HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 225 home, assisting his father, until his twenty-first year, when he went to Bremen, Indiana, in order to learn the trade of wagon-making under his uncle, Louis Theobald. He remained with his uncle for three years, qualifying as a journeyman, and as such he worked in various places during the succeeding two years, following which he spent about twelve months at his trade in his native place, and then for thirteen months he was in Toledo, and for seven months in Ottawa Lake, Michigan, after which he returned to and settled in Archbold, in which borough he has ever since been in business, a period of forty-six years of industrious and generally profitable busi- ness. It may safely be stated that the majority of the agriculturists that come into Archbold are acquainted with Aaron Leininger. Most of them at some time or other have done business with him, and those that have not, know him quite well by reputation, for he has been prominent in the vicinity for very many years. He has always been staunchly republican in his political affiliations, and has entered much into the civic movements in the borough that has grown around his parental homestead. He was the city marshal of Archbold for four years and city councilman for three years. For sixteen years he was deputy sheriff, under Sheriffs Blair, Shimberger and Rittenhouse. Religiously Mr. Leininger is a member of the English Lutheran. Church, and throughout his life he has been earnest in church support. Generally he has proved himself to be a man always ready to enter personally and enthusiastically into movements that have the welfare of the community as an object, and he has amply demonstrated his capability in public office. During the World war he showed a worthy patriotism, following the progress of the nation in The war with close interest, and co-operating with the efforts of war workers in his own community to accomplish the aim of the national administration in the various war fund campaigns. On July 1, 1875, Aaron Leininger married Emma Base, daughter of Andrew and Frederica Base, of Pettisville. To them have been born five children, all of which have been raised to healthy, useful manhood and womanhood, and all are now established in life and in independent state in various parts of the country. He with his brother Philip are doing well in Oklahoma, having large landed interests, and being connected with one tract of Oklahoma land, 119,000 acres in extent. PETER P. ROTH. For his long residence, the hard work he performed in his active career and the wholesome relationship he has always sustained to the community, Peter P. Roth thoroughly deserves the respect and esteem paid him in German township, where he has lived the greater part of his active life. Mr. Roth, who still lives on his 120 acre farm in that township, was born in Alsace-Lorraine, France, in 1845, and was brought to this country at the age of ten years by his parents, Peter and Catherine (Rich) Roth. More than sixty years ago the Roth family bought 140 acres of land a mile west of the present homestead of Peter P. Roth. The latter grew up there, went to school a few months each winter in the nearby schoolhouse, and in early manhood employed his strength in association with his two brothers, Christian and John, in clearing up a ninety acre farm. Roth these brothers are now deceased. After four years they traded that land. and in 1865 Peter P. Roth came to the farm where he now resides. His father and mother lived with him until their death. 226 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY Mr. Roth continued growing crops and looking after his farm interests under his personal supervision until 1906. Since then he has enjoyed a well earned retirement. August 10, 1876, he married Barbara Roth, daughter of John and Mary (Amstutz) Roth. Four children were born to their marriage. Mary is still at home with her father. Daniel P. married Kate Reichhardt and has a family of four children. Katie B. is the wife of William Rupp, and their two children are Bessie Alice and Levi William. JAMES H. NOBBS. In 1920 occurred the death of a man whose life and career were of more than ordinary interest in Fulton county. For eighty-four years James H. Nobbs was a resident of this section of northwestern Ohio. He had the distinction of being the second white child born in the county, and while this was a distinction conferred by the accident of birth, the productive labors of his hand and brain, his good character, and his relations with the community serve to make his memory peculiarly grateful in the section where he lived so long. He was born June 2, 1836, in the home of John and Jane (Mason) Nobbs. The family is of English origin, and had lived for a number of generations in Gloucestershire. John and Jane Nobbs crossed the ocean and settled at Syracuse, New York, in 1834, and soon afterward sought a better home in the western country, traveling by the Erie Canal and Lake Erie to Toledo. During the ,30s and' ,40s what is now Fulton county was a part of Lucas county. John Nobbs on coming here entered forty acres covered with heavy woods, and with courage and hope of the future started the work of developing a home and incidentally developing the country. He and his family knew all the hardships of the frontier. John Nobbs was born in England in 1796 and died in Fulton county in 1870. His wife was born ten years later than he was, and she died fifteen years later. Most of their children are now deceased, the record being: Thomas, of Swan Creek; Sarah, who became the wife of Samuel Saeger, of Delta, and both are now deceased ; James H. ; John, of Delta; Robert, deceased; Daniel, of Fulton; Anna, who was the wife of J. G. Halsey; and Jane, who married Edward Vaughan and both are now deceased. In this as in many families who have lived many years in the community there are more names on gravestones than in current directories. James H. Nobbs grew up in a real pioneer environment. He lived among the great woods, saw the swamps before they were drained; attended a pioneer school, and his muscles were hardened and his resolution strengthened by the strenuous activities of boyhood. At the age of twenty-one he began farming for himself on rented land. In 1862 he bought an eighty-acre tract in partnership with his brother-in-law, J. G. Halsey, but a couple of years later they divided the land in two separate farms. Mr. Nobbs increased his portion until he owned 107 acres, all under cultivation except about fifteen acres of woods pasture. Though he lived to be an octogenarian, he carried on the work of agriculture until a few years before his death. July 4, 1861, Mr. Nobbs married Julia Ann Fetterman. She was born in Pennsylvania, daughter of George and Rachel (Bacon) Fetterman, who came from Pennsylvania to Ohio. To the marriage of James H. Nobbs and wife were born the following children: HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 227 Hattie Gertrude, wife of Elmer Dolph, of Ai; Etta, wife of Frank Merrill, of Fulton ; Jennie, wife of D. A. Snyder, of Delta; Cora, widow of W. H. Critzer, of Delaware, Ohio ; Robert O., of Coleman, Michigan; Ethel, wife of Emerson Snyder, of Delta; George Lloyd, of Fulton ; Nellie, wife of John Williams, of Swan Creek, Alta, who died at the age of fourteen ; and Anna Belle, wife of Fred Miley, of Ai. The late James H. Nobbs came to his majority soon after the republican party placed its first national ticket in the field, and he became identified with the cause and steadily supported republican tickets through many local and national elections. As a progressive farmer he was identified with the local Grange, was affiliated with Swanton Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and during his long life accepted many opportunities to be of service to his community as well as to his own family. CHARLES W. TREMAIN. From colonial days there has been a continual improvement in American agriculture, while during the past half a century the development has been remarkable. Two main reasons for American pre-eminence in agriculture are to be found in the fine quality of the soil and the high character of the farming class. One of the men who is rightly included among the successful farmers of Fulton county and who is aiding in maintaining this prestige for his community and country is Charles W. Tremain, of York Township. Charles W. Tremain was born in Henry county, Ohio, on March 2, 1880, a son of Abram and Ida (Skeels) Tremain, natives of Fulton county, Ohio, where Garner Tremain and Silas and Martha (Van Fleet) Skeels, the grandparents, were very early settlers. Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Abram Tremain moved to Henry county and conducted their own farm there until 1883, when they sold it and returned to Fulton county, buying another farm in Swan Creek township. There Mrs. Tremain died in 1885. Mr. Tremain then married Rosa Neill, and they now live at Delta, Ohio. The children of Abram Tremain are as follows : Gertie, who is Mrs. Wesley Wieland, of Williams county, Ohio ; Terry, who is a farmer of York Township ; Ross who is a farmer of Delta, Ohio ; Charles W., whose name heads this review; Carl, who is a resident of Littlefield, Texas, and Atlee, who died at the age of twenty-five years. Charles W. Tremain attended the Raker district school and the Delta High School for one year, and then began farming. After his marriage in 1902 he rented a farm from his Grandfather Skeel for seven years, after which he bought 108 acres of the property, on which he has made many improvements, either replacing or rebuilding all of the buildings then standing except the house. Here he is carrying on general farming and dairying, his herd being of the Holstein strain. He is a republican. Fraternally he belongs to the Knights of Pythias of Delta, and the Order of Owls of Liberty, Ohio. On December 23, 1902, Mr. Tremain was united in marriage with Sadie Slagle, born in Henry county, Ohio, a daughter of Solomon and Mary (Sharp) Slagle. Mr. and Mrs. Tremain have one daughter, Marie, who is at home. His career as a farmer is one of which he may well be proud, for his success is certainly due to his native abilities and his earnest, honest efforts along a line for which he was eminently fitted by inheritance and inclination. GEORGE C. BROWN. The office of biography is not to give voice to a man,s modest estimate of himself and his accomplishments, but 228 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY rather to leave upon the record the verdict establishing his character by the concensus of opinion on the part of his neighbors and fellow citizens. The life of George C. Brown, one of the successful farmers of Fulton county, has been such as to elicit just praise from those who know him best. He has spent the major portion of his life here, engaged in the pursuits for which nature and training have best suited him, and is a creditable representative of one of our much respected