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PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP.

BEELMAN, M. B., manufacturer and dealer in moldings, frames, etc., etc., Plymouth; was born Dec. 6, 1846, in Plymouth Township ; when but 8 years of age the family moved to town, where he received his education; he afterward learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed for eight years; in 1870, he became one of the proprietors of the Plymouth Novelty Works; they found a ready sale for their wares-manufactured moldings, picture frames, etc., in all styles and varieties. In October, 1869, he was married to Miss Mary Meeker; they have two children-Calvin, born Sept. 27, 1870; Ethel, born April 4, 1876. Mr. Beelman's shop is on Plymouth street. In February, 1865, he enlisted in Co. G, 191st O. V. I. ; the regiment spent most of the time in Virginia.

BEELMAN, B. F., he was born April 14, 1849, in this township; in his 9th year, the family moved to Plymouth, where he received his education; being a natural-born mechanic, he learned the carpenter's trade at the age of 16, and originated the Plymouth Novelty Works, also the first to patent a miter machine of which he sold thousands; after the novelty works were under headway, he took the road to sell and introduce their work, which consists of brackets, stands, all manner of toilet and fancy work, picture frames, moldings, etc.; he now has a large assortment of goods on hand, and is shipping to nearly every State in the Union. Mr. Beelman was married in 1870 to Miss Smith, daughter of Dr. S. S. Smith, of Plymouth, whom he has greatly aided in the preparation and sale of the Doctors "King of Cure," one of the best family medicines made.

BEELMAN, J. FRANK, editor and proprietor of the Plymouth Advertiser; was born in Plymouth July 31, 1847; raised and educated here, and grew up with the town. In 1869, he, together with a Mr. Webber, opened a book and notion store under the firm name of Webber & Beelman. In August, 1872, he disposed of his interest in the bookstore, and became associated with and in the Plymouth Advertiser office. In April, 1876, he sold his interest, and in December following, lie purchased the office and became sole proprietor, since which time the Advertiser has been on a solid and firm basis, and has a circulation and support second to no other paper in the county, with the jobbing department complete, which does credit and honor to the proprietor. Mr. Beelman is one of the first and foremost men in town, as the success of the Advertiser would indicate. He is Secretary of the Plymouth Agricultural Society, Township Clerk, and has occupied other offices in the gift of the people with marked satisfaction to all, and withal is a man well worthy the position he holds in society. He was married, Oct. 8, 1874, to Miss Frank Gipson, of Plymouth; they have one child-Grace W., born Oct. 10, 1876. Mr. B. was taken from school when 14 years of age, and served as apprentice in the printing business three and a half years. Finishing this, he engaged as clerk in the store of S. M. Robinson & Co., with whom he remained four years, until he formed partnership with Mr. Webber.

BEVIER, CALEB, farmer and stock-dealer; P.O. Plymouth; was born in Cayuga Co., N. Y., in 1820; moved to Plymouth Township in 1824 ; the family first settled near where the village of Shiloh now stands; they lived in an old log schoolhouse; in October, they moved into their own house, where Mr. Bevier spent most of his life to the time of his marriage, which occurred in 1845; his lady's name was Miss Cornelia Brinkerhoff, of New Haven Township, Huron Co.; in 1846, they moved on the present farm ; they commenced in the woods, and fully understand what the name of "pioneer" means; the first team he ever owned was an ox team ; used to drive them when they went to church or visiting. Mr. Bevier has one of the finest farms and residences in the township, and has every improvement and building that is necessary, or that he could wish for. The farm consists of 203 acres, 150 acres well improved. Mr. Bevier is one of the reliable and influential men of the county; has served as Treasurer of Plymouth Township for thirteen years, and is now serving his third term as Justice of the Peace ; his farm and residence is five miles south of Plymouth, near the Bucyrus road. Mrs. Bevier was born in Owasco in 1820; in 1937, her folks moved to Ohio; she died June 23, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Bevier were both born in the same town; they have had nine children, seven of whom are now living.

BODLEY, JOHN J., farmer; P. O. Plymouth; was born July 8, 1829. He has always been at home, and now owns and occupies the old homestead. Was married April 11, 1831, to Mary W. Livingston, of Auburn, Cayuga Co., N. Y., where she was educated and lived until their removal to Plymouth, April 18, 1860; she was born in Cayuga Co., N. Y., Aug. 14, 1838; they have an adopted son, George McLelland Bodley ; he is about 15 years of age. The old house, a frame, was built in 1834, and is one of the oldest frames in the township; they have a table made out of the wagon-box that they moved to Plymouth in, made in 1818 or 1819; they also have a sword, a relic of the war of 1812. His father, Jesse Bodley, and family, came to Plymouth in 1818; they started from Owasco., N. Y.,




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Sept. 15, and landed here one month after, Oct. 15, 1818; they traveled all the way with an ox team. The names of the children are as follows: Dinah, born May 8, 1816 (she married George Kellogg, April 24, 1834, and lives in Fulton Co., Ohio); William E., born Feb. 1, 1819 (he was the first white child born in this vicinity; married Sarah A. Shaw, who died May 1, 1851, and he died June 29, 1857); Samuel, born Nov. 17, 1821 (married Harriet Richardson, April 9, 1846); Wilson, born April 10, 1825 (married, Feb. 3, 1848, to Orlena Richardson; they had six children, five of whom are now living) ; John J., subject of this sketch; Enoch Conger, born Nov. 30, 1831 (he graduated at Mansfield ; was married May 6, 1860, to Martha A. Case, of Bodino, N. Y„ and now resides in San Jose, Cal.; in the mercantile trade) ; Nancy Mariah, born March 14, 1835 (she lives with John J.). A brother of Jesse. William W., came to Richland Co. at the same time; he was born in Ulster Co., N. Y., April 2, 1797 ; they first came here in 1817, and, getting their land, returned to New York, and the next year moved here; he was married May 8, 1823, to Margaret H. Brink ; they had five children ; he died Nov. 11, 1849; his widow married James Ralston April 6, 1850; she died April 27, 1868.

BRIGGS, ROBERT, farmer; P. O. Plymouth; was born in Lincolnshire, England, Sept. 1, 1830; the family landed in Richland Co. when Mr. Briggs was but 3 years of age, and has lived in the county ever since, except one year that he lived in Hardin Co., Ohio, and bee seen this country when it was very wild and but very little improvements were then made; he has grown up with the country ; he now has a very fine farm only a few miles south of Plymouth. Was married in 1859, to Miss Martha Doty, of Richland Co. ; they have one child, a daughter. When Mr. Briggs' father came here, he had to stand up in the saddle on the back of his horse and tie a knot in the limbs of a tree to mark the place for his farm, as the land was covered with a dense forest.

BRINKERHOFF, JOSIAH, banker, Plymouth; was born in December, 1815, in Cayuga Co., N. Y.; the family came West in 1834, to Plymouth Township; was raised a farmer, and, some twenty-one years ago, he moved to town. Mr. B. has been one of the prominent men of Plymouth, and ever ready to lend a helping hand to any improvement or enterprise for the benefit of the town or community; in the spring of 1874, lie was elected President of the First National Bank, which position he now holds to the satisfaction of all concerned.

