WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1075 crat in politics and a consistent member of the Presbyterian church. John and Caroline Sanderson became the parents of the following children : Robert, of Niles, Ohio; John C., the immediate subject of this sketch; James, of Holmes county, Ohio; Mary Jane, who was the wife of Perry E. Sherman but is now deceased; Hiram lives in Saltcreek township, this county ; Amos, a successful dentist at Orrville, Ohio ; Ida E., the wife of Charles Ramsey, of Fredericksburg, Ohio; Edward, also of Fredericksburg. The parents of these children are now deceased, and their remains lie side by side in the East cemetery at Fredericksburg. They were a worthy couple and few persons ever lived in this section who more wholly enjoyed the respect and esteem of the entire community. They were active agencies in the development of this region and their enthusiastic support was always given to movements that promised to benefit the community in any way. John C. Sanderson was reared by his parents and is indebted to the common schools of the neighborhood for his mental training. He remained with his parents until his marriage, when he started out on his own account and has since been engaged continuously in agricultural pursuits. He is the owner of three hundred and thirty-eight acres of as fine land as can be found in this section of the county and, owing to his energy, enterprise and progressive spirit, he has been enabled annually to realize handsome returns for the labor he has bestowed on it. On this place he erected a neat and attractive residence and other buildings and has in many other ways brought the place up to the highest standard of excellence. He is methodical in his work and gives his personal attention to every detail of the work, so that nothing is left undone that would contribute to the success of his operations. In addition to the tilling of the soil he gives some attention to the raising of livestock, in which also he has met with a gratifying degree of success. On the l0th of January, 1881, John C. Sanderson was united in marriage to Maryetta Moore, who was born in Saltcreek township, Wayne county, Ohio, November 1, 1859, a daughter of William Butler and Susan (Martin) Moore.. William Moore was a native of New Jersey but is now deceased, while his widow now makes her home near Fredericksburg, this county. To the subject and his wife were born the following children : Cora, Oren Martin, Susan and Ida Grace, who are all at home, and two that died in early childhood. In his political views Mr. Sanderson clings to the faith of his fathers, the Democratic, but he has never aspired to public office or preferment of any nature. His religious membership is in the Presbyterian church at Fred- 1076 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. ericksburg, of which he is a trustee, and in other ways takes a leading and prominent part. Mr. Sanderson is known throughout the township in which he lives as an honest, industrious and enterprising man, one who has always had the good of his friends and neighbors at heart. No more loyal and helpful man can be found in the township than he, as he has in every way possible striven to exert his influence in such a manner as to effect the best general results. JACOB KRICK. The German element in Wayne county, Ohio, has played a conspicuous part in transforming it into one of the two leading counties of the Union and of this worthy number Jacob Krick must have a place. He was born in Rheinberne, Germany, January 13, 1833, the son of Jacob and Margaret (Wert) Krick. They were the parents of three children, Philip, Jacob and Phoebe. Jacob Krick, of this review, came to the United States in 1852 and settled in Wayne county, Ohio. He had limited means when he came here, consequently hired out to work on the farm by the year at about nine dollars per month. He was married, in 1857, to Elizabeth Wert, who was reared in Greene township, this county. After his marriage, Mr. Krick was employed by the day. In time he moved to Holmes county, adjoining Wayne on the south, and there he rented land until he moved to the present farm in 1864. He rented it until 1873, when he bought the farm of ninety acres, having made by his own efforts enough money to defray the expenses of the purchase. He has always been a hard worker and a good manager and deserves a great deal of credit for what he has accomplished considering that he started with nothing. He has a good farm and it yields a comfortable income from year to year. To Mr: and Mrs. Jacob Krick nine children were born, seven of whom are living in 1909, namely : Katherine, wife of George Smith, of Orrville ; Mary, wife of Jacob Seigley ; Anna, wife of John Grant ; Margaret, single, is living in Medina county, this state; Charles, whose sketch appears on another page of this work ; Philip, who is single ; Frederick has also remained unmarried. Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Krick have ten grandchildren, namely : Ward Smith, Ellis G. Seigler, Esther Seigler, Ann and John Grant, Erin J., Gladys E., Charles and Russell Grant ; Mildred, Mabel and Ruth Krick. WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1077 Mr. Krick and members of his family belong to the Reformed church at Orrville, this county. Politically Jacob Krick is a Democrat. He is well known in the eastern part of Wayne county and is a man of fine personal traits. THOMAS H. LITSINGER. Year has been added to year and decade to decade until the aggregate of three-quarters of a century has been attained since the time when the subject of this sketch came to Wayne county, of which his father was a pioneer. The latter lived here until attaining a venerable age, and as a man whose life had been such as to retain to him the high esteem of his fellow men. When the family took up their residence here the section was in many respects still practically a frontier region, awaiting the awakening touch of the sturdy pioneers who would still further transform its wild lands into rich and productive farms and beautiful homes, establish villages, churches, schools and various commercial and industrial enterprises and thus continue the inceptive work of reclaiming the country for the uses and blessing of mankind. The natural advantages of this section attracted at' an early day a superior class of settlers,—a thrifty, industrious, progressive and law-abiding people, whose influence has given permanent direction to the work of development and material advancement. Of this type was the father 'of the subject, Darius Litsinger, who was born at Towsontown, Maryland, March 25, 1805. He was there reared and educated, and on attaining manhood's years he took unto himself a helpmeet in the person of Mary Ann Bucher. She was born at Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, October 13, 18o8, and was a daughter of Christian and Elizabeth Bucher. Her mother was born January 5, 1776, and died April 16, 1873, she and her husband being now buried in the cemetery at Moorland, Ohio. In the fall of 1834 Darius Lit-singer brought his family to Wayne county, Ohio, being accompanied also by Christian and Elizabeth Bucher, and they located in the neighborhood of where the subject of this sketch now lives. Their journey overland was made in a four-horse wagon and was a long and wearisome journey. Darius and Mary Litsinger spent the remaining years of their life here and became prominently and favorably known throughout the community. He was first a Democrat in politics, but from the time of the candidacy of William Henry Harrison he remained allied with the Republican party. He and his wife were earnest and faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church at 1078 - WAYNE COUNTY; OHIO. Moorland, Mr. Litsinger having served efficiently as trustee of the same. They were the parents of the following children : William died young; Thomas, Joseph, Charles, Richard, Matilda and Elizabeth are deceased; Susan is the wife of Martin Scott and lives at Apple Creek ; Ellen, deceased, was the wife of John Weiker. Darius Litsinger died on the 1st of April, 1885, and his wife on December 1o, 1890, their remains being buried in the cemetery at Moorland. Thomas H. Litsinger, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, near the city of Baltimore, August 27, 1834. He was a baby when the family