WOOD COUNTY, OHIO, - 847 suit, of his own indefatigable energy and perseverance. Mr. Swartz was a Democrat until the formation of the Republican party, since which time he has fought under its banner, taking an active interest in the success of the party, while in religious belief he and his estimable wife are faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. JOHN S. BARND, the Baltimore & Ohio railroad telegraph operator and station agent at Hoytville, Ohio, was born January 24, 1874, in Hancock county, this State, and is a son of Hiram and Melissa (Barnd) Trout. His father died in. February, 1875, and he was then adopted by George M. and Mary Ann (Myers) Barnd, the former being his maternal uncle, and since that time he has been known by the name of Barnd. His mother is still living, and is now the wife of Henry Roberts, a farmer residing near North Baltimore. The children of her first marriage are Flora, wife of George Connell, of North Baltimore; John S., and William H., who is living with his mother. When our subject went to live with his uncle, that gentleman was residing in Van Buren, Ohio, where John attended school until eleven years of age, when the family removed to Marseilles, Wyandot Co., Ohio. He there continued his studies until fifteen years of age, and afterward pursued his lessons under the direction of Prof. Shefler, in Risingsun, Wood county, where his adopted parents located in 1889. A year later the family removed to Bloomdale, this county, and he completed his education in the high school under Prof. John Todd. He next learned telegraphy at the Bloomdale station on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, and on the expiration of eight months was filling the position of night operator at that place. He was afterward promoted and made day operator and station agent at Bairdstown, Ohio, where he continued until February, 1893. He was then transferred to Whiting, Ind.; but after three months he resigned, and became the relief agent, being thus employed until July, 1894, when he was given his present position in Hoytville. He is now acceptably serving in this capacity, and is well liked by all. Mr. Barnd was married in Michigan, January 9, 1895, to Miss Ida V. Kratz, who was born in Ida township, Monroe Co., Mich., February 28, 1872. Since locating in Hoytville, he has purchased a comfortable home. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias fraternity in Hoytville, and also holds membership with the Senior United American Mechanics of Bloomdale, and the Order of Railroad Telegraphers. URIAH DISHONG is a successful business man who, depending entirely upon his own resources, has made the best of his opportunities, and by his diligence and good management worked his way steadily upward to a place among the substantial farmers of Jackson township. He was born in Fulton county, Penn., January 26, 1859, and is a son of John and Anna (Dishon) Dishong, natives of the same county. The father was a farmer and stock dealer. Some years after his marriage he removed with his family to Hancock county, Ohio, where he rented land for three years, and then came to Jackson township, Wood county, where he also operated a rented farm for a time. Later he purchased a tract of land; but sold it after three years. He then bought five acres, and afterward forty acres, and both he and his wife are still living on that property. Their family numbers three sons-Uriah; Elias, a farmer of Jackson township; and George, who is living with his father. Our subject was only three years old when his parents removed to Hancock county, and in the public schools there he began his education, which was completed by attendance for one term in Jerry City, Ohio. No event of special importance occurred during his childhood days, which were passed in the usual manner of farmer lads. On March 23, 1884, was celebrated his marriage to Miss Ella A. Butterfield, who was born in Lorain county, Ohio, January 23, 1866, and is a daughter of and Esther A. (Thompson) Butterfield. They began their domestic life in Hoytville, where, for two years, Mr. Dishong had been carrying on a notion store. He continued that business for about six months, then erected a larger store building, and put in a stock of general merchandise. This was destroyed by fire August 29, 1888, causing a loss of about $2,500; but within a week he began the erection of a new store building, and now has a large two story structure, stocked with an excellent line of dry goods, clothing and groceries. He is a very successful merchant, and his honorable dealing, courteous treatment and earnest efforts to please his customers have brought to him a liberal patronage. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Dishong-Maudie, who was born February 18, 1885, and died on August 25, following; Dimmis, born August 7, 1886; Dauvray, born March 12, 1888; Lloyd, born August 4, 1890; and Lena, born March 15, 1893. On matters of national importance Mr. Dishong is a Democrat, but at local elections he pays little attention to party ties. He served as councilman one year, has been 848 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. township treasurer for two years, and was postmaster during President Cleveland's first administration. In manner he is pleasant and genial, a kind-hearted, broad-minded man who has the confidence of all with whom he has been brought in contact. CHARLES SOLETHER, one of the most highly respected citizens of Bloom township, a prominent agriculturist and veteran of the Civil war, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, October 15, 1827. John Solether, his father, who was a farmer there, married Dorethea Anger, and after a few years spent in trying to make a living from thirteen acres of land, they came to America with two boys, of whom our subject was the elder. They left Bremen in the spring of 1833, on the sailing vessel, "Amelia," and forty days later landed at New York. They came by way of the Hudson river, Erie canal, and Lake Erie to Cleveland, and thence on the Ohio canal to Bethlehem, Stark county, where the mother and children were left while the father went to Holmes county, their destination, and secured the help of a brother-in-law, who brought his ox-team, and carried the little family home in his wagon. The father had $30 left, and this he invested in some land; but the title being defective, he lost it. In the spring of 1834 Mr. Solether moved to Bolivar, Tuscarawas county, where he rented a house and garden, and he and his wife worked out to support the family. The next year he rented fifteen acres of timber land in Stark county, which he cleared and fenced, and in the fall of 1840, having now become the possessor of a wagon, three horses, a colt and $100 in cash, representing years of hard work and close economy, he came with his family to Wood county. They had started for Indiana, but wisely concluded that State could hold nothing better than the lands of Bloom township, where he entered eighty acres in Sections 8 and 4, covered with heavy timber. Their first home was a log cabin, 18 x 22, a rude affair, and the preparation of the land' was such a task, that, if they had not raised some crops on the Limestone Ridge, they would have fared badly. Perrysburg was their marketing point, and at first their milling was done at Freeport, later at Findlay. Wild game was plentiful, but often proved destructive to the crops. By trading one of his horses, the father secured a cow, a plow and some corn, and a few years of steady toil placed him in comparatively easy circumstances. He added more land to his farm after a time, and at his death owned 26o acres. In politics he was a Democrat, but gave no attention to party work, the welfare of his family being an absorbing interest. He died December 22, 1854, from the effects of a kick from a horse, received while hitching up a team. His wife survived him until March, 1863, and the remains of both now rest in Sugar Grove cemetery. Both had been for many years faithful members of the Evangelical Church. Of their six children, John, the second, born in Germany, resides in Fostoria; the four -younger children, born in America, are Harriet, the widow of Amos Stettler; Mary, the widow of Marquis Hamman; Catherine, now Mrs. Simon Gilbert, of Fostoria; and Julia, who lives at Fostoria. Charles Solether attended school irregularly in his youth, the farm work requiring his help. When he was eighteen years old he began working for Charles Mercer at $10 per month, but his time was mainly spent on his father's property. On March 14, 1854, in Portage township, he was married to Miss Sarah Miller, a native of Lancaster county, Penn. He settled upon a farm of eighty acres in Section 5, which he still owns. It was then covered with forest, and Mr. Solether cut the trees for his first home, and then invited his neighbors to help him to raise the building. Four children were born of his first marriage: J. Calvin, now a professor in the schools of Jerry City; C. Wilson, of Jerry City; Caroline, who died at the age of thirteen, and Frances, who died in infancy. Mrs. Solether died August 13, 1861, sincerely mourned by all who knew her, and was buried in Sugar Grove cemetery. On August 31, 1862, Mr. Solether enlisted in Company B, 10 110th O. V. I., with Capt. Thomas Norris. They went into camp at Perrysburg and Toledo, and then joined the forces in Kentucky, going to Covington Heights, Louisville, Shelbyville and other places. Mr. Solether was taken ill at Frankfort, Ky., October 26, 1862, the day of the remarkable snow-fall, and was sent to the hospital at Louisville; but a week later he rejoined his regiment at their winter quarters at Bowling Green, Ky. On July 5, 1863, he was again prostrated by sickness, and when his regiment moved to East Tennessee he was left behind at Glasgow, and later was sent to Lebanon and Louisville; but he did not recover, and on October 10g, 1863, was discharged for disability. For some time after his return home he was unable to do any active work, but he gradually regained his health, and is now quite well preserved for his age. On February 14, 1864, in Jerry City, he was married to his second wife, Miss Elizabeth Stull, a native of Wayne county, born March 7, 1833, Charles Solether WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 849 the daughter of Jonathan and Mary (Hockenberger) Stull, who came to Bloom township in July, 1834. She had never seen a school house until she was ten years old, and as she grew older she assisted in the support of the family by working for other people, one of her employers being Reason Whitacre. Five children were born of this union: Jerius, who died at the age of thirteen years; Ora, married to Samuel Brecht, of Bowling Green;. Getta, Rosa and Charles F., now attending the Normal School at Valparaiso, Indiana. Mr. Solether's later years have been eminently blessed. He has the satisfaction of seeing his children occupying useful and honorable positions in life, and his worldly possessions have been greatly increased by the development of the oil industry. He added to his first farm from time to time until he owned 470 acres; but he has since sold all but 190 acres, where he has a handsome and commodious residence. As a reliable and substantial business man, he takes a high rank in the community. Politically he was a Democrat until the breaking out of the Civil war, since when he has been a stanch Republican; but he has never sought official preferment, his private business requiring his constant care. Mr. Solether is the author of a neat little work of thirty pages, in pamphlet form, entitled, '' Thy Kingdom Come," in which he sets forth his religious belief, and in which he discusses the following topics: What is it to confess Christ? Church and Churches, The Seven Pillars of the House of the Devil, Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, Jews and Gentiles, Differences in Discipline, The Rejected Stone, Parable of the Tares, What the Kingdom is like, Baptism, and Gathering Home. Mr. Solether has not prepared this volume to sell, but furnishes copies to all who ask for them. REZIN JEWELL, deceased. The subject of this sketch, formerly a prominent agriculturist and stock breeder of Plain township, was a native of Pennsylvania, born January 16, 1839. His father, John Jewell, married Miss Nancy McCullough, by whom he had children as follows: Aaron, deceased; Jane, the wife of B. Franklin, of Lucas county; Samuel, a farmer of Plain township; Margaret, the wife of Myron LeGalley; William, a farmer of Portage township; George, a farmer of Weston township; Celia, the wife of William T. Le Galley, Jr.; Henry, a farmer in Michigan; Rezin, our subject; and John, who died in infancy. In 1840 the family came to Wood county and settled in Plain township, where the father died in 1864, the mother surviving him six years. Mr. Jewell received an excellent education in youth, his fine natural abilities enabling him to. make the most of every opportunity. After attending the schools of his district for some years, he studied in Waterville and West Millgrove, paying his own way, and then taught for twentyfive terms, farming at intervals. When his father died he bought the homestead, where he afterward resided, making many improvements, and conducting the estate upon progressive methods. He was married, in 1862, to Miss Catharine Alexander, who was born in Bellevue, Ohio, December 26, 1847. Her father, William Alexander, was a native of Huron county, Ohio, born August 29, 1822, and her mother, Susanna (Moore), of Bellevue, was born September 15, 1827. They had twelve children: Catharine (Mrs. Jewell), Albert, John, James, Judson, Edwin, Ida, William; George, and Chester M.; the others died in infancy. In the year 1856 Mr. Alexander came with his family to Wood county, and became one of the leading farmers of Plain township. His wife died in 1889, and he still survives, residing in the county. Mr. Jewell was a man of kindly and genial nature. Loving and considerate in his domestic life, he was ever ready to respond to any call upon his sympathies from outside the family circle. He took pride in advancing the interests of his township and county, and for a number of years served in a number of official positions-constable, school director and supervisor. He was a great lover of horses, and was one of the first to introduce good breeds of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs into this county. Thoroughly progressive in his ideas, he was always among the foremost in advocating any change which would benefit the community, and his early death, in August, 1892, was deeply mourned by a wide circle of friends, who cherish the memory of his good deeds. Mrs., Jewell still conducts the homestead, the active management being in the hands of Edward E. Everett, who married Ida Alexander, a sister of Mrs. Jewell. They have three children: Blaine, born August 4, 1884; Imogene, born September 19, 1886; and Clyde E., born October 7, 1889. JOHN HIPSHER, who is engaged in farming in Center township, is one of the substantial and reliable citizens of the community, and a prosperous and able agriculturist. He is a native of Allen county, Ohio, born February 14, 1844. 850 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. His father, Jesse Hipsher, was born in Pennsylvania in 1810, and was a son of Lawrence Hipsher, one of the honored soldiers who served in the Continental army during the Revolutionary war. By trade the father was a cooper, but devoted most of his time to agricultural pursuits. He was married at Clear Creek, Penn., to Charity Myers, and to them were born nine children: (1) Mary, the deceased wife of Jeremiah M. Buckmaster. (2) William H., also deceased, was a Union soldier in the Civil war. (3) Ezra, also a Union soldier, in the 57th O. V. I., served four years and was twice wounded; after the close of the war he went to Michigan, and was drowned in Lake Huron. (4) Samuel, also a Union soldier in the 57th O. V. I., died of typhoid fever while in the service. (5) John is next in order of birth. (6) Sarah is the wife of Isaac Shively, of Allen county, Ohio. (7) George W. is operating the old homestead farm. (8) Eliza is the deceased wife of Charles Oxburger, a farmer of Allen county. (9) One child died in infancy. From the. Keystone State the father removed to Van Wert county, Ohio, where he remained a short period engaged in farming, and in 1870 bought forty acres of land in Allen county, on which he resided until death called him hence in 1895, when he was at the advanced age of ninety-six years. The mother is yet living, and has reached the age of ninety years. The subject of this biographical notice was reared in his native county, and there received the elements of his education in the district schools, and laid the foundations of his future life. He remained at home until the breaking out of the Civil war, when, prompted by a spirit of patriotism, he enlisted at Bluffton, Ohio, in Company B, 61st O. V. I., under Col. Schleich and Capt. Miller. From Camp Chase the regiment went to Virginia, and our subject participated in all the battles in which his company was engaged. On account of a sunstroke, he was for a few days incapacitated for service, but on his recovering resumed his position in his company. At the last battle of Bull Run he received a wound on the left ,shin, after which he was sent to convalescent camp, and there received his discharge April 20, 1863. He then returned to Pennsylvania, and there re-enlisted, this time in the 19th Penn. Cav., which was sent to participate in the battle of Lookout Mountain, Tenn. Mr. Hipsher remained in the army until May 14, 1866, when he was discharged at New Orleans, and then returned home to Allen county. For a short time Mr. Hipsher remained in Allen county, and then went to Michigan, where he spent eight years in the lumber camps. In 1874 he removed to Wood county, locating in Center township, where he purchased forty acres of land, which he has improved, making it one of the best cultivated farms in the township. Here he was married February 22, 1875, to Miss Mary Sader, a daughter of Lawrence Sader, a farmer of Center township. Ten children grace this union, their names and dates of birth being as follows: Martin, January 7, 1876; John, April 9, 1878; Jane, April 23, 188o; Lawrence, January 7, 1882; Sarah, September 25, 1883; Rosie, June 11, 1886; Eliza, March 30, 1888; James, April 17, 1892; Bertha, March 18, 1894; and Howard, March 4, 1896. The eldest died while young. The family are devout members of the Catholic Church, and in his political views Mr. Hipsher is a Republican. He is regarded as among the leading men of the township, the friend of every worthy enterprise, and for two terms he held the office of school director, while for four terms he served as supervisor. H. G. STRAWSER was born November 30, 1851, at Hallsville, Ross Co., Ohio, where he resided until 1872, in the meantime obtaining what education he could in the village schools, and working on the farm in his spare moments. In 1872 Mr. Strawser went to Marysville, Ohio, and worked three years for W. E. Baxter, with whom he learned the jewelers' trade, and who had twenty-eight years' experience in the business. In June, 1875, Mr. Strawser came to Weston, and worked for D. A. Avery until March 28, 1878, at which time he opened up a jewelry store in the post office, acting, at spare time, as assistant postmaster under F. M. Young for two years. Then Mr. Strawser formed a partnership with E. D. Gallagher, and continued with him' until January, 1881, when the firm dissolved, Mr. Strawser buying out his partner, and the branch store, which had been operated during the partnership, at Deshler, Ohio, was discontinued, and the two were consolidated into one store, located at Weston. In 1883 Mr. Strawser erected a two-story brick block, twenty feet wide and ninety feet long, which he now occupies, and in which he carries the largest jewelry and musical instrument stock in the city. In 1878 Mr. Strawser was united in marriage to Miss Eva A. Gunn, who was born in Waterville, Ohio, May 3, 1857. They have two children: Mamie Mayree, born July 19, 1882, and Leroy Wheeler, born October 19, 1887. Mr. Strawser is a Republican, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and of the following fra- WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 851 ternities: I. O. O. F., past grand of the Weston Lodge No. 681; Columbian Encampment No. 274, of Weston; Master Mason of the F. & A. M. No. 560, Weston; Canton Alpine, Uniform Rank, I. O. O. F. No. 26, Bowling Green, Ohio; Kenilworth Lodge, K. of P., No. 340, Weston; and Anthony Wayne Tent, K. O. T. M., No. 140, Weston. He is also a director and stockholder in the Citizens Bank of Weston, and is interested in the oil business., Jacob Strawser, father of Mr. Strawser, was born in Pennsylvania, March 31, 1817, and was a blacksmith by trade. On February 9, 1840, he married Miss Susan Rockaway, who was born in Pennsylvania, February 8, 1822. He located at Hallsville, Ross Co., Ohio, where for twenty years he followed his trade as a miller, and then that of blacksmithing. To him and' his wife were born ten children, one of which died in infancy; the names and dates of birth of the others are as follows: Katie, June 1, 1844; John S., October 1, 1846; H. G., November 30, 1851; Mattie, February 16, 1853; Ella, March 2, 1856; Byron, March 27, 1858; William, September 25, 1860; Lizzie, January 20, 1863; Franklin, November 12, 1866. WILLIAM A. SARGENT. Success can always be achieved through enterprise, indefatigable industry and sound judgment, and these have made our subject one of the substantial citizens of Liberty township. He was born in Ross county, Ohio, February to, 1833, and is a son of John and Agnes (Linn) Sargent, the former a native of southern Ohio, the latter of Virginia. They were married in Ross county, Ohio, and in the spring of 1833 came to Wood county, arriving in Liberty township, April 6. The father entered 40o acres of wild land, later adding 249 acres. He erected a rude log cabin, which after, fifteen years was replaced with a substantial frame dwelling. His death occurred on the old homestead, May 11, 1857; his widow died in 1872. In their family were seven children: Snowden L., a liveryman, of Jerry City; Nancy Ann, who became the wife of Ambrose Shiveley, and died in Center township, at the age of twenty-three; Sarah A., who became the wife of John Fearnside, of Liberty township, and died at the age of twenty-three; George, who died in infancy; William A., subject of this sketch; and John Wesley, who died in St. Louis, Missouri. Our subject received a common-school education in Liberty township, and was reared on his father's farm. His privileges in this direction, however, were limited, for his services were much needed on the farm. He was married in Plain township, December 24, 1857, to Mary E. Frank, who was born in 1839. They have one child, La Vendee, wife of A. V. Powell, of Bowling Green, Ohio. Their grandchildren are Frank S., Alice Lillian, John Avery, Gerald Alonzo, Dr. William McMahon Powell, and Vivian. For five years after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Sargent resided on the old homestead, and then removed to their present farm, which comprises 140 acres of land. At the time of the purchase it was mostly wild and unimproved. Mr. Sargent erected his home in 1865 and has made his farm a very productive one. He now has ten good oil wells upon his place. He is a practical, intelligent farmer, one who carries on business on scientific principles, and, though he had not a dollar when he came to his present home, he has to-day one of the most valuable farms in the neighborhood. In politics he is a stanch Republican, and he is an advocate for temperance. He has served as town trustee for three years, and has been treasurer of the Portage township school board some eighteen years. W. H. H. KIGER is a leading agriculturist of Montgomery township, and an excellent citizen who has to his credit an unblemished war record. He is a native of Ohio, born, in Fairfield county, November 13, 1839, and is the son of Henry and Mercy L. (Williamson) Kiger, who never left that county, and there the former died when our subject was quite young, and the latter is still living at the ripe old age of eighty-four years. Mr, Kiger, of this review, was the only son in a family of four children, and in his boyhood secured his education at the district schools of his native county. Like most farmer boys he was reared to habits of industry, early becoming familiar with the work of an agriculturist; he remained under the parental roof until answering the call of President Lincoln for troops to put down the Rebellion, he enlisted in August, 1861, in Company I, 17th O. V. I. He served as fifth sergeant until discharged in May, 1862, on account of disability, and returned to his native county; but the following year came to Wood county, renting a farm in Perry township, which he operated, but made his home with his uncle, Josiah Kiger, as he was at that time unmarried. In May, 1864, however, he re-enlisted, this time becoming a member of Company E, 144th O. V. I., and was engaged in guard duty at