BROWN, OLIVER G., farmer and stock-dealer; P. O. Shelby; was born in Virginia, in 1833; his father, Mr. James Brown, came with his family to Plymouth in 1835, and from there moved to their present farm; there were six girls and two sons, three of the girls having died; when they bought the farm, there was but very little improvement-only a log house and, perhaps, twenty acres of cleared land, and, by hard work, they have now as fine a farm as there is in this part of the township;, Mr. Oliver G. Brown now is living on the old homestead where he was raised. He was married in 1856 to Miss Elizabeth M. Castor, of Plymouth Township ; soon after their marriage, they moved to Iowa, where they resided for nineteen years; he was engaged in farming and stock-dealing, buying and shipping. In 1876, they came back to their old home, where they are now living; they have five children now living, two sons at Salina, Karl., and one daughter married, and now lives at East Woolf, Russell Co., Kan., and two at home. Mr. James Brown was at one time in business at Shelby; was in the hotel business for about two years, when he went into business as a partner of Mr. Mickey ; about the year 1843, he moved back to the old farm, where he has since lived; Mrs. Brown died Sept. 16, 1869. Mr, Brown and his family are highly respected citizens, and are well known throughout the community. Farm and residence south of Plymouth, on the northwest quarter of Sec, 31, about three miles northwest of Shelby.

BRUBAKER, J. C., merchant, Plymouth; was born Nov. 26, 1846, in Huron Co. Ohio; lived on the firm until 1869, when he came to Plymouth to attend school, and afterward was engaged as salesman in a grocery store till April 11, 1874. when he engaged in the business for himself, and has been very successful, and has a trade second to no other establishment of the kind in town. He was married to Miss Ellen Tyson March 11, 1872; they have three children- Lotto, born Sept. 25, 1873; May, April 17, 1876; Anna, Feb. 15, 1878.

CHANNING, J. R., farmer and stock-raiser: P. O. Plymouth; was born and educated in England, and the family came to this country in 1851, and to Plymouth Township in 1870; he has one of the finest forms to be found in the county, and the buildings that he is putting up surpass anything of the kind in the county ; he has just completed a barn 42x70 feet, being a bank barn and stabling under the whole of it, and for convenience and stability is far ahead of his neighbors, when he put the roof on, he would paint each course of shingles with lead and oil, and has consumed in the building eighty-three gallons linseed oil, and 1,200 pounds best white lead : the whole building is put up in a workmanlike manner, and has cost him not far from $3,000. Mr. Channing is one of the successful men in the county, having made his money by hard anti honest labor; residence and farm on Shiloh road, one and one-half miles south of Plymouth. Was married in October, 1864, to Miss Margaret Fulmer, of Ashland Co., Ohio; they have four children, all boys-W. G., born Sept. 1, 1865; A. J., born April 19, 1867 ; J. H., born March 28, 1873 ; Edward J., born Nov. 28, 1874.

CLARK, ANDREW, proprietor planing-mill and sash, blind and door factory ; was born in 1833, in Connecticut; was raised a farmer; when 22 years of age, went to California; he was there engaged in mining for nearly ten years; in 1869, he moved to Plymouth; has been engaged in manufacturing washing machines ; in 1872, Mr. Clark built a planing-mill and sash, door and blind factory ; he also is quite an extensive lumber dealer, and constantly has on hand a good stock of lumber, lath, shingles, and everything pertaining to his business. He was married, in 1870, to Miss Margaret Coe, of Ashland Co.; they have two children-Emma Grace, born Nov. 9, 1871; Charles Walter, May 23,


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1877. Residence and factory on High street, near the B. & O. R. R.

CLARK, ELI, farmer, and owns a saw-mill; P. O. Plymouth ; was born in 1824, in Connecticut ; in the spring of 1846, the family came to Plymouth Township; they purchased a farm that was somewhat improved, but, generally speaking, it was very wild. His farm lies about three miles southwest of Plymouth. In 1848, he purchased the first saw-mill that was brought into the country. It was brought here during the building of the railroad; after the road was built, Mr. Clark bought the mill, and moved it to his farm, about four miles south of Plymouth. He has remodeled and rebuilt it, until it is all of modern style and improvements, and turns out work second to none. Was married, in 1850, to Miss Bolles, of Connecticut; they have three sons. His father bought the farm where Mr. Clark now lives, where be resided till his death, which occurred in 1871. His sons, Eli and John, bought the farm.

DRONBERGER, L. R., druggist's traveling salesman, Plymouth; was born Feb. 18, 1850, in Homer, Medina Co., Ohio. Mr. E. Dronberger, his father, moved to Richland Co. in the spring of 1853 ; bought a farm in the northwest corner of Plymouth Township, where the family lived till April, 1870, when they moved to Plymouth and engaged in the drug business, under the firm name of E. Dronberger & Son, where they did a profitable business and had a trade second to no other establishment of the kind in the town; in May, 1873, they met with a severe lose by fire, which consumed nearly everything they bad; not long after the fire, Mr. L. R. Dronberger moved to Newark, Ohio, where they again purchased a stock of drugs and medicines and ran business for some time ; when they sold out their business, he moved to Flint, Mich., and was engaged as head clerk in a large retail drug and prescription store for a year or more, when he engaged to a wholesale drug house of Detroit as traveling salesman, and has continued in this business for the past three years with marked success, as he makes many friends wherever he goes; he has made several changes in employers, and every time for the better, and now is with a New York firm, and he holds a good and increasing trade for himself and employers by his general good will and manliness. Was married, June 10, 1873, to Miss Frank Gunsaullus, of Plymouth.

FACKLER, DR. J. M., homoeopathic physician, Plymouth; was born in Weller Township, Richland Co., Ohio, April 7, 1888 ; raised a farmer until he commenced the study of medicine ; attended the schools of Haysville, Ohio, and Academy of Savannah, Ohio; commenced the study of medicine in 1859 ; attended the Cleveland Homeopathic Medical College in 1863-64; received the degree of M. D. at the Pulte Homoeopathic Medical College of Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1877 ; he has been practicing medicine for seventeen years, with marked success, and the last ten years at Plymouth ; the doctor fully understands his profession, and is regarded throughout the country as one of the best, and has a large and increasing practice, so much so that be was compelled to take a partner, and both are now kept busy. He was married to Miss Martha N. Fancher in 1862 ; they had two children-Nellie born July 28, 1864 ; Clauda Blanche, May 28, 1878; died Dec. 12, 1878.

DRENNAN, JAMES (deceased); he was born in Carlisle, Penn., Feb. 18, 1783. When about 4 years of age, his father, David Drennan, moved from Carlisle to Beaver Co. , making the journey across the mountains with pack-horses. Mrs. D. carried James on her knee, while she rode a horse. His father became Judge of Common Pleas Court there, and lived there until his death. When James was about 17 years of age, he was bound out to a cabinet-maker to learn the trade. After serving three years, he bought his time on credit of his master, and came to Steubenville, Ohio, where he took a job of carpenter work on bridges, at which he earned enough to pay his master for his time. He worked at his trade in Steubenville, Chillicothe, New Lisbon and Canton, settling in the latter place late in January, 1810. He married here Jane Patten, who bore him four children; she died Feb. 7, 1818. Sept. 27, 1819, he married Eliza Wolf, the first schoolmistress in Mansfield, and, in 1821, moved to the latter place, where he resided till 1825, when he removed to Plymouth. He lived in Plymouth until his death, which occurred Dec. 23, 1859. During the war of 1812, Mr. D. served as Lieutenant until he recruited two companies, when he was given a captain's commission, and was ordered to the front, where he served under Gen. Harrison. His eldest son, David Armstrong, was licensed as a Methodist preacher at the age of 22, and died soon after at Sandusky City. The second son that grew to manhood, John P., was a merchant in Mansfield till the late war, when, in 1861, he enlisted. After the war closed, he settled in Roodhouse, Ill., where he is now living. The third eon, William W., has been a merchant and farmer, and now resides in Plymouth. The fourth son, James P., was a lawyer ; he unfortunately lost his life by a steamboat accident on the Mississippi River when he was 28 years old. The fifth son, Jacob Manuel, is a Presbyterian clergyman in New York City. Two daughters and one son died while young. Two daughters are now married-Mrs. Robert McDonough, now living in Plymouth, and Mrs,. B. A. Cash, in Brooklyn, N. Y.