emigrated to their new home in the Buckeye state and here he was reared and has spent the subsequent years of his life. He secured his education in the district schools of the neighborhood, and, owing to the somewhat primitive equipment and methods which characterized the schools of those early days, his educational opportunities were somewhat limited. Besides most of his time, when old enough, was devoted to the strenuous work of clearing the land and putting it in cultivation, in which work he was an able assistant to his father. He has always resided in Franklin township and since 186o has resided continuously on his present fine farm, which is located in section 20. He has devoted most of his time to farming, in which he has been fairly successful, owing to his enterprising and progressive methods. In connection with agriculture, he has also worked much at carpentering, in which he is proficient, and has had a hand in erecting some of the best buildings in this section of the county. He is energetic and has all his life been actively engaged in work of some nature. He enjoys a splendid reputation among those who know him best and all esteem him for his genuine worth. Mr. Litsinger married Jane G. Gabriel, who was born in 1836, the daughter of Thomas and Ann (Jones) Gabriel. Her parents were natives of Pennsylvania, having come to Ohio in 183o and located one mile east of Moorland, where they built a commodious and substantial stone house. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church and were active in all good works. Mr. Gabriel was a Republican in politics. Going further back in the ancestral record of Mrs. Litsinger, it is noted that her paternal grandfather was Jacob 'Gabriel and her maternal grandfather was Daniel Jones, both of whom were born, lived and died in Pennsylvania. To Thomas and Ann Gabriel were born the following children : James, David, Jacob, Phoebe, Margaret, John, Caleb, Elizabeth (who married Solomon Tate), Martha, Jane (wi fe of the subject). Besides those mentioned above, three died in infancy, and Mrs. Litsinger is the only one of the children now living. To Mr. and WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1079 Mrs. Litsinger have been born the following children : Ellen, of this township; Hannah is the wife of William Jacot, of East Union township, this county, and they have two children, Mabel and Eleanor. Mr. Litsinger is a stanch Democrat in his political belief and has taken a live and commendable interest in local public affairs, having rendered very satisfactory service as treasurer of the township. He and his wife are faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he is a member of the official board in the capacity of steward. He has long been numbered among the leading farmers and public-spirited citizens of his township. He has maintained his property at the highest standard of excellence, the appearance of the place indicating the owner to be a man of excellent taste and sound judgment. THOMAS PENDLETON BROWN. There is no positive rule for achieving success, and yet in the life of the successful man there are always lessons which might well be followed. The man who gains prosperity is he who can see and utilize the opportunities that come in his path. The essential conditions of human life are ever the same, the surroundings of individuals differ but slightly, after all ; and when one man passes another on the highway of life to reach the goal of prosperity before others who perhaps started out before him, it is because he has the power to use advantages which properly encompass the whole human race. Such thoughts are prompted by a study of the life record of Thomas Pendleton Brown, of Wooster, one of the most skillful civil engineers in this section of the Buckeye state, and he has achieved his envied position in this calling solely through individual efforts, with many obstacles against him, but he has surmounted them, one by one, and, while yet a young man, his labors have been crowned by success, and the future holds much of promise for him. Mr. Brown is a native of Wooster, having been born here on January 19, 1876, and he has continued to make Wayne county his home. He is the son of John B. and Marilla (Koch) Brown, being the eldest of their children. The father, for many years a well-known citizen of Wooster, was at one time deputy sheriff, filling out the unexpired term of Ethan A. Brown, turning over the office, which he had very creditably filled, to his successor in 1889. Thomas P. Brown was always an ambitious lad, but not having a very flattering prospect to gain an education in his boyhood days, he set out to 1080 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. educate himself and he has succeeded admirably well. He passed through the Wooster high school and the Bixler Business College, and, as already intimated, learned civil engineering by studying at nights. In his younger years he engaged successfully for a time in the real estate business. When the Spanish-American war broke out Mr. Brown was one of the first to volunteer his services in eradicating the tyranny of Spain, and enlisted in Company D, Eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in April, 1898. The company was well drilled and was sent to Cuba, where it remained from July 11th to the latter part of August, but, much to the disappointment of Mr. Brown and his comrades, they had no opportunity to see active service on the firing line. They 'were ordered home and were mustered out at Wooster on November Jo, 1908, being honorably discharged. Mr. Brown was married on December 8, 1899, to Irene Taggart, daughter of Calvin Taggart, a highly-respected family of Wooster, and this union has resulted in the birth of one child, Marilla Irene, born January 2, 1903. Mr. Brown is an active and influential member of the Baptist church, and he belongs to the Buckeye Camp, United Spanish-American War Veterans. He was elected ditch supervisor of Wooster township, in 1909, and is giving eminent satisfaction in that capacity. BEN DOUGLAS. Human lives resemble the waves of the sea; they flash a few brief moments in the sunlight, marvels of power and beauty, and then are dashed upon the remorseless shores of death and disappear forever. As the mighty deep has rolled for ages past and chanted its sublime requiem and will continue to roll during the coming ages until time shall be no more, so will the waves of human life follow each other in countless succession until they mingle at last with the billows of eternity's boundless sea. The passing of any human life, however humble and unknown, is sure to give rise to a pang of anguish to some heart, but when the fell destroyer knocks audibly at the door of the useful and great and removes from earthly scenes the man of honor and influence and the benefactor of his kind, it not only means bereavement to kindred and friends, but a public calamity as well. In the largest and best sense of the term, the late Ben Douglas, of 'Wooster, was distinctively one of the notable men of his day and generation and as such is entitled to a conspicuous place in the annals of his city, county and state. As a citizen he was enterprising and public-spirited, as a polished WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1081 and versatile author he won a wide and lasting reputation and as a friend and neighbor he combined the qualities of head and heart that won confidence and commanded respect. It is scarce less than a supererogation in outlining in a brief sketch the leading facts in his life to refer to him as a citizen in the ordinary phraseology which meets all requirements when dealing with the average man. Mr. Douglas was a native of Wayne county, Ohio, his birth occurring here August 13, 1836, and he was summoned by the "ancient silence to the windowless palaces of rest" on July 24, 1909, after a useful and honorable low career, the major part of which took shape in his native community and the city of Wooster where he had long maintained his pleasant home and where his death occurred. He was the son of James and Elizabeth W. Douglas, who at the time their son Ben was born lived in Plain township on the 0ld Douglas homestead. They were each fine types of sterling pioneer citizens, influential there and highly respected by all who knew them. Ben Douglas remained on the home farm, assisting with