old families. George C. Brown, who is the owner of a fine farm of fifty-four acres in Clinton Township, was born at Burlington, in this county in 1869, and is a son of Judge Levi W. and Nancy (Ames) Brown. His father was during his active life one of the most prominent and well-known citizens of Fulton county, having rendered effective service as judge of the Probate Court, to which office he was elected for three consecutive terms. He also held for four years the position of United States Consul at Glasgow, Scotland, under appointment from President Benjamin Harrison. He later became president of the T. & I. Railroad Company, holding that position at the time of his death, which occurred in 1907 at Greensboro, North Carolina, where he was interested in woolen mills. To him and his wife were born seven children, five sons and two daughters. George C. Brown was reared under the parental roof and attended the public schools of Wauseon, including one year in the high school, after which he was a student at the Normal College at Ada, Ohio. He then accepted a position as superintendent of construction for the Sinecod Heating .and Ventilating Company of Toledo, Ohio, during which time he installed many heating systems at various points in the country. After spending two years at this employment Mr. Brown engaged in farming on his father,s farm, embracing 175 acres, which engaged his attention for a short time, when he bought his present farm, comprising fifty-four acres in Clinton Township, near Wauseon, where he has devoted himself to general farming operations, in connection with which he also gives considerable attention to the breeding and raising of Duroc hogs, which he has found a profitable source of income. He has exercised good judgment in all his business affairs and is today numbered among the progressive and enterprising agriculturists of his section of the county. In 1899 Mr. Brown was married to Lilly Gorsuch, the daughter of Thomas and Mary (Kahoe) Gorsuch, of Wauseon. To them has been born a son, Howard Levi, whose birth occurred in 1914. In politics Mr. Brown is independent of party ties, while fraternally he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. His religious affiliation is with the Methodist Episcopal Church. What he has he has gained entirely by his own exertions, and has demonstrated himself to be a man of industry, discrimination and integrity. GEORGE WILLIAM BRINKMAN. Intelligent thinkers recognize the definite relationship of the farmer as a factor of modern civilization, and the fact that the up-to-date agriculturist is at the point of focus of live forces in whom are concentrated the great currents of modern life. This has always been true, but not until within modern years has it been generally 'admitted. The modern farmer brings to his work not only a love for it, but also careful training; and he can take advantage of the experiments of others in carrying on his operations. For these and many other equally cogent reasons the farmer of today is a man of importance; and thus many of the best HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 229 men of any locality devote themselves to agricultural work. One of the men who has achieved an enviable success along this line of profit and dignity is George William Brinkman, owner of eighty acres of valuable land in Clinton Township. George William Brinkman was born in York Township, Fulton county, Ohio, in 1874, a son of Frederick Christopher and Mary Ann (Orth) Brinkman. Frederick Christopher Brinkman came to the United States from Germany and became one of the reliable and responsible citizens of Fulton county. During his boyhood William Brinkman attended school during the winter months, and in the summer time made himself useful on his father's farm, and he remained with his father until he was twenty-five years old. At that time, in 1900, he was united in marriage with Clara Nettie McKibben, a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Wires) McKibben, of Clinton Township. Mr. and Mrs. Brinkman have children as follows : Thomas, Frederick, Ray Claire, Mary Elizabeth, Katie Lavinie, Charles Herman, Harry Francis, George William and Emma V. Mrs. Brinkman was born in Fulton county of which her parents were pioneers, coming here from Holmes county, Ohio. Having acquired a capable helpmate, Mr. Brinkman decided to engage in farming on his own land, and in 1901 bought his present farm, on which he has always carried on general farming. Here he has worked to make improvements and put his land under a fine state of cultivation, and has succeeded, his place being one of the nice ones in Fulton county. Both Mr. and Mrs. Brinkman are religious people and find expression for their faith in the creed of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Wauseon, of which they are members, and where they worship. They. are products of Fulton county, and proud of their birthplace and home. Improvements of this region if properly entered upon and carried out meet with their approval, and they are in favor of the good roads movement, realizing the necessity for them in order to bring the great automobile traffic through their neighborhood, as well as to afford comfortable and safe highways for their own use, thus putting them into close connections with the centers of industry and interest. They are pleasant people to meet, and they, with their children, have many warm, personal friends in their neighborhood. CHRISTOPHER K. MILLER. For thirty years Christopher K. Miller, of Gorham, has served his community as a school director. He is president of the Gorham Township School Board and a member of the Fulton County Board of Education. For two years he was its president. Mr. Miller was born January 14, 1858. in Brady Township, Williams county. He is a son of Adam and Melvina (Green) Miller, the father a native of Richland and the mother of Medina county. The ancestry farther back—Peter and Rebecca Miller, had come from Pennsylvania to Richland county. On the maternal side, Frederick and Weltha Ann Green. came to Medina county. Later they lived in Milwaukee. When Adam and Melvina Miller were married they settled in Williams county, where he enlisted as a Civil war soldier. He was in Company C, One Hundred and Eleventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under command of Captain Sherwood. He received a gun-shot wound and was home on a furlough for several months. '-However, he reioined his regiment and was discharged at the close of the war. He returned to Williams county. In 1881 230 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY he moved to Frontier, Michigan. He died there in 1916, aged eighty-eight years. His wife died two years earlier in Michigan, the scene of their last days on earth. The children born to Adam Miller are : Rebecca Jane, wife. of George Finch., of Owosso, Michigan; Ellen, wife of Samuel Wasnich, of Frontier, Michigan ; Christopher K. ; Weltha .Ann, who died in childhood; Etta, wife of Byron Miller, of Pioneer; Martha, deceased wife of William Suter; Emma, who died in childhood; William, of Frontier, Michigan ; Della, who died in childhood, and Orpha, wife of Edward Hukill, of Frontier, Michigan. In August, 1880, C. K. Miller married Alice Ritter. While she was born in Gorham, her parents, Jacob and Elizabeth (Bear) Ritter, had come from the vicinity of Lake Cuyahoga, New York. They settled in Gorham Township in 1848, and they bought eighty acres from the government, on which they lived until their death, Mr. Ritter passing away December 27, 1891, and Mrs. Ritter on July 13, 1902. They were the parents of five children. The old Ritter farm is now the home of Mr. and Mrs. Miller, on which they have a modern home. Mr. Miller tiled and thoroughly improved his farm, making it one of the best farms of Gorham. While he does general farming, he raises registered Holstein cattle. He now owns a farm of 190 acres. The children born to C. K. Miller are : Elta, wife of Martin Kanauer, of Toledo, and she has two children, Gwendolin and Atha. Carl K. died December 7, 1918, leaving a wife, Goldie (Blakey) Miller, and two children, Violet and Carmon. Mr. Miller is active in local republican politics, and he represents Fulton county in the Ohio State Legislature. He is a stockholder and a director of the Farmers, State Bank of Fayette, a member of the Independent Order Odd Fellows Lodge No. 431, and the family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Fayette. He is a member of the official board. Mr. Miller has long been an active man in Fulton county,s political and business affairs. ARTHUR SCOTT BLAKE. If true to his profession and earnest in his efforts to, enlarge his sphere of usefulness, the man who spends his life in an effort to alleviate human sufferings in any way is a benefactor of his kind, and to such men as Dr. Arthur S. Blake, the well-known dentist of Wauseon, are entrusted the comfort and safety and in some cases the lives of those who place themselves under his care. Dactor Blake is a scion of one of the old and influential families of this section of the state, and is regarded as standing in the front rank of professional men, having gained a wide reputation in his chosen calling while yet comparatively young in years, and at the same time establishing a. good name because of his exemplary character in all the relations of life. Arthur S. Blake was born at Tedrow, Ohio, on March 18, 1884, and is the son of Eugene and Sarah (Scott) Blake, who were of sterling English stock. He received his elementary education in the public schools, graduating from the high school, after which he was a student in the Ohio Wesleyan University for one year. Then, having determined to devote his life to the dental profession, he matriculated in the Ohio College of Dental Surgery at Cincinnati, where he was graduated in 1905, with the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. Immediately thereafter he came to Wauseon and opened an office in partnership with J. F. Outcalt. the association continuing' one year. Then for five years he was alone in the practice, at the HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 231 end of which time he formed a partnership with Dr. Guy B. Tuthill, a relationship which existed for four years, since which time he has been alone in the practice. Doctor Blake’s office is thoroughly equipped with the most up-to-date apparatus possible to obtain, and his success in his profession stamps him as thoroughly qualified in technique and practice. He enjoys a large and representative patronage over a wide radius of surrounding country and personally is well liked by all who have had dealings with him. He is a member of the Ohio State Dental Association, the Maumee Valley Dental Association and the National Dentists, Association. In 1907 Doctor Blake was married to Winifred H. Dimke, the daughter of John F. and Mary (Probeck) Dimke, of Wauseon, and they are the parents of two children, Mary Elizabeth and Eugene Scott. Politically Doctor