DRENNAN, William W., lawyer. He was born in Canton July 18, 1820; when he was about 1 year old, his parents moved to Mansfield, and four years after, to Plymouth ; since then Mr. Drennan has always lived in this county, save four years, when he was residing in Muskingum Co.; three years in Cincinnati, and a temporary residence in the South. When he was 12 years old, he was apprenticed a dry-goods merchant to learn the business; the term of his indenture were service and obedience on his part, and boarding and a monthly payment in money on the master's part, instead of "clothing, schooling and freedom suit," as was customary in binding boys to those days ; he was not out of employment until he was 25 years old. At that age, he went .into business for himself, succeeding Messrs. Barker, in Plymouth; since then he has been engaged in mercantile, produce and commission business and dealing in real estate, and in practicing law. He was married March 28, 1850, to Hannah Brinkerhoff, of Cayuga Co., N. Y.; they are the parents of six children, three of whom died in infancy,


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and three (one son and two daughters) are now growing into manhood and womanhood.

FENNER, FELIX (deceased), was born near Bethlehem, Penn., and raised a farmer; he located about 1813, on a small farm, and carried on blacksmithing; in 1825, moved to Lansing Township, Tompkins Co., N. Y., where he worked at his trade; in 1831, went to Ohio to look up a home for his already large family; he soon after returned, having been much encouraged by his visit, and in 1832 moved to Ohio, and soon after bought 122 acres of land in the woods, with a little log house on it, and about half an acre cleared. On Jan. 12, 1813, was married to Miss Elizabeth Trauger; they had twelve children, nine of whom are living. Mr. Fenner died Dec. 7, 1877 ; he left a good farm with all good buildings and 75 acres cleared and fenced. He had filled many of the township offices in the gift of the people. He was quite s musician in his younger days, and at one time had the honor of being the organist in the large Moravian Church of Bethlehem, Penn.

FENNER, F. T., farmer and stock-raiser; was born in August, 1825, in Tompkins Co., N. Y.; the family came West when Mr. Fenner was quite small; he was raised a farmer, and from the manner in which he does business, one in led to the belief that he fully understands every thing that he undertakes ; he has, perhaps, as nice a farm as there is in the township, and his judgment on matters pertaining to the farm or stock-raising is considered solid. He was elected Township Trustee in 1866, and has held the office ever since, except one year, and has been Judge of Election at the three last Presidential elections; he has, perhaps, threshed more grain than any other man in the county, as he has followed it for twenty-eight years; he has come up from almost nothing to be a very wealthy man. Was married in 1848 to Miss Mary E. Hills; they have four children-Sarah, J., born September, 1849; Clare E., born July, 1854; Henry L., born October, 1856; Ida Adore, born in 1863. Mr. Fenner has been engaged in the manufacture of sorghum molasses for the past eighteen years, and, like his farming, has made it a success.

FENNER, CORNELIUS, farmer and stock-raiser, P. O. Plymouth; was born in Tompkins Co., N. Y.; April 11, 1831; the family came West when Mr. Fenner was but 1 year old, landing in New Haven, Ohio. One year after this, his father, Mr. Felix Fenner, bought the present farm, there being but half an acre cleared and a small log house, he building the present house and the old barns on the homestead, consisting of 122 acres. Mr. Fenner died in November, 1856. Soon after his death, his son, Mr. C. Fenner, took charge of the farm, and now, together with what he has added to it and improvements made, makes it a premium farm. Mr. Fenner lived in Iowa four years, and came back after the death of his father. In 1863, he bought the farm, which is situated on the Columbus State road, one-half mile from the Huron Co. line. His principal farming is grain raising, and he raises and keeps stock enough to be profitable, and it is safe to say that Mr. Fenner is one of the first men in the county, and of good business principles. Ida has served a number of terms each as School Director and Supervisor. Was married, Dec. 29, 1863, to Miss Sarah A. Sheeley ; they have three children-Frank C., born Jan. 8,1868: Anna Bertha, Nov. 6, 1870; Charlie W., Dec. 22, 1873. Mr. Fenner's mother now lives with him; she is nearly 87 years old, and very active and smart for a person of such advanced years. Mr. Fenner has one of the finest barns in the country. It is finished up in good style, and has all the modern improvements ; he has storage for 1,500 bushels of grain, with nearly all the conveniences that a well-informed man could make. The building is 40x66 feet, with stabling under the whole building, with "shoots " for grain and bay, so that his feeding can be done without going out of the stable ; he has every facility for keeping stock, as his farm abounds with living water and a "spring-fed " creek. The farm now, with what he has added to it, makes it 153 acres of the choicest kind of land.

GETMAN, J. B., druggist, Plymouth; was born in Columbia, Herkimer Co., N. Y.; received his education at Whitestown. March 30, 1857, came to Plymouth, where he was engaged to teach in the public schools, which position he held for seven years without interruption. On the 5th, day of December, 1863, he engaged in the drug business, and has been known throughout the country as a reliable and proficient druggist. He has been a member of the School Board twelve years, and has done much to elevate the schools to their present condition ; has been a member of the Council four years. Was married, July, 1859, to Miss Helen M. Wicks; who was born at Genoa, Cayuga Co., N. Y., and who came to Ohio when 4 years old; they have three children-Ida C., born in June, 1860; graduated at Ohio Wesleyan Female College when she was 17 years old, and is now a teacher in the Plymouth schools; Walter Wix, born Sept. 30, 1867: Mable Helen, born in January, 1877.

GUNSAULLUS, F. DORR, attorney and counselor at law, Plymouth; was born Aug. 22, 1854, in Plymouth Township, receiving his education at the high schools of Plymouth. At the age of 15, he went into the foundry and machine-shops to learn the business, where he worked till July, 1872 (during this time, he attended school during the winters) ; in 1872, he accepted a position in the First National Bank as Teller, which position he held for two years, and had the confidence of all with whom he did business; in 1875, he began reading law, after which he attended the law school of the Cincinnati College; was admitted to practice April 18, 1877. Was married in October, 1877, to Miss Jennie E. Gettings, and on the evening of their wedding he and his bride started for the West, and landed at Aurora, Hamilton Co., Neb., Dec. 18, 1877; he was admitted to the District -Court of the Fourth Judicial District of the State ; May 6, 1878, was admitted as a counselor at law and solicitor in chancery of the United States Circuit Court for the District of Nebraska at Omaha. While at Hamilton, Neb., he organized a building association and was elected its President, he having the privilege of seeing built, by the aid of this association, the finest building in the county. At the earnest solicitation of his mother, and sickness of his father, he was induced to return to Plymouth, which he did in May, 1878; June 20, 1878, he opened: a law office, and has been amply repaid for it, having the patronage of most of the


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business men, and the confidence of the community at large; he being a man of integrity and good business principles, his clients always feel that he does his duty for them.

HOFFMAN, G. W., jeweler and watchmaker, Plymouth, was born Oct. 18, 1832, in Mansfield, Ohio. In 1844, the family moved to Plymouth, which then had a population of about four hundred. Soon after their arrival, Mr. Hoffman's father engaged in the jewelry and watch business, and for more than thirty-five years this business has been carried on by some member of the family, and latterly by Mr. G. W. Hoffman, who now has one of the finest jewelry establishments to be found anywhere. His stock consists of watches, clocks, jewelry, in endless variety, guns and revolvers, also, watch repairing in all its branches. Store, south side of public square. Was married April, 1858, to Miss Frye; they have two daughters-Bell, born in January, 1859; Maud, born in July, 1861.

