CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 401 moval here in 1852, coming on the first pasenger train of the old Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad, the present Pennsylvania mainline, Possessing considerable wealth he made extensive purchases in real estate, building and opening the American House, the present Billow block. In 1858 he built his beautiful home south of town, where he resided with his aged wife until the time of his death. In 1871 he founded Babst Banking House with, his son, Jacob Babst, cashier. In 1878 he retired from all active business in favor of his Sons Jacob and Daniel. Babst, Jr. In the business life of Crestline there has been no important enterprise which has not felt the influence of his energy and vigorous business ability. Never seeking political advantage, he always adhered to the principles represented by the Whig and later by the Republican parties, his single political service being that of delegate to the national Whig convention of 1848. His outspoken and strong convictions on the slavery controversy are matters of local history well-known to many of our citizens active in those violent times. In his retirement no picture of family love could be brighter than that presented by this aged couple, living in their beautiful home, surrounded by children and grandchildren. Fifty-two years of constant companionship had taught them the joys of love and contentment, easing life's cares by the Confidence of mutual 'steadfastness, and to the immediate friends and family the fading outline of this happy devotion will ever, be of blessed memory and a perpetual inspiration to, fidelity and love. FRANK C. McGAUGHY, D. D. S. Among the younger. representatives of the dental fraternity in Crawford county is Dr. Frank Cloud McGaughy, of Galion, who has already attained a success which many an older practitioner might well envy. He is a native of Chesterville, Ohio, and a son of Hugh P. McGaughy, one of the early settlers of the state, who was born at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, March 24, 1838. His paternal grandfather was William McGaughy, of Gettysburg, who in pioneer days came with his family to Ohio, casting in his lot with the early settlers of Morrow county. Hugh P. McGaughy was only fifteen. years of age at the time of the removal. The family located upon a farm, and there he was reared to manhood: After attaining his majority he was joined in wedlock to Miss Hannah Bonar, a native of Morrow county, Ohio, and a daughter of John and Clarissa (Lewis) Bonar the latter of Knox county, Ohio.   402 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. The Doctor spent his youth in Chesterville and .at the. usual age entered the schools of that city, pursuing his studies them until he., had completed the high-school course. Wishing to devote his life to professional labors he resolved to join the dental fraternity and became a student in the dental department of the Ohio Medical College, in which he was graduated with the class of, 1897. On the 1st of July, 1898, he took up his abode in Galion, where he has since remained, and already he has won an enviable place among the representatives of 'his chosen calling, having a large patronage, which is constantly increasing. His methods are modern, his workmanship excellent and his knowledge of the principles of the science of dentistry is comprehensive. and exact. Socially the Doctor is connected with the Knights of Pythias lodge. He is a young man of genial disposition, unfailing courtesy and genuine worth, and 'these qualities have rendered him very popular. CHRISTIAN F. EISE. Christian Frederick Eise, a well-known resident of Galion; was born in :the city which is still his home, his natal day being July 3o, 1859. His parents, Frederick and Catherine (Poister) Eise, are both now deceased. The father was a railroad carpenter and was a well known and highly respected citizen of his community, giving special aid to the work of advancement and the moral interests of his county. He labored earnestly in the church and Sunday-school and his life was a potent influence for good. Beth he and his wife were natives of Germany, becoming residents of Galion in 1856, and there remaining until called to their final rest. In the public schools of his native city Christian F. Eise pursued his education, becoming familiar with both the German and English languages. His desire for newspaper work led him to serve an apprenticeship in a newspaper office in Indianapolis before his graduation at school, which event occurred in 1874. Throughout his entire business career he has been. identified with journalistic work. In 1879 he began the publication of a paper in West Milton, Ohio. A year later he was appointed a historian of county histories and in 1881 he established the Bainbridge Courier, at Bainbridge, Ohio, continuing as its editor and publisher until 1885. He was then employed in the government printing office at Washington, D. C., for a year, and afterward about eight rears in the office of the Galion Inquirer. In 1891 he established the Galion Daily Leader, with which he is still connected. This is a wider-awake and enterprising journal and now has a good circulation, which CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 403 makes it an excellent advertising medium. It is devoted to local interests and to the dissemination of general news, and is a journal which would prove creditable in almost any city. In the year 1887 Mr. Eise was elected city clerk of Galion and his faithfulness and ability, as well as the confidence reposed in him by his fellow men, is indicated by the fact that he held the office continuously for eight years. He also served as health officer, has been a member of the county election board and has held other important political positions. Mr. Eise was united in marriage to Miss Zetta Lois Norton, a resident of Yellow Springs, Ohio, the wedding being celebrated in 1881. They now have one child, Florence Norton, a young lady of eighteen years. Socially Mr. Eise is connected with the Independent Order of Foresters, with the Junior Order of United American Mechanics and with the Daughters of America. He is likewise Connected with Galion Tent, Knights of the Maccabees, and has served as a delegate to the great camp. Both as a public citizen and as the publisher of one of the leading papers of the county Mr. Eise contributes in large measure to the general welfare by supporting all movements calculated to prove of public benefit. JACOB D. FIRSTENBERGER. Throughout the greater part of his life Jacob D. Firstenberger was a resident of Galion and was long an active and honorable factor in the business interests of the city. His death occurred on the 4th of December, 1900, and the community thereby lost a valued resident, whom they had learned to respect and honor for his upright career and fidelity to principle. He was born in this city in 1851, and was a son of Christopher Firstenberger, a native of Germany, who believing that he might find better opportunities for advancement in the new world crossed the Atlantic and took up his abode in Galion. Here in the public schools our subject acquired his education, gaining a good practical knowledge which served him well in his business career. His first independent venture was as a clerk in a grocery store in Marion, and later he. was employed in Pittsburg, but in 1874 he returned to Galion, establishing a grocery store on his own account and successfully conducting the same until his life's labors were. ended. He carried a carefully selected stock of staple and fancy groceries and his business methods commended him to the public patronage. He was fair in his dealings and in his career demonstrated the truth of the old adage "honesty is the best policy." 404 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY In Marion county, in 1876, Mr. Firstenberger was united in marriage to Miss Lydia Dutt, a native of that county and a daughter of Michael and Catherine (Meily) Dutt. Her father was a grocer and took up his abode in Marion county at. an early day, coming to this country from Germany in his youth. Mrs. Dutt was a daughter of William Meily, of Marion, a brother of Henry Meily, father of Mrs. Senator Brice and Mrs. General Orr. Mrs. Firstenberger still survives her husband and is yet living in Galion, where she has made her home since her marriage and where she has many warm friends. In public affairs Mr.Firstenberger always took a very active and unselfish interest, doing everything in his power to promote, the measures and movements which he believed would prove of general good. In politics he was a Democrat, served as assessor for about six years, was a member of the board of equalization for three years, was elected to the office of trustee of Polk township in 1895, was re-elected in 1898, and during the last three years of his service in that capacity he served as the president of the board. When sixteen years of age he was confirmed in the German Reformed church and was ever afterward a consistent member. He enjoyed the uniform confidence and esteem of all throughout the county by reason of his irreproachable official career and as a business man and citizen. WILLIAM H. SHECKLER. William H. Sheckler is a well-known resident of Bucyrus, where he has served as pension attorney for fourteen years, while since 1896 he has occupied the position of justice of the peace. He is a native of the city which is yet his home, his birth having occurred July 13, 1847. The family is of German lineage, the grandfather of our subject having been born in Baden, Germany, near Heidelberg.. Hugh. Sheckler, the father, was born in Bedford 'county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1818, and there resided until 1847, when he came to Bucyrus and engaged in business as a wagon-maker. He was thus identified with the industrial interests of the city for a number of years, and later in life he located on a farm one mile north of the town, where he engaged in the dairy business, meeting with creditable success in the undertaking. He was a well-known and respected cutizen, faithful to the obligations of both public and private life. His death occurred in 1888, when he had reached the psalmists span of three score years and ten. His wife bore the maiden name of Susan Cheney and was also a native of Pennsylvania, although her parents were born in Holland. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 405 William H. Sheckler is indebted to the public school system of Bucyrus for the educational privileges which he enjoyed. He.was about sixteen years of age when he entered the military service of his country, enlisting in February, 1864, as a member of Company E, Thirty-fourth Ohio Infantry (known as the First Ohio Piatt Zouaves), in which he remained until the close of the war. The regiment was assigned to the Army of West Virginia, and he participated in the campaign of the Shenandoah valley under General Phil Sheridan; January 1, 1865, he was captured, with the balance of his regiment, at Beverly, West Virginia, and in Libby prison spent two months and was then exchanged. When hostilities had ceased and the stars and stripes were planted in the capital of the southern Confederacy he returned to his home in Bucyrus, where he has remained continuously since. For fourteen years he has been notary public and for a similar period has been pension attorney, representing the interests of the soldiers who fought for the preservation of the Union and were thereby somewhat unfitted for the duties of a business career. In 1896 he was elected justice of the peace on the Republican ticket for a term of three years. In the meantime his political views changed and became an adherent of the Democracy, so that in 1899 he was made the-candidate of that party for the same office, in which he was re-elected. He is strictly fair and impartial in the discharge of his duties, his decisions being based upon the facts in the case and the law applicable thereto. In 1870 Mr. Sheckler married Ida Reed, who died in 1873, leaving one child, a daughter, Fairy. In 1877 Mr. Sheckler was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Steele, a. daughter of William Steele, who came from Pennsylvania to Bucyrus. She died in 1883, leaving no Children. Mr. Sheckler holds membership in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Grand Army Post, of Bucyrus, in which he is serving as commander. The high esteem in which he is held, not only in official circles, but among all his acquaintances, speaks better than words can do concerning his character as a man and a. citizen, one in whom his town and county have a just pride. G. W. BURT. G. W. Burt, who fills the important position of station agent for the Big Four Railroad Company at Galion, and for the American Express Company, has occupied these positions for more than a quarter of a century. He is a native of what at the time of his birth was Marion county, Ohio, but is now 406 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Morrow county. His father, Ebenezer Burt; took up his abode in Marion county in 1820, removing to Ohio from Greene county, Pennsylvania.. There he died when our subject was only two and a half years of age, passing away in 1835. His wife bore the maiden name of Sarah Hernard and resided in Greene county, Pennsylvania. During his youth, Mr. Burt of this review, pursued his education in the public schools. He entered the railroad service in 1852, and has since been one of its representatives. In 1855 he secured a situation as telegraph opera. tor and clerk at Shelby, Richland county; Ohio, and was there located during the