Wilmington, Del, until discharged in the following August, after which he resumed farming in Perry township. In the winter after his return to Wood county, 852 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. Mr. Kiger was married in Perry township to Miss Mary Norris, a native of Wayne county, Ohio, and a daughter of John and Rebecca (Cuthbertson) Norris, and to them have been born the following children-Kate, now Mrs. F. M. Adams, of Montgomery township; Rebecca, who for four years successfully engaged in teaching in the schools of Fostoria, Ohio, but is now the wife of H. O. Yant, of Toledo, Ohio; Frank M., also of Toledo; William H., who is attending college at Delaware, Ohio; and Emma, at home. In Perry township, Mr. Kiger make his first purchase of land, consisting of eighty acres, partially improved, and for which he went in debt; but in 1867 he removed to Franklin county, Iowa, where he remained for one winter. Becoming dissatisfied there, he returned to Wood county, and later bought forty acres of land in Montgomery township,, a small portion of which had been cleared, and on which stood an old log cabin. That has been replaced by a comfortable dwelling, the land has all been cleared and placed under a high state of cultivation, and all the improvements, there found, stand as monuments to this thrift and enterprise. The place comprises fifty acres of excellent land. In his political affiliations Mr. Kiger entirely coincides with the doctrines and platforms of the Republican party, and in the exercise of his elective franchise supports the candidates of that organization. He ranks among the better class of citizens, and has served as trustee of the township and a member of the school board. Socially, he is connected with the I. O. O. F., at Prairie Depot, and both he and his wife are earnest and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he serves as one of the trustees. HOMER C. BROWN, the well-known architect of Bowling Green, to whose fine artistic taste that vicinity is indebted for many of its handsomest buildings, is among the group of "Wood county boys " who are rapidly rising to prominence and usefulness in the business life of their native county. His family originated in Scotland, but his great-great-grandfather, a weaver by occupation, came to Virginia, at an early date, from Ireland. His son Matthew, our subject's great-grandfather, was born in Loudoun county, Virginia. He followed the trade of carpenter and joiner in early manhood, but later became a Baptist minister. In 1828 he came to Ohio with his family, and located first in Perry county, and finally in Wood county, where he died at the age of ninety-eight years and eight months. His son Isaac, the son Isaac, the grandfather of our subject, 'was born in Hampshire county, Virginia, in 1812. He was a carpenter and joiner in Perry county for many years, and died in Wood county, in 1887. His son Simon, our subject's father, was born in Perry county, August 2, 1842, and in the fall of 1862 came to Washington township, and engaged in contracting and building. With the exception of two years, spent in bridge building on the B. & O. R. R., he has resided in this county ever since, and is now a leading contractor at Bowling Green. He takes a prominent part in all local movements, and is a Democrat in politics and a leading supporter of the United Brethren Church. He has been twice married, first in 1863, to Miss Martha Alexander, who was born in 1844, and is deceased. They had three children: Homer C., our subject; Richard, a clerk in Bowling Green; and Arthur, who died in boyhood. Ills second wife was Miss Caroline Hutchison, a native of Wood county, born in 1859, by whom he has had two children: one who died in infancy, and Nellie. He saw four months active service during the Civil war, in the 144th, O. V. I., and is a member of the G. A. R. at Weston. Homer C. Brown was born in Plain township, August 25, 1869, and received his early education in the schools of Weston and Bowling Green. He learned the carpenter's trade with his father, and followed it for six years, in the meantime studying architecture, in which he has since engaged as a profession with marked success. He designed the new Central School building at Bowling Green, and many of the most tasteful and commodious residences of that city are his work. In politics he is a Republican, and he belongs to the I. O. O. F. Lodge. A. B. WITMORE. One of Perry's best citizens and farmers, and the oldest male representative of his family, is the subject of this sketch, who is the son of Jonathan and Catherine (Cover) Witmore. Mr. Witmore was born in Franklin county, Penn., August 23, 1837, and was reared in that county until over thirteen years old, up to which time he attended such schools as those days afforded. When his parents came to Wood county in the fall of 185o, he attended school there until he was eighteen years old. The schools of his days and the opportunity for learning were much inferior to those of the present time, and the progress in this line is earnestly advocated by Mr. Witmore, who fully realizes that the advancement of the coming generation requires ed- Tobias & Helen Hanline WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 853 ucation, accomplishments, and a practical knowledge of work. At the age of eighteen our subject began to learn the carpenter trade under instructions from Jonathan Myers, with whom he worked, making furniture, cabinet work, etc. His first investment was the buying of a sawmill, which he ran for two years at a handsome profit, and then went into partnership with Mr. Myers, with whom he remained for several years. On January 26, 1865, Mr. Witmore was married in Montgomery township, to Miss Katy Legron, who was born in Mahoning county, Ohio, April 3, 1845, and is the daughter of John and Fannie (Gahmen) Legron. Her parents came to Wood county in 1854, and settled in Montgomery township, where she went to school. Mr. Witmore located in West Millgrove, where he engaged in the sawmill business with George Ketcham for about six years, and then traded his interest to Lewis Whitman for eighty acres of land in Section 12, Perry township, and went to farming in partnership with his brother. They remained together for six or seven years, until the spring of 1875, when the partnership was satisfactorily dissolved, and our subject moved to his present farm, where he has 120 acres of excellent land, which he has improved in many ways at no little expense and trouble. To Mr. and Mrs. Witmore were born the following children: Severina E., August 31, 1866, who is now Mrs. A. M. Sellers, of Perry township, and has four children; John I., December 21, 1868, met with an accident while at school in Fostoria, and suffered from an ailment that baffled all the medical skill that money could procure, and from which he finally died February 12, 1894; Fannie A., September 2, 1869, married Ira W. Ingle, of Wood county, Ohio; Ada, December 28, 1875, died when seven months old; Ora Willis, November 30, 1878, resides at home. Mr. Witmore is a deacon in the German Baptist Brethren Church, to which he is a most liberal contributor. He is well off in this world's goods, is one of Perry township's substantial citizens, and is highly respected by a large circle of friends. JAMES STAFFORD, a leading citizen of Liberty township, was born in McComb, Hancock Co., Ohio, April 17, 1862, and is a son of Nathan and Marinda (McCracken) Stafford. He acquired a common-school education in Liberty township, being but three years of age when his parents removed to Wood county, locating in that township. No event of special importance occurred in his childhood, which was passed in the usual manner of farmer lads-working on the farm through the summer months, and attending school in the winter. He remained under the paternal roof until his marriage. That important event in the life of Mr. Stafford occurred in Liberty township, in March, 1884, when Miss Laura Powell became his wife. They began their domestic life on an eighty-acre farm in Section 2, Liberty township, partially inherited by Mrs. Stafford from her father. On this place our subject erected a large and commodious residence in 1888, and in 1895, he erected a fine, large, up-to-date barn, and now has one of the finest homes in the community, while the farm, in its neat and thrifty appearance, well indicates his careful supervision. The home has been brightened by the presence of two interesting children: Glenna and James DeWitt. In his political preferences, Mr. Stafford is an unswerving Republican, and does all in his power to promote the growth and insure the success of his party. For one term he served as township trustee. He is a member of the Mt. Zion class of the United Brethren Church, and is a wideawake, industrious and energetic business man. BERLIE W. MERCER. The same enterprising spirit which has led to the rapid development of the West causes this gentleman to be numbered among the progressive citizens of Wood county. He was born in Liberty township, April 7, 1865, and is a son of Pierce and Mary E. (Robinson) Mercer. The father was brought to Wood county during his early childhood, and was twice married, the mother of our subject being his second wife. They began their domestic life on the place which is now owned by James Grange, and the mother is still living on a part of the old farm, where the father died in 1883, respected by all who knew him. The children of their family are Berlie W.; James F., of Henry county, who died at midnight September 18, 1896, and was buried in Bethel cemetery (he left a widow to mourn his loss); Nancy Elizabeth, a music teacher, living at home; Charlotte L., wife of E. A. Stratton, of Bradner, Ohio; and Stella M., at home. After the father's death the mother married Bernard O'Brien, who is now also deceased, and by this marriage was born a daughter, Anna B. The early educational privileges enjoyed by our subject were afforded by the common schools, and were supplemented by a two-years' course in the Normal School of Ada, Ohio. Subsequently he engaged in teaching for two years in this county, and he has always been a warm friend of education and improvement. He entered upon his 854 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. business career as a farm hand. With the money he acquired through his own exertions, and a small inheritance from his father, he at length purchased a farm of forty acres in Section 21, Liberty township. He was engaged at work four years with the Ohio Oil Co., and now has upon his place five producing oil wells. He also owns a ninety-acre farm in Henry township, which he purchased in 1891, and the two properties yield him a good income. On November 12, 1884, in Bowling Green, Mr. Mercer was united in marriage with Libby M. Seymour, who was born in Franklin county, Ohio, September 13, 1867, daughter of Martin S. and Caroline Seymour. They have one son, Leonard V., who was born April 11, 1887. In 189o Mr. Mercer was visiting through the West with George B. Harris. In 1894 he went to Cincinnati and entered upon a four-years' course of study in the Eclectic Medical Institute, as a preparation for the practice of medicine, and, the same enterprise which has won him success in his business career thus far, will undoubtedly make him an able physician. In politics he is a Democrat, and has served as township clerk four years. His religious connection is with the Disciples Church at Rudolph, of which he has been a member since he was thirteen years old. WILLIAM NORTON was born in Springfield, Ohio, January 29, 1853. His father, Michael Norton, was born in Kildare, Ireland, and on coming to this country located near Springfield, where he engaged in farming. He was united in marriage in Clark county, Ohio, to Catherine Smith, a native of Kings County, Ireland, born August 8, 1833. They became the parents of eight children, four sons and four daughters, namely: William; Elizabeth, wife of William Snyder; Mary, wife of Charles Young; Annie, wife of William Brunthaver, a farmer of Middleton township; John, a cooper of Sugar Ridge; Michael G., a farmer of Dunbridge; Elsie, at home; and James. The father of this family removed to Wood county in 1853, and located in Middleton township, where he purchased sixty-five acres of land. This he improved, successfully continuing its cultivation until his death, which occurred April 1, 1873. He was a Democrat in politics, and a member of the Catholic Church of Bowling Green. Our subject acquired his education in the district schools of the neighborhood, and early began work on the home farm. After his father's death he conducted the sixty-five acres that constituted the home place, for four years, and then went to a home of his own. He rented a farm for two years, when, with the capital he had acquired, he purchased his present farm of eighty acres, one-half of which was unimproved. This he placed under a high state of cultivation, and now, in the midst of well-tilled fields, stands a fine residence and good barns, while his farm is one of the best in the township. On December 23, 1876, Mr. Norton wedded Miss Mary Entsminger, who was born in Sandusky county, September 30, 1856. They had two children-Maud, born November 22, 1877; and Frank M. (who died in infancy), March 24, 1884. For six years our subject has served as school director, was supervisor two terms, and in both offices has discharged his duties with a promptness and fidelity that has won him high commendation. Socially, he is connected with the Knights of Pythias fraternity, and, politically, with the Republican party. FRED S. AMOS, who is pleasantly located in Section 8, Montgomery township, is operating successfully as a farmer, and is numbered among the industrious and enterprising young men of Wood county. He was born April 28, 1868, on the farm where he still resides. Adam Amos, his father, was born in Bavaria, Germany, on the 27th of September, 1825, and when quite small was brought by his parents to the United States, and they became one of the pioneer families of Wood county, locating first in Section 1, Portage township, in 1838. During his youth he was employed by different farmers in the neighborhood, and his limited education was mostly in German. His knowledge of figures was first taught him by his oldest daughter Caroline, who was a bright little child and instructed her father before she was nine years of age. In 1850, in Portage township, was celebrated the marriage of Adam Amos and Miss Martha E. Lein, who was born in Germany, January 1, 1825, and came with her father, Andrew Lein, to the New World, in 1844. The Lein family first located in Scott township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, whence they removed to Portage township, Wood county, where the daughter remained until her marriage. Mr. Amos took his bride to the present home of our subject, he having purchased eighty acres there some time previous, paying for the amount by his own labors. Seven children came to brighten the household by their presence, namely: Caroline, who died at the age of nine years; John, a farmer of Portage township; William, an agriculturist of Center township; Adam and Jacob, WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 855 also farmers of Portage township; Mary, now Mrs. Warren Orr, of the same township; and Fred S., of this sketch. At the time of his purchase few improvements had been made upon the farm, but the father gave his entire time and attention to its cultivation and development, until he had converted it into one of the most highly improved places of the locality. He had increased the boundaries of his land until at the time of his death the home farm comprised 20o acres of rich and arable land, and he had assisted each of his children in securing places of their own. He was a successful agriculturist, and a self-made man in the fullest sense of that oft misused term, .having acquired all that he possessed through his own industry, energy and perseverance. The first home was replaced by a good brick residence, built in 1888. His earthly career was ended on the 28th of September, 1891, and he was laid to rest in Bradner cemetery. He was a worthy representative of the German-American citizens, respected by all who knew him. His political support was always given the Democratic party, and religiously he was a member of the Lutheran Church. Since the death of his father, Fred S. Amos has had complete charge of. the farm, and with him his widowed mother resided until her death, which occurred April 27, 1896, when she was laid to rest by the side of her husband in Bradner cemetery. During his boyhood and youth he attended the district schools in the neighborhood. He is possessed of more than ordinary intellectual ability, and learned very rapidly. He early began to assist in the labors of the field, and has become a thorough and skillful farmer, energetic and industrious. SIMON BROUGH, a representative farmer. of Troy township, is finely located in Section 1, where he is maintaining his place among the progressive and intelligent men around him, engaged in farming. His birth occurred in Sandusky county, Ohio, in 1858, and he is a son of George and Catherine (Shoemaker) Brough, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Germany. The father was reared in Pennsylvania, and when a young man came with his father, Simon Brough, to Sandusky county, where the latter died. In that county was celebrated the marriage of the parents of our subject, the mother having located there at about the age of ten years. In 1866 they became residents of Wood county, and the father passed away March 14, 1884, at Pemberville. His widow is still living, and now makes her home at Bowling Green. The parental household included five children Simon, of this sketch; Frank, a resident of Locust Point, Ottawa Co., Ohio; Jane, now Mrs. Sweet, of Bowling Green; Charley, who lives in Coldwater, Mich.; and Mrs. Cora Davis, of Toledo, Ohio. Mr. Brough, of this review, was eight years of age when the family located upon a farm in Troy township, and there became familiar with agricultural pursuits, which occupation he has made his life work. He was married in that township in December, 1892, the lady of his choice being Miss Anna Hintz, daughter of Fred Hintz, of Lake township, Wood county, and they have become the parents of two children-Otto and Ernest. In politics, Mr. Brough is an uncompromising Democrat, and is an energetic, wide-awake citizen, keenly alive to the interests of his township and county, and ready to meet and aid any scheme for their benefit. His public spiritedness and unquestioned integrity make him a desirable citizen. W. W. LONG, of Montgomery township, is prominent in the county not only as an advanced and scientific agriculturist, but also in local affairs, his able discharge of the duties of various public offices reflecting credit upon him. Samuel Long, his grandfather, an old-time minister of the U. B. Church, was a pioneer farmer of Sandusky county, Ohio, where he settled with his family when his son, John W. Long, our subject's father, was a boy. The latter was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, but grew to manhood at the new home, and was married January 29, 1850, to Miss Elizabeth Sampsell, by his brother, James, who was a minister of the U. B. Church, and a justice of the peace. Entirely dependent upon his own resources, he followed farming for some time near the old home, and early in April, 1856, moved to Wood county, where he bought eighty acres in Section 34, Montgomery township, from Seth Richardson, for $800. About six acres had been chopped over, and a house of round logs stood upon the clearing in which they found shelter until another round-log house was built. Not long after they had moved into this Mr. Long entered the army, enlisting May 2, 1864, in Company K, 144th . O. V. I. He took part in the battles of Monocacy, Md., Snicker's Gap, Va., and Berryville, Va., and lost his life in the latter engagement, August 13, 1864. Like many other heroes of that cruel war, his remains were laid to rest 856 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. where he had breathed his last, far from his home and kindred. He had won a high place in the esteem of his neighbors in Montgomery township during his residence there, had been chosen to several local offices, and was one of the earliest and most influential members of the Republican party there. Although not large in build, he was robust and active. Fond of reading, and especially of Bible study, he was a valued worker in the U. B. Church-the old Montgomery Church at Risingsun, and had been a classleader for ten years previous to his death, in addition to his service in other Church offices. Of his five children, W. W., our subject, was the eldest; the second, John W., died in infancy; Sarah A. married Wilson Dunlap, of Montgomery township; Samuel S. is a prominent resident of this county; and James F. resides in Trombly, Ohio. At the father's death a debt of $500.00 :still remained upon the home; but through the united efforts of Mrs. Long and her children, they were able to meet the payments, and keep the little family together. All had their home there until they married and settled elsewhere, and Mrs. Long still resides there, the property being now owned by our subject and his brother, Samuel. W. W. Long was born in Scott township, Sandusky county, February 21, 1851, and the schools near the Wood county home were the only ones that he ever attended. He learned rapidly, but his father's untimely death made it necessary for him to take up the battle of life in earnest at the age of thirteen, as the eldest son of his bereaved mother. He remained at home until his marriage, May 21, 1876, at Prairie Depot, to Miss Amanda J. Graber, a native of Ashland county, Ohio, who was born July 29, 1856. Her father, Adam Graber, was a well-known farmer, who, with his wife, Catherine Blessing, came from Germany in the early part of the " fifties," and after some years spent at other localities, finally located, in the fall of 1862, in Section 26, Montgomery township, Wood county, where they spent .their remaining days. Mrs. Graber died February 20, 1865, and her husband survived her twenty years, dying June 12, 1885; the remains of both rest in Trinity cemetery, Scott township, Sandusky county. They had four sons and eight daughters, and all of the twelve lived to adult age except one who was fataly burned in childhood. Mr. Long spent the first years of wedded life at his present farm of eighty acres in Section 26, Montgomery township, and then rented the "Arnold Farm," in Section 36, where, although he paid a large cash rent, he secured his start toward prosperity. He lived there nine years, and on April I, 1890, returned to his first farm, which he now owns. His first child, Cora M., was born May 29, 1877, and died November 25, 1878; and the second, Rosa, born June 7, 1879 is a member of the class of '96, in the Risingsun High School. Mr. Long's own disadvantages in early life have made him feel keenly the need of bringing educational opportunities within the reach of all, and he has been an active friend of improvement in this regard; he served' on the Risingsun school board when the new school building was erected. He is a leading member of the U. B. Church, in which he has held the offices of trustee and superintendent of the Sunday-school, and is now steward. Politically he has always been a Republican, and he has served as township .trustee four years and constable two years. C. H. MILBOURN, a well-known and honored pioneer of Bloom township, is a native of Ohio, born in Columbiana county, January 23, 1835, and is a son of David and Emma (Taylor) Milbourn. The paternal grandfather, Andrew Milbourn,, who was born in the Old Dominion, served in the war of 1812, and died in Columbiana county; this State. David Milbourn was one of the youngest in a family of nine children-eight sons and one daughter-and his birth occurred in 1801. He was married in Columbiana county, March 26, 1826, to Emma Taylor, who was born in Lancaster, county, Penn., February 4, 1802. They became the parents of the following children: Levi D., born November 15, 1828, was a member of the 144th O. V. I., as a loo-day man, and now makes his home in Bowling Green, Ohio; Richard T., born June 9, 1830, was killed in July, 1857, by a falling tree, while driving along the road returning from a visit in Wood county to his home in Hancock county; Rachel E., born August 21, 1832, is now Mrs. Michael Auverter, of North Baltimore, Ohio; our subject is next in order of birth; Mary J., born February 23, 1837, is the wife of Peter Boozer, of Bloom township; Lydia, born November 3, 1839, died June 23, 1846, and Jacob H., born March 18, 1842, was a member of Company F, 8th O. V. I., and now makes his home in Barry county, Michigan. On December 3, 1838, the father arrived with his family in Wood county, locating in Section 8, Bloom township, and they were sixteen days in making the trip from Minerva, Ohio, where he had owned a house and lot. He there worked in a gristmill and at the carpenter's trade; but the Charles H. Milbourn WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 