the work about the place until he was twenty years of age, in the meantime attending the district school in Jefferson. Later he entered Vermillion Institute at Hayesville, which institution he attended for a period of three years and gained a very serviceable education, which was greatly broadened in later years by promiscuous reading and special study. He early had an ambition to become an attorney, consequently he began studying the law in the office of William Orr and John Irvin, well known practitioners in the courts here during a past generation. After a year there he entered the Cleveland Law School, from which he was graduated with a very creditable record in 1861, and was admitted to the bar by the supreme court. He formed a law partnership with Joseph Downing. The Civil war came on and the office of Downing & Douglas became a recruiting office. Mr. Douglas, being intensely patriotic, did much to assist the Union cause, and he wrote the first call for volunteers, the instrument now being highly prized by the Wooster Grand Army post. During those troublous times he made many speeches over the country in an effort to induce more volunteers to go to the front, devoting the years during the war to this work, and he never returned to the law again as' a practicing lawyer. Politically, Mr. Douglas was an ardent Republican and his ability and powers as an orator naturally attracted the attention of local political leaders of his day, and in 1868, the "Grant, Colfax and Peace" campaign, he was sent on a stumping tour to California and Nevada where he made a great record as a forceful political orator. In 1882 he was appointed to a position in the 1082 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. postmaster-general's office at Washington, D. C., where he soon won high favor and while in that city he corresponded for noted papers and magazines. After his return to Wooster, he became editor of The Jacksonian, and, although a Republican himself, he conducted the political columns of that journal and rendered it popular and influential, being a ready writer on any subject and always well advised on the current topics of the day. He was a lover of good books and owned a large and carefully selected library of the world's best and standard literature, including many old and rare volumes. As a descriptive writer he had but few equals and possibly no superiors. He was a poet of more than ordinary talent, many of his verses resembling some of those written by Moore, Holmes and Whittier, and they will doubtless continue to please and encourage many a person for generations to come, as will also much of his wholesome prose. Perhaps his greatest literary work was his "History of Wayne County," published in 1878, a thorough and comprehensive work of higher merit than the ordinary history. He left in manuscript a history of the Grand Army of the Republic. His last published work, was "Wayne County Lawyers," issued in 1900, which is a treasure of its kind. In many ways he was one of the most gifted men ever born and reared in Wayne county, Ohio. He was a man of commanding presence and noted for his vitality, a characteristic of his ancestors. The chapter in Mr. Douglas's interesting career bearing on his domestic life began in 1861, when he was married to Narcissa Newkirk, a woman of culture, education and genial address, a native of Big Prairie, Ohio, and the representative of an excellent and popular old family. She survives and is living in Wooster. This union resulted in the birth of two daughters, Mrs. Dale Lowry, of Nicholasville, Kentucky, and Mrs. Mabel Esary, of Seattle, Washington. CHARLES ELMER METTETAL. Charles E. Mettetal, a well-known citizen of Saltcreek township, Wayne county, Ohio, owns and operates a valuable farm whose neat and thrifty appearance well indicates his careful supervision. Substantial improvements are surrounded by well-tilled fields, and all of the accessories and conveniences of a model farm are there found. Mr. Mettetal traces his ancestry back to the vine-clad hills of sunny France, where lived his great-grandfather, Francis Mettetal, who in an early WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1083 day emigrated to the United States and entered land in Wayne county, the same being the farm now owned and operated by J. H. Fisher. The entire section of the state where he settled was covered with a dense forest growth, so that when the pioneers went any considerable distance from home they invariably carried a hatchet with which to "blaze" the trees, that they might not become lost. Massillon was at that time the only town of any importance in this section of the state, and that was the common trading point for all the early settlers. The maternal grandfather, Peter Mettetal, was also born in France, and was a lad of fifteen years when the family located in their new home, and his efforts were applied to the clearing of the new farm and the cultivation of the first crops. He spent the remaining years of his life on this place and died there. His son George, father of the subject of this sketch, was born on this place and lived there all his life, dying there at the age of forty-nine years, and during this period he was never outside of Wayne county. He always followed farming and was successful in that line. He was in politics an ardent Democrat, but was never a seeker after public office. He was a member of the French Reformed church, in which he was a consistent member, but, being of a retiring disposition, he never assumed a leading part. He married Rosanna Blosser, who was born near Mount Eaton, Wayne county, and whose people were originally from Switzerland. She is still living, at the age of sixty years, and makes her home with the subject, who gives her every possible attention. She and George M. Mettetal were married in this county and they became the parents of three children, Charles E., Lovie and Alva, who is deceased. Charles E. Mettetal was born on the paternal farmstead in Saltcreek township, Wayne county, on the 13th of April, 188o, and was there reared. He secured a good practical education in the common schools of his neighborhood, principally at what was known as the Johnson school house, but, being compelled to go to work at the early age of fifteen years, his education was somewhat abbreviated. Since the age mentioned he has applied himself continuously to the cultivation of the soil, excepting four years when he lived in Akron, Ohio. He now owns and operates eighty-eight acres of the old home place and is considered among the prominent and progressive farmers of his locality. He is alert and energetic and seldom fails to secure good crops in return for the labor bestowed. He keeps in close touch with the most advanced ideas relating to the science of agriculture and does not hesitate to adopt new methods when experiment and experience have demonstrated them to be superior to old methods. His property is well improved and its general appearance indicates the owner to be a man of good taste and sound judgment. 1084 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. On May 31, 1903, Mr. Mettetal was united in marriage to Mary Jane Boyer, who was born in .East Union township, this county, April 8, 1881, the daughter of Abraham Boyer. Her parents were natives of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and were early settlers in Wayne county. The subject and his wife have become the parents of two children, Harry Allen, now five years old, and Minnie, who is three years old. In political matters Mr. Mettetal assumes an independent attitude and invariabley gives his support to me rather than party, believing that the personal qualifications of a candidate for the office he seeks to be of paramount importance. The only public office he has held was that of school director, in which he rendered efficient service to his township. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees at Apple Creek. He gives his support to all moral, educational, social or material interests which he believes will benefit the community, and as a man of sterling worth he justly merits the high regard in which he is held. SOLOMON SOUERS. Among the intelligent, progressive and enterprising men who have successfully directed their attention and labors to the noble work of husbandry in Wayne county and whose prosperity has come as the result of personal effort, is Mr. Souers, one of the substantial and honored agriculturists of Saltcreek township. If one is to sojourn for any length of time in that naturally favored portion of the county, he is sure to note with appreciation the changes wrought by the hand of man to the end of securing the great fields of waving grain, the undulating meadows, with their herds and flocks, the substantial improvements and the various other conditions indicative of a prosperous agricultural community. In this connection also will be noticed the fine farm estate of the subject of this review, and here he is abiding in peace, contentment and plenty, honored by those among whom so many years of his life have been passed, and ever doing all in his power to conserve the best interests of the community. Solomon Souers was born in the home in which he now lives, the date of his birth having been the 28th of January, 1831. He is a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Franks) Souers. The father was a native of Switzerland and came to the United States with his parents when he was a young boy, locating in Fayette county, Pennsylvania. Subsequently they came to Wayne county, Ohio, the father entering from the government the land in section WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1085 16, Saltcreek township, where the subject now lives. It was then all covered with the virgin forest, in which were to be found many varieties of wild animals, including bears and wolves. The country was but sparsely settled, there being but one or two houses between that place and Wooster, and at the latter point there was but one store and a few houses. The subject's mother at one time wanted some chickens, of which they had seen none since they left Pennsylvania, but to secure them she found it necessary to ride horseback a considerable distance. Eventually the land was cleared and put in cultivation and during all the subsequent years this has been considered one of the best farms in this section. It embraces one hundred and sixty acres, and is maintained in the best possible condition, clue attention being paid to rotation of crops, drainage and other important features of successful agriculture, and annually produces abundant crops in return for the labor bestowed upon it, Jacob Souers was a Democrat in political faith, but was not inclined to take a prominent part in public affairs, never having held any office. He was a faithful member of the Reformed church at Mount Eaton and took an active interest in the workings of the society. In Pennsylvania Mr. Souers married Elizabeth Franks, who was born in Fayette county, that state, and to them were born the following children : George, who died at the age of eighty-five years ; Jacob, who is now living at the age of ninety-seven years ; Reason, who died at the age of ninety-three years; John died at the age of seventy-five years ; Simeon died at the. age of seventy-five years ; Sarah was eighty-two years old at the time of her death, her sister Mary passing away at the same age ; Levi died in infancy; the subject is the last born of these children. Jacob Souers was sixty-five years old at the time of his death in 185o, and his wife lived to the age of ninety-two years. These ages indicate a remarkable tendency to longevity in this family, the average of the ages being greater than in any family in the township. Solomon Souers received his education in the common schools of Wayne county, his education being somewhat limited because of the lack of adequate facilities at that early date. He has lived his entire life on the old homestead and has followed in the footsteps of his forefathers and devoted his life to the tilling of the soil. After his marriage he bought the interests of his brothers and sisters in the place and has since operated it himself, making his home with his mother there. He has shown a progressive spirit in all his undertakings and has operated his farm with the object in view of getting the very best results_ He has kept in touch with advanced ideas in agriculture and has not been slow to adopt those which have seemed merito- 1086 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. rious. The place is considered valuable, its present excellent condition being due to the care given it by Mr. Souers. In 1850 Mr. Souers was united in marriage to Nancy Scott, who was born in Saltcreek township, Wayne county, Ohio, in 1828, a daughter of Matthew Scott, who was a native of Pennsylvania. Matthew Scott came to Wayne county in a very early day and entered school land here. Mrs. Souers has been an invalid for several years, the result of being injured in a fall. In politics Mr. Souers is a Democrat, and formerly took a prominent part in local affairs, having served two terms as township trustee and school director and in several other township offices, but of late years he has withdrawn from an active participation in these things. His religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which society at Maysville he is an earnest and consistent member. He is a man of utmost probity and honor and to him has been given an unreserved esteem in the community. LOUIS EUGENE GROS JEAN. Agriculture has been the true source of man's dominion on earth ever since the primal existence of labor and has been the pivotal industry that has controlled for the most part all the fields of action to which his intelligence and energy have been devoted. In a civilized community no calling is so certain of yielding a compensatory return as that which is culled from a kindly soil, albeit the husbandman at times is sorely taxed in coaxing from Mother Earth all that he desires or even expects ; yet she is a kind mother and seldom chastens with disappointment the child whose diligence she deems it but just should be rewarded. Among those successful agriculturists who have made Wayne county noted is numbered the subject of this sketch, who owns and operates a fine farm of two hundred and fifty acres in section 5, Saltcreek township. He is descended from Swiss ancestry, his father, Eugene Grosjean, having been a native of that republic. When he was eight years old the latter came to the United States with his parents, who located near Mount Eaton, where his father had bought land. The latter died soon after coming here and his widow thereafter made her home with her son. Eugene Grosjean was one of four brothers who came to this country, one brother refusing to come with them, and he was never heard of afterward. Eugene Grosjean was a successful farmer and was active in politics, having held many local offices, including that of township treasurer, in which position he was retained a good many years. He was an appreciative member of the Masonic order WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1087 and held several of the lodge offices. In politics he was a Democrat and in religion he was an active member of the Presbyterian church at Mount Eaton, subsequently changing his membership to the church at Fredericksburg. He was married when comparatively young and became the father of the following children : Albert, deceased; Julia, who lives in Iowa; Mary, deceased ; Charles, who lives in California; Louis E., the subject of this sketch; Eugene lives in Minnesota; Sophia is deceased ; Ella lives in Wooster, and her twin sister died in infancy. The subject's mother, whose family name was also Grosjean, was a native of France, and in early youth she came to this country with her parents, who were early settlers in Ohio. She died at the age of forty-six years and subsequently Mr. Grosjean wedded Jane M. Allen, but there was no issue of this marriage. Louis Eugene Grosjean was born in Saltcreek township, Wayne county, Ohio, on the 27th of December, 1858. He received his education in the common schools of his native township and remained at home until he was twenty-one years old. At that time he moved to Holmes county, where he lived during the following sixteen years. In 1894 he came to Saltcreek township, Wayne county, bought a farm and made this his home. He continuously followed the pursuit of agriculture, in which he has been successful to a. gratifying degree. In connection with agricultural operations he also gives a good deal of attention to stockraising and buying of horses, which he ships in large numbers. He is the owner of one of