period of the Civil war. After various removals he came to Galion in 1874 and has remained here continuously since, covering a period of twenty-seven consecutive years. He is one of the most trusted and reliable employes of the company, very careful and painstaking in the discharge of his duties and loyal to the trusts reposed in him. Socially he is identified with the Masonic Order and has attained the Thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite, belonging to Cleveland Consistory. In his political affiliations he is a Republican. JOHN C. SCHIEBER. Among the old and highly esteemed farmers of Holmes township is John Christian Schieber, who came here when this locality was still covered with its native growth of timber. His birth was in Germany, a country which has contributed many excellent citizens to America, and he was born September 27, 1828. He was a son of Gottleib and Magdalena (Brosie) Schieber, the former of whom was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1794, and the latter in the same place, in 1802. In 1832, with their five children and a large party of neighbors and friends, they emigrated to the United States. They had. some section in the state of Ohio as their destination, and came by way of the lakes as far as Sandusky. A former neighbor by the name of Fred Feichtner had located some years previously in Crawford county, and the Germans determined to find him, if possible, and follow his advice in the matter of locating homes of their own in this county. With this end in view, Gottleib Schieber, with several of his fellow emigrants, left their families in Sandusky and set out on foot to find their friend, although their knowledge of his whereabouts was very vague. However, after a long and wearisome trip, they found him, most comfortably located in Liberty township near Broken Sword. The appearance of the surrounding country pleased them, and after a short visit they started back, on foot, as they came. At Sandusky they procured teams and CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 407 brought their effects to this locality and then turned their industrious efforts to clearing and improving the land. Mr. Schieber bought a tract of forty acres from J. Caris, and soon after this he entered forty .acres and gradually added more until his farm consisted of one hundred' and ten acres. This constituted the homestead where the children were born and where they grew to maturity. The children numbered nine in all, their names being: Christopher, Gottleib, Fredericka, Christian, Jacob, Catherine, John, Abraham and Mary, the survivors being our subject; Catherine, the widow of Christian Brown, of Sandusky. township; and Mary, the wife of Solomon Shupp, of Nebraska. The father of our subject died in 1870, but the mother survived until 1893, when she had reached her ninety-first year. In early life he was a Democrat, but the issues of the Civil war made him a Republican, though in his later years he returned to the Democratic party. For many years he was a leading member of the Lutheran church, and was .one of the highly esteemed citizens of the county. John Christian Schieber, the subject of this sketch, was reared in the pioneer home and received but few educational advantages because good school privileges were not obtainable at that time and place. He possessed an abundance of natural intelligence, was energetic and industrious, and by the time he had reached his majority understood all of the demands of an agricultural life. In February, 1852, he was married to Miss Leah Hershberger, who was born in Lancaster .County, Pennsylvania, and was the daughter of Jacob Hershberger, who came to Crawford county about 1848. A family of children grew up around our subject and wife, viz. : Samuel, of Oklahoma; Amanda, the wife of Emanuel Haller, of this township; Jacob., of this township; Joseph, of Chicago, Illinois ; Elizabeth, the wife of Samuel Mack, of this township; Matilda, at home; Charles, the farmer on the home farm; and Ida, at home. After marriage our subject settled on a farm of eighty acres located in Liberty township, which he purchased of his father, and here he erected a hewed log house and a round-log barn, some six years later replacing the latter with a substantial frame barn. This land was all heavily covered with a native growth of timber with. the exception of nine acres, and it required fourteen years of industry to redeem the whole tract from the forest. In 1866 our subject sold this farm and purchased the farm which he now occupies. At one time he owned three hundred and twenty acres, but has retained but one hundred and sixty, which is admirably managed by his son Charles. In politics Mr. Schieber is a member of the Republican party and one of 408 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. the leading members of the Methodist church, to which his estimable wife also belongs. During his long life in the township he has seen many changes and has done his share in the development of the county, and now enjoys the esteem of the whole community. CHARLES E. KIMERLINE. The medical profession is ably represented in Crawford county, Ohio, and one of the best known members there is Charles Edward Kimerline, of Lykens village, who as a physician of wide and accurate knowledge has won an enviable professional success and stands deservedly high in the esteem of his fellow citizens. Charles E. Kimerline, M. D., was born at New Washington, Ohio, July 4, 1871, a son of Lewis J. Kimerline, a well known citizen of that town. He was graduated at the public schools of New Washington, in 1889, and received the degree of bachelor of science at the Ohio Normal University, in 1892. From 1893 to 1896, he was a student in the medical department of the Western Reserve University. After his graduation from that institution with the degree of medical doctor, he located at Lykens village, where he entered upon the practice of his. profession to which he has since given his undivided attention. He has became favorably known throughout the surrounding country and has a satisfactory and constantly increasing practice. In politics he is a Democrat and wields a recognized influence in local affairs, but he is not an office-seeker nor in the ordinary sense of the term a practical politician, but his public spirit is such that he is a useful and helpful citizen ready at all times to further all worthy objects. He was married June 24, 1897, to Miss Fairy Scott and they have a daughter whom they have named Mary Scott. He is a member of the German Lutheran church. C. P. FRANK. Among the representatives of railroad interests residing in Crestline is. Mr. Frank, who occupies the position of foreman of the copper shops for the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad Company. He was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, January 21, 1839. His father, John G. Frank, was a native of Muelhausen, Germany, was there reared and learned the tanner's trade. In 1835 he came to America, locating in Butler county, Pennsylvania, at the little town of Saxonburg, where he carried on tanning and CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 411 farming. There he died in 1876; at the age of seventy years, his birth having occurred in I800. He was a member of the German Lutheran church and a man of the highest respectability. He wedded Mary Schneider, also a native of the fatherland. She had previously been married and was the widow of Carl Hauhn. By her . first. husband she had five children, and by the second marriage she became the mother of five children.  C. P. Frank, the eldest son and the second number of the family, was reared in his native county until seventeen years of age and acquired his education in the common schools, which, he attended for about three months each year. When a youth of seventeen he began learning the coppersmith's trade at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, serving an apprenticeship of four years, after which he entered the employ of the firm of Prior, Harbeck & Company, of Cleveland, Ohio, where he continued for nine months. On the expiration of that period he went to Galion, becoming an employe of the old Bee Line Company, with which he continued for four years. The year 1863 witnessed his arrival in Crestline, where he has since made his home. Here he engaged with the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, working at his trade as a journeyman. The business at that time was small but has continually increased in volume and, importance, and he has remained steadily with the company in the position which he now occupies with the exception of one year when he was granted a leave of absence. He has been foreman of the company for thirty-six years and is one of its oldest and most reliable employes, carefully superintending the department of which he has charge, the work manship being of a high grade. On the 4th of February, 1862, Mr. Frank was united in marriage to Miss: Ellen A. Keen, a native of Germany, but when three years of age was brought to America by her parents, the family locating in Crawford county, wh re they: were early settlers. There her girlhood days were passed and the common: schools afforded her her educational privileges. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Frank: have been born 'six children : John E.., who resides at Mt. Pleasant, Jefferson county, Ohio, is agent for the Lake Erie & Western Railroad Company; Mary. M. is the wife of Dr. I. W. Larkworthy, of Ottawa, Ohio ; Willard A. is a. machinist employed by the Erie Company at Galion; and Frederick G. is with his father, working at the trade of coppersmith. Nellie C. and Alice J., two; daughters of the family, died in early childhood. In his political views Mr. Frank is an earnest Republican; giving an unfaltering support to the principles of his party. Fraternally he is identified with the Masonic Order and for a number of years has affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 22 412 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. lows. He and his family belong to the Presbyterian church, in which he has long been a trustee. Faithful to duty and the trusts reposed in him in business life, he is also recognized as a public spirited citizen and a man of true worth of character. WILLIAM HOOD CRITZER. Many people give music the highest rank among the fine arts. It has not the limitations of sculpturing or painting, it is not bounded by form, color or size, and therefore leaves much greater play to the imagination. It reaches man only through the sense of hearing and exercises over him an intangible power the more strongly felt because indescribable. From the remotest ages it has administered to man pleasure, has given enthusiasm to the soldier on the field of battle, brought comfort to the sorrowing and heightened the happiness of the joyful. It appeals to and touches all classes of people as no other art does, and, in fact, is the only universal language. The musical taste and culture of Crawford county has largely been promoted through the efforts of Professor William Hood Critzer, who is director of music in the public schools of Galion, Mount Gilead and Crestline, having thus been connected with the esthetic education of three towns. since 1891. Professor Critzer is numbered among Ohio's native sons, his birth having occurred in Pike township, Fulton county, in 1857, and his parents being William and Amelia (Mathews) Critzer. His father was a native of Frederick, Maryland, being born July 17, 1810; the mother, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was born August 4, 1824. The grandfather of our subject was Jacob Critzer, who was born in aryland, October 10, 1780. He was a stone-mason and followed contracting throughout his life.. He was married to Elizabeth Beckenbough, October 9, 1803. His good wife died August 20, 1821, and he passed away January 20, 1831. On the maternal side Mr. Critzer's ancestry can be traced back to Charles Hood, his great-grandfather, who erected the first of the Ellicot mills in Maryland just after the close of the Revolution and was .a very prominent factor in the substantial upbuilding cif that portion of the state. The. maternal grandfather of our subject; Elze Mathews, was a resident of West Virginia, but at an early day came to Ohio, locating in Franklin county, near Columbus. He brought with him his slaves whom he had owned in the south, and here gave them their freedom. The father of our subject was reared at Frederick, Maryland, and early in life began teaching school, which he followed for several years, and after his CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 413 marriage, accompanied by his young bride, emigrated to Fulton county, Ohio, where they shared the trials and hardships of frontier life. Here he cleared his land and followed farming for many years, when eventually he sold his farm and moved to Delta, Fulton county, where he engaged in the business as buyer and seller of grains. While here he was elected mayor, and had the honor of being the first mayor of Delta. Subsequently he removed to Ai, Fulton county, where he purchased a drug store, which he successfully conducted throughout the remainder of his life, dying October 29, 1874. In his political views he was a Republican. Professor Critzer's love of music was. early manifest. From his boyhood he displayed exceptional fondness for the art, and when a youth of twelve, after much coaxing, he persuaded his father to buy him a flute, which he learned to play unaided. When sixteen years of age he began his preliminary training in vocal culture, under the direction of W. H. Leibe, of Kansas City, Missouri, and