Blake is an earnest supporter of the republican party, while fraternally he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Knights of Pythias. In his chosen field of endeavor he has achieved a splendid success, and his standing among the professional ranks of his community is widely recognized throughout the community honored by his citizenship. CHARLES E. BENNETT, M. D. The marvelous advances made in medical science in the last decade give great encouragement as to future conquests over disease and disability, and it is to the older men of medicine that a large measure of credit is due. Many of these, with sadly inadequate help from available resources of research, nevertheless blazed the way, and through their experience and their experimentation theories were evolved that later hardened into scientific facts that in the course of time led to the adoption of the remedial methods that now mark modern medicine and. surgery. One of the prominent older physicians of Wauseon, who is widely known over Fulton county, is Dr. Charles E. Bennett, who has been in practice here for forty-four years. Charles E. Bennett was born at Evansport in Defiance county, Ohio, March 1, 1856. His parents were Dr. J. H. and Tryphena (Denman) Bennett, the remote ancestry being Scotch and English. The Bennett family has belonged to America since before the Revolutionary war, in which its members took part and won distinction. In civil life a number of Doctor Bennett,s forefathers belonged to the medical profession. He obtained his early schooling at Wauseon, Ohio, and later came under the instruction of tutors in English and Latin. In 1874 he entered the Detroit Medical College, from which he was graduated in 1876. In 1901 he took a post graduate course in the New York Polyclinic. While Doctor Bennett has a large and lucrative practice both in city and country, he has special duties as a member, since 187.6, of the surgical staff of the New York Central Railroad, and for twenty years as surgeon for the Detroit & Ironton Railroad. In 1878 Doctor Bennett was united in marriage to Miss Celia Brigham, who is a. daughter of Joel and Betsy (Lyon) Brigham, early settlers in this section of Ohio. The father of Mrs. Bennett was the oldest merchant at Wauseon. Doctor and Mrs. Bennett have had three children, one daughter and two sons, the daughter, Florence H. alone surviving. She is a highly educated and accom- plished H., and is a member of the high school faculty at Wauseon, an instructor in French, geometry and biology. Fred H., the elder son, died in 1895, when a schoolboy of thirteen years. The youngest 232 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY of the family, J. Walter, was twenty-six years old when his death occurred in 1911. Doctor Bennett and family are members of the Congregational Church. He has always voted the republican ticket, and while political activity has never been a moving force, but like other men of intelligence and real public spirit, anxious for the general welfare, has accepted certain responsibilities as a part of good citizenship. In 1878 he was elected coroner of Fulton county, and continued in that office until 1882. Both personally and professionally Doctor Bennett is held in esteem at Wauseon, an able physician and worthy man. CHARLES FREDERICK STOTZER, who has been in business in Wauseon, Ohio, practically continuously for thirty-seven years, for the greater part of that period in independent business of lucrative character, has gained an enviable reputation during his long association with the business people and residents of the city. And he is widely-known in all the surrounding country. He is sole owner of the C. F. Stotzer carriage and harness business in Wauseon, and as a saddler prospered so that of late years he has been financially interested in many other concerns. He is vice president of a Toledo company ; is director of the Northwestern Ohio Telephone Company ; has part interest in a Montana ranch; and is a large stockholder of the Superior Malleable Iron Works Company. He has shown commendable public spirit; has been a city councilman ; has served on the local library board, and also that of the city hospital; and during the war was especially active as a member and secretary of the Wauseon Draft Board. Altogether he has proved himself to be a worthy citizen, a man of initiative, financial reliability and moral integrity. He was born in Toledo, Ohio, June 23, 1856, the son of Frederick and Elizabeth (Snyder) Stotzer. In the paternal line he is of Swiss ancestry, his father, Frederick Stotzer, having been born in Canton Berne, Switzerland, where he, the father, lived until he was sixteen years old and had learned the trade of harness making. He then came to the United States and settled in Toledo, where he had no difficulty in finding work at his trade. It was in Toledo that he in 1853 married, and in that city his son Charles Frederick was born in 1856. In 1857 Frederick Stotzer removed to Archbold, Fulton county, and there established himself in independent business as a harness maker and dealer in carriages. He did a very satisfactory business in that place for the remainder of his life, which ended in 1912. Charles Frederick Stotzer was the eldest of the four sons and four daughters born to Frederick and Elizabeth (Snyder) Stotzer. He spent practically the whole of his young days in Archbold, attended the public schools of that place, and worked with his father there until he was twenty-one years old. As a matter of fact, he began assiduously to learn the trade of harness making, when he was only eleven years old, attending school in winter and working with his father through the long summer vacation. In 1872 he came to Wauseon to learn carriage trimming in the establishment of E. Ross, with whom he remained for three years, paying for his own board. As journeyman carriage trimmer, he was with the Schofield Carriage Company, and also as top-man trimmer for two years. Returning to Wauseon in March, 1883, he acquired a one-half interest in the business of J. L. Parks, harness and carriage maker, and HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 233 the partners for eleven years traded as Parks and Stotzer. In 1894 Mr. Stotzer purchased his partner’s interest, and from that date has been sole owner, the business bringing Mr. Stotzer a very satisfactory competence. He has many other interests, and with his public work his days have been well occupied. He has always been well-regarded in the city, and has always been ready to assist in any worthy city project. A democrat in politics, he has held loyally to the party and taken much interest in national politics, although he has never sought political office. He served one term as city council- man, and gave efficient service as such and he has been a valuable member of the library and hospital boards. During the war he proved by his indefatigable national service, in connection with the work of the local draft board, that he was whole-heartedly an American. Fraternally he is a Mason of the thirty-second degree, member of the Wauseon Blue Lodge, the Commandery, and also of a Toledo Mystic shrine body. On May 14, 1889, he married Pauline Kinbloe, of Wauseon. Two children were born to them : Clarice, who married C. A. Guilford, of Detroit, and is the mother of two children, Pauline and Charles Franklin; and Jeannette, who became Mrs. MacDonald, of Wauseon, but died early in her married life, in October, 1918. She had many sincere friends in Wauseon, who mourned her early death. WALTER A. SPENGLER. The desirability of cement for building purposes has been fully proven and a number of new uses for this ,material are being found with each year. The demand has grown so great that the handling of it in various forms affords opportunity for a number of progessive business men to develop growing concerns, the operation of which give employment to workmen and a liberal profit to the employers. One of these enterprising young men of Elmira is Walter A. Spengler, junior. member of the firm operating under the name of the Cement, Tile and Builders Company of Elmira. Walter A. Spengler was born in German Township, Fulton county, in 1888, a son of Daniel and Minnie (Ruffer) Spengler, and grandson of Herman Spengler, all of whom came from Germany to the United States and located in German Township, Fulton county, where they became interested in agricultural matters. Growing up in his native township, Walter A. Spengler attended the country schools until he was fifteen years old, and after that until he was twenty-one he assisted his father in conducting the family farm. After he attained his majority his father turned considerable of the farm management over to him, and he remained on the farm for four years more, but being an ambitious young man concluded to seek his fortune in a more congested district, so came to Elmira, and in partnership with John A. Rupp established the Cement, Tile and Block Company at Elmira, and has been engaged in conducting it ever since, and his success has been exceedingly gratifying. In 1916 Mr. Spengler was united in marriage with Miss Florence Thrulby, a daughter of John and Clara (Belcey) Thrulby, and they have one daughter, Arline, who was born on May 27, 1918. Preferring to cast his vote independently, Mr. Spengler has not definitely connected himself with any party, being more inclined to vote 234 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY for the man rather than for his affiliations. Hard-working and dependable, Mr. Spengler is a young man deeply immersed in practical affairs, but he is never too much occupied to give intelligent attention to public matters, and renders his community efficient service by supporting those measures which in his judgment will work out for the good of the majority. DAVID STOLTZ is one of the enterprising men of Fulton county whose energies and capabilities have been centered upon the development and cultivation of his fine farm of 153 acres in Franklin Township, in this work not only gaining for himself a fair competence, but also doing his part in the production of foodstuffs for the country at large, and lately for the world. David Stoltz was born on a farm in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, in 1848, a son of Jacob and Henrietta (Heishley) Stoltz. The paternal. grandfather, also David Stoltz, came from Wurtemberg, Germany, to the United States and settled in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, bringing with him his son, Jacob, then a .child of five years, and his two elder brothers. With the industry and thrift of his people, the elder David Stoltz went to work to acquire a farm and clear it of the natural timber which covered it, and there he passed away at the age of fifty-five .years, leaving a family of four children. Jacob Stoltz remained on his father's homestead until 1868, when he sold his interests and came to Fulton county, buying the farm now owned by his son David in Franklin