he was sent 
 to City Point Hospital, and later to Wash- 
 ington, D. C, where he lay from Febru- 
 ary 28 until May 10, when he returned 
 home. He was in Washington City at 
 the time President Lincoln was shot, April 
 14, 1865. After his return from the war, 
 Mr. Garn worked at the cooper trade 
 twelve years, carried on farming for his 
 father seven years, then came to Ohio 
 and settled in Scott township, where he 
 
 remained five years, thence moving to 
 Jackson township, where he resided five 
 years. He is now a resident of Fremont, 
 Ohio. He is a Republican in politics, 
 and is identified with the Reformed 
 Church. In 1892 he was elected justice 
 of the peace, and has held other offices in 
 his township. 
 
 On July 29, 1866, Mr. Garn married 
 Miss Virginia Griffith, who was born April 
 23, 1842, a daughter of William and Sarah 
 Griffith, natives of Pennsylvania, and 
 their children are: (i) Lilian Grace, born 
 Mayg, 1 867, married Henry Ickes, ablack- 
 smith in Cambria county, Penn. ; he is a 
 Republican in politics, and is a member 
 of the Lutheran Church; they have three 
 children — Charles, Bruce and Ralph. (2) 
 Charles H., born August 27, 1869, living 
 at home; in politics he is a Republican. 
 (3) Harry E., born March 9, is a law 
 student, and affiliates with the Republican 
 party. (4) Lizzie, born November 20, 
 1874, is a graduate of Heidelberg Acad- 
 emy, at Tiffin, Ohio, and a teacher in 
 Jackson township. (5) Susan, born 
 March 27, 1877, is a student at the Fre- 
 mont High School. (6) William Arthur, 
 born September 13, 1879. 
 
 JASON GIBBS, one of the most sub- 
 stantial and well-to-do citizen of 
 Riley township, Sandusky county, 
 was born August 31, 1825, and is a 
 son of Jonas and Rachel (Daniel) Gibbs. 
 Jonas Gibbs was born in 1762; he was 
 married, in Vermont, to Rachel Daniels, 
 who was born in 1794, and in 1808 they 
 located at the mouth of Pipe creek, in 
 Huron county, Ohio, bought 300 acres of 
 land, and lived there twelve years. They 
 then removed to Riley township, San- 
 dusky county, here purchasing a thousand 
 acres of land, and two years later five 
 hundred acres more. Here they passed 
 the remainder of their lives, Mr. Gibbs 
 dying in 1834, Mrs. Gibbs in 1848. They 
 had seven children, a brief record of 
 
230 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 whom is as follows : Isaac died at the 
 early age of eighteen, unmarried. Cynthia 
 married Joseph H. Curtis, by whom she 
 had three children, and they lived in 
 Riley township; subsequent!}' she married 
 William Pierson, by whom she had eight 
 children. Boa married Mr. Dean, and 
 they had eight children; they live in Riley 
 township. Jonas married Rosina Linsey, 
 and they had two children; he died in 
 1852, she in 1876. Jeremiah married 
 Jane Conrad, and they live in Riley town- 
 ship. Jason is the subject of these lines. 
 Luther married Emma Buskirk, and they 
 had four children; they live in Riley town- 
 ship. Rachel married Lewis Barkheimer, 
 and to their union has come one child; 
 they are also residents of Riley township. 
 After his father's death, Jason Gibbs 
 remained with his mother on the farm 
 until his twenty-first year. On March 
 28, 1846, he was united in marriage with 
 Elizabeth Conrad, who was born in San- 
 dusky county, where she has alwaj's lived, 
 daughter of John and Sarah (Tuttle) Con- 
 rad, who were the parents of eleven chil- 
 dren. John Conrad was born in Ohio in 
 1795, and died in Sandusky county, 
 February 3, 1869; his wife died June 11, 
 1883, aged eighty-four jears, nine months, 
 sixteen days. Mrs. Gibbs' paternal 
 grandmother was born in 1784; her ma- 
 ternal grandfather. Van Rensselaer Tut- 
 tle, was born in 1772. After this mar- 
 riage Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs moved to Riley 
 township, where he bought a thousand 
 acres of land. They became the parents 
 of four children, as follows: Albert mar- 
 ried Amelia Wright, and they have two 
 children — Charles and Burton P. — one 
 of whom, Charles, died young. Luther 
 married Almira Beebe, and they have had 
 ten children; they live in Riley township. 
 Burton married Jane Beebe, and they 
 also live in Riley township; they have had 
 two children — Charles A. and William J. 
 John married Laura Botsford, and they 
 have had six children; they make their 
 home in Riley township. 
 
 Mr. Gibbs has been very successful in 
 his dealings, and is well liked. He cleared 
 300 acres of his land himself, which took 
 him nearly five years, and has been engaged 
 in general farming, the raising of fine 
 hogs, and for several years has also oper- 
 ated two sawmills. Besides his property 
 here he has 847 acres of valuable land in 
 Tennessee, on which his oldest son re- 
 sides. In 1893 Mr. Gibbs retired. He 
 attends the Lutheran Church, is a Repub- 
 lican in politics, and has been honored 
 with public office, having been supervisor 
 for twenty years. One of Mr. Gibbs' 
 uncles, Luther, was killed at Huron, Ohio, 
 by the falling of a block from a ship's 
 mast; another, Jerry, was killed by In- 
 dians at Sandusky (the night before his 
 rjiurder he dreamed that the Indians came 
 to his home and killed him). 
 
 H I NTZ FAMILY. Instances of fam- 
 ilies who rise to afifluence and in- 
 fluence under the most untoward 
 circumstances are sufficiently rare 
 to excite comment, and lead the uninitiated 
 to inquire what the faculty, or combina- 
 tion of faculties, might be that would pro- 
 duce a result so fortunate to the people 
 most closely interested. It can be said of 
 the Hintz family that they came of good 
 stock, but it so happened that misfortune 
 swept away father and provider and left 
 mother and two helpless young sons ab- 
 solutely penniless in a strange land. They 
 did not remain in that condition, thanks to 
 the irrepressible qualities that lay dor- 
 mant in their young natures. But the 
 ascent was for a time painfully slow. The 
 story of their rise is most interesting, and 
 the lesson of their lives instructive. 
 
 John J. Hintz, the grandfather of 
 Christian and William Hintz, was a pros- 
 perous stock raiser of Mecklenburg, Ger- 
 many. No one in the neighboring dis- 
 tricts bore a more excellent reputation 
 than he. In wordly affairs he was pros- 
 perous, in character above reproach, in 
 
^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 231 
 
 religion a sturdy defender of the Lutheran 
 faith, and in intfuence powerful. He died 
 at the age of sixty-four years. He had 
 married a Miss Hintz, and to them were 
 born seven children. But by the inequal- 
 ities of the feudal system which then held 
 undisputed sway in Germany the goodly 
 heritage fell solely to the eldest son, John, 
 while the younger children where left to 
 scramble for their bread as best they could. 
 John, thus left independent, subsequently 
 emigrated to America and settled in Wis- 
 consin. The other children were as fol- 
 lows: Christopher, who remained a farmer 
 in Germany; Joseph J., who died in Ger- 
 many; Fred, who remained a laborer in 
 Germany; Christian, the father of Chris- 
 tian and William Hintz, subjects of this 
 sketch; William, who worked in a distill- 
 ery in Germany, and died in that country; 
 and Mary, who died young. 
 
 Christian, the only son except John 
 who emigrated to America, was born in 
 Mecklenburg in 1812. He was educated 
 in the parochial schools of the Lutheran 
 Church, and confirmed in the Church. 
 Thus started aright, he had to look out 
 for himself. He herded cattle and worked 
 on a farm for about $20 a year until his 
 twenty-sixth year, when he married. He 
 afterward entered the royal service as a 
 sawyer, having charge of an upright saw, 
 and followed that vocation until 1848, 
 when he went to the ' ' free cities " and 
 became a laborer on the public works at 
 better wages. Four years later, at the 
 age of forty years, he determined to emi- 
 grate to America. He had been twice 
 married in Germany. By his first wife 
 he had one child, Dora. His second 
 wife was Dora Harbra, by whom he had 
 four children living when he came to 
 America — Christian, William, John and 
 Sophia. Leaving his native land March 
 31, 1852, he crossed the ocean with his 
 family in a little two-masted sailing ves- 
 sel, landing at Sandusky City May 10. 
 Locating here, he first worked in a brick- 
 yard, and soon after went on the railroad 
 
 15 
 
 I 
 
 then under construction between Sandus- 
 ky and Cleveland, and was so engaged 
 when he fell a victim to cholera, tfien 
 raging. He died at Sandusky City Au- 
 gust 7, 1852, before he had been there 
 three months. Two of his children, John 
 and Sophia, were carried away by the 
 same plague. William was seized with 
 the same dread disease, but withstood the 
 attack. The father had owed for a por- 
 tion of the passage money, and the pay- 
 ment of that debt had consumed all his 
 earnings when he died. The mother and 
 her two children. Christian and William, 
 and her step-daughter, Dora, were left 
 utterly destitute. The two boys, aged 
 twelve and ten years, were put out among 
 strangers to work for their board and 
 clothes. Christian, ten months later, be- 
 gan to earn $3 per month for a year, then 
 $4 per month. William worked two 
 years for only his board and clothes, but 
 in several years the scant earnings of the 
 boys, together with the savings of the 
 mother, enabled her to buy a horse. She 
 rented a few acres of land, and began the 
 struggle of life at gardening near Sandus- 
 ky City. Soon by magical thrift she was 
 able to buy another horse and rent a few 
 more acres. Then the home-wrecked 
 family was reunited, and the mother had 
 her sons once more under the same roof 
 with herself. Among the enlarging circle 
 of their acquaintances the Hintzes were 
 noted for their industr}', honest}- and in- 
 telligence, though the two young repre- 
 sentatives of the family were yet in their 
 ' ' teens, " wifli characters that should have 
 been considered unformed. Gradually 
 renting more of the rich land around San- 
 dusky City they began to accumulate 
 money and to think of owning a home of 
 their own. Dora, the step-daughter, had 
 married Godfrey Gockstetter, and now 
 lives near Huron, Erie county; her hus- 
 band died December 25, 1894, leaving 
 a large family, consisting of Simeon, 
 George, Henry, William, John, Freder- 
 ick, Louie, Adam, Mary, Anna, Louisa, 
 
232 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Emma and Lena; one child died young. 
 The family is one of remarkably robust 
 strength, the members averaging about 
 200 pounds. 
 
 In 1864 Mrs. Hintz and her two sons, 
 Christian and William, came to Sandusky 
 county and purchased i 14 acres of land 
 for $4,500. They had saved $1,500, 
 which was their cash payment, and went 
 into debt for the remaining $3,000. Only 
 fourteen acres of the land were broken, 
 and wiseacres said they could never pay 
 for it; but they reckoned without their 
 host. They knew not the stern stuff, the 
 unflagging zeal, the intelligence, and the 
 thrift which entered into the composition 
 of this rising family. The boys had a 
 good team, a couple of colts and a few 
 hogs, and manfully they faced the problem 
 before them. Their opportunities were 
 now broader, their actions freer, and they 
 never doubted or questioned their ability 
 to win. There was but one thing to do — 
 clear off the indebtedness, and clear it 
 they did, despite the nods and winks of 
 the wiseacres. In a few years prosperity 
 was assured, and the mother and her sons, 
 to the astonishment of their neighbors, 
 were alread}- buying more land. The 
 $3,000 indebtedness on the old farm was 
 completely lifted in two years, and it was 
 not long before the brothers ranked in 
 wealth and position among the foremost 
 men of Green Creek township. 
 
 Christian Hintz is now one of the 
 leading breeders of Short-horn cattle and 
 Chester-white swine in Sandusky countj'. 
 He was born November 23, 1839. His mar- 
 riage to Anna Powells, a native of Meck- 
 lenburg, Germany, born April 19, 1844, 
 was the signal for a division of the prop- 
 erty. The brothers were attached to each 
 other, and the partition was made in peace 
 and brotherly love. The mother was 
 generously provided for, and each brother 
 began farming for himself. Christian for 
 a time engaged in mi.xed or general farm- 
 ing, but for fifteen years he has been rais- 
 ing thoroughbred stock — cattle, hogs and 
 
 sheep — selling chiefly for breeding pur- 
 poses. He has exhibited at the fairs at 
 Fremont, Sandusky, Bellevue, Norwalk, 
 Clyde, Fostoria, Toledo, Attica and 
 Findlay, besides many other localities too 
 numerous to mention, and in 1895 he had 
 a large show. Each year he has taken 
 many premiums, and at Fremont he has 
 taken more than any other man in the 
 county; one season his premiums aggre- 
 gated about $600. He sells blooded stock 
 all over the United States. He had one 
 cow in the dairy department of the 
 World's Columbian Exposition at Chi- 
 cago, in 1893, which made 135 pounds 
 and some ounces of butter in ninety days. 
 Both he and his brother paid two long 
 visits to the World's Fair. Mr. Hintz 
 now owns 246 acres of land. To Chris- 
 tian and Anna Hintz have been born eight 
 children, as follows: Christian, Jr., Will- 
 iam, Anna, Dora, Henry, August, Jacob 
 and Martin. In politics he is somewhat 
 independent, but usually votes the Dem- 
 ocratic ticket. He has been for many 
 years a prominent member of the Lu- 
 theran Church, and for fourteen years he 
 was elder of the old St. John's Church, at 
 Fremont. In no sense is he an ofhce- 
 seeker, but in the interest of education he 
 has served as a school director of his dis- 
 trict. 
 
 W'lLLiAM Hintz was born September 
 18, 1S41. He was married in 1871, to 
 Miss Anna K. Bauer, who was born in 
 Green Creek township, September 27, 
 1854. Prior to his marriage his mother 
 kept house for him, and through the pro- 
 vision made for her by the two grateful 
 sons the noble mother enjoyed a compe- 
 tence, and lived in an establishment of 
 her own in the parlor of William's home, 
 remaining there as long as she lived; she 
 passed away in January, 1876. The chil- 
 dren of William and Anna Hintz were as 
 follows: John (who was accidentally 
 drowned in a well at the age of three and 
 a half years), Joseph W., Sophia L., 
 Louisa D., Peter W., Esther A., Hannah 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 233 
 
 H., Sarah R. (who died at the age of one 
 year, eleven months and twenty-eight 
 days), and Mary M. In the division of 
 the property Wilham surrendered all the 
 thorough-bred stock to Christian, but he 
 raises and ships cattle, hogs and sheep 
 for meat. William Hintz believes that 
 money is more easily handled than land. 
 Much of his property now consists of in- 
 vestments, and he is placing all his spare 
 means on interest. He still owns 155 
 acres of land. He is a leading member 
 of the Lutheran Church, was for ten 
 years deacon of St. John's Church at 
 Fremont, and is an elder in Grace 
 Lutheran Church at Fremont; he has also 
 acted as a delegate to the Lutheran 
 Church Synod. For four 3'ears he has 
 served as a member of the board of direct- 
 ors of the Sandusky County Agricultural 
 Society. — "Thanks be to God for His 
 merciful blessings." 
 
 JOSEPH NOGGLE, one of the most 
 reliable and industrious farmers of 
 Green Creek township, Sandusky 
 county, is a man of unassuming man- 
 ners, without ostentation, or craving for 
 place and preferment. He is content to 
 fill his mission in life as a worthy repre- 
 sentative of the first and most important 
 vocation — that of farming — leaving to 
 others the strife and turmoil and the un- 
 certainities of a more problematic career. 
 It is to such types as he, hard-working and 
 thrifty, yet restful and contented, that the 
 nation must look for its great reserve force 
 to act as a balance-wheel against the en- 
 croachments and vagaries of the flightier 
 element in society. 
 
 Mr. Noggle was born in Franklin 
 county, Penn., June 4, 18 1 1, son of Will- 
 iam and I"vatie (Hurtinan) Noggle, both 
 natives of Pennsylvania, who reared a 
 large family of children, and passed peace- 
 fully away on the home farm at a good 
 old age. Only two of the children — 
 Jacob and Joseph — now survive. Jacob 
 
 lives on a farm in Fulton county, Penn., 
 at the age of eighty-one years. Joseph 
 was reared in the Keystone State, and 
 there married Elizabeth Marshall, who 
 was born in Huntingdon county, Penn., 
 February 11, 181 1, daughter of Robert 
 and Elizabeth (Simmons) Marshall; they 
 were the parents of seven children, named 
 as follows: James, Nancy, Lydia, Jane, 
 Sarah, Rachel and Elizabeth. The father 
 died on his farm in Pennsylvania when 
 Elizabeth was a child; the mother sur- 
 vived until 1855. Soon after his mar- 
 riage Mr. Noggle migrated to Sandusky 
 county, locating in Jackson township, and 
 there engaged in pioneer farming. Twen- 
 ty-two years later he moved to Green 
 Creek township, and has lived here some 
 thirty-seven years. He now owns a well- 
 cultivated farm of eighty-four acres. Mr. 
 Noggle cast his first vote for Andrew 
 Jackson in 1832; in religious faith he is a 
 member of the Universalist Church. The 
 children of Mr. and Mrs. Noggle are as 
 follows: Sarah, born November 4, 1841, 
 married December 10, 1875, to Charles 
 Clapp, and is the mother of two children 
 — Jessie (deceased) and Delia; William, 
 born October 19, 1843, died November 
 24, 1874; Madison, born August 5, 1846, 
 died September 6, 1872; Joseph, born 
 November 10, 1857, died June 28, 1858. 
 William H. Noggle, a nephew of Joseph 
 Noggle, now lives with him. He was 
 born in Pennsylvania March 21, 1850, 
 and is the son of Jacob Noggle; he was 
 married in November, 1893, to Hattie E. 
 Mummert, who was born in Franklin 
 county, Penn., January 26, i860. 
 
 WILLIAM A. MUGG, the leading 
 landowner and farmer of York 
 township, Sandusky county, and 
 vice-president of the First Na- 
 tional Bank of Clyde, is of the third gen- 
 eration from the earliest settlement and 
 development of northwestern Ohio. And 
 as he stands to-day, a leader of the men 
 
2S4 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 about him,so,too, in the two preceding gen- 
 erations, were his father and grandfather 
 men of renown and note in their respective 
 spheres, though perhaps in a somewhat 
 different way. William A. Mugg has in- 
 herited the pioneer strength of character. 
 His mind is keen and he appreciates a 
 witticism. His good-natured retort is 
 sharp, and stranger or friend is welcomed 
 at his home and treated with that old- 
 time jovial hospitality that is becoming 
 rare in these so-called degenerate days. 
 
 Mr. Mugg was born in Milo, Yates Co., 
 N. Y. , December 13, 1827, son of John 
 B. and Susan (Wheeler) Mugg, and grand- 
 son of Elder John Mugg. But years be- 
 fore his birth his father and his grand- 
 father had already become identified with 
 the interests of York township, Sandusky 
 Co., Ohio. It was in 1822 that Elder 
 John Mugg, a native of Maryland, came 
 with his family from New York State to 
 the vast solitudes of northwestern Ohio. 
 His parents had died when he was a child, 
 and he was bound out and reared among 
 strangers. However, he obtained the 
 rudiments of an education, and became a 
 preacher of the Baptist Church. When 
 he came to Ohio he purchased 400 acres 
 of government land; but as soon as the 
 cabins for himself and family were built, 
 and the rude houses made comfortable, 
 he began his labors as a pioneer preacher, 
 a task then quite different from the minis- 
 terial duties of to-day. Elder Mugg was 
 a man of small stature, and his weight 
 was less than one hundred pounds, but he 
 was filled with nervous force, and with a 
 love for his fellow men. He was an en- 
 thusiastic churchman. On horseback, 
 with saddlebags supplied with medicines, 
 he wended his way along Indian trails 
 through the forested swamps from settle- 
 ment to settlement, bringing to the lonely 
 pioneer the refreshing and cheering words 
 of the Gospel. His value to the mental, 
 moral and physical welfare of the early 
 settler, immersed in solitude, can scarcely 
 be appreciated at the present day. He 
 
 brought words of cheer and comfort wher- 
 ever he went, and the pleasant memories 
 of his visits lingered long after he had de- 
 parted. He carried the current news of 
 the day from cabin to cabin, and to the 
 sufferers from the malignant fevers that 
 were then so common he brought both 
 medicinal and spiritual good. Once to a 
 neighbor who had stolen corn from him 
 he remarked: " I feel sorry for you, neigh- 
 bor. I don't care for the corn. If you 
 had asked me for it, the corn would have 
 been yours." His gentle, forgi\ing, 
 Christian spirit made Elder Mugg a man 
 who was widely beloved. He organized 
 the Freewill Baptist Church, the pioneer 
 religious organization of York township, 
 and lived to the good old age of ninety- 
 six years, amidst the people to whom he 
 had ministered for many years. His re- 
 mains were interred in Wales Corners 
 Cemetery, in York township, where many 
 of his fellow pioneers also rest. He was 
 the father of seven children, as follows: 
 Thomas, who moved to Indiana; JohnB., 
 father of William A. ; Marcus, who became 
 a minister and moved to Michigan, where 
 he died; Jesse, who died in Indiana; 
 William, who died in early manhood; 
 Mary (afterward Mrs. Bennett), of Indi- 
 ana; and Harriet (Mrs. Colvin), who died 
 in York township. 
 
 John B. Mugg was born in 1801. He 
 came with his father to York township in 
 1822, and here, in 1823, he married for his 
 second wife, Susan Wheeler, having been 
 previously married to Susan Wheeler, of 
 Penn Yan, Yates Co., N. Y. A year 
 later, after the birth of his eldest child, 
 Charles, he returned with his family to 
 Yates county, N. Y. , and remained there 
 twelve years. In 1836 he again came 
 west, and lived in York township until his 
 death, which occurred December 31,1 880, 
 when he was aged seventy-nine years, 
 four months and twenty-seven days. His 
 wife, who was born in 1807, died March 
 3, 1880. Nine children were born to John 
 B. and Susan Mugg: Charles, who died 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 235 
 
 in Missouri; Wheeler, who died in York 
 township; W'iiliam A., subject of this 
 sketch; John, who died in New York; a 
 child who died in infancy; Elizabeth, who 
 died in \-oung womanhood; Marietta, who 
 died in girlhood; George, a resident of 
 Dundee, Mich. ; Alice, who died in child- 
 hood. 
 
 \\'illiam A. Mugg was a child when 
 his father returned from New York to the 
 pioneer Ohio home. He remembers well 
 the trip on the lakes, and the journey over- 
 land to the old farmstead near Wales 
 Corners, which still forms a part of the 
 extensive estate of Mr. Mugg. In those 
 daj's the driftwood had not yet been 
 cleared from the swamps. The pools 
 were full of water and fish were abundant 
 on every hand. Mr. Mugg remembers 
 that many times in his boyhood he has 
 skated in winter all the way from the old 
 homestead to Sandusky Bay. The young 
 men of fifty years ago propelled skiffs 
 over lands that are now some of the most 
 fertile fields in Ohio. Indians were nu- 
 merous in those days, and game abounded. 
 But educational facilities were few. While 
 Mr. Mugg did not receive a finished liter- 
 ary education, he learned what was better 
 still — the value of thrift and economy. 
 After he was of age he worked five years 
 for his father, at $200 per 3'ear. Then 
 in 1854 he married Miss Phebe S. Russell, 
 who was born April 2, 1833. Her father, 
 Norton Russell, was born in Hopewell, 
 Ontario Co. , N. Y., June 15, 1801, of 
 parents who had shortly before moved to 
 the New York wilderness from Massachu- 
 setts. Young Russell was bound out, and 
 was diligently engaged during his youth 
 in clearing the pioneer land of western 
 New York. In October, 1821, he came 
 to Ohio with three other young men, 
 William McPherson, James Birdseye and 
 Lyman Habcock, all of whom became 
 prominent pioneers of Sandusky county. 
 They walked almost the entire distance 
 from New York — 400 miles. Mr. Russell 
 was the eldest of five children, and his 
 
 sisters and brother were as follows: 
 Rowena, who married George Swarthout, 
 and settled near Penn Yan, N. Y. ; Cyn- 
 thia, who married William McPherson, 
 and became the mother of the martyred 
 Gen. James B. McPherson; William, who 
 married Elizabeth Beach; and Lydia, wife 
 of Lester Beach. Norton Russell entered 
 the S. E. Quarter of Section 7, York 
 township, and was married April 13, 1825, 
 to Sibyl S. McMillen, daughter of Samuel 
 and Polly McMillen, who migrated from 
 their old home near the White Mountains, 
 N. H., to Ohio, and became early pio- 
 neers of Green Creek township, Sandusky 
 county. Samuel and Polly McMillen had 
 the following seven children: Sibyl (Mrs. 
 Russell); Samuel; Henry; Rachel, who 
 married Isaac May; Sally, who married 
 Joseph George; Nancy, who married Isaac 
 May, and Luther. Norton and Sibyl 
 Russell were the parents of seven chil- 
 dren, as follows: John N. and William 
 M., of Clyde; Charles P., of York; Phebe 
 S. ; Sarah R. (Mrs. Bell), of Clyde; Mary 
 M. (Mrs. J. W. Taylor), of Sabine Parish, 
 La., and Belle R. (Mrs. Collver), of Cleve- 
 land. Norton Russell is still, at this 
 writing, living with his daughter, Mrs. 
 Mugg, the oldest living pioneer of this 
 section. His wife, who shared with him 
 the toil and privation of a long and event- 
 ful life, died December 18, 1887, aged 
 eighty years. 
 
 Nine children have blessed the mar- 
 riage of William A. and Phebe S. Mugg. 
 a brief record of whom is as follows: 
 Nina, born December 31, 1857, is the 
 wife of James Ungerman; they reside in 
 New Richland, Minn., and have four 
 children — Carl, Nellie H., Hazel and 
 Vera. Clarence M., born January 14, 
 1859, married Laura Carr, and is the 
 father of two children — Ethel and Wayne. 
 N. Russell, born March 31, 1861, mar- 
 ried Maggie Matthews, and they have two 
 children — Madeline and Maurice. Mabel, 
 born April 26, 1863, died in 1883. Alice, 
 born September 10, 1865, is the wife of 
 
236 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 A. R. Pickett, of Clyde, and has two 
 children — Harold and Gladden. Moina, 
 born March 12, 1868, is the wife of N. 
 Greenslade, of Bellevue, and they ha\-e 
 one child — Russell M. Amy B. , born 
 February 19, 1870, is one of the popular 
 young ladies of this section, devoted to 
 her parents and the home. James G., 
 born October 14, 1872, was married Jan- 
 uary I, 1895, to Anna Needham, of York 
 township. Florence, born May 25, 1877, 
 is attending school. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Mugg started in life 
 with only about such means as the aver- 
 age young couple of that day possessed, 
 but their success has been marked. If 
 the accumulation of a large estate and 
 the rearing of a numerous and honorable 
 family is aught of satisfaction, while still 
 in the meridian of life, then Mr. and Mrs. 
 Mugg should be among the happiest of 
 mortals. The landed property of William 
 A. Mugg exceeds in quantity that of any 
 other individual in Sandusky county. The 
 finger of Time has touched them lightly. 
 If Mrs. Mugg is as young as she looks she 
 is yet in the high noonday of life. She is 
 an active member of the Grange, and de- 
 servedly prominent in the social affairs of 
 the township. Mr. Mugg possesses a 
 hardy constitution, which he has never 
 abused, but which, through proper physi- 
 cal exercise, he has maintained in its 
 maximum degree of health. In politics 
 he is a pronounced and uncompromising 
 Republican. In the commercial and 
 financial spheres he takes high rank. He 
 is a master of the science of finance, and 
 was one of the organizers and is now vice- 
 president of the First National Bank of 
 Clvde. 
 
 JOH-X VICKERY. From absolute 
 poverty the subject of this sketch 
 has risen to a position of affluence 
 and honor. The condition of a pen- 
 niless English farm laborer he has ex- 
 changed for the proprietorship of large 
 
 landed interests in York township, San- 
 dusky county. And in this happy trans- 
 formation of his material situation he 
 gives due credit to the opportunities of 
 the American citizen. Mr. N'ickery often 
 goes over the past in retrospect, and com- 
 pares the possibilities of the poor man in 
 England with his opportunities in Amer- 
 ica. From his own experiences and ob- 
 servation he concludes that American 
 citizenship is a priceless boon. 
 
 Mr. Vickery was born in Devonshire, 
 England, in May, 1829, son of Robert 
 and Rachel (Randall) \'ickery. His 
 father, who was a laborer, died before his 
 recollection, leaving six children: Eliza- 
 beth, whose husband, Mr. Lowrey, was 
 killed by a railroad accident at Clyde; 
 William, who died in York township; 
 Robert, of Fremont; John, subject of this 
 sketch; Richard, of York township; and 
 Ann, who died in England. At an early 
 age John was bound out, receiving, until 
 he attained his majority, onlj' his board 
 and clothes for his services, and, Mr. 
 \'ickery says, they were poor clothes 
 at that. After he became of age he 
 worked for a farmer for four years at 
 wages amounting to only 1 1 cents a day 
 and his board; and this, too, was the 
 highest wages paid for that class of labor 
 in the locality where he lived. At the age 
 of twenty-five years he resolved to seek 
 his fortunes in the New World; so in 
 1854 he bade good-bye to his friends and 
 to his sweetheart and crossed the ocean. 
 He came via Quebec, and was $17 in 
 debt for his passage when he reached 
 Sandusky City. He began work for a 
 farmer near Bellevue, and remained in 
 his employment fifteen months. But his 
 purpose now was to get himself estab- 
 lished in life. Renting a place, he began 
 farming on his own account, and at Belle- 
 vue he soon after married Miss Jane 
 Parker, whom he had wooed and won in 
 England. The household prospered, but 
 the mother was called away after she had 
 given him three sons: Thomas, now a 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPBICAL RECORD. 
 
 237 
 
 prosperous farmer of York township, 
 married; John, who assists him on the 
 farm, and James P., a schoolteacher and 
 farmer of York township. In 1866 Mr. 
 Vickery purchased the farm of 120 acres 
 which he now owns, and continued to 
 farm it until in 1889, when he bought 
 twenty acres near Colby, and retired on 
 ample means. In 1881 he had purchased 
 another tract of 120 acres in York town- 
 ship, and gave it to his sons in 1887, after 
 having paid $8,000 on the same. The 
 twenty-acre tract at Colby he has given 
 to his second and present wife, who was 
 Miss Mary Bichler. Mr. Vickery has 
 served his township three years as trus- 
 tee, and is now road sufiervisor of his dis- 
 trict. In politics he is a stanch Republi- 
 can, and in religious faith a member of 
 the United Brethren Church. He is a 
 man of sterling integrity and principles, 
 and one of the most highly respected cit- 
 izens of the community in which he lives. 
 
 M 
 
 R. STIEFF. In three distinct 
 fields of industry the subject of 
 this sketch takes high rank. 
 He is a farmer of acknowledged 
 ability; he is a mechanic whose superior 
 it would be difficult to find anywhere; he 
 is a salesman whose value has been ap- 
 preciated by more than one large manu- 
 facturer. Mr. Stieff has with rare felicity 
 bunched all these available attributes into 
 one occupation, that of a salesman for 
 agricultural machines. He is at home 
 among the farmers, and thoroughly un- 
 derstands their needs. His mechanical 
 skill has enabled him to meet any diffi- 
 culties in setting up the complicated farm 
 machines of to-day. His persuasive ar- 
 guments cap the climax of the two, and 
 enable him to make satisfactory sales. 
 By trade Mr. Stieff is a blacksmith. 
 
 He was born in Lancaster county, 
 Penn., May 19, 1855, son of Michael and 
 Sarah (Rinchold) Stieff. Michael Stieff 
 was also a blacksmith. He was a native 
 
 of Berks county, his wife of Lancaster 
 county. Both died at their home in the 
 latter county within a )-ear, at the ages 
 of fifty-six and fifty-two years respectively. 
 Their children were as follows: Eli, of 
 Lancaster county; Sarah, wife of Moses 
 Goshert, also of Lancaster county; Annie, 
 wife of Abraham Krall, of Lebanon coun- 
 ty, Penn. ; George, who died at the age 
 of twenty-two years in Lancaster county; 
 M. R. , subject of this sketch; and Martha 
 and Lizzy, who both died in Lancaster 
 county, in infancy. 
 
 Our subject was early in life thrown 
 upon his own resources. He entered the 
 car shops in Reading, Penn., but labor 
 troubles soon after disorganized the force, 
 and he was obliged to seek employment 
 elsewhere. With 200 others he was dis- 
 charged in 1873 at the time of the great 
 failure of Jay Cooke & Co. He came to 
 Ohio, and found work on a farm in Seneca 
 county. Subsequently he secured em- 
 ployment in a carriage shop at West Lodi, 
 then at Fireside, and later still at Belle- 
 vue. While at Fireside, he began sell- 
 ing reapers, mowers, etc., for the Excel- 
 sior Co., and he was with that company 
 four years. Then, in 1889, he accepted 
 a position with the Champion people to 
 travel for them. His territory embraced 
 Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Min- 
 nesota, and South Dakota. From March 
 to September he was on the road; then 
 during the winter months each year he 
 worked in the shops, in all capacities 
 proving a most valuable employe. His 
 skill in setting up machines was unsur- 
 passed, and as a salesman he was highly 
 gifted. In 1894 he voluntarily quit their 
 employ on account of a slight deafness, 
 though solicited to remain, preferring to 
 return to his farm and family, and handle 
 machinery in a local way. 
 
 Mr. Stieff married Miss Kate Miller, and 
 to them seven children have been born: 
 Cloyd, George, Edna, Elva (deceased), 
 Delrie (deceased), Orlin (deceased), and 
 Ray. Mr. Stieff is distmctively the archi- 
 
288 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPSICAL RECORD. 
 
 tect of his own fortune. He owns a pjood 
 farm property, and is one of tlie most 
 skillful mechanics in the State. 
 
 JACOB BOWE is one of the five 
 Bowe brothers now living in Scott 
 township, Sandusky county, where 
 he was born June 6, 1837, and where 
 he has spent the greater part of his life. 
 
 At the age of twenty-four years, our 
 subject commenced life for himself, his 
 father giving him as a start, ninety-two 
 and one-half acres of land situated in 
 Section 7. Mr. Bowe is by trade a black- 
 smith, and for fifteen years of his earlj' 
 life he spent much of his time in his shop; 
 but he finally sold and purchased eighty 
 acres of land in Section 16, which, with 
 160 acres previoush' bought, made an 
 excellent farm of 240 acres. Later he 
 sold eighty acres, the remainder being 
 the 160 acres where he now lives. He 
 then purchased 160 acres in Section 17, 
 one-half of which he sold to J. C. Fisher, 
 the other half to J. C. Foriter. In 1890 
 Mr. Bowe purchased lots in Gibsonburg, 
 on which he built a pleasant home, living 
 there for three years and then returning 
 to his farm. 
 
 On December 23, 1861, Mr. Bowe 
 was married to Miss Mary A. Bowers, 
 who was born September 8, 1S36, in 
 Scott township, daughter of Hartman and 
 Annie Bowers; she obtained her educa- 
 tion in her native township, where she 
 lived most of the time until her marriage. 
 To this union have been born seven chil- 
 dren, as follows: Emma C, September 
 23, 1862; Mary C, January 4, 1864; 
 Anna C, April 23, 1865; Henry H., Jan- 
 uaryi5, 1867; Amelia E., April 25, 1869, 
 Wallace \V., June 7, 1872; and Jacob F., 
 December 7, 1873; of whom, Emma died 
 June 6, 1878; Henry H. died January 12, 
 1870, and Anna died March 8, 1891. 
 Mary is now Mrs. George Richard, of 
 Madison township; Wallace and Jacob 
 are working the home farm, though at 
 
 present (fall of 1895) Wallace is suffering 
 from the effects of a bicycle accident, 
 having broken his collar-bone in two 
 places; strange to say he rode his wheel 
 over two miles after receiving the injury. 
 Wallace and Jacob attended the Gibson- 
 burg High School for a time, after which 
 Wallace was a student at the Normal at 
 Ada. While at Gibsonburg Jacob made 
 a thorough study of telegraph)-. Polit- 
 ically Mr. Bowe and his sons are Demo- 
 crats; they are also members of the 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 In February, 1890, Mr. Bowe made a 
 new departure in his business by leasing 
 several acres of land to the Sun Oil Com- 
 pany of Pittsburg, the lease providing 
 that at the end of the year the company 
 was to have four wells down, which was 
 practically accomplished. On March 20, 
 1 890, he also leased the other eighty acres, 
 and he now has on the 160 acres of land 
 thirteen wells. He received $3,000 bonus 
 when the ground was leased, and now has 
 one-eighth of all oil produced, his share 
 of the oil netting him $10 der day, with- 
 out one cent of expense. The oil pro- 
 duced on this farm is pumped through 
 pipes to the city of Toledo, some thirty 
 miles awaj-. 
 
 George Bowe, Sr. , the father of our 
 subject, was born in 1802 in Alsace, 
 France, and came to America in 1832, 
 settling in New York State, near Buffalo, 
 where he remained three years. Thence 
 he came to Ohio, where, in Scott town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, he entered 210 
 acres of land, one-half for his sister and 
 the balance for himself. In the winter of 
 1834-35 he married Catherine Wegstein, 
 who was born in Baden, Germany, in 
 1813, daughter of Michael Wegstein, and 
 to them were born ten children, three of 
 whom died in infancy. The others are: 
 George, Jacob (our subject), Frederick, 
 Henry, Michael J., David and Mary C. , 
 of whom Frederick and Mary C. have 
 been dead some years; the others are still 
 living. Mr. Bowe was an old pioneer of 
 
ac^{^ 
 
 c^-U^l^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 239 
 
 Scott township. He owned at one time 
 600 acres of land, which he divided among 
 his children, thus giving each a start in 
 life which the}' have appreciated and made 
 the most of, becoming well-to-do men, 
 highly esteemed by all who know them. 
 His wife died July 9, 1891, and was buried 
 in the Bradner cemetery. Her father, 
 Michael \^'egstein, was born about 1779 
 in Baden, Germany, where he was mar- 
 ried. In 1832 he started with his family 
 for America, but while on the sea his wife 
 took sick and died, and was buried in 
 mid-ocean. In his family were si.\ chil- 
 dren, only two of whom are living. One 
 son, Michael, was killed at the battle of 
 Shiloh; he was captain of Company H, 
 Seventy-second O. V. I. 
 
 Mr. Bowe's paternal grandparents, 
 Mr. and Mrs. George Bowe, set out for 
 America at the same time as his parents; 
 the grandmother, like the maternal grand- 
 mother, died on the sea and was buried in 
 mid-ocean. The grandfather settled near 
 Buffalo, where he died. In their family 
 were four children — Margaret, George 
 (father of our subject). Magdalena and 
 Jacob, all now deceased. Margaret and 
 Jacob remained near Buffalo, the others 
 coming to Ohio. Magdalena was married 
 near Buffalo to Jacob Zimmerman, who 
 died in Scott township about 1885. 
 
 JOHN HENRY KUHLMAN, one of 
 the pioneer and prosperous farmers 
 of \\'oodville township, Sandusky 
 county, was born OctolDcr 27, 1S38, 
 in Hanover, Germany. His parents, Har- 
 mon and Clara (Foughthouse) Kuhlman, 
 followed the vocation of milling in their 
 native land, and in 1842, when John 
 Henry was but four years old, sold their 
 business and came to America. Remain- 
 ing a single day in New York, they set 
 out for Woodville township, Sandusky 
 county, Ohio, and bought and settled 
 upon a forty-acre tract of wild land. 
 
 The father, Harmon Kuhlman, was a 
 
 man of rugged frame, well fitted by na- 
 ture to bear the hardships and privations 
 of pioneer life, and never until shortly be- 
 fore his death did he experience any ill- 
 ness. Partially losing his eyesight, he 
 went to Ann Arbor, Mich., for treatment, 
 and died while there. His widow still 
 lives in Woodville township, at a ripe old 
 age. Five children were born to Harmon 
 and Clara Kuhlman: John Henry; Car- 
 rie, wife of Fred Taulker, a farmer in 
 Madison township; Amelia, wife of Charles 
 Burman, a retired farmer of Woodville; 
 Annie, who died young, and William, who 
 lives on the old homestead. Our subject 
 owns 236 acres of land, situated in the 
 oil belt, and leased for drilling purposes. 
 Until in quite recent years John Henry 
 Kuhlman, subject of this sketch, remained 
 at the home of his parents. He was edu- 
 cuted in the public school at Woodville; 
 but in the days of his youth the town 
 school was inferior to the district school 
 of to-day. He was married February 22, 
 1862, to Mary Klein, daughter of John J. 
 Klein, a farmer of Woodville township. 
 Nine children have been born to Mr. and 
 Mrs. Kuhlman, as follows: Carrie, born 
 March 23, 1864; John, a minister; Henry, 
 deceased; George, Minnie, Charles, Will- 
 iam, Eliza and Edward. In 1893 Mr. 
 Kuhlman moved to Woodville village, 
 and there erected a magnificent home, 
 sparing neither cost nor pains in its con- 
 struction. In politics he is a Democrat, 
 and has been honored by election to vari- 
 ous township offices. He is one of the 
 founders of the German Lutheran Church. 
 
 FRANK WELKER, the genial and 
 popular proprietor of the ' ' Empire 
 House," Clyde, Sandusky county, 
 one of the most excellent country 
 hotels in the State, was born in Hancock 
 count}', Ohio, July 20, 1849, and is a son 
 of George \V. and Rebecca (Burger) 
 Welker. 
 
 The father of our subject was a na- 
 
240 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPBICAL RECORD. 
 
 tive of Pennsylvania, born in 1808, and 
 in his earlier years he learned the stone- 
 mason's trade. On coming to Ohio he 
 settled in Stark county, and after his mar- 
 riage took up his residence in Hancock 
 county. In 1864 he moved to Clyde, 
 where his death occurred the following 
 3'ear. His wife, who was born in 1812, 
 still survives him, and is now living with 
 her son Frank. In the famil}- of this 
 worth}' couple were seven children who 
 grew to mature years, to wit: (i) N. B., 
 who joined the army soon after the break- 
 ing out of the Civil war, becoming a mem- 
 ber of Company A, Twenty-first O. V. 
 I., in which he did service under Gen. 
 Sherman; at the battle of Atlanta, in 
 1864, he was wounded, and died a few 
 days later, his remains being interred in 
 the National Cemetery at Chattanooga, 
 Tenn. (2) G. W. , a plasterer by trade, 
 resides in Findlay, Ohio. (3) W. W. 
 died at Mount Clemens, Mich., and his 
 remains were brought back to Clyde for 
 interment. (4) E. E. is engaged in ci- 
 gar-making in San Diego, Cal. (5) Maria 
 j. is the wife of John Mungen, a resident 
 of Fort Wayne, Ind. (6) Frank, our 
 subject, conies next in order of birth. 
 (7) R. R. makes his home in Columbia 
 county, Ind., where he is engaged in the 
 restaurant business. 
 
 Frank Welker has spent his entire 
 life in the State of his nativity, and since 
 the age of fifteen has made his home in 
 Clyde. After pursuing his studies in the 
 public schools of this place for two years, 
 he became connected with railroading. 
 He first went upon the road as a news 
 agent, and then became a brakeman on 
 the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern 
 railroad. His next undertaking was as 
 proprietor of the "Empire House," at 
 Clyde. In 1886 he purchased the hotel, 
 which for ten years previous had been 
 vacant, entirelj- remodeled it and built a 
 new addition. Soon it was ready for oc- 
 cupancy, and to-day it is one of the most 
 popular hotels in the smaller cities of 
 
 Ohio. In his work here Mr. Welker is 
 ably assisted bj' his wife, who bore the 
 maiden name of Julia Gosslin. The hotel 
 is neat and well kept, has the reputation 
 for setting the best table of any country 
 hotel in the State, and the earnest efforts 
 of the proprietor and his wife to please 
 their patrons has made it very popular 
 with the public. 
 
 Mr. Welker is one of the ten stock- 
 holders who own the Clyde Driving Park, 
 and has two fine trotting horses, " Katie 
 C." and " Silver Leaf, " superb specimens 
 of the noble steed. In his political views 
 he is a stalwart Republican, and he is a 
 popular, genial gentleman, one who wins 
 friends wherever he goes, and well merits 
 the high regard in which he is held. 
 
 NORMAN E. ELLSWORTH, com- 
 monly known as "Col." Ells- 
 worth, one of the most popular 
 citizens of Sandusky county, now 
 makes his home in Clyde. He was born 
 in Mishawaka, St. Joseph Co., Ind., on 
 March 20, 1845, and is a son of James 
 and Jemima (Wortley) Ellsworth. 
 
 In l82t James Ellsworth, father of 
 our subject, was born in Penn Yan, N. 
 Y., one of a family of three children, the 
 others being Aaron and Phoebe, both of 
 whom are now deceased. The former on 
 coming west located at Castalia, Ohio, 
 but his death occurred at South Bend, 
 Ind., where he was serving as county 
 auditor of St. Joseph county; he was 
 one of the prominent Republicans of that 
 community. From New York the father 
 of our subject first emigrated to Ohio, 
 but later became a resident of Mishawaka, 
 St. Joseph Co., Ind., and at the time of 
 his death, in 1853, was serving as swamp 
 land commissioner for that State. He 
 was a stalwart Democrat. His wife, who 
 was born near Bellevue, Ohio, in 1819, 
 died in i860. They were the parents of 
 five children, namely: George, deceased 
 in infancj'; Florence, who died in child- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 241 
 
 hood; Norman E., oursubject; Fred D., 
 a merchant of South Bend, Ind. ; and 
 James, who died in boNhood in Mish- 
 awaka, Indiana. 
 
 Until reaching the age of sixteen, 
 Norman E. Ellsworth remained in In- 
 diana, a part of his time being passed at 
 Mishawaka, the remainder at South 
 Bend, at which time he entered the 
 Union army. On August 17, 1861, he 
 became a member of Company I, Ninth 
 Ind. \. I., and was assigned to a division 
 in \\'est Virginia under Gen. Rosecrans, 
 but later was sent to Nashville, Tenn., 
 where he became a member of the arm}' 
 of the Cumberland under Buell. He 
 participated in the battles of Greenbrier, 
 Buffalo Mountain and Pittsburg Landing, 
 where he was taken ill and sent to St. 
 Louis, Mo. At that place he was dis- 
 charged on account of disability, after 
 which he came to Clyde, where for ten 
 months he lived with his maternal grand- 
 mother, Abigail Stone. Mr. Ellsworth 
 then enlisted in Companj' F, Tenth Ohio 
 Cavalry, and was detailed as hospital 
 steward of Kilpatrick's division of cavalry, 
 which was a part of Sherman's arm}'. 
 He went with the command on the march 
 to the sea, and was all through the Car- 
 olina campaigns. With the cavalry he 
 remained until he was mustered out in 
 August, 1865. 
 
 Mr. Ellsworth was married in Jan- 
 uary, 1866, to Miss Jemima Baker, who 
 was born in Sandusky county, in 1844, 
 and by her marriage has become the 
 mother of eight children: Elizabeth, 
 Florence, Nellie M., Fred, Norman, Jr., 
 George M.,Seth P. and James B., all but 
 one of whom are still at home. Since 
 the close of the war Mr. Ellsworth has 
 been engaged in farming and fruit grow- 
 ing, and for four years was connected 
 with the lumber business. His farm is 
 located on one of the rich sand ridges 
 near Clyde, where it may be truthfully 
 said there can be more vegetation grown 
 to the acre, and at the same time a 
 
 greater variety of cereals and fruits, than 
 in any other part of the United States. 
 Mr. Ellsworth is a man of good business 
 ability, intelligent and enterprising, and 
 is widely known for his genial disposition 
 and greatness of heart. As before men- 
 tioned, he usually goes by the name of 
 " Colonel," and is popular with all classes 
 of people. He has ever been actively 
 interested in the growth and prosperity 
 of the community in which he resides, 
 and does all in his power for its advance- 
 ment. Politically, he gives his support 
 to the Republican party, while, socially, 
 he holds membership with Eaton Post 
 No. 55, G. A. R. , and Harnden Com- 
 mand No. 37, U. V. U. 
 
 PHILIP DORR was born March 17, 
 I 8 1 1 , in Leinsweiler, in that part 
 of Bavaria, Germany, known as 
 the Rhine Palatinate, and died 
 June 18, 1886, at Fremont, Sandusky 
 Co., Ohio. 
 
 He received a good education in the 
 schools of his native place, and learned 
 the trade of shoemaker. In 1837 he took 
 passage for America on a sailing vessel at 
 Havre de Grace. The voyage was a long 
 and most perilous one; fierce storms drove 
 the vessel from its course; some of the 
 passengers and crew were washed over- 
 board, the salt water ruined most of the 
 ship's provisions, and it was eighty days 
 after starting that the nearly famished 
 crew and passengers landed in New York. 
 From that city Mr. Dorr proceeded at 
 once to Erie, Penn., and after a short 
 sojourn there moved to Sandusky City, 
 Ohio, where he lived two or three years. 
 In August, 1 841, he came to Lower San- 
 dusky (now Fremont), opening a shoe- 
 shop on State street, east of the river, 
 afterward removing to the Deal corner, 
 northeast corner of Front and Garrison 
 streets, where his property was destroyed 
 by fire. He next removed to a room 
 nearly opposite, on Front street, and, later 
 
242 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 increasing his business, he and Edward 
 Leppelman purchased land adjoining the 
 present building of the First National 
 Bank, and built frame stores. These were 
 burned down, and in 1856 the}' erected 
 the brick block which now occupies the 
 ground. Here Philip Dorr carried on a 
 successful trade in boots and shoes for 
 man}' years, and after his death was suc- 
 ceeded by his sons under the firm name 
 of Dorr Bros., they still continuing the 
 business. 
 
 In June. 1843, Philip Dorr was mar- 
 ried to Miss Anna Meyer, who was born 
 in Unter Endingen, Canton Argau, Switz- 
 erland, March 18, 181 5, the youngest 
 daughter of Jacob and Fanny Meyer. 
 She came with her parents and family to 
 America in 1829, stopping a short time 
 at Philadelphia, and thence removing 
 to Franklin. Penn., where the parents 
 died. She afterward came to Sandusky 
 City, Ohio, living there until her mar- 
 riage, when she removed to Lower Sun- 
 dusky (now Fremont). Mr. Dorr died May 
 28, 1873. Three sons survive their par- 
 ents: Fred H., J. Louis and Henry S. 
 
 D 
 
 R. D. P. CAMPBELL. Green 
 Spring is the most celebrated 
 place in Sandusky county. Here 
 a great volume of green-hued wa- 
 ter strongly saturated with valuable medi- 
 cinal qualities gushes forth from the rock- 
 bed below the surface. From prehistoric 
 times the spot has been noted for its heal- 
 ing virtues, and here was the favorite 
 haunt of the Seneca tribes; here its chiefs 
 met in councils of war or peace, and here 
 the sportive Red men gamboled amidst 
 the gorgeous coloring of the lavish and 
 unceasing waters. The springs have bene- 
 fited many thousands of invalids, and to 
 no one man perhaps is the public more 
 deeply indebted for the privilege of en- 
 joying this medicinal boon than to Dr. D. 
 P. Campbell, a leading physician and 
 
 surgeon at Green Spring, and one of the 
 proprietors of Oak Ridge Sanitarium. 
 
 Dr. Campbell is a native of New 
 Hampshire. His early literary education 
 was obtained at Pittsfield Academy, near 
 his native home. At its completion he 
 received special instruction in the classics 
 and in mathematics, under Profs. F'oster 
 and Goss, the latter being his cousin, who 
 were among the ablest instructors in the 
 New England States. Dr. Campbell be- 
 came a teacher, and for three years was 
 superintendent of the public schools in 
 Bedford, N. H. He then became inter- 
 ested in the sanitarium work, and was 
 successively associated with sanitariums 
 at Dansville, Livingston Co., N. Y. ; then 
 with Dr. Dio Lewis in his select school at 
 East Lexington, Mass. ; with Dr. Hero, 
 at Westboro, Mass. ; with Dr. W. T. 
 Vail, at Hill, N. H. ; with Dr. Martin, at 
 Waverly Place, N. Y., with Dr. R. T. 
 Trail, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Dr. Campbell then went west, and 
 with a partner opened a sanitarium at 
 Dubuque, Iowa. Later he sold out. and, 
 returning to New York City for a year at- 
 tended lectures at the Medical Depart- 
 ment of the University of New York, 
 then went to Cincinnati and graduated in 
 medicine with the class of 1S77. He 
 practiced medicine at Bedford, N. H., 
 where he soon gained a large and lucra- 
 tive practice. Dr. Campbell then came 
 to Green Spring, where he located per- 
 manently, and soon commanded a larger 
 practice than any physician in this part of 
 the State. His phenomenal success in- 
 duced the proprietors of the Oak Ridge 
 Sanitarium at Green Spring to solicit his 
 professional services in that institution. 
 In a few months he increased the attend- 
 ance from two to 137, and when he sev- 
 ered his connection the attendance fell 
 off in a short time to one. The Doctor 
 has again become interested in the sani- 
 tarium, as a proprietor, and by his skill 
 and indefatigable labors is again building 
 up the institution to its former glory. The 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 243 
 
 hotel building is an imposing four-story 
 structure, elegantly furnished and finished 
 througliout. It contains sevent)- large 
 airy sleeping rooms, admirably ventilated, 
 lighted by electricity and heated by steam. 
 It has recently been completely renovated 
 and refitted. For beauty and diversity 
 of scenery the place is unexcelled. The 
 "medicine water" for curative proper- 
 ties is one of the most noted and valuable 
 in the United States. Dr. David C. Bryan, 
 of New York, in writing a work on ' ' What 
 Shall We Drink, or the Mineral Waters 
 of America," requested a specimen of the 
 water, and in a subsequent letter thus ex- 
 pressed the result of a most careful analy- 
 sis: " It is one of the richest waters (medi- 
 cinally) that I have ever examined. It is 
 exceptionally bright and clear, and there 
 are no foul smells or gases held in solution. 
 It is remarkable in being at once a sul- 
 phur, salt, carbonate, alkaline and slightly 
 ferruginous water. The digestive and 
 urinary organs are benefited by alkaline 
 water, the liver and alimentary canal by 
 saline waters, the mucous, respiratory 
 membranes and skin by sulphur waters, 
 and iron waters have a special action on 
 the blood. " The color of the water is a 
 beautiful emerald, and it is almost as 
 transparent as air. Elegant bath rooms 
 are provided, and hosts of visitors testify 
 to permanent benefits received. 
 
 On June 22, 1878, Dr. Campbell mar- 
 ried Miss Alice E. Waterous, and has one 
 daughter — Grace T. 
 
 BENEDICT EMCH, now retired, 
 Woodville, Sandusky county, was 
 born in the canton of Solothurn, 
 Switzerland, June 8, 1829. It is 
 probable that the Emch family had lived 
 there for ages — this much, at least, is 
 known, that his grandfather lived and died 
 in the house in which Mr. Benedict Emch 
 was born. 
 
 Our subject is the son of Jacob and 
 Elizabeth (Kuntz) Emch, the former of 
 
 whom was also born in Switzerland, came 
 to America in 1834, and settled in Wood 
 county, Ohio, when that region was a 
 pioneer wilderness. He died on June i, 
 1859; Elizabeth Kuntz, his wife, was born 
 in 1797, and died in 1862, both being 
 faithful members of the German Reformed 
 Church. They were the parents of four 
 children: Jacob, who died in Berne, 
 Switzerland, at the age of sixty-seven 
 years; Benedict, subject proper of this 
 sketch; John, who joined the Union army 
 in W'ood county, Ohio, and died in a hos- 
 pital during the Civil war; Mary, who came 
 to America and lived here about nine 
 years, married one Benedict Emch, who 
 by the way was not related to her family; 
 he died, and she returned to Switzerland, 
 where she now resides. By his second 
 marriage, Jacob Emch had the following 
 children: Stephen, Sanmel, Elizabeth, 
 Ann, Margaret, Rosa, Susan, Sophia, be- 
 sides two that died in infancy. 
 
 Benedict Emch came to America in 
 1845. He remained in Wood county a 
 year with his father, and then went to 
 Perrysburg, Ohio, to learn the trade of 
 harness-maker. This completed, he was 
 prepared to face the world and battle for 
 himself. He worked at his trade until 
 1852, when the great excitement in Cali- 
 fornia attracted his attention, and he de- 
 termined to cast his fate among those 
 hardy adventurers who pushed their way 
 across the great American desert, in cara- 
 vans, in search of the }'ellow metal of the 
 Pacific Slope. It took him and his party 
 six months, lacking five days, to make 
 their overland trip from Maumee City, 
 Ohio, to Hankstown fnow Placerville), 
 the county seat of El Dorado county, Cal. 
 Mr. Emch proceeded at once to prospect- 
 ing, and a short time after his arrival 
 found him located on a claim, and dig- 
 ging for gold in El Dorado county. For 
 the first year or so he made something 
 over a living, but made quite a success of 
 gold digging afterward. He remained in 
 the gold fields until 1856, when he re- 
 
244 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BlOGRAPlilUAL RECORD. 
 
 turned home by the Nicaragua route. In 
 Ohio he remained for a few months to 
 visit, and, in July of 1856, returned to his 
 native Switzerland. He made the voyage 
 on a sailing vessel, and after landing, 
 traveled through England, studying its 
 interesting features, the great cities of 
 Liverpool and London, thence by way of 
 Rotterdam. Holland, up the River Ivhine 
 to Maiiheim, and to his home in Switzer- 
 land. In May, 1857, he returned to 
 America, bringing with him his mother 
 and about twenty other friends. On his 
 return to Woodville he engaged in busi- 
 ness, keeping a grocery store until the 
 spring of 1859, and then, during the Pike's 
 Peak gold excitement, started for that 
 land of promise across the Plains again, 
 and remained there during the summer, 
 digging for gold with good success. Hav- 
 ing considerable gold on hand in the fall, 
 he purchased a team and accoutrements, 
 and started back for the States. When 
 he reached the vicinity of St. Joseph City, 
 Mo., he left his team for keeping, with a 
 farmer, and found more convenient trans- 
 portation to Ohid. He soon afterward 
 proceeded on his way to New Orleans, 
 that city having the most convenient 
 United States mint, and there he had the 
 gold dust coined. Returning from New 
 Orleans about the commencement of the 
 year, he remained in Ohio, with his 
 mother, until spring. In the spring of 
 1S60 he induced some friends to join him, 
 and they went to St. Joseph, Mo., and 
 rigged out his team, left there the fall be- 
 fore, and again put forth across the west- 
 ern sands to rob the rocks of the valuables 
 hidden in their dusky caverns. They pros- 
 pected in mining that summer in the vi- 
 cinity of Denver City. The following fall 
 Mr. Emch again returned to St. Joseph, 
 Mo., and on his trip across the Plains he 
 met the famous "Pony Express," that 
 made the fastest time ever made over 
 the Plains by a team. Thej^ were carry- 
 ing to the Territories the news of Presi- 
 dent Lincoln's election. Mr. Emch pro- 
 
 ceeded from St. Joseph, Mo. , to New 
 Orleans again, to get more gold coined. 
 The impending war was at this time grow- 
 ing to a fever heat. He had difficulty in 
 getting a place to deposit his gold in New 
 Orleans, but finally succeeded. From 
 there he went to Galveston, Texas, with 
 the intention of spending the winter, but 
 the Civil war was about to break forth, 
 and the excitement was too intense to be 
 pleasant. He immediately took his de- 
 parture for New Orleans, drew his coined 
 gold from the place of deposit, and started 
 for Ohio. Remaining there until spring, 
 and the war having broken out, he went 
 to Pennsylvania to inspect the oil fields, 
 soon returning to Ohio, however, and im- 
 mediately left for the West, locating in 
 the mountains around Denver City. The 
 following spring he sold his claim there, 
 and started for Oregon, locating on Pow- 
 der river, where he built a cabin and 
 stayed until December. It was at this 
 period that gold was discovered in Idaho, 
 and he and his companions started for 
 Idaho City with a team of oxen. There 
 was from three to four feet of snow on 
 the ground when they reached that place. 
 The first thing they did was to butcher 
 the ox-team in order to secure meat 
 enough to live on during the winter. Mr. 
 Emch states that the oxen were not over 
 fat, but that their team, being old, was 
 not the worst beef people had to eat 
 there. A crowd of their companions 
 butchered their ox-team and borrowed 
 Mr. Emch's frying kettle to render the 
 tallow. They placed the ingredients in 
 the kettle, mixed with water, and, after 
 having fried and cooked it and permitted 
 it to cool, there was not a sign of tallow 
 on the surface of the water. Mr. Emch 
 says there was just enough on his own to 
 grease one pair of boots. Besides the 
 beef, Mr. Emch and his companions had 
 with them a keg of molasses and a small 
 amount of flour. They remained in camp 
 during winter, doing but little prospect- 
 ing, and when the pack trains came in 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 245 
 
 the spring, Mr. Emch paid $80 for lOO 
 pounds of flour. During the following 
 summer they all made some money, and 
 remained until the fall of 1868. Mr. 
 Emch paid $100 in gold for a stage ticket 
 to Sacramento City, going thence to San 
 Francisco, where he took a series of baths 
 for rheumatism, which he had contracted 
 in the mines. He remained about four 
 weeks in the city of the Golden Gate, 
 when he bid a final adieu to the West, 
 and returned to Ohio by the Panama 
 route. He had been here, however, only 
 about two months, when his roving spirit 
 again got the better of him, and he de- 
 termined to see more of his Fatherland 
 than he had ever seen before. He started 
 for Europe, going from New York City to 
 Hamburg, and traveled all through north- 
 ern Germany, studying its features and 
 the habits of the people. On the trip he 
 visited relatives of many of his old friends 
 at Woodville, and was thoroughly grati- 
 fied with the general information that he 
 thus acquired. It was a pleasant recom- 
 pense for the dreadful sea voyage, during 
 which they had been almost wrecked, and 
 which consumed twentj-eight days. On 
 his return trip he remained in Switzerland 
 from July until the following December, 
 and then came back to his home in Amer- 
 ica. Before going to Europe he had pur- 
 chased the farm he now lives on in Wood- 
 ville township; but farming was not to his 
 taste, so on his return he located in Wood- 
 ville, buying out Charles Powers' general 
 store, which he conducted until 1874, and 
 then sold out. He had also carried on an 
 ashery for some time; but having accumu- 
 lated wealth he did not enter heavily into 
 business; he attributes his success in life 
 greatly to the promptness with which he 
 has always met his obligations. With the 
 aid of his industrious wife he has cleared 
 up the land that he purchased, and their 
 excellent brick mansion, erected a few 
 years since, is one of the finest in San- 
 dusky county. At the present time, Mr. 
 Emch is living retired, surrounded by an 
 
 intelligent family, with all the conven- 
 iences of life at hand, and ample means 
 to sustain him. After the varied career 
 of his early days, he is a well contented 
 man. 
 
 In 1870 Mr. Emch married Miss 
 Louisa Sandwisch, who was born in 
 Woodville township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 March 17, 1844, and five children have 
 blessed their union: Edward, born De- 
 cember 1 1, 1873, who is now working on 
 his father's farm; Williarn, born May 29, 
 1875, now a student at Capitol University, 
 Columbus, Ohio, studying for the min- 
 istry of the Lutheran Church; Carrie, born 
 December 2, 1876, at home with her par- 
 ents, and George and Gusta (twins), born 
 December 25, 1879, now attending school 
 at Woodville. Mrs. Emch is the daugh- 
 ter of Harmon and Catherine (Mergal) 
 Sandwisch, both of whom were born in 
 Hanover, Germany, the father in tSii, 
 the mother in 1809. Harmon Sandwisch 
 died in Woodville township August 6, 
 1854, of cholera; he was a blacksmith by 
 trade. Mrs. Sandwisch is still living, in 
 Toledo. Their family consists of five 
 children: Mary, widow of Jacob Bischoff, 
 of Toledo, who has five children; Louisa, 
 Mrs. Emch; W^illiam R., living in Fre- 
 mont, who married Clorinda Swartzman, 
 and has three children; John, of Wood 
 county, Ohio, who married Almira Gal- 
 lop, and has four children living, and 
 Emma, Mrs. Charles Bradt, of Atlanta, 
 Ga. , who has one child. 
 
 WILLIAM PRIOR, a prominent 
 agriculturist of Rice township, 
 Sandusky county, and superin- 
 tendent of the De Mars Club 
 House, on Mud creek, was born in Ball- 
 ville township, Sandusky county, July 17, 
 1834, and is a son of John and Mary 
 (Arh) Prior. The father was a native of 
 Kentucky, and in his early life fought in 
 the battle of Fremont under Col. Crogan; 
 the mother was a native of Pennsylvania. 
 
246 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 In 1 8 1 3, the parents of our subject came to 
 Ohio, taking up their residence in San- 
 dusky county, where they spent their re- 
 maining days, the father dying in 1856, 
 at the age of seventy-six years, the mother 
 departing this life in 1881, when seventy 
 years of age. 
 
 In the usual manner of farm lads of 
 the locality, William Prior spent the days 
 of his boyhood and \'outh, obtaining his 
 education in the district schools of his 
 native town, and assisting in the labors 
 of the home farm. He has carried on 
 agricultural pursuits since attaining his 
 majority, and to-day is recognized as one 
 of the practical and progressive farmers 
 of Sandusky county. He manages his 
 business affairs with care, and is straight- 
 forward and honorable in all his dealings, 
 so that he has won the confidence and 
 good will of everyone with whom he has 
 been brought in contact. On June 19, 
 1859, in the county of his birth, he was 
 married to Miss Ellen Tegar, a native of 
 Pickaway county, Ohio, and three chil- 
 dren came to bless their union, namely: 
 Hattie, born June 13, i860, died in 1865; 
 Lottie, born January 13, 1862, died De- 
 cember 16, 1879; and Elisha A., born 
 May 16, 1S64. Of these, Lottie was 
 married February 26, 1879, to Oscar Pat- 
 terson, and one child, Charlotte, was born 
 to them December 14, 1879, who is now 
 living with her grandparents, Mr. and 
 Mrs. William Prior at De Mars Club 
 House; she attends the P'remont public 
 school, and is a very bright scholar. E. 
 A. Prior is one of Fremont's bright, up- 
 right young men; for the past seven years 
 he has been a member of the Fremont 
 Fire Department, and he holds a position 
 in the Christain Knife Works. 
 
 In his political views, Mr. Prior is a 
 Democrat, aYid has cast his vote in sup- 
 port of the men and measures of the 
 Democracy since attaining his majority, 
 but has never sought or desired office. 
 His entire life has been passed in this 
 county, and the fact that those who have 
 
 know him from boyhood are numbered 
 among his stanchest friends indicates an 
 honorable and upright career, worthy 
 the esteem in which he is held. 
 
 HENRY JERVIS POTTER (de- 
 ceased), who nobly gave his life 
 for his country's cause in the war 
 of the Rebellion, was born near 
 the city of Oswego, Oswego Co., N. Y. , 
 October 27, 1836. His parents, Merritt 
 D. and Maria Potter, lived on a farm near 
 Oswego until Henry was about eighteen 
 3'ears of age and had received a common- 
 school education. 
 
 In the spring of 18 54 the whole family 
 started in large moving wagons for Steu- 
 ben county, Ind., and got as far as the 
 house of Mr. Daniel Dawley, in Green 
 Creek township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 when Mrs. Potter was taken sick. Mr. 
 Dawley offered them the use of an unoc- 
 cupied house, into which they moved, and 
 they raised such summer crops as the)' 
 could until fall when they completed their 
 journey. Mr. Potter bought a farm in Steu- 
 ben county, Ind., and for several j'ears his 
 son Henry assisted him in farm work dur- 
 ing the summer months, and taught coun- 
 try schools in the winter time. In 1857 
 Mrs. Potter died, and our subject soon 
 after returned to Ohio to work as a farm 
 hand for Daniel Dawley, whose daughter, 
 Zeruiah Ann, he married September 15, 
 1857. Not long after his marriage Mr. 
 Potter bought a farm of eight acres of 
 heavily-timbered land adjoining that of 
 Mr. Dawley on the west, and began mak- 
 ing improvements on it. During the 
 winter seasons he taught school at the 
 Powers schoolhouse, about two miles 
 west. Wishing to secure the ready serv- 
 ices of a farm hand, he gave permission 
 to Daniel McNutt to build a log cabin at 
 the rear end of his farm. This cabin was 
 destroyed bj' fire in the absence of the 
 family; but out of its ashes Mr. Potter 
 picked up some lumps of clay which had 
 
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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 247 
 
 been burned to a bright red color, and 
 gave him the first hint that the subsoil 
 was excellent material for the brick and 
 tile making. 
 
 In the summer of 1863 a volunteer 
 company of Home Guards for the mili- 
 tary defence of the State of Ohio during 
 the Civil war was organized in Baltville 
 township, in which Mr. Potter took an 
 active part. This organization was known 
 as Company K, under command of Capt. 
 Jeremiah C. Mudge, later becoming a part 
 of the Fiftieth Regiment O. V. I., which 
 was organized at Fremont, Ohio, under 
 Col. Nathaniel E. Haynes, and in Sep- 
 tember of that year attended a grand mili- 
 tary review at Toledo, Ohio, in presence 
 of Gov. Brough and some military officers 
 who feared an invasion of Ohio from 
 Canada. A few weeks later Mr. Potter 
 went with his company to aid in guarding 
 Johnson's Island, in Sandusky Bay, where 
 some Rebel officers were confined as pris- 
 oners of war. 
 
 The ''scare" was soon over and the 
 company was recalled, but Mr. Potter 
 had become so aroused in regard to his 
 duty to his country in its hour of peril 
 that he decided to enlist in the Seventy- 
 second Regiment, O. \'. I., for three 
 years or during the war. All the men of 
 that regiment who had agreed to re-en- 
 list for three years were granted a vet- 
 eran furlough, and were then on their 
 way home from Memphis, Tenn. Mr. 
 Potter and his friend, Henry Innis, were 
 assured that if they enlisted they would 
 get the benefits of this furlough, and 
 thus have plenty of time to settle their 
 home matters before going to the front. 
 They enlisted at Fremont, Ohio, Febru- 
 ary 27, 1864, in Company F, Capt. 
 Le Roy Moore, Seventy-second Regi- 
 ment, under Col. R. P. Buckland, whose 
 headquarters were at Memphis, Tenn., 
 and on March i following went to San- 
 drsky City, there to be mustered in and 
 receive their township bounty money. 
 They next proceeded to Columbus, Ohio, 
 
 16 
 
 to get their State bounty, supposing they 
 could return to go with the veterans. In 
 this they were disappointed. They were 
 sent to Tod Barracks, refused leave of 
 absence to visit their friends, and were 
 hurried on to the front in company with 
 thirteen other raw recruits. Their squad 
 proceeded down through Cincinnati, 
 Louisville, Nashville, and Chattanooga to 
 Stevenson, Ala., then back to Cairo, 111., 
 and thence down the Mississippi, to Mem- 
 phis, Tenn. Mr. Potter wrote many 
 letters to his wife descriptive of the scenes 
 he passed through. At Memphis he did 
 guard duty at the Navy Yard; saw 
 .wounded men from Fort Pillow; refused 
 a roll of greenbacks as a bribe from a 
 Rebel spy, and kept a full diary of every 
 day's happenings. He went out on sev- 
 eral raids into the enemy's country, tak- 
 ing part in the Sturgis raid, but did not 
 like the business. The last letter his 
 wife ever received trom him, he wrote 
 when he was near Ripley, Miss., in which 
 he told her not to be uneasy about him. 
 In the unfortunate battle at Guntown, 
 Mr. Potter and Mr. Innis were captured 
 by Rebel cavalry in a thicket of scrub 
 oaks while trying to make their escape. 
 Mr. Innis advised Mr. Potter, who was 
 fleet of foot, to make his escape, and he 
 tried to do so, but soon returned saying: 
 "Hank, I hate to leave you in this way!" 
 They were taken to Andersonville prison, 
 which they entered June 17, 1864, and 
 were there stripped of all their valuables 
 as well as some of their clothing. It 
 rained, almost constantly during the first 
 two weeks, and they had neither shelter 
 from the alternate drenching down-pour 
 and hot sun, nor comfortable covering 
 during the chilly nights, and Mr. Potter 
 had only pants, blouse and cap to wear. 
 There were then 38,000 men in the en- 
 closure, which had recently been enlarged. 
 Rations of food were very scant, and 
 most of what there was had to be eaten 
 raw. After a month's confinement Mr. 
 Potter was taken sick with scurvy and 
 
248 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 diarrhoea, and had no medical treatment 
 except what his comrades could give him. 
 On the 2 1 St of August gangrene set in, 
 and, at his request, his faithful comrades, 
 J. P. Elderkin and Henry Innis, carried 
 him outside the stockade where he hoped 
 for better air and treatment; but he died 
 two days later, in charge, of an Illinois 
 comrade, to whom he entrusted the pic- 
 tures of his wife and children, with a re- 
 quest that they be forwarded to the dear 
 ones at home, with his own hand direct- 
 ing the package. On the day of his death 
 1 08 Union soldiers were carried out and 
 buried in one long trench, he among the 
 rest. Their graves were marked with 
 slabs giving their name, company and 
 regiment. When the news of Mr. Pot- 
 ter's death reached his home, a funeral 
 service was held in his memory at the 
 Dawley schoolhouse, November 1st, by 
 Kev. James Long, who seven }cars pre- 
 vious had solemnized the deceased's mar- 
 riage. 
 
 Mr. Potter's high sense of honor, his 
 pure, home life, his attachment to his 
 famil}', his true friendship in time of trial, 
 and his unflinching patriotism, led his 
 former comrades, in forming a Grand 
 Army Post at Green Spring, Ohio, July 
 9, 1 88 1, to name their Post after him. 
 He was a man of good natural and ac- 
 quired abilities, and had a mind well 
 stored with general information on many 
 practical subjects. He had been a care- 
 ful reader of the New York Tribune, the 
 Fremont founial and the Religious Tel- 
 escope. He had been a close observer of 
 the events and causes which led to the 
 Rebellion, as viewed from a Northern 
 standpoint, and was intensely loyal to the 
 flag of his country, and opposed to se- 
 cession. In religious matters he was 
 conscientious, but quiet and unassuming. 
 He was an acti\e member of the United 
 Brethren Church, and one of the trustees 
 of Mt. Lebanon Chapel. Reared a strict 
 Methodist, he adhered to that denomina- 
 tion until coming into the Dawley neigh- 
 
 borhood. To the last he maintained his 
 Christian character, and conscientiously 
 sacrificed home comforts, and even life, on 
 the altar of his country. 
 
 DANIEL M. POTTER, brick and 
 tile manufacturer, located in Ball- 
 ville township, Sandusky county, 
 was born near his present resi- 
 dence, April 19, i860. His parents were 
 Henry Jervis and Zeruiah Ann (Dawley) 
 Potter, who formerly owned and resided 
 on a farm adjoining the one he now occu- 
 pies and forming a part of it. Here Dan- 
 iel spent his childhood and youth, and at- 
 tended a common school on the southeast 
 corner of their farm, and also at Green 
 Spring, Fremont and Clyde. His father 
 having perished at Andersonville prison in 
 1864, Daniel earl}' learned those lessons 
 of industry, economy and thrift from his 
 widowed mother, in the management and 
 care of the farm, and in the raising of 
 live stock, which were of great service to 
 him in after life. 
 
 On December 25, 1881, he married 
 Miss Ettie O., daughter of Chaplain R. 
 and Ellen (Morrison) Huss, of Green 
 Creek township, and entered upon life for 
 himself on the farm he now occupies. 
 After farming two years he decided to 
 embark in the brick and tile business. 
 He began in a small way, and, as the de- 
 mands for his tile increased, enlarged his 
 facilities from year to 3ear, until in 1S93 
 he gave constant employment to nineteen 
 hands, several teams, and turned off 
 about five hundred thousand tile, of all 
 sorts and sizes, adapted to the needs of 
 the farmers in his vicinity. He also did 
 some shipping of tile abroad. He was 
 led to engage in the brick and tile busi- 
 ness from having heard in his childhood a 
 remark made by his father to the effect 
 that if he ever built a new house on that 
 farm it should be of brick burned by him- 
 self, as he had noticed that the clay mor- 
 tar used in the construction of a log cabin 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 249 
 
 on a corner of his farm by a renter had 
 turned to a bright red color when the 
 cabin was burned to the ground by acci- 
 dent. Mr. Potter is a member of Green 
 Spring Lodge, I. O. O. F., at Green 
 Spring, Ohio, and in poHtics is a Repub- 
 lican. The children of Daniel and Ettie 
 Potter are: Mabel Ellen, born August 30, 
 1884; Henry J., born May 30, i886; and 
 James C., born August 31, 1891. 
 
 Mrs. Potter, the mother of our sub- 
 ject, was born September 8, 1838, in 
 Sandusky county, in which county she 
 was for some time a teacher in the public 
 schools. To Mr. and Mrs. Henry Potter 
 were born three children: Jervis, born in 
 1858, and died in infancy; Daniel, our 
 subject, and Clara M. (Mrs. C. M. Wolf), 
 born August 2, 1861. 
 
 Mrs. Daniel Potter, the wife of our 
 subject, was born July 24, i860, in Green 
 Creek township. Sandusky Co., Ohio. 
 She was educated in high school at Green 
 Spring, and was a teacher in Sandusky 
 county for nine terms. Her father was born 
 February 11, 1838, in Sandusky county; 
 his wife was born March 18, 1838, in 
 Sandusky county; they were of Scotch 
 and Irish descent. To them were born 
 three children, as follows: Mrs. Potter; 
 Eva Huss (Mrs. Chas. Ruth), born April 
 21, 1863; and Burton W. Huss, born 
 April 23, 1869. The mother died Sep- 
 tember 19, 1894. Mrs. Potter's paternal 
 grandparents, Christian and Catharine 
 (Rathburn) Huss, were born February 21, 
 181 5, and March 3, 1818, respectively; 
 he died August 3, 1864; she died August 
 20, 1893. Her maternal grandparents 
 were born in Ireland, and came to Amer- 
 ica in 1830. 
 
 GEORGE HIETT, a well-to-do 
 farmer and manufacturer of Jack- 
 son township, Sandusky county, 
 was born March 7, 1 834, in Seneca 
 county, Ohio, and has resided in Sandusky 
 county from the age of ten years. 
 
 Our subject is a son of George Hiett, 
 Sr. , who was born October 12, 1792, in 
 Jefferson county, Va. , and moving thence 
 to Seneca county, Ohio, lived there twen- 
 ty years. Pleasant township, Seneca 
 county, was named by him. Returning 
 to Virginia, he remained three years, and 
 then came to Ballville township, San- 
 dusky county, where he bought 300 acres 
 of land on the west bend of the Sandusky 
 river, at $25 per acre. George Hiett, 
 Sr. , was in religious connection a mem- 
 ber of the M. E. Church, in politics a 
 Republican, and held the office of justice 
 of the peace one term in Seneca county. 
 He died March i, 1875, in his eighty- 
 third year. He wedded Miss Lydia Mul- 
 nix, who was born October 19, 1798, and 
 died in February, 1891, and their chil- 
 dren were Mary, born April 3, 18 19, who 
 was married to Thomas Johnson in San- 
 dusky county, where they resided some 
 time, moving thence to Kansas, where he 
 died in 1884, leaving two children — 
 George and Lydia J. ; William, born 
 December 28, 1820, who married Celia 
 Chineoweth, by whom he had ten chil- 
 dren; Elizabeth, born December 22, 
 1822, who married Martin Edwards, a 
 farmer, and had three children — William, 
 John and Mary; John W., born Novem- 
 ber I I, 1824, who married MaryBeecham, 
 by whom he had four children — Irving, 
 Ella, Oliver and Russell (John W^ Hiett 
 was a graduate of Oberlin College, and 
 was a teacher and superintendent in the 
 Fremont schools in 1853-54-55, and in 
 the Maumee schools in 1859-60-61-62; 
 during recent years he lived in Toledo, 
 Ohio, where he dealt in real estate. He 
 was among the organizers of the Anti- 
 slavery Society in Virginia. He was a 
 zealous member of the M. E. Church. 
 He died August 16, 1894); Catharine, 
 born March 4, 1827, married to Henry 
 Kenyon, and had four children — Edward, 
 Lillie, Emma and John; Henry, born 
 August 13, 1829, married Jane Hall, and 
 moved to Riverside, Cal., where they have 
 
250 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 a large fruit farm (their children are — 
 Robert, Phcebe and Mary); Rebecca, born 
 October 24, 1831; James, born March 7, 
 1834, a farmer, who married Martha 
 Louisa Bowlus, and has three children — 
 Edward, Effie and Martha; George, twin 
 brother of James; Jacob, born in 1836; 
 and Asa S., born in 1839. 
 
 At the age of ten years our subject, 
 George Hiett, came with his father to 
 Ballville township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 and assisted in farming on the banks of 
 Sandusky river. At the age of twenty- 
 one he left his father's home, and com- 
 mencing life for himself followed farming 
 for some time. Being a natural me- 
 chanic he erected a sawmill on the farm 
 where he now lives, at Bruner Station, 
 five miles southwest of Fremont, on the 
 line of the L. E. & W. railroad, where he 
 and his sons, under the firm name of 
 George Hiett & Sons, manufacture lumber, 
 sorghum, ground feed, and a combination 
 fence. The mill is valued at $3,000. Mr. 
 Hiett is also a patentee of a cane stripper 
 and binder, which is a great labor-saver, 
 and has a capacity of sixty bundles per 
 hour; the patent is estimated to be worth 
 $70,000. Mr. Hiett's farm is in the oil 
 district, and is very valuable property. 
 
 On December 21, 1856, George 
 Hiett married Miss Elizabeth Mosier, 
 who was born March 6, 1834, daughter 
 of Jacob and Elizabeth Mosier, na- 
 tives of Pennsylvania, who had a family 
 of ten children. To this union were born 
 children as follows: Emma Alice, born 
 September 27, 1857, married December 
 25, 1888, to Lewis C. Smith, a farmer, 
 and has one child — Ralph, born Septem- 
 ber 4, 1 891; Lydia Jeannette, born March 
 15, 1859, married October 19, 1892, to 
 George Barnt, a farmer and carpenter; 
 Charles Elliott, born March 22, 1861, 
 who, in May, 1888, married Hattie Bink- 
 ley, and has four children — Hazel (born 
 February 17, 1889), Howard (who died 
 in childhood), Eva E. (born June 17, 
 1890, died June 20, 1890), and Paul 
 
 C. (born July 31, 1893); George A., born 
 July 24, IS63, who married Nettie Beck, 
 October 25, 1893; Orven L. , born De- 
 cember 19, 1865, a farmer; King Henry, 
 born Januar}' 15, 1867, a farmer, who 
 was married March 14, 1894, to Minnie 
 Baumgardner, of Ballville township; Lil- 
 lie Vilota, born May 6, 1870, married 
 February 20, 1894, to Albert C. Ward, a 
 prosperous business man of Toledo, Ohio; 
 Dora Elizabeth, was born February 3, 
 1873, married December 25, 1894, to 
 Charles L. Flora, a natural mechanic and 
 the patentee of several new and useful 
 inventions. 
 
 HENRY BRINKMAN. Among the 
 worthy citizens of German birth 
 who have found homes in San- 
 dusky county, and rank among 
 her leading agriculturists, is the gentle- 
 man whose name opens this sketch. He 
 was born in Germany October 6, 1820, 
 and is the eldest son of John Henry and 
 Mary (Ornick) Brinkman, both of whom 
 were also natives of Germany. They 
 were farming people, and resided in that 
 country throughout their lives. 
 
 Our subject was reared and educated 
 in the land of his birth, and in 1858 
 sailed for America, for he hoped to better 
 his financial condition in this country, of 
 whose privileges and advantages he had 
 heard much. He landed at Castle Gar- 
 den, New York, without money, but with 
 a plentiful supply of energy and resolu- 
 tion. He came at once to Sandusky 
 county, Ohio, and, in order to earn a liv- 
 ing, began work as a day laborer, being 
 thus employed for three years. He 
 worked early and late, and lived frugally, 
 and at the e.xpiration of that period had 
 saved enough money with which to pur- 
 chase forty acres of timber land. With 
 characteristic energy he began to improve 
 it, and acre by acre was cleared and 
 placed under the plow, until to-day he 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 251 
 
 has a well-developed tract and a pleasant 
 home, all the result of his own labor. 
 
 Mr. Brinkman was united in marriage 
 with Miss Mary E. Alt, a daughter of John 
 Alt, of Germany, where their wedding 
 was celebrated in 1845. They became 
 the parents of three children, all sons, to 
 wit: Henry, now deceased; Frank, a far- 
 mer residing in Washington township, 
 who married Allie Lenz, and has one 
 child; and John, who was born November 
 14, 1866, in Sandusky county. His edu- 
 cational privileges were very meager, but 
 he has made the most of his opportuni- 
 ties, and in the school of experience has 
 gained a good, practical business knowl- 
 edge. He is now at home with his father, 
 and carries on the farm. He is a pro- 
 gressive, enterprising young agriculturist, 
 and in the management of the home place 
 displays good business ability. The father 
 and son are both supporters of the De- 
 mocracy, and members of the Lutheran 
 Church, and in the community where 
 they reside are highly respected people. 
 
 J 
 
 OHN FANGBONER, auditor of San- 
 dusky county, Ohio, was born in 
 Union county, Penn., June 3, 1845, 
 son of James and Catharine (Hick) 
 Fangboner. 
 
 James Fangboner was born in 1812 
 in New Jersey, from which State he re- 
 moved, when a young man, to Union 
 county, Penn., where he married, and 
 followed the trade of \\'agon-maker, in 
 connection with farming. His death oc- 
 curred in 1892. Mrs. Fangboner was 
 born in Easton, Penn., in 181 1, and is 
 now residing at Lewisburg, that State. 
 They were the parents of si.\ children, 
 who became heads of families. John 
 Fangboner was reared in Union county, 
 Penn., and at the age of sixteen enlisted 
 in the Union army, but was rejected on 
 account of his youth. He afterward en- 
 listed, February 24, 1864, in Company 
 
 K, Fifty-first P. V. I., was assigned to 
 the Army of the Potomac, and saw active 
 service, participating in several important 
 battles, and being wounded in the second 
 battle of the Wilderness. He was honor- 
 ably discharged at Trenton, N. J., July 
 25, 1865. After the war he located at 
 Lewisburg, Penn., and within a short 
 time came to Lindsey, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio, where he engaged in the business 
 of buying, preparing for market, and 
 shipping live-stock. in 1887 he removed 
 to Fremont in order to prosecute his busi- 
 ness on a larger scale, and recently he has 
 devoted most of his time to the buying, 
 feeding and shipping of sheep, in which 
 he excels, both in the magnitude and 
 management of his undertakings. His 
 sheep barns are models of convenience 
 and comfort for the handling of sheep. 
 One of them is 120x68 in dimensions, 
 two are 20x100 feet; there is another 
 100x28 feet, and one shed 100x36 feet. 
 He has granaries and sheds in close prox- 
 imity to each other, and he fed more than 
 6,000 sheep within the year 1894. He 
 makes his purchases in Chicago and else- 
 where. Mr. Fangboner also does an ex- 
 tensive business in the buying, packing and 
 shipping of hay and straw, having a num- 
 ber of presses of his own in almost con- 
 stant operation. He ships annually not 
 less than 800 car-loads of farm products, 
 for which he pays the farmers many hun- 
 dreds of thousands of dollars. Mr. Fang- 
 boner is a Republican in politics, and 
 takes a laudable interest in public affairs. 
 He has held many offices of honor and 
 trust, having served on the school board 
 at Lindsey for six years, and was a mem- 
 ber of the village council two years. On 
 his removal to Fremont he was elected a 
 member of the city council. In Novem- 
 ber, 1893, he was elected auditor of San- 
 dusky county, on the Republican ticket, 
 and is the present incumbent, assisted by 
 his son, Irvin T. , as deputy. He is well 
 and favorably known in society circles. 
 Socially, he is a member of the K. of H., 
 
252 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the Royal Arcanum and the National 
 Union. 
 
 In 1 87 1 Jolin Fangboner married Miss 
 Hensel, daughter of Adam and Mary 
 (Banner) Hensel. She died at Lindsey, 
 Ohio, in 1874, the mother of two chil- 
 dren, Irvin T. and Myrtella. Mr. Fang- 
 boner married, for his second wile. Miss 
 Emma, daughter of Jacob Faller, of 
 Fremont, Ohio, and they have one child, 
 Raymond. Irvin T. Fangboner, the 
 well-known, competent, and highly es- 
 teemed deputy auditor of Sandusky 
 county, was for five years assistant teller 
 in the First National Bank of Fremont, 
 Ohio. He is a member of several social 
 clubs and societies in the city, belongs to 
 the B. P. O. Elks, the Masonic Frater- 
 nity, the National Union and the Sons of 
 Veterans. In religious connection he is a 
 member of the Reformed Church of Fre- 
 mont, in which he has served in various 
 official positions. 
 
 GEORGE RICHARDS. This well- 
 known citizens of Gibsonburg, 
 Sandusky county, is a veterinary 
 surgeon, and has been practicing 
 his profession since early in life. He was 
 born in the County of Kent, England, 
 February 15, 18 19. 
 
 The parents of our subject were 
 Thomas and Mary (Court) Richards, the 
 former of whom died in the county of 
 Kent, England, when seventy-eight years 
 old. He was a farmer by occupation, 
 and was a strong, rugged man. He was 
 a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. The mother was also born in 
 the County of Kent, England, and lived 
 to be one hundred and one years old. 
 She was never sick until the time of her 
 death. Her father was Clement Court, 
 a farmer by occupation, and her mother, 
 who was born in Worcester, England, was 
 the daughter of a veterinary surgeon. 
 
 George Richards gained a fair educa- 
 tion in the schools of East Kent, and 
 
 assisted his father upon the farm until 
 fourteen years of age, when he was ap- 
 prenticed to his uncle until he was twenty- 
 one, learning the profession of a veterin- 
 ary surgeon. He then went to London 
 and studied at Greenwich Hospital for a 
 year, when he took his diploma and began 
 practice with his uncle in Kent. There 
 he remained two years, and was then ap- 
 pointed as veterinary and bailiff under 
 Lord Sands. This position he filled for 
 over five years, and then took the man- 
 agement of a tavern in West Kent called 
 the "Bull Inn," which he conducted for 
 two and a half years, when he sold out 
 and became the proprietor of the " Drum 
 Inn," East Kent, remaining there some 
 three years. This property he disposed 
 of in 1859, and then emigrated to America. 
 Mr. Richards at first located in Rich- 
 field, Ohio, and engaged in the butcher- 
 ing business until 1861, when, the Civil 
 war breaking out, he enlisted in the 
 Second Battalion, Ohio Cavalry, serving 
 two and a half years. He was sent from 
 Camp Dennison to St. Louis and Kansas 
 City, Mo., and was in the expedition in 
 search of Ouantrell's band of bush- 
 whackers. They had an exciting chase, 
 in which they captured si.x of Ouantrell's 
 men. About this time Mr. Richards' wife 
 was taken sick, and died, so he returned 
 home. He then located in Lorain coun- 
 ty, Ohio, on Butternut Ridge, where he 
 lived until 1864, in which year he went 
 to Wood county and bought land. This 
 he traded for land beyond Summit. He 
 made a business of buying and selling 
 land, in the meantime practicing his pro- 
 fession as a veterinary surgeon, having as 
 much as he could do in that line. He is 
 now the owner of a good property, and 
 although he has practically retired from 
 business, he still does some work in his 
 profession. Mr. Richards was married in 
 1850, in England, to Mary Bramble, who 
 died during the Civil war, in 1863, in Lake 
 township, Wood Co., Ohio. Of this 
 union there were born the following chil- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 253 
 
 dren: Margery: George, who married 
 Clara Hedricks, and has three children — 
 Esther, Harry and Daisy; Mary, the wife 
 of David Ively, has four children — Harry, 
 Charley, George and Fred; Margaret died 
 when twenty-three years old; Sarah mar- 
 ried W. Fought, and has one child — 
 Arthur; Margaret died when one year old. 
 For his second wife Mr. Richards mar- 
 ried Miss Sarah Weaver, who was born 
 in Franklin, Penn., in 1849. The chil- 
 dren of this marriage are: Lottie, the wife 
 of John Mull (they have three children — 
 Melvin, Ira and Ethel); Fred, married to 
 Miss Mame Foster; Clara, deceased; 
 \\'illiam, Effie, Emma, Henry, Jemima, 
 Eddie and Bessie. 
 
 Mr. Richards is a Republican in poli- 
 tics. In religion he is a member of the 
 United Brethren Church, and has been 
 very active in all good works, helping to 
 build three or four churches. He is a 
 man of intelligence and a good conversa- 
 tionalist. 
 
 HFA'RY A. WINTER. This gen- 
 tleman, who is one of the most 
 jirominent farmers and stock rais- 
 ers of Townsend township, San- 
 dusky county, has, by his sterling integ- 
 rity, honest and straightforward dealing, 
 earned for himself an enviable reputation 
 and a good name. He is a son of Daniel 
 and Mar}- (Dale) Winter, and was born 
 January 8, 1838, upon the homestead 
 farm, on which he still resides. 
 
 Daniel Winter, who was of German 
 ancestry, was born in Hagerstown, Md., 
 March 30, 1797, and was a son of Chris- 
 tian and Palmer Winter, who removed to 
 Canada about 1800, locating near Fort 
 Erie, where they resided until 181 2. On 
 the breaking out of the war of 181 2 
 Christian Winter entered the ranks of the 
 American army; but, as he had pre- 
 viously taken the oath of allegiance to 
 the British Crown, the Canadian author- 
 ities endeavored to enroll him into their 
 
 army, and during the war he had many 
 narrow escapes from capture by the Brit- 
 ish. After the close of the struggle he 
 settled in Erie county, Ohio, where he 
 resided until his death. He was an up- 
 right, honored citizen, and his memory will 
 long be cherished. Daniel Winter was 
 three years old when he was taken by his 
 parents to Canada, and he was there 
 reared to manhood. He also was drafted 
 into the British army, but escaped and 
 settled in Erie county, Ohio, where he 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits until 182 1, 
 when he removed to what was then called 
 the Prairies (now Townsend township), 
 where he spent the remainder of his days. 
 In Erie county, Ohio, April 6, 1831, he 
 was united in marriage with Mary Dale, a 
 lady of German ancestry, born in Dan- 
 ville, Penn., February i i, 1800, and they 
 had four children, as follows: J. Nelson, 
 born April 26, 1834, and residing in Clyde, 
 Sandusky county; Henry A., the subject 
 of this sketch; Ralph J., born November 
 20, 1842, died April 18, 1885; and Mary 
 E. , born September 11, i S45, died at Madi- 
 son, Ga., March 27, 1889. On June 24, 
 1869. Daniel Winter was called from 
 earth, beloved of all who knew him. 
 
 Henry A. Winter has passed his whole 
 life in Townsend township, was educated 
 in the district school, and since early 
 youth has been engaged in farming and 
 stock raising. In Erie county, Ohio, May 
 28, 1874, Mr. Winter was united in mar- 
 riage with Bella Neill, who was born in 
 Delaware, Delaware Co., Ohio, April 17, 
 1857, and they have hao children, their 
 names and dates of birth being as follows: 
 Ralph, February 27, 1875; Allan, July 4, 
 1876; Louis, February 18, 1878; Daniel, 
 July 7, 1879; Charles, June 21, 1880; 
 Edith, August 4, 1882; and Neil, Feb- 
 ruary 27, 1884. The parents of Mrs. 
 Winter, Louis and Jeannette S. (Gaw) 
 Neill, were both born in Sandusky City, 
 Erie county, and both are still living. 
 Mr. Winter is a Republican in politics, 
 and the family attend the United Brethren 
 
2&4 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Church. Mrs. Winter is a school director 
 for Sandusky county, being the first lady 
 director ever elected in the countv. 
 
 NB. ERVIN, M. D., one of the 
 most successful medical practi- 
 tioners of Sandusky county, as 
 well as one of the most enterpris- 
 ing and deserving business men, is a resi- 
 dent of Gibsonburg. He was born near 
 Mansfield, Ohio, January 15, 1853, son of 
 Ezekiel and Sarah (Kerr) Ervin. 
 
 Ezekial Ervin was born in October, 
 1799, in Westmoreland county, Penn., 
 and about 1830 migrated to Richland 
 county, Ohio, where, with his brother-in- 
 law, Jesse Swann, he opened up a wilder- 
 ness farm. The rails of this pioneer farm 
 were made from walnut lumber, which in 
 after years became almost priceless in 
 value. Sarah (Kerr), the mother of our 
 subject, was also a native of Westmore- 
 land county. They remained lifelong 
 citizens of Richland county, the mother 
 dying in 1865, the father surviving till 
 1880. He had only one brother — who 
 remained in Pennsylvania and left two 
 sons — but several sisters, one of whom 
 had married Jesse Swann. The children 
 of Ezekiel and Sarah Ervin, were as fol- 
 lows: James, a soldier of the Civil svar, 
 who, in the spring of 1865, when on his 
 way home on parole from a Rebel prison, 
 was killed in the steamer "Sultana" 
 horror near Vicksburg; William, who died 
 in childhood; John M., a harness-maker 
 of Mansfield; Mary, who died in child- 
 hood; Dr. N. B., subject of this sketch; 
 Ruth, wife of James McCulley. of Toledo; 
 Ira, who died at Clyde, aged twenty-six 
 years; and Sadie, deceased wife of Howard 
 Rummel. 
 
 Our subject grew up on his father's 
 farm, and in addition to his common- 
 school education, took an academic course 
 at Perrysville, Ohio. He then attended 
 medical lectures at the Cleveland Medical 
 School, the Medical Department of 
 
 Wooster Universit\-, graduating with the 
 class of 1881. The young physician at 
 once opened an office at Gibsonburg, and 
 he has remained here ever since. He 
 quickly won the confidence of the com- 
 munity by his professional skill, and has 
 from the first enjoyed a large practice. 
 In 1893 Dr. Ervin opened a drug store, 
 which he still owns; but he devotes his 
 time chiefly to his practice. He is also 
 interested in various enterprises which 
 are materially helping the village and 
 county: He is a charter member, a stock- 
 holder and a director of the Gibsonburg 
 Banking Compan}-; he was president of 
 the first gas company ever organized at 
 Gibsonburg, the Gibsonburg National Gas 
 and Oil Company, and now has interests 
 in that and in the Ervin Oil Company, 
 who control considerable land and own 
 about thirty wells, being largely engaged 
 in the oil industry. He is also financially 
 interested with Williams Bros, in the oil 
 fields, and is a member of the Buckeye 
 Torpedo Co., who are engaged in the 
 manufacture of nitro-glycerine for shoot- 
 ing oil wells. In politics the Doctor is a 
 Republican. Socially, he is a prominent 
 member of the I.O.O. F., the K. of P., 
 the Knights of the Maccabees, and the 
 Masonic F"raternity. Professionally he is 
 a member of the State Medical Society, 
 and also of the Sandusky County Medical 
 Society. The town of Gibsonburg is in- 
 debted for its prosperity to men of the 
 courage and conviction of Dr. Ervin. 
 He is a leader in financial operations, and 
 has displayed a rare good judgment in the 
 undertakings with which he has been as- 
 sociated. 
 
 On September 9, 1880, Dr. Ervin 
 was married, near Mansfield, to Miss 
 Josephine Smith, a native of Wayne 
 county, and they have a family of four 
 children: Mabel, born January 2, 1882; 
 James Sidney, born January 20, 1886; 
 Norman, born September 9, 1889; and 
 Dale, born November 12, 1893. Mrs. 
 Ervin was born July 23, 1859, daughter 
 
'r" 
 
 %, 
 
 ■k y^> 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 255 
 
 of John and Rebecca (Gillani) Smith, and 
 received her education in Richland and 
 Wayne counties, Ohio. Her father was 
 born July 24, 1820, her mother June 3, 
 1 82 1, and they were the parents of seven 
 children, of whom four are now living, 
 as follows: Josephine (Mrs. Ervin); Mrs. 
 ^fary Robinson, of Lucas, Ohio; Mrs. 
 Ellen Irvin, of Mansfield, Ohio; and Mrs. 
 Lizzie Wallace, of Lucas, Ohio. Mr. 
 Smith came to his death. May 25, i8go, 
 by the explosion of a quantity of dyna- 
 mite; his wife survived him until 1893. 
 Mrs. Ervin's paternal grandfather, Daniel 
 Smith, was born about 1798, and mar- 
 ried Anna Hartford, who died at an early 
 age, leaving a family of five children. 
 Her maternal grandfather, William Gil- 
 lam, wedded Mary I^ennedy, who was 
 born about 1800, and died in 1874; to 
 this union were born seven children, of 
 whom one is living. 
 
 LOUIS LINKE, one of the substan- 
 tial farmers of northern Ohio, was 
 born May 12, 1837, in Hanover, 
 Germany, and is a son of Herman 
 H. and Anna (Thorman) Linke, who were 
 born in Hanover, Germany, in Novem- 
 ber, 1795, and in September, 1798, re- 
 spectively. 
 
 Herman H. Linke and his wife Anna 
 were the parents of four children, name- 
 ly: Anna M., born in 1820, who married 
 Clarence Ulgerslinger, a tailor, and they 
 live in Germany; Annie Mary, born in 
 1825, married Christopher Rolf us, a 
 maker of wooden shoes, and they live in 
 Germany; Aberhart, born in 1825, now a 
 farmer in Woodville township, Sandusky 
 county, married to Sophia Hilker, and 
 they have six children — Annie, Sophia, 
 Herman, and three who died young; and 
 Ludwig Henry, or Louis, the subject of 
 this sketch. 
 
 Louis Linke came to America with his 
 parents in the fall of 1852. In eighteen 
 weeks from the time they left the Father- 
 
 land they located in Ohio, visiting first at 
 his uncle's, in Troy township, Wood coun- 
 ty. He then went to his brother, who 
 owned a farm, and stayed there for a 
 time, working out at different places un- 
 til his marriage. On March 7, i860, 
 Louis Linke married Maria Hurdelbrink, 
 who was born October 8, 1839, in Han- 
 over, Germany, and nine children have 
 been born to them, as follows: Herman 
 Henry, March 18, 1861, now a farmer in 
 Woodville township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 married to Ganna Sandwisch, and has two 
 children — Ida and Lizzie; Elizabeth, born 
 April 6, 1862, died young; Eberhart 
 Henry, born August 28, 1863, now a 
 farmer in Clay township, Ottawa county, 
 who married Louisa Obermeyer, and they 
 have had two children, Minnie and Ed; 
 Annie Louisa, born August 11, 1866, mar- 
 ried to Herman Sander, a farmer of Ot- 
 tawa county, and they have three chil- 
 dren — Louis, Carrie and Dora; Eberhard 
 Henry, born June 24, 1868, died August 
 22, 1869, aged one year and twenty-eight 
 days, and was buried at Woodville; Sophia 
 Eliza, born May 11, 1871, married Fred 
 Shulte, a farmer of Sandusky county, and 
 has one child — Louis; Anna Maria Car- 
 rie, born August 26, 1874, unmarried and 
 living at home; John Ludwig, born March 
 30, 1879, living at home; and Maria Eliza, 
 born December 18, 1883, deceased when 
 young. 
 
 Mrs. Louis Linke's parents came to 
 America in 1837, and only remained in 
 the East a short time. They were very 
 poor, and her father worked by the day 
 among the farmers. Coming to Ohio, 
 they lived for a short time with a friend 
 named Hartman. Her father worked out, 
 and saved his money, bought forty acres 
 of land, put up a log cabin, and began 
 clearing. This land he kept for several 
 years, and then sold it. Later he bought 
 eighty acres, all but two of which were in 
 timber, and cleared about half of this. 
 Before he died this farm was divided 
 among the children. He was born in 
 
256 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 1803, and died in 1877; his wife was born 
 in 1800, and died in 1867. Mrs. Linke's 
 brothers and sisters were as follows: 
 Henry, born in 1834, married Angeline 
 Starke, by whom he has had eight chil- 
 dren (he has a farm of eighty acres in 
 Woodville township which he rents, and 
 lives retired with his children in Toledo, 
 Ohio); William, a farmer of Woodville 
 township, married Louisa Coleman, and 
 they have seven children; and Eliza and 
 Angeline, who died young. 
 
 In 1 86 1 Mr. Linke bought 126 acres 
 of timberland, all in the woods, put up a 
 log cabin, and began clearing. In 1864 
 he sold twenty-five acres to his brother, 
 since when he has owned, in all, 238 
 acres. He now has 149 acres, and car- 
 ries on general farming. He is one of 
 the oldest members of the Lutheran 
 Church in Troy township. Wood Co., 
 Ohio. In politics a Democrat, he was 
 trustee for eleven jears, and supervisor 
 several years. He is an upright, honest 
 man, does not show the marks of his 
 years of hard work, and has not yet a 
 gray hair in his head. 
 
 REV. NOAH HENRICKS, a retired 
 farmer and minister, now residing 
 in the village of Lindsey, San- 
 dusky county, has witnessed, as 
 few others have, the marvelous transfor- 
 mation of a tangled and almost impass- 
 able jungle into a pastoral region of sur- 
 passing fertility and beauty. 
 
 He was a lad of tender years, with 
 mind keenly susceptible to impressions, 
 when his father, a prominent pioneer and 
 farmer, moved from the rugged hills and 
 valleys of Perry county to the noted 
 "Black Swamp" of northwestern Ohio. 
 Gifted with a prescience of their future 
 value, he bought extensively from the 
 government the rich swamp-covered lands 
 of Washington township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, trusting to the coming years to vindi- 
 cate the soundness of his judgment in 
 
 thus investing in lands which most pio- 
 neers avoided. The scene was truly un- 
 inviting. Log-choked streams lazilj' 
 flooded the entire region, and rank veget- 
 able growth contended with the slimy 
 waters for supremacy over the soil. Vine- 
 clad monarchs of the forest with tops in- 
 terlaced, and with trunks inclined at every 
 conceivable angle, conspired to keep the 
 rays of the sun from the oozy surface. 
 
 Hither in 1830 came Jacob and Eliza- 
 beth (Hufford) Henricks and their eight 
 children, the ninth and youngest being a 
 native of the new home. Jacob Hen- 
 ricks, who was born in Pennsylvania, 
 moved with his parents, in 1807, to Perry 
 county, Ohio, was there married to Eliza- 
 beth Hufford January 15, 181 1, and there 
 remained until his migration to Sandusky 
 county in 1830. His children were as 
 follows: Katie, born December 8, 181 1, 
 married George Hetrick, and died in 
 1894, leaving ten children; Sarah, born 
 July 29, 1814, married John Overmyer, 
 and is now deceased; John, born Novem- 
 ber 8, 1 8 16; Noah, subject of this sketch, 
 born Nouember 13, 1818; Susan, born 
 January 14, 1821, now living in Indiana, 
 widow of Samuel Rerrick; Rebecca, born 
 December 6, 1822, wife of Jacob Wagg- 
 ner, of Indiana; Jonah, born December 
 9, 1824; Elizabeth, born May 20, 1827, 
 now the wife of Jonas Engler, and resid- 
 ing near Flat Rock; Jacob, born August 
 16, 1 83 1, a farmer of Wood count v, 
 Ohio. 
 
 After his removal to Sandusky count)' 
 Noah Henricks, the subject of this sketch, 
 attended the district schools until his 
 seventeenth jear, when he began a course 
 of study, preparatory to entering the 
 ministry in the German Baptist Church. 
 When thus equipped, Rev. Henricks 
 filled the pulpit for four years, preaching 
 in Ohio and throughout Illinois. He 
 tilled the station of a bishop, which per- 
 mitted him to preach without restriction, 
 and not requiring him to follow the cir- 
 cuit and stay but one year in each place. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 iOi 
 
 III January. 1831, his father purchased 
 160 acres of land in Washington town- 
 ship, and this, from 185010 1890, was the 
 home of our subject. He married Miss 
 Katie Reed, daughter of Joseph and Sarah 
 (Swinehart) Reed, who in an early day 
 migrated from Pennsylvania, their native 
 State, to Perry county, Ohio, and in 
 1833 came to Washington township, San- 
 dusky county, where they died. In relig- 
 ious belief they were Lutherans. They 
 had a famil}' of eleven children, as fol- 
 lows: Elizabeth, Samuel, Katie, Polly, 
 Peter, John, Jonathan, Rebecca, Eliza, 
 Caroline, and an infant unnamed. To 
 Rev. Noah and Katie Henricks have been 
 born four children: John, who married 
 Catharine Yagle, and had four children — 
 Alice (married to William Engler), and 
 Arda, Clara and Esta (all three single); 
 Sarah, widow of Jess Hetrick; Elizabeth, 
 wife of Charles Buck, a farmer in San- 
 dusky county, who has three children — 
 Ida, Noah and Jennie; and Emily, who 
 married John Ansbach, a lumberman of 
 Oak Harbor, and has two children — 
 Willie and Roily. In 1890 Rev. Mr. Hen- 
 ricks moved to the village of Lindsey, 
 where he expects to pass his remaining 
 days in comfort, and amidst the scenes 
 which bring back many pleasant memories 
 of the long ago. 
 
 JBAUMANN & SON. Among the 
 enterprising business men of Fre- 
 mont, perhaps no firm is more widely 
 and favorably known throughout 
 Sandusky county than the firmof J. Bau- 
 mann & Son, proprietors of the " Central 
 Meat Market," corner of Croghan and 
 Arch streets, opposite the City Hall. 
 
 jAcoii Baum.wn, Sk., the senior pro- 
 prietor, was born in Villigen, Switzerland, 
 December 6, 1827, a son of Henry and 
 Verena (Hartman) Baumann, who lived 
 on a farm near the borders of Baden. 
 He attended school in his native place 
 until fifteen years of age, when he learned 
 
 the trade of butcher. On May 10, 1850, 
 he married Miss Elizabeth Vogt, daughter 
 of John Vogt, a farmer, who afterward 
 emigrated to America and settled in San- 
 dusky county, Ohio. In the fall of the 
 year 1854 Mr. Baumann came to America 
 with his family, crossing the Atlantic 
 Ocean in the sailing vessel "Canvas 
 Back" from Havre to New York City in 
 forty-three days. Coming thence to Fre- 
 mont, Ohio, he located on the east side 
 of the Sandusky river, and worked at his 
 trade as a butcher. The following year 
 he kept a meat market at Clyde, Ohio. 
 Returning to Fremont in 1856, heopened 
 a grocery store and meat market on State 
 street, in the Third ward, on the corner 
 now occupied by Kline's block. In 1857 
 he sold out this business and removed to 
 the West side, where he established an 
 exclusively meat market. His "Central 
 Market" was established by him in 1875. 
 In the year 1877 his son, Jacob Baumann, 
 Jr., became an equal partner with him, 
 and they have continued together until the 
 present time. Their patronage is such 
 that for a number of years it has required 
 the annual purchase of more than ten 
 thousand dollars' worth of live stock, 
 chiefly from the farmers of the surround- 
 ing countrj'. They are quiet and unas- 
 suming in their manners, but possessed of 
 a genial, friendly nature, and an obliging 
 disposition. They are masters of their 
 business, and their reputation for sound 
 judgment and strict integrity is such that 
 among farmers and city patrons their 
 word is as good as their bond. In the 
 year 1882 J. Baumann, Sr., built a fine 
 brick mansion on Croghan street, oppo- 
 site the Court House yard, which has 
 since that time been occupied as a family 
 residence, and is an ornament to the city. 
 The children of Jacob Baumann, Sr. , and 
 his wife Elizabeth, nee Vogt, were: Jacob 
 Baumann, Jr. ; Anna Baumann, who died 
 at the age of forty-two years; Eliza Bau- 
 mann, at home; Albert V., whose sketch 
 appears elsewhere; and Hattie, at home. 
 
258 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Jacob Baumann, Jr., junior member 
 of the firm of J. Baumann & Son, was 
 born in Switzerland July 23, 1850, and 
 came with his parents to Fremont, where 
 he received alimited school education, and 
 learned to follow the occupation of his fa- 
 ther. He married November i, 1877, 
 Miss Minna Richards, daughter of Prof. 
 Frederick Richards. She died July 15, 
 1892, the mother of children as follows: 
 Gertrude Leone, born August 9, 1879; 
 Albert Otto, born October 24, 1880; 
 Frederick Jacob, who died in infancy; 
 and Frieda, born July 30, 1886. On Oc- 
 tober 30, 1894, Mr. Baumann married 
 Miss Ida Stapf, who was born March 30, 
 1861, daughter of William Stapf. of New- 
 port, Ky. Their residence is on Garrison 
 street, Fremont, Ohio. 
 
 GEORGE RIMMELSPACHER, a 
 retired farmer, Fremont, San- 
 dusky county, is a native of 
 Baden, Germany, born March 
 28, 18 12. His parents were Joseph and 
 Christena ( Mowery ) Rimmelspacher, 
 farmers and natives of Baden, the former 
 of whom died at the age of seventy-seven, 
 and the latter at the age of seventy-four 
 years. They had eight children, f^ve of 
 whom came to America: Chrisence, 
 Mary, Elizabeth, Sebastian, and George 
 (our subject). Of those who remained in 
 the Fatherland, Bernhardt only is still 
 living. 
 
 Our subject grew to manhood in Baden, 
 where he received a limited education in 
 German, and learned the trade of black- 
 smith. Hoping to better his condition, 
 he emigrated to America, landing at New 
 York City, May 27, 1836, and here worked 
 at his trade one and a half years. He 
 then went to St. Augustine, Florida, and 
 drove stage coach two years, subsequently 
 doing some blacksmithing for the United 
 States Government, under direction of 
 Gen. Zachary Taylor, who was in charge 
 of soldiers there. He returned thence to 
 
 New York City, and in 1 840 came to Ohio, 
 locating on the Sandusky river, in Ball- 
 ville township, Sandusky county, upon a 
 farm of forty acres, to which more were 
 added later, and where he lived about 
 forty years. Here, by hard work and good 
 management, for which Germans are noted, 
 he accumulated a fortune which enabled 
 him in his old age to retire from business. 
 He has erected a fine brick residence on 
 Garrison street, Fremont, which he makes 
 his family home. He at one time owned 
 Goo acres of valuable land in Sandusky 
 county, which he disposed of by giving to 
 each of his children a farm. 
 
 On September 14, 1840, George Rim- 
 melspacher married Miss Elizabeth Gable, 
 who was born April 4, 181 8, in Alsace, 
 Germany, and came to America in 1831. 
 They had thirteen children, nine of whom 
 are living: (i) Joseph A., who died at 
 twelve years of age; (2) Jacob, a soldier 
 of the Civil war, who married Anna Gar- 
 ber, and whose children are — Florence, 
 Henry, Ida, Ferris and Pearl. (3) Mag- 
 dalena, wife of Henry Ochs, of Buffalo, 
 N. Y. , who has si.x children — Albert (who 
 married Miss Bertha Shoedler, and has 
 one child, Harold); Rosa (who married 
 Casper Hodes, and has three children — 
 Rosa, Carl and Henry), Edward, Harry, 
 Stany and Ralph. (4) Andrew, farmer, 
 living in Ballville township, who married 
 Miss Louisa Myers, and whose children 
 are — Harry. Estella, Philber, Edward, 
 Sylvester, Hedwig, Lovina, Sevilla, Law- 
 rence, Marie, Clements and Rcgine. (5) 
 Catharine, wife of Anthony Swint, whose 
 children are — George, Frank, Lena, Liz- 
 zie, Seraphine. Robert. Charles, Laura, 
 Peter, Jacob, and Gertrude. (6) Rosa, 
 wife of L. Engleman; she died August i, 
 1893, aged thirty-four, leaving two chil- 
 dren — Amedius and Estella. (7) Mary, 
 wife of Andrew Ochs, of Buffalo, N. Y. ; 
 they have one child — -Frank. (8) George, 
 a farmer of Sandusky county, who mar- 
 ried Helen Kofifler, and whose children 
 are — Isabella, Eleanora and Henrietta. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 259 
 
 (9) John, who rrarried Theresa Kochman, 
 and whose children are — Seraphine, Jose- 
 phine, Carl and Wilbur. (10) William, 
 who married Christena Engler, and whose 
 children are — Isadore and Wilbur. (11) 
 Amelia, living at home. Two children — 
 Peter and Frank — died in childhood. 
 Mrs. Rimmelspacher died June 7, 1892, 
 at the age of seventy-four years. The 
 Rimmelspacher family are all members of 
 the Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 JC. SMITH. This gentleman, one 
 of the most prominent and influen- 
 tial citizens of Gibsonburg, Sandusky 
 county, is the surviving member of 
 the firm of Smith & Dohn, who for some 
 years have e.xtensively engaged in the 
 manufacture of lime. Mr. F. W. Dohn 
 died about three years ago, and since that 
 time Mr. Smith has had entire charge of 
 the large interests of the business, and 
 has conducted it very successfully, being 
 assisted by Mr. Dohn's son. He is a man 
 of strict integrity, and carries the princi- 
 ples of religion into his business relations, 
 gaining thereby the confidence and es- 
 teem of all with whom he comes in con- 
 tact. He is also enterprising and pro- 
 gressive, and always busy in promoting 
 the welfare of others as well as his own. 
 Mr. Smith was born in Sandusky 
 county, west of Fremont, August 15, 
 1854, son of Nelson and Mary (Cookson) 
 Smith, both of whom are still living. The 
 father was born in 1824 in Franklin coun- 
 ty, Ohio, near Columbus, and now resides 
 in Washington township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, where he carries on farming, and where 
 he has lived ever since his marriage. By 
 trade he was a carpenter, and followed 
 that occupation for some years. In poli- 
 tics he is a Republican, and in religion a 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. His ancestors were prominent 
 people in New England, and Israel Smith, 
 of Fremont, this State, was his uncle. 
 The mother of our subject was born in 
 
 Perry county, Ohio, in 1823, her family 
 coming there from Pennsylvania. Our 
 subject is one of a family of five children, 
 of whom the following record is given: 
 Josiah lives in Ballville township; Isabel 
 died at the age of fifteen years; F. E. 
 lives in Washington township; J. C. re- 
 sides at Gibsonburg; and John lives on 
 the old homestead in Washington town- 
 ship. 
 
 J. C. Smith grew to manhood in 
 Washington township, and acquired an 
 e.\cellent education in Delaware and Ober- 
 lin Colleges, in the meantime interspers- 
 ing his studies with teaching, thus putting 
 to practical use the knowledge he ob- 
 tained. He taught two terms at Ballville 
 after leaving Delaware College, and be- 
 fore entering Obertin, and after attending 
 the spring and fall terms at the latter, 
 again engaged in teaching for four terms 
 at Bettsville, in Seneca county. He also 
 taught three terms near his home in San- 
 dusky county. In 1880 he was married 
 to Miss Annie C. Bowlus, who was born 
 in Sandusky township, Sandusky county, 
 August 22, 1852, and to them have been 
 born si.x children: Eula, May, Webb, 
 Carl, Florence and Ina. 
 
 l\Irs. Smith is the only daughter of 
 Henry and Rebecca Williamson Bowlus. 
 She was educated in Adrian (Mich.) Col- 
 lege, where, in addition to her literary 
 pursuits, she also made a study of music, 
 which, for a time, she afterward taught. 
 Mrs. Smith's father was born September 
 27, 1 8 10, near Middletown, Md., and 
 when fourteen years of age came with his 
 parents to Sandusky county, Ohio, where 
 he still lives. His vvife was born in Mid- 
 dletown, Md., July 4, 1824, and died 
 January 28, 1891, aged sixty-six years, 
 six months and twenty-four days. She 
 was married to Lewis L. Bowlus in her 
 native town at the tender age of seven- 
 teen years and six months, and immedi- 
 ately afterward migrated with her hus- 
 band to the West, settling in Sandusky 
 county, Ohio, three miles west of where the 
 
260 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 city of Fremont now stands. The county 
 was new, and largely covered with dense 
 forests and impenetrable swamps; but here 
 the young couple settled on a tract of 
 land in the woods, built a small cabin and 
 commenced clearing away the forest tim- 
 ber. In the summer of 1848, however, 
 the husband was smitten down with fever, 
 and at the age of twent\--four she was left 
 a widow with two children — Silas and 
 Amos. Silas, the elder, died while in the 
 army in 1864, and Amos three years later, 
 while a student at Oberlin College. In 
 September, 1849, she was married, to 
 Henry Bowlus, who survives her, and 
 they lived happily together for over forty- 
 one years. She was an active member 
 of the Muskalonge Methodist Protestant 
 Church some forty-seven 3'ears; she was 
 in attendance at one of the meetings 
 there, in which she had expressed her 
 thankfulness to God, her Saviour, for the 
 revival influence that was being enjoyed 
 in the Church, when she was taken ill and 
 at six o'clock in the evening death finish- 
 ed its work, and that faithful Christian, 
 that pure and loving. wife and mother, in 
 every respect worthj- of imitation, and her 
 name that will ever be held in loving re- 
 membrance by all who knew her. She 
 was buried in the little cemetery, just 
 north of the church, together with kin- 
 dred clay. To Mr. and Mrs. Bowlus were 
 born four children, all of whom are living: 
 Warren, Henry, Robert and Annie (Mrs. 
 Smith). Mrs. Smith's paternal grand- 
 parents were from Germany, and her ma- 
 ternal grandmother from Scotland. 
 
 At the time of his marriage Mr. Smith 
 engaged in the hardware business in Gib- 
 sonburg, with M. W. Hobart, whose in- 
 terest he purchased two years later, 
 carrying on the business alone until in 
 November, 1 890, when he sold out to the 
 Buckeye Oil Well and Supply Company. 
 During this time (in 1883) he formed a 
 partnership with Sanders, Dohn & Co., 
 for the manufacture of lime, and they 
 built one lime kiln, and opened a quarry 
 
 at Gibsonburg, Ohio. This partnership 
 continued until 1888, when Mr. Sanders 
 sold his interest to the two men, who 
 then established themselves under the 
 firm name of Smith & Dohn. They pur- 
 chased ten acres of quarry land near 
 a railroad, and during the fall of that 
 year built an additional kiln. In the fol- 
 lowing summer they added two more 
 kilns, with an entire capacity of 450 bar- 
 rels daily. The first year they shipped 
 80,000 barrels of lime; in 1890 and 1891 
 their output was 70,000 barrels; in 1892, 
 60,000 barrels, and in 1893, 54,000 bar- 
 rels, the production for i 894 being about 
 the same as in 1893. In 1892 they pur- 
 chased a tract of land south of Gibson- 
 burg, which furnished them part of their 
 supply of gas for their business. They 
 have one oil well and five gas wells, 
 which supply them with fuel. The firm 
 employ from twenty to thirty men 
 throughout the year, and make all their 
 own barrels. 
 
 Judging by the manner in which Mr. 
 Smith has managed his own business, it 
 is conclusive that he is a supremely active 
 man, and one who looks ahead and an- 
 ticipates. On account of the low prices 
 of lime — the result of overproduction and 
 close competition — Mr. Smith took action 
 in the matter and was among the first to 
 organize a compan}'. In 1892 a consol- 
 idation of nearly all the white lime inter- 
 ests was effected, and the company was 
 called "The Northwestern Ohio Lime 
 Co., " our subject being one of the di- 
 rectors of same. It continued in existence 
 but one year; but even that comparatively 
 brief existence settled the point that where 
 so much lime could be manufactured, 
 some control must be had. In the early 
 part of the year 1895, Mr. Smith and 
 Mr. Sutliff undertook to organize a new 
 company, with the assistance of a few 
 other lime manufacturers; and after a 
 couple of months or more hard labor they 
 succeeded in organizing "The Ohio Lime 
 Co.," upon such a basis, too, as to make 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 261 
 
 of it a comparatively permanent organi- 
 zation (for five years), taking in all the 
 white-lime interests in the State of Ohio. 
 Mr. Smith is a director of this company, 
 and its organization is so perfect, and it 
 is working with such unqualified success 
 that he justly feels proud of his energies 
 so well directed. Good planning, judi- 
 cious economy, and well-timed energy, 
 properly applied, he claims, must lead to 
 the success of any business. 
 
 Mr. Smith owns i6o acres, three and 
 a half miles from Fremont, in Washington 
 township, 105 acres of which is the estate 
 of Rebecca C. Bowlus, and in addition 
 to his other business, he is engaged in 
 farming. In the fall of 1894, in connec- 
 tion with Peter A. Rust, he purchased 
 fifteen acres from Fred Yeasting, and they 
 were the means of having the school- 
 house built on the west side of the railroad, 
 having laid out the tract as an addition of 
 the town. In 1883 Mr. Smith built the 
 commodious home in which he lives, and 
 here he enjoys life in the consciousness of 
 duty well done, and energies well direc- 
 ted. In politics he is a Republican, but 
 votes the Prohibition ticket, as he is fully 
 convinced that that policy is for the best 
 interests of the county. He is a devout 
 metjiber of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and has always been an earnest 
 and active worker, being chorister and 
 teacher in the Sabbath-school almost con- 
 tinuously. He is foremost in every work 
 in Church and community, and is highly 
 esteemed and respected. 
 
 CHRISTIAN RISER, a well-to-do 
 farmer and land-owner of San- 
 dusky township, Sandusky county, 
 was born in Alsace, France (now 
 Germany), March i, 1842, a son of Chris- 
 tian and Salome (Young) Riser. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in 
 the same place in the year 1800, and was 
 a carpenter and farmer in Alsace. He 
 came to America in about 185 1, and lo- 
 
 cated on a farm in Sandusky township, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, where he died in 
 1863. He was a member of the Lu- 
 theran Church. The mother was born in 
 Alsace, and came to America, where she 
 died at the age of eighty-three years. 
 They had three children: William, Chris- 
 tian and Caroline, all of whom live in 
 Sandusky township. Of these Caroline 
 married John Bender. Christian Riser, 
 Sr. , had three children by a former mar- 
 riage, of whom are named Fred, who died 
 in Fremont, Ohio; Charles; and Eliza-, 
 beth, wife of Frederick Smith. The 
 grandfather was about ten years old when 
 he came to this country, and he attended 
 school but a short time, as he was needed 
 to help clear up the farm. 
 
 He worked at wood chopping and 
 farming till he enlisted, October 17, 1861, 
 in Company C, Seventy- second Regiment 
 O. V. I., under Capt. Samuel J. Snyder. 
 He served in the army of the Tennessee, 
 and participated in the following battles, 
 sieges, &c. : Crump's Landing, Tenn., 
 April 4, 1S62; Shiloh, Tenn., April 6-7, 
 1862; Corinth, Miss., siege of, April 30 to 
 May 31, 1862; Russell House, Miss., May 
 17, 1862; Jackson, Miss., May 14, 1863; 
 Vicksburg, Miss., siege of. May 18 to July 
 4, 1863; Vicksburg, Miss., assault of. May 
 19-20, 1863; Big Black River, Miss., 
 July 6, 1863; Jackson, Miss., July 9-16, 
 1863; Branton, Miss., July 19, 1863; 
 Hickahala Creek, Miss., February 10, 
 1864; Brice's Cross Roads (also known as 
 Guntown), Miss., June 10, 1864; Harris- 
 burg, Miss., July 13, 1864; Tupelo, Miss., 
 July 14, T864; Old Town Creek, Miss., 
 July 15, 1864; Little Harpcth, Tenn., 
 December 6, 1864. This ends Mr. Riser's 
 army service, and he was mustered out 
 after the battle of Nashville, Tenn. (De- 
 cember 15-16, 1864), and arrived home 
 on New Year's Day, 1865. He had been 
 promoted to corporal. He was never 
 seriously wounded, and at Guntown, or 
 Brice's Cross Roads, he made good his 
 escape when about half of his comrades 
 
202 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOQBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 were taken prisoners, and was obliged to 
 travel two nights and a day and a half 
 without food or ammunition, and yet he 
 says he was not at all sick of army life. 
 After his return from the army he located 
 in Washington township, where he en- 
 gaged in farming about four years, after- 
 ward locating in Elkhart county, Ind. In 
 1872 he returned to Sandusky township, 
 where he bought the eighty acres he now 
 lives on, and later eighty acres more. He 
 also purchased 123 acres in Jackson town- 
 ship. In 1884 he built his present brick 
 residence. 
 
 On January 14, 1862, Mr. Riser mar- 
 ried Miss Rachel Rule, who was born Oc- 
 tober 4, 1842, in Washington township, 
 Sandusky county, where she lived until 
 her marriage. Her parents, George and 
 Sarah (Fessler) Rule, were natives of 
 Cumberland county, Penn., the father 
 born in 1788, the mother in 1798. They 
 both died in 1865, Mrs. Rule's death oc- 
 curring just three days after that of her 
 husband, and they were buried side by 
 side in Elkhart county, Ind. Their fam- 
 ily consisted ■of fourteen children, thirteen 
 of whom married and reared families. 
 The children of Christian and Rachel 
 Riser, born in Sandusky county, are: 
 Charles W., born September 8, 1863, liv- 
 ing in Jackson township, married to Miss 
 EHza Auxter, a native of Rice township, 
 by whom he had one child — Floyd; Will- 
 iam, born February 18, 1S66, died Oc- 
 tober II, 1868; Noah F., born July 28, 
 1869, living at home, married to Miss 
 Clara Hetrick March 26, 1S95; Salome, 
 born February 8, 1871, widow of William 
 Wagner, by whom she had two children — 
 Grace and Martha; Joshua, born Novem- 
 ber 4, 1872, married to Miss Martha Hed- 
 rick, of Ballville township, and they have 
 a daughter — Edna; Martha, born August 
 24, 1874, died December 10, 1880; 
 Henry, born December 24, 1876, living 
 at home; Christian, born January 12, 
 1879; John, born August 12, 1880; and 
 George, born April 21, 1883. 
 
 Mr. Riser is a Republican in politics, 
 and a member of Eugene Rawson Post, 
 G. A. R., and of the U. V. U. He was 
 elected township trustee in the spring of 
 1893, and in the fall of 1894 was elected 
 county commissioner of Sandusky county. 
 He is one of the successful men of San- 
 dusky township. 
 
 FREDERICR W. DOHN. The 
 story oi a good man's life can not 
 be told too often. In this bus- 
 tling age, when principle too often 
 gives place to policy, and the greed of 
 money-getting so easily obscures the sharp 
 line which should be drawn between right 
 and wrong, the example of a man, who, 
 during his life, carried out the teachings 
 of the religion in which he believed, is 
 one worthy of preservation as an encour- 
 agement to both old and young. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was a na- 
 tive of Bavaria; his birth taking place 
 August 31, 1839, and his death occurring 
 at his home in Gibsonburg, Sandusky 
 Co., Ohio, October 7, 1893. When a 
 boy of fourteen he left his native country, 
 in 1853, for the United States, having 
 heard of this great Republic as the Eldo- 
 rado in which wonderful fortunes were to 
 be made almost for the asking. He was 
 accompanied by his mother, brother and 
 sister, the father having died about a year 
 previous. They were very poor, having 
 to borrow money for their trip across the 
 ocean, and when they reached New York 
 were without a dollar. Their first per- 
 manent location was at Waukesha, Wis., 
 and here Mr. Dohn secured a clerkship, 
 and undertook the support of the little 
 family. It was a heavy responsibility for 
 a youth; but he was stout of heart and 
 firm of purpose. For eight years he held 
 this position, and became invaluable to 
 his employer, with whom he remained 
 until the failure of the latter in business. 
 An incident is related of this period of 
 his life which reveals the character of the 
 
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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 263 
 
 boy, and was an index to his future suc- 
 cess. He was called into the office of his 
 employer one day and informed that, if he 
 did not quit attending a revival meeting 
 which was then in progress, he would be 
 discharged. He debated the matter with 
 his conscience, and decided that if he at- 
 tended the meetings only after his duties 
 at the store were finished, he would be 
 doing nothing wrong. He* was, however, 
 reported by a fellow clerk, who, perhaps, 
 thought in this way to curry favor with 
 his employer, and was summarily dis- 
 charged. It was not long, however, be- 
 fore his employer discovered that he had 
 made a serious mistake in discharging an 
 employe who would sacrifice his position 
 to his sense of duty, and he accordingly 
 sent for him, acknowledged his error, and 
 asked Mr. Dohn to resume his former re- 
 lations. This he did. and remained, as 
 has been stated, until the failure of the 
 business. At that time his employer said 
 to him : " You have been a faithful clerk, 
 and m}' mistake was in not taking you in 
 as a partner, and discharging the man 
 who reported you, and who has been in- 
 strumental in bringing about my mis- 
 fortunes." 
 
 Mr. Dohn soon afterward went into 
 business for himself, and remained in 
 Waukesha two years longer, when he re- 
 moved to Depere, in the same State, and 
 there carried on a successful business some 
 eight years. In 1873 he sold out his es- 
 tablishment in Depere, and removed to 
 Gibsonburg, forming a partnership with 
 Mr. Farmer, under the firm name of 
 Farmer & Dohn. This parttiership con- 
 tinued five years, when a third partner 
 was admitted to the firm. This change 
 proved disastrous to the business, and re- 
 sulted in the withdrawal of Mr. Dohn, he 
 then devoting his time to the duties of 
 postmaster, which office he was holding 
 at the time. In 1883 the firm of Sanders, 
 Dohn & Co. was formed, for the purpose 
 of manufacturing lime. This partnership 
 continued until August 7, 1888, when Mr. 
 
 17 
 
 Sanders sold out to J. C. Smith, who was 
 the company part of the concern. The firm 
 now became known as Smith & Dohn. 
 They carried on the manufacture of lime 
 with great success for over five years, mean- 
 while engaging in various projects for the 
 development of the city, and the good of 
 the community, such as laying out ad- 
 ditions to the city, and sinking gas and oil 
 wells. They always employed a large 
 number of men, who were promptly paid, 
 and in this way encouraged industrj- and 
 thrift. 
 
 Mr. Dohn was married, in 1875, to 
 Mary E. Crouse, who was a native of 
 Seneca county, Ohio, born August 14, 
 1845. Her parents were Jacob and Eliza 
 (Eaton) Crouse, the former of whom was 
 born in Lancaster, Penn., in 1821, and 
 came west when a young man, locating 
 first in Seneca county, and afterward liv- 
 ing for a time at New Haven, Huron 
 county. He finally returned to Seneca 
 county, where he now resides with one of 
 his sons. Mrs. Dohn's mother was born 
 in Pennsylvania, in 1822, and died in 
 Melmore, Seneca county, in 1893; she 
 was a Presbyterian, as was also her hus- 
 band. This worth}' couple were the par- 
 ents of five children: Carrie, who married 
 Charles Benham, and now resides in Fort 
 Scott, Kans. ; Ella, who married Jacob 
 Gannon, and lives at Tiffin, Ohio; 
 Frances, wife of E. Z. Bartlett, residing 
 at Toledo, Ohio; Clan, who lives in Mel- 
 more, Seneca county, and Mary E. (Mrs. 
 Dohn). 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Dohn were born 
 four children: Frederick, who is men- 
 tioned farther on; Carrie, Eva, and 
 Blaine who died when four years old. 
 Mrs. Dohn still retains her interest in the 
 firm of Smith & Dohn, and is a woman 
 of great intelligence and excellent busi- 
 ness capacity. She is highly respected 
 in the community. 
 
 In closing this sketch of the career of 
 one of Gibsonburg's most esteemed citi- 
 zens, reference must be again made to his 
 
264 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGIiAPJIICAL RECORD. 
 
 devotion to the religious faith which he 
 first professed in 1857. From that time 
 until his death he was one of the oldest 
 and most faithful members of the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church, and the firm ad- 
 herence to what he believed to be right, 
 and which was so strongly manifested in 
 his early days, was carried out in his life, 
 both in business and every-day affairs, so 
 that he commanded the respect and es- 
 teem of the entire community. His 
 funeral was one of the largest ever seen 
 in Gibsonburg, all the business houses 
 being closed and draped in mourning as a 
 token of sorrow at his decease. 
 
 To the foregoing memoir of this exem- 
 plary man should be added a few words 
 regarding his son, Frederick Dohn. He 
 graduated with honors from the high 
 school at Gibsonburg, in 1892, and in the 
 autumn of that year he entered the North- 
 western College, at Naperville, 111., with 
 the intention of completing a college 
 course. In this ambition of his young 
 life, however, he was disappointed; his 
 father's illness called him home, and be- 
 fore reaching the age of seventeen he was 
 in full management of his father's exten- 
 sive business, in which capacity he still 
 continues. In business ability and in 
 integrity' of character he is following in 
 the footsteps of his father, and he is an 
 active member of the M. E. Church, and 
 an earnest worker in the Sunday-school. 
 His friends speak of him as a young man 
 of thorough reliability, and marked busi- 
 ness qualifications. 
 
 CHARLES F. JOSEPH, one of the 
 successful and substantial farmers 
 of Kingsway, Rice township, San- 
 dusky county, was born in Ger- 
 many, September 4, 185 1, and is a son 
 of George and Catherine (Brisoscher) 
 Joseph, who were born February 9, 18 12, 
 and August 11, 181 5, respectively. 
 
 George Joseph was born in Germany, 
 
 married Catherine Brisoscher, in the 
 Fatherland, and came to this country in 
 1855 with his wife and three children. 
 
 \ They settled in Sandusky township, San- 
 dusky county, where he was for ten years 
 engaged in farming; they then moved to 
 Rice township, in the same county. They 
 
 I were the parents of seven children, three 
 of whom are as follows: Catherine mar- 
 ried Jacob Zorn, by whom she had five 
 children, and, after his death, wedded 
 Martin Hoffnian, a butcher by trade, by 
 whom she has had four children, and they 
 live in Baltimore; Mary is the wife of 
 David Lehrman, a farmer in Kansas, 
 Seneca Co., Ohio, and they have seven 
 children; Charles F. is the subject of this 
 sketch. Mr. Joseph died in 1872, and 
 was buried in Sandusky county. His 
 widow still survives, and is living with her 
 son Charles; she was born August 11, 
 1815. 
 
 On November 4, 1872, Charles F. 
 Joseph was united in marriage with Caro- 
 lina Engler, who was born in Rice town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, August 22, 1857. 
 They settled where they now live, and 
 have had nine children, their names and 
 dates of birth being as follows: Minnie 
 C. , August I, 1873, lives at home; George 
 H., April 21, 1875, is a farmer; LoraA., 
 October 6, 1879; John F. , March 3, 
 1 881; Frank T., August 15, 1882; Carl 
 W., February 10, 1884; Moses R. , Sep- 
 tember 8, 1885; Edwin C, November 
 23, 1887; and Gertie C, January 8, 
 1889. Mr. Joseph was supervisor for 
 two terms and trustee for two terms, both 
 of which offices he now holds. He has 
 been successful, worked hard for his 
 money, saved it, and bought sixty acres 
 of land, which is now worth one hundred 
 dollars an acre. He raises more wheat 
 than any other kind of grain, and also 
 raises hogs, horses and Jersey cows. In 
 early times the Indians camped on the 
 land which is now his farm, and he has- 
 a large collection of Indian relics which 
 he prizes highly. In politics he is a Demo- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPBICAL RECORD. 
 
 265 
 
 crat, and attends the Evangelical Lu- 
 theran Church, of which he is a deacon, 
 and has been for the past eight years. 
 
 HERMAN H. GERWIN, one of the 
 oldest pioneers, and a prominent 
 agriculturist of Madison township, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, was born in 
 the town of Bohmte, Hanover, Germany, 
 July 23, 1844, and is a son of Ludwig 
 and Sophia fHunte) Gerwin, whose fam- 
 ily numbered seven children, of whom 
 four are yet living. 
 
 The father was born in Hanover, Ger- 
 many, in 1799, and was a contractor and 
 builder by occupation, also, engaged in 
 the manufacture of carriages, and in the 
 undertaking business. He followed these 
 pursuits in his native town, and at the 
 same time owned and superintended a 
 farm. In 1826 he was married, the lady 
 of his choice being also a native of Han- 
 over. A brief record of their seven chil- 
 dren is as follows: Dora, born in Han- 
 over, is the widow of Casper Ernsthau- 
 sen. John Henry, a carpenter and joiner, 
 of Toledo, Ohio, died June 8, 1892; his 
 wife died June 8, 1895, leaving a family 
 of three children. Sophia, wife of Henry 
 Schoniburg, died in Toledo leaving one 
 son, Lewis, who is treasurer of the Mer- 
 chants Savings Bank of Toledo. Fred- 
 erick is engaged in repairing cars in the 
 employ of the Ann Arbor Railroad Com- 
 pany at Toledo. William, who died Oc- 
 tober 9, 1895, was a farmer of Woodville 
 township, Sandusky county. Christopher 
 died in Germany. The father of this fam- 
 ily emigrated to America in 1853, and lo- 
 cated in Woodville township, Sandusky 
 county, where he engaged in farming for 
 seven years. His death occurred in 1 86 1 . 
 at the age of si.\ty-one. His wife survived 
 him some sixteen years, and departed this 
 life in 1877. They were worthy people, 
 highly esteemed by all who knew them. 
 
 Mr. Gerwin, the subject of this sketch, 
 attended school in his native county for a 
 
 year and a half, and then removed with 
 his parents, in 1853, from his old home 
 to the New World. They came direct to 
 Ohio, and located on a farm in W^ood- 
 ville township, Sandusky county. Our 
 subject pursued his studies in the schools 
 of Toledo for a period of eighteen months, 
 after which he returned to his father's 
 home, and assisted in the labors of the 
 farm; also attended school in the neigh- 
 borhood for two winters. He continued 
 to aid in the cultivation of the fields on 
 the old homestead until 1863, when he 
 went to Toledo, and served an appren- 
 ticeship to the trade of carpenter and 
 joiner, which he followed until 1872, re- 
 moving then to Gibsonburg, where he em- 
 barked in contracting and building. He 
 did a successful business there, employ- 
 ing a number of men, erecting many fine 
 structures both in that place and in Mad- 
 ison township, Sandusky county. While 
 thus engaged, through economy and thrift, 
 he managed to save enough to purchase 
 some real estate in the city of Toledo, 
 which he afterward sold, and bought prop- 
 erty in the town of Gibsonburg. In 1877 
 he abandoned his trade, and returned to 
 agricultural pursuits, trading his real es- 
 tate in Gibsonburg for a farm of forty 
 acres in Madison township, a small por- 
 tion of which was under cultivation. He 
 soon cleared the remainder, erected there- 
 on a substantial dwelling, good barns and 
 other necessary outbuildings, set out a fine 
 orchard, and made other general improve- 
 ments, all within the short space of six 
 years. He then sold and purchased si.xty 
 acres of land, forty of which was im- 
 proved. It was not long until the re- 
 mainder was under cultivation, and en- 
 closed with fences. Three years later he 
 again sold, and removed to Washington 
 township, where he purchased fift)'-si.x 
 acres of improved land. He spent three 
 years on that farm, remodeling the dwell- 
 ing and barn, digging ditches, laying tiles, 
 and continuing the work of improvement 
 until he sold in 1889. In that year he be- 
 
266 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 came owner of seventy-five acres of im- 
 proved land, and on selling half of this 
 bought seventy-two acres of an adjoining 
 farm, making a total of loi acres, which 
 he is to-day cultivating. He is progres- 
 sive in a high degree, and has carried for- 
 ward the work of improvement along vari- 
 ous lines until he is now the owner of one 
 of the finest farms in Madison township. 
 He also carries on stock raising. 
 
 On November 4, 1869, Mr. Gerwin 
 was married in Pemberville, Wood Co., 
 Ohio, to Miss Christina Berlekamp, and 
 this happy union has been blessed with 
 six children: John, was born February 
 16, 1871, and died December 25, 1872; 
 Cora S., born June 29, 1874; Mary K. , 
 February 3, 1878; Carl W. , February 12, 
 1 881; Herman H., January 22, 1887; 
 and Lewis William, August 13, 1889. 
 
 John Berlekamp, father of Mrs. Ger- 
 win, was born in Germany, and in 1851 
 crossed the Atlantic, locating in Seneca 
 county, Ohio, where he farmed for two 
 years. He afterward removed to Wood 
 county, and purchased 120 acres of land, 
 continuing its cultivation up to the time 
 of his death. He was married in Ger- 
 many to' Mary Beimdick, and their chil- 
 dren were: Katarina, wife of Henry Koh- 
 rig, a farmer of Wood county, Ohio; 
 Mary, wife of David Hummell, also a 
 farmer, living on the old homstead in 
 Wood county; Christina, who was born 
 in Germany, December 18, 1847, and is 
 the wife of our subject; Henry, who died 
 in Germany; Louisa, wife of William 
 Hagemizer, a farmer of Wood county, 
 Ohio; Emma, who married Henry Bude- 
 myre, of Wood county, and is deceased; 
 and Frank, who died in that county in 
 October, 1878. John Berlekamp passed 
 awaj' February 6, 1893; his wife died 
 eighteen years previous, in 1875. 
 
 Mr. Gerwin is a self-made man. 
 Through industry and strict attention to 
 business he managed to acquire a start in 
 life, and through his perseverance and en- 
 egrj" he has won success, assisted by his 
 
 wife, who has indeed been to him a faith- 
 ful companion and helpmeet, sharing with 
 him in the joys and sorrows, the adversity 
 and prosperity, which have checkered his 
 pathway. He is a member of Gibson- 
 burg Lodge, No. 687, I. O. O. F., and 
 in religious belief is a Lutheran. On 
 questions of national importance he votes 
 with the Republican party; but at local 
 elections supports the man whom he 
 thinks best qualified for office, regardless 
 of party affiliations. 
 
 WILLIAM H. HINELINE was 
 born October 3, 1835, '" east- 
 ern Pennsylvania, and is a son 
 of Hugh and Rebecca (Latick) 
 Hineline, who were born respectively, 
 February 11, 1802, in Pennsylvania, and 
 July 13, 1808, and were married in the 
 Keystone State, October 22, 1825. 
 
 Hugh Hineline was a merchant, but 
 sold out in 1855, came to the State of 
 Ohio, and bought 160 acres of land. He 
 was justice of the peace for seventeen 
 years, and also trustee. He died March 
 3, 18 — , and left fourteen children to the 
 care of their mother, who passed from 
 earth August 18, 1891. The names and 
 dates of birth of their children are as fol- 
 lows: Anna M., July 24, 1827; Sycus, 
 October 31. 1829; Jacob, March 11, 1831 ; 
 Elizabeth M., November 19, 1832; Sarah 
 A., March 23, 1834; William H., October 
 3, 1835; Alida, July i, 1857; AbelT, 
 September 16, 1839; Hugh E., October 
 15, 1841, died July 21, 1894; Simon P., 
 November 2, 1843; Francis, October 22, 
 1 845 ; Kahudeis, August 7, 1 847 ; Rebecca, 
 April 19, 1850, and John, April 7, 1855. 
 William H. Hineline conducted a hotel 
 in Wood county from i860 until 1862, 
 when he enlisted as a soldier. He con- 
 tinued in the service three years, being in 
 the South the greater part of the time, 
 went with Sherman to Atlanta, Ga. , and 
 from there marched to Tennessee, where 
 he took an active part in several battles. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 267 
 
 He was taken prisoner in eastern Tennes- 
 see, spent two weeks in Libby Prison, 
 and was then transferred to Belle Isle, 
 and kept there seven months. He was 
 released on May 17, 1864, came home on 
 a furlough, and remained three months. 
 Joining the One Hundredth Regiment, O. 
 V. I., he again engaged in the service, was 
 with Sherman at Atlanta, and took an 
 active part in a great battle at Franklin. 
 Afterward he returned to Sandusky county, 
 Ohio. In February, 188S, our subject 
 was united in marriage with Rosa C. 
 Meoder, who was born January i, 1867, 
 and they have four children, namely: 
 Cleta V. , Leona A., Sarah A. and Bertha 
 E. Mr. Hineline deals in cattle and 
 horses, and is prosperous and well-to-do. 
 He votes the Democratic ticket, has held 
 several minor offices, and been trustee and 
 school director. His parents lived with 
 him until their death, and the old home- 
 stead of 160 acres was left to him. 
 
 JACOB REEF, a progressive business 
 man of Sandusky county, is engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits in Woodville 
 township, and in the manufacture of 
 lath and paling. 
 
 He was born in Bowville, Switzerland, 
 Februar\' 28, 1854, and is a son of John 
 Reef, who is also a native of that country, 
 where he was employed as a day laborer. 
 He wedded Mary Soldt, who was born in 
 the same country and they became the 
 parents of six children: John, who makes 
 his home with our subject; Mary, wife of 
 Andrew Widmer; Elizabeth, who died in 
 childhood; Lucy who lives with her broth- 
 er Jacob; Frederick, engaged in milling, 
 and the subject of this review. In 1863 
 the father brought his family to America, 
 taking up his residence near Fremont, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, where he purchased 
 twenty acres of land on which he con- 
 structed a log cabin. While cutting down 
 a tree near his house he met with a very 
 severe as well as painful accident, which 
 
 resulted in the loss of his life after only 
 one year's residence in the New World. 
 His widow afterward married again, her 
 second union being with Conrad Myers, a 
 farmer of Woodville township, Sandusky 
 county, who died in 1879. Mrs. Myers 
 is now living with her son Jacob, who like 
 a dutiful son tenderly cares for her in her 
 declining years. The children at the 
 father's death were left to provide for 
 their own support, for no inheritance came 
 to them. 
 
 Our subject was only nine years of 
 age at that time, and being forced to earn 
 his livelihood he had little opportunity to 
 pursue an education. For several years 
 he worked only for his board and clothes. 
 He then spent two years on the farm of 
 his step-father and at the age of seven- 
 teen began learning the carpenter's and 
 joiner's trade, working the first seven 
 months for the small sum of $7 and his 
 board. He thought this rather unprofi- 
 table, so started out to secure day's labor 
 at his trade, and soon found einplo\'ment. 
 When he could not follow carpentering 
 he took up any pursuit that would yield 
 him an honest living, and thus worked 
 for ten years, and then operated his moth- 
 er's farm for a year. He ne.xt removed 
 to Wood county, Ohio, where he culti- 
 vated a rented farm of forty acres for 
 three years, when, through industry and 
 economy, he was enabled, in connection 
 with his brother-in-law, to purchase one 
 hundred acres of land. The tract is lo- 
 cated in \\'oodville township, Sandusky 
 county, the purchase price being $5,500, 
 and each brother paid $r,ooo, going in 
 debt for the remainder. After a year 
 Jacob Reef bought out his brother-in-law, 
 and continued the work of improving the 
 land, erecting barns and other necessary 
 outbuildings, planting orchards, and ad- 
 ding all the accessories and conveniences 
 of a model farm. He placed fifty acres 
 under cultivation, and then, having more 
 than he could conveniently manage, he sold 
 twenty acres, and to-day has one of the 
 
268 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 most hip;hly cultivated farms in Wood- 
 ville township. In 1895 his barn and 
 stable were destroyed by fire, causing a 
 loss of $1,500; but with characteristic en- 
 ergy he rebuilt, and now has one of the 
 finest barns in the township. There are 
 also upon his place two good oil wells 
 which have yielded to him a handsome 
 profit, and which are now owned and 
 operated by the Ohio Oil Company. 
 There are also indications of oil on other 
 parts of the farm. During the pa.st year, 
 Mr. Reef has engaged in the manufactur- 
 ing business. He built a sawmill, and is 
 now making laths and fencing, the new 
 enterprise proving a profitable one. In 
 this he is associated with his brother. He 
 is a man of excellent business ability, 
 whose foresight and keen discrimination 
 have proved important factors in his 
 prosperity. 
 
 On February 15, 1885, Mr. Reef was 
 married in Sandusky county to Miss An- 
 nie Widmer, daughter of John Widmer, 
 a farmer of Bradner, Wood Co., Ohio, 
 and they have three children: Rosie 
 L. M., born January 4, 1886; George 
 W., born December 20. 1889; and Emma 
 P., born January 13, 1894. Mr. Reef 
 has held the office of supervisor for two 
 terms, and has discharged the duties of 
 the position in a most creditable and ac- 
 ceptable manner. In politics he is a 
 stalwart Republican. His success is not 
 the result of propitious circumstances, but 
 has come to him through industry, energy 
 and honorable dealing. He has not only 
 paid off all his indebtedness, but now has 
 a highly cultivated farm with improved 
 stock and other valuable property. His 
 life has indeed been a busy and useful 
 one, and his career is above reproach. 
 
 JOSEPH HOOVER. Of the many 
 genial, whole-souled men of Green 
 Creek township, Sandusky county, 
 perhaps no one is better or more 
 favorably known than Mr. Hoover. A 
 
 Union soldier in the war of the Rebellion, 
 and a man whose high personal qualities 
 make lighter the burdens of life for 
 others, he is deservedly given a place in 
 this volume. He is a son of George and 
 Marguerite Hoover, and was born August 
 14, 1840, in Fayette county, Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
 Samuel Hoover, the paternal grand- 
 father of the subject of this sketch, was 
 born in Pennsylvania, and died there; 
 his father came to America while a boy. 
 By occupation Samuel Hoover was a car- 
 penter. His son George was born in 
 Fayette county, Penn., and grew up a 
 farmer. In 1839 he married Marguerite 
 Hilliard, and they had three children, 
 namely: Joseph, whose name introduces 
 this sketch; Eli, who died in Illinois, and 
 Harvey, who was a member of the Sec- 
 ond Virginia \'. I., and was killed in the 
 engagement at Cedar Mountain. George 
 Hoover died in Pennsylvania in 1846; 
 his widow is still making her home in 
 Pennsylvania, and some of her relatives 
 are living in Fayette county, Ohio. 
 
 Joseph Hoover was reared in Penn- 
 sylvania. He enlisted in Compan\' A, 
 Sixty-second Pennsylvania V. I., in 1863, 
 according to the records; but the date 
 given is erroneous. The true records 
 were destroyed by fire, and those com- 
 piled to take their places were not made 
 perfectly accurate. His company first 
 went to Washington, and from there to 
 the front, and were in Meade's army be- 
 fore Richmond for some time. He was 
 in some of the most famous battles of the 
 war, among them those of Gettysburg, 
 Cedar Mountain, Wilderness, Spottsyl- 
 vania Court House, May 12, 1864, where 
 a minie ball completely shattered his 
 right forearm, and made a gunshot wound 
 through the wrist of his left arm. Ampu- 
 tation of the right arm was made neces- 
 sary, while the left hand is almost use- 
 less. He was mustered out May 18, 1865. 
 It is a remarkable sight to see Mr. Hoover 
 write with two pencils at the same time; 
 
COMiIEMORATI\'B BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 269 
 
 he fastens one to his right arm by means 
 of a rubber band, takes another in his left 
 hand, and then writes very legibly with 
 both. Mr. Hoover resided in Pennsyl- 
 vania in 1867, and on March 16, of that 
 year, he came to the Buckeye State, lo- 
 cating in Erie county. In the following 
 year he went to Groton Center, in the 
 same county, and remained for several 
 \'ears. On September 22, 1874, he was 
 there united in marriage with Mrs. 
 Rosanna Fleming, who was born March 
 22, 1842. and they have had one child — 
 Eunice A., born July 21, 1876. She is an 
 accomplished and brilliant performer on 
 the piano, and renders selections on the 
 violin and organ with intuitive skill. A 
 gifted young lady, she adorns the home 
 as only a beloved daughter can. 
 
 Mrs. Hoover's parents were Robert 
 and Sarah (Price) Howey, and her maiden 
 name was Rosanna Howey. Mr. Howey 
 died on April 4, 1850, in Penns\lvania, 
 his native State, and his widow makes her 
 home with her daughter and son-in-law, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hoover. On November i 3, 
 1859, Miss Rosanna Howe\' was united 
 in marriage with James H. Fleming. 
 Three of their children — Marion, Frank 
 and John — live in Groton township, Erie 
 county; and Grant, the youngest son, 
 was killed January 13, 1891, at Dana's 
 crossing, while three companions were 
 killed by a Lake Shore train. Mr. Flem- 
 ing died in Groton township, March 17, 
 1872. Mrs. Hoover's brother, John 
 Howey, was a private in Company G, 
 One Hundred and First O. V. I., in the 
 war of the Rebellion, and her brother-in- 
 law, John Fleming, was captain of Com- 
 pany G, same regiment. They were both 
 wounded in the engagement at Stony 
 River, Tenn., December 13, 1862. A ball 
 passed through private Howey's right 
 arm, shattering four inches of the humerus, 
 and then, striking the left arm of Capt. 
 Fleming, passed through and found lodg- 
 ment in the lining of his coat. Capt. 
 Fleming was taken prisoner, and for three 
 
 months lay in Andersonville, at the end 
 of which time he was e.xchanged and re- 
 turned home. While his coat was being 
 taken off the ball dropped from the 
 sleeve, evidence that the coat had not 
 been removed from the arm for a period 
 of almost four months — a noteworthy 
 fact. The wound had not been cared for 
 from the time it was received until Capt. 
 Fleming returned home. As before stated, 
 Mr. Hoover's brother Harvey was killed 
 at Cedar Mountain. So, all told, the 
 number of casualties in this family has 
 been considerable. A. B. Howey, a 
 brother of John Howey, was a private in 
 Company G, One Hundred and First O. 
 V. I., having enlisted in August, 1862, 
 and was discharged with the rest of the 
 regiment at the close of the war. 
 
 Mr. Hoover has a small fruit and gar- 
 den truck farm of thirteen and one-third 
 acres; but a man's income is not always 
 to be estimated by the number of acres 
 he possesses. In casting his ballot he 
 usually fa\'ors the candidates of the party 
 that was instrumental in preserving the 
 Union. 
 
 JOSEPH WHITEHEAD, a substan- 
 tial farmer of Townsend township, 
 Sandusky county, is a son of Joseph 
 and Matilda (Albon) Whitehead, and 
 was born in Huntingdonshire, England, 
 January 24, i 836. 
 
 Joseph Whitehead. Sr. , was born 
 in 1 8 10, at Great Gransden, Huntingdon- 
 shire, England. In 1833 he was united 
 in marriage with Matilda Albon, who 
 was born in 18 14, a daughter of John 
 Albon, who came to the United States 
 in 1833, the year of his daughter's 
 marriage, and located in Erie county, 
 Ohio. Mr. Whitehead, his son-in-law, 
 received such glowing accounts of the 
 natural wealth and resources of this 
 great land, that he decided to leave 
 his bake-shop and Britannia's shores, and 
 make a home on this side of the bil- 
 
270 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 lowy Atlantic. So he set out with his 
 family in 1851, landed at Quebec, and 
 came on from there to Sandusky City, 
 Erie Co. , Ohio, part of the way by boat, 
 from Niagara to Chippewa on horse-cars, 
 reaching Sandusky City June 15, 1851. 
 The same year Mr. Whitehead bought 120 
 acres of land in Sandusky county, on 
 which his son Thomas C. now resides. 
 Mrs. Whitehead departed this life in the 
 fall of 1864, and Mr. Whitehead on Feb- 
 ruary 10, 1 89 1. 
 
 Joseph Whitehead (Jr.), the subject 
 of this sketch, received only a limited ed- 
 ucation in his native land, and it was not 
 augmented by schooling after reaching 
 the United States. At the age of fifteen 
 he accompanied his parents to America. 
 He served as a "hundred-day-man" in 
 the war from May 2, 1864, until Septem- 
 ber 5, when he was discharged. On June 
 12, 1865, Mr. Whitehead married Laura 
 A. George, who was born August 5, 1843, 
 and they have had four children, as fol- 
 lows: William H., born August 29, 1S68, 
 married Mary Howe, of Riley township, 
 Sandusky eounty, November 26, 1891 
 (they had a daughter, Estella May, born 
 December 27, 1894); John T. , born Jan- 
 uary II, 1 871; Bessie R., born in 1875, 
 married Oscar Longanbach on Februar}' 
 22, 1894 (they had a daughter, Cora Ella, 
 born July 28, 1895); and Ross D.. born 
 September 28, 1878. The father of Mrs. 
 Whitehead, Joseph George, formerly re- 
 sided in Townsend township, but removed 
 to Ch'de, Green Creek township, San- 
 dusky county, where both he and his wife 
 were laid to rest. They had a family of 
 fourteen children, and Mr. George en- 
 dured a great number of hardships through 
 life. Pfe was an old pioneer, and served 
 in the war 181 2, receiving a discharge. 
 
 After his marriage our subject, Joseph 
 Whitehead, resided in I^iley township, 
 Sandusky county, about twenty years, 
 since when he has lived in Townsend 
 township. He has a farm of three hun- 
 dren and si.xty acres, all undercultivation, 
 
 and makes a specialty of grain and stock. 
 In the spring of 1 893 he was thrown from 
 a horse, and sustained injuries internall}', 
 which he is likely to feel the rest of his 
 life. Politically, Mr. Whitehead's sympa- 
 thies are with the Republican party. 
 
 ZACHARIAS HOUTZ. Among the 
 enterprising agriculturists of San- 
 dusky county who are rapidly push- 
 ing their way to the front, to a 
 place among the substantial and leading 
 citizens, is this gentleman. 
 
 He was born March 14, 1850, in Ma- 
 honing county, Ohio, where his father 
 was a pioneer, and when a mere lad came 
 with his parents to Scott township. San- 
 dusky county. His father, John Hout2, 
 who was born in Pennsylvania September 
 13, 1 80 1, and located in this locality when 
 it was an unbroken wilderness. He pur- 
 chased the east half of Section 4, Scott 
 township, a Mr. Roller purchasing the 
 west half about the same time. He also 
 bought one hundred acres on the Greens- 
 burg pike, which he afterward sold, be- 
 coming the owner of a like amount near 
 Helena, a portion of which has been di- 
 vided into village lots and sold. He con- 
 tinued to conduct his business affairs with 
 marked ability, and at his death was in very 
 comfortable circumstances, owning much 
 valuable real estate, and a large amount 
 of money in notes. Before his demise 
 he divided the property among his heirs. 
 He passed away January 20, 1881, and 
 the community mourned the death of one 
 of its respected and valued citizens. His 
 wife, who in her maidenhood was Eliza- 
 beth Boyer, was born May 9, 1819, and 
 died July 27, 1871. They were the par- 
 ents of six children — Mary, Cornelius, 
 Zacharias, Elizabeth, John and Sarah. 
 
 Aiding in the work of the farm, Zach- 
 arias Houtz developed a strong and vig- 
 orous constitution. His mental training 
 was meager, as the schools of the neigh- 
 borhood were poor; but through business 
 
./? 
 
 '^//^^'M-'W^^' 
 
•C2y%^d^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 271 
 
 experience and observation he has be- 
 come a well-informed man, and has pro- 
 vided his children with good educational 
 advantages. With his axe upon his 
 shoulder he would start out early in the 
 morning with his father to assist in the 
 work of clearing the farm, seventy-three 
 acres of which he received of the home- 
 stead, which was almost unbroken for- 
 est. As the years passed, the forest was 
 replaced by waving fields of grain and 
 grassy meadows, and in 1874 Mr. Houtz 
 erected his first frame house of the family, 
 and in 1S92 he built a substantial frame 
 residence, which stands as a monument 
 to his thrift and enterprise. He now 
 gives his entire attention to farming, and 
 to the oil business, in which he is exten- 
 sively engaged. On September i, 1882, 
 Mr. Houtz purchased thirty acres. In 
 1889 he leased the 1 03-acre farm on which 
 he resides for a consideration of one dol- 
 lar per acre and one-eighth of the oil pro- 
 duced. He has since purchased eighty 
 acres, which he has leased for one-sixth 
 of the oil. The royalty from his wells con- 
 stitutes a handsome income, and would 
 enable him to retire at once from business 
 were he so disposed; but indolence and 
 idleness are utterly foreign to his nature, 
 and he continues his work, increasing the 
 value of his property by keeping his farm 
 in good condition. 
 
 On October 22, 1874, Mr. Houtz wed- 
 ded Mary Jane Plantz, who was born Oc- 
 tober 26, 1858, and is a daughter of an 
 honored pioneer of Scott township, San- 
 dusky county, Benjamin Plantz, who was 
 born in Lancaster county, Penn., March 
 18, 18 10. His wife, Amelia (Romler), 
 was born February 6, 181 8, in Colum- 
 biana county, Ohio, and died June 16, 
 1892. His death occurred in January, 
 1895, and of their thirteen children seven 
 are now living. Grandfather Jacob Plantz 
 was born in 1790, his wife in 1792, and 
 they passed away in 1876 and 1880 re- 
 spectively. They had eight children, six 
 of whom are living. The maternal grand- 
 
 father, Mr. Romler, died about 1863. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Houtz are the parents of 
 seven children: Mary Lodema, born June 
 7, 1875, was married March 3, 1895, to 
 Burt Whiteman, who is engaged with the 
 Manhattan Oil Company, in Scott town- 
 ship, Sandusk}- county; Verna Ellen, 
 born September 16, 1S77; John William, 
 born October 16, 1879; Belvin C, born 
 September 4, 1882; Edward Floyd, born 
 June 3, 1885; Charles E., born May 18, 
 1887; and Minnie May, born May i, 
 1892. The family circle yet remains un- 
 broken, and the friends of parents and 
 children are many. 
 
 Mr. Houtz is a supporter of the Peo- 
 ples party, but has never sought or de- 
 sired political preferment, gi\'ing his time 
 and energies to his business interests, in 
 which he has met with a high degree of 
 prosperity, thanks to his capable manage- 
 ment, his enterprise and honorable dealing. 
 
 DAMD B. JONES. Among those 
 who successfully follow agricul- 
 tural pursuits in Madison town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, is num- 
 bered this gentleman — one of the worthy 
 citizens that the land of the Cymri has 
 furnished to this locality. 
 
 He was born in Montgomeryshire, 
 Wales, July 25, 1 841, and is a son of John 
 and Mary (Jones) Jones, who were also 
 natives of the same county. The father 
 was a farm laborer, and worked at any oc- 
 cupation that would yield him an honest 
 living. In the family were eight children, 
 six of whom are living and are married, 
 namely: Sinah, widow of Thomas Jones, 
 a farmer of Wales; John, a farmer of 
 Madison township, Sandusky county; 
 Thomas, an agriculturist of Iowa; David 
 B., subject of this sketch; Mary, wife of 
 Edward Griffis, who follows agricultural 
 pursuits in Wales; and Humphrey, a farmer 
 of Iowa; Ellis is deceased, and one other 
 died in infancy. The parents spent their 
 entire lives in their native land, where the 
 
272 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 father died in 1858, while the mother's 
 death occurred in 1885. 
 
 Our subject spent the first twenty- 
 three years of his hfe in his native land, 
 during which time he received no educa- 
 tional privileges, for the schools were not 
 free institutions, and the parents were too 
 poor to afford to pay for what they con- 
 sidered was not within their means, for 
 education in those days was not looked 
 upon as an absolute necessity. He learned 
 to read in the Welsh language while at- 
 tending Sunday-school. At the tender 
 age of eleven years he began to work as a 
 farm laborer, receiving the meagre com- 
 pensation of two pounds per year and his 
 board, his mother having to do his wash- 
 ing for him. He worked in this way for 
 a period of twelve years, his wages in- 
 creasing as the years passed by, and he 
 was able to do more work. In this way 
 he managed to contribute to the support of 
 his widowed mother, who was left in very 
 limited circumstances. In 1865, having 
 determined to try his fortune in the New 
 . World, he sailed from the shore of his 
 native land to seek broader fields and bet- 
 ter opportunities in America. On landing 
 here he came direct to Ohio, and found 
 employment as a farm hand in Morrow 
 county, where he was given $ 1 4 per month 
 and his board. This seemed good wages 
 to one who was accustomed to the meagre 
 equivalents sometimes paid in Europe. 
 He continued in the employ of one man 
 for six 3'ears, and during the last year re- 
 ceived $20 per month. While working in 
 this wa\' he spent two months of three 
 winter seasons in school, and thereby 
 gained enough knowledge to continue his 
 education alone, which he has done, be- 
 coming a well-informed man through read- 
 ing, study, experience and observation. 
 Habits of industry, sobriety and economy 
 enabled him to accumulate some money, 
 and he then left Ohio for the territory 
 bej'ond the Mississippi, purchasing eighty 
 acres of land in Iowa. A year later he 
 returned to the Buckeye State, and again 
 
 worked in Morrow county as a farm 
 laborer, and was emplo3'ed at the poor- 
 house of the State for a )'ear. 
 
 Mr. Jones then returned to Wales to 
 visit his mother, and for twelve months 
 remained in the land of his birth, when 
 he again came to the United States. 
 Taking up his residence in Madison town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, he purchased an 
 interest in a shingle-mill, which he con- 
 ducted in connection with a partner for 
 nine months, when he sold and purchased 
 eighty acres of land in the same township. 
 He then returned to Morrow county, 
 where he operated a farm, on shares, 
 for Mrs. Jones, a widow lady, continuing 
 that employment some four years, when 
 he resumed work as a farm hand. In 
 1880 he made his second trip across the 
 Atlantic, this time in quest of a wife, and 
 again spent a year in the midst of the 
 scenes of his childhood. In 18S1 he 
 sailed with his bride for America, landing 
 at Boston on the 6th of October, whence 
 he came direct to his farm in Sandusky 
 county. In six weeks he had erected a 
 frame dwelling, in which he and his wife 
 were soon established, beginning life in 
 earnest in their new home. He had pre- 
 viously purchased an additional ten acres, 
 and now had ninety acres of wooded land 
 to clear and make productive; but indus- 
 try is one of his chief characteristics, and 
 in course of time the forest was replaced 
 by rich and fertile fields, where wheat and 
 corn and other grains gave evidence of 
 good harvests, while well-kept fences, 
 
 good barns 
 
 and other outbuildings indi- 
 
 cated his enterprise and told of a bus\' 
 life. He also added to and improved his 
 dwelling, and his home and its surround- 
 ings bespeak the industry and enterpris- 
 ing spirit of the owner. He has availed 
 himself of every opportunity offered in or- 
 der to achieve success, and there has been 
 little leisure in his life, for he is always at 
 work improving his place in one waj' or 
 another. Through thrift and economy he 
 managed to save enough to purchase the 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 273 
 
 (arm on which he worked during the first 
 six years of his residence in this country — 
 a tract of 200 acres, costinjj $7,400. It 
 is situated in Morrow county, and, being 
 rented, yields to him a good income. 
 
 The wife of our subject, who bore the 
 maiden name of Ellen Jones, was born in 
 Montgomeryshire, Wales, February 13, 
 1848, one of the eight children of Ellis 
 Jones, a farmer of Wales, who died Oc- 
 tober 7, 1894, at the age of eighty-one 
 years; his wife passed away in 1890. 
 David Jones and his wife have two chil- 
 dren — Mary E., born July 26, 1882; and 
 Ellis, born January 31, 1888. Mr. Jones 
 has been school director for one term, 
 also clerk of the board, and was elected 
 supervisor for one year. He votes with 
 the Republican party, but prefers business 
 to politics. His success he owes to no 
 man, earnest and honest toil bringing him 
 what he possesses to-daj^ Industry and 
 close application to business have been 
 the rounds of the ladder on which he has 
 mounted to prosperity, and are traits of 
 character worthy of emulation. 
 
 E ROY NICHOLS BROWN, one 
 
 of the intelligent and progressive 
 
 1^^ citizens of Clyde, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, was born in Huron county, 
 Ohio, November 22, 1850, and is a son of 
 Franklin and Rispah A. (Nichols) Brown. 
 The father was born near Plymouth, 
 Richland Co., Ohio, in 1825, and was a 
 son of Peter Brown, who engaged in ho- 
 tel-keeping in that locality' until his son 
 was about six years of age, when he re- 
 moved to a tract of timber land in the 
 western part of Norwich township, Huron 
 county, where he built a gristmill, which 
 was operated by horse power. This was 
 the only mill in the locality, and people 
 came for fifty miles around to get their 
 grists. The father of our subject, during 
 his boyhood, used to turn the bolt by 
 hand, until the grandfather constructed a 
 machine to do the work. For twentv- 
 
 five years the latter carried on the mill- 
 ing business, and then retired into private 
 life, making his home with his son in Peru 
 township, Huron county, where he died at 
 the advanced age of eighty- one years. In 
 his political views he was a Whig. His wife 
 afterward removed to Clyde, where her 
 death occurred when she had attained the 
 ripe old age of ninety-three. The mar- 
 riage of this worthy couple was celebrated 
 in Norwich, Ohio; the husband was born 
 in Norwich, Vt., the wife in Norwich, 
 Connecticut. 
 
 Dr. Franklin Brown was one of a fam- 
 ily of eleven children. During his youth 
 he learned the blacksmith's trade, and fol- 
 lowed that business in connection with 
 farm work for some time. After his mar- 
 riage, in 1847, he carried on blacksmith- 
 ing exclusively for fifteen years, doing a 
 good business. When he sold out he re- 
 moved to Peru township, in i860, and en- 
 gaged in farming, keeping a smithy only 
 for the purpose of doing his own work. 
 In 1869 he disposed of his property in 
 that place, and taking up his residence in 
 Clyde established a meat market. Not 
 long after his arrival he was elected mar- 
 shal of Clyde; and it was then that 
 " Brown's Hotel " became known. In his 
 composition was a vein of humor which 
 made itself manifest in having a sign 
 painted "Brown's Hotel," and nailed up 
 over the door of the jail. The name was 
 at once adopted, and the old sign hung in 
 its place until very recently when the city 
 replaced it by a new one, and this house 
 of correction still goes by the name of 
 "Brown's Hotel." F"or about six years 
 he acceptably filled the office of marshal, 
 and was always recognized as a leading 
 and influential citizen. He held mem- 
 bership with the Universalist Church. 
 His death occurred May 27, 1886, and he 
 was buried on Decoration day. His wife, 
 who was born in Weathersfield, Vt., 
 April 3, 1827, is still living. In the fam- 
 ily there were two children. Valeda, the 
 eldest, born March 10, 1849, was on No- 
 
274 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 vember 12, 1873, married to H. B. Whit- 
 aker. They had three children — Leona 
 N., Yule C. and Frank E. — and resided 
 in Crawford county, Kans. ; Mrs. Whitaker 
 died November 1 1, 1893, and ^"^s buried 
 at Girard, Kansas. 
 
 Mr. Brown, whose name introduces 
 this sketch, has lived in Clyde since his 
 early boyhood, and was educated in its 
 public schools. In 1869 he became in- 
 terested in the dr\'-goods business here, 
 and for thirteen years was associated with 
 that line of trade, when he embarked in 
 gardening and fruit growing, raising 
 peaches, pears, celery, tomatoes and cab- 
 bage. On December 7, 1872, he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Clara M. 
 Letson, daughter of Abram and Analiza 
 Letson, natives, the father of New 
 Jersey, the mother of Jefferson county, 
 Ohio. Migrating westward, Abram Let- 
 son located on a farm in Hardin county, 
 Ohio, and was married December 11, 
 1 85 1. In Hardin county Mr. Letson re- 
 mained until the spring of 1866, when he 
 removed to Clyde with his family, where 
 he still resides. To Mr. and Mrs. L. N. 
 Brown have been born five children: 
 Carroll C, Eugene E., Laverne L. , Mil- 
 dred M. and I ma I. 
 
 Mr. Brown is a member of the Order 
 of United American Mechanics. He is 
 now serving his third term of three years 
 each as a member of the school board of 
 Clyde; has for seven years been clerk of 
 the board, and has taken an active part 
 in educational matters, doing all in his 
 power to secure good schools, and to raise 
 their standard of e.xcellence, for he be- 
 lieves that education is one of the im- 
 portant factors in producing good citi- 
 zens. 
 
 JOSIAH ZIMMERMAN was born in 
 Knox county, Ohio, Octobers, '842, 
 and is a son of Adam and Maria 
 (Mathias) Zimmerman. The family 
 is of German origin. The grandparents, 
 
 David and Catharine (Shultz) Zimmer- 
 man, were natives of the Fatherland, the 
 former born in 1776, the latter in 1778. 
 His death occurred in 1S62, and his wife 
 passed away in 1S64. This worthy couple 
 were the parents of twelve children — John, 
 Rosa, Jacob, George, Peter, Adam, Cath- 
 erine, Susan, Margaret, Mary, and two 
 daughters who died in infanc}-. The ma- 
 ternal grandparents of our subject were 
 Abram and Mary (Shafer) Mathias, the 
 former of whom was born near Pittsburg, 
 Penn. , in 1 787, made farming his life work, 
 and passed away in 1 863 ; his wife, who was 
 born in 1790, survived until 1874. Their 
 eight children were: Elizabeth, Susan, 
 Lydia, Nancy, Catherine, Maria, Philip 
 and Daniel. 
 
 When our subject was a child of six 
 years his parents came to Ohio, locating 
 in Jackson township, Seneca county. His 
 father was a farmer by occupation and 
 was born in Stark county, this State, May 
 19, 1 8 19. In 1 84 1 he wedded Maria 
 Mathias, and they became the parents of 
 eleven children, of whom our subject is 
 the eldest. The others are: Philip, who 
 was in the one-hundred-day service during 
 the Civil war; Lydia A. ; Nancy Jane; 
 Sarah; Eli A.; John Wesley; Abram A.; 
 Simon A. ; Nathaniel, and Mary. The 
 father carried on agricultural pursuits 
 throughout the greater part of his life, 
 and died August 18, 1885. 
 
 Josiah Zimmerman was reared in 
 Seneca county, acquired his education in 
 its public schools, and there made his 
 home until after the South had taken up 
 arms against the Union, when, in August, 
 1 86 1, he enlisted in Company E, Forty- 
 ninth O. V. I., serving for four and a 
 half years. At the battle of Shiloh he 
 received a scalp wound, and at the battle 
 of Chickamauga was wounded in the left 
 hip, and had a ring shot from the little 
 finger of his left hand. At the battle of 
 Dallas, Ga., May 22, 1864, he received a 
 wound which nearlj' caused his death, 
 and forced him to remain in the hospital 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BWGRAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 275 
 
 for six months. An ounce ball struck him 
 just in front of the left ear, passing di- 
 rectly through the head and coming out 
 about an inch below the right ear. This 
 was his last battle, for when he had re- 
 covered the war was over, and, receiving 
 an honorable discharge, he returned to 
 his home. 
 
 Mr. Zimmerman then removed to Scott 
 township, Sandusky county, and on 
 March 6, iS66, was united in marriage 
 with Miss Elsie A. Brion, who was born 
 May 26, 1850, in Scott township, where 
 her father was a farmer. She was the 
 daughter of John and Lucinda (Ceroid) 
 Brion, the former of whom, born October 
 8, 1813, died July 2, 1895, the latter 
 passing away May 16, 1887. Of their 
 six children all are yet living, namely: 
 Norman, who served for three years in 
 the Seventy-second O. V. I. during the 
 Civil war; Mary Jane, wife of Samuel 
 Martin, of Michigan; Ann, wife of Charles 
 Woodruff; Elsie A., wife of our subject; 
 Charles, and Theodore. The paternal 
 grandfather of Mrs. Zimmerman, Thomas 
 Brion, also made farming his life occupa- 
 tion. He was born in Ohio in 1789, and 
 married Betsy Walkup, who was a few 
 years his junior, and who passed from 
 earth a few years before him. Their 
 four children were Betsy, John, Joseph, 
 and one who died in infancy. The ma- 
 ternal grandparents of Mrs. Zimmerman, 
 Theodore and Elsie (Decker) Ceroid, 
 were natives of New York, born in 1770 
 and 1774 respectively. Their seven chil- 
 dren — James, Lucinda, John, Thomas, 
 George, Jackson, and Isaac — are all de- 
 ceased. The first named served in the 
 Me.xican war, and John, Thomas and 
 Jackson were soldiers of the Civil war. 
 
 For two jears Mr. and Mrs. Zimmer- 
 man resided in Scott township, Sandusky 
 county; but on account of his health Mr. 
 Zimmerman was obliged to abandon farm- 
 ing, and for two years carried • on a 
 grocery. The succeeding three years he 
 spent in a sawmill as head sawyer, after 
 
 which he purchased the mill and has since 
 continued its operation. In addition to 
 his null property he also owns eighty 
 acres of land, well-fenced, and under a 
 high state of cultivation, and he is now 
 doing a successful business. He has ac- 
 cumulated his property entirely through 
 his own efforts. To Mr. and Mrs. Zim- 
 merman have come four children — Charles 
 F. , born February 11, 1 869, who was 
 married December 3, 1891, to Rachel 
 Shupe, and their children are Melvin and 
 Cloal (he is connected with his father in 
 the mill); Hattie M., born June 18, 1871, 
 and Ervin A., born March 12, 1878, are 
 still with their parents; and Flavilia, born 
 August 28, 1887, died September 27, of 
 the same year. 
 
 HENRY DORR, a prosperous farm- 
 er and honored citizen of Riley 
 township, Sandusky county, was 
 born October 1 1, 1850. His par- 
 ents, John and Catherine (Yager) Dorr, 
 were born in Germany, in 18 16 and 1831, 
 respectively. 
 
 After coming to the United States 
 John Dorr settled in New York State, 
 and there conducted a milk depot for 
 several years. He then came to Ohio, 
 settling in Riley township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, where he engaged in work by the day, 
 saved his money, and bought forty acres 
 of valuable land, which cost him $3,200. 
 Three children came to Mr. and Mrs. 
 John Dorr, as follows: Mary, born in 
 1844, who married Jacob Hilt, and they 
 have had two children — Edward and 
 Laura; they live in Fremont, Sandusky 
 county; Mr. Hilt is a Democrat in pol- 
 itics, and a member of the Lutheran 
 Church. Henry is the subject of these 
 lines. John died young. Mr. Dorr is a 
 Democrat in politics, and a member of 
 the Lutheran Church. His wife died 
 June 13, 1892. 
 
 Henry Dorr was reared at home, was 
 early taught valuable lessons of upright- 
 
276 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ness, persevering industry and economy, 
 and worked for his father until his twen- 
 ty-fifth year. Then, on December 5, 
 1876, he was united in marriage with 
 Catherine Martin, and their union has 
 been blessed with six children, as follows: 
 Ella B., born April 15, 1881; William E., 
 born July 4, 1882; Albert L. , born Au- 
 gust 19, 1883; Hattie M., born Septem- 
 ber 21, 1884; Anna C, born May 28, 
 1887; and Chester F. , born May 26, 1 890. 
 Mr. Dorr bought land from his father, 
 and now carries on general farming. He 
 is a Democrat in political affiliation, and 
 he attends the Grace Lutheran Church. 
 
 JONATHAN SPOHN is a well-known 
 farmer of Green Creek township, 
 Sandusky county, where no citizen 
 enjoys greater esteem among his 
 fellow citizens. He is a native of Perry 
 county, Ohio, born January 10, 1822, son 
 of Jacob and Barbara (Anspach) Spohn. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Spohn were born 
 in Hagerstown, Md., and Lancaster 
 county, Penn., respectively, and they 
 were married in Reading township. Perry 
 Co., Ohio, where their parents had lo- 
 cated. There was a settlement of pioneer 
 families from Pennsylvania at that place 
 when Mrs. Spohn was about thirteen 
 years old, and Jacob Spohn's people also 
 settled there about that time, in the wil- 
 derness among the Indians. The pater- 
 nal grandfather, Philip Spohn, was an 
 American soldier all through the Revolu- 
 tionar}' war, and was pensioned by the 
 U. S. Government; he served as one o£ 
 Gen. Washington's bodyguard during the 
 war. In after years he often related how 
 the English general. Lord Howe, had 
 Washington's army surrounded in the 
 bend of a river when night came on, and 
 seemed sure of his capture the following 
 morning, but that during the night Wash- 
 ington marshaled his little arm\' out from 
 under the bank of the river, and before 
 
 the next morning, while Lord Howe was 
 preparing for his capture, he had made 
 his escape, and was miles away surprising 
 and defeating another body of English 
 forces. Philip Spohn lived to be ninety- 
 four years old, and his wife also lived to 
 an advanced age. They were both of 
 Holland-Dutch descent. The maternal 
 grandfather of our subject was Adam 
 Anspach, who died when Jonathan was 
 eight years old. He was the father of 
 eleven children, of whom we have men- 
 tion of Benjamin, Adam, David, John, 
 Mrs. Adam Binkley, Mrs. Philip Dupler, 
 Mrs. Emanuel Binkley, Mrs. Ludwig 
 Ridenaur, and Barbara (the mother of our 
 subject). Barbara Anspach first married 
 Jonathan Zartman, by whom she had 
 four children, all now deceased, viz.: 
 Kate, who married D. Binkley; Mollie, 
 who married Benjamin Humberger, and 
 lived in Perry county, Ohio; Barbara, 
 who was married in Sandusky county to 
 Christopher Spohn, who now lives in 
 Perry county; and Elizabeth, who married 
 John King, and lived in Fairfield county, 
 Ohio. Jacob Spohn was one of eleven 
 children: Henry, Daniel, John, Adam, 
 Samuel, Jacob, Mrs. Jacob Anspach, 
 Polly Stomp, Mrs. Lawrence, Christena 
 (who married John Horner) and Mrs. 
 Henry Ridenaur. Jacob and Barbara 
 Spohn had seven children, of whom 
 Margaret died when seventeen years old; 
 Solomon died at the age of fifty-nine 
 years; Jonathan is our subject; Anthony 
 died at the age of twenty-one; Joel now 
 resides on the old homestead; Leo is de- 
 ceased; Isabella married George Swine- 
 hart. 
 
 Jonathan Spohn grew to manhood in 
 Perry county, and when twenty-one years 
 old came to Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 where he ranks among the old pioneers. 
 He was a blacksmith by trade, and worked 
 first in Ballville township two years, after 
 which he put up a shop for himself on the 
 line of the Western Reserve and Maumee 
 Pike, east of Lower Sandusky, across the 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGIiAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 277 
 
 road from his present residence, and in 
 this he worked for farmers and teamsters 
 about twenty-two years. This was before 
 the days of railroads, when the pii<e was 
 the great highway of commerce in that 
 section, and when the constant stream of 
 settlers was moving westward. So im- 
 passable were the roads that he often saw 
 people stop two and three days at one 
 hotel, the trip being so slow on account of 
 the mud that they would walk from their 
 teams to the hotel. There was then an 
 average of one hotel to each mile of the 
 pike. 
 
 In 1 844 Jonathan Spohn married Miss 
 Elizabeth Brunthaver, who was born in 
 1825 in Fairfield county, Ohio, and they 
 had four children: Francis, who died in 
 the army, at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, 
 Mo., while serving as a member of the 
 Seventy-second Regiment, O. V. I., and 
 whose remains were brought home by our 
 subject for burial; Adam F., who married 
 Samantha Strohl, and has ten children — 
 Lottie, Hadie, Franklin, Alvin, Mabel, 
 Thurnian, Waneta, Lizzie, Willis, and 
 one who died in infancy; Allen, living at 
 home, who married Miss Annie Riden- 
 hour and has three children — Walter, 
 Harry and Enid; and Mary, wife of O. 
 Grover, of Wood county, Ohio, whose 
 children are Howard, Ethel C, Nelson 
 and George. Our subject is a Democrat 
 in politics, and cast his first vote for Mar- 
 tin Van Buren. In religious connection 
 he is a member of the Reformed Church 
 at Fremont, as is also Mrs. Spohn. Dur- 
 ing the Mexican war he served as a sol- 
 dier under Gen. Scott, and was also a sol- 
 dier in the Union army during the Civil 
 war. Socially he is a member of Croghan 
 Lodge No. 77 , F. & A. M., Fremont. 
 Mr. Spohn has held various civic offices 
 in Green Creek township; in the fall of 
 1879 he was elected to the office of in- 
 firmary director, serving two terms, si.\ 
 years in all, with credit to himself and sat- 
 isfaction to all concerned. Our subject 
 owns seventy-six acres of valuable land, 
 
 and the prosperity he now enjoys is due 
 entirely to his own good management, 
 thrift and economy. 
 
 WILBERT PHILLIPS, son of 
 John and Mariam (Baker) Phil- 
 lips, was born in Montgomery 
 township. Wood Co. , Ohio, 
 June 14, 1 86 1. He lived at home until 
 his marriage, October 23, 1884, to Ellen 
 Bowe, daughter of George and Mary 
 (Bordner) Bowe. To Mr. and Mrs. Phil- 
 lips have come two children — Durbin, 
 born April 25, 1886, and Floyd, born 
 October 27, 1887. After the marriage 
 of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, they settled in 
 Wood county, on a farm, where they 
 lived two years. They moved to the 
 David Phillips' farm, in Scott township, 
 where they have lived for the past nine 
 years, during which time Mr. Phillips has 
 worked his grandfather's farm of 160 
 acres, and done teaming for the oil com- 
 panies. On October 13, 1894, he pur- 
 chased eighty acres of wild land in Scott 
 township. This land is within the oil 
 belt, and he expects to lease it to the oil 
 company. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in 
 Trumbull county, Ohio, March 18, 1834. 
 When he was six years old his parents 
 came to Scott township, and purchased 
 eighty acres of land in Section 31, for 
 which they gave a horse, and $250 in 
 money; later they purchased another 
 eighty acres. On this farm the father of 
 our subject grew to manhood. Wilbert 
 Phillips, our subject, is the eldest of a 
 family of eleven children, the others 
 being: Wilby, Zerusha, Ettie, Delbert, 
 John, Rettajane, David, George, Charles, 
 and Daisy. Mr. Phillips' mother was 
 born in 1840, near Findlay, Ohio, died in 
 1 878, and was buried in Trinity Cemetery,. 
 Scott township, Ohio. 
 
 Our subject's paternal grandfather, 
 David Phillips, was born September 6, 
 , 1804, in the State of New York; his- 
 
278 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 wife, Mary Ann (Bates), was born April 
 15, 181 1, in Pennsylvania. They were 
 married December 27, 1827. in Stark 
 county, Ohio, and reared a family of chil- 
 dren, their names and dates of birth being 
 as follows: Mary Ann, October 26, 1828; 
 Lucinda, April 22, 1830; Henry, Decem- 
 ber 23, 1831; David, Decembers, 1833; 
 Sylvester, May 17, 1836; John, March 
 18, 1838; Hiram, January 15, 1841; 
 Eliza Jane, February 7, 1843; Mariar, 
 November 19, 1844; and George, Feb- 
 ruary 26, 1847. Grandfather and Grand- 
 mother Phillips are now living on the 
 farm which is being worked by our subject. 
 The paternal great-grandfather of our 
 subject, Vespasian Phillips, was born in 
 Pennsylvania about 1756. When about 
 seventy-five years of age he left home, 
 and was never heard of afterward. The 
 date of his wife's birth is not known; 
 she died in 181 3 the mother of ten chil- 
 dren. Our subject's maternal great- 
 grandfather, Andrew Bates, was born in 
 Pennsylvania, in 1765; he was a cooper 
 and farmer. His wife, Ann (Homan), 
 was born about 1772. They had a family 
 of ten children, si,\ of whom are living. 
 
 JOHN L. DONNELS, a leading, pro- 
 gressive and influential citizen and 
 present mayor of Gibsonburg, San- 
 dusky county, is a native of Ohio, 
 born in Scott township, Sandusky county, 
 March 30 1852. 
 
 James Donnels, his grandfather, a na- 
 tive of Ireland, emigrated in an earlj' day. 
 For a time he lived in what is now West 
 Virginia, later moving to Ohio and settling 
 in Scott township, Sandusky county, as 
 one of the pioneers, where he was engaged 
 in farming up to the time of his death. 
 He was married in Scotland, and his chil- 
 dren were: John, who died in Scott 
 township, Sandusky county; Gilbreth S., 
 father of our subject; Margaret, wife of 
 Nicholas Bowlus, of Madison township, 
 Sandusky county; Becky Ann, wife of 
 
 Henry Fausey, also of Madison township; 
 James, a resident of Helena, Sandusky 
 county; Ellen (Mrs. Hess), who died in 
 Virginia; and Amos, living in Scott town- 
 ship, Sandusky county. 
 
 Gilbreth S. Donnels, father of John 
 L. , was born in 1820, in what is now 
 West Virginia, and was a boy when his 
 parents removed to Scott township, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio. There he was reared 
 to agricultural pursuits, which he followed 
 in both Scott and Madison townships all 
 his life, owning over 137 acres of land at 
 the time of his death. In Madison town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, he married Nancy 
 Wolcott, who was born in 18 17, in Chau- 
 tauqua county, N. Y., whence when a 
 young woman she accompanied her par- 
 ents to Ohio. To this union children as 
 follows were born: The eldest died in in- 
 fancy unnamed; Louisa died at the age of 
 seven years; John L. is the subject of this 
 sketch; William is a farmer of Madison 
 township, Sandusky county; one died two 
 weeks old, unnamed; Lindon is a merchant 
 and farmer of Helena, Ohio; Franklin lives 
 in Woodville township, Sandusky county; 
 Stanley and James A. are both in Madi- 
 son township, Sandusky county; Jessie 
 
 died at the age of seventeen years. 
 
 The 
 
 father of these was called from earth in 
 1855. In politics he was originally a 
 \\^hig, later a stanch Republican. 
 
 John L. Donnels, the subject proper 
 of these lines, received a liberal education 
 at the common schools of Madison town- 
 ship, and ever since the age of thirteen 
 years has been engaged more or less in 
 the sawmilling business in Sandusky coun- 
 ty. In 1864 he enlisted in Corhpany H, 
 One Hundred and Si.xty-ninth Regiment, 
 O. N. G., and served one hundred days 
 at Fort Ethan Allen, after which he re- 
 turned home and established a sawmill in 
 Madison township, buying land in the 
 county, the timber on which he lumbered 
 himself. He thus continued till 1872, 
 when he entered the employ, in a similar 
 line, of Daniel Smith, for several years 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 279 
 
 working for him and other parties. While 
 in the employ of G. F. Aldridge, of Scott 
 township, he had two of his fingers acci- 
 dentally cut off by the saw, but neverthe- 
 less lost only five days' work, immedi- 
 ately recommencing with another em- 
 ployer, with whom he remained until, in 
 1885, he was elected on the Democratic 
 ticket to the position of Justice of the 
 Peace of Madison township. This office 
 he tilled with characteristic ability and fi- 
 delity nine years, or until his election to 
 the mayoralty of Gibsonburg, in the spring 
 of 1894. He is the owner of 120 acres 
 of land in Madison township, on which 
 there is a good oil field. 
 
 In 1871 John L. Donnels was married 
 to Miss Catherine Bowser, who was born 
 in Bedford county, Penn., July 8, 1858, 
 and died September 30, 1884, the mother 
 of five children, of whom the following is 
 a brief record: Emma is the wife of John 
 Vantine, of Gibsonburg, and has one 
 child, Winnie; Minnie is the wife of David 
 Blausey, also of Gibsonburg, and has one 
 child, Willie; Louis, on his father's farm 
 in Madison township, is married to Susie 
 Lattimore, and has two children — Clar- 
 ence and Alta; Alma is the wife of David 
 Biddle; Mattie is married to Henry Blau- 
 sey, and has two children. For his sec- 
 ond wife Mr. Donnels wedded Mrs. Jen- 
 nie (Henry) Ridley, who was born in Jack- 
 son township, Sandusky county, in 1848, 
 and by her first husband had two children 
 — Arthur and Carrie. Mr. Donnels is 
 the only Democrat in the family; in fra- 
 ternal membership he is an Odd Fellow, 
 and in religious faith he is identified with 
 the Disciples of Christ. 
 
 JACOB KLINK, a well-known and 
 popular citizen of Woodville town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was born 
 December 9, 1839, and is a son of 
 Caleb and Mary (Brunthaver) Klink, who 
 were born, respectively, May 7, 181 1, in 
 
 18 
 
 Wittenberg, Germany, and January 12, 
 181 3, in Columbus, Ohio. 
 
 Caleb Klink came to America at the 
 tender age of six years. His parents were 
 very poor, and he was bound out until his 
 eighteenth year to pay for their passage 
 across the ocean. After this he went to his 
 parents, at that time living at Mansfield, 
 Ohio, remained there but a short time, 
 then walked to New Orleans, and worked 
 on a boat one season. He was there 
 during the yellow fever epidemic in 1832 
 (when six thousand died in seventeen 
 days), contracted the fever, and was sick 
 for two months. After his recovery he 
 went to Philadelphia, and attended a 
 Centennial celebration in that city, and 
 later worked on the Erie canal and helped 
 to build the first railroad in the United 
 States. The year of that Centennial he 
 walked 3,300 miles, and was in every 
 State in the Union. Mr. Klink cut the 
 lumber to build a flouring-mill at Green 
 Spring, Sandusky Co., Ohio, which they 
 were six weeks in raising. Afterward he 
 worked in a sawmill for seven years, and 
 lost only two days during that time. 
 
 On September 27, 1836, Caleb Clink 
 was united in marriage with Mary Brunt- 
 haver, and four sons and four daughters 
 were born to them, as follows : Louisa, 
 born August 11, 1837, at Green Spring, 
 Sandusky count}', now deceased, married 
 Henry Peters, a farmer, by whom she had 
 six children, and he resides in Woodville 
 township, Sandusky county ; Jacob is the 
 subject of this sketch; Charles, born De- 
 cember 23, 1 841, married Caroline Pem- 
 ber, by whom he has had three children, 
 and they live in Woodville township; 
 Leah, born March i, 1844, married 
 Elexix Nolan, by whom she had four 
 children, and both she and her husband 
 are now deceased; Ellen, born June 15, 
 1846, and died at the age of eighteen; 
 Adam, born September 15, 1848, was 
 united in marriage on May 28, 1878, with 
 Sarah Caris, daughter of Adam and Julia 
 Caris,of Wood county, Ohio, born January 
 
280 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 3, i860, and by her has one child — Lester, 
 born December 13, 1880 fhe lived at 
 home the greater part of his life, and has 
 worked for the pipe line companj-, there 
 being fourteen oil wells on the Klink 
 estate, all in good flow); Catherine, born 
 February 12, 1853, married John Foster, 
 by whom she had two children, and they 
 live in Elmore, Ottawa Co., Ohio; and 
 Reuben, born January 11, 1853, now a 
 farmer in Woodville township, married 
 Addie Tucker, by whom he has had four 
 children. 
 
 Two years after his marriage Caleb 
 Clink moved to Woodville township, San- 
 dusky county, where at that time he had 
 eighty acres, on which there was no clear- 
 ing. He put up a house, moved in and 
 began clearing the land. There was a 
 great deal of fever and ague in those days, 
 and all of his family were sick with it. 
 Mr. Clink at one time owned over twelve 
 hundred acres of valuable land, and 
 when he died left six hundred acres 
 in Woodville township, and fort)' 
 acres in Michigan. He raised many 
 valuable horses and cattle, giving 
 considerable attention to stock-raising. 
 Mr. Clink was a Democrat in politics. 
 After a long busy and useful life, beloved 
 by a large circle of friends and neighbors, 
 he passed away at the old homestead No- 
 vember 26, 1894, at the age of eighty- 
 three years, six months and nineteen days, 
 and was buried in Woodville township, 
 Sandusky county, November 28, 1894. 
 
 On October 12, 1866, Jacob Klink 
 was united in marriage with Miss M. J. ^fc- 
 Crary, who was born December 12, 1846, 
 and three children have been born to 
 them, as follows: Rosa, Frank and 
 Henry. At the age of twenty-six Mr. 
 Klink went to Woodville township, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio, entered into partnership 
 with Henry Rancamp, and they con- 
 ducted a general store there for six 
 months, then removed to Pemberville, 
 Wood Co. , Ohio, where they conducted 
 a store for two years. In 1865 and 
 
 1866 Mr. Klink was the postmaster there. 
 He bought out his partner and carried on 
 the store alone for a short time; then sold 
 it and moved back to Woodville town- 
 ship, Sandusk)' countj', on the farm 
 where he now lives. He has alwaj's 
 bought and sold cattle and horses, and at 
 times has very large herds. 
 
 Socially, Mr. Klink is a Free Mason, 
 in politics a Democrat, was supervisor 
 and school director for several years, and 
 is highly spoken of. Mrs. Klink was one 
 of eight children. Her father was born 
 July 4, 1812, and now lives in Toledo, 
 Ohio, with a daughter. Her mother died 
 in 1850. 
 
 HENRY KLINE, one of the promi- 
 nent representative citizens of 
 Fremont, Sandusky county, was 
 born in Union county, Penn., 
 February 20, 1849, a son of Jacob and 
 Catherine (Swartz) Kline, who were also 
 natives of the Keystone State, of Ger- 
 man descent. They were farming peo- 
 ple. The Kline family migrated to Ohio, 
 and finally settled in St. Joseph county, 
 Mich., where Mr. Kline still lives at the 
 age of eighty years, and where Mrs. 
 Kline died at the age of sixty-six. They 
 had fourteen children, all of whom be- 
 came heads of families, namely: Barbara 
 M., Jesse, Susan, Catharine, Leo, Lydia 
 Ann, Jacob, Joseph, Henry and John 
 (twins), Mary Ann, Libbie, George, and 
 Frank E. (who died at the age of twenty- 
 eight). 
 
 Henry Kline was reared on a farm 
 about six miles north of Bellevue, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio, where his educational 
 advantages were very limited. At the 
 age of seventeen he went to Michigan and 
 remained there with his parents about 
 four years, engaged in farm work, return- 
 ing to Bellevue, Ohio. Here, after 
 working on a farm one year, and clerking 
 in a store two and a half years, he mar- 
 ried Miss Kate Gearhart, and moved oa 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 281 
 
 the N. P. Birdseye farm, living there for 
 one summer. He next moved to Fre- 
 mont, and located in the Baumann Block, 
 on Croghan street, where he remained 
 five years, keeping a saloon and restaur- 
 ant. In 1880 he removed to East Fre- 
 mont, where he bought property, and for 
 twelve years carried on a thriving grocery 
 business in a wooden building opposite 
 the Clauss Shear Works. He then re- 
 built his brick residence, removed his 
 wooden building, and erected in its place 
 a fine, three-story brick block, consisting 
 of four flats, one large hall and three 
 business rooms, with a cellar for each de- 
 partment. Mr. Kline has made all his 
 money by his own efforts, being a wide- 
 awake, energetic hustler. He formerly 
 kept a grocery and feed store, was a con- 
 tractor, a pork packer, dealt in real es- 
 tate, and sold river sand. He now keeps 
 a saloon and restaurant in his back room. 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Kline were born two 
 children: Hattie E. and Jesse Hermon. 
 
 M 
 
 RS. JOSEPH CLEMONS, whose 
 maiden name was Caroline 
 Lewis, is a wide-awake and pro- 
 gressive resident of Townsend 
 township, Sandusky county, having charge 
 not only of a well-ordered household, but 
 of a farm of one hundred and forty-five 
 acres as well. 
 
 Joseph demons (deceased) was born 
 in Pennsylvania, February 23, 1832. His 
 father had served in the war of 1812, and 
 Mr. demons would have enlisted in de- 
 fense of the Union in the war of the Re- 
 bellion had he not been incapacitated by 
 an accident which befell him in 1857. 
 That year he severely cut his left leg, 
 which caused a stiffness sufficient to e.\- 
 clude him from the list of able-bodied 
 men. On April i, 1855, Mr. demons 
 was united in marriage with Caroline 
 Lewis, who was born March 24, 1837, in 
 Seneca county, Ohio, and they lived in 
 
 Adams township, Seneca county, for 
 seven years. They had eleven children, 
 as follows: Levi H., born February 16, 
 1856, a resident of Pullman, 111.; Mary 
 Jane, born November 19, 1857, and died 
 in December, 1858; Harriet F. , born 
 February 16, 1859, now Mrs. Ira Met- 
 calf, of Mansfield, Richland county, Ohio; 
 Albert M., born May iS, i860, and died 
 in November, 1862; Mahala I., born Au- 
 gust 3, 1 86 1, now Mrs. Charles Combs, 
 of Bloomingville, Erie Co., Ohio; Aldora 
 M., born September 23, 1863, and mar- 
 ried to A. J. Beaghler, of Townsend 
 township, November 24, 1 881; Henry E., 
 born June 28, 1865, now at home; An- 
 drew S., born December 17, 1866, now 
 of Erie county; infants who were born 
 July 12, 1868, and March i, 1872, and 
 died on September 10, 1868, and March 
 14, 1872, respectively; and Ami J., born 
 August 17, 1873, living at home. 
 
 In 1862 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph demons 
 moved to Thompson township, Seneca 
 county, whence, in 1871, they came to 
 their present home, which Mr. demons 
 purchased that year. In 1875 he bought 
 one hundred acres of prairie land in Erie 
 county, on which property his son Andrew 
 now lives. Mr. demons was an infant 
 of but four weeks old when his parents 
 moved to Ohio, and he lived here the 
 remainder of his life. He died May i, 
 1889. He was a Republican in politics, 
 and a member of the Lutheran Church. 
 His widow is a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 Mrs. demons in her girlhood received 
 a common-school education. Her par- 
 ents, Isaac and Susanna Lewis, were both 
 born in Lancaster county, Penn. Mr. 
 Lewis taught school in Pennsylvania be- 
 fore his marriage, and, being a scholar, 
 accumulated quite a library. Among his 
 books was a Bible, now highly prized by 
 Mrs. demons; it is in German type, and 
 the date of its publication is 1771. Mr. 
 Lewis came with his family to Seneca 
 county, Ohio, in 1832. They lived 
 
282 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 there for many years. Then, retiring 
 from active work, Mr. Lewis and his 
 wife moved to Bellevue, Huron Co., Ohio, 
 where both passed away. 
 
 A P. JOHNSON, one of the rehable, 
 solid citizens of Madison town- 
 ship, Sandusk}' count}', is a native 
 of Ohio, born December 1 1 , 1 848, 
 in Holmes county, son of Prelate and 
 Phoebe (Cutler) Johnson. 
 
 Prelate Johnson was born in 1808 in 
 Connecticut, where he was married, and 
 whence in an early day he came to Ohio, 
 settling in Holmes county, where he fol- 
 lowed his trade, that of carpenter and 
 joiner. He died in that count}- at the age 
 of fifty-five years. Afterward his widow 
 returned east with her children to live 
 with her father, Jonathan Cutler, in Mas- 
 sachusetts, and there died at the age of 
 fifty-four years. The father of our sub- 
 ject was a Baptist in religious faith, an 
 old Henry Clay Whig in his political 
 leanings, and in later life a strong sup- 
 porter of Lincoln. The maternal grand- 
 father Cutler, who was born in 1786, was 
 a silversmith, following his trade up to 
 his death, which occurred at Brimfield, 
 Mass., when he was eighty-five years old. 
 A. P. Johnson, the subject proper of 
 these lines, is one of a family of eight 
 children — three sons and five daughters — 
 as follows: Alonzo, who died in hospital 
 at Gettysburg, Penn. , at the age of twen- 
 ty-four years; Charlotte, wife of John 
 Wilson, of Holmes county, Ohio, who 
 died at the age of twenty-nine years; 
 Horatio, who died when twenty-two 
 years old; Helen, when fifteen years old; 
 A. P., our subject; Phoebe, deceased at 
 the age of twelve years; Fidelia, who died 
 when si.xteen years old; and Martha J., 
 the wife of J. B. Tice, residing in Eaton 
 county, Michigan. Our subject was fif- 
 teen years old when he went to Massa- 
 chusetts to live with his widowed mother, 
 but after a residence there of eighteen 
 
 months he returned to Ohio, and for 
 three months worked on a farm in Madi- 
 son township, later taking up the saw- 
 milling business, which he has since suc- 
 cessfully followed; he is also superintend- 
 ent of Zorn, Hornung & Co.'s stave and 
 heading factory at Gibsonburg. He now 
 owns twenty acres of arable land within 
 the corporation limits of that village, and is 
 well known and highly respected through- 
 out the county for his sterling qualities as 
 a citizen. 
 
 On April 17, 1870, Mr. Johnson was 
 married in Madison township to Miss 
 Elizabeth Tice, who was born in Penn- 
 sylvania April 24, 1853, and children as 
 follows have blessed their union: Effie, 
 born April 15, 1871, wife of James Will- 
 iams, of Rising Sun, Wood Co., Ohio 
 (they have one child, Lester); Horatio, 
 born June 21, 1873, who is employed in 
 the oil fields; Delbert, born October 21, 
 1876, who works in the stave factory of 
 Zorn, Hornung & Co. ; and Verna, born 
 June 12, 1888. In his political prefer- 
 ments Mr. Johnson has always been a 
 stanch Democrat, and in 1893 he was the 
 regular nominee on the Democratic ticket 
 for county commissioner, but was de- 
 feated with the rest of the party in the 
 fall of that year. In 1887 he was elected 
 a justice of the peace, which incumbency 
 he held six consecutive years. Socially 
 he is a member of the I. O. O. F. and 
 K. of P. 
 
 Mrs. Johnson's father, A. H. Tice, was 
 born in 1821 in Pennsylvania. In 1844 
 he was married to Catherine Noggle, who 
 was born in 1822. They came to Ohio 
 in 1853, settling in Sandusky county. 
 Here he lived until 1884, when he re- 
 moved to Michigan, and, his wife dying 
 there in 1888, he returned to Gibson- 
 burg, where he died in 1890, leaving 
 nine children, twenty-three grandchildren 
 and one great-grandchild. He served 
 eighteen years as a justice of the peace. 
 Socially, he was a member of the I. 
 O. O. F. fraternity. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 283 
 
 CHARLES LIVINGSTINE, a suc- 
 cessful farmer and prominent and 
 public-spirited citizen of Riley 
 township, Sandusky county, was 
 born September I2, 1828, in Stark county, 
 Ohio. He is a son of Jacob and Eliza- 
 beth (Weimer) Livingstine, who were born 
 respectively in June, 1794, and on Febru- 
 ary 8, 1792, in Germany. 
 
 Jacob Livingstine was united in mar- 
 riage with Elizabeth Weimer, in 181 5; 
 they then came to America, settling in 
 Stark county, Ohio, where he entered 160 
 acres of land. He sold out in 1833, set- 
 tled in Sandusky township, Sandusky 
 county, and bought 120 acres, and, later, 
 105 in Riley township. He lived in San- 
 dusky township until his death, which oc- 
 curred October 9, 1866; his wife died 
 January 7, 1856. They had seven chil- 
 dren, as follows: Saloma, born in 1816, 
 married George Hilt, by whom she had 
 ten children, and they lived in Ballville 
 township, Sandusky county, Mrs. Holt 
 dying there in 18S4, Mr. Holt in 1887; 
 Barbara, born 18 19, was married in 1840 
 to Henry Hoffman, who lives in Jackson 
 township, Sandusky count^^ and died 
 March 7, 1890, the mother of nine chil- 
 dren: .Maggie, born in August, 1S22, 
 married John Newman, in 1841, in San- 
 dusky township, and they live in Fre- 
 mont, Sandusky county, with their family 
 of five children; Elizabeth, born in Febru- 
 ary, 1825, married George Hendricks in 
 1847, and they had two children (she 
 died in 1874, Mr. Hendricks in 1878, and 
 both were buried in Green Creek town- 
 ship, Sandusky county); Charles is the 
 subject proper of this sketch; Annie died 
 young, and one child died in infancy. 
 
 Charles Livingstine worked for his 
 father until his twenty-fourth year, and 
 then, on April i, 1852, married Mary 
 Shoch, settling in Riley township, where 
 he bought 280 acres of land, which cost 
 him $10,600. They have had twelve 
 children, viz.: Alvina, born in 1853, and 
 Jacob, born in 1855, deceased when young; 
 
 Charles H., born November 9, 1857, who 
 in 187S married Miss Jennettie Halbeisen, 
 and they had one child, the mother dying 
 in 1887, after which, in 1891, he married 
 Mary Ulch, and they live in Sandusky 
 township; Edward, born in 1858, de- 
 ceased in 1866; Mary C. , born in i860, 
 who married William Vogt, and lives in 
 Riley township; Lydia, born in 1862, de- 
 ceased when young; Harriet, born in 
 1864, married to David Russell, and they 
 have had five children; William L. , born 
 in 1 866, deceased when young; John, born 
 in 1870, and now a farmer in Sandusky 
 township, married Carrie Johnson in 1892, 
 and they have one child; Frank, born in 
 April, 1866, and Levi, born in iS72,both 
 deceased when young, and Robert, born 
 in 1873. 
 
 Mr. Livingstine cleared the greater 
 part of the farm on which he lives, and 
 carries on general farming. He is much 
 esteemed in the community, and has been 
 repeatedly honored with election to public 
 office, having been justice of the peace 
 thirteen years, trustee nineteen years, 
 school director six years, township treas- 
 urer nineteen years and infirmary director 
 seven years, of the county. He votes 
 the Democratic ticket, and attends the 
 Lutheran Church, of which he has been 
 an elder for ten years, and is trustee at 
 the present time. 
 
 JOHN BARTSON, farmer, Ballville 
 township, Sandusky county, a na- 
 tive of Luxemburg, Germany, was 
 born January i, 1834, a son of John 
 Bartson, Sr. , who was born in 1779 at 
 Frankfort-on-the-Maine, served as a sol- 
 dier under the First Napoleon in the 
 twenty-five-years' war, and came to 
 America in 1842. After landing in New 
 York he proceeded to Stark county, Ohio, 
 where he remained a year; then, with a 
 yoke of cattle, a horse and a cow, and a 
 large covered wagon, he moved through 
 the forests to Ballville township, Sandusky 
 
284 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 county, where he settled upon forty acres 
 of partly-improved land, for which he paid 
 $i8o. He built a log cabin, and cleared 
 up land for farming purposes; but after 
 four years of hard work he succumbed to 
 a severe attack of bilious fever, the early 
 scourge of the Black Swamp, died in 1847 
 at the age of sixty-eight, and was buried 
 at Tiffin, Ohio. The children of John 
 Bartson, Sr. , were: John, Jr. ; Catharine, 
 born March 4, 1836, married to Anthony 
 Fullmer, their children being: John, Cath- 
 arine, George, Mary, and four that died 
 in childhood. After the death of John 
 Bartson, Sr. , his widow married John 
 May, a farmer of Ballville township. 
 
 Our subject, John Bartson, remained 
 at home two years with his widowed 
 mother, and after her marriage to Mr. 
 May he lived with them three years, and 
 then went to work on the U. S. mail 
 steamer "Lady Pike," plying between 
 Louisville and Cincinnati; he sta3'ed there 
 one season, came home, and the follow- 
 ing season worked on the "War Eagle" 
 up and down the Mississippi. Returning, 
 he chopped in the woods during the win- 
 ter, the next summer was on a farm in Il- 
 linois, and the following winter assisted in 
 chopping and logging at Chippewa Falls, 
 Wis. He made several trips on rafts 
 down the Mississippi to New Orleans, and 
 was on the steamer "City Belle" one 
 season; later, he returned to Wisconsin, 
 where, at Chippewa Falls, he was sick 
 with bilious fever six months. After his 
 recovery he returned to Ohio, married, 
 rented eighty acres of land of Thomas 
 Easterwood for two years, then bought 
 eighty acres of timber land in Ballville 
 township for $800, gave forty acres of it 
 to his father-in-law, built a cabin, and 
 sold the balance at an advance. He then 
 bought forty acres in Sandusky township 
 for $1,400, and lived there until 1864, 
 when he was drafted into the army. He 
 served in Company A, Sixty-fourth Regi- 
 ment, O. V. I., Third Brigade, Second 
 Division, Fourth Army Corps, and en- 
 
 dured all the trials and privations incident 
 to his regiment in active service. He 
 started at Johnson's Island, Ohio, was re- 
 examined at Columbus, and mustered in 
 with about 4,000 others, taken success- 
 ively to Indianapolis, Louisville, Nash- 
 ville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Alpine, Pu- 
 laski, Columbus and Spring Hill. At the 
 last place he stood on picket all night 
 during a battle, being in the rear guard 
 while forces went to Franklin. When 
 they marched in front of Franklin he was 
 in the skirmish line in front of Hood's 
 army, where, after holding the Rebels at 
 bay for a time, he retreated behind the 
 second line of works; held that place till 
 12 o'clock at night, and then went along 
 to Nashville and helped fortify the town. 
 Many other instances of doing duty in 
 times of danger might be mentioned. Our 
 subject fought under Gen. Thomas, at 
 Nashville, for forty-eight hours, when the 
 regiment had about 400 men, and Com- 
 pany A only 25 men left out of 100 which 
 were fit for duty. They marched back to 
 Franklin, Spring Hill, Cumberland, Pu- 
 laski, Huntsville, Decatur, Athens, Silver 
 Creek, fixed up a block-house, and fought 
 Forrest's and Rowdey's cavalry for three 
 weeks, until they were relieved by a Wis- 
 consin regiment. They returned to Hunts- 
 ville, and by train to Chattanooga, Selma, 
 Knoxville, Strawberry Plains, Blue Spring, 
 and Bull's Gap, when they heard that Gen. 
 Robert E. Lee had surrendered. Then 
 marched back to Knoxville, thence to 
 Nashville, where, in Camp Harker, they 
 were mustered out. Mr. Bartson was 
 wounded at Nashville, and otherwise dis- 
 abled. He returned to Fremont, Ohio, 
 and resumed farming. 
 
 On April 13, 1857, John Bartson was 
 married to Miss Mary Romer, born April 
 12, 1839, a daughter of Ignatius and 
 Eleanora (Kries) Romer, natives of Baden, 
 Germany, who came to America in 1854, 
 and settled in Ballville township, San- 
 dusky Co. , Ohio. The mother died in 1 870, 
 the father in 1877, both at an advanced 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 285 
 
 age. Their children were: Mary, wife 
 of oursubject; OHve, wife of John Ginder; 
 Agnes, deceased in childhood; Johanna, 
 wife of Mr. Baumgardner, proprietor of a 
 hotel in Fulton county, a Democrat, 
 whose children are, Eddie and Nora; 
 Paul, who died in childhood; Agnes, wife 
 of James Hoyes, of Seneca county, Ohio, 
 whose children are, Nora, Matthew, Kate, 
 Maggie, Emma, Agnes, Anna, Irving, 
 Joseph, Nellie and Bernard; Anna, wife of 
 Fred Steiber, a moulder by trade, whose 
 first child was George. The children of 
 John and Mary Bartsonare: (i) Ignatius, 
 born March lo, 1858, who married Cath- 
 arine Hughes, whose children are, Mary 
 and Johanna; (2) Mary O., born Decem- 
 ber 8, i860, wife of Charles Fish, of Chi- 
 cago, 111. (she died in Michigan); (3) 
 Bernard, a farmer and contractor, born 
 February 19, 1862, and now lives in Ball- 
 ville township; (4) Julia M., born January 
 31, 1864, wife of Sidney Champion, a 
 painter, of Toledo, whose children are, 
 Estelle, George, Harmon and Mary; (5) 
 Elizabeth, born June 9, 1866, wife of Her- 
 mon Hesshel, whose child, Lizzie, died Sep- 
 tember 19, 1888; (6) Johanna, born Sep- 
 tember I, 1868, wife of George Heffner, 
 street-car conductor, Chicago, 111., whose 
 children are, Thomas, Alonzo and Louis; 
 (7) Nora, born May 5, 1870, wife of James 
 Castello, a merchant of Chicago; (8) John 
 C. , born March 17, 1872, contractor, 
 Ballville township, who married M. House; 
 (9) Ida, born April 8, 1S74, wife of Louis 
 Mierkie, a barber, of Fremont, Ohio; (10) 
 Clara H., born March 18, 1876, unmar- 
 ried ; { 1 1 ) Rosa, born September 10, 1878; 
 
 (12) Mary F., born March 10, 1880; and 
 
 (13) Joseph, born May ii, 1882. 
 
 HENRY KILGUS is one of the 
 most prominent and progressive 
 farmers of Washington township, 
 Sandusky county, a true W'estern 
 man, possessed of the enterprising spirit 
 which has resulted in placing this West- 
 
 ern region on a par with the older States 
 of the East. 
 
 Mr. Kilgus was born in the Empire 
 State, July 16, 1854, and is a son of Fred 
 and Magdalena (Kesler) Kilgus. The 
 father was born in Wittenberg, Ger- 
 many, and emigrated to the United States 
 in 1843, taking up his residence in Seneca 
 county, Ohio. He worked as a farm 
 hand, until by industry and frugality he 
 had saved a sum sufficient to purchase a 
 farm. He then became owner of forty 
 acres of choice land near Hessville, in 
 Washington township, Sandusky county, 
 and subsequently he purchased fifty acres, 
 paying $50 per acre for same. That farm 
 was subsequently sold, and purchase made 
 of another tract of 120 acres in Washing- 
 ton township, on which he resided until his 
 death. He passed away on October 22, 
 1890, leaving a family of ten children, 
 namely: Lewis, Albert, Frank, Charles, 
 Noah, Mary, Minnie, Henry and two 
 whose names are not given. 
 
 Our subject lived at home until he 
 was twenty-seven years of age, and then 
 began to earn his livelihood by working 
 out by the day, in which way he got a 
 start. He was industrious and energetic, 
 desirous of pleasing his employers, and as 
 a consequence it was not difficult for him 
 to secure a situation. He continued his 
 service as a farm hand until he had man- 
 aged to save from his earnings enough to 
 purchase a farm of si.xty acres. This he 
 still owns, but his lands have been doubled 
 in e.xtent, and to-day within the bounda- 
 ries of his farm are comprised 120 acres 
 of valuable land which jield to the owner 
 a golden tribute. Upon the place he has 
 several fine oil wells, and derives from 
 that source a good income. His land is 
 now valued at $100 per acre, and it is one 
 of the best improved places in the county. 
 His residence and barns are the finest in 
 this section of Washington township, and 
 every corner of the place is neat and 
 thrift}' in appearance, indicating the care- 
 ful supervision of a painstaking owner. 
 
286 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIO GRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 On September 22, 1882, Mr. Kilgus 
 married Miss Sophia Driftmeyer, who was 
 born December 30, 1857. In poHtics he 
 is a Democrat, and has been honored with 
 several local offices, the duties of which 
 he has ever discharged with promptness 
 and fidelity. He is a member of the 
 Lutheran Church. A self-made man in 
 the truest sense of that term, he has 
 worked his way upward from a humble 
 position to one of affluence, achieving 
 prosperity through perseverance, indus- 
 try, good management and well-directed 
 efforts. His e.xample is one well-worthy 
 of emulation, and he is deserving of hon- 
 ored mention in the history of his adopted 
 country. 
 
 JOHN C. FISHER, son of George 
 W. and Clarissa (Black) Fisher, was 
 born May i, 1848, in Scott town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio, of which 
 locality he is now a prominent resident. 
 When he was a mere child his parents 
 moved to Washington township, in the 
 same county, whence after a residence of 
 two years they went to South Bend, Ind., 
 living there one year. On their return to 
 Ohio they lived in Washington township 
 eight months, then came again to Scott 
 township, residing there two years, and 
 subsequently went to Jackson township, 
 where they lived about eight years. 
 
 During this time our subject was at- 
 tending school in different townships, and 
 while the family were in Jackson town- 
 ship he went to college at Oberlin, Ohio, 
 for one term. In 1869 Mr. Fisher went 
 to Ballville and commenced business for 
 himself, being engaged in teaming and 
 farming. He continued in this work about 
 four years, and then went to Newaygo 
 county, Mich., there working in a feed 
 store, where he remained until the latter 
 part of June, 1873, at which time he went 
 to Ft. Scott, Kans. Here, July 3, 1873. 
 he was married to Miss Celia Moore, and 
 they returned east, coming to Ballville. 
 
 For six months Mr. Fisher was engaged 
 in a gristmill, after which he resumed his 
 old occupation of teaming and farming, 
 working his father-in-law's place near 
 Ballville. 
 
 In 1877 Mr. Fisher purchased a farm 
 of 130 acres of land in Ballville township; 
 but as there were no buildings on this 
 tract, he sold thirty acres, and purchased 
 forty acres containing buildings. Here he 
 lived one year, when he sold out and came 
 to Scott township. In 1881 he purchased 
 160 acres in Section 8, and in 1890 eighty 
 acres in Section 17, making in all a farm 
 of 240 acres, nearly all of which is under 
 cultivation. Since 1890 Mr. Fisher has 
 been engaged in raising stock, including 
 horses, cattle, sheep and hogs, and he has 
 ready for market yearly about five horses, 
 eighty hogs and from 300 to 500 sheep, 
 which he ships directly to Buffalo and 
 New York. In 1880 Mr. Fisher leased 
 160 acres to the Sun Oil Company, re- 
 ceiving $1, 12 i bonus, and one-seventh of 
 the production of oil from the wells; he 
 also leased eighty acres to the Ohio Oil 
 Co., receiving from them $1,600 bonus, 
 and one-eighth of the oil. This lease was 
 cancelled, but he held the bonus, and in 
 1895 the whole farm was re-leased, Mr. 
 Fisher receiving one-si.\th of the oil. 
 There are eight wells on the farm, each 
 averaging eight barrels per day, which 
 gives him an income of about $6.00 per 
 day. 
 
 Mrs. Celia (Moore) Fisher was born 
 November 7, 1848, near Ballville, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio, and here received her 
 early education, later in life attending the 
 high school at Fremont, Ohio, and com- 
 pleting her literary education at Delaware, 
 Ohio. She remained at home with her 
 parents until her marriage to Mr. Fisher, 
 July 3, 1873. They settled near Ballville, 
 remaining in the township until 1880, in 
 which year they sold out and came to 
 Scott township, where they now have one 
 of the most delightful homes in Sandusky 
 county. To their union have come chil- 
 
^' .4' ^l^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPIIWAL RECORD. 
 
 287 
 
 dren, whose names and dates of birth are 
 as follows: Claud, April ii, 1874; Guy, 
 October 12, 1875; Webb, July 27,1877; 
 Jim, February i, 1879; Maud, December 
 23, 1 881; Blanch, December 3, 1883; 
 Clara, August 20, 1884; Bruce and Brice, 
 November 22, 1886; Lester, February 5, 
 1888; and George, February 9, 1890, who 
 died March 10, 1890. The rest of the 
 children are at home with their parents, 
 and have attended the home school. 
 
 Mrs. Fisher's father, James Moore, 
 was born about 1805, and died December 
 5, 1873, being buried in Oakwood Ceme- 
 tery, Sandusky county; his occupation 
 was milling and farming. Her mother, 
 Harriet (Patterson) was born May 17, 
 1810. This worthy couple reared a fam- 
 ilj- of children, as follows: Orven, Juli- 
 ette, Celliette, LeRoy, Manville, Charles, 
 Celia and Oriette. Of these four are liv- 
 ing: Juliette, now Mrs. William Rice, of 
 Sandusky county; Charles, living in San- 
 dusky county; Celia, now Mrs. Fisher; 
 and Oriette, Mrs. John Speller, of San- 
 dusky county. Mr. Fisher was a cousin 
 of the wife of Wid Inman, son of James 
 Innian. He was an adherent of the Re- 
 publican party, and served as treasurer of 
 Scott township. 
 
 FREDERICK G. BASKEY, a pros- 
 perous farmer of Green Creek 
 township, Sandusky county, was 
 born in Prussia, Germany, May 
 30, 1833, a son of Charles Baskey, by his 
 first wife, whose children were: John, 
 Charles, Jr., and August, all three dying 
 in Germany; Frederick G., our subject; 
 Augustina; and Minnie. F"or his second 
 wife Charles Baske\- married Miss Louisa 
 Linstead, and their children were: Amelia, 
 Caroline, Emma, and Robert. The pa- 
 ternal grandfather of our subject was a 
 blacksmith by trade. 
 
 Our subject worked at blacksmithing 
 in Germany nine years, and at the age of 
 twenty-four came to America, landing at 
 
 New York City, whence he came to San- 
 dusky City, Ohio, near which place he 
 found work on a farm, and there remained 
 three years. He married Miss Henrietta 
 Marzke, who was born March 17, 1836, 
 daughter of Charles and Christena 
 (Mugahn) Marzke, farmers, the former of 
 whom died in Germany at the age of six- 
 ty-four, the latter passing away in San- 
 dusky, Ohio, at the same age. They had six 
 children: Charles; Henry, who died; 
 Hannah; Henrietta, Mrs. Baskey; Chris- 
 tena, who lives in Sandusky township; 
 and Theodore, in Rilej' township. Our 
 subject's wife was nineteen years of age 
 when she came to America. Mr. and 
 Mrs. F. G. Baskey have had children, as 
 follows: William H., born February 14, 
 1863, married to Emma Loaesa Zeigler, 
 and is a farmer in Green Creek township; 
 Albert F. , born April 17, 1865, now at 
 home, operating a threshing machine; 
 Rosa, born September 30, 1868, died 
 April 8, 1878; Bertha E., born Septem- 
 ber 15, 1870, died August 25, 1887; 
 Charles F., born January 7, 1873, now at 
 home, working on the farm; and Theresa 
 M., born October i, 1875, living at 
 home. 
 
 Our subject and his wife first settled 
 in Erie county, near Castalia, where they 
 farmed one year, then came to Sandusky 
 count}', and here rented a farm four years. 
 They then bought twenty acres of land, 
 and lived on the same three years, when 
 they sold it, and bought forty acres where 
 they now reside, to which more was add- 
 ed, making 130 acres. They carry on 
 mixed farming, and they have made val- 
 uable improvements on their property, 
 having built a substantial brick house and 
 a good-sized barn. They have given land 
 to their sons. Mr. Baskey is a Democrat 
 in politics, and in religious connection he 
 attends the Lutheran Church at Fremont. 
 He came to this country with nothing in 
 the way of earthly possessions, but has 
 secured a fair competence, by hard work 
 and close economy. His wife formerly 
 
288 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 worked in families, doing housework, at 
 $1 per week, in Sandusky City, and he 
 worked on farms at the rate of $io per 
 month. 
 
 WILLIAM BUMGARDXER, a 
 prosperous agriculturist of Ball- 
 ville township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, a native of Baden, Ger- 
 many, was born August 5, 1845, a son of 
 John and Rosa (Harter) Bumgardner, 
 both of whom died in the Fatherland. 
 Their children were as follows: (i) 
 Mary, wife of Jacob Naus, a farmer of 
 Sandusky county, whose children are 
 William, who married a Miss Bowlus, and 
 lives in Edwards count}', Kans., and 
 George, who married Miss Sarah lams, 
 and lives in Washington township, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio. (2) Louisa, wife of 
 Jacob Frentzel, whose children are Will- 
 iam, Fred, Louisa, Minnie, Hattie; Mr. 
 Frentzel died in 1892, and is buried in 
 Oakwood Cemetery; and (3) William, 
 our subject. John Bumgardner set out 
 for America with his family in 1847, and 
 after a voyage of forty days landed in 
 New York, whence, after a brief sojourn, 
 he came to Sandusky City, Ohio, where 
 he visited friends. He then located at 
 Fremont, where he worked at his trade 
 of shoemaking about two years, and then 
 moved to Washington township, where 
 he bought a piece of land on which he re- 
 mained a year, after which he went 
 farther west. 
 
 Our subject, William Bumgardner, at 
 the age of thirteen went out to work 
 among farmers, and after working thirteen 
 years he married, September 22, 1882, 
 Miss Anna Ott, who was born September 
 29, 1850. He then rented a piece of 
 ground from Emanuel Wingert, which 
 he worked on shares some fifteen years. 
 He next bought eighty acres of land from 
 Hiram Pool, for $6,000, where he has 
 since resided. His mother lived with his 
 family some years pre^■ious to her death. 
 
 which occurred February 3, 1883, when 
 she was aged eighty years. Mr. Bum- 
 gardner's wife's brothers and sisters were: 
 (i) William Ott, who was a soldier and 
 was killed in the civil war; (2) Sarah, born 
 August 22, 1844, wife of Elias Babione, 
 a farmer; Charles Ott, born April 26, 
 1847, married to Sarah Jackman, and 
 their children are — Clara, Frank, Eva 
 and Virgie. The children of William 
 and Ann Bumgardner are: Minnie, born 
 September 12, 1S72, married March 14, 
 1894, to King Hiett; Rosa, born April 
 26, 1874; William, born December 18, 
 1878; Wesley, born August 8, 1883, and 
 Mabel, born November 16, 1888. 
 
 JOHN W. MELLISH, a well-known 
 resident of Fremont, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, was born in Port Clinton, Otta- 
 wa Co. , Ohio, October 8, 1 86 1 , a son 
 of John and Martha (Granger) Mellish. 
 
 Our subject's father was born in To- 
 ronto, Canada, January 7, 1825, and came 
 with his parents, in 183 3, to Ottawa county, 
 where they located on a farm in Bay town- 
 ship on which he spent the rest of his life. 
 He was for many years a Republican, and 
 a member of the M. E. Church. Our 
 subject's paternal grandfather, a native of 
 Lancashire, England, emigrated to Cana- 
 da, and thence moved to Ohio. Our sub- 
 ject's mother was born in Columbiana 
 county, Penn., September I, 1833. After 
 the death of her parents she came with 
 friends to Ottawa county, where she was 
 married February 10, 1853; her death oc- 
 curred April 22, 1881 ; she was a member 
 of the M. E. Church. The children of 
 John and Martha Mellish were: James, 
 born September 5, 1854, died December 
 3, 1857; Harriet, born September 22, 
 1857, died March 12, 1859; William A., 
 born June i, 1859, now a grocer at Port 
 Clinton, Ohio; John W., our subject; 
 Clare J., born January 26, 1864, wife of 
 Peter Bradshaw. of Chicago, III. ; Martha 
 E. , born August 11, 1871, died May 6, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 289 
 
 1872; and Newton A., born February 4, 
 1874, now clerk in a store at Fremont, 
 Ohio. 
 
 J. W. Mellish grew up in Port Clin- 
 ton, Ohio, where he graduated from the 
 high school. He then left home to be- 
 come a sailor before the mast for about 
 two years on the lakes, after which he 
 went to railroading as brakeman on the 
 L. S. & M. S. railroad for one year. He 
 next worked as butcher at Port Clinton 
 for some time, and then kept a restau- 
 rant. Having sold out his stand, he went 
 to learn the molder's trade, and worked 
 in the Wm. M. Whitley shops, Spring- 
 field, Ohio, one year. In 1889 he came 
 to Fremont, and opened up a saloon and 
 restaurant on Front street, which he still 
 keeps, with a liberal patronage. He is 
 an excellent specimen of physical man- 
 hood, being over six feet tall, and weigh- 
 ing 225 pounds. He inherits the true 
 doggedness of character and stubborn 
 persistence of the old Anglo-Saxon people. 
 
 In 1885, Mr. Mellish married Miss 
 Lydia .Hodge, who was born in Kenton, 
 Hardin Co., Ohio, in 1865, a daughter of 
 George and Rachel (Skelenger) Hodge. 
 She died April 12, 1894, at Fremont, 
 Ohio. Her father, who was a farmer, 
 was born in Columbiana county, and her 
 mother in Hardin county, Ohio, where 
 she died at the age of forty-one years. 
 They had a family of nine children, five 
 of whom are now living. 
 
 GEORGE O. HARLAN, veterin- 
 ary surgeon, Fremont, Sandusky 
 county, is a native of Cumber- 
 land county, Penn., born Novem- 
 ber II, 1836. His paternal ancestors 
 came from England to North America in 
 Colonial days. In 1687 two brothers, 
 George and Michael Harlan, located in 
 what is now Chester county, Penn. In 
 later years that branch of the family 
 to which our subject belongs removed 
 to Baltimore, Md., where his grandfather, 
 
 Samuel Harlan, was born, and whose 
 children were: Hannah, born February 
 27, 1794; Samuel, born December 7, 1795; 
 Sallie, born October 3, 1797; Elizabeth, 
 born August i, 1800; George, born Decem- 
 ber 8, 1802; Mary, born December 22, 
 1804; and John, (subject's father), born 
 July 14, 1808 — all born in Baltimore, 
 Maryland. 
 
 John Harlan early earned the trade of 
 hatter, and going to Adams county, Penn., 
 engaged in business as a commission mer- 
 chant. He subsequently located in Cum- 
 berland county, Penn. , and followed the 
 commission business there for many years. 
 This was in the early days when large 
 merchants owned their own cars, and 
 the railroad companies furnished engines 
 to haul the cars. In later years he was 
 not fortunate in business, and finally re- 
 tired from it altogether. During the past 
 nine years he has had his home with his 
 son, George O., at Fremont, Ohio. Our 
 subject's mother was a Miss Jane McEl- 
 wee, born in Cumberland county, Penn., 
 June 16, 1847, and died in 1876. Before 
 her marriage to John Harlan she had 
 been married to a Mr. Marshall, by whom 
 she had two children: Francis, who lives 
 in Chambersburg, Penn.; and James A., 
 of Philadelphia. By her marriage to 
 John Harlan, subject's father, there were 
 three children: George O. ; Henry Addi- 
 son, born January 10, 1841, a soldier in 
 the Union army during the Civil war; and 
 Emma, born June 10, 1845, ^lied June 
 23, 1884. 
 
 Dr. George O, Harlan grew to man- 
 hood in Cumberland county, Penn., 
 where he learned the trade of copper- 
 smith. Later on he took up the study of 
 veterinary surgery, under a preceptor, at- 
 tended a veterinary college at Philadel- 
 phia, Penn., graduating from same in 
 i860. He soon after took a trip west- 
 ward and the breaking out of the Civil 
 war found him at Rochester, Ind. In 
 1862 he joined the Fourth Cavalrj\ Sev- 
 enty-seventh Regiment of Indiana Volun- 
 
290 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 teers, and at Perryville, Ky., he was in- 
 jured by the falling of his horse. As soon 
 as he was again fit for service he was ap- 
 pointed veterinary surgeon by the United 
 States Government, and served in the 
 horse hospitals in Pennsylvania. At the 
 close of the war he was appointed to as- 
 sist in selling the useless supplies which 
 the government had accumulated, con- 
 sisting of horses, saddles, blankets, etc. 
 One of his shipments brought him to Ohio. 
 He remained in Toledo a short period, 
 then came to Fremont, where he opened 
 work in his profession, and decided to 
 make his home. After locating at Fre- 
 mont, Dr. Harlan traveled during the 
 most part of the succeeding ten years and 
 delivered lectures on the Comparative 
 Anatomy of the Horse. He doubled In- 
 diana and Michigan a couple of times, 
 making nearly everj' town in each State, 
 and also nearly all the towns and cities 
 in Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky and the 
 State of New York. Early in his work 
 he wrote and published a book, entitled 
 " Harlan's Illustrated Horseman's Guide." 
 which was afterward re-written, and en- 
 larged to a book of more than 200 pages. 
 More than 50,000 of these books have 
 been sold, and they are still in great de- 
 mand, being considered among the best 
 works on the horse ever published. Many 
 years ago he opened a horse hospital in 
 Fremont, and his efforts to build up an 
 interest in horses have been quite success- 
 ful: He has of late years been called re- 
 peatedly to nearly every great horse cen- 
 ter in the country, on special missions, 
 being a specialist in horse surgery. 
 
 On March 6, 1856, Dr. George O. Har- 
 lan was married to Miss Adline McGuire,of 
 Cumberland county, Penn., who died 
 January 7, 1865, leaving two children — 
 Alice (now Mrs. O. E. Jones), and Serelda 
 (now Mrs. H. Hale). On May 4, 1866, 
 Dr. Harlan married Miss Harriet Hollis, 
 of Monroeville, Ohio, and three children 
 have been born to them, viz. : Hulda 
 (now Mrs. J. H. Comstock, of New York 
 
 City), Nora (now Mrs. A. S. Close, of 
 Toledo), and John M. (at home with his 
 parents). Dr. Harlan is a member of 
 the G. A. R., F. & A. M. and I. O. O. F. 
 
 JOHN WENDLER. Among the 
 prominent and substantial citizens of 
 Madison township, Sandusky county, 
 is found the gentleman whose name 
 he're appears, and who was born in Wurt- 
 emberg, Germany, July 13, 1827. 
 
 His parents, John and Catherine (Sny- 
 der) Wendler, had two children — Barbara 
 and John. John \\'endler, Sr. , who was 
 a blacksmith by trade, died when his son 
 was a boy, after which his widow married 
 Casper Freman, in Switzerland, and they 
 had two daughters. John ^^'e^dler, Jr., 
 was two years of age when his mother 
 married Mr. Freman. He then went to 
 Switzerland to live, remaining there until 
 1854. when, at the age of twenty-seven, 
 he set out for the United States. Coming 
 to Ohio, he located in Ballville township, 
 Sandusky county, and was employed in a 
 woolen-factory from 1854 till 1857, after 
 which he worked on a farm by the month 
 for four years. In 1861 he bought forty 
 acres in Woodville township, Sandusky 
 county, and commenced clearing. In 
 1872 he traded this forty-acre tract for 
 eighty acres in Madison township, and in 
 the same year bought eighty acres more, 
 northwest of Gibsonburg, on which he 
 lived until 1890, when he purchased the 
 twenty-five acres whereon he now lives. 
 
 On November 27, 1854, John Wendler 
 was united in marriage with Marj" Brooker, 
 who was born March 26, 1832, in Switzer- 
 land, and they had six children, of whom 
 Albert, born April 8, 1856, married Mary 
 Walter, and has had five children; Mary, 
 born July 29, 1858, married Fred Driftmey- 
 er, and has had two children (they live in 
 Washington township, Sandusky county); 
 Amelia, born October 11, 1864, married 
 John Callahan, and died July 18, 1890, 
 at the age of twenty-five years; John W., 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 291 
 
 born November 28, 1866, lives at home; 
 tmma L. , born October 8, 1869, died 
 September 15, 1891; Caroline Sophia, 
 born July 10, 1875, died November 25, 
 1878. Mrs. Wendler's parents, Henry 
 and Susan (Meddler) Brooker, were born 
 in Switzerland. Mr. Wendler is a Re- 
 publican in politics, has several times 
 been honored with public office, and at 
 present is serving his second term as 
 township trustee. He is a member of the 
 German Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 and is much respected. 
 
 PETER KENAN, a well-known 
 farmer of Jackson township, San- 
 dusky county, "was born November 
 2, 1829, in Perry county, Ohio, a 
 son of Silas and Barbara (Overmyer) 
 Kenan. 
 
 Silas Kenan was born February 3, 
 1 80 1, near Wheeling, W. Va. His father 
 was a native of County Derry, Ireland, 
 and came to America when a small boy, 
 settling in Virginia. James married 
 Catherine Yost, by whom he had children 
 — si.xteen in number — as follows: Silas, 
 Margaret, Phiebe, Samuel, John, Peter, 
 Robert, Nancy, Emeline, James, Rebecca, 
 Juliann, Sarah Ann, Melissa, Henry and 
 Catherine. After marriage James Kenan 
 moved to Perry county, Ohio, and thence 
 to Tymochtee township, Wyandot county, 
 later removing to Illinois, finally, how- 
 ever, settling in Bettsville, Ohio, where 
 he died in 1856. His wife died a year 
 later at the home of a daughter in Mis- 
 souri. The parents of Mrs. Silas Kenan 
 were natives of Harrisburg, Penn., and 
 their children were: Hugh, Margaret, 
 Barbara, Polly, Eva, Lewis, Catherine, 
 Elizabeth and Peter. 
 
 Peter Kenan in his youth came from 
 Perry county to Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 where he engaged in the arduous labors 
 of pioneer farming, and where, in Jack- 
 son township, he owns 1 20 acres of land 
 in a good state of cultivation. He is a 
 
 Republican in politics, and has held various 
 civic offices. In the Civil war he was a 
 volunteer in Company H, One Hundred 
 and Si.xty-ninth Regiment O. V. I., and 
 was stationed at Fort Ethan Allen, Vir- 
 ginia, in the summer of 1864. On May 
 4, 1856, he was married to Miss Sarah 
 Ann Hodgson, born in Herkimer county, 
 N. Y., November 19, 1835, daughter of 
 Rev. W^illiam Hodgson, who was a sol- 
 dier in the war of 1812. To this union 
 was born, March 11, 1857, one son — 
 William Manville — who on October i, 
 1 878, married Miss Sylvia Ann, a daughter 
 of Rev. John W. Powell, of Fostoria, 
 Ohio, and they have a son, John Peter 
 Kenan, born February 24, 1887. 
 
 CHARLES DELBERT KENAN, 
 a son of George W^ and Eliza- 
 beth (Posey) Kenan, was born in 
 Jackson township, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio, January 15, 1858, and is of Ger- 
 man and Irish lineage, his great-grand- 
 father being a native of the Emerald Isle. 
 His father was born July 31, 1824, in 
 Perry county, Ohio. His mother was 
 born August 20, 1832, in Hartley town- 
 ship, Wayne Co., Penn., and came with 
 her parents to Ohio during her early girl- 
 hood. His father and mother are now 
 living a retired life. They became the 
 parents of seven children, as follows: 
 Barbara, who was born December 10, 
 1852, and died in infancy; Oran, who was 
 born December 7, 1853, and lives in the 
 city of Fremont, Ohio; Lodema, who was 
 born November i, 1856, and is the wife 
 of Michael Maurer, a resident farmer of 
 Jackson township, Sandusky county, by 
 whom she has three children — Charles, 
 Louis and Webb; Charles Delbert, sub- 
 ject of sketch; Marshall A., a farmer of 
 Jackson township, born Maj' 17, i860; 
 Lorina, born October 27, 1862, now the 
 wife of Elijah Voorhees; George, born on 
 the old homestead, July 10, 1864, and yet 
 living there. 
 
292 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Charles Delbert Kenan was reared to 
 manhood under the parental roof, spend- 
 ing the days of his boyhood in a manner 
 not unlike that of other farmer lads of 
 that locality. After arriving at years of 
 maturity, he was married, in 1880, to Miss 
 Mar}' M. Cookson, a teacher in the com- 
 mon schools, having taught seven terms, 
 daughter of William and Rose (Metzger) 
 Cookson, who were natives of Pennsyl- 
 vania, and came to Ohio in its pioneer 
 days. Mr. and Mrs. Kenan have no chil- 
 dren of their own, but have an adopted 
 daughter — Frances Fleeta Kenan — whom 
 thej' are tenderly rearing. 
 
 Upon his marriage our subject re- 
 moved with his bride to Scott township, 
 Sandusk}' county, where he rented his 
 father's farm, and remained for about two 
 months. He then came to Washington 
 township, and purchased sixtj' acres, 
 carrying on agricultural pursuits there for 
 nine years, when he sold his property, 
 and purchased seventy-four acres of land, 
 constftuting his present farm. Upon this 
 place are four good oil wells, with a fair 
 flow, and these net him considerable 
 profit, adding not a little to his income. 
 His carefully managed business interests 
 have brought him success, and his fair 
 and honorable dealing have gained for 
 him the confidence and good will of all 
 with whom he has come in contact. In 
 politics he is a Democrat, discharging all 
 his duties of citizenship with promptness 
 and fidelity. 
 
 EXOS J. GROVER, a well-known 
 farmer of Sandusky county, was 
 born in Green Creek township, 
 that county, October 23, 1841, a 
 son of Truman and Caroline (Swart) 
 Grover. 
 
 Truman Grover was born in Genesee 
 county, N. V., March 13, 1810, a son of 
 Silas and Sallie (Williams) Grover, the 
 former of whom was born in 17S2, in 
 Cayuga county, N. Y. , where he grew to 
 
 manhood. His father died in 1843, and 
 his mother — who was of \\'elch descent, 
 and who in her younger days lived on the 
 banks of the Susquehanna river, in New 
 York State — lived to be eighty-one years 
 old. Silas Grover married at the age of 
 twenty-five, built a log house, cleared up 
 a farm, and reared a family of children. 
 In 1 826 he came by steamer with his fam- 
 ily from Buffalo, N. Y., to Sandusky 
 City, and thence overland through the 
 woods to Sandusky county, where he set- 
 tled on a farm of eighty acres, for which he 
 had traded sixty acres in York State, and 
 received $100 to boot, which paid his 
 moving expenses. Here he followed farm- 
 ing twelve years, and then moved to 
 another farm farther from Hamer's Cor- 
 ners (now Clyde). He was a member of 
 the Universalist Church, and in politics a 
 Democrat. The children of Silas and 
 Sallie Grover were as follows: Messa, 
 who died at Fremont February 28, 1894, 
 at the age of ninety-four; Truman, father 
 of our subject; John, who lives in Branch 
 county, Mich., aged eighty-two; Orson, 
 living at Hillsdale, Mich., aged seventy- 
 seven; Samuel, living at the same place, 
 aged seventy-three; Harriet, who died 
 leaving several children; and Lydia, -wife 
 of Clark Cleveland. 
 
 Truman Grover came to Sandusky 
 county at the age of sixteen. His oppor- 
 tunities for getting even a common-school 
 education were very meager. On March 
 12, 1835, he married Miss Caroline 
 Swart, who was born in Herkimer coun- 
 ty, N. Y., October 3, 1818, and to their 
 union came eight children: Eunice, born 
 December 10, 1835, who became the wife 
 of W. T. Perrin, and their children are 
 Perry, William, Frank, Fannie and Burt; 
 of these. Perry married Minerva Youngs, 
 and has four children — Leo, Lestia, Le- 
 Roy and another; William married, and 
 has four children; Frank married, and has 
 two children. Milo married Lucy Perrin, 
 and has seven children — Addie, Ralph, 
 Pearl (who is married and has two chil- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 293; 
 
 dren), Grace, Chrisence, Myrtle and an- 
 other; Frank married Jane Diiesler, and 
 has two children, Minnie and Charlie; he 
 lives in Chicago, 111. Enos J. is the sub- 
 ject proper of these lines. Margaret is 
 the wife of D. Clapp, of Fremont,- Ohio, 
 and has three children — Emmitt, Gertrude 
 and Horace. Melvina is the wife of M. 
 Hart, of Green Spring, Ohio, and has 
 three children — Victory, Milo and another; 
 Ella is the wife of James Raymond, and 
 their children are Winfred and Jay. Ran- 
 som died when twent}' years of age. 
 
 Enos J. Grover was reared on a farm, 
 and during his youth attended the coun- 
 try and village schools. He lives in one 
 of the garden spots of northern Ohio. He 
 is a Democrat in politics, and socially is 
 a member of the Royal Arcanum, at Clyde, 
 Ohio. In i860 he married Miss Angeline 
 Adams, and five children have been born 
 to them: Nora (wife of LeRoy Lee, whose 
 children are Margaret and Davis), Ran- 
 som, Claude, Byron and Truman. 
 
 Truman Grover, father of our subject, 
 was an enthusiastic member of the San- 
 dusky County Pioneer and Historical So- 
 ciety, and on October 11, 1890, at its an- 
 nual meeting, held in Fremont, gave an 
 interesting account of his pioneer e.xperi- 
 ences. a report of which was published in 
 the Fremont /oitrna/, from which we 
 here give a few items. Mr. Grover, among 
 other things, said: 
 
 I moved from the State of New York with 
 ray father, in 1826, at the ag-e of si.xteen. Our 
 farming at first went verj' slow. We cut most 
 of our j,'rain with sickles, as we thought 
 the cradles wasted too much. We preferred 
 to cut and lay it down by handfuls. The sec- 
 ond year my father fi.xed a cradle to a grass 
 scythe that worked pretty well. We threshed 
 our grain by tramping it out with o.xen, or 
 beating it out with flails or cudgels: we kept at 
 it all winter and fed the straw to our live stock. 
 We hauled the grain to town and exchanged it 
 for goods, and the merchants sent the grain 
 east by boat in exchange for goods. One 
 of our first merchants was Mr. Olmstead, who 
 carried on a large business with very little 
 money, by his system of exchange. We could 
 not get any money at that time. After a while 
 things changed, and we got money, and 
 threshing machines and railroads, so that we 
 
 did not need to wait for the lake to open up in 
 the spring to market our grain. I feel pretty 
 well to-day, for a man who is eighty years old, 
 and has done an awful sight of hard work. We 
 seemed to have more leisure time for hunting- 
 and fishing and sporting in the early days than 
 we have now. We could shoot wild ducks, 
 geese and turkeys, and wild hogs in abundance. 
 We got S3 per hundred for wild pork in Lower 
 Sandu.sky. I was not much of a deer hunter. 
 The deer had such sharp eyes that I could not 
 see them before they saw me. When the 
 Twelve-mile Reservation was sold by the Indi- 
 ans and they moved away, the white people 
 came in and bought homes, and then we got 
 money and all business brightened up. Those 
 Indians are now in the Indian Territory on No 
 Man's Land. Our people here are now away 
 ahead of the early times. I don't suppose that 
 there is a depot between Cleveland and Toledo 
 that ships as much of different kinds of fruit as 
 Clyde. The pioneer price of corn used to be 18 
 cents, r.ve 20 cents, wheat 50 cents. In 1833-34 
 we got $2.10 for wheat. 
 
 ORION VAN DOREN, a progressive 
 young farmer of York township, 
 Sandusky county, is a son of Ed- 
 win and Zeruiah Van Doren, and 
 was born in Green Creek township, San- 
 dusky county, September 3, 1858. He 
 is of Dutch extraction on his father's 
 side, his ancestors having come from 
 Holland more than one hundred and fifty 
 years ago. His mother is of Scotch de- 
 scent. 
 
 Abraham Van Doren, grandfather of 
 the subject of these lines, was born about 
 1805, in a town in New Jersey, which 
 then contained but few houses. Coming 
 to Lower Sandusky (now Fremont), San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio, he followed his vocation 
 of shoemaker for many years, and then re- 
 moved to a farm in Green Creek town- 
 ship, where he passed the remainder of 
 his life. Edwin Van Doren, who was a 
 son of Abraham Van Doren, was born in 
 Fremont, August 14, 1829, and in 1854 
 was united in marriage with Zeruiah 
 Gray, who was born in Oswego, N. Y. , 
 August 13, 1832. They have had seven 
 children, as follows: Allen, who is on a 
 farm in Green Creek township; Orion, 
 the subject of this sketch; Ida, now Mrs.. 
 
294 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 John Hyatt, living west of Fremont; Sid- 
 ney, in Green Creek township; Jennie, 
 now Mrs. John Langton; Clara, now 
 Mrs. William Pack, living at Centreville, 
 Mich. ; and Lucy, now Mrs. H. G. Huff- 
 man, living at Clyde, Green Creek town- 
 ship, Sandusky, Co. , Ohio. Mr. Van Doren 
 has always been an active Republican 
 since the founding of the party. He was 
 in the hundred-day service in the war of 
 the Rebellion, upon his discharge re-en- 
 listing in the Fifty-fifth O. V. I., and was 
 with Sherman on his famous march to 
 the sea. He was mustered out at Camp 
 Dennison, near Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Van Doren are now living at 
 Clyde, Sandusky Co., Ohio. 
 
 Orion Van Doren attended the Fre- 
 mont school one term after leaving the 
 district school, then went to the high 
 school at Ch'de one year, and the follow- 
 ing year took a short course at Ada; but 
 his father had need of his services, so he 
 left school and remained at home until 
 his marriage. On April 14, 1884, he 
 wedded Miss Emma White, who was 
 born March 8, 1868, and they have had two 
 children, namely: Zeruiah, who was born 
 March 25, 1886, and is at present at- 
 tending the Clyde schools, and Marj' 
 Ruth, born December 16, 1893. Mrs. 
 Van Doren's father, William White, a 
 son of Lyton White, was born in New 
 York State in 1827, and in 1S55 married 
 Mary Kettle, who was born in Townsend 
 township in 1832. They had the follow- 
 ing named children: Samuel; George, 
 now deceased; Sarah, wife of Morris 
 McGraw, of Albany, N. Y. ; Lillian, wife 
 of A. J. Smith, of Clyde; Marguerite, 
 deceased; Mary, wife of Sidney Van- 
 Doren; Emma, now Mrs. Orion Van- 
 Doren; Lucinda, deceased; and Anna, 
 wife of George Mason. In 1862 the 
 family moved from Erie county, Ohio, 
 where they had made their home for 
 many years, to Townsend township, and 
 from there to York township, where Mrs. 
 White died August 26, 1872. Mr. 
 
 White continued to manage his farm of 
 600 acres until March 26, 1887, when he, 
 too, passed away. Mr. Van Doren votes 
 the Republican ticket. For the past five 
 years he has made an annual hunting 
 excursion to northern Michigan, and his 
 home is nicely decorated with antlers and 
 other trophies that attest to his skill as a 
 marksman. 
 
 H 
 
 ON. GEORGE F. ALDRICH. 
 Foremost among Sandusky coun- 
 ty's representative men of to-day 
 stands Hon. George F. Aldrich, 
 a truly self-made man. He is the son of 
 Hiram H. and Ellen (Donnell) Aldrich, 
 and was born on a farm in Scott township, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, February 26, 1857. 
 Like many a farmer's boy he was obliged 
 to work in the summer time, while during 
 the winter seasons he was permitted to at- 
 tend the district school. Determined to 
 obtain an education, he diligently perse- 
 vered, and finally attended for some time 
 the Normal School at Fostoria, Ohio, 
 afterward attending a Normal in Mans- 
 field, Ohio. 
 
 At an early age he was among the 
 most successful teachers in Sandusky 
 county, and has followed that profession 
 for twenty years. The township of Scott, 
 recognizing his ability, elected him jus- 
 tice of the peace, which position he held 
 for nine years; he was also census enumer- 
 ator of the township in 1880, and served 
 on the board of county e.xaminers" for 
 four years. Having successfully filled 
 every position to which he had been 
 called, his fellow-citizens, being desirous 
 of conferring still further honors upon 
 him, in 1891 sent him as a representative 
 of Sandusky county at the State Legisla- ■ 
 ture on the Democratic ticket, his oppo- 
 nent being Mr. J. L. Hart. This in- 
 cumbency he also filled with his well- 
 known abilit\' and customary success. On 
 his return from the legislature he devoted 
 
J^- 
 
 ^^^^^<^^ 
 
 / 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 295 
 
 the greater part of his time to teaching. 
 During the summer months he conducted 
 a normal school at Tinney, having some 
 forty pupils, many of whom are teachers. 
 In addition to his profession he also di- 
 rected the work on the farm at Tinney. 
 In the fall of 1893 Mr. Aldrich was again 
 nominated for the Legislature on the 
 Democratic ticket, his opponent being 
 George F. Keefer, and by whom he was 
 defeated in 1893. In the 1895 campaign 
 Mr. Aldrich carried the county, defeating 
 Mr. Iveefer, his opponent of 1893, not- 
 withstanding the fact that the political 
 aspect of the county has materially 
 changed since the 1891 election. 
 
 On March 7, 1878, Mr. Aldrich was 
 married to Miss Eulalie Adelaide Tinnej', 
 of Tinnej', Ohio, and to them have come 
 three children: May Bordelle and Mabel, 
 born December 10, 1878 (Mabel died in 
 infancy); and Rufus Haven Scott, born 
 December 22, 1886. Of these May re- 
 ceived a teacher's certificate in Sandusky 
 county when only fourteen years old, 
 but poor health has prevented her from 
 teaching; she has given the study of music 
 considerable attention. Mrs. Aldrich, the 
 estimable wife of our subject, was born at 
 Tinney, Ohio, November 21, 1857, and 
 received her education in the public 
 schools of that place. Her mother died 
 when she was young, which deprived her 
 of the advantages that she otherwise 
 might have obtained. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in 
 Rhode Island, in 1836, and when he was 
 six years old his parents came to Ohio, 
 where, with the exception of six years 
 spent in Kansas, he has since resided. On 
 February 29, 1864, he enlisted in Com- 
 pany D, Third O. V. C. , and was mus- 
 tered out of the service at the close of the 
 war. In his family were five children: 
 John, Mary (now Mrs. J. W. Hudson, of 
 Tinney), George F. (our subject), Charles 
 A., and Jackson. Our subject's mother 
 was a native of Scott township, Sandusky 
 
 countv. where she spent her entire life ex- 
 i9 
 
 cept a few years in Kansas, in which State 
 she died, October 9, 1887, at the age of 
 fifty-seven. Mr. Aldrich's paternal grand- 
 father, Nero Aldrich, was born in Rhode 
 Island, and spent the greater part of his 
 life in Scott township, where he died. He 
 was twice married, the grandmother of 
 our subject being his second wife. The 
 maternal grandmother was born in Noble 
 county, Ohio, and died in Kansas in 1895. 
 She was three times married, her last hus- 
 band being Nero Aldrich. 
 
 Among the pioneers of Scott town- 
 ship is the father of Mrs. Aldrich, Darwin 
 Scott Tinney. He was born September 
 18, 1826, in New York State, where he 
 lived until eight years of age, and then 
 with his parents came to Lenawee county, 
 Mich., thence to Ohio, where he after- 
 ward lived. He died at Tinney, Ohio, 
 November 16, 1893. He was one of 
 Sandusky county's most prosperous farm- 
 ers, a vocation he gave his entire attention 
 to during a greater part of his life. For 
 three years he was county coinmisioner of 
 Sandusky county. About 1850 he was 
 married to Sarah Wiggins, of Scott town- 
 ship, who was born in Massachusetts in 
 1829, and to them were born three chil- 
 dren: Almeda Ann; Frank J. Tinne}', of 
 Fostoria, principal of the public schools; 
 and Eulalie Adelaide (now Mrs. Aldrich). 
 He was the son of Stephen Tinney, who 
 was born in December, 1799, in Massa- 
 chusetts, and died February 10, 1848. 
 When about sixteen j-ears old he went to 
 New York and there lived some fourteen 
 years; thence moved to Michigan where 
 he lived six years, and from there to 
 Scott township, where he passed the 
 rest of his days, dj'ing on January 9, 
 1836. He was married to Julia Scott, of 
 Niagara county, N. Y. , born July 24, 
 1797, and died February 7, 1869. To 
 them were born four children: Darwirt 
 S., Edwin C, Jackson and Julia Ann, 
 Edwin C. being the only one now living. 
 Stephen Tinney's mother, Sally Jonier, 
 was born in Massachusetts, about the 
 
296 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 year 1770, and her husband, Stephen 
 Tinney, Sr. , was born about the same 
 time. To them were born three children. 
 
 DAVID SMITH is a substantial 
 farmer of York township, San- 
 dusky county. In his early years 
 he lived the life of a stalwart 
 pioneer, and he has succeeded in gaining 
 a competency which will suffice him for 
 the remainder of his days. He is a son 
 of Fred and Dorothea Smith, and was 
 born in Lehigh county, Penn., August 7, 
 1820. 
 
 Fred and Dorothea Smith were united 
 in marriage in Germany in 181 3, and in 
 18 18 came to the United States, locating 
 in Pennsylvania. Mr. Smith worked at 
 the forge in that State, and also after 
 coming to Ohio, whither he removed in 
 1837, settling first in Bellevue, Huron 
 county, or rather Amsden's Corners, and 
 the following year coming to York town- 
 ship, where he resided the remainder of 
 his life. He bought a farm, which he 
 managed in connection with his black- 
 smith shop. Of their children Marie (the 
 eldest, who lived in Bellevue), Anna (of 
 York township), and Fred (a farmer of 
 York township, who was the oldest son), 
 died in 1889, within six months of each 
 other; David is the subject of this sketch; 
 Catherine islivingin Tennessee; Sallie died 
 in California; John F. is a large land- 
 owner of York township. 
 
 David Smith was the first of his 
 parents' children born in America, his 
 older brother and sister having been born 
 before the family left Germany. Oppor- 
 tunities for obtaining a good education, 
 which are now so numerous and easy of 
 access, were open to but few during his 
 childhood, and his father's children were 
 not numbered with the few. He came 
 with his parents to York township at the 
 age of ten, and later he learned the trade 
 of carpenter and millwright, working in 
 Bellevue and Toledo before marriage, and 
 
 a short time after. On October 22, 1846, 
 David Smith was united in marriage with 
 Julia Ann Knauss, who was born in Union 
 county, Penn., April 3, 1825, and they 
 have had six children, a brief record of 
 whom is as follows: George, born March 
 9, 1848, is now a carpenter, residing in 
 Bellevue; he married Anna Derr, and has 
 two children — Julia Maude and Frank 
 Elliston. Charles, born August i, 1S54, 
 is a carpenter and lives in Michigan; he 
 married Hattie Ent, and they have one 
 child — Earl. Samuel, born Xo\ember24, 
 1859, is at home. Sarah Maria, born 
 July 16, 1864, married David Barnard, 
 of Groton township, Erie county, and they 
 have three children — George. Ralph, and 
 Charles. Mary Elizabeth, the joungest, 
 born November 15, 1866, is at home. 
 Mrs. Smith is the daughter of Solomon 
 and Sarah Knauss. 
 
 Although suffering from a stroke of 
 paralysis, Mr. Smith still superintends the 
 farm, and tribute may well be offered to 
 his perseverance and courage. He is 
 prudent in his undertakings and never at- 
 tempts to make large gains by corres- 
 pondingly large risks. When he engages 
 in an enterprise little doubt as to its sta- 
 bilit}' and character need be felt. Mr. 
 Smith believes in the doctrines of protec- 
 tion and sound money. 
 
 GEORGE MARTIN, a farmer of 
 Ballville township, Safldusky 
 county, was born near Buffalo, 
 N. Y. , March 21, 1832, a son of 
 Michael and Catherine (Flory) Martin. 
 Michael Martin was born in Baden, Ger- 
 many, and married there. On immigra- 
 ting to America he settled seven miles 
 from Buffalo, N. Y., where he died at the 
 age of thirty years, leaving a son Michael, 
 Jr., by his first wife, and the following 
 children by his second wife, a Miss 
 Stuller: Joseph, Jacob, Abraham, Mary, 
 Kate, and George, the subject of this- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 297 
 
 sketch. The mother of George Martin 
 was born in Alsace, Germany. 
 
 George Martin grew to manhood in 
 this country, but his education was entire- 
 ly neglected, as he never learned to read 
 or write. He worked on his father's farm 
 in Sandusky county, Ohio, until Decem- 
 ber, 1858, when he married Miss Mary 
 M. Slaughter, who was born April 8, 
 183", and settled on his present farm. A 
 brief record of their children is as follows: 
 Charles L. , born October 18, 1859, is a 
 farmer, living on an adjoining farm; he 
 married Miss Caroline Bloom, and their 
 children are Blanche, \'innie, Ralph, 
 Mabel and Iva. Frank S. , born Septem- 
 ber 16, 1 86 1, is living with his parents; 
 Albert, born September 29, 1863, is liv- 
 ing with his parents; Clara C, born Sep- 
 tember 27, 1865, married William Sachs, 
 and their children are Fern, Carl and 
 Lulu; Edwin, born July 5, 1868, is living 
 with his parents; George T., born May 
 28, 1874, is li\ing at home; Estella ^f. 
 was born February 18, 1877. Mr. Mar- 
 tin is a Democrat in politics, and in relig- 
 ious connection is a member of the Lu- 
 theran Church. He is an enterprising and 
 well-to-do farmer, and an obliging neigh- 
 bor. His half-brother Michael finds a 
 comfortable home with him. His wife 
 Mary was born April 8, 1837. 
 
 GEORGE W. IvIXG, farmer and 
 merchant of Rice township, San- 
 duskj' countv, and postmaster at 
 Kingsway, Ohio, was born Sep- 
 tember 25, 1840, in Fairfield county, 
 Ohio, son of Peter and Mary (Shoemaker) 
 King. 
 
 Peter King and his father, George 
 King, were both born in Perry county, 
 Ohio, where the great-grandfather, John 
 King, who was a native of Virginia, had 
 located shortly after marriage, passing the 
 remainder of his days there. George 
 King moved to Pickaway county, Ohio, 
 where he died. Peter King was reared 
 
 on a farm up to the age of nineteen, and 
 also learned the carpenter's trade, which 
 he followed about twenty years in Fair- 
 field county. He was married in Pick- 
 away county, removed thence to Fairfield 
 county, and thence, in 1852, to Washing- 
 ton township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, where 
 he bought 240 acres of land. Here he 
 accumulated wealth, and he built a hand- 
 some house and barn, the house having 
 the finest staircase in the county. He 
 was a Democrat, and a member of the 
 German Reformed Church. He died Au- 
 gust 2, 1880, and his widow, who was 
 born in Pickaway county, Ohio, in 18 19, 
 is still living on the old homestead. They 
 had nine children: Samuel, a farmer, 
 George W. ; Levi, a farmer, who is coun- 
 ty commissioner of Henry county, Ohio; 
 Henry, a farmer in Henry county; Peter, 
 also a farmer in Henry county; J. M., 
 living on the old homestead; Rebecca, 
 born in 1S43, who died in 1894, wife of 
 L J. Shoemaker, of Henry county; Me- 
 linda, who first married J. D. Overmyer, 
 and after his death wedded Solomon 
 Shoemaker (she is now living near Muncie, 
 Ind.); and Mary Ann, wife of Noah Gar- 
 rett, of Sandusk}' township. 
 
 George W. King came with his father's 
 family to Washington township, Sandusky 
 county, attended the common schools, 
 and learned the carpenter's trade, which 
 he followed in Fremont. In 1862 he 
 married Miss Elizabeth L. W^agner, who 
 was born in Sandusky county, October 6, 
 1842, and eleven children have blessed 
 their union, viz. : MaryoMarthella, wife 
 of M. E. Boggs, of Elmore, Ohio, who 
 has one child, George Nolan; Clara Ellen, 
 widow of Daniel Packett (she has one 
 child); Louisa Emily, wife of Fred Cap- 
 pus, of Hessville, Sandusky county (they 
 have one child, Carl); Samuel, living at 
 Mt. \'ernon, Ind., who is married and has 
 three children — George, Henry and John; 
 Selesta Alrneda, wife of Irvin F"etterman, 
 of Rice township; Catherine Minerva, 
 wife of H. F. Hetrick, of Washington 
 
298 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 township (they have one child, Lester 
 Wilhs), and John Jacob, Ida Isabelle, 
 Pear! Annetta, Cara Stella, and Daisy 
 Modelia, the last five living at home. 
 
 Mr. King purchased his present farm 
 in 1864, following his trade until 1867, 
 since when he has devoted himself to 
 agricultural pursuits, now owning 155 
 acres in Rice township and twenty-seven 
 in Washington township. The Wheel- 
 ing & Lake Erie railroad runs through 
 his farm, on which has been erected a 
 depot and post office, named, after him, 
 Kingsway. He is the second postmaster 
 of the place, having received his commis- 
 sion from President Arthur, and has held 
 the office twelve years. He is a Demo- 
 crat in politics, and in religious affiliations 
 a member of the German Reformed 
 Church. The first office Mr. King held 
 in the township was that of constable, in 
 which he continued for two years, after 
 which he was elected justice of the peace 
 for three consecutive terms. Mr. King's 
 residence and home are among the finest 
 farm improvements in the county. He 
 is a recognised business and social leader 
 in his community, of gentlemanly dispo- 
 sition, and is essentially a self-made man. 
 
 JAMES D. HENSEL, an energetic 
 agriculturist of Sandusky township, 
 Sandusky county, was born Feb- 
 ruary 19, 1849, on the farm now 
 owned by his uncle, Daniel Hensel, and 
 is the eldest son of Adam and Mary J. 
 Hensel. 
 
 The maternal grandparents of Mr. 
 Hensel were natives of Northumberland 
 county, Penn. , and of German descent. 
 They moved to Perry county, Ohio, in 
 1 819, where their eldest son, Adam, was 
 born in 1825. Their attention was then 
 attracted by the fertility of the Black 
 Swamp, and in 1827 they located on the 
 banks of Little Mud creek, four miles 
 west of Fremont. At that time there 
 were but three families living between 
 
 Muscalonge and Perrysburg, north of the 
 Perrysburg road. 
 
 Adam Hensel was married to Marj' J. 
 Benner in 1847; to them were born six 
 children : James D. Ellen M. , wife of John 
 Fangboner; she died at the age of twent}'- 
 four years, leaving two children — Irvin 
 and ^Iertella, who live with their father 
 in Fremont. Sarah E. and Harriet S. 
 both reside in Chicago, 111. ; Harriet is 
 married and has two children, Mary and 
 Allen. Alice C. and husband, A. J. Wal- 
 ters, with their daughters, Jessie and 
 Madge A., live in Montpelier, Ohio; and 
 Emma C. married W. S. Diggs, and they 
 with their two children, Ethel E. and 
 lone, reside in Winchester, Indiana. 
 
 Mr. Hensel grew to manhood on a 
 farm, receiving his education in the com- 
 mon schools, and remained at home until 
 his marriage to Miss Savilla Wolfe, Feb- 
 ruary 6, 1873. She was born January 
 25, 1850, in Sandusky county. They 
 have two daughters: Nora O., born De- 
 cember 4, 1873, was educated in Fre- 
 mont school and Ohio Normal University, 
 and is now a teacher in the schools of 
 Sandusky county, and Mabel M., born 
 December 9, 1877. Mr. Hensel settled 
 on the old homestead, which he pur- 
 chased after the death of his father in 
 1887. He belongs to the younger ele- 
 ment of progressive farmers in Sandusky 
 township, and owns seventy-seven acres 
 of good land. In politics he is a Demo- 
 crat, and in religious connection he is a 
 member of the Reformed Church. Fra- 
 ternally, he affiliates with the Independ- 
 ent Order of Odd Fellows. 
 
 PHILIPP MIARER, a well-t<5-do 
 farmer of Sandusky township, 
 Sandusky county, was born in the 
 southern part of Russia, August 
 15, 1828, a son of John and Barbara 
 (Krather) Miarer. 
 
 John Miarer, a farmer by occupation, 
 was also born in South Russia, and died 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 299 
 
 there at the age of forty-six years. Bar- 
 bara Miarer, his widow, came to America 
 with her family and settled in Sandusky, 
 Ohio, where she died at the age of sixty- 
 seven. Four children were born to them: 
 John Miarer, a retired farmer, now living 
 in Seneca county, Ohio, who was a soldier 
 in the Civil war; Magdalena, who married 
 Henry Henning, in Germany, where she 
 still resides; Susan, who was married in 
 German}- to Louis Bowers; and Philipp, 
 subject of this sketch. Philipp attended 
 school in Germany up to his thirteenth 
 year, and then came to .\merica in 1850, 
 landing in New York City. Coming to 
 Cleveland. Ohio, he remained there one 
 year, after which he removed to Jackson 
 township, Sandusk}' count}', where he 
 sought and found such employment as the 
 times afforded. He was married, in i860, 
 to Miss Catharine Mahr, who was born in 
 Jackson township August 29, 1839, and 
 nine children were born to this union, 
 six of whom are living: David, born Sep- 
 tember 5, 1 86 1, who married Miss Lavina 
 Lang; Sarah, born September 15, 1862, 
 married to Augustus Buehler; John, born 
 in 1868, who married Ellen Bender (he at- 
 tended the common schools, and has 
 taught five terms in Sandusky county); 
 Mary, born March 28, 1870, living in 
 Fremont; Henry, born March 28, 1874; 
 and Amelia, born September 24, 1877. 
 After his marriage Mr. Miarer bought 
 forty acres of land in Jackson township, 
 and lived there fourteen years, removing 
 thence to Riley township, and in the 
 spring of 1 876 settling at his present home. 
 Here he owns 157 acres of land, eighty 
 acres in Seneca county. His brick resi- 
 dence, erected a few years ago, has few 
 equals in his vicinity. During his early 
 days he did much hard pioneer work; he 
 cleared sixty acres of heavily-timbered 
 land with his own hands, using oxen to 
 do the logging; and it will readily be seen 
 that there is a great contrast between his 
 early surroundings in the county and that 
 which he enjoys now. He is recognized 
 
 as one of the most substantial men in his 
 township, of which he has served as trus- 
 tee four years, and supervisor two years. 
 Mr. Miarer and his wife are members of 
 the Reformed Church. Politically he is 
 a Democrat. The paternal grandfather 
 of our subject was a farmer, and his ma- 
 ternal grandfather was a man of more 
 than ordinary wealth. 
 
 WILLIAM L. RICHARDS, who 
 for many years has ranked as 
 one of the most energetic and 
 respected citizens of York town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was born August 
 17, 1828, on the farm he now occupies. 
 He is the son of Lester and Mary (Baker) 
 Richards, both natives of Connecticut, 
 who in the fall of 1826 migrated from 
 that State, and in York township pur- 
 chased land, which had been entered in 
 1822 by Edmund Fuller, the original 
 patent for the land being signed by Pres. 
 James Monroe. The parents remained 
 on the farm through life. Lester Rich- 
 ards died in 1845, aged forty-five years. 
 His wife survived until 1872, when she 
 passed away at the age of seventy-two 
 years. In politics Lester Richards was a 
 Whig. His grandfather was an emigrant 
 from England. 
 
 William L. Richards is one of eight 
 children, six of whom grew to maturity, 
 as follows: William L. ; Elizabeth, who 
 died unmarried at the age of seventeen 
 years; Celinda, who was born in 1832, 
 married John B. Colvin, and died in 1894; 
 Edward, born in 1835, "ow a resident of 
 Ottawa county; Melissa, who died when 
 a young woman; and Almarema, after- 
 ward Mrs. McClanahan, who died in 
 Ohio. William L. , the eldest child, 
 grew to manhood on his father's farm 
 and attended the neighboring schools. 
 He was married Januar}- i, 1861, to Miss 
 Sarah Rife. She was born on an adjoin- 
 ing farm September 7, 1843. daughter of 
 Michael and Mary (Longwell) Rife, the 
 
300 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 former of whom was born in Frederick 
 county, Md., February 14, 1S14, and in 
 1832 migrated to York township with his 
 parents, Daniel and Elizabeth (Zumbrin) 
 Rife. Here, January i, 1839, he married 
 Mary Longwell, only daughter of Robert 
 and Lucinda (Butler) Longwell, who were 
 among the earliest settlers of the town- 
 ship, and who died here soon after. Mrs. 
 Rife is still living at the old homestead. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Richards have been 
 born six children, as follows: Emily, born 
 October 30, 1862, married April 7, i856. 
 to George Bemis, and is the mother of 
 one child — Edna; Carrie, born October 
 25, 1865, died October 10, 1891; Bertha, 
 born January 30, 1867, married Septem- 
 ber 19, 1894, to James A. Lewis; Charles 
 R. , born December 13, 1868, married 
 Helen Gile, and has one child — Karl; 
 Mary L. , born December 14, 1870, is 
 at home; William H., born September 18, 
 1872, was married September 24, 1895, 
 to Miss Dora Guinall. Emily and Mary 
 are graduates of the Clyde High School, 
 and Bertha attended school at Cljde and 
 Green Spring; Carrie attended school at 
 Clyde and Green Spring, and also at Ada 
 Normal School; Charles and William were 
 students at Ada Normal School. There 
 are few families in Sandusky county so 
 thoroughly educated as that of Mr. Rich- 
 ards. 
 
 After his marriage our subject settled 
 on the farm, and in addition to the farm- 
 ing operations he did business at Clyde as 
 partner in a grocery store. He was a 
 member of Company B, One Hundred 
 and Si.xty-ninth 0.\'. L, which was called 
 out during the summer of 1864 to do mil- 
 itary duty at Washington and Fort Ethan 
 Allen. In 1865 Mr. Richards began the 
 manufacture of brick and tile, and he has 
 ever since been extensively engaged in 
 that important industry. Last year he 
 burned about 8,000 tile; but in former 
 years it was not unusual for him to turn 
 out from 60,000 to 75,000 tile, besides 
 large quantities of brick. There was an 
 
 active market for all he could make. 
 During this time he has also tilled his 
 excellent farm of iio acres. In politics 
 Mr. Richards usually votes the Republican 
 ticket, but he is non-partisan, especially 
 in local matters. Socially he is a Mason, 
 and also a member of the Grange. His 
 son, William H., is a member of the Sons 
 of \'eterans. Mr. Richards is one of the 
 peace-loving, industrious and capable 
 farmers of York township, and his friends 
 are as numerous as his acquaintances. 
 
 CHARLES H. WELCH, a pains- 
 taking and eminently successful 
 agriculturist and fruit grower of 
 York township, Sandusky county, 
 is a son of Ebenezer and Mary Lovina 
 (Hubbell) Welch, and was born in Lyme 
 township, Huron Co., Ohio, November 
 16, 1839. 
 
 Ebenezer Welch, who was a black- 
 smith by trade, came to Ohio from New 
 York State about 1830. In Januarj', 
 1837, he was united in marriage with 
 Mary Lovina Hubbell, who was born 
 near Monroeville, Huron county, and 
 they had four children, as follows: Edgar 
 A., the eldest, served in the Twenty- 
 fourth O. V. I., in the war of the Rebel- 
 lion, was honorably discharged, and died, 
 in I 89 1, at Fawn River, Mich., leaving a 
 widow, but no children; Charles H. is the 
 subject of this sketch; Alice R. is the wife 
 of E. J. Squire, a dry-goods merchant of 
 Monroeville, and they have had four chil- 
 dren — Elbert W., John Clary, Roy and 
 William; Mary C, the youngest, is mar- 
 ried to Charles B. Scoville, a boot and 
 shoe dealer of Middletown, Butler Co., 
 Ohio. Mr. Welch died in Lyme town- 
 ship, and his widow moved to Monroe- 
 ville, where she died a few jears after- 
 ward. 
 
 Charles H. Welch received only a 
 common-school education and remained 
 at home until the outbreak of the war. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 301 
 
 On September i8, 1861, he enlisted in 
 Company A, Fift\-fifth O. V. I., at Camp 
 McClellan, Norwalk, Huron Co., Ohio. 
 Camp was broken on January 2, 1862, 
 and the Fifty-fifth set out for the front 
 via the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. They 
 first halted at New Creek, \'a. Mr. 
 Welch was with the Fifty-fifth Regiment 
 through all their hardships, and was dis- 
 charged with his company July 20, 1865, 
 at Cleveland. 
 
 On October 23, 1867, Charles H. 
 Welch was united in marriage with Miss 
 Lovina Hitt, who was born January 17, 
 1845, and they had four children, namely: 
 Alice R. , born August 26, 186S, is at 
 home; Mary Mahala, born October 8, 
 1870, was married on January iS, 1891, 
 to Joseph L. Royer, of Flat Rock, Seneca 
 ■Co., Ohio, and they ha\e had one child, 
 Charles Lewis; Adelia was born Novem- 
 ber 21, 1S72; and Charles Hubbell, Jr. , 
 born June 2, 1878, is in the third year 
 class of the high school at Bellevue. Mrs. 
 Welch is a daughter of Seneca and 
 Mahala (Staffordj Hitt, the former of 
 whom came to Ohio from Rutland county, 
 Vt., in 1836, and his wife came from the 
 same State a \ear later. In January Mr. 
 Hitt built the house ip which Mr. \\'elch 
 at present lives, and Mrs. Hitt en- 
 tered it a bride. Here for forty-seven 
 years she conscientiously attended to her 
 duties as wife and mother, making her 
 home so attractive that no allurements 
 won away her loved ones. In this house 
 Mrs. Welch was born, as were also her 
 brothers and sisters, who are as follows: 
 Mary Elizabeth, wife of L. G. Ely, of 
 Fulton county, Ohio, who has been rep- 
 resenting his county in the Ohio Legisla- 
 ture for the past two years; Marion Ade- 
 lia, who died in January, 1882, wife of 
 George H. Mugg, of Dundee, Mich, 
 (they had three children, Elmer E., 
 Luella E. and Susan M., who are unmar- 
 ried, and own a farm adjoining their fath- 
 ■er's), and a son, Seneca, Jr., who died in 
 infancy. Mr. Hitt died in January, 1872. 
 
 His wife survived him twelve years, dying 
 in June, 1884. 
 
 Mr. Welch has retired from farming, but 
 still grows much fruit, which he personally 
 superintends. In the spring of 1894 he 
 set out over twenty acres of peach trees. 
 He is prominent in G. A. R. circles, be- 
 ing a charter member of C. B. Gambee 
 Post No. 33. In adhering to the Repub- 
 lican party, he believes he is furthering 
 the interests of the country. For more 
 than fifteen years he has held the office of 
 township clerk. Mrs. Welch is a member 
 of the Congregational Church at Bellevue. 
 
 CHRISTIAN SCHWARZ, a pros- 
 perous farmer of Washington 
 township, Sandusky county, is the 
 owner of a valuable tract of land, 
 which is under a high state of cultivation, 
 and improved with good buildings, well- 
 kept fences and all the accessories of a 
 model farm. He is engaged in raising 
 those grains best adapted to this climate, 
 and keeps on hand enough stock for his 
 own use. Possessing good business ability, 
 his able management has brought to him 
 a comfortable competence, and to-day he 
 is numbered among the substantial farm- 
 ers of Washington township. 
 
 Mr. Schwarz was born in Wurtem- 
 burg, Germany, December 2, 1842, and 
 is a son of Christian and Margaret (Voelm) 
 Schwarz, farming people, who, in 185 1, 
 emigrated to America. On reaching the 
 shores of the New World they came di- 
 rect to Sandusky, Ohio, but soon re- 
 moved to Washington township, Sandusky 
 county. In 1853 the father purchased 
 134 acres of land, and later added other 
 tracts to it, at one time forty acres, at 
 another one hundred acres, and subse- 
 quentlj' seventy-six acres. He prospered 
 in his undertakings, and his success was 
 the just reward of his own labors. His 
 death occurred June 18, 1892, when he 
 had attained the age of seventy-five years; 
 his wife still survives him, and is now liv- 
 
302 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ing in Hessville, Ohio. The family of 
 this worthy couple were as follows: 
 Catherina, now the wife of John Balseiser 
 (a farmer of Washington township), and 
 the mother of twelve children; Carolina, 
 who died in Germany; Leonard, a resi- 
 dent farmer of Sandusky county, and who 
 has seven children; August, who died in 
 infancy; Laura, wife of Daniel Auxter, a 
 farmer of Washington township, Sandusky 
 county, by whom she has twelve children; 
 Reekie, wife of Charles Thajer (proprie- 
 tor of a hotel in Hessville), by whom she 
 has nine children; Henry, also an agricul- 
 turist of Washington township; Louisa, 
 wife of Jacob Ansted, a farmer of Ottawa 
 county (they had eight children, but one 
 is now deceased). 
 
 Our subject spent the first nine years of 
 his life in the Fatherland, and then came 
 with his parents on their emigration to 
 America. He completed his studies in 
 German after his arrival in this country, 
 but speaks English very fluently. He 
 never left his parents, always giving his 
 father the beneht of his services, and to- 
 day he is the owner of the farm upon 
 which they located forty-two years ago. 
 On December ii, 1872, he was united in 
 marriage with Miss Catherina P. Myers, 
 daughter of John P. and Catherina M. 
 (Deal) Myers, whose family numbered 
 five children, namely: Philip, deceased; 
 Mrs. Schwarz; Mena, Louisa and Mary. 
 Eleven children have been born to our 
 subject and his wife, their names and 
 dates of birth being as follows: John H., 
 December 2, 1873, died June 22, 1875; 
 Louisa, July 17, 1875, now the wife of 
 \\'illiam \\'ing. a farmer of Washington 
 township, Sandusky county; Henry, June 
 13, 1877, died May 12, 1882; Laura C, 
 June 25. 1879; Harmon, March 28. 1882; 
 Louis A., February 4, 1884; Emma M., 
 May 29, 1886; Bertha R., July 10, 1888; 
 Clarence C, January 14, 1890; Alice C. 
 March 28, 1892; and Daniel I., February 
 1 1, 1894. 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Schwarz are mem- 
 
 bers of the Lutheran Church, and are 
 highly respected people who hold an envi- 
 able position in social circles in this local- 
 ity. In his political views he is a stalwart 
 Democrat, warmly advocating the princi- 
 ples of his party, and several times has he 
 been honored with public office, having 
 served as school director and road super- 
 visor, while for three years he was trustee. 
 
 OLIVER M. MALLERNEE, an 
 active and highl3-respected farmer 
 and business man of Clyde, was 
 
 [ born in Harrison county, Ohio 
 
 i March 14, 1836, son of William and 
 Lydia (Burtoni Mallernee. 
 
 W' illiam Mallernee was born in Mary- 
 
 i land in 1807. His father, Emanuel, was 
 
 ! a native of France, who. when he emigra- 
 ted to America, first settled in Maryland, 
 and afterward came to Harrison county, 
 Ohio, where he died leaving eight chil- 
 
 i dren. as follows: William, father of Oli- 
 ver M. ; Levi, who died in Harrison coun- 
 ty; Mathias, a stockdealer and farmer of 
 
 i Harrison, and once a hotel-keeper at 
 Cadiz; Quillow, a "forty" miner, who 
 
 I died in Harrison county; Lewis, now of 
 Harrison county; Ernanuel, who left home 
 young and has never been heard from 
 
 I since; Mary Ann, widow of William Rich- 
 ardson, of Harrison county; and Eliza- 
 beth. William Mallernee was a boy when 
 his parents migrated from Maryland to 
 Harrison county. Ohio. He there learned 
 the cooper's trade, and married Lydia 
 Burton, who was born in Nottingham 
 township, Harrison county, daughter of 
 Thomas Burton, a native of Scotland, 
 and a man of unusual physical strength. 
 He made his home in Harrison county. 
 In his earlier life William Mallernee was 
 a successful cooper, and did some trading 
 as far south as New Orleans, La. In 
 later life, or after 1840, he was a farmer. 
 In politics he was a Democrat, and in re- 
 ligious faith a Baptist. He died Decem- 
 ber 21, 1887; his wife in I S45. They had 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 303 
 
 eifjht children, as follows: Ezra, of New 
 Philadelphia; Hannah, married and liv- 
 ing in Harrison county; Thomas, of Ok- 
 lahoma; Henry, of Harrison county; Will- 
 iam, of Indian Territory; Kachel Ann, 
 who died young; Lydia, who is married 
 and lives in Nebraska; and Oliver M. 
 
 O. M. Mallernee, the subject firoper 
 of this sketch, worked on a farm in Har- 
 rison county, and attended the common 
 schools until he was eighteen. He then 
 learned the blacksmith trade with John 
 Croskey, of Hopedale, Harrison Co., Ohio. 
 Working at his trade for a time in Bel- 
 mont county, he went to Mt. Pleasant, 
 and to Burlington, Iowa; but finding no 
 work at his trade on account of the hard 
 times then prevailing, he sold a horse far- 
 rier's book for a time, then started home- 
 ward. At Oquawka, 111., he found work 
 during the summer. Visiting Rock Island 
 and Chicago in vain, he reached Clyde in 
 October, 1857, via Logansport, Ind. He 
 expected to remain at Clyde only over 
 night; but learning of its rich agricultural 
 environment he sagaciously determined 
 to locate here permanently. Not finding 
 work at his trade he was variously en- 
 gaged, and finally secured a place at Fre- 
 mont, where he lived for a }'ear and a half. 
 He went to Fostoria and was working 
 there at his trade when the Rebels tired 
 upon Fort Sumter. 
 
 Returning to Fremont he enlisted in 
 the Third O. V. C. August 10, 1861, and 
 was mustered in the U. S. service Sep- 
 tember 10, same year, at Monroeville, 
 Ohio. He was placed in charge of the 
 blacksmith department of the regiment, 
 and while in Monroeville was in charge of 
 the horse hospital. Col. Lewis Zahni 
 commanding. Our subject marched with 
 his regiment to Camp Dennison, Ohio, 
 and from there they marched to Cin- 
 cinnati, where they took a boat for Jeffer- 
 sonville, Ind. From there they marched 
 to Nashville, Tenn., via Mammoth Cave 
 and Bowling Green, Ky., and from Nash- 
 ville they proceeded to Shiloh. Mr, Mal- 
 
 lernee was taken down with the measles 
 the first day out of Nashville camp, and 
 was left in the hospital at Savannah, 
 Tenn., on the river, below Shiloh. In 
 the following May he joined his regiment 
 at Corinth, Miss., whence they marched 
 to Tuscumbia, Ala. , from there to Wood- 
 ville, Ala., thence to Perryville, Ky. , and 
 were with Gen. Buell on his famous cam- 
 paign with Gen. Bragg. From there they 
 returned to Nashville and participated in 
 the battle of Stone River. At Murfrees- 
 boro they remained until the following 
 June, when the\' moved out on the Chicka- 
 maugua campaign with Gen. Rosecrans. 
 Mr. Mallernee was in the siege of Chatta- 
 nooga, then went to Woodville, Ala., 
 and returned to Chattanooga in time to 
 witness the battle of Lookout Mountain 
 and Mission Ridge. From there he went 
 on the Atlanta campaign with Gen. Sher- 
 man as far as Jonesboro, Ga. His time 
 of enlistment expiring, he returned to 
 Columbia, Tenn., was discharged, and 
 then came home for a short time. Re- 
 turning to Nashville, he was in the Gov- 
 ernment employ at the time of the battle 
 of Nashville, and was appointed first 
 lieutenant in the First regiment O. M. 
 forces, and was assigned to Company F, 
 by command of Col. C. H. Irvin. Lieut. 
 Mallernee was in command of Company 
 F, at the battle of Nashville, Tenn., and 
 remained in Nashville until June, 1865. 
 He was with his regiment in the field 
 continuously for three years, except about 
 six weeks he was sick in the hospital, and 
 he did not sleep in a bed only once in 
 three years. 
 
 Returning to Ohio, Mr. Mallernee 
 began blacksmithing for himself in Clyde, 
 and later opened a shop at Milan, Erie 
 county. Returning to Clyde, he pur- 
 chased a farm in York township, which he 
 still owns. From 1870 to 1882 he was 
 engaged in the marble business at Clyde; 
 then became interested in the coal in- 
 dustry, and bought coal lands in Ohio, 
 which he subsequently sold at a profit. 
 
:304 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 He has since continued to reside at Clyde 
 and operate his farm. At the present 
 time (1895) he is proprietor of the Clj^de 
 Produce and Fruit Co., at Clyde. 
 
 On November i, 1865, Mr. Mallernee 
 was married to Mrs. Mary (West) Blake, 
 who was born in 1834, and they have one 
 son, William S., born February 4, 1868; 
 he attended the Clyde school, and was in 
 the office with his father until he was 
 about eighteen years old, when he went 
 to Cleveland, and was irt the employ of 
 the Street Railway Co. about two years. 
 He then again turned his attention to 
 school, and attended the school at Val- 
 paraiso, Ind., where he graduated with 
 high honors in the commercial course. 
 He then went to Ann Arbor, Mich., to 
 complete his law studies, but his health 
 failing him, he returned home. On Oc- 
 tober 6, 1894, he married Jessie Babcock, 
 and he is now living at the old homestead 
 in Clyde, Ohio. By her first marriage 
 Mrs. Mallernee had two children — Frank 
 and Emma. In politics Mr. Mallernee is 
 a Republican. He is a prominent mem- 
 ber of Eaton Post No. 55, G. A. R., and 
 of the U. V. U., of which he is now quar- 
 termaster and has been commander. 
 
 WARREN J. BRADFORD, a wide- 
 awake business man of Clyde, 
 Sandusky count}-, is of the ninth 
 generation in descent from Gov- 
 ernor William Bradford, who came over 
 in the "Mayflower" in 1620, and was the 
 first governor of the Plymouth Colony. 
 The line of descent from Governor Brad- 
 ford is as follows: Major William Brad- 
 ford, Thomas Bradford (of Norwich, 
 Conn.), Lieutenant James Bradford (of 
 Canterbur\-, Conn.;, William Bradford 
 {of Canterbury, Conn.), Josiah Bradford 
 {of Connecticut), Joshua Bradford, Jr. (of 
 Connecticut), Moses D. Bradford and 
 Warren J. Bradford. 
 
 Joshua Bradford, Jr., became one of 
 the earliest pioneers of Trumbull county. 
 
 Ohio, and there his son, Moses D., was 
 born, April 3, 18 10. Moses D. grew up 
 in that county, and married Aurel Ovitt, 
 who was born in 181 2, of an old New 
 England family. He operated a wagon 
 manufactory and turning works at Brace- 
 ville, Trumbull county, and in 1861 moved 
 to Hancock count}'. Three years later 
 he removed to Republic, Seneca county, 
 and about 1869 he came to York town- 
 ship, Sandusk}' county, whence a few 
 years later he removed to Clj'de; he died 
 there February i, 1S94; his wife passed 
 away in 1871. Moses D. Bradford and 
 wife were members of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, and in politics he was an 
 ardent Whig and Republican. Moses D. 
 and Aurel Bradford had five sons, a brief 
 record of whom is as follows: (i) Ovitt 
 enlisted in 1861, in Company A, Twenty- 
 first O. X. I., in Hancock county, for 
 three years, and died in Tennessee in De- 
 cember, 1862. (2) William H. enlisted 
 in the same company and regiment, and 
 was killed at the battle of Stone River. 
 (3) R. S. lives near Green Spring. (4) 
 Warren J. is the subject of this sketch. 
 (5) Arthur M. is a resident of Paulding 
 county, Ohio. 
 
 Warren J. Bradford was born July 7, 
 1847, ^"d was fourteen years old when he 
 left Trumbull county with his father's 
 family. He attended Normal School at 
 Republic, and in Lorain county learned 
 the cheesemaker's trade. For some years 
 he operated a cheese factory in that county, 
 and when, in 1869, he came to Sandusky 
 count}', he became a gardener and raiser 
 of small fruits on a twenty-acre tract. 
 Since 1881 he has been in the seed and 
 sweet-corn business. He began with one 
 acre, and has since had as high as 300 
 acres on contract. He owns twenty acres 
 of his own, and has been doing a profita- 
 ble and satisfactory business from the 
 start. He was first married in 1869 to 
 Miss Sarah Pettys, who was born April 3, 
 1850, and died January 21, 1889; they 
 had one child, Maud, born July 9, 1872, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 805 
 
 and died September 12, 1874. The sec- 
 ond and present wife of Mr. Bradford is 
 Clara L. Pettys, a cousin of his first wife. 
 They were wedded in December, 1889, 
 and b}' that marriage there have been 
 three children: Arthur, born December 
 27, 1 891; Burt, born in June, 1893, de- 
 ceased June 6, 1894, and George, born 
 July 4, 1895. In politics Mr. Bradford 
 is a Republican. He is a prominent mem- 
 ber of and at present regent of Clyde 
 Council No. 1503, Royal Arcanum. He 
 is one of the most energetic, enterprising 
 and successful men of Green Creek town- 
 ship. 
 
 JAMES INMAN was born August 11, 
 1839, in Fremont, Ohio, son of Will- 
 iam and Calista (Barringer) Inman, 
 who when he was five years old 
 moved to Scott township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, settling in Section 27, where they re- 
 mained one year. They then removed to 
 Section 26, there purchasing 200 acres of 
 wild land, where they lived for seven 
 years, at the end of that time removing 
 to Section 24, where they purchased 100 
 acres; this they soon sold, however, and 
 returned to Section 26. 
 
 \Mien twenty-one years of age James 
 Inman began life for himself, farming, for 
 a time working rented land in Scott 
 township. On July 4, 1861, he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Drusilla 
 Gossard, of Scott township, and for the 
 following three years the young couple 
 lived at Mr. Gossard's, Mr. Inman work- 
 ing a year in all on his father-in-law's 
 farm. Mr. Inman then purchased 
 thirty acres near Mr. Gossard's farm, the 
 latter adding forty acres adjoining, on 
 which he erected buildings and settled in 
 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Inman have added 
 to the small farm which they at first 
 owned, and now have 236 acres, for the 
 most part under cultivation. In 1875 
 Mr. Inman went to California, but did 
 not engage in any business there and soon 
 
 returned to Ohio. In 1887 he, in com- 
 pany with others, put down the first gas 
 well on Mr. H. Lendig's farm, and one 
 year later, in company with others, he 
 put down another. Since then he has 
 sunk twenty-four oil wells, si.xteen of 
 which are in successful operation. These 
 wells yielded at first from ten to seventy- 
 five barrels each per day. It should be 
 mentioned that nnly six of the above- 
 mentioned wells are on Mr. Inman's farm; 
 the rest were put down for others on land 
 that the company leased. In addition to 
 these six he has an interest in nine oth- 
 ers, making fifteen wells in all in which 
 he is directly interested. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Inman were born 
 three children: (i) William W., born 
 March i, 1863, was educated in Scott 
 township, and was for a time a successful 
 teacher in Sandusky county; in 1886 he 
 was married to Olive M. Fisher, of Scott 
 township, and to their union have been 
 born two children — Florence, in 1887, 
 and Clay, in 1890. (2) Zelora C. , born 
 November 23, 1865, was married Novem- 
 ber 30, 1882, to D. F. Long, of Seneca 
 county, and they have three children — • 
 Almon W., Milan L. and Orlo W'ayne. 
 (3) Alvin G. was born June 2, 1869, and 
 was married August 2, 1889, to Ardilla 
 Miller, and February 14, 1S91, there was 
 born to them a daughter — Goldie Theo- 
 dorie. 
 
 Mrs. Drusilla (Gossard) Inman, the es- 
 timable wife of our subject, was born No- 
 vember 5, 1 S3 7, in Scott township, daughter 
 of A. P. and Mary (Cooley) Gossard. She 
 received her education in her native town- 
 ship, and was at home the greater part of 
 the time until her marriage, keeping house 
 for her father for five years after her mo- 
 ther's death; also teaching school part of 
 the time. A. P. Gossard was born June 
 6, 1808, in Ross county, Ohio. When 
 a young man he came to Sandusky coun- 
 ty, purchasing a farm in Scott township, 
 adding thereto until 190 acres were se- 
 cured; he was a great stock-grower and 
 
306 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 dealt largely in cattle; in which line he was 
 very successful. Peleg Cooley, father of 
 Mary (Cooley) Gossard, was born in New 
 York about 1765. Martha (Basset) 
 Cooley, wife of Peleg Cooley, was born 
 about 1770. They were married when 
 quite young, and located in Canada, where 
 they were residing during the war of 1812. 
 At the close of that struggle they came to 
 Sandusky county, and Mr. Cooley, who 
 was a carpenter by trade, built the first 
 frame house in Lower Sandusky (now 
 Fremont). He split the siding with a 
 froe, dressing it with a drawer knife, and 
 this was undoubtedly the first frame house 
 in the county. Philip Gossard, father of 
 A. P. Gossard, was born about the year 
 1785, and Drusilla (Plummer), his wife, 
 was born in Kentucky about 1788. 
 
 William Inman, father of our sub- 
 ject, was born February 14, 18 16, in New 
 Jersey, removing with his parents in boy- 
 hood to Sandusky county, Ohio, where 
 they settled on a large farm of 400 acres, 
 near Fremont. Here he went to school, 
 receiving a fair education at the public 
 schools of Fremont. At the age of twenty- 
 two years he was married to Miss Calista 
 Barringer, of Fremont, and shortly after- 
 ward, in 1844, they purchased a farm of 
 forty acres in Scott township, which was 
 added to until at one time they had a 
 tract of 200 acres. Mr. Inman made two 
 trips to California in the interest of gold 
 mining, in which he was quite successful, 
 realizing a snug sum from this source. 
 He died in 1892, and was buried in the 
 Metzger Cemetery. 
 
 Mr. Inman's grandfather, Brazil In- 
 man, was born about 1785. The mother 
 of our subject, whose maiden name was 
 Calista Barringer, was born October 15, 
 1 8 16, nine miles from Columbus, Ohio, 
 where she lived until fifteen years of age, 
 there receiving her education. She then 
 came to Sandusky county, where she has 
 spent the greater part of her life. Her 
 father William Barringer, was born about 
 1791, was a farmer by occupation, and 
 
 was killed by the fall of a tree when 
 Calista was a child. His wife, Sarah 
 (Campbell), was born about 1793. To 
 them were born four children — -two sons 
 and two daughters. Andrew Barringer, 
 father of William Barringer, was born 
 about 1759. Jane Campbell, mother of 
 Mrs. Sarah (Campbell) Barringer, was 
 born about 1760. 
 
 JOHN KOPP, a prosperous farmer and 
 well known citizen of Woodville 
 township, Sanduskycounty, he was 
 born in Switzerland, December 16, 
 1824, and is a son of Andrew and Mary 
 (Stoner) Kopp. 
 
 Andrew Kopp was born in Switzer- 
 land in 1792, and died in 1844. His wife, 
 whose maiden name was Mary Stoner, 
 was born in 1 790. They were the par- 
 ents of six children, as follows: Jacob, 
 married Elizabeth Omsler, and they have 
 four children; they live in Woodville town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio. Ullrich, a 
 farmer, married Rosie Stahlter, and they 
 lived at Lindsey, Sandusky Co., Ohio; he 
 died in September, 1886. John is the sub- 
 ject of this sketch. Andrew (Jr.), a 
 farmer of Woodville township, married 
 Elizabeth Andrews, and they have one 
 child. Frank is single and lives in Put- 
 in Bay. Mary married Jacob Grutter; 
 they have seven children, and live in 
 Switzerland. In 1854, several years after 
 her husband's death, Mrs. Andrew Kopp 
 (Sr.) came to America with some of her 
 children. 
 
 In 1 85 1 John Kopp came to America 
 with his brother, landing, after a voyage 
 of twenty days, in New York, where they 
 remained two days, and then went to Buf- 
 falo. They were out of money, and 
 worked by the day about one year, after 
 which, journeying west to Ohio, they lo- 
 cated in Bellevue. Huron county, where 
 where they remained about eight years, 
 working by the day and month. They 
 settled in the ' ' Black Swamp. " On April 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 307 
 
 27, 1857, John Kopp was united in mar- 
 riage with Anna M. Riser, who was born 
 in Switzerland October 24, 1837, and 
 they have become the parents of eight 
 children, as follows: John, born Decem- 
 ber 18, 1858, who is unmarried; Mar}' A., 
 born March 15, 1861, who married Jacob 
 Younker, a farmer of Woodville town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, by whom she has 
 had two children — Albert, born Novem- 
 ber 10, 1884, and Lena, born November 
 17, 1886; Jacob J., born July 16, 1863, 
 who married Lizzie Young, and they live 
 in Paulding county, Ohio, and have one 
 child — May, born in 1894; Albert F. , born 
 April 24, 1867, living at home; Frank, 
 born August 26, 1869, died June 9, 1885; 
 Adam H., born December 24, 1871, liv- 
 ing at home; Linda L. , born July 22, 
 1874, living at home, and Anna S., born 
 September 14, 1879. The father of Mrs. 
 John Kopp died in 1849, her mother in 
 1883, and they are buried at Bellevue, 
 Huron Co., Ohio. A brief record of her 
 brothers and sisters is as follows: Jacob 
 Riser, a farmer, married Ellen Fane- 
 maker, and they have four children; live 
 in Bellevue, Ohio. Elizabeth married 
 George Schuster, a harness-maker of 
 Bellevue, and they have two children. 
 Anna is single, and lives in Toledo. 
 Frances Riser married Frank Hunsinger, 
 a railroad man; they live in Bellevue, and 
 have two children. 
 
 Mr. Ropp at first bought forty acres, 
 all timber, put up a log cabin, and began 
 to clear the land. Later he bought forty 
 acres, which cost him $2,800. In 1894 
 he bought forty acres in Wood county, 
 Ohio, for $2,600, and now has a total of 
 120 acres of valuable land. In 1891 he 
 leased his land to the Standard Oil Com- 
 panj-, and they have since put down four 
 wells, as good as any in the vicinity. 
 When he settled in the "Black Swamp" 
 there were no roads, and he helped to lay 
 out and build several of them, besides 
 which he has cleared over thirty acres of 
 timber himself. He has always had the 
 
 best of health, and is very active for a 
 man of his years. Mr. Ropp is engaged 
 in general farming, and still does some 
 work himself. He has always voted the 
 Democratic ticket, and is a charter mem- 
 ber of the Reformed Church at Elmore, 
 Ottawa Co., Ohio. 
 