the best improved farm properties in Wayne county, the house, barns and outbuildings being all well constructed and conveniently arranged, the general appearance of the place indicating the owner to be a man of progressive ideas and sound judgment. Mr. Grosjean has recently moved to Wooster, where he is now conducting one of the largest and most successful sale stables in the state. In 1879 Mr. Grosjean was united in marriage to Elizabeth Leeper, who was born in Holmes county in 1859, the daughter of Parker Leeper, a well-known citizen of that county. To this union have been born eight children, as follows : Walter A., who married Edith Staufer, daughter of John and Catherine Staufer, the former deceased, of Salt Creek township; John, who married Ophie Lytle and lives in Saltcreek township; Parker, Eugene, Robert, James, Lucile and George. In politics Mr. Grosjean is a stanch Democrat and has served as trustee of his township, though he does not seek political preferment. He and all the members of his family belong to the Congregational church at Fredericksburg, and to that society they give an earnest and generous support. He is a public spirited citizen and a whole-souled man, ready to help forward any movement designed for the public good, and where-ever known he is held in the highest regard. 1088 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. EDWIN S. WERTZ. Among the honored sons of Wayne county who have attained a high degree of success through energy, integrity and progressive methods and risen to high place in the service of the public, the brilliant lawyer and legislator whose name introduces this sketch is entitled to much more than passing notice. Achieving success in the legal profession at an age when the majority of young men are just at the threshold of their life work, and becoming an influential factor in directing the policies of .the political party with which allied, he naturally forged to the front as a leader, while his activity in promoting the interests of the public have gained for him the esteem and confidence of his fellow men, irrespective of class or party affiliations. Edwin S. Wertz was born at Dalton; Wayne county, Ohio, on August 7, 1875, and is the son of W. H. H. and Carrie Virginia (Slusser) Wertz, natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania respectively. The father, whose birth also ocurred in Dalton, has spent his entire life in the county of Wayne and for a number of years has been actively identified with the business interests f his native town, being at this time president of the First National Bank of Dalton, and a business man of high standing and wide repute. His wife, who first saw the light. of day in York county, Pennsylvania, has likewise resided many years in the above town. After finishing the public school course in his native town, Edwin S. Wertz entered the preparatory department of Wooster University, where in due time he fitted himself for collegiate work in the Ohio State University, which he attended for the scheduled period of seven years, graduating at the expiration of that time from the College of Arts, Philosophy and Science, with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy, also from the law department, which conferred upon him the Bachelor of Laws degree. In June, 1900, while attending the University, he was formally admitted to the bar and after his graduation accepted the position of court house reporter for the Columbus Citizen, which he held from June, 1900, until August, 1902. In the latter year he formed a partnership with his father in the wholesale hardwood lumber business with an office at Dalton, which lasted for some time, and proved reasonably successful, but which he subsequently discontinued the better to devote his attention to his chosen profession. While engaged as a reporter Mr. Wertz was a member of Newswriters' Union No. 2, of Columbus, and had the honor of being chosen representative from that body to the Columbus Trades and Labor Assembly, in the sessions of which WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1089 he was an active participant. In 1896 he was made president of the Young Men's Democratic Club of the above city, in which capacity he demonstrated executive ability of a high order and foreshadowed his future career as a leader of men and moulder of opinion. The Spanish-American war breaking out while he was in the university, young Wertz, in 1898, laid aside his studies and enlisted in Light Battery H, First Ohio Volunteer Artillery, with which he served with an honorable record for a period of seven months. At the expiration of that time he resumed his collegiate work, which, as already indicated, was completed in the year 1900, since which date his life has been one of great activity and usefulness, nor has fortune been sparing in the bestowal of her favor upon him, as his success as a lawyer and honorable record as a public official abundantly attest. In 1903 Mr. Wertz was nominated for representative by a primary election in which six candidates contended for the honor, and at the general election of that year he defeated his competitor, running two hundred and twenty-eight votes ahead of the party candidate for governor on his own ticket. That his record as a legislator justified the wisdom of his election is attested by the active and influential part he took in the deliberations of the General Assembly. He was the Democratic nominee for speaker pro tempore of the House, but by reason of the strength of the opposition he failed to secure the honor. He was soon recognized as a leader of the minority and by able and conscientious work on a number of important committees did much to shape and direct legislation and bring about the passage of laws which have been for the best interests of the commonwealth. He served on the committees on common schools, public ways, and enrollment and introduced the first state aid good roads bill, creating a highway department in the state government, providing for the gradual permanent improvement of public highways with the assistance and under the supervision of competent state authority. The provisions of the bill are embodied in the Wertz-Fisher good roads law, which has proven of inestimable value to the people of the state. Among the various others which he introduced were the following : Prohibiting the use of free passes by all public officials ; repealing all perpetual franchises ; four bills for the improvement of rural schools; one providing. for the employment of the same teacher for at least a full school year of thirty-two weeks, and a second providing that the people of any township shall be empowered to determine whether the schools shall or shall not be centralized, the intent of the new code being the giving of such right to the board of education only ; a third bill required that there (69) 1090 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. should be regular graded courses of study in elementary and common schools ; the fourth provided that where a teacher received a certificate in the county where he resides it shall be valid for the unexpired time in any county of the state. The first three bills were incorporated in the new school code and are now a part of the school law. The fourth was also agreed to, but was stricken out by the conference committee. In the Seventy-seventh General Assembly he was elected Democratic floor leader. In addition to the above, Mr. Wertz took an active part in other important legislation, participated in the general deliberations on the floor where he demonstrated marked ability as a debater and leader. He was the author of the prison bill to abolish contract convict labor and to provide for the employment of prisoners in the manufacture of road materials, machines and supplies for state institutions. This law provides a great variety of employment as a substitute for the old contract system, which for years was subject to many serious objections. Another bill which he introduced, known as House Bill No. 78, empowers the railroad commissioner of Ohio to fix railroad rates, regulate damage charges, supplies of cars and all other matters pertaining to the railway business so far as it concerns the people of the state. This which became a law, has the endorsement of the Ohio Shippers' Association, the Ohio Grain Dealers' Association and the approval