857 cheap lands of Bloom township enticed him, and he entered. eighty acres. He cleared two acres, and erected a cabin, 18 x 24 feet, into which the family moved. They were compelled to go to Perrysburg or Maumee to mill, which required five days; but a great deal of their grist was ground in an old hand-mill. On that farm the father lived until his death, which occurred March 8, 1851, and his remains were interred in Sugar Grove cemetery, Bloom township. He was a Whig in politics, and for several years had been constable of that township. The mother lived to the advanced age of eighty-six years, and was buried in Jerry City. There were no schools in the locality at the time the family located here, and our subject was nine years of age before he began his education in the subscription school. At the age of twenty he left the farm, and began learning the carpenter's trade with John McMillen, of Portage township, Wood county. Later he followed that occupation, receiving $16 per month and board, which was considered good pay at that time, and in the winter would chop wood at twenty-five cents per cord and his board. On August 27, 1862, in Bloom township, Mr. Milbourn wedded Miss Rachel Stull, a native of that township, and daughter of Urie and Mary (Hockenbarger) Stull, who at an early day owned the present site of Jerry City. In November, 1865, our subject purchased forty acres of wild land in Section 9, Bloom township, to which he removed in the following March, and has since bought eight acres additional. In 1885 he erected a pleasant home, which is surrounded by good and substantial outbuildings; and there are found all the accessories seen on a modern farm of value. For several years he worked at his trade in connection with his agricultural pursuits, thus securing a comfortable competence. He is a man of the strictest integrity, and his upright, honorable life had gained him many friends. During the Rebellion, Mr. Milbourn enlisted August 13, 1862, at the Red School House, in Portage township, in Company D, 111th O. V. I., under Capt. J. E. McGowan. For two weeks he remained at Perrysburg, and while at Camp Toledo returned home to be married. His first engagement was at Huff's Ferry, in Tennessee, and he continued with the regiment until March 5, 1864, while at Dandridge, East Tenn., when he was sent to the hospital at Knoxville, afterward to Nashville, and later to Ward 5, General Hospital, at Jeffersonville, Ind. On November 5, 1864, he rejoined the regiment at Chattanooga, serving as corporal, to which rank he had been promoted in September, 1863, while at Smithland, Ky., on top of the Cumberland Mountains. He received his discharge at Salisbury, N. C., June 27, 1865, and arrived home at midnight July 14, following. During his absence his wife had made her home with his widowed mother. Our subject and wife became the parents of six children : Lewis W., who was born April 17, 1866, and died in Bloom township, October 9, 1891; Thomas E., born July 27, 1867; Willis, born July 25, 1868; Riley, born October 6, 1869; Emma, who was born in November, 1870, died in January, 1873; and Jennie, who died in infancy. Thomas and Willis are still with their father, while Riley is now in Cygnet, Ohio. The mother's death occurred October 12, 1875, and she was laid to rest in Sugar Grove Cemetery. On May 17, 1877, at Tiffin, Mr. Milbourn was again married, this time to Iona S. Rollins, who was born in 1831, in Seneca county, Ohio. At the age of sixteen she began teaching in Wood county, and she subsequently worked at tailoring for twenty years. Her parents, Almerin and Mary (Sherwood) Rollins, died in 1846 and 1847, respectively; the mother was a native of New Jersey. They had a family of seven childrensix daughters and one son-four of whom are now living. The son, W. B. Rollins, is now a resident of Fostoria; he was a soldier during the Civil war in the 49th O. V. I. Our subject belongs to Bronson Post No. 85, G. A. R., of Jerry City, and is a firm believer in the principles of the Republican party, which he supports with his ballot. For three terms he served as assessor of the township, was school director of District No. 2, and has also been a member of the board. Mrs. Milbourn is a member of the Methodist Church. MORRIS B. REIDER, proprietor of the Union flour mills at Bowling Green, was born in Berks county, Penn., December 18, 1857. He lived in his native county until of age, and attended the public schools; and when eighteen years old he commenced to learn the miller's trade. He worked at this for three years, and then removed to Ohio, locating in Tiffin, Seneca county, where he worked on a farm for nine months. He then went to Hancock county, where he worked in a mill for four years, and in 1883 came to Wood county, and with a partner purchased the flourmill in Bowling Green, which he has operated ever since. He has devoted his entire attention to his business, and since he took charge of the mill has remodeled it, taking out the old burrs 858 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. and putting in the new system of rolls. The mill now has a capacity of fifty barrels per day, and is doing a large custom exchange business, all its products being sold at home. Mr. Reider is an energetic business man, progressive in his ideas, and has made a success of his present enterprise. His mill runs the year round, and has gained an excellent reputation for the fine quality of its flour, as well as for the straightforward dealings of its proprietor. Mr. Reider was married November 8, 1883, to Miss Katie Sharp, who was born in Hancock county, Ohio, September 21, 1860. Three children have blessed their union, namely: Nellie Gray, Joy Frank, and Roxie Rachel. In, politics our subject belongs to the Prohibition party, and uses his influence in the cause of temperance whenever possible. He is a worthy member of the United Brethren Church, and fraternally belongs to the I. O. O. F. and F. & A. M. The parents of our subject were Simeon and Rachel (Breidegam) Reider, both natives of Berks county, Penn., where they are still living. They are of German descent, their grandparents coming to America from that country at an early day. Grandfather John Reider was a stone mason by trade, and one of his brothers was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and was made prisoner by the English. Benjamin Breidegam, our subject's maternal grandfather, was a shoemaker by trade. The paternal family consisted of nine children, namely: Mary, who died in infancy; Benjamin, who died when twelve years old; Ezra, residing in Pennsylvania; Morris B ; James, also residing in Pennsylvania; Catherine, who married Joseph Hoch; Jonas, who lives in Pennsylvania; Sally, who married A. Nein, of Pennsylvania; and Elizabeth, deceased. . GEORGE W. SMITH, a farmer of Plain township, was born in Monroeville, Huron Co., Ohio, December 9, 1847. Daniel, the father of our subject, was born in New York, and while still young came west, and located at Monroeville, where he bought 16o acres of land, which he built upon and improved. He was united in marriage with Miss Fanny Phillips, and five children were born of this union, namely: Hannah, the wife of Philip Kitchen, of Plain township; Judson D., a farmer of Middleton township; Phoebe, who married D. D. Johnston, of Toledo; George, the subject of this sketch; and one who died in infancy. In 1851, Mr. Smith went to California, and never returned. Mrs. Smith was married again, this time to R. Winton, and four children were born to them: Millie, wife of Calvin Fox; Josiah, of Toledo; Eli, a farmer living in Plain township; and one who died in infancy. Mrs. Winton, formerly Mrs. Smith, died in 1882. The subject of this sketch was educated in Norwalk, Huron county, and remained on the old homestead until 1871, when he bought eighty acres of land in Plain township, on which he built a house, barn, etc., and making all necessary improvements. In 1871 he was married to Miss Anna Mears, a daughter of William Mears, of Plain township, and six children were born to them. Daniel W., born November 25, 1873, attended the high school of Bowling Green, and works on the homestead; Phoebe, born March 8, 1875, married George Wilson, a blacksmith; Frank, born May 25, 1876, attends school at Haskins; Florence and Helen, twins, born June 3,1878-Helen died in infancy, and Florence is attending school at Union Hill; Ralph, born April 2, 1893. Mr. Smith was school director and supervisor for six years. He is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the Baptist Church, the I. O. O. F., Roche-de-Boeuf Lodge No. 530, of Haskins, and of the Rebekah Lodge No. 387. DEWEE H. RUNNEALS. There is, perhaps, no medium through which the masses of the people are educated equal to the journalistic; and on the editors of our great papers rests the responsibility of molding the opinions of men on issues of national and even universal importance. It is a great undertaking for a man old in years and in knowledge of the world to assume the position of "popular educator;" but how much greater is the undertaking for a comparatively young man! Dewee H. Runneals, the genial owner and publisher of the Bradner Advocate, was born on September 1, 1867, at Adrian, Seneca Co., Ohio, the son of James C. and Cora (Weber) Runneals. James C. Runneals was born in Rehoboth, Ohio, June 2, 1837. He enjoyed the benefit of an unusually good education for those days, and followed the profession of teaching, together with the occupation of bookkeeping, all his life. Inspired by the patriotic ardor that leads men to offer up their lives, if need be, on the altar of their country, on August 14, 1861, Mr. Runneals laid aside the birch and quill, and enlisted in Company D, 49th O. V. I., for the three-years' service. Bravely enduring all the hardships incident to the life of a soldier, and faithful in the discharge of every duty, he bore his musket through the years of his enlistment, and at Atlanta, Ga., on the expiration of the three years, October 20, 1864, he was mustered out and re- WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 859 turned home. June 22, 1865, he married Miss Cora Weber, who was born in Paris, Stark Co., Ohio, August 9, 1845. Two children blessed this union: Frank C. and Dewee H., both of whom survive. The father passed away in Fostoria, Seneca county, May 4, 1884, at the age of forty-seven, but the mother is still living, making her home in Fostoria. Dewee H. Runneals, the subject proper of this sketch, was educated in the public schools at Fostoria, until September, 1884, when he laid aside his school books and began to learn the printer's trade, in the office of the Democrat. In 1886 he went to Abilene, Kans., thence to Denver, Colo. ; in 1889, in partnership with A. L. Clark, he published the People's Advocate, at Marysville, Kans. In 189o he established the Fostoria Daily Journal, but after nine months sold out to the Democrat, and again went west, this time locating in Trinidad, Colo. ; here he remained until February, 1893, when he settled at Deshler, Ohio, and with his brother leased the Deshler Flag, and successfully conducted it for one year. On February 9, 1892, at Manhattan, Kans., Mr. Runneals was united in marriage with Miss Nellie I. Barksdale, of Bigelow, Kans. She was the daughter of Madison and Mary (Wilson) Barksdale, and was born February 9, 1873, at Salem, Washington Co., Ind. To the union of our subject and his wife have been born two sons, namely: James Madison, January 13, 1893, in Oketo, Marshall Co., Kans., and Cecil Howard, December 8, 1895, in Bradner, Wood Co.. Ohio. On October 26, 1894, Mr. Runneals started the Advocate, and, although a complete stranger, proved his business ability, and in a year had achieved a success seldom reached by the newspaper of several years standing. The paper is wholly independent in politics, and the agreeable owner has made many friends by his strict impartiality, and his manly bearing has won him the respect of all with whom he has come in contact. Socially he is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees, and the International Typographical Union. CLARK CUMMINGS, a well-known agriculturist of Middleton township, was born in Perrysburg, October 8, 1834. His father, the late Josiah Cummings, one of the pioneers of this county, was born in Connecticut, where he followed the occupation of farming for some years, removing- later to Massachusetts. There he married Miss Lucy Churchill, by whom he had four children, of whom our subject was the youngest. Walter, a resident of Tontogany, died in 1887; Mary Ann married Richard Hollington; and Abner died in 1876. Josiah Cummings came to Wood county in 1832, locating first in Perrysburg, and later at Tontogany, in Washington township, and in 1836 on a farm of forty acres, near Tontogany, which he cleared and cultivated. He died there, in 1848, his wife surviving him until 1877. Mr. Cummings attended the schools of Tontogany until the age of fourteen; but after his father's death he worked upon the homestead, his labor being needed for the support of the family. When he attained his majority he bought eighty acres of land in Plain township, and cleared and improved a portion of it. He sold this farm, and bought fifty acres of improved land near the Maumee river, where he remained several years. He was married in 1857 to his first wife, Miss Caroline Bliss, a native of Pennsylvania, by whom he had five children, whose names, with dates of birth, are as follows: Lottie, September 10, 1859, married John Kuirth, a carpenter; Charles, July 2, 1861, is a carpenter at Hastings, and married Hattie Hogland; Nettie May, born May 13, 1866, is the wife of Fred Ryder; Hulda Ann, October 2, 1873, married J. T. Twining, an oil operator; and Minnie, January 13, 1879, is at home. In 1862, Mr. Cummings enlisted at Tontogany, in Company K, 67th O. V. I., Capt. Lewis and Col. Voris, commanding. He remained at home a few weeks, and recruited fourteen men for his company, which he rejoined at Suffolk, Va., where they had gone into winter quarters. In January, 1864, at Port Royal, S. C., he reenlisted, and took part in the battle of Richmond, June 26 to July 1, 1864, and was in a number of other engagements, among them the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, 'Petersburg, Winchester, and Charleston, and was at the surrender of Lee at Appomatox. He had an attack of the measles, and took cold, which affected his lungs, his health being seriously and permanently impaired as a result. He was discharged June 21, 1865, at Richmond, Va., and returned home. His wife had sold the farm during his absence, and bought sixty acres near Bowling Green, where they remained until March, 1872, when he disposed of it to buy sixty acres in the same township, where he operated for two years. He then bought l00 acres in Middleton township, thirty of which were unimproved. He brought it all under cultivation, and lived there until Au- 860 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. gust, 1888, when he again sold out, buying a farm near Haskins, where he now resides, enjoying the fruits of his labors. His first wife died August 19, 1884, and he married Miss Emma Dawson, a native of Norfolk, England, born April 21, 1845. No children were born of this union. Mr. Cummings is highly regarded among his associates, and takes an active interest in all progressive measures in his locality. He is a Republican in politics, and has been supervisor in Plain township, and school director in the district where he now resides. He is a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church (joining in 1858) at Tontogany, and belongs to the G. A. R., Harry Carter. Post, 56, at Haskins. D. H. REX. Prominent among the represent ative citizens and respected and influential men of Troy township is found the subject of this biographical notice, who resides on Section 36, where he owns eighty acres of land, and also forty acres in Sandusky county, Ohio; both tracts are well improved and highly cultivated, and show conclusively that the owner has not mistaken his calling in adopting agriculture. Mr. Rex was born in Adams county, Penn., December 31, 1818, and is a son of Jonas and Leah (Myers) Rex, natives of the same county, where they were reared and married. The paternal grandfather, Daniel Rex, served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war, thus aiding the colonies in freeing themselves from British oppression. In 1826 the father located in Crawford county, Ohio, in the midst of the wilderness, where he opened up a farm. In 1863 he became a resident of this county, and died in Troy township, August 1, 1865. His wife had preceded him to the other world, dying in Crawford county, on January I, 1842. Their only child was our subject, who was about ten years of age when taken by them to Crawford county, and there he acquired a limited' education, though for five years after his arrival he never saw a school house. He was reared to agricultural pursuits. It was in 1863 that he located upon his present farm, since which time he has been very successful in his business affairs. He has fifteen oil producing wells upon his place (the first having been bored in his orchard), and they add not a little to his income. In Richland county, in 1843, Mr. Rex was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Stentz, who was born near Harrisburg, Penn., December 24, 1823, and is a daughter of John and Sonia (Wentz) Stentz, also natives of that locality, who at an early day removed to Richland county, Ohio. There the father made his home until his death, which occurred in 1869, and his wife departed this life in 1880. In their family were children as follows: Mrs. Rex, honored wife of our subject; Mary Crawl, who makes her home in Richland county; Harriet, deceased; Mrs. Sophia Fullmer, of Ashland county, Ohio; Mrs. Eliza Knott, of Richland county; Mrs. Susan Sears, of the same county; Rebecca, who died unmarried; Mrs. Elizabeth Rife, who died in 1893; John, a resident of Shelby, Ohio; and Philip, who lives on the old family homestead. To Mr. and Mrs. Rex have been born three children-Mrs. Sophia Amelia Spada, of Castalia, Ohio; Mrs. Sarah Ann Hartman, of Woodville, Ohio; and John, who makes his home with his father. He was married, but his wife died, leaving one child, Henry J. Mr. Rex takes quite an active interest in political affairs, voting with the Republican party; and he and his wife are sincere and faithful members of the Lutheran Church. He well merits the deep respect and high estimation in which he is held by his friends and neighbors, and has been a prominent factor in the upbuilding of his township, aiding in everything for its advancement. HENRY BERNTHISEL, a well-known pioneer agriculturist, now residing at Haskins, was born in February, 1820, in Perry county, Ohio. His reminiscences cover an interesting period, and he is one of the few men now living who attended the great mass meeting at Foft Meigs in 1840, during the "hard cider and log cabin campaign." His parents, Jacob and Jane (Willey) Bernthisel, were born in Pennsylvania, the father in the year 1784, the mother in 1772. They came to Ohio a few years after their marriage, and located first in Perry county, where they remained fifteen years before finally settling in Wood county. They were the first to locate on the bank of Tontogany creek, and the land on which they made their home was originally a swampy forest. Their goods, which they unloaded under a large white oak tree, had been brought from Perry county with two teams, one of oxen, the other of horses. They were devout members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mrs. Bernthisel died November 11, 1857; Mr. Bernthisel on September 28, 1858. Nine children were born to them: Anna, deceased, the wife of James Bradley; Levi, who went to California, and was never heard from afterward; Jane, the wife of David Mardook, both now deceased; Sarah, the widow of Thomas Heflinger, of Scotland, Ill. ; Henry; Parmelia, who married Daniel D. H. & Sarah Rex WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 861 Blodgett, of Weston; Mary Ann, deceased wife of Charles Holloway; Susan, who died in infancy; and Isaac, who lives at . Whitehall, Illinois. Mr. Bernthisel was a boy when his parents came to this county, and his early schooling was obtained in a log cabin in his district. He worked for his father until he was twenty-three, and then farmed on shares for others some four years, after which he engaged in farming on his own account, buying some wild land at Haskins, which he cleared and improved. On May 23, 1844, he married Miss Julia Ann Jenkins, who was born in Pennsylvania, in 1825, and died October 23, 1861. They had six children: Samuel, deceased in childhood. 'Nettie, who married David Bash, and has three children-Willie, John and Julia (of these, John is a school teacher at Dickey, and is married to Ida Robinson, by whom he has two children). Lottie married Joseph Garrett, of Bowling Green, and has two children living-Charles and Fray (Julia died when twelve years old). Ollie, who married Peter Penny, of Tontogany, and was murdered there in 1895 Wallace married Alice Ashley, and has five children-Willey, Willie, Floyd and Burnette, living, and 'one that died in infancy; and Charles, who married Miss Frankie Pitcher, and lives at the old homestead; they had three childrenHenry, Electa and Stella. After the death of the mother in 1861, Mr. Bernthisel married Mrs. Matilda (nee Barnes) Sargeant, widow of William Sargeant. Two children were born of this union, one of whom died in early childhood; Lillie, the survivor, is the wife of William Garrett, the adopted son of Elwood Garrett; they have one son, Ross. Our subject's second wife died in 1883, and August 14, 1883, he was married to Mrs. Emma J. Rigg, daughter of Clark and Elizabeth (Stackhouse) Chapman, natives of Vermont; the latter was of German descent, and died in 1846, leaving five children. Mr. Chapman, by trade a cabinet maker, died in 1876. Emma J. Chapman was born in Seneca county, N. Y., January 26, 1840, and was quite young when she accompanied her parents to Ohio. By her first husband, Joseph Rigg, she had six children, named respectively: William, Hiram, Charles, Sherman, Alice and Albert. Mr. Rigg died in 1879. About three years after his first marriage, Mr. Bernthisel left his old home and moved to a farm a half mile from Haskins, where he now owns 150 acres of land. In 1882 he retired into the village, there to spend his declining years free from business cares. He owns an eighty-acre farm on the river, forty acres west of Haskins, besides a good home in the village and his old home above alluded to. In politics he is a Democrat, as was his father before him, and has held some minor township offices. Socially he is a member of the I. O. O. F., Roche-de-Bceuf Lodge, No. 530, Haskins, in which he has passed most of the chairs, and he and his wife are affiliated with Rebekah Lodge No. 387, Haskins. In religious belief they are members of the Baptist Church at Haskins, with which organization he has been identified several years, and has served as trustee thereof. E. L. BARTON, the genial and efficient manager for The Buckeye Supply Company (since merged into. The National Supply Company), at Haskins, was born September 14, 1866, in Crawford county, Pennsylvania. His ancestors were early settlers in that State, and his grandfather, Johnathan Benn, was born there, in Westmoreland county, in 1810. He was a minister of the Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church, and died near Titusville, Penn., in 1883. Our subject's father's father, Henry Barton, was born in New York, in 1800, and moved to Pennsylvania, in 1826. Our subject's parents were both natives of Crawford county, Penn. His father, A. B. Barton, was born November 1g, 1842, and is still living near Titusville. He was one of the early operators in the oil fields of that region, but left his business in the first year of the Civil war to enlist in Company C, 150th P. V. I., one of the gallant " Buck Tail Regiments." At the close of the war he returned to the oil business, only to lose all his money in the famous " Pit Hole. " Since that time he has been engaged in agriculture. In politics he is a Republican. He was married in March, 1865, to Miss Mary Benn, of Crawford county, Penn., who died in 1877 leaving four children, of whom our subject is the eldest. Mae is a graduate of the State Normal School at Clarion, Penn., and is now a teacher in the public schools of Butler, Penn. J. W. is a fireman on the P. S. & L. E. R. R. Alice lives in Bowling Green. Mr. Barton, Sr., was married a second time, in June, 1881, to Miss Mary E. Nelson. Our subject lived at his father's farm until he was nine years old, when his mother died, and he was placed in the care of an aunt, Miss Rachel R. Benn, now a missionary in China, but at that time principal of the Model School at Edinboro, Penn. After one year there, he, with his brother and younger sister, were sent to the School for Soldiers' Orphans, at Mercer, Penn., where he 862 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. remained until the age of sixteen. Mr. Barton then took a course in the Commercial