afterward studied under the direction of Dr. George A. Veazie, of Chelsea, Massachusetts, and his later preceptors were James M. McLaughlin, of Boston, and Dr. Lowell Mason, of the same city. He completed his studies in the Detroit Conservatory, where he was graduated in 1890. He had made possible the continuation of his musical education through the work which he had done as a teacher. He was conductor of music in the Northwestern Normal Collegiate Institute, in Wauseon, Ohio; in 1887, but previous to this time he spent from 1885 to 1887 as musical director in the Fayette Normal Music and Business College. He gave private instructions as opportunity offered, and while in Detroit he conducted the St. George's boy choir and was. preceptor in the Central Methodist Episcopal Sabbath-school. In 1891 he accepted the position of musical director in the Public schools of Galion, Mount Gilead and Crestline. In the first named he has charge of four school buildings, giving instruction to the pupils of the various departments ten days each month. He spends four days in Mount Gilead and four days in Crestline, and under his leadership the schools. have made rapid and commendable advancement in music; the high school of Galion having a reputation unexcelled by any similar institution in the state. Professor Critzer is also choir 'master of four choirs, that of the Methodist Episcopal church,. the German Reformed church, the English Lutheran church and the United Brethren church. He is also conductor of the Galion Choral Society, of seventyfive voices. The work undertaken by the high school of Galion is of a very high and classical order. In the year 190o they gave a rendition of Haydn's "Creation," with 414 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. two hundred voices, assisted by the Choral Society, and in 19b1 they gave a 'most excellent production of Handers "Messiah!! Professor Critzer was united in marriage to Miss Cora M. Nobbs, of Fulton county, a daughter of James and Ann (Fetterman) Nobbs, her parents. being among the pioneer settlers of Fulton county, coming from England to this state. The Professor and his wife now have five children,- Edna, Ruth, Walter Eugene, Paul. and Marjorie May. The family is one of prominence in the community, occupying a leading position. in social circles, where culture and. intelligence are received as the passport into good society. .The Professor is a member of Masonic Lodge No. 414, in Galion, the Order of Foresters and the Tribe of Ben Hur. His influence in the two cities of Crawford county and the county seat of Morrow county with which he is connected is incalculable, but is certainly very far reaching and very beneficial. To no other citizen is the advancement of musical taste so justly accredited, and through., his dissemination of the knowledge of the art he has added greatly to the enjoyment and happiness which should form no small part of life. R. C. TRACHT. Among the leading attorneys of Galion is R. C. Tracht, who, though a young man, has gained distinction is a member of the bar by reason of qualifications that always insure success. Endowed by nature with strong mentality and developing his powers through study and close application, he is now occupying a position in the legal fraternity that many an older lawyer might well envy.  He is numbered among the native sons of Crawford county, his birth having occurred in Jefferson township in 1866. He is of German-English lineage, and his family is one of a group of pioneers who. have made Crawford. one of the foremost counties in the great northwest. In his boyhood he at tended the public schools in his native township and later became a student in the Roanoke Seminary, in Roanoke, Indiana, his studies there being supplemented by a course in the United Brethren Normal Academy at Fostoria, Ohio. In 1883 he began teaching school, and for five years successfully followed that profession, being recognized as a teacher of exceptional ability. In the fall of 1888 he matriculated. in the Ohio Normal University at Ada, Ohio, where he was graduated in July, 1892, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. On the 7th of December, 1893, he was admitted to the bar, and his progress has been marked and rapid in his professional career. He is a stu- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 415 dent, earnest and discriminating, and his knowledge of legal principles is profound and comprehensive. Thorough preparation well fits him for the contests of the courtroom, where he has won many victories for his clients. A ,careful and conscientious counselor and an able advocate, he holds his professional integrity as a sacred trust. Mr. Tracht was married to Miss Myrtle Gledhill, a daughter of Joseph Gledhill, of Jefferson township. Our subject and his wife hold membership in the English Lutheran church, and in his political views he is a stalwart Democrat. He Possesses exceptional oratorical ability and power, and through the past five years has delivered many political addresses which in their effective eloquence have wrought good for the party. He has been honored with a number of local Offices, and in 1898 he was a prominent candidate for nomination for prosecuting attorney, but was defeated by a small vote. His education and his success are due to his own efforts. His own labor provided him with the means of continuing his more advanced study, and since entering upon his professional career his thorough understanding of legal principles, combined with the utmost fidelity to his clients' interest, have insured him continued advancement. CHARLES W. McCRACKEN. The name of McCracken has been so long closely connected with the history of Crawford countythat representatives of the family need no special introduction to the readers of this volume. James McCracken, the father of him whose name introduces this review, was the first mayor of Bucyrus, and through many years took a leading part in the work of public progress along the lines of material, intellectual and moral advancement. He was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, July 16, 1800, a son of James and Rachel (Kelly) McCracken, both of whom were natives of Ireland. After arriving at man's estate the former came to the new world, the date of his emigration being about 1790. The Kellys, however; came to the United States before the Revolution, and the great-grandfather of our subject served as a quartermaster in the American army during the struggle for independence. Being captured, he was placed on an English prison ship in New York harbor, where he was incarcerated for some time. James McCracken, Sr., located in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, upon a farm seven miles from Greensburg. He was Married in that state to Miss Kelly, and in 1807 removed to Columbiana county, Ohio, where he made his home 416 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. for about nine years. In 1816 he went to Wayne county, taking up his abode near Wooster. In that year his wife was drowned in Killbuck creek. The children of their family were : James, the father of our subject; Thomas. and .Nathaniel, who lived and died in Columbiana county; John, who became a resident of Crawford county ; Mrs. John Moderwell, who died in Crawford county, where her husband served as sheriff ; Mrs. Josiah Scott, who also died. in this county and whose husband was a. judge of the supreme court of Ohio and for twenty years practiced law in Bucyrus and in Hamilton and Mrs.. Hattie Adair, of Wayne county, Ohio. James McCracken, the father of our. subject, accompanied his parents on their removal to this state, residing first in Columbiana and afterward in Wayne county. From Wooster, Ohio, he came to Bucyrus, in 1825. He was. a wheelwright by trade, and for some years engaged in the manufacture of spinning-wheels at this place. A recognized leader in public thought and ac- tion, he took a very prominent .part in public affairs and had marked influence in shaping the policy of the county and promoting its interests. On the incorporation of Bucyrus, in 1832, he was elected its mayor. For many years. he served as justice of the peace, discharging his duties in a strictly fair and impartial manner, and from 1840 until 1844 he served as postmaster of the county seat. He married Miss Ruth Marquis, a daughter of William V.. Marquis, who came to Crawford county in 1829, settling on a farm two miles south of Bucyrus. Her mother bore the maiden name of Mary Park and was. a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania. Her father was killed by the Indians soon after the close of the Revolutionary war. From Belmont county, Ohio, the Marquis. family came to Crawford county, but the father of Mrs. McCracken was a native. of Virginia, born in Winchester, where his people lived during the Revolutionary days. *The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. McCracken was blessed with eight children, who attained to years of maturity. Portia A., the eldest, died in Bucyrus. William V., who married Juliet Mason, of Tiffin, Ohio, died in New York City. He was a soldier in the Civil war, serving as captain of a company in the One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio Infantry and remaining at the front for two and a half years. Joseph Kelly, who was orderly sergeant in the Eighty-sixth Regiment of Ohio Volunteers, married Miss Ella A. Davis and is living in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Alexander McBride, a resident of Louisville, Kentucky, married Miss Augusta F. Van Fleet, of Pennsylvania. Augusta N. is librarian of the Memorial Library, of Bucyrus. Harvey Marquis, who married Catherine Freeman, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is now living in Louisville, Kentucky.. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 417 Charles W., the youngest of the family, is yet a resident of Bucyrus. The children were all educated in the schools of this city. The sons are mostly connected with railway business, and in. politics are Republicans. The father of the family died in Bucyrus in 1875, at the age of seventy-five years, and in his death the community lost one of its most valued and reliable citizens. Charles Wallace McCracken, whose name introduces this review, is a civil engineer, and has followed his profession all over the county. His marked skill and ability in that line and his efficiency have won him a liberal patronage. From 1886 until 1890 he was state canal commissioner, having been appointed to that office by Governor Bushnell. E. M. FREESE. The subject of this notice, the senior member of E. M. Freese & Company, manufacturers of clay-working machinery and appliances at Galion, Ohio, was born in Medina county, this state, September 23, 1845, a son of Harlow and Almira (Morton) Freese, the former a native of Lee, Massachusetts, and the latter of Pittsfield; that state. Harlow Freese was a son of B. W. and Clarrissa (Beaumont) Freese, who removed from Lee, Massachusetts, when Harlow was eight years of age, in 1818, and located in Brunswick, Medina county, Ohio, becoming the owner of about one thousand acres of land, then an unbroken wilderness, and engaged extensively in farming. Harlow Freese grew to manhood in Brunswick and there married Almira Morton, continuing his residence there during his life and following the occupation of a farmer, and was an exemplary man and an estimable citizen. To Harlow and Almira (Morton) Freese were born two children (sons), E. M. and M. L. Freese. The last mentioned died about twenty years ago. Harlow Freese died in 1890, at the age of eighty years, and Almira, his wife, in 1887, at the age of seventy years. E. M. Freese obtained a practical education in the public schools near his home. Early in life he developed a decided love of mechanics, and following his inclinations he became, at the age of twenty, a machinist's apprentice at the works of Turner Parks & Company, manufacturers of grain-cleaning and sewer pipe machinery at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where during the succeeding four years he gained much proficiency in mechanical work. He then entered . the shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at Crestline, Ohio, where he was employed until 1881. Here, by the exercise of industry and economy, he accumulated the means with which to engage in a small way in the manu- 418 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. facture of clay-working machinery at. Plymouth, Ohio. Beginning with two partners, he successively purchased the interests of each and became sole owner of the business in 189o, and. has continued the same tip to the present time. By the advantage of natural mechanical genius and persistent and industrious effort, he was able to greatly improve the machinery used for the manufacture of building, street-paving and fire brick, and for terra-cotta, fireproofing. and drain tile, and was largely instrumental in this way in revolutionizing these industries, which have had a wonderful growth in the United States, the value of clay products now (1901) amounting to about one hundred million dollars yearly. Conservative methods soon placed. the venture upon a firm footing and the business was constantly increased in extent and larger facilities became necessary, and in 1891 the works were removed to Galion, Ohio, where. they are permanently located, occupying extensive and commodious buildings erected for the purpose and equipped with Modern machinery and appliances especially suited to this class of manufacture and with many conveniences not usually found in other works of this kind. The machinery manufactured here is sold in all parts of the United States and in some foreign countries, and is noted for originality of design, the economy of its operation and the superiority of the wares it produces. Familiarity with all detail's of the manufacture and sale of the variety o Machinery in this class now manufactured, and painstaking and conscientious attention to the demands of the trade, on the part of the subject of this sketch, have developed a large and prosperous business which is destined to continue to flourish. In 1882 E. M. Freese was married to Miss Rosina Berger, of Galion. They have three children,—Herbert H., Arthur J. and Horace E. Freese. JOHN REXROTH. There is flinch in the life history of John. Rexroth that is worthy of emulation. He possessed a determined; resolute character that was well balanced by sound judgment and upright principles, and throughout his business career he not only Won prosperity but also gained for himself that good name which is rather to be chosen than great riches, thus leaving to his family a priceless heritage. Mr. Rexroth was born in Bucyrus, on the loth of May, 1835, and died on his farm two miles south of the city, May 8, 1895, when sixty years of age, lacking two days. He was the son of John N. and Anna M. (Willman) CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 421 Rexroth. The father was born in the village of Erbach, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, November 6, 1800, and in his native land attended school between the ages of six and fourteen years, after which he learned the trade of black-smithing, following that pursuit in his native country, until thirty, years of age, when he came. to the United States. He landed'. at Baltimore after a voyage of six months, being shipwrecked twice on the way. In Baltimore he met and married Anna .M. Wirtman, the wedding being celebrated on the 1st of March, 1831. The lady was born near Carlsruhe, Baden, and came to America about the same time 'her husband made the voyage—the only one of her family to seek a home in this country. Immediately after their marriage they removed to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where they remained for a little more than a year, and in 1833 they came to Bucyrus. The father followed his trade until 1855. In the meantime he resided in .Winchester from 1839 until 1849. He accumulated property rapidly, but by going security for others he lost nearly all that he had made with the exception of his home. He was reared a Lutheran but when he. came to Bucyrus he united with the Evangelical Association—a society which did not prosper, however, and he afterward joined the German Methodist Episcopal church. He remained a devoted Christian up to the time of his death, which occurred on the 15th of June, 1867. He was the father of ten children; nine. of whom reached years of maturity, namely: Adam, deceased Catherine; John, deceased; Daniel; Elizabeth, deceased; Sarah; David; Margaret; and Lydia, deceased. John Rexroth was only three years of age when his parents 'removed from Bucyrus to Winchester, where ten years of his youth were passed. He attended school there for three months each year, and in 1849 he again be. came a resident of Bucyrus, where he continued his studies in the winter season until 1854, and throughout the remainder of the year he assisted his father in the' blacksmith shop. About this time, however, his father met with reverses in financial life and our subject and his brother rented farming land and by farming and teaming supported the family. In 1857 the family exchanged town property for eighty acres of land lying just south of Bucyrus, to which they removed, remaining there for some time, after which they took up their abode upon another farm near by. That continued to be their home until after the death of the father in 1867, when they returned to Bucyrus. Thus far John Rexroth had been a member of his father's family, but on the 18th of December, 1867, he was united in. marriage to Miss Maggie S. Frey, a daughter of John Martin and Magdaline (Lininger) Frey, who 422 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. were natives of Germany and came to America in 1853, settling in Plymouth, Ohio, whence they removed to Bucyrus. They spent their last days, however, in the home of their daughter, Mrs. Rexroth. She was born in Germany and was a little maiden of six summers when her parents came to the United States. Unto Mr.. and Mrs. Rexroth were born the following children : Charles F., a farmer of Bucyrus township, who was born October 1, 1868, and married Catherine Keiffer ; John. Jay, who died when about three years of age; Lillian Iona, born July 5, 1875; Royal A., born December 8, 1877; Clyde N., born September 15, 1879; and Elva May, born July 8, 1881. After his marriage Mr. Rexroth removed to the farm upon which his widow yet resides and began the cultivation of the land .He became one of the largest agriculturists and stock raisers of the county and his landed possessions were extensive. For years his flock of sheep outnumbered almost every other in the county and this branch of his business proved to him a profitable industry. For a number of years he successfully conducted his business affairs and year by year his capital increased, but one cold night a few months before his death his home was destroyed by fire, and the exposure which he endured brought on a severe cold, which eventually terminated his life. His was a useful career, and in business affairs steady advancement attended his earnest and well directed efforts, so that he left his family in comfortable circumstances. In politics he was always a Republican, and in religious belief he was a Methodist, belonging to the church in Bucyrus. A straightforward business man, a faithful friend, a devoted husband and father and an earnest Christian, in his death the community lost one of its valued representatives. BURTON R. MILLER, M. D. Dr. Miller, who occupies an enviable position as a member of the medical. fraternity in New Washington, was born November 16, 1864, in what was, known as the Half Way House, located midway between Tiffin and Republic, in Clinton township, Seneca county, Ohio. His parents were Peter and Lovina (Robenalt) Miller. The father was born September 16, 1833, in Ontario county, New York, and was a son of Daniel and Anna (Bergstresser) Miller, both of .whom were of German descent and were probably natives of the Empire state. With their family they removed to Seneca county, Ohio, in 1837, locating in Scipio township. Subsequently they removed to Lincoln township, where they spent their remaining days. The father of our subject CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 423 was reared under the parental roof and in early life learned the trade of a cooper. As the family located in the midst of the vast wilderness, he also did his share in the work of reclaiming the wild lands for purposes of civilization, cutting away the trees and preparing the fields for the plow. On the 2d of March, 1854, he was united in marriage to Miss Lovina Robenalt, a native of Clinton township, Seneca county, and a daughter of Solomon and Catherine (Powell) Robenalt, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, but were of German descent. Coming to Ohio in 1829, they took up their abode in Seneca county, where they remained until called to the home beyond. The grandfather of our subject died in 1863, at the age of sixty-two years, and his wife, long surviving him, passed away in 1881, at the age of eighty years. After his marriage Peter Miller and his wife began their domestic life upon a small farm in the eastern part of Clinton township. He there built a log cabin and a log shop, and of evenings and on rainy days when he could not work in the fields he followed coopering, but in good weather he worked upon farms, and thus in two years he was enabled to pay for his property. He, purchased the Half Way House, which he used as a residence. He continued his coopering business and resided there until 1865, when he exchanged his. property for a dwelling in Tiffin, and in that city he followed his chosen trade for three years. On the expiration of that period he purchased the old Robenalt homestead and removed to the farm, which is located four miles east of Tiffin. For five years he resided in the old pioneer log house and then purchased an adjoining farm, upon which he erected a modern and commodious brick dwelling, making one of the handsomest homes in the county. He continued coopering until within the past ten years, but now gives his entire attention to the management of his extensive farming interests. He is a Democrat in his political affiliations, and for twelve years he served as trustee of his township, called again and again to that office by his fellow townsmen, who recognize his worth and ability. He is one of the influential men in his district, and wherever known is held in high regard. Socially he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to Seneca Lodge, No. 35, of Tiffin. In 1887 Mr. Miller was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the 28th of February of that year. She was an active and earnest member of the Lutheran church, to which Mr. Miller also belongs, being one of its liberal supporters and zealous" advocates. This worthy couple were the parents of seven children, of whom six are yet living, namely : Franklin P., of Morris, Ohio; Orlando A., who is living near Lawton, Michigan; Daniet 424 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. W., who makes his home in Clinton township, Seneca county, Ohio; Alice V., wife of Otto F: Swander, of West Lodi, Ohio; Burton R., of this review ; and Anna May, wife of N. R. Heaton, of Clinton township, Seneca county. Dr. Miller pursued his education in the country schools until he had mastered the common English branches of learning and later became a student in the Milan Normal, the Fostoria Normal and in Heidelberg. University, at Tiffin, Ohio. He attended the country schools, however, until he was twenty years of age, 'and then successfully passed an examination entitling him to teach in the country schools. On his twenty-first birthday he began educational work, and followed teaching for five terms, during which period his salary was steadily increased, and when called to the Tiffin schools he received twenty-five cents more per day than any other teacher in the township. In the autumn of .1890 he began teaching as principal of the fourth school district in Tiffin, where he remained for four years. Determining to make the practice. of medicine his life work, he began reading under the direction of Dr. H. K. Hershiser in the summer of 1894, and during the two succeeding vacations he was a student in the office of Dr. H. B. Gibbon. He entered the Starling Medical College, at Columbus, in the fall of 1894, and in the autumn of 1895 matriculated in the Ohio Medical University,. where he was graduated on the 6th of April, 1897. Immediately afterward he took up the practice of medicine, which he has since followed with good success. Soon after his graduation Dr. Miller was married, on the 21st of July, 1897, near Lawton, Michigan, to Miss Myrtle M. Hooper, a daughter of George and Jennie E. (Laughlin) Hooper. Her father was born May 20, 1842, in Brooklyn, New York, and was of English parentage, and on the 1st of November, 1865, he was united in marriage to Jennie E. Laughlin, whose birth occurred in Berlin township, Erie county, Ohio. She was a daughter of Milton Laughlin, whose grandparents were natives of Ireland and came to America with their family of eleven sons, settling. in Georgetown, Pennsylvania. The .date of their emigration is unknown, but it must have been over :a, century ago. John Laughlin, one of the eldest children of this family, married Elizabeth Hoak, and after a few years joined the party of adventurers who left Walnut Creek, Pennsylvania, for the Huron river. Subsequently he removed from the bottom lands of the river to Milan, then an Indian village, where he resided for two years. He became greatly attached to the Indians and they to him. He was an excellent hunter and they admired his dexterity. His. children played with the Indian children, and when his little son Benjamin CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICL HISTORY - 425 was taken ill he was doctored by the Indian medicine man, and when he died was buried by the Indians after their custom. In 1810 Mr. Laughlin built a small log house on lot 8, which has since been known as the Laughlin place, . and there he removed with his family. One of his six children, Henry, succumbed to fever and was buried on the high bank of Huron river. The family had a desperate struggle to get along, owing to the unhealthful climate and. pioneer conditions: while living there news of Hull's surrender was received, and the settlers, expecting the Indians to rush down upon them, fled for safety. Mr. Laughlin and his family started for the old home in Pennsylvania, and. on horseback and on foot made their way through the almost interminable. forests. Soon after reaching their destination Milton Laughlin was born, the date of his birth being Christmas of 1813. After two years, however, the . family returned to Ohio, and in 1814 a log cabin was erected, in which the.. grandfather resided until his death. The family experienced all the hardships and difficulties. of pioneer life. Corn was pounded into meal in a mortar made in a stump hollowed out by fire. Milton Laughlin was reared amid such surroundings and became a hard-working, persevering and determined man, yet rather silent and of undemonstrative habits. The other members of the. family were Katy, Henry, John, Nancy, Benjamin, Anna, Betsey and Belinda. On the 28th of November, 1837, Milton Laughlin married Mary B. Krona, of Wilkesbarre, Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, but formerly of New York city. He arranged with his father to pay some of the latter's debts, and in.. return he was to receive a part of the old homestead. He worked on his farm during the summer and in the winter season was employed in the ship-yard at Milan. He aided in sawing the timber for the docks on the canal and often made four dollars and forty cents per day, although the average wages paid were only one dollar and a half per day. His efforts were admirably seconded by his wife, and by perseverance, industry and attention to business he accumulated a handsome competence and gained the title of West Berlin banker.. The children born of his marriage are as follows : Ransom F., who was born June 9, 1839, married Sarah Springer on the 8th of August, 1860, and now resides in Milan township; Nancy L., born June 16, 1842, was married April 14, 1868, to William. Squire, of Milan, and died April 19, 1875; Jane E., born January 23, 1843, married George Hooper. on the 1st of November, 1865, and . resides in Ohio, near Tiffin ; Frank W., born February 5, 1849, enlisted in the Union army and died in the service in South Carolina, March 2, 1865 ; Willis M., born June 29, 1859, was married. August 8, 188o, and resides on the old homestead; Bertha E:, born March .14, 1868, was married June 24, 426 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 1890. In the spring of 1883 Mr. Laughlin removed with his family to Milan, where he resided until his death, which occurred October 16, 1884, when he was seventy-two. years of age. In early life he united with the Methodist church and was ever a consistent Christian. After the marriage of George Hooper and Jennie E. Laughlin they removed to Milan, in 1866, and on the 19th of August, 1873, went to Van. Buren county, Michigan. Subsequently they became residents of Allegan county, that state, and in the spring of 1875 returned to Ohio, locating in Berlin township, Erie county. In 1877, however, they again went to Michigan, spending the winter in Lawton, and in the spring took up their abode upon a farm in that state, where they continued until the fall of 1900, when they located in Seneca county, Ohio. Mr. Hooper was a member of the Thirteenth Michigan Infantry during the Civil war and served for three years and eight months. He was taken prisoner November 14, 1864, when on the march of Sherman to the sea, and was incarcerated in the prison at Florence, South Carolina, but after three months was paroled at Goldsboro, North Carolina. On the 26th of February, 1865, he was sent to Camp Chase and there discharged. He now owns and operates an eighty-acre farm, which is highly improved. For five years he served as a justice of the peace and was also school director for several years. In politics he is a Republican. He belongs to the Methodist Protestant church, has served as class-leader and has been quite prominent in church work. Dr. Miller, whose name begins this review, is a stanch Democrat, and in the spring of 1893 was elected treasurer of Clinton township, receiving the highest vote of any candidate on the ticket. In 1895 he was re-elected with an increased majority of over one hundred votes.. He was vice-president of the Seneca County Teachers' Institute in the term of 1894, and was unanimously chosen president in the terms of 1895-6. In 1896-7 he was city school examiner, but resigned in order to remove to New Washington, and on the 5th of August, 1897, he began practice in this place. In 1894, before bidding final adieu to the profession of teacher, Dr. Miller succeeded in bringing about the adoption of township supervision of the schools in Clinton, his native township, the first to adopt such in Seneca county, four other townships of the county having adopted- the same plan of supervision. He is the present health officer for New Washington. He also enjoys a large private practice, and his business is steadily increasing. He has been correspondent for the Tiffin Advertiser, the Ti fin News, the Tiffin Tribune, the Tiffin Times, the Bloomville Independent, the Crawford County News, the Crawford County CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 427 Forum, and at the present time sends his communications to the last named. In 1893 Dr. Miller visited the World's Fair in Chicago. Socially he is connected with. Pickwick Lodge, No. 175, K. P., of Tiffin; Cranberry Lodge, No. 441, I. O. O. F. ; and Rex Tent, No. 229, K. O. T. M., while he and his wife are active members. of the Methodist Episcopal church and take a leading part in Sunday-school work. Both are members of Horace Mann Commandery, No. 14, and the order of the Red Cross. The Doctor and his wife are ardent supporters of educational and other means of advancing intellectual and moral development. He is president of the New Washington Lecture Association. JACOB F. SCHAFER. Not many of the older citizens of Chatfield township, Crawford county, Ohio, were born at their present places of residence. Jacob Schafer has this distinction. He is a son of Jacob Schafer, Sr., and was born February 21, 1862, in his father's house on the farm on which he now lives. Jacob Schafer, Sr., the son of Adam Schafer, was born in Hoheinod, Germany, and was brought to America by his father. The elder Schafer settled in Bloom township, Seneca county, Ohio, and from there removed to Chatfield township, Crawford county, with his son, Jacob Schafer, the father of the subject of this sketch. About the time of their arrival they bought about forty acres of wild land, and later they bought forty acres more, on which stands the residence of the subject of this sketch. Adam Schafer died on this property, at the age of seventy-nine years. His wife was Catharine Fox, also a native of Germany. Jacob F. Schafer, who is the immediate subject of this sketch, was the tenth in order of birth of a family of eleven children. Mary, the eldest, became the wife of Gottlieb Knecht. Valentine lives in Chatfield township, Crawford county, Ohio. Lucy Tarried Philip Schemp and lives in Seneca. county. Catharine is the wife of Peter Regula, of Carothers, this state. Gertrand married Emanuel Lutz. Caroline is the wife of Peter Reidle. Adam lives at Chatfield; Crawford. county, Ohio. Martha married William Lutz, of Chatfield, Crawford county, Ohio. Lizzie married Wiliam Seafort, of Cranberry township. Sophia died in infancy. At one time the father of these children owned three hundred and forty-six acres of land. At his death, which occurred December 23, 1898, he owned one hundred and ninety-nine acres. He vas a man of influence in his township and a member of the Lutheran church. 428 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. The subject of this sketch was reared to the life of a farmer boy of all work, and received as good an education as the common schools afforded. He was married, in 1885, to Miss Caroline Lanehart, and they have seven children, named as follows : Erna, Albert, William, Loretta, Clara, Marie (who. died October 27, 1898) and Delvers. Mr. Schafer owns seventy-nine acres of land in his home farm and another farm of forty acres, and is a successful general farmer. He and all the members of his family are identified with the Lutheran church. Politically he is a Democrat, and while he is influential in public affairs he has never been a seeker of public-office. His public spirit has impelled him to ally himself with many movements which he has believed promised to improve the condition of his fellow citizens. MOSES PUGH. When the tocsin of war sounded and it Was known that rebellion in the South had threatened the disruption of the Union men from all walks of life offered their service to the government. From the work shop, the fields, the school-room and the offices they flocked to the standard of the nation and followed the stars and stripes to the battlefields of the South. Among the number was Moses Pugh, and well may he be proud of the military record he gained when wearing the blue uniform; he fought for the principles of liberty, justice and an undivided country. Crawford county may well be proud to number him among her native sons, for he has ever been a man worthy of the respect and confidence of all. His birth occurred in Lykens township, April 6, 1843, and he represents one of the pioneer families of this portion of the state. His great-grandfather was one of the leading citizens of Mansfield, Ohio, and erected the first brick chimney built in that place. For several years he conducted a hotel there His grandparents, Moses and Christina Pugh, were both natives of Virginia and the former was a farmer by occupation. When the country became involved in the second war with England he joined the service and loyally aided in its defense. His father, Aaron Pugh, was born near Wheeling, in a little hamlet known as Pughtown, in Hancock county, West Virginia, on the 13th of April, 1813. At that time, however, the district was a part of the, Old Dominion, the division into two states having not yet been made. Upon the home farm the days of his boyhood and youth were spent and in 1837 he came to Ohio, entering from the government forty acres of   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 431 wild land in Lykens township, Crawford county, and in the midst of the forest he built a 'log cabin, On his arrival, here his personal property consisted of an ax and with this he cleared a small patch of ground. After some months he returned to Virginia and brought his parents, his brothers and sisters to the new Ohio home. On his second arrival he entered one hundred and sixty acres of land in. Lykens township, upon which the grandfather settled and made his home until his death, while the father of our subject took up his abode upon his forty-acre farm, there residing until the spring of 1862, when he sold that property and came to Cranberry township, purchasing three hundred and twenty acres of land, where his son Moses is now living. He also owns a hundred and twenty. acres and a farm of fifty acres in Huron county, which he had purchased a year previous, and later he bought one hundred and sixty acres near Crestline. He died December 22, 1888, and then was ended a Jong and useful business career, wherein he Won success as the result of his energy and. enterprise. His grandfather was a Virginian slave-holder, but freed his slaves prior to the war., His father was a stalwart Democrat, but Aaron Pugh. became an ardent Republican and gave. to .the party his earnest support. He held membership in the Christian church and while residing in Lykens township served as trustee: He married Miss Mary Jackson, who was born in Hancock county, Virginia, January 13, 1817, and was a daughter of William and Sarah Jackson,. who took up their abode in Crawford county about the time the Pugh family was founded within its borders. Mrs. Pugh, the mother of our subject, died January 7, 1885. She had been. a member of the Presbyterian church in early life and afterward joined the Freewill Baptist church. By her marriage she became the mother 'of eight children, six of whom are yet living, namely : Elizabeth, the widow of J. W. King, of Chicago Junction, Huron county, Ohio; Moses, of this review ; Alanson and Anson, twins, the former living in Columbus Grove, Putnam county, Ohio, while the latter lives in Cranberry township, Crawford county; Albert B., of New 'Washington, Ohio;. and John C., who is living in Deshler, Ohio. The duties of the school-room, the pleasures of the playground and the work of the home farm occupied the attention and energies of Moses Pugh prior to his eighteenth year.. But the war spirit of his grandfather asserted itself when the country: called for troops and he responded to her need of loyal soldiers, enlisting on the 14th of September, 1861, as a member of Company H, Fifty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was in the Army of the Potomac until October 14, 1863, and at the time of Rosecrans defeat was transferred 23 432 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY, to the Army of the Cumber land and participated in the engagements of Cross Keys, Cedar Mountain, Burnt Hickory, second battle of Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Antietam, Gettysburg, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Rocky Face Gap, Kenesaw Mountain, Resaca and the siege of Atlanta. He was also :with Sherman on the march to the sea, aided in the capture of Bentonville, the siege of Savannah, and took part in the grand review in Washington, where the loyal troops who had accomplished their task of preserving the Union, marched in victorious battle. array before the stand upon which stood the president of the nation. He was then mustered out July 11, 1865, in Louisville, Kentucky. Mr. Pugh had been three times wounded in the battle of Bull Rim, and was wounded in the right leg at Stephenson, Alabama, after which. he lay in the convalescent hospital for three weeks and four days. This injury caused the amputation of the limb in 1893. He entered the service as a private and was mustered out a second lieutenant, being commissioned by Governor Brough. Hem participated in every engagement of his command, and was never absent from. his regiment, save the time he lay in the hospital. When the war was over and the country no longer needed his services Mr. Pugh returned to his home and resumed the duties of civil life. On the 26th of July, 1866, he was united in marriage to Miss Martha Johnston, a native of Cranberry township, Crawford county, and a daughter of Jacob and Mary (Reed) Johnston, the former born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, October 20, 1819, and the latter born in Stark county, Ohio, April 10, 1817. The Johnstons originally came from Albany, New York. The Johnston and Reed families both came to Crawford county about 1836, and her father entered from the government one hundred and sixty acres of land. He died March 4, 1882, and his wife died May 8, 1853. Jacob Johnston Was for years a prominent man in public affairs, ever supporting all measures for the general good. He was a strong Republican in 'politics, and an ardent and active member of the Protestant Methodist church. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Pugh was blessed with six children, as follows : Gertrude L.; who is now the wife of H. H. Carpenter, of. Richmond. township, Huron county; Effie I., Mary Jane, Senate A., Logan H. and Burdett W., all at home. After his marriage Mr. Pugh took his bride to a farm of eighty acres about one mile north of his present home; and which he had purchased of his father with money saved during his army service. There he erected a plank house and began clearing and improving his land, but after seven years he sold that property and purchased eighty acres one mile west of his present   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 433 residence. There he lived for two years, when he traded that property to his father for one hundred and sixty acres of the old homestead and took up his abode thereon, his father removing to the town. This he sold in 1899. Mr. Pugh now owns seventy-four acres in his home farm and is a well known and energetic agriculturist. He and his wife hold membership in the Freewill Baptist church, in which he has served as clerk and trustee and has also held other offices. In politics he is a stanch Republican and is a member of the New Washington Grange, No. 1485, Patrons of Husbandry, and of Creglow Post, No. 178, G. A. R., of Attica. In manner he is very genial and jovial and his many excellent qualities have gained him many friends among those With whom he is associated.   P. F. LANTZ.   P. F. Lantz is prominently connected with the journalistic interests of Crawford county, and though a young man, he has manifested a marked ability in the business control as well as in connection with the literary work of the Herald; which he is now editing and publishing at New Washington. He was born in this town February 9, 1878, and at the usual age entered the public schools, where he pursued his studies until graduation, in June, 1895. He then began earning his own living, spending the following year as a salesman in a grocery store. Not content, however, with the educational advantages which he had already enjoyed, he spent the spring of 1896 as a student of the Ohio Normal University, at Ada, Ohio. In 1897 and 1898 he was employed as a drug clerk in Dayton, Kentucky, and on the expiration of that period he returned to his home in the fall of 1898 and entered the office of the New Washington Herald as a typographer. In September of the following year he purchased the paper, which he has since successfully conducted, and under his management the circulation has increased and its influence has been extended. He is a wide-awake, progressive and enterprising young man, and his labors in behalf of the best interests of the city are effective and beneficial. JOHN KEIL John Keil is now living a retired life in Bucyrus. A fact of which due recognition is not usually accorded in connection with the development of the west is that to no foreign element is progress due in so large a measure as to 434 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. those who have had their nativity in and (race their lineage to the great empire of Germany. Among those who left the! Fatherland and identified themselves with American life and institutions, who have pushed their way to the front and are a credit alike to the land of their birth and that of their adoption is. John Keil. He came to Bucyrus in 1854 from the country of his birth. He first opened his eyes to the light of day in Hesse Darmstadt, in 1836, a son of Henry and Margaret (Yakley) Keil. He was reared in the place of his nativity, pursued his education in the public schools and at the age of eighteen resolved to try his fortune in America, believing that he would have better opportunities for advancement in the. new world. Accordingly, he. Crossed the briny deep to this country and made Iris way across the country to Bucyrus, where he established a blacksmith shop for himself in 1856.. He. continued business there for twelve years and then began dealing extensively in stock. He also purchased and operated a farm, and through the successful management of his business he acquired a handsome competence, the sales of his farm products and his stock annually augmenting his income. He also engaged in the purchase arid shipment of hay on quite an extensive scale, and has owned much valuable real estate in the business portion of Bucyrus. Mr. Keil has lost much property thiough going security to oblige friends who have proved unworthy of the trust reposed in them, but is still in possession of a good capital, which enables him to live in practical retirement from business cares. In public affairs Mr. Keil has taken a very active and commendable interest, supporting all measures for the general good. In 1882 he was elected to the office of county sheriff and served for four years, retiring from the position as he had entered it,—with the confidence and, good will of the people. That he was a capable officer is shown by the fact that in 1894 he was again chosen to the position and served until 1898. Prompt and fearless in the discharge of his duties, his course created confidence in the law-abiding citizens and dread in those who were law-breakers. He has long been known as a leading and influential member of the Democracy of Crawford county, and has several times served on the county central committee, doing all in his power to promote the political interests in which he firmly believes. Mr. Keil was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Hocker, who emigrated, from Baden, Germany, to the United States. She was to him a faithful companion and helpmate on life's journey for a number of years, and her death occurred in 1899, at the age of sixty-two years. In their family were the following named : John C. married Miss Bella Mathews, and unto them' were. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 435 born two children, Edwin and Florence. He served as deputy sheriff under his father and died in 1897, at the age of thirty-eight years, his loss being greatly deplored, for he was an extremely popular man, his pleasant manner, genial disposition and many sterling characteristics winning him the highest regard of all with whom he was associated. Harry is now engaged in the stock business in the Stock Yards of Chicago. Charles is married and is engaged in dealing in hay in Bucyrus. Kate is the wife of Calvin Holmes, a resident of Bucyrus. Mary is the wife of William Larkin, of Toledo, Ohio. Fanny is the wife of Clem Rozer, a well-known photographer of Bucyrus. Minnie, Mattie and Amelia are all under the paternal roof and are students in the public school. Mr. Keil and family attend the Mehtodist Episcopal church. The subject of this sketch has been the architect of his own fortune and has builded wisely and well. Coming to America without capital, he depended upon industry and energy to enable him to gain a start and upon persistent purpose and resolute will in order to maintain a creditable position in the business world. His labors. brought to him a merited financial reward, and to-day he is numbered among the substantial and highly esteemed residents of Bucyrus. ADAM J. LICHTY. Adam J. Lichty, who occupies the position of city marshal, was born in Cranberry township, Crawford county, upon his father's farm, November 12; 1848. He is of French lineage, for his father, Peter Lichty, was born in Lorraine, France, April 15, 1811, and in 1838 emigrated to America, accompanied by his parents. He located in Delaware, Ohio, where he worked at his trade of wagon-making, which he had learned in his native country. Subsequently he removed to New Washington, Crawford county, where he followed wagon-making until he purchased a farm, about 1847. Taking up his abode upon his new property, he there carried on agricultural pursuits until 1858, when he removed to Bucyrus, where he resided until 1879, in which year he became a resident of Sac county, Iowa. He lived with a son in that county until his death, which occurred March 3, 1884. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Barbara Beer, was born in Lorraine, France, September 23, 181o, and died on the 12th of May, 1883, in Sac county. Adam J. Lichty, of this review, remained upon the home farm only until January, 1858, when he was taken to Bucyrus, and in the public schools of the city pursued his education. He was but a boy when he enlisted in his 436 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY country's service, joining Company C of the One Hundred and Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Captain Brifogel and Colonel Wilds. The regiment was mustered in at Camp Chase, Columbus, on the 25th of February, 1865, and was sent to Nashville, Tennessee. From that place they marched to Murfreesboro and thence proceeded by train to Cleveland, Tennessee, where they were placed in the rear of Fort Steadman. Later they were transferred to Dalton, Georgia, and Mr. Lichty was detailed with, twenty-five others from the regiment to go to New Orleans on special duty. He afterward rejoined his command at Dalton, Georgia, and from there was sent to Chattanooga, Tennessee, but afterward returned to Nashville, where he was mustered out. He then, proceeded to Camp Chase, where, with his regiment, he was honorably discharged. During all the time which he spent in the south he was engaged in. fighting guerrillas. After his military experience was ended Mr. Lichty came again to Bucyrus and was employed with his father as a carriage wood-worker, which pursuit he followed until 1868, when he went to Toledo, Iowa, and there worked at his trade for about eighteen months. He then removed to Lima, Ohio, where he was employed in the railroad shops of the Dayton & Michigan Railroad, and then returned to Bucyrus. After visiting for a time in this city he went to Sandusky, Ohio; where he followed his trade until his removal to Vandalia, Illinois, where he was employed in a similar capacity until he Went to St. Louis, Missouri. In that city he again found work at his trade, but the carriage factory in Which he was employed was destroyed by fire and in the conflagration he lost his tools. Subsequently he entered the employ of a Chicago soap house as a local collector in St. Louis; and from there went to Chicago to act as city collector for the same firm. His next change in business life took him to a lumber camp at Big Rapids, Michigan, but after a short period he returned to Bucyrus and accepted a position as traveling salesman for the .Bucyrus Reaper and Mower Works, remaining upon the road for about two years. He then entered into partnership with his father, under the firm name of P. Lichty & Son, carriage manufacturers, a connection that was maintained for about three years, when they sold out, our subject opening an agricultural store, which he conducted successfully during the following decade. He then disposed of that property, and in the year 1889 was appointed city marshal of Bucyrus, serving for two years, when he resigned. He afterward worked in the line of his trade until 1898, when he was elected city marshal, and has since filled the office with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 437 On the 7th of December, .1876, Mr. Lichty was united in marriage with Miss Anna Streib, a daughter of Conrad Streib, who was born at Messinger Wurtemberg, Germany, March 8, 1821, and crossed the Atlantic to the new world in August, 1855. He became a resident of Bucyrus, and his death occurred in this city in January, 1886. His wife was born at Weisenstein, Wurtemberg, May 19, 1823, and died December 25, 1873. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lichty have been born three children George Raymond, whose birth. occurred August 24, 1879 ; Marcus Henry, born July 7, 1883; and Robert Curtis, born November 12, 1885. THE METHODIST. EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF BUCYRUS. This is one of the strong religious organizations of Crawford county. The Methodists Were the first religious body to enter this county, and have had a potent influence in Christian work here. Only two years after the first settlers came to what is now Bucyrus the Methodist ministers began their work. The first sermon was preached in the city in 1821 by Jacob Hooper and he was soon afterward followed by the Rev. Bacon. In the fall of 1821 the Rev. Hooper was appointed pastor in charge, and as his circuit was seven hundred miles. around, he preached in Bucyrus but once in eight weeks. In 1822 Rev. Thomas McCleary was the preacher in charge, acid in 1823 the circuit was made smaller and James Row was appointed junior preacher, so the people heard the gospel every two weeks. The same year John O. and William Blowers, brothers, began active work in the county. The Rev. Bacon, who was pastor, was a mane full of tact and popular with the people. In 1824 Jacob Dixson was in charge, and in 1825 James Gilruth was appointed pastor, while James McMahan was presiding elder from. 1825 until 1828. In 1826 Abner Goff accepted the pastorate and, a new brick school-house having been erected in Bucyrus, the Methodist people worshiped therein until they built a church of their own in 1832. Previous to that time their services were held in groves, cabins and barns. In 1828 James Gilruth and William Runnels occupied the pulpit, and in 1829 David Lewis and Samuel Shaw. In 1830 a great revival was held and the membership of the church was largely increased. From 1829 until. 