of the public generally. He wrote the resolution and led in forcing its adoption by the General Assembly, restoring peace between the universities supported by the state of Ohio and which defines the policy of the state towards her universities. It declared for the building of one great state university at Columbus commensurate with the dignity of the state. He also introduced a bill, later becoming a law, for the better inspection of the Ohio mines, improved methods of ventilation, etc., so as to better protect the lives of miners from dangers of gas explosions. Mr. Wertz was a member of the Seventy-six and Seventy-seventh General Assemblies and rendered distinguished service to his constituents and to the state and retired from the body with a record as an able and faithful public servant which not only his political friends but those opposed to him on party questions unqualifiedly endorsed. He was for some years secretary of the Ohio Good Roads Association and as such labored earnestly to bring about much needed improvements in the system of highways throughout the state. In r906 he was induced by his many friends to enter the race for Congress in the seventeenth district ; accordingly his name was presented to the convention which assembled in June of that year and where, after a WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1091 four-days session and one hundred and seventy-seven ballots, he was defeated by a small majority of only six votes, the victor being Mr. Ashbrook, the present incumbent. Mr. Wertz is still a young man, and the distinction which he has already achieved demonstrates his ability to fill still greater positions of honor and trust, in view of which his friends are justified in predicting for him a future of great usefulness and brilliancy in the service of the public. He is an influential member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the United Commercial Travelers, the Order of Eagles, and stands high as a Mason, in which ancient and honorable fraternity he has attained to the thirty-second degree. He also belongs to Buckeye Camp, Spanish-American Veteran Association, and his standing with organized labor is such that he has the written pledge of the Ohio Federation of Labor and other organizations of the state. Personally he is a prince of good fellowship, and those who know him best are the most profuse in their praise of his many estimable qualities. He stands for what is best, in manhood and citizenship, has always upheld the right as he understands the right, and every laudable enterprise or measure for the material progress of the community and the general good of the public finds in him an earnest advocate and influential patron. Mr. Wertz is a married man and the father of one daughter, who, with her parents, constitute a happy and contented domestic circle.. Mrs. Wertz, formerly Elizabeth Johnson, is a daughter of Judge Isaac Johnson, of Wooster, and the ceremony by which her name was changed to the one she now so worthily bears was solemnized on the II th of August, 1906. FREDERICK STAIR. An elderly and highly respected citizen of Plain township, Wayne county, is Frederick Stair, father of I. 0. Stair, whose biography appears on another page of this work. The father was born March 25, 1837, the son of John and Elizabeth (Cugla) Stair, who came from Germany to the United States in 1833, settling soon after their arrival in Plain township, Wayne county, Ohio, securing a sixty-acre farm, on which they spent the remainder of their lives, having cleared some of the land and established a good home in the woods. Before leaving the Fatherland John Stair served eight years in the German army. He voted in the first election held after his arrival in America and was always loyal to our institutions. His family consisted of thirteen children. 1092 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. Frederick Stair was reared on the home place and there grew up, assisting with the work on the same from early childhood until he was twenty-six years of age, when he was married to Sarah Ann Strauss, daughter of Peter and Julia (Renner) Strauss, natives of Pennsylvania who came from Crawford county, that state, in 1850. In 1868 he bought seventy-two acres of land where he now lives in Plain township. Since then he added eight acres of timber and now has an excellent farm, having always followed general farming. He is a strong Prohibitionist, among the very first in this township, and possibly the first one to advocate its principles here. He is a member of the Reformed church. To Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Stair these children have been born : William Henry, of Orrville, Ohio ; Irvin O., Laura Ada, Ossie May and Alice. JOHN H. TSCHANTZ. It would be, indeed, a difficult task to find in our cosmopolitan republic a class of people that are more energetic, self-reliant, persistent and altogether praiseworthy than the Swiss and their descendants, who have been coming to our shores for some two centuries, and wherever they have dispersed they have become leaders in their respective communities. John H. Tschantz, one of Wayne county's substantial, citizens, is of this class, being of the second generation of Swiss in this country, for he was born in Paint township, this county, December 4, 1854, the son of A. C. and Anna (Baumgartner) Tschantz. The former was born in Switzerland, June 6, 1817, and came to the United States in 1834, locating in Wayne county, Ohio. He was practically without capital when he landed here, but had the necessary grit to succeed and he soon began work as a farm hand. Later he took up carpentering and he soon had saved enough money to buy a farm of eighty-six acres, which he cleared and improved. Prospering, he added to his first purchase until he owned over two hundred acres. He first married a Miss Lehman and to this union one child was born, which is now deceased. He was married a second time, September I 1, 1845, his last wife being Anna Baumgartner, who was born 'n Wayne county, Ohio, September 16, 1825, the daughter of David Baumgartner. The latter was a native of Switzerland, having come to the United States in 1824, when twenty-six years of age, having been born February 7, 1798. He became a prosperous farmer, owning a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres. After his marriage WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1093 he settled in Paint township and at once secured a foothold there. He took a great deal of interest in the Mennonite church, and he was called upon to settle many estates, being prominent in his community,—in fact, a leader. His death occurred January 7, 1897, his widow surviving him until June 4, 1901. They were the parents of the following children : Christian C., who married Mary Feichter, of Sugar Creek township ; Daniel H., who married Catherine Gerber, of Sugar Creek township ; Barbara, the wife of John L. Amstutz, of Sugar Creek township ; Elizabeth, wife of Abraham Amstutz, also of Sugar Creek township ; John H., of this review ; Caroline, wife of David C. Spunger, of Bern, Indiana ; Sarah, wife of John Badertscher, of Sugar Creek township ; William P., living on the home farm in Paint township. John H. Tschantz was reared on the home farm and attended the home schools during the winter months. When eighteen years of age he entered the Wadsworth Academy, at Wadsworth, Ohio, an institution under the auspices of the Mennonite church, where he remained for one year, after which he entered the Smithville Academy and was there one term. He studied hard and received a good education, which enabled him to begin teaching, which profession he followed for six years in the winter and during the summer he worked on the farm, with the exception of one which was spent in Wooster University. Mr. Tschantz married Lydia Steiner, daughter of Rev. C. D. Steiner, October 1, 1878, she having been born in Putnam county, Ohio, November 3o, 1857. Her father was a prominent farmer and lived in Greene township, Wayne county. He was born in Milton township, November 8, 1829, and died May 26, 1908. To Mr. and Mrs. Tschantz five children have been born, namely : W. I., born July 17, 1879; Olive May, born November 25, 1882 ; Dora C., born April 1, 1885; Amos and Lizzie, twins, born December 31, 1887, the latter dying January 13, 1891. Mr. Tschantz's first wife died on January 9, 1888, and on February 16, 1892, he was married to Elizabeth Geiger, who was born in Putnam county, Ohio, January 17, 1866. Two children have been born to this union, namely : Sylvia, born January 23, 1893, and Clyde McKinley, born July 24, 1898. When Mr. Tschantz was married the first time he was given a little start by his own family. He has judiciously managed his affairs until he is today a prosperous and influential citizen, owning three hundred and ninety acres, which is worth at least one hundred dollars per acre, being well improved and under a high state of cultivation. In connection with his agricultural pursuits he has been very successful in the position of president of 1094 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. the Sonneberg Fire and Lightning Insurance Association, having been adjuster of the same for twenty years. It operates in Wayne, Stark, Tuscarawas, Holmes and Medina counties. This family belongs to the Mennonite church, Mr. Tschantz having been superintendent of the Sunday school at Salem church for the past twenty years. In politics he is a Republican. He is a stockholder in the First National Bank of Dalton, and a director in the same, but much of his time is devoted to the insurance company mentioned above, which is a mutual company-, insuring farmers' property against fire, lightning and wind storms. It was organized in 1859, and has been operated very successfully by the Mennonite people for the past thirty years. The subject is a very successful business man and is well and favorably known throughout this part of Wayne county. CHARLES ELMER BEEKLEY. Among those men of Wayne county, Ohio, who, by the mere force of their personality, have forged their way to the front ranks of that class who may justly be termed "progressive and enterprising" is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, and he is justly entitled to representation in a volume of this character. Charles Elmer Beekley was born June 6, 1873, in Congress township, Wayne county, Ohio, and is a son of Emanuel, Jr., and Rebecca (Naftsger) Beekley. The subject's paternal grandfather was Dr. Emanuel Beekley, Sr., of Somerset county, Pennsylvania, who was a prominent and successful physician in that locality. In the early forties he emigrated to Ohio, locating in Wayne county, the trip being made in one of the old-fashioned high-wheeled wagons so common in those days. He bought two hundred acres of land near Burbank and from that time devoted the greater part of his time to agricultural pursuits, though at times he served as a physician, notably at one time when a small-pox epidemic visited his section. At that time, regardless of personal danger, he administered to the suffering day and night and devoted himself unremittingly to the work of eradicating the dread disease. At his death his property passed into the possession of his son, Emanuel, Jr., who was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, in 1843, and who had accompanied his father on the trip to Ohio. Emanuel Beekley, Jr., devoted himself for some time to the cultivation of the old farm, but eventually sold and moved to Ashland, where he invested the proceeds in town property. He there lived a retired life for a time, but WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1095 of late he has been acting as foreman of the shipping department for a big manufacturing concern of that city. He is a stanch Republican in politics and takes much interest in political affairs. His religious membership is in the Progressive Brethren church. He married Rebecca Naftsger, who was born in Congress township, this county, and to them were born the following children : Two sons died in infancy unnamed ; Mrs. Susie Bens, of Burbank ; Mrs. Eliza Kellar, of Ashland ; Mrs. Pearl Oberholtzer, the wife of Rev. Oberholtzer; Mrs. Blanche Brubaker, whose husband is the owner of a large poultry farm at Ashland, Ohio ; Charles Elmer, the subject of this sketch. Charles E. Beekley received a good education, having attended the common schools at Congress and West Salem, after which he attended six years at Ashland College. The last three years of study were directed with the idea of preparation for the ministry, but failing health at length compelled Mr. Beekley to relinquish that idea. During his student days he was married and moved onto the old Elgin farm, and after the completion of his college work, and his decision not to enter the ministry, he returned to that farm and started a nursery and fruit farm. He was careful and painstaking in the inception of this project and made such progress that in 1904 he formally opened the West Salem Nursery and Fruit Farm He has been eminently successful in this enterprise and is now enjoying a. large and constantly growing business. He has a number of agents on the road and his sales are increasing rapidly from year to year. He gives his personal attention to all details of the business and anything bought of the West Salem Nursery is all right, or will be made right if it does not prove to be as good as represented. Mr. Beekley specializes on all kinds of berries in his fruit raising, and also gives considerable attention to the breeding and raising of pure-bred white Leghorn chickens, in which he also has been successful. In politics Mr. Beekley gives his support to the Republican ticket on national issues, but in local elections he believes the personal fitness of the candidate for the office sought should be considered first. He is a strong temperance man and votes that way whenever the opportunity is afforded. His religious membership is with the Progressive Brethren church. On the 19th of February, 1896, Mr. Beekley married Orpha Edmunda Elgin, who was born in Congress township, Wayne county, Ohio, on April 6, 1875. She is the daughter of Edmund Elgin, who was born in 1827, and died in 1874, and Ruth Patterson Elgin, who was born in 1830, and died in 1900. Edmund Elgin was an early settler in Congress township, this county, where he owned three hundred acres of land. He was a veteran of the 1096 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. Civil war, in which he attained the rank of lieutenant, and in religion he was an earnest Methodist. His life was an example in morals and it was said of him that lie did not have an enemy in the world. To Mr. and Mrs. Beek-ley have been born the following children : Paul Elgin, born March 28, 1898, and Ruth Rebecca, born June 23, 1903. From the foregoing brief outline of a busy career it is not difficult to arrive at a just estimate of Mr. Beekley's character or to fix his proper standing in the community. Interested in all that tends to benefit his fellows, materially, educationally and morally, his influence has always been exerted ;n the right direction and from what he has accomplished along the lines to which his talents have been directed it is demonstrated that the community has gained by his presence. THOMAS JOHNSON KAUFMAN. It is not only a pleasure but profitable as well to study the life history of such a worthy gentleman as he whose name forms the heading of this review, for in it we find evidence of traits of character that never fail to make for success in the life of any one who directs his efforts, as did Thomas J. Kaufman, along proper paths with persistency and untiring zeal, toward a worthy goal, and having as his concomitant worthy principles, which, as we shall see, resulted in ultimate triumph, for when called to close his earthly accounts he left behind him a competency and, what was better, a good name. Mr. Kaufman was born at Mifflin, Juniata county, Pennsylvania, February 8, 1834, the son of George and Susanah ( Johnson) Kaufman, the former a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, born on April 23, 1798, while the mother's birth occurred at Mifflin, that state, on June 24, 1808. David Kaufman and wife, nee Renner, settled in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, about the close of the Revolutionary war. George Kaufman, father of Thomas and son of David Kaufman, moved from Lancaster county to Juniata county, Pennsylvania, then removed to Wayne county, Ohio, in 1840, coming overland in a large, covered, four-horse Pennsylvania wagon: He bought a large tract of land in Plain township, over one thousand acres, part of this land being what was known in that