College at Titusville, graduating in 188'4. He at once engaged in the oil business, working in the fields of Clarendon, Red Valley, and Grand Valley, and came to Findlay, Ohio, during the second year of the excitement over the discoveries here. He has worked in nearly every capacity in the oil fields, but in March, 1891, he quit the business, and became a clerk in the post office at Bowling Green for G. W. Gaghan, remaining two years. He then became manager for the branch store of the Buckeye Supply Company, at Montpelier, Ind., remaining there two years, then returning to Wood county, Ohio. In this position his intimate knowledge of the requirements of the oil business makes his services peculiarly valuable. He is widely popular, and is always ready to give the results of his own experience to perplexed oil operators. On June 1, 1893, he was married to Miss Effie L. Royal, who was born in Michigan, November 19, 1867. They have one child, Raymond. Mr. Barton was for five years a member of the National Guards of his native State, serving as corporal of Company K, 16th Regiment. He is a member of the F. & A. M. and U. R., K. of P., belonging to both lodges at Bowling Green, Ohio (Wood County Lodge No. 112, F. & A. M.; Kenneth Division No. 90, and Subordinate Lodge K. of P. No. 158). FREDERICK J. BRAND, one of the most promnent citizens of Middleton township, was born January 6, 1849, in Hessen, Germany. Adam Brand, his father, a shoemaker by occupation, married Catherine Hof, and had a family of ten children, four of whom died in infancy; the others were Anna, who married Jacob Dower; Mary, deceased, who was the wife of Philip Meyer; John and Julius, farmers in Paulding county, Ohio; Frederick J.; ,and Catherine, the wife of F. Eccard. The parents of these, and the youngest daughter, came to this country in 1868; the father died at his home in 1889, the mother passing to her final rest in 1886, at the home of her eldest daughter. Our subject attended the schools of his birthplace in early youth, and later worked three years at his father's trade. At the age of seventeen he came to America on a steamer, which made the voyage in twelve days. When he landed at New York he had a German piece of money in his pocket, and this he exchanged for a one-dollar note of a defunct bank, thereby leaving himself penniless. With the help of his brother and sister, however, he managed to come west, and located in Wood county, working some four years as a farm hand. In 1871, he rented a farm, and kept it seven years, when he bought eighty acres of land at $60 per acre, giving $600 down, and paying six per cent. interest on the balance. He now has one of the best farms of its size in the community, containing 100 acres, having thereon an elegant residence built at a cost of $ 1,500, and he has ten oil wells on his property, which are operated by a local company. In 1871 Mr. Brand married Miss Regina Beil, a sister of Adam and Conrad Beil, well-known farmers of this county. Four children were born of this union: Rosa, the wife of Henry Holzhauer; Emelia, the wife of Julius Mohr; and Albert and Emanuel, both now living at home. In 1886 Mrs. Brand died of consumption, and in 1888 our subject married Miss Louisa Smith, a native of Switzerland. They have two children, Ernest and Ruth. Mr. Brand is a man of great influence in the community, his ability, integrity, and sound discretion gaining for him the confidence of all who know him. He has been a school director for fifteen years; president of the township board for four years; assessor for three years; real estate appraiser for Middleton township in 1890; is now serving as county commissioner, having been elected on the Republican ticket in the fall of 1895. In the German' Reformed Church, of which he is a charter member, he is trustee and elder, and is superintendent of the Sunday-school, of which he has been a teacher for twenty years. G. M. BARND, a retired merchant of Bloomdale, was born in Perry county, Ohio, March 17, 1832, the eldest son and second child of eleven children of John and Sarah (Garlinger) Barnd, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Virginia. When only six weeks old he was taken by his parents to Portage, now Allen, township, Hancock Co., Ohio, of which locality they were early settlers, and where the latter died. In the usual manner of farmer boys in a frontier settlement Mr. Barnd spent his early days, and on arriving at man's estate, he was married in Findlay, Ohio, by David Gray, on July 31, 1862, Miss Mary A. Myers becoming his wife. She is a native of Trumbull county, Ohio, and a daughter of Jonathan and Charlotte (Hull) Myers, who came to Bloom township in 1843, accompanied by the family of John Russell. The father located on a heavily-timbered tract, which is now within the corporation limits of Bloomdale, WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 863 and, within a radius of a mile and a half, their only neighbor was Daniel Robbins. Jonathan W. Myers was born in Trumbull county, December 10, 1810, and on April 3, 1834, was married to Charlotte Hull, who was born in Mahoning county, February 5, 1812, and to this union were born : Henry B. , January 7, 1835, married Martha Curtis, of Paulding county, and they now reside in St. Louis; Mary A., September 24,,1836, the wife of our subject; Caroline, November 27, 1838, married Joseph B. Clayton, and they now reside at Van Buren, in Hancock county; and John A., born January 5, 1847, married Matilda Hollingshead, of Hancock county, now residents of that county. On September 19, 1849, Mrs. Charlotte Myers died and on December 30, Mr. Myers was married to Elmira Robbins, of Wood county, and to this union were born : Rachel L., November 3, 1850, died July 12, 1853; Ella E., August 19, 1854, married Lorenzo D. Hatfield, who died July 15, 1891, and the widow lives at Bloomdale; and Jonathan E., March 30, 1857, married Emma J. Wineland, who died November 5, 1892, and he then married Emma Hays, and they reside in Tennessee. Jonathan W. Myers died September 21, 1892. He had resided on the same farm for forty-nine years, living to see his children settled in life before whom he had set a good example. He was a member of the M. E. Church. Our subject and wife began their domestic life upon his farm in Allen township, Hancock county, which, in 1875, he sold, going to North Baltimore, than a very small place. He there conducted a sash and door factory under the firm name of Barnd, Cameron & Co., for three years, when he disposed of his interest, and removed to Van Buren, Hancock county, where he engaged in the grocery business, and was also a justice of the peace. In 1885 he began general merchandising in Marseilles, Wyandot Co., Ohio, which he conducted for three years, when in the fall of 1888 he went to Risingsun, Wood county, and carried on a similar store until, in May, 1889. He then disposed of his stock, and on the 1st of August, 1890, opened a five and ten cent store in Bloomdale, carrying on the same until his retirement to private life in March, 1894. Mr. and Mrs. Barnd have no children of their own, but have an adopted son, John S., who was born January 24, 1874, and is now located at Hoytville, Ohio, where he is station agent and telegraph operator on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. In his business dealings, Mr. Barnd has ever been straightforward and honorable, pleasant and courteous to his customers, and well deserves the success that has come to him. In his efforts he has been ably assisted by the support and counsel of his loving wife, a most estimable lady, and they now rank among the most highly esteemed people of Bloomdale.. Politically, he is a strong Democrat, was clerk of Allen township, Hancock county, and a member of the village council of Van Buren, Ohio, while for nearly thirty years he and his wife have been active and consistent members of the Primitive Baptist Church. DAVID BATES. No country affords a greater opportunity to the poor man than our own; it is, indeed, the poor man's country; here an industrious frugal man has a chance to accumulate property. Many fail to do so, but the best of our population lay by some of their earnings, and soon find themselves in the possession of a good competence. Among the latter class is the gentleman whose name introduces this article. Mr. Bates is a native of Ohio, born in Scott township, Sandusky county, in .1855, and is the son of Adam and Betsey (Metcalf) Bates. The father still resides in that township, but the mother died when our subject was only three years old, after which he was reared by his uncle, David Phillips, and his education was obtained in the district schools. On attaining man's estate, Mr. Bates was married November 16, 1876, in Scott. township, Sandusky county, the lady of his choice being Miss Margaret E. Faint, who was born in Jackson township, that county, October 10, 1857, the daughter of Martin and Catherine (Good) Fiandt, farming people of that locality. They have become the parents of six children: Ada E., born April 8, 1878; Etta M., born March 5, 1883; Rosa B., who died in infancy; David M., born October 2, 1889; Amby C., who died in infancy; and Merrill E., born.November 3, 1893. For two years after his marriage, Mr. Bates rented land in Scott township, Sandusky county, but in the spring of 1879 purchased forty acres there in Section 22, at a cost of $800, going in debt for half the amount. At the end of two. years he rented an eighty-acre farm in Section 27, Montgomery township, Wood county, for a year, which he then bought, after selling his original tract at a profit. He lived upon that place until April, 1893, when he rented and operated a farm of 240 acres, for four years, but now has 120 acres of fertile and productive land in Section 27, Montgomery township, on which, in 1896, he erected a fine dwelling at a cost of 864 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. $3,000, and will make it his future home. He has ever been a hard worker, energetic and enterprising, and is destined to become one of the prosperous farmers of the locality. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bates hold membership with the Church of God, in which he has been deacon, and superintendent of the Sunday-school, while she has been a teacher in the latter. They are kindhearted, considerate people, and have the respect of the entire community. GEORGE BAIRD QUIGLEY, a prominent resident of Bowling Green, has won the distinction of having spent more years in the oil business than any other man in this region, if not in the entire State of Ohio.- Fortune has not always smiled upon his ventures, and he has lost as well as made money; but his pluck and persistence have in later years brought him rich rewards, and he is counted among the leading operators in the State. He was born March 25, 1841, in Warren, Penn., the only child of W. B. and Mary Ann (Williams) Quigley, both of whom were natives of the Keystone State. His father went to California in 1849, and soon decided to return, but died on his way back, in 1852, in St. Louis, Missouri. Our subject spent his youth with his mother's parents at Warren, Penn., where he received his education in the district school.. His mother died there in 1863 at the age of fifty-five. Her father, Isaac Newton Williams, was born April 6, 1796, and was a soldier in the war of 1812, afterward moving to Canada, where he conducted a hotel for some years. Coming back to the United States, he lived for a time at Black Rock, N. Y., finally returning to Pennsylvania, where he engaged in carpentering. He married Miss Susan Guyon, who was born December 5, 1799, and died in 1859, at Warren, Penn., where Mr. Williams W, as also living at the time of his death, May 6, 1856. In 1851 the subject of this sketch started in business as a clerk at $50 a year, without board, but he made himself so useful that the following year another firm offered him a salary of $300, which he, of course, accepted. In 10 860 he went to Titusville, Penn., and established the first livery stable ever opened there, owned by the firm of Struthers & Whitmore. He managed this for a time, but becoming interested in prospecting for oil, he devoted his attention to drilling wells, putting down four, all of which proved to be dry holes in the ground. He then entered the army, enlisting April 28, 1861, in Company D, 42nd P. V. I., known as the " Buck Tail" regiment. He served over two years, and was in, many engagements, among them the battles of Malvern Hill, Gaines' Mills, Mechanicsville, and the second battle of Bull Run. He was also in the Peninsula campaign, including the Sevendays retreat. His last fighting was at Stony Ridge, where he was taken sick, and sent to the hospital at Mt. Pleasant, Washington. Returning home at the close of the war, Mr. Quigley began clerking again, at a salary of $900 a year, in Warren, Penn. In 1866 he became a partner in the store, but he sold his interest two years later, and engaged in the lumber business at Balltown, Penn., making a specialty of square timber. In 1869 he disposed of this business, and went west, visiting Chicago, St. Louis, Cairo, Kansas City and other places. On returning to his native State he drilled the famous ''Buck Tail " oil well, after which he furnished the money to conduct the suit of the Fulmer Brothers against Judge Keating for the Gas Flats oil property. This was decided adversely in 1876, and Mr. Quigley, being then out of funds, accepted a position with the Standard Oil Company at St. Petersburg, Penn., refusing the assistance offered by friends. He continued in their employ eighteen years, meanwhile operating on his own account in various places. notably Duke Center and LaFayette. In 1888 he came to Bowling Green, and bought out a company which had been operating there, and since that time he has been exclusively engaged in developing this field. He is now a large shareholder in the leading producing companies in Wood county, and has several wells of his own. Mr. Quigley was married July 13, 1879, at Duke Center, Penn., to Mrs. Livia Aldrich Giles, who was born in New York State in I853. They had one child, Edna G., who died September 29, 1889, aged four years. A step-daughter of Mr. Quigley, Miss Hettie Giles, is a successful teacher in the public schools of Bowling Green. Politcally, Mr. Quigley is a. Republican; socially, he is a member of the A. O. U. W. CHARLES F. REDFERN, one of the solid, reliable and representative agriculturists of Perry township, residing in Section 32, is a native of the county, born January 22, 1854, on the old Redfern homestead, near Bloomdale, and is a son of Joseph Redfern. His elementary education was acquired in the district schools, which were quite inferior to those of the present day, and he completed his studies in Oberlin College in 1873 and 1874, thus securing a good education, which fits him for life's practical George B. Quiqley WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 865 duties. Under his father's able instructions he learned the best methods of farming, which vocation he has always followed. On November 16, 1876, in Perry township, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Redfern and Miss Emily E. Hyter, a native of that township, and a daughter of Samuel and Rebecca (McKee) Hyter. Three children grace this union-Fred H., Rolla and Bennie, at home. For a short time after his marriage, Mr. Redfern lived with his father-in-law, after which he removed to his present farm of eighty acres of valuable oil land in Section 32, Perry township. Since 1879 he has there resided, during which time he has made many useful and substantial improvements. Though no office-seeker, he is an ardent champion of the Republican party. He is a man of remarkably good judgment, sound common sense and ability, which traits have made him prosperous and influential, and the respect in which he is held is due to his high moral character and disinterested benevolence. Both himself and wife are members of the Methodist Church, and are distinguished for their earnest religious character and firm faith. For fifteen years he served as trustee, and has been a class-leader and steward. SAMUEL R. LIGHT is one of the younger representatives of the business interests of Portage; but his prominence in commercial circles is by no means limited by his years, for he ranks among the most progressive citizens of the place. He was born December 26, 1871, in Weston, Ohio, and is a son of Adam Light, a native of Bucyrus, Ohio, and a farmer by occupation. In his native city the father was united in marriage with Miss Lucinda Hocker, and afterward removed to Weston, where he purchased a farm of eighty acres, and carried on agricultural pursuits until his death. During the Civil war he manifested his loyalty to the Union in a way that could not be mistaken. In 1861 he joined Company K, 64th O. V. I., and served until after the cessation of hostilities, faithfully following the old flag on many a Southern battle-field. He was wounded, a ball passing through his head, but he ultimately recovered. His death occurred in 1874. The mother of our subject still resides in Weston, and is now the wife of Mr. Morgan, of that place. Of the first union there were three children: Frank, who is now living on the old homestead; Samuel R. and Daniel, twins, the latter of whom is now a farmer of Henry county, Ohio. The subject of this review began his education in the district schools near his home, but his privileges along that line were more meager than his farm training. He early became familiar with all the duties that fall to the lot of the agriculturist, and aided in the farm work until fifteen years of age, when he began clerking in the drug store of D. L. Aldrich, of Weston, Ohio, and made a study of pharmacy. For five years he continued in the employ of that gentleman, and then entered the Ada Normal School, of Ada, Ohio, where he pursued a two-years' course. He afterward spent one year in the Normal College at Valparaiso, Ind., and then took a forty weeks' course in the School of Pharmacy in Ada, Ohio. On the expiration of that period Mr. Light went to Toledo, where he secured a clerkship in a drug store, there remaining for six months. In February, 1894, he bought out a drug store in Portage, and, in the spring of 1895, removed his stock of goods to his present location. He carries a full line of staple and fancy groceries and drugs, has a well-equipped establishment, and is doing a good business, having secured an excellent trade by his courteous treatment and honorable dealing. On June 10, 1894, in Milton Center, Wood county, Mr. Light was united in marriage with Emma Rickly, and immediately afterward located in Portage, where they have since made their home. One son, Ralph Emerson, was born to them on November 28, 1895, but died August 28, 1896. They have many friends, and occupy a high position in social circles. Mr. Light belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in politics is a Republican. He is an enterprising, progressive man, wide-awake, and industrious, and his present successes indicate still greater prosperity in the future. ERASTUS BOSSLER, a well-to-do and highly esteemed farmer of Portage township, was born September 20, 1851, in Perry township, this county, on the farm of his father, Tobias Bossler. Tobias Bossler was born in Pennsylvania, and there, in Westmoreland county, married Catharine Slatterbeck, also a native of that State. In 1846 the parents migrated to Ohio, settling on a farm here in Section 18, Perry township, which contained 16o acres, Mr. Bossler paying the previous owner $7.00 per acre for it. Their first home was a rudely constructed log house, in keeping with all its surroundings, for the farm was still practically a wilderness, and it took many years of hard labor to convert it into the fine farm it now is. Mr. Bossler was a moderate sized man, but strong and robust, and he lived 866 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. through all the hardships and vicissitudes of pioneer life to a good old age, being seventy-nine years old at the time of his death, which was caused by a stroke of paralysis. He passed his later years in Millgrove, retired from work, though he was always active. His first wife died on the farm in 1878, and in 1880 he wedded Matilda Campbell, but no children were born to their union. To the first marriage came children as follows: Henry, who was born in Pennsylvania, and now lives in Florida (on August 15, 1862, he enlisted in Company I, 111 th O. V. I., was appointed sergeant September 9, 1862, and served to the close of the war); Sarah, who married James Valance, and died in Bloom township; John, who died in Pennsylvania, whither he returned after coming to Ohio with his parents (he served in the 57th Regiment); Jonas, who became a member of the 8th O. V. I., and died in the service, being wounded at Antietam; Mary, who married Orrin Henry, and died in Toledo, Ohio; Hattie, who married Thomas Henry, and died in Perry township; George, who died in Bloom township; Eliza J. (the first member of the family born in Wood county), who married Samuel McCormick, and died in Pemberville; Erastus; and Ella, Mrs. James Dindore, of Perry township. The parents both sleep their last sleep in Millgrove cemetery. Mr. Bossler was a Democrat in political sentiment, but took no part whatever in party affairs, giving all his time to his family and home affairs. He and his wife affiliated with the Congregational Church, and were highly respected by all who knew them. Erastus Bossler was reared to agricultural pursuits on the home farm, and during his earlier years attended school a few months in the winter time. But there was plenty of work for him at home, and as soon as he could help with the farm work he seldom attended school. Up to the age of seventeen years he lived at home altogether, and he then went to Fremont, Sandusky county, to learn the tinner's trade, continuing at that until his employer failed, when he returned home. On September 13, 1878, Mr. Bossier was married, in Findlay, Ohio, to Miss Minerva Adams, who was born on a farm in Section 2, Bloom township, daughter of David and Lucinda (Henry) Adams. He then located on the home farm in Perry township, which he had previously worked on shares, renting it for three years, and subsequently bought eighty acres in Section 35, Portage township, of which forty acres were cleared, but the only building was a log dwelling. Mr. Bossier went into debt $1,400 for this tract, and he immediately set to work to make it productive, succeeding so well that he now has one of the best farms in the vicinity. In 1882 he erected the comfortable home which the family now occupy, and in 1883 built a good barn, besides which there are other buildings and many improvements which testify to the thrift of the owner and enhance the value and appearance of the farm. He has added forty acres to the original purchase, his place now comprising 120 acres of good land. Mr. Bossler is a hard worker, and has a reputation among his neighbors for industry and good management, of which he may well be proud. Mr. and Mrs. Bossier have had children as follows: Arthur (who died at the age of eight years), Fay T.. Etta P., Floyd L. and Henry O. They are members of the Congregational Church. In politics he is a Republican, but, though interested in public affairs, he is not active in politics, preferring to devote himself to his agricultural interests exclusively. JAMES FRUSHER was born December 18, 1839, in Norfolk county, England, a son of Thomas and Frances (Lois) Frusher, who came to the United States and settled in Monroeville, Huron Co.. Ohio, when our subject was twelve years old. In 1855, the family removed to Wood county, and took up their residence on the plank road near Perrysburg, where the father died in 1863, at the age of fifty-four years, the mother surviving him ' until about twelve years ago. Three of their children were reared in this country, namely: Thomas; James, our subject; and Frances, who is now Mrs. James Byrn. James Frusher spent his boyhood upon his father's farm, and obtained such schooling as was possible in the district schools of the locality. He had scarcely attained his majority when the Civil war broke out, and he at once offered his services for the defense of the government, enlisting August 8, 1861, in Company A, 14th O. V. I., and serving until the close of the war. He was first discharged in 1863, but veteranized and continued in the army until his final discharge on July 11, 1865, after peace had been declared. During this time he took part in many important battles, among them, the siege of Corinth, Mission Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga, and Resaca. He marched with Sherman to the sea, and entered Savannah about Christmas. On October 11,1867, Mr. Frusher was married to Miss Laura M. Tracy, and three children have been born of this union: Chester W. died at the age of one year and ten months; Edith M. married John M. Pope, and has one child-Win- WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 867 ifred Dorothy; Winifred is now teaching in Plano, Ill. These daughters have received superior educational advantages, and with their