 THOMAS THRAVES. The breadth 
 of thought and enlarged views of 
 life obtained by several ocean voy- 
 ages, and a residence for several 
 j'ears amid the stirring scenes of mining 
 camps, lumber mills and fruit gardens in 
 the Golden State, must be an excellent 
 preparative. To a young man previous 
 to his settling down to the usually dull 
 routine of life on a farm, the recollection 
 of these events and scenes will often be- 
 guile a weary hour, and their" narration to 
 others less favored will be a source of 
 mutual pleasure and satisfaction. As a 
 noteworthy e.xample of one whose youth 
 was spent in adventure, but who is now 
 content to remain within the limits of his 
 farm home, we present the subject of this 
 sketch. 
 
 Thomas Thraves, a farmer of Ballville 
 township, Sandusky county, was born in 
 Nottinghamshire, England, September 6, 
 1839, a son of William and Marilla 
 (Graves) Thraves. He came with his 
 father's family to America in the summer 
 of 1844, and was just five years old the 
 day he landed in Sandusky county. He 
 was reared with his parents, on a farm in 
 Washington township, Sandusky count}', 
 and grew up to the usual pursuits and 
 hardships of farm life in a new country. 
 At the age of nineteen our subject left 
 school and the endearments of home, and 
 started for the gold regions of California 
 to seek his fortune in the then adventur- 
 ous West. He went by the Panama route 
 from New York City, reached San Fran- 
 cisco in safety, and the following day 
 started for Sacramento City on his way to 
 
 I 
 
308 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 join his brother Mark. On meeting him 
 the}' located claims in Yuba county, re- 
 maining there one season, from June until 
 October, 1 860, when his brother Mark re- 
 turned to Ohio. Our subject was not yet 
 satisfied with his success in mining, and. 
 proceeded on to Virginia City, Nevada, to 
 buy stock in the famous Comstock mine; 
 but they had gone up to a speculative 
 point of from $1,000 to $1, 500 per foot, 
 and he concluded not to make any pur- 
 chases, but went to work for others in the 
 mines and continued about twenty-two 
 months. He then returned to California, 
 and worked in a mine at Downville, Dur- 
 gan Flat, in Sierra county, three months. 
 Leaving the Flat he went to Oregon Hill, 
 Yuba county, where he bought a one- 
 fourth interest in a surface mine, which he 
 worked for three years with good success, 
 making and saving a goodly sum of money. 
 He then went to w.ork in a fruit orchard 
 two seasons, raising apples, peaches, 
 pears, etc., and becoming familiar with 
 the methods of fruit raising in that rich 
 garden spot of the world. He ne.xt worked 
 one year for a lumber company in Yuba 
 and Plumas counties. In 1867 he re- 
 turned to Ohio, and lived with his parents 
 in Ballville township, Sandusky county, 
 where he assisted in farming and dealing 
 in live stock. 
 
 On October 17, 1871, Thomas Thraves 
 married Miss Armida Annette Dawley, 
 who was born September 17, 1847, 
 daughter of Elisha and Sarah (Brush) 
 Dawley, of Green Creek township. Two 
 children were the fruits of this marriage: 
 Larkin Alonzo, born December 28, 1872, 
 living with his parents, and a son, born 
 September 16, 1874, who died in infancy. 
 Mr. Thraves is a Democrat, and one of 
 the leading men of enterprise in his town- 
 ship, where he does a general farming 
 business. His land has been finely im- 
 proved, and in 1880 he put up a substan- 
 tial frame residence. It is a compliment 
 to his chivalry and to the excellent house- 
 keeping of his estimable wife that he did 
 
 not sleep outside of his own house a single 
 night for the first fifteen years of his mar- 
 ried life. 
 
 CLARK RATHBUN CLEVE- 
 LAND, a prosperous and popular 
 farmer of Green Creek township, 
 Sandusky county, and member of 
 one of the earliest pioneer families of that 
 county, was born in that township, April 
 I, 1836. 
 
 Clark Cleveland, Sr. , his grandfather, 
 migrated with his wife, Jemima (Butler), 
 and family early in the century from 
 Mount Morris, Livingston Co., N. Y. , to 
 northern Ohio. He first settled in the 
 forests of Huron county, and had made 
 improvements when he learned that his 
 title to the land was not good. He then 
 packed up his few household effects and 
 penetrated deeper into the western wil- 
 derness, entering eighty acres of govern- 
 ment land in Green Creek township, and 
 there building his second pioneer cabin 
 some time prior to 1822. Here he re- 
 mained until his death, which occurred in- 
 1831, in his seventy-first 3'ear. The chil- 
 dren of Clark and Jemima Cleveland were 
 as follows: Abigail, who married Oliver 
 Hayden; Cozia, who married William 
 Hamer; Moses; Sally, whose first hus- 
 band was Benjamin Curtis, her second 
 husband being Alphcus Mclntyre; Clark, 
 Jr., who married Eliza Grover, and left 
 six children; Polly, who married Timothy 
 Babcock; Betsy, who married Samuel 
 Baker; and James. 
 
 James Cleveland was born at Mount 
 Morris, N. Y., March 14, 1806, and mi- 
 grated with his father to the pioneer home 
 in northern Ohio. He remained with 
 his father until his marriage, March 3, 
 1 83 1, to Jeannette Rathbun, who was 
 born in Genesee county, N. Y., May 9, 
 1815. daughter of Chaplin and Lucinda 
 (Sutliff) Rathbun, pioneers of Green 
 Creek township. At the time of his mar- 
 riage James Cleveland had saved enough- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 309' 
 
 money to buy forty acres of land in Green 
 Creek township, a part of the old Sawyer 
 farm. For five years he was engaged in 
 clearing and cultivating the land. Then 
 during one winter with his father-in-law 
 he rented a saw and grist mill on Green 
 creek several miles from the farm. He 
 supported the family, and accumulated 
 enough lumber to build a barn on his 
 farm, and in the spring he returned to his 
 farming operations and purchased some 
 additional land. In 1841 he took a con- 
 tract to grade a half mile of the Maumee 
 and Western Reserve turnpike. He 
 moved his family near the scene of the 
 operations, and upon its completion, five 
 months later, returned to the farm, richer 
 by $600, paid in "State scrip." A part of 
 this he traded for building hardware, and 
 then erected a large frame dwelling in 
 1845. Meanwhile he kept adding more 
 acres to his now quite extensive farm. 
 He was a sagacious, tireless, thrifty pio- 
 neer, and at the time of his death, which 
 occurred September i, 1878, he owned 
 nearh' 400 acres of land, containing some 
 of the best and most extensive improve- 
 ments in the county. His wife, who sur- 
 vived until August 8, 1891, was a woman 
 of unusual energy, and was in every sense 
 worthy of his ambitions and plans for ad- 
 vancement. She ably seconded his ef- 
 forts to secure a competence that might 
 support them in their declining years. In 
 physique somewhat below the medium 
 size, scarceh' weighing i 20 pounds in her 
 best days, she left nothing undone to ad- 
 vance the interests of her family. When 
 her husband was clearing up the farm, she 
 hauled the rails which he split and made 
 the fences. Once when help was scarce 
 she fastened her child to her back by a 
 shawl, and thus burdened, she planted 
 and hoed corn in the field. Her first cal- 
 ico dress she earned by picking ten quarts 
 of wild strawberries and walking to Lower 
 Sandusky, where she traded them, at a 
 shilling a quart, for five yards of calico, 
 worth two shillings a j-ard. Few pioneer 
 
 families in Sandusky county have left a 
 worthier record than that of the Cleve- 
 lands. 
 
 Ten children were born to James and 
 Jeannette Cleveland, as follows: James, 
 born December 3, 1831, who reared a 
 family, and died in 1890, a farmer of 
 Green Creek .township; Eliza, born No- 
 vember 29, 1833, married A. J. Harris, 
 of Clyde, and died in 1861, leaving two' 
 children; Clark R., of Green Creek town- 
 ship, born April i, 1836; George Down- 
 ing, of Green Creek township, born Sep- 
 tember 9, 1838; Lucinda, born May 29, 
 1 841, married Horace Taylor; Chaplin^ 
 S. , born July 28, 1844, is a resident of 
 Green Creek township; John H., born- 
 November 21, 1847, died October 28, 
 1879, leaving one daughter; Sarah, born 
 September 22, 1851, married Charles- 
 Sackrider, and now living on the old 
 homestead; Mary, born February 25, 
 1854, married George Crosby, of Clyde; 
 and Charles, born December 30, 1857,. 
 died December 14, 1879. 
 
 Clark R. Cleveland grew up on his 
 father's farm, attending the schools of the 
 Baker district, and in his 3outh worked 
 on the farm. Gifted with musical talent 
 of a high order, he became a violinist of 
 great repute in his neighborhood, and no 
 musical programme, no local dance, was 
 complete without the presence of Mr. 
 Cleveland and his violin. In i860 he 
 was married to Sarah Herold, who was- 
 born in Green Creek township October 
 10, 1842, and died April 18, 1890. The 
 eight children born to Clark R. and' 
 Sarah Cleveland are as follows: Clara 
 J., born March 11, 1861, married Oliver 
 E. Hawk, and lives in Green Creek town- 
 ship; Mary E., born September 28, 1862, 
 is the wife of John Shipman, and mother 
 of two children — Dawn and Carl; James 
 R. , born September 8, 1864, married, 
 and has two children — Lee and Sidney; 
 Willie, born December 25, 1866, died 
 aged five days; Addie A., born August 
 10, 1 868, is the wife of George Neikirk, 
 
310 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and has four children — Edna, Floyd, Irene 
 and Ferol, the last named born September 
 1 6, 1895; Clarence L. , born January 11, 
 1 87 1, married Ernestine Huss; Irvin L., 
 born March 2, 1874, married Merna Liv- 
 engood, and has one child — Vera Mae; and 
 Herbert R. , born Julv 3, 1876. The 
 second and present wife of Clark R. 
 Cleveland is Alma Andrews, born in San- 
 dusky county, December 27, 185S, widow 
 of H. P. Livengood, and daughter of Jer- 
 emiah and Mary J. (Craig) Andrews. 
 Jeremiah Andrews was born at Akron, 
 Ohio, November 23, 1834, and died 
 March 2, 1892; his wife was born April 
 6, 1839, and is still living. The four 
 children of Jeremiah and Mary J. An- 
 drews were as follows: Alma; Elva, 
 wife of J. E. Rathbun; Ulysses C, of 
 Millersville; and Myrtie M., wife of John 
 \\'eaver, of Fremont. By her marriage 
 to Mr. Livengood (who was born in Erie 
 county, Ohio, February 25, 1854, and 
 died January 8, 1885) Mrs. Cleveland had 
 two children — Merna E. , born March 25, 
 187S, and Ata H., born September 3, 
 1884. 
 
 Mr. Cleveland has been a practical 
 and successful farmer through life; for 
 thirty-five years he was also a professional 
 musician, and for four years he was pro- 
 prietor of a hall where the Terpsichorean 
 art was frequentlj' practiced to the notes 
 of his soul-stirring violin. He owns a 
 fine farm of 115 acres of land, and de- 
 votes his attention chieliy to fruit grow- 
 ing, especially blackberries, raspberries 
 and strawberries; but he also raises grain 
 and hogs. In politics he is a lifelong 
 Democrat. Mrs. Cleveland is a member 
 of the M. E. Church. 
 
 HON. ALMON DUNHAM, of 
 Woodville, Sandusky county, was 
 born May 6, 1824, in Erie (then 
 Huron) county, Ohio, son of 
 Davis and Anna (^^'eidner) Dunham. 
 Davis Dunham was born in Erie coun- 
 
 ty, Penn., January 11, 1798, and in 181 1 
 came to Ohio with his parents, Phineas 
 and Sarah Dunham, both of whom were 
 born in Pennsylvania. Our subject's 
 great-grandfather, who was of English- 
 Irish stock, removed to Pennsylvania from 
 Virginia. The paternal grandparents 
 located in 181 1 in Erie (then Huron) 
 county, Ohio, where they died. Their 
 children were: John, Eli, and Davis, all 
 of whom died in Sandusky county; Levi, 
 who went west; Nathan, who went to 
 California; Jonathan, who went to the 
 "Far West;" Nathaniel, who died in 
 Sandusky county; Mary (or Polly), who 
 married John Cowel, and lived on San- 
 dusky Bay, in Erie county; Sarah, who 
 married B. V. Havens, and lived near El- 
 more, Ottawa county; and Lucy, who 
 moved to the South. 
 
 Davis Dunham, father of our subject, 
 died in 1883, and his wife, who was born 
 in Pennsylvania, died here at the age of 
 seventy years. All their children but? one 
 were born in Erie county, whence in 1834 
 they removed to what is now Woodville 
 township, Sandusky county, and here 
 their last child was born. They lived in 
 Woodville township during the latter part 
 of their busy, useful and successful lives. 
 They were members of the M. E. Church. 
 Their children were: Anna, who died 
 young; Rebecca, who married A. C. 
 Ames, and now resides in Marshall coun- 
 ty, Ind. ; Sarah, who married Martin Mc- 
 Gowan, and died in Ottawa countj-, Ohio; 
 Almon, our subject; Margaret, who mar- 
 ried William McGowan, now living in 
 Indiana; Lucy, also in Indiana; Phineas, 
 who died in childhood; and Samantha, 
 who died in Michigan. 
 
 Almon Dunham came to Sandusky 
 county when a boy, attended the subscrip- 
 tion schools, and was reared on a farm. 
 He remained here until his marriage, in 
 1849, to Mrs. Mary Allen, who was born 
 in the State of New York, in 181 8, and 
 died in 1 880. She was a noble woman, 
 and highly respected. They had four 
 
v.x^'i^i^^'z.,^?^^*/ 'r^-et^^,y/LAyiy*'*^^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 311 
 
 children: (i) Orren and (2) Orsen (twins), 
 born August 13, 1850, of whom Orsen 
 died when one year and nine months old, 
 and Orren is now a business men in 
 Toledo, Ohio; he married Susan Alex- 
 ander, and they have one child — Robert 
 Alexander. (3) Mary E. and (4) Frank- 
 lin P. (twins), born October 2, 1852, the 
 former of whom is now the widow of 
 William Yohn; Franklin P. died in child- 
 hood. 
 
 Almon Dunham grew to manhood 
 under the pioneer influences of the sur- 
 rounding country. He distinctly recalls 
 many incidents of the early days that are 
 now gone for ever, but he does not regret 
 the changes that have been wrought. He 
 has kept up with the progress of the times, 
 and has contributed in no small degree 
 thereto in his vicinity. He settled on his 
 present farm after marriage, and has since 
 continued to live there, carrying on gen- 
 eral farming. He has been an active, 
 public-spirited citizen, and served his 
 township twenty-one consecutive years as 
 justice of the peace and about fourteen 
 years as township clerk. In 1877 he was 
 made the regular nominee of the Demo- 
 cratic party for the State Legislature, and 
 was elected, taking his seat in January, 
 1878. He was re-elected in 1879, and 
 served two more terms. The Democrats 
 were in power during the first term, the 
 Republicans during the second, and he 
 served on the Committee on Claims both 
 terms, also introducing several local bills, 
 all of which became laws. 
 
 In personal appearance Mr. Dunham 
 is a thin, spare man, six feet and one inch 
 in height, and, although sevent}' years 
 old, stands straight as an arrow, and 
 walks lighter on his feet than most men 
 of forty-five. His father was six feet three 
 inches in height, and a giant in frame and 
 strength. He was noted for these quali- 
 ties all over the neighborhood, and in the 
 early da3s, when men were scarce, he 
 would often be called upon to go from one 
 
 end of a log to the other, in putting up 
 20 
 
 log houses. Our subject is a member of 
 the M. E. Church, and in political affilia- 
 tion he has been a life-long Democrat. 
 After the death of his first wife, Mr. 
 Dunham wedded Miss Mary E. Miller, a 
 native of Sandusky county, who still sur- 
 vives. 
 
 JOHN F. HILLE, of Woodville town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was born in 
 that township December 17, 1856, 
 and is a son of H. H. and Catherine 
 (Wickham) Hille. The grandparents of 
 John F. Hille came to America when he 
 was a boy, and bought land in Woodville 
 township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, where 
 the)' made their home. 
 
 H. H. Hille, who was one of four 
 children, was born near Hanover, Ger- 
 many, in 1821. In 1855, in Woodville 
 township, he was united in marriage with 
 Catharine Wickham, who was born in 
 Germany, in 1832, and came to America 
 in 1850. To them were born seven chil- 
 dren, as follows: John F., the subject of 
 this sketch; Eliza, who married Fred 
 Hudlebrink, a farmer of Wood county, 
 and has had one child; Julia, deceased at 
 the age of twenty-one years; William, a 
 farmer of Wood county, married Anna 
 Ofterstrauss; John, deceased when young; 
 Henry, a farmer in Wood county, married 
 Carrie Swan, and they have one child; 
 and Frank, married to Clara Nickels, to 
 which union one child has been born. 
 The father always worked hard, and at 
 his death, which occurred in 1873, he left 
 169 acres of valuable land in Sandusky 
 and Wood counties. His widow died in 
 1882. 
 
 John F. Hille received a common- 
 school education, and always lived at 
 home. On November 9, 1882, he was 
 united in marriage with Mathilda Leisher, 
 who was born in Germany January i, 
 1858, and they have had four children, 
 namely: Wilhelmina Elise, born August 
 14, 1883; Johann Fred, born July 27, 
 
312 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 1 887 ; Eddie, who died in 1 892 ; and Frank 
 H., born October 26, 1893. In 1892 
 Mr. Hille's land was leased to an oil firm, 
 and nine wells have been put down, seven 
 of which are still in good flow. Mr. 
 Hille is a strong Republican, and has 
 held several township offices. He attends 
 the German Lutheran Church. 
 
 AE. METZGER, M. D. C., of 
 Clyde, Sandusky county, is a na- 
 tive of that county, born Sep- 
 tember 7, 1867. He is a son of 
 Jacob and Sarah J. (Shellhammer) Metz- 
 ger, both of whom were born in Seneca 
 county, Ohio, the former in 1842, and 
 the latter in 1845. They now reside in 
 Sandusky county, only one and a half 
 miles south of Clyde. 
 
 In the common schools A. E. Metz- 
 ger received his primary education, and 
 subsequently spent one term in the high 
 schools of Clyde. He began the study of 
 veterinary medicine about 1890, and the 
 following year entered the Chicago Veteri- 
 nary College, being a diligent student; he 
 graduated among the first of the honor 
 class of 1893. He then located in Clyde, 
 where he entered upon the duties of his 
 profession, and has since had a lucrative 
 practice. He treats general diseases com- 
 mon to domestic animals, and has re- 
 ceived the degree of Doctor of Compara- 
 tive Medicine. All his life he has been 
 familiar with horses, and as he has given 
 his profession thorough study, he is hav- 
 ing excellent success in its practice. That 
 he is skillful is demonstrated in the va- 
 rious operations he has performed, and 
 he thoroughly understands all that is to 
 be known in the veterinary line, standing 
 high in his profession, and receiving the 
 patronage of the leading farmers and stock 
 owners in his vicinity. 
 
 On March 2, 1890, Mr. Metzger was 
 united in marriage with Miss Anna L. 
 \\'elch, who was born in Sandusky coun- 
 
 ty, March 2, 1867. They are highly re- 
 spected people of the communit}', where 
 the}' have many warm friends. 
 
 THEOPHILUS FITTERER, of 
 York township, Sandusky county, 
 was born in Palmyra. Lebanon 
 Co., Penn., December 9, 1852, 
 the third of the four sons of Simon and 
 Mary (Swanger) Fitterer, who are at 
 present living in Palmyra, Pennsylvania. 
 Simon Fitterer, who is a shoemaker 
 by trade, was born in 1S16. His father 
 served in the war of 181 2. Simon F"it- 
 terer was united in marriage with Mary 
 Swanger, and they have had four chil- 
 dren, all sons, namely: Josiah, a tinsmith 
 of Palmyra, Lebanon Co., Penn.; Rev. 
 J. S., of Bucyrus, Crawford Co., Ohio, a 
 son of whom is attending Heidelberg Uni- 
 versity, at Tiffin, Ohio; Theophilus, the 
 subject of this sketch; and Amos, who 
 died in Palmyra, Penn., in the spring of 
 1 894. The eleven-year-old son of Amos, 
 William Simon, was taken to be raised 
 by his uncle Theophilus, and is attending 
 school. 
 
 Our subject learned the trade of cabi- 
 net-maker in Pennsylvania, but, coming 
 to York township, Sandusky county, 
 Ohio, in March, 1873, he began farming, 
 and has since followed that vocation. On 
 October 18, 1874, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Sarah M. Mook, daughter of the 
 Rev. Conrad and Anna M. (Vogt) Mook. 
 Mr. Mook was born in Union county, 
 Pennsylvania, in 1807. He studied med- 
 icine somewhat, but never "hung out a 
 sign." He came to Ohio in 1836, and on 
 March 27, following year, was united in 
 marriage with Miss \'ogt, who was born 
 in Philadelphia July 15, 1816, and a few 
 3ears later migrated with her parents to 
 Wj-andot (then Crawford) county, Ohio. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Vogt came to York town- 
 ship in 1836, the same year in which 
 Rev. Mr. Mook came to the State. Of 
 their eight children six grew to maturity. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 313 
 
 namelj': John H., now living at Mt. Car- 
 mel, York township; Rosina E. , wife of 
 the Rev. J. S. Fitterer, of Bucyrus; Mary 
 L. , widow of the late J. K. Landis, of 
 York township; Anna M., wife of Samuel 
 Royer, of York township; Sarah M., wife 
 of Theophilus Fitterer, of York township; 
 and Katie S., wife of William Jones, of 
 York township. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Mook died September 
 10, 1883, and his widow is living with her 
 daughter and son-in-law upon the same 
 farm on which she has lived for fifty-seven 
 years. Mr. Mook was a well-educated 
 man, and had a library of over seven hun- 
 dred books, among them a Bible printed 
 in Germany in 1768, of large proportions 
 and weighing over twenty-five pounds; 
 also a copy of the Koran, which is of great 
 value, as it is one of a very rare edition. 
 This library was given to the children, 
 and it was expressly stated in the will 
 that no books were to be sold. In polit- 
 ical preferences Mr. Fitterer is a Repub- 
 lican. The family are members of the 
 Evangelical Church. 
 
 HENRY F. NAYLOR, a prominent 
 and enterprising agriculturist of 
 Madison township, Sandusky 
 county, was born in Medina 
 county, Ohio, July 9, 1842, a son of Sam- 
 uel and Elizabeth (Uhler) Naylor. 
 
 Our subject attended the schools of 
 the district where he was born, his edu- 
 cation being necessarily limited, as he had 
 to commence work early in life. Up to 
 his twenty-second year he was employed 
 as a farm laborer, with the exception of 
 some twelve months he was engaged on a 
 railroad, and he then, in May, 1864, en- 
 listed in Company F, One Hundred and 
 Sixty-sixth O. V. I., Col. James G. Blake, 
 of Medina county, commanding. His 
 company was stationed at Fort Richard- 
 son, and was engaged in the construction 
 of several forts, including Fort Allen, but 
 was never called into active service, and 
 
 September 15, 1864, it returned to Cleve- 
 land, where Mr. Naylor received his dis- 
 charge. Returning to Medina county, he 
 remained there but a short time, and then 
 came to Madison township, Sandusky 
 county, settling on forty acres of wild, 
 timber-covered land. Here he at once 
 built himself a log cabin, in which his 
 faithful, self-sacrificing wife was content 
 to share with him all the cares and vicis- 
 situdes incident to a wild pioneer life, far 
 away from friends and family. Mr. Na}'- 
 lor, with an earnest desire to accomplish 
 the task which he had before him, set to 
 work with a will to clear the forest, and 
 hew out a space for cultivation, so that 
 ere long he succeeded in transforming the 
 wilderness into waving fields of grain and 
 billowy clover meadows. By and bj' he 
 added to this purchase another forty acres 
 of timber land, which he also cleared, the 
 old log cabin gave place to a substantial 
 and ornamental dwelling, surrounded with 
 barns, outhouses, orchard, etc., every- 
 thing bearing the evidence of thrift and 
 prosperity, neatness and good taste. 
 
 On March 24, 1867, in Scott town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, Henry F. Naylor 
 and Miss Hattie Miller were united in 
 marriage. She was born in Scott town- 
 ship April 30, 1846, daughter of Simon 
 Miller, a shoemaker by trade, who came 
 from the East to that township, where he 
 worked at his trade in connection with 
 farming. He married Miss Elizabeth 
 Hutchinson, by whom he had eight chil- 
 dren, as follows: William, a shoemaker, 
 who died in Kansas; George, a farmer, 
 who is married and resides in Michigan; 
 Mary, wife of Henry Van Horn; Jacob 
 F. , who died in Wood county; John, a 
 farmer of Sandusky county; Louisa, 
 widow of John Barr; Hattie, wife of Mr. 
 Naylor; and Sarah, wife of John Teeters, 
 of Nebraska. The father of these died 
 October 22, 1854, the mother on April 6, 
 1 861. To Mr. and Mrs. Naylor were born 
 eleven children, their names and dates of 
 birth being as follows: Clara, January 
 
314 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 19, 1868 (deceased September 23, 1875); 
 Flora M., November 22, 1870; Frank N., 
 August 19, 1872 (deceased September 3, 
 1876, of diphtheria); Fleetie E.. July 28, 
 1875; Ernest L., June 29, 1877; Reason 
 E., January 11, 1879; Maj' L. , January 
 27, 1882; Ludie M., November 21, 1880; 
 Irvin D., March 14, 1885; Jay F., No- 
 vember 27, 1886; and Koudie E., May 
 29, 1889. 
 
 Mrs. Naylor is a member of the 
 Daughters of Rebekah, Lodge No. 295, 
 Gibsonburg, president of the Aid Society 
 of the Disciple Church, which, under her 
 guidance became a pronounced success, 
 within a short period of time accumulat- 
 ing the sum of $336 in collections and 
 sales of fancy work made by her and other 
 members of the society. In his political 
 views Mr. Naylor is a stanch Republican, 
 but has never been an ofSce seeker, his 
 business demanding and receiving all his 
 time and attention. He has served as 
 school director, always entertaining a deep 
 interest for educational affairs, as well as 
 for whatever else tends to the benefit of 
 his fellow men. Socially, he is a mem- 
 ber of the I. O. O. F. Lodge, No. 687, 
 and of the K. of P. Lodge, No. 435. both 
 or Gibsonburg. He and his wife are 
 highly respected throughout their part of 
 the county as honorable, loyal and God- 
 fearing people, whose success in life has 
 been attained by industry, assiduous toil 
 and judicious economy. 
 
 WARREN A. BOWLUS, a lead- 
 ing agriculturist, was born on 
 his present farm in Sandusky 
 township, Sandusk}' county, 
 August 25, 1850, a son of Henr}' and Re- 
 becca (Williamson) Bowlus. 
 
 Henry Bowlus, father of Warren A., 
 was a native of Maryland, born in 18 10, 
 in Frederick county, of Pennsylvania 
 Dutch stock. When a boy he came to 
 Ohio with his father, Henry Bowlus, who 
 took up land from the general govern- 
 
 ment. When advanced in life he was 
 killed by a horse. Our subject's father 
 was twice married, first time to Miss 
 Catharine Keller, by whom he had six 
 children, as follows: (i) Hanson lives in 
 Fremont, Ohio; (2) Mahala married Sol- 
 oman W^olf, and'lives at Tiffin, Ohio; (3) 
 Martha, wife of Edward Deemer, resides 
 in Sandusky township; (4) Orie died 
 young; (5) Caroline died when three 
 years old; (6) Catharine married Mat. 
 Hobert, and lives in Pemberville, Wood 
 Co., Ohio. For his second wife Mr. 
 Bowlus married Rebecca Catharine Will- 
 iamson, and children as follows were born 
 to them: (i) Warren A., subject of sketch; 
 (2) Anna, who married Cyrus Smith, and 
 is now living at Gibsonburg, Ohio; (3)' 
 Henry, in Pemberville; and (4) Robert, a 
 farmer, at Helena, Ohio. The mother, 
 of these, who was born in Frederick 
 county, Md., died at the age of si.\ty-six. 
 Warren A. Bolus attended the district 
 schools, and was reared to agricultural 
 pursuits. At the age of twenty-four, in 
 1874, he was married to Miss Carrie En- 
 gelman, daughter of Samuel Engelman, 
 and they have seven children, named re- 
 spectively: Clarence L. , Richard, Lloyd, 
 Earl, Ross, Edna and Rebecca. After 
 marriage our subject settled on the old 
 homestead, and is now the owner of 160 
 acres of land. His occupation is that of 
 general farming and stock raising, in which 
 he has been successful. In politics he is 
 a Republican, and in religious faith a 
 member of the M. P. Church. 
 
 GEORGE JACKSON, a successful 
 farmer of York township, San- 
 dusky county, was born in Lin- 
 colnshire, England, November i, 
 1 848, and is a son of Robert E. and Mary 
 (Cragg) Jackson. 
 
 Robert E. Jackson was born Septem- 
 ber 9, 1 81 2, and is a son of Robert and 
 Elizabeth (Elmer) Jackson. In Lincoln- 
 shire, on August 27, 1839, he was united 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 315 
 
 in marriage with Mary Cragg, who was 
 born June 3, 181 5, daughter of John and 
 Mar}' Cragg, and they became the parents 
 of six children, namely: ^^'illiam, Frances 
 Ann (Mrs. John Rife), George (the sub- 
 ject of this sketch), Rhoda (Mrs. William 
 Johnson), Clarisee (deceased), and Her- 
 mon. Robert E. came to this country in 
 1 85 1, landing at Portland. Maine, whence 
 he proceeded to Orleans county, N. Y. 
 After sojourning there one year, he con- 
 tinued westward to Ohio, arriving in York 
 township, Sandusky county, in 1852. 
 Here he bought a farm of ninety-eight 
 acres, on which he still resides. In poli- 
 tics he was formerly a Democrat, but 
 now votes with the Populists. 
 
 George Jackson was brought to America 
 at the age of three years, and received a 
 common-school education in Townsend 
 and York townships, Sandusky Co. , Ohio. 
 On March 18, 1874, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Catherine Gust, of York 
 township, Sandusky county, who was 
 born in Erie county, Ohio, September 27, 
 1854. They have had one child, Frank, 
 born December i, 1874. Peter and 
 Elizabeth (Hoffman) Gust, the parents of 
 Mrs. George Jackson, were born in Mark- 
 able, German}', near the river Rhine. 
 They were married in 1848, and came to 
 this country in 1852, landing in New 
 York, whence they journeyed to Ohio, set- 
 tling in Sandusky county, where they re- 
 sided till 1874. They then purchased a 
 farm in Michigan, and moved there, which 
 is now their home. In November, 1 861, 
 Mr. Gust enlisted in the Seventy-second 
 O. V. I., in which he served till June, 
 1864, when he was taken prisoner, and 
 held eleven months, till the close of the 
 war. He and his wife had four children, 
 namely: Catherine, Mrs. Jackson; Mag- 
 gie, wife of Jerome Hall, of Erie county; 
 Will and Henry. Mr. Jackson has been 
 interested in agricultural pursuits from his 
 youth, and now has a productive farm 
 of eighty acres, which he conducts with 
 the assistance of his son Frank. They 
 
 do general farming. Until within a few 
 years Mr. Jackson affiliated with the 
 Democratic party, but he now casts his 
 vote for the most worthy candidate, irre- 
 spective of party. 
 
 JOHN G. BRUGGER, a successful 
 farmer of York township, Sandusky 
 county, is descended from the sturdy 
 stock of the Teutonic race, and ex- 
 emplifies their characteristic traits. He 
 was born in Northumberland county, 
 Penn., October 30, 1831, a son of John 
 G. Brugger, Sr. , who was born in 1804. 
 Rudolph and Catherine Brugger, pa- 
 ternal grandparents of the subject of this 
 sketch, owned a small farm in Germany, 
 where their son, John G. Brugger, Sr. , 
 was born. In 18 16 the farm was sold, 
 the family came to America settling in 
 Pennsylvania, and Mr. Brugger once more 
 turned his attention to tilling the soil. 
 John G. Brugger remained at home help- 
 ing his father until 1827. In that year 
 he was united in marriage with Miss Cath- 
 erine Arnold, who was born in Pennsyl- 
 vania, and they had twelve children. Of 
 these (i) Sallie, is at present living with 
 her brother, John G. Brugger; she was 
 married in 1847 to Nathan Forrey, a farm- 
 er of Snyder county, Penn. , and they 
 had four children — Caroline, Thomas Jef- 
 ferson, George Washington and Benja- 
 min Franklin; the father of these died in 
 i860, and in 1874 Mrs. Forrey was mar- 
 ried to David Goy, also a farmer of Sny- 
 der county, Penn.; he died in 1878, after 
 which Mrs. Goy came to Ohio, where she 
 now lives. (2) Rudolph, who resides in 
 Riley township, Sandusky county, where 
 he has a large farm, married Sophia Moy- 
 er, and their children are: William, an 
 insurance agent at Clyde, Green Creek 
 township, Sandusky county; John and 
 Robert, farmers of Riley township, in the 
 same county; George, of Clyde; and Har- 
 dy, who teaches school. (3) Samuel, 
 the third child, is a civil engineer in Penn- 
 
31G 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 sylvania. (4) John G. is the subject of 
 this sketch. (5) Benjamin is a fanner in 
 Tennessee. (6) Mary was the wife of Mr. 
 Vogt, the blacksmith at Wales Corners. 
 (7) George died several years ago in Penn- 
 sylvania. (8) Jonathan is a carpenter in 
 that State. (9) William died in Pennsyl- 
 vania. (10) Lizzie is the wife of Silas 
 Melick, a Nebraska farmer. John G. 
 Brugger, Sr. , died in 1856, and his widow 
 in 1870. 
 
 John G. Brugger, whose name intro- 
 duces this sketch, has but little "book 
 learning," as his early years were spent 
 in overcoming the obstacles which so 
 thickly beset the path of the earh' settler 
 in his struggle for daily bread. His fa- 
 ther permitted him to leave the farm, and 
 learn the trade of blacksmith when he 
 was twenty years old. For a few years 
 he followed the trade in Pennsylvania, 
 and then, in 1854, came to Ohio, first 
 locating at Flat Rock, Seneca county, 
 where he remained one year, then coming 
 to York township, Sandusky county, 
 where he started a shop and worked at 
 his trade until 1S72, when he bought 160 
 acres of land, constituting the farm which 
 he now owns and tills. In February, 
 1864, Mr. Brugger enlisted in the Signal 
 Corps, U. S. A., and served under Sher- 
 man and McPherson. In the Atlanta 
 campaign, and on the "march to the 
 sea" the Signal Corps did good and vali- 
 ant service ; Mr. Brugger was with Sherman 
 as he came up through South and North 
 Carolina, and was discharged at Louis- 
 ville, Ky. , in August, 1865. He is soci- 
 able and public-spirited, and his life af- 
 fords an excellent example to the younger 
 generation. In politics he is an active 
 Republican. 
 
 CARL WEICKERT, a successful 
 farmer and stock-raiser of Kings- 
 way, Rice township, Sandusky 
 county, was born in Germany, 
 May 4, 1859, and is a son of Philip and 
 
 Catherine (Biebesheimer) Weickert, who 
 were born in Hessen, Germany, on De- 
 cember 25, 1 82 1, and May 9, 1829, re- 
 spectively. 
 
 Philip Weickert came to this country 
 with his wife and six children in 1862, 
 and settled in Rice township, Sandusky 
 county, Ohio, where he bought thirty- 
 eight acres of land, paying fourteen hun- 
 dred dollars for same. They have had 
 eight children, as follows: (i) Maggie, 
 who was born in Hessen, Germany, May 
 24, 1848, and married John Loesch; they 
 live in Wood county, Ohio, and are the 
 parents of two bright children — Frank 
 and Lewis. (2) John, born in Hessen, 
 Germany, February 10, 1850, married 
 Bertha Kyle; they live in Kansas, and 
 have three children — Louise, George and 
 Laura, all now living at home. (3) 
 Philip, born in Hessen, Germanj', No- 
 vember 19, 1853, died and was buried in 
 Rice township, Sandusky county, Ohio, in 
 1872. (4) Catherine, born in Hessen, 
 Germany, October i, 1856, married 
 Charles Gray, by whom she had two 
 children — Willie and Katie; she died in 
 Rice township, December 16, 1885, and 
 was buried there. (5) Carl is the subject 
 of this sketch. (6) Willie was born in 
 Hessen, Germany, September 7, 1 861, is 
 single, and lives in Kansas. (7) Lewis, also 
 single, was born in Rice township, San- 
 dusky county, August 23, 1863, and still 
 lives in his native township. (8) Minnie, 
 born in Rice township, Sandusky county, 
 September 12, 1868, married Charles 
 Berner, and they have had one child, 
 Frank, born in Reno county, Kans., Oc- 
 tober 25, 1888. The grandparents of 
 the subject of this sketch were Philip 
 and Mary (Helm) Weickert; they were 
 born in Hessen, Germany, where they 
 both also died. 
 
 Carl Weickert worked for his father 
 until he was of age, then went to Kansas, 
 worked on a farm for about a year, 
 saved his money, and came back to Rice 
 township, Sandusky county, and bought 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BWORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 817 
 
 thirtj'-four acres of land adjoining his 
 father's property. He is not married, so 
 lives at his father's home. He raises fine 
 horses, and also a mi.xed stock. In pol- 
 itics he is a good Democrat, and in 
 religious affiliation belongs to the Evan- 
 gelishe Lutheran Church. 
 
 GF. BUCHMAN. Success in any 
 occupation in life requires a 
 genius adapted to a special voca- 
 tion. This is true, in a marked 
 degree, of mercantile business, as there is 
 a greater per cent of failures in this than 
 in any other pursuit, a vast majority of 
 those engaged therein not being pos- 
 sessed of either the qualities or qualifica- 
 tions essential to success. A merchant 
 must understand not only the technical 
 details of his business — what to purchase 
 and what not to purchase, and the amount 
 required at various seasons of the year — 
 but must have a broad and liberal knowl- 
 edge of the financial standing and the in- 
 tegrity of the people in his community as 
 well; and, above all, his own honesty of 
 purpose, integrity and honor must ever 
 be above question. 
 
 As a gentleman whose characteristics 
 harmonize with what is suggested above, 
 we introduce a brief biographical sketch 
 of Godfrey F. Buchman, grocer and pro- 
 vision mercl]ant, Fremont, Sandusky 
 county, who was born in Seneca county, 
 Ohio, October 20, 1837, and has been 
 established in Fremont since 1867. His 
 ancestry hail from the gallant republic of 
 Switzerland. His paternal grandfather 
 was a weaver by trade, and worked at 
 that business in winter, living in the vil- 
 lage of Dettingen, and also operated a 
 small farm. The parents of Godfrey F. 
 Buchman were John and Mary Magdalen 
 (Kissenberger) Buchman. John Buchman 
 was born in the Canton of Argau, Swit- 
 zerland, January 24, 1800; Magdalen 
 (Kissenberger), his wife, was born in the 
 village of Dettingen, Switzerland, July 
 
 22, 1 80 1. They were married in Swit- 
 zerland in 1S26, and three of their chil- 
 dren were born there. John Buchman 
 emigrated with his family to America in 
 1837, and located on a small farm near 
 Republic, Seneca Co., Ohio, where he 
 remained until 1852, in which year he re- 
 moved to another farm in the same 
 county, close to Tiffin. He and his wife 
 lived on this farm the rest of their lives, 
 and reared their children to economy and 
 industry. They were devout members of 
 the Roman Catholic Church. In his po- 
 litical affiliations John Buchman was a 
 Jacksonian Democrat. The}' were pros- 
 perous and successful in business, and in 
 due course of time gave a small farm to 
 each of their children. John Buchman 
 died November 9, 1885; Magdalen Buch- 
 man died October 4, 1868. Their chil- 
 dren were: (i) John, born in Switzerland 
 April 10, 1827; he came to America with 
 his parents, grew to manhood in Seneca 
 county, where, April 10, 1858, he married 
 Miss Elizabeth Steigmeyer; he is now a 
 farmer in Seneca county. (2) Joseph, 
 born in Switzerland November 25, 1831; 
 he also came with his parents to America; 
 he is now a member of the Oblate Fa- 
 thers, an order of the Christian Brothers, 
 and has been in British America since 
 1859, where a branch of the order is lo- 
 cated, engaged in educating and caring 
 for Indian children. (3) Benedict, born 
 in Switzerland March 7, 1835; he was 
 married, in 1868, to Miss Catharine Ober- 
 houser, and is a farmer in Seneca county. 
 (4) Godfrey F. is the subject of this 
 sketch. (5) Peter, born in Seneca coun- 
 ty, Ohio, June, 1841; in 1869 he married 
 Miss Catharine Senn, and is now a farmer 
 in Seneca county. Besides these five 
 children who grew up, two of the family 
 died in infancy 
 
 Godfrey F. Buchman, the subject 
 proper of this memoir, grew up in Seneca 
 count)', where he received a good ele- 
 mentary education in the public schools, 
 after which he engaged in teaching for a 
 
318 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 few terms. His next employment was 
 that of clerk in a store at Tiffin, where 
 he remained about three years, and by 
 strict attention and constant application 
 gained a thorough knowledge of the busi- 
 ness. At the close of his services as a 
 clerk he, on August 20, 1867, married 
 Miss Magdalena Bork, who was born in 
 Seneca county, Ohio, September 14, 
 1845. This union has been blessed with 
 seven children: (i) Theresa M., born 
 October 17, 1869, now the wife of Charles 
 Babione, Fremont, Ohio. (2) Marguerite 
 M., born July 11, 1868, died September 
 22, 1868. (3) John M., born July 6, 
 1871, diedAugust 23, 1872. (4) Joseph M., 
 born October 3, 1873, at Fremont, Ohio, 
 where he spent his childhood and youth, 
 attended the schools of the St. Joseph 
 Catholic Church, under the supervision of 
 Dr. S. Bauer; assisted his father in a 
 store, took a course of study in a business 
 college, and later served an apprentice- 
 ship at the carpenter's trade with Chris- 
 tian A'ollmer, with whom he worked until 
 March, 1892; since that time he has 
 worked for other parties; he assisted in 
 the building of the Hochenedel Block, on 
 Croghan street, Fremont; the Lutheran 
 Church at Gibsonburg, and other fine 
 structures; he is a member of St. Joseph's 
 Catholic Church, and of several of its so- 
 cieties — the Young Men's Society of the 
 B. V. M., the Catholic Knights of Ohio, 
 Branch No. 8, and Uniformed Command- 
 ery No. 2, C. K. O. (5) Mary E., born 
 October 13, 1875, now attending Con- 
 vent school at Chicago, 111. (6) Stanis- 
 laus F., born April 23, 1878; now at 
 home. (7) Aloysius S., born April 4, 
 1883. 
 
 Immediately after marriage, Mr. Buch- 
 man settled in Fremont, and opened his 
 present mercantile business. As a grocer 
 merchant he is now perhaps the oldest 
 established of any in Fremont. After 
 twenty-seven years of a business career, 
 his hold upon the community is unrelaxed, 
 and he is recognized with no small degree 
 
 of honor as a leading and successful mer- 
 chant, and a respected citizen. After his 
 long and active business career he still at- 
 tends to business with the precision and 
 V gor of his younger days. He has 
 an as3ed a competency in his chosen pur- 
 suit, and besides attending to his usual 
 business he is president of the Lehr Agri- 
 cultural Company, a leading manufactur- 
 ing concern in Fremont. Mr. Buchman 
 and his wife are practical Roman Catho- 
 lics, and have reared and educated their 
 children in that faith. 
 
 Mrs. Buchman is a daughter of Fred- 
 erick and Margaret (Yung) Bork, natives 
 of Alsace, Germany, who emigrated to 
 America, and settled in Seneca county, 
 Ohio. Frederick Bork was born June 14, 
 1808, near the city of Worms, and came 
 to America when a young man. On Au- 
 gust 27, 1838, he married Margaret Yung, 
 in Seneca county, where he settled. She 
 was born in France, of German parents, 
 August 7, 1822, and after coming to 
 America in childhood grew to maturity at 
 Tiffin, Ohio. She died June 13, 1891; 
 Frederick Bork, now aretired farmer, is liv- 
 ing at Titfin, Ohio. Their children were as 
 follows: (i) Mary A., born October 17, 
 1839, died November 21, 1839. (2) 
 Philip Henry, born January 18, 1841, 
 married Miss Mary Fisher; they are 
 farmers in Seneca count}', Ohio. (3) Eve 
 Catharine, born May 8, .1842; she is 
 Mother Superior at Tiffin, Ohio, in a con- 
 vent, under the title of "Sister Clara." 
 (4) Frank Joseph, born December 2,5, 
 1843, married Miss Elizabeth Smith, of 
 Seneca county. (5) Mary Magdalene, 
 born September 14, 1845. (6) Mary Ann, 
 born April 21, 1847, died August 29, 18S4; 
 she was a sister in a nunnery at Tiffin, 
 Ohio, known as " Innocencia. " (7) Louis 
 Philip, born January 24, 1849; married 
 Miss Margaret Kunce, and lives in Indi- 
 ana. (8) John Peter, born October 14, 
 1850, is a farmer in Seneca county; he 
 married Miss Emma Gas. (9) Louisa, 
 born October 11, 1853, died January 7, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 319 
 
 1856. (10) M. J., born October 3, 1S55, 
 is a farmer of Seneca county; he married 
 Miss Anna Reinhardt. (11) Philomena, 
 born November 13, 1859, now keeping 
 house for her father in Tiffin. (12) Eliza- 
 beth, born October i, 1861, living at 
 home. 
 
 NICHOLAS EMCH was born in 
 Switzerland December 27, 1823, 
 and is a son of Urs and Isabel 
 (Baumgartner) Emch, whose 
 children were as follows: Benjamin, 
 Jacob, John, Nicholas, Samuel, Urs, 
 Frederick and Annie. Urs Emch was a 
 native of Switzerland, never came to 
 America, and died at the age of forty-five, 
 of colic. 
 
 At the early age of thirteen Nicholas 
 Emch left home, and had to work out for 
 several years. He learned the shoe- 
 maker's trade, which he followed for a 
 number of years. In 1845 h^ came with 
 his mother and brothers to America, and 
 they first went to his brother at Perrys- 
 burg. Wood Co., Ohio, who had been 
 settled there about four years, but did not 
 remain long. He and his brothers bought 
 128 acres, all timber land, cleared a por- 
 tion and put up a log cabin. Mr. Emch 
 worked at his trade, when he could get 
 anything in that line to do; also helped 
 on the farm, and followed agricultural 
 pursuits, until 1891. 
 
 In 1849 he was united in marriage 
 with Barbara Flickinger, who was born 
 in Switzerland January 5, 1823, and they 
 were the parents of children as follows: 
 (i) Mary, born November 24, 1850, mar- 
 ried Nelson Klink September 15, 1872, 
 by whom she had three children — Bruce, 
 Roy and Loyd, the last named dying in 
 September, 1893, aged twelve years. 
 (2) Gottfried, born December 10, 185 1, 
 is still single. (3) Solomon, born Jan- 
 uary 19, 1854, married Caroline Shriner 
 March 18, 1880, and they have three 
 children — Bertha, Edward and Charley. 
 
 (4) Caroline, born May 10, 1S55, married 
 John Klink June 28, 1S74, and they have 
 four children — Orma, Lilly, Julia and 
 Bessie. The mother of this family, Bar- 
 bara (Flickinger) Emch, died June 18, 
 1856, aged thirty-three years, si.x months, 
 On November i, 1858, Nicholas Emch 
 was married to Rosanna Flickinger, who 
 was born in Switzerland June 18, 1836, 
 and children as follows were the result of 
 their union: William, now a farmer of 
 Woodville township, Sandusky county, 
 born December 13, 1859, and married 
 Josephine Snyder on November 27, 1881, 
 by whom he had two children — August 
 and Carrie; Sophia, born September 7, 
 1 86 1, married Frank Miller, and they 
 have four children — Bertha, Elmer, Clar- 
 ence and Grace (they reside in Wood- 
 ville, Sandusky county); Nicholas, Jr., 
 born November 26, 1865, is single and 
 lives at home; Joseph, born March 16, 
 1868; Ettie, born May 16, 1870, married 
 John Kopp on May 3, 1894, and they live 
 in Woodville, Sandusky county; Louisa, 
 born May 17, 1876, and George, born 
 December 4, 1877. Rosanna Flickinger, 
 now Mrs. Nicholas Emch, came to 
 America with her parents in 1847. They 
 located in Ohio, rented land for several 
 years, then bought forty acres and built 
 themselves a home, where they passed 
 their remaining days. Mr. Flickinger 
 died October 17, 1854, at the age of si.\ty- 
 five; and his wife April 16, 1863, at tlie 
 age of seventy-one. In 1890, Mr. Emch 
 leased his land to the Standard Oil Com- 
 pany, and they have since put down wells, 
 He retired from farming in 1891, and his 
 sons now operate the place. 
 
 COLONEL WILLIAM C. LeFE- 
 VER is justly regarded as one of 
 the leading citizens of Sandusky 
 county, and in the vicinity of 
 Clyde, where he owns one of the finest 
 country residences in northwestern Ohio, 
 a model of every comfort and lavish ele- 
 
320 
 
 COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 gance, he socially and politically ranks 
 pre-eminent. 
 
 He was born in Sandusky county May 
 14, 1836. son of John and Rachel 
 (Swope) LeFever, the former of whom 
 was born in Lancaster, Penn., December 
 4, 18 1 3, son of John LeFever, Sr. , who 
 was of French extraction, migrating with 
 his family to Fayette county, Ohio, early 
 in the century. In 1832 John LeFever, 
 Jr., moved to Fremont, Sandusky county, 
 and two years later he entered govern- 
 ment land in Green Creek township, 
 cleared it and followed farming until 
 1865, when he moved to Clyde, and died 
 there December 27, 1890. He was in 
 politics a Republican, and in religious be- 
 lief a Methodist. His wife died in the 
 prime of life. She was of Pennsylvania 
 birth and family. The children of John 
 and Rachel LeFever were as follows: 
 Louisa, who married J. S. Lee, of Chick- 
 asaw county, Iowa; Rebecca, who mar- 
 ried Henry Perin, and now lives, a wid- 
 ow, at Kalamazoo, Mich.; John S., of 
 Green Spring; William C, subject of this 
 sketch; J. D., a resident of Sandusky 
 county; Oscar T. , of Marshall county, 
 Iowa; Jane, wife of Monroe Lee, of 
 Seneca county; May, who died in in- 
 fancy; and Mary M., who died young. 
 
 The boyhood of William C. LeFever 
 was spent in Green Creek township. He 
 attended the common schools, and com- 
 pleted his education at Republic, and by a 
 two-years' course at Oberlin College. In 
 1857 he went to St. Joseph, Mo., where 
 he taught school until the Civil war broke 
 out. He was among the first in that dis- 
 tracted country to espouse the Union 
 cause, enlisting as a private in Company 
 A, Fourth Missouri Cavalry, and doing 
 valiant service throughout the war. In 
 the earlier years he was fighting Gen. 
 Price's forces. He was engaged at Wil- 
 son's Creek, Mo., August 10, 1861, the 
 second skirmish at Pea Ridge, Ark., in 
 March, 1862, and Independence, Mo., 
 later in that month. When Price was 
 
 driven from the country the Missouri 
 Cavalry troops were chiefly engaged in 
 frontier guard duties. Promotion came 
 rapidly, and the impetuous joung Ohioan 
 was first sergeant, first lieutenant, cap- 
 tain, major, and lieutenant-colonel, suc- 
 cessively. After serving a year on the 
 plains, watching Indians, he was mustered 
 out at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1866, 
 after service in the Fourth, Sixth and 
 Thirteenth Missouri Cavalry, successively. 
 He once held two commissions at one 
 time, first lieutenant and adjutant. 
 
 After the war Col. LeFever returned 
 home and has since resided in Green 
 Creek township. In 1866 he was married 
 to Miss Elizabeth Mackey, a native of 
 Chillicothe, Ross county, and has two 
 adopted children, Mabel and Arthur. 
 The present handsome brick residence of 
 Col. LeFever, located two and a half 
 miles south of Clyde, was built in 1880. 
 In politics he is a Republican. He is a 
 member of Eaton Post No. 55, G. A. R., 
 and in religious faith is a Methodist. Col. 
 LeFever is a man of high intellectual at- 
 tainments, and possesses unusually fine 
 business and executive abilities. He 
 commands the esteem and confidence of 
 a wide acquaintanceship. 
 
 HENRY W. MILLER, now an 
 honored citizen of Clyde, is a 
 descendant of perhaps the first 
 family that settled permanently in 
 Green Creek township, Sandusky county. 
 Lyman F. Miller, his father, was born 
 in Geneva, N. Y., November 22, 1813. 
 When an infant his widowed mother 
 migrated with her brother, William Smith, 
 to Huron, Ohio, and here she remained 
 several j^ears, and married her second 
 husband, Samuel Pogue. She had occu- 
 pied a log cabin with her husband, distant 
 about six miles from Huron. While here 
 alone, hostilities still existing, Indians 
 approached the cabin, so, hastily fastening 
 the cabin door with a big wooden bar, she 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 321 
 
 crept out the back window and fled to the 
 blockhouse at Huron, six miles away. In 
 i8i6, after her second marriage, she came 
 with her child and husband to the site of 
 Clyde. Mr. Pogue had been quarter- 
 master in Gen. Harrison's army, and 
 while making a trip from Huron to Fort 
 Seneca he had noticed the hard maple 
 timber where Indians had made sugar, 
 and also the fine springs, and resolved to 
 settle there. He entered the land, and 
 died there August 26, 1S27. By her 
 second marriage there was one child, 
 Jane, who afterward married G. R. 
 Brown, a Universalist minister, and the 
 farm entered by Mr. Pogue descended to 
 her and to Lyman F. Miller, the child by 
 Mrs. Pogue's first marriage. Amos Fenn 
 and Silas Dewey had each married a sis- 
 ter of Mrs. Pogue, and .came with her 
 husband and settled in the vicinity of 
 Clyde. 
 
 Lyman F. Miller grew to manhood on 
 the site of Clyde, and had few educational 
 advantages. In 1836 he married Melissa 
 E. Harkness in a double log cabin which 
 stood on the present cemetery grounds. 
 She was born in 1 8 19, of Scotch-Irish ex- 
 traction, and had come with her parents 
 to Clyde in 1834. After his marriage he 
 began housekeeping on the old home- 
 stead. He laid out that part of the town 
 lying between Main street and George 
 street, commencing at Maple and running 
 south to Cherry street. Mr. Miller en- 
 gaged in general farming, and was also a 
 noted horticulturist and breeder of fine 
 stock. He lived in what is now the Col. 
 Rhodes residence until 1859, when he 
 built on the pike where his widow now 
 lives. He was a Whig, a Know-Nothing 
 and a Republican in politics, a Mason 
 socially, and a member of the Universalist 
 Church. He died in February, 1878. 
 To Lyman F. and Melissa Miller nine 
 children were born, as follows: William 
 G., born March i, 1837, just commenc- 
 ing a law practice in 1 861, when he en- 
 listed in Company A, Seventy-second O. 
 
 V. V. I., was a corporal, and was killed at 
 Ripley, Miss., June 11, 1864, on the dis- 
 astrous Guntown expedition retreat; 
 Henry W. , subject of this sketch, born 
 June 2, 1838; Mary E., born April i, 
 1840, wife of Chester Persing, of Clyde; 
 George N., born December 2, 1843, 
 killed at the age of four by falling acci- 
 dentally into a kettle of hot water; Oscar 
 J., born June 15, 1845, ^ resident of 
 Clyde; Isabel E., born May 22, 1848, 
 wife of W. Bell, of Copley, Ohio; Fannie 
 O., born July 15, 1853, a school-teacher 
 for fifteen years, and now living with her 
 mother; Emma J., born July 26, 1855, 
 wife of F. J. Metcalf, of Clyde; Louisa 
 J., born May 21, 1862, wife of Fremont 
 Mears, of Clyde. 
 
 Henry W. Miller attended district 
 school and helped to clear the farm. On 
 Christmas Eve, i860, he was married to 
 Miss Louisa Metcalf, who died childless, 
 April 2, 1862, aged twenty-one years and 
 five days. Mr. Miller was for two years 
 captain of a company of State militia, 
 having in his command 130 men, most of 
 whom subsequently enlisted in the army. 
 The Captain enlisted in Company A, 
 Seventy-second O. V. V. I., as a recruit, 
 joining the regiment at Germantown, 
 Tenn., January 5, 1864. He was with 
 his ill-fated brother, William G., at Rip- 
 ley, Miss., on June 11, until, while firing 
 at the advancing Rebels, he was run over 
 and stunned by a Union cavalryman on 
 the retreat, soon after leaving Ripley. 
 After being disabled thus, he fell in with 
 five other Union soldiers and continued 
 in the road until 4 P. M., having had 
 several skirmishes with the enemy's ad- 
 vance during the day. His amunition 
 being exhausted he left the road, trying 
 to escape through the woods, but was 
 captured the next day at 6 p. M., stripped 
 of everything but pants and shirt, and 
 taken to Andersonville prison. When he 
 arrived at the prison, in an address Capt. 
 Wirz said: "Go in there, you Yankee 
 s — b — 's, and I will prove we can kill 
 
:S22 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 more men in prison than at the front." 
 This was verified by the death of 13,082 
 prisoners while Mr. Miller was confined 
 at Andersonville. Of the mess of five to 
 which Mr. Miller belonged he was one of 
 two who went out alive. He had not a 
 cup, nor even a cloth to bathe the fevered 
 brow of a sick comrade. In December 
 he was paroled at Savannah, and reached 
 home just before Christmas, 1864. 
 
 After the war Mr. Miller taught music 
 for several 3'ears, then settled on the farm, 
 and engaged in farming and fruit-growing, 
 his fruit having taken nearly a thousand 
 premiums at the Sandusky, Erie and 
 Huron county fairs. He has traveled 
 somewhat as a vocal musician, and has 
 sung in the various churches of Clyde for 
 thirty-five years. Of his property seven 
 acres are within the corporation of Clyde, 
 and ninety-seven are situated north of the 
 corporation. 
 
 Mr. Miller's second wife was Maria L. 
 De Yo, to whom he was married Septem- 
 ber 22, 1868. By this marriage he has 
 three children: Jessie L. , a graduate of 
 the Clyde High School, and now one of 
 its teachers; Esma M., also a graduate of 
 the Clyde school; and Harkness J., at 
 present a student. Mr. Miller is a mem- 
 ber of the G. A. R. Post at Clyde, was 
 its commander last year, and is now 
 quartermaster. He has been a Mason 
 since 1865, and in politics he is a Re- 
 publican. 
 
 CONRAD WOLFE, the ancestor 
 from whom are descended the 
 Wolfe families now (1894) resid- 
 ing in Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 and their descendants elsewhere emigrated 
 to this country from Switzerland, and in 
 the spring of 1804 came to Lancaster 
 county, Penn. His children were: Peter, 
 Jacob, George, Henry, Andrew and Mary; 
 Peter being a child by a former marriage. 
 Conrad Wolfe died shortly after his 
 arrival in America. 
 
 Andrew Wolfe, son of Conrad Wolfe, 
 was born January 9, 1796, in York county, 
 Penn. At an early age he was bound out 
 to work, by his widowed mother, to a 
 farmer, and he served a part of the time 
 with his guardian, Mr. Krouster, his un- 
 expired time being bought by a Mr. 
 Weaver, with whom he worked three 
 years. His work was hard, but he was 
 kindly treated, and he remained with Mr. 
 Weaver until he was twenty-one years of 
 age. He then went to learn the trade of 
 a carpenter with the Gerber Brothers, 
 who built houses and bank barns in Lan- 
 caster and adjoining counties, and he 
 usually made his home with them during 
 the winter seasons when work was dull. 
 Here he became acquainted with Miss 
 Salome Gerber, to whom he was married 
 in 1 8 19. She was born in Switzerland, 
 March 12, 1797, and became a member 
 of the Lutheran Church. Her parents 
 were Christian Gerber, of Saxon descent, 
 born in 1750, and Elizabeth (Medary) 
 Gerber, born in 1753. Her mother's 
 maiden name was Biddle. Their chil- 
 dren were: Anna, John, Christian, Jacob, 
 Matthew, Mar)', Elizabeth, Salome. When 
 Salome was but a child her father moved 
 with his family from his farm into a large 
 stone house in the village of Basle, where 
 in the basement he carried on cabinet- 
 making. After he had learned the trade 
 of a carpenter he traveled and worked 
 at his trade away from home, as was 
 the custom, before he was allowed to set 
 up in business for himself. His wife, 
 I£lizabeth, was a seamstress, at which oc- 
 cupation she wrought constantly as soon 
 as her daughter Anna had learned to man- 
 age the housework. Salome attended 
 school in the village of Basle, regularly, 
 and learned to read and write, sew and 
 knit. She also learned to sing, which 
 was a source of great pleasure to herself 
 and friends in later life. She never studied 
 arithmetic, as it was deemed unnecessary 
 for girls. Her brothers attended school ir- 
 regularly, and in addition to school studies 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL HECOBD. 
 
 32&. 
 
 were set to learn various handicrafts, 
 chiefly weaving, in a large manufacturing 
 establishment. Her brother John lived 
 with his uncle until he arrived at man- 
 hood. The children were all brought up 
 to habits of industry and thrift. During 
 their residence in Basle, Napoleon Bona- 
 parte's troops passed through their vil- 
 lage to secure conscripts, and the male 
 citizens secreted themselves to avoid being 
 pressed into the army. Mrs. Gerber en- 
 tertained some of the soldiers in her house, 
 and was kindly treated by them. They 
 stacked their arms behind her door, ate 
 the meals prepared by her and departed 
 in peace. Some men who had hid them- 
 selves under piles of hay were thrust 
 through with bayonets. Salome's broth- 
 ers, in order to avoid further danger of be- 
 ing forced into the military service, pre- 
 vailed upon their parents to emigrate to 
 America. Some Swiss emigration agents, 
 who had just returned from America and 
 given them a glowing account of the fine 
 climate, fertile soil and cheap land, to be 
 found here, easily induced them to sell 
 their possessions in Basle and engage a 
 passage to America. Accordingly, in the 
 month of May, 1804, the Gerber family 
 took passage in a boat, and sailed down 
 the Rhine river toward Amsterdam. Sa- 
 lome had just passed her seventh birth- 
 day, and was delighted to view the grand 
 scenery and the ruins of old castles and 
 fortresses along those classic banks. She 
 often spoke in later years of the famous 
 "Mouse Tower," of Bishop Hatto, where 
 an avaricious man was said to have been 
 devoured by an army of rats in retribu- 
 tion for his having caused the destruction 
 of a multitude of hungry people who at 
 his apparently kind invitation had crowded 
 into his well-filled grain store-house On 
 reaching Amsterdam the Gerber family 
 and others who accompanied them learned 
 to their sorrow that there wa$ no ship in 
 readiness to take them, and that they 
 were at the mercy of unscrupulous agents 
 who charged them exhorbitant prices for 
 
 extra services. While waiting many days 
 at the dock, weary of the long delay, the 
 emigrants composed and sang in derision 
 a sarcastic song, in German, about the 
 kindness of the agents and the "glorious 
 land of liberty in North America." This 
 was sung so often on their six-weeks' 
 passage on the Atlantic ocean that it be- 
 came indelibly impressed on Salome's 
 memory, and she often sung it in later 
 years to her grandchildren. Owing to the 
 long voyage, and the resulting extra 
 charges of the agents, many emigrants 
 were unable to pay their passage money 
 in full, and were obliged to bind them- 
 selves to a term of service, to someone- 
 who could furnish money, or be cast into 
 prison. After the Gerber family had 
 landed in Philadelphia they lived for a 
 time in the suburbs of that city, and then 
 settled in Lancaster county, Penn., where 
 the father and three sons found work as 
 carpenters. They were known as "Zim- 
 merman," the German name for carpen- 
 ter. Here Anna Gerber married Jacob 
 Mandewiler, and then moved to Knox 
 county, Ohio; John Gerber came to 
 America in 1806, and settled in York 
 county, Penn. ; Christian Gerber, Jr., and 
 Jacob Gerber also settled in that locality; 
 Mary, the second daughter of Jacob Ger- 
 ber, married Daniel March, after whom 
 the second son of Salome was afterward 
 named; Elizabeth Gerber died in Switzer- 
 land. Christian Gerber, Sr. , died irr 
 181 5. His elder children having gone 
 from home, Salome stayed with her 
 widowed mother three years, until her 
 death in 18 18, after which she lived with 
 a brother about two years. She was mar- 
 ried October 18, 1819, to Andrew S. P. 
 Wolfe, in York county, Penn., and they 
 soon after located in Adams county, 
 Penn. , where he worked as a carpenter 
 and later as a farmer. In 1831, they 
 took up their abode in Knox county, Ohio, 
 where he followed farming. In 1844 they 
 moved to Richland county, Ohio, where 
 they farmed about nine years, after whichi 
 
324 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 they moved to Sandusky county, Ohio. 
 They were members of the Methodist 
 Protestant Church in Knox county, but 
 on coming into Richland they united with 
 the Church of the United Brethren in 
 Christ, of which they remained faithful 
 members during life. In politics Mr. 
 Wolfe was first an Old-line Whig, then a 
 Republican; all his sons are Republicans. 
 The children of Andrew and Salome Wolfe 
 were: Mar\', who married John Jones, 
 and died March 26, i860; Jacob, a car- 
 penter, who married in Richland county, 
 Ohio, and then located in Bear county, 
 Mich. ; Elizabeth, who married Judge 
 Barnett, and lives in Iowa; Caroline, who 
 married William Galbraith, and lives in 
 Seneca county, Ohio; Daniel M., sketch 
 of whom follows; Sarah, who married 
 Laird Ritchie, and lives in Iowa; Rosa 
 A., who married Fred Gibson, lived in 
 Adams county, Iowa, and died there Oc- 
 tober 24, 1882; Jeremiah, who lives with 
 his family in San Jose, Cal. Andrew 
 Wolfe died at the home of his son, 
 Daniel, in Ballville township, Sandusky 
 Co., Ohio, April 21, 1873, aged seventy- 
 seven. Mrs. Salome Wolfe died at the 
 same place, November 3, 1884, aged 
 eighty-seven years, and both were buried 
 in Mt. Lebanon U. B. Cemetery. 
 
 Daniel M. Wolfe, son of Andrew 
 Wolfe, was born January 22, 1831, in 
 Knox county, Ohio. His childhood and 
 youth were spent on a farm, and in attend- 
 ing district school, and at the age of thir- 
 teen he moved with his father's family to 
 Richland county, where he attended town 
 and country schools, studying English 
 grammar, algebra, natural philosophy and 
 chemistry, in addition to common-school 
 studies, and during summer months learn- 
 ing the trade of a carpenter with his 
 brother Jacob. About the year 1853 he 
 came to Ballville township, Sandusky 
 Co., Ohio, where he and his father bought 
 a farm on the line of the old plank road 
 leading from Tiffin to Sandusky City. 
 Here he farmed, and also worked at his 
 
 trade in company with his brother Jere- 
 miah in Green Spring and vicinity, build- 
 ing the celebrated Water Cure establish- 
 ment at that place. In 1879 he aban- 
 doned carpentry and devoted himself ex- 
 clusively to his farm of 123 acres, which 
 he underdrained and otherwise improved, 
 and on which he erected a large family 
 mansion in 1878. 
 
 On December 24, 1855, Daniel M. 
 Wolfe was married at Mansfield, Ohio, to 
 Miss Eunice Jane Black, daughter of 
 William and Hannah (Cook) Black. 
 William Black was born May 10, 18 10, 
 son of James, and Mrs. Hannah Black 
 was born September 23, 1S14, both in 
 Washington county, Penn. They both 
 came when young to Richland county, 
 Ohio, where, on April 5, 1832, they were 
 married, and several years afterward 
 moved to Jefferson county, Iowa, where 
 Mr. Black died in April, 1882. Mrs. 
 Black died March i, 1879. Their chil- 
 dren were: Eunice Jane, who married D. 
 M. Wolfe; Martha, who married a Mr. 
 Ramsey, of Iowa; Orlando, who lives in 
 Kansas; Elbridge Gerry, who served as a 
 soldier in the Civil war, being color bearer 
 of Company I, Fiftieth Regiment, O. V. I., 
 and Francis Julius Le Moyne, named 
 after his uncle, the noted cremationist. of 
 Washington county, Penn. The ma- 
 ternal grandmother of this family, Eunice 
 (Corwin), was born in the year 1796, and 
 married William Cook, who was a soldier 
 of the war of 1812. She afterward made 
 a trip to Pennsylvania — two hundred 
 miles — on horseback to visit her friends. 
 She died in 1870, three years after her 
 husband, who passed away in 1867. The 
 paternal grandmother, Margaret (Fitz- 
 williams), was born in 1789 in Ireland, 
 and in 1807 married James Black, who 
 was born about 1784. 
 
 In the spring of 1863 D. M. Wolfe en- 
 listed in Company K, Fiftieth Regiment, 
 O. V. I., in which he served as second 
 lieutenant, doing guard duty at Johnson's 
 Island, where Confederate officers were 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 325 
 
 confined, in the fall of that year. In poli- 
 tics he has always been a Republican. 
 He and his wife were for a number of 
 years members of the United Brethren 
 Church, but now attend the Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 Mrs. Eunice]. (Black) Wolfe was born 
 January 6, 1833, in Richland county, 
 Ohio, and was educated at Lexington and 
 Westerville, Ohio, afterward teaching for 
 a number of years, part of the time in the 
 high school at Lexington. To Mr. and 
 Mrs. Wolfe have come five children, as 
 follows: (i) Charles M., born November 
 I, 1857, is a carpenter and contractor of 
 Fremont; he was married May 23, 1883, 
 to Miss Clara Potter, daughter of Henry J. 
 and Zeruiah A. (Dawley) Potter, and the 
 names and dates of birth of their children 
 are: Irene, September 5, 1884; Libbie, 
 December 7, 1885; Ella, July 14, 1888; 
 Blanche, April 18, 1891; and Stanley, 
 born August 22, 1893. (2) Sally Irene, 
 born December 21, 1862, lives with her 
 parents. (3) Elbridge B., born August 
 30, 1866, is a farmer; on November 23, 
 1889, he married Miss Ida Mclntyre, and 
 their children are Lucile, born October 
 13, 1890, and Gladys, born February 19, 
 1 89 1. (4) Mary Inez, born July 28, 
 1869, lives with her parents. (5) Daniel 
 M., Jr., a carpenter, lives with his par- 
 ents, and works at his trade with his 
 brothers. 
 
 HON. HOMER EVERETT. Per- 
 haps no one of the early pioneers 
 of Sandusky county contributed 
 more to make its local history, 
 and took more pains to put on record the 
 stirring events which occurred when the 
 wilderness of the Black Swamp began to 
 be cleared up, and the little Indian trad- 
 ing-post called Lower Sandusky (now 
 Fremont) first sprang into prominence as 
 a thriving village of enterprising white 
 people, than the subject of this sketch. 
 His literary tastes, his official positions, 
 
 his wide acquaintance, his social nature, 
 his habit of writing down the incidents 
 and events which he gathered from fre- 
 quent visits and conversations with the 
 early settlers, and his powers of oratory, 
 by which he presented, in the form of his- 
 torical lectures, the well-digested results 
 of his investigations, all rendered him 
 very useful to the community, and en- 
 titled him to the lasting gratitude of his 
 fellow citizens, and the honor of being 
 the first pioneer historian of Sandusky 
 county. 
 
 Hon. Homer Everett, son of Jere- 
 miah and Elizabeth (Emery) Everett, was 
 born in Huron county, Ohio, January 30, 
 1 8 1 3. W^hen two years old he came with 
 his parents to Lower Sandusky. His 
 school education was such as could be 
 picked up in the wilderness at that early 
 day, his teachers being Justus and Ezra 
 Williams, Edson Goit and Samuel Crow- 
 ell. He grew up amid the toils, cares 
 and privations of the early settlers, shar- 
 ing the hardships of the common people; 
 but he was alwaj^s cheerful and hopeful. 
 At the age of seventeen he left the farm 
 upon which he had spent his early boy- 
 hood, and entered the store of Jesse S. 
 Olmsted, in which he rendered faithful 
 service about six years. In 1837 he was 
 appointed postmaster at Lower Sandus- 
 ky, by Martin Van Buren, and while serv- 
 ing in this office he was also deputy clerk 
 of courts, under James A. Scranton. In 
 1839 he was elected sheriff of the county, 
 resigning the office of postmaster, and was 
 re-elected sheriff. He commenced read- 
 ing law in 1834, improving his leisure 
 time in so doing until 1841, when he was 
 admitted to the bar. He now resigned 
 his office as sheriff, and began the practice 
 of law with Nathaniel B. Eddy, of Lower 
 Sandusky; was subsequently a partner of 
 L. B. Otis, who afterward removed to 
 Chicago. On various occasions he was 
 member of the city council, for several 
 years township clerk, one of the first 
 members of the City Board of Education, 
 
326 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in which body he served fifteen years, 
 and was mayor of Fremont two terms. 
 
 In 1847 he retired from the practice 
 of law for the purpose of leading a more 
 quiet Hfe on a farm, but was soon re- 
 called by the votes of the people. In 
 1848 he found himself in the chair of the 
 county auditor, which office he held two 
 terms. At the close of his second term 
 he resumed the practice of law, entering 
 into partnership with Gen. R. P. Buck- 
 land. In 1S62, Mr. Buckland retired 
 from the practice to enter the arm}'. 
 During the Civil war Mr. Everett made 
 many eloquent speeches in favor of the 
 enlistment of Union soldiers. In 1866 he 
 formed a partnership with James H. 
 Fowler, an e.\-soldier, who had been his 
 law student. In 1867 Mr. Everett was 
 elected to the Ohio Senate, and in 1869 
 was re-elected to the same position. He 
 fostered the Akron school law, and was 
 on the select committee which construct- 
 ed the first municipal code for the State 
 of Ohio. On his return home he again 
 resumed the practice of law. In 1881-82 
 he furnished valuable records for the His- 
 tory of Sandusky county, to H. Z. Will- 
 iams & Bro., publishers, Cleveland, 
 Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Everett was married, in 1837, to 
 Miss Hannah Bates, of Sandusky county. 
 She died in 1840, leaving an infant 
 daughter, Hannah Bates Everett, who, in 
 1856, became the wife of Henry Hatfield, 
 and had two sons — one living in Kansas 
 and one in Colorado. Mr. Everett, for 
 his second wife, married in December, 
 1842, Mrs. Albina Brush, widow of John 
 T. Brush, and by her had two sons and 
 two daughters: (i) George, who was 
 telegraph operator for Gen. Thomas at 
 Nashville, Tenn., during the Civil war, 
 and died at home in 1874. (2) Charles 
 Egbert, who was a soldier in the naval 
 service during the Civil war (he married 
 Miss Hattie Tindall, of Ballville town- 
 ship, and their children are — Eddie and 
 Nellie, living at the old homestead; he 
 
 learned and follows the trade of cabinet 
 making). (3) Albina Elizabeth, a teach- 
 er, who was married at Osborne City, 
 Kans. , to Frederick Yoxall, a native of 
 England, and they have two daughters. 
 (4) Lillie, a very fine musician, who mar- 
 ried James A. Wilson, a hardware mer- 
 chant, of Osborne, Kans. ; they have one 
 daughter. The second wife of Homer 
 Everett died in 1855, ^"d in 1873 he 
 married Miss Minerva E. Justice, daugh- 
 ter of James Justice. The death of Homer 
 Everett occurred on June 22, 18S7, at 
 the home of his daughter, in Kansas, and 
 his remains were brought to Fremont, 
 Ohio, for interment in Oakwood Ceme- 
 tery. The Fremont Bar Association and 
 Brainard Lodge, F. &. A. M., of which 
 he was a member, each passed fitting 
 resolutions of respect to his honored 
 memory. 
 
 AHORNUNG. A striking illustra- 
 tion of that time-worn proverb fa- 
 miliar to every school boy, "tall 
 oaks from little acorns grow, " is 
 seen in the business career of the geptleman 
 whose name opens this sketch, and who 
 is a member of the well-known firm of 
 Zorn, Hornung & Co., leading citizens 
 and pioneer merchants of the town of 
 Gibsonburg, Sandusky county. The sim- 
 ple story of his life shows that there is 
 always a chance for the boy or man who 
 takes hold of fortune with strong hands 
 and steady will, and compels her to be- 
 stow those gifts which the timid suppli- 
 cant can never win. 
 
 Mr. Hofnung was born March 7, 
 1842, in Washington township, Sandusky 
 county, son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Sick- 
 endahler) Hornung. This worthy couple 
 were natives of Germany, where they 
 were married, and whence, in 1833, they 
 emigrated to America, settling in Penn- 
 sylvania near Allentown, where they lived 
 for about six years. They then came to 
 Ohio, settling in Washiogton township^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPUWAL RECORD. 
 
 327 
 
 Sandusky county, on a farm, where they 
 remained during the rest of tfieir hves. 
 The father, whose birth took place in 
 1796, died in 1871, the mother, who was 
 born in 1807, surviving him until 1892. 
 Mr. Hornung was a Democrat, and both 
 he and his wife were consistent members 
 of the Lutheran Church. Their family 
 consisted of si.x children: Charlotte, who 
 married Aaron Krotzer, of Gibsonburg; 
 Caroline, who married Adam Ansted, and 
 lives in Washington township; Mary; 
 Tilman, residingin Washington township; 
 our subject comes next; and Jacob, who 
 lives in Gibsonburg; two children died 
 when infants. 
 
 The subject of this sketch spent his 
 early days upon his father's farm, per- 
 forming the many tasks which fall to the 
 lot of a farmer's bo}', with scanty sources 
 of amusement or pleasure, and but 
 small opportunity to acquire an educa- 
 tion. At the age of fifteen, tiring of 
 the monotonous life in the country, 
 determined to strike out for himself, 
 he commenced and served an apprentice- 
 ship in the shoemaking trade under Mr. 
 Zoxn, his present partner, who was then 
 located at Hessville, Sandusky county. 
 Here he remained some six years, making 
 his home with Mr. Zorn, with whom he 
 boarded nine years. At the end of six 
 years he bought the shoe business from 
 Mr. Zorn, carried it on for three years, 
 and then formed a partnership with his 
 old employer. 
 
 The new firm continued in business at 
 Hessville until 1S71, when, seeing that 
 the present location of Gibsonburg bade 
 fair to become a leading point in the 
 county, they decided to open a branch of 
 their business there, Mr. Hornung taking 
 charge of the same. The first building 
 put up in the present town was his store. 
 It was erected on the corner now occu- 
 pied by the large and commodious struc- 
 ture in which their present extensive mer- 
 cantile business is now carried on, and it 
 is around this pioneer establishment that 
 
 21 
 
 the present flourishing village of Gib- 
 sonburg has crystallized. The entire busi- 
 ness of the firm was soon centered at this 
 point, and it has been steadily growing in 
 size and importance. Not content with 
 this, these energetic men have constantly 
 had in view the progress and enlargement 
 of their chosen community, and have 
 been prominent factors in its growth and 
 prosperity. At the present time they are 
 carrying on, in addition to their flourish- 
 ing mercantile business, the manufacture 
 of lime; have erected an elevator, and 
 stave heading factory; established a 
 creamery, and, besides, are pioneers in 
 the gas and oil producing business, now 
 owning and operating a gas plant and ex- 
 tensive oil fields with many oil wells. It 
 is generally an unwise thing to have so 
 many "irons in the fire," but the un- 
 doubted ability and well-known energy, 
 perseverance and excellent judgment al- 
 ways evinced by Mr. Hornung and his 
 partner in the management of their large 
 ventures, are a guarantee of their success 
 in whatever direction they turn their at- 
 tention. They are valuable citizens of 
 Gibsonburg, and as such command the 
 respect and esteem of all who know them. 
 On April 8, 1867, Mr. Hornung was 
 married in Washington township, to Miss 
 Catherine Stotz, who was born in Ger- 
 many May 28, 1842. Four children have 
 been born to them: Elizabeth, George, 
 Charles and Julia; of these, George is a 
 member of the firm, Charles being in its 
 employ as bookkeeper; the daughters are 
 at home. In politics Mr. Hornung is a 
 Democrat, and he and his wife are mem- 
 bers of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 M 
 
 ICHAEL OBERST. Jr., a 
 farmer of Sanduskj' township, 
 Sandusky county, was born in 
 that township December 8, 
 1848, a son of Michael, Sr. , and Anna 
 (Mohler) Oberst. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in 
 
828 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 October, 1811, in Prussia, German}', 
 grew up there, and came to America 
 about the year 1844. He settled in San- 
 dusky township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 and worked as a farmer in Sandusky 
 and Ottawa counties. At the outbreak 
 of the Mexican war he volunteered in the 
 U. S. military service, and served under 
 Gen. Scott, afterward returning to San- 
 dusky county. After his marriage he 
 settled where he now resides. In the 
 war of the Rebellion he joined the Union 
 army, serving during the last year. He 
 is one of the few Mexican war pensioners 
 living in Sandusk}' count3^ In politics he 
 is a Democrat, and in religious faith he 
 is a member of the Lutheran Church. 
 Mrs. Oberst was born in Switzerland 
 October 27, 1829, and is still living. 
 Their children were: Michael, our sub- 
 ject; John, who died when six years old; 
 Daniel, living in Millersville, Sandusky 
 county, who married Miss Burgoon, by 
 whom he has two children — Ralph and 
 Merven; Mary Ann, unmarried, who is 
 living at home with her parents; and 
 George, who died when ten years of age. 
 Our subject was reared in Sandusky 
 county, and was educated in the public 
 schools. In 1873 he married Miss Sarah 
 Lobdill, who was born in Sandusky coun- 
 ty, July 18, 1854, and their children 
 are: Olive, Charles, Lucy, Frank, Anna, 
 Earl and Clair. Mr. Oberst now owns a 
 portion of the old homestead on which he 
 was reared. He is recognized as one of 
 the leading, progressive men among the 
 3'ounger agriculturists in the township, is 
 a competent business man, and adopts the 
 most advanced ideas and business meth- 
 ods. He was formerly a Republican; but 
 awakening to a strong realization of the 
 many evils consequent to the liquor traffic 
 he identified himself some years ago with 
 the Prohibition party. He is one of the 
 leaders in the temperance cause in his 
 community, has served as State delegate 
 to Prohibition conventions, and is work- 
 ing for the interest of the party. 
 
 GEORGE H. WAGGONER, owner 
 of a valuable farm in Sandusky 
 township, Sandusky count}', is a 
 native of the county, born No- 
 vember 10, 1851, in Washington town- 
 ship, where he spent his boyhood days, 
 and received his early education, later 
 attending one term at Oberlin College. 
 
 Mr. Waggoner remained on the home 
 farm until twenty-three years of age. On 
 December 10, 1874, he was married to 
 Miss Mary E. Engler, of Sandusky town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, in the same house 
 in which they have since lived. Shortly 
 after their marriage his father purchased 
 the farm — 142 acres — for which he paid 
 $1 5,000, and later deeded the entire tract 
 to his son George in consideration of 
 $3,000. Here the latter has resided since 
 his marriage, during which time he has 
 much improved the place, in the way of 
 under-drainings, erecting new buildings, 
 etc., in general making it one of the best 
 farms in Sandusky county. While Mr. 
 Waggoner has been engaged in general 
 farming, he has also paid much attention 
 to the raising of good stock, including 
 horses, cattle and sheep, and he is a pros- 
 perous, thorough-going agriculturist. To 
 Mr. and Mrs. Waggoner have come four 
 children: Orie Odell, born September 2, 
 1878, has attended the district school and 
 paid special attention to music, having 
 been organist for the past three years at 
 Mount Calvary U. B. Church; Chester 
 C, born July 20, 1881, has attended the 
 home school (he is interested in the Sun- 
 day-school); Vernie May was born October 
 II, 1886 (she is taking music lessons); 
 and Elmer E. , born November 30, 1889. 
 Samuel Waggoner, father of George 
 H. Waggoner, was born December 12, 
 1827, in Perry county, Ohio. About 
 1830 he came with his parents to Wash- 
 ington township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 where he made his home until within the 
 past three years, since when he has lived 
 in Fremont. His wife, Sarah fMiller), 
 was born August 28, 1831, in Ohio, and 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 329 
 
 they were married in February, 1851. 
 To their union were born nine children, of 
 whom George H. is the oldest; Caroline 
 died in infancy; Clara is the wife of H. 
 A. Bolan, and has one child; Eugene 
 married Hattie Bo3er, and died in 1892; 
 Henry married Emma Carr, and has two 
 children; Malvina, Mrs. Charles Keefer, 
 of Sandusky township, has four children; 
 Charles E. married Ellen King; Hattie is 
 Mrs. Chester Wolf; Miland D. died at the 
 age of fifteen. Mr. Waggoner's paternal 
 grandfather, George Waggoner, was born 
 November 10, 179S. and died at the age 
 of ninety-six years; the grandmother, 
 Margaret (Klinglerj, was born May 10, 
 1802, and had nine children, three of 
 whom are living. At the time of his 
 death the great-grandfather owned and 
 lived on the farm our subject now owns. 
 Great-grandfather John Waggoner was a 
 member of George Washington's body- 
 guard during the Revolution. Mr. Wag- 
 goner's maternal grandfather, Isaac Miller, 
 was born July 19, 1805, and was killed 
 during the construction of the Lake Shore 
 & Michigan Southern railroad, in 1847; 
 his wife, Elizabeth (Stierwalt), was born 
 July 5, 1800, and they had three chil- 
 dren, all of whom are living. They were 
 all early pioneers of Sandusky county. 
 
 Mrs. Marj' E. Waggoner was born 
 December 4, 1854, in W^ashington town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, and when a child 
 moved with her parents to Sandusky 
 township, where she has since lived. She 
 was educated in the district schools of 
 Sandusky township, and for five terms 
 was one of the leading teachers of the 
 county. Her father, Nehemiah Engler, 
 was born February 17, 1832, in Ohio, 
 where he is still living. He was one of 
 the leaders of the Democratic party in 
 Sandusky county, served as county in- 
 firmary director six years, and is now on 
 his farm in Washington township. His 
 wife, Sarah A. fShively), was born July 
 10, 1835, in Ohio. They were married 
 June 4, 1854, and their union was blessed 
 
 with six children: Mary (Mrs. Wag- 
 goner), William W. (married Alice Hen- 
 ricks, and they have one child), Minerva 
 Jane (Mrs. N. Hetrick, who has three 
 children and lives in Kansas), Hattie 
 Odell (Mrs. F. Karbler, of Fremont, who 
 has one child), Perry Sherman (of Find- 
 lay, who married Sophia Elky, and they 
 have one child), and Joseph Rollin (who 
 died at the age of twenty-two). Mrs. 
 W'aggoner's paternal grandfather, David 
 Engler, was born March 27, 1797, and 
 his wife, Edith (Burgoon), was born June 
 8, 1803. He died about 1856, but she 
 survived to the advanced age of nearly 
 eighty-eight years. To them were born 
 nine children, of whom seven are now liv- 
 ing. The maternal grandfather, Joseph 
 Shively, was born March 30, 18 12, and his 
 wife, Susan (Overmyer), was born April 16, 
 1 809. To them came nine children, all yet 
 living. The grandparents on both sides 
 were early pioneers of Sandusky county. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Waggoner have been 
 prominent members of the United Breth- 
 ren Church since 1874, and have been act- 
 ive in all lines of Church and Sunday- 
 school work since their marriage. For 
 twenty years Mr. W' aggoner has been su- 
 perintendent of the Sunday-school of Mt. 
 Calvary U. B. Church, of which his estim- 
 able wife has been Church chorister for 
 nearly a score of years. He has been a 
 trustee of the Church and parsonage for 
 fifteen years, and the life of the Church 
 and Sunday-school isduein alarge measure 
 to the untiring efforts of himself and wife. 
 Mr. Waggoner is also deeply interested in 
 educational matters, and has been school 
 director for six years. His visit to the 
 World's Fair was as much a matter of in- 
 tellectual development as of recreation. 
 
 FW. SANDWISCH, a retired 
 farmer of Woodville township, 
 Sandusky county, and an ex-coun- 
 ty official, who in past years has 
 been among the most prominent and pro- 
 
330 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 gressive public characters of the county, 
 is a native of Germany. 
 
 He was born in Hanover May 7, 1819, 
 the youngest son of Rudolph and Jane 
 (Daterman) Sandwisch. The mother 
 died at the age of fifty-eight years, and 
 the father attained the age of eighty-two 
 years. They had five children, as fol- 
 lows: (l) Rudolph, who was born in 
 February, 1805, and married Catherine 
 Sandwisch; he had two children — Henry 
 and Maggie — both married, the former to 
 Christina Meyers, the latter to Fred Puck. 
 
 (2) Herman, who married Catherine 
 Margee; their five children are William, 
 who married Clarinda Swartzman, and has 
 three children (she lives at Fremont]; 
 Mary, widow of Jacob Bishop and mother 
 of five children, living at Toledo; Louisa 
 who married Benedict Emch and has five 
 children, a resident of Woodville; John, 
 a wagon-maker at Bowling Green, mar- 
 ried to Almira Gallup, and has four chil- 
 dren; Emma, wife of Charles Brett, and 
 mother of one son, lives at Atlanta, Ga. 
 
 (3) Jane, who married Herman Gismort, 
 and died in Germany in 1879, aged sev- 
 enty years, leaving one child. (4) Chris- 
 tian, born in 18 17, married to a Miss 
 Reader, by whom he had five children. 
 (5) F. W. , subject of this sketch. 
 
 In 1836 F. W. Sandwisch, then sev- 
 enteen years of age, ventured alone into 
 a strange and distant land to seek his for- 
 tune. Taking passage in a sailing ves- 
 sel, he seven weeks later landed at New 
 York. His supply of money quickly be- 
 came exhausted, and he secured a posi- 
 tion on a steamboat, plj'ing on Lake Erie 
 between Buffalo and Detroit. He re- 
 mained on the boat all of one season. In 
 1839 he married Louisa Clousing, who 
 was born in 181 5. Three children blessed 
 this union, as follows: (l) John, a farm- 
 er of Woodville township, born Novem- 
 ber 5, 1 84 1, and married to Eliza Me3'er; 
 they have eight children — Dora, George, 
 Gust, Maggie, Martha. Martin, Carrie and 
 William. (2) Herman, retired farmer of 
 
 Woodville township, born April 28, 1844, 
 married Amelia Winegart; they are the 
 parents of five children — Ella, ^^^illiam, 
 Aaron, Nora and Paul. (3) Frederick, 
 born July 17, 1850; he married Lucy 
 Schroeder, and has si.\ children — Carl, 
 Sophia, Frederick. Joseph. Fred and Eu- 
 gene; he is a carpenter, and erected the 
 first building at Woodville, where he now 
 lives. 
 
 After his marriage our subject worked 
 for a time at the carpenter's trade. Liv- 
 ing for a 3'ear in Perrysburg, he then came 
 to the "Black Swamp." He worked for 
 a year on the pike road in Troy township, 
 Wood county, then purchased forty acres 
 of wild land for $200. He built a log 
 cabin and made other improvements, then 
 sold the property and bought seventy 
 acres. This, too, he disposed of advan- 
 tageously soon after, and bought the 160 
 acres where he now lives. The ravages 
 of the cholera were severe when he first 
 settled in the swamp, and his brothers 
 perished from the epidemic while he was 
 on his way for a doctor. Mr. Sandwisch 
 owned the first ox-team in Woodville 
 township. He had to go eighteen miles 
 to mill, and the trip consumed several 
 days. He was an extensive dealer in 
 horses and cattle, and in i860 lost twenty- 
 four head of fine cattle. 
 
 Mrs. Louisa Sandwisch died October 
 24, 1855, of consumption, and for his 
 second wife our subject was married to 
 Angeline Bossan, who was born in Ger- 
 many November 8, 1833, daughter of 
 Henry and Gertie Bossan. Her father 
 died in Germany in 1871, aged sixty-nine 
 years, her mother in 1875, aged seventy- 
 four years. Mr. and Mrs. Bossan were 
 the parents of five children: Clement, 
 Henrietta, Henry, Frederick and Ange- 
 line. The second marriage of Mr. Sand- 
 wisch was blessed with ten children, as 
 follows: (i) Edward, a farmer of Wood- 
 ville township, born December 26, 1856; 
 he was married in April, 1880. to Annie 
 Stein, by whom he has five children — 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEWAL RECORD. 
 
 331 
 
 Edith, Edward, Dora, Mary and Lizzie. 
 (2) Henry, born July i8, 1858, lives, un- 
 married, in Woodville. (3) Carrie, born 
 March 9, i860, married John Hurrel- 
 brink, and is the mother of three children 
 — Augusta, William and Edward. (4) 
 Jennie, born August 9, 1862, married 
 Herman Linke, a farmer of Woodville 
 township; they have two children, Edith 
 and Lizzie. (5) William, born April 18, 
 1865, is at home. (6) Charles, born 
 January 26, 1868, is at home. (7) Man- 
 uel, born December 29, i86g, is also at 
 home. (8) Louisa, born December i, 
 1 87 1. (9) Frank, born March 22, 1874. 
 (10) Sophia, born June 8, 1876. In 1884 
 Mr. Sandwisch retired from active farm- 
 ing, and his sons now operate the farm. 
 In 1873 he was elected county commis- 
 sioner, and re-elected for a second term, 
 but on account of ill health he declined 
 the honor. Mr. Sandwisch has also held 
 various other local offices. The family 
 attend the Lutheran Church, and is 
 among the most popular and enterprising 
 of the count)'. — [Since the above was 
 written we have been notified of the death 
 of Mr. F. W. Sandwisch, which occurred 
 October 24, 1895. He died of old age, 
 at the age of seventy-six years, had been 
 aihng ever since January, 1895, and was 
 confined to his bed for three months prior 
 to his decease. — Editor. 
 
 RICHARD WILLEY. a retired farm- 
 er of Rice township, Sandusky 
 county, deserves honorable men- 
 tion as one of the early pioneers 
 of the county. He was born in Tomp- 
 kins county, N. Y., February 15, 1817, a 
 son of Eleazar and Mary (Lane) Willey. 
 Eleazar Willey was a well-to-do far- 
 mer in the Empire State, who came with 
 his family to Huron county, Ohio, in 1829, 
 where he bought a large farm, and re- 
 mained on it about six years. Ha\ing in 
 the meantime lost nearly all his property 
 by going surety for a neighbor, he sold 
 
 out, removed to the Black Swamp, west 
 of Lower Sandusky, and bought 400 
 acres of partly-improved land. The title 
 to this land not being satisfactorj', he 
 abandoned it, and bought 300 acres in the 
 south part of Rice township, on the west 
 bank of the Sandusky river. Here he 
 cleared up a home, and followed farming 
 after the custom of the early pioneers. 
 The children of Eleazar and Mary Willey 
 were: Abraham, Isaac, Rhoda, Eleazar, 
 Richard (our subject), Sarah Ann, Jane, 
 and Naomi, all of whom are dead except 
 Richard and Jane. The father died Au- 
 gust 17, 1852, aged seventy years, and 
 the mother on January i, 1866, aged 
 eighty-two. All of those who died, ex- 
 cept Sarah, are buried in Brier Hill Ceme- 
 tery, located on the Willey farm; Sarah 
 died in Kansas. 
 
 Richard Willey spent his childhood in 
 New York State, his youth in the Fire 
 Lands of Huron county, and grew to 
 manhood on his father's farm in Rice 
 township, Sandusky Co., Ohio. He en- 
 tered with a zest into both the toils and 
 the pastimes of pioneer life, was an ex- 
 pert marksman, and kept the family well 
 supplied with wild game. He delighted 
 to hunt deer and wild turkeys in the deep 
 woods, and to shoot wild geese and ducks 
 on the river and in the marshes. He 
 often went to mill for his neighbors who 
 had no teams, wending his way through 
 the woods and across streams of water, to 
 Cold Creek (now Castalia), in Erie county. 
 His book learning was limited to only a 
 few weeks of irregular attendance at a 
 country school. On March 4, 1847, he 
 married Miss Harriet Walker, who was 
 born July I, 1825. a daughter of David 
 and Elizabeth \\'alker, at that time neigh- 
 bors of the Willeys. About the year 
 1850 Mr. Willey removed to Rollersville, 
 Ohio, and there burned lime one year; 
 then returned to the Willey farm, which 
 has been his home ever since. 
 
 The children of Richard and Harriet 
 Willey were: (i) Eliza, who April 26, 
 
332 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 1893, married Alfred Berlincourt, who 
 was a minister of the Christian Church 
 about ten 3'ears in Paulding county, Ohio, 
 then joined the M. E. Church, at Find- 
 lay, Ohio, and the Central Ohio Confer- 
 ence at Fremont, June 13, 1894; his 
 death occurred near Findlay, September 
 9, 1894. (2) George W. , who married 
 Lydia Wiliey, and lives at Bronson Sta- 
 tion, Branch Co., Mich. (3) Mary E., 
 born September 16, 1853, who March 27, 
 1879, married Wallace, son of James and 
 Mary (Fry) Scrimger, formerly of Allegan 
 county, Mich. Richard Wiliey and his 
 wife have lived to a venerable old age. 
 Their land is now farmed by their son-in- 
 law, Wallace Scrimger. They are mem- 
 bers of the M. E. Church. 
 
 The following is a brief account of 
 Mrs. Willey's parents' family. The chil- 
 dren of David and Elizabeth Walker 
 were: (i) Mary Ann, wife of Richard 
 Parham, of Burr Oak, Mich. ; she died 
 leaving three sons — Aaron, Ann and Lo- 
 rin, all of whom are now heads of fam- 
 ilies. (2) William, who married Hattie 
 Gifford; both have died, leaving several 
 children in Michigan and California. (3) 
 Fannie, wife of Abraham Wiliey, brother 
 of Richard; they had four children, two 
 of whom, Alfred and Lydia, are heads of 
 families. (4) Welcome, who married 
 Abigail Mitchell, of Iowa; they have three 
 children — Everett, Ira and Ella, all mar- 
 ried and heads of families. (Mi.ss Nellie 
 Walker, daughter of Everett, at the age 
 of seventeen manifested remarkable apt- 
 ness and genius in the line of sculpture, 
 having executed a marble bust of Abra- 
 ham Lincoln, with rude tools picked up 
 in her father's marble shop, without any 
 previous instruction in the art of sculp- 
 ture, and guided in her design with noth- 
 ing but a picture of Mr. Lincoln, which 
 she had torn out of a book and tacked on 
 aboard. She finished the .task in less 
 than a month, besides helping her mother 
 meanwhile in domestic work. The bust 
 in question was exhibited at the Colum- 
 
 bian Fair in Chicago, and was pronounced 
 by an old neighbor of Mr. Lincoln as the 
 most natural he had ever seen. Miss 
 Walker has since that time executed very 
 satisfactory busts for other parties. She 
 resides at Moulton, Iowa). (5) Eunice, 
 wife of John Myers, a farmer, living in 
 Seneca county, Ohio, who has six chil- 
 dren, married. (6) Eliza, wife of Wash- 
 ington Alexander, now living in Michigan. 
 (7) Harriet, wife of our subject. (8) W. 
 G. Walker, an artist, residing at Ottumwa, 
 Iowa. (9) Mrs. Maria Fowler, of Fre- 
 mont, Ohio. 
 
 HG. HOUSE, farmer, Green Creek 
 township, Sandusky county, was 
 born in Switzerland, March 16, 
 1833, a son of Jacob and Mary 
 (Hooser) House, also natives of Switzer- 
 land, who emigrated to America in 1847, 
 landing at New York Cit}'. From there 
 they at once proceeded to Lower San- 
 dusky (now Fremont), Ohio, where the 
 father worked at his trade as a stone 
 mason, and soon after bought a farm of 
 fort}' acres in Rile)' township, which they 
 made their home. 
 
 Jacob House was born June 3, 1800, 
 and died in September, 1874. He was a 
 Democrat in politics, and a member of 
 the Roman Catholic Church. Mary 
 Hooser, mother of our subject, was born 
 in 1798, and died in April, 1874. Five 
 of their children grew to maturity, of 
 whom H. G. House is the oldest; John is 
 a marble cutter in California; Casper died 
 at the age of forty-nine years; Matthew is 
 a stone mason in Fremont, Ohio; Mary 
 married Joseph Huttinger, and is living 
 east of Fremont. After coming to 
 America H. G. House learned the trade 
 of a stonemason, at which he worked at 
 intervals for about twenty years, at the 
 same time operating his farm in Riley 
 township, Sandusky county. In 1857 he 
 took a trip to California, b\' the Panama 
 route, and spent several years on the Pa- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 833 
 
 cific coast. He worked on a farm and in 
 the mines; spent six months in British 
 Columbia, assisted in building a pack- 
 horse road for the Hudson Bay Company, 
 and in 1861 he returned to Fremont, 
 Ohio. 
 
 On November 5, 1861, our subject 
 married Miss Catharine Bisang, born at 
 Buffalo, N. Y., in March, 1S41, and they 
 have thirteen children, all of whom are liv- 
 ing: Mary M., born May 2 I, 1863, married 
 Philip \\'amus, who lives in Sandusky 
 county (they have three children — Rosa, 
 Clarence, \\'illiam); Amelia, married to 
 Barney Halbeiscn, a farmer of Ballville 
 township (they have six children — Laura, 
 Louisa, Louis, Clarence, Leona, Urban), 
 Charles married Katie Young, and they 
 have two children — Louisa, Carl; Joseph 
 is a carpenter of Portland, Ore. ; Laura 
 married John Weiss, an employe at the 
 Carbon Works, Fremont, Ohio (they have 
 one child — Leona); and William H., 
 Catharine, Rosa M., Martha L., Aloisius 
 H., Francis, Helen, and Antonio. Mrs. 
 House is a daughter of Joseph and Mar- 
 aret (Geiger) Bisang. Her father was 
 born in Alsace, France, married there to 
 his first wife, and came with her to 
 America; she died in Buffalo, N. Y. They 
 had children as follows: Theresa, Mary, 
 Joseph, and Peter. For his second wife 
 Mr. Bisang married Margaret Geiger, 
 and by her had six children: (i) Mar- 
 garet, who married Samuel Babione, and 
 died in Ballville township, Sandusky 
 county; (2j Elizabeth, born October 14, 
 1844, who married John P. Baker, a 
 merchant tailor, of French descent, who 
 worked at his trade in Fremont, and died 
 in 1877; (3) Magdalena, who married 
 George Fend, and is now living at Port 
 Angeles, Wash. ; (4) Mary, who married 
 John Schaff, now of Helena, Mont., and 
 (5) Caroline, who married George Dun- 
 ning, an undertaker at Portland, Ore. 
 Mrs. House lived in Buffalo, X. Y., until 
 twelve years of age, and then came to 
 Sandusky county. Her father was born 
 
 in 1793, and died in Fremont, Ohio, in 
 1874; her mother was born in Baden, 
 Germany, November 24, 1804, and died 
 March 14, 1894, at the home of her 
 daughter, near Fremont. 
 
 WILLIAM HUMMEL, a well- 
 known resident of York town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, is the 
 eldest son of William and Clara 
 (Walter) Hummel, and was born in Sny- 
 der county, Penn., April 24, 1843. He 
 grew up to habits of thrift, frugality, and 
 strict moralit}', which he at present pos- 
 sesses to a marked degree. 
 
 For more than i 50 years the Hummel 
 family have resided in Pennsylvania. 
 They are noted for physical stamen and 
 indefatigable industry. William Hummel, 
 Sr. , inherited these qualities, and during 
 his life was rarely, if ever, deterred from 
 important undertakings by difficulties, and 
 was noted for his hardiness and firmness 
 of character. He was born in 181 3 in 
 Union county, and in 1842 was united in 
 marriage with Clara Walter, born in 1818, 
 daughter of Conrad Walter, a Lutheran 
 preacher. Mr. Hummel died in 1861; 
 his wife passed away in the spring of 1S94. 
 William, the subject of this sketch, was 
 the eldest in the family of William Hum- 
 mel, Sr. , and Clara, his wife. Moses, 
 the second son, died in 1872, leaving a 
 widow and two children; his widow has 
 married John Boyer, of Seneca county, 
 and Emma Jane, his daughter, married 
 Mr. Acker, also of Huron county. Aaron, 
 the third child, married Amanda Stin- 
 inger, and lives on the old homestead in 
 Pennsylvania. Benjamin also lives in 
 Snyder county. Catherine, the only 
 daughter, died in 1880. John, the young- 
 est of the family, is a farmer of Union 
 county; he married a Miss Weaver. 
 
 On Christmas Day, 1862, William 
 Hummel was united in marriage with Miss 
 Elizabeth Aigler, daughter of Amos and 
 Armina (Bobb) Aigler. She was born in 
 
334 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Juniata county, Penn., November 9, 1842, 
 and was raised in Snyder county. Irvine 
 W. , who lives at Mt. Pleasant, York 
 township, is the eldest child of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Hummel, and was born February 3, 
 1864. In 1885 he was united in marriage 
 with Anna Gemberling, of Snyder coun- 
 ty, Penn., and they have two children 
 — William Aigler and Sophara Pickert. 
 Mr. and Mrs. William Hummel's other 
 child, still living, Lillie Marguerite, born 
 April 23, 1876, is the wife of John Kern, 
 a farmer of York township, and they have 
 one child — Laurel Celestine. Four chil- 
 dren of our subject and wife have died, 
 as follows: Charles P., born February 
 4, 1867, died April 6, 1867; Calvin E., 
 born May 15, 1870, died August 31, 1870; 
 Carrie E., born November 5, 1871, died 
 August 31. 1872; and Mabel S., born 
 May 7, 1882, died June 11, 1882. Mr. 
 Hummel has ever been an ardent cham- 
 pion of the principles of Republicanism, 
 and he puts his preaching to practical use 
 by voting for the candidates of that party. 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Hummel are members 
 of the Evangelical Church. 
 
 JF. GERWIN, a substantial farmer 
 of Woodville township, Sandusky 
 county, was born in Hanover, Ger- 
 many, May I, 1842, son of Christian 
 and Julia (Linnerbrink) Gerwin, who were 
 born August 14, 181 i, and September 17, 
 1816, respectively. 
 
 Christian Gerwin came to America 
 in 1835, and after a short sojourn returned 
 to Germany. In 1842 he again came to 
 this country, and same year located in 
 Ohio. He married Julia Linnerbrink, and 
 they had seven children, as follows: J. F. 
 is the subject of this sketch. William mar- 
 ried Mary Kleily, and they have had two 
 children; they live in Woodville township. 
 Angeline married Frank Hursall, a tJilor 
 by trade; she died in 1881, the mother of 
 si.x children. Caroline married Peter 
 Knaup, a farmer in Michigan, and they 
 
 have had three children. Louis married 
 Carrie Bronckseker. Eliza died young. 
 Mary died at the age of twenty-one years. 
 The father, Christian Gerwin, has traveled 
 a great deal, and is known far and near; 
 the mother died June 16, 1892, at the age 
 of seventy-si.x )-ears and two months. 
 
 J. F. Gerwin was united in marriage 
 March 28, 1878, with Eliza Blausey, who 
 was born in Woodville township, Sandusky 
 county, March 31, 1857, and they have 
 had four children, namely: Ella, born 
 March 9, 1881; Lillie and Millie ftwins), 
 born November 7, 18S5; and Julia, born 
 November 7, 1889. Mrs. Gersvin is one 
 of the si.x children of Henr}' and Mary 
 (Yeastings) Blausey. Mr. Gerwin leased 
 his land to the Standard Oil Company in 
 1 89 1, and has seven oil wells on his farm. 
 He has held several township offices, is a 
 member of the German Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church in Woodville township, and 
 is well and favorabl)- known. 
 
 HENRY L. WOTT. Among the 
 successful farmers of Sandusky 
 county none sustains a better rep- 
 utation for carefully attending to 
 his own affairs, for industr\' and thrift, 
 than does Henr\- L. Wott, whose traits, 
 thus outlined, are distinctively those of 
 his nationality, for Mr. Wott is of Ger- 
 man birth. He was born in the Kingdom 
 of Prussia May 25, 1839, son of Charles 
 and Charlotte (Wottj Wott. 
 
 Charles Wott was a farmer of some 
 note, and a squire or magistrate, an 
 office corresponding to our justice of the 
 peace. His wife's father, also a magis- 
 trate, was superintendent of a large es- 
 tate. In 1866 Charles Wott emigrated 
 with his famil}' to America. He lived 
 for a year in Venice, Erie Co., Ohio, 
 then came to Green Creek township, 
 Sandusky county, and purchased eighty 
 acres of land, where he lived and fol- 
 lowed agricultural pursuits until his death, 
 which occurred in the fall of 1868, when 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 335 
 
 he was aged sixtN-three years. In re- 
 ligious faith he was a member of the 
 Lutheran Church. His wife survived un- 
 til April 5, 1894, when she passed away 
 at the age of eighty years. They had a fam- 
 ily of twelve children, as follows: Car- 
 olina, Albertiiia, Henry L. , Charles A., 
 William (of Oak Harbor), Wilhelmina, 
 Kate, August, John, and three who died 
 in Germany. 
 
 Henry L. Wott was twenty-seven 
 years of age when he came with his 
 parents to America. He remained with 
 his father in Venice, Erie county, and 
 came with him to Green Creek township. 
 Upon his father's death, which occurred 
 about si.\ months after he had bought 
 his farm in Green Creek township, 
 Henry L. and his brother Charles pur- 
 chased the interest of the other heirs, 
 and began to farm the newly-acquired 
 home place. The}' also purchased eighty 
 acres additional, and later divided the 
 property between them, Henry L. re- 
 taining the home farm, and now owning 
 ninety acres of excellent land, eighty of 
 which are under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion. In 18S3 he erected, at a cost of 
 $3,000, a fine brick residence, carefully 
 designed and constructed. 
 
 Mr. Wott was married April 20, 
 1869, to Mary Schiska, and to them five 
 children ha\e been born: William, 
 Charles, John (deceased), Minnie and 
 Henry. In politics our subject is a Dem- 
 ocrat, and in religious faith he is an act- 
 ive member of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 A 
 
 DOLPH PETERS is an intelli- 
 gent and highly-respected citi;ren, 
 now numbered among the leading 
 farmers and stock raisers of Wood- 
 ville township, Sandusky county. He 
 wasborn in Wadenschwyl, Canton Zurich, 
 Switzerland, December 24, 1849, ^^id is 
 a son of Rudolph Peters, who was a na- 
 tive of the same locality. 
 
 The father was there employed as a 
 
 dyer in a cotton factory until the spring 
 of 1854, when he crossed the Atlantic to 
 America, locating in Ballville, Ohio. He 
 left his family in the land of his nativity 
 until he shoidd succeed in obtaining em- 
 ployment here, when he wrote for them 
 to join him in his new home. W^estern 
 life attracting him, he left Ballville for 
 Michigan, securing employment on the 
 railroad. As he had not then secured a 
 definite location in Michigan, he wrote to 
 his family to postpone their coming for a 
 short time, but before the arrival of the 
 second letter they had boarded a sailing 
 vessel, on which were two hundred other 
 passengers. After they had been some 
 days on the ocean cholera bro.ke out on 
 board, causing the death of forty passen- 
 gers. Mrs Peters was stricken with the 
 disease, but finally recovered. They 
 landed at Belgium, but after a short rest 
 again started for America, and after a 
 long and tedious voyage reached the 
 shores of the New World. They soon 
 arrived at Ballville, Ohio, but finding the 
 husband and father had left that place, 
 Mrs. Peters and her son secured employ- 
 ment as weavers in a factory, she having 
 learned the weaving business in her na- 
 tive land. As soon as the father learned 
 of the arrival of his family in this country 
 he joined them and found employment in 
 Ballville among the farming population, 
 while the other members of the family 
 secured work as they could, all helping to 
 earn a living. After a three-years' resi- 
 dence at that place they removed to Mad- 
 ison township, Sandusky count}', renting 
 a farm which they operated for three 
 years. Purchasing a tract of eighty acres 
 in Woodville township, they next removed 
 to their new home, and began clearing 
 away the timber, a dense growth of which 
 covered the land. Father and sons soon 
 made this a tract of rich fertility, and the 
 farm became one of the most highly cul- 
 tivated in the neighborhood. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Peters were born 
 the following children: (i) Henry, who 
 
MG 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 was born in Switzerland January 20, 1841, 
 and tliere acquired his education; was 
 employed in a factory in Ballville, Ohio, 
 on first coming to America; he now fol- 
 lows the occupation of farming in Wood- 
 ville township; he was married December 
 12, 1863, to Louisa Clink, a daughter of 
 Caleb Clink, and a sister of Jacob, Reu- 
 ben and A. J. Clink, all well-known resi- 
 dents of Sandusky county; she was born 
 August II, 1837, and now has six chil- 
 dren — Mary, born September 30, 1864, 
 and is the wife of Henry Hurleman, a 
 farmer of Wood county, Ohio; William 
 H., born January 26, 1866, follows farm- 
 ing and operates oil fields (he married 
 Tilley, daughter of Conrad Oberst); the 
 other children of Henry Peters are George 
 A., born May 4, 1869. died October 7, 
 1870; Charles W., January i, 1871, work- 
 ing in the oil fields; Frank C, born May 
 12, 1874, died April 24, 1875; and Lillie 
 D., born March 3, 1879; the mother of 
 this family died July 28, 1883, after which 
 Henry Peters married Annie Blausey, a 
 daughter of Henry Blausey, a farmer of 
 Madison township, Sandusky county; they 
 have four children — Raymond, born Jan- 
 uary 22, 1887; Grace M. and Mabel M., 
 born August 6, 1890; and Annette, born 
 February 14, 1895. {-) John Peters, the 
 second of the family, was born in Swit- 
 zerland May 24, 1 844, and was a farmer 
 and lumber manufacturer; he died April 
 I, 1883. (3) Adolph, subject of this 
 sketch, is the next younger. Two other 
 children died in infancy. The father of 
 this family is still living at the ripe old 
 age of eighty-six years, and makes his 
 home with his son Adolph, who tenderly 
 cares for him in his declining years. He 
 is well known throughout the communit}', 
 and is highly respected. 
 
 The gentleman whose name opens this 
 record was educated in the schools of 
 Ballville, and after school hours worked 
 in the mills. When his parents removed 
 to Madison township, Sandusky county, 
 he labored upon the farm, giving his 
 
 father the benefit of his services, and took 
 an important part in clearing the old 
 homestead and placing it under a high 
 state of cultivation. He resided thereon 
 until 1876, when in partnership with his 
 brother John he engaged in the manufac- 
 ture of lumber, devoting his time and en- 
 ergies to that business some eight years, 
 during which time he furnished employ- 
 ment to a number of men in cutting tim- 
 ber, logs, etc. On the expiration of that 
 period he sold his interest in the lumber 
 business, together with one hundred acres 
 of land, and in 1884 returned to the old 
 home place. He then purchased sixty- 
 two acres of land, which he succeeded in 
 clearing, fencing and tilling, making it a 
 tract of rich fertility. He now cultivates 
 more than 140 acres of improved land, 
 and to-day has one of the finest farms in 
 Sandusky county, complete in all its ap- 
 pointments from the substantial dwelling 
 to the outbuildings for the stock. An air 
 of neatness and thrift pervades the place, 
 and waving fields of grain indicate good 
 harvests. 
 
 Mr. Peters was married July 27, 1874, 
 in Seneca county, Ohio, to Lucy Parker, 
 who was born February 14, 1855. They 
 are the parents of six children: Edward 
 A., born June 25, 1S75, now working in 
 the oil fields; Ephraim R. , born January 
 29, 1878; John R., born November 6, 
 1880; Sarah E., born December 20, 1S76; 
 Jessie, born October 21, 1882; and Elmer 
 E., born September 27, 1888. Mr. 
 Peters is a member of Freedman Lodge, 
 No. 723, I. O. O. F. , of Wood county, 
 and in politics is independent, supporting 
 the man and not the party. He has al- 
 ways taken a deep interest in educational 
 matters, has held the office of school di- 
 rector for more than fifteen years, has 
 been clerk of the school board, and is 
 now its president. In all possible ways he 
 aids in the advancement of interests cal- 
 culated to prove of public benefit, and is 
 well-known and highly respected through- 
 out the county as a man of industry, in- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 337 
 
 tegrity and enterprising and progressive 
 ideas. His genial and kindly disposition 
 has won for him the good will of all with 
 whom he has been brought in contact, 
 either in business or social life, and he is 
 indeed a highly esteemed citizen. 
 
 GEORGE J. LEHRMAN, who for 
 many years has been identified 
 with the agricultural interests of 
 Sandusky county, is a Western 
 man by birth and training, and possessed 
 •of a true Western spirit of enterprise and 
 progress. He was born September 20, 
 1849, and is a son of Mathias and Mary 
 (Bowers) Lehrman, both of whom were 
 natives of Hanover, Germany. In 1834 
 they bade adieu to that country, and 
 crossed the Atlantic to the New World, 
 taking up their residence in Canton, Ohio; 
 but after a short time they removed to 
 Fort Wayne, Ind., where for twenty 
 years they made their home. On the ex- 
 piration of that period, they came to 
 Washington township, Sandusky count}', 
 and purchased ninety-six acres of good 
 farm land. The father carried on agri- 
 cultural pursuits throughout his life, and 
 both he and his wife spent their remain- 
 ing days on their home in Sandusky 
 county. 
 
 This worthy couple were the parents 
 of a family of ten children, namely: 
 David, who is now engaged in farming 
 in Scott township, Sandusky county; 
 Josephine, who died in infancy; John, who 
 was killed while aiding his country in the 
 Civil war; Caroline, wife of Philip 
 Kirsch, a farmer residing in Coldwater, 
 Ohio; Ellen, wife of Joseph Maers, an 
 agriculturist, living in Scott township, 
 Sandusky county; Lizzie, who became 
 the wife of Fred I^evie, and died in 1893; 
 George J., subject of this sketch; Mary, 
 wife of Joseph Weaver, a farmer, residing 
 in Madison township, Sandusky county; 
 Sarah, wife of Joseph Ottney, who also 
 •carries on agricultural pursuits in Madi- 
 
 son township; and Audulph, who died in 
 infancy. Mr. Lehrman, of whom we 
 write, spent the days of his boyhood and 
 youth in Fort Wayne, Ind., and came 
 with the family to Sandusky county, 
 Ohio. To his father he gave the benefit 
 of his services throughout his minority, 
 and even after his marriage he remained 
 at home with his parents, carrying on the 
 work of the farm. Upon his mother's 
 death he purchased the old homestead, 
 and since coming to the county has al- 
 ways lived upon this place, which is a val- 
 uable tract of land, under a high state of 
 cultivation, and well improved with the 
 accessories of a model farm. 
 
 In 1873 Mr. Lehrman was united in 
 marriage with Catherina Noss, and they 
 began their domestic life upon the old 
 homestead. Their union has been blessed 
 with a family of five children (three of 
 whom are living), namely: George, born 
 March 23, 1874; Ellen, born in 1877, 
 who died when three years old; Lena, 
 born October 15, 1879; Sylvester, born 
 September 11, 1893; and John, born 
 •July II, 1875, died in infancy. Mr. 
 Lehrman is a supporter of the Dem- 
 ocracy, and for two years served as school 
 director, but has never sought or de- 
 sired political preferment, for his time 
 and attention have been wholly taken up 
 with his business interests. He and his 
 wife are members of the Catholic Church. 
 
 WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON 
 ICKES, a prosperous farmer of 
 Madison township, Sandusky 
 count}", was born in Bedford 
 county, Penn., August 27, 1840. His 
 parents, Charles and Elizabeth (Burket) 
 Ickes, were natives of the same county, 
 and his mother's ancestors were also born 
 in Pennsylvania. Charles Ickes was born 
 September 14, 181 7, and was married in 
 Bedford county, Penn., in 1839. He car- 
 ried on farming, and is still living in that 
 State. In his early days he was a Whig, 
 
338 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 but on the formation of the Republican 
 party he joined its ranks. His wife died 
 February 9, 18S5, whenalittle over sixtj-- 
 seven years old. 
 
 Our subject is the eldest of seven chil- 
 dren, the others being: Jacob, Julia A., 
 Thomas, Simon, Mary and John, all of 
 whom live in Bedford county, Penn. 
 William H. H. Ickes spent his youth upon 
 the home farm, alternating his tasks in 
 ploughing, sowing and caring for stock 
 with attendance at the district school, and 
 acquiring such an education as can be ob- 
 tained under these circumstances. When 
 twenty-one years of age he worked out 
 one summer on a farm, and the following 
 year, 1862, he left home and came to 
 Ohio, locating first in Fremont, where he 
 remained, however, only one month. 
 Thence he went to Helena, this State, 
 where he was employed some four years 
 on the farm of Joseph Garns. Returning 
 to Fremont, he was married October 7, 
 1866, to Sarah Kemmerling, daughter of 
 Peter Kemmerling, a farmer in Sandusky 
 county, but their married life was brief, 
 the young wife dying two years thereafter, 
 on January 3, 1S69; their only child died 
 in infancy. 
 
 After his wife's death Mr. Ickes re- 
 mained with his father-in-law for nine 
 months. He was married, the second 
 time, on February 10, 1870, his bride 
 being Miss Sophia Sampsel, whose family 
 histor}' is given in the sketch of Joshua 
 Sampsel. Shortly after he removed to 
 the town of Gibsonburg, where he worked 
 by the day for two years, and then in- 
 vested in forty acres of land in Madison 
 township, to which he has since added 
 thirty acres. At the time of purchase this 
 land was covered with a dense growth of 
 timber, of which Mr. Ickes cleared forty- 
 five acres, and put under cultivation. 
 When the discovery of oil was made in 
 the township this land became very valu- 
 able; eleven oil wells were sunk, and he 
 leased fifty acres to the Hazelwood Oil 
 Company, the remaining twenty to Lieber 
 
 & Youth, of Pennsylvania. From these 
 he derives an income of $100 a month. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ickes have had two chil- 
 dren, one of whom, Franklin Harrison, 
 born February 10, 1871, died July 21, 
 1 87 1. Erma May was born June 27, 
 1882. Mr. Ickes is a Republican, and is 
 always ready to work for the good of his 
 part}-, and for the welfare of the commu- 
 nity in which he lives. He holds the of- 
 fice of road supervisor, and is faithful in 
 the discharge of his duties. Both himself 
 and wife are members of the Evangelical 
 Church, and are highly esteemed by all 
 who know them. 
 
 JOHN HENRY NIESET is the own- 
 er of an eighty-acre farm, pleasantly 
 located but a short distance from the 
 town of Gibsonburg, Sandusky coun- 
 tv- This he purchased from his father 
 about four years ago, and much of it he 
 has placed under cultivation. In this por- 
 tion of Washington township the land is 
 seemingly unfit for farming purposes, be- 
 ing largely covered with rocks; but Mr. 
 Nieset has cleared fifty acres of his place 
 which he has transformed into rich and 
 fertile fields that now yield to the owner 
 a golden tribute in return for the care and 
 cultivation which he bestows upon them. 
 The patience and labor, required to clear 
 the place, indicate two of his strongest 
 characteristics — perseverance and energy. 
 Mr. Nieset is a native of Washington 
 township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, born June 
 22, 1863, and is of German lineage. His 
 father, Andrew Nieset, was a native of 
 Prussia, Germany, and on crossing the 
 Atlantic made his way to Ohio, locating 
 in Sandusky county. He married Bridget 
 Kayler, who was born in Ohio. Our sub- 
 ject remained with them upon the home 
 farm until his marriage, and during his 
 boyhood and youth aided in the labors of 
 the fields and in the other work of the 
 farm through the summer, while in the 
 1 winter season he attended the district 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 389 
 
 schools, there acquiring a fair English edu- 
 cation, which has been supplemented by 
 business experience and contact with the 
 world, making him a well-informed man. 
 In the count}- of his nativity, he was mar- 
 ried to Miss Minnie A. Kilgus, whose peo- 
 ple are well known in the locality. She 
 was born January 30, 1867, and is one of 
 a family of ten children, four of whom are 
 yet living in Washington township, San- 
 dusky county. Five children grace the 
 union of Mr. and Mrs. Nieset — two sons 
 and three daughters — as follows: Louis, 
 born February 22, 1886; Clara, March 7, 
 1888; Mary J., March 10, 1890; Emma 
 M., August 24, 1891; and John Andrew, 
 September 8, 1893. 
 
 In his political connections, Mr. Nie- 
 set is a Democrat, having supported the 
 men and measures of that party since at- 
 taining his majority. In religious faith he 
 is a Catholic, and he is one of the enter- 
 prising young farmers of the community, 
 to whom success will come as the reward 
 of earnest and diligent effort. Idleness 
 is utterly foreign to his nature, and he 
 manages his business affairs with ability 
 which has already made him one of the 
 substantial citizens of the community. 
 
 VALENTINE SHALE, a well-to-do 
 farmer of Jackson township, San- 
 dusky county, is a native of that 
 section, born January 8, 1839, a 
 short distance east of his present residence. 
 John Shale, the father of our subject, 
 was born February 3, 1S08, in Baltimore, 
 Md., where he spent his childhood. In 
 early manhood he went to York, Penn., 
 where he learned the carpenter's trade, 
 working for a Mr. Disler. He ne.xt went, 
 in 1826, to Wayne county, Ohio, where 
 he took jobs and worked at his trade on 
 his own account, finally, in 1836, coming 
 to Jackson township, Sandusky county. 
 Here he bought eighty-acres of improved 
 land for $1,000, then eighty more for 
 $400, and other tracts, later, until he i 
 
 owned 400 acres. In 1838 he married 
 Miss Catharine Crites, a native of Stark 
 count}-, Ohio, and ten children were born 
 to them: Valentine, the subject proper 
 of this sketch; Abraham, deceased; Isaac, 
 who married Barbara Myers, by whom he 
 had three children, one of whom is now 
 deceased, and after her death wedded Lo- 
 vina Clapper, by whom he also had three 
 children: Jacob, who married Jane Eisen- 
 hood, by whom he had four children, two 
 of whom are deceased; Elizabeth, unmar- 
 ried; Mary C. , who died in childhood; Ly- 
 dia, who married David Daub, and had six 
 children; Mary, who married Levi Stahl, 
 a farmer of Jackson township; William, 
 who married Clarissa Leffler, and has two 
 children — Amanda and Samuel; and John, 
 who married Mary Gametsfelder, and has 
 five children. 
 
 Valentine Shale lived with his parents 
 on their farm until his twenty-sixth year, 
 working by turns at the carpenter's trade, 
 at farming during the summer seasons, and 
 at shoemaking or cobbling during the in- 
 clement weather. In this wa}' he ac- 
 cumulated property, and by' successive 
 purchases he has become the owner of a 
 farm of 197 acres of choice land, on which 
 he has erected substantial buildings. He 
 was a soldier in the Civil war, and in the 
 summer of 1864 served as second ser- 
 geant of Company H, One Hundred and 
 Sixty-ninth Regiment, O. V. I., four 
 months at Fort Ethan Allen, Virginia. 
 
 On January 14, 1864, Mr. Shale mar- 
 ried Miss Rebecca Mowry, who was born 
 September 18, 1836, and five children 
 came came to their union: Alice, born 
 January 14, 1866, who married George E. 
 Wise, a farmer, and has one child, Stan- 
 ley; Clara E., born May 14, 1868, who 
 became the wife of W. A. Gossard, a 
 school-teacher in Jackson township, and 
 has one child, Mildred R. ; Emma R., born 
 April 19, 1870, who became the wife of 
 E. S. Flora, a farmer of Jackson town- 
 ship, and died September 24, 1894; Will- 
 iam I., born April 29, 1873, who attends 
 
340 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 select school at Burgoon, Ohio; and Edith 
 L. , born September 19, 1879, at school. 
 Mr. Shale is a Republican in politics, and 
 he has held several offices in his township, 
 where he is highly respected. In religious 
 connection he is a member of the Evangel- 
 ical Association. 
 
 H.J^RMON HENRY TAULKER, one 
 of the oldest and most esteemed 
 citizens of Madison township, 
 Sandusky county, was born in 
 Hanover, Germany, November 26, 1838, 
 and is a son of Harmon and Angeline 
 (Niemanj Taulker. 
 
 Harmon Taulker was a tailor in the 
 old country, and in the year 1S41 sailed 
 with his family for America. They came 
 direct to Sandusky, Ohio, Mr. Taulker 
 buying thirty acres of timberland, in 
 Woodville township, Sandusky county, 
 where his death afterward occurred. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Taulker had four children, 
 namely: Eliza, who married Henry 
 Borcherding, a farmer, of Woodville 
 township; Frederick, a farmer in Madison 
 township; Harmon Henry, subject of this 
 sketch ; and Louisa, who came to America, 
 but the family have not heard from her 
 since her arrival, and it is not known by 
 them what became of her. Mr. Taulker's 
 widow married Frederick Cook, and they 
 have had three children, all living, as fol- 
 lows: Angeline, married to Fred Brock- 
 sieker, and they live in Toledo, Ohio; 
 Caroline, widow of John Bruggmeyer, 
 lives in Toledo, Ohio, and John is a 
 farmer in Woodville township. 
 
 When his parents arrived in this coun- 
 try Harmon H. Taulker was but an in- 
 fant. When old enough to attend school 
 he received such educational advantages 
 as the country schools near his home af- 
 forded. After his father's death he went 
 to the home of John Cline, a farmer in 
 the same township, and worked for him 
 by the day until he was fourteen years of 
 be, when he went to live again with his 
 
 mother (who had in the meantime remar- 
 ried), remaining there until he became of 
 age. On March 27, 1862, Harmon H. 
 Taulker was united in marriage with Louisa 
 Kuhlman, and they have had three chil- 
 dren, namely: Sophia, born October 30, 
 1863, wife of John Mauntler, a farmer of 
 Woodville township; Henry, born Jan- 
 uary 12, 1873, lives at home, attending 
 school at Gibsonburg; and August, born 
 January 30, 1875, also lives at home. Mrs. 
 Taulker's parents, William and Margaret 
 (Turenhagen) Kuhlman, lived and died in 
 Hanover, Germany. 
 
 Mr. Taulker owns 160 acres of choice 
 land, on which are seven oil wells. From 
 these he derives an income of fifty dollars 
 a month, getting every eighth barrel. His 
 home is in the heart of the oil district, 
 and but one mile from the center of Gib- 
 sonburg, and he has a fine residence, with 
 commodious and well-built barns and 
 outbuildings. Mr. Taulker is a Democrat 
 in politics, has held the office of trustee 
 for six years, was township assessor for two 
 years, and was also school director and 
 road supervisor. He and his family are 
 members of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 GEORGE L. REARICK, a farmer 
 of Sandusky township, Sandusky 
 county, was born in Union 
 county, Penn., November 2, 1834, 
 a son of William and Mary (Hassenplug) 
 Rearick. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in 
 the State of New Jersey, from which he 
 removed to Pennsylvania, Tater, in 1835, 
 to Ohio, where he settled on a farm of 
 fifty-nine acres in Sandusky township, on 
 the line of the Western Reserve and Mau- 
 mee turnpike. Here he worked at his trade 
 as a chair-maker, cleared up his land, and 
 for a time boarded the hands engaged in 
 the construction of the pike. He died at 
 i his home at the age of seventy years. 
 Our subject's mother was born in Union 
 . county, Penn., and became one of the 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 341 
 
 honored pioneers of Sandusky county, 
 Ohio, where, after a life devoted to her 
 family, she died at the age of eighty-four 
 years. Children: (i) Henry, a black- 
 smith, who died at Woodville, Ohio. (2) 
 Susannah, who married Peter Reed, had 
 two children, and died in this county. 
 (3) Mary Ellen, who married Aaron Fos- 
 ter, and had one child, Tena; this hus- 
 band died, and she afterward married 
 David Younkman; now living at Toledo, 
 Ohio. (4) George L., our subject. (5) 
 Julia Ann, who died in childhood. (6) 
 Joseph W. and William Franklin, twins; 
 Joseph W. married Martha Eversole, 
 Sandusky township; William Franklin, 
 unmarried, was a Union soldier in the 
 Third O. V. C during the Civil war; he 
 was taken prisoner, and, after suffering 
 confinement in three Rebel prisons, was 
 sent to Richmond, Va., to be paroled or 
 exchanged, after which all trace of him 
 was lost. 
 
 George L. Rearick, our subject, grew 
 to manhood in Sandusky county, and at 
 the age of eighteen began to learn the 
 blacksmith trade with his brother Henry, 
 for whom he worked two years, and then 
 became his partner in a shop at the Four- 
 Mile House, west of Fremont. In 1877 
 he married Sarah, daughter of Samuel 
 and Elizabeth fGeeseman) Skinner, who 
 were pioneers of Sandusky county. After 
 marriage, Mr. Rearick and his wife set- 
 tled in Henry county, Ohio, and remained 
 there about two years. They then re- 
 turned to Sandusky count}', which has 
 been their permanent residence since that 
 time. Mr. Rearick joined the One Hun- 
 dred days' men during the Civil war, and 
 served in Compan\' K, One Hundred and 
 Sixty-ninth Regiment, O. V. I., at Fort 
 Ethan .•\lien, \'a. ; he receives a pension 
 for disability. In politics he is a Repub- 
 lican, and in religious faith he and his 
 wife are members of the Reformed Church. 
 Their children are: (i) Cynthia E., born 
 August 28, 1858, who, after teaching 
 school in Ohio and Michigan, married 
 
 Augustus Ritzman, March 6, 1879; they 
 have children — Clarence, Claude, Sadie, 
 Lester, Willie, Burton, Anna and Lilly. 
 (2) Theresa Ellen, born January 8, 1862, 
 married to Charles Engler, December 6, 
 18S9; they had four children — Grace, 
 Vergie, George and Clifton. (3) Alberta 
 A., born September 23, 1863, married to 
 Charles Gillier, December 17, 1882; they 
 had two children, one of v^-hom died in 
 childhood, the name of the living one be- 
 ing May. (4) Ida M., born September 
 19, 1868, married to Lucas Overmyer; 
 they have one child, Ada Alberta; the 
 mother died in 1891; (5) Wilham S., 
 born October 2, 1870, who, after attend- 
 ing the Ada Normal, and the Toledo and 
 Sandusky City Business Colleges, is en- 
 gaged in teaching in the public schools. 
 (6) Delbert Hayes, born November 30, 
 1880, is living at home. 
 
 LEWIS DEGROFT is a worthy 
 representative of the agricultural 
 interests of Madison township, 
 Sandusky county, and also of an 
 honored pioneer family. He was born 
 July 23, 1858, to the union of Joseph 
 and Mary (Chambers) Degroft, prominent 
 people in their locality. 
 
 The district schools of the neighbor- 
 hood afforded our subject his educational 
 privileges, and from early youth he 
 worked on his father's farm, aiding his 
 brother in clearing the land and placing 
 it under cultivation. Wishing, however, 
 to follow some other pursuit than that to 
 which he was reared, he at the age of 
 eighteen began learning the carpenter's 
 and joiner's trade, which he followed for 
 some time. He then returned to the old 
 homestead, to look after the interests of 
 the farm, which he operated for his father 
 until the latter's death. He still contin- 
 ues its cultivation, and gives to his 
 mother one-third of the products for her 
 support. He is a successful agriculturist, 
 and the neat and thrift)' appearance of 
 
 L 
 
342 
 
 COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the place indicates his careful super- 
 vision. In connection with farming he 
 also operates in the oil fields, connecting 
 pipes, etc., and doing carpenter work for 
 the company. Industrious and energetic, 
 we predict that his future career will be 
 one of success. 
 
 On November 2 1, 1880, at Bradner, 
 Ohio, Mr. Degroft was united in marriage 
 with Miss Jennie Morgan, a daughter of 
 Thomas Morgan, a farmer of Wood coun- 
 ty, Ohio. He was born in Wales, Eng- 
 land, April 27, 1832, and there followed 
 the occupation of coal mining. In 1868 
 he crossed the water to the New World, 
 and embarked in farming in Ohio. He 
 was married in his native land to Miss 
 Mary Davis, and they became parents of 
 eight children, seven of whom are now 
 living: Mrs. Jennie Degroft, Cassie, An- 
 nie, Emma (wife of Henrj- Jones, a 
 farmer), Rosa, Lizzie and Alta. The 
 parents still live in Wood county, where 
 Mr. Morgan is successfully engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits. Mr. and Mrs. De- 
 groft have an interesting family of seven 
 children, their names and dates of birth 
 being as follows: Myrtle, February 10, 
 1882; Jessie L. , July 10, 1883; Clayton 
 L. , December 17, 1887; Glenn M., May 
 7, 1890; Rachel J., June i, 1891; Clar- 
 ence J., November 4, 1893; and Stella 
 B., March 24, 1895. I" his political 
 views, Mr. Degroft is a Democrat, but 
 has never sought or desired official 
 honors, preferring to devote his energies 
 to his business interests. The family at- 
 tend the Baptist Church, and are well- 
 known and highly-esteemed people, hold- 
 ing an enviable position in social circles. 
 
 PHILIP H. ZORN, member of the 
 widely-known firm of Zorn, Hor- 
 nung & Company, of Gibsonburg, 
 Sandusky county, is prominently 
 identified with the growth and prosperity 
 of that city, and, with his partner, has 
 done more, perhaps, to encourage and 
 
 foster home industries than any other man 
 in this section of the country. He is 
 another example of that German thrift 
 and industry which is bound to succeed 
 in whatever direction it trends. 
 
 Mr. Zorn was born in Nassau, Ger- 
 many, August 21, 1 83 1, son of John 
 Philip and Margaret (Berbricker) Zorn. 
 The parents came with their children to 
 America, locating in Sandusky count}-, 
 Ohio, and they both died in Erie count}', 
 at the age of seventy-si.x years. Their 
 family consisted of eight children, of 
 whom the following record is given: John 
 P. died when about twenty-six years old; 
 Philip H. is our subject; Charles, who 
 was a merchant in Iowa, died when about 
 twenty-eight years of age; Louis is a 
 farmer, and lives in Monroe, Mich. ; Fred- 
 erick is a farmer in Montezuma, Iowa; 
 William is a farmer in Erie county, this 
 State; Henry, who was a carpenter, died 
 in Sandusky count}'; Jacob, also a car- 
 penter, lived in Fremont, where he died. 
 
 Philip H. Zorn came to America when 
 a lad of eighteen, finding his way from 
 New York to Fremont, this State, which 
 was then known as Lower Sandusky. 
 Here he found employment at his trade 
 of shoemaker, and remained some five 
 years. In 1856 he married Miss Julia 
 Margaret Stotz, who, like her husband, 
 was a native of Nassau, Germany, the date 
 of her birth being June 2, 1834. To this 
 union nine children were born, of whom 
 the following named survive: (i) Philip 
 H., Jr., born November 25, 1856, received 
 a good common-school education and ob- 
 tained a thorough practical knowledge of 
 his father's business; he is now manager of 
 the large mercantile firm of Zorn, Hornung 
 & Co., of which he is a member, and was 
 one of the organizers and president of 
 the Gibsonburg Banking Co. ; he married 
 Miss Christina Richter, of Fremont, and 
 they have a family of seven children — 
 Harold, Julia, Zella, Carl, Corine, Edna 
 and Florence- (2) Catherine was born 
 February 25, i860, and resides with her 
 
^^ ^>^ r ri^^--^^^U 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPIIWAL RECORD. 
 
 343 
 
 parents. (3) F. W., born March 15, 
 1868, is bookkeeper in his father's com- 
 pany, and a member of the firm; he was 
 married, May 15, 1890, to Miss Nora 
 Ferrenburg, who was born in Pennsylva- 
 nia, January 5, 1868, and they have two 
 children — Freda and Ray. (4) F. A., 
 born August 25, 1874, is now employed 
 with the firm. The mother of this family 
 passed from earth April 22, 1881. 
 
 In the spring of 1856 Mr. Zorn lo- 
 cated at Three Rivers, Mich.,, where he 
 worked at his trade for a few months, 
 and then went into business for himself. 
 After one year he sold out his interest 
 there and removed to Hessville, Sandusky 
 Co., Ohio, carrying on the shoe business 
 until 1863, when he sold out to A. Hor- 
 nung, and established a general store at 
 Hessville. This business he conducted 
 alone up to 1866, when he took Mr. Hor- 
 nung into partnership, the firm st\le being 
 Zorn & Hornang, and they continued the 
 business at Hessville until 1S74, when 
 they sold out, in the meantime, in 1872, 
 opening a branch store at Gibsonburg. 
 The branch store opened at Gibsonburg 
 in 1 872 was the nucleus around which their 
 present extensive business has material- 
 ized, and this has since been the center 
 of their operations. In 1877 Henry Zorn 
 was atimitted to partnership, and the 
 business has since been carried on under 
 the title of Zorn, Hornung & Co., of 
 which firm F. W. Zorn and G. W. Hor- 
 nung have been members since 1887. 
 Succeeding in their first enterprise, the 
 company have enlarged and added to 
 their general merchandise business un- 
 til now they stand at the head of a 
 series of industries which have proved 
 of immense value to the commu- 
 nity, and of profit to themselves. Be- 
 sides owning one of the largest general 
 stores in northern Ohio, they built the 
 first creamery in Sandusky county, and 
 are owners of a stave factory, a grain 
 elevator, and five lime kilns. Besides 
 
 all this Mr. Zorn was instrumental in the 
 22 
 
 drilling of the first successful oil well in 
 the vicinity of Gibsonburg, and the firm 
 are, perhaps, the largest oil producers in 
 this part of Ohio, having an interest in 
 5,000 to 6,000 acres of oil and gas leases 
 and 1 50 drilled wells. In operating these 
 various industries they have constantly 
 employed a large number of men at 
 good wages, and in this way have con- 
 tributed in no small degree to the pros- 
 perity of the city. Mr. Zorn is a Dem- 
 ocrat, and a member of the Lutheran 
 Church, and he is always ready to help 
 in an}' cause which has for its object the 
 welfare of his fellowmen. 
 
 REUBEN .CLINK is a prominent 
 agriculturist and stock raiser of 
 Woodville township, Sandusky 
 county, where he was born Jan- 
 uary II, 1852. He is a son of Caleb 
 Clink, an honored pioneer, and well- 
 krK)wn farmer of Woodville township, who 
 passed away in November, 1894. He 
 also has three brothers living in San- 
 dusk}' county, well-known and influential 
 citizens. 
 
 In the district schools near his home 
 Reuben Clink. acquired his primary educa- 
 tion, and in early boyhood began to work 
 upon his father's farm. He was early in- 
 ured to the labors of farm life, and to his 
 father continued to give the benefit of his 
 services until he had arrived at man's es- 
 tate. He was then married, and operated 
 his father-in-law's farm five years. When 
 that period had passed he removed to the 
 place which is still his home, comprising 
 138 acres of rich land, eighty acres of 
 which are under cultivation. The im- 
 provements upon the place have all been 
 secured through his efforts, the work of 
 clearing has nearly all been done by him, 
 and to-day he is in possession of one of 
 the finest and best equipped farms of the 
 neighborhood. Well-kept fences divide 
 it into fields of convenient size, and a fine 
 orchard and vineyard add materially to 
 
844 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 his income by their heavy yields, for of 
 late years he has engaged quite exten- 
 sively in fruit growing. In 1886 he put 
 up a large and substantial barn as well as 
 other outbuildings, and recently he has 
 erected a substantial and tasteful dwell- 
 ing, one of the finest in the township, 
 supplied with all modern improvements. 
 The building alone cost $2,000, and is one 
 of the beautiful country homes of San- 
 dusky county, the grounds and fences 
 being kept in first-class condition, while 
 the lawn is ornamented with beautiful 
 shrubs and trees which add to the attract- 
 ive appearance of the place. 
 
 On November 21, 1875, Reuben 
 Clink was united in marriage with Adie 
 Tucker, daughter of Thomas Tucker, 
 who was born in New York, where he 
 followed the occupation of a lumber man- 
 ufacturer. He was there married, and of 
 the union were born eight children — Mar- 
 vin D., Matthew E. , Charles W., Fran- 
 cis, Elvina, Jane, Emma and Laura. 
 The mother of this family died in New 
 York, after which he removed to Ohio, 
 locating in Rollersville, Sandusky county, 
 where he married Ester Mohler, and by 
 her he had four children — Adie, born Oc- 
 tober 8, 1858; Nelson, born August 18, 
 1857, a farmer residing in Woodville 
 township, Sandusky county; and one who 
 died in childhood. Mr. Tucker died in 
 Rollersville, and Mrs. Tucker remained a 
 widow four years, when she married John 
 Frobish, who died January 28, 1892, 
 since when she has lived on her farm m 
 Woodville township. Four children grace 
 the union of Mr. and Mrs. Clink: Tillie, 
 born September 22, 1878; Gertrude, born 
 September 17, 1881; Bertie, born July 7, 
 1885; and Oran W.. born June 17, 1889. 
 
 Mr. Clink has held the office of school 
 director in Woodville township, has been 
 clerk of the school board, and takes a 
 deep and abiding interest in the cause of 
 education, and other matters that tend to 
 advance the general welfare of the town- 
 ship. In his political views he is inde- 
 
 pendent, supporting the man whom he 
 considers best qualified for office regard- 
 less of part}' affiliations. He and his 
 family are connected with the United 
 Brethren Church, and are highly es- 
 teemed people of the community, hold- 
 ing an enviable position in social circles. 
 
 JOHN B. MOHN, one of the public- 
 spirited and successful farmers of 
 York township, Sandusky county, is 
 a native of Berks county, Penn., as 
 were also his parents, who came of Ger- 
 man ancestry. 
 
 He is the son of Joseph and Cather- 
 ine (Burgert) Mohn, and was born July 
 20, 1839. His father, born in 18 12, was 
 a mason by trade, and he started from 
 Berks count}', Penn., for a home in Ohio 
 in the fall of 1852, on the day when 
 Franklin Pierce was elected President of 
 the United States. He made the long 
 journey in a wagon, and located first in 
 Ashland county, where, however, he re- 
 mained only a year. In the fall of 1853 
 he continued westward to Flat Rock, 
 Seneca county, where he purchased a 
 home and remained during the rest of his 
 life. He worked at his trade, and lived 
 to the age of eighty years. Joseph Mohn 
 was a member of the Evangelical Church; 
 in politics he was a Whig, and afterward 
 a Republican. It is indeed notable that 
 all the blood relations of Mr. Mohn have 
 also been Republicans. The widow of 
 Mr. Mohn, who was born in 18 14, still 
 lives at Flat Rock. The ten children of 
 Joseph and Catherine Mohn were as fol- 
 lows: Levina, who died at the age of 
 sixteen years; Eliza, who died young; an 
 infant, deceased, unnamed; Harrison, now 
 a carpenter, in California; John B., sub- 
 ject of this sketch; Sarah, who married 
 John Terwilliger, and lives at Flat Rock; 
 Sebastian, a farmer and carpenter, of 
 Clyde; Fannie, wife of John McLaughlin; 
 Martin, a minister of the M. E. Churchy 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 345 
 
 now stationed in Coshocton county; Tillie, 
 wife of Jacob Trot, of Seneca county. 
 
 John B. Mohn was a boy of fourteen 
 when he came with his parents to Flat 
 Rock. He worked on the farm, and at- 
 tended the district schools. For a year 
 he worked at masonry, his father's trade, 
 but did not like it, and returned to farm- 
 in^ at monthly wages until his marriage, 
 in the fall of 1861, to ^^iss Sarah Hassen- 
 ger, who was born in Pennsylvania in 
 1843. He rented a farm and began 
 housekeeping in York township. )tfr. and 
 Mrs. Mohn have two children. Flora and 
 Minnie, the former married to W. A. 
 Roach, and has one child, Chester Leroy. 
 In 1864 Mr. Mohn enlisted in Company 
 A, Fifty-fifth O. \' . I. , and served in the 
 army of the West. He was with Sher- 
 man in the Atlanta campaign, also in the 
 memorable march to the sea, and he par- 
 ticipated in the grand review at Washing- 
 ton. Returning to his home he resumed 
 farming. Mr. Mohn purchased his pres- 
 ent excellent farm of 104 acres in the 
 spring of 1881, and is engaged in grain 
 and stock raising. In politics he is a pro- 
 nounced Republican, and he takes an act- 
 ive interest in county political affairs. 
 He has served as trustee of York township 
 four years. Socially he is a member of the 
 Masonic Lodge and Chapter, and he is 
 also prominent in G. A. R. and U. V. U. 
 circles. Mr. Mohn is a stanch believer in 
 American institutions and American lib- 
 erty, and opposed to the introduction of 
 monarchical or hierarchical methods in 
 state affairs. 
 
 DANIEL HOCK, the leading baker 
 and grocer of Fremont, Sandusky 
 county, is a native of Webenheim 
 Rhein Phalz, Bavaria, Germany, 
 born April 10, 1832, and is a son of Chris- 
 tian and Caroline (Schunck) Hock. 
 
 Christian Hock was a hotel-keeper 
 and farmer by occupation. When fifty 
 years of age he started for America to 
 
 meet one of his sons at Yonkers, N. Y. , 
 but was never heard from after he got on 
 shipboard, and it is supposed he died on 
 on the way across the Atlantic Ocean and 
 was buried at sea. The paternal grand- 
 father of our subject, Nicholas Hock, was 
 a native of Switzerland, and a large farm- 
 er. He had two brothers who came to 
 America in 1793, and landed at Phila- 
 delphia, Penn., and from them many of 
 the Hock families of America have de- 
 scended. The mother of our subject was 
 born in Germany in 1799, and died in 
 1843. The children of Christian and 
 Caroline Hock, in the order of their ages, 
 were: Carrie, John, Christian, Frederick, 
 Mary, Jacob, Daniel, Catharine, Louis, 
 Otto. Of these, John, Fred and Mary 
 died in Germany, Jacob and Otto in Clyde, 
 Ohio, and Christian at Fremont, Ohio. 
 Carrie was married in Germany, came to 
 America in 1836, and she and her husband 
 died at Albany, N. Y. ; Louis is a dealer 
 in boots and shoes, at Clyde, Ohio; Cath- 
 arine is the wife of Andrew Markstahler, 
 of Tiffin, Ohio. Otto Hock was a sol- 
 dier in the Civil war, having served as a 
 member of Company F. One Hundred 
 and Sixty-ninth Regiment O. V. I. 
 
 Daniel Hock learned the baker's trade 
 in Germany, and followed it there for 
 eight years. He then emigrated to Amer- 
 ica, at the age of twenty-one, to avoid 
 being drafted into the German army, land- 
 ing at New Orleans, La., where he found 
 work at his trade. The yellow fever was 
 epidemic there, and his employer fell a vic- 
 tim to it; so on learning the facts in regard 
 to that terrible plague, Mr. Hock con- 
 cluded to go farther north, and promptly 
 took a steamer for Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 From there he went to Sandusky City, 
 Ohio, where, on the shore of Sandusky 
 Bay, his brother Christian was foreman 
 in a large stone quarry, called "Plaster 
 Bed. " Here he found ready employment, 
 and remained two years. In the spring 
 of 1856 he first came to Fremont, but 
 did not stay long. He went on down to 
 
346 
 
 COMMEMORATrVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Cincinnati, where he worked at his trade, 
 in 185S returning to Fremont and estab- 
 lishing his own grocer)- and bakery, at the 
 corner of State and Main streets, where 
 he is still located and doing a prosperous 
 business. 
 
 Daniel Hock was married, in 1S59, to 
 Miss Elizabeth Fuchs, a native of Hom- 
 burg, Bavaria, who was born in 1836 and 
 died in 1881. Their children were: Will- 
 iam, who died when ten years of age; 
 Carrie, who is living at home and assist- 
 ing her father in business; Daniel and 
 Elizabeth, who died in infancy; Clara, 
 Edward, Libbie and Haidee, all four at 
 home. 
 
 AARON MYERS was born April 5, 
 1847, in Madison township, San- 
 dusky county, where he still 
 makes his home, and is a son of 
 Samuel Myers, a native of West Virginia. 
 
 The father was a son of Jacob Myers, 
 a farmer of West Virginia, who removed 
 to Perry county, Ohio, where he carried 
 on agricultural pursuits up to the time of 
 his death. His son Samuel received but 
 limited educational privileges, for there 
 were no free schools in those days. His 
 first employment was in a distillery, and 
 he also worked upon his father's farm 
 until his marriage, at the age of twentj- 
 four years. In 1835 he came to Madison 
 township, Sandusky county, where he pur- 
 chased 160 acres of timber land, receiving 
 the deed for the same from Gen. Jackson, 
 who was then serving as President, and 
 for whom Samuel Mj'ers cast his first vote. 
 He erected a log cabin with his own hands, 
 cutting away the trees in order to make 
 room for the dwelling, and then returned 
 to Perry county for his girl wife, whom he 
 brought to his cabin home. She rode on 
 horseback, while Mr. Myers drove a team, 
 hauling the household effects. 
 
 The young couple lived in a rude house 
 without windows or doors — -quilts serving 
 as a substitute — and were forced to keep 
 
 fires burning all night outside of their 
 cabin to ward off the howling wolves and 
 other wild animals which then infested 
 that part of the country. There Mr. 
 Myers lived alone with his wife and little 
 family, far away from neighbors, and with 
 no roads or even a pathway. He fre- 
 quently had to go to Fremont on horse- 
 back with a bushel or two of wheat, which 
 he took to the mill and had ground in or- 
 der to make bread for the family. The 
 road was at times impassable, and it was 
 necessary to follow the Indian trails, the 
 journey thus consuming two days. He 
 was aided and encouraged by his young 
 wife, and thus sustained began clearing 
 away the dense growth of timber, which 
 soon fell before the axe of the young pio- 
 neer, and was replaced by the green corn 
 and golden-headed wheat. In time he 
 became the owner of a well-cultivated and 
 valuable farm, and, though many were 
 the trials and hardships in early da3'S, he 
 continued his labors until thej- were 
 crowned with success, an e.xample well 
 worthy to be followed. He succeeded in 
 fencing the land, and the rude cabin home 
 gave way to a more commodious and or- 
 namental structure, the log barn being 
 replaced by good frame outbuildings, and 
 instead of the wolves and deer which were 
 seen in the neighborhood there were fine 
 grades of cattle and horses. He also 
 planted a fine orchard, and the place is 
 now one of the model farms of the nine- 
 teenth centur}' — a monument to the hon- 
 est toil, laudable ambition and enterpris- 
 ing spirit of the owner. He also aided in 
 laying out the roads through the town- 
 ship, gave one and a half acres of land on 
 which to erect a school house, and has 
 done all in his power for the promotion of 
 education, of which he is a stanch friend. 
 In 1835 Samuel Myers was married, 
 in Perry county, Ohio, to Susanna Win- 
 ters, who shared his pioneer life in the 
 woods, and was indeed a faithful compan- 
 ion and helpmeet to him. Their family 
 numbered eleven children. Those living 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 347 
 
 are: Isaac, born in 1838, a farmer, oper- 
 ating his brother's land; Mary J., born in 
 1844, the wife of Herman Seen, a farmer 
 of Petersburg, Mich. ; Aaron Myers is the 
 sixth child; Henry, born in 1851, farms 
 in Madison township, Sandusky county; 
 Frank, born in 1856, is also an agricul- 
 turist; those deceased are: John; Sarah, 
 wife of Christopher Foster; Elias; Phoebe, 
 wife of Elia Rife; Levina and George. 
 The mother died in 1880, mourned by a 
 loving husband and father, to whom she 
 devoted her life with an unselfishness sel- 
 dom equaled. Mr. Myers was elected 
 trustee of the township for many years, 
 and discharged the duties of the office with 
 credit to himself and satisfaction to all 
 concerned. He took a deep interest in 
 the cause of education, and was a leading 
 member of the school board for more than 
 a quarter of a century. He quietly passed 
 away April 20, 1895, respected and be- 
 loved by all who knew him, for his life 
 was above reproach. Although eighty- 
 four years of age at the time of his death, 
 he was still quite active. Eight years be- 
 fore his decease he had prepared for him- 
 self a coffin, placed therein $50 for funeral 
 expenses, made all arrangements for the 
 funeral, chose those whom he wished to 
 act as pall bearers, and selected a tomb 
 stone. His wishes were carried out by 
 those who were left behind to mourn the 
 loss of one whose life was ever a source of 
 inspiration and encouragement. Thus one 
 of Sandusky county's most honored pio- 
 neers passed away, but his memory re- 
 mains green in the hearts of all who knew 
 him. 
 
 Aaron Mj-ers acquired a limited edu- 
 cation in the district schools of his native 
 township, pursuing his studies through the 
 winter season, while during the summer 
 months, in connection with his brothers, 
 he aided in the labors of the farm. At 
 the age of twenty-one he removed to 
 Woodville township, Sandusky county, 
 where he rented land, continuing its culti- 
 vation for three years, when he returned 
 
 to Madison township, and purchased fifty 
 acres of land from his brother Elias. 
 This he operated for some years, and 
 then disposed of it to his brother, while 
 he owns and operates the old homestead, 
 comprising 140 acres of well-cultivated 
 land. 
 
 Mr. Myers was married at Woodville, 
 Ohio, March 24, 1870, to Betsy Truman, 
 who was born January i, 1848, in Wood- 
 ville township. Three children constitute 
 the family: (i) Ora C, born October 
 12, 1870, in Woodville township; was 
 educated in the public schools of Madison 
 township, and now follows farming; on 
 May 5, 1892, he wedded Miss Mellacena 
 Riser, daughter of Daniel Kiser, a farmer 
 of Madison township, and they have one 
 child — Orvil, born January 16, 1894. 
 (2) Orrison Ray, born in Woodville town- 
 ship, Junes, 1875; was educated in Madi- 
 son township, and is at home with his 
 parents. (3) Ralph B., born September 
 24, 1883, is attending school. Mrs. Myers 
 is a member of the Baptist Church, and 
 of the Ladies' Aid Society of Madison 
 township. Our subject is a stanch Demo- 
 crat, but has never sought or desired of- 
 ficial preferment. He is an honest, in- 
 dustrious man, enterprising and progres- 
 sive, and acted the part of a dutiful son 
 toward his father, who found with him 
 and Mrs. Myers a pleasant home after the 
 death of the mother. They cared for him 
 with loving consideration, and such acts 
 of kindness are characteristic of the 
 worthy couple who are well deserving of 
 mention among the best citizens of the 
 communitv. 
 
 A EVA J. HAWIv, farmer, Ball- 
 ville township, Sandusky county, 
 was born in Green Creek town- 
 ship, same county, November 17, 
 1 85 1, a son of Joseph and Martha (Har- 
 ris) Hawk. Joseph Hawk was born in 
 Pennsylvania, came to Ohio early in life, 
 and settled in Green Creek township, 
 
348 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 where he followed farming. He was fond 
 of hunting, and kept a deer park near his 
 house. His first wife was a Miss Riden- 
 our, by whom he had four children: 
 William, a farmer, who died in Michigan, 
 1893; Marie, wife of Joseph King, died 
 1879; Elizabeth, wife of Henry Baker, a 
 farmer of Green Creek township; and 
 Marian, farmer and e.\-soldier. The sec- 
 ond wife of Joseph Hawk was Martha 
 (Harris), born in Schuylkill county, Penn.. 
 who came to Ohio at the age of fourteen. 
 She is still living, at Cleveland, Ohio, 
 aged sixty-six. Their children were: 
 Sarah, wife of Henry G. Gibbons, a real- 
 estate agent at Clyde, Ohio; Alva J., our 
 subject; Mary, wife of Albert Snyder, of 
 Wood county, Ohio; Charles, living in 
 Baker City, Oreg. ; Byron M., a farmer, 
 of near Clyde, Ohio; Ida, wife of William 
 Sherwood, of Fremont; Anna, wife of Dr. 
 Harnden, of Clyde, Ohio; and Etta, wife 
 of Mr. Kessler. The parents of our sub- 
 ject were both of Pennsylvania-Dutch de- 
 scent. Joseph Hawk died in 1889, at the 
 age of seventy-five years. 
 
 A. J. Hawk grew to manhood on his 
 father's farm, and attended the common 
 schools. In 1 88 1 he married Miss Amanda 
 Wise, who was born October 19, 1857, 
 in Pennsylvania, and settled in Clyde, 
 Ohio, where he worked at the painting 
 trade several years. He then moved upon 
 a farm in Green Creek township, and 
 later, in 1891, bought his present farm in 
 the northeastern part of Ballville town- 
 ship, where he has made marked im- 
 provements, and where, in addition to 
 general farming, he gives attention to 
 poultry raising and small-fruit culture. 
 Their children are: Laurel, \'ernon, 
 Rollen, Romie, Cleveland, and Ethel May. 
 
 Patrick McGrady was born in the same 
 locality. He came to America in 1861, 
 his family following him two years after- 
 ward. They located on a farm near Cas- 
 talia, Ohio, on which they remained two 
 years, and then removed to Townsend 
 township. In 1893 they came to San- 
 dusky township, near Fremont, to live 
 with the family of our subject. Here 
 Patrick McGrady died January 24, 1894; 
 his wife, who was born in 181 3, is still 
 living. They had nine children, si.\ of 
 whom died young. The living are: Eliza- 
 beth, wife of Michael Gallagher; Mary, 
 wife of Benjamin Robinson; and D. 
 H., our subject. 
 
 D. H. McGrady grew up in Townsend 
 township, and received a common-school 
 education. He was married in 1 878 to 
 Elizabeth Lietzke, who was born in Ger- 
 many, September 12, 1838, and they have 
 seven children; John, Charles P., Mary 
 A., Luella C, Joseph H., Francis E., 
 and Otto T. Mr. McGrady purchased 
 his present excellent farm in 1893, located 
 in close proximitj' to Fremont, and by 
 economy, thrift and industry has accu- 
 mulated means, and is looked upon as 
 one of the most enterprising of the 
 younger element of men in the vicinity. 
 He is the "bred-in-the-bone " of his 
 Gallic ancestry. He is an ardent Roman 
 Catholic, and a patriotic American citi- 
 zen. His paternal grandfather, George 
 McGrady, died in Ireland. 
 
 DH. McGRADY, farmer, Sandusky 
 township, Sandusky county, was 
 born in Count)- Down, Ireland, 
 October 22, 1852, a son of Pat- 
 rick and Mary (Aguess) McGrady. 
 
 FRANK R. HAVENS, farmer and 
 dealer in live stock, Jackson town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was born 
 near his present place of residence 
 January 11, i860, a son of William J. 
 Havens. 
 
 Our subject was reared on his father's 
 farm, where he received valuable lessons 
 in the most approved modern methods of 
 farming in vogue in the Black Swamp, a re- 
 gion formerly noted for its deep mud, and 
 fever and ague, but which has had its soil 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 849 
 
 fertilized and its air purified by scientific 
 ditching and subsoil drainage, making it 
 the garden spot of northern Ohio. He 
 obtained his education in the common 
 schools, and at the home fireside. He 
 remained with his parents until his eight- 
 eenth year when he married, and then en- 
 tered upon farming on his own account. 
 He first rented one hundred acres of land 
 of J. B. Winters, for one year; then 
 moved upon eighty acres of his father's 
 land which he farmed on shares. He 
 ne.xt bought eighty acres of his father, 
 and, three years later, seventy-six acres 
 of the Thomas Brown estate; then three 
 years still later eighty acres of his father, 
 then forty acres of William Lease, and 
 twenty acres of Solomon King, and 153 
 acres of the old Otho Lease farm, making 
 a total of 449 acres. He carries on gen- 
 eral farming, and makes a specialty of 
 raising, buying and shipping fat hogs to 
 East Buffalo, once or twice a year. In 
 politics he is a stanch Republican, and 
 has held various local offices; in religious 
 connection he is a member of the U. B. 
 Church. He has been very successful in 
 his business ventures, and is highly es- 
 teemed for his upright character. 
 
 On January 23, 1879, F. R. Havens 
 was married to Miss Avilda J. Winter, 
 and the names and dates of birth of their 
 children are as follows: Flavel S., .\ugust 
 23, 1882; Robert G., August 17, 1884; 
 Essie G., February 2, 1890; Ross Ray, 
 January 28, 1892; and Willis B., Decem- 
 ber 11,1 894. 
 
 DAVID J. WINCHELL, a pros- 
 perous farmer of Scott township, 
 Sandusky county, was born in 
 Whcaton, Du Page Co , 111., Sep- 
 tember 3, 1845, ^nd 's one of the eleven 
 children of Luther and Phctbe (Water- 
 man) Winchell. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in 
 Connecticut, in 1800, and when a lad of 
 but twelve years entered the war of 1812, 
 
 as a substitute for his uncle who had 
 been drafted, and with whom he was liv- 
 ing at the time. He engaged in .sev- 
 eral battles, including that of Sackett's 
 Harbor, which was fought in 181 3, and 
 resulted in an .American victory. The 
 gun which he carried is now in possession 
 of our subject, who values it most highly. 
 After the war, Luther Winchell learned 
 blacksmithing, and followed the trade for 
 a few years in his native city; but having 
 a desire to see the West, he emigrated to 
 Ohio, and purchased land in Ohio and 
 Illinois, at one time owning altogether 
 700 acres, 160 of which were on the site 
 of the present city of Chicago. By the 
 time of his death he had become quite 
 wealthy, and left a large property to 
 his family. His wife, a native of Massa- 
 chusetts, was born in 1805, and died 
 July 19, 1895. Their children were 
 Stephen R., Luther, David J., Sabra A. 
 (who has e.xtensive real-estate interests 
 in Chicago), Harriet M., Phoebe R., 
 Lucy, Cynthia, and three who died in 
 childhood. 
 
 David Winchell coming to Ohio at an 
 early day has witnessed its development 
 from an. almost unbroken wilderness into 
 fine homes and farms. When only six 
 years of age he accompanied his par- 
 ents to Lake county, where he grew 
 to manhood, acquiring his education in 
 the public schools and in the Madison 
 Normal. Subsequently he came to Scott 
 township, Sandusky county, and rented 
 his father's farm of 340 acres for twenty 
 years. During this time he purchased 
 portions of it at intervals until he now 
 owns 104 acres, which are located in the 
 oil regions. A gas well has also been 
 sunk upon the place, which supplies the 
 home with gas, both for lighting and fuel. 
 In addition to farming, Mr. Winchell has 
 been engaged in general stock raising, 
 buying and shipping stock direct to Buf- 
 falo and New York. In this branch of 
 his business he has been very successful. 
 When he purchased his land it was partly 
 
350 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 covered with a dense grove of native 
 forest trees; but by earnest and persistent 
 toil he has transformed the place into 
 highly-cultivated fields, and it is' now 
 a well-tilled, well-fenced property, im- 
 proved with good buildings and all the 
 accessories of a model farm. 
 
 Mr. Winchell has found in his wife a 
 faithful companion and helpmeet. He 
 was married September i8, 1869, to 
 Harriet Rineholt, who was born in Jack- 
 son township, Sandusky county, Septem- 
 ber 16, 1852, a daughter of Solomon and 
 Elizabeth (Selsor) Rineholt, who were 
 pioneers of Jackson township, where 
 they still reside. Mrs. Winchell attended 
 the public schools in the locality, and re- 
 mained with her parents until her mar- 
 riage, when she went to the farm which 
 has since been her home. The only 
 child of Mr. and Mrs. Winchell — Myra — 
 was born October 26, 1870, and was 
 married November 13, 1890, to J. F. 
 Wagner, who carries on general farming 
 in Scott township. He was educated at 
 Findlay, Ohio, and in Delaware College, 
 from which he was graduated, while his 
 wife has been a special student of vocal 
 and instrumental music. Two bright 
 children — Estella Ivonia and Hazel Ger- 
 trude — grace the home of their parents, 
 bringing much life and enjoyment thereto. 
 
 PETER NICKLES is one of the old 
 and honored residents of Sandusky 
 count}', where he has lived for 
 more than half a century, en- 
 gaged in farming. He is a native of 
 France, born February 26, 1815. His 
 father, Henry Nickles, was a farmer of 
 that country, and Peter spent the days of 
 his boyhood and youth upon the old home 
 place, where, aiding in the labors of the 
 field, he became familiar with all the du- 
 ties of agricultural life. 
 
 In 1836, having attained years of ma- 
 turity, Mr. Nickles determined to try his 
 fortune in America, believing that he 
 
 might better his financial condition there- 
 by, and accordingly crossed the Atlantic 
 to New York City. He did not remain 
 long in the Eastern metropolis, however, 
 but came direct to Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 and after living at various places for a few 
 years, located upon a seventy-seven-acre 
 tract of timber land in Jackson township, 
 the nucleus of his present landed posses- 
 sions. This he at once began to clear 
 and improve, and there made his home 
 for thirteen years, when he came to Wash- 
 ington township. His entire life has been 
 devoted to agricultural pursuits, and has 
 therefore been a quiet one; but he has 
 faithfully performed every duty that has 
 come to him, and has won the respect of 
 all with whom he has been brought in 
 contact. 
 
 On May 8, 1845, Mr. Nickles was 
 united in marriage with Miss Sarah Jo- 
 seph, who was born October 22, 1825, 
 and was one of a large family; her father 
 was a German farmer, living in Sandusky 
 county. Eleven children were born of 
 this union, as follows: Sophia, in 1846; 
 Mary Ann, in 1848; Christina, November 
 5, 1S49; Margaret, October 13, 185 1, 
 died October i, 1874; Sarah, October 28, 
 1853; John G., October 13, 1855; Anna, 
 August 10, 1 8 58; Catharine Jane, March 
 9, i86i;^Lydia, August 30, 1863; George 
 H., March 28, 1866, and Minnie, April 9, 
 1 87 1. Mr. and Mrs. Nickles are still liv- 
 ing on the old home farm that has been 
 their place of residence for so many years. 
 The father was industrious and enterpris- 
 ing, and as his financial resources in- 
 creased he bought other property, and 
 now owns ninety acres on which his son 
 George lives, and ninety acres which is 
 the home of his son John G. In politics 
 he is a Republican, and formerly took 
 quite an active interest in political affairs, 
 but he has now largely withdrawn from 
 public life. Both he and his wife are 
 members of the Evangelical Church, and 
 are worthy people, well meriting the es- 
 teem of their manj- friends. 
 
 4 
 
<^^^-s^?^ ^"^^^^^.^X^ 
 
atvb 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 851 
 
 John G. Nickles, the six child in the 
 above mentioned family, has spent his 
 entire life in Sandusk}' county. He was 
 born on the old home farm in Washing- 
 ton township October 13, 1855, and 
 passed the days of his boyhood and youth 
 in the usual manner of farmer lads, re- 
 maining with his parents until his marriage. 
 On March 20, 1881, he wedded Miss 
 Emily L. Culbert, daughter of a farmer 
 of Sandusky county, and the young couple 
 began their domestic life upon a ninety- 
 acre tract of land belonging to Mr. Nick- 
 les' father, to the cultivation and improve- 
 ment of which he has since devoted his 
 time and energies. The fields are now 
 well tilled, and the neat and thrifty ap- 
 pearance of the place indicates his careful 
 supervision. 
 
 The home of Mr. and Mrs. John G. 
 Nickles has been blessed with a family of 
 six children, their names and dates of 
 birth being as follows: Lottie Maud, 
 November 24, 1882; Lucy, October 26, 
 1884: Helen, October 30, 1886; Addie, 
 March 25, 1888; Walter, December i. 
 1889; and Ruth, who died in early child- 
 hood. John G. Nickles exercises his right 
 of franchise in support of the Republican 
 party, and has been called upon to fill the 
 offices of road supervisor and school 
 director, discharging the duties of both in 
 a prompt and able manner. He is a worthy 
 representative of one of the pioneer fam- 
 ilies of the county, and as aciti/en is pub- 
 lic-spirited and progressive, interested in 
 whatever tends to promote the general 
 welfare. 
 
 LKOLB was born in Schwetzin- 
 gen, Baden, Germany, July 2, 
 1826, and is a son of Michael and 
 Magdalena (Weir) Kolb. His fa- 
 ther was a weaver in the old country, and 
 followed that trade up to the time of his 
 death. Both he and his wife spent their 
 entire lives in their native land, the father 
 passing away at the ripe old age of sev- 
 
 enty-six years, while the mother died at 
 the age of fifty-one. They left a family 
 of six children, all of whom remained in 
 Germany with the exception of our sub- 
 ject, to wit: Elizabeth (who became the 
 wife of Frederick Boop, but both are now 
 deceased), subject, Adam, Margaret (wife 
 of George Kolpe), Elizabeth and Philip. 
 As soon as he was old enough our sub- 
 ject began working with his father, and 
 to the weaver's trade devoted his time 
 and energies until 1853, when he left 
 home for the New World, hoping to ben- 
 efit his financial condition by a residence 
 in America. Before leaving the Father- 
 land, however, he was united in marriage 
 with Miss Susanna Kulpe, daughter of 
 Louis and Barbara Kulpe, farming people 
 who spent their entire lives in Germany. 
 The daughter was the second in order of 
 birth in a family of seven children, the 
 others being Jacob, Effie, Abraham, Ma- 
 ria, Michael and Catherina. Mr. Kolb 
 had no capital with which to begin life in 
 the New World, but being a man of reso- 
 lute spirit, and not afraid of work, he 
 soon secured a start. His first position 
 was as a section hand on the railroad, 
 and he worked in that capacity some ten 
 years, five of which were spent in Port 
 Clinton, Ottawa Co., Ohio. After that 
 he went to Norvvalk, Ohio, where he was 
 employed by the day as a farm hand for 
 a period of five years. In the meantime 
 he saved his earnings, and with the capi- 
 tal acquired removed to Washington town- 
 ship, Sandusk}' county, where he invested 
 his earnings in eighty acres of farm land. 
 This was in 1855, and for thirty-five years 
 he lived upon that place, continuing its 
 cultivation, until the once wild prairie was 
 transformed into rich and fertile fields 
 that yielded to the owner a golden tribute 
 in return for his care and labor. In 1889 
 he purchased his present farm, to which 
 he later removed, and here he is practi- 
 cally living retired, his son-in-law opera- 
 ting the farm, while he is resting in the 
 enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil. 
 
352 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Kolb were born three 
 children — one son and two daughters — 
 the eldest of whom. Philip, born August 
 15, 1 85 1, is now deceased; Lena, born 
 November 4, 1853, is the wife of George 
 Stotz, who is a farmer of Washington 
 township (they have six children); Bar- 
 bara, born June 26, 1869, is the wife of 
 Jacob Beeker, who operates the old Kolb 
 homestead (to their union has been born 
 one child). 
 
 Mr. Kolb is a supporter of the Democ- 
 racy, and is a member of the German 
 Lutheran Church. He came to this coun- 
 tryempty-handed, but has steadily worked 
 his way upward, and the success he has 
 achieved is the just reward of his own 
 labors, and shows what can be accom- 
 plished b}' perseverance and energy in a 
 country where merit is unhampered by 
 the closely drawn lines of caste or class. 
 
 JACOB MONROE KING is the own- 
 er of one of the fine farms of San- 
 dusky county, and a progressive and 
 enterprising man whom the commu- 
 nity ma\' well number among its valued 
 citizens. He was born on the farm 
 which is still his home, and is a represent- 
 ative of one of the honored early fam- 
 ilies of the county. The date of his birth 
 is December 21, 1 860, and he is a son of 
 Peter and Mary (Shoemaker) King, who 
 came from Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1850, 
 locating on the place where our subject 
 now resides. Here the father carried on 
 farming until his death, which occurred 
 on August 2, 1880, when he had attained 
 the age of si.\ty-two years. He left 240 
 acres of land to be divided equally among 
 his nine children. 
 
 The record of this family is as follows: 
 Samuel, who follows farming in Henry 
 county; George W. , an agriculturist of 
 Rice township; Rebecca, who became the 
 wife of I. J. Shoemaker, and died in 
 Henrj', Ohio, September 25. 1894, leav- 
 ing a family of three children — George, 
 
 Peter and Jacob; Levi, county commis- 
 sioner of Henry count\-; Henry, who is 
 engaged in farming in that county; 
 Melinda, now the wife of S. Shoemaker, 
 of Indiana, by whom she had two chil- 
 dren — Maurievi (now deceased) and 
 Jacob; Marj', wife of Noah Garrett, a 
 farmer of Sandusky county, by whom she 
 has one living child; Peter, an agricul- 
 turist of Henr}' county; and Jacob Monroe. 
 
 Although the youngest of the family, 
 Jacob Monroe King, upon his father's 
 death, determined to purchase the home- 
 stead that it might not be divided, and by 
 hard labor, industry and economy he suc- 
 ceeded in acquiring enough capital to 
 purchase the interest of one brother and 
 sister, and now lives upon the place which 
 has been his home throughout his entire 
 life. On December 22, 1880, Mr. King 
 was united in marriage with Isabel Mau- 
 rer, the esteemed daughter of Manuel 
 Maurer, a well-known farmer of Wash- 
 ington township. With them resides the 
 mother of Mr. King, who though now 
 well-advanced in life bears her seventy- 
 eight years lightly. The household is 
 also blessed with the presence of seven 
 children, constituting an interesting fam- 
 ily, in order of birth their names and 
 dates of birth being as follows: Clarence, 
 October 28, 1881; Rosanna, April 13, 
 1882; Alvin, March 3, 1883; Levi, De- 
 cember 27, 1885; Alta, November 27, 
 1887; George L., October 16, 1890; and 
 John, June 28, 1893. 
 
 The home of this family is a fine frame 
 residence which sets somewhat back from 
 the road, and on the lawn in front stand 
 many beautiful evergreen trees, which 
 throw their grateful shade over the home 
 in summer, protecting it from Sol's hot 
 rays. The farm is highly improved and 
 cultivated, and waving fields of grain in- 
 dicate the thrift and enterprise of the 
 owner. In addition he also has one of the 
 finest apple orchards in this section of the 
 county, comprising nine acres on which 
 are raised the following well-known varie- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 353 
 
 ties: Baldwins, northern spies, rainbows, 
 greenings, spitzenbergers, seek-no-farth- 
 ers, and three different kinds of russets. 
 In connection with general farming and 
 fruit growing, Mr. King gives some atten- 
 tion to the raising of fine-bred hogs, and 
 takes a deep interest in the breeding of 
 good horses. His energetic nature carries 
 forward to successful completion what- 
 ever he undertakes and he is a progressive 
 business man, whose straightforward deal- 
 ing and well-spent life have gained him 
 the high regard of all with whom he has 
 been brought in contact. In politics he 
 is a Democrat. 
 
 JONATHAN FALER, a contractor in 
 Woodville township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, was born in Pennsylvania, Jan- 
 uary lo, 1 82 1, son of George and 
 Eva (Houtz) Paler, who came to Ohio 
 from Pennsylvania and located in Perry 
 county, where they bought a small tract 
 of timber land. . The mother of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch died in Perry county 
 when he was an infant only one year old, 
 leaving him and six other children. His 
 father married again, by which union he 
 had five children, sold the tract of land 
 in Perry county in 1833, rented a farm 
 where he spent the remainder of his days, 
 and died September 24, 1834. 
 
 Jonathan Paler lived at home until his 
 father's death, then went to Pickaway 
 county, Ohio, secured a position as a 
 farm hand, and worked one year. He 
 then worked at various occupations for 
 four years, and in 1842 came with a 
 family to Woodville township, Sandusky 
 county, where he was engaged in making 
 potash for one year, then worked at clear- 
 ing land for si.x years. On December 24, 
 1843, he was united in marriage with 
 Catherine Swartzman, and thirteen chil- 
 dren were born to them, as follows: Mary 
 A., born October 27, 1844, married Eli 
 Good, a farmer of Hancock county, Ohio, 
 by whom she had six children; Margaret, 
 
 born Pebruary 8, 1846, died \oung; 
 Lovica A., born July 30, 1849, married 
 John Angus, a farmer of Scott township, 
 Sandusky county, Ohio; George A., born 
 August 7, 1 85 1, died May 16, 1872; John 
 H., born November, 1853, living in 
 Postoria, Ohio; Lavina A., born January 
 23, 1856, married Jacob W. Good, of 
 Postoria, Ohio; Isaac, born June 15, 
 1858; Charles W., born May 15, 1861, 
 died May 29, 1865; Emma I., born Peb- 
 ruary 22, 1864, married Charles G. Meyers, 
 of Rising Sun, Montgomery township. 
 Wood Co., Ohio; Nelson, born December 
 13, 1866; Jonathan D., born March 13, 
 1868; Delias, born October 3, 1S71, now 
 deceased; and one deceased in infanc}'. 
 The parents of Mrs. Jonathan F"aler, Paul 
 and Mary (Moore) Swartzman, were farm- 
 ers in Sandusky county, where both died, 
 the father at the age of forty-six, the mo- 
 ther at the age of fifty-seven. 
 
 Mr. Paler began working at the car- 
 penter's trade in 1849, and followed it 
 until 1864, when he enlisted in the One 
 Hundred and Seventy-seventh O. V. I., 
 under the command of Col. Wilcox and 
 Capt. Thomas. They were mustered in 
 at Cleveland, Ohio, and sent to Murfrees- 
 boro, Tenn. Mr. Paler took an active 
 part in several battles. On January 24, 
 1865, he was honorablj' discharged, and 
 came home to his wife and fainily. Mr. 
 Paler has more work as a contractor than 
 he can take care of, and has a paying oil 
 well on his place. He is an upright man, 
 a Democrat in politics, and a member of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 BIRCHARD HAVENS, farmer, of 
 Jackson township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, was born near the place of his 
 present residence, August 16, 
 1847, a son of Henry and Sarah (lams) 
 Havens. 
 
 Henry Havens, the father of our sub- 
 ject, was one of the early pioneers of the 
 Black Swamp, born at Columbus, Ohio, 
 
354 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and came to Sandusky county in the year 
 1837, entered 160 acres of land in Sec- 
 tion 10, Jackson township, to which more 
 was added later, making 400 acres, about 
 half of which he cleared himself of heavy 
 timber, always worked very hard, and 
 from exposure contracted consumption, 
 of which he died. Birchard Havens, our 
 subject, was the fourth in order of birth 
 in the family of eight children, was reared 
 upon his father's farm, and received the 
 customary country-school education. He 
 started out in life on his own account at 
 the age of eighteen years, working on a 
 farm for his brother William one year, 
 and for John King one year. At the 
 age of twenty he rented some land from 
 his brother for one year, and subse- 
 quently bought eighty acres from Joseph 
 Hammer for $5,000. After clearing off 
 ten acres of the timber he sold it two 
 years later to his brother, and in 1870 
 bought the 152 acres where he now lives. 
 He has 130 acres under good cultivation, 
 of which he cleared a large part himself. 
 He has always worked diligently, enjoyed 
 good health, and been a good provider for 
 his family. He is highly respected in 
 his community, and has held various civil 
 offices. 
 
 Birchard Havens was married January 
 17, 1867, to Miss Elizabeth C. Overmyer, 
 who was born February 19, 1844, daugh- 
 ter of Lewis and Mary (Stoffer) Overnner. 
 The father of Mrs. Havens was born De- 
 cember 10, 1 8 10, and died October i, 
 1886; her mother was born January 20, 
 181 I, and died May 31, 1862. Their 
 children were: Hugh, who married Dinah 
 Kelley, by whom he had six children; Su- 
 san, who married John Kelley, and had 
 two children: Mary Ellen, who married 
 Henry Sheffner, who died, and for her sec- 
 ond husband she married John Reed, 
 who died, and she then wedded William 
 Brown, who lives in Fremont, Ohio: Ben, 
 who married Ellen Burkhart, and has two 
 children — Charles and Coraetta; Eliza- 
 beth C. , wife of our subject. 
 
 The children of Birchard and Eliza- 
 beth Havens were as follows: Clara, born 
 May 30, 1868, married to Frank Kenan, 
 and has two children — Armina Catharine, 
 born March 7, 1890, and Edna Rose, born 
 July 24, 1891 ; Hattie, born November 13, 
 1 87 1, who has taught eight terms of 
 school in Jackson township, and resides 
 with her parents; Myrtie, born Septem- 
 ber 7, 1874, who died in childhood; Delia, 
 born May 10, 1876; and one that died in 
 infancy. Mr. Havens and his wife are 
 members of the United Brethren Church, 
 toward which they are liberal contribu- 
 tors. 
 
 WILLIAM \'OGT, a prosperous 
 farmer of Riley township, San- 
 dusky county, was born October 
 29. 1857, and is a son of Henry 
 and Madeline Vogt, the former of whom 
 was born in Switzerland January 31, 1 8 1 1 . 
 Henry Vogt came to America in 1S37, 
 and ran a large truck line. On June 20, 
 1848, in Philadelphia, Penn., he was 
 united in marriage with Madeline Man- 
 gold, who was born in France June 20, 
 1828, and they became the parents of six 
 children, as follows: Henry, born Au- 
 gust 4, 1850, married Mary Bauman, and 
 lives in Fremont, Sandusky county; Al- 
 bert, born January 13, 1853, married 
 Tillie Hudson, and they have had one 
 child (they live in Ballville township, 
 Sandusky county); Elizabeth, born June 
 3, 1855, married Frank Bartis, and they 
 had three children (she died F"ebruary 21, 
 1892, and was buried in Ballville town- 
 ship, Sandusky county); William is the 
 subject of this sketch; Frank, born De- 
 cember I, i860, lives in Fremont, and 
 George was born February 9, 1 864. In 
 i860, after running the truck line for 
 about .twenty-three years, Henry Vogt 
 sold out, came west, and settled in Ohio. 
 He was in business two years in Fremont, 
 and in 1862 moved to Riley township, 
 where he bought a farm of one hundred 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHIOAL RECORD. 
 
 855 
 
 acres, which cost him two thousand dol- 
 lars. In 1887 he sold this farm, bought 
 a property' of ninety-seven acres, and li\ed 
 there until his death, which occurred Jan- 
 uary I, 1882. He was school director 
 for several years, was a Democrat in pol- 
 itics, and a member of the German Re- 
 formed Church. 
 
 William V'ogt was united in marriage 
 May 4, 1880, in Riley township, with 
 Mary Livingston, who was born June 3, 
 1859, and the}^ have had two children, 
 namely: William A., born January 22, 
 1 88 1, and Charles M., born July 22, i888. 
 Mr. Vogt had the benefit of a common- 
 school education. He has fifty-eight acres 
 of valuable land about two miles north- 
 east of Fremont, and follows general 
 farming. He is a Democrat in politics, 
 and attends St. John's Church. His 
 grandfather Henry, who was born in 
 Switzerland, married Barbara Hirt, and 
 they had two children, Henry and John. 
 
 D.\RLIN L. AMES, one of the native 
 sons of Sandusky county, is a tele- 
 graph operator at Clyde. His 
 birth occurred in that county, on 
 the 24th of June, 1858, and from the 
 business college of Clyde he was gradu- 
 ated in the class of 1876. He was reared 
 to farming, but, not wishing to follow agri- 
 cultural pursuits, he began the study of 
 telegraphy in the office of the W. & L. E. 
 Railway Company, in Clyde, after com- 
 pleting which he became operator for that 
 company, and also for the Lake Shore & 
 Michigan Southern Railroad Company. 
 He was ne.xt connected with the Chicago, 
 Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad, being 
 stationed at Monticello, Iowa, and also 
 served as operator in Virginia for the Nor- 
 folk & Western railroad. He now makes 
 his home in Clj-de, being again in the em- 
 ploy of the Lake Shore & ^Iichigan South- 
 ern Railroad Company, at that place. 
 
 Mr. Ames was united in marriage with 
 Miss Libbie Campbell, and their union 
 
 has been blessed with one son, Floyd. 
 Our subject is public-spirited and progres- 
 sive, and there are few men more popu- 
 lar among the people of this community 
 than he, who has spent nearly his entire 
 life in their midst. He holds membership 
 with the Knights of Pythias Lodge, No. 
 494, of Air Line Junction, Lucas Co., 
 Ohio, and in social circles both he and his 
 wife hold an enviable position. 
 
 The father of our subject, Joel Loomis 
 Ames, was born in New London county, 
 Conn., July 30, 1822, and is a son of 
 Martin and Eliza (Loomis) Ames, the 
 former also a native of New London 
 county, where he was born January 24, 
 1795, and the latter's birth occurred in 
 East Lyme, Conn., May 27, 1802. The 
 boyhood da\'s of the grandfather were 
 spent in his native State, where he was 
 married, and he became the father of four 
 children before coming west, in 1827, 
 when he located at Auburn, Mich. There 
 he made his home until 1836, when he 
 came to Ohio, securing a farm in Section 
 6, York township, Sandusky county, and 
 there made his home until his death, 
 which occurred February 6, 1856. His 
 wife survived him for seven years, being 
 called to her final rest October 8, 1863. 
 All his life had been devoted to agricult- 
 ural pursuits, and with the assistance of 
 his sons, he here cleared 200 acres of 
 good farming land. He formerly belonged 
 to the Baptist Church, but at the time of 
 his death he was a Swedenborgian. His 
 wife, after his death, made her home al- 
 ternately with J. L. Ames, and J. Ames, a 
 son, who resides in Wood count)', Ohio, 
 and there she passed away. In their 
 fatnily were eight children, namely: E. 
 G., who was born September 5, 1820, 
 was a store-keeper of Clyde, where he 
 died July 12, 1849; Joel L. is the second 
 of the family; Daniel, born May 30, 1824, 
 is a resident of Bowling Green, Wood 
 Co., Ohio; Jonathan, born March 20, 
 1826, lives in Carthage, Jasper Co., Mo.; 
 George, born October 14, 1830, died July 
 
356 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 3, 1849; John, born July 16, 1836, died 
 October 2, 1874; Eliza Ann, wife of Will- 
 iam Russell, born February 28, 1840, died 
 September 13, 1858; James, born Sep- 
 tember 10, 1843, died June 6, 1844. 
 
 The paternal grandfather, Elder Jona- 
 than Ames, was of English ancestry, and 
 spent his entire life in New London coun- 
 ty, Conn., where he was a devoted mem- 
 ber of the Baptist Church. His death 
 occurred May 22, 1830, when he was 
 sixty-two years old. His father died Oc- 
 tober 27, 1 8 14, at the age of eighty-seven, 
 while his mother, who died December 17, 
 1819, had reached the extreme old age of 
 ninety-eight years. The maternal great- 
 grandfather of our subject, Hon. Joel 
 Loomis, was born May 5, 1773, and was 
 one of the leading and prominent men of 
 New London count)', Conn. He held a 
 nuinber of important offices within the 
 gift of the people, including that of jus- 
 tice of the peace, and judge of the county 
 court, and he served as a member of the 
 State Legislature. He was of English 
 descent. Though he visited his grand- 
 children in Sandusky county, he continued 
 to make his home in New London county. 
 Conn., where he died in 1867. His 
 brother was the father of Professor Loomis 
 of Yale College, the author of the series 
 of Loomis school and text books. 
 
 We now return to the personal his- 
 tory of Joel Loomis Ames, who went to 
 Michigan with his parents in 1827, and 
 lived there until the spring of 1836, when 
 the family moved to Ohio. Then he 
 went back to Connecticut, and lived with 
 an uncle until the fall of 1838, and at- 
 tended school during the winter months, 
 when he came to Ohio, and has lived here 
 ever since. He has been twice married, 
 his first union being celebrated August 6, 
 1857, when Jane E. Vincent became his 
 wife. To them were born three children: 
 Darlin L. , whose name introduces this 
 sketch; Jennie, who was born July 30, 
 i860, and died October 23, 1862; and 
 Angie C. , who was born May 23, 1864, 
 
 and is the wife of H. H. Woodman, 
 principal of the telegraph college, at Ober- 
 lin, Ohio. The mother of this family 
 departed this life June 30, 1877. On 
 August 27, 1879, Mr. Ames was again 
 married, this time to Miss May Bement, 
 a native of Michigan, born in Jackson, in 
 April, 1843, and by his marriage there is 
 one daughter — Edith. The father is one 
 of the wealthy and influential citizens of 
 the community, and the familj- now make 
 their home in their beautiful residence in 
 Clyde, where they are surrounded by 
 many warm friends. Mr. Ames takes an 
 active interest in everything that will 
 benefit the community. His uprightness, 
 integrity, and public-spiritedness, have 
 won him the confidence and esteem of 
 his neighbors, and he is classed among 
 the respected representative citizens of 
 Sandusky county. 
 
 GEORGE FREY. Among the sub- 
 stantial farmers of Riley town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, whose 
 energy and industry contribute 
 to the prosperity and growth of that 
 thriving community, is George Prey. 
 
 He was born May 12, 1866, and is a 
 son of George and Mary (Martin) Frey, 
 who were born, respectively, March 30, 
 1821, and July 14, 1825, in Germany. 
 George Frey, Sr. , who was a jeweler by 
 trade, sold out his business in the old 
 countr}', and emigrated to America in 
 1853. Coining to Ohio, he settled in 
 Riley township, and here bought twenty 
 acres of land. Selling this property after 
 a short time, he bought forty acres more, 
 and this has been the homestead. He 
 has had a family of eight children, namely: 
 Sophia, born in 1846; Caroline, Fred- 
 erick, Mary, Katie, Christina, Rosina, 
 and George, the subject of this sketch. 
 Mr. Frey is a graduate of several colleges 
 in Germany, and holds the office of school 
 director. He was drafted during the 
 Civil war, and served nine months, and 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 35 T 
 
 after peace was declared returned to his 
 family in Riley township. 
 
 •George Frey, the subject of this sketch, 
 was reared to habits of diligence, fru- 
 gality and virtue, and received a common- 
 school education. He worked on the 
 farm for his father until his twenty-first 
 year, and then worked by the day. In 
 1893 he bought forty acres of land for 
 two thousand dollars, and carried on 
 general farming. Mr. Frey is a Demo- 
 crat in politics, and in religious affiliation 
 is a member of the Lutheran Church. He 
 is much respected in the community and 
 has many friends. 
 
 CYRUS HARVEY McCARTNEY, 
 farmer and fruit grower of Green 
 Creek township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, was born in Erie county, Ohio, 
 June 12, 1835, of old pioneer stock. 
 
 His parents were William and Eliza 
 (Cooper) McCartney, the former of whom 
 was born in Kentucky in 1789, when a 
 young man coming to Sandusky City, 
 Ohio, some time prior to the war of 1 8 1 2, 
 when there was only one cabin on the site 
 of that now flourishing city. He was the 
 first settler of the place. He removed to 
 Venice, Erie county, and there for six or 
 seven years owned and operated the first 
 saw and grist mill of the place. Selling 
 it to Mr. Heywood, he bought a farm a 
 half mile west of \'enice, where he died 
 in 1877, aged eighty-eight years. In 
 politics he was originally an Old-time 
 Whig, afterward a Republican. At Mt. 
 Vernon, Ohio, he had married Eliza 
 Cooper, who was born in Trenton, N. J., 
 of old Highland stock. The six children 
 of William and Eliza McCartney were as 
 follows: Katie, now Mrs. Dwelle, of 
 Fremont; Charles, who died aged thirty 
 years; Jessup, who died at the age of 
 twenty-five 3'ears; Gertrude, wife of J. F. 
 Chapman, of Erie county; Henry, of Erie 
 county; and Cyrus Harvey. 
 
 The youngest child, Cyrus Harvey 
 
 McCartney, grew up on the farm and at- 
 tended the district schools. On Decem- 
 ber 25, 1859, he was married, at Castalia, 
 Erie county, to Miss Margaret L. Criffen, 
 who was born December 23, 1836, in 
 Groton township, Erie county, daughter 
 of Charles B. and Lovina (Vandercook) 
 Criffen. Charles Criffen was an extensive 
 landowner near Bellevue. His wife Lo- 
 vina Vandercook was born in Troy, N. Y., 
 February 15, 1807, came to Ohio when 
 about nineteen years old, and died in 
 Groton township, Erie county, aged sixty- 
 two years. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. McCartney 
 settled on the old McCartney farm near 
 Venice, Erie county. He engaged in stock- 
 raising and farming until 1 877, when he pur- 
 chased and moved to a farm of sixty-eight 
 and a half acres in Green Creek township, 
 Sandusky county. He has lived here ever 
 since, except two years spent in ' ' Egypt, " 
 111. Mr. and Mrs. McCartney have had' 
 seven children, as -follows: Gertrude 
 C, born November 8, i860, now the wife 
 of Thomas Bubler; Bell, born February 
 26, 1862, married to Dr. L. U. Howard; 
 George D., born December 19, 1866; 
 Eliza L. , born February 16, 1873, died 
 February 5, 1874; Florence May, bora 
 August 6, 1875; Maude C. , born June 12, 
 1877; Harvey Jessup, born August 17, 
 1879. In politics Mr. McCartney is a 
 pronounced Republican. 
 
 WILLIAM H. WHITEHEAD, a 
 young, well-educated, enterpris- 
 ing and successful farmer of 
 Riley township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, was born on the 29th day of August, 
 1868, and is a son of Joseph and Laura 
 (George) \\'hitehead. 
 
 Joseph Whitehead, Sr. , was born in 
 England in 181 1. In 1833 he was united 
 in marriage with Matilda Albon, who was 
 born in 18 14, a daughter of John Albon, 
 who came to the United States in 1833, 
 the year of his daughter's marriage, and' 
 
358 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 located in Erie county, Ohio. Mr. White- 
 head, his son-in-law, a baker by trade, 
 received such glowing accounts of the 
 natural wealth and resources of this great 
 land that he decided to leave Britannia's 
 shores and make a home on this side of 
 the billowy Atlantic. So he set out with 
 his family in 1S51, landed at Quebec, and 
 came on from there to Sandusky, San- 
 dusky Co. , Ohio, part of the way by boat, 
 but from Niagara to Chippewa on horse- 
 back, reaching Sandusk}- June 15, 185 1. 
 The same year Mr. Whitehead bought 1 20 
 acres of land, on which his son, Thomas 
 C. , now resides. Mrs. Whitehead de- 
 parted this life in the fall of 1864, and 
 Mr. Whitehead on February 10, 1892. 
 
 Joseph Whitehead, Jr., the father of 
 our subject, received only a limited edu- 
 cation in his native land, and it was not 
 augmented by schooling after reaching 
 the United States. At the age of fifteen 
 he accompanied his parents to America, 
 and he has been a. resident of Townsend 
 township ever since. He served as a 
 "hundred-day man" in the Civil war 
 from May 2, 1864, until September 5, 
 when he was discharged. On June 12, 
 1865, Mr. Whitehead married Laura 
 George, who was born August 5, 1843, 
 and they have had four children, as fol- 
 lows: William H., born August 29, 1868, 
 married Mary Howe, of Norwalk, Huron 
 county, November 26, 1891; John T. , 
 born January 11, 1871; Bessie R., born 
 in 1875, married Oscar Longanbach, on 
 February 22, 1894; and Ross D. , born 
 September 28, 1878. The father of Mrs. 
 Whitehead, Joseph George, formerly re- 
 sided in Townsend township, but removed 
 to Clyde, Green Creek township, San- 
 dusky county, where both he and his wife 
 were laid to rest. 
 
 William H. Whitehead was carefully 
 reared by his kind and devoted parents, 
 received fair advantages for an education, 
 which he diligently improved, worked on 
 his father's farm and taught school during 
 the winter of 1890, for a term of five 
 
 months. He then went to Cleveland, 
 Ohio, and remained a year, employed as 
 a street-car conductor, and thence to 
 Norwalk, Huron county, Ohio, where he 
 was united in marriage with Mary Howe, 
 on November 26, 1891. There is one 
 child by their marriage, Estella May, 
 born December 27, 1894. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Whitehead are members of the Methodist 
 Church, and he is a Republican in poli- 
 tics. He is a man of sterling qualities, a 
 kind husband, a dutiful son devoted to 
 his aged parents, and well-liked and 
 highly respected in the community. 
 
 JOSEPH R. CLARK (deceased). 
 Among the pioneers of Sandusky 
 county, who by force of character 
 made themselves felt in the commu- 
 nity in which they lived, was Joseph R. 
 Clark, of Riley township. 
 
 Mr. Clark was born in Fayette county, 
 Penn., January 27, 1806. On March 
 24, 1833, he was married to Miss Emilie 
 Welsh, of Washington county, Penn., 
 and he and his wife migrated to Knox 
 county, Ohio, in September, 1836. In 
 1848 they removed to Sandusky county, 
 and here remained until 1863, when they 
 took up their residence in Clay county, 
 111. After living there three jears thej' 
 returned to Riley township, Sandusky 
 county, where Mr. Clark departed this 
 life, February 6, 1892, his wife preceding 
 him November 26, 1885. Mr. Clark was 
 of Irish descent, his father having been 
 born February 14, 1762, in the Emerald 
 Isle; he died September 12, 1831. His 
 wife, Elizabeth (Ross), was born January 
 18, 1769, and died January 6, 1840. 
 They were the parents of nine children, 
 all now deceased. 
 
 Mr. Clark was a man of more than 
 ordinary ability, and he made his influ- 
 ence for good felt throughout the com- 
 munity. He possessed a wonderful mem- 
 ory, great discretion and shrewd judg- 
 ment, and on account of these prominent 
 
o/u^jJl 'jfSic^i'k 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOUAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 359 
 
 traits of character was very frequently 
 found on the jury when important cases 
 were to be tried. His clear mind and 
 impartial \erdict were so hif,'hly appreci- 
 ated by all who knew him that when he 
 was chosen as a juror neither attorney 
 objected to his sitting. He was for 
 many years justice of the peace in Riley 
 township. A sentence sometimes speaks 
 volumes. One of Mr. Clark's contempor- 
 aries says of him: " You need not fear 
 that you will over-estimate the man in 
 writing his sketch." To Mr. and Mrs. 
 Joseph R. Clark came twelve children, 
 ten of whom are mentioned as follows: 
 William W. , Mrs. Cleaver, John and 
 Rebecca (both deceased in infancy), 
 Leander, Joseph (who died at the age of 
 nine years), Lucretia (deceased in in- 
 fancy), Sarah Ann, James and Clara. Of 
 those yet living, Leander, who was born 
 June 5, 1839, is unmarried (he served 
 four years during the war of the Rebellion 
 as a member of Company F, Seventy- 
 second O. V. I.); William W. , born 
 March 13, 1834, married Sarah M. Bell, 
 February 22, 1862, and to them five 
 children were born, four of whom are 
 now living — Mrs. Jesse Stevens (of Fos- 
 toria), Mrs. Jennie Hyter (of Bradner), 
 William E. (who resides in Indiana), and 
 May (who resides in Fostoria). William 
 W. Clark is now extensively engaged in 
 the oil business; he makes his home with 
 his daughter, Mrs. Stevens, of Fostoria, 
 his wife having died some years ago. 
 
 Mrs. Joseph R. Clark was the daughter 
 of William and Rebecca (Budd) Welsh, 
 the former of whom was born about i J J i 
 and died in 1S33; the latter was born 
 about 1778. To them were born eleven 
 children, three of whom are now living. 
 
 WH. K. G05SARD, one of San- 
 duskj- county's representative 
 self-made men, is the son of 
 Alvin P. and Mary (Cooley) 
 Gossard. and was born September 8, 1839, 
 
 23 
 
 in Scott township, Sandusky county. His 
 education was acquired at the Ohio Wes- 
 leyan University, and, although the ordi- 
 nary advantages for literary pursuits at that 
 time were meager, Mr. Gossard obtained 
 a liberal training, and for several years 
 was one of the foremost teachers in San- 
 dusky county. 
 
 On March 31, 1864, our subject was 
 united in marriage with Lucinda Hollo- 
 peter, of Seneca county, and soon after- 
 ward settled upon eighty acres of wild 
 land in Scott township, on which were no 
 buildings. Here began the struggle with 
 the forest from which he determined to 
 secure a home; success has crowned the 
 efforts of himself and wife, and to-day 
 Mr. Gossard has the original purchase un- 
 der high cultivation, with excellent build- 
 ings and orchards, and to this property he 
 has added another farm the same size. 
 To him and his first wife were born three 
 children: Mary O., born January 10, 
 1865, who married C. P. Aubert, at that 
 time of Columbus, Ohio, now of Wash- 
 ington State, and she is the mother of 
 three children — Claudius, Thalia and 
 Mabel (Mr. Aubert is superintendent of 
 Port Townsend (Wash.) public schools; 
 for five years prior to her marriage she 
 was teacher in the public schools of San- 
 dusky and Wood counties); W^illiam Ar- 
 thur, born January 30, 1 866, who married 
 Miss Clara Shale (he was also a teacher); 
 and Myrtle R., born October 29, 1871, 
 who like her father, brother and older sis- 
 ter, is a teacher, having been engaged in 
 the profession for the past six years. The 
 mother of these children was born August 
 23, 1843, and was for a number of years 
 a teacher; she died June 2, 1873, and 
 was buried in the Metzger cemetery, and 
 on April 23, 1879, Mr. Gossard was mar- 
 ried to Miss Helen M. Canfield, of Wood 
 county, who was born September 26, 
 1850. She completed her education in 
 Saginaw, Mich., where she was graduated 
 in 1 87 I, and was also a teacher for twelve 
 years, holding some very fine positions, 
 
360 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 among others teaching in the Woodville, 
 Genoa and Bowling Green high schools. 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Gossard have been born 
 three children: Florence A., December 
 14, 1882; Harry C.. March 13, i884;and 
 Hellen Gladys, October 12, 1890. Silas 
 Sprague Canfield, father of Mrs. Gossard, 
 was born March 13, 1824. in Hamburg, 
 N. Y. The history of the Canfield family, 
 through the researches of Prof. Averill B. 
 Canfield, has been traced back to 1350, 
 when James De Philo, a French Huguenot 
 of Normand}', France, emigrated to Eng- 
 land and became a loyal subject of the 
 Crown. In course of time the name was 
 shortened and Anglicized into Cam. Philo, 
 then Camptield, Camfield, and Canfield. 
 From this line came Anion Canfield, who 
 was the great-grandfather of S. S. Can- 
 field. Silas S. Canfield's mother was 
 Phcebe Uart. Mrs. Gossard's mother, 
 Matilda Adaline Wetherell, was born at 
 South Barre, Orleans Co., N. Y. . and 
 died February 10, 1885. 
 
 Mr. Gossard's father, AlvinP. Gossard, 
 was born June 6, 1808, in Ross count}-, 
 Ohio, and when a young man came to 
 Scott township, Sandusky county, where 
 he purchased a farm. Philip Gossard, his 
 father, was born in America about 1777, 
 of German parentage, and married a Ken- 
 tucky lady, a Miss Plummer, who was 
 born about 1779. In 1835 Alvin P. Gos- 
 sard was married to Miss Mary Cooley, of 
 Sandusky count}', and they settled on the 
 farm which A. R. Gossard has purchased, 
 and began a life which was prosperous in 
 every way. Mr. Gossard was a great 
 stockman, a shrewd dealer, and in that 
 business made a great deal of money. For 
 a long time he turned off one hundred 
 head or more of cattle each year, which 
 he had fattened, besides the large number 
 purchased and shipped directly. By care- 
 ful attention to his business he added to 
 the small farm he had originally purchased 
 until he at one time owned 800 acres, 
 which he paid for mainly from his stock 
 business. He was the father of eight 
 
 children, si.\ of whom are now living: W. 
 H. K. ; P. J. ; A. R. ; Mary, now Mrs. Mc- 
 Ewen, of Wood county; Ann, now Mrs. 
 Sidel, of Fulton county; and Mrs. Inman. 
 The two deceased are Charles and Ed- 
 mund. Mr. Gossard died May 6, 1887, 
 and was buried in Metzger cemetery; his 
 wife was born March i, 18 10, in Canada, 
 daughter of Peleg Cooley, who built the 
 first frame house in Fremont, Ohio. Peleg 
 Cooley's grandmother was stolen from 
 Wales when a little child and brought to 
 New York, where she was sold for enough 
 to pay her passage, $18; she was so young 
 she did not remember her father's last 
 name, but simply knew that they called 
 him "John." When in the hands of her 
 captors, on the boat, she heard her father's 
 voice on board the vessel, but dared not 
 speak. 
 
 JOSEPH M. BUCHMAN, carpenter, 
 of Fremont, Sandusk\- county, son 
 of Godfrey F. and Magdalena Buch- 
 man, was born at F"remont, Ohio, 
 October 3, 1873. He spent his youth in 
 his native city, assisting his father in a 
 store, and attending the parochial school 
 of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, under 
 the precepiorship of Rev. S. Bauer, D. 
 D. ; he graduated from St. Joseph's High 
 School in 1890, and afterward took a 
 course in a business college. 
 
 With a view to preparing himself for 
 the occupation of contractor and builder, 
 he next served an apprenticeship at the 
 carpenter trade, under the instruction of 
 Christian \'ollmer, until March, 1894, 
 since which time he has worked with 
 various other parties. He assisted in the 
 \ building of the celebrated Hochenedel 
 ' Block, on Croghan street, Fremont, the 
 Lutheran Church at Gibsonburg, and 
 other buildings of note elsewhere. He is 
 a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 
 of the Young Men's Society of the B. V. 
 M., and of the Catholic Knights of Ohio, 
 Branch No. 8, and Uniformed Comman- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPBICAL RECORD. 
 
 361 
 
 dery No. 2. By his habits of industry 
 and thrift, strict attention to business, and 
 fair dealing with his fellow men, Mr. 
 Buchman has laid the foundation of a 
 successful business career. 
 
 ANTHONY C. NUHFER was born 
 January i6, 1835, and is a son of 
 Nicholas and Elizabeth (Creek) 
 Nuhfer, born, the father on June 
 2, 1814, in Baiern, Germany, and the 
 mother on March 28, 18 10. 
 
 Nicholas Nuhfer and Elizabeth Creek 
 were united in marriage in 1834, and be- 
 came the parents of seven children. They 
 came to America in the year of their mar- 
 riage, and located in Buffalo, N. Y. , where 
 they remained a short time. They then 
 removed to Ohio, where he worked on the 
 Maumee and Western Reserve pike for 
 two years; later bought twenty-five acres 
 of land, which he kept a short time and 
 then traded it for forty acres of timber 
 land, put up a two-story house, and 
 cleared the larger part of the land. In 
 1845 Mr. Nuhfer commenced to preach, 
 and this work he followed until his death; 
 he preached three years in Cleveland, 
 Ohio, and three years in Detroit, Mich., 
 and was elder for eight years. He died 
 January 31, 1888, at the age of seventy- 
 four years and some months, and his 
 widow January 18, 1891, at the age of 
 eighty-one years; they were both buried 
 in W'oodville township, Sandusky county. 
 Anthony C. Nuhfer left home at tfie 
 age of eleven years, went to work for his 
 uncle a couple of years, and then went to 
 school one year. Afterward he learned 
 the shoemaker's trade, which he followed 
 for twenty years. He worked at Dela- 
 ware, Ohio, and at Carrington, Ohio, 
 until his twenty-third year, when, on No- 
 vember 22, 1858, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Sophia Whipking, who was 
 born August 28, 1837, in Toledo, Ohio. 
 They have become the parents of two 
 children, as follows: Helen E., born May 
 
 3, 1 86 1, married George Walter, by whom 
 she had two children — Frank and Carl, 
 and they live in Woodville township; and 
 George A., now a farmer in Woodville 
 township, born June 29, 1864, and united 
 in marriage May 8, 1891, in Fremont, 
 Ohio, with Emma Meford, born January 
 16, 1866, by whom he has had one child, 
 Clarence, born February 19, 1892. 
 
 After his marriage Anthony C. Nuhfer 
 settled in Woodville township, Sandusky 
 county, lived there for some time, then 
 traded his property with his father for the 
 farm upon which he now lives. He leased 
 his farm to an oil company, and they put 
 down three wells, all of which have a good 
 flow. He carries on general farming. 
 Mr. Nuhfer has been a member of the 
 German Methodist Episcopal Church 
 since 1854. He has always voted the 
 Republican ticket, is widely and favorably 
 known, and is well liked in the community. 
 
 JOHN HOUTZ, a prominent and well- 
 to-do agriculturist of Washington 
 township, Sandusky count)', whose 
 farm is situated within one mile of 
 the town of Helena, is a native of the 
 county, born October 7, 1855, in the 
 town of Rollersville, third in the order of 
 birth of five children born to John and 
 Elizabeth (Boyer) Houtz. 
 
 John Houtz, Sr. , father of our sub- 
 ject, was one of the oldest settlers of San- 
 dusky county; was a Pennsylvanian by 
 birth, born in 1801 and in 1808 moved to 
 Ohio, settling in Sandusky county, the 
 Indians at the time being friendly neigh- 
 bors. He was twice married, the first 
 time to Katharina Houtz, who died leav- 
 ing one child, Mar\' Ellen Phiester, at 
 present living in Wood count}". Ohio. 
 His second wife, Elizabeth (Boyerj, be- 
 came the mother of five children, name- 
 ly: Cornelius, a farmer, living near Rol- 
 lersville, Sandusky Co. ; Zacharias, farm- 
 er, near his brother Cornelius, both own- 
 ing a goodlj' number of acres of prime 
 
362 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 land; John, subject of sketch; Elizabeth, 
 who died in 1893 (she was the wife of 
 Mr. George Tyson, who is now Hving in 
 Wood county, Ohio); and Sarah, wife of 
 Levi Tyson, a farmer near Koilersville, 
 Ohio (they have two children). The 
 father of this family died in Februarj', 
 1880, at the age of seventy-nine years; 
 the mother passed away when the subject 
 of this sketch was but a young lad, and he 
 does not remember much regarding her. 
 
 John Houtx, of whom this sketch more 
 particularly relates, received a liberal edu- 
 cation at the winter schools of his native 
 place, from early boyhood assisting his 
 father on the farm, until the time of his 
 marriage. In 1880 he purchased the 
 ninety-two acres of land whereon he now 
 lives, and has by industry, thrift and sound 
 judgment made a success, living and toil- 
 ing on with the bright prospect before him 
 of adding to his possessions. 
 
 Mr. Houtz was married February i 1 , 
 1875, to Miss Mary Anna Baird, daughter 
 of John S. Baird, a farmer of Sandusky 
 county, Ohio, and five children have 
 blessed this union, their names and dates 
 of birth being as follows: Elsie, March 
 27, 1877; Gary, July 4, 1882; Stella, Sep- 
 tember 22, 1884; Mabel, August 10, 18S7, 
 and Grace, July 13, 1889. In religious 
 faith Mr. and Mrs. Houtz are members of 
 the United Brethren Church. He has on 
 his farm twelve good oil wells, and the 
 property being one of the best oil stands 
 in Sandusky county, he hopes before the 
 close of the year to discover as many more 
 wells. Wide-awake, progressive and 
 genial, Mr. Houtz has insured for himself 
 a personal popularity that in itself is a 
 fair capital for any man traveling the 
 earlier portion of life's highway. 
 
 GEORGE W. WIRES, a retired 
 fruit-grower, and the oldest liv- 
 ing settler of North Bass Island, 
 if not of Ottawa county, was 
 born in Orangeville, Genesee Co., N. Y., 
 
 October 5, 1809, son of Solomon and 
 Susanna (Beals) Wires, who were both 
 born in Northampton, Mass., and were 
 of Welsh ancestry. They came to Ohio 
 about 1 8 19, locating in Leroy township, 
 which is now in Lake county, and after a 
 residence there of about a year removed 
 to the adjoining township of Painesville. 
 
 When about ten years old George W. 
 Wires came with his parents to Leroy 
 township, and afterward accompanied 
 them to Painesville, where he received 
 such limited educational advantages as 
 were afforded the youth of those days in 
 the old primitive log schoolhouse. In 
 early life he was bound out to learn the 
 carpenter's trade; but not taking a fancy 
 to the man to whom he was apprenticed 
 he ran away, and hired out as a farm 
 hand with a man named Charles C. 
 Payne, with whom he remained eight 
 years. At the expiration of that time he 
 followed a sea-faring life for about five 
 years, and afterward engaged in various 
 occupations until 1838, when he removed 
 to Kelle3''s Island, Erie county, where he 
 resided four j'ears. He was ne.xt engaged 
 in steamboating. on the Mississippi river 
 for about two years, after which he re- 
 turned to Kelley's Island, and after re- 
 siding there about four years lived one 
 winter on Point Pelee Island, Canada, in 
 1849 removing to North Bass Island, 
 which has been the home of the family 
 for forty-five years. 
 
 On May 16, 1843, George ^^■. Wires 
 was united in marriage, on Kelley's 
 Island, with Susan Fox, who was born 
 in Essex county, Canada, March 12, 
 1820, and they have had ten children, as 
 follows: Charles C, born June 11, 1845, 
 a farmer residing on Pelee Island; Mary 
 Jane, born October 6, 1846, died August 
 7, 1863; Adeline A., born Septembers, 
 1848, widow of James Cummings, resid- 
 ing on Pelee Island; Lavina Ellen, born 
 September 30, 1850, the wife of George 
 Hallock, residing on North Bass Island; 
 William Tell, born November 30, 1852, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 363 
 
 residing on Pelee Island; Simon Peter, 
 born September 12, 1854, is superinten- 
 dent of a fish hatchery at Duluth, Minn. ; 
 George Washington, Jr., born December 
 9, 1856, residing on North Bass Island; 
 Olive Lenora, born April 22, 1859; An- 
 drew Jackson, born March 16, 1861; 
 and Elsa Rosella, born April 17, 1863. 
 The parents of Mrs. George W. Wires 
 were John and Rachel (Stewart) Fox. 
 Mr. Wires attained his majority during 
 the first administration of President Jack- 
 son, and in his political preferences was 
 formerly a W^hig, but has been a stanch 
 Republican for many years. 
 
 CHARLES E. BAKER, M. D , a 
 prominent and popular physician 
 of Genoa, Ottawa county, is 
 numbered among Ohio's native 
 sons, his birth having occurred in Fair- 
 field county May 27, 1857. His parents, 
 Richard H. and Lucinda (Baker) Baker, 
 were also natives of that county, the for- 
 mer born in April, 1832, the latter on 
 January 2, 1831. They still reside there, 
 honored and respected, the father being 
 numbered among the esteemed and lead- 
 ing agriculturists of the community. For 
 many years he has efficiently filled the 
 office of township trustee, and other local 
 positions within the gift of the people, 
 and in all has discharged his duties with 
 a commendable promptness and fidelity. 
 The family numbers but two children: 
 Charles E., subject of this sketch; and 
 Eva M., widow of George Turner, of 
 Fairfield county, Ohio. The great-grand- 
 father, Peter Baker, a native of Mary- 
 land, became one of the honored pioneers 
 of Fairfield county, where he located 
 about the year 1799. 
 
 Dr. Baker acquired his rudimentary 
 education in the district schools of his na- 
 tive township, and then attended the 
 Fairfield Union Academy, from which he 
 was graduated in June, 1877. For about 
 three years thereafter he successfully en- 
 
 gaged in teaching school in Fairfield 
 county, after which he took up the study 
 I of medicine under the preceptorship of 
 Dr. H. C. Baker, of New Salem, Ohio. 
 He further fitted himself for his chosen 
 calling by prosecuting his studies in the 
 Columbus Medical College, from which 
 he was graduated with honor in March, 
 1 88 1. A few months afterward he re- 
 moved to Toledo, where he was con- 
 nected with the Hospital for the Insane 
 for a period of two and a half years. 
 This added practical experience to his 
 thorough knowledge of the science of 
 medicine, and made him a skilled phy- 
 sician. In 1884 he came to Genoa, 
 where for a period of more than eleven 
 years he has continuously practiced, be- 
 ing the second oldest physician in the 
 place. By his skill and ability he has 
 succeeded in building up a large and rap- 
 idl}' increasing business, to which merit 
 well entitles him. 
 
 The Doctor was married in Genoa, 
 May 17, 1894, to Mary M. Humlong, 
 and their union has been blessed with one 
 child, George Lee, born August 17, 1895. 
 Mrs. Baker was born January 9, 1864, 
 in Marshall county, Iowa, received her 
 early education in Genoa, graduating 
 from the high school in 1880, and subse- 
 quently attended Berea College, here 
 completing her literary training, after 
 which she was for several years a teacher 
 in the public schools of Genoa. Her 
 parents, William and Emma Humlong, 
 prominent citizens and early settlers of 
 Clay township, Ottawa county, were na- 
 tives, respectively, of Kentucky and Pre- 
 ble county, Ohio, both born in 1836, the 
 father on May i 5, the mother on Septem- 
 ber 6. W'illiam Humlong took a two- 
 years' course in Oberlin College, and was 
 for some years a teacher in Sandusky 
 county. About 1856 he wedded Miss 
 Emma Swann, and they became the par- 
 ents of four children — John, Ernest, 
 Eugene C. (deceased) and Marj' M. (Mrs. 
 Baker). Mr. and Mrs. Humlong settled 
 
364 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in Genoa. Ottawa county, about the 3"ear 
 1 860. He served three j'ears in the war 
 of the Rebelhon, and was first lieutenant 
 of Company E, Twelfth Regiment, Ohio 
 Volunteer Cavalry. John Humlong 
 (grandfather of Mrs. Baker) was born in 
 1802 in Kentucky, but was obliged to 
 leave his native State' on account of his 
 politics, he being an Abolitionist. He 
 married Mar\' A. Hollis, who was born 
 December 21, 181 2, in Kentucky, and 
 they became the parents of nine children. 
 Robert and Margaret (Crume) Swann, 
 maternal grandparents of Mrs. Baker, 
 were born in 1796 and 1800, respectively, 
 and were married in 18 16. Seven chil- 
 dren were born to them. After Mr. 
 Swann's death Mrs. Swann for her sec- 
 ond husband married Judge Gregg, of In- 
 diana. 
 
 The Doctor and his wife attend the 
 Presbyterian Church, and occupy a prom- 
 inent position in social circles. His po- 
 litical views are in accord with the prin- 
 ciples of the Democratic party. He is 
 one of the most popular gentlemen in 
 Genoa, and his name is a household word 
 in the homes throughout his section of 
 the county. His genial manner and 
 kindness have won for him hosts of 
 friends among all classes of people. He 
 is indefatigable in his attention to those 
 that are placed under his professional 
 care, and has won golden opinions from 
 friends and patrons, ranking deservedly 
 high among his professional brethren. 
 
 HUBBARD M. CLEMONS is a 
 representative of one of the early 
 families of Ottawa county, and 
 was born in Danbury township, 
 March 22, 1848. 
 
 A pretty complete history of the 
 Clemons family was written by Alexander 
 demons (deceased), of Marblehead, Feb- 
 ruary, 20, 1874, and embodies the facts 
 which were related to him by his father. 
 " While on their way to school on the 
 
 Island of Guernsey, two little boys, Isaac 
 and Jacob Clemons, were stolen and 
 placed on board a British man-of-war and 
 brought to this country, being landed at 
 Salem, Mass., probably earl}' in the 
 eighteenth century. Isaac afterward lo- 
 cated in the State of Maine, and Jacob 
 in Canada. The former had two sons, 
 Edward and John, and Edward became 
 the father of four sons, who were named 
 Jock, Samuel, Jabez and Frank. These 
 four brothers removed to Madison, Madi- 
 son Co., N. Y. , in 1795. Jock had born 
 to him three sons and three daughters: 
 Samuel, one son and two daughters; Ja- 
 bez, two sons and three daughters; and 
 Frank, three daughters. Samuel re- 
 moved to Fredonia, N. Y. David, a son 
 of Jabez, is, I believe, the father of Sam- 
 uel L. Clemens, better known b\' the iioin 
 dc plume oi "Mark Twain." John, the 
 brother of Edward, had born to him three 
 sons and three daughters, named re- 
 spectively, John, Jonathan, Eli, Ruth, Han- 
 nah and Eunice. John married Mary Mc- 
 Lallan, of Gorham, Maine, and there 
 were born to this union ten children, 
 named: Carry, Andrew, Alexander, John, 
 Eunice, Ai, Elijah, Nancy, Samuel and 
 William. Ruth, a sister of John, married 
 Col. Charles Wadsworth, a son of Gen. 
 Pcleg Wadsworth, of Revolutionary war 
 fame, and uncle of Henry Wadsworth 
 Longfellow. Hannah married William 
 Cotton. Of Eunice I remember nothing. 
 Alexander, son of John, was mar- 
 ried to Angeline Hollister, February 11, 
 1824, and to their union were born four- 
 teen children, as follows: Winslow, 
 Mile, William .Alexander, Phineas Harri- 
 son, Sarah, Frances, Myron Elijah, 
 Albert Alonzo, Lucian 
 
 Newton, Lucia Louisa, 
 mer, Ai J., and a babe 
 
 Monroe, Lester 
 Hubbard Morti- 
 unnamed. The 
 
 mother of John and grandmother of Alex- 
 ander was Abigail Wetherbee, who lived 
 to be one hundred and four years old, and 
 left one hundred and sixty-four descend- 
 ants. The following is the record of births 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 365 
 
 and deaths in Alexander demons' family: 
 Alexander demons was born in Hiram, 
 Maine, February 1 1, 1794, and died March 
 12, 1886, in Marblehead, Danbury town- 
 ship, Ottawa count)'. He wedded Almira 
 Angcline HoUister, who was born in 
 Glastonbury. Conn., April 5, 1806, and 
 died at Marblehead, March 24, 1861. 
 Their marriage was celebrated near San- 
 dusky, Ohio, February 11, 1824, and 
 they became the parents of the following 
 children: Winslovv, who was born in 
 Sandusky, December 29, 1824; Milo, who 
 was born April 26, 1827, and died March 
 6, 1888; \\'illiam Alexander, born Decem- 
 ber 16, 1829; Phineas Harrison, born 
 February 16, 1832; Sarah, born March 4, 
 1834; Frances, born April 6, 1836; Myron 
 Elijah, born February 25, 1838; Albert 
 Alonzo, born April 9, 1840; Lucian Mon- 
 roe, born November 28, 1841; Lester 
 Newton, who was born in 1843, and died 
 March 5, 1846; Lucia Louisa, who was 
 born in December, 1844, and died No- 
 vember 20, 1849; Hubbard Mortimer, 
 born March 22, 1848; Ai J., born June 
 17, 1850; and there was also one child 
 that died in infancy." 
 
 The gentleman whose name com- 
 mences this review was reared to man- 
 hood on the old homestead, and acquired 
 his education in the district schools and 
 in the high school of Sandusky City. He 
 afterward engaged in stone quarrying, and 
 subsequently became a member of the 
 firm of demons Sons, operating a quarry 
 until 1 89 1. In January of that year he 
 began dealing in coal, wood and ice in 
 Marblehead, and is now doing a good 
 business, having a large and constantly 
 increasing trade. He has always resided 
 in this locality, and is numbered among 
 the representative business men. 
 
 Mr. demons was married in Sandusky 
 City, January 23. 1873, to Miss Almira 
 L. , who was born near Troy, N. Y., Jan- 
 uary 9, 1843, daughter of George J. and 
 Margaret (Hogal) Le Vake, the former a 
 native of Vermont, the latter of New 
 
 York. To this union have been born six 
 children: Flora B., November 15, 1873; 
 Lucy A., July 1 1, 1875; Clara Pearl, De- 
 cember 22. 1877; Ralph M., May 17, 
 1879; Eunice N., July 17, 1882, and 
 Jessie Mabel, August 10, 1885. 
 
 Mr. demons is a very prominent and 
 influential citizen of his native county, 
 and is now efficiently serving as mayor of 
 Marblehead. He has also served as jus- 
 tice of the peace, and for seventeen years 
 has been a member of the board of edu- 
 cation. His political support is given 
 the Republican party, and socially he is 
 connected with Peninsula Lodge, No. 607, 
 Iv. of P., of Lakeside, Ohio. The family 
 attend the Methodist and Congregational 
 Churches, Mr. demons holding member- 
 ship with the former. He is one of the 
 successful business men of the county, 
 and the chief element of his prosperity 
 has been close application to business, 
 coupled with executive ability and fore- 
 sight. He furnishes a striking example 
 of what may be accomplished b}' honora- 
 ble dealing, careful and wise management, 
 and by a business policy that commands 
 the respect of all. He has thus succeeded 
 in attaining an enviable position in the 
 regard of the public, and his prominence 
 is well deserved. A pleasant and genial 
 gentleman, unassuming in manner, he 
 commands the highest esteem of all with 
 whom he has been brought in contact. 
 He is a close observer of men and affairs, 
 and is well-informed on all public ques- 
 tions. 
 
 HARLEY HOLLISTEK EL- 
 WELL. The subject of this brief 
 biographical sketch stands prom- 
 inent among the most successful 
 and influential fruit-growers of Ottawa 
 count)'. 
 
 He is a native of the Empire State, 
 born at Meridian, Ca_\uga count)', Novem- 
 ber 14, 1818. Spending his childhood 
 among the picturesque hills and valleys. 
 
3C.G 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 lakes and streams of that beautiful coun- 
 try, where, at that time, the " Red Man " 
 was not an infrequent visitor at the rural 
 homes as he wandered from his tribe, as 
 thouf(h reluctant to yield this paradise to 
 the white usurper. Mr. Elwell's father 
 was a New Englander, born in Vermont, 
 where his early years were passed. His 
 mother, Mary (Acker) Elwell, was reared 
 in the Mohawk Valley, as were her par- 
 ents, who were of Holland ancestry. Mrs. 
 Elwell's rare gifts of character were sup- 
 plemented by the practical qualifications 
 of that sturdy people, and admirably 
 fitted her for the trials and duties of pio- 
 neer life. From this excellent mother, 
 whose early death was an irreparable loss 
 to her family and to society, Mr. Elwell 
 inherited much of the integrit}', firmness 
 and decision, which has characterized his 
 course through life. 
 
 In 1835 he accompanied his father to 
 Lapeer, Mich., where he remained un- 
 til 1838 when he came to Ohio, locating 
 at Plasterbed, Ottawa county, where he 
 was engaged for a short time. He then 
 bought and occupied a farm in Sandusky 
 county, and at length settled in Sandusky 
 City, where he lived over thirtj' years, 
 serving as engineer and conductor for dif- 
 ferent railroad companies. In 1864 he 
 was injured in a railroad collision, and 
 unfitted for the business. In the follow- 
 ing year he located in Danbury, Ottawa 
 county, where he now resides. In 1840 
 Mr. Elwell was united in marriage with 
 Miss Alice Lachlison, who was born in 
 England, April 30, 1820, and died August 
 9, 1 849. The surviving children of this 
 union are Annjemmetta Louise, widow of 
 the late Fletcher Hartshorn, and Abner 
 H. Elwell. The year 1853 was again 
 the nuptial year with Mr. Elwell, when, 
 in the land of his nativity, at the home 
 of E. H. Burnham, Esq., he was married 
 to Miss J. A. Burnham. Of this paren- 
 tage there are two surviving children: 
 Alice Jennie, now Mrs. T. W. Payne, and 
 Burton H. Elwell. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Elwell has always 
 been a Republican, unswerving m his sup- 
 port of the cause which that party has 
 espoused. He is one of those men to 
 whom the term "selfmade" is appro- 
 priately applied. Though lacking the ad- 
 vantages of college education, he has ob- 
 tained much of that most valuable infor- 
 mation which comes from observation, 
 experience, and general reading of books 
 and current events, and has made for 
 himself a character and reputation that 
 places him in the highest regard of those 
 who know him best. He is a man of in- 
 fluence, whose good citizenship has never 
 been questioned, and his name deserves 
 an honored place in the history of his 
 adopted countrj'. 
 
 GEORGE W. GRANT is a repre- 
 sentative agriculturist of \\'ash- 
 ington township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, of which he is a native, his 
 birth having occured on the old home farm 
 on September 2t, 1832. 
 
 David and Rebecca (Rabe) Grant, his 
 parents, were among the earliest settlers 
 in this section of Ohio, coming here when 
 much of the land was still in its primitive 
 condition, and when the work of progress 
 and civilization seemed scarcely begun. 
 They located upon a 160-acre tract of 
 land just two miles east of where our 
 subject now resides, and the first elec- 
 tion held in Washington township was 
 held b}' David Grant, John Berie and 
 James Rose, the}' being the only voters 
 present in the township, as the record, 
 which is to be found in the town of Lind- 
 sey, Sandusky county, shows. David 
 Grant gave the township its name, calling 
 it after Washington county, Penn., his 
 old home. Mrs. Grant died when our 
 subject was quite young, David Grant 
 passing away not many years afterward, 
 and all record of the ancestry of the 
 family was lost. 
 
 Our subject remained under the pa- 
 
'f^^^?-^^^^ ^'y^A^i^yr^-i^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 367 
 
 rental roof until he had attained his ma- 
 jority, giving his father the benefit of his 
 services. He then started out in life for 
 himself, and whatever success he has 
 achieved is due entirely to his own efforts. 
 He was employed in the neighborhood, 
 scorning no work that would yield him an 
 honest dollar, and thus through industry 
 and prudence he accumulated enough to 
 purchase a farm. He invested his capital 
 in 104 acres of choice land, the place 
 upon which he now resides, and beginning 
 its cultivation at once he has to-day a 
 farm improved with all modern acces- 
 sories and conveniences, and the richly 
 developed fields indicate the supervision 
 of a progressive and painstaking owner. 
 He also owns property in Gibsonburg, 
 Sandusky county. In 1889 he leased his 
 farm to the Ohio Oil Company, and four 
 wells were put down, yielding about fifty 
 barrels per day, Mr. Grant receiving one- 
 eighth royalty and a bonus of one dollar 
 per acre. He has also been quite exten- 
 sively engaged in the stock business. 
 
 In i860 Mr. Grant was united in 
 marriage with Miss Mahala Moses, who 
 was born in 1844, daughter of Jacob and 
 Catherine (Hess) Moses, and to them 
 have been born nine children, as follows; 
 (i) Silvanus W. , who for twelve j'ears 
 was superintendent of the Lindsey and 
 Woodville public schools, and now re- 
 sides at Tiffin, Ohio, where he is engaged 
 in the mercantile business; he married 
 Dora Cummings, by whom he has one 
 child. (2) Minnie Mowry, who was a 
 teacher, is deceased. (3) Frank follows 
 farming in the State of Michigan. (4) 
 Jacob is employed by the Ohio Oil Com- 
 pany. (5) Estella, who for several years 
 was successfully engaged in teaching, is 
 married to Charles Doty, a contractor 
 and driller of oil wells, of Oil City, Penn. 
 (6; Myrtia is an oil operator. (7) Maud (a 
 teacher; and (8) Elgie are still under the 
 parental roof. (9) Herald is deceased. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Grant hold membership 
 with the United Brethren Church, and 
 
 their honorable, upright life is well 
 worthy of emulation. By his ballot Mr. 
 Grant supports the men and measures of 
 the Republican party, is a stanch advo- 
 cate of its principles, and on that ticket 
 he has been elected to several township 
 offices, discharging his duties with prompt- 
 ness and fidelity. He has always lived 
 in the county of his nativity, and those 
 who have known him from boyhood are 
 numbered among his stanchest friends, 
 a fact which indicates a well-spent life. 
 
 JOHN H. MILLER (deceased), who 
 was recognized as one of the repre- 
 sentative and leading citizens of Ot- 
 tawa county, was the eldest son of 
 Claus and Catherine (Buck) Miller, and 
 was born in New York City, on the i ith 
 of March, 1S51. 
 
 During his early childhood he was 
 brought by his parents to the West, the 
 family locating in Danbury township, Ot- 
 tawa county, where he acquired his edu- 
 cation, his privileges being those afforded 
 by the common schools. Farm labor was 
 familiar to him from his early youth. He 
 aided in the cultivation of the home farm 
 during his boyhood, and when he began 
 life for himself it was as an agriculturist. 
 Afterward he turned his attention to fruit 
 growing in connection with his other work, 
 and became one of the leading farmers 
 and horticulturists of his adopted county. 
 He managed his business affairs on sys- 
 tematic principles, and as the result of his 
 well-directed efforts acquired a handsome 
 competence. 
 
 Mr. Miller was married on the 20th of 
 December, 1877, the lady of his choice 
 being Miss Anna M. S. Brauer, a daugh- 
 ter of John H. and Louisa (Lenkring) 
 Brauer, both of whom were natives of 
 Germany, and on coming to America cast 
 their lot with the early settlers of Dan- 
 bury township, Ottawa county. The 
 father is still living in that locality, but the 
 mother died on the 14th of N'ovembe 
 
368 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 1875. Mrs. Miller was born in Danbury 
 township, October 14, 1854, and by her 
 marriage became the mother of two chil- 
 dren — Henry E., born October 25, 1878; 
 and Reuben B., born June 27, 1887. 
 
 At the time of his death. Mr. Miller 
 was filling the office of postmaster at Pic- 
 colo. He was regarded as a public-spirited 
 and progressive citizen, and took an active 
 interest in all that pertained to the wel- 
 fare of the community, and its upbuilding. 
 He passed away on the 20th of April, 
 1894, and his death was mourned by a 
 large circle of friends and acquaintances, 
 as well as by his immediate family. He 
 had ever lived so as to merit the highest 
 respect and confidence of those with 
 whom he came in contact, and he left to 
 his family the priceless heritage of a good 
 name. 
 
 CLAUS BUCK (deceased) was one 
 of the most prominent and highly- 
 respected residents of Danbury 
 township, a wide-awake, progres- 
 sive citizen, taking an active part in all 
 matters tending to advance the interests 
 of the county generally. 
 
 He was born in Basdahl, Amt Brem- 
 ervorde, Germany, April 6, 1809, and 
 was educated in his native land. When 
 a young man of twenty-seven years he 
 left his native village for America, and, 
 after a tempestuous voyage of eleven 
 weeks, reached New York City, January 
 I, 1836. Later in the same nionth he 
 started for Ohio, traveling by stage and 
 on foot, and on February 19, 1836, after 
 a tedious and tiresome journey of three 
 weeks he reached the southern shore of 
 the Peninsula, being one of the seven 
 original German settlers of Uanbury town- 
 ship, all of whom preceded him to the 
 grave. 
 
 Here in the then vast wilderness, Mr. 
 Buck made himself a home, engaging in 
 agricultural pursuits, and during his fifty- 
 eight years of residence in Danbury town- 
 
 ship, Ottawa county, he saw many 
 wonderful changes in his adopted country, 
 and in all possible ways aided in the 
 development of his resident community. 
 Ohio was at that time considered the 
 " Far West." The Indians still roamed 
 in Ottawa county, and this beautiful 
 Peninsula was a forest awaiting civiliza- 
 tion. The pioneer's life at the best is one 
 of toil. None but those who have passed 
 through a like experience can ever realize 
 the hardships and privations of such a 
 life, and the present generation have but 
 little idea of the difficulties and trials their 
 forefathers, and such men as the subject 
 of this sketch, were obliged to undergo in 
 those early days in order to bring this 
 country to its present state of prosperity 
 and perfection. 
 
 On January 5, 1844, Mr. Buck was 
 united in marriage with Miss Rebecca 
 Brauer, who was born in Fredricksdorf, 
 Germany, September 29, 1821, a daugh- 
 ter of Frederick and Christina Brauer. 
 In 1842 she came to America with her 
 father, her mother having passed away in 
 the land of her nativity two years previous. 
 For more than fifty years she was the 
 faithful companion and helpmeet of Mr. 
 Buck, and still survives him, now at the 
 advanced age of seventy-four years. Their 
 union was blessed with but one child, a 
 daughter — Christiana M. — who was born 
 March 27, 1845, and who, on the 2nd of 
 May, 1866, was united in marriage with 
 Henry H. Lullman. She died January i, 
 1882, leaving two daughters — Regiiia R. 
 and Rebecca — who still reside with their 
 grandmother, caring for her during her 
 declining years. 
 
 Mr. Buck was an earnest worker in 
 the Lutheran Church, and was a liberal 
 contributor to both the old church and 
 the handsome and imposing edifice that 
 now adorns the township. He was a 
 consistent member of the organization, as 
 are his granddaughters and widow. For 
 many years he was a great sufferer, and 
 for two years prior to his death was un- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPnWAL RECORD. 
 
 369 
 
 able to leave his room. He passed peace- 
 fully away at one o'clock on the morning 
 of December 20, 1894, at the advanced 
 age of eighty-five years, eight months and 
 fourteen days, sadly mourned by his rela- 
 tives and a large circle of friends and ac- 
 quaintances, who loved and revered him 
 for his many noble traits of character and 
 unswerving integrity. He died as he 
 lived, and his end was like the coming into 
 harbor of a stately ship after a long and 
 successful voyage. He looked death in 
 the face with that calmness and dignity, 
 that serene certainty that it was a change 
 for the better which Christian faith, such 
 as he possessed, could alone inspire. He 
 has passed awaj' from among his old 
 friends and companions in life, but his 
 memory will long be cherished by all who 
 knew him. 
 
 HIZXRY H. LULLMAN. Prom- 
 inent among Danbury township's 
 prosperous citi;;ens we innd Henry 
 H. Lullman, who was born April 
 8, 1845, in New York City. His parents, 
 John and Martha (Ahlers) Lullman, came 
 to this country about 1840, from Bremen, 
 Germany, and settled in New York City, 
 where the father engaged in the grocerj' 
 business. On July 28, 1848, the mother 
 died at the early age of twenty-five, and 
 three years later, July 20, i 85 i, the father 
 also passed away, aged thirtj-si.x years. 
 
 Thus early in life the subject of our 
 sketch was left an orphan, and when nine 
 years old he came to Ohio to make his 
 home with his uncle, Henrj' Lullman, who 
 was one of the pioneer settlers of Dan- 
 bury township, Ottawa county, having 
 located on the Peninsula in February, 
 1845. F"or thirtj'-four years he resided 
 continuously in the township, ending his 
 life's labors April 14, 1879. His wife, 
 Gacia Lullman, died December 18, 1882. 
 Henry H. Lullman spent his early boy- 
 hood days upon his uncle's farm, and ac- 
 quired his education in the district schools 
 
 of the neighborhood. The occupation to 
 which he was reared has been his life 
 work, and in addition to agricultural pur- 
 suits he has for the past fifteen years en- 
 gaged extensively in fruit growing. 
 
 Mr. Lullman was married in Danbury 
 township. May 2, 1866, to ^fiss Chris- 
 tiana M. Buck, who was born March 27, 
 1845, and was the only child of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Claus Buck, honored pioneers of 
 this locality. This union was blessed 
 with three children: Regina R. , born 
 July 31, 1868; C. Henry, born April 16, 
 1 87 1, who died in infanc)', and Rebecca 
 C, born April i, 1875. Mrs. Lullman 
 died January i, 1882, at Sandusky, Ohio, 
 after an illness of several years, aged 
 thirty-six years, nine months and four 
 da3S. On August 28, 1888, Mr. Lull- 
 man was again married, this time to Miss 
 Emma Wuhrman, who was born Sep- 
 tember 3, 1857, daughter of Henry and 
 Amelia Wuhrman, v.'ho migrated to Ohio 
 in 1847. Mr. Lullman has manifested 
 great interest in the affairs of the town- 
 ship, alwajs endeavoring to promote the 
 general welfare of the community. He 
 has held various local offices at different 
 times — that of treasurer for six years and 
 clerk for fifteen years. No higher testi- 
 monial of his efficient services can be 
 given than his long continuance in office. 
 In religious belief Mr. Lullman and all 
 the members of his family are Lutherans, 
 and interested in everything pertaining to 
 the welfare of that Church. 
 
 WILLIAM H. ALTHOFF, pub- 
 lisher and proprietor of T/tc 
 Ottawa County News Democrat, 
 is a native of Ohio born No- 
 vember 2iO, 1 86 1, in the city of Dayton, 
 only son of F. M. and Jennie E. (Clark) 
 Althoff. 
 
 He was married at Plasterbed, Octo- 
 ber 7, 1886, to Imogene, daughter of J. 
 W. and Elizabeth (Smith) Lockwood, and 
 four children have been the result of this 
 
370 
 
 COmdEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 union, namelj": Lina, born August 9, 
 1887; William L. , born February 28, 
 1890. died June 26, 1890; Herbert A., 
 born September 29, 1892; and Amos C, 
 born Januarj- 26, 1895. 
 
 The old Port Clinton Bulletin, was 
 purchased by Mr. Althoff in April, 1892. 
 The Bulletin was merged into the Demo- 
 crat, which was consolidated with the 
 Xc^L's in 1895. The,AVrt'.j was established 
 in April, 1865, by George R. Clark, an 
 uncle of the subject of this sketch. 
 
 HENRY J. MILLER. This work 
 would not be complete unless it 
 contained some account of the 
 pioneers whose lives and labors 
 were given to make possible the prosper- 
 it}-, wealth and comfort of to-day. In the 
 early history of Ottawa county no man 
 took a more prominent part or did more 
 to mold and influence the work of his 
 time than did the subject of this sketch. 
 Henry J. Miller was born May 18, 
 181 2, in the village of Putnam (now 
 Zanesville), Ohio. His father, William 
 Miller (born 1777, died at the home of 
 his son in 1840, a member of a family of 
 ten children), emigrated from Columbia 
 county, N. Y. , to Ohio soon after the or- 
 ganization of the State. He raised and 
 commanded a company of volunteers in 
 the war of 1812. Henry J. came to Ot- 
 tawa county (then a part of Huron) in 
 1828, buying a small farm of the govern- 
 ment. Upon the organization of Ottawa 
 county he was appointed sheriff, and 
 served until the iirst election. After an 
 inter\al of one term he was twice elected, 
 and served two terms in that capacity. 
 After the expiration of his term as sheriff 
 he was three times elected, and served 
 nine years as justice of the peace of his 
 township. He was one of the first to 
 propose the organization of the Ottawa 
 County Agricultural Society, and served 
 as its first president, and for several years 
 thereafter. He was prominent in every 
 
 enterprise which had for its object the 
 improvement of his county, and bettering 
 the condition of her citizens. 
 
 Mr. Miller was married November 25, 
 1836, to Susan Wonnell, who came to 
 Ottawa county with her parents from 
 Worcester county, Maryland, in 1828. 
 Of this union six children were born as 
 follows: (i) Maria was bom January 15, 
 1838, became the wife of William Sloan, 
 and is now deceased. (2) Wilson S. was 
 born May 9 1839, (a sketch of whom ap- 
 pears elsewhere). (3) George W. , born 
 December 28, 1840, died January 23, 
 1864, of wounds received while defending 
 his country in the Civil war; he was a 
 member of the First Ohio Sharpshooters. 
 (4) William, a sketch of whom follows 
 this, was bom Februan." 4, 1844. (5) 
 James H., born March 15, 1846. was a 
 prominent farmer of Portage township, 
 and died at the age of forty-six. (6) Per- 
 melia A., born June 10, 1S48, became the 
 wife of Silas A. Hardy. 
 
 During the war of the Rebellion Mr. 
 Miller did valiant service in his countrj's 
 cause. Three of his sons served in the 
 army. Too old to go to the front him- 
 self, he was faithful in looking after his 
 country's defenders at home. The noble 
 work of these older men during the war 
 has never received the recognition its im- 
 portance deserves. Mr. Miller united 
 with the Methodist Episcopal Church and 
 helped, in 1842, to organize the first so- 
 ciety of that denomination in the county. 
 He remained an active member of that 
 society until his death, which occurred 
 November 12, 1874. 
 
 WILLIAM MILLER. Amongthe 
 leading residents of Ottawa 
 county none are more deserving 
 of representation in this vol- 
 ume than the gentleman whose name 
 opens this review, and who is numbered 
 among the valued citizens of this com- 
 munity, as well as among the prominent 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 371 
 
 fruit growers and farmers of Portage 
 township. He was born in that town- 
 ship, Februar\' 4, 1844, and is a son of 
 Henry J. and Susan (Wonnell' Miller, a 
 sketch of whom appears above. 
 
 Mr. Miller acquired his education in 
 the district schools near his home, and 
 subsequently for two years pursued his 
 studies in Baldwin University, of Berea, 
 Ohio. He then turned his attention to 
 agricultural pursuits, which he has since 
 continuousl}- followed. He was the first 
 in his township to grow peaches for mar- 
 ket, planting his first orchard in 1868, 
 and is at present quite extensively en- 
 gaged in that branch of fruit growing. 
 He thoroughly understands his business, 
 and his capable management and fair and 
 honorable dealing have brought to him a 
 well-deserved success. During the war 
 of the Rebellion he served as a private in 
 Company K, One Hundred and Thirty- 
 ninth regiment, Ohio Infantry. 
 
 On January 12, 1875, he was married 
 to Miss Eliza Petitt Alexander, of Marble- 
 head, Ohio, who was born in Piqua, Ohio, 
 June 23, 1850, a daughter of David Alex- 
 ander (a sketch of whom follows) and 
 Harriet (Petitt) Alexander. Two children 
 grace this union: Henry A., born March 
 7, 1877; and Mary F. , born December 
 20, 1879. The parents of Mrs. Miller 
 were both natives of Pennsylvania. 
 
 The subject of this sketch has filled 
 the office of director of the County Agri- 
 cultural Society for several years. He 
 was one of the organizers of the Peninsula 
 Farmers and Fruit Growers Club, which 
 existed for several years, and also assisted 
 in organizing the first Farmers Institute 
 in the county, acting as its president for 
 two years. He is a member of the Ad 
 Interim Committee of the State Horticul- 
 tural Society; is the present master of 
 the Grange, and does all in his power for 
 the advancement of the farming interestsof 
 his locality. For ten consecutive years 
 he has been a member of the township 
 school board, and the cause of education 
 
 finds in him a warm friend. He is an 
 ardent supporter of the Republican party, 
 and in 1892 was nominated by the Re- 
 publicans of the Ninth Congressional Dis- 
 trict as candidate for Presidential elector, 
 was elected a member of the electoral 
 college, and cast his vote for President 
 Harrison. In his religious views he is a 
 Methodist. His life has not been one of 
 excitement, being quietlj- passed in devo- 
 tion to his business enterprises; yet it is 
 not without its points of interest as is that 
 of every man who faithfully performs his 
 duty to his country, his neighbor and him- 
 self. 
 
 David Alexander (deceased), father 
 of Mrs. Eliza P. Miller, was born at New 
 London, Chester Co., Penn.. July 31, 
 18 1 2, and came to Ohio in 1833, locating 
 first at Dayton, later at Piqua. Here he 
 was actively engaged in business for a 
 number of years. In 1843-44 he repre- 
 sented Miami county in the Ohio Legisla- 
 ture. About that time he removed to 
 Columbus, and for several years was en- 
 gaged in the home office of the Columbus 
 Insurance Co. In 1854 he became general 
 agent for the West of the Hartford Fire 
 Insurance Co. , removing to Chicago in 
 1 86 1. In 1863 failing health compelled 
 him to resign his position, and in order to 
 obtain rest and recreation he came to the 
 Lake Erie islands. Impressed with the 
 natural beauty and advantages of the lo- 
 cality, he bought a farm on the Peninsula, 
 which for thirty years was his home. 
 During the administration of President 
 Grant, Mr. Alexander was appointed 
 Exaniiner of National Banks, and spent 
 four years in government employ, his ter- 
 ritor}' embracing all of New York State 
 (except the city), Ohio, Indiana and a part 
 of \'irginia. 
 
 Mr. Alexander early saw the superior 
 advantages of the Peninsula for fruit 
 growing, and from the first made that the 
 only product of his farm. He was the 
 first on the Peninsula to plant peaches 
 largely for market, and to see, as pro- 
 
372 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 phesied by him, that entire section of 
 country covered with peach orchards. 
 He was called from earth December 23, 
 1894. Though of a retiring disposition, 
 always seeking to avoid publicity, he took 
 an active interest in public affairs, and few 
 men were better posted in the doings of 
 the day. In early life he united with the 
 Presbyterian Church, and alwa}s lived a 
 consistent Christian life. He assisted in 
 organizing the Congregational Church on 
 the Peninsula, and was always one of its 
 faithful supporters. 
 
 Mr. Alexander was twice married; 
 first time to Martha A. Graham, of Ches- 
 ter county, Penn., but she died in 1844, 
 leaving one son, Robert Graham Alex- 
 ander, who died in Chicago in 1862, in 
 his twentj'-second year. In 1849, for his 
 second wife, Mr. Alexander married Har- 
 riet R. Petitt, of Piqua, who, with three 
 daughters (Mrs. William Miller, of Gyp- 
 sum, Mrs. S. R. Gill, of Lakeside, and 
 Mrs. J. W. Benschoter, of Bowling 
 Greeny and one son (S. P. Alexander), 
 survives him. 
 
 GEORGE F. MEYER. The sub- 
 ject of this sketch, who has been 
 for nearly twenty-one years a 
 resident of Port Clinton, Ottawa 
 county, is a prosperous cigar manufac- 
 turer, in his business combining the Ger- 
 man thrift and industry with American 
 push and enterprise. He is a native of 
 Hanover, Germany, born September 9, 
 1840. 
 
 Mr. Meyer's parents were both natives 
 of Germany, the father, H. Meyer, born 
 in Lansberger, Hanover, in 1805, and 
 the mother, Mary (Walsen) Meyer, in 
 Bad Rehburg, in 1803; the former died 
 in 1868, and the latter in 1874. The 
 father, who was a man of much intelli- 
 gence and ability, was a surgeon, and 
 practiced his profession from 1825 until 
 his death. He served during the Franco- 
 Prussian war. He was a member of the 
 
 Lutheran Church. This worthy couple 
 had eight children, as follows: William, 
 who died after coming to America; August, 
 who lives at Bremen, German}-, and is 
 engaged in the cigar business; George F. , 
 our subject; Charles, living in Zulingen, 
 Germany; Frederick, who resides in 
 Bremen, Germany; Caroline, a widow, 
 residing in Sandusky; Dorritt, deceased; 
 and Augusta, who married a Mr. Dink- 
 lage. The maternal grandfather of our 
 subject was a baker by trade, and also 
 held the office of postmaster at Bad Reh- 
 burg, a position which has been handed 
 down in the family from generation to 
 generation until the present time. Others 
 of the connection are also engaged in the 
 postal service. The paternal grandfather, 
 Henry Meyer, was born at Lansberger on 
 the Weser, and was a farmer by occupa- 
 tion. 
 
 Our subject attended school in his na- 
 tive country until fourteen years old, and 
 when eighteen years of age, as is the cus- 
 tom in Germany, he entered the army 
 and served over seven years. In all this 
 time his regiment was not ordered to the 
 front, but he saw enough of a soldier's 
 life to satisfy him, without remaining 
 longer in service. After leaving the army 
 he learned the cigar business, and in 1867 
 came to America, locating first in the city 
 of Sanduskj', Ohio, and there remaining 
 until 1874, when he removed to Port 
 Clinton. Since that time he has carried 
 on business for himself. He employs 
 from six to eight men all the time, and 
 has a large trade in the surrounding coun- 
 try; he also has a fruit farm, etc. Mr. 
 Meyer was first married in Sandusky, on 
 October 10, 1868, to Miss Julia Luedecke, 
 by whom he had one child, Gustave, who 
 is engaged in business in Cleveland, Ohio. 
 The mot*^ died September 19, 1871, at 
 Sandusk), hio, and on September 28, 
 1872, Mr. N ^yer was again married, this 
 time to Miss ouisa Bolte, who was born 
 in Hanjver. They have two children: 
 George, a clerk in the German-American 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 373 
 
 Bank of Port Clinton, in which his father 
 is a stockholder; and Lillie. Mr. Meyer 
 has a fine fruit farm at Graytown, this 
 State, on which he raises quinces, pears 
 and plums; he also owns property in Port 
 Clinton. In politics, he is a Democrat, 
 and in religious faith is a member of the 
 Lutheran Church; socially, he belongs to 
 the I. O. O. F. He is a public-spirited 
 citizen, always ready to aid any project 
 tending to the welfare of his town and 
 county. 
 
 ANTON YOUNG, one of the oldest 
 pioneers, and also one of the 
 prominent agriculturists of Allen 
 township, Ottawa county, was 
 born in Germany, February 2, 1823, 
 near the banks of the beautiful river 
 Rhine, his parents being John and Kate 
 (Diefenthaler) Young, also natives of 
 Germany. 
 
 The early years of our subject were 
 spent in school in his native province, and 
 he assisted his father on the farm until 
 he was nineteen years of age. At that 
 time he was drafted into the army, being 
 required to learn the science of warfare, 
 having to drill and perform all military 
 duties and receiving a furlough every six 
 months. In 1849, when the revolution 
 broke out in his native land, he was called 
 upon to take up arms in defense of the 
 government, and served until peace was 
 restored in 1850, when he received his 
 discharge. He then returned home and 
 worked on his father's farm, and also for 
 other parties until 1852. In March of 
 that year he emigrated to this country, 
 and came to Ohio, locating in Toledo, 
 where he was married and remained for a 
 short time. In 1853, Mr. V?yng came 
 to Allen township, then a pr .on of Clay 
 township, Ottawa county, wJt^rehe bought 
 sixty-five acres of land,,i./ost of which 
 was covered with timber, and t^n which 
 he built a log cabin. He immediately 
 
 began clearing his land, planting, as fast 
 as the trees were removed, small patches 
 of corn, potatoes, etc., with which to sup- 
 port his family. After several j'ears of 
 hard toil he succeeded in converting the 
 place into a well-cultivated farm, and 
 erected a commodious dwelling house 
 with large barn and other outbuildings, 
 the property now being considered among 
 the finest in Allen township. In 1863 
 Mr. Young was drafted into the Union 
 army, but not feeling willing to leave his 
 wife and young familj', he paid $300 to 
 be exempted. He afterward had his 
 money returned to him, as the draft was 
 not a legal one. In 1864 he was again 
 drafted, but did not have to answer the 
 call. In 1865, when the last call for 
 volunteers was made, Mr. Young enlisted 
 in the One Hundred and Eighty-ninth 
 Ohio Infantry, and was sent to Nashville, 
 Tenn. It so happened that he was not 
 in any engagement, and on October 9, of 
 the same year, he received his discharge 
 and returned home. Since that time he 
 has lived upon his farm, where with his 
 good wife he is passing the evening of his 
 days in peace and happiness. 
 
 Mr. Young was married, January 30, 
 1853, at Toledo, to Mary Kohler, daugh- 
 ter of Philip Kohler, a farmer, who was 
 of German birth. To this union nine 
 children were born, of whom eight are 
 living, viz.: John, born July 15, 1855, 
 is a farmer in Allen township; he was 
 married in June, 1887, to Mary, daughter 
 of Hiram Overbeck, a farmer of Wood 
 county, and they have two children, Her- 
 man, born September i, 18S8, and Eva 
 K., born November i, 1891. Christina 
 Young was born April 29, 1858, and is 
 living at home with her parents. George 
 J. was born November 2, i860. Philip, 
 ] February 17, 1863. Andrew, May 20, 
 1865. Edwin, July 20, 1867. Katie, 
 July I, 1870, and Henry, May 10, 1873. 
 All of these were educated in the public 
 schools of Allen township, and are at 
 home with their parents. Mary, who was 
 
374 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 born February 2, 1854, died Jul}- 28 of 
 the same 3'ear. 
 
 John Young, the father of our subject, 
 was born in Germany, where he was a 
 farmer. He was married in 18 19 to Katie 
 Diefenthaler, and five children have blessed 
 their union, viz. : Philip, George, Anton, 
 Jacob (who is a farmer in Wood county, 
 this State) and Susan (who died in Ger- 
 many when a child). Philip Kohler, 
 father of Mrs. Young, was born in Ger- 
 many, where he was married, and he be- 
 came the father of four children, viz. : 
 John Philip, who died in Toledo; Bar- 
 bara, the wife of John Young, of Toledo; 
 Kate, who died when a child in Germany, 
 and Mary, the wife of our subject. The 
 father died in Germany, and the widow 
 married Philip Diefenthaler, with whom 
 she came to this country, locating in 
 Wood county, Ohio. By this second mar- 
 riage a family of four children was born: 
 Maggie, who died in Germany; Christiana 
 M., wife of John Bush, a farmer in Wood 
 county; and Jacob and Anthona, both of 
 whom are farmers in Wood county. The 
 mother died in that county in 1864. 
 
 Our subject held the office of school 
 director in Allen township for several 
 years. In politics he is a Republican, and 
 the family are members of the Evangel- 
 ical Church. 
 
 DANIELV. FLUMERFELT. The 
 subject of this sketch disclaims 
 the possession of any qualities 
 that entitle him to the mention 
 which his friends believe should be made 
 of him; yet it is in no spirit of adulation 
 when we say that his busy and active life 
 is illustrative of the success that attends 
 honest, well-directed endeavor, industry 
 and adherence to duty. "Uncle Dan," 
 as he is everywhere known, is one of those 
 men to whom the trite term "self-made" 
 is appropriately applied. Though lacking 
 the advantages of a higher education in 
 college, he has absorbed much from those 
 
 valuable instructors — experience and ob- 
 servation. 
 
 Those who know Mr. Flumerfelt well 
 and intimately need no explanation about 
 him. To strangers, however, it is suffi- 
 cient to say that he has inherited from his 
 father a great deal of his looks and per- 
 sonal appearance, but more so his tenacit}' 
 and perseverance. His sound judgment 
 and good business capacity were shown in 
 many instances while living in Seneca 
 count}-, especially in the building of the 
 "Flumerfelt bridge," which is a fair 
 monument of his perseverance and sa- 
 gacity. As early as 1836 he had assisted, 
 as carpenter, in putting up the frame 
 work of the Stem's and the Hedge's mills, 
 near Green Spring, Ohio, which were pat- 
 ronized by pioneer farmers for many miles 
 around. His native pluck was shown, 
 later, in litigation with a railroad com- 
 pany, whose opposition he contested to 
 the supreme court, securing a verdict in 
 his favor in each court in which the case 
 was tried. 
 
 The father of our subject, Cornelius 
 Flumerfelt, was born in New Jersey July 
 10, 1774, in Sussex county, and was 
 reared on a farm. In 1804 he was mar- 
 ried to Catharine Christman. On the 
 second day of May, 1826, they started for 
 Ohio. It took them four weeks to reach 
 Seneca county. He bought the west half 
 of the southwest quarter of Section 16, in 
 Pleasant township. Mr. Daniel Rice had 
 a lease on land from the commissioners 
 of Sandusky county, which he also bought. 
 Mr. Rice had built a log cabin, and Mr. 
 Flumerfelt moved into that. Mr. Flumer- 
 felt was twice married. There were six 
 children of the second marriage, of whom 
 Daniel V. , our subject, was second, and 
 is the only one of them now living. Cor- 
 nelius Flumerfelt was a fine specimen of 
 well-developed physical manhood. He 
 was six feet tall, of fair complexion, had 
 blue eyes, and was very straight and well- 
 proportioned. He was of purely German 
 type, very firm in his convictions, slow of 
 
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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 375 
 
 speech and fixed in his habits. He voted 
 for every Democratic candidate for Presi- 
 dent after Washington, and always took 
 an active part in poHtics. He was one of 
 the positive men of the country. His 
 word was his bond, and to be rehed upon. 
 He was highly respected wherever he had 
 become known. He died August 28, 
 1 87 1, at the age of ninety-seven. His 
 second wife died in 1847. 
 
 D. V. Flumerfelt, our subject, was 
 born in Sussex (now Warren) county, 
 near Danville, N. J., October 13, 1807. 
 He came to Seneca county, Ohio, with 
 his father's family. He married Miss 
 Melinda Littler, of Hardin county, Va. . 
 October 12, 1837. This union was blessed 
 with live sons and five daughters, of whom 
 one son and three daughters have died. 
 Those living are: (i) Mathilda, who mar- 
 ried Matthew T. Lutz, a retired farmer, 
 Ballville township; (2) Ann Maria, who 
 married Dennis Deran, a farmer in Ball- 
 ville township; (3) George, who married 
 Ellen Cheney, living in Ballville town- 
 ship; (4) Amos, who married Etta Crowe, 
 and lives in the State of Kansas; (5) 
 Charles, single, living at Old Fort, Sen- 
 eca Co., Ohio, an ex-member of the 
 Ohio Legislature; and (6) Abraham, un- 
 married, living with parents. 
 
 Our subject came to Ballville town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, in the spring of 
 1884, and purchased his present beautiful 
 home near Sandusky river. He is the 
 owner of 1,200 acres of land. His first 
 vote was for Andrew Jackson. 
 
 WILLIAM CLARK. A sketch of 
 the life of this early settler of 
 Ottawa county, who bore such 
 a prominent part in the affairs 
 of his community, and whose death was 
 deeply mourned by all to whom his name 
 was familiar, is truly worthy a place in 
 this volume. 
 
 William Clark was born in Devon- 
 shire, England, August 11, 1827, and 
 
 24 
 
 was a son of William and Ann 
 (Clark) Clark, also natives of that 
 county, where the father passed away. 
 Here the son was educated and reared to 
 manhood, spending his time upon a farm 
 until 1853, when he immigrated to 
 America, and coming to Ohio settled 
 in Danbury township, near Port Clinton, 
 where he engaged in agricultural pursuits 
 for about eight years. In 1862 Mr. 
 Clark removed to what was then Clay 
 (now Allen) township, and from that 
 date until his death, which occurred No- 
 vember 29, 1894, he was a continuous 
 resident of that township, and held a 
 leading place among its most enterpris- 
 ing and progressive citizens, giving his 
 support to all projects tending to the ad- 
 vancement and welfare of the town and 
 county. He was largely engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits, in connection with mill- 
 ing, the manufacture of lime and an ex- 
 tensive mercantile business. He was also 
 postmaster for twelve years. In all these 
 various lines he was conspicuous for his 
 energy, untiring industry, strict integrity 
 and faithful performance of his duties, 
 and having brought up his children to the 
 same commendable habits they are to- 
 day able to carry on his large enterprises 
 with credit to themselves and honor to 
 the memory of their father. Mr. Clark 
 was married, in Lincolnshire, England, 
 December 5, 1852, to Susan, daughter 
 of Robert and Ann (Chapman) Wilkin- 
 son, the former of whom passed away 
 March 20, 1874, in Allen township, the 
 latter dying October 5, 1893, in her na- 
 tive land. 
 
 To the union of our subject and his 
 wife nine children were born, as follows: 
 Sarah Ann, September 8, 1854; William 
 W., November 8, 1855; James A., No- 
 vember 8, 1857; George P., November 
 26, 1859; Charles E., April i, 1861; Ira 
 A., March 2, 1863; Alice N., March 15, 
 1865; Mary E. , January 2, 1868; Florence 
 A., March 2, 1870. Of this family Sarah 
 Ann died July 24, 1874. William W. 
 
376 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPEICAL RECORB. 
 
 Clark was educated in the district schools 
 of his native township, and since his 
 early youth has been connected with 
 his father's business enterprises. He is 
 a member of Clay Lodge No. 584, I. 
 O. O. F., at Genoa, and also of the 
 Encampment at Elmore, and of the 
 Daughters of Rebekah. He is a Re- 
 publican politically. James A. Clark was 
 married December 18, 1891, to Miss 
 Mary R. Richards, and resides at Clay 
 Center; since arriving at the years of 
 manhood he has always given his atten- 
 tion to the duties pertaining to the home- 
 stead farm; like his brothers he attended 
 the district school in his bo} hood. George 
 F. Clark was married October 19, 1883, 
 to Nellie J. Mclntyre, and they have two 
 children, Alva B., born February 15, 
 1890, and Florence A., born February 
 4, 1S92. He received his education in 
 the public schools of Clay township, and 
 has always assisted in his father's busi- 
 ness. He is a member of Genoa Tent 
 No. 173, Knights of the Maccabees. 
 Charles E. Clark was married Decem- 
 ber 23, 1889, to Miss Stella Ross, of 
 Colorado, and has one child, Ira E., 
 born October 29, 1891. He also re- 
 ceived his education at the home schools, 
 and was connected with his father's busi- 
 ness up to 1887, when he went to Colo- 
 rado, where he now resides, engaged in 
 farming in Montrose county. Ira A. 
 Clark received his early education in the 
 district schools of Clay township and 
 also spent the winters of 1886 and 1887 
 in the Normal School of Danville, Ind. 
 He entered the Law Department of Ann 
 Arbor (Mich ) University in 1892, and 
 graduated with honor with the class of 
 June, 1894. He was admitted to the bar 
 of this State in March, 1894, and since 
 that time has practiced in Toledo, where 
 he is meeting with flattering success. He 
 is a member of Claj' Lodge No. 584, I. 
 O. O. F., at Genoa, and also of the 
 Toledo Encampment. In politics he is 
 Republican. Alice N. is the wife of 
 
 Ralph \V. Hill, cashier of the Eiyria 
 Savings Bank. Mary E. resides at Clay 
 Center. Florence A. was married June 
 21, 1893, to Alva H. Mclntyre, and resi- 
 des in Toledo. 
 
 During the life of our subject his large 
 business enterprises were conducted un- 
 der his own name, but since his death a 
 stock company has been formed consist- 
 ing of all the members of the family, 
 under the title of The Clark Company, 
 of which George F. Clark is president 
 and treasurer, and William W. Clark is 
 vice-president and secretary. Mr. Clark 
 was for several years trustee of Clay 
 township. He was a member of Clay 
 Lodge No. 584, I. O. O. F., also of the 
 Toledo Encampment and Daughters of 
 Rebekah. His widow lives at the old 
 homestead at Clay Center, Allen town- 
 ship. 
 
 EDWARD GEORGE MESSER- 
 SMITH, agent of the Wheeling & 
 Erie Railway Company at Lime- 
 stone, Ottawa county, and one of 
 the busiest and most enterprising young 
 citizens of this community, is well-known 
 for his personal activity in the affairs of 
 the county, and also as a member of one 
 of the pioneer families of Benton town- 
 ship, of which he is a native. 
 
 Our subject was born April 30, 1868, 
 and spent his boyhood days on his father's 
 farm, attending the district school and 
 acquiring a liberal education. He re- 
 mained at home until the age of eighteen, 
 when he took up the study of telegraphy 
 with H. C. Fedderson, of Limestone Sta- 
 tion, on the Wheeling railroad, and in 
 six months he had so thoroughly mas- 
 tered the business that he went to Hart- 
 land, Huron county, and took the po- 
 sition of night operator for the Wheeling 
 railroad. After eight months' service 
 there he was promoted to a larger field, 
 and the company gave him the position of 
 night operator at Orrville, Wayne county. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 377 
 
 a position he held one year. He was 
 next at Trowbridge one year, and thence 
 was removed to Limestone, now having 
 entire charge of the Company's business 
 at this point, the freight business alone 
 amounting to some $8,000 per year. In 
 addition to his railroad business Mr. 
 Messersmith is also largely engaged in 
 business for himself, which industry is 
 now assuming large proportions and is 
 steadily on the increase. Besides at- 
 tending to all the above mentioned inter- 
 ests, he has charge of the old homestead, 
 a farm of 120 acres, where he now lives 
 with his mother and one sister. The 
 property' is owned by himself and brother 
 Charles Albert; the farm is rented, but 
 Mr. Messersmith has full charge and 
 oversight of the business. Politically 
 he is a Democrat, and is a public-spirited 
 citizen, taking a loyal interest and pride 
 in the welfare of his community. 
 
 Henry Messersmith, father of our sub- 
 ject, one of the earliest settlers of Ottawa 
 county, and especially well-known and 
 respected in Benton township, was a na- 
 tive of Prussia, born in 1823. His par- 
 ents were also natives of Prussia, the 
 father born in 1785, the mother about 
 1775, and the\' died at the ages of 
 seventy-eight and eighty-three years re- 
 spectively. They had a family of nine 
 children — four sons and five daughters. 
 When Henry was eight years of age he 
 came with his parents to this country, 
 the famih' settling in the present city of 
 Cleveland, then a small town, and there, 
 in the public schools, he received his ed- 
 ucation. When eighteen he began life 
 for himself, learning the cooper's trade, 
 at which he worked until 1865. He then 
 came to Benton township, Ottawa county, 
 a region which at that time was a com- 
 plete forest, and settled on Section 22, 
 where he and his brothers Conrad and 
 Jacob purchased 500 acres of wild land 
 completely covered with timber. There 
 was not a laid-out road in the township, the 
 only one being a path along the banks of 
 
 a small stream. They at once erected a 
 stave and heading factory, and in con- 
 nection therewith a sawmill, and com- 
 menced the work of clearing off the tim- 
 ber and making a comfortable home. 
 Day after day could be heard the ring of 
 the axe felling the timber for the great 
 mill to convert into marketable form; the 
 hum of the machinery was heard early 
 an(l late; gradually the trees were re- 
 moved, and in a seemingly short period 
 of time the 500-acre tract was cleared and 
 transformed into one of the finest farms 
 in Ohio. Jacob sold out to his brothers 
 about 1868, up to which time they had 
 all worked together. In 1849, at the 
 time of the gold fever, Henry Messersmith 
 went to the mines in California, where he 
 remained eighteen months, meeting with 
 very fair success. 
 
 In 1870 Mr. Messersmith died at his 
 residence in Benton township, and he was 
 deeply mourned in the community, for in 
 his death the county, as well as the town- 
 ship, lost a thorough business man and a 
 most esteemed citizen. In 1846 he had 
 married Miss Margaret Anna Sell, of 
 Cleveland, and to them 
 children- 
 six of whom are now living: Louisa, 
 born in 1850; Jacob, born in 1852; Mary, 
 born in 1855; Henry, born in 1863; Ed- 
 ward, born in 1S68, and Charles, born 
 in 1870. The daughters are both married, 
 Mary living at the old home, and Louisa 
 (Mrs. Dentzer) in Cleveland. Mrs. Mar- 
 garet Anna Messersmith was born in Prus- 
 sia in 1833, and when four years old 
 came to this country with her parents, 
 who settled in Cleveland. Her opportu- 
 nities for acquiring an education were very 
 poor, but her thirst for knowledge great, 
 and she has walked three miles many a day 
 to school that she might in a measure 
 satisfy her longing for an education. She 
 lived in her native city until her marriage, 
 and came to Benton township with her 
 husband, where she added her efforts to 
 his in securing a home and caring for the 
 
 were born eight 
 -five sons and three daughters — 
 
378 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 children born to them, all of whom have 
 now taken their place among the upright 
 and progressive citizens of the township. 
 Mrs. Messersmith's parents were born in 
 Prussia about 1 799, and had a family of 
 six children — two sons and four daugh- 
 ters. Two years after Mr. Messersmith's 
 death the property was divided equally 
 between the widow and Conrad Messer- 
 smith, and her eldest son took charge of 
 the farm until 1894, when he sold out his 
 interests to his brothers Edward and 
 Charles. The old mill where Mr. Mes- 
 sersmith sawed the timber with which he 
 paid for his handsome farm and home 
 was afterward burned. 
 
 In the gentleman whose name opens 
 this sketch, Edward G. Messersmith, we 
 have one of the most enterprising young 
 men of the times; but in his parents we 
 have those who helped to make Benton 
 township as beautiful as it now is; they 
 were among the early pioneers of the 
 county, and by their industry and econ- 
 omy carved out one of the finest homes to 
 be seen in the township of Benton, or even 
 in Ottawa county. "Honor to whom 
 honor is due." 
 
 JH. F.-\US, the popular and efficient 
 city clerk of Port Clinton, Ottawa 
 rounty, is a native of that city, born 
 February 22, 1862, and has resided 
 there all his life. 
 
 He is a son of Thomas and Artemesia 
 Faus, the latter of whom is a daughter 
 of Garret Thorne, in his day one of the 
 oldest residents of Ottawa county, Ohio, 
 having located in Port Clinton in 1828, 
 before the county was organized, and 
 there resided the long period of sixty-five 
 years, or up to his death which occurred 
 March 6, 1890, when he was aged eighty- 
 seven years. 
 
 When fourteen years old our subject's 
 school days closed, and he then entered 
 the office of the Ottawa County iCcxi's (D. 
 J. Stalter being then proprietor) to learn 
 
 the trade of printer. Here he remained 
 about a year, at the end of which time, 
 Mr. Stalter having sold out to George K. 
 Clark, dur subject began work in the 
 office of the Otta'wa County Reporter, and 
 there continued some three and one-half 
 years; but that journal changing hands, 
 he was offered, and accepted, the position 
 of foreman in the Neiiis office, which he 
 held for fourteen years, or until August, 
 1895. In September following Mr. Faus 
 purchased of E. H. Bauman his half in- 
 terest in the Ottazca County Republican, 
 and now in partnership with A. G. Win- 
 nie conducts that paper with well-merited 
 success. 
 
 Mr. Faus has alwajs been a Repub- 
 lican; was elected on that ticket clerk of 
 Portage township (in which Port Clinton 
 is now situated) four consecutive times 
 (although the township has a Democratic 
 majority of about seventy-five), he on 
 most occasions being the only Republican 
 elected, and being elected b)' majorities 
 ranging from 2 (the first time he ran) to 
 179 — his total term of service as town- 
 ship clerk being eight and one-half years. 
 In 1980 he was elected city clerk of Port 
 Clinton bj' eighty majority and was de- 
 feated for re-election in 1892 by a major- 
 ity of three in a total of over 500 votes 
 (no Republican was elected in the corpo- 
 ration that year). In 1894 he was again 
 elected city clerk, defeating by seventy- 
 nine votes the same opponent who in 
 1 892 had defeated him by three votes. 
 
 On June 16, 1886, Mr. Faus was 
 married to Miss Nettie Doyen, eldest 
 daughter of Hubert and Ellen Doyen, of 
 Port Clinton, and they have one child, a 
 bright little boy, named Alvin G. Our 
 subject is a member of the United Breth- 
 ren Church; socially, he is affiliated with 
 the Knights of Pythias, and is a charter 
 member of Port Clinton Lodge No. 361. 
 It may be truly said of Mr. Faus that he 
 is a representative self-made man, his 
 education having been very limited, 
 mostly secured during his experience in 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 379 
 
 printing offices. He is well-liked, and 
 highly spoken of among all classes of 
 people. 
 
 PAUL de la BARRE, M. D. Among 
 the physicians of Port Clinton 
 stands prominent this gentleman, 
 who though j'et in the ranks of 
 the comparatively later members of the 
 profession in the county, has already 
 placed himself well in the van. 
 
 He is a native of Prussia, born of 
 French lineage November 30, 185 1. at 
 Stargard, Province of Pommern, son of 
 Earnhardt and Louisa (Rabe) de la Barre, 
 the former of whom, a watch manufac- 
 turer by vocation, died when about fortj- 
 five years old; the latter is yet living. 
 They were the parents of seven children, 
 Paul being the only one to come to the 
 United States. He attended school in 
 his native town till his fifteenth year, and 
 then entered upon a four-years' appren- 
 ticeship at pharmacy. After passing his 
 examination as pharmacist he took a posi- 
 tion in a drug store in Frankfott-on-the- 
 Main, but at the breaking out of the 
 Franco-Prussian war, fired with the 
 spirit of patriotism, he enlisted in the 
 German army, October 2, 1870, as a vol- 
 unteer in First Company, Thirty-fourth 
 Regiment, Second Army Corps, in which 
 he served one year, doing military duty, 
 at Strasburg, Vesoul and other places, 
 after which he was honorably discharged 
 October i, 1871. He then returned to 
 his former occupation, serving as clerk in 
 a drug store at Mecklenburg-Schwerin 
 some live years, and at Schersleben about 
 eight months, after which he managed a 
 drug store at Hamburg in the neighbor- 
 hood of three years. In 1882 he emi- 
 grated to America, and served in a drug 
 store in New York City about three years, 
 after which he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, 
 where he studied medicine in the Western 
 Reserve University, from which he grad- 
 uated in 1S87. He then came to and 
 
 opened an office for the practice of medi- 
 cine at Port Clinton, Ohio, in which he 
 still continues, and where, on account of 
 his rare experience as a pharmacist, his 
 ability to converse fluently in English, 
 French and German, his faithfulness to 
 his patients and his genial, kindly dis- 
 position toward all, he has secured a lib- 
 eral patronage. The Doctor has a con- 
 venient office and a fine residence adjacent 
 to the Court House Park. A year or two 
 since he purchased an orange grove in 
 Florida, where he spends a portion of 
 each year. 
 
 On May 15, 1876, at Mecklenburg- 
 Schwerin, Germany, Dr. de la Barre 
 was married to Helene Bohndorff, daugh- 
 ter of an artist, and their children are: 
 Marguerite, born February 26, 1877; An- 
 na, born June 26, 1878, and Elizabeth, 
 born January 2, 1881. In his political 
 preferences the Doctor is a Democrat, 
 and for the past few years he has been a 
 member of the board of education of Port 
 Clinton; socially, he is affiliated with the 
 I. O. O. F., and F. & A. M. He and his 
 estimable wife enjoy the esteem and re- 
 gard of a wide circle of friends and ac- 
 quaintances. 
 
 REV. SAMUEL T. LANE, retired 
 minister of the U. B. Church, 
 and formerly a pioneer itinerant 
 preacher in Sandusky and Ottawa 
 counties, was born in the town of Candor, 
 Tioga Co., N. Y., April 15, 1815, a son 
 of James and Jane (Colter) Lane, who 
 lived on a farm where he for several years 
 operated a sawmill. Mrs. Lane b}' a 
 former marriage with Samuel Taylor (de- 
 ceased) had two children, one of whom 
 passed away in childhood, and the other 
 grew to maturity, reared a family and 
 died near the homestead. James Lane 
 died in Tioga county, N. Y. , about the 
 year 1875. The children of James and 
 Jane Lane were: Samuel T. , Nancy 
 Ann, Eliza, Rachel. Charles, Lindley 
 
38C 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Aaron, and Catharine. Of these Nancy 
 Ann married John Vandemark, lived in 
 Candor, then moved to Michigan, near 
 Ann Arbor, where she died leaving two 
 children; Eliza married Albert Barton, of 
 Tioga county, where they still reside, and 
 have one son living; Rachel married a 
 Mr. Goodrich, lives in Oswego, N. Y. , 
 and has four children; Charles married 
 and had a family near the old homestead; 
 Lindley Aaron married, lives near the 
 same place, and has two children; Cath- 
 arine married a Mr. Burton, and they 
 live near Chenang Point, New York. 
 
 The subject proper of these lines was 
 raised to hard work in a sawmill and on 
 a farm, and in his boyhood began to 
 serve a three-years' apprenticeship to the 
 blacksmith trade, then after completing 
 his term worked about three years longer 
 at the same place. He received only 
 three months' schooling, with which as a 
 starting point he went on acquiring 
 knowledge by himself in his spare mo- 
 ments, often reading books and papers by 
 the dim light of a tallow-dip candle or a 
 slut-lamp hanging in the chimney corner 
 of a log cabin, or by the flickering light of 
 a shell-bark hickory torch in the woods, 
 until he found himself capable to teach a 
 country school. About this time he mar- 
 ried Miss Julia McDonald, by whom he 
 had one child; but about two years later 
 this wife died, and a year afterward he 
 married Miss Lydia Ann Schoonover, of 
 Tioga county, N. Y. He then moved to 
 Mexico, Wyandot county, where he oper- 
 ated a sawmill and remained until his 
 second wife died. While living here he 
 received exhorting license from the Nf. E. 
 Church, and not long afterward was 
 given a call to supply preaching on a 
 large circuit which included Port Clinton, 
 Danbury, Lakeside, and the country 
 seven miles up the Portage river, embrac- 
 ing twenty-two different appointments, 
 mostly at school-houses or log cabin 
 dwellings, and requiring one hundred 
 miles travel to make one round every 
 
 three weeks. He attended the first 
 quarterly meeting in 1850 at Lower 
 Sandusky, where Kev. Beatty, his col- 
 league, was stationed. Mr. Lane travel- 
 ed mostly on horseback, carrying his 
 Bible and hymn books in a leather saddle- 
 bag. In 1 85 1 he located at Lacarne, 
 Ottawa county, and at Port Clinton was 
 married to Miss Mary G. King, February 
 27, 1851. While living here he superin- 
 tended the grading of the Northern Divi- 
 sion of the L. S. & M. S. R. R. , for three 
 miles west of the Portage river, and a 
 year later put in the culverts and cattle- 
 guards between Lacarne and Oak Har- 
 bor, being in the employ of the railroad 
 company about two years. Four years 
 after preaching for the M. E. Church he, 
 in 1856, joined the U. B. Church, at Flat 
 Rock, Ohio, and served as itinerant 
 preacher nearlj' thirty years, oruntil 1885, 
 when, at the age of seventy he was super- 
 annuated. His last circuit was at Rising- 
 sun, Wood county, his present home. 
 
 Rev. S. T. Lane's children by his last 
 wife were: Sarah, L}dia Ann, Sylvester 
 L. , Samuel T. , Nancy, Mary and Eva E. ; 
 of these Sarah married James Kleinhans, 
 lives at Waterville, Lucas Co., Ohio, and 
 has five children; Lydia Ann married John 
 Otten, lives at Deerfield, Mich., and has 
 five children; S3'lvester L. , unmarried, is 
 a publisher, of Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Samuel 
 T. married Ada Nowlan, is clerk at the 
 " Arlington House," Findlay,Ohio; Nancy 
 married Charles K. Beech, lives at Find- 
 lay, Ohio, and has two children; Eva E., 
 married to Harry C. Hollinshead, a sketch 
 of whom follows: 
 
 Harry C. Hollinshead, of the firm 
 of Bense & Hollinshead, wholesale and 
 retail fish dealers. Port Clinton, and one 
 of the leading business men of the city, is 
 a native of same, born November/, 1862, 
 a son of Robert M. and Lucy (Dickens) 
 Hollinshead. 
 
 The father of Harry C. was born in Ot- 
 tawa county, Ohio, where he was reared, 
 educated and married. He served as 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 381 
 
 auditor and recorder of the county for 
 some seventeen years, at the end of which 
 time he embarked in the wholesale fish 
 business with R. Bell & Co., at Port 
 Clinton. In i88S he sold out his interest 
 in this industry, and moved to Toledo. 
 His wife died in i88i at the ag^e of thirty- 
 eight years, the mother of six children 
 who grew to maturity, namely: Cora, 
 wife of Albert B. Orth, of Port Clinton; 
 Harry C, of whom we write; Lester, 
 assisting his brother in the fish business, 
 unmarried; Clara, wife of John Rohr- 
 bacher, of Port Clinton; May; and Eva, 
 married to Matthew Hilsenbeck, and living 
 in Toledo, Ohio. 
 
 Harry C. Hollinshead received his lit- 
 erary education at the common schools of 
 Port Clinton, after which he attended the 
 Spencerian Business College, Cleveland, 
 graduating from there in 1886. He then 
 accepted the position of bookkeeper for 
 George E. St. John, at Port Clinton, sub- 
 sequently, in 1 89 1, becoming a member 
 of the firm of Dense, Hanlon & Co., fish 
 dealers, the name of the firm being 
 changed to Bense, Hollinshead & Co., 
 in 1893. 
 
 On June 20, 1890, Mr. Hollinshead 
 was married at Findlay, Ohio, to Miss 
 Eva E.Lane, and one child, Robert Lind- 
 ley, was born to them October 2, 1893. 
 In his political preferences Mr. Hollins- 
 head is a Democrat; socially, he is a mem- 
 ber of the I. O. O. F. 
 
 HERMAN H. MYLANDER, county 
 treasurer of Ottawa county, by 
 virtue of his long residence at 
 Oak Harbor, and high position in 
 society, is well worthy of a prominent 
 place in the pages of this volume. 
 
 A Prussian by birth, he was born in 
 the town of Menden, Westphalia, Novem- 
 ber 8, 1839, a son of Henry C. and Eliza- 
 beth (Kelling) Mylander, both also natives 
 of Prussia. In 1854 they emigrated to 
 the United States, with a small party of 
 
 German colonists, locating in Ottawa, 
 Ohio, where the father died in 1880, the 
 mother in 1883. They had eleven chil- 
 dren, all born in Germany, four of whom 
 survive, viz. : Frederick, residing in Oak 
 Harbor; Herman H., subject of this 
 sketch; John H., residing in West Dover, 
 Ohio, and William H., of Oak Harbor. 
 
 Our subject, as will be seen, was a 
 fourteen-year-old boy when he came to 
 this country, and as a consequence his 
 education was for the most part received 
 in his native land. About a couple of 
 years he spent at Toledo and Woodville, 
 Ohio, as an apprentice to the mercantile 
 business, at a salary of four dollars per 
 month; but in 1857 he returned to Oak 
 Harbor and commenced business on his 
 own account, since which time, now a 
 period of some forty years, he has been 
 continuously identified with Salem town- 
 ship and Oak Harbor, and their de\-elop- 
 ment. In the year last named he estab- 
 lished the first general store in Oak Har- 
 bor, at that time a mere village, known 
 as " Hartford," and in connection with 
 this business he has also been largely in- 
 terested and extensively engaged in the 
 manufacture of staves and headings, hav- 
 ing a factory at Oak Harbor. During 
 these forty years Mr. Mylander's line has 
 been devoted to an industrious and ener- 
 getic business career, and every dollar he 
 has accumulated has been invested and 
 expended in the building up and develop- 
 ment of his town and township. There 
 is not a Church in Salem township that 
 has not been benefited by contributions 
 from Mr. Mylander, and to every public 
 enterprise of moment he has always been 
 a liberal subscriber. 
 
 On July 22 1859, our subject was 
 married, at Oak Harbor, to Miss Sarah 
 Troutman, daughter of John and Eliza- 
 beth (Heilbach) Troutman, and born in 
 Tuscarora, Schuykill Co., Penn., Decem- 
 ber 23, 1 841; she came to Ottawa county, 
 in 1855, with her parents. This union 
 has been blessed with four sons and two 
 
382 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 daughters, as follows: Henry C, born 
 May 22, i860, a prominent hardware 
 merchant of Oak Harbor; William H., 
 born May 28, 1861, a manufacturer of 
 cooperage stock, and having charge of his 
 father's business in Sandusky, Lindsay 
 and North Creek; Franklin E., born May 
 19, 1863, died June 13, 1864; Mary A., 
 born November 21, 1864, wife of W. 
 Harmon, deputy county treasurer; George 
 C, bookkeeper in his father's store at Oak 
 Harbor, born March 27, 1869, and Em- 
 ma B., born February 16, 1872, for some 
 time a teacher in Ottawa county. 
 
 A Republican in politics, Mr. M^-land- 
 er has never been an office-seeker; but in 
 1894, without any solicitation on his part, 
 he was nominated, b}' his part)', as a 
 candidate for county treasurer, and on 
 November 6 of that year was elected to 
 that honorable position, one that he fills 
 with characteristic ability and fidelity. 
 For twelve years he served as councillor 
 of Oak Harbor, and for eight years was 
 school director, also filling the position 
 of school treasurer for the same length of 
 time. He is a man of more than ordi- 
 nary business qualifications, to-day ranking 
 among the solid men of Ottawa county, 
 and enjoying an enviable and well-mer- 
 ited popularit}'. He is also highly re- 
 spected in the community for his moral 
 worth, and many unassuming charitable 
 deeds. 
 
 CHARLES I. YORK. This well- 
 known attorney at law, who en- 
 joys an honorable and lucrative 
 practice in his chosen profession, 
 is holding an enviable place in the front 
 rank of that distinguished array of talent 
 which constitutes the bar of Ottawa 
 county. 
 
 He is a native of Ohio, born in Green- 
 wich township, Huron county, February 
 18, 1856. When he was an infant of 
 two months his parents, Stephen and 
 Hannah York, moved to the adjoining 
 
 township of Ruggles, in Ashland county, 
 where for some thirty years they resided, 
 at the end of that time returning to 
 Greenwich township, and finall}' settling 
 in the village of that name. Here the 
 father died September 3, 1888, the 
 mother on Octolaer 7, 1892, leaving one 
 son and four daughters, as follows: 
 Charles I., Mrs. Harriet Washburn, 
 Mrs. Cornelia Wright and Mrs. LenaSton- 
 er, of Greenwich, Ohio; and Mrs. Avetta 
 MaCumber, of Lorain, Ohio. The par- 
 ents and all the grandparents were born 
 in the State of New York, while the great- 
 grandparents were of Irish, German and 
 French nativity. 
 
 When four years old our subject com- 
 menced attending district school near his 
 Ashland county home, his first teacher 
 being Alvin Griffin, who is now, and has 
 been for the past thirty years or so, a 
 practicing attorney at law at Norwalk, 
 Ohio. At the age of fifteen young 
 Charles entered a private school in the 
 same vicinity, which he attended two 
 years, and in November, 1873, at the ear- 
 ly age of seventeen, he commenced teach- 
 ing country school, the first step toward 
 beginning life for himself. During the 
 springs and summers of 1874 and three 
 consecutive years Mr. York was engaged 
 by the month on a farm, shearing sheep, 
 and in other occupations, at intervals, 
 when out of work, canvassing for the sale 
 of books, at the same time attending pri- 
 vate schools in the fall, his winters being 
 occupied in teaching. In 1878 he taught 
 select schools, his chief duties being to 
 prepare the student for the profession of 
 school teaching. In 1879, 1880, and up 
 to the fall of 1881 he was engaged as 
 traveling salesman for a church, school 
 and hall furniture industry, teaching 
 school in the winter of 1879-80. In the 
 fall of 1881 he entered the Law Depart- 
 ment of Michigan University, Ann Arbor, 
 Mich., where, on March 28, 1883, he re- 
 ceived the degree of Bachelor of Laws. 
 During vacation in his course, and after 
 
1 
 
 *> 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 383 
 
 graduation, he continued, until the fail of 
 1883, his former occupation of traveling 
 salesman. On February 8, 1883, he was 
 admitted to practice law in the State of 
 Michigan, and on June 5, 1883, while at 
 Columbus, Ohio, on business for the firm 
 he was traveling for he was admitted to 
 the bar by the supreme court of Ohio, 
 and has since been admitted to practice 
 in the United States courts. In the fall 
 of 1883 he entered the law office of H. C. 
 Carhart, at Gallon, Ohio, there making 
 his debut into the arena of law; but he 
 remained there only two weeks, for dur- 
 ing the afternoon of December 2, he be- 
 gan to take into favorable consideration 
 the condition of affairs in Oak Harbor, 
 Ottawa county, which he had frequently 
 visited in his traveling days, and the re- 
 sult of his cogitations was that on the 
 following da}' he found himself located in 
 that thriving town and engaged in the 
 trial of a case before the mayor thereof. 
 Here he remained in the practice of his 
 chosen profession until July 4, 1892, at 
 whicii date he removed to Port Clinton, 
 the county seat of Ottawa county, where 
 he has continued to reside. 
 
 On October 18, 1S87, at his own 
 home in Oak Harbor, which had been 
 suitably prepared for a life of domes- 
 ticity, Mr. York was married to Miss 
 Anna Wilt, of that village, and they par- 
 took of their marriage supper at their own 
 table. Socially our subject is a member 
 in good standing of the F. & A. M., the 
 I. O. O. F. and the K. of P. Lodges. He 
 believes that men become characterised 
 to, and a reflex of, the objects which 
 they worship, and holds that man's su- 
 preme duty is to worship God, by reason 
 of his relation with his Creator, as it be- 
 comes revealed to him, through the Sacred 
 Scriptures, human reason and natural 
 laws, that he might become a susceptible 
 character to reflect sunshine and happi- 
 ness in his home, in the fraternities of 
 men and the society of the world, and be- 
 come so spiritually related to his Creator 
 
 as to be enabled to await in perfect peace, 
 consolation and faith the eternal destiny 
 of the immortal soul. 
 
 At the November election, in 1888, 
 Mr. York was elected prosecuting attorney 
 of Ottawa county, on the Democratic 
 ticket, and at the November election in 
 1 89 1 he was re-elected on the same 
 ticket, holding that office for two terms, 
 beginning on the first Monday of January, 
 1889, and ending on the first Monday of 
 January, 1895. He is possessed of ex- 
 cellent judgment, gifted with enviable skill 
 in handling a case, and forcible in his ar- 
 guments before a jury, while he is re- 
 garded as a useful local counselor and of- 
 fice lawyer, critical and accurate in the 
 adjustment and preparation of cases. 
 Genial and popular, no man stands higher 
 in the estimation of the people of the 
 county, and his present leading position, 
 both as a man and as a lawyer, is a con- 
 clusive proof of what pluck, ambition and 
 honest endeavor will accomplish. 
 
 GEORGE M. RUDES, the pro- 
 prietor of Maple Grove farm. 
 Clay township, Ottawa county, 
 is one of the oldest of the pioneers, 
 and a prominent agriculturist and manu- 
 facturer of that township. He has watched 
 the progress of the country from a state 
 of nature, a wilderness of forest trees and 
 underbrush, inhabited by wild animals, to 
 its present proud position in the State, 
 with fertile fields and comfortable homes, 
 and feels that to his strong right arm is 
 due in a measure the prosperity and beauty 
 of this favored section. 
 
 Mr. Rudes was born in Genesee coun- 
 ty, N. Y. , February 4, 1827, a son of 
 Ephraim and Hannah (Hudson) Rudes, 
 also natives of that State, born of English 
 and Welsh descent. They removed to 
 Ohio when their son George was but eight 
 years old, making the long journey in a 
 wagon, drawn by horses, and located in 
 Medina county. Here our subject attend- 
 
384 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ed the common and high schools, and then 
 served an apprenticeship at the carpenter 
 and joiner's trade, at which he worked for 
 several years. He then went to Huron 
 county, going into the hotel business, 
 which he carried on some three years; 
 but, tiring of this, he purchased a farm in 
 that county, which he worked for five 
 3'ears. He then sold out and came to 
 Ottawa county, settling in Clay township, 
 where he began manufacturing lumber. 
 With keen foresight and good business 
 tact, he purchased eighty acres of timber 
 land and a sawmill and went to work, cut- 
 ting down the trees, often standing knee 
 deep in water. He sawed the logs, mak- 
 ing them into lumber, for which he found 
 a ready sale, and in the course of the 
 twelve years in which he carried on oper- 
 ations used all the timber on his own and 
 the neighboring farms. A part of this 
 timber covered what is known as -'Middle 
 Ground," in the city of Toledo. In ad- 
 dition to the manufacture of lumber, Mr. 
 Rudes devoted every spare moment to the 
 improvement of his farm, and succeeded 
 in bringing it to a high state of cultiva- 
 tion. He sawed and dried the lumber 
 used in the construction of his dwelling 
 and barns, which he built himself, in a 
 picturesque spot, and which for beauty 
 and design can not be surpassed in Clay 
 township. He made many other improve- 
 ments upon his land, and has to-day a 
 valuable piece of property. In 1866 Mr. 
 Rudes sold out his sawmill, and attended 
 strictly to his farming operations. In 1873 
 he bought a sawmill in Genoa, adding 
 thereto a planing-mill, and for ten years 
 lived in Genoa, buying also eighty acres 
 of timber land in the vicinity of his farm. 
 The mill is still in operation, employing a 
 number of men, and is successfully con- 
 ducted by his son, Heselton F. , who thor- 
 oughly understands the business. 
 
 Our subject was married November 9, 
 185 1, to Miss Louisa J. Ba.xter, and to 
 them eight children have been born (two 
 of whom are deceased), a brief record of 
 
 them being as follows: (i) Heselton F. , 
 born September 10, 1853, attended the 
 schools of Genoa, and was married April 
 25, 1878, to Miss Fanny Butheway; they 
 have had three children — Guy, born July 
 14, 1878, died in 1892; Lester, born in 
 1887; and \'erne, born in September, 
 1891 ; they reside in Genoa, where he has 
 charge of his father's mill. (2) Bribner 
 H., born September 15, 1854, in Huron 
 county, received his education at Genoa; 
 he is unmarried, resides with his parents, 
 and is interested in the business of grain 
 threshing and well drilling. (3) Carlos 
 A., born July 21, 1857, in Clay township, 
 attended the schools in Genoa, and was 
 married December 9. 1879, to Miss Lillie 
 Hatch, daughter of Charles Hatch, of 
 Hancock county; they have had five chil- 
 dren — Ercell, Harry, Earl (deceased), 
 Merrill and Gail. (4) Amy, born De- 
 cember 25, 1867, died July 27, 1875. (5) 
 George A., born September 30, 1862, in 
 Cla\- township, was educated in Genoa; 
 he carries on well drilling and threshing; 
 he was married in Genoa, December 12, 
 1880, to Miss Avis, daughter of Austin 
 Tuttle, and seven children have been 
 born to them — Albert M., Alice L. , 
 Florence, Metta, Howard, Emery, and 
 Inez. (6) Minnie M., born September 
 I. 1864, is single and resides with her 
 parents. (7) Roy C, born May 10, 
 1874, is what might be termed a born 
 machinist; he is entirely self-taught, 
 but seems to have a thorough knowledge 
 of all kinds of machines; he tried farming 
 for a while, but is now agent for a thresh- 
 ing-machine manufacturing company; he 
 is single and lives with his parents. (8) 
 Metta, born August i, 1876, died July 24, 
 
 1877- 
 
 Ephraim Rudes, the father of our sub- 
 ject, was born in the State of New York, 
 in 1800, and followed the occupation of a 
 farmer. He was married in 1821 to Miss 
 Hannah Hudson, who was born in the 
 same State, July 16, 1803, and their 
 family consisted of seven children as fol- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQBAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 385 
 
 lows: Sarah A., Amy and Abel (twins), 
 Georpe M., Clarinda, Allen H. and Luc}-. 
 The father died in 1846, and the mother 
 in 1890. The wife of our subject was 
 born July 20, 1832, in the State of New 
 York, and was one of thirteen children 
 born to her parents. She is suffering 
 from the effects of a stroke of paralysis, 
 which prevents her from performing 
 household duties, although her mind is 
 clear and active, and she converses with 
 ease and intelHgence. She and her hus- 
 band, who is a very quiet and unassum- 
 ing man, have many interesting incidents 
 to tell of the early day in the settlement 
 of this State, when they were surrounded 
 by dense forests, when neighbors were 
 few and far between, and when none of 
 the comforts and conveniences of civiliza- 
 tion were at hand. Now they are enjoy- 
 ing the results of their early toil and hard- 
 ships, and the evening of their useful and 
 busy lives finds them contented and happy. 
 Mr. Rudes has always deeply regretted 
 his inability to take part in the war for 
 the defense of the stars and stripes, in 
 1861-65, owing to chronic rheumatism, 
 contracted when a boy and added to 
 when clearing his land and preparing his 
 lumber for his mill, the ground being very 
 wet and marshy. He has been a great 
 sufferer from this disease, although always 
 a busy man. Mr. Rudes has held the 
 office of supervisor for ten years, and has 
 been school director for the same length 
 of time. He is a stanch Republican, go- 
 ing into the ranks of that party on its 
 formation. He believes in principles not 
 men, and has never been an office-seeker. 
 His first Presidential vote was cast for 
 Zachary Taylor, who was the Whig 
 candidate. 
 
 GEORGE GOSLINE, editor and 
 publisher of the bright and influ- 
 ential journal of Oak Harbor 
 called T/ic Press, was born in 
 Canton, Bradford Co., Penn., April 22, 
 
 1852, and is a son of William and Lo- 
 rina S. (Fowler) Gosline. The father 
 was born in Sussex Vale, Kings Co., New 
 Brunswick, Canada, April 10, 1813, and 
 died January 8, 1879. The mother was 
 born at Lubeck, Me., July 6, 1818, and 
 died at Canton, Bradford Co., Penn., 
 May 23, 1854. In their family were 
 eight children, five of whom survive at 
 the time of this writing in the summer 
 of 1895: Thomas, who is living in Will- 
 amsport, Penn. ; James, a resident of 
 Philadelphia, Penn. ; Mary, wife of 
 George P. Russell, of Lancaster, Penn. ; 
 Edward, whose home is in Carnegie; and 
 George, the subject of this review. 
 
 The last named spent the days of his 
 boyhood in Williamsport, Penn., and ac- 
 quired his education in the public schools 
 of that city. On leaving the school 
 room he began serving an appenticeship 
 to the pririter's trade, and in 1867 re- 
 moved to Marshall, Mo., whither his 
 parents had gone the previous year. In 
 1870, after working in a printing office in 
 Marshall for three years, he went to Glas- 
 gow, Howard Co., Mo., where he worked 
 at his trade for a year. In 1871 he 
 moved to Topeka, Kans., where he also 
 spent a year, and in 1872 became a resi- 
 dent of Huntsville, Randolph Co., Mo., 
 but after six months he went to St. Louis, 
 Mo. His residence there was of only 
 three months duration, and in January, 
 1874, he went to Indianapolis, Ind., and 
 a month later to Sandusky, Ohio. After 
 a brief sojourn in the last named city, 
 he went to Port Clinton, Ohio, whence, 
 in 1875, he came to Oak Harbor, of 
 which place he has since been one of the 
 honored and respected citizens. 
 
 Immediately after his arrival here, Mr. 
 Gosline began the publication of T/ie 
 Press, to which he has since gv 
 close personal attention. The journal 
 has always been devoted to the interests 
 and advancement of the welfare of Otta- 
 wa county and vicinity, without regard 
 to politics. It is well edited and printed, 
 
386 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and enjoys a large advertising patronage 
 as well as an extensi%^e circulation. The 
 office is equipped with job and cylinder 
 presses, steam power is used, and alto- 
 gether the paper reflects great credit on 
 its enterprising editor and publisher. Mr. 
 Gosline ranks among the leading men of 
 the county, and in his relations to the 
 people as a newspaper man and citizen is 
 recognized as one who has contributed 
 largely to the material and social advance- 
 ment of Ottawa county and tributary dis- 
 trict. 
 
 On July 15, 1876, at Toledo, Ohio, 
 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Gos- 
 line and Miss Cora Gates, who was born 
 at Gates Mills, Ohio, October 9, 1857, 
 daughter of Henry and Eunice (Cornwell) 
 Gates. Their union has been blessed 
 with three children, namely: Georgia and 
 Robert (twins), born May 9, 1877, the 
 former of whom died October 5, 1879, 
 while the latter was for some time suc- 
 cessfully engaged in schoolteaching in 
 Salem township, Ottawa county, and is 
 now studying law in the Ohio State 
 University; and Ella Gertrude, born May 
 21, I 890. The family is widely and favor- 
 ably known in this localitj', and its mem- 
 bers hold an enviable position in social 
 circles, while Mr. Gosline is recognized as 
 one of the most prominent and influential 
 citizens of the countv. 
 
 JAMES H. KKAEMER, probate judge 
 of Ottawa county, with residence at 
 Oak Harbor, is a native of the 
 county, born near Oak Harbor March 
 18, 1845, a son of Adolphus and Eliza 
 (Wea\er) Kraemer. 
 
 The father of our subject was a native 
 of Hanover, Germany, where he studied 
 medicine and civil engineering, and sub- 
 sequently practiced medicine. About the 
 year 1830 he came to the United States, 
 making his first American home at Lan- 
 caster, Ohio, there practicing medicine, 
 and in 1832 marrying Miss Eliza Weaver. 
 
 pro- 
 was 
 and 
 was 
 
 In 1833 he removed to Sandusk}' City; 
 later to Toledo, Ohio, engaging there in 
 mercantile business, and in 1834 he came 
 to Oak Harbor, where in 1850 he was 
 elected surveyor of Ottawa county, which 
 office he held six years. While serving as 
 surveyor he began the study of law, and 
 in 1856 was elected to the office of 
 bate judge, which he held six years; 
 next elected prosecuting attorney, 
 filled that office also six years. He 
 then elected a member of the State Con- 
 stitutional Convention, on which he served 
 until its labors were completed, after which 
 he was re-elected prosecuting attorney, 
 which office he was holding at the time 
 of his death. He died in August, 1885, 
 at the age of seventy-five years. He had 
 twelve children, seven of whom died in 
 childhood, the following becoming heads 
 of families: William L. , Gustavus A., 
 James H., Helen H., and Charles R., of 
 whom William L. married Miss Mary 
 Black, lived at Oak Harbor, and had 
 three children; Gustavus A. married Lena 
 Stanberry, lived at Texarkana, Ark., and 
 had four children; Helen H. married Dr. 
 J. A. McKinnon, lived at Oak Harbor, 
 where both died, leaving two children; 
 Charles R. married Carrie Chestnutwood, 
 lived at Oak Harbor, and had three chil- 
 dren. 
 