HOLTZ, DR. SAMUEL S., homoeopathic physician, Plymouth, was born in Cumberland Co., Penn., Oct. 24, 1850 ; was raised a farmer. In 1870, he attended the Baldwin University," of Berea, Ohio ; graduated in pharmacy March 14, 1873 ; subsequent to graduating he began the study of medicine with Dr. J. M. Fackler, and received the degree of M. D. Jan. 17, 1877, at Pulte Homeopathic Medical College, of Cincinnati, Ohio, after attending one term of lectures at Hahnemann Homoeopathic Medical College; of Chicago, Ill., since which time he has been practicing with Dr. Fackler. Was married July 4, 1878, to Miss Mattie A. Flora; they have one child, born Aug. 8, 1879. The Doctor is a man of integrity, and an excellent physician. Office on Sandusky street.

KIEL, J. E., confectionery and grocery, was born in Philadelphia, Penn. In the spring of 1872, came to Plymouth and engaged in the manufacture of candies of all descriptions for the wholesale trade, which has proved to be a very profitable business. Mr. Kiel came from Mansfield to Plymouth ; the family came to Richland Co. thirty years ago, and they have seen old Richland when it was pretty wild, and are numbered among the early settlers. His bakery and confectionery are on the north side of the square. Was married in March, 1872, to bliss Mary McCormick; they have one child, bland, born Feb. 1, 1876. Mr. Kiel is numbered as one of Plymouth's reliable business men.

KIRKPATRICK, WILLIAM, farmer and stock-raiser; P. O. Plymouth ; was born. May 25, 1822, in Plymouth Township, where he has always lived ; he has traveled considerably, having visited most of the large cities of the United States; his father came to Plymouth Township in 1815 ; it was then almost an unbroken wilderness, there being only six families in the township, and but six little log cabins ; he entered his quarter-section of land from the Government, where his brother and mother now live ; after entering his land, he cleared ten acres and built a leg cabin and then returned to Washington Co., N. Y. and was married in 1818, and moved, together with two or three other families, to Ohio ; they came by wagons ; they had two ox teams and two horse teams: they came through part of Pennsylvania, crossing the Alleghany Mountains; were six weeks on the way from the time they started till they arrived in Richland Co. Mr. Kirkpatrick remembers hearing his father tell of the spring after they came here; how and when be first got potatoes for seed, there being none in Plymouth Township, he and a neighbor concluded to go to Mansfield for some, and they started on foot, there being no roads, only a "trail" blazed through on the trees-by way of Truxville (now Ganges) then containing two or three houses; they arrived in Mansfield, which then had only six houses, and a block-house for protection against the Indians, at that time very numerous in the county. They bought a bushel of potatoes, for which they paid $2, and shouldered their bushel of potatoes, and started for home. When night overtook them, they lost their trail and had to lay out all night. They protected themselves from the wolves by building a fire of loge and brush, and laying by the side of the fire, the wolves would howl around them all night. But the worst of all was they had no supper, and nothing to eat but the potatoes, so they roasted about a peck of them for their supper and breakfast. By hunting around for some little time, they succeeded in finding the trail for home, and arrived home in. the evening. He remembers another incident of his father killing a big deer with a club. He was out hunting his cows as they ran in the woods with a bell on, as was the custom, and his dog started a deer which he chased till he got tired, when he turned to fight the dog, when Kirkpatrick came up and the buck came at him, and he told the dog to " take him," which he did, while Mr. K. killed him with a club, by a well-directed blow on the head. They used to go to church or to meetings held in in old log church, and would ride behind their ox teams. The first schoolhouse that was built in the township was on their old farm, it being built of loge, and the first teacher was Robert Mackelvey. Mr. Kirkpatrick attended his school, together with an older sister. In 1848, he moved to his present farm, three. quarters of a mile west of the old homestead. He has been Township Trustee two terms, and is now Land Appraiser for the township, and is perhaps one of the oldest citizens living in the township, who was born and raised in it, and is one of the best men in the county. Was married, in 1847, to Miss Elizabeth Emmerson, of Richland Co.; they have six children - Emaline, born Oct. 31, 1850; Harriet, March 30, 1853; John Albert, Dec. 8, 1856; Mary Elizabeth, Dec. 8, 1856; William Henry, Dec. 10, 1860 ; Franklin Ellsworth, Feb. 6, 1863.

LOCKWOOD, I. L., Agent B. &. O. R. R., Plymouth; was born iii Cincinnati in 1847; educated in Kentucky. He was connected with the general office of the B. & O. R. R.; he commenced for the company in 1872, at Columbus, Ohio, where he remained about one year, when he went to Toledo, as Chief Clerk of the -Globe Line" offices, the B. &, O. R. R. Co. being at the head of the line, which position he held up to the time that he was appointed to the agency at Plymouth to take charge of their offices, Dec. 1, 1874, the position he still holds to the satisfaction of the railroad company and the citizens generally. Mr. Lockwood is called one of the most gentlemanly agents on the railroad, and the company gave him credit for an increase of freight of over $14,000 in the last two


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years ; the company highly appreciate his services, as lie is a No. 1 man in every particular. Was married, May 18, 1876, to Miss Lilla A. Bowlby, of Plymouth ; their residence is on Trux street.



LOVELAND, G. W., farmer; P. O. Plymouth; was born in New Haven, Ohio, in 1832; has always lived on the farm there until 1861, when he bought a part of what was then the Ammerman farm, which had been settled and improved for many years, he making the present improvements in the shape of buildings; he has perhaps one of the finest residences in the township, and everything around him to make home and life comfortable; he used to teach school in an old schoolhouse that was situated on the northeast corner of his farm; there was in old house and barn on the place when Mr. L. came here; five or six years after he moved here, he built his present handsome buildings. Mr. Loveland has served three years as Township Treasurer, and one term as Township Trustee; he is a man who well deserves the position which he holds in society. Was married in 1857 to Miss Delila H. Parker, daughter of Samuel Parker, Esq.; they have two children-Jessie Eugenia, born Aug. 18, 1861, and Polly, born Feb. 17, 1878.

McDONOUGH, ROBERT, Jr., furniture and undertaking, Plymouth; he was educated at Kenyon College, Gambier, Knox Co., Ohio; May 1, 1879, he bought out the firm of Kaylor & Sweet, furniture dealers ; Mr. McDonough has one of the best selections of furniture, etc., to be found in town, and, although one of the youngest firms in town, yet he has a fine prospect before him, and tries to gain the confidence of the public. February 7, 1879, he was married to Miss Bell Hoffman, of Plymouth. Mr. McDonough's father, Robert, Sr., was born in Washington Co., Penn., Feb. 9, 1811: when but 9 years of age, he came, with his parents, to Millersburg, Ohio, where they remained until he was 18 years of age; thence he removed to Mansfield, Ohio, where he remained until 1832, when he came to Plymouth, where he resided until his death, which occurred May 17, 1873, he having been a resident of Plymouth forty-one years, consequently one of the earliest settlers in the town. Mr. McDonough was born of Scotch-Irish parentage, and, at the age of 23, he united with the Presbyterian Church ; was engaged in the mercantile business thirty-eight years, and the two lest years of his life he was in the banking business, with general favor and success, as had been shown him by the confidence of the business and farming community ; in respect to his memory, all the business houses were closed, appropriately draped in mourning.