Township. Like his father he was a constructive citizen and a hard-working man, and after he had secured his property he went right to work to place it under the plow. At the time he came to the township the greater portion of it was covered with timber or stumps. The trees were chopped down by hand, and the stumps grubbed out, usually the latter being done after a crop of two had been raised on the land. Plowing, planting, cultivating and harvesting was then done in a very different manner from now, and the implements were few and crude when compared to the equipment of a modern farming plant. Yet on it Jacob Stoltz rearedeight children and made a living for them and for himself and wife, and saved up a comfortable fortune. David Stoltz attended the district schools during the winter months until he was sixteen years old, and then left his schooldays behind him and did a man,s work on the farm. He has never left the homestead, and after the death of his father bought out the other heirs. Here he is carrying on a general farming business and making money, owing to his knowledge of the work and his conveniences and machinery. In 1870 David Stoltz was married to Mary A. Waltz, a daughter of David and Mary (Ulmer) Waltz. Mr. and Mrs. Stoltz became the parents of the following children : Harrison A., who is engaged in teaching school at Pettisville, Ohio; William A., who is unmarried, lives at home Arthur 0., who married Iva Shetler and has six children Nelson L., of Franklin Township and W. D., who married Lulu Andre, lives in Franklin Township and has two children. In politics Mr. Stoltz is largely influenced by his own judgment as to the fitness of the man for the office. For three terms he served Franklin Township as treasurer and administered the affairs of that office in a very efficient manner, and he has also been township trustee. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church and is serving it as HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 235 trustee. Successful in all of his undertakings, he has not lost his sense of responsibility for the welfare of his community, and lives up to his highest conception of good citizenship and upright manhood. LEONARD STINE. Agriculture is just as essential to peace as it was to war, and consequently now more than ever must the farmer receive due credit for the work he is doing and the responsibilities under which he rests, for to him and his labor the whole world is looking for an adequate food supply. The farmers of Fulton county are measuring up well under present day requirements, and one of them who is doing good work with his fifty-acre farm is Leonard Stine of German township. Leonard Stine was born in Jefferson Township, Richland county, in 1849, a son of Daniel and Mary (Evarts) Stine, and grandson of Joel Stine, who came from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Richland county, Ohio, where he spent the remainder of his life. Daniel Stine moved from Richland county to. Franklin Township, Fulton county, in 1853, and buying a farm spent the remainder of his years in cultivating it, and died on it in 1890. His wife died many years before him, passing away in 1878. Of their three children, Leonard Stine is the eldest. After he had completed the country school courses at the age of nineteen years Leonard Stine worked on his father,s homestead for a year. His next step was to engage by the month or day with farmers, and remembers distinctly wielding the cradle in a wheatfield for sixty-eight cents per day. Of course all wages in those times included board and lodging, but the hours in a day were many more than would be tolerated now, and the men were driven at top speed. After four years of working about the country Mr. Stine Was married on September 6, 1873, to Mary Sine, a daughter of Joseph and Amanda Sine of German Township, both of whom were born in France and came to the United States in their youth. They had seven daughters and five sons born to their marriage. All of the Sine family belong to the French Catholic Church. After Mr. and Mrs. Stine were married they began housekeeping in a log cabin, and. Mr. Stine alternated farm work with carpentering until he had saved up enough to buy fifty acres of land, which property is still his homestead, and he has lived on it ever since, improving it in every way. Mr. and Mrs. Stine have two children, namely: Albert Jean, who lives at Walden, Michigan, married Gertrude Clark, and they have four children, Retta, Florence, George and Harold; and Myrtle, who married Francis Peters of West Unity, Ohio, and they have five children, Richard, Malcolm, Ralph, Mary and Allen. Ever since he bought his farm Mr. Stine has carried on general farming, and believes his place is best adapted to the growing of diversified crops. A republican, he is serving as a trustee. of Ger- man Township and as a director of the Edinburg, Ohio, School, having held that office for nine years. He belongs to the State Grange, and for fifteen years has been president of the Patrons of Industry of the county association. Interested in the development of local enterprises, he has invested in stock of the Mutual Telephone Company, and 'has in many other ways Droved his value as a citizen. In the creed of the Disciple Church he finds expression for his religious belief. and is active in the local congregation of that denomination. A violinist of marked talent, Mr. Stine is oftentimes asked to favor the different gatherings he attends, and with obliging good humor 236 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY complies with these requests. There is no doubt that had he cared to devote himself to a musical career and in his youth possessed the means for continental study, he would be a well known figure in this art, but he has used it as a relaxation and finds in it a pleasure which increases as the years pass by. JOHN ASHBROOK STULLER, who for more than thirty-five years has been an official of the New York Central Railway Company, Lake Shore Division, and for twenty-nine years has been freight and passenger agent at Pettisville, Fulton county, Ohio, has during that period been one of the leading residents of that place, active in public affairs and an able administrator of sincere public spirit and of alert attention to projects that have been consequential to the community. And during the recent war he proved himself to be a citizen of whole-hearted and useful patriotism, serving effectively and enthusiastically on all the local committees organized to effect the purposes of the national loan campaigns in his district. His interests in the various activities of Pettisville is demonstrated in his public record. For fifteen years he was a member of the Pettisville Board of Education, for many years he has been a director of Pettisville Cemetery and president of the Cemetery Board of Trustees, and in church work his record is praiseworthy and includes seven years as secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Pettisville Union Church and twenty years as treasurer of that board. It will therefore be recognized that Mr. Stuller has been a helpful resident of Pettisville. He was born in Edon, Williams county, Ohio, January 29, 1863, the son of James and Phoebe (Foster) Stuller. The Stuller family is of German origin, but for many generations has been resident in America, members of the family having record in the early generations of Pennsylvania settlement. The grandfather of John A. Stuller drove along the blazed trail through the wilderness from Pennsylvania into Ohio and settled on a tract of wild land at Edon of that state and there for the rest of his life he lived, raising his family there, at the outset experiencing all the rigors and privations encountered by the average resolute pioneer, but latterly win- ning for himself and his family comparative comfort in the possession of good tillable land. His son James, father of John A., succeeded to the family property and farmed industriously throughout his life, his four children, two sons and two daughters, being born on the farm. John A. as a boy attended the Anspach country school during the winter months, and spent the long summer vacations chiefly in tasks upon the home farm. So passed the years until he was about seventeen years old, the family then moving to Edgerton, Williams county, Ohio, where for the next two years he assisted his father in the management of the Cober Hotel, which his father had acquired. John was nineteen years old when he entered the employ of the Lake Shore Railway Company as telegrapher at Archbold Station, Fulton county, Ohio. He had previously undergone a course in telegraphy at the Maguire School of Telegraphy, Edgerton, Ohio, and had become an efficient operator. For three months he was night operator at Archbold Station, and then was transferred in the same capacity to Chesterton, Indiana, where he remained as might operator for eleven nights. That brought his career to the time of his first introduction to Pettisville affairs. He was transferred as night operator to that station on September 11. 1883, and remained so employed at that place until June 6, 1888. On the 18th HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 237 of that month he was appointed day operator at Swanton, Ohio, from which station he went to that of Corunna, Indiana, as day operator, and as such for a few weeks in 1889 was in Goshen, Indiana thence to Ligonier, Indiana, December 14, 1889, back again soon afterward to Corunna, where he remained until January 26, 1891, when . he was ordered to Stryker, Ohio, as day operator. Next he was at Brimfield until June 15, 1891, when he was promoted to the Pettisville station as freight and passenger agent and day operator. As the responsible and capable agent of the New York Central Railway Company at Pettisville, Ohio, he has remained ever since, proving by his long service that he is a man of constancy and loyalty, and also of definite efficiency. His energetic disposition and his interest in the community he served brought him much into public life. He was ever ready to cooperate personally in community movements, and throughout his residence in Pettisville has been a helpful spirit among those public-spirited citizens who sought to promote the interests of the town. He interested himself particularly in educational matters, and for fifteen years was a valued member of the Pettisville Board of Education. He has been a director of the Pettisville Cemetery and president of the Cemetery Board of Trustees. He has always been a consistent churchman, and his record of church work in Pettisville is especially commendable. He is secretary-treasurer of the Pettisville Union Church. He was secretary of its board for seven years, 1893-1900, in the latter year being elected treasurer of the board, which office he has held continuously until the present, a period of twenty years. He is a member of the Christian Church at Wauseon. Politically Mr. Stuller is a republican of independent leaning, and while he has taken close interest in national politics of consequence he has not followed national political movements as closely as he has those affecting Pettisville. In local affairs he has for many years been active, and might have secured election to local civic office had he so wished, for in the community he is held in high esteem. Fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In the former he is affiliated with and is a charter member of Lodge No. 248 at Corunna, Indiana, and has held membership in that branch since 1899. Of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows he is a member of Wauseon Lodge No. 362. He has since his early years of manhood been a citizen of loyal, manful type, and during the recent war was whole-heartedly with the federal administration in the prosecution of the struggle. In Pettisville he co-operated in every movement which had for its object the betterment or strengthening of some phase of the national purpose, and was a valuable member of the local committees responsible for the raising of the Pettisville quota of the various Liberty Loan issues, and of the other funds raised for auxiliary organizations engaged in war work. And he had the gratification of seeing Pettisville take good place among the loyal communities that over-subscribed their quota. Mr. Stuller's many working interests and the esteem he enjoys in this community have sustained him through personal bereavements. He lost both his children, and recently was deprived of the companionship of his good wife after they had been married thirty-four years. He married in 1886 Minnie May Broughton, daughter of Amos and Mary (Blakeley) Broughton of Pettisville. Mrs. Stuller's death occurred March 31, 1920. The two children who for some years blessed and brightened their home were a son, J. Leroy, and a daughter, Vesta Mary. 238 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY SAMUEL K. DAVIS, of Shady Side Farm in Swan Creek Township, does general farming and conducts a dairy business. In early life he received a common school education, and later he has served as a school director and road supervisor in the community. Mr. Davis is republican in politics. He is a member of the Delta Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and has filled all the chairs. He is also an active member of the local Grange. He was born January 10, 1853, in Richland county. He is a son of Abner and Mary (Vance) Davis. The father was born in 1790, and died in 1864, the mother having died eight years earlier. Mr. Davis married a second time, and Samuel K. Davis was reared by the stepmother, continuing to live with her until manhood. On March 18, 1874, he married Phoebe R. Wilson, of Ashland county, Ohio. She was born March 23, 1853, and is a daughter of Maxwell and Sarah (Van Valkenburg) Wilson, the mother born in 1815 and the father in 1817, in Washington county, Pennsylvania. In 1843 they drove through from Pennsylvania to Ashland county. They died in 1892, inside of twenty hours of each other, and they were laid in the same grave. After his marriage S. K. Davis moved to a farm his father had left him in Richland county. In 1896 he sold it and returned to Fulton county, locating in Pike Township, where he bought eighty acres. In 1910 he sold his farm and bought forty acres in Swan Creek Township, remodeling the house and adding the necessary farm buildings, and now everything is modern and comfortable there. Wherever he has lived he has given attention to livestock and dairying along with general farming operations. The children in the family are: Myrtle, wife of Elliott Griffin, of Toledo ; Dora, wife of William Arnold, of Bellvue ; Ruby, wife of Jay Turpening, of Swan Creek. Another child, Samuel Kirk- wood Yarman, was "bound out" to Mr. Davis when he was four years old, and he lived there as a son until he reached his majority. Mrs. Davis had the following brothers and sisters: Henry, who died in early life; George, who lives at Mansfield; Martha, wife of John Mapes, of Paris, Illinois; James, of Vermilion, Illinois; Lavenia, wife of Andrew Strickler, of Paris, Illinois ; Walter, deceased ; Sarah Jane, wife of Joseph McCowen, of Paris, Illinois; Mary, wife of Ebert Cole, lives at Jefferson, Iowa. Mrs. Davis is the youngest in the Wilson family. Evidently progress has been the keynote in Mr. Davis' career. He has made good use of the opportunities presented during the forty-five years since he married, and while he has lived in two different counties and on several farms, each move has been made in order to give him larger effectiveness as a farmer and stockman. All of these communities have likewise known him as a very intelligent and public-spirited citizen. GEORGE LEININGER. While George Leininger, of Swan Creek Township, is a native of German Township, having been born June 27, 1854, at Archbold, the family name was brought to the United States from Alsace-Lorraine. His father, George Leininger, Sr., was an emigrant, although his mother, Nancy (Ditto) Leininger, was born in Seneca county. His grandfather, Jacob Leininger, came in an early day to German Township, where he owned forty acres of land near the City of Archbold. The maternal grandparents, George and Susan (Folk) Ditto, were also early citizens of German Township. While George Ditto HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 239 was born in Pennsylvania, his father was born' in Ireland. He lived for a time in Seneca county, and later moved with a yoke of oxen to Fulton county. He entered 320 acres of land where the west half of Archbold is now situated, and he owned it long enough to receive as much for one acre as he had paid for all of it. He entered this land at Archbold when he was forty-two years old, and forty years later he died there. George Leininger, Sr. and Nancy Ditto were married there. They lived on an eighty acre tract that is now within the town of Archbold. George Ditto died in 1915, aged eighty-eight years. His wife died in 1895, aged sixty-four years. The children born to George and Nancy Leininger are: Andrew, of Springdale, Arkansas; Aaron, of Archbold; John, who is de- ceased ; George, who relates the family history; Amos, of Archbold; Susan, widow of Adolph Bergt, of Dodge county, Nebraska; Rebekah, wife of Emil Chulke, a Lutheran minister; Nancy, who married Charles Heupel of Toledo; Philip, of Stillwater, Oklahoma; and Henry, of Archbold. When George Leininger was nineteen years old he began learning the wagon maker,s trade in Defiance, Ohio. After six months he returned to Archbold and worked for two years with his brother in the wagon leaking business, when he moved to the Ditto farm owned by his grandmother. After her death he worked 31/2 years in a general store of the L. D. Gotschall Factory. He later worked in a stave factory and at the carpenter trade. In 1886 Mr. Leininger purchased an eighty acre timber tract in Swan Creek Township, and two years later he removed to it. He cleared this land, and it is now all under cultivation but a five acre tract used for pasture land. The farm has modern buildings, and it is inclosed with excellent wire fences. It is all tiled and under high state of cultivation. On August 27, 1879, Mr: Leininger married Jennie C. Spade, of Napoleon. She is a daughter of George and Eliza (Cunningham) Spade. Her father was an early settler and helped hew the logs used in building the first courthouse in Henry county. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Leininger are : Amanda, wife of William Osterhout, of Swan Creek; Myrtle, wife of Irvin Kurchner, of York Township; Edward, of Delta; Rudolph, of Pioneer, Ohio. In his early life Mr. Leininger attended the public school and the parochial school in Archbold. He is a member of the Lutheran Church and has served as one of its trustees. In politics he is a republican. As an incident in the family history it is related that his maternal grandfather, George Ditto, owned and operated the first grist mill in Fulton county. He brought it from Seneca county. The mill drew patronage from ten miles around, and it was of great advantage in the pioneer community. Those who had grist to grind brought it to the mill and others were enabled to purchase the products for less money than they could procure them from distant points. The Leininger-Ditto history is closely identified with the beginning of things in Fulton county. And, moreover, the work done by the earlier generation has been worthily continued in the person of Mr. George Leininger, who deserves especial credit for the excellent farm and fine country home he has developed in Swan Creek Township. While he has always been known as a man who has looked diligently after his own business, he has always been concerned in a public-spirited way with the welfare and advancement of his corn- 240 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY munity, and his influence and support are frequently regarded as necessary to the success of some local enterprise. FREDERICK A. SEGRIST, a successful and respected farmer of Swan Creek Township, owner of a good agricultural property in that .township and of another farm of eighty acres in York Township, Fulton county, has lived a worthy life of persistent but enterprising industry. The Segrist family has had association with the development of Fulton county since its early days, and the two farms of Frederick A. Segrist are those won practically from the wilderness by his father, John Segrist. The Segrist family has honorable place in the earliest records of York Township, Fulton county, and worthy place among the consequential pioneers of this section of the State of Ohio. Frederick A. was born in York Township, Fulton county, Ohio, December 14, 1872, the son of John and Lucinda (Bowman) Segrist, and grandson of David Segrist. His father and grandfather were born in Wurtemburg, Germany, but John Segrist was in early infancy when brought by his father, David, grandfather of Frederick A., to this country. At the outset of their American residence the Segrist family lived in Pennsylvania, but early came into Ohio, and eventually entered government land in what is now Fulton county. John Segrist eventually married Lucinda Bowman, and for many years lived in York Township, where most of their children were born, but eventually he went into Swan Creek Township, acquiring a farm in section 17 of that township.. Frederick A. was born in the old Segrist family homestead in York Township, and there spent most of his youth. He was twenty-two years old when he married, after which important event in his history he took up his residence on a farm belonging to his father, the property being situated in Swan Creek Township. There he and his wife passed the first six years of their married life as tenants, but since 1910 the farm has belonged to them, being acquired by Frederick A. Segrist from his father with the proceeds of his fifteen years of industrious work as a tenant farmer. He has since much improved the property, and has built a substantial modern dwelling of nine rooms, and has been able to fit it with most of the modern conveniences that add to the comforts of life. Furthermore, his success in farming the Swan Creek acreage gave him the means wherewith to purchase the old Segrist homestead in which he was born in York Township. That property, eighty acres in extent, he acquired more for sentimental reasons than any other, and he does not himself operate it, renting the farm to mutual satisfaction. He has been a close student of modern developments of farming, and has been apt in recognizing and in adapting to the conditions of his own farm many modern improvements. His farming has been of the general order, and he has had substantial success in stockraising. His Swan Creek farm, known as Woodlawn Farm, is a well-balanced property, and he maintains it in a high state of fertility, knowing the real bases of good farming. Politically Mr. Segrist is a democrat, but has not closely followed national political movements. In local affairs, however, he has been interested, and might have been elected to office in the local administration had he so wished, for the Segrist family has an honorable record in the district, and he, personally, is of good repute for moral and material integrity. Formerly he and his wife were more active in the social life of the community, and they are very hospitable. HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 241 His wife, whom he married on March 28, 1895, was Emma Snyder, who was born in York Township, daughter of Samuel and Ellen (Frederick) Snyder, well-known York Township residents. Mrs. Segrist,s parents were not, however, born in the township, her father being a native of Pennsylvania, and her mother having been born in Piqua, Miami county, Ohio. ORREN NEWTON DETWILER. The Detwiler family story began in Fulton county in 1862, when Orrin Newton Detwiler came to Swan Creek Township with his parents. He was born August 26, 1855, in Marion county. He was a son of Jacob and Penelope (Miller) Detwiler. They belonged to the first quarter of the nineteenth century, he having been born November 14, 1816, while his wife was born August 28, 1824, eight years later. They were married December 15, 1843, at Marion Ohio, and resided there until 1862, when they removed to Fulton county. She died June 5, 1888, while he died September 52 1889, both being highly respected pioneer citizens. After the death of the parents 0. N. Detwiler decided to go west, and he located in Washington. He went in company with other young men from Fulton county. They prospected for two years, buying lots as an investment, but finally returning to Swan Creek Township, to the farm left him by his father. In 1900 he sold this farm to his brother Oliver Detwiler and for one year he lived on a rented farm, finally removing to Toledo, where he engaged in the meat business for a time, finding, however, that the farm suited him better and then he returned to Swan Creek Township. When Mr. Detwiler bought his present farm it had improvements characteristic of the time, but he added necessary buildings, built fences and tiled the land and continued farming there until his death, March 3, 1909. On March 21, 1900, Mr. Detwiler married Mary Florence Miller, of York Township. She was born March 21, 1862, and was a daughter of John and Catherine (Hensel) Miller. The Miller family lived in Wayne county, the father dying there in September, 1908, while the mother died when Mrs. Detwiler was only two years old. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Detwiler are: Isa May, March 25, 1902, and Argyl Gilbert, November 30, 1904. They attended district school. Mr. Detwiler voted with the democratic party. Mrs. Detwiler is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She continues her residence at the family homestead in Swan Creek Township. Fifty-four years was the allotted span of life to Mr. Detwiler. He spent most of it in Fulton county, and by the close of his life he was able to see many of his cherished plans take shape and march toward fulfillment. The farm where Mrs. Detwiler and her children live is one of the valuable ones of Swan Creek Township, and it not only affords a good home but also means for the education of the children for the serious duties and responsibilities of life. PHILIP HENRY PETER. One of the successful agriculturists of Fulton county who have to their credit a large amount of work done in the improvement of farm land in this region is Philip Henry Peter of Swan Creek Township. He was born at Florida, Henry county, Ohio, on September 18, 1877, a son of William and Eve (Yerges) Peter, both of whom were born in Ohio. They were early settlers of Henry county, Ohio, where they owned and developed a 242 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY farm. Later on in life they retired and are now living at Delta, Ohio, which has been their home for about thirteen years. Philip Henry Peter was reared by his parents to be a practical farmer and started out for himself in 1900, renting land for the first eight years, and then, in 1908, buying and improving an eighty acre farm in Swan Creek Township. On it he rebuilt the house, erected a fine large barn, and put in other valuable improvements, so that he was able to sell it at a handsome profit in 1919. Immediately thereafter he bought his present farm of eighty acres in the same township, one mile distant from his old one, and here is continuing his operations of general farming and dairying, which branches have received his attention ever since he began farming. On March 13, 1900, Mr. Peter was united in marriage with Mary Clemens, born in Defiance county, Ohio, a daughter of Nicholas and Elizabeth Clemens, of Bavaria, Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Peter have one daughter, Bessie, who is at home. Mrs. Peter is a consistent member of the Roman Catholic Church, but Mr. Peter is not connected with any religious organization. He maintains membership with the National Union at Florida, Ohio. Mr. Peter belongs to the class of practical farmers who appreciate the value of their work and know how to make it yield them a fair profit. He does not undertake to carry on his operations without proper implements and appliances, and has learned how to make all of his efforts effective. Experience has taught him that it is more profitable to operate a farm of the size of his own well than to try to handle a big one that requires a large number of helpers. As a citizen Mr. Peter stands well in his neighborhood, and while he has not taken an active part in politics, he is dependable, reliable and enterprising and has at heart the welfare of the township in which he has made his home for so many useful years. JOHN H. BRATTON. The men of Fulton county who have developed their farms from wild land have a satisfaction in their present comfortable surroundings not given those who have had their way prepared for them by others. John H. Bratton as he looks over his finely cultivated fields today can easily remember when they were covered with unsightly stumps, and the hard, back-breaking work required to dig them out. As he goes about his modern, comfortable house, barn and other buildings it is with the realization that they were all erected through his instrumentality, and that to him and his ambitious efforts all of the improvements on his property are due. Mr. Bratton has lived on his present farm in Swan Creek Township only since 1913, but he has owned a portion of it for a number of years, and was born in this same township on April 19, 1853. The parents of John H. Bratton were Robert and Elizabeth (Deill) Bratton, natives of Ireland and England, respectively. About 1845 Robert Bratton came to the United States and located in Wayne county, Ohio, of which region John and Elizabeth (Hartzel) Deill, the maternal grandparents of John H. Bratton, were early settlers, moving there from Pennsylvania.. Robert Bratton and Elizabeth Deill were married in Wayne county, Ohio, and about 1850 came to Fulton county and bought eighty acres of land in the northern part of Swan Creek Township. This farm was all wild land, and Robert Bratton cleared and developed it and erected the necessary buildings on it. Here he died in 1868, his widow surviving him until 1899. Their children were as follows: George, who is a resident of Swanton, Ohio ; John H., whose name leads this review ; Andrew, who is HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 243 deceased ; Mary, who is Mrs. Ezra Putnam, of Delta, Ohio ; James, who lives on his parents, home place ; and Anna Z., who is Mrs. Henry Zellers, of Swanton, Ohio. John H. Bratton was reared in his native township, and attended its district schools. On March 25, 1879, he was united in marriage with Abigail Smont, born in Fulton Township, a daughter of James and Priscilla (Day) Smont, natives of England. After his marriage Mr. Bratton spent a rear on his father’s homestead, and two years in Pike Township, and then moved to Paulding county, Ohio, and spent four years there. With the death of his wife in 1889 Mr. Bratton terminated his residence in that county and returned to Fulton county, and was engaged in carpenter work. When he came back to Fulton county he bought thirty acres of his present farm, and when he located on it permanently he commenced those operations which have resulted in the development of one of the best small farms in this part of the state. In 1903 Mr. Bratton was married to Alma McCullough, born in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, a daughter of John and Alma (Sheldon) McCullough. There are no children by this second marriage, but by his first one Mr. Bratton had the following family born to him: Pearl, who is Mrs. Ezekiel Parker, of Fulton Township; Robert, who died at the age of four and one-half years; Wesley, who is a resident of Fulton Township, married Minnie Habel, and they have a daughter, Ollie. Mr. Bratton is a democrat, but has not held any public offices, his time having been fully occupied with his own affairs. He is a member of Swanton Lodge No. 448, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Swanton, Ohio; and is a charter member of Swanton Lodge No. 490, Knights of Pythias. As an Odd Fellow Mr: Bratton has passed all of the chairs in the local lodge. During his long connection with Swan Creek Township Mr. Bratton has proved his worth as a man and citizen, and is held in high esteem by his neighbors. ALBERT V. GREEN. While Albert V. Green is now living in retirement in Swan Creek Township at the edge of Swanton, he has been a busy man in his time. He is a son of James F. and Nancy (Pettibone) Green, and was born August 14, 1851, in Ottawa county. The father was born in Pennsylvania and the mother was a Connecticut woman. When he was a young man Mr. Green worked on a lake vessel, and he met his wife at Marblehead, Ohio. Mrs. Green is a granddaughter of Governor Wolcott of Ohio. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Green lived in Ottawa county, where he was proprietor of a fishing outfit in Sandusky bay. In 1854 his wife died there. He later married Jane Shank, and they lived on an island in Sandusky bay until 1862, when they removed to Swan Creek Township near Brailey, where he had purchased eighty acres of timber land. He had three acres cleared in order to have a place to build a house, and he ended his days there, dying in 1877, where he had lived several years. Albert Green had a sister, Artemicia, who was the wife of William H. Poorman, and he has one brother, William L., of Fremont. The children from his father's second marriage are: Josephine, deceased, who was the wife of Elvin Kessler; Delilah, wife of Samuel Kontz, of Sandusky; Luella, wife of James Shively, of Fremont; Henry, of Toledo; George, deceased, and Viola, of Toledo. Until he was twenty-four years old Mr. Green lived at the home farm, and then rented land and farmed for himself in Fulton 244 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY county. On December 12, 1875, he married Pauline Huntley. She is a daughter of Lorenzo and Susan (Whitmore) Huntley, and their home was in the State of New York before moving to Ohio. For a while they lived on his father’s farm, then moved to the Whit Manley farm, remaining there two years, when they removed to Swan Creek Township, where they lived until 1906, when they sold the place and moved to the vicinity of Swanton. For a time they lived in Swanton, where they owned property, but five years later they exchanged it for the 41/2 acres of suburban property where they live today. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Green are : Burton L. of Brailey ; James A., who lives with his parents ; Clarence J., who is proprietor of a general store at Brailey ; and Arthur A., who has just returned from overseas service in the war of the nations. He was in the second depot of supplies division of the United States Expeditionary Forces in France. It is nearly half a century since Mr. Green came to years of manhood, and those years until his practical retirement were characterized by well directed industry. As noted above, he began life with very little capital, and has made his prosperity by hard work and honorable means. He is one of the best known citizens of Swan Creek Township, and he can take pride in the record of his sons now beginning independent careers for themselves. HENRY MEINTZER, of Swan Creek, is an American by choice, having been born January 13, 1849, in Alsace-Lorraine. He is a son of George and Christina (Menlein) Meintzer. When he first came to the United States Mr. Meintzer farmed for 21/2 years in Cook county, Illinois. From there he moved to Fremont, Ohio, where he worked for two years in a saw mill, and for nine years in an iron mill before he finally located in Fulton county. Mr. Meintzer bought 106 acres of land in Swan Creek Township with about twenty acres cleared and the remainder in brush. He finished clearing the land and added substantial farm buildings from time to time, although there were some buildings when he bought the land. He remodeled the buildings and added forty acres to the farm, and he now has about 100 acres under cultivation. While he is a general farmer he specializes in livestock and dairying. In October, 1869, Mr. Meintzer married Sophia Holtzscherer, who was born February 29, 1852, in Alsace-Lorraine. She is a daughter of Frederick and Margaret (Nicholas) Holtzscherer. They never lived in America. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Meintzer are: Albert, who died in infancy; Sophia, wife of Robert Reedy, of Toledo ; Nellie Jane, wife of Henry Wales, of Wauseon; Regina, wife of Fred Kuhlman, of Toledo; Henry George, of Swan Creek; Arthur, of Toledo ; and twin brother, Harold, who passed away February 17, 1920, and Arnold, who lives ,at the family homestead. Arnold spent five months in training at Camp Zachary Taylor in preparation for service in the war of the nations. The family is republican and members of the Lutheran Church. While of foreign birth the substantial qualities of Mr. Meintzer and his family are just those needed in American life today, and while the story of his life is briefly told it is a record that will be cherished by his descendants and should also be noted as one of the contributory factors in the development of Fulton county’s farms and homes. HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 245 DAVID M. ATON, of Swan Creek, dates back to the days of the log schoolhouse in Ohio where he secured his education. In politics he is a republican, and he has an army record in the Civil war that is a source of pride to him. He enlisted August 28, 1861, in Company I, Thirty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served his country until July 12, 1865, when he was mustered out, after having given four of the best years of his life to his country. Mr. Aton is commander of the Grand Army of the Republic Post at Swanton, and is still interested in things military. On May 29, 1866, Mr. Aton married Rebecca Overmeyer, of Sandusky county, although she was born in Perry county. She was a daughter of Jared and Jemima (Coe) Overmeyer. After his marriage Mr. Aton lived on a farm near Brailey, and here his wife died February 10, 1871, leaving the following children : William S., of Swan Creek ; Amanda E. 'deceased ; Cora E., wife of H. D. Camp, of Portage county; and E., F. of Fulton county. On November 1, 1885, Mr. A ton married Sarah Crosby. She was born in 1841 in Swan Creek. She is a daughter of John and Sarah Crosby, who came from New York to Ohio. When Mr. Aton married her she was the widow of Henry Coe, and she had three children : Charles E., of Toledo : Clara, wife of Frank Zerman, a bond printer of Toledo; and Viola, wife of Ashford Kent, of Isabelle county, Michigan. After his second marriage Mr. Aton located on an eighty acre farm in Swan Creek that has since been the family home. While there is some timber the land is under a high state of cultivation. David M. Aton was born in Troy Township, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, May 20, 1846, a son of Rufus M. and Euseba (Mead) Aton, natives of New York. At the age of seventy-four he has a long and interesting retrospect and may take especial pride in the four years he spent as a soldier in helping preserve the Union. His life since the war has been filled with activities, and the farm home in Swan Creek is largely the product of his energies and efforts. W. F. POORMAN. While agriculture is the oldest calling, it is only within recent years that the farmer has received proper appreciation, or that he has recognized the possibilities lying at his hand. The present farmer conducts his farm along systematic lines and through the use of improved machinery has been able to increase the volume of his production without the employment of much additional labor. Fulton county has long been the home of some of the most progressive farmers in Ohio, and one of them who has been able to live up to the reputation of this region is W. F. Poorman, of Franklin Township. He was born in Perry Township, Richland county, Ohio, in 1856, a son of Peter W. and Caroline (Cornwall) Poorman, and grandson of Elias Cornwall. The Cornwall family is of German and English extraction, and was founded in the New Jersey colony many years ago. It was from the State of New Jersey that Elias Cornwall came to Ohio and located in Richland county, near Mansfield. Mrs. Poor-man,s father, Elias Cornwall, who went west in young manhood, but the family has since lost sight of his movements. The Poorman family is of Scotch descent on one side and German on the other, but nine generations have lived in the United States. The paternal grandfather, Peter Poorman, came to Ohio from the vicinity of Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and bought 160 acres 246 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY of land in Perry Township, Richland county, on which farm his grandson was later born. All of the members of the Poorman family have been agriculturists with the exception of one, who is a machinist now living at Pennsville, Ohio. Peter W. Poorman inherited the homestead from his father and spent his life on it, passing away in 1895. He and his wife had two children, namely : W. F., whose name heads this review; and Samantha Almeda, who married Lloyd Bodley and lives in Hillsdale county, Michigan. Like all farmer boys of his generation and neighborhood he attended the district school during the winter months and made himself useful on the home farm throughout the productive season, completing his schooldays at the age of nineteen years. In the period between his leaving school and his marriage Mr. Poorman was on the homestead, but at the time he was married he bought his present farm of 120 acres in Franklin Township, although when he made his initial purchase there were only eighty acres in it. With the exception of eight years he has continued to live on this farm, and has carried on the raising of diversified crops. His farm is well cultivated and nicely improved, and he takes a pride in having everything up-to-date. On September 5, 1885, Mr. Poorman was united in marriage with Susie Merillat, a daughter of John M. and Susan Merillat of Franklin Township, both of whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Poorman became the parents of the following children : Oliver, who is married, has one child and lives near Swanton, Ohio ; Edgar A., who is a veteran of the great war, served as an aviator in the army camps, is now at home; Carrie May, who married Jesse E. Ubank, lives at Toledo, Ohio, and has one son ; Arthur H., who is a farmer of Franklin Township ; Roy C. R., who lives at Wauseon, Ohio; Freeman Ivan, who is now at home, is also a veteran of the great war, served in France from June 26, 1917, until August 22, 1918, and also was in the campaign along the Mexican border, a member of Company A, Sixteenth Regiment, First Division, was wounded by a rifle ball at Chateau Thierry on July 18, 1918, was in a French hospital, recovered, and finally sent home, landing at Newport News, Virginia, from which port he was sent to Camp Sherman and there mustered out; and Hazel Frances, Flossie G., Lewis Dale, Ora and Verdie, all of whom are at home. ROBERT N. MURRAY, one of the substantial farmers of Swan Creek Township, is a man whose standing both as a citizen and agriculturist is unquestioned. He is a native of Fulton county, having been born in York Township May 26, 1848, a son of John and Mary (O,Brien) Murray, he born in County Down, Ireland, in 1804, and she in County Armagh, Ireland. They came to Albany, New York, prior to their marriage, and were there married, coming thence to Berea, Cuyahoga county, entering the tract of land from the government on which Berea now stands. When the prospectors for the railroad came through to survey the land they managed to frighten the settlers away and secured their land at a nominal figure, and among them were the Murrays. They then came to Lucas county, in which the present York Township was included, entering in 1834 a tract of timber land. This they improved, made into a fine prop, erty, and it is now owned and occupied by their youngest son, Thomas C. Murray. The family did not settle on this property, however, until 1838, when they were brought here by boat to Toledo, HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 247 Ohio, and thence with oxen to their destination. The father died on. this farm on January 18, 1872, the mother surviving him until March 14, 1888, when she, too, passed away. Their children were as follows : John, who was born March 13, 1835, died in November, 1883; Ellen, who died at the age of eighty years was Mrs. J. W. Wright; Mary, who died on June 25, 1900, was Mrs. Thomas Fraker; James W., who is deceased; Samuel, who lives at Delta, Ohio; Sarah, who was born on October 2, 1844, and died on June 24, 1900, was Mrs.. D. I). Donahue ; Robert N., whose name heads this review; Hugh, who is a farmer of York Township ; Mathew, who died in 1915 ; Thomas, who is a farmer of York Township, and his twin sister, Katie, is Mrs. Nathan Wright, of Wauseon, Ohio. On December 13, 1876, Robert N. Murray was married to Alice A. Du Maresz, born in -York Township, a daughter of John and Margaret (McKay) Du Maresz, he born in the parish of Saint Saviour, Island of Guernsey, and she at Big Tree, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. In 1834 Mr. Du Maresz came to Cleveland, Ohio, where he was married, and there he lived until four children were born to him and his wife, when he went to Michigan, spent five years, and then located in York Township, Fulton county, Ohio, where he died on September 15, 1892, being at that time eighty-three years of age, as he had been born on May 8, 1809. His wife died on April 11, 1889, aged seventy-four years, as she was born on July 1, 1814. Following his marriage Robert N. Murray moved to an eighty acre farm, of which only twenty-three acres were cleared. On it was an ,old log house and a log barn. Mr. Murray began at once to thoroughly improve his place, erecting a large barn and a modern residence and other outbuildings. After the death of his father-in-law, Mr. Murray bought the Du Maresz homestead of eighty acres, which was 1/2 mile away from his own farm. This property was well improved, but he rebuilt the house, and conducted both farms until 1893, when he sold his original farm and went to Auburn Township, Rush county, Kansas, and bought 240 acres of land, all prairie. Mr. and Mrs. Murray spent ten months on this property, and then when he had things well started he left his son to conduct it and came back to Ohio, buying eighty acres of improved land in Swan Creek Township. In 1911 he bought thirty acres of improved land in the same township, and has made a number of improvements of all kinds on this property, rebuilding all of the structures and putting things in fine shape, although he continues to reside on his thirty-two acre farm. Mr. and Mrs. Murray have become the parents of the following children : John D., who was born April 1, 1878, married Adelpha Verne Taber, and they have one daughter, Ardys Ruth, born Sep- tember 10, 1909; and Mary Margaret, who was born in October, 1879, who is now Mrs. Claude L. Sturtevant, of Toledo, Ohio. Both Mr. and Mrs. Murray attended the district schools of their neighborhood, but they have added to their store of knowledge and are very well informed persons: The Methodist Episcopal Church of Swanton, Ohio, claims them as members. Mr. Murray is heartily in accord with the principles of the democratic party, and supports its candidates at each election. He is a Mason and belongs to Delta Lodge No. 248, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and Delta Chapter No. 254, Royal Arch Masons. He is also a believer in the work of the Grange, and belongs to that organization operating under the name of Brailey Grange No. 1974. Having had a.long and varied experience in different neighborhoods, Mr. Murray is one of the 248 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY leading farmers of this region, and his success has been fairly won through his own unaided efforts. GEORGE HENRY HAYNES. While for many years a general farmer, Mr. Haynes lives on a: place partly in the City of Swanton and partly on the outside, and therefore many of his interests and activities have been identified with that thriving commercial and industrial community. Mr. Haynes was born in Spencer Township of Lucas county, Ohio, September 14, 1850, a son of. Jacob and Nancy (Berry) Haynes. His father was a native of Virginia and came with his parents at an early date to Maumee, Ohio. Nancy Berry was born in New York state, and her father and mother, Peter and Mary Berry, natives of Vermont, came west in 1838. They traveled by the Erie Canal, by lake boat as far as Toledo, and were identified with the pioneer development of northern Ohio. Jacob Haynes after his marriage settled in Spencer Township of Lucas county, and for many years worked as a saw mill operator. Soon after the birth of his son George Henry he moved to the little community of Ai in Fulton Township of Fulton county. He was employed by the different owners of the ashery at Ai, and later bought land, his last home farm being on Dutch Ridge. He died there in 1901, after a long life of usefulness and at the age of eighty-six. His widow passed away in 1913, aged eighty-five. They had a large family of children, a brief record of whom is as follows: Samantha, Mrs. Frank Beard, of Toledo ; George Henry ; Mary Jane, of Fulton Township ; Eliza, deceased wife of William Stout; Nancy, -Mrs. Andrew Strong, of Amboy Township; Arabella, Mrs. Eli Layman, of Fulton Township ; Edward, of Toledo ; Dora, wife of Ira Thompson, of Centerville, Swan Creek Township ; and Minnie, Mrs. S. W. Sipe, of Amboy Township. The early life of George Henry Haynes began on his father,s farm in Fulton county, and he acquired a good knowledge of the branches usually taught in district schools. On December 14, 1874, at the age of twenty-four, he married Oliva Koder. Mrs. Haynes was born in Fulton Township January 24 1852, a daughter of George and Mary (Stout) Koder. Her parents were born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and were numbered among the early settlers of Fulton Township. Her father while tilling the soil of his farm also exercised his skill as a casket maker a number of years. George Koder died August 16, 1881, at the age of seventy-four, and his wife on May 26, 1888, at sixty-seven. After his marriage Mr. Haynes lived with his parents two years and then moved to Swan Creek Township' and bought fifty acres in section 12. Only half of this acreage had been improved, and for many years succeeding Mr. Haynes exercised his strength and toil in putting the land under cultivation and improving it with modern buildings. He has done well as a general farmer, and has contributed much of the value to his land by his own management and effort. Thirteen acres of the farm are within the city limits of Swanton, and much of this has been sold off in town lots. Mr. Haynes also owns a quantity of wild prairie land in Ward. county,- North Dakota. Enjoying the confidence of his fellow citizens, he has been a capable local official and served ten years as township treasurer of Swan Creek and ten terms as township trustee. He is a democrat in politics, is .a member of the National. Union at Toledo and is actively HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 249 affiliated with Lodge No. 526, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Swanton, having filled all the chairs in the Lodge, and also a member of the Encampment at Delta. Mr. and Mrs. Haynes had four children : Edgar E., born September 5, 1875, is now foreman in the shops of the Pilliod Valve Gear Company at Swanton. He married Elsie Knight, and their seven living children are named Hilda, Clifford, Dorman, Charles, Howard, Gerold and Cleora. The second child, Myrtle, is the wife of Edward Brinley, of Swanton, and has a daughter, Londa. William, who died at the age of twenty-five, married Orpha Wales and left one son, Kenneth. Laona, the youngest of the family, is the wife of Thomas Pilliod, of Swanton, and the mother of two children, named Emma and George. CHARLES L. ALLEN, who served as a member of the advisory board for this History of Fulton County, has been identified with the business and community life of Fayette since prior to the Civil war, in which he took an honorable part as a soldier and Union officer. Mr. Allen was born at Clarkson in Monroe county, New York, November 16, 1838, son of Isaac and Mary (Terry) Allen. His father was born at Enfield, Connecticut, April 26, 1794, where also his mother was born April 27, 1800. His father died in December, 1885, and his mother in 1876. Isaac Allen was a soldier of the War of 1812. In 1816 he located at Clarkson, New York. He was a hatter by trade, but seven years after his marriage, which was celebrated September 10, 1817, he became a farmer. He enjoyed the confidence of his fellow citizens and held many offices of trust and honor. The names of the children of Isaac and Mary Allen were: Chauncey, Isaac, Harriet, who married John Little, Mary, who became the wife of James S. Hobbie, Julia, who was Mrs. Gilbert Aldridge, Joseph O., Emily, who married Nathaniel Phillips, Henry, who served as captain of Company A of the One Hundred and Fortieth New York Infantry, Charles L. and Arthur. The only ones now living are Charles and Arthur, both residents of Fayette, Ohio. Charles L. Allen acquired a very good education for his time. After the common schools he attended normal school at Brookport, New York, also an academy at Hawley, New York, and a business college at Rochester. He came to Fayette, Ohio, in 1859, at the age of twenty-one, and after one term as a teacher found a job clerking in a general store at eight dollars a month and board. The proprietor of that store was G. W. Thompson. He had not been enjoying this compensation and experience very long when the stern call' of patriotic duty sounded, and in August, 1861, he left the counter to enlist in Company K of the Thirty-eighth Ohio Infantry. He was elected and mustered in as second lieutenant, and went with the Army of the Cumberland, participating in many campaigns through Kentucky, Tennessee and other states of the middle South. He was promoted to first lieutenant and quartermaster and finally to adjutant, serving as such until December, 1864, when he resigned his commission on account of disability and soon after his return to Fayette was commissioned captain and raised a company, but the war came to an end before it was ready for service. The war over, Captain Allen settled down at Fayette as a general merchant, and continued that business fifteen years. After that he bought and sold produce, but in 1880 closed out that business. In 1885 he became