1831. Russell Biglow was presiding elder, and in 1831 Alfred M. Lorain and David Cadwallader. Between 1832 and 1849, in the order mentioned, the following acted as. pastors : Erastus Felton, Harvey Camp, John Kinnear, James Wilson, Adam Poe, Thomas Thompson, George W. Breckenridge, Samuel B. Garberson, Liberty Prentiss, Samuel 438 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. P. Shaw, Peter Sharp, John Conway, Oren Mitchell, John Hazzard, Hibbard B. Ward, Henry Warner, Hubert Dubois and a few others whose names have not been secured. In 1850 a two-story .brick church was begun on the site of the old house of worship and was dedicated the following year by Adam Poe. 'Few churches have had as many changes made in their district and conference relations as the Bucyrus church. In 1850 Bucyrus circuit was in Tiffin district of the North Ohio conference. Various earnest and energetic men acted as pastors of the church from time to time. The year 1877 was a memorable one in the history of the church. J. J. Henry was appointed pastor. Young, earnest, devout, zealous and winning all hearts, he labored for the salvation of souls and gave: up his life as a sacrifice to his Master. Holding a great revival in the winter of 1877-78, with over two hundred conversions and one hundred and eighty accessions to the church, from overwork he took brain fever, and after three weeks of suffering passed to his rest on March 16, 1878. His death was mourned by thousands of people, and his name is held in precious memory. Rev. J. H.. Barron came to fill the unexpired time of Brother Henry. In 1884 a large and commodious parsonage was built on the corner of East and Warren streets. The present pastor, M. J. Keys, has been in charge since 1896 and has been successful in lifting the heavy debt that was upon the church. The work is now thoroughly organized in its various departments and is having great influence in public affairs. In addition to the regular work of the church there is a. growing Epworth League, a Sunday-school, a Ladies' Aid Society and Pastors' Union, together with the missionary societies. The Epworth League supports a school in India. The church has sent two of its young ladies into the mission field, while some of its young men have become ministers of the gospel. The people of Bucyrus are progressive and the church has in it many public-spirited men who bring into the church the same energy and resolution characterizes their work in business life. As a result of this the membership has nearly doubled itself and the work is being carried on in a most commendable manner. JOHN H. TRAGO. A substantial and representative farmer of Crawford county, Ohio, is John H. Trago, of Auburn township, who was born here on May 31, 1840. He was a son of Daniel and Sarah (Waters) Trago, who reared a family of CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 439 ten children, the two survivors being our subject and his sister, Mary, who is the wife of William N. Keller, a resident of Allen county, Indiana. Daniel Trago was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, on May 8, 1796, of Quaker ancestry, and grew to manhood in his native state, where he learned the trade of millwright. This trade he followed for a number of years, but in 1832 he decided to become a farmer, and with his family he emigrated to Columbiana county, Ohio. Five years later he came to Crawford county, then Richland county, and bought the farm of one hundred and sixty acres of land in Auburn township, which lies on the corner of our subject's present farm. At different times in later years he purchased other property and be- came the owner of three farms beside the one mentioned, one of which consisted of one hundred and twenty acres, another of eighty, and still another, of eighty acres. The death of Mr. Trago occurred on January 3, 1876. He was formerly a Whig in his political faith, but later identified himself with the Republican party, which, in fact, has conserved Whig principles. e had been reared in the quiet and peaceful religious belief of the Quakers, and never departed from it. The mother of our subject was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, on January 1, 1806, and died in May, 1871. She had been reared in the Episcopal church., but found no congregation of that kind in the neighborhood of her home, therefore she associated herself with the Baptist church and became a willing and consistent worker therein as long as she lived. Our subject grew up in a good home, under the training of a most estimable father and mother. His education was acquired in the common schools, and his recollections are very vivid of the old pioneer log school house, with its slab benches, etc. He continued to work on the farm with his father until the date of his marriage, October 21, 1866, at which time he was married to Miss Nancy A. Mount. She was a native of Cass township, Richland county, and she was the daughter of James Mount, who was a native of Ireland. To this union four children were born, viz. : Fannie, who is a teacher in the New Washington schools, filling her sixth term in this school; Justus J., who is a civil engineer, in the employ of the chief engineer's office of the Richland & Mahoning Railroad at Akron, Ohio; Andrew E., who has passed away ; and John Henry, who met his death in a sawmill by being thrown against the saw. Following his marriage Mr. Trago rented the farm which he occupies from his father, and at the latter's death he purchased the property from the other heirs and since that time this has been the pleasant and comfortable 440 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY family home. In politics Mr. Trago is a Republican, but he has never sought-office. His mother brought him up in the Baptist church, but he has never become a member of any religious denomination, attending the Lutheran church with his wife, and teaching in their Sunday-school, exerting thus an influence in the direction of 'morality that but adds to the high esteem in which he is held in the community. On February 9, 1892, Mrs. Trago passed out of life and left behind a deeply bereaved family and a wide circle of sorrowing friends. JOSEPH GLEDHILL. Joseph Gledhill, of Jefferson township, Crawford county, Ohio, a plaint unassuming man and a wealthy and progressive farmer, whose neighbors say that his farm is in many respects the best in that township, was born near Little Beaver, Trumbull county, Ohio, a son of Joseph and Mary (Mitchell) Gledhill, April 2, 1832. His father was a native of the north of England, and his good wife bore him eleven children, eight of whom grew to manhood and womanhood. Elizabeth, the first born, married David Snyder and she and her husband are both dead. Mary is the wife of Perry Russell, of Middletown, Ohio, . Esther, who was the wife of John Shoemaker, is dead. Martha, who married Colonel Calvin, Burwell, is dead. Sarah is the wife of Henry Castle, of Jefferson township, Crawford county, Ohio. Joseph, the subject of this sketch, was the fourth in order of birth. John is dead. William lives on his father's old homestead in Jefferson township. The father of these children came to America in 1826 and located in Trumbull county, Ohio, where he put a woolen mill in operation. He had brought quite a sum of money with him to America from England, but because of over confidence in some people with whom he dealt he failed in business in Trumbull county, in 1832. By means of a one-horse wagon he removed to Crawford County, where he bought eighty acres of land, upon which some improvements had been made, for eighty dollars. He lived in a small house of round logs, which stood on the place, and not knowing anything about farming he busied. himself at cutting down trees and chopping them Up into cordwood, which he piled up on his land and sold, when occasion offered, to such advantage as was possible, and thus he was employed mostly for several years. He died there in 1868, at the age of sixty-eight years, and his wife lived on the homestead farm until 1886, when she died, aged eighty-four years. When his parents removed to Jefferson township, Crawford county,   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 441 Ohio, the subject of. this sketch was about six months old. He grew up amid the most primitive surroundings, helping to clear land and raise crops and availing himself of such scanty. educational facilities as the locality afforded. In 1858, when he was twenty-six years old, he married Elizabeth Hershner. The following items of information concerning their children will add to the interest of this sketch: William and Edward are both dead. The eldest daughter; Della, is the wife of J. Stough, of Galion, Ohio. Minnie is the wife of J. G. Brown, of Covington, Kentucky. Myrtie married R. C. Tracht, a lawyer, and lives at Galion, Ohio. Matie is the wife of James Morton, ticket agent for the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad Company,. at Mt. Gilead, Ohio. Kittie is the wife of J. C. Schaber, of Henry county, Ohio. Arthur married Alma Farrell and lives in Jefferson township, Crawford county, Ohio. Mack married Verna Beck and is a farmer in Jefferson, township, Crawford county, Ohio. After his marriage Mr. Gledhill bought and moved upon the place in Jefferson township, Crawford county, which is now his home farm.. He now owns four hundred acres of land, most of it well improved and very productive, well equipped with all necessary buildings, appliances and utensils, a farm which by common consent is conceded to be for all practical purposes, the finest in the, township. Mr. Gledhill is a Republican and has held the office of township trustee for seven years. DAVID M. PEPPARD. One of the prominent railroad engineers on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, now living in Crestline, Ohio, has been in the service of that company through a very long period and is one of its most faithful and trustworthy employes. He was born near Mansfield, Richland county, Ohio, December 25, 1834. His father, Francis Peppard, was a native of ,Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and when about twelve years of age became a resident of Wayne county, Ohio, whither he went with his parents. There he was reared, and from .an early age he followed the plasterer's trade. Removing to Mansfield, he carried on business along that line through a lengthy period. There he married Miss Mary Ann Morrison, a native of Crawford county, Pennsylvania. Her parents, however, were born in Ireland, and, crossing the Atlantic to the new world, settled on French creek, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, whence they afterward removed to Richland county, Ohio, casting in their lot with the early settlers there. Mr. and Mrs. Peppard began their. 442 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. domestic life in Mansfield, Ohio, but after a short time the father purchased land where our subject now resides. The place was then a part of Richland county, but this portion of the state has since been placed in Crawford county. After carrying on agricultural pursuits for a number of years the father sold the farm and removed to Crestline, where he died when more than seventy- eight years of age. He was one of the pioneers of the county and cleared and improved ninety acres. of land where the son now makes his home. In politics he was first a Freesoiler, and when James G. Birney became a candidate of the; Abolition party for the office of president he gave him his support. :Later, when the Republican party was formed to prevent the further extension of slavery, he joined its ranks.. He held membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, although reared in the Presbyterian faith. His wife also belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church. She lived to be only thirty-six years of age. Their children, two sons and three daughters, all reached mature years and all are yet living, David M., of this review, being the eldest. The others. are Margaret Ann; wife of J. J. Talbott ; Eliza Jane, the wife of E. L. McLaughlin, engineer on the Great Northern railroad; William, who is -engineer on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago road; and Lydia A., the wife of Jerome Brokar, a laundryman of Elyria, Ohio. David M. Peppard was only about a year old when his parents removed to Crawford county, where he pursued his education in the district schools. He worked on the home farm until seventeen years of age, and then took up railroad work, being first employed at shoveling dirt on the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark line. After thirteen and a half days spent in that way he was made brakeman on the same road. This was in the year 1852. He afterward became a fireman, and on the 15th of August, 1853, he entered the service of the Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad Company as car inspector, and in April, 1854, was Made brakeman on a passenger train running between Crestline and Pittsburg. The following year he was transferred to the position of fireman on the same road, and acted in that capacity until November, 1859, when he was promoted to engineer on a freight train running from Crestline to Alliance, Ohio. On the 15th of August, 1873, he took charge of a roundhouse as foreman, and was thus engaged until April 18, 1882, when he became master mechanic in the Crestline shops, thus serving until February, 1890, when he again went upon the road as engineer on a passenger train running between Crestline and Alliance. He worked in that way until November, 189:7, since which time he has run a shifting engine in the Crestline yard. :He is one of the oldest employes of the Pennsylvania road, and his long con- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 443 nection therewith indicates in an unmistakable manner the trust reposed in him as well as his fidelity and close application to duty. In February, 1856, Mr. Peppard was united in marriage to Miss Maria A. Hoffman, a native of Richland county, Ohio, and a daughter of Nathan and Electa (Parrott) Hoffinan. They have become the parents of eight children: Mary, now the wife of G. P. Welshons, a farmer of Crawford county;. Kate, who married J. P. Brown,. formerly an engineer in Crestline; Frank, de-- ceased; William, who is married and lives in Crestline; Grant, a machinist.. in the tube works at Shelby, Ohio.; Edwin, who follows the painter's trade. in. Crestline; and Harry and Samuel, at home. Mr. Peppard is a member of the. Masonic fraternity, belonging to lodge No. ;272, of Crestline. He also holds membership relations with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and with. the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has served as trustee for some. time, filling the office in a commendable manner and doing everything in his power to promote the best interests of the church and the cause it represents. His father voted for William Henry Harrison in 1840 and Mr, Peppard has ever since been a stanch Republican. He began voting in Crestline when only fifty Republican votes were cast in the town. His first presidential ballot supported John C. Fremont; twice he voted for Lincoln and twice for Grant, and never has he failed to indicate his political preferences at a presidential election by casting a ballot for the candidates of his choice. He owns. and occupies a little farm of fourteen acres near Crestline, and it is cultivated, under his supervision. He has long resided in the city and is well known as a capable and prominent representative of railway interests. CHARLES A. BROWN. One of the most substantial, intelligent and highly respected citizens of.. Crawford county, Ohio, who owns a large acreage of valuable land in San-. dusky township, where he is also a leader in political and social circles, is. Charles A. Brown, who was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, on November 13, 1831. He was a son of John and Rosanna (Gruber) Brown, who became the parents of a family of seven children, of whom our subject is the' only survivor. Both John and Rosanna Brown, the parents of our subject; were born in Wurtemberg, the former in 1790 and the latter in 1795, and there they-grew to maturity and were united in marriage. The father was a soldier 444 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. in the Russian war; under King Frederic, of Wittenberg, and was, in fact, one of his body-guard. In 1832 John Brown decided to emigrate to America, in the hope of being, able to secure lands for his children, and preparations were made for the long .journey, and landing was finally made in New York City, after a long and stormy voyage of sixty-two days. With his wife and six children, our subject then being a child of six months, Mr. Brown started westward, making the trip from New York to Albany by the river, thence by canal to Buffalo and thence to Cleveland via the lakes. Here they secured teams and proceeded to Columbiana county, where they passed their first winter. Determining to proceed farther west, the father bought three yoke of cattle and a wagon, and thus the family came, as did many another, into Crawford county. When the party reached the Wyandot Indian reservation it then turned back, locating in Sandusky township, where Mr. Brown purchased a farm of eighty acres, in section 13, that being the same farm now occupied by the widow of Christian Brown. Upon this land Mr. Brown settled and made it his home .until his death, in 1856. After locating on this land he entered three tracts of eighty acres each, in Chatfield township, with the idea of thus providing for his children, but shortly afterward he sold those tracts and bought extensive lands in Mercer county, which in course of time he divided among his children, whose welfare he always had .at heart. Mr. Brown was a most worthy and consistent member of the German Lutheran church and contributed largely to its spread and support. The mother of our subject died in 1886, at the age of ninety-one years. Charles A. Brown, of this biography, was reared on the home farm and attended school in the little log school house of pioneer times. Although he was handicapped at first by his inability to either speak or understand anything but the German tongue, he was very apt and soon improved and later became well educated, and is now one of the intelligent and leading men of the county. When he was about twenty years of age, by the marriage of his brother, Christian, the charge of the farm was given into his hands, and our subject began his own career outside the home limits. Farm work in the neighborhood was easy to find, and other occupations presented themselves, so that he was kept quite busy, until he was given his farm in Mercer county. This consisted of eighty acres of unimproved land and Our subject decided to wait until a favorable oportunity came to make an exchange, and in 1856 he was able to trade his Mercer county farm for eighty acres in Lykens township. This land he retained until 186o, and then sold it advantageously and bought the one hundred and twenty acres in Sandusky township where he now CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 445 resides. Until 1871 he rented his farm, since which time it has been the family home. In 1871 Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Miss Lovina Easterday, a native of Chatfield township and a daughter of Jacob Easterday, who was one of the early settlers of this county, coming here from Germany. After his marriage our subject and wife settled on his farm, to which he has since made many additions, until now it comprises three hundred and ten acres and is finely improved. Mr. Brown has engaged extensively in. the breeding of Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs, and is just making a trial of the new breed of cattle known as the Aberdeen, there being but few of these yet in the county. His operations both in cattle and stock-raising, as well as in farming, have proved very successful, and he is regarded as one of the most substantial citizens of Crawford county. A family of twelve children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brown, and nine of these still survive, several of them located in this: or neighboring townships, while the others still remain under the home roof. Their names are as follows : Willis L., a farmer of this township ; Charles Elburtis, of Broken Sword, in Holmes township; Milton F., at home; Waldo F., a teacher and pursuing a course in Heidelberg University, Tiffin, Ohio ; and Carl A., Floyd E., Dora G., Edson J. and Samuel E. are all at home. Mr. Brown is a stanch Republican at present, having become so within the past few years, and has efficiently served four years as township trustee. His fellow citizens desired to Donor. him with the offices of justice of the peace and assessor, but met with his refusal to fill these, the only other office that he :accepted being that of treasurer. He is a consistent member of the Reformed church and is one of the most influential men in this part of Crawford county, and well represents its best interests. FREDERICK LUST. Among the settlers who came to Crawford county in pioneer days and were long identified with the upbuilding and development of this portion of the state, and ,none have been more highly respected or more worthy of high regard than the Rev. Frederick Lust, who not only gave his attention, to agricultural pursuits, but also devoted, much of his time through forty years to the work of preaching the gospel as a minister of the Pietist church. He was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1815, and with his father, John David Lust, he came to America in 1820, crossing the ocean on one of the old-time 446 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. sailing vessels, which required weeks to make the passage. On reaching the shores of the new world the father brought his family to Ohio, and first located in Marion county, and ten years later coming to Crawford county. From that time forward until his death Frederick Lust was a resident- of this county. He lived, in Lykens township and there he purchased a tract of wild land, which he transformed into a productive farm. As a companion and helpmate for the journey of life Mr. Lust chose Sophia Beal, and unto them were born nine children : Samuel, now deceased; Lydia, the wife of Frederick Heiber, of Liberty township; Sophia,. the wife of Martin Durr, by whom she had three children; Benjamin, deceased; Louisa, who married Charles Lindner, of Valparaiso, Indiana; Susan, deceased; Emanuel, who is living in Holmes township; Isaac, who has. passed away ; and Nathaniel, who resides at Sulphur Springs, Ohio. For his, second wife Rev. Mr. Lust chose Dorothy Gross. Throughout his active business career he carried on farming, and at the time of his death was the owner of two hundred and fifty acres of valuable land, for as time passed he made judicious investments of, his earnings and :thus gained a valuable property. He was also the first minister of the Pietist church in this locality and for forty years gave much time, energy and consecrated thought to the work of helping his fellow men to walk in the path pointed out by the Savior. In politics he was a Democrat, and served as school director and trustee of his township. He took an active interest in educational affairs and in all movements tending to benefit the community. By precept and example he labored for the cause of the church, and his influence was very marked.. His memory remains as a benediction to all who knew this worthy and upright pioneer. JOHN LEONHART. Enterprise and determination have formed the foundation upon which the success of Mr. Leonhart has been builded. He is to-day numbered among the leading agriculturists of the county, wide awake, progressive and enterprising, and his farm of three hundred and twenty acres, with its many excellent improvements, is a monument to his labor and resolution. Mr. Leonhart is a native of Stark county, Ohio, his birth having occurred near Canton, on the 4th of October, 1834, his parents being George and Margaret (Capst) Leonhart. Both were natives of Alsace, Germany. They be- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 449 came the parents of six children, the eldest being the subject of this review. The others are Catherine, the widow of Conrad Hamner; Elizabeth, the wife of Adam Reichard, of Chatfield township; George, who is living in Kansas ; Adam, also of Chatfield township ; and Adolph, who makes his home in Virginia. In the year 1832 George Leonhart, the father of this. family, came to America, landing on the shores of the new world after a voyage of forty. days. He settled in Stark county, Ohio, where he purchased eighty acres of land, upon which he made his home until March, 1837, when he came to Crawford county, taking up his abode in Chatfield township. Here he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, of which only five acres had been. cleared, while a log cabin constituted the improvements that had been made in the shape of buildings. He cleared and improved that farm and as the years passed added to his property until at one time he owned seven hundred acres of valuable land. He died in 1886, in the. seventy-seventh year of his age, respected by all who knew him. He was a. member of the German Evangelical Lutheran church, served as one of its. trustees and took an active interest in its work. His widow still survives, him and is now eighty-seven years of age. John Leonhart was not quite four years of age when brought by parents to Chatfield township and here he has since resided. His boyhood, and youth were passed in the usual manner of farmer lads of the period,. working in the fields through the summer months, while in the winter sea son he pursued his education in the public schools. When twenty-four years of age he rented land from his father and continued its cultivation for ten. years. He then purchased forty acres of his present farm, to which he has added from time to time until he is now the owner of three hundred and twenty acres. He has made many fine improvements upon the place, and all modern conveniences. and accessories are there found, including the latest improved machinery, substantial buildings and high grades of stock, while his fields return to him. good crops. In October, 1857, Mr. Leonhart was married to Miss Elizabeth Ackerman, and unto them have been born eight children: Catherine M., Jefferson, George W., William A., Matilda, Gustavus A., Caroline E., and Emma, Tillie is the wife of Charles Foster; Callie married George Marquart, and Emma is the wife of William Gangluff. The family is one widely and favorably known in the community and the members of the household have a large circle of friends. In his political views Mr. Leonhart is a, stalwart .Democrat and fr ten years he has served as trustee of his township, dis- 24