 James H. Kraemer, the subject proper 
 of this sketch, passed his youth at Oak 
 Harbor and vicinity, attending school 
 there until he was eighteen years old, 
 later taking a course at the Bryant, Lusk 
 & Stratton Business College, Cleveland. 
 Afterward he worked on a farm for sev- 
 eral years, and from 1S72 to 1875 oper- 
 ated a planing-mill at Oak Harbor. 
 About the latter year he took charge of 
 the Ottawa Exponent, as editor and man- 
 ager, and for the past fifteen years has 
 been proprietor of that paper. On Jan- 
 uary I, 1869, he was married to Miss 
 Lottie Earl, daughter of Thomas and 
 Mary (Creiswick) Earl, of Cleveland, 
 Ohio, and children as follows have been 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 387 
 
 born to thein: De \\'ilton A., Thomas 
 E., Maud E., Lloyd E. and Frank. Po- 
 litically our subject is a Democrat, and 
 has served as mayor of Oak Harbor five 
 years, and also as member and clerk of 
 the board of education. In the fall of 
 1893 he was elected probate judge of Ot- 
 tawa county, his present position. So- 
 cially he is a member of the I. O. O. P., 
 and enjoys the well-merited esteem and 
 regard of hosts of friends. 
 
 As an official Mr. Kraemer has won 
 the respect of all by his diligent and effi- 
 cient performance of the duties devolving 
 on him. His father was the founder of and 
 gave the land upon which all the churches 
 and public schools are located, as well as 
 contributing largely to their erection, and 
 to every enterprise tending to the advance- 
 ment of the town or count\\ His son, 
 James H., has labored faithfully in the 
 same cause, in the interest of public im- 
 provement and good, as evidenced by 
 many substantial buildings, and as his un- 
 ceasing labors show. 
 
 EDWARD DECKER, mayor of El- 
 more, Ottawa county, who by 
 trade is a machinist, was born in 
 Fremont, Ohio, October 25, 1854, 
 and is a son of Samuel and Lydia (Kist- 
 ler) Decker, both of whom located in San- 
 dusky county, Ohio, at a very early da}-. 
 For many years the father worked at the 
 cooper's trade in Fremont, and in 1859 
 he brought his family to Elmore, where 
 his death occured in 1880. His wife still 
 survives him, and now at the age of 
 seventy years makes her home in Elmore. 
 In their family were six children, five of 
 whom are yet living: William O., of 
 Toledo, Ohio: Mary E., wife of L. M. 
 Ham, of New York; Edward, subject of 
 this sketch; Elizabeth, a resident of El- 
 more; and Harriet W., wife of W. L. 
 Reeves, of Toledo. 
 
 With his parents Edward Decker 
 came to Elmore, where he acquired his 
 
 education in the public schools, and on 
 leaving the school room learned the print- 
 ing business, at which he worked for 
 about si.x years. He then went to Han- 
 nibal, Mo. , where he learned the trade of 
 a machinist, residing there for three 
 years, on the expiration of which time he 
 returned to Elmore, and since 1882 has 
 continuously resided here. On Decem- 
 ber 25, 1 88 1, he was married at Elmore 
 to Miss Mary Hineline, daughter of John 
 B. and Rosana Hineline, natives of Penn- 
 sylvania, of German ancestry; they were 
 early settlers of Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 and are now both deceased. To our sub- 
 ject and his wife have been born four 
 children — John Samuel, Mary Emma, 
 James Robert and Paul. 
 
 Mr. Decker has ever been prominent 
 in public affairs; for three terms he served 
 as a councilman of Elmore; in 1892 was 
 elected mayor; and in 1894 was re-elected 
 for the term he is at present serving. He 
 is a progressive, public-spirited citizen, 
 and fills that important position to the 
 general satisfaction of all concerned, the 
 manner in which the various public inter- 
 ests of the city are being managed and 
 adjusted by him giving ample evidence of 
 the efficiency and good judgment of its 
 present head. Politically he is a stanch 
 supporter of the principles of the Repub- 
 lican party; and socially he is a member of 
 Elmore Lodge, No. 462, I. O. O. F. . 
 and he and his wife are members of the 
 Christian Church, of Elmore. 
 
 JOHN GASSER (deceased), who was 
 one of the honored pioneers of Ot- 
 tawa county, was born in Berne, the 
 capital of Switzerland, September 
 23, 1822, and was a son of John and 
 Anna Gasser. the former of whom was at 
 one time the governor of Switzerland. 
 
 Our subject lived in his native land 
 until twelve years of age. and then accom- 
 panied his parents on their emigration to 
 America, locating in Zanesville, Ohio. 
 
388 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 The father soon after went to Sandusky 
 county, where he purchased a large tract 
 of wild land, and there engaged ,in the 
 construction of a mill race and mill, the 
 first one in the count)'; but ere the work 
 was completed death suddenly ended his 
 labors. Young John was thus left a mere 
 boy to fight life's battles alone. He was 
 bound out by his guardian to Judge Jus- 
 tus, of Fremont, Ohio, to learn the trade 
 of a tanner and currier, being thus em- 
 ployed until twenty-one years of age, 
 during which time he thoroughly mastered 
 the business, becoming an expert work- 
 man, and was thus employed until the 
 breaking out of the Civil war. 
 
 On May 2, 1849, Mr. Gasser was 
 united in marriage with Miss Mary L. 
 Sheperd, of Gypsum, Ohio, and in 1853 
 they removed to Elmore, where Mr. 
 Gasser resumed work at his trade. Mrs. 
 Gasser was born near Leesville. Tuscara- 
 was Co., Ohio, and in 1S33, when four 
 years of age, was brought to Ottawa 
 county, then an almost unbroken wilder- 
 ness; she has seen deer cross the farm in 
 large numbers, and all kinds of wild game 
 abounded. She was a resident of three 
 counties while living in one house. She 
 acquired her education in Gypsum and 
 Fremont, and in the latter place met the 
 gentleman whom she married. Her 
 father, John Sheperd, was born in North 
 Carolina, February 13, 1783, and died 
 December 19, 1S54. Her maternal grand- 
 father was born in \'irginia, about i"66, 
 and was a fuller by trade. He wedded 
 Mary Long, a highly-educated Quaker 
 lady, who engaged in the practice of medi- 
 cine, in those early days, in Pennsylvania 
 and Ohio, and had been known to ride 
 twentj' miles through the wilderness in 
 cases of consultation; she was very suc- 
 cessful; her sister was a minister of the 
 Gospel. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Gasser were born 
 five children, three of whom died in in- 
 fancy. Louis Edwin, who was born in 
 Woodville, Ohio, April 18, 1851, com- 
 
 pleted a course of study in the Normal 
 School of Tontogany, Ohio, in 1867, and 
 was then employed on the Lake Shore & 
 Michigan Southern railroad until his death, 
 August II, 1870. Eva Luella, the only 
 daughter, was born May 16, 1858, on 
 Rice street in Elmore, and in the same 
 house was married February 27, 1879, to 
 Henry Paffenbach, of Elmore, and in the 
 same house in which her two children 
 were born; she was educated in the pub- 
 lic schools of Elmore, and before reach- 
 ing the age of eighteen began teaching; 
 she also made a special study of the piano, 
 and later taught music with marked suc- 
 cess; she died January 26, 1885, leaving 
 two children — John Edwin G.,born March 
 4, 1880; and Carl Henry, born March 12, 
 1 88 1. All who knew her had for her 
 only words of praise, and her friends were 
 many. 
 
 Mr. Gasser carried on business in El- 
 more until 1864, when, on .August 5, he 
 enlisted in Company A, One Hundred 
 Seventy-seventh O. \'. I., under Capt. 
 Turner. About October i he left Cleve- 
 land with his regiment, and on the 6th 
 arrived at Tullahoma, Tenn. , where, for 
 six weeks, the troops guarded the Nash- 
 ville & Chattanooga railroad. When 
 Hood"s army threatened Nashville, the 
 regiment was sent to Murfreesboro, and 
 were there twice engaged in battle with 
 the Rebel forces under Gen. Forrest. 
 Subsequently the regiment was ordered to 
 Spring Hill, and assigned to the Twenty- 
 third Army Corps. On the march from 
 Murfreesboro to Spring Hill John Gasser 
 was taken ill, but remained with his com- 
 mand which went to Clifton on the 
 Tennessee river. On January 17, 1865, 
 the regiment embarked on a steamer for 
 Cincinnati, and thence went by rail to 
 Washington, D. C, where it arrived Jan- 
 uary 25. On February 3, it started for 
 Annapolis by steamer, reaching Port 
 Fisher on the 9th. On the the i6th, Mr. ' 
 Gasser passed away, dying of typhoid 
 pneumonia, and was buried by his com- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 389 
 
 rades — Baldwin, Carr and Coon. He 
 had patriotically given his life for his 
 country, which required the sacrifice of 
 so many of the brave sons of the nation. 
 He was a very loyal, devoted citizen, 
 and in his death the community suffered 
 a severe loss. An earnest, temperance 
 worker, a devoted Christian man, he did 
 all in his power to uplift and benefit 
 humanity, and had the warmest regard of 
 all who knew him. His family lost a 
 faithful husband and loving father; but 
 the memory of his holy Christian life still 
 lingers and is still green in the hearts of 
 many friends. His widow is yet living in 
 Elmore, an estimable lady, both widely 
 and favorably known. 
 
 REV. NATHANIEL B. C. LOVE, 
 D. D., the subject of this sketch, 
 was born in Rushville, Fairfield 
 Co., Ohio. His father was born 
 in Donegal, Ireland, of Scotch-Irish par- 
 ents. In his childhood he was brought 
 from Ireland to Lancaster, Penn., where 
 he received a good English education. He 
 became a professional teacher, and ex- 
 celled in mathematics, teaching in North- 
 umberland county, Penn., Cadiz, and 
 Rushville, Ohio. He was of the nobler 
 type of Irish Protestants, many of whom 
 have been among the foremost in educa- 
 tion in their adopted country. His par- 
 ents were first Episcopalians and after- 
 ward Methodists. He died in his seventy- 
 ninth year, near Hardin, Ohio. 
 
 Dr. Love was converted in childhood, 
 and never forgot his espousal to God, and 
 hence never formed those bad habits 
 which hinder and embarrass so many per- 
 sons for long weary years. His mother 
 had the forming of his character. Her 
 maiden name was Susannah Force, and 
 she came from the Force family of New 
 Jersey, a family that has made a noble 
 record in Church and State. She was in- 
 telligent, possessed great common sense. 
 
 and was a devout Christian. Up to his 
 sixteenth year Dr. Love had the advan- 
 tages of good common and select schools. 
 When about seventeen years he felt im- 
 pressed to enter the ministry. He did not 
 yield to this call at once, feeling, as every 
 true minister always does, his insufficiency 
 for this lofty mission; but as he wrought 
 in the factory through the day and studied 
 art and history at night, the call to the 
 ministry became more and more impera- 
 tive. About this time he had the advan- 
 tages of the city and select schools of 
 Sidney, Ohio, taught by Judge Wyman, 
 James Linn and Miss Ware. Many of the 
 older pupils of those schools have referred 
 to them as miniature colleges. 
 
 When only twenty-two years old our 
 subject entered the ministry of the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church, and has been a 
 prominent member of the Central Ohio 
 Conference, filling with marked success, 
 and to the full legal term of services, 
 many of its leading stations. The cities 
 and larger towns of central and north- 
 western Ohio have been the scene of his 
 labors. When he was twenty-three he 
 was united in marriage with Miss Eliza 
 Ginn, of Sidney, Ohio. Their oldest 
 daughter, Jennie Love, was united in 
 marriage with Mr. Ed. Cowdrick, of Na- 
 poleon, Ohio, but died in eighteen months, 
 leaving a daughter. The second daughter, 
 Mrs. Emma Eberly, lives in Perrj'sburg, 
 Ohio, a respected lady in Church and 
 society. The eldest son, Edwin Ginn 
 Love, is in the practice of law in Port 
 Clinton, and in his profession is successful 
 and popular, having a large practice in 
 that city, as well as in the surrounding 
 towns and cities. The second son is a 
 railroad agent and telegrapher, employed 
 on the Wheeling & Lake Erie railroad. 
 Lura May Love, the youngest, is the 
 teacher of French and Latin in Findlay 
 College, which is her "alma mater;" 
 she is also a graduate of the Upper 
 Sandusky Graded School; she is well and 
 favorably known as a mezzo-soprano solo- 
 
390 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAFHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ist of excellence. The youngest, Arthur 
 D. Love, is a boy at home with his 
 parents. 
 
 Dr. Love is well known as a writer 
 for periodical literature; especially is his 
 name familiar to the readers of the West- 
 ern Chris tin II Advocate, to whose columns 
 he has contributed for manyjears. Dur- 
 ing six years, for several Sunday-school 
 publications, he wrote notes for lesson 
 help, and in his way of opening up and 
 illustrating the Scripture he was highly 
 appreciated. The same talent which 
 qualified him for this work has made 
 him eminently successful as a teacher of 
 Bible and Normal classes, and he has been 
 engaged in that work some sixteen years 
 at Chautauqua Assemblies. He has the 
 rare gift that few have, the power to 
 draw and paint rapidly before an audi- 
 ence. His "chalk-talks" before assem- 
 blies are immensely popular. He has 
 published a work on object-teaching that 
 met with a rapid sale, and has received 
 the endorsement of many of the best 
 educators of the country. A few years 
 ago, when Dr. Love was stationed at 
 Upper Sandusky, Ohio, he took a great 
 interest in the Old Mission Church and 
 burying ground. This was the first mis- 
 sion of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 The old stone church had fallen into 
 ruins, and the burying ground, where 
 many converted chiefs and missionaries 
 were sleeping in hope of the resurrection 
 taught by the Gospel, was a deserted 
 common. 
 
 Dr. Love was instrumental in bring- 
 ing the matter in form before the General 
 Missionary Committee and General Con- 
 ference, and the funds were provided for 
 restoring the property and preserving it as 
 a sacred treasure to the Church, and 
 to-day it stands as restored under his 
 wise management, and is the Mecca of 
 Methodism in her missionary efforts. 
 While he was pastor at Port Clinton he 
 collected and published a historical sketch 
 of all the Methodist Churches in Ottawa I 
 
 count}', which is valuable as a source of 
 data. 
 
 He is now connected with the great 
 Chautauqua movement, havmg taught for 
 several years at Lakeside, and for sixteen 
 years connected with various Chautauqua 
 Assemblies. For eight years he has been 
 superintendent of Island Park Assembly, 
 Rome City, Ind. He is a graduate in the 
 C. L. S. C., course of study, the C. N. C, 
 and the Ohio State Normal, and is the 
 friend and promoter of home college 
 reading circles. In recognition of his 
 talents and scholarship the U. S. Grant 
 Memorial University, some years ago, 
 conferred its highest honorable degree of 
 Doctor of Divinity upon him. 
 
 EG. LOVE, a rising joung attor- 
 ney at law of Port Clinton, Ottawa 
 county, is a native of Ohio, born 
 May 22, 1864, at Crestline, Craw- 
 ford county, a son of Rev. N. B. C. Love, 
 D. D., and Eliza (Ginn) Love. The 
 father was for many years an itinerate 
 minister of the M. E. Central Ohio Con- 
 ference, also a prominent Sunday-school 
 worker, and was for seven j-ears president 
 of the Island Park Assembly, of Rome 
 City, Indiana. 
 
 Our subject attended the public schools 
 of different towns at which his father 
 preached until he was seventeen years of 
 age, at which time, he went to Ohio Wes- 
 leyan University, at Delaware, Ohio, 
 where he attended college two years, and 
 then, on account of inability of his father 
 to furnish funds to enable him to complete 
 a college course, he struck out for him- 
 self. He worked a couple of years at 
 various occupations, about a year as com- 
 mon laborer at the Milburn Wagon Works, 
 Toledo, Ohio, and then one year as as- 
 sistant shipping clerk. Returning home 
 at the age of twenty-one. he entered the 
 law office of Judge Slalcolm Kelly, at Port 
 Clinton, and began the study of law, re- 
 maining as a student, in the capacity of 
 
COMMSMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 391 
 
 the Judge's assistant in his office work, 
 for about two years; then for one j'ear at- 
 tended the Cincinnati Law College, from 
 which he graduated May 23, 1888, with 
 the degree of Bachelor of Laws. About 
 a month prior to graduation he was ad- 
 mitted to practice law in all the courts of 
 Ohio. On his return from college after 
 the completion of his collegiate course, 
 he located at Port Clinton, where he has 
 been practicing ever since. In October, 
 1892, he was admitted to practice law in 
 the circuit and district courts of the 
 United States, and has a large practice 
 in State and United States courts. In 
 June, 1887, Mr. Love married Miss Nettie 
 McRitchie, daughter of Judge D. R. Mc- 
 Ritchie, of Port Clinton, Ohio, and they 
 have two daughters: Helenand Marguerite. 
 
 JOSEPH KINGHAM, M. D. A list 
 of the well-known citizens of Ottawa 
 county would be incomplete were 
 the name of this gentleman omitted, 
 for there are probably few so widely and 
 favorably known. Not only has he dis- 
 tinguished himself in his profession, but 
 also as a leader in business circles, having 
 built up large commercial interests here; 
 and it is only justice to him to state that 
 if the town of Rocky Ridge owes its ex- 
 istence and present prosperity to an)' one 
 man, it is to the personal efforts and busi- 
 ness ability of Dr. Kingham. 
 
 He is a native of the county in whose 
 welfare and advancement he has borne so 
 prominent a part, born December 5, 
 1839, at Port Clinton, of English de- 
 scent. His boyhood was spent in his na- 
 tive town, and there he also received his 
 early education, graduating from the pub- 
 lic schools in 1854. In 1855 he entered 
 the Ohio Wesleyan Universitj', where 
 he remained only one term thence 
 going to the University at Berca, 
 Ohio, where he also studied one term. 
 He then commenced clerking for his 
 
 25 
 
 father, continuing thus until 1S63, and 
 thereafter for a short time clerked for a 
 firm in Fremont, Ohio. In the year 
 1863 he began the study of medicine at 
 Port Clinton under the direction of Dr. 
 Steadman, after about si.\ months remov- 
 ing to Sandusky, Ohio, where he studied 
 under Dr. Agard until May, 1864, when 
 he was called with the hundred-days' men 
 of Ohio to service in the army of the Po- 
 tomac; he being a member of that body 
 was mustered into service in Company I, 
 One Hundred and Sixty-ninth O. N. G. 
 I., and his company at once went to 
 Fort Ethan Allen to guard the city of 
 Washington. In September, 1864, he 
 was mustered out of service with his regi- 
 ment in Cleveland. 
 
 On his return from the army our sub- 
 ject at once entered the University of 
 Michigan, where he took a thorough 
 course in medicine, graduating from that 
 institution in 1S66 with the degree of M. 
 D. During his University course he also 
 attended special medical lectures in the 
 summer vacation at Pittsford, Mass. Dr. 
 Kingham began the practice of medicine 
 at Berlin Heights, Ohio, under adverse 
 conditions. His long medical course had 
 somewhat impaired his health, so that 
 when ready mentally to enter upon his 
 chosen profession he was nearly a physi- 
 cal wreck. By careful attention to his 
 physical condition, however, he gradually 
 became stronger and thus better able to 
 attend to the now constantly increasing 
 calls made upon him. At the end of 
 three months the doctor moved to Flor- 
 ence, there entering into partnership with 
 Dr. Lattin, with whom he remained only 
 a short time when he made another 
 change, this time locating in Norwalk, 
 Ohio, where he practiced four j'ears. 
 After leaving Norwalk he went to Bell- 
 more, Ind., and there remained until 
 May, 1875, the date of his removal to 
 Port Clinton, where he continued in his 
 professional duties until 1886. At this 
 time the Doctor came to Rocky Ridge, to 
 
302 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 give his attention to his business inter- 
 ests there, which had been gradually 
 widening during the passing years, and 
 they have continued to grow until, at the 
 present time, he is extensively engaged 
 in numerous enterprises, all of which, 
 under his able management, have proved 
 profitable to him, and, by giving employ- 
 ment to others, have contributed in no 
 small degree to the growth of the com- 
 munit)-. He is largelj' interested in agri- 
 culture, owning several farms in the 
 vicinity of Rocky Ridge. In 1878 he en- 
 gaged in the manufacture of lime, and in 
 1882 erected a sawmill and invested ex- 
 tensively in the lumber business; in 1889 
 he erected a large grain elevator and 
 flouring-mill in Rocky Ridge. He is now 
 handling large quantities of wheat, oats 
 and corn, and the value of this enterprise 
 to the local farming industry can hardly 
 be estimated. In 1882, in addition to 
 his other business, the Doctor purchased 
 a drug store at Rocky Ridge, which 
 gradually enlarged until, in 1891, it had 
 become a general store. The Doctor's 
 business had now become so large and 
 complicated, on account of the great 
 variety of interests to which he was giving 
 his attention, that Mrs. Kingham came 
 to his aid, taking her place in the office, 
 and for the past live years she has added 
 her business ability to that of her husband 
 in pushing one of the greatest business 
 enterprises in Ottawa count}-. Mrs. King- 
 ham attends to the books, keeping an 
 accurate account of all receipts and ship- 
 ments of grain, and in every way render- 
 ing the greatest assistance in conducting 
 the extensive business. Nor have we 
 yet covered the field of the Doctor's 
 business enterprises. In addition to those 
 alread}' enumerated he invested as a stock- 
 holder in Lake Side, the most elegant 
 summer resort on Lake Erie; for many 
 years he has been one of the directors of 
 the company, and at the time of his mar- 
 riage to his presept wife was president of 
 the Lake Side Company. 
 
 In 1868, Dr. Kingham was married to 
 Miss Mary Ann Partlow, of Bellmore. 
 Ind. A few years afterward, while at 
 Norwalk, Ohio, Mrs. Kingham's health 
 failed, and she gradually became weaker, 
 passing away in May, 1880, at Port Clin- 
 ton. On August 30, 1882, the Doctor 
 wedded his present wife. Miss Ella Sim- 
 kins, of Washington C. H., Ohio, the 
 marriage being solemnized at the Grand 
 Pacific Hotel, Chicago, by the Rev. .Ar- 
 thur Edwards, D. D. Mrs. Ella(Simkins) 
 Kingham was born at Washington C. H., 
 Ohio, in 1857, and spent her girlhood 
 days in her native town, from the high 
 school of which place she graduated in 
 1876. For a time after completing her 
 high school course she attended Wooster 
 University, and subsequently, for five 
 years, she was a teacher in the high school 
 from which she graduated. For one year 
 she was principal of the high school at 
 Muncie, Ind., and at the close of her 
 work there she was married to Dr. King- 
 ham. Mrs. Kingham's father, Richard 
 Simkins, was born in 1831 in New Jersey, 
 and her mother, Martha (Kembelj Sim- 
 kins, was born in Ohio, in 1S33; they are 
 still living at Washington C. H. To them 
 were born two children, Mrs. Kingham, 
 and Dr. James Simkins, of Clarksburg, 
 Ohio. Mrs. Kingham's maternal grand- 
 father, Nathan Kembel, was born in 181 1 
 in New Jersey. By his first marriage the 
 Doctor had five children, two of whom 
 are now living: W'illiam and Bernard, at 
 present with their uncle, Mr. Jacobs, in 
 California. By his present wife he has 
 two sons, James Jay and George Richard, 
 both living with tlieir parents. 
 
 Dr. Kingham's parents, James and 
 Lydia Ann (Knight) Kingham, were born, 
 the father in England in 1803, on the 
 noted "Farm Colder," in Oxfordshire, 
 the mother at Rising Sun, Md., in 18 18. 
 They were married in 1836. James King- 
 ham followed mercantile pursuits the 
 greater part of his life; he died in 1875, 
 and the mother now lives with her daugh- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 3J)8 
 
 ter, Mrs. Jacobs. There were four chil- 
 dren in the family, two of whom are 
 now living, Dr. Joseph Kingham, and 
 Mrs. Jacobs, of California. 
 
 GEORGE W. LONG (deceased), 
 who was one of the prominent 
 and progressive farmers of Car- 
 roll township, Ottawa county, 
 was born in Hanover, Germany, Decem- 
 ber 29, 1838, and was a son of Henry 
 and Christina Long, natives of the same 
 country, who, emigrating to this country, 
 took up their residence in Erie township, 
 Ottawa county, in 1843. The father was 
 not long permitted to enjoj' his new 
 home, his death occurring the same year. 
 His wife survived him about eight years. 
 Our subject remained under the 
 parental roof until sixteen years of age. 
 when he bade adieu to his old home and 
 removed to Bureau county. 111., residing 
 there for four years. He then returned 
 to Erie township, Ottawa county, and in 
 1867 took up his residence in Carroll 
 township, where his remaining days were 
 passed. On November 17, 1862, Mr. 
 Long was united in marriage with Miss 
 Mary Louisa Meeker, who was born in 
 Erie township, Ottawa county, March 
 15. 1842, daughter of Chalon and Mar\' 
 (Amnions) Meeker, who were pioneer set- 
 tlers, and for many years honored and re- 
 spected residents of Erie township, where 
 they made their home until called to their 
 final rest. The father passed away very 
 suddenly August 17, 1877; the mother 
 died of diphtheria February 19, 1869. 
 Their family numbered ten children, six 
 of whom are yet living, namely: Amanda, 
 wife of Robert McKay, a resident of 
 Tuscola, III. ; William, who makes his 
 home in Henry county, Ohio; Rachel, 
 wife of Robert Stevens, who is located in 
 Carroll township, Ottawa county; Mrs. 
 Long; Teressa, wife of Thomas Hambly, 
 a resident of Rocky Ridge, Ottawa coun- 
 ty; and Thomas, who is living in Douglas 
 
 county. 111. To Mr. and Mrs. Long were 
 born three children, as follows: (i) 
 Amanda Lavina, born October 9, 1864, 
 who married Frank S. Foote, now a 
 teacher in Toledo; she has one child, 
 Edgar p-Qote, born October 12, 1890. (2) 
 George Edward, born August 7, 1869, 
 living in Carroll township. (3) Sylvanus, 
 born April 10, 1881, is still living with 
 the mother. 
 
 Mr. Long was killed by the kick of a 
 horse. May 7, 1890. He was recognized 
 as one of the valued and leading citizens 
 of the community, and took quite a 
 prominent part in county affairs. He 
 was a Republican, but though giving a 
 loyal support to the party he was not a 
 politician in the sense of office-seeking, 
 rather one who favored safe principles 
 and good officials, and he capably served 
 in many township offices, discharging his 
 duties with credit to himself and satisfac- 
 tion to all concerned. He made farming 
 his life work, and led a busy and indus- 
 trious life. Well-known and highly-es- 
 teemed by all who knew him, his sudden 
 death was mourned by a large number of 
 sincere friends. His genuine worth and 
 true nobilit}' gained him the respect of all, 
 and no one in Ottawa countj' was more 
 favorably known. Since his death his 
 faithful and devoted wife has managed the 
 estate with more than ordinary ability, 
 and her excellent care has made it return 
 a good income. She is a consistent mem- 
 ber of the United Brethren Church, and 
 very popular in the social circles of the 
 township, where she has a host of warm 
 friends. 
 
 DANIEL BROWN (deceased) was 
 one of the most progressive and 
 influential farmers of Carrol town- 
 ship, Ottawa county. His birth 
 occurred in Lancaster, N. Y., March 23, 
 I Si 5, and he was a son of Joseph R. and 
 Ruth (Smith) Brown, who were early set- 
 tlers of Erie county, Ohio, where they 
 
394 
 
 COMMEliORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 passed awa3^ In their family of nine 
 children only three now survive: Solo- 
 mon, who is residing on the old home- 
 stead in Margaretta township, Erie Co., 
 Ohio; Diadami, wife of Thomas Persons, 
 •of Sisson, Siskiyou Co., Cal. ; and Mrs. 
 Martha Newman, a widow, of Barcelona, 
 Tulare county, California. 
 
 In February, 1819, Mr. Brown, whose 
 name introduces this sketch, removed 
 with his parents to Erie count)'. Ohio, 
 where he was reared to manhood and re- 
 ceived his education. His principal oc- 
 cupation through life was farming, 
 though for eleven years he was foreman 
 of Mr. Heywood's fiouring-mill and saw- 
 mill at Venice, Ohio. He located in 
 Carroll township, Ottawa county. May 4, 
 1866, from which date until his death he 
 was a constant resident of that commu- 
 nity, where he was widely and favorably 
 known. His death occurred at his home 
 July 19, 1893, and he was deeply and 
 sincerely mourned. 
 
 .'\t Venice, Erie Co., Ohio, June 8, 
 1845, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. 
 Brown and Miss Melissa I. James, who 
 was born in that county, November 24, 
 1830, a daughter of Henry and Phcebe 
 (Dunham) James, both natives of this 
 country, who became early pioneers of 
 Erie county; there they resided until 
 death, both dying in Venice, the father 
 on November 29, 1874, the mother on 
 October 7, 1881. To them was born a 
 family of si.\ children, three of whom are 
 still living, namely: Melissa I., widow of 
 Daniel Brown; Rebecca, wife of Charles 
 Hiemlich, of Venice, Ohio; and Yeamon, 
 residing near Genoa, Ottawa county. 
 Nine children came to bless the union of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Brown, namely: Phoebe, 
 born July 7, 1846, died April 11, 1848; 
 Rebecca, born April 3, 1848, now the 
 wife of Leman Thompson, of Carroll 
 township; Isabel, born November 16, 
 1850, now the wife of Roscoe Wise, of 
 Curtis, Ohio; Hcnrj', born October 11, 
 1852, died October 12, 1853; Martha, 
 
 born March 26, 1854, now the wife of 
 Austip L. Carey, of Mount Vernon, Ohio; 
 Frank, born August 11, 1856, a resident 
 of Carroll township; Rachel, born Feb- 
 ruary 14, 1858, making her home in 
 Mount \'ernon; James K., born June 8, 
 1 86 1, living in Lorain county, Ohio; and 
 Alvira, born March 14, 1866, married 
 James Clopfenstein, and died February 
 22, 1885. 
 
 In his political affiliations Mr. Brown 
 was an ardent Republican, but was never 
 an aspirant for office, preferring to give 
 his time and attention to his agricultural 
 duties, and was one of the successful men 
 of his da}'. Though enjoying in his 
 youth but meagre literar\- advantages, he 
 acquired a practical education, and was a 
 close observer of men and events. He 
 took an active part in all matters relating 
 to the welfare of the township and coun- 
 ty, and was held in the highest esteem 
 by his friends and neighbors. His faith- 
 ful wife, who is a well-educated and in- 
 telligent lady, still resides in Carroll town- 
 ship, where she is surrounded bj' hosts of 
 friends. 
 
 GEORGE H. RICE, who during 
 his lifetime was a prominent fruit- 
 grower and agriculturist of Car- 
 roll township, Ottawa county, 
 was born April 26, 1826, in Painesville, 
 Ohio, son of Isaac and Lucy (Devol) 
 Rice, the former a native of Vermont, the 
 latter of the Biicke\-e State. She was 
 born in Marietta in 1802, and her father, 
 Jonathan Devol, was one of the honored 
 pioneers of Ohio. 
 
 Isaac Rice was born in Brattleboro. 
 Vt., Maj' 7, 1792, and previous to 1820 
 removed to the southern part of Ohio, 
 where he followed his trade of wagon- 
 making. He was married in Marietta in 
 1820, and in 1825 removed with his wife 
 to Painesville, Lake Co., Ohio, where he 
 followed the same business. He built 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 395 
 
 fifteen of the first stages that ever ran be- 
 tween Buffalo and Cleveland. In Feb- 
 ruary, 1829, he removed to Danbury 
 township, then a part of Huron county, 
 now a part of Ottawa county, where he 
 spent his remaining days, passing away 
 April 14, 1845. His wife survived until 
 January 17, 1867. Their family num- 
 bered seven children, but only one is now 
 living — Mary Ann, wife of D. W. Stew- 
 art, a resident of Alton, Illinois. 
 
 George H. Rice acquired his educa- 
 tion in the district schools of Danbury 
 township, and also in Westfield, Medina 
 Co., Ohio, and when his school life was 
 ended became a sailor on the lakes. He 
 was serving as mate on the steamer 
 "Oregon" at the time it was blown up 
 on the Detroit river, April 14, 1855. He 
 continued on the water until 1882, and 
 in connection carried on fruit farming and 
 ship and boat building, but for the last 
 twelve years, owing to poor health, he 
 led a practically retired life. His labors 
 were interrupted in 1865 by his enlist- 
 ment, on February 14, in Company C, 
 Second Ohio Cavalry; after serving for a 
 few months at St. Louis he became so ill 
 that he was sent home on furlough, and 
 the regiment was mustered out of the 
 service before his leave of absence ex- 
 pired. 
 
 Mr. Rice was married in Westfield, 
 Medina county, December 25, 185 1, to 
 Miss Celestia P. St. John, who was born 
 in Westfield, January 31, 1831, daughter 
 of Myron and Philc'na (Allton) St. John, 
 natives of \'ermont, who became early 
 settlers of Medina county, where they 
 spent their remaining days, the father 
 dying December i , 1 866, the mother on 
 June 9, 1886. Mr. and Mrs. Rice are 
 the parents of eight children: Noah 
 Lovell, who was born October 17, 1853, 
 and is a prominent farmer of Carroll 
 township, Ottawa county; Philena L. , 
 born November 4, 1856, residing in 
 Chicago; Louisa C, born September 2, 
 1858, now the wife of C. C. Strong, a 
 
 resident of Chicago; Henry Lincoln, born 
 July 28, 1 86 1, died February 21, 1869; 
 Mary A., born August 28, 1863, now the 
 wife of Aretus Crane, of Chicago ; Dan S. , 
 born August 8, 1867; Julia M. W. , born 
 June 19, 1871; and George Allton, born 
 April 24, 1875; the three youngest are 
 at home. The family attend the Baptist 
 Church. 
 
 Mr. Rice was one of the oldest pioneer 
 settlers of Ottawa count}', and during his 
 long residence here ever sustained a repu- 
 tation for integrity and good citizenship, 
 alike creditable to his judgment and char- 
 acter. As one of the men who in an 
 early day took part in subduing the wil- 
 derness, transforming it into fine farms 
 and beautiful homes which the present 
 generation enjoy in comparative comfort 
 and ease, Mr. Rice is well worthy of 
 being represented in this volume. At the 
 time of his decease, though he had almost 
 reached the honored age of three score 
 years and ten, he was a well-preserved 
 man, of commanding presence, possessed 
 of a vigorous mind, good practical busi- 
 ness sagacity, and a reliable memory, as 
 to early events. Ofttimes he reviewed the 
 changes that have taken place since the 
 days of the old open fireplace, and the log 
 schoolhouse with its half-barrel seats, 
 where he received his rudimentary educa- 
 tion, and the twang of the thread as the 
 good mother plied her needle by the dim 
 light of a tallow candle. These and many 
 more of the circumstances connected with 
 pioneer life frequently flitted across his 
 mind, as he took a retrospective glance 
 into the past, recalling the marvellous 
 work of the first settlers of Ottawa coun- 
 ty, a work in which he always bore his 
 part. But his days of hardship and toil 
 were crowned by success, and in his de- 
 clining years he enjoyed a well-earned 
 rest, and the blessings of his home and 
 fireside. He was a successful agricul- 
 turist, and his farm and orchard, with 
 their many improvements and neat ap- 
 pearance, speak well in his praise. 
 
396 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 In politics Mr. Rice was a Republican, 
 and he took an active and intellif^ent in- 
 terest in local and national affairs. He 
 was highly respected by a wide circle of 
 friends and acquaintances, and was a 
 worthy representative of the pioneers of 
 Ottawa county. He passed away at his 
 home in Carroll township, June 30, 1895, 
 and was laid to rest at Oak Harbor. 
 
 CARL RUH (deceased) was a well- 
 known business man and highly- 
 respected citizen of Put in Bay 
 Island, Ottawa count}-, and in his 
 death the community lost one of its best 
 residents. He was born in Baden, Ger- 
 many, December 31, 1834, and was a son 
 of John and Mary (Ackerley) Ruh, who 
 were also natives of the Fatherland. 
 The}' had a family of seven children, of 
 whom Joseph, now a resident of Put in 
 Ba}', is the only known survivor. 
 
 The gentleman whose name introduces 
 this sketch was reared to manhood in the 
 land of his birth, acquired his education 
 in its public schools and learned the trade 
 of butcher, and tanner of hides. In 1854 
 he crossed the Atlantic to America, and 
 took up his residence in Sandusky City, 
 Ohio, but after a short time removed to 
 Put in Bay Island, where he made his 
 home for a period of forty-five years, and 
 was one of the most highly-esteemed citi- 
 zens of that community. During his 
 earlier residence here he engaged in wood 
 chopping and butchering, but in later 
 years his entire time and attention were 
 devoted to grape growing, his vineyard 
 being one of the finest on the Island. A 
 handsome and well-kept residence and 
 beautiful grounds, themselves the em- 
 bodiment of neatness, indicate the thrift 
 and enterprise of him who was the owner. 
 
 Mr. Ruh was married in Sandusky 
 City, June 1 1, 1857, to Christina Schmidt, 
 a daughter of Frederick and Mary (Brandt) 
 Schmidt, the former a native of Baden, 
 Germany, born August 10, 1828. Mr. 
 
 and Mrs. Ruh became the parents of two 
 children: Herman, born July 18, 1869; 
 and Marie L. , born February 24, 1S71. 
 The mother of this family came with her 
 parents to America in 1854, and since 
 1855 has resided continuously on Put in 
 Bay Island — a most estimable lady, one 
 who has many warm friends in the com- 
 munity. 
 
 Mr. Ruh efficiently filled the office of 
 school director of Put in Bay for twelve 
 years, was also township trustee for one 
 term, and served in other local offices, 
 discharging his duties with a promptness 
 and fidelity that won him high connnen- 
 dation. He was a man of broad and 
 liberal views, charitable to a fault, and 
 his hearty support and co-operation were 
 given to all worthy enterprises calculated 
 to benefit the community. His life's la- 
 bors were ended May 11, 1895, and in 
 his death Put in Bay lost one of her most 
 valuable citizens, his wife a loving and de- 
 voted husband, and his children a kind 
 and indulgent father. His career was 
 above reproach, and he left to his family 
 not only a good property but the priceless 
 heritage of an untarnished name. 
 
 JOHN SIEGRIST (deceased), who 
 was one of the earliest settlers on 
 Middle Bass Island, Ottawa county, 
 and a prominent grape grower, was 
 born in Bavaria, Germany, May 2, 1825, 
 and v\'as a son of Leopolt and Kate (Har- 
 mond) Siegrist. 
 
 John Siegrist was educated in his na- 
 tive land, engaged there in fruit growing, 
 and learned the trade of stonecutter. 
 About 1850 he left Germany for America, 
 and coming to Ohio located in Sandusky, 
 Erie county, where he resided for some 
 years, and worked at his trade of stone- 
 cutter. Afterward he removed to Kelley's 
 Island, and engaged in grape growing, in 
 1866 removing to Middle Bass Island, 
 where he continued in the same occupa- 
 tion. In Sandusky on October 24, 1853, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 397 
 
 Mr. Siegrist was united in marriage with 
 Margaret Stoess, and they had nine 
 children, as follows:- Mary, born July 
 24, 1854, died March 28, i860; Elizabeth, 
 born August 31, 1856, died March 14, 
 i860; Magdalena, born July 15, 1858, 
 died March 12, i860; Conrad, born 
 January 14, i860, died August 12, 1861, 
 Margueretta, born March 19, 1862, is the 
 wife of Peter Lonz; Louisa, born July 8, 
 1863, is the wife of Jacob Scherer, resid- 
 ing in Sandusky; Lizzie, born March 18, 
 1865, died December 7, 1870; Anna, 
 born August 20, 1867, died September 2, 
 1868; and Emma, born October 28, 1869. 
 Mrs. Siegrist's parents, Godfrey and 
 Louisa Stoess, were born in Germanj-. 
 
 After removing to Middle Bass Island, 
 in 1866, Mr. Siegrist resided there up to 
 the date of his death, January 5, 1882. 
 His widow died January 30, 1893. 
 
 PETER F. LONZ, a grape grow- 
 er on Middle Bass Island, Otta- 
 wa count}', was born March 5, 
 1857, in Sandusky, Erie Co., 
 Ohio, son of Peter and Mary (Werber) 
 Lonz, who were born, respectively, in 
 Prussia and in Baden, Germany; both are 
 still living, having their home in San- 
 dusky. 
 
 Peter F. Lonz was reared to man- 
 hood and educated in Sandusky, and has 
 been engaged principally in agricultural 
 pursuits since boyhood. In 1876 he came 
 to Middle Bass, and has since been a con- 
 tinuous resident thereof, engaged in grape 
 growing and wine making. On April 13, 
 1882, Peter F. Lonz was united in mar- 
 riage with Margueretta Siegrist, and they 
 have had four children, three of whom 
 are now living, namely; Cora Rosa M., 
 born August 31, 1884; George F. A., 
 born January 12, 1887; and Louisa Anna, 
 born January 15, 1889. Mrs. Lonz is a 
 daughter of John and Margueretta Sie- 
 grist. 
 
 Mr. Lonz has served as a school direct- 
 
 or two terms. In his political views he is a 
 Democrat. He is well-known in Put in- 
 Bay township, and throughout the county 
 generally, has held many offices of trust, 
 and in all of them has performed his duty 
 with fidelity. He is a man of more than 
 ordinary ability, and has made good use 
 of his opportunities, possessing sterling 
 honesty, which has characterized his con- 
 duct throughout life, and has won for him 
 a high place in the esteem and confidence 
 of his fellow men. 
 
 DAVID JAMESON (deceased) was 
 for fifty years one of the promi- 
 nent and progressive residents of 
 Danbury township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty. His birth occurred in New York City, 
 November 22, 1817, and he was a son of 
 Andrew and Esther (Fowler) Jameson, 
 the former a native of Scotland, the lat- 
 ter of Connecticut. His father, who was 
 a dry -goods merchant of New York City, 
 died there when our subject was quite 
 young. 
 
 In 1822 tbe mother with her family 
 removed to Bloomingville, Ohio, where 
 they resided until 1834, when they 
 located on Johnson's Island. At the end 
 of ten years they came to Danbury town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, making a location 
 at Bay Shore, where they resided for 
 about six years, and where the mother 
 passed from this earth in 1850. Our 
 subject then removed to the present 
 homestead farm now occupied by his 
 wife and family, and from that time up 
 to his death, which took place January 3 1 , 
 1 894, he was a continuous resident of 
 that section of the township. Most of 
 his time was passed in fishing, his farm be- 
 ing attended to by hired help. He also 
 commanded a freight steamer on Lake 
 Erie, and owned several sailboats which 
 he used in the pursuit of his business. 
 
 Mr. Jameson was twice married, his 
 first union being with Miss Almira Mea- 
 cham, and to them were born four chil- 
 
308 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 dren, three of whom are still living — 
 Lorena, wife of Frederick Johnson, of 
 Danbury township; John B., a resident 
 of Lakeside, Ottawa county; and Will- 
 iam, a resident of Danbury township. 
 On December 12,1855, Mr. Jameson mar- 
 ried Miss Eli/iabeth Tynan, who was born 
 in Danbury township, March 2, 1839, 
 and is a daughtor of ^^'illiam and Marjja- 
 ret (Johnson) T}nan, the former a native 
 of Ireland, the latter of Ohio. Her father 
 was among the early settlers of Danbury 
 township, and for many years was fore- 
 man of a stone quarry at Marble Head. 
 He also engaged in the quarry business 
 in his own interest for several years, be- 
 sides being one of the leading agricultur- 
 ists of the county. The mother of Mrs. 
 Jameson is now the widow of Gavin 
 Watson. 
 
 Ten children were born to the union 
 of Mr. Jameson and his second wife, 
 namely: (i) Howard E., born October 
 26, 1857, is a resident of Lakeside, Ot- 
 tawa county, and by his marriage with 
 Miss Dora Newton has two children — 
 Hazel May and Russell H. (2) Delia M., 
 born May 2, 1859, became the wife of 
 Durell Battle, and died February 17, 1884, 
 leaving a daughter — Delia Elizabeth, who 
 was born on the 14th of that month, and 
 now makes her home with her grand- 
 mother, Mrs. Jameson. (3) Luella T., 
 born January 17, i860, is the wife of M. 
 W. Pettibone, of Lakeside, Danbury 
 township. (4) Lucy A., born November 
 15, 1 86 1, is the wife of M. H. Beebe, of 
 Cleveland, Ohio. (5) Minnie A., born 
 February 10. 1863, is at home. (6) Cora 
 Lillian, born March i, 1866, is the wife 
 of Alfred M. Morton, of Cleveland. (7) 
 Genevieve was born December 12, 1867. 
 (8) Benjamin Mead was born September 
 26, 1872, and makes his home in Dan- 
 bury township. (9) Flora Belle was born 
 February 13, 1874; and (lO) Ernest R. 
 was born June 13, 1877. 
 
 During his early life Mr. Jameson was 
 connected with the United Brethren 
 
 Church; but after his removal to his late 
 residence in Danbury township he became 
 a consistent member of the Methodist 
 Church, and contributed liberally of his 
 means to church purposes and charities. 
 For sixteen years prior to his death he 
 was unable to do active business, and for 
 five years was a constant but patient suf- 
 ferer. He was a self-made man in every 
 respect, having from small beginnings 
 made a complete success in life, and ac- 
 quired an enviable record for fair and 
 honest dealing. He was a man of excel- 
 lent judgment and sound common sense, 
 while his unswerving personal integrity 
 and the general rectitude of his life gained 
 for him a favorable reputation in the 
 community where he was best known. 
 
 JOHN WICKLIFFE LOCKWOOD, 
 who is numbered among the leading 
 business men of Ottawa county, is 
 extensively engaged in farming and 
 fruit growing, and also operates a large 
 plaster quarry. 
 
 He was born June 23, 1827, on the old 
 homestead farm in Portage township, 
 which is still his place of abode, and is a 
 son of Col. Samuel M. and Gertrude 
 (Doughty) Lockwood. His father was 
 born in Stamford, Conn., and his mother 
 in New York Cit}'. About the year 18 18 
 the)' took up their abode in Danbury 
 township, Ottawa Co. , Ohio, and in 1821 
 removed to Portage township, where the 
 Colonel engaged in agricultural pursuits, 
 and conducted a plaster quarry until a 
 few years previous to his death, when he 
 retired from active business life. He was 
 one of the earliest settlers of the county, 
 and erected the first stone residence in 
 Portage township. He won his title of 
 "Colonel" by serving in the New York 
 State Militia during the war of 181 2. A 
 prominent and influential citizen, he was 
 recognized as a leader in the community 
 in which he lived; was honored with elec- 
 tion to the State Legislature on several 
 
Jy/^~s^^ n e^^^^'<^^-'^^'<^—t?~-ry i 
 
 / 'I 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 399 
 
 different occasions, and was also State 
 coinmissioncr of the Mad River & Lake 
 Eric railroad, the first road built in Ohio, 
 and the second west of the Alleghanies. 
 He passed away in Sandusky City in 1 848. 
 He was twice married, his first wife being 
 Mar\' Doughty, a sister of the mother of 
 our subject. They had four children, 
 only one of whom is now living, Edward 
 J. Hy the second union there were seven 
 children who reached mature years, and 
 those of them who survive are John W. , 
 Gertrude Ann (wife of F. F. Smith, of 
 Chicago), and Emeline fliving with her 
 brother). 
 
 John W. Lockwood was reared to 
 manhood on the old home farm, and like 
 many another boy who has made his life 
 work a success obtained his education in 
 the old log school house near his home. 
 With exception of a few years spent on 
 Sandusky Bay, in connection with a ferry- 
 boat in which he was interested, he has 
 always lived in Portage township, and his 
 occupation has been farming, fruit grow- 
 ing and plaster quarr3ing. He is a thor- 
 ough-going business man, upright and 
 honorable in all transactions, and the neat 
 and thrifty appearance of his place indi- 
 cates his careful supervision. He raises 
 a fine variety of fruits, wherebj' not a 
 little is added to his income, and success- 
 fully operates one of the largest quarries 
 in the county. 
 
 At Port Clinton, June 20, 1850, Mr. 
 Lockwood was married to Miss Elizabeth 
 Smith, who was born in November, 1827, 
 daughter of Henry V. and Catherine 
 (Fralick) Smith, natives of New York, and 
 later residents of Portage township. Both 
 have now departed this life. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Lockwood had a family of eight 
 children, of whom one died in infancy; 
 the others are Ida, wife of R. W. Gill, 
 who is living at Lakeside, Ohio; Herbert 
 D , on the old homestead; Horace A., a 
 resident of Victor, Colo. ; Gertrude, wife 
 of John Hclberg, a prominent merchant 
 of Port Clinton; Imogene E. , wife of W. 
 
 H. Althoff, editor of the Port Clinton 
 Dciiiocrat : Alfred H., of Toledo; and 
 Stanton W., at home. 
 
 Mr. Lockwood has efficiently tilled the 
 office of township trustee at intervals, 
 serving altogether more than twenty 
 years, and has been honored with other 
 positions of public trust. He has always 
 voted the Republican ticket, and has been 
 an earnest supporter of interests calcu- 
 lated to prove of public benefit, lending a 
 helping hand to all worthy enterprises. 
 Such a man is well worthy of representa- 
 tion in this volume. 
 
 IMMER C. MOORE (deceased) was 
 a farmer and fruit grower of Erie 
 township, Ottawa county, and a 
 
 Union soldier in the war of the Re- 
 bellion. He was born in Port Clinton, 
 Portage township, Ottawa county, August 
 21, 1841, and was a son of Cyrus and 
 Esther H. (Knight) Moore, who were 
 among the early settlers of Port Clinton, 
 and afterward removed to Erie township. 
 
 Cyrus Moore died December 7, 1871: 
 his widow, Esther H., is still living at 
 the age of seventy-eight years. Thej' 
 had a family of se\en children, as follows: 
 Eleanor E., wife of I. K. Gibbons, re- 
 siding at Gypsum, Ottawa county; Im- 
 mer C, subject of this sketch; CelinaS., 
 wife of Richard B. Moore, of Oketo, 
 Kans. ; Lucinda F., wife of Nathan Pier- 
 son, of Carroll; Abigail E., wife of Brin- 
 ton Hoopes, residing in Toledo; Robert 
 B. ; and Mary A. , wife of James Snider, 
 of Erie township. 
 
 When but a youth Immer C. Moore 
 accompanied his parents to Erie town- 
 ship. He was reared a farmer's boy, re- 
 ceived his education in the district schools, 
 and was employed for a number of years 
 in sawmills in Ottawa county, also rail- 
 roading for a short time; but the latter 
 part of his life was spent in agricultural 
 pursuits. He served as a private in Com- 
 pany C, Forty-tirst O. V. I., from Octo- 
 
400 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ber, 1864. until the close of the war. In 
 Adrian, Mich., September 21, 1876, Im- 
 mer C. Moore was united in marriage 
 with Mary E. Dubach, and they had five 
 children, their names and dates of birth 
 being as follows: Laurence D., January 
 27, 1878; Mabel, July 31, 1879; Grace, 
 August 13, 1880; Gertrude, August 16, 
 1883; and Harold, February 23, 1887. 
 Mr. Moore was a Republican in politics. 
 The family attend the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church. Inimer C. Moore died April 
 8, 1895. 
 
 ADDISON RICHARDSON 
 D O L P H is one of the extensive 
 and progressive farmers of Ot- 
 tawa county, one who thoroughly 
 understands the scientific side of farming, 
 and a man who not only understands that 
 certain things must be done, but knows 
 why they must be done. 
 
 Although he is one of the younger 
 agriculturists of the community, he yet 
 ranks among the most prominent. The 
 record of his life is as follows: He was 
 born in Ashtabula county. Ohio, August 
 12. 1866, and when six years of age was 
 brought by his parents to Ottawa county, 
 the family locating upon the farm where 
 he now lives. He is a son of Aaron and 
 Lavina (Richardson) Dolph, prominent 
 people of Elmore. He obtained his early 
 education in the district schools of Ottawa 
 county, afterward attended the high school 
 of Elmore, and completed his literary 
 course in the Ohio Wesleyan University, 
 after which he returned to his father's 
 home and aided in the cultivation of the 
 farm for two years. 
 
 On Eebruarj- 7, 1888, Mr. Dolph mar- 
 ried Miss Kate Kelsej', of Toledo, Ohio, 
 who was born March 26, 1866, in San- 
 dusky, this State. She is a daughter of 
 Capt. Ira and Susanna (Smith) Kelsey. 
 who, during her early girlhood, removed 
 to Toledo, where she was educated. She 
 made a special study of instrumental 
 
 music, became quite proficient in that art, 
 and for two 3ears taught music in Toledo. 
 Her father was born in New York, April 
 1, 1833, and for many years engaged in 
 teaching. He subsequently went to Cali- 
 fornia, where he mined with excellent 
 success. On September 26, 1861, he 
 wedded Miss Susanna Smith, of Mere- 
 dith, Ohio, and when President Lincoln 
 issued his call for 75,000 volunteers, he 
 was among the first to respond, re-enlist- 
 ing on the expiration of that term. He 
 served as a member of Company I, Sixty- 
 eighth O. V. I., until the close of the war, 
 and was wounded at the battle of Gettys- 
 burg. \Mien the country no longer needed 
 his services, he became a resident of To- 
 ledo, and there made his home until Au- 
 gust I, 1 88 1, when he was drowned in 
 the Maumee river. His wife, who was 
 born in Greene county, N. J., February 
 7, 1836, acquired the greater part of her 
 education in the public schools of Fre- 
 mont, Ohio. On September 9, 1888, she 
 became the wife of Edward Upton, and 
 they now reside in Toledo. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Dolph began their do- 
 mestic life upon the farm which has since 
 been their home — a rich and fertile tract 
 of 260 acres of the finest farming land 
 that can be found in the State. They 
 have two children: Lovina Belle, born 
 September 9, 1889; and Anna Gertrude, 
 born April 2, 1893. The parents are nine- 
 teenth-century people in every sense of the 
 term — educated, hospitable, genial and 
 possessed of the true enterprising progres- 
 sive spirit of the West. Each year Mr. 
 Dolph sows about fort)' acres in wheat, 
 and in 1891 from thirty-eight acres had a 
 yield of 1,447 bushels, while in 1894 he 
 raised 1,700 bushels on forty acres. His 
 corn crop usually averages about fifty-five 
 bushels of shelled corn to the acre, and 
 the yield of oats has been as high as six- 
 ty-five bushels per acre. He keeps 
 abreast, if not in the lead, of the times in 
 every particular. He believes in and 
 practices the rotation of crops, and also 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BJOOUAPUWAL RECORD. 
 
 401 
 
 plans to Rive each field what he terms a 
 rest in each rotation. He also changes 
 seed grain, and before using it makes a 
 special test of it by purchasing and sow- 
 ing a couple of bushels, then makes a 
 careful study of the crop, not only as to 
 the yield, but also as to the weight and 
 color, its adaptability to the soil, etc. If 
 all is satisfactory he then uses what he 
 has harvested as seed for the next year, 
 and thus raises his own seed grain. If it 
 proves other than what he hopes, it is at 
 once discarded and another variety tried. 
 Mr. Dolph follows this plan not only in 
 regard to wheat but also oats and pota- 
 toes, and his products, being of superior 
 quality, always bring the highest market 
 price. The ground is always carefully 
 prepared for his grains, and careful 
 thought and study, the result of deep re- 
 search, is always applied to his work. 
 He also raises considerable stock of high 
 grades, being full-blooded, and in his 
 shipments receives the highest market 
 price. He now has on hand full-blooded 
 Durham cattle and Clydesdale horses, 
 and is the possessor of some of the finest 
 stock that can be found in the State. 
 His chickens are of the white Plymouth- 
 Rock breed, and in his care of these mem- 
 bers of the feathered tribe he displays 
 the same painstaking effort that char- 
 acterizes his other work. In all of his 
 labors he is intensely scientific, at the 
 same time practical, and belongs to that 
 class of progressive, cultured men who 
 have made the business of farming of 
 equal importance to that of any other 
 pursuit in life. 
 
 FREDERICK A.ALLYN (deceased) 
 was born in New London, Conn., 
 November ii, 1809, and became 
 one of the valued residents and 
 prominent farmers of Erie township, Ot- 
 tawa county. His loss to the community 
 was a matter of sincere regret. His par- 
 ents, Frederick and Cynthia (Williams) 
 
 Allyn, were also natives of the Nutmeg 
 State. He began to write his own biog- 
 raphy, but death prevented the comple- 
 tion of this task. He wrote: "I was 
 born in North Gaston, now called Led- 
 yard, New London, Conn., and left there 
 March 31, 1834, going to Lycoming coun- 
 ty, Penn., on the west branch of the 
 Susquehanna river, and staid there eight 
 months. I then went to Coventing town- 
 ship. Portage Co., Ohio, arriving there 
 December 9, 1S34; left there January i, 
 1835, and came to Lower Sandusky (now 
 Fremont); next I went to Riley township 
 and lived there two years. In June, 1835, 
 I removed to Erie township, Ottawa Co. , 
 Ohio, where I purchased 120 acres of 
 land, and in 1837 commenced cutting wild 
 grass. I was married April 13, 1838, [.'J 
 to Rebecca Laforce, who died February 
 12, [.'] 1859, and was married again No- 
 vember 6, 1862." 
 
 Here the writer laid down his pen 
 never to resume it again, but he is well 
 entitled to a more extended mention in 
 this work devoted to the honored pioneers 
 and best citizens of Ottawa county. He 
 acquired his education in his native State, 
 and when quite a young man left home to 
 make his own way in the world. Going 
 to Pennsylvania, he worked as a farm 
 hand for several years, and on leaving the 
 Keystone State, he removed to what was 
 then called Upper Sandusky, Ohio. From 
 1835 up to the time of his death he was 
 an esteemed resident and leading farmer 
 of Erie township, Ottawa county, taking 
 an active interest in all that pertained to 
 the welfare of the community, and doing 
 all in his power for its advancement and 
 progress. He was united in marriage with 
 Mrs. Rebecca Miscner Laforce, who was 
 born February 20, 181 1, and died Febru- 
 ary 14, 1859, leaving one son, George 
 Williams, who was born March 24,1838, 
 and lives in Elmore, Ohio. For his sec- 
 ond wife, Mr. Allyn wedded Mrs. Sarah 
 (Adams) Falley, who was born October 
 19, 1825, in Erie county, Ohio, and was 
 
402 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the widow of Francis Falley. By the 
 second marriage was born, September 19, 
 1863, one son, Charles Lester. Mr. Allyn 
 passed away at his home in Erie town- 
 ship, April 24, 1 89 1, and his death was 
 deeply and sincerely mourned. He had 
 lived an honorable life, and all who knew 
 him respected him for his sterling worth. 
 In his political views he was a Republican. 
 
 Ch.^rles L. Allyn was born and 
 reared on the old homestead farm which 
 is still his place of abode, and his educa- 
 tion was obtained mostly in the schools 
 of Port Clinton. At an early age he be- 
 came familiar with all the duties of farm 
 life, and has since been identified with 
 the agricultural interests of his native 
 county, being one of the enterprising and 
 progressive farmers of Erie township. He 
 was married, at the home of his wife's 
 parents in Erie township, February 3, 
 1887, to Miss Emma Belle Sharpe, who 
 was born in Cleveland, Ohio, January 29, 
 1868, daughter of Leonard and Elizabeth 
 (Bailey) Sharpe. Her father died July 
 26, 1892; her mother is now a resident of 
 Lacarne. To this union were born four 
 children, two of whom are living: Fred- 
 erick Leonard, born April 19, 1888; and 
 Myrtle Belle, born September 12, 1891. 
 The parents attend the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, and in his political views 
 Mr. Allyn is also a Republican. 
 
 George W. Alljn, son of Frederick A. 
 Allyn by his first wife, was married Au- 
 gust 18, 1859, to Esther K. Gamble. 
 Their only daughter, Clara Edna, was 
 born July 16, 1862, and died in Novem- 
 ber, 1879, aged seventeen years. They 
 have two sons: George W. , born Feb- 
 ruary 12, 1872, and Andrew Frederick, 
 born September 16, 1874. 
 
 CARL BUDDENHAGEN (deceas- 
 ed) was in his lifetime one of the 
 extensive grape growers of Middle 
 Bass Island, Ottawa county, of 
 which locality he was one of the earliest 
 
 settlers. He was born September 16, 
 1 819, in Mecklenburg, Germany, and 
 was a son of John and Hannah Budden- 
 hagen, who were born in Germany and 
 died there. 
 
 Carl Buddenhagen was reared to man- 
 hood and received his education in his 
 native land, where he also learned the 
 trade of a stone-mason. He was married 
 in Germany, in 1845, to Maria Wardo, 
 who was also born in Mecklenburg, and 
 they had eleven children, five of whom 
 are living, as follows: Caroline, wife of 
 Peter M. Schnoor, residing at Oak Har- 
 bor, Ottawa county; Wilhelmina, wife of 
 Nicholas Fox, of Put in Bay, Ottawa 
 county; Louisa, born December i, 1859, 
 wife of J. H. Brady, living on Middle 
 Bass Island; Anna, the wife of H. J. 
 Sloat, residing at Milan, Ohio; and Carl 
 Frederick, residing at Sandusky, Erie 
 county. 
 
 In 1853 Mr. Buddenhagen embarked 
 for America, came to Ohio, and settled 
 in Sandusky, Erie county, where he fol- 
 lowed his occupation of mason some 
 twelve years. About 1862 he removed to 
 Middle Bass Island, and was engaged in 
 grape growing. He was a continuous 
 resident from the date of his settlement 
 until his death, which occurred March 
 21, 1872, and was intimately connected 
 with all the early historj' of the Island. 
 Surrounded by an intelligent and inter- 
 esting family in his home, Mr. Budden- 
 hagen was a devoted husband, and a kind 
 and indulgent father. Among men he 
 was genial and companionable, manly 
 and fearlessly independent in character 
 and thought, and consistent throughout. 
 His social standing was high, his integrity 
 incorruptible, and his memory will long 
 be revered by those who knew him. 
 
 J. H. Bkadv, who married Louisa 
 Buddenhagen, was born in the Province 
 of Ontario, Canada, went to Chicago, 
 111., when a j'oung man, and later re- 
 moved to Toledo, Ohio, where he fol- 
 lowed his occupation, that of contractor 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 403 
 
 and builder, and whence, in 1874, he 
 came to Middle Bass Island. On No- 
 vember 8, 1875, l^s ^^''is united in mar- 
 riage with Louisa Buddcnhagen, and they 
 have had eight children, whose names 
 and dates of birth are as follows: May E., 
 August 8, 1876; Ella Anna, May 30, 1878; 
 Alma Belle, December 3, 1879; Lillian, 
 October 5, 1882; Carl P., November 15, 
 1884; Walter, September 12, 1886; J. 
 Bertram, June 10, 1888, and Louis, Oc- 
 tober 30, 1893. A few days after his 
 marriage Mr. Brady removed to Toledo, 
 where he resided for three years. In 
 1878 he returned to Middle Bass, has 
 since been a continuous resident of the 
 Island, and is now extensively engaged in 
 grape growing. He is Democratic in his 
 political views, is a member of the I. O. 
 O. F. at Sandusky, and the familv are 
 connected with the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 JOHN H. REHBERG (deceased), 
 who was connected with the earliest 
 history of Middle Bass Island, Ot- 
 tawa county, and was one of the 
 extensive grape growers there, was born 
 in Mecklenburg, Germany, January 15, 
 1827, and was a son of John and Chris- 
 tina Rehberg. Mrs. Rehberg died in the 
 Fatherland, and John Rehberg on Middle 
 Bass Island, Ohio, December 22, 1880. 
 Our subject was reared to manhood 
 and educated in Germany, where he fol- 
 lowed the butcher business, and in 1853 
 came to America. At Mecklenburg, 
 Germany, in the spring of 1848, he was 
 united in marriage with Sophia V'arrnke, 
 who was born in Mecklenburg August 10, 
 1825, and they had a family of fifteen 
 children, nine of whom are yet living, as 
 follows: Henry, born December 4, 1849, 
 now residing on Point Pelee Island, 
 Canada; Caroline, born September 16, 
 1854, wife of Henry Engel, residing in 
 Michigan; William, born .April 15. 1857; 
 living on Catawba Island, Ottawa Co., 
 
 Ohio; Frederick, born February 21, 1859, 
 residing at Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga Co., 
 Ohio; Lena, born May 18, i860, wife of 
 Andrew StoU, living on Kelley's Island, 
 Erie Co., Ohio; Sophia, born November 
 13, 1 86 1, wife of Charles Fisher, also of 
 Kelley's Island; John, born April 30, 
 1864, a resident of Put in Bay, Ottawa 
 county; Augusta, born July 14, 1867, 
 and Edward, born August 22, 1872. 
 
 Having come to America in 1853, 
 John H. Rehberg resided for about three 
 years in Chicago, Ills., removed to Cedar 
 Point, Hamilton Co., Ohio, where he 
 lived two years, and then returned to 
 Chicago, whence, about six months later, 
 he removed to Indiana, where for six 
 years he was engaged in agricultural pur- 
 suits. In the latter part of the year 1864 
 he removed to Middle Bass Island, and 
 was a continuous resident of the Island, 
 and closely identified with its progressive 
 interests until his death on May 4, 1888. 
 
 For twenty-one years he held the 
 office of school director, and also numer- 
 ous other township offices, all of which he 
 efficiently filled. He took a great interest 
 in educational matters, and was ever fore- 
 most In promoting the welfare of the 
 island. He was loved and revered in life, 
 and in death many marks of respect were 
 shown him by sorrowing friends and 
 neighbors. Sadly they bore him to his 
 last resting place, and. as the island 
 breezes chant their requiem o'er his grave, 
 loving hearts will entwine and bedew with 
 tears an imperishable garland to his 
 memorv. 
 
 SAMUEL KUESTHARDT, editor 
 of the Ottaica County Zcitung, 
 published al Port Clinton, Ottawa 
 county, was born in Arnsburg, 
 Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, February 6, 
 1855, and is one of the best known and 
 most highly-respected citizens of the 
 county in which he now resides. 
 
 He is the son of G. C. and Elizabeth 
 
404 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 (Wollenhaupt) Kuesthardt. His father 
 was born in Rambach, Hesse Cassel, 
 Germany, in 1804; was educated in the 
 teachers' seminary at Beuggen; followed 
 the profession of a teacher throughout his 
 life, and for many years had charge of a 
 reform school. He died in April, 1875, a 
 consistent member of the Lutheran 
 Church. His first wife was Marie Wol- 
 lenhaupt, bv whom he had one child, 
 Marie, who lives in California. The sec- 
 ond wife of Mr. Kuesthardt. and the 
 mother of our subject, was born in Harle, 
 Hesse Cassel, German}', in 1826, came to 
 America in 1875, and died in California 
 April 5, 1894, the mother of seven chil- 
 dren, all of whom lived to manhood and 
 womanhood: Christiana, died at the age 
 of twenty years; Magdalena, wife of Rev. 
 Julius Klopsteg, lives at Henderson, 
 Minn. ; Tabitha was married in Germany 
 to Gustav Brobst; our subject comes 
 ne.\t; Anna is married to Julius Ulber, an 
 artist, now of California; Hermina is the 
 wife of Andrew Peterson, and lives in St. 
 Paul, Minn. ; G. W. lives in California, 
 where he follows the trade of a carpenter, 
 and is also engaged in fruit raising. 
 
 Samuel Kuesthardt attended school at 
 the theological seminary in Melsungen, 
 Germany, from which he w-as a graduate 
 in 1874. He then came to America and 
 took a practical course at the schools of 
 Mendota, 111. He was the assistant min- 
 ister for one year in a church in Toledo, 
 Ohio, and in the fall of iS76was ordained 
 the pastor of a church at Custer, Wood 
 Co. , this State. At this time he preached 
 to six different churches. He remained 
 at Custer until 1881, in the fall of which 
 year he received a call to Fair Haven, 
 Mich., where he remained until 1887. 
 He was then attacked with inflammatory 
 rheumatism, from which he suffered 
 greatly, and, being obliged to seek a 
 change of climate, went to Louisiana and 
 settled in Calcasieu Parish, where he took 
 up a homestead and timber claim, 32 5 acres 
 in all. His health rapidly impro\ed. and 
 
 he spent a couple of months in that place, 
 while there preaching at Lake Charles. 
 He then returned to Toledo, Ohio, and from 
 there came to Rocky Ridge, in Ottawa 
 count)', where he founded a congregation, 
 and built the first Lutheran church in the 
 place. This was a frame building, which 
 soon after was burnt down, and they then 
 erected one of brick. He preached at 
 Rocky Ridge for two and a half years. In 
 September, 1890, Mr. Kuesthardt gave 
 up preaching, and the following New 
 Year (1891) took charge of the Otta'tK'a 
 County Zcituuf;, then published at Oak 
 Harbor, and in 1893 he removed the 
 paper and his family to Port Clinton. In 
 politics he is a Democrat, and his paper 
 is printed in the German language. It is 
 a newsy, well-conducted journal, and is 
 popular with the German citizens. 
 
 Mr. Kuesthardt was married in Toledo, 
 Ohio, April 19, 1877, to Miss Marie 
 Kuehn, of that city, and they have had 
 nine children (seven of whom are living): 
 Paul; Martha; Samuel; Marie; Laura; 
 Ernest, who died in Louisiana: Lydia, 
 who died when four years old; Hans and 
 Phyllis. 
 
 ALPHONSE COUCHE (deceased), 
 for many years a prominent lum- 
 ber dealer and grain merchant of 
 Port Clinton, Ottawa county, was 
 a native of France, born in the town of 
 Chinon. old Province of Touraine (now 
 Department of Indre et Loire), February 
 14, 1833. His father was born in 1789, 
 and died in 1859; his mother was born 
 in 1794, and died in 1838. 
 
 Our subject received a good education 
 at his home, and succeeded in passing an 
 examination for entrance into the College 
 of Arts and Manufactures in Angers, 
 securing the bursary which admitted him 
 to the School on payment of a small sum; 
 but the Revolution of 1848 caused the 
 institution to be closed about twelve 
 months. For a couple of years he fol- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 405 
 
 lowed the business of commission mer- 
 chant in Paris, purchasing- <joods for the 
 South American trade, which first sug- 
 gested to him the idea of migrating to one 
 or other of the English colonies. Pro- 
 ceeding to London, England, he remained 
 there a year, familiarizing himself with 
 the language and gaining some msight 
 into general business. In 1856 he came 
 to New York, and there remained until 
 the breaking out of the Civil war, when 
 he returned to France, but two years 
 later once more came to the United 
 States, again locating in New York. In 
 1 864 he moved west to Ohio, and in Otta- 
 wa county erected a sawmill on the banks 
 of the Portage river, a few miles east of 
 Oak Harbor, where, until 1873, he did an 
 extensive business in the manufacture of 
 lumber; then removed his main plant to 
 Port Clinton, continuing, however, to op- 
 erate a sawmill at Rocky Ridge and Crane 
 Creek. In the Rocky Ridge branch of 
 the business he had two partners from 
 1880 to 1889 in the persons of John. 
 Mitchell (who was interested only in the 
 Rocky Ridge mill) and J. Lecluze (who 
 was a partner in all the businesses of Mr. 
 Couchc, and acted as bookkeeper). In 
 addition to sawing and manufacturing 
 building material they bought and dealt 
 extensively in pine lumber of various 
 kinds, also in coal and wood. Mr. 
 Couche erected grain elevators at Port 
 Clinton and at La Carne, where he bought 
 and shipped grain. His largest operations 
 were in the purchase of walnut and other 
 hard woods from the Northern and South- 
 ern States, which, for about fourteen 
 years, he exported to different countries of 
 Europe. He was the first shipper of 
 " Birdseye Maple," from America to 
 Europe. From the year 1886 up to the 
 time of his death Mr. Couche was in the 
 habit of spending his winters in France, 
 going there in the fall and returning in 
 the spring. 
 
 During his residence at Port Clinton 
 he was one of the most substantial con- 
 
 tributors to the prosperity and growth of 
 the town, paying out many thousands of 
 dollars in wages every year, and keeping 
 many workmen employed. In all his 
 business affairs he was honest, just, and 
 prompt, and enjoyed the confidence and 
 esteem of all who knew him. July 30, 
 i8gi, he suffered from a stroke of paral- 
 3'sis of the brain which deprived him more 
 or less of the use of his mental faculties, 
 and occasioned his death December 19, 
 same year. 
 
 On December 15, 1877, Mr. Couche 
 was married at Tours, Province of Tour- 
 aine, France, to Miss Antonie Cartier, 
 daughter of Francois and Pauline (Tros- 
 seau) Cartier, the former of whom was a 
 manufacturer of champagne wine, and 
 children as follows blessed their union: 
 Jane Marie Pauline Alice, born October 
 3, 1878; Marie Madeleine Alphonsine, 
 born April 23, 1880; and Frank Alphonse 
 Antoine, born January 24, 1883. Were 
 Mr. Couche asked during his busy life- 
 time for the secret of his success, he 
 would no doubt have defined it, from his 
 own e.xperience, as hard work, availing 
 itself of fair opportunities. 
 
 AUGUST SCHMIDT (deceased), 
 who was among the earliest set- 
 tlers of Middle Bass Island, Ot- 
 tawa county, and who during his 
 long residence here was extensivel}' en- 
 gaged in grape growing, besides following 
 contracting and building, was born in An- 
 halt, (jermany, October 7, 1825. 
 
 The father of August Schmidt died 
 before his son was born, and the mother, 
 Rosamond Schmidt, died when August 
 was about tw'ehe years of age, conse- 
 quently verj' little is known regarding their 
 history. When but a youth August 
 Schmidt went to Berlin, and there grew 
 to manhood, receiving his education, and 
 learning the trade of a stone mason. In 
 1852 he came to America, and settling in 
 Detroit, Mich., resided there and near 
 
406 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 there for about twelve years, engaged in 
 contracting and building. On January 
 17, 1854, Mr. Schmidt was united in mar- 
 riage, at Detroit, with Christina Mueller, 
 who was born in Hesse, Germany, May 
 26, 1830, and they had si.\ children, five 
 of whom are still living, as follows: Au- 
 gust, born December 27, 1855, now re- 
 siding in Sandusky, Erie Co., Ohio; Eliza- 
 beth (Mrs. E. Wehrlei, born .May 13, 
 1S59, lately living on Middle Bass Is- 
 land, at present (December, 1895) a resi- 
 dent of Sandusky; Katharine, born Sep- 
 tember 29, 1861. Charles, born Septem- 
 ber I I, 1863, and Emil G., born January 
 3, 1866, all three also living in Sandusky. 
 In 1864 Mr. Schmidt removed to Mid- 
 dle Bass Island, where he resided up to 
 his death, which occurred February 10, 
 1886. Mrs. Schmidt at present resides 
 in Sandusky, Erie county, and the vine- 
 yard is rented out on shares. Mrs. 
 Schmidt attends the German Evangelical 
 Church, while of the children some at- 
 tend the Presbyterian Church, the others 
 the Congregational. 
 
 THOMAS E. KIRKBRIDE. A his- 
 tor}- of the growth and spread of 
 the commercial interests of San- 
 dusky county — and they are 
 neither few nor unimportant — could not 
 well be written without containing an 
 account of the enterprises with which the 
 name of this gentleman is intimately as- 
 sociated, and a sketch of who.se business 
 career is here presented. 
 
 As one of the most successful business 
 men in Sandusky county, and one of the 
 greatest oil producers in the State of 
 Ohio, if, indeed, not the greatest, it is the 
 more proper that Mr. Kirkbride should 
 be conspicuously represented in this work; 
 and although a resident of Toledo, where 
 his family reside, he has kindly consented 
 to have his personal history and portrait 
 inserted within the pages of this Bio- 
 graphical Record. 
 
 A native of New York State, Mr. 
 Kirkbride was born in Ogdensburg De- 
 cember 26, 185S, and is a son of Joseph 
 and Sarah Jane (Nugent) Kirkbride. X^e 
 father at present lives at Findlay, Ohio, 
 and has been interested in the oil industry 
 since 1866. When he was nearing the 
 age of eight years our subject's parents 
 removed to Tidioute, Warren Co., Penn., 
 and here he received his education and 
 hp.d his home until he was about twenty- 
 one years old, at which time he entered 
 the oil fields. His first venture was as 
 wooden-tank builder, then in rig building, 
 pipe-line work, diilling; in fact, engaging 
 in every detail of the business, and there 
 is no branch thereof with which he is not 
 thoroughly conversant "from A to Z. " 
 In 1 890, disposing of his interests in Penn- 
 sylvania oil fields, Mr. Kirkbride removed 
 with his family to Fostoria, Ohio, remain- 
 ing there, however, but a short time, for 
 it was not long before he entered the 
 arena of the Ohio oil fields, about one 
 mile from where the present village of 
 Gibsonburg now stands, by purchasing 
 the Blousey farm of forty acres, on which 
 there were already three wells, to which, 
 by drilling, he soon added two more. 
 Shortly afterward he and his brother, J. 
 W. Kirkbride, bought eighty acres of oil 
 land in the Rollersville field, where they 
 have put down si.x wells. This completed, 
 the brothers entered Wood county and pur- 
 chased a iio-acre farm of C. R. Rosen- 
 dale, also si.x acres of Clark Earle, mak- 
 ing a total in that neighborhood of 116 
 acres, whereon they drilled fourteen wells. 
 They also piped gas from their gas well at 
 West Millgrove to Hatton, Wood county, 
 supplying that town with both fuel and 
 light. Their oil territory became, in 1S91, 
 still farther increased by the purchase of 
 120 acres of land at Pemberville, they 
 finishing a well already commenced on 
 this property, making what is known to 
 oil men as a "mystery," for not being 
 operated the outside world became of the 
 opinion that the "territory" was poor. 
 

COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUWAL RECORD. 
 
 407 
 
 This gave the Kirkbrides a chance to buy 
 all the surrounding land, some thousand 
 acres in extent, and here they drilled fif- 
 teen wells, forming at the same time 
 what is known as the Alphonso Oil Co. 
 Just prior to this our subject leased sev- 
 eral hundred acres in Perry township. 
 Wood count)', where a number of gas 
 wells were drilled, which to some extent 
 supply the city of Toledo with gas. 
 
 Mr. Kirkbride next invested in a half 
 interest in the Damschroeder property of 
 175 acres, and here they drilled a dry 
 hole. This property they still hold, be- 
 lieving it to be a good oil country. Mr. 
 Kirkbride purchased twenty acres of the 
 Graver farm, on which he put down five 
 wells, and then followed an unique and 
 remarkable experience in his oil business 
 well worthy of record. A certain well 
 seemed to contain nothing but water, and 
 many a speculator turned his back on it 
 and derided it; j'et Mr. Kirkbride believed 
 it would ultimately yield oil, and for eight 
 weeks he pumped incessantly, but got 
 nothing except water for his pains, during 
 which time he and the well were the butt 
 of many a jest. However, at the end of 
 about two months, oil began to manifest 
 itself, and the well all at once commenced 
 to produce oil at the rate of 100 barrels 
 per day, and in less than two more months 
 not only paid for all the labor expended 
 on it, but also for the cost of the twenty 
 acres of land. This was the first attempt 
 in the county, by any oil producer, to ex- 
 haust the water and ultimately reach oil. 
 
 The Kirkbride oil territory was next en- 
 larged by the purchase of the George Mil- 
 ler farm of eighty acres which they held 
 an entire year before drilling. They 
 leased surrounding property, and on the 
 Morgan farm drilled a test well which pro- 
 duced 300 barrels per day; this was also 
 made a "mystery" well until some 700 
 acres adjoining could be secured by lease. 
 With everything in their own hands they 
 now put down twelve wells on the Miller 
 farm, also three on the Morgan farm, and 
 
 26 
 
 at the end of one year they leased the 
 Benjamin Jones farm in Sandusky county, 
 as well as the Myers farm. On the lat- 
 ter they drilled three wells, one of them, 
 which " came in " November 9, 1894, be- 
 ing the first large well drilled in the county, 
 producing 1,400 barrels per day for nine- 
 teen days! Six days after this well "came 
 in," or November 15, 1S94, Mr. Kirk- 
 bride completed the largest oil well in the 
 world, known as the " Kirkbride Gusher. " 
 This was on the Jones farm, about five 
 miles west of Gibsonburg. When the 
 Trenton rock was pierced, in boring, the 
 well began to throw up a column of oil 
 some 200 feet high, so that houses and 
 land were covered with oil, deep ditches 
 along the roads being filled to overflow, 
 and still the oil continued to flow. Mr. 
 Kirkbride believes that when the well 
 started, and for some time thereafter, it 
 must have produced at the rate of 60,- 
 000 barrels per day, running at full flow. 
 It took them four hours to get the well 
 under control and the tanks erected, but 
 of course they could not get the oil away 
 as fast as the well would produce it. 
 Gradually declining in yield, at the end of 
 some four months the production was less 
 than one thousand barrels per day, and 
 the once Mammoth has dwindled down 
 to an humble twenty-barrel-per-day well! 
 Last, not least, Mr. Kirkbride bought 
 twenty-seven acres of land from Henry 
 Schmucker, in Woodville township, on 
 which he has five wells, one of which is 
 in one respect like the great well we have 
 just given an account of, in being what 
 Mr. Kirkbride calls a "crevice well." 
 This produces lOO barrels per day, but had 
 to be pumped for two weeks before any- 
 thing except water came. At this writ- 
 ing (November, 1895) Mr. Kirkbride owns 
 and leases about ten thousand acres of oil 
 territory, and is operating, in all 200 wells. 
 He attributes his great success to two 
 things, to-wit: First — he thoroughly un- 
 derstands every detail of the business; 
 and. Second — he keeps out of the Ex- 
 
408 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 changes; — in a word he gives his time and 
 attention exclusively to the production of 
 oil and not to speculation therein. 
 
 . On January 5, 1880, Mr. Kirkbride 
 was married to Miss Mary A. Edwards, 
 and six children have blessed their union, 
 their names and dates of birth being as 
 follows: Joseph Edward, February 23, 
 1 881; Margaret Mabel, July 31, 1883, 
 died January 12, 1887; Thomas F., June 
 24, 1885; Mary Alice, December 25, 1887; 
 Annie Geneva, August 14, 1889; and 
 James William, October 21, 1891. Mrs. 
 Kirkbride was born, in 1857, in Liverpool, 
 England, daughter of Thomas and Mar- 
 garet fMolland) Edwards, the former of 
 whom (now deceased) was a sergeant in the 
 English army, and the latter is now a 
 resident of Boston, Mass. Mrs. Kirk- 
 bride received her education in her na- 
 tive city, whence she emigrated to Nova 
 Scotia, later moving to Boston, Mass. In 
 1890 Mr. Kirkbride took up his residence 
 n Toledo, where on Coliingwood avenue 
 he has an elegant home, he himself being 
 the designer and architect of the building. 
 He and his amiable spouse are noted for 
 their hospitality, geniality and cordiality, 
 and live in the unqualified esteem and re- 
 spect of a wide circle of friends and ac- 
 quaintances. 
 
 185: 
 James 
 " Ina,' 
 
 NATHAN DODGE (deceased), who 
 was a carpenter and a farmer by 
 occupation, and one of the most 
 popular citizens of Middle Bass 
 Island, Ottawa county, was born in 
 Gainesville, N. Y., December 15, 1822, 
 and was a son of Elijah and Lorena 
 (Thayer) Dodge, who were both born in 
 New York State. 
 
 When Nathan Dodge was but a youth 
 his parents removed to Carlisle, Ohio, 
 where he grew to manhood, received his 
 education, and learned the carpenter's 
 trade, which he followed until later in 
 life, he removed to Wisconsin, locating 
 in Windsor, Dane county, and there for 
 
 seventeen years engaging in agricultural 
 pursuits. On August 3, 1847, Nathan 
 Dodge was united in marriage in Strongs- 
 ville, Ohio, with Mary I. Carpenter, 
 daughter of Caleb and Susan (Haines) 
 Carpenter, and born in Strongsville, Ohio, 
 June 4, 1826. They have had eight 
 children, six of whom are living, as fol- 
 lows: Ellen Maria, born July 13, 1848, 
 now the widow of L. R. Webster, and re- 
 siding on Put in Bay Island, Ottawa 
 count}'; Jennie, born April 9, 1850, wife 
 of James H. Crowley, residing in St. 
 Louis, Mo.; Louis C. , born April 15, 
 living on Middle Bass Island; 
 E., who is captain of the steamer 
 born February 17, 1854, and re- 
 siding in Put in Bay Island; Emma C, 
 born April 30, 1856, wife of Louis Edli- 
 son, and residing in Los Angeles, Cal. ; 
 John B., born March 22, 1858, a resident 
 of St. John's, Mich.; Edith L. , who be- 
 came the wife of Robert L. Harris, and 
 passed away at Nordhoff, Cal., March 6, 
 1894; and Harvey C, deceased at the 
 age of five years. 
 
 About 1865 Mr. Dodge removed to 
 Middle Bass Island, where he resided dur- 
 ing the remainder of his days, dying Oc- 
 tober 9, 1870. He was a man of high 
 moral qualities, and his character was be- 
 yond reproach. His kindness of heart 
 and unselfish generosity were proverbial 
 wherever he was known, none appealing 
 to him in vain in a worthy cause. Many 
 instances of his acts of kindness might be 
 cited, showing his characteristic regard 
 for the happiness of others. His great 
 industrv, unquestioned integrity, and un- 
 impeachable moral character won for him 
 hosts of friends, who with his widow and 
 sorrowing family mourn their loss. 
 
 ANDREW SCHIELE (deceased) 
 was a native of Wurttemberg, 
 Germany, born in 1819, where he 
 passed the days of his boyhood 
 and youth. The public schools there af- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIGORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 409 
 
 forded him his educational privileges, and 
 he there also learned the trades of both 
 baker and blacksmith. Thinking to ben- 
 efit his financial condition by crossing the 
 Atlantic to the New World, he bade adieu 
 to his native land in 1850, and sailed for 
 the United States, locating in Toledo, 
 Ohio, where for fifteen years he worked 
 at the baker's trade, also keeping a restau- 
 rant. In 1865 he took up his residence 
 on Put in Bay Island, where he spent 
 his remaining days. He here de- 
 voted his time and energies to the culti- 
 vation of a vineyard and the manufacture 
 of wine, and did a good business, becom- 
 ing one of the well-to-do residents of the 
 community. 
 
 Mr. Schiele was married in Toledo 
 October 7, 1851, to Justina Kirnberger, 
 born in Wurttemberg, Germany, June 21, 
 1830. The}' became the parents of ten 
 children, five now living, their names and 
 dates of birth being as follows: Louis, 
 July 2, 1856; Robert, December 26, 
 1858; Frank, September 15, i860; An- 
 drew, February 8, 1862; and Edward, 
 February 22. 1869, all still living in Put 
 in Bay. The father of this family was 
 called to his final rest April 29, 1880, and 
 many friends mourned his death, for he 
 was a highly-respected man, recognized 
 as one of the prominent residents of the 
 community. He was a member of the 
 Roman Catholic Church, to which his 
 widow also belonged. 
 
 Andrew Schiele, Jr., was born in 
 Toledo, Ohio, and when a child of two 
 and a half years was brought by his par- 
 ents to Put in Bay Island. He was edu- 
 cated in the district schools, and since 
 leaving the school-room has followed the 
 business in which his father engaged, that 
 of fruit growing and wine making. He 
 is an enterprising, thrifty young business 
 man, carefully managing his interests, and 
 in his undertakings is meeting with good 
 success. He was married April 25. 1893, 
 to Marguerite Duennisch, a daughter of 
 Christian and Elizabeth (Beck) Duen- 
 
 nisch, who were natives of Germany. 
 Her father is now living in Venice, Erie 
 Co., Ohio, where her mother died in 
 1886. Mrs. Schiele was born at that 
 place, July 27, 1869, and by her marriage 
 has become the mother of one child — 
 Elsie Marie, born November 17, 1894. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Schiele are well-known 
 people of the community, and their friends 
 are many. Our subject is now serving 
 his second term as township trustee, to 
 which position he was elected by the Re- 
 publican party. He and his wife attend 
 the Lutheran Church. 
 
 GAVIN WATSON (deceased) was 
 for over forty years one of the 
 honored and respected citizens of 
 Danbury township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty, where his widow still makes her home. 
 He was a native of Scotland, born in 
 Glasgow, January 19, 1822, and was a 
 son of James and Margaret Watson, who 
 were also natives of that country. He 
 was reared to manhood, educated and 
 learned the trade of stone cutting in his 
 native land, where he remained until 
 1850, when he came to America. After 
 residing in New York for a short time, he 
 removed to Fort Wayne, Ind., remaining 
 thereuntil the spring of 1851, at which 
 time he became a resident of Danbury 
 township, Ottawa county, and here con- 
 tinued to make his home until his death, 
 which occurred January 3, 1892. For 
 some time after locating in the township 
 he worked at his trade, but later was 
 principally engaged in farming, which he 
 carried on with good success. 
 
 On June 3, 185 1, in Danbury town- 
 ship, Mr. Watson was married to Mrs. 
 Margaret Tynan, widow of William Tynan, 
 and daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth 
 Johnson. They became the parents of 
 five children, three of whom are still liv- 
 ing: John, born June 10, 1855, makes his 
 home in Chicago, 111. ; William, born 
 August 25, 1857; and Margaret, born 
 
410 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 July 19, 1863, married January 13, 1886, 
 to Henry Baxter, of Danbury township, 
 and has one child — Pearl, who was born 
 March 20, 1889. By her former marriage 
 Mrs. Watson was the mother of two chil- 
 dren, namely: Elizabeth, now the widow 
 of David Jameson, and making her home 
 in Danbury township; and Jane, who is 
 an invalid and lives with her mother. 
 
 During his residence of over forty 
 years in Danbury township, Mr. Watson 
 won the esteem and confidence of all with 
 whom he came in contact, and was num- 
 bered among the valued citizens of the 
 community. His character was beyond 
 reproach, and his many virtues and pleas- 
 ant ways gained him a host of friends. 
 
 WiLLi.AM W.'\TsoN, since the death of 
 his father, has assumed the management 
 of the farm, on which he has made many 
 good and useful improvements. He is a 
 live, progressive business man, highly es- 
 teemed as a friend and neighbor. 
 
 CHARLES H. HOUTS. This gen- 
 tleman, who is one of the oldest 
 pioneers of Ottawa county, and a 
 prosperous agriculturist and fruit 
 grower of Clay township, has also a rec- 
 ord as a soldier in the late Civil war of 
 which he may well be proud. The par- 
 ticipants in that struggle for the preser- 
 vation of the Union are growing percep- 
 tibly fewer as the years roll on, and it 
 will not be long ere none are left to tell 
 the story. We who hear it from the lips 
 of those who took an active part in its 
 victories and defeats are fortunate indeed. 
 Mr. Houts was born in Scott town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co. , Ohio, August 1 1 , 
 1842, son of John and Rhoda (Schroggy) 
 Houts, the former of whom was born in 
 18 1 3, in Pennsylvania, and the latter in 
 Columbiana county, Ohio. When seven 
 months old he was brought to Ottawa 
 county, and in his boyhood he attended 
 the public school at Port Clinton, after- 
 ward assisting his father in the work upon 
 
 the farm. When the call for men for 
 three-years' service in the Civil war was 
 made, the patriotic youth responded by 
 enlisting January 4, 1864, in Company G, 
 One Hundredth Ohio Infantry, under the 
 command of Col. Patrick Sleaven. He 
 was in many bloody battles, where he 
 saw thousands of men dying on the field, 
 and learned from e.xperience the horrors 
 of war. Among the notable engagements 
 in which he took part were: The battle 
 of Rocky Face Ridge, Ga. , May 5 to 9; 
 Resaca, Ga., May 13 to 16; Dallas, Ga., 
 May 27 to June 4; Kenesaw Mountain, 
 Ga., June 9 to 30; Utay Creek, where 
 they lost one hundred men, August 6; 
 Atlanta, Ga., July 29 to September 2; 
 Columbia, Tenn., November 24 to 28; 
 Franklin, Tenn., November 30, and 
 Nashville, Tenn., December 15 to 16, all 
 in 1864. In all these engagements Mr. 
 Houts was so fortunate as not to receive 
 even a scratch, although his comrades fell 
 all around him, and indeed throughout 
 the whole campaign he enjoyed the best 
 of health, with the exception of an attack 
 of measles which kept him in the hospital 
 for a week or two. He received his dis- 
 charge after brilliant victories at Salis- 
 bury, N. C, on July 17, 1865. 
 
 After his return from the army Mr. 
 Houts sailed on Lake Erie and Lake 
 Huron for six years. He then took up 
 the trade of a carpenter and joiner, at 
 which he worked six years, during three 
 of which he was in partnership with Sam- 
 uel Wisner, under the firm name of Houts 
 & Wisner, carrying on the business of 
 contractors and builders at Port Clinton. 
 Subsequently he engaged in farming, 
 working for six years on a farm near Port 
 Clinton, after which he came to Clay 
 township, rented a farm, and worked 
 thereon for five more years. By hard 
 work and frugality during all this time 
 he managed to save enough money to buy 
 a farm of his own, and in 1888 purchased 
 eighty acres of land near Clay Center, 
 which was partly under cultivation. Here 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 411 
 
 he went to work with a will, spending 
 every spare moment in beautifying the 
 place. He rebuilt the dwelling house and 
 all the barns, and made other needed im- 
 provements, and to-day is enjoying the 
 fruit of his labors in a pleasant, comfort- 
 able home. 
 
 Mr. Houts was married, December 31, 
 1868, at Port Clinton, to Caroline P., 
 daughter of J. R. Heim, a merchant of 
 that place, and they have one child, John 
 Richard, born October 17, 1S70. He was 
 educated in the public schools of Clay 
 township, and worked on the homestead 
 farm for several years. He was married 
 December 20, 1893, to Lillie M., daugh- 
 ter of Frederick Sutton, Esq., of Martin, 
 where the couple now reside. 
 
 John Houts, the father of our subject, 
 was born near Strasburg, Penn., and 
 came to Ottawa county when quite young, 
 locating near Port Clinton. Here he was 
 married in 1836 to Rhoda Schroggy, and 
 to them five children were born, as fol- 
 lows: Henry, born in 1841, died when 
 quite young; Charles H., our subject, 
 born in 1842; Mary A. born in 1844, is 
 the widow of William Britten, who was 
 killed in a stone quarry at Marble Head 
 (she has three children); James, born in 
 1846. at Port Clinton, is married and lives 
 in Michigan (he has two children); one 
 died in infancy. The mother of our sub- 
 ject was one of the first school teachers 
 in Port Clinton. She died therein 1848. 
 In 1853 the father married again, taking 
 for his second wife Amanda Mommeney, of 
 Port Clinton, and five more children were 
 added to the family, viz. : John, who is 
 an engineer on a vessel on Lake Erie; 
 Rosie, deceased; William, who lives in 
 one of the Western States; Clara, living 
 in Kansas; and Ida, married and living 
 in Cleveland. Mr. Houts passed peace- 
 fully away at the home of his son Charles, 
 in Clay township, March i 1, 1894, at the 
 ripe old age of eighty-one years and two 
 months, beloved and respected by all who 
 knew him. 
 
 J. R. Heim, the father of Mrs. Charles 
 Houts, was born at Baden, Germany, 
 March 4, 1821, and came to this country 
 when a young man, living for some years 
 at Plasterbed, this State. He then re- 
 moved to Port Clinton, where he was 
 engaged in the hotel business for a num- 
 ber of years, subsequently buying a farm 
 near Port Clinton, on which he lived until 
 his death, which took place January 4, 
 1886; his wife preceded him to the bet- 
 ter land, dying May 7, 1869. Mr. Heim 
 was married in 1847 to Pauline Moos, 
 and they became the parents of twelve 
 children, their names and dates of birth 
 being as follows: Caroline, November 7, 
 184S, now the wife of our subject; John 
 R., born January 26, 1850; Adam, March 
 30, 1852, died March 30, 1S92; Christine, 
 February 17, 1854; Maria B.. September 
 12, 1855; Magdelena, September 26, 1857; 
 Catherine P., July 11, 1859; August, Au- 
 gust 9, 1861; William C., March 11, 
 1863; Edward C, February 22, 1865; 
 Clara E. J., March 14, 1867; and Chris- 
 toph L. , May 7, 1869, died September i, 
 same jear. 
 
 Our subject in politics is a stanch 
 Democrat, and an admirer of President 
 Cleveland. He was a trustee of Clay 
 township for several years, and a school 
 director and member of the board of edu- 
 cation at Genoa. He was clerk of the 
 board for two years, and held the office 
 of trustee three years in Portage town- 
 ship. Socially, he is a member of the 
 Grand Army of the Republic, and also of 
 Clay Lodge, F. & A. M., at Genoa. He 
 is a man of influence, well liked, both in 
 public and private life. 
 
 STULL BROS (J. H. and Will- 
 i.-\M W.), former merchants and 
 manufacturers, Fremont, Sandus- 
 ky county, were born in Rice 
 township, Sandusky county, Ohio, sons 
 of Jacob and Katie (Rang) Stull. 
 
41: 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Jacob Stull, Sr. , was born in Hatmat, 
 Alsace (France), and came with his par- 
 ents to America when fourteen years old, 
 locating in Waj'nesburg, Penn. Eight 
 years later he, with his parents, brothers, 
 sisters, and others migrated by wagon to 
 Rice township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 a distance of several hundred miles. 
 Katie Stull was born in Baden, Germany, 
 and came with her parents to America, 
 settling in Rice township, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio. In 1837 she and Jacob Stull were 
 married. Both are now deceased, she 
 having died August 25, 1866, at the age 
 of forty-five years, five months, four 
 daj's, he dying February 4, 1873, aged 
 fifty-eight years, one month, twenty-nine 
 days. They were respected and loved by 
 all who knew them, and their remains 
 now rest in Rice township. They had 
 five children: Christina, Mary, Sarah, 
 Jacob H. and William \V. Of these 
 Christina married Joseph Lambert, in 
 1865, and now resides in Rice township; 
 the names of their children are: Emma, 
 Rutherford, Pearly and Homer. Mary 
 married Hugo Gross, in 1866, and died 
 March 11, 1888; he lives near Lansing, 
 Mich. ; the names of their children are: 
 Emma, Ida, Clara, George, Frank, 
 
 Ollie and Arlin. 
 Diedler, in 1871, 
 Ohio; the names 
 Laura, Florence, 
 Irvin. Jacob H. 
 
 Sarah married J. H. 
 and lives in Fremont, 
 
 of their children are: 
 Lillie, Jennie, Ivin and 
 married Julia Flora, in 
 
 1886, and lives in Fremont; they have 
 one child, Arlin. William W. also re- 
 sides in Fremont, Ohio. In 1868 Jacob 
 Stull, Sr. , married his second wife, and 
 they had one child, Emma, who in 1894 
 married Rev. Will M. Waller, and now 
 lives in Atlanta, Georgia. 
 
 Stull Bros. (J. H. & William W.), 
 the subjects proper of this sketch, were 
 quite young when their parents died. 
 Jacob H. staid for a time with his sister 
 Sarah, and William W. with his sister 
 Mary. After this, their time was occupied 
 serving on farms, canvassing and attend- 
 
 ing school. In this manner those young 
 lives passed away their precious time of 
 their early "teens," being steadily en- 
 gaged in the rugged discipline of labor, 
 battling with Nature for subsistence. 
 They afterward attended the Fremont 
 High School, and later the Port Clinton 
 Select School. Subsequentlj- Jacob H. 
 attended the College at Oberlin, Ohio, 
 and William W. the Ada Normal School, 
 Ada, Ohio. After having acquired suffi- 
 cient mental discipline, they entered the 
 profession of teaching, and Jacob H. pur- 
 sued that for nine terms in the country, 
 and William W. for seven terms. They 
 then embarked in the retail grocery busi- 
 ness in Fremont. Ohio, under the firm 
 name of Stull Bros. They were engaged 
 in this business for three years. While 
 doing this they encountered a difficulty in 
 the usual method of keeping accounts, 
 and set to work to devise something bet- 
 ter; the result of which was the now well- 
 known "Simple Account File," which 
 the}' invented and patented, the patent 
 having been taken out in May, 1886. 
 Having unlimited faith in their invention, 
 they sold out their mercantile business 
 and commenced the manufacture of the 
 " File." This new enterprise, at its be- 
 ginning, was not a success — rather uphill 
 work — but they continued in the business. 
 Jacob H. was then chosen manager of the 
 concern, while William W. was chosen 
 their traveling agent. During the sum- 
 mer months he traveled over Ohio, Indi- 
 ana and Pennsylvania by wagon, and the 
 balance of the time in other States by rail, 
 selling Files and appointing agents. At 
 the expiration of three years, owing to 
 the increase, of the business, he was 
 obliged to stay at home. Their business 
 continued to increase, until, by their push 
 and business ability, the\' extended the 
 sale of the File to all parts of the United 
 States. In 1891 they sold the right to 
 " manufacture and sell " the File west of 
 the Mississippi river, and in 1892 the 
 territory east of the Mississippi river. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 413 
 
 These two sales netted them a handsome 
 sum. 
 
 Stull Bros, in rehgious connection, are 
 members of the M. E. Church, and in 
 poHtics they are Repubhcans. 
 
 JOSEPH DEGROFT (deceased), who 
 was one of the prominent and pro- 
 gressive agriculturists of Madison 
 township, Sandusky county, and one 
 of its early settlers, was born in Cumber- 
 land count}-, Penn., November 25, 1814, 
 and was a son of Joseph Degroft, a na- 
 tive of the same county, who died when 
 our subject was only a year old. 
 
 Our subject received but a limited ed- 
 ucation in the schools of his native town, 
 and worked at different kinds of employ- 
 ment from the early age of twelve years 
 until he reached manhood. He received 
 at first only forty cents per day for his la- 
 bor, and continued working in this way 
 until 1850, when with his family he came 
 to Ohio, locating in Madison township, 
 where he purchased eighty acres of land, 
 all covered with timber. His first work 
 here was to build a house, and he erected 
 a log cabin upon the site from which he 
 cut away the trees in order to make room 
 for the building. He began life in true 
 pioneer style here, and from the wilder- 
 ness developed a highly-cultivated farm. 
 He first planted corn and wheat, and con- 
 tinued the work of improvement with the 
 aid of his sons until he became the owner 
 of one of the most valuable farming prop- 
 erties in this section of the county. Often 
 before roads were constructed he had to 
 carry on his back to Peinberville a sack 
 of corn and wheat which he had ground 
 into grist in order that the family might 
 have food. He also traveled through the 
 woods and over the muddy roads to Fre- 
 mont — a distance of twenty miles — lead- 
 ing his horse, and there did his milling 
 and marketing. He would then not 
 reach his home until after midnight; but 
 the pioneer days with their hardships 
 
 passed, the log cabin was replaced by a 
 substantial frame residence, barns were 
 erected and the work of improvement 
 carried forward until he became the own- 
 er of a model farm and the possessor of a 
 handsome competence. 
 
 Mr. Degroft was married on New 
 Year's Day, 1849, in Cumberland county, 
 Penn., to Mary Chambers, and of the ten 
 children born to them, seven are still liv- 
 ing: (i) Mathew, born March 7, 1840, in 
 Cumberland county, was educated in the 
 public schools of this localit\', and here 
 follows farming; he is married and has six 
 children. (2) John, born November 5, 
 1 84 1, in Cumberland county, was edu- 
 cated in Madison township, Sandusky 
 county, and with his family resides on a 
 farm in Michigan. (3) Joseph, born June 
 5, 1845, in Pennsylvania, is a contractor 
 and builder, and resides on the homestead 
 with his mother. (4) Shannon, born Oc- 
 tober 14, 1847, in Cumberland county, 
 Penn., is married and has three children; 
 he followed agricultural pursuits in Mad 
 son township, Sandusky county. (5) 
 Thomas, born November 25, 1850, in 
 Madison township, was for some years 
 engaged in the practice of medicine, but 
 is now in the railroad business in Cali- 
 fornia. (6) Catherine, born May 4, 1855, 
 in Madison township, is the wife of 
 Charles Sohnley, of Toledo. (7) Lewis 
 is an honored citizen of Sandusky county. 
 Alfred and Charles both died in infancy, 
 and one girl also died in infancy. 
 
 The mother of this family was born in 
 Cumberland county, Penn., September 
 17, 1822, and is a daughter of Thomas 
 Chambers, a blacksmith, of the Keystone 
 State. In 1850 she came with her hus- 
 band to Sandusky county, and shared with 
 him the trials and hardships of p ( nee 
 life in the woods of Madison township. 
 She also assisted him in every way to 
 make a home for the family, often aiding 
 him in cutting down the trees, and in 
 planting crops, going to the field at three 
 o'clock in the morning. Her devotion to 
 
414 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 her family entitles her to the greatest 
 credit. She is now over seventy-three 
 years of age, and looking back over the 
 past recalls many interesting incidents of 
 pioneer life in Ohio. She still transacts 
 her business and attends to the duties of 
 her house, and is now engaged on negotia- 
 tions for leasing her land for oil prospect- 
 ing purposes. 
 
 Mr. Degroft was trustee of his town- 
 ship for several years, and was for a long 
 period school director, taking a deep in- 
 terest in the cause of education and every- 
 thing calculated to benefit the county. 
 After a long illness of sixteen months he 
 passed peacefully away, April 27, 1892, 
 and a faithful wife and loving children 
 mourned the loss of a kind father and 
 devoted husband. He was ever ready to 
 extend a helping hand to the poor and 
 needy, and considered no sacrifice too 
 great that would enhance the happiness 
 of hi.s family, to whom he left an untar- 
 nished name. His widow still resides on 
 the old home place, where she is enjoying 
 the reward of earnest toil. 
 
 EBEN ROOT, a well-to-do farmer 
 of Sandusky township, Sandusky 
 county, was born January 16. 
 1843, in Erie county, Ohio, near 
 Milan. The Root family is of F"rench 
 origin, but the first definite history we 
 have of this branch of the family is that 
 of Caleb Root, grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, who was born in Connecticut, and 
 migrated to Milan, Erie Co., Ohio, in 
 pioneer days. He was a farmer by occu- 
 pation, and died there August 13, 1843, 
 aged seventy-three j'ears. His children 
 were: Hiram, Jirah, Lucy. Anna, Ly- 
 man and Perry, the last named being the 
 father of our subject, born on the day of 
 Perry's victory, in 181 3, and hence was 
 named after that naval officer. 
 
 Perry Root grew to manhood in Erie 
 county, on a farm, received the ad- 
 vantages for education offered by the 
 
 common schools, and became a noted 
 stock dealer at an early day. Oit No- 
 vember 6, 1839, he married Miss Celia 
 Hardy, a native of New York State, and 
 he died July 23, 1869, his wife passing 
 away in March, i 880. 
 
 Their children were as follows: Eliza- 
 beth, born September 6, 1840, mar- 
 ried November 26, 1862, Robert Wil- 
 cox, of Erie county, Ohio; Lucy Ann, 
 born October i, 1841; Eben, our sub- 
 ject; Sarah A., born May i 1, 1845, mar- 
 ried John G. Balcom, June 15, 1870, at 
 Milan, Ohio; John O., born .\pril 20, 
 1847, married Sarah Fairchild, Decem- 
 ber 17, 1874; Lucy, born in October, 
 1841, died September 27, 1861; Savory 
 Perry, born July 11, 1849, died May 6, 
 1850; Carleton Perry, born October 5, 
 1857, died March 18, 1873. 
 
 Our subject spent his boyhood and 
 youth in Erie county, near Milan, and at- 
 tended the common schools. On May 2, 
 1864, he enlisted in Company F, One 
 Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment, O. 
 N. G., and served one hundred days, be- 
 ing discharged August 24, 1864, at Camp 
 Chase, Ohio. While a young man he 
 went west, and on the trip met and mar- 
 ried on October 9, 1867, Miss Jemima B. 
 Fell, who was born in Liddisdale, Scot- 
 land, October l, 1847, and came to 
 America with her parents when four years 
 old. They settled in Stark county, Illi- 
 nois, where our subject and she were 
 married. The children born to this 
 union were Sarah Isabella, born March 
 3, 1 871; Carrie Elizabeth, born October 
 8, 1873; Walter Fell, born March 11, 
 1875; David Perry, born December 20, 
 1879, died January 18, 1881; and Bessie 
 Alberta, born December 13. 1881. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Root settled in Sandusky coun- 
 ty soon after their marriage, and subse- 
 quently lived two years in Erie county, 
 after which they returned here and have 
 since made Sandusky township their 
 home. Mr. Root owns 230 acres of land 
 which he operates to the best possible 
 
^^^i/^ '\yi^r^o'-. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 415 
 
 advantage, and in addition to his farm- 
 ing interest deals largely in live stock, 
 handling a large number of sheep. He 
 is a Democrat in politics, and is one of 
 those citizens who, in an unassuming way, 
 benefit the conmiunity in which they live 
 and make a success of life. 
 
 Some remarkable facts in regard to 
 accidental deaths in the family and among 
 relations may be noted: Our subject's 
 father. Perry Root, was killed by a kick 
 from a horse; his stepmother was acci- 
 dentally burned to death; his wife's father 
 was killed by a runaway, in Scotland; 
 one of his mother's sisters married a man 
 by the name of Morgan, who, falling on 
 the ice, broke his skull and died from the 
 results; one of Morgan's sons was killed 
 by accident; our subject's uncle Jirah fell 
 from a wagon and was killed; and his 
 uncle Hiram was killed by a team run- 
 ning away, while hauling lumber; and 
 grandfather, Caleb Root, was killed by 
 being thrown from a load of hay. 
 
 'ILL! AM A. MUGG, the lead- 
 
 ing landowner and farmer of 
 
 U w York township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, and vice-president of the 
 First National Bank of Clyde, is of the 
 third generation from the earliest settle- 
 ment and development of northwestern 
 Ohio. And as he stands to-day, a leader 
 of the men about him, so, too, in the 
 two preceding generations, were his 
 father and grandfather men of renown 
 and note in their respective spheres, 
 though perhaps in a somewhat different 
 way. \Villiam A. Mugg has inherited the 
 pioneer strength of character. His mind 
 is keen and he appreciates a witticism. 
 His good-natured retort is sharp, and 
 stranger or friend is welcomed at his 
 home and treated with that old-time 
 jovial hospitality that is becoming rare in 
 these so-called degenerate da}S. 
 
 Mr. Mugg was born in Milo, Yates 
 Co., \. v., December 13, 1827, .son of 
 
 John B. and Susan (Wheeler) Mugg, and 
 grandson of Elder John Mugg. But 
 years before his birth his father and his 
 grandfather had already become identi- 
 fied with the interests of York township, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio. It was in 1822 
 that Elder John Mugg, a native of Mary- 
 land, came with his family from New 
 York State to the vast solitudes of north- 
 western Ohio. His parents had died 
 when he was a child, and he was bound 
 out and reared among strangers. How- 
 ever, he obtained the rudiments of an 
 education, and became a preacher of the 
 Baptist Church. When he came to Ohio 
 he purchased 400 acres of government 
 land, but as soon as the cabins for himself 
 and family were built, and the rude 
 houses made comfortable, he began his 
 labors as a pioneer preacher, a task then 
 quite different from the ministeriai duties 
 of to-day. Elder Mugg was a man of 
 small stature, and his weight was less 
 than one hundred pounds; but he was 
 filled with nervous force, and with a 
 love for his fellow men. He was an 
 enthusiastic Churchman. On horseback, 
 with saddlebags supplied with medicines, 
 he wended his way along Indian trails 
 through the forested swamps from settle- 
 ment to settlement, bringing to the lone- 
 ly pioneer the refreshing and cheering 
 words of the Gospel. His value to the 
 mental, moral and physical welfare of the 
 early settler, immersed in solitude, can 
 scarcely be appreciated at the present 
 da}-. He brought words of cheer and 
 comfort wherever he went, and the 
 pleasant memories Df his visit lingered 
 long after he had departed. He carried 
 the current news of the day from cabin 
 to cabin, and to the sufferers from the 
 malignant fevers that were then so com- 
 mon he brought both medicinal and 
 spiritual good. Once, to a neighbor who 
 had stolen corn from him, he remarked: 
 " I feel sorry for you, neighbor. I don't 
 care for the corn. If you had asked me 
 for it the corn would have been yours." 
 
416 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 His gentle, forgiving, Christian spirit 
 made Eider Mugg a man who was widely 
 beloved. He organized the Freewill 
 Baptist Church, the pioneer religious or- 
 ganization of York township, and lived 
 to the good old age of ninety-six years, 
 amidst the peope to whom he had minis- 
 tered for many years. His remains were 
 interred in Wales Corners cemetery, in 
 York township, where many of his fellow 
 pioneers also rest. He was the father of 
 seven children, as follows: Thomas, who 
 moved to Indiana; John B., father of 
 William A. ; Marcus, who became a min- 
 ister and moved to Michigan, where he 
 died; Jesse, who died in Indiana: William, 
 who died in early manhood; Mary (after- 
 ward Mrs. Bennett), of Indiana; and Harriet 
 (Mrs. Colvin), who died in York township. 
 
 John B. Mugg was born in 1801. He 
 came with his father to York township in 
 1822, having j)reviously married Susan 
 Wheeler. A year later, after the birth of 
 his eldest child, Charles, he returned 
 with his family to Yates county, N. Y. , 
 and remained there twelve years. In 
 1836 he again came west, and lived in 
 York township until his death, which oc- 
 curred December 31, 1880, when he was 
 aged seventy-nine years, four months and 
 twenty-seven days. His wife, who was 
 born in 1807, died March 3, 1880. Nine 
 children were born to John B. and Susan 
 Mugg: Charles, who died in Missouri; 
 Wheeler, who died in York township; 
 William A., subject of this sketch; John 
 who died in New York; a child who died 
 in infancy; Elizabeth, who died in young 
 womanhood; Marietta, who died in girl- 
 hood; George, a resident of Dundee, 
 Mich., and Alice, who died in childhood. 
 
 William A. Mugg was a child when 
 his father returned from New York to the 
 pioneer Ohio home. He remembers well 
 the trip on the lakes, and the journey 
 overland to the old farmstead near Wales 
 Corners, which still forms a part of the 
 extensive estate of Mr. Mugg. In those 
 days the driftwood had not yet been 
 
 cleared from the swamps. The pools 
 were full of water, and fish were abundant 
 on every hand. Mr. Mugg remembers 
 that many times in his boyhood he has 
 skated in winter all the way from the old 
 homestead to Sandusky Bay. The young 
 men of fifty years ago propelled skiffs 
 over lands that are now some of the most 
 fertile field in Ohio. Indians were numer- 
 ous in those days, and game abounded. 
 But educational facilities were few. 
 While Mr. Mugg did not receive a finished 
 literar\' education, he learned what was 
 better still — the value of thrift and econ- 
 omy. After he was of age he worked 
 five years for his father, at $200 per year. 
 Then in 1854 he married Miss Phebe S. 
 Russell, who was born April 2, 1833. 
 Her father, Norton Russell, was born in 
 Hopewell, Ontario Co. , N. Y. , June 15, 
 1 80 1, of parents who had shortly before 
 moved to the New York wilderness from 
 Massachusetts. Young Russell was bound 
 out, and was diligently engaged during 
 his youth in clearing the pioneer land of 
 western New York. In October, 1S21, 
 he came to Ohio with three other young 
 men, William McPherson, James Birds- 
 eye and Lyman Babcock, all of whom 
 became prominent pioneers of Sandusky 
 county. They walked almost the entire 
 distance from New York — -400 miles. Mr. 
 Russell was the eldest of five children, and 
 his sisters and brother were as follows: 
 Rowena, who married George Swarthout, 
 and settled near Penn Yan, N. Y. ; Cyn- 
 thia, who married William McPherson, 
 and became the mother of the martyred 
 Gen. James B. McPherson; William, who 
 married Elizabeth Beach; and Lydia, 
 wife of Lester Beach. Norton Russell 
 entered the S. E. Quarter of Section 7, 
 York township, and was married .April 
 13, 1825, to Miss Sibyl S. McMillen, 
 daughter of Samiiel and Poll)- McMillen, 
 who emigrated from their old home near 
 the White Mountains, N. H., to Ohio, 
 and became early pioneers of Green Creek 
 township, Sankusky county. Samuel and 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 417 
 
 Poll)' McMillen had the following seven 
 children: Sibyl (Mrs. Russell); Samuel; 
 Henry; Rachel, who married Isaac May; 
 Sally, who married Joseph George; Nancy 
 who married Isaac May, and Luther. Nor- 
 ton and Sibyl Russell were the parents of 
 seven children, as follows: John N. and 
 William M., of Clyde; Charles P., of York; 
 Phebe S. ; Sarah R. (Mrs. Bell), of Clyde; 
 Mary M. (Mrs. J. W. Taylor), of Sabine 
 Parish, La., and Belle R. (Mrs. Collverj, 
 of Cleveland. Norton Russell is still, at 
 this writing, living with his daughter, 
 Mrs. Mugg, and is the oldest living 
 pioneer of this section. His wife, who 
 shared with him the toil and privation of 
 a long and eventful life, died December 
 1 8. 1887, aged eighty years. 
 
 Nine children have blessed the mar- 
 riage of William A. and Phebe S. Mugg, 
 a brief record of whom is as follows: 
 Nina, born December 31, 1857, is the 
 wife of James Ungerman; they reside 
 in New Richland, Minn., and have four 
 children — Carl, Nellie B., Hazel and 
 Vera. Clarence M., born January 14, 
 1859, married Laura Carr, and is the 
 father of two children — Ethel and Wayne. 
 N. Russell, born March 31, 1861, married 
 Maggie Matthews, and they have two 
 children — Madeline and Maurice. Mabel, 
 born April 26, 1863, died in 1S83. Alice, 
 born September 10, 1865, is the wife of 
 A. R. Pickett, of Clyde, and has two 
 children — Harold and Gladdon. Moina, 
 born March 12, 1868, is the wife of N. 
 Greenslade, of Bellevue, and the}' have 
 one child — Russell M. Amy B., born 
 February 19, 1870, is one of the popular 
 young ladies of this section, devoted to 
 her parents and the home. James G., 
 born October 14, 1872, was married Jan- 
 uary I, 1895, to Anna Needham, of York 
 township. Florence, born May 25, 1877, 
 is attending school. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Mugg started .in life 
 with only about such means as the average 
 young couple of that day possessed, but 
 their success has been marked. If the 
 
 accumulation of a large estate, and the 
 rearing of a numerous and honorable 
 family is aught of satisfaction, while still 
 in the meridian of life, then Mr. and Mrs. 
 Mugg should be among the happiest 
 of mortals. The landed property of Will- 
 iam A. Mugg exceeds in quantity that of 
 any other individual in Sandusky county. 
 The finger of Time has touched them 
 lightly. If Mrs. Mugg is as young as she 
 looks, she is yet in the high noonday 
 of life. She is an active member of the 
 Grange, and deservedly prominent in the 
 social affairs of the township. Mr. Mugg 
 possesses a hardy constitution which he 
 has never abused, but which through 
 proper physical exercise he has maintain- 
 ed in its maximum degree of health. In 
 politics he is a pronounced and uncom- 
 promising Republican. In the commer- 
 cial and financial spheres he takes high 
 rank. He is a master of the science of 
 finance, and was one of the organizers, 
 and is now vice-president, of the First 
 National Bank of Clyde. 
 
 SM. TERRY, pioneer, farmer, 
 banker and author, is one of the 
 best-known citizens of Clyde, San- 
 dusky count}', and he is a repre- 
 sentative of one of the earliest and most 
 patriotic families in Sandusky county. 
 He has been artisan and fruit farmer. 
 He established the Farmers and Traders 
 Bank, and alone conducted its manage- 
 ment for four years when he organized th 
 First National Bank as its successor, and 
 became its cashier. He possesses a literary 
 skill of a high order, and to the natura 
 beauty and strength of his poetic senti- 
 ment is added a peculiarly facile and gifted 
 rythm. 
 
 Mr. Terry was born in Townsend 
 township, Sandusky county, August 23, 
 1838, son of Jerry and Mary T. (Bonnell) 
 Terry. Jerry Terry was born in New 
 Hampshire March 21, 1801, son of Julius 
 Terrv, who was born in the same State 
 
418 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in 1762, and in 1 808 migrated with his 
 family from New Hampshire to Living- 
 ston county, N. Y. There Jerry was 
 married, September 12, 1824, to Mary T. 
 Bonnell, who was born March 2, 1S05. 
 Soon afterward Jerry and Mary Terry 
 moved to Townsend township, Sandusky 
 county, and founded a home in the wil- 
 derness, entering land at $1.25 per acre 
 at a time when there was not a tree cut 
 within two miles of where they settled. 
 From the wilderness he carved out a fer- 
 tile farm, and by industry and persever- 
 ance acquired, as the years went by, a 
 good home with pleasant surroundings. 
 In 1872 he retired from the farm and re- 
 sided in Clyde until his death, which oc- 
 curred September 26, 1877. His devoted 
 life partner died July 24, 1874. The 
 father, Julius Terry, had also come to the 
 pioneer Ohio home, and died here July 
 16, 1843. To Jerry and Mary Terry 
 nine children were born — seven sons and 
 two daughters. Of the sons five enlisted 
 in the Civil war. and three of the five were 
 killed in battle. The children were as 
 follows: T. C, born July 8, 1825, who 
 was postmaster at Nevada Mills, Ind. , 
 and died July 20, 1894; Henry G., born 
 June 24, 1827, who enlisted under Col. 
 Gibson, and was killed at Dallas, Ga. ; 
 Mary C, born July 23, 1829, now Mrs. 
 Alfred George, of Bowling Green; J. H., 
 born September 26, 1831, who enlisted 
 and served in a Michigan regiment, now 
 a farmer in Missouri; W. C, born March 
 29, 1834, a furniture dealer at Clyde; 
 George J., born April 2, 1836, who en- 
 listed in the Forty- ninth O. V. I., and 
 was killed at Dallas, Ga. ; S. M., subject 
 of this sketch; Isaiah, born March 23, 
 1 841, who enlisted in the Forty-ninth 
 O. V. I., and was killed at Stone River; 
 and Beulah E., born March 14, 1846, 
 now widow of Joseph Kenny, of Clyde. 
 
 S. M. Terry grew to manhood on the 
 pioneer farm of his father, attended the 
 primitive log-cabin schools, and saw the 
 gleam of civilization enter the wild 
 
 land and gradually broaden until the 
 mists and deep recesses of savagery were 
 gone forever. When the transformation 
 scene was ended, peaceful, happy, pros- 
 perous homes had come. In his youth 
 Mr. Terry completed a course at Pough- 
 keepsie (N. Y.) Business College, and at 
 the age of twentj'-five he left the farm 
 and learned the trade of carpenter and 
 builder. Subsequently he entered the em- 
 ploy of the old Clyde Banking Co., and 
 had been connected with that institution 
 seven years when his health broke down. 
 He went to New York State and took 
 charge of his father-in-law's fruit farm on 
 the Hudson river, under the new con- 
 ditions of life regaining his health and 
 strength. Returning to Clyde he in 1886 
 established the Farmers and Traders 
 Bank, which was later reorganized as the 
 First National Bank of Clyde, with a 
 capital of $50,000. Mr. Terry was 
 elected cashier and held that position 
 until February, 1895, when he sold his 
 interest in the institution and retired from 
 active business life. Under his manage- 
 ment the bank was conducted on conser- 
 vative principles, but with the most ad- 
 vanced business methods. In politics 
 Mr. Terry is a Republican. He is a Royal 
 Arch Mason, and was initiated into the 
 lodge in i860. Mr. Terry was married 
 to Miss Mary Ettie Coe, who was born 
 near Fairfax Courthouse, \'a., and is a 
 lady of many charms and accomplish- 
 ments. Mr. and Mrs. Terry have a mu- 
 tual penchant for travel, and have visited 
 noted or historic places in all parts of the 
 United States. 
 
 As a recreation from business cares 
 Mr. Terry has quite happily wooed the 
 Muses, and the products of his "gray- 
 goose quill" have attracted considerable 
 attention. Several of his more ambitious 
 poems have been printed in pamphlet 
 form. The poetical address read before 
 the One Hundred and Si.xtj'-ninth O. V. 
 I., at Dalton, June 3, 1891, abounded in 
 patriotic allusion, with intermittent 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 419 
 
 gleams of wit and humor. His *' Remin- 
 iscences of Pioneer Life in Townsend 
 Township " abounds in good things. The 
 verse does not lag, but the limpid stream 
 of thought moves smoothly on, and de- 
 tached fragments fail to do justice to or 
 properly represent the whole. As a 
 specimen of his rare touch of melody the 
 following extract from "A Lay Discourse 
 on the Higher Criticism " is offered: 
 
 No mortal thouglit can count the cost or damages compute. 
 Of him who holds the Bible up, its teachings to dispute. 
 And heaven grant that this poor heart may never wear the 
 
 stain 
 Of causing any doubting soul one single tinge of pain. 
 
 No finite mind can comprehend the infinite design. 
 
 Or gather all the hidden pearls from that eshanstless mine ; 
 
 And be it far from erring man, imperfect at the best, 
 
 By stretch ol human intellect God's purposes to test. 
 
 The Bible stands the test of time, its teachings ne'er grow 
 
 old. 
 The truth shines out on every page like diamonds set in gold. 
 Without it, humaa destiny jn darkness lies concealed ; 
 With it, life immortal most gloriously revealed. 
 
 The statutes that on Sinai were deeply carved in stone, 
 Have, on the page ef legal lore, throughout the ages shone, 
 And vain the test of human skill to formulate the taw, 
 That does not from that fountain source its strength and wis- 
 dom draw. 
 
 The prophecies, the golden link that binds the old and new. 
 The logic of the world's events has demonstrated true. 
 And science stands in dread dismay, as law's imperial sway. 
 Unites with prophets and declares this world must pass away. 
 
 The heavens like a parchment scroll shall be together rolled. 
 The elements shall melt with heat, the prophets long foretold, 
 And deepest scientific search in nature's forces sees 
 The agencies that must, anon, enforce these dread decrees. 
 
 The higher critics act a part, if wc but read aright, 
 That shadows forth the coming on of that impending night ; 
 For Holy Writ has plainly taught that in the latter days. 
 The Lord's elect would fall away to follow Satan's ways. 
 
 That heresies of dumning sorts, would innovate the Church. 
 And men forsake the bidden way, and after pleasures search. 
 Yea, e'en deny the Lord of light with heady self-conceit. 
 And while they sought to lead the fiock, would fill a scorner's 
 seat. 
 
 The man that hath an eye to see, or hath an ear to hear, 
 
 Must see in modern day events a crisis drawing near; 
 
 And men may scoff and men may scorn, and all the world 
 
 ignore. 
 Yet God hath said it draweth nigh; yea. standeth at the door. 
 
 The star that led to Bethlehem the wise men of the East. 
 Is shining out in heaven's dome with brilliancy increased ; 
 And Christian rule ia moving on with banners all unfurled, 
 And Anglo-Saxon Israel must subjugate the world. 
 
 The Law. the Prophets, and the Cross, all firmly bound in 
 
 one, 
 The substance of the Trinity, of Fatiier, Spirit, Son. 
 The Alpha and Omega, the Logos, Life and Light, 
 That sweeps two vast eternities with majesty and might. 
 
 My faith accepts the risen Christ, the Bible I revere. 
 A Father's care, a Brothers love, 1 fee! are always near. 
 I stand amazed before the Cross. I cannot understand, 
 But then I see a bleeding side, and touch a wounded hand. 
 
 I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, come unto Me and live, 
 I hear my Lord and Savior say, I freely all forgive. 
 I cannot, do not longer doubt, my soul with rapture cries, 
 I know that my Redeemer lives, that fully satisfies. 
 
 That sacred Word, a treasure mine enshrined upon my heart. 
 And while this transient breath remains I'll never with it 
 
 part. 
 It's been our light in ages past, our solace and our stay, 
 When tempest tossed, amid its gloom, to guide our weary 
 
 way. 
 
 Its promises will stand secure when scoffers are no more, 
 And he whose faith is anchored there 'twill safely pilot o'er; 
 And when the breakers gather round, and tempests sweep the 
 
 sky. 
 We need not fear the raging storms, deliverance is nigh. 
 
 It tells us whence, and what, and where, and shows the 
 
 mighty Arm 
 That wields the scepter over all and gives to life a charm, 
 And manifests a Father's love surpassing human thought, 
 And estimates immortal souls through sacrifices wrought. 
 
 It throws the light that lifts the clouds that hover o'er the 
 
 tomb. 
 And from the faithful trusting heart it dissipates all gloom, 
 And opens wide the pearly gates to show a Father's face 
 And out-stretched arms to welcome home with tenderest em- 
 brace. 
 
 The weary pilgrim on his way, oppressed with wordly care, 
 May turn a leaf and ever find a consolation there, 
 And on the mount, or in the vale, all shadows disappear, 
 For on that page, in love's own light, he reads his title clear. 
 
 When I behold the wondrous grace in man's redemption 
 
 shown. 
 And estimate the heritage unworthily I own, 
 I count my intellect as naught, and crucify my pride, 
 Accept by faith God's Covenant, and in that grace abide. 
 
 The Bible, tike a guiding star, has led me on the way. 
 And scattered all the doubt and gloom with everlasting day, 
 And now I wait the Fathers will to bid his angel come 
 To bear my weary spirit on to its eternal home. 
 
 In youth it guides our wayward steps from sin'salluring ways, 
 And scatters seeds of golden grain, to yield in other days, 
 And later on when troubles come, it steadies human life. 
 And gives us strength to overcome in many a doubtful strife. 
 
 'Twill be our stay in waning years, when near the journey's 
 
 end. 
 And when the night of death appears our last best earthly 
 
 friend. 
 And when we touch the river's brink and hear the boatman's 
 
 oar, 
 Redemption's theme will be our song forever, ever more. 
 
420 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Enrapturing thought: The Lord be praised! That Bible 
 
 stands alone. 
 The grandest book of grandest thoughts this world has ever 
 
 known ; 
 Between its lids, would man obey, the balm of healing flows, 
 To settle all earth's differences and mitigate its woes. 
 
 Upon the Cross where cruel hate its torturing nails has driven, 
 A dying Saviour cries aloud, " Forgive, and be forgiven! " 
 And underneath that crimson flow all cruel passions fall. 
 And peace expands her golden wings where Christ is all in all. 
 
 That smitten Rock is pouring forth its living waters pure; 
 There's manna in this wilderness the humblest may secure; 
 That Word divine, the fiery cloud for Israel's faithful guide. 
 And Miriam's shout " We've been redeemed," resounds from 
 yonder side. 
 
 Yea, though the sea before us lies, and Satan's hosts draw 
 
 nigh, 
 Through faith the frowning waters part to leave athway 
 
 dry ; 
 And God's command to forward go. fresh confidence inspires, 
 And promised triumphs realized, transcend all fond desires. 
 
 In grateful praise these lips employ, and joy o'erwhelms the 
 soul, 
 
 As Providence directs the way to yon celestial goal ; 
 
 By faith we mount the shining stair, where Jesus sits en- 
 throned, 
 
 And view the mansions there prepared for those He hath 
 atoned. 
 
 Eye hath not seen, no ear hath heard, nor heart of man con- 
 ceived, 
 
 The glories that awaiteth those who have in Him believed; 
 
 The sun may fade in sombre night, and light of stars grow 
 pale, 
 
 But Christ the Christian's Light and Life can never dim nor 
 fail. 
 
 Eternal life, that priceless pearl transmitted from the cross. 
 Can never find a recompense in any wordly dross, 
 And science doth not yet unfold or solve that mystery, 
 That love divine and boundless grace have rendered full and 
 free. 
 
 That Word, the all iiervading Light, can make these temples 
 
 shine. 
 And fill the soul with joy and peace akin to that divine. 
 And melt away the locks and bars that doth the future seal. 
 And in a risen, living Christ, eternal life reveal. 
 
 My brother, take that Holy Book, and as you turn its leaves, 
 Remember it hath treasures rare for him that well believes. 
 But to the doubting, scoffing soul that reads from base desire, 
 'Twill ever prove a stumbling block, an all-consuming fire. 
 
 Abiding firmly in the Law, with Prophets well in view. 
 The central Light of history the student may pursue. 
 And all the royal tore of earth will cast its diadem. 
 Upon the brow of Israel's King, the Child of Bethlehem. 
 
 Hail, glorious Prince of Righteousness! Thy sceptre rule the 
 
 earth. 
 Thy word be taught till every soul shall know and feel its 
 
 worth. 
 And o'er this world from pole to pole, the troubled nations 
 
 rest. 
 Till hope is in fruition lost, forever with the blest. 
 
 "All hail the power of Jesus' name, let angels prostrate fall. 
 Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all." 
 "Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him at[ 
 
 creafurts here below. 
 Praise him above, ye heavtnUj host, praise Father, Son and 
 
 Holy Ghost." 
 Amen ! Amen I So let it be, on earth as reigns above, 
 When man shall meet his fellow man, with charity and love, 
 And truth and mercy join their hands and sweetly dwell to- 
 gether. 
 And righteousness and peace unite, embrace and kiss each 
 other. 
 
 The inherent patriotism and religious 
 zeal of Mr. Terry's nature is manifest in 
 all his work. He has been for years a 
 leading teacher in the M. E. Sunday- 
 school, and the influence which he wields 
 at Clyde is directed unmistakably to- 
 ward the higher and better life. 
 
 ADAM BRUNTHAVER. Promi- 
 nent among the hardy pioneers 
 of Sandusky county, who, with 
 hearts of oak, muscles of iron, and 
 nerves of steel, subdued the dense forests 
 of the Black Swamp, and cleared up the 
 country for the purposes of agriculture, 
 is the subject of this sketch, and as such 
 he deserves honorable mention in this 
 volume. 
 
 Adam Brunthaver, Patriarch of the 
 Brunthavers of Green Creek, and Ball- 
 ville townships, Sandusky Co., Ohio, was 
 born near Greensburg, Westmoreland 
 Co., Penn. His father was a native of 
 Alsace, France, who served as a soldier 
 in the capacity of teamster, under the 
 First Napoleon, and subsequenty emi- 
 grated to America, where he was em- 
 ployed by the United States Government 
 to drive cattle through the wilderness, 
 from Pennsylvania to the military post at 
 Detroit, Mich. He was always on friendly 
 terms with the Indians, learned to con- 
 verse with them, and served with his 
 party as interpreter. When passing those 
 Indians who were allies of the British, he 
 would represent to them that he was 
 driving cattle for the '* Great P*ather, " 
 the King of England. A full record of 
 his life can not here be given. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 421 
 
 Our subject, Adam Bruuthaver, was 
 reared on a farm, learned the trade of 
 cooper, became a soldier in the war of 
 1812, and about the year 1828 made 
 several visits to the Sandusky region, 
 where he bought a quarter section of land 
 of William Sn\-der, at $1.25 per acre, 
 and arranged with Joseph Hawk to build 
 a log cabin for him on the spot now oc- 
 cupied bj' his grandson William, as a 
 place of residence, in Green Creek town- 
 ship. He was married, in Pennsylvania, 
 to Miss Mary Ridenhour, and first settled 
 in Fairfield count}', Ohio. In 1S35 they 
 moved to Sandusky county, and the fam- 
 ily for many years occupied the log cabin 
 which Mr. Hawk had erected for them. 
 Mrs. Mary Brunthaver died in the fall of 
 1835. Of their children: Sally, wife of 
 John Purdy, of Ballville township; Esther, 
 wife of ^[r. Bowman, of Fulton county, 
 Ohio; Henry, who married Miss Emma 
 Cook, now residing at Clyde, Ohio; Mary, 
 wife of Caleb Clink, of Woodville, Ohio; 
 Christena, wife of Luther Van Horn, of 
 Portland, Mich. ; John, who married Miss 
 Matilda Scouten, and settled in Green 
 Creek township; Elizabeth, wife of Jona- 
 than Spohn, of Green Creek township; 
 and Leah, wife of Enos Osborn, of Ball- 
 ville township. 
 
 In 1839 Adam Brunthaver married 
 Mary Smith, daughter of Adam Smith, 
 who had settled in Green Creek township, 
 in 1824. The children by this marriage 
 were: Louis, who married Miss Loraine 
 Forgerson; Martin, who married Hannah 
 Smith; Margaret, wife of Bert Rathbone; 
 Lucinda, wife of John Duesler; Minerva, 
 who died single; Adam, who married Miss 
 Olive Potter; Delilah, wife of Norton 
 Young; William, who married Miss Ann 
 Smith; and Martha, wife of Owen Maurer. 
 These families reside in Green Creek and 
 Ballville townships. 
 
 The death of Adam Brunthaver, Sen., 
 occurred April 28, i860, at the age of 
 seventy-five years. He was buried in 
 Long's graveyard, now known as Mount 
 
 Lebanon U. B. Cemetery, in Ballville 
 township. To this place the remains of his 
 first wife were removed from the pioneer 
 Kernahan burial place. Mr. Brunthaver's 
 widow married, in 1861, Rev. Israel 
 Smith, of Fremont. In 1867 they moved 
 upon a farm in Ballville township, bought 
 by them jointly. Mr. Smith died in 1885, 
 and his widow has since that time occu- 
 pied the Smith homestead, which she had 
 secured by the proceeds from the Brun- 
 thaver homestead. 
 
 P 
 
 ETER BRUNTHAVER, a farmer 
 of Ballville township, Sandusky 
 county, was born in Fairfield 
 county, Ohio, February 9, 1823, 
 a son of Adam and Marv (Ridenhour) 
 Brunthaver. At twelve years of age he 
 came with his parents to Sandusky coun- 
 ty, where he learned the trade of carpen- 
 ter, at which he wrought in Lucas, W'ood 
 and Sandusky counties for upward of 
 twenty years. At Perrysburg, Ohio. July 
 4, 1847, he married Miss Mary Jane Cook, 
 who was born March 2, 1827, in Richland 
 county, Ohio. Several 3'ears after their 
 marriage they settled on a farm east of 
 Fremont, where he became one of the 
 substantial farmers of Ballville township. 
 He was a trustworthy, reliable man, a 
 Democrat in politics previous to the Civil 
 war, later a Republican. He and a part 
 of his family were members of the U. B. 
 Church. His death occurred April 6, 
 1891, that of his wife April 8, 1893, and 
 they were buried in Mt. Lebanon U. B. 
 Cemetery. 
 
 The children of Peter and Mary J. 
 Brunthaver were: (i) Charles E. Brunt- 
 haver, born April 16, 1848, in Lucas 
 county, who married Miss M. A. Merrald, 
 November 16, 1870; she died November 
 I. 1873, leaving two children — Edward, 
 born September 14. 1871, and Clara, 
 born May 29, 1873, the latter of whom 
 died at the age of ten years; Charles E. 
 Brunthaver has been a clerk in the W'ar 
 
422 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Department, at Washington, D. C, for 
 upward of twelve years. (2) Lucinda 
 Jane Brunthaver, born September 29, 
 1849, in Wood county, who married 
 Charles Dawley, a farmer of Green Creek 
 township, Sandusky county, June 20, 
 1872; she died August 30, 1883; their 
 children were: Willis W., born February 
 20, 1874; Nellie, January 23, 1876; and 
 Hazel, November 16, 188 1. (3j Ellen 
 E. Brunthaver, born May 30, 185 1, in 
 Sandusky county, married Henry Bennett, 
 December 25, 1871; she died March 24, 
 1882, leaving three children — Clarence 
 A., born October 26, 1872; George Henry, 
 February 19, 1877; and Fanny A., Oc- 
 tober 18, 1878. (4) Samuel Willard 
 Brunthaver, born August 18, 1853, mar- 
 ried Miss Ann Norton, June 9, 1883. (5) 
 Orrin James, who will be more fully 
 spoken of presently. (6) Frank P. Brunt- 
 haver, born January 16, 1862, was brought 
 up on a farm, educated in the home dis- 
 trict and the Fremont city schools, took 
 a course in the Medical Department of the 
 Western Reserve University, Cleveland, 
 Ohio, and, after practicing medicine at 
 Maumee City about three jears, took a 
 course at the Post Graduate Medical 
 School and Hospital, in New York City; 
 he was married, November 27, 1884, to 
 Miss Mary E. Smith, of Sugar Ridge, 
 Wood county, Ohio, and their children 
 are — Carrie L. , born August 4, 1888; 
 Merine A., April 14, 1890; and an infant 
 son. (7) Minnie E. Brunthaver, born 
 October 22, 1863, married Silas Stroh- 
 man, a farmer, of near Tinney, Ohio, 
 May 27, 1885, and their children are — 
 Edna E. , born March 9, 1886; Cora M., 
 December 17, 1S89; and Mildred E., 
 September 5, 1893. (8) Clarence W. 
 Brunthaver, born March 12, 1867, died in 
 childhood. 
 
 Orrin James Brunthaver, born June 
 20, 1859, was reared on a farm, learned 
 the carpenter's trade of his father, attend- 
 ed the Fremont High School and the Fos- 
 toria Normal School, read law for some 
 
 time with the firm of Everett & Fowler, 
 Fremont, became administrator of his 
 father's estate, and since 1893 has been 
 emplo}-ed in the Railroad Postal Service 
 between Cleveland, Ohio, and Syracuse, 
 N. Y. He was married at Fremont, Sep- 
 tember 24, 1893, to Miss Carrie E. 
 Sn3'der, who was born February 23, 1871, 
 at Hudson, Mich., and they have one son 
 — Harry Allen, born October 30, 1894. 
 
 M 
 
 ARTIN SEIPLE, one of the 
 leading farmers and stock rais- 
 ers of Madison township, San- 
 dusky county, is a native of 
 Pennsylvania, born May 20, 1849, in 
 Williams township, Northampton county. 
 John and Susanna (Unangst) Seiple, 
 parents of our subject, were also natives 
 of Northampton county. In 1864 they 
 removed to Scott township, Sandusky 
 Co., Ohio, where the father purchased 
 300 acres of land, and carried on farming. 
 In their family were ten children: Ed- 
 ward (deceased), who during his life fol- 
 lowed farming, and whose widow resides 
 at Helena, Sandusky county; Valentine, a 
 farmer, butcher and stock dealer, who 
 died in Pennsylvania; Thomas, a farmer, 
 living on the old homestead: Eva A., wife 
 of \\'illiam Schrantz, an agriculturist, who 
 operates half of the old home farm; Au- 
 gust, deceased; John, who was a member 
 of the One Hundred and Fifty-third P. 
 V. I., and was killed at the battle of 
 Gettysburg; William, who died of brain 
 fever, in Pennsylvania; Adam, a retired 
 farmer living in Helena, Ohio; Martin; 
 and one who died in infancy. The par- 
 ents are both now deceased. 
 
 Henry and Sarah (Wagner) Seiple, 
 parents of John, were born, the former 
 September 29, 1776, the latter April 4, 
 1780; and both died in 1863, he on Jan- 
 uary 12, she on October 16. They had 
 a family of five sons and three daughters, 
 viz. : John (father of Martin Seiple), 
 Henry, Conrad, David, Joseph, Sarah 
 

 ^^ 
 
 
 
 
 ^^^BK S^^^IF ^^^^^^^^^^^^^K 
 
 If 
 
 B \ ^^^^^KBr 
 
 1^^P7^/ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 423 
 
 (who married Samuel Johnson, of Allen- 
 town, Pcnn.), Katy (who married Henry 
 Hildibrand, of Bethlehem, Penn.), and 
 Julia (who married Henry W'oodring, of 
 Carroll, Iowa). 
 
 Mrs. Susanna (Unangst) Seiple, moth- 
 er of our subject, was the daughter of Val- 
 entine and Elizabeth (Morgan) Unangst. 
 \'alentine Unangst was born July 27, 
 1769, and died August 23, 1857, aged 
 eighty-eight years. Elizabeth (Morgan) 
 Unangst was born in 1754 and died in 
 1824, aged seventy years; her mother, 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Morgan, was born April 
 23, 1727. Valentine Unangst had an 
 only sister. Eve Ahn Unangst, who was 
 born June 24, 1764, and died November 
 15, 1S57. 
 
 Martin Seiple attended school in his 
 native county up to his si.xteenth year, 
 when he removed with his parents to 
 Ohio, and located in Scott township, 
 Sandusky count)-, on a farm of 300 acres. 
 Here he continued his education for a 
 short time, and then entered upon his 
 business career, working upon his father's 
 farm until 1867. He had in the mean- 
 time saved from his earnings some capi- 
 tal, with which, he now purchased eight)' 
 acres of land on which stood a small 
 frame house. It took many years of hard 
 toil to place the tract under its present 
 high state of cultivation, and to add the 
 improvements that we to-day find, in- 
 cluding an excellent frame residence, 
 barns and outbuildings, which are models 
 of convenience, a tine orchard and other 
 general improvements. He also has ten 
 oil wells upon his land, which are owned 
 and operated by the Buffalo Oil Com- 
 pany, in which Mr. Seiple owns stock; he 
 is also engineer in helping to pump in the 
 same. He is one of the most progressive 
 men in Madison township, and good man- 
 agement and business ability have placed 
 him in a substantial position. 
 
 In .August, 1869. Mr. Seiple was mar- 
 ried, in Medina, Ohio, to Ruby K. Bow- 
 man, daughter of Daniel and Caroline 
 
 27 
 
 Ohio; Alice, wife 
 
 farmer of Medina 
 
 follows the same 
 
 Frelena, wife 
 
 agriculturist of that 
 
 Bowman, of Medina county, the former 
 born in 1817 in Pennsylvania, in which 
 State he acquired his education, and for a 
 time carried on farming there. Subse- 
 quently he removed to Medina county, 
 Ohio, where, in 1842, he married Miss 
 Caroline Ross, a native of Vermont, and 
 by their union were born fourteen children, 
 nine of whom are living: Levi, a fanner 
 of Michigan; Ja)ett, wife of Jesse Jacobs, 
 an agriculturist in Michigan; Ruby, who 
 was born September 12, 1850; Walter, 
 a resident of Medina, 
 of George Moulton, a 
 county; Charles, who 
 pursuit in Medina county; 
 of Lewis Abbott, an 
 county; Edelia. wifeof Elsworth Gilbert, 
 who operates a farm in Medina county; 
 Orson, who resides in Lorain, Ohio; 
 Mary, John, Joshua and George, all de- 
 ceased, and one who died in infancy. Mr. 
 Bowman died in 1879, in Medina county, 
 where his widow is still living. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Daniel Bowman were in James T. 
 Garfield's (afterward President) audience 
 when he used to preach in John Bowman's 
 barn in Medina county. 
 
 Grandfather Christopher Bowman was 
 born about 1783 in Germany, and he 
 and his wife both died about the same 
 time, in 1858, and were buried in the 
 same grave in Lafayette township, Medina 
 county; they had a family of fourteen 
 children, three of whom are now living. 
 Mrs. Seiple's maternal grandfather Ross 
 was born about 1783, his wife, Susan 
 Ross, in 1799. They were the parents 
 of ten children, of whom are now living: 
 Mrs. Caroline Bowman (mother of Mrs. 
 Seiple), Charles, Mrs. .Almeda White (of 
 Michigan), and Mrs. Elizabeth Newens 
 (of Cleveland). 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Seiple have been 
 born five children — two sons and three 
 daughters — of whom John D., born June 
 4, 1872, was educated in the public 
 schools of Madison township, Sandusky 
 county, and is now attending the Normal 
 
424 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 University, at Ada, Hardin Co., Ohio; 
 when quite young he suffered from diph- 
 theria, and afterward from spinal fever, 
 which left him a cripple. Chloa, born 
 on the old home farm in April, 1874, was 
 educated in her native township, where 
 she was married April 7, 1894, to Corne- 
 lius Burgher, an oil driller, by whom she 
 has one child. Caroline S., born Sep- 
 tember 13, 1877, also obtained her educa- 
 tion in Madison township. Pearl, born 
 August 2,' 1 88 1, and Orson, born June 
 8, 1888, are still with their parents. 
 
 Mr. Seiple is pre-eminently a public- 
 spirited citizen, taking a deep interest in 
 everything that tends to benefit the town 
 and county generally. He is a warm 
 friend of the cause of education, has 
 several terms served as school director, 
 and does all in his power for the advance- 
 ment of the public schools. He is a 
 popular and highly esteemed man. In 
 politics he is a stanch Republican, and 
 he and his family are adherents of the 
 Reformed Church, attending service in 
 Helena. 
 
 FRANK H. SMITH, one of the 
 youngest successful and prosper- 
 ing residents of Gibsonburg, San- 
 dusky county, e.xtensively engaged 
 in the oil business, was born in \'enango 
 county, Penn., August 16, 1865, son of 
 Abraham and Sarah (Smith) Smith, the 
 parents not by blood related. 
 
 Abraham Smith was born in 1830 in 
 Venango count}-, Penn., and followed the 
 trade of blacksmithing. He died April 9, 
 1883. The mother, Sarah Smith, was a 
 native of Franklin, Venango Co., Penn., 
 and died in 1873. They reared the fol- 
 lowing family of seven children: Leah, 
 who married J. B. Wilson, and lives at 
 Gibsonburg; Laura, wife of C. B. Neely, 
 of Venango; My ram, a resident of Free- 
 port, Ohio; Frank H., subject of this 
 sketch; Clara, wife of Geo. Bloodheart, 
 of Gibsonburg, Ohio; Cora, who married 
 
 George Speck, of Pemberville, Ohio, and 
 P. A. , a contractor of Gibsonburg. 
 
 Frank H. Smith was a lad of only 
 fourteen years when he left home and 
 drifted to the oil fields of McKean, which 
 attracted him. He secured employment 
 in the oil business at once, and has ever 
 since been engaged in it successfully, fol- 
 lowing the oil fields of Pennsylvania con- 
 tinuously until 1890, when he came 
 to Ohio, and has here continued the 
 same pursuit. He obtained his start 
 as a drill contractor of oil wells. About 
 four j-ears ago he became interest- 
 ed in leasing oil lands in Sandusky coun- 
 ty. He was first with the firm of Smith 
 & Dohn, a firm which has undergone 
 various changes, and to whom he sold 
 many leases when parti}' developed. Mr. 
 Smith is now interested in a 200-acre 
 lease along the Pennsylvania railroad, 
 three miles north of Gibsonburg, where 
 he has twenty-nine wells producing, and 
 the venture has been a marked financial 
 success. The leased land produces over 
 12,000 barrels of oil per month. On 
 February 9, 1895, Mr. Smith and his part- 
 ner, Mr. John Shertzer, purchased the 
 Gibsonburg electric light plant, paying 
 the sum of $4,500 therefor, and holding 
 this until July 10, of the same year, when 
 they sold to a Pittsburg firm for $5,500. 
 
 On September 23, 18S6, Mr. Smith 
 was married in Pennsylvania to Miss Liz- 
 zie Lusher, and has two children: Arthur 
 D. and Roscoe M. Mrs. Smith was born 
 May 5, 1864, in Rockland township, Ve- 
 nango Co., Penn., where she resided un- 
 til her marriage. Her parents George 
 and Charity (Jacobs) Lusher, were also 
 natives of Pennsylvania, born October 8, 
 1 83 1, and May 30, 1834, respectively, 
 and they had a family of eight children, 
 viz. : Andrew married a MissGilmore, and 
 has four children; Bell lives at home; 
 Miles married Maggie Shoper, by whom 
 he has four children, and lives near Gib- 
 sonburg; Maggie is Mrs. J. Watson, of 
 Pennsylvania; Emma became the wife of 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 425 
 
 H. Davis, of Cleveland; Lizzie is Mrs. 
 Smith; Perry, unmarried, is employed by 
 Mr. Smith in the oil fields; Harry is at 
 home. The paternal grandfather of this 
 family, Jonathan Lusher, was born in 
 Pennsylvania March i", 1812, and died 
 December i, 1S84; he married Eliza 
 Smith, born about 181 5, and they had a 
 family of fourteen children. The mater- 
 nal grandfather, Jacob Jacobs, also had a 
 family of fourteen children. Mr. Smith 
 owns a pleasant home in Gibsonburg, and, 
 financially, he has prospered far beyond 
 his years. He is recognized as one of 
 the ablest and most successful young bus- 
 iness men of Sandusky county. 
 
 CA. MINER, a prosperous and 
 highly successful business man of 
 Clyde, Sandusky county, was 
 born at Ithaca, N. Y. , January 
 5, 1825, son of Avery and Emma (Eddy) 
 Miner. 
 
 Avery Miner, a large-hearted and 
 enterprising man of affairs, was born of 
 English ancestry March 10, 1774. He 
 accumulated considerable wealth at Lan- 
 sing, N. Y. . but at this point his generos- 
 ity was his ruin. Becoming surety for 
 some acquaintances who proved unequal 
 to the task of meeting their obligations, 
 the property of Avery Miner was taken 
 in satisfaction. Thus bereft of fortune, 
 he went Ithaca in 1835 at the age of 
 sixty-one years; then came west, where 
 capital seemed less essential to success, lo- 
 cating at Huron, Ohio, where he paid $3 
 for a broken-down stage horse, and in a 
 wagon that corresponded with the steed 
 began to keep a meat market. He pros- 
 pered as a butcher, and followed that 
 business until his death, which resulted 
 from blood-poisoning. May 13, 1854. 
 A neighbor had requested Mr. Miner to 
 conduct the autopsy of a fine cow that 
 had died of some unknown ailment, and 
 in the dissection Mr. Miner accidentally 
 cut his left hand. A Dr. Burdick, who 
 
 was present, predicted serious results, 
 and the prediction slowly came true. 
 Gradually he lost the power of his hand, 
 but he survived six or seven years before 
 death ensued. Nearly thirty years later 
 the son, C. A. Miner, met Dr. Burdick, 
 and the latter at once inquired as to the 
 result of the accident, so deeply had it 
 impressed him. Avery Miner was a 
 powerful man, physically. In politics he 
 was a Whig. Emma (Eddy), his wife, 
 was born March 23, 1797, at Great 
 Bend, Penn. They were married Febru- 
 ary I, 1 816. After her husband's death 
 she resided in Huron, Toledo, and finally 
 in Clyde until her death, which occur- 
 red December 8, 1874. Avery and Emma 
 Miner had three children, as follows: G. 
 P., born July 16, 1817, for many years 
 a resident of Huron and Milan, and who 
 died at Monroeville; William H., born 
 August 29, 1828, unmarried, who resided 
 for years in Clyde, and died July 16. 
 1895, at Toledo. 
 
 C. A. Miner, the subject of this sketch, 
 attended the schools of Ithaca, Huron 
 and Milan, Ohio, and his youth was 
 closely associated with the stock business. 
 He was reared to business in his father's 
 meat market, and early in life commenced 
 shipping cattle to New York and other 
 Eastern cities by boat, afterward by rail, 
 lifting the steers into the boats by means 
 of tackle fastened to their horns. For 
 nearly twenty-five years Mr. Miner fol- 
 lowed the cattle business at Huron very 
 successfully. He bought a farm which he 
 used as a pasture and shipped hogs, cat- 
 tle and horses extensively. In 1859 he 
 moved to Clyde, purchasing a half section 
 of land, a portion of which is now within 
 the corporation limits. He was married, 
 November 22, 1855, to Mary E. Miller, 
 who was born at Ballston, N. Y. , Ma\' 9, 
 1 82 1. She died January 4, i860, a de- 
 voted Christian woman, enthusiastic and 
 faithful in Sunday-school and all Chris- 
 tian work. Both she and her husband 
 were active teachers in the Presbyterian 
 
420 
 
 COMyrEMORATTYE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Sunday-school at Huron, and Mr. Miner 
 now has an elegant Bible which was 
 presented to him by the school at Huron. 
 He remained on the farm only one j-ear 
 after his wife's death. He then sold his 
 Cl3'de farm and purchased an interest in 
 a foundry and machine shop at Sandusky. 
 Gas from the foundry proved injurious to 
 his health, and two years later he sold 
 out and removed to Toledo, Ohio; for 
 one year he traveled through the West. 
 He then took care of his mother's farm at 
 the Junction at Toledo for two years. 
 Returning to Clyde he bought a ware- 
 house, and for some years was engaged 
 in the grain business, and a grocerj', after- 
 ward handling general produce. For 
 some years Mr. Miner has led a retired 
 life, which he has well merited after his 
 active and prosperous business career. 
 The second and present wife of Mr. Miner 
 was Miss Maria Veletta Stark, who was 
 born in Fremont February 6, 1842, and 
 whom he married May 17, 1877. To 
 this marriage have come two children: 
 Charles L. , born November 25, 1880, and 
 Helen, born September 8, 1S83. 
 
 CHARLES T. MOORE. The 
 great ancestor of the Moore fam- 
 ilies with which our subject is 
 connected was Samuel Moore, 
 who emigrated from Dalkeith, Scotland, 
 about the year 1760, and settled in New 
 Jersey. 
 
 His son, David Moore, grandfather of 
 our subject, moved from Huntington 
 county, Pennsylvania, to Ross county, 
 Ohio, in 1814, and from Ross to San- 
 dusky county in 1818. He built and oc- 
 cupied a double log cabin on the west 
 bank of the Sandusky river, about half a 
 mile southwest of the present village of 
 Ballville. A short distance below that 
 he built a gristmill and a sawmill which 
 were patronized by the early pioneers for 
 many miles around. His death occurred 
 December 24, 1829, and was caused by 
 
 an accident in falling at night from the 
 attic in the mill to a lower story. His 
 wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth 
 Davis, remained on a farm in Ross coun- 
 ty, where she died July i, 1826. Their 
 children were: Eliza (Justice), Sarah 
 (Fields), George, James and John Moore, 
 all of whom came to reside in Sandusky 
 county. George Moore returned to Ross 
 county in 1830, and settled near Chilli- 
 cothe, where he died in 1850. John 
 Moore was for many years a miller at 
 Ballville, and died there in 1876. 
 
 James Moore, father of our subject, 
 was born in Huntingdon count}-, Pennsyl- 
 vania, in 1806, came to Ross county in 
 his boyhood and to Sandusky county at 
 the age of si.xteen, where he assisted his 
 father on the farm and in the mill. After 
 his father's death he became his successor 
 in the mill, and carried on a flourishing 
 business at wool carding. He was an 
 I enterprising and public-spirited citizen, 
 and contributed largel)' toward the build- 
 ing of the Fremont & Fostoria plank 
 road, and the Lake Erie and Louisville 
 (now the L. E. & W.) railroad. During 
 the Civil war he was untiring in his 
 efforts to aid the government in putting 
 down the Rebellion, and perhaps no other 
 man in the county did more to encourage 
 the enlistment of soldiers, assist the fam- 
 ilies of absent soldiers, or relieve the 
 wants of the widows and orphans of those 
 who lost their lives in the service. 
 
 James Moore was married, in 1832, 
 to Miss Harriet Patterson, who was born 
 May 17, 1 8 10, in Syracuse, N. Y. , daugh- 
 ter of Reuben and Eunice (Danforthj 
 Patterson, who came to Ohio in 18 16, to 
 Lower Sandusky in 1818, passed their 
 first winter here in the old block house of 
 Fort Stephenson, and settled on the 
 Whittaker Reserve. James Moore died 
 December 6, 1873, from an accident that 
 happened to him in his mill. He was 
 ' buried in Oak W'ood Cemetery. His 
 I widow resides on a part of the old home- 
 ' stead. Their children were: Orvin 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPnWAL RECORD. 
 
 427 
 
 was drowned in Sandusky 
 eiglit years old; Juliette 
 
 Moore, who 
 river when 
 Moore, who married William Rice, a mer- 
 chant of Fremont, whose sketch is given 
 elsewhere; LeRoy Moore, a sketch of 
 whom follows; Celiette Moore, who died 
 at the age of fifteen years; Manville 
 Moore, sketch of whom follows; Charles 
 T. . the subject proper of this sketch; 
 Celia Moore, wife of John C. Fisher, now 
 living near Rollersville, Ohio, whose chil- 
 dren are- — Claud, Guy, Webb, James, 
 Clara, Maud, Blanche, Lester, Bruce and 
 Brice; Oriette Moore, wife of John G. 
 Speller, whose children are — James M. 
 and Alice, living at home in Ballville 
 township. 
 
 Charles T. Moore was born in Ball- 
 ville township, and spent his youth on a 
 farm and in his father's mill. He at- 
 tended the Ballville village and the Fremont 
 city schools, and the State University at 
 Ann Arbor, Mich. His vacations were 
 spent in assisting his father in the mill un- 
 til he was twenty-four years of age. He 
 is at present living on the old Moore 
 homestead, carries on dairy farming and 
 runs a milk wagon to Fremont. He mar- 
 ried Miss Jennie H. Huber. daughter of 
 Lewis and Mary Jane Huber, farmers, 
 near Springfield, 111., and the children 
 born to this union were: Mabel, who 
 died, aged one year, and Julia and Huber, 
 at home. 
 
 CAPTAIN LE ROY MOORE, late 
 of Clyde, Ohio, was born in Ball- 
 ville township, Sandusky county, 
 Ohio, December 28, 1836, a son 
 of James and Harriet (Patterson) Moore. 
 From the time when he was out of the 
 district school until near the outbreak of 
 the Civil war he assisted his father in a 
 tlouring-mill near the village of Ballville, 
 attended the Fremont city schools, and at 
 Oberlin College two years. In the fall 
 of i860 he went to school at Ann Arbor, 
 Mich., and remained until the spring of 
 
 1861, when he came home intending to 
 return to school and complete a full 
 course of study. Touched with patriotic 
 ardor to serve his country, he responded 
 to Abraham Lincoln's call for troops, and 
 on October 8, 1861, enlisted at Colum- 
 bus, Ohio, as a recruiting officer, with the 
 rank of second lieutenant, and speedily 
 raised the requisite number of men to form 
 Company F, Seventy-second Regiment, 
 O. \. I., of which he became captain on 
 the 4th of January, 1862. Two years 
 later he veteranized at Memphis, Tenn., 
 and took an active part in the battles of 
 Pittsburg Landing, the siege of Corinth, 
 the battle of Jackson and the siege of 
 Vicksburg. After various other encount- 
 ers with the enem\-. the regiment was 
 sent to Guntown, Miss., on what is known 
 as the Sturgis raid, where he shared the 
 fate of many other brave men in being 
 taken prisoner. He was held by the Con- 
 federates at Macon, Ga., at Charleston 
 and Columbia, S. C, and at Raleigh and 
 Goldsboro, N. C. He was paroled for 
 exchange and entered the Union lines at 
 Wilmington, N. C, March i, 1865. At 
 one time he was detailed to run a mill for 
 the purpose of grinding corn to supply 
 Gen. Grant's army, cut off b\' Van Dorn, 
 at Holly Springs. During three years 
 and five months he served his country 
 with distinction, and was honorably dis- 
 charged at Annapolis, Md., March 5, 
 1865. On his return home his health 
 was much impaired, but as soon as he 
 was able to work he resumed his place in 
 his father's mill, and afterward became 
 one of the proprietors of the same. 
 
 Capt. Le Roy Moore married, Novem- 
 ber 9, 1869, Miss Mary J. Dawley, daughter 
 of Elisha and Sarah N. Brush) Dawley, 
 of Green Creek township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty. In 1876 they moved to Pemberville, 
 Wood county, where he went into milling 
 on his own account. Being much af- 
 flicted with rheumatism, resulting from 
 e.xposures during army life, and having 
 been granted a soldier's pension, he gave 
 
428 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 up milling and retired to Clyde, Ohio, 
 where he established his permanent resi- 
 dence. His death occurred June 29, 
 1888. He was buried with military hon- 
 ors in McPherson Cemetery. His family 
 continued to reside in Clyde until 1894, 
 when they removed to Fremont. The 
 children of Capt. Le Roy and Mary J. 
 Moore were, Blanche A., born September 
 20, 1 870, now official stenographer of the 
 court of common pleas, of Sandusky 
 count}', and James K., born February 22, 
 1878, now at home in Fremont, Ohio. 
 
 M 
 
 ANVILLE MOORE. Among 
 the patriotic young men of San- 
 dusky county, who sacrificed 
 their lives on the altar of their 
 country during the Civil war, the subject 
 of this sketch deserves honorable men- 
 tion. 
 
 Born and reared on the historic banks of 
 the Sandusky river, made famous by deeds 
 of heroism on the part of the early settlers 
 in repelling foreign invaders and their 
 Indian allies, he early learned those les- 
 sons of patriotism and devotion to the 
 cause of hutiian liberty which inspired 
 him in manhood to make the sacrifice 
 which has rendered his name immortal. 
 His youth was spent at home in perform- 
 ing his every-day duties faithfully and 
 well, on the farm and in the mill, and in 
 attendance at the village school; yet he 
 was ambitious to rise above the dull 
 routine of daily toil. Leaving home he 
 attended several terms at Oberlin College, 
 where he intended to complete a course 
 of study. When Abraham Lincoln called 
 for troops to put down the Rebellion, he 
 left school, and in April, 1861, responded 
 to the first call, by enlisting as corporal 
 in Company G, Eighth Ohio Regiment. 
 After a three-month's service he re-en- 
 listed and served with his comrades, chief- 
 I}' in Western \'irginia. He was at the 
 battles of Winchester, Antietam, Fred- 
 ericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettys- 
 
 burg. In the last named engagement he 
 was mortally wounded, July 3, 1863; he 
 was taken to a hospital in Baltimore, 
 Md., and died soon after. His remains 
 were taken home by his father, and with 
 fitting services were laid to rest in Oak 
 Wood Cemetery. His age was twenty- 
 five years. 
 
 On June 22, 1885, Post No. 525, De- 
 partment of Ohio, G. A. R., was organ- 
 ized at Fremont, and on the 30th day of 
 the same month the name of Manville 
 Moore was unanimously adopted as the 
 name of the Post. On November 30, 
 following, a life-sized portrait of Man- 
 ville Moore, drawn by his cousin, Milton 
 J. Justice, was presented by his relatives 
 to the Post, in their new hall over the 
 First National Bank, on which occasion 
 appropriate and touching remarks were 
 made by Dr. J. B. Rice, T. F. Heffner 
 and Col. Frank Sawyer, each testifying 
 to the noble character and faithful serv- 
 ices of comrade Manville Moore. 
 
 LOUIS MYROSE (deceased) was 
 born in Hanover, Germany, De- 
 cember 18, 1822, and was a son 
 of Fred and Mary (Taulker 1 Myrose, 
 farming people, who came to America in 
 1836, settling on a thirty-seven-acre tract 
 of timberland. 
 
 In the days when the parents of Louis 
 Myrose were pioneers, extensive farming 
 in that section was out of the question, 
 as the settlers could clear but enough to 
 raise the necessaries of life, and scarcely 
 that, having no very effective tools, with 
 which to till the land. McCormick self- 
 binders, sulky plows, and other similar 
 aids to agriculture were slow to come. 
 Mr. Myrose lived with his parents until 
 their death, after which, on No\ ember 21, 
 1847, he was united in marriage with 
 Angeline Freyer, and they became the 
 parents of five children, as follows: Julia 
 (now deceased) married Fred Sielscott, 
 and had seven children — Louisa, Mary, 
 
COMMSMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 429 
 
 Caroline, John, Louis, Einnia and Dora; 
 Louisa married Andrew Radeloff, and had 
 eleven children — Mary, Emma, Harmann, 
 Fredrick (deceased), Julia, Augusta, An- 
 drew, Louis, \^'i]liam, Carl and Clarence; 
 Frank, born October 6, 1853, and now 
 livinpf on a farm near Lemoyne, in Wood 
 county, married Mary A. Harmeyer, No- 
 vember 7, 1888, and three children have 
 been born to them — Carrie, Henry and 
 William; John Henry, born February 
 24, 1856, died April 17, 1856; and Anna 
 Mary, born December 22, 1864, married 
 May 3, 1 888, to \\'illiam Harmeyer, and 
 they have three children — Edward, Emma 
 and Dora. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Louis Mj'rose, 
 Frank and Glasia (Hartman) Freyer, 
 came from Hanover, Germany, to Amer- 
 ica in 1S35, and located in Wood county, 
 Ohio, where the father died March 2, 
 1883, having lived to the ripe old age of 
 eighty-one years. The mother died Feb- 
 ruary 22, 1895, at the age of ninety-three 
 years and twenty days. Mrs. Myrose is 
 one of eight children, three of whom are 
 still living — one son and two daughters. 
 
 In 1 89 1 Mr. Myrose and his wife 
 moved to Woodville, Sandusky county, 
 and bought a home, where, as a result of 
 the hardships he had encountered, he 
 died on November i, 1894; he had al- 
 ways been a very active and industrious 
 man. Politically, he was a strong Dem- 
 ocrat, and in religious faith he was an 
 ardent worker in behalf of the Lutheran 
 Church. His faithful wife still survives, 
 in the enjoyment of fairly good health, 
 and lives to see live great-grandchildren. 
 
 PAUL KROHN, general merchant, 
 Woodville. Sandusky county, was 
 born in Prussia, Germany. July 
 16, i860, a son of Gustave and 
 Carolina (Pfalkenthalj Krohn. His father 
 was born in the same place March 14, 
 1832. He is an officer in the employ of 
 the German Government, now acting in 
 
 the capacity of inspector of prisons. He 
 served twelve years in the German army, 
 and received the commission of lieutenant. 
 He has been connected with the govern- 
 ment in an official capacity all his life. 
 Our subject's mother died at the age of 
 forty-eight. Both parents were members 
 of the Reformed Church. They had 
 three children: Max and Oscar, both of 
 whom died young, and Paul, of whom 
 this sketch is written, who is their only 
 living child. 
 
 Our subject grew up in Germany un- 
 til about twenty-one \'ears old, attending 
 the common schools, and subsequently 
 the college at Frankfort. He has a cer- 
 tificate for one year's service in the Ger- 
 man army. He entered the mercantile 
 business as a clerk in Berlin, Prussia, and 
 was there four years, after which, in 1881, 
 he started for America. He landed in 
 New York City, thence proceeded directly 
 to Chicago, having only about $50 in 
 money when he reached that city. He 
 found sufficient employment to sustain 
 himself there, and remained about two 
 months, after which he came to Fremont, 
 Ohio, and was employed in the Light 
 Guard Band as musician. He has had a 
 good musical education, but only studied 
 it for pleasure, never having intended to 
 follow it as a profession. He remained 
 in Fremont one 3'ear, when he went to 
 Genoa, Ottawa county, working there in 
 the stave factory and gristmill about a 
 year and seven months, and playing in 
 the band. He then came to Woodville, 
 and was engaged as clerk in a dry-goods 
 store for two years, when he quit that and 
 went to Toledo. He sold goods on the 
 road about eight months, and played in 
 the Toledo City Band, which line he fol- 
 lowed some eight months when he re- 
 turned to Woodville to work for his former 
 employer as clerk. With him he remained 
 about a year and a half, and then bought 
 out the business and January i, 1889, be- 
 came successor to H. Rancamp, who is 
 now in business in Toledo. Mr. Krohn 
 
430 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 has made the mercantile business a great 
 success, and operates not only his house 
 in Woodville, but also a second store at ; 
 Dunbridge, Wood Co., Ohio, which he | 
 opened in Maj', 1894, and is conducted 
 through a clerk, but supervised by him- 
 self. 
 
 In October, 1891, Mr. Krohn married 
 Carrie Frank, of Mansfield, Ohio, who 
 was born September 21, 1868, and they 
 have one child, Helen Esther. Our sub- 
 ject is a Democrat in his political affilia- 
 tions, and socially, he is a member of the 
 Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
 
 GEORGE ELLITHOKPE, one of 
 the most prosperous, progressive 
 and extensive fruit growers and 
 shippers, of Catawba Island town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, is the senior mem- 
 ber of the firm of George Ellithorpe & 
 Son. He is a native of Ottawa county, 
 born November 21, 1830, at Marble 
 Head, Danbury township, which at that 
 time was a part of Huron county. 
 
 His parents were Henry and Elizabeth 
 (Neal) Ellithorpe, the former born in New 
 York, August 6, 1800, and the latter in 
 Vermont, July 6, 1805. The paternal 
 grandparents of our subject, Samuel and 
 
 — — (Owens) Ellithorpe, were of 
 
 English and Scotch lineage. He is the 
 eldest in a family of five children, four 
 still li\ing, and now residing in Catawba 
 township, where they are honored and 
 highly esteemed citizens. The others 
 are Cyrus, born October 15, 1832; Rus- 
 sell, September 22, 1834; and Emiy, July 
 8, 1839, now the wife of Clark Neal, a 
 prominent fruit grower of Catawba Island. 
 George Ellithorpe was reared amidst 
 the surroundings of a comfortable home, 
 and received such a limited education as 
 the youths of that day were able to obtain 
 at intervals during the winter months 
 when they could be spared from the 
 duties pertaining to farm life. A portion 
 of his time has alwa\s been devoted to 
 
 agricultural pursuits, but during the spring 
 and autumn seasons, for thirty-two years, 
 he also engaged in fishing on Lake Erie. 
 During the seasons from 1869 to 1872 in- 
 clusive, he was master and part owner of 
 the steamers "Clinton" and " B. F. 
 Ferris," which then plied between San- 
 dusky City, Put-in Bay and Catawba 
 Island. In 1872 he retired from the 
 steamboat business, since which time he 
 has devoted his entire attention to fruit 
 growing and shipping his products, mostly 
 to Eastern markets, where they find a 
 ready sale at remunerative prices. 
 
 At Sandusky City, Erie countj', Ohio, 
 November 21, i860. Mr. Ellithorpe mar- 
 ried Miss Ann Eliza Moore, who was born 
 in Portage township, Ottawa county, Oc- 
 tober 16, 1835, and is a daughter of Na- 
 thaniel B. and Fidelia (Dewelle) Moore, 
 who were among the earliest settlers of 
 that township. A familj- of children were 
 born of this union, of whom F"rank, the 
 eldest son, born February 2, 1863, was 
 killed by a runaway team while at work 
 on his farm. May 28, 1895, and left a 
 widow; socially, he was a member of O. 
 H., Perry Lodge, F. &A. M.. the Knights 
 of Pythias and the National Union. The 
 other members of the family are Ora \'., 
 born Februar}' 14, 1866, and died Octo- 
 ber 5, 1871; George Henry, born June 8, 
 1869; Walter James, born April 13, 
 1872; Addison Kelly, born May 4, 1874; 
 Elsie R., born December 28, 1876; and 
 Ira v., born August 21, 1879. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Ellithorpe is 
 an ardent supporter of the Republican 
 party, but in no sense an office seeker. 
 At different intervals during his most use- 
 ful and well-spent life, he has efficiently 
 filled almost every township office at the 
 disposal of his constituents, and for a 
 period extending over twenty-one years, 
 has continuously been a member of the 
 board of education, of which body he at 
 present holds the honorable position of 
 president. He is past master and a char- 
 ter member of O. H. Perry Lodge. No. 
 
.^-^^-^r-'^t^^^^rr^lw-— ^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPIIICAL RECORD. 
 
 4:u 
 
 341, F. & A. M., of Port Clinton; be- 
 longs to Sandusky City Chapter, No. 72, 
 R. A. M. : Port Clinton Lodge, No. 341, 
 Knights of Pythias; and Catawba Island 
 Lodge, No. 2783, Knights of Honor. He 
 is one of the trustees of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, of which his family are 
 also members, and contributed liberally 
 to the construction and maintenance of 
 the house of worship. 
 
 The character of Mr. EUithorpe is too 
 well known among the citizens of Ottawa 
 county to need eulogy from our pen, 
 which at the best would fail to do him 
 justice and award that credit which is due 
 to such an active progressive citizen and 
 promoter of the welfare of his county. 
 He uses every means within his power to 
 promote the comfort of his home and the 
 happiness of his family. In business life 
 he is honored for his unswerving integrity 
 and faithfulness to detail, and throughout 
 the county and State his character stands 
 above reproach. 
 
 JOHN F. BAUMAN, retired farmer, 
 with residence in Fremont, San- 
 dusky count}', was born March 23, 
 1827, in Wayne county, Ohio, a son 
 of John W. and Mary (Fry) Bauman, the 
 former of whom was born in Lancaster 
 county, Penn., in 1794, where his father 
 and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Bau- 
 man, lived and died. 
 
 John W. Bauman afterward removed 
 to York county, Penn., thence to Wayne 
 county, Ohio, where he remained about 
 ten years, and in 1844 moved to Jackson 
 township, Sandusky county, and there re- 
 mained a year, after which he located 
 permanently in Loudon township, Seneca 
 county. After the death of his wife he 
 broke up housekeeping and lived with his 
 children, his death occurring at the home 
 of his daughter, Mrs. Sarah Tucker, in 
 Bellevue, Ohio, and his interment taking 
 place in Bellevue cemeter)'. 
 
 The children of John W. and Marj' 
 Bauman were: Elizabeth, wife of Daniel 
 Sloan, a farmer of near Warsaw, Ind. 
 (she died August 2, 1895, leaving a fam- 
 ily of eleven children); John F. Bauman, 
 our subject; Aima, wife of Joseph Arnold, 
 a farmer of Barry county, Mich. ; Mary, 
 wife of George Stebbins, a blacksmith, of 
 Peru, Huron county, Ohio (she died in 
 1883); Sarah, wife of John Tucker, a 
 blacksmith, formerlj- of Bellevue, Ohio 
 (they now reside at Greenville, Montcalm 
 Co., Mich.); Jacob Bauman, unmarried, 
 was a soldier in the regular army before 
 the Civil war, and served, later, as a vol- 
 unteer in the Third Ohio Cavalry, until 
 his death, which occurred in Georgia; 
 Susan, wife of -Solomon Good, a farmer 
 of Coldwater. Mich, (she died leaving two 
 children); Solomon Bauman, unmarried, 
 a farmer and e.\-soldier, who died in Greene 
 county, Ind. ; Lucinda, wife of John 
 Turner, a blacksmith, of Barry county, 
 Mich., where they both died; David, who 
 died in childhood; twins that died in in- 
 fancy: Delilah, wife of William Durn, 
 a farmer of Wood county, Ohio; and 
 twins that died in infancy, February iS, 
 1847, the mother dying at the same time. 
 
 John F. Bauman grew to manhood in 
 Wayne county, Ohio, where he worked as 
 a farm laborer, and attended common 
 schools in the winter seasons. In his 
 youth he learned the business of gelder, 
 which he has followed about fifty years 
 with good success both professionally and 
 financially. His father followed the same 
 occupation forty years, and his grand- 
 father forty-five years. Our subject came 
 to Jackson township at the age of twenty- 
 one years. On May 30, 1850. he mar- 
 ried Miss Harriet E. W'inters, daughter of 
 Jacob W^inters, of Jackson township. In 
 185-2 he went to California with a Betts- 
 ville company of fifteen men, the part}' 
 taking the overland route, with o.xen, 
 mules, horses and prairie-schooner wag- 
 ons. They started from Independence, 
 Mo., May 2, 1S52. arriving in Portland. 
 
432 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BWOBAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 Oregon, August 14, of the same year, and 
 soon after entered the gold mines. 
 
 Mr. Bauman's first mining claim was 
 at Long Gulch, on a mountain side, and 
 his next was in a valley. He had good 
 success as a miner, and remained at the 
 business two years, then returning to 
 Sandusky county and following farming. 
 He next bought a farm of 160 acres in 
 Seneca county, north of Fostoria, and 
 lived there two years; then sold it and 
 bought several tracts in Washington town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, amounting in all 
 to 340 acres, most of which he has sold 
 to his children, reserving one hundred 
 acres for himself in Section thirty-five, as 
 a residence. He is extensivelj' and favor- 
 ably known, and has held the office of 
 justice of the peace. The children of 
 John F. and Harriet E. Bauman were: 
 Alice, wife of Charles Burgett, liveryman 
 (they have one son — Clarence); Emma, 
 wife of A. J. Doll, son of Samuel Doll, a 
 farmer (they have two sons — John and A. 
 J.); Sarah, wife of Calvin Biddle, super- 
 intendent of the S. Doll & Co. Gas 
 Company, Fremont, Ohio (they have one 
 daughter — Hattie); Jerome J., a livery- 
 man, whose place of business is opposite 
 "Ball House," Fremont (he married Flor- 
 ence Lease, and they have one daughter. 
 Lulu). 
 
 JOSEPH FONCANNOX, who resides 
 in Green Springs, Sandusky county, 
 is a representative of one of the 
 honored pioneer families of Ohio, 
 that have been identified with the history 
 of the State since it was on the frontier. 
 He was born in Tiffin, Seneca Co., 
 Ohio, November 22, 1833, and is a son of 
 Joseph and Marj' fPoorman) Foncannon. 
 The father was born in Mifflin count)-, 
 Penn., in 1793, and having arrived at 
 years of maturity wedded Miss Poorman, 
 a native of the same State. Removing 
 to Perry county, Ohio, they settled on 
 Honey creek, a mile and a half south of 
 
 Tiffin; but when they took up their resi- 
 dence there no other white settler lived 
 in the locality, their nearest neighbor 
 being at Upper Sandusky, twenty-one 
 miles distant. They experienced all the 
 hardships and trials of frontier life, and 
 were actively identified with the develop- 
 ment and upbuilding of the count}'. The 
 father secured this land from the govern- 
 ment and transformed it into a good farm 
 upon which he made his home until 
 within four years of his death, when he 
 went to live with his daughter in Henry 
 county, Ohio. In politics he was a 
 Democrat. He held membership with 
 the Reformed Church, and erected a fine 
 house of worship in Tiffin, making the 
 brick himself. When a young man he 
 had learned the cooper's trade, but dur- 
 ing the greater part of his life carried on 
 agricultural pursuits. During the war of 
 1 8 1 2 he was drafted for service in Perry's 
 fleet, but as he could not go sent a substi- 
 tute; his death occurred in 1S75; his wife 
 died in Tiffin, Seneca Co., Ohio, when ■ 
 past the age of seventy-five years. 
 
 The family were as follows: John, 
 who was a farmer in Henry county, Ohio, 
 and died at the age of seventy-five years; 
 Michael, who is living in Tiffin, Seneca 
 county; Mary, wife of Joseph Coon, a 
 resident of Henry county; Doward, a 
 farmer, who died at the age of fifty-two; 
 H. Jackson, who makes his home in 
 Tiffin, Seneca county; Jefferson, who died 
 at the age of thirty-three years; and 
 Oliver, who is living in Fort Wayne, 
 Ind. Upon the old home farm Joseph 
 Foncannon spent his boyhood antl youth, 
 and the educational privileges which he 
 received were those afforded by the com- 
 mon schools of the neighborhood. He 
 aided in the arduous task of developing 
 wild land, and experience has made him 
 familiar with the history of pioneer life. 
 At the age of twenty-five he was united in 
 marriage with Miss Eugenia R. Marshall, 
 who was born m Zanesville, Ohio. They 
 have three children: Minnie, now the 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 433 
 
 wife of Walter Huber, a resident of Green 
 Creek township, Sandusky county, by 
 whom she has three children, Fred, 
 Hazel and Bernice; and Robert and Belle, 
 at home. 
 
 Upon his marriage Mr. Foncannon 
 located in Tiffin, Ohio, but after si.\ 
 months came to Green Springs and en- 
 gaged with the Green Springs Sawmilling 
 Compan\', with which he was identified 
 for about fifteen years. He then became 
 interested in a sash, door and blind factory, 
 carrying on business along that line for 
 twelve years, when, in 1879, he pur- 
 chased his farm, and has since devoted his 
 energies to agricultural pursuits. He has 
 led a busy and useful life, and belongs to 
 that class of American citizens with their 
 progressive ideas, who promote the public 
 welfare, while advancing individual pros- 
 perity.- He has ever been deepl}- inter- 
 ested in the welfare and upbuilding of the 
 community in which he resides, and has 
 been an important factor in its advance- 
 ment. 
 
 JOHN HETER, an enterprising farm- 
 er of York township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, was born December 13, 1825, 
 in Wayne county, Ohio, a son of 
 John and Salome (Freese) Heter. 
 
 John Heter (i), the great ancestor 
 from whom the Heter families in this 
 country are descended, emigrated from 
 Bavaria, Germany, to America, about 
 the year 1735, landing at Philadelphia; 
 he had seven sons, five of whom are 
 named Sebastian, Jacob, Isaac, Daniel 
 and John (2). Isaac was killed by the 
 Indians near Huntingdon, Penn. After 
 their arrival the sons were bound out for 
 a term of service to a man who paid their 
 passage money, a debt which had been 
 incurred by the long and tedious sea voy- 
 age. John Heter (2), who was a farmer, 
 settled in Berks county, Penn. He 
 was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, 
 with the rank of captain. He had 
 
 three sons, John (3), Adam and Jacob. 
 John Heter (3) was, like his father, a 
 soldier in the Revolutionary war. He 
 moved to Center county, Penn., when 
 his son John (4) was only two years 
 old. He removed, later, to Berks coun- 
 ty, same State, where he died. He had 
 seven children: Adam, Jacob, Cath- 
 arine (Ritter), Barbara (Ish), Rebecca 
 (Ulsh), Maria (Romig), and John (5). 
 All of these e.xcept the last named lived 
 and died in Pennsylvania. 
 
 John Heter (5) was born in Berks 
 county, Penn., in 1794, being the sev- 
 enth child in his father's family. By 
 trade he was a hatter, working in the 
 towns of Snyder and adjoining counties. 
 He was a soldier in the war of 18 12 un- 
 der Capt. Narr Middlesworth and Gen. 
 Smythe, of Virginia, and served at Black 
 Rock, on the Niagara river, receiving a 
 pension, and a patent for forty acres of 
 government land, for his services. He 
 married in Union (now Snyder) coun- 
 ty, Penn., Miss Salome Freese, who 
 was of German descent. In August, 
 1825, he removed to Waj'ne county, 
 Ohio, where he engaged in clearing land 
 and farming, and in March, 1829, he re- 
 moved to Oak Openings, of Thompson 
 township, Seneca Co., Ohio, in which 
 region, at that time, there were more 
 wolves than sheep, and more Indians 
 than white people. An Indian trail 
 crossed his farm near his residence. He 
 entered land at $1.25 per acre, and 
 bought at second hand, at different times, 
 eighteen eighty-acre lots of wild land, 
 some of which he cleared and improved, 
 some of which he gave to his children, 
 and some of which he sold. He was a 
 peaceable, quiet unassuming man, a kind 
 neighbor and agood citizen. He brought 
 up his sons to habits of industrj-, econ- 
 omy and thrift. He was quite fond of 
 music, and took delight in listening to 
 the martial tunes of two ingeniously con- 
 structed musical clocks which he had 
 bought of a Frenchman. Military pa- 
 
434 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 rades of State militia where held on his 
 farm about the years 1835-1840, when 
 Jacob Bunn was captain and Jacob Wales 
 first lieutenant. He and his wife and 
 some of the children were members of 
 the Lutheran Church, and he donated an 
 acre of land to the joint societies of the Lu- 
 theran and German Reformed Churches 
 for the erection of a church building and 
 for cemetery purposes. About the year 
 1S62 he removed to Bellevue, where his 
 wife died in 1864, and he followed her to 
 the grave in 1881. Both were buried in 
 the Reformed cemetery at Bellevue, 
 Ohio. 
 
 A brief record of the children born to 
 John and Salome (Freese) Heter is as 
 follows: (i) George Heter, a farmer, 
 married Miss Hannah Kern, and lived 
 near Flat Rock, Ohio, until 1878, when 
 he retired to Bellevue, Ohio, where he 
 died in 1892. (2) William Heter, a farmer, 
 married Elizabeth Decker,livedin Thomp- 
 son township until the spring of 1865, 
 and then removed to Blue Springs, Neb., 
 where he died in 1891. (3) Maria Heter 
 married Elias Weiker, a farmer of Thomp- 
 son township, where she died in 1859. 
 
 (4) Jacob Heter, a farmer, married Miss 
 Lucetta Gamby, and until the spring of 
 1 878 lived in Seneca county, thence re- 
 moving to near Sterling, Rice Co., Kans. 
 
 (5) Elizabeth Heter died when two years 
 old. (6) Sarah Heter married William 
 Shock, a farmer of York township, San- 
 dusky county, where they lived until 1875, 
 in that year removing to Fall City, Neb., 
 where she died in 1893. (7) John Heter 
 
 (6) is the subject of this biography. (8) 
 Magdalena Heter married Henry Shock, 
 a farmer of Thompson township, where 
 she died in 1856. (9) Levi Heter, now a 
 retired farmer, living at Bellevue, Ohio, 
 married Mary Shock. (10) Eli Heter, a 
 farmer of Thompson township, married 
 Miss Susan Sherck, and, after her death. 
 Miss Margaret German, (i 1) Adam Heter, 
 a farmer, married Miss Selina Korner, and 
 in 1870 removed to Highland, Kans. (12) 
 
 Eliza Heter married Philip Cupp, who 
 for a number of years was a farmer in 
 Thompson township, and is now engaged 
 in the coal business, at Bellevue, Ohio. 
 
 John Heter (6) spent his earlj' life in 
 the wilds of Thompson township, Seneca 
 Co., Ohio. Some of his plajmates were 
 Indians. His school privileges were very 
 limited for there were then no summer 
 schools, and as soon as he was old enough 
 to work he had to help his father and 
 brothers in clearing land, chopping wood, 
 making rails, building fences, husking corn, 
 threshing grain with the flail, or, in the 
 winter seasons, by the tramping of horses, 
 and in other work connected with pio- 
 neer farming. He attended winter school 
 onl}' when hindered from work by inclem- 
 ent weather, but he has given his chil- 
 dren opportunities for a liberal education. 
 He has followed farming all his life, but 
 he has learned to combine with it what 
 is called "head work, "and he has lived 
 upon and improved twenty-two different 
 farms, most all of which he sold at a 
 profit. He has also dealt in real estate. 
 He has lived in Seneca, Sandusky. Erie 
 and Wyandot counties, Ohio, and in 
 Michigan, and he now has his home two 
 and one-half miles west of Bellevue. In 
 politics he was first a Whig, then a Re- 
 publican, but he is not a partisan; he has 
 held various township offices. Mr. Heter 
 belongs to the Farmers' Alliance. He is 
 a man of few words, sound judgment and 
 strict integrity, qualities which have as- 
 sisted him greatly on the road to success. 
 
 On April 15, 1847, John Heter mar- 
 ried Miss Lovina Harpster, who was born 
 in Wayne county, Ohio, April 24, 1829, 
 daughter of John and Eva (Hartman) 
 Harpster. They became the parents of 
 ten children: (i) Sarah Heter, who mar- 
 ried George W. Hoch, of Bellevue, Ohio, 
 and whose children are — .\ddie Hoch 
 (who married Amnion Kern}, Olga Hoch, 
 Deiton Hoch 1 bookkeeper in the Ohio 
 Cultivator Works, at Bellevue), Willis 
 Hoch and Gladys Hoch; (2) Eva Heter, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 485 
 
 who lives at home; (3) EUza Heter, who 
 married George Setzler, and removed to 
 Blackstone, Sumner Co., Kans. ; (4) Charles 
 F. Heter, a farmer, who married Malinda 
 Mook, and whose children are — Edith, 
 Duwane, Merlon and Lawrence; (5) 
 George W. Heter, a farmer, living in Pea- 
 body, Kans., who married Clara Acker, 
 and has one son — Harry John ; (6) Edith 
 Heter, who is a teacher, and lives at home; 
 
 (7) Amanda S. Heter, who lives at home; 
 
 (8) Adelaide E. Heter, married to Worrallo 
 W. Whitney, of Montville, Geauga Co. , 
 Ohio, who is a teacher in the Chicago 
 city schools (their children are — Adell and 
 Lois); (9) Irvin John (7), a farmer of York 
 township, who married Mayme Scanlan; 
 and (10) Janette B. Heter, a teacher in 
 the Chicago city schools. 
 
 CHARLES HASELBACH, of 
 Kingsway, Rice township, San- 
 dusky county, is one of the most 
 prosperous and enterprising farm- 
 ers in the township. He was born De- 
 cember 1 8, 1847, snd is a son of Philip 
 and Elizabeth : Bingle) Haselbach, who 
 were born in German}', in 1820 and in 
 iSiQrespectiveh'. 
 
 Philip Haselbach, who is a farmer and 
 weaver by trade, came with his family to 
 America when his son Charles was a child, 
 landing in New York. Going thence to 
 Sandusky city, Erie county, he remained 
 six months, then located in Washington 
 township, Sandusky county, and remained 
 seven years in the woods. It was a wild 
 country, not ditched and full of swamps 
 and marshes; but they cleared the land, 
 brought it into a good state of cultivation, 
 sold it at a profit, then removed to Rice 
 township, and bought a farm of 120 
 acres, where he still resides. In politics 
 he is a Democrat. In religious affiliation 
 he is a Lutheran, as was his wife, who 
 died in 1890, in Rice township. They 
 were the parents of eight children, two of 
 whom died in infanc\-. The following 
 
 named grew^ to maturity: Charles is the 
 subject of this sketch; Katie, now Mrs. 
 Truckemiller, resides in Ottawa count}-, 
 Ohio; Caroline married Peter Garner, 
 and they reside in Sanduskj' township; 
 Philip lives on the old homestead in Rice 
 township; Sophia married Adam Garn, 
 and they reside in Ottawa countv, Ohio; 
 and Peter is a farmer in Ottawa county. 
 The family are all members of the Lu- 
 theran Church. 
 
 Charles Haselbach came to Ohio with 
 his parents in his boyhood. He received 
 only a limited education, his knowledge 
 of the English language being imperfect 
 and school facilities poor. He cleared 
 land and chopped and hauled cordwood 
 for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern 
 railway in the days when wood was used 
 for fuel b\- the railroads, and thus learned 
 the lessons of industry and the value of it 
 early in life. He remained with his par- 
 ents until after the age of twenty-one, 
 and after a time was united in marriage 
 with Miss Rosa Locher, who was born in 
 Germany in 1852, and came to America 
 with her parents when a child. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Haselbach and 
 his wife settled in Ottawa county, Ohio, 
 where he bought forty acres of land 
 heavily timbered. Instead of locating 
 upon this land, he rented a farm in San- 
 dusky countj', had his fortj' acres cleared, 
 bought another fort}', then sold and traded 
 that property, and came to Rice town- 
 ship, where he purchased sixty acres. 
 Selling this land, he bought his present 
 fine farm of 1 2 i 4-5 acres, at the rate of 
 one hundred dollars an acre. He and his 
 wife are the parents of five children, as 
 follows: Ida, born in January, 1872, mar- 
 ried John Overmeyer, a school teacher, 
 in Lindsey, Sandusk}' county; Edward, 
 born November 5, 1874, and Katie, No- 
 vember 7, 1876, are now at home; Will- 
 iam, who was born in 187S, was killed, 
 when quite a lad, by a fall from a tree; and 
 Lizzie was born September 16, 1881. 
 Mr. Ha.selbach is a Democrat in politics. 
 
436 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 He is engaged in general farming, has done 
 a great amount of fencing and clearing 
 land since he bought his present home, is 
 out of debt and verj' successful. Realizing 
 fully how limited were his own earlj' edu- 
 cational advantages, he has given his chil- 
 dren the benefit of the best schools in the 
 vicinity. 
 
 NELSON T. BALDWIN, a pop- 
 ular pioneer of Woodville town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, and one 
 who by his honest hard work in 
 the past years won his way to the hearts 
 of his countrymen, was born in Cortland 
 county, N. Y., July 15, 1820, son of Eb- 
 enezer and Rachel (Chaffa) Baldwin, and 
 the grandson of Ebenezer Baldwin, Sr. 
 The grandfather was born in Vermont 
 August 7, 1772, and there married Susan- 
 nah Rollins, a native of the same State, 
 who was born July 19, 1771. In 1809 
 he migrated with his wife, daughter and 
 two sons, to Cortland county. New York. 
 One of these sons, Ebenezer Baldwin, 
 Jr., was born in Vermont April 13, 1792. 
 He was married in New York State, 
 April 12, 181 1, to Rachel Chaffa, who 
 was also a native of Vermont. In 1822 
 Ebenezer Baldwin came with his family 
 to Ohio. For three years he lived in 
 Salem, Columbiana county, then in 1825 
 he moved to Geauga county. Here the 
 wife of Ebenezer Baldwin, Sr. , died July 
 5, 1825. Six years later, in October, 
 1 83 1, the Baldwin and Chaffa families 
 came together to Sandusky county, and 
 settled in the " Black Swamp," as it was 
 then known, in Woodville township. 
 There were then only five families in the 
 township. Here Ebenezer died of cholera 
 in 1834, aged forty-three years; here too 
 his father died, in December, 1839, aged 
 sixty-seven years. To Ebenezer and 
 Rachel Baldwin were born ten children — 
 seven sons and three daughters; one 
 daughter still lives in Woodville township. 
 Nelson T. Baldwin in his infancy 
 
 seemed to have only a small chance for 
 life and success, for at the age of five 
 weeks he weighed only five pounds, two 
 ounces, but in time he developed brawn 
 and strength, and now tips the scales at 
 238 pounds. His j'outh was spent in the 
 pioneer home of Woodville, and at the 
 age of nineteen, December 25, 1839, he 
 married Catherine E. Boose. She was 
 born in Ohio, June 27, 1821, and moved 
 with her parents to the " Black Swamp" 
 in 1830. Her mother died August 25, 
 1846, and her father February 14, 1847. 
 At the age of twenty Mr. Baldwin learned 
 the carpenter and blacksmith trades, and 
 he put up the first frame shop in Woodville 
 township. For about eight years he fol- 
 lowed his trade, then bought land, and 
 with his own hands cleared sixty acres. 
 His property now consists of 130 acres of 
 valuable land, situated in the heart of the 
 oil fields of Ohio. 
 
 To the marriage of Nelson T. and 
 Catherine E. Baldwin six children have 
 come, as follows: (i) Lemuel, born No- 
 vember 9, 1840, died July 30, 1841. (2) 
 Philinda. born May 14, 1842, married 
 Oscar Billings, of Ottawa county, and has 
 nine children. (3) Warren, of Ashland, 
 Saunders Co., Neb., born March 6, 1844, 
 married Matilda Widner, and has one 
 child, Seymore B. (4) Sarah, born June 
 I, 1846, married Fred Voekle, of Ottawa 
 county, and has one child. (5) William 
 B., a farmer of Woodville township, born 
 July I, 1852, married Etta Feddersen, 
 who was born May 16, 1852, and eight 
 children have blessed their union, their 
 names and dates of birth being as follows: 
 Henry, September 13, 1877; Bertha, 
 March 26, 1882; Ferdinand, November 
 20, 1883; William, September 30, 1885; 
 Orville, January 8, 1888; Grover, June 6, 
 1890; Philinda, December 25, 18 — , died 
 January 19, 1892; Leo, April i, 1894. (6) 
 Cecil, born July 26, 1855, died Septem- 
 ber 5, 1866. After the death of his wife 
 Nelson T. Baldwin was united in marriage 
 to Miss Christina Schnakenberg, who is 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 437 
 
 one of five children, and whose brothers 
 and sisters are as follows: Alice, who 
 died in 1888, wife of William York, and 
 mother of one child; Maggie, wife of 
 George Meyers, of Ottawa county, and 
 mother of one child; Tillie, born Decem- 
 ber 13, 1874; and John, born October 23, 
 1878. In 1891 Mr. Baldwin retired from 
 active life. He leased some of his land 
 in 1892 for oil privileges, and several wells 
 have been put down, most of them prov- 
 ing valuable producers. His son, Will- 
 iam B., now operates the farm. 
 
 WILLIAM E. LAMBERT, who is 
 engaged in carrying on a suc- 
 cessful merchant-tailoring busi- 
 ness in Clyde, Sandusky county, 
 was born in Oberlin, Ohio, November i i, 
 1862, and is a son of James and Eliza- 
 beth (Brice) Lambert. The paternal 
 grandfather, John Lambert, was born in 
 Somersetshire, England, and by occu- 
 pation was a farmer. He came to Amer- 
 ica about 1852, and after residing for a 
 time in Henrietta, Lorain county, Ohio, 
 removed to Oberlin, where his last days 
 were passed. In religious faith he was a 
 Baptist. Born in 1800, he died in 1882, 
 at the advanced age of eighty-two years. 
 His wife, who was also a native of Eng- 
 land, departed this life in Oberlin at the 
 age of ninety-three. 
 
 James Lambert was born in Somerset- 
 shire, England, May i, 1830, and in his 
 native land learned the trade of a mer- 
 chant tailor. At the age of nineteen he 
 crossed the Atlantic to America and fol- 
 lowed his trade at various places, after 
 which he went west to Pike's Peak, during 
 the gold excitement at that place. A 
 year's residence in the West sufficed him, 
 and he returned to Oberlin, Ohio, where 
 he had previously carried on the tailoring 
 business, and where he soon built up a 
 good trade. During his residence there 
 he was united in marriage with Miss 
 Brice, daughter of John Brice, also a na- 
 
 tive of England, who came to America 
 when his daughter was a maiden of thir- 
 teen summers. He died in Oberlin, Ohio, 
 in 1890, at the very advanced age of 
 eighty-one years. Mrs. Lambert was one 
 of a family of thirteen children, and was 
 seventeen years of age at the time of her 
 marriage. The young couple began their 
 domestic life in Oberlin, where they re- 
 sided until 1865, when they came to 
 Cl3'de, but removing to other places sub- 
 sequently, did not make a permanent lo- 
 cation here until 1869. Mr. Lambert es- 
 tablished business as a merchant tailor 
 and dealer in ready-made clothing. In 
 his political views he was alwa3'S a Re- 
 publican; socially, he was connected with 
 the F. & A. M., Blue Lodge; in his re- 
 ligious belief he was a Methodist. He 
 was a man of the strictest integrity and 
 sterling worth, an honorable, upright citi- 
 zen, one that any community might be 
 glad to number among its members. Mrs. 
 Lambert was born in Lincolnshire, Eng- 
 land, in September, 1840, and still sur- 
 vives her husband, her home being in 
 Clyde. In their family were three chil- 
 dren, Byron Lambert, who was born in 
 i860, and died in 1864; Carrie, who was 
 born in 1863, and died in 1866; and Will- 
 iam E. 
 
 The subject proper of this sketch was 
 reared in Clyde, and completing the pre- 
 scribed course was graduated from the 
 high school in the class of 1881. He 
 then learned the trade of merchant tailor- 
 ing with his father and entered into part- 
 nership with him, this business connection 
 continuing until the latter's death. He 
 now enjoys a good trade, for he turns out 
 an excellent class of work, and his earn- 
 est desire to please his patrons hasgained 
 him their confidence, good will and patron- 
 age. He was united in marriage with Miss 
 Ona Fish, who was born December 8, 
 1867, and throughout the community the 
 young couple have many friends who hold 
 them in high esteem. Mr. Lambert is a 
 stanch supporter of the Republican party; 
 
438 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 socially he is a member the F. & A. M., 
 Blue Lodge, and Chapter, R. A. M. Re- 
 ligiously he is connected with the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church. He is looked 
 upon as one of the rising young business 
 men of Clyde, is progressive, enterprising 
 and industrious, and will no doubt mai<e 
 a success of life. 
 
 CAPTAIN WILSON S. MILLER 
 is one of the native sons of Ot- 
 tawa county, and a citizen of 
 whom the coilimunity maj- well 
 be proud. He was born in Portage 
 township May 9, 1839, son of Henrj- J. 
 and Susan (Wonnell) Miller, the former 
 of whom was born in Zanesville, Ohio, 
 May 18, 1 81 2, and died November 12, 
 1874; the latter was born July 25, 1817, 
 and is still living. 
 
 Capt. Miller's paternal grandfather, 
 William Miller, was born in Columbia 
 county, N. Y. , of Irish parentage. He 
 removed to Ohio, about the time it came 
 into the Union as a State, settling in 
 Zanesville; he married a Miss Barnes, a 
 lady of Scotch ancestry. The maternal 
 grandparents were natives of Maryland, 
 and coming to Ohio about 1828 settled in 
 Portage township, Ottawa count}', where 
 thov passed their remaining days. 
 
 The old home farm was our subject's 
 place of abode during his childhood and 
 youth. He obtained his early education 
 in the district schools, and then entered 
 Berea (Ohio; College, where he studied 
 during the fall and spring terms, and 
 taught in the winter for three years. His 
 labors in that direction, however, were 
 interrupted in 1861 by his response to 
 President Lincoln's first call for 75,000 
 volunteers. At the expiration of two years' 
 service he re-enlisted as a veteran for three 
 years more, and served with Company I, 
 Fortj-first O. \'. I., faithfulh' performing 
 the duties which fell to him, and valiantly 
 defending the old Hag and the cause it 
 represented. His meritorious service won 
 
 him promotion from the ranks to the 
 place of second sergeant, then orderly 
 sergeant, after which he was made first 
 lieutenant and subsequently commissioned 
 captain of his company, in which capac- 
 ity he served until the close of the war. 
 He was also placed on the roll of honor 
 established bj* Gen. Rosecrans. He 
 participated in the battles of Shiloh, 
 Stone River, Missionary Ridge, Franklin 
 and Nashville, the Atlanta campaign and 
 others, and during his four j'ears of serv- 
 ice made a militarj- record of which he 
 may justly be proud. After his muster- 
 out from the army on November 27, 
 1865, Capt. Miller returned to his home 
 farm, and on December 18, 1866, was 
 married to Miss Mary E. Boggs, of El- 
 more. Her father, Moses Boggs, was 
 born in Nova Scotia, January 18, 1807, 
 and became one of the pioneers of Harris 
 township, Ottawa county. His wife. 
 Mary, was born in Clark county, Ohio, 
 April 28, 1 8 14, and was a daughter of 
 Joseph and LethaHall. They were mar- 
 ried April 6, 1834, and to them werr 
 born two children — Mary E. (Mrs. Miller 
 and George W. Moses Boggs was a son 
 of James Boggs and Mary O'Brien, who 
 moved with their family from Nova Scotia 
 to Hamilton county, Ohio, thence in 
 1824 to Ottawa county. 
 
 After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. 
 Miller purchased a farm one mile west of 
 Elmore, living there until 1870, when he 
 sold that place and purchased the farm 
 on which he now resides, one mile east of 
 Elmore. It is one of the finest farming 
 properties in the county, comprising 175 
 acres of highly-cultivated land, supplied 
 with good buildings, and all modern im- 
 provements which indicate the progres- 
 sive farmer of the nineteenth century. 
 Four children came to bless the home: 
 Bert F., born February 8, 1868; Walter 
 B. and Jessie L. (twins), born December 
 21, 1870; and Mary B.,born October 26, 
 1 874. The eldest was educated at Hiram 
 College and Butler University, and is now 
 
/f^-/te^ 
 
COMMEIIORATIVE BTOORAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 439 
 
 a lawyer of San Francisco, Cal. ; he was 
 married March 17, 1894, to Esteila 
 Thomas, of that city. Walter was edu- 
 cated in the Elmore schools, and at Hiram 
 College, and is now aiding his father in 
 the labors of the farm. Jessie was edu- 
 cated in the Elmore schools and in Hiram 
 and Berea Colleges. The youngest daugh- 
 ter, Mary B., was graduated from the 
 schools of Elmore in 1893, and finished 
 her education in Hiram and Bethany 
 Colleges. The mother of this family 
 died April 27, 1878. 
 
 On November 17, 1881, Mr. Miller 
 married Miss \'ictoria N. Paddock, of 
 Ashton, 111., who was born in Ogle coun- 
 ty, 111., December 19, 1 840. Her father, 
 Riley Paddock, was born in Clark county, 
 Ohio, in 1810, and died in 1S87. He 
 married Eliza Snoddy, who was born in 
 Kentucky August 31, 18 10, and they had 
 four children, all yet living. Their daugh- 
 ter, Mrs. Miller, was educated in Rock 
 River Seminary, in Illinois, taking a three- 
 years' course there in literature and music. 
 When twenty-five years of age she re- 
 moved to Ashton, 111., where her mar- 
 riage was celebrated. She is a lady of 
 culture and refinement, and shares the 
 high regard in which her husband is held. 
 
 In addition to his large farming inter- 
 ests Mr. Miller is extensively engaged in 
 fruit raising, and has on his farm twenty- 
 five hundred fine peach trees, twelve 
 hundred plum trees, twelve hundred pear 
 trees, and considerable smaller fruit. 
 This branch of his business yields him a 
 good income. He keeps on hand fine 
 grades of stock, making a specialty of the 
 breeding of polled Shorthorn cattle, has 
 shipped cattle to nearly every State in 
 the Union, and has done much to raise 
 the grade of stock in Ohio. His stock is 
 registered in both the American Shorthorn 
 and Polled Durham Herd Books, and he 
 is vice president of the Polled Durham 
 Breeders Association of America. He is 
 one of the enterprising, wide-awake 
 farmers and stock raisers, and is recog- 
 
 28 
 
 nized as a leader in his line of business. 
 He is a contributor to various agricultural 
 journals, especially on subjects pertain- 
 ing to stock. In politics he is a Repub- 
 lican, and an enthusiastic worker in the 
 interest of his party. His entire life has 
 been passed in Ottawa county, and he is 
 known as a straightforward, honorable 
 business man, systematic in his methods, 
 and possessed of excellent executive 
 ability. He has won success through his 
 own efforts, and to-day is numbered 
 among the substantial as well as leading 
 agriculturists of the community. As a 
 citizen he is true to every duty, and all 
 who know him respect him. 
 
 JOHN H. WIGLAND, a prominent 
 citizen of Riley township, Sandusky 
 county, wasborn Dacember 2, 1839, 
 and is a son of John B. and Cath- 
 erine Wigland. 
 
 John B. Wigland was born in Ger- 
 many June 3, 1810, came to America in 
 1837, and settled in New York, where he 
 carried on a livery stable. In the same 
 year, 1837, in New York, he was united 
 in marriage with Catherine Harkin, and 
 they had four children, namely: Lizzie, 
 born July 31, 1840, married Lewis Web- 
 ber, and died in 1862, the mother of two 
 children; John H., of whom we write; 
 and Catherine and Joseph, who died young 
 and were buried in Riley township. Af- 
 ter a time Mr. Wigland sold out his livery 
 stable and went to Michigan. Later he 
 settled in Fremont, Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 worked on the railroad for one year, 
 saved his money and bought forty acres 
 of land, all hea\-ily timbered, which cost 
 him $250. All this he cleared himself. 
 Deer were plentiful in those times, and 
 could daily be seen feeding around the 
 cabin. Here he lived until his death, 
 which occurred July 8, 1890, and he was 
 buried in Riley township. 
 
 John H. Wigland is a carpenter, and 
 worked at his trade for several years, until 
 
440 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the lime of his marriage, after which he 
 bought a farm of forty acres in Riley 
 township, and built himself a house, 
 which cost him $i,8oo. He was united 
 in marriage with Catherine Manner, and 
 they have had nine children, named as 
 follows: William, Lizzie, Mary, John, 
 Rose, Annie, Nora, Frank and Catherine. 
 Mr. Wigland was drafted for the army in 
 1864, but sent a substitute. He is a 
 natural mechanic, and still works at his 
 trade, and carries on general farming, giv- 
 ing special attention to wheat, oats and 
 corn. In religion he is a Catholic, in 
 politics a Democrat, and has held the 
 office of supervisor for ten years. 
 
 WILLIAM SCHOCH, retired farm- 
 er, now a resident of Fremont, 
 Sandusky county, was born in 
 Snyder county, Penn., October 
 18, 1832, a son of Daniel and Mary 
 (Romich) Schoch, who were both of Ger- 
 man descent. 
 
 Daniel Schoch was born in Pennsylva- 
 nia, where he worked at the blacksmith's 
 trade. In 1835 he moved to Seneca 
 county, and two years later came to Riley 
 township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, where he 
 followed farming, and died at the age of 
 sixty-two years. The mother of our sub- 
 ject was born in Pennsylvania, and de- 
 parted this life in Sandusky county, at the 
 age of eighty-one. The father was a 
 member of the Lutheran Church, the 
 mother of the Reformed Church. The)' 
 had eleven children, as follows: Michael 
 (a farmer), Daniel (who operated a saw- 
 mill), Henry (a farmer), Samuel (a farmer), 
 and Edward, are all five now deceased; 
 William, our subject, comes next; then 
 Frederick; after them, Lydia, wife of H. 
 Swarm; Elizabeth, wife of A. Stein; 
 Catharine, wife of J. Parker; and Mary 
 Ann, wife of C. Livingston. 
 
 William Schoch, the subject proper of 
 there lines, attended the country schools, 
 and was reared to manhood in Riley town- 
 
 ship, on his father's farm. On April 22, 
 i860, he married Miss Lena Shoemaker, 
 who was born in Germany, July 12, 1837, 
 and their children are: (i) Lydia Ann, 
 born September 7, 1861, was married to 
 Charles Hirt, which union was blessed 
 with one son — Willie. Mr. Hirt dying 
 after the birth of his son, his widow was 
 married to E. S. P. Bingman, by whom 
 she had two children — Vergie and War- 
 ren. (2) Emma J., born December 28, 
 1862, who married Francis Earl, and they 
 have three children — Ada, Lena and Myr- 
 tle. (3) William, born March 21, 1S64, 
 and died at the age of sixteen. (4) 
 George Samuel, born November 9, 1868, 
 married Clara Martin, and they have one 
 child — Maud M. (5) Charles Frederick, 
 born March 6, 1870, married Ella Thurn, 
 and they have three children — Lester, 
 Ray, and Mable. 
 
 Mr. Schoch, our subject, was for many 
 years one of the substantial farmers of 
 Riley township, where he still owns land. 
 He recently retired to Fremont, where 
 he bought town lots, and where he now 
 resides. 
 
 JOSEPH A. STOUT. Our national 
 prosperity is largely upheld by the 
 integrity, frugality and virtue of 
 large numbers of the citizens of the 
 Republic. Among those who by their 
 praiseworthy example have been an en- 
 couragement and a help to others, and 
 whose work has contributed its mite to 
 bring forth the rich inheritance locked up 
 within a fertile soil, and to conserve the 
 forces of the nation, is the worthy subject 
 of the brief sketch here given. He was 
 born August 11, 1847, and is a son of 
 Jonathan and Elizabeth (Gilbert) Stout. 
 
 Jonathan Stout was born September 
 18, 1S20, and early trained in those cor- 
 rect principles so well exemplified in his 
 own life and in that of his son. He was 
 united in marriage with Elizabeth Gilbert 
 who was born in 1826. Working by the 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 4At 
 
 day, he saved his money with an eye to 
 larg:er results in the future, and finally 
 bought land, for a home in Riley town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, where other re- 
 solute and persevering? men have also laid 
 the foundations of a competence. 
 
 Joseph A. Stout worked by the month 
 on the farm, saved his money, as had his 
 father before him, and bought forty-six 
 acres of valuable land in Riley township, 
 to establish a home upon it, and by its 
 cultivation gain a livelihood, and more. 
 On October lo, 1871, he was united in 
 marriage with Clara Daniels, and they 
 have five children, as follows: Maria, born 
 August 4, 1S73, married Frank McCleary 
 on November 18, 1891, and they have 
 had one child (they live in Riley town- 
 ship); Bertha was born March 13, 1880; 
 Isaac, December 19, 1881; Emma, July 
 ■ 5, 1886; and Jessie, July iS, 1888. Mr. 
 Stout carries on general farming, not 
 depending upon the success of one crop, 
 or one line of agriculture or stock raising, 
 alone. He is a Democrat, in politics, and 
 has been repeatedly honored by his fel- 
 low citizens with public office, having 
 served as trustee three years, as constable 
 two years, as school director three years, 
 and as supervisor five years. He is well 
 and favorably known in the community, 
 is much liked and very popular. The 
 family attend the United Brethren Church. 
 
 CASPER FOOS, retired farmer and 
 a resident of Millersville, Jackson 
 township, Sandusky county, was 
 born February 20, 1826, in Al- 
 sace, France (now Germany), a son of 
 Casper and Mary fXoeppe) Foos. The 
 parents of our subject came to America 
 in 1842, and settled near Rochester, N.Y., 
 where the father's death occurred in 1882, 
 when he was aged seventy-eight years; 
 the mother died seven years later at the 
 age of eighty-four years. Mr. P'oos was 
 a member of the Roman Catholic Church, 
 and in politics he was a Democrat. 
 
 Casper Foos, the subject proper of 
 these lines, who was one of a family of 
 nine children, remained at home until his 
 nineteenth birthday, when he started out 
 for himself. He worked at different 
 places, and at various employments for 
 two years, and then secured a paying po- 
 sition in a distillery, where he was em- 
 ployed seven years, saving his earnings. 
 In 1855 he moved to Jackson township, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, and there bought 
 forty acres of land, and engaged in farm- 
 ing pursuits. Five years later he bought 
 one hundred acres more, where he now 
 resides. 
 
 ^ On April 25, 1849, Mr. Foos married 
 Miss Adeline Horchelar, of Rochester, 
 N. Y., daughter of John H. Horchelarj 
 now deceased, as is also her mother. 
 The children of Casper and Adeline Foos 
 were as follows: Martin (i), Mary, An- 
 thony, John, Louis and Martin (2). In 
 politics Mr. Foos is a Democrat, and has 
 held several offices, being popular and 
 well-liked in the community. In religious 
 faith he is a member of the Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 CLARENCE L. BOWLUS. The 
 use of steam and electricity as 
 motive powers for the conveyance 
 of passengers in masses, and the 
 use of bicycles for individual transit, have 
 made vast inroads upon the domain of 
 liverymen, yet the busy public can not 
 yet afford to do wholly without the serv- 
 ices of the noble horse in connection with 
 an easy carriage, especially on country 
 roads, and those who cater to the public 
 in this line of business deserve their share 
 of liberal patronage and recognition. As 
 a rising young man of enterprise and 
 push, prepared with latest livery outfits 
 to acommodate the traveling public, in 
 Fremont and vicinity, we present the 
 subject of this sketch. 
 
 Clarence L. Bowlus, liveryman, whose 
 place of business is opposite the "Ball 
 
442 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 House," Fremont, was born in Sandusky 
 township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, January 
 '3. '875, a son of Warren A. and Caro- 
 line R. (Engelman) Bowlus. Warren A. 
 Bowlus was born in the same locality, 
 August 25, 1850, a son of Henry Bowlus, 
 ■who was born September 27, 1810, and in 
 1828 came with his father, Henry Bowlus, 
 Sen., from Middletown \'alley, Freder- 
 ick Co., Md., to Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 where the latter entered 320 acres on the 
 borders of Muskallonge creek, in Sandusky 
 township, which he made his permanent 
 residence. The father of Henry Bowlus, 
 Sen., and the great ancestor of the many 
 Bowlus families in Sandusky county, was 
 Nicholas Bowlus, who, in 1735, at the 
 age of five years, came to America, and 
 lived and died in Frederick county, Md., 
 where many of his descendants still re- 
 side. 
 
 Our subject was reared on a farm, and 
 educated in the common schools and in 
 the Fremont High School. He brings to 
 his chosen vocation the freshness and 
 vigor of early manhood, which betoken a 
 successful business career. 
 
 IVI 
 
 ORITZ A. GESSNER, a pros- 
 perous farmer of Riley town- 
 ship. Sandusky county, was 
 born July 24, 1863, a son of 
 Dr. Louis and Elizabeth Gessner, old 
 residents of northern Ohio. 
 
 Dr. Louis Gessner was born in Ger- 
 many April 6, 1804, studied medicine, 
 graduated in Switzerland, and practiced 
 in Germany. Coming to this country, 
 he first engaged in the practice of his 
 profession in Buffalo, .N. Y., coming to 
 Fremont, Ohio, in 1838. On July 8, 
 1858, Dr. Gessner was united in marriage 
 with Elizabeth Lhair, who was born in 
 Germany March 17, 1825, and they had 
 four children, as follows: Ida, born 
 October 8, 1859, married William Nich- 
 ols, and they live in Sandusky county; 
 Laura, born Februar)' 24, 1861, married 
 
 Louis Balsixer, and they had seven chil- 
 dren (she died March 9, 1890, and was 
 buried in Ballville township); Moritz A. 
 is the subject of this sketch; and Minnie, 
 born September 10, 1867, married Charles 
 Marks (they have had three children, and 
 live in Riley township). In 1861 Dr. 
 Gessner discontinued the practice of medi- 
 cine, and moved to Riley township, 
 where in 1838 he had bought 160 acres of 
 land, giving five dollars an acre for it. 
 Here he made his home the remainder of 
 his life. 
 
 Moritz N. Gessner received a com- 
 mon-school education, and worked for his 
 father until the death of the latter, who 
 left him eighty acres of land. On Janu- 
 arj- 13, 1886, in his twenty-third year, 
 our subject was united in marriage with 
 Christina Baker, who was born Novem- 
 ber 2, 1866, and they have had two chil- 
 dren — Louis F. , born March 24, 1887, 
 and Gertie S.. born October 16, 1888. 
 Mr. Gessner is a member of Fort Ste- 
 phenson Lodge No. 225, A. F. & A. M. In 
 religious connection he is a member of 
 the Lutheran Church; in politics he is a 
 stanch Democrat, and on April i, 1895, 
 was elected trustee of Riley township. 
 
 JOACHIM MEYER. Among those of 
 foreign birth who have become prom- 
 inent in agricultural circles in San- 
 dusky county, is numbered this gen- 
 tleman, a native of German}', who was 
 born on the 29th and baptized on the 30th 
 of July, 1836. He is a son of John Meyer, 
 who died two months before his son's 
 birth, and in consequence our subject 
 knows but little concerning his ancestral 
 history. The father was a sheep raiser 
 and farmer, and the family was not in 
 very affluent circumstances, so that Joa- 
 chim was earl}- forced to earn his own 
 living. As soon as he had attained a 
 sufficient age he began work as a farm 
 hand, and was thus employed for a num- 
 ber of years in Germany, there continu- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 443 
 
 ing his labors until 1867, when, with his 
 wife and mother, he came to America, 
 sailing from Hamburg on the 14th of Oc- 
 tober. His brother had come to the 
 United States the year previous, and lo- 
 cated in Fremont, Sandusky Co., Ohio. 
 
 After three months' sailing on the 
 ocean, Joachim Meyer and family landed 
 at New York City, and after a few days 
 there passed, came to Sandusky county, 
 where he has since made his home, cover- 
 ing a period of about twenty-eight years. 
 He had no capital, at that time, but de- 
 termined to succeed he eagerly worked at 
 anything that he could find to do which 
 would yield him an honest living. By in- 
 dustry and frugality he at length acquired 
 some capital, and with it purchased the 
 farm on which he now resides. He began 
 its cultivation, placed acre after acre under 
 the plow, and has now one of the best farm 
 properties in that section, the rich and 
 fertile fields yielding to him a golden tri- 
 bute in return for the care and labor which 
 he bestows upon them. 
 
 In November, 1866, Mr. Meyer was 
 united in marriage with Miss Dora Witten- 
 burg, who was born on the 28th and bap- 
 tized on the 30th of July, 1838. She 
 was a most estimable lady, also a native 
 of Germany, in which country her parents 
 died. Mr. Meyer has a family of five 
 children — one son and four daughters: 
 Mary, who was born on the ocean, is the 
 wife of Mr. Banard, of Fremont, and they 
 have two children; Albert is at home; 
 Sophia is married to Ed. Smitke, and re- 
 sides in Fremont; Louisa makes her home 
 in the same place, and Emma completes 
 the family, which is well and favorably 
 known in the locality where they live. 
 Mr. Meyer was a member of the German 
 army, in Mecklenburg Schwerin, serving 
 as a dragoon from the year 1857 to 1863. 
 The first three years were spent in the 
 garrison at Ludwigslust, one of the chief 
 cities of Mecklenburg, the remaining three 
 years were spent at his home, but subject 
 to be called into military ranks and do 
 
 military service at any time; hence not 
 until the year 1863 did he receive a dis- 
 charge from military duty, and such hon- 
 orable discharge was granted on the 24th 
 of October, 1863. He is a member of the 
 Lutheran Church, and by his ballot sup- 
 ports the Democracy. He leads a busy 
 and useful life, and with his family shares 
 the high regard of their friends. 
 
 JOSEPH E. BOOP, a well-to-do 
 farmer of Sandusky township, San- 
 dusky county, was born in New Ber- 
 lin, Union Co., Penn., January 6, 
 1 85 1 , a son of Samuel and Hannah (Spet- 
 ler) Boop. They had a family of thirteen' 
 children, Joseph being the youngest one 
 now living. 
 
 When he was si.x years old his parents 
 sent him to school, and at the age of 
 eight years his uncle, William Watson, 
 wished to have the lad with him on the 
 farm, in the capacity of chore boy, to 
 do work such as driving cows to the 
 fields, feeding chickens, and riding the 
 drill to plant corn, which was Joseph's 
 first e.xperience of farm life. In the fall 
 of that year he became anxious to go 
 home and see his parents, and his uncle 
 thought it would be better on account of 
 the boy being thereby enabled to attend 
 school. In the fall of 1859 his father and 
 mother made a trip west, visiting relatives 
 in that part of Ohio, then known as the 
 ' ' Black Swamp, " and returned home after 
 being satisfied with their visit. They 
 were so well pleased with the country 
 that they concluded at once to make 
 their home in Ohio, so, on March 20, 
 i860, Joseph and his parents, and the 
 other members of the family, landed in 
 Fremont (known in earlier days as Lower 
 Sandusky), settling on eighty acres of 
 land lying four miles west of Fremont, 
 known as the "Baldwin farm." The 
 parents lived on that farm five years, then 
 sold it, and located on a farm of 1 1 1 acres 
 nearer to Fremont, along the Maumee 
 
444 
 
 COMMEiiORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 pike. After Joseph landed in Ohio his 
 school days were but few, as his father 
 needed his help very much. During the 
 Civil war of 1861-65, Joseph and his 
 brother would be out in the fields plow- 
 ing, and when they would hear of a train 
 of soldiers coming through from Indiana 
 or Michigan, they would tie the horses to 
 the fence and run to Fremont to see the 
 "boys in blue," and hear them shoot 
 "old Betsy Croghan." 
 
 Joseph well remembers his early boy- 
 hood days, of how he would help to log, 
 burn brush, and get the land ready 
 for the plow. In the j'ear 1861 Joseph 
 was working for Charles Reorick at 
 four dollars per month, and after hav- 
 ing served the required time — ten months 
 — he went home, and in 1869 he 
 worked for Edward Deemer on a farm, 
 receiving $17 per month. Returning 
 home, he in the year 1872 hired out 
 again on a farm to Henry Bowlus, for 
 nine months at $23 per month, if satis- 
 faction was given. After nine months 
 had e.xpired he returned home again to 
 assist his aged mother, his father having 
 died in the fall of 1872. In 1874 he 
 again hired to Warren Bowlus, and on 
 October 20, 1874, he set out on a trip to 
 California, in company with his mother, 
 to visit a brother who had gone there in 
 1 85 I . There they remained three months, 
 at the end of which time his mother de- 
 sired to return, and on the way back they 
 visited relatives in San Francisco, Wis- 
 consin, Illinois, and Iowa. They settled 
 in Sandusky township. 
 
 On the 1 6th day of November, 1876, 
 Mr. Boop married Miss Elizabeth Faust, 
 who was born in Washington township, 
 Sandusky county, Ohio, October 16, 1857. 
 She died September 15, 1891, the mother 
 of five children: Emma G., Irvin T. , 
 Ada P., Vernie May and Edith V. For 
 his second wife, our subject married Feb- 
 ruary 16, 1892, Miss Mary Mehle, also a 
 native of Sandusky township, born May 
 19, 1862, a daughter of Frederick and 
 
 Sophia (Smith) Mehle, who both lived in 
 Sandusky township. Mr. Boop is one of 
 the prosperous men among the younger 
 element in his township, owns a well-im- 
 proved farm, and he and his wife are 
 genial and sociable. In politics he is a 
 Republican, and in religious faith is a 
 member of the Reformed Church. 
 
 SOLOMON EMCH, a successful 
 farmer, was born in Woodville 
 township, Sandusky county, Jan- 
 uary 19, 1854. He remained at 
 home until his twenty-first birthday, then 
 worked out by the day, being employed 
 at different places for about si.\ years, un- 
 til the time of his marriage. 
 
 On March 18, 1880, Solomon Emch 
 married Caroline Schreiner, who was 
 born in Troy township, \\'ood county, 
 September 24, 1859, and they have be- 
 come the parents of three bright children 
 — Bertha, born December 5, 1880; Eddie, 
 born December 15, 1882, and Charles, 
 born March 27, 1889. After his marriage 
 Mr. Emch rented a farm from his cousin, 
 which he worked for about eleven j'ears. 
 He then bought forty-five acres which 
 cost him $4,200. In 1894 he leased his 
 land to an oil firm, and they put down 
 three wells, which are in operation daily. 
 Mr. Emch is very popular, is an honest, 
 upright man, has always worked hard and 
 saved his mone}-, is a good manager and 
 provides well for his famih'. 
 
 EDWARD SCHWARTZ, funeral 
 director and embalmer, Fremont, 
 Sandusky county, was born at 
 Williamsville, Erie Co., N. Y., 
 January 26, 185 1. His father, Joseph 
 Schwartz, was born in Alsace, France, in 
 1816, came to America in his youth, lo- 
 cated in western New York, married Miss 
 Theresa Batt, and worked at shoemaking 
 and farming. About the year 1853, he 
 removed to Ballville township, Sandusky 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 445 
 
 Co., Ohio, where he bought a farm, 
 whereon he spent the remainder of his life 
 in agricultural pursuits. His death oc- 
 curred in 1859. Our subject's mother, 
 who was also a native of Alsace, born in 
 1831, came with her father, Joseph Batt, 
 in her childhood, to the New World. In 
 crossing the Atlantic Ocean they were one 
 hundred days at sea, their ship having 
 been driven about by adverse winds and 
 disabled by storms, so that they were 
 obliged to put into the harbor of Cork, 
 Ireland, for repairs. The family settled 
 on a farm in western New York, where the 
 parents lived to celebrate their golden 
 wedding, surrounded by a numerous pos- 
 terity, and died a few years later at an 
 advanced age. 
 
 The children of Joseph and Theresa 
 Schwartz were: (i) John, who died in 
 childhood; (2) Joseph Schwartz, Jr., born 
 February 29, 1844, in Lancaster, Erie 
 Co., N. Y. , who came with his parents to 
 Ballville township, Sandusky county, 
 when nine years of age, grew up to farm 
 work, attended country schools, enlisted 
 in Company A, One Hundred and Eleventh 
 Regiment, O. V. I., in the spring of 1862, 
 served during the war, and was honorably 
 discharged, February 10, 1865; on May 
 12, 1868, he married Miss Veronica 
 Schmittuz, of Fremont, and they have si.x 
 children ; Mr. Schwartz is a leading member 
 of various social orders in Fremont, and 
 has held positions of honor and trust; 
 he is secretary of the Fremont Water 
 Works, and of the German Aid Society; 
 he is an official member of Eugene Raw- 
 son Post, No. 34, Department of Ohio, 
 G. A. R. , and of S. A. J. Snyder Com- 
 mand, U. V. U. (3) Magdalena M. 
 Schwartz became the wife of John Snyder, 
 a farmer and carpenter, now living at 
 Charlotte, Mich. (4) John Schwartz, a 
 blacksmith, married Miss Magdalen 
 Feuerstein, and resides at Williamsville, 
 N. Y. (5) Mary A. Schwartz died in child- 
 hood. (6) Edward Schwartz is the sub- 
 ject proper of this sketch, (j) Frank X. 
 
 Schwartz, an engineer, married Miss 
 \'eronica Brunier, of Fremont, and re- 
 sides at Lima, Ohio. (8) Louis Schwartz, 
 a blacksmith, married Miss Elizabeth 
 Epp, and resides at Fort Wayne, Ind. 
 (9) William H. Schwartz died in child- 
 hood. (10) Mary C. Schwartz, wife of 
 Joseph Neinhaus, a laborer at Buffalo, 
 N. Y., died in 1886. 
 
 Our subject, Edward Schwartz, made 
 his home with his parents until the death 
 of his father, in 1859, when he went to 
 live with his uncle, John Daul, proprietor 
 of a brewery at Williamsville, N. Y. , 
 where he attended school. Three years 
 later he returned to Ohio, and lived with 
 his mother about four years. About the 
 year 1866 he came to Fremont, and be- 
 gan to work at cabinet-making. In 1869 
 he went to Buffalo, N. Y. , where he re- 
 mained about four years, thoroughly learn- 
 ing his trade. In 1873 he returned to 
 Fremont, and soon after went into part- 
 nership with his brother in the furniture 
 business, on State street. In 1878 he 
 sold out, and has since that time confined 
 himself exclusively to undertaking and 
 embalming, in which particular line he 
 e.xcels. He was one of the first men in 
 the State of Ohio to take up this art as a 
 profession, having graduated from the 
 Embalmers' School at Cincinnati in 1883. 
 He was elected third vice-president of the 
 Ohio State Undertakers' Association, in 
 1893, and now holds the position of first 
 vice-president of the same. He is also a 
 member of various social organizations, 
 in some of which he holds official posi- 
 tions. He is exalted ruler of Fremont 
 Lodge, No. 169, B. P. O. Elks; president 
 of Edna Council, No. 64, N. U. ; treas- 
 urer of Dickinson Tent, No. 21, K. O. 
 T. M. ; and treasurer of Onoka Tribe, 
 No. 140. I. O. R. M. 
 
 Edward Schwartz was married May 
 iS, 1874, to Miss Mary Eichel, of Fre- 
 mont, who was born in Ottawa county, 
 Ohio, July 2, 1854, daughter of Louis and 
 Elizabeth Eichel, natives of Germany, 
 
446 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and their children are: Edward L. , steno- 
 grapher at the " Boody House," Toledo, 
 Ohio; Frances M. E. , assistant book- 
 keeper at the Christy Knife Works, Fre- 
 mont, Ohio; Hilda C., and William H., 
 at home attending school. 
 
 SAMUEL T. WOOD, the popular 
 and efficient sheriff of Ottawa 
 county, was born in Seneca coun- 
 ty* Ohio, February 28, 1841, and 
 is a son of David and Patience (Rolfe) 
 Wood, both natives of Greene county, 
 N. Y., the father born May 25, 1803, the 
 mother born March 7, 1806, and died in 
 Seneca county, Ohio, March 8, 1848. 
 The father passed away in Clay town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, August 10, 1888. 
 They were the parents of ten children, 
 six of whom still survive, namely: Dor- 
 cas, wife of T. P. Taylor, who is living 
 in Genoa, Ohio; Mercy, wife of John 
 Tiplady, who is living in Clay township, 
 Ottawa county; Samuel T. ; Louisa, 
 wife of William Armstrong, of Genoa, 
 Ohio; Felinda, wife of Albert Sponable, 
 a resident of Hastings, Mich. ; and Francis 
 v., who is located in Fremont, Ohio. 
 The second in the family of ten children 
 was Mary J., who married Michael Tomp- 
 kins (now deceased), and died in Genoa, 
 Ottawa Co., Ohio, November 13, 1876; 
 Elizabeth A., the third one of the chil- 
 dren, died at Genoa, October 24, 1854; 
 and George, the eighth child, born in 
 September, 1846, died ininfancj*. 
 
 ■ Our subject was educated in the dis- 
 trict schools of his native county, and his 
 boyhood was passed upon the old farm 
 amidst the surroundings of a comfortable 
 home and the care of kind indulgent par- 
 ents. When about thirteen years of age 
 he removed to Clay township, Ottawa 
 county, with the family, and continued to 
 aid in the farm work until after he had 
 attained to manhood, when he began 
 farming in his own interest. For over 
 forty years he was an honored and re- 
 
 spected resident of Clay township, where 
 his agricultural pursuits by their success 
 proved his energy and perseverance, 
 while the high estimation in which he 
 was held by the people of the county 
 bore its tribute to his sterling qualities 
 and upright, honorable principles. On 
 November 6, 1894, he was elected sheriff 
 of the county on the Republican ticket, 
 and, abandoning the pursuit he had so 
 long followed, he on January 7, 1895, 
 took possession of the office, removing 
 his family to Port Clinton. 
 
 In Fremont, Ohio, September 28, 
 1865, Mr. Wood married Maria E. Jones, 
 a native of Ohio, who was born in Pick- 
 away county, January 29, 1842, a daugh- 
 ter of Noah and Ruth Jones. Her moth- 
 er still survives at the advanced age of 
 ninety-one years, and resides with our 
 subject in Port Clinton, being probably 
 the oldest living resident in Ottawa coun- 
 ty, and undoubtedly one of the most in- 
 telligent and interesting old ladies, having 
 a most remarkable memory for dates and 
 events. She was born in Pendleton coun- 
 ty, Va., June 20, 1804, and is a daughter 
 
 of Uriah and Catherine (Loother) , 
 
 who were also natives of Virginia. In 
 1805 the mother and children removed to 
 Pickaway county, Ohio, and six months 
 later was joined b}' the husband, who at 
 the time of the first removal was serving 
 as sheriff of Pendleton county. Here he 
 passed away in 1812. His widow con- 
 tinued to reside in Pickaway county, 
 Ohio, until 1850, when she removed to 
 Fairfield county, this State, where her 
 death occurred in 1858. In 1826 the 
 mother of Mrs. Wood was married to 
 Noah Jones, and to their union came nine 
 children, as follows: Benjamin F. , born 
 July 14, 1827, now living in Findlay, 
 Ohio; Uriah, born August 28, 1829, now 
 residing in Columbus, Ohio; Rebecca, 
 born March 28, 1832, now the wife of 
 W'illiam Adams, of Lithopolis, Ohio; 
 John W., born August 10, 1834. is living 
 at Burnips Corners, Mich.; Daniel W., 
 
<Z:J'^>L'^i.^nyLyUyf.cJ "^^^^-T^ , 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 447 
 
 born May 3, 1837, is living in Genoa, 
 Ohio; Samuel, born June 27, 1839, died 
 August 3, 1846; Maria E. is the wife of 
 our subject; Noah, born May 14, 1844, is 
 located in Toledo; and Nelson A., born 
 August 17, 1846, died June 19, 1880. 
 
 The union of Mr. and Mrs. Wood has 
 been blessed with si.\ children, as follows: 
 Alonzo, born July 6, 1866, died in infancy; 
 Mary and Martha (twinsj, born August 
 10, 1 87 1, and died in infancy; Charles, 
 born July 7, 1875; Lizzie, born Decem- 
 ber 27, 1872, died March 6, 1876; and 
 Nelson J., born March 18, 1879. 
 
 Mr. Wood manifested his loyalty to 
 the government during the Civil war by 
 joining Company A, Fourteenth O. V. I., 
 September 5, 1861. He served for three 
 years, participating with his regiment in 
 numerous skirmishes, and some of the 
 most important battles of the war. At 
 the battle of Chickamauga, he was taken 
 prisoner by the Confederates, and for 
 forty-three days was held as a captive in 
 the Smith tobacco-house prison, opposite 
 the renowned Libby Prison, in Richmond, 
 Va. At the expiration of that time with 
 a number of others he was removed to a 
 prison in Danville, Va., where he was 
 held until February 21, 1864, when he suc- 
 ceeded in making his escape, and reach- 
 ing the lines of the Union army at Browns- 
 town. For twenty-one days he was trav- 
 eling toward the Northern army, and en- 
 during untold hardships before he reached 
 his destination. He was then granted a 
 thirty-days' furlough, which he spent in 
 visiting his family, rejoining his regiment 
 at Ringgold, Ga. . and with his command 
 participating in the Atlanta campaign. At 
 the capture of Jonesboro, five days after 
 the expiration of his term of service, he 
 was seriously wounded, and when hos- 
 tilities ceased was sent to the hospital. 
 Fourteen days later he was honorablj' 
 discharged, returning to his home in Clay 
 township, Ottawa county. He had been 
 a faithful soldier, always true to his duties 
 and the cause of the Union arms. 
 
 Mr. Wood is a member of Clay Lodge, 
 No. 584, I. O. O. F., and Elliott Wyman 
 Post, G. A. R. He is an active worker 
 in the ranks of the Republican party, and 
 in the discharge of his official duties has 
 won the commendation of all concerned. 
 The family attend the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church, of which he and his estimable 
 wife are consistent members. 
 
 HENRY GERMAN, the efficient 
 manager and superintendent of 
 the Gypsum Plaster Mills and 
 Carielea Farm, Portage town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, was born in the 
 town of Tyrone, Steuben Co., N. Y. , 
 April 3, 1832, and is a son of Andrew 
 and Hannah (Force) German, the former 
 a native of Dutchess county, N. Y. , the 
 latter of Steuben county. Both were of 
 German lineage, and the mother was 
 also of French descent. The paternal 
 grandmother of our subject was a grand- 
 daughter of Governor Winthrop, the first 
 governor of the Colony of Massachusetts. 
 Andrew German was engaged in agricul- 
 tural pursuits in Steuben county, N. Y. , 
 and there spent the greater part of his 
 life, passing away in 185 1. His widow 
 with seven of her children removed to 
 Ohio in 1857, locating in Margaretta 
 township, Erie county, whence, in i88o, 
 they went to Sandusky county, where the 
 mother departed this life in 1882. 
 
 Henry German acquired his education 
 in the district schools of his native coun- 
 ty, and his boyhood days were spent at 
 farm work, while during his early man- 
 hood he was engaged in milling and engin- 
 eering. After locating in Erie county, he 
 followed agricultural pursuits in the town- 
 ship, where the family took up their abode 
 until 1880, when he removed to Townsend 
 township, Sandusky county. There, in 
 association with his son-in-law, Henry 
 Brown, he purchased a sawmill, which he 
 operated in connection with his agricul- 
 tural pursuits until 1884, when he en- 
 
448 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 tered upon his present position as man- 
 ager and superintendent of the Gypsum 
 Plaster Mills and Carielea Farm. He 
 still makes his home in Sandusky coun- 
 ty, where he is also extensively engaged 
 in fruit farming. He is now manager of 
 one of the largest limestone quarries and 
 mills, and also one of the most e.xtensive 
 fruit farms in his section of the State, 
 and his duties are performed with faithful- 
 ness that is well indicated by his long 
 continuance in office, covering a period 
 of more than eleven consecutive years. 
 
 On January lO, 1852, in Steuben 
 county, N. Y. , Mr. German was joined 
 in wedlock with Miss Lydia A. Howe, 
 daughter of Joseph Howe, and to their 
 union two children were born — Eva, 
 wife of H. E. Brown, who is living in 
 Townsend township, Sandusky county; 
 and Lyman, who died in infancy. The 
 family attend the Universalist Church, and 
 the members of the household occupy an 
 enviable position in social circles, while 
 their home is noted for its hospitality. 
 Mr. German is a Republican in politics, 
 and is a man of broad views, keen and 
 quick perceptions, sterling integrity and a 
 spotless reputation — qualities which have 
 secured him the unlimited confidence of all 
 with whom he has come in contact. 
 While still making his home in Sandusky 
 county, he also takes an active interest 
 in the welfare of Ottawa county, and 
 well deserves representation among the 
 leading men of his locality.^ [Since the 
 above was written, Mr. German has re- 
 signed his position in Ottawa county, and 
 gone back to Sandusky county. — Ed. 
 
 RICHARD B. SONOCRANT, a 
 leading and representative citizen 
 of Ottawa county, ex-superintend- 
 ent of the Ottawa County Infirm- 
 ary, was born in Lucas county, Ohio, 
 July 27, 1845, son of John and Matilda 
 (Mommoney) Sonocrant, the former a 
 native of Monroe, Mich., of French an- 
 
 cestry, the latter a native of Port Clinton, 
 Ohio, of French and Scotch ancestry. 
 They were highly-respected residents of 
 Carroll township, Ottawa county, for 
 forty-three years, but in 1893 moved to 
 Lucas county, where they now reside. 
 Their family consists of six children, viz.: 
 Peter, residing in Canada; John N. , of To- 
 ledo, Ohio; Richard B. ; Elizabeth, wife 
 of A. G. Renner, of Locust Point, Ohio; 
 Jennie, wife of Gabriel Dubrie, also of 
 Locust Point; and Samuel E., a resident 
 of Lucas county. 
 
 Our subject is one of the wide-awake, 
 pushing men of his day, and has filled 
 several important positions in life. His 
 primary education was received in the 
 public schools of Carroll township, Ottawa 
 county, his early boyhood being spent in 
 assisting in the care of the farm. At the 
 age of seventeen years he left the paren- 
 tal abode, and started out in life as a sail- 
 or, sailing on Lakes Erie and Michigan 
 for upward of six years, experiencing 
 many of the hardships and dangers inci- 
 dent to a sailor's life. In 1870, having 
 left his vessel, he engaged in the fishing 
 industry for one year; then purchased a 
 farm, which he cultivated for about seven 
 years, after which he sold it, and in 1878 
 embarked in mercantile pursuits at Locust 
 Point, Ohio, shortly afterward opening a 
 branch at Trowbridge, Ottawa county. 
 In 1883 our subject transferred the busi- 
 ness to Clarksfield, Huron county, but re- 
 turned to Locust Point one year later. In 
 1885, having disposed of his mercantile 
 business, and being recognized as a man 
 of sound judgment and excellent business 
 qualifications, Mr. Sonocrant was ap- 
 pointed to the position he so efficiently 
 filled for some ten years, and in this in- 
 cumbency, as in all his business enter- 
 prises, he proved a success. On June 
 26, 1895, he leased the "Lake House" 
 at Port Clinton, which he has re-modeled 
 and re-fitted. He is a genial landlord, 
 well calculated to merit and hold a good 
 patronage, and is enjoying a fair trade. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 449 
 
 Mr. Sonocrant was united in marriage 
 at Locust Point, July i6, iS/r, with Miss 
 Hetta Pierson, a daughter of Alfred and 
 Mary (Lindley) Pierson, natives of New 
 Jersey, and for many years prominent res- 
 idents of Carroll township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty, the former of whom is now deceased 
 and the latter is still residing in that town- 
 ship. To this union have come seven 
 children, as follows: Ora M. and Cora 
 M. (twins), born August 5, 1872, the lat- 
 ter dying October 6, 1S76; Alfred Byron, 
 born July 20, 1874; Elsie L., born April 
 2, 1876; Burgert H., born September 18, 
 1879, died June 15, 1884; Eber R. , born 
 August 20, 1881 ; and Vida A., born April 
 13, 1884. Politically Mr. Sonocrant uses 
 his right of franchise in the support of the 
 Democratic party. Socially he is a mem- 
 ber of Oak Harbor Lodge No. 735, L O. 
 O. F., and of the K. of P. 
 
 E 
 
 DWARD A. POWERS, county 
 auditor of Ottawa county, is num- 
 bered among the native sons of 
 Ohio, his birth having occurred 
 in Woodville, Sandusky county, April 7, 
 1861. 
 
 His father, Charles A. Powers, was 
 born in New York in 18 19, and was of 
 Irish descent. He married Lydia A. 
 Banks, who was born in Ontario, Canada, 
 August 24, 1829, and was descended from 
 English ancestry who settled in New York 
 at an early day in the history of this coun- 
 try. Coming to Ohio, Charles A. Powers 
 engaged in merchandising for many years, 
 carr}ing on the business in Woodville and 
 in Elmore. In 1869 he removed to Per- 
 rysburg, where he retired from active 
 business life and passed away in July, 
 1 87 1. He was numbered among the pio- 
 neer settlers of Sandusky county of 1837; 
 was one of its enterprising and successful 
 business men for over thirty years, and 
 did much toward promoting its growth 
 and prosperity. He represented that 
 county in the Legislature in 1859, and 
 
 honorably filled various positions of trust. 
 His widow now resides in Pawtucket, 
 R. I., with her younger son. Her mother, 
 Mrs. Warriner, nee Banks, is also yet liv- 
 ing at the advanced age of eighty-six 
 years. 
 
 To Charles and Lydia Powers were 
 born eight children, seven of whom are 
 living, one having died in infancy: Helen 
 A. , wife of Gustavus Jaeger, a resident of 
 Elmore; George P., who is residing in 
 Marshalltown, Iowa; Charles A., living at 
 Ardniore, Ind. Ter. ; James F. , of Cali- 
 fornia; Edward A., subject of this sketch; 
 John L., of Carroll, Iowa; and William 
 H., who is located in Pawtucket, Rhode 
 Island. 
 
 When Edward A. Powers was eight 
 years of age he removed with the family 
 to Perrysburg, where he acquired his edu- 
 cation in the public schools. Subse- 
 quently, in 1876, he entered the hard- 
 ware store of Gustavus Jaeger, at El- 
 more, as a salesman, and remained in 
 his employ for two years, when, on the 
 expiration of that period, he began teach- 
 ing school. He was employed for two 
 winter terms in Harris township, Ottawa 
 county, and in the summer continued to 
 work in the hardware store. In 1880 he 
 bought out a mercantile establishment at 
 Webb, Wood Co., Ohio, and successfully 
 conducted that business until the spring 
 of 1883, when he removed to Genoa, 
 where he followed the same pursuit. He 
 has also erected a spacious elevator there, 
 and is engaged in the grain business and 
 in stock buying, still retaining an interest 
 in the store. On November 6, 1893, Mr. 
 Powers was elected auditor of Ottawa 
 county, and took possession of the office 
 on September 10, 1894. He is discharg- 
 ing his duties with a promptness and fidel- 
 ity that wins him high commendation. 
 He has also efficiently served as township 
 clerk for two years, and was a member of 
 the school board some five years. In his 
 political views he is a stanch supporter of 
 the Democratic party, and takes a deep 
 
450 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 interest in everything that pertains to its 
 growth and success. 
 
 Mr. Powers was united in marriage in 
 Elmore, Ohio, on the 2d of May, 1883, 
 with Wilhehiiina Georgii, daughter of 
 Otto and Frederica (Jaeger) Georgii, and 
 a native of Prairie du Chien, Wis., born 
 in January, i860. Mr. and Mrs. Powers 
 have an interesting little family, number- 
 ing the following children: Charles A., 
 born March 25, 1885; Helen Gertrude, 
 born August 2, 1887; and Alice Permelia, 
 born November 7, 1891. The family at- 
 tend the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 and Mr. Powers is a member of Genoa 
 Lodge, No. 433, F. & A. M., of Genoa, 
 and Fort Meigs Chapter, No. 29, R. A. 
 M., of Toledo. He is also connected 
 with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
 lows of Genoa. As well as being one of 
 Ottawa county's most capable public 
 officers, he is known as one of the most 
 enterprising business men of Clay town- 
 ship, and few, if any, residents of that 
 township have taken a more active part 
 in its upbuilding or done more toward its 
 prosperity than Edward A. Powers. 
 
 WILLIAM H. FRY, a well-known 
 citizen and ex-postmaster of 
 Oak Harbor, Ottawa county, 
 was born in Baden, Germany, 
 May, 23, 1848. His parents Andrew and 
 Katherine (Schlenker) Fry, emigrated to 
 America in 1850, locating in Sandusky 
 county, Ohio, whore the father engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits and resided until 
 his death, which occurred in 1858. The 
 mother was afterward married to Chisto- 
 pher Lammale, and at present resides on 
 the old homestead in Sandusky county. 
 The family consisted of five children, 
 four of whom still survive, viz. : Rosana, 
 wife of William Schrenfeldt, a resident of 
 Sandusky county; William H., the sub- 
 ject of this sketch; Emma, wife of Simon 
 Crane, of Hamler, Henry Co., Ohio; 
 Christian, wife of John Speildiner, a resi- 
 
 dent of Conneaut, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, 
 and Andrew, who died in 1893. 
 
 William H. Fry, subject proper of 
 this sketch, received his early education 
 in the public schools of Sandusky county, 
 subsequently taking a course in the Bry- 
 ant & Stratton Business College, of 
 Chicago, on leaving which he accepted a 
 position as clerk in a general store at 
 Rocky Ridge, Ottawa Co., Ohio. In 
 1874 he entered into the employ of H. H. 
 Mylander, of Oak Harbor, as salesman, 
 and was also with George Deel, of the 
 same place, for one year, at the expiration 
 of which time he engaged in the grocery 
 business for himself. In 1885, having 
 received the appointment of postmaster 
 of Oak Harbor, Mr. Ery disposed of his 
 grocery store and efficiently filled the po- 
 sition four years. After his retirement 
 from official life, in 1890, he opend a res- 
 tuarant at Oak Harbor, which he still 
 continues to carry on. Besides filling the 
 position of postmaster, Mr. Fry has serv- 
 ed four years as township clerk, also one 
 year as corporation clerk, and as a serv- 
 ant of the public he has proved himself a 
 thorough business man, discharging his 
 various duties with a painstaking fidelity 
 that won for him the respect and esteem 
 of the entire community in which he re- 
 sides. Our subject also saw considerable 
 service as a soldier during the Civil war. 
 On December 12, i863,he enlisted in Com- 
 pany D, Twenty-third O. V. I., and with 
 his regiment participated in thirteen im- 
 portant engagements. At the battle of 
 Winchester, Va., he was wounded and 
 taken prisoner by the Confederates, and 
 for seven months was confined a prisoner 
 in Danville, Lynchburg and Libby pris- 
 ons; after being paroled from the latter 
 prison he received his discharge at Camp 
 Chase, Columbus, Ohio, June 20, 1865, 
 on account of disability, and returned 
 home. Mr. Fry is a member of the G. 
 A. R., George Field Post No. 195, Oak 
 Harbor. 
 
 On June 20, 1878, our subject was 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 451 
 
 united in marriage at Oak Harbor, with 
 Miss Alice Deel, a daughter of George 
 and JuHa M. (Koch) Deel, and to this 
 union were born five children, all of whom 
 survive, viz. : William, Mildred, Roland, 
 Ursie and Erma. In his political views 
 Mr. Fry is a stanch Democrat; socially 
 he is a member of Oak Harbor Lodge 
 No. 495, F. & A. M. The family are 
 members of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 GEORGE O. MOMENY, retired 
 merchant and hotel-keeper of Oak 
 Harbor, Ottawa county, whose 
 parents ranked among the promi- 
 nent pioneers of Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 and who himself is a native as well as 
 one of the oldest living residents of the 
 section of the State to which this volume 
 is devoted, first saw the light of day in 
 Fremont, October 24, 1822. 
 
 Joseph Momeny, father of our subject, 
 is a native of Canada, while the mother, 
 who bore the maiden name of Catherine 
 Gonia, was born in Monroe, Mich., and 
 both were of French descent. The for- 
 mer served as a soldier in the war of 1812, 
 and was sent by Gen. Harrison with dis- 
 patches to Gallipolis, on the Ohio river. 
 On the close of the war he took his fam- 
 ily and, accompanied by a neighboring 
 family of the name of Beaugrant, made 
 his way across the country with one horse 
 from Monroe, Mich., to Ohio. They left 
 on account of the Indian ravages. He 
 was well known and on friendly terms 
 with the Indians, however, and therefore 
 his party was not molested, though they 
 witnessed the death of several other set- 
 tlers at the hands of the savages. The 
 party landed at Presque Isle, at the head 
 of Maumee Bay, and continued their 
 journey to the mouth of the Huron river, 
 where they remained until the winter of 
 181 3. The following spring they pro- 
 ceeded on their way to Sandusky county, 
 and located where now stands the city of 
 Fremont, but at that time the site was an 
 
 unbroken wilderness. Joseph Momeny 
 worked at the baker's trade, and contin- 
 ued his residence in this section of the 
 State up to the time of his death, which 
 occurred in 1837. His faithful wife 
 passed away in 1834. They had a family 
 of eight children, of whom George O. is 
 the only one now living. 
 
 Our subject's boyhood days were 
 passed in Sandusky county amidst the 
 wild scenes of pioneer life, and with the 
 family he shared in many hardships and 
 dangers of which the present generation 
 have little realization. Like other chil- 
 dren of pioneer parents, he received very 
 limited educational privileges, pursuing 
 his studies in an old log schoolhouse with 
 half barrels for seats. The strictest dis- 
 cipline was maintained by a stern school- 
 master, who believed that "to spare the 
 rod is to spoil the child." In early life 
 Mr. Momeny was initiated into farm labor, 
 and became familiar with the arduous 
 task of developing wild land that had 
 hitherto been untouched by the plow. 
 Subsequently he entered upon a clerkship 
 in a general store, but his labors were in- 
 terrupted in 1846 by his enlistment in 
 the United States army. He was assigned 
 to Company C, Fifteenth Regiment, com- 
 manded by Capt. James A. Jones, of Nor- 
 walk, Ohio, and Col. George W. Morgan. 
 He served for one year, and September 
 13, 1846, was so severely wounded in the 
 left arm as to necessitate the amputation 
 of that member at the shoulder. In con- 
 sequence he was detained in the hospital 
 for nine months, and on becoming con- 
 valescent was discharged in the City of 
 Me.vico, whereupon he returned to his 
 home in Fremont, Ohio. 
 
 During the succeeding five years Mr. 
 Momeny was a tollgate-keeper on the 
 Western Reserve and Maumee road, and 
 in 1852 was appointed lighthouse-keeper 
 at Port Clinton, efficiently filling that po- 
 sition for three years. In 1855 he em- 
 barked in general merchandise there, car- 
 rying on his store until 1858, when he 
 
452 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 emigrated westward, locating in Hanni- 
 bal, Mo., where he was again engaged in 
 general merchandising for three years. 
 In 1861 he returned to Port Clinton, and 
 re-engaged in mercantile pursuits for a 
 year, when he removed to the country, 
 and devoted his time and energies to pur- 
 chasing furs. His residence in Oak Har- 
 bor dates from 1866, and for seven years 
 he was proprietor of a hotel and grocery 
 store. Since 1873 he has been engaged 
 in fruit growing, but is now practically 
 living retired. 
 
 Mr. Momeny has been twice married. 
 He first wedded Miss Angeline Guj-ett, 
 but afterward separated, and later he was 
 married at Oak Harbor, in February, 
 1866, to Miss Hester La Jenness, who 
 was born in Monroe, Mich., January 14, 
 1856, a daughter of Henry L. and Delia 
 La Jenness, residents of that place and 
 natives of Canada. Three children have 
 been born to Mr. and Mrs. Momeny: 
 George H., born September 22, 1878; 
 Mary Louise, born January 6, 1880; and 
 Alverretta, born November 26, 1890. 
 Mrs. Momeny and the family attend the 
 Roman Catholic Church. In his political 
 views Mr. Momeny is a stalwart advocate 
 of the Democracy, and has served as a 
 member of the town council of Oak Har- 
 bor, and for four years was a member of 
 the school board, acting for three years as 
 its president. His fellow townsmen rec- 
 ognize in him a citizen who is devoted to 
 the welfare of Oak Harbor, and who in 
 all possible ways will promote its inter- 
 ests. His career has been that of an 
 honorable, straightforward business man, 
 and no one is more worthy of the esteem 
 in which he is held than is George O. 
 Momeny. 
 
 GUY P. RAFFERTY, an enterpris- 
 ing citizen and successful manu- 
 facturer, of Oak Harbor, Ottawa 
 county, was born at Easton, 
 Northampton Co., Penn., September 16, 
 
 1846, to Michael and Margaret (Clem- 
 men) Rafferty, the former of whom was a 
 native of New York, the latter of Schuyl- 
 kill county, Penn. The family consisted 
 of twelve children— three deceased and 
 nine yet living — namely: John, Mary 
 (Mrs. Peter Magee) and Sarah, all three 
 deceased; and Hannah E. (wife of T. A. 
 Hineline), residing in Sandusky county, 
 Ohio; Feli.x, a prosperous farmer of near 
 Fremont, Sandusky county; Jacob F., of 
 Easton, Penn. ; Margaret (Mrs. George 
 Brown), of Fremont; Ellen (wife of S. B. 
 Snyder), also of Fremont; Michael H., 
 residing in Creighton, Knox Co., Neb.; 
 Guy P., the subject proper of this sketch; 
 James A. .residing in Fremont; and Mary, 
 wife of Alfred Stierwalt, a prosperous ag- 
 riculturist of Sandusky county. The 
 parents have both long since passed away, 
 each at a good old age, and are now 
 peacefully awaiting the resurrection morn. 
 Guy P. Rafferty, whose name intro- 
 duces this sketch, remained at home with 
 his parents for the first eight years of his 
 life, then going to live with his sister in 
 Ohio, near Fremont, and remaining with 
 her until the age of fifteen years, when 
 he returned to his old home at Easton, 
 Penn. His primary education was re- 
 ceived in the public schools of Fremont, 
 to which place his parents removed in 
 1863, and after leaving school he appren- 
 ticed himself to the trade of stone and 
 brick mason. On finishing his term of 
 apprenticeship Mr. Rafferty started out in 
 life as a builder and contractor, in Sandusky 
 and Ottawa counties, and being a thorough 
 business man, well acquainted with all the 
 minute details of his trade, he proved very 
 successful. In 1879 he moved to Oak 
 Harbor, and engaged extensively in the 
 manufacture of brick and tile, and has 
 since been an honored and respected resi- 
 dent of that town. In 1880 he was elect- 
 ed a justice of the peace, which office he 
 still continues to fill in an efficient man- 
 ner; he is also president of the board of 
 education, and has served two terms as a 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BTOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 453 
 
 member of the Oak Harbor council. Mr. 
 Rafferty has made a complete success as 
 a business man, and fully merits the re- 
 spect and good opinion of his fellow citi- 
 zens. 
 
 On March 25, 1879, our subject was 
 united in marriage with Auzurella J. 
 Yates, born at Green Spring, Seneca 
 Co., Ohio, May 28, 1857, a daughter of 
 Dr. Porter and Mary L. (Williams) Yates. 
 This union has not been blessed with any 
 children, but they have an adopted son, 
 named Bert Yates Rafferty. In his polit- 
 ical views Mr. Rafferty is an ardent sup- 
 porter of the Democratic party. Socially 
 he is a member of Oak Harbor Lodge No. 
 516, K. of P. Mrs. Rafferty is a member 
 of the Disciple Church, and of Rathbone 
 Sisters, Portage Temple. 
 
 Dr. Porter Yates, a retired physician, 
 father of Mrs. Guy P. Rafferty, now re- 
 siding with his son-in-law at Oak Harbor, 
 was born in Hartwick, Otsego Co., N. Y. , 
 February 18, 181 8, to George and Eliza- 
 beth (Harrington) Yates, both natives of 
 New York State. Dr. Yates' boyhood 
 days were spent in New York State, 
 where he received his preliminary 
 education; subsequently he commenced 
 the study of medicine and surgery 
 under the preceptorship of Dr. S. Brow- 
 nell, a medical practitioner of Butter- 
 nuts township, Otsego Co., N. Y. , with 
 whom he remained three years, at the ex- 
 piration of that time removing to Chautau- 
 qua county, N. Y. , where he continued 
 his studies for about two j'ears with Dr. 
 Ellsworth, teaching school during the 
 winter months. In 1850 Dr. Yates en- 
 tered the Medical College at Cleveland, 
 and on graduating from that institution 
 commenced practice in Green Spring, 
 Seneca Co., Ohio. In 1862 he enlisted 
 in the United States army as surgeon, and 
 was assigned to hospital service at Brand's 
 Hospital, in Farmington, Tenn. Besides 
 attending to his hospital duties, he also 
 served as surgeon to the One Hundred 
 and Twenty-fifth and One Hundred and 
 
 Twenty-eighth Regiments, O. V. I., his 
 duties being very arduous. In July, 1865, 
 he was mustered out at Columbus, Ohio, 
 and on receiving his discharge proceeded 
 to Port Clinton, Ottawa county, where 
 he engaged in the practice of his profes- 
 sion and was a resident of that town until 
 1875, in which year he removed to Green 
 Spring, Ohio. In 1882 Dr. Yates be- 
 came a resident of Oak Harbor, and has 
 since lived a comparatively retired life, his 
 health having been seriously impaired 
 during his service in the army. 
 
 Dr. Yates was united in marriage, at 
 Clymer, Chautauqua Co., N. Y. , June 8, 
 1847, with Miss Mary L. Williams, a 
 daughter of Alva and Silva Williams, and 
 to their union came four children, viz.: 
 Florence, born October 6, 1848, at 
 Wattsburg, Erie Co., Penn., died at 
 Benton, Ohio, June i, 1850; Everett E., 
 born at Benton, October 23, 1850, died 
 at Toledo, Ohio, February 19, 1875; 
 Auzurella J., born at Green Spring, Ohio, 
 May 28, 1857, wife of Guy P. Rafferty; 
 Edward Van Ness, born at Green Spring, 
 June 21, 1859, residmg in Sandusky, 
 Ohio. Mrs. Yates passed away at Green 
 Spring, November 24, 1882. Dr. Yates 
 is a member of George Field Post, No. 
 168, G. A. R., at Oak Harbor, is affili- 
 ated with the Masonic Fraternity, and 
 was a member of Monticello Lodge, at 
 Clyde, Ohio, but is not now connected 
 with any lodge. In recognition of his 
 valuable services rendered, his name has 
 been inscribed on the monument erected 
 at Cleveland to the heroes of the war. 
 
 WILLIAM G. WINSTONE is a 
 practical and prominent farmer 
 and fruit grower of Portage 
 township, Ottawa county, liv- 
 ing on the lake shore road. A native of 
 England, he was born in Warwickshire, 
 May 12, 181 1, and is a son of William 
 and Fannie Winstone, who were natives 
 of the same country. In their family 
 
454 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 were fourteen children, our subject being 
 the only one to come to this country. 
 He received no school privileges, for at 
 the early age of seven years he began to 
 earn his own living; but he was endowed 
 by nature with a bright mind, and, culti- 
 vating powers of observation and reten- 
 tive memory, he has learned in the school 
 of experience lessons which have made 
 him a well-informed man. Through 
 much of his life he has followed bridge 
 and railroad building. 
 
 The year 1850 witnessed his emigra- 
 tion to America, and he soon located in 
 Cleveland, Ohio, whence in December, 
 of the same year, he came to Portage 
 township, where he has since resided, 
 while to-daj" he ranks among the oldest 
 and most respected citizens of Ottawa 
 county. He has been twice married, his 
 first union being with Mary Kelig and the 
 wedding celebrated at Stratford-on-Avon 
 in 1843. They became the parents of 
 three children, of whom two survive, 
 namely: Stephen, a resident of Lorain, 
 Ohio; and Lucy Ruth, wife of John 
 French, who is living in McMinnville, 
 Tenn. The mother of these was called 
 from earth in 1859, and in 1861 Mr. 
 Winstone was united in marriage with 
 Mrs. Fannie Russell, widow of Reuben 
 Russell. Again Mr. Winstone was de- 
 prived by death of his wife, this lady 
 dying May 12, 1886. By her first hus- 
 band she had four children, of whom 
 George, a resident of Toledo, Ohio, is the 
 only survivor; the others were Mrs. Jane 
 McAlby and James, who died January 3, 
 1876, leaving a widow and si.\ children, 
 two of whom — Clara and Bert — reside 
 with Mr. Winstone; some years later 
 their mother became the wife of Anthony 
 Lafer, and now resides in Sandusky City. 
 Her other children were George, of San- 
 dusky county, Ohio; Alice, wife of Ora 
 Golden, a resident of Martin's Point, Erie 
 Co., Ohio; Fannie, wife of Phineas Dun- 
 ham, of Sandusky City; and Nellie, wife 
 of Theodore Schrader, of Vickery, Ohio. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Winstone 
 has been a faithful supporter of the Demo- 
 cratic party, and in his religious principles 
 he is an adherent of the Universalist 
 Church. He is public spirited and enter- 
 prising, and readily endorses an}' project 
 calculated to stimulate the development 
 and prosperity of the township and 
 count}'. He is a kind-hearted man, ex- 
 pressing his generous nature in kindliness 
 to his friends and in substantial assistance 
 to the needy. In all the relations of life 
 he has been trustworthy, constant and 
 honest, and his habits of industry and 
 application have enabled him to secure a 
 handsome and comfortable home in which 
 to spend his declining years, while a com- 
 petence surrounds him with the neces- 
 saries and many of the luxuries of life. 
 His home is ably presided over by his 
 granddaughter, Clara Russell. Prompt 
 and decisive in action, practical and 
 steadfast in purpose, industrious and 
 painstaking, he is a man of judgment and 
 probity, held in the highest esteem by a 
 large circle of friends and acquaintances. 
 
 DH. BITTINGER, proprietor of a 
 steam sawmill and stave factory, 
 at Woodville, Sandusky county, 
 was born January 4, 1849, in 
 Ashland county, Ohio, son of George and 
 Mary (Kidwell) Bittinger. 
 
 George Bittinger was born February 
 10, 1 80S, in Franklin county, Penn., and 
 came with his father, Daniel Bittinger, to 
 Ashland county, where the family settled, 
 the father following farming and weaving. 
 Here both parents died, the mother at 
 the age of eighty, the father at the age of 
 sixty-six. Their children were: SusAn, 
 Catharine Polly, Betsey, Barbara, Sarah, 
 Daniel and George. George Bittinger 
 was reared in Franklin county, Penn., 
 and remained at home up to the age of 
 eighteen. He became a farmer, and sell- 
 ing out his interests in Ashland county 
 moved to Richland county, Ohio, where 
 
Q) ^ ^^^ ^^Zi 
 
id 
 
COMMEyfORATIVE BTOORAPffTCAL RECORD. 
 
 455 
 
 he died in 1894. He was a Democrat 
 politically, and he and his wife were 
 members of the Evanj^elical Lutheran 
 Church. She is still living, at Mansfield, 
 at the age of eighty-five. They had nine 
 children: James, who lives in Richland 
 county, Ohio; George, who lives in Huron 
 county; Margaret, deceased wife of Sam- 
 uel Steel, of Tiffin, Ohio; Ellen, now re- 
 siding at Mansfield, Ohio, who married 
 for her first husband E. C. Walker (who 
 lived in Ottawa county), and for her second 
 wedded Daniel Black; Hettic Ann, mar- 
 ried to I. P. Walker, who lives at Mans- 
 field; Mary Jane, who married George 
 Steele, of Mansfield; Hattie Alice, de- 
 ceased wife of I. P. Walker, who after- 
 ward married her sister, Hettie Ann; D. 
 H., our subject; and John L. , of Bowling 
 Green, Wood county. The mother's peo- 
 ple were from Virginia, of English de- 
 scent. 
 
 D. H. Bittinger was reared in Ashland 
 county to the age of nine years, when he 
 removed to Richland county, there work- 
 ing on a farm and at the carpenter's and 
 cooper's trades, having early manifested 
 a peculiar aptitude for mechanical work. 
 On January 7, 1869, he married Miss 
 Sarah C. Low, who was born in Ashland 
 county November 16, 1849, and they 
 have six children living, viz. : Otis E. 
 (at home), Ella Urettah, Mary Christina, 
 George McClellan, Flora Bell and Daniel 
 Cleveland. After working as a carpenter 
 at Mansfield a few years Mr. Bittinger 
 came, in 1872, to Sandusky county, and 
 worked the first four years as journey- 
 man. He then embarked in the cooper- 
 ing business, which he has followed al- 
 most exclusively for fifteen years, manu- 
 facturing, from the rough logs, flour, lime 
 and meat barrels, etc., which he sells to 
 W. H. Bruns and H. Rancamp. He does 
 cooper work, head sawing, making vats, 
 and in fact all kinds of work in that line, 
 employing from fifteen to twenty men. 
 He is also carrying on an extensive and 
 constantly increasing lumber business. 
 
 29 
 
 He is a Democrat, politically, and a 
 member of the I. O. O. F. He was 
 elected mayor of the village, but resigned 
 on account of ill health. 
 
 ISfrs. Bittinger is a daughter of Samuel 
 and Christina (Deeter) Low, and was 
 born in Ashland county, of which her 
 maternal grandparents were pioneers; her 
 paternal grandparents were pioneers of 
 Richland county. Samuel Low died 
 when his daughter Sarah (Mrs. Bittinger) 
 was a child; Aiis. Low is still living, in 
 Ashland county, Ohio. They were the 
 parents of two children — Sarah C. (Mrs. 
 D. H. Bittinger) and Mary Elizabeth 
 (wife of John Bittinger, of Wood county, 
 who is a brother of our subject). Mr. 
 and Mrs. D. H. Bittinger have a fine 
 home in Woodville, in which community 
 they are highly respected, and Mr. Bit- 
 tinger is one of the influential men of the 
 village in wH^h he lives. 
 
 JACOB BURGNER. The ancestor 
 from whom sprang the Burgner 
 families in America, with which our 
 subject is connected, was a native of 
 Switzerland, who lived near one of its 
 beautiful lakes, in view of the snow- 
 capped mountains, breathed the pure air 
 of liberty, and in early manh(jod sought 
 his fortunes in the New World. 
 
 In the year 1742 three brothers — 
 David, Christopher and Peter Burgner — 
 carpenters by trade, emigrated from the 
 vicinity of Berne, Switzerland, and after 
 a long sea voyage on the brigantine 
 "Mary," from Rotterdam, landed in 
 Philadelphia, and settled in Lancaster 
 county, Penn. Peter, the youngest, and 
 the ancestor above referred to, was then 
 about twenty-three years old. They each 
 brought from the Fatherland a large Ger- 
 man Bible, printed at P'rankfort-on-the- 
 Main, 1574, in which they kept brief 
 family records. Peter's Bible has de- 
 scended by inheritance to the subject of 
 this sketch, and is still, 1895, in a good 
 
456 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 state of preservation. It may be seen in 
 a glass case in Birchard Library, Fre- 
 mont, Ohio. About the year 1759 Peter 
 Burgner married Salome Burkhardt, and 
 established a permanent home in Lan- 
 caster county. Their children were David, 
 Elizabeth, Mary and Jacob. For many 
 years he lived in a log house, the roof of 
 which was thatched with straw. His oc- 
 cupation was that of building houses and 
 bank barns after Swiss models. 
 
 Jacob Burgner, grandfather of our 
 subject, was born in 1769, and first 
 learned the trade of carpenter. About 
 the year 1800 he married Mary Conrad, 
 and they lived in Cocalico township, Lan- 
 caster Co., Penn., where he learned the 
 trade of blacksmith, and procured his sup- 
 plies of iron from Valley Forge. In the 
 spring of 1806 he moved to Franklin 
 count}', Pcnn., where he kept a black- 
 smith shop on the public road, near what 
 is now the Richmond Furnace railroad 
 station. In 1812 he removed to Stark 
 county, Ohio, west of Massillon, and a 
 year later settled in F"ranklin township, 
 now a part of Summit count}', on a tract 
 of 320 acres of government land, where 
 he followed blacksmithing and farming 
 the rest of his life. His death occurred 
 January 7, 1S44, when he was seventy- 
 five years of age; his wife died in 1843, 
 aged sixty-four. Their children were 
 Salome, Peter, John, Jacob, David, Sam- 
 uel, George, Elizabeth, Anna, Daniel and 
 Mary, all of whom but two became heads 
 of families, and all are now (1895) dead 
 except Daniel, who is a farmer, near 
 Falls City, Nebraska. 
 
 Peter Burgner, father of our subject, 
 was born in Lancaster county, Penn., in 
 1803, came with his father's family to 
 Ohio in 181 2, and grew to manhood in 
 the vicinity of Clinton, Summit county, 
 following farming, and working several 
 years in the construction of the Ohio and 
 Erie canal. In 1830 he married Miss 
 Catharine Hollinger, daughter of Jacob 
 IloUinger, and for a short time operated 
 
 a sawmill near Clinton. In 1831 he moved 
 to the "Oak Openings," in Thompson 
 township, Seneca county, Ohio, and set- 
 tled upon a farm of 160 acres, four miles 
 southwest of Bellevue. Here he cleared 
 away the forest and raised heavy crops of 
 grain and grass. He had been accustom- 
 ed to plow among stumps with ox-teams 
 and cut grain with a hand sickle, but was 
 among the first to use improved methods 
 and implements. In 1844 his wife and in- 
 fant son died, leaving him with a family 
 of six children: Jacob (our subject), 
 David, Samuel H., Joseph H., Mary and 
 Elizabeth, of whom only the eldest son 
 and the two daughters are now living. 
 Three years later he married Miss Sarah 
 Schoch, with whom he lived seven years; 
 there were no children by this union. In 
 August, 1854, the second son and second 
 wife died of cholera. In April, 1862, he 
 married Miss Sarah Decker, sold his farm 
 and bought another adjoining hers and 
 her mother's, about one mile south of his 
 old home. Here the three lived together 
 about thirteen years. His wife died in 
 January, 1875, and he soon after sold his 
 farm and went to live in the family of his 
 daughter Mary, wife of Henry Biechler, 
 at York Center, Sandusky county. He 
 died January 16, 1878, at the age of 
 seventy-five. He had been a member of 
 the Christian Church at York Center 
 about forty years. His third son. Dr. 
 Samuel H. Burgner, of Bellevue, Ohio, 
 was a graduate of Jefferson Medical Col- 
 lege, Philadelphia, Penn. ; he died in 1 866, 
 leaving a daughter, OrielleE., an orphan, 
 who was reared in the family of her uncle, 
 Jacob Burgner; she attended the Fremont 
 High School, graduated from Obcrlin 
 College in 1883, taught school two years 
 in Chicago, 111., and a year and a half 
 in the Obcrlin public schools. She mar- 
 ried in 1888 Mr. S. M. McKee, of Grand 
 Rapids, Mich., and now lives on a large 
 farm near Portland, Mich. Mr. Burg- 
 ner's fourth son, Joseph, who was a 
 teacher, died unmarried at the Burgner 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 457 
 
 homestead in 1862. The youngest daugh- 
 ter, Elizabeth, wife of Joseph Maurer, a 
 farmer, lives near Monticello, White Co., 
 Indiana. 
 
 Jacob Burgner, teacher and steno- 
 grapher, Fremont, Ohio, was born in 
 Thompson township, Seneca Co., Ohio, 
 November 5, 1833. He grew up to hard 
 work on his father's farm and attended 
 the pioneer district schools. At the age 
 of seventeen he began to teach country 
 schools in the winter seasons in his own 
 township. Between the years 1852 and 
 1859 he attended several teachers' insti- 
 tutes, four terms of school at the Seneca 
 County Academy, under Prof. Aaron 
 Schuyler, the mathematician, and four 
 years at Otterbein University, Wester- 
 ville, Ohio, from which latter institution 
 he graduated with the title of B. S., in 
 June, 1859. He paid nearly all his ex- 
 penses while at school by his own earn- 
 ings. On September 8, 1859, he was 
 married, near Flat Rock, Ohio, to Miss 
 Rebecca M. Miller, daughter of Isaac 
 Miller, then living at Tuscola, Mich. 
 During the following school year he 
 taught the East Grammar School at Fre- 
 mont, Ohio, and the ne.xt year taught the 
 Maumee Grammar School under J. W. 
 Hiett, superintendent. Returning to 
 Fremont he taught the Fremont High 
 School one year under Rev. E. Bushnell 
 (now of Adelbert College), superinten- 
 dent, and he next served as superintend- 
 ent of the Port Clinton and Green Spring 
 Union schools. 
 
 In the fall of i 862 Mr. Burgner bought 
 a farm of fifty acres three miles southeast 
 of Fremont, where for health and profit 
 he followed farming in the summer, 
 teaching country school in the winter 
 seasons for twenty years. In the spring 
 of 1864 he enlisted in Company H, One 
 Hundred and Sixty-ninth Regiment O. 
 \. I., and served about four months as a 
 soldier, at Fort Ethan Allen, Va. He 
 was afterward elected justice of the peace 
 of Ballville township, which office he held 
 
 six years. Having learned phonography, 
 in 1853, at Seneca County Academy, and 
 kept in practice, he now found it conven- 
 ient to furnish verbatim reports of public 
 assemblies for the county papers, and of 
 legal testimony for the court and bar of 
 Sandusky county, during the intervals 
 that could be spared from farm work. A 
 mere enumeration of his voluminous work 
 in this line during the last forty years 
 would be tedious. In the spring of 1885 
 he reported the proceedings of the Gen- 
 eral Conference of the United Brethren 
 Church, at Fostoria, Ohio, when that 
 Church was rent in twain on the ciuestion 
 of granting Church membership to per- 
 sons who belonged to secret societies. 
 He had been a member of that Church 
 for thirty-six years, and was a decided 
 " liberal." 
 
 In the fall of 1885 Mr. Burgner's 
 family, at the urgent solicitation of his 
 niece, Orielle, removed to Oberlin. Ohio, 
 for educational purposes, leaving him 
 alone on the farm. After finishing up 
 his farm work, a few months later, he 
 sold his live stock and farm produce, 
 rented his farm to a neighbor and joined 
 his family at Oberlin. Here, in ill health 
 and under many perplexing difficulties, he 
 spent four busy years in writing the His- 
 tory and Genealogy of the Burgner 
 Family in America, a book of 200 pages, 
 containing 1,500 personal names, and 
 illustrated with portraits and family trees. 
 The work was copyrighted and published 
 in 1890, and found a ready sale among 
 relatives. Not finding enough to do in 
 the line of shorthand and typewriting to 
 occupy all his time in Oberlin, Mr. Burg- 
 ner changed his place of business back to 
 F"remont, Ohio, his family remaining in 
 Oberlin. During the past year he has 
 assisted in preparing sketches for this 
 volume. Mr. Burgner is a charter mem- 
 ber of Manville Moore Post, G. A. R., 
 secretary of the One Hundred and Sixty- 
 ninth O. V. I. Regimental Association, 
 stenographer and assistant secretary of 
 
458 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the Sandusky County Pioneer and His- 
 torical Society, and a teacher of short- 
 hand and typewriting in Odd Fellows' 
 Block, Front street, Fremont. He and 
 family are members of the Second Con- 
 gregational Church, Oberlin. In politics 
 he has always been a Republican. 
 
 The children of Jacob and Rebecca 
 M. Burgner were Mary Alice, who died 
 in infancy; Sarah Katharine, now teaching 
 her fifth year in the Oberlin public schools; 
 Linnaeus Peter, student at the State 
 University, Minneapolis, Minn. ; and 
 Louis Elvero, a student at Oberlin Col- 
 lege. 
 
 ISAAC MILLER. In writing sketches 
 of the pioneer farmers of the Black 
 Swamp it has been the usual custom 
 
 to select those who have made a 
 financial success in life, and who have 
 lived to reap the rewards of their toil in 
 rich farms, fine residences and large bank 
 accounts. Yet it is not always the 
 bravest soldiers who survive a battle and 
 return to tell of the victory won. In the 
 battles of life many brave boys must fall 
 through no fault of their own; so also it 
 is a well-known fact that many honest, 
 hard-working, persevering, intelligent pio- 
 neers, after an heroic struggle against ad- 
 verse circumstances, were obliged to give 
 up their farms, abandon their plans for 
 the acquisition of wealth, and in poverty 
 and comparative obscurity seek the higher 
 and nobler consolations of Christianity. 
 As a man of noble character and kind 
 disposition, one who was universally es- 
 teemed, who bore the reverses of fortune 
 with manly fortitude, and tried by pre- 
 cept and example to make the world bet- 
 ter for his having lived in it, we give place 
 to the subject of this sketch. 
 
 Isaac Miller, farmer and carpenter, 
 was born in Schuylkill county, Penn., 
 April 1 6, 1806, son of Jacob and Mar- 
 garet (Moser) Miller. His paternal grand- 
 
 father, John Miller, who was an English- 
 man, married a Miss Bauman, and their 
 children were Jacob, Christian, Henry, 
 Mrs. J. Shafer and Mrs. Cramer. His 
 maternal grandfather was Michael Moser, 
 a Welshman, who married Miss Catha- 
 rine Wiseman (born on the Atlantic 
 Ocean), and their children were Michael, 
 Isaac, George, Margaret, Daniel and 
 Mrs. Hepner. The children of Jacob 
 Miller, father of our subject, were Sam- 
 uel, Michael, William, Isaac, Reuben, 
 Jacob, Rebecca and Charles. Our sub- 
 ject grew to manhood on a farm near 
 Orwigsburg, Penn., where he obtained a 
 very limited common-school education 
 and learned the trade of a carpenter. On 
 August 7, 1827, he married Miss Mary, 
 daughter of Abraham and Mary (Faust) 
 Seltzer, of the same neighborhood, and 
 in the spring of 1828 removed to Dela- 
 ware county, Ohio. Here two children 
 were born to them, Abraham F. and 
 Reuben A., the first of whom died in 
 childhood. In the spring of 1830 they 
 removed to Sandusky county, Ohio, and 
 settled in the wilds of Jackson township, 
 on Wolf creek, nearthesite of Bettsville. 
 Here was born their eldest daughter, Re- 
 becca M., now wife of Jacob Burgner. 
 In 1832 the family removed to Scott 
 township, and settled on an eighty-acre 
 tract of land since owned by John Hum- 
 mel. This was on the edge of what was 
 then known as Mud Creek Prairie, near 
 the present site of Miliersville. Here 
 they lived and toiled about ten years, 
 trying to clear up a home, drain the prai- 
 rie and carry on farming, laboring under 
 very adverse circumstances. Bad roads, 
 poor crops, sickness from fever and ague, 
 and doctor's bills were constant draw- 
 backs. Here the family was increased by 
 the birth of WeslejJ., Susannah, Amelia, 
 Hannah and Sarah, of whom only the 
 first and the last two named grew to ma- 
 turity. Their log-cabin home was often 
 visited by the pioneer preachers of the 
 United Brethren, Methodist and Albright 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 459 
 
 denominations, and was for some time 
 used as a place of worship. 
 
 In his anxiety to remove the stagnant 
 water from the prairie, Mr. Miller allowed 
 his zeal to get the better of his judgment. 
 With commendable enterprise and public 
 spirit he got the promises of his neighbors 
 to aid him in the construction of a seven- 
 mile ditch to drain Mud Creek prairie; 
 but when the job was completed and the 
 June freshets came it was found that their 
 engineering was at fault and the ditch did 
 not answer its purpose. The crops of 
 corn were all drowned out as before, and 
 some of the neighbors refused to pay 
 their shares of the cost of the ditch. The 
 debt now fell so heavily on Mr. Miller 
 that he was obliged to lose his farm. In 
 the spring of 1842 he bought eighty acres 
 of partl\-improved land in York town- 
 ship of George Donaldson, for which he 
 again went in debt. Here by dint of 
 hard work he succeeded in clearing land 
 and raising a crop of wheat the second 
 year. The price of wheat was then 50 
 cents a bushel at Sandusk)' City, his best 
 market; and so an.xious was he to make a 
 payment on his farm that in the fall of 
 1843 he hauled his wheat twenty miles to 
 that market for that price; if he had 
 waited till the following spring he could 
 have had $1.50 per bushel. But other 
 misfortunes were in store for him. In 
 the log-cabin home on this farm was born 
 his youngest daughter, Minerva, now wife 
 of Mr. Henry Hitchcock, a farmer in 
 Nebraska, and a few months later Mrs. 
 Miller died — from illness contracted by 
 watching at the bedside of the wife of a 
 neighbor, A. Dixon — leaving him with 
 five children. His eldest daughter then 
 kept house for him. When Mrs. Dixon 
 recovered she took Mr. Miller's youngest 
 daughter to raise, as she had no children 
 of her own. Failing to receive the finan- 
 cial aid from a Pennsylvania friend which 
 had been promised, and which was his 
 due, Mr. Miller was again obliged to sell 
 his home. He next bought a house and 
 
 lot at Flat Rock, Seneca county, where 
 he tried to keep his children together and 
 send them to school, while he worked at 
 his trade as carpenter or shingle-maker. 
 In 1850 his sons Reuben and Wesley en- 
 gaged in the lumber business in Tuscola 
 county, Mich. A year later Mr. Miller 
 joined them, and for a number of years 
 conducted a sawmill at the village of Tus- 
 cola, to which his sons rafted the logs 
 cut each winter in the pine forests above 
 on the Cass river. He also kept a board- 
 ing-house for the mill-hands, being as- 
 sisted by his daughters. After a few 
 3'ears of flourishing business Mr. Miller's 
 partner in the sawmill, who also kept a 
 general supply store, failed, and Miller's 
 property was taken by his partner's New 
 York creditors. Such was the law. In 
 1852 Mr. Miller married Mrs. Hannah 
 Griswold, of Tuscola, and soon after re- 
 tired from the lumber industry to live on 
 her farm near by. This was a welcome 
 home for both their children (Mrs. Miller 
 also having children by her former hus- 
 band) for several years, a sort of lumber- 
 men's headquarters. Mrs. Miller died in 
 1873. Mr. Miller remained to manage 
 the farm about two years, then relin- 
 quished his life lease and retired from 
 business altogether. In 1 876 he attended 
 the Centennial Exposition at Philadel- 
 phia, and spent several months visiting 
 among friends in Pennsylvania. In 1877 
 he lived for a season at the home of his 
 daughter, Mrs. J. Burgner, near Fremont, 
 Ohio, and afterward lived in the family of 
 Mr. John Rinebolt, in Jackson township. 
 In the spring of 1882 he took up his per- 
 manent residence at the home of his 
 daughter Hannah, wife of Morgan Ster- 
 ner, at Bristol, Ind. , where he died Sep- 
 tember 3, 1885, and was buried in the 
 village cemetery. 
 
 Isaac Miller in early life became a 
 member of the Lutheran Church; but on 
 moving to the Black Swamp, west of 
 Lower Sandusky, and coining under the 
 influence of the pioneer traveling preach- 
 
460 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ers, he united with the Evangelical Asso- 
 ciation, and became one of its most zeal- 
 ous and consistent members for many 
 years. In 1850 he united with the M. E. 
 Church at Flat Kock, Ohio, and adhered 
 to that faith during the rest of his life. 
 He was a great friend of children, and 
 established a number of pioneer Sunday- 
 schools in destitute neighborhoods. In 
 politics he was first a Whig, then a Re- 
 publican, and finally a Prohibitionist. 
 His two sons were soldiers in the Civil 
 war, serving in the Third Michigan Cav- 
 alr)'. His eldest son, Reuben A., living 
 in Wisconsin, has for many j'ears been a 
 professional pine-land hunter; his other 
 son, Wesley, has valuable interests in 
 some gold mines near Idaho Springs, 
 Colo. His daughter Sarah, deceased, 
 was the wife of Dr. Samuel H. Burgner, 
 of Bellevue, Ohio. Though unfortunate 
 in his financial ventures, as the world 
 looks at it, Mr. Miller gave to his children 
 a more precious legacy than wealth in the 
 practical exemplification of an exalted 
 Christian character. 
 
 I 
 
 HENRY FRY, farmer, Ballville 
 township, Sandusky county, was 
 born in Prussia, Germany, May 
 3, 1813, a son of Lambert and 
 Mary (Shoetler) Fry, natives of Germany. 
 Lambert Fry, born in 1775, was a cab- 
 inet-maker by trade, and also kept a 
 grocery store; he died in 1859 at the age 
 of eighty-four. Their children were: (i) 
 Lambert, Jr., born September, 1803, 
 died in 1849; (2) Mary, deceased in in- 
 fancy; (3) John, born February 28, 1810, 
 retired farmer, Ballville township; (4) 
 our subject; (5) Mary, born September i, 
 1 8 19, who married Lambert Speller, in 
 Germany, and whose children are: John, 
 Henry, Augustus, Fred, Lissette and 
 Wilhelmine, all of whom have died, ex- 
 cept two, and are buried in Oak Wood 
 Cemetery. 
 
 Our subject grew to manhood in the 
 
 German Fatherland. He emigrated to 
 America March 26, 1834, landing in Bal- 
 timore on the 1st of July following, hav- 
 ing been forty-two days at sea. On the 
 I ith of April their ship was wrecked on a 
 sand-bar, during a terrible storm, but 
 Mr. Fry managed to keep on the wreck, 
 and with several others subsisted on the 
 contents of a keg of rum which they 
 found in the wreck. They were out in 
 the sea from Thursday until Saturday be- 
 fore they were rescued by small boats pro- 
 cured from shore by the efforts of the 
 second mate and two seamen. Mr. Fry 
 was the onlj' passenger who saved all his 
 clothes. Many died from the effects of 
 exposure, and thirty-one out of one hun- 
 dred and fifty were drowned. After 
 reaching land Mr. Fry had the choice of 
 his passage money back or passage on 
 another ship. He chose the latter, and a 
 few days later engaged passage on the 
 "Neptune," Capt. Williamson, with 164 
 passengers, in which he made the voyage 
 in safety. Mr. Fry made friends with 
 the captain, and received special favors 
 from him during the voyage. After land- 
 ing in Baltimore he remained there only 
 three days, then walked to Cumberland, 
 Md. , where he worked at his trade of 
 cabinet-making, and then started on foot 
 to meet his cousin, Philip Fry, in Ohio, 
 walking nearlj' all the way. He subse- 
 quently came to Ballville township, San- 
 dusky count}-, and worked for Samuel 
 Treat. He put up several buildings for 
 Mr. Treat, and then assisted in building 
 a gristmill for James Moore. For the 
 latter he worked five years at one dollar 
 per day. In 1837 he went to Logans- 
 port, Ind., remained there one year and 
 built canal locks. On his return to Ball- 
 ville township he married, September 4, 
 1 84 1, Miss Abigail Rideout, daughter of 
 John and Sarah (Randall) Rideout. 
 
 John G. Rideout was born in Augusta, 
 Maine, of English parents. Sarah Ran- 
 dall was born in Connecticut, and after 
 their marriage they removed to Ross coun- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 461 
 
 ty, Ohio, and in 1825 to Ballville, San- 
 dusky Co., where they resided until their 
 death. The names and dates of birth of 
 their children are as follows: William, 
 February 10, 1819; David, May 6, 1821; 
 Abigail, April 30, 1823; Ebenezer. April 
 I, 1825; Margaret, March 6, 1827; 
 Horace, December 22, 1829; Elizabeth, 
 November 4, 1831; Alice, January 28, 
 1833. Abigail (Rideout) Fry was born in 
 Ross county, Ohio, and came with her 
 parents to Ballville, Sandusky county, in 
 1825, where she has resided for more than 
 seventy years, and has seen the country 
 grow from a wilderness, inhabited by In- 
 dians and infested with wolves, to its pres- 
 ent beautiful and prosperous condition. 
 
 Henry Fry and his brother John 
 bought a farm of 190 acres, where they 
 lived together about eight years, after 
 which Henry moved to a piece of 160 
 acres, which he had bought some 3'ears 
 before, and which has been his place of 
 residence since 1850. He lives about five 
 miles south of Fremont, was a Whig and 
 is now a Republican in politics, and is 
 much esteemed wherever known. 
 
 The children of Henry and Abigail Fry 
 were: John Lambert, who died in infancy; 
 Cynthia J., born March 9, 1843; and 
 Amelia S., born April 18, 1846. Cynthia 
 attended school at Oberlin College about 
 three years, and was married June 14, 
 
 1865, to Dr. Robert H. Rice, whose 
 sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. 
 Amelia also attended school at Oberlin 
 College, and was married December 26, 
 
 1866, to Elias B., son of John and Eliza 
 (Rutter) Moore, of Ballville. 
 
 Elias B. Moore attended school at 
 Oberlin College, and at the outbreak of 
 the Rebellion, enlisted in the Seventy- 
 second Regiment, O. \'. ,1., was appoint- 
 ed sergeant of Company F, with many 
 others was taken prisoner at the battle of 
 Guntown, Miss. . and for manj- months 
 suffered the horrors of Andersonville and 
 other Rebel prisons. After the close of 
 the war he was engaged in business in 
 
 Fremont, was twice elected treasurer of 
 Sandusky county, and afterward with 
 his family removed to Fort Wayne, Ind. , 
 where they now reside. Their children 
 are Abbie, Mabel, Elias, Henry and 
 Ruth. 
 
 LOUIS A. DICKINSON, the pres- 
 ent postmaster at Fremont, San- 
 dusky county, was born in that 
 cit\' May 16, i860, a son of Abner 
 J. and Louise P. (Mitchener) Dickinson. 
 Abner J. Dickinson was born in New 
 York State May 13, 1 8 1 7, a son of Alpheus 
 and Martha Dickinson, whose family con- 
 sisted of seven sons and three daughters: 
 Rodolphus, Rodolphus, Alexander, Al- 
 pheus, Obid, Martha, Sarah (Mrs. David 
 Beard, of Greene, N. Y. ), Satira (Mrs. 
 George Grant, of Fremont), Champion, 
 and Abner J. Louise P. Mitchener, moth- 
 er of our subject, was born in Lancaster 
 county, Penn. , December 23, 1815, the 
 eldest of the seven children of Ryner and 
 Lj'dia Mitchener, viz.: Louise P., Hon. 
 Charles H. (late of New Philadelphia, 
 Ohio), Mrs. Ann French, Mrs. Rachel 
 Bartlett, Lydia, Mrs. Margaret Evans, 
 and Mrs. Henrietta R. Dickinson (wife 
 of Hon. E. F. Dickinson, a nephew of 
 Abner J.), all of whom were reared and 
 educated among the Society of Friends. 
 The father of Louis A. came to Ohio at 
 the age of twenty-one, and six years 
 later settled in Lower Sandusky (now 
 Fremont), where for many years he was 
 engaged in general mercantile business. 
 In politics he was a Democrat, and in 
 1S54-56 he represented his county in the 
 General .Assembly of the State of Ohio. 
 During the Civil war he entered the ranks 
 of the Union army, and died May 28, 
 1863, at Camp Triune, Tenn. His 
 widow now resides at No. 316 S. Arch 
 street, Fremont. To them were born 
 three children: Martha J., deceased wife 
 of James H. Fowler, an attorney at law, 
 
462 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 of Fremont; Charles J., who died in 
 •1874; and Louis Abner. 
 
 Louis A. Dickinson was reared in 
 Fremont by his widowed mother, was 
 educated in the city schools, and gradua- 
 ted from Fremont High School at the 
 age of seventeen, taking the combined 
 Latin and English four-years' course in 
 three years. At the age of twenty-two he 
 was elected county sur<'e3-or of Sanduskj' 
 county on the Democratic ticket, and 
 served in that capacity for six years. In 
 1887 he was elected to the city council 
 from the First Ward, and in 1889 was 
 appointed city civil engineer, which po- 
 sition he held until February 25, 1895, 
 when he was appointed, by President 
 Cleveland, postmaster of the city. He 
 is a member of Brainard Lodge, No. 
 336, F. & A. M., and of Fremont Lodge, 
 K. of P. In 1886, he married Frances 
 H. Mitchener, of New Philadelphia, Ohio, 
 and to this union were born two daughters: 
 Christine M. and M. Louise. Mrs. Dick- 
 inson died in Fremont, August 9, 1890. 
 
 RICHARD HAGEL, a progressive 
 merchant of and the efficient post- 
 master at Gypsum, Ottawa county, 
 is a native of Ohio, born in Plaster- 
 bed, Portage township, Ottawa county, 
 March 26, 1862. 
 
 He is a son of Louis and Wilhelmina 
 (Hartenfelt) Hagel, both of whom were 
 natives of Germany, and are now resi- 
 dents of Plasterbed. The father was 
 born in Baden, Germany, October 17, 
 1828, and is a son of Andrew and Eliza- 
 beth Hagel, who spent their entire lives 
 in the Fatherland. He was there edu- 
 cated and learned the trade of a stone- 
 mason. Crossing the broad Atlantic to 
 America in 1852. he resided for two years 
 in Newark, N. J., and in 1854 came to 
 Portage township, Ottawa Co., Ohio, 
 where he engaged in farming and quarrj-- 
 ing. In 1856 he removed to Carroll 
 township, same county, where he pur- 
 
 chased land, and for two years carried on 
 agricultural pursuits. In 1858 he sold 
 his farm and removed to Plasterbed, 
 which has been his place of continuous 
 residence since. His wife was born in 
 Saxony, Germany, November 9, 1832, 
 and was a daughter of Frederick and 
 Hannah Hartenfelt. With her parents 
 she emigrated to America in 1852, and 
 they lived in Erie township, Ottawa Co., 
 Ohio, until called to their final rest. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hagel were married 
 June 15, 1S56, in the town which is still 
 their home, and their union was blessed 
 with ten children, six of whom are liv- 
 ing: John, born March 26, 1857, and 
 residing at Plasterbed; Emma, born De- 
 cember 27, 1858; Richard; Sarah, born 
 January 18, 1872, now the wifeof George 
 Austin, of Plasterbed; William, born Feb- 
 ruary 1 1, 1864, now residing in the same 
 place; and Annie, born April 27, 1878. 
 
 Our subject acquired a fair English 
 education in the district schools of Port- 
 age township, Ottawa county, and when 
 his school life was ended entered upon 
 his business career as a clerk in the store 
 of Charles C. Peet, of Gypsum. He has 
 since been connected with mercantile in- 
 terests. For nine years he was emploj-ed 
 in that capacity, during which time he 
 became familiar with merchandising in 
 every detail, and the experience thus ac- 
 quired well fitted him for his own career 
 along this line. In 1884, after the death 
 of his employers, he purchased of the ad- 
 ministrators the store, and has since been 
 sole proprietor. He has a well-appoint- 
 ed establishment, carries a large stock of 
 goods, and is doing a flourishing business. 
 
 Mr. Hagel was married in Gypsum, 
 November 23, 1892, to Miss Hannah E. 
 Hess, a daughter of Christian and Paulina 
 (Warner) Hess, both of whom were na- 
 tives of German}', residing in Gypsum. 
 Mrs. Hagel was born at Plasterbed, Feb- 
 ruary 20, 1869, and is an estimable lady, 
 having many friends. Socially, our sub- 
 ject is connected with Port Clinton Lodge, 
 
L^'c^^^^a^ ^ -^-, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 463 
 
 No. 361. K. of P.. and O. H. Perry 
 Lodge, No. 627, I. O. O. F. In politics 
 he is a stalwart Republican, and has ably 
 served as postmaster at Gypsum since 
 1884. He attends the Methodist Church, 
 and is interested in everything pertaining 
 to the welfare and upbuilding of the com- 
 munity. He has served as treasurer of 
 the Island & Gypsum Fruit Co. Mr. 
 Hagel is one of the progressive j'oung 
 business men of the county, and by thrift 
 and energy has raised himself to an im- 
 portant position in the community; by 
 fair dealing and perseverance has built up 
 a large and rapidly-increasing mercantile 
 business which ranks him among the 
 solid commercial men of his locality. 
 In 1 89 1, finding his quarters too small, he 
 erected the spacious store which he now 
 occupies. 
 
 w 
 
 J. ALESHIRE. The subject 
 of this sketch, who is the edi- 
 tor and proprietor of the Gib- 
 sonburg Derrick, is recognized 
 as one of the leading business men of San- 
 dusky county, and his paper shows evi- 
 dence of his ability as a journalist, it be- 
 ing a readable, newsy sheet, fully up to 
 the times, and an acceptable visitor in 
 homes throughout that section of the 
 State. 
 
 Mr. Aleshire is a son of William and 
 Sarah (Ewing) Aleshire, the former of 
 whom was born October 19, 18 14, in Vir- 
 ginia, where he grew to manhood, coming 
 thence to Ohio, where, in Meigs county, 
 he was married. He was a farmer 
 by occupation. In 1846 he went to 
 Fulton county. 111., and there remained 
 a year or two, afterward removing to 
 Hancock county, that State, where he 
 spent the remainder of his life, dying Oc- 
 tober 3, 1890, shortly after his wife, who 
 passed away July 17, that year. For 
 twenty years he was engaged in the hotel 
 business. Mr. and Mrs. Aleshire were 
 the parents of ten children, of whom 
 
 three left their home at the call for loyal 
 men during the war of the Rebellion, and 
 served their country well and faith- 
 fully, one finding an early grave in the 
 Sunny South. The record of this large 
 family is briefly given as follows: San- 
 ford, who was a soldier in the One Hun- 
 dred and Eighteenth Illinois Infantry, 
 during the Civil war, is deceased; Virgil, 
 who served four years in the same regi- 
 ment, and was wounded in Vicksburg, is 
 also deceased; Mary, who married Thomas 
 Swan, lives at Granger, Mo. ; Orlando, 
 who was in the Twelfth Illinois Cavalry, 
 died at Napoleonville, La. ; Margaret is 
 the wife of Uriah Ashcraft, and lives at 
 La Harpe, 111. ; W. J. is the subject of 
 this biograph}'; E. E., who is an attor- 
 ney at law, resides in Stanberry, Mo. ; 
 Albert is carrying on a hotel and livery 
 business in Burnside, 111. ; Henry died in 
 early youth; O. E. received an e.\cellent 
 education, and at one time was superin- 
 tendent of schools at Buchanan, Mich., 
 throughout which State he became well- 
 known owing to his oratorical powers and 
 other good qualities, and was sent to the 
 Legislature; growing tired of politics, he 
 went to Chicago, where he engaged in 
 business, and he has since made his resi- 
 dence in that city. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born 
 February 15, 1849, in Hancock county, 
 111., and grew to manhood in that State. 
 He received a collegiate education, and 
 turned his attention to teaching, follow- 
 ing that occupation, for which he was ad- 
 mirably fitted, for nineteen consecutive 
 \'ears. During the last twelve years of 
 this time he was principal of schools in 
 four different towns. In 1889, Mr. Ale- 
 shire decided to combine newspaper work 
 with teaching, and purchased the Good 
 Hope Torpedo, which he carried on for 
 three and a half years. Selling out this 
 paper he came, in 1892, to Gibsonburg, 
 and purchased the Derrick, of which he 
 is editor and proprietor. When he took 
 hold of the paper, it was a seven-colum n 
 
464 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 folio, which he changed to an eight-col- 
 umn and then six-column quarto. The 
 paper is independent in politics, and has 
 a good circulation. 
 
 Mr. Aleshire was married November 
 30, 1882, to Miss Mary McClung, who 
 was born April 22, i860, in Pike county, 
 111., and they have two children, Oscar 
 and Harry. Mrs. Aleshire is the daugh- 
 ter of George and Nancy (Wayfield) Mc- 
 Clung, the former of whom was a native 
 of Virginia, and served through the Civil 
 war. Two children were born to them — 
 Mary (now Mrs. Aleshire), and Martha 
 (Mrs. Charles Kennedy, of Quincy, 111.). 
 Socially, Mr. Aleshire is a member of the 
 F. & A. M. and I. O. O. F. 
 
 CAPTAIN W. E. GILLETT, town- 
 ship and corporation clerk, and 
 ex-officio clerk of the school board 
 of Green Creek township, San- 
 dusky county, is one of the leading citi- 
 zens of Clyde. His birth occurred in 
 Groton township, Erie Co., Ohio, on the 
 4th of September, i860, and he is a son 
 of William and Elizabeth (Hearson) Gil- 
 lett, both natives of Lincolnshire, Eng- 
 land, where the father was born in 1833, 
 and the mother in 1835. The father is 
 a son of John Gillett, with whom he came 
 to America when quite small, locating 
 near Sandusky, Erie Co., Ohio, where he 
 grew to manhood. His parents both died 
 in Sandusky count}', where for about ten 
 years William Gillett conducted a shoe 
 store, but he now makes his home in 
 Bellevue, Ohio. 
 