mother are among the brightest and most highly cultured women in the community. Mrs. Frusher was born in Blandford, Hampden Co., Mass., November 106, 1844, the daughter of Avery and Polly Ann (Lathrope) Tracy. Her paternal grandfather was a soldier during the Revolutionary war, and was on Long Island at the time of the battle there. He was among the early settlers of Blandford, the town being named for the ship which brought the people of the colony over. He left a family, of which the following record is given: Henry died in Wellington, Lorain Co., Ohio; Levi has been lost trace of by the family; Roswell Watson died of yellow fever in Savannah, Ga.; Bathena died in Massachusetts; Emily married Myron Hawley, and lives in Huntington, Lorain county; Avery, father of Mrs. Frusher, was the youngest child of this family. He was born and educated in Blandford, Mass. ; his first wife was Charlotte Shepherd, and after her death he married Polly Ann Lathrope. They came to Ohio when their daughter, Laura M., was a child, locating first in Lorain county, and later removing to Perrysburg, where the father died in .1877, at a good old age, his birth having taken place in 1790. He was originally a Whig, and on the formation of the Republican party joined its ranks. Both he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian Church. Polly Ann Lathrope was born in Litchfield county, Conn., and died in Winsted, that State, in 1874, at the age of fifty-seven years. She was the mother of four childrenCharlotte, who died in early youth; Frederick H., living in Winsted, Conn. ; Laura M., now Mrs. Frusher; and Ellen A., the wife of John Hood, of Perrysburg. Mr. and Mrs. Frusher, with their family, have a large circle of friends, and hold a prominent place in the community. THOMAS CROSSE, a prominent agriculturist of Center township, residing near Bowling Green, was born July 13, 1846, in the County of Hereford, England. His father, James Crosse, a native of the same place, and a farmer by occupation, married Elizabeth Tew, and had nine children: James, who lives in England; Elizabeth, deceased; Harriet, who resides in England; Susanna, deceased; John, who resides in England; Thomas, our subject; and three who died in infancy. The father of this family died in 1871, and the mother survived him only five years. Mr. Crosse received a good education in his early days, and worked upon his father's farm until the age of twenty, when he became a member of the police of the County of Hereford, England. In August, 1874, he came to Ohio. locating in Wood county, where he worked for the first two years on a farm in Center township. He then bought fifty acres of land in the same township, which he improved, putting in tiling and ditches, planting an orchard, and erecting suitable buildings. Later he added eighty acres to the original purchase, the farm being all under good cultivation at the present time. He was married in England, in. 1870, to Miss Emily Luggar, who was born March 3, 1846. They have seven children, whose names and dates of birth are as follows: Alice L., December 28, 1872, the wife of Henry Nixon, a farmer of Van Wert county; Rosa A., February 21, 1875; Albert S., November 28, 1876; Minnie G., October 30, 1878; May F., April 2, 1880; Thomas E., February 18, 1882, and Earnest J., November 18, 1888, all, except the eldest, being at home. Mr. Crosse is a Republican in politics, and has always taken a deep interest in all public questions and in local affairs, serving nine years as school director. He and his family are leading members of the U. B. Church at Maple Grove, of which he was one of the first trustees, and he has been the superintendent in the Sunday-school for ten years. NOAH BAIGHTEL, a farmer and fruit grower of Washington township, was born in Maryland, July 13, 1843, and is a son of Samuel and Mary (King) Baightel, whose family numbered six children-Emmet, who died in Frederick county, Md., at the age of twenty-three; Ezra, who died in Carroll county, at the age of sixteen; Uriah, a resident of Nevada City, Cal.; Isaiah, who died in Sandusky county, Ohio; Jonas. a resident of Frederick county, Md.; and Noah. The parents were of German lineage. The father was a cooper by trade, but made milling his life work. His death occurred in Maryland, in 1846, and his wife died in Maryland, July 13, 1894. Our subject acquired his education in the county of his nativity, and remained on his father's farm until twenty-three years of age, when he started out in life for himself. In 1870 he removed to Sandusky county, Ohio, and for eleven years operated a rented farm near Fremont. In 1881, he went to Putnam county, where he purchased and improved eighty acres of land, which he sold eighteen months later. He next came to Wood county, and having purchased eighty acres of his present farm in Wash- 868 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. ington township has here since made his home, devoting his energies to the cultivation of his land which is now most highly improved. In 1873, in Fremont, Ohio, Mr. Baightel married Caroline Hite, a widow. Her father belonged to an old Virginia family, and was twice married; by his first wife he was the father of twelve children, and eight children graced his second marriage; and her mother was born in Pennsylvania, in 1827. They had the following children-Noah, a resident of Henry county, Ohio; Mary, wife of T. Minkuits; Uriah, of Iowa; Josiah, deceased; Phoebe Ann, wife of M. Bundy, of Paulding county, Ohio; and David, of Baltimore. Mr. Hite died near Fremont in 1862. He was a member of the United Brethren Church, and a minister of that denomination. He and his three brothers were soldiers in the war of 1812. After his death, Mrs. Hite married Robert Vanaman, by whom she had two children Rebecca, wife of Harrison Clay; and Chester Leroy, formerly of Putnam county, who died May 29, 1891. To Mr. and Mrs. Baightel were born two children-George D., born May 19, 1876, seems to possess much natural talent for art, and if he develops this will undoubtedly do some most creditable work. He is a member of the Independent Order of Good Templars of Tontogany. Eva E., born February 20, 1887, is still in school. Mr. Baightel is a stalwart Republican, always voting the ticket of the party, in whose principles he so firmly believes. E. B. WILCOX. The subject of this sketch, who is one of the enterprising, intelligent and influential business men of Bowling Green, was born in Sandusky county, Ohio, November 12, 1854, and is a son of Sterling and Nancy (Bush) Wilcox. The father of our subject was born in Onondaga county, N. Y., January 9, 1827, and came to Ohio when eighteen years of age, settling in York township, Sandusky county, where he was married; he died December 15, 1889, near Hastings, Mich., when over sixty-two years old. His wife was a native of Connecticut, where she was born in 1824, but was reared in Sandusky county, and is now making her home at Bowling Green, Ohio. To this worthy couple, eight children were born, as follows: Otis lives in Michigan, near Hastings; Phoebe died when two years old, and Freeman when a year and a half old; Lydia is the wife of Isaac Van Voorhis, and lives in Howell county, Mo.; E. B. is the subject of this sketch; Emma is the wife of Michael Amos, of Portage township, Wood county; Frederick died when eighteen years old, and Elmer resides with his mother in Bowling Green, Ohio. Our subject spent his boyhood days near Clyde, Ohio, and when fourteen years old came to Wood county where he worked on a farm near Portage township, at the same time attending the district school. When about twenty-eight years old he went to Michigan, locating on a farm near Hastings, where he spent four years, during that time being united in marriage, March 13, 1888, with Miss Lou Miller, who was born in Barry county, that State, April 22, 1867. Three children have been born of this union: Blanche, Beatrice and Mildred. Soon after his marriage Mr. Wilcox removed to Bowling Green, and in the fall of 1888 became a partner with S. Becker in the livery business, in which he remained until August of the following year. He had in the meantime taken the agency for the Grasser & Brand Brewing Company, of Toledo, and after giving up the livery business devoted his attention to the interests of this company, also putting up a small ice house on the lot adjoining his residence, and engaging in the sale of pure lake ice. He has lately built a large ice house with cold storage for beer, etc., and is doing a flourishing business. During 1894 he sold over thirteen' hundred barrels of beer for the brewing company, and had 12,580 tons of lake ice stored in his ice house. This is located on the C. H. & D. railway, where he owns eighty feet of coal sheds, and handles the Jackson, Ohio, soft coal and Lehigh Valley hard coal. He also handles all kinds of soft drinks for the Hoppe & Strube Mineral Water Co., and is agent for the L. Z. Foerster Co., of Ypsilanti, Mich., brewers. He is one of the progressive and enterprising men of Bowling Green, and contributes liberally to whatever is of public interest. In politics he is a Democrat, and socially belongs to the K. of P. ADAM E. LEYDORF, a leading agriculturist and influential politician of Perrysburg township, was born May 25, 1856, in Ersrode, Hessen Nassau, Germany, the home of his ancestors for many centuries. Fred Leydorf, father of our subject, was born there October 1, 1822, and married Katie Eve Sdippig, also a native of that province, born January 27, 1823. He came to America with his family in 1865, and located first at Hull Prairie; but after one year moved to. Perrysburg township, on the Findlay pike, where he followed the blacksmith's trade, and cleared and cultivated the farm on which he still resides. WOOD COUNTY, OHIO, - 869 He is one of the most prominent of the sturdy German settlers in this vicinity, remarkable for his physical strength, doing the work of a man of middle age, notwithstanding his seventy-four years. He is a Democrat in politics, and has been for many years a member of the German Reformed Church, exemplifying his Christian faith in his daily life. To Mr. Leydorf and his wife were born five children, namely: Dora E., the wife of Jacob Mutchler, of Middleton township; John C., a resident of Perrysburg; Mary E., the wife of Jacob Artz, of Chicago Junction; Adam E., our subject, and Henry C., a well driller in-this county. Our subject obtained his early education in the county, attending the district schools near his home, and the German school at Haskins. Practical work on the farm and in. his father's shop taught him the all-important lesson of earning a livelihood. He followed the blacksmith's trade for seven years, and has a shop on his farm now, but his attention has been given chiefly to the cultivation of his seventy acres of fine land, which he works by the most improved methods. A man of keen and active intellect, he takes great interest in all public measures, and is one of the influential workers in the Democratic party in this locality. He is now serving his second term as township trustee, and has discharged this and every other trust committed to him, with a faithfulness and discretion which have still further strengthened him in the confidence of the community. On January 17, 1882, Mr. Leydorf was married to Miss Mary E. Landefeld, who was born in Oberthalhausen, Germany, June 12, 1859. They had five children, whose names with dates of birth are as follows: Fred G., August 15, 1883; Henry J., November 100, 1885; Cris. C., November 18, 1888; Annie M., March 19, 1891, and Louise E., October 15, 1894. Mr. Leydorf and his family follow the religious faith of his forefathers, and adhere to the German Reformed Church. JACOB BAIR, a prosperous farmer of Wood county, was born in York county, Penn., November 3, 1835, and is the son of Jacob Bair, who was a farmer in York county, and there died September 25, 1845. The death of Mr. Bair left his widow with four children and a small amount of property. In the fall of 1848, she and her family moved to Richland county, Ohio, where some former neighbors lived. In the spring of 1849, Mrs. Bair removed to Jackson township, Seneca county, where she bought eighty acres of land, paying part cash for it. Later she sold this, and came to Montgomery township, where she bought eighty acres of land. She subsequently moved to Fostoria, where she died in 1872, at the age of sixty-six years. Her children were as follows: Susan, now Mrs. Nicholas Burchard, of Fostoria; Jacob, our subject; Lydia, who married Henry Wollam, of Portage township; George, of Hancock county, Washington township. Our subject, being the eldest son of his widowed mother, assumed the responsibility of a father while still young, so that his chances for getting an education were limited. He remained with his mother until his marriage. The first property he ever owned was a half interest in a sawmill, in Montgomery township, and it was while working here that he was married, August 2, 1863, at Freeport, to Miss Sarah Graham, who was born October 1, 1842, in Portage township, a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Lefler) Graham. After his marriage, Mr. Bair located in Montgomery township, in an old plank house that stood near his sawmill. His first purchase of land was eighty acres in Portage township, which he bought of an acquaintance. The latter deceived him, as a mortgage of $500 was on the property, which resulted in our subject being forced to sell it. He lived awhile in Fostoria, and was employed in a sawmill there until an attack of typhoid fever laid him up for a year. Upon recovering, he moved to the Graham home farm in Portage township, where he farmed for two years. In 1868, he bought, in Section 34, Montgomery township; eighty acres of land, with a log house on it, which had to be roofed before it could be occupied. In December, 1868, he moved to his present farm, which at that time had only two buildings, a log cabin and a barn. Twenty-four acres had been chopped over, but they were in no shape for farming, and considerable work was required before the land was in proper condition. Mr. Bair has added to his farm at different times until now he has 240 acres, and he also owns five town lots in Hatton. Two children have been born to him and his wife: George A., a farmer in Montgomery township; and Irene M., at home. Politically, Mr. Bair has always been a stanch supporter of the Republican party. He has held the office of director in District No. 5. He and his wife are members of the Congregational Church, at West Millgrove, where he is a trustee. Aside from the $2, 800 received by his wife from her father's estate, his property is the result of his own industry, economy and business sagacity. He is a well-known citizen, an excellent neighbor, 870 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. highly respected by everyone. His good wife has been of much assistance to him in his endeavors. George A. Bair, son of our subject, was born in Section 36, Portage township, January 6, 1868. He attended the district schools of his time, and was reared to the duties of a farmer's boy. He remained at home, helping his father, until December 22, 1889, when he was married, in Bowling Green, to Miss Carrie M. Pelton, a native of Perry, where she was born October 27, 1870, the daughter of Henry J. and Amanda (Baird) Pelton. Mr. Bair first located on a portion of his father's farm, there remaining until February, 1892, when he moved to his present farm of eighty acres, in Section 33, Montgomery township. Here he is carrying on general farming, and, having been well instructed in the business, under his father, has prospered in his vocation, and is now one of the most promising young farmers in the county. He is a straightforward, honorable man, a hard worker, and is on the highway to financial success. Mr. Bair has two children: Charles J., born March 10, 1891, and Jacob P., born August 9, 1895. In politics he is a Republican, but has never aspired to public office. FRED BURGESS, a prominent young agriculturist of Webster township, residing near Fenton, was born November 7, 1861, son of O. S. and Sarah (Myers) Burgess, well-known and highly respected residents of Webster township. Mr. Burgess was educated in the district school near the old homestead, and at the age of twenty-five, having thoroughly learned the business of practical farming at home, he bought forty acres of land in Webster township, and began to improve it. In 1886 he was married to Miss Eva C. Van Pelt, of Bowling Green, a lady of fine mental culture and genial nature. She was born at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, August 28, the daughter of Louis and Henrietta (Anglaire) Van Pelt. Her father was a native of Sylvania, Ohio, and a shoemaker by trade; her mother was a native of Paris, and at the time of her marriage was teaching music and French in Cincinnati. The first years of their married life were spent in Iowa, but they later removed to Bowling Green, Ohio. Here, in 1877. Mrs. Van Pelt died of grief over the sudden death of her fourteen-year-old son, Willie, who was killed in a runaway in Toledo (where he lived with an uncle). Mr. VanPelt married, for his second wife, Josephine Frame, by whom he has had four children-Floyd, Lula, Eda and Vera. He is a Republican in politics. Shortly after their marriage Mrs. Burgess purchased a farm of 120 acres, which, with what Mr. Burgess had previously secured, now makes one of the finest estates in the vicinity; they also own a nice house and lot in Bowling Green. Mr. Burgess devotes his attention chiefly to stockraising, and especially to the breeding of fine horses. His home is a charming one, the social center for a refined circle of acquaintances. Mrs. Burgess is a member of the Episcopal Church, and her rare gifts and accomplishments make her prominent in the society of that locality. Three children gladden this home : Mary B., born March 21, 1887; Lavada Carmelite, born July 17, 1889; and Luella Alphia, born October 3, 1891. Mr. Burgess is a Democrat in politics, and is actively interested in all local affairs, serving as school director for several terms. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., Middleton Lodge, of Dunbridge, and his wife is a member of the Rebekah Lodge of the same city. O. N. BRYANT, the postmaster at Prairie Depot, comes of the old well-known family of that name, and was born in Prairie Depot August 25, 1854. His parents were William R. and Melissa (Sherman) Bryant. Our subject's early education was obtained in the common schools, his first teacher being Mr. William Vetter. Later he attended the academy at Fostoria, where J. Fraise Richard was principal. Mr. Bryant taught three terms of school, beginning when eighteen years of age. On December 23, 1875, he was united in marriage to Miss Lucy Shue, who is a native of Montgomery township, born in Section 23, a daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth (Kizer) Shue, early settlers of that township. Mr. and Mrs. Bryant resided on his father's farm for a short time, and then went to Jerry City with his brother,. Dr. W. Bryant. Our subject remained in that town several years, engaged in trading, and for four years holding the office of postmaster. He then returned to Prairie Depot and resumed farming. After a time he began clerking for Palmer Brandow, a dealer in general merchandise, with whom he remained until he sold out, and then accepted a position with H. L. Hathaway. His last position as a clerk was with O. A. Diver, a merchant of Prairie Depot. On October 1, 1893, Mr. Bryant was appointed postmaster at Prairie Depot, which position he at present fills, with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of the public. He is a Democrat, a hard worker, interested in his party's success, and, although 'no office seeker, is foremost in the Democratic ranks in his portion WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 871 of the county. He has served as township clerk of Montgomery, and was corporation clerk while at Jerry City. Mr. Bryant is a charter member of Petroleum Lodge No. 499, K. of P., belongs to the I. 0. 0. F., and with his wife is a member of the Rebekah Lodge, all of Prairie Depot. Mrs. Bryant is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They have one child, Ober W., who was born August 8, 1880, and is at home. Our subject owns considerable real estate in Prairie Depot, and is an excellent citizen, wide-awake and popular. CHARLES W. SMITH, one of the energetic and progressive farmers of Montgomery township, resides upon the well-improved farm which he owns in Section 18. There he has spent his entire life, his birth having occurred on the place November 2, 1855, and since old enough he has devoted his attention to its improvement and cultivation with most excellent results, He is honored and respected by the entire community, which looks upon him as one of its most wideawake farmers and model citizens. Thomas Smith, the father of our subject, was born March I1, 1823, in East Union township, Wayne Co., Ohio, and was the eldest son and third child of Charles and Elizabeth (Witherspoon) Smith, who had located in that county about 1818. Charles was the son of Thomas Smith, who was born in Maryland, in which State the family had been founded in America, but he spent most of his life in Pennsylvania, where his death occurred. It was in April, 1834, that the grandfather of our subject arrived in Montgomery township, Wood county, where he built a cabin in Section 8, but most of his land was in the northwest quarter of Section 17. He brought with him three of his children-Sarah; Thomas and Samuel, and after his home was prepared, returned and brought the remainder of the family, in June following. Later he built a log house upon his land in Section 17, where he died at the age of fifty-eight years, having at that time 160 acres, and leaving his widow and family comfortably provided for. He was a man of ordinary build, but was never robust on account of an accident in early life. He was one of the representative pioneers of the township, and a stalwart Democrat it politics. Mrs. Smith lived to be nearly ninety years of age, and at her death was buried by the side of her husband in West Millgrove cemetery. All of her children were living at that time, and attended her funeral. They are as follows: Sarah, widow of William A. Pryor, of Prairie Depot, Wood county; Nancy, widow of Hosea Henry, of Perry township, this county; Thomas, father of our subject; Samuel, of Montgomery township; Charles, of Milton township, Wood county; and Elizabeth, wife of David Lusk, of Prairie Depot. Thomas Smith was quite small when he accompanied his parents to this county, where, during his youth, he experienced all the trials and difficulties of pioneer life. Schools had not yet been established, and his education was therefore quite meager. He remained at home until his marriage, in Montgomery township, February 24, 1847, to Miss Jane McGill, who was a native of Scotland, born near Glasgow, June 9, 1823. When ten years old she came with her father, John McGill, to the United States, where the parents died of cholera soon afterward, at Tiffin, Ohio. She then made her home with a Mr. McDowell, of Carey, Ohio, until fourteen years of age, when she. came to Montgomery township, making her home here with her sister Mary, wife of Thomas Adams, until her marriage. The parents of our subject began housekeeping upon the same farm where he now resides, in a small log house that stood just north of his present home. There they lived until called from this life, the mother dying August 18, 1874, and the father March 29, 1892. Their remains were interred at West Millgrove, Ohio. Their family comprised the following children: Mary, the wife of Daniel Hile, of Montgomery township; Charles W., subject of this sketch; Ellen, now Mrs. W. G. Lawhead, of Portage township, Wood county; and Ida, wife of Stephen Morgan, of Montgomery township. In his political views the father was a Republican, and he was an upright, honorable man, one who had the respect of all who knew him. The district schools afforded our subject his educational advantages. Being the only son he early became familiar with the duties that fall to the lot of an agriculturist, and his entire life has been passed upon the old family homestead, which he purchased of the other heirs. On March 30, 1879, in Montgomery township, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Smith and Miss Edna Hastings, a native of that township, and a daughter of Robert Hastings. She passed away August 30, 1880, and was laid to rest in the cemetery at West Millgrove. In politics Mr. Smith is a Republican, with no aspirations for office. He is largely interested in any movement that is for the improvement of the township and county, or that will elevate or benefit the people among whom he lives. 