early day by the Indians and early settlers as the "Long Meadows." George Kaufman dealt in raising and fattening stock, which he marketed in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1097 Thomas J. Kaufman received a good common school education, and early in life decided to follow in the footsteps of his father in the stock business, entering upon his career with the elder Kaufman, who taught him many of the "ins and outs" of this line of endeavor. After his father's death, in 1864, he followed with gratifying results, driving large droves to markets annually, having received the sum of eleven thousand dollars for one drove. He became one of the most extensive stock dealers in' this part of the state and was widely known as such, his judgment and foresight being unerring. Owing to the great competition that gradually arose with the western range cattle he quit doing business on such an extensive scale, finally abandoning the cattle business altogether, and turned his attention to general farming, in which he was very successful. He laid by an ample competency, being a good business man in whatever line he sought to exercise his talents. He was ever on the alert and seldom failed to bring to successful issue any measure which he sought to promote. Mr. Kaufman was married on April 19, 1870, to Susan Urban, daughter of Jonas and Margaret ( Johnson) Urban, of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where the family was well established. To Mr. and Mrs. Kaufman the following children were born : Alice B., wife of L. Humbert; Mary M.,. wife of S. Garman ; Oscar D., George B., Amos L., Jacob U., Jonas, Elzy, Thomas R., Grace B., and Anna S. Mr. Kaufman's domestic life was ideal, and he gave every possible attention to his large family, was a kind and considerate husband, a gentle and indulgent father,—in short, an ideal home man, neighbor and friend. Politically, Mr. Kaufman was a Republican and, while ever active in the support of his party and eager for its success, he never held or sought a public office. Religiously, he was a member and liberal supporter of the Lake Fork Methodist Episcopal church. In business life his word was as good as a bond, and in his dealings with the public he ever held their confidence and esteem. The death of this prominent citizen and splendid man occurred on March 26. 1907, and in beautiful Fairview cemetery he is sleeping the sleep of the just, being remembered by hosts of friends for his exemplary life. ALONZO LAWRENCE HOFACRE. Among the earnest young men whose depth of character and strict adherence to principle have gained for him the admiration of his contemporaries, Mr. Hofacre is numbered, and in his independent business career he 1098 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. has shown a tenacity of purpose, an indomitable energy and that self-reliant courage whose natural concomitant is definite success. He has been the artificer of his own fortunes, and though he has met with some reverses and encountered numerous obstacles, his courage has never flagged and he has shown himself to be one thoroughly appreciative of the dignity of honest toil and endeavor. He has done much to improve the agricultural prosperity of the township in which he lives and is now the owner of a finely improved farm, to which he gives his earnest attention. Alonzo Lawrence Hofacre is a native of the Buckeye state, having been born in Stark county, on the 14th of February, 1869, and is a son of John and Sarah (Wearstler) Hofacre, who are mentioned in later paragraphs of this sketch. The subject is indebted to the common schools for his education. He was but three years old when the family removed from Stark county to Wayne, consequently all his schooling was received in this county. He was reared under the parental roof and remained with his parents until he had attained his majority, when he started out in life for himself. He was reared to the life of a farmer and has always lent his efforts in that direction, being now the owner of a fine and fertile farm, located in section 10, Saltcreek township. The farm is adorned with a full set of buildings, large, commodious and well arranged, and Mr. Hofacre keeps everything about the place in the best possible shape, so that it at all times makes a pleasing impression on the passerby. Here he carries on general farming and stock-raising and has achieved a distinctive success along both lines. In politics Mr. Hofacre gives his support to the Democratic party and takes an active part in local public affairs, though he is not a seeker after office or public preferment. His religious preference is indicated by his membership in the Reformed church at Apple Creek, to which he gives an earnest and consistent support.. In 1890 the subject was united in the holy bonds of matrimony, the lady of his choice being Daisy Ann Eyman, who was born in East Union township, this county, in 1875, the daughter of Simon Eyman, of Apple Creek. This union has been blessed in the birth of two children, Ethel May, seven years old, and Goldie Susan Belle, aged six years. Mr. Hofacre is a man of marked business ability, richly deserving of high credit for the results which he has secured, and no man more thoroughly merits or commands the respect and confidence of the people of the community. John Hofacre, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Sugarcreek township, Stark county, Ohio, August 10, 1839. He is the son of George Hofacre, who was a native of Maryland, and who was eighty-four WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1099 years old at the time of his death. The Hofacre family originally hailed from the little republic of Switzerland. George Hofacre was one of the earliest settlers in Stark county, Ohio, having entered government land in Sugarcreek township. On this land he made a comfortable home and there he spent the remainder of his life. He was not a seeker after public office, though he was the first road supervisor in the county. He was a Democrat in politics and was widely and favorably known throughout this section of the country. He followed general farming and was a very successful man for his day. Most of the produce of his farm was hauled to Sandyville, that having been at a date prior to the creation of Massillon, which later became the trading center of this section of the country. The settlers' cabins were widely separated and the country was wild and densely covered with the primeval forest with the exception of the few scattered clearings. Indians were numerous and Mr. Hofacre's cabin stood along one of the important Indian trails. Mr. Hofacre was a member of the Reformed church and was active in advancing the interests of the society. He was consistent in his life and lived up to his highest ideals of a Christian life. He married Elizabeth Kendall, who was born near Myers Lake, near Canton, Stark county, he having been thirty-four years old and she but sixteen when they were married. Her family were from Switzerland and were early settlers in Stark county. She was a woman of fine qualities and rare accomplishment and was beloved by all who knew her. Her death occurred when she was about seventy-two years old. George and Elizabeth Hofacre were the parents of eight children, whose names were as follows : Michael, who lives in Iowa, is eighty-two years old; Elizabeth lives in Michigan ; George, deceased ; Katherine lives in Defiance county, Ohio; Samuel is deceased ; John is the next in the order of birth ; Henrietta lives in Canton ; Andrew, of Lebanon, Wayne county. John Hofacre's education was somewhat limited, having been secured in the old log cabin school house of the period, supported by subscription, much of which was taken out in board by the teacher. The school houses were rude in construction, the interstices between the logs being plastered with mud, while in the windows greased paper often served instead of glass. The rude benches were often so high that the feet of the younger pupils did not reach the floor. At one end of the building was a big fireplace, from which the smoke was conducted through a mud-and-stick chimney. The teacher's badge of official authority was a long and ofttimes not too light hickory rod, sometimes very coercive in its tendency. Under such conditions as these many of our most prominent early citizens of the county received their