NIMMONS, E. H., farmer; P. O. Plymouth; was born in Plymouth Township in 1846; his parents came from Binghamton, N. Y , to Plymouth at. a very early day; his father died in April, 1857; his mother now lives in town. Mr. Nimmons bought his present farm in 1872; has always lived within one and one-half miles of Plymouth till he cants to his present farm. In January, 1865, he enlisted in Company G, 191st O. V. I., where he served till he was discharged, which was on Aug. 27, 1865, at Winchester, Va.; he went out under Thomas Kinney, as Captain. Was married in January, 1870, to Miss Brumback, of Plymouth; they have four children, two boys and two girls James K., born Dec. 21, 1870; Frank, born Jan. 9, 1872; Edessa, born July 2, 1874; Mary E., born July 19, 1876. Mr. Nimmons has a nice farm and a very pleasant home, only three miles south of Plymouth, on the Shelby road.

PARKER, HURON M., merchant, Plymouth; was born in West Haven, Ohio, Sept. 24, 1846; in 1857 the family came to Plymouth; he learned the wagon and carriage trade of his father, and has since been in other branches of business; has been connected with the dry-goods trade of Plymouth for several years ; on July 17, 1875, he opened his present business, which comprises dry goods, notions, and in fact everything pertaining to a first-class establishment. Mr. Parker is regarded as one of Plymouth's reliable men ; is on the north side of the public square.

PARKER, SAMUEL, proprietor carriage and wagon factory, Plymouth; was born in Meriden, Conn., in 1803; in 1833, he came to New Haven, Ohio, and opened up a wagon and carriage shop, having learned the trade in 1821. In 1857, moved to Plymouth, and there carried on the above-named business. Mr. Parker is one of the successful business men of his day, and is counted as one of the best of citizens. He has been a stanch member and support of the Methodist Episcopal Church here for over thirty-nine years, having become & member in March, 1840. Mr. Parker has raised a family of children that he may well feel proud of, as they are all industrious, hard-working and honorable citizens. About nine years ago, Mr. Parker turned his business over to his son, Samuel R.

PARKER, SAMUEL R., carriage and wagon manufacturer, Plymouth; was born Jan. 24, 1848, in New Haven, Huron Co.; he came to Plymouth with the family in 1857 ; he learned his trade and business of his father: he took great pains while learning it, and fully understands it in all of tits branches, besides being the largest and beet establishment in town ; he keeps constantly on hand other and cheaper work from the large factories in the cities, and can accommodate his patrons with all the popular styles and prices; his own work recommends itself wherever used. He is regarded by his many friends sad patrons as a reliable and good business man, and as a successor to his father will do credit to the business which he represents. Warehouse and shops corner of Plymouth and High streets.



PACKER, J. H., school teacher, farmer and stock-raiser; P. O. Plymouth; was born in 1847, in the State of Pennsylvania ; in 1849, the family came to Ohio; he lived on the old homestead, on the Bucyrus road near the B. & O. R. R., in Plymouth Township, till he was about 8 years old, when he went to Shelby, where he attended school for several years, after which he attended the Savannah Academy for a period of four years, when he entered the University of Wooster, Ohio, where he graduated in 1871 ; soon after graduating, he was engaged by the School Board of Galion as Principal of the high schools of the town, which position he held for two years, when his health failing made it necessary for him to seek outdoor exercise, and he came back to Plymouth Township, and in the spring of 1876 purchased his present farm, about one mile south of Plymouth, on the Bucyrus road. He is a member of the Township School Board, and a good and efficient


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member of the Presbyterian Church in Plymouth. Mr. Packer is a thorough-going business mall, and has one of the finest farms in Plymouth Township, and as a farmer is a success, as also a successful school teacher. He was married in 1872, to Miss Mary L. Ammerman they have one child, Mildred E., born in January, 1875.

RALSTON, JAMES, farmer; P. O. Plymouth ; was born in Washington Co., Penn., in January, 1799; came to Richland Co. April 13, 1814; he lived twenty years in the vicinity of Ashland ; in 1834 he removed to his present farm about three miles west of Plymouth ; there was but little improvement on the farm when he came here, and by hard and honest labor he has succeeded in making for himself a fine farm and a pleasant home; Mr. Ralston is perhaps the oldest settler in the township, new living. having been in the county over sixty-five years; he has never been out of the county since lie moved here, more than four weeks at a time ; he has lived through the "pioneer" days, and fully understands the term "pioneer;" they first settled in Montgomery Township; there were but seven other families in the township when they moved in ; the first thing that they could get money for was "ginseng" ; about 1819 they began to find a cash market for their corn by selling it to distilleries that had come into the county they paid from 20 to 25 cents per bushel for it; Mr. Ralston at one time sold 100 bushels of wheat at 3 shillings per bushel, and waited a year for his pay, to get the cash for it; they used to trade wheat, rye and corn to the distilleries for whisky, and then trade whisky for other merchandise at the lakes, and sometimes got money enough out of it to pay their taxes with ; they were not high, only about $2; they could realize about .50 cents for wheat in trade; had to go to Knox Co. to mill, on horseback; he did the milling in this way for twelve of the family; usually took five days to go and come ; they came soon after the war, and were compelled to mote into a little log cabin about thirteen feet square, with no chimney or chamber: the first coffin that was made in the neighborhood Mr. Ralston's father helped make; they split a walnut log, hewed and planed it, and made a box, which they thought was pretty nice; he well remembered old Johnny Appleseed; he had a nursery near where Mr. Ralston lived. Mr. R. was married first in 1824, to Miss Murray; they had two children; she died in the spring of 1827 ; he was married again in December, 1828, to Miss Lincoln: they have eight children now living-one son in Tennessee, one in Texas, one in Illinois, and one in West Virginia; one son was accidentally killed in Montana Territory; he was Sheriff of the county where he lived, and went out to quell a riot, and was shot by mistake; one daughter in Indiana, and two in Richland County. The first salt they got he and a neighbor took maple sugar in sacks and went down to Huron, following an Indian trail down the river, and traded it for salt and carried it home, nearly fifty miles; there were no houses till they reached what is now called Milan.

REYNOLDS, BENJAMIN, farmer and stock-raiser; P. O. Plymouth ; was born Jan. 26, 1820; at an early day the family lived near Mansfield; t he country was very wild, and the woods full of game, such as deer, turkeys, bears and wild hogs: they moved near where the town of Shiloh now is; Mr. Reynolds remembers well when the land that Shiloh now stands on was an entire wilderness, and the brush and timber were so thick that they could scarcely see through it, and the wolves would make night hideous with their deafening howls; be first moved to Plymouth in 1854 ; his first purchase of real estate was in Ripley Township, Huron Co.; he bought 50 acres at $8 per acre: he now has a very fine farm and residence only three-fourths of a mile south of the town, which makes it a desirable location, both as to church and school privileges. He was married in 1834 to Miss Sarah Jane De Witt, of Huron Co., Ohio; they have five children now living. Mr Reynolds is one of the solid men of the township, and has been a member of the M. E. Church in town for fourteen years; their children are all grown up, and they are a fine and respectable family. When Mr. Reynolds first started out for himself, it was with his ax, to cut and split rails, and thus got, a start in this world by bard and honest labor. His son, W. G., now lives about two miles south of his father's, and has a nice little home of 25 acres, all well improved. In 1876, he was married to a Miss Parsel, of Plymouth Township; they have one child-William Orrin, born June. 1879.



ROGERS, WELLS, boot and shoe dealer, Plymouth; was born in Delaware Co., N. Y.; came to Ohio in 1832: moved to Plymouth in 1851, and opened a grocery store and continued in this business till 1863, when he retired for a short time. In 1864, he enlisted and commanded Co. H, 163d O. N. G., and did service under Gen. Butler, in and around City Point and Petersburg; in the fall of 1864, he returned home, and the following year engaged in the boot and shoe business, and has remained in it to the present time. lie has occupied nearly all offices of trust in the gift of the people, from Mayor to Councilman, and has been a mew her of the School Board for more than twelve years, and perhaps has done as much toward making the schools of the town what they are as any other man in Plymouth, He was married first in 1854, to Miss Braven, who, a few years after, died, when lie married for his second wife a Miss Day, in 1862, daughter of Esq. B. F. Day, of Plymouth : they have four children-Hattie, born in 1855; Mack. born in 1859; May, born in 1867 ; Nellie, born in 1877. Mr. Rogers' store is situated on the north side of the public square. He is regarded as a good, reliable and thorough-going business man.

RUCKMAN, JOSEPH, farmer; P. O. Plymouth; was born in Hampshire Co., Va., in 1811. The family came to Plymouth Township in 1817, and entered three quarter-sections of land under the dollar and a half per acre act; there were only one or two other families in the township when they moved here. The Indian, were very numerous, and used to camp near where they now live. He tells a story of a squaw who came to the house one very cold day to warm herself, and had her "pappoose" tied to a board. As she came into the house, she let's it standing up against the house, out of doors, in the cold and snow, and an old sow that belonged to Mr. Ruckman carne along and rooted it over, and was in the act of making a dinner of the pappoose, when the old squaw heard a noise and wet,[ out in time to rescue her little one. He tells about


PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP. - 871

going to Coal Creek to mill, some thirty miles distant, where they had a water mill; they would have to go on horseback, and would take two days for the trip; they had their horses trained so they would carry a sack of corn on their backs through the woods and not brush it off. There wasn't an acre cleared between his house and town, and he remembers well when Plymouth was first laid out for a town. He owns a part of the old home. stead. His father was the first to propose to establish a Baptist society, and the first meetings were held in what is now Auburn Township; the society was organized about 1820, and the Presbyterian Church was built near their land; built of logs; the following lines were found tacked up on the church-door:

" Rusty-looking church, without any steeple;

Money-catching priest and a scurvey sett of people."

At one time, when the people of Plymouth wanted guide-boards, the Supervisor put up some rather rude looking ones in town, and the citizens thought they would better the first ones, and they therefore put up a new set; John Webber came along and saw the boards, and went into a store and wrote these lines and put them on the " guide-boards: "

"If finger- boards direct the way

To hell or Tartaris,

Oh, great God, we all must say,

'Twill go hard with Paris."

Mr. Ruckman has lived and grown up with the country, so to speak. Was married, Nov. 28, 1840, to Miss Elizabeth Young; they have ten children-Alzina, born July 29, 1842; Peter, Feb. 20, 1844; Josephine, April 25, 1846; Lavinia, Nov. 8, 1848; Dolisca, Aug. 27, 1850; Emma, Dec. 3, 1852; Laura, March 26, 1855; Benton H., Aug. 21, 1857; Ethan A., Dec. 13, 1859; Nora P., Jan. 31, 1862; they have lost three children, as follows: Alzina, died July 9, 1850; Dora, April 14, 1866; Laura, Dec. 21, 1877. Mr. Ruckman and his family are well known throughout the country, and they have all seen as hard times in their day as any one; he now lives to enjoy his fine farm and pleasant home. The farm was in Auburn Township, but now, since the change of boundaries, is in Plymouth Township.



SEILER, M. S., harness-maker, Plymouth; was born in Dauphin Co., Penn., Sept, 18, 1842; the family came to Ohio when Mr. S. was quite young; he received his education at Plymouth; in 1858, commenced to learn his trade. In September, 1861, he enlisted in Co. D, 32d O. V. I.; he remained in this company till September, 1864, and participated in the following battles: Green Briar, W. Va., Alleghany Mountains, McDowell and Cross Keys, after which they returned to Winchester, Va., thence to Harper's Ferry, where they were captured on Sept. 15, 1862. (See history of the regiment.) Mr. Seiler endured many privations and hardships incident to war, and was a brave and valiant soldier; on their return up the Mississippi River, they had orders not to stop at Ft. Pillow, or they would all suffer the same fate as did the brave boys who were there; he was with Sherman's army during the battles and siege of Atlanta, he receiving a shot in the shoulder which laid him up for a time; after his discharge, he went to Little Rock. Ark., where he worked in the Government harness-shop till June, 1865, when he returned to Richland Co., where he has lived ever since, and to-day is numbered as one of the business men of the town, and his work gives satisfaction wherever used. June 6, 1866, be was married to Miss Clara E. Hull; the, have three children-Charles, born Dec. 6, 1869 ; Rose, Feb. 23, 1876 ; Grace, Feb. 25, 1878.

SCHEAFFER, J. E., Plymouth; was born in Pennsylvania in 1845. April 13, 1861, he enlisted in Co. lst Penn. Battery; there remained until Aug. 21, 1863, and participated in the following battles: Green Briar, W. Va., and Bull Run, where he was wounded on the 30th day of August, 1862; then he returned to Pennsylvania, and, in 1864, started West; in September, 1864, he hired to the Government to pack provisions, with headquarters at Leavenworth, Kan., where he traveled all through the territory and crossed the Rocky Mountains twice; was in Salt Lake City for ten days; in February, 1867, he returned to Pennsylvania; in December of the same year, he went to Crestline, Ohio. Was married, Dec. 22, 1868, to Miss Clara McKean, of Leesville, Ohio, whence he moved to Plymouth, Ohio, and began to work at his trade, manufacturing harness, saddles, etc., where he now lives. and is regarded by his numerous friends and patrons as a reliable and worthy man; they have two children -Frederick, born Sept. 29, 1869; Cora May, Aug. 10, 1873. Mr. A. McKean is a harness-maker with Mr. Scheaffer.

SHOUP, JOHN J., farmer; P. O. Shelby; was burn in Pennsylvania in 1844 ; he has always lived at home and has helped to make the farm what it is to-day. Was married, Oct. 3, 1871, to Miss Adaline Miller, of Case Township ; they have one child-Martha J., born Sept. 2, 1873. His father, John Shoup, was born in Franklin Co., Penn., within nine miles of Hagerstown, Md., Oct. 31, 1812; was raised on the farm till about 14 years of age; he then commenced to learn the carpenter's trade ; in June, 1833, came to Richland Co.. where he remained two years, and returned to Pennsylvania; in 1845, moved back and located near his present farm, and, about one year after, he bought his farm; the old log house still stands there that was built nearly fifty years ago; the land was wild and very wet ; his corn-field is now where what was known as the "big marsh," and used to be considered worthless. They have quite a curiosity in the shape of a dirk-knife, which they found in a limb of a large tree, about seventy feet from the ground; they cut it down for rails, and, on trimming it up, they cut the limb and split it, and there lay the dirk-knife inside of the limb, and how it came there is a mystery yet unsolved, as the limb bad the appearance of being nearly solid. They have a very productive farm; have raised eighty bushels of shelled corn to the acre, and thirty-six bushels of wheat to the acre, Was married, Nov. 16, 1837, to Miss Logue; they had ten children, four of whom are now living. Mr. Shoup remembers well when the old log court house and jail was standing in Mansfield, and when they held court in it; his family all live with and around him ; they moved from Pennsylvania in wagons; were three weeks coming through; his farm is five miles south of Plymouth and is as fine and productive a farm as there is in the township.

SMITH, S. S., DR., manufacturer of Dr. Smith's King ' of Care; was born in Canada Dec. 12, 1822; the


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Doctor came to Ohio in 1850, and to Plymouth in August, 1864: commenced the study of medicine when quite young, and in 1861 commenced the practice; he has read it great many medical works, and is pretty well posted in medicine of both schools, having spent many years in the study of each, and finally settled down on Homoeopathy: he attended the Western Homeopathic College. of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1862-63, since which time he has been following his profession ; at the commencement of his practice, he found the need of a reliable agent to net upon the secretions, and not finding in the general catalogue, he began to study up a remedy. As a result of his years of study and practice, has succeeded in placing before the public and profession his "King of Cure, which is well known where the Doctor has been making and prescribing it to his patients, improving and testing its merits for over ten years before putting it into market. except within the bounds of his practice, where it lifts won for itself a reputation at home never before equaled by any other remedy, as is shown by the thousands of testimonials which it, has received. The Doctor is well known throughout the community, and has been very successful.

SYKES. W. H., Dr., physician and surgeon, Plymouth ; he was born in June, 1836. in Genesee Co , N. Y. and was raised a farmer; the family moved West when the Doctor was quite young, landing in Huron Co., Ohio. In 1857, he attended the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, receiving the degree of M. D. in 1858; after practicing some eight years he again took another college course, this time at the Cleveland Medical College, and received again the degree of M. D. In 1865, the Doctor came to Plymouth and has practiced medicine here ever since, and, it is safe to say, with marked success, he being well known throughout the country as a good and reliable physician, and the only one in town who makes a specialty of surgery, consequently he gets the greater portion of this branch of the profession. He was Assistant Surgeon in the 166th O. N. G.: was in the hospital service for a long time. In 1860, he became a member of the Delamater Medical Society, and, in 1870, of the Ohio State Medical Society; also, in 1874, of the American Medical Society. Was married first Sept. 30, 1860, to Miss Sarah A. Stewart, of Bergen, Geneses Co., N. Y.: they had three children-Ellen Ida, born June 18, 1863; Royal D., June 9, 1866; William S., March 15, 1876. Oct. 10, 1876, Mrs. Sykes died. Jan. 12, 1878, the Doctor was married to Miss Eliza Bevier, of Plymouth.

TRANGER, SAMUEL II., Sr. (deceased ); (NOTE: The name is spelled Tranger and Trauger in following biographies) he was born on the west bank of the Delaware River, forty miles north by northeast of Philadelphia, Penn., on Oct. 2, 1795; he was raised a farmer, find fully understood it in all its branches, as his prosperity and after life would indicate; in his youthful days, all farmers of that vicinity did all their marketing and trading at that city ; he always did a great deal of teeming to Philadelphia with four, and sometimes a six-horse team. In 1825, he was married to Miss Susannah Maust, with whom he lived happily for a period of more than fifty-four years; but in May 1879, she was called from his side by death, at the advanced age of 80 years 3 months and 2 days, preceding him to the grave a little over five months ; on Nov. 7, 1879, he was called to the spirit-world at the age of 84 years 1 month and 5 days; he said he was ready: he had no regrets; he had done all the good he could, and was ready to go to the Father. There were born to Mr. and Mrs. Tranger five sons and four daughters; two of the latter died in early life; the remaining seven children were present and cared for them in their last affliction and death; they lie side by side in Green Lawn Cemetery. In 1835, he and a cousin went West to buy land: his cousin bought near Toledo, but Mr. Tranger returned and bought in Plymouth Township, three miles southwest or the village, of Col. Woolf, the best quarter-section of land in the vicinity; it was all heavy forest. In April, 1836, he moved his family of nine persons, by wagon, from the place of his birth, over bad roads, swamps, rivers, bills and mountains, about 600 miles by the route traveled, to the farm on which he resided for forty-three years; he then in May erected his first cabin, near the "big spring;" the neighbors all worked till the house was ready to be occupied, and then for about twenty years the destruction of timber went on: it was the heaviest-timbered land in this vicinity: there was one poplar-tree from which was sawed 13,000 feet of lumber, by accurate measurement of the owner of saw-mill ; the largest oak-tree measured twenty-two feet around at eight feet above the ground, and was fifty feet without a knot or limb, and many other trees nearly as large. His farm is one of the best in the State, having been awarded the first premium at three different contests for the best farms in Richland Co., in the years 1853-55. He was an experienced farmer; he raises a field of 8 acres of wheat that averaged 64 1/4 bushels to the acre, and has produced over 100 bushels of corn to the acre. In the forty-three years he lived on the aforesaid farm, he lived well, and contributed liberally to many charitable institutions, and the poor never failed to be noticed by him; every Thanksgiving Day he donated a grist of flour to them; he also gave much to churches; at one donation, about thirty years ago, he gave $600, which. with the other subscriptions to the same church, amounted to over $1,000 for the building of this church ; besides all his liberal donations to charitable purposes, he distributed over $20,000 among his children. He was the first to be called, out of a family of six, two older and three younger than he - -the oldest being 89. When young, he was a very prominent man in the community; at the age of 21, was chosen Chaplain of a militia company which commission he held till he moved to Ohio. In his death the community sustained a great loss. He was a good citizen honest as the day was long; was a kind neighbor; obliging, friendly, warm-hearted and true ; every one who knew him esteemed him.

TRAUGER, SAMUEL, JR., manufacturer of agricultural implements, Plymouth; was born near Philadelphia, Penn., on the 26th day of February, 1832. In April, 1836, he, with his father's family, came to Ohio, the whole distance about six hundred miles, by wagons, and settled on a farm three miles southwest of Plymouth. When 18 years of age, he began for himself by teaching school in the winter and carpen-


PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP. - 873

tering in the summer. This mode of life lie continued for seven years in the States of Ohio, Illinois and Town. In the spring of 1855, he bought of the Government 310 acres of land in Boone Co., Iowa, about twenty miles from the capital of the State. Mr. Tranger then returned to Ohio and taught school the following winter, and in June he started for Lake Superior, but at Detroit, Mich., he learned unfavorable news which changed his course, and he there took u boat for Chicago ; he afterward went to Iowa and was engaged in various business. In May, 1860, he in company with forty others outfitted near Des Moines, Iowa, and traveled by wagon to what was then called Pike's Peak gold regions, a distance of about eight hundred miles, camping on the plains at night and doing their own cooking. They arrived at Denver, Colo., June 20. He and twenty others went on an exploring trip about eighty miles into the mountains, passing among and through the snow drifts larger than houses, crossing the range at Long's Peak, from which a magnificent view was had of mountains, valleys, plains, groves and cities, for a distance of more than a hundred miles. In the miner every foot of paying ground was claimed and held at fabulous prices. After searching a month for something that would pay, he and others purchased ranch claims in the valley and bought stock of emigrants and at the auctions in Denver, and drove it from the ranch to the mines: they pastured the year round, cattle getting fat in the winter; snow never lies on the ground more than two days at a time until there will be places where stock can graze again. While snow is on the ground, the stock have to live on "sage-wood" bushes and brush along the creeks. They also marketed hay and vegetables in the mines. While there, he descended a shaft where quartz was being mined, wishing to see one of the miners that was 125 feet under the ground. It appeared to him as though he had climbed a thousand feet and causes an unpleasant feeling to go into these places. Yet thousands go deeper every day. The mines in this country are mostly quartz mines. There being but little rainfall, and the main dependence for moisture is snow, which falls in the spring; people have to irrigate their land to raise crops. It consists of digging long ditches from the streams that come out of the mountains. In the spring of 1864, Indian troubles having begun, Mr. Trauger returned home. In 1865, he purchased 150 acres of land on the New Haven Prairie, intending to raise stock, but the war closed at that time and prices of stock declined. Then he, in company with a brother and S. B. Day, now of Mansfield, bought the "Plymouth Foundry and Machine Shops." After running them successfully for more than a year, they sold out to parties who moved the shops away. Then a joint stuck company was organized, with a capital of $10,000, and built a new foundry; he being a Director, Treasurer, and a member of the executive committee. After two years, he sold out his stock and retired from the company. He then made a trip to Iowa and sold his lands at about $10 per acre ; also sold 200 acres in Crawford Co., Iowa, that he and his brother had taken on a debt. In 1872, he engaged in manufacturing agricultural implements, and has built up a prosperous and increasing business. He was married May 13, 1875, to Miss Sarah E. Hutchinson, of Plymouth Township; they have one child, Grace Ann, born Feb. 8, 1878.

TRAUGER, HENRY, farmer; was born April 25. 1829, in Pennsylvania; the family came to Plymouth Township in 1836, and purchased the farm that he now owns. In 1853, Mr. Trauger took a trip to California, Panama, and many other places of interest; has traveled from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans, and, as a consequence, is a well-informed man ; his trip to the Isthmus, etc., took him a period of six months ; when he returned he lived six years in Iowa, going there in the fall of 1854, as a farmer, and various other trades; run a thrashing machine for several years; in 1860, came back to the old homestead and has there remained ever since, buying the old farm of his father. Mr. Trauger raises a large amount of grain, and keeps a fine lot of stock ; theirs used to be the " premium " farm of the county. Was married Sept. 28, 1876, to Miss Stoutnour. of Mansfield; they have one child, a little girl.

WAITE, T. D., blacksmith and agricultural implement dealer, Plymouth; residence, warehouse and shop on Sandusky street; was born in South Wellingham, Lincolnshire, England, April 11, 1825. A brother of his, Mr. William Waite, came to Plymouth in 1853, their being six children in the family; their father, Thomas Waite, together with Mrs. Waite, and the balance of the children, came the following year, 1854, and all located in Plymouth and vicinity. The following are the names of the families and their occupation William, a farmer; T. D., blacksmith and implement dealer; John, carpenter; Charles, carpenter; Sarah, the only daughter, married William Loffland ; George, butcher, at Shelby. The old folks are still living in New Haven Township: they follow farming; three of the boys, John, Charley and George, were in the army ; John enlisted in Co. H, 163d O. N. G.; Charley enlisted in the spring of 1861, in Co. D, 32d O. V. I.; George was in the 11th O. V. C., and was all through the Western States and Territories, where he hoped to fight Indians and doing scout duty. Mr. S. D. Waite, the subject of this sketch, learned the blacksmith trade of his father and older brother, when quite a small boy, and has worked tit his trade for twenty-five years, and it is safe to say that he is one of the best in the country, as he fully understands it in all branches; in the spring of 1879, he added a full line of agricultural implements to his shop, consisting of wagons, carriages, sleighs and all kinds of farming implements, and the business has been very satisfactory to him ; he being well-known as a reliable man in every way, and people have confidence in him. Was married, in 1872, to Miss E. Ladow, of Auburn Township, Crawford Co.; they have one child-Jesse, born November, 1865.

WEBBER, FRED. H., farmer; P. O. Plymouth; he was born Dec. 29, 1853; was raised and always lived at home on the farm ; the balance of the family have all left, and leaves him at home to take care of his mother who is quite an old lady, and to look after the interests of the farm. He was married in 1876 to Miss Harriet Kirkpatrick, of Plymouth Township ; they have one little boy-Frank, born in 1877. Mr. Webber now owns the old farm where they live, it being the old


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homestead. His father, Mr. David B. Webber, was born in the State of Maine in 1800; came to Plymouth Township in 1817 ; the family located south of Plymouth about two miles ; the county was but thinly settled at that time, and they were numbered among the pioneers of Richland Co., and have passed through all the hardships, privations, etc., incident to pioneer life and a new and unimproved country ; he has always been a farmer and a highly respected citizen. He was married in 1824 to Miss Lucy Conkling, of Plymouth Township; in 1837, they moved to their present farm, now owned by their son, Fred H., about three miles southwest of Plymouth; when they came on to it, it was a dense forest, and, by hard and faithful labor, he succeeded in making one of the finest farms in the Township, and a very pleasant home. There were thirteen children in their family, and they are scattered from Plymouth to California; one son, Mr. M. Webber, is Postmaster at Plymouth, and another, Mr. T. J. Webber, druggist, in the same building. Mr. Webber died Nov. 5, 1874. Mrs. Webber is living at home with her son as above mentioned ; they have everything around them to make home pleasant and comfortable.

WESTFALL, HANEY, was born in Beverly, W. Va. May 27, 1796: in his early youth, he came West to Lancaster, Ohio. to live with his uncle, David Pugh, and with him served an apprenticeship at the tanning business; upon the breaking-out of the war of 1812, he enlisted in Capt. Housker's company, Ohio militia, and served until the close of the war: after the close of the war, he came to Mansfield and worked in the tan-yard of his uncle, John Pugh, which was located just north of where the European Hotel now stands. Ile afterward removed to Plymouth, then known as Paris, and engaged in the tanning business there f or a number of years. He was married there to Hannah Concklin, who now resides with her daughter, Mrs. D. W. Gibbs, at Toledo; he died Aug. 25, 1869, on his farm, one-half mile west of Plymouth. Mr. Westfall was a man of sterling integrity and most exemplary habits, and honest and upright in all his business relations. Politically, he was a Democrat of the old Jackson kind, but, during the late civil war, differed from his old party on the question of the conduct of the war, but returned to the party at the close of the war and died in the political faith in which he was reared ; at the time of his death, he was a member of the Lutheran Church at Plymouth; he was a warm and intimate friend all his life of Father John Wiler and very seldom came to Mansfield without calling on his old friend. He left one son, Jacob Westfall, who resides on the old farm, and four daughters, all of whom are married and now living and located as follows: Mrs. Starr and Mrs. D. W. Gibbs at Toledo; Mrs. Nimmons at Butler, Ind., and Mrs. Whitehead at Kansas City, Mo. Mr. Westfall always took great pride in the growth and prosperity of the city of Mansfield ; the following taken from the flyleaf of his family Bible was penned by him a few years before his death and just at the close of the war of the rebellion, viz.: "I love my family and this Holy Book first, and my beloved Government of the United States second ; I hope to stand by her as long as I live ; I hope she will come out of her present trouble in triumph, and the Stars and Stripes wave over every foot of her territory, and that this blamed and wicked rebelling shall be put down never to rise again. May 1, 1864. H. WESTFALL."

WOLF, M. L., miller, Plymouth ; he was born in Ashland Co., Ohio, near Haysville, in 1854; he learned the trade when a very small boy: he commenced when he had to stand on a half-bushel measure to pack flour to a barrel; he came to Plymouth with his father, something over four years ago, and he and his father are counted as good men at their business as there is in the country, and their large business shows them to be men who thoroughly understand milling in all its branches. He was married in 1873 to Miss Messamore, of Wyandot Co.: they have two children-Florence Lulu, born Sept. 2, 1874 ; Charley, Sept. 20, 1879.

WOLF, HENRY, proprietor flouring wills, Plymouth ; lie was born in York Co., Penn., near Little York, in 1831; came to Ohio in the spring of 1849; he learned the trade of milling, near Haysville, Ashland Co., Nov. 1, 1875; he came to Plymouth, and first purchased and conducted a hotel in town, and, in April 1876, he bought the mill; it has four run of stones, and his mills are known throughout the community as turning, out the best of flour; the mill has been built nearly fifty years, and is perhaps one of the oldest mills in the county ; it, has been rebuilt and remodeled, and does not look like the same old mill. Mr. Wolf was married in 1851, to Miss Carpenter, of Ashland Co.; they have three children-M. L., born in 1854 ; Barbara, in 1856.

WOLF, WILLIAM H., engineer and miller, Plymouth ; he was born in 1858, and has always been in the mill with his father, and has learned the business, from engineering to milling, and is a steady, industrious young man.


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