872 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. DANIEL M. YATES, one of the successful agriculturists of Perry township, was born in Sycamore township, Wyandot Co., Ohio, October 23, 1839, and is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Craun) Yates. Thomas Yates was a native of West Virginia, was the son of poor parents, and had to rely on his own efforts for a start in life. He was married in Seneca, Ohio, and bought a small farm of sixtyfive acres in Wyandot county, where he resided until the fall of 1860, when he located in Section 7, Perry township, on 160 acres of land. He cleared forty acres of this, and built a log house, in which he and his wife lived. Their children were John W., who was a member of Company H, 49th O. V. I., and was killed at Nashville, December 106, 1864; he had been appointed first sergeant November 2, 1864. Thomas E., of West Millgrove. Sarah J., who married F. R. Sherman, of Charlotte, Mich. Daniel M., our subject. William L., of Butler, Ind. Lewis L., a farmer in Perry township. Ruth E., deceased. Henry and Andrew, twins-Henry being now in Henry county, and Andrew in Perry township. James A., residing in Perry township. Mr. Yates resided in Section 7 until his death, which occurred when he was aged seventy-four years. His wife died when seventy-two years old, and was buried in West Millgrove. Mr. Yates was spare in build, taller than the average man, and capable of a great deal of hard work. In his youth he had been employed in a distillery and tobacco factory, but was always strictly temperate and a friend to the cause. Politically he was at one time a Democrat, then he joined the Republican ranks; but toward the latter part of his life was a strong sympathizer with the Prohibition movement. For sixty -years he was a member of the Methodist Church, was classleader and steward, and foremost in all Church work. Daniel M. Yates was reared a farmer's boy, working out at various places and attaining such education as was afforded by the district schools. He lived at home until the breaking out of the Civil war, when he enlisted, August 15, 1861, in Company H, 49th O. V. V. I., under Capt. O. B. Hays. His first fight was in the battle of Shiloh, after which he participated in all the engagements with his regiment. After his time had expired he re-enlisted, and was appointed corporal November 1 , 1864, and sergeant April 15, 1865. He remained with his regiment continually, and only missed one battle (Chickamauga), at which time he was with the ambulance corps. During the campaign of Atlanta, from Chattanooga, he was wounded in the head by a minie ball, which, had it struck one inch lower, would have caused instant death; as it was, he was able to report for duty the next day. He was honorably discharged November 30, 1865, after a service of four years and six months, and then came to Wood county. He was married November 28, 1872, in Perry township, to Miss Ella Kiger, who was born in that township June 2, 1854, a daughter of Josiah and Eleanor (Kelley) Kiger, the former of whom was an early settler of Perry township. Previous to his marriage Mr. Yates, with his brother William, bought 120 acres of the "home farm," which they cultivated together. Later our subject bought out his brother, and when he was married went to housekeeping on the Kiger farm. He afterward bought his brother's interest in the 120 acres which they first bought, and he has since purchased the remaining forty acres of the quarter section. To Mr. and Mrs. Yates have come the following children: Josiah C., born October 14, 1874, is a farmer of Perry township; Thomas ft., August 24, 1878, at home; Dwight R., June 8, 1881, at home; Roxie E., February 9, 1886, at home. Mrs. Yates died October 17, 1888, and is buried at West Millgrove. Our subject now has 162 acres of his own, and has, since 1872, looked after 16o acres of the Kiger farm. He also has five town lots and two acres of land in West Millgrove, on which are three houses. He has always been a Republican, his first vote being cast for Abraham Lincoln when he first ran for President, and he has served two terms as trustee of Perry township. He is a member of the Methodist Church, as was also his wife, and belongs to Yates Post, G. A. R., at West Millgrove, of which he is a charter member. He is at present class leader and steward of the Methodist Church, in which he was licensed to exhort, but has never done so. Mr. Yates started in life a poor boy. Part of the $400 he received for his services in the army was lost in oil speculation; the remainder he invested in land, and to-day he possesses comfortable means and is one of the substantial citizens of Perry township. He is generous, hospitable, an excellent neighbor, and is regarded as one of West Millgrove's best citizens. SAMUEL B. HENGSTELER, one of Risingsun's leading citizens and substantial business men, is also the owner of a farm which, for fine improvements and scientific management, ranks among the best in Montgomery township. He is extensively interested in oil producing as a partner in Daniel M. Yates WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 873 the enterprising firm of Hengsteler Bros. and Bigely & Hengsteler Bros. The family is of German origin, his father, Lewis Hengsteler having come from the Fatherland with his parents at twelve years of age. They settled in Pennsylvania, where the young emigrant grew to manhood and married Miss Mary Bauders, locating afterward upon a farm in Westmoreland county. He started with nothing but his own abilities and robust health as a capital, but he succeeded, although his hard work undoubtedly shortened his life. In 1865 he came with his family to Ohio, and secured a farm of 16o acres in Jackson township, Seneca county, of which only eighteen acres were cleared. The dwelling house and other buildings were of logs, and, while the soil was rich and productive, much labor was necessary to bring the property into good condition. Later he removed to Pleasant township, Logan county, where he died in January, 1892, at the age of sixty-six years. In the fall of 1893 his widow followed him, and the mortal remains of both now rest in Logan county. He was highly respected among his associates. In religious faith he was a Lutheran. While his political sympathies were with the Democratic party, he was no politician. Our subject is the eldest of six children: Lizzie married Samuel Shaw, of Perry township; George W. is a prominent business man of Risingsun; John L. and Lewis A. are well-to-do farmers in Logan county, and Charles E. resides in Wood county. Samuel B. Hengsteler was born in Westmoreland county, Penn., October 9, 1854, and attended the district schools of the time in his native State, and in Ohio. Believing that the schools upon which the people at large must depend solely for their education should be of the best sort obtainable, he endorses the improvements in those of to-day, and advocates still greater advance for the future. He remained at the family homestead until his marriage, in October, 1877, in Seneca county, Ohio, to Miss Laura A. Bates, who was born May 9, 1860, in Scott township, Sandusky county, the daughter of William and Catherine (Smith) Bates. For some time he was engaged in farming upon his fatherin-law's estate in Seneca county, and later he bought forty acres in Jackson township, in the same county, where he remained some time. This was not his first purchase of real estate, however, as he already owned a town lot in Risingsun. After a few years he came to Wood county, where he and his father-in-law bought I20 acres of land in the western part of Montgomery township, and five years later Mr. Hengsteler removed to his present farm of eighty-six acres in Sections 34 and 35, where he has made many improvements and constructed substantial and tasteful buildings. Since the fall of 1892 he has been a resident of Risingsun, his first home there being on Walnut street, and in the latter part of 1894 he completed his present residence, on the corner of Main and Mervin streets, one of the finest homes in the town. Aside from the farm and dwelling houses mentioned, he owns twelve city lots in Fostoria, Ohio. His only son, William L., born March 23, 1878, is at home. Mr. Hengsteler is a Democrat in State and National affairs, but is not radical, and in local politics he selects the most honest and capable man without regard to party. He served two years in the village council, and two on the board of health. Thoroughly progressive and publicspirited, he is prompt to assist any worthy movement. Socially he is a member of the I. O. O. F. of Risingsun. O. W. SMITH, one of the most successful agriculturists in Montgomery township, is not only a shrewd and prosperous man of business, but he has identified himself with various movements tending to the public welfare, and thus made his influence a power for good. He is a son of H. E. and Hannah (Bates) Smith, and was born March 12, 1850, in Scott township, Sandusky county, where he attended the "Earl Schoolhouse" in boyhood, with John Long as one of his first teachers. There has been a vast improvement in educational methods in the rural districts since that time, and no man is more ready to forward the movement than he. His early years were passed at the old homestead. On June 19, 1871, he was married in Fostoria, Ohio, to Miss Elizabeth Riley, daughter of Thomas Riley, an Englishman by birth, and a leading agriculturist of Jackson township, Seneca county, who left at his death an estate of 240 acres. Mr. Smith took his young bride home for a short time, and then worked one year for Daniel Earl, a farmer in his native township. The next two years he spent upon the farm of Rufus Gossard, of Greensburg, Sandusky county, now Tinney. In 1874 he purchased seventy-five acres in Wood county, in Section 34, Montgomery township, paying $700 down, and incurring a debt of $2,100. The only buildings were a log house and barn, and the land was sadly in need of tiling and ditching, and he promptly went to work to improve the place, which is now one of the best of its size in this section. With the exception of two years of work upon his father's 874 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. farm, he has lived at this place ever since. His residence is tasteful and comfortable, and his other buildings are models, the scale-house being notably fine. He also owns three dwelling-houses in Risingsun, and has given another to his eldest daughter. His children are five in number, and the three older ones are married and live at Risingsun: Bertha is the wife of James Meeker; Blanche married Walter Clay, and Jennie married LeRoy Stahl. The other two, Eldredge and Eskil, are at home. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are leading members and liberal supporters of the Radical U. B. Church, in which he is a trustee. Politically he was at one time a Democrat, but he now votes the Prohibition ticket; he is no office-seeker, and has declined offers of minor positions more than once. SYLVANUS O. CRANDALL is a worthy representative of the agricultural interests of Wood county, and in Section 34, Ross township, operates a fine farm, that he has brought to a high state of cultivation. The childhood of our subject was spent in the Green Mountain State, his birth taking place at Jay, Orleans Co., Vt., in 1840. Adna Crandall, his father, was born and reared in New Hampshire, and there married to Anna Sanborn, by whom he had five children, namely: Mary, who died in Manchester, N. H.; George W., who died at Jay, Vt., August 7, 1877; Ebenezer, who died at the same place, October 5, 1867; Sylvanus 0., of this review; and B. M., who resides in Lake township, Wood Co., Ohio. During his early life the father served for some years as captain of militia, and not long after his marriage removed to Jay, Vt., where he died in 1872, at the age of seventy-four years, and his wife in 1854, at the age of fifty-five years. Sylvanus O. Crandall spent his early life at Jay, where he attended school, and followed farming. At East Harwick, Caledonia Co., Vt., August 8, 1862, he enlisted in Company B, 15th Vt. V. I., for nine months, and was mustered into service at Brattleboro, that State, as a member of the army of the Potomac. He was later transferred to the Sixth Army Corps, and participated in the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. On August 5, 1863, he received an honorable discharge at Brattleboro, and returned to Caledonia county, where he remained until March, 1866, when he migrated to Wood county, Ohio, locating upon his present farm in Ross township. In 1868, in Ross township, Mr. Crandall was married, the lady of his choice being Miss Angela Stevens, a native of Madison county, N. Y., and a daughter of Perry and Lydia (Kent) Stevens, who were also born in New York, where their marriage was celebrated. The father was of Scotch ancestry. In 1845 he brought his family to Wood county, and in Section 33, Ross township, purchased eighty acres of timber land, to which no road had been laid out, the only path being an Indian trail. He there opened up and cleared a farm, on which he departed this life in 189o, at the age of seventy-five years. His wife also died in Ross township in 1874. They were the parents of six children, namely: Angela, wife of our subject; Sarah and William, who both died in New York; Mrs. Frances Barclay, of Colorado, Tex.; Henry, of Clay Center, Ottawa Co., Ohio; and Edwin, who died in Wood county, in 1855. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Crandall, Gaylord Stevens, served in the war of 1812, and was always known as Captain." To our subject and his wife have been born eight children-Perry, Louise, Chester, Wallace, George, Roy, Allen and Bradley. For twentyone terms, or in all eight years, Mrs. Crandall engaged in teaching in Middleton and Ross townships. She formed an intimate, acquaintance with the hardships and privations of pioneer life, and has been an eye witness of almost the entire development of Ross township. Her uncle, Oliver Staves, was one of the first settlers of this section of Ohio. Mr. Crandall is a supporter 'of Republican principles, in behalf of which he casts his vote, and has served as supervisor of his township. He holds membership with Ford Post No. 14, G. A. R., of East Toledo. DE WITT STEVENS. There is a peculiar interest attached to the history of the pioneers of any portion of our country, and particularly to that part of it with which we are closely connected. In this connection a brief sketch of DeWitt Stevens, one of the early settlers of Ross township, will be of unwonted delight to those interested in local history. He was for several years identified with the history of Wood county, but now makes his home in Kansas. Our subject is a native of Wisconsin, born in Walworth county, in 1845, and is the son of James and Betsy (Scott) Stevens, natives of the Empire State. In 1838 they became pioneers of Wisconsin, and as early as 1853 located in what is now Ross township, Wood Co. , Ohio. Both parents died in Lucas county, Ohio, the father in 1881, and the mother in January, 1896. Their family consisted of six children, who are still living: Mrs. Evaline Perrick; of Walworth county, Wis.; De Witt, of this sketch; Charles, WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 875 a resident of Lucas county, Ohio; Ellen, wife of Ebenezer Davidson, of Walworth county, Wis. ; and Emma and William, both of Lucas county. Filled with patriotic ardor, De Witt Stevens enlisted, in Perrysburg township, Wood county, in 1864, in the Heavy Artillery, at first belonging to the army of the Potomac. After the close of the Civil war he was ordered to Brownsville, Texas, and continued in the service for five years. His army experience was similar to that of thousands, whose sufferings, dangers and hardships have remained among the unwritten records which comprise so large a part of the life of a private soldier, faithfully performing his duty. After being discharged he returned to Perrysburg township, where he remained four years, but since that time has lived in Kansas. E. J. ROSENDALE, one of Wood county's representative farmers, residing in Bloomdale, is a native of Yorkshire, England, born February 16, 1834, son of William and Jane (Brown) Rosendale, who came to America when our subject was nine years old. They had a large family and but limited means, and their earliest years in this country were full of toil and hardships. Their first home was in Grafton township, Lorain Co., Ohio, then a frontier section, and in April, 1854, they came to Wood county, and bought a tract of heavily timbered land in Sections 24 and 25, Bloom township, where the father died July 23, 1870, at the age of sixty-three years, the mother surviving him three years. The remains of both now rest in Bloom Chapel cemetery. The father was a man of active habits and powerful physique, six feet tall and as " strong as an ox." He was a Democrat until the war issues arose, when he became a stanch Republican. E. J. Rosendale, "Ted Rosendale," as he is called by his many friends, was the third son and fourth child of his parents, and in his early years he enjoyed the usual privileges of pioneer farmer boys-poor schools and plenty of work. He was a robust young man when the family came to this county, and he and his brother William walked all the way, driving the cows. Their new home did not present an inviting appearance, swampy and covered with fine large trees, which to the homesick boy represented merely so many days of hard work in clearing the way for the plough. When he was twenty-five he began working in a sawmill, and later built and operated one of his own. At the age of twenty-five he married Miss Alice Hebbert, a native of Delaware county, and a daughter of William Hebbert, a prominent farmer of Bloom township. The first land that he purchased was a tract of forty acres, which he cleared and cultivated, although he never lived there. About 1873 he bought his present farm near Ted, and he is now one of the largest resident landowners in Bloom township, his farms comprising 685 acres of choice land. He has been a hard worker, few if any men of this vicinity equaling him in this respect. A shrewd and careful manager, he has at the same time established a well-deserved reputation for fairness in his dealings with others. In 1883 he opened a general store at Eagleville, conducting it successfully until 1893, when he sold out. He and his wife are prominent members of the Church of Christ. They are spending their later years in freedom from care, and in 1889 Mr. Rosendale made a trip to England, visiting the scenes of his youth. Their children are doing them credit, settling down in life near them, and taking honorable positions in society. James is a dealer in implements at Bloomdale; Edward B. is a farmer in Bloom township; Carrie married Harry Richard, who died, and she is now at home; William and Charles are farmers in Bloom township, and Harry, Scott, Ray and Edna are at home. In addition to this large family Mr. and Mrs. Rosendale have provided a home for one other child. In politics our subject is a Republican, and he has always been influential in local affairs, has been township trustee for two terms, and school director for many years. For eight years he was postmaster at Ted, which office he established, and in whose honor it was named, and after the discontinuance of the office he was instrumental in its re-establishment. He is a member of the Odd Fellows Fraternity. S. A. LINHART, one of the most progressive and popular business men of Bloomdale, junior member of the firm of Bryant & Linhart, manufacturers of lumber, was born April 20, 1850, in Allegheny county, Penn. Christopher Linhart was a farmer there, and his son Phillip, our subject's father, was born March 28, 1813, and was married October 27, 1833, to Miss Eliza Huttenhower, who was born June 6, 1812, at the present site of Pittsburg, daughter of Louis Huttenhower, a blacksmith, and his wife, Margaret Bergman. Before his marriage Philip Linhart had learned the millwright's trade, but he afterward followed ,farming. In 1863 he moved to Cass township, Hancock Co., Ohio, there remaining until December, 1875, when he came to Bloomdale and bought a tract of land within the present corporation limits, on the west side of Main street, 876 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. upon which he built a substantial brick house, then one of the finest residences of southern Wood county. Many of the handsomest houses of the town now occupy the land once owned by him. While he had not enjoyed good educational advantages in youth, he was a man of good common sense and wide practical information. He was a Republican, and a regular and conscientious voter, but he never sought office. On business and public matters his advice was often sought and found valuable. He possessed high moral principles, and his word was never questioned. In early life he united with the Lutheran Church, in which he held the office of elder for fifty years, and he was one of the founders of the Church at Bloomdale. His death, which occurred July 21, 1894, when he was aged eighty-one, was quite unexpected, as his powerful constitution had not been apparently much weakened by the hard toil of his life. The sad, event caused sincere mourning throughout the community, and the mayor issued a proclamation closing business houses from 9 to 12 A. M. on the day on which his remains were laid to rest in the cemetery at Fostoria. His estimable wife survived him until February 23, 1896, when she, too, passed away, and was buried beside him. This honored couple were the parents of eighteen children: William P., of Pittsburg; John B., of Bloomdale; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, triplets, of whom the first two died at the age of three months, and the last when twelve years old; Lewis H., now of Denver; Margaret, the widow of David Boyd, of Tippecanoe City; Harriet, Mrs. Jerry Miller, of Bloomdale; Elizabeth, Mrs. J. L. Andress, of Bloomdale; Joseph F., of Fostoria; Ann, Mrs. John Kelley, of Bloomdale; Mary, . Mrs. Peter Sheats, of Bloomdale; Sarah E., Mrs. Morris Hosler, of Findlay; S. A., our subject; Susan E., Mrs. Samuel Shank, of North Baltimore; Letitia A., Mrs. John Hyter, of Perry township; Frank K., of Bay City, Mich. ; and Christopher P., of Schenectady, New York. S. A. Linhart was thirteen years old when the family removed to Hancock county. He remained at home until he was twenty-two years of age, attending the school of the district during boyhood. In 1872 he returned to Pittsburg, and studied in a business college, afterward securing a situation with the Iron City Spice Co. as bookkeeper. Later he worked for De Haven & Co., stove manufacturers, in the same capacity. In the spring of 1881 he came to Bloomdale, where he engaged with his brother Joseph and E. S. Bryant in the lumber business, and since his brother's withdrawal, in 1883, he has continued in business with Mr. Bryant. He is an enterprising and diligent worker in various lines of effort, his integrity and sound judgment giving him great influence in business circles. He is a director of the Bloomdale Building & Loan Association, and a stockholder in the Bloomdale Creamery. Mr. Linhart was married May 6, 1888, in Bloonldale, to Miss Lillie Greer, a daughter of William Greer, a well-known citizen of Wyandot county. Their pleasant home is gladdened by one daughter, Louise, born April 17, 1890. In politics Mr. Linhart is a Republican, and he is among the leaders in local affairs. He has served two terms as a member of the city council, and is now a member of the school board and treasurer of the village. He is a charter member of Lodge No. 278, K. of P., of Bloomdale. ADAM GRAHAM. The subject of this sketch was born in Wayne (now Ashland) county, January 6, 1830, and is the son of William and Elizabeth (Latter) Graham. The father of our subject moved to Portage township, in 1836, settled in Section 36, having entered land there some time before, and began to make improvements on the place, which consisted of r60 acres. There he died, aged over seventy-two years; his wife passed away at the age of seventy years. Their children were as follows: Elizabeth, who married Harry Adams, and died in Bloom township; Mary, who became the wife of Bernard Soule, and lives in Fostoria; Sarah (now Mrs. Jacob Bair), of Montgomery township; Caroline, who married L. Soule, and died in Bloom township; Adam, our subject; and William, a resident of Minnesota. Our subject, who was fourteen years old before he went to school, was reared a farmer's boy, and was thirty years old before he ever had an overcoat. His first land was forty acres in Perry township, which his father had given him when he reached his twenty-first birthday. He went to work on his land, and later bought twenty acres in Section 32, which had a small log house on it, and where he removed to when he was married, which event occurred when he was twenty-five years of age, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary J. Lee, of Bloom township, a daughter of George J. and Hannah (Wollam) Lee. After his marriage our subject never left Montgomery township, although he lived at various places within its limits. His present home is on 36o acres of land in Section 32, where Adam Graham WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 877 he has resided since the spring of 1889. To him and his wife have been born the following children: Sarah A. (now Mrs. George Stearns), of