 In this vicinity the Captain spent the 
 days of his boyhood and 3'outh, no event 
 of special importance occurring during 
 that period. His education was com- 
 pleted in the high school of Clyde, and on 
 the farm he assisted in the labors of the 
 fields. At the age of twenty-one he be- 
 came a drug clerk, and later entered a 
 grocery store. For about eight years he 
 was with his father in the shoe business, 
 
 being a member of the firm of Gillett & 
 Sons. Since that time he has mostly 
 filled official positions, being secretary of 
 the water-works, and, while holding the 
 office of township and corporation clerk, 
 was also connected with the electric light 
 plant. 
 
 Eleven years ago Capt. Gillett joined 
 the McPherson Guards as a private, was 
 later promoted to sergeant and then to 
 first sergeant, afterward to lieutenant, 
 and finally to captain of his company, 
 which position he now fills. He has had 
 charge of his company during the recent 
 strikes in the coal mines, and on several 
 other occasions where they were called to 
 aid civil authorities. 
 
 Capt. Gillett was united in marriage 
 with Miss Ida Day, of Sandusky, Ohio, 
 and to them has been born a daughter, 
 Edna. The Captain is one of the most 
 popular men in Clyde, and is spoken of as 
 a probable man for future honors in San- 
 dusky county. He is enterprising, ener- 
 getic and progressive, and takes a deep 
 interest in everything pertaining' to the 
 welfare of the community, where he is so 
 widely and favorably known. In politics 
 he is a Republican, and is a stalwart sup- 
 porter of its men and measures. Socially, 
 he belongs to the Rojal Arcanum. 
 
 STEPHEN D. TERRILL. This 
 well-known farmer of Green Creek 
 township, Sandusky county, and 
 for many years a successful busi- 
 ness man of Clyde, has made the most of 
 his opportunities. Instead of yearning 
 for the distant and unattainable, he has 
 cheerfull}' and resolutely done the work 
 that lay before him, and by diligence and 
 steadiness of purpose he has demonstrated 
 by his success in life the golden value of 
 those sterling qualities. 
 
 He was born in Chenango county, 
 N. Y. , June 26, 18 18, son of Elias and 
 Hannah (Hickox) Terrill, sterling Presby- 
 terians. Elias Terrill was born of Scotch 
 

 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 465 
 
 parentage in Waterbury, Conn., August 
 7, 1775, and was married May 6, 1798, 
 to Hannah Hickox, born July 2, 1781. 
 He was a cooper, and followed his trade 
 in his native town until about 1S15, when 
 with his family he moved to Pitcher, 
 Chenango Co., N. Y. , where he died 
 August 14, 1835, his wife surviving until 
 November 6, 1856. They were the par- 
 ents of the following twelve children: 
 Irene, who in 1817 married Solomon En- 
 sign, and reared a family in New York, 
 where she died; Julia M., who in 1S19 
 married James Hinman, reared a family, 
 and died in New York City; Beulah S., 
 who married Harry Chandler, and died in 
 Bellevue, Ohio; Susan H., who married 
 Amos Leonard, and died in the West; 
 Lenora, married in 1 831 to J. R. Freeman, 
 and died in Schenectady, N. Y. ; Elias 
 G., who married Penina Dimmick in 
 
 1834, and died in Pennsylvania; Shelby 
 \V., married to Mary Ann Ruddock in 
 
 1835, and died in Pitcher, N. Y. ; Jo- 
 s'ah R., who went to Ogdensburg, N. Y., 
 and was never heard from afterward; 
 Stephen D., subject of this sketch; Nancy 
 Judson, married Asa Ensign, and died in 
 New York; Samuel N., who died in Cali- 
 fornia; and Eunice Celestia, who married 
 Henry Warner, and lives in New York. 
 The mother lived to see all her twelve 
 children married, and all were living when 
 she died. 
 
 Stephen D. Terrill, at the age of fif- 
 teen, left the home of his parents and 
 came to Ridgeville, Lorain Co., Ohio, to 
 live with his sister. Two years later he 
 went to Cleveland, and for two years en- 
 gaged in teaming. He then drove team at 
 Vermilion for over two years, and engaged 
 in the manufacture of potash at Republic 
 for about the same period. For a season 
 he was second engineer on the old steam- 
 er "Columbus," on Lake Erie, and after 
 making potash at Milan during the fol- 
 lowing winter he there purchased a black- 
 smith shop in the spring of 1842, hired a 
 blacksmith and learned the trade. He 
 
 was married, June 4, 1843, to Martha 
 Norton, born in Vermilion, Ohio, July 18, 
 1825, daughter of Leonard and Mary 
 (Bartow) Norton. Leonard Norton was 
 born July 11, 1798, and died in July, 
 1845. He was a Universalist in religious 
 belief, and in politics a Democrat. His 
 father, David Norton, a member of the 
 Church of England, came to America 
 from Thruxton, England, and was twenty- 
 four weeks on the voyage. Mary Bar- 
 tow, wife of Leonard Norton, was born 
 in New York State in 1 796, and died in 
 i860; she was a member of the Baptist 
 Church. Leonard and Mary Norton had 
 nine children, as follows: A child who 
 died in infancy; Mary Ann, who married 
 Peter Chance, and is now deceased; 
 Leonard, who died young; I^orin, who 
 died at Milan, aged thirteen years; Mar- 
 tha, wife of Mr. Terrill; John G., engag- 
 ed in real estate at Toledo; Alfred, who 
 died in Pennsylvania, aged forty years; 
 Adeline, wife of Myron Mills, of Milan; 
 Eliza J., who married George W. Hayes, 
 and died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Terrill re- 
 mained in Milan until 1854, when he 
 came to Clyde. He here followed his 
 trade for a while, then engaged in cabinet 
 making, and later operated a sawmill. 
 About a year ago he removed to the farm 
 in Green Creek township which he now 
 occupies. He had seven children, three 
 of whom died young, and those who lived 
 to adult age were (i) Stephen H., born 
 October 31, 1844, who enlisted in the 
 One Hundred and Si.xty-fifth O. V. L, 
 and died March 5, 1865, after his return 
 home. (2) John G., born January 6, 
 1847, a stationary engineer at Chicago, 
 who is married to Mary Youman, and has 
 three children — Gertrude, wife of Henry 
 Denhart; Bessie A., a graduate of the 
 Chicago Conservatory of Music, and Nel- 
 lie, a graduate of a business college at 
 Chicago. (3) Alfred N., born September 
 6, 1854, now in charge of an extensive 
 sawmill at Portland, Oregon. (4) Charles 
 
466 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 D., born August 24, 1856, killed May 6, 
 1873, by accident, in a sawmill in Toledo. 
 Mr. Terrill has been a member of the 
 Clyde board of education. He has been 
 a lifelong Democrat, first voting for Mar- 
 tin Van Buren and every Democrat can- 
 didate for Presidency since. His wife is 
 a member of the Universalist Church. 
 
 JOHN T. SIVALLS, the courteous 
 and popular postmaster at Wood- 
 ville, Sandusk}' countj^ where he is 
 a well-known and highly-respected 
 citizen of several years' standing, is a na- 
 tive of the city of New York, born August 
 22, 1828. He is of English descent on 
 the paternal side, his grandfather Sivalls 
 having come from England to America, 
 settling in New Rochelle, Westchester 
 Co., N. Y. , where he died. 
 
 James Sivalls, father of John T. , and 
 of the same nativity, followed the occupa- 
 tion of grocery merchant in New York, 
 and died there in 1837 at the age of fifty- 
 two years. He was twice married, and 
 by his first wife had two children — George 
 and Franklin — both of whom died in New 
 York; by his second wife, Cornelia 
 (Lewis) he had five children, namely: 
 Carolina, who married DeWitt Brinhap, 
 and died in New York in April, 1894; 
 William, who also died in New York; 
 John T. , the subject of these lines; Tracy, 
 now a resident of Chicago, 111. ; and Ben- 
 son, who went to California, and has 
 never since been heard of. 
 
 As will be seen, our subject was nine 
 years of age at the time he was bereaved 
 of his father, and he then left his native 
 city for Ithaca, N. Y. , where he lived 
 with an uncle a few years, attending 
 school and learning the trade of shoe- 
 maker. From there he moved to Ashta- 
 bula county, Ohio, and then after a short 
 time returned to Ithaca, remaining there 
 some eighteen months, all the time fol- 
 lowing his trade. This brings us now to 
 1846, the year of the breaking out of the 
 
 Mexican war; and our subject, then a lad 
 of barely eighteen summers, fired with 
 militar\- enthusiasm and patriotic ardor, 
 proceeded to New York, where he en- 
 listed in Company E, Third Light Artil- 
 lery, commanded by Brev. Maj.-Gen. 
 Sherman, and attached to the army under 
 Gen. Zachary Taylor. He served twenty- 
 two months, participated in the battle of 
 Buena Vista, and, receiving an honorable 
 discharge in New Orleans, at once re- 
 turned northward. For a time he moved 
 from place to place, looking for work — in 
 Rochester, N. Y. , remaining one year; 
 then in Toledo, Ohio; later in Maumee, 
 same State. He worked on the Wabash 
 canal about three months, after which, in 
 1 849, he located in Wood county, mak- 
 his home with a family by the name of 
 Truax, whose acquaintance he had formed. 
 In 1849 he came to Woodville, where 
 he followed his trade some time, then 
 worked on the canal five seasons; after 
 which he bought a farm in \N'oodville 
 township, on which he lived five years, 
 cultivating and improving it. In 1861 he 
 moved into the town of Fremont, same 
 county, but shortly afterward again lo- 
 cated in Woodville, and here continued 
 his trade until 1863, in which year he en- 
 listed in Companj^ C, Third Regiment, 
 O. V. C. He served in the Western com- 
 mand about twenty- two months, was 
 honorably discharged at Columbus, Ohio, 
 and returned to Woodville, where he re- 
 sumed his trade, in connection with which 
 he also sold sewing machines some ten or 
 twelve 3'ears. On June 23, 1851, he was 
 married to Miss Mary Truax, of the family 
 above referred to, and a native of Penn- 
 sylvania, born in Bedford countj" in 1830, 
 to which union eight children were born, 
 a brief record of whom is as follows: 
 Abner, Benson and Caroline died at the 
 ages of ten, twenty-four and four years, 
 respectively; Stilwell is now following the 
 trade of cooper in Woodville; John mar- 
 ried Susan Moore, and has three children 
 R , Ralph and Frank; Mary is assist- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 467 
 
 ant postmaster at Woodville; James is a 
 cooper by trade at Findlay, Ohio; and 
 Ralph, who was also a cooper, was so 
 seriously injured on July 2, 1895, in Find- 
 lay, Ohio, that he died on the following; 
 day, at the age of twenty-four years. 
 
 Mr. Sivalls is a Republican in his 
 political preferences, and during President 
 James A. Garfield's administration, was 
 appointed postmaster at Woodville, con- 
 tinued under President Harrison and 
 President Cleveland, and still occupies the 
 position. In church connection he is a 
 member of the United Brethren Society; 
 in secret society matters he is a member 
 of Elmore Lodge, No. 462, I. O. O. P., 
 and socially no one in the county enjoys 
 more fully the esteem and confidence of 
 the community at large. 
 
 CAPTAIN CHARLES L. DIRLAM, 
 the efficient and capable post- 
 master at Clyde, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, is a native of Massachusetts, 
 born in Berkshire county, March 2, 1831, 
 and is a son of Sylvenus and Mary (Clark) 
 Dirlam. 
 
 The father was born in Massachusetts 
 in 1790, there followed farming and car- 
 pentering until coming west on the ist of 
 June, I S3 1, when he located on a farm in 
 Sandusky county, three miles from Clyde. 
 This place he improved and cultivated up 
 to the time of his death, in 1884. His 
 wife, who was born in Berkshire county, 
 Mass., died at the age of fifty-eight 
 years. In their family were nine chil- 
 dren: Hiram, a resident farmer of Berk- 
 shire county, Mass. ; James, who makes 
 his home in Indiana; Curtis, who lives in 
 Carroll county, Iowa; Joseph, who died 
 at the age of ten years; Louise, wife of 
 Myron Tuttle, of Indiana; Harriet, wife 
 of L. Craig; Louis, a resident of Sandusky 
 county, Ohio; D. Dirlam, in Mansfield, 
 Ohio; and Charles L. The paternal 
 grandfather was a Hessian soldier, sent 
 to this country to assist the British in 
 
 subduing the Colonies during the Revol- 
 utionarj' war, during which he was 
 wounded. Later he deserted, becoming 
 a resident of Massachusetts, and during 
 the war of 18 12 fought against the British 
 troops. 
 
 In the usual manner of farmer lads 
 the boyhood and youth of Charles L. 
 Dirlam were passed, aiding his father in 
 clearing and developing the land. Later 
 he learned the brick layer's and mason's 
 trades, at which he worked until the 
 breaking out of the Civil war, when he 
 became a member of Company A, 
 Seventy-second O. V. I., being assigned to 
 the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Army 
 Corps under Gen. McPherson. The first 
 battle in which he was engaged was at 
 Shiloh, which was followed by the Vicks- 
 burg campaign, and with his regiment he 
 participated in all the important engage- 
 ments in the Mississippi Valley. At Gun- 
 town, Miss. , he was taken prisoner, was 
 sent to Mobile, Ala. , thence to Macon, Ga. , 
 from there to Charleston and Columbus, 
 S. C. ; on reaching Charlotte, N. C, he 
 managed to escape, but was re-captured, 
 after which he was confined in Libby 
 prison. As his term of service had e.\- 
 pired at the time of his exchange, he re- 
 turned home. He had entered the army 
 as a private, but at the time of being made 
 prisoner was holding the rank of captain, 
 which he had gained b}' meritorous con- 
 duct on the field of battle. He has ever 
 been a loyal and patriotic citizen, and in 
 his defense of the Union was a fearless 
 and valiant soldier. 
 
 In 1858 Capt. Dirlam married Miss 
 Mary Gale, born in Sandusky county in 
 1832, and by this union there are three 
 children: Jay C. , a miner at Seattle, 
 Wash., married and has one child, Clyde; 
 Staneberry, a house painter of Denver, 
 Col., married and has one son, Charles; 
 and John, the youngest of the family, 
 still with his parents. On his return 
 from the South at the close of the war 
 the Captain resumed work at his trade in 
 
468 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 his vicinity. In 1891 he was appointed 
 postmaster at Clyde, which office he is 
 still holding, and has ever given the best 
 of satisfaction. For forty years he has 
 made his home in Clyde, where he is 
 widely known and universally respected. 
 In politics the Captain is a steadfast ad- 
 herent of the principles formulated by 
 the Republican party; socially he is a 
 member of Edon Post, No. 55, G. A. R. , 
 in which he takes an active interest. 
 
 SAMUEL STORER, farmer and 
 fruit grower, of Green Creek town- 
 ship, Sanduskj' county, was born 
 at Westbrook, near Portland, 
 Maine, January 22, 1807, son of Joseph 
 and Charlotte (Ivnight) Storer. 
 
 Joseph Storer was also born in the 
 " Pine Tree State," the year of his birth 
 being 1776. His father was a Revolu- 
 tionary soldier, and died of smallpox; his 
 wife was a Miss Graves, who was born at 
 Broad Cove, Maine, about 1720, and died 
 at the age of ninet3'-nine years. The 
 grandfather of Joseph Storer was sup- 
 posed to be of Irish birth. Joseph Storer 
 was a ship and house carpenter by trade, 
 and he served in the war of 18 12. In 
 181 5 his home was burned, and in re- 
 building he became involved in debt. 
 Thinking to better his circumstances in 
 the West, and also wishing to keep his 
 boys from going to sea, he came to Ohio 
 in 1 8 17, and settled in Zanesville. He 
 left Portland in May, that j'ear, accom- 
 panied by his eldest son, George, and 
 Samuel, then a boy of ten years. On 
 reaching Zanesvillehe found employment 
 at his trade, and in a year saved money 
 enough to send for his family, so, purchasing 
 a wagon and team, he hired a man to drive 
 to Maine for them. The driver went as 
 far as Connecticut, where he appropriated 
 the team to his own use, and, as a conse- 
 quence, the family was obliged to wait 
 another year before coming west. Joseph 
 
 Storer remained at Zanesville ten years, 
 and while there he and his partner, John 
 Wilson, built the great wooden bridge 
 across the Muskingum river. In 1827 he 
 moved to Cleveland, and there followed 
 his trade of ship carpenter for many 
 years. He died in Green Creek town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co., in 1867. In poli- 
 tics he was a Whig and a Republican, and 
 in religious belief a Methodist. His wife, 
 Charlotte Knight, was born in Broad 
 Cove, Maine, in about 1777, and died in 
 1 85 1. The children of Joseph and Char- 
 lotte Storer were as follows: Eliza, who 
 married Joel Chapman, and lived in 
 Cuyahoga county to the age of eighty-five 
 years; George, still living in Cleveland at 
 the age of ninety-three years; Joseph, 
 who died in Brooklyn village January 11, 
 1894, aged eighty-nine years; Samuel, 
 subject of this sketch, now (1895) aged 
 eighty-nine years; Webster, now eighty- 
 six years old; Hester, wife of Harris Brain- 
 ard, of Cuyahoga count\^ 
 
 Samuel Storer attended the schools 
 of Zanesville, served an apprenticeship of 
 six years to the trade of tanner and cur- 
 rier, and followed it for thirty-five years 
 at Brooklyn village. In the fall of 1862 
 he sold out, and in the spring of 1 863 
 moved to the farm near Clyde, which he 
 still occupies and which he had purchased 
 in 1857. Mr. Storer was married in 1831, 
 to Miss Sarah J. Fish, who was born near 
 Cleveland, October 11, 181 1. She was 
 the daughter of James Fish, who, in 181 1, 
 migrated from Groton, Conn., to Ohio, 
 with an ox-team, and settled in the woods 
 near Brooklyn village (now Cleveland). 
 His wife was a weaver, and supported the 
 family at the loom while he cleared the 
 farm. Mr. Fish lived to the age of nine- 
 ty-three years. The seven children born 
 to Samuel and Sarah Storer were as fol- 
 lows: (I) Sarah S., born in 1835, was 
 married in i860 to Ira H. Pool, who in 
 July, 1862, enlisted in the army and died 
 in Nashville hospital in July, 1864; she 
 has two daughters: Bessie, wife of Will- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 4G0 
 
 ard Pcrin, of Green Creek township, and 
 mother of four children — Ethel, Cecil and 
 Gaylord and Gladys (twins); and Irene, 
 wife of Ira Conistock and mother of three 
 children — May, Ruth and Clara. (2) 
 Miranda, wife of William Cunningham, of 
 Clyde, has five children: Harry; Edna; 
 Lizzie, wife of A. W. Wilds; Nellie, wife 
 of William Wallace, of Lorain, and May, 
 wife of Har\ey Cook, of Fremont, and 
 mother of two children — Iva and Mabel 
 L. (3) James, who served throughout 
 the war in the artillery department, and 
 is now secretary and treasurer of the 
 Geo. Worthiiigton Co., wholesale hard- 
 ware, Cleveland; he married Emma 
 Schneider, of Cleveland, and had three 
 children — May, Winifred, and James (de- 
 ceased). (4) Mary, who wedded Robert 
 Clapp, of Clyde (now deceased), and be- 
 came the mother of one child — Irving; 
 she is now the wife of George Lee. (5) 
 Charles, of Green Creek township, mar- 
 ried Lucinda Rathbun and has five chil- 
 dren — Allie, Bessie, Mary, James and 
 Carrie. (6) Etta, wife of Morris L. Huss, 
 of Green Creek township, and mother of 
 two children — Ruth and Dwight. (7) 
 Benjamin is now deceased. Mrs. Storer, 
 the faithful and devoted wife and mother, 
 passed away in 1889. She had been for 
 many years a consistent member of the 
 M. E. Church, and that religious society 
 at Clyde has had no heartier or more in- 
 fluential supporter than Mr. Storer, who 
 subscribes liberally to the Church and its 
 missionary societies. He first joined the 
 church in 1822, and has ever since lived in 
 conformity with its teachings and pre- 
 cepts. He is a man above reproach in 
 his community, and a good citizen. When 
 operations on the Ohio canal were com- 
 menced July 4, 1824, Mr. Storer be- 
 longed to an artillery company at Zanes- 
 ville, which was ordered to Licking Sum- 
 mit to be present at the celebration on 
 that occasion. Gov. Clinton, of New 
 York, and Gov. Trimble, of Ohio, lifted 
 the first spadesful of earth in the construc- 
 
 tion of that work. This, Mr. Storer says, 
 was his first and only experience in mili- 
 tary service. 
 
 ISAAC AIGLER, a retired agricultur- 
 ist of York township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, is worthy of credit for untiring 
 
 energy and exemplary character, and 
 to him honor should be rendered. His 
 farm is a model one. The same marked 
 care shown by his wife in the arrange- 
 ment of her house, Mr. Aigler is renowned 
 for in the appointment of his premises. 
 
 Amos Aigler, the father of the subject 
 of this sketch, was born in Pennsylvania, 
 December 11, 181 5, and in 1839 was 
 united in marriage with Armina Bobb, 
 who was born in 1819, also in Pennsylva- 
 nia. They had two children: Isaac, the 
 older child, born in Union (now Snyder) 
 county, Penn., August 23, 1840; and 
 Eliza, now the wife of William Hummel, 
 of York township. Mrs. Aigler died in 
 1844, and two years later Mr. Aigler mar- 
 ried Mrs. Eliza Aigler, widow of his 
 brother, and they had five children, 
 namely: James, late of Bellevue, Huron 
 county, Ohio, now deceased, and Matilda 
 L. , wife of J. D. Harpster, a Kansas 
 banker (they were twins); Henry, of York 
 township, deceased; J. P., a real-estate 
 agent, of Kansas; and Clara, wife of Al- 
 len Kern, a farmer of York township. In 
 1848 the family came to Thompson town- 
 ship, Seneca county, and next year moved 
 to York township, where Mr. Aigler 
 bought eighty acres of land. Here he 
 lived for many years, and then, thinking 
 he had well earned a vacation, moved to 
 Bellevue, where he lives retired. 
 
 Isaac Aigler was but eight years old 
 when his father came to Ohio. His school 
 life ended shortly after that, and he had 
 to rise early and work late as, forty years 
 ago, life on the farm was not lightened by 
 iinproved machinery as at present. In 
 1 86 1 he enlisted in Company D. Fiftieth 
 Ohio National Guards, for f\\c years. 
 
470 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 A^ain, on Ma}- 2, 1864, he enlisted in 
 Company I, One Hundred and Sixt}'- 
 ninth O. V. I. He served in Maryland 
 and Virginia, defending Washington dur- 
 ing the summer of 1864, and was dis- 
 charged September 4, 1864. On March 
 5, 1868, Mr. Aigler was united in mar- 
 riage with Susan Close, who was born 
 August 16, 1847. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Aigler, George 
 and Mary (Moyer) Close, came to Ohio 
 in 1856. They had eleven children, as 
 follows: Austin, a Kansas farmer and car- 
 penter; Eliza, widow of LaFayette Han- 
 num, of Perrysburg, Ohio; Marguerite, 
 wife of J. K. Frederick, of Mauniee, 
 Ohio; Melinda, who is married to C. P. 
 Deyo, of Belle vue; Henry, who is in the 
 milling business at Venice, and resides in 
 Sandusky City; Joseph W., a Bellevue 
 banker; Susan, Mrs. Aigler; George W. , 
 a banker at Berlin Heights; Cloyd, a 
 farmer, of Michigan; Charles C, a livery- 
 man in Fremont; and Jay F., a Kansas 
 lawyer. Mr. Aigler has a fertile farm of 
 108 acres, on which he grows principally 
 grain, also some fruit. For many years 
 he affiliated with the Republican party; 
 but upon the organization of the People's 
 party he at once embraced that doctrine, 
 being the first man in York township to 
 openly advocate the Omaha platform. He 
 is one of the best known Populists in the 
 country, and for several years has served 
 on various county committees. 
 
 Wn.LIAM REHBERG. Promi- 
 nent among the old settlers and 
 esteemed residents of Middle 
 Bass Island, Ottawa county, is 
 found the gentleman whose name intro- 
 duces this sketch. He was born in Meck- 
 lenburg-Schwerin, Germany, January 10, 
 1825, son of John and Christina (Bohn- 
 dorff) Rehbcrg, who were both born in 
 Germany. 
 
 William Rehberg was educated, reared 
 to manhood and learned the trade of ma- 
 
 chinist in his native land. On January/, 
 1849, in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Ger- 
 many, he was united in marriage with 
 Louisa Stevens, who was born in Mamaro, 
 and they have had seven children, three 
 of whom are now living, namely: Mary, 
 born January i, 1850, now the wife of 
 John Runkle, of Middle Bass Island; 
 Herman, born June 2, 1857, and residing 
 on Middle Bass Island; and Ida, born July 
 3, 1863, wife of A. Smith, Jr., of San- 
 dusky, Erie county. 
 
 In 1849 Mr. Rehberg left the Father- 
 land for America, and after his arrival in 
 this country resided at Niagara Falls for 
 a few months, then came to Ohio and 
 located in Wyandot count}', where he was 
 engaged in the gunsmith business for two 
 years. He then removed to Sandusky, 
 Erie county, and for two years was occu- 
 pied in fishing, in i856removing to Middle 
 Bass Island, of which locality he has since 
 been a continuous resident and one of its 
 most progressive citizens, doing more, 
 perhaps, than any other settler toward the 
 progress that has been made on that beau- 
 tiful island, and the growth of its material 
 interests. Mr. Rehberg was the first pur- 
 chaser of land on the island, and imme- 
 diately after his purchase agreed to im- 
 prove this part of the township by clear- 
 ing and cultivating the land, and erecting 
 substantial houses and other buildings. A 
 few years afterward he began the cultiva- 
 tion of grapes, and later entered upon the 
 business of wine making, in which he has 
 since continued, his vineyard now being 
 one of the largest and best cultivated on 
 the island. In 1869 he built his large 
 wine cellar, in 1879 his spacious Middle 
 Bass Club hall, used for the accommoda- 
 tion of the club. He is owner and master 
 of the fine steamer " Leroy Brooks," part 
 owner of the steamer " Secord, " which 
 plies between Port Clinton and the islands 
 during the summer months, and is also a 
 stockholder in the Sandusky Fish Com- 
 pany. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Rehberg is 
 
>^ /IM^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 471 
 
 an active member of the Democratic 
 party. He was the first trustee of Put in 
 Bay township, and has also efficiently 
 filled many other township offices. He 
 is a member of Science Lodge No. 50, 
 F. & A. M., of Sandusky, Erie county, 
 and was a member of Erie Commandery 
 No. 22, Sandusky, Ohio, but resigned in 
 189s; is a member of Commodore Perry 
 Lodge L O. O. F., of Put in Bay; and a 
 charter member of Guttenberg-Hin Lodge 
 No. 91, Druids, Sandusky. Few men 
 have come more in contact with the grow- 
 ing interests of Put in Bay township, and 
 none have commanded more completel)' 
 the respect and confidence of the com- 
 munity than William Rehberg. He has 
 risen by his own individual efforts, and 
 may justly be styled a self-made man. 
 Of gentlemanly demeanor, he always 
 meets his associates, both in social and 
 business circles, with a cordial and friendly 
 bearing; as a public man he has dis- 
 charged with painstaking fidelity the du- 
 ties of ever)' position in which he has 
 been placed, and enjoys the respect and 
 esteem of the people he has so faithfully 
 served. 
 
 In 1882, after an absence of forty- 
 three years, Mr. Rehberg paid a visit to 
 his native land and town, and after pleas- 
 antly sojourning there for some si.\ months 
 with relatives and friends, returned to the 
 United States and to Middle Bass in the 
 fall of the same year. At the present 
 time (December, 1895) he is in Florida, 
 building a cottage in an orange grove. 
 
 RICHARD BOYD STEVENSON 
 holds an honored and revered 
 place in the hearts of his fellow- 
 citizens of York township, San- 
 dusky county. He has passed the seventy- 
 fifth milestone of his life, and is thus 
 linked by memory to a past generation. 
 Coming as he did when a lad of tender 
 years to the " Black Swamp," he has 
 witnessed the conversion of a swampy 
 
 30 
 
 jungle into a region as fair and fertile as 
 the sun has ever shone upon. Gifted with 
 a memory remarkably acute and vivid, he 
 is an unquestioned authority upon the 
 early history of York and neighboring 
 townships. And blessed as he also is 
 with a keen judgment of men and events, 
 and with a kindly feeling for humanity, 
 he ranks as an oracle among all who know 
 him. 
 
 Mr. Stevenson was born in Frederick 
 county, Md., January 10, 1820, son of 
 Dr. Matthew and Jane (Gilson) Steven- 
 son. Dr. Stevenson was born in Fred- 
 erick county, Md., in 1777, and his father, 
 James Stevenson, who was of Scotch 
 origin, emigrated from the North of Ire- 
 land to Pennsylvania, married a Miss 
 Buchanan fa relative of President Buchan- 
 an), near Carlisle, Penn., and removed 
 across the Maryland line, buying land on 
 the foot hills between Emmittsburg, Md., 
 and Gettysburg, Penn. Here he lived a 
 farmer, of the old Presbyterian faith, 
 until his death. His children were as fol- 
 lows: Matthew; William, who died near 
 Clyde, Ohio; Martha, who married and 
 lived in Cayuga county, N.Y. ; Jane, after- 
 ward Mrs. Knox; Abigail, who married 
 and lived in New York State; Elizabeth 
 and Mary. Matthew studied medicine 
 and for a time practiced in Gettysburg, 
 where his uncle, Dr. Buchanan, was also 
 a practitioner. Later Dr. Stevenson 
 practiced near Youngstown, Westmore- 
 land Co., Penn. He v^'as a man of 
 thorough classical education, and his son, 
 Richard B., still has many of his books 
 written in the Latin tongue. He also 
 possessed high scientific attainments. The 
 latter he was obliged sometimes to call 
 into requisition. Thus in Westmoreland 
 county the good people saw phosphor- 
 escent lights move slowly to and fro, and 
 in terror believed them to be spirits from 
 the other world until Dr. Stevenson dem- 
 onstrated to them the earthly origin of 
 the lights. 
 
 Jane Gilson, the wife of Dr. Steven- 
 
472 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 son, was born in Pennsylvania in 1789. 
 Her mother was a Miss Boyd, member of 
 a family who settled in an early day 
 among the Indians at Carlisle, Penn. 
 During the French and Indian wars the 
 entire family was captured save the 
 father, who at the time was absent from 
 home. In a neighboring schoolhouse the 
 teacher and all the pupils were massa- 
 cred. Grandmother Boyd was killed by 
 the Indians, because she was too old to 
 be taken into captivity, and also an in- 
 fant. The other Boyds were carried 
 back into the wilderness. One of the 
 boys, the grandfather of Dr. Stevenson's 
 wife, was given to a "good Indian," and 
 it was his duty to wait upon an enfeebled 
 old warrior chief. Three years later he 
 was returned to Carlisle. All the other 
 members of the family, except one boy, 
 were restored after seven years of cap- 
 tivity. 
 
 After the death of his father. Dr. 
 Stevenson returned to Frederick county, 
 Md., and remained there until his migra- 
 tion to Ohio. He came with his family 
 in a three-horse wagon to Tiffin, and later 
 to Sandusky county, arriving June 3, 
 1830, at the farm in York township still 
 owned by the subject of this sketch and 
 other heirs. The land had been entered 
 by Mr. Birdseye in 1822, and from him 
 purchased by Dr. Stevenson. The latter 
 did not practice medicine in Ohio, but 
 followed farming until his death, in 1849. 
 In politics he was a Whig, and in relig- 
 ious faith a Presbyterian early in life, but 
 later a Methodist. His wife, who had 
 nobly braved the toils and privations of 
 pioneer life, survived until 1877. Dr. 
 Matthew and Jane Stevenson had eleven 
 children, as follows: James G. D., who 
 lived at Buffalo, N. Y. ; Thomas W. B., 
 of Fayette county, Iowa; G. H., for some 
 years a resident of California; Nancy 
 Jane, who married W. Gurley; Richard 
 Boyd, subject of this sketch; Lucinda, 
 born September 15, 1822, a maiden lady, 
 who cared for her parents in their declin- 
 
 ing years, and who now lives at the old 
 homestead with her brother, Richard B. ; 
 John W., of Sandusky City; M. A. and 
 B. W. (twins), the former a resident of 
 Chicago, and the latter a farmer of York 
 township; Joseph F. , who died in 1852, 
 aged twenty-two years; Mary E. , born 
 August 19, 1832, the only child of the 
 family born in Ohio, unmarried and living 
 with her brother and sister on the old 
 homestead. 
 
 The occupants at the old farmhouse, 
 around which cluster many fond memo- 
 ries, are thus Richard Boyd Stevenson 
 and his two unmarried sisters — Mary E. 
 and Lucinda. Like them he has re- 
 mained single. The home is one of the 
 landmarks of the revered past, and in the 
 eyes of the community for many miles 
 about it is doubly revered because of the 
 high standing of its owners. The Misses 
 Stevenson are renowned for their ladj'- 
 like and reserved manners, and for their 
 liberal culture. They have been reared 
 in the M. E. Church. In politics Mr. 
 Stevenson is a Republican. With his 
 accustomed public spirit and generosity, 
 he has dedicated to public use a spring of 
 remarkable freshness and coldness, which 
 gushes from the earth a short distance in 
 front of the Stevenson home. Around it 
 he has built a stone house, and the passer- 
 by is ever welcome to enter and slake his 
 thirst at ' ' the coldest spring and purest 
 water in northern Ohio." 
 
 ROBERT L. RIFE, a leading citi- 
 zen of York township, Sandusky 
 county, has amassed one of the 
 largest landed holdings for many 
 miles around by his superior business 
 sagacity and enterprise. He began his 
 farming career in a small way, and added 
 to his acres gradually from time to time, 
 obeying the cardinal principle of success 
 in life by keeping expenses within his in- 
 come. He is yet a young man, and a na- 
 tive of York township, born April 27, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 473 
 
 1846, son of Michael and Mary (Long- 
 well) Rife. 
 
 It is a family of pioneer stock. Mich- 
 ael Rife was born in Frederick county, 
 Md., February 15, 18 14, a son of Daniel 
 and Elizabeth (Zumbrund) Rife. Daniel 
 Rife was the son of a German emigrant 
 who had settled in Maryland. Like his 
 father he was a member of the Lutheran 
 Church. He continued to live in Mary- 
 land many years after his marriage to 
 Elizabeth Zumbrund, but in 1S32 he 
 migrated with his wife and ten children — 
 three sons and seven daughters — to San- 
 dusky county. These children were as 
 follows: Susan, who married Chester 
 Kinnej', of Green Spring; Michael, father 
 of Robert L. ; Daniel, a farmer of Clyde; 
 Julia Ann, who married John Hamlin and 
 moved to Steuben county, Ind. ; Eliza- 
 beth, of Bellevue; Mary and Sarah 
 (twins), the former of whom married 
 Aaron Bartlett of Fulton county; Sophia; 
 John, of York township; and Frances. 
 The township was practically uncleared 
 and largely unsettled when Daniel Rife 
 became a resident in 1832, and he en- 
 gaged in the serious work of making a 
 home for himself in the wilderness. He 
 met with success, and his descendants are 
 among the most highly-respected citizens 
 of the county. He died at the age of 
 fifty-seven j'ears, his wife surviving to the 
 age of seventy-six. 
 
 Michael Rife, the eldest son, was 
 eighteen when he came to Sandusky coun- 
 ty, just the right age to be of most value 
 to his father in the pioneer life. For 
 seven years he labored at home. Then 
 on New Year's Day, 1839, he married 
 Mary Longwell, a young lady who had 
 been orphaned from infancy, and whose 
 parents were among the first victims of 
 an unhealthy climate in York township in 
 its early days. She was born in Berlin 
 township, Delaware county, November 
 9, 1 82 1, only daughter of Robert and Lu- 
 cinda (Butler) Longwell. They were 
 married February 2, 1821, and in 1823 
 
 journeyed to a new pioneer home. Mr. 
 Longwell brought his goods in an o.x- 
 wagon, while his wife carried the child 
 Mary in her arms and rode horseback. 
 After one brief year of married life in the 
 new land the family was destroyed. Mrs. 
 Longwell died September 17, 1824, aged 
 thirty-two years, her husband, who was a 
 native of Kentuckj', five days later, aged 
 thirty years. The mother was one of a 
 numerous family; she was born in Lenox 
 township, Berkshire Co., Mass. Her 
 brothers and sisters were: Sarah; Lydia, 
 Rebecca, Persus, Thankful, Jethrone, 
 Daniel, David, Levi, George, Cornelius 
 and Mar}'. The orphaned child grew up 
 among relatives in Sandusky and Dela- 
 ware counties. After his marriage to her 
 in 1839 Michael Rife began housekeeping 
 in York township. Currency was scarce 
 in those days, and to procure the small 
 amount of money needed to pay taxes 
 was a difftcult matter. Mrs. Rife raised 
 chickens and produce of various sorts, 
 but the prices they commanded would in 
 this day discourage any agriculturist. 
 Michael Rife was in politics a Republican. 
 He was industrious and economical, and 
 accumulated a highly-improved farm of 
 400 acres upon which he lived in comfort 
 during his declining years until his death, 
 which occurred January 2, 1894. His 
 widow is at this writing still living on the 
 old homstead on the North Ridge, York 
 township. Four children were born to 
 Michael and Mary Rife, f i) Eudora Ann, 
 born March 30, 1841, married October 
 16, 1862, to Robert Zuel, of Townsend 
 township, who was born in New York 
 State October 29, 1831; thej' have four 
 children: Mary, born October 20, 1863, 
 married to Robert Asher, and living in 
 Kansas, near Kansas Cit\'; Sarah, born 
 October 22, 1S65, married to William 
 Range, and the mother of five children — 
 Charles, Frank, Fred, Bessie and Harry; 
 Hattie, born August 25, 1869, married 
 to W. Gursuch, and living in Wallace 
 county, Kans. ; and George, born March 
 
474 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 4, 1877, a farmer of Johnson county, 
 Kans. (2) Sarah Fideha, born September 
 7, 1842, is the wife of WilHam L. Rich- 
 ards, of York township. (3) Robert L. 
 is the subject of this sl<etch. (4) Charles, 
 born February 20, 1848, died March 24, 
 same year. 
 
 Robert L. Rife grew up in York town- 
 ship, and at the age of twenty-three, 
 on September i, 1869, married Miss Maria 
 Dimock, who was born in Brownhelm 
 township, Lorain county, August 4, 1849. 
 After marriage they settled on a small 
 place, and modestly began farming. It 
 can be said that Mr. Rife has a genius 
 for the noble art of husbandry, for he has 
 prospered almost beyond measure, and 
 he is to-day one of the most substantial 
 farmers of Sandusk}' county. To Mr. 
 and Mrs. Rife have been born five chil- 
 dren: Charles, Fred, Emmet, Gertrude 
 and Homer. Charles, the eldest, mar- 
 ried Hattie Wyatt, and has two children — 
 Beatrice and Ellis. Fred married Miss 
 Christena Knoblow, and has one child — 
 Helen. 
 
 SAMUEL FOUGHT, one of the 
 honored pioneers of Sandusky 
 county, has made his home in 
 Washington township since the 
 •days when this locality was a frontier 
 settlement, when the work of progress and 
 civilization seemed hardly begun, when 
 homes were widely scattered, and when 
 many of the now thriving towns and vil- 
 lages had not j'et sprung into existence. 
 In the work of progress and advancement 
 he has ever borne his part, and his name 
 is inseparably connected with the history 
 of the county. 
 
 Mr. Fought is a native of Ohio, born 
 in Perry county, December 3, 1831, and 
 is a son of Michael and Elizabeth (Kline) 
 Fought, who removed from Pennsylvania 
 to Ohio in the days when it was hardly 
 safe to venture far from their log cabin, 
 for the wolves were then more numerous 
 
 in Sandusky county than are the cattle 
 to-day. They located upon a fortj'-acre 
 tract of land about two miles from the 
 present home of our subject, and there 
 spent their remaining days, both reaching 
 an advanced age. The father passed 
 away at the age of eighty-one, and 
 the mother was called to her final 
 rest at the age of eight\--three. In his 
 political relations he was a Democrat, and 
 both were members of the Lutheran 
 Church. Their family numbered eleven 
 children, of whom Pegg\- became the wife 
 of J. Cunningham, by whom she had four 
 children, and after his death married G. 
 Heverland, by whom she had one child; 
 Sally married J. Hetrick, and both are 
 now deceased; Solomon, Nancy and 
 Michael are also deceased; the other 
 members of the family are Betsy, William, 
 Powell, Polly, Samuel and Levi. 
 
 Our subject was a young child when 
 his parents located in Sandusky county, 
 and when he became old enough to attend 
 school he was sent to the only one in the 
 township, about fi\e miles from his home, 
 and that distance he was compelled to 
 walk. He lived with his parents until 
 1848, when, at the age of seventeen, with 
 the money that he had saved from his 
 earnings, he purchased seventy acres of 
 land in Washington township, and took 
 up his residence thereon. It is located 
 on what is termed the pike, and is one of 
 the most valuable tracts in the township. 
 Here he is successfully engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits, and his place is under a 
 high state of cultivation, and well improv- 
 ed with the accessories and conveniences 
 of a model farm. 
 
 On October 5, 1843. Mr. Fought was 
 married to Miss Susan Klotz, daughter of 
 David Klotz, a farmer of Pennsylvania, 
 in whose family there were seven children: 
 Philip, Katie, Susan, John, Martin, 
 Samuel and David. The father died at 
 the age of sixtj^-three, the mother at the 
 advanced age of eighty-six. To Mr. and 
 Mrs. Fought have been born eight chil- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 47& 
 
 dren — six sons and two daughters — name- 
 ly: Nancy, born December i6, 1844, now 
 the wife of Fred Gillard; Lucy, born Jan- 
 uary 15, 1847, now the wife of Frank 
 Arnett, a carpenter of Fremont, Ohio; 
 Absalom, born May 11, 1S50; William, 
 born February 23, 1852, and is engaged 
 in carpentering in Fremont; Freeman, 
 who was born January 13, 1854, and re- 
 sides in Hessville, Ohio; Levi, who was 
 born August 5, 1856, and follows milling 
 in Fremont; Franklin, a resident of Lind- 
 sey, Ohio, born May 31, 1861; and David 
 E. , born August 25, 1864, now a contrac- 
 tor of Toledo, Ohio. Mr. Fought is a 
 stalwart Republican in politics, and has 
 filled the office of school director, taking 
 a deep interest in the cause of education, 
 of which he is a warm friend. He belongs 
 to the United Brethren Church. 
 
 ALBERT E. RICHARDS (better 
 known as Bert), who is engaged 
 in the publication of the Farmers 
 Reporter, of which he is editor 
 and proprietor, has spent his entire life 
 in Sandusky county, his birth having oc- 
 curred in Townsend township, November 
 2, 1862. He is a son of Archibald and 
 Marj' (George) Richards. His father was 
 born near New London, Conn., in 1812, 
 and when a young man he came to the 
 West, taking up his residence in Sandusky 
 county, where he carried on agricultural 
 pursuits and succeeded in amassing a com- 
 fortable fortune. In politics the elder 
 Richards was a Democrat until after the 
 division came on the slavery question, 
 when he became a stalwart Republican. 
 His death occurred in 1884. The mother 
 of the subject of this sketch was born in 
 Seneca county, Ohio, in 18 19. Her par- 
 ents were from Vermont, and were among 
 the first settlers in this section of the 
 State. Mrs. Richards is still living and 
 is a resident of Clyde. 
 
 In the Richards family there were 
 
 thirteen children, of whom our subject 
 is the youngest. He attended the dis- 
 trict schools until twelve years of age, 
 when the family left the farm and moved 
 to Clyde, thus giving him the advantage 
 of a better grade of public schools. In 
 1S79 he became a student at Hillsdale 
 College, Hillsdale, Mich., and remained 
 there three years. He left school at about 
 the time of his father's death, and en- 
 gaged in the insurance business, which he 
 pursued with success during a period of 
 two 3'ears. He then disposed of his in- 
 surance interests, and devoted his whole 
 time and attention to art, for which 
 he had always displayed a natural taste and 
 inclination. In art he was fairly success- 
 ful from a financial standpoint, and his 
 work in black and white was warmly re- 
 ceived by some of the best art critics. 
 Our subject, however, could not be satis- 
 fied with anything less than a thorough 
 schooling in color work among the mast- 
 ers abroad, and did not feel financially 
 able to pursue such a course of study. 
 In 1892 he decided to drop his art work 
 for a time, and purchased the Fanners' 
 Reporter, a Republican newspaper with a 
 good circulation, published at Clyde. Mr. 
 Richards at once changed the paper to- 
 a Democratic sheet, being a stanch Demo- 
 crat himself. It is well edited, neat in 
 appearance and devoted to the best inter- 
 ests of the city and county. Being well 
 conducted it receives a liberal patronage, 
 and its business is steadily increasing. 
 One commendable feature about the pa- 
 per, so rare now-a-days, is that it con- 
 tains no medical or other advertisements 
 of a questionable sort, regardless of the 
 high prices offered for space by such ad- 
 vertisers. 
 
 Mr. Richards is an inflexible supporter 
 of the principles of his party. He is well 
 known among local politicians throughout 
 northwestern Ohio, and his figure is a fa- 
 miliar one at conventions and other polit- 
 ical gatherings. His friends are many 
 throughout the county, where his genial. 
 
470 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 affable nature has made him popular with 
 everybody. 
 
 Our subject was united in marriage on 
 May 17, 1S94, to Miss Millicent Fancher, 
 the charming and accomplished daughter 
 of Postmaster Fancher, of Lorain, Ohio. 
 
 A 
 
 A. FENN, one of the prosperous 
 and successful business men of 
 Clyde, Sandusky county, a fruit 
 farmer and ice dealer, is the son 
 of a well-known pioneer of the county, 
 Amos Fenn. The latter came to Clyde 
 in 1820, with the Pogue family, Silas 
 Dewey and Giles Thompson, the earliest 
 settlers, and for more than half a century 
 was a prominent character in the com- 
 munity. 
 
 Amos Fenn was born in Litchfield 
 county, Conn., in September, 1793, and 
 was a young man when he came west. 
 He was a carpenter by trade, and built 
 the first frame house in the city of San- 
 dusky. He was twice married, first at 
 Marblehead to Nancy Smith, by whom he 
 had five children, as follows: Susan P., 
 now Mrs. Wing, of Kansas; Charles G., 
 a grocer at Adrian, Ohio; Clara D., who 
 married Horace Woodward, and died near 
 Norwalk; William U., who died many 
 years ago; and Harriet J., unmarried, a 
 resident of Tiffin. Mrs. Fenn died in 
 June, 1839, and in 1840 Amos Fenn mar- 
 ried Emeline, widow of Orrin F. Brace, 
 and daughter of Nathan and Lucy (Smith) 
 Jacobs. She was born in \'ermont Sep- 
 tember 30, 1 8 10, and was married at 
 Ithaca, N. Y., to Mr. Brace, who went 
 west, contracted a fever and returned to 
 Milan to die soon after. By that marriage 
 there was one child, George Brace, now 
 of Grand Ledge, Mich. To Amos and 
 Emeline ¥enn came two children, who 
 grew to maturity — Nancy, born February 
 3, 1 84 1, who was married to Joseph 
 Dufran, of Bucyrus, and died February 
 16, 1892, leaving five children — Charles, 
 George, Allen, Jean and Fred; and A. A., 
 
 subject of this sketch, born September 9, 
 1848. Amos Fenn remained a resident 
 of Clyde until his death, January 16, 
 1879. He was buried in Clyde cemeterj-. 
 He was a man of deep conviction, and 
 was universally admired and respected. 
 For a time after coming to Clyde he 
 operated an old water sawmill on Coon 
 creek, near the village. For a period of 
 eighteen j'ears from 1843 he served as a 
 justice of the peace, and he was also 
 elected township clerk; in politics he was 
 a Republican. For a man of pioneer 
 times he was fairly educated, and in 1844 
 he was ordained a Methodist minister, 
 during his later years devoting his life al- 
 most exclusively to ministerial duties, and 
 his farewell sermon in the M. E. Church 
 attracted one of the largest audiences 
 ever assembled in Clyde. Father Fenn, 
 as he was generally known, delivered more 
 funeral sermons, perhaps, than any other 
 man in Sandusky county, and often left 
 the harvest field to officiate at some burial 
 service. This was purely a labor of love, for 
 all he ever received for these ministrations 
 was one white shirt. It was not alone in 
 trhe lugubrious aspects of life that he par- 
 ticipated, for in disposition he was jovial 
 and generous; he married hundreds of 
 young couples, and his one daughter, 
 Nancy, was among the large number 
 joined in wedlock by him. His widow, 
 at this writing, still survives. She was in 
 early life a member of the Baptist Church, 
 the faith of her parents, but in 1835 
 joined the M. E. Church at Milan. By 
 letter she, in 1840, became a member of 
 the Clyde Church, and still holds that 
 membership. Somewhat enfeebled by 
 age, she now makes her home with her 
 son, A. A. 
 
 Our subject spent his boyhood days in 
 the vicinity of Clyde, and assisted his 
 father on the farm. He was drummer in 
 Company B, One Hundred and Sixty- 
 ninth O. V. I., which did guard service 
 at Fort Ethan Allen during the summer 
 of 1864, and like most of his comrades he 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 477 
 
 came home broken down in health frorrt 
 his long stay in a malarial locality. In 
 1876 he was married to Lida Rathbun, 
 who was born in Clyde June 16, 1856, 
 daughter of Franklin and Louisa (Tucker) 
 Rathbun, the former also a native of 
 Clyde, the latter born February 17, 1827, 
 in Lorain, Lorain county. Franklin 
 Rathbun and wife had five children, as 
 follows: Newton, of Clyde; Mary, wife 
 of James Stokes, of Clyde; Amy, wife of 
 John H. Keller, of Pomona, Cal. ; Lida; 
 and Burt, of Clyde. A. A. and Lida 
 Fenn have three children: Franklin Amos, 
 Jay Leon and Ethel May. After mar- 
 riage Mr. Fenn purchased his father's 
 farm, and embarked in the ice and fruit 
 business which he has ever since very 
 successfully cenducted; he is thoroughly 
 attached to this industry, which is one 
 of inestimable value to the community in 
 which he lives. He has a fine spring wa- 
 ter pond, with gate outlet, used for thor- 
 oughly cleansing the pond, which is used 
 for boating in summer. He has sixteen 
 acres in small fruits, three acres of 
 which are devoted to blackberries, the 
 yield increasing every year. In poli- 
 tics Mr. Fenn is a Republican, and in 
 religious belief a Methodist. He is a 
 prominent member of the G. A. R. and 
 of the K. of P. 
 
 JOSHUA D. SAMPSEL. The sub- 
 ject of this sketch is well-known in 
 Sandusky county, where he has re- 
 sided all his life, and especially in 
 Madison township, of which he is one of 
 the prominent and substantial citizens. 
 The story of his life is that of many of 
 the early settlers of Ohio; a boyhood of 
 hard work and privation, with few ad- 
 vantages and still fewer pleasures, but 
 with plenty of grit, earnest endeavor, and 
 stubborn perseverance which have, in the 
 end, lifted him to the level of success and 
 secured for him a competence which en- 
 
 ables him to enjoy those privileges of 
 which he was deprived in youth. 
 
 Mr. Sainpsel was born, September 27, 
 1849, in the township in which he still 
 makes his home, son of George and Mary 
 (Dick) Sampsel. who came thither from 
 Union count}', Penn., in the early days of 
 Ohio, and long before our subject was 
 born. His ancestors on both sides were 
 natives of Pennsylvania, and lived there 
 throughout their lives, with the exception 
 of his maternal grandmother, who accom- 
 panied her daughter to her western home 
 and died in Sandusky county. George 
 Sampsel settled on a forty-acre tract of 
 land on which his son Joshua still lives, 
 and which was then covered with a wild 
 growth of timber. He worked assidu- 
 ously to clear the land and prepare the 
 fields for crops by which to support his 
 little family, but before his task was done 
 his life was crushed out by a log rolling 
 onto him. At the time of this sad event 
 our subject was but two years old, and 
 the other children too young to be of any 
 assistance to their mother. This brave 
 woman took up the heavy burden thus 
 thrown upon her shoulders, and with what 
 she could raise upon the farm, and by 
 weaving carpets, managed to keep the 
 wolf from the door. The family consisted 
 of four children: Sophia, who married 
 William Ickes, a farmer in Madison town- 
 ship (thej' have one child, Erma); Re- 
 becca, wife of Henry Friar, also a farmer 
 in Madison township (they have three 
 children, a daughter, Minnie — wife of 
 Louis Driftmyer — and two sons, Bertie 
 and Clifford); Joshua D., our subject; and 
 Zephaniah, who died when eighteen years 
 old. 
 
 On May 5, 1875, Mr. Sampsel was 
 married to Miss Julia Kingston, who was 
 born May 24, 1858, in Ottawa county, 
 daughter of Henry and Minnie (Socedia) 
 Kingston, farming people, who were of 
 German birth. Their children were seven 
 in number: Minnie, Eliza, Mary, Anna, 
 Julia, Angeline, and one who died in in- 
 
478 
 
 COMMEMOEATrVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 fancy. Since his marriage, Mr. Sampsel 
 has added to his original farm, and now 
 owns 104 acres of valuable land in the 
 center of the oil district. On it he has 
 seven good wells, which bring -him in a 
 comfortable monthlj- income. All the 
 land is cleared with the exception of 
 about thirty acres, which he uses for tim- 
 ber and pasturage. His family consists 
 of si.x bright children, as follows: Justis, 
 born July 11, 1876; Vernie, born August 
 4, 1878; Elsworth, born August 28, 1880; 
 Goldie, born April 3, 1884; Mabel, born 
 August 3, 1887, and Arthur K. , born 
 October 11, 1894, all at home. Mr. 
 Sampsel has one of the finest and most 
 comfortable homes in the township, and 
 the handsomely furnished rooms are in- 
 dicative of the e.xcellent taste of its owner. 
 That he stands high in the estimation of 
 his fellow citizens is shown by the various 
 responsible public offices in which he has 
 been placed, he having held the position 
 of school director and road supervisor, 
 and at present that of township trustee. 
 In politics he is a Democrat, and, with 
 his wife, is a meiTiber of the Evangelical 
 Church. Mr. Sampsel's father was in 
 sympathy with the principles now held by 
 the Republican party, and served as jus- 
 tice of the peace. 
 
 GEORGE W. BAILEY (deceased) 
 was one of the honored pioneers 
 and highly-esteemed citizens of 
 Catawba Island township, Otta- 
 wa count}'. He was a native of Connect- 
 icut, born in Danbury, Fairfield county, 
 February i , 1 8 1 1 , and was a son of Will- 
 iam Ward and Anna (Bowton) Bailey, 
 the former of whom served as a soldier 
 in the war of 181 2. 
 
 In his native city our subject spent 
 the days of his boyhood and youth, and 
 there learned the trades of shoemaker and 
 bricklayer, following the former during 
 the winter months, while through the 
 summer season he worked at the latter. 
 
 In 1844 he removed to Ohio, and on May 
 14 of that year located on Catawba Is- 
 land (then Van Rensselaer township), 
 when this county was almost an unbroken 
 wilderness. Here he engaged in shoe- 
 making until his death, which occurred 
 March 19, 1848. 
 
 At New Fairfield, Conn., Januarj* 12, 
 1835, Mr. Bailey married Miss Marj- E. 
 Bearss, a native of New Fairfield, born 
 May 16, 1813, and a daughter of Joseph 
 T. and Annie (Hubble) Bearss, also 
 natives of Fairfield county. Conn. In the 
 war of 18 12, her father fought in defense 
 of the stars and stripes, and her grand- 
 fathers were soldiers in the Revolutionary 
 war. Mr. and Mrs. Bailej' became the 
 parents of four children: Thomas W. , 
 born May 13. 1837, died March 8, 1890; 
 Lorenzo S., born December 24, 1838; 
 Anna A., born August 19, 1840, is the 
 wife of Frank Wonnel, residing in Port- 
 age township, Ottawa county; and George 
 O., born October 29. 1843, died March 
 4, 1890, from hardships incurred while 
 serving in the army. In religious faith 
 the family is identified with the Univer- 
 salist Church. 
 
 Lorenzo S. B.^iley, smce the death 
 of his father, has looked after the interests 
 of the homestead farm and cared for his 
 mother, who is now one of the oldest 
 living residents of the community, having 
 attained her eighty-second year, is still 
 hale and hearty, and able to attend to her 
 household duties. During her life she 
 has been a great weaver and has woven 
 thousands of yards of rag carpet, prior to 
 which for years she spun the wool and 
 wove the cloth for the family's clothes. 
 In the summer time they wore cotton 
 clothes colored with yellow oak or black 
 walnut bark boiled down to an extract and 
 set with copperas to hold its color. ' ' Our 
 young people of to-day," says Mr. Lor- 
 enzo Bailey, " think they have hard times, 
 but they know nothing about hard times. 
 I remember very plainly when our family 
 had nothing but boiled wheat and hulled 
 
3 ^^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 479 
 
 corn to eat. Flour was not made in the 
 county, and was hard to get. I worked 
 many a day for twenty-five cents per day, 
 and the winter I was sixteen I chopped 
 .wood for my uncle at fifty cents a cord, 
 and boarded m}self. At eighteen I went 
 to learn the carpenter's trade, and for 
 three years worked for almost only my 
 board; then followed fishing for several 
 years, made a little money, bought a piece 
 of land and commenced fruit growing." 
 Lorenzo Bailey is one of the most suc- 
 cessful fruit growers of the island, and is 
 held in high esteem by all who know him. 
 
 THOMAS P. DEWEY, member of 
 the law firm of Finch & Dewey, and 
 one of the prominent attorneys of 
 Clyde, Sandusky county, was born 
 in Crawford county, Penn., December 27, 
 1853, son of George and Harriet (Ensign) 
 Dewey. 
 
 George Dewey is the descendant of an 
 old Massachusetts family of Scotch ex- 
 traction. He was born in 1818, and still 
 survives, a resident of Clyde. His wife, 
 who was born in 1822 in Ashtabula coun- 
 ty, Ohio, died in 1881. George and 
 Harriet Dewey had six children, all of 
 whom are yet living, as follows: Carlie, 
 wife of Henry Bruning, of Toledo, Ohio 
 Charles, of Fremont, Ohio; Thomas P. 
 George, a merchant of Shelby, Mich, 
 and Hattie and Mattie, twins. 
 
 Thomas P. Dewey had not the ad- 
 vantages of a collegiate training, but his 
 education was by no means neglected. 
 He attended the public schools of his na- 
 tive town, afterward the excellent schools 
 at Kelloggsville, Ohio, and he was amply 
 compensated by private study for the 
 absence of extraneous opportunities. In 
 1876 Mr. Dewey began the study of law 
 at Painesville, Lake Co., Ohio, with the 
 firm of Tinker & Alvord, the following 
 year coming to Clyde, where he continued 
 his studies under Judge John M. Lennon. 
 He was admitted to the bar April 23, 
 
 1879, and in the following autumn began 
 practice at Tiffin, about a year later, 
 however, returning to Clyde, where he 
 has ever since continued in active prac- 
 tice. For three years he practiced alone, 
 but in 1883 the firm of Finch & Dewey 
 was formed, and these two attorneys have 
 ever since been very successfully associ- 
 ated in a professional way. Theirs is one 
 of the leading firms in the city, and does 
 an extensive legal business, practicing in 
 all the courts. In politics Mr. Dewey is 
 a strong Republican. He is actively in- 
 terested in the triumph of the party's 
 principles, and is recognized as one of the 
 county leaders of his party. 
 
 On September 9, 1879, Mr. Dewey 
 was married to Miss Jennie Stilwell, and 
 to their union have been born three chil- 
 dren: Hattie, Benjamin and Lucy. As 
 a sort of recreation, and to get relaxation 
 from his law practice, Mr. Dewey pur- 
 chased two farms one mile west of Clyde, 
 and has put them in splendid state of 
 fertilization, and they are very produc- 
 tive, having been thoroughly drained by 
 tiling, etc. On one of these farms Mr. 
 Dewey was so fortunate as to strike a 
 mineral fountain spring, from which con- 
 stantly flows a stream of nearly five in- 
 ches in diameter. The waters have great 
 healing and medicinal properties, and are 
 highly prized by the people of the city 
 and surrounding country, the waters be- 
 ing very cold and pure. 
 
 RANDALL SPARKS, who with his 
 wife is renowned for his many 
 virtues and exemplary Christian 
 life, is one of the oldest living set- 
 tlers of York township, Sandusky county. 
 He was born in Fayette county, Penn., 
 January 24, 18 14, son of Ephraim L. and 
 Sarah (Cook) Sparks. 
 
 Ephraim Sparks was born January i, 
 1790, in Fayette county, Penn., whither 
 his father, Isaac Sparks, who was a na- 
 tive of New Jersey, of Welsh ancestry, 
 
480 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 had migrated, and there married Anna 
 Lloyd. He followed (arming, but also 
 engaged in an early day in the manufac- 
 ture of glass, in which enterprise, how- 
 ever, he did not meet with the financial 
 success that he had anticipated. Ephraim 
 Sparks, his son, migrated about 1817 
 with a team and covered wagon to Tusca- 
 rawas county, Ohio, with a brother John, 
 locating on a farm in Warren township 
 which had been purchased by their father 
 some years before. Here they remained 
 through life. Ephraim Sparks was twice 
 married. His first wife, Sarah Cook, was 
 born in Penns)lvania July 17, 1794, of 
 old Dutch ancestry. Their seven children 
 were: Randall, subject of this sketch; 
 Thomas, a resident of Boone county, 
 Iowa; David, who was a Lutheran min- 
 ister, of Carroll county, Ohio; Isaac, of 
 Clyde, Ohio; Elizabeth, who married Sam- 
 uel Tressel and reared thirteen children, 
 in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, still living 
 at this writing; Annie, who married James 
 McCreary and died in Tovvnsend township; 
 and Mary, who married James Neal and 
 lives in Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland Co., 
 Penn. Mrs. Sparks died September 16, 
 1828, and Mr. Sparks subsequently mar- 
 ried a Mrs. Lappin, by whom he had five 
 children. In politics he was a Democrat. 
 He died March 24, 1871. 
 
 Randall Sparks was reared on the 
 farm in Tuscarawas county, attending 
 school for a few months each year when 
 pressing farm work was done. He was 
 an apt pupil, and before his marriage, at 
 the age of twenty-one, he had taught 
 three terms of school. On May 31, 
 1835, he married Ann Wingate, who was 
 born in Tuscarawas count}', Ohio, No- 
 vember 7, 1 818, daughter of Henry and 
 Mary (Bridall) Wingate, both natives of 
 Delaware, who became early settlers of 
 Carroll county, Ohio. Henry Wingate 
 was of English ancestry; his wife was of 
 French parentage. He died at the age of 
 si.\ty-si.\ years, she dying when Ann, the 
 youngest child, was five weeks old. She 
 
 was the mother of fifteen children, twelve 
 of whom grew to manhood and woman- 
 hood. Ann (Mrs. Sparks) is now the 
 only survivor of the famil3^ One of her 
 brothers died at the age of eighty-three 
 years, another at the age of eighty-five; 
 the eldest brother, who remained in Del- 
 aware, she never saw. After his marriage 
 Randall Sparks settled in Tuscarawas 
 county. He taught another term of 
 school in the winter, and for nearly eight 
 years he remained there, engaged in farm- 
 ing. In the fall of 1842 he came to York 
 township, Sandusky county, and purchas- 
 ing eighty acres of land on the ridge be- 
 gan to clear it up. In the following 
 spring he removed with his famil}^ to the 
 new home, and he has lived there ever 
 since. To Mr. and Mrs. Sparks eight 
 children have been born, only one of 
 whom is now living. They were as fol- 
 lows: (i) Lemuel, born December 8, 
 1836, enlisted November 9, 1861, in 
 Company B, Seventy-second O. V. I., 
 participated in the battle of Shiloh, and 
 died of typhoid fever near Corinth, Miss., 
 May 16, 1862, after two days' illness. 
 (2) Catherine, born July 8, 1839, died 
 January 5, 1858. (3) Albert, 
 vember 26, 1841, died May 
 (4) Leslie E. , born March 21, 1844, 
 joined Company M of the First Ohio 
 Heavy Artillery, and was drowned in the 
 Tennessee river, near Loudon, Tenn., 
 June 2, 1864. With others he had been 
 ordered to guard a railroad bridge, and 
 while they were crossing the river the 
 canoe capsized and he was drowned. (5) 
 Melissa, born January 13, 1847, died No- 
 vember 6, 1869. (6) Elinda Jane, born 
 September 16, 1850, died April 25, 1872. 
 (7) Wilbur L. , born February 27, 1S54, 
 was married June 1 1, 1890, to Alice Jar- 
 vis, by whom he had one child, born June 
 
 born No- 
 31, 1861. 
 
 Wilbur L. died May 
 
 4. 1893- 
 1859, at 
 
 5, 1S91 
 
 (8) Ella Belle, born June 15 
 
 home. 
 
 In politics Mr. Sparks was an Old- 
 line Whig, casting his first vote for that 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 481 
 
 party in 1836. He was an earnest anti- 
 slavery man, and when the Free-Soil 
 party was organized he readily adopted 
 its principles. A little later he helped to 
 organize the Republican party in San- 
 dusky county. When attending a con- 
 vention of that party in Fremont he tried 
 to secure the introduction in the county 
 platform of a declaration "That the 
 trafttc in intoxicating drinks is a curse and 
 ought to be prohibited by law." This 
 resolution was rejected by the convention, 
 and Mr. Sparks withdrew from the party 
 and has since voted with the Prohibition 
 cause. He has been a Church member 
 for fifty-six years. They celebrated their 
 golden wedding in 1885, and few if any 
 residents in Sandusky county have been 
 blessed with a married life of a duration 
 as long as theirs. Both he and his faith- 
 ful and devoted wife are hale and hearty 
 at this writing. 
 
 ORLIN W. HARRISON. In the 
 tense strife and activity of modern 
 times the man who excels in any- 
 field of action is necessarily en- 
 dowed either with superior natural abili- 
 ties or with a surpassing will. The men 
 who are best respected hold their good 
 name because of personal character, 
 which is the resultant of inherited quali- 
 ties and the efforts of will. Some men 
 rise from the masses with no traceable 
 ancestry of notable quality; but perhaps 
 there are more whose prominence is easily 
 explained by ancestral traits. Pioneer 
 life breeds a stronger, more enduring race 
 of men than a city housing. The mental 
 life of Orlin W. Harrison has been marked 
 by unusual activities, and he has proved 
 to be well fitted for these conditions. 
 
 His ancestry, paternally, stretches 
 back through records and parchment to 
 the sixteenth century, and all the links in 
 the genealogy have been landowners. 
 His great-grandfather, William Marks 
 Harrison, of New Jersey, was a descend- 
 
 ant of John Harrison, an early settler of 
 Plymouth Rock, and the supposed an- 
 cestor, also, of President Harrison. Or- 
 lin \\\ Harrison was born in Chautauqua 
 county, N. Y. , October 4, 1844, son of 
 William Marks and Adaline (Wright) 
 Harrison. William Marks Harrison was 
 born in Galway, N. Y., March 9, 1809, 
 son of James and Clarinda (Rose) Harri- 
 son. James Harrison was born in Tren- 
 ton, N. J., September 9, 1779; Clarinda 
 Rose was born in Windsor, Vt., October 
 8, 1782. After marriage they settled, in 
 the spring of 18 14, in Galway, N. Y., 
 and removed to Chautauqua county in 
 May, 1827. Here, at Panama, James 
 Harrison died, January 12, 1858; his wife 
 died September 24, 1853. William Marks 
 Harrison was seventeen years old when 
 he moved with his parents to Chautauqua 
 county. There he purchased 120 acres 
 of land from the Holland Land Co., and 
 there engaged in farming until the spring 
 of 1845, when he came to Ohio, purchas- 
 ing eight}' acres of land a half mile east 
 of Clyde, on the Maumee and Western 
 Reserve pike, a part of the old McPher- 
 son farm. His wife, whom he married 
 July 4, 1836, was born April 2, 18 16, in 
 Avon, N. Y. , daughter of Eli and Martha 
 (Bullard) W'right, who migrated from 
 Massachusetts. The fathers of Eli and 
 Martha Wright both served in the Revo- 
 lutionary war. Martha's father was, with 
 two companions, taken prisoner by In- 
 dians. The savages painted the two 
 companions black, which meant death; 
 Mr. Bullard, however, was favored with a 
 coat of red paint, which signified adop- 
 tion. He witnessed the death of his two 
 companions, who were burned at the 
 stake. A squaw befriended him, and 
 while the Indian war was still in progress 
 aided him in escaping, Eli Weight was 
 a soldier of the war of 181 2. In 1845 he 
 migrated from New York to Clyde, Ohio, 
 where he lived until his death, which oc- 
 curred when he was seventy-five years 
 old. He was the father of seven chil- 
 
482 
 
 COMMEliOBATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 dren, all of whom came to Ohio, mar- 
 ried and reared families. 
 
 William Marks Harrison resided on 
 his farm cast of Clyde until 1865, when 
 he moved to that city. For over thirty 
 years he was deputy sheriff of Sandusky 
 county. He was the first high priest of 
 Clyde Chapter No. 90, Royal Arch Ma- 
 sons, the first worshipful master of Mon- 
 ticello Lodge No. 244, F. & A. M., 
 Clyde, also the first thrice illustri- 
 ous master of Morton Council No. 38, 
 Royal & Select Masters, and'was a mem- 
 ber of Erie Commandery No. 23, Ivnights 
 Templar, of Sandusky. In politics he was 
 an active Democrat, and while not a 
 Church member led an exemplary moral 
 life, religiously eschewing oaths, tobacco 
 and intoxicating drinks. He had three 
 children: Helen, for many years a school 
 teacher, and still living at the old home; 
 Orlin \V. , subject of this sketch ; and Viola, 
 wife of Eugene Mathews, and the mother 
 of two children, Maggie and Pearl, of whom 
 Maggie is the wife of Russell Mugg and 
 has one child, Madeline. William Marks 
 Harrison died, December 4, 1884; his 
 widow died March 18, 1895, at Clyde. 
 She was an active church goer and a 
 highly-esteemed lady. 
 
 Orlin W. Harrison was educated at 
 Clyde, and at the age of seventeen, Octo- 
 ber 12, 1S61, enlisted in Company A, Sev- 
 enty-second O. V. I. The regiment was 
 assigned to the army of the Tennessee, 
 and participated in the battle of Shiloh. 
 Mr. Harrison was taken sick after the 
 battle with typhoid fever, and lay in the 
 hospital tent at Shiloh, Tenn., until re- 
 moved to Cincinnati, in May. He was 
 unconscious ail the way up the river, 
 and after remaining two days at Cincin- 
 nati was sent home on a thirty-days' fur- 
 lough, afterward extended to sixty-days. 
 Returning to Camp Chase in July, the 
 board of examining surgeons discharged 
 him from further service, despite his re- 
 monstrance. He was sick all through the 
 fall. In the spring of 1863 he entered 
 
 the Law Department of the University 
 of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, but the war 
 spirit was in his veins, and returning home 
 he enlisted in the Fiftieth O. N. G. , and 
 was elected second sergeant of Company 
 B. The imperfectly formed regiment did 
 drill work during the summer and winter, 
 and in the spring of 1864 went into act- 
 ive service as the One Hundred and 
 Sixty-ninth Ohio National Guard Infantr}'. 
 From Washington city it was ordered on 
 guard duty at Fort Ethan Allen, where 
 it remained all summer. Returning to 
 Camp Cleveland, the regiment was dis- 
 charged, September 4, 1864. During 
 the following winter Mr. Harrison pro- 
 cured a recruiting commission, and re- 
 cruited a portion of a company for the 
 One Hundred and Ninety-eight O. V. I., 
 until receiving orders in February, 1865, 
 to stop further enlistments. For two 
 years the young soldier remained at home, 
 then in 1867 entered a department of 
 railroad service which requires endurance 
 and close application. He became a mes- 
 senger for the Merchants Union Express 
 Co., between Dayton and Cincinnati, and 
 on various other western runs. In this 
 service he remained two years, and was 
 then for six years messenger for the 
 United States Express Co., between 
 Cleveland and Toledo, between Sandusky 
 and Newark, between Cleveland and 
 Sharon, Penn., between Columbus and 
 Indianapolis and between Columbus and 
 Chicago. He was also sent out at vari- 
 ous times to relieve agents, and had 
 charge of offices at Elyria, Monroeville 
 and Tiffin. For four years — from 1876 
 to 1880 — he traveled for Weideman Stet- 
 son & Co., wholesale liquor dealers, and 
 in 1883 entered the Lake Shore freight 
 office at Clyde, and has been with that 
 company ever since, excepting three years 
 when he was clerk in Judge Lemmon's 
 office. He is now billing clerk for the 
 Lake Shore and Big Four joint office. 
 
 In politics Mr. Harrison has been a 
 lifelong Republican. At the age of 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 483 
 
 twenty-one he became a member of 
 Monticello Lod^e, F. & A. M., and has 
 taken all the degrees. He is a member 
 of Morton Council No. 38, Clyde, and of 
 Erie Conimandery No. 23, K. T. , since 
 1877. He was secretary of the commit- 
 tee which arranged for the McPherson 
 monument unveiling, and in that capacity 
 corresponded with President Garfield, 
 James G. Blaine and other celebrities, 
 entertaining some of them at his home. 
 
 In 1870 he was married to Anna L. 
 Brown, a native of Tiffin, and daughter 
 of Abordas Brown, who was born in Tomp- 
 kins county, N. Y. , and when a young 
 man migrated to Tiffin, Ohio, where he 
 married Miss Mary A. Taylor, and be- 
 came one of the proprietors of the Tiffin 
 Woolen Mills; he died in 1866. Orlin 
 W. and Anna L. Harrison have one child, 
 Clara. In manners Mr. Harrison is 
 genial and sociable. He possesses a rare 
 fund of information, and is a gifted con- 
 versationalist. He would have been an 
 attorney but for the war excitement dur- 
 ing his early manhood. He is popular in 
 the community at Clyde, and ranks with 
 that city's most highly esteemed citizens. 
 
 FRANK M. INMAN is numbered 
 among the leading educators of 
 Sandusky county. He was born 
 December 25, 1855, in Scott 
 township, where he still resides, and is a 
 son of Benjamin and Eliza (Jenning.s) In- 
 man. His father was born in New Jer- 
 sey, in 1S17, made farming his life work, 
 and became one of the pioneer settlers of 
 Sandusky county more than half a cen- 
 tury ago. Here he entered a claim, 
 transforming the wild land into a rich and 
 fertile farm, which our subject has re- 
 cently sold. His wife was born in New 
 York in 1820, and they became the par- 
 ents of these children: Mrs. Amanda Put- 
 nam, of Middleville, Mich. ; Mrs. Annette 
 Shiverly; Brazilla; Mary, wife of William 
 Bates; Benjamin, deceased; Mrs. Eldo- 
 
 rado Fousy; Mrs. Alfarette Ralph; Frank, 
 subject of this sketch; and Mrs. Candace 
 Shawl. The great-grandparents were 
 from England. 
 
 Our subject acquired his early educa- 
 tion in the district schools of his native 
 township, after which he pursued his 
 studies in the Fremont High School, and 
 the Ohio University, at Columbus. He 
 was therefore well fitted for the profession 
 of teacher, and has become one of the 
 most successful educators of Sandusky 
 count}'. In 1892 he was appointed to 
 the county board of examiners of teachers 
 of Sandusky county, and at the present 
 time is clerk of the Sandusky county 
 School Examiners; has held other posi- 
 tions of public trust, having served for 
 some time in the capacity of clerk of Scott 
 township. He is a very progressive man, 
 a supporter of the advanced ideas of mod- 
 ern education, and has done much to raise 
 the standard of schools in his locality. 
 
 On Christmas Day, 1875, Mr. Inman 
 married Miss Dellia V. Ernsberger, of 
 Fremont, Ohio, a daughter of John and 
 Martha (Long) Ernsberger. Her father 
 was born in Maryland, in 1 836, her mother 
 in Sandusky county, Ohio, in 1840, and 
 their marriage was celebrated in 1858. 
 They now have three children: (i) Ver- 
 non, born in 1867, married to Lula Hal- 
 ter, and they have two children; they re- 
 side in Fremont, where he is engaged in 
 the printing business; (2) Juniata, born 
 in 1873, is the wife of Ralph Parke, of 
 Ohio, and they have one child; and (3) 
 Mrs. Inman, who was born January 4, 
 i860, and was educated in the district 
 schools and in Fremont. Her paternal 
 great-grandmother was born about 1783, 
 died in 1S70, and her paternal grand- 
 parents, Michael and Sarah (Gear) Long, 
 were natives of Ohio, the former born in 
 18 1 7, the latter in 18 19; his death oc- 
 curred in 1892. Of their six children five 
 are now living. 
 
 In 1875 Mr. and Mrs. Inman located 
 on a farm which they have just recently 
 
484 
 
 COililEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 sold to an oil compan}' of Fremont, sev- 
 eral good oil wells having been lo- 
 cated on the place. They have since re- 
 sided in Scott township, Sandusk}' coun- 
 ty, with the exception of two years, when 
 Mr. Inman was teaching in Martin, Otta- 
 wa county. They have one son, B. M., 
 who was born May lo, 1877, and obtained 
 his earh' education in the district schools, 
 after which he pursued a course in the 
 Fremont High School. In 1S94 he com- 
 menced teaching in Rollersville, Sandusky 
 county, and is now engaged in the oil 
 business near his home. Frank M. In- 
 man, the subject proper of this review, is 
 one of the ablest educators in this sec- 
 tion of the State. He is a man of broad 
 general information, and has the happy 
 faculty of imparting readily and clearly to 
 others his knowledge. He also wins the 
 respect of his scholars, and this, combined 
 with his superior talent, has made his 
 career one of success. 
 
 D.\\\T> W. BOWE. About a half 
 century ago, when Scott town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was an 
 almost unbroken wilderness, be- 
 fore roads were made or oil wells dreamed 
 of, there settled on the now Greensburg 
 pike, about two miles from the present vil- 
 lage of Bradner, a gentleman by the name 
 of George Bowe, and his wife, Catherine 
 (Wegstein). Since that time the tract of 
 land which he secured has been known as 
 the "Bowe homestead." These honored 
 pioneer people reared a faniilj^ of six sons, 
 five of whom are living, and are numbered 
 among the most prominent citizens of the 
 township, worthy representatives of the 
 name. They are possessors of fine homes 
 and extensive business interests, and are 
 highly esteemed by all. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is the 
 youngest of the five sons. Like his 
 brothers, he was born on the farm which 
 he now owns, the date of his birth being 
 November 10, 1847. There is a marked 
 
 contrast between the farm as it appears 
 to-daj' and that of half a century ago. 
 The giant trees have fallen, and in their 
 place, towering skyward, are the oil der- 
 ricks. The old log house, in which the 
 sons of our subject, as well as himself, 
 were born, still stands and is well pre- 
 served. In front of this, however, is a 
 modern residence, large and commodious, 
 supplied with many comforts and con- 
 veniences. Mr. Bowe was educated in 
 the district schools, and then took a trip 
 through Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, 
 returning after nearly a year. He next 
 entered the Fremont High School, and on 
 the completion of a two-years' course of 
 study taught one term in a district school. 
 In his mercantile career he began as a 
 clerk in a jewelry store in Fremont, but 
 on account of poor health he was obliged 
 to abandon his labors in that direction, 
 and employed himself in teaching for 
 several terms. 
 
 On November 28, 1872, Mr. Bowe 
 married Martha P. Lansdale, of Scott 
 township, Sandusk}' county, who was born 
 April 13, 1851, and is the only child of 
 Rezin Addison and Martha (Moore) Lans- 
 dale. Her father was born April 7, 1827, 
 her mother December 19, 1833, and their 
 marriage was celebrated June 27, 1850. 
 Mrs. Bowe's maternal grandfather, Elisha 
 Moore, was born December 27, 1809, 
 and died in September, 1892. He mar- 
 ried Phoebe Smith, who was born May 8, 
 1807, and is still living. Her father, 
 Randall Smith, was born in 1779, and 
 served in the war of 181 2. He wedded 
 Martha Crow, who was born about 1780, 
 and was one of seventeen children. By 
 her marriage she became the mother of 
 thirteen children, three of whom are now 
 living. Randall Smith was noted as a 
 humorist. On one occasion he was pres- 
 ent at a gathering, and remarked that he 
 had a white Crow. This seemed such an 
 improbability that his friends were rather 
 inclined to question his statement, where- 
 on he remarked: " If you will accompany 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 4B5 
 
 me home I will prove to j'ou I am a 
 truthful man." This his friends concluded 
 to do, and on reaching home he presented 
 his wife, whose maiden name was Crow. 
 They at once saw the joke, and joined 
 with Mr. Smith in his hearty laugh at 
 their e.xpense. Mr. and Mrs. Moore were 
 the parents of six children: Daniel W. , 
 born September i8, 1830; Charity Ann, 
 born January 15, 1832, became Mrs. 
 Braden, and died March 26, 1878; Mrs. 
 Martha Lansdale, who died April 27, 
 1S51; Mrs. Rachel Jane Edwards, born 
 November 4, 1836; Mrs. Alvina Shively; 
 and Mrs. Minerva Angus. 
 
 Mrs. Bowe was educated in the high 
 school of Fremont, and at Milan, Ohio, 
 and became a teacher of recognized abil- 
 ity in Sandusky county. She is a lady 
 of culture and refinement, and has been 
 to her husband a faithful companion and 
 helpmeet. They began their domestic 
 life on the farm which is still their home, 
 and to them have come three children: 
 Agnes Estella, born January 8, 1876, 
 died August 25, 1877; Hugh H., born 
 January 19, 1880, now assisting his father 
 in the oil business; and Warren W., born 
 May 31, 1881. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Bowe engaged 
 in farming and the dairy business, meet- 
 ing with excellent success in his under- 
 taking. About 1890 a new industry was 
 established in this section of the country. 
 Oil was found, and a few wells were pro- 
 ducing quite fair returns. Our subject 
 had many chances to lease his land to oil 
 companies, but always declined. In 
 March, 1895, he decided to find out if 
 there was oil upon his farm, and accord- 
 ingly sunk a well near the center of his 
 land. It proved very profitable, and 
 there has since been a steady yield. 
 He has now sunk the sixth well, and 
 from the oil business he is deriving a 
 good income, and will continue to sink 
 wells as long as practicable. In addition 
 to his other interests, he has for some 
 years been the owner of a fine apiary, 
 
 keeping some fifty - five colonies of 
 bees. • 
 
 In politics, Mr. Bowe is a Democrat, 
 and has served as trustee of Scott town- 
 ship for two 3'ears, as justice of the peace 
 six years, and was president of the board 
 of education for several years. He is 
 devoted to the best interests of the com- 
 munity, and no one is more deserving of 
 the high regard in which he is universally 
 held than David Bowe, a worthy repre- 
 sentative of an honored pioneer family. 
 
 WILLIAM MAURER, ' a retired 
 farmer, of Fremont, Sandusky 
 county, is a native of Ballville 
 township, that county, where he 
 grew to manhood and received a common- 
 school education. 
 
 When the Civil war broke out Mr. 
 Maurer enlisted August 7, 1862, at Fre- 
 mont, in Company K, One Hundreth 
 Regiment O. V. I., which was assigned to 
 the First Brigade, Second Division, 
 Twenty-third Army Corps. At Lime- 
 stone Station the enemy were about two 
 thousand strong, under Gen. Jackson, 
 while the Union forces numbered only 
 three hundred, under Lt.-Col. Hayes. 
 Like Spartans they held the Rebels at 
 bay from 12 m. to 4 p. m., when they 
 were surrounded, and all but one man 
 taken prisoners. They were sent to Libby 
 Prison, at Richmond, Va. , for a few days, 
 and then to Belle Isle, where they re- 
 mained for six months, suffering great 
 hardships and privations. In March, 1864, 
 they were paroled and sent by way of An- 
 napolis and Baltimore, Md., to Columbus, 
 Ohio. Having recovered somewhat from 
 the infirmities contracted at Belle Isle, 
 Mr. Maurer was again sent to the front. 
 He afterward took part in the battles of 
 Columbia and Franklin, Tenn., and in 
 the campaign under Gen. Cox against 
 Gen. Morgan. On November 20, 1864, 
 he was wounded in the wrist by a minie 
 ball at the battle of Franklin, and he 
 
480 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 walked to Nash%-ille, a distance of twenty- 
 fivejiniles, to the hospital, before having 
 his wound dressed. After a few days he 
 was sent to the hospital at Covington, 
 Ky. , and thence on a furlough of twenty 
 days home, which was extended to forty 
 daj-s, when he returned to the hospital 
 and remained until May 23, 1865, when 
 he was mustered out. With the excep- 
 tion of the time he was in prisons and in 
 hospitals, he was with his regiment in all 
 its marches and engagements, during two 
 jears and ten months of service. He is a 
 member of Manville Moore Post, 525, 
 G. A. R., Fremont, Ohio. 
 
 After the war Mr. Maurer returned to 
 his father's home in Ballville township 
 and resumed farming. On September 3, 
 1865, he married Miss Eliza J. Worst, 
 who was born in Ballville township De- 
 cember 7, 1845, daughter of Jacob and 
 Hannah (Parks) Worst. Mr. Maurer 
 built a fine farm residence on his excellent 
 farm adjoining that of his father, and fol- 
 lowed agricultural pursuits about fifteen 
 years. He then moved to Fremont to 
 give his children better opportunities for 
 education, and for three years carried on 
 a grocery store on Buckland avenue. The 
 children of William and Eli^a J. Maurer 
 were: Lilly L. , born March 6, 1867, 
 was married April 16, 1888, to E. A. 
 Adams, and died May 16, 1889; they had 
 one child, Charles H. , who died in infancy. 
 Delphin B., born September i, 1868, 
 who graduated from the Oberlin Business 
 College, and is now freight solicitor for 
 the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern 
 railroad at Toledo, Ohio. Orpheus C, 
 born September 21, 1871, who attended 
 Fremont schools and a few terms at Ober- 
 lin College, then took a position in the 
 Fremont Savings Bank, about five years, 
 and is now traveling salesman for the 
 Capewell Horse Shoe Nail Co. 
 
 Isaac Maurer, father of our subject, 
 was born in Chester county, Penn., Jan- 
 uary 2, 1809, came to Ashland county, 
 Ohio, when a boy, and became a skillful 
 
 farm hand. In Wayne county, Ohio, he 
 married Miss Mary Ann Ernsperger, and 
 in 1834 moved to Ballville township, 
 Sandusky county, where he cleared up a 
 large farm and reared a family of chil- 
 dren. He was a Republican in politics, 
 and in religion a member of the Reformed 
 Church. His death occurred October 31, 
 1893. His wife was born in Maryland in 
 1812, and died in Sandusky county in 
 1879. They had eight children, six of 
 whom grew to maturity: Martin, who 
 was a soldier in the Civil war, serving in 
 Company H, One Hundred and Sixty- 
 ninth Regiment O. V. I., and who now 
 lives in Nebraska; Emanuel, a retired 
 farmer and capitalist, at Springfield, Mo. ; 
 William, our subject; Eli B., who is a 
 minister of the United Brethren Church, 
 in Springfield, Illinois; Jane, wife of H. 
 C. Smith, of Ballville township; and 
 Owen L. , a farmer, who lives on the old 
 Maurer homestead. 
 
 CASPER MOLITOR, a fruit grow- 
 er and wine manufacturer of Dan- 
 bury township, Ottawa county, 
 was born in Rhenish Prussia, 
 Germany, July 30, 1828, and is a son of 
 Joseph and Katrina (Cleis) Molitor, also 
 natives of Germany, who passed away in 
 the Fatherland, the former about the year 
 1887, the latter in 1866. In their family 
 were eleven children, and those who still 
 survive are John Joseph, who since 1894 
 has resided in Chicago; Wentzel, a resi- 
 dent of St. Louis, Mo. ; Catherina Miller, 
 living in Germany; Marie Josephine, wife 
 of Henry Spay, a resident of Blooming- 
 ton, 111. ; and Moritz, who is still living in 
 the Fatherland. 
 
 The gentleman, whose name intro- 
 duces this record, was reared to manhood 
 in his native land, and acquired his edu- 
 cation in the common schools. His father 
 was a contractor and builder, and in the 
 days of his early manhood he acted as 
 
^'^^w^' 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 487 
 
 overseer of his father's business. In 
 1849, on account of the ■ Revolution then 
 in progress there, he left his own country 
 for France, and made his home in the 
 Province of Loraiiie some two years. He 
 then determined to try his fortune in 
 America, and in 185 1 crossed the At- 
 lantic to New York, where he resided 
 three years, A similar period he spent 
 in Wisconsin, and in 1857 he settled in 
 Cincinnati, where for a time he was 
 engaged in the leather business which 
 pursuit he had previousl}' followed 
 in Springfield, Ohio. In 1869 he re- 
 turned to Germany, and there re- 
 mained three years. In 1872 he again 
 took up his residence in Cincinnati, and 
 in 1873 removed to Sandusky, Erie coun- 
 ty, Ohio, spending the succeeding four 
 years of his life in that place, engaged in 
 the manufacture of wine. In 1877 he 
 purchased his present place of business, 
 and erected the winery which he now 
 owns, and which is one of the largest in 
 the county, with a cask capacity of 150,- 
 000 gallons. He conducts his affairs on 
 strict business principles, and is meeting 
 with excellent success in his undertakings, 
 deriving therefrom a good income. 
 
 Mr. Molitor has been twice married: 
 first time to Mrs. Katrina Hemish, widow 
 of Edward Hemish, the wedding being 
 celebrated in Cincinnati. This lady died 
 August 24, 1877, and in 1881 Mr. Molitor 
 was again married, this time in Buffalo, 
 N. Y. , to Josephine, daughter of Mathias 
 and Margaret Molitor, natives of the 
 Rhenish Province in Germany, the former 
 of whom has passed away, and the latter 
 is now making her home in New Orleans. 
 To our subject and his wife have been 
 born five children, three of whom are liv- 
 ing: Bertha Mina, born January 8, 1884; 
 Theressa Josephine, born March 21, 
 1885; and Marguiretta, born January 12, 
 1889. 
 
 In his political views, Mr. Molitor is 
 a Republican, having supported that party 
 since 1856, becoming an American citizen, 
 
 31 
 
 and in its growth and success he takes a 
 deep interest. Socially he is connected 
 with Castle Rock Lodge, No. 21, Knights 
 of G. R. , of Lakeside. 
 
 PHILIP MICHAELS, retired agri- 
 culturist, now residing in Fremont, 
 Sandusky county, was born No- 
 vember 10, 1840, in Fairfield coun- 
 ty, Ohio, son of Isaac and Elizabeth 
 (Hutchins) Michaels, who were of Penn- 
 sylvania-German descent. Their chil- 
 dren were: Jesse, John, Jackson, Sarah 
 Jane, Philip, Thomas, James, Susan, and 
 three who died in childhood. 
 
 Jesse Michaels was three times mar- 
 ried: First to a Miss Carr; then to Miss Rit- 
 ter, by whom he had three children — 
 Hannah, Jemima and Martha; and, finally, 
 to Miss Margaret Duncan, by whom he 
 had one son — John. John Michaels, son 
 of Isaac, married Miss Mary Miner, in 
 Hancock county, Ohio; he went as a sol- 
 dier in the Civil war, from Findlay, Ohio, 
 in the Fifty-seventh Regiment, O. V. I. 
 Jackson Michaels married Miss Hoover, 
 and lives at Green Spring, Ohio; they 
 have three children: LeRoy, Richard, 
 and a daughter; he was a soldier in a New 
 York regiment during the Civil war, serv- 
 ing as a teamster, and died in the service. 
 James Michaels married a Miss Ritter, by 
 whom he had one son; he also was a 
 Union soldier in the Civil war, in the 
 Forty-ninth Regiment, O. V. I., and 
 died soon after his return home. Sarah 
 Jane Michaels married Richard Bigelow, 
 who followed various occupations; he 
 was for a few years street commissioner 
 at Oak Harbor, Ohio; they had four chil- 
 dren: Mary Ann, Samuel, Samantha and 
 Emma. Thomas Michaels, farmer, lived 
 in Sandusky county, from where he en- 
 listed, in 1862, in the Seventy-second 
 Regiment, O. V. I.; he died after the bat- 
 tle of Shiloh, while on his way to Cincin- 
 nati, where he was buried; he had one 
 son, William. Susan Michaels married 
 
488 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 George Losey, of Oak Harbor, and is 
 now living in Michigan; the}' have one 
 son, Willie. 
 
 Philip Michaels, our subject, lived in 
 Fairfield county, Ohio, with his parents, 
 until he was about twelve years old, when 
 he removed with them to Hancock county. 
 Here he worked upon a farm and at- 
 tended a few terms of school. When he 
 was seventeen years of age his father died, 
 and he soon after moved to Seneca county, 
 to live with his brother Jackson. Eight 
 months later he went to work for Mr. 
 Jacob Bechtel, in a sawmill on Green 
 creek in Sandusky county, remaining 
 there two years, and then went to work 
 for Jacob Strohl, one of the pioneers of 
 Ballville township, at clearing a strip of 
 land north of his residence. He after- 
 ward worked for other farmers of that 
 vicinity, until, by prudence, economy and 
 good management, he was able to pur- 
 chase a farm of his own. He was mar- 
 ried, June 24, i860, to Miss Martha Bat- 
 zole, who was born October 27, 1840, 
 daughter of John and Sarah (Ernsberger) 
 Batzole. Mr. Michaels worked on rented 
 farms until 1871, when he bought the Mc- 
 Gormle}' farm, in Ballville township, on 
 which they lived about twenty years, 
 erecting a fine residence now occupied by 
 his son William. About the year 1890 
 the family removed to Fremont, Ohio. 
 Mr. Michaels and his wife have been mem- 
 bers of the Mt. Lebanon U. B. Church, 
 Ballville township, but now belong to 
 the M. E. Church, Fremont. He is a 
 member of the Patrons of Industry. 
 
 The children of PhiHp and Martha 
 Michaels, born in Ballville township, are: 
 Ida Cordelia, James William, George 
 Franklin, Chaunce\' Adelphus, Cora La- 
 vada. Berton Ellsworth, Ray Clifton, and 
 Ernest LeRo}'. Of these Ida C. Michaels 
 married Douglass Morrison, son of John 
 Morrison, on January 30, 1879, and their 
 children are Ettie Estellc, Lottie La- 
 vada, Harry James, Edith May, Hazel 
 Bell, Arthur Lee and Ruth. James W. 
 
 Michaels married Miss Minerva Belle 
 Reiser on Maj- 25, 1889, and they live 
 on the Michaels homestead; their children 
 are Carl S. and Arthur. George Frank- 
 lin Michaels, a farmer, was married No- 
 vember 26, 1889, to Miss Minnie, daugh- 
 ter of Charles and Emma (Smith) Hamp- 
 sher; she took sick while at the World's 
 Fair in Chicago, 111., and died at home 
 September I, 1893. Chauncey Michaels, 
 unmarried, lives with his parents at Fre- 
 mont, Ohio; he has been successful as a 
 traveling salesman, and represented the 
 Clauss Shear Company, of Fremont, Ohio, 
 at the World's Fair, Chicago, 1S93. 
 Cora Lavada Michaels married Arthur H. 
 Swank, January 26, 1893, at Fremont, 
 Ohio, their present residence; they had a 
 son, Howard Michaels Swank, who died 
 July 26, 1S95, aged one year, seven 
 months and ten days. 
 
 EV. PAUL RAETHER, pastor 
 
 of the German Evangelical Lu- 
 
 R 
 
 ■ V theran Church in Woodville town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was born 
 in Prussia, Germany, June 4, 1850, and 
 is a son of Fred and Minnie (Arndt) Rae- 
 ther, who never came to America, but 
 lived and died in their native land. Fred 
 Raether was born April 18, 18 14, and 
 was a teacher of the German Lutheran 
 doctrine. 
 
 Rev. Paul Raether was one of eleven 
 children, four of whom came to America. 
 Bertha died here, and Ida, Emily and 
 Paul are still living. Our subject came 
 to this country in 1866, prepared to fol- 
 low in the footsteps of his father. Having 
 received a very thorough education his 
 prospects were bright, and to-day he oc- 
 cupies a position which shows how well 
 he has improved his opportunities. After 
 a pleasant voyage across the Atlantic he 
 landed in New York City, and from there 
 went direct to Buffalo, N. Y. , where he 
 remained two weeks, going thence to 
 Detroit, Mich., and from there to Monroe, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 489 
 
 Mich., where he accepted his first posi- 
 tion as a teacher in the German Lutheran 
 school. After that he entered upon a 
 classical and theological course in the 
 University at Columbus, Ohio, where he 
 remained seven long years, graduating 
 from the college in 1872, and from the 
 theological seminary in 1875. 
 
 On October 21, 1875, Rev. Paul Rae- 
 ther was united in marriage with Anna 
 C. Kessler, and four children have been 
 born to them, as follows: Federick, De- 
 cember 9, 1876; George, November 9, 
 1879; Marie, March 16, 1882; and Carl, 
 May 12, 1884. Mrs. Raether is a daugh- 
 ter of Henry and Margaret Kessler, of 
 Columbus, Ohio, the former of whom was 
 a wagon maker. From Columbus Rev. 
 Mr. Raether went to North Lima, in Beaver 
 township, Mahoning Co., Ohio, where 
 he took charge of two congregations, hav- 
 ing been ordained to the ministry on 
 leaving Columbus. He remained at Lima 
 seven years, when he was called to take 
 charge of a missionary post at Steuben- 
 villc, Jefferson Co., Ohio, in which capac- 
 city he remained some six years, at the 
 end of that time, in 1887, coming to 
 Woodville, Sandusky county, to accept a 
 position as professor in the Teachers' 
 Seminary. In January, 1888, Rev. Mr. 
 Cronenwett died, and the congregation re- 
 solved to have the vacancy filled by Dr. 
 Stinemann and by Rev. Mr. Raether. On 
 March 28, 1888, Rev. Paul Raether was 
 chosen sole minister of the congregation, 
 accepting the call on condition that he be 
 allowed to continue as professor in the 
 seminary until June, 1888. This was 
 granted him, and on April 29, 1888, he 
 was installed by the president of the 
 Synod. He is a faithful and earnest 
 worker, and is much beloved. This con- 
 gregation, of which he is pastor, consists 
 of over 200 families, 250 voting members 
 and 500 communicants, and has a paro- 
 chial school in Woodville of over 100 
 pupils, with two teachers. Politically our 
 subject is a Democrat. 
 
 G ROVER FAMILY. Few citizens 
 of Sandusky county have a gen- 
 ealogical record so complete as 
 has Enos Grover, of Clyde, one 
 of the most prominent and influential 
 farmers of Green Creek township. Few 
 citizens have more successfully engaged 
 in agricultural and kindred pursuits, and 
 few have left a deeper impression for the 
 weal of the commonwealth than he. 
 
 Steven Grover is the recognized an- 
 cestor of the family in America, and the 
 fact that the President of the United 
 States was christened Steven Grover 
 Cleveland indicates his affinity to the 
 family. Steven Grover, the elder, was a 
 resident of Stoneham, Mass., early in the 
 seventeenth century. He was the parent 
 of John Grover and the grandparent of 
 Steven Grover (second), who was the 
 great-grandfather of Enos, subject of this 
 sketch. Steven Grover (2) was born 
 September 30, 1725, and married Miriam 
 Cady, who was born July 10, 1728, and 
 whose mother was Elizabeth Winters, an 
 Irish girl. Steven Grover (2) died June 
 28, 1798; his wife April 5, 1803. 
 
 Joseph Grover, their son, vvas born 
 October 29, 1764, at West Gloucester, 
 R. I. He was married to his second 
 cousin, Mehetabel Gould, who was born 
 October 13, 1766, in Killingly, Windham 
 Co., Conn., daughter of Capt. Thomas 
 and Ruth (Bateman) Gould. (Alice Gro- 
 ver, sister of Steven Grover (2), was the 
 mother of Ruth Bateman.) Capt. Thomas 
 Gould was born June 23, 1738, and died 
 in 1807. His wife, Ruth Bateman, was 
 born September 10, 1744. and died in 
 1825. The eight children of Capt. Thomas 
 and Ruth Gould were as follows: Sarah, 
 born May 25, 1765, married Timothy 
 Baker; Mehitabel, who married Joseph 
 Grover; Eunice, born January 23, 1769, 
 married Cromwell Bennett; Ruth, born 
 March 23, 1771, married Steven Grover, 
 a brother of Joseph Grover; Phcebe, born 
 March 21, 1773, married Samuel Grover, 
 cousin of Joseph (both are buried in Ball- 
 
•190 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ville township, Sandusky Co., Ohio); 
 Thomas, born March 17, 1775. married 
 Elde Egberson; Annie, born March 8, 
 1 78 1, married Calvin Goodrich: Ruby, 
 born July iS, 1783, married Peter Sur- 
 dam, who was born February 20, 1775, 
 and she died in Russell township, Geauga 
 Co., Ohio, at an advanced age. 
 
 After marriage Joseph and Mehitabel 
 Grover settled in Granville township, 
 Washington Co., N. Y. , and later re- 
 moved to Cayuga county, N. Y. , where 
 Joseph was farmer, merchant and pro- 
 prietor of an ashery and distillery, all at 
 the same time. He was a man of great 
 energ)' and large business capacity, and 
 died in 181 1. His wife died September 4, 
 1 85 5, in Willoughby, Lake Co., Ohio, at 
 the age of ninety-three, of dysentery, 
 which as an epidemic also carried off, 
 within six weeks, her other brother, 
 Thomas Gould, and several of the kin. 
 To the union of Joseph and Mehitabel 
 Grover were born thirteen children, as 
 follows: (i) Rachel, born March 23, 
 1785, was married in 1802 to Silas Chat- 
 field, afterward a captain in the war of 
 18 12. He became a prominent citizen 
 of Crawford county, Ohio, giving his 
 name to a township, and later moved 
 with his family to McHenrj' county. 111., 
 where Mrs. Chatfield lived to the age of 
 eighty-si.x years. (2) Luther, father of 
 Enos, born February 6, 1787, in Green- 
 field, Washington Co., N. Y., and died June 
 12, 1877, at the home of his son Enos, 
 near Clyde. (3) Mehitabel, born March 
 28, 1 789, and became the wife of Wheeler 
 Sperry; the}' resided for sixty years in 
 Painesvillc, Ohio, where they both died. 
 (4) Joseph, born May 19, 1791, died 
 October 31, 1835. (5) Miriam, born 
 April 20, 1793, died August 15, 1793. 
 (6) Edna, born June 9, 1794, died April 
 2, 1796. (7) Stephen, born February 25, 
 1797, died January 16, 1843. (8) Han- 
 nah, born Jul}' 16, 1799, married Noah 
 Warden. February 14, 1821, died Janu- 
 ary 13, 1827. (9) Asa, born March 16, 
 
 1802, died at Bellevue. December 29, 
 1855. (10) Charles, born Januarj- 9, 
 1804, died at Willoughbj-, Lake count}', 
 October 6, 1886. (11) Parma, born 
 April 15, 1806, died about 1870. (12) 
 Maria, born May 22, 1808, married 
 Charles Cummings, of Geauga county, 
 and died in the summer of 1880 in Ma- 
 rengo township, McHenry Co., 111. (13) 
 Ira, born July 21, 18 10, was run over by 
 a sleigh and killed February 19, 1813. 
 
 Luther Grover was reared in Cayuga 
 count}", N. Y. , and was married January 
 31, 1808, to Nanc)' Nettleton, who was 
 born in New Haven, Conn., July 2, 1792. 
 They remained in Cayuga county, N. Y. , 
 until 181S, then migrated to a wilderness 
 home in what is now Willoughby town- 
 ship. Lake Co., Ohio. Here Luther 
 lived to the age of ninety years, four 
 months and five days; his wife died at 
 the age of sixty-three j'ears, ten months 
 and nine days. The seven children of 
 Luther and Nancy Grover were Sheldon, 
 born December 10, 1809, died Octo- 
 ber 13, 1823; Joseph N., born July 
 
 II, 181 1, died August 14, 1892; Grace, 
 born June 12, 18 16, married Rev. R. 
 Storm, February 13, 1839, died July 
 16, 1883; Enos, subject of this sketch, 
 born November 25, 18 18, the first child 
 of the family born in Ohio; Rachel, born 
 January 24, 1821, married Hiram Fox, 
 died in 1883; Mary Ann, born July i, 
 1825, died March 7, 1846; and Dewitt, 
 born April 12, 1828, died in May, 1889. 
 
 Enos Grover was born in Lake coun- 
 ty, Ohio, was reared on his father's farm, 
 and was married, January 11, 1842, to 
 Miss Sarah Swart. She was born in 
 Oneida county, N. Y., February 28, 
 1823. For two years after marriage he 
 lived in Lake county, then in 1844 
 moved by ox-team to McHenry county, 
 
 III. Two years later, on the death of his 
 sister, he returned with his familj- to 
 Ohio, and for fifteen months worked at 
 stave-making. Then in 1847 he removed 
 to Green Creek township, near Clyde, pur- 
 
COMMEMOIiATIVE BIOQRAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 491 
 
 chasing a portion of the land which he now 
 owns. He hved for a time in a small 
 house built of boards, and in 1862 erected 
 his present home. His first wife died 
 October 13, 1877, leaving si.\- children, as 
 follows: (i) Louisa Jennett, born Feb- 
 ruary 23, 1843, married Silas P. Leach, 
 and had nine children — Leroy, Cynthia, 
 Sarah, Mar)-, Zenas, Hattie. Lou Enos, 
 Arvada, and Clyde — of whom Mary died 
 at the age of three months; Hattie died 
 about seventeen years ago at the age of 
 seven years, and Clyde is also deceased; 
 Zenas is married, and has had three chil- 
 dren — Frank, Mary and Arthur. (2) 
 Eugene P., born September 11, 1846, 
 married first to Vestal Seger, by whom 
 he had two children — Enos and Morna, 
 the latter being now Mrs. Mumford, and the 
 mother of one child; after the death of his 
 first wife Eugene P. married Miss Lena 
 Donings, by whom he has had five chil- 
 dren — Hattie, Mervin, Mabel, Maud and 
 Sibyl. Eugene P. is a street builder in 
 Chicago. (3) Mary Ann, born January 
 29, 1849, married Samuel George, and 
 died July 9, 1883, leaving four children — 
 Bertha, wife of Rev. John Wagoner, of 
 Michigan; Claudius, Floyd and Elsie. (4) 
 Luther Conrad, born January i, 1855, 
 married Belle Meek, and has one child, 
 Robert. (5) Nancy, born August 30, 
 1858, married W. C. Schellhammer, and 
 is the mother of three children — Edith 
 (deceased at the age of two years), Carlton 
 and Sarah. (6) William E., born No- 
 vember 20, i860, married Lizzie Seely, 
 and has had two children — Mabel (de- 
 ceased) and John, the last named now 
 (November, 1895) two and a half 3ears 
 old. 
 
 The second wife of Enos Grover was 
 Mrs. Mahala E. Davis, widow of Gursham 
 Davis (to whom she was wedded April 29, 
 1856), and daughter of John Lloyd. She 
 was born in Northumberland count}-, 
 Penn., in 1831, of German ancestry. 
 When she was three months old her 
 father died, and her mother sub.sequently 
 
 moved to Delaware county, Ohio. After 
 her mother's death she lived with Quakers 
 and attended a Quaker school. On June 
 25, 1850, she first wedded Dr. Nelson 
 Wyatt Clifton, who died in 1852. By her 
 second marriage she had one child — 
 Frank Lloyd Davis, a resident of Peru, 
 Ind., who is married and has two chil- 
 dren, Wayne and Ralph. 
 
 Mr. Grover has been one of the most 
 prosperous farmers of Sandusky county, 
 and now owns over 400 acres of excellent 
 land. He formerly owned farms in 
 Canada and in fllinois. He is a man 
 of broad intelligence, and wide general 
 information. He was acquainted with the 
 early pioneers of Sandusky county, most 
 of whom have now passed away, and he 
 knew intimately their character and win- 
 ning traits. His standing in the com- 
 munity for integrity is the highest, and 
 the pure motives and purposes of his life 
 have ever been unquestioned. 
 
 CYRUS L. HARNDEN, M. D., 
 one of the most popular and suc- 
 cessful physicians of Clyde, San- 
 dusky county, a graduate of the 
 regular school, is a native of the county. 
 He was born January 22, 1850, on his 
 father's farm, situated one and a half 
 miles south of Clyde, and is a son of Jon- 
 athan and Nancy (Smith) Harnden. 
 
 Jonathan Harnden was born in New 
 York State in 1813 of English paternal 
 ancestry, his mother being of Irish birth. 
 Nancy Smith was also a native of the 
 Empire State, descended from an Eng- 
 lish family. Jonathan migrated from 
 New York to Ohio, and settled on a farm 
 in Huron county which he cleared. About 
 1850 he removed from Huron county to 
 a farm south of Clyde, where he remained, 
 a prosperous farmer and an influential 
 citizen, until his death, which occurred 
 when he was aged sixty-five years. To 
 Jonathan and Nancy Harnden were born 
 eight children: Two died in infancy; 
 
492 
 
 COMMEMORATIYE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Hosea, of Bellevue, Ohio; Kneeland, an 
 ex-soldier of the Civil war, living at Clj'de; 
 Smith, a farmer at Rising Sun, Wood 
 county; Alexander, marshal of Clyde; 
 Cyrus L. ; and May, deceased. 
 
 The foundation for his thorough ed- 
 ucation Dr. Harnden received in the 
 common schools. Subsequently he at- 
 tended Wooster University, at Wooster, 
 and later entered the Medical Depart- 
 ment of that institution, at Cleveland, 
 graduating in the class of 1875, his pre- 
 ceptor being the well-known Dr. C. G. 
 Eaton. In 1883 he received his ad cuii- 
 dciii degree from Western Reserve Col- 
 lege. Dr. Harnden began his medical 
 practice in Clyde the year before his post- 
 graduation, and he has remained there 
 ever since. By his strong natural en- 
 dowments and his thorough acquirements 
 in medical science he has built up a 
 splendid practice, quite the maximum 
 even for one' of his activity and endur- 
 ance. He is a member of the Sandusky 
 County Medical Society, and, socially, is 
 prominent in the Masonic Lodge. In poli- 
 tics he is a Republican. The Doctor 
 was married in 1887 to Miss Anna C. 
 Hawk, and they have two children — 
 Robert Lee and Charles Justin. 
 
 FRANCIS GNEPPER, whose en- 
 tire life has been passed in San- 
 dusky county, was born in Rice 
 township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 May 12, 1859, and is of German lineage. 
 His father, Ernest Gnepper, was a na- 
 tive of Germany, coming thence to Amer- 
 ica, and to Ohio, taking up his residence 
 in Rice township, Sandusky county, where 
 he carried on agricultural pursuits the 
 rest of his life. He died February 22, 
 1 89 1, at the age of sixty-seven years, and 
 was laid to rest in Lindsey Cemetery. 
 His wife's maiden name was Mary P'riar. 
 In the family were five children, a 
 brief record of whom is as follows: (1) 
 Henry, the eldest, married Ella Boyer, 
 
 is a resident of Oak Harbor, and is a 
 farmer by occupation. (2) Angeline is 
 the wife of Phillip Siegenthaler, and they 
 had eight children — Frank E., who lives 
 at home; George, who died in infancy; 
 John W., at home; Charlie H., who died 
 at the age of four years; Fred, born in 
 1885; Mary, born in 1887; Cora, born in 
 1889; and Chester, born in 1891. (3) 
 Francis Gnepper is next in the order of 
 birth. (4) Fred, the next younger, mar- 
 ried Cass Overm3'er, and they have three 
 children — John, born in 1886; Pearl, born 
 in 1889; and Amos, born in 1891. (5) 
 John was united in marriage with Alice 
 Boyer, and their family also numbers three 
 children — Katie, born in 1887; Charlie, 
 born in 1889; and Bertie, born in 1891. 
 
 In taking up the personal history of 
 Francis Gnepper we present to our read- 
 ers the life record of one of the practical 
 and progressive famers of Rice township, 
 Sandusky county. He has always lived 
 within the borders of that county, and was 
 reared upon the old homestead where he 
 was early trained to habits of industry. 
 His education was obtained in the district 
 schools of the neighborhood, and during 
 the greater part of the year he aided in 
 the labors of the farm. Thus his child- 
 hood and youth were passed, and when he 
 had reached manhood experience had 
 made him familiar with farm work in all 
 its departments. He now has a well-cul- 
 tivated place, and is raising the cereals 
 best adapted to this climate. He takes 
 no very prominent part in public affairs, 
 but gives his support to the men and 
 measures of the Democracy, and in relig- 
 ious faith he is a devout Catholic. 
 
 On February 26, 1S85, Mr. Gnepper 
 was married, in Sandusky county, to ^Iiss 
 Sarah A. Yeagle, who was born October 
 8, 1864, in Washington, Sandusky county, 
 and five children have been born to them: 
 Cora Ann, November 15, 1885; Noah E., 
 March 19, 1887; Mary E., January 30, 
 1889; Clarence D., December 16, 1891; 
 and Clara A., April 2, 1894, all born in 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 493 
 
 Washington township, except the 3'oung- 
 est, whose place of birth is in Rice town- 
 ship. 
 
 CORNELIUS HUFFORD, a farm- 
 er and pioneer of Sandusky coun- 
 ty, son of Christopher HufTord, 
 was born May 30, 1 806, in the 
 State of Kentucky, and when about nine 
 years of age came with his father's family 
 to Greene county, Ohio. Here he mar- 
 ried Miss Mary Jane, daughter of Abra- 
 ham Zook. She was born in Bedford 
 county, Penn., January 13, 1809, of 
 Pennsylvania Dutch descent. Her father 
 removed to Seneca county, Ohio, three 
 miles north of Tiffin, where he died at the 
 age of si.xty years, and her mother died 
 at the age of seventy-nine years. 
 
 In 1836 Cornelius Huftord moved to 
 Sandusky township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 and in 1S38 to Ballville township, same 
 county, where he bought 1 30 acres of 
 heavily-timbered land, on which he fol- 
 lowed blacksmithing for about twelve 
 years and then devoted himself exclusive- 
 ly to farming. In 1868 he sold his farm 
 tojulius Patterson, and bought another 
 farm of eighty acres in Washington town- 
 ship. His son Simon lived with him on 
 this place and farmed for him. Mary 
 Hufford died April 7, 1882, and he af- 
 terward lived among his children, dying 
 March 14, 1884. In politics Mr. Hufford 
 was a Democrat; he and his wife were 
 members of the Reformed Church for 
 many years. He was a man of large 
 size, stout, hearty and vigorous until past 
 fifty years of age, when he beciime afflict- 
 ed with rheumatism which obliged him to 
 use a cane in walking. They had ten 
 children, only five of whom grew to ma- 
 turity: Sarah, born April 17, 1834, mar- 
 ried Mark Thraves; Simon, born January 
 14, 1837; Elizabeth, born February 17, 
 1842, married Norton Rathbone, and 
 lives in Green Creek township; Catharine, 
 
 born July 12, 1844, married James Emer- 
 son, and lives in Ballville township; and 
 Martha, born December 14, 1845, mar- 
 ried Elliot Ferrenberg, and lives near 
 Gibsonburg, Ohio. 
 
 Simon Hufford, a son of Cornelius 
 Hufford, was born in Sandusky township, 
 Sandusky county, January 14, 1837. His 
 early life was spent on his father's farm 
 in Ballville township, where he attended 
 common school and acquired habits of in- 
 dustry, economy and thrift. On Decem- 
 ber 26, 1 86 1, he married Miss Sarah E. 
 Short, daughter of Moulton and Matilda 
 (Tracy) Short, born August 13, 1842, of 
 Yankee descent. He carried on farming 
 on his father's farm in Ballville township 
 for a number of years, and later in Wash- 
 ington township, but now lives on a farm 
 of his own in Ballville township. He is 
 a member of the M. E. Church at Fre- 
 mont, Ohio, and in politics is a Demo- 
 crat. A record of their children is given 
 as follows: (i) Lillie Jeannette, born 
 November 2, 1862, married Joseph Herr, 
 and their children are — Harry J., born 
 October 24, 1883, and Hattie May, born 
 July 20, 1885. (2) Jennie Lenora, born 
 March 20, 1864, married William Inks, 
 and their children are — Ralph, Jesse, 
 Birchard, Florence aud Maud. (3) Frank 
 W. , born August 4, 1867, was married 
 October 2, 1889, to Miss Eugenia Myers, 
 who was born July 30, 1871, and they 
 have one child — Hallie Bell, born Sep- 
 tember 9, 1891. (4) Armina, born Au- 
 gust 13, 1870, was married May 13, 1891, 
 to Frederick Maurer, who was born May 
 24, 1868, now residing in Helena, Wash- 
 ington township; one of their children, 
 S. Q., was born October 8, 1892, and died 
 February 22, 1893, the other child, Gor- 
 man Daine, was born February 22, 1894. 
 (5) Burton Hudson, born December 21, 
 1873, died November 3, 1874. (6) Hattie 
 May, born July 31, 1876. Mrs. HufTord, 
 whose health had been failing for several 
 years, died at the home of her daughter 
 Mina, November 15, 1895, ^g^d fifty- 
 
494 
 
 COMJIEMORATTVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 three years, three months and two dajs, 
 and was buried in McGormley cemetery, 
 Ballville township. 
 
 CHARLES H. RADEMACHER. 
 Among those who are devoting 
 their time and energies to agri- 
 cultural and horticultural pursuits 
 in Ottawa county, is this gentleman, who 
 was born on the old homestead farm in 
 Portage township, October 18, 1863. 
 
 He is descended from worth}' German 
 ancestry. Henry Rademacher, his father, 
 was born in the Province of Hanover, 
 Germany, November 16, 181 3, and after 
 arriving at years of maturity married An- 
 nie D. Buck, who was born in the same 
 province, August 9, 1822. In 1835 he 
 crossed the Atlantic to the New World, 
 spending two years in New York, and in 
 1837 went to Florida, where he remained 
 four years, returning in 1841 to the East- 
 ern metropolis, where he was engaged in 
 the grocery business until 1847. 
 
 In New York City, November 21, 
 1845, Henry Rademacher married Miss 
 Buck, and in 1847 returned to the Father- 
 land, where he spent about a year. In 
 1848 he again came to this country, and 
 for twelve years was engaged in the gro- 
 cery business, when in i860 he started 
 for Ohio, and on the 12th of May took up 
 his residence in Portage township, Ottawa 
 county, where he continued to make his 
 home until his death. He was born No- 
 vember 16, 1813, and passed away Jan- 
 uary 17, 1892. His faithful wife still 
 survives him, and now resides on the 
 homestead farm with our subject. In the 
 family of this worthy couple were seven 
 children, three of whom are still living, 
 namely: Margaret, wife of John Bosch, 
 of Green Spring. Sandusky Co., Ohio; 
 Anna D., wife of C. C. StefTens, living on 
 Catawba Island; and Charles H. The 
 members of the family were born as fol- 
 lows. Margaret. November 18, 1846; 
 Herman, November 8, 1848, and died 
 
 August 10, 1850; John, February 15, 
 1850, and died in infancy; Annie, October 
 26, 1852; Mary K., November 25, 1855; 
 Henry, March 31, 1861; and Charles H., 
 
 ; October 18, 1863. 
 
 j The last named was educated in the 
 district schools of his native township, 
 also in the Normal School of Port Clin- 
 ton, Ohio, and since his early boyhood 
 days, has been connected with the agri- 
 cultural interests of the community, and 
 of later years has been extensively en- 
 gaged in fruit growing. He has a fine 
 farm, well improved, and supplied with 
 all modern accessories and conveniences 
 for carrying on a successful business. He 
 has a reputation for honest dealing that 
 has won him a liberal patronage, and to- 
 day he is one of the prosperous farmers of 
 the localitj'. 
 
 In his political views, Mr. Rademach- 
 er is a Democrat, and he and his family 
 attend the Lutheran Church. He was 
 married December 18, 1890, to Miss An- 
 nie EUena Sass, who was born in Dan- 
 bury, Ohio, June 11, 1862, a daughter of 
 Herman and Adelaide (Tewers) Sass. 
 The parents were both natives of Ger- 
 man}', became early settlers of Danbury 
 township, Ottawa county, and have now 
 passed away. The father was born in 
 Hanover, February 18, 1823, and was a 
 son of Christian and Gesche (Ropke) 
 Sass. He was married in New York 
 City, February 21, 1852, to Adelaide 
 Tewers, who was born in Hanover, Jan- 
 uary 25, 1826. They came to Ohio in 
 1855, and the mother died December 7, 
 1877, the father on January 17, 1886. 
 They had eight children: Mary, born 
 November 30, 1852, wife of Martin Kihl- 
 ken, of Danburj", Ohio; Hermina, born 
 March 12, 1855; William, born July 17, 
 1857, now deceased; F"rederick, born June 
 6, i860, also deceased; Elizabeth Louisa, 
 born June 11, 1862. now the wife of 
 William Libben, of Erie, Ohio; Annie 
 Ellena, twin sister of Mrs. Libben, and 
 the honored wife of our subject; Henry 
 
^ /yo / (<:::u;ti'4^C^i/2^A£''l>_^ 
 
COMMEMOKATIYE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 495 
 
 H., born December 22, 1864, residing in 
 Danbury; and John H., born July 22, 
 1869. By her first husband, John Lull- 
 man, Mrs. Sass had a daughter: Kath- 
 erina, who was born Januarj' 25, 1851, 
 and is the wife of Henry Bosch, of Dan- 
 bury. 
 
 RBELL. The subject of this sketch, 
 senior partner in the firm of R. 
 Bell & Co., is one of the leading 
 men of Port Clinton, Ottawa 
 county, where he has carried on the fish- 
 ery business for many j'ears. He was 
 born April 7, 1832, in Cecil county, Md. , 
 and is the son of Abraham and Sarah 
 Trump Bell. 
 
 Abraham Bell was born in Pennsjl- 
 vania, near the Maryland State line, in 
 1800, and carried on his occupation of a 
 tanner and currier in Mar3land until 
 1834, when he came to Ohio and located 
 five miles west of Port Clinton, on Lake 
 Erie, in Erie township. Here he bought 
 a farm, built a tannery, and manufactured 
 the first leather ever made in the count}'. 
 He was engaged in the business for some 
 thirty-eight years, and died in Ottawa 
 county in 1875. In politics he was a 
 Whig; afterward, on the absorption of 
 that party into the Republican party, 
 joining the ranks of the latter. In relig- 
 ious faith he was brought up in the 
 Quaker faith, and was connected with 
 that denomination throughout his life. 
 His wife was born, in 1802, in Cecil 
 count)', Md., and died in 1841, the 
 mother of twelve children — six sons and 
 six daughters. 
 
 The following is a record of the 
 parental famil)': Robert M. lived at home 
 until eighteen years of age, when he re- 
 turned to the East, married and prac- 
 ticed medicine at Harrisburg, Penn. ; he 
 afterward returned to Ohio, where he 
 died, leaving a widow and two sons. 
 Samuel T. is living retired at Riverside, 
 Cal. ; Mary Anna married James Hoops, 
 
 and lives in Chester county, Penn. ; Ra- 
 chel died when about twenty years old; 
 Rebecca, who lives in Louisville, Ky. , is 
 the widow of Dr. Officer, and has had 
 two children, both living with her; Phi- 
 lena, who married W. W. Batlin, is de- 
 ceased; Sarah Melissa married William 
 Clark, and died in early womanhood; our 
 subject comes next in order of birth; 
 Abraham, who is in the general merchan- 
 dise business, lives at Elwell, Ohio; Jo- 
 seph M., who was a member of Company 
 I, Forty-first Regiment Ohio Infantry, in 
 the Civil war, died near Chattanooga, 
 Tenn., in the latter part of 1863. 
 
 The subject of this sketch spent his 
 boyhood days on his father's farm, assist- 
 ing in the farm work and in the tannery, 
 and having onh' the limited advantages to 
 be obtained at a country school, until he 
 was sixteen years old, when he started 
 for himself, becoming a clerk in a store 
 at Port Clinton, where he remained two 
 years. At the early age of eighteen years 
 he was married to Miss Amelia Wilson, 
 and made his home in Erie township. 
 Here he began fishing with seines in 1850, 
 carrying on a small business at first, 
 which has steadily grown ever since. In 
 all these years he has missed but one 
 season's fishing. In 1859 he went to 
 California, crossing the Plains with an 
 ox-team, and locating near the foot hills 
 of the Sierra Nevada range. It was a 
 wearisome journey to the land of gold in 
 those days, and Mr. Bell was five months 
 making the trip, leaving home on the 6th 
 of March, and I'eaching Placerville, or 
 Hangtown, August 8. He returned home 
 via the Panama Route, and was twenty- 
 four days coming from San Francisco to 
 New York. In 1873 Mr. BelJ erected 
 the building which he still occupies, and 
 has been carr3'ing on a prosperous busi- 
 ness ever since, sending carloads of fish 
 as far west as Omaha and east to the 
 Atlantic. His yearly catch is between 
 five thousand and eight thousand tons of 
 fish, and he uses two steam tugs in his 
 
49(3 
 
 COMMEhOBATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 business. Mr. Bell's first wife died in 
 Port Clinton in 1873, when forty-one 
 years old. They were the parents of 
 the following named children: Perr}-, who 
 died when twenty-four years old, was 
 married, and left four children — Amelia, 
 Norah, Richard and Perry; Ph3'lena and 
 George died in early youth; Joseph lives 
 in Port Clinton (he married Miss Angeline 
 ^fagruder, and has one child — Ruth; he 
 is a member of the firm of R. Bell & Co.. 
 and captain of one of his father's tugs); 
 Rebecca; Josephine; Sarah Lucinda, who 
 married \V. R. Webster, editor of the 
 Port Clinton Xcii's, and has one child — 
 Chauncey; and two that died in infancy 
 unnamed. 
 
 Mr. Bell was married in 1 874 to Miss 
 Huldah L. ^fasten, who was born in 
 Scottsburg, N. Y, , in 1852. Of this mar- 
 riage four children have been born: John 
 McAllister, Bessie, Edna and Earl. Mr. 
 Bell is a Republican, and, socially, has 
 passed all the chairs in the I. O. O. F. 
 [Since the above was written Mr. Bell 
 informs us that he left Port Clinton Sep- 
 tember 19, 1895, and will spend the 
 remainder of his life at Riverside, Cali- 
 fornia. — Editor. 
 
 OSCAR BILLINGS, who during his 
 long and useful life was closely 
 identified with the flourishing 
 township of Allen, Ottawa county, 
 and whose death was sincerely mourned 
 by hosts of friends who knew him as the 
 devoted husband and father, good citizen 
 and faithful minister, was born December 
 20, 1824, at Syracuse, New York. 
 
 He was a son of Augustus and Clar- 
 inda (English) Billings, both of whom 
 were natives of New York State. After 
 completing his education in the schools of 
 his native town, Mr. Billings came with 
 his mother to Ohio, settling in Woodville 
 township, Sandusky county, where he 
 learned the manufacture of furniture, with 
 a man named Chamberlin. He worked 
 
 at this trade until tne Civil war broke out, 
 when he enlisted, in 186 1, in Companj- 1, 
 Twenty-first Ohio Infantry, under com- 
 mand of Capt. I. K. Seaman, as a drum- 
 mer. He served four months and re- 
 ceived his discharge in August, of the 
 same jear, returning to Sandusky county. 
 Here he remained a short time, and then 
 took his wife and family to Minnesota, 
 settling in Waseca county and engaging 
 in farming. Here he lived for nine j'ears, 
 and then went back to Ottawa county, 
 locating near Genoa, and bought a farm 
 which he carried on for three years. He 
 again sold out and came to Allen (then 
 Clay) township, and buying seventy acres 
 of partially cleared land, remained here 
 until his death. Mr. Billings was mar- 
 ried in Woodville, February 4, 1S54, to 
 Miss Mary A. Bosse, and to this union 
 came one child, Alice, born November 5, 
 1854, who died April 18, 1855, the mother 
 passing away July 21, of the same year. 
 Mr. Billings was again married, October 
 27, 1858, taking for his second wife Phi- 
 linda Baldwin, daughter of Nelson T. 
 Baldwin, a farmer of Sandusky count}". 
 Of this marriage nine children have been 
 born, viz. : Minerva C, born July 3, 1859, 
 is the wife of Jacob S. Stewart; Sarah 
 J., born June 22, 1861, became the wife 
 of Bradford LiJsey. a farmer of Allen 
 township; Nelson O. , born March 10, 
 1863, is a barber at Genoa (he is married 
 and has one child, Harold); Arthur T. , 
 born August 31, 1S64, and Lorenzo A., 
 born March 3, 1868, live at home with 
 their mother and carry on farming; Leon- 
 ard G. , born December 11, 1870, re- 
 ceived his primary education in the pub- 
 lic schools of Allen township, and was for 
 one j-ear in the High School at Elmore, 
 after which he spent three years at the 
 Academy of the United Brethren at Fos- 
 toria, and then began teaching till he was 
 tsventy-one, then began barbering with his 
 brother Nelson; Casper A., born July 23, 
 1874, lived at home; Myrtie B., born 
 August 29, 1876, and Laura, born May 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 497 
 
 28, 1880. Nelson T. Baldwin, the father 
 of Mrs. Billings, was born in the State of 
 New York and came to Ohio with his par- 
 ents, when a small boy. They settled in 
 Sandusky county, where Mr. Baldwin 
 still lives. He married Cathrine C. Boose, 
 and they have had a family of four children 
 as follows: Philinda, wife of the subject of 
 this sketch, was born in Woodville, May 
 14, 1842; Warren, born March 6, 1844, 
 is a farmer and stonemason, and lives in 
 Nebraska (he married Matilda Widmer); 
 Sarah, born June i, 1846, is the wife of 
 Frederick Volkel, of Genoa; William, 
 born July 2, 1850, is a farmer at Wood- 
 ville. The mother of these children died 
 in Woodville, March 3, 1892, and Mr. 
 Baldwin married, for his second wife, Mrs. 
 Sneakburger, a widow. 
 
 Oscar Billings, the subject of this 
 sketch, was a member of George Doug- 
 lass Post No. 183, G. A. R., of Millbury, 
 Ohio, and in his political views he was a 
 Republican. He and his family were de- 
 vout members of the United Brethren 
 Church, in which Church he was a local 
 preacher for more than twelve years pre- 
 ceding his death, which took place Au- 
 gust 12, 1894. He was a man of e.xcel- 
 lent character and a good father and hus- 
 band, whose death will long be mourned. 
 
 FRED BOLTE, a highly popular 
 citizen of Port Clinton, Ottawa 
 county, and a well-to-do business 
 man, is a native of Hanover, Ger- 
 many, born August 20, 1851, a son of 
 Cord and Charlotte (Harms) Bolte. 
 
 Cord Bolte, father of our subject, was 
 born in 181 8, in German}', was a black- 
 smith by trade, and died in 1865; his 
 wife, Charlotte (Harms), was born in 
 181 5, and died in 1892, at the residence 
 of her son Fred, in Port Clinton, Ohio. 
 Seven children were born to Mr. and 
 Mrs. Cord Bolte, as follows: William, a 
 blacksmith, residing in Germany; Louisa, 
 nosv the wife of George F. Meyer, of 
 
 Port Clinton; Anna (widow of William 
 Dickman), also living in Port Clinton; 
 Meta, wife of Benjamin Boock, of Ca- 
 tawba Island, Ottawa county; Henry (de- 
 ceased); Sophy, wife of Mr. Andrew 
 Heinsen, of Bay township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty; and Fred, our subject. When the 
 latter was six years old his parents moved 
 with their family to Amt Syke, Germany, 
 five years later taking up their abode in 
 Osterholz, in both of which places young 
 Fred received his education, which was 
 concluded when he was fourteen years 
 old, after which he served a three-years' 
 apprenticeship to the trade of blacksmith, 
 and for two years followed that business 
 in Osterholz. During the next two or 
 three 3'ears his time was occupied in 
 working at his trade in Bremen, Stade, 
 Gadebusch, Berlin and Hanover, which 
 brings us to 1873, in which year, 
 desirous of bettering his condition, he 
 emigrated to the United Stales arriv- 
 ing at New York on July 10. From there 
 he came directly to Sandusky, Ohio, 
 where for eight months he followed his 
 trade, and then moved to Oak Harbor, 
 being here similiarly employed other 
 eight months; but returning to Sandusky, 
 he once more made his home there, this 
 time remaining about a year. 
 
 From Ohio Mr. Bolte was attracted to 
 Indiana by Cupid's magnet, and April 10, 
 1876, was married to the lady of his 
 choice — Miss Mary Cloy, who was born 
 February 18, 1859, in Auburn, Ind., 
 daughter of Christopher Cloy, of that 
 city, where she passed all her days up to 
 her marriage. Her parents were pioneers 
 of near Garrett, Ind., and had a family of 
 four children: Julia (deceased); Mary 
 (Mrs. Bolte); Fred, an upholsterer in a 
 railroad shop, at Garrett, Ind. ; and 
 Charles (deceased). The father of these 
 died in 1893; the mother is still living. 
 After his marriage Mr. Bolte remained in 
 the " Hoosier State " about a year, and 
 then moved to Flat Rock, Ohio, where 
 he followed his trade nine months. From 
 
498 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 there he proceeded to Graj'tpvvn, Ottawa 
 Co., Ohio, and for two years conducted 
 a blacksmith shop there, at the end of 
 which time he opened a saloon and res- 
 taurant there, twelve months later em- 
 barking in the hotel business in the same 
 town, in which he continued some seven 
 years. Mr. Bolte then rented the hotel, 
 and gave his undivided attention to the 
 saloon and restaurant until 1890, when he 
 was elected sheriff of Ottawa county on 
 the Democratic ticket, and this incum- 
 bency he ably filled four years. At the 
 time of his election to that office he re- 
 moved his residence to Port Clinton, the 
 county seat, where is still his home, al- 
 though his business is in Graytown. 
 
 During the winter of 1894-95 ^^r. 
 Bolte took a trip to Europe, spending 
 some time at the place of his birth, and 
 visiting his brother William, who has 
 never left the Fatherland. On his return 
 from Germany, our subject sold his hotel 
 property at Graytown and opened his 
 present new saloon and restaurant at that 
 place. In politics he is an ardent sup- 
 porter of the Democratic party, and on 
 that ticket he was elected treasurer of 
 Benton township, which position he held 
 for some time prior to his election to the 
 office of county sheriff. To him and his 
 amiable wife have been born four chil- 
 dren, their names and dates of birth being 
 as follows: Louise, February 24, 1878, 
 at present devoting her time to the stud\' 
 of instrumental music; Henry, February 
 4, 1880, also studying music; Otto, Oc- 
 tober 10, 1 88 1, and Charles, March 13. 
 1885, all born in Graytown, Ohio, except 
 Louise, whose place of birth is Flat Rock, 
 Ohio. They are all attending the public 
 schools of Port Clinton. 
 
 I 
 
 N.ATHANIEL AMOS HADDEN, 
 the well-known and highly-re- 
 spected fruit grower and shipper, 
 of Catawba Island, Ottawa coun- 
 t}', was born at Rice Creek, Calhoun Co., 
 
 Mich., August 7, 1836, and was the third 
 son of Amos and Mary Jane (Dutcber) 
 Hadden, both natives of New York State. 
 
 His parents left New York, and settled 
 in Michigan in 1835, buying, from the 
 government, 120 acres of wild land in 
 southern Michigan, among the wolves and 
 Indians, their nearest neighbors being 
 four miles away, and there made for them- 
 selves a fine farm home, which stands to- 
 day (1895) a monument to the energy and 
 good management of its owner, Amos 
 Hadden, who died suddenly in his own 
 yard, in November, 1S93, at the age of 
 eighty-three years. His wife, now eighty- 
 four, still lives there, where for sixty years 
 she has lived, and faithfully assisted her 
 husband in making the home and family 
 what it is. They were Methodists in re- 
 ligious faith, and in a few years, with 
 others who followed them from New York, 
 planted Methodism in that section of 
 country, and built a good church, which 
 still stands. A small stream of water runs 
 through this section, called Rice creek 
 from the quantities of wild rice growing 
 on its banks, and from this the early 
 settlers named themselves the ' • Rice 
 Creek Settlement," which name has since 
 been given the post office now there, with 
 its daily mail. 
 
 It was there at Rice Creek in 1836, 
 the year after the settlement of his par- 
 ents, that N. A. Hadden, the subject of 
 this sketch, was born and reared to young 
 manhood, assisting his father in every- 
 thing pertaining to the farm, and receiv- 
 ing a liberal education in the good schools 
 which naturally followed in the wake of 
 this civilized people from the East. In the 
 spring of 1859, when he was twentj'-two, 
 he, like thousands of others, was seized 
 with the Pike's Peak gold fever, and, with 
 a party of eleven men, left the old farm 
 and started for Pike's Peak. At St. 
 Joseph, Mo., they were discouraged by 
 returning men, and the eleven, with two 
 additions, decided to go to California. 
 They bought oxen and provisions, and 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 499 
 
 started on their long journey across the 
 Plains, which took six months. They all 
 arrived in safety, but our Mr. Hadden 
 was the only man of the thirteen who was 
 not obliged to ride on account of illness. 
 He literally walked almost the entire dis- 
 tance. On their arrival each went his 
 own way, our subject working in the gold 
 mines with good and ill success, until 
 called home by the death of a brother in 
 the army, in 1862. In the spring of 1863 
 he was married, and with his wife lived 
 on the old farm until the fall of 1865. 
 Here two children were born to them, one 
 dying. He then removed with his wife 
 and little daughter to Mendon, Mich., 
 where for five years he he was success- 
 fully engaged in the drug and grocery 
 business. Here a son was born and died, 
 and his own health became impaired, and 
 then it was that he turned his attention to 
 Ottawa county, Ohio, the former home of 
 his wife. In 1870 he bought a vineyard, 
 also two lake lots on the north point of 
 Catawba Island, and erected a summer 
 hotel, which, when just finished and 
 opened, and with its first guest, was en- 
 tirely destroyed by fire, on the night of 
 March 13, 1872, at the close of a fine 
 school entertainment, which he had gen- 
 erously allowed to be given on the third 
 unfinished floor, and which was undoubt- 
 edly the cause of the fire. By this ca- 
 lamity he was thrown out of home and 
 business, and left heavily in debt. Dur- 
 ing that summer his third son was born, 
 and in the fall he took his family to Kala- 
 mazoo, Mich., where they spent a year, 
 and in July, 1873, he accepted the posi- 
 tion of bookkeeper and salesman for the 
 firm of J. C. Butler & Co. (now George 
 R. Butler), proprietors of the sash, door 
 and blind factory in Sandusky, Erie Co., 
 Ohio, whither he moved his family and 
 where he lived for fifteen years, during 
 which time he settled his entire indebted- 
 ness, built him a good home, and bought 
 land on Catawba Island. This last pur- 
 chase of fifty-five acres was made in No- I 
 
 vember, 1879, and was entirely woods 
 and stone, and looked to many like an 
 unprofitable investment, but with his 
 characteristic pluck, energy, push and 
 hard work he has made for himself a fine 
 fruit farm of about ten thousand trees, 
 and erected a comfortable and commodious 
 residence, with all the necessary outbuild- 
 ings. This he has named " Sunnyside 
 Orchard," and is the present home of 
 himself and wife. In 1888 he left the 
 Butlers and devoted his entire time to 
 fruit culture. For eight years he has been 
 rewarded with good crops, and has become 
 the third largest grower and shipper of 
 fruit on the Island, making a specialty of 
 the peach. 
 
 In religion, Mr. Hadden has been a 
 Methodist from bo3'hood ; in politics a Re- 
 publican, having cast his first vote for Abra- 
 ham Lincoln, and he has voted for every 
 Republican President since. He has been 
 president and manager of the Catawba 
 Island Fruit Co., since its organization in 
 1888. Mr. Hadden is a man of perfect 
 habits, and is one of the most social and 
 liberal of men. He has one brother liv- 
 ing. Smith Hadden, of Olivet, Mich., and 
 a widowed sister, Mrs. N. L. McCormick, 
 who with her daughter lives with the aged 
 mother at the old Hadden homestead. 
 
 On May 14, 1863, Mr. Hadden was 
 married in the old M. E. Church at Port 
 Clinton, Ottawa Co., Ohio., to Miss 
 Marion J. Dutcher, who was born June 
 22, 1839, at Oswego, N. Y. , eldest daugh- 
 ter of Ira S. Dutcher, a sketch of whom 
 follows. Miss Dutcher first came to Ca- 
 tawba Island with her father's family when 
 she was but sixteen years old. The 
 ' ' point " was then called ' • Ottawa City. " 
 Two years later she taught her first school, 
 and the first school ever taught on North 
 Bass Island, or "Isle St. George," as it 
 is now called. From here she was called 
 to the high school of Port Clinton, which 
 she successfully taught a year or more, 
 and then went to Elmore, and taught mu- 
 sic. From there she was called to Gyp- 
 
500 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 sum, where she taught until her marriage. 
 After seven years in Michigan, she came 
 with her husband and Httie daughter back 
 to Catawba Island, thence, after the fire 
 that destroyed their home, they removed 
 to Sandusky, as already related. Here 
 for fifteen years she assisted her husband 
 in retrieving his fallen fortunes, by teach- 
 ing music and playing pipe organ in two 
 of the city churches. After her two chil- 
 dren were graduated from the high school, 
 the son gone to college, and the daughter 
 married, she with her husband rented her 
 Sandusk)' home, and went to live on their 
 fruit farm, "Sunnyside Orchard," at Ca- 
 tawba Island, in 1892, where they now, 
 (1895) reside. Mrs. Hadden is a progres- 
 sive woman, being interested in all affairs 
 pertaining to the Island, and entertains 
 largely at their pleasant hospitable home. 
 She is the founder of " The Ladies After- 
 noon Club," which was organized at her 
 home on June 15, 1892, and has been its 
 president since. It is devoted to litera- 
 ture and current events. She has been a 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church since early childhood. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. N. A. Hadden were 
 born four children, a brief record of whom 
 is as follows: (i) Ira Amos, born Feb- 
 ruary 28, 1864, died September 8, 1865. 
 (2) Stella Belle, born March 29, 1865, 
 was married to Arthur B. Alexander, of 
 Decatur, 111., where they now reside; she 
 made music a specialty, spent a year and 
 a half abroad in travel and study, and is 
 a thorough, brilliant musician and an ac- 
 complished lady. (3) James Bertrand, 
 born August 24, 1867, died August 28, 
 1868. (4) Clarence Bernard, born May 
 23, 1872, a graduate of Sandusky High 
 School, also of Cornell Universitj-, Ithaca, 
 N. Y. (1893), after which he spent a year 
 in post-graduate work in political econ- 
 omy and social science, under Dr. 
 Richard T. Ely, University of Wisconsin, 
 at Madison, ^^■is. He has assisted his 
 father in the management of the Catawba 
 Island Fruit Co. every season for seven 
 
 years, and is now (1895) financial secre- 
 tar}' of the Associated Charities of Cin- 
 cinnati. He is also in active work at the 
 Social Settlement, having charge of the 
 "Idlewild Athletic and Musical Club," 
 and other classes. 
 
 Ira S. Dutcher, father of Mrs. Na- 
 thaniel A. Hadden, was born March 13, 
 1 8 14, at Dover, Dutchess Co., N. Y. , of 
 Holland and English ancestry. When 
 five years old he went with his parents, 
 Ruleff (or Ralph) and Almira (Waring) 
 Dutcher, to Auburn, Cayuga Co., N. Y. , 
 where he received his education. His 
 father being a millwright, Ira inherited 
 from him his love for machinery and me- 
 chanics, and when quite a j'oung man 
 went to Rochester, N. Y. , where he learn- 
 ed the millwright's trade, which he worked 
 at more or less until the last few years of 
 his life. He was married July 4, 1838, 
 to Miss Mary Ann Veeder, who was of 
 Scotch, English and Dutch extraction, 
 her grandmother on her father's side 
 being a Scotch lady, and on her mother's 
 side a "Yankee woman" or English 
 lad}'. Mr. and Mrs. Dutcher went to 
 housekeeping in East Oswego, N. Y. , in 
 1838, and for thirteen years Mr. Dutcher 
 built elevators and mills on the Oswego 
 river. In 1852, being sent for to come 
 to Sandusky, Ohio, to build an ele- 
 vator and put machinery in mills, he 
 removed his family there, remaining 
 three years, and in 1855 came to Ottawa 
 county, where he resided until his death 
 thirty j'ears later. He began his career 
 by building the " Cement W'orks " at the 
 north point of Catawba Island, then 
 called Ottawa City, as it was thought a 
 little city would surely grow out of this 
 enterprise, and a plat for a city was made 
 and named as above. The land was 
 owned by J. B. James, a wealth}' gentle- 
 man of New York, who was sanguine in 
 the belief that good cement could be pro- 
 cured from the limestone which abounded 
 in such large quantities. So Mr. Dutcher 
 was employed as builder and superintend- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 501 
 
 ent, and in 1855 moved his famiij- to the 
 superintendent's house, which to-day is 
 the "Catawba Island House," owned by 
 J. P. Cangney. For various reasons the 
 cement business did not prove as remu- 
 nerative as Mr. James had expected, and 
 in 1859, after a four-years' trial he aban- 
 doned the enterprise and removed the ma- 
 chinery to an Eastern plant. Mr. Dutcher 
 had opened a general store, while man- 
 ager of the works. When he found his 
 occupation gone, he moved his store and 
 family to Port Clinton, where he formed 
 a partnership with John Jenney, under 
 the firm name of Dutcher & Jenney, and 
 for four years did a general mercantile 
 business, occasional!}- going out for a job 
 in his favorite machine work. In the 
 fall of 1863 he sold out and moved to a 
 ten-acre farm on the extreme northeast 
 point of Catawba Island, known as 
 " Scott's Point," which he had purchased 
 some time previous. Here, in the old- 
 fashioned log house with its numerous ad- 
 ditions, " neath the old Linden tree" (an 
 immense tree over a hundred years old), 
 he moved his famil}', and lived many 
 happy years. Here his grandson, Clar- 
 ence B. Hadden was born in 1872. 
 Mr. Dutcher devoted the most of his 
 time to the cultivation of fruit, and 
 was one of the earliest growers of 
 the peach for profit on the Island. His 
 place was called " Linden Place," and his 
 large new house, which he built in 1874- 
 75, "The Linden." Here he lived until 
 his death, in 1886. The old house later 
 was accidentally burned, the great linden 
 tree was struck by lightning two or three 
 times, and was taken out root and branch, 
 so to-day no trace of either exists. The 
 new house is now owned and occupied by 
 the second daughter and her husband, 
 Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Davey, who provide 
 a home for the aged widow, who, on Oc- 
 tober 2, 1895, was eighty years old. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Dutcher had eight children, only 
 two of whom are living — the two eldest 
 daughters, Mrs. N. A. Hadden and Mrs. 
 
 J. A. Davey — both of whom live on Ca- 
 tawba Island. Two sons and a daughter 
 who died in infancy are buried in Oswego, 
 and two sons and a daughter are buried 
 with their father and grandmother Vecder 
 in the Catawba Island Cemetery. Mr. 
 Dutcher in politics was a Whig in early 
 life, and later an active Republican; he 
 cast his first vote for Gen. William Henry 
 Harrison in 1836. He was always a tem- 
 perance man and worker. He was town- 
 ship treasurer, township clerk and school 
 director for many years, was a Good 
 Templar, Odd Fellow and a Roj'al Arch 
 Mason, holding the office of worshipful 
 master in both Port Clinton and Oak 
 Harbor Lodges. In 1868 he joined the 
 Methodist Church at Catawba Island; his 
 wife has been a Methodist since girlhood. 
 Mr. Dutcher had a sudden death from 
 heart failure. Arising on the morning of 
 January 25, 1886, in his usual health and 
 spirits, about ten o'clock, sitting in his 
 arm chair by the stove opposite his be- 
 loved wife, he suddenly placed his hand 
 on his breast, saying. "I don't know 
 what is the matter," leaned back, and 
 ceased to breathe. He was buried from 
 his home, January 27, under the auspices 
 of the Port Clinton Masonic Lodge, the 
 members of which came in a body to do 
 honor to their deceased Brother. 
 
 CHARLES BLECKNER, a popu- 
 lar druggist of Oak Harbor, and 
 one of the leading influential men 
 of that prosperous little town in 
 Ottawa county, was born in Troy, N. Y. , 
 March 19, 1852, a son of Adam and 
 Christina (Lenhardt) Bleckner, both na- 
 tives of Germany, who emigrated to the 
 United States in March, 1852, landing in 
 America on the day our subject was born. 
 On their arrival in this country the 
 parents located first in Troy, N. Y., re- 
 maining there only a few months; then 
 removed to Fremont, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio, thence to Rice township, same 
 
502 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 county, where Mr. Bleckner engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits for upwards of two 
 years. But from the year 1855 up to the 
 time of his death, which occurred in 
 1857, he was employed at his trade, that 
 of stone mason. The family consisted of 
 two sons and one daughter: Charles, the 
 subject proper of this sketch; William, 
 the efficient postmaster at Oak Harbor; 
 and Lucinda, now the wife of William 
 Mclvenzie, of Bellevue, Ohio. The 
 mother was again united in marriage, her 
 second husband being Charles Remley, 
 and is now a resident of Fremont, Ohio. 
 Charles Bleckner, the subject proper 
 of these lines, received his preliminary 
 education in the public schools of San- 
 dusky county, and later in life, being a 
 young man of very studious habits, he 
 added considerably to his fund uf knowl- 
 edge. The family being deprived, in 
 the death of the father, of the only 
 means of support, our subject was com- 
 pelled to start out when very young to 
 earn his own livelihood. When eleven 
 years of age he hired out with a neigh- 
 boring farmer, for whom he worked eight 
 years, receiving in compensation for his 
 services his board and clothes, and at the 
 age of twenty-one succeeded in purchasing 
 some land and enj^ged in agricultural pur- 
 suits on his own responsibility; but in \^77 
 he severed his connection with the farm 
 and accepted a position as clerk in his 
 brother William's drugstore, and in 1879 
 purcliased his drug business at Rocky 
 Ridge, Ohio, remaining there for two years. 
 In 1 88 1 our subject returned to Oak Har- 
 bor and purchased a half interest in his 
 brother's store, in 1892 becoming sole 
 proprietor, and he has since carried on 
 the business in his own interests, his store 
 being one ot the handsomest in the county. 
 Mr. Bleckner isa " self-made man " in the 
 broadest sense of the term. Thrown 
 upon his own resources when but a young 
 lad, he has displayed wonderful tact in 
 the way in which he has prospered. His 
 reputation as a chemist — second to none 
 
 in the county — his success as a business 
 man, and his popularity as a citizen, have 
 been acquired by a life of hard, honest 
 labor. 
 
 On December 22, 1872, Mr. Bleckner 
 was united in marriage, at Perrysburg, 
 Wood Co., Ohio, with Miss Annie A. 
 Hufford, a daughter of Jacob and Cather- 
 ine Hufford, the former of whom was a 
 native of Pennsylvania, the latter a native 
 of Holland, honored and respected resi- 
 dents of Wood county for' many years, 
 both now deceased. To this union have 
 come si.\ children, as follows: Noah H., 
 born September 24, 1873, now a clerk in 
 his father's store; Emma C. , born Jan- 
 uary 13, 1875, now a teacher in Ot- 
 tawa county; Charles C. , born May 19, 
 1877, will graduate from Oak Harbor 
 public schools in June, 1896; Cora M., 
 born June 27, 1880, died September 24, 
 1880; Vernah V., born April 28, 1884; 
 and Chester H., born October 3, 1885. 
 Mr. Bleckner is an active member of the 
 Oak Harbor school board, a stockholder 
 in the Oak Harbor Natural Gas Co., a 
 member of Oak Harbor Lodge No. 495, F. 
 & A. M., and Fremont Chapter No. 64, 
 Royal Arch Masons, and a charter mem- 
 ber of Oak Harbor Lodge No. 735, 
 I. O. O. F. Politically he is affiliated 
 with the Democratic party. The family 
 are members of the M. E. Church. 
 
 HENRY LAMMERS (deceased), 
 who was one of the prominent 
 and representative farmers and 
 fruit growers of Ottawa county, 
 spent his entire life in Danbury township, 
 where his birth occurred February 2, 
 1850, in the old log house that then stood 
 on the homestead farm. His parents, 
 Frederick and Martha (Teeman) Lam- 
 mers, were both natives of the Province 
 of Hanover, Germany. He was reared 
 in the usual manner of farmer boys, aid- 
 ing in the labor of the field and attending 
 the district schools of the neighborhood, 
 
HENRY LAMMERS. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 503 
 
 where he acquired a good common-school 
 education. The occupation to which he 
 was reared he made his Ufa work, and 
 was very successful in his undertakings. 
 
 At Port Clinton, Ottawa county, on 
 the 15th of November, 1877, was cele- 
 brated the marriage of Mr. Henry Lam- 
 mers and Miss Mary L. Graves, who was 
 born in Danbury township, March 2, 
 1854, and is a daughter of John F. and 
 Christine Graves, old and highly-respected 
 residents of Danbury township, but who 
 are now living in Hanover, Germany. 
 To our subject and his worthy wife were 
 born two sons, both still living, namely: 
 Edwin August, born December 26, 1879; 
 and Walter Frederick, born December 4, 
 1883. 
 
 Mr. Lammers passed to the other 
 shore on the 14th of June, 1891. Though 
 yet a young man at the time of his de- 
 cease, still he had done much toward the 
 prosperity of his native township, and was 
 held in high esteem as a friend and neigh- 
 bor. His wife continues to superintend 
 the duties pertaining to the farm, and the 
 neat' and thrifty appearance of the place 
 indicates taste and good judgment, as well 
 as abilit}'. 
 
 GEORGE DEEL is the proprietor 
 of the Enterprise Machine Works, 
 of Oak Harbor, Ottawa county, 
 No greater pleasure can be en- 
 joyed by the aged than to look back on a 
 life usefully spent for the good of others 
 as well as themselves — -a happiness that 
 can be enjoyed in an eminent degree by 
 the gentleman whose name opens this 
 sketch. 
 
 Mr. Deel is a native of Pennsylvania, 
 born in New Berlin, Union county, May 
 7, 1 83 1, and is a son of Jacob and Eliza- 
 beth (Newhart) Deel, both of whom were 
 natives of the Keystone State. On both 
 sides the families are of German ancestry, 
 the paternal great-grandparents of our 
 subject, who were natives of Hessen, 
 
 32 
 
 Germany, emigrating to what is now 
 Frederick City, Md. , and at the time of 
 the Revolutionary war they were resi- 
 dents of that city. The parents of our 
 subject came to Ohio in 1861, locating 
 first in Fremont, Sandusky county, but 
 after a short time came to Ottawa county 
 and took up their residence in Salem 
 township, near Oak Harbor, where their 
 remaining days were passed, the father 
 departing this life in 1878, the mother in 
 1882. They had twelve children, six of 
 whom are yet living besides our subject, 
 namely: Rebecca, widow of John Marks, 
 of Benton township, Ottawa county; 
 Mary, wife of John Orandorf, of Center 
 county, Penn. ; John, who is living 
 on the homestead in Union county, 
 Penn. ; Jacob and Peter, both of Bar- 
 ton county, Kans. ; and Joseph, who 
 is living in Gun Marsh, Michigan. 
 
 George Deel acquired a common- 
 school education near his home, and af- 
 terward learned the trade of a ship car- 
 penter, which pursuit he followed in Penn- 
 sylvania until 1 86 1. He then came to 
 Ohio, locating in Salem township, about 
 three miles east of Oak Harbor, where he 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits and in the 
 purchase and sale of timber for about si.\- 
 teeti years. In 1877 he came to Oak 
 Harbor, and in connection with dealing 
 in timber he also engaged in the hotel 
 business, conducting the first hostelry of 
 any importance in the town. In 1878 
 this hotel was destroye(^ by fire, and the 
 following year he erected the large and 
 commodious brick hotel, so well and 
 favorably known to the traveling public, 
 called the. " Portage House." It too was 
 consumed by the flames, on August 4, 
 1894, and in both conflagrations Mr. Deel 
 was a serious loser. In August, 1894, he 
 purchased the Enterprise Machine Works, 
 and is now conducting a good business. 
 
 Mr. Deel was married, in McAlister- 
 ville, Penn., September-2, 1S53, to Julia 
 M. Koch, who was born in Richfield, 
 Juniata Co., Penn., September 28, 1834, 
 
504 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 a daughter of John and Catherine (Baer) 
 Koch. Seven children came to bless this 
 union: Mary Alice, born September i, 
 1858, who is the wife of William Fry, of 
 Oak Harbor; Clara E., born November 
 2, i860, who died September 29, 1862; 
 James E., born November 13, 1862, who 
 died May 24, 1864; George A., born Jan- 
 uary 19, 1865, who is now a professor in 
 Eastman College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; 
 Martha E. ,born January 7, 1867, who died 
 April 12, of that year; Nelson K. , born 
 January 22, 1869, and Lottie V., born 
 April II, 1 87 1 , the last two still under the 
 parental roof. 
 
 In March, 1865, Mr. Deel manifested 
 his loyalty to the government by enlisting 
 in Company C, One Hundred and Ninety- 
 sixth O. V. I., and served until the close 
 of the war, acting as hospital steward part 
 of the time. His brothers, Jacob, Joseph 
 and Peter, were also Union soldiers. Mr. 
 Deel has served for three years as super- 
 visor of the township; was school director 
 for fifteen years; was township assessor 
 three years; has been councilman nine 
 years; was infirmary director six years; 
 was township trustee six years, and coun- 
 ty treasurer for one term, of two years. 
 The very fact of his being called to these 
 various positions indicates the confidence 
 and trust reposed in him by his fellow 
 townsmen, and his honorable official rec- 
 ord shows that this confidence has never 
 been betrayed. In connection with his 
 other interests, he is a charter member of 
 Oak Harbor Lodge No. 495. F. & A. M., 
 the second oldest Mason in the place, and 
 a member of George Field Post No. 168, 
 G. A. R. In politics he is a Democrat. 
 In addition to his other business inter- 
 ests he is a director of the Oak Harbor 
 State Bank. But few men have come 
 more directly in contact with the inter- 
 ests of Ottawa county, and none have 
 commanded more completely the respect 
 and confidence of the community at large. 
 His circle of friends and acquaintances is 
 indeed extensive, and in the history of 
 
 Ottawa county he well deserves repre- 
 sentation. The Deel family attend the 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 WILLIAM NOBLE, a retired farm- 
 er of Salem township, Ottawa 
 county, and a highly-respected 
 resident of Oak Harbor, was 
 born June 19, 1830, in Germany, on the 
 line between the Provinces of Hanover 
 and Prussia, and is a son of Frederick 
 and Lena Noble, both of whom passed 
 away in their native land. 
 
 Our subject received his primary edu- 
 cation in his native land, and there ap- 
 prenticed himself to the trade of carpen- 
 tering. In 1 8 50 he emigrated to America, 
 and for two years was employed as sales- 
 man in a provision store in New York 
 City. In 1852 he removed to the State 
 of Ohio, locating in Danbury township, 
 Ottawa county, working at his trade dur- 
 ing the winter and sailing on Lake Erie 
 during the summer months. In 1858 he 
 purchased land in Salem township, and 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits; and al- 
 though for the past four years he has 
 been living a retired life, enjoying the 
 rest he has so well earned, he still retains 
 his farm, which is in charge of his sons. 
 Mr. Noble was married in Danbury 
 township September 22, 1858, to Miss 
 Mary Ott, a daughter of Frederick and 
 Fredericka (Grouman) Ott, both natives 
 of Germany, who located in Danbury 
 township in 1855, and moved to Salem 
 township with their daughter and son-in- 
 law in 1858, passing away there in 1867 
 and 1875 respectively. Mrs. Noble was 
 born in Mecklenburg, Germany, January 
 18, 1837. To this union were born nine 
 children, viz. : Doris, wife of Sinese Bahn- 
 sen, residing in Salem township; \\'illiam, 
 born April 14, 1861, a prominent farmer 
 of Salem township; Frederick, born No- 
 vember 22, 1S63, a merchant of Azalia, 
 Mich.; Matilda, born March 24,' 1866, 
 wife of Niss Paulsen, residing in Bay 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 505> 
 
 township, Ottawa county; Charles, born 
 October i, 1868, residing on the home- 
 stead; Rudolf, born September 28, 1870, 
 now of Toledo, Ohio; Mary, born July 
 15, 1873, died March 4, 1876; August, 
 born December 30, 1878; and one child 
 who died in infancy. 
 
 Mr. Noble is a Democrat in his polit- 
 ical views, has filled a number of town- 
 ship offices, and b}' the entire community 
 in which he lives is looked up to and ad- 
 mired and respected as a man of sterling 
 qualities. The family are members of 
 the Lutheran Church. 
 
 HENRY F. HARRISON. Among 
 the leading, influential and repre- 
 sentative citizens of Oak Harbor, 
 Salem township, Ottawa county, 
 there is probably no one who enjoys, to a 
 greater degree, the confidence, respect 
 and esteem of his fellow citizens, than 
 does Henry F. Harrison, who was born 
 in Yorkshire, England, July 13, 1833, 
 being a son of Thomas and Elizabeth 
 (Jackson) Harrison. 
 
 The parents emigrated to America in 
 1844, in the days when nearly all the 
 transportation across the Atlantic had to 
 be done in sailing vessels. After a rough, 
 tempestuous voyage, extending over nine 
 weeks, they landed at Yarmouth, Nova 
 Scotia, and upon the reopening of navi- 
 gation in the spring of 1845 proceeded to 
 Boston; thence they journeyed to Ohio, 
 eventually settling in Erie township, Ot- 
 tawa county, where Mr. Harrison engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits for nearly a year, 
 then moving to Henry county, where he 
 found employment at his trade, that of a 
 miller, remaining there until his death, 
 which occurred in 1848, he being one of j 
 the unfortunates carried off by the epi- j 
 demic of cholera, which passed over that 
 section of the country in that year. After 
 the death of her first husband Mrs. Har- 
 rison was again married, this time to 
 Phineas Nearing, and, with part of her 
 
 family, moved to Port Clinton. She 
 finally passed away at the home of her 
 daughter, Mary Ann, in Erie township. 
 The family consisted of eight children, 
 two of whom still survive, viz.: Mary 
 Ann, wife of Frederick Rymers, a resident 
 of Erie township, and Henry F. 
 
 Henry F. Harrison, the subject of 
 this biography, received his primary edu- 
 cation in the district schools of Henry 
 county, Ohio, and in the public schools of 
 Port Clinton, his early life being devoted' 
 to agricultural pursuits. In 1853 he pur- 
 chased a rough, uncultivated tract of 
 land in Salem township, then but a wil- 
 derness, and, setting to work with that 
 energy and determination characteristic 
 of the early pioneer, he soon became the 
 owner of a valuable farm, and in the face 
 of disappointments and difficulties estab- 
 lished himself among the well-to-do agri- 
 culturists of that township. In 1882 he 
 sold this farm and purchased the land m 
 Oak Harbor upon which he still resides, 
 where, in connection with agricultural 
 pursuits, he is also engaged in fruit grow- 
 ing and floriculture. In his long life and 
 early pioneer experiences, Mr. Harrison 
 has an interesting history of days gone by, 
 full of hardships and dangers unknown to 
 the present generation. 
 
 Our subject has been united in mar- 
 riage three times, the first time to Miss 
 Susanna E. Kirk, daughter of John and 
 Belinda (Knight) Kirk, who was born in- 
 Erie township, Ottawa Co., Ohio, April 
 25, 1837; her parents were both natives 
 of Cecil county, Md., the father, born 
 January 17, 1806, the mother on Febru- 
 ary I, 1S09. To this union were born' 
 two children: John W. , born March 29, 
 1857, died June 9, 1857, and Mary E., 
 born August 19, 1858, the wife of William 
 Snyder, of Toledo, Ohio. Mrs. Harri- 
 son's death occurred February 10, 1862, 
 and on October i, 1864. Mr. Harrison 
 was again married, this time to Mrs. Sarah 
 M. Vincent, widow of Freeman Vincent, 
 of Lorain county, Ohio. To this second 
 
50G 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 union were born five children, two of 
 whom now survive: Susan E. , principal 
 of the Oak Harbor High School, and 
 Ralph M., in the fruit business with his 
 father. After the death of his second wife 
 Mr. Harrison was married to her sister, 
 Lydia A. Merion; no children were born 
 to this marriage. Mr. Harrison's second 
 and third wives were daughters of David 
 and Mar}' (Shaller) Merion, the former of 
 whom was born in 1839, passing away in 
 1876; the latter was born in 1835; their 
 parents were born near Boston, Mass., 
 the father in 1796, the mother in 1801; 
 these died in 1886 and i860, respectively. 
 They were married in 1819, and became 
 the parents of eleven children — nine who 
 grew to maturity and two who died in in- 
 fancy. They came to Ohio the year of 
 their marriage, first locating near Colum- 
 bus, where they lived a few years, and 
 thence removing to Ottawa county, where 
 they made a permanent home and passed 
 •the remainder of their days. 
 
 In politics our subject votes with the 
 Republican party; socially he is a mem- 
 ber of Oak Harbor Lodge No. 495, F. & 
 A. M. He also fills the position of vice- 
 president and secretary of the Oak Harbor 
 State Bank, and director of the Oak Har- 
 bor Natural Gas Co. The family are de- 
 vout adherents of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church. 
 
 OHN BLOOM. Prominent among 
 the retired successful agriculturists 
 
 ^ I of Ottawa county, and tjpical rep- 
 resentative German- Americans of 
 the industrious and thrifty class, may be 
 found the gentleman whose name here 
 appears. 
 
 He was born in Prussia, Germany, 
 October 3, 1829, a son of John and Mar- 
 garet (Demon) Bloom, natives of the 
 same province, the former born in 1802, 
 the latter in 1801. In the year 1832 they 
 emigrated to the United States, settling 
 in Schuylkill county, Penn., where the 
 
 father purchased land, engaging in agri- 
 cultural pursuits, and where he and his 
 wife passed the rest of their days, hon- 
 ored and respected by all who knew them. 
 The father died in 1835, the result of a 
 railroad accident, caused by the locomo- 
 tive, on which he was riding, leaving the 
 track; the mother passed away in 1S61, 
 and was laid besides the remains of her 
 husband in a cemetery near their old 
 Pennsylvania home. Their family num- 
 bered six children, as follows: Catherine, 
 now Mrs. John Engerhart, living in Penn- 
 sylvania; Mary, wife of Henry Boch, also 
 in Pennsylvania; John, the subject of 
 these lines; Christian, a blacksmith in the 
 Keystone State; and two who died in in- 
 fancy. As will be seen, John Bloom was 
 between two and three years of age when 
 he accompanied his parents to this coun- 
 try, and at the common schools of the 
 neighborhood of his first New-World home 
 he received his education, at the same 
 time assisting on the farm. Under his 
 father's preceptorship he bicame well ex- 
 perienced in the various details of agri- 
 culture, and deciding to make it his life 
 work, he, on reaching maturity, purchased 
 a farm for himself in Schuylkill county, 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 In 1S51 Mr. Bloom was united in 
 marriage with Miss Polly Leiser, of whom 
 further mention will presently be made. 
 In 1 86 1 the family migrated to Rice 
 township, Sandusk}' Co., Ohio, whence 
 at the end of a j'ear they removed to 
 Salem township, Ottawa county, the 
 father having purchased 160 acres of tim- 
 ber land, being the N. E. quarter of Sec- 
 tion 19. Here, assisted by his family, he 
 set to work to hew out a home, clearing 
 away the forest trees, converting the wild 
 land into fruitful fields, and placing good 
 buildings thereon. Later he bought an- 
 other eighty-acre tract in the same sec- 
 tion, which he afterward disposed of to 
 one of his sons. In 1888, having by that 
 time accumulated a comfortable compe- 
 tence, he and his faithful wife, who had 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 507 
 
 well done her share toward securincf their 
 prosperity, retired from the arduous duties 
 of farm life, and took up their abode in 
 the villaj^e of Oak Harbor, where in a 
 comfortable home they are enjoying the 
 fruits of their labor. In addition to his 
 farm our subject also owns a sawmill in 
 Washington township, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio, which was successfully conducted 
 by him some twenty-five years in connec- 
 tion with his other interests, and is now 
 being operated by his son Levi. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. John Bloom have 
 been born si.\ children, a brief record of 
 whom is as follows: (i) John M., born 
 June 29, 1854, married Sarah Ann Boyer 
 (by whom he had two children), and died 
 in 1881; his wife passed away in the 
 month of March, same year. (2) Levi, 
 born January 6, 1858, married Catherine 
 Boyer, by whom he has five children. 
 (3) Louisa, born June 4, 1862, married 
 Israel Druckenmiller, a farmer of Wash- 
 ington township, Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 and has four children. (4) Susanna, born 
 December 12, 1864, married Perr}' Boyer, 
 tile manufacturer, also of Washington 
 township, by whom she has three chil- 
 dren. (5) Franklin, born March i, 1S67, 
 married Ida Auxter, and has two chil- 
 dren; he rents his father's farm. (6) 
 Charles H., born October 23, 1870, mar- 
 ried Alvesta Siegenthaler, and has one 
 child; he also operates his father's farm. 
 
 The mother of this family was born 
 October 21, 1832, in Pennsylvania, 
 where she grew to womanhood, receiving 
 her education at the schools of that State. 
 She is a daughter of Jacob and Susan 
 (Schumaker) Leiser, both also natives of 
 the Keystone State, her father born in 
 18 1 2, and died in 1880, the mother born 
 in 1809, and died in 1887. They were 
 the parents of eight children, to wit: 
 John (deceased), Nathan, Polly (Mrs. 
 Bloom), Sarah, David, Joseph, Rebecca 
 (deceased) and Samuel; those yet living 
 are all residents of Ohio. The maternal 
 ancestry of Mrs. Bloom dates to days 
 
 long prior to Revolutionary times. Her 
 maternal grandfather, John Schumaker, 
 was born in 1776, and died in 1856; his 
 wife, Susanna Kunze, died the same year 
 and at about the same age as her hus- 
 band. Mrs. Bloom's great-grandmother 
 Susanna Kunze was born in 1756, and 
 lived to a ripe old age. 
 
 Mr. Bloom is a stockholder in the 
 Oak Harbor State Bank, and also in the 
 Basket Factory of Oak Harbor. Polit- 
 ically, he supports the principles of the 
 Democratic party; socially, he is a mem- 
 ber of the I. O. O. F. Lodge No. 735, 
 Oak Harbor, while Mrs. Bloom is affili- 
 ated with Lodge No. 735, Daughters of 
 Rebekah, Oak Harbor. 
 
 GEORGE L. SEELEY, one of 
 the leading, influential and repre- 
 sentative men of Oak Harbor, 
 Ottawa county, and cashier of 
 the Oak Harbor State Bank, is a native 
 of Ohio, born May 2, 1S53, in Lorain 
 county. 
 
 Morton C. Seelej', father of our sub- 
 ject, was of New England birth, coming 
 at an early day to Lorain county, Ohio, 
 where for many years he was engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits and real-estate busi- 
 ness until in his declining years he retired 
 into private life. He was a progressive 
 and honored citizen, and filled many 
 county offices, with honor to himself and 
 satisfaction to the community which he 
 represented. He married Sophia On- 
 stein, also a native of New England, and 
 they had one son, George L. , the only 
 child born to them. 
 
 The subject proper of this sketch re- 
 ceived his elementary education at the 
 public schools of his native county, which 
 was supplemented with a course of study 
 at Oberlin College, and, after graduating 
 therefrom, he was employed in drug bus- 
 iness for about three years, then in a 
 banking business at Amherst and Chicago 
 until 1887. In October of that year he 
 
608 
 
 COMMEMORATTVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 removed to Oak Harbor, and assisted in 
 the organization of the Oaic Harbor State 
 Bank, since which time he has continu- 
 ously filled the position of cashier, with 
 recognized ability and judgment. In 
 1884 he was married, in Medina county, 
 Ohio, to Miss Luetta M. Spitzer, daugh- 
 ter of Garret and Mary Spitzer. the for- 
 mer of whom died January 3, 1891, aged 
 seventy-three years; the latter at the 
 present time an honored and respected 
 resident of Medina. To this union were 
 born on July 10, 1885, twin sons named 
 respectively Morton C. and Clifton M. 
 Mrs. Seeley in her native town attended 
 the Congregational Church, but in Oak 
 Harbor she worships in the Methodist 
 Church. In his political views Mr. See- 
 ley is a stanch Republican. 
 
 Garret and Mary Spitzer, parents of 
 George L. Seeley, had born to them a 
 family of eight children, all of whom are 
 yet living, a brief record of them being as 
 follows: Alice is the wife of Aaron Loom- 
 is, a prominest merchant of Wyoming, 
 Iowa; Amherst T. is president of the 
 Medina Savings and Deposit Bank, with 
 residence at Medina, Ohio; Eva is the 
 wife of W. C. Lyon, editor of the Newark 
 (Ohio) American, and ex-lieutenant gov- 
 ernor of the State of Ohio, his home be- 
 ing in Newark; Aaron E. is a prominent 
 clothing merchant of Vinton. Iowa; 
 Francelia is the wife of Dr. David N. 
 Loose, a well-known physician of Maquo- 
 keta, Iowa; Adelbert L. is a banker and 
 prominent citizen of Toledo, Ohio; Luet- 
 ta M., is the wife of George L. Seeley, 
 the subject proper of this sketch; Bessie 
 is the wife of Dr. Hodson D. Bishop, a 
 popular and leading physician of Cleve- 
 land, Ohio. 
 
 GEORGE W. KEIGHTLEY. a 
 talented lawyer and progressive 
 citizen of Elmore, Ottawa Co., 
 Ohio, was born in Chatham, 
 Province of Ontario, Canada, June 30. 
 
 1836, and is a son of Peter L. and Eliz- 
 abeth Keightley, who were both natives 
 of England, born in Boston, Lincoln- 
 shire, in 1 8 14, the former the son of 
 John and Margaret Keightley, the latter 
 the daughter of George and Sarah Winter, 
 who, as well as their parents, were also 
 born in Boston, England. In 1837 Mr. 
 Keightley's parents left Canada, removing 
 to the township of Van Buren, near Ship- 
 shewana, Lagrange Co. , Ind., where they 
 are still living, and are worthy and re- 
 spected members of the community. Our 
 subject is the eldest in their family of 
 four children; Jennie is the wife of J. C. 
 Cook, residing in Lagrange county, Ind. ; 
 Edwin W. , is a prominent member of the 
 legal profession, and makes his home at 
 Chicago, 111., and Anna is dead. 
 
 George W. Keightley was only one 
 year old when his parents located in In- 
 diana, and he recalls, many times, of hav- 
 ing when a child seen the Indians, who 
 had not been removed from that lo- 
 cality. His boyhood days were there 
 spent on the farm. His primary educa- 
 tion, which he commenced at the age of 
 ten years, was received in the district 
 schools of the county, and at the age of 
 seventeen he entered the Academy at 
 Ontario, Ind. On completing his literary 
 course, he engaged in the profession of 
 teaching, and during the years 1856 and 
 1857 he taught in Ottawa county, Ohio. 
 The following year, having been elected 
 to the office of surve\or of Lagrange 
 county, Ind., he returned to that State, 
 and efficiently tilled the position for four 
 years; during the latter part of his service 
 he was also engaged in the survey of that 
 part of the line of the Cincinnati & Chi- 
 cago Air Line railway that lies between 
 Logansport and \'alparaiso, Indiana. 
 
 In 1862 Mr. Keightle)' commenced 
 the study of law in the office of Robert 
 Parrot, at Lagrange, Ind., with whom he 
 read for nearly two years. He went to 
 Philadelphia, however, in the spring of 
 1864, and entered the Military School of 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 509 
 
 that city, which he attended some six 
 weeks, at the expiration of that time go- 
 ing to Washington, D. C. He passed 
 the required examination of the United 
 States Military Board, of which Maj.- 
 Gen. Casey, was president, and soon af- 
 ter, having received a commission as first 
 Heiitenant, was assigned to the Forty- 
 first United States Colored Troops, and 
 he remained in the Union service during 
 the war of the Rebellion from that date 
 to the close of the war. He participated 
 in the capture of Fort Harrison, near 
 Richmond, Va., and spent the winter of 
 1864-65 in the trenches at Dutch Gap 
 Canal, and was with his regiment on the 
 marches and in the engagements from 
 Petersburg to Appomattox in the spring 
 campaign of 1S65. He was mustered 
 out in November, that year. 
 
 After receiving his discharge from the 
 army Mr. Keightley went to Ann Arbor, 
 Mich., where he entered the law depart- 
 ment of the University of Michigan, from 
 which institution he was a graduate in 
 1866, and soon after commenced the 
 practice of his profession at White Pig- 
 eon, St. Joseph Co., Mich. In Septem- 
 ber of the same year, however, he came 
 to Elmore, where he has since been con- 
 stantly engaged in the practice, and to- 
 day ranks among the leading professional 
 men of Ottawa county. He has always 
 taken an active part in public matters, 
 giving his time and assistance to all en- 
 terprises having for their object the ad- 
 vancement and welfare of the town and 
 county, and is a citizen whom Elmore 
 may be proud to claim. 
 
 In Chardon, Geauga Co., Ohio, on 
 September 21, 1866, Mr. Keightley was 
 married to Miss Lois Mathevves, a daugh- 
 ter of John and Rachel Mathewes, and 
 two children have come of this union: 
 Blanche, born February 20, 1873, and 
 Edwin M., born April 4, 1875, both of 
 whom are still living. Mr. Keightley has 
 ever taken an active part in educational 
 affairs, and for ten years held the position 
 
 of school examiner. For many years 
 he has been a member of Robert H. 
 Caldwell Post, G. A. R. , and is a past 
 commander of the same. 
 
 He is a leading and representative 
 man of Ottawa county, and merits and 
 receives the warmest confidence and es- 
 teem of his fellow citizens, who elected 
 him prosecuting attorney of Ottawa coun- 
 ty three times, which office he filled to 
 the satisfaction of all concerned, and 
 when he retired from office the opposition 
 press said of him, in noticing the change: 
 "We desire to compliment Mr. Keightley 
 by saying that without exception he made 
 one of the most intelligent, industrious, 
 careful officers the county ever had. His 
 record for the terms he has discharged 
 the exacting duties of the office is without 
 a blemish. He elevated the dignity of 
 the office, and has always dared to do his 
 dut)', at all times commanding the respect 
 of the court, the bar and the community." 
 
 HENRY KAHLER. Among the 
 early pioneers who fought their 
 way through the many dangers 
 and hardships incident to a pio- 
 neer's life, none are deserving of more 
 prominent mention than the parents of 
 this gentleman — Otto and Rachel (Nails) 
 Kahler, both natives of Germany, who 
 emigrated to America and settled in Dan- 
 bury township, Ottawa Co., Ohio, at an 
 early date, there residing for many years. 
 The father's death occurred in Carroll 
 township May 2, 1891, the mother dying 
 in Danbury township on September 17, 
 1880. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born 
 in Mecklenburg, Germany, December 4, 
 1846. His boyhood days were spent 
 partly about the farm, partly in the pub- 
 lic schools of his native land, and since 
 his arrival in America he has been active- 
 ly engaged in agricultural pursuits. On 
 November 20, 1872, Mr. Kahler located 
 in Danbury township, where he remained 
 
510 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 some five years. In 1 880 he removed to 
 Carroll township, where he has since con- 
 tinued to reside, ranking to-day among 
 the prominent and successful farmers of 
 that county. Mr. Kahler was married in 
 Germany in 1870 to Mary Kulow, who 
 was born February 25, 1853, daughter of 
 John and Dora (Daunk) Kulow, both 
 natives of Germany, the former of whom 
 passed away in Germany June 24, 1867; 
 the mother is still living at the advanced 
 age of seventj-three jears, and resides 
 with her son-in-law, Mr. Kahler. To 
 this union were born nine children, as 
 follows: Minnie, September 7, 1871 
 (died August 23, 1874); Charles A., De- 
 cember 24, 1874; George. March 28, 
 1875 (died in infancy); Edward, May 2. 
 1876; Habbetta M., January 29, 1878; 
 John H., January 26, 1879; William T., 
 July 17, 1882; Herman T., October 30, 
 1885; Cora J., August 2 I, 1894. Politic- 
 allj^ Mr. Kahler is a strong and active 
 supporter of the Democratic party. The 
 family are devout adherents of the Lu- 
 theran Church, and enjoy the respect and 
 esteem of the community in which they 
 reside. 
 
 JACOB C. CLAPPER, contractor and 
 builder, of Madison township, San- 
 dusky county, also a well-known 
 agriculturist, was born in Bedford 
 county, Penn., December 12, 1840, and 
 is a son of Abraham and Mary (Cashman) 
 Clapper, both of whom were natives of 
 the Keystone State. The father acquired 
 his education in the schools of the neigh- 
 borhood, and learned the trade of a watch 
 maker in his youth, but also followed 
 farming in early life. He was married in 
 Bedford county to Miss Cashman, and 
 they became the parents of seven children, 
 as follows: John, a soldier of the Civil 
 war, now deceased; Susie, wife of Andrew 
 Biddle; Henry, a lumber manufacturer; 
 Jacob C. ; Eva, wife of David Koons, a 
 
 farmer of Madison township; Mary, who 
 died in childhood; and Elizabeth, wife of 
 Eli Strayer, a farmer of Pennsylvania. In 
 i 1877 the parents of this family came to 
 ' Ohio and bought ten acres of land of our 
 subject, but later made their home with 
 their daughter, Mrs. Koons, where the 
 mother died in 1879, at the age of si.xty- 
 six, while the father passed away in 1884, 
 at the ripe old age of eighty years. 
 
 The school privileges which our sub- 
 ject received were very meagre, for 
 schools in his boyhood days were widely 
 scattered, and the advantages in that re- 
 spect were not of the best. At the age of 
 fourteen years he began to earn his own 
 living, and has since been dependent upon 
 his own resources, so that he may truly 
 be called a self-made man. He began 
 work as a farm hand for $7 per month 
 and board, being thus employed during 
 the summer and autumn months, while 
 during the winter he worked for his board 
 and the privilege of attending school, of 
 which privilege he gladly availed himself. 
 He would arise early in the morning and 
 work late at night in order that he might 
 pursue his studies through the day. He 
 thus managed to spend three seasons in 
 school, and throughout his life has taken 
 advantage of every opportunity to increase 
 his knowlege until he is now a well in- 
 formed man. For four years he continued 
 to work as a farm hand, his wages being 
 increased as he gained added strength and 
 facility, and to his parents he gave his 
 earnings, saving only enough to clothe 
 himself. He was ambitious to make the 
 best of life, and at the age of eighteen he 
 began serving a three-years' apprentice- 
 ship to the carpenter's trade. During the 
 first year he received $7 per month for 
 his services, and an increase the two suc- 
 ceeding 3ears. He then resolved to start 
 out in business for himself, and in 1861 
 came to Ohio, locating in Fremont, were 
 he was employed for a time. He then 
 went down the river, and obtained em- 
 ployment at building a sailing vessel. 
 
^^L/i-i^. t§^. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 511 
 
 Subsequently he returned to Fremont, 
 where he followed his trade until 1863. 
 
 In that year Mr. Clapper enlisted in 
 the government service, to build bridges, 
 and was thus employed at Nashville and 
 Stevensville, Tenn., Bridgeport and sev- 
 eral other places during the Civil war. 
 When the war was over, and his services 
 were no longer needed, he again went to 
 Fremont, where he followed carpentering 
 for a year. During that time he came to 
 Madison township, and purchased a tract 
 of improved land of eighty acres, for 
 which he paid $2,250. He borrowed the 
 money to make the first payment upon the 
 place, giving ten per cent interest for the 
 same. He then rented the farm while he 
 removed to Defiance, Ohio, where he be- 
 gan contracting and building, being asso- 
 ciated with two partners, who cheated 
 him out of $550 on their first contract, 
 and then left him. Nothing daunted, 
 however, he resolved to engage in business 
 alone, and met with a fair degree of suc- 
 cess, thus continuing operations until 
 1875, when he removed to his farm in 
 Madison township, Sandusky county. He 
 at once began the improvement of his 
 place, and to-day has one of the most 
 highly cultivated and best equipped farms 
 in the township, supplied with good build- 
 ings, the latest improved machinery and 
 a fine orchard. He was the first in the 
 township to engage in the cultivation of 
 grapes, and in the new enterprise met with 
 success, at first receiving seven cents per 
 pound for his fruit. He erected a splen- 
 did frame dwelling, second to none in the 
 township for architectural beauty, the 
 lumber for the same being made from 
 timber which grew on his own farm, buy- 
 ing only the window sashes and doors for 
 the building, which was erected at a cost 
 of $2,000. He has paid off all indebted- 
 ness upon the place, besides adding many 
 good improvements to it, and the farm 
 with its buildings is a monument to his 
 thrift and enterprise. He now carries on 
 general farming, and in addition still en- 
 
 gages in contracting and building with 
 good success. 
 
 In September, 1871, at Defiance, 
 Ohio, Mr. Clapper was united in marriage 
 with Miss Elizabeth Block, of Defiance 
 county, and five ohildren were born to 
 them, all of whom are still living, namely: 
 RainredJ., who was born July 22, 1872, 
 was educated in the public schools of 
 Madison township, and also in select 
 school, and took a course in a business 
 college of Toledo, since which time, with 
 the exception of one year in a store at 
 Helena, he has been engaged in the drug 
 business in Gibsonburg, Ohio; Spencer S., 
 born August 15, 1874, is now engaged in 
 farming and operating in oil; Boyd, born 
 August II, 1876, is working on the farm 
 and going to school; George H-, , born No- 
 vember 20, 1878, follows farming; and 
 Daisy E., born July 12, 1880, is at school. 
 The motherof this family died December 3, 
 1 88 1, and Mr. Clapper remained single 
 for eleven years. He was married Sep- 
 tember 22, 1892, to Sophia Ickes, widow 
 of John Rosenburg, who was a gunsmith 
 of Elmore, Ottawa county. 
 
 For some years Mr. Clapper has held 
 the office of school director, and is still 
 serving in that position. He has been 
 clerk of the board for some time, and has 
 done effective service in the interest of 
 education, being devoted to all that per- 
 tains to the advancement of the cause of 
 education. In politics he is a stanch ad- 
 vocate of the Republican party, and the 
 family adhere to the United Brethren 
 Church. He belongs to that class of rep- 
 resentative American citizens who push 
 aside the barriers that obstruct the path 
 to competency, and climbing over obsta- 
 cles reach the desired goal. 
 
 CHARLES F. FRESE, senior mem- 
 ber of the firm of C. F. Frese & 
 Co., Graytown, Ottawa county, 
 and among the foremost business 
 men of the county, was born at Wood- 
 
512 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ville, Sandusky Co., Ohio, August lo, 
 1853, a son of Henrj' and Louisa (Heil- 
 bron) Frese. 
 
 Henry Frese and his wife, Louisa 
 (Heilbron), were both born in Germany, 
 in 1813 and in 181 5 respectively, and in 
 1838 came to America, setthng in Wood- 
 ville township, Sandusky Co. , Ohio, where 
 Mr. Frese died in 1853. They had seven 
 children, three born in Germany — Henry, 
 Louis and Charlotte — and four in Amer- 
 ica — May, Augustus F. , Charles F. (the 
 subject of this sketch), and Louisa — all 
 of whom are living in Ohio, excepting 
 Henry, whose home is in Minnesota. 
 The mother remained a widow some six 
 years, and was then married to R. Berle- 
 man, and six years afterward they moved 
 to Toledo, where Mrs. Berleman died 
 April 6, 1893, at the age of seventy- 
 eight. 
 
 Shortly after the birth of Charles F. 
 his parents moved to Toledo, where he 
 lived until 1869, at which time he struck 
 out in the world for himself. Locating 
 first at Elmore, Ohio, he remained there 
 two years as clerk for C. H. Damschroe- 
 der & Co. ; then, at the age of nineteen, 
 took a trip to Minnesota, where he re- 
 mained six years, and in 1877 returned to 
 his native State, in perfect health from 
 his western trip, and ready for active 
 business. Coming at once to Graytown, 
 Ohio, he entered the store of Ames & 
 Frese, at that place, as clerk, and held 
 that position until 1882. In the mean- 
 time NIr. Ames had sold his interest to 
 A. F. Frese, his partner, the latter hav- 
 ing been elected to the Legislature of 
 Ohio in 1882, and Charles F. Frese pur- 
 chased a half interest in the business of 
 his brother. He is now at the head of 
 the firm; is one of the well-known and 
 highly-esteemed business men of the 
 count}', is practical, a man of modern 
 ideas, and vastly popular. In addition to 
 his mercantile interests he has invested 
 quite extensively' in landed property, which 
 he carefully superintends and directs. 
 
 Like many other good men, he became 
 tired of traveling life's pathway alone, 
 and consequently, on July 27, 1893, he 
 united himself in marriage with Miss 
 Amanda Elizabeth Steffens, of Gypsum, 
 Ottawa Co., Ohio. Mr. Frese and his 
 estimable wife are pleasantly located in a 
 comfortable home at Graytown. 
 
 Mrs. Amanda E. Frese was born at 
 Gypsum, Ohio, November i, 1875, where 
 she lived the greater part of her life until 
 her marriage. She acquired a liberal 
 education in the public schools of her 
 native town, and also took up the study 
 of instrumental music. Her father, Henry 
 Steffens, was born in Germany January 
 25, 1837; came to America at the age of 
 fourteen, and settled in Gypsum, Ohio, 
 where he now lives. On Februar}' 22, 
 1866, he was united in marriage with 
 Dorathy Dittmer, of the same nativity, 
 born January 23, 1847, and they have had 
 four children — two sons and two daugh- 
 ters. Henry Steffens' father, Herr Jo- 
 hans Steffens, was born July 15, 1807, 
 and died November 26, 1837. The ma- 
 ternal grandmother of Mrs. Frese, Sophia 
 (Huelse) Dittmer, was born May 5, 1805; 
 died October 19, 1866; and the maternal 
 grandfather was born in Germany in 1801 ; 
 died in 1847. Mrs. Frese's great grand- 
 parents on her mother's side were born in 
 Germany, the great-grandfather in 1760, 
 and the great-grandmother in 1785. Mrs. 
 Frese's ancestry is therefore here traced 
 back one hundred and thirty-tive years. 
 
 JAMES FERRIS. This gentleman 
 has been a resident of Ottawa coun- 
 ty since before its organization, and 
 for the last forty years has been a 
 resident of Benton township, where, as a 
 progressive farmer and valuable citizen, he 
 is well and favorably known. 
 
 An Ohioan bj' birth, he is a native of 
 Clark county, born November 18, 1829, 
 son of Andrew and Desire (Larnard) Fer- 
 ris, both of whom were New Englanders, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 518 
 
 the father born about 1776 in the State 
 of Connecticut. They were the parents 
 of ten children, all now deceased but two 
 — James, and Lewis, who lives near 
 Topeka, Kans. The mother died July 23, 
 1832, and was buried in Clark county, 
 Ohio, and in about 1S37 the father came 
 to Ottawa county,' where he passed the 
 remainder of his days, dying in 1858; 
 he was laid to rest in the cemetery at 
 Elmore. 
 
 James Ferris spent his boyhood in his 
 native county, attending the log school- 
 house of the district, where he obtained 
 all his education. When about thirteen 
 years of age he hired out to do farm labor 
 at four dollars per month, afterward re- 
 ceiving eight and, later, ten dollars per 
 month, and at the early age of sixteen he 
 rented a farm, which he continued to 
 work for seven years. Meantime, when 
 twenty-one years old, he purchased eighty 
 acres of land of ex-Gov. Wood, and 
 shortly afterward traded this tract for the 
 farm whereon he now lives, consisting of 
 ninety-six acres, lying in Section 30, Ben- 
 ton township, of which at that time only 
 twenty acres had been cleared. A little 
 log house. 12x12, was the only building 
 on the tract, and Mr. Ferris lived therein 
 until he had erected a more substantial 
 dwelling, in which he lived for fifteen 
 years. His stock of agricultural imple- 
 ments in those days was materially differ- 
 ent from the outfit he now uses; he had a 
 plow with wooden mould-board instead 
 of the modern sulky plow, with steel 
 mould-board, and a yoke of oxen for a 
 team. Wagons were a luxury. Having 
 none of the modern conveniences for 
 handling hay, they used a forked brush 
 with limbs bent down, onto which they 
 would roll a bunch or two of hay and haul 
 it to the stack; another way was to take 
 a long grape-vine, wrap it around a bunch 
 of ha\-, and draw it to the stack. In com- 
 paring the old and new methods, the great 
 improvements in farming which have been 
 made in recent years for economizing and 
 
 saving both time and labor are really 
 striking. In 1852, when the Lake Shore 
 & Michigan Southern railroad was in pro- 
 cess of construction through Benton town- 
 ship, Mr. Ferris engaged in getting out 
 ties, and later, in 1853, he assisted in the 
 grading of this road between Elliston and 
 Graytown. After the grading was com- 
 pleted, he hauled ties for the Railroad 
 Company, as well as all the timber for 
 the old Graytown bridge over the Tou- 
 saint creek. In connection with general 
 farming, he has paid some attention to 
 fruit growing, especially apples and 
 peaches, and he has one peach tree which 
 has borne fruit for the past forty years. 
 Mr. Ferris has certainly done one man's 
 share in the development of Benton town- 
 ship's agricultural interests, and he has 
 also taken an interest in local public af- 
 fairs, taking a loyal pride in the welfare 
 and prosperity of his community. When 
 Ottawa county was erected he was a 
 resident of Harris township, and saw the 
 officials when they were making their tour 
 of the county to locate the county seat; 
 for ten years he served faithfully as treas- 
 urer of Benton township, during part of 
 which time there were only twelve or fif- 
 teen votes within its limits; now there are 
 nearly six hundred. 
 
 In 1853 Mr. Ferris was married to 
 Miss Elizabeth E. Brayton, of Harris 
 township, and she was his constant ad- 
 viser and helper until her death, in April, 
 1895, husband and wife uniting their ef- 
 forts to secure a good home for them- 
 selves and family; and the fine farm, 
 cleared and improved with good fences, 
 buildings, etc., shows that their labor was 
 not in vain. To this union were born 
 nine children, viz. : Stephen, born Feb- 
 ruary 2, 1854; Ezekiel R., born October 
 30, 1857; Evelyn F. , born October 9, 
 1859; Asa I., born August 19, 1861; 
 Mary C, born April 24, 1864; Augustus 
 L. , born March 13, 1866; James, born 
 February 28, 1868; Cora E., born Sep- 
 tember 26, 1870; and Christina, born 
 
514 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 May I, 1873. Of these, Stephen died 
 September 15, 1870, and Evelyn F. , on 
 September 22, 1879. One daughter, 
 Christiana (Mrs. Shoemaker) Uves in 
 Graytown. Mr. Ferris has always taken 
 an interest and pride in the success of his 
 children, helping them as much as possi- 
 ble on their start in life, for having him- 
 self commenced unaided he realizes to the 
 full the advantages of such help to a be- 
 ginner; they have, however, made the 
 most of their abilities and opportunities, 
 and industry and ambition are prominent 
 characteristics of the entire family. The 
 eldest living son, Ezekiel R., left home 
 for Kansas with but ninety dollars, which 
 he paid for arranging papers for his prop- 
 erty out there; during the erection of his 
 house he was boarding seven miles from 
 the place, and frequently, at the close of 
 a hard day's work, he would lie down on 
 the ground and sleep until morning; he is 
 still living in ICansas; he is a farmer, and 
 has 320 acres of land. Augustus L. Fer- 
 ris, the sixth child, like others of the 
 family, is a great lover of books, and he 
 always carries one in his pocket, improv- 
 ing every leisure moment. In his boy- 
 hood he worked on the farm in summer 
 and attended district school in the winter, 
 making the most of his time in and out of 
 school, and by reading and study fitted 
 himself for the profession of teaching, 
 now holding a three-years' certificate in 
 Ottawa county; the State of Ohio issues 
 only one grade of certificate higher than 
 this. At the age of twenty he commenced 
 teaching in the county, and after three 
 terms of teaching learned telegraphy, at 
 which he worked for several years. In 
 1892 he returned to his profession, ac- 
 cepting his present position of principal of 
 the Graytown schools. It may be said 
 that this young man has made a success 
 of everything he has undertaken, and he 
 has a bright future before him. On Sep- 
 tember 15, 1892, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Mary Eisenman, of Gray- 
 town, and to this union has come one 
 
 child, Harold Brayton, born August 17, 
 1893. Four children of the Ferris family 
 are teachers, and excellent ones, and they 
 may be said to have taken the same part 
 in the intellectual advancement of the 
 county as their father has in its agricul- 
 tural development. One daughter, Mary, 
 remained at home, assisting in the house- 
 hold duties, until seventeen j'ears of age, 
 when she set out to fit herself for teach- 
 ing, and she became one of the best teach- 
 ers in the county. Cora was the only 
 member of the family who enjoyed the 
 privilege of attending high school. She 
 began teaching when sixteen years of age 
 and taught eight years, when she married 
 Charles Hess, of Gypsum, Ohio. 
 
 Mrs. Elizabeth E. (Brayton) Ferris 
 was born October 18, 1831, in Huron 
 count}', Ohio, where she spent her girl- 
 hood, and met Mr. Ferris after coming to 
 Ottawa county. Asa Brayton, her father, 
 was born about 1798, in Vermont, and 
 her mother was a native of New Jersey, 
 born in 1796; they had three children — 
 two sons and one daughter (Mrs. Ferris) — 
 of whom, one son died while serving in 
 the Mexican war. Asa Brayton met his 
 death in the service of his country, he and 
 his brother having entered the war of the 
 Rebellion, and he was shot at the battle 
 of Pittsburg Landing. One of Mrs. Fer- 
 ris' cousins, Mathew Brayton, was stolen 
 by the Indians when seven years old, and 
 grew up among them, marrying the 
 daughter of an Indian chief, by whom he 
 had two children. Two brothers of Mr. 
 Ferris' grandmother were scalped by the 
 Indians. 
 
 HENRY CROLL is recognized as 
 one of Ottawa county's foremost 
 agriculturists, not only as a large 
 landowner, but also for the very 
 able manner in which he conducts his 
 extensive farming business. 
 
 Mr. Croll is the son of Jacob and 
 Martha (Schu) Croll, and was born Janu- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 515 
 
 ary 14, 1843, in Germany, where he lived 
 until fourteen years of age, during which 
 time he acquired a liberal education in the 
 German language. This, together with 
 three months' schooling in this country, 
 was all the education he received in the 
 schoolroom; but he has gained, in the 
 broad school of experience, a practical 
 business education which, coupled with 
 patience and perseverance, has enabled 
 him to accumulate a large property and 
 make a handsome home. In 1857 he 
 came to America with his parents, the 
 family settling in Erie county, Ohio, 
 where they remained about eighteen 
 months, thence removing to Benton town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, where the father 
 purchased fifty-two acres in Section 36. 
 This he cleared with the help of his sons, 
 and subsequently selling it to Valentine 
 Fulkert, removed to Wood county, Ohio, 
 where he and his wife both passed the re- 
 mainder of their days. 
 
 In 1865 our subject returned to Ben- 
 ton township and married Miss Anna Fulk- 
 ert, and from the time of his marriage up 
 to 1 873 rented a farm of his father-in-law. 
 In that year he purchased of Mr. Fulkert 
 the fifty-two acres formerly owned b}- his 
 father, where he has since lived, and 
 which is now equipped with large modern 
 buildings and other substantial improve- 
 ments, everything on the farm indicating 
 that the owner is a nineteenth-century 
 agriculturist, both theoretically and prac- 
 ticall)'. In 1876 he added forty-four acres 
 to the original tract; in 1882, fifty acres; 
 in 1885, seventy acres; in 1890, eighty 
 acres, and later a farm of eighty acres 
 near Oak Harbor. Mrs. Croll has forty 
 acres of timber land from her father's es- 
 tate, the whole making a grand total of 
 416 acres, all of which is under cultiva- 
 tion. In addition to these extensive farm- 
 ing operations, Mr. Croll is a dealer in all 
 kinds of stock, selling to local dealers. As 
 in farming so in politics, Mr. Croll is act- 
 ive, using his influence in behalf of the 
 Republican party, of which he is a stanch 
 
 adherent. In religious connection he and 
 his wife are both members of the Evan- 
 gelical Church, and their Christian char- 
 acter and lives are indeed worthy exam- 
 ples to their children. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Croll have had a family 
 of nine children, as follows: Lizzie, born 
 November 19, 1865; Sophia, born Janu- 
 ary 20, 1868; William, born March 5, 
 1870; John, born April 14, 1872; George, 
 born May 19, 1874; \'alentine, born April 
 30, 1877; Katie, born November 28, 
 1879; Henry F. , born April 9, 1882; and 
 Emma, born December 25, 1887, of 
 whom Lizzie was married May 3, 1883, 
 to John Dorsch, by whom she has four 
 children — three daughters and one son. 
 Of these, Sophia is the wife of William 
 Almroth, an enterprising farmer of Ben- 
 ton township; George, died December 25, 
 1877; Willian, John, and Valentine and 
 Henrj' are engaged with their father in 
 his agricultural operations; John was mar- 
 ried September 19, 1895, to Miss Eliza- 
 beth Stick. Katie and Emma superin- 
 tend the hoasehold work, their mother 
 having been an invalid for several j'ears. 
 In addition to their home duties the)' find 
 time to pursue the study of instrumental 
 music, and in every way possible keep 
 pace with the times, the spirit of progres- 
 siveness being a distinct characteristic of 
 the entire family. 
 
 Mrs. Croll was born November 5, 
 1845, in Ottawa county, where she lived 
 during her girlhood days, receiving such 
 education as was offered the youth of that 
 time. She has seen the development of 
 her own beautiful home, and of the entire 
 surrounding country as well. She has 
 always been an active thinker, keeping 
 abreast with the times, and leaves nothing 
 undone for the comfort and happiness of 
 her family, training her children to lives 
 of usefulness. From the time of her mar- 
 riage she has taken a keen interest in her 
 husband's business success, keeping well 
 in mind all his transactions, even to the 
 dates of land purchases, erection of build- 
 
516 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ings, etc., and though she has been an 
 invalid, confined to her easy chair, for 
 some time, she is never idle, preferring to 
 be occupied at something. Her parents, 
 Valentine and Elizabeth (Haman) Ful- 
 kert, were both natives of Germany, the 
 father born in 1812, the mother in 1816; 
 they were married in Ohio in 1844, and 
 reared a family of four children, two of 
 whom are now living — Mrs. Croll and her 
 brother John. 
 
 Mr. Croll's parents were also natives 
 of the Fatherland, where his father, who 
 was a blacksmith by vocation, was born 
 in 1806, his mother in 1809. They were 
 married in 1832, and by their union be- 
 came the parents of eight children, three 
 of whom are living — two sons and one 
 daughter. The father died March 24, 
 1879, the mother on September 21, 1887. 
 
 JOHN ELKINGTON, Sr. This hon- 
 ored pioneer, highly respected citi- 
 zen and worthy farmer of Clay town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, was born in 
 England, opening his eyes to the light of 
 day on the 20th of January, 1809, in the 
 town of Bourton, near Banbury, Oxford- 
 shire. He is a son of Thomas and Jane 
 (White) Elkington, who resided in that 
 place, the father following the occupation 
 of a shepherd in the employ of a farmer 
 of that county. John acquired a limited 
 education in his native town, and began 
 earning his living as an employe in a mill, 
 to which work he devoted his energies 
 until forty years of age. 
 
 On April 30, 1831, he was united in 
 marriage with Elizabeth Lovell, of North- 
 amptonshire, England, and they became 
 the parents of two children: Eli, and 
 one who died early in childhood. The 
 mother died in her native land in 1842, 
 and nine years afterward Mr. Elkington 
 with his son Eli emigrated to America, 
 coming to Ohio, and took up his residence 
 in East Toledo, where he worked on a 
 railroad for a year or more. He then 
 
 came to Clay township, Ottawa county, 
 purchasing forty acres of timber land, in 
 a locality where no roads were laid out, 
 and where the settlers were widely scat- 
 tered. After building a log cabin, he at 
 once began to clear his land, undaunted 
 by the arduous task that lay before him. 
 He worked early and late to accomplish 
 his labor, and in course of time his tract 
 was under a high state of cultivation, 
 while a comfortable dwelling took the 
 place of the log cabin in which he and his 
 family were sheltered in those early days. 
 He also built barns and other necessary 
 outbuildings, planted an orchard and made 
 the improvements that are found upon 
 the model farms of to-day. He had to 
 endure many trials and hardships; but 
 patience, perseverance and energy at 
 length overcame these, and he accom- 
 plished a task which would daunt the 
 energy of many of the present genera- 
 tion. 
 
 Mr. Elkington was married again 
 August 23, 185 1, his second union being 
 with Mehitable Butler, who was born in 
 New York, April 9, 1824. Five children 
 were the fruit of this union, namely: 
 Jane, born December 4, 1852, and died 
 February i, 1854; John, born October 
 29. 1855; Thomas, born June 17, 1857, 
 and drowned while bathing near his 
 home, July 20, 1878; David, born August 
 I, 1859; and Lewis, born May i, 1861. 
 The mother died August 27, 1891, leav- 
 ing a loving husband and three children 
 to mourn the loss of a devoted wife and 
 faithful mother. The eldest son was edu- 
 cated in Clay township, Ottawa county, 
 and has always followed farming. He was 
 married December 6, 1888, to Melissa 
 (Risley) Wood, widow of David Wood, 
 whose brother, Samuel Wood, is sheriff 
 of Ottawa county. 
 
 John Elkington, Jr., and his wife 
 have one son, John, born December 26, 
 1 89 1. He was elected trustee of Clay, 
 Ottawa county, for one term on the Dem- 
 ocratic ticket, was constable of the town- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 517 
 
 ship two terms, and is also school director 
 in the special school district, and clerk of 
 the school board. He belongs to Clay 
 Lodge, No. 584, I. O. O. F., of Genoa, 
 and of the Masonic fraternity, and is a 
 prominent and highly-respected citizen. 
 David Elkington, the second son of our 
 subject, was educated in Clay township, 
 and follows the occupation of bridge 
 building in Zanesville, Ohio; he was mar- 
 ried October 10, 1893, to Jennie Gal- 
 lager, and they have one child. Lewis, 
 the third son of the familj', was born and 
 educated in Clay township and follows 
 farming on the old homestead; he married 
 January 2, 1894, to Alice Walker, of Oak 
 Harbor. Eli, the eldest son, died in 
 Toledo, Ohio, leaving a family. 
 
 Our subject, John Elkington, is one of 
 the oldest residents of Clay township, 
 having attained the ripe age of eighty-six 
 years. Although somewhat feeble, his 
 mind is active and he is an entertaining 
 conversationalist, relating in an interest- 
 ing manner incidents of pioneer life here 
 when he was struggling to make a home, 
 of how he aided in erecting and main- 
 taining the schools in the district, and 
 served as a member of the school board 
 for several 3ears. He also assisted in 
 laying out the roads and digging ditches, 
 and in promoting the work of public 
 progress. He is a stalwart Democrat, 
 but not an office seeker, preferring to give 
 his attention to his business. He has 
 lived honestly, treating all with fairness 
 and justice, and is widely and favorably 
 known throughout Sandusky county, es- 
 teemed by young and old, rich and poor 
 alike. While devoted to the best inter- 
 ests of his adopted land, he still retains a 
 true love for England. 
 
 WILLIAM A. COOPER, senior 
 member of the firm of Cooper 
 Brothers, general merchants and 
 prominent citizens of Lakeside, 
 was born in Portage township, Ottawa 
 
 county, June 22, 1853, and is a son of 
 Caleb and Jeanette (McDonald) Cooper. 
 He was educated in the public schools of 
 his native township, and, on leaving the 
 school-room, worked upon the homestead 
 farm until 1882, when he began contract- 
 ing and building at Lakeside, putting up 
 the addition to the "Lakeside Hotel," 
 and also erecting several other prominent 
 buildings in the vicinity. In 1894, in con- 
 nection with his brother, Ranald L., he 
 began his present business, in which he 
 is meeting with excellent success. 
 
 On December 18, 1877, in Portage 
 township, Mr. Cooper was united in mar- 
 riage with Eliza Howard, a daughter of 
 \\'illiam and Mar}' Howard, natives of 
 England. Her mother is now deceased, 
 but her father is still living, and makes 
 his home in Jefferson county. Neb. To 
 our subject and his wife were born four 
 children, two of whom are yet living, 
 Bessie and Mary. Mr. Cooper belongs 
 to Peninsular Lodge, No. 607, K. of P. , 
 of Lakeside, and Lakeside Tent, No. 81, 
 K. O. T. M. His political views coincide 
 with those of the Republican party, to 
 which he gives his support, and the family 
 attend the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 Though still a young man, Mr. Cooper 
 occupies a high position among his fel- 
 low citizens. Standing on the vantage 
 ground of his past achievements, he has 
 certainly much to hope for and look for- 
 ward to, and with his practical business 
 knowledge and good judgment his future 
 is sure to be a bright and prosperous one. 
 
 Caleb Cooper, the father of our sub- 
 ject, is a prominent and successful fruit 
 grower of Portage township, Ottawa 
 county. His birth occurred in Boughton, 
 County of Kent, England, August 17, 
 1826, and he is a son of Thomas and 
 Sarah (Billsby) Cooper, the former a na- 
 tive of Northamptonshire, the latter of 
 Lincolnshire, England. His mother died 
 when he was quite young, and with his 
 father and the other members of the fam- 
 ily he migrated to this country, locating 
 
518 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in Monroeville, near Bellevue, Huron Co., 
 Ohio, about 1844. His father resided 
 with his children until his death, which 
 occurred about 1870, when he was at the 
 advanced age of eighty-three years. In 
 his early life he had been a stock buyer 
 for a number of years, but later for 
 eleven years superintended the estate of 
 the Earl of Chelsea, in Kent, England. 
 After coming to America he made his 
 home with his children, and did not en- 
 gage in any arduous duties. He had ten 
 children, only two of whom are now liv- 
 ing — the father of our subject; and Maria, 
 widow of William Dey, and a resident of 
 North Monroeville, Huron Co., Ohio. 
 Caleb Cooper received a very limited edu- 
 cation in the school on the estate of the 
 Earl of Winchelsea, after which he acted 
 as page for a clergyman for some years. 
 On his arrival in the United States, he 
 began agricultural pursuits, but soon after 
 the breaking out of the Mexican war, he 
 enlisted in the First Mich. V. I., under 
 command of Col. Stocton, and did gar- 
 rison duty at Cordova, Mexico, for four 
 months. After serving for a little over 
 seven months, he was discharged at De- 
 troit, Mich., after which he returned to 
 his home at Monroeville, Ohio, where he 
 resumed farming. It was about 1848 
 when he purchased his prcseut farm in 
 Portage township, Ottawa county, where 
 he has since engaged in agricultural pur- 
 suits, but of late years has devoted the 
 greater part of his attention to fruit grow- 
 ing. 
 
 At Plaster Bed, Ottawa count}-, on 
 November 16, 1849, was celebrated the 
 marriage of Caleb Cooper and Jeanette 
 McDonald, who was born in Banffshire, 
 Scotland, January 15, 1859, and was a 
 daughter of Alexander McDonald, a na- 
 tive of Scotland and early settler of Port- 
 age township, Ottawa county. Her 
 mother is still living, but her father is de- 
 ceased, having passed away at the ad- 
 vanced age of over eighty years. Mrs. 
 Cooper died March 17, 1888, leaving four 
 
 children: Sarah, born October 15, 1850, 
 wife of George P. Englebeck, of Des 
 Moines, Iowa; William A. is next in order 
 of birth; Ranald L., born July 10, 1857; 
 and Margaret M., born January 10, 1859, 
 still living with her father. 
 
 Mr. Cooper generally supports the 
 men and measures of the Republican 
 party, but is not strictly partisan, believ- 
 ing in voting for the best man regardless 
 of his party affiliations. With his family 
 he attends the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. He is a systematic agriculturist 
 who has met with a well-deserved suc- 
 cess, and has acquired all his possessions 
 by his own industry, business econom}' 
 and good management. He is a quiet, 
 peaceable, kind-hearted neighbor, re- 
 spected by all who know him for his 
 many noble traits of character. 
 
 JOHN BOSCHEN, one of the most 
 progressive and prosperous fruit 
 growers of Portage township, Ot- 
 tawa county, is a native of the coun- 
 ty, having first seen the light July 4, 1839, 
 in Danbury township. 
 
 His father, Claus H. Boschen, was a 
 native of Hanover, Germany, and in 
 1832 crossed the Atlantic to New York. 
 On landing in that city as he could find 
 no employment at his trade, that of 
 blacksmith, he went to Long Island, 
 where for four months he was engaged in 
 farm labor at $4.00 per month. Return- 
 ing then to New York City, he met an 
 old friend who was then engaged in the 
 manufacture of candy, and worked with 
 him for some time, finally buying his 
 employer out and continuing in the busi- 
 ness until his removal to Ohio, in 1835. 
 Locating in Danbury township, where he 
 was one of the earliest settlers, he car- 
 ried on agricultural pursuits there up to 
 the time of his death, which occurred 
 April 13, 1883. He married Elizabeth 
 shook, who was born in Pickaway coun- 
 ty, Ohio, and in 1825 settled in Portage 
 
^^^^4^^^ ^d^^^^-^^^^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 519 
 
 township, Ottawa county, with her par- 
 ents, John and Susanna Shook, who in 
 pioneer days migrated from Pennsylvania 
 to Pickaway county, Ohio, hving there 
 until couiing to Ottawa county. The 
 father was a teamster, and during the 
 war of 1812 carried provisions across the 
 Alleghany mountains for the army. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Boschen became the parents of 
 four children, all yet living, namely: John; 
 Susanna, wife of William Tankey, who 
 lives near Elmore, Ottawa county; Mar- 
 tha, wife of Henry Schweck, who is liv- 
 ing on the old homestead in Danbury 
 township; and Mary E., who makes her 
 home with her sister Martha. 
 
 Our subject was reared a farmer boy, 
 and acquired but a limited education in 
 the district schools of his native town; 
 but he had ample training at farm labor, 
 and since his boyhood days has success- 
 fully followed agricultural pursuits. He 
 has also operated a threshing machine for 
 nine years, and a cider-mill some twelve 
 years, while for the past fourteen years he 
 has been extensively engaged in the culti- 
 vation of grapes and peaches, and owns 
 and operates one of the most productive 
 fruit farms in the township. 
 
 On April 7, 1861, in Danbury town- 
 ship, Ottawa county. Mr. Boschen was 
 united in marriage with Miss Laura J. 
 Rouse, who was born in that township 
 August 3, 1 84 1, and is a daughter of 
 George L. and Mary (Knapp) Rouse. 
 Three children graced this union: Norma 
 S., born August 6, 1863, who died Sep- 
 tember 2, 1883; BennieF. , born Decem- 
 ber 14, 1866, died May 12, 1889; and 
 Mattie A., born April i, 1868, married 
 June II, 1887, to Sherman Shook, and 
 they have two children — Bennie B., born 
 March 5, 1888, and Ethel, born June 21, 
 1889. Mr. Boschen has efBciently filled 
 the office of township trustee four terms, 
 and though frequently tendered numerous 
 other positions of trust has always de- 
 clined to serve, preferring to give his time 
 to the duties of his farm and the enjoy- 
 33 
 
 ment of his home. Politically, he votes 
 with the Democratic party, and, socially, 
 he is connected with O. H. Perry Lodge 
 No. 341. F. & A. M., of Port Clinton, 
 and he is a member of Sandusky City 
 Chapter. He is a man of untiring energy 
 and perseverance. Favored with but 
 few early advantages for mental culture, 
 he made the most of his opportunities, 
 has became w^ell-informed and the posses- 
 sor of a handsome competence. He is an 
 ideal self-made man, and, having earned 
 what he possesses by hard labor and 
 economy, thoroughly understands its true 
 worth. 
 
 RANALD L. COOPER, a member 
 of the firm of Cooper Brothers, 
 general merchants, of Lakeside, 
 Ottawa county, and the youngest 
 son of Caleb and Jeanette (McDonald) 
 Cooper, was born in Portage township, 
 Ottawa county, July 10, 1857. 
 
 He spent his boyhood days upon the 
 homestead farm amidst the surroundings 
 of a comfortable home, and received the 
 advantages of a liberal education in the 
 public schools of his native township. On 
 completing his studies, he was engaged as 
 a salesman in general mercantile establish- 
 ments in Port Clinton and Gypsum, Ohio, 
 and also in Victor, Iowa, until 188 1. 
 From that year until 1883 he was em- 
 ployed as a clerk by the Lake Shore & 
 Michigan Southern Railroad Company, 
 at Sandusky, Ohio, and for the next five 
 years then served in the same capacity 
 with the Lake Erie & Western railroad, 
 at Lima, Ohio. In 1889 he was appointed 
 freight agent for that company at Lima, 
 which position he filled until the latter 
 part of November, 1893. In the follow- 
 ing year he formed a connection with his 
 brother William A., and they are now 
 conducting a successful general mercan- 
 tile establishment. 
 
 In the city of Sandusky, Ohio, on No- 
 vember 13, 1883, was celebrated the mar- 
 
520 
 
 COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 riage which united the destinies of Mr. 
 Cooper and Miss Flora A. Boor, a daugh- 
 ter of WilUam and Elizabeth Boor, both 
 natives of Pennsylvania, and three chil- 
 dren have come to bless their union: Ran- 
 ald L., born March 22, 1886; Hazel, born 
 January i, 1890, and Kenneth, born De- 
 cember 13, 1892.' 
 
 Mr. Cooper is connected with several 
 civic orders in Lima, Ohio, belonging to 
 Lima Lodge, No 91, Knights of Pythias; 
 Criterion Council, No 1 162, Royal Ar- 
 canum; and Ottawa Council, No. 125, Na- 
 tional Union. His political preferences 
 are with the Republican party, which he 
 always supports by his ballot, and with 
 his family attends the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church. He holds a high position in 
 social as well as business circles, and gains 
 the confidence and regard of all with whom 
 he comes in contact. 
 
 CHARLES INGRAHAM, of the 
 firm of F. Ingraham & Co., gen- 
 eral merchants, of Curtice, Otta- 
 wa county, and a popular citizen 
 of that thriving town, was born in On- 
 tario, La Grange Co., Ind., October 28, 
 1847. 
 
 He is a son of Dwight and Mary 
 (Wykel) Ingraham, the former a native 
 of Huron county, N. V., the latter born 
 near Philadelphia, Penn. They were 
 married at Middleburg, Ohio, in 1844, 
 and became the parents of three children: 
 Vesta, born May 7, 1846, now the wife 
 of Christian Linderman, and living near 
 McCotnb, Ohio; Charles, the subject of 
 this sketch; Emma, born September 8, 
 1852, now the widow of Albert S. Burtch, 
 and living with her mother in Sturgis, St. 
 Joseph Co., Mich. During his life Mr. 
 Ingraham was engaged in the coopering 
 business, and was a prominent and highly- 
 respected citizen of Sturgis, St. Joseph 
 Co., Mich., where he died October 30, 
 1865; his widow is still living in that 
 county. 
 
 Charles Ingraham, the subject of this 
 sketch, was but a year old when his par- 
 ents removed from Indiana to Michigan. 
 He received a fair education in the public 
 schools of Sturgis, Mich., and learned the 
 trade of a cooper with his father, follow- 
 ing that occupation some twenty-five 
 years. In 1870 he moved to Clayton, 
 Lenawee Co., Mich., and there worked 
 at his trade for six years. He then went 
 to Toledo, and became identified with the 
 firm of H. C. Haskins & Co., wholesale 
 dealers in fruit, in which he continued 
 five years. He then became the secretary 
 of the Toledo Fruit Co., in which he was 
 a stockholder, remaining with that com- 
 pany for one year. In 1894 Mr. Ingraham 
 came to Ohio, settling in Curtice, where 
 his son Frederick had established himself 
 in business some three years previous, and 
 has been engaged in the mercantile busi- 
 ness, also owning large farming interests 
 in Lucas county. He has been twice 
 married, the first time in Ontario, Ind., 
 in October, 1868, to Catherine Olive 
 Tyler, a native of New York State; of 
 this union, one child, Frederick Dwight, 
 was born, in Ontario, Ind., April 10, 
 1869. Mrs. Ingraham died in Sturgis, 
 St. Joseph Co., Mich., February 15, 1874. 
 The second marriage of Mr. Ingraham 
 took place at Bronson, Branch Co., 
 Mich., October 31, 1876, to Miss Emma 
 Louise Moore, a native of that State, and 
 they became the parents of three chil- 
 dren: Pearl, born in Centreville, Mich., 
 July 20, 1878; Nellie, born in Sturgis, 
 Mich., July 14, 1880; and Lulu, born in 
 Clayton, Mich., April 25, 1886. 
 
 Mr. Ingraham has recently been elect- 
 ed treasurer of Allen township, and his 
 well-known business ability and undoubted 
 integrity give the assurance that he will 
 fill the position with credit to himself and 
 with fidelity to the best interests of his 
 community. Politically, he is a stanch 
 Republican: and socially, he is a member 
 of the Masonic Fraternity (although he is 
 not at present affiliated with any lodge), 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 521 
 
 and is a member of Adrian Command- 
 ery, at Adrian, Mich. His family attend 
 the services of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and are highly respected by all 
 who know them. 
 
 ERNST FRANCK, better known 
 to the residents of Ottawa and 
 Sandusky counties as "Squire 
 Franck, " has for the past forty- 
 five years been an honored and respected 
 resident of this section of the State. He 
 was born August lo, 1824, in the extreme 
 northern part of Wurtemberg, Germany, 
 son of John Christian and Augusta Wil- 
 hehnina (Smitt) Franck, also natives of 
 Wurtemberg, where they spent their en- 
 tire lives, the father passing away in 1847, 
 the mother in 1846. 
 
 The subject of this review acquired his 
 primary education in the district schools 
 of his native town, and from 1839 until 
 1843 attended the Polytechnic School of 
 Stuttgart. In 1843 he entered the Univer- 
 sity of Tuebingen, where he spent three and 
 a half years, in 1 847 graduating for State 
 service in the branches of forestry and 
 finance. He served in those departments 
 until 1850, in March of which year he 
 crossed the ocean to America, coming di- 
 rect to Ohio. He located in Salem town- 
 ship about a mile and a half from the site 
 of Oak Harbor, on the land where hejstill 
 has his residence. He has lived to see 
 Oak Harbor grow from an insignificant 
 village of two or three log cabins to an 
 important and flourishing town, which he 
 himself laid out. Mr. I'ranck served as 
 county engineer for thirty-eight years — 
 during which time he platted all the towns 
 in Ottawa county — and for thirty-three 
 years as county surveyor, and the greater 
 part of the roads and ditches and town- 
 ships have been laid out and platted by 
 him or under his supervision. In 1856 
 he was appointed justice of the peace, and 
 for more than thirty-eight jears has faith- 
 fully performed the duties of that office 
 
 with a painstaking fidelity that has won 
 for him the unlimited confidence and re- 
 spect of the people he has so efficiently 
 served. Mr. Franck is an excellent type 
 of the sturdy old pioneers of Ottawa 
 county, to whom too much credit can not 
 be given for the improvement and ad- 
 vancement of the country. He has seen 
 the dense forest replaced by fertile fields, 
 and has himself been instrumental in ef- 
 fecting these changes. In his long life 
 and early pioneer e.xperiences he has an 
 interesting history, and could relate many 
 a tale of hardships and dangers endured 
 by the early settlers of these counties that 
 the present generation does not realize. 
 He has a host of friends whose confidence 
 he well merits, and he is one of the best 
 known residents of Ottawa county. In 
 manner he is modest and unassuminjr, 
 but his sterling worth is recognized, and 
 he has the esteem of young and old, rich 
 and poor. Since becoming a citizen of 
 the United States, he has been a sup- 
 porter of the Democracy. 
 
 Mr. Franck has been twice married; 
 first time, in Salem township, in 185 i, to 
 Miss Mary Wheeler, daughter of John 
 and Nancy Wheeler, natives of Connec- 
 ticut and early settlers of Ottawa county. 
 Mrs. Franck died February 10, 1854, and 
 the three children of that marriage have 
 also passed away; the eldest, Rudolph 
 E., born March 13, [852, died August 14, 
 1894; the other two (twins) died in in- 
 fancy. In the fall of 1854 our subject 
 married Louisa, daughter of William G. 
 and Regina Franck, natives of Germany, 
 who spent their last days in Salem town- 
 ship, Ottawa count}-. The family born 
 of the second marriage numbered ten chil- 
 dren, to wit: Wilhelmena Augusta, born 
 December 7, 1855. now the wife of Dr. 
 S. D. Allen, of Oak Harbor; Caroline 
 Feodora, born April 15, 1857, now the 
 wife of John Eckhoff, of Oak Harbor; 
 Herman, born January 29, 1859, died 
 May 16, 1870; Julia Louisa, born March 
 10, 1861, now the wife of William Camp- 
 
522 
 
 COMMEhORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 bell, of Oak Harbor; Elenora, born De- 
 cember 9, 1862, now the wife of Dr. 
 Gradolph, a dentist of Oak Harbor; 
 Ernestina Louisa, born February 16, 
 1864, now the wife of Carl Bauch, of 
 Oak Harbor; Christian William Godfrey, 
 born November 7, 1867, married to Miss 
 Cora Lattimore, and they reside on the 
 old homestead; Paul Frederick, born 
 March 20, 1870, died August 26, 1878; 
 Carl A. Frederick, born October 14, 
 1872, now a merchant in Crossville, 
 Tenn. ; and Emil Feodor born January 
 23, 1876, living in Oak Harbor. The 
 family attend the Lutheran Church, and 
 all the members are people of prominence 
 in the community. 
 
 HENRY E. PHILE. No better il- 
 lustration is needed of what can 
 be accomplished in the face of 
 seemingly unsurmountable obstac- 
 les, by any one who possesses a coura- 
 geous heart and determined will, than that 
 shown in the simple record of the gentle- 
 man whose name opens this sketch, and 
 who holds a prominent place in Allen 
 township, Ottawa county, where he has 
 resided for nearly thirty years. That he 
 has inherited some of his energy and per- 
 severance, the following brief sketch of 
 his parents will testify. 
 
 Henry Phile, the father of our subject, 
 was born in York county, Penn., May 30, 
 1804. His education was very limited, 
 for the schools in those days were few 
 and far between, and the facilities offered 
 exceedingly meagre; he was, however, of 
 an inquiring turn of mind, and eagerly 
 seized every opportunity to add to his 
 store ol knowledge, reading everything he 
 could procure. He learned the trade of 
 a cabinet-maker, when a youth, and 
 worked at it for several years, then took 
 up farming in Northfield, Summit Co., 
 this State, to which he came about the 
 year 1826. He was very ingenious, and 
 although he had never served any ap- 
 
 prenticeship at carpentering, he readily 
 picked up the practical part of the busi- 
 ness and built several houses, barns and 
 other buildings in and around Summit 
 county, as well as two canal boats. He 
 also worked at coopering, and could boast 
 of making the first pail and barrel ever 
 made in Northfield township, and also 
 the first window sash that was ever put 
 in a house there. In addition to this he 
 began the manufacture of carriages, of 
 which he built seven, and at the age of 
 eighty-five he made a wagon, out and out, 
 which is now in the possession of a grand- 
 son, and is highly prized by him. He 
 lived to the good old age of ninety years, 
 passing away in Northfield township, Jan- 
 uary 16, 1894. He was a man of strong 
 character and great energy, and was re- 
 spected by all who knew him. 
 
 The mother of our subject, Ro.xana 
 (Cranmer) Phile, was born in 181 1, in 
 Northfield township, and was a daughter 
 of Jeremiah and Hannah (Cole) Cranmer. 
 Her father was a soldier in the Revolu- 
 tionary war, during which he was wounded, 
 and he carried both British and Indian 
 lead in his body to his grave; he was bur- 
 ied in Northfield township. His family 
 consisted of ten children, namely: Jere- 
 miah, David, Abram (who served in the 
 Rebellion), Esther, Hannah, Eunice, 
 Nancy, Ro.xana (mother of our subject), 
 Sallie, and Joseph, who died young (his 
 was the first grave made in what is now 
 the cemeter}- at Northfield, and for seven 
 years was the onlj' one; wolves and wild 
 beasts were plentiful in those days, and 
 the family were obliged to build heaps of 
 logs over his grave to prevent them from 
 despoiling it). Mrs. Phile died in 1892, 
 two years before her husband, having 
 lived a useful and busy life, and leaving 
 behind her only tender recollections of a 
 mother's care and affection. 
 
 Henry E. Phile, the subject of this 
 sketch, was born March 14, 1837, in the 
 township of Northfield, Summit Co., 
 Ohio, where, at the public schools, he re- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 523 
 
 ceived his education. On arriving at 
 manhood he assisted his father upon the 
 farm until 1862, at which time, with 
 many of his neighbors and friends who 
 ralhed around "the fiag of their country " 
 when it was threatened by disloyal hands, 
 he enlisted in Company B, Sixty-tirst 
 Ohio Infantry, in which he served two 
 years and three months, the regiment be- 
 ing stationed most of the time on the 
 Rapidan river, Virginia, where they were 
 doing hard service at the front. Mr. Phile 
 was on detail duty in Kentucky, Tennes- 
 see, Alabama and Georgia. He was not 
 mustered out with his regiment, but was 
 discharged in Nashville, Tenn. Return- 
 ing home he came to Clay (now Allen) 
 township, and purchased eighty acres of 
 timber land, on which he built a small 
 log cabin and lived for some time. In 
 February, 1865, he again enlisted in the 
 army, this time joining the One Hundred 
 and Eighty-eighth Ohio Infantry. His 
 time of service was short, however, for 
 he was seized with paralysis and was dis- 
 charged June 9, of the same year, at 
 Nashville, and returned to his father's 
 home at Northfield, where he remained 
 until May, 1866. At the expiration of 
 that time he returned to Clay township 
 and added forty acres more to his pos- 
 sessions, making a total of 120 acres. 
 
 A w'eighty problem in life now pre- 
 sented itself. How was he, in feeble 
 health, obliged to go about on crutches, 
 and physically unable to labor, to accom- 
 plish the feat of clearing off this land, 
 supporting his familj' and paying a debt 
 of five hundred and fifty dollars.' There 
 were only four log cabins in his vicinity, 
 not a road within three miles of his 
 shanty, the land covered with dense for- 
 ests, and no comforts or conveniences of 
 any description. It was here that the 
 undaunted courage and steadfast purpose 
 of this stout-hearted pioneer and his brave 
 wife came into play. They cheerfully 
 bore all hardships, hired what help they 
 could procure, worked day and night, 
 
 and, as a result of twenty-nine years' 
 labor, have to-day one of the most highly 
 improved farms in the county, on which 
 stands a splendid brick residence, with 
 numerous barns, outhouses and other im- 
 provements, which make the place an 
 ornament to the township, and a credit to 
 the intelligent management of its owner. 
 Mr. Phile was married, January 7, 
 i860, to Evaline N., daughter of John 
 and Lydia (Spafford) Tryon, the former 
 of whom was a farmer in Northfield 
 township. Mrs. Phile proved herself the 
 worthy wife of a worthy pioneer, and 
 bore no small part in the prosperity of 
 her husband and the development of the 
 township. She died May 27, 1885, much 
 regretted. To this happy union but one 
 child has come, Alsom E., whose birth 
 took place May 9, 1862, in Northfield 
 township. He attended the public schools 
 in Clay township for some years, and 
 took a three-years' course at Oberlin; he 
 then attended a private school at Port 
 Clinton, conducted by Miss Mothly, from 
 which he was graduated in 1881. He 
 now owns eighty acres of his father's old 
 farm, on which he lives. Alsom Phile 
 was married November 18, 1884, to 
 Emma, daughter of Reuben M. and Lucy 
 M. (Ensign) Babcock, the former an agri- 
 culturist and manufacturer of charcoal, 
 who lives in Allen township. They have 
 one son, Alsom E., born December 21, 
 1 89 1, and one daughter, Eva J., born 
 December 20, 1886. Our subject be- 
 longs to the G. A. R. , and is a member 
 of the American Protective Association. 
 In politics he is a Republican, and with 
 his family he attends the Baptist Church. 
 
 J 
 
 OHN KLEINHANS, a retired farm- 
 er, and one of the earliest settlers of 
 Erie township, Ottawa county, is 
 now spending his declining daj's in 
 the village of Lacarne amidst the sur- 
 roundings of a comfortable and happy 
 home. He is an honored citizen, and one 
 
524 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 well worthy of representation in this vol- 
 ume. 
 
 ^^r. Kleinhans was born in Williams 
 township. Northampton Co., Penn., De- 
 cember I. 1816, and is a son of George 
 Henry and Elizabeth (Richardson) Klein- 
 hans. In I <S32 they removed from Penn- 
 sylvania to Ohio, and spent the remainder 
 of their lives in Erie township, Ottawa 
 county, where they were esteemed and 
 valued citizens for many years. When 
 they had reached a ripe old age death 
 ended their active and useful lives, but 
 their memory will long be cherished by 
 all who knew them. Their union was 
 blessed with a family of eleven children, 
 five of whom are still living: Maria, 
 widow of Frederick W^itmore, and now 
 residing in Detroit, Mich., at the ad- 
 vanced aged of ninety-five; George, also 
 living in Detroit; John is ne.xt in the 
 family; David makes his home in Mid- 
 land county, Mich. ; and Henry is also 
 located in that State. 
 
 We now take up the personal history 
 of John Kleinhans, knowing that it will 
 prove of interest to many of our readers, 
 for he is widely and favorably known. 
 He was educated in the district schools of 
 his native township, and when sixteen 
 years of age came to Erie township with 
 his parents. For si.xty-three years he has 
 been one of its most progressive residents, 
 always found in the foremost rank of any 
 undertaking tending to the advancement 
 of the general welfare. He gives of both 
 his time and means to all such worthy 
 objects, and is indeed a progressive and 
 valued citizen. Several lines of business 
 have been carried on by him chiefly fish- 
 ing, butchering, farming and stock raising. 
 
 On June 7, 1839, in Bay township, 
 Ottawa county, Mr. Kleinhans was united 
 in marriage with Miss Maria Hineline, a 
 daughter of William and Susan Hineline, 
 and born in Berks county, Penn., Decem- 
 ber 25, 1 8 19, who came with her parents 
 to Ottawa county in 1832. Eight children 
 came to this union: Anna, born October 
 
 9, 1 84 1, is the widow of Richard Wood- 
 ing, and is living in Lacarne; Elizabeth, 
 born July 28, 1843, is the wife of Freder- 
 ick Hall, of Lacarne; William H.. born 
 August 5, 1844, is a resident of Toledo, 
 Ohio; George, born November 9, 1845, 
 is living in Erie township; Susan, born 
 September 5, 1847, 's the wife of Samuel 
 Minier, a representative farmer of Erie 
 township; Margaret, born April 22, 1849, 
 is the widow of George O. Bailey, a resi- 
 dent of Lacarne; John, born September 
 27, 1850, is living in Erie township; 
 Lavina, born in Port Clinton, February 
 24, 1857, is the wife of Reuben Rymers, 
 of Salem township, Ottawa county. The 
 mother of this family died October 13, 
 1 893, from the effects of an accident caused 
 by a train on the Lake Shore & Michigan 
 Southern railroad, while crossing the 
 track in front of her home, October 9, 
 1893. Her death was deeply mourned, 
 for she was an estimable lady, having the 
 warm friendship of many. 
 
 Mr. Kleinhans has been called to 
 several positions of public trust. For 
 four years he faithfully served as county 
 treasurer, for one year was deputy treas- 
 urer, and has filled various local offices. 
 He is ever true to his duties of citizen- 
 ship, and in all the relations of life has 
 been an honorable, upright gentleman. 
 In his declining years he is now enjoying 
 a rest which he has truly earned and well 
 deserves. 
 
 JAMES B. THORP, attorney at law 
 and agriculturist. This well-known 
 and highly-respected citizen of Allen 
 township, Ottawa county, who has 
 contributed in no small degree to the de- 
 velopment and substantial progress of the 
 community in which he lives, is a native 
 of the Buckeye State, his birth taking 
 place January 22, 1830, at Warrensville, 
 Cuyahoga county. 
 
 Mr. Thorp received his early educa- 
 tion in the district schools of his birth- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 525 
 
 place, which was supplemented by a 
 course in the high school at Cleveland. 
 On leaving school he decided to learn a 
 trade, and served an apprenticeship with 
 the well-known firm of Scofield & Gill, 
 contractors and builders, of Cleveland. 
 At the expiration of that time he went 
 into business for himself in that line in 
 Cleveland, which he carried on with great 
 success for eleven years. His health then 
 failing, he gave up his work and went to 
 Michigan, hoping to be benefited b}' the 
 change, and; located in Hillsdale, where 
 he remained for two years. Not finding 
 any improvement in his health, he con- 
 cluded to seek a more genial climate, and 
 journeyed to Oregon; from there by sea 
 to Cuba, Central America, Mexico and 
 California. Jn 1862 Mr. Thorp returned 
 to Oregon, and located in Josephine 
 county, where he remained for two years, 
 spending his time most delightfull}- and 
 rapidly regaining health and strength. In 
 1S64, being fully restored to his former 
 activity, he returned to his old home in 
 Warrensville, this State, and decided to 
 engage in farming, as a more healthful 
 occupation than the one he had been fol- 
 lowing. In 1870 Mr. Thorp left War- 
 rensville and settled in Ottawa county, in 
 what is now Allen township. Here he 
 bought forty acres of timberland, and, 
 first building a log cabin, set to work to 
 clear his land. He found the soil to be 
 verj' productive, and, with the shrewd 
 judgment which has always characterized 
 his career, he added eighty acres more, 
 continuing to purchase as his means war- 
 ranted, until he owned 335 acres. On 
 this propert}- he has expended much 
 time, labor and money, and its present 
 high state of cultivation and consequent 
 increase in value are evidences of the in- 
 dustry and intelligent management of the 
 owner. Six years were spent in the 
 humble log cabin, that then gave place to 
 the handsome residence, which is one of 
 the finest and most comfortable homes in 
 Allen township. Mr. Thorp was married, 
 
 March 19, 1868, at Berea, Cuyahoga 
 county, to Carolina, daughter of \'an- 
 Rennesaler and Catherine (Weller) Sur- 
 rarer, both natives of New York State. 
 Of this union one child, Yale J., has been 
 born, his birth taking place January 24, 
 1 87 1. He was educated at the public 
 schools of Allen township, and also in 
 the high school of Toledo. Having de- 
 cided to follow the occupation of a farmer, 
 he is now the managing partner on his 
 father's farm, and transacts all business 
 appertaining to it; is also a notary public. 
 Warren Thorp, the father of our sub- 
 ject, was born April 12, 1802, in the 
 third log house that was built on the 
 ground where the city of Cleveland now 
 stands. His father, Joel Thorp, a mill- 
 wright by trade, came from Connecticut 
 to Ohio in 1799, traveling the long dis- 
 tance by ox-team. He settled in Ashta- 
 bula county, and was killed in the war of 
 181 2. Warren Thorp settled in War- 
 rensville and carried on farming. He 
 married Hannah Burnside, a daughter of 
 James Burnside, who w'as a drummer boy 
 in the Revolutionary war, and a colonel in 
 the war of 181 2. In the latter war he 
 was in a number of battles and received 
 eleven wounds (he was an uncle of Col. 
 Burnside, who served in the Civil war). 
 To the parents of our subject seven chil- 
 dren were born as follows: (i) Jane L. , 
 born October 25, 1826, was married in 
 1847 to Henry N. Clark, a farmer of 
 Cuyahoga county; they have one child. 
 (2) Harriette L., born February 27, 1828, 
 was married, August 6, 1845, ^'^ Lewis 
 B. Harrington, a farmer of Rockport, 
 and they have five children. (3) James 
 B., our subject. (4) Warren A., born 
 January 15, 1832, is a farmer in Mayfield, 
 and married Elizabeth Barber, and they 
 have five children. (5) Joseph P., born 
 January 22, 1834, is a farmer and lives 
 on the old homestead in W'arrensville, 
 where he is a justice of the peace; was 
 married in 1864 to Miss Melissa Morris, 
 and the}' have five children. (6) Han- 
 
52G 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 nah M., born April 30, 1836, now the 
 wife of Daniel Gardner, of Berea; they 
 also have five children. (7) Charles W. , 
 born March 16, 1S40, was married in 
 1864 to Melinda Gardner, and they had 
 five children; his wife died in 1873, and 
 his second wife is Miss Mary Brier, whom 
 he married about 1880; they have no 
 children. Hannah (Burnside) Thorp, the 
 mother of our subject, was born May 4, 
 1809, and died May 3, 1884, her husband 
 passing away April 3, 1888; both died in 
 Warrensville. Caroline Surrarer, the wife 
 of our subject was born in Cuyahoga 
 county, August 30, 1842, and was one of 
 eleven children born to her parents. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, after fol- 
 lowing fanning for a number of years, 
 decided to begin the study of law and 
 accordingly, in 1887, began reading in 
 the office of Thomas J. Marshall, at Port 
 Clinton, this State. Since beginning 
 practice he has been very successful and 
 has an extensive clientele, both in his 
 immediate vicinity and throughout the 
 county. He takes cases in the Justice 
 Courts and assists Mr. Marshall in the 
 court of common pleas. He was census 
 enumerator in 1890, has served as asses- 
 sor for several years, has been a member 
 of the school board several times, being 
 now president of the board of school di- 
 rectors of Allen township, and is also 
 notary public. Mr. Thorp is an ardent 
 Republican and always alive to the needs 
 and welfare of his community. He is a 
 man of much energy and of broad and 
 progressive views, and his opinion carries 
 weight with his fellow citizens. He and 
 his family are attendants of the Methodist 
 Chuich. 
 
 GEORGE F. BOWSER. It mat- 
 ters not into what station of life 
 one is born in this free land of 
 ours, all avenues of business, of 
 political or of military life are open to 
 the individual who has high ambitions, 
 
 determination and enterprise. Mr. Bow- 
 ser, who began life for himself at an early 
 age, has steadily worked his way upward 
 from a position of limited means to one 
 of afifluence, and to-day is numbered 
 among the substantial farmers of Scott 
 township, Sandusky county. 
 
 He was born August 17, 1849, in Bed- 
 ford county, Penn., son of Fred and Mar- 
 garet (Fickes) Bowser, who, when our 
 subject was five years of age, brought 
 their family to Scott township, becoming 
 pioneers of this locality. The father, who 
 was a farmer and mechanic, was born in 
 Bedford county, Penn., in 1S24, and de- 
 parted this life in January, 1872. His 
 wife, who was born in the same county 
 in 1823, still survives, and is now living 
 in Helena, Ohio. They were the parents 
 of seven children: George P.; Rosanna, 
 who died at the age of twenty-four, and 
 is buried by her father in the cemetery 
 between Clyde and Green Spring; Jacob, 
 a resident of Cowley county, Kans. , who 
 married Susan Fickes, and has nine chil- 
 dren; Alice (deceased), who became the 
 wife of John Goate, and the mother of 
 two children; Barbara, wife of John 
 Ward, of Helena; Daniel, who died July 
 '7' 1873; and Maggie M., who is the wife 
 of John Goate, and the mother of three 
 children. 
 
 The subject proper of this biography 
 was a mere lad when he left his native 
 State, and the greater part of his boy- 
 hood and youth was spent upon the home 
 farm in the midst of the Ohio forests. 
 Being the eldest child he greatly aided 
 his father in the work of clearing and de- 
 veloping the land, and as opportunity 
 offered attended the district schools of 
 the neighborhood. Before attaining his 
 majority he learned the carpenter's trade, 
 and at the age of twenty-six he went to 
 Indiana, where he followed that pursuit 
 two years. 
 
 On March 10, 1S74, Mr. Bowser was 
 united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth 
 Miser, born August 29, 1853, daughter of 
 
^.3^i6. 
 
 ^^^tv-U/l , 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 527 
 
 Samuel and Catherine Miser, who Hved in 
 Ohio in an early day, afterward removing 
 to Indiana. The father, who was a farmer 
 by occupation, was born in Ohio, in 1809, 
 and died in 1883 in Indiana; the mother 
 was born in 1 8 1 3. Their family numbered 
 ten children, namely: John, Peter, 
 Susanna, Rachel, Catherine, Christian, 
 Anna, Elizabeth, and Jacob and Mary, 
 who died in infancy. Six children grace 
 the union of Mr. and Mrs. Bowser, their 
 names and dates of birth being as fol- 
 lows: Jacob H., March 10, 1875; Aaron, 
 January 11, 1876; Curtis A., March 26, 
 1878; William, August 31, i882;Maudy 
 May, September 15, 1884; and Bertha, 
 February 3, 1886. 
 
 Since his marriage Mr. Bowser has 
 resided upon the farm which has been 
 his home, and made of the place a valua- 
 ble propert}'. His success is due to his 
 own persistent efforts, and the able as- 
 sistance of his estimable wife. He is a 
 man of unfaltering energy and capable 
 management, and justly ranks among the 
 leading and progressive agriculturists of 
 Scott township. 
 
 LBERT PETTIBONE is num- 
 
 bered among the native sons of 
 
 A 
 
 I \ Ottawa county, and one of the 
 honored pioneers, who for si.xty- 
 five years has been a witness of its growth 
 and development, aiding in its progress 
 and promoting its material prosperity. 
 He has a wide acquaintance and his pleas- 
 ant, genial manner and sterling worth 
 have made him very popular, so that we 
 feel assured this record of his life will 
 prove of interest to many of our readers. 
 Mr. Pettibone was born in Danbury 
 township, Ottawa county, March 15, 
 1830, and is a son of Truman and Phoebe 
 (Wolcotte) Pettibone, the former a native 
 of the Green Mountain State, the latter 
 of Danbury, Conn., born February 12, 
 1796. The father died July 23, 1830, 
 when our subject was only four months 
 
 old, but the mother long survived him, 
 and passed away December 24, 1872. 
 They were the parents of five children — 
 three sons and two daughters — only one of 
 whom is now living, Albert, subject of this 
 sketch. 
 
 The educational privileges which our 
 subject received were limited to those 
 afforded by the district schools during the 
 winter months. The schoolhouse was 
 built of logs and furnished in a primitive 
 manner. Since his boyhood he has en- 
 gaged in fishing and farming, and was 
 early inured to the arduous labors that 
 fall to the lot of the agriculturists who 
 lives on the frontier. Of late years he 
 has also extensively engaged in fruit 
 farming, and has found this branch of his 
 business a very remunerative one. In 
 Danbury township, Ottawa county, Feb- 
 ruary 5, 1854, Mr. Pettibone married 
 Eliza Ramsdell, who was born December 
 7, 1836, and is a daughter of Jacob and 
 Experience (Willett) Ramsdell, who were 
 among the earliest settlers of Danbury 
 township, where they located in 181 1. 
 The maternal grandparents of our subject, 
 Bcnnajah and Elizabeth Wolcott, natives 
 of New York, preceded them, however, 
 emigrating from Connecticut to Ohio in 
 1 809. No one else at that time resided 
 in Danbury township, and they therefore 
 had the honor of opening it up to civil- 
 ization. 
 
 The family of Mr. and Mrs. Pettibone 
 numbered twelve children: Clara M., 
 born October 22, 1855, residing in Dan- 
 bury township; Oscar P., born October 
 28, 1857, a fireman on the Lakeside rail- 
 road, residing at Lakeside, Ohio; Orra 
 E., born May 8, i860, and died January 
 22, 1864; Phrebe L. , born January 13, 
 1862. now the wife of \\'illiam Killey, of 
 Danbury township; Cora E. , born May 7, 
 1864, now the wife of William Brede- 
 hoft, of Oak Harbor, Ohio; Selina A., 
 born December 13, 1866. and now living 
 at Oak Harbor; George A., born Decem- 
 ber 25, 1868; Edna J., born August 17, 
 
528 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BWGRAPRICAL RECORD. 
 
 1 8/ 1, now the wife of Martin Southard, 
 of Danbury township; Jacob T., born 
 September 7, 1873, and died February 
 20, 1876; Lydia A., born November 23, 
 1875; Willett A., born May 10, 1878; and 
 Zehna E.. born October 21, 1881. 
 
 His fellow citizens, appreciating his 
 worth and abiUty, have frequently called 
 Mr. Pettibone to public office, where he 
 has discharged his duties with a prompt- 
 ness and fidelity that have won him the 
 highest commendation. He was the first 
 supervisor of Danbury township, was 
 township clerk for twenty years, township 
 trustee three years, has been justice of 
 the peace some eighteen years, was town- 
 ship real-estate assessor for one term, for 
 four years served as postmaster of Vine 
 Ridge, and was instrumental in establishing 
 this office, and has held other public posi- 
 tions of honor and trust. In his political 
 views he is a stalwart Republican, while 
 socially he is a charter member of the 
 Knights of the Golden Rule, of Castle 
 Rock Lodge, No. 21, of Lakeside. The 
 family attend the services of the Methodist 
 and Congregational Churches, but hold 
 membership with no religious organiza- 
 tion. Mr. Pettibone enjoys the respect 
 and esteem of all who know him, and is 
 one of the few remaining settlers who 
 have been spared to see the dense forests 
 and log cabins give place to extensive 
 fruit orchards, waving fields of grain and 
 large and imposing residences. He is a 
 man of noble character, of strict integrity 
 and genuine worth, and is honored and 
 revered by a large circle of friends and 
 acquaintances. 
 
 JOHN P. VOGEL. Among the prom- 
 inent and influential young business 
 men of Oak Harbor, Ottawa county, 
 who have done much to build up and 
 further the interests of that enterprising 
 little town, there is no one more deserving 
 of representation in this work than the 
 
 gentleman whose name introduces this 
 sketch. 
 
 Our subject is a native of Ottawa 
 county, Ohio, born December 18, 1858, 
 son of Christian and Salomane Vogel, 
 both natives of Germany. His prelimi- 
 nary education was received in the public 
 schools of his native county. At the age 
 of twenty-one years he began his career 
 as a business man, opening a hardware 
 store at Oak Harbor, in partnership with 
 C. L. Danner, under* the firm name of 
 Danner & Vogel. In 1884 Christian Vo- 
 gel, father of our subject, purchased Mr. 
 Danner's interest, and the business was 
 then conducted by father and son, under 
 the firm name of C. Vogel & Son, until 
 1887, when the former disposed of his in- 
 terest to G. H. Bredbeck, the business 
 then and now being successfully conducted 
 by these two gentlemen, under the firm 
 name of Vogel & Bredbeck. 
 
 Mr. Vogel has been twice married, the 
 first time, in 1883, to Miss Bella Hugle, a 
 native of Ottawa county, the union being 
 blessed by the birth of one child, Ger- 
 trude. In January, 18S5, our subject was 
 called upon to mourn the death of his be- 
 loved wife, the sorrow felt at her death 
 being greatly enhanced by the unusually 
 sad circumstances with which it was at- 
 tended. While out driving with her hus- 
 band and a party of friends, their carriage 
 was struck by a train on the Lake Shore 
 and Michigan Southern railroad, Mrs. Vo- 
 gel being instantly killed. Mr. Vogel was 
 afterward united in marriage, at Oak Har- 
 bor, in 1889. with Miss Millie Rantz, a 
 daughter of Jacob and Maria Rantz, old 
 and respected residents of Oak Harbor. 
 To this union were born three children, 
 viz. : Arminta, Florence and Esther. Po- 
 litically our subject is an active supporter 
 of the Democratic party, has filled with 
 honor the offices of township clerk and 
 corporation treasurer, and has also ren- 
 dered valuable service as a member of 
 the Oak Harbor Council. Socially he is 
 affiliated with Oak Harbor Lodge No. 495, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHTCAL RECORD. 
 
 529 
 
 F. & A. M., also with Fremont Chapter 
 No. 64, Royal Arch Masons. The family 
 are strict adherents of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 Christian Vogel, our subject's father, . 
 was born in Baden, Germany, July 3, 
 1829, a son of Frederick G. and Mary 
 (Bengert) Vogel, both also natives of 
 Germany, where they resided up to the 
 time of their decease, the former passing 
 away in 1S63, the latter in 1857. They 
 had a family of five children, of whom 
 Christian is the only living representative. 
 Christian Vogel received his primary edu- 
 cation in the schools of his native land, 
 afterward serving an apprenticeship term 
 to the trade of blacksmithing. In June, 
 1857, hearing of the exceptional advan- 
 tages offered to young men in the United 
 States, he embarked in a sailing vessel, 
 which, after a tedious voyage lasting sev- 
 eral weeks, dropped anchor in an Ameri- 
 can port. On his arrival in this country 
 our subject located in Portage township, 
 Ottawa Co., Ohio, and engaged in the 
 blacksmithing industry. In 1861 he 
 moved to Port Clinton, where he embark- 
 ed in agricultural pursuits, also working 
 a short time at his trade, remaining there 
 four years; he then removed to Oak Har- 
 bor, and has since been a constant resi- 
 dent of that town. Since taking up his 
 residence here Mr. Vogel has followed 
 various pursuits, first engaging in the 
 hotel business, shortly afterward opening 
 a general store, and also working at his 
 trade. He then embarked in a butcher- 
 ing business, and other important 
 branches of trade, and of late years he 
 has been engaged in the buying and selling 
 of stock during the summer months. In 
 his different vocations he has ever proved 
 himself a man of excellent business 
 qualifications and of sound character, and 
 as a reward of an industrious life he has 
 now acquired a comfortable competence 
 to tide him over his remaining years. 
 
 Mr. Vogel was married, at Plasterbed, 
 Ottawa Co., Ohio, in .April, 1851, to 
 
 Salomane Heim, a native of Germany, 
 and to this union have been born nine 
 children, seven of whom are still living, 
 viz.: Christian and Charles (twins), the 
 former a resident of' Oak Harbor; Will- 
 iam, an enterprising agriculturist of Salem 
 township; Elizabeth, wife of- Otto Schi- 
 mansky, of Sandusky, Ohio; John P., a 
 prominent hardware merchant of Oak 
 Harbor; August B., a resident of Oak 
 Harbor; and Caroline, wife of A. D. 
 Thierwechter. The mother departed 
 this life in 187S. Mr. Vogel was united 
 in marriage, the second time, at San- 
 dusky, Ohio, with Miss Adelina Twight- 
 man, of Oak Harbor, a native of Ger- 
 many, and to this union has been born 
 one child — George G. , of Oak Harbor. 
 Mr. Vogel has never been an office-seeker; 
 but his man}' friends, recognizing in him 
 a man exceedingly well qualified to fill 
 positions of trust, have frequentl}' per- 
 suaded him to accept important township 
 and county offices. 
 
 DANIEL KREILICK, member of 
 the firm of Miller & Kreilick, man- 
 ufacturers of lumber and cooper- 
 age stock, in Salem township, 
 Ottawa county, was born in Rice town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio, January i, 
 1 84 1, and is a son of Adam and Eliza- 
 beth (Reitz) Kreilick, pioneers of San- 
 dusky county. 
 
 Our subject was reared in the usual 
 manner of farmer lads of that da}', and 
 his educational privileges were meagre, 
 being those afforded in the old primitive 
 schools of the township. His training at 
 farm labor, however, was of a higher or- 
 der, and he soon became familiar with all 
 the duties of agricultural life. In 1866, 
 when about twenty-five years of age, in 
 connection with Samuel Miller, he em- 
 barked in his present business, and is now 
 extensively and successfully engaged in 
 the manufacture of lumber and cooperage 
 
530 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 stock, also farming a piece of fine land in 
 Salem township. 
 
 Mr. Kreilick was married, July 5, 
 1868, to Miss Lydia Siegenthaler, a 
 daughter of William and Leah (Harmel) 
 Siegenthaler, who were honored and rep- 
 resentative citizens of Sandusky county. 
 The father, who was a native of Ger- 
 many, passed away in 1874; the mother, 
 who was born in Pennsj'lvania, survived 
 him until 1881. In their family were ten 
 children, all 3'et living, namely: Mary, 
 wife of Daniel Heitrick; Francis; Will- 
 oughby; Henry; Melinda, wife of Nathan 
 Miller; Lydia, wife of Daniel Kreilick; 
 Philip; Catherine, wife of George Cook; 
 George; and Rebecca, wife of John Star- 
 wald; ail are now residing either in Ot- 
 tawa or Sandusky county. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Kreilick have three children — Lu- 
 cinda C, who was born April 4, 1869, 
 and is the wife of Albert Beirlein, of Cin- 
 cinnati, Ohio; Alta, who was born April 
 25, 1871, and is the wife of Charles 
 Leaser, a prominent farmer of Rice town- 
 ship, Sandusky county; and Emma R. , 
 born February 5, 1875. Mr. Kreilick 
 has served as justice of the peace for one 
 term, and in his political affiliations is a 
 Democrat. He is recognized as an able, 
 straightforward and enterprising business 
 man, and in the community where he has 
 always lived he has the warm regard of 
 many friends. The family attend the 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 In this connection it is interesting to 
 note something of the history of his father, 
 Adam Kreilick, who was one of the pio- 
 neers of Rice township, Sandusky county. 
 He was born in Northumberland county, 
 Penn., March iS, i S04, and passed away 
 near Kingsway, Ohio, June 11, 1891, at 
 the advanced age of eighty-seven years, 
 two months and twenty-four days. His 
 childhood and youth were largely devoted 
 to reading, and his taste for literature 
 continued through life. In his early years 
 he had access to a select library of ancient 
 and modern works, and his reading was 
 
 directed by his father, who was a teacher 
 in the parochial schools. He possessed a 
 retentive memor}', and his quick percep- 
 tion gave him such a command of knowl- 
 edge in the various departments of learn- 
 ing that he found his equal only in the 
 higher callings of life. His conversa- 
 tional powers and mother wit, coupled 
 with his ripe scholarship, made him a con- 
 genial and entertaining companion. 
 
 Adam Kreilick married Miss Elizabeth 
 Reitz in June, 1831, and two years later 
 the young couple started with their first 
 child (now the wife of Capt. Kline, of 
 Fremont, Ohio) from their old home in 
 eastern Pennsylvania for the wild regions 
 of northeastern Ohio, after a five-weeks' 
 journey with a horse and wagon over 
 mountains and rivers, hills and valleys, 
 arriving on the banks of Mud creek, in 
 the " Black Swamp, " where David Druck- 
 enmiller, Peter Heitrick and David Gep- 
 hardt had located two years previous. Mr. 
 Kreilick entered 200 acres of government 
 land, purchasing the same at the land 
 office in Bucyrus, Ohio. He walked the 
 entire distance there and back, following 
 the old Indian trail up the Sandusky river, 
 for there were no roads at the time. 
 Lower Sandusky then boasted of only i 50 
 inhabitants, and only one small brick 
 building. There was no Maumee pike, 
 no open roads through the Black Swamp, 
 and only here and there a few log cabins, 
 with patches of cleared land. From the 
 point where Mr. Kreilick located there 
 was a dense forest — the haunt of deer and 
 wild turkey — reaching south to the Port- 
 age river and east toward Port Clinton 
 and Sandusky Bay. In all that region 
 there was not a single white inhabitant. 
 
 were the surroundings of 
 
 Such 
 
 hardy pioneers. The a.xe, 
 fire were the means used 
 the forest, openin 
 
 through 
 
 these 
 the ox, and 
 in breaking 
 : roads and 
 
 making a place for fruitful fields and rich 
 and inviting farms. Log cabins often 
 sheltered from twelve to fifteen persons, 
 but in course of time they were replaced 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 531 
 
 by more commodious frame or stately 
 brick dwellings, with all the comforts of 
 modern life. All other surroundings, in- 
 cluding barns, school houses, churches 
 and business industries, kept pace with 
 the remarkable transformation wrought 
 by the pioneers. Mr. Kreilick and his 
 faithful wife shared in all the experiences 
 of frontier life. The first school in the 
 settlement was taught by William Rear- 
 ick, at the double log cabin of Philip 
 Siegenthaler, and the first schoolhouse 
 was a log structure erected on Mr. Krei- 
 lick's farm. The family first attended 
 Church at the Four-Mile House, and the 
 first regular pastor at Mud Creek settle- 
 ment. Rev. Long, held services in a barn, 
 later in the schoolhouse until the log 
 church was erected in 1852. In 1867 it 
 was replaced by the present brick struc- 
 ture. 
 
 In the Kreilick family were six sons 
 and five daughters, all now married and 
 living in comfortable homes either in Ot- 
 tawa county or Sandusky county, being 
 located near the old homestead. They 
 are Mrs. Andrew Kline, Mrs. Simon 
 Bovversox, John, Elias, Daniel, Aaron, 
 Adam, Peter, Mrs. William Reiser, Mrs. 
 Samuel Miller, and Mrs. Jonas Hetrick. 
 The mother of this family passed away in 
 1883, and the father mourned the de- 
 parture of her who had long been to him 
 a faithful companion and helpmeet. He 
 lived to a ripe old age, and saw his chil- 
 dren and grandchildren comfortably situ- 
 ated in life. He was confirmed in the 
 Evangelical Church in Pennsylvania, and 
 all his children and a large majority of 
 their descendants are members of St. 
 Paul's Lutheran Church of Rice township, 
 Sandusky county, in which church his 
 funeral was held June 14, 1891, the ser- 
 vices being conducted by the pastor. Rev. 
 W. A. Bowman. From far and near the 
 people came to pay their last tribute of 
 respect to him. He had been possessed 
 of a robust constitution, determined will 
 and untarnished character, and was be- 
 
 loved by his family and esteemed by his 
 many friends. Annually his children 
 would assemble at the old home to cele- 
 brate his birthday, exchange greetings and 
 receive tokens of his well wishes. An 
 aged sister, Mrs. Philip Heitrick, six sons, 
 fifty grandchildren, lifty-seven great- 
 grandchildren and one great-great-grand- 
 child are the living representatives of the 
 family to which this honored man be 
 longed. 
 
 STEPHEN FETTERLY, proprietor 
 of the basket factory at Oak Har- 
 bor, Ottawa county, and one of 
 the live, wide-awake men of the 
 county, is a native of Ohio, having been 
 born at Painesville, Lake county, October 
 5, 1849. 
 
 He is a son of David and Emily 
 (Hoople) Fetterly, the former of whom 
 was born in 1807, of Holland parentage, 
 and when a young man moved to Canada, 
 where he married a Miss Hoople. In 
 that country he and his wife remained 
 till 1849, in which year they removed to 
 Painesville, Ohio, where they remained 
 three years, the father in the meantime 
 working at his trade, that of blacksmith. 
 In 1852 they took up their residence in 
 Salem township, Ottawa county, where 
 Mr. Fetterly was made the first justice of 
 the peace, and where he and his wife 
 passed the rest of their honored lives. He 
 met with a heroic death: In 1857, while 
 attempting the rescue from drowning of 
 two men in the Portage river, where the 
 Locust street bridge, at Oak Harbor, 
 crosses, Mr. Fetterly's exertion proved 
 too great, resulting in the bursting of a 
 blood vessel, which caused him to sink 
 beneath the surface of the water, and 
 when his body was recovered life was ex- 
 tinct. His wife survived him until 1889, 
 when she, too, passed away, and her re- 
 mains were laid beside those of her hus- 
 band in the Oak Harbor cemetery. They 
 were the parents of eight children: Amos, 
 
532 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 George, Maria, Albert, Charles, two who 
 died in infancy, and Stephen, all except 
 the last named having been born in 
 Canada. Two of the sons served in the 
 war of the Rebellion, Amos enlisting in 
 1 86 1, and remaining in the army till 1865, 
 participating in the battles of Shiloh, 
 Missionary Ridge and many others, be- 
 sides suffering a three months' imprison- 
 ment in Libby Prison; his brother Charles 
 served from 1864 till the close of the war. 
 As will be seen, Stephen Fetterly was 
 three years old when the family made 
 their home in Salem township, Ottawa 
 count)-, and here he acquired his educa- 
 tion at the schools of the neighborhood. 
 When thirteen years old he commenced 
 sailing the lakes, for twentj'-five j'ears, in 
 various capacities, plowing the cerulean 
 waters of lakes Erie, Huron, Superior 
 and Michigan. Commencing as steward, 
 he served in that capacity three years, 
 and then boarded the " Forcastle " as or- 
 dinary seaman, remaining as such for 
 four seasons, the next two years serving 
 as mate on different vessels. At the end 
 of that time opportunity presenting itself 
 for Mr. Fetterly to embark in business for 
 himself, he in August, 1873, purchased 
 the "Gould," a boat running on Lake 
 Erie, which he resold about the close of 
 the same year. In 1874 he bought the 
 " Melissa," selling same two years later, 
 and in 1877 he took charge, as captain, 
 of the "Emily and Eliza," owned by 
 Anspaugh & Bros., of Oak Harbor, hold- 
 ing that position till 1887. In that year 
 Mr. Fetterly proceeded to Detroit, where 
 he purchased the "Hero," a fine Lake 
 Erie boat, in 1888 buying also the steam- 
 barge "Lafayette," running on the same 
 lake, and these two boats he owned and 
 operated five years, when he sold them 
 and became owner by purchase of the 
 steam-barge " Du Sault," also running 
 on Lake Erie. About this time he passed 
 his examination as marine engineer. 
 While running these boats he did a good 
 deal of contracting for the U. S. Govern- 
 
 ment in the line of constructing break- 
 waters and such like, along the lake 
 shore, for the protection of roads, etc., 
 from the encroachment of the water. For 
 several years he handled sandstone and 
 general freight for Oak Harbor, which 
 line of work was confined to the summer 
 months, he in the winter time engaging 
 in timber speculation, in which he met 
 with signal success. 
 
 In the year 1891, Mr. Fetterly, in 
 company with two others, established a 
 basket factory at Port Clinton, Ottawa 
 county, in which connection he remained 
 two years. His experience in this venture 
 led him to undertake the organization of 
 a similar company at Oak Harbor, which 
 after much labor and considerable plan- 
 ning he accomplished, the present basket 
 factory being opened May 3, 1895, with 
 a capital stock of twelve thousand dollars. 
 Employment is already given to nearly 100 
 hands and the pay-roll sums up to about 
 fourteen hundred dollars per month. In 
 addition to his interests in this industry 
 Mr. Fetterly owns a farm in Salem town- 
 ship, and a propeller running between 
 Oak Harbor and Sandusky; he also con- 
 ducts a sand and stone business, and 
 speculates in oil. 
 
 On November 27, 1873, Stephen Fet- 
 terly was united in marriage with Miss 
 Susan Legett, daughter of Robert and 
 Rebecca (Magrew) Legett, honored pio- 
 neers of Ottawa county, and descended 
 from the Blackburns of England. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Legett are the parents of 
 children — five sons and 
 — seven of whom are yet living. One 
 son, Albert, served three years in Com- 
 pany I, Forty-first O. V. I., during the 
 Civil war. To Mr. and Mrs. Fetterly 
 have been born six children, as follows: 
 Agnes (wife of August Madison, engineer 
 in the basket factory at Oak Harbor); 
 Mabel, Georgia, Charles, Ralph and 
 Ruby. Mrs. Fetterly is a member of the 
 M. E. Church, and is af^liated with the 
 Daughters of Rebekah. In his political 
 
 eight 
 
 three daughters 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 533 
 
 predilections our subject is a Democrat; 
 socially he is a member of Oak Harbor 
 Lodge No. 495, F. & A. M., and of the 
 I. O. O. F. He is a tj'pical American 
 "hustler," and has made a success of 
 everything to which he has put his hand. 
 
 PA. SHAENFELD is one of El- 
 more's most progressive and solid 
 business men, one who takes an 
 active part in all matters that 
 have for their object the advancement 
 and welfare of Ottawa county. 
 
 Our subject was born October 18, 
 1836, in Mudershausen, Germany, son of 
 Henry P. and Catherine P. Shaenfeld. 
 In his native land he received his educa- 
 tion, and was confirmed in the Evangelical 
 Lutheran Church. In April, 1852, his 
 parents, accompanied by their children, 
 started for the New World, being forty- 
 four days upon the broad Atlantic, and it 
 was almost two months from the time 
 they left their old home ere they reached 
 Fremont, Ohio. The father purchased 
 forty acres of land eight miles west of 
 that city in the Black Swamp, where the 
 mother died at the age of fifty-two, while 
 the father reached the advanced age of 
 eighty-four years, and they now lie buried 
 side by side in the Four- Mile House Cem- 
 etery. Bv a former marriage the father 
 had si.\ sons, and by the second union 
 two sons and two daughters were born. 
 William, the brother of our subject, was 
 born in 1831, and now resides in Wash- 
 ington township, Sandusky Co., Ohio. 
 His sisters are Jane, who was born in 
 1839, and is the wife of John Bauer, of 
 Blue Hill, Neb. ; and Louise, born in 
 1842, who is the wife of Mathias Stattler, 
 of Kedwillow county, that State. 
 
 P. A. Shaenfeld aided his father in 
 clearing and developing the new farm, 
 working in the woods during the winter, 
 while during the summer months he 
 labored in the fields. He early started 
 out as a farm hand, being etnployed by 
 
 farmers in Huron county until 1859, 
 when, anxious to see more of the world, 
 he started westward. He landed in south- 
 eastern Missouri when it was wild and 
 sparsely settled, and there kept store in a 
 log cabin, for other parties, until the war 
 broke out, when the Confederates took 
 what little stock he had, and forced 
 him to enlist in the Rebel army. He suc- 
 ceeded, however, in making his escape, 
 and in 1862 returned to Ohio, where he 
 found employment in the grocery store at 
 Bellevue. 
 
 In that city, in 1863, Mr. Shaenfeld 
 was married to Miss Sophie P. Hoffman, 
 who was born November 30, 1840, in 
 Nassau, Germany, and in that country 
 was educated and confirmed in the Evan- 
 gelical Lutheran Church. At the age of 
 fourteen years she came to America with 
 her married sister and brother-in-law, 
 Jacob Deutesfeld. One son came to this 
 union — CorneHus W., born January 24, 
 1864, who now makes his home in El- 
 more. In 1865, with his wife and baby, 
 Mr. Shaenfeld came to Elmore, and em- 
 barked in the grocery business, in which 
 he was very successful. In this city his 
 wife departed this life September 5, 1884. 
 The following year he sold a half interest 
 in his store to E. G. Kirk, and gave his 
 son the other half. In June, of the same 
 year he went to California on account of 
 poor health, and after his return the fol- 
 lowing September lived with his son until 
 his second marriage. On August 11, 
 1887, he wedded Mary Huth, who was 
 born in Nassau. Germany, July 17, 1850, 
 and with her parents, Philip and Cather- 
 ine Huth, emigrated to the United States 
 in 1 85 1, locating in Riley township, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio. Her parents both died 
 at an early age, the mother being only 
 thirty-three, and the father forty-six. 
 
 In 1887, Mr. Shaenfeld purchased his 
 store which he has since successfully con- 
 ducted, doing a large and prosperous bus- 
 iness. He and his family are highly re- 
 spected in social circles, and, as a busi- 
 
534 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ness man, his dealings have ever been 
 characterized by honesty and fairness, so 
 that he ranks among the prominent mer- 
 chants of Elmore. He has filled many 
 important positions, and for two terms 
 each was member of the city council, cor- 
 poration treasurer, township treasurer 
 and township trustee, in all of which of- 
 fices he served with credit to himself and 
 to the satisfaction of his constituents. 
 The Democratic party has ever found in 
 him a stanch supporter. 
 
 CHARLES ROOSE is one of the 
 most prominent business men of 
 Oak Harbor, being engaged in 
 lumbering and agricultural pur- 
 suits, in the manufacture of slack barrel 
 cooperage, and in the management of 
 the Oak Harbor State Bank, of which 
 he is president. The true standard by 
 which to judge a community is the charac- 
 ter of its leading citizens. Progress is 
 rarely, if ever, the result of chance, but 
 always the execution of well-laid plans, 
 based on a thorough comprehension of 
 the laws of business. It is only by keep- 
 ing in view the lives of men who are ever 
 associated with the busy marts of com- 
 merce that we can judge of the import- 
 ance of development and the possibilities 
 of progress. Thus it is that from the 
 commercial more than the literary or 
 political world, the most valuable lessons 
 of life are to be extracted. As a repre- 
 sentative of this class stands the subject 
 of this review, a typical self-made man 
 whose excellent business qualifications 
 are indicated by the numerous enterprises 
 he has brought to a successful issue. 
 
 Mr. Roose was born May 7, 1824, in 
 the city of Schwerin, Mecklenburg- 
 Schwerin, Germany, and is a son of Louis 
 and Frederica (Hengvoos) Roose, who 
 were also natives of the same country, 
 where they spent their entire lives. Of 
 their family of seven children only three 
 are now living: Charles, subject of this 
 
 sketch; Lizzetta, wife of August Milhahn, 
 a prominent farmer of Salem township, 
 Ottawa county; and Lena, of the same 
 township. 
 
 Charles Roose was reared to man- 
 hood and educated in his native land, and 
 for some years was emplo}ed as a clerk 
 in a hotel, after which he engaged in the 
 hotel business on his own account until 
 his departure for America. In 1853 he 
 sold his business in the Fatherland and 
 crossed the Atlantic, landing in New 
 York, whence he came to Ohio. After 
 spending six weeks in Sandusky, he re- 
 moved to Ottawa county, purchasing 160 
 acres of land in Salem township, then a 
 wild tract, but with willing heart and 
 hands he began to make a home for him- 
 self and famil}'. Not long after he com- 
 menced the purchase of staves, which 
 were shipped to the West Indies and other 
 markets. Within two years his business 
 had increased to such extended propor- 
 tirms that he was not able to secure a 
 supply sufficient to fill his orders in the 
 ordinary way, and so purchased large 
 tracts of land in Salem, Carroll, Clay 
 and Benton townships, placing thereon 
 German immigrants to prepare the 
 timber for the market. Manj' of these 
 being entirely without means of their 
 own, he furnished them with teams and 
 all necessary supplies, thus enabling 
 them to become prosperous farmers and 
 citizens, owing their start in life to 
 his energy and kindness. In 1868, in 
 connection with the buying of staves, 
 he established a slack barrel cooperage 
 industry, which has also proved a profitable 
 investment; his comprehensive business 
 ability has also been manifest in other 
 directions. In 1887, having purchased 
 2,145 acres of land in Indiana, adjoining 
 the Ohio State line, he there laid out and 
 built a town which was named ' ' Edger- 
 ton " for the man of whom Mr. Roose 
 purchased the land. In 1887 he aided 
 in the organization of the Oak Harbor 
 State Bank, and from its commencement 
 
/pAjiLV^ (Vw^e^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 535 
 
 has served as its honored president, its 
 success being largely due to his efforts. 
 
 Mr. Koose was married in Butzow, 
 Mfcklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, Jan- 
 uary 2, 1849, to Miss Marie Drewes, who 
 was born November 30, 1829, daughter 
 of Joachim and Marie (Haas) Drewes, 
 the former of whom passed away in Sa- 
 lem township, Ottawa county, in 1872, 
 the latter d3'ing in Germany, in 1870. 
 Mrs. Roose was born in Doberan, Ger- 
 many, and has become the mother of 
 nine children: Charles, born in Ger- 
 many, July 20, 1850. is one of the most 
 prominent agriculturists of Salem town- 
 ship; Hannah, born in Germany, June 
 22, 1852, is the wife of Frederick Uied- 
 rich, a leading farmer of Salem township; 
 Frederick, born in Salem township, Jan- 
 uary 13, 1855, is now one of its success- 
 ful merchants; Emma, born in Salem 
 township, March 10, 1858, died ten days 
 later; Ernst, born in Salem township, 
 January 10, i860, is now one of its pros- 
 perous farmers; William, born in Salem 
 township. May 26, 1862, a sketch of 
 whom follows; Wilhelmina, born in Sa- 
 lem township, May 20, 1864, is the wife 
 of Charles Hanck, of Sandusky. Ohio; 
 Herman H.. born in Salem township, 
 December 16, 1866, is now in partner- 
 ship, and is superintendent of the Indi- 
 ana business, with residence at Edgerton, 
 in that State; Lena, born in Salem town- 
 ship, March 11, 1868, is the wife of 
 George (">armroth, also of Edgerton. 
 
 In I859 Mr. Roose was elected trustee 
 of his township, in which capacity he 
 serve«nor eleven consecutive years. He 
 was also county commissioner for six 
 years, a director of the Ohio Penitentiary 
 for three years, and under Governor 
 Campbell was appointed a trustee of the 
 Institute for the Instruction of the Rlhid, 
 at Columbus; he has twice been appointed 
 to that position by Governor McKinley, 
 and is still serving. For many years he 
 has been a school director, and is deeply 
 interested in everything calculated to ben- 
 
 34 
 
 enfit mankind. Socially he is a charter 
 member of Oak Harbor Lodge, No. 495, 
 F. & A. M., and in religious connection 
 the family attend the Lutheran Church. 
 In politics he is a Democrat, and one of 
 the trusted advisors of his part)' in Ot- 
 tawa county. In 1888 he was a dele- 
 gate to the Democratic National Conven- 
 tion, at St. Louis, which resulted in the 
 nomination of President Cleveland for a 
 second term. Mr. Roose is a man of 
 broad views, of keen quick perception, of 
 sterlino^ integrity and spotless reputation, 
 and therefore has the unlimited confi- 
 dence of the people with whom he has 
 come in contact. In addition to his du- 
 ties as president of the largest moneyed 
 institution in the county he has as a pub- 
 lic official discharged the duties of every 
 office in which he has been placed with a 
 painstaking fidelity that has won him the 
 highest commendation. He is a man of 
 gentlemanly demeanor, always meeting 
 his associates both in the social circle and 
 in business pursuits, with a cordial and 
 friendly bearing, and both his time and 
 means have been liberalty expended in 
 all matters pertaining to the advance- 
 ment of the county's interest and welfare. 
 
 OTTO BEIER, a prominent, pro- 
 gressive citizen, and a successful 
 busine.ss man of Oak Harbor, Ot- 
 tawa county, senior member of 
 the firm of Otto Be;er & Bro. , proprietors 
 of the Oak Harbor Creamery, is a native 
 of Ottawa county, Ohio, born in Carroll 
 township, August 19, 1866. 
 
 Tl-.e parents of our subject, Frederick 
 and Amelia (.Miller; Beier, who are na- 
 rtives of the Fatherland, crossed the ocean 
 and came to the New World in the j'ear 
 1 86 1, locating first in Oak Harbor, Otta- 
 wa Co , Ohio. Two years later they 
 moved to Carroll townsiiip, where they 
 purchased some land, with all the timber 
 that had grown upon it, and engaged in 
 the work of clearing of? the timber and in 
 
530 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 agricultural pursuits. They still reside 
 there, and Mr. Beier is recognized as one 
 of the thrifty, progressive farmers of that 
 township. Mr. Beier has served his fel- 
 low citizens as trustee of the township for 
 two years, supervisor for two years, and 
 school director for a number of years. 
 Politically, he votes with the Democratic 
 party. The family are strict adherents of 
 the Lutheran Church, and are highly es- 
 teemed by the entire community. Their 
 family consisted of ten children, eight of 
 whom are now living, viz. : Harmon, 
 Charles, Otto, Amelia, Minnie, Emma, 
 Sopha and P'rederick. 
 
 Otto Beier, the subject proper of this 
 biography, received his early education in 
 the public schools of his native township, 
 his boyhood days being spent in assisting 
 his father in the care of the farm. At the 
 age of si.xteen years he left his home and 
 served an apprenticeship to the carpen- 
 ter's trade, at which he worked, during 
 the harvest season also running a thresh- 
 ing machine, which he and his brothers 
 owned for ten years. In 1891, in part- 
 nership with his brother Charles, he built 
 and commenced the operation of the Oak 
 Harbor Creamery, located in Oak Harbor, 
 which has since been fitted up with all 
 the latest and most improved machinery 
 used in this important branch of industry, 
 this factory being one of the largest of its 
 kind in the State; the large output of 
 butter, necessitating the delivery of some- 
 thing like two thousand gallons of milk 
 daily, is a great boon to the farmers of 
 Salem and the adjoining township. 
 
 Mr. Beier was united in marriage at 
 Oak Harbor, Ohio, January i, 1889, with 
 Miss Christina Glaser, who was born in 
 Carroll township, July 14, 1864, a daugh- 
 ter of George and Maggie (Schrom) 
 Glaser, early settlers of Carroll township. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Glaser were the parents of 
 ten children, seven of whom are living, 
 namely: Maggie, Harmon, Lucy, Chris- 
 tina, Henry, George and August. In re- 
 ligious faith, the family are strict adher- 
 
 ents of the Lutheran Church; they are 
 highly respected by all who know them. 
 Four children have come to brighten the 
 home of Mr. and Mrs. Beier, viz. : Alma 
 A., born September 15, 1889; Florence 
 M., born July 10, 1891; Leon George, 
 born March 31, 1893; and Laura S., born 
 October 19, 1895. In 1893 Mr. Beier 
 was elected as a member of council for the 
 village of Oak Harbor, and was re-elected 
 in 1895. The family are strict adherents 
 of the Lutheran Church, and are highly 
 esteemed throughout the community in 
 which they reside. 
 
 AARON DOLPH, one of the lead- 
 ing business men of Ottawa coun- 
 ty, and a representative citizen, 
 was born in Rome, Ashtabula 
 Co., Ohio, August 19, 1836. His father 
 was born in Batavia, N. Y., in 18 10, and 
 died in 1848. His mother, who bore the 
 maiden name of Eliza Perkins, was born 
 about the same time and died in 1873. 
 After the death of her first husband she 
 was again married, in 1854, becoming the 
 wife of David Nellis, of Pennsylvania. 
 His father came to Ohio in an early day, 
 and purchased 1,300 acres of land near 
 Elmore for $1.25 per acre. At different 
 times portions of this land were sold, but 
 200 acres became the property of David 
 Nellis, and was left by him to his wife, 
 the mother of our subject, who in turn 
 left it to Aaron Dolph. 
 
 The gentleman whose name begins 
 this record spent the days of his boyhood 
 and youth in the county of his nativity, 
 and acquired his education under the di- 
 rection of Prof. Tuckerman. On March 
 27, 1856, he was united in marriage with 
 Miss Lovina Richerson, of Rome, Ashta- 
 bula county. Her father was a native of 
 the same county, his birth having oc- 
 curred in 1813, his death in 1877; her 
 mother was born in 181 1, and in their 
 family were five children. The maternal 
 grandmother, Hannah Strong, was born 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 537 
 
 in Connecticut in 1789, and came of a 
 family noted for intelligence and culture, 
 numbering among its members many lead- 
 ing ministers and teachers. She married 
 Elisher Hall, who was born in 1780, and 
 was one of the prominent school teachers 
 of his day, devoting his entire life to that 
 work. They reared a large family — five 
 sons and five daughters. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Dolph began their do- 
 mestic life in Ashtabula county, Ohio, 
 where for sixteen years he carried on 
 agricultural pursuits. In 1872 they came 
 to Ottawa county, Ohio, locating in Har- 
 ris township, on what is known as the 
 old Nellis farm near Elmore, one of the 
 most beautiful and productive tracts in 
 the countv. It is improved with all the 
 accessories and conveniences known to 
 the modern agriculturist, including excel- 
 lent buildings, well-kept fences, a good 
 orchard, etc. The lawn is surrounded by 
 a nicely trimmed hedge fence, and beauti- 
 ful evergreens adorn the place and cast 
 their grateful shade over the home 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Dolph have been 
 born five children, a brief record of whom 
 is as follows: W'ira, born March 23, 
 1858, obtained his education in the pub- 
 lic schools of Elmore, and in Austinburg, 
 Ashtabula Co., Ohio, where he completed 
 his studies under the instruction of his 
 father's old preceptor. He then en- 
 gaged in teaching for several terms in dif- 
 ferent parts of the State. Having mar- 
 ried ^Iiss Alice Gilson, of Elmore, he 
 purchased and now operates and conducts 
 a large furniture store in Blissfield, Mich., 
 and a farm near that place. Ellsworth, 
 born August 23, 1863, and named in 
 honor of Col. Ellsworth, was educated in 
 the public schools of Elmore, and mar- 
 ried Addie Caneff, of this town. They 
 are now pleasantly located on a farm 
 near Genoa, where he is extensivelj- en- 
 gaged in stock raising. Addison, born 
 August 12, 1866, is also a representative 
 citizen of Ottawa county. Clara, born 
 December 17, 1872, acquired her literary 
 
 education in Elmore and then studied 
 painting; her mother's parlors are adorned 
 with many beautiful works of art from 
 her hand. She also gave some attention 
 to music, becoming quite proficient as a 
 pianist. She is now the wife of J. H. 
 Laurie, a decoration architect, of De- 
 troit, Mich. Willet, born January 10, 
 1883, is attending school in Elmore. He 
 is specially fond of horses, and is now the 
 proud owner of a fine driving horse. 
 
 In 1887 Mr. Dolph purchased a hand- 
 some brick residence in Elmore, where 
 with his wife and youngest son he now 
 makes his home. In addition to the place 
 already mentioned he owns other farms 
 in different parts of the State. He is also 
 extensively engaged in the furniture and 
 undertaking business in Elmore, and has 
 a very fine store, supplied with an excel- 
 lent grade of goods. His fair and hon- 
 orable dealing, his courteous treatment 
 and his earnest desire to please his patrons 
 have secured for him a large trade. He 
 has been quite successful in his business 
 dealitigs, and he owes his prosperity solely 
 to his own labor, perseverance and well- 
 directed efforts. He is a very popular 
 man, has a wide acquaintance and a host 
 of warm friends. 
 
 JOHN ORTH. The city of Port 
 Clinton, Ottawa county, enjoj's the 
 distinction of having within her lim- 
 its as progressive and enterprising 
 citizens as are to be found in the State, 
 among whom stands prominent the firm 
 of Mizener & Orth, dealers in general 
 hardware, etc., of which firm our subject 
 is a member. 
 
 Mr. Orth is a native of Ohio, born 
 December 3, 1854, at Port Clinton, Ot- 
 tawa county, a son of Frank and Mary 
 (Wagoner) Orth, the former of whom was 
 the youngest of six brothers who emi- 
 grated from Germany to the United 
 States, settling in Detroit, Mich., where 
 they organized a musical band known as 
 
533 
 
 COMMEMORATTVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the "Orth Brothers' Band." John Orth, 
 Sr. , one of these brothers, recently died 
 at Detroit, aged eighty-seven years. 
 Frank Orth married and removed to Port 
 CHnton about the year 1850, and being a 
 shoemaker and harness-maker by trade, 
 worked a number of years for Joseph Syl- 
 vester. In 1 861 he enlisted in the Thir- 
 ty-seventh Regiment, O.V. I., and served 
 as sergeant of a company four years, or 
 to near the close of the war, when on ac- 
 count of sickness he was honorably dis- 
 charged; he died at Port Clinton some 
 time afterward. His widow, who is still 
 residing there, receives a pension. Their 
 children were: Frances, John, Louis and 
 Albert B., of whom Frances married 
 Samuel Wisner, a carpenter at Port Clin- 
 ton, and they have one son living; Louis, 
 a tinner by trade, married Carrie An- 
 drews, daughter of Peter Andi^ews, a pio- 
 neer of Ottawa county, Ohio; Albert B. 
 is a confectioner at Port Clinton, Ohio. 
 
 John Orth, the subject proper of these 
 lines, attended Port Clinton schools only, 
 and at an early age learned the tinner's 
 trade with Harms & Bliss, for whom he 
 worked three years. He was ne.xt em- 
 ployed by Georjje E. Bliss about two 
 years, after which, in 1883, he entered 
 into partnership with Mr. Mizener. they 
 jointly buying out iMr. Bliss, and they 
 have continued together in the hardware 
 business, doing an extensive local and 
 Island trade. Their store building is 
 26x66 feet in dimensions, with additions 
 in the rear 20x 26, 1 8 x 36 and 20 x 30 feet 
 respectively. Politically Mr. Orth is a 
 Republican, and he has held several civic 
 ofhces, such as those of township and cor- 
 poration clerk and treasurer, filling the 
 latter incumbency four years, while at the 
 present time he is a member of the board 
 of education. Socially he is affiliated 
 with the Knights of Honor and National 
 Union; in religious faith the family are 
 identified with the German Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 On December 3, 1878, Mr. Orth was 
 
 married at Port Clinton to Miss Emma C. 
 Harms, a native of that cit)', born in 
 1858, daughter of William and Regina 
 Harms, and their children are Frank W. 
 and Estella May. Mr. and Mrs. Orth 
 are widely known and highly respected in 
 the community in which they live. 
 
 SAMUEL MILLER, senior mem- 
 ber of the firm of Miller & Krei- 
 lick, manufacturers of lumber and 
 cooperage stock, and an enter- 
 prising, successful business man of Salem 
 township, Ottawa county, was born in 
 Schuylkill county. Penn., August 3,1841, 
 to Samuel and Polly (Zimmerman) Miller, 
 both natives of Pennsylvania, who set- 
 tled in Rice township, Sandusky county, 
 in the year 1858, and were honored and 
 respected residents of that county for 
 many years. Their family consisted of 
 eleven children, nine of whom are yet 
 living: Nathan, residing in Sandusky 
 county, Ohio; William, residing in Uecatur, 
 Ind. ; Mary, now the wife of Solomon 
 Linn, residing in Decatur, Ind. ; Samuel, 
 our subject; Fiana, wife of David Davis, 
 of Fremont, Sandusky Co., Ohio; Isaac, 
 residing in Ottawa county; Rebecca, now 
 the wife of Samuel Leaser, of Sandusky 
 county; Ella, wife of Wallace Bloom, of 
 Bethlehem, Northampton Co., Penn.; 
 and David, who resides on the homestead 
 farm in Rice township, Sandusky county. 
 Both the parents have now been laid to 
 rest. 
 
 The subject of this sketch received 
 but the meager educational advantages of 
 a frontier period. He attended the Ger- 
 man schools of Pennsylvania for a short 
 time; but his English education has been 
 acquired chietly through his own personal 
 efforts. When but a young lad he ap- 
 prenticed himself to the trade of a car- 
 penter, at which he worked until 1861, 
 when he enlisted in Companj- G, Eighth 
 V. I., for ninety days, and when his term 
 of service had expired, having decided to 
 
COMMEMORArrVE BTOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 539 
 
 abandon military life, he catne to Salem 
 township and engaged in the lumbering 
 business, and he has been a continuous 
 resident of the township for about thirty 
 years. 
 
 In July, 1869, Mr. Miller was married 
 to Miss Amelia Kreilick, a daughter of 
 Adam and Elizabeth (Reit/) Kreilick, and 
 to this union have been born four chil- 
 dren, viz.: Cassie E., wife of Edward 
 Gordon, of Oak Harbor; Cora Alice, now 
 the wife of Charles Fought, also of Oak 
 Harbor;Alvesta,now the wife of Laurence 
 Leiser, and Adam Franklin, both of 
 whom reside on the home place. During 
 his long residence in Salem township Mr. 
 Miller has made many warm friends, who 
 recognize in him a man of sound judg- 
 ment and of upright character. In his 
 political affiliations our subject is an active 
 supporter of the Democratic party; soci- 
 ally, he is a member of Oak Harbor Lodge 
 No. 495, F. &. A. M. 
 
 CHARLES E. PAYNE, for the past 
 fifteen years a successful and popu- 
 lar druggist of Port Clinton, Ot- 
 tawa county, is a native of Ohio, 
 born Dec. 4, 1857, in Portage township, 
 Ottawa county, son of Norval W. and 
 Elizabeth (Rhodes) Payne, well-to-do 
 farming people of English descent, who 
 moved to Ohio from Winchester, Va. , in 
 which State the first of the family to come 
 from England settled. 
 
 Charles E. Payne's grandfather states 
 (February 26, 1854, in his eighty-first 
 year) that his great-grandfather was 
 kidnapped from England, and brought to 
 America, probably about the year 1700 
 (hisgiven name is missing). His son George 
 married Rachel Cowgill, of Pennsylvania, 
 and their son Henry, one of nine children, 
 married Elizabeth Kootz, who came from 
 Germany about 1764. Their son Jesse, 
 one of nine children, was twice married, 
 first time to Martha Dunn, by whom he 
 had nine children, of whom Martha (who 
 
 married William Gill) and Elizabeth (who 
 married Irving Johnson) lived and left de- 
 scendants in the vicinity of Port Clinton, 
 Ohio. Jesse Payne's second marriage was 
 with Jane Long, a widow, and nine chil- 
 dren were born to them, of whom Benja- 
 min D., Norval Wilson, Isaac N. and A. 
 Clarke came to Port Clinton, and engaged 
 in farming. Benjamin D. died in 1864; 
 Isaac N. still lives on a farm adjacent to 
 Port Clinton; A. Clarke moved to Wichita, 
 Kans., in 1882. 
 
 Norval Wilson, father of the subject 
 of this sketch, was born in Virginia in 
 1829, and about 1848 came to Ohio, 
 where he met and married Elizabeth 
 Rhodes. She was born in Winchester, 
 Va. , in 1828, and was one of seven chil- 
 dren of William Rhodes, who came from 
 near Leeds, England. Norval W. and 
 Elizabeth (Rhodes) Payne had a family 
 of seven children, named respectively: 
 William, Thomas Wilbur, Charles E., 
 Angelina Belle, Joseph Clark, Jennie E. 
 and Albert S ; of whom, William died in 
 infancy; Thomas Wilbur married Jennie 
 Elvvell, lives on part of the old home- 
 stead in Portage township, and has one 
 child — Estelle; Angelina B. married Frank 
 Lander, city draughtsman, Cleveland, 
 Ohio, and has one child, \\'illiam; Joseph 
 Clark married Gladis McDowell, at Port 
 Clinton, follows farming on a part of the 
 old homestead, and has one child — Earl 
 P. ; Jennie E. married Burt Mooreland, 
 and lives in Idaho Springs, Colo. ; Albert 
 S. is a physician and surgeon at East 
 Lake, Manistee Co., Michigan. 
 
 The subject of these lines, whose 
 name appears at the opening, grew to 
 manhood on his father's farm, attending 
 the district schools, and, later, the schools 
 of Port Clinton. He then took a three- 
 years' course at Baldwin University, 
 Berea, Ohio, and later attended the Uni- 
 versity of Michigan, from which latter 
 institution he graduated in pharmacy in 
 1880 Returning to Port Clinton in that 
 year, he bought the drug store of George 
 
540 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 M. Thayer, where he has continued in 
 business during the last fifteen jears with 
 good success. He was married in 1882 
 at Ann Arbor, Mich., to Miss Mary EHza- 
 beth Snell, only daughter of E. W. and 
 May (Congdon) Snell. Mr. Payne is a 
 member of the Knights of Pythias, and of 
 the National Union. In politics he has 
 alwas been a Republican, and in religious 
 faith he is identified with the Methodist 
 Church. 
 
 FRED \V. CAMPER, proprietor of 
 the leading grocery business in 
 Port Clinton, Ottawa county, is a 
 native of Ohio, born at Cincin- 
 nati, March 12, 1855, a son of F. W. 
 and Frederika (Kramer) Camper. 
 
 In Berlin, Germany, our subject's 
 father had been coachman for the Em- 
 peror Frederick William, and in 1S47 he 
 emigrated to America, locating at Cincin- 
 nati, Ohio, in the suburbs of which city 
 he followed gardening till 1886, when he 
 removed to Genoa, where he still resides, 
 now (1895) aged eighty years, having 
 been born in 1815. His wife was born 
 in 1822, and died January 25, 1892. 
 They had seven children who grew to 
 maturity, named respectively: Charles F., 
 Henry F., Lucy, Fred W., John A., Liz- 
 zie and William H. Of these, Charles 
 F. , who is an employe at the Carbon 
 Works, at Fremont, Ohio, married Car- 
 rie Dryer, and they have four children; 
 Henry F., a farmer on the old homestead 
 at Genoa, married Eliza Hoch, and has 
 five children; Lucy was married in 1871 
 to Henry Hotho, who for several years 
 has been foreman in a malt house at Buf- 
 falo, N. Y. , and they have seven children; 
 John A., a farmer of Genoa, married 
 Rosa Ernst, and has two children; Lizzie 
 married August Reeman, and lives on the 
 home farm; William H., a dry-goods 
 merchant of Genoa, married Clara Enich, 
 and they have two children. 
 
 Fred W. Camper, of whom this 
 
 sketch pertains, attended the common 
 schools of Genoa, Ottawa county, until 
 he was eighteen years of age, and re- 
 mained on his father's farm until he was 
 twenty-four. In 1 880, in partnership 
 with his brother Charles F. , he embarked 
 in mercantile business at Genoa, Ottawa 
 county, but after five years sold out to 
 William Habbler. In the fall of 1884 he 
 was elected county recorder of Ottawa 
 county, and held that office si.x years. In 
 1 890 he went into the wholsale fish busi- 
 ness, as member of the firm of Bense, 
 Camper & Co., but at the end of one year 
 he sold out to William E. Bense, and 
 then traveled on the road for the whole- 
 sale house of J, L. Anthony & Co., of 
 Sandusky, Ohio, two years, after which 
 he opened the retail grocery in Port Clin- 
 ton, of which he is sole proprietor. 
 
 On September 21, 1882, Mr. Camper 
 was united in marriage with Miss Lutie 
 E. Cole, a lady of Scotch descent, daugh- 
 ter of William L. and Margaret (Mc- 
 Ritchie) Cole, the former of whom is now 
 deceased, and three children have blessed 
 their union, their names and dates of 
 birth being as follows: Clara M., July 4, 
 1884; Nellie H., June 17, 1885, and Carl 
 Eugene, June 27, 1888, the first named 
 born at Genoa, the other two at Port Clin- 
 ton. In religious faith the family are con- 
 necled with the M. E. Church, though 
 Mr. Camper himself was reared a Lu- 
 theran. He is a member of the I. O. 
 O. F. , subordinate Lodge and Encamp- 
 ment, and of the National Union; politic- 
 ally he is a Democrat. 
 
 GUSTAVUS JAEGER, senior mem- 
 ber of the firm of Jaeger & Geor- 
 gii, the leading hardware mer- 
 chants of Elmore, Ottawa county, 
 was born in Wurtemburg, Germany, 
 April 30, 1838, and is a son of Dr. 
 Frederick and Louisa (Unger") Jaeger, also 
 natives of the Kingdom of Wurtemburg. 
 The father with his two eldest sons, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGItAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 541 
 
 emigrated to America in 1843. locating in 
 Albany, N. Y. , where lie was joined the 
 following year by his wife and the re- 
 maining members of the family. In the 
 fall of 1845 the family removed to Wood - 
 ville, Ohio, where the father engaged in 
 the practice of his profession, and earned 
 the reputation of being one of the most 
 skillful practitioners in his day. He went 
 to Prairie du Chien, Wis., in 1S66, and 
 there continued in practice for two years, 
 when he came to Elmore, where he con- 
 tinued to prosecute his profession up to 
 within a short time of his death. He 
 passed peacefully away December 1 3, 
 1878, and his faithful wife had gone to 
 her final rest a few months previous, dy- 
 ing September 2, same year. Their 
 memory will long be cherished by their 
 friends and relatives who are the better 
 for their having lived. Both the Doctor 
 and his wife were people of culture and 
 taste, kind and benevolent, esteemed by 
 all who knew them, and popular members 
 of society. 
 
 Our subject was but si.x years old 
 when he came to America, and received 
 most of his literary education in the dis- 
 trict schools of Woodville. In 1854 he 
 entered the store of Charles Powers as 
 salesman, and after filling that position for 
 one year went to O.xford, Marquette Co., 
 Wis., where he was engaged in the same 
 capacity in the store of Pettibone & 
 Jaeger until 1862, when he became a 
 resident of Neenah, \\'is. , for a year. In 
 August, 1862, Mr. Jaeger enlisted in 
 Company I, Twenty-first Wis. V. I., of 
 which he was chosen orderly sergeant in 
 May, 1863, and the following month 
 was commissioned lieutenant. At the 
 battle of Chickamauga, September 20, 
 1863, he was wounded, after which he re- 
 turned to Woodville, Ohio, on a fur- 
 lough, where his wounds were attended 
 to by his father. On his recovery in Jan- 
 uary, 1864, he rejoined his regiment, 
 which went with Sherman's army on the 
 campaign from Chattanooga to Atlanta, 
 
 and after the capture of Atlanta was on 
 the famous march to the sea, and served 
 until the close of the war. During his 
 service Mr. Jaeger participated in many 
 important engagements, among which 
 were the battles of Perry ville (Ky.), Stone 
 River (Tenn.), and Chickamauga, the 
 capture of Savannah (Ga), and was with 
 his regiment at the surrender of Johnston 
 and his army at Raleigh. N. C, besides 
 which he was in many other battles and 
 skirmishes. After the close of the war 
 the regiment marched from North Caro- 
 lina by way of Richmond, Va., to Wash- 
 ington, D. C, where it took part in the 
 grand review of Sherman's army and the 
 army of the Potomac. 
 
 After being mustered out at Milwau- 
 kee, Wis., June i, 1865, Mr. Jaeger went 
 to Portage City, that State, where he be- 
 came a salesman in the store of Petti- 
 bone & Jaeger; but in the following Oc- 
 tober returned to Ohio, and in Woodville 
 commenced business on his own account 
 in connection with P. Smith, under the 
 firm name of Smith & Jaeger. In the 
 fall of 1867 the business was removed to 
 Boscobel, Wis.; but, in the succeeding 
 January, Mr. Jaeger retired from the 
 firm and came to Elmore, Ohio. In 
 April, however, he went to Lodi. Wis., 
 where he formed a partnership with his 
 brother Ernest, purchasing the interest 
 of a Mr. Pettibone. That connection was 
 continued until April, 1870, at which 
 time our subject again came to Elmore, 
 and in June of the same year embarked 
 in his present business, having the largest 
 and most complete stock of hardware in 
 the place. He is ranked to-day among 
 the solid business men of Ottawa county, 
 and besides his store in Elmore, he also 
 has a branch house in Genoa, which was 
 established in 1876. It is conducted un- 
 der the firm style of Jaeger & Bryant, 
 Mr. Bryant being the manager. 
 
 At Woodville, Ohio, Mr. Jaeger was 
 united in marriage January 26, 1869, 
 with Miss Helen A. Powers, who wa§ 
 
542 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 born near that city, October lo, 1848, a 
 daughter of Charles and Lydia A. (Banks) 
 Powers. Six children blessed their union, 
 their names and dates of birth being as 
 follows: Lucy P., September 25, 1870; 
 Wilhelmina, March 14, 1872, died April 
 22. 1884; C. Ernest, July 12, 1876; 
 Caroline L. , F"ebruary 29, 1880; Julia 
 H., June 5, 18S2; and Mary Margaret, 
 January 2, 1892, died on the 17th of the 
 same month. Mr. Jaeger takes an active 
 interest in the welfare and advancement 
 of the community in which he lives, has 
 filled the office of township treasurer, and 
 served as a member of the board of edu- 
 cation for twelve years. He is a charter 
 member of Elmore Lodge, No. 462, I. 
 O. O. P., and also a member of Robert 
 A. Caldwell Post, No. 439, G. A. R. 
 With the Presbyterian Church he and his 
 family hold membership, and in its work 
 he takes a deep interest; also takes an 
 active part in Sunday-school work in the 
 county, and has been president of the 
 county S. S. Association for twelve years, 
 or more. Politically Mr. Jaeger's views 
 were in accordance with those of the 
 Democratic party for many years, but for 
 the past twelve years he has been an ard- 
 ent worker in the ranks of the Prohibi- 
 tion party. True to his friends, true to 
 his principles, and unyielding in his de- 
 fense of right and justice, his high character 
 and integrity are appreciated by all who 
 know him or have business relations with 
 him, and his genial manner has won him 
 hosts of friends among all classes of citi- 
 zens. As a soldier he did valiant service 
 for his adopted country, and as a citizen 
 he is equally loyal. 
 
 Mrs. Jaeger's maternal grandmother, 
 Mrs. Pamelia (Phillips) (Banks) Warriner, 
 was born February 12, 1809, in Peters- 
 burg, N. Y., daughter of Elisha and Mary 
 (Lewis) Phillips. She was married Jan- 
 uary I, 1826, to David B. Banks, who 
 died in 1838, and in 1867 she married Mr. 
 Warriner, who died in 1879. She is now 
 making her home with Mr. and Mrs. 
 
 Jaeger, and at the advanced age of eighty- 
 six is enjoying good health. She was a 
 pioneer of Seneca and Sandusky counties, 
 having lived there at a time when the vil- 
 lage of Woodville was unknown, and the 
 county was still a wilderness and a swamp. 
 Her father was born about 1782, her 
 mother in March, 1791, and he was 
 drowned in the Conewango creek, Penn- 
 sylvania, in 1840, she dying in 1886; he 
 served a short time in the war of 1S12. 
 Mrs. Warriner's paternal grandfather, 
 'Squire Phillips, was born about 1752, 
 and he and his wife, Anna (Gates), died 
 in Pennsylvania, she preceding him sev- 
 eral years to the grave. Her maternal 
 grandfather, Augustus Lewis, was born 
 about 1735, in Rhode Island, his wife. 
 Ester Lewis, about 1745; both died in 
 Petersburg, New York. 
 
 CHARLES D. JOHNSON. Pomi- 
 ncnt among the enterprising, pros- 
 perous and progressive fruit grow- 
 ers of Danbury township, Ottawa 
 county, who, by willing heart and hands, 
 have attained an eviable position in the 
 histor}' of Ottawa county, stands the 
 gentleman whose name here appears. 
 
 He was born in the town of West- 
 brook, Middlesex Co., Conn., May 13, 
 1835, and is a son of William and Har- 
 riet (Hill) Johnson, who were also both 
 natives of the Nutmeg State. The father 
 died at Northford, Conn. , when Charles was 
 but a youth, the mother coming to Dan- 
 bury township soon after he had located 
 here, and passed away at his home, April 
 23, 1894, at the very advanced age of 
 ninety-one years. In the family were five 
 children, three of whom still survive: 
 Charles D. ; Frederick A. , a prominent resi- 
 dent of Danbury township; and William 
 G., who makes his home in Canada. 
 
 Our subject was reared to manhood 
 in his native town amidst the surround- 
 ings of a comfortable home, and received 
 the advantages of a liberal common- 
 
COMMEMORATIVK BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 543 
 
 school education. Since early life he has 
 followed the vocations of fishing and farm- 
 ing, but of lateyearshas devoted thegreatcr 
 part of his time to fruit culture, which he 
 at present conducts on an extensive scale. 
 In 1S58 he located in Danbury township, 
 and for thirty-seven years has now been a 
 continuous resident, during which time he 
 has done much toward developing the re- 
 sources of the county, ever taking an act- 
 ive part in all matters having for their 
 object the advancement of the interests of 
 the county and township. 
 
 In Danbur}' township, February 13, 
 1859, Mr. Johnson was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Harriet Hartshorn, who 
 was born in that township December 27, 
 1837, a daughter of Wyatt and Jane 
 (Kelly) Hartshorn. To this union were 
 born seven children, six of whom are yet 
 living, as follows: Etta, born May 20, 
 i860, is the wife of Emanuel Jesse, a 
 resident of Danbury township; Lottie, 
 born November 18, 1862, is the wife of 
 W. D. Preston, and they also make their 
 home in Danbury township; Dewitt C, 
 born July 6, 1864, lives at Lakeside, 
 Ottawa county; Irwin C, born October 
 23, 1865, is a resident of Pennsylvania; 
 Fletcher H., born September 26, 1870, 
 is at present in Oregon; and Gertrude, 
 born November 10, 1871, is a teacher in 
 the Lakeside High School. 
 
 Mr. Johnson is a firm Republican in 
 politics, always casting his ballot with 
 that party, and socially is a member of 
 Castle Rock Lodge, Knights of the Golden 
 Rule, of Lakeside. The family attend the 
 Congregational Church, and are classed 
 among the best people of the community, 
 worthy of any distinction that may be 
 conferred upon them. 
 
 JOHN LUCKEY has the distinction 
 of being the first white person born 
 in Ottawa county, his natal day be- 
 ing April 6, 1824. His parents were 
 John and Anna (Wolfly) Luckey. His 
 
 maternal grandfather was a native of 
 France, his maternal grandmother of 
 Germany. 
 
 He is the owner oi one of the largest 
 and finest farms in the county of his na- 
 tivity. The valuable tract of land of 160 
 acres on which he now makes his home 
 has been entirely cleared and developed 
 by him. He cut down the timber, dug 
 up the stumps, plowed, planted and 
 fenced his land, and in the course of time 
 rich fields of grain replaced the once wild 
 tract. He also erected a fine brick resi- 
 dence, spacious barns and other outbuild- 
 ings which are models of convenience. 
 As time passed and his financial resources 
 increased owing to his well-directed ef- 
 forts and good business ability, he was 
 enabled to add to his farm and by pur- 
 chase extended its bounderies until it now 
 comprises nearly 500 acres. Much of 
 this he rents in order that he may be free 
 from the care of the place and enjoy a 
 more quiet life, together with the fruits of 
 his former toil. His home has always been 
 in Harris township, and his life has ever 
 been a busy one, devoted to his business 
 interests and his family. He has won the 
 prosperity that comes from honest labor, 
 and gained the confidence and good will 
 of all with whom he has come in contact. 
 In politics he is a supporter of the Repub- 
 lican party. 
 
 His wife was born in Sandusky coun- 
 ty, Ohio, July 28, 1833, and was educated 
 in the public schools of Fremont. In 1850 
 she became a resident of Port Clinton, 
 and in 185 1 was married to George E. 
 Bell, of Sandusky City, by whom she had 
 one son, George E., who is now in busi- 
 ness in Toledo. They became residents 
 of Illinois, where Mr. Bell soon after de- 
 parted this life. In 1858 was celebrated 
 the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Luckey, in 
 Elmore, Ohio, and their union has been 
 blessed with three children: Delia C. , 
 who was born October 31, 1859, now the 
 wife of John N. Magee, a banker of El- 
 more; Oscar L., born April 20, i86i, and 
 
544 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 Rebecca M., born May i, 1863, and died 
 September 16, 1870. The eldest daugh- 
 ter pursired a course of stud\- in Oberlin 
 College. 
 
 Mrs. Luckey's father, Halsey Forger- 
 son, was born February 3, 1789, in 
 Orange county, N. Y. , and on January 3, 
 1830, married Caroline Camp, who was 
 born August 14, 1804, daughter of David 
 Camp, who was born in 1778. His wife 
 was born in 1787, and they became the 
 parents of ten children, all now deceased 
 with the exception of a daughter, who 
 reached the ripe old age of ninety-one 
 years, dying September 30, 1895. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Forgerson had a family of four 
 children, and the sur\iving representatives 
 are Mrs. Ann Luckey and Mrs. Emily 
 Beach. One brother, Oscar Forgerson, 
 D. D. S., was born April 13, 1831, and 
 died April 28, 1859, while Halsey F., 
 born September 24, 1840, died August 
 28, 1843. The father of this family 
 passed away in 1840, but Mrs. Forgerson 
 died since this was written, September 
 30. 1895. 
 
 JOSEPH W. SYLVESTER, who at 
 the advanced age of eighty-five jears 
 is in the enjoyment of good health 
 and possessed of a freshness and 
 vigor seldom seen in octogenarians, is a 
 native of New Jersey, born April 6, 1810, 
 in Essex county. 
 
 He is a son of Obadiah and Mary 
 (Wallen) Sylvester, who were of English 
 descent, and the parents of children as 
 follows: Hannah, Sarah, Benjamin, Oba- 
 diah, Jr., Wallen. Joel, Matilda. John. 
 William. Phebe Ann. Susan Maria. Joseph 
 W. , and three who died in infancy. 
 Twelve of these grew to maturity, most 
 of them marrying in Ohio, and their de- 
 scendants settled in different parts of the 
 West — Obadiah in Tennessee and Wallen 
 in Texas. In 18 14 the family, after the 
 death of the father, moved to Franklin 
 county, Ohio, where the mother died in 
 
 1823. and our subject lived nine years, 
 thence removing to Licking county, thence 
 to Delaware county, remaining three j-ears 
 in each, after which, in 1828, he went to 
 near Fremont, Sandusky county, and 
 from there, in 1830, to Port Clinton, 
 where he has since made his home. Oba- 
 diah Sjlvester, father of our subject, died 
 in Licking county, Ohio, when the latter 
 was five years old. He was a Revolu- 
 tionary soldier from his native State, Ver- 
 mont, serving seven years, as did also 
 three of his brothers. When they ex- 
 pressed a desire to fight for the independ- 
 ence of their country their mother ex- 
 claimed: "Go, my sons, and fight for 
 your Country and Liberty! " 
 
 Joseph W. Sylvester, the subject pro- 
 per of these lines, learned the tanning 
 business with his brother William in Dela- 
 ware county, Ohio, and afterward worked 
 for him in Port Clinton from 1830 to 
 1840, in which latter year he was elect- 
 ed county treasurer, serving one term. 
 Afterward, from 1844 to i860, he car- 
 ried on a boot and shoe business, and 
 from i860 to 1872 a harness business in 
 the same city, when, having been appoint- 
 ed deputy United States collector of cus- 
 toms for the port of Clinton, he retired 
 from the trade, and for eight years, from 
 1872 to 1880, filled that incumbency. 
 Since the year 1868 he has been fire in- 
 surance agent, representing the " Home," 
 of Columbus, the " Clevelanti," of Cleve- 
 land, Ohio, and the " Star, "of New York. 
 He now represents the "Phenix," of 
 Brooklyn, and the "Pueen," of New 
 York. 
 
 On March i. 1S49. Mr. Sylvester was 
 married at Toledo, Ohio, to Mi.ss Eliza 
 Correll, who was born in Tuscarawas 
 county, Ohio, April i, 1826, daughter of 
 Daniel and Sarah (Officer) Correll. The 
 children of this union were Hattie E., 
 John Wesley, Mary Eva, Edward J., El- 
 mer G., and Susan M.. only the first two 
 of whom are now living. Hattie E. is 
 living with her parents at the old home- 
 
COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 545 
 
 stead; John W., who is a conductor on 
 the L. S. & M. S. R. R. was married in 
 187S, at Port Clinton, to Lucy Gates, by 
 whom he has three children — William 
 Ray, Nora and Wailen Joseph. Our sub- 
 ject and his faithful wife have been resi- 
 dents of Port Clinton a great many years, 
 as will be seen, and are held in universal 
 respect. They are consistent and promi- 
 nent members of the M. E. Church, at 
 Port Clinton, which they joined in 1841 ; 
 in politics Mr. Sylvester was originally a 
 whig, arterward, on the organization of 
 the party becoming an equally ardent Re- 
 publican. 
 
 WILLIAM A. HOLBROOK. As 
 an earl}' pioneer of this State, a 
 well-known agriculturist of Clay 
 township, and a brave veteran 
 of the Civil war, the subject of this sketch 
 is well worthy of place in this volume, in 
 which is preserved the record of many of 
 the men who have aided in placing the 
 " Buckeye State " in the proud position 
 which she now holds. A man who has 
 seen many vicissitudes of fortune, yet has 
 always borne himself courageously, this 
 honored citizen, with the faithful wife, 
 who has traveled by his side without fal- 
 tering for these many years, is now tak- 
 ing his ease, happily enjoj'ing the sunset 
 of life after the heat and burden of the 
 day. 
 
 Our subject is the son of Josiah G. 
 and Clarissa (Felton) Holbrook, who 
 were natives of Massachusetts and Penn- 
 sylvania, respectively, and his birth took 
 place in Groton township, Huron (now 
 Erie) county, Ohio, March 12, 1823. 
 His education was very limited, as the 
 school facilities at that early day were 
 exceedingly meagre. A rough log cabin 
 with puncheon floor and slab seats, with 
 an aperture between logs, covered with 
 greased paper doing duty for windows, 
 very few and simple text books and a 
 teacher who probably knew but little 
 
 more than the pupils, were not great in- 
 centives to learning; yet from such school- 
 houses have emanated some of the great 
 minds who have controlled the nation. 
 At twelve years of age our subject was 
 thought old enough to take up the burden 
 of life, and began work on the farm with 
 his father. At this he labored until eigh- 
 teen 3'ears old, when he learned the trade 
 of a blacksmith, serving as an apprentice 
 for five years. He then worked as a 
 journeyman for a year and a half, when 
 his eyesight became affected and he was 
 forced to give up the business. He next 
 took up the trade of a carpenter and 
 builder, although he had no previous 
 knowledge of it, and also worked as a 
 shipwright for a period of three years. 
 He then tried sailing on the lakes, and at 
 one time commanded a boat plying on 
 the Wabash Canal. In 1852, he went 
 to Michigan, where he took any employ- 
 ment that came to hand, from that of a 
 common laborer, to that of a contractor 
 and builder. He remained there until 
 enlisting September 3, 1862, in Company 
 A, Third Michigan Cavalry. With his 
 regiment he traveled over a good portion 
 of the Southern States, and on March 12, 
 1863, in the engagement at Island No. 
 10, he was shot in the left arm, the bul- 
 let passing through his shoulder and 
 disabling him. He was sent to the hospi- 
 tal, where he remained one month, and 
 then receiving leave of absence, went to 
 his father's house in Sandusky county, 
 where his wife was staying. After the 
 expiration of his month's furlough, he 
 returned to Camp Chase in July, but his 
 wound still being troublesome he was 
 discharged in August, as physically unable 
 for duty. On leaving the army Mr. Hol- 
 brook spent a short time in Sandusky 
 county and then came to Clay township, 
 locating at Genoa, where he was engaged 
 in the cooper's business for three years. 
 At the end of that time he sold out and 
 purchased eighty acres of timberland in 
 a part of the same township, which is now 
 
546 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Allen township. At that time there were 
 only three log cabins in the vicinity, no 
 roads, no schools, nothing to foretell the 
 great future in store for the State and 
 county. With the energy and industry 
 so characteristic of those grand old pio- 
 neers, our subject at once began work, 
 and in a short time had built a cabin and 
 cleared fifteen acres of the land. Be- 
 coming dissatisfied with his location he 
 sold this place and bought forty acres 
 in another part of Clay township. This 
 was also tiiiiberland, and he began the 
 work of carving out a home in the wilder- 
 ness. By degrees the trees were felled, 
 orchards planted, fields tilled and soon a 
 comfortable dwelling house, with its ac- 
 companying barns and outhouses, trans- 
 formed the place into a home worthy its 
 industrious occupants. With his own 
 hands Mr. Holbrook erected all the build- 
 ings upon the f)lace, and with the aid of 
 his devoted wife has secured the pleasant 
 home where they are spending their later 
 years, surrounded by their children, and 
 happy in the consciousness of well-spent 
 hves. 
 
 On August 19, 1849, our subject was 
 married in Sherman township, Huron 
 county, to Miss Nancy Murry, and to them 
 have come four children, viz. : LcwcUa 
 A., born in Huron count)', June i, 1850, 
 died at New Buffalo, Mich., August 29, 
 1857; Naomi, born November 22, 1856, 
 at New Buffalo, and educated in Clay 
 township, was married to George M. 
 Pierson, who was killed in 1892, in a 
 railroad accident at St. Louis (she has one 
 child, Lillia, a graduate teacher at Port 
 Clinton, where they reside); Jennie was 
 born October 9, 1865, in Clay township, 
 where she attended school, and was mar- 
 ried June 8, 1894, to Elmer Rue, who is 
 in the oil business at Gibsonburg, San- 
 dusky county (they have no children); 
 Eleazer M., born April 29, 1869, received 
 his education in Genoa, and was married 
 August 18, 1893. to Eiinna Ulrich, daugh- 
 ter of Charles Ulrich, a farmer of Clay 
 
 township (one child has come to them, 
 Annie Lewella, born May 14, 1895).' 
 
 Josiah G. Holbrook, father of our 
 subject, was born March 8, 1796, in New 
 York State, where he was a farmer. In 
 1815 he came to Ohio, locating in Groton 
 township, Huron (now Erie) county, and 
 fanning there for twelve years; he tfien re- 
 moved to Sandusky county, and there 
 resided until just before his death, 
 which occurred in Michigan in 1882. He 
 was first married in 1815, in the State of 
 New York, to Deborah Olds, by whom he 
 had three children: Alvina, Silas and 
 Rachel. His wife died in Huron county 
 December 17, 1819, and on October 22, 
 1820, he was again married, this time to 
 Clarissa Felton, daughter of John Felton, 
 of Sherman township, Huron county. To 
 this marriage children were born as fol- 
 lows: Deborah, July 17, 1S21 (died No- 
 vember 25, 1 822); William A., March 12, 
 1823; Erastus F., November 21, 1824; 
 Lucinda, September 2, 1826 (died August 
 25, 1827); Margaret, July 24, 1828; So- 
 phia, March 26, 1832; Josiah. born July 
 10, 1830 (died in 1851); Samuel, April 
 25, 1836 (died October 25, 1836); Henry, 
 born August 26, 1838; one child died in 
 infancy. The mother of this family died 
 in Sandusky count}' in May, 1872. 
 
 James Murry, the father of Mrs. Will- 
 iam Holbrook, was a native of Ireland, 
 and came to this country when a lad of 
 sixteen, learning the blacksmith's trade in 
 New York, and working there until com- 
 ing to Ohio, where he located in Huron 
 county and followed his trade. He was 
 married about 18 14 to Miss Almira Slater, 
 and they became the parents of five chil- 
 dren, viz. : John, Naomi, Nancy (Mrs. 
 Holbrook), James, and Eleazer (who died 
 in April, 1865). Mr. Murry died in 1840 
 in Huron county. His wife passed away 
 July 20, 1895, at the ripe old age of 
 eighty-nine years. 
 
 Mr. Holbrook is a strong supporter of 
 the Republican party, from principle, and 
 has no aspirations for office, never having; 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 547 
 
 accepted even the smallest gift in that 
 way that could be conferred upon him. 
 He is content to do his duty for the sake 
 of right, and commands the respect and es- 
 teem of all who know him. He belongs to 
 Elliott Wyman Post No. 39, G. A. R., and 
 in religious connection both he and his wife 
 are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, attending services at Genoa. 
 
 OH. THOMAS, M. D., physician 
 and surgeon, F"remont, Sandusky 
 county, was born in Findlay, Han- 
 cock Co., Ohio, January 14, 1859, 
 a son of James B. and Louisa H. (Ab- 
 rams) Thomas. 
 
 The father of our subject, a native of 
 Virginia, was born in 1804, came to Ohio 
 in 1 818, and located in Gallia county. 
 There he remained until after his mar- 
 riage, when he removed to Hancock coun- 
 ty, where he opened up a farm on which 
 he resided until his death, which occurred 
 December 5, 1877. His wife, who was 
 also a Virginian, born of Huguenot ances- 
 try, died at the old homestead in Findlay, 
 April 6, 1863. They had ten children — 
 five sons and five daughters — a record of 
 them being as follows: Nannie is the wife 
 of Alexander S. Skelley, of Ottawa, Ohio; 
 Caroline is the wife of William Ramsey, 
 of Findlay, Ohio; Martha is the wife of 
 William Glauner, also of Findlay, Ohio; 
 Jennie died at the age of nineteen; Hat- 
 tie is the wife of Ambrose Thomas, of 
 McComb, Ohio; John A. is a contractor, 
 of Findlay, Ohio; James N., who was a 
 grocer, of Findlay, Ohio, died Septem- 
 ber 6, 1895; Percy C. , is a farmer, of 
 Findlay, Ohio; Alexander P. is a farmer, 
 of Weston, Ohio;oursubject is the young- 
 est, and all are yet living except Jennie. 
 Dr. Thomas was reared in Findlay, 
 Ohio, educated in the Findlay public 
 schools, the Normal School at Ada. Ohio, 
 also the Ohio University, at Delaware, 
 Ohio, and taught school for four consecu- 
 tive winters in Hancock county. In 1875 
 
 he began the study of medicine, and in 
 1876 he matriculated at the Ohio Medi- 
 cal College, Cincinnati, from which he 
 graduated with the iir.st honors of his 
 class of 104 members, winning the Faculty 
 prize, consisting of a fine microscope, 
 March i, 1882. He located the same 
 year in Fremont, for the practice of medi- 
 cine, and has since built up an extensive 
 clientele. 
 
 On June 6, 1888, Dr. Thomas mar- 
 ried Jennie A. Rawson, youngest daughter 
 of Jos. L. Rawson, whose family history 
 appears elsewhere. Dr. Thomas is a 
 member of the Northwestern Ohio Med- 
 ical Association, also of the Ohio Medical 
 Association, and a charter member of 
 Fremont Lodge, No. 204, Knights of 
 Pythias. 
 
 SAMUEL A. MAGRUDER, man- 
 ager of the S. A. Magruder & Co. 
 banking house. Port Clinton, Ot- 
 tawa county, is a native of that 
 city, born October 8, 1843. 
 
 James H. Magruder, his father, was a 
 native of Maryland, born, in 1820, in 
 Calvert county, where he was reared un- 
 til he was about fifteen years old, his 
 elementary education being received there. 
 He then attended school at W'ashington, 
 D. C. , and at Gambler, Ohio, at which 
 latter city he was graduated. He then 
 studied law in Holmes county, Ohio, 
 where he was admitted to the bar. In 
 1 84 1 he came to Port Clinton, where he 
 practiced law up to the time of his death, 
 which occurred April 15, 1888. He 
 became an important factor in the affairs 
 of Ottawa county, which he served as 
 prosecuting attorney several years. In 
 1874, in connection with his son, Samuel 
 A., he established what is now known as 
 the S. A. Magruder & Co.'s Bank, at Port 
 Clinton, which has always enjoyed the 
 reputation of doing a safe and conserva- 
 tive business. On December 27, 1842, 
 James H. Magruder was married to Miss 
 
548 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHIGAL RECORD. 
 
 Elizabeth Holliiishead, who was born, in 
 1S25, in Ohio, on Portage river, daughter 
 of Samuel and Mary (Myers) Hollinshead, 
 and a family of children was born to this 
 union. The mother is yet living in Port 
 Clinton, hale and hearty, and ever taking 
 a lively interest in the affairs of the 
 family. 
 
 The subject proper of these lines, 
 whose name appears at the opening, at- 
 tended the Port Clinton schools until he 
 was fourteen years old, completing his 
 education at the Sandusky High School, 
 where he was graduated in June, 1859, 
 after which he entered the business house 
 of C. C. Keech, dealer in fur, wool, hides 
 etc., Sandusky. Here he remained some 
 sixteen years, or until 1874, when he re- 
 turned to Port Clinton. Here on July 
 1st, of that year, in conjunction with his 
 father, he opened what is now known as 
 the S. A. Magruder & Co.'s Bank, of 
 which he has since been manager. For 
 several years he has been treasurer of the 
 Port Clinton Board of Education, and has 
 in many other ways proved himself a use- 
 ful and progressive citizen. 
 
 On October 19, 1876, Samuel A. 
 Magruder was united ,in marriage with 
 Miss Ella C. Mott, who was born March 
 14, 185 1, in Upper Sandusky. Ohio, 
 daughter of Judge C. K. Mott, of that 
 city, and three children have been born to 
 them, their names and dates of birth be- 
 ing as follows: Eleanor E., October 19, 
 1S78; Mary Augusta, September 14, 
 1882 (died December 25, 1885); and Jes- 
 sie Dorothea, February 22, 1886. In 
 religious faith Mr. Magruder is an Epis- 
 copalian, but at present is identified with 
 the U. B. Church. 
 
 JOHN H. MAGEE is one of the pio- 
 neers of Ottawa county, not only in 
 the settlement but also in its busi- 
 ness interests. He established the 
 first bank in Ottawa county, and is recog- 
 nized as an able financier whose honor- 
 
 able business methods have gained him 
 the confidence and respect of the entire 
 community. He was born in New York, 
 September 15, 1833, and is a son of 
 James and Mary (Mjers) Magee, the for- 
 mer of whom was born in the Empire 
 State in 1786, the latter at about the 
 same date. In 1838 they emigrated west- 
 ward to Sandusky count}', Ohio, where 
 they purchased a farm and in this State 
 spent their remaining days. The pater- 
 nal grandfather of our subject, who was a 
 native of Scotland, when only ten years 
 of age ran away from home, boarded a 
 man-of-war, and for si.\ years remained 
 on that vessel. He then went to New 
 York City, and spent his remaining days 
 in this country. 
 
 The subject proper of this sketch was 
 reared on the old home farm and ac- 
 quired his education in a log schoolhouse 
 with slab seats and other primitive fur- 
 niture. At the age of twenty he started 
 out in life for himself, buying his time 
 of his father. He was first employed as 
 a laborer on the Lake Shore railroad, help- 
 ing to grade the southern division. W'hen 
 this was completed he secured a clerk- 
 ship with C. H. Haines, of Fremont, 
 Ohio, for whom he worked two years, 
 and was then employed by another firm 
 of the same place for si.\ years. While 
 residing there he was married, in 1856, to 
 Miss Anna Shepard, of Huron county, 
 Ohio, and to them was born a son, John 
 N., in 1857. He is now serving as cash- 
 ier in the Bank of Elmore, and is a pro- 
 gressive business man. He married the 
 only daughter of John Lucky, who was 
 the first white male child born in Ottawa 
 county. Mrs. Magee died in 1855, and 
 in 1858 Mr. Magee was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Sarah Tench, of Erie coun- 
 ty, Ohio, and to them have been born 
 four children: Cyrus, Clarence, Ralph 
 and Grace. 
 
 In 1 86 1 Mr. Magee removed from 
 Fremont to Hessville, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio, where he engaged in merchandis- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 549 
 
 ing, but his residence in that place cov- 
 ered a period of only fifteen months. He 
 then sold out and came to Elmore, where 
 he bought out Mr. Rider, and in 1864 
 established himself again in the mercan- 
 tile business, which he continued until a 
 period of fifteen years had elapsed. Once 
 more he sold out, and his next enterprise 
 was in the grain and pork business, buy- 
 ing and selling on an extensive scale for 
 six years. He then extended his opera- 
 tions by adding to this the banking bus- 
 iness, and controlled both interests for 
 two years; but finding his attention large- 
 ly taken up with the latter, he placed the 
 grain business in care of his son, while he 
 is devoting his energies to banking. He 
 also owns a large stave factory, which 
 is managed by his younger son. He 
 is a highly enterprising and successful 
 business man, whose careful management, 
 well-directed efforts and honorable deal- 
 ing have won him the confidence of all 
 concerned, and made him one of the 
 most successful of Ottawa county's citi- 
 zens. He is highly esteemed, and his 
 fellow townsmen showed their apprecia- 
 tion of his worth and ability by electing 
 him to the office of county treasurer of 
 Ottawa county, in which capacity he 
 served for four years, discharging his 
 duties with credit to himself and satisfac- 
 tion to his constituents. 
 
 JOHN NEWMAN, retired farmer, of 
 Fremont, Sandusky county, is a 
 native of York county, Penn., born 
 in November, 1809, son of John and 
 Eve (Brenneman) Newman. 
 
 John Newman, Sr. , who was a weaver, 
 died in York county at the age of sixty, 
 and his wife passed away in Sandusky 
 county, Ohio, when aged eighty. His 
 (John's) father, Henry Newman, was 
 born in Saxony, emigrated to America 
 and settled in New York State. John 
 Newman, Sr. , was drafted in the war of 
 i8i2, at Little York, Penn., and saw 
 
 some military service. His children were: 
 Michael, a grocer and baker, who died in 
 Fremont at the age of thirty-two; John, 
 our subject; Lydia, who died unmarried 
 at the age of twenty-six; Polly, who died 
 in Pennsylvania, wife of John Carr; and 
 Catharine, who first married David Bur- 
 ger (who was sheriff of Sandusky county 
 two terms), and after his death wedded 
 Patrick Graham, who died at Toledo, 
 Ohio, in 1873. 
 
 John Newman, our subject, was 
 reared in Pennsylvania up to the age of 
 twenty years, and had charge of a distil- 
 lery. In 1S36 he came to Ohio, locat- 
 ing at Tiffin, the following spring coming 
 to Lower Sandusky, in which village he 
 established a grocery and provision store. 
 About the year 1S40, when his brother 
 died, he sold out and he and his sisters 
 found work in other places. On April 8, 
 1841, he married at Fremont, Ohio, 
 Margaretta Livingstine, of Canton, Ohio, 
 who was born January 31, 1822. She 
 was a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth 
 (Wymen) Livingstine, natives of Alsace, 
 France, and members of the Lutheran 
 Church, who came to America, and set- 
 tled in Riley township, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio, where the father died at the age of 
 seventy-seven, and the mother when sixty- 
 eight years of age. They had a family 
 of seven children: Sarah, wife of George 
 Hilt, of Sandusky county (both now de- 
 ceased); Lizzie, who died in childhood 
 on the ocean; Barbara, deceased wife of 
 Henry Huffman, of Jackson township; 
 Margaretta, wife of our subject; Anna, 
 who died in childhood; Elizabeth, de- 
 ceased wife of George Hendricks; and 
 Charles, living in Riley township. Mrs. 
 John Newman's grandfather, Charles 
 Livingstine, was mayor of a small village 
 in Germany for about thirty years. He 
 was an Englishman by birth, and settled 
 in Alsace to avoid service in the English 
 army; he and his wife, Barbara, died in 
 Germany. 
 
 John Newman and his wife have lived 
 
550 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 on the same lot, No. 621 Croghan street, 
 Fremont, ever since their marriage, a 
 period of fifty-five years. He followed 
 farming and dealing in real estate; bought 
 new farms, cleared them up, made im- 
 provements, sold the timber, and then 
 disposed of the farms at a profit, and he 
 is now classed as one of the wealthy citi- 
 zens of Fremont. The children of John 
 and Margaretta Newman were: John, 
 born March 31, 1842, and died in 1880; 
 Catharine E.. born August 14, 1845, wife 
 of Charles Boyer, whose children are — 
 Hattie (widow of Eugene Wagner), Jennie 
 (wife of James \\'caver, and has one child 
 — Roy), Minnie (wife of Michael Wolf, 
 and has one child — Hazel Corinne). Katie 
 (wife of James Wolf, and has one child — 
 James, Jr.), Charles, Harry and Burt; 
 Mary L., born July 10, 1847, widow of 
 W^iliiam Forsythe, whose children are 
 John (e.\-deputy county clerk, book- 
 keeper now in June's gristmill; he married 
 Minnie Moore), Robert H. (in the livery 
 business, at Fremont, Ohio; he married 
 Mabel Dieffenbaugh, December 25, 1895); 
 Margaret Evaline (who married Fred 
 Birdsell, May 25, 1895); Lydia Ann, born 
 November 14, 1851, died in September, 
 1885; and Charles J., born November 16, 
 1854, who was educated in the city 
 schools, and attends to the general busi- 
 ness interests of the family (he is unmar- 
 ried). Mr. and Mrs. John Newman are, 
 perhaps, the oldest couple now residing in 
 Fremont. They celebrated their golden 
 wedding April 8, 1891. 
 
 WILLIAM SCHWANE. The sub- 
 ject of this sketch, who resides 
 in Ciibsonburg, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, is the proprietor of a meat 
 market and a sample room, as well as the 
 owner of a farm, and he has been success- 
 ful in all these lines, owing to his energy 
 and perseverance and the reputation 
 which he has acquired as an honest, up- 
 right man. 
 
 He was born October 30, 1850, in 
 Wood count}', this State, a son of Henry 
 and Marie (Westerfeldt) Schwane, natives 
 of Germany. On coming to America 
 they settled in Wood county, and when 
 our subject was a little over one year old 
 his father was killed by a tree falling on 
 him when he was chopping in the woods. 
 The mother was fortunately spared to 
 see her little family grow up to be re- 
 spected citizens, and she died in Decem- 
 ber, 1877, at the age of si.\t3-two years, 
 happy in the consciousness of having 
 reared her children in paths of rectitude, 
 and of having borne the responsibilities of 
 her busy life with unfailing fidelitj'. Her 
 remains rest in Frieding township, W^ood 
 county. The record of the children is 
 as follows: Henry resides in Wood coun- 
 ty; Ernst died in German)'; Kasper died 
 in Wood county; Frank and Fred live in 
 Wood county; \\'illiam is the subject of 
 this sketch. 
 
 Mr. Schwane grew to manhood in the 
 place of his birth, where he accjuired his 
 education at the German Lutheran 
 schools. He has always been an exceed- 
 ingly busy man. For twenty-two years 
 he ran a harvesting machine, and for four 
 years operated a sawmill. He purchased 
 a farm in Madison township, two and a 
 half miles west of Gibsonburg, which he 
 carried on for six years, and still owns 
 eighty acres of land in the center 
 of the great oil region of Ohio. He 
 has sunk two wells on this property which 
 produce twenty barrels of oil per day. 
 
 On May i, 1873, Mr. Schwane was 
 married to Miss Caroline Borckhelding, of 
 Woodville township. Sandusky, county and 
 they have had five children: Carrie, born 
 January 31, 1874, who married Charles 
 Westerhou.se (she died August 6, 1895, 
 leaving one child four months old) ; Henry, 
 who died when a child; Frederick, W'ill- 
 iam and Frank. Mr. Schwane is a man 
 of more than average intelligence and in- 
 formation, and is active and zealous in all 
 things pertaining to the public good. He 
 
\ar>'^ Ly C J^ ^tj a/) i^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BTOGRAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 551 
 
 served for several years as trustee of 
 Madison township, and is the present 
 treasurer of the corporation of Gibson- 
 burg. In pohtics he is a Democrat, and 
 he is a prominent member of the Luther- 
 an Church. He is also president of the 
 German Aid Society. 
 
 w 
 
 ILLIAM B. SHELDON, retired 
 merchant, of Fremont, Sandusky 
 count}', was born in East I^upert, 
 Bennington Co., Vt., Novem- 
 ber 28, 18 18, son of David and Sarah 
 (Dunton) Sheldon. 
 
 DavidjSheldon was born in East Ru- 
 pert, \'t., December i, 1785, was a farm- 
 er by occupation, and died October i, 
 1842, on the larm where he was bcrn. 
 Sarah Dunton was born at Dorset, Ben- 
 nington Co., Vt., November 26, 1790, 
 and died October 11, 1828. Their chil- 
 dren were: Joel, born September 27. 1 8 i i , 
 who was a farmer, and is now li\ing re- 
 tired in the town of Pawlet, \'t. ; William 
 B., our subject; Thaddeus D., born De- 
 cember 5, 1824, died in May, 1855 (he 
 was born in East Rupert, and later lived 
 ill Pawlet, Rutland Co., Vermont). 
 
 William B. Sheldon was reared on a 
 farm at East Rupert until seventeen years 
 old, when he went to Pawlet, Vt., to clerk 
 in a store. He remained there as clerk un- 
 til 1839, when he became a member of 
 the firm of William B. Sheldon & Co., 
 dealers in general merchandise, continu- 
 ing as such for about one year, when he 
 became successor to the firm, and con- 
 ducted the business until 1852, when he 
 sold out. In May, 1853, he located in 
 Fremont, Ohio, becoming a member of 
 the firm of Roberts & Sheldon. deaUrrs 
 in hardware, which partnership lasted 
 until 1869, when both sold out. In 
 1872 Mr. Sheldon became actively inter- 
 ested as a stockholder and worker in the 
 Fremont Car Company. This was subse- 
 (luently changed to The I-'remont Harv- 
 ester Companv, of which Mr. Sheldon 
 35 
 
 was president during its entire existence. 
 He is one of the oldest living merchants 
 of Fremont. In politics he is a Republi- 
 can, and cast his first Presidential vote 
 for William H. Harrison, in 1840. 
 
 In 1 84 1 our subject married Miss 
 Maria Betsey Andrus. a native of New 
 York, who died in February, 1844. On 
 September 17, 1845, he married Miss 
 Esther Ann, daughter of Samuel Hafford, 
 who in the fall of 1835 came to Ballville 
 township, Sandusky county, and settled 
 on a farm where he continued to reside 
 until his death, in 1871. Mrs. Sheldon 
 was born in Hoosick Falls, N. Y. , Sep- 
 tember II, 1823, and died at Fremont, 
 Ohio, October 21, 1887. Mr. Sheldon 
 had no children by his first marriage. 
 The children of the second marriage were 
 — (i) Altie Maria, born June 8, 1852, who 
 was married September 17, 1879, to John 
 P. Bell, and is residing in Fremont; they 
 have two children, Esther L. and Francis 
 S. (2) Harry G. , born June 5, 1855, 
 who is engaged in the lumber business in 
 Fremont; he married October 22, 1879, 
 Miss Alice Huff, and their children are 
 Catharine and William H. 
 
 FRED N. FALLER, proprietor of 
 a leading drug business in Port 
 Clinton, Ottawa county, is a na- 
 tive of Ohio, born at Fremont, 
 Sandusky county, August 30. 1867, son 
 of George F. and Mary (Grund) Faller. 
 The father of subject emigrated from 
 Germany about the year 1854, and after 
 spending some time in New York City 
 came, about the year 1857, to Fremont, 
 Ohio, where he worked at cabinet-making 
 several years with T. S. Tschurny. He 
 afterward built a shop of his own, and 
 was twice burnt out. The rapid manu- 
 facture of furniture by machinery, and its 
 consequent cheapness, at length induced 
 Mr. Faller to give up cabinet-making by 
 hand, and he now lives arc tired life with 
 his family at Fremont. His children 
 
552 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BTOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 were: Edward, born October 2. 1864, 
 died at Fremont at the age of twenty- 
 two; Fred N.. our subject; and Bertha 
 C. , born January 8, 1873, living with her 
 parents. Fred N. attended the schools 
 of Fremont until he was sixteen years old 
 when he commenced an apprenticeship to 
 the drug business in the store of S. Buck- 
 land & Son (now L. W. Buckland), where 
 he remained four years, after which he 
 attended the School of Pharmac)', Michi- 
 gan State University, one year. Return- 
 ing to Ohio, he passed tlie State Phar- 
 maceutical examination successfully, and 
 then for some eighteen months took charge 
 of a drug store at Toledo, Ohio, for Mrs. 
 Fenneberg. He then came to Port Clin- 
 ton, where he had the management of 
 the drug store of Eisenhour & Bleckner, 
 whom he bought out in July, 1890, since 
 when he has been sole proprietor. 
 
 On May i, 1890, Fred N. Fallcr mar- 
 ried Miss Cora E. Mackey, daughter of 
 Louis Mackey. She died in October, 
 1892, and October 4, 1893, Mr. F'aller 
 married Miss Hattie I. Affleck, daughter 
 of William J. and Belle (Duff) .'\fi1eck, 
 the former of whom is secretary of the 
 water works at Sandusky City. Mr. 
 Faller was reared in the faith of the Lu- 
 theran Church; in politics he is a stanch 
 Democrat, has served in the cit}' council 
 of Port Clinton one term, and as a public- 
 spirited, honorable citi/en, he enjoys the 
 highest respect. 
 
 I 
 
 LEANDER S. PORTER, M. D., 
 who has for some years been iinun- 
 iucntly connected with the busi- 
 ness interests of Port Clinton, Ot- 
 tawa count}', in his professional capacity, 
 as well as along other lines of enterprise, 
 is a native of Connecticut, born in New 
 Fairfield, New Fairfield county, October 
 22, 1829. 
 
 His parents, Wheeler and Lydia Ann 
 (Bearss) Porter, were both also natives of 
 Connecticut, whence they migrated west- 
 
 ward, locating in October, 1832, in Dan- 
 bury township, then in Huron county, 
 now Catawba Island township, Ottawa 
 county, when there was but one other 
 white family residing on the Island. 
 There the father engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits and also worked at his trade of 
 shoe making. He carried on farming and 
 engaged in dealing in shoes in Port Clin- 
 ton for several years He was well and 
 favorably known as an expert at his trade, 
 and, as an upright, honorable citizen. 
 He passed away at his home on Catawba 
 Island, April 10, 1888, and his faithful 
 and devoted wife was called to her final 
 rest September 2. 1852. They had a 
 family of three children, of whom Lean- 
 der S. is the only known survivor. One 
 died in infancy, and Augustus W. is sup- 
 posed to have been killed at the battle 
 of the W'ilderness while serving in de- 
 fense of his home and country'. The 
 great-grandfather Hubble, the father of 
 the Doctor's paternal grandmother, fought 
 in the Revolutionary war, and Grand- 
 father Bearss was a soldier of the War 
 of 181 2. The grandparents on both sides 
 of the Doctor's family were natives of 
 Connecticut, and were of English de- 
 scent. The paternal grandparents with 
 their three sons — Wheeler, Lyman and 
 Charles — all settled on Catawba Island 
 in 1832. After a short time Lyman re- 
 turned to Connecticut, where he spent 
 his remaining days, while the other mem- 
 bers of the family continued to reside in 
 this locality until called to the home be- 
 yond, and were well-known and highly 
 respected residents of the community. 
 
 Dr. L. S. Porter lived on Catawba 
 Island until the breaking out of the Civil 
 war. He received his primary education 
 in the district schools of his township, and 
 in early life became familiar with agricul- 
 tural pursuits, following that honorable 
 occupation for many years. W'hen he 
 had attained the age of manhood, he en- 
 tered the Delaware University, Delaware, 
 Ohio, where he remained a year, and also 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPEWAL RECORD. 
 
 553 
 
 spent two terms at the Baldwin Univer- 
 sity, Berea, Ohio, attendinfj to the duties 
 of the farm during vacations. He then 
 engaged in teaching, and from 1856 until 
 1 86 1 carried on farming on his own ac- 
 count. In September of the latter year 
 Dr. Porter responded to the country's call 
 for troops, enlisting in Company F, Forty- 
 ninth O. V. I. On December 31, 1862, 
 during the battle of Murfretsboro, he was 
 severely wounded in the ankle by a rifle 
 ball, and he lay on the field of battle four 
 days and three nights before receiving 
 any assistance. On the morning of Jan- 
 uary 7, 1863, he wasconvej'ed to the hos- 
 pital at Nashville, Tenn. , where he re- 
 mained for about three weeks. He was 
 then transferred to the hospital at Cov- 
 ington, Ky. , where it was found necessary 
 to amputate his foot, and the operation 
 was performed. On becoming convales- 
 cent, he was honorably discharged and 
 proceeded to Port Clinton, where for a 
 short time he was engaged in the photo- 
 graph business. 
 
 In 1 864 the Doctor was appointed 
 lighthouse keeper at Port Clinton, and 
 efficiently filled that position some five 
 years. In 1869 he resumed agricultural 
 pursuits, which he followed three years, 
 and then removed to Sandusky City, 
 where he began reading medicine with 
 Dr. Ed. Gillard. In 1877 he entered the 
 Homeopathic Hospital College at Cleve- 
 land, Ohio, and was graduated at that 
 institution with the class of 1880, where- 
 upon he immediately commenced practice 
 in Bellevue, Ohio, remaining there for a 
 year. In 1881 he removed to Vernon, 
 Mich., where he continued for about 
 eleven years, in i8gi returning to Port 
 Clinton, and here lived a comparatively 
 retired life, attending only to office prac- 
 tice until 1894. 
 
 The Doctor was married, May 6, 
 1856, to Elizabeth Lowry, a native of 
 Ottawa county. He and his wife are 
 members of the Daughters of Rebekah, 
 Port Clinton, and also consistent mem- 
 
 bers of the Congregational Church, and 
 are most highly-esteemed people. He 
 also belongs to the Michigan State Med- 
 ical Society; O. H. Perry Lodge, F. & 
 A. M. ; Vernon Lodge No. 99, I. O. O. F. ; 
 Perseverance Encampment No. 88, of 
 Vernon, Mich. ; and George K. McRitchie 
 Post No. 524, G. A. R. In politics he is 
 an earnest Republican, and at various 
 times has served as trustee, clerk, asses- 
 sor and constable of Catawba Island town- 
 ship. He served as health officer of \'er- 
 non, Mich., and for one year as member 
 of the board of health of Port Clinton. 
 He has always performed the duties per- 
 taining to these various positions with 
 rare judgment and to the entire satis- 
 faction of his constituents, and he is an 
 enterprising and public-spirited citizen, 
 ever to be found on the side of pro- 
 gressive good government and of every- 
 thing pertaining to the welfare and up- 
 building of the community. He enjoys 
 the sincere regard of all who know him. 
 
 HENRY \V. NIEMAN, a prominent 
 member of the legal profession 
 and highly-esteemed resident of 
 Elmore, Ottawa county, is a son 
 of Frederick A. and Christine (Schreiber) 
 Nieman. His birth occurred July 11, 
 1857, in Westphalia, Prussia, of which 
 kingdom his parents were also natives, 
 and there his mother departed this life. 
 Later, in April, 1871, the father, with 
 the other members of the family, emi- 
 grated to the United States, locating near 
 Port Clinton, Ohio, where the father still 
 resides, and is one of the prominent agri- 
 culturists of Ottawa county. In the fam- 
 ily were eight children, all of whom are 
 still living: Fred H. is a leading farmer 
 of Bay township, Ottawa county; Caro- 
 line is the wife of George Westfall, of the 
 same township; Louisa is the wife of 
 Thomas Seaman, of Port Clinton; Henry 
 W. is the subject of this sketch; Chris- 
 tian G. is a resident of Port Clinton; 
 
554 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 William also lives in that city; Ferdinand 
 is in Bay township; and August C. is a 
 hardware merchant and machine agent of 
 Port Clinton. 
 
 In the schools of his native land our 
 subject received a good German educa- 
 tion, and his early life was spent in agri- 
 cultural pursuits, which occupation he 
 continued to follow for several years after 
 his arrival in America. In 1878 he com- 
 menced attending a select school in Port 
 Clinton, and after perfecting himself in 
 the English branches he engaged in teach- 
 ing, being thus employed for two terms in 
 Bay township, Ottawa county. He con- 
 tinued to follow that profession during 
 the winter months until 1883, and also 
 took a normal course during the same 
 period. In 1883 he entered the engi- 
 neering department of Ann Arbor (Mich.) 
 University, but in the fall of 1884 became 
 a student in the law department of the 
 same institution, from which he was grad- 
 uated with the class of 1886. In the 
 same year he began the practice of his 
 profession in Grand Rapids, Mich., but 
 the following year found him a resident 
 of Elmore, where he has since continued 
 in active practice, and has been very suc- 
 cessful, both from a professional and finan- 
 cial standpoint. He is one of the pro- 
 gressive citi;;ens of the county, always 
 deeply interested in everything which will 
 advance the prosperity of the community, 
 and has the utmost respect of his fellow 
 citizens. 
 
 On Christmas Day, 1886. in Oak 
 Harbor, Ottawa county, Mr. Nicman was 
 united in marriage with Miss Delia Boggs, 
 a daughter of James and Susan (White) 
 Boggs, who rank among the earliest set- 
 tlers of Harris township, where they are 
 honored and respected residents. Our 
 subject and his wife have become the 
 parents of one daughter. Amy, born May 
 8, 1888. Mr. Nieman has been called 
 upon to fill several official positions of 
 honor and trust, having served as county 
 examiner of teachers some si.x years; has 
 
 been president of the township board of 
 education, and held the offices of justice 
 of the peace and notary public. He is a 
 Democrat in political faith, taking quite 
 an active interest in the success of his 
 party; and socially is a member of Elmore 
 Lodge, No. 26, K. P. With the Disci- 
 ples Church he and his wife hold mem- 
 bership. 
 
 WILLIAM KESSLER, a promi- 
 nent and progressive citizen of 
 Oak Harbor, Ottawa county, 
 undertaker and an extensive 
 dealer in furniture, pianos, organs, sewing 
 machines, bicycles, general merchandise, 
 etc., is a native of Salem township, Otta- 
 wa Co., Ohio, having been born there 
 December 18, 1857, to Charles and Bar- 
 bara Kessler, natives of Germany, and 
 early settlers of Salem township. 
 
 The father, now at the advanced age 
 of seventy-three years, is a resident of 
 Oak Harbor; the mother passed away 
 May 13, 1892. Their family consisted of 
 eight children, seven of whom are yet 
 living, viz.: William; Mary, now the wife 
 of Charles Zimmerman, a resident of 
 Bowling Green, Wood Co., Ohio; John, 
 a resident of Lakeside, Nebr. ; George, 
 Albert and Edward, all residents of Oak 
 Harbor; and Annie (Kessler) Leberman, 
 widow of Frederick Leberman, for many 
 years a respected resident of Harris town- 
 ship, who for three years, during the Re- 
 bellion, served in the Thirty-seventh O. 
 V. I. (Annie is a daughter of Charles 
 Kessler by a former marriage). The 
 father is a veteran of the war of the Re- 
 bellion, having served for three years in 
 Company G, One Hundredth O. V. I., 
 and with his regiment participated in sev- 
 eral important engagements. 
 
 William Kessler, the subject proper of 
 this sketch, received his preliminary edu- 
 cation in the district schools of Harris 
 township, Ottawa county, and his early 
 life was spent in assisting his father in the 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQBAPUWAL liECORD. 
 
 555 
 
 care of the farm. When eighteen years 
 of age he left the farm, apprenticing him- 
 self to the trade of cabinet maker, and in 
 1878, his term of apprenticeshi]i having 
 expired, he went to Oak Harbor and en- 
 gaged in business for himself, having been 
 a constant resident of that town ever 
 since. By a life of energy, perseverance, 
 and strict attention to business, Mr. 
 Kessler now takes a leading position 
 among the prominent and substantial 
 business men of the county, and well 
 merits the confidence and esteem extend- 
 ed to him by his fellow citizens. 
 
 On September 5, 1882, our subject 
 was united in marriage, at Lockport, N. 
 Y. , with Julia S. Haj'es, a daughter of 
 James and Mary (Hayes) Hayes, both na- 
 tives of Ireland, who emigrated to Amer- 
 ica in 1840, and are now honored and re- 
 spected residents of Lockport. To this 
 union have come five children, their 
 names and dates of birth being as follows: 
 Mary Gertrude, March 13, 1884; Julia 
 Maud, March 9, 1885; Cornelius Flor- 
 ence, July 4, 1886, died December 10, 
 1890; Clara, February 15, 1888; and 
 William Bernard, December 13, 1893, 
 died January 13, 1895. The family are 
 strict adherents of the Roman Catholic 
 Church. Mr. Kessler has served as a 
 member of the Oak Harbor council board 
 one term. Politically he is an active sup- 
 porter of the Democratic party, and 
 socially he fills the positions of first lieu- 
 tenant of Kahler Camp No. 292, Sons of 
 Veterans, and captain of the I\nights of 
 St. John. 
 
 JOHN H. PFEIFER. The history 
 of Ottawa county, and especially of 
 Benton township, would be incom- 
 plete without honorable mention of 
 the Pfeifer family, Jacob Pfeifer and his 
 sons having been actively identified with 
 the growth and development of its agri- 
 cultural interests from early pioneer times. 
 Their progress and thrift have been almost 
 
 proverbial, and the land now in the posses- 
 sion of the family is among the most highly 
 improved in the vicinity. 
 
 The family is of good old German 
 stock. The great-grandfather was born 
 in Germany in 1769, served under Napo- 
 leon the First in the war with Russia, was 
 with him at the burning of Moscow, and 
 alsoat the defeat at Waterloo; while in the 
 service he had one limb badly frozen. 
 The great-grandmother was born in Ger- 
 many about 1779, and died at the age of 
 forty-two. Tney had two children, one 
 of whom, George, came to America about 
 1847. He was accidentally shot in New 
 Orleans. John Pfeifer, grandfather of 
 our subject, was born in Germany, May 
 10, 1 80 1, and was a farmer by occupa- 
 tion; he was exempt from military duty 
 on account of the loss of a finger. The 
 grandmother was born in 1807, and they 
 were married in 1831, becoming the par- 
 ents of two children, of whom Jacob 
 Pfiefer is the only survivor. Jacob Pfeifer 
 has been a prominent factor in the ad- 
 vancement and progress of Benton town- 
 ship and vicinity. Born in Rabelshausen 
 Kurhessen, Germany, June 28, 1838, he 
 came to America in early manhood, locating 
 first in Cleveland and later in Bellaire, 
 whence after a brief residence he came to 
 Ottawa county, settling first in Elliston. 
 On coming to Benton township he took up 
 the farm where his son John now lives, 
 when the surrounding country was all a wil- 
 derness. The only road was an Indian trail 
 along the creek, now known as the ' ' Creek 
 road." The country was all a forest, 
 and Jacob Pfeifer has helped to make the 
 township of Benton the fertile region it 
 now is by clearing up and improving one 
 of the best farms in Ottawa county. His 
 wife has been of great service in making 
 the home, for she has taken a noble inter- 
 est and borne an active part in the work, 
 and her assistance has been fully appre- 
 ciated by her husband and family. Mr. 
 Pfeifer's first wheat crop in Benton town- 
 ship is an illustration of some of the 
 
556 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 hardships the pioneers of those days 
 underwent; the seed he secured from 
 Cleveland — ten bushels at $i per bushel; 
 the crop was harvested, and threshed with 
 a flail; and the entire return from the 
 ten bushels of sowing amounted to eight 
 bushels, and that at a time when flour was 
 $i6 per barrel, and not first-class either. 
 They had to drive nine miles through the 
 woods to the mill, and then get chopped 
 feed for the grist. The old farm is all 
 underdrained, so that the surface water is 
 quickly carried away, leaving the land in 
 good shape for cultivation, and the farm 
 is a credit indeed to those whose labor 
 has brought it to its present state of per- 
 fection. Jacob Pfeifer purchased the 
 first steam threshing machine rig ever 
 used in Benton township, and his sons 
 John and George operated the machine 
 for si.xteen years, making a financial suc- 
 cess of the business. For several years Mr. 
 Pfeifer was foreman of the L. S. & M. S. 
 railroad, and it was while engaged in this 
 work that he practically ruined his health. 
 Industrious and progressive, he and his 
 family have contributed in no small de- 
 gree toward the welfare of the community, 
 and the kind and obliging spirit they have 
 ever shown has made them highly es- 
 teemed in the township which has so long 
 been their home. 
 
 Mr. Pfeifer's marriage to Elizabeth 
 Emerich took place in 1857, and their 
 union was blessed with three children: 
 John, born September 29, 1858; George, 
 born February 26, 1862; and Edward, 
 born April 25, 1864. On July 14, 1873, 
 Edward was accidentally killed by the dis- 
 charge of a gun, the charge entering his 
 right side below the ribs and passing di- 
 agonally through the body. Mrs. Pfeifer 
 was born in Germany February 25, 1828, 
 and came to America in 1848. George 
 Pfeifer the second son, lives on a farm 
 near his brother John. At the age of 
 twenty-two he married Matilda Tabbert, 
 of Elliston, who was born December 22, 
 1 86 1, at Elliston (where she obtained a 
 
 liberal education), daughter of August 
 Tabbert, who died in 1894. Soon after 
 their marriage Mr. and Mrs. George Pfeifer 
 settled on the farm where they now live, 
 a place which, like that of his brother, 
 shows enterprise and neatness on the part 
 of the owner. 
 
 John H. Pfeifer, son of Jacob and 
 Elizabeth (Emrich) Pfeifer, was born 
 September 29, 1858, at Bellaire, Ohio, 
 and spent his boyhood days in Cleveland 
 and Ottawa county, where he received 
 the education afforded by the district 
 schools of his time and place. An inci- 
 dent which occurred when he was nine 
 years of age is worth relating: He was 
 sent to Elliston on mule back for some 
 groceries. He rode down the L. S. & 
 M. S. track, and all went well until the 
 train was seen backing to Elliston from 
 Toledo. The mule did not propose to 
 give the right of way for the train, and 
 John succeeded in dismounting in time to 
 save all of himself save a piece of one toe, 
 but the animal was not a match for the 
 train, which completely demolished him. 
 When twenty-two years of age our sub- 
 ject commenced life for himself as a fire- 
 man on the L. S. & M. S. railroad, con- 
 tinuing thus for three years. On September 
 25, 1883, he was married to Miss Matilda 
 Lick, of Elliston, and having purchased a 
 farm near Rocky Ridge they made their 
 home thereon for six years. They then 
 sold out and purchased the old homestead 
 of his father on Section 23, Benton town- 
 ship, where they now live. His parents 
 moved to Rocky Ridge, where they have 
 erected the finest home in the village. A 
 walk over Mr. Pfeifer's farm at once con- 
 vinces one that he is a thorough agricul- 
 turist ; the fences are in neat shape, the 
 farm stock and buildings are all well kept, 
 and the yards around both house and barn 
 display neatness and care on the part of 
 the owner, who takes a pardonable pride 
 in his beautiful property. The history of 
 one member of the family is the history 
 of all, and to say that he has worked with 
 
COMMSMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 557 
 
 his father from boyhood shows what part 
 he has taken in this work. 
 
 Mrs. Matilda (Lick) Pfeifer was born 
 Auguest 28, 1862, at Elliston, where she 
 received her education and lived until her 
 marriage. To Mr. and Mrs. Pfeifer have 
 been born three children: Walter George, 
 April 10, 1885; Reuben Edward, May 6, 
 1887, and William Carl, October 19, 
 1891. Walter G , died March 19, 1892, 
 and was buried in the Elliston cemetery. 
 
 CAPTAIN WILLIAM J. SLACK- 
 FORD (deceased) sailed on the 
 lakes for many years, and was a 
 well-known sea captain, whose 
 death was deeply regretted by a large 
 circle of friends and acquaintances. A 
 native of England, he was born near 
 Kent, February 28, 1831, and was one of 
 a family of four children, two of whom 
 are now living: Edward, a retired sea 
 captain now in Detroit, Mich. ; and Han- 
 nah, wife of Thomas Clayton, who makes 
 his home in Carthage, Hamilton Co., 
 Ohio. In the summer of 1849, when 
 he was seventeen years of age, the Cap- 
 tain came with his father to the United 
 States, locating at Plasterbed, Portage 
 township, Ottawa Co., Ohio. Here, 
 soon afterward they were joined b\' the 
 wife and mother, and other children of 
 the family, and the parents were contin- 
 uous residents of the township through- 
 out their remaining days. 
 
 In 1 86 1 the Captain purchnsed a 
 farm a short distance from the old family 
 homestead, and engaged extensively in 
 fruit growing and farming up to the time 
 of his death. From 1864 up to 1878 he 
 was part owner and operator of the steam- 
 ers "Gen. Grant," "Clinton " and " R. 
 B. Hayes," running ferry between the 
 Peninsula and Sandusky. The change 
 in his occupation was caused by ill health. 
 The captain was for many years num- 
 bered among the valued citizens, and 
 took an active part in all progressive 
 
 movements. He was esteemed by all 
 who knew him for his many sterling 
 qualities and straightforward business 
 methods. 
 
 On November 20, i860, at Sandusky, 
 Ohio, the Captain was married to Thirsa 
 Gertrude Moore, who died October 12, 
 1864, and this union was blessed with one 
 child, William George, born September 
 24. 1 861; he is a licensed sea captain, 
 and resides in Danbury township, Ottawa 
 county. The Captain was again married, 
 this time at Fremont, Ohio, December 
 7, 1875, to Kate C. Englebeck, daughter 
 of Herman and Caroline (Fechtler) Engle- 
 beck. This union was blessed with two 
 children: May Pearl, born May i, 1878; 
 and Jennie Gertrude, born May 5, 1884. 
 
 After a long illness of three years, the 
 Captain passed away December 14, 1890. 
 His last voyage was over and he reached 
 the harbor of rest. He had been a promi- 
 nent member of the Masonic fraternity, 
 and was highly esteemed by his brethren 
 in that Order. He was a man of more 
 than ordinary ability, and was possessed 
 of broad, general information. He had 
 a genial, sunny temperment, and was 
 held in the highest esteem by all who 
 knew him. His faithful and devoted wife 
 deserves no little credit for the manner 
 in which she has conducted the affafrs of 
 the estate since h^r husband's death. 
 She is a lady of culture and sound judg- 
 ment, and controls her farm in a way that 
 well exemplifies her innate business sa- 
 gacity and acumen. Her residence is 
 among the finest in the township, and all 
 its surroundings give evidence of the ex- 
 quisite state and refinement of the owner. 
 
 JOAB KELLY, one of the best known 
 and most honored farmers and fruit 
 growers of Danbury township, Otta- 
 wa county, was born January 31, 
 1842, on the homestead farm on which 
 he still resides, and is a son of Hon. John 
 and Ehzabeth (Pettibone) Kelly. His 
 
558 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOIiAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 educational privileges were such as were 
 afforded by the district schools of that 
 day, and since early life he has been en- 
 gaged in agricultural pursuits, though for 
 the past twenty-five years he has devoted 
 his attention more especially to the culti- 
 vation of grapes, peaches and other fruits. 
 
 Mr. Kelly was married in Danbury, 
 December 21, 1870, to Miss Stella M. 
 Hogg, who was born in Sandusky City, 
 Erie Co., Ohio, June 15, KS49, a daugh- 
 ter of Thomas and Mary (Driver; Hogg, 
 early settlers of Erie county, Ohio, who 
 removed to Danbury township about 1 868, 
 where the former passed away in 1882; 
 the latter still makes her home in Dan- 
 bury. To Mr. and Mrs. Kelly have been 
 born two sons — Thomas LeRoy, on Sep- 
 tember 15, 1 871; and J. I\eid, on October 
 8, 1874; both are still under the parental 
 roof. In his political views Mr. Kelly is a 
 Republican, and he and his family attend 
 the Congregational Church. 
 
 The mother of our subject was the 
 first white child born in Newberg, Ohio, 
 her birth having occurred October 18, 
 1 8 14, and she was but si.x weeks old 
 when she was brought to Danbury town- 
 ship by her parents, Truman and PhcEbe 
 (Wolcotte) Pettibone. The Wolcotte 
 family came to Danbury township in 
 1808, but after a residence of three years 
 were driven away by the Indians, and 
 went to Cleveland, Ohio, where they re- 
 mained until 1 8 14, when they returned 
 and from that time until their deaths were 
 continuous residents of Danbury township. 
 
 On July 23, 1835, Hon. John A. 
 B. Kelly and Miss Elizabeth Pettibone 
 were united in marriage. Mr. Kelly 
 was born in Troy, N. Y. , December 
 14, 1809, and was a son of William and 
 Jane (Keidj Kelly, both natives of Ire- 
 land. Eight children were born of this 
 union, their names and dates of birth 
 being as follows: Jane, May, 1836, was 
 united in marriage with Josias B. Wright, 
 now of Danbury, October i, 1853; Will- 
 iam, March 17, 1838, makes his home in 
 
 Port Clinton, Ohio; Alice, October 14, 
 1840, died November 5, of the same year; 
 Joab comes next in the order of birth; 
 Malcolm, July 31, 1844, is judge of the 
 court of common pleas and resides in 
 Port Clinton; Salima, January 6, 1847, is 
 the wife of John G. Bredehoft, of Dan- 
 bury township; John August 14, 1851, 
 lives in the same township; and Mary, 
 March 28, 1855, died June 13, 1856. The 
 father, who represented the Thirtieth Sen- 
 atorial District in the Fifty-fifth General 
 Assembly of Ohio, 1862-63, died April 
 18, 1883; the mother passed away Oc- 
 tober 8, 1895. 
 
 SIMON HENRY KINSTING is 
 numbered among the pioneer set- 
 tlers of Ottawa county, having lo- 
 cated within its borders when it 
 was almost an unbroken wilderness, with 
 few roads laid out and few settlements 
 made. With the work of development 
 and progress he has been identified, and 
 has aided in the improvement of the lo- 
 cality by faithfuU}' performing his duties 
 of citizenship. 
 
 Mr. Kinsting was born in Prussia, De- 
 cember 25, 1832, and is a son of Fred- 
 erick William Kinsting, also a native of 
 Prussia, born in 1800, a tailor by trade, 
 who died at the home of his son, July 28, 
 1871. In 1849 he emigrated with his 
 wife and two children to America, after 
 which he followed the occupation of farm- 
 ing. He was first employed for onlj' fifty 
 cents per day, and was very well satisfied, 
 but as years passed his financial resources 
 increased. In the Fatherland he married 
 Minnie Saack, who was born in Prussia, 
 April 4, 1804, and died December 13, 
 1885. They had two children — Simon 
 Henry, and Henrietta, wife of William 
 Budky, of \\'oodville, Sandusky county. 
 The parents spent their last years at the 
 home of their son, who tenderly cared for 
 them in their declining days. Our sub- 
 ject's paternal grandfather and his wife 
 
-^ ^p /^-'^^^ 
 
COMMKMOHATIVE BIOQRAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 559 
 
 were both born in Gennanj' about Octo- 
 ber, 1766, and the former died in 1833. 
 The maternal grandfather was born in 
 Prussia, in 1774, and his wife's birth oc- 
 curred there in 1775. 
 
 S. H. Kinsting, the subject proper of 
 this review, spent the first seventeen years 
 of his life in his native land, and was edu- 
 cated in the public schools. He then 
 came with his parents to the United 
 States, and here attended the English 
 schools, so that he now speaks both 
 languages fluently. In 1858 he was united 
 in marriage with Miss Frederica Priesing, 
 a native of Hanover, Germany, born June 
 6, 1835. She obtained her education 
 there, and when twenty-two years of age 
 came to America, locating in Toledo, 
 Ohio, where she met her future husband. 
 The wedding was celebrated six months 
 later at the old homestead, one mile from 
 Elmore, where our subject now resides. 
 Her parents, who were also natives of 
 Hanover, Germany, had a family of six 
 children, five of whom are now living, 
 one son, Henry, having died in the hos- 
 pital in Memphis, Tenn., while serving in 
 the Civil war. The father was a black- 
 smith by trade, and died at an early age, 
 leaving a widow to care for her family. 
 Mrs. Kinsting was a faithful wife and lov- 
 ing mother, one who trained her children 
 to habits of industry and uprightness. A 
 fall occasioned the loss of her mental 
 faculties to a degree, and on September 
 2, 1892, she passed away. 
 
 Mr. and Sirs. Kinstring were the par- 
 ents of four children, namely: (i) Will- 
 iam, born August 13, i860, was married 
 March 23, 1881, to Rachel Ernsthausen, 
 of Elmore, and resides on a farm one 
 mile from the town; they have three chil- 
 dren — Mary, William and Clara. (2) Fred, 
 born September 16, 1863, was married in 
 August, 1885, to Cora Netcher, and lives 
 on a farm in Monroe county, Mich. ; their 
 children are — John and George. (3) 
 Henry, born April 10, 1867, was married 
 in November, i890,toLibbie Wainwright, 
 
 and they have one child — Naomi, born 
 June 25, 1894. (4) Minnie, born April 
 25, 1870, was married in October, iSgo, 
 to Frank Dishinger, of Harris township, 
 Ottawa county, and they had two chil- 
 dren — Henry and Eddie; Mrs. Dishinger 
 died August 10, 1895, and was buried at 
 Elmore. 
 
 During his entire residence in America 
 Mr. Kinsting has lived on the farm which 
 now belongs to Frank Dishinger. The 
 first forty acres of land were purchased in 
 1849 for $375, and the first home was a 
 little log cabin. By diligence and close 
 attention to business our subject and his 
 father and son cleared and developed the 
 farm, extending its boundaries by the ad- 
 ditional purchase of seventy-three acres in 
 Sandusky and Ottawa counties, erected 
 good buildings and secured a nice home. 
 Since his father's death our subject has 
 purchased eighty acres, for which he paid 
 $100 per acre. He has succeeded in busi- 
 ness through his own well-directed efforts, 
 and to-day is the owner of a valuable 
 property, and the possessor of a comfort- 
 able competence. In March, 1895, he 
 called his children together, and, after a 
 very pleasant family reunion, gave each 
 of them five thousand dollars. He has 
 now reached the age of sixty-three years, 
 has been a cripple for twenty-two years, 
 but is one of the most cheerful and happy 
 men in the community, finding great 
 pleasure in visiting his children, who have 
 for him the warmest affection, and take 
 great delight in his visits to them. Since 
 1858 he has been a member of the Ger- 
 man Methodist Episcopal Church, a con- 
 sistent and earnest Christian, enjoying 
 the respect and confidence of all who 
 know him. 
 
 GEORGE M. HIGH, one of the 
 most prominent and extensive 
 fruit growers on Middle Bass Is- 
 land, Ottawa county, was born 
 in Springfield, Clark Co., Ohio, July 13, 
 
560 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BTOORAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 1825, son of Hosea S. and Mary A. (Mc- 
 Cormick) High. George McCormick, the 
 maternal grandfather of our subject, was 
 one of the contractors on the building 
 of the first U. S. Capitol at Washington, 
 D. C. , which was destroyed by the British. 
 
 Hosea S. High, born January 3, 1797, 
 at Bridgeton, N. J., was united in mar- 
 riage with Mary A. McCormick, who was 
 born November 21, 1801, at Washing- 
 ton, D. C, and they had eleven children, 
 seven of whom are now living, namely: 
 George M., the subject of this sketch; 
 Charles G. and Martin V. B., both resid- 
 ing in Madison county, Ohio; Jacob, in 
 Franklin county, Ohio; Fannie, wife of 
 John G. Thompson, of Columbus, Ohio; 
 and Jennie and Susan, in Columbus. 
 Hosea S. High passed away in Franklin 
 county, Ohio, in September, 1874, and 
 his widow, Mary A., at Columbus, Ohio, 
 in March, 1S93, she being at the time of 
 her death one of the oldest inhabitants 
 and residents of Columbus. Mr. High 
 was Indian agent for several years, and in 
 1837 moved the Wyandotte, Delaware 
 and Sandusky tribes to their reservations 
 in Kansas. 
 
 George M. High spent his boyhood 
 days among the surroundings of a com- 
 fortable home, and received his primary 
 education in the district schools, after- 
 ward taking a course at the Delaware 
 College, at Delaware, Ohio. About a 
 year after completing his studies he left 
 home for Cincinnati, where in the winter 
 months he was engaged in the pork busi- 
 ness. During the first summer he was a 
 tutor in a private family near Independ- 
 ence, Ky. , and the second summer he 
 taught the district school in the same 
 neighborhood. For the eighteen years 
 succeeding he was engaged in the pork 
 business, purchasing in summer and 
 slaughtering and shipping in winter. 
 
 At Pleasant Ridge, Hamilton Co., 
 Ohio, on October 21, 1852, George M. 
 High was united in marriage with Anna 
 M. Kincaid, daughter of Blair and Mary 
 
 (Lancaster) Kincaid, and born in Dela- 
 ware October 30, 1834. They have had 
 four children, as follows: Hosea and Fan- 
 nie (twins), born June 29, 1853, of whom 
 Hosea is still living at home, and Fannie 
 is the wife of Curtis P. Gladding, residing 
 at Hartford, Conn. ; George M., Jr., born 
 in Cincinnati, May 16, 1859, was formerly 
 the editor and proprietor of the Evening 
 Advertiser, a newspaper of Socorro, N. M. , 
 and now resides in Butte City, Mont. ; 
 and Carrie D., born February 4, 1864, 
 resides at home. 
 
 During the winter of 1864-65 Mr. 
 High sold out his interest in the pork 
 business, and late in the spring of 1865 
 loaded up a steamer with $30,000 worth 
 of provisions, with which he went up the 
 Arkansas river as far as Fort Smith, dis- 
 posing of the goods on the way. He then 
 returned to Cincinnati, purchased another 
 cargo, and returned up the river; but, 
 owing to delays caused by business, he was 
 late, and so established a store at Spadra 
 Bluff, Arkansas, in connection with Col. 
 A. D. King. In the fall of 1866 he re- 
 turned to Springfield, Ohio, where he re- 
 sided during the ne.\t four years, for three 
 3'ears of that time continuing his interest 
 in the business at Spadra Bluff, which he 
 sold in 1869. On July 13, 1870, he re- 
 moved to Middle Bass, and engaged in 
 fruit growing. He has now been a contin- 
 uous resident of the Island for twenty-five 
 years, and has probably set out more 
 grape vines than any other man on the 
 Island. Mr. High was the first in the 
 West to introduce the spraying of grapes 
 and other fruits, for mildew and insects 
 that have destroyed so much of the fruits, 
 and this system has produced highly satis- 
 factory results wherever introduced. 
 
 In his political views Mr. High is in- 
 dependent, but leans toward the Demo- 
 cratic party. He is a prominent citizen, 
 and a leader, especially in such good 
 works as need sympathy, active work and 
 benevolent contributions. To those who 
 know him, it seems evident that he would 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 561 
 
 have been as successful in almost any line 
 of life he inifjht have chosen as he has 
 been in that which he did choose. He is 
 well educated by schooling, reading, 
 travel and experience; happy in society, 
 in his own home and abroad; hospitable, 
 thoroughly appreciated by all who know 
 him; intelligent, possessing tact and gener- 
 osity. He has a most charming home, 
 situated close to the shores of Lake Erie; 
 is happily contented with such reasonable 
 hobbies as occupy his mind, is independ- 
 ent in his own pursuits, and able to pro- 
 vide abundantly for the comfort and hap- 
 piness of his appreciative wife and 
 family. 
 
 THOMAS BOWLAND, a promi- 
 nent manufacturer, of Martin, Clay 
 township, Ottawa county, was 
 born in Perry county, this State, 
 October 14, 1844, and was a son of John 
 and Diana (Parrott) Rowland, the former 
 of whom was a native of Pennsylvania, 
 the latter of Ohio. 
 
 The father of our subject died when 
 the latter was only ten years old, and the 
 little lad was early put to work that he 
 might contribute his share to the support 
 of his widowed mother and the younger 
 children. His early education was there- 
 fore very limited; but, like many of the 
 men who have been leaders of our nation, 
 he neglected no opportunity to add to his 
 scanty stock of book knowledge, and by 
 reading and observation has made of him- 
 self an intelligent man whose opinions are 
 eagerly sought for, and whose judgment 
 in all matters is well worth considering. 
 His parents removed before his death to 
 Ottawa county, living for a time in El- 
 more, Harris township, and afterward 
 coming to Clay township. Here our sub- 
 ject worked upon a farm with his two 
 elder brothers until the breaking out of 
 the Civil war in 1861, when they enlisted 
 and left the care of the family to Thomas 
 and a younger brother, John, of whom a 
 
 sketch is given elsewhere. This labor of 
 love which he performed diligently and 
 faithfully was pursued for a number of 
 years, the few leisure hours not employed 
 in farm work being given to the improve- 
 ment of his mind. 
 
 In 1879 Mr. Bowland began the man- 
 ufacture of hoops, starting a factory in 
 Martin and employing several men. This 
 proved to be a profitable business, and he 
 has since successfully carried it on, being 
 now assisted by two of his sons who have 
 an interest in the establishment. Mr. 
 Bowland was married January 21, 1869, 
 to Charlotte Jones, daughter of Daniel 
 and Ruth Jones, of Sandusky count}', 
 and they became the parents of one child, 
 Irvin, who was born Jaunuary 20, 1870; 
 his mother died March 26, 1871. Mr. 
 Bowland was again married December 
 22, 1872, to Miss Herminia, daughter of 
 George and Sarah (Wall) Eyre, both of 
 whom were natives of England. Three 
 children have come of this marriage, 
 namely: (i) George D., who was born 
 April 6, 1874, at Genoa, and was there 
 educated; he is unmarried, and is engaged 
 in business with his father. (2) Ernest, 
 born April 7, 1877, in the same town, 
 was educated in the schools there, and in 
 the high school, and holds a teacher's 
 certificate; he is also connected with his 
 father's firm. (3) Estella, born February 
 22, 1886, died August 13, 1887. 
 
 The parental family of our subject 
 comprised fourteen children, eight of 
 whom are living, as follows: Mary is the 
 wife of Powell Frugh, a farmer in San- 
 dusky county; Daniel is a farmer of Clay 
 township; Jeremiah, a machinist, lives in 
 Wood county; Elizabeth is the wife of 
 Stephen Walsh, of Clay township; Martin 
 is a miller of Benton township; Thomas 
 is our subject; Hannah is the widow of 
 Walter Warrener; and John is postmaster 
 at Genoa. The father of this large family 
 died in Harris township, in June, 1854, and 
 his wife in Clay township, April 17, 1875. 
 
 George Eyre, the father of our sub- 
 
502 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ject'swife, was born in London, England, 
 and came to this country when eighteen 
 years old, settling first in Cleveland, 
 where he followed the Qccupation of a 
 millwright, and also did some carpenter- 
 ing; his wife, Sarah Wall, was also born 
 in England. They were the parents of 
 eight children, five of whom are living: 
 Mary is the wife of John Bowland, post- 
 master at Genoa; Cilena is the wife of 
 William Bodett, a railroad man; Esletta 
 married Albert Stewart, a cigar manu- 
 facturer, living in Toledo; Sarah is the 
 wife of Miles Price, of Detroit; George 
 died when aged thirty-six, Henry when five, 
 and Carrie when fourteen. The parents 
 are still living, and reside in Genoa. 
 
 Mr. Bowland has always been very 
 popular with his fellow citizens, as well as 
 throughout the entire county, and in con- 
 sequence has held numerous responsible 
 offices. He was for two years constable 
 of Clay township, and has been time and 
 again elected justice of the peace, or 
 local judge of Clay township, which posi- 
 tion he is now filling with dignity and 
 great ability. In all the cases which have 
 come before him in the past twelve years, 
 and which have been carried to the higher 
 courts, his decisions have there been con- 
 firmed, without exception, and his honesty 
 and integrity have never been questioned. 
 During his official life he has solemnized 
 upward of thirty-five marriages, which is 
 a further evidence of his popularity with 
 the people. Mr. Bowland has held the 
 office of school director for seven years, 
 and has been clerk of the board through- 
 out that period. In politics he is a strong 
 Democrat and a leader in his party, and, 
 with his family, holds a prominent posi- 
 tion in society. 
 
 ALBERT ZIPFEL, mill owner 
 and one of the well-known busi- 
 ness men of Rocky Ridge, Ben- 
 ton township, Ottawa county, is 
 a native of Germany, born September 
 
 -7< 1S57, son of Lawrence Zipfel. When 
 about four years of age our subject came 
 to America with his father, who settled 
 at Port Clinton, Ottawa Co., Ohio, and 
 engaged in the boot and shoe business, 
 following same for several years, when 
 he sold out and purchased a farm near 
 Oak Harbor. After farming for some 
 time he sold his place and settled in Oak 
 Harbor, where he died in the spring of 
 
 1895- 
 
 During the first nine j'ears of his life 
 Albert Zipfel obtained what education he 
 could, and at the early age of nine he 
 went out into the world to earn a liveli- 
 hood for himself, commencing work in a 
 shingle mill in Oak Harbor, where he 
 labored some twelve years. On July 8, 
 1879, he was married to Miss Amanda A. 
 Fountain, of Oak Harbor, and they 
 shortly afterward settled in Rocky Ridge, 
 where he was employed as foreman in the 
 stave factory of Bopst & Bosh, a position 
 he held for eleven years. In 18S9 Mr. 
 Zipfel purchased an elevator and feed 
 mill of Mr. Bopst at Rocky Ridge, in 
 1890 adding to the mill a sawmill; and 
 he has since been engaged in lumber saw- 
 ing and feed grinding. The business is 
 prospering, and the mill is busy the en- 
 tire 3'ear. For several years Mr. Zipfel 
 has been village councilman in Rocky 
 Ridge; he is greatly interested in the 
 improvement of the public schools of the 
 place, and endeavors to have them the 
 best possible. His business, which is 
 constantly increasing, demands his strict 
 personal attention, and he may always be 
 found at the mill, attending very careful- 
 ly to every detail; this surely is the only 
 way to success. 
 
 Mr. Zipfel was married Jul}' 8, 1879, 
 to Miss Amanda A. Fountain, who was 
 born October 30, 1857, near Port Clinton, 
 where she received her early education, 
 completing it in the schools of Oak Har- 
 bor. Her parents were Alexander and 
 Amy (Sampson) Fountain, the father born 
 July 4, 1829, in Sandusky county, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 568 
 
 where he li\ed his entire Hfe, save the 
 one hundred days he served in the war of 
 the RebelHon. He died in 1876. Mrs. 
 Zipfel's grandfather, Alexander Fountain, 
 Sr. , was born in Michigan. Her pater- 
 nal great-grandfather was of French de- 
 scent. Mrs. Zipfel's mother, Mrs. Amy 
 Fountain, was born in Port Clinton, May 
 II, 1837, and when eight years of age 
 removed with her parents to Chicago, 
 where they remained for three years. 
 Her father, Joel Sampson, then entered 
 the Mexican war, and died of cholera 
 near the Gulf of Mexico. He was born 
 in Vermont in 1807. Mrs. Zipfel's 
 maternal great-grandfather was of French 
 descent, born early in the eighteenth 
 century, and served in the French and 
 Indian war, 1757-1763. 
 
 GEORGE W. GALLANT, an en- 
 terprising and wide-awake busi- 
 ness man of Elmore, where he 
 is engaged in the manufacture of 
 doors, sash and blinds, was born in Bay 
 township, Ottawa county, January 15, 
 1842, and is the only known living repre- 
 sentative of the family of seven children 
 born to John and Eleanor (Desclms) Gal- 
 lant, the former a native of Baltimore, 
 Md., the latter of Belmont, Ohio. The 
 parents located in Bay township at an 
 early date in the history of the county, 
 but in 1863 removed to Sandusky, Ohio, 
 where the following year the father's 
 death occurred; later, the mother came 
 to Elmore, where she passed awaj' in 
 1884. 
 
 In the district schools of Bay township, 
 George W. Gallant acquired a limited 
 education, but his instruction in the du- 
 ties of farm life was not so meagre, and 
 he continued to follow that honorable oc- 
 cupation until 1862, when he enlisted in 
 Company G, One Hundredth Regiment, 
 O. V. I. On May 4, 1864, he was 
 wounded at the battle of Resaca, Ga., 
 and sent to the hospital at Chattanooga, 
 
 Tenn., from which place he was trans- 
 ferred to Knoxville. After becoming con- 
 valescent he rejoined his regiment at Fort 
 Fisher, anddater was ordered to David's 
 Island, N. Y. On the close of hostilities 
 he received an honorable discharge, and 
 returned to Jackson township, Sandusky 
 county, where he engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits until 1873. On the first of Janu- 
 ary of that year he removed to Elmore, 
 and since that date has continuously car- 
 ried on his present business with marked 
 success, having now secured a liberal and 
 lucrative trade. 
 
 At Jackson, Ohio, October 22, 1865, 
 Mr. Gallant wedded Miss Nancy Huffman, 
 who was born in Fremont, this State, 
 July I, 1846, a daughter of Michael and 
 Nancy (Nye) Huffman, the former now 
 deceased, the latter still a resident of Fre- 
 mont. Mrs. Gallant is one of a family of 
 ten children, eight of whom still survive: 
 Washington, who makes his home in Bat- 
 tle Creek, Mich.; Michael, living in Fre- 
 mont; Ellen, wife of Henry Hiller, of 
 Hillsdale, Mich.; William H., a resident 
 of Hastings; Mrs. Gallant, the next in or- 
 der of birth; May Etta, widow of the late 
 Andrew Whitemore, residing in Fremont; 
 Charles Luther, living in Hastings, Mich.; 
 and Elizabeth A., now the widow of Louis 
 Benner, and making her home in Fre- 
 mont. 
 
 Five children have come to bless the 
 union of Mr. and Mrs. Gallant, as follows: 
 Charles M., born April 25, 1867; Lillie 
 Jane, born March ig, 1869, now the wife 
 John F. Sanders, of Elmore; James W., 
 born February 7, 1871; Edward E., born 
 July 21, 1885; and Bertha Belle, born 
 June I, 1887. Of these Charles M., 
 whose education was begun in the public 
 schools of Elmore, completed a course in 
 the North American Normal School of 
 Fostoria, Ohio, graduating from that in- 
 stitution in 1887. He then took up the 
 study of mechanical engineering at Salt 
 Lake City, Utah, and for four years was 
 a locomotive engineer on the Rio Grande 
 
564 
 
 C0MMEM0RATr7E BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 & Western railroad. At the expiration 
 of that time he returned to Elmore, and 
 engaged with his father as bookkeeper. 
 At the present time, however, he is en- 
 gaged in the manufacture of a patent 
 clothes rack, in connection with his brother 
 James. On Januarj- 15, 1895, in Elmore, 
 he married Miss Elizabeth Hotmer, a 
 daughter of John and Sarah Hotmer, the 
 former a' resident of Elmore, the latter being 
 now deceased. James W., the second son 
 of our subject, after completing his edu- 
 cation in the public schools of Elmore, 
 learned the trade of wood turning, which 
 occupation he followed up to a recent 
 date, but is now engaged in the manu- 
 facture of a patent clothes rack. In 
 Toledo, Ohio, January 2, 1895, he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Nettie Walt- 
 ers, a daughter of Thomas and Nettie 
 Walters, the former of whom still makes 
 his home in Toledo, but the latter has 
 departed this life. 
 
 In his political views, George W. Gal- 
 lant is an ardent Republican, being a 
 strong supporter of the men and measures 
 of that party, and he has served his fel- 
 low-citizens as a councilman in the cor- 
 poration of Elmore for four terms. He 
 is one of the solid and reliable business 
 men of the city, and in social as well as 
 business circles stands high, having the 
 confidence and esteem of ail with whom 
 he comes in contact. With the Knights 
 of Pythias fraternity he holds member- 
 ship, belonging to Elmore Lodge, No. 
 261, K. of P., and also takes a promi- 
 nent part in Robert Caldwell Post, G.A.R. 
 
 SAMUEL R. GILL, secretary of the 
 Lakeside Company, of Lakeside, 
 Ottawa county, is a native of the 
 county, born in Portage township, 
 December 16, 1845, and is a son of Will- 
 iam and Martha (Payne) Gill, both natives 
 of Berkeley county, W. Va., the father 
 born in 1796. 
 
 In 1840 William Gill located in Port- 
 
 age township, Ottawa county, where he 
 engaged in farming until his death which 
 occurred December 31, 1857. His wife, 
 who was a daughter of Jesse and Martha 
 (Dunn) Payne, was born December 10, 
 1 8 10, and her death occurred on the old 
 homestead in Portage township, April 28, 
 1894. They became the parents of four 
 children, namely: (i) Joseph, a resident 
 of Port Clinton, Ottawa county. (2) 
 \\'illiam, who died at Evansville, Ind., 
 from wounds received while serving in the 
 Union army as a private in Company I, 
 Fortj'-first O. V. I., in which he enlisted 
 September 6, i86t, and being wounded 
 at the battle of Shiloh, which was fought 
 April 6-7, 1862. he died a few days later. 
 
 (3) Mary P., wife of Lane Lockwood, a 
 resident of Sanduskj' City, Ohio, and 
 
 (4) Samuel R. 
 
 The primary education of our subject 
 was acquired in the district schools of 
 Portage township, and he completed his 
 literary studies at Baldwin University, 
 Berea, Ohio, graduating from that insti- 
 tution in 1869. He then engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits on the old homestead 
 farm, following that honorable occupation 
 until 1873, when, in January of that year, 
 he was appointed secretary of the Lake- 
 side company, since when he has made 
 his home in Lakeside, devoting his entire 
 attention to the duties pertaining to the 
 office, still retaining possession of his farm 
 in Portage township. He is also a stock- 
 holder in the Lakeside Company. 
 
 In Danbury township, Ottawa county, 
 on January 12, 1875, Mr. Gill was united 
 in marriage with Miss Mary C. Alexander, 
 a daughter of David and Harriet R. (Petit) 
 Alexander, who, in 1863, located in Dan- 
 bury township, near Marblehead, where 
 the latter still resides; the former passed 
 away December 23, 1894, at the advanced 
 age of eighty-two years. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Gill have three children: Robert Alex- 
 ander, bom May 21, 1880; William 
 Payne, born February 16, 1883, and 
 Samuel Vincent, born September i, 1893. 
 
COMMEMOUATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 565 
 
 Mr. Gill has always been a progressive 
 citizen, taking an active part in all mat- 
 ters pertaining to the improvement and 
 welfare of the county. Both he and his 
 wife are members of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church. In politics he votes the 
 Republican ticket, but in sentiment is a 
 strong Prohibitionist. 
 
 LEMAN M. THOMPSON, a leading 
 and influential farmer, who makes 
 his home in Carroll township, 
 Ottawa county, first opened his 
 eyes to the light of day in that township, 
 April I, 1845. His parents are William 
 and Ruth (Ogden) Thompson, the former 
 a native of Pennsylvania, the latter of 
 New Jersey. From his early boyhood he 
 has been engaged in agricultural pursuits, 
 having assisted in the cultivation of the 
 home farm, while he obtained his literary 
 education in the district schools of the 
 community. 
 
 Mr. Thompson displayed his loyalty 
 to his country, by enlisting, in August, 
 1862, in Company G, One Hundredth 
 Ohio V. I., and remained in the service 
 until the close of the war, being mustered 
 out at Greensboro, N. C, and finally dis- 
 charged at Cleveland, Ohio, July 3, 1865. 
 He took part in numerous important en- 
 gagements, among which were the battles 
 of Ringgold, Resaca and Franklin, Tenn , 
 the siege of Kno.xville, the battle of 
 Eltawa, the siege of Atlanta and the bat- 
 tle of Pumpkin Vine Run, Ga., together 
 with a large number of skirmishes, in all 
 of which he proved a valiant and fear- 
 less soldier, always found at his post of 
 duty. After being discharged from the 
 army, Mr. Thompson returned to Car- 
 roll township, where he again engaged in 
 farming, which occupation he has made his 
 life work, and he is still a resident of his 
 native township. There he was married 
 July 4, 18G9, to Miss Rebecca Brown, 
 daughter of Daniel and Melissa J.Brown. 
 
 By this union there is one child — ^William 
 EeRoy, born July 9, 1882. 
 
 In politics Mr. Thompson generally 
 supports the men and measures of the 
 Democratic party, though he is not strictly 
 partisan, and has served his fellow citi- 
 zens as township assessor two terms, and 
 school director three years. He and 
 his family attend the United Brethren 
 Church. He is a practical, self-made 
 man, having, by energy and perseverance, 
 secured his own financial success. 
 Equipped by nature with strong intel- 
 lectual endowments and rugged physical 
 powers, he has worked his way upward, 
 and, possessing a sterling honesty which 
 characterizes his conduct in all the offices 
 of life, he has won a high place in the 
 esteem and confidence of his fellowmen. 
 
 JOHN H. WENDT is an enterprising 
 and popular merchant and fruit 
 grower of Danbury township, Ot- 
 tawa county, of which township he 
 is a native, having been born October 2, 
 1853, on the homestead where he still re- 
 sides. 
 
 His early life was passed amidst the 
 surroundings of a comfortable home and 
 fond, indulgent parents' care. He re- 
 ceived the advantages of a liberal com- 
 mon-school education, and at an early 
 age adopted farming for his life vocation, 
 which he still continues to follow. In 
 1887, in connection with agricultural pur- 
 suits, he also began merchandising at 
 Marblehead Junction, and by his straight- 
 forward business principles has built up a 
 large and increasing trade, and established 
 an enviable record for honesty and fair 
 dealing. In 1887 he was appointed post- 
 master at Danbury, which position he 
 filled seven years to the satisfaction of 
 all concerned. 
 
 In Danbury, November 15, 1882, 
 John H. Wendt was married to Miss Ma- 
 tilda Meter, a daughter of Christian and 
 Dorothy Meter, both natives of Germany, 
 
566 
 
 CO-VifEVORATrrE BTOCfRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 the former of whom is deceased, the lat- 
 ter still making her home in Danbury 
 township. Mr. and Mrs. Wendt have 
 three children: Lydia S., born May iS, 
 18S3; William H., born February 19. 
 1S85; and Clara, born February 22. 1SS9. 
 Politically, our subject affiliates with the 
 Republican party, while in relig:ious faith 
 he and his family attend the Lutheran 
 Church. He is one of the live progres- 
 sive men of Danburv township, a good 
 friend and desirable neighbor. The pleas- 
 ant social and hospitable qualities of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Wendt are widely known, and 
 they enjoy the esteem and respect of all 
 in their community to a marked degree. 
 
 Herman Wendt. the father of our sub- 
 ject, was bom in the Pro\nnce of Han- 
 over. Germany. April 14. 1827. was edu- 
 cated in his native land, where he also 
 learned the trade of a cabinet maker. In 
 1S45 he landed on the shores of the 
 New World, and for about a year after his 
 arrival worked at his trade in New York 
 City. He came to Ohio in i S46. and for 
 a few years was employed at the coopers 
 trade at the Plasterbed Mills in Portage 
 township. Ottawa county. In 1S51 he 
 located in Danbury township, where he 
 followed farming until his death, which 
 occurred on the 6th of February. 1S94. 
 He was a true friend, a good neighbor, a 
 loving husband and a kind, indulgent 
 father, and his memory will long be cher- 
 ished by those who knew him best. 
 
 Herman Wendt was twice married, 
 his first union being with Mrs. Anna 
 Marie Brauer. the widow of Henry Brau- 
 er, and of the four children born to this 
 union, three are still living, namely: 
 Christina, born April iS. 1850, is the wife 
 of Angelus Hauschild, of Salem township. 
 Ottawa county: Anna, born November 
 18. 1851, is the wife of Henry Windish. 
 of Carroll township. Ottawa county: and 
 John H.. who forms the subject of this 
 brief sketch, is the third child. His 
 mother died on the 21st of September. 
 1855. The father later wedded Miss 
 
 Rachel Schwartz, a native of Germany, 
 and to them were bcrn three children, 
 one of whom still survives — John .\. . born 
 July 1 8. 1857, makes his home in Chica- 
 go. Mrs. Wendt passed awav June 5, 
 187--. 
 
 M 
 
 KS. MARIAR E. NELLIS. In 
 a record devoted to the repre- 
 sentative people of a county the 
 ladies who have borne their 
 part in public work are also deserving of 
 mention, and prominent among this class 
 is the one whose name opens this sketch. 
 She is a most capable business woman, 
 and is successfully carrying on a farm of 
 more than 200 acres, superintending its 
 cultivation and its management and mak- 
 ing it one of the neatest and most valua- 
 ble countn.- homes in this section of the 
 State. 
 
 Mrs. Nellis is a daughter of Isaac W. 
 and Lucy Ann (Lewisl Ingraham. and was 
 born in Harris township. Ottawa county. 
 March 26, 1853. Her father was born 
 July 22, 1827, in Connecticut, and came 
 with his parents to Ohio, where he is still 
 living, on a farm that belongs to Mrs. Nel- 
 lis. His wife was born June 23. 1836. in 
 New York, and they were married in the 
 Buckeye State. November 30. 1S51. 
 Eleven children were born of this union, 
 namely: Mariar E. : Calista. wife of G. H. 
 Damschroeder: Flora, wife of David Mc- 
 Gowan; Gleny. who died at the age of one 
 year: Theodore: Arnold W. : Ruth, who 
 died in infancy: Eunice, wife of George 
 Hotmer: and three that died in infancy 
 unnamed. Benjamin Ingraham, the pa- 
 ternal grandfather of Mrs. Nellis, was born 
 in 1779. and died in 1869. He followed 
 farming the greater part of his life, and 
 reared a family of thirteen children, eight 
 of whom have families of their own. Ben- 
 jamin Ingraham. Sr. . father of Benjamin 
 Ingraham. came to .America on the •• May- 
 flower." Sallie Maria Fuller, the mater- 
 nal grandmother of Mrs. Nellis, was bom 
 
jUc<^i^ (f y/'d'L 
 
VOMMEMOnATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 567 
 
 in Bristol county, Mass., May lo, 1807, 
 and was one of the eight children of Jo- 
 seph Fuller, who fought in the war of 
 1 81 2. His father was one of the Revolu- 
 tionary heroes, and was one of the famous 
 band who participated in the "Boston 
 Tea Party," when the British tea was 
 thrown into the harbor. Miss Fuller was 
 married in 1S2S to Lyman Lewis, and 
 they became the parents of eight children, 
 four born in New York and four in Ohio. 
 The father died in 1845, and in 1S48 the 
 mother became the wife of George 
 Fletcher, b}' whom she had one son. Mr. 
 Fletcher died in 1857. On May 10, 18S9, 
 Grandma Fletcher celebrated her eighty- 
 second birthday, in which celebration 
 twenty-one grandchildren and twenty-five 
 great-grandchildren participated. Two of 
 her sons and one son-in-law were in the 
 war of the Rebellion. The family has 
 long been prominently connected with this 
 locality, and Mrs. Nellis' father helped to 
 grade the Lake Shore & Michigan South- 
 ern railroad. He has also cradled wheat 
 on the site of the depot at Elmore, and is 
 numbered among the honored pioneer set- 
 tlers of Ottawa county. 
 
 Mrs. Nellis obtained her education in 
 a countrj' schoolhouse that stands on the 
 farm which she now owns. W'hen six- 
 teen years of age she began to earn her 
 own living, and displayed the remarkable 
 business ability which has always charac- 
 terized her. She was emplo3ed in a 
 tailor shop until about nineteen years of 
 age, and then began doing housework. 
 On May 5, 1874, she became the wife of 
 Cyrus T. Nellis, of Elmore, and the first 
 six months of their married life were 
 passed in Elmore, during which time Mr. 
 Nellis erected buildings on their farm 
 north of the village. In the autumn they 
 removed to the new home, where they 
 lived four years, in the meantime pur- 
 chasing the farm upon which Mrs. Nellis 
 is now living, and still retaining posses- 
 sion of the other. The present home ad- 
 joins the corporation limits of Elmore, 
 
 36 
 
 and on the place stands a beautiful brick 
 residence and barns and outbuildings 
 which are models of convenience. All the 
 improvements of a model farm may be 
 found there, and have been secured en- 
 tirely through the efforts of Mrs. Nellis. 
 When Mr. Nellis had the large barn well 
 under construction he lost his mind and 
 insanity caused him to attempt his own 
 life by trying to hang himself in the new 
 barn, which was unfinished. He was 
 then, on October 28, 187S, taken to the 
 hospital at Columbus, where he remained 
 one year. During that time Mrs. Nellis 
 completed the buildings which were then 
 in process of erection. On his return Mr. 
 Nellis began preparations for a fine brick 
 residence, and had the foundations laid 
 when his mind again became unsettled, 
 and he was once more taken to Columbus, 
 remaining there six years, after which he 
 was transferred to Toledo. The work of 
 completing the home then fell to his wife, 
 and with indomitable energy and perse- 
 verance she has carried forward the enter- 
 prise, and to-day has one of the most 
 beautiful homes in Ottawa county. [On 
 September 25, 1895, since the above was 
 written, by some cause unknown, Mrs. 
 Nellis' barns, three in number, caught fire 
 and were totalh' destroyed together with 
 all the contents, her own property as well 
 as that of her father, including the latter's 
 two span of horses, the best in the coun- 
 ty. By November 6, 1895, she had man- 
 aged to have a new barn erected.] 
 
 The family of Mrs. Nellis numbered 
 three children, the eldest of whom died 
 in infancy; Dow L. , born March 20, 1878, 
 has acquired a good literary education in 
 the public schools of Elmore, and now 
 aids his mother in the care of her prop- 
 erty; the youngest, Bede C. , born Sep- 
 tember 16, 1881, is attending school in 
 Elmore, and has also studied music. The 
 family is one of prominence in the com- 
 munity, having many warm friends, and 
 Mrs. Nellis commands the respect and ad- 
 miration of all by the masterly way in 
 
568 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 which she has carried forward her busi- 
 ness interests. A thorough lady, she yet 
 has the business ability which character- 
 izes usually the sterner sex. 
 
 HUGH SMITH, an old and highly 
 respected resident of Danbury 
 town ship, Ottawa county, is a na- 
 tive of the Emerald Isle, born in 
 County Monaghan, about the year 1825. 
 His parents, James and Alice (Burns) 
 Smith, were also born in the same coun- 
 try, and passed away in their native land. 
 The subject of this review received a 
 limited education in the schools of Ire- 
 land, and from his early youth has been 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1847 
 he left his native land, going to Scotland, 
 and for about seven years resided in Glas- 
 gow and Busby. He worked at farming 
 and in a print factory until, deciding to 
 try his fortune in America, he took pass- 
 age, June 17, 1854, on a sailing vessel, 
 which reached Quebec, Canada, in August 
 of the same year, after a voyage of two 
 months. From there he at once pro- 
 ceeded to Ohio, locating in Marblehead, 
 Danbury township, Ottawa county, where 
 he worked in the plaster quarries for about 
 a year. The succeeding three years were 
 spent in the same line of business at Ca- 
 tawba Island and Plasterbed. About 1 86 1 
 he removed to Kelley's Island, Sandusky 
 county, where he also worked in the quar- 
 ries some three years. In 1861 he pur- 
 chased his present farm near Lakeside, 
 making it his home continuously since, 
 and for some time past he has devoted his 
 time and energy to fruit growing on an 
 extensive scale. 
 
 Mr. Smith was married in Sandusky 
 City, in February, 1855, to Alice Boylan, 
 a daughter of James and Nancy (Mat- 
 thews) Boylan, who were natives of 
 County Cavan, Ireland, and are both 
 now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Smith be- 
 came the parents of ten children, (i) 
 
 Mary, the eldest, born September 2 3, 1855, 
 became the wife of Robert McKinney, a 
 native of Rochester, N. Y. , who died 
 October 12, 1889, leaving three chil- 
 pren — Alice, Isabel, and Jeanette; Mrs. 
 McKinney was married November 6, 1 894, 
 to Francis Thomson, and they now re- 
 side at Lakeside. (2) Hughie died in in- 
 fancy. (3) Alice, born March 8, 1859, 
 married James Connolly, and passed away 
 November 27, 1 893, leaving a husband and 
 two children — Alice and Mary — to mourn 
 theloss of a faithful wife and loving mother. 
 (4) James, born January 12, 1861, resides 
 near Marblehead, Ohio; he married Miss 
 Annie McMahon, a native of Ireland, and 
 they have a family of six children, namely: 
 Mary, James W., Isabel, Walter, John 
 and Alice Margaret. (5) Hugh, born July 
 12, 1863, died December 12. 1894. (6) 
 John B., born August 5, 1865, is a resi- 
 dent of Lakeside; he was married No- 
 vember 29, 1888, to Miss Bridget Rowan, 
 a native of Ireland, and they have three 
 children, named respectively — Henry M. 
 and Elizabeth (twins), born May i 5, 1889, 
 and William P., born May 15, 1892. (7) 
 Henry, born September 6, 1867, and (8) 
 Lillian, born December 23, 1869, are at 
 home. (9) Catherine, born January 27, 
 1872, is the wife of George Connolly, a 
 resident of Port Clinton, Ohio, and had 
 two children — George G. and Clarence 
 C, the former born October 7, 1893, 
 died December 26, 1894, the latter born 
 February 10, 1895. (10) William T., born 
 October 6, 1870, died March 19, 1889. 
 The mother of this family was called to 
 her final rest in 1892, and her death was 
 widely and deeply mourned. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Smith is in- 
 dependent, voting for the man rather than 
 the party, and he and his family are con- 
 sistent members of the Roman Catholic 
 Church. Though well advanced in years 
 he is still hale and hearty, and retains con- 
 siderable of the vigor of his youth, attend- 
 ing daily to his fine fruit orchard. He has 
 led a busy life, and his success is the re- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 569 
 
 ward of his own labors. Genial and social 
 in disposition, he is highly esteemed as a 
 friend and neighbor. 
 
 JULIUS M. PETERSON, a substan- 
 tial farmer of Benton township, Ot- 
 tawa county, is a son of Peter and 
 Hanna (Hansen) Peterson, and was 
 born at Port Clinton, Portage township, 
 Ottawa Co., Ohio, May 3, 1859. 
 
 Peter Peterson, our subject's father 
 was born in Schleswig, Germany, in 1825, 
 and on June 18, 1848, was united in mar- 
 riage with Hanna Hansen, who was born, 
 in 1823, also in Schleswig, Germany. 
 They had nine children, three of whom 
 are now living, as follows: Julius M., 
 whose name introduces this sketch; Wdl- 
 iarn, who lives in Arkansas, and Sophia, 
 now Mrs. Carstensen, of Oak Harbor, 
 Salem township, Ottawa county. Peter 
 Peterson came to America in 1855, and 
 located in Danbury township, Ottawa 
 Co., Ohio, thence moving to Port Clinton, 
 and in 1861 coming to Benton township, 
 where he settled in Section 31, cleared a 
 farm of sixty-two acres, built a barn and 
 fenced thp land, being assisted by his 
 children. 
 
 Julius M. Peterson, the subject of 
 these lines, was about two years of age 
 when his parents brought him to Benton 
 township and, later, he attended the pub- 
 lic schools of Elliston, Benton township, 
 receiving a business education that has 
 helped him in his life work since. On 
 September 7, 1881, he was united in 
 marriage with Miss Dora Braun, of Clay 
 township, Ottawa county, and they have 
 had eight chiUlren, their names and dates 
 of birth being as follows: Julia, Novem- 
 ber 22, 1882; Leora, April i, 1884; Ed- 
 ward, September 10, 1885; Mabel, May 6, 
 1887; Ora, March 3, 1889; Eliza, August 
 23, 1890; Gertrude, February 7, 1892; 
 and Hazel, May 8, 1894. Mrs. Peter- 
 son's father, Adam Braun, was born in 
 Hessen, Germany, in 1805; her mother, 
 
 Margaret (Brandt), was born in Hessen, 
 Germany, in 1S19. They were married 
 in 1 836, and had eleven children, of whom 
 five are now living, as follows: Dorathea 
 (Gerlach), of Lorain county, Ohio; Jus- 
 tus Braun, of Ottawa county; Henry 
 Braun, of Lorain county, C3hio; Eva 
 (Truman), of Toledo, Ohio; and Dora, 
 now the wife of the subject of this sketch. 
 She was born September 7, 1858, in Hes- 
 sen, Germany, where she lived until four 
 years old, when she came to America 
 with her parents, who settled in Lorain 
 county, Ohio, residing there seven years, 
 and then removing to Clay township, Ot- 
 tawa county, where the daughter Dora 
 lived until her marriage. 
 
 Immediately after his marriage Mr. 
 Peterson took his father's farm to work 
 for three years. In 1885 he went to Ar- 
 kansas where he remained only a few 
 months, making the trip mainly for his 
 health, which, however, he did not fully 
 recover until two years after his return. 
 He then, in 1887, went to North Am- 
 herst, Lorain county, and was engineer 
 in a flour-mill there for two and a half 
 years, after which he removed to Benton 
 township, where he now lives and farms 
 110 acres of land, dealing somewhat in 
 stock, mainly hogs, which he sells to local 
 buyers. He and his. wife are highly- 
 esteemed citizens of Benton township, 
 and are training up a family of children 
 to good citizenship and usefulness in the 
 world, work ranking among the noblest of 
 parental duties. In society Mr. Peterson 
 ranks high among the Grangers, being 
 one of the founders of Benton Grange, 
 P. of H., and is prominent among the 
 Odd Fellows. In politics Mr. Peterson 
 is a liberal Democrat. 
 
 JOHN H. OVERMYER is one of the 
 esteemed and representative citizens 
 of Washington township, Sandusky 
 county, and it is with pleasure that 
 we present to our readers the record of 
 
570 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 his life, knowing that it will be received 
 with interest, for his friends are many. 
 He was born July 20, 18 19, in Pennsyl- 
 vania, son of Samuel and Elizabeth 
 (Hoke) Overmyer, who were also natives 
 of the Keystone State, and in 1834 
 came to Ohio, locating in Washington 
 township, Sandusky county, on the farm 
 which is now owned by our subject. 
 There they spent their remaining days. 
 
 John H. Overmyer received but lim- 
 ited school privileges. When only ten 
 years of age he came to Ohio, and this 
 region, being then on the frontier, afford- 
 ed few advantages to its residents. His 
 training at farm labor, however, was not 
 meager, and he was soon familiar with 
 the arduous task of developing wild land. 
 He worked with his father up to the time 
 of the latter's death, and then inherited 
 the old homestead, a valuable property, 
 which is accounted one of the best farms 
 in tiis locality. He has made farming 
 his life work, and the evidence of his 
 labor is seen in the highly improved place 
 which he to-day owns. 
 
 The domestic relations of Mr. Over- 
 myer have been of the most pleasant 
 character. On January 24, 1856, he 
 was married to Miss Mary Boyer, who 
 was born December 25, 1833, daughter 
 of John and Catherine (Smith) Boyer, 
 and of this union were born eleven chil- 
 dren, a brief record of whom is as follows: 
 (i) Barbara E., born January 2, 1857, is 
 the wife of David Miller; they were mar- 
 ried October 27, 1881. and have four 
 children — Wesley, born October i 5, 1883; 
 Rosella, December 5, 1885; Harry, Oc- 
 tober 14, 1888, and Lula, April 14, 1894. 
 (2) Mary E., born September 24, 1859, 
 was married September 1 3, 1 892, to Jeffer- 
 son Notstin, and children as follows were 
 born to them — a daughter, born August 
 30, 1893, died in infancy; and Berl Em- 
 erson, born June 6, 1895. (3) Catherine 
 A., born November 23, i860, was mar- 
 ried December 17, 1885, to Fred Gnep- 
 per, who was born May 12, 1859, son of 
 
 Ernst and Mary Gnepper, and children as 
 follows have blessed this union — J. V., 
 born December 18, 1886; P. ^^., January 
 
 30, 1889; A. F. , January 21, 1891; and 
 M. F., April 6, 1894. (4) Amos A., 
 born November 6, 1862, was married June 
 16, 1892, to Emma Hetrick, and they 
 have two children — Clyde, born January 
 
 31, 1893; and Ray F. , November 30, 
 1894. (5) Alvin S , born October 9, 
 1864, was married December 15, 1887, 
 to Edessa Lattig, and two children were 
 born to them — a son on May 16, 1892, 
 died, in infancy; and R. Ruth, born 
 April 24, 1895. (6) Susanna, Born April 
 28, 1867, died May 27. 1883. (7) 
 Celesta, born November 8, 1869, was 
 married March 19, 1891, to Alfred D. 
 Hetrick, and two children blessed their 
 union — Lloyd E., born July 14, 1892, 
 died July 30, 1893; and Vida, born Sep- 
 tember 3, 1894. (8) Elam, born Febru- 
 ary 15, 1873. (9) Festus, born March 
 23, 1876. The two other children died 
 in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Overmyer 
 have also an adopted daughter, named 
 Mabel Overmyer, who was born May 25, 
 1880. 
 
 Mr. Overmyer and his sons are sup- 
 porters of the Republican party. The 
 family is one of prominence in the com- 
 munity, and its members are highly es- 
 teemed for their genuine worth. The 
 long life of our subject has been well 
 spent. He has ever been true to all 
 trusts, whether public or private, and 
 those who know him best are his warm- 
 est friends. 
 
 GEORGE MALLORY is one of the 
 extensive fruit growers of Marble 
 Head, Ottawa county. Promi- 
 nent among the brave old pio- 
 neers of Danbury township stands this 
 worthy citizen, who is deserving of more 
 than a passing notice in this volume. 
 His birth occurred in Newtown, Fairfield 
 Co., Conn., December 27, 1823, and he 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 571 
 
 is a son of Nathaniel and Laiirena fFoote) 
 Mallory, wiio were both also natives of the 
 Nutmeg State. Of the family of four 
 children, George was the only one to lo- 
 cate in Ohio, while his sister and two 
 brothers are still supp(«ed to reside in 
 Connecticut. The father died in Au- 
 gust, 1825, and in 1S30 George went to 
 live with an uncle. 
 
 The education of our subject was 
 very limited, as in boyhood and early 
 youth his time was almost entirely occu- 
 pied in laboring for his imcle and his only 
 opportunity for attending school each 
 year being the short winter term, while 
 ofttimes not even then could he be spared 
 from the farm duties. He is a thorough, 
 practical fanner as his well-cultivated 
 lands bear evidence, and for the past 
 twenty years almost his entire attention 
 has been devoted to fruit growing. In 
 September, 1843, he located on Catawba 
 Island, there being at that time but twen- 
 ty-two voters on the Island. For seven 
 years he there engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits, and in 1850 he sold that place, 
 purchasing his present farm in Danbury 
 township, upon which he has now made 
 his home for over forty-five years. 
 
 In that township, on May 18, 1845, 
 Mr. Mallory was married to Miss Cather- 
 ine D. Hartshorne, who was born in San- 
 dusky City, Erie Co., Ohio, March 8, 
 1825, a daughter of Wyatt and Jane 
 (Kelly) Hartshorne. Their union was 
 blessed with five children, three of whom 
 are yet living: Eli/;aJ., born November 
 15, 1850; Hattie M., born April 3, 1853, 
 married to F. A. Rice, February 6, 1883, 
 and resides at Lakeside, Ohio; and George, 
 born September 23, 1865. The mother 
 of this family passed from earth July 27, 
 1892. Her father had come to Ohio in 
 1 8 10, and two years later located in Erie 
 county, where in 1824 he married Jane 
 Kelly. Later he removed to Danbury 
 township, and here resided up to the 
 time of his death. He was one of Otta- 
 wa county's most progressive and popu- 
 
 lar agriculturists, and was a highly es- 
 teemed citizen. His faithful wife still 
 survives him at the advanced age of 
 ninety years, and makes her home with a 
 daughter in Sandusky City. 
 
 Mr. Mallory is one of the few remain- 
 ing pioneers of the county, who has been 
 spared to see the wild timber land give 
 place to fertile farms, and the untutored 
 Indian and wild animals of the forest 
 vanish before the inevitable march of 
 civilization, while his personal unswerv- 
 ing integrity and general rectitude through 
 life has gained for him an enviable repu- 
 tation in the commimity where he is best 
 known. In his political principles he has 
 always been a stanch Republican, and the 
 family attend the Congregational Church. 
 
 WILLIAM WONNELL. Among 
 those who follow farming and 
 fruit growing in Portage town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, and well 
 deserve mention among the leading citi- 
 zens of the community is Mr. Wonnell. 
 Born December 28, 1832, in the 
 township which is still his home, he is a 
 son of Isaac and Margaret (Shook) Won- 
 nell, the former of whom was born in 
 Maryland, June 18, 18 10, and died Feb- 
 ruary 18, 1875, while his wife, to whom 
 he was married February 16, 1832, was 
 born in Pickaway county, Ohio, August 
 18, 1814, and died February 2, 1895. 
 Both became early settlers of Ottawa 
 county, the Shook family locating in Port- 
 age township about 1825, the Wonnell 
 family a short time afterward. John 
 Shook, father of Mrs. Wonnell, died 
 April 20, 1865, at the age of seventy-five, 
 and his wife Susanna passed away March 
 3, 1856, at the age of si.xty-two; the 
 mother of our subject died at the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty years. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Wonnell had a family of seven children, 
 namely: William; Samuel, born March 24, 
 1834, and died January 5, 1858; Su- 
 sanna, born November 8, 1835, and die^ 
 
572 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 November 4, 1836; Margaret, born De- 
 cember 9, 1837, and died October 17, 
 1 861; Sarah, born February 19, 1842, 
 and died October 10, 1893; Daniel, born 
 December 13, 1843, and died September 
 26, 1849; and Ephraim, born January 8, 
 1850. The eldest and the youngest are 
 now the only surviving members of the 
 family. 
 
 William ^^'onnell acquired his educa- 
 tion in the district schools of the town- 
 ship, and since earl)- life has devoted his 
 energies to agricultural pursuits, while for 
 the past twelve years he has also exten- 
 sively engaged in fruit growing. His 
 labors were interrupted, however, by his 
 enlistment in his country's service May i, 
 1864, with the one-hundred-day men of 
 Company K, One Hundred and Thirty- 
 ninth Ohio V. I. During his service he 
 was stationed at Point Lookout, Md., 
 and after being discharged he returned to 
 his home, where he resumed farming. 
 
 Mr. Wonncll was married March 26, 
 1 86 1, to Mary S., the estimable daughter 
 of Joshua C. and Stila (Shirley) Martin. 
 Her father was born in the Mohawk Val- 
 ley, New York, in 1 806, and was of En- 
 glish lineage, while her mother was born 
 in Almeda county, N. Y. , October 13, 
 1 8 1 1 , of American parentage. The grand- 
 parents of Mrs. Wonnell removed from 
 the latter county to Ohio, in 181 7, and af- 
 ter living in Erie county, for a short time 
 took up their residence in Danbury town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, where they both 
 passed away. Joshua Martin was one of the 
 first settlers of Erie county, and was a sea 
 captain, sailing on the lakes for many years, 
 during which time he resided in Sandusky 
 county. He died December 23, 1840, his 
 wife on January 28, 1885, at the age of 
 seventy-tive years, three months and thir- 
 teen days. She removed to the Penin- 
 sula when a young girl with her parents 
 who located near Lakeside, which at that 
 time was mainly the home of the Indians. 
 She endured many trials and hardships 
 incident to the frontier, and lived a noble 
 
 Christian life. In 1S31 she became the 
 wife of J. C. Martin, who died nine\ears 
 later, and a year after married Elijah 
 Nichols, whose death occurred ten years 
 later. In 1858 she became the wife of 
 James Metcalf, who survived her about 
 two weeks, dying at the very advanced age 
 of ninety-two. In 1843 Mrs. Metcalf be- 
 came a member of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church, and her exemplary life was in 
 harmony with her profession. She reared 
 eleven children, including two adopted 
 children and one grandson. Her devo- 
 tion to her family was unceasing, and she 
 had not only their love and esteem, but 
 also the high regard of all who knew her. 
 Mrs Wonnell, who was born in Ohio, 
 October 11, 1840, is the only surviving 
 member of the family. By her marriage 
 she has become the mother of four chil- 
 dren, only one of whom is now living — 
 Maggie Estelle, born November 5, 1865. 
 The youngest child died in infancy; Ella 
 May, born December 25, 1S61, died July 
 31, 1S83; William Courtland, born April 
 14, 1863, died November i, 1888. Mr. 
 Wonnell is a member of George R. Mc- 
 Ritchie Post, No. 524, G. A. R. In poli- 
 tics he is a stalwart Republican, and has 
 served as school director and supervisor 
 for several terms. He and his family at- 
 tend the Methodist Episcopal Church, of 
 which he is a consistent member. His 
 friendship is prized most by those who 
 know him best, a fact which indicates a 
 well-spent and honorable life. 
 
 WILLIAM G. MILLER, a most 
 prominent fruit grower of Dan- 
 bury township, Ottawa county, 
 was born December 13, 1859, 
 on the old homestead farm which is still 
 his place of abode, and throughout the 
 community in which he has always lived 
 he is held in high regard, a fact which in- 
 dicates a well-spent life. 
 
 Descended from German ancestry, 
 the family was founded in America by 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 573 
 
 Claus Miller, the father of our subject, 
 who was born in the Province of Han- 
 over, June 2, 1 82 I, and emigrated to this 
 country in 1838', locating in New York 
 City, where he engaged in the grocery 
 business until 185 1. In that year he 
 came to Ohio, and took up his residence 
 in Danbury township, Ottawa county, 
 casting in his lot with its early settlers. 
 Here he successfully engaged in agricul- 
 tural pursuits until his death, which oc- 
 curred May 2, 1880. He was married 
 in New York City. June 2, 1847, to Kath- 
 rina Buck, who was born in the Province 
 of Hanover, Germany, August i, 1824, 
 and with her parents crossed the briny 
 deep in 1840. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller 
 were born five children: Anna C. , who 
 was born in New York, April 2, 1848, is 
 now residing in Toledo, Ohio; John H., 
 born in the same place, March 11, 185 i, 
 was a prominent farmer and fruit grower 
 of Danbury township, Ottawa county, 
 and died April 20, 1894, leaving a widow 
 and two sons; Herman, born March 4, 
 1853, is now residing in Sandusky, Ohio; 
 William G. is the ne.\t in the family; Ma- 
 tilda R. , born May 5, 1862, is the wife of 
 J. W. Muggy, who is living in Catawba 
 Island. 
 
 In the usual manner of farmer lads 
 William G. Miller spent the days of his 
 boyhood and youth and acquired his ele- 
 mentary education in the district schools 
 of his native township, after which he en- 
 tered Oberlin College, at Oberlin, Ohio, 
 where he pursued his studies four years. 
 In the meantime he taught school three 
 terms, and after the completion of his 
 school life continued teaching several 
 terms, being employed seven terms in 
 Danbury township, and two on Catawba 
 Island.- During this time he also followed 
 agricultural pursuits on the old home- 
 stead, and since 1886 he has devoted his 
 entire attention to farming and fruit rais- 
 ing. He now owns and operates a rich 
 and well-cultivated tract of land, forty 
 acres being devoted to peaches, pears and 
 
 plums, and the neat appearance of the 
 place indicates his systematic and careful 
 supervision. He has made the growing 
 of different kinds of fruits adapted to the 
 soil a specialty, and believes in thorough 
 and intensive cultivation, to obtain best 
 results. 
 
 On January 20, 1892, Mr. Miller mar- 
 ried Miss Lydia Reitz, daughter of Rev. 
 G. F. Reitz, who was born in Browns- 
 ville, Minn., June 29. 1866, and one child 
 graces their union — Helen C born No- 
 vember 8, 1892. Mr. and Mrs. Miller 
 attend the Lutheran Church. He is 
 highly esteemed in the community, where 
 he resides, for his sterling worth and 
 strict integrity, and belongs to that class 
 of progressive and public -spirited young 
 men to which the West owes its prosper- 
 ity and advancement. 
 
 ELIHU LINDSLEY. Among the 
 prosperous farmers of Carroll 
 township, Ottawa county, the 
 records of whose lives fill an im- 
 portant place in this volume, it gives us 
 pleasure to commemorate the name of the 
 gentleman whose sketch is here given. 
 He is a native of Ottawa county, born in 
 the town where he now resides. March 14, 
 1849, and is a son of Elihu and Nancy 
 (Webster) Lindsley, both of English de- 
 scent, the former a native of New Jersey, 
 the latter of Kentucky. 
 
 Like the majority of the young men 
 of that day, our subject received but a 
 limited education in the primitive log 
 schoolhouseof the district, and from early 
 life has been engaged in agricultural pur- 
 suits. His life has been a quiet one, 
 without any uncommon incidents, as he 
 had no adventures as a pioneer in a new 
 country, was engaged in business in a new 
 town, nor has he aspired to any conspicu- 
 ous office. Yet to those who know him, 
 it is evident he would have been success- 
 ful in any line of life as he has been in 
 that which he has chosen. On March 7, 
 
574 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 1869, in Carroll township, he wedded 
 Vashti E. Humphrey, who was born in 
 Ashtabula, Ohio, January 15, 1849, and is 
 a daughter of Henry and Catherine (Zieg- 
 ler) Humphrey. To this union have come 
 eight children, as follows: Charles H., 
 born May 10, 1870, now makes his home 
 in Ashtabula; Katie O. I., born August 12, 
 1872, is the wife of Albert Gyde, of Car- 
 roll township; Florence A., born January 
 15, 1875, is the wife of Elliott Whipple, 
 of the same township; Kalph B., born De- 
 cember 9, 1876, is residing in Ashtabula; 
 Lelila M. was born February 3, 1879; 
 Wesley R. was born January i, 1881; 
 Bertha M. was born November 15, 1882; 
 and Laura M. was born July 16, 1885. 
 
 Mr. Lindsley is a prominent citizen, 
 especiallj' as a leader in such good deeds 
 as need sympathy, active work and be- 
 nevolent contribution — in fact, his whole 
 life has been an example of what princi- 
 ple, square dealing and honesty can ac- 
 complish. He and his famih' are faith- 
 ful attendants of the United Brethren 
 Church, and are held in the highest esteem. 
 Though no office seeker, Mr. Lindsey has 
 been called upon by his fellow citizens to 
 serve as school director and constable of 
 his township, and he served as trustee of 
 his township a number of years. 
 
 JOHN F. RUDY, who for some time 
 has been mail agent at Limestone, 
 Ottawa county, is a native of Penn- 
 sylvania, born in the town of Lan- 
 caster, July 14, 1 83 1, son of Theophilus 
 and Elizabeth (Frittz) Rudy. 
 
 The parents of our subject were both al- 
 so born in Pennsylvania, the father in about 
 1 8 10, and of their family five are still liv- 
 ing — three sons and two daughters — all 
 but John F. living in Pennsylvania, where 
 the mother also makes her home. The 
 father died in that State May 29, 1894. 
 Mr. Rudy's maternal grandfather, John 
 Frittz, was born in Pennsylvania, and 
 lived to be seventy-five years old; the 
 
 grandmother, who was some years his 
 junior, died at a comparatively early age. 
 The great-grandmother, Mrs. Merrick, 
 was born in Philadelphia in 1754, and 
 lived to the extraordinary age of one hun- 
 dred and five years and five days. 
 
 John F. Rudy attended the district 
 schools until fifteen years of age, when he 
 commenced to work, turning over his 
 wages to his father until of age. In his 
 Nouth he learned the blacksmithing trade, 
 but he has never devoted himself to it, 
 preferring farming and other work. At 
 the age of nineteen he married Miss Liz- 
 zie Porter, of Pennsylvania, and this mar- 
 riage has been blessed with two children: 
 Emma, born May 6, 1861, and Ida, born 
 in 1867, the last named dying in infancy. 
 Emma is married and lives in Pennsylva- 
 nia, where her husband, Mr. Wilco.x, is act- 
 ively engaged in the tobacco business. Af- 
 ter marriage Mr. and Mrs. Rudy lived at his 
 father's for two years, after which he 
 worked by the day among farmers in his 
 native State for two years, or until 1863, 
 when he came west to Ohio, locating in 
 Clark county. Early in 1865 Mr. Rudy 
 entered the war of the Rebellion, enlist- 
 ing in Company I, One Hundred and 
 Ninety-seventh O. V. I., with which he 
 served to the close of the conflict. He 
 was never in any hard-fought battles dur- 
 ing his service, and the command was just 
 on its way to assist in the siege of Rich- 
 mond when the news of its surrender 
 reached them. During his absence Mrs. 
 Rudy was in Pennsylvania with her people. 
 
 After his return from the army Mr. 
 Rudy farmed six months in Ohio, and 
 then went to Pennsylvania to visit his 
 parents, remaining there one year, after 
 which he traveled for a time through 
 Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. He finally 
 took a position at Cincinnati, Ohio, as 
 clerk on a steamer on the Ohio river, 
 which he held one year, and subsequently 
 farmed near Dayton for three years. Af- 
 ter making another trip to Pennsj'lvania 
 to visit his parents, he traveled exten- 
 
^' 
 
 f^L^ ^ /i<^ 
 
I 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 575 
 
 sively throughout the United States, and 
 on March 9, 1892, he came to Ottawa 
 county, Ohio, taking up his residence in 
 Limestone, where since 1892 he has been 
 mail agent, and he is comfortably sit- 
 uated. In Benton township and vicinity 
 he enjoys the respect of all who know 
 him as a useful citizen; socially, he is also 
 well-known, holding membership with 
 George Fields Post No. 168, G. A. R. , in 
 which he is chaplain, is a member of Ben- 
 ton Grange, in which he is also chaplain; 
 and of the Soldiers Union of Ottawa 
 county. 
 
 OLIVER J. TRUE, retired railroad 
 contractor and builder, whose 
 home has been in Port Clinton, 
 Ottawa county, since 1864, is a 
 native of New York State, born June 12, 
 1827, in the city of Batavia. He was the 
 only son of Oliver and Sarah (Marvin) 
 True, both New Englanders by birth, 
 the former of whom died in the State of 
 New York, the latter in Minnesota. 
 
 Our subject received a liberal educa- 
 tion at the public schools of and seminary 
 in Norwalk, Ohio, after which he served 
 an apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade 
 under John Randolph. Completing same 
 at the age of twenty-two, he commenced 
 railroad work, bridge building on the 
 Junction railroad, now the northern divi- 
 sion of the Lake Shore & Michigan 
 Southern railroad. He constructed the 
 first bridge across Sandusky Bay, rebuilt 
 it in 1871, and again in 1880; in fact he 
 was connected with the Lake Shore & 
 Michigan Southern railroad as bridge 
 builder and road master, between Cleve- 
 land and Toledo, for about thirty-three 
 years, or until 1883, when he retired from 
 the service. His home in Port Clinton 
 is situated in the corner of a large fruit 
 farm containing apple and peach trees in 
 abundance, and 4,000 quince trees. In 
 his fraternal affiliations he is a thirty-sec- 
 
 ond-degree Freemason ; in politics a stanch 
 Democrat. 
 
 On May 15, 1849, Mr. True was mar- 
 ried to Miss Eunice Sanderson, who was 
 born March 12, 1829, at Brookfield, Vt., 
 daughter of Ozias and Olive (Jefferson) 
 Sanderson, the former of whom died in 
 Indiana, the latter in Berlin Heights, 
 Ohio. To this union came children as 
 follows: Charles C. , born February 18, 
 1850; he is a practicing physician in Cleve- 
 land, Ohio, and professor of diseases of 
 the nervous system in the Cleveland 
 Medical College. Willis C. , born De- 
 cember 29, 1852, died March 17, 1853. 
 Adaleta, born July 14, 1854, died April 
 15, 1894. Allen Jay is spoken of farther 
 on. Edwin M., born August 18, 1861, 
 is engaged in the milling business in Port 
 Clinton, Ohio. George A. is also spoken 
 of below. John W., born January 20, 
 1869, died December 22, 1890. 
 
 Allen Jaj' True was born in Sandusky 
 City, Ohio, September 6, 1857, He at- 
 tended the common schools of Port Clin- 
 ton, after which he commenced an ap- 
 prenticeship in the repair works of the 
 Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad. 
 After some three years so engaged he 
 learned telegraphy on the same road, 
 which branch of the service he followed 
 some years, part of the time as night 
 operator at Danbury, Ottawa county, 
 and was then (in 1879) promoted to as- 
 sistant road master and tie and lumber 
 inspector, on the Toledo division of the 
 road. In 1884 he left the railroad, and 
 buying out a general fire insurance busi- 
 ness at Peru, Ind., he removed thither, 
 there remaining till 1888, when he sold 
 out, and returning to Port Clinton took 
 charge of the agency for Ottawa county 
 of the Ohio Farmers Insurance Co., in 
 which he has since been successfully en- 
 gaged, having the leading insurance busi- 
 ness in the county. In January, 1885, 
 Allen J. True was married to Miss Clara 
 B. Johnson, who was born at Port Clin- 
 ton, Ohio, in December, 1858, and two 
 
576 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 children have been born to them: John 
 A. and Mary Eunice. Socially Mr. True 
 is a Knight Templar, and has been mas- 
 ter of O. H. Perry Lodge, Port Clinton, 
 for a number of years. Politically he is 
 a Democrat. 
 
 George A. True was born December 
 31, 1865, at Port Clinton, Ohio, the pub- 
 lic and high schools of which city he at- 
 tended, graduating from the latter in the 
 spring of 1886, in the fall of which year 
 he entered the high school at Ann Arbor, 
 Mich., remaining there one winter. In 
 the following spring and summer, having 
 returned to Port Clinton, he did some 
 work in the interests of the Ohio Farm- 
 ers Insurance Co., and in the fall of the 
 same year (1887) he commenced teaching 
 the Port Clinton High School, as principal, 
 a position he held some two years. In 
 1890 he was appointed county school ex- 
 aminer, an incumbency he has since filled, 
 and, same year, commenced reading law 
 in the office of T. J. Marshall, attorney 
 at law. Port Clinton. After about a year 
 he entered the Unisersity of Michigan, 
 Ann Arbor, graduated therefrom in the 
 spring of 1893; was admitted to the bar, in 
 C)hio,in March, same year, and in Michigan 
 in the following June. In August, 1893, he 
 opened an office in Port Clinton for the 
 general practice of law, was elected city 
 solicitor in the spring of 1895, and still 
 holds that ofifice. In politics Mr. True is 
 a Democrat. He has not yet enlisted in 
 the noble army of benedicts, preferring 
 to disport himself for some time longer, 
 at least, in the Arcadian fields of single- 
 blessedness. 
 
 GEORGE A. BEEBE, one of the 
 most prominent and successful 
 fruit growers and highly respected 
 citizens of Danbury township, Ot- 
 tawa county, was born in Columbia town- 
 ship, Lorain Co., Ohio, January 3, 1836, 
 to Willis and Sally (Bronson) Beebe, the 
 former a native of the Empire State, the 
 
 latter of Lorain county, Ohio. Our sub- 
 ject received an elementary education in 
 the schools of his native township, after 
 which he attended Oberlin College, at 
 Oberlin, Ohio, and in early life he learned 
 the carpenter's trade, which occupation 
 he followed until 1861. 
 
 In October of that year Mr. Beebe 
 became a member of Company E, Si.xty- 
 fifth O. V. I., and with his regiment took 
 part in many important engagements no- 
 ticeable among which were the battles of 
 Shiloh, Chickamauga, Buzzard Roost 
 Mountain and Resaca. For four years 
 he valiantly aided in the defense of his 
 country, being mustered out of service at 
 Nashville, Tenn. , in November, 1865, 
 after which he returned to Columbia 
 township, Lorain county. In the winter 
 of 1865 Mr. Beebe went to Middletown, 
 Conn., where, March 13, 1866, he mar- 
 ried Miss Selina L. Tryon, a daughter of 
 Joseph and Lucetta Tryon, and their un- 
 ion has been blessed with two children: 
 Gertrude L. , born May 27, 1S67, now 
 teaching school in .Middletown, Conn.; 
 and T. Ervin, born January 2, 1870, now 
 a civil engineer in Cleveland, Ohio. 
 
 Shortly after his marriage, in 1866, 
 Mr. Beebe located in Danbury township, 
 Ottawa county, and for almost thirty 
 years has been one of its most progressive 
 and honored residents. Of late years he 
 has been extensively engaged in fruit cul- 
 ture, and thoroughly understands that 
 business as well as farming in all its de- 
 tails, to which fact his well-cultivated 
 fields, productive orchards and neat sur- 
 roundings bear ample evidence. In all 
 his duties of husband, father and neigh- 
 bor he occupies a high place in the es- 
 teem of his fellow citizens. He has never 
 been a seeker after public office, but has 
 efficiently filled the position of trustee of 
 his township for several terms. Socially, 
 he belongs to O. H. Perry Lodge, No. 
 241, F. & A. M., and I. B. Richards 
 Post, No. 454, G. A. R. In political 
 preferences he is a Republican, and both 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 577 
 
 he and his wife are consistent members of 
 the Congregational Church, and at the 
 organization of the Church in March, 
 1S73, in his township, ho was elected 
 clerk of the Church, and has filled that 
 position till the present time. 
 
 Willis Beebe, the father of our sub- 
 ject, was born March 16, 1806, and was 
 a son of Abram Beebe and grandson of 
 Zera Beebe, the latter of whom was a 
 lieutenant in the Colonial army during 
 the Revolutionary war. The father lo- 
 cated in Danbury township in 1866, with 
 his sons Sherlock, George A., and Bela 
 B. , and became an honored and revered 
 citizen of the community, but did not live 
 long to enjoy his home, dying April 25, 
 1868. In Lorain count}', Ohio, March 
 18, 1827, he wedded Miss Sally Bronson, 
 whose birth occurred November 11, 18 10. 
 She passed away October 4, 1889. By 
 this union nine children were born, six of 
 whom are still living, namely: Sherlock 
 U., residing at Lakeside, Danbury town- 
 ship; George A., subject of this sketch; 
 Mary B. , widow of Norris C. North, of 
 Marshall, Minn.; Miles A., the oldest 
 letter carrier in the Cleveland post office 
 department, and the second oldest in the 
 United States; Eva B., wife of Frank G. 
 Lee, of Lakeside, Danbury township; and 
 Bela B., who enlisted in the One Hundred 
 and Eleventh O. V. I., in 1S62, and 
 served during the war. 
 
 Sherlock Beebe, the oldest living 
 member of the family, is a leading fruit 
 grower of Danbury township; his orchard 
 adjoining that of our subject. He was 
 born in Liverpool, Medina Co., Ohio, 
 June 12, 1 83 1, and received the advant- 
 ages of a very liberal education in the 
 select schools of his native township. He 
 was reared to agricultural pursuits, and 
 also engaged in fishing; but of late years 
 his entire attention has been given to fruit 
 culture, and his fine orchards bear evi- 
 dence of the care, thrift and sound judg- 
 ment of the owner, who justly enjoys the 
 good will and confidence of his neighbors. 
 
 He was married June 12, 1862, in Xenia, 
 Greene Co., Ohio, to Miss Louisa L. 
 Stowe, a daughter of Joseph and Mary 
 Stowe, but she was called to her final 
 rest on the first of the following Septem- 
 ber. He is an earnest supporter of the 
 Republican party, and has served as clerk 
 of Columbia township one term, and for 
 si.x years was justice of the peace in Dan- 
 bury township; at the organization of the 
 Congregational Church in Danbury town- 
 ship, he was chosen as one of its deacons, 
 and has held that office in the church 
 continuousiy till the present time. 
 
 FRANK BROWN, a practical 
 farmer and fisherman, and a pop- 
 ular and respected resident of 
 Carroll township, Ottawa county, 
 was born in Venice, Erie Co., Ohio, Au- 
 gust II, 1S56, and is a son of Daniel and 
 Melissa J. (James) Brown. He was but 
 eight years old when he accompanied his 
 parents to Carroll township, and when 
 his farm duties would permit he attended 
 the district schools of the townships where- 
 in his youthful days were spent. With 
 the exception of two years devoted to 
 railroading, his whole life has been given 
 to agricultural puisuits and to fishing. 
 
 At Port Clinton, Ottawa county, on 
 January 20, 1880, Mr. Brown was united 
 in marriage with Miss Minnie Goodside, 
 who was born near Dubuque, Iowa, Au- 
 gust 13, 1859, and is one of a family of 
 nine children born to William and Min- 
 nie Goodside, seven of whom are yet liv- 
 ing: William, of Bogart, Erie Co., Ohio; 
 Minnie, wife of our subject; Frank, of 
 Detroit, Mich. ; and Charles, Andrew, 
 Clelia and Eugene, of Sandusky City, 
 Ohio. Her parents located in Erie 
 county, Ohio, in 1861, where they still 
 reside. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Brown were four children: Alvira, born 
 January 16, 1881; Bertha, born June 16, 
 1882; Nettie G., born March 22, 1884, 
 
oiS 
 
 COMMR.VORATn'E BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 and died March 3. 1894; and George R., 
 born April 4. iSS;. 
 
 Socially. Mr. Brown is a prominent 
 member of the Knights of the. Maccabees, 
 while politically he is an ardent adherent 
 of the men and measures of the Demo- 
 cratic party, and for two terms served as 
 township clerk. Thouich still a young 
 mnn. he has won for himself a name and 
 standing in the community in which he 
 resides, that might well be envied by 
 many an older man. He well deserves 
 the prosperity that has rewarded his years 
 of toil, and his hospitality and cheering 
 manner, combined with sterling worth, 
 have won for him a host of friends. 
 
 PHILLIP VROMAN. one of the 
 most progressive and highlynes- 
 teemed residents, as well as the 
 oldest living settler of Put in Bay- 
 Island. Ottawa county, and a prominent 
 and successful fruit grower, whose sur- 
 roundings indicate thrift, enterprise and 
 good management, was born in Otsego 
 county, X. Y.. August ^.:. 1823. and is a 
 son of John and Nancy ^Becker'* Woman, 
 both of whom were natives of New York 
 State. Their parents, who were born in 
 Germany, located in New York in an 
 early day in the histon." of that State, and 
 their respective fathers were soldiers in 
 the K .^ry war. 
 
 W _- nine years of age our sub- 
 
 ject removed to Canada, where for a few 
 years he resided with his father's brother. 
 He then went to what is now Lake county, 
 Ohio, where he obtained a limited educa- 
 tion, and after leaving school he sailed 
 upon the lakes for several years. On 
 July I. 1S44, he located in Put in Bay 
 township, Ottawa county, and for over 
 fifty years has been a continuous resident 
 of that Island, foremost in all works per- 
 taining to its improvement, and giving of 
 his time and means toward all interests 
 calculated to promote the general welfare. 
 Shortly after his arrival here he purchased 
 
 too acres of land, erected a substantial 
 home, and for many years eng-aged in ag- 
 ricultural pursuits and fishing for a liveli- 
 hood; but of late years his attention has 
 been more particularly devoted to fruit 
 culture — his orchards and vineyards Iving 
 among the finest on the island, on which 
 he set the first vineyard. 
 
 Mr. \'roman was married in Tiffin. 
 Ohio, May 2. 1847, to Miss .\melia Luce. 
 a daughter of Joshua and Electa ^Sander- 
 son) Luce. She was iK^rn in O.xford. 
 Erie Co., Ohio, March 31, 1S29, and is 
 of English and Welsh lineage. The fam- 
 ily lx>rn of this marriage numbers four 
 sons: Daniel P.. born in Sandusky City. 
 Ohio, April ^i, 1S4S, was united in mar- 
 riage in Cincinnati November i, 1S71, to 
 Alice Bertrand, and now resides on Put in 
 Bay Island. Frank, born at Groton 
 Center, Ohio, July 5. 1854. died June 23. 
 1S66. George Henrj', born at Put in 
 Bay February 29, 1S60, was married on 
 the Island November 10, iSoi, and now 
 has two children — Frank Leslie, born 
 November 30, 1892; and Erma May. born 
 September 7, 1894; with his family he 
 now resides on the old homestead; he 
 had been previously married, his first 
 union being with Lottie Reynolds, by 
 whom he had two children — Edna Amelia, 
 born in January, 1881; and Florence, 
 born Februan*- 22, 1883. The fourth 
 son, Solomon Welden. was born at Put in 
 Bay Deceml^er 30. 1870. and died Feb- 
 ruar\- 6, 1S9!. 
 
 Mr. Vroman purchased the first land 
 ever sold on Put in Bay Island, and also 
 erected the first schoolhouse on the Isl- 
 and. He has been treasurer of the town- 
 ship since its formation, and has been a 
 prominent factor in the development of 
 this region, and in making the Island 
 what it is to-day, one of the most highly 
 cultivated localities in northern Ohio. 
 Though well advanced in years, he still 
 takes an active part in all matters that 
 will add to its attraction. In politics he 
 affiliates with the RepubUcan party. He 
 
co}f}f}J3fonATrvE nroonAPiircAT. nEconn. 
 
 679 
 
 is an active member of the Reformed 
 Episcopal Church, and superintendent of 
 the Sunday-school, and enjoys a reputa- 
 tion that is above rejjroach. He and his 
 family have the respect and confidence of 
 every resident of the county with whom 
 they are acquainted, and in this volume 
 well deserve representation. 
 
 JOHN McKENZIE is a prominent 
 business man of Lakeside, Ottawa 
 county, proprietor of livery and 
 transfer stables. Being well known 
 in this community, we feel assured that 
 the record of his life will prove of inter- 
 est to many of our readers and f^ladly 
 give it a place in this volume. He was 
 born in Paisley, Scotland, July 12, 1841, 
 and is a son of Neil and Mary McKenzie, 
 both of whom were natives of the High- 
 lands of Scotland. When he was only 
 three weeks old his mother died, and 
 while still a young child he went with his 
 father and an aunt, and two brothers of the 
 latter, to Canada. They located in Hamil- 
 ton, Ontario, where our subject received a 
 common-school education. His father 
 died leaving him an orphan when he was 
 only seven years of age. 
 
 On the completion of his school life, 
 John McKenzie drove a stage for about 
 five years, and afterward engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits. In 1865 he re- 
 moved to Ohio, settling near Norwalk, 
 in Huron county, where he carried on 
 farming, and worked in a sawmill for 
 about three years, then spent a similar 
 period in fishing in I^ake Erie, at Huron. 
 In 1 87 1 he came to Lakeside, Ohio, 
 where he has since resided, and for 
 twenty-two consecutive years he has held 
 the position of dock master. He has 
 also had extensive business relations, 
 and has been a prominent official. On 
 November 6. 1894. he was elected 
 county commissioner on the Republican 
 ticket, and has also filled the office of 
 
 school director in Danbury township, 
 Ottawa county, for several years. 
 
 On January 7. iS/f, Mr. McKenzie 
 was united in marriage with Miss Martha, 
 daughter of Ilishop and Perrnelia Knapp, 
 natives of the Empire State, who settled 
 in Huron county, Ohio, at an early day 
 in its history. They located first in 
 Bronson township, where they resided 
 for many years, and then removed to 
 Milan, going thence to Norwalk. The 
 father died about 1866, the mother in 
 October, 1873. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie have four 
 children; Fenie was the first child born 
 in Lakeside, the natal day being Febru- 
 ary 23. 1874; the others are Daniel B., 
 born November 17, 1875; Margery Aiken, 
 born August 17, 1879; and John H., 
 born April 24, 1883. The family attend 
 the .Methodist Episcopal Church. In his 
 political views, Mr. McKenzie is a Re- 
 publican, and, socially, is connected with 
 Peninsular Lrjdge, No. 607, K. of P. 
 He is recognized as one of the represent- 
 ative and progressive men of Ottawa 
 county, his character is above reproach, 
 and he and his family are highly es- 
 teemed residents of Lakeside. 
 
 JOSEPH G. TOEPPE. In the fall 
 of the year 1844, prompted by a 
 desire to better their condition in 
 life, there came from Baden, Ger- 
 many, to America, .Michael Toeppe and 
 his brother, who settled near Buffalo, N. 
 Y. , and engaged in farming. 
 
 Michael Toeppe was born in Baden, 
 April 15, 1813. and was married in New 
 York State, in October, 185 5. to Miss Mary 
 Hillinger, also a native of Baden, born 
 May 18, 1830. Eight children blessed 
 their union: Joseph G., our subject; 
 Mary, born in January, 1859, married and 
 living at Tiffin, Ohio, has one child; Will- 
 iam A., bom in May, 1861, died at the 
 age of twenty years; Mary, born in May, 
 1863, living at home; Helen, born Au- 
 
580 
 
 COMyiEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 gust 31, 1865, living in Seneca county, 
 Ohio; Moyette, born in 1867, living in 
 Chicago, 111. ; George and John, both 
 living at home. 
 
 Joseph G. Toeppe was born Novem- 
 ber 12, 1856, in Erie county. He re- 
 ceived a common-school education in the 
 near vicinity of Buffalo, N. Y. , and at 
 the age of twenty-six left home and em- 
 barked in a general merchandise business 
 in Kansas, Seneca Co., Ohio. After six 
 weeks of trade he was burned out. On 
 August 12, 1883, he located in Millersville, 
 Ohio, where he rented a store and put in 
 general supples. After two years of 
 profitable trade he erected the two-story 
 brick building which he now occupies. 
 Mr. Toeppe is a Republican in politics, 
 and a member of the Roman Catholic 
 Church. He was appointed postmaster 
 of Millersville, Ohio, August 10, 1 890. 
 On April 17, 1887, he was married to 
 Miss Mary F. , daughter of John Schock, 
 a farmer of Seneca county, Ohio, and two 
 children have come to them: Otto George, 
 born August 30, 1891, and Mary F., 
 born April 21, 1893. 
 
 HENRY BEHRMAN is pleasantly 
 located in Danbury township, Ot- 
 tawa county, where he is success- 
 fully conducting a fine fruit farm. 
 He is a native of Germany, born in the 
 Province of Hanover, March 25, 1841, 
 and is a son of Henry and Mata (Lenan) 
 Behrman, also natives of the same prov- 
 ince. His parents are now both deceased, 
 the mother having departed his life Jan- 
 uary 28, 1867, the father on December 
 8, 1890. In their family were three 
 children, two of whom still survive. 
 Henry, and his sister Gasha, wife of Al- 
 bert Bahs, of Danbury, Ottawa county. 
 In 1848 Mr. Behrman, the subject 
 of this sketch, crossed the broad At- 
 lantic to America, and located in Dan- 
 bury township, where he has since made 
 his home. In the common schools of 
 
 Ottawa county he acquired his education, 
 and since large enough to handle a plow 
 he has followed farming. On February 
 20, 1868, in Danbury township, Mr. 
 Behrman was married to Miss Mary Kahrs, 
 a daughter of John and Helena Kahrs 
 both natives of Germany, the former of 
 whom has passed away, the latter still 
 living and making her home in Danbury 
 township. By this union seven children 
 were born, one of whom died in infancy; 
 the names and dates of birth of those 
 still living are Edward A., February 21, 
 1 871; Martha, July 22, 1873; Hattie, 
 May 7, 1876; Mary, May 18, 1878; Hel- 
 ena, July 28, 1883; and Henry, Septem- 
 ber 5, 1887. 
 
 Mr. Behrman and his family attend 
 the Lutheran Church, and are highly re- 
 spected and esteemed as valuable mem- 
 bers of the community. In politics he 
 affiliates with the Democratic party. He 
 is a typical self-made man, having ac- 
 quired his possessions through his own in- 
 dustrious efforts and good management, 
 and has arisen to a prominent and in- 
 fluential position in his neighborhood. 
 His reputation is above reproach, and he 
 may undoubtedly be classed among the 
 best citizens of Ottawa county. 
 
 CASPER FOOS, retired farmer and 
 a resident of Millersville, Jack- 
 son township, Sandusky county, 
 was born February 20, 1826, in 
 Alsace, F"rance (now Germany) a son of 
 Casper and Mary (Toeppe) Foos. The 
 parents of our subject came to America 
 in 1842, and settled near Rochester, N. 
 Y. , where the father's death occurred in 
 1882, when he was aged seventy-eight 
 years; the mother died seven years later 
 at the age of eighty-four years. Mr. 
 Foos was a member of the Roman Cath- 
 olic Church, and in politics he was a 
 Democrat. 
 
 Casper Foos, the subject proper of 
 these lines, who was one of a family of 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 581 
 
 nine children, remained at home until 
 his nineteenth birthday, when he started 
 out for himself. He worked at different 
 places and at various employments, for 
 two years, and then secured a paying 
 position in a distillery where he was em- 
 ployed seven years, saving his earnings. 
 In 1855 he moved to Jackson township, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, and there bought 
 forty acres of land and engaged in farm- 
 ing pursuits. Five years later he bought 
 one hundred acres more. 
 
 On April 25. 1849, Mr. Foos married 
 Miss Adeline Horchelar, of Rochester, 
 N. Y. , daughter of John H. Horchelar, 
 now deceased, as is also her mother. 
 The children of Casper and Adeline Foos 
 were as follows: George, Maryette, John, 
 Martin (i), Helena, Anthony, Louis and 
 Martin (2). In politics Mr. Foos is a 
 Democrat, and has held several offices, 
 being popular and well-liked in the com- 
 munity. He served in Company F, 
 Thirty-second Ohio Volunteers, under 
 Capt. W. W. Webb, Seventeenth Corps, 
 Sherman's Army. In religious faith he is 
 a member of the Catholic Church. 
 
 ELLIOTT F. PEIRCE. Among 
 the leading and representative 
 fruit growers of Catawba Island 
 township, Ottawa county, there is 
 none more prominent than the gentleman 
 of whom this notice is written. He is a 
 native of the Old Dominion, his birth 
 having occurred in Lancaster county, 
 August 22, 1857, and is a son of John A. 
 and Mary E. (Cox) Peirce. When about 
 twelve years of age he removed with his 
 parents to Baltimore, Md., where most 
 of his education was obtained in the pub- 
 lic schools. 
 
 In 1875 Mr. Peirce came to Ohio, 
 locating in Carroll township, Ottawa 
 county, where he engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits for over a year, and in 1877 re- 
 moved to Catawba Island where he spent 
 five years in fruit culture. From 1882 
 
 until 1889 he was in the employ of the 
 Chicago and North Western Railroad 
 Company as telegraph operator and sta- 
 tion agent at Irwin, Iowa. At the end of 
 that time he returned to Catawba Island, 
 and after remaining there for about eigh- 
 teen months, removed to Arkansas dur- 
 ing the year 1890, where for two years 
 he was employed as station agent by the 
 Iron Mountain Railroad Company. 
 Since 1892 he has been extensively en- 
 gaged in fruit growing in Catawba Island 
 township, and is meeting with excellent 
 success. 
 
 On September 28, 1882, Mr. Peirce 
 was married to Miss Elnora H. Porter, 
 who was born June 22, 1858, a daughter 
 of Wheeler and Flora H. (Bearss) Porter, 
 and they have one child: Wheeler R. , 
 born July 25, 1883. The father of Mrs. 
 Peirce was born in western Connecticut, 
 May 30, 1808, and was a son of John and 
 Sarah (Beers) Porter. In October, 1832, 
 he located on what is now Catawba 
 Island, and during his residence there re- 
 sided in three different counties, though on 
 the same farm, as the name was changed 
 three times by reason of alterations made 
 in the surveys. Dr. L. S. Porter is his 
 son by his first marriage, and on Decem- 
 ber 22, 1853, he wedded Miss Flora H. 
 Bearss, a sister of his former wife. They 
 had two daughters — Sarah A. , who was 
 born December 19, 1854, and is the wife 
 of Theodore S. Porter; and Elnora H., 
 the honored wife of our subject. The 
 father passed away April 10, 18S8; the 
 mother, who was born in New Fair- 
 field, Conn., December 17, 1832, still 
 survives him and finds a pleasant home 
 with our subject. From a local paper 
 published in 1887 we glean the following 
 reminiscence concerning Mr. Wheeler 
 Porter: "Mr. Porter is one of the pio- 
 neers of Catawba. He left Connecticut, 
 September 27, 1832, and landed on his 
 present farm (then consisting of 300 
 acres) one month later, where he re- 
 mained until the fall of 1839, when. 
 
582 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 becoming homesick, he sold out and 
 returned to Connecticut; but the first 
 line of boats the following spring 
 brought him back, and he purchased lOO 
 acres of his old farm where he has resided 
 ever since. When he first came to Ca- 
 tawba it was known as Danbury township, 
 Huron count}'. There was only one 
 American family on the Island at that 
 time. His party consisted of eight per- 
 sons, the first night was spent in a log hut 
 with no fioor, door, windows or roof, ex- 
 cept the heavens above. The first Thanks- 
 giving Day observed on Catawba was cel- 
 ebrated at Mr. Porter's house in 1833. 
 The first religious service held on the 
 Island was at his home down on the east 
 shore in 1840. Many changes have taken 
 place during his fifty-si.x years of residence 
 on the Island, he has seen it change, as 
 it were, from a howling wilderness to a 
 garden of fruit. 
 
 Socially, Mr. Peirce is a member of 
 Ellsworth Lodge, No. 473, I. O. O. F., 
 of Irwin, Iowa, and is a charter member 
 of Port Clinton Lodge, No. 361, K. of 
 P., to the Grand Lodge of which he was 
 the first representative. In political sen- 
 timent he is a stanch advocate of the men 
 and measures of the Republican party, 
 while, in religious faith, he and his family 
 attend the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 He is one of the energetic young fruit 
 growers of Catawba Island, and his farm 
 is part of the old Porter homestead. He 
 is pleasant and genial as a host, a general 
 favorite with all who have the pleasure of 
 his acquaintance, and both he and his 
 wife enjoy the the respect and esteem of 
 many friends and neighbors. 
 
 JOHN WELLES. No name is bet- 
 ter known or more highly revered 
 throughout Ottawa county than the 
 one which introduces this sketch. 
 For more than thirty-five years Mr. 
 Welles has been closely identified with 
 
 the history of Martin, the thriving little 
 village of which he is the founder, and 
 which is indebted to him for its growth 
 and prosperity. He comes of good old 
 Revolutionary stock, and his life, full of 
 enterprise, persistence and industry, and 
 crowned with good deeds to his fellow 
 men, proves the truth of the old adage, 
 " blood will tell." 
 
 John Welles was born November 13, 
 1824, at Wethersfield, near Hartford, 
 Conn., in the old Webb mansion, one of 
 the oldest historic buildings in that State. 
 The hospitality of its owners was so well 
 known that it was styled "Hospitality 
 Hall." It stands on Main street, in 
 Wethersfield, and in 1752 was bought by 
 Joseph Webb, Sr. , from Maj. Samuel 
 Wolcott, for two thousand eight hundred 
 pounds sterling. The father of our sub- 
 ject purchased it in 1820. This home 
 was on more than one occasion a resting 
 place of Gen. George Washington. His 
 first visit was made June 30, 1775. when 
 on his way to take command of the army 
 at Cambridge. He was accompanied by 
 Gen. Charles Lee and other military offi- 
 cers. It was at the Webb home i^lso 
 that a most important military conference 
 was held May 19, 1781, when Gen. 
 Washington, with Count Rochanibeau 
 and other French officers, outlined the 
 campaign which resulted in the siege of 
 Yorktown and the close of the Revolu- 
 tionary war. In this house, in 1753, 
 Gen. Samuel Webb was born. He was 
 aid-de-camp to Gen. Putnam, wounded 
 at the battle of Bunker Hill, and after- 
 ward private secretary to Gen. Wash- 
 ington. He was the grandfather of 
 the well-known Dr. William Seward 
 Webb, president general of the "Sons 
 of American Revolution," and of his 
 three distinguished l)rothers. Our sub- 
 ject's paternal great-grandfather was a 
 major in La Fayette's corps, and after- 
 ward genera! of the State Militia. 
 
 John Welles obtained his primary 
 education in the schools of his native town, 
 
\J/i}'Z^iyt^<^ 
 
 (^'h^-^CUj 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 583 
 
 and was preparing to enter Yale College 
 when illness intervened and prevented 
 him. At the age of seventeen years he 
 left home, and going to New York City 
 found emplo\-ment as clerk in a whole- 
 sale drj'-goods store, where he remained 
 for seven years. Being a young man of 
 good business ability and progressive 
 ideas, he determined to start in some en- 
 terprise of his own, and embarked in the 
 wholesale commission business, which he 
 carried on for seven years with great suc- 
 cess, shipping produce, butter, etc., all 
 over the Western States, chiefly to Cali- 
 fornia. He once sold two shipments of 
 butter, in two days — bound to California 
 by way of Cape Horn, there being no 
 railroads in those days — which amounted 
 to $30,000. In fact he dealt so largely 
 in butter that it was impossible to obtain 
 a sufficient quantity of barrels in which 
 to place the firkins; but this only stirred 
 up the Yankee blood of Mr. Welles, and 
 with true grit he determined to show the 
 dealers that he was not dependent on 
 them. He came to Ohio and purchased 
 six thousand acres of timber land, built a 
 sawmill and employed a large force of 
 men cutting logs and turning them into 
 lumber, staves, heading, etc., making his 
 own nece.ssary utensils. He carried on 
 the commission business in New York for 
 a year longer, then sold out and returned 
 to Ohio, where he devoted himself to the 
 manufacturing of lumber, etc. 
 
 At this time Mr. Welles established the 
 now thriving little town of Martin, nam- 
 ing it for his father, Martin Welles. He 
 extended his business, employing from 
 eighty to one hundred men, and nineteen 
 teams, and continued in this work for up- 
 ward of twentj'-five years, in the mean- 
 time clearing his large tract of land and 
 turning it into fertile fields, planting 150 
 acres of corn in one season. In 1880 a 
 disastrous fire swept away his entire plant 
 at a loss of $13,000, on which there was 
 no insurance. A new mill speedily arose, 
 
 phcenix-like, from the ashes of the old 
 37 
 
 one, and the business was again under 
 way. The fire-fiend, however, continued 
 to pursue him, and in 1885^ smaller mill 
 was burned, Mr. Welles hSsuig $3,000, on 
 which there was but little insurance. 
 After his second calamitj' he retired from 
 the lumber and stave manufacturing 
 business, which had not proved very 
 profitable, and has since devoted his 
 entire time and attention to his extensive 
 farm. 
 
 On October 6, 1863, Mr. Welles was 
 married to Ada M., daughter of Rev. 
 Henry Moore, and they became the par- 
 ents of two children: Frances Adaline, 
 born October 29, 1878, who died October 
 22, 1880; and John Moore, born April 5, 
 1 88 1, who is attending high school in 
 Genoa. 
 
 Martin Welles, the father of our sub- 
 ject, was born in 1788, in Newington, 
 Conn., read law at Hartford, where he 
 practiced for a number of years, and also 
 for a time in New York City. He was 
 for eight years speaker of the House of 
 Representatives in Connecticut, was after- 
 ward a member of the State Senate, and 
 was also a candidate for governor of that 
 State. In political faith he was an Old- 
 line Whig. He was a man of strong 
 character and excellent principles, and for 
 many years prior to his death he served 
 as judge of the Superior Court of Con- 
 necticut. About 1808 he was married to 
 Miss Frances Norton, who was born in 
 T791, a daughter of Reuben Norton, who 
 was a merchant of Farmington, Conn. 
 She became the mother of five children, 
 a brief record of whom is as follows: 
 Thomas Norton was born, in 18 10, in 
 Newburgh, N. Y. , and received his edu- 
 cation in his native town and in New York 
 City, where he studied for the ministry, 
 but on account of ill-health, was obliged 
 to give up his plans, and in hope of 
 reovering his health went to Illinois 
 and took up farming; there he died in 
 1852, and was laid to rest in Jubi- 
 lee College Cemetery. Charles R. was 
 
584 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 born in 1812, in Newburgh, N. Y. , 
 graduated from Yale College and read law 
 at Springfield, 111. ; he was a warm per- 
 sonal friend of the martj'red President, 
 Abraham Lincoln, and they practiced law 
 side by side in the courts; after the death 
 of Mr. Welles, which occurred in 1850, at 
 Springfield, Mr. Lincoln, as his e.xecutor, 
 transacted all the business for Mrs. 
 Welles up to the time of his leaving the 
 city to take his seat in the White House. 
 Julia Welles was born in the old Webb 
 mansion and died in infancy. Francis 
 N. Welles was also born in the old Webb 
 mansion, in 1823, and was educated in 
 Hartford, graduating from Yale College; 
 he took his degree from the Medical Uni- 
 versity of Missouri, at St. Louis, and 
 practiced for a short time at Springfield, 
 111., returning to Wethersfield, Conn., 
 where he died June 10, 1893; he was 
 married to Miss Augusta Pulsifer, of 
 Rocky Hill, Conn., and they had two 
 children, Dr. J. N. Welles, a dentist at 
 Hartford, Conn., and Dr. F. M. Welles, 
 a physician. John Welles, the subject 
 proper of this sketch, is the youngest 
 child. The father of this family died 
 January 18, 1863, while on a visit to his 
 son John, at Martin, the mother passing 
 away at the old home in 1876. 
 
 Adaline Moore, wife of our subject, 
 was born February 16, 1840, in Portage 
 count}', Ohio, daughter of Rev. Henry 
 and Adaline (Miller; Moore. Her mother 
 was born in Hartford, Conn., and was a 
 minister of the Congregational Church, 
 as was also her mother's father. The 
 children born to this couple were as fol- 
 lows: Adaline M. ; Catherine E., born 
 October 16, 1841, who resides at Toledo; 
 Lucetta P., born at Wayne, Ohio, in 
 1849, and died in infancy; Clara, de- 
 ceased in infancy; Delia, wife of the re- 
 nowned Dr. Carl Von Ruch, of Asheville, 
 N.C. , who graduated at Ann Arbor (Mich.) 
 College, and afterward studied in Ger- 
 many; Mary Alice, widow of George 
 Bishoprich, who lives at St. Catharines, 
 
 Ontario, Canada; Carrie, who died in in- 
 fancy; Abbie B., residing at .Asheville, N. 
 C. ; Grace, wife of William Schoenheit, of 
 Asheville, N. C. ; and Henry Welles Moore, 
 who studied medicine in the universities 
 at Cleveland (Ohio) and Ann Arbor (Mich.) 
 and is a practicing physician at Milan, 
 this State. Henry Moore, the father of 
 this family, died suddenly in 1890, while 
 on a visit to his son-in-law. Dr. Carl Von 
 Ruch, at Asheville, N. C. , and at his re- 
 quest was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, 
 Toledo, beside his granddaughter, Fran- 
 ces Adaline Welles, daughter of our sub- 
 ject. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Welles are consistent 
 members of the Presbyterian Church at 
 Genoa, at which they are regular attend- 
 ants. 
 
 The name "philanthropist" might 
 with propriety be applied to our subject, 
 John Welles, for his heart and purse have 
 ever been open to the call of humanity or 
 the furtherance of any laudable project. 
 He has always contributed freely to the 
 erection of churches, schools and other 
 public institutions, giving land, lumber 
 and personal services, and by his wise 
 counsels and judicious management has 
 wrought to successful completion many 
 projects for the growth and improvement 
 of his community. Since the formation 
 of the party he has always been a stanch 
 Republican, but has never been an office- 
 seeker, for though on several occasions 
 he has been tendered the suffrage of the 
 people he has always declined, on the 
 ground that he supported his party from 
 principal, and that he should never look 
 for or accept office. He has in his pos- 
 session several valuable heirlooms which 
 date back to the time of the Revolution- 
 ary war in 1775. One of them is the sub- 
 joined letter, written by Gen. Alex. Gel- 
 latly, an officer of the British army, to 
 Mr. Seth Norton, grand-uncle of our sub- 
 ject, who was a Tory, and fought on the 
 side of the British in the war of the Revo- 
 lution. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 585 
 
 Mr. Seth JJorton, Connnissary General's Of- 
 fice, Charleston, South Carolina. 
 
 New York, 3 Nov., 1780. 
 Dear Sir: Your favor of the 7 Sept., was 
 delivered to nie on the 25 of same Month, which 
 tho' short, conveyed nie the agreeable account 
 of your wellfare, of which I wish a long contin- 
 uance; it also gives me satisfaction to under- 
 stand that your conduct meets the approbation 
 of Mr. Townsend. He is a worthy man. I 
 obeyed your commands to Messrs. Humphrys 
 and Clayton, the former by letter, the latter in 
 person. Mr. Humphrys has been stationed at 
 Lords Neck ever since July in receiving For- 
 age. He informed me in his last letter that he 
 was in good health. Mr. Clayton desires his 
 respects to you. I am sorry it is not in our 
 power to communicate to you any interesting 
 Intelligence: we seem here at present to lye 
 upon our oars. It is from your quarter that we 
 look for and expect great things, and indeed 
 you have hitherto acquitted 3-ourselves like 
 Brittish Heroes, and I hope that every oppor- 
 tunity from you will convey us fresh additions 
 to tlie Laurels already acquired by your Brave 
 Noble Commander, whom I pray may be the 
 happy Instrument under God of restoring 
 Peace in the South. Admiral Sir George 
 Bridges Rodney arrived here several weeks ago 
 with ten Sail of the Line. His departure is ex- 
 pected in a few days. Admiral Arbuthnott has 
 the French Fleet and Army fast blocked up at 
 Rhode Island; it is hoped they will both fall into 
 his hands. On the 15th the first Division of 
 the London Fleet arrived here with a reinforce- 
 ment of Troops. No news of importance was 
 broughcby this Fleet. Before now you have 
 no doubt been informed of the tragical affair of 
 the much lamented unfortunate Major Andre 
 and of the coming in of General Arnold from 
 the Rebels. The particulars of the Causes of 
 both will, I dare say, have at this time transpired 
 with you. I have sent Dr. Watson a few of our 
 Latest News Papers: to them I refer you, for 
 what is going amongst us. Our Friend Mr. 
 Gillane Butler is stationed at Flushing where 
 he resides with his famil3' — I shall expect to 
 hear from you by first Opportunity — Wishing 
 you Health and every other Blessing. I re- 
 main. Dear Sir, Your Friend and Humble 
 Servant, Alex. GelLatly. 
 
 Another interesting heirloom is a solid 
 mahogany bedstead, nine feet in height, 
 imported from England, and a part of the 
 original furniture of the old Webb man- 
 sion. Gen. George Washington slept on 
 this bed on more than one occasion. The 
 paper which adorned the bedroom of this 
 distinguished guest still remains on the 
 wall in the ok! Webb mansion. The 
 house still remains in good preservation 
 in possession of the Welles family. 
 
 FREDERICK BRETZ, one of the 
 prominent fruit growers of Middle 
 Bass, Ottawa county, was born in 
 Mecklenburg, Germany, February 
 8, 1843, son of John and Mary (Kulow) 
 Bretz, who were both born in Mecklen- 
 burg, came to America in 1853, and lo- 
 cated in Sandusky, Erie Co., Ohio. 
 
 John Bretz was engaged in business 
 for a number of years in Sandusky, Ohio, 
 but during his declining years lived a re- 
 tired life. His death occurred April 11, 
 1885, and that of his wife on December 
 15, 1893. They had a family of four chil- 
 dren, all now living, as follows: Frederick 
 is the eldest, and is the subject of this 
 sketch; Lena is the wife of August Graves, 
 residing in Danbury township, Ottawa 
 county; Bertha is the wife of Henry 
 Foster, a hardware merchant of San- 
 dusky; and Louis resides in Sandusky. 
 Frederick Bretz received part of his school 
 education in the Fatherland, but when ten 
 years old came with his parents to Amer- 
 ica, and completed his education in the 
 schools of Sandusky. He then worked at 
 agricultural pursuits, afterward learned 
 the trade of mason and plasterer, and fol- 
 lowed that occupation for about twenty 
 years, being, for a part of the time, also 
 engaged in fruit growing. In 1865 he 
 settled on Middle Bass Island, has lived 
 here ever since, and ranks to-day among 
 the most prominent and honored resi- 
 dents. 
 
 At Sandusky, Ohio, May 17, 1866, 
 Frederick Bretz was united in marriage 
 with Caroline Burggraf, and they have had 
 five children, one of whom died in in- 
 fancy, four now living, as follows: Fred- 
 erick, born May 29, 1867, residing in 
 Cleveland, Ohio; Julia, born July 12, 
 1869, wife of John Rehberg, Jr., residing 
 at Put in Bay, Ottawa county; Edward, 
 born January 13, 1872, living at home; 
 and Herman, born Jul}' 21, 1879. Mrs. 
 Bretz's parents were Mathias and Maria 
 Bruggraf. Mr. Bretz has served as trus- 
 tee of Put in Bay township three terms, 
 
58G 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 also as school director. In his political 
 views he is a Republican. The family at- 
 tend the Lutheran Church. 
 
 ANDREW BECHSTEIN, a prom- 
 inent grape grower and wine 
 maker of Middle Bass Island, 
 Put in Bay township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty, was born in Hessen-Xassau, Germany, 
 January 12, 1843, son of John and Mar- 
 tha (Mueller) Bechestein. who were 
 both also born in Hessen. Germany. 
 John Bechstein, who was a farmer by 
 occupation, died in February, 1887, his 
 wife on March 9, 1 869. They had three 
 children, namely: Andrew, the subject 
 of this sketch, and George and Adam, 
 both of whom are still living in Germany. 
 Andrew Bechstein was reared to man- 
 hood and received his education in the 
 Fatherland. At the age of twenty he 
 voluntarily joined the bodyguard of King 
 William I, in Kassel, in which he served 
 three years, and then returned to his trade 
 as weaver, which he continued to follow 
 together with agricultural pursuits, up to 
 the time of his departure for America. In 
 Germany, on April 24, 1S66, he was 
 united in marriage with Fredericka Horn, 
 who was born in Hessen, July 11, 1S45, 
 and they have had five children, as fol- 
 lows: ^lary Kathrine, born June i, 1867, 
 married to Frank A. Fischer September 
 6, 1888, at Detroit, Mich., and now re- 
 siding at Middle Bass Island; Lawrence 
 J., born January 10, 1869, was united in 
 marriage with Bertha Steinle November 
 26, 1895, at Sandusky, Erie county, 
 Ohio, where he now resides; Emil A., 
 born November 15, 1872; Andrew C. J., 
 born June 20, 1S75; and Emma M. E., 
 born February i, 1881. 
 
 Mrs. Bechstein's parents were An- 
 drew and Sophia (Bechstein) Horn, the 
 former of whom was born in Germany 
 June 16, 1S02; in 1822 he joined the 
 Hunters Guard, and served ten years in 
 Hessen-Kassel; in 1832 he was appointed 
 
 Forester in Falkenberg, whence he re- 
 moved to Dens, and at his own request he 
 again returned to Rockensuess Hessen, 
 where at his first home, he died April 2, 
 1879. His wife preceded him to the 
 grave bj- many years, having passed away 
 when the daughter Fredericka was but an 
 infant. Mrs. Bechstein still has living 
 two brothers and two sisters, the elder 
 brother, John Horn, being teacher and 
 composer of music at Louisville, Ky. ; 
 Lorenz Horn, the younger brother, is in 
 the furniture business at North Amherst, 
 Ohio; one sister resides in New Albany, 
 Ind. , and the other at their dear old home 
 in the Fatherland. 
 
 In 1869 Andrew Bechstein came to 
 America, locating in Detroit, Mich., where 
 he resided two 3ears. In March, 1871, 
 he removed to Middle Bass Island, and 
 engaged in grape growing, having been a 
 continuous resident of the Island since. 
 In politics he is a Republican. The 
 family attend the Evangelical Protestant 
 Church. 
 
 A 
 
 LBERT W. SADDORIS, fisher- 
 man, of Point Locust, is a native 
 of Carroll township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty, born at Point Locust, Jan- 
 uary 5, 1856. 
 
 His parents, Elias and Eliza Melissa 
 (Root) Saddoris, were both natives of 
 Ohio, the former born in Holmes county, 
 July 25, 1827, and the latter in Huron 
 county, on December 14, 1835. In their 
 family were five children, namely: James 
 W. , born February 2, 1854, is a promi- 
 nent farmer of Carroll township: Albert 
 W. is the ne.xt in order of birth; Mary E., 
 born September 6, 1S60, is the wife of 
 James Floral, who resides in Port Clin- 
 ton; Theodore E., born in November, 
 1S62, died in infancy; Eunice, born Feb- 
 ruary 13, 1S64, died February 9, 1867. 
 
 The father of our subject for many 
 years was a prominent agriculturist of Car- 
 roll township, both he and his wife being 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 587 
 
 early settlers of Ottawa county. In 1864 
 he was drafted for service in the war of 
 the Rebellion, and was attached to Com- 
 pany H, Fifty-fifth O. V. I. At Savan- 
 nah, Ga. , he died from illness contracted 
 while defending his country, and his re- 
 mains were interred in that citj'. He had 
 many friends in Ottawa county, where he 
 was both widely and favorably known. 
 
 In the district schools of Carroll town- 
 ship, Albert W. Saddoris acquired his 
 education, and since attaining the age of 
 fifteen years has engaged in fishing and 
 sailing on the lakes, so that almost his 
 entire life has been spent upon the water. 
 He stands highin thecommunit}' in which 
 he lives, winning the confidence and re- 
 spect of all with whom he comes in con- 
 tact. He uses his right of franchise in 
 support of the Republican party, but 
 cares little for the honors or emoluments 
 of public office. 
 
 JOHN C. BLEHER, a prominent 
 merchant and popular citizen of the 
 village of Lacarne, Ottawa county, 
 was born in Wurtemberg, Germany. 
 December 20, 1836, and is a son of 
 George and Eva (Holder) Bleher, both of 
 whom were natives of the same country, 
 and emigrated to America in 184S, locat- 
 ing in Sandusky, Ohio, on the loth of 
 May, that year. The father was not long 
 permitted to enjoj' his new home for he 
 died three months later. His wife con- 
 tinued her residence in Sandusky until her 
 life's labors were ended in 18S8. Their 
 family numbered seven children — four 
 sons and three daughters— of whom only 
 three are living: John C. , whose name 
 opens this record; Charles, a resident of 
 Clyde, Ohio; and John M. 
 
 The subject proper of this review was 
 only twelve years of age when brought by 
 his parents to America. He acquired his 
 education in the public schools of San- 
 dusky, and for some twelve years after 
 leaving school engaged in a sea-faring life 
 
 on the lakes. After that he spent twelve 
 years in the car shops of the C. S. C. 
 Railroad Co., at Sandusky. On May 
 I, 1874, he took up his residence in La- 
 carne and opened a general mercantile 
 establishment which he has since success- 
 fully conducted, building up a good trade. 
 His fair and honest dealings, his earnest 
 desire to please his customers, and his 
 courteous treatment, have won him a liber- 
 al patronage. On June 30, i860, in San- 
 dusky, Mr. Bleher was united in marriage 
 with Miss Julia Ann Meachem, a daughter 
 of Charles and Susan Meachem, and a 
 native of Stratford, Conn., born Decem- 
 ber 2, 1844. By their marriage they 
 have seven children, as follows: Susan 
 E., born April 19, 1861, in Sandusky, 
 Ohio, now the wife of John W. Snyder, 
 of Erie township, Ottawa county; Ida E., 
 born August ?, 1863, now the wife of 
 John Streeter, a resident of Lacarne; Cora 
 E., born January 10, 1866, now the wife 
 of William S. Woodring, also of Erie 
 township; Julia Ann, born July 7, 1868, 
 living in Toledo, Ohio; John A., born 
 November 3, 1874, also a resident of 
 Toledo; William H., born July 23, 1876, 
 living in Erie township, Ottawa county; 
 and Gertrude May, born March 27, 1882. 
 Mr. Bleher manifested his loyalty to 
 the government during the Civil war by 
 enlisting, May 2, 1864, in the One Hun- 
 dred and Forty-fifth O. \'. I., with which 
 he continued until after the South laid 
 down its arms. He was then mustered 
 out, receiving his final discharge in May, 
 1S65, after which he returned to Sandus- 
 k)'. He is now a member of the G. A. 
 R. , and is as true to the duties of citizen- 
 ship in days of peace as when he followed 
 the old flag on Southern battle fields. In 
 his political views he is a stalwart Repub- 
 lican, and has held several public offices. 
 For seventeen years he efficiently served 
 as postmaster at Lacarne, was township 
 trustee for one year, assessor for two 
 years, supervisor also two years, and town 
 constable three years, in all of which 
 
588 
 
 COMldEilORATTVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 offices he has discharged his duties with 
 promptness and tideHty, winning the com- 
 mendation of all concerned. Socially he 
 is a member of Oliver H. Perrv Lodge, 
 F. & A. M.. and the I. O. O. F. Lodge 
 at Oak Harbor. Mr. Bleher is one of the 
 most progressive men of Lacarne, taking 
 an active part in all matters pertaining to 
 the growth and welfare of the community, 
 and is a truly valued citizen. His busi- 
 ness life is above reproach, and the honor- 
 able and straightforward methods which 
 he follows command the respect of all. 
 
 EDWIN MAR\-IX TRUE. This 
 gentleman, who is the proprietor 
 of the E. M. True Elevator and 
 Feed Mills at Port Clinton, Ot- 
 tawa county, is one of the leading business 
 men of the place, and ma\* be well called 
 a "hustler." He is full of energ}- and 
 enterprise, and by his natural ability and 
 unerring judgment has made a success of 
 his business. He has a large local trade 
 which is graduall)- being e.xtended. 
 
 Mr. True was born August iS, iS6t, 
 in Ottawa county, Ohio, and is the son of 
 Oliver J. and Eunice Saunderson True, 
 who removed to Port Clinton in iS66, 
 when our subject was a small boy. He ob- 
 tained his education in the public schools 
 of that place, and subsequently was em- 
 ployed as a clerk in the office of the L. S. 
 & M. S. Ry. Co., holding that position 
 some four years. In 18S3 he took charge 
 of the Merchant Mills, of Port Clinton, 
 for O. J. True & Co., which he managed 
 until in February, 1S91, when they were 
 destroyed by fire. The mills at one time 
 did a large export business with France, 
 and also shipped their products all over 
 the Eastern States. After the fire our 
 subject built his present elevator and feed 
 mills, on the sight of the old mill, and, as 
 has been stated, has been ven,- successful. 
 On April 16, 1893, Mr. True was united 
 in marriage with Miss Nettie G. Bardshar, 
 who was born in Erie county, this State, 
 
 and is the daughter of Solomon and 
 Amelia L. (Spone' Bardshar, who were 
 descended from wealthy pioneer families. 
 In politics Mr. True is a Democrat, and, 
 socially, belongs to the K. of P. He 
 began studying medicine in 1SS3, but the 
 mills required so much attention that he 
 gave up the idea of becoming a physician. 
 He is now a well-known business man. 
 
 ERNST ROOSE, one of the wide- 
 awake and enterprising young 
 farmers of Ottawa county, was 
 born in Salem township Januarj- 
 10, i860, and still makes his home within 
 its borders. He is a son of Charles and 
 Marie Roose. who are living :n the same 
 township, numbered among the highly- 
 respected people of the community. Our 
 subject acquired a good English education 
 in the public schools of Oak Harbor, and 
 is a well-informed man on subjects of 
 general interest, having a practical know- 
 ledge that fits him for the responsible 
 duties of a business career. 
 
 After arriving at man"s estate, Mr. 
 Roose was married in Bay township, Ot- 
 tawa county, November i, 18S3, the ladj' 
 of his choice being Nancy Paulsen, a 
 daughter of Paul and Siecke Paulsen, 
 who was born in Schleswig. Germany, 
 February 16, 1S59. Four children graced 
 the union of our subject and his worthy 
 wife, their names and dates of birth be- 
 ing as follows: Carl P., July 23. 1SS4; 
 Bertha M., January 20, 1SS6; Ernst W., 
 September 4. 18S9; and Albert E., Jan- 
 uary 5, 1894. Mr. Roose was reared to 
 agricultural pursuits, and his life has al- 
 ways been that of a farmer. He was 
 trained to habits of industry and enter- 
 prise, and when he began business for 
 himself it was with a good fund of experi- 
 ence that has brought to him success. 
 His place is well cared for, the barns and 
 fences are always in good condition, and 
 his careful supervision is shown in the 
 neat and thrifty appearance of everything 
 
COMMEMOIiATTVE BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 589 
 
 pertaining to his home. He well deserves 
 to be numbered among the practical and 
 progressive young farmers of the county 
 of his nativity. 
 
 Mr. Roose cast his first ballot in sup- 
 port of the men and measures of the 
 Democratic party, and has since been a 
 stalwart advocate of its principles, taking 
 a deep interest in all that pertains to its 
 growth and success. He has. however, 
 never sought or desired political prefer- 
 ment. The family attend the Lutheran 
 Church, and all have the regard and es- 
 teem of their neighbors and friends. Mr. 
 Roose has led an upright life, and is 
 highly respected as a valued citizen and 
 progressive business man. 
 
 WILLIAM ROOSE, a prosperous 
 and enterprising young business 
 man of Oak Harbor, Ottawa 
 county, is a native of that coun- 
 ty, having first seen the light in Salem 
 township May 26, 1862. He is a son of 
 Charles and Marie fDrewesj Roose, men- 
 tioned above.' 
 
 Our subject's boyhood was passed on 
 the farm whereon he was born, attending 
 the district schools until he was fitted for 
 entering the public educational institu- 
 tion of Oak Harbor, where his education 
 was completed. After laying aside his 
 books he entered the service of M. D. 
 Thierwechter, of Oak Harbor, where he 
 earned his first money — one hundred dol- 
 lars for one year's clerkship, which sum 
 was paid him at the end of twelve months, 
 he not having drawn a single dollar in 
 the meantime, an early illustration in his 
 life of his innate thrift and care. On 
 leaving Mr. Thierwechter's employ, Mr. 
 Roose entered the Business College at 
 Toledo, where he took a thorough course, 
 completing same February 11, 1880, and 
 in the following April he was given the 
 position of bookkeeper in his father's 
 office in Oak Harbor, which incumbencv 
 
 he has since filled with acknowledged 
 ability. In 1887 in company with five 
 others Mr. Roose organized what is 
 known as the Oak Harbor Cooperage & 
 Lumber Co., located at Edgerton, Ind., 
 and of which he is secretary and treasur- 
 er. The plant cost $100,000, and the 
 concern is under the immediate super- 
 vision of Herman Roose, a brother of 
 William; the latter is also one of the 
 stockholders in and a director of the Oak 
 Harbor Basket Co., at Oak Harbor. 
 
 On October 29, 1885, at the home of 
 the bride in New Baltimore, Mich., Will- 
 iam Roose and Miss Ida Stuth were 
 united in marriage. She is a daughter 
 of August and Johanna TRoose; Stuth, 
 and was born in New Baltimore, Mich., 
 March 21, 1863. She received her edu- 
 cation at the Hathaway Institute of New 
 Baltimore, in which town she passed her 
 life up to the time of her marriage. Her 
 father, who was a native of Mecklenburg- 
 Strelitz, North Germany, born in 1820, 
 died in Michigan in January, 1872; the 
 mother of Mrs. Roose was born in 1822, 
 in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and died at 
 New Baltimore, Mich., July 2, 1882. 
 They were married in 1844, and became 
 the parents of children named as follows: 
 Eliza (deceased;, Henrietta (Mrs. Henry 
 Heidebreicht. of Edgerton, Ind.), August 
 (deceased;, William (deceased), Adolph 
 (deceased;, Caroline (Mrs. August Colloff, 
 of Oak Harbor) and Ida (Mrs. Roose). 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Roose were born two 
 children: William, born October 25, 1886, 
 died December 20, 1892, and buried in 
 Oak Harbor Cemetery; and Lyndon, born 
 Augusta, 1893. the life of her parents' 
 pleasant and attractive home on Water 
 street. Oak Harbor, which property Mr. 
 Roose had purchased in the spring of 
 1885. Our subject and his amiable wife 
 are members of the Lutheran Church: in 
 his political preferences he is a stalwart 
 supporter of the Democratic party. He 
 comes of a good family, and the name .of 
 Roose is entitled to be permanently asso- 
 
590 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ciated, not only with the industrial, but 
 also with the intellectual development of 
 our time. 
 
 REUBEN M. BABCOCK, charcoal 
 manufacturer and landowner. This 
 old and highly-respected citizen of 
 Williston, Allen township, Ottawa 
 county, is a native of New York State, 
 born in Columbia county, October 24, 
 1820, and is the son of John and Clarissa 
 (Gray) Babcock, of Berkshire county, 
 ^Iass. , and Columbia county, N. Y. , re- 
 spectively. 
 
 Our subject received a better educa- 
 tion than fell to the lot of most boys of 
 his day, attending the public schools of 
 his native place in his boyhood, and then, 
 for three years, going to the college at 
 Farmington, Trumbull Co., Ohio, from 
 which he was graduated at the age of 
 twenty-two years. He taught school for 
 several years, both in Burn township, 
 Athens county, and in Belmont county, 
 Ohio. He then decided to learn a trade, 
 and took up that of carpenter for twenty- 
 one years, part of the time being spent at 
 Farmington, and a part at Pittsfield, 
 Mass. ; during this time he helped to build 
 three steamers for the Ohio river trade. 
 Later he gave up working at his trade 
 and went to Michigan, settling in Ash 
 township, Monroe county, where he en- 
 gaged in the manufacture of staves, giving 
 employment to a number of men. In 
 connection with this enterprise he carried 
 on farming, and also went into the real- 
 estate business, in which latter he was 
 fairly successful. While at this place he 
 also began the manufacture of charcoal, 
 running four kilns. At the end of twenty- 
 one years spent in Michigan, Mr. Bab- 
 cock came to Ottawa county, this State, 
 and located at Martin, in Clay township, 
 where he built four kilns, and continued 
 the manufacture of charcoal. Here he 
 remained one year, and then selling out, 
 removed to Williston, Allen township, 
 
 in 
 
 where he built six charcoal kilns. He 
 purchased a tract of 160 acres of timber- 
 land, near Williston. and used the timber 
 which he cleared from it to make his 
 charcoal. Here he erected a comfortable 
 dwelling house, with all necessar\' barns 
 and outhouses, and has made his property 
 a highly-cultivated farm and pleasant 
 home, where he is spending his declining 
 years in the enjoyment of the fruits of 
 his labor. 
 
 Mr. Babcock was married, Maj' 23, 
 1850, to Miss Lucy M., daughter of 
 Thomas and Electa (Williams) Ensign, of 
 Pittsfield, Mass., and children were born 
 of this union, of whom the followin 
 record is given: ^Villiam H., born 
 Pittsfield, Mass., September iS, 1852, 
 was educated in the public schools of 
 Michigan. Reuben E., more fully spoken 
 of farther on. Lucy E. , born March 3 1 , 
 18^7, was married March 21, 1877, to 
 Nelson Richards, a farmer of Monroe 
 county, Mich., and they have four chil- 
 dren — Frank, born May 11, 1879; Judy, 
 October 3, 1884; May, March 3, 1887; 
 and Pearl, December 4, 1889. Emily E., 
 born September 6, 1859, in Ohio, was 
 married November 18, 1884, to Alsom 
 Phile, son of Henry E. Phile (whose 
 sketch will be found elsewhere) ; two chil- 
 dren have been born to them — Eva and 
 Alsom E. Edwin H. Babcock, was born 
 in Ash township, Michigan, June 13. 1865, 
 and received his early training in the high 
 school at Genoa, Ottawa county, this 
 State, which was supplemented by a 
 course in a private school at Port Clinton, 
 conducted by Miss Mothly; he afterward 
 attended the high school at Ada, and 
 subsequently the Business College at 
 Cleveland, from which institution he 
 was graduated with honor; after this 
 he went to Ann Arbor, and entered the 
 high school, at which he pursued his 
 studies in geology and botany; he was 
 married June 3, 1890, to Miss Cora M. 
 Chapman, of Bowling Green, Ohio, who 
 was a graduate of Ann Arbor (Mich.) 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPIIICAL RECORD. 
 
 501 
 
 College, and two children are the result 
 of this union — Corvvin, born December i, 
 1892, and Edna, born January 7, 1894. 
 Mr. Babcock resides in LaPlata, Mo., 
 where he is engaged in the manufacture of 
 charcoal. James Babcock was born in 
 Ash township, Monroe Co., Mich., Sep- 
 tember 6, 1863, and died in youth. Two 
 other children died in infancy. I^euben E. 
 Babcock, above mentioned, was born at 
 Pittsfield, Mass., September 22, 1854, and 
 received his education in the public schools 
 of Ada, Ohio, and Valparaiso, Ind., 
 where he attended the high school. De- 
 ciding to adopt the profession of a lawyer 
 he entered the Law Department of Ann 
 Arbor (^fich.) University, graduated in 
 1887, and was admitted to the bar at 
 Columbus, Ohio, the same year; he prac- 
 ticed in Toledo for two 3'ears. On 
 March 31, 1883, he was married to Addie 
 Carpenter, a daughter of Erastus Car- 
 penter, of Pittsfield, Mass., and one son, 
 named after his father and grandfather, 
 blessed their union. Mrs. Babcock grad- 
 uated at Pittsfield, Mass. The promising 
 career of this brilliant scholar and fine 
 lawyer was cut short by his sudden death 
 at Williston, July 10, 18S9, from heart 
 failure. His death was deeply felt, not 
 only by his immediate friends but by his 
 associates at the bar and business men 
 who knew his worth. 
 
 John Babcock, the father of our sub- 
 ject, was born in 1780 at Berkshire, 
 Mass., and was a son of John Babcock, 
 the latter a native of England, who took 
 arms against the mother country during 
 the war of the colonies for independence 
 in 1775. John Babcock, Jr., received a 
 very limited education, and learned the 
 tade of a cabinet maker in Pittsfield. 
 He was married March 17, 1808, to 
 Clarissa H. Gray, who was born in 1787, 
 and they became the parents of eleven 
 children, as follows: Thaddeus G., born 
 April 7, 1809; John G., born April 28, 
 181 1 ; Sylvia Ann, born March 22, 1S13, 
 now the widow of Henry Roberts; Eliza 
 
 A., born May 5, 1815, deceased Novem- 
 ber 21, 1854; James M., born July 4, 
 1S18, at New Lebanon, N. Y. ; Reuben 
 M., our subject; Edwin H., born Novem- 
 ber 4, 1822, died October 9, 1863, at 
 the Chestnut Street Hospital, Philadel- 
 phia, from the effects of a wound received 
 during the Civil war; Adaline A., born 
 February 16, 1825, died at Pittsfield, 
 Mass., iniS93; George H., born April 20, 
 1826, at New Lebanon, N. Y. ; Horatio 
 N., born July 12, 1828, died January 23, 
 1853; and Clara A., born February 4, 
 1830, deceased wife of Frank Sparks. 
 The parents of this large family have both 
 passed away, the father having died July 
 22, i860, the mother in 1S57. 
 
 Thomas Ensign, father of Mrs. 
 Reuben M. Babcock, was born May 27, 
 1790, at Pittsfield, Mass., and was a car- 
 penter and joiner by trade. He was 
 married February 16, 18 14, to Electa 
 Williams, whose father was a blacksmith, 
 born in Connecticut, and they became 
 the parents of five children: Mary E. , 
 born May 19, 181 5, married September 
 22, 1835, to Calvin Carver; Kezia, born 
 April 10, 18 19, who was married April i, 
 1838, to William Treadwell; Edgar N., 
 born October i, 1821; Lucy M., born 
 December 22, 1823, wife of our subject; 
 and James M., born April 2, 1826, who 
 died in youth. Mr. Babcock is a stanch 
 Republican, and the family are members 
 of the Free Methodist Church. 
 
 PETER LICKERT, one of the most 
 prominent farmers of Benton 
 township, Ottawa county, is a son 
 of Daniel and Catherine (Pfaff) 
 Lickert, and was born in Hesse, Ger- 
 many, January 1, 1852. 
 
 The parents of Daniel Lickert, John 
 and Sophia (Hassell) Lickert, were born 
 in Hessen, Germany, in 1755 and in 1770 
 respectively. They had ten children, 
 five sons and five daughters. Daniel 
 Lickert was born in Germany January i. 
 
592 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 1824; married Catherine Pfaff in 1847, 
 and they had nine children, seven sons 
 and two daughters, seven of whom are 
 living, two sons having died. Daniel 
 Lickert had the misfortune to fall from a 
 scaffold, thus breaking his right leg in 
 three places. Peter Lickert's maternal 
 grandfather, John Pfaff, was born in 
 Hessen, Germany, about 1780, and the 
 maternal grandmother, Sarah (Suerbrei) 
 Pfaff, was born about 17S4. Mr. Lickert 
 is related to the Crolls, who were also old 
 settlers of Benton township, by the mar- 
 riage of his uncle, Peter Lickert, Sr. , to 
 Miss Fulkert, a sister of Mrs. Henry 
 Croll's father. 
 
 Peter Lickert, the subject of this 
 sketch, lived in Hessen, Germany, until 
 he was thirteen years of age, and acquired 
 there a liberal education in the German 
 language. He came to America to stay 
 with his uncle, Peter Lickert, Sr. , who 
 lived near Elliston, in Benton township; 
 here he has since had his home, and he 
 owns one of the finest farms not only of 
 Benton township, but of Ottawa county. 
 At the age of fifteen he commenced life 
 for himself by working on a farm for one 
 year, receiving seven dollars a month. 
 He then learned the carpenter's trade, in 
 which he has always been very proficient, 
 and has since planned and superintended 
 the erection of his fine dwelling and all 
 the outbuildings, besides other structures 
 and many buildings for his neighbors. On 
 February 18, 1874, Peter Lickert was 
 imited in marriage with Miss Sophia 
 Ernsthausen, of Elmore, Harris town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, and they have had 
 eight children, namely: Henry, born De- 
 cember 5, 1874; Clara, April 27, 1876; 
 Sophia Catherine, January 28. 1878; ^fary 
 Elizabeth, May 18, 1880; William Henry, 
 August 15, 1882; Edward, June 19, 1885; 
 George Daniel, August 3, 1888; and John 
 Henry, April 4, 1892. Mary died May 
 12, 1882. Mrs. Lickert has always been 
 a faithful adviser and helper to her hus- 
 band. She was born in Toledo, Ohio, 
 
 October 15, 1851. Her parents moved 
 to Genoa, in Clay township, Ottawa Co. , 
 Ohio, when she was three j'ears of age, 
 and remained there nine years, thence 
 moving to Gibsonburg, Sandusky county, 
 where they lived eight years, and where 
 she obtained her education. She then 
 went to Elmore, in Harris township, Ot- 
 tawa county, and remained there until 
 her marriage, in 1874. Her father, Cas- 
 per H. Ernsthausen, was born in Ger- 
 many January 15, 1828, and came to 
 America in 1842. Her mother was born 
 in Germany September 15, 1827. They 
 were married, in 1850, in Toledo, Ohio; 
 have since lived in the State, and have 
 had seven children, five of whom are 
 still living. Mrs. Ernsthausen's mother, 
 grandmother of Mrs. Lickert, whose 
 maiden name was Sophie Gerwin, was 
 born in Germany about 181 2, and died in 
 Elmore, Ohio, in 1878. 
 
 For eight years after his marriage Mr. 
 Lickert continued to work at his trade. 
 In 1877 he planned and built the Method- 
 ist Church at Rocky Ridge, Benton town- 
 ship; in 1882 he built the hotel at 
 Graytown, Benton township, and a lit- 
 tle later a large planing-mlil at Gray- 
 town, Benton township. For seven 
 years, from 1881 to 1888, he was 
 land agent for Mr. A. W. Cutler, who 
 owns extensive tracts of land in Ottawa 
 county. In 1875 Mr. Lickert purchased 
 a farm from Martin Witty, near Elliston, 
 Benton township, hired a man to run it, 
 and continued at his trade; about that 
 time, also, he was associated with O. G. 
 Guss in the erection of a planing-mill at 
 Rocky Ridge, but they were soon burned 
 out, in consequence of which he sustained 
 a loss of two thousand dollars. He then 
 went to Graytown and erected the mill 
 now owned by W. H. Lachmiller, ope- 
 rating it for one year, when Mr. Lachmil- 
 ler came in as a partner, the firm being 
 known as Lickert & Lachmiller. Mr. 
 Lickert sold his interest in the mill to Mr. 
 A. F. Frese in 1885, and purchased 440 
 
 1 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 593 
 
 acres of tiiiiberland in Sections 12, 13 and 
 14, Benton township, on which there 
 were no buildings and no fences. In the 
 short space of ten years he cleared 330 
 acres of land, took out part of the stumps 
 and fenced the entire 440 acres. In 
 walking over this farm to-day, tilled by 
 modern methods, one would scarcely 
 realize that only a decade ago it was all a 
 wilderness. Thus the hand of industry 
 brings order out of chaos, and a home 
 out of the wilderness. He sold off 200 
 acres of his original purchase, leaving 
 himself 240 acres of highly productive and 
 well-tilled land on which are three good 
 barns and two spacious houses. It was 
 through the efforts of Mr. Lickert and 
 Mr. Muggy that School District No. 1 1 
 was organized, and a fine brick building 
 erected, where the rising generations may 
 be trained to usefulness in the world. All 
 Mr. Lickert's children who are old enough 
 to attend are having the advantages of 
 this school which their father helped to 
 organize. Politically Mr. Lickert is a 
 Republican, and an earnest supporter of 
 his party- He was president of the 
 school board in his township for several 
 years and has ever taken an active part 
 in educational matters. 
 
 AUGUST FLECKNER. To the 
 residents of Oak Harbor, Ottawa 
 county, and to the traveling pub- 
 lic, in general, there is perhaps 
 no name in this section more familiar, or 
 more respected, than that of August 
 Fleckner, the genial proprietor of the 
 "Wheeling Hotel," at Oak Harbor, and 
 one of the most progressive citizens of 
 Salem township. 
 
 Born in Prussia, Germany, December 
 31, 1 85 1, he is a son of Frederick Will- 
 iam and Caroline (Wiltke) Fleckner, 
 both natives of Germany, the former 
 born August 23, 1824, the latter on Janu- 
 ary 8, 1 83 1. They were married in their 
 native land in February, 1848, and in 
 
 1872 emigrated to America, locating in 
 Oak Harbor. Their famil}' consists of 
 five children, namely: Robert, born Feb- 
 ruary 25, 1849, a resident of Oak Harbor; 
 August, our subject; Frederick William, 
 born August 30, 1853, a prominent agri- 
 culturist of Carroll township; H. Otto, 
 born January 11, 1856, a resident of Oak 
 Harbor; and Hugo H., a farmer of Car- 
 roll township. The father died March 3, 
 1875; the mother is now residing with 
 her son in Carroll township. 
 
 August Fleckner, the subject proper 
 of these lines, received his primary edu- 
 cation in the schools of his native land, 
 afterward learning the trade of a gardener, 
 at which he worked until twenty years of 
 age, when he entered the German army, 
 seeing three years' service. In 1874, on 
 receiving his discharge, he emigrated to 
 America, locating in Oak Harbor, Ottawa 
 Co., Ohio, where he remained eight 
 years, working at his trade. In 1882 he 
 moved to Cleveland, Ohio; but returning 
 to Oak Harbor the following year he has 
 since been a constant resident of that 
 town, for the past eleven years engaged 
 in the hotel business. He was united 
 in marriage at Oak Harbor. May 12, 
 1S77, with Augusta Louisa Feitz, a 
 daughter of Gottleib and Caroline (We- 
 zer) Feitz, born in Prussia, Germany, 
 August 12, 1852. By this union there 
 were three children, viz. : August, born 
 April II, 1878; Oscar Emanuel, born 
 February 4, 1881; and Bernhardt Harry, 
 born July 29, 1884, and died August i, 
 same year. Mrs. Fleckner's parents were 
 both natives of Germany, the father hav- 
 ing been born therein November, 1822, 
 and the mother on February 15, 1826. 
 They were married February 16, 1848, 
 and to their union were born thirteen 
 children, only three of whom are now 
 living, namely: Augusta Louisa, wife of 
 August Fleckner; Caroline, born April 
 12, 1 86 1, now the wife of John Forman, 
 of Oak Harbor, and Frederick, born No- 
 vember 18. 1869, residing in Toledo, 
 
594 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Ohio. The {ather died in his native land 
 November 25, 1874; in 1S80 the mother 
 came to America, and is now living with 
 her son-in-law, August Fleckner, at the 
 advanced age of seventy years. 
 
 Politically Mr. Fleckner is an ardent 
 supporter of the Democratic party, and 
 wields a strong political and social influ- 
 ence throughout the country, being one 
 of the most progressive men of his time 
 and place. The family are members of 
 the Lutheran Church. 
 
 JOHN MITCHELL, proprietor of the 
 "Lake House," Port Clinton, Ot- 
 tawa county, a well-established and 
 popular hotel, is a native of New 
 York State, born October 14, 1833, at 
 Ithaca, a son of Patrick and Ann (O'Neil) 
 Mitchell, natives of Ireland, who came to 
 this continent about the year 1828. 
 
 Patrick Mitchell was a soldier in a 
 British regiment stationed at Quebec, 
 Canada, for about a year, then left for the 
 United States, locating at Ithaca, where, 
 in 1832, he married Ann O'Neil. Here 
 for a time he followed the trade of stone 
 mason, and some \ears later served in 
 what was known as the Florida war, 
 under Gen. Wool, having enlisted at 
 Utica, N. Y. , in Compan}' D, Third 
 United States Infantry; also served in the 
 Mexican war, enlisting at Pontiac, Mich., 
 and on his return from that campaign, in 
 1847, he died at Detroit, Mich. Later 
 his widow (who with her only child, our 
 subject, occompanied her husband during 
 the Florida war), married Patrick Gillick; 
 she died, in 1866, at Milford, Oakland Co., 
 Mich., her second husband following her 
 to the grave one year later. 
 
 John Mitchell, our subject, spent his 
 childhood in Utica, N. Y. , and his boy- 
 hood in Fennville and Milford, Mich., 
 until he was eighteen years old, when he 
 moved to Detroit and hired out as team- 
 ster to Reeves & Jennison, contractors 
 and builders. After working for them 
 
 about a year they took a contract to build 
 a large cement mill at Ottawa City, and 
 sent him there to take charge of their 
 teams, which he did until the mill was 
 completed; after that he sailed the lakes 
 about three years, as man before the 
 mast, running chiefly between Toledo and 
 Buffalo, and occasionally to Lake Huron. 
 He afterward worked among the farmers 
 on the Peninsula, and was the first to fol- 
 low fishing at Port Clinton with pound 
 nets. 
 
 In 1 86 1 Mr. Mitchell raised Company 
 I, Forty-first O. V. I., for service in the 
 Civil war, of which companj', when or- 
 ganized, he was elected captain. At the 
 camp of instruction, Cleveland, he was 
 by some unaccountable error, through no 
 fault of his own, deprived of his rank, 
 and obliged to go as a private, which he 
 did, remaining with Company I until De- 
 cember, 1864, during which time he had 
 been promoted to second lieutenant, then 
 to first lieutenant, later to captain. The 
 war being nearly at an end, he resigned 
 and settled on a farm he had bought on 
 Catawba Island, which he cleared up and 
 put into fruit. In the fall of 1866 he was 
 elected sheriff of Ottawa county, and 
 held the office four years. In 1870 he 
 went into the lumber business, and four 
 years later was re-elected sheriff, serving 
 four years more. After this he followed 
 lumbering extensively, in partnership with 
 Alphonse Couche (since deceased), at va- 
 rious localities — Port Clinton, Rocky 
 Ridge, and several places in the State of 
 Tennessee. After that he rebuilt a large 
 gristmill at Oak Harbor, ran it several 
 years, and then sold it to a Mr. Barnes. 
 He then took charge of the " Central 
 Hotel " at Oak Harbor, conducting it 
 two years; after which he came to Port 
 Clinton, and bought the " Lake House, '* 
 of which he has since been proprietor. 
 
 On February S, 1858, Mr. Mitchell 
 was married at Port Clinton, Ohio, to 
 Miss Nancy Ann Napier, who was born 
 April 25, 1S40, daughter of Benjamin 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 595 
 
 and Erepta (Landon) Napier, the former 
 by birth a Scotchman, the later being of 
 Enghsh descent. Mr. Napier was a 
 sailor on the lakes from his boyhood until 
 seventy years of age, when he died of 
 cholera at Chicago, 111. ; his wife passed 
 away at Marblehead, Ottawa Co., Ohio, 
 in 1890, at the age of eighty-six j-ears. 
 The children of John and Nancy Mitchell 
 are: Jennie Ann (born in Port Clinton 
 lighthouse), John, Catherine, Delia, Clar- 
 ence, James, Alpha, Frank and Robert 
 Emmett. 
 
 ERNST HEMINGER, a promi- 
 nent agriculturist and manufac- 
 turer, of Salem township, Ottawa 
 county, and a representative, pro- 
 gressive business man, was born in Salem 
 township, April 12, 1851. 
 
 The parents of our subject, Frederick 
 and Katherina (Holt) Heminger, natives 
 of Germany, emigrated to America and 
 settled in Salem township, Ottawa Co., 
 Ohio, in October, 1850, when that section 
 of country was still in its primitive condi- 
 tion. Their family consisted of ten chil- 
 dren, as follows: Rosa, wife of Andrew 
 Shegor, of Port Clinton, Ohio, and Fred- 
 erick, of Cleveland, Ohio (children of the 
 father by a former marriage); Ernst, the 
 subject proper of this sketch; ^^'illiam, of 
 Oak Harbor; Albert, of Lakeview, Oregon; 
 August, of Erie count}', Ohio; Louis, of 
 Carroll township, Ottawa Co., Ohio; 
 Amelia, wife of John Minke, also of Car- 
 roll township; Nettie, wife of Ferdinand 
 Shellhorn, of Sandusky, Ohio, and Chris- 
 topher, of Erie county. The father de- 
 parted this life January 16, 1887; the 
 mother is still living, and is now a resi- 
 dent of Oak Harbor. 
 
 Ernst Heminger, the gentleman whose 
 name introduces this sketch, received his 
 preliminary education in the district schools 
 of his native township, his early boyhood 
 days being spent about the farm. On 
 leaving school he served an apprenticeship 
 
 term to the trade of a carpenter, which 
 vocation he followed for nearly ten years, 
 then embarking in agricultural pursuits, 
 lumber manufacturing and also in the 
 manufacturing of wine and cider, his busi- 
 ness relations extending over a large ex- 
 tent of territor\-. In his different enter- 
 prises, Mr. Heminger has ever proved 
 himself a man of sound judgment and ex- 
 cellent business qualifications, and it is 
 needless to say that success has crowned 
 his efforts. 
 
 Our subject was united in marriage, in 
 Salem township, Ottawa Co., Ohio, April 
 16, 1877, with Miss Mina Huttenlocher, 
 whose parents, Michael and Katheriue 
 (Grain) Huttenlocher, both natives of the 
 Fatherland, crossed the ocean to the New 
 \\'orld and settled in Salem township, 
 Ottawa Co., Ohio, in 1852, where they 
 have since resided. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 Heminger have come nine children, as 
 follows: W. F. August, born March 25, 
 1878; C.William, born December 7, 1S79; 
 E. Harman, born February 4, 1881; C. 
 Anna, born March 13, 1884; Louis, born 
 June 14, 1886; Rosa, born April 3, 1889; 
 Emma, born March 30, 1891; Olga, born 
 July 30, 1893, and Elizabeth, born Sep- 
 tember 13, 1895. The family are devout 
 members of the Lutheran Church. So- 
 cially they enjoy the respect of the entire 
 communit}-. In his political preferences 
 Mr. Heminger affiliates with the Demo- 
 cratic part}-. 
 
 GEORGE BICKFORD, the owner 
 of a fine vineyard on Put in Bay 
 Island, is a native son of Ohio, 
 born in Sandusky City, Erie 
 county, August 24, 1S34. He is one of 
 the eighteen children of Hezekiah and 
 Mary Charlotte (Gibaut; Bickford, the 
 former born in Maine, May 2, 1808, the 
 latter on the Isle of Guernsey, in the Eng- 
 lish Channel, September 13, 1815. The 
 paternal grandfather settled in Erie coun- 
 ty, Ohio, at a very early day in the his- 
 
59G 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 torj' of that locality, and there he and his 
 wife spent the remainder of their lives. 
 The father of our subject removed to 
 Canada about 1840, and continued his 
 residence in that country until called to 
 the home beyond, April 6, 1879; his 
 wife also died in Canada. Of their larp^e 
 family of children ten grew to mature 
 years, and nine are now living, as follows: 
 Charles, who resides in Essex county, 
 Canada; Sarah, wife of \\'illiam McLean, 
 of the same place; George, subject of this 
 sketch; Clarissa Ann, wife of JacobTuffle- 
 myer, of Esse.x; Hezekiah, also of Essex; 
 John, who is living in Fort Wayne, Ind. ; 
 William, Mary Jane (wife of Maxim 
 Reyno), and Robert, all three living in 
 Essex county, Canada. 
 
 We now take up the personal history 
 of George Bickford, and feel assured that 
 it will prove of interest to many of our 
 readers, for he is both widely and favor- 
 ably known in the locality where he re- 
 sides. When about six years of age he 
 removed with his parents to Canada, and 
 was reared to manhood in Essex county, 
 in the Province of Ontario, where he ac- 
 quired his education in the public schools. 
 He also learned the trade of blacksmith- 
 ing there, and in 1856 he left his home in 
 that locality to return to his native city, 
 where for one season he engaged in fish- 
 ing. In the spring of 1857 he located in 
 Put in Bay Island, where for thirty-eight 
 years he has made his home, and the 
 length of his residence is equaled by the 
 high regard in which he is held. During 
 the greater part of the time he has fol- 
 lowed blacksmithing and fishing, but dur- 
 ing the past ten years has exclusively en- 
 gaged in the cultivation of grapes. He is 
 an energetic, industrious and enterprising 
 man, and his earnest and well-directed 
 labors have brought to him success. 
 
 Mr. Bickford has been twice married. 
 On July 14, 1 861, he wedded Mathilda 
 Poskile, who died August 30, 1865, leav- 
 ing two children — Hezekiah, born Sep- 
 tember 30, 1S62; and Jennie, who was 
 
 born February 11, 1864, and died March 
 30, 1S67. For his second wife, Mr. Bick- 
 ford chose Elizabeth, daughter of James 
 and Hannah (Leard) Edwards, and born 
 in Gosfield, Canada, February 13, 1843. 
 The}' were married in Kingsville, Canada, 
 February 14, 1867, and have had six chil- 
 dren, their names and dates of birth being 
 as follows: Ezra, January 14, 1868; 
 Edith, June 12, 1869; Bertha, December 
 27, 1870, died December 26, 1886; 
 Hannah, July 4, 1S74, died December2i, 
 1886; Mina, October 3, 1878; and Ada 
 May, August 7, 1882. 
 
 Mr. Bickford has served as township 
 trustee, has been trustee of the public 
 lawn of Put in Bay, and has held other 
 minor positions, faithfully discharging his 
 duties, and proving true to the trust re- 
 posed in him. His political support is 
 given to the Republican party, and he 
 attends the Reformed Episcopal Church. 
 
 ENOS E. WILLIAMS, a prominent 
 farmer of Carroll township, ranks 
 among the oldest living pioneers 
 of Ottawa county, having arrived 
 here with his parents in 1834, when he 
 was but a year old, and then the county 
 was one vast forest, and still a part of 
 Sandusky county. With the exception 
 of four years spent in Indiana, he ha& 
 been a constant resident of the county 
 since that early date. His birth occurred 
 in Guernsey county, Ohio, October 14, 
 1833, and in 1S34 his parents, Nehemiab 
 and Hester (Pickering) Williams, brought 
 him to what is now Bay township, Otta- 
 wa county. The sketch of his life can 
 not be better written than by giving it in 
 his own words: 
 
 ' ' I recollect when there were no roads 
 and but very few bridges in the county, 
 and at one time I was acquainted with 
 every family in Port Clinton. At that 
 time Lower Sandusky, Venice, and Mon- 
 roe, Mich., were the nearest milling 
 points, and to one or the other of these 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQBAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 597- 
 
 towns the people were obliged to carry 
 their grain to have it ground, many often 
 going to Monroe with it _ in canoes, the 
 trip occuping nearly two weeks. I have 
 lived in Carroll township constantly since 
 i860, and have by my own hard work 
 cleared up thirty-six of the forty acres of 
 land I now reside on. I have run a 
 threshing machine, worked at the carpen- 
 ter trade, farmed a little, fished a little 
 and done nothing the greater part of the 
 time." At present Mr. E. E. Williams 
 is a successful fruit grower, having now 
 over 1,100 peach trees under cultivation 
 on his farm. 
 
 Mr. Williams has been twice married. 
 On March 12, i860, he wedded Mrs. 
 Dorotha Leithenburg, a native of Ger- 
 many, whose parents were early settlers 
 of Ottawa county. In the spring of 1 870, 
 she was called to her final rest, and on 
 the 19th of the following November, Mr. 
 Williams was united in marriage with 
 Mrs. Eliza Melissa (Root) Saddoris, widow 
 of Elias Saddoris, and they have become 
 the parents of five children — Eugene E. , 
 born August 20, 1871, now a student for 
 the ministry, and is at present living on 
 the homestead; Nina E., born June 4, 
 1872; Eva L., born February 23, 1875, 
 died May 2, 1877; Maurice E. , born 
 March 21, 1877; and James E., born 
 April 25, 1880, died August 8, 1895. 
 
 Mrs. Williams' birth occurred Decem- 
 ber 14, 1835, and she is the daughter of 
 Rev. V. S. and Lovica (Foote) Root, the 
 former born in the Empire State, March 
 4, 1 8 10, and the latter, also a native of 
 the same State, born December 14, 1803. 
 Her mother died November 21, 1847; the 
 father, who has reached the advanced age 
 of eighty-five years, is a native of Tustin, 
 Osceola Co., Mich. Rev. Root located 
 in Carroll township, Ottawa county, in 
 1840, and there continued to make his 
 home until 1880. He filled many im- 
 portant county and township offices, be- 
 ing the first notary public and the second 
 justice of the peace appointed in the town- 
 
 ship. In early life he taught school and 
 also practiced law for many years, but 
 later engaged as a laborer in the Lord's 
 vineyard. He is a man of fair legal abil- 
 ity, excellent judgment and sound com- 
 mon sense, while his unswerving integrity 
 and general rectitude of life have gained 
 for him an enviable reputation wherever 
 he is known. 
 
 Mr. Williams has served his fellow 
 citizens as road supervisor and school 
 director, and for the past twelve years 
 has been master of the Grange. The 
 family are consistent members of the 
 United Brethren Church, and belong to 
 the Good Templars Society; he is also 
 connected with the Knights of Honor, and 
 has efficiently filled the office of reporter 
 in that body for nine years. He has been 
 successfully elected three times to repre- 
 sent his lodge in the Knights of Honor in 
 the State of Ohio. PoHtically he is a 
 true-blue Republican. Surrounded by 
 an interesting family, Mr. Williams is a 
 thoughtful, devoted husband and a kind 
 indulgent father. Among men he is gen- 
 ial and companionable, manly and fear- 
 lessly independent in character and 
 thought; and consistent and temperate in 
 all respects. He is a practical farmer and 
 fruit grower; a man of taste and culture 
 with broad and liberal views, and his in- 
 tegrity is incorruptible. His social stand- 
 ing is high, and he and his family have 
 the esteem of all. 
 
 We can not well conclude this sketch 
 without some favorable mention of Mr. 
 Williams' eldest son — Eugene E. — who 
 has early had a taste for literature, and 
 knows the value of books. He is also 
 aware of the fact that toil and frugality 
 are essential to success, and by careful 
 study and the practice of the latter prin- 
 ciples is fitting himself to take a promi- 
 nent place in this world, and point out to 
 others the duties to be performed in order 
 to fit themselves for the world to come. 
 He is a writer of no mean ability, and has 
 compiled a very interesting history of Ot- 
 
598 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 tawa count}'. On September 20, 1S95, 
 he entered the Sandusky Conference of 
 the United Brethren Church, where he re- 
 ceived Hcense to preach. He is at. pres- 
 ent engaged in teaching school at Lime- 
 stone, Ohio. 
 
 JOHN K. TEETZELL, M. D., a lead- 
 ing physician and surgeon, whose 
 skill and ability have won him high 
 rank among his professional breth- 
 ren, was born April 23, 1S59, in Blen- 
 heim, County of Kent, Ontario, Canada, 
 son of John and Eliza (King) Teetzell. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject was a 
 native of W'urtemburg, Germany. On emi- 
 grating to this country he landed at New 
 Jersey after a tempestuous voyage which 
 consumed more than three months, cross- 
 ing the water in one of the old-fashioned 
 sailing crafts of those days. He made 
 his home in what was then Log Jail, now 
 Trenton, N. J., and after an active and 
 well-spent life passed away at a ripe old 
 age, respected and beloved by all who 
 knew him. The father of our subject 
 first saw the light at Trenton, N. J., in 
 1 8 19, the year in which Queen Victoria 
 was born. When a young man he re- 
 moved to Canada, locating in Ontario, 
 afterward went to St. Thomas, Elgin 
 county, Ontario, (then known as Up- 
 per Canada), and later took up his 
 residence at Blenheim, County of Kent, 
 where he filled the office of sheriff 
 for nine years. He is now spending 
 his declining days in retirement, en- 
 joying the fruits of his former toil. His 
 wife, who was a native of Cornwallis, 
 Kings county. Nova Scotia, removed to 
 Fingall, Ontario, where their marriage 
 was celebrated. Her death occurred in 
 Blenheim, May 31, 1891. In the family 
 were ten children, five of whom are yet 
 living, as follows; Rosanna, wife of S. 
 T. Martin, a prominent banker, and 
 mayor, of the city of Chatham, Ontario, 
 Canada; William H. and James D. (twins). 
 
 the former a wholesale druggist, of Chi- 
 cago, and the latter a retired real-estate 
 dealer, residing in Morpeth, County of 
 Kent, Ontario;" Elizabeth, widow of W. 
 A. Smith, and a resident of St. Thomas, 
 Ontario, and Dr. John K. 
 
 Dr. John K. Teetzell obtained both 
 his preliminary and college education in 
 the County of Kent, Ontario, and when 
 si.xteen years of age left home for Chicago, 
 where he learned the drug businress under 
 the instruction of his brother, W. H. He 
 also took a business course in Devilines 
 Literary & Commercial College, Jackson, 
 Mich., completed his course in pharmacy 
 and chemistrj', and during that time began 
 reading medicine with Dr. Myar Mc- 
 Laughlin, an eminent physician of Jack- 
 son, Mich. In 1S80 he entered the Med- 
 ical Department of the State Universit}' 
 of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and was 
 graduated from that institution with honor 
 in the class of '84. He then took a post- 
 graduate course in three different hospitals 
 in New York City, a special course in 
 surgery and a course in the diseases of 
 women and children at the Maternity 
 Hospital in that city. The following year 
 he passed in recreation and travel, and in 
 1887, with a thorough knowledge of his 
 profession to fit him for his life work, he 
 entered upon the practice of medicine in 
 Toledo, where he still retains an office. 
 He built up for himself a large practice 
 there, his skill and ability being widely 
 recognized. In 1893 he removed to 
 Genoa, where he opened a branch office, 
 and his high reputation and thorough 
 competency have already won for him a 
 a large and constantly increasing business. 
 He is a thorough student of his profession, 
 and his brethren of the medical fraternity, 
 as well as the public, acknowledge his 
 superior worth, both professionally and 
 personally. 
 
 The Doctor was united in marriage, 
 March 17, 1S81, in Crawford county, 
 Ohio, with Miss Martha L., daughter of 
 David and Margaret (Schultz) Burgert, 
 
-^^ 
 
 
 -^<^^4^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 599 
 
 who shares with her husband the regard 
 in which he is held. In his political views 
 the Doctor is liberal, and he is not con- 
 nected with any religious organization. 
 He does ever3thing in his power to per- 
 fect himself in his chosen calling, and is 
 contemplating a trip to Europe during 
 the 3'ear 1896, in order to perfect himself 
 in g3-necology by study in European hospi- 
 tals. He possesses a verj- genial and 
 affable manner, is an interesting conver- 
 sationalist, and is verj- popular in the 
 town in which he makes his home, and 
 also in Toledo, where he still practices, 
 making weekly visits to that city. 
 
 WILLIAM JOHN SAUERWEIN 
 is a native of Elmore, Ottawa 
 county, born September 29, 
 1864, and is a son of John 
 George and Catherine Elizabeth (Krontz) 
 Sauerwein, early settlers of this section 
 of Ohio. 
 
 The father was born in Hessen, Ger- 
 many, March 19, 1S18, was educated in 
 that country, and there married Catherine 
 Schneider. Emigrating to America, he 
 located in Cleveland, Ohio, and subse- 
 quently removed to EUiston, Ottawa 
 county, where his wife died, March 18, 
 1S62. On January 23, 1863, he married 
 Catherine E. Krontz, of Elmore, who was 
 born in Hessen. Germany, June 30, 
 1843, and came alone to America when 
 thirteen years old, being forty-five days 
 upon the water, during which some se- 
 vere storms occurred. She has since 
 spent the greater part of her life in El- 
 more. Her grandfather, George Krontz, 
 was born in 1788. Her parents were 
 Peter and Catherine (Schneider) Krontz, 
 the former born in 18 16, the latter in 
 1813. In 1877 her father departed this 
 life, her mother dying in 1 869. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Sauerwein had five children: Mary, 
 born November 11, 1863; William J., 
 September 29, 1S65; George October 3 1 , 
 
 38 
 
 1867; Elizabeth, December 27, 1869; 
 and Anna Margaret, August 31, 1872. 
 
 Our subject was obliged to leave 
 school at the age of thirteen years on ac- 
 count of the death of his father. He then 
 began work in the stave factory of H. V. 
 Becker, of Elmore, where he was em- 
 ployed for about nine years. Since 1879 
 he has been an employe in the flouring- 
 mill of C. Metsch & Co., of Elmore, and 
 his faithful service and fidelity to duty is 
 well indicated by his long continuance 
 with that firm. On November 12, 1891, 
 William Sauerwein married Miss Minnie 
 E. Smith, of Elmore, daughter of John 
 and Mary Jane (Logan) Smith. Her 
 grandparents were J. B. Smith and Nancy 
 A. (Archer) Smith, pioneer settlers of 
 Ohio, of 1833. The former was born in 
 \'irginia, in 1786, made farming his life 
 work, and died in 1839. His wife was 
 born in 1788, died in 1868, and was laid 
 to rest in the old cemetery at Elmore. 
 Her father, at the time of his last sick- 
 ness, owned ninety-nine slaves whom he 
 set at liberty, at the same time giving to 
 each a cottage and small piece of land. 
 
 John Smith, father of Mrs. Minnie E. 
 (Smith) Sauerwein, was born in Wayne 
 county, Ohio, May 29, 181 8, and came 
 with his parents to Ottawa county, in 
 1833. He was married July 7, 1839, to 
 Amelia W^ilson, who died May 18, 1856, 
 and was buried in the old cemetery at 
 Elmore. They had seven children: Mary 
 Jane, born June 13. 1 840; Susan, May 20, 
 1842; Emanuel, February 4, 1844; Jere- 
 miah, May 31, 1846; Henrietta, in 1848; 
 John H., January 18, 1850; and Nancy 
 Ann, June 16, 1852. On September 29, 
 1857, the father of this family wedded 
 Mary Jane Logan, daughter of James and 
 Mercy (Sebring) Logan, and born in 
 Pennsylvania December 11, 1834; by this 
 marriage there are five children, as fol- 
 lows: Sarah E., born August 23, 1858, 
 died October 15, 1858; James L., born 
 July 29, i860, died March 6, 1864; David 
 E. Ellsworth, July 12, 1862, now of To- 
 
600 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ledo (his wife, Alice , died in 1894 
 
 leaving four children); Elta Elnora, born 
 October 17, 1865, died April 13, 1870; 
 and Minnie Estella (Mrs. Sauerwein) born 
 July 26, 1 87 1. Mr. Smith died October 
 12, 1886. For twenty-one years he was 
 school director, and several years served as 
 township trustee, proving a capable of- 
 ficer. He accumulated a handsome prop- 
 ert}', and erected in Elmore one of its 
 finest homes, which is now occupied by 
 his widow and Mr. and Mrs. Sauerwein. 
 He was a very prominent and influential 
 citizen, enjoying the esteem of all who 
 knew him. He was an active worker in 
 the Christian cause, and had been an 
 elder in the Presbyterian Church for man}- 
 years up to his death. 
 
 Mrs. Smith (mother of Mrs. Sauer- 
 wein) li%-ed in her native State (Pennsyl- 
 vania) up to the age of sixteen, receiving 
 her education there, and thence removed 
 to Ohio, where she has since resided, 
 having since her marriage had her home 
 in Ottawa county. Her father, James 
 Logan, was born in 1802 in Ireland, came 
 to America in 1820, and in 1834 wedded 
 Mrs. Mercy (Sebring) McF"all, who was 
 born in Pennsylvania, in 1798. She had 
 one child, Hugh, by her first husband, 
 and three by her marriage to Mr. Logan, 
 viz.: Mary Jane (Mrs. Smith); Elizabeth 
 Macfallen; and Ann, who died at the age 
 of twenty-four. Mr. Logan was for many 
 years as elder in the Presbyterian Church. 
 His father, John Logan, was a native of 
 Ireland, where he followed farming; he 
 married a Miss Miller, a native of Scot- 
 land. Mrs. Smith's maternal grandmother 
 Elizabeth (Bennett), was born September 
 3, 1766, in Pennsylvania, and died June 
 25, 1855; she had nine children. Mrs. 
 Sauerwein was born in Elmore, and com- 
 pleted her education in the public schools 
 of her native city in 1886. She has made 
 a special study of instrumental music, and 
 is a fine performer on the piano and 
 organ. In the family are two interesting 
 children — Erma M., born October 27, 
 
 1892 
 1S95 
 
 and Olive Grace, born January 18, 
 
 In politics our subject is a stalwart 
 Republican, but has never sought office. 
 A prominent and active member of the 
 Presbyterian Church of Elmore, he is 
 serving as one of its elders and directors, 
 and is also superintendent of the Sunday- 
 school. He does all in his power to pro- 
 mote the work of the church and advance 
 the cause of Christianity, and his well- 
 spent life has won him high regard in 
 which his estimable wife also shares. 
 
 c 
 
 ONRAD MILLER, who is widely 
 and favorably known in Elmore, 
 Ottawa county, was born Jan- 
 uary 8, 1S52, in Westphalia, 
 Germany, where he spent his boyhood 
 days and attended school. His ancestors 
 lived for some generations in that coun- 
 try. The maternal grandfather of our 
 subject was born in Germany, in 1783, 
 and was a miller by trade. The father 
 of our subject, Simon Miller, was born in 
 1 8 17, and learned the brick mason's 
 trade, which he followed through the 
 greater part of his life; he died in 1876, 
 and his wife, Minnie (Henning), who was 
 born in Germany, in 1S18, survived un- 
 til 1S94. They were the parents of six 
 children: \\'illiam, born in 1845; Fred, 
 November 14, 1848; Conrad, January 8, 
 1852; William F., in 1855; Louisa, in 
 1858; and William F. in 1861. Fred and 
 Conrad are the only members of this 
 family now living. 
 
 At the age of eighteen Conrad Miller 
 left home to learn the butcher's trade, 
 serving a two-years' apprenticeship, and 
 then following that pursuit in Germany 
 for eleven years. He is now an expert, 
 there being no kind of meat that he can 
 not prepare. He was married November 
 5, 1876, to Miss Augusta Kroos, of Lippe 
 Detmold, Germany, born in that country 
 February 16, 1852. Her father, Fred 
 Kroos, was there born in 1803, and died. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 601 
 
 in 1855. He was a gardener by trade 
 and lived at Schoedmar, Germany. His 
 wife, who bore the maiden name of Min- 
 ne Meyer, was born at Ahsen, Ger- 
 many, in 181 5, and died in 1870. Their 
 family numbered six children, namely: 
 August, who died at the age of eighteen 
 years; William; Minnie Caroline; Fred, 
 who died in 1889; Augusta and Henry. 
 Of those living Mrs. Miller is now the 
 only one in America. She remained at 
 home until eleven years of age, and from 
 that time until her marriage cared for 
 herself. To her husband she has been a 
 faithful companion and helpmeet, aiding 
 him in securing the competence which 
 they now enjoy. 
 
 In December, 18S0, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Miller sailed for America, landing in New 
 York in January, 1S81, and coming di- 
 rect to Ohio. They located on a farm 
 which was their home forsi.K months, and 
 then removed to the village of Elmore, 
 buying a small place, which, however, 
 was soon sold. Mr. Miller next pur- 
 chased four nice lots and a fine residence 
 on Fremont street, and to-daj- has one 
 of the most pleasant homes in Elmore, 
 characterized by its neatness both within 
 doors and without. For five and a half 
 years he engaged in clerking in the hard- 
 ware store of Wolf & Bendig, after which 
 he returned to his old trade, and for 
 eight and one-half years he has been en- 
 gaged in the butchering business, six years 
 for Mr. Wittie. He thoroughly under- 
 stands his trade, and his long connection 
 with one store indicates the faithfulness 
 and integrity that is above question. He 
 and his wife have many warm friends, 
 and are widely known. 
 
 DR. HENRY JOHN HELLWIG, 
 veterinary surgeon, Elmore, Ot- 
 tawa county, is the son of hon- 
 ored pioneers of Ottawa county, 
 Justus and Elizabeth fLang) Hellwig. He 
 was born June 23. 1868, on the old home- 
 
 stead farm near Elliston, Ohio, and ac- 
 quired his education in the schools of that 
 place, after which he engaged in the 
 operation of the honie farm for eight 
 years, carrying on the place for his mother 
 for some years after his father's death. 
 He there made a specialty of stock rais- 
 ing, keeping on hand fine grades of Per- 
 cheron horses, and from his boyhood he 
 has always been a lover of fine horses. 
 
 In 1890 the Doctor went to New 
 Hamburg, Canada, in order to study vet- 
 erinary surgery with Dr. William Sterl- 
 ing, of that place. After six months he 
 returned home to spend the summer, and 
 then went to Toronto, Canada, where he 
 took a regular course in the Ontario Vet- 
 erinary College, from which he graduated 
 in the class of 1892. When his studies 
 were ended he located in Elliston, spend- 
 ing four days in each week there and 
 three days in Oak Harbor, practicing his 
 profession. In the fall of 1893 he re- 
 moved to Elmore, where, in two )'ears, he 
 has built up an enviable reputation as a 
 veterinary surgeon, and enjoys a very ex- 
 lensive practice. On June iS, 1891, the 
 Doctor was united in marriage with Miss 
 Elva Hammond, of Elliston. Her father, 
 Henry Hammond, was born in Harris 
 township, Ottawa county, January 25, 
 1845, and is a thorough mechanic, having 
 been employed by the Toledo Bridge 
 Company for twenty years, superintend- 
 ing the erection of the bridges after the 
 material is prepared. He served in the 
 army for three years, where he was 
 wounded, January 4. 1864. 
 
 On April 1 1 , 1 866, Mr. Hammond mar- 
 ried Emilv Gyde, who was born in Ottawa 
 county, Ohio, February 25, 1848, and 
 for a time was engaged in teaching school 
 in Ottawa county. Two children were 
 born to them: Emily (Mrs. Hellwig), 
 and William, the latter of whom is a 
 bridge builder. The grandfather, Anson 
 
 I Hammond, was born in Ohio about 1820, 
 and died in a hospital at Savannah, Ga.. 
 
 ; during the Civil war. His wife, who 
 
602 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 bore the name of Margaretta Witty, was 
 born in Germany, October 9, 1822, and 
 died February 6, 1891. The maternal 
 grandparents were WiUiam and Harriet 
 (Meeker) Gyde, the former of whom was 
 born in England, in 18 13, and was a car- 
 penter by trade, but also pursued the oc- 
 cupation of farming, while the latter was 
 born in Butler county, Ohio, in 1829. 
 
 Mrs. Hellwig was born in Elliston, 
 Ohio, January 4, 1867, and, after attend- 
 ing the public schools of that place, was 
 a student in the normal school of Oak 
 Harbor. In 18S4 she began teaching in 
 this section of the State, and for six years 
 was numbered among the successful and 
 popular teachers of Ottawa county. Mrs. 
 Hellwig is a member of the M. E. Church, 
 and president of the Epworth League. 
 Both the Doctor and Mrs. Hellwig have 
 music-loving natures, his violin making 
 an excellent accompaniment to her organ 
 or piano, and in their home their friends 
 ma}' always be sure of a refined literarj- 
 treat. 
 
 JOSEPH SLIGER, one of the repre- 
 sentative self-made farmer citizens 
 of Benton township, Ottawa county, 
 is a native of Pennsylvania, born 
 March 28, 1848, son of Henry and Anna 
 (Hardman; Sliger. 
 
 Henry Sliger was born in March, 
 1818, in Bedford county, Penn., where 
 he was reared to manhood, and on Sep- 
 tember 18, 1842, there married Anna 
 Hardman, a native of the same State, 
 born November 22, 1823. To their union 
 were born eleven children, six of whom 
 are living, Joseph Sliger being the only 
 one in Ohio. They came to Ohio in 1852, 
 settling in Richland county, where Mr. 
 Sliger cleared up a farm and made a com- 
 fortable home for his family, living there 
 until about 1868, when he sold out and 
 removed to Sandusky county. Here he 
 cleared another farm and became owner 
 of a nice property, which he lost by sign- 
 
 ing papers to assist his friends in business. 
 Here his wife died, and shortly afterward 
 he went to Michigan, where he passed 
 away April 7, 1886. Mr. Joseph Sliger's 
 maternal grandfather, Jacob Hardman, 
 was born about 1790 in Pennsylvania, 
 and came thence with a team to Richland 
 county, Ohio, where he died in i860; his 
 wife, who was born about 1 790, died in 
 1856. 
 
 Joseph Sliger was a mere child when 
 his parents came to Richland county, 
 Ohio, where he lived until eighteen years 
 of age, obtaining his education in the dis- 
 trict schools. At the age of twenty-three 
 he was married September 14, 1871, to 
 Miss Jenette Smith, of Sandusky county, 
 Ohio, and the}' settled in Sandusky coun- 
 ty, where they remained for six years. 
 They then came to Section 1 1 , Benton 
 township, Ottawa county, where they 
 bought forty acres of mill land, not a foot 
 of which was cleared. There was no 
 road to their new liome, and they cut a 
 road through the timber some distance to 
 get onto their land, on which they built a 
 frame house by addition to shelter them, 
 and at once began clearing away the tim- 
 ber that they might raise something for 
 their sustenance. On going over the 
 farm now one would not realize the work 
 that has been accomplished by him and 
 his faithful wife in the developing of that 
 part of the township; the land is all 
 cleared, not only of timber, but also of 
 stumps, is well fenced, and equipped with 
 comfortable buildings, and the well-kept 
 condition of the place and all the sur- 
 roundings gives evidence of the neatness 
 and taste of the owners. In connection 
 with general agriculture he is also engaged 
 in bee culture, having at various times 
 nearly forty swarms, from which he has 
 sold 100 gallons of honey in a season, 
 and for seven seasons he has also operated 
 a threshing outfit, in which business he 
 has made a reasonably fair success. In 
 addition to his own home business he has 
 done much contracting in the line of get- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 G03 
 
 tins out timber for different parties. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Sliger have always been busy, 
 striving to make home pleasant for them- 
 selves and their children, and their efforts 
 have resulted in a very cheerful and hap- 
 py home. 
 
 Mrs. Jenette (Smith) Sliger was born 
 May 7, 1S51, in Sandusky count3^ Ohio, 
 where she lived until 1877, acquiring at 
 the public schools as complete an educa- 
 tion as the times would afford. Her 
 mother dying when she was quite young, 
 her help was needed in the home, and 
 this somewhat curtailed her advantages 
 for an education, for which she had a 
 great desire. Her elder sister, Calesta, 
 was a teacher and away from home much 
 of the time, thus leaving a great deal for 
 Mrs. Sliger to do; but this early experi- 
 ence has of course added much to her suc- 
 cess in managing her own home, and she 
 has been of great assistance to her hus- 
 band in securing the home. To Mr. and 
 Mrs. Sliger have been born four children: 
 Newton, August 31, 1872; Anna, June 18, 
 1874; Edwin, August 14, 1885, and May, 
 May 8, 1890, of whom Edwin died when 
 only two months old. The others are 
 living with their parents on the farm, and 
 have been very faithful in helping them 
 in various ways. Special mention should 
 here be made of Newton and .\nna; they 
 have improved every opportunity to secure 
 an education, having adopted the profes- 
 sion of teaching. In addition to their 
 countrj- schooling, Newton attended the 
 high school at Rocky Ridge for a time, 
 and Anna the high school at Oak Harbor, 
 leaving when in her senior year to accept 
 a position as a teacher, which occupation 
 she has followed for three years, and is 
 now among the most promising teachers 
 in Ottawa county. Newton taught one 
 term, and was obliged to discontinue the 
 work on account of his health. They are 
 truly ambitious, self-made young people, 
 and, if health permits, they will no doubt 
 make creditable records for themselves. 
 Daniel Smith, father of Mrs. Sliger, 
 
 was born in Pennsylvania July 11, 1814, 
 and December 6, 1834, was married to 
 Miss Jenette Holcomb, who was born June 
 30, 1 81 5. To them were born seven chil- 
 dren, four of whom are living — two sons 
 and two daughters. Daniel Smith was 
 one of the first justices in Sandusky coun- 
 ty, an office he held for thirty-three years. 
 The grandfather, Daniel Smith, Sr. , was 
 born about 1777, and in his family were 
 thirteen children. They were among the 
 pioneers of Sandusky county, coming to 
 this region when it was a forest, out of 
 which thev cleared up a farm and made for 
 themselves a comfortable home. [To the 
 above sketch Mr. Sliger adds in the early 
 part of November, 1895: "We are pack- 
 ing our household goods preparatory to 
 starting for Los Angeles, Cal., where we 
 intend making our future home. " — Editor. 
 
 REV. ERNEST WALTER 
 Y A E C K E R, son of Robert and 
 Louisa (von Weber) Yaecker, was 
 born in Duesseldorf, Germany, 
 May 8, 1S67, was educated in the scien- 
 tific schools of Germany, and took the 
 theological course in the Northwestern 
 College of Illinois, from which he gradu- 
 ated in 1888. 
 
 Carl Yaecker, the father of Robert 
 Yaecker, was born in Germany, February 
 7, 1 81 2, and died in that country in 1890. 
 Robert Yaecker was born April 17, 183S, 
 in Kronenberg, Germany, and he now 
 lives in Duesseldorf. He married Louisa 
 von Weber, who was born in Pohlhausen, 
 Rhine Proving, Germany, in 1838, and 
 they had eight children, seven of whom 
 are now living, all in Germany except the 
 subject of this sketch. An uncle of Rev. 
 E. W. Yaecker was a soldier in the war 
 of the Rebellion, and died in Anderson- 
 ville prison. Robert Yaecker was for a 
 time in the hardware business, sold out 
 and is now foreman in a large iron pipe 
 factory. At one time he had a nice sum 
 of money in one of the banks of Germany, 
 
604 
 
 COMyrEilORATTTE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 but lost much of his hard earnings in con- 
 sequence of the failure of the bank. His 
 wife, Louisa, died in Germanj- in 1S71. 
 Her parents, who were descendants of 
 German nobility, died at an advanced age. 
 
 While in Germany Rev. E. W. Yaecker 
 learned the trade of truss and limb manu- 
 facturing and followed it for some time. 
 He embarked for America in 18S5, and 
 encountered a severe storm at sea, dur- 
 ing which the machiner}- of the ves- 
 sel got out of repair, and they were 
 adrift for half a day until repairs could 
 be made, when the vessel proceeded 
 on her course. Soon after reaching 
 America our subject took up his theo- 
 logical studies, and since his gradua- 
 tion has been engaged in the active work 
 of the ministry. He was first located in 
 Cleveland for one year as pastor of the 
 Evangelical Association (he is a member 
 of its Erie Conference), after which he 
 preached at EUiston, in Benton township, 
 Ottawa county, for one year, was located 
 for four \-ears in Pennsylvania, and then 
 returned to Elliston, where he has been 
 since March, 1894. He fills three appoint- 
 ments, all in Benton township, namely: 
 Elliston, Rocky Ridge and Blackberry, in 
 which there is a large membership. Since 
 coming to Benton township he has re- 
 ceived his naturalization papers, which 
 were issued 1 890. 
 
 On May 8, 1890, the Rev. E. \\'. 
 Yaecker was united in marriage with Miss 
 Mar}- Albertrne Kopf, who was born Au- 
 gust 1 1, 1869, inMunster. Alsace-Loraine, 
 and they have had three children — Wal- 
 ter Ernest, born September 27, 1891; 
 Robert Arthur, June 13, 1893; and Henry 
 Emerson, September 10, 1894 — all living. 
 Mary A. Kopf, now Mrs. Yaecker, came 
 to America at the age of five years with 
 her widowed mother, who settled in Cleve- 
 land, Ohio, and she was educated in the 
 schools of that city, graduating in 1S83. 
 Mrs. Yaecker has also made a study of 
 music, and is proficient on the organ and 
 piano. Her father, Albert Kopf, was born 
 
 in Muhlburg. Baden, Germany, in 1824, 
 and died in the Fatherland in 1871. Her 
 mother, whose maiden name was Ruhland, 
 came from a wealthy family and was born 
 at Munster, Germany; she is now living 
 in Cleveland, Ohio, where she located 
 upon coming to America. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Albert Kopf were the parents of three 
 children, Mrs. Yaecker being the only one 
 of them now livine. 
 
 JACOB S. PICKARD, proprietor of 
 the only barber shop in Rock}' 
 Ridge, is one of the best in his line 
 in Ottawa county. He is an Ohioan 
 by birth, having first seen the light Au- 
 gust 4, 1840, in Wayne county, where 
 his early years were spent. At the age 
 of six he was bound out, and the people 
 with whom he lived, instead of sending 
 him to school, kept him doing little er- 
 rands for them, thus depriving him of 
 even a show for an elementary education. 
 At the age of eight years he ran away 
 from those to whom he was bound out, 
 and went to work for a farmer for three 
 dollar per month, remaining with him 
 five years. At the age of thirteen he 
 took up the carpenter's trade with his 
 brother, working at same one and one- 
 half years for his board and clothes. He 
 then went to work on a farm again for 
 eight dollars per month, and so continued 
 until the outbreak of the Civil war. 
 
 In 1861 Mr. Pickard enlisted for three 
 months in the Seventeenth Ind. \'. I., at 
 the end of that time re-enlisting, but his 
 health was so poor that he was rejected. 
 He remained at home for six months, and 
 having somewhat regained his health he 
 entered, in August, 1862, Company E, 
 Si.xty-fifth O. \. I. ; he was again taken 
 sick, and in the fall of 1863 was dis- 
 charged, but at the end of eight months 
 he had so far recovered that he again en- 
 listed, this time in the One Hundred and 
 Twenty-ninth O. V. I., and served out 
 his time. Mr. Pickard was in several 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 605 
 
 skirmishes, and in the hot battles of Cum- 
 berland Gap and Shiloh. In the fall of 
 1S64 he went to Nashville as teamster 
 for the pjovernment, and there remained 
 for five months. In January, 1865, he 
 went to Graytown, in Benton township, 
 Ottawa Co., Ohio, to work in the saw- 
 mill of Walker & Harman, with whom he 
 continued some ten years. About 1875 
 he began work in the stave factory of 
 Joseph Traults, at Graytown, where he 
 labored four years; then, after spending 
 several years on a farm, he took up and 
 learned the barber's trade. He is self- 
 made in his vocation, and is known as 
 one of the most skillful tonsorial artists in 
 the county. Mr. Pickard has a neat 
 place of business, and, it being the only 
 establishment of the kind in Rocky Ridge, 
 he has all the custom he can convenient- 
 ly handle. He has purchased a comfort- 
 able home on Third street, and has met 
 with well-merited success, being now 
 able to enjoy life as he deserves. 
 
 On August 14, 1865, Mr. Pickard was 
 married to Miss Nancy Ann Bennett, of 
 Port Clinton, and to their union were born 
 si.\ children, their names and dates of 
 birth being as follows: Annie, September 
 5, 1868; William Henry, November 27, 
 1870; Alvin Francis, September 8, 1872; 
 George Frederick, January 22, 1875; 
 Lanoria Jane, October 4, 1876; Jacob J., 
 January 8, 1883; of whom, Alvin F. died 
 May 6, 1875; Jacob J. died June 29, 1883; 
 and Annie died May 29. 1884; Lanoria 
 Jane is married to Frank Riser, of Rocky 
 Ridge; William H. is engaged in the 
 stave business in Paulding county, Ohio; 
 George F. is a clerk for C. F. Frese & 
 Co., of Graytown, and is known as a 
 capable, energetic young man. Mrs. 
 Nancy Ann Pickard died April 7, 1883, 
 after eight years' illness, and Mr. Pickard 
 then remained a widower a few years, 
 caring for his three remaining children. 
 In 1887 he was married to Mrs. Bell Mor- 
 gan, of Rocky Ridge, by whom he had 
 the following children: Frank S., born 
 
 July 17, 1 88-, deceased August 28, 1890; 
 and Ella Belle, born January i, 1890. 
 On April r, 1895, Mr. Pickard was mar- 
 ried to Mrs. Jennie Baker, of Rocky Ridge, 
 a lady of Scotch-Irish descent. 
 
 The parents of our subject were John 
 and Mary (Shrolley) Pickard, the former 
 of whom was born in 1797, in Pennsyl- 
 vania, and passed from earth in 1882, in 
 Benton township, Ottawa Co., Ohio. 
 The paternal grandparents of Mr. Pickard 
 were John and Ellen Pickard, the former 
 of whom, born in Germany in 1740, died 
 in 1858, at the advanced age of one hun- 
 dred and eighteen years; the grandmother 
 was born in Ireland in 1742, and died in 
 Indiana in 1858, being one hundred and 
 sixteen years old. For twenty years prior 
 to his death the grandfather was blind and 
 deaf. The parents of Mr. Pickard's first 
 wife were of French descent. 
 
 WASHINGTON D. SMITH, who 
 was one of the brave defenders 
 of the Union in the war of the 
 Rebellion, is a son of James A. 
 and Jane (McCormick) Smith, and was 
 born in Harris township, Ottawa county, 
 Ohio, February 7, 1837. 
 
 James A. Smith was born in \'irginia, 
 June 5, 1806, and his wife, whose maiden 
 name was Jane McCormick, was born in 
 Canada in 181 1. They had nine chil- 
 dren — five sons and four daughters — four 
 of whom are now living. The father of 
 James A. Smith was John B. Smith. 
 Mrs. James A. Smith's father was born in 
 Ireland. 
 
 Washington D. Smith remained at 
 home until he was nineteen years of age, 
 then went to Indiana, where for two 
 years he worked on the Wabash and Erie 
 canal, and also on a farm. He then re- 
 turned to Ohio, and learned the stone and 
 brick mason's trade, which he had just 
 completed attheoutbreakof the Rebellion. 
 On April 27, 1861, Mr. Smith responded 
 to President Lincoln's call for seventy- 
 
606 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 five thousand men for three months, en- 
 listing inCompany I, Twenty-first O. V. I. 
 He served his time and immediately re- 
 enlisted in the same company for three 
 years or during the war. In 1863, under 
 the bounty plan, he again re-enlisted, re- 
 ceiving the four-hundred dollars bounty 
 for three years or during the war. Mr. 
 Smith was in some of the hardest battles 
 of the Rebellion, among which may be 
 mentioned those of Stone River, Chicka- 
 niauga, and Atlanta. He was also with 
 Sherman on his famous march to the 
 sea. After the battle of Chickamauga he 
 was taken prisoner October 2, 1S63, was 
 held only four days, and then allowed to 
 return to his regiment. Mr. Smith re- 
 gards as one of the most interesting scenes 
 he ever witnessed the battle of Missionarj- 
 Ridge, which he viewed from a distance 
 of three miles. He was in the grand re- 
 view at Washington at the close of the 
 war, then returned to Ohio, has since 
 given his attention to his trade and to 
 farming, and for the last twenty-three 
 years has lived in Benton township. 
 
 Politically Mr. Smith is an ardent 
 supporter of his party's ideas. He is a 
 member of the G. A. R., of the I. O. O. 
 F., and of the P. of H. On July 25, 1870, 
 he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah 
 Davenport, of Carroll township, Ottawa 
 Co., Ohio, and they have had four chil- 
 dren, as follows: James Edson, born June 
 27, 1871, died March 11, 1880; Emma, 
 born October 10, 1872; Lula, born No- 
 vember 5, 1875; and Mary Elizabeth, 
 born September 6, 1886. Mrs. W. D. 
 Smith's father was born in 1807 in Ohio; 
 her mother was born in 1809. They had 
 nine children — four sons and five daugh- 
 ters — five of whom are still living. Miss 
 Emma Smith, the eldest daughter of W. 
 D. Smith, was born in Harris township, 
 Ottawa county, where she lived until 
 three years of age, when her parents 
 moved to Benton township. As did also 
 her young sisters, she acquired a liberal 
 Literary education in the public schools of 
 
 Graytown. She has been away from 
 home the greater part of the time since 
 sixteen years of age, and is at present, 
 and has been for the past four years, en- 
 gaged in Decatur; at the time of this 
 writing she was at home visiting her 
 parents. Lula Smith, the second daugh- 
 ter of the subject of these lines, was born 
 November 5, 1875, in Benton township, 
 where she has since lived. She was edu^ 
 cated in the public schools of Graytown, 
 in Benton township, and completed her 
 course of studies in 1894, under the su- 
 pervision of Principal A. L. Ferris. In 
 October, 1894, Miss Lula began her work 
 as a teacher in one of the public schools 
 of Carroll township, Ottawa county, where 
 she has very successfully taught her first 
 year. Her ambition is to pursue her 
 studies further as soon as possible, and to 
 make of herself a professional teacher. 
 
 ALFRED C. JOHNSON, manu- 
 facturer of brick and tile, Martin, 
 Ottawa county, and superintend- 
 ent of and stockholder in the 
 Toledo White Lime Company, was born 
 February 7, 1850, in ttie Kingdom of 
 Sweden, son of Charles Johnson, who 
 followed the occupation of fishing in that 
 country. 
 
 When our subject was but a year and 
 a half old his father died, and when Al- 
 fred had reached the age of si.\ years the 
 mother came with her family to America, 
 locating in Sandusky, Ohio. His edu- 
 cational privileges were very meager, and 
 he early began to earn his livelihood in 
 connection with the fishing business. He 
 then began sailing on the lakes, following 
 that life until twenty-four years of age, 
 when, thinking he might bend his ener- 
 gies to a more profitable business, he 
 came to Martin, Ohio, and entered into 
 partnership with his father-in-law, A. E. 
 Salisbury, in the stave manufacturing 
 industr\', with which he was connected 
 until 1886, at the same time also engag- 
 
^-'^-^'^ttS-a--*^ 
 
1 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 607 
 
 ing in mercantile pursuits at Martin. 
 In 1886 Mr. Salisbury withdrew, and Mr. 
 Johnson continued the enterprise alone 
 until 1889, when he embarked in the 
 brick and tile manufacturing, business 
 which he yet conducts. 
 
 In 1880 Mr. Johnson entered the em- 
 ploy of the Toledo White Lime Company 
 as superintendent, and has since served 
 in that capacity, operating the works at 
 Clay Center, Ohio. In 1890 he became 
 one of the stockholders in the company, 
 and the two industries with which he is 
 now connected yield him a good income. 
 Through his business ability and progres- 
 sive ideas he has succeeded in making 
 the lime works a paying concern, and un- 
 der his supervision many improvements 
 have been made in the kilns, and in the 
 use of the best machinery. He is now 
 superintending the construction of a 
 branch railroad which is to be run from 
 the factory to Clay Center, and he has 
 charge of the erection of a new kiln in 
 connection with the present one. 
 
 On October 13, 1875. Mr. Johnson 
 married Miss Mary Salisbury, daughter 
 of A. E. Salisbury, a prominent business 
 man of Martin. She was born October 
 22, 1855, '" Randall, Cuyahoga Co., 
 Ohio, was educated at Martin, Genoa and 
 in Berea (Ohio) College, and made her 
 home with her father until her marriage. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Johnson now have one 
 daughter, Lottie A., who was born July 
 5, 1876, in Martin, where she attended 
 school, completing her literary education 
 in the high school of Toledo, after which 
 she entered a business college of that city, 
 taking a full business course. She is now 
 a bookkeeper, stenographer and type- 
 writer in the office of the Toledo White 
 Lime Company, and is a most estimable 
 young lady, possessed of superior busi- 
 ness ability. 
 
 His success in life Mr. Johnson owes 
 to no man, it being the reward of his own 
 efforts. He began life without capital, 
 but energy and industry are the traits of 
 
 character which have brought him suc- 
 cess. He was self-educated, and is en- 
 tirely self-made, but possesses good busi- 
 ness abilit}', and the energy and determin- 
 ation that helped him to accomplish what- 
 ever he has undertaken. His straight- 
 forward dealing in all transactions has 
 won him the confidence and good will of 
 all with whom he has been brought in 
 contact, and his life furnishes an e.xample 
 well worthy of emulation. His political 
 support is ever given to the Republican 
 party, of whose principles he is a stanch 
 advocate. The family reside in Toledo. 
 
 JOHN McINTYRE LEMMON. Few 
 men are better or more favorably 
 known throughqut northern Ohio, or 
 indeed throughout the State, than 
 was the one whose name is here given. 
 In the various relations of citizen, soldier, 
 member of the bar and judge upon the 
 bench, his record has been so full of all 
 that is to be emulated in the conduct of 
 life that it is with more than ordinary 
 pleasure we include a sketch of his career 
 in this volume. Necessarily condensed, 
 owing to the limitations of such a work, 
 we present only tho salient points, from 
 which, however, a correct idea can be ob- 
 tained of the character of the man who 
 possessed the love and admiration of his 
 fellow-citizens, as well as the respect and 
 esteem of all who ever had dealings with 
 him. 
 
 Judge Lemmon was a native of Ohio, 
 born July 25, 1839, in Townsend, San- 
 dusky county, a son of Uriah Blake and 
 Emily Amanda (Mclntyre) Lemmon. His 
 ancestrj' were Scotch-Irish, and he in- 
 herited much of the vigorous, well-bal- 
 anced temperament which marks that 
 race. His father's family, in this country, is 
 traced back to Hugh Lemmon, who left 
 Ireland when seventeen years old, coming 
 to New York, where he learned the trade 
 of a tailor, at which he worked for several 
 
■608 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BTOOHAPUWAL RECORD. 
 
 years. He then removed to Pennsylvania, 
 where he married into a family named 
 McHenry, of Scotch origin. He had a 
 family of twelve children, of whom James 
 Lemmon, Sr. , the grandfather of our 
 subject, was the second. He was born in 
 Northumberland county, Penn., July 17, 
 1779; was married to Rebecca Blake in 
 1S05; was a volunteer soldier in the war 
 of 181 2; removed to Ohio in 1827, and 
 died at his home on North Ridge, Town- 
 send, Sandusky county, May 7, 1854. 
 Uriah Blake Lemmon, the father of our 
 subject, died at Clyde, this State, Febru- 
 ary 16, 1887, when nearly seventy-nine 
 years old. His wife departed this life July 
 12, i860, in Townsend township, San- 
 dusky county. 
 
 The present generation can scarcely 
 comprehend the manner in which the 
 early settlers of this and other western 
 States were obliged to live, in those early 
 days. The country was wild and sparsely 
 inhabited. It was miles to the house of 
 the nearest neighbor; the only and chief 
 mode of travel was by ox-teams; no roads 
 were laid out, no bridges built; dense for- 
 ests surrounded the log cabin of the lonely 
 settler. It depended on his strong right 
 arm to wrest from the wilderness a living 
 for his little family, and too often sickness 
 and death resulted from the too great la- 
 bor, and on the mother's weaker should- 
 ers was placed the burden of caring for 
 her little ones. The home in which Judge 
 Lemmon opened his eyes upon the world 
 differed but little from those which 
 abounded throughout the West. A log 
 cabin with two rooms, in this case one 
 above the other, through whose chinks 
 peeped the sun by day, and the moon by 
 night; innocent of lath and plaster, the 
 crevices daubed with mud which needed 
 constantly to be renewed to keep out the 
 heat of summer and the chilling rains and 
 snows of winter. The only heat to be 
 obtained was from an immense fire-place 
 in one end of the living room, at 
 which, also, all the cooking was done. It 
 
 was lonesome in the little home until the 
 faces of children brightened the bare in- 
 terior and childish voices rang out among 
 the trees, and doubtless the mother's heart 
 often longed for her girlhood's home while 
 the wear)' hours stole on, her husband 
 hard at work and often absent for a week 
 at a time. The home place comprised 
 1 20 acres of land which our subject's father 
 purchased at a low price, and which was 
 covered with heavy timber. He was a 
 carpenter bj' trade, and worked at this 
 after he was married, by this means sup- 
 porting his family, while in the few leis- 
 ure hours he had he cleared off his farm 
 and prepared it for cultivation. It was 
 a hard life, and involved an amount of la- 
 bor which few men of the present day 
 would care to undertake. Of such stuff, 
 however, were our pioneers made, and we 
 who reap the benefits of their toil can 
 never sufficiently thank and honor them. 
 The father of Judge Lemmon was a 
 man of limited education, but of exxel- 
 lent judgment and practical wisdom, and 
 determined that his children should have 
 all the advantages that he could afford 
 them. His wife was well-educated, a 
 great reader, and possessed fine conver- 
 sational powers. Until he was about 
 twelve years of age Judge Lemmon at- 
 tended the district school, which was then 
 held for three months in the winter and 
 three and a half in the summer. Soon, 
 however, his help was needed on the farm, 
 and he was reduced to the winter term 
 only. When eighteen years of age he 
 attended a select school for six weeks. 
 These tastes of knowledge only gave the 
 ambitious boy a hunger for more, and he 
 employed all his spare time in studying, 
 so well profiting thereby that at the age 
 of nineteen he secured a teacher's certifi- 
 cate and took charge of a school at Clyde. 
 At the close of this school he entered 
 Oberlin College, remaining there three 
 terms. He then taught school again for 
 several terms, and in the spring of 1859 
 accompanied an uncle to Missouri, where 
 
 II 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 609 
 
 he located in Memphis, the seat of Scot- 
 land count)'. 
 
 In November of the same j^ear Judge 
 Lemmon went to Jefferson City, Mo., 
 where he took the decisive step of his 
 career, beginning the studj- of law under 
 James Proctor Knott, then attorney-gen- 
 eral of that State. During the time he 
 spent there he met and became acquainted 
 with men who afterward were well- known 
 characters in the Civil war, among them 
 being Sterling Price, Claiborne Jackson, 
 afterward governor, Stringfellow and 
 Atchison. In i860, owing to the illness 
 of his mother, the young lawyer returned 
 to Ohio, and read law in the office of J. 
 R. Bartlett, of Fremont, and in the 
 winter following took charge of the school 
 in his home district. When news of the 
 firing on Fort Sumter reached Fremont 
 on that eventful April day in 1861, j-oung 
 Lemmon did not hesitate as to his duty. 
 He enlisted in Company F, Eighth O. V. I. , 
 for three months' service. Before the 
 company left Fremont, however, he was 
 taken with the measles, and did not re- 
 join his company until the regiment 
 reached Fort Denison; soon afterward he 
 was again taken sick, and was compelled 
 to go home. In October of the same 
 year, having regained his health, he again 
 enlisted ki Company B, Seventv-second 
 O. V. I., which was organized under 
 Ralph P. Buckland, of Fremont. It may 
 be mentioned incidentally here, that at a 
 reunion of this regiment held in Fremont 
 in October, 1893, Judge Lemmon read 
 a most interesting biograph}' of Gen. 
 Buckland, who served throughout the 
 war with great bravery, and who was 
 afterward elected to Congress. 
 
 While waiting for this regiment to be 
 completely organized, Mr. Lemmon went 
 over the county making speeches in favor 
 of a vigorous prosecution of the war, and 
 urging his friends and neighbors to enlist. 
 On January 18, 1862, his regiment was 
 sent to Camp Chase, and thence to Cin- 
 cinnati and Paducah, where it was placed 
 
 in a division under Brigadier-General W. 
 T. Sherman. His first fight was on 
 April 2, 1S62, two days before the battle 
 of Shiloh, and at that memorable battle 
 his regiment saw hard service. It is a 
 curious circumstance that the only injur- 
 ies Mr. Lemmon received in his military 
 career, which lasted throughout the en- 
 tire war, were received on the first two 
 days of the battle at Shiloh. On the first 
 day he was wounded in the left arm by a 
 musket ball, and the ne.xt day a ball 
 struck his right arm, benumbing it so 
 that he lost the use of it for a time. In 
 the afternoon of the same day he was dis- 
 abled by a shell from the Rebel batteries 
 exploding and throwing a heavy piece of 
 timber against him. 
 
 Mr. Lemmon was in the expedition un- 
 der Gen. Grant which started November 
 26, 1862, and went as far as Oxford, Miss., 
 and on the return accompanied his regi- 
 ment to Moscow, Bolivar and Corinth. 
 This expedition was full of hardships and 
 privations. After the surrender of \'icks- 
 burg, he was in the siege of Jackson under 
 Sherman, and then in the expedition to 
 Brandon, Miss., which to him was the 
 hardest service seen during the war. The 
 weather was exceedingly hot, and he was 
 on provost-guard duty a part of the time. 
 They marched back to Jackson under a 
 burning sun, and he received a sunstroke 
 which affected his eyes so that they were 
 never afterward strong, and also his 
 head, which troubled him in extremely hot 
 weather. In June, 1864, Mr. Lemmon 
 was detailed as judge-advocate of a mili- 
 tary commission in Memphis; which was 
 a military court organized for the trial of 
 criminal cases for violation of both com- 
 mon and military law by citizens. Some 
 very important cases were brought before 
 this court, and one man, convicted of be- 
 ing the leader of a band of guerrillas, was 
 hanged. Judge Lemmon served for seven 
 months as judge of this court, and was re- 
 lieved at his own request, having gained 
 an enviable reputation for the manner in 
 
610 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 which he performed his responsible duties. 
 Judge Lemmon participated in the cam- 
 paign, under Gen. Canby, against Mobile, 
 and in the siege of Spanish Fort, whence 
 his command was marched to Mont- 
 gomery, Ala., and the welcome news re- 
 ceived that the war was at an end. Two 
 hundred guns were fired in honor of the 
 great event. During his service Judge 
 Lemmon, who enlisted as a private, was 
 promoted to a second lieutenancy. May 
 23, 1862, and was made captain July 23, 
 1863. 
 
 In June, 1865, the war being over, 
 Judge Lemmon was mustered out of serv- 
 ice, and returned home. He had been 
 married, March 29, 1864, to Miss Annie 
 Covell, at Perkins, Erie county, this 
 State, and, as his health was poor on 
 his return from the army, he settled in 
 Clyde, a quiet little place, where he pur- 
 sued his law studies, practiced his profes- 
 sion, and also carried on the business of 
 claim agent and insurance agent. On 
 June II, 1886, he was elected the first 
 mayor of Clyde, and in April, 1867, was 
 re-elected to the same position. His law 
 practice now grew so large that he gave 
 up all other occupations, and devoted his 
 entire time to his profession. He became 
 widely known as thoroughly conversant • 
 with every phase of legal knowledge, and 
 as a man of unerring judgment and great 
 ability. In 1881 he received a flattering 
 offer to go to \ew York City and devote 
 himself entirely to corporation law at a 
 large salary, and where he would have un- 
 doubtedly made both fame and fortune, 
 but his love for a quiet and retired life 
 prevented his acceptance. 
 
 In October, 1866, Mr. Lemmon was 
 appointed, without solicitation on his 
 part, as the successor of Charles P. Wick- 
 ham, judge of the common pleas court of 
 the First Sub-division of the Fourth Judi- 
 cial District of Ohio. He had only 
 shortly before declined to accept the 
 nomination for the same office at the 
 hands of his party friends. In 1887 he 
 
 was again asked to fill the place, but de- 
 clined, as he did not then wish to wholly 
 give up his practice. 
 
 In the summer of 1887 Judge Lem- 
 mon, with his wife, made a tour through 
 France, England, Scotland and Wales, 
 the first vacation which he had enjoyed 
 in twenty-three years of incessant activ- 
 ity, hoping thereby to gain renewed 
 health and strength. In Jul}', 1888, how- 
 ever, he was seriously threatened with 
 nervous prostration if not with paralysis, 
 from which, later, he fully recovered. He 
 died August 17, 1895, ^t his home in 
 Cljde, deeply regretted by all who knew 
 him. His last days were daj'S of com- 
 fort and peace, for he had secured a com- 
 fortable competence, and felt that he had 
 completed his part in the busy world. 
 He was a Republican, and though not an 
 active politician did much for the good of 
 his party. His character was above re- 
 proach, and his record as a jurist unsur- 
 passed in the State. 
 
 WILLIAM H. LACH. MILLER, 
 one of the most enterprising and 
 public-spirited citizens of Ben- 
 ton township, Ottawa county, 
 was born in Elmore, same county, April 
 25, 1S58, son of William and Mary (Roh- 
 terd) Lachmiller, who settled at Elmore 
 in the year of his birth. 
 
 The boyhood of our subject was passed 
 in attending the public schools of Elmore 
 up to the age of fourteen, when he was 
 confirmed in the German Lutheran 
 Church, of which he is still a member. 
 When fifteen years old he removed, with 
 his parents, to Woodville, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, where, for seven years, he assisted his 
 father in the manufacture of wagons, and 
 soon after his marriage, in 1 881, he re- 
 moved to Benton township, Ottawa coun- 
 tj-, where he has since been identified with 
 business interests, first engaging as clerk 
 in the store of C. F. Frese & Co. At the 
 end of two years he severed his connection 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 611 
 
 with this firm and embarked in business 
 for himself, engaging in the hunber trade 
 in company with Peter Lickert, under the 
 firm name of Lickert & Lachmiller. On 
 March i, 1885, Mr. Lickert sold out his 
 interest in the concern to Frese & Co. , 
 the name changing to Lachmiller & Frese 
 Bros., and so continuing for four years, 
 when Mr. Lachmiller purchased the Frese 
 Brothers' share, thus becoming sole 
 owner of the business. At the end of 
 one year he sold a third interest to his 
 brother-in-law, John F. Shoemaker, pur- 
 chasing this share again, however, in 
 1894, since which time he has conducted 
 the business alone. He carries a stock of 
 lumber, shingles, etc., ranging in value 
 from $5, 000 to $10,000, and his large and 
 flourishing trade is ever on the increase, 
 the hum of the mill being heard unceas- 
 ingly from 7 A. M. to 6 p. m. 
 
 In 1883, when Mr. Lachmiller ven- 
 tured into business, he had but $1,000, 
 which he invested in his plant, going in 
 debt for the remainder, and by diligent 
 attention to his affairs he has not only 
 succeeded in paying that debt, but now 
 has a lumber stock and mill free of all in- 
 cumbrances, the value of which is not 
 less than $17,000. Aside from the lum- 
 ber industry and his large mill Mr. Lach- 
 miller owns property in Graytown, Oak 
 Harbor and Toledo, valued at $10,000. 
 By the foregoing it will be seen that in 
 the short space of twelve years this com- 
 paratively young man has, by his own 
 individual efforts, made for himself the 
 snug fortune of over $25,000. This is 
 indeed a business record of which any 
 young man would have great reason to 
 feel proud. Many a young man has be- 
 come wealth}' by inheritance; but for a 
 man to start with only $1,000, and in the 
 short period of twelve years work out a 
 fortune such as he has, is a record of 
 which few can boast. Mr. Lachmiller 
 is very public-spirited, takes great interest 
 in educational matters, having for eight 
 years been a member of the school board 
 
 of the village of Graytown, and is justice 
 of the peace in the township where he 
 now lives. 
 
 On April 28, 1880, Mr. Lachmiller 
 was united in marriage with Miss Mary 
 Eliza Shoemaker, of Woodville, Sandus- 
 ky county, who was born in Sandusky 
 county September 18, i860, daughter of 
 a thrifty farmer of that section. She re- 
 ceived a liberal education in the public 
 schools of Woodville, where she spent her 
 girlhood days. At the age of fourteen she 
 was confirmed in the German Lutheran 
 Church, of which she is still a member. 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Lachmiller have been 
 born five children, all of whom are living, 
 their names and dates of birth being 
 as follows: Bertha, January 25, 188 1; 
 Achsa, January 26, 1883; Eddie, May 30, 
 1885; Leah, September 5, 1887; and Em- 
 ory, January 23, 1892. The eldest, Ber- 
 tha, has now nearly completed the course 
 in the public school of Graytown; she has 
 a decided talent for music, of which she 
 will make a specialty, it being her parents' 
 intention to give her the advantages of a 
 course in some institution where this — one 
 of the finest of the arts — is thoroughly 
 taught. 
 
 William Lachmiller, father of our sub- 
 •ject, was born in Germany, February 26, 
 1S27. He served in the standing army 
 of his country two and one-half jears, 
 attaining the rank of lieutenant two years 
 before his discharge. In 1854 became to 
 America, and in 1855 settled in what is 
 now Toledo, Ohio, then but a hamlet, 
 where he at one time owned the block of 
 property between Oak and Adams streets, 
 on Summit street. He purchased this 
 block for $400, selling it one year later 
 for $500, and it is now valued at half a 
 million. In 1857 Mr. Lachmiller came 
 to Elmore, where he j'et resides, hale and 
 hearty at the ripe old age of sixty-nine 
 years. In 1857 he married Miss Mary 
 Rohterd, who was born in Woodville 
 November 5, 1839, and their entire mar- 
 ried life has been passed in Sandusky and 
 
612 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Ottawa counties. Nine children were 
 born to them, eight of whom are still liv- 
 ing, the eldest being William H. This 
 record would be incomplete without men- 
 tion of Mrs. Lachmiller's parents. They 
 were among the earliest settlers of San- 
 dusky county, coming here when the coun- 
 ty was a wilderness, and the only path 
 was the Indian trail. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Shoemaker cleared for themselves a home 
 in this region, and many a time has Mr. 
 Shoemaker carried a grist on his back to 
 Fremont, a distance of twelve miles. 
 Thus our ancestors labored, and we enter 
 into the fruits of their labors. 
 
 GEORGE MYERHOLTS, a sub- 
 stantia! farmer of Benton town- 
 ship, Ottawa Co., Ohio, is one of 
 the sons of Mr. and Mrs. Henry 
 Myerholts, and was born November 13, 
 1865, in Harris township, Ottawa county, 
 where he lived until eighteen years of age. 
 He then started out to seek his fortune, 
 with fifty cents in his pocket. He ob- 
 tained employment in Sandusky count}" 
 on a farm, receiving $18 per month the 
 first season and $19 the ne.xt. 
 
 He was emplojed by his father the 
 next four summers, receiving $20 a month, 
 and spent the winters "batching in the 
 wilderness," clearing on his father's land 
 in Benton township. As he was now 
 twenty-one years old, and having saved 
 $500, he and his brother John bought 
 forty acres of timbered land, and they 
 worked diligently, clearing and cutting 
 timber. Two years later forty acres more 
 were purchased, and another two years 
 saw them the owners of 120 acres, one 
 hundred being under cultivation and well 
 underdrained, with a fine house and out- 
 buildings, and an orchard planted. They 
 lived together while clearing their farms, 
 doing their own cooking. During the 
 autumn of 1891 they dis.solved partner- 
 ship, John taking eighty acres and George 
 forty, while George purchased forty acres 
 
 near by. He has now a fine farm of 
 eighty acres, well under cultivation and 
 underdrained, with a comfortable house 
 and a fine barn, sufficiently large to hold 
 his hay and grain. In the season of 1895 
 he raised 100 bushels of potatoes, 300 of 
 wheat, over 2,000 of corn, and fifteen 
 tons of hay. His farm is well stocked 
 with horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. He 
 has a fine orchard and vineyard, while 
 the garden is well supplied with small 
 fruits. 
 
 On May 14, 1891, George Myerholts 
 was united in marriage to Miss Mary 
 Ferris, a daughter of James Ferris, of 
 Benton township, and two children have 
 been born to them: A son, born March 
 21, 1892, and died a week later; and 
 Nellie Elizabeth, born March i, 1893. 
 
 Mrs. Myerholts, when a girl, was 
 obliged to remain at home much of the 
 time to assist in caring for the younger 
 children, and was thus deprived of school 
 advantages that the others enjoyed. She 
 had some opportunity to attend the dis- 
 trict school until thirteen years of age, 
 but from that time until she was nineteen 
 she was deprived entirely of every educa- 
 tional privilege. She then resumed her 
 studies at the district school, and so thor- 
 oughly applied herself that at the end of 
 eighteen months she obtained a teacher's 
 certificate. She began teaching at twen- 
 ty-one years, and followed that profession 
 for six years. The worthy example and 
 merited success of such young people fur- 
 nish great encouragement to the young, 
 as well as to those of mature j'ears, and 
 should prove strong incentives to industry 
 and virtue. 
 
 RICHARD BARNES, a thrifty and 
 well-known farmer of Benton town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, is a son of 
 Hamilton and Renew (Sweet) 
 Barnes, and was born July 24, 1840, in 
 Lorain county, Ohio. 
 
 Hamilton Barnes, the father, was bora 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 613; 
 
 in 1803, in New York, lived there until 
 thirty years of age, and then came to 
 Ohio, where he died in 1893; the mother 
 was born in New York in 1804. They 
 were married about 1825, and ten chil- 
 dren were born to them, four now living, 
 viz.: A. H., H. S., E. L. and Richard. 
 Grandfather Barnes was born about 1775, 
 the grandmother about 1783. 
 
 Our subject lived in his native county 
 until twenty-four years of age, obtaining 
 his education in the district school, which 
 he attended during the winter until six- 
 teen years of age. From the time he was 
 twelve years of age he was obliged to 
 work on the farm summers, with only a 
 meagre opportunity for schooling even in 
 the winter. At the age of si.xteen he 
 struck out in life for himself, and for two 
 3'ears worked on a farm for thirteen dol- 
 lars per month, at the end of which time 
 he returned home and worked the home- 
 stead for two years. Coming to Ottawa 
 county, he worked here on a farm for one 
 summer, and then going to Saginaw, 
 Mich., he worked for one season in the 
 salt works, after which he returned to 
 Ohio. For one year he was laid up with 
 typhoid fever, and on recovering he went 
 to Elmore, Ohio, where, for some time, 
 he was engaged in getting out stave tim- 
 ber. 
 
 In 1864 Mr. Barnes was married to 
 Miss Mary Yost, of Elmore, and he then 
 settled on the old farm, buying out the 
 heirs. In July, same year, he enlisted in 
 Company H, First O. V. H. A., re- 
 maining in the service until the close 
 of the war; he was in no special 
 battles, his regiment being mainly en- 
 gaged in foraging. In July, 1S65, he 
 returned to his home on the old farm, 
 but alter a residence there of two years 
 sold out and settled in Section 14, Ben- 
 ton township; the township was at that 
 time a forest, there being not even a road 
 by which to reach his farm, and a road 
 had to be cut before he could move on 
 to his property. He at once erected a 
 
 comfortable house, and settled down to 
 clearing his new land. He remained 
 here for fourteen years, when he pur- 
 chased a place at Limestone on which he 
 lived three years, and on selling out he 
 came to Section ii, Benton township, 
 where he purchased sixty acres more land. 
 He and his brother now divided up their 
 property, Richard taking the Limestone 
 property and fifteen acres of the first 
 piece purchased in Section 14. In 1882 
 he sold the Limestone property, and gave 
 his entire attention to the improving of 
 the farm whereon he now lives. The 
 place is systematically cultivated, and a 
 fine orchard, good fences and comfort- 
 able buildings add considerably to its ap- 
 pearance and value. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Barnes have come 
 two children: Phcebe, born January 14, 
 1865, died May 23, 1883; and Bertha L. , 
 born August 16, 1868, married February 
 16, 1893, to Oliver Kincaid, of Nevada, 
 and had one child, Leah, born March 25, 
 1894, died October 25, 1895. Mrs. Mary 
 Barnes was born in Harris township, Ot- 
 tawa county, December 17, 1846, at- 
 tended the Portage River schools, obtain- 
 ing what education could be gained therein 
 in her day, and lived in her native town- 
 ship until her marriage to Mr. Barnes. 
 Her father, John S. Yost, was born in 
 Pennsylvania in 18 10, her mother, Phcebe 
 Ferris Yost, in Clark count}-, Ohio, De- 
 cember25, 1814. There were seven chil- 
 dren in their family, six of whom are liv- 
 ing — three in Kansas and three in Ohio. 
 
 EDWIN H. FALL, member of the 
 enterprising firm of A. Couche & 
 Co., exporters of logs, is one of 
 the prominent and highly re- 
 spected citizens of Port Clinton, Ottawa 
 county. He is a native ' of Ohio, born 
 September 5, i860, in Fremont, San- 
 dusky county, a son of Amos W. and 
 Hannah (Kistler) Fall, who have been 
 
614 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 residents of Port Clinton for the past 
 thirty-five years. 
 
 Amos W. Fall followed sailing on the 
 lakes for about twelve years or until 1873, 
 when he commenced working for Al- 
 phonse Couche in the lumber business, 
 attending to the elevators in shipping 
 grain and lumber, and getting out timber 
 for shipment to Europe. For a number 
 of years he was traveling purchaser for 
 Mr. Couche, and had the management of 
 large shipments of various kinds of tim- 
 ber and lumber to domestic and foreign 
 ports, his wide experience thus acquired 
 having been of great service to him in the 
 conduct of the business of the firm since 
 Mr. Couche's death in 1891. Mr. Fall 
 was married March 8, 1859, at Fremont, 
 Ohio, to Miss Hannah Kistler, and the 
 children born to this union are Abbie E. , 
 Edwin H., Jennie E., Mary, Ida B., 
 Josephine, Amos W., Jr., and Alice, all 
 born in Port Clinton, Ohio, e.xcept the 
 eldest two. 
 
 Our subject grew to manhood in Port 
 Clinton, Ohio, where he attended school 
 during the winter seasons and worked at 
 various jobs in the employ of Alphonse 
 Couche during the summer seasons. He 
 worked for no other man. He began by 
 hauling sawdust, and later, was employed 
 at everything in the sawmill and outside, 
 in regard to the shipment of timber, lum- 
 ber and grain. He also traveled occa- 
 sionally, as salesman and purchaser for 
 Mr. Couche. In the month of March, 
 1882, he commenced working in the of- 
 fice as bookkeeper, which position he has 
 held ever since, and in June, 1887, he be- 
 came equal owner; he also has charge of 
 business outside the office. From his 
 long acquaintance with the details of the 
 business firm, and his care and fidelity in 
 the performance of his duties, he was en- 
 trusted with the general management in 
 the absence of Mr. Couche, who between 
 1886 and 1 89 1 spent from si.x to eight 
 months of each year in France, going in 
 the fall and returning in the spring. In 
 
 August, 1894, Mr. Fall was appointed 
 guardian for the minor heirs of Alphonse 
 Couche. In November, 1894, he com- 
 menced on his own account, and inde- 
 pendent of his log-exporting business, 
 dealing in lumber, building material, wood 
 and coal, in which line he is enjoying a 
 lucrative patronage. In fact he is one of 
 the busiest men in Port Clinton, where 
 he is popular in both business and social 
 circles, being a gentleman of pleasing ad- 
 dress and genial disposition. 
 
 On July I, 1885, Mr. Fall was mar- 
 ried to Miss Emma J. Richardson, who 
 was born December 8, 1863, in Portage 
 township, Ottawa Co., Ohio, daughter of 
 David and Pauline (Adleman) Richard- 
 son, and the names and dates of birth of 
 their children are as follows: Clara P., 
 April I, 1886; Arthur E., December 15, 
 1887; David W., November 16, 1890; 
 Mable M., November 21, 1S92, and Ed- 
 win H., June II, 1895, all born at Port 
 Clinton, Ohio. 
 
 JOHN STANG, contractor of public 
 works — government, railroad, etc. — 
 capitalist, merchant and banker, 
 whose residence is in Lorain, Ohio, 
 is one of the most progressive and busiest 
 of busy citizens in the "Buckeye State." 
 A native of Germany, he was born 
 February 19, 1836, in Allmershausen, 
 Hessen, a son of Augustus and Marguer- 
 itha (Herwig) Stang, of the same nativity. 
 At the district school of the neighborhood 
 of his birthplace our subject received a 
 liberal education up to the age of four- 
 teen, when, like all other boys, he was 
 put to learn a trade, the one chosen for 
 him being that of woolen-cloth making — 
 chiefiy broad-cloths. There being several 
 branches in that business, it took Mr. 
 Stang five years to complete his appren- 
 ticeship, at the end of which time he re- 
 solved to turn his face toward the New 
 World, and emigrate to a land where 
 there was more scope for a young man of 
 
^;<//'^/^VX ^<^Wt>«^ 
 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 615 
 
 ambition. One of the main reasons for 
 his leaving the Fatherland was his dislike 
 to the system of the German Government 
 in compelling 30ung men at the age of 
 from twenty to twenty-five years to serve 
 forthrec or fouryearsin the army, and giv- 
 ing for their services onlj' their board and 
 clothing, whether in time of peace or time 
 of war. At the age of nineteen Mr. Stang 
 set sail from the port of Bremen, and after 
 a voyage of fifty-three days — during which 
 long passage the vessel was nearly ship- 
 wrecked, the foremast having been com- 
 pletely dismantled by a stroke of lightning 
 — the ship reached New York, a sorry- 
 looking craft, but the passengers were 
 safely landed October i6, 1855. From 
 that city Mr. Stang at once set out for 
 Lorain (then called Black River), Ohio; 
 but on his arrival there he found there 
 were no woolen-mills, and consequently 
 he had to turn his attention to some other 
 trade than the one he had learned. There 
 being a shipyard at Black River, he se- 
 cured employment therein at seventy-five 
 cents per day, and worked hard to acquire 
 that trade, in the meantime learning the 
 English language. Soon he received more 
 wages, and when the shipyard stopped 
 from the lack of orders for new vessels, 
 he took up house-carpentry (chietly among 
 farmers); but in 1859, house-build'ing 
 being very quiet, he bought a half interest 
 in a small lake vessel, and went sailing. 
 Now his first serious misfortune happened 
 to him — the breaking of his leg while try- 
 ing to make port in a storm, which acci- 
 dent laid him up for six months, during 
 which time he lost all his savings, includ- 
 ing his interest in the vessel. 
 
 On his recovery Mr. Stang commenced 
 business "on his own hook," to use his 
 own expression, as contractor in house and 
 barn building, also sub-contracting for 
 part of vessel work, as well as erecting 
 mills, and whatever came in his way in 
 that line. He found people very kind, 
 all the work he could do being given him, 
 and he was never out of a job. Thus he 
 
 30 
 
 continued until 1864, in which year, there 
 being a lively demand for ship timber and 
 plank, he bought oak timber, which he 
 cut, hauled and manufactured into bills 
 such as the United States Government 
 used for gunboats. This he shipped to 
 New York by order of Hiram Smith, who 
 had a contract for supplying an entire 
 shipyard in that city. In 1865, the Civil 
 war having closed, no more gunboats 
 were required, and as the New York 
 parties could not sell the lumber they had 
 not used, they failed, taking down with 
 them the contractor, Mr. Hiram Smith, 
 of whom mention has just been made. 
 Mr. Stang tried to collect from him, but 
 found that Mr. Smith's wife owned all the 
 belongings — the timber on hand, saw- 
 mills, house, horses, mules, wagons, etc., — 
 everything in fact; and as a consequence 
 our subject lost nearly all he possessed, 
 nothing being left him except nine yoke 
 of oxen and two span of horses. As he 
 had no work to occupy the animals on, he 
 had nothing for it but sell them to satisfy 
 his creditors; then getting together his 
 carpenter tools he commenced the world 
 afresh, poor in pocket but rich in experi- 
 ence. Succeeding in getting bridge work, 
 at first in the county, later on railroads, 
 he procured fresh teams and commenced 
 the buying and selling of timber at Lo- 
 rain, Cleveland and Buffalo, selling also a 
 large amount for export, shipping from 
 Quebec to England, and so securely pro- 
 tecting. himself that he incurred no more 
 losses. In this line he continued until 
 about 1885. In 1873 he also constructed 
 pile-drivers, building all the docks at Lo- 
 rain for the C. L. & W. R. R. Co., as 
 well as bridges on that road as far as the 
 Ohio river. In addition to all this he 
 built docks in Cleveland, and the first 
 1, 100 feet of the breakwater at that city, 
 for the government, which class of work 
 naturally caused him to drift into dredging. 
 In 1 88 1 he built all the docks for the 
 Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad Com- 
 pany, at Huron, Ohio, after which he 
 
616 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 constructed the docks, and dredged from 
 Erie, Penn., to Toledo, Ohio. He also 
 built several government piers along the 
 south shore of Lake Erie, and the range- 
 light cribs in Sandusky Bay. For two 
 years he dredged for the government at 
 Bay City, Mich.; built railroad bridges 
 from Cleveland to Akron for the Valley 
 road, at the time of its construction, now 
 some twenty-two years ago; in 1881 and 
 1882 he built all the wooden trestles, and 
 put in the foundations for the iron and 
 wooden bridges between Cleveland and 
 Ft. Seneca and Wolf Creek, on the Nickel 
 Plate road, putting in over two million 
 feet of pine beside the oak timber, which 
 contract amounted to $110,000; he put 
 m the foundations for a double-track rail- 
 road bridge across the Ohio river, near 
 Wheeling, W. Va. (while this work was 
 in progress the Johnstown flood took 
 place, and Mr.' Stang came near losing 
 his pile drivers, caissons, timber, rafts, 
 etc., the water was so high in the river, 
 and the under current so full of large 
 rafts of logs, loose lumber, old bridges 
 etc. , the worst sight, he says, he ever set 
 his eyes on, and, he adds, he would rather 
 take his chances on Lake Erie any day). 
 At Cleveland he built a dry-dock for the 
 Ship Owners Dry Dock Co., and in 1885 
 he built foundations for the Cleveland 
 central viaduct at a cost of $65,000, for 
 the city, which bridge is nearly a mile in 
 length. In 1879 Mr. Stang bought a 
 tract of timber land in Ottawa county, 
 Ohio, erected a saw and stave mill, and 
 cut off most of the timber, which land his 
 son John J. is now farming. Our sub- 
 ject has also done some wrecking — rais- 
 ing sunken vessels, tugs and dredges, and 
 pulling some off the shore when stranded, 
 which was always hard and incessant 
 work, there being no rest, day or night, 
 till the job, once commenced, was suc- 
 cessfully completed. During the past 
 two years he has been busy dredging a 
 harbor and river three miles south of Lo- 
 rain, and got seventeen feet of water up 
 
 to the Johnson Company Steel Plant at 
 Lorian, at which city he this season built 
 the extension on the government pier. 
 
 In addition to all the above-mentioned 
 vast amount of contract and other work, 
 Mr. Stang, in 1867, along with another 
 party, built a sailing vessel at a cost of 
 $16,000, in which he had a quarter inter- 
 est. She sank or was shipwrecked near 
 Au Sable river. Lake Huron, while on 
 her wa\- to Chicago with a cargo, the 
 captain being drowned. The vessel was 
 raised, however, and Mr. Stang sold out 
 his interest, though at a loss, as soon as 
 she arrived at Buffalo. He built all the 
 docks, for the past seven years, at Fair- 
 port, Ohio, and also at Conneaut, as well 
 as the e.xtension docks for the Sandusky 
 & Columbus Short Line Railway Co., at 
 Sandusky, Ohio. Among his commercial 
 interests, he operates a grocery store, and 
 is interested in the Lorain Fish Co., Lo- 
 rain Lumber & Mfg. Co., of which he is 
 president, real estate and banking, being 
 president of the Citizens Savings Bank 
 Co., of Lorain. He says his health is 
 good, and that he hopes to see Lorain 
 built up to the dignity of a city before he 
 dies. 
 
 Mr. Stang has been twice married, 
 first time, in 186 1, at the age of twenty- 
 six years, to Miss Mary Brown, of Lo- 
 rain, Ohio, and by this union his home 
 was blessed with two sons and two 
 daughters, namely: Christina M., wife 
 of H. Little; W. F. and John J., attend- 
 ing to their father's timber interests; and 
 Lizzie, wife of P. Jackson. The son 
 John J. has for the past eleven years 
 operated the saw and stave mill already 
 referred to, and been clearing the land. 
 In March, 1872, the dear mother of these 
 children was called from earth, deeply 
 lamented by all, and mourned to the ut- 
 most by her bereaved husband and fam- 
 ily. In October, 1872, Mr. Stang be- 
 came united in marriage with Mrs. Cath- 
 erine Brown, who had four children — all 
 sons — by her first husband, who had died. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 617 
 
 five j^ears before her second marriage. 
 In his political sympathies Mr. Stang is a 
 stanch Republican, and an enthusiastic 
 admirer of Lincoln and Harrison, his first 
 Presidential vote being cast for the for- 
 mer. In religious faith he is a member 
 of the German Evangelical Church, while, 
 socially, he is affiliated with the Ro5'al 
 Arcanum, Knights of the Maccabees and 
 Knights of Honor. 
 
 Such is the record of one of the busi- 
 est men in northern Ohio, one, who from 
 the commencement of absolutely nothing, 
 a poor immigrant lad, has, by persever- 
 ance, assidious toil, sound judgment and 
 a life of integrity, built up solid enter- 
 prises, established businesses on founda- 
 tions of positive safety, and, withal, made 
 for himself a name second to none in the 
 commercial and social world. 
 
 weeks, Mrs. Stang died, leaving a kind 
 husband and two little children, as well 
 as many friends, to mourn their loss. She 
 was educated in the schools of Lucas 
 county, and made a special study of in- 
 strumental music, in which she was pro- 
 ficient, although she studied it only for her 
 own pleasure and that of her friends. Her 
 father, Moses Perry, was born February 
 9, 1830, and her mother on February 25, 
 1840, and both are yet living; their family 
 consisted of twelve children: James, Vic- 
 tory, Maryettie, Virginia, William, Henry, 
 Napoleon, Georgia, Pearly, Frank, Nel- 
 son and Albert, seven of whom are now 
 living. 
 
 Mrs. Perry's mother, Maryann Shovar, 
 was born October 3, 1820, and her father, 
 Henry Shovar, was born April 8, 18 16; 
 Mrs. Shovar died February 24, 1894, but 
 Mr. Shovar is still living. 
 
 JOHN J. STANG, an enterprising and 
 thorough business man of Benton 
 township, Ottawa county, is the son 
 of John and Mary (Brown) Stang, 
 a biographical sketch of whom appears 
 above. He was born April 20, 1866, in 
 Lorain county, Ohio, where he lived until 
 eighteen years of age, receiving his educa- 
 tion in the public schools, which he left 
 just one year before completing the pre- 
 scribed course of study. 
 
 Mr. Stang came to Benton township. 
 May 22, 1884, at the age of eighteen, and 
 took charge of his father's e.xtensive busi- 
 ness in that township. He and his father 
 together have 525 acres of land, on which 
 are twelve acres of fruit, consisting of 500 
 apple trees, 500 pear trees, and 200 
 quinces. The orchard is young, but bids 
 fair to become one of the best in that sec- 
 tion of the county. 
 
 On January 17, 1889, he was married 
 to Miss Virginia L. Perry, of Lucas coun- 
 ty, Ohio, and to them were born two chil- 
 dren: Harvey Edward, October 14, 1890, 
 and John Perry, October i, 1893. On 
 January 2, 1895, after an illness of two 
 
 DANIEL MUGGY. This gentle- 
 man takes prominent rank among 
 the progressive well-to-do farmers 
 of Ottawa county, especially in 
 Benton township, where his industry and 
 public spirit have been no small factors 
 in the advancement of the community 
 and the development of its interests. 
 
 John C. Muggy, father of our subject, 
 was born in Germany in 18 16, and the 
 mother, Ellen (McMahan), was born in Ire- 
 land in 1820. They came to America in 
 early life, and not long after settling in this 
 country they both happened to be en- 
 gaged to work for the same family, the 
 Johnsons, of New York City. Here they 
 met, and they were married in Johnson's 
 parlor about 1840. To their union came 
 ten children, si.x of whom are living, Dan- 
 iel being ne.xt to the eldest. John C. 
 Muggy was one of the pioneers of Ottawa 
 county. He came here about 1852, and 
 after clearing up one large farm removed 
 to Catwaba Island, where he cleared one 
 hundred acres of land and put out sixty 
 acres to fruit, spending the remainder of 
 
618 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 his life on that tract. When he landed 
 in this country he had but fifty cents; at 
 the time of his death his property was 
 valued at $75,000, all accumulated by 
 hard work and careful attention to busi- 
 ness. The result speaks for itself, and 
 our subject has no doubt inherited the 
 energy and ambition of his pioneer father, 
 for like him he is a self-made man, one 
 who has earned his right to that title by 
 hard work and judicious management of 
 his affairs. The paternal grandfather of 
 our subject was born in Germany in 1 764, 
 and was a teacher in the public schools 
 of his native country during the later 
 years of his life; he lived tc the advanced 
 age of ninety-eight, and his wife, who was 
 born in Germany in 1772, died at the ad- 
 vanced age of ninety-two. Mr. Muggy's 
 maternal grandparents were born in Ire- 
 land, and died comparatively young. 
 
 Daniel Muggy first opened his eyes to 
 the world December 31, 1845, in New 
 York City, living there until brought bj' 
 his parents to Danbury, Ottawa Co., 
 Ohio, where he had his home six years. 
 The family then removed to Catawba 
 Island, whence, after a residence of four- 
 teen years, our subject came to Benton 
 township, purchasing a farm in Section 
 30, whereon he lived one year. He then 
 purchased a farm in Clay township, same 
 county, which he soon sold, and return- 
 ing to Benton township settled on land 
 in Section 13. Mr. Muggy has cleared 
 up three large farms in Ottawa county, 
 also developing a fiuit farm on Catawba 
 Island, and on all these tracts he erected 
 buildings and made other valuable im- 
 provements. In 1887 he purchased his 
 present farm in Benton township, which 
 was all timber at the time, and in the 
 eight years of their residence thereon he 
 and his family have succeeded by hard 
 labor in clearing the land entirely of tim- 
 ber, removing all the stumps, etc., and 
 the place has been well fenced and equip- 
 ped with good buildings — an achievement 
 which is indeed worthy of notice. After 
 
 the Civil war Mr. Muggy engaged in fish- 
 ing for a time on Lake Erie, and, besides 
 attending to his general agricultural inter- 
 ests, he has for the past several years been 
 extensively engaged in fruit growing, hav- 
 ing twelve acres in fruit; he has also for 
 some time dealt in nursery stock. His 
 business ability has never been allowed 
 to rust for want of use, for since his re- 
 moval to his present farm he has, in 
 addition to all his other interests, been 
 engaged in handling farm machinery, and 
 the prosperity which has attended his la- 
 bors is only the reward which is sure to 
 follow persistent energy and attention to 
 business. There is probably no man of 
 his age who has aided more in the de- 
 velopment of Benton township than 
 Daniel Muggy, and he is now reaping the 
 fruits of his toil in the enjoyment of the 
 home which he and his estimable wife 
 have, by their care and labor, converted 
 into one of the finest farms in the vi- 
 cinity. 
 
 On December 23, 186S, Mr. Muggy 
 was married to Miss Susan E. Tillotson, 
 of Catawba Island. Roy, the eldest 
 child is now in Lima, Ohio, engaged in 
 the insurance business. George, another 
 son, by profession a school teacher, was 
 born on Catawba Island, where he lived 
 until four years of age; his education 
 has been obtained in the same manner 
 that his father obtained his handsome 
 farm, by : ' hard digging; " he attended 
 the district schools in Clay township un- 
 til fifteen years old, then in Benton town- 
 ship for three years, when he began 
 teaching, a profession he has since fol- 
 lowed; though yet young he is regarded 
 as a leading educator. Unlike many young 
 men he does not waste his summer vaca- 
 tions, but has helped his father on the 
 farm. In addition to his study in the 
 common schools he attended the Ohio 
 Normal University, at Ada, Ohio, where 
 he thoroughly fitted himself for his chos- 
 en calling. He is now in St. Louis, Mo., 
 as agent for the Oak Harbor File & Sup- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 619 
 
 ply Co., {or the present season, but he 
 will resume teaching in September. In 
 his own neighborhood, where he is best 
 known, he will probably have the same 
 distinction as his father and grandfather 
 before him, that of being a "self-made 
 man," and he has a bright outlook for the 
 future. 
 
 Mrs. Susan E. Muggy was born De- 
 cember II, 1847, on Catawba Island, 
 where she attended the public schools, 
 acquiring a liberal education, and re- 
 mained in her native town until her mar- 
 riage to Mr. Muggy. She is the daughter 
 of O. Tillotson (who was born in Cleve- 
 land in 1805) and Elizabeth Wonnell 
 (who was born in Maryland in 18 17); the 
 father died May 25, 1873, and was buried 
 in Shook cemetery, Ottawa county, by 
 the side of the mother, who had passed 
 away on Catawba Island January i, 1858. 
 They were the parents of three children — 
 one son and two daughters. 
 
 Mr. Muggy's history would not be 
 complete without some mention of his 
 long service in the Civil war. When 
 eighteen years of age he enlisted in the 
 battalion of sharpshooters formed at 
 Cleveland by G. M. Barber, and he par- 
 ticipated in many skirmishes and hard- 
 fought battles, seeing active service at 
 Chickamauga, Ringgold, Dalton, Resaca, 
 Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, Look- 
 out Mountain, Missionary Ridge, siege of 
 Atlanta, Nashville and Atlanta. Though 
 always in front and in the hottest of the 
 fight, he went through the war without 
 a wound or any sickness, a record 
 equalled by few soldiers of the Rebellion. 
 
 JOHN E. MYERHOLTS, an enter- 
 prising and prosperous young farmer 
 of Benton township, Ottawa county, 
 was born January 22, 1864, near 
 Elmore, Harris township, Ottawa Co., 
 Ohio, where he spent his boyhood days, 
 and received his education. 
 
 Grandfather Myerholts was born No- 
 
 vember I, 1794, and died July 2, 1857, 
 at the age of si.xty-three years; his wife 
 was born December 18, 1797, and died 
 March 21, 1892, aged ninety-five years. 
 Grandfather Dusing was born July 18, 
 1 804, and died April i , 1 880, aged seventy- 
 six years; his wife was born February i, 
 1809, and died June 24, 1892, aged 
 eighty-three years. 
 
 Henry Mj'erholts, the father of John 
 E., was born in Germany in 1832, and 
 when two years old came to America with 
 his parents, who settled on the pike near 
 Woodville, Sandusky Co. , Ohio, where they 
 spent the remainder of their lives. Henry 
 Myerholts started out for himself in Har- 
 ris township, Ottawa county, when twenty- 
 five years old, cleared the farm where he 
 now lives, and in 1856 was married. His 
 wife, the mother of the subject of this 
 sketch, was born in Germany in 1836, 
 and when a year and a half old came to 
 America with her parents, who settled in 
 Wood county, Ohio, where she was 
 reared, receiving her education in the. 
 district schools of the township where 
 they resided. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Myer- 
 holts had children as follows: Clara, born 
 in 1857; Henry, in 1858; Ricca, in 1859; 
 Fred, in 1861; John, in 1864; George, in 
 1865; Amelia, in 1867; Mary, in 1869; 
 Louisa, in 1871; August, in 1875; and 
 Lucy, in 1879. One daughter lives in 
 Michigan, a son in Wisconsin, and the 
 remainder in Ohio. The mother of Henry 
 Myerholts (Sr.) was born in Germany, 
 March 21, 1797, and died in Sandusky, 
 Ohio, at the age of ninety-five years. 
 
 When a young man John E. Myerholts 
 came with his father to Benton township, 
 where they purchased quite a tract of 
 land, and he now has a fine farm of his 
 own of eighty acres near that of his 
 father. When he purchased the farm, 
 it was nearly all timber, but by hard work 
 he has cleared this away, and erected a 
 nice frame house, a barn and outbuildings 
 for hisstock. The farm is now fenced, under 
 good cultivation, and in every way shows the 
 
620 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 care and industry of the owner. For sev- 
 eral years prior to his marriage he and his 
 brothers ' ' bached. " as they call it, cutting 
 timber and clearing their farms in the 
 winter, and at times having several men 
 helping them. They worked in the woods 
 until noon, then came up and cooked their 
 own dinner. They did their own baking 
 and cooking, John being a general cook and 
 able to bake bread, pies, etc., and, in 
 fact, do any kind of housework. Thus he 
 worked ou until the time of his marriage, 
 when he had his farm well cleared and 
 under cultivation, buildings completed, 
 and all in readiness. On September 8, 
 1892, John E. Myerholts was united in 
 marriage with Miss Emma Libba, of San- 
 dusky county, Ohio, who is to him a 
 faithful wife and helper, and they have 
 one child, Mabel Hazel, born October 
 20, 1894. 
 
 Mrs. Myerholts was born April 28, 
 1873, in Sandusky county, Ohio, where 
 she was educated, and where she lived 
 until her marriage. Her father, Mr. Libba, 
 was born in Germany in 1833, came to 
 America when quite young, and settled in 
 Sandusky county, near Woodville, where 
 he cleared a farm, making a pleasant 
 home for himself and family. His wife 
 was born in Germany in 1843 and came 
 to America when si.xteen years of age. 
 Their children were: Henry, born in 
 1864; John, in iSGG; Flora, in 1868; Anna, 
 in 1870; Emma (Mrs. Myerholts), in 1873; 
 William, in 1875; Edward, in 1878; Car- 
 rie, in 1880; and Rica, in 1884. All but 
 one are living and are residents of Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Myerholts has set out a nice or- 
 chard of apple trees, and before long will 
 have an abundance of fruit for his own 
 use and to spare. He is also somewhat 
 engaged in the stock business. It is just 
 to him to say, that, as a young man, he 
 has made his mark in the world, securing 
 a nice farm well cultivated, fenced and 
 under-drained, with good team and tools 
 with which to work. His record as a 
 young farmer is one worthy ol emulation. 
 
 LOUIS WILSON WALKER 
 SPOHN, a representative farmer 
 and highly-esteemed citizen of 
 W^ashington township, Sandusky 
 count}', Ohio, was born January 31, 
 1864, on the farm which is still his home, 
 and is a son of David and Catherine 
 (Spohn) Spohn. They were both natives 
 of Pennsylvania, and, emigrating west- 
 ward in 1854, took up their residence in 
 Sandusky county, Ohio, where the father 
 secured from the government forty acres 
 of land in Washington township. This 
 was a wild tract, on which not a furrow 
 had been turned or an improvement 
 made; but it had not long been in his 
 possession when it was transformed into 
 rich and fertile fields. Success attended 
 his well-directed efforts, and as his finan- 
 cial resources increased he added two 
 hundred acres to his farm. The improve- 
 ments he placed upon it and the care and 
 attention which he gave to it made it one 
 of the most desirable properties in his 
 section of the country, and the owner 
 was ranked among the leading farmers. 
 His death occurred in 1871, when he was 
 aged fifty-seven years, and his wife, who 
 survived him several years, passed away 
 in 1885, willing the old homestead to her 
 son, Louis. 
 
 Our subject is one of the three living 
 children in a family that once numbered 
 thirteen members. The educational 
 privileges which he received were those 
 afforded by the common schools, but 
 through contact with the world, experi- 
 ence and observation he has added great- 
 ly to his store of knowledge, and is to- 
 day one of the well-informed men of the 
 community. A well-spent life has also 
 made him highly esteemed, and gained 
 him the confidence and good will of many 
 friends. An interesting event in his life 
 occurred on the 4th of October, 1884, 
 when was celebrated his marriage with 
 Miss Mary Shenfield. a daughter of a well- 
 to-do farmer of Washington township, 
 Sandusky coiintx'. One child now graces 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOaRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 621 
 
 this union, a daughter, Bertha, who was 
 born February 21, 1890. 
 
 Mr. Spohn votes with the Republican 
 party, and, as every true American citi- 
 zen should do, manifests an interest in 
 political affairs, but has never been an 
 office seeker. He belongs to the Meth- 
 odist Church, and his life is in harmony 
 with his professions, while his upright, 
 honorable career has gained him a wide 
 circle of warm friends. He is a worthy rep- 
 resentative of a family that has been con- 
 nected with the history of Sandusky 
 county since its pioneer days, and mani- 
 fests a deep and abiding interest in all 
 that pertains to the welfare of the com- 
 munit}', and its upbuilding. 
 
 EDWARD STONE, of Benton town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, is to-day 
 one of the active men of Benton. 
 He was born in Canada July 4, 
 i860. His father J. B. Stone, was born 
 in 1804, in Canada, died in 1874, in Iron- 
 dale, Clinton county, N. Y. , and is buried 
 in the cemetery at Redford, in the same 
 county. His widow was born in Cork, 
 Ireland, in 1824, and is still living in Bos- 
 ton, Mass. The\' were the parents of si.\ 
 children — three sons and three daughters, 
 as follows: Edward, our subject; Henry, 
 who is employed as a lumber contractor 
 in Harriettstown, Franklin Co., N. Y. ; 
 John B., a resident of Boston, Mass., a 
 competent engineer, and at present run- 
 ning hydraulic presses; Jennie, living in 
 Cambridge, Mass. ; Anna, in Chelsea, 
 Mass. ; and Rosa, in Kittery Point, Maine. 
 When Edward Stone was seven years 
 of age, his people moved to New York 
 State, where they lived until 1873, when, 
 at the age of only thirteen years, he 
 struck out in life for himself. His first 
 move was to Cleveland. Ohio, where he 
 worked in a meat market for two months. 
 He then went to Toledo, remaining only 
 a month; was office boy in Deshler, 
 Henry Co., Ohio, for two months; took 
 
 charge of a machine in the hoop factory 
 there, where he remained one year; then 
 went into a machine shop, at the same 
 place, and was there fifteen months. He 
 then went to Sandusky City, Erie Co., 
 Ohio, where in 1875 he embarked as a 
 deck hand on the steambarge " Yose- 
 mite," running on the lake between San- 
 dusky and Bay City, Mich. At the 
 close of the season on the lake Mr. Stone 
 went to Mooretown, Canada, engaged as 
 clerk in one of the hotels, remained there 
 two months, was on a farm for a short 
 time, and then returned to the lakes, on 
 the steamer "Huron City," running be- 
 tween Alpena and Buffalo. At the close 
 of the season Mr. Stone made a visit of 
 two months in Toledo, Ohio, and then 
 went to Harris township, Ottawa Co., 
 Ohio, where he spent the winter cutting 
 timber on Joseph Terault's farm. He 
 then returned to the lakes again, making 
 his headquarters at Cleveland, remained 
 during the sailing season, returned to Ben- 
 ton township as hoop worker for the 
 winter, and in the spring went back to 
 the lakes. At the close of that season 
 Mr. Stone went to Lindsey, Sandusky 
 Co., Ohio, as fireman in a stave factory, 
 remaining si.\ months, and then engaged 
 as engineer in a tile yard, and remained 
 one year. He next worked by the month 
 for two years on a farm in Sandusky 
 county, and was engaged in hoop working 
 for a year in Paulding county, Ohio. For 
 six months he was employed in the cam- 
 bric mill at Boston, Mass. ; worked also 
 at East Brookfield, Mass., in a wheel 
 factory, and as engineer in a pottery at 
 Spencer, Mass. ; also drove a 'bus in 
 Providence, R. I., four months, and from 
 there went to a summer resort at Saranac 
 Lake, N. Y. Mr. Stone then returned 
 to Ohio b)' way of Canada, and began 
 farming. After about eight months, and 
 while at Peter Lickert's, he was united in 
 marriage, March 17, 1888, with Miss 
 Kattie R. Harman, of Harris township, 
 Ottawa county, and they have had two 
 
622 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 children, namely: Jennie May, born De- 
 cember 30, 1888; and Daniel Edward, 
 born September 20, 1892. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Stone remained one summer at Mr. Lick- 
 ert's where he was employed in clearing 
 and getting out timber. They then came 
 to the farm on which they now live, con- 
 taining eighty acres, fourteen of which 
 Mr. Stone has cleared himself and fenced 
 and tilled. In addition to his farming, he 
 deals in all kinds of stock, selling to local 
 dealers. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Stone is a Democrat. 
 His estimable wife is the daughter of Jacob 
 and Martha (Randall) Harman, and was 
 born in Harris township, Ottawa county, 
 received a literary education in the public 
 schools of that township, and lived there 
 until her marriage. Her parents, Mr. 
 and Mrs. Harman, are now living in Har- 
 ris township. 
 
 ELI L.\ VIGNE, general merchant 
 and postmaster at Martin, Ottawa 
 county, well worthy of represen- 
 tation in this volume, is numbered 
 among the most prominent and influential 
 citizens of the county, and belongs to 
 that type of representative Americans who 
 advance the public welfare, while pro- 
 moting individual prosperity. 
 
 A native of Michigan, he was born in 
 La Salle township, Monroe county, Feb- 
 ruary 7, 1847, and is a son of Joseph and 
 Mary (Jenaur) La Vigne, both of whom 
 were natives of Michigan, and were of 
 French-Canadian parentage. The father 
 followed the occupation of farming in that 
 State, but both he and his wife are now 
 passed away. Their family numbered 
 eleven children, si.x of whom are still liv- 
 ing, namely: Joseph, a resident of La 
 Salle township, Monroe Co., Mich.; 
 Eliza, wife of Samuel Arguett, of Wayne 
 county, Mich.; Eli, subject of this sketch; 
 Dolphus, who is living in Wayne county; 
 Moses, a resident of Monroe county. 
 
 Mich. ; and Rosaline, wife of Charles 
 Bomier. 
 
 In taking up the personal history of 
 our subject we present to our readers the 
 life record of one who is widely and fa- 
 vorablj- known in Ottawa county. The 
 public schools afforded him his educational 
 privileges, and to his father he gave the 
 benefit of his services until twenty-six 
 years of age, working on the home farm. 
 In 1872 he came to Ohio, and has since 
 been a continuous resident of Martin. 
 For a few years he was in the employ of 
 the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern 
 Railroad Company, and in 1875 he em^ 
 barked in business as a general merchant 
 at Martin, and is still conducting one of 
 the leading establishments of the kind in 
 the county. His genial and affable man- 
 ner has won for him the esteem and pat- 
 ronage of the residents of Martin and 
 the surrounding locality, and he carries 
 a large stock of goods to meet the grow- 
 ing demand of his trade. 
 
 In Erie township, in his native county, 
 on August 8, 1876, Mr. La Vigne was 
 married to Agnes Baron, who was born 
 May 18, /SsS, and is a daughter of Noel 
 and Margaret (Mominee) Baron, natives 
 of La Salle township, Monroe county. 
 Five children have been born to our sub- 
 ject and his wife, their names and dates 
 of birth being as follows: Gertrude, 
 born in Martin, May 26, 1877; Clarence, 
 March 9, 1879; Mary Ettie, November 
 17, 1881 ; Alice. April 21, 1884; and Bes- 
 sie, April 24, 1890. 
 
 Mr. La Vigne is now serving his sec- 
 ond term as postmaster of the village of 
 Martin, having first been appointed by 
 President Cleveland to a second term. 
 He is a sound Democrat in his political 
 views, and the religion of himself and fam- 
 ily is that of the Roman Catholic Church. 
 He possesses business ability of a high or- 
 der, and his keen discrimination, enter-- 
 prise and sound judgment have brought 
 to him success. He is one of the most 
 popular and influential citizens of his 
 

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 623 
 
 adopted county, and is public spirited in 
 an eminent degree, taking an active inter- 
 est in all that pertains to the welfare of 
 the community and its advancement. A 
 pleasant, genial gentleman, his circle of 
 friends is limited only by the circle of his 
 acquaintances, and all who know him 
 have for him the highest regard. 
 
 JOHN YOUNG, owner of a fine farm 
 in Allen township, Ottawa county, is 
 one of the many German settlers 
 who came to Ohio in an early day, 
 bringing with them the habits of industry, 
 thrift and perseverance acquired in their 
 native land, and which have enabled them 
 to become important factors in the growth 
 and progress of the State of their adop- 
 tion. 
 
 Our subject was born in Spiesheim, 
 Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, April lo, 
 1838, and is the son of John and Cather- 
 ine (Young) Young, both natives of the 
 same province as their son. His boyhood 
 days were spent in school and upon his 
 father's farm, and in 1856 he came with 
 the family to America. They settled in 
 Lake township, Wood Co., Ohio, and 
 here, when old enough, he carried on 
 farming until February 13, 1865, when, on 
 the last call for men to take arms against 
 the Rebellion, he enlisted in Company 
 B, One Hundred and Eighty-ninth Ohio 
 Infantry, under command of Col. Henry 
 Kingsbury. He served in this regiment 
 for eight months, and on September 28, 
 same year, received his discharge at 
 Nashville, Tenn. He then returned to 
 Wood county where he worked on his 
 father's farm for upward of twenty jears, 
 at the end of which time he went to Hills- 
 dale county, Mich., where he bought land 
 and farmed two years. In 1886 Mr. 
 Young returned to this State, and pur- 
 chasing fifty-three acres of partially- 
 cleared land in Allen township, Ottawa 
 county, began the improvements, which 
 have made it such a valuable piece of 
 
 property. He now has a comfortable 
 dwelling, etc.. and is regarded as one of 
 the solid, thorough-going and intelligent 
 men of the county. Mr. Young was mar- 
 ried July 30, 1871, at Genoa, Ohio, to 
 Katie, daughter of John and Susanna 
 (Bihn) Young, who were farmers of Ot- 
 tawa county, and of this union there are 
 seven children, as follows: Matilda, born 
 August 20, 1872, was married March 29, 
 1894, to John Vogelpohl, a farmer of 
 Lucas county, Ohio, and has one child — 
 Willie, born April 15, 1895; Charles J., 
 born June 29, 1874, is farming in Ottawa 
 county; while Magdalena, born April 26, 
 1876, MaryE., June 3, 1879, Lewis J., No- 
 vember 25, 1882, and Katie E., July 18, 
 1889, are all at home with their parents. 
 One child died in infancy. 
 
 John Young, the father of our subject, 
 was born in Germany in 1802, and was a 
 farmer by occupation. He was there 
 married to Miss Catherine Young, who was 
 born in 1800, and they emigrated to this 
 country when their children were quite 
 young. They at first settled in New York 
 State, near Niagara Falls, where they re- 
 mained for three years, then came to Ohio 
 and made their home in Lake township. 
 Wood countv. They were the parents of 
 seven children, all born in Germany, of 
 whom the following record is given: 
 Philip, the eldest, is a farmer in Wood 
 county; Charles is a stone mason, and 
 lives in Toledo; Elizabeth married Joseph 
 Kapp, a farmer of Wood county, and both 
 are deceased, the former dying September 
 2, 1 89 1, the latter on August 26, same 
 year (they left five children); John, our 
 subject, is the fourth in order of birth; 
 Andrew is married, lives at Toledo, and is 
 the father of four children, two of whom 
 are living; two died in Germany. The 
 parents of this family died in Wood coun- 
 ty, the father in August, 1866. and the 
 mother in September, 1862. 
 
 It is a curious coincidence that the 
 names of the fathers of both Mr. and Mrs. 
 Young should be John Young, and that 
 
C24 
 
 COyfUEMORATIVE BIOQRAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 those of our subject's mother and his wife 
 should both be Catherine Young. The 
 father of our subject's wife was also a na- 
 tive of Germany, his birth taking place in 
 Spiesheim, Hesse-Darmstadt, February 
 21, 1819. He followed farming in the 
 old country, until his emigration to Amer- 
 ica, in 1857. He settled in Clay town- 
 ship, Ottawa Co. , Ohio, where he carried 
 on farming for a number of years; he now 
 resides in Genoa, that county, where he 
 is a mail carrier. He was married in 
 1843, in Germany, to Susanna Bihn, 
 daughter of Peter Bihn, and to them have 
 been born si.x children: Mary E. , born 
 January 22, 1844, now the widow of 
 Jacob Long, a farmer, and residing in 
 Michigan; Katie, born August 6, 1S48, 
 now the wife of our subject; Jacob, born 
 January 28, 1854, married, and living in 
 New York City; Phillipina M., born 
 December 31, 1856, now the wife of John 
 Ernst, a jeweler, residing in Genoa; John, 
 born August 4, 1858, a butcher by trade, 
 and living in Huntington, Ind. ; Matilda, 
 born October 24, 1862, died at the age of 
 eleven years, in Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Young is highly estc^emed by his 
 fellow citizens, and held the office of 
 school director in Lake township. Wood 
 county, for two years, and in Allen town- 
 ship, where he now resides, for the same 
 length of time. He is a strong Republican, 
 and has the best interests of his com- 
 munity at heart. He and his family are 
 regular attendants at the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 WILLI.\M ERNSTHAUSEN is 
 the ownerof oneof the fine farms 
 of Ottawa county — a tract of 
 land of 100 acres on which 
 stands a comfortable and commodious 
 brick residence, and substantial barns and 
 outbuildings for the care and shelter of 
 the stock and grain. Well-kept fences 
 divide the land into fields of convenient 
 size, and the place is under a high state 
 
 of cultivation and improved with all mod- 
 ern accessories. The ownerof this desir- 
 able farm is recognized as one of the most 
 successful agriculturists of the community, 
 and is well deserving of mention in this 
 volume. 
 
 He was born in Genoa, Ohio, Decem- 
 ber 31, 1862, and is a son of Casper and 
 Dorotha (Gerwin) Ernsthausen. The 
 father was born in Germany, June 15, 
 
 1826, and was a son of Henry Ernsthau- 
 sen, who was born in the same land in 
 1790, and was by trade a carpenter. The 
 great-grandfather, Fred Hunter, was born 
 in 1779. and his wife, Sophia, was born 
 in 1786. He served in the German army 
 from 1803 until 1812, and was instrumen- 
 tal in saving the life of Prince Bismarck, 
 the father of Germany's late chancellor, 
 and in recognition of this service was pre- 
 sented with a tea-set by the Prince. The 
 ancestry of the Gerwin familj- can be 
 traced back in the following manner: 
 The grandfather of our subject, Lewis 
 Gerwin, was born in Germany, August i 5, 
 1798, and was a wagon maker by trade. 
 In 1826 he married Sophia Hunter (who 
 was born in Hanover, Germany, March 
 II, 1803), and to them were born seven 
 children, of whom five are living, all resi- 
 dents of America. His father, Henry 
 Gerwin, was born in Germany, in 1762, 
 and wedded Clara Brightholdt, who was 
 born in 1767. The mother of our subject 
 was born in German}-, November 12, 
 
 1827, and tiiere resided until she was 
 nineteen years of age, when in 1847 she 
 crossed the Atlantic to the New World, 
 and after two years spent in New York 
 became a resident of Toledo, Ohio, where 
 her marriage wtth Casper Ernsthausen 
 was celebrated. 
 
 We now take up the personal history 
 of their son William, in whom the citi- 
 zens of Ottawa count}- are deeply inter- 
 ested. When he was only a year old his 
 parents removed to Ohio, where they 
 lived five years, when they came to the 
 farm which is now his residence. His 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 625 
 
 shly- 
 
 modern 
 
 youth, therefore, was largely passed within 
 its boundaries, and he early became famil- 
 iar with all the duties that fall to the lot 
 of an agriculturist. To his father he con- 
 tinued to give the benefit of his services 
 until twenty years of age, when he started 
 out in life for himself. He is now the 
 owner of one hundred acres of the old 
 home place, and is surrounded by all the 
 comforts and conveniences that go to 
 make life worth living. In addition to 
 his own farm he controls and operates 
 sixty acres of land belonging to a sister- 
 in-law. He employs two hands upon the 
 place to aid him in the cultivation of the 
 various crops adapted to this climate, and 
 his average yearly yield of grain is one 
 thousand bushels of wheat, one thousand 
 si.x hundred bushels of corn, and seven 
 hundred bushels of oats. He also deals 
 quite extensively in stock, making a 
 specialty of the raising of horses and hogs 
 The excellence of his farm, its hi 
 cultivated appearance and the 
 accessories, all together make it one of 
 the most valuable places in the county, 
 and give the owner rank among the most 
 prominent agriculturists. 
 
 .\n important event in the life of Mr. 
 Ernsthausen occurred December 8, 1886, 
 when was celebrated his marriage with 
 Miss Carrie E. Otto, daughter of Ludwig 
 and Margaretta (Schafer) Otto. Her father 
 lost his parents during his early life, so we 
 have no account of the family. He was 
 reared in Germany, became a shoemaker 
 by trade, and served for one year and six 
 months in the war of the Rebellion. He 
 was married January 16, 1S56, to Miss 
 Otto, whose father was born in Germany 
 in 1803, and whose mother, Margaret 
 Korb, was born in the same year. They 
 had five children, three of whom are now 
 living. Great-grandfather Schafer was 
 born in Germany in 1770, and his wife 
 was born about the same time. Mrs. 
 Otto was born in Prussia April 12, 1832; 
 at the age of nineteen came to America, 
 locating in Clyde, Ohio, which was her 
 
 place of abode for twelve years. Mr. 
 Otto died in 1864, leaving three children 
 — May Jennie, born August 14, 1859; 
 Matilda, born July 26, 1861; and Carrie 
 E , born February 2, 1864. The last 
 named is now the wife of our subject. 
 Her birth occurred in Elmore, and she 
 acquired her literary education in its pub- 
 lic schools, and also received superior in- 
 struction in instrumental music. She is a 
 lady of culture and refinement, presiding 
 with grace over her home, which is noted 
 for its hospitality. Four children bless 
 this union: John F. , born January 15, 
 1888; Bertha E., born August 8, 1889; 
 Clarence \V., born October 11, i89i;and 
 Mabel M., born July 21, 1894. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Ernsthausen 
 is a Republican, taking an active interest 
 in the growth and success of his part}', 
 and doing all in his power to advance its 
 interests. For some time he has been 
 president of the school board of his dis- 
 trict, and the cause of education and all 
 other interests calculated to promote the 
 general welfare find in him a warm friend. 
 
 CHARLES H. GRAVES, one of 
 the prominent members of the 
 Ottawa county bar, was born 
 June 6, 1872, in Clay township, 
 Ottawa Co., Ohio. He was reared amid 
 pleasant surroundings, and his childhood 
 was similar to that of other boys of the 
 period, he thoroughly enjoying and par- 
 ticipating in the sports of the time. He 
 is a son of John H. and Mary (Joseph) 
 Graves, residents of Harris township, Ot- 
 tawa county, the father a native of Prussia, 
 the mother of Baden, Germany. 
 
 Our subject received his early educa- 
 tion in the public schools of Oak Harbor, 
 Ohio, where he was graduated in 1889. 
 He then taught school two years in Salem 
 township, and at the same time pursued 
 the study of law under the tutorship of 
 Charles I. York, of Oak Harbor, Ohio. 
 In 1 891 he entered the Law Department 
 
C2G 
 
 commemohative biographical record. 
 
 of the University of Michigan, at Ann 
 Arbor, where he took a thoroug^h course 
 in law, being graduated from that institu- 
 tion in 1893 with the degree of Bachelor 
 of Laws. He was admitted to practice 
 as an attorney and counselor at law in the 
 State of Ohio, on June 9, 1893, at the 
 age of twenty-one years. Returning to 
 Oak Harbor, he at once embarked in the 
 practice of his chosen profession, and to- 
 day, although a young man, enjoys a large 
 and lucrative clientage, and ranks among 
 the leading members of the bar. 
 
 Politically, he is a Democrat. Socially, 
 he is a member of Oak Harbor Lodge 
 No. 495, F. tv: A. M., and formerh' he 
 belonged to Fremont Chapter No. 64, R. 
 A. M. ; at present he is a member of Oak 
 Harbor Chapter, U. D. , Royal Arch 
 Masons. He possesses a keen analytical 
 mind, is quick to grasp a situation, and 
 his abilities, both natural and acquired, 
 lead one to predict that his career as a 
 lawyer will be one of marked success. In 
 social life he has the respect of all who 
 know him. 
 
 FERDINAND L. MILLER. Among 
 the prominent and well-to-do 
 farmers of Salem township, Ot- 
 tawa county, who can now look 
 back nearly half a century to the days 
 when that township was nothing more 
 than a vast unbroken wilderness, and re- 
 call the many dangers and hardships ex- 
 perienced by them; the discouragements 
 incident to an early life on the frontier; 
 and who, as the reward of many years 
 of hard, honest labor, have now acquired 
 a comfortable competence to tide them 
 over the balance of life's journey, there 
 is probably no one deserving of a more 
 prominent place in this biographical record 
 than the gentleman whose name intro- 
 duces this brief sketch. 
 
 Our subject is a native of the Father- 
 land, born in Baden March 16, 1834. 
 His parents, George and Lena Miller, 
 
 emigrated to 
 in Danburj' 
 
 also natives of Germany, 
 America in 1857, locatin; 
 township, Ottawa Co., Ohio, of which 
 township, they were honored and re- 
 spected citizens for many years. They 
 have both long since passed away from 
 earth, the father dying in 1864, the 
 mother in 1874. 
 
 Ferdinand L. Miller received his pre- 
 liminary education in the public schools 
 of his native land, and since early youth 
 he has constantly been engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits, his long e.xperience in 
 this honorable branch of industry making 
 him one of the most practical farmers of 
 the county, his well-tilled fields, comfort- 
 able home and barns bearing striking 
 evidence of this fact. In 1854 Mr. Miller 
 crossed the ocean to the "New World," 
 locating first in Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 thence, in 1859, moving to Ottawa coun- 
 ty, same State, locating in Danbury 
 township; in 1865 he settled on his pres- 
 ent farm in Salem township, of which 
 he has since been a continuous resident, 
 honored and respected by all who know 
 him for his thrift, honesty and many 
 other sterling qualities. 
 
 Mr. Miller was united in marriage in 
 April, 1865, with Miss Mary Wiganist, of 
 Riley township, Sandusky county, a na- 
 tive of Germany. To this union were 
 born si.\ children, five of whom are living, 
 viz.: Amelia, born Januarj' 37, 1867, now 
 the wife of Henry Godeman, of Toledo, 
 Ohio; Elizabeth, born August 17, 1868, 
 wife of J. F. Mylander, of Salem town- 
 ship; Ellen, born October 26, 1870; John, 
 born February 21, 1874; and Katherine, 
 born August 16, 1877, the latter three 
 residing on the homestead farm in Salem 
 township. In 1880 the father was called 
 upon to mourn the demise of his faithful 
 wife, and the children that of a kind and 
 loving mother, Mrs. Miller passing away 
 during that year. In 1881 Mr. Miller 
 was again united in marriage, his second 
 wife being a Miss Rosina Koser, a native 
 of Germany, born October 24, 1844. To 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 627 
 
 this union have been born three children, 
 viz.: Rosa and George (twins), born Feb- 
 ruary 20, 1882, the latter of whom died 
 in infancy; and Matie, born August 17, 
 1886, died September 23, 1890. 
 
 Mr. Miller has ever taken an active 
 interest in the welfare and progress of his 
 township; but although he has frequently 
 been requested, by his man}' friends, to 
 accept positions of trust, he has never 
 been an office seeker, always refusing to 
 accept them, recognizing the fact that 
 the duties in connection with his home 
 and farm commanded his unremitting 
 time and attention. In his political views 
 our subject votes with the Democratic 
 party. The family are strict adherents 
 of the Evangelical Church. 
 
 JACOB S. STEWART, one of the 
 earliest pioneers of Allen township. 
 Ottawa county, and a brave soldier 
 in the Civil war, was born in Vinton 
 county, Ohio, August 6, 1844, a son of 
 John N. and Letitia (Sain) Stewart, both 
 also natives of this State. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was edu- 
 cated in the public schools of Sandusky 
 county, on leaving which he worked on a 
 farm for si.\ months. The Civil war break- 
 ing out, he felt called to go to the defense 
 of the old flag, and, although only a boy, 
 offered his services,enlisting July 24, 1862, 
 in Company F, One Hundredth Ohio In- 
 fantry. He took part in the siege of 
 Kno.wille, Tenn., and in the battle of 
 Strawberry Plains, in the same State. His 
 regiment was then sent back to Kno.wille, 
 and was placed among those who went 
 with Sherman on that famous "March to 
 the Sea," near Atlanta. Mr. Stewart re- 
 ceived a severe wound in his right leg, 
 from the effects of which he suffered for 
 si.x months. In that engagement he saw 
 men fall all around him, and out of a force 
 of 309 men, over two hundred were 
 killed, or died from the effects of their 
 wounds. When Mr. Stewart had par- 
 
 tially recovered, he rejoined his company, 
 which was then a part of Twenty-third 
 corps. They left Atlanta and marched 
 to City Point, North Carolina, and then 
 to Goldsborough, where they met General 
 Sherman. Mr. Stewart received his final 
 discharge at Cleveland, Ohio, in 18.65, 
 and coming to Allen (then Clay) town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, purchased si.xty 
 acres of unimproved land. On this he 
 built a log cabin, in which he lived for 
 twenty-five years, in the meantime being 
 diligentl\- at work clearing off the timber 
 and cultivating the soil, and to-day he is 
 the happy owner of one of the most pro- 
 ductive and best improved farms in the 
 township, with a comfortable residence 
 and all necessary attachments, the result 
 of his untiring industry and perseverance. 
 Mr. Stewart was married, March 12, 
 1879, to Minerva C, daughter of Oscar 
 and Philindia (Baldwin) Billings, of Wood- 
 ville township, Sandusky county, and they 
 are the parents of four children: Rollin 
 L. , born December 26, 1S81; Oscar T., 
 April 12, 1886; DaseyM., December 23, 
 1S90; and Harley, born June 12, 1880, 
 died February 25, 1883. John N. Stew- 
 art, the father of our subject, was born 
 in Ohio, May 6, 181 5, and was of Scotch 
 and English descent. His father fought 
 against the English in the war of 18 12 at 
 Fort Stevenson, in Fremont. John N. 
 was a tanner and currier, and assisted his 
 father for a time at his trade. He after- 
 ward worked in the flour-mills, and was 
 also in the employ of Carder & Fuller; 
 in his later years he returned to farming. 
 Mr. Stewart was married to Letitia, 
 daughter of Jacob Sain, a farmer of Vin- 
 ton county, this State, and by this mar- 
 riage eight children were born, three of 
 whom still survive: Jacob S., our subject; 
 Spencer, a mail carrier at Toledo; and 
 Emma V., wife of Stephen Heckathorne, 
 of Toledo. Levi S. was killed during the 
 Civil war, in 1862, in the skirmish 
 on Cheat Mountain, West Virginia. Os- 
 car Billings, father of Mrs. J. S. Stewart, 
 
628 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 was born in the State of New York in 
 1824, where he was a farmer for many 
 years. He came to Ohio in 1841, where 
 he was engaged at his trade in Woodville, 
 Sandusky county. At the breaking out 
 of the Civil war he enhsted in the three- 
 months' service, after which he removed 
 to Minnesota, where he was engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits. His first wife was 
 Mary Boose, who died two years after 
 marriage, leaving one child. He subse- 
 quently married Miss Philindia Baldwin, 
 October 27, 1858, and of this marriage 
 there were ninechildren: Minerva C, 
 born in Elmore, Ottawa county, July 3, 
 1859, became the wife of our subject; 
 Sarah J., born in Woodville, Sandusky 
 county, June 22, 1862, married Bradford 
 Lindsey, a farmer of Allen township, and 
 of this marriage four children were born, 
 viz.: Orvil, Clarence, Leroy and Edith; 
 Nelson O., born March 10, 1863, is a 
 barber in Genoa, Clay township (he mar- 
 ried Annie Fuller, of that township, and 
 they have one child named Harold); Ar- 
 thur T., born August 31, 1864, is unmar- 
 ried and lives in Allen township; Lorenzo 
 A., born March 3, 1868; Leonard G., 
 born December 11, 1871, in Woodville 
 township, Sandusky count}'; Casper A., 
 born July 23, 1874, in Harris township, 
 Ottawa county; Mirtie B., born August 
 29, 1S76, in Harris township, and Laura 
 born May 28, 1880, are all single. The 
 mother of these children was born in 
 Woodville, and was a daughter of Nelson 
 and Catherine E. Baldwin. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is a Re- 
 publican, a member of the G. A. R. , and 
 with his family attends the Church of the 
 United Brethren. He still suffers from 
 the effects of a wound received while in 
 the army, and is obliged to use crutches a 
 part of the time. In his noble wife he 
 finds a true helpmate, and she has been 
 of inestimable service to him. In 1889 
 she began the weaving of carpets, and she 
 has made many thousand yards, adding 
 materially in this way to their income. 
 
 BARNEY VALIQUETTE is one of 
 the young and progressive farmers 
 of Carroll township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty, of which township he is na- 
 tive born, his birth having occurred Sep- 
 tember 28, 1870, and he is a son of James 
 and Elizabeth (Doroucher) \'aliquette. 
 The early life of our subject was spent 
 upon the homestead farm, and in the 
 public schools of the neighborhood he ac- 
 quired his education. In connection with 
 his farm duties he also assisted his father 
 in mercantile pursuits. On February 6, 
 1895, he was united in marriage with 
 Miss Dora Pickard, a daughter of Andrew 
 and Serdelia (Moore) Pickard. 
 
 James Valiquette, the father of our 
 subject, was born in Monroe, Mich., No- 
 vember 23, 1S23, and is a son of Joseph 
 and Monique (Ganier) Valiquette, both 
 natives of Monroe county, Mich., and of 
 French-Canadian ancestry. In their fam- 
 ily were nine children, four of whom still 
 survive, namely: James; T. Isadore, a 
 resident of La Crosse, Wis. ; Henry, of 
 Toledo, Ohio; and Matilda, wife of Ra- 
 phael Navare, of Toledo. The father of 
 this family served with distinction in the 
 war of 1812, and was a prominent farmer 
 of his native countj', where his death oc- 
 curred in February, 1861. His faithful 
 and devoted wife survived him for some 
 years, and passed from earth in Carroll 
 township. Like the majority of the 
 youth of his day, James Valiquette re- 
 ceived only such education as could be 
 obtained in the primitive log schoolhouse, 
 and only at such times as he could be 
 spared from the farm duties, which in 
 those days took precedence to education. 
 In 1846, he came to Ottawa countv, the 
 trip from Michigan being made by way of 
 the canal, and on his arrival made his 
 home in Carroll township, which at that 
 time was a vast forest, inhabited princi- 
 pally by Indians. Here he has since re- 
 sided and to-day ranks among the oldest 
 living pioneer residents in the county. In 
 1848 he began merchandising, which he- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE SIOOIiAPIIICAL RECORD. 
 
 629 
 
 continued in connection with agricultural 
 pursuits until 1885, since which time he 
 has lived a comparativels' retired life, 
 resting in the enjojment of tiie fruits of 
 his former toil. 
 
 In Monroe count}-, Mich., May 26, 
 
 1850, was celebrated the marriage of 
 James Valiquette and Elizabeth Dorouch- 
 er, daughter of Lawrence and Moniqne 
 (Saucombe) Doroncher, who were the 
 parents of nine children, six of whom are 
 still living: Lawrence, Saucombe, Luke, 
 Cleopha (widow of Anthonj' Miltz), Marie 
 (wife of Henry Latour), and the mother 
 of our subject. Mrs. Valiquette was born 
 in Monroe, Mich., July 22, 1829, and by 
 her marriage has become the mother of 
 children whose names and dates of birth 
 are as follows: Elizabeth, April 11, 
 
 1851, died April 25, 1879; Caroline, April 
 15, 1853, died April 25, 1861; Saucombe, 
 July 29, 1855; Clara, October 7, 1859, 
 now the wife of D. M. McLean, of Kala- 
 mazoo, Mich.; Annie, July 10, 1861; and 
 Barney. 
 
 FREDEI^ICIC COOK is a native of 
 Germany, born June 18, 1852. 
 His father died a few months prior 
 to the birth of his son, and when 
 Frederick was three years old he was 
 brought by his mother and a friend of the 
 family to this country. Mrs. Cook re- 
 mained in New York, and gave her son 
 to one of the friends that accompanied 
 her on the voyage in order that he might 
 have a good home and education. With 
 his foster-parents he went to Sandusky 
 county, Ohio, and by them was reared on a 
 farm, where he worked from early age 
 until he had attained his majority. For 
 his services he received only his board 
 and clothing, being granted no education- 
 al privileges, and the only knowledge he 
 acquired during this period was through 
 experience and observation. 
 
 When he had attained his majority, 
 Frederick Cook left his foster-parents, 
 
 and for a year and a half worked as a 
 farm laborer. He then took up the trade 
 of carpenter and joiner, which he followed 
 some five years, and he afterward was 
 employed for several years as a journey- 
 man in the same line of business. After 
 saving enough money from his meager 
 earnings he went west to the State of 
 Kansas to visit his mother, who had mar- 
 ried in New York and was then living up- 
 on a farm in the " Sunflower State." He 
 spent a year or more in that place, work- 
 ing on farms until he had obtained enough 
 money to take him to Ohio again, when 
 he once more settled in Sandusky county, 
 working at carpentering two years. 
 Abandoning that pursuit, he then rented 
 a farm in that locality, which he operated 
 until 1887, when he removed to Ottawa 
 county, and purchased a farm in Clay 
 township, containing seventy acres, most 
 of which was improved. He then cleared 
 the remaining eleven acres, and trans- 
 formed the whole into rich and fertile 
 fields. He has made many improvements 
 upon the place, planted an orchard, 
 erected a good barn and other necessary 
 outbuildings, and to-day has one of the 
 best cultivated farms of the neighbor- 
 hood. 
 
 On September 5, 1876, in Woodville 
 township, Ottawa county, Mr. Cook 
 wedded MaryBlausey, daughter of Henry 
 Blausey, a farmer of that township. 
 Nine children came of that union, their 
 names and dates of birth being as follows: 
 Henry, who was born in Woodville town- 
 ship, January 5, 1877. and now aids in 
 the operation of the home farm; Ricke, 
 October 8, 1878; Minnie, September 27, 
 1880; August, May 11, 1882; Caroline, 
 September 5, 1884; Lucy, September 25, 
 1886; Lena, January 18, 1889; Julia, 
 April I, 1 891; and Lewis, December 18, 
 1893. Mrs. Cook died December 20, 
 1893, and Mr. Cook was again married 
 July 5, 1894, his second union being with 
 Tillie Zesing, who was born Mays, '872, 
 daughter of Charles and Minnie (Tropp) 
 
C30 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Zesing, farming people of Wood county, 
 Ohio. 
 
 In his political views, Mr. Cook is a 
 stanch Democrat, has held the office of 
 school director for several years, and is a 
 warm friend of the cause of education. 
 He is numbered among the leading agri- 
 culturists of Ottawa county, and his 
 straightforward, honorable life well en- 
 titles him to representation in its volume. 
 
 JAMES PALMER, M. D. That a 
 smooth sea never made a skillful 
 mariner is fully realized by all who 
 have successfully carried to comple- 
 tion any undertaking on the sea of life. 
 The world is indebted to-day for its great- 
 est achievements to men who have come 
 upward through adversity; to men who 
 are self-made; to men who from early 
 manhood have been compelled to stand 
 alone and fight single-handed for what 
 they believe to be true, and for their own 
 best interests. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is one of 
 Ottawa county's self-made men. He is a 
 native of England, born December 9, 
 1832, in the Parish of Harlington, some 
 thirteen miles west from London, and is 
 a son of Thomas and Ann (Palmer) 
 Palmer, the former of whom was born in 
 1 801, and lived to be ninety-three years 
 of age; the latter was born in 1803, and 
 died in 1887. Seven children — si.\ sons 
 and one daughter — were born to them, 
 one of the sons being now a shoemaker 
 in Saginaw, Mich. ; another (our subject) 
 a physician in Oak Harbor, Ohio; the 
 other three being farmers; the daughter 
 resides in Canada. Robert Palmer, the 
 maternal grandfather of this family, rep- 
 resented the fifth generation of Palmers 
 who rented the same farm in England. 
 One of Dr. Palmer's uncles served in the 
 ever-memorable Crimean war of 1854-56, 
 in which the quadruple alliance — England, 
 France, Sardinia and Turkey — was en- 
 gaged in a sanguinary struggle with Russia. 
 
 When our subject was nine \ears old 
 (1 84 1) his parents emigrated to this coun- 
 try, bringing their family and settling in 
 Cuyahoga county, Ohio, where for four 
 years they made their home, the father 
 following his trade, shoemaking. It was 
 here our subject received his first school- 
 ing, only three months in all, the rest of 
 his time being occupied in farm labor, he 
 working by the day or month as occasion 
 presented. In 1845 the family moved to 
 Canada, settling on a farm in that por- 
 tion of Middlesex county that is now in- 
 cluded in Elgin county, and here our 
 subject had his home until he was twenty 
 years of age, his time and energy for the 
 most part being devoted toward assisting 
 in the clearing up and developing of a 
 homestead for his parents, although for 
 nearly three years (owing to illness which 
 seized him when eighteen years old, 
 through exposure in the timber) he was 
 unable to do much hard work. In 1852 
 he went to live with his brother, Thomas 
 K. , of Port Burwell, now in Elgin county, 
 Ontario, but soon afterward moved with 
 him to St. Thomas, a few miles northwest 
 of Port Burwell, and here he was con- 
 verted to Christianity, uniting with the 
 Baptist Church. At the same place, and 
 through the kindness of his brother, he 
 received another three-months' schooling, 
 making in all six months' education up to 
 the age of twenty-one. 
 
 From early boyhood Dr. Palmer had 
 looked forward to the possibility of the 
 practice of medicine being his life work, 
 such being his devout wish; but lack of 
 means all along stood in the way of his 
 accomplishing his desire in that respect. 
 Moreover, more money would have to be 
 earned, to accomplish which he com- 
 menced, after leaving school the second 
 time, to learn the trade of carpenter, 
 which he continued several years, among 
 other work assisting in erecting all the 
 Great Western railroad buildings, includ- 
 ing docks, at Windsor, Canada. About 
 the year 1858 our subject moved to 
 
^^/^a^z^ 
 
 ^^t-^'-Z-^^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 631 
 
 Painesville, Lake Co., Ohio, where he 
 began the study of medicine under the 
 preceptorship of Dr. R. F. Dow, and 
 with him diligently pursued his prelimi- 
 nary readings, completing same with a 
 three-years' course at the Medical De- 
 partment of the Western Reserve Uni- 
 versity, Cleveland, Ohio, where our sub- 
 ject was graduated with the degree of 
 M. D. Immediately thereafter he opened 
 an office in Cleveland, where for si.x 
 months he enjojed a good practice; his 
 business relations in Painesville, however, 
 were such that he deemed it advisable to 
 remove thither. In 1893, after building 
 up an extensive practice in that city, the 
 Doctor, for reasons that will presently be 
 explained, transferred his practice to Oak 
 Harbor, Ottawa county, where he has 
 since remained. 
 
 Dr. James Palmer has been twice 
 married, first time at St. Thomas, Canada, 
 January i, 1857, to Miss Margaret L. 
 Card, of that city. In 1883, while they 
 were on a visit to Canada, Mrs. Palmer 
 was taken ill, and died there before she 
 could be removed to her home in Paines- 
 ville. On November 22,1 887, Dr. Palmer 
 was wedded to Miss Mary B. Beatty, of 
 Butler county, Penn. In 1893, as already 
 related, the Doctor removed from Paines- 
 ville to Oak Harbor, hoping that his wife's 
 health would be improved by the change, 
 for she had been unwell for some time. 
 Only temporary relief, however, was se- 
 cured to the patient, for on April 2, 1894, 
 she passed to the home beyond. Her 
 brothers are the proprietors of one of the 
 largest rose gardens in the world, same 
 being located at Oil City, Penn., and 
 their productions received first premium 
 at the World's Columbian Exposition, 
 held at Chicago in 1893. Dr. Palmer is 
 a typical self-made man, and the enviable 
 position he now holds in his chosen pro- 
 fession is conclusive proof that "where 
 there's a will there's a way." Let every 
 young person who may read this sketch 
 remember that what has been accom- 
 
 40 
 
 plished under adverse circumstances can 
 be done again, and that a man with en- 
 ergy, perseverance and application will, 
 in any sphere of life in this wide country, 
 always find "room at the top." The 
 Doctor attributes his success in life to his 
 adherence to the principles of rectitude 
 instilled into him by his mother, whom he 
 remembers with true filial devotion and 
 loyalty. 
 
 NATHAN PIERSON. The splendid 
 farm of this gentleman in Carroll 
 township, Ottawa county, is a 
 standing monument to his indus- 
 try, perseverance and good management, 
 and he is numbered among the prominent 
 representative agriculturists of the com- 
 munit}'. He was born on the homestead 
 farm where he still resides, November 18, 
 1845, ^nd is a son of Alfred and Mary C. 
 (Lindsley) Pierson. His elementary edu- 
 cation was obtained in the common 
 schools of the district, after which he at- 
 tended a commercial college in the citj' of 
 Sandusky, Ohio. After completing his 
 education, Mr. Pierson followed the vo- 
 cation of teaching for ten years, being em- 
 ployed in the schools of Harris, Carroll 
 and Clay townships, Ottawa county; but 
 since the expiration of that time, he has 
 devoted his whole attention to agricultural 
 pursuits. 
 
 On October 15, 1871, Mr. Pierson 
 married Miss Lucinda Moore, a daughter 
 of Cyrus and Esther Moore, who were 
 early residents of Erie township, Ottawa 
 county, where the widowed mother is 
 still living, the father having gone to the 
 final home. Around the domestic hearth 
 of our subject and his wife are gathered 
 their little family of three children — Stella 
 M., born September 4, 1872; Ethel M., 
 born May 19, 1875; and Alfred F., born 
 November 26, I S79. For two terms Mr. 
 Pierson held the position of trustee, and 
 is now serving as township treasurer. He 
 has been clerk of Harris township, and 
 
632 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 also of Elmore corporation. He has been 
 quite prominent in local affairs, and in 
 politics is an earnest advocate of Demo- 
 cratic principles, of which part)' he is a 
 stalwart supporter. Surrounded by his 
 interesting and intelligent family, Mr. Pier- 
 son is a thoughtful and devoted husband, 
 and a kind, indulgent father. Among 
 men he is genial and companionable; 
 manly and fearlessly independent in 
 thought and character, and consistent 
 and temperate in all respects. His social 
 standing is high and his integrity incor- 
 ruptible. As a friend he is true and loyal; 
 a man of taste and culture, with broad 
 and liberal views; and a man, all in all, of 
 large body, soul and mind. 
 
 The father of our subject, Alfred Pier- 
 son (deceased), was one of the prominent 
 farmers of Carroll township, as well as 
 one of its pioneers. His birth occurred in 
 New Jersey in March, 1815, and he was 
 a son of John and Elizabeth (Miller) 
 Pierson, who were of English and Ger- 
 man ancestry. He was reared and edu- 
 cated in his native State, where he also 
 learned the trade of blacksmith and buggy- 
 spring maker, and there followed those 
 pursuits until 1838, when he came to Car- 
 roll township, at that time still a part of 
 Sandusky county, Ohio. For a number 
 of years he worked at his trade in con- 
 nection with farming, but in later years 
 abandoned the former, and devoted his 
 time entirely to agricultural pursuits. 
 
 On October 16, 1837, in New Jersey, 
 Alfred Pierson was united in marriage 
 with Mary C. Lindsley, who was born in 
 Chatham township, Morris Co., N. J., 
 February 17. 18 1 9, a daughter of Luther 
 and Nancy (Lace}') Lindsley, natives of 
 that State, coming to Ottawa county in 
 1S38, where the father engaged in farm- 
 ing. His death occurred March 31, 1858; 
 the mother departed this life March 25, 
 1850. They had a family of nine chil- 
 dren, of whom Mrs. Pierson is the only 
 one now living. To Mr. and Mrs.. Pier- 
 son were born si.\ children, namel}': 
 
 Elizabeth, born July 22, 1838, died 
 March 29, 1856; Lewis, born October 9, 
 1842, is living on the old homestead; 
 Nathan is ne.xt in order of birth; Phcebe, 
 born December 22, 1848, died December 
 ir, 1862; Alfred, born November 25, 
 1855, died June i, 1856; and Hetta, born 
 March 3, 1857, is the wife of R. B. Sono- 
 crant. The eldest son, Lewis, received 
 his education in the district schools, and 
 since early life has been principally en- 
 gaged in farming, On December 10, 
 1864, he married Lucina Davenport, a 
 daughter of Edson and Jane Davenport, 
 and to them was born one child, who 
 died in infancy; the mother departed this 
 life October 29, 1869. In his political 
 views, Lewis Pierson is a Democrat, and 
 has served as assessor of his township 
 two terms. He always takes an active 
 part in all measures tending to advance 
 the welfare of the county, where he is 
 highly respected, and is a practical and 
 progressive farmer. 
 
 The father was also a strong Demo- 
 crot, and held several important positions 
 of honor and trust, being county com- 
 missioner several terms, infirmary di- 
 rector five years, treasurer of the town- 
 ship si.xteen years, and also filled other 
 township offices. Locating in Carroll 
 township in an early date in the history of 
 the country, he and his faithful wife ex- 
 perienced all the hardships and trials in- 
 cident to pioneer life. Here in the dense 
 forest, by which they were surrounded 
 for miles on every side, Mr. Pierson carved 
 out a home for himself and family, subse- 
 quentl}' clearing up and improving an ex- 
 cellent farm. In this home the family 
 also experienced some of the hardships of 
 pioneer life, mitigated, however, by va- 
 rious pleasures common to backwoods life 
 in those early days. In the vast forest 
 around them was game of all kinds, and 
 though their white neighbors were few 
 and far between, a warmhearted neigh- 
 borly feeling existed among them, and 
 ! their social intercourse at the frequent 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 633 
 
 house and barn raisings and quilting bees, 
 was of the most friendly character. In 
 after years Mr. Pierson devoted close at- 
 tention to his agricultural interests, and 
 was considered one of the most industrious 
 citizens, as well as one of the most syste- 
 matic and intelligent farmers of the dis- 
 trict. He was deservedly popular among 
 all classes in the community, and his de- 
 mise left a blank not easily filled. 
 
 LAURENXE D. RYAN, one of the 
 most prominent and successful 
 farmers of Carroll township, Ot- 
 tawa county, and a gentleman 
 honored and respected by all who know 
 him, was born Februarj' i8, 185 i, in the 
 township where is still his home, and is a 
 son of Edward P. and Monique (Du- 
 Ruchie) Ryan. His father was for many 
 years engaged in the grocery business and 
 in trading in furs, but the greater part of 
 his life was devoted to agricultural pur- 
 suits. He served as auditor of said coun- 
 ty in i860 and 1862. He was born in 
 Detroit, Mich., October 31, 18 16, of 
 Irish descent. His father was a brick- 
 layer and mason by trade, and put up 
 the first brick building ever erected in the 
 city of Detroit. Edward Ryan married 
 Miss Du-Ruchie, a lady of French line- 
 age, born in Monroe county, Mich., De- 
 cember 22, 1826. They came to Ohio in 
 1846, locating in Carroll township, where 
 Mr. R3an purchased land and transformed 
 it into a fine farm. They went through all 
 the experiences and hardships incident to 
 pioneer life, and were honored and re- 
 spected residents of the township. The 
 father died June 20, 1S67, the mother 
 July 10, 1875, and their memory will 
 long be cherished by those who knew 
 them in life. They had a family of 
 twelve children, as follows: Luke P., 
 the eldest, was born at Sandy Creek, 
 Monroe Co., Mich., June i, 1842, and is 
 now residing in Toledo. William, born 
 at Monroe City, August 5, 1844, enlisted 
 
 in 1 86 1, in Company I, Forty-first O.V. I., 
 and served through the war of the Rebel- 
 lion; on October 31, 1867, he accident- 
 ally shot himself while duck hunting. 
 Elizabeth was born at Locust Point, Ot- 
 tawa county, February 26, 1847, and 
 died in infancy. Laurence D. (i), born 
 at Locust Point, March 7, 1849, died in 
 infancy. Laurence D. (2) is the ne.xt 
 younger. Clarissa was born in Carroll 
 township, May 31, 1853. Edward was 
 born April 13, 1855. Napoleon B., born 
 July 29, 1857, resides in Allen township, 
 Ottawa county. Clement V'. is also liv- 
 ing in Allen township. Josephine was 
 born in Carroll township, Ottawa county, 
 July 4, 1859, and died August 6, 1881. 
 Eugenie, born March 20, 1861, died 
 September 8, 1872. Dean Richmond, 
 bornJune3, 1867, died February 2, 1868. 
 
 Laurence D. Ryan was reared to 
 manhood on the old homestead farm, 
 and received the advantages of a fair ed- 
 ucation in the district schools of Carroll 
 township. Within its borders he has 
 spent his entire life, and from early youth 
 has been engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
 He is an enterprising, progressive citizen, 
 always taking a leading part in interests 
 that are calculated to improve the coun- 
 ty and communit}^ in which he resides. 
 He is an industrious and practical farmer 
 whose busy and ".veil spent life commands 
 the respect of all, and his character is be- 
 yond reproach. In Carroll township, 
 Ottawa county, July 15, 1873, he was 
 married to Miss Lucina A. Gyde, who 
 was born in Carroll township, August 14, 
 1850, a daughter of William and Harriet 
 B. (Meeker) Gyde. The marriage has 
 been blessed with four children: Hattie, 
 born March 20, 1876; Ernest, born July 
 3, 1878; Elva L. , born April 30, 1883; 
 and Nellie E., born August 15, 1889. 
 
 Mr. Ryan has frequently been solicited 
 to accept official positions of trust in his 
 township, but having no aspirations in 
 that direction he has always declined to 
 become a candidate, believing that in 
 
634 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 order to achieve success it was necessary 
 for him to give his entire time and atten- 
 tion to his farming interests. This he 
 has done, and his well-directed efforts 
 have brought to him a comfortable com- 
 petence. 
 
 HENRY ANDERSON. Each com- 
 munity has its representative citi- 
 zens, men who are devoted to its 
 best interests and to the advance- 
 ment of all that pertains to its welfare. 
 Among this class is numbered Mr. Ander- 
 son, and the record of his life is as follows. 
 He was born in Auburn, N. Y. , Sep- 
 tember 18, 1835, and is the son of William 
 and Sarah (Sanders) Anderson, the former 
 born in Pennsylvania, in August, 1800, 
 the latter born September 16, 1806. 
 They were married in 1823, and had a 
 family of nine children, of whom eight are 
 now living. The family is of Scotch 
 origin, and the great-grandfather of our 
 subject, John Anderson, was born in Edin- 
 burgh, Scotland, in 1771. He was a 
 farmer by occupation, for many years 
 served as justice of the peace, and died 
 in 1846. His wife was a Miss La Bruer. 
 The maternal grandfather, Henry Sand- 
 ers, was born in Pennsylvania, in 1766, 
 and his wife was born in 1 763. He owned 
 and operated a distillery, and died in 1841. 
 During his infancy, Henry Anderson 
 was brought by his parents to Sandusky 
 county, Ohio, where he made his home 
 until seventeen years of age. He then 
 went to Fremont, and he was a resident 
 of that place until 1866. His education 
 was acquired in Woodville, Ohio, where 
 his childhood and youth were quietly 
 passed. When President Lincoln issued 
 his first call for 75,000 volunteers to crush 
 out the Rebellion in its infancy, Mr. An- 
 derson was among the first to enlist, and 
 after serving for three months he entered 
 the mechanical department of the army, 
 where he continued some eighteen months. 
 He then joined the navy, and for fourteen 
 
 months served as steward on one of the 
 boats engaged in the Union service. 
 When the war was over and the country 
 no longer needed his aid, he returned to 
 Ohio, and settled in Fremont. For a 
 year thereafter he was engaged in clerking, 
 and in 1868 he went to Elmore, where he 
 began business as a dealer in harness and 
 saddlery, carrying on operations along 
 that line for about six years. In 1874 he 
 began the development of a farm which 
 had been inherited by his wife from her 
 father's estate. This farm he cleared of 
 timber, fenced and drained it, and soon, 
 where once were wild forest trees, ap- 
 peared waving fields of grain, a substan- 
 tial residence, barns and outbuildings, a 
 good orchard, containing a variety of 
 fruits, the latest improved machinery, and 
 all other accessories of a model farm of 
 this latter part of the nineteenth century. 
 
 In 1874 Mr. Anderson was united in 
 marriage with Miss Mary C. Nellis, of 
 Elmore, and their union has been blessed 
 with a son, George A. , who was born May 
 10, 1875. Her father, David Nellis, was 
 born August 6, 1806, and her mother, 
 Caroline Nellis, was born October 22, 
 1809. They had a family of six children, 
 of whom three yet survive. Mrs. Ander- 
 son is second cousin to Commodore Perry 
 of naval fame, and is also a distant rela- 
 tive of Gen. Anderson. Her grandfather, 
 John Nellis, was a native of Germany, 
 born in 1786, and his wife was born in 
 the same country in 1787. Her maternal 
 grandfather, Mr. Stedman, was born in 
 New York, in 1783, and his wife was a 
 native of the Empire State, her birth oc- 
 curring in the same year. Her great- 
 grandfather on her father's side was born 
 about 1764. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are pleasantly 
 located in Elmore, in a fine home on 
 Main street, and he is now doing a thriv- 
 ing business in the harness and saddlery 
 trade. He is energetic and enterprising, 
 and his success has come to him through 
 labor, constant and concentrated. His 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 635 
 
 son George is a yoiinp; man of high ambi- 
 tions, of superior intellect and business 
 ability. He completed a course of study 
 in the Elmore High School in 1893, and 
 then took a thorough business course in a 
 commercial college of Poughkeepsie.N. Y. 
 He has since been engaged in business 
 with his father, aiding in the labors of the 
 farm and of the store, and both Mr. An- 
 derson and his son have the confidence of 
 the public, and the esteem of the social 
 world. 
 
 Hl^.NRY O. MYLANDER, a car- 
 riage maker and blacksmith of 
 Oak Harbor, and a popular and 
 progressive citizen, was born upon 
 the old homestead farm in Salem town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, February 27, 1864, 
 and is the eldest son of Casper and Flora 
 (Brinkmyer) Mylander. The public 
 schools of the neighborhood afforded him 
 his educational privileges, and he spent 
 the days of his boyhood and youth upon 
 his father's farm until eighteen years of 
 age; but not wishing to make agriculture 
 his life work he then began to learn the 
 blacksmith's trade in Oak Harbor. A few 
 years later he embarked in business for 
 himself, and carried on operations for 
 about eight years, when he found that his 
 health was failing. This necessitated a 
 change of employment, and selling out, 
 he accepted a position on the steamer, 
 "Frank E. Kirby," plying on the lakes. 
 He continued in that employ for three 
 summers, working at the blacksmith's 
 trade during the winter. On the expira- 
 tion of that period he returned to Oak 
 Harbor, and in December, 1894, again 
 began business for himself in that place. 
 Mr. Mylander was married in Port 
 Clinton. Ohio, March 17, 1885, to Miss 
 Annie Holder, daughter of Christian and 
 Mary Holder, who was born in \^'itten- 
 berg, Germany. Thej' now have two in- 
 teresting children: Eleanora F. R. , born 
 November 24, 1885; and Clara Lucilla 
 
 Mary, born July 27, 1889. They gladden 
 the home with their presence, and the 
 little household is noted for its hospitality 
 which is cordially extended to the many 
 friends of our subject and his wife. In 
 his political views, Mr. Mylander is a Dem- 
 ocrat, but has had neither time nor inclin- 
 ation for public office, although he faith- 
 fully performs every duty of citizenship as 
 it comes to him. He is now doing a good 
 business as the leading carriage maker and 
 blacksmith in Oak Harbor, where by cour- 
 teous treatment, fair dealing and an earnest 
 desire to please his customers he has built 
 up an excellent trade. He is enterprising 
 and progressive, and well deserving of the 
 success that may come to him. 
 
 JACOB HARMON, who is numbered 
 among the native sons of Ohio, was 
 born in Pickaway county, January 
 18, 1835, and is a son of Jacob and 
 Susan (Peer) Harmon. The father was 
 born in Knox county, Penn., in 1790, and 
 died in 1853, his remains being interred 
 in the cemetery of Elmore, Ohio. The 
 mother was born in Virginia in 1800, and 
 in their family were two children — Jacob, 
 subject of this sketch, and Mrs. Dorotha 
 Schafer, of Toledo, Ohio. The paternal 
 grandmother of our subject was born in 
 1772, and little else is known concerning 
 the ancestry of the family. 
 
 During the infancy of Jacob Harmon, 
 his parents came to Ottawa county, Ohio, 
 locating in Harris township, where they 
 spent their remaining days. Upon the 
 old homestead he was reared to manhood, 
 and his early life was very similar to that 
 of farmer boys of the neighborhood. At 
 the age of twenty-three he was united in 
 marriage with Miss Martha Randall, of 
 Benton township, Ottawacounty, who was 
 born in Trumbull county, Ohio, March 9, 
 1837. Her father, Daniel Randall, was 
 born in Allegany county, X. Y. , in 1800, 
 and her mother's birth occurred in 1812, 
 while her maternal grandmother was born 
 
636 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in 1 79 1. Her paternal grandfather was 
 born in 1790, his wife in 1793. They 
 became the parents of eight children, six 
 of whom are now living. Of the eight 
 children born to Mr. and Mrs. Randall, 
 six yet survive. During the early girl- 
 hood of Mrs. Harmon, the parents re- 
 moved to Lorain county, where she at- 
 tended the public schools of Pittsfield, 
 concluding the prescribed course of study 
 there. She then lived in Benton township 
 until her marriage. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Harmon began their 
 domestic life on a farm on the old river 
 road, where the)' lived some three years, 
 after which they removed to Minnesota, 
 where our subject was engaged in the 
 manufacture of potash for a year, return- 
 ing then to his father's farm in Harris 
 township, Ottawa county, where he re- 
 mained until 1875, when he became owner 
 of forty. acres of timber land in Section 5, 
 same township. This he at once began 
 to clear, and as the trees were cut and the 
 stumps removed he plowed and planted 
 the land, till now he has it under a high 
 state of cultivation. He also planted a 
 fine orchard, and the place is to-day one 
 of the best improved farms in his part of 
 the county. 
 
 The home of our subject and wife has 
 been brightened by the presence of seven 
 children, their names and dates of birth 
 being as follows: Daniel, March 18, 1859; 
 George, July 11, 1862; John, July 6, 
 1864; Elizabeth, April 26, 1867; Eph- 
 raim, October 22, 1871: Katie, November 
 5, 1869; Jacob, July 13, 1874; they lost 
 two children — Daniel, who died October 
 23, i86i; and John, who died November 
 7, 1892. For many years Mr. Harmon 
 has served as supervisor of Harris town- 
 ship, and has also been school director of 
 his district five years. He has experienced 
 many of the hardships and trials of a pio- 
 neer life, and for some years after locat- 
 ing upon his present farm, he expected 
 each spring that his home would be flood- 
 ed as the river rose. He has ridden on 
 
 horseback from Portage river to Toussaint 
 creek when the water was deep enough to 
 wet his feet as the horse made its way 
 through the woods. The cabin home 
 stood in the midst of a dense forest, and 
 it seemed to Mrs. Harmon that the trees 
 could never be cleared away so that she 
 might look across the country to her 
 neighbors. 
 
 This has happened, however, and as 
 the years have passed advancing civiliza- 
 tion has done away with the trials of 
 frontier life, and to-day Mr. and Mrs. 
 Harmon are the owners of a fine and 
 valuable farm. The success which has 
 crowned their efforts is well-merited, and 
 their lives are busy and useful. Their 
 son, Jacob, now operates the home farm, 
 and cares for those who cared for him 
 during his childhood, relieving them of 
 much labor and anxiety. 
 
 DANIEL M. LOWE, a farmer and 
 wholesale butcher of Allen town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, was born in 
 Franklin county, Penn., March 
 16, 1845, and is a son of Philip and Mary 
 Nancy (Lower}') Lowe, of the same place. 
 He received his early education in the dis- 
 trict schools of his native county, and for 
 sometime worked by the month on va- 
 rious farms, afterward returning home 
 and learning the blacksmith's trade with 
 his father, which occupation he followed 
 some three years. At the expiration of 
 that tima he became overseer of slaves on 
 a plantation in Maryland, remaining there 
 two years, or until the beginning of the 
 Civil war in 1861. 
 
 On leaving Maryland, Mr. Lowe re- 
 turned home and assisted his father upon 
 the farm for about four months, when he 
 went to Somerset county, Penn., and 
 worked in a tannery for the same length 
 of time. Although he did not enlist as a 
 soldier, Mr. Lowe had some exciting ex- 
 periences during the war. While in Som- 
 erset county, the Rebels crossed the Po- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 637 
 
 tomac and the owner of the tannery with 
 his employes were obliged to leave tlieir 
 occupation. They fled to Yorktown, 
 with a string of twenty-two six-horse 
 teams, with neighbors and people from 
 different parts of the country. There 
 they remained three weeks until the enemj- 
 was repulsed, when they returned to their 
 work. The calm, however, was of short 
 duration, as the Rebels again came upon 
 them, and forced our subject and his em- 
 ployer to take refuge in the mountains, 
 with the same stock. There they hid for 
 three days, and then once more returned 
 to the tannery, only to be driven out the 
 third time, the Rebels this time carrying 
 oH the best of the farm stock, including 
 his father's. Discouraged in his attempts 
 to go on with his work at this point, Mr. 
 Lowe again returned to his father's home, 
 but even here his ill-luck pursued him. 
 One day while out on a creek near his 
 home, he was seized by a party of the 
 enemy and forced to drive the stock be- 
 longing to his neighbors to their camp 
 across the Potomac. Here he was kept 
 as a prisoner four da\s, herding cattle. 
 ^^'atching his opportunity, he got away 
 one dark night and reached his home in 
 safet}'. He worked on the farm some si.x 
 months when he was again surprised by 
 the Rebels which invaded our countrx', 
 this time taking with them the remainder 
 of the farm stock. 
 
 Mr. Lowe remained on the old home- 
 stead untiFhis marriage, March 30, 1865, 
 to Miss Susan A. Talhelm, daughter of 
 William and Susan Talhelm, of Washing- 
 ton township, Franklin Co., Penn. He 
 then came to Ohio, locating in Sandusky 
 county in 1866, and for two jears worked 
 by the month on a farm, at the end of 
 that time renting a farm for himself. In 
 1878 he removed to Clay (then Allen) 
 township, and in addition to farming took 
 up the business of a butcher, in both of 
 which pursuits he has been successful, 
 having a good trade in the surrounding 
 county, and a fine, productive farm. Mr. 
 
 and Mrs. Lowe are the parents of ten 
 children, of whom the following record is 
 given: Susan A., born April 9, 1866, is 
 the widow of Charles Brown, and the 
 mother of two children, one of whom lives 
 with his grandfather, our subject, the 
 other at Lulu, Mich.; Emma C. , born 
 September 18, 1S67, is the wife of Jacob 
 Youncker, a farmer in Allen township, 
 and they have three children: Clara E., 
 born October 18, i86g, married William 
 Jacobs, and resides in Coleman, Mich. 
 (she is the mother of five children); Al- 
 bert, born June 4, iS/i; William C. , 
 June 15, 1873; John P., March 24, 1S75; 
 Franklin D., January 3, 1877, died May 
 12, 1882; Herman E., born October 18, 
 1878; Jessie B., born July 14, 1881; 
 Myrtle M., born January 3, 1884, died 
 Maj' 6, of the same year. 
 
 Philip Lowe, grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, was of Scotch nativity. His son 
 (also named Philip), the father of our sub- 
 ject, was born in Franklin county, Penn., 
 where he carried on farming and also 
 blacksmithing. He married Nancy Low- 
 ery, who was of Pennsylvania birth, and 
 ten children were born to them, viz. : 
 William, Philip, John, Martin, Daniel, 
 Josiah, Henry, Jacob, Barbara and Su- 
 san. The wife of our subject was born 
 in Pennsylvania. Her parents were na- 
 tives of Pennsylvania, the father born 
 October 5, 1845, and they are still living 
 in Pennsylvania. Her grandparents were 
 born in Germany. Mr. Lowe is an ar- 
 dent Republican, and with his family at- 
 tends the Church of the United Brethren. 
 
 WILLIAM J. BAKER, one of the 
 prominent agriculturists of Allen 
 township, Ottawa county, was 
 born in Devonshire, England, 
 February 28, 1847, and is a son of James 
 and Eliza (Bailey) Baker, the former a 
 native of Devonshire, the latter of Corn- 
 wall, England. He received a limited 
 education in the schools of his native coun- 
 
638 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 t)', attending to his studies during; the 
 winter seasons and working upon his 
 grandfather's farm in Cornwall, in the 
 summer, until he was sixteen years old. 
 He then learned the trade of a carriage 
 maker, spending five \'ears as an appren- 
 tice and one 3ear afterward as a journey- 
 man. 
 
 On February 20, 1869, Mr. Baker left 
 the home of his birth for America, find- 
 ing his way to Ohio, and locating in 
 Woodville township, Sandusky county, 
 where he followed carpentering and paint- 
 ing some eight years. He then married 
 and moved to Allen (then Clay) township, 
 and began work on a farm of seventy-five 
 acres owned by his wife, the larger por- 
 tion of which was unimproved. He did 
 much hard work on this place, letting not 
 a moment go to waste, and succeeded in 
 clearing the land, erecting a large, com- 
 fortable dwelling house, barns, outhouses, 
 and making other improvements which 
 to-day testify to his industry and enter- 
 prise. The marriage of our subject took 
 place September 13, 1877, when he was 
 united to Miss Mary E. Kent, daughter of 
 Anson and Mercy (Wood) Kent, farmers 
 of Allen township. To them has been 
 born a family of five children, as follows: 
 Delia P., born June 24, 1878, was edu- 
 cated in the schools of Allen township, 
 and is housekeeper for her widowed father; 
 Eliza M. was born July 29, 1880; Mary 
 E. on April i, 1884; Florence M. on Au- 
 gust 2, 1886, and Dorothy H. on August 
 14,1891. All the younger children are 
 attending school in Allen township. Mrs. 
 Baker, the wife of our subject, was born 
 in Clay township, Ottawa county, Au- 
 gust 21, 1856, and there obtained her 
 education. Her father died April 28, 
 1864, and her mother was again married, 
 this time in December, 1869, to John 
 Tiplady, of Allen township. He died 
 January 5, 1892. The mother is still liv- 
 ing, and resides in Allen township with 
 her daughters, Carrie, who was born Oc- 
 tober 31, 1870, and Inez, born October 
 
 27, 1874. Mrs. Baker passed peacefully 
 away March 13, 1894, leaving a devoted 
 husband and five young daughters to 
 mourn the loss of a faithful and loving 
 wife and mother. 
 
 James Baker, the father of our sub- 
 ject, was a native of Devonshire, England, 
 where he was a farmer. He was married 
 in 1845 to Eliza Bailey, and a family of 
 twelve children was born to them, of 
 whom the following record is given: Will- 
 iam J. is the subject of this sketch; Annie 
 M. is the wife of Walter Hewitt, of Island- 
 ville, Mass.; Eliza, wife of Francis Bailey, 
 is residing in California; Rachel is the 
 wife of Dr. Hobert Hewitt, of Glenwood 
 Springs, Garfield Co., Colo.; Richard is 
 a school teacher and farmer, residing in 
 Allen township; Frances resides in Mor- 
 rison, Colo. ; Elizabeth is the wife of 
 Francis Monroe, owner of a coffee plan- 
 tation in San Jose, Costa Rico, Central 
 America; John H. is in the United States 
 mail service at Toledo; Thomas sleeps in 
 in the Denver (Colo.) cemetery, and the 
 three younger children sleep in the old 
 home churchyard in England. Mr. Baker, 
 in his political views, affiliates with the 
 Prohibition party. In religion he and his 
 family are in sympathy with the Disciples 
 Church, the services of which they attend 
 at Genoa. Mr. Baker is looked upon as 
 a man of principle, upright in his business 
 relations and a good citizen. 
 
 CHARLES R. TSCHUMY, a rep- 
 resentative citizen, and a leading 
 watchmaker and jeweler of Oak 
 Harbor, Ottawa county, is a na- 
 tive of Sandusky county, Ohio, having 
 first seen the light August 21, 1S58, in 
 Fremont. 
 
 His parents, Frederick and Marie 
 (Birmley) Tschumy, were both born in 
 Baden, Germany, the former December 
 25, 1823, the latter August 10. 1825. 
 They were married in the Fatherland, 
 and in 1849 immigrated to America, lo- 
 

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 639 
 
 eating first in New Orleans, La., where 
 they resided several years, the father 
 working at his trade, that of a cabinet 
 maker, at which he was an expert. From 
 New Orleans the family moved to Fre- 
 mont, Sandusky Co., Oliio, afterward, in 
 1863, to Port Huron, Mich., where Mr. 
 Tschumy engaged in the manufacture of 
 pumps. In 1864 they removed to Na- 
 poleon, Henry Co., Ohio; thence, in 
 1866, to Oak Harbor, where they con- 
 tinued to reside for many years, enjoying 
 the love and respect of all who knew 
 them. The father's death occurred March 
 10, 1874, his faithful and loving wife sur- 
 viving him until December, 1886, when 
 she, too, passed away. The Tschumy 
 family consisted of eleven children, five 
 of whom are yet living, viz. : Frederick 
 J., a marine engineer, residing in Cleve- 
 land, Ohio; Emma, the wife of Ira 
 Neville, aresident of Teegarden, Marshall 
 Co., Ind. ; Louis H., a prominent builder 
 and contractor of Toledo, Ohio; Charles 
 R. ; and Louisa, now the wife of William 
 Heminger, of Oak Harbor. 
 
 Charles R. Tschumy, whose name in- 
 troduces these lines, received his prelim- 
 inary education in the public schools of 
 Oak Harbor, on leaving which he was 
 apprenticed to the trade of watch-mak- 
 ing, entering the employ of Otto Brown, 
 a practical watchmaker from Germany, 
 who was at that time doing business in 
 Oak Harbor. After completing his ap- 
 prenticeship our subject worked, at in- 
 tervals, for James Moore, of Toledo, and 
 gained further information regarding the 
 details of his trade, more especially the 
 use of tools for manufacturing the finer 
 parts of watches, though it is mainly 
 through his own energy and skill as a 
 mechanic that he has attained the 
 thorough knowledge of and perfection in 
 his business he to-day possesses. From 
 his early boyhood Mr. Tschumy has been 
 of an inventive turn of mind, and when 
 but eleven years of age he modelled and 
 built, unaided, a miniature engine, the 
 
 parts being composed principally of wood, 
 the motive power being compressed air 
 instead of steam; and po.ssessing these in- 
 ventive faculties to so great a degree, he 
 has become a thorough master of the 
 many technical details of his business. 
 Mr. Tschumy has been engaged in watch- 
 making since 1872, and his reputation as 
 a practical, thorough watch-maker and 
 business man is recognized far and near, 
 work being sent him from many places 
 outside of the State in which he lives. 
 The jewelry department of his large and 
 handsome store is well stocked with the 
 finest quality of goods, and his prompt- 
 ness, strict integrity and skill as a work- 
 man have established for him a reputa- 
 tion and trade not excelled, if equalled, 
 by any firm in the county. 
 
 In 18S4 Mr. Tschumy was united in 
 marriage, at Oak Harbor, with Belle 
 Vining, who was born in Bellevue, Huron 
 Co., Ohio, May 8, 1858, daughter of 
 Calvin and Harriet (Croney) Vining, na- 
 tives of Virginia. The family consists of 
 six children, viz.: Ina and Edna (twins), 
 Beulah Marie, Grace, Florabell. and an 
 infant yet unnamed, besides a daughter, 
 Lula, by a previous marriage of Mrs. 
 Tschumy. Our subject is a member of 
 Lodge No. 516, K. of P., also of Oak 
 Harbor Lodge No. 735, I. O. O. F. , and 
 in his political views he favors the Dem- 
 ocratic party. The family are consistent 
 members of the M. E. Church. A bio- 
 graphical sketch of Mr. Tschumy, to those 
 who know him, would be incomplete 
 were mention of his musical abilities 
 omitted. In his home life he has always 
 found relief from his routine of duties in 
 literature and music, and for a number of 
 years he has been leader of the Oak Har- 
 bor Band, and his assistance in all social 
 and Church gatherings has added much 
 to his popularity and success. He is also 
 an ardent lover of the science of astron- 
 omy, and he is the possessor of a small 
 telescope, with which he spends many a 
 pleasant evening in the contemplation of 
 
640 
 
 OOMMEMOBATJVE BIOORAFniCAL RECORD. 
 
 different heavenly bodies, especially the 
 planets. He renders much aid to the as- 
 tronomy classes in the public school by 
 kindly illustrating to them the various 
 systems treated in their text-books. He 
 is regarded as an honorable man, above 
 reproach in all things, kind to everyone, 
 generous to those who are in need, a man 
 of strong convictions of right and wrong, 
 and ever fearless in upholding that which 
 he knows to be right. 
 
 SAMUEL MINIER is a native of 
 Salem township, Ottawa Co. , Ohio, 
 his birth having occurred July 15, 
 1847, on the old homestead farm, 
 the third farm which was opened up in 
 the township. It is still his home and 
 has been his place of abode through child- 
 hood and manhood. He received such 
 limited educational privileges as the dis- 
 trict schools of that day afforded, and 
 from early youth has been engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits. As soon as old 
 enough to handle the plow he began work 
 in the fields, and it was not long before he 
 was familiar with farm work in all its de- 
 partments. The pursuit to which he was 
 reared he has made his life work, and to- 
 daj' he is one of the enterprising agricul- 
 turists of the community, the owner of a 
 highly-cultivated tract of land, which in 
 its neat appearance indicates the careful 
 supervision of the owner. His business 
 transactions are conducted with the ut- 
 most fairness, and his industry and honesty 
 have won him the respect and confidence 
 of all who know him. 
 
 Mr. Minier has been twice married; 
 first time to Miss Rachel Beard, a resi- 
 dent of Stark county, Ohio, and they be- 
 came the parents of two children — Joseph, 
 who is residing in Salem township, Ot- 
 tawa county ; and Flora Belle. The mother 
 of this family, who was a most estimable 
 lady, passed away February 5, 1877, and 
 one year later, December 19, 1878, Mr. 
 Minier married Miss Susanna Kleinhans, 
 
 who was born September 5, 1847, daugh- 
 ter of John and Maria (Hiueline) Klein- 
 hans, well-known people of Ottawa coun- 
 ty. Five children grace this marriage — 
 four sons and one daughter — their names 
 and dates of birth being as follows: Claude 
 A., October 5, 1879; Gwendolen, Febru- 
 ary 27, 1 881; George S., August 3, 1883; 
 Orville Earl, May 6, 1885: and Lloyd D., 
 June 4, 1890. The family are well-known 
 in this communit)-, the household is the 
 abode of hospitality, and our subject and 
 his wife hold an enviable position in social 
 circles. Mr. Minier is a member of La- 
 care Tent, Knights of the Macabees, and 
 in his political views is a stanch Dem- 
 ocrat, ha\ing supported that party since 
 attaining his majority. He is a worthy 
 representative of an honored pioneer fam- 
 ily, and well deserves representation in 
 this volume. 
 
 ALBERT A. CLEMONS, a lead- 
 ing fruit grower of Danbury town- 
 ship, Ottawa count}-, and a son 
 of Alexander demons, was born 
 on the old homestead at Marblehead, 
 Ohio, April 9, 1840. Since infancy he 
 has been a resident of that community, 
 where by his good qualities and genial 
 disposition he has endeared himself to the 
 residents of that as well as other sections 
 of the county, and, throughout, his friends 
 are legion. His education was acquired 
 in the public schools of Marblehead, and 
 from early boyhood until 1S62 he was en- 
 gaged in farm work. 
 
 In August, 1862, Mr. demons en- 
 listed in Company G, One Hundredth 
 O. Y. I., with which regiment he par- 
 ticipated in numerous engagements, in- 
 cluding the siege of Knoxville, and the 
 battles of Franklin, Resaca, Atlanta and 
 Nashville. He was a faithful soldier, al- 
 wajs found at his post of dutj-, and at the 
 close of the war was mustered out and 
 discharged at Goldsboro, July 20, 1865. 
 On returning to his home in Marblehead 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 641 
 
 he became connected with his brother in 
 the quarrying business, being owners of 
 one of the largest quarries in the State. 
 They carried on operations under the firm 
 name of demons Sons until 1890, when 
 business was discontinueil, and the part- 
 nership dissolved, since which time our 
 subject has devoted his entire attention to 
 fruit growing. 
 
 At Sandusky City, Ohio, in 1875 Al- 
 bert demons was united in marriage with 
 Miss Josephine Catherman, a daughter of 
 Samuel and Clarissa Catherman, the for- 
 mer a native of Pennsylvania, the latter 
 of Ohio, both now residents of Sandusk}' 
 City. To this union has been born one 
 child, Georgie D. , who is still with her 
 parents. Mr. demons is a member of 
 Peninsular Lodge, No. 607, K. of P., and 
 of R. B. Richardson Post, No. 454, G. 
 A. R., while in politics he is an ardent 
 supporter of the Republican party. As a 
 citi;?en he is broad guaged and enterpris- 
 ing, and can worthily be accredited with 
 having done his share in developing the 
 interests of the county. While -not a 
 Church member, he is a supporter of all 
 religious efforts, and gives liberal financial 
 aid thereto. The family hold prominent 
 place in social circles. 
 
 HERMAN W. ENGLEBECK. Of 
 German descent, this gentleman 
 was born in Portage township, 
 Ottawa Co., Ohio, December 23, 
 1836, a son of Herman and Caroline 
 (Fechtler) Englebeck, natives of the F'a- 
 therland. Leaving their old home they 
 crossed the Atlantic to America, and about 
 1835 located in what is now Portage town- 
 ship, Ottawa Co., Ohio, which was then 
 a part of Sandusky county, there continu- 
 ing their residence until called to the home 
 beyond. Of their family of nine children, 
 si.\ are still living, namely: William, who 
 resides in Weston, Wood Co., Ohio; Her- 
 man W. , in Portage township, Ottawa 
 county; John R. , a resident of Denver, 
 
 Colo. ; Henry J. , who is living in Lakeside, 
 Ohio; Katherine, wife of Capt. William 
 Slackford, and a resident of Portage town- 
 ship; and George, who is located in Des 
 I^foines, Iowa. 
 
 Our subject was reared in the usual 
 manner of farmer lads, receiving such edu- 
 cational advantages as were obtainable in 
 the district schools of the neighborhood, 
 and from his boyhood daj's up to the 
 present time has been engaged in agricul- 
 tural pursuits, winning a well-merited suc- 
 cess, and becoming the owner of one of 
 the most fertile farms and productive or- 
 chards of the township. He enjoys the 
 reputation of being a thorough and prac- 
 tical agriculturist and fruit grower, and 
 his well-tilled fields and fruit-bearing or- 
 chards indicate his care and supervision. 
 His handsome residence and neat sur- 
 roundings bespeak thrift, and the home is 
 noted for its hospitality. 
 
 The ladj' who presides in the Engle- 
 beck residence, was, in her maidenhood, 
 Nancy Wonnell, and in Port Clinton, on 
 the 1 8th of December, 1859, she became 
 the wife of our subject. Her parents were 
 earl\- settlers of Portage township, Otta- 
 wa county, where she was born April 17, 
 1838. The children of this marriage are 
 six in number: Oscar W., born Septem- 
 ber 18, 1 86 1, was married July 3, 1883, 
 to Lizzie Lickfelt, and has one son, Ar- 
 thur; Charles Grant, born December 6, 
 1864. married Jennie Fall, and with his 
 I wife and two children, Amos and Helen, 
 resides in Port Clinton; Effie Josephine, 
 born July 3, 1863. was married April 9, 
 1887, to Burton Elwell, and died January 
 25, 1893, leaving a daughter. Florence E., 
 who is still Hving; Carrie Leah was born 
 March 7, 1871; Bertie Hayes, born June 
 6, 1875, died March 8, 1876; Nannie 
 Belle, born July 20, 1879, completes the 
 family. 
 
 In all the duties of husband, father, 
 neighbor and citizen, Mr. Englebeck is 
 found faithful, and occupies a high place 
 in the esteem of those who know him. 
 
642 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 He is a representative farmer, one whose 
 example may well be followed, for his 
 character is above reproach and he is 
 worthy of the highest respect. For al- 
 most sixty j'ears he has resided in Ottawa 
 county, and well deserves mention among 
 the honored pioneers. 
 
 Scott 
 
 HENRY BOWE. one of the de- 
 scendants of George Bowe, Sr. , 
 a well-known pioneer of Sandusk)' 
 county, was born June 6, 1843, in 
 township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 where he still resides. He lived with his 
 parents on the old farm in Scott township 
 until he was twenty-one years, when he 
 began life for himself, working the old 
 farm on shares. 
 
 In 1864 Mr. I3owe took a trip to Green 
 Baj% Lake Superior, and Ft. Wayne, Ind. 
 In the following jear he again visited Ft. 
 Wayne, Ind., where he remained a few 
 months, and then returned home and 
 worked on the old farm one year. He 
 then again went to Indiana, returning, in 
 1867, to the old farm where he remained 
 until his marriage, January 27, 1847, to 
 Catherine Fry, of Jackson township, San- 
 dqsky county. To them have come four 
 children: Sarah A., born August 31, 1878, 
 died August 14, 1887; Mary Annie, born 
 April 1 1, 1880, at the present time study- 
 ing music; Roulif, born August 10, 1S83; 
 and Lulu L. , born January 27, 1889. 
 
 A part of the farm, where Mr. Bowe 
 now resides, he obtained from his father. 
 To it he has added forty acres more, 
 erected substantial buildings, and now 
 has the place under good cultivation. In 
 addition to his farming he is engaged in 
 the oil business. His first lease was in 
 18S6, and provided that Mr. Bowe should 
 have one-eighth of the oil, $300, and an 
 oil well in five years. The wells were 
 not drilled, nor were they expected to be 
 — hence the lease practically amounted to 
 very little. In 1887, he leased his farm 
 again, this time for one year, he to 
 
 have one-eighth of the oil, but no wells 
 were put down. In 1888 another lease 
 was drawn, but nothing was done. On 
 April 8, 1895, ^he first real business for 
 oil began on Mr. Bowe's farm. Accord- 
 ing to the lease he is to have $300, and 
 one-sixth of the oil, besides which a well 
 is to be put down every sixty days until 
 there are six wells in all. In addition to 
 this Mr. Bowe has at the present time 
 just drilled and shot a well of his own 
 which promises to be a very good one. 
 The wells now running are producing 
 about twenty barrels each per day. One- 
 sixth of the oil, together with the well 
 owned by himself, returns a fine income 
 from the oil business. 
 
 Mr. Bowe's father, George Bowe, Sr. , 
 was one of Sandusky county's pioneers. 
 He relates a striking incident in his own 
 life while living in Scott township. One 
 day, about the year 1843, while laboring 
 on his farm, there suddenly appeared be- 
 fore him an image of his father, as natural 
 as life; he spoke and the vision vanished. 
 He at. once went to the house, related the 
 incident to his wife and family, and after 
 a little consultation it was decided that 
 he had better go to Buffalo and visit his 
 father. Accordingly he left at once for 
 that cit}', and on coming there he found 
 his father a corpse. At that time the old 
 gentleman was about seventy-five years 
 old, thus making the date of birth of our 
 subject's paternal grandfather about the 
 year 1768. The father of our subject was 
 born in France in 1802, and came to 
 America in 1832, settling in New York 
 State, where he remained three years. 
 Thence he came to Ohio, and in Scott 
 township entered 210 acres of land, one- 
 half for himself and the other half for his 
 sister. In 1834-35 he married Catherine 
 Wegstein, daughter of Michael Wegstein, 
 born in Baden, Germany, in 18 13. To 
 them were born ten children, three of 
 whom died in infancy, the others being: 
 George, Jacob, Frederick, Henry, Mich- 
 ael, David and Mary C. Of these, Fred- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 043 
 
 erick and Man' C. died some time ago, 
 while the remainder are yet living. The 
 father of our subject acquired a large 
 property in Scott township, owning at one 
 time 600 acres of land. He died June 3, 
 1872, and was buried in the Bradner 
 Cemetery. 
 
 Our subject's maternal grandfather, 
 Michael Wegstein, was born about 1779, 
 in Baden, Germany, where he was mar- 
 ried, and had a family of si.\ children. In 
 1832 he started for America, but on the 
 voyage his wife took sick, died, and was 
 buried in mid-ocean. Of his family only 
 two are now living. One son, Michael, 
 was captain of Company H, Seventy- 
 second Ohio Volunteers, and was killed at 
 the battle of Shiloh. 
 
 Mrs. Bowe, wife of our subject, was 
 born June 7, 1849, in Jackson township, 
 Sandusk}' Co., Ohio, where she lived 
 until her marriage. Her father, George 
 Fr}', a pioneer of Sandusky county, was 
 born in Westphalia, Kingdom of Prussia, 
 in 1798, came to America in 1835, and in 
 1843 was united in marriage with Miss 
 Mary Gust, who was born March 14, 
 1 82 1, and died in 1880. They had nine 
 children, five of whom are living. He 
 died November 26, 1890. He helped to 
 construct the Maumee pike, the famous 
 Ohio road. Mrs. Bowe's maternal grand- 
 father, Casper Gust, was born about 1790, 
 and his wife about 1799. They were the 
 parents of ten children. 
 
 JEPTHA L. OGDEN, one of the 
 most successful farmers and fruit 
 growers of Carroll township, Ot- 
 tawa county, was born in Morris 
 county, N. J., November 28, 1827, and 
 is one of a family of six children, only 
 two of whom now survive, our subject 
 and his sister Ruth, wife of Henry Jide. 
 Their parents, Jeptha and Rachel 
 (Munson) Ogden, were also natives of 
 New Jersey, the father born July 24, 
 1795, the mother on June 12, 1788. They 
 
 came across the mountains from New 
 Jersey with teams to Ottawa county, the 
 trip occupying a month, and reached Port 
 Clinton, May 25, 1838. After resting a 
 few days in that city they proceeded in a 
 scow by river to Carroll township, where 
 they located on the land now owned by 
 our subject. The farm was then a per- 
 fect wilderness, but they at once began 
 to clear and develop the land, which has 
 now been placed under a high state of 
 cultivation. In the log house which was 
 there erected the deaths of both parents 
 occurred, the mother dying February 23, 
 1874, the father on May 15, 1877. 
 
 The subject of this sketch passed his 
 boyhood and youth after the manner of 
 most farmers' sons, acquiring his educa- 
 tion in the old log schoolhouse of the 
 district, at an early age being trained to 
 those habits of industry and economy 
 which have proven the secret of his suc- 
 cess in life. In connection with general 
 farming he is also engaged in fruit grow- 
 ing, in which he is meeting with a well- 
 deserved success. In Ottawa count\-, on 
 November 28, 1852, Mr. Ogden was mar- 
 ried to Miss Margaret Cover, a daughter 
 of Adam and Elizabeth Cover, and they 
 became the parents of six children: Sa- 
 phroni, born September 26, 1853, now 
 the wife of John Meeker; Reuha,born Sep- 
 tember 18, 1855, was married February 
 II, 1874, to Charles Humphrey, and died 
 July 19, 1882; Philina, born February 8, 
 1857, now the wife of Daniel Day, of 
 Port Clinton, Ottawa county; Rachel E., 
 born April 14, 1862, now the wife of 
 Charles Humphrey; Jeptha William was 
 born September 29, 1864; Alice, born 
 April 6, 1 87 1, is the wife of Edward Jide; 
 and one child died in infancy. The 
 mother of this family died February 18. 
 1879, and F"ebruary 8, 1881, Mr. Ogden 
 was again married, this time to Mrs. 
 Mary Giger, widow of Henry Giger, and 
 sister of his first wife, and her death oc- 
 curred November 19, 1888. On Feb- 
 ruary 13, 1892, Mr. Ogden wedded Mrs. 
 
644 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Clemenza Almira (Mattock; Conn, widow 
 of Philip Conn. She was born in Coshoc- 
 ton county, Ohio, June 5, 1842, and is a 
 daughter of Isaac and Matilda Mattock, 
 the former of whom now makes his home 
 in Adams, Defiance Co., Ohio. By her 
 former marriage Mrs. Ogden became the 
 mother of five children: Emma, born 
 August I, icS63, died August 11, 1866; 
 Matilda, born December 11, 1865, mar- 
 ried January 8, 1 884, to William Schmaltz, 
 of Defiance county; Marj', born March 
 19. 1873, married April 28, 1889, to 
 William Tittle; Euphema, born April 22, 
 1 881; and Theodocia, born June 16, 1883. 
 In his political views Mr. Ogden is a 
 Democrat, and in religious faith the family 
 attend the services of the United 
 Brethren Church. From his early boy- 
 hood our subject's life has been spent in 
 Carroll township, and from a wilderness, 
 inhabited mostly by savages with only a 
 few white settlers, he has seen the coun- 
 try converted into finely-tilled land, 
 dotted with handsome residences, in 
 which work he has contributed his share, 
 and he enjoys and respect of all who 
 knew him. 
 
 F 
 
 1846, 
 
 REDERICK HOLTKAMP, who 
 is successfully engaged in farming 
 in Harris township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty, was born in Prussia, June 26, 
 a son of Frederick and Angeline 
 (Schope) Holtkamp, also natives of Prus- 
 sia. They were both born in 181 5, and 
 the father, now at the age of eight}' years, 
 a hale and hearty old man, is living with 
 our subject; they were the parents of 
 three children, Frederick being the only 
 survivor. The paternal grandfather, 
 who also bore the name of Frederick, was 
 born in Prussia, in 1775. He was a liter- 
 ary man, highly educated, and spent the 
 greater portion of his life in Germany. 
 His wife was born in Prussia in 1786, and 
 they were the parents of seven children. 
 The great -grandmother of Mr. Holtkamp 
 
 was born in Prussia, in 1755, but further 
 than this the ancestry of the family can 
 not be traced. 
 
 During the first fourteen years of his 
 life, Frederick Holtkamp, the subject 
 proper of this review, remained in the 
 land of his birth, and then accompanied 
 his parents on their emigration to the New 
 World, the family locating at Elmore, 
 Ohio, where the father purchased a tract 
 of land and began farming. Our subject 
 remained under the parental roof until he 
 had attained his majority, when he 
 started out to make his own way in the 
 world. As a helpmeet on life's journey 
 he chose Miss Mary Hubcr, of Monroe, 
 Mich., who was born in Hessen, Ger- 
 many, March 23, 1835, and is a daughter 
 of John and Agnes (Lisben) Huber, na- 
 tives of the same locality, the former 
 born November 11, 1805, and the latter 
 in 1806; of their eight children, four are 
 now living, all residents of the Buckeye 
 State. Her paternal grandmother, Helen 
 Pricker, was born in Hessen in 1778, and 
 her maternal grandmother, Maria Hof!- 
 spier, was born in 1773, while the great- 
 grandmother was born in 1749, nearly 
 one ccnturj' and a half ago. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Holtkamp began their 
 domestic life upon a farm near Elmore, 
 Ohio, where they lived for some years, 
 and then removed to the village of El- 
 more, which was their place of abode six 
 years, and where he was in the tailoring 
 business. In 1875 he purchased the farm 
 which he yet owns, and at once began to 
 clear and develop it, placing it under a 
 high state of cultivation. The e.xcellent 
 buildings which he has erected, the fences 
 always kept in good repair, the well-tilled 
 fields, and the fine orchard with its va- 
 riety of fruits, all indicate the care and 
 supervision of a painstaking owner. He 
 also devotes some time to stock-raising, 
 selling to local dealers, and has made this 
 a profitable part of his business. He and 
 his famih- are all members of the Meth- 
 odist Church of Elmore, and are people 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 645 
 
 whose well-spent lives have won them 
 the respect and confidence of all with 
 whom they have come in contact. In his 
 political views Mr. Holtkamp is a Re- 
 publican, but has never sought or desired 
 the honors or emoluments of public office. 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Holtkamp have been 
 born children as follows: (i) Mary, 
 the^ eldest, married O. O. Overmyer, a 
 wealthy farmer of Lindsey, Ohio. (2) 
 Angeline married A. Coleman, of Genoa, 
 Ohio, who lives on a farm which he 
 bought of Mr. Holtkamp. (3) Lizzie 
 married Rev. P. S. Ingersoll, of Nor- 
 walk, Ohio, who is at the present time in 
 Minnesota. (4) John H., who is a grad- 
 uate of the German Wollace, of Berea, 
 Ohio, is now minister at McKeesport, 
 Penn. (5) Henry C. , is an expert uphols- 
 terer in Toledo, Ohio. (6j Frank E. is a 
 printer, at the present time in Cairo, 111., 
 where he has an interest in the Cairo 
 Daily People. (7) Caroline is one of El- 
 more's noted dressmakers. (8) Daniel 
 Webster H., who is in his "teens" yet, 
 is still at home on the farm with his 
 father; during spare time he devotes him- 
 self at his desk writing; he is correspond- 
 ent for the Cleveland Press, which work 
 he likes and takes much interest in, and 
 some day expects, when old enough, to 
 follow; he is a bright and energetic joung 
 man, standing high in society; he is a 
 member of the Elmore Band, in which 
 he plays cornet; he and his little sister 
 Emma, who is but sixteen years old, 
 and a graduate of the Elmore High school, 
 play cornet solos. (9) Emma is a re- 
 markable musician, being especially a 
 very fine piano player. 
 
 HENRY DIERKER. Among the 
 worthy citizens that Germany has 
 furnished to Ohio, to become 
 prominent in her agricultural in- 
 terests, is the gentleman whose name 
 opens this review, and who was born in 
 
 Hanover, Germany, on the 8th of July, 
 1851. 
 
 The father of our subject died during 
 the early childhood of the latter, after 
 which the mother, whose maiden name 
 was Gertrude Buck, came to America. 
 In the family were eleven children, six of 
 whom are now living. Mrs. Dierker 
 spent her remaining days in Ohio, and her 
 death occurred in Wood county, March 
 24, 1879. Henry Dierker remained in 
 his native land until nine years of age, and 
 then came with his mother to America. 
 His first home in this country was in San- 
 dusky county, Ohio, and in 1863 he re- 
 moved to Wood county, where he spent 
 the succeeding ten years of his life, com- 
 ing to Ottawa county in 1S73, at which 
 time he located in Section 6, Harris town- 
 ship, where he has since made his home. 
 Mr. Dierker here cleared a farm, fenced 
 and tiled it, and has made all the improve- 
 ments that are found upon a model farm 
 of the 19th century. The land is highly 
 cultivated, and the neat and thrifty ap- 
 pearance of the place indicates the care- 
 ful supervision and systematic manage- 
 ment of the owner. He is also success- 
 fully engaged in stock raising, making a 
 specialty of cattle and hogs. 
 
 On April 6, 1873, Mr. Dierker mar- 
 ried Miss Mary Zilch, of Lorain county, 
 Ohio, where she was born January 28, 
 1854. In i860 her parents came to Har- 
 ris township, Ottawa county, and here she 
 was educated. Her father was born in 
 Hessen, Germany, February 18, 1809, 
 and came to America in 1851, his death 
 occurring in Harris township, Ottawa 
 county, in 1892. Her mother, who bore 
 the maiden name of Gertrude Schuch, 
 was born in Hessen, Germany, October 
 27, 1 8 16, and their marriage was cele- 
 brated in that country in 1838. By their 
 union was born a family of eight children, 
 only two of whom are now living — Mrs. 
 Dierker and Mrs. Konetzka. 
 
 Our subject and his wife are the par- 
 ents of nine children, namely: Henry, 
 
646 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 born January 21, 1874, died February 8, 
 1874; Anna, born February 8, 1875, died 
 March 2, 1875; Emma, born August 17, 
 1876, died August 10, 1888; Eliza, born 
 July 15, 1878; Mary, born December 9, 
 1880; Louisa, born July 4, 1883; Ger- 
 trude, born December 30, 1887; Freder- 
 ick, born December 5, 1890; and Clara, 
 born January 24, 1893. The family is 
 widely known in Ottawa county, and Mr. 
 and Mrs. Dierker have the warm regard 
 of many friends. 
 
 GEORGE E. POST. This promi- 
 nent and enterprising gentleman, 
 who is extensively engaged in the 
 manufacture of lumber, at Mar- 
 tin, Clay township, Ottawa county, was 
 born in Tvvinsburgh, Summit county, 
 Ohio, March 28, 1844, and was one of 
 seven children composing the family of 
 Eben and Maria (Davis) Post, the former 
 of whom was a native of Ohio, the latter 
 of Connecticut. 
 
 Zina Post, paternal grandfather of our 
 subject, was born about the j'ear 1775, 
 and was a pioneer of Hudson, Summit 
 county, Ohio, where he was engaged in 
 farming. His wife, Rena Post, was about 
 ten years younger than he, and survived 
 him several years. They had a family of 
 eight children of whom are living the fol- 
 lowing: Aurelia, married to Augustus 
 Foote, for many years connected with the 
 Second National Bank of Cleveland, Ohio; 
 Alvira, married to Chauncy Fowler, a 
 carriage trimmer at Hudson, Ohio; Ann, 
 married to Horace Chamberlin, a farmer, 
 also living at Northfield; Cynthia, wife of 
 Nelson Wate, a miner in California; Brad- 
 ford, who for several years was a farmer, 
 and is now a retired merchant. William, 
 one of the sons, lived on the old home- 
 stead, taking care of his parents to the 
 close of their lives. He bought up all 
 the shares in the property, and when he 
 died, about nine years ago, he was worth 
 some $30,cx)0. His death was caused by 
 
 blood poison, the result of a wound he 
 received in one of his fingers, a common 
 table-fork having struck it. 
 
 Eben Post, the father of our subject, 
 was born in 18 16, in Ohio, and was a 
 farmer in Twinsburgh township. Summit 
 county. He died in Hudson June 5, 
 1887, aged seventy-one years; his wife, 
 who survives him, is living on the old 
 homestead at Hudson. They were the 
 parents of seven children, as follows: 
 Lewis A., born June 20, 1842, at Twins- 
 burgh, Summit Co., Ohio, is now in the 
 cheese business in Andrew county, ^fo. 
 (he married Miss Mary Pease, and they 
 have had three children, of whom two 
 survive); George E. is our subject; Will- 
 iam, of Hudson, Ohio, married Cora 
 Morse, of the same place; Aurelia was 
 also born and educated in Hudson, and 
 married Lyman Laudenslager, a liveryman 
 of that place; the remaining children were 
 Clark, Zina and May, the latter of whom 
 died at the age of seventeen, in Hudson. 
 When a young man, Eben Post bought 
 an eighty-acre lot in Twinsburgh town- 
 ship. Summit county, a portion of which 
 he cleared, and getting it well cultivated, 
 and converted into pasture land, he com- 
 menced keeping a dairy, and making 
 cheese. Prospering in this, he bought 
 two more forty-acre lots, and in the spring 
 would go west to purchase cows for dairy 
 purposes, and then sell to the farmers, in 
 which line he continued year after year. 
 Later in the season he would buy cattle 
 for the Standard Packing House Co., at 
 Cleveland. He then bought a farm, near 
 Hudson, of 125 acres, to which he moved, 
 and afterward he would buy cows bv the 
 car-load, in Illinois, Indiana, W'isconsin 
 and Missouri, shipping them by rail in- 
 stead of driving them by road. 
 
 Georg E. Post, the subject proper of 
 these lines, remained at the place of his 
 birth until he was seventeen years old, 
 receiving all his education at the schools 
 of the neighborhood, with the exception 
 of two or three terms attendance at the 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 647 
 
 schools of Hudson, Summit county, 
 whither the family had removed in i860, 
 when our subject was sixteen years old. 
 His first work was as a farmer boy upon 
 his father's farm, and in 1866, when 
 twenty-two jears old he went south with 
 his uncle, Bradford Post, traveling 
 through Kentucky, Tennessee and Geor- 
 gia, the uncle buying a farm east of 
 Chattanooga. Our subject remained with 
 him all winter, selling a few lots of cheese 
 in Atlanta, Ga., then in the spring re- 
 turned home, remaining there until he 
 came to Clay township, and took up 
 work in a lumber mill at Martin, which 
 was then owned and operated by H. W. 
 Salisbury. He worked in this mill for 
 a year, learning all branches of the busi- 
 ness, and the following year bought a 
 half interest therein, the name and style 
 of the new firm being Salisbury & Post. 
 Being a man of good executive ability 
 and progressive ideas, Mr. Post soon suc- 
 ceeded in acquiring control of the busi- 
 ness, bought out the interest of his part- 
 ner, and for fourteen years has operated 
 it in his own name, building up an ex- 
 tensive trade and giving employment to a 
 large number of men. By his strictly 
 honest and enterprising business methods 
 he has made of it a financial success, 
 and to-day is the only lumber manufac- 
 turer in Martin, which heretofore has 
 continued several similar industries. Not 
 contented with his work at ^fartin, Mr. 
 Post has pushed his enterprises as far as 
 Cleveland, where he has purchased a 
 building lot in the southern portion of 
 that ^city, on which he is erecting, at a 
 cost of upwards of $3,000, a fine busi- 
 ness block, 20 X65 feet, which will be an 
 ornament to the city, and no doubt, will 
 prove a good investment. The building 
 and lot are valued at $5,000. 
 
 Mr. Post was married, at Kent, Ohio, 
 November 11, 1865, to Miss Frances 
 Brewster, who was born in 1844, daugh- 
 ter of John Brewster, a prominent farm- 
 er, of Stow township, Summit county, 
 
 41 
 
 and one child has come to this union, 
 Clarence, born July 2, 1875, at Martin. 
 He received his education in the public 
 schools of Martin, Ohio, also attending 
 for one term the high school at Hudson; 
 he is now in Hudson, Ohio, with his 
 uncle, in the livery business. Mrs. Post, 
 who was a devoted wife and mother, and 
 a woman of most estimable character, 
 passed away March 26, 1891, having 
 fallen a victim to that dread complaint, 
 Bright's disease, and her remains were 
 deposited in the cemetery at Hudson, 
 Ohio. Her memory will long be cher- 
 ished by her bereaved husband and son, 
 and the hosts of friends who have enjoyed 
 her hospitality and friendship. 
 
 Mr. Post is a man of genial disposi- 
 tion, a pleasant conversationalist, very 
 popular with and highly esteemed by his 
 fellow citizens. He is a Republican in 
 political views, and votes from principle, 
 being in no sense an office seeker, and is 
 interested in whatever tends to the de- 
 velopment or progress of the commun- 
 ity in which he lives. 
 
 JOHN L. WHEELER, a well-known 
 highly-respected resident of Oak 
 Harbor, is a native of Ottawa coun- 
 ty, Ohio, born in Salem township 
 August 22, 1857, a son of Charles and 
 Mary (Fought) Wheeler. 
 
 The father of our subject, a retired 
 agriculturist of Salem township, first saw 
 the light near Bridgeport, Conn. , April 27, 
 1827, being a son of John and Mary 
 (Wheeler) Wheeler, both natives of Con- 
 necticut and very early settlers of Ottawa 
 county, they having located near Elmore 
 in 1833, and they were highly-respected 
 residents of that township up to the time 
 of their decease. Mr. Wheeler's educa- 
 tional advantages were confined to those 
 afforded by the old logschoolhouse of half 
 a century ago, his early life being spent 
 in acquiring a thorough knowledge of the 
 many duties in connection with the farm. 
 
648 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 When a lad six years of age he came with 
 his parents to Ottawa county, and has 
 been a continuous resident thereof for 
 nearly fifty years, honored and respected 
 by the entire community as a man of 
 sound character and many other excellent 
 qualities. 
 
 Mr. Wheeler was married in Hessville, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, July 13, 1847, the 
 lady of his choice being a Miss Mary 
 Fought, daughter of George and Mary 
 Fought, early settlers of Sandusk\- county. 
 To this union were born seven children, 
 as follows: Samuel, Levi, John L. , Al- 
 bert, Laura E. (wife of George Fry), Mary 
 Melissa (wife of George Gordon) and 
 Harve\'. The mother passed to the home 
 beyond November 16, 1888. In 1864 
 Mr. Wheeler enlisted in Company I, 
 Fifty-fifth O. \'. I., and served until the 
 close of the war, being mustered out near 
 Cincinnati in June, 1865, shortly after- 
 ward returning to his home in Salem town- 
 ship. Our subject is one of the few old 
 pioneer settlers who have lived to see 
 what was at one time a vast, unbroken 
 wilderness transformed into thriving towns 
 and prosperous villages. In his political 
 preferences Mr. Wheeler is a stanch sup- 
 porter of the Republican party. 
 
 John L. Wheeler, the gentleman 
 whose name introduces this sketch, re- 
 ceived his preliminary education in the 
 public schools of his native township, on 
 leaving school served an apprenticeship 
 term to the trade of a plasterer, which vo- 
 cation he has followed throughout his en- 
 tire life, and his reputation as a workman 
 and as a citizen who has ever been found 
 willing to do all in his power to advance 
 any cause which has had for its culmina- 
 tion the welfare of his town and county, 
 is a most enviable one indeed. He was 
 united in marriage, August 22, 1892, with 
 Mrs. Angeline Alice (Young) Smith, widow 
 of Duncan Smith, whose death occurred 
 November 16, 1883, and a daughter of 
 George Young, of Carroll township, Ot- 
 tawa county. This union has not been 
 
 blessed by the birth of any children. Mrs. 
 Wheeler had three children by her former 
 marriage, viz.: George D., a prominent 
 photographer of Oak Harbor, born Octo- 
 ber 16, 1874; Alice M., born October 18, 
 1876, and Emma Jane, born January i, 
 1 88 1. The family enjoy the respect and 
 esteem of a large circle of friends. Mrs. 
 Wheeler has conducted a millinery bazaar 
 and fancy-goods business ever since her 
 first husband was drowned, some seven 
 years ago; in fact she raised her family in 
 business, and is one of Oak Harbor's 
 brightest and most industrious women. 
 
 George Young, an enterprising agri- 
 culturist, trapper and lumber manufac- 
 turer, of Carroll township, father of Mrs. 
 J. L. Wheeler, is a native of Center town- 
 ship, Berks Co., Penn., born November 
 30, 1 82-, a son of John and Susannah 
 (Keen) Young, natives of Pennsylvania, 
 of German ancestry. When a lad six 
 years of age Mr. Young came with his 
 parents to Stark county, Ohio, where he 
 received his primary education. When 
 twenty years of age he left the parental 
 abode and went to Harrison county, Ohio, 
 where he found employment at his trade, 
 that of a carpenter, remaining there about 
 six years. He then moved to Sandusky, 
 Erie county, where he remained until 
 1850, being employed in the car shops. 
 In 185 1 he embarked in the fishing in- 
 dustry at Port Clinton, Ottawa county, 
 and has since been a continuous resident 
 of that county, for the past twenty-five 
 years extensively engaged in the manu- 
 facture of lumber and also in the building 
 of bridges. He was united in marriage 
 April 28, 1846, with Miss Maria Jane 
 Zouvers, daughter of Solomon and Susan- 
 nah E. fHoy) Zouvers, born October 2, 
 1828. To this union have been born 
 nine children, their names and dates of 
 birth being as follows: John, May 15, 
 1847; Angeline Alice, January 6, 1850, 
 now the wife of John L. Wheeler, of Oak 
 Harbor; Susanna E., March 26, 1852, 
 wife of George Reid, of Oak Harbor; 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 G49 
 
 Marj' Jane, May 15, 1854, wife of Mor- 
 gan Sharpe; Catherine E., September 3, 
 1856, wife of Louis Daly, of Havana, 
 Huron county; Emma P., October 20, 
 1858, wife of Martin Smith, of Toledo; 
 Marian A., March 18, 1861, wife of H. 
 C. Mylander, of Oak Harbor; George D., 
 April 26. 1863; Robert Eugene, October 
 6, 1865. Mr. Young has been a member 
 of the board of directors of the Oak Har- 
 bor Infirmary for the past six years. 
 
 LYSAXDER CURTIS BALL. The 
 subject of this sketch was born in 
 Rockingham county, Vt., March 
 26, 1795. His father, Eusebius 
 Ball, a native of Massachusetts, served in 
 the war of 1812, and died in the State of 
 New York at about the age of si.xty years. 
 When eighteen years old, Lysander C. 
 Ball went to Trenton Falls, N. Y., where 
 he learned the trade of blacksmithing. 
 At twenty-three, he moved to Boston, 
 Mass., and soon after started westward 
 for Detroit, on foot, arriving at Lower 
 Sandusky, Ohio, in April, 18 18. He saw 
 but one house on the present site of 
 Cleveland when he came through there, 
 and on reaching the Sandusky river there 
 was no way of crossing it but in little In- 
 /dian bark canoes. At Fremont there 
 were but three or four log cabins, and 
 very little enterprise, yet he found em- 
 ployment with Thomas L. Hawkins, who 
 owned a good pair of o.xen, and Mr. Ball, 
 being very skillful in the management of 
 them, helped to build the first dam across 
 the Sandusky river, his compensation 
 for one month's labor being a pair of 
 shoes. 
 
 The roads westward through the old 
 "Black Swamp," as it was then called, 
 being perfectly impassable at the time, 
 Mr. Ball was persuaded to establish him- 
 self in business at Fremont, and like 
 many others with small means took 
 " Hobson's choice. " He placed his little 
 
 blacksmith shop on ground now occupied 
 by State street, between the Croghan 
 House Block and Buckland's corner. 
 
 Mr. Ball was married, Februarj- 23, 
 1823, to Miss Eveline Patterson, daugh- 
 ter of Reuben and Eunice TDanforth) 
 Patterson, and took up his residence in a 
 log cabin adjoining the back part of what 
 is now "Croghan House" lot. In this 
 cabin two children were bom to them, 
 the first dying in infancy. He afterward 
 built and for many years occupied a resi- 
 dence and shop on Front street, north of 
 the \Vheeling depot, which property was 
 in later years purchased by the Wheeling 
 & Lake Erie Railroad Company. In 
 1853 he moved thence to a farm north of 
 the city, but adjoining the corporation, 
 where he continued to reside until his 
 death, which occurred March 21, 1877, 
 when he was at the age of eighty-two 
 years. His residence was on high ground 
 overlooking a bend in the river from 
 which the scenery is delightful. Being a 
 lover of the beauties of natural scenery, 
 he employed his sound, well-balanced 
 mind and his industrious hands in work- 
 ing a magical change in his home sur- 
 roundings. 
 
 In the life and character of Mr. Ball, 
 the virtues of industry, temperance, 
 frugality, truth and integrity, order and 
 peace, were conspicuously displayed. A 
 model husband and father, a good and 
 generous neighbor, carried away by no 
 excitement, misled by no shams or false 
 appearances, loving his home and family 
 so that except on duty he was seldom 
 away from it, he led that peaceful and 
 complete life which entitles him to a last- 
 ing and honored remembrance. 
 
 Mrs. Eveline Ball was born February 
 15, 1800, in Onondaga county, N. Y. At 
 the age of sixteen she came with her par- 
 ents, in large moving wagons, to Ohio, 
 and in 181 8 they located at Lower San- 
 dusky, and spent the first winter in one 
 of the block houses of Fort Stephenson. 
 Mrs. Ball rthen Eveline Patterson} taught 
 
650 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 a small school in one of the block houses, 
 and one of her best and most capable 
 pupils was an Indian boy. Mrs. Ball was a 
 most excellent and highly-respected lady, 
 who, with her husband, embarked in mar- 
 ried life and bravely met their many trials 
 with womanly fortitude, until separated 
 by death. She passed away December 
 25, 1883. Their children were — (i) Eve- 
 line and (2j Alvira, the eldest of the family, 
 both unmarried, who reside on a part of 
 the old homestead, where they wish to 
 remain during their natural life. (3) 
 Thaddeus Ball, born November 9, 1830, 
 who was reared and educated in the best 
 schools and society the country afforded 
 in pioneer days. In i860 he married 
 Sarah E. Kelley, formerly of Fostoria. 
 His occupation was farming and fruit 
 growing, in which he took much pleasure, 
 until he became broken down in health. 
 He died November 2, 1886. Their chil- 
 dren were — Katie E. Ball, Thomas L. , 
 Frank I., Emma A., and Hattie, all of 
 whom now reside in Oregon. (4) Oscar 
 Ball, born April 4, 1833, rose from the 
 humble occupations of farm life to posi- 
 tions of honor and trust in his community. 
 In 1862 he became auditor of Sandusky 
 county, and held the office until the fall 
 of 1865, when he was appointed to fill an 
 unexpired term as treasurer. He is now 
 postmaster in McMurray. State of Wash- 
 ington. On October 11, 1858, he mar- 
 ried Miss Ella Amsden, of Fremont, and 
 their children are — Edward A., Jennie E., 
 Sarah D., and John R., all living at home. 
 (5) Sarah Uanforth Ball, born June 23, 
 1 836, was for a number of years a teacher in 
 the country and in the city schools. She 
 married. October 26, 1859, Stephen M. 
 Emerson, attorney at law, Ballville town- 
 ship, who died in Kansas, August 12, 
 1863. Mrs. Emerson passed away in 
 Fremont, April 7, 1886. They had a 
 son who died in infancy, and a daughter, 
 Jessie Eunice Emerson, whose home is at 
 Green Spring Sanitarium, Ohio. (6) Ly- 
 sander Curtis Ball, Jr., was born in Lower 
 
 Sandusky, December 3, 1839. He lived 
 on the farm with his father and family 
 until the fall of 1862, when he spent some 
 time in Kentucky, having, in company 
 with many other citizens of Fremont, re- 
 sponded to the call for troops to defend 
 his native State from invasion. On Oc- 
 tober 20. 1863, he enlisted in the navy of 
 the United States, as master's mate, to 
 perform duty in the Mississippi squadron. 
 He was in several engagements along the 
 Mississippi river and on the Yazoo, and 
 in the one which occurred April 22, 1864, 
 our vessel, the "Petrel," was captured 
 and destroyed by the Confederates. Mr. 
 Ball was then ordered to the ram "Vindi- 
 cator " for duty, where he served until 
 March 16, 1865, when he was promoted 
 to acting ensign, and sent to the U. S. 
 steamer "Juliet" for duty, where he re- 
 mained until the close of hostilities. He 
 reached home July 12, 1865, and was 
 honorably discharged November i, 1865. 
 In the same year he married Miss Hannah 
 Morrison, and is now living on a farm in 
 North Dakota. Their children were — 
 Eva, Charles, Alma and Ball. In 1893, 
 the eldest, a most lovable daughter, was 
 taken from them by death. A son and a 
 daughter are now clerking in a dry-goods 
 store in Jamestown, North Dakota. 
 
 REUBEN PATTERSON. The early 
 settlement of Sandusky township, 
 Sandusky county, was not so rapid 
 as that of the eastern part of the 
 county, because the land was more low 
 and wet, the timber more dense, and the 
 air more full of malaria, which caused 
 fever and ague. Such was the condition 
 of the country when Reuben Patterson 
 and his wife, Eunice (Danforth) Patterson, 
 and family, in the fall of 18 16, came in 
 wagons from the State of New York to 
 the wilds of Ohio. They located first at 
 Huron, in Erie county, which was then 
 the stopping place of many western immi- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 651 
 
 grants. The following spring they re- 
 moved to the Peninsula, in Ottawa county, 
 but here sickness so afflicted them that 
 their new home with improvements had 
 to be abandoned. In the spring of 1818 
 the}' moved to Lower Sandusky, and 
 found temporary shelter in a small log 
 house in the old fort, which had been 
 used during the war of 18 12-13 by U. S. 
 military officers. Comforts and conven- 
 iences were out of the question, and the 
 floor of the house was made of clay. 
 There was but one bedstead, in a corner, 
 and during the day all the clothing was 
 piled upon it. At night the beds for eight 
 persons were made mostly on the bare 
 ground. One gate of the fort served as a 
 part of the floor. Mr. Patterson and his 
 sons during the winter cleared a piece of 
 land on the west side of the river, and in 
 the spring of 18 19 the family moved into 
 the log cabin they had constructed on 
 this place, which is known as the Whit- 
 taker Reserve, in Sandusky township. In 
 the meantime his eldest daughter, Eve- 
 line, taught school in one of the block 
 houses of the fort, having some Indian as 
 well as white children under her care. 
 
 About the year 1821-22 Mrs. Eunice 
 Patterson, being well provided with pur- 
 chase mone)', mounted her horse and, in 
 company with Lysander C. Ball and 
 James Whittaker, traveled through the 
 wilderness, one hundred miles, to attend 
 the government sales of public lands at 
 Delaware, Ohio. She there bought the 
 tract which became their homestead, and 
 it has for many years been known as the 
 Patterson Farm, on the east side of the 
 Sandusky river, just north of Fremont. 
 The incidents of this heioic trip were 
 often related by her to her grandchildren. 
 She was remarkably determined and cour- 
 ageous in business matters, but kind and 
 generous to a fault in her home. 
 
 The children of Reuben and Eunice 
 Patterson were: (i) Sear Patterson, who 
 retained his residence in the State of New 
 York. (2) Alvord Patterson, who married 
 
 Miss Julia Webb, in New York State, and 
 subsequently came to Lower Sandusky, 
 where he died; their children were — Eve- 
 line Patterson, who married John Shan- 
 non, and died at Fremont in 1893; Will- 
 iam Patterson, now married and living in 
 South Dakota; Fanny Patterson, who 
 married, lived and died in Iowa; Cordelia 
 Patterson, who died in childhood at Lower 
 Sandusky. (3) Eveline Patterson, mar- 
 ried to Lysander C. Ball, whose sketch 
 appears above. (4) Danforth Patterson, 
 who married Miss Sarah Perry, and for a 
 number of years lived on the Patterson 
 farm, where each passed away, leaving 
 no children. (5) Harriet Patterson, mar- 
 ried to James Moore, whose sketch is 
 given elsewhere. (6) Julius Patterson, 
 married to Miss Margaret Leary, by 
 whom he had eight sons and two daugh- 
 ters^ — Robert C, Danforth, Rodolphus 
 D., Sardis B., John P., Rawson, Oscar, 
 Charles M., Sarah and Juliette. Julius 
 Patterson was for many years a successful 
 farmer, also a contractor on public works. 
 He led an honest and temperate life. He 
 was born May 17, 1S08, and died at his 
 residence in Fremont May 23, 1887. (7) 
 Caroline Patterson died at the age of 
 twelve years from the effects of a fall on 
 the ice in the river, which she crossed in 
 attending school. The death of Reuben 
 Patterson occurred June i, 1840, at 
 Lower Sandusky, and that of his wife, 
 Eunice Patterson, December 17, 1839, 
 the latter at the age of sixty-five years. 
 
 Mrs. Eunice Patterson was a daughter 
 of Gen. Asa Danforth, who was born 
 July 6, 1746, at W'orcester, Mass.; he 
 entered military life at fourteen years of 
 age, served in the war of the Revolution, 
 was at the battle of Lexington, and dis- 
 tinguished himself by many brave and 
 patriotic achievements. He was one of 
 the first to begin the manufacture of salt 
 at Onondaga, N. Y. He died September 
 2. 18 1 8, at the age of seventy-three. The 
 stories of his eventful life are stranger 
 than fiction. 
 
652 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 JOHN W. WORST. Prominent among 
 Sandusky county boys, who, by 
 their own exertions under difficulties, 
 worked their way up from the com- 
 parative obscurity of Hfe on a farm to 
 that of holding responsible offices at the 
 county seat for several successive terms, 
 and retired from the same with a clean 
 record and the good will of their fellow 
 citizens, is the subject of this sketch. 
 
 John W. Worst, attorney at law, of 
 the firm of Meek, Dudrow & Worst, Fre- 
 mont, Ohio, was born in Ballville town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio, September 3, 
 1847, a son of Jacob and Hannah (Parks) 
 Worst. Jacob Worst was a native of the 
 Keystone State, and when a young man 
 in pioneer days, came to Lower San- 
 dusky. He grew up on a farm and 
 learned the trade of shoemaker, at which 
 he worked for some time in Lower San- 
 dusky. In 1845-46 he served as a sol- 
 dier of the Mexican war, under Gen. 
 Zachary Tajlor. He located on a farm 
 in Ballville township. In November, 
 1861, he enlisted in Company B, Seventy- 
 second Regiment, O. V. I., for three 
 years or during the war, and served un- 
 der Gen. U. S. Grant, in the Western 
 Department. He was killed at the battle 
 of Shiloh, or Pittsburg Landing, on Sun- 
 day morning April 6, 1862. His widow 
 is still living on the family homestead. 
 
 Our subject was one of a family of 
 nine children, and fifth in the order of 
 birth. He was reared on a farm, ed- 
 ucated in the public schools, and grad- 
 uated from the Fremont High School 
 with the class of 1872, having worked 
 his way chiefiy by teaching country schools 
 for twelve successive terms. He had also 
 during this time read law as he had op- 
 portunity. Having finished his course of 
 study, he ne.\t served as superintendent 
 of the schools at Green Spring, Seneca 
 county, two years, and at Elmore, Ot- 
 tawa county, eight years. From 1882 
 to 1 88 5, Mr. Worst served as school ex- 
 aminer of Sandusky county, and in the 
 
 fall of 1887 was elected county clerk, 
 which office he held six years. Unlike 
 man\' other teachers, he did not confine 
 his mind solely to school matters, but 
 during these years became interested 
 financially in the timber and lumber bus- 
 iness in Paulding county, Ohio, where he 
 has for a number of years been engaged 
 in the manufacture of stave heading and 
 lumber. He has, more recently, in con- 
 nection with other parties, opened up an 
 extensive lumber interest in Missouri. 
 Having had a good opportunity, during 
 his service as Clerk of Courts, to observe 
 the practice of law, he continued to read 
 on that subject, under the tuition of B. 
 R. Dudrow, and was admitted to the bar 
 at Columbus, Ohio, on December 6, 1894. 
 Mr. Worst is a member of the Sons 
 of Veterans, and of McPherson Post, No. 
 367, I. O. O. F. and Encampment, and 
 has passed all the chairs in each. In 
 1872, he married Miss Calista S. Long, 
 daughter of Rev. M. Long, an early 
 pioneer of Sandusky county, and an 
 United Brethren divine for more than 
 fifty years, whose death occurred Novem- 
 ber 18, 1 89 1. To our subject and wife 
 were born three children: M. Le Clare, 
 Cleo G. and Vonnieda Grey. 
 
 BF. JACKSON, editor of the Clyde 
 lintcrf^risc. Ch'de, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, was born June 17, 1861, in 
 Chester county, Penn. After se- 
 curing the rudiments of a good education 
 in the common schools of the county, he 
 learned the printer's art in Downingtown, 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 In 1 88 1 he came to Clyde, and began 
 the stud)- of law, teaching school during 
 the winters in order to pay expenses. In 
 1884 he bought a half-interest in the En- 
 terprise, which was then in bad financial 
 condition. A year later he became sole 
 proprietor, and began a series of improve- 
 ments and a systematic pushing of the 
 business that soon placed the paper on a 
 
COMMSMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 658 
 
 paying basis, so that it is now a most 
 valuable property and an influential fam- 
 ily journal. Meantime Mr. Jackson found 
 time to pmsue his legal studies, and in 
 1894 was admitted to the bar by the Su- 
 preme Court of Ohio. He does not prac- 
 tice law, however, but devotes all his en- 
 ergies to his newspaper business. 
 
 Mr. Jackson was married November 
 20, 1884, to Miss Margaret Taylor, and 
 they have two sons — Howard H., born 
 December 7, 1885, and Arthur Taylor, 
 born May 31, 1894. 
 
 CASPER H. MEILANDER, one of 
 the most progressive and prosper- 
 ous farmers of Ottawa county, 
 was born in Prussia, Germany, 
 and is a son of William and Anna Louisa 
 (Speakamon) Meilander, both of whom 
 were also natives of Prussia. In Novem- 
 ber, 1854, they emigrated with theirfam- 
 ily to America, locating in Pemberville, 
 Wood Co., Ohio, where the mother passed 
 away in September, 1S55. The father 
 afterward removed to Salem township, 
 Ottawa county, where he resided until 
 his death, which occurred January 16, 
 1887. In the family were seven children, 
 five of whom are living at the time of this 
 writing (summer of 1895), namely: Henry, 
 residing in Bedford, Cuyahoga county, 
 Ohio; Casper H., the subject of this 
 sketch; Mary, wife of Martin Seberlin, a 
 resident of Cleveland; Louisa, wife of Dr. 
 L. Schimansky, a ph3sician of Oak Har- 
 bor; and Ann, wife of Frederick Hage- 
 myer, whose home is in Pemberville, 
 Ohio. 
 
 The subject proper of this record ob- 
 tained his education and was reared to 
 manhood in the land of his birth, and in 
 April, 1854, left his home in Germany for 
 the United States. His first location was 
 in Cleveland, Ohio, but after a few 
 months he removed to Pemberville, Wood 
 county, where he made his home for a 
 year, and then, returning to Cleveland, 
 
 was a resident of that city until 1861. 
 On April 16 he located in Salem town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, where for the past 
 thirty-four years he has been one of the 
 most honored and respected citizens. He 
 devotes his time and energies to agricul- 
 tural pursuits, and his good management 
 and business ability have brought to him 
 success. 
 
 Mr. Meilander was married in Cleve- 
 land, April 16, 1861, to Flora Brinkmyer, 
 who was born in Prussia, Germany, Sep- 
 tember 4, 1836, daughter of Herman and 
 Margaret (Grotthouse) Brinkmyer, and 
 their family numbered seven children: 
 William, born in January, 1862, died 
 June 3, 1S76; Henry Otto, born February 
 27, 1864, is doing business in Oak Har- 
 bor as one of the firm of Meilander & 
 Williamson, blacksmiths and wagon mak- 
 ers; Louis F. , born January 20, 1866, 
 aids in the operation of the home farm; 
 Clara, born May 7, 1868; Mary, born 
 January 31, 1 87 1 , is the wife of John Han- 
 son, a resident of Clay Center, Ohio; 
 Flora, born February 27, 1873, is the 
 wife of Henry Longanbach, and they re- 
 side near Fremont, Sandusky Co., Ohio; 
 and Louisa, born September 12, 1875, 
 is the wife of George Glaser, of Carroll 
 township, Ottawa county. 
 
 Mr. Meilander has served as township 
 trustee for three years, and was treasurer 
 for twenty years. What higher testi- 
 monial could be given of his faithful serv- 
 ice than his long continuance in office .'' 
 His public and private life arealike above 
 reproach, and his example is well worthy 
 of emulation. In political views he is a 
 Democrat, and the family attend the Lu- 
 theran Church. 
 
 GABRIEL DUBRIE. a prominent 
 and progressive farmer of Carroll 
 township, Ottawa county, was 
 born in Lucas county, Ohio, Sep- 
 tember 4, 1846, and is a son of Gabriel 
 
654 
 
 COMMEMORATIYE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and Cleophe (Page) Dubrie, the former 
 of French ancestry, the latter of German. 
 
 Our subject's mother died when he 
 was but two years old, and he was only 
 four when his father also departed this 
 life, after which he was adopted by Jan- 
 uary Valiquette, of Carroll township, by 
 whom he was reared to manhood. In 
 the district schools of the neij^hborhood 
 he acquired his education, and at a very 
 early age began to assist in the labors of 
 the fields. With the Valiquette family 
 he remained until he had reached the age 
 of seventeen years, and on February 26, 
 1864, he enlisted in Company I, Forty- 
 first O. V. I. For two years he remained 
 in the service of his country, during 
 which time he participated in numerous 
 important engagements. At the close of 
 the war he was mustered out and dis- 
 charged at Columbus, Ohio, in 1865, and 
 returned to Carroll township, where he 
 has since made his home. 
 
 On November 15, 1870, in Fremont, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, Mr. Dubrie was 
 united in marriage with Mary Jane Sono- 
 crant, who was born in Lucas county, 
 Ohio, August 20, 1 849, a daughter of 
 John and Matilda Sonocrant. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Dubrie have three children: Gabri- 
 ella J., born August 16, 187 1, now the 
 wife of Daniel O'Hearn, of Sandusky 
 City, Erie county; and Lester J., born 
 June 4, 1876, and Stanley R., born Octo- 
 ber 2, 1877, still at home. At the time 
 of his parents' death, Mr. Dubrie had a 
 baby sister, but since then he has heard 
 nothing of her. 
 
 Both our subject and his worthy wife 
 were reared in the faith of the Roman 
 Catholic Church, and in his political 
 views Mr. Dubrie is a stanch I^epublican, 
 always advocating the men and measures 
 of that party. He may truly be said to be 
 a representative self-made man, being 
 left an orphan almost in infancy, he has 
 from a small beginning, by dint of inde- 
 fatigable energy, coupled with sound judg- 
 ment and good management, attained a 
 
 comfortable competence. He is now the 
 possessor of a fine farm, well equipped with 
 commodious buildings, and is a thorough- 
 ly practical as well as theoretical agricul- 
 turist, one who has proven himself as 
 capable as he is popular. 
 
 DAVID GILLARD. M. D. This 
 well-known physician and surgeon 
 of Port Clinton, Ottawa county, 
 was born at Venice, Erie Co. , 
 Ohio, July 30, 1852, and is the son of John 
 and Margaret (Hynes) Gillard. His mother 
 died when he was thirteen years old, after 
 which he went to live with his brother. 
 Dr. Edwin Gillard. He attended the 
 public schools in Sandusky for one year 
 (1866), and then entered Oberlin College. 
 After leaving college he took a course of 
 reading in medicine with his brother, 
 which he supplemented with a course in 
 Hahnemann Medical College at Cleve- 
 land. 
 
 Dr. Gillard began the practice of 
 medicine in Port Clinton on March 6, 
 1878, which he has carried on very suc- 
 cessfully ever since. He is widely and 
 favorably known throughout this section 
 of the country, and has gained the con- 
 fidence of the people, both by his un- 
 doubted skill in all branches of his pro- 
 fession and by his integrity of character. 
 He has a very extensive and constantly 
 increasing practice, often more than he 
 can attend to, and, while being a general 
 practitioner, he has made a specialty of 
 surgery, in which also he has been re- 
 markably successful. He has held the 
 position of surgeon for the L. S. &. M. S. 
 Railway Company since 1S90, and is 
 major surgeon of the Fourth Ohio Regi- 
 ment, Patriarchs Militant. He is also a 
 member of the encampment and canton 
 of the I. O. O. F. ; of the Maccabees and 
 of the Knights of Honor. He was brought 
 up in the faith of the Episcopal Church, 
 but is not exclusive in his views on relig- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 655 
 
 ious subjects. In politics he is a Re- 
 publican. 
 
 Mrs. Clara H. Gillard, M. D., wife of 
 Dr. David Gillard, was born April 4, 
 1862. in Bay township, and is a daughter 
 of Edward and Mary (Lattimore) Hyde. 
 Her father is a retired farmer, living, with 
 his wife, at Port Clinton, Ottawa county. 
 Their children are: John, Elizabeth, 
 Alice, Olive and Clara. John married 
 Lucy Park, and is a farmer in Bay town- 
 ship, Ottawa county (they have six chil- 
 dren); Elizabeth is the wife of Roswell 
 Robinson, and lives in Port Clinton; Alice 
 married David McRitchie, who is in the 
 meat business at Port Clinton, and has one 
 child; Olive is the wife of Charles Freer, a 
 fish dealer, and lives in Port Clinton. 
 
 Mrs. Gillard grew to womanhood in 
 Port Clinton, Ottawa county, attended 
 the public schools in that place until 
 1S79, and taught school one year in Bay 
 township. After her marriage to Dr. Gil- 
 lard, November 22, 1881, she became in- 
 terested in the study of medicine, and, 
 after completing a course of reading with 
 her husband, went to Chicago, where she 
 became a student in the Hahnemann 
 Medical Cellege, from which she grad- 
 uated in 1889. Returning to Port Clin- 
 ton, she opened an office in connection 
 with her husband, and has been practic- 
 ing ever since. She has a large clientele, 
 and is very popular with all classes. She 
 is an enthusiast in the Hahnemann meth- 
 ods of treatment, and has been unusually 
 successful therein. Mrs. Gillard is a lady 
 of culture and refinement, always inter- 
 ested in whatever tends to the advance- 
 ment of her se.x and the general good of 
 the (Hiblic. She takes an active part in 
 the studies of the Chautauqua Circle, of 
 Port Clinton, from which she was grad- 
 uated at Lakeside, August 21, 1895, and 
 is a valuable member of that organization. 
 She served one year as president of the 
 Ladies' Literary and Social Club, and 
 this year is corresponding secretary of the 
 same. 
 
 A sketch of the parental family of Dr. 
 Gillard may not be out of place in the 
 biographical record, and is herewith given. 
 John Gillard, the father of our subject, 
 was born October 30, 18 14, at London- 
 derry, Ireland, and was of Scotch and 
 Irish descent. His father, whose name was 
 Richard, was a native of County Donegal, 
 Ireland. His people went from Scotland 
 to Ireland, and were linen dealers. He 
 learned the trade of a flax dresser, and 
 subsequentlj' owned mills of his own and 
 prepared flax for the market. He also 
 carried on the business of a commission 
 merchant, dealing in yarn in the city of 
 Londonderry, Ireland. He afterward 
 went to Scotland, settling in the vicinity of 
 Glasgow, near the same mill to which he 
 had formerly shipped yarn. He lived to 
 an advanced age. Nothing further is 
 known of this branch of the family as 
 the father of Dr. Gillard came to this 
 country before his parents removed to 
 Scotland. The Gillard family were mem- 
 bers of the Scotch Presbyterian Church, 
 until some trouble arose between our sub- 
 ject's father and the minister, after which 
 he united with the Episcopal Church. 
 
 John Gillard, the father of our sub- 
 ject, grew to manhood about a mile and 
 a half from Londonderry, Ireland. He 
 attended a subscription school until four- 
 teen or fifteen years of age, working 
 meanwhile upon his father's farm, and 
 learned the trade of wagon maker. Af- 
 terward he went to Londonderry and 
 entered the service of a gentleman, as 
 coachman; he had the reputation of being 
 the best coachman in the city, and re- 
 ceived the munificent sum of four dollars 
 a week and his board, which was consid- 
 ered good wages in those days. In the 
 employ of this man he remained for some 
 four or five years, and then having deter- 
 mined to try what the New World held in 
 store for him, set sail on May i, 1833. for 
 America. It was a comparatively seri- 
 ous matter to make a voyage across the At- 
 lantic in those days, as steam had not come 
 
CoG 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 into general use for traveling purposes and 
 the sailing vessels were very slow. He 
 was just two months making the voyage, 
 which was rendered not only more tedious, 
 but even dangerous, by the breaking out 
 of typhus fever, from which fifteen pas- 
 sengers died. They were quarantined for 
 two weeks at Quebec, Canada, whore they 
 landed. Mr. Gillard at first worked in a 
 livery stable in Quebec, then went into 
 the country two and a half miles from 
 the city, entering the employ of a Mr. 
 Hunt, with whom he remained four years. 
 He was married to Miss Margaret Hynes, 
 a daughter of John Hynes. She was born 
 in County Antrim, Ireland, in 1821, and 
 died December i, 1864, at Venice, Ohio. 
 After his marriage Mr. Gillard, with his 
 wife, went to Buffalo, N. Y. , where he 
 worked for a short time in a quarry for 
 the government, which was then building 
 the Erie canal. Leaving Buffalo he came 
 to Venice, Erie Co., Ohio, and for a 
 while worked on a farm. He then be- 
 gan hauling flour and carrying the mail 
 between \'enice and Sandusky, which oc- 
 cupation he followed some eleven years. 
 At the expiration of that time he went 
 into partnership with Mr. Haywood, for 
 whom he had formerly worked, in the 
 sheep business, at which they made a 
 great success, owning at one time about 
 five thousand sheep. This occupation he 
 followed for five years, but the price of 
 wool fell, under a Democratic adminis- 
 tration, and he disposed of his sheep, 
 selling them at a low price. He then 
 bought a farm near Venice, and carried 
 on farming until 1874. In the meantime, 
 his wife having died, Mr. Gillard was mar- 
 ried, the second time, September 18, 
 1866, to Miss Ida Matt, who was born in 
 Baden, Germany, March 30, 1846. By 
 his first marriage he had seven children, 
 as follows: William, who was born July 
 3, 1840, enlisted in 1861 in the One 
 Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio In- 
 fantry, and was made corporal of his 
 company (he was killed at the battle of 
 
 Winchester, Va. , in June, 1863); James 
 was born May 17, 1843; Edwin, June 20, 
 1 845 ; Samuel. December 1 1 . 1 847 ; David, 
 July 30, 1852; Louisa, January 28, 1859; 
 and Martha, April 1 1, 1862. By his sec- 
 ond marriage Mr. Gillard had six chil- 
 dren: Mary W., born September 5, 1867, 
 wife of Duglass Borden; John W., Sep- 
 tember 28, 1870; Belle O., .August 8, 
 1872; Stella A., January 16, 1876; R. H., 
 January 9, 1879; and Ann L. , January 5, 
 1 88 1. John Gillard was a Whig in the 
 olden times, and remembers helping to 
 build a log-cabin for a demonstration dur- 
 ing the log-cabin and hard cider cam- 
 paign, and also remembers shaking hands 
 with President ^^'illiam Henry Harrison 
 in Sandusky, Ohio. After the formation 
 of the Republican party he joined its 
 ranks, and has always been an ardent 
 advocate of its principles. He hauled the 
 first engine used on the old Mad River 
 railway at Sandusky, when it was carried 
 from the boat on the lake to the main 
 train on the track. In addition to his 
 other occupations Mr. Gillard for many 
 years practiced as a veterinary surgeon, 
 in which he was very successful. He is 
 postmaster at Rocky Ridge, having served 
 under Harrison's administration, and so 
 far under that of Cleveland. .Mthough 
 arrived at a good old age, Mr. Gillard is 
 hale and hearty, with a clear head, has 
 never used tobacco, and is strictly tem- 
 perate. He once suffered an attack of 
 Asiatic cholera, which was the worst ill- 
 ness he ever had. He has the respect 
 and esteem of the entire community, and 
 in peace and prosperitj' is passing the 
 closing days of a well-spent life. 
 
 FREDRICK JORDAN. Among 
 the progressive farmers of Salem 
 township, Ottawa county, none 
 are more deserving of representa- 
 tion in this volume than the gentleman 
 whose name begins this sketch. He is 
 one of the worthy citizens that Germany 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 057 
 
 has furnished to Ohio, his birth having 
 occurred February lo, 1845, in Baden. 
 His parents, Christopher and Barbara 
 Katherine (Walterj Jordan, were also na- 
 tives of the same country, and when 
 their son Fredrick was a \'ear old came 
 to America. 
 
 Our subject obtained his education in 
 the district schools of Erie county, Ohio, 
 and since his youth has been engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits. In 186 1 he accom- 
 panied his jKirents on their removal to 
 Ottawa county, the family locating in 
 Salem township, where he has since 
 made his home. To-day he ranks among 
 the most popular and progressive farmers 
 of his time, taking an active part in all 
 matters tending to the advancement of 
 the township and county. On April 27, 
 1S70, in Salem township, Mr. Jordan was 
 united in marriage with Miss Rachel 
 Lapp, daughter of Henry and Doratha 
 (Draves) Lapp, who were both natives of 
 Mecklenburg, Germany, the former born 
 August 18, 1824, and the latter August 
 20, 1823. Mr. Lapp is still living, but 
 his wife departed this life November 9, 
 1893, in Oak Harbor. They emigrated 
 to the United States in 1852, and located 
 in Sandusky, Erie Co., Ohio, where the 
 father engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
 After a two-years' residence there they 
 removed to Salem township, Ottawa 
 county, locating about a mile south of 
 Oak I-Iarbor, where they made their home 
 until 1883, when Mr. Lapp abandoned 
 farm life. He has since lived retired in Oak 
 Harbor, and is one of the most highly- 
 esteemed residents of that town. The 
 family numbered four daughters, but only 
 two are now living — Rachel, who was 
 born in Mecklenburg, Germany, and is 
 the wife of Fredrick Jordan; and Amanda, 
 who was born April 21, 1S54, and is the 
 wife of Frederick Beck, a resident of 
 Salem township, Ottawa county. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Jordan have an inter- 
 esting family of seven children, all of 
 whom are living, namely: Charles H., 
 
 born April 26, 1872, who is now studying 
 dentistry in Chicago; Julia A., born Sep- 
 tember 10, 1874, who is now the wife of 
 Carl W. Sperling, of Oak Harbor, their 
 wedding having been celebrated Septem- 
 ber 4, 1894; Fredrick P., born September 
 23, 1876; Emma Magdelena, born Oc- 
 tober 6, 1878; Albert F'ranklin, born Oc- 
 tober 28. 1880; Odessa Regina, born 
 November 21, 1882; and Paul Grover, 
 born November 5, 1884. Mr. Jordan is 
 a member of the Ivnights of the Macca- 
 bees, and with his family attends the 
 Lutheran Church. In his political views 
 he is a Democrat, but has neither time 
 nor inclination for public office. His life 
 work has been that of a practical farmer, 
 and he is one who has found pleasure in 
 the performance of his duties and in lead- 
 ing an upright, honest life. He holds to 
 the theory that whatever is worth doing 
 at all is worth doing well, and his aim has 
 been to put this principle into effect. As 
 a result success, not only in material 
 things, but in the higher walks of life as 
 well, has crowned his efforts. 
 
 The Jordans have long been promin- 
 ently connected with the history of Ottawa 
 county, and this work would be incom- 
 plete without further mention of the 
 parents of our subject, Christopher and 
 Barbara K. Jordan, both of whom were 
 natives of Baden, Germany, the former 
 born July 6, 1809. They emigrated to 
 America in 1846, locating first in Craw- 
 ford county, Ohio, where they resided one 
 year, removing thence to Margaretta town- 
 ship. Erie county, where they resided 
 fourteen years. In 1861 they came to 
 Ottawa county, locating on the farm which 
 is now the home of their son Fredrick, 
 and until 1870 Christopher Jordan was 
 actively engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
 He has since lived a retired life, making 
 his home with his son Fredrick, who man- 
 ages the farm. His is now in his eighty- 
 sixth year and is the oldest living resident 
 of the township, if not of Ottawa county. 
 He has retained his mental and physical 
 
658 
 
 COyrMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 vigor to a remarkable degree, but during 
 the past few months has been suffering 
 from cancer of the throat. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Jordan had a family of 
 seven children — Jacob, who was born 
 April 3, 1843, and is living in Astoria, 
 Oregon; Fredrick, mentioned above; 
 Christopher, who died in infancy; Kath- 
 erine, wife of Albert Bichalmyer, of Cleve- 
 land, Ohio; Magdelene, who was born 
 December 18, 1848, became the wife of 
 Frank Stang, and died in Denver, Colo. ; 
 Caroline, born May 3, 1852, died July 6, 
 1894; and Peter, born April 5, 1859. who 
 is now living in Astoria, Oregon. The 
 father of this family served as trustee of 
 the township for one term, but was never 
 a politician in the sense of office-seeking. 
 For thirty-five years be has been a con- 
 stant resident of Salem township, and 
 those who know him best know how much 
 his strong arm and tireless industry have 
 done, toward the removal of the primitive 
 forest and the development of the ma- 
 terial prosperity of this section of the 
 county. But never in his devotion to 
 material things has he forgotten the higher 
 duties of life, for whatever tends to pro- 
 mote moral or intellectual culture and 
 social reform has found in him a read}' 
 helper. He is always to be found on the 
 side of whatever is true and honest, what- 
 ever is just and pure. He is one to whom 
 the hand of deserving charity never ap- 
 pealed in vain. Whatever tends to ele- 
 vate humanity in the social, moral or 
 educational scale receives his support. 
 He has been a devoted husband and 
 father, attentive to all home duties, and 
 as a friend and neighbor has always been 
 held in high esteem. 
 
 WILLIAM KING. This promi- 
 nent agriculturist, who is closely 
 identified with the interests of 
 Allen township, Ottawa county, 
 of which he has been a resident for the 
 past twenty-eight years, is a native of 
 
 New York, having been born in Niagara 
 county, that State, January 11, 1837. 
 His parents were Sherman and Rebecca 
 (Benedict^ King, the former a native of 
 Connecticut, and the latter of Massachu- 
 setts, of English descent. 
 
 Mr. King was brought up on a farm 
 in the State of his birth, receiving his 
 education in the district Schools. In 
 1856 he came to Ohio, and locating near 
 Fremont was for some time employed by 
 Mr. Samuel King, a farmer of Sandusky 
 county. For ten years he remained in 
 that count}', engaged in farm work, and 
 in 1867 came to Clay township, Ottawa 
 county, settling in that part which has 
 since been set off and named Allen town- 
 ship. Here he has continuously carried 
 on agricultural pursuits, and has done 
 much toward the improvement and up- 
 building of his community. Mr. King 
 was married January 11, 1858, to Mary, 
 daughter of George and Sarah (Lones) 
 Roberts, both of whom were natives of 
 Perry county, Ohio, and of German an- 
 cestry. The father was born March 22, 
 1807, and passed away July 7, 1880; the 
 mother was born February i, 18 10, near 
 Rushville, Perry county, and died at her 
 home in Sandusky county, August 10, 
 1S87, Their marriage took place in Feb- 
 ruary, 1834, and for nearly half a century 
 they fought life's battle together. They 
 were among the very earliest settlers of 
 Sandusky county, having come there 
 when that section of the county was a 
 vast wilderness. They cleared away the 
 forests and planted orchards, sowed the 
 grains, tilled the soil, made for them- 
 selves and children a comfortable home, 
 and lived to see towns spring up around 
 them, churches and schoolhouses built, 
 and all the comforts and conveniences of 
 civilization brought within their reach. 
 For forty-seven years they were valued 
 members of their community, and they 
 died honored and respected by all. 
 
 Mrs. King, the wife of our subject, 
 was born in Sandusky county August 24, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 659 
 
 1840, and to her and her husband seven 
 children have come, namely: S. Ervin, 
 born August 21, 1859, resides in Saun- 
 ders county, Neb.; Sarah P., born Janu- 
 ary 17, 1 861, is the wife of Herman 
 Bunte, and resides at Curtice, Allen 
 township, Ottawa county; Kosie E. 
 married William Gerkensmyer, and also 
 lives at Curtice; Solomon P. resides in 
 Allen township; Viola R. is the wife of 
 Robert Oberst, and lives in Jackson 
 township, Sandusky county; Mary M. 
 and Cynthia Edna live at home with their 
 parents. Mr. King has always been a 
 firm adherent of the Democratic party, 
 and is looked upon as one of the intelH- 
 gent, reliable men of the count}-. His 
 family are faithful attendants at the 
 Methodist Protestant Church in Curtice. 
 
 LAWRENCE WEATHERWAX is 
 one of the oldest residents and 
 leading farmers of Ottawa county. 
 He was born in New York, Octo- 
 ber 3, 181 3, and comes of an old Ameri- 
 can famil}'. His grandfather, John L. 
 Weatherwa.x, was born April 18, 1764, 
 and married Anna Williams, who was 
 born September 14, 1763, and they be- 
 came the parents of Andrew W'eatherwax, 
 born September 28, 1788. His business 
 was that of a glass blower. Having arrived 
 at years of maturity he married Lydia 
 Fulton, who was born in 1 780, and 
 among their children was the subject of 
 this review. 
 
 Lawrence Weatherwax spent the first 
 eight years of his life in the State of his 
 nativity, and then accompanied his par- 
 ents on their removal to Ohio, remaining 
 with them until his marriage. April 2, 
 1837, with Nancy M. Weatherwax. She 
 was born iMarch i, 1821, in New York, 
 where she acquired her education, com- 
 ing to Ohio with her parents in 1836. 
 Her father, Adam Weatherwax, was born 
 February i, 1793, in Albany, N. Y. , and 
 her mother, who bore the maiden name 
 
 of Elizabeth Fulton, was born in 1796. 
 They were married in 18 16, and had a 
 family of three children, of whom two are 
 living. The paternal grandparents of 
 Mrs. Weatherwax were John L. and 
 Anna (Williams) Weatherwax, the former 
 born in Holland, April 18, 1764. the lat- 
 ter on September 14, 1763. Their family 
 numbered twelve children, their names 
 and dates of birth being as follows: Cath- 
 erine, July 28, 1785; Elizabeth, October 
 28, 1787; Andrew, September 28, 17S8; 
 Jacob, May 26, 1790; Adam, February 7, 
 1793; Sebastian, December 30, 1795; 
 George, May 7, 1797; Leonard, February 
 22, 1799; Anna, March i, i8oi; Maria, 
 in 1803; Anna, February 16, 1805; Mag- 
 dalene, December 28, 1807; and Abra- 
 ham, February 27, 18 10. Mr. Fuller, 
 the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Weather- 
 wax, was born in 1756, and his wife, 
 Olive, was born in 1759. 
 
 Soon after their marriage Lawrence 
 Weatherwax and his wife located on the 
 farm where they now live, in Harris 
 township, Ottawa county, and their home 
 has been blessed with six children, viz. : 
 Elizabeth, born June 13, 1838, is now 
 Mrs. Paden, of Nebraska, and has four 
 children: Lydia, born April 2, 1S40, is 
 the wife of S. P. Klotz, of Lenawee 
 county, Mich; , and has one child ; Nancy, 
 born August 28, 1842, is the wife of Ira 
 Mannahan, and has five children; John, 
 born May 20, 1S44, died October 2>6, 
 same year; Maria Jane, born Julj' 18, 
 1855, is now the wife of L. F. Leedore; 
 Martha, born July 23, 1859, is the wife 
 of Mr. Wotring, who operates the old 
 home farm. 
 
 During the greater part of his life, 
 Mr. Weatherwax followed agricultural 
 pursuits, but is now enjoying a well- 
 earned rest — the deserved resvard of a 
 useful life. His career has always been 
 an honorable and upright one, and to-day 
 he is one of the most highly esteemed as 
 well as one of the oldest residents of his 
 adopted count}-. 
 
660 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 PETER R. KLEINHANS, son of 
 William and Alzada Kleinhans.and 
 the only one surviving of their 
 children, is a substantial farmer 
 of Erie township, Ottawa count}', residing 
 on the homestead farm there. He was 
 born in Erie township, November i, 1846, 
 and has been a resident of same all his life. 
 William Kleinhans, now deceased was 
 one of the pioneer settlers of Erie town- 
 ship, and one of the successful and pro- 
 gressive farmers located there. He was 
 born in Williams township, Northhamp- 
 ton Co., Penn., October 16, 18 10, son of 
 George Henry and Elizabeth (Richardson) 
 Kleinhans, who were of German and Irish 
 ancestr}', and was reared a farmer's boy. 
 He lived in his native township until he 
 was twenty-one j'ears of age, in 1832 re- 
 moving to Ohio and locating in Erie town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, where he cleared up 
 the land and made himself a home, in 
 which he resided the remainder of his life. 
 In 1839, at Port Clinton, Portage town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, William Kleinhans 
 was united in marriage with Alzada Deer, 
 and they had five children, of whom only 
 one, Peter R. , survives. William Klein- 
 hans was one of the progressive residents 
 of the township, and took an active part 
 in all movements tending toward the ad- 
 vancement of the interests of the com- 
 munity. He died June 3, 1893, at the 
 advanced age of eightj'-two years. Mrs. 
 Kleinhans, who was the daughter of Ti- 
 mon and Melinda (Russell) Deer, was born 
 in Onondaga county, N. Y. , became one 
 of the pioneers of Erie township, having 
 settled here about 1834. and was an es- 
 teemed and honored resident of same for 
 over sixty years. She passed away at the 
 home of Timothy Perry, in Port Clinton, 
 August 24, 1894, at the advanced age of 
 seventy-six years and seven months, her 
 husband and four of her five children hav- 
 ing preceded her to the other world. Her 
 life was a continuous career of mercy and 
 benevolence, and she will long be remem- 
 bered by her friends and neighbors, to 
 
 whom she was always ready to adminis- 
 ter aid in sickness or in want. 
 
 Peter R. Kleinhans was reared to man- 
 hood on the homestead farm, educated 
 in the district schools of the township, 
 and since early life has been engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits. Since the death of 
 his father he has been managing the home 
 farm. In Sandusky township, Sandusky 
 count}', Mr. Kleinhans was united in mar- 
 riage. May II, 1873, with Rachel T. 
 Tucker,daughter of Nelson K.and Miranda 
 (Bergoon) Tucker, and born in Sandusky 
 township November 20, 1853. They 
 have had four children: William Nel- 
 son, born March 20, 1875; Sarah Eliza- 
 beth, born June 30, 1876; Rodney O. 
 Dell, born July 23, 1878, and Bessie 
 Miranda, born February 2, 1885. Mr. 
 Kleinhans has efficiently filled several 
 township offices, is a member of the 
 Grange, and politically has affiliated with 
 the Democratic party. The family at- 
 tend the United Brethren Church. 
 
 FRANKLIN H. MARTIN, who is 
 numbered among the native sons 
 of Ottawa county, and now living 
 in Clay township, was born in El- 
 more, Harris township, November 8, 1856. 
 His parents, JohnC. and Eva (Brandt) 
 Martin, were both natives of Fairfield 
 county, Ohio, the father born June 22, 
 1818, and son of William Martin, who 
 followed the occupation of a day laborer. 
 John acquired but a limited education, for 
 the schools of those days were not then 
 free, and followed the occupation of farm- 
 ing, working by the month until the spring 
 of 1850, when he removed to Ottawa 
 county, purchasing 1 1 1 acres of land in 
 Harris township, which was covered with 
 timber. For four years he lived on that 
 farm, clearing thirty acres, which he 
 placed under a high state of cultivation 
 and paying off the taxes and mortgages 
 which the original owners failed to do. 
 He was making preparations for securing 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 661 
 
 a full title when the first owners, in an 
 underhand way, bought the place which 
 left Mr. Martin without a farm and with- 
 out any profit for his four-years' hard 
 labor. He also lost seven horses and four 
 head of cattle which died in a mysterious 
 way. Going to Elmore he then embarked 
 in the livery business, which he followed 
 until 1859, when he rented a farm near 
 that place, continuing its cultivation for 
 seven years. His next removal took him 
 further down the Portage river, where he 
 bought eighty acres of land, entirely cov- 
 ered with timber. During his seven-years' 
 residence thereon he cleared and culti- 
 vated a considerable portion, built a log 
 cabin and outbuildings, and otherwise 
 improved the place. On selling he came 
 to Clay township, where he purchased 
 eighty-three acres of land, two miles east 
 of the town of Martin, near the boundary 
 line of Benton township. Having built a 
 log cabin into which the family moved, he 
 began the arduous task of improving the 
 land, and in course of time accomplished 
 the work by the aid of his sons. The log 
 cabin was replaced by a substantial frame 
 residence, good barns were built for the 
 shelter of his stock and grain, a fine 
 orchard was planted, and other improve- 
 ments added until the farm became one 
 of the valuable properties of the. county. 
 The trials and difficulties which Mr. Mar- 
 tin had to bear in those days were of a 
 self-sacrificing nature. He frequently had 
 to take his grain to the mill on horseback 
 in order to supply his family with bread — 
 two days being consumed on the trip — 
 during one of which trips he contracted 
 cholera, and had to lie in the woods all 
 night, for if he sought shelter in a home 
 he would probably have given the disease 
 to some member of the family. He re- 
 turned to his own home, and one of his 
 own children was stricken with the con- 
 tagion and died, and his wife almost lost 
 her life. 
 
 On November 24, 1842, in Fairfield 
 county, Ohio, Mr. Martin married Miss 
 
 Eva Brandt, who was born in that coun- 
 ty, November 5, 1823, and they became 
 parents of nine children, four of whom 
 are living, as follows: (i) Adam W., who 
 was born October 14, 1843, in Fairfield 
 county, and acquired his education in El- 
 more, Ohio, is now a butcher and farmer; 
 in April, 1871, he wedded Ammesta Hul- 
 burt, of Canada, and is living near the old 
 homestead, operating half of the original 
 farm. (2) John Wesley, born December 
 26, 1846, in Fairfield county, was edu- 
 cated in Elmore, and is now farming in 
 his native county. (3) Rachel was born 
 May 14, 1854, in Harris township, Otta- 
 wa county, was there educated, and is 
 now the wife of James Brownlo. They 
 became the parents of ten children— -four 
 sons and six daughters — their names and 
 dates of birth being as follows: Eva, Oc- 
 tober 27, 1874; Lillie, December 30, 
 1875; Lizzie, February 1, 1877; Emma 
 E., January i, 1879; Sarah, January 4, 
 1882; Annie, May 19, 1884; James, June 
 23, 1886; John, in June, 1888; William, 
 August 31, 1 891; and an infant, who was 
 born April 2, 1893, and died unnamed. 
 The parents of this family reside in To- 
 ledo. (4) Franklin H. is the next child 
 of John C. Martin. Those of the family 
 who have passed away are James E. , 
 born August 2, 1844, and died October 2, 
 1845; Jacob, born October 2, 1848, and 
 died April 30, 1850; Sylvester, born Oc- 
 tober 4, 1850, and died October i, 1852; 
 and twins, born April i, 1852, died un- 
 named. 
 
 John C. Martin passed away on the 
 old home farm, April 18, 1892, leaving 
 many friends and a loving family to mourn 
 his loss. He was well-known throughout 
 the county as an honest, industrious man, 
 attending strictly to his own business, was 
 esteemed as a good neighbor, and was a 
 friend to the poor and needy. His circle 
 of friends was limited only by his circle of 
 acquaintances. He was always a stanch 
 supporter of Republican principles, but 
 never sought political office, preferring to 
 
G62 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 devote his time and attention to the inter- 
 ests of the farm and the enjojments of 
 his home. His widow now resides with 
 her son Franklin at a ripe old age. She 
 belongs to the class of worthy pioneer 
 women who with their husbands shared 
 in the labor of developing the county, and 
 to whom great credit is due for the efforts 
 they put forth. She has now reached the 
 ripe old age of seventy-two years, and for 
 more than half a century she traveled 
 life's journey by the side of her late hus- 
 band, sharing with him in all the joys and 
 sorrows that fell to his lot. 
 
 Franklin H. Martin, whose name 
 opens this record, has spent his entire 
 life on the old homestead, and upon his 
 father's death assumed the management 
 and care of the farm. On June 6, 1880, 
 he was joined in wedlock with Mary E. 
 Deal, daughter of Samuel and Jane Deal, 
 of Iowa, and children as follows graced 
 their union, their names and dates of 
 birth being: Jane H., May 29, 1 881; Pearl 
 L. , March 11, 1884; JohnD., March 23, 
 1887; I\atie E., August 31, 1S89; Alice 
 M., April 18, 1892, and died July 3, same 
 year; and Ruth L., born April 21,1894. 
 Mrs. Martin was born in Emmet coun- 
 ty, Iowa, June 4, 1854. Her father died 
 when she was quite young , and her mother 
 when she was only eight years of age. 
 She has two brothers and one sister, as 
 follows: John S., who was born April 19, 
 1852, and is a fruit grower of Oregon; 
 Matilda, who was born July 30, i860, 
 and became the wife of Frederick Sim- 
 mons, died in Iowa, June 30, 1889; and 
 George Deal, born December 27, 1862. is 
 farming in Nebraska. 
 
 Mr. Martin is numbered among the 
 progressive and enterprising agriculturists 
 of Ottawa county, and is now e.xtensively 
 engaged in market gardening, in which 
 he is meeting with good success. In his 
 political views he is a Republican, but 
 has never sought or desired public office, 
 although he faithfully performs all duties 
 of citizenship. 
 
 M 
 
 ICHAEL PUTMAN, Jr., son of 
 Michael and Elizabeth (Bates) 
 Putman, was born in Hancock 
 county, Ohio, January 16, 185 i. 
 When he was a year old his parents moved 
 to the farm where they now live, in Sec- 
 tion 29, Scott township, Sanduskj' county. 
 It was heavily timbered, no roads had 
 been made, and in fact the country was 
 practically a wilderness. He remained 
 at home until he was twenty-three years 
 old, receiving his education in the college 
 at Tiffin, Ohio, where he made a special 
 study of surveying. Shortly after his re- 
 turn from college he was married to Miss 
 Melissa Inman, of Scott township, and 
 moved to the home of his father, working 
 his farm for one year. He then bought 
 eight}' acres in Section 2 1 , Scott township, 
 where he now lives. 
 
 At the age of twenty-five years Mr. 
 Putman was elected county surveyor of 
 Sandusky county. He then moved 'his 
 family to Fremont, the county seat, where 
 he remained eight jears, at the expiiration 
 of which time they returned to the farm 
 where he now resides. Mr. Putman has 
 been township clerk for two years, and 
 justice of the peace for one year. When 
 he came to his farm it was in a wild state, 
 but he has cleared it, erected substantial 
 buildings and made a comfortable and 
 pleasant home there. The present sys- 
 tem of ditching in Sandusky county was 
 originated with Mr. Putman when he was 
 county surveyor, the law providing that 
 the county surveyor shall have charge of 
 the ditching. In 1880 $62,000 was e.\- 
 pended in Sandusky county, under Sur- 
 veyor's Putman's direction, in putting in 
 suitable ditches, and so carefully had he 
 estimated the cost of the work that when 
 completed it was entirely free from debt, 
 and a credit to his business abilit)'. 
 
 In 1892 the oil industry was begun on 
 Mr. Putman's farm. The first lease gave 
 him $180 every six months, until wells 
 were running, and he then received one- 
 eighth of the oil. This well was located 
 
COMMEMORAJ IVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 663 
 
 on Section 21, and is producing eight 
 barrels pet day. Other wells are being 
 sunk on the farm, for each of which Mr. 
 Putman receives $100 royalty and one- 
 si.xth of the oil, which is pumped through 
 pipes to Cleveland, over one hundred 
 miles. Mr. Putman now has a fine farm 
 of 160 acres, and, in addition, works his 
 father's farm of eighty acres. 
 
 To him and his wife have come three 
 children: Alfred, born February 1 1, 1876; 
 Lewis, born August 10, 1881, and Hazel 
 Maudolin, born October 26, 18S2. Alfred 
 received his early education in the dis- 
 trict sch<^ols, later attending the academy 
 at Fostoria, and began teaching at the age 
 of sixteen years, an occupation which he 
 has followed several terms; his attention 
 is to law or medicine. 
 
 The father of our subject, Michael 
 Putman, Sr. , was born December 22, 
 1S15, in Pennsylvania, and when four 
 years old, came to Wayne county, Ohio, 
 where he lived until he was twenty. 
 Thence he removed to Hancock county, 
 where he remained one year, at which 
 time he was married to Miss Elizabeth 
 Bates, on March 23, 1837. For many 
 years they have been residents of Scott 
 township, and were among the pioneers 
 of that part of the county, coming hither 
 when all was a wilderness, and clearing a 
 comfortable home. Mrs. Putman was born 
 October 22, 18 16, in Stark county, Ohio, 
 and when a girl came to Hancock county, 
 where she remained until her marriage. 
 To them have been born children whose 
 names and dates of birth are as follows: 
 Alpheus, November 10, 1837; Mary Ann, 
 April 29, 1839; Sarah Ann, March 9,1841; 
 Eliza Jane, August 16, 1842; Jacob, May 
 22, 1844; Andrew, October 20, 1848; 
 Hannah, September 8, 1850; Michael (our 
 subject), January 16, 185 1; Sophronia, 
 Afarch 6, 1854; Fanny, August 15, 1857; 
 and Amanda, July 6, 1859. 
 
 The paternal grandfather, Jacob Put- 
 man, was born in 1783 in Pennsylvania, 
 and was one of the early settlers of San- 
 
 42 
 
 dusky county. His wife was born in 
 1789, in Pennsylvania. To them were 
 born ten children, three of whom are liv- 
 ing — one in Ohio and two in Indiana. 
 The maternal great-grandfather, Jacob 
 Gross, was born about 1750. The ma- 
 ternal grandfather, Andrew Bates, was 
 born in Pennsylvania in 1787, and was a 
 farmer. He served in the war of 1812. 
 His wife, Anor Homon, was born in 1790. 
 To them were born ten children, of whom 
 are living: Mrs. D. Phillips (of Scott 
 township), Adam and William Bates, 
 Susan Strouse, Anor Smith, Louisa Mil- 
 ler, and Mrs. Elizabeth Putman. Great- 
 grandfather Bates was a soldier in the 
 Revolution. Alpheus was a captain in 
 the Civil war, and was wounded in the 
 battle of Shiloh; Jacob served in the Re- 
 bellion, and was shot at Vicksburg. and 
 Andrew was also in the Civil war. 
 
 Mrs. Melissa Putman, wife of Michael 
 Putman, Jr., is a daughter of William 
 and Calista (Barringer) Inman, and was 
 born on a farm in Scott township, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio, April 27, 1S50. Her 
 education was obtained at Tinney, Scott 
 township, where she lived most of the 
 time until her marriage. Her father was 
 born February 14, 1816, in New Jersey, 
 and when a bo}' removed with his parents 
 to Sandusky county, the family settling 
 on a large farm of 400 acres near Fre- 
 mont. Here he went to school, and at 
 the age of twenty-two years was gradua- 
 ted from the public schools of that place. 
 He was then married to Miss Calista Bar- 
 ringer, of Fremont, and they shortly af- 
 terward, about 1 844, purchased a forty- 
 acre farm in Scott township, to which he 
 added until at one time they owned 200 
 acres. He made two trips to California 
 in the interest of gold mining, in which 
 he was successful, making quite an amount 
 of money. He died in 1892, and was 
 buried in the Metzger Cemetery. Mr. In- 
 man's father, Brazil C. Inman, was born 
 about 1785; his mother was born Octo- 
 ber 15, 1 8 16, about nine miles from Col- 
 
GW 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 umbus, Ohio, where she lived until she 
 was fifteen years old, and where she at- 
 tended school. She then came to San- 
 dusky county, remaining there the greater 
 part of her life. Her father, William 
 Barringer, was born about 1791, and was 
 a farmer by occupation; he was killed by 
 a falling tree. His wife, Sarah Cammell, 
 was born about 1793. To them were 
 born four children — two sons and two 
 daughters. Mrs. Putman's paternal grand- 
 father was born about 1759; her maternal 
 grandmother, Jane Cammell, was born 
 about 1760. 
 
 HENRY BREDBECK, who occu- 
 pies a prominent position among 
 the prosperous fruit growers and 
 agriculturists of Uanbury town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, was born in New 
 York City, September 7, 1842, of Ger- 
 man parentage. 
 
 He is a son of Gerd and Martha Bred- 
 beck, both natives of Hanover, Germany. 
 The paternal grandparents, John H. and 
 Martha Bredbeck, were also born in the 
 Province of Hanover, and continued to 
 reside in the Fatherland until they crossed 
 the dark river of death. At the age of nine- 
 teen the father of our subject went to 
 London, England, where for a number of 
 years he worked in a sugar refinery, but 
 emigrated to this country at an early date, 
 and for some time was engaged in the 
 grocery business in New York City. In 
 1847 he came to the Buckeye State, lo- 
 cating in Danbury township, Ottawa 
 county, where he resided until his death 
 in March, 1883. He was a wide-awake 
 and enterprising citizen, highly esteemed 
 by all his friends and acquaintances for 
 his many sterling qualities. His wife still 
 makes her home in Danbury township. 
 
 In 1847 Henry Bredbeck came with 
 his parents to Ohio, where his father en- 
 gaged in agricultural pursuits up to within 
 a short time of his death. After leaving 
 the district schools of Danbury township, 
 
 where his education was begun, our sub- 
 ject entered Oberlin College, at Oberlin, 
 Ohio, and continued his studies for two 
 terms. Being familiar with farm duties 
 from his early boyhood, he decided to 
 make that his life work, in which he has 
 been very successful, and has also been 
 extensively engaged in fruit growing, one 
 of the important industries of Ottawa 
 county. He was married in Danbury 
 township, February 26, 1867, Mrs. So- 
 phia Wedekind, a daughter of Frederick 
 and Martha Schraeder. They became 
 the parents of seven children, but only 
 four of them are still living, their names 
 and dates of birth being: Herbert, June 10, 
 1 871; Minnie, December 19, 1875; Fred-- 
 erick, February 26, 1877; and Estella, 
 March 20, 1879. 
 
 Mr. Bredbeck has been called upon to 
 fill in several positions of honor and 
 trust, having served as township trustee 
 and school director two terms each. He 
 has been the efficient president of the Ot- 
 tawa Count}' Agricultural Society, and for 
 fifteen years has been a member of the 
 board of Erie County Agricultural Asso- 
 ciation. He is a stockholder and director 
 of the German American Bank of Port 
 Clinton, Ohio, and for many years has 
 been a director of the Erie County Farm- 
 ers Mutual Insurance Company, and a 
 member of the Grange. His residence is 
 one of the finest in the township, and all 
 its surroundings bespeaks care and cul- 
 ture, while he owns and operates most 
 successfully one of the best fruit orchards 
 in the vicinity. 
 
 In the career of Mr. Bredbeck, we 
 find one of the best examples of what may 
 be accomplished by industry and perse- 
 verance, and although he disdains the pos- 
 session of any qualities that entitle him to 
 the mention which his many friends be- 
 lieve him to be worthy of, yet it is in no 
 spirit of adulation that we say of him that 
 his life is illustrative of the success that 
 attends honest, well-directed endeavor 
 and conscientious adherence to duty. Al- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 665 
 
 though unassuming in manner, he is a 
 very popular man, and his friends are 
 numbered by the score. He devotes to 
 agriculture and fruit growing the care and 
 attention that warrants success, and to- 
 day he ranks with the leading business 
 men of Ottawa county. His life might 
 well serve as an example worthy of imi- 
 tation by the future generations, as the 
 valuable property which he now posses- 
 ses is the direct result of his own indus- 
 try and good management. 
 
 I 
 
 SAAC M. FLORO is numbered among 
 the native sons of Ottawa county, his 
 birth having occurred in Erie town- 
 ship, April 28, 1848, a son of John 
 and Lydia Floro, well known and es- 
 teemed people of the community. In the 
 usual manner of farmer lads he was reared, 
 obtaining his education in the district 
 schools of the neighborhood, and aiding 
 in the labors of the farm as soon as he 
 had reached a sufficient age. The occupa- 
 tion to which he was reared he has made 
 his life work, and to-day he is ranked 
 among the progressive and prominent 
 farmers of the township. He is thorough 
 and painstaking in all his work, and his 
 home place, with its neat appearance and 
 good improvements, indicates the saga- 
 cious supervision of a careful owner. 
 
 On June 6, 1873, at Locust Point, 
 Ohio, was celebrated the marriage of Isaac 
 M. Floro and Miss Mary Finkin, who was 
 born in Erie township, March 16, 1854, 
 and is a daughter of ^fartin and Elizabeth 
 (Sinclair) Finkin. Her father has now 
 departed this life, but her mother is still 
 living in Carroll township, Ottawa county. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Floro are the parents of 
 children, as follows: Martin, born April 
 12, 1874; Henry, born June 8, 1876; Nana, 
 born -September 25, 1878, now the wife 
 of William Dewitt, a resident of Carroll 
 township, Ottawa county; Hattie, born 
 June 12, 1881; George W., born Decem- 
 
 ber 27, 1886; and Calvin L. , born July 8, 
 1892. died August 21, 1893. 
 
 Mr. Floro is a justice of the peace in 
 Ottawa county, and has efficiently filled 
 various township offices, discharging his 
 duties with credit to himself and satisfac- 
 tion to his constituents. His political 
 support is given to the Democracy, and 
 he is an enterprising citizen, deeply inter- 
 ested in all that pertains to the welfare of 
 the community. He was deputy master 
 of the Ohio State Grange for Ottawa 
 county for twelve years, having been ap- 
 pointed by Col. J. H. Brigham, then 
 master of the Ohio State Grange. 
 
 ALEXANDER SCRYMGER, a rep- 
 resentative agriculturist, and one 
 of the most popular men in Clay 
 township. Ottawa county, was 
 born in the State of New York, Novem- 
 ber 26, 1839. 
 
 Our subject grew up on the farm, ob- 
 taining what meagre education could be 
 derived from the district school of those 
 days, and assisting his father, until the 
 Civil war broke out, and the youth of the 
 country responded with alacrity to the 
 call for help. In August, 1862, he enlist- 
 ed in Company K, One Hundredth Ohio 
 Infantry, in which regiment he served 
 three years, during which time he took 
 part in the battles of P'ranklin, Nashville, 
 and Limestone Station, all in Tennessee, 
 besides in several minor engagements. 
 He spent six months in the terrible prison 
 of Belle Isle, enduring many hardships 
 and sufferings. In 1865 he received his 
 discharge, and, returning to Ottawa coun- 
 ty, resumed the peaceful occupation of a 
 farmer. In i867,Mr. Scry mger was mar- 
 ried to Miss Alice Frayer, and three chil- 
 dren have come to them: William, born 
 February 16. 1869; Ida, born January 4, 
 1872; and Maud, born August i, 1878. 
 Mr. Scrymger remained in Bay township 
 until 1877, when he came to Clay town- 
 ship, and purchased fifty-three acres of 
 
600 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 land. This he has brought to a high state 
 of cultivation, having a fine orchard, 
 fruitful fields and a fine dwelling house, 
 with all necessary barns, outbuildings, etc. 
 Mr. Scrymgeris widely known through- 
 out the county as an able business man, 
 progressive in his ideas, with a fund of 
 sound common sense, and withal as a 
 man of genial disposition. His popular- 
 ity with all classes of men is well-known, 
 and has been shown by his election, in 
 the fall of 1886, to the office of county 
 commissioner, on the Democratic ticket, 
 by a large majority of the popular vote, 
 and his re-election on the same ticket. 
 During his administration several im- 
 portant public works were carried through 
 such as the building of bridges, dykes, and 
 other much-needed improvements, on 
 which achievements Mr. Scrymger is en- 
 titled to a large share of the credit. He 
 also held the office of trustee of the town- 
 ship, for three years, and has filled other 
 minor positions. He is an active mem- 
 ber of his party, and in every respect is 
 one of the leading men of his township. 
 
 NICHOLAS FOX is a fruit grower 
 and proprietor of a flour and feed 
 store at Put in Bay, Sandusky 
 county. Among the most prom- 
 inent and influential residents of this lo- 
 cality there is probably no one more 
 worthy of mention in this volume than 
 the gentleman whose name is here re- 
 corded. 
 
 Mr. Fox was born in Bavaria, Ger- 
 many, September 22, 1839, and is a son 
 of John Adam and Eva (Parr) Fo.x, who 
 were also natives of that country, and 
 there spent their entire lives, the former 
 dying in January, 1871, while the latter 
 survived until April 24, 1S78. By occu- 
 pation the father was a fanner and weaver, 
 and these two pursuits he successfully fol- 
 lowed in his native land. In the family 
 were ten children, five of whom became 
 residents of the United States, namely: 
 
 Andrew, who died in Brenham, Texas, in 
 1 878; John A., who resides on Middle Bass 
 Island; Nicholas, subject of this sketch; 
 George A., who died in Texas, in 1887; 
 and Catherina, who died in Brenham, 
 Texas, in 1886; of the remaining five 
 members of the famil}- two died in in- 
 fancy, and the others reside in their na- 
 tive land. 
 
 Nicholas Fox was reared and educated 
 in Germany, and resided upon his father's 
 farm until twenty-four years of age, aiding 
 in the labors of the field and becoming fa- 
 miliar with farm work in all its depart- 
 ments. In 1 863 he bade adieu to home and 
 friends and crossed the broad Atlantic to 
 America, reaching New York City on the 
 29th of December. Aftera month he pushed 
 on toward the West, and selecting Put in 
 Bay as a suitable place to make his home 
 purchased a good farm, and at once be- 
 gan the cultivation of grapes, having had 
 considerable experience in that line of 
 business in his native land. He now has 
 extensive and valuable vineyards, and by 
 energy and perseverance has acquired the 
 success which crowns his efforts. 
 
 In Sandusky City, Ohio, November 
 9, 1869, Mr. Fox married Miss Wilhel- 
 mina Buddenhagen, a daughter of 
 Charles and Marie (\\'ardo_, Buddenhagen, 
 and born in Mecklenburg. Germany, July 
 15, 1851. To this marriage have come 
 four children, as follows: Henry, born 
 August 2, 1870, is the present mayor of 
 Put in Bay Island, a notary public and 
 agent for the Detroit & Cleveland Steam- 
 ship Line; George A., born April 19, 
 1872, is also a member of the firm of Fox 
 & Sons, of Put in Bay Island; Louisa, 
 born November 28, 1875; and Andrew 
 N., born January 28, 1SS5. In his polit- 
 ical views, Mr. Fox is liberal, voting for 
 the man rather than for the party, and he 
 has never sought office, preferring to give 
 his time and attention to his business in- 
 terests. In addition to his vineyards and 
 store he is the owner of the finest dock 
 and warehouses on Put in Bay Island, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 007 
 
 and he carries forward to successful com- 
 pletion whatever he undertakes. He 
 would be a desirable acquisition to any 
 community, and Ottawa county numbers 
 him among its valued citizens. 
 
 HENRY SETHMAN, a successful 
 and enterprising fruit grower of 
 Danbury township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty, is a native of that township, 
 having first seen the light of day in the 
 old log house which stood on the land 
 now occupied by his handsome and im- 
 posing residence. His birth occurred 
 September i8, 1856, and he is a son of 
 Carsten Henry and Mary (Muller) Seth- 
 man, both now deceased. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in 
 the Province of Hanover, Germany, Sep- 
 tember 12, 1822, and there he was reared 
 and educated. Besides being engaged in 
 farming, he carried on a hotel, and also 
 operated a distillery. In 1847 he emi- 
 grated to the New World, and after reach- 
 ing New York City there engaged as a 
 clerk in a grocery store for about a year 
 and a half, when he embarked in the 
 grocery business for himself. On dispos- 
 ing of his store in 1855 he located in 
 Danbury township, Ottawa county, in 
 September, and followed farming with 
 good success. He here made his home 
 until within a few weeks of his death, 
 which occurred Januar\' 12, i8go, at the 
 residence of his daughter Sophia — Mrs. 
 Charles A. Smith — of Lansing, Mich. 
 The mother of our subject was born in 
 Hanover January 9, 1830, and in 1847 
 came to the United States. For a year 
 after her arrival in this country she made 
 her home in Baltimore, Md., but at the 
 expiration of that time she went to New 
 York City, where she married Mr. Seth- 
 man. She passed away at her residence 
 in Danbury township November i, 1886. 
 In the familj' were seven children, as fol- 
 lows: John H., born January 31, 1853, 
 died February 14 of the same year; John 
 
 D., born October 5, 1854, died Decem- 
 ber 26, 1867; Henry is the next in order 
 of birth; Diedrich, born January 9, 1858, 
 died May 27 following; Claus D., born 
 July 9, i860, died January 26, 1876; 
 Sophia, born June 29, 1867, is the wife 
 of Charles A. Smith, of Lansing, Mich. ; 
 and Mary M., born April 8, 1870, died 
 April 15, 1870. 
 
 Henry Sethman remained under the 
 parental roof, assisting in the labors of 
 the home farm, where he has spent his 
 entire life engaged in the cultivation of 
 the land, but now gives his attention 
 more particularly to fruit culture. His 
 education was acquired in the district 
 schools of the neighborhood, and by sub- 
 sequent reading and observation he has 
 become a well-informed man. On No- 
 vember 15, 1887, he wedded Miss Henri- 
 etta Weigman, daughter of James and 
 Mary E. (Smith) Weigman, the marriage 
 ceremony being performed in Holt, Ing- 
 ham Co., Mich. By this marriage there 
 is one son — Clarence Henry, born March 
 4, 1890. Mrs. Sethman's father was born 
 at Mud Creek, Sandusky Co., Ohio, and 
 her mother on the Sethman homestead. 
 After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Weig- 
 man resided for a number of years in 
 Sandusky county, and later removed to 
 Lansing, Mich., wherethey and the grand- 
 parents of Mrs. Sethman now reside. 
 She is the eldest in their family of four 
 children, and was born in Holt, Mich., 
 July 14, 1870; the others are Charles A., 
 born June 29, 1873, and died June 29, 
 1888; Henry, born September 21, 1875; 
 and an infant yet unnamed. 
 
 Mr. Sethman is a valued member of 
 Oliver H. Perry Lodge, No. 341, F. & 
 A. M., of Port Clinton, Ohio. In politics 
 he is an earnest supporter of the princi- 
 ples of the Democratic party, and he and 
 his family are Lutherans in religious be- 
 lief. He is a typical illustration of a 
 practical farmer, his well-tilled fields and 
 well-kept fruit orchards showing thrift 
 and a thorough acquaintance with his eg- 
 
608 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 cupation. His residence is one of the 
 finest and most attractive in the county, 
 and after a day of toil in his extensive 
 orchards he knows how to enjoy an even- 
 ing of rest amidst his home comforts, 
 brif^htened by his faithful and loving wife 
 and their little, interesting son. [Since 
 the above was written we have received 
 the lamentable news of Mr. Henry Seth- 
 man's accidental death, which occurred 
 on Thanksgiving Day, 1895. He was 
 handling a revolver in the kitchen of his 
 own house, and by some means one of 
 the cartridges exploded, the bullet enter- 
 ing the left side below the heart. He 
 screamed, " Oh, Will, I'm shot!" and fell 
 to the floor a corpse. The funeral was 
 held on the following Sunday afternoon, 
 under the auspices of the Masonic frater- 
 nity of Port Clinton. — Editor. 
 
 FRANCIS M. O'CALLAGHAN, a 
 well-known farmer and trader of 
 Allen township, Ottawa county, 
 and a veteran of the Civil war, is 
 a native of the Emerald Isle, having been 
 born in Dublin April 4, 1840. His parents, 
 William and Henrietta (Walker) O'Calla- 
 ghan, were both born in Ireland, and his 
 paternal grandfather, Andrew O'Calla- 
 ghan, was a clergyman of the English 
 Church. 
 
 William O'Callaghan was what is 
 known in the old country as a country 
 gentleman, and was the owner of a large 
 estate in and near Dublin. He was the 
 father of fourteen children. In 1850 he 
 emigrated to this country, when our sub- 
 ject was a lad of ten years of age, but the 
 climate not agreeing with him he returned 
 to Ireland and from there went to Liver- 
 pool, England, at which place he died. 
 Francis M., our subject, was one of the 
 family who decided to remain in America, 
 and he lived for eight years in Detroit, 
 Mich., earning his own livelihood, and at 
 the same time attending school and fitting 
 himself for business. About this time a 
 
 tumor made its appearance on his face, 
 causing him great suffering, and he con- 
 cluded to go back to Dublin, and have an 
 operation performed. This he did, and 
 after remaining abroad one year returned 
 to this country, coming to Ohio and en- 
 tering the brewing business at Toledo, 
 at which he worked for three j'ears, for 
 the next three j'ears engaging in the con- 
 fectionery business. In the spring of 186 1 
 the call to arms was heard, and all over 
 the North volunteers gladly sprang to the 
 defense of the "stars and stripes;" our 
 brave young Irishman was not lacking in 
 love for the country of his adoption, 
 whose institutions he appreciated, and on 
 October 5, 1861, he enlisted in the Sixty- 
 seventh Ohio Infantry, and took part in 
 many desperate conflicts. Among these 
 were the battles of Winchester, Deep- 
 
 bottom and Fort Wagener, S. C. 
 
 In 
 
 the latter engagement he was severely 
 wounded, being shot through the neck, 
 and was sent to a hospital, where he re- 
 mained for a year. He received his dis- 
 charge January 17, 1865, after a service 
 of over three years. When the war was 
 over Mr. O'Callaghan spent several years 
 as a sailor on the great lakes. He helped 
 to construct a vessel called the " Rough 
 and Ready," of which he was mate for 
 about two years, and then built the 
 " Raven," which he commanded for five 
 years, carrying freight, etc. Giving up 
 his life on the water, our subject next 
 turned his attention to trading in Lucas 
 county, this State, and also farmed to 
 some extent. After two years of this oc- 
 cupation he came to Williston, Ottawa 
 county, where he bought twent)' acres of 
 land, built a comfortable residence and 
 other buildings and made numerous im- 
 provements. Here he has since made 
 his home and is known as a successful 
 trader and prosperous farmer. 
 
 Our subject was married October 31, 
 1867, in Lucas county, this State, to 
 
 Elizabeth H , and to them have 
 
 come fourteen children; Olivia G., born 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGItAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 CG9 
 
 May 12, 1869, is the wife of Charles 
 Fislibact:, an employe of Harte & Co., 
 Cleveland; Frances, born November 12, 
 1870, married William Rath, of Willis- 
 ton, and has one child, Eddena S. ; Edith 
 May, born May 215, 18 — , is the wife of 
 Francis Watson, of Williston, and has 
 one child, Freddie; Julia E., born August 
 18, 1S76; Henry M., born April 30, 
 1878; Edward F. , born March i, 1881; 
 Arthur W., born December 18, 1882; 
 Agnes H., born December 29. 1884; 
 Laura B., born March 4, 1889; Marion, 
 July 21, 1892. Those deceased are 
 Robert C, born February 15, 1872, died 
 May, 1872; Maudie C. , born January 2, 
 died in June, 1876; Geneva, born Septem- 
 ber 3, 1 89 1, died April 30, 1894. Mr. 
 O'Callaghan is a Democrat and a warm 
 supporter of President Cleveland. The 
 family are all members of the Episcopal 
 Church, and are well and favorably known 
 throughout the communitj'. 
 
 WILLIAM GRANT ELWELL, 
 of Erie township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty, a thorough and experienced 
 railroadman, is a son of Thomas 
 Franklin and Ellen (Mananay) Elwcll, 
 and was born in Ottawa county, Ohio, 
 July 22, 1862. 
 
 Thomas Franklin Elwell was born in 
 New York State March 30, 1822, was 
 married September 5, 1841, and died 
 October 22, 1866. His wife was born 
 September 26, 1824, and died September 
 27, 1893. They had ten children born 
 to them, as follows: Arthur, June 20, 
 1842; George F. , January 22, 1844; An- 
 genette, March 12, 1846; Alice E., Octo- 
 ber 23, 1848; Amanda L., July 18, 1851 ; 
 Rosetta, June 26, 1854; Ross J., June 26, 
 1854; Martha E., August 19, 1858; Will- 
 iam Grant, July 22, 1862; and Zelpha, 
 September 2, 1864. All but two are liv- 
 ing; Zelpha, who died August 8, 1887; 
 and Amanda, March 24, 1893. 
 
 William G, Elwell lived in Ottawa 
 
 county until his marriage. He received 
 a liberal education in the public schools 
 of Lacarne, Erie township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty, and in 1879 began the study of teleg- 
 raphy with C. F. Hosford in the Lake 
 Shore railway office at Lacarne, where 
 he remained for one year. He was then 
 baggageman at Oak Harbor, Salem town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, for one year, after 
 which he returned to Lacarne and com- 
 pleted his study of telegraphy in 1882, 
 accepted the position of night operator 
 at Marblehead Junction, in Danbury town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, which he held for 
 some time, and then for eighteen months 
 was out of office work. From Marble- 
 head Junction Mr. Elwell went to Rocky 
 Ridge, Benton township, where he was 
 night watch for two years. He then 
 accepted the position of night operator 
 at Shawville, in Ridgeville township, Lo- 
 rain county, which he held some six 
 months, after which he went to Lacarne, 
 and was night operator there for four years. 
 He was next promoted to the position of 
 .station agent at Lacarne, Ohio, and con- 
 tinued in that capacity for two years, being 
 further promoted to be station agent, oper- 
 ator, and agent of the United States Ex- 
 press Co. at Rocky Ridge, which positions 
 he now holds. For about fifteen years Mr. 
 Elwell has been connected with the Lake 
 Shore road as an efficient operator and a 
 thorough railroad man in all lines of his 
 work. 
 
 On July 26, 1892, William G. El- 
 well married Miss Lena E. Beebe, of 
 Lakeside, Danbury township, Ottawa 
 county, the ceremony being performed by 
 Rev. T. S. Ayers, in the auditorium at 
 Lake Side. Since their marriage they 
 have resided at Lacarne and Rocky 
 Ridge, and they have had one child, 
 Lucy Maude, born October 6, 1893. Mrs. 
 Elwell is a daughter of Bela B. and 
 Lucy (Farnsworth) Beebe, of Lakeside, 
 where she was born December 14, 1869. 
 When she was one year old her parents 
 moved to Defiance county, Ohio, where 
 
070 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BWORAPITIC'AL RECORD. 
 
 they lived four years. They next re- 
 moved to Seneca county, and after living 
 there six years returned to Lakeside. 
 Mrs. Elweil obtained her education at 
 Lakeside and at Ada, completed her liter- 
 ary work at the latter place in 1888, and 
 in the fall of the same year began teach- 
 ing at Catawba Island, Ottawa county, 
 where she remained eight months. In 
 November. 1889, she took charge of the 
 school at Lacarne, and held that position 
 four months, after which she went to 
 Lakeside as clerk in the Cobb Bazaar, 
 remaining there through the summer va- 
 cation. In the fall of 1890 a position in 
 the public schools at Lakeside was offered 
 to her, which was accepted, and she re- 
 mained three years, during which time 
 she was married to Mr. Elweil. 
 
 Mrs. Elwell's father, Mr. Beebe, was 
 born in December, 1833, in Lorain 
 county, Ohio, where he lived until 1865. 
 On May i, i860, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Lucy Farnsworth, who was born 
 January 15, 1843, in Defiance, Ohio, and 
 they had three children and adopted one 
 child. The names and dates of birth of 
 the children are as follows: Miles H., 
 April I, 1 861; Charles L., August 26, 
 1866; Lena E. (Mrs. Elwellj, December 
 14, 1869; and Bertha Belle, December 2, 
 1878. They are all living. Charles is in 
 Detroit, Mich., and Miles is in Cleveland, 
 Ohio. Mr. Beebe served three years in 
 the war of the Rebellion, from 1862 to 
 1865, and after returning from the war 
 located for a time on Catawba Island, 
 Ottawa county, thence going to Lakeside, 
 where he now lives. Mrs. Elwell's 
 mother married William Jackson, No- 
 vember 12, 1 891; and lives in Allegan 
 county, Michigan. The maternal grand- 
 father of Mrs. Elweil, Oliver Farnsworth, 
 was born June 18, 1796, and died in 
 1882. His wife, who was Edna King, 
 was born in 18 10, in Vermont. They 
 were married in Boston about 1825, and 
 had twelve children, nine of whom Ptir- 
 vived them, 
 
 Hugh 
 
 RODERICK MORRISON. Among 
 the prominent men of Gibsonburg, 
 or, indeed, of Sandusky county, as 
 well, stands Roderick Morrison, 
 the subject of this sketch. Mr. Morrison 
 is of Scotch parentage, and a Canadian 
 by birth, having first seen the light Octo- 
 ber 22, 1855, in Oxford county, Ontario. 
 George and Henrietta (Macintosh) 
 Morrison, his parents, were born in Scot- 
 land in 1 809 and 1 8 19, respectively. They 
 were married in 1841, came to Canada 
 from Scotland on their wedding tour, and 
 locating in Oxford county remained there 
 until 1883, when they removed to Bruce 
 county, where they died, the mother in 
 1 885, the father on December 9, 1S93. 
 They reared a family of seven children: 
 Elizabeth, Catherine, Hector, Donald, 
 Hugh and Mary, of whom, Hector is a 
 resident of West V'irginia; Donald is a 
 Presbyterian minister in Michigan; 
 is an attorney in Ontario. 
 
 R. Morrison, the subject proper of this 
 review, grew to manhood on the home 
 farm in Canada. In 1877 he came to the 
 United states, entering the oil business in 
 Butler county, Penn., but soon turned his 
 attention to the lumber business, in its 
 relation to the oil industry. After con- 
 tinuing in this business in Butler and Mc- 
 Kean cotmties for ten years, he moved to 
 F'indlay, Ohio, where for four years he 
 continued his business in connection with 
 the oil and gas interests of that section. 
 In 1893 the great oil fields of Sandusky 
 county were being opened, and Mr. Mor- 
 rison, with a keen e\e to business, settled 
 in Gibsonburg, where he has since done 
 a large business in the lumber trade. In 
 addition to his home interests he also car- 
 ries on the same business in Woodville, 
 Sandusky county. He is also connected 
 with the Gibsonburg Banking Co., of 
 which he is the vice-president, and is 
 everywhere known and esteemed, not only 
 as a thorough business man, but also as a 
 Christian gentleman. Politically, he is a, 
 Democrat, in religion a Presbyterian, 
 
/ 
 
 (rrnMyij 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BTOORAPJTTCAL RECORD. 
 
 r.71 
 
 In Bradford, McKean Co., Penn., on 
 August 22, 1S82, Mr. Morrison was 
 united in marriage with Miss Catherine 
 Casey, who was born in Roulette, Penn., 
 September 26, i86i, a daughter of Jo- 
 seph J. and Honora (Moran) Casey. She 
 received her education in part in her na- 
 tive town, in part in the public schools of 
 Coudersport, and after completing her 
 schooling was for four years a successful 
 teacher in the public schools of Potter 
 count}', Penn. Mrs. Morrison's father 
 was born, in 1833, in Ireland, came to 
 America when eighteen years old, and was 
 married in i860 to Miss Honora Moran, 
 of Pennsylvania, who was born in July, 
 1839. To this union were born eight 
 children: Catherine (Mrs. Morrison); 
 Sarah (Mrs. L. L. Forsyth, of Gibson- 
 burg); William J. (deceased); May B. 
 and Alice, both of whom are teachers in 
 Pennsylvania; Anna F., for sometime a 
 teacher, now bookkeeper for the Gibson- 
 burg Banking Co. ; Lawrence D. , a teacher 
 in Pennsylvania; and Iva F., a student. 
 The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Morri- 
 son (James Casey), was a native of Ire- 
 land, born in 1796, and about 1820 wed- 
 ded Miss Belle Canon. For many 3'ears 
 they lived in Ireland, where they reared 
 a family of seven children, two of whom 
 are now living. Later they moved to 
 Scotland, and thence emigrated to Ameri- 
 ca, settling in Pennsylvania, where Mr. 
 C3asey died in 1868, Mrs. Casey surviving 
 until 1875, when she too passed away, 
 at the age of seventy-two years. Mrs. 
 Morrison's maternal grandfather, Law- 
 rence Moran, was a native of Ireland, 
 born about 1795, and his wife, Cath- 
 erine (Moran) ^[oran, was born about 
 1805; they emigrated to America and 
 settled in Pennsylvania, rearing a family 
 of nine children, seven of whom arc now 
 living. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Morrison have a fine 
 home in Gibsonburg, and are esteemed 
 by all who know them, for their social, 
 business, intellectual and moral worth. 
 
 CHRISTOPHER H. DAM- 
 SCHRODER, one of the 
 most prominent factors in com- 
 mercial circles in Elmore. Ottawa 
 county, and an enterprising and wide- 
 awake merchant, was born in Toledo, 
 Ohio, January i, 1840, son of Christo- 
 pher and Mary (Myerholts) Damschroder. 
 The father was born in Hanover, Ger- 
 many, in 18 1 3, where he was for many 
 years foreman of a large plantation, re- 
 ceiving, however, only .$16 per year. At 
 the age of twenty-one he emigrated to 
 America in order to avoid service in the 
 German army, but during the year after 
 his arrival he had a severe attack of 
 cholera. Later he went to Toledo, and, 
 after working on the Ohio canal and the 
 Ohio railroad for a time, learned the 
 carpenter's trade, which he followed for 
 six years. In 1844 he removed to Wood- 
 ville township, Sandusky county, and 
 engaged in farming, which he fol- 
 lowed with excellent success, accumu- 
 lating a property valued at $125,000. 
 In 1838 he wedded Mary Myerholts, who 
 was born in Germany in 1 8 1 8. Her father, 
 John F. Myerholts, was born about 1795, 
 and served in the memorable battle of 
 Waterloo, as did the paternal grandfather 
 of our subject; both spent their last days 
 in America, and were buried in the old 
 Damschroder cemetery. When a young 
 girl, the mother of our subject worked out 
 by the week, and gave her earning for the 
 support of her younger brothers and 
 sisters. On different occasions she walked 
 to Fremont, purchased a bushel of pota- 
 toes and carried them home, walking 
 through the mud. Such were the experi- 
 ences which fell to the lot of the early 
 pioneer. She has lived, however, to see 
 the country develop from a wilderness 
 into one of the best counties of the State, 
 and also to see her children, for whom 
 she struggled hard, now in a prosperous 
 condition. 
 
 Our subject was only four years old 
 when his parents removed to Woodville 
 
672 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 township, Sandusky county, where he 
 lived until twenty-one years of age. He 
 attended the district schools of the neigh- 
 borhood, which were held in log build- 
 ings, and in this way and through his own 
 efforts has secured a liberal education, 
 which has enabled him to become one of 
 the successful business men of Ottawa 
 county. In 1859 he started in business 
 for himself as a salesman in the store 
 owned by his father and J. H. Blinn. At 
 the end of two years the father purchased 
 his partner's interest and built a store on 
 his farm near Woodville, of which our 
 subject had charge for several years. In 
 1864 he removed his stock of goods to 
 Elmore, establishing a store in what is 
 now a part of the ' ' Elmore House, " there 
 remaining two years. He then spent 
 three years on the opposite side of the 
 street, after which he purchased the stock 
 of Beach & Wilson, where he continued 
 for sixteen years, when he built the hand- 
 some brick block that he now owns and 
 occupies, and where he has been located 
 for eleven years. He carries a full stock 
 of general merchandise, and his annual 
 sales amount to $1 5,000, being one of the 
 largest trades in the county. 
 
 In I S63 Mr. Damschroder wedded 
 Mary Frese, daughter of Henry and 
 Louise (Heilbrant) Frese, and born Oc- 
 tober 15, 1S44, in Woodville, where she 
 lived until her marriage at the age of 
 eighteen years. Her father was born in 
 Germany, in 181 3, her mother in 181 5, 
 and in 1838 they came to America, locat- 
 ing in Woodville township, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio, where Mr. Frese died in 1853. 
 Five years later his widow married R. 
 Berleman, and about 1865 they removed 
 to Toledo, Ohio, where her death occurred 
 April 6, 1893, when she was aged seventy- 
 eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Frese had 
 seven children: Henry, Louis, Charlotte, 
 Mar)', Augustus, Charles and Louise, all 
 of whom, with the exception of Henry, 
 are living in Ohio, his home being in Min- 
 nesota, 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Damschroder have nine 
 children, their names and dates of birth 
 being as follows: Henry L. , June 5, 1864; 
 John Henry R. , October 10, 1866; Clara, 
 April 26, 1869; Dora Louise, January 27, 
 1 871; Bertha H., January 12, 1874; 
 Augusta F., June 24, 1S76; Nellie, Jan- 
 uary I, 1879; Charles F., May 14, 1881; 
 and Edwin Frese, March 27, 1883. They 
 have a fine home on Main street, and the 
 elder children aid the father in carrying 
 on their excellent store. Mrs. Dam- 
 schroder is also daily found at the store, 
 and is of great assistance to her husband 
 in his business. He is an energetic and 
 progressive business man, and their suc- 
 cess is the just reward of their own 
 efforts. While of German parentage, 
 Mr. Damschroder is a loyal American, 
 believing full}' in the principles of our 
 government, and, although his business 
 interests are extensive, he yet finds time 
 to keep well informed on the subjects of 
 the day, and to materially advance the 
 interests of town and county. He is 
 eminently public spirited, and no citizen 
 of the community is held in higher regard 
 or has more warm friends. 
 
 AUGUSTUS HELLWIG is one of 
 the most enterprising young men 
 of Benton township, Ottawa coun- 
 ts', of which he is a native, having 
 been born September 9, 1870, on the 
 farm which he now superintends, son of 
 Justis and Elizabeth (Lang) Hellwig. 
 
 Justis Hellwig was born February 1 1, 
 1837, in Germany, where he was edu- 
 cated. In 1 8 54 he came to Canada, where 
 he lived until he was twenty-three years 
 old, in i860 removing to Benton town- 
 ship, Ottawa Co., Ohio, where, in 1861, 
 he and Mr. Fred Kewit purchased 160 
 acres of land in Section 19, which they 
 divided equally between them. In 1864 
 Mr. Hellwig bought the portion belonging 
 to Mr. Kewit, becoming the owner of the 
 entire tract. On March 30, 1862, he was 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 673 
 
 married to Miss Elizabeth Lang, of Can- 
 ada, and the young couple settled on 
 their new farm, then a wilderness, on 
 which Mr. Hellwig had worked one year, 
 keeping " bachelor's hall." They moved 
 into a log cabin until a better house could 
 be erected, and, by hard toil, he and his 
 faithful helpmeet succeeded in makmg for 
 themselves one of the finest homes in Ot- 
 tawa county. They cleared off the farm, 
 fenced it, put on the buildings, put out 
 fruit trees and made it a really modern 
 farm, continuing its improvement up to 
 Mr. Hellwig's death, which occurred 
 March 19, 1880. Mr. Hellwig was treas- 
 urer of the township eleven years, and for 
 several years was township trustee, also 
 serving as real-estate assessor one term. 
 Politically he was a Democrat. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Hellwig were born 
 nine children, theirnames and datesof birth 
 being as follows: Anna G., January 21, 
 1863; Catherine Elizabeth, October 14, 
 1864; George P., September 15, 1866; 
 John Henry, June 23,1868; Augustus G., 
 September 9, 1870; John Ernest, October 
 13, 1872; William E., January i, 1875; 
 Emma Augusta, December 9, 1876, and 
 Carl P., May 22, 1878. Of these, Emma 
 died May 29, 1^77 ; Catherine on March 
 23, 1880; Anna on December 9, 1880, 
 and George on November 29,1887. John 
 H. was married in June, 1891, to Elva 
 Hammond, of Elliston. Mrs. Hellwig 
 was born February i, 1838, in Canada, 
 where she was educated, living there until 
 her marriage, from which time she was a 
 faithful wife and kind mother. Since her 
 husband's death she has continued to con- 
 duct the farm, and has erected a large 
 barn and made other improvements, prov- 
 ing her ability in man)' ways to manage 
 an extensive business. Ilcr father, Detrick 
 Lang (maternal grandfather of our sub- 
 ject), was born about 1800, in Germany, 
 and was by trade a wagon maker. He 
 was killed at the raising of a barn. His 
 wife, Margaret (Bates), was born about 
 1805, in Germany, and they were the 
 
 parents of four children — two sons and 
 two daughters — Margaret, Casper, Eliza- 
 beth and Peter. Jolm Hellwig, paternal 
 grandfather of the gentleman whose name 
 opens this sketch, was born about 1804, 
 in Germany, and married Anna Hetrick, 
 who was born in that country about 1806. 
 They were the parents of seven children, 
 only one of whom is now living. John 
 Hellwig died in 1864, his wife in 1865. 
 
 Augustus Hellwig attended the public 
 schools of Elliston, completing his stud- 
 ies at the age of twenty. After his 
 father's death the farm was left to the 
 supervision of the mother and her older 
 son Augustus, who remained on the place, 
 working for his mother until 1893, when 
 he took the management of it himself. 
 He now superintends all the business of 
 the farm, owns horses and machinery, 
 and is carrying on a modern farming busi- 
 ness on 160 acres of fine farming land, 
 doing all the work with the aid of only one 
 man, hired by the month. In addition to 
 his farming interests he is also a stock- 
 holder in the Graytown Elgin Butter Co., 
 of Graytown, Ohio. His output of crops 
 annually is about thirty-five acresof wheat, 
 forty acres of hay, and twenty-five acres 
 of corn. He is also successfully engaged 
 in raising fruit, principally apples, pears 
 and plums. 
 
 On November 28, 1S95, Mr. Hellwig 
 was married to Miss Emma T. I\riegcr, 
 of Graytown, Ohio, who was born July 
 24, 1868, at Klein Ehrenberg, Province 
 of Brandenburg, Germany, where she 
 was educated. In 1882 she came to 
 America with her parents, locating at 
 Graytown, Ohio, where they moved on 
 a farm and there lived until Mr. Krieger's 
 death, in 1892, after which the family re- 
 moved into Graytown. In Germany Mrs. 
 Emma T. (Krieger) Hellwig's father, 
 William Kreiger, was a shepherd. He 
 was born at Brandenburg, Germany, Sep- 
 tembe r2 5, 1825, and was married in i860 
 to Louisa Shertz, who was born Decem- 
 ber 24, 1837, also at Brandenburg. To 
 
f)74 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BTOGRAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 them were born five children, their names 
 and dates of birth being as follows: Har- 
 man G., October 25, 1861; Bertha A., 
 May 2, 1863; Mary L. , December 27, 
 1865; Emma T., July 24, 1868; Augusta 
 W. , August 6, 1873. William Krieger 
 died March 24, 1892, near Graytown. 
 Harman G. died, in 1868, at Branden- 
 burg, Germany. 
 
 Politically Mr. Hellwig is a Democrat, 
 and a zealous worker for the success of 
 his party. In religious affiliation he is a 
 member of the Lutheran Church of Ellis- 
 ton. In addition to his ability as a busi- 
 ness man Mr. Hellwig is also an able mu- 
 sician, and is the leader and instructor of 
 the Elliston Cornet Band, one of the best 
 in the county. The children of this fam- 
 ily are all musicians, but at present he is 
 the most devoted to it. He is a highly- 
 respected young man, both in social and 
 business circles, and his uprightness in 
 every way has gained him universal good 
 will. 
 
 ALFRED G. WITTE, one of the 
 most successful business men of 
 Elmore, Ottawa county, is pos- 
 sessed of the true spirit of Wes- 
 tern progress and enterprise. He is 
 numbered among the native sons of Otta- 
 wa county, his birth having occurred in 
 Harris township, October 17, 1861, and 
 he has always lived in that locality. His 
 primary education, acquired in the com- 
 mon schools, was supplemented by a course 
 in the high school of Elmore, at which 
 he was graduated in 1878. He remained 
 at home until twentj'-one years of age, and 
 on the 31st of October, 1882, went to a 
 home of his own. 
 
 Ludwig Conrad Adolph Witte, pater- 
 nal grandfather of our subject, was born 
 in Guitersloh, Germany, in 1783, and in 
 1813 he was married to Katherine Ost- 
 haus. They had a family of eight chil- 
 dren — five sons and three daughters: 
 
 Henry, Ludwig, Fred, William, Charles, 
 Johanna, Dora and Katherine. Charles 
 Witte, the father of our subject, came to 
 this country in 1854, and was married at 
 Elmore, Ohio, in 1858, to Fredericke 
 Frank, by whom he had eight children, 
 their names and dates of birth being as 
 follows: Clara, Januarj' 9, 1859; Alfred 
 G., October 17, 1861; Emma, October 
 26, 1863; William, January 4, 1865; 
 Ernst, March 23, 1870; Bertha, February 
 5, 1873; Edmund, March 12, 1878. and 
 Franciska, September 9, 1880, died De- 
 cember 30, 1 881. 
 
 William Godfrey Frank, maternal 
 grandfather of our subject, was born in 
 Oren, Germany, January 6, 1792, where 
 he was reared. At the age of twenty-one 
 he joined the German armj', and served 
 as a sergeant of riflemen in the struggle 
 against Napoleon Bonaparte. He par- 
 ticipated in four battles, namely, those of 
 Strassburg, Sens, Montereau and Epinai, 
 receiving medals for bravery, all, how- 
 ever, on account of his political opinions, 
 being subsequently taken from him except 
 one, which his daughter still has in her 
 possession. At the battle of Epinai he 
 was captured, and was held prisoner one 
 year, when he was released, the war hav- 
 ing ended. During the time he was in 
 the army he was married to Kegina Kober, 
 and three daughters were born to them: 
 Caroline, Louisa and Fredericke. The 
 last named who is the mother of Mr. 
 Witte, was born July 13, 1836, in Stutt- 
 gart, Wurtemburg, Germany, where she 
 lived till sixteen years of age, at which 
 time she came to America. In 1858, at 
 Elmore, Ohio, she married Charles Witte, 
 as above related. 
 
 On October 3 1, 1883, Alfred G. Witte, 
 our subject, married Miss Evelyn Pratt, 
 of Elmore, daughter of Kellogg and Cor- 
 delia (Billings) Pratt. She was born No- 
 vember 14, 1859, in Harris township, 
 Ottawa county, and completed a course 
 in the Elmore schools in 1877. Her fa- 
 ther was born in New York, August 18, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHIOAL RECORD. 
 
 675 
 
 1 8 19, and was married March 31, 1847. 
 I'or three years they lived in New York, 
 after which they spent a 3'ear in Pensau- 
 kee, Wis., whence they removed to San- 
 dusky county, Ohio. Two years later 
 they came to Ottawa county, and the 
 father purchased a farm in Harris town- 
 ship. About 1S70 he boup;ht a home in 
 Ehnore, where he hved until his death, 
 December 14, 1878. Mrs. Pratt was born 
 in New York, April 10, 1830, and by her 
 inarriafje became the mother of foLir chil- 
 dren: (i) Emma, born July 18, 1S51, was 
 married in May, 1878, to Arthur Harrison, 
 and they have one child — Ellen, born 
 November 3, 1878. (2) Mary Eliza, born 
 March 9, 1858, has for seventeen years 
 been a successful teacher, and for the past 
 four years has taught in Elmore; she ob- 
 tained her education in the Normal School 
 at Ada, Ohio, and in Oberlin College. 
 (3) Mrs. Witte is the next younger. (4) 
 Elnora, born October 17, 1870, is a grad- 
 uate of the Toledo Music School, and is 
 now teaching music. 
 
 Abner Pratt, the paternal grandfather 
 of Mrs. Witte, was born in 1788 and 
 died in 1850. His wife, Rhoda (Billings) 
 Pratt, was born in 1786 and died in 1864. 
 They had twelve children, of whom ten 
 reached mature years. Augustus Billings, 
 the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Witte, 
 was born about 1773, and was the eldest 
 in a family of six children. W'hen a 
 young man he went on a whaling expedi- 
 tion and was taken as a prisoner to 
 France, where he remained two years. 
 In 1803 he was married to Clarissa Eng- 
 lish, of Medina county, N. Y. , who was 
 born in 1781, and they became the par- 
 ents of seven children^ — six sons and a 
 daughter — two of whom are now living. 
 The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Witte's 
 mother was born about 1748, and married 
 Lucina Earrington, who was born about 
 the same time. Her grandfather, John 
 English, served for three j'ears in the I\ev- 
 olution, and was with Gen. Washington 
 during the memorable winter at Valley 
 
 Forge. During the war for Independence 
 he married Desire Bagley. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. W^itte, for five years 
 after their marriage, lived upon a farm, 
 our subject purchasing a tract of land 
 and also operating that which belonged 
 to his father. He then rented his place 
 and removed to Elmore, where he is en- 
 gaged in the meat business. He runs two 
 wagons in the country, supplj'ing the 
 Genoa market and also an extensive home 
 market. In addition to his business in 
 dressed meats, he buys and ships cattle, 
 sheep and hogs, and has an extensive 
 trade. He is a lover of a fine horse and 
 a dealer in thoroughbreds. His business 
 has been a very profitable one, and in ad- 
 dition to his farm and market he owns a 
 fine home on Toledo street. Four chil- 
 dren came to bless the home, of whom 
 Jack, born May 23, 1877, died March 19, 
 1 89 1, and was buried in the Gus ceme- 
 tery ; the others are Bertha, born August 
 24, 1883 ; Florence, born November 3, 
 1884; and Carl, born March 6, 1886. 
 The parents are widely and favorably 
 known in the locality where they live, 
 and have a large circle of warm friends. 
 Mr. Witte is a member of the Knights of 
 Pythias. In politics he is a Democrat, 
 and is serving as a member of the coun- 
 cil of Elmore, while as an official and 
 private citizen he gives his support to all 
 interests that are calculated to prove of 
 public benefit. 
 
 HART BEARSS, a leading and in- 
 fluential citizen of Ottawa county, 
 residing on Catawba Island, claims 
 New York State as the place of 
 his nativity, where he first opened his eyes 
 to the light of day, in Putnam county, 
 October 14, 1840. He is descended from 
 one of the early families of that region. 
 His grandparents, Joseph T. and Annie 
 Bearss, had a family of thirteen children, 
 of whom eight are still living, namely: 
 Mary, widow of George W. Bailey; Gid- 
 
GTO 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 eon H. ; Louisa, widow of William Shep- 
 herd, and a resident of Wood county, 
 Ohio; Joseph T., of Ottawa county, Ohio; 
 David, who is living in Lucas county, 
 Ohio; Orson, a resident of Bureau county, 
 111. ; Lucinda, wife of Ashabell Burke, of 
 Portage township, Ottawa county; and 
 Flora, widow of Wheeler Porter. 
 
 Gideon H. Bearss, the father of our 
 subject, is a retired fruit grower, and the 
 oldest survivingpioneer settler of Catawba 
 Island — a man honored and revered by all 
 who know him. He was born in New 
 Fairfield, Fairfield Co., Conn., August 3, 
 1 8 1 5, and is a son of Joseph T. and Annie 
 (Hubble) Bearss, who were also natives 
 of the Nutmeg State. Like many boys of 
 that day he had very limited advantages 
 for procuring even a primary education, 
 the duties pertaining to farm life requiring 
 all his time in his bojhood days. In 1S31, 
 when sixteen years of age, he left home 
 and went to Putnam county, N. Y., 
 where he learned the trade of shoemaking, 
 following that business for thirteen years. 
 In 1844 he removed to Ohio, locating on 
 Catawba Island which at that time was 
 known as Van Rensselaer township, and 
 was an almost unbroken wilderness. Here 
 he entered land and made a home for his 
 family, willing heart and hands soon enabl- 
 ing him to convert the raw land into a fruit- 
 ful farm. In peace and contentment he has 
 here lived for over fifty years, and now in 
 his declining days he has given over the 
 care of the farm to his children, while he 
 is resting in the enjoyment of the fruits of 
 his former toil. Manj' a lesson might well 
 be learned from his well-spent life, which 
 shows what can be accomplished by in- 
 dustry, integrity and perseverance in a 
 land where merit is not hampered by caste 
 or class. 
 
 Gideon Bearss was married in Putnam 
 county, N. Y. , October 6, 1835, to Betsy 
 Turner, daughter of Adam and Eunice 
 (Rockwell) Turner. She was born in that 
 county, July 12, 1809, and died on Ca- 
 tawba Island, March 23, 1S78. They 
 
 became the parents of five children, two 
 of whom died in iafa:icy; George Henry 
 died at Chattanooga, Tenn., while nobly 
 aiding in the defense of the old flag, and 
 the cause it represented; Clarasia became 
 the wife of Henry Wonnell, of Portage 
 township, Ottawa county, and has also 
 passed away, leaving our subject the only 
 surviving member of the family. The 
 father has served for many years as town- 
 ship trustee, and has acceptablj' filled 
 other local offices. He cast his lirst 
 Presidential vote for William Henry Har- 
 rison, and was a stanch supporter of the 
 Whig party, until the organization of the 
 ■ Republican party, with which he has been 
 identified since its inception. 
 
 When a child of onl}' four years Hart 
 Bearss came with his parents to Catawba 
 Island, whereon he has since resided, and 
 during this period has witnessed its devel- 
 opment from a wilderness into fine farms 
 and fruit orchards, dotted with beautiful 
 residences. He received a limited educa- 
 tion in the village school of his day, and 
 for over forty years has been connected 
 with the fishing business, but for the past 
 six 3'ears has devoted his entire time and 
 attention to the cultivation of fruit. He 
 has to-day one of the finest orchards on 
 the Island, and the excellent variety of 
 fruit which he raises finds a ready sale on 
 the market. 
 
 On May 29, 1863, on Catawba Is- 
 land was celebrated the marriage of Mr. 
 Bearss and Miss Catherine Rogers, who 
 was born in Seneca county, Ohio, Feb- 
 ruary 26, 1844, a daughter of Thomas 
 and Verlinda Rebecca (Wheeler) Rogers, 
 the former a native of England, and the 
 latter of Maryland. About 1859 they lo- 
 cated on the Island where they continued 
 to live until called to the home beyond, 
 the father dying in October, 1870, and 
 the mother October 6, 1894. To Mr. 
 and Mrs. Bearss were born five children: 
 Alvertes, born June 29, 1863, married to 
 Kate Gron October 30, 1889; Gusta 
 Amelia, born October 23, 1865, the wife 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPIIWAL RECORD. 
 
 677 
 
 of Oliver H. Elliott, of Elyria, Ohio; 
 George H., born January 15, 1868, killed 
 August 15, 1887, by a fall from the 
 Poughkeepsie (N. Y.) Bridge; Jennie L. , 
 born November 12, 1871, now the wife 
 of William Freer; and Carrie E., born 
 October 26, i 874, the wife of William F. 
 Leinbach, operator on the Lake Shore & 
 Michigan Southern railroad, at Marble 
 Head Junction, Ottawa county. 
 
 Mr. Bearss has served as trustee of 
 his township for four terms, and has 
 filled other offices. He is a worthy mem- 
 ber of Port Clinton Lodge, No. 341, F. 
 & A. M. ; Catawba Island Lodge, No. 
 2783, Knights of Honor; and during the 
 Civil war he joined the one-hundred-day 
 men of Company K, One Hundred and 
 Thirty-ninth O. V. I., doing guard duty 
 at Point Lookout, Md. In politics he is 
 a stalwart Republican, is a wide-awake 
 and progressive citizen, and one of the 
 most esteemed residents of Catawba Is- 
 land. The family attend the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, of which his wife and 
 daughter Jennie are worthy members, 
 and all who know them hold them in high 
 regard. They have just completed their 
 handsome dwelling on the old farm. 
 
 ELIJAH LATTIMORE, who is en- 
 gaged in general farming and stock 
 raising, is a native of the town- 
 ship in which he still resides. He 
 was born February 5, 1833, on the old 
 place in Bay township, Ottawa county, 
 and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Stan- 
 ley) Lattimore, both of whom were na- 
 tives of England, and located in San- 
 dusky county, Ohio, July 4, 1824. In 
 March, 1829, they took up their residence 
 in Bay township, which at that time was 
 an almost unbroken wilderness. 
 
 The father had come to America 
 when a young man, and had settled first 
 in Gjorgetown, D. C, four miles from 
 the city of Washington, where he fought 
 
 the British troops during the war of 18 12. 
 Aftjr t'.ie close of that struggle he engagjd 
 in vegetable gardening for about four 
 years. Subsequently he removed to In- 
 diana, where he was married, and in 
 April, 1824, he started from that State on 
 a journey to Ohio, traveling with his own 
 team. During the third day of the jour- 
 ney, while his horses were hitched to a 
 tree by the roadside, eating their noon- 
 day meal, a wind storm arose which blew 
 down the tree and killed both horses. 
 In consequence he was obliged to hire 
 teams to convey himself and family on 
 their way. From 1829 until October, 
 1 8 57, they were continuous residents of 
 Bay township, Ottawa county, at the lat- 
 ter date removing to Rice township, San- 
 dusky county. The father died there 
 August 29, 1869, and the mother's death 
 occurred in Port Clinton, October 27, 
 1876. 
 
 Our subject received but limited ed- 
 ucational privileges, pursuing his studies 
 in an old log schoolhouse, but his train- 
 ing at farm labor was not meagre. From 
 his early boyhoood he has been engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits, and thorough- 
 ly understands the business in all its 
 details. He was married in Port 
 Clinton, April 5, i860, to Christina 
 McRitchie, a daughter of John and 
 Elizabeth (Richardson) McRitchie, both 
 of whom were natives of Scotland, the 
 former born April 13, 1801, the latter in 
 1809. They located in Bay township, 
 Ottawa county, at a very early day in the 
 history of this localitj', becoming residents 
 in 1836. From that date until his death, 
 Mr. McRitchie was prominently identified 
 with its growth and development. He 
 passed through all the trials and hard- 
 ships of pioneer life, but lived to see this 
 become a fertile region, inhabited by a 
 progressive class of citizens. He died De- 
 cember 15, 1888, and his wife crossed the 
 river of death January 2, 1887. Their 
 family numbered seven children, as fol- 
 lows: George, born November 15, 1839, 
 
678 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 was killed in the war of the Rebellion, 
 near Atlanta, Ga., June 14. i<S64, while 
 nobly serving in defense of his country; 
 William, born August 29, 1845, died 
 September 22, 1847; John, born January 
 24, 1848, died September 24, 1850. The 
 other members of the family are still liv- 
 ing: Margaret, born in Perthshire, Scot- 
 land, April 13, 1834, is the widow of 
 William L. Cole, and is now residing in 
 Port Clinton, Ohio; David R. , born in 
 Perthshire, February 4, 1836, is a lead- 
 ing agriculturist of Bay township, Ottawa 
 county; Christina, born in Baj' township, 
 February 6, 1842, is the wife of our sub- 
 ject; and Mary E., born in Bay township. 
 September 26, 1851, is the wife of W. A. 
 Wonneli. 
 
 Nine children grace the union of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Lattimore, to wit: Robert John, 
 who was born March 28, 1861, and is still 
 living on the old home place; I. Elmer, 
 born February 16, 1863, died February 
 23, I S65; Mary Ida. born March 26, 1864, 
 died August 10, following; Maggie Belle, 
 born November 18, 1865, now the wife of 
 H. D. Lockwood, of Plasterbed, Ohio; 
 Elizabeth Jane, born January 25, 1868, 
 the wife of H. L. Hineline, of Port Clin- 
 ton; Harry E., born June 25, 1871, died 
 August 3, same year; Mattie Adell, born 
 January 16, 1873, now the wife of Frank 
 Mackey, of Bay township, Ottawa county; 
 Addie May, born July 27, 1875; and 
 Amos, born January 16, 1881. 
 
 Mr. Lattimore, recognized as a valued 
 citizen, has been honored with a number 
 of public offices of trust. In 1864 and 
 1S65 he served as county auditor; was 
 county commissioner for two successive 
 terms; served as township treasurer some 
 ten years; was township assessor ten 
 years; land assessor one year; and has 
 filled other local positions. He supports 
 by his ballot the men and measures of the 
 Democracy. Socially, he is connected 
 with Port Clinton Lodge, No. 627, I. O. 
 O. F. , and Lake Erie Encampment, and 
 has filled every office in both; he is also a 
 
 member of the Knights of Honor, and 
 his family attends iho Method'st Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 RUDOLPH HARTMAN was born 
 in Germany September 21, 1825, 
 a son of John H. and Clarissa 
 Hartman, and died August 28, 
 1895. He was one of two children, the 
 other being Eliza, who married Henry 
 Myers, and died December 21, 1894, near 
 Elmore. 
 
 The father of our subject came to 
 America in 1830, locating in Woodville 
 township, and, having no money, he bor- 
 rowed a few dollars to buy twenty-five 
 acres of land, which was then worth ten 
 shillings ($1.25) per acre. The pioneer 
 forests were then unbroken, the streams 
 unbridged, and they had to go on foot to 
 Lower Sandusky for supplies, and carry 
 their articles by hand or on their backs, 
 as the woods were impassable for horses 
 or vehicles. Mr. Hartman bought a large 
 coffee-mill, in which he and the neighbors 
 used to grind their grain into meal for 
 bread. Wild deer roamed at will in the 
 woods, and could be seen in large herds; 
 but those early Germans were not used to 
 firearms, and had neither money nor guns, 
 so the deer were at first left untouched. 
 The simplest fare was then a luxury to 
 these pioneers. Food was often scarce, 
 and it was not an unusual thing for people 
 to go hungry for want of it. 
 
 When the father died Rudolph bought 
 his sister's interest in the estate. He 
 learned the trade of carpenter, at which 
 he worked in Wood and Sandusky coun- 
 ties, and in the early days he also oper- 
 ated a threshing machine, and by working 
 over a wide e.xtent of territory made some 
 money. He owned 350 acres of land in 
 Woodville township and eighty-five acres 
 in Wood county, on which there are twen- 
 ty-five oil wells in operation. He received 
 $10,000 for the oil lease of his land, be- 
 sides one-sixth of the oil. Mr. Hartman 
 
■ftet^^L^^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 679 
 
 fully appreciated the abundance of wealth 
 that had been placed at his disposal, and 
 he thoroughly educated his family, and 
 started his children well in life. In poli- 
 tics he was a Democrat, and in religious 
 faith a member of the Lutheran Church. 
 He always took an active part in develop- 
 ing the educational interests of his com- 
 munity. 
 
 On February 2, 1851, Rudolph Hart- 
 man married Miss Anna Marie Louisa 
 Sielschott, who was born September 10, 
 1834, in Germany. Their children were: 
 John, born June 12, 1853, died May i, 
 1864; Henry, born February 19, 1 856, 
 died April 22, 1864; Mary C, born De- 
 cember 25, 1851, died January 2, 1852; 
 William, born August 25, 1859, died Oc- 
 tober 22, i860; Frederick, born Septem- 
 ber 22, 1861, married Miss Lizzie Bruns, 
 and they have two children — Oscar and 
 Lydia; Louis, born July 21, 1864, mar- 
 ried Minnie Bruns, and they have three 
 children — Otto, Carl and Alma; Louisa, 
 born July 18, 1866. married John Swan, 
 and has three children — Lydia. Mabel 
 and Clarence; Sophia, born July i, 1871, 
 married William Leopold, and has one 
 child — Arthur; George, born July 3, 1874, 
 has been educated in the German and the 
 public schools; Henry, born February 28, 
 1880. Mr. Hartman was a man of in- 
 telligence and moral worth, a kind hus- 
 band and father, an enterprising citizen 
 and an obliging neighbor. 
 
 Mrs. Hartman's parents, Garhard and 
 Mary (Wilker) Sielschott, also natives of 
 the Fatherland, were born in 1806 and 
 1805 respectively, and they both died in 
 May, 1882, the mother on the 6th, the 
 father on the 24th. They were married 
 in about 1830, and were pioneers of ^^'ood 
 county, Ohio, where they spent their 
 days, and where, in Troy township, they 
 now lie buried. To them were born four 
 children: Engel, widow of Harmon 
 Schroeder. of Wood county, who has had 
 five children; Anna Marie Louisa, Mrs. 
 Hartman; Mary, Mrs. Henry F'rier, of 
 43 
 
 Wood county, who has seven children; 
 and Fred, who has been twice married, 
 first to Julia Mirosey, who had seven chil- 
 dren, and died March 20, 1882, after 
 which he married Mary Welling, by whom 
 he had five children. Mrs. Hartman's 
 paternal grandmother, Mary Otten, was 
 born about 1760 in Germany, and was 
 the mother of four children, all of whom 
 are now deceased. 
 
 c 
 
 ARMI G. SANFORD. One of 
 
 the pioneer families of Sandusky 
 county is represented at Clyde by 
 an individual whom all delight to 
 honor — the venerable Carmi G. Sanford, 
 first president of the People's Bank. 
 
 Mr. Sanford was born December 28, 
 181 8, in Ontario county, N. Y. , son of 
 Zachariah and Mary P. (Mantorj Sanford. 
 The father was born near Saybrook, Conn. , 
 in 1790. In 1808 he left Connecticut 
 with his widowed mother, and settled on 
 a farm in Madison county, N. Y. There 
 he married Mary P. Mantor, who was 
 born in Massachusetts in 1798, and had 
 migrated with her parents to central New 
 York. After their marriage Zachariah 
 and Mary Sanford moved to the western 
 part of the Empire State, settling on a 
 farm in Ontario county. On the farm a fam- 
 ily of children was growing up about them, 
 and again the spirit of migration moved 
 the pioneer. In the fall of 1832 the fa- 
 ther brought his family to Townsend 
 township, Sanduskv county, where he 
 purchased an eighty-acre tract entirely 
 covered with forest. \\'ith the aid of his 
 half-grown boys Mr. Sanford built a cabin, 
 and during the winter made a clearing for 
 the spring crops. Gradually the wilder- 
 ness was converted into fertile fields, and 
 here the peace-loving father concluded 
 his life's history. His death occurred 
 May 6, 1862, and the wife survived until 
 March 17, 1868. It has been said that 
 Zachariah Sanford died without an enemy. 
 He had brought with him from New En- 
 
680 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 gland the gentle but invincible spirit of the 
 Puritan. He was unobtrusive in manner, 
 and hospitable. His neighbors always 
 spoke well of him. The wife and mother 
 had deep religious convictions, and sought 
 to impress the habit of piety upon her 
 children. Carmi G. remembers that in 
 his boyhood days he was presented by his 
 mother with a sheep as a reward for hav- 
 ing read the entire Bible. Seven children 
 were born to Zachariah and Mary San- 
 ford, as follows: Elias M., who was born 
 July 17, 1817, and died in Townsend 
 township, May 31, 1843, leaving a wife 
 and one child; Carmi G.. subject of this 
 sketch, born December 28, 181S; Henry 
 A., who was born March 4, 1820, married 
 Mary, daughter of Daniel Rice, and now 
 lives on the home farm; Sally M., born 
 December 27, 1826; William B., born 
 April 7, 1828; Almira, born July 10, 1832, 
 married Samuel H. Tibbals, and died 
 leaving no children; George W. , born 
 February 2, 1839, a resident of Townsend 
 township. 
 
 Carmi G. Sanford was fourteen years 
 of age when he came with his parents to 
 Sandusky county. He had attended the 
 public schools in New York, but in the 
 pioneer Ohio home educational facilities 
 were few, and the work of clearing the 
 farm was imperative. He was an indus- 
 trious and willing worker, and remained 
 on his father's farm until after he reached 
 his majority. Then he purchased for 
 himself a forty-acre wooded tract, which 
 he afterward traded for another. He was 
 married, March 9, 1844, to Lydia Allyn, 
 daughter of Isaac and Permelia (Down- 
 ing) Allyn. Isaac Allyn was born in Con- 
 necticut, September 21, 1786, and at the 
 age of eighteen years left home for the 
 West. After traveling from place to place 
 for several years, he settled in Erie coun- 
 ty. About 1820, in company with Jonas 
 Gibbs, he settled on the prairie in the 
 northern part of Riley township, Sandusky 
 count}', and there engaged extensively in 
 stockraising. He raised horses and cattle, 
 
 and was a primitive porkpacker on a large 
 scale. For a few years he lived at the 
 Gibbs cabin, then kept bachelor's hall 
 until his marriage, June 12, 1827, to Mrs. 
 Permelia Daniels. She was born June 
 
 24. 1795, '1 Windom county. Conn., 
 daughter of Cyrus Downing, who, with 
 his family, migrated in 1797 to New 
 York, and in 1809 to Erie county, Ohio, 
 settling near Huron. He was then in 
 hostile Indian territory, and prior to the 
 outbreak during the war of 18 12 was 
 compelled to abandon home and seek 
 refuge in the fort at Cleveland. Permelia 
 was married in April, 181 3, to Jeremiah 
 Daniels. At that time about twenty 
 families lived at Huron, and so active were 
 Indian depredations in the vicinity that 
 they were compelled to leave their homes 
 nine times during one year. After the 
 death of Mr. Daniels, the widow married 
 Isaac Allyn. The latter died January 30, 
 1839, and Mrs. Allyn survived until Sep- 
 tember 18, 1874, living during the last 
 eighteen months of her life with her 
 daughter Lydia. Mrs. Allyn was a woman 
 of considerable business ability and very 
 industrious. One year with her own 
 hands she salted more than one hundred 
 barrels of pork. To Isaac and Permelia 
 Allyn three children were born: Lydia, 
 born March 20, 1828; Isaac M., of Riley 
 township, born February 8, 1832; Per- 
 melia, born Novembers, 1837, died June 
 
 25, 1881. 
 
 After his marriage to Lydia Allyn, 
 Carmi G. Sanford began housekeeping in 
 a small cabin in Townsend township. It 
 was made entirely of logs and puncheons, 
 except the door, which was fashioned 
 from the boards of a store box. In this 
 cabin Mr. Sanford lived for about ten 
 years. Onlj- a small part of his little 
 farm was cleared, and he had an abun- 
 dance of work before him. He kept pace 
 with the new methods and machinery for 
 farming, and by economj' and industry 
 added to his possessions until he owned 
 400 well-improved acres. Like his father, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 631 
 
 he was a Whig in politics, and in later 
 years became a Republican. Sostrongwere 
 his political convictions that he quite natur- 
 ally became a leader in the community in 
 which he lived. During the war he was 
 active in encouraging enlistments and in 
 caring for the families of soldiers, spend- 
 ing time and money freely. When the 
 One Hundred and Sixty-ninth O. V. I. 
 was formed he was chosen captain of 
 Company C, composed of volunteers 
 from Riley and Townsend townships, 
 and at the regimental organization in 
 Fremont he was chosen lieutenant col- 
 onel, Nathaniel Ha}nes being elected 
 colonel. Lieut. -Col. Sanford had charge 
 of the regiment on its march from Fre- 
 mont to Sandusky, but through the ca- 
 price of Col. Wiley he was relieved from 
 service before he had been mustered in, 
 much to the regret of the regiment, which 
 had become very much attached to him. 
 Mr. Sanford has served Townsend town- 
 ship as clerk and justice of the peace, 
 and his county as infirmary director and 
 as county commissioner. He was a mem- 
 ber of Clyde Lodge F. & A. M., and of 
 Erie Commandery No. 23. In 1882 he 
 removed to Clyde. He was one of the 
 organizers of the People's Bank, and was 
 elected its president, a position he held 
 until his death which occurred Sep- 
 tember 13, 1894. He was also a mem- 
 ber of the marble firm of Sanford & 
 Hughes, one of the largest and most act- 
 ive business houses of the kind in this 
 part of Ohio. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Sanford seven chil- 
 dren were born, as follows: Mary P., 
 born April 24, 1846, died in infancy; Win- 
 field Scott, born August 16, 1847, who mar- 
 ried Eliza McCartney, by whom he had 
 three children — Carmi G., Jr., Cora and 
 Charles F. — and who died September 8, 
 1889; Flora A., born February 3, 1850, 
 who married James Gaw and died Febru- 
 ary 28, 1872; Morgan C, born July 25, 
 1861, who married Ida White, and has 
 three children — Blake, John H.and Flora; 
 
 Kate L. , born November 7, 1864, died 
 March i, 1868; Hattie M., born January 
 24, 1868, and married to W. E. Hughes, 
 of the marble firm of Sanford & Hughes; 
 Charles G. , born January 24, 1871, died 
 October 6, 1872. Mrs. Lydia Sanford 
 died February 11, 1893. She was a 
 whole-souled woman, happy and cheerful 
 in temperament, and deeply devoted to 
 her husband and children. She made her 
 home one of the most attractive in the 
 county, and was beloved by ail who knew 
 her. Her death was a severe blow to her 
 husband. Carmi G. Sanford inherited 
 the gentle and courtly manners of his 
 father, and by his ever-present considera- 
 tion for others he seemed a survivor of an 
 earlier type of men. No man speaks un- 
 kindly of Carmi G. Sanford, and no man 
 in Sandusky county ranks higher in pub- 
 lic esteem than did he. He had a striking 
 individuality, and such a whole-souled, 
 good-natured disposition that all knew 
 him and none knew him but to like him. 
 He was a friend of the people — the capi- 
 talist, the business man, the laborer and 
 the street urchin. 
 
 CAPTAN JOHN L. COLE, a pio- 
 neer of Sandusky county, was born 
 at Greenbush, Rensselaer Co., 
 N. Y. , in 1807. He was a son of 
 Lucius and Esther Cole, who died about 
 the year 181 5, leaving three children — 
 John L. , Mary and Lima — who then be- 
 came separated and were reared by strang- 
 ers. It fell to the lot of our subject to be 
 bound out to a sea captain by the name of 
 Tift, and to spend his time from the age 
 of eight to twenty-one years on a sailing 
 vessel in the New York and Liverpool 
 trade; so that he did not have the privi- 
 lege of attending school a single day 
 After he had served his time with this salt- 
 water captain, he went to visit his sister, 
 Lima, at Cortland, N. Y. , and wintered 
 there. In the following spring he re- 
 turned to New York City, married Miss 
 
682 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Elizabeth French, daughter of a Baptist 
 minister, and took a position as captain 
 on a packet boat on the Hudson river, 
 where he remained until he was twenty- 
 four years of age. 
 
 In 1 830 Mr. Cole wasisolicited to come 
 to Buffalo, N. Y. , to rig out a brig. This 
 he did satisfactorily, and subsequently 
 sailed as master of the vessel, for several 
 seasons, on the upper lakes, his interven- 
 ing winter seasons being spent in rigging 
 out other vessels for similar service. He 
 sailed for several seasons as captain of the 
 "Wabash." About the year 1833 he 
 made his first voyage to Lower Sandusky, 
 in quest of pipe staves for the Southern 
 sugar trade, and in the fall of that year 
 laid up his vessel at that port to await its 
 spring cargo of staves. While here he 
 made the acquaintance of Sardis Birch- 
 ard, a leading merchant and a large land 
 holder, and bought of him a tract of 480 
 acres of land in Scott township, on which 
 he made a temporary settlement a few 
 years later. In 1842 Mr. Cole and Mr. 
 Birchard went to Huron, Erie county, 
 and built the schooner ' ' Sardis Birchard. " 
 On this vessel, owned by these two men, 
 Mr. Cole sailed as captain, hailing from 
 the port of Lower Sandusky and running 
 the chain of lakes for a number of years, 
 until he abandoned the business. He 
 carried many cargoes of grain from the 
 port of Chicago when the site of that city 
 was little better than a malarious marsh. 
 n About the year 1850 Capt. Cole sold 
 his land in Scott township and bought 
 upwards of three hundred acres of the 
 Whittaker Reserve, to which he added 
 by later purchases from other parties un- 
 til he had six hundred acres. This tract, 
 which was then a dense forest, he cleared 
 up and improved, and it remains to-day a 
 fine monument to his industry and skill. 
 He was a man of small stature, but pos- 
 sessed of untiring energy, practical tact 
 and good common sense. Though cast 
 upon the wide world without book learn- 
 ing, he learned to read men instead, and 
 
 later mastered the rudiments of English 
 by the aid of his intelligent and helpful 
 wife, so that he could manage his large 
 business interests with marked success. 
 He was a Republican in politics, and his 
 wife was a member of the M. E. Church, 
 Fremont. The children of Capt. J. L. 
 and Elizabeth Cole were: Frances M., 
 wife of J. C. Barnes, of St. Lawrence 
 county, N. Y. , a student five years at 
 Oberlin College (their children were John, 
 Arthur, Charles, and Frank); John W., 
 who died at the age of fifteen; Sardis B., 
 sketch of whom follows; Hannah E., wife 
 of George W. Stull, residing on the Cole 
 homestead (their children were — Ida, El- 
 bert, Frank, Robert, Eva, Claud and 
 Fanny) ; Mercy, wife of Judge William F. 
 Bailey, of Armenia, N. Y. , who removed 
 to Eau Claire, Wis. , where she died, leav- 
 ing no children. Sarah L. , wife of A. L. 
 Dodge, druggist, of Eau Claire, Wis. , 
 whose children were — Bert, Sadie, Jessie 
 and Jamie; Emma, wife of S. J. Ludwick, 
 of Fremont, Ohio (she died without issue); 
 and Evaline, wife of L. G. Hamilton, 
 jeweller, Fremont (they have one child — 
 Mildred). 
 
 After the death of his wife, Elizabeth 
 (French), Junes, 1872, Capt. Cole mar- 
 ried on Januarj' 14, 1875, Miss Sarah A. 
 Hineline, a daughter of Hugh B. and Re- 
 becca (Lattig) Hineline. His death oc- 
 curred March 18, 1889, and he was buried 
 in Oak Wood Cemetery. His widow re- 
 sides in Fremont, Ohio. 
 
 SARDIS B. COLE, retired farmer, 
 of Fremont, Sandusky county, 
 was born in Scott township, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio, September 8, 
 1842, a son of Capt. J. L. and Elizabeth 
 (French) Cole. His early life was spent 
 in the heart of the I-5lack Swamp, in his 
 native township, and when eight years of 
 age he came with his father's family to 
 live on the historic Whittaker Reserve, 
 about two miles north of Lower Sandusky. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 683 
 
 Here he grew to manhood amid the cares 
 and labors of farm life, and attending the 
 home schools and those of Fremont village. 
 
 In the year i860 he entered Oberlin 
 College with the object of taking a course 
 of study, but on the outbreak of the 
 Civil war, when farm laborers became 
 scarce, he was obliged to abandon his 
 books and assist his father on the home 
 farm. He afterward took a commercial 
 course at Oberlin, Ohio, and served as 
 bookkeeper for I. T. Lyon, of Cleveland, 
 Ohio. He retained his home with his 
 parents until 1866, when he married 
 Miss Margaret E. Hyatt, daughter of J. 
 W. Hyatt, of Sandusky township. They 
 settled upon a farm in that township, 
 comprising about 240 acres of choice land, 
 where they lived about twenty-two years. 
 Their children were: Charles W. , a 
 banker at Hartford City, Ind., who mar- 
 ried Miss Elizabeth Winning, of that city; 
 John B., a farmer who married Miss Mat- 
 tie Ernst, and lives on the Sardis Cole 
 farm; Grace E., who died at the age of 
 seventeen, just after having completed a 
 course of study at St. Paul, Minn. ; Sar- 
 dis B., Jr., a grocer of Hartford City, 
 Ind.; George D., and Jessie, attending 
 the Fremont city schools. 
 
 Sardis B. Cole is a Republican in poli- 
 tics, and a member of the M. E. Church. 
 He is also an active member of Croghan 
 Lodge, No. yj, I. O. O. F. ; a member 
 of the Pioneer and Historical Society of 
 Sandusky county; president of the Agri- 
 cultural Society, and a liberal contributor 
 to various benevolent enterprises. In 
 1892 he removed to Fremont, and now 
 occupies a residence near the M. E. 
 Church, on Main street. 
 
 JAMES ROSEN'BERGER, a promi- 
 nent farmer of Sandusky township, 
 Sandusky county, was born in the 
 Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, near 
 the famous battle-ground, January i, 
 1 8 19, a son of Henry and Jane (Shawl) 
 
 Rosenberger, the former of whom was 
 born in Virginia, and was a farmer. His 
 parents came from Germany. 
 
 Grandfather Henry Rosenberger came 
 to this country in early life, and was mar- 
 ried in Virginia. The grandfather of our 
 subject, on mother's side, was bound out 
 to work for payment of passage to this 
 country; he settled in Virginia. Grand- 
 father Nicholas Shawl came to Seneca 
 county after our subject's father came 
 here. Both grandfathers came to Seneca 
 county in 1818, bought land, and returned 
 to Virginia. The paternal grandfather 
 died in Virginia, the maternal grandfather 
 in Seneca county, Ohio. The father of 
 our subject came to Ohio in October, 
 1823, locating in Seneca township, Seneca 
 Co., Ohio, on land his father had bought. 
 Our subject's uncle John was a distiller 
 and a miller in V'irginia, in the Shenan- 
 doah Valley, which occupations he gave 
 up, entering a quarter section of land in 
 Seneca county, Ohio, in 1822. The near- 
 est neighbor the Rosenberger's had at that 
 time was four miles distant. When go- 
 ing to see their neighbors they were guided 
 by blazed trees along the way. Uncle 
 John lived there about twenty-five years, 
 and then moved to Iowa. The father 
 of our subject was one of three sons who 
 went there. There were six children by 
 the first marriage, two by the last: Our 
 subject's father lived in Seneca county 
 until 1853, and died in Tiffin, aged eighty- 
 nine. Our subject's mother was born in 
 Virginia, and died at the age of seventy- 
 four. The father was a Republican in 
 politics, originally a Whig. They were 
 members of the M. E. Church. James 
 Rosenberger was one of eleven children: 
 Subject, Elizabeth, William, George, Har- 
 riet. David, Martha, John, Eliza, Jacob, 
 and Anna, who died in infancy. Ten of 
 these grew up to maturity. 
 
 Our subject attended school in a log 
 schoolhousc which had a chimney built 
 of sticks plastered with mud or clay mor- 
 tar. In 1843 he married, in Sandusky 
 
684 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 county, Miss Mary Ramsberg^, who was 
 born in Maryland, November 3, 18 17. 
 She is yet living. There were eight chil- 
 dren born to this union: (i) Mariba M., 
 born January 10, 1845, married Silas 
 Saffel, and had children — William, Gus- 
 tave, Jennie, George, Bertie, and Pearl. 
 (2) Lucinda, born April 13, 1848, mar- 
 ried Wallace Knight, whose children 
 were — Oliver, Bertha, Clara, George, 
 Robert and LeRoy. (3) Perry F., born 
 March 15, 1850, married Anna Hummel, 
 whose children were — Arthur, Burt, Er- 
 mie, George, Ollie, and Willie. (4) Amos 
 E., born June 17, 1852, died in infancy. 
 (5) John A., born June 28, 1854, died 
 when twenty-one years old. (6) Theo- 
 dore, born July 12, 1856, by his first mar- 
 riage had one child — Clarence — and by 
 his second marriage had two children, 
 LeRoy and one whose name is not given; 
 they live in Kansas. (7) Mary Jane 
 Rosenberger, born January 24, 1859, 
 married David Burgoon; they have no 
 children. 
 
 In 1846 our subject came to Sandusky 
 township, locating on Muskallonge creek, 
 and he has been on his present farm since 
 1854. It was then all woods. He 
 cleared it up himself. He remembers 
 distinctly the political campaign of 1840, 
 known in history as the " Log Cabin and 
 Hard Cider" campaign, which resulted in 
 the election of Gen. William H. Harri- 
 son to the Presidency. Mr. Rosenberger 
 helped to build a log cabin out of all 
 buckeye logs, at Tiffin, Ohio, on which 
 they put a clapboard roof, a barrel of 
 hard cider on top, a flagstaff with the 
 United States flag, and on top of the pole 
 a live raccoon. 
 
 JAMES H. McRITCHIE, postmaster 
 at Port Clinton, Ottawa county, was 
 born in Bay township, Ottawa Co., 
 Ohio, September 24, 1854, a son of 
 David and Jane (Yule) McRitchie, who 
 were married in Forfarshire, Scotland. 
 
 The parents of our subject emigrated 
 to America in 1832. After arriving in 
 New York City they journeyed westward 
 to Buffalo, there taking passage on a ves- 
 sel, bound for Chicago, where they ex- 
 pected to meet some friends. The ves- 
 sel, however, was wrecked in a storm 
 near the harbor of Port Clinton, and they 
 were taken ashore at that place, stopped 
 at a brick hotel that now forms part of 
 the ' ' Lake House, " kept bj' John Mitchell. 
 This was in August, 1832. Mr. Mc- 
 Ritchie relinquished his plan of going to 
 Chicago, and instead bought a farm of 
 120 acres of timbered land in Bay town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, which he cleared 
 and which served him and his family as a 
 home for many years. The countrj' was 
 then almost a wilderness, and the pio- 
 neers endured many privations. There 
 was no work for laboring people at which 
 they could earn money, except in the 
 quarries at Plaster Bed, and that was 
 seven miles from his farm. He was ac- 
 customed to go to his work on Monday 
 morning, returning on Saturday evening, 
 carrying provisions with him for a week, 
 and was often obliged to take his pay in 
 dry goods and groceries and such like, 
 in lieu of money. As soon as he was able 
 to purchase an ox team he got his supplies 
 from Lower Sandusky (now Fremont), 
 which occupied two days — one to go and 
 one to return. Having received a fairly 
 liberal education in Scotland, Mr. Mc- 
 Ritchie was well qualified to fill various 
 positions of honor and trust to which he 
 was afterward elected. He held the of- 
 fices of township clerk and justice of the 
 peace; later (1848! was elected auditor of 
 Ottawa county, which office he held nine 
 years, and in 1874 was elected county 
 treasurer, in which incumbency he served 
 four years. He was a member of the 
 Presbyterian Church, and was an enter- 
 prising and public-spirited citizen. He 
 died April 7. 1883, after which his widow 
 remained on the homestead until 1888, 
 when she went to live with her son James 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 085 
 
 H., at Port Clinton. Their children 
 were: Jeannette, William, Maria, Ellen, 
 John D., Jane, Nancy, David and James 
 H., all born in Bay township, Ottawa 
 Co., Ohio. Of these, Jeannette died in 
 childhood; William died at the age of 
 twenty-six; Maria married Darwin Hyde, 
 and lived on Catawba Island, where they 
 both died, leaving three children — Ho- 
 mer, Ora and Lemuel; Ellen married 
 Charles Darr, and lived in Bay township, 
 where they both died (one of their sons, 
 William, lives on the family homestead, 
 the other, Frank, died at the age of six- 
 teen); John D. married Sarah Legget, 
 lived on a farm for a time, then moved to 
 Port Clinton, and followed butchering 
 (their children were — Emma, William, 
 Mary, Charlotte, Ida, Ora. Clara and 
 George); Jane married J. W. Mizner, 
 hardware merchant, Port Clinton (their 
 children were — James H., Clara, Edward 
 and Grace); Nancy married James L. 
 Mackey (they lived on a farm in Bay town- 
 ship, where he died, after which she 
 moved to Port Clinton; their children 
 were Pearl, David and Alma); David 
 married Alice Hyde, and follows the 
 butchering business in Port Clinton (they 
 have one child, Charles S.). In politics 
 Mr. McRitchie was a Democrat and all 
 his sons are Democrats. 
 
 James H. McRitchie, the subject 
 proper of this sketch, was raised on his 
 father's farm and attended country schools 
 during the winter seasons. In 1888 he 
 commenced the butcher business, and so 
 continued until May 22, 1893, when he 
 was appointed postmaster at Port Clinton 
 by President Cleveland. He is a member 
 of the I. O. O. F. Lodge, No. 627, and 
 passed all the chairs of Lake Erie En- 
 campment, No. 232, and of Canton Ot- 
 tawa, No. 60; also the National Union, 
 No. 60. On November 6, 1879, he was 
 married to Miss Clara E. Lattimore, who 
 was born September 25, 1854, daughter 
 of John and Mary (Park) Lattimore, and 
 their children are: Irma A., Mack A. Mc- 
 
 Ritchie, Hattie A. and Mabel. Mr. Mc- 
 Ritchie is a typical self-made man, one 
 whose record is without a stain, and, 
 whether in prosperity or adversit}', he has 
 ever been upright, conscientious and hon- 
 orable. 
 
 D 
 
 ENNIS FAMILY. Arthur Nelson 
 Dennis and his wife were both 
 born in Maine, and in their native 
 State eight children were born to 
 them, one son and seven daughters, as 
 follows: Lucy, who became the wife of a 
 Mr. Churchill, and after his death wedded 
 Elder \\'ire; Polly; Sarah; Hannah, who 
 wedded Horace Flower; Betsy, who mar- 
 ried Alpheus Barber; Fanny, who wedded 
 Solomon Drown; Rebecca, who married 
 John Kilbourne; and John. Of this family 
 two came to Ohio — Mrs. Drown and John. 
 
 Arthur Dennis moved into New York 
 State, locating in the vicinity of Lyons, 
 but later in life moved to Erie county, 
 Penn., where he spent the remainder of 
 his days. His occupation was that of 
 shoemaker. Politically he was a Whig. 
 
 John Dennis followed farming all his 
 life; after leaving, the Keystone State he 
 located, in about 1845, in York township, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, and he owned 160 
 acres of land in Lucas county, Ohio. In 
 New York State he married Malinda 
 Hatch, a native of Maine, to which union 
 came thirteen children, namely: Alvira, 
 who became the wife of Washington 
 Collom; Hiram; John; Hatch; Spellman; 
 Malinda, who was the wife of William 
 McLain; Arthur Nelson; William George; 
 Syrenus; two who died in infancy; Fla- 
 vel; and one unnamed, a twin to Malin- 
 da. All are now deceased except Will- 
 iam. The mother of this family died 
 August 10, 1854, and the father in Sep- 
 tember, 1864. 
 
 William Dennis was born in Erie, 
 Penn., November 28, 1833. When sev- 
 enteen years of age he entered upon an ap- 
 prenticeship to the blacksmith trade, in 
 
686 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 learning which he spent three years, and 
 which he pursued until September, 1862. 
 At that time he enlisted, serving until the 
 close of the war; he participated in many 
 skirmishes, and was in the engagements at 
 Nashville, and with his command made a 
 thirty-one-days.' march with but six hours 
 rest. On April 3, 1855, Mr. Dennis wed- 
 ded Jane Nottage, a native of Ashtabula 
 county, Ohio, who died in South Dakota 
 November 3, 1885. Three children came 
 to bless this union: Clara, wife of Foster 
 Thompson, of Stillwater, Minn. ; Flora, 
 wife of James May, of Seneca county, 
 Ohio, and William N., foreman of the 
 old White Lime Co., Bowling Green, 
 Ohio. For his second wife William Den- 
 nis wedded Ella Hinton, and to this mar- 
 riage was born one child, Harry B. Will- 
 iam Dennis is engaged in dealing in horses. 
 
 Arthur Nelson Dennis (brother of 
 William Dennis) came to Sandusky coun- 
 ty, Ohio, in 1845, in the earlier days fol- 
 lowing farming; just before the outbreak 
 of the Civil war, and also during the con- 
 flict, he was in the livery business. For 
 a short time, however, he gave this up, 
 having enlisted, but he was discharged on 
 account of disability after eight months' 
 service, and returning to Clyde resumed 
 the livery business, continuing to follow 
 it for two years. Selling out, he subse- 
 quently bought a hotel and livery barn in 
 Green Spring, which he conducted for 
 about fifteen years, or until his death, 
 which occurred December 3, 1892. Mr. 
 Dennis married Mary Jane Whiteman, 
 who bore him seven children, viz. : Mar- 
 cellus, a drayman of Green Spring, Ohio; 
 Willie, who died when four years old; 
 Net E. ; George, a conductor on the " Big 
 Four" railroad; Bert, yard master in the 
 Short Line, at Sandusky, Ohio; "Pet," 
 who died at the age of nine years; and 
 Mack Charlie. 
 
 Net E. Dennis is one of the hustling 
 young men of Clyde, popular in both busi- 
 ness and social circles. He is the owner 
 of some valuable property there, and he 
 
 also pays considerable attention to good 
 horses. He married Alice Reed, of Green 
 Spring, and two children — Lela and Jim- 
 mie — have blessed their union. 
 
 M 
 
 ICHAEL D. THIERWECH- 
 
 TER (deceased) was born June 
 5, 1 83 1, in Jackson township, 
 Lebanon Co., Penn., a son of 
 Samuel and Mary (Groh) Thierwechter. 
 At about the age of twenty years he came 
 to Shelby, Ohio, where he began an ap- 
 prenticeship at the brick-making business 
 — manufacturing by hand — at the same 
 time learning the trade of blacksmith. 
 
 In 1854, became to Sandusky county, 
 Ohio, and after his marriage, which event 
 will be more fully spoken of farther on, 
 he settled on a 142-acre farm in Sandusky 
 county, near the "Four-Mile House." 
 The place at that time was a dense wild 
 forest, but by hard labor and assiduous 
 toil he succeeded in converting it into one 
 of the fine farms of that county. In an 
 early day he also followed the business of 
 auctioneer, during the war acting in that 
 capacity in the counties of Sandusky, Ot- 
 tawa, Huron, Erie, Hancock and Wood. 
 About the year 1867 he rented his farm 
 and moved to Elmore, Ottawa county, 
 where he embarked in a general mer- 
 cantile business. Here he remained un- 
 til April 6, 1 ?>■/-, when he removed to Oak 
 Harbor, in which then rising little village 
 he continued in the same line of business 
 occupying a store rented of Judge 
 Kraemer, his son Emery being associated 
 with him. In 1882 the latter was taken 
 into full partnership with his father, and 
 during the same year they built the spa- 
 cious structure, now owned and occupied 
 by Emerj- Thierwechter & Co. (Emery 
 and A. D. Thierwechter), and the amount 
 of business done within the first twelve 
 months in Oak Harbor amounted to be- 
 tween $25,000 and $30,000; but under the 
 able management of both father and son 
 the business grew so rapidly that by the 
 
cyft^ v^x (fT^^j^-y^tH^^^^^m^ 
 
A 
 
 ^&^^^,^/t,<:^^>G%'<i-^^<^><t>^^^^-^^^X-^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 G87 
 
 time of Mr. Michael D. Thierwechter's 
 decease the business had reached the enor- 
 mous figure of $22 5,000 annually. From 
 1882 to 1890 the firm was known as M. 
 D. Thierwechter & Son, but in the latter 
 year the father divided his personal inter- 
 est in the concern with his son A. D. Thier- 
 wechter, the firm name then becoming ^f. 
 D. Thierwechter & Sons, and since the 
 death of the senior member the style of the 
 firm has been Emery Thierwechter & Co. 
 
 On November 29, 18=; 5. our subject 
 was united in marriage with Miss Caroline 
 Waggoner, who was born June 29, 1839, 
 daughter of George and Margaret (Klinger) 
 Waggoner, old pioneers of Sandusky coun- 
 ty. To this union were born one daugh- 
 ter and three sons, as follows: Alice (Mrs. 
 H. L. Miller, of Tampa, Florida), born 
 September 12, 1856; Abraham D. and 
 Emery (sketches of whom follow), born 
 September 19, 1S58, and July 5, i860, 
 respectively; and George, born May 18, 
 1862. The father was called from earth 
 April 27, 1 891, and in his death the com- 
 munity lost a valued and progressive citi- 
 zen, his neighbors a faithful friend, his wife 
 a devoted husband, and his family a loving, 
 indulgent father. The widowed mother 
 still makes her home in Oak Harbor. 
 
 Michael D. Thierwechter was an en- 
 ergetic, hardworking man all his lifetime, 
 by his straightforward business and social 
 life winning the confidence of all who 
 knew him. His political interests cen- 
 tered in the Republican party, and he was 
 once a candidate for the Legislature. In 
 civic affairs, having been elected a mem- 
 ber of the city council, he held that posi- 
 tion several years with characteristic fidel- 
 ity and loyalty. In religious faith he was 
 a member of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 EMERY THIERWECHTER, pro- 
 prietor of a large mercantile busi- 
 ness, is a son of the late Michael 
 D. Thierwechter and his wife 
 Caroline (Waggoner) Thierwechter. 
 
 He was born July 5, i860, on a farm 
 near the "Four-Mile House " in Sandus- 
 ky county, Ohio, and was some seven 
 years old when his father moved with his 
 family to Elmore, Ottawa county, as 
 related in the sketch of Michael D. 
 Thierwechter. Here Emery's education 
 was received, and here was laid the foun- 
 dation of his future business career. Dur- 
 ing school vacations he worked in his 
 father's store, and for a time was engaged 
 in the retail grocery store of Louis Avers. 
 In November, 1876, Mr. Thierwechter 
 entered the business college of Spencer 
 and Bigelow, at Cleveland, Ohio, where 
 he received a thorough business training. 
 In 1877 his father and he rented a room 
 of Judge Kraemer. at Oak Harbor, and on 
 April 7 they embarked in a general mer- 
 cantile business. Since the death of the 
 latter the style of the firm has been 
 Emery Thierwechter & Co. , Emery and 
 A. D. Thierwechter being the sole repre- 
 sentatives. 
 
 That Mr. Thierwechter is a man of 
 consummate business ability is proven by 
 the fact that he has made a most phe- 
 nomenal success in his business, and has 
 established for himself a highly enviable 
 reputation for integrity and probity in all 
 his dealings. 
 
 In September, 1880, Emery Thier- 
 wechter was united in marriage with Miss 
 Luella Bruner, a native of Fremont, and 
 daughter of David and Sophia (Faust) 
 Bruner, to which union have come three 
 children: Caroline, born July 7, 1881, 
 died September 24, 1889; Edgar Weed, 
 born July 20, 1887; and Morton Emery, 
 born February 13, 1889. 
 
 Mr. Thierwechter in his political pre- 
 dilections is a pronounced Republican, and 
 in the fall of 1895 he was nominated by 
 acclamation, by the Republican Conven- 
 tion of Ottawa county, for the State Leg- 
 islature. Although the county is largely 
 Democratic, he ran far ahead of his ticket, 
 and was defeated by a very small major- 
 ity. With all his business cares and re- 
 
688 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 sponsibilities he has not been unmindful 
 of his duty to the town of his adoption. 
 He was twice elected to the city council, 
 and it was during his administration as 
 councilor that the city was paved and 
 other improvements were made. Being 
 a friend to education and progress, he 
 served on the school board, and was 
 treasurer thereof three years. Socially he 
 holds membership with the I. O. O. F. , 
 also the F. & A. M., Blue Lodge at Oak 
 Harbor, and is a Knight Templar, Toledo 
 Commandery No. 7. He is a stockholder 
 in the Oak Harbor Oil Co., in the Oak 
 Harbor Natural Gas Co., and in the Oak 
 Harbor Basket Factory. In his many 
 business responsibilities he has displayed 
 marked ability, in that and in all other 
 respects sustaining the high reputation the 
 name has for so many years enjoyed. 
 
 ABRAHAM D.THIERWECHTER 
 is a member of the firm of Emerj' 
 Thierwechter & Co., prominent 
 and progressive merchants and 
 extensive grain and produce buyers and 
 shippers, of Oak Harbor, Ottawa county, 
 and was born in \\'ashington township, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, September 19, 1858, 
 being the eldest son of Michael and Car- 
 oline (Waggoner) Thierwechter. 
 
 Our subject spent his boyhood days 
 in Elmore, Ottawa Co., Ohio, receiving a 
 good business education in the schools of 
 that town. On leaving school he entered 
 the employ of the Union Pacific Railway 
 Co., with which he continued some years. 
 After severing his connection with that 
 line he engaged in the baking business, 
 and also in a livery until 1883, in which 
 j'ear he entered his father's store, being 
 made a member of the firm in 1891. Mr. 
 Thierwechter is a man of recognized abil- 
 ity, an active, enterprising citizen, com- 
 manding the respect of every one with 
 whom he is brought in contact. 
 
 Mr. Thierwechter was married at Fre- 
 mont, Ohio, in January, 1883, the lady 
 
 of his choice being Miss Caroline Vogel, 
 whose parents. Christian and Salome 
 Vogel, were both born in Germany, and 
 crossed the ocean to this country at an 
 early date, settling in Ottawa county. 
 The mother passed from earth some j'ears 
 ago; the father still survives, and is now 
 an honored resident of Oak Harbor. To 
 Mr. and Mrs. Thierwechter have come 
 four children to brighten their home, viz. : 
 Mildred, Luella, Homer and Pauline, all 
 of whom are yet living. In his political 
 afifiliations Mr. Thierwechter is an ardent 
 supporter of the Republican party; Mrs. 
 Thierwechter is a member of the Church 
 of the Disciples. 
 
 SD. ALLEN. M. D., a popular 
 citizen and a leading physician 
 and surgeon of Oak Harbor, Ot- 
 tawa county, was born in New 
 Castle, Lawrence Co., Penn., March 26, 
 1852. 
 
 His parents, Zebina N. and Mary A. 
 (Van Eman) Allen, were born in Beaver 
 county, Penn. , the father August 23, 1 82 1 , 
 the mother April 20, 1828, and for many 
 years have been honored and respected 
 residents of Scott township, Lawrence 
 Co., Penn. Mr. Allen is a cabinet-maker 
 by trade, but for a number of years he has 
 been engaged in agricultural pursuits, and 
 in teaching school. He has also served 
 two terms as auditor for his county. Their 
 family consisted of seven children, three 
 of whom are yet living: Our subject; 
 John, residing in New Castle, Penn., and 
 Amos, living at home. 
 
 Dr. S. D. Allen, the subject of this 
 sketch, received his primary education in 
 the public schools of his native State, and 
 subsequently became a student in Western 
 Reserve College, at that time located at 
 Hudson, Ohio. On graduating from this 
 institution he studied medicine with Dr. 
 J. W. Smith, then police surgeon of Cleve- 
 land, now a resident of Wellington, Ohio, 
 taking a two-years' course under his tui- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 689 
 
 tion in Wooster University, Cleveland, 
 and graduating from " the Cleveland Uni- 
 versity of Medicine" in 1S85. He then 
 spent a year in Europe, making a special 
 study of surgery, and upon his return to 
 America, in 1886, commenced the prac- 
 tice of his profession in Oak Harbor, 
 where he has since resided. By a life of 
 hard study and devotion to his profession 
 Dr. Allen has been eminently successful 
 as a practitioner, and has succeeded in win- 
 ning the confidence and respect of the 
 entire community in which he resides. 
 
 The Doctor was united in marriage at 
 Oak Harbor, October 21, 1881, with Miss 
 Augusta Franck, a daughter of 'Squire 
 Ernst and Louise (Frank) Franck, and to 
 this union came five children, viz. : Mary 
 A., born September 10, 1882; Frederick 
 S., born August 8, 1884; E. Arvilla, born 
 May 18, 1886; Laura L. , born August 18, 
 1888; and Clara E. , born August 10, 
 1890. Dr. Allen is an honored member 
 of the following societies: The North- 
 western Homeopathic Medical Society; 
 Oak Harbor Lodge No. 495, F. & A. M., 
 Forest Chapter No. 64, R. A. M., and 
 Forest Council. The family are members 
 of the Lutheran Church. In his political 
 views our subject is a Republican. 
 
 NATHAN F. PIERSON. The early 
 history of this section of the North- 
 west can easily be read in the Irves 
 of the men of whom these bio- 
 graphical sketches are written, and there 
 is but little variety in the stories. The 
 trials and privations of the pioneers in 
 any new country are about the same; the 
 wresting of fertile farms from the virgin 
 soil, the clearing of vast forests, the 
 bridging of streams, making of roads and 
 building of log cabins are common expe- 
 riences, and the success or failure in life 
 due to the same causes, practically, as in 
 the older and more civilized communi- 
 ties; but we are glad to know just how 
 
 our early settlers fared, and how they 
 reached their present enviable condition. 
 Nathan F. Pierson, one of the oldest 
 pioneers and a prominent agriculturist of 
 Clay township, Ottawa county, was born 
 in Morris county, N. J., June 13, 1821. 
 He is a son of Daniel and Elizabeth 
 (Miller) Pierson, natives of Connecticut 
 and New jersey respectively, the former 
 of whom was born February 22, 1777. 
 Their marriage took place in New Jersey 
 June 19, 1800, and to them were born 
 ten children, as follows: Jacob, June 2, 
 1 801; Lewis, in 1803; Stephen, in 1805; 
 Frederick, in 1806; Sarah, in 1808; 
 Moses, in 181 i; Nathaniel, in 181 3; Al- 
 fred, in 18 1 5; Catherine, in 18 17; and 
 Nathan F., in 1821. The father died 
 July 14, 1825, and the mother died July 
 
 14. 1834- 
 
 Our subject received a limited educa- 
 tion in the countrj' schools of that day, 
 and began active life on a farm, also 
 working in a blacksmith shop, where he 
 remained for three years. He also learned 
 the trade of a wagon-maker, at which he 
 continued for several 3'ears, and alter- 
 nated this with work in a sawmill, farm- 
 ing, carpentering and millwrighting for a 
 period of seven years. He then spent 
 eight years in one of the largest factories 
 in Newark, N. J., bending rims, spokes, 
 etc., after which he went to Michigan, 
 where he spent three years working at 
 his trade of a carpenter and joiner. Re- 
 turning now to Ohio, he located in Harris 
 township, Ottawa county, where he bought 
 land, a part of which was under cultiva- 
 tion. He worked this farm for two years, 
 but, not liking the location, he sold out 
 and came to Clay township in 1866, buy- 
 ing a tract of eighty acres, a portion only 
 of which was improved. It was in the 
 midst of a forest, with few neighbors 
 within a mile, the land swampy and the 
 roads muddy. It was enough to appall 
 the stoutest heart, but our subject was 
 equal to the task, and with indomitable 
 will and energy went to work, clearing 
 
690 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHJCAL RECORD. 
 
 the land, planting an orchard, building a 
 dwelling house, barns and other outbuild- 
 ings, and in the course of time bringing 
 the land into a high state of cultivation 
 and making of it a valuable property, on 
 which he is spending his last days in the 
 peaceful enjoyment of the fruits of his 
 labors. 
 
 Mr. Pierson was married at Newark, 
 N. J., September 20, 1847, to Sarah E. 
 Brush, of New York State, and this 
 happy union has been blessed with si.\ 
 children, namely: Henrietta, born Jan- 
 uary 26, 1850, at Newark, N. J., died 
 July 30, 1850; George W., born August 
 29, 1 85 1, at Newark, was educated in 
 the puplic schools of Ottawa count)^ this 
 State, and worked at the cooper's trade 
 for several years; he then went on the 
 railroad as brakeman, and worked his 
 way up to the position of conductor, dur- 
 ing which time he met with several acci- 
 dents, finally meeting his death in the 
 company's yards at St. Louis, Mo., JuU^ 
 17, 1892, where a train of eighteen cars 
 ran over his body, killing him instantly; 
 his remains were brought back to his 
 home in Clay township, and there buried; 
 he was married and left one child, a 
 daughter, Lillie, who is a school teacher 
 at Port Clinton; Franklin, born June 5. 
 1853, died in infancy; Morris NI., born 
 September 20, 1855, also died in infancy; 
 Andrew, born November 15, 1859, died 
 July 29, i860; Francis Marion was 
 born November 30, 1857, and was 
 educated in the public schools of Ot- 
 tawa county; he learned the trade of a 
 barber and worked in Nebraska for sev- 
 eral 3'ears,and also in Kansas, going from 
 there to Colorado, where he now resides; 
 he was married in 1882 to Miss Minnie 
 Comstock, and they have one child. 
 
 Mr. Pierson held the office of school 
 director for two terms in Clay township. 
 Socially he belongs to Genoa Lodge No. 
 433, F. & A. M. He has been a Repub- 
 lican ever since the formation of that 
 partj , having formerly been a Whig. He 
 
 and his wife are in good health, and en- 
 joy the blessings of a well-spent life. 
 Elisha Brush, the father of Mrs. N. 
 F. Pierson, was born in June, 1796. He 
 was in the general merchandise business 
 at Nelson, N. Y., where he was married 
 April 29, 18 19, to Chloe Crisby, whose 
 birth occurred July 11, 1796. They had 
 five children: Mary, born May 9, 1820; 
 Sarah, November 11, 1821 ; Maria, August 
 20, 1S23; Caroline, July 11, 1825; and 
 John, January 2, 1829, all of whom are 
 living. 
 
 LEVI H. THRAVES, ex-county 
 treasurer of Sandusky county, was 
 born in Washington township, 
 Sandusky Co.. Ohio, March 2, 
 1847, a son of William and Marilla 
 (Graves) Thraves, whose sketch appears 
 elsewhere. 
 
 Our subject was reared on a farm, and 
 educated in the common schools. At the 
 age of nine he came with his parents to 
 Ballville township, Sandusky county, 
 where he grew to manhood, finished his 
 common-school education and attended 
 the Fremont city schools. Being the 
 youngest son. he remained with his par- 
 ents, and carried on farming and stock 
 raising for several years, afterward pur- 
 chasing the family homestead. For ten 
 years he taught school in the winter sea- 
 sons, principally in Sandusky county. An 
 ardent Democrat, he held the offices of 
 township trustee and justice of the peace. 
 In 1889 he was elected treasurer of San- 
 dusky county, rented his farm and moved 
 to Fremont. 
 
 In 1875 L. H. Thraves married Miss 
 Loretta Sendelbauch, daughter of John 
 and Frances Floretta (Baumgardner) 
 Sendelbauch, natives of Germany, who 
 had moved to Fremont, Ohio, in an early 
 day. Mr. Sendelbauch was an undertaker 
 and a teacher of music. He taught the 
 first band of music in Fremont. His death 
 occurred in 1873, and his widow lives on 
 
C0MMEM0RA7 IVE BIOOBAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 691 
 
 their old farm homestead, east of Fre- 
 mont. They were members of the Roman 
 Catholic Church. 
 
 The children of L. H. and Loretta 
 Thraves are: John W. , Francis F. , and 
 Mary H. Mr. Thraves is a member of 
 Fremont Lodge, 202, Knights of Pythias, 
 also of the Order of Elks, 169. Mrs. 
 Thraves is a member of St. Ann's Church, 
 Fremont. 
 
 PHILLIP R. SNIDER, a retired 
 farmer, and one of the pioneer 
 settlers and highly-esteemed citi- 
 zens of Erie township, Ottawa 
 county, was born in Warren county. New 
 Jersey, March 5, 1821, and is a son of 
 Henry and Margaret (Redding) Snider. 
 They were also natives of that State, the 
 father coming of German, the mother of 
 English, ancestry. In 1835 they mi- 
 grated westward to Ottawa county, Ohio, 
 when it was still in a wild state. They 
 were honored residents of the commu- 
 nity from that time until called to their 
 final rest, the father dying in 1839, the 
 mother in August, 1885. They were the 
 parents of six children, only two of whom 
 are now living: Henry, a resident of 
 Lucas county, Ohio; and Phillip R. 
 
 The subject proper of this sketch, 
 Phillip R. Snider, acquired his elemen- 
 tary education in the district schools of 
 his native State, and in the spring of 
 1835 came with his parents to Ottawa 
 county, where for si.xty years he has con- 
 tinuously made his home. He was 
 reared in the usual manner of farmer lads, 
 and throughout his active business life 
 has devoted his time and energies to agri- 
 cultural pursuits. His industry, persever- 
 ance and good management have brought 
 to him a comfortable competence, and 
 now in his declining jears he is resting in 
 the enjoyment of the fruits of his former 
 toil. He has been twice married; first 
 time on November 7, 1844, in Erie town- 
 ship, to Octalana Webster, by whom he 
 
 had nine children, a brief record of 
 whom is as follows: (i) James H., born 
 September 21, 1846, married June 24, 
 1866, Mary A. Minier, who was born 
 September 11, 1850, youngest daughter 
 of John Minier, Sr. , a pioneer of Salem 
 township, Ottawa county, and the chil- 
 dren of this union were as follows: James 
 W. , born March 2, 1868, died January 
 1894; Alverdia B., born November 
 1870, married September 3, 1890, to 
 V. Ruff (their children are Raymond 
 born June 6, 1891, and Lina A., 
 1894); Esther N., born 
 married William Huber 
 Adelia A., born July 12, 
 Ream November 
 born August 29, 
 
 13. 
 
 29. 
 
 W. 
 
 R., 
 
 born August 19 
 
 April 15, 1871, 
 
 April 15, 1895; 
 
 1873, married Edward 
 
 I, 1893; Cornelia B., 
 
 1875; Philip Elsworth, born January 31, 
 1878; Josephine Mabel, born November 
 12, 1880, died December 25, 1885; and 
 Hiram Hurd, born May 8, 1882. Mr. 
 and Mrs. James H. Snider live in Toledo, 
 Ohio. 
 
 (2) Margaret Ann, born May 8, 1849, 
 became the wife of Benjamin Minier, and 
 had children as follows: Octa L. , born 
 July 13, 1869, was married November 12, 
 1892, to George Stephens; ElvaE. , born 
 January 17, 1870; Stella M., born March 
 -3- '873, was married October 12, 1893, 
 to Edward Hendricks; Elmer B., born 
 December 30, 1874; Christopher C, 
 born May 19, 1879; and Clarence J., born 
 March 29, 1881. The mother of these 
 died November 2, 1882. 
 
 (3) Theodore L., born July 19, 1852, 
 resides on the old homestead, and will 
 presently be more fully spoken of. (4) 
 Elva M., born March 19, 1854, died Oc- 
 tober 2, 1894, married Joseph Yeisley, 
 of Erie township, and had children as fol- 
 lows: Edith Bell, born July 27, 1874; 
 George Orvill, born July 10, 1878; Ivy 
 May, born July 19, 1883, and Ralph R. , 
 born July 31, 1888. (5) William Henry, 
 born March 16, 1856, wedded Marj' Har- 
 rison, and they have a family of four chil- 
 dren — May, EUwood, Vernon, and Stan- 
 
692 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ley. (6) Clarissa Jane, born February 2, 
 1858, is the wife of Ralph Webster, of 
 Defiance, Ohio, and has one child — 
 Phillip H. (7) Abigail L. , born January 
 3, i860, is the wife of Albert Lewis, of 
 Defiance, and they have a daughter — 
 Nina. (8) Edmund K., born November 
 2 2, 1 86 1, married Ozzie Pelton, and with 
 their son, Munson, they now reside in 
 Toledo, Ohio. (9) George Ellsworth, born 
 February 26, 1864, died October 16, 1886. 
 
 Mrs. Snider, the mother of the above 
 mentioned family, died May 18, 1869, 
 and on November 12, 1870, Mr. Snider 
 married Mrs. Mary Webster, widow of 
 James H. \\'cbster, and a daughter of 
 Nathaniel and Mary Ann (Ballard) Tucker. 
 She was born in Pitcairn, St. Lawrence 
 Co., N. Y. , September 11, 1824. By 
 her first marriage she had ten children, 
 seven of whom are still living, namely: 
 Jason, born January 16, 1845; Herbert T., 
 born October 14. 1847, now living in 
 Oakland, Cal. ; Henry Howard, born July 
 30, 1849, residing in Brooklyn, Ohio; 
 Ella Ann, born February 18, 1853, now 
 the wife of William Laidler, of Cleveland, 
 Ohio; Ralph D., born March 9, 1855, 
 residing in Defiance, Ohio; Israel J., born 
 April 10, 1858, living in Paulding, Ohio; 
 and Nelson R., born June 25, 1862, a 
 resident of Riverside, California. 
 
 Mr. Snider has served as county com- 
 missioner for six years; was a director of 
 Ottawa County Infirmary six years; has 
 served as justice of the peace twenty-nine 
 years, and has honorably and acceptably 
 filled all township offices. In politics he 
 has been a life-long Democrat, and he 
 and his wife are worthy members of the 
 United Brethren Church. His life has 
 been well spent, and during his residence 
 in Ottawa county he has won the respect 
 of all with whom he has come in contact. 
 
 Thkodore L. Snider, second son of 
 our subject, was born July 19, 1852, and 
 since his infancy has been numbered 
 among the residents of Erie township, 
 Ottawa county. Its district schools af- 
 
 forded him his educational privileges, and 
 from early life he has followed the voca- 
 tion of farming. After arriving at years 
 of maturity, he was married in Sandusky 
 City, July 12, 1877, to Sarah Pickard, 
 who was born in Carroll township, Ot- 
 tawa county, August 12, 1850, daughter 
 of George and Abi (Moore) Pickard. Six 
 children have been born to this marriage: 
 Grace. July 28, 187S; Clayton, October 
 9, 1879;" Pearl, March 18, 1S81; Zehnr, 
 November 12, 1883; George D., Septem- 
 ber 7, 1887; and Hazel Jeanette, Febru- 
 ary 6, 1893. Mr. T. L. Snider is one of 
 the young and progressive farmers of his 
 section of Ottawa county, an enterprising 
 and industrious citizen, popular and high- 
 ly esteemed by all who know him. 
 
 SAGISHMAEL BARNES, an enter- 
 prising, progressive citizen of Oak 
 Harbor, Ottawa county, and pro- 
 prietor of one of the best equipped 
 and most extensive flour mills in the coun- 
 ty, was born in Monroeville, Allen Co., 
 Ind., July 20, 1850. 
 
 Henry and Mary (Curtis) Barnes, the 
 parents of our subject, were both natives 
 of the State of Vermont, and honored and 
 respected citizens of Allen county, Ind., 
 for over thirty-five years. Their family 
 consisted of nine children, five of whom 
 still survive, viz. : Sarah, widow of Henry 
 Stevens, residing at Fort Wayne, Allen 
 Co., Ind.; Sagishmael; Garmiel, residing 
 in Oak Harbor; Annie, wife of Charles 
 Swede, residing in Paulding, Ohio; and 
 \\'illiam A. Mr. Barnes' death occurred 
 in June, 1881, Mrs. Barnes dying in 
 March of the same year. 
 
 Sagishmael Barnes, the subject proper 
 of this sketch, received his education in 
 the district schools of his native town, 
 and early in life was trained to farm work. 
 On attaining the age of seventeen j'ears 
 he began his career as a miller, working 
 first as an apprentice, then as a journey- 
 man, until 1873, when he entered into 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 G93 
 
 partnership with Daniel Shani? in the 
 miihng business, under the firm name of 
 Shank & Co. In 1878 Mr. Barnes dis- 
 posed of his interest in this mill, and re- 
 movetl to Pauldinj^, Ohio, operating a 
 mill at that place until his removal to Oak 
 Harbor, where he purchased the mill 
 which he still continues to run, having 
 fitted it up with the most modern ma- 
 chinery. Mr. Barnes, possessing a thor- 
 ough knowledge of his business, and by a 
 life of energy and perseverance, has suc- 
 ceeded in building up a large and rapidly 
 increasing trade, ranking to-day among 
 the most prominent and influential busi- 
 ness men of Oak Harbor. 
 
 Our subject has been twice married, 
 first time to Miss Mary Calvert, of Penn- 
 sylvania, to which union were born five 
 children, one of whom, Harlan, still sur- 
 vives. On March 3, 1888, Mr. Barnes 
 was again united in marriage, this time 
 with Miss Maria Welden. daughter of 
 Joseph and Mary (Stewart) Welden. 
 There are no children by the second mar- 
 riage. Politically, our subject has always 
 been a Republican. The family are 
 members of the Methodist Church, and 
 sociallj' they enjoy the respect of a wide 
 circle of friends. 
 
 EDWARD WEDEKIND is one of 
 the wide-awake, "up-to-date" 
 pushing young business men of 
 Port Clinton, Ottawa county. 
 He is a native of Ohio, born October 
 12, 1863, in Danbury township, Ottawa 
 county, son of Edward and Sophia (Schrce- 
 der) Wedckind, well-to-do farming peo- 
 ple of Danbury township, where the father 
 died in 1863, leaving one son, Edward. 
 His widow afterward married Henry 
 Bredbeck, farmer and fruit grower of 
 Danbury township, and they became the 
 parents of seven children, four of whom 
 are yet living, viz. : Herbert, born June 
 10, 1 871; Minnie, December 19, 1875; 
 
 Frederick, February 26, 1877; and Estella, 
 March 20, 1879. 
 
 Edward Wedekind, our subject, grew 
 to manhood on a farm, and attended 
 country schools until he was about eight- 
 een years of age; also Port Clinton Normal 
 School. In 1884 he attended the Spen- 
 cerian Business College, Cleveland, Ohio, 
 one term, and in 1885 entered into part- 
 nership with H. J. Rohrs, in the hardware 
 business, at Port Clinton. In July, 18S7, 
 he bought out his partner. 
 
 On December 26, 1888, he was united 
 in marriage with Mary J. Richardson, 
 of Port Clinton, Ohio, daughter of David 
 and Pauline (A.delman) Richardson, and 
 their children are: Jessie Rhea and Ralph, 
 born in 1889 and 1891 respective!}'. 
 Sociallv, our subject is a member of the 
 I. O. 6. F., K. of P. (in which he has 
 passed all the Chairs) and National Union. 
 Politically he is a Democrat. 
 
 DAVID B. LOVE, member of the 
 firm of Buckland & Love, Attor- 
 neys at Law, Fremont, Sandusky 
 county, is a native of Ohio, and 
 was born January 15, 1859, in Harrison 
 county. 
 
 George Love, his father, was a native 
 of Belmont county, Ohio, born in 1827, 
 and while a mere boy removed with his 
 mother to Harrison county, where, after 
 receiving all the educational advantages 
 of the common schools, he followed farm- 
 ing, and in 1856 was married to Barbara 
 Barclay, daughter of David and Elizabeth 
 Barclay, who were among the early pio- 
 neers of Harrison county. Both are 
 members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church, and still reside on the old 'home- 
 stead in Harrison county, where the father 
 has held and filled various offices of pub- 
 lic trust. His father, Capt. George Love, 
 served with distinction in the war of 1812 
 under General Harrison. 
 
 David B. Love, the subject of our 
 
694 
 
 COMMEMORATTVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 sketch, was reared amid all the experi- 
 ences of farm life, which, from the rolling 
 surface and varied and fertile soils of his 
 native county, afforded ample opportuni- 
 ties for acquiring not only a general 
 knowledge of this, but also of all kindred 
 industries. He received his elementary 
 education at the common schools of the 
 neighborhood of his boyhood home, and 
 the village schools of Moorefield, Ohio, 
 working on the farm during the spring, 
 summer and fall seasons, and attending 
 school in the winter until he was nineteen 
 years of age. He then attended Franklin 
 College, at New Athens, Ohio, for two 
 years, teaching school between terms in his 
 home district, in order to pay for his col- 
 lege instruction. For the purpose of 
 specially fitting himself for the profes- 
 sion of teaching, he later entered the 
 Ohio Normal University at Ada, where he 
 spent four years, completed the Univer- 
 sity course, and graduated with honor, 
 with the class of '85, receiving the degree 
 of M. A. Before completing his course of 
 studies, however, he decided to take up the 
 study of law immediately after graduation ; 
 but upon the unsolicited recommendation 
 of the President of the University, he was 
 elected to the superintendency of the pub- 
 lic schools of Oak Harbor, Ohio, which 
 position he accepted and filled for two 
 years, during which time he reorganized 
 and graded the schools, outlined and se- 
 cured the adoption, by the Board of Edu- 
 cation, of an advanced course of study, 
 and graduated the first class therefrom in 
 1887. To the credit of Mr. Love it can 
 be said that the educational interests of 
 Oak Harbor received an impetus in the 
 right direction. Having decided to make 
 the legal profession his future life work, he 
 then removed to Fremont and renewed 
 his legal studies, to which he had given 
 considerable attention while teaching, in 
 the office of Finefrock «S: Dudrow. In 
 December, 1890, he was admitted to the 
 bar, and at once opened an office for the 
 practice of law, in which he continued 
 
 alone until October, 1892, when he be- 
 came associated with Horace S. Buckland, 
 under the firm name of Buckland & Love. 
 This firm will be dissolved in May, 1896, 
 by reason of the election of Mr. Buck- 
 land to the office of Common Pleas Judge. 
 
 Mr. Love in his political preferences 
 is a Republican, but does not court politi- 
 cal distinction; he has been for two years 
 Chairman of the count}- Republican E.xec- 
 utive Committee. In i 894 he was elected 
 a member of the city Board of Educa- 
 tion for one year, and in 1895 was re- 
 elected for two 3'ears. He still retains his 
 interest in educational matters, and this, 
 coupled with his former experience as a 
 teacher and superintendent of schools, has 
 rendered his counsel valuable in the re- 
 cent educational reforms instituted by 
 the Board of Education. 
 
 In 1888. at Mt. Gilead, Ohio. Mr. 
 Love was married to Miss Josephine S. 
 Wood, daughter of Asa M. and Eliza J. 
 Wood. Four childien have been born 
 to them: D. Ewing, Esther Josephine, 
 Anna Maree and C. Wendell. Mrs. Love 
 graduated from the Mt. Gilead public 
 schools, and afterward attended the Ohio 
 Normal University, and graduated in the 
 classical course in 1883. Possessed of 
 superior scholarship and ability, she was 
 employed there as a teacher of Latin and 
 mathematics until her marriage, when she 
 resigned. During her career as a teacher 
 at the University she acquired the reputa- 
 tion of being most thorough and success- 
 ful, and received the degree of A. M. 
 in 1886. 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Love are members 
 of the Presbyterian Church, of the Sun- 
 day-school of which he was Superintend- 
 ent for four years. In his profession 
 Mr. Love's course is marked by caution, 
 always advising settlements rather than 
 suits, and at all times making his client's 
 interests his own; and blessed with a 
 genial disposition, a high sense of honor 
 and correct habits, we predict for him a 
 successful professional career. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 695 
 
 t 
 
 HERMAN BUNTE. Among the 
 enterprising and prosperous citi- 
 zens of Allen township, Ottawa 
 county, is found the gentleman 
 whose name here appears, and who, be- 
 sides carrying on farming, is engaged in 
 the manufacture of tiles and also coopers' 
 material. 
 
 Mr. Bunte is a native of the 
 " Fatherland," having been born in Han- 
 over, Germany, October i8, 1849, a son 
 of William and Mary (Hebbeler) Bunte, 
 both also natives of Hanover, who had a 
 family of nine children, si.x of whom are 
 living, as follows: Mary, wife of Henry 
 Gerkensmyer, residing in Clay township; 
 Henry, who lives in Woodville, Sandusky 
 county; Herman, our subject; William, 
 who lives at Curtis, in Allen township; 
 Annie, wife of Herman Strautman, re- 
 siding in Clay township; and Louis, who 
 lives in Allen township. The father is 
 still living, near Williston, Allen town- 
 ship, but the mother passed away July 
 26, 1 89 1. Our subject received his edu- 
 cation in the district schools of his native 
 county, and spent his boyhood upon his 
 father's farm. In 1866 he accompanied 
 the family to America, where they settled 
 in Woodville township, Sandusky Co., 
 this State. Here he was engaged in 
 farming for thirteen years, and in 1879 
 removed to the section of Clay township 
 which is now Allen township, where he 
 has since carried on agricultural pur- 
 suits. Not content to confine his en- 
 ergies to one branch of business, Mr. 
 Bunte entered upon the manufacture of 
 tiles, in which he has been so successful 
 as to place him among the leading manu- 
 facturers of this part of the county. 
 Later he still further extended his opera- 
 tions by going into the lumber business in 
 Centre township. Wood county, where he 
 owns and operates a mill for furnishing 
 boards and other material for the use of 
 coopers. In this as well as in other ven- 
 tures he has been remarkably successful, 
 
 a result due to his industry, progressive 
 
 4-1 
 
 ideas and excellent judgment. Mr. Bunte 
 was married in Covington, Ky. , Decem- 
 ber 18, 1884, to Sarah Philena, daughter 
 of William and Mary (Roberts) King. 
 No children have been born of this mar- 
 riage. 
 
 Mr. Bunte is a stanch Democrat, and 
 is interested in all that pertains to the 
 growth and upbuilding of the community 
 in which he resides. He and his wife are 
 worthy members of the Lutheran Church, 
 and command the respect and esteem of 
 their neighbors. 
 
 CYRUS ELLITHORPE, a fruit 
 grower of Catawba Island town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, was the first 
 white child born on Kelley's Is- 
 land, the date of his birth being October 
 15, 1832. 
 
 When about three years old, he re- 
 moved with his parents, Henry and Eliza- 
 beth (Neal) Ellithorpe, to Danbury town- 
 ship, Ottawa county (then a part of 
 Huron county, however,), and four years 
 later came to what is now Catawba Island 
 township. Here he received such a limited 
 education as was obtainable in those 
 days in the old log schoolhouse with its 
 slab seats, and like the majority of boys 
 of that date was early inured to the ardu- 
 ous duties of farm life. He has always 
 devoted a portion of his time to agricultu- 
 ral pursuits, and during the spring and 
 fall for fourteen years was also engaged 
 in fishing on Lake Erie, but of late years 
 his chief occupation has been fruit culture. 
 On September 10, 1867, Mr. Ellithorpe 
 was married on Catawba Island to Miss 
 Emma Reynolds, born August 23, 1850, 
 a daughter of Andrew S. and Adeline 
 (Stevens) Reynolds, who located on Ca- 
 tawba Island in 1855, where the mother 
 still resides; the father passed away June 
 20, 1892. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ellithorpe have come ten children, namely: 
 Cora I., born July 7, 1868, now the wife 
 of Thurman Leslie, of Toledo, Ohio;Orrin 
 
696 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 A., born April 1 1, 1870, was married Oc- 
 tober 25, 1894, to May Tompson, of Port 
 Clinton, Ohio, and they reside on Cataw- 
 ba Island; Marion R., born February 5, 
 1872, now the wife of Herman Mierke, of 
 Fremont, Ohio; Myra E., born April 10, 
 1875, wife of William Hyde, residing near 
 Lacarne, Eric township, Ottawa county; 
 William P., born June 16, 1877, still un- 
 der the parental roof; Asa A., born Janu- 
 ary 10, 1 881; Charles R. , born February 
 23, 1883; Pearl B., born March 4, 1885; 
 Lloyd R. , born April 22, 1889, died Jan- 
 uary 31, 1892; and Mildred A., born May 
 28, 1892. 
 
 In May, 1864, Mr. Ellithorpe enlisted 
 in the service of his country as a one- 
 hundred-day man and was attached to 
 Company K, One Hundred and Thirty- 
 nitnh O. V. I. He did guard duty at 
 Point Lookout, Md., and on the expira- 
 tion of his term of service received an 
 honorable discharge; he now holds mem- 
 bership with George H. McRitchie Post, 
 No. 524, G. A. R. Politically he is an 
 ardent Republican. Mr. Ellithorpe can 
 well be classed among the most prosper- 
 ous and successful fruit growers of the 
 Island, his orchards being among the best 
 cultivated and most productive in his 
 section of the country. He is a man of 
 unassuming manner, and he and his fam- 
 ily are held in high esteem as neighbors 
 and friends. 
 
 PETER BELTS devotes his time 
 and energies to fruit growing 
 on Put in Bay Island, where he 
 is a highly-esteemed citizen. His 
 name is almost a household word, so 
 widely is he known and so highly is he re- 
 spected. He was born in Lycoming 
 county, Penn., April 20, 1832, and is a 
 son of the late Peter and Mary (Stinger) 
 Belts, who were also natives of the Key- 
 stone State. There they spent their en- 
 tire lives and passed peacefully away at 
 the old homestead in Lycoming county. 
 
 Their union was blessed with a family of 
 eleven children, four of whom are still 
 living: Sarah, widow of Joseph Mackey, 
 a resident of Missouri; Charles, who is 
 residing on the old home farm in Pennsyl- 
 vania; Peter, subject of this sketch, and 
 Ellis, a resident of Kansas. 
 
 In the usual manner of farmer lads 
 our subject spent the days of his boyhood 
 and youth, and the duties of the farm 
 left him little spare time in which to pro- 
 cure even a limited education, but in the 
 school of e.xperience he has learned many 
 valuable lessons, and reading, observa- 
 tion and contact with the world have 
 made him a well-informed man, and given 
 him the important position in the com- 
 munity which he now fills. In 1855 
 he bade adieu to his old home and mi- 
 grated to Iowa, locating in Chickasaw 
 county, where he was manager of a saw- 
 mill for more than four years. In 1859 
 he left the Hawkeye State, and took up 
 his residence in Huron county, Ohio, 
 where for three years he was engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits. In the fall of 1862 
 Mr. Betts removed to Put in Bay Island, 
 and for thirty-three years has been a con- 
 stant resident of that place, extensively 
 engaged in the cultivation of fruit. He 
 raises fine varieties, and the care and 
 labor which he bestows upon his orchard 
 command for its fine products a good 
 price on the market. 
 
 Mr. Betts has been twice married, 
 first time to Mar\- Jane Mackey, the mar- 
 riage being celebrated in Lycoming coun- 
 ty, Penn., December i, 1854. Of the 
 four children born of this union, two 
 died in infanc}'; Sarah Catherine is now 
 the wife of J. V. Hitchcock, a resident 
 of Cleveland, Ohio, and Oscar resides on 
 Put in Bay Island. Mrs. Betts died Au- 
 gust 20, 1862, in Huron county, Ohio, 
 and Mr. Betts, for his second wife, mar- 
 ried, on Put in Ba\- Island, March 17, 
 1864, Miss Saphroni Hughes, who was 
 born in Lexington, Mich., a daughter of 
 Capt. James and Helen (Ellsworth) 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 697 
 
 Hughes. When Mrs. Saphroni Betts 
 was about seven years old her father re- 
 moved with his family from Le.xington, 
 Mich., to Manitowoc, Wis., to make 
 their home there, and Mrs. Betts resided 
 there until 1863, when she came to Put 
 in Bay. Capt. James Hughes, father of 
 Mrs. Betts, sailed on the lakes for about 
 twenty-five years, and most of the time 
 sailed the Transit, one of the Goodrich 
 steamers His residence was at Mani- 
 towoc, Wisconsin. 
 
 Mr. Betts is a progressive citizen, 
 manifesting a commendable interest in 
 everything pertaining to the welfare of 
 the community and its upbuilding. In 
 politics he is a stanch Republican, and 
 for eleven years has efficiently served his 
 township in office. He and his wife are 
 members of the Reformed Episcopal 
 Church, and have a wide circle of friends 
 and acquaintances who hold them in high 
 regard. 
 
 DAVID LONG. None but the old 
 pioneers and their families know 
 of the toil and the hardships un- 
 dergone by the early settlers of 
 the countrj', and none have experienced 
 more of these than the subject of this 
 sketch, who is the oldest settler in Clay 
 township, Ottawa county. 
 
 Mr. Long was born in Medina county, 
 April 24, 1830, whence he moved with his 
 parents, in 1836, to Hardin countj', where 
 he attended school for a few winter terms 
 in the log schoolhouse of that day, with 
 its puncheon floor, slab seats, and greased 
 paper for windows. The schools were 
 few and far between, and the advantages 
 for learning very limited. In the summer 
 seasons he assisted his father upon the 
 farm. When he was fourteen years old, 
 his father purchased a farm in Clay town- 
 ship, all of which was covered with tim- 
 ber. Here the young lad worked with 
 his brother and father, until attaining his 
 majority, when he started out for himself, 
 
 buying eighty acres of timber land. He 
 at once set to work clearing off the trees, 
 planting corn and sowing wheat as fast as 
 the soil was prepared. For many years 
 he had to carry his grain a long distance 
 by o.\-team to be ground. After several 
 years of hard struggle and toil, Mr. Long 
 managed to bring his land up to its pres- 
 ent high state of cultivation, and is now 
 reaping the benefits of his early labors. 
 On February 20, 1865, he enlisted in 
 Company B, One Hundred and Eighty- 
 ninth Ohio Infantry, under the command 
 of Col. H. D. Kingsbury and Capt. Lake- 
 man, and was at Nashville, Tenn., when 
 he was made cook for his company. He 
 received his discharge September 13, 
 1865, and returned home, resuming work 
 upon his farm and building a fine resi- 
 dence, barns, and making other needed 
 improvements. On March 13, 1853, Mr. 
 Long was married, at Genoa, this State, 
 to Miss Abbie, a daughter of Andrew and 
 Margaret Snider, of Clay township, and 
 of tlieir union seven children have been 
 born, of whom the following record has 
 been given: (i) David S. was born August 
 II, 1855, in Clay township, where he re- 
 ceived his education; he was married to 
 Miss May Sheets, August 11, 1893, and 
 resides at Coleman, Mich., where he is 
 engaged in the manufacture of potash; 
 they have one child. (2) Sarah A., born 
 January 31, 1858, was educated in Genoa; 
 in 1875 was married to A. Shantan, and 
 they had one daughter, Priscilla Shantan; 
 after three years' married life Mr. and 
 Mrs. Shantan separated, and September 
 4, 1895, she married Charles Reef, who 
 is doing business in Toledo. (3) Harriet 
 A., born November 28, 1862, was married 
 April 24, 1 882, to John Englehart, a manu- 
 facturer of potash at Woodville, Sandusky 
 county; they are the parents of six chil- 
 dren — Lizzie, Laura, Frederick, Charles, 
 Clarence and John. (4) Marj' S. , born 
 February 5, 1866, was educated in the 
 public schools of Clay township, and was 
 married December 23, 1886, to Edward 
 
698 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Schneider, who was born in Cleveland, 
 Ohio, March 7, 1864; he is a son of 
 Frederick Schneider, a cooper, and after 
 attending school there for some years, 
 learned the coopering business, afterward 
 taking up that of stave cutting; he is now 
 working his father-in-law's farm; three 
 children have been born of this union — 
 Frederick D., born May 6, 1888; Abbie 
 C, born December 8, 1889; and Earl C, 
 born January 21, 1894. (5) Charles A. 
 Long was born August 8, 1870, in Clay 
 township, where he attended school; he 
 was married, March 12, 1895, to Miss 
 Rosie Sheffield, at Coleman, Mich., where 
 he resides, being employed as engineer in 
 a factory. (6) William Edward was born 
 September 22, 1865, and died in January, 
 1867; one child died in infancy. 
 
 Louis Long, father of our subject, was 
 born in Pennsylvania in 1803. came to 
 Hardin, Ohio, and located in Medina 
 county, where he was married to Julia De- 
 long, who was also a native of Pennsylva- 
 nia. Twelve children were born to them, 
 as follows : David, Jacob, Powell, Cath- 
 erine, Lewis, May, Joseph, Andrew, 
 Julia, and three who died in infancy. Mr. 
 Long removed to Hardin county, and 
 afterward to Ottawa county, in March, 
 1846, settling in Clay township, where 
 he carried on farming until his death, in 
 1874. His wife died four years previous. 
 They were beloved and respected by all 
 who knew them. 
 
 Andrew Snider, father of Mrs. David 
 Long, was born in Pennsylvania, where 
 he carried on farming and also weaving. 
 He married Margaret Laudenstine, and 
 to them eight children were born — five 
 sons and three daughters, viz. : Eliza, 
 Sophia, Daniel, Andrew (a sketch of 
 whom is given elsewhere;, Henry, Ed- 
 ward, Hannah and Abigail, the latter 
 becoming the wife of our subject. Mr. 
 Snider farmed for several years in Medina 
 county, this State, afterward coming to 
 Clay township, where he died in 1876, 
 his wife passing away in 1882. 
 
 Francis S. Lutman, nephew of our 
 subject, and who is at present residing 
 with his uncle, was born in Mulberry, 
 Wood Co., Ohio, September 23, 1862, 
 and is the son of the late George L. Lut- 
 man, a merchant at Mulberry. Francis 
 studied for the ministry under the tutor- 
 ship of the Rev. D. Calkins, of Mul- 
 berr\-, but on account of ill health has 
 had to give it up for a time. He hopes 
 soon to be able to resume his studies, and 
 in the meantime has a license to perform 
 ministerial duties. 
 
 The subject of this sketch held the 
 office of school director for thirty years, 
 and was one of the few who helped to 
 establish his neighborhood. He helped 
 to form the church at East Toledo, and 
 worked for several years in Toledo when 
 it had but a few houses. The family be- 
 long to the Lutheran Church, and in pol- 
 itics Mr. Long is a Democrat. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Long are both enjoying a hale and 
 hearty old age, surrounded by their chil- 
 dren, able to look after their own affairs, 
 and proud of the development of Clay 
 township in which they have borne an 
 important part. 
 
 CHARLES F. HOLDER, land- 
 owner and agriculturist of Allen 
 township, Ottawa county, was 
 born in Wittenberg, Germany, 
 December 31, 1847. He was a son of 
 Christian and Annie (Miller) Holder, both 
 natives of that country, and who with their 
 family emigrated to America when Charles 
 was ten years old. locating on a farm at 
 Fremont, Sandusky county, Ohio. 
 
 Here the boy assisted his father in 
 farm work, during the summer, and in 
 winter attended the district school, carry- 
 ing on the studies begun in the public 
 schools of his native land, until he was 
 thirteen years old. Then, becoming tired 
 of the monotonous life of a farmer's boy, 
 he determined to see something more of 
 the great world, and shipped as a cabin 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 699 
 
 boy on one of the lake vessels. For eight- 
 een years he followed the life of a sea- 
 man during the summer season, spending 
 the winter months in cutting railroad ties, 
 staves, spokes, etc., during which years he 
 worked his way up from a cabin boy to 
 captain. During the last three years of 
 his sea-faring career, he commanded the 
 schooners " Heatherbell " and "Bessie," 
 sailing on Lakes Erie, Michigan and Hu- 
 ron. By industry and frugalit}', Mr. Hol- 
 der acquired enough money to purchase, 
 in 1 88 1, a tract of fortj^ acres of land in 
 Salem township, Ottawa Co., this State, 
 part of which was cleared. This he fin- 
 ished clearing, but the attraction of the 
 water was still too strong for him and he 
 sold the place and again became a sailor, 
 going out as commander of the " Bessie," 
 and taking his wife and three children 
 with him. He remained on this vessel 
 one year, when he came to Allen (then 
 Clay) township, and purchased eighty 
 acres of land, the larger part of which was 
 in a wild state. A small log cabin was 
 on the place, and into this Mr. Holder 
 moved with his family. With the help 
 of his brave wife he went to work with a 
 will to clear off the timber and bring the 
 land under cultivation, succeeding, after 
 years of hard toil, in redeeming it from 
 the wilderness and making of it a valua- 
 ble property. He planted orchards and 
 vines as well as fields of grain, and built 
 a dwelling house, barns and outhouses, 
 all of which stand as monuments to the 
 enterprising and progressive ideas of the 
 man, and to-day he is enjoying the fruits 
 of his labor. He afterward bought thirty- 
 five acres of land, almost cleared, near 
 his first location, for which he paid up- 
 ward of $1,500, besides spending hun- 
 dreds of dollars in clearing and improv- 
 ing it. 
 
 Mr. Holder was married June 18, 
 1873, to Lousia, daughter of Casper and 
 Christiana (Plumkhorne) Whittaker, the 
 former a native of Switzerland, the latter 
 of Germany. To Mr. and Mrs. Holder 
 
 have been born five children, all of whom 
 are living; Charles C. F. , born August 
 31, 1874; William J., November 4, 1875; 
 Frank J., January 31, 1879; Ida M., 
 October 18, 1881; and Ella C., June 25, 
 1885. All the children have been edu- 
 cated in the public schools of Allen town- 
 ship, and the boys assist their father on 
 the farm. 
 
 Christian Holder, the father of our 
 subject, was born in Wittenberg, Ger- 
 many, in September, 1804. He married 
 and became the father of five children, 
 four of whom with his wife died of con- 
 sumption. He again married. Annie 
 Miller becoming his wife, and to them 
 five children were born. John, the eldest 
 of this union born in Germany, August 
 15, 1846, was married in Fremont, this 
 State, to Miss Fannie Phiper, and died 
 in April, 1891; he became the father of 
 three children: Albert, Clara R. L. , and 
 Lizzie G. 
 
 Christian Holder emigrated with his 
 family to this country in 1857 and settled 
 in Sandusky county, where, after under- 
 going many trials and hardships, he suc- 
 ceeded, with the help of his sons, in 
 bringing his swampy land under a high 
 state of cultivation. Here he lived and 
 worked for twenty-five years, gaining the 
 esteem and respect of his neighbors. On 
 October 10, 1882, while crossing the 
 railroad track near his home, he was struck 
 by an engine and instantly killed. His 
 wife died some four years previous, in 
 1878. 
 
 Casper Whittaker, father of the wife 
 of our subject, was born in Switzerland 
 in 18 1 7, and was a carriage builder by 
 occupation. He came to this country 
 when a young man, and settled in San- 
 dusky county, where he followed his trade 
 for some years, after which he farmed in 
 Riley township, that county, until his 
 death June 15, 1885. He was married to 
 Christiana Plumkhorne, a native of Ger- 
 manj', and to them eleven children were 
 born, of whom the following survive: 
 
roo 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 John, born April 5, 1857, is a fanner at 
 Fremont; Louisa, born July 24, 1858, is 
 the wife of our subject; Albert, born June 
 25, 1 86 1, is a farmer of Allen township; 
 Rosa, born in July, 1868, married March 
 4, 1879, and lives in Wood county. 
 
 Mr. Holder is a man who has the wel- 
 fare of the community at heart, and is 
 deeply interested in the cause of educa- 
 tion. He was one of the few who aided 
 in the establishment of public schools in 
 Allen township, and has held the office of 
 a school director for the past twelve 
 years. In his political views he is a 
 Democrat, and, socially, belongs to Genoa 
 Lodf,'e, No. 584, I. O. O. F. , and also 
 to the Truants Lodge, a German organ- 
 ization. The family attend the Lutheran 
 Church, and stand high in the estimation 
 of their fellow citizens. 
 
 ANDREW FEILBACH is a worthy 
 representative of the business in- 
 terests of Elmore, Ottawa coun- 
 ty, and having a wide acquaint- 
 ance in the community we feel assured 
 that the record of his life will prove of 
 interest to many of our readers. 
 
 He was born in Sandusky county De- 
 cember 13, 1854, and comes of German 
 origin. His father, Philip Feilbach, was 
 born in Prussia, November 11, 1813, and 
 while in that country engaged in the mill- 
 ing and bakery business. The year 1852 
 witnessed his emigration to America. He 
 located first in Sandusky City, Ohio, 
 where he worked in a lumber yard for a 
 time, and then removed to Sandusky 
 county, where he purchased a farm, 
 cleared and developed the land, and made 
 a valuable farming property and fine 
 home. For six years he was also exten- 
 sively engaged in the stave business. He 
 passed away at his home in Sandusky 
 county, March 30, 1893, and was buried 
 in the Guss Cemetery at Elmore. His 
 wife, who bore the maiden name of Mar- 
 garet Steinborn, was born in Prussia, 
 
 January 24, 1825; they were married in 
 1S43, and reared a family of nine chil- 
 dren, their names and dates of birth be- 
 ing as follows: Caroline, January 15, 
 1845; Margaret, March 16, 1847; Chris- 
 tian, March 31, 1850; Jacob H., Decem- 
 ber 24, 1S52; Andrew, December 13, 
 1854; Catherine, July 4, 1857; Enmia 
 May, October 23, 1859; Charles, August 
 23, 1862; and Philip, April 17, 1868. 
 All but Margaret are still living. Andrew 
 Steinborn, father of Mrs. Philip Feilbach, 
 mother of Andrew Feilbach, was born in 
 Brumberg, in 1795. 
 
 Our subject remained for thirty-four 
 years in the count}' of his nativit}'. His 
 educational advantages were limited to 
 the privileges afforded by the district 
 schools, but his training at farm labor 
 was not meagre. At the age of twenty 
 he rented his father's farm and began life 
 for himself, operating that place some 
 fourteen years. As a companion and 
 helpmeet on life's journey he wedded 
 Miss Bertha Beck, who was born in Ot- 
 tawa county, the wedding being celebrated 
 October i, 1876. She was born at Port 
 Clinton, September 14, 1857, and when a 
 child her parents went to Sandusky 
 county, where she lived until her marriage. 
 Her father, Joseph Beck, was born in 
 Switzerland, December 14, 1822. and in 
 the city of Sandusky was married. His 
 wife was born in the same country, April 
 13, 1827, and came to America in 1851. 
 Their children, ten in number, were 
 Emma, Hermina, Bertha, Frank, George, 
 Julia, Edward, Fred, William and 
 Charles. Of the family six are yet living. 
 The parents of Mrs. Beck were both born 
 in Switzerland on April 7, 1804, and were 
 baptised at the same time. Her father 
 was a carpenter by trade, and in 1852 
 crossed the Atlantic to America, locating 
 in the city of Sandusky, Ohio, where they 
 lived some six years, removing then to 
 Washington township, Sandusky county. 
 There the father died in 1884; the mother 
 is still living on the old home farm. Her 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 701 
 
 father, John Witmer, was born in May, 
 1804, in Switzerland, and was a farmer 
 and carpenter; his wife was born in the 
 same country in 1804; they became the 
 parents of six children. The maternal 
 grandfather of Mrs. Beck, John Heinz- 
 ger, was born in Switzerland, in 1769, 
 and his wife in 1781. Frank Beck, 
 the grandfather of Mrs. Feilbach, was 
 born in the same country in 1790, and 
 made farming his life work. He married 
 Barbara Weber, whose birth occurred 
 there in 1808, and in their family were 
 ten children. 
 
 On March 4, 1889, our subject re- 
 moved with his family to Elmore, where 
 for a year he conducted a meat market. 
 Selling out, he then joined his brother in 
 the grocery and crockery business, which 
 they still conduct, enjoying an extensive 
 trade. He is an enterprising successful 
 business man, and Elmore numbers him 
 among its respected citizens. In politics, 
 Mr. Feilbach is a Republican, and is now 
 serving his second term as a member of 
 the board of education, taking a deep and 
 commendable interest in all that pertains 
 to the public schools and to the welfare of 
 the community. Our subject and his 
 wife have three children: Clara, born De- 
 cember 29, 1879; George, born March 25, 
 1882; and Mable, born September 14, 
 1888, died October 18, 1892, and laid to 
 rest in the Guss Cemetery at Elmore. 
 
 DAMD AMES, a son of Lysander 
 Leeds and Mary Ann (Barnhart) 
 Ames, was born June 29, 1853, 
 in Harris township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty, where he lived until twenty-one years 
 of age, receiving a literary education in 
 the public school of the district. 
 
 At twelve o'clock (noon) of his twen- 
 t3--first birthday David Ames started in 
 life for himself, hiring out by the month 
 that afternoon to a Mr. Chapman, for 
 whom he worked two months. Mr. Ames 
 was united in marriage April iS, 1S75, 
 
 with Miss Adella Ingraham, of Sandusky 
 county; then rented a farm in Woodville 
 township, in that county, where they lived 
 until 1879. They then went to Kansas 
 and took 160 acres of land from the gov- 
 ernment; sold it at the end of two years, 
 and moved to Iowa, where they remained 
 one year. Mr. Ames then returned with 
 his family to his old home, and worked 
 his father's farm two years. They then 
 removed to Elmore, Harris township, Ot- 
 tawa county, where he engaged in saw- 
 mill work, in which occupation he con- 
 tinued for some time. In 1881 he went 
 to Graytown, Benton township, Ottawa 
 Co., Ohio, and settled on the "Ames 
 farm," owned by his brother, Lyman 
 Ames, which he has worked for the past 
 four years. Mr. and Mrs. David Ames 
 have had seven children, as follows: 
 Welby, born December 8, 1876; Milo, 
 October 2, 1877; Edith, April 6, 1879; 
 John, February 28, 1881; Clarence, Feb- 
 ruary 9, 1883; Ada Belle, October 29, 
 1888; and Otto George, May 29, 1890. 
 Of these Milo died September 29, 1878, 
 aged eleven months and twenty-seven 
 days; Ada Belle died June 15, 1891, aged 
 two years, seven months and seventeen 
 days; Otto George died July 7, 1891, 
 aged one year, one month and nine days. 
 The other children are at home, and at- 
 tending the public schools of Graytown 
 and Elliston, in Benton township, except- 
 ing Welby, who has been at Elmore, 
 Harris township, for one year fitting him- 
 self for the profession of teacher. Mrs. 
 Ames is daughter of Joseph C. and Har- 
 riet E. (Morse) Ingraham, and was born 
 September 16, 1858, in Woodville town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, where she lived 
 during her girlhood days, attending the 
 public schools there. Her father was 
 born in 1825; her mother on September 
 20, 1829, in Pennsylvania, and died Sep- 
 tember 4, 1878. They had seven chil- 
 dren, five of whom are still living. 
 
 The parents of David Ames, Lysander 
 L. and Mary Ann Ames, celebrated their 
 
702 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 golden wedding March 14, i88g. Ly- 
 sander L. Ames was born in New York 
 State April 10, 181 2; came to Seneca 
 county, Ohio, when nineteen years of age, 
 and three years later moved to Ottawa 
 county, where he afterward lived. On 
 March 14, 1839, he was united in marriage 
 with Mary Ann Barnhart, who was born 
 in Fairfield county, Ohio, February 12, 
 1820. In Ottawa county Lysander Ames 
 cleared and made for himself and his esti- 
 mable wife a fine home, at which place 
 they both died. They purchased their 
 home near Elmore, eighty acres of land, 
 for one hundred dollars, and when they 
 died it was worth five thousand dollars. 
 The farm was deeded to Mr. Ames from 
 the government, had never changed hands 
 during his lifetime, and they had made 
 one of the finest homes in Ottawa county. 
 This sketch would be unsatisfactory to 
 Mr. David Ames and his children without 
 some account of how he once made two 
 dollars and a half. It was before the 
 stone pike was built, and he had gone to 
 Fremont with a wagon and two yoke of. 
 o.xen to lay in a supply of necessaries for 
 the household. The roads were very 
 muddy, and just this side of Fremont he 
 was overtaken by a man with a team of 
 horses and a loaded wagon. They spoke, 
 and inquired each other's destination, and 
 the man with the horses e.xpressed his re- 
 gret that his fellow traveler had not horses 
 instead of cattle to his wagon, so that 
 they might bear each other company, but 
 as he had not he must drive on. They 
 bade each other good-bye. but Mr. Ames 
 told the man that he (Mr. Ames) would 
 be far behind by the time they reached 
 Woodville, when he would leave that road 
 for his home. All went well until, near- 
 ing the Muskalonge creek, the o.xen stuck 
 fast in an enormous mud hole, and could 
 not budge an inch. The man ahead with 
 the horses went through all right, and 
 offered to hitch on ahead of the oxen and 
 help them out, which he did. Mr. Ames 1 
 was about to thank the stranger for his ! 
 
 kindness when he asked for fifty cents to 
 pay for assistance. This being paid, thej- 
 had not gone far when the horse-team 
 got stuck, and Mr. Ames helped them 
 out, and got back his fifty cents. But 
 before reaching Woodville he was obliged 
 to assist the man with the horse-team 
 five different times, thus receiving two 
 dollars and a half for his labor! 
 
 JAMES W. SADDORIS, a well- 
 known, highly-respected and pro- 
 gressive agriculturist of Carroll town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, is a native of 
 the same, having been born February 2, 
 1854. 
 
 Elias and Melissa E. (Root) Saddoris, 
 parents of our subject, were the parents 
 of five children, a brief record of whom 
 is as follows : James W. is the eldest ; 
 Albert W. was born January 6, 1856, and 
 still lives in Carroll township ; Mary E. , 
 born September 6, 1859, is now the wife 
 of James \\'. Floro, and living at Port 
 Clinton, Ohio ; Theodore E., born No- 
 vember 5, 1 86 1, died March 21, [863 ; 
 and Eunice A., born February 13, 1864, 
 died February 2, 1867. The father of 
 this family died February 28, 1865, at 
 Savannah, Ga. , while in the service of 
 the United States army. George Sad- 
 doris, grandfather of our subject, was 
 born in Germany January 22, 1778, and 
 Sarah W. , his wife, was born, October 6, 
 1786. While yet a boy he came to Ohio 
 with his parents and died July 2, 1848, 
 his wife, Sarah W. , having preceded him 
 to the grave February 27, 1840. 
 
 Our subject received his education in 
 the district schools of the neighborhood 
 of his home. His entire life has been 
 spent in his native township, and since 
 an early age he has been engaged in the 
 honorable occupation of farming. When 
 he was but thirteen years of age he be- 
 came a farm hand in the employ of Dan 
 and Ozila Davenport (first cousins to the 
 Saddoris family), and remained with them 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 703 
 
 about seven years, or until his marriage. 
 He says they were very kind to him, as 
 much as if they had been father and 
 mother to him. Mr. Saddoris is now 
 owner of the farm formerly owned by 
 E. P. Ryan. He is a man of sterling 
 integrity, and, though never aspiring to 
 office, takes an active interest in all matters 
 pertaining to the welfare of his township 
 and county. In Carroll township, De- 
 cember 28, 1873, he married Miss Mary 
 Rudiforth, a daughter of Michael and 
 Alice (Hornb}) Rudiforth, the former of 
 whom was born November 27, 1823, in 
 Holme, Yorkshire, England, son of Rob- 
 ert and Elizabeth (Smith) Rudiforth. 
 
 Michael Rudiforth was married July 
 5, 1850, at Skipsea, Yorkshire, to Miss 
 Alice Hornby, who was born in Barmston, 
 same count}-, in June, 1831. In 1858 
 Michael Rudiforth emigrated with his 
 family to the United States and located 
 at Avon, Lorain Co., Ohio. To him and 
 his wife were born twelve children, as 
 follows: Elizabeth, born October 11, 
 1853, married to John Wilder, and now 
 living in Clinton, Missouri; Robert, born 
 September 9, 1854, his present place of 
 residence not known; Mary (wife of our 
 subject) and Ann Whipple (twins), born 
 July 30, 1856, both residents of Ottawa 
 Co., Ohio; Selena, born August 21, 
 1858, married to Charles Beinard, of 
 Lodi, Ohio; Eliza, born September 4, 
 i860; Albert Victory and Alice Victoria 
 (twins), born July 29, 1862, the latter 
 being now the wife of Charles Eglier; 
 Jessie, born October 28, 1864, married 
 to Steven Brisbin; Frank, born October 
 8, 1869; Jennie Lind, born Februarj' 12, 
 1872, married John Nixon; and Herbert 
 Lincoln, born December 10, 1874. On 
 November 19, 1861, Michael Rudiforth 
 enlisted in the U. S. army; was dis- 
 charged from the service July 13, 1865, 
 and on the 25th of the same month he 
 settled in Ottawa county. 
 
 To James W. and Mary (Rudiforth) 
 Saddoris were born seven children, their 
 
 names and dates of birth, etc., being as 
 follows: Alice M., February 8, 1875, 
 now the wife of Solomon King, of Allen 
 township, Ottawa Co., Ohio; Ada M., 
 born August 20, 1876; Eva L. , August 
 20, 1878; Clarence E. , February 26, 
 1882, died December 14, 1893; Robert 
 W., November 19, 1888; Mary, March 
 18, 1892, died March 4, 1894; and Elias 
 B., June 13, 1884, died November 13, 
 1893. Socially, Mr. Saddoris is a prom- 
 inent member of the Knights of Honor, 
 Knights of the Maccabees, and Sons of 
 Veterans. Politically, he is a straight 
 out-and-out Republican, always giving his 
 support to that party, while in religious 
 belief he and his family are identified 
 with the United Brethren Church. 
 
 AUGUST BREDBECK, a wide- 
 awake and enterprising fruit grow- 
 er and stock-raiser of Danbury 
 township, Ottawa county, was 
 born July 17, 1853, on the farm where he 
 still resides, and is a son of Gerd and 
 Marguerite (Busch) Bredbeck, natives of 
 Germany, the father born October 12, 
 1812, and the mother August 15, 1816. 
 
 The mother of oursubject was a daugh- 
 ter of Henry Busch, and both her parents 
 died when she was a child. About 1830 
 she came to America, locating in New 
 York City, where, in July, 1839, she was 
 united in marriage with Mr. Bredbeck, 
 and they became the parents of the fol- 
 lowing children: Christina, born June 12, 
 1840, became the wife of F. L. Koth, and 
 passed away January 14, 1888; Henry, 
 born September 7, 1842, is a prominent 
 resident of Danbury township; Anna Mar- 
 guerite, born December 2, 1844, died 
 August 25, 1847; Mary Ann, born August 
 6, 1847, is the widow of William Von 
 Sack, and resides in Sandusky City, Ohio; 
 George, born February 13, 1850, also 
 lives in Sandusky City; Edward, born 
 March 10, 1852, died on the 24th of the 
 same month; August is next in order of 
 
704 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 birth; and Amelia J., born April 22, 1858, 
 is the wife of Edward Tredor, of Cleve- 
 land, Ohio. 
 
 Midst play and work the earl}- days of 
 August Bredbeck were passed in much the 
 usual manner of most farmer lads, and 
 his literary education was obtained in the 
 district schools common at that date. 
 Since early life he has devoted his time 
 and energy to general farming and stock- 
 raising, while of late years he has also 
 been interested in fruit culture, and ranks 
 among the most successful and promi- 
 nent agriculturists of the township. In 
 Danbury township, July 16, 18S1, he mar- 
 ried Miss Anna S. D. Winters, who was 
 born July i, i860, in Danbury township, 
 a daughter of Herman and Ann (Harms) 
 Winters, both natives of the province of 
 Hanover, Germany, the former born Oc- 
 tober 8, 1830. About the year 1849 her 
 father emigrated to America, and the 
 same year he located in Danbury town- 
 ship, where he has since followed farming. 
 Here, in 1859, he married Miss Harns, 
 who had come to the New World about 
 the same time as her husband, and by 
 their union ten children were born, all 
 of whom are still living, as follows: Mina, 
 wife of George Bredbeck, of Oak Harbor, 
 Ottawa county; Anna S. D., the honored 
 wife of oursubject; Mary, wife of Thomas 
 Lanum, of Oak Harbor; Christine, wife 
 of James McCallum, of the State of 
 Washington; Herman, of Toledo, Ohio; 
 Henry, who resides in Danbury township; 
 £mma, wife of William Collins, of Ben- 
 ton township, Ottawa county; and John, 
 Edward and Andrew, all living on the old 
 homestead farm. The mother of this 
 family departed this life in Danbury town- 
 ship, February 9, 1881. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Bredbeck were born 
 four children as follows: Walter B., 
 March 2, 1883; Agnes I., September 28, 
 1886; Ada M., December 3, 1889; and 
 Ralph A., December 10, 1891. In his 
 political views, Mr. Bredbeck is a stal- 
 wart Democrat, and he and his family at- 
 
 tend the Lutheran Church. He is a pub- 
 lic-spirited and progressive citizen, readily 
 endorsing any project culculated to stimu- 
 late the development and prosperity' of 
 his township and county. He is gene- 
 rous and affable, his sympathies e.xpress- 
 ing themselves in kindness to friends and 
 in charities where they are merited. It 
 may truthfully be said of him. that in all 
 the relations of life in which he is called 
 upon to act, he is trustworthy and hon- 
 est. His habits of industry and applica- 
 tion to business show themselves in his 
 neat surroundings and well-kept orchards, 
 and he enjoys the esteem and confidence 
 of all his friends and neighbors. On his 
 farm near the shores of Sandusky Bay 
 there are the remains of an old Indian for- 
 tification, which he keeps unmolested 
 from the ravages of the plow and harrow, 
 and which is an object of considerable 
 curiosity — one of the old landmarks of 
 the daj's when the noble Red man held 
 full possession of this section of the 
 country. 
 
 TC. WHITEHEAD, one of the 
 honored and respected citizens of 
 Clyde, Sandusky county, was 
 born November 23, 1850, in Gos- 
 den, Cambridgeshire. England, and is a 
 son of Joseph and Matilda (Albon) White- 
 head, both natives of that locality. 
 
 W^hen our subject was four months 
 old he was brought to the United States, 
 by his parents, who located on a farm in 
 Tovvnsend township, Sandusky county, 
 where they purchased the farm laterowned 
 by the father of our subject, who there 
 resided until his retirement from active 
 life, when he came to Clyde. Here he 
 died February 10, 1 891, at the advanced 
 age of eighty years. The mother's death 
 occurred in Townsend township. Their 
 union had been blessed with seven chil- 
 dren: Sarah Ann, who married Herman 
 Howe, and lived in Sandusky county un- 
 til after the death of her husband; Joseph, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 705 
 
 a resident of Townsend township, San- 
 dusky county; Samuel, who was a mem- 
 ber of Company K, One Hundredth O. 
 V. I., during the Civil war, was wounded 
 at the battle of Franklin, Tenn., and 
 died soon afterward; William, who was a 
 soldier in the one-hundred-day service, 
 and died below Washington, D. C. ; 
 George, who lives in Henry county, Ohio; 
 Bessie, now the wife of James Fuller, of 
 Townsend township, and our subject. 
 
 T. C. Whitehead was reared to man- 
 hood in Townsend township, where he 
 attended the common schools, later be- 
 coming a student in the schools of Hills- 
 dale, Mich., where he pursued his studies 
 for a few terms. He then took charge 
 of the old homestead. For many years 
 he was engaged in dealing in horses, and 
 besides those raised on his own farm he 
 bought and sold others, shipping princi- 
 pally to New York City, Jersey City, and 
 Cleveland; he dealt both in carriage 
 horses and roadsters. He has three stal- 
 lions and some fine trotters; one trotter, 
 four years old, made a record of 2:25 at 
 Newburg, Ohio, last year, and was sold 
 for $1,300. He also sold a three-year- 
 old filly, " Josephine," for $825.00 at 
 public sale in Cleveland; also one team of 
 five-year-old colts for $700.00 to a party 
 in New Jersey, and one pair of four-year- 
 olds going to Baltimore, Md., besides 
 several other horses at good prices. Mr. 
 Whitehead now has a pacer, " Solarion," 
 which he e.xpects to rival any horse he 
 has ever possessed, already having a mark 
 of 15^. He made his home upon the 
 farm until 1891, when he erected his pres- 
 ent fine residence in Clyde. He now 
 gives special attention to trotting and 
 pacing horses, and is considered one of 
 the best judges of those animals in San- 
 dusky county. 
 
 Mr. Whitehead has been twice mar- 
 ried, first time to Miss Zina Gibbs, and 
 after her death to Belle Powell, of Oneida, 
 Kno.x Co., Ills. Two children blessed 
 their union: Earl Monte, born July 3,1887, 
 
 now eight years of age; and Cleopatra, 
 born in 1892, now three years old. Mr. 
 Whitehead has the reputation of being a 
 strictl}- first-class business man, reliable 
 and energetic, and is a citizen of whom 
 Clyde may be justly proud. Politically, 
 he gives his adherence to the Republican 
 party; socially, he is a member of the 
 Royal Arcanum. 
 
 NICOLAI NISSEN. The success 
 which almost invariably attends 
 the young emigrant from Ger- 
 many, who comes to our shores 
 armed with good health and a knowledge 
 of some trade, can not fail of remark, and 
 is indicative of the steady habits, economy, 
 thrift and industrj- of that people. It 
 would be well, perhaps, if the youth of 
 America were to profit by the example set 
 them, and emulate their foreign brothers 
 in some of these traits of character. The 
 cry of "hard times" would surely be 
 heard less frequently, and fewer business 
 failures would occur. 
 
 In the gentleman whose name opens 
 this sketch, and who is one of the lead- 
 ing merchants of Port Clinton, Ottawa 
 county, we see one of the men who from a 
 small beginning built up an enviable trade, 
 and who from their merits take a prom- 
 inent place in the community. Mr. Nis- 
 sen's father, whose name was Nis Thomas, 
 was a farmer in Schleswig-Holstein, Ger- 
 many, born in 1809, and died in 1876, at 
 the age of sixty-seven years. His mother, 
 born in 1806, died in 1853, at Stadum, 
 Schleswig, Germany, at the age of forty- 
 seven years. Her maiden name was 
 Trinke Dorothea. The family of this 
 worthy couple comprised five children: 
 Matthias, Carsten, Marie, Catherina, and 
 Nicolai. 
 
 Our subject attended school in his 
 J youthful days, as all children are required 
 i to do in Germany, and obtained a good com- 
 , mon-school education. He then learned 
 j the trade of a shoemaker, and when twen- 
 
706 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ty-foiir years old emigrated to America, 
 landing at New York, from there coming 
 to Sandusky, and later to Port Clin- 
 ton. Here he went to work at his trade, 
 and after seven years was enabled to com- 
 mence business for himself. He lived for 
 one year (1866-67) '" Michigan, then re- 
 turned to Port Clinton. For a couple of 
 3'ears he had partners in his business, but 
 since that time has carried on operations 
 alone. He began in a small way where 
 Payne's drug store now stands. He 
 erected the brick block, that now occupies 
 the place, which he afterward sold, pur- 
 chasing the building in which his store is 
 now located. Here he carries on an ex- 
 tensive business, and is constantly increas- 
 ing his facilities for trade. Mr. Nis- 
 sen was married, October 18, 1870, to 
 Miss Theresa Eybsen, who was born in 
 New York City, April 2, 1853. Seven 
 children were born to this union, four of 
 whom are living — August, Frank, Charles 
 and Rosa — and three are deceased — Will- 
 iam (who died when two years old), Julia 
 and Matilda. Of this interesting family, 
 August, the eldest, born September 5, 
 1 872, is now an United States army officer. 
 He was a cadet at West Point, and after 
 hard study succeeded in graduating on 
 June 12, 1895, standing No. 20 out of a 
 class of fifty-two. Immediately after grad- 
 uating he received a furlough of three 
 months, which he spent at his home in 
 Port Clinton, and while there received his 
 commission as an officer, and was as- 
 signed to the Sixth U. S. Cavalry, at Fort 
 Myer, Virginia, near Washington, D. C, 
 where at the present time he is discharging 
 his duties. Frank, the next son,w ho is at 
 home, has assumed the management of his 
 father's business, and in time will, proba- 
 bly, become a partner, and then successor 
 to the present firm. Although at present 
 but twenty-one years of age, he has a 
 thorough knowledge of the shoe business, 
 and has that energy which tends to in- 
 crease instead of decline. Charles and 
 Rosa, the two younger children, are still 
 
 attending school, and Charles will gradu- 
 ate in '96, Rosa in '97. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Nissen is a good Demo- 
 crat, and is active in work for his party. 
 In religious faith, he is a Lutheran, a 
 member of that Church, and takes an in- 
 terest in whatever tends to upbuild the 
 community in which he lives. He is the 
 leading boot and shoe dealer in Port 
 Clinton, and is highly respected for his 
 integrity and excellent business qualifica- 
 tions. 
 
 THEODORE S. PORTER, a 
 thorough and skillful farmer and 
 fruit grower of Catawba Island 
 township, Ottawa county, is a na- 
 tive of Connecticut, born in Bethel De- 
 cember 4, i860. His parents, Charles 
 J. and Hannah A. (Wilkes) Porter, were 
 likewise born in Connecticut, and still 
 make their home in that State, being 
 residents of Bethel, where the father 
 holds the position of postmaster. In the 
 family were six children, of whom Lewis 
 died when about nineteen years of age; 
 those living are Frederick N., Frank W., 
 Theodore S., George A. and John L., all, 
 with the exception of our subject, residing 
 in Connecticut. 
 
 As a farmer boy, Theodore S. Porter 
 was reared to manhood, receiving a fair 
 education in the public schools of his na- 
 tive town, and when he had arrived at the 
 age of twenty-two he left home, going to 
 Dakota, where he engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits for about four years. In 1886 
 he returned to Bethel, Conn., and there 
 learned the trade of a hat finisher, which 
 occupation he followed until 1890. In 
 that year he became a resident of Cataw- 
 ba Island township, Ottawa county, 
 where he is now engaged in fruit growing. 
 On December 23, 1890, on Catawba Is- 
 land, he was married to Miss Sarah Por- 
 ter, a daughter of Wheeler and Flora H. 
 (Bearss) Porter, and one child has come 
 to bless their union — Charles Wheeler, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 101 
 
 born November 3, 1893. Wheeler Por- 
 ter was the second white man to settle 
 on Catawba Island, at that time (1833) 
 called Huron township, afterward Van- 
 Rensselaer township. He resided in three 
 townships and three counties, and yet 
 never moved off the farm where Mr. Por- 
 ter now resides. 
 
 Mr. Porter is a thoroujjh Republican 
 in his political views. Though a com- 
 paratively recent arrival in Ottawa coun- 
 ty, he has made many friends by his 
 straightforward and upright life, and is 
 considered a valuable acquisition to the 
 population. He is industrious and perse- 
 vering, and at no distant day will rank 
 among the most successful fruit growers 
 of the Island. He has under construction 
 a handsome dwelling, in which we hope 
 that he and his most estimable wife may 
 be long spared to pass their declining 
 years. 
 
 In this region 
 
 HENRY LAUDY. 
 of Ohio, so largely devoted to the 
 growth of fine fruits, lived the 
 gentleman whose name introduces 
 this notice, and who was one of the most 
 prominent and progressive agriculturists 
 of the community. A native of the Pro- 
 vince of Hanover, Germany, he was born 
 about the year 1827, and in the land of 
 his birth he passed the days of his boyhood 
 and youth, no event of special importance 
 occurring during that period. At the age of 
 eighteen he bade adieu to the Fatherland, 
 and crossing the Atlantic was for a num- 
 ber of years engaged in the grocery busi- 
 ness in New York City. On leaving there 
 he came to Ohio, and took up his resi- 
 cence on Catawba Island, where he spent 
 his remaining days. 
 
 Mr. Laudy was married in New York, 
 to Miss Elizabeth Libben, also a native of 
 Hanover, and to their union were born six 
 children (five of whom are still living): 
 Henry, born in New York, July 14, 1856; 
 Annie, born in New York, June 14, 1858, 
 
 now the widow of Jacob Pulschen, and a 
 resident of Port Clinton, Ohio; John, born 
 January 24, 1862; George, born June 20, 
 1863, and died January 25, 1893; Eliza- 
 beth, born October 8, 1867, now the wife 
 of Haskel Spies, of Catawba Island; and 
 Amanda, born November 6, 1869. The 
 mother of this family passed away June 
 24, 1892, having survived her husband 
 several years. Henry Laudy died Febru- 
 ary 28, 1885. He was a man of no small 
 prominence in the community; served as 
 township trustee and in other local offices, 
 and by his ballot supported the men and 
 measures of the Democratic party. 
 
 Henry Laudy, J r. , who now carries on 
 the farm, was only two years old when his 
 parents madeatripto Europeforhishealth, 
 there remaining for si.x months. He after- 
 ward returned to New York, and a year 
 later the family came to Catawba Island, 
 where he has since been engaged in fruit 
 growing. He was married in Erie town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, June 26, 1888, to 
 Miss Anna C. Ineichen, who was born in 
 that township, September 29, 1864, and 
 is a daughter of Alois and Mary (Beck) 
 Ineichen, both of whom were natives of 
 Switzerland, and came to America at an 
 early day, locating in Erie township, 
 where the father's death occurred, Octo- 
 ber 19, 1874; the mother died at Port 
 Clinton, September 17, 1894. Two chil- 
 dren grace the union of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Laudy: Leo H., born February 5, 1892; 
 and Florence M., born December 29, 
 1894. 
 
 Mr. Laudy has served as town treas- 
 urer for about five years, and proved him- 
 self a competent and faithful officer. 
 Socially, he is connected with Port Clinton 
 Lodge, No. 627, I. O. O. F., and with 
 Orchard Lodge, No. 60, Knights of the 
 Maccabees. In his political views he is a 
 Democrat, in religious belief a Lutheran, 
 but his wife is a member of the Roman 
 Catholic Church. Mr. Laudy is a gentle- 
 man of unassuming manner, devoting his 
 whole time and attention to the cultiva- 
 
708 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 tion of his fine orchards, which are among 
 the best and most productive in the town- 
 ship. All his surroundings bespeak thrift 
 and enterprise, and he holds a reputation 
 second to none in the community in which 
 he resides. 
 
 HENRY .AND JOHN AHRENS are 
 two of the most prominent farm- 
 ers and fruit growers of Danbury 
 township, Ottawa county, the for- 
 mer of whom was born September 22, 
 i860, on the old homestead farm upon 
 which he still resides. He is a son of 
 Carsten and Elizabeth (Fauble) Ahrens, 
 both natives of Germany, was reared to 
 manhood upon the farm, and received his 
 education in the district schools of the 
 neighborhood. From early boyhood he 
 has been engaged in agricultural pursuits, 
 and of late years has devoted a great deal 
 of his time and attention to fruit growing, 
 owning and operating one of the largest 
 and most extensive fruit orchards in the 
 township. Socially he is a member of 
 Peninsular Lodge, No. 607, Knights of 
 Pythias, and, politically, is a stalwart 
 Republican. 
 
 Carsten Ahrens. the father, was born 
 in the Province of Hanover, June 5, 1805, 
 and was a son of Adolph and Katherina 
 Ahrens, also natives of the same province. 
 Until the age of sixteen years he remained 
 in his native land, it being about 1821 
 when he left home, going to England, 
 where he worked in a sugar refinery some 
 seven years. In 1828 we find him a 
 resident of New York, where he engaged 
 in the grocery business. Five years later 
 he came to Danbury township, Ottawa 
 Co., Ohio, where he purchased the land 
 on which he afterward resided, and then 
 returned to New York. Several years later 
 he removed to his farm, but after a resi- 
 dence of a few years rented his land to his 
 brother and again went to New York, re- 
 maining their until about 1838, when he 
 returned to Danbury township, and from 
 
 that date until the time of his death there 
 made his home. He departed this life 
 May 2, 1883. 
 
 The mother of our subject was born 
 in the Province of Hesse, Germany, April 
 14, 1830, and was a daughter of ^^'ilhelm 
 and Katrina Fauble, both of whose births 
 occurred in the Fatherland. She came 
 to America in 1850, and for about a year 
 made her home in Cleveland. Ohio. On 
 December 6, 1851, at Sandusky City, 
 Erie Co., Ohio, she was united in mar- 
 riage with Carsten Ahrens, and became 
 the mother of six children, as follows: 
 Katherine, born February 11, 1853, who 
 became the wife of Daniel Finken, and 
 died October 5, 1884; Adolph, born Jan- 
 uary 23, 1855, died December 17, 1874; 
 Elizabeth, born October 21, 1858, who 
 became the wife of William Hess, of Dan- 
 bury township, and died suddenly April 
 13, 1895, at the residence of our subject, 
 leaving a husband and four children to 
 mourn the loss of a faithful wife and lov- 
 ing mother; Henry is the next in order of 
 birth; Anna was born in February, 1862; 
 and John, born April 25, 1864, also re- 
 siding on the old homestead. 
 
 The farm is now under the personal 
 supervision of our subjects, and the neat 
 and imposing appearance of the surround- 
 ings are ample proof of their ability as 
 thorough, practical farmers and fruit grow- 
 ers. They take a lively interest in the 
 progress and development of the county, 
 giving their encouragement and more sub- 
 stantial support to those enterprises which 
 are calculated to upbuild the community. 
 The family attend the services of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HET- 
 RICK, one of the enterprising 
 and successful farmers of Benton 
 township, Ottawa county, is a son 
 of Daniel and Mary (Siegenthaler) Het- 
 rick, and was born in Sandusky county, 
 Ohio, in 1855. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 709 
 
 Daniel Hetrick was born in Pennsyl- 
 vania in 1832, and came to Sandusky 
 county in an early day, where he has 
 since lived. About 1852 he was united 
 in marriage with Mary Siegenthaler, who 
 was born in Pennsylvania about 1837, B. 
 F. Hetrick being next to the eldest in 
 their family. Daniel Hctrick's father and 
 mother were born respectively in iSio 
 (in Pennsylvania) and in 18 14. The 
 father of Mrs. Daniel Hetrick, William 
 Siegenthaler, was born in 181 5, her 
 mother in 181 2. Benjamin F. Hetrick 
 received a good education in the district 
 schools of his native county, attending 
 until eighteen years of age. When 
 twentj' years old he struck out in life 
 for himself, working four years at the 
 carpenter's trade. At the age of twenty- 
 four he was united in marriage with Miss 
 Maria E. Reed, of Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 and they had four children, namely: 
 Arthur M., born May 23, 1878; BertH., 
 January 21, 1881; Lillie M., October26, 
 1883; and Alda L. , January 21, 1887; 
 they are all living at home, receiving the 
 advantages of a good education and the 
 encouragement of a father who knows 
 well the value of thorough training. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Hetrick rented 
 his farm, which he worked four years, 
 then purchased eighty acres in Section 
 14, Benton township, which was all tim- 
 bered, and, Hke many another man in 
 Benton township, he set to work to clear 
 the land and make for himself a home. 
 In this he has had marked success, the 
 timber is removed and stumps are all out, 
 and fences are in fine condition; there are 
 comfortable buildings, a good orchard, 
 and the farm is well under cultivation and 
 provided with the necessary teams and 
 tools for thorough work. Besides the 
 ordinary farm routine, Mr. Hetrick han- 
 dles all kinds of stock, and is to some 
 extent engaged in bee-culture. When a 
 resident of Sanduskj' county he was con- 
 stable for three years, and he has also held 
 the office of postmaster at Limestone, Ben- 
 
 ton township, for the six years from 1888 
 to 1894. Mrs. Hetrick died March 11, 
 1889, after a protracted illness of six 
 years. She was born in 1863, was edu- 
 ucated in the district schools of Sandusky 
 county, and was well fitted to train her 
 children to become noble men and women. 
 She was a faithful wife and a loving 
 mother. Her father, John Reed, was 
 born in 1837, in Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 where he resided all his life; he died in 
 1895, at the age of fifty-eight years. His 
 wife, Mrs. Hetrick's mother, was born in 
 Pennsylvania about 1841. John Reed's 
 father and mother were born in Pennsyl- 
 vania about 1 8 10 and 18 14, respectively. 
 Mrs. Hetrick's grandfather on her 
 mother's side was born in 1817, and her 
 grandmother, on the same side, in 18 14. 
 Benjamin F. Hetrick again married 
 on July 16, 1 89 1, taking for his second 
 wife Miss Mary Markley, who was born 
 in Benton township, Ottawa Co., in 1867, 
 and is the daughter of Jacob Markley, 
 one of the oldest settlers of Benton town- 
 ship. Mrs Hetrick has given some at- 
 tention to both vocal and instrumental 
 music, and has been a teacher of instru- 
 mental music. Mr. and Mrs. Hetrick 
 are pleasantly situated on their fine 
 farm in Benton township, Ottawa county, 
 and are giving their children excellent 
 advantages. 
 
 JOHN MINIER, a prominent farmer 
 and one of the enterprising residents 
 of Erie township, Ottawa county, 
 was born in Salem township, same 
 county, April 23, 1843, son of John and 
 Esther (Whestone) Minier, who were born 
 in New Jersey and Pennsylvania respect- 
 ively, and were very early settlers of 
 Salem township, where they resided up 
 to the time of their death. 
 
 John Minier, Sr. , died July 4, 1882, 
 and his wife, Esther, January 11, 1892. 
 They had eleven children, all of whom 
 grew to maturity, seven now living, viz. : 
 
710 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Hiram, residing at Sheldon, 111. ; Eliza- 
 beth, widow of Job Kelley, residing at 
 Sheldon, 111.; Darius, residing in Iowa; 
 John, the subject of these lines; Benja- 
 min, residing in Erie township; Samuel, 
 living in Salem township; and Mary, wife 
 of Harvey Snyder, in Paulding, Paulding 
 Co., Ohio. 
 
 The subject proper of this sketch was 
 reared to manhood in Salem township, 
 receiving a very limited education in the 
 schools located there, and his life from 
 early boyhood has been devoted to agri- 
 culture, with the exception of the nine 
 months he served in the army. In May, 
 1 86 1, he enlisted in the Twenty-fifth O. 
 V. I., and nine months later was dis- 
 charged on account of disability, return- 
 ing to Salem township. On July i, 1864, 
 John Minier was united in marriage with 
 Adeline Cairl, who was born in Hallville 
 township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, May 16, 
 1846, and they have had six children, as 
 follows: Josephine, born June 28, 1865, 
 was married to James McCullough May 
 1 1, 1882, and is now residing in Toledo, 
 Ohio; Matilda, born March 7, 1867, now 
 the wife of Horace Conkey, and residing 
 in Carroll township, Ottawa county; 
 Rodolphus B., born February 15, 1870, 
 was married to Mary Winters March 4, 
 1893, and is now residing in Erie town- 
 ship; Samuel W., born January 15, 1872, 
 is living at home; Angie, born October 2, 
 1874, wife of Louis Ohm, and residing in 
 Carroll township; and Dora, born May 
 22, 1878, married July 2, 1895, and is 
 now the wife of Harmon Goodknick. 
 The parents of Mrs. Minier, Daniel and 
 Mary (White) Cairl, were from New 
 Jersey and Pennsylvania, respectively. 
 They removed from Sandusky county to 
 Erie township about 1858, and Mr. Cairl 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits there un- 
 til his death, which occurred in Erie 
 township, December 18, 1872. Mrs. 
 Cairl died in September, 1873. 
 
 In 1872 John Minier removed from 
 Salem township to Erie township, where 
 
 he has resided ever since. He has served 
 as trustee of the township one term, and 
 also as supervisor. In his political views 
 he is liberal, and he is a member of the 
 G. A. R. The family attend the Method- 
 ist Church. 
 
 DE WILTON WOOD, son of Amos 
 E. and Parintha (Case) Wood, 
 was born in \\'oodville, Sandusky 
 Co., Ohio, December 28, 1842. 
 His paternal grandparents were Ephraim 
 and Hannah Wood, the latter of whom 
 was born September 25, 1780, and died in 
 Woodville, Ohio, October 6, 1854. They 
 were the parents of the following children: 
 Parthena, who was born in Ellisburg, N. 
 Y. , January 17, 1809, and died in 1890.; 
 Amos E. ; Valdi, who married Harriet 
 Cameron; Mrs. Amelia Hubbard; and Syl- 
 via, who died in infancy. 
 
 Our subject remained in the place of 
 his nativaty until eighteen years of age, 
 obtaining his education in the public 
 schools of Woodville, and at Berea Col- 
 lege. In 1861 he responded to President 
 Lincoln's first call for 75,000 volunteers 
 by enlisting in Company I. Twenty-first O. 
 V. I., April 26, 1 86 1, and on his re-enlist- 
 ment he joined Company L, Third O. V. C. , 
 with which he remained three years. He 
 was offered a major's commission in the 
 One Hundredth Ohio Regiment, but de- 
 clined and entered the service as a private. 
 A year and a half later, however, he was 
 made sergeant and held that rank until 
 the close of the war, but he cared not for 
 promotion, being content to defend the 
 Union in the ranks. He participated 
 in the battles of Franklin, Stone River, 
 Atlanta and Chattanooga, and was on the 
 march to the sea; was never wounded by 
 ball or sabre, but on one occasion, while 
 hotly pursued by Rebels, his horse, going 
 at full speed, passed under a tree against 
 which he struck, and was torn from his 
 saddle. The animal soon stopped, how- 
 ever, and Mr. Wood remounted and made 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ni 
 
 his escape, but has never recovered from 
 the injur}- he then received. He rendered 
 efficient service to the Union until June 
 26, 1865, when he was mustered out. 
 
 Mr. Wood then located in Elmore, 
 and on September 26, 1865, wedded 
 Miss Mary Lucke\\ of that place, daughter 
 of Augustus W. Luckey. Mrs. Wood's 
 great-great-grandfather, Hugh Luckey, 
 came in 1735 from Londonderry, Ireland, 
 to Chester county, Penn. His son, Rev. 
 George Lucke}', was born in 1755, gradua- 
 ted from Princeton College in 1772, and 
 in 1785 settled at Black Horse, Md., 
 where he preached for nearly forty years. 
 He was pastor of Bethel Church, which 
 he built up, and in which he was buried, 
 having continued in his ministerial duties 
 almost until his death, which occurred in 
 1823. Among his children was John L. 
 Luckey, born near Black Horse, Md., in 
 1790, and who, in 1S15, wedded Anna 
 Wolfly, who was born about the same 
 year. The\- came to Ohio, and settled in 
 Elmore. In the family were si.\ chil- 
 dren: Augustus W., George W., Robert, 
 John, Catherine and Rebecca. Of these, 
 Augustus W. was born March 6, 1817, in 
 Gallipolis, Ohio, and in 1823 came with 
 his parents to Elmore, Ottawa county. 
 He became popular and well-known, and 
 prospered well, at the time of his decease 
 being an extensive landowner and well- 
 to-do farmer, and a director of the First 
 National Bank of Fremont. On March 
 20, 1 88 1, while in the Disciple Church at 
 Elmore, he was called from earth, his 
 death being caused by apople.xy. The 
 funeral was held from his late residence, 
 and was attended by the largest multitude 
 of people ever gathered in Elmore on a 
 similar occasion. E.\-President Hayes, 
 who was one of Mr. Luckey's intimate 
 friends, was one of the pall-bearers. 
 Augustus W. Luckey married Desire M. 
 Hall, who was born in Clark county, 
 Ohio, March 23, :8i8. and died August 
 4, 1854, leaving three children: Capt. 
 
 J. B. Luckey, who served three years in 
 45 
 
 the Third O. V. C, married Retta Borden 
 in 1 87 1, and has one child — Mae, born in 
 1873; Mrs. Wood and Frank A. Her 
 father, Joseph Hall, was born in Ken- 
 tucky September 2, 1784, and died June 
 I, 1859. In 1807 he married Leatha 
 Ferguson, who was born in Butler coun- 
 ty, Ohio, March 4, 1785, and died June 
 4, 1838. She too had si.\ children: James, 
 Samuel, George W., Mary, Nancy A., 
 and Desire M. 
 
 In this connection it will not be inap- 
 propriate to make further mention of Mr. 
 Wood's father, who was born January 2, 
 1 8 10, and became a prominent farmer 
 and stock raiser. He served as a mem- 
 ber of the Ohio Legislature two terms, as 
 a member of the House of Representa- 
 tives and of the Senate. He was also 
 twice elected to Congress, and was serv- 
 ing his second term at the time of his 
 death, November 19, 1850. The chil- 
 dren of Amos E. Wood and his wife are 
 as follows: Amelia, born August 2, 1836, 
 Victoria, born July 10, 1838; Amos, born 
 October 5, 1839, who died June 16, 
 1863; Augusta, born April 28, 1841, who 
 died December 5, 1842; De Wilton, born 
 December 28, 1842; Cornelia, born March 
 20, 1844. who died March 3, 1849; and 
 Eugene, born August 2, 1847, who died 
 in infancy. 
 
 Upon his marriage our subject located 
 on a farm near Elmore, which he culti- 
 vated some four years, when he accepted 
 a position as clerk in the store of Shaen- 
 feld & Borden, of Elmore, spending one 
 year at that place. He ne,\t removed to 
 Fostoria, Ohio, where he engaged in the 
 crockery business for seven years. Dur- 
 ing that time he served for two years as 
 justice of the peace, resigning his position 
 on his removal to Elmore. Here he pur- 
 chased the fine home and farm which is 
 still his place of residence, and since his 
 return he has here served as justice of the 
 peace for several years, and for four years 
 was postmaster of Elmore. On April i, 
 1894, he embarked in the livery business 
 
712 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in connection with his only son, James 
 L. , and they now have a good patronage. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wood have three children: 
 Emma Marian, born November 9, 1868; 
 James L. , born August 11, 1871; and 
 Florence A., born December 24. 1882. 
 The son acquired his early education in 
 Elmore, spent two terms in the Ohio 
 Normal University at Ada, Ohio, and for 
 six months attended Hiram College. Af- 
 ter that time he spent four months with a 
 railroad surveying corps in Virginia and 
 North Carolina, and also passed one win- 
 ter in Florida. He was deputy postmas- 
 ter under his father for four years under 
 President Harrison's administration. 
 
 Mrs. W'ood was born in Elmore Feb- 
 ruary 10, 1847, here spent her early girl- 
 hood days and completed her education 
 by two years' attendance at Oberlin Col- 
 lege. Her elder daughter, Emma, was 
 born on the same farm where her own 
 birth occurred, attended the same public 
 school, and then spent two terms in the 
 college at Ada, Ohio; she also entered 
 Oberlin College, but ill health prevented 
 her from completing the course. She has 
 given special attention to the study of 
 music and painting. The younger daugh- 
 ter is now attending school in Elmore. 
 The family is one of prominence in the 
 community, holding an enviable position in 
 social circles where true worth and intel- 
 ligence are received as the passports into 
 good society. They have a wide ac- 
 quaintance, and their friends are many. 
 
 JUNE FAMILY. The ancestors from 
 whom are descended the June fami- 
 lies in the United States were two 
 brothers by the name of Junett, 
 Huguenot Frenchmen, one of whom set- 
 tled on the Hud.son and the other on the 
 Connecticut river. The June families re- 
 siding in Sandusky county, Ohio, are 
 descended from the one who settled on 
 the Hudson, Zebbard June by name, and 
 who, becoming disgusted with the religion 
 
 of France, dropped the last two letters of 
 his name, leaving it June. His home was 
 at Peekskill, N. Y. He served in the 
 Revolutionary war under Gen. La Fay- 
 ette, and on account of disabilities in- 
 curred in the service was granted pecu- 
 niary aid from the U. S. Government. 
 His occupation was that of a farmer in 
 Orange county, N. Y. He had a 'family 
 of five children: Charit\', Stephen, Peter, 
 Cociah and David. Of these — 
 
 Charity June married Adam Sales, and 
 lived in Ithaca, Tompkins Co., N. Y., in 
 which county he died. They had five 
 sons and one daughter. After Mr. Sales' 
 death Mrs. Sales moved to Unadilla, 
 Mich., where she passed away. Their 
 eldest son, Benjamin, died at the same 
 place, leaving one daughter. 
 
 Stephen June married a Miss Pew, of 
 New York City, by whom he had one son, 
 James Madison June. Stephen June was 
 a soldier in the war of 181 2, and was 
 wounded at the battle of Lundy's Lane 
 by a bullet which struck him at one side 
 of the nose and passed out at the back of 
 his neck, on account of which he was con- 
 sidered mortally wounded. He was being 
 carried off the field by an Indian to be 
 burned on a pile of dead bodies, when his 
 struggles to free himself excited the sym- 
 pathies of a British officer, James Jim- 
 merson, who shot the Indian, and released 
 Mr. June, but svas himself arrested for 
 firing his gun during a truce, when both 
 armies were caring for their dead and 
 wounded by torch light. Mr. June re- 
 covered from his wound, and lived seven- 
 teen \ears after the battle, but never met 
 or knew his benefactor. The Indian who 
 was shot was of the tribe of Captain 
 Brant, after whom the then village of 
 Brantford. Canada, was named. The 
 British officer afterward received a pen- 
 sion from the British Government, and 
 was sent to take a position as commis- 
 sary, at Fort Maiden, Canada. It was 
 while he was at this place that Mr. David 
 June, of Fremont, Ohio, met him, and 
 
COMyfEMORATirE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 713 
 
 first learned that he was the man who 
 shot the Indian. A warm friendship at 
 once sprang up between them, which con- 
 tinued until the death of the officer, in 
 1874. 
 
 Peter June, born in 1796, for a num- 
 ber of years followed the sea, and later 
 served as a pilot in New York harbor. 
 He was a cavalryman under Gen. Brown 
 in the war of 181 2, during which he was 
 wounded by a saber cut at the hands of 
 a member of the Forty-second Regiment, 
 Scotch Highlanders, who were all slaught- 
 ered the same day. Peter June was mar- 
 ried, at Caldwell's Landing, on the Hud- 
 son river, to a lady who was born in 1 800, 
 and they lived for a time at New York 
 Cit}'. Being a sea-faring man he was ab- 
 sent from his fainilj' much of his time, and 
 his wife having prevailed upon him to 
 abandon the sea, he decided to try the 
 western lakes. Moving westward, they 
 lived for several years near Cayuga Lake, 
 N. Y. , in 1833 removing to Buffalo, 
 where he shipped as mate on the schooner 
 " Amaranth," and came with his family, 
 on the first day of June, to Sandusky 
 City (then called Portland), Ohio. Here 
 the family lived for upward of seventeen 
 years. Mr. June sailed on the lakes until 
 the death of his wife, in 1835, after which 
 he confined himself to ship-rigging in the 
 vicinity of his home. In 1840 he again 
 married. He died in 1851, at the age 
 of fifty-si.\. His remains and those of his 
 first wife have been removed toOakwood 
 cemetery, Fremont, Ohio. The children 
 of Peter June by his first marriage were: 
 Daniel L., born in 18 18; Martha, born in 
 1820; George, born December 26, 1822; 
 David, born May 11, 1824, sketch of 
 whom follows; two who died in childhood; 
 Sales A., born August 2. 1828; and Mar- 
 ietta, born in Januarj', 1S30. The sons 
 at different times all became residents of 
 Fren)ont, Ohio. 
 
 Cociah June, another member of the 
 family of Zebbard June, married and had 
 a family. 
 
 David June, youngest son of Zebbard 
 June, after whom David June, of Fremont, 
 Ohio, was named, was a soldier in the 
 war of 1812, having entered the service 
 at the age of fifteen, at the request of his 
 father, and serving as dispatch boy. He 
 grew to manhood in the vicinity of Peeks- 
 kill, N. Y., and married Miss Miami Har- 
 rington, at Ithaca, New York. 
 
 DAVID JUNE, machinist and en- 
 gine builder, of Fremont, Ohio, 
 was born May 11, 1824, at Ithaca, 
 N. Y. , son of Peter June, who 
 was a sailor and ship-rigger. 
 
 In 1833 our subject came with his 
 father's family to Portland, now Sandus- 
 ky, Ohio, where he attended school a 
 short time, at intervals when he could be 
 spared from work. He remained with 
 his father until about fourteen years of 
 age, when he entered a machine shop to 
 learn the machinist trade. In the fall of 
 1838 he was cabin boj' on the old steamer 
 "Jack Downing," on the Sandusky river, 
 which was his first experience at sailing. 
 In 1839 he was cabin boy on the steamer 
 " St. Clair" until she was laid up by the 
 Combination Line, after which he went 
 on the steamer "Sandusky. " In 1840 he 
 assisted his father (who was a contractor 
 on the Sandusky & Mansfield railroad) 
 by driving a team at plow and scraper, in 
 the construction of the road-bed from 
 Sandusky to Monroeville. In the winter 
 of 1840-41, at Sandusk}-, he attended for 
 a short time a school taught by Mr. 
 Hickox, an Episcopal clergyman. In 
 May, 1841, he began a seven-years' ap- 
 prenticeship to learn the trade of me- 
 chanical engineering with a firm in San- 
 dusky, and during this time he also 
 worked for a while with his brother-in- 
 law. Charles \\'aterous, on the old Ohio 
 railroad, which was to pass through San- 
 dusky county. This firm was doing the 
 general repairs through the counties of 
 Erie and Sandusky. Mr. June's work 
 
714 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 was to look after pile-drivers and saw- 
 mills. A dissolution of partnership of the 
 firm to which he had been bound released 
 him from his apprenticeship, and in April, 
 1842, he went to Cleveland and found 
 employment in the Cuj'ahoga Iron 
 Works. Here he remained about ten 
 years, during that time filling the position 
 of engineer on steamers of the Buffalo 
 and Chicago Line during the summer 
 seasons, and working in the shops during 
 the winter seasons. During a part of 
 1843 he was second engineer on the 
 steamer "St. Clair" and the rest of the 
 year on the "Commerce." In the win- 
 ter and spring of 1844 he assisted in 
 building the engine of the steamer " Em- 
 pire," and in August sailed on that 
 steamer as second engineer, remaining on 
 that vessel until June, 1847, when he 
 went on the "Boston." In the summer 
 of 1847 he took charge of the steamer 
 " Detroit," until she was sent to Chicago. 
 In the following winter he put up the en- 
 gine of the " Monticello," at Fairport, 
 Ohio. In the spring of 1848 he put in an 
 engine for the "Ohio," and fixed engines 
 for the " Republic" in the fall. He was 
 on the "Republic" until Jul}-, 1849, 
 when he was employed to fit out the 
 steamer "Globe, "at Cleveland, by the 
 American and Liverpool Insurance Com- 
 pany, who were under contract to furnish 
 the railroad iron from England for the C. 
 C. & C. railroad, by January i, 1850. 
 Their vessels from Liverpool could not pass 
 up the Welland canal, and the iron was un- 
 loaded on the banks. Mr. June was em- 
 ployed to deliver the iron for the company 
 at Cleveland, and it took him from July un- 
 til December 22 to do it. He then returned 
 to the Cuyahoga shops to work for the 
 Lake Superior Line of steamers, in which 
 employ he remained for a period of about 
 eight years. This line extended from 
 Cleveland to Sault Ste. Marie. In 1851 
 they built the steamer "Northerner," into 
 which Mr. June put an engine and ma- 
 chinery; this was the first steamboat 
 
 built for the Lake Superior trade. In 
 1853 they built the steamer " North Star," 
 which cost $128,000. Having by indus- 
 try and economy laid by some money, 
 Mr. June in 1853 came to Fremont to 
 start in business. He and a Mr. Curtis 
 first bought out the plow shop of F. I. 
 Norton, and began to fix it up for the 
 building and repair of engines. Six 
 months later Mr. Curtis sold out to Dan- 
 iel L. June, and the June brothers contin- 
 ued together under the firm name of June 
 & June until 1S56, when L\man Gilpin 
 bought out D. L. June. D. June and L. 
 Gilpin remained together as partners un- 
 til November, 1859, at which time D. 
 June became sole proprietor. He again 
 took Mr. Curtis into partnership, but 
 seven years later that gentleman re- 
 tired, and three years after that a part- 
 nership was formed, consisting of David 
 June, Robert Brayton, and O. S. French, 
 under the firm name of D. June & Co. 
 
 The completion of the Toledo, Nor- 
 walk & Cleveland railroad in 1853 en- 
 abled Mr. June to bring engines from 
 Cleveland for repair, and return them for 
 the Lake Superior Company cheaper than 
 the work could be done at Cleveland, and 
 he held their trade. His shops also re- 
 ceived many orders for work from the 
 surrounding country. In the winter of 
 1855 he rebuilt the "Manhattan," whose 
 engines were brought here by rail, and in 
 the winter of 1S57 he rebuilt the "North 
 Star" at Fremont. During these years 
 Mr. June was away occasionally on Lake 
 Superior to overhaul steamers and make 
 repairs. In 1858, at the urgent solicita- 
 tion of the Lake Superior Transportation 
 Company, he left his business at Fre- 
 mont, Ohio, in care of a partner lately 
 taken in, and went to Cleveland to take 
 charge of all the company's boats and 
 keep them in running order. He re- 
 mained there until i860, when he returned 
 to Fremont, bought out his partner, and 
 assumed entire control of the business. 
 He had quit the lakes in 1858, and now 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 715 
 
 remained in Fremont permanently, in 
 1 86 1 commencing the erection of new 
 worlvs, which were completed in 1877. 
 After several changes of partners he asso- 
 ciated himself with Robert Brayton, an 
 old and skillful machinist with whom he 
 had worked in Cleveland, and who re- 
 mained nine years and did much to make 
 their ventures successful. Many valuable 
 improvements in the building of engines 
 were made by this enterprising firm. 
 The)' were the inventors of a self-acting 
 spark arrester in 1875, which has come 
 into general use. The engines built by 
 the firm have a high reputation, and are 
 being shipped all o\er the country. The 
 firm also has two branch concerns, one at 
 Waco, Te.xas, which does a business of 
 about $150,000 a year, and one at Coun- 
 cil Bluffs, Iowa, which does an annual 
 business of about $25,000. They had 
 another at Austin. Texas, which they 
 recently sold to A. R. Gossard. These 
 concerns are all connected with and 
 stocked by the shops at Fremont, Ohio, 
 in which a business of about $200,000 a 
 j-ear is done. In 1869 Mr. June took 
 O. S. French as a partner, and the firm 
 name became D. June & Co., by which 
 it has been known ever since. In 1886 
 this firm divided up a one-third interest 
 with S. A. June & Son, Martin Holder- 
 man and A. M. June. In 1890 S. A. 
 June and Peter June, his son, surrendered 
 their stock to D. June &Co., since which 
 time the firm has consisted of D. June, 
 O. S. French, M. Holderman and A. M. 
 June. 
 
 On November 28, 1844, David June 
 married, at Painesville, Ohio, Miss Caro- 
 line A. Owen, daughter of Joseph and 
 Anna (Rantsford) Owen, born in Ontario 
 county, N. Y., in February, 1823. They 
 had two children: Clarissa A., who died 
 in childhood; and Carrie M., born June 
 12, 1857, who was married September 
 10, 1884, at Fremont, Ohio, to Martin 
 Holderman, who is now a partner in the 
 firm of D. June iS: Co., and its worthy 
 
 secretarj'. Mr. Holderman was born in 
 Baden, Germany, August 10, 1852, a son 
 of Frederick and Barbara (Adler) Holder- 
 man, who came to America in 1856. 
 Frederick Holderman was a baker by 
 trade, and had preceded his family to this 
 country two years, coming in 1854. He 
 died at Fremont, Ohio, in i860, and his 
 wife in 1865. Three of their sons, Will- 
 iam, George and Frederick, Jr., were 
 veteran soldiers of the Civil war, 1861 to 
 1865. The children of Frederick Holder- 
 man, Sr. , born in Germany, were: Fred- 
 erick, Jr., born in 1840; George, born 
 February 22, 1842; William, born Febru- 
 ary 22, 1844; Amelia, who died in child- 
 hood; and Martin, born August 10, 1852. 
 The children of Martin and Carrie Holder- 
 man are: June Frederick, born December 
 5, 1885; and Clara Marie, born Decem- 
 ber 12, 18S6. 
 
 JOSEPH H. HAINES, an honored 
 veteran of the Civil war, now an es- 
 teemed citizen of Elmore, Ottawa 
 county, was born in Trenton, N. J., 
 December 17, 1844, and is a son of Willis 
 Parker and Susan (Brooks) Haines. The 
 father was born in Pennsylvania, in 1809, 
 and, during the greater part of his life, 
 sailed the ocean. He died August 16, 
 1853. His wife, who was born in the 
 same State in 1814, died July 11, 1895; 
 to them were born seven children, all 3'et 
 living — Edward, Martha, Samuel, Joseph 
 H., Lurania, and Sarah and Mary P. 
 (twins). 
 
 \\'hen our subject was only two years 
 of age his parents migrated to Huron 
 county, Ohio, and afterward to Ottawa 
 county, where he attended the district 
 schools. His father died when he was 
 nine years of age, leaving seven children 
 to be cared for by the mother, who, by 
 her diligence and earnest effort reared 
 her family to become honorable men and 
 women and useful members of society. 
 Joseph H. began earning his living when 
 
716 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BWORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 only ten years of age, and also gave a part of 
 his wages to his mother to assist her in 
 caring for the younger children. 
 
 Mr. Haines was employed as a farm 
 hand until after the breaking out of the 
 Civil war, when, on the 4th of August, 
 he responded to the country's call for 
 troops, enlisting in Company L, Third 
 Ohio Cavalry. His first battle was at 
 Shiloh, and for two days he participated 
 in that hotly-contested struggle. He was 
 afterward in the battles of Chickamauga, 
 Missionarj- Ridge, Stone River and others. 
 He was twice taken prisoner, but made 
 his escape on the field of battle before 
 being removed to Southern prisons. For 
 more than four years he faithfully fol- 
 lowed the old flag, and valiantly aided in 
 the defense of the Union, making an hon- 
 orable war record of which he may well 
 be proud. When the South had laid 
 down its arms, and peace was once more 
 restored, he was discharged August 17, 
 1865, and returned home. The following 
 3'ear he started westward and spent si.\ 
 years on the plains of Colorado, Texas, 
 Utah and other western States and Ter- 
 ritories, engaged in driving cattle. The 
 company with which he was associated 
 was many times attacked by Indians, and 
 some of the number were killed. On one 
 occasion Mr. Haines was struck by an 
 arrow, but after a time recovered from 
 the wound. The life was often one of 
 excitement, danger and hardship. After 
 six years had passed he returned to El- 
 more, and has since lived in that locality. 
 
 On March 10, 1872, was celebrated the 
 marriage of our subject and Miss Jennie 
 Chapman, of Elmore. She was born 
 October 16, 1853, in Pickaway county, 
 Ohio, where she remained until nine years 
 of age, when her family removed to Oak 
 Harbor, Ottawa county, coming a year 
 later to Elmore, where she has since 
 lived. Her father, James R. Chapman, 
 was born in New York, in 1817, and her 
 mother, whose maiden name was Mary 
 Hardin, was born in 1829. They had ten 
 
 children: William, Alanzo, Ira, Lizzie, 
 Jennie, Sarah, Ella, F"annie, Ann and 
 Nancy; those still living are William, Liz- 
 zie, Jennie, Sarah, Ella and Fannie. 
 The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Haines 
 went to sea when her father was onlj- 
 six months old, and was never heard 
 from again. His wife was born about 
 1793. The maternal grandfather, Will- 
 iam Hardin, and his wife were both born 
 in 1799, and both died in 1885. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Haines have seven chil- 
 dren: Nellie, born December 23, 1872, 
 died September 11, 1873; Edw.^rd P., 
 born June 3, 1875, completed the course 
 of study in Elmore High School in 1892, 
 and, when thirteen j-ears of age, began 
 the study of pharmacy with Mr. Penfield, 
 a druggist of Elmore, by whom he is em- 
 ployed most of the time, proving a very 
 efficient clerk; Clarence B., born August 15 
 1877, died August 10, 1878; George A., 
 born January 23, 1879, is attending the 
 high school of Elmore; Maud, born March 
 30, 1882, and Alice, born April i, 1884, 
 are still in school, and are also studying 
 instrumental music; and Glena L. , born 
 June 19, 1893, died April 11, 1895. Mr. 
 Haines is now engaged in the painting 
 business in Elmore, enjoying a good trade, 
 and has the confidence and support of 
 many patrons, and all with whom he has 
 come in contact. 
 
 ISAAC F. STROHL, farmer, of Ball- 
 ville township, Sanduskj' county, was 
 born June 27, 1848, near his present 
 place of residence, about three miles 
 southeast of Fremont. He spent his child- 
 hood and \outh on the farm of his ma- 
 ternal grandfather, John Batzole, and at- 
 tended the district school at the corner of 
 said farm, chiefly in the winter seasons, 
 when work was not too pressing. 
 
 At the age of eighteen years he entered 
 upon life for himself, but retained his resi- 
 dence at the old homestead. During the 
 seasons of grain threshing, which formerly 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in 
 
 lasted much lon,q:er than at present, he 
 operated an old-fashioned horse-power 
 threshing machine for about fourteen 
 years, to the satisfaction of his neigh- 
 bors. He was the first man in his vicinity 
 to buy and use a steam engine for the 
 threshing of grain, and he made $1,200 
 in ninety days with his first engine. In 
 the year 1877 he bought the homestead 
 where he now resides, to which he has 
 made additions. He is progressive and 
 enterprising, and keeps abreast of the 
 times in the use of improved farm imple- 
 ments. He is a member of the United 
 Brethren Church; a Democrat in politics, 
 and has held the oiBce ot township trustee 
 several terms, and been an active member 
 of the board of education. 
 
 Isaac F. Strohl was married, Septem- 
 ber 14, 1875, to Miss Hannah M. Worst, 
 who was born in Sandusky county, August 
 10, 1852, and they had children as fol- 
 lows: Cletus P., Myrle D., Edna L., 
 Bessie and \'innie. 
 
 ANSON ELDRIDGE, a prominent 
 farmer of Ballville township, San- 
 dusky county, was one of those 
 marked characters in the early 
 history of this country to which the trite 
 appellation, "diamonds in the rough," 
 might be aptly applied. He was a short, 
 thick-set, stoutly built man, of Irish de- 
 scent. He was of a sanguine, nervous tem- 
 perament, having blue eyes, sandy hair 
 and a florid comple.\ion; he possessed a 
 large fund of ready wit and genuine good 
 humor, and his face was usually radiant 
 with hope and good cheer. Under his 
 rough exterior lurked not only an iron 
 will and nerves of steel, but a kind and 
 sympathetic disposition which led him 
 often to sacrifice his own interests for 
 those of his friends. He often acted 
 the part of a Good Samaritan among his 
 neighbors in cases of sickness, or of mis- 
 haps to their live stock. He was the 
 first man in his neighborhood to use a 
 
 horse-power mowing machine, and he 
 relieved the tired arms and lame backs of 
 many a hardy pioneer who mowed with a 
 scythe. The merry rattle of his "Buck- 
 eye Mower " astonished the meadow larks, 
 and cheered the whole community as its 
 echoes resounded from the neighboring 
 forests. 
 
 Mr. Eldridge came from the vicinity 
 of Massillon, Stark Co., Ohio, about the 
 year 1835, and settled in Riley township, 
 Sandusky county. Here he married a 
 Miss Fronizer, by whom he had one son, 
 who died at the age of si.xteen years. 
 Mrs. Eldridge died in 1840, and about the 
 year 1842 Mr. Eldridge married Mrs. 
 Nancy Beaghler (//cc- Bolin), relict of 
 Henry Beaghler, one of the earliest pio- 
 neers of Ballville township, who lived 
 near an old Indian trail leading from the 
 Indian village north of Green Spring to 
 Lower Sandusky. Mrs. Eldridge died 
 August I, 1869. A few years later Mr. 
 Eldridge married a Mrs. Brookhart, relict 
 of a minister of the United Brethren 
 Church, with whom he lived several years 
 in Mercer county, Ohio, and then quietly 
 passed awa\- from the scenes of earth. 
 His memory is kindly cherished by his 
 many former friends and their children in 
 Ballville township. He had for many 
 years been a member of the United Breth- 
 ren Church. 
 
 JOHN BATZOLE, one of the pioneers 
 of Sandusky county, was born in 
 Frederick county. Maryland, Feb- 
 ruary 28, 1 80 1. His father's name 
 was John, that of his mother being 
 Christina. His early life was spent on a 
 farm where he acquired habits of in- 
 dustrj- and economy, and learned the rud- 
 iments of a common-school education. 
 On September 25, 1824, he married 
 Miss Sarah Ernsperger, and moved soon 
 after to Wayne county, Ohio. They lo- 
 cated twelve miles west of Wooster, where 
 
718 
 
 COyiy[EMORATTTE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 he spent eight years in hard work clear- 
 ing up a farm. 
 
 Here were born to them: John Jacob, 
 Februarj- 8. 1826; Lucretia Catharine, 
 March 18, 1828; Marj" Jane, April 8. 
 1830; Maria, February 9, 1832; andhere 
 Mr. Batzole and his wife became mem- 
 bers of the Reformed Church. In the 
 spring of 1834 the family removed to 
 Ballville township, Sandusky county, 
 Ohio, upon a farm of eight\' acres of land 
 which Mr. Batzole had previously bought, 
 to which forty acres more were added 
 later. This was their family home for 
 about fifty years. Their children born 
 here were: Christopher, September 27, 
 1834; Sarah Ann, February 22, 1838; 
 Susan Martha, October 26, 1840; Will- 
 iam Henr>-, May 23, 1843: and two 
 others that died in infancy. John Jacob 
 died February 25, 1829; Mar\- Jane, 
 March i, 1831; Lucretia C, wife of Sam- 
 uel Strohl, September 8, 1861 ; and Maria, 
 wife of John Strohl, May 19, 1864. Mrs. 
 John Batzole died at her home March 2, 
 1878, at the age of seventy-four. John 
 Batzole died at the home of his daughter, 
 Mrs. Martha Michaels, December 24, ( 
 1887, aged nearly eighty-seven years. ' 
 
 Mr. Batzole was a friend of education 
 and furnished land, labor and material for 
 the erection of the first log cabin school- 
 house in his neighborhood, which was 
 also used as a place of religious worship 
 for many years, chieiiy by the pioneer 
 ministers of the United Brethren Church. 
 
 JOSEPH RUH, a prominent and high- 
 ly-respected resident of Put in Bay 
 Island, Ottawa county, who, for the I 
 past thirty-si.\ years, has been e.\ten- 
 sively engaged in the culture of the grape 
 vine, is well and favorably known through- 
 out Ottawa and adjoining counties. He 
 was born in Baden, Germany, January 
 27, 1830, and is a son of John and Marv 
 (Ackerly; Ruh. 
 
 Joseph Ruh was reared to manhood 
 
 and educated in the Fatherland, where in 
 early life he worked at agricultural pur- 
 suits, and afterward engaged in the butch- 
 ering business. In 1852 he embarked for 
 America, crossed the Atlantic, and came 
 to Ohio, settling first in Sandusky, Erie 
 county. About a year later he removed 
 to Plaster Bed, Ottawa county, in 1S54 
 went toGallipolis, Gallia Co., Ohio, where 
 he resided about a year, in 1855 removing 
 to Kelley"s Island, and in 1856 to Put in 
 Bay Island. In 1857 he went to Isle St. 
 George (North Bass , returned the same 
 year to Put in Bay Island, and has been 
 a continuous resident there ever since, 
 closeh' identified with the growing inter- 
 ests of the Island. 
 
 At Port Clinton, Ottawa county, on 
 January 7, 1859, Joseph Ruh was united 
 in marriage with Catherine Sullivan, 
 daughter of Michael and Nancy (Becker) 
 Sullivan, and five children have been born 
 to them, their names and dates of birth 
 being as follows: Rosella, Februan,- 2, 
 1862; Nancy, August 18. 1864: Mary. July 
 18, 1866: Elizabeth, June i, 1868; and 
 Charles E., January 13, 1870. The 
 mother passed away February 11. 1891. 
 In politics Mr. Ruh is a stanch Republi- 
 can, and in religious affiliation his family 
 are identified with St. Paul's Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 He. MYLANDER. the popular 
 hardware merchant of Oak Har- 
 bor. Salem township, Ottawa 
 county, and a prominent and pro- 
 gressive citizen, was born in Oak Harbor, 
 May 22, i860, the oldest son of H. H. 
 Mylander, also a resident of that enter- 
 prising town. 
 
 Our subject received his preliminary 
 education in the public schools of his na- 
 tive place, and was employed in his 
 father's store up to 1879, in which year 
 he engaged in the mercantile business at 
 Rocky Ridge, Ottawa Co., Ohio. In 
 18S0 he disposed of this business, and re- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 719 
 
 turned to the place of his nativit}', of 
 which he has since been a constant resi- 
 dent. Mr. Mylander was united in mar- 
 riage, at Oak Harbor, June i, 1880, with 
 Miss Marion A. Young, who was born 
 March 17, 1861, daughter of George and 
 Emma J. Young, of Carroll township, 
 Ottawa county, and to this union came 
 si.\ children, as follows: Pearl, Georgia, 
 Francis, Marguerite, Robert, who died 
 February 17, 1892, and Howard. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Mylander is a stanch 
 supporter of the Democratic party, and 
 for two years he very acceptably filled the 
 position of corporation treasurer. Socially 
 he is a member of Oak Harbor Lodge 
 No. 495, F. & A. M.. Fremont Chapter 
 No. 64, R. A. M., and Fremont Council. 
 But few men have taken more interest in 
 the welfare of the county, and none com- 
 mand more completelj' the respect and 
 confidence of the community at large 
 than does Mr. M}lander. The family are 
 members of the M. E. Church. 
 
 was 
 and 
 He 
 
 CGERNHARD, the courteous and 
 genial landlord of the well-known 
 popular •' Island House," Port 
 Clinton, Ottawa county, is a na- 
 tive of Germany, born November 16, 
 1851, in Hessen-Cassel. 
 
 Matthias Gernhard, his father, 
 born, in 1810, in the same Duchy, 
 learned the trade of carpenter, 
 served in the German army, not only the 
 full time but also e.xtra time, in order to 
 become fully qualified to receive a cap- 
 taincy; but on account of his name being 
 entered " Liphart," on the roll, bj' mis- 
 take, he lost his promotion, and in conse- 
 quence at once left the army. He after- 
 ward followed his trade in Germany till 
 1856, in which year, as will presently be 
 related, he emigrated to America. He 
 was twice married, each time in the 
 "Fatherland." on first occasion to Miss 
 Ifland, by whom he had three daughters: 
 Catherine Elizabeth, Martha and Cath- 
 
 erine; for his second wife he wedded Miss 
 Anna Catherine Brentzell (who was born 
 in 1826), by whom he had three sons: 
 our subject, George, and one that died in 
 infancy. In 1856, Mr. Gernhard, ac- 
 companied by all his family except the 
 two eldest daughters(who came to America 
 later, one before the Civil war and the 
 other after that event), emigrated to the 
 United States, the voyage being made in 
 a sailing vessel, which, becoming infected 
 with yellow fever, was quarantined at 
 Staten Island, New York harbor. Here 
 Mrs. Gernhard, her infant son (born on 
 the ocean) and Catherine (the youngest 
 of Mr. Gernhard's three daughters) died. 
 The two sons, our subject and George 
 where placed in a New York hospital, 
 where George died of neglect. In New Jer- 
 sey Mr. Gernhard, the father, secured em- 
 ployment, and there remained about a year 
 with his now onl}' son, our subject, when 
 they came to Ohio, making their home 
 at Brownhelm. Vermillion and Birming- 
 ham respectively, sojourning about twelve 
 months in each place. While living in 
 Birmingham, in 1859. our subject, then 
 a boy of eight summers, was adopted by 
 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Blanke, who after- 
 ward, fall of i860, in company with 
 Matthias Gernhard, moved to near Ellis- 
 ton, Ottawa county, settling on a farm in 
 Benton township. After the death of 
 Mr. Blanke, which occurred not long 
 afterward, his widow received her dower, 
 and went to live with friends in Elyria, 
 where she died a few years later. 
 
 Matthias Gernhard followed agricul- 
 tural pursuits in Benton township until 
 1862, in which year he enlisted in Com- 
 pany E, Seventy-second Regiment. O. V. I. , 
 Col. R. P. Buckland. and served in the 
 army fourteen months when he was dis- 
 charged on account of disabilities con- 
 tracted while in the service. Returning 
 to Benton township he resumed work on 
 the farm, where he passed the rest of his 
 days, dying June 27, 1890. 
 
 C. Gernhard, the subject proper of 
 
720 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 this sketch, grew to manhood on his 
 foster-father's farm, where he worked hard 
 in the lumber woods chopping cordwood, 
 spHtting rails, making railroad ties and 
 saw-logs, and clearing up the farm, attend- 
 ing country school onl)' a few weeks during 
 the winter season. At the age of eight- 
 een he was given his freedom bj- his- 
 foster-parents, and, in 1869, commencing 
 on his own account, he opened out a saloon 
 business at EUiston, Ottawa county, which 
 he continued until 1882, when he was 
 elected sheriff of Ottawa county, which 
 office he held four years. During the 
 last six months of his term he built the 
 •' Island House," at a cost of $16,000, 
 and after his terni expired opened up the 
 hotel of which he has been proprietor since 
 1887. Socially he is a member of the 
 I. O. O. F. and K. O. T. M., and is com- 
 mander of the Sons of Veterans at Port 
 Clinton. 
 
 On November 16, 1S71, Mr. Gernhard 
 married Miss Augusta Wilke, who was 
 born June 17, 1854, in Prussia, daugh- 
 ter of Gottlieb and Hannah Louisa (Arndtj 
 Wilke; she came to America about the 
 year 1862. Six children were born to 
 this union, their names and dates of birth 
 being as follows: Clara, August 17, 1872; 
 Elizabeth, December 8, 1873; Catherine, 
 February 1 5, 1S76: William, May i, 1879; 
 Frank, Maj' 9, 1881; Edward, November 
 19, 1884, all born in Ottawa county, 
 Ohio. Of these, Clara was married De- 
 cember 20, 1892, to William Sowders, 
 member of a mercantile firm in Louisville, 
 Ky. (they have one child, Harold, born 
 October 2, 1893); Elizabeth was married 
 September 12, 1893, to \\'illiam Gordon, 
 attorney at law, Oak Harbor. Ohio, a son 
 of Washington Gordon, ex-county treas- 
 urer of Ottawa county; Catherine died in 
 childhood; William, Frank and Edward 
 are li\ing at the •' Island House " with 
 their parents, and attend the public schools. 
 The entire family are identified with the 
 German Reformed Church, and are held 
 in the highest respect in the communitj'. 
 
 ANDREW SNIDER. This pio- 
 neer farmer, and veteran of the 
 Civil war of 1861-65, ^^'^s born 
 in the Empire State, September 
 16, 1830, and is a son of Andrew and 
 Margaret (Londestine) Snider, both of 
 whom were natives of Pennsylvania. 
 While a mere boy. Andrew was put to 
 work making spools for his father and 
 mother, who were weavers by trade and 
 operated three looms. The little lad was 
 kept almost constantly' busy, and conse- 
 quently his opportunities for gaining an 
 education were very limited. When he 
 was still quite Noung his parents removed 
 to Ohio and settled in Medina county, 
 where his father farmed and also followed 
 his trade of a weaver, at which our sub- 
 ject assisted until he was twent3'-one 
 years old. 
 
 On attaining his majority our subject 
 left home and obtained work in the hoop 
 yards, in said county, remaining in that 
 occupation for three years. He then re- 
 turned home and removed with his fa- 
 ther's family to Clay township, Ottawa 
 county, where his father, in 1857, bought 
 eighty acres of land. This was in the 
 midst of the woods, with no improve- 
 ments, and no road or schoolhouse 
 within a mile of the place. Here the 
 young man worked, in company with his 
 brother, without pay or profit to himself 
 until the land was cleared, and a log 
 cabin and other necessary structures 
 built. He then returned to Medina coun- 
 t}' and learned the trade of a carpenter 
 and joiner, afterward coming back to 
 Clay township, where he found plenty of 
 employment in this line. Many of the 
 houses he then built are still standing. 
 Mr. Snyder continued working at his 
 trade until the breaking out of the Civil 
 war, in 1861, when he went to Elmore 
 and enlisted in Company I, Twenty-first 
 Ohio \'olunteers. in which regiment he 
 served for over three years, under the 
 command of Gen. James Nichols. He 
 took part in the battle of Stone River, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 721 
 
 after which he was put, with others of 
 his cornpaii}', to buildin;,' bridf^es. While 
 at this work he was so unfortunate as to 
 severely injure his leg, and the surgeon 
 ordered his discharge at Nashville, Tenn. , 
 much to the sorrow of our subject, as he 
 felt that his country still needed his serv- 
 ices. After his discharge Mr. Snider re- 
 turned home and resumed his work as a 
 carpenter for two years, at the end of 
 which time he was obliged to discontinue 
 it, on account of his injured limb. He 
 was married at Genoa, and removed to 
 Michigan, locating at Palmer, where he 
 did farm work for seven j'ears, and after- 
 ward was similiarl}' employed at Hast- 
 ings, that State, for two years. At this 
 time he returned to Palmer, at the request 
 of his former employer, with whom he 
 worked for another three years, when he 
 came back to Ohio, and settled down on 
 the old homestead, where he has remained 
 ever since, with the exception of five 
 months spent in the Soldiers' Home, at 
 Dayton. 
 
 The wife of our subject, to whom he 
 was married February i, 1865, was, in 
 her maidenhood, Elizabeth Bufenton, and 
 was born in Elmore, this State, May 16, 
 1846. Her father, George Bufenton, mar- 
 ried Mary Rose, and they were the par- 
 ents of ten children. The father died in 
 1885, the mother in May, 1895. Eliza- 
 beth was married in i860, at Woodville, 
 Sandusky county, to Samuel Kemp, and 
 to them one child was born, March 30, 
 1 86 1, who died in January, 1892, leaving 
 a family of three children. Mr. Kemp 
 died from disease contracted in camp in 
 1 86 1, and in 1862 Mrs. Kemp married 
 Elisha Harrington, of Michigan, who was 
 killed in the battle of the Wilderness. 
 One child was born to this marriage, 
 Rosie, wife of Martin Croley, of Toledo. 
 In 1865, the widow became the wife of 
 Mr. Snider, as has been stated. The 
 union of our subject and his wife has been 
 blessed with four children, as follows: 
 Manda E., born March 20, 1866, in Michi- 
 
 gan, is the wife of Eli Edenburger, a 
 a farmer of Wood county (they have foui 
 children); Martha, born February 13, 
 1868, married Ernest Stoyker, of Genoa, 
 and has four children; Andrew B., a 
 farmer, born March 12, 1870, married 
 Minnie, daughter of Walter Downing, a 
 farmer of Clay township; Abigail, born 
 May 2, 1872, is the wife of Augustus Farr, 
 an engineer at Coleman, Michigan. 
 
 Mr. Snider is a good Ivepublican and 
 a member of Gen. Elliott Wyman Post, 
 G. A. R. He and his wife are devout 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and, while not possessed of a 
 great amount of this world's goods, are 
 contented and happy in the consciousness 
 of well-spent lives, and looking forward 
 to a brighter hereafter. 
 
 JAMES TITUS, one of the earliest 
 settlers of Kelley's Island, Ohio, 
 was born in New York State, April 
 15, 1832, and is a son of John and 
 Mehitabel (Chappie) Titus, who were of 
 English and Scotch ancestry, respect- 
 ively. 
 
 John Titus was born in New York 
 State, November 12, 1782, son of Silas 
 and Sarah (Runnells) Titus. In May, 
 18 10, he was united in marriage with 
 Mehitabel Chappie, who was born in New 
 York State, and they had a family of nine 
 children, of whom seven are now living, 
 namely: Zipporah, wife of Joseph Lin- 
 coln, residing on Kelley's Island; Justice, 
 residing on Kelley's Island; Nancy C, 
 widow of Edmund Ward, of Kelley's 
 Island; Lydia, widow of Sylvester S. 
 Dewelle, residing on Kelley's Island; 
 Sabria, widow of James Hamilton, of 
 Kelley's Island; Jared, residing on Kelley's 
 Island; and James. John Titus removed, 
 in 1835, to Ottawa county, Ohio, and in 
 1836 to Kelley's Island, where he was en- 
 gaged in grape growing. He died June 
 23, 1858, his wife, Mehitabel, surviving 
 him until August 19, 1880. 
 
722 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 When a mere child James Titus came 
 to Ohio with his parents, who located in 
 Ottawa county, and after residing there 
 about a year removed to Kelley's Island, 
 where he has since always lived. He re- 
 ceived a limited education here, has been 
 engaged in fishing and farming, and for 
 five years has been night watchman for 
 the Kelley's Island Line Transportation 
 Company. On June 22, 1852, he was 
 united in marriage with Angeline Pickard, 
 a sister of the late George Pickard, of 
 Ottawa county, and they had three chil- 
 dren, one of whom still survives, Evaline, 
 Mrs. Till, now residing in Cleveland. 
 Mrs. Titus passed away March 7, 1855, 
 and on April I2, 1862, at Port Clinton, 
 Ottawa county, James Titus was again 
 married, this time to Julia Condon, and 
 they have had one child, Louis C, who 
 was born July 22, 1863, and resides on 
 Kelley's Island. Mrs. Titus is a daughter 
 of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Condon, of Ot- 
 tawa, Ottawa county. In his political 
 views Mr. Titus is a Republican; he is 
 not connected with any church, though 
 his parents were Baptists. He has earned 
 success by his enterprise and well-estab- 
 lished reputation for integrity, enjoys a 
 very wide acquaintance throughout the 
 county, and has hosts of friends. 
 
 Edmund Ward, who married \ancy 
 C. Titus, daughter of John Titus, was 
 born in Esse.x county, X. Y. , June 16, 
 18 12, son of Reuben and Mary D. (La- 
 vine) Ward, who were from Vermont and 
 Canada, respectively. He was reared to 
 manhood and educated in New York 
 State, and in 1844 came to Kelley's 
 Island, Erie Co., Ohio, where he was a 
 constant resident for the remainder of 
 his life, engaging in farming and grape 
 growing. On September 10, 1835, '" 
 Rose Valley, Wayne Co., N. Y., Edmund 
 Ward was united in marriage with Nancy 
 C. Titus, who was born November 20, 
 181 7, and they had eight children, name- 
 ly: Melissa, born June 6, 1838, wife of 
 Frederick P. Waite, residing at Highland 
 
 Lake, Weld Co., Colo.; John, born July 
 21, 1840, who died in April, 1863, from 
 the effects of illness contracted in the army 
 while serving in the defense of his coun- 
 try; Emily, born September 9, 1842, 
 who is the widow of Rev. Martin K. Hol- 
 brook, residing in Berlin, Germany; 
 Uriah, born February 27, 1845, formerly 
 State Senator; Hettie E., born February 
 27, 1847; Mary L. , born January 19, 
 1849, wife of Henry I. Worden, residing 
 in Pittsburg, Van Buren Co., Iowa; and 
 Edward, born January 8, 1853, and Adal- 
 bert A., born March 13, 1855, both re- 
 siding on Kelley's Island. Edmund Ward 
 died in March, 1892. 
 
 ON. AUGUSTUS F. FRESE. 
 
 This gentleman, who for eight- 
 
 u 
 
 I I een years has been the popular 
 postmaster at Graytown, Benton 
 township, is a citizen whose public spirit 
 and influence are felt and appreciated 
 throughout Ottawa county, where he has 
 spent the greater part of his active life. 
 
 He is of German descent, his parents, 
 Henry and Louisa (Heilbranj Frese, hav- 
 ing been born in Germany in 181 3 and 
 1815 respectively. They came to Ameri- 
 ca about 1838, settling in Woodville town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio, where Mr. 
 Frese died in 1853. After remaining a 
 w^dow for six years Mrs. Frese married 
 Mr. K. Berleman, by whom she had one 
 son. Si.\ years after their marriage they 
 removed to Toledo, where Mrs. (Frese) 
 Berleman died April 6, 1893. To Mr. 
 and Mrs. Henry Frese were born seven 
 children: Two in Germany — Henry and 
 Louis; five in America — Charlotte, Mary, 
 Augustus F. , Charles F. and Louisa, all 
 of whom are still living, and all residents 
 of Ohio except Henry, who lives in Min- 
 nesota. 
 
 Augustus F. Frese was born Decem- 
 ber 24, 1846, in Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 living there until 1859, in which year he 
 moved with his parents to Toledo, w here 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 723 
 
 he lived until 1866. At the age of nine- 
 teen Mr. Frese began life for himself; 
 that he has made a success may be judged 
 from the fact that he is now one of the 
 leading business men of Ottawa county- 
 In 1866 he entered the store of C. H. 
 Damschroder & Co., of Elmore, Ohio, 
 as clerk, continuing with them three 
 years, when he returned to Toledo, and 
 for two years had charge of the boot and 
 shoe store of Eversman & Co. From To- 
 ledo Mr. Frese went to High Forest, 
 Minn., where he spent one year in out- 
 of-door work, mainly for the benefit of his 
 health, which had been somewhat im- 
 paired by long continued confinement in- 
 doors. At the close of his year of outing 
 he returned to Ohio, and again began 
 clerking .for C. H. Damschroder & Co., 
 of Elmore, remaining in this position un- 
 til 1876, when he came to Graytown and 
 settled in business for himself in partner- 
 ship with Mr. Ames, under the firm name 
 of Ames & Frese. In 1881 Mr. Frese 
 purchased his partner's interest and be- 
 came sole owner of the business, continu- 
 ing as such for one year, when, in 1882, 
 he was elected to the Legislature of Ohio 
 from Ottawa county, being the first Re- 
 publican representative from that county. 
 At this time his brother, Charles F. became 
 a partner in the business, and the firm has 
 since been known as C. F. Frese & Co. 
 
 In 1882, while in the Legislature, Mr. 
 Frese drafted a bill providing for the con- 
 struction of free trunpikes in Ottawa 
 county. The bill met with some opposi- 
 tion in the House, but Mr. Frese vigor- 
 ously defended his ideas, and had the sat- 
 isfaction of seeing his bill become a law 
 in 1S83. The bill provides as follows: 
 " In case any township in Ottawa county 
 desires to turnpike a certain road, the tax- 
 payers in said township shall make such 
 request known by petition. A five-mill tax 
 shall then be levied for the construction 
 of such road." The very excellent roads 
 on the eastern and western ends of Ot- 
 tawa county are a result of the applica- 
 
 tion of the Frese bill. In addition to Mr. 
 Frese's labors as a State officer he has for 
 many years been clerk of Benton town- 
 ship, and for eighteen years has held the 
 position of postmaster in Graytown, dis- 
 charging all the duties connected with his 
 various incumbencies in a manner which 
 speaks highly for his ability and trust- 
 worthiness. Politically he is a Repub- 
 lican, and an earnest worker for the suc- 
 cess of his party. 
 
 In 1885 Mr. Frese was married to Miss 
 Lena Beck, who was born September 24, 
 1856, in Port Clinton, in the public 
 schools of which place she received a 
 liberal education, and also made a spe- 
 cialty of music, under the private instruc- 
 tion of Prof. Bonn, of Sandusky, Ohio. 
 For two years she was bookkeeper for 
 the Singer Sewing Machine Co., one year 
 in Detroit and one in Toledo, and since 
 her marriage to Mr. Frese she has ren- 
 dered him great assistance in his exten- 
 sive business affairs. To their union 
 have been born four children, two of 
 whom are now living: Florence H., born 
 August 24, 1888, and James B., born 
 October 22, 1890, at Gra}town, Benton 
 township, Ottawa Co., Ohio. 
 
 Mrs. Frese is the only child of Sam- 
 uel and Catherine (Kunzman) Beck, the 
 former of whom was born April 5, 1S32, 
 in Baden, Germany. At the age of eight- 
 een he came to America, settling at 
 Port Clinton, Ottawa Co., Ohio, where 
 he was engaged in business until the 
 breaking out of the Rebellion. In 1862 
 he enlisted in the Union army, in which 
 he served for three years, and he is now 
 at the Soldiers' Home in Sandusky, Ohio. 
 His father, Heinrich Beck, was born in 
 Baden, Germany, in 1805, and his mother 
 was born in Germany in 1S04; their oc- 
 cupation was hotel-keeping and wine- 
 making. Mrs. Frese's ancestry on the 
 maternal side is as follows: Her mother, 
 Catherine (Kunzman) Beck, was born in 
 Germany April 28, 1834, and came to 
 America when about eighteen years of 
 
r24 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 age. The voyage consumed thirty-two 
 days, during which time the boat took 
 fire and all came nearly being lost, some 
 even jumping overboard lest they should 
 be burned to death; Miss Kunzman, how- 
 ever, remained on board, and finally land- 
 ed safely in America. She settled in San- 
 dusky, Erie Co., Ohio, and after remaining 
 there nearly three years with her brother 
 went to Port Clinton, where, in 1854, she 
 was married to Mr. Beck. A woman of 
 remarkable industry and enterprise, she 
 supported herself during her husband's 
 absence in the army by taking boarders, 
 and about si.\ years ago she furnished, 
 opened and for sometime was proprietor 
 of the " Lake House," at Port Clinton. 
 She is still living and is in good health. 
 Her parents, Christopher and Barbara 
 (Ahrheit) Kunzman, were born in Ger- 
 many in 1 806 and 1808 respectively. Her 
 grandfather, the great-grandfather of 
 Mrs. Frese, Christian Kunzman, was born 
 in Germany in 1772; his wife, Doratha 
 (Jordon) Kunzman, the great-grandmoth- 
 er of Mrs. Frese, was born in Germany in 
 1768. Christian Kunzman was supply 
 agent for the cavalry in the arm}' of King 
 William I, for some forty-two years, and 
 on his death the King sent the royal 
 hearse, drawn by si.\ white horses, and 
 accompanied by the German Military 
 band, to his funeral, which was the grand- 
 est ever given a private German citizen. 
 Mrs. Frese's great-grandfather, Zacharia 
 Ahrheit, was born in Germany in 1762; 
 he served under Napoleon the Great in 
 the Russian war, in which he received a 
 severe wound on the skull, inconsequence 
 of which a portion of the skull was re- 
 moved and a silver piece inserted instead. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Frese have a pleasant 
 home in Graytown, noted for its hospital- 
 ity, and they are appreciated and highly 
 esteemed by all who know them for their 
 business, social and intellectual worth. 
 Mr. Frese is largely interested in farms 
 and fruit growing, especially plums, hav- 
 ing altogether 2,000 trees set out. 
 
 EZRA HALL, of the firm of Ezra 
 Hall & Son, proprietors of a whole- 
 sale and retail green-house, at 
 Clyde, Sandusky county, was born 
 September 23, 1829, in \'ermont, on the 
 New York State line, and is a son of Dan- 
 iel and Clarissa (Loose) Hall. The fa- 
 ther was born in New York State, of an 
 old Massachusetts familj-, and came west 
 in the winter of 1854-55, locating in 
 Montcalm county, Mich., near Greenville, 
 where his death occurred when he was 
 aged eighty years. He was of Scotch- 
 Irish ancestry, and an old Jacksonian 
 Democrat. His wife, who was also born 
 in New York State, died in Michigan, at 
 the age of seventy-five years. Two sis- 
 ters of our subject are yet living — Mahit- 
 able, wife of R. Caldwell, of Warren 
 county, N. Y. ; and Harriet, wife of David 
 Brice, living in Clinton, Michigan. 
 
 The childhood of Ezra Hall was passed 
 in the various localities in which his par- 
 ents resided, and at the age of twenty 
 years he began railroading, first being em- 
 ployed as a common workman on a road 
 ten miles from Saratoga Springs, N. Y., 
 after which he was engaged at Rutland, 
 Vt. From there he went to Boston, 
 Mass., and later to New York Cit}', where 
 he worked on the Eagle Bridge across the 
 Hudson river, assisting in laying the track. 
 He applied himself diligently to his labors, 
 and won the confidence of his employers, 
 so that he was at that time given charge 
 of a gang of men. He received a pro- 
 position to go to the Isthmus of Darien as 
 overseer on railroad construction, which 
 he accepted, and with fourteen men pro- 
 ceeded to that place, but at the end of 
 three weeks only seven were alive, some 
 having been killed by the natives, while 
 others died of fever. The chances of life 
 being so small, Mr. Hall resolved to re- 
 turn home, though in doing so he would 
 have to give up a large salary, and his 
 companions who were still alive followed 
 his e.xample. 
 
 On returning to Rutland, Vt., our sub- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 725 
 
 ject remained there until 1S52, when he 
 came west, being; emplo\ed by the C. C, 
 C. & I. Railroad Companj' to take charge 
 of laj'ing the track, and on September 6, 
 1852, he put in the first switch ever laid 
 in Grafton, Lorain Co., Ohio. During 
 the war he entered the eniplo\'ment of the 
 United States Government, laying track 
 in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Ten- 
 nessee, Indian Territory and Texas, after 
 which he was similarly employed at Car- 
 son, Kans., where he also ran a train. 
 P"ew men still living are so familiar with 
 the privations, incidents, and history of 
 })ioneer railroad life in various parts of the 
 United States, or have had as broad an ex- 
 perience as Mr. Hall. The last railroad 
 work on which he was engaged was the 
 Lake Erie & Western road from Lima to 
 St. Mary's, Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Hall was united in marriage with 
 Miss Nancy McMillen, a native of Zanes- 
 ville, Ohio, born May 14, 1S33. She 
 was a faithful wife, and her death, which 
 occurred April 14, 18S2, was severely 
 felt by (Hir subject. Two children came 
 to bless their union, the eldest of whom, 
 William E., born May 18, 1857, is now 
 in partnership with his father in the green- 
 house business; he marrietl Miss Eva 
 Stark, and to them have been born four 
 children — Ezra Eugene, John B., Emil 
 M. and Llojd Taylor. 
 
 The firm of Ezra Hall & Son were the 
 pioneers in the small fruit business in that 
 portion of Sandusky county. They first 
 began to grow and ship to the city mar- 
 kets strawberries, raspberries, together 
 with other small fruits, and winter let- 
 tuce. About thirteen years ago they 
 started their first green-house, and to-day 
 are the only wholesale fiower dealers be- 
 tween Cle\eland and Toledo, Ohio. They 
 have telephone connections with all local 
 towns and business points, and ship flowers 
 as far as Chicago. They make a specialty 
 of a species of pink, and do a considera- 
 ble business in funeral decorations. They 
 have a large and constantly increasing 
 
 patronage, and have been very successful 
 in this undertaking. As businessmen, the 
 firm ranks high and receive the respect 
 and confidence of all with whom they 
 come in contact. 
 
 I AMS BROTHERS. This popular firm, 
 proprietors of the Metropolitan liv- 
 ery stables, at Gibsonburg, Sandusky 
 
 county, consists of Russell, Frank 
 and Jesse lams. It is always pleasant to 
 record the history of a family in which a 
 number of brothers, having passed their 
 boyhood happily together, arrive at man- 
 hood with the same fraternal feelings 
 and unite together in business pursuits, 
 and side by side fight the battle of life. 
 Their histories up to date are very simi- 
 lar. The}' are all natives of Sandusky 
 county, born in Washington township. 
 
 Frank lams was born March 17, 1855. 
 His marriage to Miss Emma Saam took 
 place in 1879. and they have one child, 
 Alice. Russell lams was born February 
 18, 1859, and was married February 5, 
 1880, to Miss Ellen Lowe; they have one 
 child, Myrtie. Jesse lams, born January 
 15, 1 86 1, married Sevilla Ernst, and 
 they have one child, J. Franklin. As has 
 been said, the earlier careers of these 
 thrifty and "hustling" brothers run in 
 similar channels. All three grew up on 
 the home farm, and each received his 
 education in the common schools, but 
 being endowed with the sterling qualities 
 of integrity and perseverance, supple- 
 mented with habits of industry from boy- 
 hood, they have had the good fortune to 
 see every enterprise in which they have 
 been engaged crowned with success. On 
 leaving the farm Messrs. lams engaged 
 in the livery business under the firm name 
 of lams Brothers, and are recognized as 
 leaders in the business circles of Gibson- 
 burg. They are stanch Republicans, and 
 are ever ready to assist in anything which 
 has for its object the welfare of the com- 
 munity. 
 
726 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 The parents of the lams Brothers, 
 Jasper and Mary Ann (Mooneyj lams, 
 were both born in Pennsylvania, and 
 came to Ohio when quite young. They 
 grew up and were married in Washington 
 township, Sandusky county, where the 
 father carried on farming, and died there 
 when about seventy-one years old. He 
 was a Republican, and served as a one- 
 hundred-days man during the Civil war. 
 The mother, now seventy-two years old 
 resides in Gibsonburg. Besides the three 
 sons mentioned their family comprised 
 the following children: Harriet, who mar- 
 ried William Fought, and lives in Gibson- 
 burg; Elizabeth, wife of Frank Fought, 
 residing in Fremont; John, a farmer in 
 Madison township; Mary, deceased wife 
 of John Barman; Minerva, who married 
 AmosHarley; Sarah, who married George 
 Naas; Marcella, who married George 
 Williamson, and Eltie, who married John 
 Valance. 
 
 FRED MICHAEL (deceased) was a 
 wagonniaker by trade, and fol- 
 lowed the occupation of farming 
 in Madison township, Sandusky 
 county. He was born in Hanover, Ger- 
 many, in 1817, and was one of the early 
 settlers of Madison township. 
 
 At the age of twenty-two Mr. Michael 
 started out alone for America. Coming 
 to Ohio, he located in Lower Sandusky, 
 now Fremont, Sandusky county, where he 
 went to work at his trade of wagon maker 
 in partnership with Ambrose Ochs. After 
 being thus engaged for some time he sold 
 out his interest and moved to Hessville, 
 Washington township, Sandusky county, 
 where he remained about two years, going 
 from there to Madison township, same 
 county, where he followed his trade five 
 years, and then located on a tract of land 
 near Gibsonburg, in Madison township, 
 where he had his home the remainder of 
 his days. 
 
 In 1845 Fred Michael was united in 
 
 marriage with Sophia Hass, and they had 
 five children, as follows: Mary died in 
 1869. John married Mary Driftmyer, by 
 whom he has had two children; he is a 
 farmer in Michigan. Le\ina died young. 
 Fred, who is unmarried, works in the oil 
 fields near Gibsonburg. Joseph was born 
 May 6, 1856, on the old homestead in 
 Madison township. When Mr. Michael 
 moved into the township there were very 
 few families here. At the time of his 
 death he had 120 acres of valuable land. 
 He passed away in February, 1890, at 
 the age of seventy-three years and some 
 months. 
 
 Joseph Michael, son of Fred and 
 Sophia (Hass) Michael, attended school 
 where the city of Gibsonburg now stands, 
 at a time when there were only three or 
 four buildings there. When a child he 
 had a paralytic stroke, since which time 
 he has had only partial use of his right 
 side. He has always had to work hard, 
 and since his father's death has had charge 
 of the farm. In 1889 the farm was leased 
 to a Mr. Gilbert, and eight oil wells were 
 put down, all of which have a fairly good 
 flow. Mr. Michael is well liked, and 
 popular in the community, and has de- 
 clined to accept several offices which have 
 been offered to him. Politically, he is a 
 Democrat. 
 
 HON. JACOB DECIDER (deceased) 
 was born January 15, 1809, in 
 Union county, Penn. His par- 
 ents, John and Julia Ann (Royer) 
 Decker, moved to Wayne county, Ohio, 
 in the spring of 18 16, remaining there 
 fourteen years, and finally, in 1830, settled 
 in Thompson township, Seneca county. 
 John Decker, who was a farmer and 
 blacksmith, died January 3. 1854, and his 
 widow June 27, 1875, in the eighty-sev- 
 enth year of her age. They were mem- 
 bers of the German M. E. Church. Their 
 children were Jacob, John, Samuel, Adam, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 727 
 
 David, Mrs. Elizabeth Heater, Mrs. Sarah 
 Burgner and Mrs. Catharine Harpster. 
 
 Jacob Decker's boyhood was spent 
 amid the scenes of early pioneer life in 
 Wayne and Seneca counties, and, while 
 his school days were limited to three 
 months, his active, energetic and perse- 
 vering nature enabled him by home stud\' 
 to lay the foundation of a practical edu- 
 cation which stood him, well in hand in 
 after years. Amid his rude environments 
 his observation was quickened, his reason 
 trained, his judgment developed, and a 
 habit of self-mastery attained which made 
 him the man he became in later years. 
 In 182S Mr. Decker began to learn the 
 carpenter's trade, at which he worked 
 about three years. He then located in 
 Section 21, Thompson township, Seneca 
 county, where he purchased eighty acres 
 of heavily-timbered government land at 
 $1.25 per acre, on which he erected a 
 hewed-log house. Returning to Wayne 
 county, he married Miss Susan Billman, 
 with whom he returned to his new home 
 in the wilderness. Their union was 
 blessed with si.x children: Barbara (Mrs. 
 Joseph Sherck), of Bellevue; John, living 
 in Arkansas; David, of Atchison, Kans. ; 
 Amos and Milton, of Thompson town- 
 ship; and Jefferson, who died in infancy. 
 Amos Decker represented Seneca county 
 in the Ohio Legislature two terms, during 
 the sessions of 1880-81-S2-83. 
 
 After a residence of forty busy years 
 on his farm, Jacob Decker retired, in 
 1 87 1, to his late residence at Bellevue, 
 Ohio. He had been successful in worldly 
 affairs, acquiring 900 acres of land, most 
 of which he divided among his children. 
 Mrs. Decker died March 27, 1872, and 
 Mr. Decker was married on May 23, 1877, 
 to Mrs. Sarah Gardener, who was born 
 in 1829, in Berks county, Penn., daugh- 
 ter of David and Lydia (Fisher) Slanker, 
 who settled in Wayne county in 1832. 
 Her first husband was Joseph Gardener, 
 who died P'ebruary 15, 1856. They had 
 two sons: Charles D., living in Orrville, 
 
 46 
 
 Ohio, who married Miss Mary Hower, of 
 Akron, Ohio; and William H., of Belle- 
 vue, who married Alice I\ern. 
 
 Mr. Decker was a lifelong, earnest 
 Democrat, and took an active part in 
 public affairs. He served his township in 
 nearly all the civil offices, including that 
 of justice of the peace. He also took a 
 deep interest in the educational affairs of 
 the community. He held the office of 
 county commissioner two terms, and was 
 twice called upon to represent Seneca 
 county in the Ohio Legislature — in 1849 
 and the session following, the last under 
 the old constitution and the first under 
 the new. His opposing candidate for the 
 second term was Gen. William H. Gib- 
 son. Mr. Decker was well informed in 
 the history and politics of his country. 
 He was a ready debater on the questions 
 of the times, a man of wonderful will 
 power and force of convictions. The last 
 fifteen years of his life were spent in the 
 quiet and retirement of his home, and 
 were comparatively uneventful, owing to 
 his advanced jears. 
 
 While residing in Seneca county, Mr. 
 Decker was for twenty years a member of 
 the Methodist Protestant Church; but on 
 his removal to Bellevue he became a 
 member of the M. E. Church, and was 
 faithful in attendance so long as his health 
 permitted. He died at his home, Novem- 
 ber 7, 1894, in the eighty-sixth year of 
 his age, and was laid to rest in the family 
 burial lot, which he had graced with a 
 fine marble monument, in Bellevue Ceme- 
 tery. Mrs. Decker retains the family 
 homestead. Amos and Milton Decker 
 are joint executors of their father's estate. 
 
 WILLIAM P. NAYLOR, one of 
 the most prosperous and pro- 
 gressive agriculturists of Madi- 
 son township, Sandusky county, 
 was born April 24, 1839, in Medina coun- 
 ty, Ohio, son of Samuel and Elizabeth 
 (Uhler) Naylor. 
 
728 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Samuel Naj'lor, father of our subject, 
 was born in what was then known as 
 Little York, Penn., a son of Jacob Nay- 
 lor, who was a farmer and distiller. 
 Samuel was reared on a farm, and when 
 a young man followed teaming, hauling 
 whiskey from his father's and other dis- 
 tilleries to Baltimore, Md., where was 
 found the best market for that commod- 
 ity. In those days it took si.x horses to 
 haul thirty barrels of whiskey. Samuel 
 was married in Cumberland county to 
 Elizabeth Uhler, a native of that county, 
 born of German ancestry, and after mar- 
 riage the young couple located on a small 
 farm in Cumberland county, which he 
 rented. In Pennsjlvania children as fol- 
 lows came to them: Mary, born Decem- 
 ber 6, 1820, now the widow of Amos 
 Fritz, residing at Medina, Ohio; Samuel, 
 born February 27, 1823, a farmer of Lo- 
 rain county; Benjamin K., born Feb- 
 ruary 25, 1825, a farmer and black- 
 smith, now of Lucas county, Ohio; 
 Jacob, born September 7, 1826, a farmer 
 of Medina county, Ohio; and Ann Eliza, 
 born September 20, 1829. In the fall of 
 1829 the family came to Ohio over the 
 Alleghany Mountians in a covered two- 
 horse wagon, bringing with them consider- 
 able household effects, including their 
 bedding, which they found of the greatest 
 use during their two-weeks' wearisome 
 journey. Mr. Naylor, the father, had 
 previously visited Ohio, and in Guilford 
 township, Medina county, had selected 
 land then looked after by Judge Heman 
 Ely, of Elyria, Lorain county. On the 
 occasion of that visit Mr. Naylor had 
 hired a man to build a log house for the 
 convenience of the family when they 
 should arrive, but they found it in such 
 an unfinished state that they had to rent 
 another cabin in the neighborhood, where- 
 in to pass the winter. In the meantime 
 their own was made habitable, and the 
 following spring they moved into it. 
 While the family were en route one child, 
 named Ann Eliza, was born September 
 
 20, 1829, at Lancaster, Penn., which in- 
 teresting event delayed them three days. 
 In Medina count}- the family was further 
 increased by the following children: Re- 
 becca, born December 18, 1831, now 
 Mrs. W. W. Hutchisson, of Sandusky 
 county, Ohio; Sarah J., born December 
 24, 1833, deceased: John, born February 
 10, 1838, who died at the age of twenty- 
 one; William P., born April 24, 1839, 
 our subject; and Henry F., born July 9, 
 1842, of Sandusky county. On this farm 
 in Medina county the mother of these 
 children passed from earth, and the father 
 then moved into the village of Seville, 
 same count}', having purchased in that 
 vicinity a farm of thirty acres, and also a 
 residence in the village. 
 
 In Guilford township Mr. Naylor mar- 
 ried, for his second wife, Migs Harriet 
 Sheldon, and one child was born to this 
 union August 19, 1856, Harriet, now 
 Mrs. James Ross, who is at the frontier 
 teaching Indians. Samuel Naylor died 
 at the age of seventy-three, and lies buried 
 in the Lutheran cemetery, Guilford town- 
 ship Politically he was originally a 
 Whig, and after the formation of the 
 party was a stanch Republican. He had 
 traveled all through the Southern States, 
 and, from observations he made during 
 his visit, predicted the Civil war many years 
 before it broke out. Of his family Samuel 
 Naylor, who is one of the most extensive 
 landholders and wealthiest farmers of 
 Penfield township, Lorain Co., Ohio, was 
 born February 27, 1823, in Carlisle, Cum- 
 berland Co., Penn. He was married in 
 August, 1845, to Miss Barbara Long, and 
 some time later they settled on a farm in 
 Litchfield township, Medina Co., Ohio, 
 at the end of three or four years moving 
 to Penfield township, Lorain county, 
 where he bought a piece of wild land. 
 They had a familj' of children as follows: 
 Jacob, who enlisted in the Civil war before 
 he was seventeen years old, and died at 
 Camp Dennison, while in the service; 
 Henry, who died young; Elizabeth, wife 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 729 
 
 I 
 
 of Stewart Long; Rebecca, deceased wife 
 of Andrew Sigourney; Harriet A.; Lanj- 
 E., who died at the age of seven years; 
 Emma, wife of \\'illiam Bradstock; Mary, 
 deceased when seventeen years old; Har- 
 vey G., a farmer; and Dora, wife of Will- 
 iam Hower. The mother of these died 
 January 7, 1874, and for his second wife 
 Samuel Naylor married Miss Nancy E. 
 Yocom, who died in 1882 without issue. 
 
 William P. Naylor, the subject proper 
 of this memoir, received his education at 
 the common schools of Guilford town- 
 ship, Medina county, and worked on his 
 father's farm until he reached the age of 
 seventeen years, when he hired out as a 
 day laborer by the month until he was 
 twenty-one, at which time he came to 
 Madison township, Sandusky county, and 
 here continued in similar employment un- 
 til the breaking out of the war of the Re- 
 bellion. He then voluntarily proceeded 
 to Fremont and enlisted in Company C, 
 Seventy-second O. V. I., under Col. R. 
 P. Buckland and Capt. Samuel A. J. 
 Snider, which regiment was sent to Camp 
 Chase, thence to Pittsburg Landing, par- 
 ticipating in the battle fought at that 
 place April 6 and 7, 1862. Here our sub- 
 ject was so severely wounded in the leg 
 that he had to be sent to the hospital at 
 Covington, Ky. , whence, after conval- 
 escing, he returned home to his father's 
 farm, and there spent the succeeding six 
 months. At the end of that time he re- 
 ceived orders from his regiment to report 
 at headquarters. Camp Chase, whither 
 he at once proceeded, and from there was 
 sent to Camp Dennison, where he re- 
 mained until receiving his discharge on 
 account of disability, November 5, 1862. 
 
 Returning to Medina county, Mr. Nay- 
 lor passed a year at his father's home, 
 and then once more came to Madison 
 township, Sandusky county, where he 
 rented a farm which he worked on shares 
 with his brother-in-law for a year. In 
 1865 he secured a farm of his own, eighty 
 acres in extent, which, with the excep- 
 
 tion of a space where stood a log cabin, 
 was covered with timber. Into this rude 
 dwelling he and his wife removed, the 
 walls of which were bare and unplastered, 
 the furniture being of the same primitive 
 character; in the provision line they had 
 sufficient flour to last them a year, and 
 they also had a couple of cows and some 
 poultry. But, better than all, they were 
 possessed of stout hearts and willing 
 hands, and the one cheering the other 
 they resolutely set to work to clear the 
 land, after much labor succeeding in get- 
 ting a couple of acres under cultivation, 
 which they sowed to wheat, yielding at 
 the harvesting twenty bushels. This they 
 took to mill to be ground, the grist giving 
 them enough flour for another jear, and 
 in this way they managed to exist and 
 rear their family of children. After fif- 
 teen years passed in reducing this eighty- 
 acre tract to cultivation, Mr. Naylor 
 purchased an additional forty acres of 
 timber-covered land, which in course of 
 time he also succeeded in clearing, and 
 bringing to a high state of fertility. In 
 1886 he erected a fine dwelling, second 
 to none in the township, and built com- 
 modious barns and outhouses, planted an 
 orchard, put up substantial fences, laid 
 tiles, and in many other ways improved 
 the property, till it became one of the 
 most complete farmsteads in the county — 
 a practical illustrati<5n of what can be ac- 
 complished by industry and enterprise. 
 
 On August 7, 1865, Mr. Naylor was 
 married in Madison township, to Miss 
 Elizabeth J. McCreary, daughter of James 
 McCreary, a prominent farmer of that 
 localit}', and five children were the result 
 of that union, as follows: Mildred R. , 
 born April 7, 1866, married to William 
 Plantz, a farmer in Scott township, San- 
 dusky county; Winnie E. , born Js^ovem- 
 ber 6, 1867, died July 13, 18S0; Arthur, 
 born July 3, 1870; Phinneous M. , born 
 August 31, 1872, working on his father's 
 farm; and John A., born April 28, 1875, 
 died September 2, 1875. The mother of 
 
730 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 these was called from earth August 6, j render him all the assistance in her power. 
 
 With this noble encouragement he con- 
 
 1879, and December 31, 1882, Mr. Nay- 
 lor married Miss Catherine Slates, daugh- 
 ter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Fleck) 
 Slates, a sketch of whom follows. By 
 this marriage there is no issue. 
 
 In religious faith Mr. and Mrs. Xaylor 
 and family are adherents of the Church of 
 the Disciples, attending service at Gib- 
 sonburg. In his political preferences he 
 is a stanch Republican, has never sought 
 office, and has never accepted an}', as he 
 finds that his own affairs too closely oc- 
 cupy his time. He was school director 
 of his district nine years, and has always 
 taken a deep interest in educational mat- 
 ters, in fact in everything tending to the 
 improvement and advancement, social or 
 otherwise, of the community in which he 
 lives. 
 
 Joseph Slates, father of Mrs. William 
 P. Naylor, was born Februarj- 16, 1812, 
 in Carroll county, Md., son of John and 
 Catherine (Keselringj Slates, both also 
 natives of Maryland. W^hen Joseph was 
 a twelve-year-old lad the famih" removed 
 to Pennsylvania, where on the home farm 
 he worked during the summers, his win- 
 ter months being passed at the schools of 
 the neighborhood, he paying for his edu- 
 cation out of money earned during the 
 busy seasons on the farm, and he re- 
 mained in Pennsylvania, working in the 
 capacity of farm laborer, until 1854, 
 when he came to Sandusky county, Ohio, 
 in Jackson township, renting a farm 
 which he operated three years. He then 
 removed to W^ashington township, same 
 county, also renting a farm there four 
 jears, and later buying eighty acres of 
 land in Madison township, part of which 
 was improved, although there was an 
 overplus of water, and there were as yet 
 no roads. Here, in a rude hut, they made 
 their new home, but Mr. Slates became 
 so disgusted at the prospects that he was 
 about to give up farming altogether, when 
 his heroic wife assured him of her will- 
 ingness to remain where they were, and 
 
 eluded to remain, and he and his faithful 
 life partner set to work with earnest en- 
 deavor, soon having nearly all of eighty 
 acres cleared, whereon they erected a 
 comfortable home surrounded by substan- 
 tial barns and outhouses. In the course 
 of time Mr. Slates added by purchase 
 other eighty acres, thirty of which he 
 brought under cultivation; then sold this 
 eighty-acre tract, retaining the first one, 
 which he rents, as he is now living re- 
 tired, passing his declining years with his 
 daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. 
 W. P. Naylor. Notwithstanding his years 
 he is still active, and is a very interesting 
 conversationalist. 
 
 In 1832 Joseph Slates was married in 
 Huntingdon county, Penn., to Miss Eliza- 
 abeth Fleck, and a brief record of their 
 children is as follows: William, born 
 August 3, 1837, who is a farmer of Indi- 
 ana, is married and has a family; Cath- 
 erine, born August 6, 1839, Mrs. Naylor; 
 Elizabeth, born April 6, 1842, wife of 
 Jacob Snider, a farmer of Washington 
 township, Sandusk)' county (they have 
 two children); Liddie A., born April 5, 
 1844, who died in 1886, leaving four chil- 
 dren (she first married John Lance, a 
 farmer of Madison township, who was in 
 1870 burned to death at Gibsonburg, his 
 death being caused by the explosion of a 
 can of coal oil; she subsequently married 
 Ira Krotzer, of Woodville township); 
 Jacob, born April 7, 1S46, a prominent 
 farmer of Michigan, who is married and 
 has seven children; Rebecca, born April 
 13, 1 848,. who married Samuel Garns, a 
 farmer of Williams county, and died June 
 6, 1895; Mar}- Jane, born September 8, 
 1 85 1, wife of Watts Allen, a farmer of 
 Isabella county, Mich, (they have four 
 children); Lucinda, born October 19, 
 1853, wife of David Klutz, a farmer of 
 Eaton Rapids, Mich, (they have two chil- 
 dren); and Ellen, born July 20, 1858, wife 
 of Frank Klutz, an oil man (they have 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 731 
 
 one child). The mother of these was 
 called to her long home in 1878, leaving 
 a sorrowing husband and sons and daugh- 
 ters to mourn the departure of a loving 
 and affectionate wife and mother. She 
 was an estimable lady, affable and kind, 
 and ever ready to sacrifice the smallest or 
 the greatest pleasure for her husband and 
 family. Mr. Slates, during his active life, 
 took a deep interest in educational affairs, 
 and for several years was school director, 
 also clerk of the board, and he was elected 
 township trustee on the Democratic ticket, 
 of which party he has ever been a stanch 
 adherent, his first vote being cast for Gen. 
 Jackson. In religious faith he is an ad- 
 herent of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 PETER DOELL, retired farmer, 
 Ballville township, Sandusky coun- 
 t}', was born in Hessen, Germany, 
 April 20, 1819, a son of Henry 
 and Clara (Cobbler) Doell, natives of Hes- 
 sen. Her parents were Adam and Ann 
 Cobbler, the father a blacksmith by trade, 
 and they both died in Germany. Our 
 subject was one of four children, viz. : 
 Adam Doell, a wagon maker, who mar- 
 ried Catharine Sheffel; Catharine, wife 
 of George Fath, a weaver and farmer, 
 who had three children, and died in Ger- 
 many; Mary, wife of Peter List, a weaver 
 and farmer, who had two children, and 
 died in Germany; and our subject. 
 
 Peter Doell landed in America Au- 
 gust 2. 1838, came to Ohio, and settled in 
 Ballville township, Sandusky count}'. 
 Here he worked out b)' the month among 
 the farmers for about three years, and 
 saved his earnings. On August 29, 1841, 
 he married Miss Margaret Resch, who 
 was born November 2, 18 16, daughter of 
 Lewis Resch, a native of Germany. He 
 continued working by the month two 
 years after his marriage, then bought a 
 farm of forty acres for $210. Having 
 cleared nearly twenty acres of it, and 
 lived on same twenty years, he sold it to 
 
 his son George; then for $1,800 bought 
 the forty-nine acres where he now lives. 
 The children of Peter and Margaret 
 Doell were twelve in number, four of 
 whom survive: (i) Mary, born October 
 6, 1842, married April 30, 1873, by Rev. 
 H. Lang, of Fremont, Ohio, to C. L. 
 Rearick, who was born April 29, 1833, a 
 farmer and Democrat, son of John and 
 Elizabeth Rearick, natives of Pennsyl- 
 vania (their children were — Minnie May, 
 born May 25, 1874; Arthur, born Janu- 
 ary, 1S78; and Burdett, born December 
 29, 1880); (2) George Doell, born Janu- 
 ary 26, 1843, farmer. Democrat, mem- 
 ber of the Lutheran Church, who mar- 
 ried Miss Mary Parks; (3) Catharine, 
 born March, 1845, wife of Jacob Groff, 
 farmer. Democrat, living in Jackson 
 township, whose children are — Emma, 
 Nettie, Ida, and Hattie; (4) Jeseph, born 
 January, 1847, a Democrat and member 
 of the M. E. Church, who married Miss 
 Mary Aguge, of Fremont. Ohio. Mrs. 
 Margaret Doell died July 17, 1892, at the 
 age of seventy-six years, since which time 
 Mr. Doell has rented his farm to others, 
 and lives with his daughter on the old 
 homestead. He is a Democrat in poli- 
 tics, and a man highly esteemed bj' his 
 neighbors. 
 
 WILLIAM LORENZO STIER- 
 WALT, M. D., one of the most 
 successful and prosperous med- 
 ical practitioners in northwest- 
 ern Ohio, now located at the flourishing 
 little village of Lindsey, Sandusky county, 
 was born in Sandusky township, about 
 two miles east of Lindsey, April 30, 1859, 
 son of Moses and Elizabeth (Lay) Stier- 
 walt. 
 
 Moses Stierwalt, the father, was a 
 farmer by occupation, and a native of 
 Allentown, Ohio, and in an early day he 
 came with his father, Henry Stierwalt, 
 to Sandusky county, where he has ever 
 since remained, he and the mother now liv- 
 
732 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ing in Rice township. William L. re- 
 mained at the home of his parents, work- 
 ing on the farm and receiving a common- 
 school education, until he was fifteen 
 years old. He was a lad of keen percep- 
 tions, and early in life he became fitted to 
 teach a district school. For twelve years 
 he successfully taught in country schools, 
 and in 1881 he was appointed superin- 
 tendent of the Lindsey High School. 
 There he remained two years, and, in or- 
 der to more thoroughly fit himself for the 
 work of education, he went to the Ohio 
 Normal Universitj', at Ada, and took a 
 scientific and pharmaceutical course. He 
 became so deeplj' engrossed in the sub- 
 ject that the whole current of his life was 
 diverted to a new aim. He concluded to 
 take up the profession of medicine. 
 
 After his marriage, March 28, 1883, 
 to Ida E. Hineline, daughter of Theodore 
 and Hannah (Rafferty) Hineline, farming 
 people of Sandusky count)', he returned 
 to Ada and completed his studies. Going 
 to Toledo, he remained there three years, 
 taking a thorough course in medical science 
 and surgery, and then, in 1888, returning 
 to Lindsey, he engaged in practice in part- 
 nership with Dr. Woland, with whom he 
 continued until July i. Dr. Woland 
 then retired, and Dr. Steirwalt has since 
 built up one of the largest and most suc- 
 cessful practices in Ohio. He now owns 
 eighty acres of choice farming land in 
 Washington township, besides property 
 in Lindsey. As a diversion from his 
 professional work he is greatl}' interested 
 in the breeding of fine horses, and is sec- 
 retary of the Lindsey Coach Horse As- 
 sociation. He owns a one-fourth interest 
 in the coach horse Marschall, purchased 
 at the World's Fair for $2,500. Dr. 
 Stierwalt was, in 1890, elected city coun- 
 cilman, en the Democratic ticket, by a 
 majorit\- of forty-four, when the town- 
 ship was conceded to be Republican. No 
 happier home can be found than that of 
 Dr. Stierwalt, graced as it is by an af- 
 fectionate and devoted wife, and two 
 
 bright children — Howard L. , born No- 
 vember 12, 1888, and Mildred M., born 
 May 31, 1894. 
 
 c 
 
 A. KELLOGG, a prosperous re- 
 tired farmer of Woodville town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was born 
 in Wood county, Ohio, April 30, 
 1845, son of Elijah and Mary W. (Ballard) 
 Kellogg, and grandson of itlijah Kellogg, 
 Sr. The latter was a native of the Green 
 Mountain State, and at the early age of 
 eight years migrated to Canada with his 
 parents, who settled there upon a new 
 piece of land. The boy grew up in Can- 
 ada, and married Lavinia Hall, who died 
 October i, 1819. For his second wife 
 Elijah Kellogg, Sr., married Maria Wells, 
 by whom he had six children. She died 
 in Illinois in January, 1882. 
 
 Elijah Kellogg. Jr., a child by the first 
 marriage, was born September 16, 1S19. 
 When a young man he came to Ohio, 
 and on October 8, 1842, in Wood county, 
 he married Miss Mar)- ^^^ Ballard, who 
 was born September 3, 1819, in Georgia, 
 Franklin Co., \'t. A brief sketch of the 
 six children of Elijah and Mary W. Kel- 
 logg is as follows: (i) Thomas H., born 
 July 29, 1843, enlisted in the fall of 1861 
 in Company I, Sixty-eighth O. V. I., and 
 re-enlisted for three years; while in the 
 service he contracted a cold at \'icksburg, 
 which became severe and developed into 
 consumption, and he was discharged for 
 disability. He died at \'icksburg, Miss., 
 October 4, 1S64, and his remains were 
 brought north and interred in Woodville 
 cemetery. (2) C. A. is the subject proper 
 of this sketch. (3) Theresa was born 
 October 8, 1847. (4) Flora L. , born 
 February 16, 1850, was married June 21, 
 1883, to Harry E. Hudson, a farmer of 
 Coldwater, Iowa; they have four children: 
 Burney V., born May 8, 18S3; Oscar, 
 born December 5, 1884; Terrence E., 
 born December 26. 18S6, died August 27, 
 1887, and Lepha H., born November 18, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 783 
 
 1888. (5) Mary Lavina was born Au- 
 gust 6, 1851. (6) Charles S., a physi- 
 cian of large practice at Austin, 111., born 
 September 23, 1858, was married Decem- 
 ber 20, 1884, to Alice Pauline Riley, who 
 was born October 24, 1859. They have 
 three children, Marie, born January i, 
 1886; Erma, born June 6, 1890, and 
 Chester, born September 21, 1892. 
 
 Our subject, C. A. Kellogg, at the 
 age of seventeen enlisted at Woodville in 
 Company I, Sixty-eighth O. V. I. ; at 
 Memphis, Tenn., he was taken sick with 
 rheumatism and lay in the hospital for 
 five months, after which he was dis- 
 charged for disability. Mr. Kellogg has 
 ever since suffered acutely from the dis- 
 ease thus contracted. It was in 1 847 that 
 our subject was brought to Woodville 
 township, Sandusky county, by his fa- 
 ther, Elijah Kellogg, who first purchased 
 sixt}--four acres of land, later seventy-two 
 acres, and later still 160 acres. He also 
 bought 1 60 acres of land located in Wood 
 county. In May, 1892, he leased this land 
 to the Standard Oil Company, who put 
 down nine wells, most of which proved 
 good producers. C. A. Kellogg in the year 
 1890 retired from active business life. 
 He has leased the old homestead, for the 
 infirmities consequent upon his military 
 service have made it impossible for him 
 to longer attend to the farm work. 
 
 HENRY PARK, a well-known and 
 popular pioneer farmer of Wood- 
 ville township, Sandusky county, 
 was born in Hanover, Germany, 
 December 15, 1823. His parents, John 
 and Mary (Westerfeldtj Park, were born 
 in 1788 and 1796 respectively. Of their 
 eight children five died young. Freder- 
 ick, Henry and John grew to maturity and 
 married. F'rederick was born in 181 5, 
 and in Germany married Charlotte Ticka- 
 meyer, by whom he had five children, as 
 follows: Mary, wife of Charles Brown, of 
 Toledo; Angeline, wife of George Dietz, 
 
 and mother of five children (they are 
 residents of Michigan); Prederick, a 
 farmer and painter, of Wood county, 
 Ohio; Eliza, wife of Henry David, a 
 farmer of Wood county (she is the mother 
 of six children); and Henry, a Wood 
 county farmer, who married Lottie Brown, 
 and has two children. John was born in 
 1829, and married Katie Yaunsmeyer, 
 who bore him two children: Harry, who 
 is married to Lydia Heiser, and has two 
 children; and Nellie, wife of William 
 Dipp, a miller by trade, who also has two 
 children. 
 
 In 1844 our subject, then twenty-one 
 years of age, came with his parents to 
 America in the German sailing vessel 
 " Louisa," which was thirty-three days on 
 the water. After remaining a short time 
 in New York the family came to Ohio, 
 and in Woodville township, Sandusky 
 county, the father purchased fifty-two 
 acres of land, paying for the same $400. 
 Henry remained with his parents until 
 their decease in 1866, and for his care 
 and attention to them in their old age the 
 father had given him a deed for the place 
 which he had helped to clear. On March 
 6, 1847, Mr. Park married Mary Bor- 
 cherdling, born December 15, 1822, by 
 whom he had two children: Caroline, 
 who was born December 14, 1847, and 
 married Henry Ernsthouse, by whom she 
 had eight children; and Eliza, who was 
 born May 30, 1850, and married Henry 
 Hartman, of Lucas county, by whom she 
 has five children. The mother died No- 
 vember 10, 1853, and Mr. Park subse- 
 quently married Louisa Miller, who was 
 born in Hanover, Germany, January 6, 
 1835, and when two years old came with 
 her parents to America. This union was 
 blessed with eleven children, as follows: 
 John, born December 3, 1855, married 
 Louisa Havercourse, and became the 
 father of six children; he is a farmer of 
 Wood county. Henry, born November 
 27, 1856, died March 4, 1859. John, 
 born October 3, 1859, is living at home. 
 
734 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Mary and Sophia (twins), born September 
 II, 1858, died young. William, of To- 
 ledo, born July 31, 1864, married Anna 
 Havercourse. Mary, born May 2, 1862, 
 died December 18, 1884. Katherine, 
 born August 21, 1866, married Frank 
 Afterheader, of Toledo, and they have 
 one child, Mabel. August, born Decem- 
 ber 3, 1868, lives in Toledo. Emma, 
 born June 10, 1871, is at home. Fred- 
 erick, born November 5, 1873, is also 
 living with his parents. 
 
 Mr. Fark in 1891 leased his land to 
 the Ohio Oil Company, which put down 
 five producing wells. He also leased 
 land to M. Harris, who put down two 
 wells. Our subject is one of the pioneers 
 of the township. When his parents first 
 came here the family had onlj' one ox, 
 but fortunately a neighbor had another, 
 and by borrowing and lending alternately 
 each had a team. The pioneers were 
 obliged to travel eighteen miles to mill. 
 Wages were low, and Mr. Fark worked 
 for five dollars per month, and accepted 
 part of his wages in trade at the store. 
 He has been honored with various local 
 offices during the past thirty years. He 
 contributes liberally to the Lutheran 
 Church, and is one of the most substan- 
 tial and prosperous citizens of the town- 
 ship. 
 
 JAMES WASHINGTON LONG (de- 
 ceased) ranked among the leading 
 and valued citizens of Ottawa coun- 
 county. He was born in Pickaway 
 ty, Ohio, August 22, 1824, and died 
 at his home three miles from Elmore, 
 May 22, 1890, respected by all who knew 
 him. He was a son of Ma.xwell and 
 Elizabeth (Reynolds) Long, the former of 
 whom was born about 1797, and became 
 one of the pioneer settlers of the Buck- 
 eye State. 
 
 Amid the wild scenes of frontier life 
 James Long was reared, and after arriv- 
 ing at manhood's estate he married So- 
 
 phronia Thompson, of Harris township, 
 Ottawa Co., Ohio. To this union came 
 four children — Philander, who was born 
 April 4, 1845; Diana Elizabeth, born 
 January 5, 1847; Ma.xwell, born March 
 
 19, 1849; and Harvey, born March 3, 
 1850. Of these two are deceased — -Max- 
 well, who died April 19, 1849, and Har- 
 vey, who passed away March 12, 18S9. 
 The mother of this family died November 
 
 20, 1851. On April 12, 1854, Mr. Long 
 was again married, his second union being 
 with Mary Wainwright, of Harris town- 
 ship, Ottawa county. They became the 
 parents of nine children — Ellen H., born 
 February 16, 1855; Napoleon, born Sep- 
 tember 6, 1857, died April 15, 1877; 
 Cora M., born May 19, 1859; Frank E., 
 born February 28, i860, died Nfay 22, 
 1880; Dora E., born May 28, 1862, died 
 January 17, 1889; Thaddeus J., born 
 June 18, 1866; Lulu M., born June 
 19, 1869, died November 4, 1889; Ed- 
 gar, born January 21, 1872, died on 
 the 1 6th of May following; and one who 
 died in infancy in 1874. 
 
 James W. Long came to Ottawa coun- 
 ty when it was almost an unbroken wilder- 
 ness and settling in the midst of the 
 forest cleared and developed a farm three 
 miles from the village of Elmore, making 
 for himself and family a pleasant home 
 on the south bank of the Portage river. 
 From the days of his earliest residence 
 here he was prominently identified with 
 the development and progress of this 
 region. He had charge of the erection 
 of the bridge over the Portage river at 
 Elmore, and was for two terms a trustee 
 of Harris township, while for several 
 terms he served in the position of justice 
 of the peace. As county commissioner 
 of Ottawa county he was for some years 
 prominently identified with the work of 
 public improvement, and was always in- 
 terested in everything pertaining to the 
 general welfare. Various business enter- 
 prises occupied his time and attention. 
 In his earlier years he was engaged in the 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 735 
 
 manufacture of staves in connection with 
 a firm in Cleveland. He was also em- 
 ploj'ed as overseer of a gang of men on 
 the construction of the Lake Shore rail- 
 road through northern Ohio, but he de- 
 voted the best ten or fifteen years of his 
 life to agricultural pursuits, carrying on 
 that business with the same progressive- 
 ness and enterprise that characterized all 
 his dealings. His life was ever a busy and 
 useful one. indolence and idleness being 
 utterly foreign to his nature. His politi- 
 cal support in his younger years was given 
 to the NN'hig party, but he afterward join- 
 ed the ranks of the Democrats. He was 
 a fluent speaker, fond of debate and could 
 hold his own in argument against many 
 able speakers. He had a clear, compre- 
 hensive mind, and could present his side 
 of the question with force, at the same 
 time never losing sight of the most 
 assailable places in an opponent's argu- 
 ment. He was laid to rest in the Guss 
 Cemeter}', near Elmore, and the commu- 
 nity mourned the loss of one who had 
 been an important factor in Ottawa coun- 
 t}'s history. 
 
 Mks. Diana E. Binklev. the daughter 
 of James W. and Sophronia (Thompson) 
 Long, was born January 5, 1847, and 
 completed her education at St. Johns, 
 Mich., after which she was for several 
 years successfulh' engaged in teaching. 
 On October 7, 1869, she became the 
 wife of Amos Binkley, of Fremont, Ohio, 
 who was born June 30, 1847, in that city, 
 and there obtained his education. His 
 father, Samuel Binkley, was born in Oc- 
 tober, 1822, and married Christiana Al- 
 bert, who was born September i, 1823, 
 and died April 10, 1869. His paternal 
 grandparents were John and Mary (Fisher) 
 Binkley, the latter born in Northumber- 
 land county, Penn., October 15, 1802. 
 Their marriage was celebrated in 1S19, 
 and they became the parents of fourteen 
 children, six sons and eight daughters, 
 nine of whom were living at the time of 
 the mother's death, which occurred April 
 
 25, 1895, when she had reached the ad- 
 vanced age of almost ninety-three years. 
 She left ninety-eight grandchildren, two 
 hundred aud thirty great-grandchildren, 
 and twenty-five great-great-grandchildren, 
 making a total of three hundred and fifty- 
 three descendants living, probably more 
 than any other woman in the county. 
 She was buried in Muskallonge Cemetery, 
 near her father and mother, while her 
 husband was buried in Allen county, 
 where he died. 
 
 Shortly after their marriage Mr. and 
 Mrs. Binkley removed to Benton town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, where thej' lived for 
 twelve jears. The succeeding eight years 
 were passed at Rocky Ridge, and they 
 then returned to her father's old farm, 
 where they now live. They have four 
 children — Althie May, born July 26, 
 1870, who was married May 18, 1888, to 
 Gilbert Gee, of Rocky Ridge, by whom 
 she has two children, Diana and Lula; 
 Alma Maud, born August 28, 1874, who 
 died in infancy; Leno a Louisa, born 
 March 4, 1876, who was married April 18, 
 1894, to Oscar Hess, and has one child, 
 Willella; and Willella Zula, born June 2, 
 1883. The family is one of prominence 
 in the community, being both widely and 
 favorably known. 
 
 AMOS FOUGHT is a prominent 
 merchant and grain buyer of Oak 
 Harbor, Ottawa county, one of 
 the early settlers of the com- 
 munity, and one of the successful business 
 men, who by his energy and enterprise 
 has added largely to the prosperity of the 
 city with which he is connected. 
 
 He was born in Perry county, Ohio, 
 June 26, 1839, and is a son of Paul and 
 Mary (Hedrick) Fought, who were early 
 settlers of Sandusky county, locating there 
 about 1844. The father is now living a 
 retired life in Lindsey, where the mother 
 passed away in 1864. Ten children were 
 born to them, seven of whom are living, 
 
736 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 namely: Amos, of this sketch; Eli, a 
 prominent farmer of Washington town- 
 ship, Sandusky county; Eliza, wife of 
 Allen Anspach, a leading manufacturer of 
 Oak Harbor; Jeremiah; Sarah, wife of 
 Jacob Cunningham; Mary, wife of Amos 
 Notestein; Lucy, wife of Joseph Blocher; 
 and Alice, wife of Joseph Brennamen, 
 postmaster of Lindsej'. With the excep- 
 tion of those whose business is definitely 
 mentioned, all are successful agriculturists 
 of Washington township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, as was also Israel, who is deceased. 
 After the death of his first wife, Paul 
 Fought was twice married, and by the 
 second union were three children — John 
 Wesley and Otto, prosperous fanners of 
 Washington township; and Ella, who re- 
 sides with her father. 
 
 When Amos Fought was only four 
 years of age he removed with his parents 
 to what was then called the "Black 
 Swamp," in Sandusky county. There he 
 resided until twenty-three years of age, 
 acquiring his education in the old log 
 schoolhouse of the district, and afterward 
 working upon the homestead farm. In 
 1862 he began farming on his own account 
 in that county, and in 1866 came to Oak 
 Harbor, where he has made his home 
 continuously since, being extensively and 
 successfully engaged in mercantile pursuits 
 and in grain buying. 
 
 Mr. Fought was married in Fremont, 
 Ohio, on March 26, 1863, to Miss Eliza 
 Auter, who was born April 13, 1840; her 
 parents, Christian and Mary (Sieden- 
 thalerj Auter, were also early settlers of 
 Sandusky county, having located there in 
 1S36. This marriage has been blessed 
 with fi\e children, namely: Cora, born 
 November 18, 1865, who is now the wife 
 of George Deal, a resident of Oak Har- 
 bor; John O., who was born November 
 17, 1S69, and is living in Oak Harbor; 
 Chester L. , -who was born December 13, 
 1 87 1, and is now attending Western Re- 
 serve Medical College, Cleveland, Ohio; 
 Rozelia E., born November 5, 1876; and 
 
 Edna Gertrude, born March 22, 1880. 
 The famil3- attend the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church. Mr. Fought has filled the 
 offices of clerk and trustee of Salem town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, has been treasurer 
 of Oak Harbor, and is now serving as a 
 member of the council and clerk of the 
 school board. He is master of Oak Har- 
 bor Lodge No 495, F. & A. M., at pres- 
 ent filling that honorable position for the 
 third term. His political affiliations are 
 with the Democratic party. Our subject 
 is much respected in the community for 
 his moral worth, while his name is asso- 
 ciated with all enterprises undertaken for 
 the advancement of the county's interest. 
 He is regarded as one of the most popular 
 and valued citizens of Ottawa count}', and 
 is a solid, progressive business man, 
 whose character is above reproach, and 
 whose success in life is the reward of his 
 own efforts. 
 
 PATRICK C. CULLENEN, a re- 
 tired farmer of Oak Harbor, Ot- 
 tawa county, was born July 3, 
 1817, on board his father's ship, 
 the "Titus," in the Bay of Biscay, within 
 twelve miles of the coast of Portugal, 
 and is a son of Capt. John and Marj- 
 (Connors) Cullenen, both of whom were 
 natives of County Clare, Ireland. The 
 father was a sea captain during the greater 
 part of his life, and died at the home of 
 his mother, in the county of his nativity, 
 from injuries received onboard his vessel, 
 while making a voyage from the East 
 Indies to London, England. His wife 
 also died in County Clare. 
 
 After the death of his father Patrick 
 Cullenen, then but two years old, was 
 adopted by his grandparents, and he re- 
 mained with them until eleven years of 
 age, at which time he went to sea with 
 his uncle James, and the following five 
 years remained on board ship with him. 
 In 1832 they arrived in Montreal, where 
 his uncle sold his ship. Our subject, con- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 737 
 
 eluding to remain on shore, for the fol- 
 lowing three years continued to reside in 
 the Province of Quebec, where he was 
 employed at farm labor and teaming. In 
 September, 1836, he removed to Buffalo, 
 and was engaged on board the steamer 
 "Saratoga," then running on Lake Erie, 
 being thus employed some three years. 
 At the expiration of this time he went to 
 Sandusky, Ohio, where he resided until 
 1854, conducting a butchering business. 
 On November 19, 1854, he removed to 
 Ottawa county, locating in Salem town- 
 ship, where he engaged in the manufac- 
 ture of lumber and staves. Subsequently 
 he turned his attention to farming, which 
 was his business until his retirement to 
 private life. On August 7, 1864, he pur- 
 chased the first vessel ever owned by an 
 Oak Harbor resident, and the first of any 
 size to enter the harbor. This vessel he 
 ran some fourteen years, at the same time 
 conducting his farm. In November, 1861, 
 he came to Oak Harbor, where he has 
 since made his home. He has led a busy 
 and useful life, and now, in his declining 
 days, is enjoying the rest which he has 
 truly earned and fully deserves. 
 
 Mr. Cullenen has been twice married, 
 first time on October 20, 1847, in the 
 town of Peterborough, Ontario, to Eliza- 
 beth Metcalf, a native of the city of Lon- 
 don. They became the parents of children, 
 as follows: John, the eldest, was born 
 in 1848, died at Lexington, Ky., January 
 II, 1863, from typhoid pneumonia, con- 
 tracted while acting as nurse in a hospital 
 during his service in Company G, one 
 Hundredth O. V. I., in which he enlisted 
 August 7, 1862; his remains were interred 
 in a cemetery at Lexington. Eliza is the 
 wife of Alex Gillespie, a resident of Car- 
 roll township, Ottawa county. Mary Ann 
 became the wife of James Herold. Will- 
 iam is now living in Carroll township. 
 Margaret is deceased. James is living in 
 Oak Harbor. Two died in infancy. The 
 mother of this family was called from 
 earth August 14, 1879. Mr. Cullenen's 
 
 second marriage was solemnized in Salem 
 township, Ottawa county, January 5, 
 1 886, with Mrs. Eliza Adams, who was 
 the widow of Isaac Adams, of Oak Har- 
 bor, and was a most estimable lady. She 
 was born May 9, 18 16, daughter of John 
 and Catherine March, and died July 6, 
 1895, at the age of about eighty years, 
 her remains now resting in Oak Harbor 
 cemetery. 
 
 Mr. Cullenen is a man of sterling in- 
 tegrity, noted for his straightforward busi- 
 ness methods, and is a highly esteemed 
 and respected member of the community. 
 His success in life demonstrates what can 
 be accomplished in this free land of ours 
 through enterprise, energy and persever- 
 ance, and to-day he is the possessor of a 
 comfortable competence as the reward of 
 his own labors. He now resides in his 
 Oak Harbor home, purchased for himself 
 and wife wherein to pass their declining 
 years in comfort and peace. 
 
 GEORGE WOODWARD, M. D. 
 (deceasedj, who at time of his 
 death was the oldest and most 
 widely known physician not only 
 in Ottawa but also in adjoining counties, 
 was born in Logan county, Ohio, May 
 24, 1840, and was a son of Jonathan and 
 Sarah Woodward. The former was a 
 descendant of one of four Woodward 
 brothers who came from England to 
 America in 1804. He was born in Ches- 
 ter county, Penn., and his wife was born 
 in the State of Delaware, where her 
 father, who was the owner of the famous 
 Brandywine Springs, kept hotel. In 
 their family were five children, but only 
 one is now living — Charles, a miller, who 
 resides in Lima, Ohio. 
 
 The Doctor spent his early life in Lo- 
 gan county, and first attended the schools 
 of Bellefontaine, after which he entered 
 college at Kenneth Square, Penn., where 
 he completed the classical course. He 
 then determined to take up the study of 
 
738 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 medicine, making its practice his life work, 
 and entered the Ohio Medical College, 
 Cincinnati, from which institution he was 
 graduated with the class of 1870. Im- 
 mediately thereafter he began practice, 
 locating in Castalia, Ohio, where he re- 
 mained for more than a year. In 1872 
 he removed to Oak Harbor, where he 
 successfully continued the practice of his 
 profession until within a short time of his 
 death. He was a skilled physician, and 
 the liberal patronage which he received 
 was proof positive of his abilitv. 
 
 The Doctor was married in Auglaize 
 county, Ohio, September 30, 1863, to 
 Samantha Pepple, a native of that county, 
 who was born in May, 1S44, daughter of 
 Maurice K. and Sarah (Richards) Pepple. 
 The\- became the parents of five children 
 — Sarah R. , who was born July 13, 1864, 
 and is the wife of Elmore E. Gill, a resi- 
 dent of Port Clinton, Ohio; Charles J., 
 born October 9, 1867, a prominent stock 
 farmer of Auglaize county; Horace S. , 
 who was born March 27, 1871, and is a 
 medical practitioner of Oak Harbor; 
 Olive, born September 7, 1874; and 
 George, who was born April 5, 1876, and 
 died July 23, 1880. Dr. Woodward be- 
 longed to the Ohio Medical Association, 
 and the Ottawa County Medical Associa- 
 tion, and his ability was everywhere recog- 
 nized by the public and his professional 
 brethren. He was very successful in his 
 chosen calling, vv'inning a high and well 
 deserved reputation and building up an 
 e.xtensive practice, and he held the office of 
 coroner for over fifteen years. Sociall)" 
 he was a valued member of the Odd Fel- 
 lows society at Rocky Ridge. He passed 
 away in 1893, and the county lost one of 
 its best citizens, the profession an emi- 
 nent member and his family a devoted 
 husband and father. 
 
 Dr. Horace \\'oodward, who seems 
 destined to occupy the place which his 
 honored father filled, was born in Logan 
 county, Ohio, and when only a year old 
 was brought by his parents to Oak Har- 
 
 bor, where he has resided continuously 
 since. He received his elementary edu- 
 cation in the public and high schools of 
 that place, and commenced his profes- 
 sional studies b}' attending Ohio Medical 
 College, Cincinnati, where he remained 
 for two years; he then entered the Ken- 
 tucky School of Medicine at Louisville, 
 Ky., where he was graduated with the 
 class of 1893. He is still among the 
 noble army of Benedicts. Since his 
 graduation he has been established in 
 business in Oak Harbor, and his ability, 
 both natural and acquired, has given him 
 high rank in the profession and will bring 
 him still greater success in the future. 
 He is a young man of worth, and is very 
 popular in the community. 
 
 LW. KASTRUP, a member of the 
 firm of Jacobs, Kastrup & Kirk, 
 the leading merchants of Lakeside, 
 Ottawa county, was born Septem- 
 ber 20, 1863, in the Province of Nalland, 
 Sweden, a son of Axel W. and Char- 
 lotte (Buchwald) Kastrup. The parents 
 were both natives of Copenhagen, Den- 
 mark; the mother died in Sweden in 1865. 
 but the father still makes his home in his 
 native land, where he is a prominent 
 merchant. 
 
 The primary education of our subject 
 was received in his home in Denmark un- 
 der the instruction of a private teacher, 
 and he also spent five 3ears in the Soro 
 Academy at Soro, Denmark. After com- 
 pleting his education he served a three- 
 years' apprenticeship to the mercantile 
 business, and then for one year was em- 
 ployed as a salesman in the same estab- 
 lishment, receiving a salar}'. In 1884 Mr. 
 Kastrup left his native land for the New 
 World, and after reaching New York pro- 
 ceeded direct to Chicago, where he resid- 
 ed for a short time. On leaving that city 
 he went to Milwaukee, Wis., but during 
 the summer of 1884 came to Lakeside, 
 where for two vears and a half he was en- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 739 
 
 gaged in agricultural pursuits with Joab 
 Kelly. In 1886 he removed to Echo, 
 Minn., remaining there until spring of 
 1889, when he returned to Lakeside and 
 engaged in business with Bernard Jacobs, 
 under the firm name of Jacobs & Kastrup. 
 They carried on operations under that 
 style until March i, 1895, when Arthur 
 E. Kirk was admitted to parnership, and 
 they assumed their present title. The 
 firm does a successful and lucrative busi- 
 ness, and they well deserve the liberal pat- 
 ronage that is accorded them. 
 
 Mr. Kastrup has been twice married, 
 first time in February, 1887, at Redwood 
 Falls, Minn., to Miss Edirh Pettibone, a 
 daughter of William and Caroline (Hen- 
 derson) Pettibone, the former of whom is 
 now deceased, and the latter a resident 
 of Lakeside. Mrs. Kastrup departed this 
 life April i, 1889, leaving an infant daugh- 
 terwho still survives — Esther, born March 
 24, 1889. On May 2, i8gi, at Lakeside, 
 Mr. Kastrup wedded Miss Lena Ermich, 
 a daughter of Frederick Ermich, of Dan- 
 bury township, Ottawa county, and by 
 this union there are two children — Mar- 
 guerite, born May 5, 1892; and Harold, 
 born November 5, 1893. Socially Mr. 
 Kastrup is identified with the Knights of 
 Pythias, belonging to Peninsular Lodge 
 No. 607. and Lakeside Tent No. 81, 
 Knights of the Maccabees. Politically, 
 he uses his right of franchise in support 
 of the men and measures of the Republi- 
 can party, while religiously the family at- 
 tend the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 He and his wife are valuable members of 
 society, their intelligence and pleasant 
 and courteous manners making them wel- 
 come guests wherever they visit. 
 
 WILLIAM W. RYMERS, a re- 
 tired merchant and banker, who 
 is one of the early pioneers of 
 Harris township, Ottawa county, 
 as well as one of the most highly esteemed 
 and prominent citizens of Elmore, is a 
 
 son of Frederick and Catherine "William- 
 son; Rymers. He was born in Mt. Pleas- 
 ant, Westmoreland Co., Penn., Septem- 
 ber 10, 1S28, and when a child of four 
 years was brought by his parents to Stark 
 county, Ohio, where he attended the dis- 
 trict schools until sixteen years of age. 
 He then pursued his studies in the public 
 and high schools of Randolph, Portage Co. , 
 Ohio, and on completing his education 
 learned the trade of plasterer and brick 
 layer, teaching school during the winter 
 months. Later he engaged in stock rais- 
 ing and farming in Erie township, Ottawa 
 county. 
 
 On September 16. 1861, Mr. Rymers 
 enlisted in the Forty-first O. \. I., was 
 subsequently elected first lieutenant of 
 Company I, and was promoted to the rank 
 of captain March i, 1862. During that 
 year he was stricken with typhoid fever, 
 and in consequence was honorably dis- 
 charged and conveyed to Port Clinton, 
 Ohio, where his wife had removed during 
 his absence. Under her tender and care- 
 ful nursing he was at length restored to 
 health, and on becoming convalescent re- 
 turned to his farm, which he sold the fol- 
 lowing year, removing to Elmore, where 
 he engaged in the hardware business. 
 In the fail of 1864 he was appointed lieu- 
 tenant-colonel of the One Hundred and 
 Seventy-seventh O. V. I., but owing to his 
 pressing business duties was unable to 
 accept. Selling out in 1871, he took up 
 his residence in Le Mars, Iowa, where 
 for five years he was engaged in the real- 
 estate and banking business. In 1876 he 
 returned to Elmore, and purchasing his 
 former store continued to conduct it until 
 1882, when he once more sold out, and 
 has since practically lived a retired life. 
 
 Mr. Rymers was married in Randolph, 
 Portage Co, Ohio, October 22, 1851, to 
 Isabel Essig, daughter of John and Esther 
 (Spangler) Essig. She was born in Stark 
 county, Ohio, June 12, 1830, and died 
 in Elmore, February 18, 1895. To their 
 happy union came three daughters — 
 
740 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Melissa, born September 2, 1852, who is 
 the wife of E. Seifried; Clara, born De- 
 cember II, 1854, who died November 2, 
 1872; and Alice, born October 22, 1856, 
 who died September 11, 1857. Socially 
 Mr. Rymers is a member of Elmore 
 Lodge No. 462, I. O. O. F., and a char- 
 ter member of the Encampment; he was 
 formerly a member of Portage Lodge 
 No. 365, F. & A. M., and he belongs to 
 Robert H. Caldwell Post No. 439, G. A. R. 
 Previous to the war he afifiliated with the 
 Democratic party, but since that time he 
 has been a strong Republican. For many 
 years he has been a consistent and faith- 
 ful member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. He is a man of fine, as well as 
 forcible intellectual qualities, an extensive 
 reader and deep thinker, of a remarkably 
 practical cast of mind, and yet possessing 
 a temperament quick to notice the beau- 
 tics in his suroundings. Of conser\ative 
 but firm judgment, he is perfectly reliable 
 in all transactions, and is an able business 
 man. He is eminently public spirited and 
 takes an active interest in all enterprises 
 for the benefit of his community. In 
 manner he is social and friendly, and 
 possesses qualities that readily win ad- 
 miration and respect from his political 
 compeers, as well as from private com- 
 panions and acquaintances. 
 
 Mr. Rymers' parents were both natives 
 of Chambersburg, Penn., the father born 
 May 24, 1790, and the mother October 
 12, 1790. They were married in the 
 Keystone State, and in 1832 removed to 
 Stark county, Ohio, where Frederick Ry- 
 mers engaged in agricultural pursuits for 
 four years, removing thence in 1836 to 
 Randolph, Portage county. After about 
 four years' residence there he came to 
 Ottawa county, in 1S41, locating in Erie 
 township, where his death occurred in 
 August, 1 844, while his wife survived until 
 September, 1864. Their family num- 
 . bered eleven children, a brief record of 
 whom is as follows: Rebecca, born Sep- 
 tember 14, 18 13, became the wife of 
 
 William A. Essig, of Harris township, 
 Ottawa county, and died September 19, 
 1893. Henry, born October 15, 181 5, 
 died in 1834. Harriet, born January 12, 
 1 81 7, became the wife of Taylor Britten, 
 and died in 1838. Susan, born Septem- 
 ber 18, 1818, is the widow of Michael 
 Baker, and resides in Wood county, Ohio. 
 Ann, born December 15, 1820, is the 
 wife of Adam Moos, of Rootstown, Port- 
 age county. Frederick, born December 
 6, 1822, is a farmer of Erie township, 
 Ottawa county. Eunice, born May 22, 
 1825, is the wife of R. T. Kirk, who is 
 living near Port Clinton. William W. is 
 the next in order of birth. John T., 
 born November 10, 1830, is living in La- 
 carne, Ottawa county. Margaret was 
 born January 25, 1834. Henry W., 
 born December 22, 1839, resides near 
 Elmore. 
 
 FRANCIS RUTER, one of the old- 
 est pioneers, and also one of the 
 most prominent and prosperous 
 agriculturists of Allen township, 
 Ottawa county, was born at Rordcn, Ger- 
 many, June 28, 1828, and was a son of 
 William C. Ruter, a native of the same 
 city. 
 
 Our subject was educated in the excel- 
 lent public schools of his birthplace, and 
 learned the trade of a miller with his fa- 
 ther, who at that time owned and operated 
 several mills in Rorden. Here he lived 
 until eighteen years of age, when he start- 
 ed out for himself, going to Bremen, where 
 he found employment at his trade, and 
 there remained for ten years. In Ger- 
 many, he was married in June, 1855, to 
 MaryE. , daughter of Frederick and Mar- 
 cie (Bunte) Sheperman, of Hanover, Ger- 
 many, and a few months afterward Mr. 
 and Mrs. Ruter came to the United States, 
 locating in Woodville, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio, where for several years he operated 
 a gristmill for Mr. John Elican. By the 
 expiration of this time he had saved enough 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 741 
 
 money to purchase a tract of woodland 
 in Clay (now Allen) township. Here he 
 began life in earnest. Clearing a little 
 spot in the wilderness, he built a log cabin, 
 to which he brought his family, and with 
 the help of his brave wife toiled day 
 and night for years to bring the land 
 under cultivation, and make it what it now 
 is, one of the best and most highly improv- 
 ed farms in the township. In the mean- 
 time Mr. Ruter had quite an unfortunate 
 experience; about nine months after he 
 had settled in his cabin home, which was 
 during the Civil war, he was drafted into 
 the army and assigned to the Thirty-sec- 
 ond Ohio Infantry, in which he served 
 nine months. When peace was declared 
 he returned home quite ill, suffering from 
 an old trouble contracted in Germany, 
 only to find his wife and children had left 
 the cabin and gone to the home of his wife's 
 father in Ottawa county, as •^hey were 
 unable to endure the loneliness cf the iso- 
 lated life in the woods. Here, under the 
 loving care of his wife, Mr. Ruter recover- 
 ed his health, and then returning to his 
 farm again took up the daily toil by which 
 alone the tiller of the soil can accomplish 
 the end desired. As his means increased 
 he put necessary improvements on the 
 place, building a comfortable dwelling, 
 barns, etc., and making a comfortable 
 and pleasant home, in which he is passing 
 his later years in the consciousness of a 
 life well-spent. 
 
 To our subject and his good wife nine 
 children were born, five of whom are now 
 living, and a brief record of them is as 
 follows: Livesia was born June 22, 1858, 
 at Woodville, Sandusky county, and be- 
 came the wife of John Labue, a tinner, 
 in Toledo; she has three children — Cora, 
 born in 1882; Jessie, born in 1S86; and 
 Walter. Marj, born December 25, 1861, 
 in Woodville, Sandusky county, was mar- 
 ried in 1 88 1 to John Klett, a farmer of 
 Allen township, Ottawa county; her chil- 
 dren were born as follows: William, No- 
 vember 19, 1882; Frances, October 16, 
 
 1884; Clara, November 7, 1887; Bertia, 
 March 8, iSSg'; and Frederick, November 
 24, 1893. John was born June 22, 1863, 
 in Alien township, and was married April 
 20, 1889, to Calamina Martin; they have 
 three children — Annie, born April 25, 
 1890; Cora, born May 27, 1892; and 
 Otto, born November 11, 1894. John 
 Ruter lives on the homestead with his 
 parents. Sophia Ruter was born in Allen 
 township June 4. 1867, and married Gus- 
 tav Shoschin, a farmer of that township; 
 they have four children — William, Eddie, 
 Otto and Frances. William Ruter was 
 born May 6, 1872, and was educated in 
 the district schools of Allen township; he 
 is unmarried and resides with his parents. 
 Of the children who are deceased Lydia, 
 born in July, 1856, was married to Spen- 
 cer Stewart, of Toledo, and became the 
 mother of four children; she died in 1888 
 in Toledo. Mena, born June 5, 1865, 
 died in 1872. Frederick, born in May, 
 1869, died in 1873. Henry died in in- 
 fancy. Frederick Sheperman, the father 
 of Mrs. Francis Ruter, was born in Han- 
 over, Germany, where he was educated 
 and married. In 1856 he emigrated with 
 his family to this country, and settled in 
 Ottawa county, where he farmed for a 
 number of years. His family consisted 
 of the following named children: Mary, 
 the wife of our subject; Gerald, who died 
 May 29, 1 892 ; Lucia, widow of Christopher 
 Molkinburg, of Sandusky county; Ange- 
 lina, wife of William Schlaren, of Toledo; 
 and Henry, who is married and resides 
 in Toledo. Peter Martin, the father of 
 Mrs. John Ruter, was born in Denmark, 
 where he was married to Calamina Peter- 
 son. In 1888 he came with his family to 
 this country, settling in Ottawa county, 
 this State, where he still resides and car- 
 ries on farming. The names of his chil- 
 dren are Christopher (married), Cala- 
 mina (wife of John Ruter;, Morris, Peter, 
 Nora, Annie, Selina, Ida and Annie. 
 
 Mr. Ruter is a man of energy, and still 
 actively interested in all projects for the 
 
742 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 welfare and improvement of the commun- 
 ity of which he has so long been an hon- 
 ored member. He is a stanch Democrat 
 and every ready to work for the good of 
 his party. He and his family are faithful 
 attendants of the Lutheran Church at 
 Genoa, Clay township. 
 
 IRA STERNS, business manager at 
 Wiliiston, Ottawa county, for the 
 Dewey Stave Manufacturing Com- 
 pany, of Toledo, was born in Carle- 
 ton county, near the city of Ottawa, the 
 capital of the Dominion of Canada. His 
 parents were Ira and Mar}' (Brown) 
 Sterns, the former of whom was born at 
 the same place as his son, of Scotch de- 
 scent, while the mother was a native of 
 Scotland. 
 
 To this worthy couple nine children 
 were born, of whom seven are now liv- 
 ing, as follows: William, a farmer, who 
 is married and lives on the old home- 
 stead; Margaret, widow of William Cold- 
 rey, living in Canada; Laura, wife of 
 Samuel Nickelson, a blacksmith, in Ot- 
 tawa, Canada; Ellen, wife of Ale.xander 
 Kane, a farmer; Ira, oursubject; Jennie, 
 wife of Thomas Anderson, a carriage 
 builder, at Ottawa, Canada; and David 
 C, a farmer, living in North Dakota. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born 
 January ii, 1850, and attended the 
 schools of his native place, obtaining a 
 good education. He left school when 
 sixteen years of age and spent three 
 years in the employ of his brother-in-law, 
 Samuel Nickelson, learning the black- 
 smith trade. At the expiration of this 
 time, in 1869, he came to Ohio, and en- 
 tered the employ of John Welles, manu- 
 facturer, at Martin. Clay township, 
 Ottawa county. After spending several 
 years there he worked for C. H. Sawyer, 
 lime manufacturer at Clay Center, for 
 some years. Subsequently he was en- 
 gaged by the company for whom he is 
 now manager at W'illiston as a mechani- 
 
 cal engineer, having charge of the ma- 
 chinery and engines of the factory for 
 fifteen years. His long and faithful serv- 
 ices were rewarded when, in 1891, he 
 was promoted to the responsible position 
 of business manager, the duties of which 
 he has filled with honor to himself and 
 satisfaction to his employers, and he has 
 also succeeded in gaining the good will 
 and esteem of those under him. 
 
 Mr. Sterns was married in Toledo, 
 October 24, 1871, to Miss Maria Peart, 
 of Stark county, this State, and six 
 children have blessed their union, viz. : 
 Frederick, born October 5, 1872, was 
 educated in the schools of Wiliiston and 
 is an engineer, operating the engines and 
 machinery in the factory of which his 
 father is the manager; Annie, born March 
 18,1874, was married to Jacob Hartman, 
 a carpenter and joiner, who is at present 
 emploj'ed in the factor}'; Nellie, born 
 August 18, 1877, is at home; Laura, born 
 June 2, 1885, is attending school in Wili- 
 iston; Harley, born November 5, 1880, 
 died March 17, 1881; and Ray, born 
 November 6, 1890, died June 2, 1891. 
 
 Mrs. Maria (Peart) Sterns, the wife 
 of our subject, was born October 25, 
 1849, daughter of Benjamin and Mary 
 (Streets) Peart. Her father was a native 
 of Pennsylvania, and when a young man 
 came to Stark county, Ohio, where he 
 was married. He was a contractor and 
 builder, and was for a time located at 
 Martin, Ottawa county, where he built a 
 number of houses, removing thence to 
 Clay Center, where he died June 6, 1886. 
 His wife is sti^ living, and makes her 
 home with her son at Clay Center. Eight 
 children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Peart, in Stark county, as follows: Man- 
 ford, who is married and lives in Toledo; 
 Sylvester, who is the manager of Mr. 
 Pearce's lime factory at Clay Center; 
 Jones, who is married and is employed in 
 Bailey's mill, Wiliiston; Charles Jerome, 
 who is married and works in Dewey's mill, 
 Wiliiston; Annie, Mrs. Edwin Watson, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 743 
 
 who died in February, 1875, leaving two 
 children; Clark, who is married and works 
 in the lime kilns; Leroy, who is married 
 and works in the mills at Williston; and 
 Mary, wife of our subject. Mr. Ira 
 Sterns has held the office of constable 
 for the township of Allen for the past five 
 years, and was recently re-elected for an- 
 other term. Socially, he is a member of 
 Genoa Lodge, No. 5B4, I. O. O. F., and 
 in his political views is a Republican. The 
 family attend the services of the Meth- 
 odist Church. They are held in high 
 esteem in the community. 
 
 JOHN LUTZ (deceased) was one of 
 the pioneer settlers of Middle Bass 
 Island, Ottawa county, and a prom- 
 inent and progressive citizen, taking 
 an active part in such matters as would 
 promote the advancement of the interests 
 of his community. He was a son of 
 Christopher and Margaret (Snyder) Lutz, 
 and was born August 15, 1827, near Can- 
 ton, Ohio, where he was educated and 
 reared to manhood. 
 
 In 1851, when it was still in its wild 
 and uncultivated state, John Lutz settled 
 on Middle Bass Island, where for a num- 
 ber of years he followed fishing and farm- 
 ing for a livelihood, and in later years de- 
 voted his attention more particularly to 
 the culture of grapes, his extensive vine- 
 yards bespeaking good judgment and in- 
 dustry on his part. On July 3, i860, 
 John Lutz was united in marriage, at 
 Sandusky, Erie county, with Victoria 
 Delauria, daughter of Charles and Flor- 
 ence (Lisperans) Delauria, and seven 
 children have graced this union, viz. : 
 Albert, born February 24, 1862, Julia 
 A., born November 7, 1863; Charles B., 
 born May 18, 1866; Miles B., born Feb- 
 ruary 27, 1870; Arthur J., born August 
 15, 1873; Sarah M., born November 12, 
 1877; and Frank F., born December 14, 
 1879. 
 
 Mr. Lutz was a perfect type of man- 
 47 
 
 hood, possessing unusual physical powers 
 and endurance, and being endowed with 
 mental vigor no less remarkable. Often 
 he went beyond the requirements of the 
 Golden Rule, and throughout his well- 
 spent life was constautly doing for others 
 more than he would have asked others 
 to do for him under similar circumstances. 
 In those early pioneer days, when the 
 struggle for existence was so hard and 
 the opportunities for lending a helping 
 hand were so numerous, he often taxed 
 his physical powers to their utmost in as- 
 sisting his neighbors and friends, and 
 would not hesitate to give his last dollar 
 in cases of urgent need. He was active 
 and indefatigable in every good work, and 
 contributed his full share toward laying 
 broad and deep the foundations of moral- 
 ity and good society that have given Mid- 
 dle Bass its honorable history. He passed 
 away, honored by all who knew him, and 
 to his life work and to the example of 
 pioneers such as John Lutz Middle Bass 
 Island owes a lasting debt of gratitude. 
 
 Albert Lutz, eldest son of John 
 Lutz, resides on Middle Bass Island, 
 close to the homestead farm where he 
 was born and reared to manhood. He is 
 one of the young, progressive men of the 
 Island, and is extensively engaged in 
 grape growing. On December 9, 1894, 
 he was united in marriage with Miss Etta 
 Pelton, who was born in Syracuse, N. 
 Y. , daughter of David and Ann Pel- 
 ton. In politics Albert Lutz is a Re- 
 publican. He is a man of broad views, 
 keen, quick perceptions, sterling integrity 
 and a spotless reputation, qualities that 
 have gained for him the confidence and 
 respect of all who know him. 
 
 PHINLEY L. CUNNINGHAM, M. 
 D. , of Graytown, Benton township, 
 Ottawa county, a son of Andrew 
 and Jane (Brewer) Cunningham, 
 was born in Fulton county, Ohio, May 
 24, 1865. 
 
744 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Andrew Cunningham was born Sep- 
 tember lo, 1821, in Pennsj'lvania, and in 
 1840, at Oxford, Butler Co., Ohio, was 
 united in marriage with Jane Brewer, 
 who was born in Pennsylvania, May 23, 
 1824. They had ten children, eight of 
 whom are now living. Dr. P. L. Cunning- 
 ham being the youngest in the family. 
 Three of the sons are physicians, one an 
 attorney at law, one a locomotive en- 
 gineer on the Ann Arbor road, one a con- 
 ductor on the Lake Shore & Michigan 
 Southern road, one a teacher of twenty 
 j'ears standing, and one daughter has 
 been a teacher of music for twenty years. 
 The father and mother now living in their 
 home in Fulton county, Ohio, have great 
 reason to be proud of the attainments of 
 their children, who are all self-educated, 
 their parents having been unable to as- 
 sist them in their efforts for success. 
 
 Dr. P. L. Cunningham spent his boy- 
 hood days at Wauseon, Fulton Co., 
 Ohio, and there attended the public 
 schools, from which he graduated in the 
 scientific course in 1882. After graduat- 
 ing he went at once to Cleveland to ac- 
 cept a clerkship in the firm of Broker & 
 Co., and filled the position for si.x months, 
 engaging for the remainder of the year in 
 the store of McLyman & Co., and for 
 three months was connected with the 
 brass works of Lorain county, Ohio. He 
 then went to Knox county, began reading 
 medicine with Dr. Robert Putnian, and 
 remained with him for four years. Mean- 
 while, in 1885, he began a course of 
 medical lectures in the Western Reserve 
 University, where he attended two years, 
 and then spent one year in the University 
 of Wooster, Cleveland, Ohio, from which 
 he was graduated in 1888 with the degree 
 of M. D. 
 
 Immediately after graduating Dr. 
 Cunningham located as a physician in 
 Fulton county, Ohio, where he took the 
 general practice of his brother until 1892. 
 Durmg all this time he fully realized that 
 the road to success lay along the line of 
 
 specialism. Thus far he had been a self- 
 made man, and had put himself through 
 his medical course. Xow, determining 
 to push his studies further, and in special 
 lines, he made all necessary arrange- 
 ments, and in the fall of 1892 left for 
 Edinburgh, Scotland, to pursue special 
 work. He entered the old University of 
 Edinburgh, and remained there about 
 nine months, taking a post-graduate 
 course, after which he went to London, 
 England, and entered St. Thomas Hos- 
 pital, where he remained six months, do- 
 ing medical and surgical work. He then 
 returned to Ohio, and settling in Graytown 
 continued for a time in general practice 
 here as a physician and surgeon, and then 
 took up his specialties of the eye and ear, 
 in which he is now engaged. Dr. Cun- 
 ningham spends about one-half of his 
 time in his private office at Graytown, 
 where he is busy continuouslj', and the 
 remainder on the road. He is a personal 
 friend of and in many ways a co-worker 
 with Dr. Joseph Schneider, the great oc- 
 ulist and aurist of Milwaukee, Wis. Dr. 
 Cunningham visits all the leading cities in 
 Wisconsin and Iowa, where he has a very 
 extensive clientele. His surgical work 
 on the eye in Ohio is mainly performed 
 in Cleveland, where access may be had to 
 first-class hospitals; he has performed 
 many difficult operations, and success has 
 attended his efforts in his chosen profes- 
 sion. He is also a contributor to different 
 medical journals, among which are the In- 
 ternational Medical Journal, the New 
 York Journal, Cincinnati Clinic, Journal 
 of Surgery, Medical World, Medical Bul- 
 letin and Physicians' Report. 
 
 On January i, 1893, Dr. Phinley L. 
 Cunningham was united in marriage with 
 Miss May Stepp, of Seward, Fulton Co., 
 Ohio. They have no children, and are 
 living in a pleasant home in Graytown. 
 Mrs. Cunningham received her education 
 in the public schools of her native town. 
 Her parents, Frederick and Martha Anna 
 E. (Ottgen) Stepp, came to this country 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 745 
 
 from Germany, her mother in 1855, and 
 her father in 1865, were married Decem- 
 ber I, 1866, and had three children, one 
 son and two daughters. Mrs. Cunnings- 
 ham's sister is with her at Graytown, and 
 her brother is clerking in Toledo. Her 
 grand-parents were born in Germany in 
 1795, and died in 1852 and 1854 respect- 
 ively. 
 
 CP. ENGEL, who is a retired 
 grape grower, and the oldest living 
 settler on Put in Bay Island, Ot- 
 tawa county, was born October 
 5, 1S14, in Saxony, Germany, where he 
 was educated and reared to manhood. 
 
 Our subject learned the trade of shoe- 
 making in his native country. In 1840 
 he came to America, on July 27 of that 
 year, landing at Baltimore, Md., whence 
 he shortl}- afterward proceeded to Pitts- 
 burg, Penn., and after a brief residence 
 in that city removed to Sandusk)-, Erie 
 Co., Ohio, where he resided and followed 
 his occupation of shoemaking for twenty- 
 seven years. In Sandusky, Erie county, 
 on January 3, 1843, Christian Engel was 
 united in marriage with May N. Beylen, 
 who was born in Switzerland August 8, 
 1 8 19, and they have had eight children, 
 of whom si.x are living, namely: John, 
 born January 15, 1845; Christian P., born 
 December 10, 1846; Louis; Charles; 
 Emma, widow of Henry Pfeiffer, and 
 Hugo. Two of the sons, John and 
 Christian P., were attached to the Seven- 
 ty-second O. V. I., and served all through 
 the war of the Rebellion. Louis also 
 served in the United States army for 
 three years. May N. Beylen, now Mrs. 
 Engel, came to America, in 1832, with 
 her parents. Nicholas and Mary Ann 
 (Eagan) Beylen. 
 
 In 1868 Mr. Engel removed to Put in 
 Bay Island, of which he has ever since 
 been a resident, and where he engaged 
 extensive!}' in the culture of grapes. He 
 was for two years overseer of Sandusky 
 
 Cemetery, and also served as councilor 
 of Sandusky City for one term. In his 
 political views he is a stanch Republican. 
 On December 11, 1889, C. P. Engel 
 was united in marriage, in Sandusky, with 
 Bina Federsen, who was born in Ger- 
 many March 31, 1869, and they have had 
 one son, Herbert, who was born Febru- 
 ary 22, 1 89 1. The parents of Mrs. Chris- 
 tian P. Engel, Christian and Mary Feder- 
 sen, were born in Germany and are now 
 residents of Kellev's Island, Erie Co., 
 Ohio. 
 
 AM. GROVER (deceased) was a 
 native of the Empire State, his 
 birth having occurred September 
 8, 1822, in Livingston county. 
 There he resided until 1834, acquiring 
 his education in the public schools, and 
 during his early youth he learned the trade 
 of a ship carpenter. In 1834 he came to 
 Ohio, living in Sandusky county, near 
 Cl}de, and while there located he fre- 
 quently worked at his trade on Catawba 
 Island, but not for a number of years 
 later — in 1858 — did he take up his resi- 
 dence here. He became one of its valued 
 citizens, and devoted his whole time and 
 attention to the cultivation of fruit, rank- 
 ing among the most prominent fruit grow- 
 ers of the day. He was an energetic and 
 enterprising man, one whose careful man- 
 agement of his business interest and his 
 honorable dealing won him a well merited 
 success. 
 
 While residing in Sandusky county, 
 Mr. Grover was united in marriage, on 
 December 24, 1847, with Miss Lavina 
 Davis, a daughter of Daniel D. and Sarah 
 (Prentiss) Davis. Five children graced 
 this union, of whom four are living: Thoret 
 was drowned while skating on the lake, 
 December 24, 1874. Those who still 
 survive are Archie N., who was born No- 
 vember 4, i860; Emma T. , born June 4, 
 1865; Ada B., born June 2, 1867; and 
 Herbert D., born July 6, 1873. Mr. Gro- 
 
746 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 ver was interested in the welfare of the 
 community, and gave his support to all 
 worthy objects which were calculated to 
 advance the general welfare. His busi- 
 ness engrossed much of his attention, and 
 he met with very fair success in his un- 
 dertakings. His excellencies of character 
 won him the high regard of those with 
 whom he was brought in contact, and his 
 departure was deeply mourned. Since 
 the death of her husband and eldest son, 
 the duties pertaining to the farm and or- 
 chard have been ably carried on by Mrs. 
 Grover and her eldest surviving son, 
 Archie N. Grover, a young man of more 
 than ordinary business tact and enterprise, 
 who is one day destined to rank among 
 the most prominent and influential resi- 
 dents of Catawba Island. The members 
 of the family hold an enviable position in 
 social circles. Their home is noted for 
 its hospitalit}', and the}' have gained for 
 themselves a circle of warm friends in the 
 communitv. 
 
 JOHN J. GEIGER. It is men of like 
 character to John J. Geiger who 
 build up a city. He is pushing, en- 
 terprising and aggressive, and sees 
 in the prosperity of the community in 
 which he lives his own prosperity. Of 
 whatever heundertakes he makes a success, 
 because, first, his judgment prevents him 
 from espousing a business that has no 
 possibilities, and secondly, his native 
 energy is sufficient to carry his enterprise 
 to a successful issue. 
 
 Mr. Geiger was born in Huron county, 
 Ohio, April 14, 1849, son of John and 
 Catherine (Grabner) Geiger. The father 
 was born in Baden, Germany, May 12, 
 1 8 19, and at the age of twenty-one emi- 
 grated to America. For several years he 
 worked by the month at Milan, Erie Co., 
 Ohio, and during that time he learned to 
 burn brick. Then, starting a yard of his 
 own at Milan, he made brick on an ex- 
 tensive scale, the building material of the 
 
 large schoolhouse in Norwalk being of his 
 manufacture. Several years later he 
 farmed a place between Milan and Nor- 
 walk for one season, then traded his prop- 
 erty for a farm in Sherman township, 
 Huron county, which he occupied for 
 about sixteen years, and where all his 
 children were born. Finally selling out, 
 he moved to Peru township, where he 
 lived twenty-six j'ears. In 1891 he re- 
 moved to Fremont, his present home. 
 Mr. Geiger in religious faith is a Roman 
 Catholic. His children are as follows: 
 John J., subject of this sketch; Lawrence, 
 a farmer of Brown township, Huron 
 county; Mary, wife of Alvin Smith, for 
 seventeen years a resident of Peru town- 
 ship, and now of Fremont; Frank, a 
 farmer, of Peru township, Huron county; 
 Mathias, a farmer of Sandusky county; 
 one child who died in infancy. 
 
 John J. Geiger, the eldest child, grew 
 up on the farm and received a fair educa- 
 tion. At the age of twenty-two he started 
 out in the world for himself. He worked 
 out for two seasons by the month. His 
 marriage to Miss Mary Wilhelm occurred 
 in. 1 873, and for two years he operated 
 his father's farm. Then purchasing a farm 
 of 149 acres, in Riley township, Sandusky 
 county, he there engaged extensively in 
 general farming and was very successful. 
 Each year he raised from 1,000 to 1,500 
 bushels of wheat, and both for the neat- 
 ness with which his work was done and 
 for the accruing financial profits he was 
 considered one of the best farmers in the 
 county. In 1881 he moved to Clyde, 
 where he has since resided. He has been 
 engaged in many real-estate operations on 
 .his own account, and has been uniforml}' 
 successful. At present he owns some 
 good property in the city, and his business 
 is now one of the most extensive in Clyde. 
 In connection with a mercantile business 
 he is handling several patent rights, one 
 of which is a "checkbook;" but his main 
 patent, and one, perhaps, in which the 
 city is chiefly interested, is a fastening for 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 747 
 
 steel roofing. It overcomes the chief ob- 
 jection to the use of steel for roofing, the 
 contraction and expansion from changes in 
 temperature. The improvement has been 
 introduced in Clyde, and has satisfactorily 
 withstood the test of time. The work is 
 now being introduced in many neighbor- 
 ing cities, and one of tbe possibilities for 
 Clyde in the near future is the formation 
 of a stock company for the manufacture 
 of the roofing in that city. 
 
 The family of Mr. Geiger consists of 
 five children: Annie, Edward, Alfred, 
 John and Mamie. He owns an excellent 
 home on one of the best streets of Clyde. 
 In politics he is a Democrat, and in re- 
 ligious belief a Catholic. He is justly 
 regarded as one of Clyde's best business 
 men. 
 
 JM. JONES. This well-known citi- 
 zen of Gibsonburg, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, is of Welsh descent, and pos- 
 sesses many of the traits of that vig- 
 orous, level-headed people. 
 
 His parents were Benjamin and Han- 
 nah (Morris) Jones, and of his father's fam- 
 ily the following record is given: Benja- 
 min Jones was born March 9, 1823, in 
 Caermarthen, Wales, and was the son of 
 James Jones, who was born in 1796. 
 James Jones married Hannah Davies, 
 who died in Wales, and, when his son 
 Benjamin was eighteen or nineteen years 
 old, he left his native country and came to 
 America, settling in Morrow county, this 
 State. After he remained here for about 
 eight years he removed to Wisfconsin, 
 driving the entire distance with a yoke of 
 three-year-old steers, and locating in Iowa 
 county, their post office being Dodgeville. 
 Here the father died at the good old age 
 of eighty-two years. He was a con- 
 sistent member of the Baptist Church. 
 Mr. and Mrs. James Jones were the par- 
 ents of four children: James, who was 
 born April i, 18 17, came to America and 
 settled in Delaware county, this State, 
 
 where he married Miss Williams, and 
 where he still resides. Daniel, born Au- 
 gust 6, 1820, is a tailor by trade, and 
 lives in Wales. Benjamin was the father 
 of our subject. John was born October 
 29, 1 81 5, and when a young man left 
 home and never returned, no direct news 
 from him ever reaching his family, and 
 his fate is uncertain. 
 
 Benjamin Jones settled in Morrow 
 county, Ohio, where he lived for six or 
 seven years, and then removed to Dela- 
 ware county, whence, after a residence 
 of four years, he came to Sandusky coun- 
 ty and took up land where the famous 
 "gusher," the Kirkbrideoil well, is located. 
 About nine years ago he returned to Mor- 
 row county, where he now resides. The 
 mother of our subject was born in Mor- 
 row county October 7, 1815, and died 
 October 13, 1882. Their family com- 
 prised six children, of whom the follow- 
 ing record is given: Morris D. died June 
 22, 1874, at the age of thirty years and 
 twenty-six days; J. M. is our subject; 
 Sarah A., born February 27, 1848, is the 
 wife of A. B. McCreer}', and lives in Wood 
 county, this State; Eliza A., born May 
 12, 1850, married James Smith and, died 
 July 1 8, 1 878; Joseph Fuller, born May 
 18, 1853, died March J. 1862; Margaret, 
 born September 14, 1855, is the wife of 
 Charles Chambers, and lives in Genoa, 
 this State. 
 
 Our subject grew to manhood on his 
 father's farm in Sandusky county, and 
 varied his work in the fields with at- 
 tendance at the district schools. During 
 the Civil war he enlisted with the one- 
 hundred-days' men, in Company H, One 
 Hundred and Sixty-ninth Regiment, Ohio 
 State Militia, and was sent to Maryland 
 and Virginia to guard the Capitol at Wash- 
 ington. When his time expired he re- 
 turned home and took up the trade of 
 carpenter, at which he worked for a num- 
 ber of years. He then engaged in farm- 
 ing in Scott (now Madison) township, 
 leaving this to take charge of a hotel at 
 
748 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Bradner. Subsequently returning to the 
 farm he remained there until four years 
 ago, when he came to Gibsonburg. and 
 since that time he has been engaged in 
 buying and selling stock, building houses 
 and in the insurance business. In ad- 
 dition to these occupations he is carrying 
 on a grocery. 
 
 Mr. Jones was married, September 
 25, 1870, to Miss Mary A. Price, who is 
 a native of Merthyr-Tydvil, Wales, born 
 March 2, 1850. Her parents were 
 Thomas and Ann (Evans) Price, the for- 
 mer of whom was born September 20, 
 1823, in Gwinther, Breconshire, South 
 Wales, his death taking place in Wood 
 county, Ohio, September iS, 1886, the 
 latter was born August 29, 1827, and is still 
 living at her home in \\'ood county. They 
 came to America at an earlj- day and set- 
 tled in Morrow county. Mrs. Jones was 
 their only child. Her paternal grand- 
 father, Thomas Price, Sr. , was born in 
 Wales, Angust 29, 1797, and died April 
 14, 1 88 1, in Wood county, Ohio. 
 
 To our subject and his wife have 
 come two children: Eliza M., born April 
 27, 1 87 1, and Price, born August 8, 1888. 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Jones have been for- 
 tunate in coming into possession of some 
 of the finest oil-producing property 'in 
 the State, from which they derive hand- 
 some incomes, the Kirkbride well being 
 one of the most wonderful in the coun- 
 try. Mr. Jones is a man of excellent 
 judgment and business ability, as is 
 evinced by the numerous enterprises which 
 he is carrying on with uniform success. 
 Politically he is in sympathy with the 
 Republican party, and socially he belongs 
 to the I. O. O. F., G. A. R., and P. O. 
 S. of A. 
 
 AG. RUXXEIv, a wide-awake and 
 enterprising fruit agriculturist of 
 Carroll township, Ottawa count}-, 
 has b)' his natural good judgment 
 and indomitable energy arisen to a promi- 
 
 nent position in the community, where he 
 and his family are held in the highest 
 esteem. He is a native of the Buckeye 
 State, born June 9, 1843, in Margaretta 
 township, Erie county. His parents, 
 Michael and Elizabeth Runner, were both 
 natives of Maryland, and located in Erie 
 county among the pioneers of 1830, 
 where they were honored and revered 
 residents for manj- years, the father dy- 
 ing in 1846, and the mother in 1867. By 
 their union eleven children were born, 
 five of whom still survive, as follows: 
 Caroline, widow of Paul Leidorf, of 
 \'enice, Erie Co., Ohio; Isaac, residing 
 on the homestead farm; John, who also 
 makes his home in Erie county; Rebecca, 
 wife of Richard Axton, of Venice; and 
 A. G., the subject of this biographical 
 sketch. 
 
 The educational privileges of A. G. 
 Runner were such as the district schools 
 afforded, and at a verj- early date in his 
 life's history he was instructed in the 
 duties pertaining to a farmer's life. He 
 has followed that occupation from his 
 early boyhood days, and for some few 
 3'ears was also engaged in fishing on the 
 lakes. In 1861 his patriotism prompted 
 him to enlist in Company H, Fiftj'-tifth 
 O. \'. I., in which regiment he served 
 one year, being taken prisoner at the bat- 
 tle of Franklin on April 5, 1862, and de- 
 tained as a prisoner of war by the Con- 
 federates until July 3 of the same year. 
 Upon being paroled Mr. Runner again 
 enlisted, becoming a member of Company 
 M, First Ohio Heavy Artillery, and re- 
 mained with that branch of the service 
 until the close of the war, being mustered 
 out and honorabh- discharged at Camp 
 Dennison, Ohio, August 25, 1865, after 
 four years of faithful and valiant service 
 in behalf of his country. On his return 
 to Margaretta township, Erie county, he 
 resumed farming in that section, continu- 
 ing there until 1882, when he removed to 
 Carroll township, Ottawa county, and 
 has since been ranked among its most 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 749 
 
 prominent citizens and leading agricultur- 
 ists. 
 
 At Port Clinton, Ottawa count)-, on 
 April 12, 1870, Mr. Runner was united 
 in marriage with Miss Sarah Elizabeth 
 Sonocrant, who was born in Presque Isle, 
 Lucas Co., Ohio, August 26. 1847, ^"d 
 is a daughter of John and Matilda (Mom- 
 meney) Sonocrant. Four children have 
 come to bless this union: George A., 
 born November 16, 1S71, and Raymond 
 G., born November i, 1874 (graduate of 
 Oak Harbor High School), are engaged 
 in teaching school in Carroll township; 
 Matilda E., born May 14, 1877, is a 
 graduate of the Oak Harbor High School 
 and is now a teacher; and Karl M., born 
 January 13, 1883, died August 9, 1885. 
 In his political views Mr. Runner is a 
 stanch Republican, and, although not a 
 politician in the sense of office seeking, he 
 has been honored with man}' positions of 
 trust b\' his fellow townsmen, all of which 
 he has efficiently and satisfactorily filled. 
 His genuine social and moral worth gives 
 him a high place in the regard of all with 
 whom he comes in contact. 
 
 JACOB H. TRUAX. The story of 
 this man, one of the oldest pioneers 
 and a well-known farmer of Clay 
 township, Ottawa county, is full of 
 interest, as showing the grit and endur- 
 ance of one who, without early advan- 
 tages, fought his way through toil and 
 hardship to a successful and honorable 
 station in life. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in 
 Bedford county, Penn. , April i, 1823. 
 His parents, Stilwell and Sarah (Hart) 
 Truax, both of whom were natives of the 
 Keystone State, came to Ohio when Jacob 
 was a lad of ten years, and settled in 
 Wood county, where the)- bought eighty 
 acres of land, which was covered with a 
 dense forest. Here the father built a log 
 cabin, and with the help of Jacob and 
 
 another son commenced to clear away the 
 timber, till the fields, planted an orchard 
 of various kinds of fruit, four acres in ex- 
 tent, and, as his means increased, erected 
 a commodious dwelling house, with all 
 necessary barns and other buildings. To 
 him and his wife came seven children, 
 namely: Abner, born and educated in 
 Bedford county, Penn., w-as a hotel clerk 
 in Sandusky county, this State, where he 
 died. Jacob H. is the subject of this 
 sketch. John was born in Pennsylvania, 
 and became a farmer, following that oc- 
 cupation seven years, and then going 
 into the manufacture of hoops, in which 
 he is at present engaged, at Genoa; he 
 married and had two children, one of 
 whom is deceased. Marj', Mrs. John 
 Sivalls, is a resident of Woodville. Louis, 
 born in Pennsylvania, is farming in Ne- 
 braska. Stilwell, born in Wood county, 
 this State, is also farming in Nebraska; 
 he is married and has two children. One 
 child died in infancy. The mother of 
 this family died in Wood county in 1835. 
 The father married again, his second wife 
 being Rachel, widow of Eben Baldwin, 
 but no children were born of this mar- 
 riage. The father died at the old home- 
 stead in Wood county in 1867, his second 
 wife surviving him for thirteen years, and 
 passing away in 1S80. He was an honest, 
 hard-working man, and toiled late and 
 early to provide a home for his family. 
 He was well and favorably known 
 throughout the county, and commanded 
 the respect and esteem of all who had 
 dealings with him. 
 
 Jacob H. Truax, our subject, was de- 
 prived of all educational advantages in 
 his youth, schools in those days being few 
 and far between, and none being ac- 
 cessible in the new country where he 
 spent his boyhood days. Early in life he 
 contracted a most painful disease, known 
 as " white swelling," from the effects of 
 exposure in the water, and for many 
 jears his sufferings from it were extreme, 
 the bones of the leg coming away through 
 
750 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the flesh. In spite of all this torture, he 
 worked side bj' side with his father in the 
 timber and in the fields, and for eight 
 years endured the terrible pain and hard 
 labor together. His health then began 
 gradually to improve, and on reaching his 
 majority he was able to leave the old 
 homestead and start in life for himself, 
 taking contracts for cutting logs and 
 clearing off timber for other parties. He 
 continued at this work until twenty-five 
 3'ears of age, during which time he en- 
 deavored to make up his deficiencies in 
 book knowledge by diligently employing 
 the winter months and every available 
 moment in attending school and studying 
 at home. 
 
 After giving up his work at log cut- 
 ting, our subject was on the canal for 
 three years as steersman, and then went 
 to Sandusky county, where he purchased 
 ninety acres of timber land. On this he 
 built a log cabin and began industriously 
 to turn the wilderness into fertile fields. 
 As fast as the timber was cleared away 
 he planted corn, wheat and potatoes, by 
 which he supported his famil}'. In the 
 course of time the log cabin gave way to 
 a well-built dwelling, and orchards of fine 
 fruit took the place of the forest trees. 
 Mr. Truax remained on this farm for 
 twenty years, when he sold out, in 1873, 
 and came to Clay township. Here he 
 bought 100 acres of improved land, where 
 he has since made his home. He has 
 made many improvements, replanting the 
 orchard, and making of it a valuable pro- 
 perty. In his comfortable and conveni- 
 ent home he is resting from the toils of 
 his early life — the days when deer, wolves 
 and Indians were his nearest neighbors, 
 and when the hunter could find plenty of 
 sport close at hand. 
 
 Mr. Truax was married in Wood coun- 
 ty to Catherine Truax, daughter of Na- 
 thaniel Truax (no relative), who was a 
 farmer, and afterward a hotelkeeper in 
 Wood county. To our subject and his 
 wife came nine children, as follows: John, 
 
 born August 26, 185 i, in Sandusky coun- 
 ty, married Elizabeth Wagner and resides 
 at Gibsonburg, that county, where he 
 follows the occupation of drayman. Will- 
 iam, born in Sandusky county in 1853, 
 married Mary Lafarerr, and they have 
 one child; he is a cooper, residing at 
 Genoa. Emeline S., born in Sandusky 
 county in 1855, married Charles Prey, an 
 engineer at Genoa ; they have one 
 child. Lewis, born in Sandusky county, 
 June 17, 1857, was married Februarj' 14, 
 1 878, to Miss Billings, daughter of George 
 Billings, a farmer, and three children have 
 been born to them — Amy, in 1879, in 
 Clay township, Ottawa county, who is 
 living at home; Elida, born July 1 5, 1882; 
 and Roy, born June 9, 1892; Lewis Truax 
 has been elected supervisor of Clay town- 
 ship, and is farming on the homestead 
 with his father. Sarah O., born in San- 
 dusky county, in 1859, married Adolph 
 Trimer; both are deceased. Mary E., 
 born in Sandusky, in 1862, is the wife of 
 William Snider, a professor of music, and 
 they live at Fort Wayne, Ind. ; they have 
 two children. Deo, born in Sandusky 
 county in 1866, died when seven years 
 old. Milo, born in Sandusky county in 
 1868, is a farmer in that county; he is un- 
 married. Another child died in infancy, 
 unnamed. 
 
 The wife of our subject died in San- 
 dusky county, January 9, 1S75, of dropsy. 
 She was a loving and faithful wife and 
 mother, and is still deeply mourned by 
 her husband and family. Mr. Truax held 
 the office of school director for nine 
 terms in Sandusky county, and has served 
 in that position one term in Clay town- 
 ship. Socially he is a member of Clay 
 Lodge No. 584, I. O. O. F. , at Genoa; 
 he and his sons belong to the Democratic 
 party. The family attend the Church 
 of the Disciples at Genoa. Mr. Truax 
 is now seventy-three years old, but is 
 hale and hearty, and seemingh' as active 
 as ever, going about his farm as readily as 
 he did twenty years ago. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 751 
 
 HENRY WITTY, one of the enter- 
 prising young farmers of Ottawa 
 county and one of her native sons, 
 was born in Cla}- township, on the 
 farm which he now owns, November 2, 
 185S. 
 
 His father, John Witty, was born in 
 Germany in 1830, and during his boyhood 
 came to America, locating in Ottawa 
 county, Ohio, on the farm now owned by 
 our subject. It was then in its primitive 
 condition, but he cleared and improved 
 it, con\erting it into one of the fine homes 
 in this section of the State. He married 
 Elizabeth Hammond, who was born in 
 Marion county, Ohio, in 1S26, and they 
 became the parents of six children, as fol- 
 lows: Catherine, Angelina, Ella, Jennie, 
 Henry and Michael. Catherine and An- 
 geline are now deceased; Ella is the wife 
 of Anthony Shantan, of Rocky Ridge, 
 Ohio. The paternal grandfather, Henry 
 Witty, was born about 1797, was a farmer 
 by occupation, and was one of the honored 
 pioneers of Ottawa county. His wife, 
 Elizabeth, was born about 1804, and died 
 July 14, 1893. They had three children — 
 John, Margaret and jNIartin. The father 
 of our subject died in November, i8go. 
 
 Henr\- \\'itty acquired his education in 
 the public schools. On December 17, 
 1886, he was united in marriage with Miss 
 Delia Rhodes, of Elmore, and the}' began 
 their domestic' life upon the old home 
 place, which comprises 170 acres of highly 
 cultivated land. Thirty acres are planted 
 annually in wheat, fifteen to hay, thirty- 
 five to corn and twenty to oats. The soil 
 is highly productive, and the abundant 
 harvests garnered indicate the careful la- 
 bor and supervision of the owner, who is 
 justly numbered among the practical and 
 progressive farmers of the community. 
 Mrs. Witty has been a faithful companion 
 and helpmeet to her husband. She was 
 born in Richland county, Ohio, May 15, 
 1866, and is a daughter of Jerry Rhodes, 
 who was born in England, in 1822, and 
 served throughout the Civil war. He 
 
 married Susan Ealand, who was born in 
 the same country in 1831, and they 
 crossed the Atlantic on the same vessel, 
 first meeting in mid-ocean. The acquaint- 
 ance thus formed terminated in their mar- 
 riage soon after their arrival in this coun- 
 try, and they became the parents of six 
 children, of whom Emma, Louis, Clara, 
 Irene and Delia are all living; the eldest 
 child, Libby, is deceased. 
 
 When only four years of age, Mrs. 
 Witty was brought by her parents to El- 
 more, where she obtained her literary 
 education. Like her husband, she is a be- 
 liever in modern progression and modern 
 methods, and their friends throughout the 
 community are many. They have one 
 child, Bessie May, who was born March 
 6, 1887, and to whom they intend to give 
 every educational advantage. Mr. and 
 Mrs. W^itty hold membership with the 
 United Brethren Church of Elmore. In 
 politics Mr. Witty is a Republican, and 
 earnestly advocating the principles of that 
 party, he is one of its able and stanch 
 supporters. He is a worth}' representa- 
 tive of the agricultural interests of Ottawa 
 county. 
 
 M 
 
 ATHIAS ESKER is one of the 
 worthy German citizens of San- 
 dusky county, Ohio. He was 
 born in the Fatherland Febru- 
 ary 34, 1824, son of Fred and Mary 
 (Bruch) Esker, farming people, who 
 spent their entire lives in Germany. 
 Their family numbered seven children, 
 namely: Joe, deceased; Fred, Jane, 
 Jacob, George, and Franciscus, who are 
 living in Germany; and Mathias. 
 
 Our subject was reared and educated 
 in his native land, and was a young 
 man of twenty-three years when he bade 
 adieu to home and friends and crossed 
 the Atlantic to America. The voyage 
 was made in a sailing vessel and the trip 
 consumed sixty-five days; but at length 
 anchor was dropped in the harbor of New 
 
752 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 York, and Mr. Esker landed on American 
 soil. He first made his way to the city 
 of Sandusky, Ohio, where he remained 
 for about five years working by the day. 
 He then removed to Norwalk, Ohio, and 
 secured a position in a planing mill, 
 where he continued for fourteen years, a 
 trusted and faithful employe. At the end 
 of that time he became a resident of 
 Washington township, Sandusky county, 
 and here he invested his hard-earned sav- 
 ings in sixty acres of land, his present farm. 
 
 Mr. Esker was united in marriage 
 with Mary Seen, daughter of Khune Seen, 
 and they have had seven children: Fred, 
 born February 22, 1852, married Rose 
 Paul, by whom he has seven children (he 
 resides in Norwalk); Carrie was born May 
 24, 1853; Frances, born December 16, 
 1855, is the wife of George Gaver, a res- 
 ident of Ohio; Mary E. , born May 7, 
 1858, is the deceased wife of John Mink; 
 Cornelius, born February 20, i860, wedded 
 Mary Bach; Mary, born June 13, 1862, died 
 at the age of seventeen years; and William 
 O., born December 2, 1865, married Ella 
 Kosch. The mother of this family was 
 called to her final rest October 8, 1893. 
 
 Mr. Esker is a member of the Ger- 
 man Catholic Church. Politically he is a 
 Democrat, and has served as school di- 
 rector and road supervisor, but the 
 greater part of his time and attention is 
 given to his business interests. The work 
 of clearing his farm was all done by him- 
 self, and the buildings upon it stand as 
 monuments to his thrift and enterprise. 
 The well-tilled fields and neat appear- 
 ance of the place indicate his careful su- 
 per\ision, and he may well be numbered 
 among the substantial farmers and self- 
 made men of Sandusky county. 
 
 He is a son of William and Ann J. (Whit- 
 more) Rulof, and was adopted in his early 
 youth by his mother's father, John Whit- 
 more, who was a prominent citizen of 
 Tovvnsend township, and he has since 
 borne his grandfather's name, Whitmore. 
 Mr. Rulof died, and his widow, Ann J., 
 mother of the subject of this sketch, mar- 
 ried Mr. Derlin. 
 
 John P. Whitmore lived with his 
 grandfather Whitmore from the time of 
 his adoption until he was married. On 
 January i, 1879, Mr. Whitmore was united 
 in marriage with Isabel Dunham, who 
 was born in Townsend township, Decem- 
 ber 2, i860, and there have been born to 
 them five children, as follows: Ira D., 
 November 26, 1881; John D., June 12, 
 1883; Walter D., September 21, 1885; 
 Franklin E., born August 5, 1887, and 
 died July 24, 1894; and Annabel, born 
 February 22, 1894. Mrs. Whitmore is 
 a daughter of Ira and Rebecca (Golden) 
 Dunham. Ira Dunham, who was a prom- 
 inent farmer, died on September 6, 1863, 
 at the age of forty-one; and his estimable 
 wife, who survived him little more than 
 two years, passed away September 12, 
 1865. The Goldens came from Pennsyl- 
 vania many years since, and there are 
 now many of the family in Townsend. 
 
 Mr. Whitmore takes no very special 
 interest in politics further than to cast his 
 ballot, which is usually Democratic. He 
 is engaged in farming his one hundred 
 and thirty acres of fruitful land. 
 
 JOHN P. WHITMORE is a success- 
 ful and prosperous farmer, and a 
 well-known resident of Townsend 
 township, Sandusky county, in which 
 township he was born December 25, i860. 
 
 ISAAC STROHL, farmer, Ballville 
 township, Sandusky county, was born 
 in Perry county, Ohio, November 18, 
 1825, a son of Peter and Sarah (Over- 
 myer) Strohl, who were natives of Penn- 
 sylvania. They were farmers by oc- 
 cupation, and members of the Lutheran 
 Church. Peter Strohl was born June 22, 
 1798, and died in Fremont after his re- 
 tirement from the farm. His wife was 
 born in Northampton count}', Penn., in 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 753 
 
 1804, a daughter of Jacob Overmyer, 
 whose children were: Barbara, Margaret, 
 Catharine, Mary, Maria, Sarah, Peter, 
 Jacob and George. 
 
 The children of Peter and Sarah 
 Strohl were: Elizabeth, born in 1822, 
 died in childhood; Isaac, our subject; 
 Margaret, born in 1828, who in 1847 
 married Enos Osborn, a farmer of Ball- 
 ville township (now deceased), who had 
 six children, one of whom, James M., 
 was for a number of years editor and 
 proprietor of the Democratic Messenger, 
 at Fremont. Ohio, and is at present editor 
 of the Dayto7ta Messcng-cr, at Daytona, 
 Fla. ; Maria, born in 1831, who died at 
 the age of eighteen, in Ballville township; 
 Catherine, born May 5, 1834, who was 
 married December 6, i860, to Dr. \V. V. 
 B. y\mes, of Fremont, sketch of whom 
 appears elsewhere. 
 
 Isaac Strohl lived with parents on 
 their farm in Ballville township until his 
 thirty-fifth year. In the winter of 1848 
 he enlisted as a soldier in the Mexican 
 war, and was at the City of Mexico when 
 it was taken by the U. S. troops. In 
 1849 he went to New Orleans and engaged 
 as a foreman on a steamer plying between 
 that city and St. Louis, in which capacity 
 he served about one year, after which he 
 returned home. He succeeded his father 
 on the home farm. He is a life-long 
 Democrat, and has held various offices of 
 honor and trust. He is a member of the 
 M. E. Church, and is a Knight Templar. 
 On January 12, i860, he married Miss 
 Elida Grover, who is one of seven chil- 
 dren — Elida, Maria, George, William B., 
 Philip, Sylvester and Mary. 
 
 EDGAR KARSHNER one of the 
 popular and well-to-do citizens of 
 Riley township, Sandusky county, 
 was born August 4, 1 864, and is a 
 son of Daniel and Lydia Karshner, and a 
 grandson of John Karshner. 
 
 John Karshner was born in Pennsyl- 
 
 time, and the 
 
 worked hard, 
 
 and wrought out a home 
 
 vania, and married Christine Drum. 
 They had three children namely: Magda- 
 lena, married to George Broomley, who 
 lives in Indiana, and died in 1890; Sarah, 
 married to Z. Woodford, who is a farmer 
 in northern Ohio, and they have had 
 eight children; and Daniel, the father of 
 Edgar Karshner, the subject of this sketch. 
 John Karshner and his wife lived in Penn- 
 sylvania for several years after their mar- 
 riage, then moved to Tarlton, Pickaway 
 Co., Ohio, and from there to Riley town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, where he settled 
 and bought 480 acres of land. Indians 
 were numerous at that 
 country was new. He 
 cleared the land, 
 
 from the wilderness. He was a Whig m 
 politics, and a member of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 Daniel Karshner was born September 
 9, 1822, in Tarlton, Pickaway county. 
 He was reared at home, had a common 
 school education, and worked for his fa- 
 ther on the old homestead until he was 
 married. He was united in marriage with 
 Lydia Robinson, who was born January 
 I, 1830, and they had a family of nine 
 children, as follows: John F. born June 2, 
 1848; Charles D., November 22, 1851; 
 Albert L., August 27, 1853; Clara A., 
 November 26, 1856; Ellen A., February 
 4, 1858; Sarah L., August 15, i860; An- 
 nie E., July 16, 1863; Edgar W., the sub- 
 ject of this sketch; and Willis C, born 
 March 27, 1868. Daniel Karshner has 
 held various offices, such as school direc- 
 tor and supervisor. He is a Republican 
 in politics, and is a member of the Lu- 
 theran Church. 
 
 Edgar Karshner recei%'ed a common- 
 school education, and worked on the farm 
 for his father until his twenty-first year. 
 On December 16, 1888, he was united in 
 marriage with Mary Bartis, and three 
 children have been born to them, namely: 
 Mabel E. (born September 20, 1889), 
 Clara E., and Charles. Mr. Karshner in- 
 herited 113 acres of valuable land three 
 
754 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 miles east of Fremont, Sandusky county, 
 and in 1890 he built a handsome residence 
 which cost him $1,250.00. He carries on 
 general farming, and gives special atten- 
 tion to fruit and to fine horses and cattle. 
 He is a stanch Republican, and is a mem- 
 ber of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 Republican, and in religious affiliation a 
 member of the United Brethren Church. 
 He is well liked in the community where 
 he has had his home so many years. 
 
 JACOB SAMPSEL, an honored citi- 
 zen of Madison township, Sandusky 
 county, was born in Beaver county, 
 Penn., in 1836, son of Joseph and 
 Mary M. (Beckley) Sampsel, who came 
 from Pennsylvania to Ohio when he was 
 a mere boy. 
 
 Joseph Sampsel was a hatter, and fol- 
 lowed this occupation up to the time of 
 his removal to the "Buckeye State." 
 When he arrived here he rented a forty- 
 acre tract of land in the vicinity of New 
 Lisbon, Columbiana county, and in prox- 
 imity to the farm occupied by his father, 
 who had located there a fewj-ears before. 
 After retaining this land for a short time, 
 he sold it, and bought a piece of five 
 acres, on which he lived a few \'ears. 
 Selling this he came to Sandusky county, 
 where he passed the remainder of his 
 days, his wife surviving him only a few 
 years. 
 
 Jacob Sampsel remained on his father's 
 farm until the age of eighteen, receiving 
 a common-school education, and after 
 leaving home worked at odd jobs. On 
 March 10, 1859, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Louisa Long, whose parents 
 were of Pennsylvania ancestry, and they 
 have had a family of seven children, as 
 follows: John F. is a farmer in Perry 
 county, Ohio; Samuel is a mason in 
 Clyde, Sandusky Co., Ohio; Jeremiah 
 works in the oil districts in Sandusky 
 county; John is similarU' employed; Ella 
 married William Cross: Mary married 
 Frank Adeline, a farmer in Wood county, 
 Ohio; and Cora married Frank Cary, a 
 farmer in Wood county. Mr. Sampsel 
 has several oil wells. In politics he is a 
 
 JOHN MEEKER, one of the highly- 
 esteemed farmer citizens of Carroll 
 township, Ottawa county, is a na- 
 tive of same, his birth having occurred 
 in Carroll township, November 27, 1838, 
 and he is a son of John and Nancy (Lind- 
 sley) Meeker. 
 
 The father of our subject, who was 
 born December 27, 1802, was united in 
 marriage April 23, 1835, in Essex county, 
 N. J., with Miss Lindsley, who was born 
 in Morris county, that State, January 20, 
 1 8 14. In 1837 they located in Carroll 
 township, Ottawa county, where they re- 
 mained honored residents the remainder 
 of their days, the father dying December 
 31, 1848, and the mother December 16, 
 1 878. To their union came five children — 
 Sarah Jane, born July 11, 1836, who is 
 the wife of Ira P. Russell; John, subject 
 of this sketch; Smith M., born January 
 I, 1 84 1, who is a resident of Carroll 
 township; Amy, born June 8, 1S43, who 
 died September 9, 1874; and Gilbreath, 
 born February 27, 1844, who died Jan- 
 uary 24, 1845. 
 
 Our subject was reared to farm life, 
 and received a limited education in the 
 old log schoolhouse of the district, and he 
 has a vivid recollection of this institution, 
 with its puncheon seats and the hickory 
 rod wielded by the stern-visaged school- 
 master. After completing his school days, 
 which certainly had not been numerous 
 enough to keep him away from the farm 
 to any great extent, he settled down to a 
 practical farmer's life, and in that honor- 
 able occupation he has spent his useful 
 life. On November 27, 1872, he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Sophronia 
 Ogden, daughter of Jeptha Lindsley and 
 Margaret (Covers) Ogden. Mr. Meeker 
 and his amiable wife attend the United 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 too 
 
 Brethren Church, and are honored and 
 respected in the community for their ster- 
 ling worth and generous hospitalit\'. In 
 poHtics he is identified with the Demo- 
 cratic party, and is a strong believer in 
 its principles. One great fact is apparent 
 in the historj- of Mr. Meeker, and that is 
 that his success and prosperity have been 
 accomplished by hard, earnest labor, good 
 management and care, which qualities are 
 numbered among his chief characteristics. 
 In addition to general agriculture, he en- 
 gages in fruit-growing, and his well-stocked 
 farm and neat and attractive surroundings 
 bespeak industry and thrift, and in all 
 his dealings he is the soul of honor. 
 
 Ira p. Russell, brother-in-law of 
 Mr. Meeker, is a prominent agriculturist 
 of Carroll township. He was born in 
 Chautauqua county, N. Y., October 15, 
 1835, and is a son of William Peckhain 
 and Sarah Ann (Webster; Russell, both of 
 whom were natives of the Empire State, 
 the father born in W^a\ne county, Febru- 
 ary 9. 1 8 10, and the mother in Caze- 
 novia, Madison county. May 22, 181 5. 
 They removed to Ohio in 1837, locating 
 in Kno.x county and there remaining until 
 the fall of 1840, when they came to Port- 
 age township, Ottawa county. Here 
 they resided for five years, in September, 
 1845, returning to New York; but in 
 April, 1847, they again came to Ottawa 
 county, this time locating in Erie town- 
 ship, where the mother died May 11, 
 1849. In their family were two children 
 — Ira P., and Charity Ann, who was 
 born March 17, 1838, and died in De- 
 cember of the same year. After the 
 death of his first wife, Mr. Russell was 
 again married, and subsequently removed 
 to Carroll township, where he resided un- 
 til October, 1880, going thence to Sugar 
 Ridge, Wood Co. , Ohio, where his death 
 occurred June 15, 1885. 
 
 The advantages afforded Ira P. Rus- 
 sell for securing an education were very 
 meagre. At the age of seventeen years 
 he left home, going to Chautauqua, N. Y. , 
 
 where he spent three years in master- 
 ing the mason and brickia3er's trades, 
 at which he worked in various cities of 
 the Union until 1857. In that year he 
 located in Carroll township, where he has 
 since carried on agriculture with e.xcellent 
 success with the exception of four years 
 spent in Clay township, Ottawa county. 
 On March 19, 1857, in Carroll township, 
 Mr. Russell wedded Sarah Jane Meeker, 
 who was born in Butler county, Ohio, 
 July II, 1836. and they have become the 
 parents of two daughters. Nancy Eliza- 
 beth Ann, born in February, 1859, was 
 married March 25, 1877, to Albert H. 
 Conkey, who died on the 13th of Septem- 
 ber following; on August 25, 1891, she 
 was united in marriage with Charles H. 
 Veler, and to their union has come one 
 daughter — Lillie A. , born January 30, 
 1892. The second daughter of Mr. Rus- 
 sell, Amy Corena Josephine, was born 
 May 14, 1870, and was married March 17, 
 1890, to Charles H. Veler; she passed 
 away March 19, 1891. 
 
 Since attaining his majority Mr. Rus- 
 sell has been a stanch supporter of the 
 Democratic party, but he is in no sense 
 an office seeker, and, though many times 
 solicited to accept positions of trust in 
 both county and township affairs he has 
 always felt that his time could be best 
 spent in attending to the duties of his 
 home and farm. He is possessed of a 
 most retentive memory, recalling with 
 wonderful accuracy details and dates of 
 incidents which occurred during his life- 
 time from his earliest da\'s, thus permit- 
 ting him to live over again the happy days 
 of his past life. Socially, he is liberal, 
 frank and genial, and in business matters is 
 scfupulously honorable in all transactions. 
 
 s 
 
 Perry 
 
 AMUEL COVERS, a prominent 
 and successful farmer, and the 
 oldest living settler in Carrol town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, was born in 
 
 county, Ohio, August 14, 1827. 
 
r56 
 
 commemoratTve biographical record. 
 
 His parents, Adam and Elizabeth (Shoop) 
 Covers, were both natives of Westmore- 
 land county, Penn., of German ancestry, 
 the former born in 1790, and the latter 
 in 1794. In 1834 they located in Carroll 
 township. Ottawa county (which was then 
 a part of Sandusky county), and there 
 made a permanent home, the father dy- 
 ing in 1842, and the mother, who long 
 survived him, passing away in 1880. Of 
 their family of eight children, four are 
 still living — Susan, widow of F. B. Whip- 
 ple, residing in Carroll township; Sarah, 
 wife of Jackson Shasteen. living in Defi- 
 ance county, Ohio; Samuel; and Louisa, 
 wife of George W. Green, of Carroll 
 township. 
 
 Our subject was only seven years old 
 when he came with his parents to Carroll 
 township, where he was reared in the 
 usual manner of farmer boys, and his 
 limited education was obtained in the 
 primitive log schoolhouse of those early 
 days. Since his earliest boyhood he has 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits, and has 
 made a success of his chosen calling. 
 On December 14, 1849, in Carroll town- 
 ship, Mr. Covers married Betsj' Ann Gor- 
 don, a daughter of Andrew and Rachel 
 (Meeker) Gordon, who were natives cf 
 I3utler county, Ohio, where Mrs. Covers 
 was born October 10, 1827. This union 
 was blessed with ten children, of whom 
 John, born August 16, 1850, makes his 
 home in Carroll township; Louisa, born 
 September 10, 1852, married William 
 Fizer, and died November 11, 1891; 
 Maria, born November 4, 1854, became 
 the wife of Hiram Frost, and was drowned 
 in the Tusany river by the capsizing of a 
 boat; Adam, born November 16, 1859, 
 lives on the old homestead; Susan was 
 born August 30, 1864; Sarah was born 
 December 13, 1866; and Samuel was 
 born February 13, 1868. The mother of 
 this family passed away on August 6, 
 1 89 1. They attend the United Brethren 
 Church. In his political views. Mr. Cov- 
 ers is a stalwart Republican; for the past 
 
 fifteen years he has been constable in the 
 township, and for two terms was town- 
 ship trustee. Socially he is a member of 
 the Grange. 
 
 JOHN BOWLAND, mayor of Genoa, 
 Ottawa county, and postmaster at 
 that place, is a man whose life 
 record is proof that a person's en- 
 vironments do not necessarily limit his 
 possibilities, and that the working out of 
 his future, for good or evil, lies in the 
 hands of any young man who possesses 
 brains and strength of character enough 
 to make up his mind what he will be, and 
 to bend all his energies to that end. 
 
 Mr. Bowland was born in Harris 
 township, Ottawa county, August 3, 1851, 
 and was the son of John and Diana (Par- 
 rott) Bowland, who were also natives of 
 Ohio. His father died a month before our 
 subject was born, leaving the mother with 
 her family of little ones dependent on her 
 for support. When the Civil war broke 
 out in 1861 her three eldest boys enlisted, 
 serving throughout the struggle, and the 
 younger children were obliged to do 
 what they could to earn their daily bread. 
 The mother had in the meantime re- 
 moved from Harris township to Clay 
 township, and here the subject of this 
 sketch began work on a farm at the early 
 age of fifteen years. His education was 
 necessarily very limited, but his quick in- 
 tellect gathered up and put to use what 
 book learning he had acquired, and con- 
 stantly absorbed whatever could be 
 gained from reading and observation. 
 Until the death of his beloved mother, 
 which took place April 17, 1875, he 
 proved a faithful, devoted son, working 
 cheerfully and untiringlj', and, with his 
 brothers, ministering to her every want. 
 After spending a number of years 
 upon the farm, Mr. Bowland went into 
 partnership with his brother Thomas in 
 the manufacture of hoops, carrying on this 
 business both at Martin, Ottawa county, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 r57 
 
 and in Henry county. He also was in 
 the same business by himself for several 
 years and up to 1890. Mr. Rowland was 
 married August 25, 1875, to Miss Mary 
 Eyre, daughter of George and Sarah 
 Eyre, who now reside in Genoa, and of 
 this union three children have been born: 
 ErrettG., March 18, 1877; Bertha M., 
 March 16, 1883; and Waiter, September 
 19, 1889. The eldest son of this inter- 
 esting family attended the public schools 
 of Genoa, and also attended the High 
 School at Columbus. This was followed 
 by three terms in the High School of 
 Genoa, from which he was graduated 
 with honor June 4, 1895. He is a young 
 man of fine intellect and a worthy son of 
 his father, whose assistant he is in the 
 post office. The family attend the Chris- 
 tian Church. 
 
 The early struggles of Mr. Rowland 
 taught him lessons of perseverance, fru- 
 gality and industry, which have borne 
 fruit in the success that has attended his 
 career. His genial disposition and sym- 
 pathy with his fellow men have rendered 
 him exceedingly popular with all classes, 
 . and they have showed their appreciation 
 of his sterling worth by bestowing on him 
 numerous responsible offices, all of which 
 he has filled with dignity and to the sat- 
 isfaction of the public. In 1877 he was 
 elected constable of Clay township on 
 the Democratic ticket, holding the posi- 
 tion two years. In 1881 he was ap- 
 pointed assessor for the township, the 
 term being one year, and both in 1883 
 and 1884 was re-elected by a large vote. 
 In 1887 he was elected city councilman 
 for a term of two years and polled a large 
 and popular vote. Mr. Rowland was 
 elected assessor for the third time in 1889. 
 For a term of two years he filled the office 
 of guard of the Penitentiarj- at Colum- 
 bus, this State, remaining in that city for 
 two years. At the end of this time 
 he returned to Genoa and was elected 
 mayor of the village by acclamation, his 
 popularity being so great that opposition 
 
 was useless. He was re-elected in the 
 spring of 1895, and is filling the office 
 with great ability. On June 20, 1893, 
 he received the appointment of postmas- 
 ter at Genoa, and merits the high com- 
 mendations he has received for the man- 
 ner in which he discharges the duties of 
 that responsible position. On May 6, 
 1895, Mr. Rowland received his com- 
 mission from the Governor of Ohio as 
 notary public for Ottawa county, and in 
 addition to his numerous public duties he 
 is carrying on a real-estate and insurance 
 business. He is a member of Clay Lodge, 
 No. 584. I. O. O. F., at Genoa. 
 
 With all his energies devoted to the 
 important trusts held by him, Mr. Row- 
 land still finds time to interest himself 
 in anything which will promote the wel- 
 fare of his town and county, and lends a 
 helping hand wherever needed. He has 
 won the respect and esteem of his fellow 
 men by his integrity of character and his 
 spirit of enterprise, and is well deserving 
 of all the honors received at their hands. 
 
 LF. GAHN, M. D., who is suc- 
 cessfully and extensively engaged 
 in the practice of medicine in El- 
 more, Ottawa county, and who is 
 prominently identified with the interests 
 of the town, was born January 15, 1849, 
 in Columbus, Ohio, and is a son of Rev. 
 C. and Margaret (Artz) Gahn. 
 
 Rev. C. Gahn was born in Prussia, 
 in 1 818, and spent fifty-seven years of 
 his life in the ministry, becoming promi- 
 nent in the M. E Church. He held 
 some of the best appointments in the 
 State of Ohio, was located in Cincinnati 
 for six years, was presiding elder of the 
 Cincinnati district for four years, and 
 then again served as pastor in that city 
 for a number of years. He then retired 
 to his farm in Sandusky county, where 
 he died at the age of seventy-five. His 
 wife was also born in Prussia, and their 
 marriage was celebrated in 1836. To 
 
758 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 them were born six children, five of whom 
 are hving. The ancestors of the family 
 were originally Scotch, and lived on the 
 Isle of Man. 
 
 The Doctor accompanied his parents 
 on their various removals during his child- 
 hood, and completed his literary educa- 
 tion in Cincinnati. In I 8/ I he began the 
 study of medicine in the University of 
 Michigan, where he remained one year, 
 thence going to the Medical College of 
 Cincinnati, from which he graduated in 
 1873. On completing his studies he lo- 
 cated in Elmore, Ohio, where he has 
 lived for the past twenty-one years, one 
 of its most honored and esteemed resi- 
 dents. The doctor was for two j'ears 
 mayor of the town, was president of the 
 board of education for three years, and 
 a member of the village council for two 
 years, and has always been prominent 
 and active in support of all interests that 
 are calculated to advance the general 
 welfare. In his political views he is a 
 Republican; in religious faith he is an 
 adherent of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. The Doctor has met with excel- 
 lent success in his profession, and for 
 several years has given special attention to 
 chronic diseases, having a very extensive 
 office practice. He spends Monday of 
 each week in his office at Elmore, and 
 the remainder of the time in his office at 
 No. 625 Adams street, Toledo, where he 
 has a very large patronage. 
 
 The Doctor married Miss Ettie Knight, 
 who was born in Port Clinton, Ohio, in 
 1848, and who, for several jears prior 
 to her marriage, successfully engaged in 
 teaching in Elmore. Three children have 
 come to them — Grace, born November 
 26, 1876; Harry, born April 26, 1881; 
 and Lloyd, born August 27, 1883. The 
 daughter graduated from the Elmore high 
 school in 1893, and is now one of the 
 promising teachers of Ottawa county, 
 having taught in Harris township for two 
 \ears with marked success. The other 
 children are now pursuing their studies in 
 
 the Elmore public schools. The family 
 is one widely and favorable known in the 
 county, and the Doctor and his wife have 
 a wide circle of warm friends. 
 
 FRED TEBBE was born in Han- 
 over. Germany, April 6, 1830, 
 and is a son of John Henry and 
 Inseline (Garager) Tebbe. The 
 father worked as a laborer in his native 
 land, and in October, 1844, emigrated to 
 America, hoping to better his financial 
 condition. He came direct to Sandusky 
 county, Ohio, and secured a position as a 
 farm hand in Washington township, in 
 which capacity he was employed until 
 February 29, 1848, when he was taken 
 ill, and the sickness terminated his life. 
 His first wife died in Germany in 1831, 
 after which he married a lad}- of the same 
 name, who accompanied him to America, 
 and died in Sandusky county during the 
 Civil war. There was one child by this 
 union, William, who is living in Stony 
 Ridge, Wood Co., Ohio. The children 
 of the first marriage were Fred, our sub- 
 ject, and Mary, who became the wife of 
 John Winkey, and died in Toledo, Ohio. 
 The gentleman whose name begins 
 this sketch was a youth of fourteen years 
 when he came to America. During the 
 first ten months of his residence in Ohio 
 he was employed in Wood county as a 
 farm hand, by the month. He then re- 
 moved to York township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, where he worked seventeen years by 
 the month. He was industrious and lived 
 frugally, and with his savings during that 
 period he was enabled to purchase sixty- 
 nine acres of timber land in Washington 
 township, Sandusky county, of which all 
 is cleared with the exception of fifteen 
 acres. 
 
 Mr. Tebbe was married November 
 29, i860, to Miss Mary Strausmeyer, who 
 was born August 2, 1S38, a daughter of 
 Henry and Lizzie (Bushesj Strausmeyer, 
 who were also natives of Germany. To 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BTOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 759 
 
 this marriage have come eight children — 
 L,\zzie, born September 1 8, 1 86 1 , deceased 
 in infancy; Eliza, born April 22, 1863, is 
 the wife of Fred Moratcs, and with their 
 two children they reside in Madison town- 
 ship, Sandusky county; Mary L. was born 
 February 28, 1865; Caroline, born April 
 5, 1868, is the wife of Henry Stein, a 
 farmer of Wood county, Ohio, by whom 
 she has two children; Isabella, born April 
 2, 1 87 1, Sophia, born October 28, 1873, 
 Casper H., born February 20, 1877, and 
 Ernest, born April 12, 1880, are still at 
 home. Mr. Tebbe is a supporter of the 
 Democratic party, and a member of the 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 JOSEPH SHERCK, who for four 
 years, or from April, 1S82, to April, 
 1886, served as mayor of Bellevue, 
 was born November 10, 1828, in 
 Mifflin county, Pennsylvania. 
 
 John and Magdalena (Kreider) Sherck, 
 parents of our subject, moved from Penn- 
 sylvania to Seneca county, Ohio, locating 
 in Thompson township October i, 1834. 
 In 1868 the family migrated to Michigan, 
 locating in St. Joseph county, where Mrs. 
 Magdalena Sherck died in 1882. The 
 father also died there about the year 1889. 
 They reared a family of twelve children 
 (our subject being the second), of whom 
 five are yet living. 
 
 Joseph Sherck received a primary edu- 
 cation in the district school of Thompson 
 township, and afterward worked on the 
 home farm, where he grew to manhood. 
 On August 19, 1 85 1, he married Barbara 
 A. Decker, the eldest child of Jacob and 
 Susanna (Billman) Decker, the former of 
 whom was the son of John and Julia Ann 
 (Royer) Decker, who cf.me in 18 16 from 
 Union count}-, Penn., to Wayne county, 
 Ohio, and thence, in 1830, to Seneca 
 county, where Mrs. Sherck was born. To 
 her marriage with Joseph Sherck came 
 two children, namely: Marj' A., Mrs. 
 Sherck Miller, of Seneca county, and 
 
 48 
 
 Charles M. , who is now working with his 
 father, as grain dealer at Bellevue. From 
 the time of his marriage until 1873 Mr. 
 Sherck worked on the farm, and in 1860 
 purchased the 160 acres in the center of 
 Thompson township, Seneca county, 
 known as the Sherck homestead. While 
 on this farm he was elected justice of the 
 peace, and served in that position for nine 
 years. In 1873 he moved to Bellevue, 
 Sandusky county, and established a saddle 
 and harness house, which he conducted 
 until 1884, when he engaged in the grain 
 trade. To day he operates the large ele- 
 vator at Bellevue, and carries on a most 
 extensive business in grain, seed, coal, 
 plaster, salt, water-lime, etc. 
 
 Mr. Sherck can trace his ancestry back 
 300 years, and for a century or more can 
 claim this country as the family home. 
 Prominent in Masonic work, he is a mem- 
 ber of the Lodge, (Chapter and Council at 
 Bellevue, and of the Commandery, K. T. , 
 at Norwalk, Ohio. In religious affairs he 
 affiliates with the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. An active, enterprising business 
 man, one who has taken a full ])art in the 
 development of Bellevue, he enjoys, as 
 he merits, the confidence of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 STERLING C. LEONARD. 
 Among the young men whose 
 steady-going industry and solid 
 worth have contributed materially 
 to the prosperity of northern Ohio, and 
 to their own advancement toward a com- 
 petence, is S. C. Leonard, of Riley town- 
 ship, Sandusky county. He was born 
 March 31, 1866. and is a son of Joseph 
 and Elizabeth (Clark) Leonard, the former 
 of whom was born in New Jersey, Octo- 
 ber 2, 1833. 
 
 Joseph Leonard was for some years 
 in the employ of different railroads in llli- 
 inois and Te.xas. On March r6, 1865, in 
 Illinois, he was united in marriage with 
 Elizabeth Clark, who was born in Penn- 
 
700 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHICAL REGORB. 
 
 sylvania, January i6, 1836, and their 
 children were: SterHng C. , the subject of 
 these hnes; and Joseph W., born August 
 27, 1867, and Frederick, born November 
 I a, 1873, both of whom died young. 
 After his marriage Mr. Leonard lived in 
 Illinois for a period of about eight years, 
 until his death, which occurred April 25, 
 1874. He was a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. Mrs. Joseph Leonard 
 ■was the daughter of Joseph R. Clark, 
 who was born in Pennsylvania January 
 27, 1806, and on March 24, 1833, was 
 united in marriage with Emily Welsh, 
 who was born October 2, 18 12. They 
 lived in Pennsylvania, and had a family of 
 twelve children, as follows: William, born 
 March 13. 1834, married Sarah Bell, by 
 whom he has five children, and they live 
 in Riley township, Sandusky county; 
 Elizabeth is the mother of our subject; 
 Joseph and Rebecca (twins), born July 16, 
 1837, died young; Leander; Joseph, born 
 December 25, 1841, died May 6, 1850; 
 Mary, born April 18, 1844, married Henry 
 Heberling, and has had four children (they 
 live in Scott township, Sandusky county); 
 Amelia, born January 4, 1846, married 
 Charles Ralph, by which union there 
 have been seven children; Lucretia,born in 
 July, 1 847. died young; Sarah, born Novem- 
 ber 9, 1849; James, born November 2, 
 185 I, lives in Montana; and Clara, born 
 August 31, 1855. Joseph R. Clark was 
 county commissioner eight years, and jus- 
 tice of the peace for eighteen years. 
 
 After her husband's death Mrs. Joseph 
 Leonard moved to Pennsylvania, where 
 she was united in marriage with Nathan 
 Cleaver, a Quaker, and they lived in 
 Pennsylvania until his death, which oc- 
 curred June 25, 1887. The widow then 
 came to Sandusky county, Ohio, and 
 bought forty acres of land in Riley town- 
 ship, which she now rents to her son, 
 our subject, who works this farm in ad- 
 dition to his own. and has just com- 
 pleted the erection of a fine grain barn 
 and carriage house on same. She 
 
 makes her home in Fremont, Sandusky 
 county. 
 
 S. C. Leonard worked for his mother 
 until his twenty-si.xth year, and then 
 bought ninety-six acres of land in Riley 
 township, which cost him five thousand 
 dollars. The farm was in very poor con- 
 dition, being badly run down both as to 
 soil and fencing, and he at once set to 
 work to put things in good working or- 
 der — an arduous task, indeed, but one in 
 which he has succeeded well, his farm be- 
 ing now one of the most productive and 
 valuable in the county. Among the other 
 numerous improvements he has made is 
 the tiling of the land, which makes it 
 first-class for cropping, and he now raises 
 fine crops; he is putting in new fences, 
 and, like the thorough-going, up-to-date 
 farmer which he is, is leaving nothing un- 
 done which will enhance the value or im- 
 prove the appearance of the place. With 
 such a good start Mr. Leonard certainly 
 has a bright future before him, though his 
 evident efficiency and business ability 
 alone would be an assurance of success. 
 He is genial and sociable in disposition, 
 and is well-liked and highly esteemed by 
 all who know him. In politics he is a 
 Democrat. 
 
 BM. REED, of Green Spring, now 
 infirmary director of Sandusky 
 county, for many years justice of 
 the peace, and the frequent recipi- 
 ent of electoral favors from his appreciat- 
 ive fellow citizens, was born in Cumber- 
 land county, Penn., September 27, 1830, 
 son of John and Mary E. (Manley) Reed. 
 John Reed was born in Berks county, 
 Penn., September 4, 1805. His father, 
 John Reed, Sr. , was a stone mason by 
 trade and a farmer by occupation, the son 
 of an emigrant from Germany during the 
 last century. John Reed, Jr., was a plas- 
 terer by trade. In 1832 he came to Ohio, 
 settling at Huron, Erie county, where his 
 wife and family joined him four years later. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 761 
 
 In 1838 he removed to New Haven, Hu- 
 ron county, where he lived until his death, 
 December 31, 1882. In Ohio his principal 
 occupation was farming. In politics he 
 was an ardent Whig and Republican suc- 
 cessively. His wife Mary E. (Manley), 
 was born September 18, 1807, and died 
 at New Haven May i, 18S4. John and 
 Mary E. Keed had three children: B. M., 
 subject of this sketch; Margaret E., born 
 May 8, 1841, who married William Hugh, 
 of New Haven, and died there in i8gi, 
 leaving three children — Frank, May E. and 
 John; and Sanmel P., born May 19, 1848, 
 a farmer at New Haven. 
 
 The subject of this sketch in his early 
 boyhood attended the schools at Huron, 
 but from the age of eight to fifteen he was 
 without educational advantages at New 
 Haven. He then attended one year at 
 Plymouth, and the following year, 1846, 
 his father and several neighbors built a 
 log schoolhouse and hired a teacher. B. 
 M. Reed remained at home until the age 
 of twenty-two, in the meantime learning 
 the plasterer's trade. He went to Attica, 
 Seneca county, in 1852, and followed his 
 trade there for three years. Farming for 
 a season in Bloom township, near Bloom- 
 ville, he followed his trade for a time in 
 Tiflin, and in December, 1857, came to 
 Green Spring, working at his trade at fre- 
 quent intervals. In i860, while working 
 in a mill, he lost his arm by a circular saw 
 accident. Though unfitted io himself 
 enter the military service of his country, 
 he was filled with the war spirit, and did 
 great good in arousing patriotic sentiment 
 and procuring enlistments. He returned 
 to sawmilling, crippled as he was, at Green 
 Spring, and in Branch county, Mich. ; then 
 followed painting at Green Spring until 
 there elected justice of the peace, in 1881. 
 Mr. Reed is now holding his fourth com- 
 mission in that judicial capacity, and his 
 third commission as notary. He was 
 elected mayor of Green Spring, and served 
 four terms — eight years — in that magiste- 
 rial office. He has served three years as 
 
 township trustee, and in 1894 was re- 
 elected to that position. In 1893 he was 
 elected infirmary director for Sandusky 
 county, assuming the duties of the office 
 January i, 1894. In politics Mr. Reed is 
 a Republican. 
 
 In June, 1858, he was married to Me- 
 lissa M. Vail, born in Tompkins county, 
 N. Y., September 26, 1839. To Mr. and 
 Mrs. Reed nine children have been born, 
 as follows: Addie M., born November 3, 
 1859, wife of Fred Rail, of Green Spring; 
 Mary E., born June 17, 1861, wife of P. 
 W. Hess, of Clyde; Alice, born March 13, 
 1863, wife of N. E. Dennis, and mother 
 of two children — Lena and Arthur N. ; 
 Edward W., born November 4, 1865, 
 now employed at the Insane Asylum, To- 
 ledo; Lela M., born December 11, 1867, 
 died March 26, 1868; Steward F., born 
 October 19. 1869, employed at the Insane 
 Asylum, Toledo; John R., born April 30, 
 1872, cigar manufacturer. Green Spring; 
 Nellie H., born October 8, 1875; Eddie 
 Lee, born July 6, 1878, died November 
 9, 1879- 
 
 JACOB LEJEUNE, an old resident 
 and prosperous farmer of Riley town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was born in 
 Alsace, Germany, March 29, 1837. 
 and is a son of Michael and Anna (Nye) 
 Lejeune, who were from Germany, and 
 were born in 1801 and 1813, respectively. 
 Michael Lejeune was a soldier in the 
 old country for seven years. He came to 
 America in 1852, bought forty acres of 
 land in Riley township, and lived here the 
 remainder of his days. In politics he was 
 a stanch Democrat. Both Mr. and Mrs. 
 Lejeune were members of the Catholic 
 Church. His death occurred in 1855, and 
 that of his wife in 1878. They had a 
 family of five children, as follows: Stephen, 
 born in 1830, died in 1836; Peter, born 
 in 1835; Lena, born in 1839, married 
 Ellis Young, and they have had thirteen 
 children (they live in Sandusky City, Erie 
 
762 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Co., Ohio); Anna, was born in 1841, 
 married Peter Bautersall, a farmer of 
 Ballville township, Sandusky county, and 
 they have four children; and John, born 
 in 1843, died in 1879. 
 
 Jacob Lejeune had a good German 
 and French education, was early trained 
 to habits of economy and industry, and 
 spent much of the time in his younger 
 days working out by the month. On 
 June 30, 1S60, he was united in marriage 
 with Caroline Weber. In i S62 he went 
 to Fremont, Ohio, and was there vari- 
 ously employed for seven years. Going 
 from there to Riley township, he bought 
 forty acres of farm land, on which, with 
 his wife, he made his home, adding then 
 another forty acres. Their children were 
 as follows: Michael, born September 27, 
 1862, married Caroline Weltine, and they 
 have had four children (they live in 
 Riley township); John, born October 4, 
 1 864, married Elizabeth Weltine, and have 
 had one child (they live in Green Creek 
 township); Anna, born January 5, 1867, 
 married John Schock, a farmer, of Fre- 
 mont, Sandusky county, and they have 
 had four children; Lena, born June 17, 
 1869, married George Hammer, and they 
 have had one child (they live in Riley 
 township); Jacob, born September 23, 
 1876; Eva, Jjorn February 18, 1879; Lud- 
 wig, born September 23, 1883; George, 
 born February 8, 1886; Katie, born Ue- 
 cember 4, 1888, died in infancy; Joseph, 
 deceased in infancy ; and. Tony and Frankie 
 who both died young. 
 
 Mr. Lejeune is a Democrat in politics, 
 was roadmaster for six years, and school 
 director for six years. In religious affilia- 
 tion he is a member of the Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 WILLIAM F. LOCKW^OOD, ex- 
 judge of the court of common 
 pleas, who resides on Put in 
 Bay Island, Ottawa county, is 
 one of the most influential residents of 
 
 this community. He was born in South 
 Norwalk, Fairfield Co., Conn., April i, 
 
 1822, and is a son of and 
 
 Sarah (Daskam) Lockwood, who were 
 also natives of Connecticut. There the 
 father died, in Fairfield county, and the 
 mother's death occurred in Toledo, Ohio, 
 in 1873. 
 
 The Judge received a common-school 
 education in his native county, and when 
 fifteen years of age went to New York 
 City, where he became a clerk in a whole- 
 sale grocery store, filling that position for 
 a period of three years. He has since 
 been dependent upon his own efforts, and 
 the success of his life is due entirely to 
 his resources. In 1840 became to Ohio, 
 and the following year settled in Elyria, 
 Lorain county, where he became a law 
 student, in the office of Hamlin & Bliss. 
 In 1842 he was admitted to the bar in 
 Medina, Ohio, and at once commenced 
 the practice of his chosen profession as a 
 partner of his old preceptors in Elyria. 
 During the same year he was a candidate 
 on the W^hig ticket for the office of prose- 
 cuting attorney, but was defeated by H. 
 A. Lenney, the Democratic candidate. 
 In 1844, however, he was elected to that 
 office, which he capably filled for four 
 years, being re-elected in 1846. In 1852 
 
 he was a 
 
 delegate 
 
 from his congressional 
 
 district to the Whig National Convention, 
 which met in Baltimore, Md., and nom- 
 inated Winfield Scott as a candidate for 
 the Presidency. The same year he was 
 the candidate of his party for Congress, 
 but the Democratic nominee, Harvey 
 Johnson, of Ashland county, won the 
 election. His abilities, however, were 
 recognized in 1854 by his election to the 
 office of probate judge of Lorain county, 
 to succeed Philemon Bliss. In 1856 he 
 was a candidate before the Republican 
 convention for the nomination for judge 
 of the court of common pleas, but Judge 
 Carpenter of Akron became the nominee. 
 By reason of impaired health Mr. Lock- 
 wood resigned his office of probate judge, 
 
COMMEJaORATIVE BIOQBAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 7C3 
 
 and in the spring of 1857 removed with 
 his family to Nebraska, locating in Omaha, 
 where he resided for two years. On the 
 expiration of that period he went to Da- 
 kota City, where he made his home until 
 his return to Ohio in 1867. Mr. Lock- 
 wood was one of the federal judges for 
 the Third District in the Territory of Ne- 
 braska, receiving his appointment from 
 President Lincoln, and serving from 
 April, 1 86 1, until its admission as a State 
 into the Union in 1867, when he was 
 nominated by President Johnson as 
 United States District Judge for the dis- 
 trict of Nebraska; the nomination, how- 
 ever, was not confirmed by the Senate. 
 In 1867 Judge Lockwood was appointed 
 State Judge by President Johnson, and 
 served eight years. He was the Demo- 
 cratic candidate for Congress in the 
 Toledo district in 1870, but was unsuc- 
 cessful in the contest, for the Republicans 
 were in the majority there. In 1878 he 
 was recommended by the bar of Lucas 
 county for the office of common pleas 
 judge, and his personal popularity and 
 superior ability was attested by his ratifi- 
 cation by both the Republican and Demo- 
 cratic Conventions. He was subsequently 
 elected and honorably filled the position 
 for five years. While engaged in the 
 private practice of his profession he had a 
 large clientage. He is a man of su- 
 perior legal attainments and more than 
 ordinary mental ability, as the large 
 number of important positions he has 
 so creditably filled well attest. There 
 is little need of comment on such a rec- 
 ord as his, as it speaks for itself. It is 
 a record of which he may well be proud, 
 for while his ability excites the admira- 
 tion, his fidelity to duty commands the 
 respect of all, and he enjoys the esteem 
 of all who know him. In both social and 
 public life he is held in high regard, and 
 deservedly occupies an exalted position. 
 During the past thirty years the Judge has 
 made his home at his beautiful residence 
 plose to the shore of Lake Erie, on Put 
 
 in Bay Island, where he spends the sum- 
 mer months, and during the past four 
 years he has wintered in Toledo. 
 
 Judge Lockwood was married in Ely- 
 ria, Ohio, December 25, 1848, to Miss 
 Mary A. Nichols, a daughter of Reuben 
 and Asenath Nichols. They have four 
 children — Mary Frances, born November 
 25, 1849, who is the wife of T. H. B. 
 Davis, president of the Middleton Silver 
 Plate Company, and a resident of San- 
 dusky City, Ohio; Edith, born March 17, 
 1856, who is the wife of Maj. D. W. 
 Lockwood, of the United States Engineer 
 Corps; Clara E., born October 25, 1858, 
 wife of George Hoyt Pomeroy, a resident 
 of Cleveland, Ohio; and Maud A., born 
 July 28, 1868, died April i, 1870. 
 
 Reuben Nichols, the father of Mrs. 
 Lockwood, was born in Londonderry, 
 N. H., in 1787, and in 181 1 married Miss 
 Asenath Center, of the same town. His 
 parents were Jacob and Sallie Nichols, 
 natives of Massachusetts, who had a family 
 of twelve children, seven sons and five 
 daughters, of whom Reuben was the 
 youngest. All lived to be from eighty- 
 four to ninety-six years of age, except one 
 who died in early life from the effects of 
 an injury. In October, 1827, Reuben 
 Nichols left New Hampshire with his fam- 
 ily, and started for the wilds of the West 
 to seek a home. On reaching Pike Hol- 
 low, Allegany Co. , N. Y. , the family made 
 a halt, while the father proceeded to 
 Lorain county, Ohio, on horseback, and 
 secured a farm six miles south of Elyria. 
 He then returned to his family, and they 
 reached the new home March 28, 1828. 
 They first located at Butternut Ridge, 
 then a scarcely broken wilderness, where 
 they remained for nearly two years, and 
 in 1830 went to Elyria, where Mr. Nich- 
 ols purchased the old "Eagle Hotel." In 
 1832 he began the erection of the "Man- 
 sion House," which he conducted until 
 selling out in 1839. At that time it was 
 one of the finest hotels west of Buffalo, 
 N. Y. On disposing of that property h§ 
 
7(M 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 removed his family to Oberlin, Ohio, in 
 order to better educate his children. In 
 1842 he returned to Elyria, where he 
 spent his remaining days, passing to his 
 rest in 1871, at the age of eighty-four, an 
 honest, upright and just man. He was a 
 life-long Democrat. His wife died in No- 
 vember, 1870. 
 
 FRANK R. LONG, an enterprising 
 young farmer of Ottawa county, 
 was born in Harris township June 
 II, 1874, and is a son of John 
 Wesley and Caroline (Guernsey) Long. 
 John W. Long was born in Harking 
 Hills, Logan Co., Ohio, September 8, 
 1828, and on coming to Ottawa county 
 located on a farm in Section 8, Harris 
 township, where he lived until his death, 
 which occurred April 4, 1892. He here 
 cleared and improved a farm, erected 
 good buildings upon it and made a com- 
 fortable home for himself and family. In 
 1852, he married Caroline Guernsey, of 
 Benton township, Ottawa county, and 
 they became the parents of four children 
 — Arthur Leroy, born February 26, 1855; 
 Irving C, born September 4, 1857; Julia 
 Agnes, born January 25, 1871 ; and Frank, 
 K., subject of this sketch. Irving and 
 Frank are the only ones now living, and 
 the former resides in Paw Paw, Mich., 
 where he is engaged in painting and pa- 
 per hanging. He is married and has 
 three children. Arthur died October 26, 
 1856, and Julia A. passed away March 
 31, 1872. The children and father were 
 laid to rest in the old cemetery of Elmore. 
 Mrs. Long was born January 8, 
 1836, in Lorain county, Ohio, where 
 she spent her girlhood days and ob- 
 tained her education. At the age of 
 fifteen she came with her parents to Ben- 
 ton township, Ottawa county, and for 
 some years prior to her marriage was 
 there successfully engaged in teaching 
 school. She is now living on the old 
 home place with her soq. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, William Long, was born August 15, 
 1797, of Irish descent, and died in 1884. 
 He married Margaret Smith, who was 
 born February 22, 1803, and died Au- 
 gust 7, 1887. The maternal grandfather, 
 David Guernsey, was born in New York 
 July 4, 1810, and at the age of fourteen 
 came to Ohio, where for many years he 
 followed his trade of carpentering. He 
 is now living in Illinois at the advanced 
 age of eighty-five years, and his wife, 
 Achsah (Cross), has reached the age of 
 eighty-one, having been born March 17, 
 1 8 14. Her parents were Elisha and 
 Susan Cross, the former of whom was 
 born in Vermont in 1781, and died in 
 1 85 1, while the latter was born in 1778, 
 and died February 22, 1848. 
 
 We now take up the personal history 
 of Frank R. Long, who is one of the 
 progressive farmers of his native county. 
 He was educated in the district schools 
 and in Elmore, and completed his edu- 
 cation in 1 89 1, since which he has had 
 charge of the old home farm, which 
 is pleasantly and conveniently located a 
 mile and a half from Elmore. He is a 
 young man of good business and e.xecu- 
 tive ability, and his genuine worth has 
 won him a host of warm friends who 
 esteem him highly. His political support 
 is given to the men and measures of the 
 Democratic party. 
 
 JOHN SMITH is one of the worthy 
 citizens that the Emerald Isle has 
 furnished to Ottawa county. He 
 was born in County Monaghan, in 
 1832, and is a son of Patrick and Alice 
 Smith, who, emigrating to America, 
 landed in New York on June 27, 1850. 
 In November of the same year they re- 
 moved to Ohio, locating in Marble Head, 
 where they spent about a year, and then 
 took up their residence about two miles 
 west in Danbury township, Ottawa 
 county, where the father was engaged in 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 7G5 
 
 agricultural pursuits for many years. He 
 passed away in April, 187S, preceded to 
 the grave by his wife, who died about 
 1866. 
 
 The subject of this sketch acquired a 
 common-school education in his native 
 land, and also attended school at Marble 
 Head. His first independent effort in 
 life was work in a quarry at Marble Head 
 and on Kelley's Island, and in this way, 
 through industry and economy, he pur- 
 chased his present farm with the money 
 obtained at his previous labor. Since his 
 settlement here he has carried on agri- 
 cultural pursuits, and is now extensively 
 engaged in fruit growing, raising fine va- 
 rieties of all kinds of fruits adapted to 
 this climate. He successfully manages 
 his business interests, and his enterprise 
 and perseverance have brought him a 
 handsome competence which he well de- 
 serves. 
 
 Mr. Smith was married in Sandusky 
 City, November 27, 1857, to Miss Ann 
 Rielly, a daughter of Edward and Alice 
 (Burns) Rielly, both of whom were na- 
 tives of Ireland. The father died in the 
 land of his nativity, and the mother, who 
 is still surviving at the age of eightj-- 
 three years, makes her home with her 
 brother Patrick, in Danbury township, 
 Ottawa county. Mrs. Smith was born 
 July 20, 1835, in County Monaghan, 
 Ireland. The union of our subject and 
 wife has been blessed with eight children 
 — Mary E., born July 18, 185S, who is 
 the wife of George Julian, a resident of 
 Fremont, Ohio; Edward, born Februarj' 
 2, i860, who makes his home in Lake- 
 side, Ohio; Thomas, born April 25, 1S62, 
 who is living in North Dakota; John G., 
 born July 6, 1864, who died February 18, 
 1892; Alice J., born January 12, 1867, 
 who is the wife of George Bope, a 
 resident of North Dakota; Francis H., 
 born July 6, 1869, who is located in 
 North Dakota; Hugh P., born August 16, 
 1872, who lives at home; and Rose A., 
 born July 10, 1877. Mr. Smith affiliates 
 
 with the Democratic party, and has sev- 
 eral times filled the office of township 
 trustee, discharging his duties in a cred- 
 itable and acceptable manner. He is a 
 progressive and loyal citizen, actively in- 
 terested in whatever pertains to the welfare 
 of the communitj', and is an honored 
 resident of Danbury township, one who 
 justly merits the high regard in which he 
 is held. 
 
 SAMUEL BURKETT is a worthy 
 representative of one of the hon- 
 ored pioneer families of the Buck- 
 eye State. He was born in San- 
 dusky county, on his father's farm in 
 Washington township, January 11, i860, 
 and is a son of Edward and Catherine 
 (Ockes) Burkett, the former a native of 
 Perry county, Ohio, and the latter of 
 Pennsylvania. Grandfather Burkett was 
 one of the first settlers of Perry county, 
 and secured a tract of government land, 
 upon which he carried on farming. Upon 
 his death, his widow and her son, 
 Edward, then a child of ten years, came 
 to Sandusky county, locating near Hess- 
 ville. Subsequently he removed to Madi- 
 son township, where he purchased forty- 
 nine acres of timber land, the greater part 
 of which he succeeded in placing under 
 cultivation before his death. He was 
 familiar with all the experiences and hard- 
 ships of pioneer life, and always bore his 
 part in the upbuilding and development of 
 the locality with which his lot was cast. 
 His death occurred April 21, 1884, and 
 his wife, who survived him several years, 
 passed away July 7, 1891, and was laid to 
 rest in Washington township. 
 
 Samuel Burkett was one of a family 
 of twelve children, and was born and 
 reared on the farm which is still his home. 
 He received a good common-school edu- 
 cation, and early became familiar with 
 the duties of farm life, giving his father 
 the benefit of his services until after he 
 had attained his majority. \\'hen quite 
 
im 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 young he was obliged to shoulder an axe 
 and help to clear away the timber and 
 prepare the fields for cultivation. 
 
 On December 25, 18S8, Mr. Burkett 
 was united in marriage with Miss Edith 
 Kuntz, a daughter of David and Eva 
 (Clapper) Kuntz, who were natives of 
 Pennsylvania, and had a family of twelve 
 children, namely: Charles, Henry, Frank, 
 Edith, Emma, Jacob, Evangeline, David, 
 Daniel, Cleveland, Winfield, and one who 
 died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Burkett 
 have but one child — William, who was 
 born December i, i<S89, in Madison town- 
 ship, Sandusky county. They are well- 
 known people of the community, and have 
 the warm regard of many friends. Mr. 
 Burkett is a Democrat in politics, and has 
 held the office of road supervisor. His 
 land is now leased to the Ohio Oil Com- 
 pany, and on it are three good wells, 
 which net him a monthly income of $35. 
 
 CHRISTIAN LOSLI. Among the 
 successful young farmers of San- 
 dusky county who have here spent 
 their entire lives is the gentleman 
 whose name introduces this record. Our 
 subject was born in Washington township, 
 Sandusky county, July 13, i866, and is 
 a son of Christian and Anna (Weber) 
 Losli, both of whom were born in Switz- 
 erland, and, in 1854, sailed for the New 
 World, landing in New York City. For 
 about two weeks they remained in the 
 Eastern metropolis, and then came direct 
 to Sandusky county, Ohio, where they are 
 still living. They located upon forty 
 acres of land, upon which their son Chris- 
 tian now resides. At the time it came 
 into the father's possession it was covered 
 by a dense forest, but soon the sound of 
 tlie woodman's axe was heard, and one by 
 one the sturdy trees fell under his ringing 
 blows, and the land was plowed and 
 planted, until to-day, with the exception 
 pf five acres, it is all under cultivation, 
 
 and the hard labor of former years is now 
 requited by good harvests. The parents 
 are living with their son Christian in the 
 enjoyment of good health, the father hav- 
 ing reached the advanced age of seventy- 
 eight years, while the mother has passed 
 the sixty-sixth milestone on life's journey. 
 They are both members of the Evangel- 
 ical Church, and since becoming an Ameri- 
 can citizen, Mr. Losli has been a sup- 
 porter of the Democratic party. 
 
 In taking up the personal history of 
 Christian Losli, Jr. , we present to our read- 
 ers the life record of one who is both 
 widely and favorably known in this local- 
 ity — a native son of the county, and one 
 that the community numbers among its 
 valued citizens. Hiseducational privileges 
 were limited, but he made the most of his 
 opportunities, and by experience and ob- 
 servation in later years he has become a 
 well-informed man. He possesses good 
 business ability, industry and energy are 
 numbered among his chief characteristics, 
 and he is a wide-awake and progressive 
 man. Since old enough he has managed 
 the home farm, and yet devotes his ener- 
 gies to its further cultivation and improve- 
 ment. 
 
 On March 20, 1886, Mr. Losli was 
 joined in wedlock with Miss Louisa Sea- 
 bert, a native of Germany, who came to 
 America with her mother when a child of 
 four summers, her father having died in 
 his native land. Two children now 
 brighten the home of this worthy couple, 
 and are the delight of parents and grand- 
 parents. They are F"reddie, born March 
 18, i887;and Emma, born June 18, 1S90. 
 Mr. Losli is a member of the Evangelical 
 Church. Politically he follows in the 
 footsteps of his father, voting the straight 
 Democratic ticket, and has been honored 
 with the offices of road supervisor and 
 school director. He is a loyal citizen, de- 
 voted to the best interests of the commun- 
 ity in which he makes his home, and he 
 well deserves representation in this vol- 
 ume. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 767 
 
 JAMES BAKER, a prominent and 
 successful agriculturist of Green 
 Creek township, Sandusky county, 
 was there born August 28, 1840, and 
 is a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Cleve- 
 land) Baker, both of whom came to this 
 county during childhood, and were mar- 
 ried in Green Creek township. The fa- 
 ther, whose birth occurred in Seneca 
 Flats, N. Y. , in 1803, was a son of Sam- 
 uel Baker, with whom he came to this 
 county, where they are numbered among 
 the pioneer settlers. The mother of our 
 subject was born in Seneca Flats in 1803, 
 and by her parents was brought to San- 
 dusky, where she made her home until 
 her death which occurred March 13, 1889, 
 when she was aged eighty-five years, four 
 months and four days. She was a mem- 
 ber of the Mormon Church. Mr. Baker 
 departed this life April 3, 1880, at the age 
 of seventy-seven years, four months and 
 twenty-two days. In their family were 
 eight children who grew to maturity — four 
 sons and four daughters — namely: Samuel 
 (deceased), who was a farmer of Green 
 Creek township, Sandusky county; Clark 
 C, who also died in that township; Keziah, 
 who was the wife of William Hoel, and 
 died in Green Creek township (she had 
 been twice married, her second husband 
 being Edwin Gittins); Sarah Ann, who 
 became the wife of Solomon Knauss, who 
 died in 1865 (she lives in Coldwater, 
 Mich.); Napoleon, who passed away in 
 Green Creek township (he was twice mar- 
 ried, and left a widow and children); Abi- 
 gail, who was the wife of Franklin Short, 
 died in 1S64, leaving one child; James is 
 the next in order of birth; and Jemima, 
 wife of Norman Ellsworth, of Clyde. One 
 child died in infancy. 
 
 In Green Creek township, Sandusky 
 county, James Baker passed the davs of 
 his boyhood and youth under the parental 
 roof, and was able to attend the common 
 schools of the neighborhood, where he 
 acfjiiired a good education. On attain- 
 ing man's estate he was united in mar- 
 
 riage August 17, 1868, with Miss Alice 
 Hayes, who was born on Christmas Day, 
 1842, in Ballville township, Sandusky 
 county, Ohio. Unto this worthy couple 
 have been born eight children, one of 
 whom — Samuel — died in childhood; those 
 living are Ella, born January 27, 1871, 
 became the wife of Elmer Hughes April 
 II, 1889, and they have two children 
 — Alice and Lloyd; Mr. Hughes was born 
 in Green Creek township, September 3, 
 1866, and in that township still resides; 
 in politics he is a Republican. Joseph, 
 the next of the family, was born February 
 17, 1873. The others are: Elizabeth, 
 born March 27, 1875; Ellsworth, born 
 December 16, 1877; James, born January 
 7, 1879; Anne, born January 30, 1881; 
 and Clarence, born January 3, 1883. 
 
 Mr. Baker is the owner of a good 
 farm of eight}' acres in Green Creek town- 
 ship, where he is engaged in general farm- 
 ing, raising all kinds of produce, including 
 melons. He has the place brought under 
 an excellent state of cultivation, improved 
 with all modern conveniences and access- 
 ories, and he is accounted one of the lead- 
 ing farmers of the community. He has 
 always taken a prominent part in educa- 
 tional matters, and has given his children 
 good school privileges. He is a worthy 
 representative of one of the prominent 
 families of the county, where he has many 
 warm friends. His political affiliations 
 are with the Democratic party. 
 
 HENRY BOWLUS. The great an- 
 cestor from whom are descended 
 the Bowlus families of Sandusky 
 county, Ohio, was a native of 
 Germany, who came to America in the 
 Colonial period, about 1735, and settled 
 in the Middlctown valley, Frederick 
 county, Md. He had four sons — Jacob, 
 George, Valentine and Nicholas — the 
 youngest being then but five years of age. 
 Nicholas Bowlus was reared on a farm 
 in Frederick county, Md., where he be- 
 
768 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 came the head of a family of eight chil- 
 dren — Jacob, John, Henry, Nicholas, Jr., 
 Mrs. Beckabach, Mrs. Floyd, Mrs. Haller 
 and Mrs. Christ. Of these, Jacob, a 
 distinguished pioneer minister of the 
 United Brethren Church, and Henry, a 
 farmer, came to Ohio, about the year 
 1828, and settled in Sandusky township, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio. The children of 
 Rev. Jacob Bowlus were: Jacob, David, 
 Mar\', Elizabeth, Margaret and Susannah, 
 all of whom became heads of families in 
 Sandusky county. Henry Bowlus located 
 on a farm of 320 acres, which was then 
 an unbroken forest, and helped clear 
 up the far-famed "Black Swamp." He 
 had a family of six children, namely: (l) 
 Magdalene, wife of Daniel Young, who 
 lived and died in Maryland. (2) Adam, 
 who married Elizabeth Krohn, and re- 
 mained in Maryland. (3) Sophia, wife of 
 Jacob Thomas; she died in 1895, at the 
 age of eighty-eight years. They had nine 
 children — John H., Richard, Joseph, Liz- 
 zie, Maggie, Amanda, Charles, Alice, 
 Anna; of these, the eldest, John H. 
 Thomas, a millionaire, was the competi- 
 tor of Calvin S. Brice, for U. S. Senator, 
 in 1893. (4) Henry Bowlus, our subject, 
 comes next. (5) Nicholas, who married 
 Margaret Donnell, and lived in Madison 
 township, where he died in 1S93. (6) 
 Mahala, wife of Jesse Dorcas, living at 
 Lisbon, Iowa. 
 
 Henry Bowlus, our subject, one of 
 the early pioneers of Sandusky county, 
 was born in Maryland, September 27, 
 1 8 10. On November 20, 1833, he married 
 Miss Catharine Keller, of Lancaster, Ohio, 
 who was born February 14, 181 i, and 
 died October 20, 184S; their children 
 were — Hanson R. , Mahala, Martha, Cath- 
 arine, Elizabeth, and Caroline. These all 
 became heads of families in Sandusky 
 county. On September 27, 1849, our 
 subject married Mrs. Rebecca C. Bow- 
 lus (//cV \\'illiamson), of Maryland, born 
 July 4, 1824, and died January 28, 1891; 
 their children were — Warren, Anna, Henry 
 
 F. , and Robert, all of whom became 
 heads of families and live in their native 
 county. 
 
 Henry Bowlus, our subject, has lived 
 to see a mighty change in the valley of 
 the Sandusky. When he first came here 
 there were more Indians than white peo- 
 ple. The Wyandots and Tawas lived here, 
 and used to assemble in great numbers 
 every year when they went to Maiden to 
 draw their annuity from the United States 
 government. There was no end of squirrels 
 and other wild game. Mr. Bowlus fol- 
 lowed farming and stock raising. He still 
 owns 160 acres of land on Muskallonge 
 creek, two and a half miles west of Fre- 
 mont. About the year 1868, in company 
 with his son, Hanson R., he operated a 
 sawmill, furniture shop and planing-mill, 
 about sixteen years at Fremont. In poli- 
 tics he was first a Whig, then an Aboli- 
 tionist, and later a Republican. Before 
 the Civil war he kept a station of the 
 "Under-ground railroad," and assisted 
 runaway slaves from the Southern States 
 to escape to Canada. He has for many 
 years been a member of the M. P. Church, 
 at Fremont. Though now (1896) past 
 eighty-five years of age, he enjoys life 
 among his children and grandchildren, 
 with a mind still acti\e and a memory un- 
 dimmed. 
 
 AMBROSE MEYER,'""'one' '^of "the 
 steady-going, industrious, and sub- 
 stantial citizens of Riley township, 
 Sandusky county, is a native of 
 the same, born December 16, 1859, and 
 is a son of Jacob and Jane (Ziegler) Meyer, 
 who were born in Alsace, Germany. 
 
 Jacob Meyer came with his wife to 
 America in 1838, and located in Seneca 
 county, Ohio. In 1849 with money he had 
 saved during a period of ten years in this 
 country he bought a farm of eighty acres 
 in Riley township. In 1889 they removed 
 to Fremont, Sandusky county, and are 
 now living there retired after a life of dil- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPIIICAL RECORD. 
 
 709 
 
 ifjent and self denying industry, both at 
 the age of seventy-five years. They had 
 a family of five children, as follows: Louise 
 married Andrew Renielspacher, a farmer 
 in Ballville township, Sandusky county, 
 and they have had twelve children; Jane 
 married Sebastian Wallby, and they live 
 in Millersville, Ohio (they have a family 
 of thirteen children); Joseph is a farmer 
 .in Riley township; Mary lives in Fremont, 
 Sandusky county, Ohio; and Ambrose is 
 the subject of this sketch. 
 
 Ambrose Meyer had only a common- 
 school education, but was reared to hab- 
 its of diligence and economy. On Janu- 
 ary 23, i<SS8, he was united in marriage 
 with Anna Koch, and three children have 
 been born to them, namely: Laurence, 
 Januarj- 6, 1889; Josephine, June 20, 
 1892; and Walter, August 28, 1893. Mrs. 
 Mej'er's parents, Valentine and Barbara 
 (Riffer) Koch, had a family of eight chil- 
 dren, namely: Mary, Lorenz, Jane, An- 
 drew, Tracy, Louise, George and Anna 
 (Mrs. Meyer). Mr. Meyer now works 
 and practically owns the farm where his 
 parents reside. In politics he is a Demo- 
 crat, and in religious affiliation he is a 
 Catholic. 
 
 JOSEPH HENRY is numbered 
 among the native sons of Sandusky 
 county, his birth having occurred on 
 the old Henry homestead in Rice 
 township, near the village of Kingsway, 
 March 16,1851. He is a worthy represent- 
 ative of an honored pioneer family. His 
 father. Christian Henry, was for forty-eight 
 years a well-known and respected resident 
 of Rice township, and at the age of fifty- 
 six years departed this life, his remains 
 being interred in the cemetery at Lind- 
 sey. His wife bore the maiden name of 
 Maggie Strawkcr, and by their marriage 
 they became the parents of ten children: 
 Maggie, born in 1842; Fred, born in 
 1844; Joseph, subject of this sketch; Al- 
 bert, who is living in Nebraska; Chris- 
 
 tian; Nelson; Mary, wife of John Fokom; 
 Sarah, wife of John Ovcrmyer; Emma, 
 wife of Dr. Keller; and Ettie, who is liv- 
 ing in Lindsey, Ohio. 
 
 No event of special importance occur- 
 red during the boyhood and youth of our 
 subject, who was reared upon the old 
 home farm. In his earlier years he at- 
 tended the district schools of the neigh- 
 borhood through the winter seasons, and 
 worked upon the farm during the sum- 
 mers. On arriving at years of maturity 
 he was married July 6, 1872, the lady of 
 his choice being Miss Mary Artz, who 
 was born June 9, 1852, in Rice town- 
 ship, and has passed her entire life in 
 Sandusky county. Mr. and Mrs. Henry 
 now have a family of si.\ children — five 
 sons and one daughter — in the order of 
 their birth born as follows: Mary A., 
 July 6, 1874; John, November 15, 1876; 
 Joseph F. , March i, 1881; Simon H., 
 January 22, 1885; and Albert, July 18, 
 
 1893. 
 
 Upon the death of his father, Joseph 
 Henry purchased the old home farm of 
 the other heirs, and is now the owner of 
 140 acres of rich and arable land, which 
 he has placed under a high state of culti- 
 vation. He has there a model farm, 
 upon which in 1888 he erected a new 
 barn. He makes a specialty of the rais- 
 ing of fine horses and cattle, and has 
 some fine stock upon the place. He 
 possesses good business ability, and his 
 well-directed efforts merit the success 
 which has come to him. His political 
 support is given to the Democracy, and 
 he attends the Catholic Church. 
 
 HIRAM RANSOM, a retired stock 
 breeder and agriculturist, and one 
 of the most popular representative 
 men of Erie township, Ottawa 
 county, was born in Riley township, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio, October 31, 1S27, and 
 is a son of Hiram and Sarah (Stull) Ran- 
 
770 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 som, who were born in Sandusky, Erie 
 county, and in Pennsylvania, respectively. 
 
 The grandparents and parents of the 
 subject of this sketch were pioneer set- 
 tlers of Riley township, Sandusky county, 
 his grandfather Stull being the first set- 
 tler in the east half of Riley township. 
 The parents had two children, of whom 
 one died in infancy, and Hiram, of whom 
 we now write, is the only surviving mem- 
 ber of the family. His mother died when 
 he was only two years old. In 1844 his 
 father was married again, this time to 
 Emeline Lindsley, but there were no 
 children by that union. He passed away 
 in Riley township May 11, 1856, after a 
 useful and well -spent life. He had re- 
 sided in that township for over forty 
 years, and was identified with its early 
 days, with trials and hardships, as well 
 as all movements tending to its advance- 
 ment and welfare. 
 
 Hiram I-iansom, whose name intro- 
 duces this sketch, was reared a farmer's 
 boy, and received such limited educational 
 advantages as the old log schoolhouses of 
 his boyhood days afforded. He has been 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits all his 
 life, and was a resident of Sandusky coun- 
 ty until 1861. On January i, 1852, in 
 Riley township, he married Nancy Jane 
 Parks, who was born in Mifflinburg, Penn., 
 August 18, 1830, daughter of James and 
 Mary (Boyer) Parks, the former of whom 
 was at one time sheriff of Sandusky 
 county, and also a representative of the 
 county in the I^egislature. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ransom had three children, as follows: 
 Burton, born September 17, 1854, is a 
 marine engineer, and now resides in To- 
 ledo; he was united in marriage, Septem- 
 ber 17, 1877, with Grace D. Poole, of 
 Fulton county, Ohio, and they have had 
 two children — Parks, who died in infancy, 
 and Maude, living. Clara, born Decem- 
 ber 6, 1857, was married, on January 6, 
 1880, to William D. Van Rensselaer, son 
 of Peter S. and Mary J. (Depew) V'an- 
 J^ensselaer, of Erie township, and they 
 
 have had two children — Hiram Saunders 
 and Hazel Pearl, both of whom are living 
 with their parents in Fulton county. 
 Mary, born August 11, 1862, was married 
 October i, 1884, to J. R. McRitchie, son 
 of David R. and Lucy (Lattimore) Mc- 
 Ritchie, of Bay township, Ottawa county, 
 and they have had five children, namely: 
 Ada, Burton, Harry, Earl and Lucy Jane. 
 On August 13, 1895, the mother of this 
 family died, at their home in Lacarne, 
 Ottawa count}', after a prolonged illness. 
 She was buried in Lacarp cemetery, Erie 
 township. 
 
 In 1 86 1 Mr. Ransom removed to Ful- 
 ton county, Ohio, where he remained for 
 ten years, and in 1871, settled in Erie 
 township, Ottawa county, where he has 
 since resided. He has taken an active 
 part in mattets connected with the growth 
 and welfare of the township and county; 
 for six years he served faithfully as county 
 commissioner, has been a justice of the 
 peace for nine years, and has efficiently 
 filled various township offices. Mr. Ran- 
 som and his family attend the United 
 Brethren Church. In politics he is a 
 stanch Democrat. His kindness of heart 
 and unselfish generosity are proverbial 
 wherever he is known, none appeal to 
 him in vain for aid in a worthy cause, 
 and, by his courtesy, ability, unquestioned 
 integrity and high character, he has gained 
 the confidence of the citizens of his town- 
 ship and county, who hold him and his 
 family in high esteem. 
 
 JOSHUA E. CURTICE, agricultur- 
 ist and lumber manufacturer, who 
 is widely known, not only in the 
 neighborhood of Allen township, Ot- 
 tawa county, but throughout this section 
 of the State, has played a prominent 
 part in building up great industries and 
 promoting the advancement of the coun- 
 try. A short sketch of his busy and use- 
 ful life will prove interesting to the readers 
 of this volume. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BTOORAPSTCAL RECORD. 
 
 771 
 
 Mr. Curtice was born in Cayuga coun- 
 ty, N. Y. , in 1832, son of Joel and Annie 
 (Freeman) Curtice, who were also born 
 in the above-named county and State, of 
 Mnglish descent, the father being the son 
 of Hosea Curtice, of New York. In 
 May, 1833, when our subject was quite 
 young, his parents removed to Ohio and 
 settled in Lagrange township, Lorain 
 county, where they remained five years. 
 There he obtained a fair education in the 
 public schools, and on arriving at man- 
 hood found employment as construction 
 boss on what is now known as the " Big 
 Four " railroad. He spent several years 
 in the employ of this company, and then 
 worked as section boss for the Lake 
 Shore & Michigan Southern Railway 
 Company for about fifteen years. At the 
 end of this time he was employed by the 
 Atlantic & Great Western Railway Com- 
 pany on construction work, remaining 
 with them for upward of two years at 
 Springfield, Ohio. During these years, 
 by industry and frugality, Mr. Curtice had 
 managed to save enough money to buy a 
 farm, and coming to Allen (then Clay) 
 township, Ottawa county, he purchased 
 160 acres of timber land, very soon after 
 setting to work to clear it. He employed 
 eighty men to cut the timber, which was 
 then made into railroad ties and fuel, 
 built a saw and planing mill, in which he 
 made boards, etc., and besides using the 
 timber off his own land he purchased 
 large quantities on surrounding tracts and 
 carried on an extensive business there in 
 lumber for eighteen years. He then re- 
 moved his mill five miles farther north, 
 and bought 500 acres of land, from the 
 timber on which he made staves, lath, 
 etc. Here he established the prosperous 
 and growing town of Curtice, in which a 
 number of factories are now in operation, 
 and also built a sawmill in Lucas count}'. 
 After remaining in Curtice for a year or 
 two. our subject removed to Martin, also 
 in Ottawa county, where he built a saw- 
 mill and a stave factory, and also en- 
 
 gaged in general merchandising, at the 
 same time cultivating his large tract of 
 land. In 1S92 he removed to Coleman 
 township. Midland Co., Mich., and there 
 erected saw and planing mills, and a stave 
 and barrel-heading factory. With all 
 these enterprises on hand he also carries 
 on general merchandising, and gives em- 
 ployment to a large number of men. A 
 few miles from Coleman Mr. Curtice 
 built other mills and founded another 
 town, named after himself, which is 
 equally prosperous with its sister town, 
 in this State, and he has done much to aid 
 its progress. He was the means of hav- 
 ing a schoolhouse built, in which religious 
 services are held every Sabbath, and a 
 post office, also called Curtice, established 
 and carries on a large general merchan- 
 dise store, in which his son is a partner. 
 Mr. Curtice makes his residence chiefly in 
 Midland county, Mich., in order to look 
 after his extensive business enterprises 
 there, while his wife remains in Allen 
 township, Ottawa county, in this State, 
 in charge of their interests in that com- 
 munity. 
 
 Our subject was married May 28, 
 1851, to Mary E., daughter of James K. 
 and Sarah E. (Loomis) Pelton, and to 
 them have come two children: Alice M., 
 born at Painesville. Ohio, May 6, 1852, 
 died September 8, of the same year. 
 James E. Curtice, the only living child of 
 our subject, was born September 18, 
 1854, and after attending the public 
 schools of Allen township, and high 
 school at Genoa for two years, went to 
 school at Tiffin, Ohio, for six months; 
 he then entered a college in the State of 
 New York, pursuing his studies there for 
 a year and a half, and graduating with 
 honor in 1877. Not having any desire to 
 follow a profession he took an interest in 
 his father's numerous enterprises, and to- 
 day is managing partner of the branch of 
 the business at Coleman. Mich. He was 
 clerk of the schoolboard in Allen town- 
 ship for a number of years jirior to his 
 
7T2 
 
 COMMEMORATTVE BIOORAPHTCAL RECORD. 
 
 removal to Michij^an. and is a member of 
 Genoa Lodge, F. & A. M. James E. 
 Curtice was married January 14, 1878, to 
 Lizzie, daughter of George D. Littlejohn, 
 of Baltimore, Ohio, and two children 
 came to them: Eugene, born March 11, 
 1879, died December 22, 1881; Ethel, 
 born September 13, 18S5, is residing at 
 present with her grandmother, Mrs. 
 Curtice, in Allen township, and is attend- 
 ing school at Toledo. The mother of 
 these children died October 20, 1887, and 
 Mr. Curtice was married the second time, 
 in 1892, at Toledo, to Miss Bella Green; 
 one child has blessed this marriage, Lu- 
 cile, born August 22, 1894. 
 
 Dr. James K. Pelton, father of the 
 wife of our subject, was born in Water- 
 town, N. Y. , in I 8 10, son of James Pel- 
 ton, of Watcrtown. He attended the 
 common school and also took a college 
 course. After farming for a while he 
 went to New York and studied medicine, 
 and he practiced that profession for more 
 than a quarter of a century in Lagrange, 
 for ten years at Toledo, and for five years 
 at Columbus Grove, Putnam Co., this 
 State. He was married, March 11, 1834, 
 to Sarah, daughter of Ru.ssell Loomis, by 
 whom he had si.x children, viz.: Mary E., 
 born May 11, 1835, wife of our subject; 
 James, born in 1838, at Lagrange, who 
 was a manufacturer there, and died Oc- 
 tober 22, 1893 (he married and became 
 the father of six children); Lucy, born 
 August 31, 1841, married John Ryan, of 
 New York, who died in 1877, and she 
 married for her second husband Mr. W. 
 N. Albcrtson, of Toledo; David C, born 
 in Lagrange March 11, 1844, married 
 Maggie Sadler (he is proprietor of a hotel 
 at Trombley, Wood Co., this State); 
 Richard F. , born September 6, 1846. is 
 a manufacturer at McComb, this State 
 (he is married and the father of three 
 children); Erastus L. , born April 9, 1849, 
 is farming at Frnitport, Mich, (he is mar- 
 ried and has two children). Dr. Pelton, 
 the father of this family, died at La- 
 
 grange. February 9. 1886, his wife de- 
 parting this life four \ears previousiy. 
 Joshua E. Curtice, the subject of this 
 sketch, was a trustee of Clay township 
 for a number of years. Socially he is a 
 member of the Good Templars Lodge and 
 of Genoa Lodge, F. & A. M. In his 
 political views he is a Republican ; his wife 
 is a member of the Evangelical Church. 
 They are highly esteemed, and are popular 
 with all classes in the community. 
 
 IH. ELLSWORTH. This gentleman 
 has for some years been prominently 
 identified with educational interests 
 
 in this section of Ohio, and he is also 
 known, in Benton township and vicinity, 
 as an energetic business man, one who, 
 though yet young, is making an enviable 
 record for himself and winning his way to 
 a place among the best men of Ottawa 
 county. 
 
 He is a son of Elijah D. and Nancy 
 J. (Overmyer) Ellsworth, the former of 
 whom was born in Sandusky City Febru- 
 ary 24, 1836, and when seven years old 
 came with his parents to Sandusky county, 
 where they settled and cleared up a fine 
 farm. At that time — 1843 — the county 
 was a forest-covered wilderness, and the 
 Ellsworths were among the early pioneers. 
 Grandfather Ellsworth was born in New 
 York about 1787, and served in the war 
 of 1812, during which he was held pris- 
 oner on Lake Erie. He died in 1861. 
 Elijah D. l-'llsworth first wedded Miss La- 
 Roe, of Sandusk}' county, who died in 
 1862, only a year after her marriage. 
 Shortly after this Mr. Ellsworth inherited 
 a large landed property from his father's 
 estate, near Clyde. In 1864 he was again 
 married, and his children by this union were 
 Eugene E., born February 5, 1865; Irving 
 H., born February 25, 1866; and Ettie 
 A., born February 20, 1872, all living in 
 Ohio. In 1893 Elijah D. Ellsworth went 
 to California, where he now owns 160 
 acres of land. Our subject's maternal 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 773 
 
 grandfather, Jacob Overmyer, was born 
 in Pennsylvania in 1806, and came to Ohio 
 in 1854, settling in Sandusky county, 
 where he cleared up a farm from the for- 
 est; his wife was a Miss Hammel, of 
 Uniontown, Penn., born about 1805. The 
 great-grandfather, Jacob Overmyer, Sr. , 
 was born in 1756 in Philadelphia. 
 
 1. H. Ellsworth was born February 
 25, 1866, near Tontogany, Wood Co., 
 Ohio, where he spent his boyhood days. 
 His early education was obtained in the 
 country schools and at Tontogany, the 
 schools of which place he attended for a 
 time. Some years afterward he took a 
 normal course in Toledo, which her com- 
 pleted in 1S93. In 1885, at the age of 
 nineteen, he began his career as a school 
 teacher in the public schools of Wood 
 onnty, where he taught for four years. 
 Unlike many young men engaged in teach- 
 ing he did not waste his summer vaca- 
 tions, but employed himself during the 
 time in selling carriages and harness, de- 
 riving from that business a snug income. 
 In the spring of 1889 his health failed, 
 and he accepted a position as traveling 
 salesman for a wholesale saddlery hard- 
 ware company of Cleveland, traveling 
 more or less until September, i 894, when 
 he was sufficiently improved in health to 
 again return to his chosen profession. 
 Meanwhile, in 1890, he came to Ottawa 
 county, and settling in Rocky Ridge en- 
 gaged in the carriage and harness busi- 
 ness, in which he continued four years. 
 During two years of this time he engaged 
 as teacher in the public schools of Rocky 
 Ridge, the second year as principal of 
 the high school. In 1894 he took charge 
 of the public school at Limestone, where 
 he still lives. About three years ago Mr. 
 Ellsworth and a Mr. Olsen formed the Ells- 
 worth &01senCo., of Oak Harbor, Otta- 
 wa Co., Ohio, for the handling of harness 
 and carriages, and the business having 
 proved a very successful one Mr. Ellsworth 
 contemplates giving his entire time to it 
 and retiring from his profession. During the 
 
 summerof 1S94 he handled different makes 
 of bicycles for the Columbia C.irriage & 
 Bicycle Co., of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 
 
 On September 25, 1889, Mr. Ells- 
 worth was married to Miss Anna J. 
 Mawer, of Tontogany, Ohio, and this 
 union has been blessed with one child, 
 Irvin C, born December 2 5, 1890. Mrs. 
 Ellsworth was born October 27, 1868, 
 on a farm near Tontogany, Wood Co. , 
 Ohio. Her early education was received 
 in the district schools near her home, and 
 she then attended the public schools of 
 Waterville for a time. On completing 
 her studies at Waterville she returned 
 home, where she remained until her mar- 
 riage. Her father is a native of Canada, 
 born in Quebec in 1833; her mother was 
 born in 1843 in New York State. Im- 
 mediately after their marriage they moved 
 onto a tract of new land in Ottawa coun- 
 ty, Ohio, then a forest, where they clear- 
 ed up a fine home of 140 acres — one of 
 the fine farm homes of Ottawa county — 
 on which they now live. They became 
 the parents of four children, as follows: 
 Vinton J., born May 24, i867;Anna J., born 
 October 27, 1868; George Clifford, born 
 October 18, 1871, and Elbert C, born 
 December 8, 1879. In 1861 Mrs. Ells- 
 worth's father entered the army, becoming 
 first lieutenant, and was promoted to the 
 rank of captain, seiving as such until the 
 war closed, mainly in Kentucky. At the 
 battle of Guntown he was taken prisoner, 
 and was held for fifteen months. Mrs. 
 Ellsworth's maternal grandparents were 
 born in 18 17 in New York State, and the 
 grandfather died in 1890. the grantlmothcr 
 in 1891. In their family were four chil- 
 dren, two of whom are living, Mrs. Ells- 
 worth's mother and William Bott. 
 
 JOHN WILLIAM HURDELBRINK 
 was born in Woodville township, 
 Sandusky county, in 1841, son o 
 Arnion Henry and Elizabeth (Wil- 
 ner) Hurdelbrink, both of whom were 
 
774 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 born in Hanover, Germany, in 1811. the 
 former in No\einbvr of tliatyear. 
 
 The parents of our subject had three 
 children, as follows: Henry, who lives in 
 Toledo, Ohio, married Angelina Stieger, 
 by whom he had eight children; she died 
 April 2, 1887. Mary married Louis Linke, 
 a farmer of Woodville township, and 
 they had eight children. John W. is the 
 subject of this sketch. In 1840 Mr. and 
 Mrs. Hurdelbrink came to America, land- 
 ing in New \'ork, where they remained 
 but a short time. They then moved to 
 Wood county, Ohio, and after about two 
 months bought twenty-five acres of land, 
 the greater part of which they cleared, 
 and put up a log cabin and other buildings. 
 After living there over nine years they 
 sold this place, and moved to what is now 
 the old family homestead, where Mr. 
 Hurdelbrink passed the remainder of his 
 days. At the time of his death he had 
 1 60 acres of valuable land, of which he had 
 cleared about eighty acres himself. 
 
 On November i, 1867, John W. Hur- 
 delbrink was united in marriage with 
 Louisa Coleman, who was born March 
 19, 1850, in Hanover, Germany, and 
 seven children were born to them, namely: 
 Minnie, born July 25, 1868, married John 
 Stine, a farmer of Woodville township, 
 by whom she had three children — Ella, 
 Lizzie and Etta; H., born July 17, 1870, 
 was married to L. Cole, and they had 
 one child (they live in Gibsonburg, San- 
 dusky Co., Ohio); August, born Decem- 
 ber 25, I 87-, is single and lives at home; 
 Louis, born February 17, 1875; Charles, 
 born March 2, 1880; George, born March 
 18, 1884; and Augusta, born September 
 25, 1885. Mrs. J. W. Hurdelbrink's 
 brother William and sister Lizzie live in 
 Ottawa county, Ohio. Their father died 
 September 12, 1868. 
 
 John W. Hurdelbrink always remained 
 at home, and on the death of his father 
 the estate was divided. In 1885 he 
 bought eighty acres of land, partly cleared, 
 which cost him $3,200, and here he car- 
 
 ries on general farming. He is a Demo- 
 crat in politics, and in religious connec- 
 tion i.s an active member of the Lutheran 
 Church in Woodville, Sandusky county. 
 
 AARON BECKER was born in 
 Germany, June 5, 1834, son of 
 Christopher and Maria (Bushman) 
 Becker, who were also natives of 
 Germany, and came to America in 1841, 
 settling in W'ashington township, San- 
 dusky Co. , Ohio. Here the father rented 
 a farm of forty acres, on which he lived 
 for one year, then removing to Madison 
 township, same county, where he pur-' 
 chased eighty-six acres of rough timber 
 land. He at once began clearing up the 
 place, and acre by acre it was put under 
 the plow until the once wild land was 
 transformed into rich and fertile fields. 
 Good buildings were erected, and the 
 home of Christopher Becker became one 
 of the finest farms of the neighborhood. 
 His life was well spent, and his death, 
 which occurred in 1886, was mourned by 
 many friends. His wife passed away in 
 1884, and they were laid to rest in the 
 cemetery in Madison township. In their 
 family were seven children, as follows: 
 Florence, Mary, Casper, Aaron, Fred, 
 Martin and Henry While in his native 
 land Mr. Becker had served for three 
 years in the German army. 
 
 Aaron Becker was only seven years of 
 age when he came with his parents to the 
 United States. As soon as old enough he 
 began to earn his living by work as a farm 
 hand, but continued to make his home 
 with his parents until his twenty-fourth 
 birthday, when he was united in marriage 
 with Jane Hcisen. the wedding being cel- 
 ebrated June 5, 1858. He then removed 
 with his bride to Washington township, 
 where he purchased thirty acres of land, 
 the greater part of which was covered 
 with timber. He worked early and late 
 in order to clear this for cultivation, and 
 when he had greatly improved it sold at 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 7T5 
 
 a p^ood profit. Then investing his money 
 in 1 20 acres, for whicli he paid $40 per 
 acre, he began the cultivation of the farm 
 which has since been his home. The 
 place has doubled in value, owing to the 
 care and labor he has bestowed upon it. 
 He has erected new barns, made other 
 excellent improvements, and now has a 
 model nineteenth-centurj' farm, an ideal 
 country home, the neat and thrifty ap- 
 pearance of which indicates his care and 
 supervision. 
 
 To Nfr. and Mrs. I^eckcr have been 
 born children as follows: Mary, wife of 
 William Myerholtz, a farmer residing in 
 Woodville township, Sandusky county 
 (they have seven children); Jacob, an ag- 
 riculturist residing in Washington town- 
 ship, Sandusky county; Lizzie, wife of 
 William Amsted, a farmer residing in 
 Michigan, by whom she has two children; 
 John; Sophia, wife of Neal Wilson, a resi- 
 dent farmer of Michigan, by whom she has 
 one child; Phccbe, wife of Frank Schock, a 
 farmer of Washington township, who has 
 one child; William, at home; George; 
 Christina, wife of John Yeasting, of 
 Woodville, and the mother of one child; 
 Emma and Louis, at home; and Ellen who 
 died in 18S2. 
 
 Mr. Becker votes with the Demo- 
 crats, and for two jears has served as 
 road supervisor, but has never been a pol- 
 itician in the sense of office seeking, pre- 
 ferring to give his time and attention to 
 his business interests. He holds member- 
 ship with the Lutheran Church. A man 
 of good business ability, of sound judg- 
 ment, enterprising and progressive, he 
 has through his own efforts worked his 
 way upward to a position of affluence, 
 and may truly be called a self-made man. 
 
 EORGE MILLER has been an 
 
 eye witness of the greater part 
 
 r 
 
 X^ I of the development of Scott town- 
 ship, Sandusky county. He has 
 seen the forest trees fall before the wood- 
 49 
 
 man's axe, and in their place spring up 
 fine fields of golden grain. The oil indus- 
 try has also been largely developed, and 
 the work of progress and improvement 
 along various lines has been carried for- 
 ward until the county to-day ranks among 
 the best in the State. 
 
 George Miller, who is numbered among 
 the representative citizens of Scott town- 
 ship, was born in Stark county, Ohio, 
 October 5, 1820, and is a son of Peter 
 and Eleanor (Stoaks) Miller, pioneers of 
 Sandusky county. His maternal grand- 
 father was born about 1750 and died in 
 1826, the grandmother, who was born 
 about the same time, passing away a few 
 years previous. The father of our sub- 
 ject was a native of Pennsylvania, born 
 in 1783. He was numbered among the 
 early settlers of Hancock county, Ohio, 
 and his death occurred in 185S, that of 
 his wife in i 840. They were parents of 
 seven children: Jacob, Elizabeth, Cath- 
 erine, Peter, Mary, George and John, of 
 whom George (subject of this sketch), 
 Mary and Catherine are the only ones 
 now living. 
 
 When our subject came to Scott town- 
 ship, Sandusky count)-, no roads had been 
 made or fences built. He followed a 
 trail which led him near his farm and 
 than carried his household goods on his 
 back to the log cabin in which he and his 
 wife, who is still living, began life in the 
 west. He cleared forty acres of land, 
 erected good buildings upon his farm, 
 and as the years have passed acquired a 
 competence which now places him in 
 comfortable circumstances. 
 
 Mr. Miller was united in marriage with 
 Miss Lavina Bates, of Scott township, 
 whose father was born in Stark count\', 
 Ohio, about 1785, and her mother, Mrs. 
 Hannah Bates, in 1793. They had eleven 
 children, six of whom are living. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Miller have three children, the 
 eldest of whom, Susan, died about 1881; 
 she married John Thompson, by whom 
 she had two children, and after his death 
 
776 
 
 COMMEMORATTVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 she became the wife of Jesse Miller. 
 Adam, the second of the family, was born 
 October 19, 1844, and on February 3, 
 1 866, wedded Miss Catherine Miller, 
 daughter of William and Harriet (Stine) 
 Miller; her father was born August 26, 
 1820, on the old Gettysburg battleground, 
 was a minister of the United Brethren 
 Church, and died in Kansas, January 23, 
 1880; her mother, who was born Decem- 
 ber 29, 1819, died January 23, 1895. 
 Adam Miller enlisted in Company G, 
 One Hundred and Forty-fourth Ohio V. 
 I., in 1864, and served until the close of 
 the war. He is now for the third term 
 serving as trustee of the township; in his 
 political views he is a Democrat, and he 
 is numbered among the highly-respected 
 citizens of Sandusky county. To him 
 and his wife have come two children — 
 Emma, born October 3, 1868, now the 
 wife of Thomas Earl, of Scott township, 
 and Maggie, who was born November 17, 
 1870, and is the wife of Fred Hummcll, 
 by whom she has three children. 
 
 Mr. George Miller has passed the age 
 usually allotted to man. His life has 
 been a busy and useful as well as a long 
 one, and all who know him have for him 
 the highest regard. 
 
 RiaiREN KELLER, a substantial 
 farmer of Riley township, San- 
 dusky county, was born Decem- 
 ber 13, 1838, and is a son of 
 Joseph and Lydia (Owner) Keller, who 
 were born in Pennsylvania in 1806 and in 
 1800, respectively. 
 
 Joseph Keller was united in marriage 
 with L.jdia Owner in Pennsylvania, and 
 was the proprietor of a saw-mill there 
 which he operated until 1835, when he 
 moved west, settling in Sandusky county, 
 Ohio, and buying eighty acres of land in 
 Sandusky township. There were born to 
 them eleven children, as follows: Eliza- 
 beth, who died young; Philip married 
 Susan Olmslead, they have had three 
 
 children, and live in Michigan; John mar- 
 ried Phcebe Bashier, they have had three 
 children, and live in Illinois; Peter died 
 young; Julia married Jacob Shannon, they 
 have had five children, and live in To- 
 ledo, Ohio; Zerechia died young; Elida 
 married Martin Siegler, they have had 
 two children, and live in Sandusky coun- 
 ty; Joseph and Susan died young; 
 Reuben is the subject of this sketch; and 
 Henry married Miss Wolcott, they have 
 had three children, and live in Toledo, 
 Ohio. 
 
 Reuben Keller was early trained to 
 habits of perseverance and industry, re- 
 ceived a common-school education, and 
 worked for his father until he was twenty 
 years of age. He was drafted into the 
 Southern army in 1863, and served two 
 years, ran away at Vicksburg and returned 
 home. In 1866 Mr. Keller was united in 
 marriage with Miss Bauman, and they 
 had one child, Clarence, born in 1867. 
 Mrs. Keller died the same year. In 1871 
 Mr. Keller for his second wife married 
 Sarah Cherry, after which he settled in 
 Riley township, bought eighty-two acres 
 of land and engaged in general farming. 
 They have had si.\ children, as follows: 
 William (born November 22, 1870), 
 Emma L. (deceased in infancy), John, 
 Nellie C, Nettie L. , and Jennie. 
 
 Mr. Keller is a Democrat in politics, 
 and has been honored with public office, 
 having been school director for three 
 years, and supcr\isor three years. In 
 religious affiliation he attends the Luther- 
 eran Church. 
 
 GEORGE T. DANA, farmer. Green 
 Creek township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, was born in Genesee county, 
 N.Y., December 4, 1 S29. He was 
 a son of Daniel H. and Philinda (Tiffany) 
 Dana. 
 
 Daniel H. Dana was a native of Ver- 
 mont, and early in life he moved to New 
 York State, where he was engaged in the 
 
COMMEMOHATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 777 
 
 lumber business. In 1S32 he niacieatrip 
 west, looking up lumlicr and other inter- 
 ests, in his travels discovering what is 
 known as Green Spring, and on account 
 of the favorable location, he determined 
 to make it his home. He took up land, 
 and owned a large tract now occupied by 
 the village of Green Spring and vicinity. 
 He cut the first road near Green Spring, 
 put up the first log house in the place, 
 engaged in mercantile business, and built 
 up a large trade. He owned three stores 
 at different points, the main one being 
 located at Green Spring. He was an 
 Old-line Whig in politics, and a sturdy 
 pioneer. He was born in 1797, and died 
 in 1 88 1. He was a man of remarkable 
 physical strength and endurance. He was 
 an uncle to Charles A. Dana, the far- 
 famed editor of the New York Sun. His 
 father was a soldier in the I^evolutionary 
 war, and was at one time minister to 
 Spain. 
 
 Our subject is one of six children: 
 Marian, single, living at Green Spring; 
 George T. ; Sarah, who died young; Jane, 
 maiden lad)', living at Green Spring; and 
 Harry and Franklin, who both died young. 
 Mr. Dana is highly-esteemed and regarded 
 for his intelligence and business ability. 
 He was a child when he came with his 
 parents into the forests of Ohio, grew up 
 to manhood at Green Spring, and received 
 meagre educational advantages. Being 
 the only son he engaged in business pur- 
 suits at an early age, and became discip- 
 lined in a variety of occupations. He mar- 
 ried on November 23, 1868, Miss Sophia 
 Abels, who was born in Easton, Penn., 
 December 7, 1846. Their children are: 
 (i) Philinda, a popular and bright young 
 lady of that vicinity, who graduated from 
 the Fremont public schools, and has been 
 a teacher in the same for the past four 
 years; she is regarded not only as an es- 
 timable woman in society, but as one of 
 the most successful teachers; she is a 
 member of the teachers' reading circle. 
 (2) Grace Tiffany, wife of Scott Stahl, 
 
 an attorne\' at law, of Port Clinton, Ohio. 
 (3) Maud, living at home, and (4) Marian, 
 born August 10, 1876, died July 27, 1877. 
 Since the early days in this region 
 Mr. Dana engaged in stock buying for a 
 number of years, and, in this capacity, 
 was located at Bellevue for three years. 
 He next managed the grain warehouse of 
 Mr. Woodward, at Clyde, for one year. 
 From 1862 to 1S76 he was engaged in 
 the lumber business in Fremont and vicin- 
 ity with N. C. West. They had several 
 sawmills, and did an extensive business 
 in the way of buying up timber land and 
 sawing and shipping lumber, operating in 
 Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. On account 
 of failing health, Mr. Dana finally with- 
 drew from this lousiness, and located on 
 his farm in Green Creek township, where 
 he still resides. In politics Mr. Dana was 
 originally an ardent Whig, and since the 
 organization of the party has been an un- 
 compromising Republican. His family 
 are members of the Presbyterian Church, 
 while the ladies are members of the I'or- 
 eign Missionary Society. 
 
 CYRUS IIINELINE is one of the 
 native sons of Sandusky county, 
 his birth having occurred July 3, 
 186S, on the old home farm of 
 his father, Theo. Hineline. The latter 
 was born October 26, i83r, in Pcnns}')- 
 vania, where he was united in marriage 
 with Hannah Rafferty, who was born Jul)- 
 24, 1832. 
 
 In 1853 they came to Ohio, locating 
 in Rice township, Sandusky county, where 
 Theo. Hineline purchased 136 acres of 
 land, for which he paid $3,010. He was 
 a generous man, deeply interested in the 
 welfare of the community, and gave land 
 on which was erected a schoolhouse, and 
 also a tract for cemetery purposes. In 
 1892 he erected a new residence, and still 
 makes his home upon a farm where he 
 first located, and where he is successfully 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits. He 
 
7T8 
 
 eOMMSMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 makes a specialty of raising wheat, and 
 has a yield averaging about eight hundred 
 bushels each year. He is an enterprising 
 and progressive fanner, and his well- 
 directed efforts have brought to him mer- 
 ited success. During the Civil war he 
 was drafted into the service, but being in 
 ill health, and in consequence unable to 
 go, he sent a substitute. He was a poor 
 man when he came to Ohio, and in his 
 earlier years, in connection with farming, 
 he followed plastering and brick laying. 
 He worked hard to secure a start, and his 
 life has, indeed, been a busy and useful 
 one, characterized by honorable dealings 
 in all transactions. He served as con- 
 stable for two terms, was township trustee 
 for nine years, and was school director 
 for the long period of twenty years. He 
 was also elected justice of the peace, but 
 after serving for a short time resigned. 
 He is recognized as one of the most 
 prominent and influential farmers of the 
 neighborhood. 
 
 In the Hineline family were four chil- 
 dren: (i) Maggie E., born November 
 24, 1854, is the wife of Henry M. Hetrick, 
 and they have four children — Lottie, born 
 December i, 1880; Clarence, born March 
 4, 1883; Gertrude I., born in 1887; and 
 Oscar T. , born in 1889. (2) Mary E., 
 born January 30, i860, died in childhood, 
 and was buried in Fremont, Ohio. (3) 
 Ida E., born March 19, 1865, is the wife 
 of Dr. W. L. Stierwalt, and they have 
 two children — Hannah E., born in 1888; 
 and Mildred M., born May 3, 1894. (4) 
 Cyrus, subject of this sketch. The father 
 of this family also has three brothers who 
 are yet living: Henry, born January 4, 
 1827, married Sarah Blocker, and they 
 had a son, Morgan, now deceased; Ru- 
 dolph, born May 10, 1830, married Anna 
 Nulf. and had three children — Elrin, 
 Freeman, and one that died in infancy; 
 and Carlie P., born July 15, 1835, mar- 
 ried Catherine Reed, and had three chil- 
 dren — Henry, who died in childhood, 
 Frank and Mary. 
 
 Cyrus Hineline, whose name opens 
 this record, spent the days of his boyhood 
 and youth upon his father's farm, attended 
 the district schools of the neighborhood, 
 and to his father gave the benefit of his 
 services until his marriage. He wedded 
 Miss Sarah Garn, who was born in Rice 
 township, Sandusky county, in 1869, and 
 their union has been blessed with two 
 children — Oliver, born June 12, 1888; 
 and Rudolph R., born April 7, 1892. 
 Mr. Hineline has always followed the pur- 
 suit to which he was reared. At the time 
 of his marriage he purchased half of the 
 old home place, and built thereon a good 
 residence. He now carries on general 
 farming and raises mixed stock. His 
 business is well conducted, and the neat 
 and thrifty appearance of his place indi- 
 cates his careful supervision. He takes 
 no active part in public affairs, aside from 
 faithfully performing his duties of citizen- 
 ship, giving his political support to the 
 Democracy. In religious belief he is a 
 Catholic. 
 
 PHILO S. PEARCE. Among the 
 representative and honored citi- 
 zens of Catawba Island township, 
 Ottawa county, none stands high- 
 er than does the subject of this record. 
 He is a New Englander by birth, having 
 first seen the light in New Fairfield, Fair- 
 field Co., Conn., and is a son of Ambrose 
 and Evaline (Barnum) Pearce. 
 
 Ambrose Pearce was born in New 
 York City, October 20, 1805, and was a 
 son of David Pearce, whom he accom- 
 panied to Connecticut when about twelve 
 years of age. There he followed farm- 
 ing in New Fairfield township, Fairfield 
 county, until his death, which occurred 
 at his home June 22, 1879. His wife was 
 a native of that township, born January 
 14, 1808, and they became the parents of 
 seven children, only four of whom are 
 still living: Harriet Ann, born April 26, 
 1828, is the wife of Eli Jennings; David, 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHICAL REVORD. 
 
 779 
 
 born May 2 1, 1832, died October 8, 1867; 
 Ira, born December 13, 1835; George N., 
 born December 17, 1838; and Philo S., 
 our subject. The family is of English 
 ancestry. 
 
 In the usual manner of farmer boys 
 Philo S. Pearce passed the days of his 
 boyhood and youth, during which time he 
 attended the district schools of his native 
 township and county, and, with the excep- 
 tion of the four years spent in the Union 
 army during the late Rebellion, he has 
 followed farming throughout his entire 
 life. In September, 1861, Mr. Pearce 
 enlisted in Company A, Eleventh Con- 
 necticut V. I., and served until Decem- 
 ber, 1865, during \\hich time he partici- 
 pated in eighteen engagements, among 
 which was the second battle of Bull Run, 
 Antietam, Petersburg, New Richmond, 
 Wilderness, Roanoke Island, Newbern, 
 N. C.CoId Harbor, Va., South Mountain, 
 Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. He was 
 mustered out December 21, 1865, and 
 finally discharged at Hartford, Conn., a 
 few days later. He then returned to Dan- 
 bury, Fairfield Co., Conn., where he re- 
 mained for about eighteen months, at 
 the end of which time he went to New 
 York, locating in Allegany county, and 
 was there engaged in the mercantile bus- 
 iness until 1875. In March of that year 
 he sold out and came to Catawba Island 
 township, Ottawa county, where he has 
 since made his home. 
 
 Here Mr. Pearce was married October 
 27, 1869, the lady of his choice being 
 Miss Ora L. Barnum, who was born on 
 Catawba Island September 5, 1849, and 
 is a daughter of John and Jane (Rams- 
 dell) Barnum, who were among the very 
 earliest settlers of Danbury township, 
 Ottawa county, having come here when 
 it was a part of Sandusky county. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Pearce became the parents of 
 five children, of whom one died in infancy. 
 Those living are Thaddeus B., who was 
 born September 6, 1870, and resides in 
 Bay township, Ottawa county; Arthur 
 
 D., who was born October 2, 1873, and 
 is still under the parental roof; Lena J., 
 who was born December 3, 1882; and 
 Ambrose, who was born January 19, 1886. 
 
 John Barnum, the father of Mrs. 
 Pearce, was born at New Fairfield, Fair- 
 field Co., Conn., May 31, 1822, and 
 was a son of Eben and Rebecca (Meade) 
 Barnum, also natives of the Nutmeg 
 State. He became one of the first set- 
 tlers of Catawba Island, then known as 
 Van Rensselaer township, in 1843. and 
 was one of its prosperous farmers for 
 forty -two years, until his death occurred, 
 March 21, 1885. In Danbury township, 
 Ottawa county, in January, 1847, he mar- 
 ried Jane Ramsdell, a daughter of Jacob 
 and Sallie Ramsdell, and a member of a 
 pioneer family of the county. They had 
 two children — Jacob, born October 12, 
 1847; and Ora L., the wife of our subject. 
 Mrs. Barnum died on Catawba Island, 
 May 6, 1872. 
 
 Mr. Pearce is one of the most highly 
 esteemed residents of Ottawa county, 
 and by energy and perseverance has accu- 
 mulated a fair share of this world's goods. 
 His orchards are among the best culti- 
 vated and most productive, and by his 
 sterling ability and amiable disposition he 
 has won for himse'.f a host of friends. 
 
 WILLIAM A. GREGG is a native 
 of New Hampshire, born in 
 Hillsboro county, August 11, 
 1825, and is a son of William 
 and Sophia (Weston) Gregg. His pater- 
 nal grandfather was born about 1765, 
 reared a family of four children, and 
 passed away in 1830. The maternal 
 grandfather was born in 1750, and died 
 in 1825, while his wife, who was born 
 about 1757, was called to the home be- 
 yond in 1832, both reaching an advanced 
 age. The father of our subject was born 
 in 1794, the mother in 1800, and in their 
 family were five children. He was a 
 drover by occupation. 
 
780 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Our subject spent the first thirteen 
 years of his life in his native place, and 
 then removed to the southern part of New 
 Hampshire, where he remained until the 
 discovery of gold in California in 1849. 
 With the hope of securing a fortune on 
 the Pacific slope he made his way to the 
 Golden State, and embarked in mining, 
 which he followed with success for eight- 
 een months. Then, tiring of the wild 
 life of that far western country, he re- 
 turned to the old Granite State, and 
 learned the machinist's trade, which he 
 followed for some time. 
 
 In 1 85 I Mr. Gregg was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Nancy J. Foster, of Ver- 
 mont, and with his wife he came to Ohio, 
 locating in Scott township, Sandusky 
 county, which was then a comparatively 
 new region, in which the work of progress 
 and development had not long since begun. 
 One child came to bless their home, 
 Frank, who was born in 1S52, and is now 
 married and living in Indiana. In May, 
 of that year, the mother died, and in 
 1854 Mr. Gregg was again married, his 
 second union being with Miss Harriet 
 Henline, of Freeport, Ohio. Nine chil- 
 dren were born of this union — Charles 
 E. , who is a resident of Pennsylvania; 
 Elsie, wife of D. Peterson, of Bradner, 
 Ohio; Hattie, wife of T. Lake, of Peinber- 
 villc, Ohio; Sadie, deceased; William, 
 who married Kate Ashbrook, of Bradner, 
 Ohio; Lettie, wife of L. Keller; Schuyler, 
 who is engaged in the oil business; Grace, 
 and Roscoe, at home. The mother of 
 this family was called to her final rest in 
 June, 1884, and the daughter. Miss Grace, 
 is now keeping house for her father. 
 
 In February, 1864, Mr. Gregg re- 
 sponded to the country's call for troops, 
 and continued in the service until the 
 cessation of hostilities. He participated 
 in the battles of Selina and Columbus, 
 and has ever been a true and loyal Amer- 
 ican citizen, whether in times of peace or 
 war. On his return he resumed farming, 
 and to-day is the owner of a valuable 
 
 property which is under a very high state 
 of cultivation, and yields him a handsome 
 income as the result of his arduous toil in 
 earlier days. 
 
 AWEHRLE, the most extensive 
 grape grower, and the proprietor 
 of oije of the largest wineries in 
 Ohio, as well as the oldest settler 
 on Middle Bass Island, Ottawa county, 
 was born in Baden, Germanv, December 
 8, 1831. 
 
 The parents of our subject, Andrew 
 and Mar}' (Mueller) Wehrle, were born 
 and died in German}-. They had a fam- 
 ily of seven children, three of whom are 
 living, namely: Andrew, the subject of 
 this sketch, who is the only one of the 
 family who came to America, and Rosa 
 and Monica, who still reside in their native 
 land. Andrew Wehrle was reared to man- 
 hood on his father's farm, received his 
 education at the public schools in the 
 neighborhood of his early home, and in 
 1852 came to America. On reaching New 
 York he at once proceeded to Sandusky, 
 Erie Co., Ohio, where he resided for 
 about two years, and in 1854 removed to 
 Middle Bass, engaging in farming and 
 fishing. 
 
 In Jul}-, 1854, at Sandusky, Erie 
 county, Andrew Wehrle was united in 
 marriage with Miss Mary Mueller, who was 
 born in Baden, Germany, in November, 
 1832, and they have had four children 
 (three of whom are now living), as fol- 
 lows: Andrew, born March 9, 1855, now 
 a wholesale coal dealer in Sandusky, Erie 
 county; Louisa, born October 2, 1856, 
 wife of George W. Reibling, residing in 
 Detroit, Mich. ; Charles, who died in in- 
 fancy; and Herman, born December 19, 
 1858, who is a partner in his father's 
 business. 
 
 In 1859.^. Wehrle. Joseph Mueller, 
 William Rheburg and George R. Cald- 
 well purchased all of Middle Bass Island 
 and planted it in grapes. In 1865 Mr. 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQIiAPUWAL RECORD. 
 
 781 
 
 Wehrle built a winery and engaged in 
 wine making, in 1871 building the large 
 and commodious premises to which he 
 has been making additions year by year, 
 until now his winery has reached a capac- 
 ity of five hundred thousand gallons, and 
 ranks among the largest in Ohio. Be- 
 sides this he has a large and spacious hall 
 which is liberally patronized during the 
 summer months by pleasure parties from 
 all portions of this and adjoining States. 
 His residence, situated on a slight emi- 
 nence, and fronting on the lake, is one of 
 the handsomest and most imposing in Ot- 
 tawa county; the grounds are tastefully 
 laid out in lawns and flower gardens, and 
 all the surroundings betoken culture and 
 refinement. Mr. Wehrle became a citi- 
 zen of the United States October 16, 
 1857, and in his political views is a Re- 
 publican. For twenty-nine years he has 
 held the position of postmaster, having 
 been appointed October 21, 1S66, and 
 having served efficiently ever since, and 
 for twelve years he also held the ofifice of 
 township trustee. 
 
 In addition to his grape-growing inter- 
 ests Mr. Wehrle is identified with several 
 concerns. He is president of the San- 
 dusky and Island Steamboat Company, a 
 large stockholder in the steamer "Ar- 
 row," manager and part owner of the 
 steamer "American Eagle," and owns ex- 
 tensive wharf and warehouse premises. He 
 stands prominent among the enterprising 
 and most prosperous business men of Ot- 
 tawa county, and has been so intimately 
 connected with all enterprises, not only 
 of Middle Bass Island, but of the county 
 general!}', that his name is closely iden- 
 tified with it; in fact very little has been 
 planned or projected by the community 
 without his counsel and aid. He is a man 
 of remarkable vitality and strong and ro- 
 bust constitution. With willing heart and 
 hands he has made a success of life, and 
 accumulated a snug fortune, and his many 
 sterling qualities have won and retained 
 {or him the respect and esteem of his 
 
 neighbors and large circle of acquaint- 
 ances. 
 
 Herman Wehkle, youngest son of A. 
 and Marj' Wehrle, and a partner in his 
 father's business, was born December 19, 
 1858, and was educated in the public 
 schools of Middle Bass Island, Ottawa 
 county, and in the Buckeye Business Col- 
 lege, Sandusky, Erie count}'. Since com- 
 pleting his education he has been con- 
 nected with his father's business, and in 
 18SS was admitted as a partner. On June 
 6, 1892, in St Louis, Mo., Herman Wehrle 
 married Katherine M. Rauer, who was 
 born in St. Louis June 27, i860, daughter 
 of Jacob and Kunigunde Rauer, who were 
 both born in Germany. No children have 
 been born to this marriage. In political 
 affiliation Mr. Wehrle, like his father, is a 
 Republican. 
 
 ROBERT RICHARDSON. Among 
 those who devote their time and 
 energies to farming and fruitgrow- 
 ing in Portage township, Ottawa 
 county, and have attained success in their 
 undertakings, is this gentleman. He was 
 born in Bay township, that county, No- 
 vember 2, 1844, and is a son of Robert 
 and Mary (McRitchie) Richardson, who 
 were natives of Dundee, Scotland, the 
 father born May 12, 1803, the mother 
 August 10, 1803. They were married 
 near Dundee, Scotland, and became the 
 parents of five sons and one daughter: 
 Jane, born in Scotland, in August, 1832, 
 married Samuel Farsht, who was killed 
 in the Civil war; she is now living in 
 Toledo, Ohio. David and Robert, twin 
 brothers, were born March 11, 1835, at 
 New Tyne, Scotland; the latter died in 
 infancy, while the former resides in Port- 
 age township, Ottawa county. George, 
 born in Paterson, N. J., about 183S, died 
 in childhood. William, born in Nyack, 
 N. Y. , about 1840, died at the age of 
 three years. Robert is the subject proper 
 of this sketch. 
 
782 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 In September, 1834, Mi. Richardson 
 crossed the Atlanlic to America, and in 
 August, 1836, was joined by his wife and 
 their two children. They continued to 
 reside in New York until i 840, the father 
 working at his trade, that of stone 
 mason. The family, on coming west, 
 located in Bay township, Ottawa Co., 
 Ohio, where Mr. Richardson engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits for about six years, 
 also working at his trade at intervals, and 
 erer-ting th.c hrst stone house ever built 
 in Portage tovvn;-hip, for CcjI. Lockwood, 
 of Plasterbed. This house is still in a 
 good state of repair, and is now occupied 
 by the Colonel's son, J. W. In the spring 
 of 1847 Mr. Richardson purchased 180 
 acres of land in Portage township, where 
 he erected the first log house built between 
 Lake Erie and Sandusky Bay, making it 
 his home up to the time of his death 
 February 28, 1855. His faithful and de- 
 voted wife, who survived him twelve 
 years, passed away March 31, 1867. 
 They were among the early settlers of 
 the township, and endured many of the 
 trials and hardships incident to pioneer 
 life. 
 
 When in his fourth year, Robert Rich- 
 ardson was brought b)' his parents to 
 Portage township, Ottawa county, where 
 he has resided continuously for the past 
 forty-eight years. He received his educa- 
 tion in the common schools of Port Clin- 
 ton, and with the e.xception of three 
 years spent in sea-faring life on the lakes, 
 he has been continuouslj' engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits. On January 3, 1864, 
 Mr Richardson responded to the coun- 
 try's call for troops, joining the "boys in 
 blue" of Company G, One Hundredth 
 O. V. I., and with his regiment partici- 
 pated in all the battles of the Atlanta 
 campaign, as well as the engagements of 
 Franklin and Nashville, Tenn. The reg- 
 iment was afterward taken on transports 
 to Fort Anderson, N. C. , proceeded 
 thence to Wilmington, and on to Golds- 
 boro, where they joined Sherman's army, 
 
 continuing their march to Raleigh, N. C. , 
 where the campaign virtually ended. At 
 Greensborough, N. C, Mr. Richardson 
 and received a final 
 
 II, 186^, after which 
 
 was mustered out 
 
 discharge on July 
 
 he returned to his home and once more 
 
 resumed farming. 
 
 In Fremont, on November 18, 1869, 
 was celebrated the marriage of our sub- 
 ject and Miss Harriet E. Magruder, 
 daughter of James H. and Elizabeth 
 (Hollingshcad) Magruder, and a native of 
 Port Clinton, born July i i, 1847. Three 
 children grace this union — James Frank- 
 lin, born October 6, 1870; Charles B. , 
 who was born February 15, 1872, and 
 died August 27, 1874; and Clara May, 
 born June 19, 1875. Mr. Richardson 
 was reared in the faith of the Presbyter- 
 ian Church, while his wife attends the 
 Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 Our subject has filled the office of in- 
 firmary director for six years, and was 
 township trustee for twelve years, dis- 
 charging his duties with a promptness and 
 fidelity that w^on him high commendation. 
 His political support is given the Demo- 
 cratic party, and socially he is connected 
 with George A. McRitchie Post, No. 524, 
 G. A. R., of which he served for two 
 years as commander. He is one of the 
 progressive and successful farmers and 
 fruit growers of the township, giving his 
 attention largely to the cultivation of 
 peaches and grapes, and his comfortable 
 surroundings bespeak thrift and industry. 
 As a friend and neighbor he is held in 
 the highest esteem throughout the com- 
 munity in which he resides. 
 
 DAVID RICHARDSON, eldest son 
 of Robert and Mary (McRitchie) 
 Richardson, was born in New 
 Tyne, Scotland, March 11, 1835, 
 and came to America with his mother in 
 1837. Five years later his parents re- 
 moved to Bav township, Ottawa county, 
 and in the district schools of the neigh- 
 
COMMEMORATIVK BIOORAPUWAL RECORD. 
 
 783 
 
 borhood he acquired his education, tak- 
 ing advantage of such Hmited opportuni- 
 ties as were then afforded. As soon as 
 old enough to follow the plow he began 
 work in the fields, and his entire life has 
 been devoted to agricultural pursuits. 
 Since 1847 he has been a continuous res- 
 ident of Portage township, and he is still 
 living on the old homestead farm which 
 his father secured nearly fift\- years ago. 
 He has his land all under a high state of 
 cultivation, and to-day ranks among the 
 most popular and prominent farmers of 
 the township, highly respected by all who 
 know him for his integrity and straight- 
 forward dealing. 
 
 Mr. I^ichardson was married, in Fre- 
 mont, Ohio, December 16, 1862, to Miss 
 Paulina Adelman, who was born in Ger- 
 many, May 8, 1843, daughter of Chris- 
 tian and Catherine (Moos) Adelman, na- 
 tives of Germany, who became residents 
 of Fremont. The father passed away 
 March 12, 1892, on the eighty-fifth anni- 
 versary of his birth, and the mother died 
 in August, 1864. By this marriage there 
 are five children — Emma J., born De- 
 cembers, 1863, who is now the wife of 
 Edward J. Fall, a resident of Port Clin- 
 ton; Mary J., born September 14, 1865, 
 wife of Edward Wedekind, of Port Clin- 
 ton; John R., born April 2, 1867; William 
 A., born February 17, 1869; and Anna 
 E., born October 6, 1871, the last named 
 three still living with their parents. The 
 family attend the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and are widely and favorably 
 known throughout the community. Mr. 
 Richardson is a member of the Port Clin- 
 ton Lodge No. 627, I. O. O. F., and in 
 his political views is a Democrat. 
 
 AUGUST HEILEMAN, a son of 
 Gottlieb and Henriette (Black) 
 Heileman, was born in Germany, 
 August 29, 1839. His parents 
 were also natives of the same country, 
 
 and the father followed the blacksmith's 
 trade. 
 
 Our subject spent the first fifteen years 
 of his life in the land of his birth, and in 
 July, 1854, sailed wilh his mother for 
 America. Upon their arrival here they 
 received word that the father and husband 
 had died. They did not return, however, 
 but at Quebec, where they had landed, 
 took a canal boat for Buffalo, N. Y., and 
 thence came by steamer to Sandusky, 
 Ohio, and on to Fremont. There our 
 subject secured work as a farm hand and 
 the mother as a domestic. A few years 
 later she was married to Solomon Bow- 
 man, an agriculturist, residing in Wash- 
 ington township, Sandusky county. In 
 i860 August Heileman began working for 
 Mr. Bowman, with whom he remained 
 until the latter's death. From the guar- 
 dian in charge of the property he then 
 rented the farm, comprising 154 acres, 
 and in 1869 purchased two of the quit 
 claim deeds. In 1S71 he purchased the 
 other one, and thus came into possession 
 of one of the best farms in Sandusky 
 county. He has since devoted his time 
 and attention exclusively to agricultural 
 pursuits, and is recognized as one of the 
 leading farmers of the community, for 
 his fields are well tilled, the place im- 
 proved with good buildings, and every- 
 thing kept in good repair. 
 
 During the Civil war Mr. Heileman 
 was drafted and on September 24, 1864, 
 joined the Thirty-third Ohio Infantry, 
 which went first to Columbus, thence to 
 Kentucky, and on to Kingston. In the 
 battle of Bentonville, N. C, he was 
 wounded, a rifle ball striking hirr. between 
 the eyes. He was taken to the hospital 
 in Newark, N. J., and on his partial re- 
 covery was sent home on a furlough. 
 While here the war ended, and on July 
 29, 1865, he received an honorable dis- 
 charge. 
 
 Mr. Heileman was united in marriage, 
 February 19, 18 — , in Fremont, with 
 Miss Mary Elizabeth Bowman, a daughter 
 
784 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 of his stepfather, and by their union they 
 have become the parents of ten children, 
 namely: Henry A., born June lo, 18 — , 
 who died April 22, 1868; Louisa, wife of 
 Theodore Kerns, a farmer of Ottawa 
 county, Ohio; Simon, born January 18, 
 1 87 1, who died November 27, 1873; John 
 B. , born July 22, 1873, who died Novem- 
 ber 27, following; Charles, born Septem- 
 ber 8, 1874; Clara, born in February, 
 1S77, wife of William Foreman, a farmer 
 of Ottawa count)'; Eiiuna K., born April 
 19, 1879; William, born August 22, 1881; 
 Hattie L., born December 10, 1883; and 
 August C, deceased. 
 
 Mr. Heilcman is a member of the 
 German Lutheran Church. He came to 
 this country a poor boy of fifteen years, 
 and was from that time dependent upon 
 his own resources for a living. He worked 
 long and earnestly before he was able to 
 secure a farm, and his life has ever been 
 a busy and useful one. Thus, through 
 his own enterprise and energy, he has 
 gained a comfortable competence, and 
 to-day is numbered among the substan- 
 tial agriculturists of Washington town- 
 ship. 
 
 JOHN H. FRY, retired farmer, of 
 Ballville township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, was born February 28, 18 10, in 
 the Province of Westphalia, Ger- 
 . many, a son of L. H. and Mary E. 
 (Schulte) Fry. 
 
 L. H. Fry was also a native of West- 
 phalia, born in 1770, and was a cabinet 
 maker by trade, following farming as well. 
 He died at the age of eighty-four years. 
 The mother of our subject lived in Ger- 
 many all her days, dying there at the age 
 of seventy- three. His paternal grand- 
 father, L. H. Fry, Sr. , a farmer by 
 vocation, died at the age of eigty- 
 four; the maternal grandfather, John 
 H. Schulte died at the age of eighty- 
 five. All were members of the Reformed 
 Church. Our subject was one of five 
 
 children: Lambert H., who died in Ger- 
 many; ^faryE., who died when thirteen 
 years old; John H., whose name opens 
 this sketch; Henry, who lives in Ballville 
 township; and Elizabeth, wife of L. C. 
 Speller, of Ballville township. 
 
 Our subject learned the trade of a 
 cabinet maker in Germany. When twenty- 
 five years of age he came to America, 
 landing in New York July 4, 1835, and 
 went at once to Ohio. He came up the 
 Sandusky river on the old steamer "Jack 
 Downing," of pioneer fame, and locating 
 in the village of Ballville, Sandusky coun- 
 t}', worked at his trade there for about 
 si.x years. In 1839 he bought 106 acres 
 of land about three and a half miles from 
 Lower Sandusky, and engaged in agricul- 
 tural pursuits, living on his farm for more 
 than twenty years, and doing all his own 
 farming. At one time he was the owner 
 of as much as 240 acres, the greater part 
 of which he has willed away. 
 
 Mr. Fry was married to Miss Julia \\'. 
 Miller, who was born in Lycoming county, 
 Penn., June 15, 1815, and died May 9, 
 1892, without issue. Our subject is a 
 Republican in politics, and, in religious 
 connection, a member of the Reformed 
 Church. He is a typical, old-style gen- 
 tleman, a good citizen and a kind neigh- 
 bor. He could not speak a word of En- 
 glish when he caiiie here, but he patiently 
 contended against difficulties, and has 
 made his life a grand success. 
 
 WILLIAM GERWIN, a substan- 
 tial farmer of Woodville town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was 
 born in Hanover, Germany, 
 March 14, 1839, son of Louis and Sophia 
 (Hunton) Gerwin. 
 
 Louis Gerwin, who was a wagon- 
 maker by occupation, came to America in 
 1853. He located in Woodville town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio, and bought 
 seventy-two acres of timber land, the 
 greater part of which, with the help of his 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 785 
 
 children, he succeeded in clearing. He 
 died in May, 1861, and his wife who sur- 
 vived him, died in June, 1877, at the 
 age of over sevent3'-seven years. They 
 were the parents of six children, viz. : 
 Dora married Casper Anthonsen, and they 
 have had seven children; they live in Ot- 
 tawa county. Henry died at the age of 
 si.xty years. Sophia married Henry 
 Schumbcrg, a carpenter, and they live in 
 Toledo, Ohio. Fred lives in Toledo. 
 William is the subject of this sketch. 
 Harmon is a farmer in Madison township. 
 Lake Co., Ohio. 
 
 William Gerwin received his educa- 
 tion in the Fatherland, and was fourteen 
 years of age when he came to America. 
 During his early life he remained under 
 tiie parental roof, and on April 28, 1866, 
 was united in marriage with Elizabeth 
 Falling, daughter of Henrj- and Elizabeth 
 (Cook) Falling. Ten children have 
 blessed their union, as follows: Sophia, 
 born November 27, 1865, married Will- 
 iam Schmitt, and they live in Gibsonburg, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio; Henry L. , born 
 February 21, 1867, died March 5, 1867; 
 Ludwig H., born March 29, 1868, lives 
 in \\'oodville township; Henry G., born 
 January 6, 1870, lives in Ottawa county; 
 Maria Louisa was born January 14, 1872; 
 Herman, September 20, 1873; Louisa M., 
 March 14, 1875; William Henry, August 
 '■ ^^77'^ Johanna F. , January 14, 1879; 
 and Fred, October 3, 1881. Mr. Ger- 
 win has seven good oil wells on his place. 
 In politics he is a Democrat, and in re 
 ligious affiliation a Lutheran. 
 
 WILLIAM ZIMMERMAN, widely 
 known as one of the substantial 
 and progressive farmers of Green 
 Creek township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, is a son of John and Rebecca (Fisher) 
 Zimmerman, and was born in Stark 
 county, Ohio, March 23, 1825. 
 
 John Zimmerman's father came to 
 Pennsylvania from Germany with his 
 
 parents when but two years old. The 
 family located on a farm, and by indus- 
 try and frugality succeeded in accumulat- 
 ing a sufficiency of this world's goods. 
 John Zimmerman and his wife were 
 born in Pennsylvania — in i 800 and 1802, 
 respectively. They were married in 1821, 
 and in the following year came to Ohio, 
 settling in Stark county. A farm was 
 purchased, and the work of clearing away 
 the primitive forest was begun and con- 
 tinued among many hardships, as any 
 pioneer can tell. Here life's battles were 
 fought and won, till, after about thirteen 
 years, the family found a new home in the 
 wilderness where now are seen the fruit- 
 ful farms of Seneca county. In 1847 a 
 new location was sought, and the farm 
 which William Zimmerman now occupies 
 was purchased. Here, in 1850, Mrs. 
 Rebecca Zimmerman passed away. John 
 Zimmerman continued to live here for 
 several j'ears, and then returned to Seneca 
 county, where he died in 1878. 
 
 On July 5, 1847, William Zimmer- 
 man was united in marriage with Miss 
 Elizabeth Brownell, who was born in 
 New York State, .\pril 20, 1830. The 
 following children were born to them: 
 (i) Charles W. , a boilermaker by voca- 
 tion, lives in Dayton, Ohio, and his chil- 
 dren are — William, Carrie, Eddie and 
 one whose name is not given. (2) John 
 F., a photographer, formerly had a 
 studio at Clyde, Green Creek township, 
 is at present at home working at his pro- 
 fession and helping his father; his chil- 
 dren are — Mary E. , William H., Carroll, 
 and Charles L. (3) Electa A., wife of 
 Harvey Gray, of Green Creek township, 
 has six children — Fannie, Jesse, Flora, 
 George, Charles and Elijah. (4) James 
 A., a boiler maker at Dayton, Montgom- 
 ery county, has children — Fay and Mary 
 E. (5) Elijah H., for several years a 
 barber and bandmaster in Green Spring 
 township, later went west, but returned 
 and went to Canada, where he died 
 in 1890. 
 
780 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 William Zimmerman did not serve in 
 the Civil war, but two of his brothers — 
 Benjamin and Franklin — did. Although 
 Mr. Zimmerman has espoused the prin- 
 ciples of the Democratic party, and affili- 
 ated with that political organization, he 
 has no scruples against voting for the best 
 man even though his name is found on 
 another ticket. 
 
 GEORGE FETTERMAN, farmer 
 of Rice township, Sandusky 
 county, was born in that town- 
 ship, March 28, 1843, and is a 
 son of John and Catherine (Daniel) Fet- 
 terman, who were born and married in 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 John Fetterman was born in 1809, 
 married Catherine Daniel, and they came 
 to Ohio in i860, settling in Rice town- 
 ship, where he bought forty acres of land. 
 Mr. Fetterman died March 18, 1S92, his 
 wife April 30, 1892, and they were both 
 buried in Sandusky township. They 
 were the parents of eleven children, as 
 follows: Lima married Michael ^^^ Wal- 
 ter, and they had seven children (they 
 live in Indiana); Mary married William 
 Overmeier, and they had one child, Ellen, 
 who married John Hess, a farmer of San- 
 dusky county, Ohio, by whom she had 
 four children; Daniel died in 1892, and 
 was buried in Henry county; Amanda 
 was born in 1834, and lives in Lindsey, 
 Washington township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty; Sarah married John Taking, and 
 they have five children, of whom Isadore 
 lives at home, Monroe lives in Wood 
 county, Ohio, and Emma, Alice and Ida 
 live at home; John, who is a farmer, 
 married a Miss Prince, and lives in Mich- 
 igan; Solomon, who is single, lives 
 in Oak Harbor, Ottawa Co., Ohio; 
 George is the subject of this sketch; 
 Jacob died September 7, 1889, and was 
 buried in Sandusky county; Romanzas 
 married Amanda King, and they had four 
 children; and a son, whose name is not 
 
 given, a farmer by occupation in San- 
 dusky county, married Catherine Artz, 
 and they had four children. 
 
 In 1850, George Fetterman was united 
 in marriage with Elizabeth Fought, in 
 Rice township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 and purchased 180 acres of land, where 
 he now lives. They have three children, 
 as follows: Ernest, who is a farmer in 
 Rice township, married to Almeda King; 
 Frank, also a farmer in Rice township, 
 married to Mary Benter; and Westky, 
 living at home. Mr. Fetterman was con- 
 stable in Rice township for two years, 
 was engaged in railroading on the Wabash 
 for about two years, and was then mar- 
 ried and went to farming. He is a Dem- 
 ocrat in politics, and a Catholic in re- 
 ligion. 
 
 WA. COLLIER, owner of one 
 (jf the finest fruit farms in Ben- 
 ton township, Ottawa county, is 
 a native of Ohio, born February 
 18, 1849, in Licking county, and is a son 
 of Aaron and Catherina (Grove) Collier. 
 
 Aaron Collier was born March 21, 
 1822, in England. He enlisted in the 
 British army, but deserted because he 
 could not eat the hard tack furnished the 
 soldiers, and coming to America com- 
 menced peddling pills, in which he en- 
 gaged on his journey from New York to 
 Licking county, Ohio, walking all the way, 
 and going from house to house. On ar- 
 riving in Ohio, he learned the trade of 
 blacksmith from Stephen Grove, father 
 of the lady he afterward married, and 
 he followed same some twelve 3 ears. On 
 June 12, 1847, he was married in Ohio to 
 Miss Catherina Grove, and they had a 
 family of ten children, nine of whom are 
 living. Mrs. Collier was born November 
 20, 1829, in Virginia, daughter of Stephen 
 Grove, who was born in 1782 in German)', 
 came to America in his youth, and served 
 in the war of 18 12. As above intimated, 
 he was a blacksmith by trade, and fol- 
 
COMMEMORATTVE BIOORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 787 
 
 lowed this occupation for many years on 
 a slave plantation. His wife was born in 
 I 80 1 in America, and died in 1856. 
 
 W. A. Collier lived in his native county 
 until he was nine years of age. His pa- 
 rents then removed to Wood coimt\', Ohio, 
 where they resided eight months, at the 
 end of that time taking up their residence 
 in Ballville, Sandusky county, where they 
 lived four years. From that place they 
 removed to Riley township, Sandusky 
 county, and there remained three years. 
 So far as attending school was concerned, 
 ^fr. Collier's education was completed 
 when he was ten years of age. His father 
 died in 1865, and the then sixteen-year- 
 old lad was obliged to work out, and 
 also on the home farm, in order to 
 assist his mother in caring for the family of 
 ten children. For ten years he faithfully 
 rendered all the assistance in his power, 
 until his younger brothers and sisters were 
 able to care for themselves. 
 
 At the age of about twenty-seven our 
 subject started out in life for himself, 
 embarking in the sawmill business, in 
 which he continued until the spring of 1875, 
 when he turned his attention to agricul- 
 ture. After engaging in farm work two 
 years he resumed sawmilling, in partner- 
 ship with John Woodcott, at Hickory Isl- 
 and, Erie Co., Ohio, remaining there 
 about one and a half years, and then 
 came to Benton township, Ottawa Co., 
 Ohio, settling on fractional Section 30, 
 where he purchased a farm of ninety 
 acres, all covered with timber and en- 
 tirely unimproved. On his first coming 
 to the farm he lived in an old trapper's 
 shanty until he could build a more com- 
 fortable home, the upright to the house 
 in which they now live. Having made a 
 comfortable abode Mr. Collier commenced 
 getting out stave bolts, saw logs, etc. In 
 the fall of 1880 he put up a sawmill across 
 from his house for John Stang, of Lorain 
 county, Ohio, who owned a large tract of 
 land in that section, and operated it for 
 that gentleman some three years, during 
 
 which time he disposed of much of the 
 tiiiiber on his farm. Iveturning now to 
 his farm, he removed the rest of the tim- 
 ber, blew out the stumps, and put up good 
 buildings and fenced the farm neatly, also 
 thoroughly underdraining the greater part 
 of it. In addition to all these improve- 
 ments he put out 600 pear trees, 200 
 quince trees, 1,800 gooseberry bushes, 
 500 grape vines, and 100 apple trees, all 
 of which are now producing nicely, and 
 Mr. Collier has one of the finest fruit 
 farms in Benton township, if not in the 
 entire count}'. 
 
 On April iS, 1877, Mr. Collier was 
 married to Miss Louisa Robinson, who 
 was born February 10, 1849, in Erie 
 county, Ohio, where she received her 
 education. She is the only child of Har- 
 rison and Elizabeth (Austin) Bowles, 
 Pennsylvanians by birth, the former born 
 in 1824, of Irish descent, the latter in 
 1830. They were married in 1848, and 
 the father died in 1849, the mother sur- 
 viving until 1883. Mrs. Collier's mater- 
 nal grandfather was born about 1798, in 
 'Vermont, of Scotch descent, and died De- 
 cember 27, i860; he served in the Mexi- 
 can war. The maternal grandmother was 
 born February 25, 1802, and died July 7, 
 1892. They were married October 26, 
 1829, and their union was blessed with 
 four children — two sons and two daugh- 
 ters — all of whom are now deceased. The 
 family made the journey from Pennsyl- 
 vania to Knox county, Ohio, with a team, 
 and settled in Sandusky about 18 16, 
 when it was a mere village. At the age 
 of fourteen Mrs. Collier went to Sandusky 
 county, where she lived up to the time of 
 her marriage. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. William A. Collier 
 have come five children, their names and 
 dates of birth being as follows: George 
 Aaron, June 4, 1878; John William, Jan- 
 uary 6, 1882; Lester Arthur, November 
 19. 1884; Harrison O'Neill, September 8, 
 1 888; and Foster, June 25, 1892 (he died 
 February 5, 1893, and is buried in Ellistou 
 
788 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOBAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 cemetery). Politically, Mr. Collier sup- 
 ports the Republican party; socially he is 
 a member of Graytown Lodge No. 599, 
 I. O. O. F. 
 
 WILLI.\M PECK is numbered 
 among the successful agricultur- 
 ists who have transformed tracts 
 of wild land into rich and pro- 
 ductive fields. Where once stood the 
 forests is now seen the waving grain, giv- 
 ing evidence of abundant harvests. Mr. 
 Peck is a wide-awake and progressive 
 man, and is a worthy representative of 
 the agricultural interests of Sandusky 
 county. He was born in Scott township, 
 that county, March 14, 1841, and is a 
 son of William and Luna (Cole) Peck, 
 who were pioneer settlers of Ohio. The 
 grandfather of our subject, and his parents, 
 who were natives of Holland, emigrated 
 from that country to America in an early 
 day, locating in Connecticut, where the 
 father of our subject was born March 29, 
 1800. He followed farming through the 
 summer months, and in the winter en- 
 gaged in teaching. In 1840 he left his 
 native State, and with his family came 
 westward, taking up his residence in Scott 
 township. Sandusky Co., Ohio, where he 
 spent his remaining years. He passed 
 away at the advanced age of eighty-nine. 
 His wife was of German lineage, her 
 jiarents having emigrated from the Father- 
 land to the New World. She was born 
 in Albany, N. Y., in 1810, and passed 
 away in July, 1888. The subject of this 
 review is the youngest of four children, 
 the others being Nelson, a resident of 
 Madison township, Sandusky county; 
 Catherine, who became the wife of George 
 Spayde, and died, leaving two children; 
 and Jason L. , a resident farmer of 
 Kansas. 
 
 William Peck spent his early boy- 
 hood days on the home farm, continuing 
 to give his father the benefit of his serv- 
 ices until twenty-two years of age, when 
 
 he began farming in his own interest. For 
 five years he cultivated a tract of land in 
 Madison township, and during that time 
 was married. On July 4, 1869, he 
 wedded Arinena Fairbank, of Madison 
 township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, who was 
 born September 3, 1851, a daughter of 
 Josiah and Sovina (Bowman) Fairbank, 
 residents of Washington township, San- 
 dusky county. Her father is a carpenter 
 by trade. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Peck removed 
 with his bride to Wood county, where he 
 remained for two years engaged in farm- 
 ing. Subsequently he rented a tract of 
 land in the northern part of Scott town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, which he cultiva- 
 ted for three jears, when he again changed 
 his residence, locating upon a farm that 
 adjoins his present home. There he 
 lived for four years, and then purchaseti 
 160 acres that has since }iclded a golden 
 tribute in return for the care and labor 
 he has bestowed upon it. At the time 
 of his purchase much of the land was 
 under water, and could be used for boat- 
 ing in the summer and for skating in the 
 winter; but by persistent effort Mr. Peck 
 has tiled and thoroughl}' drained the 
 place, which he now has under a high 
 state of cultivation. He has also given 
 considerale attention to the buying and 
 selling of stock, being especially inter- 
 ested in raising sheep and cattle, and this 
 branch of his business jields to him good 
 returns. Well-kept buildings add to the 
 value and attractive appearance of the 
 place, and to-day Mr. Peck is the owner 
 of one of the finest homes in Scott town- 
 ship. His sympathy is with the Demo- 
 cratic party, and whenever possible he 
 aids that party, but has never sought or 
 desired official preferment. 
 
 P'ive children grace the union of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Peck — Charles William, who 
 was born September 21, 1870, and is 
 now engaged in the oil business; Vinnie, 
 who was born November 6, 1873, and is 
 the wife of Frank G. Kecnan, who is 
 
OOMMEMOUAT WE BTOORAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 T89 
 
 interested in the oil business in Scott 
 fownsliip (she has one child, Bernice); 
 Ida, who was born January -2, 1879, and 
 is now studying music; Mattie, born Feb- 
 ruary 5, 1884; and Goldie, born Decem- 
 ber 8, 1887. 
 
 JESSE B. VANTIXE. Although for 
 many years the flowers have bloomed 
 and faded over the grave of this well- 
 known pioneer and agriculturist of 
 Clay township, Ottawa county, his mem- 
 ory is still fresh in the hearts of his fam- 
 ily and of those who knew his sterling 
 worth, and appreciated the work he had 
 done in the improvement and progress of 
 the community in which at an early day 
 he made his home. 
 
 Mr. Vantine was a native of the Em- 
 pire State, born in Cayuga county, De- 
 cember 5, 1 82 1. His school days were 
 over at a tender age, and he commenced 
 to do farm work, at which he continued sev- 
 eral years, and also for a number of years 
 worked upon the canals. In 185 i he came to 
 Ohio, and purchased eighty acres of wood- 
 land in Clay township, Ottawa county. 
 Wc of the present day cannot realize what 
 this meant. It meant living in a rudely- 
 constructed log cabin, without a single 
 comfort or convenience, surrounded by 
 dense forests, where the howl of the wolf 
 and the hoot of the owl were nightly 
 heard; where the timid deer and the skulk- 
 ing Indian threaded their way through the 
 underbrush, and where roads, neighbors, 
 and post offices were things unknown. 
 Here the }oung pioneer built himself a 
 cabin, and while clearing his land de- 
 pended upon his trusty rifle for his subsist- 
 ence. But one day, on returning from 
 hunting, nothing remained but the ruins 
 of his rude home, which with its contents 
 had been burned. He was not discour- 
 aged, however; another cabin was con- 
 structed, and then, realizing more than 
 ever the truth of the pro\erb that "it is 
 not good for man to be alone," he re- 
 
 turned to the East, and on October 16, 
 1 85 I, was m.irried in Cayuga couniy, N. 
 Y. , to Almira Kodgers, daughter of Joshua 
 and Jerusia (McKee) Kodgers. With his 
 young bride Mr. Vantine once more took 
 up his abode in the wilderness, and to- 
 gether they worked with willing hands to 
 make for themselves a comfortable home. 
 It is hard to conceive of the trials and 
 hardships endured by the young wife so 
 far from the accustomed comforts of the 
 East, with no companions to share her 
 solitude and recall pleasant associations; 
 yet these sacrifices were cheerfully made 
 for the sake of the husband whose inspira- 
 tion she was, and to whom she was not 
 only a helpinir hand, but a constant en- 
 couragement and sustainer. In time 
 children came to fill their humble home 
 with laughter and song and make the days 
 less lonely, and as the years rolled on 
 the forests disappeared and broad fields of 
 waving grain, fine orchards and a hand- 
 some dwelling, took their place. The 
 log cabin, the scene of so much sacrifice 
 and yet of so much true happiness, is gone 
 forever, but the lessons there learned 
 have borne their fruit in the busy useful 
 \\\cs of its occupants. 
 
 The children of these worthy pioneers, 
 all of whom were born and educated in 
 Clay township, were five in number, and 
 a brief record of them is as follows: (i) 
 Ellie J., born Septeinber 3, 1852, was the 
 first white child "born in that part of Clay 
 township; she was married in 1871 to 
 George White, a manufacturer of lime in 
 Genoa, and they have five children — 
 Mary, Bertha, Otto, Henry and Almira. 
 (2) James B., born April 16, 1854, is a 
 lime worker at Marblehcad, Ottawa coun- 
 ty; he was married in October, 1884, at 
 Genoa, to Miss Carrie Walker, and they 
 have two children, Elsie and Ray. (3) 
 Maryetta, born April 10, i860, is the wife 
 of Taylor Hofman, a farmer in Clay town- 
 ship; they have two children. Pearl and 
 Jay. (4) J. Frank, who was bcrn Ajiril 
 24,1871, followed the occupationof a farm- 
 
790 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 er for a number of years, and is now in 
 Toledo; he \\as married at Mnrtin, in 
 1 891, to Henrietta, daughter of John Bee- 
 dee, a farmer of Clay township, and they 
 have one child, Nettie May, born Octo- 
 ber 13, 1892. (5) Charles F. Vantine, 
 the youngest, is living at home. 
 
 John Beedee, the father of Mrs. J. 
 Frank Vantine, died in 1879, from the 
 effects of an accident, his leg having been 
 broken by a falling tree. His wife died 
 December g, 1891. Their family com- 
 prised five children, of whom the following 
 record is given: John Beedee is married 
 and works in a mill; Martin Freeborn 
 lives in Lorain county, and works in the 
 bending shops (he has one child); Loren 
 is a cooper, living at Clay Center (he is 
 married and has four children); Mary is 
 the wife of Mr. Downing, who is a con- 
 ductor on the Lake Shore & Michigan 
 Southern railwaj' at Toledo (they have 
 one child); Henrietta is the wife of J. 
 Frank Vantine. 
 
 During his busy life Jesse B. Vantine 
 was very popular and highly respected by 
 his fellow citizens. He was a stanch 
 Democrat, and was for a number of years 
 a trustee of the township, and was a 
 commissioner when the town was first 
 formed. He was also school director for 
 several years, and served for some years 
 as a constable. He died March 27, 1893, 
 of consumption, contracted during the 
 hardships of his early life. He was a 
 faithful and devoted husband and father, 
 and will never be forgotten by his family, 
 who owe so much to his precepts and ex- 
 ample. His wife survives him and makes 
 her home on the old farm. 
 
 WILLIAM AMES, son of Decker- 
 man C. and Rebecca (Purdue) 
 Ames, was born on his father's 
 farm in Harris township, Ot- 
 tawa county, November 13, 1843. 
 
 The father of our subject followed ag- 
 ricultural pursuits all his life, coming to 
 
 Ohio during his bojhood. His father 
 purchas'.d land of the government, and 1 e 
 continued to operate a portion of that 
 property until his death, which occurred 
 in 1885. He was buried in the Guss 
 Cemetery at Elmore, and many friends 
 mourned his decease. In 1841 he had 
 married Miss Purdue, who was born in 
 1822, and their family consisted of six 
 children — William, Alfred, Silas, Sarah, 
 Nancy Ann and Mary Ellen, of whom 
 Nancy Ann was drowned in Portage river, 
 near Elmore, while bathing; Alfred is also 
 deceased; and Mary Ellen is now Mrs. 
 Drake, of Michigan. The maternal grand- 
 father of our subject, James Purdue, was 
 born in 1787, and was a farmer and great 
 hunter; his wife was born in 1790, and 
 they had a family of ten children. The 
 paternal grandmother was born in 1781, 
 and her children were eight in number. 
 
 William Ames spent his boyhood days 
 on the old homestead, attended the dis- 
 trict schools of the neighborhood, and at 
 the early age of nine years began working 
 with a team, plowing, harrowing and 
 doing other work on the farm. When the 
 call for 75,000 men was issued by Presi- 
 dent Lincoln he eagerly and quickly re- 
 sponded, anxious to aid in the defense of 
 the Union, but on account of his youth 
 his father would not let him enlist. A 
 second time he offered his services, and a 
 second time his father prevented him from 
 becoming one of the boys in blue, but 
 finally, in 1863, he became a member of 
 Company G, One Hundreth Regiment, 
 Ohio Sharpshooters, with whom he served 
 until the end of the war. He took part in 
 the battles of the Wilderness, which contin- 
 ued for seven days, Cold Harbor, Wel- 
 den Railroad, and assisted in the destruc- 
 tion of Petersburg, where four thousand 
 were killed in a half hour, aiding in mak- 
 ing the three-mile tunnel under the city. 
 He served in the army of the Potomac 
 under Gen. Grant, and witnessed the 
 grand review of the victorious troops in 
 the Capitol City. He was also in Ford's 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 roi 
 
 Theatre at the time of President Lin- 
 coln's assassination, and saw Booth jump 
 upon the stage after firing the fatal shot 
 which ended the life of one of the most 
 honored and distinguished men this 
 country has produced. 
 
 Upon the close of the war Mr. Ames 
 returned home, and on August 14, 1865, 
 he was married in Elmore to Miss Emma 
 J. Essig, of Stark county, Ohio, who was 
 born March 10, 1S38, in that county, 
 where she lived until her marriage. She 
 obtained her education in the public 
 schools, and then engaged in teaching in 
 Portage county, and for one term in Ot- 
 tawa county. Her father, John Essig, 
 a mason by trade, was born June 3, 1784, 
 and died September 30, 1854. His wife, 
 who bore the maiden name of Esther 
 Spangle, was born May 4, 1792, and 
 died September 23, 1877. Twelve chil- 
 dren bless their marriage. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ames have always resided in Elmore, 
 where they have a pleasant home and 
 many friends. Their only child. Birdie, 
 was educated in the public schools here, 
 and for two years was a successful teacher 
 of Ottawa county. In 1888 she became 
 the wife of John Schling, and they now 
 reside in Oak Harbor. William Ames 
 is engaged in the raising of horses, and is 
 well-known in Ottawa county, where he 
 has spent his entire life, as a straight- 
 forward business man. He has the warm 
 regard of all with whom he has been 
 brought in contact. 
 
 V.ALENTIN MILIUS, a retired 
 harness dealer, of Hessville, San- 
 dusky county, was born in Nord- 
 heim, Germany, November 29, 
 1827, and is a son of Francis and Johan- 
 na (Fox) Milius, who spent their entire 
 lives in that country. The father was a 
 farmer and teamster, and died a few 
 months after his son, \'alentin, sailed for 
 America. Our subject is the eldest in his 
 parent's family, and of the others, Eliza- 
 
 50 
 
 bcth is the wife of Adam Vance, a basket 
 maker of Cincinnati, Ohio, and has five 
 children; Katie is the widow of Adam 
 Bellow, and a resident of Cincinnati; 
 Jacob is engaged in basket making in that 
 city; and Delia is the wife of Charles 
 Gait, living in Newport, Kentucky. 
 
 Mr. Milius was reared under the pa- 
 rental roof, and his educational privi- 
 leges were those affordefl by the common 
 schools. He remained in the Fatherland 
 until twenty-five years of age, when in 
 1852 he bade adieu to family and friends, 
 embarking on an ocean vessel for the New 
 World. Landing safely on the shores of 
 this country, he proceeded at once to 
 Fremont, Ohio, where he began work with 
 a Mr. Greddler in the harness business, 
 continuing with that gentleman for sev- 
 eral months. Going then to Cincinnati, 
 Ohio, he worked in that city for two 
 years, after which he spent six months in 
 Cleveland. His ne.xt place of residence 
 was Canton, Ohio, where he remained 
 for four years, and in 1859 he came to 
 Hessville, Sandusky county, where he 
 embarked in business for himself as a 
 harness maker. He was a good work- 
 man, and this fact soon becoming known 
 to the public he received a liberal patron- 
 age, which steadily increased and brought 
 him a good income. For thirty-four 
 years he followed the business in Hess- 
 ville, and then, his health failing him, he 
 was obliged to retire from active life in 
 
 1893- 
 
 Mr. Milius was united in marriage, in 
 
 1856, with Miss Catherine Klaser. who 
 was one of a family of five daugiiters, 
 namely: Margaret, wife of Fred Nichols; 
 Josephine; Catherine (Mrs. Milius); Mary, 
 wife of Jacob Frick; and Ph(ebe. wife of 
 John Bowler. To Mr. and Mrs. Milius 
 have been born five children. The eld- 
 est, Julius C, was born in Canton, Ohio, 
 July 3, 1857; John, born in that city, Feb- 
 ruary 18, I 859, was brought by his parents 
 to Hessville during his infancy, and there 
 received the educational privileges of the 
 
792 
 
 COMMEMORATTVE BWORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 district schools; at the age of twenty-five 
 he left home, and was employed in vari- 
 ous ways until 1891, when he established 
 a general store in Hessville, and on April 
 17, of the same year, was appointed post- 
 master there; he was married Novem- 
 ber 18, 1886, to Miss Cora Artz, and they 
 have two children — Goldie, born March 
 16, 1888; and Ruth, born February 11, 
 1890; John Milius is a Democrat in his 
 political views, and is a member of the 
 Reformed Church. Harmon, the next of 
 the family, was born September 16, 
 1 86 1, and is a farmer of Hessville. Louis, 
 born February 16, 1864, died in infancy; 
 Edward, born September 10, 1867, is en- 
 gaged in blacksmithing in Chicago. 
 
 Valentin Milius has led a life of activity, 
 and as the result of his energy and enter- 
 prise is now the possessor of a comforta- 
 ble competence, which enables him to 
 live retired. He owns a farm comprising 
 forty acres of valuable land, and in addi- 
 tion has thirteen town lots in Hessville. 
 By his ballot he supports the Democratic 
 party, and in religious belief he is a 
 Lutheran. His hope of bettering his 
 financial condition by emigrating to 
 America has been realized, and now he 
 is numbered among the substantial and 
 valued citizens of his locality. 
 
 CASPAR MULLER, a farmer, of 
 Ballville township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty is a native of North Germany, 
 born January 18, 1841. 
 John P. Muller, father of our subject, 
 was born in June, 1801. He sold his 
 farm of twenty-five acres in Germany, 
 and in 1854 emigrated to America. Af- 
 ter an ocean voyage of seven weeks he 
 landed in New York, where he remained 
 but a short time, then came to Ohio and 
 settled in Ballville township where he 
 bought fifty acres of land and followed 
 farming pursuits about thirty-five years. 
 His death occurred in 1889, and his wife 
 died at the age of seventy-seven j'ears. 
 
 They had a family of six children: Cas- 
 par; Mary, born May 29, 1844, unmar- 
 ried; Susan, born December 29, 1846, is 
 the wife of Fred Weldon, a farmer and 
 resident of Seneca county, Ohio (politic- 
 ally he is a Democrat, and in religious 
 belief a Catholicj; Catharine, born Febru- 
 ary, 1848, became the wife of George 
 Buchman, a farmer and resident of Wash- 
 ington township, in politics a Democrat, 
 and in religious belief a Catholic; John P. 
 (a farmer), born January 18, 1849, mar- 
 ried Mary Foos (in politics he is a Demo- 
 crat, and in religious belief a Roman Cath- 
 olic); Annie, born April 9, 1852, married 
 C. Schneider, a farmer, and they have 
 a family of children as follows — Frank, 
 Susan, Albert, Robert, Sarah, Edward 
 and Hannah (politically Mr. Schneider is 
 a Democrat, and in religion is a Catholic). 
 Caspar Muller remained with his par- 
 ents until he was twenty-three years old. 
 He then went to Pittsburg and worked 
 eight years as a coal miner, saving $800. 
 On returning he worked two years on a 
 farm for Peter Kirsch, and also for other 
 parties, and later he worked his father's 
 farm five years. Mr. Muller then bought 
 forty acres from N. Buchman for $3,000, 
 and kept it three years, sold it to his 
 brother, and bought the place he now 
 occupies, paying for same $3,850. He is 
 highly respected by all who know him. 
 In politics he affiliates with the Democratic 
 party, and in religion he is a Roman 
 Catholic. 
 
 JOSEPH WOLF, the popular treas- 
 urer of Sandusky county, was born 
 in Baden, Germany, March 18, 
 1852, a son of Bernhard and Regina 
 (Wottle) Wolf. 
 
 The parents who were also natives of 
 Baden, came tO'America in 1865, locating 
 in Sandusky City, Ohio, where they re- 
 mained one year, then removing to Fre- 
 mont, where they made their permanent 
 residence. The father of our subject. 
 
COMMEMOIiATIVE BIOQRAPnWAL RECORD. 
 
 79S 
 
 born in 1819, died May 30, 1892; the 
 mother, born in 1828, is still living at 
 their residence in I'reniont. Six children 
 were born to them, five of whom are liv- 
 ing, at Fremont. 
 
 Joseph Wolf attended school one year 
 at Sandusky City, while living with his 
 parents, and soon after coming to Fre- 
 mont, in 1865, entered a newspaper office 
 and learned the business of compositor so 
 thoroughl}' that he finally had the me- 
 chanical work of the paper under his 
 charge. He subsequently engaged in the 
 barber business, and finally embarked in 
 the retail liquor trade, in which he re- 
 mained until elected to the office of coun- 
 ty treasurer, in September, 1S92. He 
 was re-elected to the office in 1894. He 
 has served as a member of the Fremont 
 city council two terms, and was for two 
 years president of that honorable body. 
 He is a Democrat in politics, a straight- 
 forward progressive citizen, a member of 
 the Roman Catholic Church, and socially, 
 of the Catholic Knights of America. Mr. 
 Wolf married Miss Catharine Moore, and 
 they have six children: Frank, Carl, 
 Mary, Urban, Catharine and Barnhard. 
 
 ADOLPH H.ALBEISEN. Riley 
 township, Sandusky county, in- 
 cludes among its successful citi- 
 zens a number of industrious and 
 prosperous farmers, one of whom is Mr. 
 Halbeisen. He was born August 12, 
 1845, 'ind is a son of Nicholas and Caro- 
 line Halbeisen. 
 
 Nicholas Halbeisen was born in Ger- 
 many August 12, 1802, and was there 
 united in marriage with Caroline Geshie, 
 who was born April 8, 1814, also in the 
 Fatherland. They came to America in 
 1844, and located in Ohio, in Riley town- 
 ship, Sandusky county. Here for ten dol- 
 lars an acre they bought land which at 
 the present time is valued at one hundred 
 dollars an acre. They had the following 
 children: Barney married Millie House, 
 
 and they have had five children; they live 
 in Ballville township, Sandusky county. 
 Caroline married Casper IIousi% by whom 
 she had four children; she died in 1871, 
 and was buried in Ballville township. 
 Lewis is a farmer in Michigan. Adolph 
 is the subject proper of this sketch. Au- 
 gust, who is a farmer, married Ellen 
 McDonald, and they live in Michigan. 
 Lucy comes next. Amelia married Michael 
 Bundschner, a farmer in Sandusky town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, and they have 
 had five children. Nicholas Halbeisen 
 died November 12, 1861. 
 
 Adolph Halbeisen was reared to habits 
 of industry and economy, and received a 
 common-school education. He remained 
 at home on the farm until the death of 
 his father, then had the management, 
 and saved his money. On November 12, 
 1 880, Adolph Halbeisen was miited in mar- 
 riage with Helen Beansack, and they have 
 had eight children, their names and dates 
 of birth being as follows: Clara, January 
 26, 1882; Caroline, April 10, 1883; Jo- 
 seph, April II, 1885; Arnold, July 7, 
 1886; Henry, May 23, 1888; Frank, May 
 23, 1889; Augusta, December 10, 1890, 
 and Ellen, September 8, i8gi. Mr. Hal- 
 beisen bought seventy-two acres of land 
 at $1 lo.oo per acre, as a homestead. He 
 has held the office of school director for 
 three years. In politics he is a Democrat, 
 and in religious affiliation a Catholic. 
 
 WILLIAM GORDON is a worthy 
 representative of one of the 
 prominent families of Ottawa 
 county. He is engaged in the 
 practice of law in Port Clinton, where he 
 now resides, and is serving as prosecuting 
 attorney for Ottawa county. He is a de- 
 servedly popular man, and a rising mem- 
 ber of the bar. 
 
 Mr. Gordon was born in the county 
 which is still his home, having first 
 opened his eyes to the light of dav in 
 Salem township, near Oak Harbor, De- 
 
794 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 cember i 5, 1862, his parents being Wash- 
 ington and Margaret (Rymers) Gordon. 
 His elementary education was obtained 
 in the public schools of Oak Harbor, and 
 he also attended the business college of 
 Toledo, Ohio, graduating from that in- 
 stitution May 7, 1880. He then returned 
 to his home, and during the following 
 seven years was employed as a book- 
 keeper by his father, also teaching school 
 during the winter months in the townships 
 of Carroll and Erie, Ottawa county. In 
 1886 his father was elected county treas- 
 urer, and on entering upon the duties 
 pertaining to that office, in September, 
 1887. his son William became his deputy 
 and efficiently served in that capacity un- 
 til September, 1891. Meanwhile he de- 
 voted his leisure time to the stud}' of law, 
 preparatory to entering the legal pro- 
 fession. 
 
 On October i, 1891, William Gordon 
 became a student in the Law Department 
 of the University of Michigan, at Ann 
 Arbor, and after completing the prescribed 
 course was graduated at that institution 
 with the class of June, 1893, receiving 
 the degree of Bachelor of Laws. Return- 
 ing at once to Oak Harbor, he has here 
 since engaged in the practice of his chosen 
 profession, and through his ability and 
 popularity he succeeded in building up a 
 large and rapidly increasing patronage. 
 The people of Ottawa county attested 
 their appreciation of his worth by electing 
 him, on November 6, 1894, to the honor- 
 able and responsible position of prosecut- 
 ing attorney, he being the only county 
 official elected on the Democratic ticket 
 in Ottawa county. He is an earnest and 
 able advocate, and thorough preparation 
 of cases is manifest in the ease with 
 which he meets an opponent and the suc- 
 cess which attends his efforts. He was 
 admitted to practice before the supreme 
 court of Ohio, June 8, 1893. 
 
 Mr. Gordon is a member of Oak Har- 
 bor Lodge, No. 495, F. & A. M., and 
 Fremont Chapter, No. 64, K. A. M. He 
 
 is also a member of the board of school 
 examiners of Ottawa county, and is deep- 
 ly interested in the cause of education, 
 and all that pertains to the welfare of the 
 community. His political support has 
 always been given to the Democratic 
 party, and b}' voice as well as ballot he 
 advocates its principles. In both public 
 and private life he is an exemplary citi- 
 zen, holding an enviable position in the 
 esteem and regard of the community in 
 which he resides. In September, 1893, 
 Mr. Gordon was united in marriage in 
 Port Clinton, with Miss Elizabeth, daugh- 
 ter of Conrad Gernhard, proprietor of the 
 "Island House," a leading hotel of Port 
 Clinton. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gordon 
 attend the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 Mr. Gordon has spent his entire life in 
 Ottawa county, and his genial and pleas- 
 ant manner and genuine worth have made 
 him very popular with a large circle of 
 friends. 
 
 LOUIS NICKEL, a successful farmer 
 and honored citizen of Rice town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, is a native 
 of same, having been born April 
 12, 1850, and is a son of Fred and Mag- 
 gie (Glaser) Nickel, who were born in 
 Hessen, Germany. 
 
 Fred Nickel was foreman on a farm in 
 Germany, saved his money, and at the 
 age of twenty-two came to the United 
 States, settling in Rice township, San- 
 dusky county, Ohio, where he worked out 
 one year. He was then united in mar- 
 riage with Maggie Glaser (who was born 
 July I, 1827); bought forty acres of tim- 
 ber land, and later si.xty-seven more. In 
 1 863 he built a new house and barn. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Nickel became the parents of 
 ten children, as follows: Mena, born May 
 10, 1848; Louis is the subject of this 
 sketch; Julius C. , born December 20, 
 1852, married Katie Keiser, and they had 
 four children (she died March 9, 1891, 
 after which he married Rosie Niskey, and 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHIUAL liECORD. 
 
 roG 
 
 thej' live in Rice township); John H., 
 born July 2, 1854, married Li/^ie Hoot, 
 by whom he had four children, and died 
 April 4, 1888; William P., born Novem- 
 ber 6, 1856, married Ida Gessner, and 
 they live in Ballville township, Sandusky 
 county; Charles, born May 8, 1857, died 
 younfj; Georjje, born September 14, 1862, 
 died September 30, 1875; May L. , born 
 November 4, 1864; Amelia M., married 
 John Klein, and they had six children; 
 and Katie, born March 21, 1870, died 
 October i, 1875. 
 
 Louis Nickel received a common- 
 school education, remained at home until 
 his twenty-fifth year, and then bought a 
 thresher, which he ran several seasons. In 
 1876 he bought fifty-nine acres of land, 
 for which he paid $110 an acre. On 
 May 18, 1876, he was united in marriage 
 with Caroline -Smith, who was born Sep- 
 tember 5, 1857, and they have six chil- 
 dren, as follows: Eliza H., born May 29, 
 1877; Frank E., November 18, 1880; 
 Edwin E. , December 26, 1 88 1 ; Reuben F. , 
 August 9. 1885; Warren, July 18, 1888; 
 and Ruth J., October 8, 1892. In 1892 
 Mr. Nickel built a new house, which cost 
 $2,100, and in 1886 built a barn which 
 cost $1,300. He has a fine herd of Dur- 
 ham cattle. Mr. Nickel is a Democrat in 
 politics, and attends the Lutheran Church. 
 He has held several public offices, was 
 trustee eight years, school director three 
 years, supervisor four 3'ears, and constable 
 three years. 
 
 JOHN GOATE, who is carrying on 
 agricultural pursuits in Scott town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was born in 
 Cambridge, England, October 16. 
 i860, and is a son of Robert and Eliza 
 (Lee) Goate. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in 
 Cambridge, December 25, 1839, and in 
 1866 came to America, locating in the 
 State of New York, where he still resides, 
 engaged in general farming. His wife 
 
 was born in England in 1837, and they 
 are the parents of six children, namely — 
 John; Elizabeth, wife of F. Lord; Smith; 
 Emma; William, who married Jennie 
 Blodgett (she is a member of the famous 
 Blodgett family of the Empire State, 
 numbering four hundred living members, 
 who were present at the last re-union of 
 the family, which traces its ancestry back 
 to the time of Columbus); and Annie, who 
 married William Lee. The paternal 
 grandfather of our subject. John Goate, 
 was born in England in 1805, and was 
 killed near Cambridge City, while rescuing 
 ten intoxicated men, who were upon the 
 railroad track just as the limited express 
 passed by. He succeeded in saving the 
 lives of the others, but lost his own in the 
 heroic action. His widow is now living 
 in New York, at the advanced age of 
 eighty-nine years, and four of her five 
 children yet survive. The great-grand- 
 father, Robert Goate, was born in Eng- 
 land in 1753, and died at the advanced 
 age of one hundred and twelve years. 
 Great-grandfather Smith was born in 
 1759, and died at the age of one hundred 
 and eight years. It will thus be seen 
 that our subject comes from a family 
 noted for longevity. His maternal grand- 
 parents, Henry Lee and wife, were also 
 born in England, and are now living in 
 New York. They had a family of eight 
 children, all of whom are living. An 
 uncle of our subject. Dr. Henry Lee, was 
 for many years principal at Cambridge 
 College, and a very scholarly gentleman. 
 John Goate was a lad of six summers 
 when he accompanied his parents on their 
 emigration to the New World. He lived 
 in New York until he had attained his 
 majority, and has since been a resident of 
 Sandusky county. In 1883 he was united 
 in marriage with Miss Alice Bowser, of 
 Helena, Ohio, who was born in Scott 
 township, Sandusky county. July 7,1864, 
 daughter of Frederick Bowser, and com- 
 pleted her education in the schools of 
 Clyde, For six years after their marriage 
 
796 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPIIICAL RECORD. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Goate resided in Helena, 
 and then the city property was exchanged 
 for a part of the old Bowser farm, to the 
 cultivation and improvement of which our 
 subject has since devoted his energies. 
 He now has an excellent home, pleasantly 
 situated a few miles from Gibsonburg, 
 and is numbered among the leading fann- 
 ers of the community. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Goate came two 
 children — Ethel, who was born Septem- 
 ber 15, 1S86, and died at the age of 
 eleven months; and Violet, born Septem- 
 ber 15, 1887. The mother died on the 
 28th of December, following, and in 1888 
 Mr. Goate wedded Miss Maggie Bowser, 
 a sister of his first wife. They have three 
 children — Glenn, born in 1890; and 
 Eleanor and Laurel, born August 11, 
 1893. Mr. Goate is a practical and pro- 
 gressive farmer, a wide-awake and enter- 
 prising man, and Sandusky county num- 
 bers him among her representative young 
 farmers. 
 
 FREDERICK MYLANDER is one 
 of the sturdy, substantial farmers 
 of Salem township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty, who have endured the trials 
 and hardships incident to a pioneer life, 
 and been instrumental in converting what 
 was at one time a vast unbroken wilder- 
 ness into well-cultivated, productive farms; 
 and under whose strong arm the noble 
 giants of the forest have given place to 
 beautiful fields of waving grain, and the 
 old log houses of a quarter of a century 
 ago to homes of comfort and architectur- 
 al beauty. 
 
 He was born in Prussia, Germany, 
 August 23, 1823, to Henry C. and Eliza- 
 beth (Kclling) Mj'lander, and received his 
 preliminary education in the schools of his 
 native land, during his early life being 
 trained to the duties of the farm. In 
 1846 he emigrated to America, locating 
 first in Cleveland, Ohio, where he re- 
 mained until 1853, in which year he pur- 
 
 chased some eighty-two acres of land in 
 Salem township, Ottawa county, upon 
 which he erected a log house, and set to 
 work clearing a portion of the land for his 
 crops; and, being a young man of great 
 energy and determination, he made great 
 progress in this work. At the end of 
 four years Mr. Mylander returned to 
 Cleveland, where he remained some five 
 years, at the expiration of that time once 
 more taking up his residence in Salem 
 township, Ottawa county, of which he has 
 since been a constant resident. By a life 
 of hard, honest labor our subject has 
 added considerably to his worldly posses- 
 sions, and is now the owner of one of the 
 most attractive and productive farms in 
 the county. 
 
 Mr, Mylander has been thrice mar- 
 ried, the first time to Miss Anna Maria 
 Frieze, of Cleveland, Ohio, to which 
 union were born eight children, only three 
 of whom are now living, viz. : Henry, 
 John Frederick, Jr., and August, all re- 
 siding in Salem township. Our subject's 
 second wife was Mrs. Anna Marie Sum- 
 menmeyer, widow of Fred Summenmeyer, 
 and in 1877 he was again united in 
 marriage, this time with Mrs. Anna Marie 
 Tousing, to which union one child, Louis 
 T., was born August 3, 1878. The 
 family are strict adherents to the Luther- 
 an Church, taking an active interest in 
 all church work, and socially they enjoy, 
 to the fullest extent, the respect and 
 esteem of the community. 
 
 John Frederick Mylander, a son of 
 the subject of this sketch, was born in 
 Cleveland, Ohio, December 31, 1862, and 
 came with his parents to Salem township, 
 Ottawa county, when but one year old. 
 His primary education was received in the 
 district schools of the township, and until 
 reaching manhood he remained at home 
 assisting his father in the care of the farm. 
 In 1893 Mr. Mylander left the paternal 
 abode, going to Kansas, where he re- 
 mained about fifteen months. Then re- 
 turning to Salem township he engaged in 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BTOORAPRICAL RECORD. 
 
 ro7 
 
 agricultural pursuits for a number of years. 
 Later he spent three years in Toledo, 
 Ohio, in which city he worked as a car- 
 penter; but always having a preference 
 for the place where he had spent his boy- 
 hood days, he again returned to Salem 
 township in 1894, and has since been en- 
 gaged in agricultural pursuits. Our subject 
 has inherited all his father's good qualities, 
 and as a consequence is a man of indom- 
 itable perseverance and of upright char- 
 acter. On March 12, 1891, he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth 
 Miller, a daughter of Ferdinand and Mary 
 Miller, and to this union have come two 
 children: Gertrude L., born May 7, 
 1892. who died July 28, 1892; and Les- 
 ter K., born December 16, 1893. 
 
 GEORGE F. WILT, farmer, and 
 late proprietor of the " Germania 
 House," of Fremont, was born in 
 York township, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio, June 28, 1844, a son of Harrison 
 and Hannah (Good) Wilt. 
 
 Harrison Wilt was born in Pennsyl- 
 vania, and came to Ohio when a boy, in 
 company with his maternal grandfather, 
 John Hunn, who located in Seneca coun- 
 ty, near Flat Rock, on what was then 
 called the Oak Openings, and followed 
 farming. Mr. Wilt afterward bought a 
 valuable farm in Sandusky county, on the 
 line of the Kilburn road, near Bellevue, 
 where he devoted himself chiefly to grain 
 farming, and making substantial improve- 
 ments in the erection of stone buildings. 
 His death occurred at his home in 1876. 
 His wife was born in Pennsylvania in 
 1 82 1, came to Seneca county at the age 
 of ten years, and grew to womanhood in 
 the vicinity of Flat Rock. Her death 
 occurred June 27, 1893. Both were mem- 
 bers of the Reformed Church in Thompson 
 township, Seneca county. 
 
 George F. Wilt was the eldest of a 
 family of eight children, and grew to man- 
 hood on his father's farm. After receiv- 
 
 ing an ordinary common-school education, 
 he spent one year at Heidelberg College, 
 Tiffin, Ohio. He continued to follow 
 farming, with the exception of one year, 
 previous .to the age of twenty-four, when 
 he engaged in the sale of farm implements 
 in the State of Michigan. Returning to 
 Ohio, he settled on a farm near Bellevue, 
 where he followed agricultural pursuits, 
 and continued the sale of farming imple- 
 ments for about twenty years. He then 
 sold his farm in York and bought another 
 in Jackson township, near Millersville, 
 where he remained until 1892, the year 
 of his removal to Fremont. He still re- 
 tains possession of his choice farm of 156 
 acres, lying in the oil and gas region. 
 Mr. Wilt has always been a stanch Demo- 
 crat in politics, and has held various 
 offices of honor and trust in his com- 
 munity. He served as clerk of York 
 township three terms, and as commis- 
 sioner of Sandusky county two terms, his 
 last term expiring in January, 1892. He 
 is a member of the Reformed Church, of 
 the Knights of Honor, and of the Knights 
 of the (iolden Cross. 
 
 In 1868 he married Miss Armena 
 Smith, who was born in York township in 
 1848, daughter of Frederick Smith, of 
 that township, and the children born to 
 this union are: Aletta L. , wife of Rev. 
 Irwin Beaver, of the Reformed Church, 
 at Marion, Franklin Co., Penn. ; William 
 H., a school teacher, of Fremont, Ohio; 
 Luella, a medical student, of Toledo, 
 Ohio; Emma Belle, attending the Fre- 
 mont schools; and Georgie p-lorence, liv- 
 ing at home. 
 
 BYRON HARTSHORN was one of 
 the prominent stock dealers, fruit 
 growers and agriculturists of Ot- 
 tawa county, and in his death the 
 community lost one of its valued citizens. 
 Our subject was born January i, 1829, 
 at Plasterbed, Danbury township, a son 
 of Wyatt and Jane (Kelly) Hartshorn. He 
 
798 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 received his elementary education in the 
 schools of the community, and also pur- 
 sued his studies in Sandusky City. From 
 early life he enyaj^ed in stock buj'ing and 
 in butchering, and also followed fishing 
 to some extent. Later he formed a part- 
 nership with Milo demons in the quarry- 
 ing business, ;it Marble Head, and con- 
 tinued in that line for a number of years. 
 He possessed good business ability, was 
 enterprising and progressive, made the 
 most of his ojiportunities, and by his well 
 directed efforts achieved a fair success. 
 
 On July 28, 1853, in Portage town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, was celebrated the 
 marriage of Mr. Hartshorn and Miss Mary 
 Dwelle. who was born in Portage town- 
 ship, near Plasterbed, December 16, 1S28, 
 a daughter of Elijah and Clarissa (Wood- 
 ford) Dwelle, the former a native of Massa- 
 chusetts, and the latter of New York. 
 They located in Portage township at a 
 very early day in the history of the county, 
 and there spent the remainder of their 
 lives. To our subject and wife have come 
 nine children, of whom Clarissa, born 
 May 27, 1854, died August 16, 1856; 
 Wyatt, born June 7, 1857, died February 
 7, 1861; Alta, born September 3, 1859, 
 is now the wife of M. E. Hettrick, a 
 resident of Lakeside, Ohio; Lydia, born 
 June 25, 1862, is the wife of William 
 Hocke, a resident of Sandusky City, 
 Ohio; George B., born December 5, 1864, 
 makes his home in Lakeside; Everett, 
 born November 18, 1867, is at home; 
 and Nellie was born October 27, 1870. 
 
 The Hartshorn family were among the 
 earliest settlers of Danbury township, Ot- 
 tawa county, and during his entire life 
 our subject was one of its most prominent 
 and progressive citizens. He was public- 
 spirited and enterprising, and readily en- 
 dorsed any project calculated to stimulate 
 the development and prosperity of his na- 
 tive township and county. He was gen- 
 erous and affable in manner, his sympa- 
 thies expressing themselves in kindness to 
 friends and family. He was a man of 
 
 broad charity and noble impulses, and 
 when called to his final rest, December 12, 
 1894, he left to his family the priceless 
 heritage of a good name. At the old 
 home place resides his faithful wife and 
 her children, Everett and Nellie, and all 
 their surroundings bespeak taste and cul- 
 ture. 
 
 HENKV BURGGKAF. In a work 
 devoted to the representative 
 citizens and early settlers of Otta- 
 wa county none are more deserv- 
 ing of mention in this volume than the 
 gentleman whose name begins this review, 
 and who is one of the wide-awake and 
 progressive fruit-growers on Put in Bay 
 Island. 
 
 Mr. Burggraf was born on Kelley's 
 Island, Erie Co., Ohio, June 2, 1859, and 
 is a son of Mathias and Anna Marie 
 (Schmidt) Burggraf. He was only a little 
 more than a month old when his parents 
 removed to the Island, and here he has 
 resided continuously since. Its public 
 schools afforded him his educational 
 privileges, and from his boyhood days he 
 has been engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
 He was early introduced to the labors of 
 the farm, and has led a busy and useful 
 life, until to-day he is ranked among the 
 leading fruit growers and wine makers on 
 the Island. On November 22, 1887, 
 Mr. Burggraf was united in marriage 
 with Miss Anna Marie Miller, who was 
 born on Middle Bass Island, February 10, 
 1862, and is a daughter of Joseph and 
 Helena (Rehberg) Miller. Three children 
 grace their union — Carl H., born Decem- 
 ber 4, 1888; Frederick A., born Novem- 
 ber 28, 1890; and Ruth Helena, born 
 May 19, 1894. 
 
 It is interesting in this connection to 
 note something of the family to which 
 our subject belongs. His father, Mathias 
 Burggraf, retired fruit raiser and wine 
 manufacturer, is now living on Put in Bay 
 Island. He was born June 2, 1825, in 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 799 
 
 the town of Wolfenweiler, Baden, Ger- 
 many, and is a son of Mathias and Anna 
 Marie (Kuechlin) Biirj^f,'raf, both of whom 
 were natives of Gcriiiany, where the 
 father died in 1847, and the mother in 
 1 876. Their son was reared and edu- 
 cated in the land of his nativity, and there 
 carried on af^ricultural pursuits and g;rape 
 growing until twenty-seven years of age. 
 He then determined to try his fortune in 
 America, crossed the Atlantic in 1852, 
 and for thirty-five years has made his 
 home on the Island, which is still his 
 place of residence. He was married in 
 Baden, Germany, June 2, 1847, to Anna 
 Marie Schmidt, whose birth occurred 
 there June 20, 1820. To this union 
 came five children, namely: Caroline, 
 born in Baden, May 18, 1848, who is now 
 the wife of Frederick Bretz, living on 
 Middle Bass Island; Mathias, born April 
 2, 1850; Frederick W., born in Huron 
 township, Erie county, November 20, 
 1856; Henry, born on Kelley's Island, 
 June 2, 1859; Anna Marie, who was born 
 February 14, 1863, and died September 
 1, 1870. 
 
 When Mr. Bruggraf came to this 
 country he left his family in Germany 
 until he could make preparations to bring 
 them to America. In 1853 he took up 
 his residence in Sandusky. Erie Co. , Ohio, 
 where he was joined by his wife and two 
 children. The followingyear he removed 
 to Huron county, where he was engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits until the spring of 
 1856. During the succeeding three years 
 he was employed in the stone quarries on 
 Kelley's Island, and in July, 1859, he 
 took up his residence on Put in Bay 
 Island. It was thus he got a start in 
 life, and by earnest labor, perseverance 
 and good management he acquired a 
 handsome competency, which now en- 
 ables him to live retired. His wife died 
 January 1 1, 1893, and her departure was 
 deeply mourned by many friends as well 
 as her immediate family. The Burggraf 
 family is one of prominence in the com- 
 
 munity, widely and favorably known, and 
 well deserve mention in this volume. 
 
 When excavating for the cellar of his 
 residence, Mr. Burggraf dug into what he 
 supposed was a burial place of the Indians 
 many hundred of years ago, and unearthed 
 the skeletons of some extraordinarily 
 large (supposed) warriors which were in a 
 fair state of preservation. Curiosity 
 seekers have carried away most of the re- 
 mains, but Mr. Burggraf still has in his 
 possession some very interesting relics. 
 
 FREDERICK W. ROOSE. a prom- 
 inent and progressive citizen, and 
 a leading merchant of Salem town- 
 ship, is a native of Ottawa coun- 
 ty, having first seen the light in Salem 
 township, about two miles from Oak Har- 
 bor, in January, 1855. He is a son of 
 Charles and Maria Roose. 
 
 Our subject's preliminary education 
 was received in the public schools of Ot- 
 tawa county, and his early life was spent 
 assisting his father in the care of the farm. 
 On attaining manhood he engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits for three years in Carroll 
 township; but, not liking the work in 
 connection with the farm, he decided to 
 sever his connection with it and to devote 
 his time and talents to a mercantile life. 
 Consequently, in 1882, hereturned to Sa- 
 lem township, and embarked in a general 
 merchandise business, which he still con- 
 tinues to carry on. Being a man of great 
 energy and indomitable perseverance, and 
 having given faithful attention to his busi- 
 ness, Mr. Roose has been very successful, 
 and is now in most comfortable circum- 
 stances. 
 
 Our subject was united in marriage in 
 Salem township, in 1879, with Miss Lena 
 Seemann, a daughter of Henry and Eliza- 
 beth Seemann, both natives of Germany, 
 who emigrated to America at an early 
 date, and for many years were honored 
 and respected residents of Salem town- 
 ship. The father still survives; the 
 
800 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 mother died some years ago. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Roose have no family. Politically 
 Mr. Roose is a stanch Democrat, and has 
 ever taken an active interest in public af- 
 fairs. The family are members of the 
 Lutheran Church, and enjoy the respect 
 and confidence of the entire community in 
 which they reside. 
 
 M 
 
 ATHIAS BURGGRAF, Jr., an 
 enterprising and energetic fruit 
 raiser and wine maker, living on 
 Put in Bay Island, Ottawa 
 county, is a native of Baden, Germany, 
 born April 2, 185 1, and is a son of 
 Mathias and Ann Marie (Schmidt) Burg- 
 graf, who were also natives of that coun- 
 try. The father is still living and resides 
 on Putin Bay Island; the mother passed 
 avvaj' January 11, 1893. 
 
 In early life our subject obtained a 
 hmited education in the district schools, 
 but subsequently availed himself of the 
 advantages of a select school, and through 
 study, observation and experience has be- 
 come a well-informed man. He was only 
 two and a half years old when he came to 
 America with his parents, and at the age 
 of eight years he became a resident of 
 Put in Bay Island, where he has since 
 made his home. Here he grew to man- 
 hood, and to-day he is one of the most in- 
 fhiential and prosperous men of the lo- 
 calitj'. When his school life was ended 
 he gave his time and energies to work 
 upon the home farm, where he continued 
 until he had attained his majority. In 
 1874, with the capital he had acquired 
 through industry and prudence, he pur- 
 chased the good farm upon which he now 
 resides, and here he devotes his labors to 
 the cultivation of fruit, in which work he 
 is quite successful. 
 
 Mr. Burggraf was married, in Sandusky 
 City, Erie Co., Ohio, November 16, 
 1876, to Miss Louisa Sherer, a daughter 
 of George Jacob and Louisa (Wagoner) 
 Sherer, both of whom were natives of 
 
 Bavaria, Germany. The father died 
 March 9, 1886; the mother is still living 
 and resides in Sandusky City. It was 
 there that Mrs. Burggraf was born, on 
 March 4, 1858. Our subject and his wife 
 have one son, George J., who was born 
 in Put in Bay, December 7, 1878. They 
 also have adopted a little niece (a daugh- 
 ter of Mrs. Burggraf's brother), Louisa 
 Sherer, who was born in Sandusk\' City, 
 July 5, 18S2. Her father died May 3, 
 1890, and her mother's death occurred 
 May 20, 1894. 
 
 Our subject has efficiently served as 
 school director in Put in Bay township 
 for twenty-one consecutive years, and has 
 done much toward perfecting the school 
 system on the Island. He has also been 
 a member of the township board for sev- 
 eral terms, and in office, as well as in all 
 the other relations of life, he is true to 
 every trust reposed in him. His char- 
 acter is above reproach. By his ballot 
 he supports the men and measures of the 
 Democratic party. He and his wife at- 
 tend the Reformed Episcopal Church. 
 Mr. Burggraf is one of the progressive 
 young men of the township, enterprising, 
 prudent and industrious, and is ever ready 
 to lend a helping hand to all matters cal- 
 culated to benefit the community and ad- 
 vance the best interests of the township. 
 His surroundings indicate taste and good 
 judgment, and are a credit to the owner. 
 
 LORENZ MILLER (deceased) was 
 a son of Lorenz Verena Miller, and 
 was born September 11, 1S31, 
 at Schopfheim, Weisenthal, Ba- 
 den, Germany. In his native land he ac- 
 quired his education, grew to manhood, 
 and learned the trade of a watchmaker. 
 On attaining his majority he sailed across 
 the briny deep to the New World, and two 
 years later, in 1854, located on Put in 
 Bay Island, Ottawa county, where he re- 
 sided until life's labors were ended. He 
 was extensively engaged in the cultivation 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 801 
 
 of a fine vineyard, and his business ability 
 and sound judgment won him a creditable 
 success. 
 
 Mr. Miller was married May 26, 1S60, 
 to Henrietta Foy, a daughter of Henry 
 and Henrietta (Myer) Foy, who were na- 
 tives of Germany. There the mother 
 died during the infancy of her daughter, 
 and the father afterward married Dorothy 
 M)'er, a sister of his first wife. In 1854 
 the family came to America and the fol- 
 lowing year settled on Put in l^ay Island, 
 where Mr. Foy died December 9, 1859, 
 his wife surviving him until August 15, 
 1879. By his first marriage there were 
 two children, Henrietta, Mrs. Miller, and 
 one who died in infancy. By the second 
 marriage there were si.x children, of whom 
 five are still living, namely: Marie, wife 
 of Jackson Fullington, chief of police of 
 Santa Barbara, Cal. ; August C. , who re- 
 sides at Put in Bay, and is chief officer on 
 the steamer " Arrow;" Louis T., who re- 
 sides at the same place; Anna, wife of 
 August Renderly, who is living on North 
 Bass Island; and Henry, a resident of De- 
 troit, Michigan. 
 
 Mrs. Miller was born in Braunschweig, 
 German}-, June 30, 1842, and came with 
 her parents to America. Since 1855 she 
 has lived on the Island, and is now resid- 
 ing at the beautiful home which was left 
 her by her husband. Their union was 
 blessed with four sons, as follows: George 
 Frederick, born May 2, 1861; Frank Jo- 
 seph, born September i, 1862; Henry 
 Theodore, born October 11, 1873; and 
 Lorenz, born October 26, 1875. The last 
 two are still on the old home farm. The 
 father of this family passed peacefully away 
 at his home, February 26, 1875, after a 
 twenty-one-years' residence on Put in Bay 
 Island. He was, however, cut off in the 
 prime of life, when it seemed that he had 
 much yet to live for. His whole career 
 was a practical commentary on the noble 
 virtues of an upright man. He commenced 
 his course at the bottom round of the lad- 
 der, and by honesty and industry worked 
 
 his way upward and acquired a handsome 
 fortune. Although it was his desire to 
 gain wealth for himself and family, there 
 was nothing sordid in his nature and he 
 followed the golden rule, doing unto others 
 as he would have them do to him. No 
 one could say that he acquired his fortune 
 through unfair means. His honesty and 
 liberality were among his most marked 
 characteristics, and no man seeking to rise 
 by his own endeavors ever asked assistance 
 of Mr. Miller in vain, while many a one 
 has received aid without even soliciting it 
 and owes his success in life to Mr. Miller's 
 helping hand. In his death the commu- 
 nity lost one of its most prominent and 
 progressive men, his wife a loving and de- 
 voted husband, and his children a kind 
 and indulgent father. 
 
 ALEXANDER McDONALD (de- 
 ceased) was one of the early set- 
 tlers of Portage township, Otta- 
 wa county, and many years of his 
 well-spent life were passed in that locality, 
 where he was numbered among the suc- 
 cessful agriculturists. He endured all the 
 trials and hardships of pioneer life, and 
 was actively interested in all that per- 
 tained to the welfare of the community. 
 A native of Banffshire, Scotland, he was 
 the only child born to Louis and Janet 
 McDonald. His childhood days were 
 passed upon a farm, and he acquired his 
 education in the common schools of the 
 home neighborhood. 
 
 In 1832 Mr. McDonald sailed for the 
 New World, embarking on the 20th of 
 July from Greenock, on the ship "Roger 
 Stewart," which reached Quebec forty- 
 five days later. He was not accompanied 
 by his wife, who remained in Scotland 
 two years longer, she sailing from 
 Greenock on the vessel "Frances," Au- 
 gust 24, 1834, and arriving at New York 
 after a voyage of forty-one days. She 
 was met by Mr. McDonald in Buffalo, N. 
 Y. , and together they proceeded to the 
 
802 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 home which he had prepared in Sandusky 
 county, Ohio. In 1836 they removed to 
 Plasterbed, Portage township, Ottawa 
 county, where he spent his remaining 
 days. On October 14, 1827, Mr. Mc- 
 Donald had married, in Bani^shire, Scot- 
 land, Miss Marjory McDonall, who was 
 born in Perthshire, Scotland, and was a 
 daughter of Ronald and Margaret (Car- 
 michael)McDonall. She became the moth- 
 er of nine children — Ronald, born January 
 8, 1829, who is deceased; Janet, born Jan- 
 uary 15, 1830, who became the wife of 
 Caleb Cooper in 1846, and died at their 
 home in Portage township; Lewis, born 
 October 14, 1835, who resides in Sandu.sky 
 City, Ohio; Charles, born June i, 1838, re- 
 siding at Plasterbed; Margaret, born July 
 4, 1840, who is the widow of Aaron Gow, 
 a resident of New Jersey; Elizabeth, born 
 June 20, 1843, who died February 14, 
 1844; Annie, who was born June 9, 1845, 
 and died March 25, 1855; John, born April 
 16, 1848, living at Marblehcad, Ohio; 
 and James, born April 15, 1851, who is 
 living in Portage township. The father 
 of this family passed away February 14, 
 1 89 1. His faithful and devoted wife, 
 with whom he had traveled life's pathway 
 for sixty-three years, survives him, and has 
 now reached an advanced age. He was 
 one of the valued and representative pio- 
 neers of this locality, and a well-spent life 
 won him the esteem of all. 
 
 James McDonald, the youngest child 
 of the family, acquired his education in 
 the district schools near home, and since 
 early boyhood has been engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits in Portage township. 
 On July 3, 1886, he was married, in Mon- 
 roe county, Mich., to Miss Elsie Watson, 
 a daughter of Peter and Isabel (McDon- 
 ald) Watson, who still reside in Banffshire, 
 Scotland, where their daughter was born 
 February 14, 1854. Four children grace 
 the union of Mr. and Mrs. McDonald — 
 Alexander, born June 11, 1887; Lucy, 
 born April 19, 1889, died March 1, 1891; 
 Cecelia, born January 15, 1891; and 
 
 Ronald, born March 31, 1893. In his 
 political views James McDonald is a Dem- 
 ocrat. He was reared in the faith of the 
 Roman Catholic Church, while his wife 
 was reared in the Presbyterian Church. 
 He is a wide-awake, progressive agricul- 
 turist, an honorable, upright man, and is 
 highly esteemed by his friends and neigh- 
 bors. 
 
 JOSEPH MILLER (deceased) was, 
 during his busy lifetime, one of the 
 prominent and successful grape- 
 growers of Middle Bass Island, Ot- 
 tawa county, and was one of the four 
 original purchasers of that Island. He 
 was born March 23, 1823, in Baden, Ger- 
 many, son of Joseph and Anna Marie 
 (Locherer) Miller, who were also born in 
 the Fatherland, where they died. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared 
 to manhood and educated in the Father- 
 land, where from early life he was en- 
 gaged in grape growing, an industry fol- 
 lowed by his father and grandfather be- 
 fore him. In 1854 he came to America, 
 settling in Erie county, Ohio, where he 
 resided three years, and in 1857 removed 
 to Middle Bass Island, of which he was 
 a continuous resident from that time for 
 the remainder of his life. On Ma}' 14, 
 
 1 86 1, in Sandusky, Erie county, Joseph 
 Millerwas united in marriage with Helena 
 Rehberg, who was born at Plau, in Meck- 
 lenburg-Schwerin, Germany, April 8, 
 1843, daughter of John and Christina 
 (Bohndorff) Rehberg, and their children 
 are as follows: Anna, born February 10, 
 
 1862, is the wife of Henry Burggraf; 
 they have three children — Carl, born De- 
 cember 4, 1888; Arnold, born November 
 28, 1890; and Ruth, born May 19, 1894. 
 Mary, born March 30, 1864, was united 
 in marriage with Ferdinand Sloat on Sep- 
 tember 4, 1888; they have had two sons 
 — Gregor J., born June 11, 1889; and 
 Frank Clyde, born July 25, 1892; they 
 reside in Sandusky. Eliza, born Septem- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHTCAL RECORD. 
 
 S03 
 
 ber 4, 1868, was married to Charles 
 I5rct;:, N(jvember 12, 1890, and they have 
 had two sons — Sherman Carl, born 
 August 25, 1891; and Leslie Joseph, born 
 December 25, 1893. Nellie J., born 
 January i, 1877, and Herman Joseph, 
 born July 30, 1878. 
 
 The brothers and sisters of Mrs. 
 Miller were as follows: William, who re- 
 sides on the Island; John, who passed all 
 his life there, dying Mays, 1*^88; Mary, 
 wife of Albany Kubagh, of Sandusky; 
 and Helena (Mrs. Miller). Mr. John Reh- 
 berg was again married, taking, for his 
 second wife, Mary Prool, who was born 
 in Mecklenburg, Germany, March 4, 
 1813, and they had children, as follows: 
 Frederick, who lives in Sandusky; Henry, 
 born October 4, 1854, who was united in 
 marriage x^pril 9, 1876, on Middle Bass 
 Island, with Mina Kapphengst, who was 
 born in Mecklenburg, May 7, 1853, and 
 they have had one child — Clara, born 
 February 22, 1889. Henry commenced 
 in the hotel business in Middle Bass, in 
 1890; and Louis, who was born February 
 9, 1858, and died December 11, 1882. 
 
 Mr. Miller passed away June 24, 18S4. 
 In his political views he was a Democrat. 
 He was repeatedly called to offices of re- 
 sponsibility and trust in his township, 
 which he filled with fidelity and acknowl- 
 edged ability, and the memory of his 
 noble character will long be cherished. 
 His widow, who is regarded highly in the 
 community and admired for her many 
 virtues, is now residing on the homestead. 
 
 RUSSEL ELLITHORPE, one of 
 the well-known and enterprising 
 farmers and fruit growers of Ca- 
 tawba Island township, Ottawa 
 county, is a representative of one of the 
 honored early families of the county, and 
 his brothers, George and Cyrus, are also 
 extensive fruit growers of the vicinity. 
 The latter was the first white child born 
 on Kelley's Island, where our subject's 
 
 birth occurred September 22, 1834. and 
 he is a son of Hunrv and Elizabeth (Neal) 
 EUithorpe. 
 
 When about two years of age Russel 
 EUithorpe went with his parents to Dan- 
 bury township, Ottawa county, but in 
 1840 located in Catawba Island township. 
 His advantages for securing an education 
 were quite limited, he onlv being able to at- 
 tend school during the winter seasons, as 
 his services were required in assisting in 
 the cultivation and improvement of the 
 farm during the summer months, and the 
 schools of that early day were not as 
 good as they are at present. Besides his 
 farming interests, for twenty years he en- 
 gaged in fishing on Lake Erie during the 
 spring and fall, but of late years his chief 
 occupatitm has been that of fruit grow- 
 ing, his time being mostly taken up in the 
 cultivation of his extensive and productive 
 orchards. For over forty-seven years he 
 has been a constant resident of Catawba 
 Island, during which time he has achieved 
 an enviable reputation for honesty and fair 
 dealing, and his pleasant, genial tempera- 
 ment has made him hosts of friends. 
 
 At Fremont, Sandusky Co., Ohio, 
 November lO, 1856, Mr. EUithorpe was 
 united in marriage with Almeda Tilliton, 
 a daughter of Obdic and Lydia (Wonnell) 
 Tilliton, the former of whom was a native 
 of New York State, and the latter of 
 Maryland; they became early .settlers of 
 Danbury township, Ottawa county. Two 
 children were born to our subject and his 
 worthy wife, one of whom still survives, 
 namely: James, born March 10, 1857. 
 Eugene died at the age of two years, four 
 months. For ten years Mr. EUithorpe 
 had served in the capacity of trustee of 
 Catawba Island township, and is an act- 
 ive worker in the ranks of the Repub- 
 lican party, which he always supports by 
 his ballot. Socially he belongs to Ca- 
 tawba Island Lodge No. 2783, Knights of 
 Honor. He and his brothers are among 
 the few remaining pioneers of Catawba 
 Island who have been spared to see the 
 
804 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BWORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 primitive forestb and log cabins give way 
 to the prociii';ti\e orchards and beautiful 
 homes that now adorn this picturesque 
 section of Ottawa county. 
 
 James Ellithorpe, the only surviving 
 child of our subject, is one of the ambi- 
 tious ancj energetic agriculturists who are 
 doing much to still further improve the 
 great fruit-growing interests of Catawba 
 Island, and ranks among the prominent 
 and respected citizens of the community. 
 His boyhood days were spent upon the 
 homestead farm, and he now lives near 
 the home of his father. He was married 
 in Michigan October 8, 1886, to Miss 
 Lydia Burns, and four children blessed 
 this union — Leavitt, born July 12, 1887, 
 who died February 6, 1888; Vernon R.. 
 born October 30, 1890; Ettie M., born 
 January 28, 1893; and Eola A., born July 
 21, 1894. Mrs. Ellithorpe was born in 
 Wood county, Ohio, April 30, 1858, and 
 is a daughter of Andrew and Rosena 
 Burns, who were early residents of Port 
 Clinton, Ottawa county, and passed away 
 when their daughter was but a child. 
 
 gust 
 
 HENRY BORDT. Among the 
 younger members of the sturdy 
 farming population of Riley town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, is Henry 
 Bordt, who was born in Sandusky county, 
 Ohio, October 18, 1873, and is the son 
 of August and Mina Bordt. 
 
 August Bordt was born in Germany, 
 February 18, 1843. In 1 866 he was united 
 in marriage, in the Fatherland, with Mina 
 Mikewilt, who was born March 3, 1841, 
 in Germany. In 1872 they came to 
 Ainerica, locating in Townsend township, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, where they lived 
 some seven years. They have had two 
 children, namely: Carrie, who was born 
 October 25, 1869, married Christian 
 Olmes.and has had three children — Alma, 
 Otto, and Laura (they live in Riley town- 
 ship); and Henry, the subject of this 
 sketch. From Townsend township Au- 
 
 Bordt moved to Rile\' township, 
 where he bought forty acres of land, and 
 in 1885 he built a new house and barn. 
 
 Henry Bordt was reared in Townsend 
 township, always lived at home and re- 
 ceived a common-school education. He 
 was early inducted into the pleasant paths 
 of industry, frugality and virtue, and in 
 1890 he bought forty acres of land ad- 
 joining his fathers's farm. He attends 
 the Lutheran Church, and is a Democrat 
 in politics. 
 
 B 
 
 r. ROGERS a well-known shoe- 
 maker of Clyde, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, where he is now serving as 
 justice of the peace, was born in 
 the town of Lyons, Wayne Co., N. Y. , 
 August 3, 1830, and is a son of Joel and 
 Betsy (Ellis) Rogers. His father's birth 
 occurred in Phelps, N. Y., near Bulltown 
 Springs, and by occupation was a farmer, 
 also carrying on carpentering and joining. 
 In 1830 he came to Ohio, it requiring 
 three weeks to make the trip from Buffalo, 
 N. Y.,to Huron. Ohio, by water. He located 
 at Hartland, Huron Co., Ohio, twelve 
 miles east of Norwalk, where he engaged 
 in farming until his death, which occurred 
 in 1854, when he was aged sixty-one 
 years. In politics he was a supporter of 
 the Democratic party. The mother of 
 our subject, who was born in 1798 in New 
 Canaan, Conn., died on the 4th of July, 
 1888. She had a sister who died a year 
 later at the remarkable age of 103 years 
 and one week. At the age of ninety- 
 nine years she did the cooking for a re- 
 union, and our subject has a piece of 
 poetry she recited when a centenarian. 
 
 The paternal grandfather was a shoe- 
 maker of New York. .He wedded Mary 
 Kuntz, a native of Germany, and he 
 served through the Revolutionary war 
 under Gen. Washington. One of his sons 
 was the father of Randolph Rogers, the 
 famous sculptor. He died in Rome, leav- 
 ing a son and daughter, who are both at- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BWORAPITTCAL RECORD. 
 
 805 
 
 tendinpf collefje at Ann Arbor, Mich. The 
 R()f,'crs family is of Enj^tish descent, the 
 great-grandfather of our subject having 
 come from England to the New World. 
 The maternal great-grandfather was also 
 a native of England, and the grandfather, 
 who was a great jumper and athlete, and 
 was a soldier during the struggle for inde- 
 pendence. 
 
 In Hartland, Huron Co., Ohio, B. F. 
 Rogers, subject of this sketch, spent his 
 boyhood days, attending the public 
 schools. At the age of seventeen years 
 he began learning the shoemaker's trade 
 with his uncle, A. G. Ellis, at Fitchville, 
 Huron county, where he remained for 
 nine years. He then for one year had a 
 shop of his own in Wakeman, that coun- 
 ty, but at the expiration of that time again 
 worked for his uncle, with whom he re- 
 mained for a year, but the following win- 
 ter was employed at his trade in Clarks- 
 field, Huron county. He then entered a 
 drug store, and for one year studied medi- 
 cines and drugs, after which he went to 
 Michigan, where he continued his studies 
 with the brother of the professor of sur- 
 gery in the Homeopathic College of 
 Cleveland, Ohio. He was there pre- 
 pared to enter college, but, becoming tired 
 of the profession, he returned to Clarks- 
 field, resuming work at his trade. 
 
 In that place Mr. Rogers was united 
 in marriage with Miss Myra Buck, who 
 was reared in Xorwalk, Ohio, and to 
 them were born four children: Emma, 
 who married Alfred Barber, of Norwalk, 
 and has one child — Florence; Belle, wife 
 of E. M. Keller, of Pomona, Cal. ; Hattie, 
 the widow of I. Boone, is a resident of 
 California, and has two children — Effel 
 and John B. ; Grant C. died in 1877, at 
 the age of eleven years. In 1876 the 
 mother of these children passed to her 
 final rest, and September i, 1877, Mr. 
 Rogers wedded Miss Belinda Malcom, of 
 Ruggles, Ashland Co. , Ohio. Her father 
 is a native of Aberdeen, Scotland. By 
 her marriage she has three children — 
 
 Malcom, Lillie and Archie. After his 
 fir.-t marriage Mr. Rogers removed to 
 Norwalk, Ohio, where he worked at his 
 trade during the Civil war, but later be- 
 came a resident of New London, Huron 
 Co., Ohio. In 1869 he located in Clyde, 
 where he deals in shoes, and is also en- 
 gaged in their manufacture. He does 
 general repairing, and all the work which 
 he turns out is of first-class order. 
 
 For the last five years Mr. Rogers 
 has served as justice of the peace, and 
 during the entire time has never had a 
 case reversed in common pleas court. In 
 politics he is deeply in sympathy with the 
 Republican party. He has been a mem- 
 ber of the Masonic fraternity since No- 
 vember 16, 1855, and is now a Royal Arch 
 Mason, while he has been connected with 
 the I. O. O. F. since February 16, 1870. 
 He is liberal in his religious views, and is 
 a member of the Universalist Church. 
 Mr. Rogers is practically a self-made 
 man, well endowed mentally, and by his 
 own physical exertions has made his life 
 a success. 
 
 JANSTED, one of the prosperous 
 representative farmer citizens of 
 Washington township, Sandusky Co. , 
 Ohio, is a native of same, born March 
 15, 1855. 
 
 His parents, John and Mary (Upp) 
 Ansted, were of Pennsylvania birth, from 
 which State they migrated to Ohio, set- 
 tling on a farm in Sandusky county, where 
 the father died when their son Jacob was 
 fourteen years old. The latter had then 
 to assist in the support of his widowed 
 mother on their eighty-acre farm, and 
 when he came of age he purchased forty 
 acres from her, in the cultivation of which 
 he has since devoted his care and atten- 
 tion. His mother for her second husband 
 married Absalom Dank, a native of Ger- 
 many, and they are living on the remain- 
 ing forty acres of the original eighty-acre 
 farm in Washington township. 
 
806 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Mr. Ansted is still sinj^le, is a Demo- 
 crat in politics, in reli,!?ious faith a mem- 
 ber of the Lutheran Church, and enjoj-s 
 the respect and esteem of the community 
 in which he lives. 
 
 JOHN BENDER, who owns and 
 operates a fine farm in Sandusky 
 township, Sandusky county, was 
 born in Rice township, that county, 
 March 29, i S46, a son of Daniel and 
 Elizabeth (Druckmiller) Bender. 
 
 Daniel Bender came from Perry coun- 
 ty, Ohio, and settled in Rice township, 
 Sandusky count}', in 1844, where our 
 subject was born, and when the latter 
 was one year old the mother died. Daniel 
 Bender for his second wife married Miss 
 Caroline Honeywell. The family after- 
 ward removed to Branch county, Mich., 
 settling near Coldwater, where the father 
 died at the age of fifty-seven. On account 
 of the early death of his mother, John 
 Bender, being then an infant of one year, 
 was placed, for rearing, in the hands of 
 Peter Albert and wife, who were cousins 
 of his father. Here he received loving 
 care and grew up to manhood, attending 
 the district schools at intervals, and he 
 remained with his foster parents until 
 eighteen years of age, when he went to 
 work on a farm by the month. He saved 
 his money, and a few years later married 
 Miss Caroline Riser (a sister of Christian 
 Riser), a native of Germany, born June 
 6, 184S. They settled on land Mr. Ben- 
 der now owns, commencing in a small 
 way; but success smiled upon their efforts 
 and they were soon able to purchase 
 more land. Mr. Bender is now recognized 
 as one of the leading, successful agricul- 
 turists of the township, owning 279 acres 
 of land as good as any other in the State. 
 In December, 1894, he sank an oil well on 
 his farm, and the company to which he 
 belongs have put down three wells, all of 
 which are producing and promise to be 
 fairly successful ventures. He and his 
 
 wife have nine children: Christian, who 
 married Rebecca Enqler; Saloma E. , 
 wife of Frank Stine(they have one child); 
 Charles; Ella, now Mrs. John Mairer; 
 Lavina, who was married July 3, 1894, to 
 Frank Fetterman; Emma; Frank, and 
 Wesley. 
 
 Mr. Bender started in life with no en- 
 dowment save a strong pair of hands and 
 his own good judgment; to-day he is in- 
 dependent. Much of the land he now 
 owns cost him $100 per acre. He is an 
 unofficious, unassuming man to meet, but 
 his worth as a neighbor, friend and citizen 
 is well appreciated in the community. In 
 1889 he was elected township treasurer, 
 and has held that office by re-election to 
 the present time. Politically he is a 
 Democrat. 
 
 WILLIAM CANTY. Among the 
 Inisiness men of Gibsonburg, 
 Sandusky county, who have 
 made a reputation for straight 
 dealing and honest work, will be found 
 the subject of this sketch, who is the pro- 
 prietor of the boiler shops in that city. 
 
 Mr. Canty is a native of Illinois, hav- 
 ing been born at Pana, that State, June 
 8, 1862. He is the son of Thomas and 
 Julia (Fogerty) Canty, the father being 
 born in County Limerick, the mother in 
 County Kerry, Ireland. Both emigrated 
 to America when young, and settled in 
 Pana, 111., where they, married. The 
 father died in that city when tifty-eight 
 3'ears of age, and the mother, who sur- 
 vives him, makes her home in Tiffin, this 
 State. This worthy couple were devoted 
 members of the Catholic Church, as are 
 their children of whom the following 
 record is given: John is the owner of a 
 boiler shop in Tiffin, Ohio; Thomas, who 
 makes his home in Chicago, 111., is a 
 traveling agent for the Hartford Life In- 
 surance Company; William, our subject, 
 comes ne.\t; Edward, a machinist, lives 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 807 
 
 in Chicago; James is a foreman in the Big 
 Four shops at Milttui, IlHnois. 
 
 WiUiani Canty grew up to manhood 
 at his home in Pana, III., and when nine- 
 teen years old went to Maryville, Mo., 
 where he worked as an engine wiper for 
 si.x months. He then moved to Tiffin, 
 this State, and learned the trade of a 
 boiler maker with his brother. He was 
 then for si.\ months fireman on the Wa- 
 bash railway. Returning to Tiffin, he 
 worked in the boiler shop for a year when 
 he again went to Pana and worked at his 
 trade for five months. Alternating be- 
 tween this ]->lace and Tiffin for some time, 
 he fired on the Ohio & Mississippi Valley 
 railroad one year, and worked in the 
 boiler shops in Tififin for three years, when 
 he was married, in two years thereafter, 
 August, 1890, moving to Gibsonburg. 
 Here he opened up a boiler shop with a 
 partner, but in April, 1893, purchased 
 the whole concern and is now carrying it 
 on himself. He iias established a good 
 business and a reputation for industry 
 and honesty, and has the confidence of 
 the community as a skilled workman. 
 
 Mrs. Canty, who before her marri- 
 age was Miss Agnes Cathcart, was born in 
 Tiffin, December 2 I, 1863. Mr. Cantv is 
 a member of the Catholic Church, and of 
 the Catholic Knights of St. John, at Tif- 
 fin; in politics he is a Democrat. He is 
 a fine specimen of physical manhood, 
 strong and muscular, and will probably 
 live to a good old age as his maternal 
 grandparents both lived to be over one 
 hundred years old. 
 
 CD. WHITE. M. D., physician 
 and surgeon, Fremont, Sandusky 
 county, is a native of Ohio, hav- 
 ing been born in Bellaire, Bel- 
 mont county, December 11, 1839, a son 
 of R. B., and ?:iiza A. (Ray) White, both 
 of whom were of Irish descent. The father, 
 who was also a physician of prominence, 
 practiced in Monroe (of which county he 
 
 51 
 
 was a pioneer), Washington and Noble 
 counties, Ohio, and died in the latter 
 county in 1878. The mother, who came 
 to Ohio from Lancaster county, Penn., is 
 still living, and makes her home in West 
 Virginia. 
 
 The subject proper of this review was 
 reared in eastern Ohio, receiving his edu- 
 cation in the public schools of Monroe 
 and Noble counties. In August, 1861, 
 he enlisted in Noble county, Ohio, for 
 three years' service, in Company K, 
 Twentieth O. V. I., was ihustered in at 
 Columbus, Ohio, and assigned to the 
 army of West Virginia. He participated 
 in some important battles, among which 
 may be mentioned those of Carnifax 
 Ferr}', Seconal Bull Run, South Moun- 
 tain, Antietam, Haines' Bluff, Jackson 
 and siege of Vicksburg, at which latter he 
 received a severe scalp wound. After an 
 honorable discharge at Columbus, Ohio, 
 our subject returned to his home in Noble 
 county. In 1865 he re-entered military 
 service, and held the rank of second 
 lieutenant of Company E, One Hundred 
 and Ninety-fourth, O. V. I., until the 
 close of the war, receiving a final honor- 
 able discharge in Jime, 1865, and again 
 returning home, after which he was en- 
 gaged for some time, along with his 
 brother, in a general mercantile business 
 at Flint Mills, Washington Co., Ohio. 
 
 Later he began the study of medicine 
 under the preceptorship of Dr. Henshaw.of 
 Ellenboro, W. Va. , and after taking a course 
 of clinics in the Cincinnati General Hospit- 
 al, he, in 1 873, entered the Eclectic Medical 
 Institute of that city and attended a course 
 of lectures. After practicing at a distance 
 for a time, he returned to Cincinnati in 
 1878, took a full course at the Eclectic 
 Medical Institute, graduating with honor. 
 The Doctor has practiced medicine in 
 Pleasant Valley (W. Va.), Clayville (Va.) 
 and Salineville fColumbiaua Co., Ohio), 
 at which latter place he was associated 
 with Dr. Sutzer, and thence came to the 
 Western Reserve. He also practiced 
 
808 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 three years in Ringgold county, Iowa, in 
 the city of Fremont since 1880, and al- 
 together has built up an enviable reputa- 
 tion in his 4Drofession, in which he has 
 shown a commendable interest. He 
 studied and practiced under a general 
 allopathic practitioner, three years. Dr. 
 White holds and has held various posi- 
 tions of honor and trust in the commu- 
 nity. He is a member of the Sandusky 
 County Board of Pension E.xaminers, 
 medical examiner for the National Union, 
 and surgeon for the Union Veterans 
 Union; is one of the commissioners for 
 visiting the charitable institutions of the 
 county. He is a member of the National 
 Union, of the State Eclectic Society, and 
 holds certificates from the National Eclec- 
 tic Society and from the Iowa Eclectic 
 Society, also from the Hospital of Clinics, 
 Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 
 Dr. White was married in Wood coun- 
 ty, W. Va., in 1871, to Miss Elizabeth 
 Ullum, and their children are: John, a 
 plumber, who is married and has two 
 children; Eliza Ellen, wife of Philip 
 Lowry, of Huron county, Ohio (they 
 have one child); Willie Delilah, wife of 
 James Powers, East Prairie, Mo. ; and 
 Thomas, who at present is attending Fre- 
 mont High School. Mrs. White died at 
 Mt. Ayr, Iowa, December 30, 1885, and 
 in 1888 Dr. White married, at Fremont, 
 Ohio, Miss Hortense Ickes, daughter of 
 Samuel and Elizabeth Ickes, the former 
 of whom is deceased, the latter residing 
 on the old homestead north of Fremont. 
 Mrs. White was elected National Presi- 
 dent of the Women's Veteran Relief 
 Union. The Doctor, in his political pref- 
 erences, is a Democrat, and he is held in 
 the highest esteem and regard. 
 
 ADAM MAURER, proprietor of a 
 livery and feed stable at Helena, 
 Sandusky county, where he also 
 conducts a thriving teaming and 
 draying business, is a native of that coun- 
 
 ty, born September ig, 1858, in Wash- 
 ington township. 
 
 Up to the year 188S our subject con- 
 tinued to reside with his parents, James 
 and Marie Maurer, and then, his mother 
 having sold the farm of 120 acres in 
 Washington township, which had been 
 left her at the death of her husband, she 
 and her son Adam moved into the town 
 of Helena, same county, where Mr. 
 Maurer established his present business. 
 He is also to some extent interested in oil 
 wells, and by diligence and close atten- 
 tion to business has succeeded in securing 
 a wide patronage for his livery, etc. Mrs. 
 Marie Maurer, -mother of the subject 
 proper of these lines, was born in Ger- 
 many of well-to-do and respectable farm- 
 ing people, who came to the United 
 States several years ago. 
 
 In his political preferences our sub- 
 ject is a stanch Democrat, but is no office 
 seeker, preferring to devote all his time 
 to his business. He is a man of good 
 standing in the community, and although 
 popular and well-liked is still living in a 
 state of " single blessedness." 
 
 BENJAMIN EPLER. Among those 
 steady-going, hard-working men 
 who are pillars of strength in the 
 community in which they live, 
 and, by their lives, set before the young 
 examples of temperance, industrj-, fru- 
 gality, virtue and faith, is Mr. Epler. 
 
 Benjamin Epler, Sr. , father of the 
 subject of this sketch, married Barbara 
 Smith. They were both born in Penn- 
 sylvania, and lived and died there, leaving 
 two children to mourn them, namely: 
 Henry, whe married Emma Fought, by 
 whom he has one child, and is a farmer 
 in Pennsylvania, and Benjamin, Jr., who 
 was born July 3, 1839. Our subject was 
 united in marriage October 11, 1851, with 
 Elizabeth Unger, who was born in Penn- 
 sylvania December 21, 1828, and they 
 have had seven children, of whom we 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 809 
 
 have the following record: Rosie married 
 Joseph Slates, a farmer in Michigan; 
 they had six children. George is a farm- 
 er in Michigan; he married Frances 
 Callahan, and they have had three 
 children. Sally married David Witzler, 
 and has had three children; they 
 live in Helena, Sandusky Co., Ohio. 
 Samuel, who lives in Michigan, married 
 Etta Ring, by whom he has had two 
 children. John married Hannah Ickes, 
 and they have had one child. Henry died 
 at the age of nineteen years. Katie is 
 unmarried and lives at home. Mrs. Ep- 
 ler's parents, Samuel and Elizabeth 
 (Schneider) Unger, were farming people, 
 and lived in Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Epler came to Ohio in the early 
 times, and bought eighty acres of timber 
 land, in Madison township, Sandusky 
 county, all but ten acres of which he has 
 cleared. He has worked hard, early and 
 late, and has to-day a beautiful home 
 wherein to pass his later days. He is a 
 strong Republican, and in religious con- 
 nection is a charter member of the United 
 Brethren Church at Helena. 
 
 JOHN ANDREWS, farmer, was born 
 in Ballville township, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio, March 12, 1839, a son of 
 Jacob and Elizabeth (Indes) Andrews. 
 Jacob Andrews was born in 1801, and his 
 wife in 1807, in France; and she died May 
 15, 1892. They had five children: (i) 
 Joseph Andrews, born in 1837, a farmer 
 of Millersville, Ohio, who married Anna 
 Young, and has a family of seven chil- 
 dren; (2) John Andrews, our subject; (3) 
 Mary Andrews, born in 1841, wife of 
 Lewis Baumgardner, a farmer, of Michi- 
 gan, whose children are Frank, John and 
 Mary; (4) Jacob, born in 1845, married 
 to Mary Rilley, whose children are Ula- 
 liah, Georgiana, Claude and James; (5) 
 David, born March 11, 1843, married in 
 1868 to Julia Scanlan, who was born 
 March 7, 1850, and their children are — 
 
 Peter, born September 11, 1870; Julia, 
 born June 7, 1874; Stella, born February 
 25, 1880; Mary, born January 23, 1882; 
 John L. , born May 2, 1884; and I^oretta, 
 born September 11, 1891. 
 
 Our subject remained at home with 
 his parents until his twenty-fifth year. 
 He then rented some land of his father 
 and farmed on shares. Subsequently he 
 bought ninety-two acres of his father, on 
 which he now resides. He is no office 
 seeker, but has held several offices in his 
 township. He was a soldier in the Civil 
 war, having er.listed in Comiiany A, One 
 Hundred and Eleventh Regiment, O.V. I., 
 at Toledo, Ohio, whence he proceeded to 
 Louisville and Frankfort, Ky., and spent 
 the winter at Bowling Green. In the 
 spring of 1863 he marched through Ken- 
 tucky, back and forth, was taken sick, 
 and lay for a time at No. 7, Louisville 
 Hospital. After convalescence he was 
 transferred to the Seventeenth Regiment, 
 Veteran Reserve Corps, and helped guard 
 Rebel prisoners at Indianapolis, Iiid., 
 until discharged. He was married August 
 20, 18 --, to Miss Mary Scanlan, who was 
 born December 25, 1837, and they had 
 seven children: (i) Mary, born June 7. 
 1 862 ; (2) David, born February 1 8, 1 865. a 
 mason by trade; (3) Elizabeth, born June 
 27, 1867, wife of Rufus Kellcy, whose 
 children are — Anna Marie, born Septem- 
 ber 18, 1889, and John, born in 1891; (4) 
 John, born September 12, 1869, a stone 
 mason; (5) Frank, born June 12, 1872; 
 (6) George E., born April 23, 1878; (7) 
 Edward V., born March 16, 1880; the 
 last four named are living with their 
 parents. 
 
 A record of the family of children, of 
 which Mrs. Mary Andrews is a member, 
 is as follows: John married, and has a 
 family of eight children; Thomas died in 
 childhood; Mary is Mrs. Andrews; John 
 was a soldier in the Civil war. member of 
 Company A, One Hundred and Eleventh 
 Regiment, O. \'. I., and died in 1S93; 
 Jeremiah; Edward married Julia Leary, 
 
810 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and has eight children (he served five 
 years in the Civil war, and later was a 
 merchant at Toledo, Ohio; he died Feb- 
 ruary i8, 1886); Julia, born June 7, 1852, 
 is the wife of David Andrews; Michael, 
 born in 1854, married Mary Camele, 
 whose children are — Nora, William, Mich- 
 ael and Nellie; David, born May 9, 1857, 
 is a police officer in Fremont, Ohio, mar- 
 ried Margaret Donahue, and their chil- 
 dren are — Edward, Mary, John and Frank. 
 
 M 
 
 L. HUSS. To this enterpris- 
 ing farmer of Green Creek town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, is due 
 largely the growth of the small- 
 fruit industry in his locality. Mr. Huss 
 lives on the ridge in the township, and 
 was one of its first men to engage in grow- 
 ing and shipping small fruits on a large 
 scale. He has made fruit-growing his 
 chief business for many years. 
 
 Mr. Huss was born in Green Creek 
 township, March 31,1 848, son of Christian 
 and Catherine (Rathbun) Huss. Christian 
 Huss was born on Cat Island, on the Sus- 
 quehanna river, Penn., February 21, 
 I 81 5. In 1824 he came to Ohio with his 
 parents, Noah and Mary (Burkholder) 
 Huss, who settled on what is now known 
 as the Kernahan farm, in Green Creek 
 township, lived to an advanced age, and 
 left a large family, consisting of John, 
 Noah, Christian, Elijah, Jacob, Ellen 
 (wife of David Hawk), Barbara E. (wife 
 of S. S. Rathbun), Jane (who first mar- 
 ried a Mr. Bernent, and afterward wedded 
 Oliver Mclntire; she lived on the old 
 Huss farm), Ann (who married George 
 Hutchins), and Martha (who married a 
 Mr. Campbell, and moved to Iowa). 
 Christian married Catherine Rathbun, who 
 was born in Ontario county, N. Y., in 
 1818, and had twelve children, as follows: 
 Chaplin, of Green Creek township; Eliza, 
 wife of John Morrison, of Ballville town- 
 ship; Shannon, who died young; Noah 
 B. ; Darius, who died at the age of four- 
 
 teen years; Burr, of Ballville township; 
 Maurice L. , of Green Creek township; 
 Jane, who married a Mr. Gleeson, by 
 whom she had two children, and after- 
 ward married Dr. McMillen, of Steuben 
 county, Ind. ; Oliver P., of Steuben coun- 
 ty, Ind. ; Barbara, wife of Chauncey 
 Young, of Steuben county, Ind. ; Chris- 
 tian E., on the old homestead in Green 
 Creek township; and Saxton. Christian 
 Huss, the father, died February 22, 1864, 
 aged forty-nine years. His faithful and 
 devoted wife survived until August, 1893. 
 Maurice L. Huss, subject of this 
 sketch, attended the Dawley school, in 
 Ballville township, a joint district, and on 
 the old homestead he learned the practi- 
 cal value and lesson of perseverance and 
 industry. He was married, in 1871, at 
 the age of twenty-three \ears, to Miss 
 Henrietta Storer, born in Brooklj-n vil- 
 lage, October 21, 1851, daughter of 
 Samuel Storer, a prominent farmer of 
 Green Creek township. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 Huss have been born two children — Ruth 
 and Dwight. Mr. Huss is regarded gen- 
 erally as one of the leadiiig men of the 
 township, and is essentially a progressive, 
 active citizen. He has for twenty-two 
 years been a prominent member of the 
 I. O. O. F. , and is a charter member of 
 Clyde Grand Encampment. He was elect- 
 ed trustee of the township in 1893, and is 
 now serving in that capacity. 
 
 LS. McGORMLEY, contractor and 
 builder, Fremont, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, is a native of Ballville town- 
 ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio, born 
 May 4, 1850, son of George and Lucy J. 
 (Hampsher) McGormlej'. 
 
 George McGormley was born in Perry 
 county, Ohio, in 1826, came to Sandusky 
 county, when he was three years old, 
 and here remained the rest of his life, 
 dying in 1886. He was a Democrat, and 
 a member of the M. E. Church. His 
 father, William McGormley, who was 
 
VOMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAVUIVAL RECORD. 
 
 811 
 
 born in Perry county, Ohio, of Scotch 
 ancestry, lived in Sandusky county from 
 1829 to 1872, when he moved to near 
 Lansing, Mich., and there died at the 
 age of eighty-five. Our subject's mother 
 was born in Sparta, near Rochester, 
 N. Y. , November 3, 1828, and is still living 
 in Ballville township. The children of 
 George and Lucy McGormley were: Su- 
 san, wife of George Cole, of Ballville 
 township; Louis S., our subject; George 
 F., a civil engineer, of Toledo, Ohio; 
 Anna, wife of Andrew Miller, subject's 
 partner in business; and Charles A., a 
 farmer, on the old homestead. 
 
 Our subject grew to manhood in Ball- 
 ville township, where he attended good 
 country schools, and at the age of twenty 
 began to learn the trade of carpenter 
 with Matt Earney. In 1873 he married 
 Miss Martha Harris, of Green Creek 
 township, a member of the Lutheran 
 Church, and located in Ballville, San- 
 dusky county, where he worked at his 
 trade. He was in the employ of A. Fos- 
 ter, builder, about eight years. In 1882-83 
 Mr. McGormley became a contractor 
 and builder on his own account, and has 
 followed that vocation most of the time 
 since; he built the residence of Dr. R. 
 H. Rice, and several other fine structures. 
 In April, 1893, he was elected a member 
 of the city council on the Democratic 
 ticket. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., 
 Subordinate Lodge and Encampment, 
 and of the daughters of Rebekah; also of 
 Canton, Uniformed Rank, K. of P. His 
 children were: Chester, who died in 1893, 
 aged twenty; Edith, a graduate of the 
 high school, 1893; and Lucy Jane, at 
 home. 
 
 WILLIAM BLECKNER, a popu- 
 lar, representative citizen, and 
 postmaster at Oak Harbor, Ot- 
 tawa county, was born Febru- 
 ary 14, 1853, at Fremont, Sandusky Co., 
 
 Ohio, to Adam and Christina (Lenhardt) 
 Bleckner. 
 
 His early education was received in 
 the public schools of his native town, 
 and when but twelve years of age he en- 
 gaged in agricultural pursuits, which he 
 continued to follow in Sandusky county 
 for eight years. In 1873 he entered the 
 employ, as clerk, of J. Ai.\ter& Co., lead- 
 ing druggists of that county, at the expir- 
 ation of three years (in 1876) purchasing 
 the business, and from that date until 
 1886 — when he admitted his brother 
 Charles as a partner — he conducted same 
 on his own account; in 1885 he established 
 a branch store at Rocky Ridge, Ohio, and 
 four years later he established another 
 branch store at Port Clinton. In 1891 
 Bleckner disposed of his interest in the 
 business, his brother becoming sole pro- 
 prietor, and during the years 1892-93 he 
 was engaged in mercantile pursuits, hav- 
 ing a large and extensive trade; but in 
 the latter year he met with a serious loss, 
 his large store and entire stock being 
 totally destroyed by fire. He was then 
 extensively engaged in the manufacture 
 of bricks and tiles for three years. In 
 1893 our subject, having proved himself 
 a man of high standing and of more than 
 ordinary ability, received (in recognition 
 of the valuable services rendered by him 
 to the community in which he resides) 
 the appointment of postmaster at Oak 
 Harbor, which incumbency he continues 
 to hold, in an efficient manner and to 
 the satisfaction of all. Mr. Bleckner 
 is a director of and one of the largest 
 stockholders in the Oak Harbor Na- 
 tural Gas Co., and also a stockholder 
 in the Savings Bank at Lorain, Ohio; 
 he is largely interested in timber lands 
 in the State, and in real-estate in Lo- 
 rain county, and the characteristic zeal 
 with which he discharges the numer- 
 ous arduous duties in connection with 
 these, as well as other enterprises, de- 
 notes him to be a man of consummate 
 energy, and has won for him the re- 
 
812 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 spect and confidence of the entire com 
 munity. 
 
 In 1884 Mr. Bleckncr was married to 
 Miss Elva Gordon, who was born in Oak 
 Harbor, January 31, 1865, a daughter of 
 Washington and Maggie (Rymers) Gor- 
 don, and this union has been blessed 
 with three children, viz. : Donna, Lillian 
 and Margaret C., all of whom survive. 
 Mr. Blcckner in his social affiliations is a 
 member of Oak Harbor Lodge No. 495, 
 F". & A. M. ; Fremont Chapter No. 
 64, K. A. M., and Toledo Com mandery 
 No. 27. 
 
 M 
 
 ICHAEL BOWE is one of the 
 enterprising and thorough busi- 
 ness men of Scott township, 
 Sandusky county, and he is a 
 brother of Jacob, Henry, David and 
 George Bowe. 
 
 Mr. Bowe was born January 28, 1845, 
 in Scott township, Sandusky county, on 
 his father's old farm on the "pike." On 
 January 6, 1866, he was married, at 
 Freeport, to Miss Rachel Bordner, daugh- 
 ter of Michael ar^d I^eah (Buchtel) Bord- 
 ner, and the joung couple resided on the 
 old home farm for one year, after which 
 they lived two years in Wood county, and 
 then, until 1876, made their home on 
 Section 16, Scott township. In 1876 
 they moved to Section 30, there purchas- 
 ing 160 acres of land which they have 
 cleared and put under the finest cultiva- 
 tion; they also have erected fine build- 
 ings, and their residence would be an 
 ornament to any city in the county. It 
 is of modern architecture, with slate roof 
 and finishings to correspond. A few years 
 afterward Mr. Bowe added to this pur- 
 chase another forty acres in Section 29, 
 which he has also cleared and put in fine 
 condition. Later he added another eighty 
 acres, making an excellent farm of 280 
 acres. Mr. Bowe deals in all kind of 
 stock, as a rule fattening and selling about 
 1 50 sheep and eighty hogs yearly, be- 
 
 sides buying and shipping stock in large 
 quantities. 
 
 On January 28, 1891, Mr. Bowe 
 launched his financial boat into the oil 
 sea of Scott township, Sandusky county. 
 At first he struck a "sand bar," or, as 
 the oilers call it, a "dry hole." Not 
 discouraged, however, he continued his 
 work and went into Wood county, Ohio, 
 W'here he leased forty acres of land, and 
 finished his first well February 29, 1892. 
 Formerly he had a partner, but he bought 
 his interest, and now owns and operates 
 the field himself. Mr. Bowe has, at this 
 writing, eight wells in operation, which 
 at first produced 100 barrels each per 
 day, and now produce eight barrels each 
 daily, or si,\ty-four barrels in all, worth 
 eighty cents per barrel — making an income 
 of over $50 per day. The e.xpense of oper- 
 ating is small, there being only one man 
 in charge of all the wells. He also has a 
 lease in Sandusky county of thirty-five 
 acres, on which two wells have been made 
 and two more are to be drilled. Mr. 
 Bowe is a thorough business man, and like 
 all his brothers is a highly esteemed citi- 
 zen. Politically he is a Democrat. 
 
 George Bowe, Sr. , the father of our 
 subject, was born in 1802 in France, and 
 came to America in 1832, settling in New 
 York State, near Buffalo, where he re- 
 mained three years; thence he came to 
 Ohio, where, in Scott township, San- 
 dusky county, he entered 210 acres of 
 land, one-half for his sister and the bal- 
 ance for himself. In the winter of 
 1834-35 he married Catherine Wegstcin, 
 who was born in Baden, Germany, daugh- 
 ter of Michael Wegstein. To them were 
 born ten children, three of whom died 
 in infancy, and the others are George, 
 Jacob, Frederick, Henry, Michael J., 
 David and Mary C. Fred and Mary 
 died some time ago; the others are yet 
 living. Mr. Bowe was an old pioneer of 
 Scott township. He at one time owned 
 over 600 acres of land, which he divided 
 among his children, thus giving each a 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRArUWAL liEVOUD. 
 
 813 
 
 start in life, from which they have stead- 
 ily advanced, and become well-to-do men, 
 highly respected by all who know them. 
 He died June 3, 1872, and his wife, the 
 mother of our subject, died July 9, 1891, 
 and was buried in Bradner cemetery. 
 
 The maternal grandfather, Michael 
 Wegstein, was born about 1779, in Baden, 
 Germany, where he was married. In 
 1S32 he started for America, and during 
 the voyage his wife died and was buried 
 in mid-ocean. In his family were six 
 children, of whom only two are living, 
 George and Mrs. Jacob Faler, of Fremont. 
 One son, Capt. Michael Wegstein, of 
 Company H, Seventy-second O. V. I., 
 was killed in the battle of Shiloh. Sarah, 
 Mrs. Dipman,died in Fremont about i860. 
 Mary A. Grund, of Fremont, died Octo- 
 ber 3, 1892. 
 
 Mrs. Rachel Bowe, wife of Michael 
 Bowe, is a sister of Mrs. George Bowe. 
 She was born August 9, 1846, in Mont- 
 gomery township. Wood county, remain- 
 ing with her parents until her marriage, 
 which has been blessed with eight chil- 
 dren: Frank E.,born March 10, 1867, who 
 now resides in California; Alfred G., born 
 January 9, 1869, who died April 23, 1880; 
 Michael B., born June 14, 1871; Henry 
 J., born December 16, 1873; Lewis D., 
 born May 5, 1875; Lillie, born April 28, 
 1877; Jessie, born March 12, 1879, and 
 Harry, born July 19, 1886. 
 
 As already stated, Mrs. Bowe is a 
 daughter of Michael and Leah (Buchtel) 
 Bordncr, the former of whom was born in 
 Pennsylvania February 28, 18 12, the 
 latter born about 1815. They were mar- 
 ried December 11, 1834. To their mar- 
 riage came eight children: Henry, born 
 September 9, 1836; Mary, born October 
 II, 1838; Lucy, born January 25, 1841, 
 died September 24, 1894; Calvin, born 
 April 30, 1843, died July 28, 1862; Rachel, 
 A., born August 9, 1846; Ellen, born, 
 September 14, 1848; Alfred, born Jan- 
 uary 28, 1851; Sarah, born November 24, 
 1855, fiveof whom are now living. Henry 
 
 and Calvin died in the army during the 
 Civil war. The mother of these died in 
 1859 and was buried in Bradner cemetery. 
 In 1862 Mr. Bordiier married for his sec- 
 ond wife Polly Yohe, of Indiana, who 
 died in 1881. The paternal grandfather 
 of Mrs. Bowe was Peter Bordner, who 
 was born in Pennsylvania about the year 
 1776; his wife, Catherine Cotherman, was 
 born in 1770. They had nine children, 
 Michael Bordner being the only one now 
 living. His father died in 18 16 and his 
 mother in 1866. Mrs. Bowe's maternal 
 grandfather, Henry Buchtel, was born in 
 1790 and died in I 875 ; his wife, Eii;jabeth 
 Ayers, was a year younger than her hus- 
 band, and died in 1850. They had fifteen 
 children, two sons and thirteen daughters. 
 
 FRANKLIN STOKES, one of the 
 successful farmers of Riley town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was born 
 June 4, 1864, and is a son of 
 Jacob and Sarah (Steffir) Stokes, who 
 were married in Riley township, and lived 
 there for a short time. Soon after their 
 marriage Jacob Stokes, with his wife, 
 moved to Rice township, Sandusky coun- 
 ty, and bought eighty acres of land. 
 Later he moved back to Riley township, 
 and in the year 1875 bought ninety-seven 
 acres there. They had si.x children, as 
 follows: John married Jennie Axton, 
 and they have had six children (they live 
 in Riley township); Samantha married 
 James Gilbert, and they have had four 
 children (they live in Clyde, Ohio); An- 
 drew married Josephine Bonman, and 
 they have had four children (they live in 
 Riley township); Ella married D. Griggs, 
 and they have had four children (they 
 live near Clyde, Ohio); Franklin is the 
 subject of this sketch; and Elmer married 
 Hannah HufTley, and they have had two 
 children (they live in Riley township). 
 
 Our subject was reared to habits of in- 
 dustry and economy, and worked for his 
 father until he was married. On Sep- 
 
814 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 tember 4, 1886, in Clj'de, Sandusky Co., 
 Ohio, he was united in marriage with 
 Clara Smith, and they then settled in Riley 
 township. They have one child, Crelo, 
 who was born March 28, 1891. Mr. 
 Stokes has thus made his beginning in life 
 on the solid basis of general farming, not 
 venturing his labor on one product alone, 
 or in any one exclusive department of 
 farming. So if one undertaking fails 
 tlirough adverse causes, if the market is 
 overstocked with any one product or falls 
 below a profit-giving figure, then some 
 other way may pay well and keep up the 
 receipts to a living standard. Politically, 
 Mr. Stokes is a Democrat. 
 
 JOHN A. KING, one of the prosper- 
 ous farmers of Green Creek town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was born in 
 Union county, Penn., July 3, 1837, 
 the son of John and Margaret (I)crman) 
 King. His great-grandfather was an emi- 
 grant from England, who settled in 
 Juniata county, Penn., where his son 
 James was born, married, and lived many 
 years, afterward removing to Union 
 county. 
 
 John King, his son, the father of John 
 A., was born in Juniata county. He 
 lived for a time in Snyder county, then 
 moved to Union county, where he mar- 
 ried Mrs. Margaret Tibbins, ncc Derman, 
 and where he worked in the mines and 
 on the farm until his death. In religious 
 faith he was a member of the M. E. 
 Church, and in politics a Democrat. 
 The five children of John and Margaret 
 King were as follows: Joseph and An- 
 drew (twins), the former a blacksmith at 
 Bellevue, Ohio, the latter a resident of 
 Center county, Penn. ; James, who served 
 four years in a Pennsylvania regiment 
 during the war, and was killed in a steam 
 sawmill accident in Pennsylvania; John 
 A., subject of this sketch; Hannah M., 
 now Mrs. Aaron Waller, of Bellevue. 
 
 Her first husband, a Mr. Myers, was 
 killed in the Civil war. Both the parents 
 of these five children had been previously 
 married. By his first marriage John 
 King had two children: Amos, who 
 served in the army during the Civil war 
 and died about two years ago, and 
 Emma, now Mrs. Stittler, of Clinton 
 county, Penn. By her first husband 
 Mrs. King had five children: Samuel, 
 John, Levi, William and Eliza. Her 
 father had been a soldier in the Revo- 
 lutionary war. 
 
 The boyhood of John A. King was 
 spent in Union countj', Penn., where he 
 attended the district schools. He learned 
 the blacksmith trade, and in 1859 came 
 to Ohio, settling in Bellevue, where for 
 nearly twenty years he worked steadily 
 at his trade. About 1879 Mr. King 
 came to a farm in York tojvnship, San- 
 dusky count}'. He engaged successfully 
 in agricultural pursuits for five j'ears, and 
 during this time he also traveled. For 
 several years he went on the road, in the 
 southern part of the State, as a salesman 
 of farming implements and washing ma- 
 chines, for Mr. Ranford, of Norwalk, and 
 Mr. Southland, of Clyde. He then 
 commenced business for himself, selling 
 brackets, stationery.etc, traveling through 
 to Van Buren count}', Mich. He was 
 there for a part of two seasons, and was 
 quite successful. Mr. King then moved 
 from his farm of eighty acres, which he 
 still owns, to a seven-acre tract at Clyde, 
 where he now lives. He is a member 
 of the A. P. A., and his party affiliations 
 are not strong; in exercising the ballot 
 he is quite independent, and at present 
 rather favors a third party movement. 
 Mr. King married Miss Mary .\nn Diment, 
 a native of England, and has three chil- 
 dren: Louisa, wife of Allen G. Winnil; 
 Hannah M., wife of James Vickery, of 
 York township, and Minnie. Mr. King 
 is a prosperous citizen of Sandusky, his 
 success being due solely to his own en- 
 ergy and business ability. 
 
COMMHMOHATIVK BlOOUAl'IIlUAh UKCOKD. 
 
 S15 
 
 JOHN G. FISHER, a substantial 
 fanner of Riley township, Sandusky 
 county, was born in Austria Septem- 
 ber 15, 1849, and is a son of Nick 
 and Anna (Geigcr) Fisher, who were both 
 also born in Austria. 
 
 Nicholas Fisher was born September 
 28, 1816; was united in marriage with 
 Anna Geij;er in 1840; came to this coun- 
 try in 1853, and settled in Washington 
 township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, and bought 
 a farm. They had nine children, namely: 
 Rosie, Sophia, May, Catherine, Barbara, 
 Anna. Ilattie, Gebhardt and John G. 
 
 Jdhii G. Fisher had a common-school 
 education, and for some time before his 
 marriage was living in Fremont, San- 
 dusky county, where he had a house and 
 lot, and worked by the day. Selling the 
 house and lot in Fremont, he was united 
 in marriage, October 26, 1876, with Vic- 
 toria Borer, who was born June 4, 1856. 
 They had a family of seven children, their 
 names and dates of birth being as follows 
 George F. , December 30, 1877; Mary I. 
 February 20, 1879, died March 23, 1888 
 Joseph, July 26, 1880; Elizabeth M. 
 April 18, 1 88^3; Frank D., August 2, 1885 
 Herman, October 3, 1888; and Albert 
 October 7, 1892. After his marriage Mr 
 Fisher moved to Green Creek township 
 Sandusky county, and bought fifty-four 
 acres of land. Selling this, he moved to 
 Riley township, and bought 104 acres, for 
 which he paid $4,600.00, and in 1890 
 built a new house. He carries on general 
 farming, and makes a specialty of raising 
 fine horses. He is a Democrat in poli- 
 tics, and has been honored with public 
 office, having been school director for 
 five years. In religious affiliation he is a 
 Catholic. 
 
 M 
 
 RS. MARY ARNOLD, a most 
 estimable lady, now residing in 
 Washington township, Sandus- 
 ky county, was one of a family of 
 eight children born to William and Marie 
 
 (Hoke) Hay. The parents were both 
 born in Adams county, Pcnn., the father 
 May 30, 18 1 9, and the mother January 
 29, 1822. In the year 1863 they settled 
 in Ohio, taking up their residence in 
 Wayne county, where they spent their 
 remaining days. 
 
 Mrs. Arnold was reared in her parents' 
 home, becoming familiar with the duties 
 of the household under the careful in- 
 struction and guidance of her mother. Af- 
 ter she had arrived at years of maturity 
 she gave her hand in marriage to Peter Ar- 
 nold, son of Joseph and Susanna (Fleck- 
 ner) Arnold, who were natives of the Key- 
 stone State and came to Ohio in 1814, 
 casting in their lot with the early settlers 
 of Wayne county. Their family numbered 
 eleven children, seven sons and four 
 daughters, but only three of the number 
 are living at the time of this writ- 
 ing (1895). 
 
 Peter Arnold was reared ujjon his 
 father's farm anti started out in life for 
 himself by working as a farm hand, being 
 thus employed until his marriage. In 
 1863 he left his old home and removed to 
 Sandusky county, locating in Washington 
 township, where he purchased the forty 
 acres of land upon which his widow now 
 resides. With characteristic energy he 
 began its development, and soon it was 
 all placed under the plow, and made to 
 yield to him a golden tribute in return for 
 the care and cultivation he bestowed 
 upon it. He made good improvements 
 and all was neat and thrifty in appear- 
 ance, and the owner was recognized as 
 one of the leading agriculturists of the 
 community. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Arnold was 
 a Democrat, but had no time nor inclina- 
 tion for public office. In religi<^us belief 
 he was a Methodist, and his life was in 
 harmony with his professions. His death 
 occurred June 30, 1889, and all who 
 knew him mourned his departure, for he 
 was a good citizen, a faithful fricntl and 
 a devoted husband and father. Mrs. Ar- 
 
81G 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPUWAL RECORD. 
 
 nold still resides upon the old home place, 
 which was left her by her husband, and is a 
 lady held in high regard by a large circle 
 of friends and acquaintances. She has 
 reared a large family of children, but 
 only one, Viola, is now at home with her. 
 
 JOHN BINKLEY. farmer, Jackson 
 township, Sandusky county, was born 
 December 23, 1835, «! son of John 
 Binkley, Sen., a farmer from Penn- 
 sylvania, who moved in pioneer days to 
 Perry county, Ohio, bought 160 acres of 
 land and lived there until his death from 
 apoplexy, in 1878. Our subject's mother 
 was Mary (Fisher) Binkley, born October 
 15, 1800, and her children were: (i) 
 Michael, born in April, 18 19, who mar- 
 ried Anna Albert, and had four children. 
 (2) Melanction T. , who married George 
 Bixicr, and had one child that died in 
 childhood. (3) Charles, who married 
 Annie Pressler, and whose children were 
 Nettie, Clarence, Mary, Jennie, Annie, 
 Irving, Carl, and an infant. Charles 
 Binkley was a soldier of the Civil war in 
 Company K, One Hundredth Regiment, 
 O. V. I., served three years, was in the 
 battles of Limestone Station, Atlanta, 
 etc., was wounded in the right leg and 
 laid up for si.\ months, unfit for duty, was 
 in Libby prison a short time, and after 
 his release returned to Fremont. He is 
 a farmer, a Republican and a member of 
 the U. B. Church. (4) Tena, married 
 George Bi.xler (a soldier of the Civil war, 
 a Republican and a member of the Re- 
 formed Church), by whom she had five 
 children; she died in 1889. (5) Mary 
 Ann married John Surbate (a merchant of 
 Clyde, Ohio, a Republican and a mem- 
 ber of the Reformed Church), by whom 
 she had three children; she died in 1884. 
 (6) Samuel, born October 18, 1821, who 
 married Tena Albert, whose children are 
 — Ramanas, Amos, Mary and Tena. (7) 
 Lydia, wife of Daniel Albert, born July 8, 
 1824, who had twelve children — George 
 
 (who married Sarah Coe), Stella, Jeffer- 
 son, Lillie, James, Claydie, Jennie and 
 five that are dead. (8) Link, who mar- 
 ried Hannah Reed, and whose children 
 were — Ida, Tillie, Susie, Alice, Isadore, 
 Emma, Francis, and four that are dead. 
 (9) Peter, who married Jane Rider, and 
 had a family of twelve children. (10) 
 Mary, who married J. Grut, and had nine 
 children, (i i) Annie, wife of Peter Bink- 
 ley, who had eight children, two of whom 
 are dead. (12) Charles, who married 
 Kate Macklin, and was blessed with five 
 children. (13) Ellen, who married Mich- 
 ael Binkley, and had eight children. Mar- 
 garete, who married L. Carr, and whose 
 first two children — Commodore and Amor- 
 etta — were twins, and the others being 
 Mary, William, John, Caroline, Adelina, 
 and Elmer, who was killed in a railroad 
 accident in 1876. Matilda, married Solo- 
 mon Bauman, whose children are — John, 
 Katie, Betsey, and Lydia; Mrs. Bauman 
 died in 1869, and Mr. Bauman in 1871. 
 Christian married Lavina Kessler, lives 
 near Holt, Mich., and has six children. 
 Aaron married Mar}- Henscl, who died 
 leaving five children, after which he mar- 
 ried Alice Potter, by whom he had six 
 children, living in Ottawa county, Ohio. 
 Hannah married Martin Staincr, and 
 their children are— Edward, John, Levi, 
 Cora and Ellen; he died in the army, of 
 fever, and was buried near Washington, 
 D. C. Sarah, who married John Downie, 
 a soldier of the Civil war, who died at 
 Washington, D. C. ; they had five chil- 
 daen; she died in 1865. Holly, who mar- 
 ried Lewis Hawk, a soldier of the Civil 
 war, who died in Washington, D. C, in 
 1865, leaving three children — Charlie, 
 Sherman and Fred; Mrs. Hawk is a mem- 
 ber of the Reformed Church, and lives 
 near Fremont, Ohio. 
 
 Our subject, John Binkley, was mar- 
 ried at Fremont, December 23, 1887, to 
 Miss Christena Hensel, the Rev. Heller 
 performing the marriage service. She 
 was born September 17, 1841, and died 
 
COMMKMOliATIVE BIOQRAl'UWAL RECORD. 
 
 817 
 
 Aiifjust 20, 18 — , leaving eight children, 
 vi;;. : (1) Jane S., born March 14, 1859, 
 and died at the age of three years. (2) 
 May A., born Februarj- 25, 1862, wife of 
 John Barnes, railroad agent (they have 
 one child, Lulu). (3) James A., born 
 April 20, 1S65, who married Sarah Car- 
 ter, whose children were — Grace, that 
 died, and Fred, who is clerk in a store at 
 \\'or.stville, Paulding county. (4) Effie 
 I., born June 28, 1867, wife of William 
 Carter, married June 6, 1888. (5) Ella 
 A., born July 25, 1869, wife of John 
 Warren, married in the spring of 1894. 
 (6j Clara A., born November 8, 1872, wife 
 of J. Hardin, married in 1892. (7) 
 Vcnia M.,born November 15, 1878, who 
 attended school in Cleveland (Ohioj and 
 Peoria (111.). (8) John S., born May 19, 
 1 88 1. On June 6, 1886, John Binkley 
 married his second wife, Mrs. Barbara 
 Dost; she had two children — Willie, born 
 April 8, 1878, died April 2, 1888; and 
 Maud, born May 19, 1880. 
 
 Our subject has an honorable war 
 record. At the outbreak of the Civil war, 
 in 1 86 1, he enlisted in Company K, One 
 Hundredth Regiment, O. \. I., and went 
 with his command from Toledo to Cin- 
 cinnati, crossed the Ohio river, met the 
 enemy, routed them, marched to Cum- 
 berland Gap, drove them to Knoxvillc and 
 took possession of the town. After they 
 besieged the place the enemy made an 
 attack on one of their best forts. After 
 the battle the enemy lay dead and wound- 
 ed three deep. The}' retreated toward 
 Virginia, and the same night snow fell to 
 the depth of three inches, and their men 
 being barefooted were obliged to remain 
 in camp, and there were about 1,500 cap- 
 tured. After lying in eamp until April i, 
 1863, they started for the Georgia cam- 
 paign. After Atlanta was taken Gen. 
 Sherman divided his troops, a part going 
 on to the sea and the rest remaining to 
 protect his rear. The enemy finding they 
 could do nothing with Serman's main 
 army, attacked the forces in the rear. 
 
 After long and hard fighting with doubtful 
 results, the Union forces received rein- 
 forcements from Gen. Thomas at Nash- 
 ville, and the tide of victory turned on the 
 side of the Union. After peace was de- 
 clared our subject returned to his wife 
 and children in Sandusky county, and re- 
 sumed farming. Himself and family are 
 members of the U. B. Church. 
 
 PETER BAKER. The German 
 Fatherland has furnished thous- 
 ands of immigrants to America, 
 whose habits of industry, economy 
 and thrift have made them model farmers 
 and mechanics, and level-headed citizens. 
 Generally, they are not afraid of hard 
 work, plain food or coarse clothing, and 
 usually make an honest living, pay their 
 debts if they make any, and lay up some- 
 thing for a rainy day. As such an one 
 we present the subject of this sketch. 
 
 Peter Baker, farmer, Ballville town- 
 ship, was born in Germany, May 6, 1853, 
 a son of Peter, Sr. , and Christena (Mat- 
 tie) Baker, whose children were: Chris- 
 tian, who married Minnie Brinkman, and 
 had two children; Peter, our subject; and 
 Christina, wife of Martin Gcssner, a farm- 
 er, of I^iley township (they have two chil- 
 dren). The father of our subject was a 
 soldier in Germany for seven years, and 
 a police officer some fourteen years. He 
 emigrated to America, and settled in 
 Seneca county, Ohio, where he bought 
 forty acres of land, and lived there until 
 his death. 
 
 Our subject, having remained with his 
 parents until his twenty-third year, and 
 saved his earnings, married Miss Lucy 
 Miller, of Riley township, and entered 
 upon life on his own account. Mrs. Mil- 
 ler was born August 18, 1858. The 
 names and dates of birth of their children 
 are Charles P., July 16, 1879; Clara E., 
 May 31, 1 881; George C, March 26, 
 1884; Anna M., June 18, 1886; and 
 William L., September 12, 1891. Our 
 
818 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 subject earned his money when a young 
 man by working by the day. After mar- 
 riage he rented a farm for two years on 
 shares. In 1881 he bought forty acres of 
 land for $4,000, and in 1893 built a new 
 barn at a cost of $500. He follows gene- 
 ral farming, and raises some fine Jersey 
 cattle. He is a Democrat in politics, and 
 a member of the Lutheran Church. Mr. 
 Baker takes an active interest in educa- 
 tional matters in his neighborhood. 
 
 H1:NRY H. ALMROTH. postmas- 
 ter and proprietor of general store 
 at Elliston, is one of the best 
 known young men of Benton 
 township and vicinity, and is recognized 
 by his wide circle of acquaintances 
 throughout Ottawa county as a most able 
 and progressive business man, and a val- 
 uable citizen. 
 
 He is a native of Benton township, 
 born September 28, 1865, on a farm near 
 Elliston, son of Peter and Anna (Kurth) 
 Almroth, who were among the earliest 
 pioneers of the township. Peter Almroth 
 was born in Germany, in 1831, served 
 three years in the army of his native 
 land, and about i860 came to this coun- 
 try, sojourning temporarily in Lorain 
 county, Ohio, where he remained about 
 one year. He then came to Benton town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, at a time when the 
 entire region was a wilderness, not even 
 a road crossing the township. He settled 
 near what is now Elliston, where he still 
 lives, and bought forty acres of land, his 
 wife paying down one dollar to bind the 
 bargain, the dollar being a silver pocket 
 piece she had brought all the way from 
 New York. By hard labor they paid for 
 their land, also purchasing an additional 
 one hundred acres, besides which they 
 built a fine house and barns, together with 
 the other necessary outbuildings. The 
 farm is now considered one of the finest 
 in Benton township, and its appearance 
 and fertility speak volumes for those who, 
 
 by their economy and hard labor, brought 
 it to this state by their own hands. To 
 Mr. and Mrs. Almroth were born eleven 
 children — eight sons and three daughters 
 — si.x sons and two daughters still living 
 and residing in Ohio. Mrs. Almroth died 
 June 19, 1895. 
 
 Henry H. Almroth spent his boyhood 
 days on his father's farm, and received a 
 liberal education in the public schools of 
 Trowbridge, completing the course at the 
 age of fourteen. Commencing life for him- 
 self, he now engaged as clerk in the gen- 
 eral store of Magee & Paffenbach, of 
 Elmore, Ohio, where he remained four 
 months. After two months of illness he 
 again took up clerking, this time with G. 
 F. Otten, at Elliston, with whom he con- 
 tinued seven years, without the loss of 
 even a day. Mr. Almroth then spent one 
 summer at home on his father's farm, 
 where he fully recuperated his somewhat 
 impaired health, aft-erward entering the 
 store of Mr. O'Neil, of Trowbridge, 
 Ohia, for whom he clerked one year. In 
 February, 1887, Mr. Almroth and George 
 Stick opened a general store at Elliston, 
 conducting same in partnership for eight 
 years, when Mr. Almroth purchased his 
 partner's interest, and is now sole owner 
 of the large and growing business. In 
 addition to his mercantile business Mr. 
 Almroth is a dealer in all kinds of grain — 
 the only one in the vicinity — buying at 
 Elliston, Graytown, Trowbridge, and 
 Limestone. A stock company has just 
 been formed at Elliston for the purpose 
 of drilling for oil and natural gas, Mr. 
 Almroth being a charter member of the 
 company, and also its secretary. That 
 his business ability is appreciated by his 
 townsmen is shown by the fact that they 
 have elected him to the office of township 
 clerk for the fourth successive term; he 
 has also been postmaster at Elliston for 
 si.x years, the only Democratic postmaster 
 in Ottawa county who continued in office 
 through Harrison's administration. Mr. 
 Almroth is now enlarging his store to ac- 
 
COMMEMORA 7 IVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 819 
 
 cominodate his trade in farm machinerv, 
 ill which branch he docs a Nourishing 
 business. In fact, he is one of those 
 men who succeed in everytliing they un- 
 dertake, but there is no mystery sur- 
 roundiiif; his success, as it has been ac- 
 comphshed solely by the exercise of his 
 own ability, energy and unceasing activity. 
 On March 20, 1890, Mr. Almroth was 
 married to Miss Myra Kirk Baldwin, of 
 Elmore, Ohio, and they immediately set- 
 tled in Elliston, where they have a fine 
 well-kept home, and very pleasant sur- 
 roundings. To their marriage have come 
 two children: Ruth Ann, born May 10, 
 1892, and Thomas Kirk, born December 
 8, 1893. Mrs. Almroth was born De- 
 cember 2, 1867, at Elmore, Ohio, where 
 she received a liberal education in the 
 public schools, at the age of sixteen tak- 
 ing up the profession of teaching, which 
 she followed for six years. She is the 
 youngest of five children — two sons and 
 three daughters — born to Thomas and 
 Sarah (Kirk) Baldwin, of Elmore, the 
 former of whom was born in Greene 
 county, Ohio, June 17, 1832; the mother 
 was born in Maryland June 7, 1832. 
 They were married March 16, 1854, and 
 the greater part of their lives has been 
 spent in Elmore, where they yet make 
 their home. Mrs. Henry H. Almroth is 
 a member of the M. E. Church of El- 
 more, and Mr. Almroth, in religious con- 
 nection, is a member of the Evangelical 
 Church of Elliston. Socially he is a K. 
 of P., and in political faith is a stanch 
 Democrat. 
 
 GW. NEFF, who is engaged in 
 farming in Washington township, 
 Sandusky county, is numbered 
 among the native sons of that 
 locality, his birth having occurred in San- 
 dusky county, April 21, i860. His father 
 was born November 13, 1813, and his 
 mother in 1830. They had a family of 
 four children — Ellen, wife of I. Edwards, 
 
 who has one son, William, now a farmer 
 in Sandusky township, Sandusky county; 
 L. W. , who for eighteen years has been 
 successfully engaged in teaching in Ball- 
 ville and Washington townships (he is a 
 Democrat); and Mellisse, born in 1855, 
 who is the wife of C. C. Ludwig, a farm- 
 er of Allen county, Ohio, by whom she 
 has four children (her husband is a sup- 
 porter of the Democratic party). 
 
 Upon the home farm Mr. Neff spent 
 the days of his boyhood and youth, no 
 event of special importance occurring dur- 
 ing that period. The public schools of 
 the neighborhood afforded him his edu- 
 cational privileges, and he early became 
 familiar with the duties of farm life. As 
 a companion and helpmeet on life's jour- 
 ney he chose Miss Louisa Lautz, who was 
 born August 8, 1 860, and is the daughter of 
 Simon Lautz, a well-known and respected 
 farmer residing in Washington township. 
 Four children grace the union of our sub- 
 ject and his estimable wife — Lottie, Met- 
 tle, Maud and Elmer — and the family 
 circle yet remains unbroken. The Neff 
 household is the abode of hospitality, and 
 its members occupy an enviable position 
 in social circles. Our subject remained 
 upon the old home farm up to the time 
 of his marriage, when he purchased forty 
 acres of land, his present farm, and his 
 care and labor have transformed this into 
 a richly cultivated tract. He is enterpris- 
 ing and progressive, and upon his place 
 are seen many modern improvements. 
 
 Mr. Neff attended Normal school, 
 and in addition to agricultural pursuits he 
 has been engaged in school teaching for a 
 number of years. In 1892 he was elected 
 to the office of assessor upon the Demo- 
 cratic ticket, and filled that position for 
 two years, discharging his duties with 
 promptness and fidelity. He takes an 
 active and commendable interest in every- 
 thing pertaining to the welfare of the 
 community, and his support is given to all 
 worthy enterprises that are calculateil to 
 advance the general welfare. He holds 
 
820 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 membership with the Lutheran Church, 
 and tl:ose who know him have for him 
 the highest regard. 
 
 JOHN A. NEIDECKER, proprietor 
 of an extensive furniture establish- 
 ment, and funeral director. Port Clin- 
 ton, Ottawa county, was born in 
 Chicago, 111., May 25, 1859, a son of 
 Peter and Anna A. (Struve) Neidecker. 
 
 Grandfather Neidecker was born in 
 Germany in 1776, and died in 1882; his 
 wife was born in 1806, and died Decem- 
 ber 28, 1880. Peter Neidecker, father of 
 our subject, was born in Baden, Germany, 
 March 21, 1834, and at the age of four- 
 teen accompanied his parents to the 
 United States, they settling in Erie town- 
 ship, Ottawa Co., Ohio, where they 
 passed the rest of their honored lives in 
 agricultural pursuits. Their son, Peter, 
 received a portion of his education in the 
 Fatherland, and after coming to Ottawa 
 county attended the common schools for 
 a time. Removing to Chicago, 111., he 
 there made his home till 1865, in w'hich 
 year he returned to Ohio, taking up his 
 home in Port Clinton, where in the fol- 
 lowing year he engaged in a coopering 
 business, which he conducted in that vil- 
 lage until 1872, when he opened out an 
 undertaking and furniture establishment. 
 In this line he continued until 1876, when 
 he retired from active life. In the city 
 of Chicago, September 25, 1856, he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Anna A. 
 Struve, and children as follows were born 
 to them: Minnie, wife of George Smith, 
 of Cleveland; George William, who for 
 si.x years was a printer, and is now a phy- 
 sician in Brooklyn; Frank, who when 
 fourteen years of age commenced in the 
 drug business at Port Clinton, Ohio, and 
 is now a resident of Cleveland; Caroline, 
 at home; and John A., subject of sketch. 
 The father of this family is deceased; the 
 mother is living in Port Clinton with her 
 
 daughter Caroline and two little grand- 
 daughters — children of our subject. 
 
 John A. Neidecker received his educa- 
 tional training at the schools of Port 
 Clinton, learned the furniture and under- 
 taking business with his father, and suc- 
 ceeded to the same at the latter's death. 
 For a time he was in the recorder's and 
 probate judge's office, and in 1876 he was 
 appointed probate judge, filling that posi- 
 tion eight months. He is a man of at- 
 tractive appearance, well adapted for the 
 management of his lucrative and widely- 
 expanding business, and enjoys an envi- 
 able popularity. 
 
 SCOTT STAHL, junior member of 
 the well-known firm of Finefrock 
 & Stahl, attorneys at law, Port 
 Clinton, Ottawa county, is a na- 
 tive of Ohio, born at Marion, Marion 
 county, December 23, 1866, a son of 
 Benjamin F. and Elizabeth (Finefrock) 
 Stahl. 
 
 Our subject received his elementary 
 education at the common schools of his 
 native place, remaining there until he had 
 reached his fourteenth year, at which 
 time the family removed to a farm, where 
 he learned the rural lessons of industry 
 and perseverance that are ever the ac- 
 companiments of a successful career. At 
 the country school in the neighborhood 
 of his father's farm he continued his 
 studies, after which he taught school at 
 Prospect, Ohio, preliminary to his legal 
 studies. He began reading law in the 
 office of his uncle, Judge T. P. Finefrock, 
 of Fremont, Ohio, and was admitted to 
 the bar December 3, 1891, after which he 
 located in Port Clinton, where he has 
 built up an enviable practice, and is held 
 in high esteem by his colleagues. He is 
 a young man of liberal views, taking a 
 lively interest in public affairs. A stanch 
 Democrat in his political predilections, he 
 was, but ten weeks after locating in Port 
 Clinton, elected to the office of city so- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 821 
 
 licitor; was re-elected at the close of the 
 term without opposition, and is at pres- 
 ent filling the incumbency with eminent 
 ability. 
 
 On September 8, 1892, Mr. Stahl was 
 united in marriage with Miss Grace Dana, 
 daughter of George Dana, one of the sub- 
 stantial citizens of Green Creek township, 
 Sandusky Co., Ohio, and one child, Kate 
 E., has blessed their union. In his fra- 
 ternal affiliations Mr. Stahl is a member 
 in good standing of the Knights of Pythias. 
 
 JOHN KIRSCH, who owns and oper- 
 ates a good farm of 185 acres in 
 Washington township, Sandusky 
 county, is a native of Germany, born 
 June 13, 1835, and a son of Nicholas and 
 Emma (Vogel) Kirsch. The father was 
 born November 6, 1806, and by occupa- 
 tion was a farmer, following that pursuit 
 throughout the greater part of his life. 
 In 1853 he left his native land, and with 
 his family crossed the Atlantic to America, 
 locating in the Buckeye State, where he 
 and his wife spent their remaining days, 
 her death occurring in 1885, his in 1886. 
 They left two children, Philip and John, 
 the former of whom married Anna Ripper 
 and reared a family of seven children 
 upon his Ohio farm; they are as follows: 
 John; Ralph; Daniel, who married Theresa 
 Hatten, by whom he had nine children, 
 and follows farming in Oregon; Mary, 
 widow of John Hobbart, who died leaving 
 a family of six children; Peter, who died 
 in childhood in Germany; Jacob; and 
 Emma, wife of John Conrad, who is liv- 
 ing in Wisconsin. 
 
 John Kirsch was reared in his parent's 
 home, and at the age of eighteen came 
 with them to America, since which time 
 he has resided continuously in Ohio. 
 \\^hen twenty years of age he was united 
 in marriage with Miss Lena Hobbart, and 
 to their union were born si.x children, as 
 follows: John, Peter, Tillie fnow the 
 wife of William Usher, by whom she has one 
 
 child). Josh, Mary (who died in October, 
 1869J, and Clay. 0;i May 8, 1875. the 
 wife and mother was called to her final 
 rest, and her death was deeply mourned 
 thoroughout the communitj-. For his 
 second wife Mr. Kirsch chose Mary Hass, 
 who died May 18, 1879. For his third 
 wife he married Elizabeth Nickles, and 
 by this union were born six children, five 
 of whom are still living, namely: Mary, 
 Kittie, Robbie, Frankie and Nichols. 
 One child, Frankie, died October 28, 
 1893, and the mother passed away Febru- 
 ary 8, of the same year. • 
 
 Mr. Kirsch came to Washington town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, in 1861, and a 
 few years later purchased eighty acres of 
 his present farm, to which he has added 
 from time to time. His second purchase 
 made him the possessor of one hundred 
 acres, and in 1883 he extended the bound- 
 aries of his farm by becoming the owner 
 of an additional tract of eighty-five acres. 
 He thoroughly understands farming in all 
 its details, his land is highly cultivated, 
 and his place is well improved with good 
 buildings, while the owner ranks among 
 the leading agriculturists of the commu- 
 nity, with which he has now been identi- 
 fied for a third of a century. He exer- 
 cises his right of franchise in support of 
 the Democratic party, and in religious 
 belief is a Catholic. 
 
 his 
 
 FS. HELLER, M. D., a successful 
 medical practitioner of Oak Har- 
 bor, Ottawa county, is numbered 
 among the native sons of Ohio, 
 th having occurred in Fremont, 
 Sandusky county, November 29, 1863. 
 
 Dr. Heller is a son of George B. and 
 Rhoda (Smith) Heller, the former of whom 
 was born in Pennsylvania, and was of 
 German ancestry, while the latter was 
 born in Sandusky county, Ohio, and was 
 of Scotch and English lineage. For many 
 years they were honored residents of Port 
 Clinton, this State, and the father effi- 
 
822 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ciently filled the office of auditor of Otta- 
 wa county for six 3 ears. Upon his retire- 
 ment to private life he engaged in the 
 boot and shoe business in that place until 
 1883, when he removed to Oak Harbor, 
 and embarked in the lumber business. 
 He and his estimable wife are still resi- 
 dents of this place and are popular and 
 highly esteemed members of the commu- 
 nity. Their union was blessed with a 
 family of four children, three of whom 
 are now living, namely: Roland F. , F. 
 S. and Rufus S. 
 
 The Doctor obtained his primary edu- 
 cation in the public schools of Port Clin- 
 ton, and completed his literary education 
 by a collegiate course in the Ohio Wes- 
 leyan College, Delaware, Ohio. Wishing 
 to take up the study of medicine and 
 make its practice his life work he began 
 reading with Dr. M. A. Hughes, of Port 
 Clinton, with whom he continued for a 
 year, and in 1885 entered the Medical 
 Department of the University of Michi- 
 gan at Ann Arbor, where he took a three- 
 years' course, graduating in the class of 
 I 888. On leaving that school he at once 
 began the practice of his chosen calling, 
 establishing an office in Oak Harbor, 
 where he has remained continuously since. 
 P'rom the beginning he has enjoyed a 
 large clientele, and now has a very exten- 
 sive and lucrative practice, which attests 
 his skill and ability. 
 
 In Oak Harbor, in November, 1892, 
 was celebrated the marriage of Dr. Hel- 
 ler and Miss E. Gertrude Metzger, daugh- 
 ter of John C. and Emma Metzger. One 
 child graces their union, Louis Welling- 
 ton, who was born Octobor 17, 1893. 
 The Doctor and his wife attend the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, and are 
 most highly esteemed residents of Oak 
 Harbor, occupying an enviable position in 
 social circles. Our subject is a member 
 of the Northwestern Medical Society, and 
 the Ohio State Medical Society, and is 
 also a member of and medical examiner 
 for Oak Harbor Lodge No. 516, K. of P., 
 
 and Oak Harbor I^odge No. 226, K. O. 
 T. M. He also belongs to Alpha Chapter, 
 Nu Sigma Nu Fraternity, of Ann Arbor, 
 Mich. In his political views he is a stanch 
 supporter of the Democratic party. He 
 is a deep student professionally, keeping 
 thoroughly informed on everything con- 
 nected with the science of medicine, and 
 his ability is acknowledged both by the 
 public and the medical fraternity. 
 
 CONRAD ALMROTH, one of the 
 popular young men of Benton 
 township, Ottawa county, and one 
 of the most energetic and prosper- 
 ous farmers here, is the son of Peter and 
 Anna (Kurth) Almroth, and was born Sep- 
 tember 17, 1S70, on the farm where he 
 now lives in Benton township. His par- 
 ents were among the earliest settlers in 
 Benton township, coming here when it 
 was a wilderness, and, by hard work and 
 the assistance of faithful children, made 
 one of the finest farms in the county. 
 
 Conrad Almroth was educated in the 
 public schools of Iilliston, Benton town- 
 ship, and completed his course of studies 
 in 1886, after which he worked on the 
 farm for his father until 1894, since which 
 time he has had complete charge of it. 
 He owns the stock and machinery, and, 
 with the assistance of one man, employed 
 by the month, works about 180 acres of 
 land, comprising the homestead. Mr. 
 Almroth attends strictly to business; his 
 farm is kept in fine condition, fences in 
 good repair, land well tilled, and all the 
 surroundings give evidence of a skillful 
 and industrious farmer. His yearlj' out- 
 put of grain averages: Wheat, sixtj' acres; 
 oats, twenty; corn, thirty; and hay (cut), 
 twenty-five acres. In addition to the 
 regular work of the farm, Mr. Almroth is 
 engaged in the stock business, dealing in 
 cattle, sheep, and hogs, which he sells to 
 local dealers. Unlike his brothers, Con- 
 rad Almroth has not yet taken unto him- 
 self a wife. His sisters Mary (born Feb- 
 
COMMEMORATIVE JBIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 823 
 
 ruary 4, 1876) and Kate (born June 5, 
 1878) are at home, attending to the house- 
 work, while he manages the work on the 
 farm. 
 
 The entire family are musicians, and 
 are well known and in demand through- 
 out the vicinity on all social occasions. 
 Conrad Almroth is assistant leader of the 
 Elliston Cornet Band, in which he plays 
 the B-Hat cornet. He has a tenor voice, 
 his brother Henry sings second tenor, 
 John first bass and George second bass. 
 The sisters are also musicians, and there 
 is a fine quartet in the family, with Mary 
 for soprano, Kate alto, Conrad tenor and 
 John bass. They are all born musicians, 
 and none of them have neglected their 
 talents in this direction. 
 
 DR. L. B. MYERS, retired drug- 
 gist, Fremont, Sandusky county, 
 was born in Lancaster count}', 
 Penn., July 4, 1825, a son of 
 David and Mary N. (Shively) Myers, who 
 were natives of Lancaster county. His 
 mother's father came from Switzerland 
 about the time of the Reformation, and 
 his paternal grandfather was born in Lan- 
 caster county, of German descent. Da- 
 vid Myers, father of our subject, was a 
 dealer in general merchandise, in Lancas- 
 ter, for a number of years, after which he 
 sold out and moved upon a farm near 
 Lewisburg, in Buffalo Valley, Union Co. , 
 Penn. Here he followed farming until 
 1828, when he was injured by the kicking 
 of a vicious horse. He was born January 
 16, 1788, and died January 30, 1833. 
 He married Mary Ann Shively, who was 
 born March 17. 1799, and died Novem- 
 ber 17, 1869. Their children were: Na- 
 than, born November 29, 18 16, died in 
 1892; Alpheus, born April 23, 1818, died 
 in 1887; Matilda (Fredericks), born Sep- 
 tember 18, 1819; Elizabeth, born May 
 26, 1 82 1, died May 13, 1S45; Abraham. 
 born September 27, 1822, died March 7, 
 1848; Susannah (Brown), born February 
 
 52 
 
 26, 1824, died February 11, 1846; Lewis 
 B., born July 4, 1825; Ann S. (Spotts), 
 born February 17, 1827, died April 9, 
 1862; David, Jr., born March 20, 1830; 
 Sarah |. (Dursham, and later McSwartz), 
 born September 17, 1831, died 1886; 
 Henry A., born January 28, 1833, died 
 1886. Of the si.\ sons, four were physi- 
 cians and two were merchants. One son- 
 in-law was a physician. All grew to ma- 
 turity, and nearly all became heads of 
 families. Only two are now living: Da- 
 vid, at Lewisburg, Penn.; and Lewis B., 
 at Fremont, Ohio. 
 
 Dr. L. B. Myers, our subject, spent 
 his childhood in Union county, Penn., 
 and his mother died when he was three 
 years old. He attended school a few 
 years in Lewisburg, Penn., and at the 
 age of fifteen went to Fairfield county, 
 Ohio, where from the home of his uncle, 
 Adam Sheafer, he attended the Williams 
 Academy. I^eturning to Pennsylvania, 
 he remained there to teach school until 
 he was eighteen when he returned to 
 Ohio. In course of time he began the study 
 medicine at Logansport, Ind., in company 
 with his brother, Abraham, in the office 
 of his brother Dr. Alpheus Myers, where 
 he studied about two years. On the re- 
 moval of Alpheus to Clarion, Penn., his 
 two medical students followed him to 
 continue their studies. Abraham soon 
 after died, and our subject narrowly 
 escaped death from typhoid fever. Having 
 finished his medical reading, and taught 
 school a few terms among the Mennon- 
 ites where he acquired a practical knowl- 
 edge of the German language, he went to 
 Union county, and thence to Cincinnati, 
 where after two years of hard study he 
 graduated from the Eclectic Medical Col- 
 lege. Here he attended lectures on Homeo- 
 pathy, and later read extensively standard 
 works on the Old-school practice. Return- 
 ing to Union county Penn., he engaged in 
 the practice of medicine, and the preva- 
 lence at that time of a fatal epidemic, dys- 
 entery, which baffled the skill of the home 
 
824 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGHAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 physicians gave him an opportunity to 
 prove his superior skill in the treatment 
 of that foe of childood. He had such re- 
 markably good success that his reputa- 
 tion was firmly established in a few short 
 months. Two jears later he was induced 
 by his brother Alpheus to settle in Lo- 
 gansport, Ind., where he practiced two 
 years with good success. Intending to 
 remove to Pennsylvania, he got as far as 
 Massillon, Ohio, where he stopped to 
 visit, and remained to practice about five 
 years with the best success of his life. In 
 i860 he removed to Elmore, Ohio, where 
 he engaged in the drug business. During 
 the Civil war he practiced medicine in 
 the country around Elmore. About the 
 year 1S71 he removed to Fremont, Ohio, 
 where he engaged first in the grocerj' and 
 later in the drug business. He bought 
 out the drug store of C. F. Reiff, now 
 owned by his son. He took in his son, 
 Kell}', first as assistant, then as partner, 
 and later sold out entirely to him, and 
 his son Jias continued the business ever 
 since. After leaving the drug business 
 Dr. Myers gave more attention to the 
 manufacture of rubber goods, by the 
 Myers Manufacturing Co., which he had 
 previously established, and of which he 
 was chief proprietor and patentee. In 
 1S89 Dr. Myers suffered from a stroke of 
 paralysis which rendered him, physically, 
 unable to attend to business. His son 
 Costa R. then took charge of the busi- 
 ness, and has conducted it ever since with 
 good success, and has now a half interest 
 in the concern. Dr. Myers and wife are 
 members of the Christian, or Disciple. 
 Church at Elmore, Ohio. He has been 
 a Democrat and a Republican in politics, 
 and, sociall)-, he is a member of the 
 I. O. O. F. 
 
 The children of Dr. and Mrs. L. B. 
 Myers were: Kelly N., born October 2, 
 1855, who married Lillie B. Ferguson 
 F"ebruary 17, 1881; David Hammond, 
 born March 23, 1857, deceased in in- 
 fancy; Laura Ellen, born October 20, 
 
 1859; Lewis Oscar, born December 30, 
 1861; Mary Ann, born February 22, 
 1865; and Costa Rica, born June 27, 
 1869, a sketch of whom follows. 
 
 CR. MYERS, one of the proprie- 
 tors of the Myers Manufacturing 
 Co., Fremont, Sandusky county, 
 was born at Elmore, Ottawa Co. , 
 Ohio. June 27, 1869, a son of Dr. L. B. 
 and Catharine (Kelly) Mj'ers. 
 
 Dr. L. B. Myers was born in Lancas- 
 ter county, Penn., and was reared at 
 Lewisburg, Penn. , where he received a 
 literary education and became a student 
 of medicine, graduating from a medical 
 college at Philadelphia (Penn.) and Cin- 
 cinnati (Ohio). After practicing at Mas- 
 sillon (Ohio), Logansport (Ind.), and 
 Lewisburg (Penn.), he located, about the 
 year i860, at Elmore, Ohio. He was an 
 eminent practitioner in his time, but, hav- 
 ing an especially strong inventive mind, he 
 turned ^is attention to the patenting of 
 articles of various kinds. .About the year 
 1 87 1 he located in Fremont, where he 
 engaged in the grocery and later in the 
 drug business, after having bought out 
 the firm of Curst & Thayer. His son. Kelly 
 N. Myers, was associated with him, first 
 as assistant, and then, in 1882, as part- 
 ner, and together the}- built up a success- 
 ful trade. In the spring of 1887 the Doc- 
 tor sold out entirely to his son Kelly, who 
 has conducted the drug store during the 
 past eight years. 
 
 After retiring from the drug store, Dr. 
 Myers founded and established the Myers 
 Manufacturing Co., at Fremont, Ohio. 
 He was the first man to get out a patent 
 rubber tip on lead pencils, the right of 
 which he sold for a handsome sum, and 
 he also invented and manufactured a pat- 
 ent automatic pencil, a patent sling-shot, 
 and other articles which have been sold 
 all over the country. He has received 
 patents on si.xteen different articles, and 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 825 
 
 his mind is still active in the line of in- 
 vention. 
 
 In 1889 Dr. Myers suffered a stroke 
 of paralysis, which rendered him physi- 
 cally unable to attend to business. From 
 that time his son, Costa R. , was manager, 
 and his son, L. O., traveling salesman, 
 until January 12, 1895, when they be- 
 came sole proprietors of the Myers Manu- 
 facturing Co., C. R. Myers being president 
 and treasurer, and L. O. Myers secretary 
 and managing salesman. The Doctor and 
 his venerable wife are members of the 
 Disciple Church, at Elmore, Ohio. In 
 politics he has been both a Democrat and 
 a Republican. Socially he is a member 
 of the I. O. O. F. His ancestry was 
 Pennsylvania-Dutch, those of his wife being 
 Irish and German. Their children were: 
 Kelly N., born October 2, 1855; Dnvid 
 H., born March 23, 1857, deceased in in- 
 fancy; Laura E., born October 20, 1859; 
 Lewis Oscar, born December 30, 1S61; 
 Mary Ann, born February 22, 1865; and 
 Costa R., our subject, born June 27, 1869. 
 
 C. R. Myers received his education in 
 the Fremont public schools, and in the 
 Eastern States. At an early age he 
 learned the details of novelt}' manufactur- 
 ing, and when his father retired, in 1889, 
 he succeeded him as manager, and in 
 1 895 as proprietor. The concern has been 
 established for more than fifteen years, and 
 is widely known for its production of im- 
 proved rubber goods and novelty sundries. 
 These goods are handled by the chief 
 wholesale and retail houses of the United 
 States, and are sold in all parts of the 
 world. Three men are kept on the road 
 constantly; the business amounted to 
 $75,000 last year, and will perhaps run 
 up to $200,000 during the current fiscal 
 year. Our subject is an unassuming man, 
 one who attends strictly to business, 
 thoroughly understanding what he is 
 about, and he is recognized as one of the 
 pre-eminently successful business men of 
 Fremont. He is non-partisan in politics, 
 but of Democratic proclivities. 
 
 Mr. Myers was married to Miss Mary 
 Kennedy, of Sandusky City, Ohio, and 
 they are now occupying their lovely resi- 
 dence at the corner of Washington street 
 and McPherson avenue. The house, which 
 is a noticeable improvement in that part 
 of the town, is a handsome residence, one 
 of the finest in the city, constructed with 
 all modern conveniences, and the interior 
 finishings and furnishings are exquisite in 
 design and appointment. 
 
 STEPHEN J. RYAN, a prosperous 
 and popular merchant tailor, of 
 Fremont, Sandusky county, was 
 born December 25, 1857, in 
 Cleveland, Ohio, a son of Patrick H. and 
 Julia (Peters) Ryan. 
 
 Patrick H. Ryan was born in Cashel, 
 County Tipperary, Ireland, in 181 1. came 
 to America in 1836, and located in New 
 York City, where he followed the trade of 
 merchant tailor, to which he had served an 
 apprenticeship of seven years in Dublin, 
 Ireland. He worked first as a journey- 
 man in this country, later going into busi- 
 ness for his own account. In 1854 he 
 came to Cleveland, and located there 
 permanently, dying in 1887. He was a 
 Roman Catholic in religion, and a Demo- 
 crat in politics. His wife, Julia, was born 
 in the same part of Ireland, in 1831, and 
 is still living in Cleveland. Her father, 
 Stephen Peters, a tailor by trade, married 
 Miss Johanna McGuire, in Tluirles, Ire- 
 land, where each had been born and 
 reared. Stephen Peters was an only son, 
 and it is not known whether he had any 
 sisters. Johanna McGuire was an only 
 daughter, and had seven brothers. The 
 mother of our subject was one of three 
 sons and four daughters: John, Stephen, 
 Patrick, Bridget, Julia, Ellen and Johanna, 
 Johanna and Bridget being now deceased. 
 Our subject's mother came to New York 
 City in 1848, and was married in 1850, in 
 St. Vincent De Paul's Church, Canal 
 
826 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Street. Her sister Ellen was married in 
 St. James' Church, New York City, to 
 John Walker. Our subject is one of five 
 children: William, who died in 1872; 
 Mary Ann, deceased in childhood; John 
 F. , a merchant tailor in San Diego, Cal., 
 whither he had gone in i<S8o; Stephen J.; 
 and Anna, wife of Patrick McGrath, of 
 Cleveland, Ohio. 
 
 Our subject grew up in Cleveland, 
 Ohio, where he attended St. John's Cathe- 
 dral school, and received a good English 
 education. In the fall of 1869 he left 
 school, and served at the trade of mer- 
 chant tailor with his father until 1877, 
 when he commenced work on the bench. 
 Proceeding to New York, he there took a 
 course in the art of cutting, remaining 
 there two and a half years; then returned 
 to Cleveland, from which city he went to 
 California in 1884. He worked on the 
 bench in San Francisco until November 
 2, same year, when he returned to Ohio, 
 and located in Fremont city, as a cutter 
 for Dryfoos, Bach & Co. , with them con- 
 tinuing until the spring of 1892, at which 
 time he opened his present business. His 
 excellent work and honesty in dealing 
 with the public have secured for him a 
 large and growing trade. As a cutter and 
 fitter he has but few equals, certainly no 
 superiors, and in all that pertains to style 
 in clothing he is always up with the times. 
 
 S. J. Ryan was married November 27, 
 1879, to Miss Catherine Mayes, who was 
 born in Cleveland, Ohio, in September, 
 1 861, and their children were William 
 H., born August 28, 1884, died Novem- 
 ber 21, 1886; Vincent Earl, born in 1886; 
 and Marguerite, born August 17, 1889 — 
 a bright and intelligent family. Mr. Ryan 
 is now a leading Knight of the B. P. O. E. , 
 No. 169, F"reniont, Ohio, has passed all 
 the chairs, and is a charter member of 
 the Lodge, which was instituted in 1890. 
 He is a member of the National Union, 
 and has passed all the chairs in that 
 order; is a member of the Christian 
 Mutual Benefit Association, and of the 
 
 Emerald Beneficial Association, and is 
 also identified with the Fremont Cycling 
 and Athletic Club. He is a Roman Cath- 
 olic in religion, a member of St. Ann's 
 Church, and a highly respected citizen. 
 
 GEORGE PICKARD.who for many 
 years was one of the most promi- 
 nent and progressive agricultu- 
 rists of Carroll township, Ottawa 
 county, was born in the town of Sterling, 
 Cayuga Co., N. Y. , September 12, 1826. 
 He was a son of Frederick and Mary 
 (McGregor) Pickard, the former of whom 
 was a native of Yorkshire, England, and 
 the latter of Ireland. In 1835 they came 
 to Ohio, locating in Maumee, whence af- 
 ter a residence of three years they removed 
 to what is now Carroll township, Ottawa 
 county, here purchasing the land on which 
 our subject now resides, and which at that 
 time was covered with a dense forest. 
 There the father carried on farming until 
 his death, in June, 1861, and the mother, 
 who survived him for several years, passed 
 away December 16, 1878. They were 
 the parents of eleven children, five of 
 whom are still living — Susan, wife of 
 William Sherbrook, of Ba\- township, 
 Ottawa county; Sarah, wife of Augustus 
 Titus, of Carroll township; Mary, wife of 
 Austin Ellsworth, of Henry county, Ohio; 
 Martha, wife of Orson Barrs, of Bureau 
 county. 111. ; and Jane, wife of Gideon 
 Baker, of Michigan. 
 
 George Pickard attended the old time 
 log schoolhouse of the district in Carroll 
 township, having gone there with his par- 
 ents when only twelve years of age, and 
 has engaged in agricultural pursuits since 
 his early youth. As the country was 
 new and undeveloped at that time, it 
 was no easy matter to place his land un- 
 der the high state of cultivation we now 
 find it. On February 16, 1849, in Port- 
 age township, Ottawa county, was cele- 
 brated the marriage of Mr. Pickard and 
 Miss Abi Moore, a daughter of Nathaniel 
 
COMMEMORATIVE! BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 827 
 
 B. and Fidelia (Dweilie) Moore, who were 
 natives of New York and Massachusetts, 
 respectively, and became early pioneers 
 of Ottawa county. To this union came 
 eight children, namely: Sarah Fidelia, 
 born August 13, 1850, wife of Theodore 
 Snyder, of Erie township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty; Olive Angeline, who died November 
 12, 1884; Nathaniel, deceased; Orrison; 
 Jeanette, who resides in Ohio; William, 
 who lives in Lorain county, Ohio; Mary, 
 wife of Samuel Bigelow, of Oak Harbor, 
 Ottawa county; and Gertrude, who died 
 in infancy. The mother of this famdy 
 was called to her final rest in May, 1868. 
 On December 24, 1870, Mr. Pickard was 
 again niarried, this time to Melinda War- 
 ner, and to this union came one daughter 
 — Maggie Glen, born F"ebruary 6, 1S72, 
 who is now the wife of William Beier, 
 whom she wedded on January 9, 1888. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Beier have four sons — El- 
 mer, born October 22, 1888; Oscar, born 
 October 9, 1889; Hughie A., born May 
 15, 1892; and George Clifford, born July 
 26, 1894. 
 
 Mr. Pickard ever took an active in- 
 terest in political affairs; he used his right 
 of franchise in support of the Democratic 
 party, and held several township offices, 
 for three years serving as infirmary di- 
 rector. On May 22, 1895, he passed 
 from earth, deeply mourned by all who 
 knew him. The family attend the Bap- 
 tist Church. 
 
 JAMES S. DUNCAN, proprietor of a 
 tiourishing general store at Lime- 
 stone, and also extensively engaged 
 in the lime business, is a native of 
 Ohio, born July 9. 1858, in Jackson, 
 Jackson county. 
 
 His parents, James and Amy (Verner) 
 Duncan, were both born in Armstrong 
 county, Penn., the father in 1827, the 
 mother in 1835. They were married in 
 1 85 1, and are now living at Povvellsville, 
 Scioto Co., Ohio, where the father is a 
 
 contractor and builder. To them were 
 born eight children, five of whom are now 
 living, three sons and two daughters; the 
 sons are all married, but the daughters 
 are still with their parents. 
 
 James S. Duncan spent his boyhood 
 days at Povvellsville, Scioto Co., Ohio, 
 there attending the public schools, from 
 which he graduated in 1877. At the age 
 of nineteen, immediately after graduating, 
 he and his brother formed a supply com- 
 pany for forwarding lime to Means, Kyle 
 & Co., in which business they continued 
 for about five years, when it was suddenly 
 brought to a close by the death of his 
 brother, he being accidentally killed while 
 handling limestone. Mr. Duncan then 
 went to Marion, Ohio, as superintendent 
 of the lime works for John D. Owens & 
 Son, with whom he remained four years, 
 thence coming to Limestone, Benton 
 township, Ottawa county-, where for two 
 years he had the superintendcncy of a 
 similar business for Swayne & Lawrence. 
 He then entered upon a contract to fur- 
 nish lime to the Genoa and Rocky Ridge 
 Lime Co. , of Toledo, Ohio, being thus 
 engaged for four years. 
 
 In the meantime, in 1889, Mr. Dun- 
 can opened a general store at Limestone, 
 of which branch of his business his wife 
 had charge for a time, but finally it was 
 put into the hands of a clerk, Mr. Dun- 
 can of course having the general man- 
 agement and oversight of the business. 
 The Limestone post office is located in the 
 store, and for several years he has held 
 the position of postmaster. In 1892 Mr. 
 Duncan went into partnership with L. W. 
 Buzzard, erecting a large lime plant 
 which they operated together until 1894, 
 at which time they erected a plant at 
 VVilliston, Ottawa county, for manufac- 
 turing lime, crushing stone and furnishing 
 building stone. These two plants they 
 now keep in constant operation, his part- 
 ner having the oversight of the new one, 
 while Mr. Duncan himself looks after the 
 business at Limestone. The partners are 
 
828 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOOIiAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 both members of the Ohio Lime Co., of 
 Toledo, Ohio. Mr. Duncan is a de- 
 servedly successful man, and has reached 
 his present position by his own energy' 
 and untiring activity. 
 
 On June 15, 1881, Mr. Duncan was 
 married to Miss Alice M. Worthington, 
 of fronton, Ohio, and three children have 
 blessed their union, all of whom are liv- 
 ing: Royer E., born June 15, 1882; 
 Cleveland, born December 13, 1886, and 
 Clara E., born December 14, 1888. Mrs. 
 Duncan was born in I-Centucky Septem- 
 ber 5, 1856, and when a small girl re- 
 moved with her father's people to Powells- 
 ville, Ohio, where she attended school, 
 graduating in 1 864. She has also given 
 some attention to music, and has given 
 all her children instructions in the prin- 
 ciples of that art, especially instrumental 
 music. Her father, Findley ^^'orthiIlg- 
 ton, was killed in the war of the Rebel- 
 lion, and her mother died some seventeen 
 years ago. 
 
 L 
 
 OUIS SCHIELE, proprietor of 
 free museum, and hotel-keeper, is 
 a prominent and successful busi- 
 ness man of Put in Bay, Ottawa 
 county. He was born in Toledo, Ohio, 
 July 2, 1856, and when ten years old 
 came with his parents to Put in Bay 
 Island, of which he has been a continu- 
 ous resident for nearly thirty years. He 
 has been closely identified with the growth 
 and prosperity of the village, and, by his 
 genial manner and good business qualifi- 
 cations, has won the esteem of all who 
 know him. 
 
 Mr. Schiele received his education in 
 the public schools of the Island. In early 
 life he engaged in the butchering business, 
 and followed this occupation for about six 
 years. He then entered the grape-grow- 
 ing industry, in which he continged a few 
 years, and in 1881 commenced in his 
 present business. In 1886 Mr. Schiele 
 purchased the Odd Fellows Block, the 
 
 finest business block on Put in Bay 
 Island. On June 15, 1880, on the Island, 
 Louis Schiele was united in marriage with 
 Anna Vandorm, and four children have 
 been born to them, as follows: Andrew 
 M., July 2, t88i; Otto, August 10, 1883; 
 Roland, September 7, 1887; and Ada M., 
 November 14, 1891. Mrs. Schiele is the 
 daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mark \'andorm. 
 Our subject has efficiently served as a 
 councillor and constable of the village, 
 and in his political views is Democratic. 
 Socially he is a member of Commodore 
 Perry Lodge No. 730, I. O. O. F. , of 
 Western Reserve Lodge No. 128. K. of 
 P., and of Garfield Division No. 273, 
 U. R. K. P. 
 
 J\\'. MUGGY is a representative citi- 
 zen of Catawba Island, Ottawa 
 county, and like many who reside 
 in this region devotes his time and 
 energies to fruit growing, in which enter- 
 prise he has been verj' successful. He 
 manages his affairs in a systematic, meth- 
 odical manner, is straightforward and 
 honorable in all dealings, and his labors 
 have brought him a comfortable compe- 
 tence. 
 
 Mr. Muggy is one of the sons of the 
 Empire State. He was born in Brooklyn, 
 N. Y., June 10, 1852, and is of German 
 and Irish lineage, his parents being John 
 C. and Ellen (McMahan) Muggy, the for- 
 mer of whom was born July 20, 18 17, in 
 Hamburg, Germany, and the latter in 
 Dublin, Ireland. In 1837 John C. Muggy 
 ciossed the -Xtlantic to the New World, 
 locating in Brooklyn, N. Y. , where for 
 fifteen years he engaged in the grocery 
 business. In 1852 he brought his family 
 to the Buckeye State, and became a resi- 
 dent of Danbury township, Ottawa county, 
 where he turned his attention to agricul- 
 tural pursuits, living on what is known as 
 the Harrison Wolcote farm. In 1858 he 
 removed to Catawba Island, where he 
 engaged in farming for some years, and 
 
VOMMEMORATIVE BTOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 829 
 
 then began fruit growing. He was mar- 
 ried, in Brooklyn, to Miss Ellen, daugh- 
 ter of Daniel McMahan, and they became 
 the parents of nine children, five of whom 
 are still living, namely: Christopher, a 
 successful fruit grower of Catawba Island; 
 Daniel, who carries on the same business; 
 Margaret Ann, wife of Calvin Brown; J. 
 W., whose name opens this sketch; and 
 Jane, wife of Louis Demaj-, of Sandusky 
 City, Ohio. Those who have departed 
 this life are Henry, Martin, John and 
 George Henry. 
 
 During his infancy our subject was 
 brought by his parents to the West. He 
 was reared to manhood under the par- 
 ental roof, becoming familiar with all the 
 duties that fall to the agriculturist. His 
 educational privileges were those afforded 
 by the common schools. He was united 
 in marriage with Miss Matilda Rebecca 
 Miller, a daughter of Claus and Katherine 
 (Buck) Miller, at whose home in Dan- 
 bury township, Ottawa county, the wed- 
 ding was celebrated. Their union has 
 been blessed with one child — Florence 
 Estella, born September 20, 1889. Mr. 
 Muggy is a member of Port Clinton Lodge 
 No. 341, F. & A. M. He is a social, 
 genial gentleman, and has many friends 
 throughout the community. He is de- 
 voted to the best interests of the county, 
 and belongs to that class of honorable 
 men who do their duty to themselves, 
 their neighbors and their country. 
 
 FJ. WEIS is a native of Germany, 
 born July 5, 1846, and his par- 
 ents, Fred and Barbara (Millen- 
 dor) Weis, were also born in that 
 country, the father in 18 18, and the 
 mother in 181 5. 
 
 In 185 I, the family came to America, 
 landing in New York, where they spent a 
 few days ere continuing their journey 
 across the country. Their destination 
 was the city of Sandusky, Ohio, and when 
 they had arrived there the father purchased 
 
 a house and lot, continuing to make his 
 residence in that town until 1854, when he 
 sold and removed to Wood county, Ohio. 
 Purchasing a twenty-acre tract of timber 
 land, he began to clear and improve it, 
 and when the work was accomplished, 
 after a space of about three years, he 
 again sold, removing to Washington town- 
 ship, Sandusky county. His ne.xt pur- 
 chase made him the possessor of a forty- 
 acre tract, which became the nucleus of 
 his present excellent farm, to which he 
 has since added 138 acres, and placed 
 nearly the entire amount under a high 
 state of cultivation. Both he and his wife 
 are still living, but only two of their six 
 children survive. Eliza, born in 1842, 
 became the wife of J. Garver, and died 
 in 1892, leaving a family of four children. 
 Andrew, born in 1844, married Katie 
 Schultz, by whom he had nine children; 
 is a farmer of Ottawa county, Ohio. Fred 
 is the next in order of birth. The other 
 three died in infancy — Rosy, born in 1848, 
 Christina, born in 1852, and Rudolph, 
 born in 1855. 
 
 Fred J. Weis has always lived with 
 his parents. He acquired a good English 
 education, and his physical training was 
 not neglected, for he early began to aid 
 in the labors of the home farm, and was 
 soon familiar with the arduous task of de- 
 veloping new land. After reaching man- 
 hood he was united in marriage with Miss 
 Emma Beck, a daughter of a well-known 
 farmer of Sandusky county, and their 
 union was blessed with two children — 
 Caroline E., who was born September 24, 
 1874, and is now the wife of William 
 Lohr, by whom she has a daughter, El- 
 len; and Edward F. , born November 22, 
 1876. In 1876 the wife and mother was 
 called to the home beyond, and her re- 
 mains were interred in Elmore Cemetery, 
 Ottawa county. On July 11, 1878, Mr. 
 Weis was joined in wedlock with Mar- 
 garet Upp. • 
 
 Mr. Weis is the owner of a well-de- 
 veloped farm of sixty acres, upon which 
 
830 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 he has erected a comfortable residence, 
 that stands in the midst of well-tilled 
 fields. There are other good improve- 
 ments upon the place, and, neat and 
 thrifty in appearance, this farm is ac- 
 counted one of the valuable properties in 
 Washington township. Like his father, 
 Mr. Weis is a supporter of the men and 
 measures of the Democracy, and has 
 served as supervisor and school director, 
 discharging his duties in a prompt and 
 able manner that has won him the com- 
 mendation of all concerned. 
 
 JOHN P. ANSPACH. In past ages 
 the history of a country was a rec- 
 ord of wars and conquests; to-day it 
 is the record of commercial activity, 
 the story of business enterprises and those 
 who successfully conduct them. Mr. 
 Anspach is a leader in the field of activity 
 in Oak Harbor, where he is senior mem- 
 ber of the firm of Anspach Brothers, 
 manufacturers of lumber and coopers' 
 stock. 
 
 Mr. Anspach was born in Perry coun- 
 t}', Ohio, December 24, 1841, and there 
 acquired a portion of his education, com- 
 pleting it, however, in the public schools 
 of Crawford county. 111., whither he went 
 with his parents. The family is of Penn- 
 sylvania-German origin, the great-grand- 
 father and the grandfather of our subject 
 having both been born in the Keystone 
 State. David Anspach, father of John 
 P., was a son of John and Mary (Over- 
 meyer) Anspach. and was born in Perry 
 county. Ohio, in October, 18 16. He grew 
 to manhood in that county, and his early 
 life was spent in agricultural pursuits. In 
 1 85 1 he removed with his family to Craw- 
 ford county. 111., where he carried on 
 farming for about five years, and then in 
 1856 cast in his lot with the early settlers 
 of Sandusky county, Ohio. There he 
 engaged in the manufacture of lumber lor 
 some five years, and about 1879 he came 
 
 to Oak Harbor, where for a time he lived 
 practically retired. For the past six years 
 he has been an honored resident of Edger- 
 ton, Ind. He was married in his native 
 county to Elizabeth, daughter of Henry 
 and Elizabeth Fisher, natives of Pennsyl- 
 vania, and by their union were born nine 
 children, five of whom are living, namely: 
 John P.; Allen; Matilda, wife of Michael 
 Latting, a prominent farmer of Sandusky 
 county; George \V., who is living in Ed- 
 gerton, Ind.; and Rosanna, wife of John 
 H. Murphv, of Louisiana. The mother 
 departed this life in 1861, and for his 
 second wife Mr. Anspach married Mrs. 
 Marj' Conachen, widow of Peter Cona- 
 chen, of Sandusky county. The children 
 of this marriage are as follows: William, 
 who is a resident of Detroit, Mich. ; 
 Hosea, of Edgerton, Ind. ; Bertha, wife 
 of Henry Hydlebrech; and Lloyd, also of 
 Edgerton, Ind. The oldest member of 
 the family, Henry Anspach, served in the 
 Seventy-second O. V. I., during the Civil 
 war, and died in the hospital, of typhoid 
 fever, his remains being interred in Mis- 
 sissippi. 
 
 From Illinois Mr. Anspach returned with 
 his parents to Sandusky county, Ohio, and 
 worked in his father's mill until i860. 
 His father having sold out his lumber 
 manufacturing business, our subject work- 
 ed for a short time in Fremont, thence 
 going to Fort Wayne, Ind. where he re- 
 sided until 1864. Returning then to 
 Sandusky county, he purchased, in con- 
 nection with his brother Allen, the saw- 
 mill which had been previously operated 
 by his father, and under the firm name 
 of Anspach Bros, they continued the bus- 
 iness therefor four years. In i 868 they 
 transferred their business to Oak Harbor, 
 where they engaged extensively and suc- 
 cessfully in the manufacture of lumber 
 and cooperage stock. Their mill was 
 burned September i, 1895. 
 
 On September 15, 1868, John P. 
 Anspach was married in Sandusky county 
 to Miss Emilv Henricks, who was born 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BWORAPnWAL RECORD. 
 
 831 
 
 in Sandusky county, February lo, 1851, 
 
 daughter of Noah and Elizabeth (Reed) 
 Heiiricks, natives of Perry county, Ohio; 
 they became early settlers of Sandusky 
 county, and are still living within its 
 borders, being honored and respected^'' 
 citizens of Lindsej'. The union of our 
 subject and his wife has been blessed with 
 five children, but only two are now living 
 — William and Rorland. John P. An- 
 spach was one of the first councilmen 
 elected after the incorporation of Oak 
 Harbor as a town, and efficiently filled 
 that office for several years. His polit- 
 ical support is given to the Democratic 
 party, and socially he is connected with 
 Oak Harbor Lodge No. 495, F. & A. M. 
 The members of the Anspach family were 
 formerly connected with the Lutheran 
 Church, but at present the majority are 
 members of the ^fethodist Church. John 
 P. Anspach is a thoroughgoing business 
 man, one of the most enterprising citi- 
 zens of Oak Harbor, and is popular in 
 both commercial and social circles. 
 
 Allen Anspach, who is connected with 
 his brother in business, is the second of 
 the family, and was born in Perry coun- 
 ty, Ohio, in October, 1843. He got his 
 education in the public schools near his 
 boyhood home, and since early life he has 
 been interested in the business which now 
 claims his time and energies, and with 
 which he became familiar when his father 
 was a lumber dealer. He was married 
 in Sandusky county to Miss Eliza Fought, 
 a daughter of Amos and Mary (Hedrick) 
 Fougfit, and seven children blessed this 
 union, only three of whom are now living 
 — Perry, Elmer and Clara. 
 
 In i86t Allen Anspach manifested his 
 loyalty to the Union cause by joining the 
 boys in blue of Company C, Seventy-sec- 
 ond O. V. L, but after serving in the 
 army for nearly a year was discharged on 
 account of physical disability and returned 
 to Sandusky count}-. Progressive and 
 public -spirited, he is devoted to all mat- 
 ters pertaining to the general welfare, 
 
 and his career has ever been that of an 
 honorable and just man, whether in bus- 
 iness, military or private life. 
 
 FRANK J. TUTTLE. attorney at 
 law and notary public, Fremont, 
 Sandusky county, was born in 
 Green Creek township, Sandusky 
 Co., Ohio, April 5, 1852, son of Julius 
 and Eliza H. (Hamlin) Tuttle. 
 
 Julius Tuttle was born in 1819, in 
 Livingston county, N. Y. , and about 1831 
 came with his father, Wolcott Tuttle, 
 from that place to Green Creek township, 
 where amid the scenes of pioneer life he 
 grew up on a farm, married, and in his 
 later years removed to Clyde, where his 
 death occurred in 1881. He was a Dem- 
 ocrat in early life, later a I'lepublican.- 
 His wife, who survived him, died at the 
 family home in Clyde, in 1888. They 
 had two children: Freeman G. , who 
 lives at Clyde, Ohio, and Frank J., our 
 subject. These brothers have a half sis- 
 ter at Clyde, Mrs. Eliza H. (Ramsey) 
 York. 
 
 Frank J. Tuttle was reared in Green 
 Creek township, and attended the Clyde 
 union schools. In 1868 he left home to 
 engage in the commission business in 
 Cleveland, but returning to Ch'de he read 
 law for several years, and was admitted 
 to the bar before the Supreme Court at 
 Columbus, Ohio, December 3, 1878. 
 While living at Clyde he served as town- 
 ship clerk, resigning that office to take a 
 position for several years on the road. In 
 1884 he returned to Clyde for the prac- 
 tice of law. and did business in Huron 
 and Sandusky counties, in 1886 removing 
 to Fremont, where he has since continued 
 in the practice of his profession, making 
 the handling of patents a specialty. So- 
 cially Mr. Tuttle is a member of Mc- 
 Pherson Lodge No. 637, I. O. O. F. , in 
 which he holds the position of noble grand. 
 He was married, December 30, 1880, 
 to Miss Frances E. , daughter of Edward 
 
832 
 
 COMMEMORATTVE BIOGRAPEIVAL RECORD. 
 
 Loudensleger, ex-postmaster of Fremont, 
 and their children are Howard R. , Flor- 
 ence E. and Robert F. , all living at 
 home. Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle are mem- 
 bers of the M. E. Church, at Fremont. 
 
 JOSHUA N. PERMAR, D. D. S., the 
 only resident dentist of Elmore, Ot- 
 tawa county, and one of the most 
 highly respected citizens of that 
 place, was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, 
 near Stcubenville, August i, 1830. 
 
 Dr. Permar is a son of John and Mar- 
 garet (Shaw) Permar, the former of whom 
 was born in Pennsylvania, of French 
 ancestry, and the latter in Ohio, of Ger- 
 man lineage. The father located in Jef- 
 ferson count}', Ohio, at an early date, and 
 became e.xtensively engaged in agricultur- 
 al pursuits. His death occurred in 1845, 
 and his faithful and devoted wife passed 
 from this earth in 1868. Our subject 
 worked upon the old homestead farm un- 
 til he had reached the age of sixteen 
 years, during which time he received his 
 education in the old log schoolhouse of 
 the district, with its puncheon floor and 
 primitive benches. He then commenced 
 to learn the trade of marble cutting, at 
 which he worked for several years as an 
 apprentice and journeyman, and later en- 
 gaged in business for himself in Stcuben- 
 ville, continuing there three years. In 
 1853 he removed to Minerva, Stark Co., 
 Ohio, where he carried on the marble- 
 cutting business for ten years. 
 
 In 1 863 Dr. Permar enlisted for serv- 
 ice in the Union army, becoming a 
 member of Company D, One Hundred 
 and Sixty-second O. V. I., as a one- 
 hundred-day man, and served for four 
 months. After being mustered out at 
 Columbus, Ohio, he returned to Stark 
 county, but owing to poor health was 
 obliged to close up his business. He then 
 began the study of dentistry, and later, 
 on removing to Medina county, Ohio, 
 there engaged in practice six years. In 
 
 March, 1873, he became a resident of 
 Elmore, where he has since been con- 
 tinuously engaged in the practice of his 
 profession, and has met with excellent 
 success. 
 
 At Steubenville, Ohio, October 28, 
 1856, Dr. Permar was united in marriage 
 with Miss Nancy Hall, daughter of 
 Thomas and Nancy Hall, and to their 
 union was born one child, Monroe, who 
 died in infancy. They now have an 
 adopted daughter, Minnie Rossiter, who 
 is a teacher in the public schools of Har- 
 ris township, Ottawa count}'. Socially, 
 the Doctor belongs to the Knights of 
 Pythias, being a member of Elmore 
 Lodge, No. 162, and he is also connected 
 with Robert H. Caldwell Post, G. A. R. 
 In his political views he is a stanch Re- 
 publican, while, in religious matters, both 
 he and his wife are consistent and faith- 
 ful members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. They have many friends in the 
 community where they have so long re- 
 sided, and are held in the highest esteem 
 by all who know them. 
 
 SOLOMON RINEBOLT, a pros- 
 perous farmer of Jackson town- 
 ship, Sandusk}' county, was born 
 in Perry county, Ohio, February 
 28, 1824. He is the eldest son of Abra- 
 ham and Susan (Hampsher) Rineboit, 
 natives of Penns3'lvania, who had a family 
 of children as follows: (i) Solomon, sub- 
 ject of this sketch. (2) Lydia, wife of 
 Paul Kline, whose children are — John, 
 Levi, Noah and Mary. (3) John, who 
 married Rebecca Harley, by whom he 
 had a son, Jacob, now living at Kendall- 
 ville, Ind. ; after her death he married 
 Amanda Seltzer, and had children as fol- 
 lows — Abraham, Mar}-, John, Mahala, 
 three sons that died in childhood, William 
 Franklin (who died at the age of eleven), 
 Lafayette (who married Anna Fink, and 
 has one son — Russell), and Delia (who 
 married Birchard Henrv, and has two 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPUICAL RECORD. 
 
 833 
 
 children — Larry and Glenn). (4) Cath- 
 arine, wife of Qeorge Engler, living in 
 Indiana. (5) Mary, who wedded George 
 Bubb, and has four children. (6) Lovina, 
 wife of David Harley, who had children 
 as follows — Frank, Levi, Emma and 
 Ada. 
 
 Solomon Rinebolt, subject of this 
 memoir, grew up to the toilsome labors 
 of farm life in a new country, and devel- 
 oped into a thrifty, successful worker and 
 a good citizen. His sandy hair, ruddy 
 face, piercing eyes, almost hidden under 
 heavy ej'ebrows, friendly countenance and 
 genial good nature, have long distin- 
 guished him among the old-time " Black 
 Swampers." With a keen eye for bar- 
 gains in real estate, he purchased farm 
 after farm in his vicinity, until he was 
 able to give each of his children a farm, 
 and reserve an eighty-acre lot for himself. 
 He has always been a Democrat in poli- 
 tics, and he and his wife are members of 
 the Methodisl Episcopal Church. 
 
 In 1848. when twenty-four years of 
 age, Solomon Rinebolt married Miss 
 Sarah Elizabeth Seltzer, who was born 
 April 25, 1828, in Lancaster county, 
 Penn., daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth 
 (Miller) Seltzer. The result of their 
 union were children as follows: (i) Susan 
 E., born October 23, 1849, died June 30, 
 1886; she became the wife of Frank N'ent- 
 ling, who had one son, James, now living 
 at Fort Clinton, Ohio. (2) Noah, born 
 Mtirch 12, 185 I, who married Emma My- 
 ers, by whom he had one son, Frederick, 
 who died in childhood, and two daughters, 
 Viola and Lizzie; after the wife's death 
 in 1888, he wedded Helen Dunlap, by 
 whom he had a daughter. Fern, living at 
 home. (3) Harriet, born September 10, 
 1852, became the wife of David Winchell; 
 their daughter, Myra, married Frank 
 Wagoner, and has two daughters — Stella 
 and Hazel. (4) Adam, born December 
 16, 1853, married Kate Rigler, and had 
 three children — Arthur, Bertha and Es- 
 tella. (5) Mary R. , born October 25, 
 
 1855, married Wesley Hart man, and had 
 two children — Alice, who wedded a Mr. 
 Campbell, and Vernie, living at home; 
 after a legal separation from her husband, 
 Mrs. Mary R. Hartman married David 
 Day, by whom she has one son — Otto. 
 (6) Sarah Ellen, born August 10, 1858, 
 married Frank Chaney, and had four 
 children — Pearl, May, Augusta, and 
 Arthur. (7) Ora Alice, born June 7, 
 1865, married Frank Ickes, and they 
 have two children — Alpha and Grace. 
 
 Mrs. Sarah E. Rinebolt is a lineal 
 descendant of Michael Seltzer, who ac- 
 cording to a famil}' tradition starved to 
 death in a church building during the 
 Revolutionary war. He had three sons — 
 Abraham, John and Michael. Abraham 
 Seltzer lived in southeastern Pennsylva- 
 nia, where he married Miss Catharine, 
 daughter of Philip Faust, and had chil- 
 dren as follows: Joseph, Polly, Eliza- 
 beth, Michael, Catharine, Rebecca, and 
 Nathaniel. Joseph Seltzer moved to 
 Sandusky county in pioneer days, mar- 
 ried Elizabeth Miller, who was born in 
 1809, and had children as follows: Sarah 
 Elizabeth (wife of Solomon Rinebolt), 
 Joseph, Amanda (wife of John Rinebolt), 
 Nathan, Catharine, Henry, Susannah 
 (wife of Frank Edwards), Mary (wife of 
 L. Donnels), Ella, Emma, and Abraham. 
 The descendants of these families are 
 scattered over various parts of the United 
 States. 
 
 J EREMI.AH SULLIVAN, Jr., farm- 
 er, of Ballville township, Sandusky 
 county, was born January 25, 1852, 
 near the place of his present resi- 
 dence. His father, Jeremiah Sullivan, 
 Sr. , was a native of the parish of Eve 
 Lary, County Cork, Ireland, born in 1791, 
 and came to America about the year 
 1825. He landed in New York City, 
 thence proceeded to Chester and Lancas- 
 ter counties, Penn., where he spent five 
 years in the management of a public high- 
 
884 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 way, and in assisting farmers during the 
 harvesting of their crops. 
 
 About the year 1830 he came to 
 Sandusky county, Ohio, and entered 219 
 acres of government land, in Ballville 
 township, at $1.25 per acre, a part of 
 which he retained as a permanent home- 
 stead. At forty 3ears of age he married 
 Miss Joanna King, at Tiffin, Ohio, and 
 they soon after settled on their farm 
 where he continued to reside during the 
 remainder of his Hfe. Mrs. SulHvan was 
 born in County Kerry, Ireland, and in 1841 
 emigrated to America in company with a 
 sister and two brothers, coining to Tiffin, 
 Ohio, by way of Sandusky City. Her 
 present residence is Fremont, Ohio. 
 Their children were as follows : Mar- 
 garet, born in 1842, died at the age of 
 thirteen years; Mary, born January 12, 
 1844, married J. W. Moore, of Fremont, 
 and died October 27, 1885, leaving one 
 son, William, born April 25, 1874; 
 Florence, a farmer of Sandusky township, 
 born April 11, 1845, who, October 16, 
 1 88 1, married Miss Mary Ouilter, daugh- 
 ter of Daniel and Ellen (Leonard) Ouilter 
 (they had children, as follows: Nellie O., 
 Florence J., Marie C, Bessie M., and 
 John Edwin); Timothy, born in 1846, was 
 a soldier in the Civil war, serving in Com- 
 pany F, Seventy-second Regiment, O. V. 
 I., died October 26, T873, and was buried 
 in St. Ann's Catholic Church cemetery; 
 Delia, born in 1848, went to California in 
 1869, where she married a Mr. Kelle\', a 
 merchant at San Francisco; Hannah, born 
 in 1850, is unmarried, and lives at San 
 Francisco; Ellen, born 1851, died in 1864. 
 Jeremiah, Jr., our subject, comes ne.xt; 
 Johanna, born in 1853, married T. L. 
 House, editor and publisher of several 
 papers on the Pacific coast, among which 
 was the Sierra Madrc Vista, at San 
 Francisco, Cal. (he is now connected 
 with the United States Mint in that city); 
 John, born in 1854, a farmer and con- 
 tractor, married Margaret Carroll, and 
 died May 19, 1886, leaving a daughter, 
 
 Florence; Philip, a contractor, was born 
 in February, 1856, and resides at Fre- 
 mont; Margaret, born in 1857, is unmar- 
 ried, and lives at Fremont; Lizzie, born 
 in 1859, is the wife of Michael Fitz- 
 maurice, a machinist in the Ohio Central 
 railroad shops, at Bucyrus, Ohio. 
 
 Our subject remained with his parents 
 on the home farm until his twentj'-first 
 year, after which he served a few j-ears 
 at carpenter work, and later followed 
 county contracting and jobbing. In 1891 
 he returned to farming on the old home- 
 stead, where he still resides. He has 
 held various official positions. On May 
 2, 1876, he married Miss Ellen Norris, 
 daughter of John and Margaret Norris, of 
 Ottawa county, Ohio, and the result of 
 their union were children as follows : 
 John, who died in childhood; Margaret, 
 who died of dipthheria at the age of two 
 years; James, born March 24, 1 881; John 
 v., born January 28, 1883; Francis J., 
 born April 15, 1885; George William, 
 born November 3, 1888; and Mary E. , 
 born September 17, 1892. 
 
 RUSS J. CHRISTY. Prominent 
 among the few citizens of Fre- 
 mont, Sandusky county, whose 
 names have become "familiar as 
 household words," not only in every State 
 of the Union but in foreign lands, is the 
 subject of this sketch. 
 
 Born and reared in the village of Clyde, 
 in this garden spot of northern Ohio, noted 
 for its fine, choice and large shipments of 
 fruits and vegetables, and honored as the 
 last resting place of Gen. McPherson, who 
 was highest in rank of any general that 
 ever was killed in any battle and in any 
 war of the United States, our subject early 
 caught the spirit of his environments and 
 sought to improve his opportunities by di- 
 recting his mental activities in the line of 
 machinery and invention. Having demom- 
 strated the utility of several articles of 
 cutlery of his own invention and manu- 
 
COMMEMORATrVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 835 
 
 facture by actual use in thousands of 
 homes, he extended his facilities for their 
 production in our midst by the erection of 
 an extensive brick block, which is an or- 
 nament to the city, keeps capital at home, 
 and gfives employment to hundreds of 
 hands. His fellow citizens may well re- 
 gard him as a public benefactor. 
 
 Russ J. Christy, president of the 
 Christy Knife Company, Fremont, Ohio, 
 and patentee of the Christy knife, was 
 born February lO, icS62, son of John and 
 Elizabeth (Ramsey) Christy. John Christy 
 was born in Onondaga county, N. Y. , and 
 at an early day located at Clyde, Ohio, 
 where he still resides, being now about 
 sixt)'-eight years of age. He is a carpen- 
 ter bj' trade. His wife, who is a native of 
 Ohio, is now about sixty-five. After fin- 
 ishing a course of study and graduating 
 from Clyde public schools, our subject, in 
 1879, went to West Salem, Ohio, where 
 he served as an apprentice to learn the 
 trade of machinist. After this he spent 
 some years in perfecting his trade in the 
 machine shops of Massillon (Ohio), Indi- 
 anapolis (Ind.), Philadelphia (Penn.) and 
 Sandusky City (Ohio). In 1884 he came 
 to Fremont, Ohio, to work in a machine 
 shop, as tool maker, and it was while here 
 that he conceived of and had patented the 
 now famous Christy knife. Being then 
 without sufficient means to push its manu- 
 facture on a large scale, he commenced in 
 a small way, and kept on perfecting his 
 methods. After he had by his own energy 
 demonstrated the value of his knife, capi- 
 tal flowed to him, so that he was enabled 
 to enlarge his operations. A company 
 was formed. Dr. R. H. Rice and Mr. L. 
 H. Cress uniting with Mr. Christy, and 
 the manufactory placed in a part of the 
 Tromer Extract of Malt Works; Dr. Rice 
 has sold his interests, and a new building 
 has been erected by the remaining mem- 
 bers of the firm. The first knives were 
 made in 1888. Mr. Christy had then but 
 one man to assist him, as he did most of 
 the work himself. He now employs i 50 
 
 hands per day, and the capacity of the 
 shop is 7, 500 knives daily. The trade 
 for the knives has been extended not only 
 to every State in the Union, but to every 
 country on the globe. His patents on 
 knife and improvements are dated "No- 
 vember, 1889," "October, 1891," "No- 
 vember 21, 1893." The last patent is on 
 the latest article of the kind made, "The 
 Improved Bread Sheer." 
 
 Mr. Christy is a man of genial disposi- 
 tion and kindly manner. His employes 
 all seem to be his personal friends, and 
 take a special interest in his business. 
 None of them were discharged during the 
 hard times of 1894. Mr. Christy was 
 married, at Fremont, Ohio, to Miss 
 Amelia Myers, andtheirchildren are: Fay, 
 Arthur, Lamor and Clyde K. 
 
 AH. JACKSON, merchant and 
 manufacturer, Fremont, Sandusky 
 county, was born in Delaware 
 county, N. Y., May 10, 1847. 
 His parents were George W. and Rox- 
 anna (Ripley) Jackson, the father a na- 
 tive of New York, the mother of Massa- 
 chusetts, both of whom are now residing 
 at Ypsilanti, Mich., in the eightieth year 
 of their age. Their children were: Ma- 
 rian, Herbert L. , Ellen and A. H., all of 
 whom except the last named now reside 
 in Wayne county, Michigan. 
 
 Our subject grew up on a farmer in 
 Delaware count}', N. Y. , where he attend- 
 ed school until he was about seventeen 
 years of age. He then started west in 
 search of employment, and after having 
 spent nearly all of his hard earned money 
 in trying to get a position, resolved to go 
 into a business venture on his own ac- 
 count by the purchase of a lot of notions 
 for $17.50, and selling them out on the 
 street. Having succeeded in disposing of 
 them at a profit he kept on in that line 
 until he had gained enough to buy a horse 
 and wagon with which to start out into 
 the country towns with an outfit of goods. 
 
836 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 He kept on increasing his stock and his 
 wagons until he had several of the finest 
 outfits for selling goods in America. With 
 these wagons and livery, which were gaudy 
 as the carriage of an Indian prince, and 
 drawn by four fine horses, he traveled 
 over the States of Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, 
 Indiana, Michigan, New York, Pennsyl- 
 vania, Ohio, and the New England States, 
 and sold more goods upon the street than 
 any other ten men then living. Indeed, 
 he was the father of the idea of street- 
 selling on a large scale. In the latter 
 part of his career as street-salesman he 
 sold all kinds of goods and wares, both by 
 lot and by the single article, and the 
 magnitude of his sales may be imagined 
 from the fact that in one town his sales 
 for five evenings amounted to $1,750. 
 
 In 1872 Mr. Jackson made his home 
 and his headquarters at Fremont, Ohio. 
 About the year 1884 he quit traveling 
 and settled down in a store in the retail 
 dry-goods business. Not long after this 
 he got out a patent on a new bustle which 
 he commenced to manufacture at first in 
 a small way, and later very extensively 
 until those articles went out of style, 
 when he began the manufacture of ladies' 
 underwear, which has steadily increased 
 until now ( 1 894) he gives employment to 
 about two hundred people in his well- 
 equipped factory. He keeps three sales- 
 men constantly on the road, and sells to 
 jobbers and to large retail dealers all 
 over the United States. He has the 
 strongest trade in the Western States. 
 He manufactures his own paste-board 
 boxes for the shipment of his goods. 
 His factory is located in the center of 
 Fremont, and comprises two rooms of 40 
 x8o feet each, and two other rooms 35 x 
 45 feet. 
 
 Mr. Jackson is a Republican in poli- 
 tics, and though not a politician is justly 
 regarded as one of the most enterprising 
 and stirring citizens of Fremont, being 
 known as the "hustler" of the city. He 
 built two large brick business blocks on 
 
 South Front street, one on the West 
 side, known as the Jackson & Tschumy 
 block, and one on the East side, which 
 is occupied by his factory. He is a mem- 
 ber of several societies — the National 
 Union, the Red Cross, the Royal Ar- 
 canum and the F. & A. M. He married 
 Miss Mary Sharp, of Fremont, Ohio, and 
 has three daughters — Lulu, Nellie and 
 Edith. 
 
 JOHN FLORO, a retired farmer and 
 probably the oldest living resident of 
 Erie township, Ottawa county, was 
 born in Hamilton count}', Ohio, Oc- 
 tober 7, 1810. He is a son of David and 
 Anna (Leonard) Floro, the former of 
 whom was a native of Kentucky, and the 
 latter of Virginia, and in whose family 
 were twelve children, of whom five are 
 yet living, namely: John E. , subject of 
 this sketch; Joseph, who is residing in 
 Carroll township, Ottawa county; David, 
 whose home is in Oak Harbor, Ohio; 
 Jesse, a resident of Oklahoma; and Lu- 
 cilla, wife of Abraham Stouts, a resident 
 of Benton township, Ottawa county. 
 
 W'hen our subject was only three 
 years of aee his parents removed to Clark 
 county, Ohio, where he was reared to 
 manhood, and received such limited ed- 
 ucational privileges as were afforded the 
 children of those early days in the old log 
 schoolhouse with its slab seats and other 
 primitive furniture. In 1832 he took up 
 his residence in Erie township, Ottawa 
 county, and for sixt3'-three years has been 
 one of its honored and valued citizens; 
 to-day he is one of the few remaining 
 pioneers of the county who have been 
 spared to see the primeval forest trans- 
 formed into cultivated farms with their 
 fields of waving grain, while substantial 
 and imposing residences have taken the 
 place of the rude log cabins. 
 
 Mr. Floro has been twice married. 
 In April, 1843, in Erie township, he 
 wedded Miss Lydia Deer, daughter of 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 837 
 
 Lyman and Melinda Deer, who were na- 
 tives of New York, and early settlers of 
 Erie township, Ottawa county. By this 
 union were born twelve children, and 
 seven still survive, a brief record of them 
 being as follows: Anna, born August 1 8, 
 1844, is now the wife of Daniel Sinclair, 
 of Carroll township, Ottawa county; 
 David, who was born January 18, 1846, 
 is residing in Carroll township; Ezekiel, 
 who was born December 10, 1847, is a 
 resident farmer of Benton township, Ot- 
 tawa county; Isaac M., born Aprir28, 
 1848, makes his home in Erie township; 
 Jacob, born August 28, 1857, is located 
 in Lacarne; Esther Ann, born January 
 I, 1859, is the wife of Henry Fink, a 
 farmer of Carroll township; John E., 
 born February 15, 1S61, is living on the 
 old home farm with his father. The 
 mother of this family passed away March 
 4, 1864, and on November 3, 1864, Mr. 
 Floro was united in marriage with Eliza- 
 beth Williams, whose parents were resi- 
 dents of Carroll township, Ottawa coun- 
 ty. Two children came to the second 
 marriage, one now living — Frances, born 
 October 15, 1865. 
 
 Mr. Floro efficiently filled the office 
 of justice of the peace for three years, 
 and has been called to other positions of 
 public trust in the township, although he 
 has never been an office seeker. Through- 
 out his entire life he has adhered to the 
 principles of the Democratic part\', and 
 is one of its stalwart supporters. He has 
 always been highly esteemed for his sterl- 
 ing worth and strict integrity, and his is 
 an honored old age, in which he is sur- 
 rounded b\' man\' friends who respect him 
 in the highest degree. 
 
 Jacob Floro, son of this honored 
 pioneer, was born August 28, 1857, and 
 was educated in the district schools of 
 Erie township, where his entire life has 
 been passed. He is numbered among 
 the leading farmers of his locality, and 
 possesses business ability of a high order. 
 In politics he is a stalwart Democrat, and 
 
 he is a member of the Grange. His 
 family attend the United Brethren Church. 
 On July 29, 1882, he was married at Lo- 
 cust Point, Ohio, to Julia Finken, who 
 was born in Carroll township, Ottawa 
 county, January 22, 1861, and is a daugh- 
 ter of Henry and Mary (Bauman) Finken. 
 They have two children — Milton H., 
 born August 20, 1884; and Perinthia 
 Mabel, born April 22, 1894. 
 
 John E. Floro, the youngest son in 
 the family, was born on the old home 
 farm, February 15, 1861, and through 
 his youth attended the district schools of 
 the neighborhood, also aiding in the 
 labors of the farm. He early became 
 familiar with agricultural life in its various 
 departments, and now in his father's de- 
 clining years he manages and operates 
 the old homestead; thus relieving his 
 father of all business care. He was mar- 
 ried in Carroll township, Ottawa county, 
 November 19, 1885, to Mary Ann Bal- 
 lard, who was born February 27, 1867. a 
 daughter of James and Mary M. (Perrey) 
 Ballard. They now have had three chil- 
 dren — Pearl May, born January 29, 1886; 
 Estella, born April 8, 1891; and Harvey 
 D., born February 25, 1893. John E. 
 Floro has served as supervisor of his 
 township for four years, and in his polit- 
 ical faith is a Democrat. A wide-awake 
 and progressive young man, he is devoted 
 to the best interests of the community, 
 and is a representative farmer and popu- 
 lar citizen, both widely and favorablj' 
 known in Ottawa county. 
 
 FRANK O'FARRELL, member of 
 the firm of McSheehy & O'Far- 
 rell, attorneys at law, Fremont, 
 Sandusky county, was born in San- 
 dusky City, Erie Co. , Ohio, May 24, 1856, 
 a son of James and Bridget (Conway) 
 O'Farrell. 
 
 James O'Farrell was born in County 
 Tyrone, Ireland, in 1824, and died in 
 1872. Bridget (Conway), his wife, was 
 
838 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOQRAPniCAL RECORD. 
 
 was also born in Tyrone, Ireland, and 
 died in 1881. Jaines O'Farrell came to 
 America in 1840 and located in Phila- 
 delphia, where he was married in 1851. 
 ImmediateU' after marriage the young 
 couple migrated to Sandusky City, Ohio, 
 where Mr. O'Farrell engaged in farming. 
 In 1859 they removed to Scott township, 
 where their deaths occurred at the dates 
 above named. James O'Farrell had a 
 brother, Patrick, who died in Providence, 
 Rhode Island, and he has four sisters 
 there, three of whom are maiden ladies. 
 The mother of Frank O'Farrell has two 
 brothers, Michael and James, who left 
 Philadelphia and were thought to have 
 gone south; but as the rest of the family 
 removed to Ohio they were unable after- 
 ward to find any post office address of 
 each other. The mother of our subject 
 has a sister who married Michael Con- 
 nelly, and they live in Scott township, 
 Sandusky Co, Ohio. 
 
 Frank O'Farrell is one of six children, 
 as follows: _(i) Mary A., wife of Martin 
 Murphy. (2) John, who lives in Fre- 
 mont, Ohio. (3) Our subject. (4) Rev. 
 Thomas, who died in Baltimore, Md. , 
 three months before the date set for his 
 ordination as a Catholic priest; he was a 
 member of the Order of Josephites, who 
 devote their lives to the education and 
 elevation of the negroes in the South. 
 (5) Elizabeth, who married Maurice 
 Cummings, and is now deceased. (6) 
 Patrick Henry, single. Our subject grew 
 to manhood in Sandusky county, and at- 
 tended the district schools. In 1872 he 
 entered the North-Western Ohio Normal 
 School at Republic, Ohio, and taught 
 his first term of school in Montgomery 
 county, that winter. After this he worked 
 his way up, alternating between teaching 
 school and attending college. He taught 
 in all eight terms, and having acquired a 
 high degree of mental discipline, he spent 
 his spare time during the latter period of 
 teaching, in reading law, under the tutor- 
 ship of Hon. J. L. Greene & Son, Fre- 
 
 mont, Ohio. He was admitted to the 
 bar in 1S81, and for the first two or three 
 years practiced by himself, in Fremont. 
 He then entered into partnership with 
 Hon, J. T. Carver, and subsequently 
 with Hon. Thomas McSheehy, of Fre- 
 mont. Mr. O'Farrell is a well-known 
 and popular attorney, and has built up a 
 lucrative practice. He served for seven 
 years as a member of the board of county 
 school examiners, and has been actively 
 identified with the best interests of the 
 Democratic party in Sandusky county, 
 for which he has served as delegate to 
 various congressional and other conven- 
 tions. He is, as were all his people, an 
 ardent member of the Roman Catholic 
 Church. He is a member of the C. M. 
 B. A., and was State delegate from Ohio 
 to that Association, at their Supreme 
 Council in October, 1894. 
 
 Mr. O'Farrell married Miss Catharine 
 O'Connor, who was born in Sanduskj' 
 county, Ohio, May 23, 1859, a daughter 
 of Bryan O'Connor, a well-known farmer 
 of the county. Their children are James 
 A., Bryan Francis, Henry Vincent, Ed- 
 ward and Thomas. 
 
 WILLIAM E. WORM AN, the 
 obliging and efficient postmas- 
 ter at Vickery, Townsend town- 
 ship, Sandusky county, was 
 born in Riley township, same county, 
 September 27, 1864, and is a son of 
 Conrad and Rosanna Worman. 
 
 Conrad Worman was born March 26, 
 181 5, in the State of Ohio, of Penn.syl- 
 vania parentage. He first married Miss 
 Timmanus, by whom he had two chil- 
 dren, one of whom is Mrs. Catherine 
 McCreery, of Riley township. Mr. Wor- 
 man, for his second wife, was married in 
 1850 to Miss Rosanna Daniels, born 
 June II, 1831, and of the children of 
 this marriage — David, who now resides 
 at Amsden, Seneca Co., Ohio, is the eld- 
 est; the others being: Flora (deceased); 
 
 / 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 839 
 
 three who died in infancy; Mary, now 
 Mrs. Dr. H. E. Deemer. of Castalia, 
 Erie Co. , Ohio; Irvin, deceased; William 
 E. , the subject of this sketch; Eugene, 
 deceased; A. C, of Riley township; and 
 and Alvina, now Mrs. Thomas Graves, 
 of Vickery. The parents of Mr. Wor- 
 nian's second wife came from New York 
 State. Conrad Worman was a frugal, 
 hard-working agriculturist, and his wife a 
 helpmate worthy of the praise so freely 
 bestowed upon her. Mr. Worman ended 
 his labors here in March, 1892, and his 
 wife followed him to the grave on Sep- 
 tember I, of the succeeding year. 
 
 William E. Worman, our subject, at- 
 tended the common school until man- 
 hood, then taught two terms of school, 
 after which he began farming, which he 
 continued until 1890, He then came to 
 Vickery and opened a general mercantile 
 store. In November. 1893, he was ap- 
 pointed postmaster, by President Cleve- 
 land, vice Chaunccy Daniels. He now 
 has a flourishing trade, besides attending 
 to Uncle Sam's postal matters. On Oc- 
 tober 14, 1885, Mr. W^orman was united 
 in marriage with Nettie May Mosier, who 
 was born February 14, 1866, in Riley 
 township, and they have three children, 
 namely: Howard Lee, born October 14, 
 1886; Alfred Conrad, April 6, 1890; and 
 Flossie Dell, February 14, 1894. Mrs. 
 W. E. Worman's mother, Mrs. Lottie 
 M. Mosier, resides with her daughter and 
 son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Worman. She 
 was born in Riley township, November 
 22. 1835, and is a daughter of Jacob and 
 Susan (Story) Stull. In 1855 she was 
 married to Jonathan Roberts, of Huron 
 county, Ohio, and they have one child, 
 Hiram, now living in Vickery. Mr. 
 Roberts died in 1858 from injuries re- 
 ceived by a tree falling on him. In 1861 
 she married James W^atson, of New York, 
 who was killed before Atlanta in 1864. 
 Their children were Clara Louise, Con- 
 rad and a boy who died. In 1865 the 
 widow was married to Nelson S. Mosier, 
 53 
 
 of Michigan, and their children were: 
 Nettie M. (Mrs. Worman), three who 
 died in infancy, and Minnie \. (Mrs. John 
 Smart, of Vickery). 
 
 HENRY WONNELL, one of the 
 enterprising and successful farm- 
 ers and fruit growers of Portage 
 township, Ottawa county, was 
 born September 3, 1832, in the township 
 which is still his home, and is a son of 
 Parker and Leah (Pusey) Wonnell, both 
 of whom were natives of Maryland. Mi- 
 grating westward to Ohio, they took up 
 their residence in Portage township, Ot- 
 tawa county, in 1822, at which time this 
 region was a vast wilderness. They con- 
 tinued to reside in the township in which 
 they located until called to the home be- 
 yond, and were highly respected people. 
 Both are now deceased, the mother pass- 
 ing away in February, 1895. They were 
 the parents of a family of si.\ children, 
 of whom four are still living, namely: 
 Benjamin F., who is residing in Portage 
 township, Ottawa county; Henry, subject 
 of this sketch; Thomas who is living in 
 Lakeside, Danbury township, same county; 
 and Nancy, wife of Herman Ingiebeck. 
 
 In presenting to our readers the life 
 record of Henry Wonnel we feel assured 
 that it will prove of interest to many, for 
 he has a wide circle of friends and ac- 
 quaintaces in his locality. Amid the 
 wild scenes of the frontier he was reared 
 to manhood, his education was obtained 
 in the district schools, and his occupation 
 since boyhood has been fishing and farm- 
 ing. During the past twelve years he has 
 carried on fruit growing in connection 
 with agricultural pursuits, and this branch 
 of his business has proved a profitable 
 one. He raises fine varieties of fruits 
 adapted to this climate, and his place is 
 neat and thrifty in appearance, indicating 
 his careful supervision. Mr. Wonnell's 
 labors wore interrupted in October, 1862. 
 I when he was drafted for service in the 
 
840 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 United States army, but on reaching 
 Cleveland he procured a substitute and 
 returned to his home. In 1863 he enlisted 
 in the one-hundred-days service, but again 
 procured a substitute. 
 
 On December 24, 1859, Mr. Wonnell 
 was united in marriage on Catawba Island, 
 with Miss Clarissa Barss, a daughter of 
 G. H. and Betsy (Turner) Barss. Her 
 father is still living and resides on Ca- 
 tawba Island, but her mother is now 
 deceased. Mrs. Wonnell was born in 
 Fulton county, N.Y., in September, 1837, 
 and died August 19. 1S94. She was the 
 mother oi three children — Edgar G. , who 
 was born October 7, i860, and resides in 
 Portage county; Otis H., who was born 
 March 24, 1862, and is living in Portage 
 township, Ottawa county; and Etta, born 
 September 10, 1867. Mr. Wonnell is a 
 valued member of several fraternal or- 
 ganizations, being connected with O. H: 
 Perry Lodge No. 341, F. & A. M. ; Port 
 Clinton Lodge, I. O. O. F. ; the Knights 
 of Honor; and the Sons of Malta. In 
 his political views he is a Republican, 
 and the family attends the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. A wide-awake, pro- 
 gressive citizen, he manifests a commend- 
 able interest in all matters pertaining to 
 the weltare of the county, and holds a 
 high position in the esteem of his fellow 
 citizens. He is numbered among the hon- 
 ored pioneers of the county, and for over 
 sixty years he has witnessed its growth 
 and development, and aided in its progress 
 and advancement. 
 
 WILLIAM SCHROEDER, a pros- 
 perous farmer of Woodville 
 township, Sandusky county, was 
 born in Hanover, Germany, 
 April 6, 1832, son of Charles and Julia 
 (Glaisecik) Schroeder. 
 
 Charles Schroeder was a shoemaker 
 by trade. He came to America in 1842, 
 and located in Woodville township, San- 
 dusky Co. , Ohio, where both he and his 
 
 wife died. \\'illiam Schroeder attended 
 a German school for a short time, then 
 worked out for six years, after which he 
 learned the carpenter's trade and followed 
 same for five years. On February 28, 
 1857, William Schroeder was united in 
 marriage with Mary Hurrelbrink, who 
 was born in Woodville township, Sandus- 
 ky county, November 22, 1839, and they 
 have had ten children, as follows: Carl, 
 born January 16, 1858, died March 6, 
 1858; Caroline, born March 21, 1859, 
 married, and died in 1890 leaving three 
 children; Sophia S., born November 17, 
 1867, married Henry Creger, of Wood- 
 ville township; Ricca, born February 27, 
 1864, married John Bodelhein, and they 
 live in Wood county; Henry A., born Oc- 
 tober 13, 1866, lives in Woodville town- 
 ship; Frederick H., born January 12, 
 1859, died January 28, 1869; Lucy, born 
 March 8, 1870, married Joseph Over- 
 meyer, of Wood county; Louis J., born 
 No\ember 22, 1873; John Henry, born 
 October 5, 1875, and Herman J., born 
 July 16, 1877. 
 
 Mr. Schroeder has 261 acres of very 
 valuable land, situated in the oil district, 
 on which he has twenty-one oil wells, the 
 entire number giving a good yield. He is 
 a Democrat in politics, and has been 
 school director and road supervisor for 
 several years. He attends the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 G 
 
 EORGE J. HUFFORD. In the 
 history of Sandusky county this 
 gentleman well deserves mention, 
 for he is one of the leading and 
 influential citizens of Washington town- 
 ship, and is one of the native sons of the 
 locality. His birth occurred in Sandusky 
 township, Sandusky county, March 29, 
 1844. His parents, James and Harriet 
 Hufford, came to Ohio from Pennsylvania, 
 and cast in their lot with the pioneer 
 settlers of Sandusky county, at a day 
 when settlements were widely scattered^ 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BWORAPHWAL RECORD. 
 
 841 
 
 and much of the land was still in its 
 primitive condition, and when the work 
 of progress and civili;iation seemed scarce- 
 ly beg^un. They both lived to a ripe old 
 age and reared a large family of children, 
 most of whom still reside in this section of 
 the State. 
 
 No event of special importance oc- 
 curred during the boyhood and youth of 
 George Hufford, he spending his time in 
 the usual manner of farmer lads, attend- 
 ing the district schools through the winter 
 season and working in the fields during 
 the summer months. Thus he early be- 
 came familiar with all the duties that fall 
 to the lot of the agriculturist, and when 
 he began business for himself his experi- 
 ence was such as to make his career a 
 successful one. He gave the benefit of 
 his services to his father until twenty- 
 three years of age, when he came 
 to Washington township, where he 
 has since made his home, successfully 
 engaged in farming. About the time of 
 his marriage he purchased his land, and 
 his time and energies have since been de- 
 voted to its cultivation. The fields are 
 now well tilled, and he has added to the 
 place many improvements, which stand as 
 a monument to his thrift and enterprise. 
 
 Mr. Ifufford was united in marriage 
 with Miss Sophia Nickles, daughter of 
 Peter Nickles, and their home has been 
 blessed with two children, a son and a 
 daughter: John Franklin, born Decem- 
 ber 31, 1 871; and Rosa Belle, born Oc- 
 tober 8, 1874. Both are still at home. 
 The Hufford household is noted for its 
 hospitality, and the members of the family 
 have many warm friends throughout the 
 community, holding a high position in the 
 social circles in which they move. Our 
 subject is a member of the Evangelical 
 Church, and his political sympathies are 
 with the principles advocated by the Peo- 
 ple's party. Such is the life record of 
 one of Sandusky county's native sons, and 
 though it is not tilled with events of an 
 exciting natnre, it cannot fail to be of in- 
 
 terest, as is the history of every man who 
 does his duty to his country, himself and 
 his fellow men. 
 
 M 
 
 HEUMAN, who during his act- 
 ive business career has become 
 well known in Rocky Ridge, 
 Ottawa county, as one of its 
 progressive and esteemed citizens, was 
 born August 5, 1866, in New Orleans, 
 La. ,< of German descent. David Heu- 
 man, his father, was born in Germany, 
 October 21, 1833, and in 1857 came to 
 this country, settling at New Orleans, La., 
 where he married Selina Kraemer, who 
 was born in that city in 1 844. They lived 
 there until 1S72, when they moved to 
 Jackson, Mich. , thence removing to Rocky 
 Ridge, Ottawa Co., Ohio, where Mr. 
 Heunian now has charge of his son's busi- 
 ness. Mr. Heuman's grandparents were 
 born in Prussia in 1800. 
 
 Our subject lived in the South until 
 his seventh year, when he moved with his 
 parents to Jackson, Mich. Here he lived 
 for nine years, attending the public sshools 
 of the city, in which he obtained a liberal 
 education. Leaving Jackson in 1882 he 
 came to Rocky Ridge and entered the 
 store of Smith Bros., of Jackson, of 
 which his father was the manager. He 
 continued as clerk until 1889, when 
 he bought out the entire business of 
 the Smith Bros., manufacturers of lime 
 and charcoal, which he now owns and 
 operates. In 1890 Mr. Heuman opened 
 the first livery stable in the place, with 
 a full line of first-class rigs, and the 
 establishment would do credit to a town 
 of much larger proportions. In March, 
 1893, he sold out his store to L. A. 
 Beatty, in order to take the position 
 of traveling salesman with the Ohio 
 Lime Company, of Toledo, of which he 
 himself is a member. The home busi- 
 ness he leaves in charge of his father. 
 The people of Rocky Ridge have shown 
 their high appreciation of Mr. Heuman's 
 
842 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ability as a business man by electing him 
 to various official positions: He was con- 
 stable in Benton township for seven years, 
 village marshal six years, and street com- 
 missioner six years, holding all these po- 
 sitions at the same time; for some time he 
 was clerk of the board of education of 
 Rocky Ridge, and is now clerk of the 
 board of health of the village. At the last 
 village election he was also elected a mem- 
 ber of the village council. Mr. Heuman 
 is a member of the following fraternities: 
 I. O. O. F., Daughters of Rebekah (to 
 which his wife also belongs) Knights of 
 Pythias and K. O. T. M., at present 
 holding the position of district deputy 
 grand master of Ottawa county in the I. O. 
 O. F. Politically Mr. Heuman has always 
 been a Democrat. He takes a great in- 
 terest in base ball. 
 
 On October 23, 1889, Mr. Heuman 
 was married to Miss Fanny Weiger, of 
 Jackson, Mich. He had a fine home 
 erected and nicely furnished, to which to 
 bring his bride, and they took up their 
 residence therein immediately after their 
 marriage. To their union has come one 
 child, Leon Russell, born November 25, 
 1893. Mrs. Fannie (Weiger) Heuman 
 was born at Treves, Prussia, March 26, 
 1867, and when a child came to America 
 with her parents, who settled in Jackson, 
 Mich. , where she lived until her marriage, 
 attending the public schools and obtaining 
 a liberal education. For five years pre- 
 vious to her marriage she was clerk for 
 Ivlrs. M. Freeman, of Jackson, in the mil- 
 linery business, where she also learned the 
 trade, and for three years she was also 
 clerk for the dry-goods firm of Toumey 
 Bros., of Jackson. On settling in Rocky 
 Ridge Mrs. Heuman very soon entered 
 into the millinery business, in which she 
 still continues. It may truly be said of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Heuman, " They are busi- 
 ness," for both are possessed of remarka- 
 ble business ability, which they have never 
 allowed to lessen for want of exercise. 
 Mrs. Heuman's parents, Moses and Kat- 
 
 rina Weiger, were born in Germany, the 
 father March 29, 1837, the mother Janu- 
 ary 4, 1840. They are now living in Jack- 
 son, Mich., where he is engaged in the 
 jewelry business. 
 
 ADAM HUMBURG is one of the 
 worthy citizens that the Father- 
 land has furnished to Sandusky 
 county. He was born in Hessen, 
 Germany, on September 3, 1856, and is 
 a son of John and Martha (Hoopfelt) 
 Humburg, who were natives of the same 
 countr}'. They were the parents of the 
 following named children: Eliza, de- 
 ceased wife of Mr. Killen, a farmer of 
 Oklahoma; Adam, whose name introduces 
 this sketch; John, who is engaged in 
 farming in Oklahoma; Marie, wife of J. 
 Brewnor, who is living in Hanover, Ger- 
 many; Lizzie, wife of H. Weaver, of Ok- 
 lahoma; and August. The parents re- 
 mained in their native land until 1886, 
 when they bade adieu to home and 
 friends and crossed the ocean to the New 
 World, locating in Oklahoma. Thej' are 
 still living, now well advanced in years, 
 the father having been born June 6, 
 1820, while the mother's birth occurred 
 in the j-ear 1828. 
 
 Adam Humburg spent the first seven- 
 teen years of his life in the land of his 
 nativity, and its public schools afforded 
 him his educational privileges. He then 
 determined to come to America, and 
 setting sail he landed on August 7, 1873, 
 at Castle Garden. His destination was 
 Ohio, whither he immediately made his 
 way, and since that time his home has 
 been in Sandusky county. He had no 
 capital with which to purchase property, 
 and in consequence secured a position 
 with others, working for a few years on 
 the farm of Henry Rowell, for a small 
 salary. He then entered the employ of 
 John Artz, with whom he remained for 
 nine years, a trusted and faithful employe. 
 The succeeding three years of his life 
 
C0MMEM0BA7 IVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 843 
 
 were spent in the service of George King 
 and Mr. Kiser, in the capacity of field 
 hand. On the expiration of that period 
 he paid a three-months' visit to his native 
 land. 
 
 Upon his return from Germany Mr. 
 Humburg was united in marriage with 
 Miss Eliza Kiser, daughter of one of the 
 wealthiest farmers of the county, and 
 their union has been blessed with a fam- 
 ily of seven children, all of whom are 
 still under the parental roof, namely: 
 Martha, Willie, Emma, Clara, Franklin, 
 Chester and Lucy. Mr. Humburg is an 
 ardent member of the Reformed Church, 
 and does all in his power to promote its 
 growth and upbuilding. In his political 
 views he is a Democrat, but has no time 
 for office-seeking, preferring to give his 
 entire attention to his business interests. 
 He is a wide-awake and enterprising man, 
 and has achieved success by earnest effort. 
 
 FRRD EMCH. a well-known and 
 popular citizen of Woodville 
 township, Sandusky county, was 
 born in Switzerland September 
 17, 183 1, and is a son of Urs and Eliza- 
 beth (Baumgartner) Emch. 
 
 Urs and Elizabeth (Baumgartner) 
 Emch were the parents of ten children, 
 as follows: Anna lived in Switzerland and 
 died there; Benjamin died in May, 1884; 
 Elizabeth married Ben Messer, and they 
 had three children (she lived and died in 
 Switzerland); John, a farmer in Wood 
 county, Ohio, married Mary Weiss, and 
 they had thirteen children (he died in 
 1876); Nicholas, a farmer of Woodville 
 township, sketch of whom will be found 
 at page 319; Urs, Jr., who lives in 
 Woodville township, married Annie 
 Eisch, and they had six children; two 
 children died in infancy; and Fred is the 
 subject of this sketch. Urs Emch, the 
 father, died in Switzerland in 1835, at the 
 age of forty-five years. In 1845 his 
 widow came to America with her children, 
 
 and they remained a short time in Buffa- 
 lo. Then, in June, 1845, they came to 
 Ohio, and located in Woodville township, 
 Sandusky county, being among the first 
 settlers in what at that time was called 
 the "Black Swamp." They bought 
 land, commenced to clear it and put up 
 buildings, and the first year, after hard 
 work, they managed to put in fifteen 
 acres of wheat. There was a good deal 
 of sickness at that time, and one of the 
 children died of dropsy the same season. 
 The mother died in 1854, at the age of 
 sixty-one. 
 
 At the age of sixteen Fred Emch 
 started out in life for himself, first going 
 to Toledo, Ohio, where he worked in a 
 wholesale store about one year. In 1850 
 he went to Tiffin, Seneca Co. , Ohio, where 
 he learned the gunsmith's trade, following 
 that for about three years. In 1858 he 
 moved back to Woodville township, San- 
 dusky county, and went into business for 
 himself, and he has made his home here 
 ever since. On September 11, 1861, he 
 enlisted in Company G, Thirty-seventh 
 O. V. I., serving as teamster. They 
 went to West Virginia, where he remained 
 seventeen months, and was in several 
 battles, and later was in Kentucky, for 
 about three weeks, when he was mustered 
 out and returned to Woodville. 
 
 On March 17, 1853, he was united 
 in marriage with Margaret Hoffman, and 
 they had two children, namely: Melinda, 
 who was born December 17, 1853, mar- 
 ried Joseph McKinley, and had two chil- 
 dren; and Amelia, born October 5, 1859, 
 who died at the age of five years. Mrs. 
 Emch died at the age of thirty -one years, 
 and was buried in Woodville cemetery. 
 For his second wife Mr. Emch married 
 Christina Redert, who was born April 28, 
 1843, and four children have come to 
 them, namely: Mary, who died in infancy; 
 Dora, born February 16, 1865, who 
 married Aaron Unger, a butcher of Wood- 
 ville township, Sandusky county, and had 
 three children; Etta, born July 2, 1871; 
 
844 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and Fred, Jr., born February 22, 1877. 
 Mr. Emch is a Democrat in politics, was 
 constable for twelve years, assessor three 
 years, and marshal two years. 
 
 ALBERT B. ORTH, one of the 
 hustling young business men of 
 Port Clinton, Ottawa county, 
 where he conducts a leading con- 
 fectionery business, is a native of that 
 city, born December 29, i860. 
 
 Frank Orth, his father, was the 
 youngest of six brothers who emigrated 
 from German}' to the United States, set- 
 tling in Detroit, Mich., where they organ- 
 ized a musical band known as the "Orth 
 Brothers' Band." John Orth, Sr. , one 
 of these brothers, recently died at De- 
 troit, aged eighty-seven years. Frank 
 Orth married Miss Mary Wagoner, and 
 removed to Port Clinton, about the year 
 1850, where, being by trade a shoemaker 
 and harness maker he worked for several 
 years for Joseph Sylvester. His children 
 were : Frances, John, Louis and Albert 
 B., of whom Frances married Samuel 
 Wisner, a carpenter at Port Clinton, and 
 they have one son living. John is a hard- 
 ware merchant in Port Clinton, Ohio. 
 Louis, a tinner by trade, married Carrie 
 Andrews, a daughter of Peter Andrews, a 
 pioneer of Ottawa county, Ohio; her 
 father, who had served in the war of the 
 Rebellion, died some itime afterward at 
 Port Clinton, where the widowed mother 
 is yet living. 
 
 The subject proper of this sketch at- 
 tended school at Port Clinton until he 
 was thirteen years old, when he began to 
 learn the baker's trade with W. S. 
 F"laiighter, for whom he worked thirteen 
 years, at the end of which time, on ac- 
 count of ill health, he was obliged to 
 quit. Two years later he bought out E. 
 I. Root, and opened up a confectionery 
 and ice-cream trade, wholesale and retail, 
 in which he has since continued, a period 
 of about eight years. On September 1 1, 
 
 1882, Mr. Orth married Miss Cora Holl- 
 inshead, daughter of Robert Hollinshead, 
 formerly a fish dealer, of the firm of R. 
 Bell & Co., Port Clinton, Ohio, later a 
 resident of Toledo, and now living in 
 Iowa, whose children were : Cora, Harry 
 C, Lester, Clara, May and Eva; of whom, 
 Harry C. is a fish merchant in Port Clin- 
 ton; Lester, single, is with his brother 
 Harry in the fish business; Clara married 
 John Robecker, butcher, in the employ of 
 Kelley & Wanger, of Port Clinton; Eva 
 married Matthew Hilsenbeck, engineer on 
 the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern 
 railroad, living at Toledo, Ohio. Albert 
 and Cora Orth have no children of their 
 own, but have adopted one little girl, 
 named Bessie Merrill. 
 
 JAMES P. VICKERY, farmer and 
 school teacher, York township, San- 
 dusky county, was born March 24, 
 1864, in Groton township, Erie Co., 
 Ohio, a son of John and Jane (Parker) 
 Vickery, who both came from England. 
 Our subject came with his parents to 
 Sandusky county, where he grew up on a 
 farm, attended country schools and laid 
 the foundations for success in life. At 
 the age of seventeen he began teaching 
 country schools during the winter seasons, 
 in which he has continued during the 
 past eleven years. His first term was in 
 Seneca county, then two terms in Michi- 
 gan, and the rest in Sandusky county. He 
 now resides npon and works the homestead 
 farm of his father, comprising 120 acres, 
 in York township. He is a progressive, 
 aspiring, energetic farmer, and takes a 
 lively interest in the Young People's So- 
 ciety meetings at the Mt. Carmel U. B. 
 Church, not far from his home. He is 
 a Republican in politics, but no partisan. 
 On April 2, 1890, he married Miss H. 
 May King, of Clyde, Ohio, daughter of 
 John and Mary (Diment) King, and born 
 in Bellevue, Ohio, October 5, 1866. Her 
 parents were married in 1861, lived in 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOOIiAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 845 
 
 Bellevue until 1877, then removed to a 
 farm in York township, thence in 18S2, 
 to Clyde, Ohio, where they have since 
 resided. Mr. King is a blacksmith by 
 trade. Their children were: Matilda, 
 born in 1862, died in infancy; Louise, 
 born September 22, 1864, married A. G. 
 Winnie, editor of the Ottawa County Re- 
 publican, of Port Clinton, Ohio; H. May, 
 wife of our subject; Minnie Estelle, born 
 January 30, 1876, now a senior in the 
 Clyde High School. 
 
 Mrs. H. May \'ickery attended school 
 at Bellevue until she reached the A Gram- 
 mar grade, then five years at Birdseye 
 Corners, then as far as the senior class 
 in the Clyde High School, and later two 
 terms at the Green Spring Academy. She 
 has taught country schools— one term in 
 Erie county, two terms in Michigan, and 
 ten terms in Sandusky county. Her 
 present farm home is a welcome resort 
 for the young people of her neighbor- 
 hood. 
 
 JOSIAH HAGUE, formerly a school 
 teacher, and now engaged in fruit 
 culture and gardening, Fremont, 
 Sandusky county, was born in Wayne 
 county, Ohio, March 5, 1847, a son of 
 Christian and Mary Magdalene (Smith) 
 Hague. 
 
 Christian Hague was born in 1803, in 
 Wittenberg, Germany, where his father 
 died, and the lad then came with his 
 mother to America. She and he located 
 in Wayne county, Ohio, and there the 
 mother died. Our subject's father now 
 lives in Burgoon, Sandusky county. The 
 maternal grandparents died in Wayne 
 county; they were Lutherans. The father 
 was one of ten children, and he was the 
 only son who came to America; he was a 
 member of the Reformed Church. Josiah 
 Hague was one of ten children, as fol- 
 lows: Joseph, farmer, in Michigan; Sam- 
 uel, who joined the Seventy-second Regi- 
 ment, O. V. L, and was killed on the 
 
 way home, after service in the war of the 
 Rebellion; David, who was a soldier during 
 the Civil war, was wounded in Virginia, and 
 died at the age of twenty-three, after the 
 war; our subject comes next; Andrew J., 
 who died one year since; Catharine, who 
 married Lorenzo Abbott; William, who 
 died young; Franklin; Daniel, who died 
 when seven years old; and May, wife of 
 Joseph Doell. 
 
 Our subject grew up in Sandusky 
 county, on a farm, attended school in 
 Jackson and Ballville townships, and in 
 Adrian, Mich., one term, then at Heidel- 
 berg College, Tiffin, Ohio, two years. He 
 taught country school in Sandusky and 
 Seneca counties twenty-six years. He 
 married Miss Antoinette Worst, who was 
 born in Sandusky county, April 22, 1858, 
 and they have three children: Hannah 
 G., W'illiam H., and Orella. 
 
 Josiah Hague enlisted in 1864 in Com- 
 pany C, One Hundred and Eighty-fourth 
 Regiment, O. V. L, and served in south- 
 ern Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. 
 When the war closed he returned home. 
 He taught his last term of school in 1893, 
 and has been in the gardening and fruit- 
 culture business eight years. He operates 
 about thirty acres of ground. He is above 
 the average man in intelligence, a Repub- 
 lican in politics, and takes a broad view 
 of all political affairs. 
 
 PKOF. W. V. SMITH. This well- 
 known gentleman, who for a time 
 was superintendent of the public 
 schools of Port Clinton, Ottawa 
 county, was born in Wyandot county, 
 Ohio, March 20, 1863. He is the son of 
 W. F. and Elizabeth (Stevens) Smith, 
 both natives of Ohio, the former born in 
 Richland county, of German parentage, 
 and the latter in Fairfield. Mrs. Smith's 
 parents came from the East, the father 
 from New England, the mother from Vir- 
 ginia. The maternal grandmother before 
 her marriage was Miss Sarah Morgan, and 
 
846 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 was descended from good old Revolution- 
 ary stock, Gen. Morgan, who was famous 
 during that war, being her uncle. W. F. 
 Smith has always followed agricultural 
 pursuits. He is a member of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. 
 
 The subject of this sketch attended 
 the country schools in boyhood days, and 
 later, in 1887, graduated at Ada (Ohio) 
 Normal University. Previous to this he 
 taught in country schools, but after that 
 he was emploj'ed in graded schools. He 
 taught at Rawson, Hancock count}', for 
 two years, and was for three j'ears super- 
 intendent of schools at Caledonia. For 
 one year he was at Genoa, and in 1893 
 moved to Port Clinton, Ottawa county, 
 where he held the position of superintend- 
 ent. Mr. Smith has a high-school life 
 certificate, which was granted him by the 
 State Board of E.xaminers in 1890. In 
 1894 he was employed to take charge of 
 the Lakeside Summer School of Methods, 
 Science, Language and Literature, which 
 is held during July and a part of August 
 at Lakeside, on Lake Erie, not far from 
 Toledo. It is an ideal summer resort, the 
 village containing a population of about two 
 thousand inhabitants, and having all the 
 advantages of city life, such as electric 
 lights, water- works, storesof ail kinds, etc., 
 with an abundance of beautiful lawns and 
 shade trees. It is within sight of Kelley's 
 Island and Put in Bay, and excursion par- 
 ties to these historic places are numerous. 
 The school was established for teachers 
 and students who may wish to carry on 
 their work during a part of their vacation, 
 and the best of teachers, lectures, nnisic 
 and amusements are provided. Rest, rec- 
 reation and study are combined, and the 
 life-giving lake breezes lone up the sys- 
 tem so that the tired workers go back to 
 their toil in the school-room refreshed 
 both mentally and physically. Prof. Smith 
 was most successful as manager of this 
 delightful school, he being acknowledged 
 as one of the most advanced educational 
 workers in Ohio, and a man of great e.\- 
 
 ecutive ability. The Professor is now 
 (December, 1895) manager of the ''Cen- 
 tral Magazine," Cleveland, Ohio. 
 
 Our subject was married, in Wyandot 
 county, Ohio, to Miss Dora Staller, who 
 was a teacher in that count}'. In politics 
 he is a Democrat, and in religious faith he 
 is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. Sociall}' he affiliates with the 
 I. O. O. F. 
 
 WILLIAM SHERBROOK, retired 
 farmer, is numbered among the 
 early settlers cf Bay township, 
 Ottawa county, having been 
 identified with its history from an early 
 day. He was born in Devonshire, Eng- 
 land, near Exeter, August 19, 18 16, and 
 is a son of John and Nancy (Nichols) 
 Sherbrook, natives of the same locality. 
 The father crossed the Atlantic to the 
 United States in 1820, and for four years 
 engaged in surveying in what is now Ot- 
 tawa and Sandusky counties, Ohio, assist- 
 ing in the first surveys made in these 
 counties. About 1828 he returned to 
 England for his family, and the same year 
 brought them to America. Six weeks 
 were spent upon the water, during which 
 experience they encountered several severe 
 storms, but at length reached Mirimachi, 
 New Brunswick, where they remained 
 until the fall of the same year, when they 
 removed to Quebec, where the father 
 worked on a farm for three years. About 
 1832 Mr. Sherbrook took his family to 
 Toronto, Canada, and near there pur- 
 chased a farm which he operated some 
 nine years. In 1841 he again came to 
 Ohio, locating in what is now Bay town- 
 ship, Ottawa county, but was then a part 
 of Sandusky county, and an almost un- 
 broken wilderness, the home of Indians 
 and the haunt of wild beasts. Here the 
 parents spent their remaining days. 
 
 Our subject was a child of some five 
 summers when the family came to this 
 country. He went through all the trials and 
 
COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPEICAL RECORD. 
 
 847 
 
 hardships experienced by frontier settlers, 
 and in the school of experience learned 
 the lessons which have made him a well- 
 informed man, for his educational privi- 
 \eges were extremely limited. Throughout 
 his active business career he carried on 
 general farming, and untiring industry, 
 frugality and perseverance in course of 
 time brought to him a handsome compe- 
 tence which now enables him to live re- 
 tired, enjoying the rest which he has truly 
 earned and richly deserves. 
 
 Mr. Shcrbrook was married in Bay 
 township, Ottawa county, May 6, 1841, 
 to Susan Pickard, who was born in Que- 
 bec, Canada, and is a daughter of Freder- 
 ick and Mary (MacGregor) Pickard. Ten 
 children were born to them, as follows: 
 John, on February 25, 1843, now a 
 prominent farmer of Richfield township, 
 Henry Co., Ohio; Joseph, November 5, 
 1845, died December 3, 1873; James, 
 August 2, 1847, now residing in Bay town- 
 ship; Jesse, November 25, 1849, also in 
 Bay township; Mary J., August 28, 1851, 
 died July 28, 1854; George, June 26, 1853, 
 died February 28, 1869; Edwin, April 17, 
 1855, died December 27, 1873; Minerva, 
 May 15, 1856, died May i, 1859; Harvey, 
 May 29, 1858, died June 24, 1881; and 
 Reuben, June 27, i860, died in St. Clair, 
 Kans. , September 26, 1886. In politics, 
 Mr. Sherbrook is a stanch Republican, 
 and he attends the United Brethren 
 Church. His long residence has made 
 him known to a wide circle of acquaint- 
 ances, and he has many warm friends. 
 
 JOHN STONE, a very prominent and 
 progressive fruit grower of Catawba 
 Island, was born March 5, 1821, 
 about fourteen miles from Simcoe, 
 in the Province of Ontario, Canada, and 
 is a son of John and Leah (Manuel) Stone, 
 the former a native of Ontario, the latter 
 of Nova Scotia. 
 
 When our subject was a child of six 
 years his father removed to Cleveland, 
 
 Ohio, where he remained about six years, 
 and then returned to Canada. Seven 
 years later he took up his residence at 
 Vermilion, Ohio. During the greater 
 part of his early life he was engaged in 
 sailing on the lakes, and he placed the 
 first stones of the Cleveland pier in posi- 
 tion. Subsequently he abandoned that 
 pursuit and took up agriculture, which he 
 followed at Port Huron until called to his 
 final rest. His wife died in Canada about 
 1 870, at a very advanced age. They had 
 a family of six children, three of whom 
 are yet living: Amelia, widow of the late 
 John McDonald, a resident of St. Will- 
 iams, Ontario; John, subject of this 
 sketch; and George, a captain and vessel 
 owner, member of the firm of Bradley, 
 Cobb & Co. 
 
 John Stone accompanied his parents 
 on their various removals during his boy- 
 hood, and when yet a mere lad went with 
 his father on the lakes. In later years he 
 followed sailing, engaging in that pursuit 
 until 1844, when he came to Ottawa 
 county, Ohio. For one year he lived in 
 Marblehead, where he worked at the 
 carpenter's trade, and while there residing 
 was married March 5, 1845, to Mary E. 
 Hanson. In the fall of that year he re- 
 visited Canada, but in June, 1846, again 
 came to Ohio, locating this time at Plast- 
 erbed, where he worked as a ship carpen- 
 ter for two years. In 1848 he removed 
 to Port Clinton, where he made his home 
 for about eight years, and during that 
 period served as deputy sheriff some four 
 years. The remainder of the time he 
 was engaged in threshing and fishing. 
 Previous to his permanent location in Put 
 in Bay Mr. Stone rented land, with fish- 
 ing privileges, on which he built a shanty 
 and began his work, driving his stakes 
 with a maul. He finally purchased a sail- 
 boat in which he carried his fish to San- 
 dusky. In 1857 he made a permanent 
 location and continued to follow his 
 chosen pursuit on Lake Erie until 1892. 
 In March of that year, he abandoned all 
 
848 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 other work, and has since devoted his at- 
 tention exclusively to fruit growing. 
 
 Mr. Stone has filled the office of coun- 
 ty commissioner for some years, and was 
 justice of the peace six years. He is a 
 member of Oliver H. Perry Lodge, No. 
 347, F. & A. M., and in his political 
 views is a Democrat. His long residence 
 in the locality where his home is has made 
 him widely known, and his genuine worth 
 has won hnn high regard. 
 
 M 
 
 YI^ON E. CLEMONS, one of 
 the highly-esteemed citizens of 
 Danbury township, Ottawa 
 county, where he is successfully 
 engaged in fruit growing, was born Feb- 
 ruary 25, 1838, and is a son of Alexander 
 and Almira Angeline (Hollister) demons. 
 The district schools of the neighborhood 
 afforded him his educational privileges, 
 and on leaving the school-room he en- 
 gaged in the business of fishing on the 
 lakes, which he successfully followed until 
 1862, in which year an irrepressible desire 
 to serve his country caused his enlistment 
 on the I 3th of August. 
 
 He became a member of Company G, 
 One Hundred and Twenty-third O. V. I., 
 and, with his regiment, participated in 
 many engagements, including the battles 
 of Winchester, Newmarket, Piedmont, 
 Lynchburg, Snicker's Ferry, Berryville, 
 
 Opequon, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, 
 Petersburg, High Bridge and Appomattox, 
 all in Virginia. He was wounded at 
 the battle of Thatcher Run, and remained 
 in the hospital for some little time. He 
 was also captured by the Rebels at the 
 battle of Winchester, in 1862, and after 
 about thirty-two days spent in Libby 
 prison was paroled. He then rejoined 
 his regiment, and was mustered out at 
 Columbus, June 12, 1865, at which time 
 he was in the hospital. He was a faith- 
 ful soldier, always loyally found at his 
 post of duty. On becoming convalescent 
 he returned to Marblehead, and for some 
 years carried on the dual occupation of 
 fishing and farming, but for the past seven 
 years he has devoted his entire attention 
 to farming and fruit growing. 
 
 Mr. demons was married in Dan- 
 bury township, Ottawa county, December 
 16, 1868, to Rena E. Fox, who was 
 there born, June 6, 1844, a daughter of 
 James S. and Anna (James) Fox, both 
 natives of Ontario, Canada. In 1844 
 they located in Danbury township, where 
 they spent their remaining days, the 
 father passing away February 11. 1884, 
 the mother June 11, 1888. Mr. demons 
 has efficiently filled several positions of 
 trust in his township, and is at present 
 acting as a councilman in the corporation. 
 In his political views he is an unswerving 
 Republican, and he and his wife are mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 \ 
 
INDKX. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Ahrens, Carsten 708 
 
 Ahrens, Henry 708 
 
 Ahrens, John 708 
 
 Aigler, Amos 469 
 
 Aiyler, Isaac 469 
 
 Aldrich, Hon. George F.. 294 
 
 Aleshire, W.J 463 
 
 Alexander, David 371 
 
 Allen, S. D., M. D 688 
 
 Allyn, Charles L 402 
 
 Allvn, Frederick A 401 
 
 Allyn, Mrs. Sarah 401 
 
 Ahnroth, Conrad 822 
 
 Almroth, Henry H 818 
 
 Alniroth, Peter 818 
 
 Althoff, William H 369 
 
 Ames. David 701 
 
 Ames, Darlin L 355 
 
 Ames, Joel L 355 
 
 Ames, Lysander L, 702 
 
 Ames, W. V. B., M. D. . . . 26 
 
 Ames, William 790 
 
 Anderson, G. A 634 
 
 Anderson, Henry 634 
 
 Andrews, John 809 
 
 Anspach, Allen 831 
 
 Anspach,John P 830 
 
 Ansted, J 80S 
 
 Arnold, Mrs. Mary 815 
 
 Arnold, Peter 815 
 
 Babcock, Elisha 143 
 
 Babcock, Merlin 142 
 
 Babcock, Reuben M 590 
 
 Bailey, George W 478 
 
 Baile V, Lorenzo S 478 
 
 Bailey, Mrs. Mary E 478 
 
 Baker, Charles E., M. D. 363 
 
 Baker, James 767 
 
 Baker, Peter 817 
 
 Baker, Samuel 767 
 
 Baker, William J 637 
 
 Baldwin F'amily 436 
 
 Baldwin, Nelson T 436 
 
 Ball, Miss Eveline 650 
 
 Ball, Lysander C 649 
 
 Barnes, Richard 612 
 
 TACZ. 
 
 Barnes, Sag-ishmael 692 
 
 Barnum, John 779 
 
 Barre, Paul de la, M. D. . 379 
 
 Bartson, John 283 
 
 Baskey, Frederick G 287 
 
 Batzole, John 717 
 
 Bauman, John F 431 
 
 Baumann, J. & Son 257 
 
 Baumann, Albert V 144 
 
 Baumann, Jacob 144 
 
 Baumann, Jacob, Jr 258 
 
 Baumann, Jacob, Sr 257 
 
 Bearss, Gideon H 676 
 
 Bearss, Hart 675 
 
 Beaugrand Family 42 
 
 Beauprand, Peter, M. D. 42 
 
 Beclistein, Andrew 586 
 
 Beck, Samuel 723 
 
 Becker, Aaron 774 
 
 Becker, Christopher 774 
 
 Beebe, Bela B 670 
 
 Beebe, George A 576 
 
 Beebe, Willis 577 
 
 Behrman, Henrj- 580 
 
 Beier, Frederick 535 
 
 Beier, Otto 535 
 
 Beier, Peter J 201 
 
 Beier, William 827 
 
 Bell, Abraham 495 
 
 Bell, R 495 
 
 Bemis, Daniel 177 
 
 Bemis. J. D., M. D 85 
 
 Bender, John 806 
 
 Betts Family 199 
 
 Betts, Mrs. Lavinia D . . . 199 
 
 Betts, Peter 6% 
 
 Betts, Richard E 198 
 
 Bickford, George 595 
 
 Billings, O-scar 496 
 
 Binklej-, Mrs. Diana E. . . 735 
 
 Biiikley, John 816 
 
 Birchard, Sardis 55 
 
 Bittinger, D. H 454 
 
 Blank, Abraham 155 
 
 Blank, Amos 202 
 
 Blank, William 202 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Bleckner, Charles 50] 
 
 Bleckner, William 811 
 
 Bleher, John C 587 
 
 Bloom, George J 172 
 
 Bloom, John 506 
 
 Bolte, Fred 497 
 
 Boop, Joseph E 443 
 
 Boor, Samuel 212 
 
 Bordner, Michael 210 
 
 Bordt. Henry 804 
 
 Bork, Frederick 318 
 
 Boschen, Claus H 518 
 
 Boschen, John 518 
 
 Bowe. David W 484 
 
 Bowe, George 210 
 
 Bowe, George, Sr 238 
 
 Bowe, Henry 642 
 
 Bowe, Jacob 238 
 
 Bowe. Michael 812 
 
 Bowland, John 756 
 
 Bowland, Thomas 561 
 
 Bowlus, Clarence L 441 
 
 Bowlus, Henry 767 
 
 Bowlus, Warren A 314 
 
 Bowser, George F 526 
 
 Bradford, Warren J 304 
 
 Brady, J. H 402 
 
 Brady, Philip 152 
 
 Bredbeck, August 703 
 
 Bredbeck, Henry 664 
 
 Bretz, Caroline S8S 
 
 Bretz, Frederick 585 
 
 Brinkman, Henry 250 
 
 Brinkman, John 251 
 
 Brown, Daniel 393 
 
 Brown, Frank 577 
 
 Brown, Dr. Franklin 273 
 
 Brown, Le Roy N 273 
 
 Brown, Mrs. Melissa I. . 394 
 
 Brown, Theodore 186 
 
 Brubaker, Homer 183 
 
 Brugger, John G 315 
 
 Brunthaver. Adam 420 
 
 Brunthaver. Orrin James 422 
 
 Brunthaver, Peter 421 
 
 Buchman, G. F 317 
 
850 
 
 COMMEMOBATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Biichnian, Joseph M 360 
 
 Buck, Claus 368 
 
 Biickland, Georg-e 11 
 
 Biickland. Judge Horaces 30 
 
 Buckland, Gen. U. P 7 
 
 Buddeiihagen, Carl 402 
 
 Bumg-ardner, William... 288 
 
 Bunte, Herman 69S 
 
 Burggraf, Henry 798 
 
 Burggraf, Matliias, Jr. . . 800 
 
 Burgner, Jacob 4.55 
 
 Burgner, Peter 456 
 
 Burgoon Family 38 
 
 Burgoon, Major I. H . . . . 40 
 
 Burgoon. Peter 39 
 
 Burkett, Samuel 765 
 
 Burman, George A 200 
 
 Caldwell, William 29 
 
 Caldwell, William, M. D. 29 
 
 Campbell. James 125 
 
 Campbell, Dr. D. P 242 
 
 Camper, Fred W 540 
 
 Canty, William 806 
 
 Castle, A. J 224 
 
 Chri.sty, Ru.ss J 834 
 
 Clapper, Jacob C 510 
 
 Clark, Jo.seph R 358 
 
 Clark, Mrs. Joseph R. . . . 359 
 
 Clark, William 37S 
 
 Clark, William W 359 
 
 Clauss, J. H 151 
 
 Cleaver, Mrs. Elizabeth.. 359 
 
 demons, Albert A 640 
 
 demons, Alexander 86 
 
 demons Family 364 
 
 demons, Hubbard M 364 
 
 demons, Joseph 281 
 
 demons, Mrs. Joseph 281 
 
 Clemmons, Myron E 848 
 
 demons, William A 86 
 
 Cleveland, dark R 308 
 
 Cleveland, George D 122 
 
 Cleveland, James 123 
 
 Clink, Charles 203 
 
 Clink, Jacob 279 
 
 Clink, Reuben 343 
 
 Cole, Capt. John L 681 
 
 Cole, Sardis B 682 
 
 Collier, W. A 786 
 
 Cook, Frederick 629 
 
 Cooper, Ranald L 519 
 
 Cooper, William A 517 
 
 Couche, Alphonse 404 
 
 Couclie, Mrs. Antonie.... 405 
 
 Covers, Samuel 755 
 
 Cramer, Jacob 213 
 
 Creager, Dr. Frank 103 
 
 Croll, Henry 514 
 
 Culbort, Elijah 88 
 
 Cullcnen, Patrick C 736 
 
 Cunningham, P. L., M.D. 743 
 
 Curtice. Joshua E 770 
 
 Curtice, Mrs. Mary E 771 
 
 Curtiss, Fred 116 
 
 Dam.schroder, Christ 671 
 
 Damschroder, C. H 671 
 
 P.\GE. 
 
 Dana, Daniel H 776 
 
 Dana, George T 776 
 
 Decker, Edward 387 
 
 Decker, Hon. Jacob 726 
 
 Deel, George 503 
 
 Degroft, Joseph 413 
 
 Degrof t, Lewis 341 
 
 Degroft, Mrs. Mary 413 
 
 Dennis Family 685 
 
 Dennis, Net E 686 
 
 Dewey, Thomas P 479 
 
 Deyo, Hiram P 208 
 
 Deyo, Dr. John P 208 
 
 Dick, Lorenzo 20 
 
 Dickinson, Abner J 461 
 
 Dickinson, Louis A 461 
 
 Dierker, Henrv 645 
 
 Dillon, Mrs. Charles M... 11 
 Dirlam, Capt, Charles L. 467 
 
 Dirlam, Orrin 205 
 
 Dodge, Mrs. Mary 1 408 
 
 Dodge, Nathan 408 
 
 Doell, Peter 731 
 
 Dohn, Frederick 264 
 
 Dohn, Frederick W 262 
 
 Dohn. Mrs. Mary E 263 
 
 Doll, John 61 
 
 Doll, Samuel 61 
 
 Dolph, Aaron 536 
 
 Dolph, Addison R 400 
 
 Dolph, Mrs. Lovina 536 
 
 Donaldson, George 199 
 
 Doncyson Family 13 
 
 Doncy.son, Oscar J 12 
 
 Donnels, Gilbreth S 278 
 
 Donnels, James 278 
 
 Donnels, John L 278 
 
 Dorr, Henry 275 
 
 Dorr, Henry S 242 
 
 Dorr, Philip 241 
 
 Driftmeyer. William ISO 
 
 Dubrie, Gabriel 653 
 
 Dudrow, Byron R 146 
 
 Duncan, James S 827 
 
 Dunham, Hon. Almon... 310- 
 
 Dutcher, Ira S 500 
 
 Dwight. Wilson 108 
 
 Dvmond, John 219 
 
 Edgerton, H. G., D. D. S. 99 
 
 Eldridge, Anson 717 
 
 Elkington, John, Sr 516 
 
 Ellithorpe, Cyrus 695 
 
 EUithorpe, George 430 
 
 Ellithorpe, Russel 803 
 
 Ellsworth, Elijah D 772 
 
 Ellsworth. I. H 772 
 
 Ellsworth, Norman E 240 
 
 Elwell. Harlev HoUister. 365 
 
 Elwell, Willia'm G 669 
 
 Emch. Benedict 243 
 
 Emch, Fred 843 
 
 Emch, Nicholas 319 
 
 Emch, Solomon 444 
 
 Engel, C. P 745 
 
 Englebeck, Herman W. . 641 
 Epler, Benjamin 808 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Ernsthausen, William 624 
 
 Ervin, N. B., M. D 254 
 
 Esker, Mathias 751 
 
 Everett, Hon. Homer 3?S 
 
 Everett, Mrs. Minerva E. 29 
 
 Fabing, Frederick 163 
 
 Faler, Jonathan 353 
 
 Fall, Edwin H 613 
 
 Faller, Fred N 551 
 
 Fangboner, John 251 
 
 Fark, Henry 733 
 
 Fans, J. H 378 
 
 Feilbach, Andrew 700 
 
 Feilbach, Philip 700 
 
 Fenn, Amos 476 
 
 Fenn, A. A 476 
 
 Ferguson, Alice B 51 
 
 Ferguson, A. R., M. D... 51 
 
 Ferris. A. L 513 
 
 Ferris, James 512 
 
 Fetterly, David 531 
 
 Fetterly. Stephen 531 
 
 Fetterman, George 786 
 
 Fetterman, John 786 
 
 Fisher, John C 286 
 
 Fisher. John G 815 
 
 Fitterer, Theophilus 312 
 
 Fleckner, August 593 
 
 Floro, Isaac M 665 
 
 Floro, John 836 
 
 Floro, John E 837 
 
 Flumerfelt, Cornelius. .. . 374 
 
 Flumerfelt, Daniel V 374 
 
 Flumerfelt, Mrs. Melinda. 375 
 
 Foncannon, Joseph 432 
 
 Foos, Casper 580 
 
 Forgerson, Grant 153 
 
 Forgrave, Robert A 157 
 
 Foster, Samuel 216 
 
 Fouche, Byron A. 98 
 
 Fought, Amos 735 
 
 Fought, Paul 735 
 
 Fought, Samuel 474 
 
 Fought, Mrs. Susan 474 
 
 Fox, Nicholas 666 
 
 Frabish. Mrs. Hester 124 
 
 Frabish, John 124 
 
 Franck, Ernst 521 
 
 French, A. B 161 
 
 Frese, Hon. Augustus F. 722 
 
 Frese, Charles F 511 
 
 Frev. George 356 
 
 Fro'nizer, Fred R 101 
 
 Fry. Henry 460 
 
 Fry, John H 784 
 
 Fry, William H 450 
 
 Fuller, Tavlor 65 
 
 Fuller, William 65 
 
 Gabel, Jacob 104 
 
 Gabel, John 195 
 
 Gabel, John M 195 
 
 Gahn, L. F., M. D 757 
 
 Gallant, George W 563 
 
 Garn, Daniel 1 228 
 
 Garn, David. Jr 107 
 
 Garn, Judge John 1 51 
 
INDEX. 
 
 851 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Gasser, John 387 
 
 Gasser, Mrs. Mary L 388 
 
 Geiger, John 139 
 
 Geiger, John J 746 
 
 Gerber Family 322 
 
 German, Henry 447 
 
 Gernhard, C 719 
 
 Gernhard, Matthias 719 
 
 Gerwin, Louis 784 
 
 Gerwin, William 784 
 
 Gerwin, Herman H 265 
 
 Gerwin, J. F 334 
 
 Gessner, Moritz A 442 
 
 Gibbons, H. G 180 
 
 Gibb.s, Jason 229 
 
 Gibbs, Jonas 229 
 
 Gill, Samuel R 564 
 
 Gillard, Mrs. Clara H., 
 
 M. D 655 
 
 Gillard, David, M. D 654 
 
 Gillett, Captain W. E 464 
 
 Gnepper, Francis 492 
 
 Goate, John 795 
 
 Gordon, David 102 
 
 Gordon Family. . . 102 
 
 Gordon, Washing-ton .... 78 
 
 Gordon, William 793 
 
 Goslin, George 385 
 
 Gossard, Alviu P 305 
 
 Gossard, W. H. K 359 
 
 Gottron, John F 141 
 
 Grant, George W 366 
 
 Graves, Charles H 625 
 
 Gregg, William A 779 
 
 Grover, Archie N 746 
 
 Grover, A. M 745 
 
 Grover, Enos 490 
 
 Grover, Enos J 292 
 
 Grover Family 489 
 
 Grover, Trunian 292 
 
 Hadden, Nathaniel Amos 498 
 
 Hagel, Louis 462 
 
 Hagel, Richard 462 
 
 Hague, Josiah 845 
 
 Haines, Edward P 716 
 
 Haines, Joseph H 715 
 
 Halbeisen, Adolph 793 
 
 Halbeisen, Nicholas 793 
 
 Hale, A.J 143 
 
 Hall, Ezra 724 
 
 Hall, William E 725 
 
 Hammond, Henry 601 
 
 Harlan, George 289 
 
 Harmon, Jacob 635 
 
 Harnden, Cyrus L., M. D. 491 
 
 Harrison, Henrj* F SOS 
 
 Harrison, Orlin W 481 
 
 Harrison, William M 431 
 
 Hartman, John H 678 
 
 Hartman, Rudolph 678 
 
 Hartshorn, Mrs. A. J 127 
 
 Hartshorn, Byron 797 
 
 Hartshorn, Fletcher 126 
 
 Hartshorn. Mrs. Mary... 798 
 
 Ha.selbach, Charles 435 
 
 Havens, Birchard 353 
 
 PACH. 
 
 Havens, Frank R 348 
 
 Havens, Henry 120 
 
 Havens, William J 119 
 
 Hawk, Alva J 347 
 
 Hawk Family 222 
 
 Hawk, J. Marion 222 
 
 Hayes, Mrs. Lucy Webb. 64 
 Hayes, Gen. Rutherford B. 62 
 
 Heileman, August 783 
 
 Heim, Frank 54 
 
 Heim, J. R 411 
 
 Heim, William B 69 
 
 Heller, F. S., M. D 821 
 
 Heller, George B 821 
 
 Hellwig, Augustus 672 
 
 Hellwig, Dr. Henry J 601 
 
 Hellwig, Justis 672 
 
 Heminger, Ernst 595 
 
 Henricks, Rev. Noah .... 256 
 
 Henry, Joseph 769 
 
 Hensel, James D 298 
 
 Heter Family 433 
 
 Heter, John 433 
 
 Hetrick, Benjamin F.... 708 
 
 Hetrick, Daniel 709 
 
 Heuman, M 841 
 
 Hiett, George 249 
 
 High, George M 559 
 
 Higley, Hezekiah 188 
 
 Higley, Orson 187 
 
 Hille, John F 311 
 
 Hineline, Cyrus 777 
 
 Hineline, Theo 777 
 
 Hineline, William H 266 
 
 Hintz, Christian 232 
 
 I Hintz Familv 230 
 
 Hintz, William 232 
 
 Hock, Daniel 345 
 
 Hogg, Thomas 187 
 
 Holbrook, William A 545 
 
 Holder, Charles F 698 
 
 Holder, Christian 699 
 
 Holderman, Martin 715 
 
 HoUinshead, Harry C... 380 
 
 Holtkamp, Daniel W 645 
 
 Holtkamp, Frederick.... 644 
 
 Hoover, Joseph 268 
 
 Hornung, A 326 
 
 Hornung. Jacob 326 
 
 House, H. G 332 
 
 Houts, Charles H 410 
 
 Houts, John 410 
 
 Houtz, John 361 
 
 Houtz, Mrs. Mary J 271 
 
 Houtz. Zacharias 270 
 
 Huiford, Cornelius 493 
 
 Hufford Familv 206 
 
 Hufford, George J 840 
 
 Hufford, James 207 
 
 HutTord, Simon 493 
 
 HuiTord, William T 207 
 
 Hughes, Henry 217 
 
 Humberger, Peter 218 
 
 Huinberger, Solomon.... 217 
 
 Hamburg, Adam 842 
 
 Hummel, William 333 
 
 PAGE. 
 Hurdelbrink, John W. . . . 773 
 
 Hurlbut, Charles 209 
 
 Huss, Christian 810 
 
 Huss, M. L 810 
 
 Hutchinson, Charles B. . . 204 
 
 Hutchinson Family 204 
 
 lams Brothers 725 
 
 lams, Jasper 726 
 
 Ickes. William H. H 337 
 
 Ingraham, Charles 520 
 
 Ingraham, Isaac W 566 
 
 Inman, Frank M 483 
 
 Inman, James 305 
 
 Inman, William 663 
 
 Jackson, A. H 835 
 
 Jackson, B. F 652 
 
 Jackson, George 314 
 
 Jaeger, Gustavus 540 
 
 Jameson, David 397 
 
 Jameson, Mrs. David. . . . 398 
 
 Jeschke, Edward 228 
 
 Johnson, Alfred C 606 
 
 Johnson, A. P 282 
 
 Johnson, Charles D 542 
 
 Jones, Benjamin 747 
 
 Jones, David B 271 
 
 Jones, J. M 747 
 
 Jones, Samuel F 188 
 
 Jordan, Christopher 657 
 
 Jordan, Fredrick 656 
 
 Jordan, Joseph 226 
 
 Joseph, Charles F 264 
 
 June, David 713 
 
 June Family 712 
 
 June, George 138 
 
 June, Sales A 137 
 
 Justice, Judge James. ... 27 
 
 Kahler, Henry 509 
 
 Karshner, Edgar 753 
 
 Karshner, John 753 
 
 Kastrup, L. W 738 
 
 Keating, C. S Ill 
 
 Keeler, Isaac M 98 
 
 Keightley, George W.... 508 
 
 Keller, Joseph 776 
 
 Keller, Reuben 776 
 
 Kellogg, C. A 732 
 
 Kelly, Joab 557 
 
 Kelly, Hon. John 69 
 
 Kelly, Judge Malcolm.. . . 73 
 
 Kelly, Hon. William 70 
 
 Kemmerling, A. B 157 
 
 Kenan, Charles Delbert.. 291 
 Kenan, Mrs. Elizabeth . . 175 
 
 Kenan, George W 174 
 
 Kenan. Peter 291 
 
 Kenan, William 291 
 
 Kernahan, Ambrose 182 
 
 Kerns, Rev. Daniel 158 
 
 Kerns, Mrs. Julia Ann,. . 159 
 
 Kessler, William 554 
 
 Kilgus, Henry 285 
 
 Kindle, Joseph 100 
 
 King, G. W. (Ballville)... 194 
 
 King, G. W. (Rice) 297 
 
 King, Jacob Monroe 352 
 
852 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 King-, John A 814 
 
 King, Peter 297 
 
 Kintr. William 658 
 
 Kingham, Joseph, M. D. . 391 
 Kir.sting, Simon Henrj'.. 558 
 
 Kirkbride, Thomas E 406 
 
 Kirsch.John 821 
 
 Kiser, Christian 261 
 
 Kleinhans, John 523 
 
 Kleinhans, Peter R 660 
 
 Kleinhans, William 660 
 
 Kline, Henry 280 
 
 Klink, A. J 279 
 
 Klink, Caleb 279 
 
 Klink, Kev. Charles M. . . 176 
 
 Klink, Jacob 279 
 
 Kolb, L :.. 351 
 
 Kopp, John 306 
 
 Kraemer, Adolphus 386 
 
 Kraenier, James H 386 
 
 Kreilick, Adam 530 
 
 Kreilick, Daniel 529 
 
 Krohn. Paul 429 
 
 Kuesthardt, Samuel 403 
 
 Kuhlman, John Henry. . . 239 
 
 Kuhn, John 190 
 
 Lachmiller, William H... 610 
 Lamberson, Sharon C. .. . 42 
 
 Lambert, William E 437 
 
 Lammers, Henry 502 
 
 Lammers, Mrs. Mary L. . 503 
 Lane, Rev. Samuel T.... 379 
 
 Lattimore, Elijah 677 
 
 Lattimore, John 677 
 
 Laudv. Henry 707 
 
 Laudy. Henry, Jr 707 
 
 Laun'dy, Capt. William J. 118 
 
 LaVitrne, Eli 622 
 
 Lay, John 44 
 
 Lav, William E 44 
 
 LeFever, John 320 
 
 LeTever, Col. William C. 319 
 
 Lehrman, George J 337 
 
 Lejeune, Jacob 761 
 
 Lejeune, Michael 761 
 
 Lemmon, Judge John M. ()07 
 
 Leonard, Sterling C 759 
 
 Levisee, Aaron 66 
 
 Levisee, A. B 94 
 
 Levisee, John L 113 
 
 Lickert, Peter 591 
 
 Lindsley, Elihu 573 
 
 Linke, Louis 255 
 
 Livingstine, Charles 283 
 
 Livingstine, Jacob 283 
 
 Lockwood, Mrs. Edith... 763 
 
 Lockwood, Edward J 72 
 
 Lockwood, John Wickliffe 398 
 
 Lockwood, Col. S. K 398 
 
 Lockwood, Judge Wm F.. 762 
 
 Long, David 697 
 
 Long, Frank R 764 
 
 Long, George W 393 
 
 Long, James W 734 
 
 Long, John W 764 
 
 Long, Louis 698 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Long, Mrs. Mary L 393 
 
 Long, Rev. Michael 53 
 
 Long, Rev. N. S 54 
 
 Lonz, Peter F 397 
 
 Losli, Christian 766 
 
 Loudensleger, Daniel. .. . 22 
 Loudensleger. Edward. .. 22 
 
 Love, D. B 693 
 
 Love, E. G 390 
 
 Love, Rev. Nathaniel, B. 
 
 C. D.D 389 
 
 Loveland, John B 140 
 
 Loveland, J. Elmer 141 
 
 Loveland, N. E 141 
 
 Lowe, Daniel M 636 
 
 Luckey Family 711 
 
 Luckey , John 543 
 
 Luckey, O. L 543 
 
 Lullman, Henry H 369 
 
 Lullman, Miss Regina R. 369 
 Lutes lor Lutz), Albert.. . 743 
 
 Lutz, John 743 
 
 McCartney, Cyrus H 357 
 
 McDonald, Alexander 801 
 
 McDonald, James 802 
 
 McGormley, George.. .. 810 
 
 McGormley, L. S 810 
 
 McGrady, D. H 348 
 
 McKenzic, John 579 
 
 McRitchic, David 684 
 
 McRitchie, James H 684 
 
 Magee, John H 548 
 
 Magruder, James H 547 
 
 Magruder, Samuel A... 547 
 
 Malcolm, Alexander 160 
 
 Malcolm, John 160 
 
 Mallernee, Oliver M 302 
 
 Mallory, George 570 
 
 Martin, Edwin 297 
 
 Martin, Franklin H 660 
 
 Martin, George 296 
 
 Martin, John C 660 
 
 Ma.son, N. B 190 
 
 Maurer, Adam 808 
 
 Maurer. William 485 
 
 Meek, Basil 14 
 
 Meek. John 14 
 
 Meek, R. B., M. D 16 
 
 Meeker, John 754 
 
 Meilander, Casper H 653 
 
 Mellish, John W 288 
 
 Messersmith, Edward G.. 376 
 
 Messersmith, Henry 377 
 
 Metcalf , Frank M .' 170 
 
 Metzger, A. E., M. D. C. 312 
 
 Metzger, Jacob G 1% 
 
 Metzger, Samuel 1% 
 
 Meyer, Ambrose 768 
 
 Meyer, George F 372 
 
 Meyer, Jacob 768 
 
 Meyer, Joachim 442 
 
 Miarer, Philipp 298 
 
 Michael, Fred 726 
 
 Michael, Joseph 726 
 
 Michaels, Philip 487 
 
 Milius, Valentin 791 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Miller, Anson H 25 
 
 Miller, Claus 573 
 
 Miller, Conrad 600 
 
 Miller, Ferdinand L 626 
 
 Miller, George 775 
 
 Miller, Henry 206 
 
 Miller, Henry W 320 
 
 Miller, Henry J 370 
 
 Miller, Isaac 458 
 
 Miller, John H 367 
 
 Miller, Mrs. John H 368 
 
 Miller, Joseph 802 
 
 Miller, Mrs. Joseph .... 802 
 
 Miller, Mrs. Lorenz 801 
 
 Miller, Lorenz 800 
 
 Miller, Lyman F 320 
 
 Miller, Samuel 538 
 
 Miller, William 370 
 
 Miller, William G 572 
 
 Miller, Capt. Wilson S. . . 438 
 
 Miner, C. A 425 
 
 Minier, John 709 
 
 Minier, Samuel 640 
 
 Mitchell, John 594 
 
 Mohn, John B 344 
 
 Molitor, Casper 486 
 
 Momeny, George 451 
 
 Momeny, Joseph 451 
 
 Mook, Henry 192 
 
 Moore, Charles T 426 
 
 Moore, Mrs. E. B 461 
 
 Moore, Immer C 399- 
 
 Moore, Mrs. Immer C. . . . 400 
 
 Moore, James 426 
 
 Moore, Capt. Le Roy 427 
 
 Moore, Manville 428 
 
 Moore, Robert B 399 
 
 Morrison. Roderick 670 
 
 Mugg, Elder John 415 
 
 Mugg, William A 415 
 
 Muggy, Daniel 617 
 
 Muggy, George E 618 
 
 Muggy, John C 617 
 
 Muggy, J. W 828 
 
 Muller, Caspar 792 
 
 Myerholts, George 612 
 
 Myerholts, Henrv 619 
 
 Myerholts, John E 619 
 
 Myers, Aaron 346 
 
 Myers, C. R 824 
 
 Myers, Dr. L. B 823 
 
 Myers, Samuel 346 
 
 Mylander, Frederick .... 7% 
 
 My lander, John F 796 
 
 Mylander, Henry 635 
 
 Mylander, H. C 718 
 
 Mylander, Herman H. . . . 381 
 Myrose, Mrs. Angeline.. 428 
 
 Myrose, Louis 428 
 
 Naylor, Henry F 313 
 
 Naylor, Samuel 728 
 
 Naylor, William P 727 
 
 Neff, G. W 819 
 
 Neidecker, John A 820 
 
 Neidecker, Peter 820 
 
 Nellis, Mrs. Mariar E 566- 
 
INDEX. 
 
 858 
 
 PAGK. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Newman, Joliu 
 
 549 
 
 Putman. Michael. Jr. . . . 
 
 662 
 
 Rymers, William W 
 
 . 739 
 
 Nichols. Reuben 
 
 763 
 
 Rademacher, Charles H. 
 
 494 
 
 Saddoris, Albert W 
 
 586 
 
 Nickel, Fred 
 
 794 
 
 Rademacher, Henry.,.. 
 
 494 
 
 Saddoris, James W 
 
 . 702 
 
 Nickel Louis 
 
 794 
 
 Raether, Rev. Paul. 
 
 488 
 
 Sampsel, Jacob 
 
 Sarapsel, Joshua D 
 
 754 
 
 Nickles,John G 
 
 351 
 
 Raffertv, (iuv P 
 
 452 
 
 477 
 
 Nickles, Peter 
 
 350 
 350 
 
 Rama^e, James 
 
 115 
 769 
 
 Sandvvisch, F. W 
 
 Sandwisch, R. W 
 
 329 
 
 Nickles, Mrs. Sarah 
 
 Ransom, Hiram 
 
 96 
 
 Nieiiian, Henry W 
 
 553 
 
 Rathbun, Saxton Squire 
 
 67 
 
 Sanford, Carmi G 
 
 . 679 
 
 Nieset, John Henry 
 
 338 
 
 Rawson, Major Eugene 
 
 Sanford, Zachariah 
 
 679 
 
 Nissen, Nicolai 
 
 705 
 
 Allen 
 
 84 
 
 Sauerwein, William John 599 
 
 Noble, William 
 
 504 
 
 Rawson, Joseph L 
 
 82 
 
 Schiele, Andrew 
 
 408 
 
 Nofrfrle, Joseph 
 
 233 
 
 Rawson, Dr. L. Q 
 
 82 
 
 Schiele, Andrew, Jr. . . . 
 
 409 
 
 Nuhfer, Captain Andrew 
 
 91 
 
 Rearick, George L, 
 
 340 
 
 Schiele, Louis 
 
 828 
 
 Nuhfer, Anthony C 
 
 301 
 
 Reed, B. M 
 
 760 
 
 Schmidt, August 
 
 405 
 
 O'Brien, Rev. Patrick.. 
 
 60 
 
 Reed, Enibra T 
 
 110 
 
 Schneider, Leonhard... 
 
 193 
 
 O'Calla^han, Francis M 
 
 668 
 
 Reed, Hon. Solomon W. 
 
 110 
 
 Schneider, Sylvia 
 
 697 
 
 O'Farrell, Frank 
 
 837 
 
 Reef, Jacob 
 
 267 
 
 Schoch, William 
 
 440 
 
 Oberst, Conrad 
 
 131 
 
 Reeves, EH 
 
 130 
 
 Schroeder, Henry 
 
 180 
 
 Oberst, John 
 
 131 
 
 Rehberg, John H 
 
 403 
 
 Schroeder. William 
 
 840 
 
 Oberst, Michael, Jr 
 
 327 
 
 Rehberg, Mrs. John H. . 
 
 403 
 
 Schwane, William 
 
 550 
 
 Oberst, Michael, Sr 
 
 327 
 
 Rehberg, William 
 
 470 
 
 Schwartz, Edward 
 
 444 
 
 Og^den, Jectha 
 
 643 
 
 Reinbolt, M. J 
 
 195 
 
 Schwarz, Christian 
 
 301 
 
 Og-den, Jeptha L 
 
 643 
 
 Reynolds, George 
 
 109 
 
 Scrymger, Alexander. . . 
 
 665 
 
 Orth, Albert B 
 
 844 
 
 Rice, George H 
 
 394 
 
 Seager, Frank E 
 
 101 
 
 Orth, John 
 
 537 
 
 Rice, James M., M. D. . . 
 
 20 
 
 Seelcy, (Jeorge L 
 
 507 
 
 Otten, Capt. B. S 
 
 97 
 
 Rice, John B.. M. D 
 
 18 
 
 Seiple, Martin 
 
 422 
 
 Overniver. Amos A 
 
 570 
 
 Rice, Robert H., M. D... 
 
 19 
 
 Setliman, Carsten H. . . . 
 
 667 
 
 Ovennver. John H 
 
 569 
 
 Rice, Robert S., M. D... 
 
 17 
 
 Sethmau, Henry 
 
 667 
 
 Palmer, James, M. D. . . 
 
 630 
 
 Rice, William A 
 
 20 
 
 Shaenfeld, Henry P 
 
 533 
 
 Patterson, Reuben 
 
 650 
 
 Richards, Albert E 
 
 475 
 
 Shaenfeld, P. A 
 
 533 
 
 Payne, Charles E 
 
 539 
 
 Richards, George 
 
 252 
 
 Shale, Valentine 
 
 339 
 
 Pearce, Philo S 
 
 778 
 742 
 788 
 581 
 
 Richards, William L, 
 
 Richardson, David 
 
 Richardson. Robert 
 
 Rideout, John G 
 
 299 
 782 
 781 
 460 
 
 Shannon, Captain O. L. . 
 
 Sheldon, William B 
 
 Sheperman, Frederick. . . 
 Sherbrook, William 
 
 145 
 
 Peart. Benjamin. . . . 
 
 551 
 
 Peck, William 
 
 741 
 
 Peirce, Elliott F 
 
 846 
 
 Pelton, Dr. James K 
 
 772 
 
 Rife Family 
 
 473 
 
 Sherck, Joseph 
 
 759 
 
 Perniar, J. N., D. D. S... 
 
 832 
 
 Rife, Robert L 
 
 472 
 
 Sherrard, D. A. C 
 
 134 
 
 Peters. Adolph 
 
 335 
 
 Rimmelspacher, George. . 
 
 258 
 
 Sherrard.Mrs.NarcissaT 
 
 136 
 
 Peterson, Julius M 
 
 569 
 
 Rinebolt, Solomon 
 
 832 
 
 Sherrard Family 
 
 134- 
 
 Peterson, Peter 
 
 569 
 
 Robinson. Laurel E.,M.D 
 
 80 
 
 Sherrard, Robert W 
 
 136 
 
 Pettibone, Albert 
 
 527 
 
 Rogers, B. F 
 
 804 
 
 Sherwood, Norman C... 
 
 76 
 
 Pettibone, Geo. A 
 
 527 
 
 Roose, Charles 
 
 534 
 
 Sherwood, William D 
 
 74 
 
 Pfeifer, Andrew 
 
 227 
 
 Roose, Ernst 
 
 588 
 
 Siegrist, Emma 
 
 397 
 
 Pfeifer Family 
 
 555 
 
 Roose, Frederick W 
 
 799 
 
 Siegrist, John 
 
 3% 
 
 Pfeifer John H 
 
 555 
 522 
 
 Roose William 
 
 589 
 
 Sivalls, John T 
 
 Slackford, Capt. Wm. J.. 
 Slackford, Mrs. W. J . . . . 
 
 466 
 
 Phile, Henry E 
 
 Root, Eben 
 
 414 
 
 557 
 
 Phillips, Wilbert 
 
 277 
 
 Rosen berger, James 
 
 683 
 
 557 
 
 
 826 
 826 
 
 
 48 
 48 
 
 Slates, Joseph 
 
 Slessman, George 
 
 730 
 
 Pickard, George 
 
 Ross, Prof. W. W 
 
 21 
 
 Pickard, Jacob S 
 
 604 
 
 Rudes, George M 
 
 383 
 
 Sliger, Joseph 
 
 602 
 
 Pierson, Alfred 
 
 632 
 
 Rudiforth, Michael 
 
 703 
 
 Smart, Aaron 
 
 179 
 
 ' -rson, Nathan 
 
 631 
 
 Rudy, John F 
 
 574 
 
 Smith, Daniel 
 
 603 
 
 i • son, Nathan F 
 
 689 
 
 Ruh, Carl 
 
 396 
 
 Smith, David 
 
 296 
 
 P. M 1 ; an, William W 
 
 156 
 
 Rnh, Mrs. Christina 
 
 3% 
 
 Smith, Dominick 
 
 218 
 
 I'ort' r. Leander S., M. D S52 
 
 Ruh, Joseph 
 
 718 
 
 Smith, Frank H 
 
 424 
 
 Po,"tcr Theodore S 
 
 706 
 
 Ruh, Miss Marie L 
 
 396 
 
 Smith, Frederick 
 
 173 
 
 P,, i-ter, Wheeler 
 
 552 
 
 Rule, Daniel 
 
 147 
 
 Smith, George B 
 
 178 
 
 P,. V.-- .. 
 
 646 
 
 Runner, A. G 
 
 748 
 
 Smith, Hugh 
 
 568 
 
 ;■ ,; , -.'f R 
 
 646 
 
 248 
 
 Ru.ssell, David R 
 
 Russell, Edward H 
 
 108 
 165 
 
 Smith, John(DanburyTp) 
 Smith, John 
 
 764 
 
 
 599 
 
 
 246 
 246 
 
 Russell Henry S 
 
 165 
 755 
 
 Smith, John C 
 
 Smith, J. C 
 
 179 
 
 i ...in_ I . '' A. . 
 
 Russell, Ira P 
 
 259 
 
 
 ,./4 
 
 Ruter, Francis 
 
 740 
 633 
 
 Smith. Patrick 
 
 Smith, Washington D . . . 
 
 764 
 
 Pratt, K 
 
 Ryan, Edward P 
 
 605 
 
 Prior, V 
 
 145 
 
 Ryan, Laurence D 
 
 633 
 
 Smith, Prof. W. V 
 
 845 
 
 Putiiian. 
 
 2 
 
 Ryan, Stephen J 
 
 825 1 
 
 Snider, Andrew 
 
 720- 
 
854 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE BIOORAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Snider. Phillip R 691 
 
 Snider, Theodore L 691 
 
 Snyder, Jatnes 185 
 
 Snyder, John 184 
 
 Sonocrant, Richard B 448 
 
 Sparks. Randall 479 
 
 Spieldenner. Peter 79 
 
 Spohn. Jonathan 276 
 
 Spohn, L. W. W 620 
 
 Sprangf, Wendel 151 
 
 Sprout. Samuel 189 
 
 Stahl, Scott 820 
 
 Stang-, John 614 
 
 Stang-, John J 617 
 
 Starr & Tunnington 165 
 
 Starr, H. J 166 
 
 Stearns, Ira 742 
 
 Stevenson, Dr. Matthew 471 
 Stevenson, Richard Boyd 471 
 
 Stewart, Jacob S 627 
 
 Stieflf. M. R 237 
 
 Stierwalt. Moses 731 
 
 Stierwalt. W. L., M. D . . 731 
 Stillwell, Thomas, M. D. 34 
 
 Stokes, Franklin 813 
 
 Stone, Edward 621 
 
 Stone, John 847 
 
 Storer, Samuel 468 
 
 Stout. Joseph A 440 
 
 Streeter, Christopher. . . . 134 
 
 Strohl, Isaac F 716 
 
 Strohl, Isaac 752 
 
 Stull, Jacob, Sr 412 
 
 StuU Brothers 411 
 
 Sullivan, Jeremiah, Jr. . . 833 
 
 Sylvester, Joseph W 544 
 
 Taulker, Harmon Henry . 340 
 
 Tavlor, Caleb 106 
 
 Taylor, Enoch 107 
 
 Taylor, S. B., M. D 81 
 
 Taylor, Zacharv 175 
 
 Teachout, Silas' M 220 
 
 Tebbe, Fred 758 
 
 Teetzell, John K., M. D. . 598 
 
 Terrill. Stephen D 464 
 
 Terry, S. M 417 
 
 Thierwechter.AbrahamD 688 
 Thierwechter, Emery. .. . 687 
 Thierwechter, Michael D. 686 
 Thotnas, O. H., M. D.... 547 
 Thompson, Leraan M. . . . 565 
 
 Thorp, James B 524 
 
 Thraves, Georg-e 168 
 
 Thraves Family 168 
 
 Thraves, Levi H 690 
 
 Thraves, Mark 166 
 
 Thraves, Thomas 307 
 
 Thraves, William 168 
 
 Tinnev, Alfred W 118 
 
 Tinnev, Darwin S 295 
 
 Tinne'y, Edwin C 129 
 
 P.\GE. 
 
 Tinnev. Jackson 117 
 
 Tinnev. Mrs. Sarah 118 
 
 Titus, James 721 
 
 Toeppe, Joseph G 579 
 
 Truax, Jacob H 749 
 
 Truax, Lewis 750 
 
 True, Edwin Marvin 588 
 
 True, George A 576 
 
 True, Oliver J 575 
 
 Tschumy, Charles R 638 
 
 Tschumv, Frederick 638 
 
 Tucker Family 214 
 
 Tucker, Mrs. Miranda . . . 215 
 
 Tucker, Nelson R 214 
 
 Tunnington, F. M 166 
 
 Tuttle, Frank J 831 
 
 Tuttle, Julius 831 
 
 Valiquette, Barney 628 
 
 Valiquette, James 628 
 
 Van Doren, Orion 293 
 
 Van Epps, H. A 148 
 
 Vantine, Frank 789 
 
 Vantine, Jesse B 789 
 
 Vickerv, John 236 
 
 Vickerv, James P 844 
 
 Vig-ne.'EHLa 622 
 
 Vog'el. Christian 529 
 
 Vogel, John P 52S 
 
 Vog-t, William 354 
 
 Vroman, Phillip 573 
 
 Wagg-oner, George H. . . . 328 
 
 Waggoner, Samuel 328 
 
 Walters, George 225 
 
 Walters, Louis 225 
 
 Ward, Amos 46 
 
 Ward, Lewis W 46 
 
 Watson, Gavin 409 
 
 Watson, William 410 
 
 Weatherwax, Lawrence . 659 
 Weatherwax, Mrs. Nancy 659 
 
 Wedekind, Edward 693 
 
 Wehrle, A 780 
 
 Wehrle, Mrs. E 406 
 
 Wehrle, Herman 781 
 
 Weickert, Carl 316 
 
 Weis, Fred 829 
 
 Weis, F.J 829 
 
 Welch, Charles H 300 
 
 Welker, Frank 239 
 
 Weller, John... 133 
 
 Weller, M. D 132 
 
 Welles, John 582 
 
 Wendler, John 290 
 
 Wendt. Herman 566 
 
 Wendt. John H 565 
 
 Wengerd, Rev. Emanuel. 154 
 
 Wheeler, Charles 647 
 
 Wheeler, John L 647 
 
 White, C. B., M. D 807 
 
 Whitehead, Joseph 269 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Whitehead, T. C 704 
 
 Whitehead, William H. . . 357 
 
 Whittaker, Casper 699 
 
 Whitmore, John P 752 
 
 Whittemore, F. J., M. D. 114 
 
 Wiglar.d, John H 439 
 
 Willey, Eleazar 331 
 
 Willey, Richard 331 
 
 Williams. Enos E 596 
 
 Williams, Eugene 597 
 
 Wilson, Jas. W., M, D. . . 32 
 
 Wilt, George F 797 
 
 Wilt. Harrison 797 
 
 Winchell. David J 349 
 
 Winnie, A. G 378 
 
 Winstone, William G.... 4.53 
 
 Winter, Henry A 253 
 
 Wires, George W 362 
 
 Wires, Olive 363 
 
 Witte, Alfred G 674 
 
 Witty, Henry 751 
 
 Wittv,John 751 
 
 Wolcotte Family 558 
 
 Wolf,Bernhard 792 
 
 Wolf, Joseph 792 
 
 Wolfe, Conrad 322 
 
 Wolfe, Daniel M 324 
 
 Wolfe, Levi 76 
 
 Wolfe, Michael 76 
 
 Wonnell, Henrv 839 
 
 Wonnell, Mrs. Mary S . . . 572 
 
 Wonnell, William 571 
 
 Wood, Amos E 711 
 
 Wood, De Wilton 710 
 
 Wood, Samuel T 446 
 
 Woodford, William 197 
 
 Woodward, George, M. D. 737 
 
 Woodward. Mrs. George. 738 
 
 Woodward, Horace, M. D. 738 
 
 Worman, William E 838 
 
 Worst, John W 652 
 
 Wott, Henry L 334 
 
 Wright, Lewis K 169 
 
 Wright, Solomon S 121 
 
 Wright, \V. R 122 
 
 Wriglev Brothers 99 
 
 Yaecke'r, Rev. Ernest W. 603 
 
 Yates, Dr. Porter 453 
 
 Yeagle, J. M 21' 
 
 Yetter. Samuel J ? 
 
 York, Charles I 
 
 Young, Anton 
 
 Young, George 
 
 Young, John . •>j.6 
 
 Zimmerman, Go' . !82 
 
 Zimmerman, J J7 + 
 
 Zimmerman, ^^ : :aiii, .. 7,J;5 
 Zimmerraani Hon. Joi. .- ''? 
 
 Zipfel, All- I- 
 
 Zora, Ph;i •. li ,-.<•..., 
 
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