Seneca county; Mary E., who married John Adams, of Bloom township; Charlotte E., who became the wife of J. W. Fry., and died in Portage township; Clorinda married Francis Dicken, of Seneca county; Orrin is a farmer, of Montgomery township; Charles lives at home; Adam W. follows farming in Montgomery township. Mr. Graham has 160 acres in Henry county, making a total of 520 acres, and of this he has cleared over 200. Few men in Wood county have done as much to improve their section as has our subject. He is a Democrat, but no officeseeker, although he has served in several minor offices in his district. He is a highly respected citizen, and, despite the years of hard labor he has passed through, may yet be found actively engaged in farm work. To just such efforts of the old pioneers is it that Wood county owes her position as foremost in the ranks of Ohio's best counties. L. WOOSTER. As the able cashier of the First National Bank of North Baltimore, of which he was also one of the organizers, the subject of this sketch holds a high place among the representative business men of his locality. He is of German parentage, his father, Mathias Wooster, having been born in the Fatherland in 1808, and his mother, Catherine Snellbaker, in 1812. They came to America in 1835, and the father followed the shoemaker's trade in Hancock county for many years. His death occurred in 1883, but the mother passed away eight years before, and the mortal remains of both were interred in Hancock county. They had ten children, of whom four are now living: Catherine married H. Ernest, a farmer in Putnam county; Eliza is the wife of W. H. Lawhead, a merchant in Fostoria; and Margaret married A. J. Rich, a shoe dealer in Fostoria. Mr. Wooster, the youngest of the family, was born in West Independence, Hancock Co., Ohio, October 12, 1855. His literary training was obtained at his native place, and at fourteen he went to Fostoria and became a salesman in the dry-goods store of Weaver & Adams. In 1883 he engaged in the shoe business with Mr. Adams, and continued until 1887, when he was appointed postmaster at Fostoria, by President Cleveland, there being nineteen applicants for the position. He filled this place creditably until 1890, when he resigned to take his present responsible post. On October 28, 1879, Mr. Wooster was united in wedlock to Miss Amanda Emerine, who was born April 1, 1859, the daughter of the wellknown banker of Fostoria, Ohio, Andrew Emerine. He was a native of Germany, born December 2, 1830, and at an early age accompanied his parents to Hancock county, Ohio, where they settled. In 1849 he embarked in the saddle and harness business in Fostoria, and later engaged in farming and in the brokerage business, but in 188o he was elected president of the First National Bank of Fostoria, and has since given his attention to the management of that institution. Mrs. Wooster was educated in Fostoria, graduating in 1878. Two children were born of her marriage: Laila, April 8, 1882, and Trude, December 15, 1887. The family residence, one of the most elegant homes in North Baltimore, was a gift to Mrs. Wooster from her father. Politically, Mr. Wooster is a supporter of the principles of the Democratic party. He and his wife are leading members of the M. E. Church of North Baltimore, and are actively interested in all that tends to the advancement of the town. B. Z. COUTANT, who is recognized as one of the progressive and prosperous farmers of Bloom township, is the owner of over sixty-six acres of fertile land, which is supplied with a good set of farm buildings, and all the other improvements requisite' to the carrying on of agriculture in a profitable manner. The place has been transformed by him, through his industrious labors and good management, from an uncultivated tract of land to one of the most valuable pieces of property in that locality. Monroe county, Penn., is the birthplace of our subject, where he began life November 23, 1828, at the home of his parents, jasper and Phoebe (Birdsall) Coutant. His first teacher was his mother, who conducted a small school on the home farm; but his educational privileges were meager, being limited to a few months' attendance at the district schools during the winter seasons. He was reared as a farmer boy, and remained at home until his marriage, November 1, 1856, with Miss Sarah A. Miller. She was born in Monroe county, Penn., January 26, 1826, and was a daughter of John Miller. Two children blessed this union: William H., a farmer of Bloom township, who was born in Greenwich township, Huron Co., Ohio; and Nathan G., at home. The mother died March 11, 1889, and was laid to rest in Beaver cemetery, Bloom township. In Cleveland, Ohio, on September 21, 1892, Mr. Coutant was again married, this time to Mrs. Johnson, widow of George Johnson, WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 878 and a native of Buffalo, N. Y., born in 1830, daughter of Stephen and Ruth (Blackmore) Kelley, the former of whom was a mason by trade. In the spring of 1857 Mr. Coutant removed to Greenwich township, Huron county, where many of his relatives and friends were living, and he was the last one of the family to leave Monroe county. His mother made her home with him, and he operated her farm in Huron county for twenty-seven years, but in April, 1884, he came to Wood county, locating on eighty acres of land-the W. of the S. E. , Section 36, Bloom township, which he had purchased in 1864. On his arrival only ten acres had been cleared, and he erected the first house upon the place that summer. Mr. Coutant cast his first vote with the Whig party, and is now a strong Republican, taking a deep interest in the success of his party. Since 1858 he has been a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, is at present holding the office of trustee, and filled the same position when the house of worship was erected in Bloomdale. He is a member of the Lodge No. 406, I. O. O. F., Bloomdale, and both he and his wife belong to the order of Rebekah. DAVID M. PHISTER. Some of the finest types of citizenship are to be found among the upright, forceful natures which have been fostered and developed by an independent country life, and the subject of this sketch, a well-known agriculturist of Montgomery township, furnishes a convincing example. He is an Ohioan by birth, having first seen the light in Knox county, November 15, 1840. His father, a native of Washington county, Penn., came to Wood county in the latter part of 1840 with his wife, Charlotte Zedacker, and their family, and located upon a tract of 200 acres in Sections 13 and 24, Montgomery township, which he had acquired by a trade. A log house stood upon it, in Section 24, and here and there a knoll was cleared, but the place was generally in a primitive condition, covered with water and heavy timber. Few can imagine the effort necessary to support a family in that early time, and it was fortunate that his skill as a hunter enabled the father to secure a supply of meat. For some time his family occupied the cabin, but later he erected a house upon the other part of the property. He was a finely-built man, six feet high in his bare feet, and was a hard worker, engaging in broom making in addition to the labor of the farm. As a member of the Evangelical Church he took an active part in religious work, serving as an exhorter and class-leader, and in other positions. In politics he was a Republican after the formation of that party; but his assistance extended only to the expression of his own opinion by his ballot. He died at the age of sixtynine years, and the faithful partner of his joys and sorrows survived him only six years, their mortal remains being laid to rest in the cemetery at Prairie Depot. Mr. Phister was fond of his home and family, and toiled cheerfully to give his children such comforts as his circumstances afforded. They were eight in number, viz.: Roxie, who married Thomas Hunt, and died in Montgomery township; Lucy J., the widow of George Foulk, of Bellefontaine, Ohio; Julia, who married Solomon Theasley, and died in Michigan; Charlotte, who died in girlhood; John, who died in southwestern Ohio; Mary, the widow of Jeremiah Mackey, of Risingsun, formerly a member of the 25th Regiment O. V. I.; David M., our subject; and Jacob D., a resident of Risingsun. David M. Phister's early education was obtained during the brief terms of the neighboring district school, in a building of the old-fashioned sort with puncheon seats, and in later years his hearty approval has been given to the educational movements which have resulted in better schools. His attendance was often interrupted because of home needs, and by frequent hunting trips, which he enjoyed better then his books. On attaining his majority he began to work the homestead on shares; but, on May 2, 1864, he enlisted in Company K, 144th O. V. I., which was assigned to duty at Washington. In August he was taken sick and sent to Mt. Pleasant Hospital, near Washington, on his recovery rejoining his company, and serving until his discharge, September 2, 1864. Returning home he resumed the work of the farm upon the same terms, and on November 29, 1864, he was married in Madison township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, to Miss Mary E. Houtz, a native of Scott township, Sandusky county, born February 7, 1844, the only child of John and Catherine Houtz. She was left motherless when three weeks old. Naturally bright and intelligent, she availed herself of the opportunities given by the district schools of the time, the methods and apparatus of which were of the crudest, and she learned to write with a goose quill. At the time of his marriage Mr. Phiste had but few worldly possessions, including a horse and cow, and a small sum of money, which he had hoarded up, from his limited income., He rented a small house in Scott township, Sandusky county, and continued to work his father's WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 879 farm. In 1866 he purchased his first home, the east quarter of the east half of the southwest quarter of Section 13, Montgomery township, and moved into a log house there. The buildings were poor, and much work was necessary to put the place into good shape; but, although he went in debt for the property, he took great satisfaction in the thought that his hard work was beginning to show tangible results. As he could not make a living from this farm alone, he worked, as before, at the homestead. His real start toward prosperity was from a contract to build two miles of the West Division of the Toledo & Ohio Central railway, in 1871 and 1872, in partnership with Jacob Stahl. They only completed one and three-quarter miles of it but their profits were large. After the death of his father, Mr. Phister purchased the claims of the other heirs, and now owns the old homestead, which has been in the family over fifty years. He has erected all the buildings now on the farm, his substantial brick residence having been completed in 1882. He has eighty-six acres of excellent land, while his wife owns seventy-three acres in Scott township, Sandusky county. They have three children who are reflecting credit upon their parentage and training: William H. taught school successfully for some time in Fostoria, and is now engaged in the laundry business at Bowling Green; Charlotte L. married John C. Lyberger, of Risingsun, and John C. Phister, one of the most promising young men of that vicinity, lives at home. Mr. Phister is one of the kindest and most generous of men, and is held in high esteem as a neighbor and friend. His wife has been a true helpmeet to him, and both are consistent members of the Church of Christ. Politically, Mr. Phister is a Republican, but he has more than once declined to become a candidate for office. He is a member of the G. A. R. at Prairie Depot. J. W. BLESSING, a leading citizen of Risingsun, is one of the men whose broad views and keen appreciation of the intellectual side of life make them important factors in the best element of ,a community. Although he lacked the advantages of a liberal education in his youth, he has succeeded through his own exertions in gaining more than ordinary familiarity with a great vanity of subjects, and his example must be full of encouragement for those young people of today whose intellectual aspirations are thwarted by unfortunate circumstances. The old home of his family was near Heidelberg, Germany, where he first saw the light August 19, 1846. The emigration of the family to this country took place when he was a child, and included three generations. His grandfather, Benedict Blessing, spent his last years in Montgomery township. He had three sons-Adam, who also came to America; Andrew, who was drowned in a small stream during a freshet, in Germany; and George, our subject's father. The latter was married in early manhood to his first wife, Mary E. Yeager, who died leaving one son, our subject. Soon after this sad event the family came to America, spending forty-three days upon the ocean in the sailing vessel '' Westminster." George Blessing was a millwright, and found employment for a time in New York State before coming to Ohio, where he located successively in Doylestown, Bristol (now Marshallville), where he built a mill, and Copley township, Summit county, where he and his brother Adam bought a gristmill, to which they added a sawmill with steam power. In 1855 he and this brother came to Wood county, here buying ten acres of land where the village of Risingsun now stands, and there he passed his remaining years, and died August 11, 1866, aged about fifty years. His remains were interred in Trinity cemetery, Sandusky county. He followed farming to some extent, but was mainly engaged in the lumber business, and, notwithstanding a few unprofitable ventures, he secured a competence. He was medium in stature, of active habits, industrious and ambitious. In religion he was a Catholic, and, politically, he was in sympathy with the Democratic party, but although he was a regular voter, he despised the professional politician. Not long after his arrival in America he was married at Bristol, Ohio, to his second wife, Margaretta Schmidt, a native of Germany, born November 2, 1823, who came to this country in the same ship with him. She survives, and resides in Risingsun. They had nine children: Eva, Mrs. J. W. Bonawitt, of Scott township, Sandusky county; Margaret, who married Abraham Miller, and died in Jackson township, Seneca county; Elizabeth, Mrs. William H. Wight, of Mitchell county, Kans.; Mary, Mrs. W. W. Billman, of Montgomery township; Annie, Mrs. William Wollam, of the same township; Leonard and Joseph, who died in infancy; Christina, Mrs. A. Stephens, of Philadelphia, Penn. ; and Augusta, Mrs. C. A. Huston, of Pawnee, Oklahoma Territory. The first school which our subject attended was in Summit county, and he was only nine years old when his father came to this locality, where he pursued his studies 'in District No. 7, 880 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. Montgomery township, his first teacher here being James Lincoln. The changes in methods of instruction, which time has brought, have given him great satisfaction, and he has done all in his power to forward the movement, taking an active part in securing a special district for Risingsun, and introducing improvements there. At eighteen his school life ended, the necessity of earning his own living interfering with his desire for wider opportunities. As a boy he had worked about his father's mill, and also among neigboring farmers, and had displayed rare mechanical skill. In the latter part of the "sixties, " he purchased an old mill from his father's estate, and paid $100 down, going in debt for the remainder. He has successfully conducted the business ever since, and is familiar with every detail of its management, thoroughly efficient in every branch of the work, from filing a saw with skill and judgment, to throwing coal or wood in the furnace. Several lots of timber have passed under his control at times, furnishing material for his mill to work up, and he has engaged in agriculture in this connection. He also has valuable oil holdings, and, among others is a member of the Risingsun Oil Company. On January 7, 1869, Mr. Blessing was united in matrimony at Risingsun to Miss Celia Reade, a native of New York, and a lady of rare intelligence. She is an earnest Christian, and a leader in good works. Her father, David Reade, a cabinet maker by trade, had a large family, and one of his sons, Rev. T. C. Reade, is a noted Methodist divine, and president of Taylor University, at Upland, Ind. The only surviving son of this marriage, Thaddeus C. Blessing, born August 19, 1870, lives at home, and is in business with his father. As prosperity has smiled upon him, Mr. Blessing has been able in satisfy, in some degree, the cherished desires of his early years for a thorough education. A great reader, and an independent, original thinker, he has traversed a wide field of thought, covering the works of the most celebrated writers upon varied subjects, and his retentive memory has enabled him to hold the information thus gained. His knowledge upon scientific questions, including all branches of physical science, is remarkable, while a naturally refined taste in literature is shown in his study of the best writers in prose and verse. He has traveled extensively in his own country, as well as in Europe, visiting especially the South and West, and the years 1878 and 1879 he spent mainly in southwestern Texas, in the hope that Mrs. Blessing's health would be benefited by their stay. In the spring of 1889 Mr. Blessing sailed from New York on the " Arizona," and passed the entire summer in Europe, traveling through England, Scotland, Belgium, Holland, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Italy, making liberal stays in the principal cities and most historic places of each country named, among others Paris, where the Exposition was in progress, Rome, Genoa, Venice, the ruins of Pompeii. and Herculaneum, and the St. Gothard and Mt. Cenis tunnels. The scenes of his childhood were revisited, and the beauty of the Fatherland revealed to his maturer vision in a trip up the Rhine. He returned on the steamer " Alaska." Until 1884 Mr. Blessing was identified with the Democratic party; but since that time he has sympathized with the Prohibitionists. Although he does not indorse all the ideas incorporated in their platforms, he believes that the liquor traffic should be overcome, first, by scientific temperance instruction in the public schools, and, second, at the ballot box, by the united force of public opinion. He has held office at times, and served as justice of the peace, president of the school board after the organization of the new district, and for several terms as councilman. JOHN PHILLIPS, SR., a leading farmer of Montgomery township, is one of the men whose shrewd business judgment has been profitably applied in agricultural pursuits. Reared in a typical pioneer home, he early acquired habits of industry and thrift from which he has reaped in later years a gratifying harvest. His father, the late David Phillips, was born in New York, September 6, 1804, the son of Ves Patient and Cynthia Phillips. His mother died during his childhood, and for some years his home was among strangers; but later he came to Ohio with his father, who, after a short stay in the extreme eastern part of the State, settled in Stark county to spend his remaining days. David Phillips worked there for nine years upon the canal, receiving ten and twelve dollars per month, and also engaged in wood chopping and similar work; but despite the fact that he could accumulate no capital upon his low wages, he was married in December, 1827, to Miss Mary A. Bates, who was born in Pennsylvania, April 13, 1810, a daughter of Andrew and Anna (Homan) Bates. They had come to Ohio, in an old-fashioned covered wagon when she was a child, and settled in Stark county, seven miles west of Massillon. She was the eldest of a family of five sons and five daughters. After their marriage our subject's parents settled in Stark county, but later moved to a small tract of land, on Sugar John & Hannah Phillips WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 881 creek, Trumbull county, which was the first home of his own that David Phillips had. In 1843 he brought his family to Scott township, Sandusky county, traveling in wagons upon roads where the horses were often knee-deep in water. He bought eighty acres of woodland for $250, giving a horse for the first payment. The log house which he built was the first on the place, and its bark floor, stick chimney, and clapboard roof were of the most primitive sort. The snow often lay several inches deep on the beds in the cabin loft, and their fire was kept up with huge logs which were drawn into the house by a horse. Wild game was sometimes their only food, and johnny-cake was very popular. The mother spun the flax and wove the cloth from which she made the clothing for the family. They prospered, notwithstanding their hardships, and acquired 16o acres of land, all redeemed from the wild state. David Phillips was a stanch Democrat, and, although he never sought office, he never missed an election. For over forty years he was an active member of the Church of God, to which our subject and his wife also belong, and his upright life and integrity of character were a potent evidence of the sincerity of his faith. His mental abilities were of a high order, and the lack of early education was a misfortune to be deeply regretted. Although he was over ninety-one years of age at the time of his death, which occurred January 14, 1896, he had been working on his well-kept farm seven weeks before, clearing up the fences. The faithful helpmeet of his sixty-eight years of wedded life survives him and still resides at the old home, in excellent health for her years. Eleven children were born to this worthy Christian couple: Mary A., now Mrs. Stephen Day, of Perry township; Lucinda, Mrs. Stephen Winchell, of Risingsun; Henry, a farmer in Scott township, Sandusky county; David, of Marysville, Mo.; Sylvester, a farmer in Sandusky county; John, our subject; Hiram, a soldier in the 72d Regiment, O. V. I., who went west and has not been heard from; Eliza J., Mrs. Fry, of Scott township, Sandusky county; Mariah, who married Joseph Riley, and died in Perry township; George, who died in infancy, and Sarah, now Mrs. George Wise, of Seneca county. Mr. Phillips was born in Trumbull county, March 18, 1838, and was five years old at the time of the removal to Sandusky county, where the advantages in schooling were indeed limited at that day. His education is practically self-acquired, and his sympathy with the movement to secure better schools for the rising generation is doubtless the result of his own restrictions. When a boy he went three years on crutches, and had a narrow escape from losing his left limb entirely. At twenty years of age he began to work for others, and August 20, 1860, he assumed the responsibilities of married life, his bride being Miss Marian Baker, who was born December 20, 1843, a daughter of Henry Baker. Ten children were born of this union: Wilbert, June 14, 1861, is a farmer in Scott township, Sandusky county; Zerusha, January 22, 1863, is the wife of Frank Smith, of Cleve, Tenn.; Mary E., March 4, 1865, married David Loe, of Scott township; Delbert, April 18, 1867, lives at Risingsun; John A., February 22,1869, is a resident of Perry township; Retta J., July 29, 1871, died April 18, 1873; David F., November 2, 1873, died in November, 1875; George H., December 10, 1875, is a carpenter by trade; Charles, July 9, 1877, is at home, and Daisy B., August 30, 1878, lives in Fostoria. The mother of this family died December 30, 1878, and her remains now rest in Trinity cemetery, Scott township, Sandusky county. On December 10, 1879, Mr. Phillips formed a second matrimonial union, this time with Miss Hannah Ash, who was born June 20, 1852, in Bedford county, Penn. Her parents, Emanual and Elizabeth (Rose) Ash, came to Wood county in October, 1859, locating in Perry township, where her mother died. Of her eleven children Mrs. Phillips was the fifth child and second daughter. Mr. Ash married a second wife, Eliza Cessna, who bore no children. He was an excellent farmer, and owned over two hundred acres of land. On December 6, 1885, he departed this life, and his interment took place in the cemetery at Fostoria. Mr. Phillips has two daughters by his second marriage: Elsie M., born December 7, 188o; and Rose Ellen, born January 27, 1883, both at home. The first farm owned by Mr. Phillips was an eighty-acre tract in Section 25, Montgomery township, Wood county, for which he went in debt. Later he went back to Sandusky county, and after a short time came to his present farm. In 1871 he settled upon his present farm in Sections 25 and 26, Montgomery township, near Risingsun, purchasing eighty acres at first, to which he has made additions until he now owns 186 acres of excellent land. His improvements are of a very high order, his residence, built in 1893, being elegant and commodious. He is known as a shrewd and careful business man, and he is now engaged in settling his father's estate. Zealous in his duties as a citizen, he never fails to express 882 -WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. his convictions at the polls, voting the Democratic ticket; but he does not seek political place for himself, although he has served as supervisor. He is active in local improvements, and was a member of the school board of Risingsun when the new school house was built. WILLIAM R. BARTON, a prominent educator, now residing near Grand Rapids, was born in Killbuck township, Holmes county, September 17, 1848. His family is of German origin, and his ancestors emigrated at an early date to Pennsylvania where his grandfather, Samuel Barton, was born. He married Elizabeth Read, of Ireland, and settled upon a farm in Jefferson county, Ohio. In later years he moved to Holmes county, and from thence in 1848 to Wood county, where he purchased forty acres of land in what is now Grand Rapids township, on which he made his home until his death in 1855, at the age of seventy-eight. Hugh Barton, our subject's father, was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, in 1812, and grew to manhood in Holmes county. In 1833 he was married there to Miss Sarah Garwood, a native of the same county, who was born in Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, in 1814. They came to Wood county in 1850, and both died at the old homestead in 1884. Twelve children were born of their union: Elizabeth, deceased; Nancy J., the wife of William Keller, of Grand Rapids township; Margaret deceased; James, who died in Libby prison, in December, 1863; Lavinia, deceased; Sarah A., deceased, formerly the wife of John Ervin; Matilda J., deceased; William R., our subject; Samuel R., a farmer of Grand Rapids township; Harvey K., a farmer in Alabama; Silas R., who conducts the old homestead; and John V., a farmer in Grand Rapids township. Prof. Wm. R. Barton attended the district schools near the old farm during his early boyhood, and later studied at Grand Rapids, and in Lebanon, Ohio, taking the classical and scientific courses in the latter place and graduating in 1879 with the degrees of A. B. and B. S. He taught as professor in graded schools for twenty-two years in parts of Ohio, and also in Kentucky. In 1864 he enlisted, at the age of fifteen, in Company I, 144th O. V. I., with Capt. McKee, and participated in several battles. July 9, 1864, he was wounded in the right leg at Monocacy, and, after seven weeks in a hospital, he returned home and resumed the work of teaching. In politics Prof. Barton is a Republican, but he has never sought or held public office. On April 2, 1878, he was married at Lebanon, Ohio, to Miss Nettie Manson, a native of Portsmouth, N. H., born March 15, 1852. They had two children: Sprague, born May 19, 1879, died July 14, 1880; and Clara B., born November 20, 1885, died July 20, 1887. Prof. Barton bought a farm of forty acres in 1885, added many substantial improvements, making one of the pleasantest residences in the township, mental culture and genial manners combining with outward attractions to create an ideal home. He recently sold this forty-acre farm, and purchased fifty acres one and one-fourth miles southeast of the town of Grand Rapids. SIDNEY GREELEY, an honored resident of this county, is now carrying on agricultural pursuits in Jackson township, where he owns a valuable farm of eighty acres, whose many improvements stand as monuments to his thrift and enterprise. A native of Lorain county, Ohio, he was born February 16, 1848, and is a son of Abel Greeley, who was born in Weston, Vt., and when twentyone years of age removed to Ohio. He located in Carlisle township, Lorain county, where he married Amanda Sweet, and carried on farming until after the death of his wife in 1885. The following year he sold his farm, and has since lived with his children, being now with a son in Michigan. In politics he is an unswerving Democrat. The family numbered the following named members: Charles, of Milton Center, Ohio, who died June 8, 1896; Julius, who was killed in the battle of Franklin, Tenn., during the Civil war; Russell, who died in the hospital at Memphis, Tenn., while in the Union army; Emily, wife of Ben Campbell, of San Francisco, Cal. ; Albert, who died in infancy; Horace, who died at the age of eighteen; Alva, who works in the steel plant in Lorain county, Ira, a farmer of Kalamazoo county, Mich. ; Elbert, a carpenter in Lorain county, who died December 6, 1895; D. Abel, a farmer of Michigan; and Frank, of Holgate, Ohio. Mr. Greeley, of this sketch, acquired a district school education in his native county, and to his father gave the benefit of his services on the home farm until his seventeenth year. Our subject worked as a farm hand for about two years, and then removed to Michigan, where he was employed in the lumber woods for two years. On the expiration of that period, he came to Wood county, and purchased forty acres of land in Milton township, entirely destitute of improvements, but he continued its development until 1874, when he sold that property. In the spring of 1875, he purchased his present farm of eighty acres, in Jackson township, and has made upon WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 883 it many excellent improvements, including the erection of a comfortable home and substantial barns. The fields are well tilled, and indicate the careful supervision of the owner, and at the same time yield to him a golden tribute. Mr. Greeley was married in Milton Center, Ohio, September 9, 1874, to Cynthia Keiffer, who was born April 27, 1849, in Hocking county, Ohio. They have one child, Melvin. In politics, our subject is a stalwart Republican, and capably served for two years as township trustee. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias fraternity, at Custar, Ohio; the Masonic fraternity at Grand Rapids, Ohio; the Odd Fellows Lodge at Milton Center; and the Grand Army Post at Custar. His public and private life are alike above reproach, and Wood county numbers him among its valued citizens. ISAAC SMITH, a prominent farmer of Webster township, was born February 27, 1831, near Harrisburg, Penn. Abraham Smith, his father, was a native of the same State, born in 1806. He was married in 1826 to Miss Elizabeth Shutt, and in 1837 moved to Crawford county, Ohio, where they spent the remainder of their lives upon a farm. Ten children were born to them: Josiah; Urias; Isaac, our subject; Eliza, the wife of Andrew Deppler; Lavinia, deceased; Simon, deceased; Matilda, deceased; William, deceased; Caroline, the wife of George White, of Galion, Ohio; and Sullena, wife of John Hayes, of Sulphur Springs, Ohio. Mr. Smith's early life was passed mainly in Crawford county, where he attended school during the winter months, and in summer helped to clear and cultivate his father's land. In 186o he came to Wood county. and bought land in Webster township, which he has improved and made into a fine farm, with a dwelling house costing $1,800, and barns built upon modern principles. He enlisted early in the Civil war in Company F, 144th O. V. I. (Capt. Cook and Col. Miller commanding), and served one hundred days, receiving his discharge at Columbus, August 24, 1864. On October 21, 1858, Mr. Smith was married, at Bucyrus, to Miss Susan Wolf, a native of that place, born October 11, 1836. She was one of the eleven children of Michael Wolf, a well-known citizen of Crawford county, a shoemaker, mason, and farmer by occupation. Two children were born of this union: (1) Mary E., born in Crawford county, March 27, 186o, married William Phillips, and has two children, Elnorah and Walter. (2) John Andrew, born January 27, 1862, died February 1, 1865. The family attend the Presbyterian Church, and take a prominent part in various lines of social and religious life. Mr. Smith's industry, thrift, and sound business judgment give him a high standing among those who know him. In politics he is a Democrat. JOHN E. CLARK, a prominent business man of Weston, and the proprietor of a leading grocery store there, was born in Milton township, March 21, 1840. His grandfather, John Clark, was a native of New York State, and came to Ohio in 1827, locating in Seneca county, where he died in the spring of 1851. His ancestors had-been early residents of New York, and among his possessions was a silk handkerchief over one hundred years old, and which is now the property of John E. Clark. Alvin Clark, our subject's father, was born in the same State at Mecklenbnrg, August 15, 181 5. They were married in Seneca county, Ohio, where both had come with their respective families at about the same time. In 1836 they moved to Milton township, in this county, and settled upon land which had been entered by John Clark in 1822. Alvin Clark was one of the substantial citizens of his locality, an Old-line Whig in early life, and afterward a Republican, and he was a member of the Presbyterian Church, as were his ancestors before him. He died in 1872. His wife, who still survives him, at the age of eighty years, is a Methodist, to which faith our subject also adheres. He was the third in a family of six children, the others being as follows: Elizabeth is the widow of Henry Atkins, of Tiffin, Ohio; Emeline is the widow of Byron Baldwin, of Weston; Anna is the deceased wife of George Pore, of Londonville, Ohio; Daniel, is a resident of Weston; and Ella is the wife of Edward H. Baggelly . Our subject received his first instruction in a log school house in his district, and later attended the public schools of Tiffin and Defiance. In 1858, after clerking a few years, he opened a store in Weston, dealing in groceries and other supplies. In 1862 he enlisted in Company B, 111th O. V. I., and served in Kentucky, in the army of the Ohio; but was taken sick and discharged for disability in December, 1862. Returning home, he resumed business after his recovery, keeping a general store which is now the oldest mercantile establishment in the town, and enjoys a well-earned reputation for enterprise and fair dealing. He has engaged in other lines, being at one time a large shipper of stock, and he now owns and cultivates 188 acres of land. He is a director of the Exchange Bank of WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 884 Weston. On January 1, 1866, he married Miss Sarah Bonney, who was born in Penn Yan, N. Y., August 10 1, 1845, and they have had five children, two of whom-Samuel C. and Glenn-died in childhood; the others are: William L., born December 17, 1867, now living in Toledo (he married Miss Jennie Rosenberger December 6, 1887, and has two children, joy and John); Edson, born May 9, 1872, was married to Miss Jessie Harrison, September 18, 1895; and Alvin, born April 20, 1882, is at home. Mr. Clark is an influential Republican, and a member of the G. A. R., and of the K. of P., Kenilworth Lodge No. 340, Weston, Ohio. Benjamin Bonney, grandfather of Mrs. Clark, was a native of Connecticut, whence, in 1801, he moved to Madison county, N. Y., where was born, November 8, 1813, his son Lester, father of Mrs. Clark. In 1817 the family moved to Penn Yan, N. Y., where, on December 31, 1842, Lester married Miss Caroline Merritt, of Hammondsport, N. Y., and on October 18, 1863, they came to Weston, Ohio. To them were born six children, as follows: Adelbert, who married Miss Frances Hubble, of Monroeville, Ohio, and they now live in Missouri; Sarah L. (Mrs. Clark) cones next; Lucy J., married to John W. Brownsberger, of Weston; Jethro, who was accidentally killed on the railroad October 4, 1879, while in the employ of the L. E. & W. R. R., at Elliott, III.-; Merritt H., who married Miss Phoebe Elliott, of Martin's Ferry, Ohio, and is now living in Weston; and James F., who died in infancy. F. G. SWARTZ, one of the active, prominent and enterprising citizens of Montgomery township, is quite extensively engaged in general farming in Section 18. He is a native of Wood county, born in Troy township, April 21, 1858, where his parents, John and Dora Swartz, located on their emigration from Germany, their native land. They made a home in this new country, clearing and developing the land, and there reared their family of six children. They are still living, and have the esteem of all who know them. Our subject, being the eldest of the children, was called upon at an early age to assist in the work of the farm. His educational privileges were consequently limited, and at the age of eighteen his school days were over. His father could always find plenty of work for his five sons, and under his able guidance our subject became a thorough and painstaking agriculturist. Until his marriage he remained upon the home farm, with the exception of one summer, when he worked for his uncle, Jacob Swartz, in LaGrange township, Lorain Co., Ohio. On April 15, 1886, Mr. Swartz married Miss Annie Hastings, who was the daughter of R. C. Hastings, a highly respected citizen of Montgomery township. She died the following year, and her remains were interred in Rochester cemetery. In Freedom township, Wood county, our subject was again married, on January 31, 1889, his second union being with Miss Mary Ruch, who was born in Canton Berne, Switzerland, June 18, 1865, and is .the daughter of Peter and Mary (Messer) Ruch. In that country her father was employed as a butcher, and in 1872 brought his family thence to the United States, sailing from Havre, France. At the end of nine days they landed safely in New York, whence they came to Wood county, the father purchasing sixty acres of land in Webster township, where he and his worthy wife still reside. In his family are nine children, one son and eight daughters. Mr. and Mrs. Swartz have two children-William L., born June 5, 1890; and John Arthur, born June 25, 1895. In February, 1883, Mr. Swartz bought seventy-four acres of land in Section 18, Montgomery township, paying $25 per acre for the same, which was then in its primitive condition, and not a building of any kind stood upon the place. He at once began the work of improvement, clearing away the timber, and placing the land under cultivation, and spent a portion of three winters in a little shanty, keeping " bachelors hall " while he was developing his land. He encountered on his farm the same conditions that the earliest settlers were forced to meet. The land was heavily timbered, and of the character of all the wild land in the °' Black Swamp." However, he went industriously to work, and has transformed the place into one of the best farms of the community, making every improvement thereon, so that it now stands a monument to his thrift, enterprise and persistent efforts. The buildings are of a substantial character, and in 1896 he erected an excellent new barn. He is a man of the strictest integrity and reliability, and is regarded as a valued citizen, progressive and public-spirited. S. S. LONG. Among the wide-awake and enterprising citizens of Prairie Depot, this gentleman holds a leading position. He is a native of Wood county, born in Section 34, Montgomery township, November 25, 1857, and a son of John W. and Elizabeth (Sampsel) Long. During his boyhood he attended the district school near his home, his first teacher being Emma Gould. He WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 885 remained upon the farm where his birth occurred until his marriage, with the exception of the one season, when, at eighteen years of age, he worked elsewhere. In October, 1882, Mr. Long led to the marriage altar Miss Sarah M. Gangwer, of Montgomery township; who bore him one son, Virgil, who died in infancy. The mother's death occurred October 22, 1883, and they were buried together. In Michigan, May 25, 1887, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Long and Miss Lettie A. Algyre, who was born in Fremont, Ohio, May 24, 1868, and is the daughter of David H. and Sarah (Keller) Algyre. After his marriage, Mr. Long located on the home farm, but shortly afterward removed to Prairie. Depot, where he remained until 1890. He next lived upon his farm in Section 34, Montgomery township, but since October, 1894, he has made his home in Prairie Depot, occupying his comfortable and handsome residence on Maple street. He has done considerable contract work in Wood, Seneca and Sandusky counties, building bridges for township and county authorities, and has also been extensively engaged in ditch contracting. He still owns the home farm of sixty acres in Montgomery township, and also forty acres of land in Somerfield township, Monroe Co., Michigan. Mr. Long takes an intelligent and earnest interest in public affairs, and is active in promoting every scheme that will in any way benefit the town. He upholds the principles of the Republican party, but takes no prominent part in political affairs; and he is eminently worthy of the trust and high regard in which he is held by his fellow-citizens. A thorough business man-his success is entirely due to his own unaided efforts, and he justly ranks among the representative selfmade men of Wood county. J. W. UNDERWOOD, the well-known assistant cashier of the First National Bank of Bowling Green, was born in Mahoning county, Ohio, October 2, 1858. His father, the late Gideon Underwood, was born August 22, 1820, in Lawrence county, Penn. His mother, Mrs. Margaret (McMahan) Underwood, was a native of Lowell, Mahoning Co., Ohio, born in 1822, and is still living in Center township, where she has had her. home since November, 1861. The subject of this sketch was but three years old when his parents came to Wood county, and he obtained his early education in the country schools near his home, and in the graded schools of Portage. At an early age he became a clerk in a drug store at Bowling Green, and after serving in that capacity three years, went to Weston and engaged in the drug business on his own account, in partnership with Dr. Ranger. Two years afterward he sold out his interests there and came back to Bowling Green, becoming a partner with Dr. Lincoln in a similar enterprise, to the building up of which business he devoted himself for five years, and then he disposed of his share, and bought a farm in Plain township which he still owns. He married a native of that township, Miss Allie J. Hartman, a daughter of John Hartman, and he built on his property a pleasant and commodious residence, which they occupied for some time But the busy marts of trade are more congenial to Mr. Underwood than the solitude of farm life, and, after spending some months in improving his land, he again engaged in the drug business with a brother-in-law, at Weston, under the firm name of Underwood & Hartman. Seven months later he sold out and returned to Bowling Green, where he has since remained. The work of selling out the stock of a grocery store occupied some time, and then, in March, 1891, he assumed the duties of bookkeeper in the First National Bank, of which he became assistant cashier January 1, 1893. He possesses excellent business judgment, and holds the entire confidence of the stockholders and the community. Still young, he" has the best of his life before him, and is regarded as one of the "coming men" in this locality. Mr. and Mrs. Underwood are members of the Methodist Church, and are among the leaders in the social and philanthropical activities of the city. They, have two daughters, Stella and Esther. Mr. Underwood is a member of the I.O.O. F. JAMES M. FORRESTER. The fine farm occupied by our subject in Center township, invariably attracts the eye of the passing traveler, as being under the supervision of a thorough and skillful agriculturist, and a man of good business qualities. The residence of Mr. Forrester in Wood county, dates from his birth, which occurred May 8, 1859, and he is a son of Thomas Forrester, a native of Scotland. The district schools of Webster township afforded our subject his educational privileges, and on completing his literary studies he gave his entire time to the operation of his father's farm until 1886, when he bought 120 acres of land in Center township. This he has since cultivated and improved with excellent buildings, and there are found all the conveniences that go to make 886 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. up a model farm of the 19th century. Besides his rich fields of grain he has a good orchard, and the place yields him a bountiful return for the care and labor he expends upon it. On June 8, 1886, James M. Forrester was married to Miss Iona Ickes, the only daughter of Levi Ickes, of Webster township, Wood county. Their union has been blessed by the birth of a son-Hugh, born on September 28, 1890, and a daughter-Lola, born May 5, 1896. Mr. Forrester is numbered among the most industrious and enterprising farmers of the county where his entire life has been passed, and those who have known him longest are numbered among his stanchest friends. He filled the position of school director for four years, and is at present trustee of his township. JOHN W. CLEMENS, who is now living retired on his farm in Portage township, is a native of Ohio, born March 18, 1844, in Loudon township, Seneca county, a son of Daniel Clemens. Daniel Clemens came to Ohio when a young man, from western Pennsylvania. He entered land in the woods of Seneca county, where he married Hannah Kizer, and there lived for some years, coming with his family to Wood county when our subject was a mere child. He had bought eighty acres of new land in Section 26, Portage township, near Six Points, and as there was no house on this place, the family lived with a neighbor until a board shanty was erected: At this time the old corduroy road was the only one leading to Six Points, and the entire country was sparsely settled and unimproved. Mr. Clemens commenced at once to clear his land, also following his trade of shoemaker, which he worked at evenings on a bench in the corner of their shanty. In those days each customer would bring his own leather, and the work was usually paid for in farm labor or provisions. Mr. and Mrs. Clemens were the parents of fourteen children, four sons and ten daughters, all of whom lived to maturity but Charles, who died in infancy, and only three of the others are now deceased-Jacob, Charles and Delilah. The parents both lived to advanced ages, dying when seventy and seventy-two years old, respectively, and both are buried in Mt. Zion Church cemetery. Our subject received such advantages for education as the schools of his boyhood days afforded, and was reared by his father to agriculture. He also worked away from home, husking corn and doing other farm work, and for a time was engaged in hauling lumber to Fostoria, during the days when fine poplar brought only $8 per thousand. On October 12, 1864, he enlisted at Cincinnati, Ohio, in Company B, 55th O. V. I., Capt. H. Osborn, joining his regiment at Atlanta without any drilling whatever. Being taken sick here, he was returned to Cumberland Hospital, where he was confined ten or twelve days, afterward serving in Thomas' Division, and then starting for Savannah by way of New York. On the way he was captured by the enemy, who had torn up the railroad; but was shortly afterward paroled and went on to New York, where he was seized with inflammatory rheumatism, and lay in a hospital one month. He rejoined his regiment at Goldsboro, N. C., followed the campaign to the close of the war, participated in the Grand Review at Washington, D. C., and on July 11, 1865, was mustered out at Louisville, Ky., being honorably discharged at Cleveland, Ohio. On his return from the army our subject engaged in teaming and farming for some time. On March 12, 1868, he was united in marriage, in Portage township, with Miss Elizabeth Palmerton, who was born February 13, 1852, in Marion, Ohio, daughter of Lyman and Nancy (Leslie) Palmerton, who came from New York to Marion county, Ohio, and thence to Wood county. Lyman Palmerton died in 1854, leaving a widow and twelve children, and, though he left them eighty acres of land, it was little more than a swamp and a forest, and at that time would not have yielded enough for them to live on. But the brave mother worked earnestly and faithfully to keep her large family, and supported them in comfort until they were able to take care of themselves, doing all kinds of hard labor, cutting corn, shearing sheep, working on the farm, sewing and spinning. She was a noble Christian woman, and her children revere the memory of a devoted, loving mother, who spared neither energy nor pains to rear her family in industry and comfort. She was buried in Sugar Grove cemetery, where Mr. Palmerton's remains also rest. At the time of his death there were no horses to take him to his grave, and oxen were used. At the time of his marriage our subject was the owner of a horse and buggy, and he traded the buggy for another horse, afterward trading the team for the land on which he now lives. At first he did his farm work with a yoke of oxen, but by hard work and good management he prospered, and was able to provide himself with implements and horses, and to improve his farm in many ways. The forty acres of land in Section 25 which he still owns and on which he lives, are RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE