WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 930 in infancy; Sarah Jane, wife of L. S. Woodruff, a minister of the U. B. Church, and Greenbury. In 1855, Mr. Burditt came with his family to Wood county, and after renting land for a time purchased seventy-eight acres. Of this he retained possession of thirty-eight acres for some time, then traded it for eighty acres of land on the river, to which he afterward added another eighty-acre tract. Later he traded a portion of this for eighty-two acres, the farm which Andrew now occupies, and later increased its size by the additional purchase of 12o acres. His property he has divided among his children, thus aiding them in getting a start in life. Mr. Burditt cast his first Presidential vote for William Henry Harrison, and on the organization of the Republican party joined its ranks. His sons have also given their stalwart support to its principles. He has served as supervisor and school director for several terms, acceptably discharging his duties. His has been a noble and honorable life. . For more than fifty years he has been a member of the United Brethren Church, and has a life membership in the Bible Society of Bowling Green. JOHN W. HAMLIN, a worthy representative of the agricultural interests of Wood county, was born in Marion township, Hancock Co., Ohio, March 28, 1857. There his father was born in 1830, and in Findlay, Ohio, wedded Mary Corkrell, also a native of the same county. The mother's death there occurred in 1865. Her children were as follows: Susan, wife of Dennis Sloan, of Michigan; Sarah, wife of John Fullwiler, of Hancock county; Isaac, of Hancock county; John W.; Samuel, a farmer of Hancock county; David, of Findlay, Ohio; and Margaret, wife of Sherman Powell, of Hancock county. After the death of his first wife the father married Deborah Long, widow of John Hidecker, and by this union were born five children, namely: William, of Wood county; Theodore, of Findlay; Fred, of Wingston, Wood county; Sadie and Nettie. The paternal grandfather, Samuel Hamlin, was a native of Pennsylvania, whence he emigrated to Fairfield county, Ohio, and subsequently to Hancock county. Mr. Hamlin, of this sketch, acquired his education in the district schools, and during vacation worked in a handle and stave factory, also as a farm hand. During four years of his life he was employed as an engineer in a sawmill, but with the exception of that period has always carried on agricultural pursuits. He was married in Findlay, Hancock county, December 8, 1881, to Miss Ella Powell, who was born in Liberty township, that county, June 15, 1861, a daughter of Andrew and Caroline (Dotson) Powell, both natives of Ohio, the former born in Fairfield, and the latter in Allen county. The father was only about six years old when his parents went to Hancock county, and he is now a prosperous farmer there. His wife departed this life in 1878. To Mr. and Mrs. Hamlin have been five children-Ellsworth J., born June 6, 1883; Emerson Kenneth, born April 2, 1885; Howard Elroy, born July 9, 1888; Florence Ermo, born December 20, 1890; and Edna May, born January 14, 1893. The parents, began their domestic life on a fifty-one-acre farm in Hancock county, but after a year Mr. Hamlin sold that property and came to Wood county, where he purchased eighty-one acres in Henry township. This is improved with a good house and barns, is fenced and tiled, and the well-tilled fields indicate the care and supervision of the owner, who is an energetic, wide-awake farmer, owing his success in life to his own enterprise. In politics he is a Democrat, and in religious belief he is a Methodist. FRANK SNYDER, a retired capitalist and farmer of North Baltimore, is a native of Lehigh county, Penn., born January 9, 1846. His father, Peter Snyder, was born in the same county, in 1822, and died in 1895. He was a stonemason and farmer by occupation. His wife, Rebecca (Weaver), was born in Pennsylvania in 1827, and died in 1882. Our subject's paternal grandfather, Peter Snyder, was born in Lehigh county, Penn., and was a soldier in the war of 1812. He was over seventy years old at the time of his death. The maternal grandfather, James Weaver, and his father, Jacob Weaver, were both of old Pennsylvania stock. The subject of this sketch was one of five children, the others being: Nathan, now living in Lehigh, Penn. ; Levi, who died after attaining manhood; Edwin, who now lives in Wood county, and Mantana, who married H. Kunkle, and lives in Lehigh county. Mr. Snyder passed the early part of his life in his native county, remaining on his father's farm until twenty-one years old, and securing in the meantime a limited education. He then moved to Mahoning county, Ohio, where he stayed about eight months, at the end of that time returning to his home in Pennsylvania. He made several trips between Mahoning and Lehigh counties, and finally, in .1869, settled in Henry township, Wood county. He engaged in the sawmilling business, as it was the only possible means of making money at that time, was successful in his WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 931 venture, and purchased land in Liberty township on which he built a comfortable home. He retired in 1891, and is to-day one of the prominent citizens of North Baltimore, where he owns a block, among other interests too numerous to mention in detail. He also has 16o acres of land in Liberty township. Mr. Snyder was married, November 2, 1869, to Lucy Brobst, who was born in Mahoning county, Ohio, October 16, 1842. She is a daughter of Daniel and Magdalena (Fullweiler) Brobst, the former of whom was born in 1798, and died in 1894; the latter was born in 1797, and died in 1858. They had ten children, six now living, of whom Mrs. Snyder is the youngest. Mrs. Snyder has one daughter, Belle, born in 1863, who now resides in Alma, Mich. Our subject is a Democrat, and he and his wife are members of the German Reformed Church. He is one of the leading men in Wood county, and does everything in his power to further the interests of his community. A man of upright purposes and conscientious principles, he commands the respect of all who known him. WILLIAM A. KINNEY, a prominent agriculturist of Grand Rapids township, was born July 24, 1842, in Crawford county, Ohio. Abraham Kinney, his father, was born in Berks county, Penn., February 4, 18o6, of Irish parents, and learned the trade of shoemaker there. In early manhood he came to Ohio and located first in Stark county, but finally bought 240 acres of land in Crawford county, 16o acres of which he cleared and improved. He was married in Stark county to Miss Catherine Lichtenwalter a native of that county, born July 23, 1829. Some years after his marriage he moved to Indiana, where he died in 1890, his wife having died two years previous (1888). Fourteen children were born to them: Isaac, a farmer residing near Milford, Ind.; Mary, deceased, who married the late Henry Brubecker; Elizabeth, the wife of Jacob Lichtenwalter, of Milford, Ind.; Emeline, the wife of Wesley Pinkerton, of near Milford, Ind.; Michael, deceased; John, deceased; William A., our subject; Melissa A., the wife of John Pinkerton, of near Warsaw, Ind.; Anna, deceased; Harriet, the wife of Edward Beckwell, of Elkhart county, Ind.; George C., deceased; and three who died in infancy. William A. Kinney remained at his father's farm during his youth, attending the district school and enjoying the usual initiation into farm work, which forms so large a part of the life of a country boy. On August 7, 1862, at the age of twenty, he enlisted in Company C, 101st O. V. I., and served throughout the war. He took part in a number of engagements, the most important being the battles of Stone River and North Gap, and the siege of Nashville. He was wounded at Stone River and taken prisoner, and received only one meal in twenty-six days, while confined in Libby prison, enduring, besides, other hardships too numerous and painful to record. On giving his parole he was released, and soon after rejoined his regiment at Franklin, Tenn., and was mustered out at Camp Harker, Tenn., June 12, 1865. After his return home, in 1865, he went to Indiana and bought eighty acres of land, where he lived for ten years. Selling out in 1881, he came to Wood county, and bought eighty acres of improved land near Grand Rapids, which is now a valuable property, with a good orchard, first class farm buildings, and a handsome brick residence. On March 9, 1857, he was married to Miss Sarah Shafner, daughter of Samuel Shafner, a well-known agriculturist of Crawford county. Six children were born to this union: Henry F., June 28, 1869, and Samuel O., October 17, 1871, are employed in the Clayport factory at Findlay, Ohio; Edgar B., March 23, 1876; Ira Calvin, August 12, 1882, and Roy A., January 5, 1884, are at home; and Catherine died in infancy. Mr. Kinney's energy, integrity, and progressive spirit as shown in his generous support of all worthy local movements, as well as in the management of his individual affairs. He is especially interested in educational matters, and has been a member of the township school board for four years, and a school director for several terms. In politics he is a Prohibitionist, and he is a leading member of the M. E. Church. He belongs to the G. A. R., Bond Post No. 24, at Grand Rapids. JOSEPH H. SANDS, president of the Bowling Green Natural Gas Co., Bowling Green, and a representative self-made man, is a native of Pennsylvania, born July 3, 1852, at Rohrsburg, Columbia county. Joseph E. Sands, father of our subject, was also a native of Columbia county, Penn., where he first saw the light July 18, 1811. By occupation he was a woolen manufacturer, during the Civil war operating two woolen-mills in Pennsylvania, the first of which was established in 1835 at Rohrsburg, the second one at Mordansville in 1858, which latter is now being operated by his son, Charles L. Joseph E. Sands married Miss Esther Lundy, also of Columbia 932 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. county nativity, and eight children were born to them, all of whom lived to maturity, there being no death in the family until that of the eldest son, (1) John, who died in Pennsylvania at the age of forty-five years. (2) Henry H., the next in order of birth, resides in Pennsylvania; at the commencement of the Civil war he enlisted in the Union army, in the 132nd, later in the 210 th P. V. I., and served till the close of the Rebellion. (3) William E. also has his home in Pennsylvania; he served in the war of the Rebellion one year. (4) Thomas E. first enlisted for one year, in the P. V. I., then joined a scouting party composed of a company of one hundred picked men, in which he served till the close of the war, over three years in all. (5) Anna M., the only daughter in the family, married W. W. Eves, of Millville, Penn., and died December 8, 1894, leaving five children. (6) Charles L. lives in Pennsylvania. (7) Joseph H. is the subject of sketch. (8) James, who was a merchant in Pennsylvania, died in 1889. The father of this family, who during the later years of his life followed mercantile pursuits in Columbia county, Penn., died February 24, 1881, at the age of seventy years, the mother passing away at Mordansville, that county, September 3, 1886, aged seventy-three years. Mr. Sands was a strong Union man during the critical years of 1861-65, a member of the State militia, and, had his health permitted, would gladly have entered active service at the very commencement of hostilities. John Sands, his father, who was a miller by trade, died in Pennsylvania at the advanced age of eighty years, and his father (the great-grandfather of our subject), came from England to America, and died on Block Island, New York. Joseph H. Sands, the subject proper of these lines, lived in his native State until seventeen years of age, and then became a student at the Starkey (N. Y.) Seminary. On leaving school he came west, determined to , grow up with the country," arriving in Bowling Green, in 1871. After about a year he moved to Cincinnati, sojourning there only a short time, however, as he returned to Bowling Green, where for a time he was employed as clerk in a hotel. He then moved to Portage, and clerked for a Mr. McMahan four years, at the end of which time he once more came to Bowling Green, and in partnership with William Goit, later with R. W. McMahan, conducted a hardware business. The venture proved a success financially, but, Mr. Sands' health becoming impaired through overwork, he was obliged to sell out his interest in the business and seek some other less confining occupation. He then became a member of the oil producing firm of Hankey Bros. & Sands, and was one of the organizers of the Bowling Green Natural Gas Co., of which he became president, in 1891. On September 5, 1877, Mr. Sands was married to Miss Mary D. Turner, who was born April 22, 1856, in Huron county, Ohio, daughter of Rev. Elisha B. and Catherine (Bross) Turner, all of Portage, Ohio. In politics our subject is a stanch Republican. Socially he is a member of Lodge No. 589, I. O. O. F., of Portage. For several years he has spent the winters in the South and on the Pacific coast, for the benefit of his health. In spite of his poor health, Mr. Sands has always been energetic in his ideas, and foremost in all good works, looking to the advancement of Bowling Green and Wood county. He is one of the leading men in the county, one who has risen in the world entirely unassisted, and is highly esteemed by all with whom he comes in contact. JOHN PHILLIPS, an enterprising and successful agriculturist of Grand Rapids township, was born February 24, 1854, in Holmes county, Ohio, where his grandparents were among the earliest residents. John Phillips, his father, and his mother, whose maiden name was Susan Mets, were both born there, but removed after their marriage to Wayne county, where the father died February 22, 1864, and the mother, January 7, 1895. On the paternal side Mr. Phillips is of English descent, while his mother's people came originally from Germany. John Phillips spent his boyhood mainly in Wayne county, where he attended district school, and worked until the age of nineteen upon his father's farm. In 1875 he came to Wood county, and rented a farm of sixty-four acres near Grand Rapids, which he conducted some seventeen years, the half of which his wife owns, and which he still cultivates in a scientific way and keeps in a high state of improvement. He was. married in 1877, to Miss Mary J. Keys, a native of Grand Rapids township, born September 11, 1856. She is the daughter of George Keys, one of the pioneer settlers of that locality, and a sister of D. W. Keys. Two children came of this marriage: James F., born April 16, 1883, still with his parents, and one that died in infancy. Progressive in thought, and industrious in habits, Mr. Phillips has a promising future before him. He is a Republican politically, and has. served one term as supervisor, giving to his pub- WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 933 lic duties the same energy which brought him success in his private business. He is associated with the I. O. O. F., No. 529, of Grand Rapids. EDSON K. SMITH, one of the most extensive agriculturists of Henry township, is also one of the youngest to achieve prominence in that line of work, and his management of the 40o acres which he has under cultivation would do credit to a man of fifty years of experience. He was born in Eagle township, Hancock Co., Ohio, July 21, 1865, the only son of Jacob B. and Eliza J. (Helms) Smith. His education was begun in the district schools near his home, and he supplemented this rudimentary instruction by a course in the Normal School at Ada, Ohio, and in 1887 enjoyed still better advantages in Findlay College. From an earnest student he became a successful teacher, as is evident from the fact that for twenty-one months he was employed in the same school where he received his own elementary training. All who are familiar with the profession will recognize the difficulties which he must have overcome in the place. where his pupils were among his own immediate acquaintances; success, there, being a test of personal worth as well as of ability as a teacher. He afterward taught successfully in Wood county for some time. On September 30, 1888, Mr. Smith married Miss Adda L. Hartman, who was born in Crawford county, Ohio, January 8, 1868. Her parents, J. N. and Mary E. Hartman, removed later to Allen township, Hancock county, and she was educated in the Van Buren High School. The young couple began their married life at the Smith homestead, where they remained five years. March 22, 1893, they carne to Wood county and took up their abode upon a tract of eighty acres which they had previously purchased in Section 17, Henry township. Since April I, 1895, Mr. Smith has rented the farm of 32o acres belonging to the Fellers estate, and operates the two properties with marked ability. In politics Mr. Smith is a Democrat, and in religious faith he and his wife adhere to the doctrines of the Predestinarian Baptists, but they are not members of any Church. The late Jacob B. Smith, our subject's father, was born October 21, 1841, in Adams township, Seneca Co., Ohio. He was a man of remarkable intellect, and, from 1871, was a preacher in the Baptist Church, although he was indebted to no man for a livelihood, working in early years as a blacksmith, carpenter and farmer. He left a good estate in Hancock county, and in his will his son was appointed executor. Politically he supported the Democratic party, and in various township offices he proved his efficiency and trustworthiness. On August 10, 1864, he married his first wife, our subject's mother, who departed this life July 9, 1873, leaving three children, Edson K., the eldest; Laura I., now Mrs. F. M. Hartman; and Nellie I., who died April to, 1881. On December 13, 1874, the father married a second wife, Miss Evaline Barnd, and of this union five children were born, of whom, two, Mary O. and Elva J., are the only survivors. They reside with their widowed mother in Hancock county. The father's death occurred under circumstances of peculiar sadness. He had been in Cleveland to undergo treatment for fibroid tumors, and an operation had been performed upon them, and while on his way home, May 29, 1896, he took inflammation of the brain, and died at Fremont, Ohio, among entire strangers. JEREMIAH S. BENSCHOTER, a well-known agriculturist of Grand Rapids township, and a veteran of the Civil war, was born in Erie county, Ohio, September 19, 1843, son of Samuel Wetherlow and Nancy Ann (Bassett) Benschoter, who were pioneers of Grand Rapids township, having settled there upon a tract of wild land in 1853. Samuel W. Benschoter was born March 27, 1811, in Erie county, Ohio, near the mouth of Rock river. His education was somewhat limited, but he was a bright and industrious man, and, by hard work and judicious management as a farmer and stock dealer, accumulated a comfortable competence. In 1838, in Milan township, he married Miss Nancy Ann Bassett, by whom he had ten children, as follows: Sarah A., who died at the age of three years; William A., of Bowling Green; Jeremiah S., subject of these lines; Charles W., a farmer of Grand Rapids township; Ella Eugene, now the wife of J. J. Black, of near Tontogany, Ohio; J: W., in the insurance and real-estate business at Bowling Green; Lucy M., single; Alice H., who died in 1862, when eight years old; Jennie, who also died in 1862, at the age of five; and Curtis E., of Bowling Green. The mother of this fine family is still living. The father passed from earth September 2, 1884, at Lakeside, Ohio, a consistent member of the M. E. Church; during the later years of his life he was a strong advocate of temperance. Politically he was originally a Democrat, but in 1861 he voted for Lincoln, and ever afterward supported the Republican party. J. S. Benschoter attended the district schools 934 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. of the neighborhood of his boyhood home, later the schools of Grand Rapids. On July 4, 1863, he enlisted in Company F (Capt. Squire), 86th O. V. I. (Col. Lemert) ''six-months servicemen," and, after a short stay at Camp Chase, the regiment took part in capturing Morgan's men when they made their raid into Ohio. Later it served in the army of the Cumberland, participating in the battle of Cumberland Gap, and the siege of Knoxville. Mr. Benschoter received his discharge February 14, 1864, returning home, resumed his studies for a time at Perrysburg, and then spent three years in teaching. He and his brother William took charge of the homestead for several years, but, in 1869, our subject began farming independently, and now owns an eightyacre farm near Grand Rapids, besides his interest in the old homestead of 24o acres. His farm is well tiled, has a productive orchard, fine barns, and a brick dwelling house costing $2,000. He stands well in the esteem of the comnity, is a Republican in politics, and has held many local offices, such as supervisor and school director, for a number of years, trustee for two terms, member of the school board twelve years, and he is now serving as justice of the peace. He is a member of the M. E. Church, in which he has been steward for many years, and has faithfully discharged the duties of trustee, classleader, and Sunday-school superintendent. He belongs to the G. A. R., Bond Post No. 24, Grand Rapids, also to the F. & A. M., Grand Rapids Lodge No. 289, and is past master of the Lodge; also of the Enterprise Grange, in which he has served both as secretary and master. He has always taken an active interest in the Farmers Institute, and for three years was president of the Tri-county Institute of Henry, Lucas, and Wood counties. On February 25, 1869, Mr. Benschoter was married to Miss Rachel S. Hannah, and three children have blessed their union: Lilly May, a young lady of fine abilities, who was educated in Grand Rapids, and is now at home; Charles E., a graduate of the Grand Rapids schools, later attending Oberlin College; Effie Belle, now at school. Rachel S. Hannah was born February 10, 1845, in Portage township, Ottawa Co., Ohio, and is a daughter of William P. and Elizabeth (Dalzell) Hannah, who were the parents of ten children, as follows: Nancy Isabel (Mrs. McMann), now deceased; James Gill, who died when .nineteen months old; Robert D., a farmer of Grand Rapids township; Elizabeth Jane, wife of C. C. Gundy, county commissioner of Wood county, and residing in Washington township; Mary Ann, deceased wife of William Spangler; Rachel S., Mrs. J. S. Benschoter; Sarah M., deceased wife of George Cummings, farmer of Washington township; Cynthia R., wife of W. U. Baker, a farmer of Washington township; William H., a farmer of that township; and Alice E., wife of R. J. Collin, mayor, and a druggist, of Tontogany. William P. Hannah, father of Mrs. Benschoter, was born January 1, 1809, in Adams county, Ohio, of Virginia parentage, of Welsh descent; was a farmer by occupation, and settled in Wood county, in 1864. On December 26, 1833, he was married in Marion county, Ohio, to Miss Elizabeth Dalzell, who was born February 8, 1813, in County Down, Ireland, and when six years old came to America with her parents. She died August 22, 1891. Mr. Hannah passed from life February 27, 1867, in Grand Rapids township. In politics he was first a Whig, later a Republican, a zealous worker for his party, but no office-seeker, and was a self-reliant, trustworthy man, highly respected. On the 8th of February, the anniversary of the birth of Elizabeth Dalzell, the Hannah family have each year, for twenty-seven years, held reunions, happy events that serve to link the past with the present, and preserve the unity of the family. In June. 1895, the descendants of the Dalzell family held their first reunion, at the home of C. C. Gundy, near Tontogany, Ohio. Their second reunion was held the 18th and 19th of August, 1896, at the home of Milton H. Rhoads, near Cochranton, Marion Co., Ohio. W. H. MILLIKIN is one of the largest oil operators in Wood county, and a wealthy and influential citizen of Bowling Green. He is the architect of his own fortunes, and, as an example of a successful self-made man, his life record is worthy of more than a passing notice. Mr. Millikin was born April 3, 1854, in Venango county, Penn. During his earlier years he attended the common schools, and later became a student at the State Normal School at Edinburg, in his native State. For six winters he was occupied in teaching. Some twenty years ago Mr. Millikin was induced to go into the oil business, in which he was at once successful, and in which he has been interested ever since. He at first operated in Pennsylvania and southern New York, coming thence to Ohio, and for a time making his home in Lima. He afterward removed to Wood county, finding a more extensive field for his operations in this section. Besides having a number of wells of his own, he is WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 935 interested with others in some eighty-seven wells, and also owns the leases of a large amount of land in the vicinity of his oil fields, which he superintends in person. He is an enterprising, energetic business man, and the oil industry is not the only line of business in which he is interested. He owns considerable valuable property at Bowling Green, where he is now completing a hotel and business block, with all modern improvements, which will take place among the finest in this part of the State. The cost of the building will be at least $50,000, and it is a material improvement to the business section of the city. Mr. Millikin is also a director in the First National Bank of Bowling Green. He is the owner of a fine 300-acre farm in Hardin county, on which he raises onions, potatoes and corn. Mr. Millikin is a shrewd financier, and one of the best oil operators in Wood county, and by his skillful management he has accumulated a snug fortune. His success is well merited, for he has risen to his present high position by' energetic application to his business affairs, conquering the obstacles that rose in his path by his indomitable perseverance, and allowing nothing to discourage him, or destroy his ambitious spirit. Unassuming in manner and honorable in purpose, with a just regard for the rights and feelings of others, he is popular among both his business and social acquaintances, and occupies an enviable position in the city where he makes his home. Mr. Millikin is a leader in, and liberal contributor to, all enterprises that have for their object the welfare and advancement of Bowling Green, and he is regarded by his fellow citizens as a valuable member of the community, loyal to all its interests. He has twice been elected a member of the city council of Bowling Green, his good judgment and business ability making him valuable in this important position. In 1884 Mr. Millikin was married to Miss Alice Delphine David, who was born in New York in 1857, and four children have blessed their union, namely: Carrie, Mary, Grace and Charles William. Mrs. Millikin is a lady of intelligence and refinement. She is a leader in Church work, she and her children belonging to the M. E. Church, to which Mr. Millikin is a liberal contributor, though he is not a member. He is a strong advocate of temperance, and in political sentiment is a stanch Republican. Charles B. David, Mrs. Millikin's father, was a native of Maine, born in October, 1830. When a boy he removed with his parents to Fort James, N. Y., and later to Allegany county, that State, where he was married to Miss Clarissa Burns, who was born September 17, 1834, in Connecticut, removing thence with her parents to Allegany county, when she was six years old. Mr. David was a stock farmer, became quite well-to-do, and was highly respected in the community in which he resided. He died in August, 1894, leaving a widow and four children, viz.: Alice D., Mrs. Millikin, born in May, 1857; Charles E., a merchant at Belmont, N. Y.; Frank E., a merchant; and Minnie A., now Mrs. George H. Osborn, of Watertown, N. Y. Mr. David and all the family became members of the M. E. Church. He was a member of the Masonic Fraternity, and took great interest in that order, becoming a Master Mason. The parents of our subject, John and Ann (Smullin) Millikin, were natives of Ireland, the former born in County Donegal, near Strabane. They were married in that country, and after the birth of one child, James, came to America, in about 1840, locating in Venango county, Penn. There the father carried on farming until his death, in 1877, at the age of seventy-four years. His wife survived him until 1883, when she, too, passed away, at the age of sixty-seven years. They were estimable people, and consistent members of the Methodist Church. Twelve children were born to this worthy couple (of whom ten are still living) : James resides in Springfield, Mo. ; Eliza married Samuel Weaver; John died in Salina, Kans., when forty-nine years old; L. S. lives in Fremont county, Iowa; Mrs. Mary Cramer lives in Pennsylvania; Maggie is the widow of Homer Hull; Thomas S. lives in Saline county, Kans.; Charlotte is the wife of W. R. Christy, and lives in Hardin county, Ohio; Peter P. resides in Warren, Ind.; Canston Z. is an attorney at Salina, Kans. ; Sarah died when two and a half years old; W. H. is the subject of this sketch. ORRIN HENRY. The subject of this sketch, who has been a resident of Bowling Green since 1877, is a native of Wood county, Ohio, his birth taking place October 24, 1840. His grandparents, and Rebecca (Follett) Henry, were born in New Hampshire, and at an early day came to Ohio, settling in Portage township. They had thirteen children. Hosea Henry, the father of our subject, was born in New Hampshire in 1807, and accompanied his parents to this State. He settled on a farm near Millgrove, Perry township, and there spent the remainder of his life, dying on March 17, 1883, at a good old age. His wife, whose maiden name was Nancy Smith, was a native of 936 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. Pennsylvania, born in 1820, and is still living on the farm where they first made their home. They were consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Henry was an Oldline Whig. To this estimable couple nine children were born, of whom six grew to maturity, namely: Orrin; Charles, a physician residing in Fostoria, who served during the Civil war in the 144th O. V. I.; Lorinda, deceased, was the wife of D. Lusk; Perry lives in Millgrove, Wood county; Alice married D. O. Furth, and lives in Chicago, Illinois. Orrin Henry grew to manhood in Perry township, attending the public and select schools during his boyhood, and on December 5, 1861, was married to Miss Mary S. Bosler, who was born in Pennsylvania, April 2, 1842, and who died April 22, 1891. Three children were born of this union: W. O.; Hattie, who died when eight years old; and Dwight L. Soon after the breaking out of the Civil war, Mr. Henry enlisted in Company I, 100th O. V. I.; but being unable to leave when his regiment was mustered in, he again enlisted, August 18, 1862, in Company A, 111th O. V. I., at Toledo. His command was assigned to the army of the Ohio, subsequently known as the army of the Tennessee. Mr. Henry was sergeant of his company. Among the. battles in which he took part were the siege of Knoxville, the Atlanta campaign, Perryville, Wilmington and Raleigh. He was honorably discharged from the service, at Salisbury, N. C., and reached Cleveland, Ohio, July 5, 1865, it lacking but a few days of being three years he had spent in the army. On his return from the South Mr. Henry took up farming for a time in Perry township, and also had the management of a sawmill. For some six years he had charge of a hotel, but in 1876 sold out his interests in that business, and went out west to the Black Hills, remaining there some two months. In the fall. of the same year he was elected sheriff of Wood county, and .held that office for four years, afterward serving for one term as deputy sheriff under his successor. He was then appointed U. S. Deputy Internal Revenue Collector, filling that position for two years, when the district was changed, and he lost the place. Mr. Henry remained at home for over a year when he was appointed captain of the night watch in the State Penitentiary, where he was employed for twenty months, at the end of which time, on December 31, 1887, he was given a clerkship in the trust fund department of the State Auditor's office, where he served for four years. On January 1, 1892, he was appointed land clerk in the State Auditor's office, which position he still holds. Mr. Henry is a Republican in politics, a Chapter Mason, a K. of P., and a member of Wiley Post, G. A. R., at Bowling Green. He has filled the various positions of trust which he has held with great ability, and is esteemed by all who know him. ENOS GOLDNER. Among the energetic and prosperous tillers of the soil who have made Bloom township the center of a high type of rural life, the subject of this sketch ranks with the foremost. Twenty-seven years ago his fertile fields were a stumpy waste, and now his farm is second to none in the county for productiveness and beauty. George Goldner, the father of our subject, was a native of Schuykill county, Penn., and a carpenter by trade. He married Miss Susan Folk, of Austintown township, Mahoning Co., Ohio, and settled in that vicinity, purchasing a farm of 160 acres, whereon he made his residence. He died in 1879, at the age of sixty-six, and his wife in 1873, aged fifty-eight. Enos Goldner was born October 1, 1839, in Jackson township, Mahoning Co., Ohio, the eldest of ten children-four sons and six daughters. His boyhood was spent in useful work at home, indoors as well as out, as he lightened his mother's labors whenever he could. He never liked to go to school, probably because the advantages then offered to the pupil were not strikingly apparent. At the age of seventeen he began to learn the carpenter's trade with his father, a younger brother taking his place on the farm, and he followed his trade for seven or eight years, but has since been a farmer. On November 16, 1868, he was married at his native place to Miss Christina Handwerk who was born there May 20, 1850, the only daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Brobst) Handwerk. Mrs. Elizabeth (Brobst) Handwerk was the daughter of Daniel Brobst, who was born November 1, 1797, in Pennsylvania, and died August 14, 1894, at our subject's home, where he had lived for eighteen years. In 1818 he married Magdalena Folwiler. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church, he of the Lutheran. Joseph Handwerk was born in Schuykill county, Penn., and came thence to Ohio with George Goldner, our subject's father, driving across the country. He died December 3, 1893, at his home in Bloom township, aged seventy-six years, nine months and twenty days. In 1848 he married Elizabeth Brobst, who was born October 13, Enos Goldner WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 937 1825, in Campbell, Mahoning Co., Ohio, and now makes her home on the old home farm. Both were members of the Lutheran Church. In March, 1869, Mr. Goldner and his fatherin-law came to Bloom township, and bought eighty acres in Section 29, and 160 in Section 32, adjoining, for which they went in debt to the extent of one thousand dollars. A small old house was the sole improvement, the fields standing full of stumps. They took up their residence' in the township the same year, commenced to clear the tract, and afterward added to it until the farm now comprises 444 acres, with 335 acres under cultivation. In 1892 they built the handsomest farm house in this region at a cost of $4, 200, but Mr. Handwerk, did not long enjoy it, his death occurring December 3, 1893. Mr. and Mrs. Goldner have no children of their own, but four boys and two girls have found a home under their hospitable roof at different times. Mr. Goldner was a strong man physically, and was always a hard worker until 1889, when his health was affected by " La Grippe." He is a Democrat politically, but in local matters votes for the ablest and most honest candidate without regard to party. He and his wife are leading members of the Lutheran Church, and to bring a case of need to their attention is to secure ready and generous help. WILLIAM HARMAN, one of Montgomery township's best citizens, is a native of Prussia, born June 13, 1829. His father, who was a carpenter in Germany, married Miss Catherine Sturmer, and in 1836, when our subject was seven years old, they sailed from Bremen on the vessel " Brilhiff," bound for New York, the trip taking eleven weeks and three days. They first went to Albany, N. Y., thence to Toledo and Sandusky, and remained a short time in each place, the father working at various odd jobs. He was employed on the Wabash canal at Toledo, and in the same capacity at Napoleon, Ohio, where he remained two years. He next went to Maumee City, helped to put in locks and side-cut, and lived there until September 1, 1842, when he came to Section 30, Montgomery township, here buying seventy acres of land, a few acres of which had been chopped over, and on which was a small log cabin. He had saved $350 from his work on the canal with which to get a home. Here he lived until September, 1852, when he moved to Freeport and opened a hotel called the "Washington House," of which he was the proprietor for twenty-seven years. He then returned to Section 30, where he died August 21, 1883. In politics he was a Democrat. His widow passed away August 7, 1896, in Montgomery township, at the age of ninety-two years, mourned by a host of friends who knew this grand old pioneer lady only to love her. Our subject attended the district schools of his time, and was in his " teens" when his parents came to Montgomery township. On May 27, 1849, he was married to Miss Mary Kyser, who was born near Philadelphia, August 21, 1825, daughter of George and Mary (Shut) Kyser, who came to Columbiana county in 1833, and died there. Afterward Mary visited her sisters in Montgomery township, where she met and married our subject. They began their married life on the home farm, and in 1872 came to Section 29, where they now reside. The following children have been born to them: George H., who is a farmer of Montgomery township; Frederick William, who lives near Hicksville, Ohio; Milton, who died in infancy; John H., a resident of Freeport; Frank P., a farmer of Portage; Daniel, living in Pulaski county, Ky.; Catherine, who died when twelve years old; and Andrew J., who is farming in Montgomery township. Mr. Harman has helped all his children to obtain homes, and has plenty of means left. He is no partisan in politics, but his sympathy is with the Democrats, and he has held a school office. He is a member of the Lutheran Church, as was also his wife. He has been a successful farmer, and is one of the good citizens of his township, than whom no one is more respected. On January 14, 1894, he had the misfortune to be completely burned out; but he has rebuilt the farm buildings, and to-day has one of the best homes in the township. ADDISON LANSDALE, who is well and popularly known not only in Montgomery township, where he resides, but throughout Wood county, was born April 7, 1821, in Champaign county, Ohio. His parents, Richard and Jemima (Hyatt) Lansdale, were married in Maryland in 1804, and in I808 came to Ohio, settling in what is now Champaign county, on the banks of Little Darby creek, near Mechanicsburg, where our subject was born and where Mr. and Mrs. Lansdale both died. Their family consisted of eight children, of whom our subject was the youngest, and all of whom are deceased except himself and his brother Richard, the latter a resident of Olympia, Washington. Mr. Lansdale was an infant when his parents died, and he was reared by strangers. His schooling, which was somewhat meager, was obtained in a log schoolhouse of the rudest description. 938 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. There was then no common-school system as today, and educational affairs were managed in a manner which seems very strange to us. Each pupil was required to furnish a load of wood to keep the schoolhouse warm, the teachers "boarded round," and very few of them were able to instruct their pupils beyond the " three Rs." Our subject was early put to work on the farm, and earned a shilling a day, riding horses for the men who were raking hay. When a boy of sixteen years he learned the trade of a mason, plastering and brick-laying included. The family had been scattered on the death of the parents, and one of the sons, Alpheus, who was a molder by trade, had located at Lower Sandusky, now Fremont. Here our subject went to visit him, traveling on the Mad River railroad-the first road built in Ohio-to Tiffin, and walking the remaining distance. He easily found work there, and was soon after married, in June, 1850, to Miss Martha, daughter of Elisha Moore, a farmer living near Fremont. At the time of his marriage, Mr. Lansdale was the proud owner of twenty dollars in gold, which represented his entire capital. In October of the same year the young couple took up their residence in Prairie Depot, where the wife died in the spring of 1851, and was buried in Bradner cemetery. She left one child, Martha, now Mrs. David Bovie, of Sandusky county. On November 18, 1852, Mr. Lansdale was married in Sandusky county to Miss Sarah King, who was born in Franklin county, April 13, 1831. Her father, Samuel King, was a pioneer of Sandusky county, having come there in 1832. Mrs. Sarah Lansdale died January 9, 1896. Two children were born to this union, Mary E., who became the wife of Franklin Palmer, and died January 15, 1879; and Florence, who married Samuel Pennell, and died, leaving one child, Mabel M., who makes her home with our subject. In the fall of 1850 Mr. Lansdale traded a horse and buggy for his present lot, on which there was then only a log shanty. He subsequently bought other lots, for one of which he gave a shot-gun, and, for another, $35. About this time he went into the grocery and clothing business, having a stock worth $200. His business increased steadily, and he carried it on for twenty-five years, when he sold out. In the meantime he had purchased a couple of farms in Montgomery township, where he carried on general farming. In 1861 he was elected county commissioner on the Union ticket, although he was a Democrat. Originally a Whig, he joined the Democratic forces on the dissolution of that party, but voted for Abraham Lincoln for his second term. Since 1880 Mr. Lansdale has retired from active work, and only attends to the supervision of his business interests. He owns two business rooms in Prairie Depot, and two dwelling houses. Beginning life a very poor boy, he has acquired his present comfortable competency by his own. unaided exertions. He is the pioneer of Prairie Depot, and is known over a large portion of Wood county. He is a jovial man, one who thoroughly enjoys life, and is a most agreeable companion and entertaining conversationalist. In his religious views he is a Free Thinker. As a citizen he is public-spirited, and greatly interested in the cause of education. CHRISTIAN BAY, a wealthy retired agriculturist of Perrysburg, is one of our typical German American citizens, who, by their industry and frugality, make their way to success over every obstacle. He was born December 31, 1825, in Wittenberg, Germany, which for generations had been the home of his forefathers. His parents, George and Catherine Bay, died when he was still a youth, and in 1852 he came to Ohio. He spent one year in Wayne county, three in Lorain county (part of the time residing at Columbia Station), remaining until 1861, when lie came to Wood county. Here he settled in the unbroken wilderness, in the heart of the '' Black Swamp," where he experienced all the disheartening trials of pioneer life. For thirty-four years he lived there-the locality being now known as " Bay Station," on the C. H. & D. railroad-and had already acquired a competence when the discovery of oil upon his land enabled him to sell it for a large sum-a fortune, in fact. He, then removed to Perrysburg, where he is spending the leisure which he can so well appreciate after his early years of toil. Politically, he is a Democrat, and for many years has been a member of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Bay was married in Liverpool, Medina Co., Ohio, to Miss Jane McConnell, who was born in 1835, and died September 13, 1894, mourned by a large circle of relatives and friends. Of the seven children born of this union: (1) Jerusha B. married G. Mercer, - and has three children-Mabel, Vernie and Edith; (2) Elizabeth married William Bower, of Milton Center, and has four children (three sons and one daughter)-Clarence, Bearl, Karl and Marie ; (3) George W., born June 29, 1860, died October 2, 1866; (4) William S., born December 9, 1867, died October 11, 1871; (5) and (6) Mary J. and Miny A., born August 10, 1870, the for- WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 939 mer died August 26, 1870, and the latter, January 21, 1871; and (7) the youngest daughter in Christian Bay's family is Mary D., who is at present attending high school at Hart, Oceana Co., Michigan. GEORGE W. HENGSTELER. As one of the prominent young self-made business men of Risingsun, and a partner in the firms of Hengsteler Bros. and Bigley & Hengsteler Bros., the subject of this sketch is well-known in financial circles, and he -is also an agriculturist of note in his locality, owning a farm of l00 acres in Montgomery township. He was born September 22, 1859, in Westmoreland county, Penn., the son of Lewis and Mary (Bauders) Hengsteler. He-was a mere child when his parents came to Ohio, and his education and training was that of the average country boy of his time. His somewhat limited opportunities for schooling have made him an active friend of educational progress, as is shown by his constant and practical efforts for that cause on the school boards of District No. 7, Montgomery township, and later in Risingsun. As a mechanic he possesses fine natural ability, and has done some carpentering; but in early manhood his attention was mainly given to agricultural pursuits. In the winter of 1892 the Hengsteler Bros. engaged in the oil business, operating an eighty-acre lease in Scott township, Sandusky county, and placed thereon four wells. In the winter of 1894 -95 they associated with them, in their oil business, C. P. Bigley; however, the Hengsteler Bros. still constitute an independent firm. On April 15, 1880, our subject was married to Miss Mary A. Graber, who was born in Risingsun November 28, 1866, a daughter of George and Elizabeth (Strouse) Graber. His first home was, upon a rented farm in Jackson township, Seneca county, and later he spent two years on the Carey farm in Montgomery township, on leaving which place he bought forty acres in Section 35, same township, incurring a debt of $1,700. At that time there was not a building on the farm that was habitable, and the sparse improvements did not even include a well. Here he resided until the fall of 1892, when having acquired a competence he purchased his present elegant residence in Risingsun, at the corner of Day and Walnut streets. He still keeps his farm, however, and oversees it, and he owns another fine building lot in Risingsun. On November 28, 1892, his first wife was called from earth, and her mortal remains were laid to rest in the cemetery at Prairie Depot. Two children survive her-Lulu M. and Jay R., both at home. For his second wife Mr. Hengsteler married Miss Christina Stoudinger, who was born March 14, 1867, a daughter of Christian and Elizabeth (Myers) Stoudinger, wellknown residents of Montgomery township. Full of public spirit, Mr. Hengsteler is always ready to encourage any enterprise for the benefit of his town. Although he is a Democrat in principle, he is not bound by any party ties in local elections, and he has served the community in various positions, including that of supervisor. At present he is street commissioner of Risingsun. He and his wife are leading members of the Church of God, in which he was superintendent of the Sunday-school for three years, and he now holds the office of deacon. Socially, he affiliates with the I. O. O. F. BYRON H. CALLIN is one of the most able and successful school teachers of Wood county, and is a young man of genuine worth, giving a liberal aid and support to all enterprises and interests which are calculated to benefit the community. He was born in Bowling Green, November 5, 1874, and is a son of John H. Callin, a well known resident of the county. He spent his earlier years in his native town, and in 1887 removed with his father to Middleton township, where he aided in the development and improvement of an eighty-acre farm. In the winter months he attended the district schools of the neighborhood, and displayed special aptitude at his studies. In the winter of 1885-6 he was a student in the public schools of Leipsic, Ohio, and in 1893 continued his education in the high school of Perrysburg. In that year he was graduated from the common schools of the county, and in the winter of 1895-6 he attended Findlay College, at Findlay, Ohio. When only sixteen years of age, Mr. Callin was granted a teacher's certificate by the county board of examiners. All his life he has been interested in educational work, and has given general satisfaction as a teacher in Wood county. In 1895 he also taught and attended Berea College, of Berea, Ky., and is a young man of broad general information, much of which he has acquired through extensive reading. For six years he was a correspondent to the local newspapers, and is a poet and writer of fiction of no little ability, having contributed many articles of merit and interest to the county and Eastern magazines. When fifteen years of age he joined the Presbyterian Church at Dunbridge, and has since taken a very active part in Church work. He belongs to the Presbyterian Church of Berea, is a mem 940 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. ber of the Home Missionary Society, and is president of the Young Peoples Society of Christian Endeavor, also secretary of the A. Z. L. Society of Berea. He is a member of Randolph Palmer Camp No. 273, Sons of Veterans, of Prairie Depot, Ohio. His political support is given the Republican party. Held in the highest regard by all who know him, he has made many warm friends wherever he has gone, and his well-spent life commands the respect of all. Mr. Callin was elected Professor of History and Natural Science in Jackson Collegiate Institute, at Jackson, Ky., which position he declined. On July 18, 1896, he was united in marriage with Fannie E., daughter of John and Eliza Muir, of Scotch Ridge, Ohio. Mrs. Callin is a woman of genuine worth, is accomplished, and has a large circle of friends. J. W. POWELL, senior member of the wellknown firm of Stratton, Powell & Co., leading hardware merchants of Bowling Green, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, May 21, 1844. He is of Welsh descent, but his family have been in this country for several generations. His grandfather, Peter Powell, a native of Pennsylvania, and one of the pioneer settlers of Fairfield county, died in Hancock county, in 1858, at the age of eighty-five. Our subject's father, George Powell, was born in Fairfield county, March 10, 1819, lived there until 1873, and then bought a farm in Liberty township, Wood county, whereon he spent his last years. He married Miss Sarah• Beatty, also- a native of Fairfield county, born in 1818, and they reared a family of six children: J. W., our subject; Martha J., now the wife of L. Smaltz, of Hancock county; S. H., living at the old homestead; A. V., a resident of Bowling Green; C. L., who died in Weston, at the age of thirty-five; and Laura B., the wife of James Stafford, of Liberty township. The father of these, in politics, was a Democrat, up to the Civil war, when he became a Republican, and so remained until his death. In religious faith he and his wife were active and consistent members of the U. B. Church. The father died January 26, 1893, the mother on April 26, 1892. J. W. Powell, the subject of this sketch, attended the common schools in his native county during his boyhood, and remained at home up to his enlistment, when he was barely eighteen years old, in the 90th O. V. I., attached to the army of the Cumberland. He took part in a number of engagements, Perryville, etc.; at Stone River he was severely wounded, and sent to hospital, where he spent ten months, being able during the last five to perform light duties. In 1864 he was transferred to the 5th Regiment, V. R. C., and detailed to guard the Rebel prisoners at Indianapolis. He was mustered out July 5, 1865, and then returned home to resume his duties on the farm, so continuing until his marriage. In February, 1867, he moved to Hancock county, to his farm of eighty acres, whereon he remained six years, at the end of which time, selling his interests there, he came to Wood county and bought a 240-acre farm in Liberty township, which he improved, placing good buildings on it, and underdraining it with sixteen miles of tiling, in which latter line of improvements he may be said to have been the pioneer in both Wood and Hancock counties. In all respects his farm is one of the finest in the State, and no other is equipped with a better class of buildings; he also owns another farm of ninety-six acres in the same township. In 1888 Mr. Powell opened out a hardware business in Bowling Green, and in January, 1889, he moved his family into the city, in the following year building his present elegant and commodious residence. He owns seventeen oil-wells, the first of which was drilled in October, 1889, being the first well started in that section of the county, Mr. Powell being the second individual to lease land for that purpose in Wood county. He is also interested in oil productions outside of his own wells, in all his undertakings proving himself to be a typical American " hustler," one who by innate grit, pluck and enterprise, has from but a small capital built up a comparative fortune. On October 11, 1866, Mr. Powell married Miss Isabel R. Courtright, who was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, May 14, 1844, and three children have blessed this union: Alba F. and George V., and a son, Herman C., who died in infancy. Of these children, Alba F. was married in November, 1893, to W. H. Wyrauch, of Bowling Green, a partner in the store with Mr. Powell, his wife acting in the capacity of bookkeeper; while George V. is at present attending college at Westerville, Ohio, this being his third year thereat. With true practical philanthropy, our subject and his amiable wife have opened their hospitable doors to the children of others. A girl, Effa Kirk, they reared from the age of eleven years, and she is now the wife of E. A. Saxby, a druggist of Pemberville, by whom she has one child, Florence. A boy, Tobias Miller by name, Mr. and Mrs. Powell reared from the age of four till he was seventeen, and they are at J. W. & Isabelle Powell WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 941 present bringing up another little girl, named Myrtle, who is nine years of age at this writing. Mrs. J. W. Powell is a daughter of O. P. and Sarah (Harmon) Courtright, the former of whom, a farmer by vocation, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1814; he was captain of Company A, 78th Ill. V. I., serving two years in the Civil war, and enjoys an enviable record as a soldier. The mother was born in Ross county, Ohio, in 1817. They were the parents of children, as follows: America P., Harmon V., Isabel R. (Mrs. Powell), Elizabeth J., and Martin L. The mother of these died in 1850, and Mr. Courtright subsequently married Mary McElroy, of Lancaster, Ohio, by which union there were nine children: James, Frank, John, Joliette, Fannie, Oliver, Robert, Walter and Stephen. The father died in 1868. In his political preferences Mr. Powell is a Republican; socially he is affiliated with Wiley Post No. 46, G. A. R.; in religious faith, he and his wife are leading members of the U. B. Church, toward which they are liberal in their donations, as well as to educational works and all deserving charities. They enjoy alike the esteem and regard of a wide circle of friends, not only in the city of their adoption, but in the entire county. GEORGE W. BELL, one of the boys in blue of the Civil war, and now a valued citizen of Middleton township, was born in Monroe county, Ohio, November 22, 1837. His father, Elisha Bell, was a native of Belmont County, Md., and for some years was engaged in farming there. He afterward removed to Monroe county, this State, where he spent ten years, and then took up his residence in Washington county, where he carried on farming until his death in 1871. He married Louisa Tucker, a native of Maryland, and they became parents of these children-Ellen, wife of George W. Miller, of Washington county; George W.; Elizabeth, wife of Joseph Aplin; Willston, a farmer of Washington county; William, an agriculturist of Washington county; Jane, wife of Isaac Wickley; James; John and Martha, who died in childhood. The mother of this family passed away in 1894. To the common schools our subject is indebted for his education. He was reared on the old homestead until twenty-four years of age, when he left the farm to enter his country's service, enlisting in 1863, as a member of Company K, 36th O. V. I. He joined the service at Washington, Ohio, and participated in the battles of Gettysburg and Mission Ridge, and in the siege of Atlanta. He suffered much from exposure, but continued at the front until the war was over, as a faithful defender of the Union cause. He then returned to Washington county, where he reremained until 1881, when he purchased his present farm, near Dunbridge, in Middleton township. Mr. Bell was married, in 1862, in Washington county, to Minerva Aplin, a native of Ludlow county, Md. They became parents of nine children-Joseph; Fannie, wife of John Dusing; Don; Irene; Chester; Russell; Eva, deceased wife of Dr. Baker; and William and Daisy, who died in infancy. Mr. Bell is a member of Robert Stewart Post No. 690, G. A. R., of Dunbridge. He is an energetic, industrious man who owes his success in life to his own exertions. As a citizen he is public-spirited and progressive, interested in the general welfare, and in this volume well deserves representation. JACOB H. HOWER, a prosperous farmer of Bowling Green, was born in Stark county, Ohio, October 24, 1829, and comes of good old Pennsylvania-Dutch stock. Jacob Henry Hower, the paternal grandfather, was born in Pennsylvania, and died in New Berlin, Stark county, at the advanced age of ninety-nine years. The day before his death he walked three miles and killed seven squirrels with his rifle, an old-time flintlock, which is still retained in the family. He dressed the squirrels himself, and had his daughter prepare him a squirrel supper. He was found the next morning dead in his bed, with his arms folded upon his breast, indicating that he had passed quietly into his last sleep. He was the father of seven children, two of whom died in infancy. The others were Jesse, John, George (the father of our subject), Isaac, and Barbara, the latter of whom married a Mr. Lawson. George Hower was born in Pennsylvania in 1801, and was united in marriage with Barbara Haines, who was also born in Pennsylvania, in 1808. They emigrated to Ohio, living first in Stark county, and then in Medina until a short time before their death, when they moved to New Berlin, where they both died in 1884. They followed farming all their lives, and were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. To them were born twelve children, three of whom died while young. The others are: Mary, who married Hiram Burr, and died in Kansas; Jacob Henry, subject of this sketch; Nancy, who married Adolph Derthick (he died, and she married a second time, and is living in Clinton, I11.); Jesse, who died in 1867; Sophia, married, and living in Illinois; Solomon, who served all through 942 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO the war of the Rebellion, and. died soon after; G. W., living in Clinton, Ill.; Sadie, married and living at home; Irene, who is the wife of Jacob Bowman, and resides in Pennsylvania. Our subject grew up with his parents until nine years old, when he commenced working on a threshing machine, and has done more or less threshing ever since, making, in all, fifty-four seasons. At thirteen years of age he went to Indiana, and worked on a farm. He picked up the cooper's trade, and also that of a machinist, and, determining to see something of the great world about him, became a rover. As soon as he earned money enough in one place to carry him away, he would leave for parts unknown, his various trades standing him in good need as he always found employment adapted to some one of them, and he went on in this way until he had traveled over twenty-three different States of the Union. He finally settled down in Wood county in 1858, and with considerable effort curbed his roving propensities. He married January 7, 1861, Miss Martha J. Mitchell, who was born in Plain township June 8, 1835, and one child was born to them: Irvin M., November 18, 1867; he is married, and has one child, Ufford Rollin. Our subject had one adopted child, Lulu, who is now the wife of John Holly; He was born in Auglaize county, Ohio, in 1867. Mr. Hower joined Co. K, 185th O. V. I., in January, 1865, and served during the remainder of the war, under Capt. Black. He is now settled in Plain township and has fifty acres of good land under excellent cultivation, and does general farming. ALBIRTUS RUSSELL is a wide-awake and progressive business man of Plain township, whose life record well deserves a place in the history of his adopted county. He was born in Erie county, Penn., January II, 1848, and is a son of Charles H. and Maria (Williams) Russell, the former born in New York, June 11, 1821, and the latter in Pennsylvania, in June of the same year. The father was educated in the Empire State, where for a time he followed farming; but he was married in Pennsylvania. In 1857 he brought his family to Wood county, locating on forty acres of wild land in Washington township, where he built a log cabin, and then began the work of improving his farm. His death there occurred in February, 1882, and his wife was called to the home beyond August 25, 1890. Their children were Mary J., born March 22, 1846, wife of P. P. Condit; Albirtus, our subject; Elijah D., born March 25, 1850, now of Fulton county, Ohio; Viola M., who was born February 14, '1854, and died July 20, 1855; Aurora B., who was born April 20, 1859, and died April 16, 1864; Ida A., who was born December 11, 1862, and died April 30, 1864. The father was a Presbyterian in religious faith; a Republican in political belief, and for some time served as school director. Albirtus Russell is indebted to the district schools of both his native county and Wood county for his education. The first ten years of his life were passed in the Keystone State, and he then came with his parents to Ohio, locating on the home farm. In December, 1863, at the age of sixteen, he laid aside school books for the rifle, and the school-boy became a soldier of Company G, 10th Ohio Cavalry. His regiment was assigned to the Western army, and he participated in the siege of Atlanta, and went with Sherman on the celebrated '' march to the sea. " On the day when the country celebrated its national independence in 1865, our hero of the Civil war received an honorable discharge, and started for his home with a military record of which he may be justly proud. Mr. Russell continued to aid in the operation of the homestead until 1873, when he located on a sixty-acre farm, which he yet owns. He is, however, operating 200 acres of land which he has under a very high state of cultivation. He is also a salesman for the Plano Mnfg. Co., of Chicago. His political support is given to the Republican party. For three years he has served as constable in Washington township, and school director for twelve years, and also clerk of the school board; he was elected trustee of Plain township in the spring of 1895 by a majority of three hundred; he served ten years as road supervisor, and was the first assessor of his precinct in Plain township. He belongs to the United Brethren Church, and to the Blue Lodge of Masons, of Tontogany, and Crystal Chapter, R. A. M., of Bowling Green. Mr. Russell was married to Miss Julia Condit, the adopted daughter of Philip Condit, formerly of Plain township. They have ten children: Clayton R. J., born January 14, 1869, now foreman of the wood works in the Empire Plow Company, of Cleveland, Ohio; he married Katie Kadle. Charles H., born June 10, 1871, is a farmer, and was married January 15, 1895, to Mary Digby. Louisa M., born February 13, 1873. William, born June 8, 1875. Rutherford Hayes, born November 12, 1876; Frank F., born October 7, 1878; Howard A., born December 12, 1880; Nellie M., born May 11, 1883; Leonard WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 943 F., born February 27, 1887, and Enos A., born December 6, 1890, are all at home. Mr. Russell justly ranks among the leading business men and representative citizens of Wood county. He is a gentleman of sterling worth, and the soul of honor in all business transactions, and a highly esteemed man in private life. F. B. ADAMS, one of the most progressive and prosperous of the younger citizens of Portage township, is a native of the county, born May 15, 1869, on a farm in Section 2, Bloom township, a son of Henry and Margaretta (Dresser) Adams. Our subject received all his education at the district schools of the neighborhood of his boyhood home, excepting an eight-weeks' attendance at the North American Normal School, at Fostoria. He acquired a good fund of general knowledge; but he was always more fond of machinery than books. Up to the time of his marriage he lived at home, assisting his father, under whose tuition he gained a thorough insight into the mysteries of agriculture, and after that event bought his fifty-acre farm in Section 35, Portage township, where he now lives. He has never devoted himself to the cultivation of this tract, however, the farm work being done by hired help, while he gives his attention to the oil business, acting as overseer for Fowler Bros., of Bradner. He is interested in the Lone Star Oil Co., which carries on operations in Portage township. Mr. Adams was formerly interested in a picket mill operated in Portage township, and though young he has been very successful in all his ventures. He is steady-going and ambitious, and bids fair to become one of the well-todo citizens of his community. On March 19, 1892, Mr. Adams was married, in Perry township, to Miss Mary Longacre, of Portage township, daughter of H. R. Longacre, and one child has blessed this union, Olen J., born April 23, 1894. Our subject is a Democrat in political faith, but usually supports the best man without regard to party lines. . Socially he is affiliated with Petroleum Lodge No. 499, K. of P., of which he is a charter member. WILLIAM BROOKS. As an example of what may be accomplished by industry and '' grit, " the life of the man whose name opens this sketch is worthy to be recorded in a work of this kind. With no advantages in early youth, landing in a strange country with a meager sum of money, and no friends but his strong hands, and no assistance but a steady purpose to make his way in spite of all obstacles, Mr. Brooks' career teaches a lesson by which other young men would do well to profit. Our subject was born April 10, 1829, in Lincolnshire, England, the fifth son and sixth child in a family of nine children born to Benjamin and Jane (Hall) Brooks. The father supported his family by day labor, and both parents spent their entire lives in their native land, the father dying at the age of sixty-two, and the mother when eighty-seven years old. When a mere child, only eight years old, William was put to work driving a team, and such other work as his tender youth was capable of, his wages being the munificent sum of four cents a day and his dinner. He afterward worked on a farm until he was twenty two years old, his highest wages in all this time being $59 a year. This slow way of getting on in the world was not at all to the liking of the ambitious young Englishman, and he determined to seek in the New World the opportunities denied him in the old country. Accordingly, having out of his scanty pittance saved enough to pay for his passage, he shipped, on April 14, 1852, at Hull, on the sailing vessel " Fingal, " bound for Quebec, which he reached after a tedious voyage of six weeks, and with six sovereigns in his pocket. He remained in that city for a day and a half, then came to Grafton, Lorain Co., Ohio, and worked there and in the vicinity as a farm hand for four years. In the fall of 1853 Mr. Brooks came to Wood county and bought eighty acres of timber land in Section 19, Perry township, all but six acres of which had been slashed. He then returned to Lorain county, and for some three years worked hard to raise the money, $450, to pay for his land. In 1856 he again came to Wood county, and settled upon his land, keeping "bachelor's hall" in an old log cabin on the place, and began at once to clear up and improve the property. His industry and thrift have met with their sward, and he now owns 250 acres of land, which, from its primitive condition of wild forests, has been made to bloom and "blossom as the rose," and which as a farm has few equals in the county. All the improvements on it are the work of his own hands, and he can now enjoy in ease and comfort the results of his hard labor and privation in his early days. On November 1, 1855, Mr. Brooks was married in Bloom township, Wood county, to Miss Catherine Walker, who was born in Ashland county, Ohio, and was twelve years old when her parents, . Adam Walker and wife, removed to Wood county. She died in May, 1875, and was WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 944 buried in the Weaver cemetery, in Bloom township. On January 6, 1876, Mr. Brooks was again married, his second wife, who is still living, being Miss Matilda Walker, who was born February 9, 1848, in Bloom township, daughter of Andrew and Nancy (Fellows) Walker. They have four children-George, Fannie, Clarence and Herbert, all living at home. Mr. Brooks is in sympathy with the Democratic party, although he is no partisan, and looks more to the character of the men who run for office than to any party affiliations. His wife is a member of the United Brethren Church, and, although not a Church member himself, he contributes liberally to religious enterprises and charitable objects. In many respects he is a remarkable man. Without any schooling, he has accomplished what many a man of education has failed to do, and his reputation for honesty and upright dealing is known throughout the county. He is one of the most industrious men living, and is considered one of the best citizens of the community. JAMES W. WILLIAMS, M. D., Weston, was born February 3, 1849, in Delaware county, Ohio, whence about a year later his father moved to Hancock county. When our subject was eight years old his mother died, and he returned to Delaware county to live with his uncle, Joseph C. Cole. About the year 1864 his father married again, and young James returned to Hancock county, where he taught school for one term, later attending Findlay Union Schools, graduating, after four years, from the Normal department thereof. For one year he taught in the grammar department of the Findlay Union Schools, then attended the Normal School at Worthington, Ohio. Later he taught in Prospect, Marion county, and in the district schools of Delaware county, in the meantime occupying his leisure moments in reading medicine. In Delaware, Ohio, he was associated with his uncle, Ephraim Llewellen, M. D., in the drug business, and studied with him. After his preliminary preparation he sold his interest in the store to his uncle, and went to Cincinnati, where, in 1874, he again attended school, graduating in May, 1875. After looking around, he finally located at Weston, and in June, 1875, opened an office. In 1884 our subject went to Chicago, and took the practitioner's course in Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital, deriving considerable benefit from visiting various hospitals, including Cook County and Mercy Hospitals. He then returned to Weston, where he has since continued the practice of his profession. Politically the Doctor is a Republican, and has held the office of mayor for one term, was a member of the council, a justice of the peace, and a member of the school board, at present holding the office of township trustee. In religious faith he is identified with the Presbyterian Church. Socially he is affiliated with the following societies : Weston Lodge No. 560, F. & A. M., of Weston; I. O. O. F., Weston Lodge No. 681; Subordinate Lodge and Columbian Encampment No. 274 (representing this district in the Grand Lodge of Ohio); Kokosing Lodge No. 303, Daughters of Rebekah; the Ohio Homeopathic Medical Society, and the North Western Ohio Homeopathic Medical Society. On January 17, 1878, Dr. Williams was married to Miss Mary M. Murphy, and their children are: Sarah Edna, born April 2, 1879, and May M., born September 2, 1882. Mrs. Williams died March 26, 1885, and on September 18, 1888, our subject was married at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, to Miss Devella E. Starr, by which union there are three children: Elda, born September 2, 1889; Ruth, born August 1, 1892, and Nehemiah Starr, born November 4, 1895. The Williams family trace their ancestry back to Nehemiah Williams, great-grandfather of our subject, who was born May 5, 1737, in New York State. From information received by Dr. Williams from the War Department at Washington, it appears that Nehemiah Williams, during the Revolutionary war, was enlisted August 6, 17-, as a sergeant in Capt. Christian Getman's company of Rangers, known as the Second Company of Tyrone, N. Y. This company was reviewed August 29, 1776, by Isaac Paris, mustermaster, and on that muster roll the name of Nehemiah Williams appears as sergeant. It also appears that he was appointed a sergeant March 8, 1777, in Capt. Giles Wolcott's company, in the battalion of Continental forces commanded by Col. Seth Warner, and his name is borne on the rolls to include June, 1779. Some time after the latter date Nehemiah Williams removed to Washington county, Va., and about the year 1817 came with his wife and three children to Ohio, settling in Troy township, Delaware county, where he died October 20, 1821. By occupation he was a farmer. His wife, Mary, was born in Ireland, March 14, 1759, and died in Troy township, Delaware Co., Ohio, May 21, 1822. Their eldest son, James (grandfather of our subject), was born March 2, 1800, and died in 1824. He married Sarah Cole, and two sons were born to James W. Williams WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 945 them: Nehemiah and James, the latter of whom died when a young man. Both were farmers by occupation. Nehemiah Williams, father of our subject, was born September. 27, 1822, and lived in Delaware county until twenty-six years of age, when he moved to Orange township, Hancock county, there passing the remainder of his life. He died March 17, 1895, on the same farm which was held by a patent presented to him from the President of the United States, and which never changed its title until just before his death, when it was divided among his children. He was twice married, first time on December 30, 1847, to Janet Trindle, who was born March 9, 1830, and died August 23, 1857. Their children were: James W., our subject; Joseph, born July 20, 1851, died March 7, 1865; Sarah Ann, born July 12, 1853, died April 4, 1876; and Emma, born October 21, 1855, died July 7, 1884. For his second wife, Nehemiah Williams, in the fall of 1864, married Catherine Longworth, and they have seven children: Hugh, who lives in the old home in Hancock county; Mary (Mrs. Henry Foltz), of North Baltimore; Jesse, a farmer, living on part of the old farm; George, also a farmer, residing on part of the old farm; Mattie, wife of Jesse Agin, who is a farmer in Hancock county; Ada, wife of L. Heite, a farmer in Wyandot county, Ohio; and Floyd, who is still unmarried, and lives on a part of the old homestead. The father of this family, when a seventeen-year-old boy, united with the Marlboro Regular Baptist Church, and continued a member of the Regular Baptist Church to the day of his death. In his, political predilections he was a Republican. R. B. ROGERS. Prominent in the history of Wood county are the representative business men and enterprising farmers, and among them is the subject of this personal history. He was for several years engaged in the sawmill business, but now devotes his energies to agricultural pursuits, in which he is meeting with well-deserved success. A native of England, he was born in Cornwall, April 24, 1854, and is the third child of William and Margaret (Baker) Rogers, the others being William, a farmer of Lake township; Anna, who was the wife of Morris Marsh, and died in Lucas county, Ohio; and Ellen, now Mrs. Robert Tipladay, of Lake township. The mother died in England. and with the hope of giving his children a better start in life, the father resolved to emigrate to the New World in the spring of 1863. In May the family embarked on the steamer "Kangaroo," at Plymouth, and fifteen days after leaving Queenstown, Ireland, they landed at New York. Their destination was Lorain county, Ohio, where for four years the father rented a farm in Pittsfield township; in 1867 he purchased eighty acres of new land in Lake township, Wood county, which was entirely unimproved, not even a road being laid out to his place, the most of which was underwater. Two of his children, William and Anna, accompanied him to Wood county, but our subject and his sister Ellen remained with relatives in Lorain county until 1871. Here the father was again married, his second union being with Mary White, and they now have a pleasant home in Lake township, the land having been converted into a highly cultivated and desirable farm. He has been quite successful in his business transactions, securing a comfortable competence, and still superintends the management of his affairs, although he has reached the age of seventy-seven years. Mr. Rogers, of this sketch, began his education in the subscription schools of England, and then attended the government schools, where a tuition was paid. He was about nine years of age when brought to the United States, and, with the exception of two years spent at the home of his uncle, Edward Rogers, in Pittsfield, Lorain county, he remained with his father until the age of sixteen. For one year he was then employed on government work in Toledo, after which he entered the sawmill business, being thus engaged for several years, with the exception of six months spent in Missouri at farm labor and threshing, where he had gone in the spring of 1878. It was in the early part of 1888, that Mr. Rogers removed the sawmill, in which he owned a third interest, to the north half of the northwest quarter of Section 13, Bloom township, in the midst of timber, where he began to fell the trees and manufacture lumber. Two. years previous to the time, J. B., T. A., and R. B. Rogers had purchased the eighty acres of land where the sawmill was afterward located. In the fall of 189c, J. B. Rogers sold his interest to the other members of the firm, and in August, 1895. our subject disposed of his share in the mill to his partner, and bought the eighty acres of land, which he is now successfully operating. On the 28th of November, 1883, in Monroe, Mich., Mr. Rogers married Miss Merilla Marsh, a native of Lake township, and a daughter of Luke Marsh, a farmer. They have no children of their own, but have an adopted daughter, Flossie, who has made her home with them since 946 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. the age of two years. In his political views Mr. Rogers is a Republican, and has served as, a member of the school board of District No. 11, Bloom township. He is classed by his fellow citizens as one of the public-spirited and representative men of the township, and the competence he has secured is the just reward of his own labors, as he has had to make his own way in life since the early age of fourteen years. ISRAEL BOROUGHF was born in Sandusky county, Ohio, May 13, 1842, and is a son of Peter and Sophia (Felger) Boroughf. His parents were natives of Pennsylvania, but were married in Wayne county, Ohio, whence they afterward removed to Sandusky county. The mother died January 19, 1889, at the home of our subject. The children of the family were Eliza, who died in infancy; Eli, a machinist and engineer of Toledo, Ohio; Sarah, wife of James Daringer, of Richland county, Ohio; Israel; Mary Catherine, who died, in girlhood; Caroline, deceased wife of Horatio Van Tassel; and Samantha, who died at the .age of eleven years. Frederick Boroughf, a member of the family, was a soldier in the war of 1812. Our subject was a child of eleven years when the mother removed with her family to Bellevue, Huron county. In July, 1863, he enlisted in the 1st Ohio Heavy Artillery, then went from Cincinnati to Covington, Ky., and on to the South. After the close of the war, he was honorably discharged in July, 1865, and arrived home on the 10th of August. He has since followed agricultural pursuits. His educational privileges were limited, but, through extensive reading and experience, he has become a well-informed man. In February, 1866, he arrived in Wood county, where he worked as a farm hand for a time, and later operated land on shares. He was also employed in a brickyard near Weston for two seasons. In Milton township, May 3, 1870, Mr. Boroughf married Miss Emma Jane Morehouse, who was born September 20, 1852, in Wood county. Their children are: Elmer, who is married, and lives in. Milton township; Charles, Henry and Fred, at home; Carrie, who died at the age of seventeen months; and Lucy and John. In 1874 Mr. Boroughf purchased sixteen acres of land, which he afterward sold, and rented a farm in Grand Rapids, for three years. His present home comprises forty acres in Section 11, Milton township, improved with good buildings, while the well-tilled fields yield to him a comfortable income. He started out in life a poor boy, but diligence and unfaltering determination have secured to him a comfortable home. In politics he was formerly a Republican, but for ten years he has been a stalwart Prohibitionist. WILSON HAMILTON, a prominent stockman and agriculturist of Montgomery township, was born in Richland county, Ohio, August 15, 1841, a son of Edward and Louisa (Miller) Wilson, who moved to Huron county when our subject was five years old. As they were poor, young Wilson's schooling was necessarily limited, for at an early age he was put to work on the farm, and remained at home until he was twenty years of age, working for as low wages as $4 per month. On August 4,1862, Mr. Hamilton enlisted at Havana, Huron county, in Company D, 101 st O. V. I. under Capt. H. C. Sheldon. The regiment camped at Monroeville until September 4, of that year, then went to Cincinnati, and later to Kentucky, where its first battle was fought at Perryville. Our subject participated in all the engagements of his regiment until September 20, 1863, when he was wounded and taken prisoner at Chickamauga; for thirteen days he was confined at Crawfish Springs, Ga., and was then paroled and sent to the field hospital at Chattanooga, and later to Bridgeport, Ala., and Hospital 19, at Nashville; he was then sent to the parole camp at Columbus, Ohio, thence home on a furlough. At Camp Chase he was discharged in August, 1864, and returned home in a much-used-up condition; he, for one year, was engaged as a stage driver between Havana, Steuben, North Fairfield, Peru, and Norwalk, Ohio, making tri-weekly trips of forty-five miles a day. Previous to locating at Prairie Depot, he had been in the grocery business on a small scale at Havana. In July, 1865, he was employed by Halladay & Owen in Huron county, and later became a partner in the firm, after which he became identified with the Toledo Wheel Co., of Toledo, Ohio, and later had charge of their mill at Portage, Wood county. Returning to Huron county, he entered into partnership with E. P. Halladay in the lumber business, until 1890, which business is now conducted under the firm name of Halladay & Hamilton. This firm continued in the lumber business at Prairie Depot from 1871 to 1890, since which time they have been exclusively carrying on agricultural pursuits, and are among the most extensive farmers in Wood county. On October 8, 1879, Mr. Hamilton was married to Miss Frances E. Spalding, a native of Michigan, and a daughter of Carlos Spalding, a farmer of. Eaton county, Mich. The following children were born to them: Irma A., still at WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 947 home; Louisa L., who died at the age of four years; Fanny A., and Wilson E. also at home. Mr. Hamilton is a Republican, and has held the offices of township treasurer, township clerk, mayor of Prairie Depot, member of the city council, and was appointed county commissioner to fill a vacancy, but declined to accept. He is a man who deserves great credit for the manner in which he has managed his business, and his success may be attributed to his thorough knowledge of all its details, no matter how trifling. He is quiet and unassuming, and is regarded as one of the representative business men of Wood county. He has one of the most luxuriously furnished homes in Prairie Depot, in which it is his pleasure to entertain his many friends and warm admirers. BARNARD PHILLIPS, a farmer in good standing in Washington township, successful as a tiller of the soil, and one who has been prominently identified with local affairs, is the proprietor of a fine farm of I20 acres, well improved and supplied with a good set of farm buildings. He is one of the pioneers of his township, and there the greater part of his life has been passed, aiding in all those interests calculated to promote the welfare of his local community, and the county at large. The Empire State has furnished many worthy citizens to Ohio, and not the least among these is our subject, who was born in Kinderhook township, Columbia county, December 27, 1827. His father, John Phillips, was of German parentage, born in the town of Ghent, Columbia Co., N. Y., in 1805, and there he grew to manhood. In New York he met and married the mother of Barnard, who bore the maiden name of Elsie Van Valkenburg, and was of Holland origin. Their union was blessed with eleven children; who were named as follows: Almira, wife of Lemuel Johnson, of Massachusetts; Barnard; Eliza, who died in infancy; Jane E., a resident of Evanston, Ill., and the widow of George Shaw; Sarah A., who is the widow of Lyman Chapman, and lives in Tontogany; William and Francis, both deceased; Caroline, wife of Daniel Huffman, of Wood county; John, a farmer of Washington township; Byron, of this county; and Elsa, wife of Jeremiah Hoffman, of Grand Rapids, Ohio. While a resident of Massachusetts, the father was, for some time, superintendent of a cotton mill; but on coming to Ohio, in 1855, he purchased l00 acres of partially improved-land in Washington township, to which he devoted his entire time and attention, and there passed his remaining days. The school training which Barnard Phillips received was quite meagre, being limited to only a six-months' attendance at a public school when ten years of age, so that he is almost entirely self-educated. Learning the machinist's trade, he followed that occupation for six years; but, owing to ill health, he was compelled to seek some other employment, and bought l00 acres of land in Washington township, which he afterward sold to his father, then becoming the owner of the fine farm which he still has in his possession. Mr. Phillips was united in marriage with Eliza Kuder, a daughter of Solomon Kuder, the ceremony taking place on the 17th of October, 1858. The lady was born on Christmas Day, 1831. By her marriage she has become the mother of four children, as follows: Elsie, born October 25, 1859, died while young. John S., born November 6, 1861, was married January 16, 1890, to Harriet N. Ross, by whom he has one child, Aldace, born November 19, 1894 (his vocation is that of farming, and he still resides on the old homestead, aiding in its development); Katie E., born August 7, 1866, is a music teacher. Lucy M., born August 12, 1872, completes the family. Mr. Phillips was one of the brave boys in blue during the Civil war, having enlisted at Tontogany, May 2, 1864, in Company B, 144th O. V. I., under Capt. Black and Col. Miller, and from there the troops went to Columbus, on to Fort McHenry and then to Camp Parole, where our subject was taken prisoner in July, 1864, near Frederick, Md. He was first confined in Lynchburg, then sent to Danville, and later to Richmond, and on being released weighed only ninety pounds, having, during the seven months of his incarceration, lost fifty pounds. He was honorably discharged at Columbus, April 6, 1865, and has never yet fully recovered from the effects of his army service. He now belongs to Walter A. Wood Post No. 48, G. A. R., of Tontogany, and in politics is identified with the Republican party. His son and two daughters are consistent and faithful members of the Presbyterian Church, and his wife holds membership with the Woman's Relief Corps. In their pleasant home they are surrounded by all that makes life worth the living, and in the enjoyment of the respect and confidence which they have won from their neighbors by their beneficent and upright lives. FRANCIS M. WIRICK, a popular and leading citizen of Jerry City, is a native of Wood county, born December 30, 1860, at the home of his parents, David H. and Mary Ann (Smith) Wirick. During his early years he attended District 948 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. School No. 3, of Bloom township, where he acquired a fair common-school education, while at home he received the training which has been so valuable to him in carrying on agricultural pursuits. He remained upon the family homestead, assisting his father in his daily labors all through his boyhood, and for one year after his marriage, That happy event was celebrated on June 22, 1885, Miss Mettie Swope becoming his wife. She was born in Jerry City, December 22, 1868, and is a daughter of Daniel H. and Sarah (Boyd) Swope. By her marriage she has become the mother of three children-Ida E., born May 1, 1886, and died in infancy; David C., who was born July 30, 1887, and died November 17, 1894; and Orpha M., who was born September 15, 1889. Mr. Wirick became the owner of eighty acres of land in Section 5, Bloom township, residing there until the spring of 1891, when he removed to Jerry City, there making his home for one year, but on the expiration of that time returned to his farm. Since November, 1894, however, he has resided in Jerry City, where he owns a pleasant home, though he still superintends the cultivation and improvement of the excellent eighty-acre farm. He is a practical, far-sighted business man, energetic and progressive, and takes a commendable interest in the welfare and advancement of his town and county. He uses his right of franchise in support of the Democratic party, and has been elected to the office of councilman. ROBERT PARGELLIS. Among the residents of foreign birth who have sought homes in America and become valued citizens of their adopted land is this gentleman, a well-known farmer of Middleton township. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, July 29, 1838, and is a son of Andrew and Elizabeth (Wright) Pargellis, also natives of Scotland, the former born in 1800, the latter in 1808. They were married in Glasgow, where the father carried on business as a wholesale stationery merchant for some years. In 1843 he brought his family to the New World, and became a resident of Wood county, purchasing 160 acres of land on Hull Prairie. To the city-bred man, who had enjoyed all the advantages and conveniences of metropolitan life, the difficulties of frontier life and the labor of developing a farm might well seem appalling, but after a time the land began to put on a semblance of a good home and a wellcultivated farm. Mr. Pargellis died in 1855, his wife in 1888. They were consistent Presbyterians in religious faith, and the first members of Hood Church, on Hull Prairie. In politic was an Old-line Whig. The family numbered seven members - Alexander, a farmer of this county; Robert; Andrew; a farmer of Middleton township; Duncan, who in early childhood was burned to death while his father was clearing the land; Margaret, who is keeping house for her brothers; Oswald, who died in Kansas; and one who died in infancy. Our subject was a child of five summers when the family crossed the Atlantic, and on the home farm was reared to manhood. After attending the district schools he spent one term at Perrysburg. He was married November 1, 1863, to Emily Crook, a native of Perrysburg, born August 8, 1842. The following children graced their union: Frederick R., of Toledo; Etta, wife of Frank Horton, by whom she has three children, Ilo, Leo, and Laura; Mortimer B., who is employed in Toledo; Ella, who is keeping house for her brothers in that city; Gertrude and Margaret, at home; and Wright and Henry, twins. The first child died in infancy. Upon his marriage Mr. Pargellis located on his present farm, where he now owns eighty acres of rich land that is under a high state of cultivation and well-improved. He manifested his loyalty during the Civil war by enlisting, in 1861, in Company C, 21st O. V. I., in which he served for three months, in West Virginia. He now belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic, and his religious connection is with the Presbyterian Church. The Republican party claims his political support, and he is a progressive citizen, who co-operates with all measures calculated to benefit the community. He is a well-informed man, of high moral principle and genuine worth, and has the respect of all. DANIEL SCHEREIN was born December 23, 1817, in Mecklenburg, Germany. His parents, Johan Kaspar and Katrina (Bircher) Scherein,. were also natives of that locality, where the father carried on business as a florist. His entire life was spent in his native land. His children were Benjamin, deceased; Caroline, Dena and Theodore, who have passed away; Ferdinand, who is living in Cleveland, Ohio, and Daniel. Our subject acquired a good education in the land of his birth, and learned the trade of gardening with his father. At the age of twenty-two he entered the German array, and during his three-years' service participated in a number of important engagements. In 1836 he sailed from Antwerp for the New World, and on landing WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 949 made his way direct to Rockport, near Cleveland, Ohio. When he reached that place he was almost penniless; but he possessed a resolute purpose and energy, and soon secured work in a sawmill, being employed in that capacity for about fifteen years. He then came to Wood county with his wife, whom he had married in Rockport. She bore the maiden name of Catherine Koch, and was a native of Ohio. In connection with his brother Ferdinand, our subject purchased all of Section 20, Milton township, and erected a sawmill on the present site of Custar, the first in this section of the county. Near by he built a log cabin, and thus began life in Wood county. There were many hardships and difficulties to be experienced, but his energies overcame these. In 1874 his first wife died. Their children were Lena Myer, now deceased; Anna and Richard, who have also passed away; Eva, wife of Fritz Wismer, of Milton township; Daniel, now of Michigan; Mary, who is keeping house for her brother-in-law; and Albert, in Detroit, Michigan. For his second wife, Mr. Scherein married Mrs. Louise Kaiser, who was born in Westphalia, Germany, April 22, 1838. She first married Kaspar Kaiser in 1861. He was a slate-roofer by trade, and two children were born to them in Germany-Mrs. Ida Sawada, now deceased; and Annie, at home. In 1861, Mr. Kaiser sailed with his family for America, on a vessel which weighed anchor at Hamburg, Germany-the "Germania. " They were three weeks upon the way when the vessel sprang a leak, and had to return to Southampton, England, for repairs. It was five weeks later before it reached New York. Going to Cleveland, Mr. Kaiser was there employed at his trade, receiving $5 per day for his services. In the fall of 1869, he came to Wood county, and purchased twenty acres of land of our subject. His death occurred March 24, 1874. His children were: Ida, born April 16, 1863; Annie, born September 21, 1865; Robert, born August 18, 1868, and died at the age of nine months; Lena, born August 12, 1870; and Julia, born February 26, 1873, and died at the age of six years. In 1875 Mr. Scherein and Mrs. Kaiser were married and they became the parents of one son-Theodore who was born March 26, 1876. He is now operating the home farm, which comprises forty-five acres of land. Mrs. Scherein is a member of the Lutheran Church. WILLIAM N. TRACY, a wide-wake business man and a prominent fruit grower of Ross township, is descended from good old Revolutionary stock, his grandfather and the latter's oldest son having taken up arms against the Mother country, and aided the Colonies in their struggle for independence. His father, Doria Tracy, was born in Richmond, Mass., in 1808, of Yankee parentage, and by occupation was a lumberman. He married Almira Nichols, and they became the parents of three children-Francis, born in 1842, is married; and is a brick manufacturer of Toledo, Ohio, residing on Twenty-second street, between Madison and Jefferson; William N. is the second in the family; Catherine is the wife of J. G. Lamson, living at No. 1216 Jefferson street, Toledo. The mother, who was a Congregationalist in religious belief, died in Toledo, July 3, 1879, and was there interred. In 1840 the father removed to New York, later came to Ohio, and now makes his home with his daughter in Toledo. The birth of our subject occurred May 11, 1846, and he grew to manhood at Cuba, Allegany Co., N: Y. On December 26, 1866, he was united in marriage with Sarah Foster, daughter of Elijah Chester Foster. Her mother, who bore the maiden name of Almeda Bailey, was a member of the Methodist Church, and died when her daughter was but seven years old. Mrs. Tracy is the eldest in a family of four children, the others being Amos H., who was a member of the 85th N. Y. V. I. during the Rebellion, and died in the service; Miner A.; and John D. Three sons grace the union of our subject and his wife -Clarence A., born in October, 1867, married Anna Messer, by whom he has two children, Margaret and Helen Virginia, and now resides in Oregon township, Lucas Co., Ohio; William E., born November 11, 1868, married Jennie Messer, by whom he has two sons-Marion D. and William Curtis, and one daughter, Hazel; and Doria, born May 29, 1871, also lives at home. The year 1867 witnessed the emigration of Mr. Tracy to Ohio, and his locating at his present residence; he made the trip from the Empire State with a team, which was presented him by his father, and was valued at $600.00. Two weeks were consumed in making the journey. On account of ill health he went to the pineries in 1872, where he remained for eight years, returning in 1881. Upon forty-five acres of the 150-acre tract belonging to his father, he began fruit culture, and so successful has he been in his undertaking, that his receipts now amount to $4,000.00 annually. He formerly sold his fruit through commission men, but now through his son, marketing as high as a thousand baskets per week at Bowling Green, and handles all kinds of fruits that grow in this section of the 950 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. country, having upon his places four acres planted in strawberries, ten in raspberries; three in blackberries; 3,000 bushes, or two and one-half acres, in currants; four acres in grapes; 500 gooseberry bushes; 200 bearing cherry trees; 1,000 plum trees; 500 peach trees; 500 two-year-old peach trees; 150 apple trees; 100 pear trees; 100 trees of miscellaneous fruits, including apricots, quinces and plums of different varieties, as experiments; and also some Kansas wild plums. He has erected two good houses upon his place, and remodeled another at a cost of $11,000.00, while, in 1890, he laid four miles of tiling. In 1890 and in 1891, Mr. Tracy was elected, and acceptably served as, president of the Lucas County Horticultural Society, and for two terms his wife was also president of the Ladies' Floral Society. In 1894 he was elected trustee of Ross township, in which capacity he is now serving, and before going to the pineries he was school director for the same length of time. At local elections he votes independently, but on national affairs he supports the Republican party. Though not members of any Church, Mr. and Mrs. Tracy favor the Congregational belief, and give their earnest support to all interests that will advance the moral welfare of the community, while she has served as president of the ladies' society in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is a member of the Ford Circle (now of the G. A. R.) Aid Society. HENRY R. SCOTT, well known throughout Ross township and vicinity, came to Ohio in 1848, stopping first in Oregon township, Lucas county, where he made his home until 1870. In that year he purchased forty acres of land pleasantly located in Section 32, Ross township, Wood county, in the cultivation and improvement of which he has since been industriously engaged, with most satisfactory results. Mr. Scott is a native of Canada, where his birth took place in October, 1847, at the home of his parents, John A. and Barbara (Horton) Scott, who were born, reared and married in that country. In 1848 they removed to Oregon township, Lucas Co., Ohio, where, in the midst of the wilderness, the father opened up a farm, and there served as assessor. Later he became a resident of Ross township, this county, where his death occurred in 1890. The widowed mother now makes her home with John E. In the family were seven children, six of whom are still living-Michael J., of Ironville, Ohio, during the Civil war enlisted in Lucas county, in the one-hundred-days' service; Henry R. is next in order of birth; Mrs. Sarah Stalker makes her home at East Toledo, Ohio; Adda is the wife of Archibald Stalker, of Walbridge, Ohio; Mrs. Eva Miller lives in Lake township, Wood county; and John E. is married and resides in Lake township. The boyhood and youth of our subject were passed upon his father's farm in Oregon township, Lucas county, where he attended the district schools, and received his first training in farm work. There he was married on February 8, 1870, the lady of his choice being Miss Elizabeth H. Ford, who was born in England, and was a daughter of William H. Ford, also a native of that country, who at an early day located in Perrysburg, now Ross, township, this county. In 1863 he went to California, where his death occurred in. 1892, but his wife died in this State. On December 25, 1889, Mrs. Scott departed this life. She was a most estimable lady, and left many friends as well as her immediate family to mourn her death. Three children had been born to our subject and his wife, but two died in infancy. The one now living is Roland R. Mr. Scott, believing in the guide of the Sacred Book, " It is not good for man to be alone," was married on December 18, 1895, to Miss Alice Loraine Matthews, of Lake township, this county. She was one of Wood county's most popular teachers, being successfully engaged in the public schools for more than sixteen years, and her acquaintance throughout the county is extensive. Her character and work are most excellent; she was educated at the Ada (Ohio) Normal University, and has gained the esteem of all who know her. Politically, Mr. Scott is a stanch Republican, strongly upholding the principles of that party, ,and for four years has served as assessor of his township. He is a true citizen in every respect, and has an excellent reputation as a straightforward and upright man. JOHN LEWIS MCCOLLEY, deceased, was; for many years a prominent and influential farmer of Washington township, and was one of the brave soldiers who aided in the preservation of the Union. His birth occurred in Derby, Conn., December 16, 1821, and he was a son of John and Betsy (Hart) McColley, the former of whom was a native of Kinderhook, N. Y., and while a resident of the East was the owner of an ocean vessel. On coming to Ohio, in 1839, he bought an interest in a vessel sailing on the lakes. The literary education of our subject was obtained in the schools of Connecticut, and on WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 951 coming to Ohio, he followed the lake as a mariner until 1861. August 3, 1862, at Toledo, Ohio, he enlisted in the 1 00th O. V. I., and earned an honorable military record. At Limestone Station, Tenn., September 8, 1863, he was taken prisoner, and was confined in Lynchburg, Belle Isle and Libby prisons; on December 24, following, he was paroled at Belle Isle, and at Cincinnati, May 19, 1864, he was transferred to the navy department, serving on the U. S. Steamer " Vindicator." On January 11, 1865, he was sent to Pinckney Hospital, at Memphis, Tenn., from which he was discharged the following April on account of disability. He saw much hard service, and was ever found at his post of duty. On returning home Mr. McColley purchased forty acres of rich land in Washington township, adjoining forty acres owned by his wife, which he greatly improved, making it one of the best farms of the locality. There he died February 26, 1886, leaving a devoted family and many friends to mourn their loss. His political support was given to the Republican party, and for one year he served his fellow-citizens as trustee. Before the war he held membership with the I. O. O. F. Lodge at Perrysburg, Ohio. He was affiliated with Walter A. Wood Post, G. A. R., at Tontogany. In Plain township, January 23, 1848, Mr. McColley married Miss Margaret Ann Kuder, who was born in Tiffin, Ohio, July 17, 1826, and they became the parents of three children: (1) Francis A., born in Washington township, October 30, 1848, died January 22, 1869, at the age of twenty years. (2) Carrie S., born in Perrysburg, January 21., 1854, now the wife of Patrick O. Carrol, of Toledo, Ohio, by whom she has a daughter, Maggie, born May 22, 1880. (3) Cornelia M., twin sister of Carrie S., died March 15, 1872, at the age of eighteen years. The family attend the Presbyterian Church, are widely and favorably known throughout Wood county, and Mrs. McColley, during her residence here, has made many warm friends. GEORGE W. WAGONER, one of the leading merchants of Stony Ridge, is a man who combines the virtues of energy and pluck, with excellent judgment, which has brought great success to his efforts and labors. He is a native of Lake township, born in 1861, and is a son of Joseph and Eliza (Conrad) Wagoner, natives of Pennsylvania. The maternal grandfather, John Conrad, was born in the Keystone State, and became one of the first settlers of Lake township, Wood county. On their arrival in this county the parents of our subject were single, and their marriage was celebrated in Lake township. By trade the father was a cooper, but also followed farming. In 1864 he entered the Union army, and was a member of Company G, 189th, O. V. I., and died of typhoid fever at Huntsville, Ala., September 9, 1865. His body now rests in the National Cemetery at Chattanooga, Tenn. The mother died on the old homestead in Lake township in 1881. In their family were six children: Mary Emma, wife of James McCutchen, of Stony Ridge, Ohio; Samuel E., of Lake township; Henry H.; William W.; George W., of this sketch; and Loretta Jane, who died October 13, 1877. George W. Wagoner spent his boyhood on the home farm, receiving the usual educational advantages in the common schools of Perrysburg township, and from his mother a good training in the duties of life, so that he was well prepared to make his way in the world. At the age of sixteen he began to learn the carpenter's trade, and after a four-months' apprenticeship took a contract to build a large barn. In 1881 he came to Stony Ridge, and, with his brother Henry, purchased a sawmill and engaged in contracting and building. In 1885 they opened a general store, which they conducted for about five years, when the partnership was dissolved. Later our subject built a store, which he sold in 1890, and in 1893 erected his present building, where he carries a full line of hardware, and has succeeded in building up a liberal patronage. He also deals extensively in grain, owning a grain elevator, and doing a large business at Stony Ridge, and still owns his sawmill and a good farm in Perrysburg township. In 1884 Mr. Wagoner was united in marriage at Stony Ridge with Miss Hattie E. Morse, a native of Perrysburg township, and a daughter of Lewis and Jane (Hoffard) Morse, who were also born in that township. 'Five children grace this union: Esther J., Iva E., Festus G., Rhea E., and Virda E. Mr. Wagoner is a Republican in political faith, attends the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is a gentleman of sterling integrity and honorable principles, enjoying the esteem and confidence of the entire community. WOLFGANG KELLERMEIER (deceased) became one of the representative citizens of the county. Seeking a home in America, he made the most of his opportunities, and won here a comfortable property, and the high regard of those with whom he came in contact. He was born in Baiern (Bavaria), Germany, September 19, 1816, and there, in accordance with the laws of his native 952 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. land, he was educated, and served in the German army. His occupation was farming, which he followed in the Fatherland until 1854, when he came to America, making his first location in Toledo, Ohio, where he spent two years working as a laborer. His desire, however, being to secure a home, he believed he could do this bettor outside of the city. Accordingly, in 1856 he came to Middleton township, and worked as a farm hand until he had saved enough to purchase thirty acres of land, which he improved. To this he added, in 1875, a forty-acre tract, which he cleared and cultivated, and erected buildings thereon, until the once wild region was replaced by waving fields of grain. Industriously and energetically he continued his labors until he won a place among the substantial citizens of the community. On August 16, 1860, in Middleton township, Mr. Kellermeier wedded Mrs. Mary Auth Celler, who was born in Germany, October 10, 1836, and was the widow of Joseph Celler. The following children were born of this marriage: Frances, born May 17, 1861, is the wife of Marcus Wideman, of Toledo, and has four children; Barbara, born March 9, 1863, is the wife of Frank Kessler, of Toledo; Wolfgang, born January 4, 1864, now operates a part of the old homestead; John, born December 5, 1867, aids his brother in this work; Katie, born September 10, 1869, is the wife of George Schwind, a farmer of Middleton township; and Joseph, born September 16, 1873. Our subject was a Democrat in politics, and served for three years as school director. He was a liberal supporter and faithful member of the Catholic Church, and led an industrious, exemplary and honorable life, which was ended on August 14, 1895. His death was widely and sincerely mourned, for he had many friends who held him in high regard for his excellencies of character. Mrs. Kellerneier, an estimable lady, still survives her husband, and is keeping house for her sons. The management of the farm now devolves upon John, who is a wide-awake, progressive business man, and is successfully conducting the old homestead. He is an advocate of the Democratic party, and his Church affiliations are Roman Catholic. JOHN G. HOFFMANN, leading grocer of Perrysburg, and one of the most successful of the selfmade men of his vicinity, was born in Bavaria, Germany, September 18, 1840. In 1852, he came to America with his parents, George Frederick and Margaret (Shutz) Hoffmann, who died two years later of cholera, the mother on July 21, and the father on the 24th 0f the following month. Six children were left to fight the battle of life alone, and the subject of this sketch at once began to learn the butcher's trade. Five years later he started in business for himself, and continued the same until the outbreak of the Rebellion, when he responded to his country's call to arms. At the expiration of his term of enlistment, he was honorably discharged, and then returned to the butcher business, in which he continued till 1882. He then sold out and opened a grocery and saloon, which he still conducts; he also owns a farm and vineyard, and is one of the most extensive wine dealers in Wood county. Mr. Hoffmann was married November 25, 1863, to Miss Catherine Cornelius, a native of Perrysburg, born April 3, 1848. Twelve children were born of this union, of whom nine are living: George Frederick, born April 18, 1867, who married Lulu Witzler, and has two childrenErnest and Edgar; Katie, married to Lawrence Harbauer, of Pemberville; Mamie, at home; Charles H., born December 4, 1874, who is his father's assistant in business (he married Miss Mamie Schlecht, of Perrysburg, and has one child -Leonidas Charles); and Regina, Alexander, William, Eva and Lillian, all five at home. Mr. Hoffmann's success in all his undertakings is the more remarkable because he had but a limited English education. He received a good German education in his native land, and in this country attended a private English school for a short time. He possesses fine native abilities, as well as great energy, and has made good use of such facilities as have come in his way during his busy life. He is a Democrat in politics, and in religious faith is a Roman Catholic. D. LUCAS, deceased, in his lifetime a leading business man of Perrysburg, was born in the province of Hanover, Germany, February 17, 1820. At the age of twenty-seven, after several years experience as a clerk in a grocery in his native place, he came to America, first locating in California. As he possessed, in abundant measure, those admirable business qualifications which distinguish the better class of the German-born citizens in this country, he was not long in securing a foundation for the wealth which he left to his family at his death. After three years spent in the Golden State, he came, in 1854, to Perrysburg, and engaged in the retail grocery business. On June 28, 1850, he married Miss Margaret John & Catherine Hoffman WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 953 C. Warns, who was also a native of Hanover, born June 8, 1834. Her parents, Poppe and Margaret Warns, came from the Fatherland in 1852, and settled in Perrysburg township, on the Maumee and Western Reserve pike, where they passed the remainder of their lives. Her father had been a miller and grain merchant in Germany, but his later years were spent in agricultural pursuits. For many years Mr. Lucas was the leading merchant in Perrysburg, retiring into private life in 1890. His career was characterized throughout by frugality and rare judgment in financial matters. On June 14, 1894, he died suddenly from sunstroke. He was a consistent member of the Lutheran Church, and the weight of his influence was always thrown on the side of progress. He was a Republican in politics, and for several years served as township treasurer, besides on the school board a number of terms. In all respects he was a representative self-made man. He was not one to mix up much with the world. He loved justice, and observed the laws of business closely, giving to others their just dues with the same punctuality and conscientiousness as he demanded for himself. Thoroughly domestic in his nature, he devoted much time to his family, and to the study of literature. In German, English and French he was well versed, was also a student of Latin, and he continued his studies until the close of his life. As a financier and economist, he had few peers in northern Ohio; but, although he amassed wealth and took a reasonable pride in his acquisitions of land and other property, it was in the bosom of his family, he found that happiness which filled his cup of joy nearly full. Mrs. Lucas survives her husband, and is a hale and young-looking lady to be a grandmother. Her eldest son, Henry, lives in the suburbs of Perrysburg; Celia married Ferdinand Wenz, a prominent civil engineer, of Perrysburg; Edward is living at home; Julia M., the youngest child, is one of the most popular ladies in the best circles in Perrysburg. GEORGE H. FEASEL, a highly respected farmer of Montgomery township, was born November 21, 1830, in Fairfield county, Ohio. His parents, Henry and Jane (Kendall) Feasel, removed to Seneca county when our subject was three years old, and located on a farm in the woods, near the center of Liberty township. Here the father owned 100 acres of land, and on this place reared his family of nine children, five of whom were boys, and all of whom reached adult age. He was a quiet, peaceful man, who never quarrelled with his neighbors, was never sued, and was known for miles around as old uncle Henry Feasel. " He lived to the age of eighty-four years, and his wife to that of seventy-two years, both dying in Liberty township. Our subject was the youngest son and seventh child of his parents. His first schooling was in a building made of logs, whose windows consisted of one pane of glass, eight by ten inches. The seats were made of basswood logs, split in two, with sticks inserted for legs, while the writing desk, which extended all around the building, was made of boards laid on pins stuck in the wall. A chimney was built on the outside of sticks and mortar, and big logs in the fire place heated the room. Such was the kind of school houses in which the early pioneers of the West obtained what little schooling they had. Our subject was brought up as a farmer boy, and, it being in the days before threshing machines were invented, he was often kept at home from school to ride one of the horses while the wheat was being tramped out on the barn floor. When nineteen years old he left school, and the day after reaching his majority he started out to work for himself, his first occupation being that of chopping cord wood at twenty-two cents a day. On January 22, 1854, when our subject was twenty-three years old, he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of Charles and Keziah Dicken, was born in Crawford county, Ohio, November 29, 1833. The children born of this union were as follows: Angeline married Philip Stump, and died in Montgomery township; Charles D. died in childhood; Mary J. married Jacob Dieter, and died in the same township; Sevilla B. died in childhood; Keziah D. married Frank Warner, and is deceased; Ann E. married James Hutton, and is also deceased; Henry G. is a farmer in the township; John W. lives in West Millgrove; Livona R. died in childhood; George W. resides with his father. The mother of these children died May 29, 1888, and is buried in Freeport cemetery. Mr. Feasel was married to his present wife October 10, 1889. She was the widow of A. J. Rainey, her maiden name being Regina Baker, and she is a daughter of Frederick Baker. After our subject's first marriage he rented land in Jackson township, subsequently working the home farm of his father in Seneca county. Later he bought one-half of his father-in-law's farm, in Liberty township, of the same county, on which he lived until September, 1865, when he bought his present place in Sections 32 and 954 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. 33, Montgomery township, which then comprised 190 acres, and of which he has since sold about seventy acres. He has about 110 acres of this land cleared and under good cultivation, and has a comfortable residence. This is the second house he has built on the place, the first one having been destroyed by fire. Mr. Feasel has always been a Republican, has been township trustee, and has held other local offices. He is a member of the Methodist Protestant Church, in which he has held office for over twenty-five years. He is a self-made man, and has been a hard worker all his life, but at present does not take an active part in farm work. He is highly respected for his upright, honest life, and is one of the best citizens of the township. P. F. RICHARD, one of the pioneer settlers of Wood county, now living a retired life at. Bowling Green, was born near the village of Noma, province of Alsace (then in France), August 21, 1815. , His parents, David and Margaret (Britie) Richard, spent their lives upon their farm there, the father dying at the age of eighty-four, the mother at eighty-nine. Our subject left home when he was nineteen years old, and came to America. He lived for a year' and a half in Akron, Ohio, then came to Wood county, with one dollar remaining in his pocket at the end of the trip. He found work upon a farm at $6.00 a month, and, with the thrift and foresight of the typical French farmer, began to look forward to owning a home of his own. August 18, 1842, he was married to Miss Samantha Shively, who was born in Clumbia county, Penn., October 15, 1825,. the daughter of Henry Shively and his wife, Margaret McCartney, both of whom were natives of the same place. Her father was born May 28, 1802, and her mother March t0, 1804. They were married in 1824, and three years later moved to Wayne county, Ohio. In 1830 they went to Middlebury, Summit county, where they lived for four years, and then, with a small band of acquaintances, they came to Wood county; they traveled by ox-team, arriving, about the middle of April, at Bowling Green, then a settlement containing only two or three frame houses. The Shively family, and David L. Hixon, with his family, occupied for some time a log cabin 12 x 14 feet, in what is now the southern part of the city. Mr. and Mrs. Shively bore the hardships of life in this new country most courageously, and lived to a good old age. Mr. Shively united with the Masonic order when he was twenty-one, and in later years was regarded as the father of the local society, his venerable but well-preserved form and flowing white whiskers making a striking figure in the place of honor in all processions and gatherings. He died March 5, 1886, his wife having gone to her long rest May 5, 1879. They had ten children, of whom Mrs. Richard is the eldest. Of the others, the names with dates of birth are as follows: (2) Ambrose, May 26, 1829, married Jane Dubbs, and moved to Mahomet, Ill., where he was a wealthy and influential resident; he was killed by lightning July 28, 1884. (3) Albert, February 9, 1831, enlisted in the army from Grand Rapids, Ohio, and died in Texas, December 16, 1878, from the effects of wounds received in battle. (4) Lucinda, May 9, 1833, married Charles Groves, of Portage, Wood county, now living at Rolla. (5) Alfred, September 9, 1835, enlisted from Decatur, Ill., and was killed September 20, 1863, at Chickamauga. (6) Clay, January 15, 1837, also enlisted at Decatur, but returned in safety, and died February 26, 1890, at Papinsville, Mo. (7) Cynthia, September 15, 1839, is the wife of Benton Emery, of Henry county, Ohio. (8) Minerva, September 25, 1842, married Cicero Venette, of Bowling Green. (9) Alva, July 23, 1845, enlisted during the war, was captured and sent to Libby prison. He is now sheriff of Piatt county, Ill. (10) Charles Morrison, August 18, 1848, is a farmer in Center township. Mr. and Mrs. Richard settled upon a farm in Center township, after their marriage, and still own 150 acres of land there. After fortytwo years of labor, cheered by affection and rewarded by increasing prosperity, they retired from active business, and October 26, 1884, took up their residence in Bowling Green. Of their nine children, six are living. (1) Margaret, born July 8, 1843, married W. W. Alcorn, of Toledo; they have had three children, Minnietta died at the age of seven; Herbert R. lives in Toledo (he married Miss Grace Smead, of Boston, Mass., and has one child, Elizabeth Grace); Leon J., at home. (2) David H, born April 29, 1845, married Miss Florence Donaldson, and lives in Leipsic. (3) Frances, born June 12, 1847, died at the age of eight years. (4) Infant, born August 18. 1849, died when two days old. (5) Mary, January 6, 1851, is the wife of Charles Reed, of Toledo, who is deputy collector of customs, and editor of the Toledo Sunday Courier. (6) George, April 1, 1856, lives at the old homestead; he married Miss Alice Reed, and has four daughters- Leota, Glenna, Florence, and Marguerite. (7) Willis, June 12, 1859, married Emily Mills, of, Perrys- WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 955 burg, and lives at Bowling Green. (8) Adella, March 24, 1864, died at the age of three. (9) Cora, born October 26, 1866, is the widow of Harry Remick; their only child, Grace M., is now at school in Toledo. A young sister of our subject, Louise Richard, visited him some years ago, and while at Buffalo, on her way back to France, she was lost, and never heard from afterward. A halfsister, Catherine, the wife of Fredrick Peachim, died at Watseka, Ill., a few years since. His sister Catherine, whose husband, Fred Bossard, died in Cincinnati, Ohio, of cholera, lives in Bowling Green. Mr. Richard returned to France, in 1865, accompanied by his sister Catherine, and visited the old home. His first voyage had lasted forty-eight days, his second was made in eleven. Mr. Richard has many interesting stories to tell of old times. He was a Whig previous to the war, and was present at the great mass meeting at Fort Meigs, in 1840, also helped to haul the logs and build the miniature forts on that occasion. [Since the above was in type, we have learned of the death of Mr. Richard from congestion of the brain. For the past year his health has been failing, and on Wednesday evening, January 6, 1897, he was taken sick, death releasing him from his sufferings at 2:5 5 P. M. Thursday, January 7.-EDITOR. LEE M. KLOPFENSTEIN, a prominent agriculturist, and dealer in stone and lime, residing near Bowling Green, was born in Center township, September 30, 1838, on the same estate which he now owns. His father, Peter Klopfenstein, was one of the leaders among the pioneers of this county, to which he came prior to 1839. The subject of this sketch grew to manhood at his father's home, and, even in his recollection, bands of roving Indians were a frequent sight. Once, while on his way to school, he saw an Indian on the Napoleon road, and ran from him in great fright. The Indian overtook him and soothed his fears, taking him by the hand and saying "Good Indian." They went handin-hand to the school house, where the dusky visitor remained all morning, showing great interest and curiosity over the proceedings. At noon the children gave him sweet cakes, and he ate heartily, departing afterward in the friendliest spirit. Mr. Klopfenstein completed his education in the schools of Bowling Green, and afterward worked upon the farm. He was married in I860 to Miss Julia A. Elliott, who was born in Stark county, March 3, 1841. They have had five children: Charles, a silverwareplater and spectacle manufacturer at South Bend, Ind.; Arthur, a dealer in spectacles in the same town; Warren, who resides with his parents; Milton; and a daughter who died when four months old. On May 2, 1864, Mr. Klopfenstein enlisted in Company C, 144th O. V. I., and served four months, losing a finger by an accident during the time. The war closing, he returned and worked on the old homestead, and re-opened a stone quarry, which his father, who was a pioneer in the lime-burning business, had worked twentysix years before, his old rock house, still as good as new, having been built in 1857. Our subject burned and shipped lime for fifteen years, and is now taking out building stone for basements, filling large orders for Bowling Green and vicinity, and shipping also to other localities. He migrated to Summit county, Kans., in 1883, and remained three years, buying and selling real estate, and making large profits, but returned to his native county. His energy, rare business judgment and enterprising spirit give him high standing in business circles. Socially, he is a member of the G. A. R. FRANK TAYLOR. Among the leading lawyers of North Baltimore is Frank Taylor, the subject of this sketch, who was born June 23, 1847, in Washington county, Md., at the foot of South Mountain. He has for more than twelve years practiced law in North Baltimore, making a specialty of equity cases. Mr. Taylor is the son of Emanuel and Sarah (Meyers) Taylor, the former of whom was born in 1829 in Washington county, Md., and died in the same county in 1875. He was a mechanic by trade, and when our subject was eight years old he removed to Gilboa, Putnam Co., Ohio, where he lived and worked at his trade for eleven years, thence going to Hancock county, Ohio, and finally returning to Maryland, where he died. Mrs. Taylor was also born in Washington county, Md., about 1829. After the death of her husband she returned to Ohio, and died in North Baltimore in 1887. Florence, the only daughter, married G. M. Wicks; she was a bright, intelligent woman, and died while attending the Fostoria (Ohio) Academy. On the paternal side the family is of English origin. Grandfather Taylor located in Pennsylvania, where he was married to a Miss Miller, of the same State, who was of Pennsylvania-Dutch stock, and they subsequently moved to Washington county, Maryland. When our subject was about eight years old he came to Ohio with his father, and attended 956 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. the district school until twenty-one, afterward going to high school at Findlay. He next went to Heidelberg College, Tiffin, Ohio, and then for a short time to Oberlin, working his way through these colleges by teaching during his spare time. Returning to Maryland he taught school for three years, after which he removed to Hancock county, and on September 10, 1878, he took charge of the North Baltimore public schools as superintendent. He then took up the study of law, and was admitted to the bar May 4, 1886. Mr. Taylor has a fine library, well stocked with standard works and reference books. In politics he is a Democrat, and he is one of the leaders of his party, which he has represented as a national delegate to conventions. He has also been a candidate for leading offices on the Democratic ticket in Wood county, and although the Republican majority has always been large in the county, he has several times succeeded in reducing it materially. Mr. Taylor was united in marriage, July 29, 1874, with Miss Mary Brown, who was born April 25, 1852, in Hancock county. His reputation as an excellent attorney extends throughout northern Ohio. With his wife he occupies one of the finest residences in the city of North Baltimore, and the generous hospitality of this couple leads them frequently to open wide their doors to their many friends and acquaintances. MICHAEL HENNING, lumber merchant and dealer in sawmill supplies, was born in Stark county, Ohio, November 17, 1838. He is of German descent, both his parents having been born in Germany, his father. J. F. Henning, in Wittenberg, on October 21, 1805, and his mother, Elizabeth Henning, in January, 1810. They came to America, and were married in Philadelphia, Penn., afterward moving to Canton, Ohio, and from there to Akron. In the fall of 1839, they settled in Henry township, where Mr. Henning entered land for a farm. The neighborhood was at that time full of Indians, who came there during the winter to hunt. Mr. and Mrs. Henning remained on their farm until their death, he dying July 18, 1883, and she, July 16, 1875. In politics he was a Democrat. To them were born the following children : Henry, born January 17, 1836, died April 10, 1853; Frederick, born February 6, 1837, died March 6, 1849; Michael, our subject; Mary, married to William Hamman, of Hammansburg, Wood county; David, who lives on the old homestead; Elizabeth, who married Chris E. Galoway, and is now deceased; Margaret, born December 10, 1845, died May 15, 1868; Eliza, died July 15, 1884, at the age of twenty-seven; John, who was born April 8, 1849, died September 10, 1862; William, living at Hammansburg; Andrew, residing in North Baltimore. Our subject was one year old when his parents came to Wood county. He attended the district schools, and worked on the farm until he was twenty-two years old. In 1867 he engaged in sawmilling at Hammansburg, and supplied all kinds of sawed and planed timber. After the oil fields developed, his business increased, and he was kept busy furnishing lumber for the wells. In 1893 he entered the business as an oil producer, and now has four wells in operation, producing ten barrels per day. There are seven wells on his farm which produce over I00 barrels per day, and he receives one-sixth royalty. Mr. Henning was married, in Bowling Green, June 16, 1870, to Miss Olive O. Wilson, who was born in the State of New York, April 26, 1853. The following children have come to them: William, born June 29, 1871, who married Miss Cora Merch, and lives on the old homestead; A. G. W., born March 17, 1873; twins born September 29, 1875, both deceased; Charles, born September 9, 1876; Mary E., born February 14, 1879; and Earl R., born February 18, 1884. Mr. Henning is a member of the I.O.O. F. of North Baltimore. In political sentiment he is a Democrat. In I870 he was elected land appraiser of Henry township, and in 1880 was again elected to that position. He was treasurer of the township for eight years. The grandparents of Mr. Henning came from Germany to America at an early day, and lived east of Perrysburg. Mr. Henning is an enterprising citizen, and has the respect and esteem of all who know him. WILLIAM M. WOLLAM, a prominent and highly respected citizen of Risingsun, traces his ancestry back to the French Huguenots, who, on account of their religious views, were driven from their native land, and sought homes on the banks of the Rhine, in Germany. Here they were also persecuted, and in order to enjoy greater religious liberty, they embarked for America, landing at Philadelphia, about 1700. The founder of the family was born in Carlsruhe, Baden, Germany, in 1684, and in Berkeley county, Va., in 1704, secured the lease to a tract of land, where his son Jacob, was born in 1715. The son of the latter, was also born there, in 1745. He bore the name of Baltzer, and his son Henry was born in 1777, on the same place, the lease of which expired in 1802. Michael Henning WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 957 Baltzer Wollam wedded Mary M. Weaver, and to them were born eleven children, who, with their families became residents of Columbiana county, Ohio. In 1804, one of these, Henry Wollam, the grandfather of our subject, was united in marriage with Mary Bough, a native of Frederick county, Va., and in their family were seven sons and six daughters, all of whom reared families, and lived to an advanced age. Their mother died in her eighty-ninth year, and rests beside her husband in the old homestead cemetery. Benjamin Wollam, the father of our subject, was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, March 11, 1807, and died in Wood county, on April 6, 1887. On Christmas Day of 1832, he was united in marriage with Miss Susannah Smith, who was also born in Columbiana county, August 1, 1811, and died May 14, 1883. They came to Wood county in 1834, where he built a cabin and cleared some land; but in the fall they returned to Columbiana county. There they continued to make their home until 1838, when they again came to this county, this time erecting a good house and barn. They were prosperous in their undertakings, becoming quite well-to-do, and lived to see the county develop from the wilderness to one of the best counties of this commonwealth. Four children blessed their union: Mary, who died at the age of eight years; Leah, who was born January 5, 1835, married Gust. Crowel, and is still living at Risingsun; William M., subject of our sketch; and Henry S., who was born November 14, 1844, married Leah Stover, and died August 19, 1874. Four brothers and two sisters of Benjamin Wollam also became residents of Wood county, The family has been well represented in the wars of this country, nearly every branch furnishing some soldiers to the Civil war, more than twenty in number. Henry B. Wollam, an uncle of our subject, was captain of a company, while Henry, his brother, enlisted in the 21st O. V. I., later in Wheeler's battery, and was subsequently transferred to the 57th O. V. I., with which he served until honorably discharged, owing to the effects of wounds received at the battle of Resaca. His grandfather' was in the war of 1812, while his great-grandfather aided the Colonies in the Revolutionary war. The maternal ancestors of Mr. Wollam were from Bavaria, Germany, and had a romantic history., The founder of the family in this country, who was born in 1714, served as coachman to Count Rochenbaugh, with whose daughter Catherine he fell deeply in love. As the affection was reciprocated, and knowing that her parents would be opposed to the match, they planned an elopement. When she became of age, she received an old bread basket full of gold, and disguised as peasants they took passage on a vessel bound for Philadelphia, where they landed in 1736. They invested their capital in land, built mills and factories, and made other necessary improvements on their property, living in peace and plenty until gathered to their reward. Then came trouble to their heirs. The McDonnel heirs claimed priority to the estate by virtue of the "tomahawk right," and the courts ejected the Smiths. After this most of the family came to Ohio, where, by industry and economy, they soon had comfortable homes of their own. John Smith, the maternal great-grandfather, was born in 1744, in Elizabethtown, Lancaster Co., Penn., and there died and was buried. In that county, Lewis Smith, the grandfather, was born in 1774; he died in Columbiana county, Ohio, in 1848. By one wife, Julia Fisher, he had a family of sixteen children, who were furnished with only limited educational privileges, but started out in life for themselves, with willing hands and a determination to succeed, soon securing comfortable homes here in the wilderness, where they lived to a good old age. One son, Lewis Smith, Jr., who served in the war of 1812, was at the siege of Fort Meigs, and during the war of the Rebellion, in which he also took part, died in West Virginia in 1862. Another son, Henry Smith, educated himself for the Methodist Protestant ministry, but afterward took up the study of medicine, a profession which he followed up to the time of his death, which occurred in Brantford, Washington Co., Kans., when in his eightieth year. William M. Wollam, whose name introduces this sketch, was born near Cannons Mill, in Madison township, Columbiana Co., Ohio, April 18, 1838, and when he was only a few days old his parents loaded their effects into a wagon, drawn by oxen, and started for what was then called the West. The trip occupied about two weeks. They settled twenty-eight miles south of Toledo, in Wood county, on a piece of land which they had purchased from the government in 1833. Here our subject grew to manhood, with but limited facilities, however, for acquiring an education. In the summer he assisted in the work of the home farm, while in the winter he attended school, securing the best education that the schools of the locality afforded. The school houses were primitive structures of round logs, heated with a great gaping fireplace, while split WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 958 basswood logs served as seats and desks. Later he supplemented the knowledge there acquired, in a select school taught by Alfred Kelley, at West Millgrove, which he attended eight months. By close application to study and general reading, he now possesses a rare fund of knowledge, being familiar with books on nearly every subject, including medicine, theology, law, biography, travels and science. On March 22, 1863, William M. Wollam was married to Miss Julia A. Bierly, who was born in Sandusky county, Ohio, January 28, 1845, only a mile and a half from her present home at Risingsun, Wood county. She is a daughter of David Bierly, whose birth occurred in Center county, Penn., December 6, 1805, and who is still living and quite active for one of his years, retaining all his faculties with the exception of hearing. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Magdalene Schellenberger, was born on Mt. Chemong, Switzerland, said to be in the Canton of Berne, and came to America with her parents when twelve years old. The Bierly family also contributed both privates and officers to the Union army during the Civil war, in goodly numbers. The original ancestor came to this country from Prussia. Quite a number of the family developed fine musical talent, and furnished an entire brass band for the army. Two cousins of Mrs. Wollam, Robert and Alfred Bierly, are well-known publishers of music in Chicago, and another cousin, John Buchtel, built and endowed the Buchtel College at Akron, Ohio. Three daughters have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Wollam, in whom they may take just pride. (1) Dora H., born June 30, 1864, has taught in both the common and graded schools from an early age, giving general satisfaction, and is now taking a course at the Northwestern Ohio Normal University. (2) Lorain M., born May 27, 1865, married Albert Yambert, a wellto-do farmer, and they are now pleasantly situated on a farm of their own, consisting of eighty acres of good land, near Sycamore, Ohio; they have two children-Dale and Fern. (3) Laurel S., born July 22, 1867, married Frank Fry, by whom she had one son, Park, and they, too, have a pleasant home near Risingsun. Mr. Wollam has been a lifelong Republican, and strongly supported McKinley for the Presidency, and his religious views are liberal, the Christian Church being his preference. He has never aspired to office; yet has served his fellow citizens in minor positions, with credit to himself, and satisfaction to all concerned. He now owns a comfortable home of eighty acres within the corporation limits of the village of Risingsun, where the " latch-string is always out" to his hosts of warm friends. He is a quiet, genial gentleman, one who wins and retains the confidence and esteem of all with whom he comes in contact. DAVID EDMONDS, one of Bradner's most influential and progressive citizens, is a worthy representative of a well-known pioneer family. He was born at the present site of the village, October 1, 1846, and no man stands higher than he in the esteem of the community where his life has been spent. David Edmonds, his grandfather, was a soldier in the Revolutionary forces. His father, the late Daniel Edmonds, was born between 1995 and 1800, in what is now a part of New York State, but was then a disputed strip of land on the borders of that State and Pennsylvania. His parents came to Ohio during his boyhood, and settled near Gnadenhutten, Tuscarawas county, where he grew to manhood as a pioneer farmer's boy. In the war of 1812 he enlisted as a soldier, but was not allowed to serve on account of his youth. Of robust health and large build, he became a powerful man, and his blunt, out-spoken manner was typical of his forceful honest character, for which he was held in high esteem. He was married in Wayne county, Ohio, to Miss Mary Stahl, a native of that county, and daughter of Jacob Stahl, Sr., and in the latter part of the " thirties " they settled upon a tract of land in Montgomery township, where Bradner now stands. The deed was signed by President Andrew Jackson, and the log cabin built at that time was the first house in Bradner. While he was not a politician, he supported the Republican party in later years, and he was always active in local affairs of a non-political nature, being the founder of the M. P. Church at Bradner, and one of its leading supporters. He passed away in his eighty-sixth year, his wife following him when nearly ninety-one years of age, and both were interred at Bradner. This honored Christian couple had twelve children, namely: (1) Rebecca, the widow of George St. Clair, of Clinton county, Mich.; (2) Zephaniah, who made his home in Putnam county, Mo., and enlisted in April, 1861, in the 18th Mo.; (3) Catherine, Mrs. James Swaney, of Jackson county, Iowa; (4) Andrew, who died in early manhood; (5) Elizabeth, who married John Casebeer, and was killed by lightning at Blue Springs, Neb.; (6) Simon, who enlisted in Company K, 144th O. V. I., WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 959 was captured August 13, 1864, near Berryville, Va., and died at Annapolis, Md., October 23, 1864; (7) Servetus L., who enlisted in same company and regiment as Simon, also captured near Berryville same time, and died at Wheeling, W. Va., March 25, 1865; (8) Naomi, who died in childhood; (9) Mary, also deceased; (10) David, our subject; (ii) John, a real-estate dealer in Toledo; and (12) Rosanna. Our subject attended the old "Prospect School," which had a fireplace of the primitive sort, and one of the tasks set the larger boys was the cutting and bringing in of huge logs for it in winter. The instruction of that day was also of a primitive order, and Mr. Edmonds has always been a warm supporter of advanced movements in educational matters, giving his influence, as president of the Bradner school board a few years ago, to the project of securing the new school house. As a boy, he experienced the life of a pioneer, and until the age of twentyfive, he remained at home assisting his father. In November, 1871, he was married in Montgomery township, to Miss Adaline Plantz, daughter of Joseph and Margaret Plantz. She died a year and four months after their union, leaving no children. For his second wife he married Miss Josephine Smith, a native of Sandusky county, and daughter of David Smith, and of this union two children were born: Wilbur P., August 4, 1884; and Roy McK., June 24, 1891. Mr. Edmonds' home was again darkened by death, this time on July 12, 1895, when his second wife passed over the borders of the unseen world. During the life of his parents, Mr. Edmonds made his home with them, caring for them as their health declined. In 1890 he built his present comfortable residence, on the corner of East and Crocker streets, Bradner. As a business man Mr. Edmonds holds high rank. He owns a one-half interest in 123 acres in Section 12, Montgomery township, and some of the best oil territory in that locality, there being seventeen producing oil wells on his farm, of the products of which he has a one-sixth interest. Patriotic in spirit, he is wide-awake to the value of improvements, and in politics he is a stanch Republican. Aside from his valuable service on the school board, he has held a number of offices, including those of constable and assessor, and he was once elected mayor, but resigned a few days later. In religious affairs he is very active, holding various offices in the Methodist Protestant Church, and he belongs to the I. O. O. F., the Red Cross, the Royal Home, the Daughters of Rebekah, the Masonic Order (32nd degree and a Scottish Rite Mason), and was a charter member of the K. of P. Lodge No. 429, at Bradner. W. S. DEWITT, who is a successful farmer and a very popular citizen of Perry township, was born in Carey, Wyandot Co., Ohio, August 15, 1846, son of Charles and Alvira (Robinson) DeWitt. His father was born in Delaware, Ohio, December 20, 1816, and his mother March 29, 1815, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The grandparents of our subject settled in Wyandot county at a very early day. They were a hard-working couple, and passed away at a good old age, the grandfather being buried in Delaware county, the grandmother at Millgrove, Wood county. He was a mason by trade, and built the first brick house erected in Wyandot county, the completion of which he celebrated in a unique manner, by standing on his head on top of the chimney. Charles DeWitt was reared in Wyandot county, the family living in true pioneer style during his boyhood. The paternal home was a double log building, of which a portion was used as a school house in the early days. He learned the mason's trade of his father, and built many chimneys for the partially-civilized Wyandot Indians, whose language he learned to speak. On September 17, 1840, he was married in Wyandot county, and on January 2, 1855, removed with his family from Findlay, where he had been living for a year, to Perry township, where he had bought 160 acres lying in Section 4, paying cash for it. The journey was made in wagons, and . Mr. DeWitt began at once improving his land and making of it a fine farm. He employed his time principally at this, although he did occasional work at his trade, and was very successful financially. He was a public-spirited man, and did much for the growth and development of the section in general. At the time of his death he was the owner of 204 acres, which he had acquired by his own exertions. Mr. DeWitt had a good common-school education, and taught school eighteen terms. He was a great reader, especially of the newspapers, and was better posted on current events than the average farmer, and a very entertaining companion. In his political affiliations he was first a Whig and later a Republican, and a stanch supporter of his party, although never an office-seeker. He was a stout, robust man, and his death was sudden, taking place January 25, 1865. His wife survived him until August 26, 1893, and they lie side by side in the cemetery at West Millgrove. Both were members of and liberal contributors to the Pres- 960 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. byterian Church at West Millgrove, with which they united in 1855. The children of this worthy couple were as follows: Oliver P., born January 19, 1842, died October 3, 1844; Henry C., born February 25, 1844, lives in Ottawa, Kans. ; W. S. is our subject; Alvin C., born November 10, 1848, died September 4, 1850; Emma J., born January 6, 1852, died August 18, 1853. W. S. DeWitt, whose name opens this sketch, obtained his first schooling at Carey and Findlay, and, after his parents' removal from the latter place, at West Millgrove, where his first teacher was Miss Cornelia Holcomb. He was a student for one term at Oberlin College; but his father's sudden death put an end to his school days, as he was needed at home to look after the estate. He went to work on the home farm, and in 1871 bought out the interests of the other heirs, and became its sole owner, his mother living there with him during the remainder of her life. He now has 220 acres of land under fine cultivation, and one of the best farms in the vicinity. On February 1, 1872, Mr. DeWitt was married, at West Millgrove, to Miss Alma, the daughter of Seneca and Sarah (Foote) Leonard, who was. born in Osceola, Ohio, October 25, 1851. To this union the following children have come: Charles Howard, who is teaching in Perry township; Frank, born June 11, 1875, who is also teaching school in Perry township; Althea, born October 8, 1877; Herbert, born November 11, 1880; Fred, born November 14, 1883; and Doretha, born November 15, 1892. Mr. DeWitt has always been a stanch supporter of the Republican party, but has never cared to hold office. He has been a member of the school board in his district, and takes a deep interest in the cause of education. His wife is a member of the Congregational Church, and is a liberal contributor to religious and benevolent enterprises. Mr. DeWitt is an intelligent man, whose opinions are highly valued by his neighbors, and he is looked upon as a representative citizen of Perry township. He is a successful farmer, and has hosts of friends, who appreciate his many good qualities. REUBEN SHOEMAKER, a well-known business man and agriculturist, of Bloom township, and a veteran of the Civil war, was born July 27, 1840, in Mahoning (then Trumbull) county, Ohio. Joshua Shoemaker, his father, was born in eastern Pennsylvania, of wealthy parents, and was married there to Miss Polly Sitler, with whom he came, in 1838, to Ohio, one of his brothers accompanying them. For some years the young couple made their home on a farm of sixty acres in Mahoning county, where our subject's mother died in 1842. His father afterward married Susan Renala, and moved to Homer township, Medina Co., Ohio, where he bought a tract of 101 acres of comparatively new land; but he died in 1848 before it was fully improved. He was a strong and energetic man, six feet in height and of good proportions. As he was prosperous in all his undertakings, he would doubtless have accumulated a fortune had he lived to carry out his plans. Three children were born of his first marriage : William, who died of scarlet fever at the age of seven; Leanda, now Mrs. John McGowan, of Youngstown, and our subject. The second wife was the mother of three sons Charles, now of Perry county, Mich., who was a soldier in the 17th Mich. V. I.; James F., of Grand Rapids, who served in the O. V. I., and Joshua, who enlisted in the O. V. I., and died in the army. Mr. Shoemaker's mother died when he was only two years old, and for some time he lived among strangers. After his father's second marriage he was brought home, and he accompanied, the family on their removal to Medina county. He was eight years old at the time of his father's death, after which event he was sent back to Mahoning county, there making his home with Jonathan Mantz until he was twelve years old, when Mr. Mantz and his wife died of typhoid fever. He then went to live with John Handwork, remaining with him until he was seventeen, when his guardian hired him out to one Gabriel Cline at $45 per year. He gladly returned to Mr. Handwork at the end of his term, and received $6 per month for the summer season, and worked for his board and clothes during the winter, attending the district school. This was the last schooling he ever received, and previously his opportunities had been very limited. His native abilities are of a high order, and had he enjoyed better advantages he might have filled any station he chose. At nineteen he began to learn the cabinet maker's trade with John Gilbert, in Austintown, serving without a break for two years for $25 and $25 worth of tools. Coffins were made by hand in those days, and it was often necessary to work all night to complete an order, as none were kept on hand. He spent four years in all with Mr. Gilbert, and then entered the army, enlisting August 27, 1862, in Company F, 41st O. V. I., with Capt. Holloway. After three weeks drill at Warren he was sent to Cleveland to do guard Mary Shoemaker Reuben Shoemaker WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 961 duty at the jail, a riot being threatened at the time of the first draft. Later he went to the front by way of Columbus and Louisville, being detailed on the 17th day of December, 1862, to do engineer duty, and at Stone River, his first battle, the stern realities of war were realized. His company was detailed to build bridges under fire from the enemy, and he was employed in that important and dangerous work many times before the close of the war. The 41st Regiment was one of the first to go to the front, and on the expiration of their term many re-enlisted, while a volunteer engineering regiment was formed to which Mr. Shoemaker was transferred, and when his term expired, two years later, he also re-enlisted, remaining with it. They often worked night and day, sometimes in water up to their necks, and no service done throughout the struggle required more courage and devotion to the cause than that of these unnoticed heroes. Mr. Shoemaker was promoted, in 1864, to the rank of corporal, and, in the spring of 1865, became sergeant of Company A, First U. S. V. V. Engineers, his command being given the charge of the stores used in his department-the Cumberland. He was discharged September 28, 1865, at Nashville, and, although he was offered a lucrative position at his trade in the South, he returned to his former employer, with whom he remained until the spring of 1866, when he went to Youngstown and engaged in painting. In July, 1866, he came to Wood county and invested his savings in a one-third interest in a sawmill at Bloom . Center; but the investment was an unfortunate one for him, and he found it best to sell his share two years later for what he could realize. For some time he worked as a farm hand and at painting, as opportunity offered. He managed to save about $800, and began to look forward to owning a home of his own. On July 1, 1869, he was married in Henry township to Miss Mary A. E. Hamman, a native of Austintown township, Mahoning county, born December 30, 1852, the daughter of Samuel and Amanda Hamman, who came to Bloom township in the spring of 1853. Two children brightened this home, but were taken away in the first flush of youth: Liberta A., who died September 3, 1887, at the age of sixteen, and Charles S., who died August 24, 1887, at the age of twelve. Both are buried at North Baltimore. For two years Mr. Shoemaker conducted his father-in-law's farm, and in August, 1871, he bought eighty acres in Section 18, upon which no clearing had been done, and the road east and west was hardly passable. He at once began the work of transforming this place into a habitable and productive farm, a task in which he succeeded most creditably. The railroad cut off a portion of the estate, and he now has seventyseven acres under cultivation. Always an admirer of horses, he has given attention to the breeding of good ones, and owns some excellent animals. Since 1888 he has been unable to do manual work, being sadly crippled by rheumatism, in which affliction he has the heartfelt sympathy of all who recall the exposures of his army life, from which, in all probability, it arose. He owns nine lots in North Baltimore, and is a stockholder in the furniture factory there, being at the present time its vice-president. Seven oil wells are in operation on his farm, out of fifteen that have been drilled, and he receives one-sixth of the oil, having an average income of $12 5 per month from this source. In politics Mr. Shoemaker is a stanch Republican, but he takes no interest in party work beyond the selection of competent officials. He is deeply interested in educational progress, desiring better opportunities for the children of to-day than he himself had, and he has been a school director for six years. Socially he was a charter member of Sill Post No. 57, G. A. R., at North Baltimore, and is also a charter member of Gen. Day Command, Union Veteran Union, of North Baltimore. G. MAYO COOPER. There is probably not a finer farm in all its appointments in Perry township than the one being built up by the subject of this sketch, who is a young man still, and of whom, on account of his enterprise and industry, great things are expected in the future. He operates 208 acres of fertile land, the greater part of which is under cultivation, and admirably adapted to general farming. The boyhood home of our subject was always in Perry township, -and, in Section 20, his birth occurred September 19, 1859. At the age of seven years, he was taken by his parents, George and Emma (Jacques) Cooper to his present home, where he has acquired a good knowledge of agriculture in all its branches under the able instruction of his father, and his literary training was received in the common school of District No. 8, Perry township. On May 4, 1892, Mr. Cooper was united in marriage with Miss Nora Adelsperger, the wedding ceremony being performed in Seneca township, Seneca Co., Ohio. The lady is a daughter of John and Mary A. (Albert) Adelsperger, the former a native of Maryland, and the latter of 962 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. Pennsylvania. They were married at Tiffin, and became the parents of thirteen children, twelve of whom are still living. One child graces the union of our subject and his wife-Camilla, born March 31, 1893. Since the age of twenty two, Mr. Cooper has had charge of the old homestead, 116 acres of which he bought April 1, 1896, has been very successful in his life work, and is one of the most prosperous citizens of the community. In politics he is a steadfast adherent to the principles formulated by the Republican party, although not a seeker after official position. With the Union Methodist Church he and his wife hold membership, and he is a teacher in the Sundayschool. MARCENE HOBART, one of the leading business men of Pemberville, was born in Nelson township, Portage Co., Ohio, August 10, 1845. His father, John S., a native of New Hampshire, born in 1806, came to Ohio in company with his parents in 1814, settling in Fairfield county. The family has been represented in American history since the days of the '' Mayflower "-the original members in this country having come over in that historic ship. The paternal grandfather, Benjamin F., was born in New Hampshire, and served as captain of the militia during the war of 1812. His father, William Hobart, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war; he participated in the battle of Lexington, and was with Washington at Valley Forge. The father of our subject, whose life occupation was that of an agriculturist, settled in Portage county, in 1830, and died on the old homestead in 1885, aged seventy-nine years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Margaret Moore, was born in Parkman, Geauga Co., Ohio, and died at the age of thirty-six years. Her father, Thomas Moore, was a native of England, and her mother was born in Ireland. Our subject was one of twelve children, there being ten sons and two daughters. All but three of the family are still living: Thomas is an attorney at Decatur, Ill.; Elmer, who was a soldier in the 3d Ill. Cav., resides in Mattoon, Ill. ; Mary E. is the wife of Monroe W. Seibert, of Oberlin, Ohio; Freedom is principal of the schools at Hillsboro, Ill. ; Jefferson is a prominent physician at Ashmore, Ill.; M. W. is in the insurance business at Fremont, Ohio; A. D. is a successful physician and surgeon of Toledo; and John S. lives at Grand Rapids; William, Allison and Hannah all grew to maturity and married, but are now deceased. Marcene Hobart was the sixth in order of birth among the children comprising the family, and spent his early days on the home farm. In the fall of 1863, when only eighteen years of age, he enlisted in defense of his country, becoming a member of Company F, 105th O. V. I., which was assigned to the Second Brigade, Third Division, Fourteenth Army Corps. He was with Gen. Sherman in the Atlanta campaign, and in front of that city he received injuries that disabled him to such an extent as to render further active service impossible. He was detailed as hospital steward, which position he held until the close of the war, and was discharged August 10, 1865, upon the twentieth anniversary of his birth. On returning to Ohio, Mr. Hobart took a course at Eastman's Commercial College, after which he settled on a farm near Fremont. About the same time he established domestic ties, choosing as his wife Miss Catherine M., daughter of Henry Bowlus, a farmer of Sandusky county. After a short period spent as bookkeeper in the office of H. Bowlus & Co., at Fremont, Ohio, he engaged in the sawmill business, and for four years was in that and the planing-mill business. In 1871 he came to Pemberville, where he at once embarked in the grocery business, and a year later opened a hardware store. In 1876 he erected his present large brick block, and ten years later he bought a dry-goods stock. Associated with him in business is Henry F. Bowlus, a brother of his wife. Such has been the industry and energy with which they have prosecuted their trade, that they are now proprietors of one of the largest dry-goods, grocery and hardware stores in Wood county. Their customers include not only the people of Pemberville, but the residents of the neighboring towns, and the farmers of the surrounding country, among all of whom they have established a reputation for fair, honorable and reliable dealings. In addition to the establishment with which his name is inseparably associated, he and Mr. Bowlus are the owners of the grain elevator at that place; they were among the first to engage in the development of the Wood county oil fields around Pemberville, having, with a number of other gentlemen, drilled about sixty wells near that city. At present they own some four hundred acres of leases, and have thirty-five wells in operation. In the Masonic order Mr. Hobart is active and prominent. He is a charter member, and for a time was master of Pemberville Lodge No. 516, and is also a member of Crystal Chapter Lodge, of Bowling Green. Officially he has rendered efficient service in a number of responsible posi- WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 963 tions. He has been a member of the Board of Education, and has served two terms as treasurer of the corporation of Pemberville. Since assisting in the organization of the Presbyterian Church at that place, he has been active in its various enterprises and generous in is support. For nine or more years he was superintendent of the Sunday-school. Politically he is a Republican, and, in common with other veterans of the Civil war, takes an active part in Grand Army affairs. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Hobart consists of six children: Clayton S., the eldest, is a partner in his father's store, and is superintendent of the Presbyterian Sunday-school; he is a young man of decided business talent, a graduate of the Pemberville schools, and has a bright future before him; he married Miss Marguerite Hisler, of Pennsylvania. Anna, also a graduate of the Pemberville schools, was married to Nelson L. Jones, August 26, 1896, and now lives in South Bend, Ind., where he is engaged in the undertaking business. Harrison W., a graduate of the Pemberville school, also of the Western Reserve Academy at Hudson, Ohio, and of the Oberlin Business College, after two years at Amherst College entered business with his father. Raymond, a graduate of the Pemberville schools, is now attending school at Hudson, Ohio; Earl and Lee are still in school at home. EMANUEL CONSTABLE is of English descent, his parents having been born in Herefordshire, where his birth also took place in March, 1827. William Constable, the grandfather, was likewise a native of Herefordshire, England, where he died at the age of seventy-four years. He was the father of four children: William was the father of our subject; James, a weaver by trade, became a farmer, and amassed considerable wealth (he was born in 1787, and died in 1864, leaving $4,000 to each of nineteen heirs, our subject being one of the number); Frances died unmarried; while Walter, a contractor by trade, lived in Monmouthshire, England, and died there. The maternal grandfather, William Burnett, was also born in Herefordshire, England, and departed this life when seventy-four years old. His children were: Alice, our subject's mother; Richard, who was a carpenter and saloon-keeper; Daniel, a farmer of Herefordshire; Ellen, who died unmarried; and Francis (deceased), who was a farmer of Herefordshire. William Constable, the father of Emanuel, was born in Herefordshire in 1781, and his death occurred February 2, 1855. A weaver by trade, he followed that and job work all his life. He was married to Miss Alice Burnett, who was born in 1787, and died May 26, 1856, and they became the parents of fourteen children-seven sons and seven daughters-as follows: William died in England in 1855; Alice married John Barry, of Herefordshire, and they both died there; Harriet became the wife of Thomas Morgan, and both are deceased; Frances was married to William Powell, and they both died in England; James married Ann Burnett, his first cousin, and they both died in Herefordshire; Louisa married J. T. Hooper, and died in Monmouthshire; Richard lives in Birmingham, Warwickshire; Daniel died in Gloucestershire (he was a warden in a public asylum all his life); Eleanor became the wife of George W. Palmer, a retired gentleman of Liverpool, and both are deceased; Emanuel is our subject; Priscilla married Richard Pritchett, and they live in Herefordshire; three children died in infancy. Emanuel Constable passed his boyhood days at his home in England, and at the age of eighteen years entered the British Regular service, enlisting for a term of twenty-one years in the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers, but at the close of eleven years his uncle, James Constable, purchased his discharge. While in the service our subject was stationed in Canada for a time, and in Montreal, during the riots of 1849, was one of the governorgeneral's body-guard. The mob tried to assassinate the governor-general, but, fortunately, they did not succeed, though they burned down the government house. On May 6, 1850, while he was voyaging between Port Stanley and Port Maitland, on Lake Erie, the vessel he was on, the "Commerce," was run into by the American ship '' Dispatch," and sunk in twenty minutes after she was struck. The '' Dispatch" hove to, and endeavored to rescue the passengers from the sinking vessel, yet with all their efforts as many as forty-nine men, seven women and three children were drowned. Mr. Constable's next service was in the Crimea, during the famous " Russian war " of 1854-56. His experience on that occasion was the experience of nearly every soldier who landed in the Crimea-a truly arduous and dispiriting one. The supplies and clothing sent from England for the Royal Welsh Fusiliers was lost by shipwreck, and the men were in sore need of both. Mr. Constable participated, among other battles, in that of Balaklava, made famous by the " Charge of the Light Brigade." At the close of that war he retired from the army, as related above. Accompanying the medal he received for service in the Crimea, and of which he is justly proud, are clasps for "Balaklava " and '' Sebas- 964 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. topol "; he was entitled to the Turkish medal, but never received it. On his return home he lived two years in England. On April 3, 1859, he there married Miss Mary Lawrence, who was born in Somersetshire, June 10, 1829, a daughter of John and Asceneth (Trask) Lawrence, who both died in Somersetshire, leaving five children; Susan, who married W. Mitchell, of that county; Robert Lawrence, who was a baker, miller and farmer in Somersetshire; Mary; Ann (Mary's twin sister), who married a Mr. Stembridge; and Emma who became the wife of E. Wood. Immediately after his marriage Mr. Constable and his wife came to America, and settled on a piece of land in Liberty township until August, 1862, when Mr. Constable joined the Union army, enlisting in the 111 th O. V. I., Company K. After thirteen-months' service he was discharged for disability, and returned to his wife and family who were living in the house they now occupy, which Mrs. Constable had built while he was in the army. They have ever since resided in Plain township, where they own seventy acres of land in the oil belt. Several wells have been running there, but at the present time only one is in operation on his farm. Mr. and Mrs. Constable are frugal, industrious and honest, and are members of the Episcopal Church, as were all of their ancestors; he also belongs to the G. A. R. He is a man of unusual mental activity, and has a clear memory of dates and circumstances, which he recalls with great precision. To him and his wife have come the following children: Alice Maude, born December 9, 1859, married James M. Boardman, and they have two children-Bertha Stella and Claude; Victor E., born June 20, 1861, married Miss Malinda A. Bowerman, and one child has been born to them-Mabel; Rose Ellen, born April 19, 1863, married J. D. Logan, and they have one child-Velters Veers; Selina F., born June 10, 1865, died May 21, 1884; Frederick W. L., born September 4, 1866, married Miss Matilda Gouger, and they have one child-George V. C. F. RIDER, a prosperous young farmer and grain buyer of Lime City, was born at Hamilton, Butler Co., Ohio, October 26. 1861. His parents are A. C. and Adelia (McGarrah) Rider, the former born at Highland Mills, Orange Co., N. Y., of Scottish descent, and the latter at Monroe, in the same county, her ancestors being of French and English lineage. After their marriage our subject's parents came to Hamilton, Ohio, where they made their home for a number of years, but they are now residing in Tontogany. The father became a locomotive engineer when only nineteen years old, and followed that occupation for forty-five years. He was a Democrat until the time when Tilden became a member of the State Legislature, and voted to exclude the Bible from the public schools. This was a step which did not meet with his approval, and he transferred his allegiance to the Republican party. His family consisted of four children, of whom our subject is the eldest; Archie DeWitt was killed on the railroad, near Tontogany, when twenty-seven years old; James T. and Grace A. live with their parents. Our subject attended school at Fort Wayne and Hamilton, Ohio, and was early made acquainted with the engineer's business, first acting as fireman, and when nineteen years of age taking charge of an engine, as his father before him. 'He was employed in this manner on the T. & O. C. railroad until 1889, when, his health requiring a change, he came to Wood county and began farming.- Some eighteen months ago he commenced buying grain for H. V. Burns, of Buffalo, and recently has engaged in the gram) business in connection with farming, his property being situated near Lime City. He is a bright, intelligent, active man, of much business ability, and will undoubtedly made a success in his enterprise. Mr. Rider was married, November 19, 1884, to Miss Emma Lawrence, who was born in Perrysburg, October 2, 1862. In politics Mr. Rider is. a Republican, but has never taken a very active part in public matters. He is a Thirty-second Degree Mason, and belongs to the Blue Lodge at Perrysburg. He is also a K. of P., and a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. FRANKLIN GRIFFIN, of Bowling Green, is a native of Ohio, having been born October 2, 1845, in Baughman township, Wayne county. His father, also named Franklin, was born August 25, 1808, in Germany, where he received an excellent education, and for some years taught school. Coming to America in early manhood, he made his first New World home in Berks county, Penn., where in the city of Bedford he taught in both English and German schools. Here he met Miss Sarah Price, one of his scholars, who was born June 18, 1819, in Berks county, Penn., daughter of Jacob and Mary Price, both natives of Pennsylvania. On September 3, 1837, Mr. Griffin and Miss Price were married in Wayne county, and children as follows were the result of their union: Jacob, born August 9, 1838, accidentally drowned in Clinton county, Iowa, July 4, 1856; WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 965 Sarah Christina, born May 8, 1840, now the widow of Michael Yost, late of the 102nd O. V. I.; and Franklin, the subject proper of this review. Franklin Griffin, Sr., learned the trade of wagon maker, which he followed all his life; he was also a well-known, popular auctioneer, and, being able to harangue an audience in both English and German, he was in great request in that line of business. He opened the first coal mine in Wayne county, and in all respects proved himself to be well worthy of being enrolled among the progressive men of his time. He was a man of fine physique, standing six feet in his stockingfeet, and was possessed of great energy and perseverance. He died in Baughman township, Wayne county, in the year 1850, and the two eldest children, Jacob and Sarah C., then went to live among strangers, our subject remaining with his widowed mother. After some two years mourning she married Jacob J. Sidle, a farmer, who was born in 1808, and died in Fostoria, Ohio, August 23, 1890. By a previous marriage he had two sons, one of whom-Henry-was a soldier in the Union army, taken prisoner by the Confederates, and for eighteen months was confined in Andersonville and Libby prisons, and after his release was lost in the destruction of the steamship ''Sultana"; John, the other son, died in Clinton county, Iowa, where he had been living some time. To Mr. and Mrs. Jacob J. Sidle were born children as follows: Susan, who died at the age of nine years; Mary Ann, now the wife of William Snyder, of Fostoria; Jacob J., living in Tyndall, S. D.; Abraham, deceased at the age of three years; and Amy, who passed away in childhood. Mr. Sidle died in 1890, and his widow, who survived him until December 19, 1895, made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Snyder. The subject proper of these lines received a good common-school education, and at the age of seven years commenced to work on a farm,-receiving at first from five to ten dollars per month, and his board. He worked out among farmers until his enlistment, September 10, 1862, in Wayne county, Ohio, in Company E, 102nd O. V. I., and later on was assigned to Company E, 169th, and served during the war, for which he received an honorable discharge, and returned to Ohio, making his home for a time in Fostoria, his stepfather having removed thither in 1864. On October 26, 1865, Mr. Griffin was united in marriage with Miss Mary Magdalena Foster, who was born in Jackson township, Seneca county, February 2, 1841, daughter of Christian and Mary Foster, the former of whom was born in Georgia in 1798, and died in 1873, the latter in Shenandoah, Va., in 180i. Mrs. Foster's parents, after their marriage, made their home in Perry county, Ohio, and after her own marriage, she and her husband, in 1829, settled in Seneca county, Ohio, where they passed the rest of their days, Mrs. Foster dying March 4, 1875,, at the age of seventy-three years, seven months, and twenty days. They were the parents of thirteen children, eleven of whom grew to maturity, as follows: Rebecca, who married William Stahl; Jonas, of Fostoria, who served in the 49th O. V. I., in the Civil war; Abraham, who died in early manhood; Mary Ann, who was instantly killed by lightning when twenty years old; Rachel (Mrs. Isaac Good), deceased in 1893; Nancy, Mrs. G. Hampshire, of Jerry City, Wood county; Lucinda, deceased wife of L. Wirt; Sampson, in Seneca county; Andrew Jackson, who was a soldier four years in the Civil war, was captured by the enemy, and was incarcerated in Castle Thunder, Libby and Andersonville prisons; Mary M., wife of our subject; Mahala, who married Noah Good, and died in August, 1874; and Susan and Solomon (probably among the elder born), both deceased in childhood. Christian Foster was the third settler in Jackson township, Seneca county, at a time when Indians visited his farm, as they did in fact for many years thereafter. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Griffin took up their residence near Fostoria, where he worked at carpentry in connection with his farm operations, until the fall of 1871, when, with his wife and children, he came to Wood county, the journey being made by wagon. Here he bought eighty acres of land in Liberty township, and the family took up their quarters in an humble shanty, all of which property Mr. Griffin from to time improved, in 1888 building his present commodious and pleasant country residence. In 1887 he drilled his first oil well on the place, and he has since added thereto till he has now ten wells, all proving remunerative. He bought two building lots in Bowling Green, and a residence on the corner of Pearl and Grove streets, in the fall of 1890 building dwelling houses, and two years later buying lots adjoining his home, in addition to all of which, he is the owner of seventy-eight acres of land in Center township. The names and dates of birth, etc., of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Griffin are as follows: Martha Arvilla, December 29, 1866, married to Albert Blackman, by whom she has one son, Frank, born April 12, 1895; Mahala S., January 2, 1869, living at home; Mary Elizabeth, June 20, 1871, now the wife of Jacob Wallace, of Fostoria; and Sarah Ellen, August 28, 1873, WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 966 Louisa Arletta, September 9, 1875, and Arthur Le Roy, May 12, 1882, all three at home. Mr. and Mrs. Griffin are members of the M. E. Church; in politics he is a Republican, but has never sought office. For some five years he owned and operated a street sprinkler in Bowling Green, but sold it May 1, 1895, He is a representative self-made man, and typical American "hustler," one, who by his own unaided efforts, indomitable perseverance and sound judgment, has ascended the ladder of success, until he now ranks among the wealthy citizens of Wood county. ELDEN WELLS. Among the self-made men in Perry township, who are deserving of the success to which they have attained, may be classed the man whose name introduces this sketch, and who holds a high place in the regard of his acquaintances as an honest, upright citizen, and an industrious, progressive agriculturist. Mr. Wells is a native of Pennsylvania, his birth taking place in Washington township, Franklin county, December 2, 1836. Of his ancestry it might be said that he " came of poor but honest parents." His father, James Wells, was in rather poor circumstances, and was employed the greater part of his life in teaming and similar occupations. He was of Yankee extraction, and was born in the State of New York; but when a young man went to Maryland, where he met and was married to Miss Mary M. Lowry. Soon afterward they removed to Franklin county, Penn., where they spent the remainder of their lives, the father passing away when eighty years of age, and the mother when seventy-nine; her death was the result of a wound in her hand made by the spur of a rooster. Their children were as follows: Elizabeth, wife of George Walich, lives in Washington county, Md.; Lucinda, married to Reuben Sheets, lives in Greene county, Ohio; George is also a resident of Greene county; Elden is the subject of these lines; Catharine, now deceased, first married Jacob Hoover, and later became the wife of William Jackson, of Middleburg, Penn.; Ann is now the widow of George Gearhart, and lives in Franklin county, Penn. ; Mary married David Frederich, and after his death became the wife of Joseph Rowers, who is now deceased (she resides in Franklin county, Penn.); John, who lives in Maryland, near the famous battlefield of Antietam, worked for one family twenty-one years, first for the father and afterward for the two sons; James and Sarah A. live in Franklin county, Pennsylvania. Our subject had but few advantages for an education, his schooling, which did not begin until he was twelve years of age, being limited to a few days in the week during a few of the winter months. His father had a large family, and, although he was a hard-working man, he found it impossible to earn enough to support all of them, so that when this lad was only ten years old he was bound out to a farmer by the name of Gilbert, for three years, receiving from him his board and clothes. He had plenty of hard work and but little time for boyish pastimes or amusements, such as are natural to children of that age. When the three years were done he was hired out to other farmers, and in this way was employed until he became of age, when he decided to try his fortune in the West. Accordingly, on March 16, 1857, he left his native State and went to Whiteside county. Ill., where he remained eighteen months. He then returned to Pennsylvania, and went to work for a previous employer, and later did teaming for another farmer. On December 25, 1860, Mr. Wells was married in Antrim township, Franklin Co., Penn., to Miss Susan B. Gossert, who was born in that township September 9, 1840, and whose father, Samuel Gossert, was a carpenter by trade. Until he was twenty-three years of age Mr. Wells had given all the money he earned to his parents, but for a year previous to his marriage he had saved all he made, and these few dollars were the sum total he had to begin housekeeping with. On August 16, 1862, Mr. Wells enlisted in Company E, 158th P. V. I., under Capt. Barnetts, to aid in defense of the Union. They went into camp at Chambersburg, Penn., and from there were sent to Norfolk, Va., whence they marched 125 miles to Holly's Landing, going from that place to Newberne, N. C., by boat. They started to Little Washington, N. C., but were intercepted by the enemy and obliged to return to Newberne. After this they chased the Rebels from Swift Creek village, and then took up their quarters at Little Washington. When Lee started North through Pennsylvania, our subject's regiment was brought up into Virginia, and was at South Mountain on the last day of the fight at Gettysburg. Then they were in camp for seventeen days two and a half miles from Frederick City, Md., afterward being sent to Baltimore and later to Harrisburg. In August, 1863, after his discharge from the army, Mr. Wells returned home, where he remained until in December, 1864, when he went, in company with a friend, to Iowa to look for a suitable location. Not being satisfied with that section of the country, however, he returned to WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 967 Ohio, and in March, 1865, with his wife and three children, removed to a place near Tiffin, Ohio, working at first for other farmers, and later, in 1867, renting a farm which is now apart of the city of Fostoria. In the following few years, Mr. Wells rented land at various points, in 1872 renting 160 acres in Washington township, Hancock county, for which he paid $500 cash, yearly. In the fall of 1873, he made his first purchase of land, it being I20 acres in Section 20, Perry township, the price being $7,000, of which he paid $500 down. At that time only about seventy-five acres of the place were under cultivation, an old frame house and a very poor barn were all the improvements on it, and not a foot of tiling had been laid. As late as 1876, portions of the land were covered with water to the depth of several inches. This has all been removed, and since making his home on the farm, to which he removed March 20, 1874, Mr. Wells has built an excellent bank barn, drained the land, and made many other improvements. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Wells are as follows: Winfield S., a graduate of Rush Medical College, Chicago, is now a practicing physician at Marion, Ohio; Ida and George B., twins, are both married, Ida being now Mrs. L. H. Coe, of Perry township; George was married November 1, 1894, to Miss Carrie M. Alexander, of Bloomdale, and resides in Hancock county, Ohio; Victoria N. is the wife of Orrin Wiseman, and resides with our subject. Mr. Wells has brought up his family with the utmost care, and they have well repaid their parents for their excellent training. Three of them have been teachers, and all have been given every advantage of good schooling. Mr. Wells is a warm advocate of higher education, and has exerted his influence in behalf of better schools and progress in all educational matters. He is a self-made man, one who has had many obstacles to contend with, but who has surmounted them all, and is to-day a successful and highly esteemed citizen. He is a great reader, and has a wonderfully retentive memory, while his practical education has fitted him to succeed in business. He has traveled extensively throughout the States, and has gained considerable knowledge by observance and inquiry. A kind-hearted, generous man, Mr. Wells has many warm friends in all classes of society. He and his wife were originally members of the United Brethren Church, but for the past sixteen years have been connected with the Methodist denomination. Mr. Wells is an ardent Democrat in political sentiment. He has always been a leader in his party, and a most enthusiastic worker for its interests. On three different occasions he was the only one present at a " caucus, " and made out the ticket for the township, having it printed at his own expense, and attending to all the details personally. He has been a member of the election board of the township for several years, and is considered one of the best citizens in Perry township. LEVI WIRT, a retired farmer of Perry township, was born in Chippewa township, Wayne county, March 26, 1835. His father, David Wirt, was born in Pennsylvania, where he married Miss Eliza Wire, a native of the same State. Mr. Wirt died in Wayne county, Ohio, when our subject was but three years old. By occupation he was a millwright: After his death, Mrs. Wirt married Nathan Bisey, then moved to Seneca county, and died at Fostoria. Our subject was one of two children born to Mr. and Mrs. Wirt. The other, a girl, died when seven years old. Levi was bound out to Jacob Wimer, a farmer, who, when Levi was ten years old, moved to Allen county, Ind., ten miles north of Fort Wayne, where our subject was sent to the district school. Mr. Wimer was a kind man, and treated him well. When sixteen years old, he left Mr. Wimer, the latter's wife having died, and was employed by a man by the name of Rhodes, in Allen county, at nine dollars a month. He saved a little of this, and attended school that winter, which was the last opportunity he had for doing so. Mr. Wirt remained in Indiana until nineteen years old, and then returned to Seneca county and worked in a sawmill, and later ran a threshing machine, in which he had an interest. In February, 1856, Mr. Wirt was united in marriage to Lucinda Foster, a native of Jackson township, and a daughter of Christian Foster, from Perry county. At that time our subject had a team and a couple of hundred dollars, which he had saved from his wages. He was half owner of a steam sawmill, bought on time (and later paid for), and, renting his step-father's farm, in Loudon township, Seneca county, he there began his successful career as a farmer. In the spring of 1861, he moved to Montgomery township, where he bought forty acres of unimproved land, for which he paid $600 in cash, and which was the first place he could call his own home, since leaving that of his childhood. For seven years he lived in Montgomery township, and in 1868 he went to Section 3, Perry township. He sold his forty acres in Montgomery 968 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. township for $1,200. He secured a farm in in Perry township, on which he lived until the fall of 1890, when he went to West Millgrove, where he has continued to reside ever since, retired from active farm work. To Mr. and Mrs. Wirt were born these children: Andrew J., September 27, 1857, is a farmer in Bloom township; Oscar, October 27, 1860, is a farmer in Perry township; Eliza A., January 15, 1864, married Edward Dindore, of Henry county; William F., April 15, 1870, is now living in VanBuren, Ohio; Clara E., August I8, 1875, is the wife of Byron Whitman. Mrs. Wirt died August 11, 1887, aged fifty years, and was buried in West Millgrove. Mr. Wirt was married again, his second wife being Mrs. Abraham Foster, whose maiden name was Lydia A. Swope. She was born in Morgan county, Ohio, June 15, 1831, and by her first marriage was the mother of ten children, seven of whom are still alive. Mr. Wirt has always been a stanch Republican, his first vote being cast for Salmon P. Chase for governor of Ohio. He has served his party in every township in which he has lived, and for two terms was township trustee of Perry. He is now serving as mayor of West Millgrove, to which office he was elected to fill an unexpired term of Joseph Ashe, in the spring of 1894, and in 1895 was elected to serve the regular term. He is a member of Prairie Depot Lodge No. 646, I. O. O. F., and, with his wife, is a member of the Congregational Church. Mr. Wirt is a successful farmer, a pleasant gentleman, popular with his many friends, and an excellent citizen. SAMUEL HEMMINGER, a prosperous, well-todo farmer of Wood county, is a native of Loudon township, Seneca county, where he was born January 12, 1839, the son of Henry and Catherine (Kiser) Hemminger. The father of our subject was born in Pennsylvania of German parents. When a boy they moved to Stark county, and Henry subsequently went to Seneca county, where he married Miss Kiser, who came of Pennsylvania-German stock. Mr. Hemminger was a farmer, and lived in Loudon township until about 1850, when he came east to Freedom township, Wood county, and secured eighty acres of land, then in a primitive condition, on which he built a log cabin. Later he moved to Montgomery township, and lived in Section 21 until his death, which occurred September 20, 1878, when he was aged seventy. His wife died later, and both are buried in the Prairie Depot cemetery. Their children were as follows: Elizabeth, now Mrs. Z. Edmunds, of northeast Missouri; Mary married Samuel Rickard, and died in Iowa; Samuel is our subject; Alonzo L., who was a member of the 55th O. V. I., and is now a farmer of Montgomery township; Daniel died at the age of five years; David was in the war, and died in Montgomery township; Francis M. died young. Mr. Hemminger was a Republican, and held some minor township offices. Samuel attended school, and was reared as, a farmer's boy. He lived at home until April, 1861, when he was married to Miss Amey Spink, who was born November 8, 1836, in Erie county, N. Y., a daughter of Buckley and Amey (Moshier) Spink. Our subject located on a farm which he rented until after his return from the war. In February, 1864, he enlisted in Company E, 25th Regiment, at Prairie Depot, it being home on veteran furlough. His first engagement was at Honey Hills, S. C., and a few days later he was wounded in the arm and side, and was in the hospital for a short time. He was subsequently in the hospital at Hilton Head and at Charleston, and was discharged from the former August, 1865, when he returned home. In the fall of 1865 Mr. Hemminger bought forty acres in Section i0, Montgomery township, where he built a cabin of round logs, 16 x 24 feet, which was rudely furnished. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Hemminger were as follows: Albert A., born July 25, 1863, is a farmer of Bartlow township, Henry county (he has three children); Tentla Celestia died in infancy; Charles H., born March 17, 1867, is also a farmer in Bartlow township (he has three children); Julia died in infancy; Mary E. was drowned when two years old; Wilbur died in infancy; Samuel died June 25, 1877, from the effects of burns received when our subject's house was destroyed by fire. In the fall of 1877 Mr. Hemminger built his present comfortable home, to replace the one burned. He has made all the improvements on the place. In politics he is a Republican, has been supervisor, and was school director for six years. He and his wife have eighty acres of land, and have helped their two sons to a farm of eighty acres each, and they are pr0sperous young farmers. Our subject is a member of the G. A. R., and is a well-to-do, straightforward citizen. PHILIP BARNHISEL. Among the influential and representative agriculturists of Bloom township, this gentleman occupies an honorable position. Almost his entire life has been passed upon his present farm, where he was born June I I, 185 I. His father, Martin Barnhisel, came to Samuel & Amey Hemminger WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 969 this county from Mahoning county, Ohio, buying eighty acres of land in Section 21, Bloom township-sixty acres of which are still in the possession of our subject. He was a small, delicate man, and on his death was buried in Bloom Chapel cemetery. In the family were three children: Sarah, who became the wife of Henry Jacobs, and died on the home farm; Lottie, who is now Mrs. Louis Mominee, of Lucas county, Ohio; and Philip. The mother later became the wife of John Slatterbeck, who is now deceased, and she makes her home near Toledo, Ohio. Philip Barnhisel acquired his early education in the Bloom Center schools, taught by a Mr. Trumbull; but when about nine years of age he was compelled to start out to make his own livelihood, and with his first money purchased a pair of red top-boots, which he thought was all that was lacking to make him a man. For some years he worked for others, and, when about eighteen, went to Whiteside county, Ill., remaining there some eighteen months. He began farming for himself upon the old homestead, and, before his marriage, his sister Lottie was his housekeeper. In Bloom township, on January 7, 1875, Mr. Barnhisel married Miss Diana Baker, who was born in Marion township, Hancock Co., Ohio, February 16, 1852, and is a daughter of Jacob and Susanna (Bright) Baker, the former a native of Westmoreland county, Penn. They have become the parents of seven children: Claren, who was born July 2 5, 1876, and is a teacher by profession; Ella M., who was born July 28, 1879, and died July 23, 1881; William S., who was born August 27, 1881; Olive B., who was born September 29, 1883; Nettie, who was born October 1, 1885 ; Florence, who was born May 30, 1889, died August 7, following; and Bessie, who was born May 30, 1891, and died April 30, 1893. At one time Mr. Barnhisel sold his interest in the homestead, but later purchased the farm from. other heirs. The farm buildings are neat and substantial, and everything about the premises is creditable to the taste and industry of the proprietor. His labors have been crowned with success, and he is deserving of the highest praise, for all has been attained through his own industrious and well-directed efforts. He is upright and honorable in all things, never stooping to anything low or mean to gain a point or secure money. He takes an active interest in political affairs, generally voting the Republican ticket, though not strictly partisan, preferring to cast his ballot for the man whom he thinks best qualified to fill the position, and has served as a director in School District No. 5, Bloom township. Since the age of eighteen, Mr. Barnhisel has been a devoted member of the Church of God. J. Y. HOUSEL., a respected citizen of Bowling Green, who has an honorable record as a soldier in the war of the Rebellion, and who for many years was active in his occupation, but is now living retired, was born in New Jersey, November 13, 1842. Tyler Housel, the father of J. Y., was a native of Hunterdon county, N. J., but spent most of his life in Franklin township, Warren Co., N. J., where he carried on farming, and was also a railroad contractor. He was a Presbyterian in religious faith. In politics he was a Democrat. His father was born on the Hudson river, and was a farmer by occupation. He married a Miss Cook, and died in Hunterdon county. The Housels are of Dutch descent, the great-grandfather of our subject being a native of that country. The mother of our subject, whose maiden name was Catherine Rupel, was born in Hunterdon county, N. J., to which State her greatgrandfather came from Ireland, where the family were wealthy farmers. Her father's name was Thomas Rupel. The children of Tyler Housel and wife were as follows: Asher was a railroad man, and died in New Jersey; Margaret married James Hagerty, and lives in Bucks county, Penn.; Lucy married Joseph Davis, then, after his death, wedded a Mr. Fox, and lives at Easton, Penn.; Mary Ellen was the wife of George W. Cowel, deceased, and lives in Phillipsburg, N. J.; William B. lives in Hunterdon county, N. J.; J. Y. is our subject; John resides in Warren county, New Jersey. The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood and youth in his native State, where he was working at plastering when the outbreak of the Rebellion aroused the whole nation, and young men and old offered their services to maintain the supremacy of the national government. Mr. Housel enlisted in Company C, 31st Regiment of State Guards, in which he was made color-bearer. They were stationed near Washington, D. C., and were in the first battle of Bull Run. When the three months had expired he re-enlisted August 20, 1861, in Company C, 7th N. J. V. I., in which he served until after the battle of Gettysburg, when he was honorably discharged July 17, 1863. In the winter of 1864 he again entered the army, this time enlisting in Company B, 184th O. V. I., of which he was made sergeant, and while at Nashville served as drill master and transfer officer. He saw active serv- 970 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. ice throughout the remainder of the war, and was finally discharged in September, 1865. Among the important engagements, in which Mr. Housel took part, were those of Bull Run, Yorktown, Antietam, and South Mountain; was with McClellan in the seven-days' fight at Richmond; in the first battle at Fredericksburg, in December, 1862; the second battle of Fredericksburg, the battles at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, besides many less important engagements. He was wounded at the battle of Antietam, on account of which he receives a pension. After the close of the war Mr. Housel located at Napoleon, Henry Co., Ohio, where he followed the trade of a plasterer for a time, afterward removing to Liberty Center, in the same county, where he resided for a number of years. In 1888 he removed to Bowling Green, where he has since made his home, and where for some three years he followed contracting, since that time, however, having given up active business. He owns a house and two lots in the city, and is one of its substantial citizens. In politics he is a Democrat, and fraternally belongs to the I. O. O. F., in which he has passed most of the chairs, and now holds the office of -standard-bearer in Canton Alpine. He is also a member of the Daughters of Rebekah, and of the G. A. R., Wiley Post. Mr. Housel was married August 10, 1867, to Abbie M. McCauley, who was born in Adrian, Mich., January 14, 1838, and is the daughter of William R. and Marie Antoinette (French) McCauley. Her great-grandfather, Hugh McCauley, was a captain in the Revolutionary army, and at the close of the war took up his residence in the South, where he died. He left three children: Samuel; Alexander, who was married and had one daughter; and Nathaniel, who was a soldier in the war of 1812, and died unmarried. Samuel, the grandfather of Mrs. Housel, had three children: Hannah, who married Joshua Kelley, and lived in Vermont; Abigail, who died when fifteen years of age, and William R. The father of these children was a farmer, and, after his marriage to Abigail Wilson, lived in Vermont until 1836, when he removed to Michigan and settled near Adrian, where they both died, the father in 1841, and the mother in 1844. William R. McCauley was born in 1804 and died in June, 1876. He came to Ohio in 1849, and settled on a farm at Damascus, Henry county. He was made a justice of the peace in 1868, which office he held for three years. His wife, who was born in 1808, died in 1869, and was the mother of five children, namely: Frederick W., who died in his twenty-fourth year; Henry Augustus, who died in his twenty-second year; Nathaniel, residing at Napoleon, Henry Co., Ohio; Phoebe Ann, the wife of Edwin Freeman, of Toledo; and Abigail. Mrs. Housel spent the first ten years of her life in Michigan, coming at that time with her parents to Henry county, Ohio, where she attended the public schools until she was seventeen years old, from which time until her marriage with our subject, August 10, 1867, she was employed in teaching. She is a woman of culture and refinement, of much strength of character, and holds a prominent place in various organizations, being a member of the Daughters of Rebekah, the Woman's Relief Corps, the W. C. T. U., and the School Suffrage Club. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and takes an active part in all religious and philanthropic work. W. B. BEACH, the well-known proprietor of a large blacksmith shop at Bowling Green, was born December 22, 1849, in Licking county, where, in Kirkersville, his father died in March, 1896, at the age of seventy-eight. His grandfather, Horace Beach, was born in Connecticut, of old New England stock, and died in Granville, Ohio, aged eighty-eight. He was a farmer and blacksmith by occupation, and was for some time engaged in the manufacture of edge tools. He had six children: Eli, deceased, a resident of Providence, R. I.; William B., an attorney at Providence, also interested in insurance business; Horace, a wealthy resident of Providence, R. I., who mysteriously disappeared some years ago, and probably met with foul play; Charles, our subject's father; Deborah, the wife of H. H. Austin, of Licking county; and Philura, who married George Davis, of the same county. Charles Beach, the father of our subject, was born near Keysville, N. Y., in April, 1818, and came to Ohio with his parents when a boy. He received his early education in the schools near his father's farm in Licking county, and learned the blacksmith's trade in early manhood. He married Miss Margaret Gardner, who was born in County Antrim, Ireland, in 1817, and came to America with her parents when six years old-the two families settling upon adjoining farms at about the same time. Four children of this union have lived to an adult age: Emma, the wife of Eleazer Evans, of Licking county; our subject; Clara, the wife of j. B. Buckland, of Chillicothe, Ohio; and Alice, who married H. H. WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 971 Gunder, of Licking county. Charles Beach has followed the blacksmith's trade all his life in Kirkersville, Licking county. He was the patentee of the first double-shovel iron-beam plow with convex shovel and guard, for cultivating corn. He was a Democrat, and took a prominent part in local affairs, although never an officeseeker. He was a leading member of the New School Baptist Church, in which his wife still holds membership. Our subject's early life was spent with his parents at Kirkersville, where he attended school until the age of sixteen, when he began to learn his trade. After six years of work at home he went to Utica, Licking county, where he remained five years and a half, and then moved to Cardington, Morrow county, and carried on his trade for some time. In 1886 he came to Bowling Green, and opened the shop where he has since conducted a general blacksmithing business. He was married in 1871 to Miss Ann C. Simmons, who was born February 28, 1854, at Baltimore, Ohio. They have two children: Clara Belle, who lives at home, and Russell Simmons. The family are prominent members of the M. E. Church. Mr. Beach is a Republican in politics, and takes great interest in all worthy public movements. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., the K. of P., of the Royal Arcanum, and the National Union. N. J. WIREBAUGH. This substantial citizen, and farmer of Montgomery township, was born December 15, 1834, in Fox township, Carroll Co., Ohio, the son of John and Elizabeth (Potts) Wirebaugh. The father of our subject was born in Trumbull county, Penn., in 1806, and came to Ohio when a boy with his parents, who settled in Columbiana county. He was twice married, his first wife, the mother of our subject, dying in 1841. Her children were as follows: William H. lives in Portage township; Harriet died in infancy; Mary A. died when eight years old; N. J: is our subject; Elizabeth married George Braden, and died in Morrow county; Sarah C. is now Mrs. Isaac Kiefer, of Crawford county; Nathan lives in Risingsun; John F. is a resident of Miami county, Kans. The second wife of John Wirebaugh was Miss Elizabeth Horner, to whom he was married in Carroll county. She bore him the following children: Cyrus lives in Indiana; Martha died when- four years of age; Stewart resides in Crawford county; Ledora lives in Freeport, Ohio; I. V. is a physician in Prairie Depot. The mother of these children is still living in Prairie Depot. The family came in 1847 to Crawford county, Ohio, and settled near Osceola, where the father died when over eighty years old. He was a Jackson Democrat. Our subject obtained his education in the common schools of Carroll county, which were very different from those of the present day. He has seen great changes for the better in educational matters, and takes an active interest in schools of all kinds, being a firm believer in higher education for both men and women. He was only a lad when his parents removed to western Ohio, and until sixteen years of age worked upon the farm. He then was employed as an engineer in a sawmill, and for many years held the same position in a gristmill. On April i8, 1861, Mr. Wirebaugh was married in Richland county, Ohio, to Miss Martha Ralston, and in June of the same year bought eighty acres of land in Section 5, Montgomery township. The money for this purchase he had saved from his small earnings, and with this he made his first start in life. The land was all woods with no improvements, and he at once went to work, his first clearing being six acres, which he put in wheat. He also built his first home which, as may be imagined, was no palatial residence. It was a happy home, however, until the death of his wife, which took place November 18, 1863, leaving with him one child, Mary, who died when two years old. The family being broken up, Mr. Wirebaugh returned to Crawford county, and again took up his occupation of an engineer, being thus employed for the eight years following. In September, 1871, our subject was married in Custar, Ohio, to Miss Sarah Roberts, and returned to his farm in Montgomery township, where he resided until 1879. In that year he went to Fostoria, Ohio, where he was for a short time in the grocery business, and then took up his residence in Freeport, where he purchased a pleasant home. He resumed his business as an engineer, at which he was employed until 1890, since which time he has been engaged in agricultural pursuits. He has an excellent farm of 200 acres in Sections 5 and 6, Montgomery township, which is under fine cultivation, and he has made a success of the business. For over forty years Mr. Wirebaugh was a machinist, and became thoroughly familiar, in his capacity as engineer, with all kinds of machinery. He stood high as a good workman, and during all these years was in the employ of but four individuals. He is a man who reads extensively, and is a patron of literature and the arts. In politics he inclines to the Democratic party, but is not a par- 972 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. tisan, and votes for a man according to his fitness for office rather than his political affiliations. He has served eight years as a member of Prairie Depot city council, but is no office seeker. No man is more highly respected or more deserving of esteem, than the gentleman whose sketch is here given. GOTLIEB OTTERBACH, whose success in life is attributable entirely to his own efforts, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, January 7, 1837. His father, Christian Otterbach, was a native of the same locality, and was a farmer by occupation. He married Miss Helen Greiner, and died in Wurtemberg in 1863. In 1868, his widow came to the United States, accompanied by a son and daughter, and spent her last days in Michigan, where her death occurred in 1888, she having reached the advanced age of ninety years. She was quite ill at the time she came to the United States, and many feared that she would never live to complete the voyage. Her children were John, who was a soldier in Germany, and also in the Civil war, and died in Michigan in 1888; Jacob, a farmer of Michigan; Regy, now a widow; Gotlieb, our subject; Christian and Gotlobe, both farmers in Michigan. Our subject acquired a good education in his native land, and with his father learned the weaver's trade. At the age of fourteen he began work in a factory in Hall, and continued to follow weaving until crossing the Atlantic to America in 1857. He took passage at Bremen on the " President Smith," a sailing vessel, which, after a rough voyage of sixty-four days, reached New York. Mr. Otterbach at once made his way to Toledo, and thence to the home of an uncle who lived in Liverpool, Medina Co., Ohio. He soon secured employment in a blacksmith shop, where he worked for eight months for $5. Afterward he followed any pursuit that would yield him an honest living, and in the winter of 1858, he received $6 per month. In 1862, Mr. Otterbach enlisted in Medina county, Ohio, in Company K, 103rd O. V. I., and was mustered into the service in Kentucky, while at the close of the war, in June, 1865, he was mustered out at Raleigh, N. C. At the battle of Resaca, he was wounded in the right leg, and only twenty-five men in all the regiment were left uninjured after that engagement. The war over, Mr. Otterbach returned to Medina county, and in the fall of 1865 purchased his present farm of eighty acres in Wood county, locating thereon in the spring of 1866. In 1868, in Liberty township, he married Miss Hannah McCrory, who died in October, 1872, leaving one son, Samuel, now at home; a twin sister, Mary Elizabeth, died at the age of eight months. In 1875, Mr. Otterbach wedded Mrs. Mary E. Leffler, widow of Mathias Leffler, and her death occurred May 12, 1891. The children of the second marriage are Annie, a student in a music academy at Findlay, Ohio; and Lena. The present wife of Mr. Otterbach, who bore the name of Hulda Harris, was born in Germany in 1848. She was only four months old when brought to this country by her parents, John C. and Anna Dorothy (Henning) King. Our subject and his wife were married in Defiance, Ohio, January 30, 1894. She had five children by her former marriage, namely: William, and Charles, both of Holgate, Henry Co., Ohio; Frank, at home; Mrs. Della C. Ernhart, of Bays, Ohio; and Matilda, at home. The father, William Harris, was born in Wood county, in 1832, and in 1861, in Company K, 3rd O. V. C., he was wounded in the neck, but continued at the front until the close of the war. Mrs. Otterbach's brother, Albert W. King, was one of the survivors of the " Sultana." Our subject is a stalwart Republican, and has served as school director for one year. He is a member of the Disciples Church, and takes a deep interest in religious work, as well as all that pertains to the welfare of the community. He has developed upon his farm eight oil wells, and now occupies a position among the substantial citizens of Wood county. He has, however, worked his way steadily upward from humble surroundings, pressing forward step by step to the goal of success. JOHN H. JONES. The family from which this gentleman descended is of Welsh and German extraction. The ancestors came from Europe at an early date, locating in Virginia, where they became land owners and business men, and were prominent in the different walks of life. John H. Jones was born near Martinsburg, Berkeley Co., W. Va., August 2, 1836, where he was reared and educated. He is a son of Hiram and Isabella (Crowell) Jones, of Welsh and German extraction, respectively. Hiram Jones and wife were both natives of the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, he, a patriot and soldier of the war of 1812, was a substantial man, and an honored citizen, who throughout life took a deep interest in military matters. He was present, and a prominent figure, at every muster of the State Militia in his section, oftentimes acting as a drummer. He was a Democrat of the old school. He was identified with the Baptist Church. Their children were: Gotlieb & Hannah Otterbach WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 973 John Harrison, our subject; Hiram S., of Martinsburg, W. Va.; Lydia Ann, who married a Mr. Lewis, and lives in California; Charles Ross, who died while a soldier in the Confederate army; William R. and Joseph T, residents of Martinsburg, W. Va.; Margaret (married) and Helen, also residents of Martinsburg. John H. Jones, the eldest child was reared on the homestead farm, and educated in the schools of that vicinity, and when old enough learned the business of a miller in the mill of John Graham, near Martinsburg, W. Va. At the latter place he was married January 31, 1866, to Miss Martha Ann Graham, and after this event he carried on the milling business at Martinsburg until 1874, when with his family he moved to near Tiffin, Seneca Co., Ohio. Here he located on a farm which he operated until 1882, when he removed to Wood county, and purchased a farm three miles north of North Baltimore, on which he lived with his family for a period; then sold the property and purchased a farm of eighty acres near North Baltimore, which, later, proved to be one of the best oil-producing tracts in that section. It has at this writing (December, 1896) seven producing oil wells on it. In 1892, Mr. Jones removed with his family to Tiffin, Ohio, but in 1895 came to North Baltimore, Ohio, where he has since resided, and where he and family are held in high esteem. He is a stanch temperance advocate, believing in total prohibition, and uses his influence to assist that cause on all occasions from the rostrum, and otherwise. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, with which denomination he has been connected for thirty-five years, and of which he has been a trustee at different times for many years, and a teacher of the Bible class aggregating fifteen years or more. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are the parents of the following children: Jacob Carleton (engaged in the oil business), born November 28, 1871, was married in July, 1889, to Miss Mary E. Bruner, and they have two children-Robert H. and Jeannette; and W. Robert, born August 28, 1874, a prominent young citizen of North Baltimore, mentioned elsewhere. In addition to their own children, our subject and wife reared a little girl from the age of two-and-a-half years, now a young miss of twelve summers, and one of the family-her name formerly was Vernie Maud Warden, but she is now known as Pearl Jones. Mrs. Martha Ann (Graham) Jones was born in 1844, in Fairfax county, Va., a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Gruber) Graham, of Scotch and German progenitors, respectively. John Graham was the owner and operator of a mill at Bunker Hill, in the Shenandoah Valley, Va., for many years, and was one of the most substantial and highly honored citizens of Berkeley county, W. Va. He was a man of high and pure character, thoroughly well-read and well-informed, and a general advisor of the vicinity, in which he lived, on law and other matters. He is said to have been the most popular man in his county, for many years, and could have been elected to any office in the gift of the people of the county. He was not a politician, or seeker after office, having large affairs of his own to look after. During the war his property was located at Bunker Hill, in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, where Union and Rebel troops were continually contesting; his home would one day be in the Union lines and the next in the Rebel lines, and vice versa. He was an ardent Republican and Union man, which was well-known by both sides; but such was his high character as a citizen and noncombatant, that he was the only Union man who dared to stay in the vicinity when- the Rebels had control. He entertained, at his home, many noted Rebel and Union officers-of course on different occasions, as they did not mix very well in those days. With other young men, he organized a home independent military company, for protection against the Rebel guerrillas and other depredators. In this way he served through many exciting skirmishes, where men were killed; Ire personally conveyed news to the Union officers on many occasions, often going at night through cold, rain and sleet to aid the Union cause-regular passes as a scout gaining him admission, at all times, to the Union lines. His death occurred in 1870. His widow, who is now seventy-seven years of age, makes her home with her daughter, the wife of our subject. SOLOMON S. FREDERICK devotes his time and energies to farming and carpentering, and is an enterprising, wide-awake citizen, who faithfully does his duty to his fellow men, himself and his country. As he is widely and favorably known in Wood county, we feel assured that the record of his life will prove of interest to many of our readers. Mr. Frederick was born August 12, 1839, in Big Spring township, Seneca Co., Ohio, son of Anthony and Rhoda (Neffis) Frederick. The former was born in September, 1816, in Ross county, Ohio, the latter in 1818, and their marriage was celebrated in Wyandot county. Subsequently removing to Seneca county, he purchased a farm of forty acres on which he lived for ten years, and then removed to Adrian, 974 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. Seneca county, where he operated a sawmill for a number of years. His next place of residence was Crawford county, Ohio, where he engaged in the same line of business until, returning to Adrian, Seneca county, thence to Berwick, where he accepted the position of bookkeeper in a gristmill. In 1860 he brought his family by wagon to Wood county, purchased a small tract of land in Bloom township, and erected a sawmill. He afterward purchased 120 acres additional, and he and his wife are now living retired at Bloom Center. Their children were as follows: Solomon S.; William, of Jerry City, Ohio; Nathaniel, who died at the age of forty-two; Charles, who died in Bloom township; Byron, a farmer of Bloom township; Susan, deceased wife of John Bailey, of Bloom township; and Rosie, wife of William H. Dennis, of Bloom Center, Ohio. In his boyhood days, Mr. Frederick attended the district schools, and he remained under the parental roof until twenty-two years of age. He then learned the trade of carpentering, which he has since followed in connection with farming. On April 9, 1862, Mr. Frederick chose, as a companion and helpmeet on life's journey, Miss Rachel Hampshire, a native of Wood county, Ohio. To their marriage were born ten children, namely: George B., a miller of Bloom Center; Mary B., wife of George Apel, of Henry township; Charles, a farmer of Jackson township; Rosie, wife of Carey Baringer, of Bloom township; Ella, who died when seventeen years of age; Nora, wife of John Chase, of Henry township; Rhoda, wife of Frank Mercer ; Alice, wife of Oliver Baringer; and Myrtie and Lettie, at home. The mother of these died in 1883, and in 1886 Mr. Frederick married Mrs. Rebecca J. Briton, who was born November 1, 1853, daughter of Morgan and Mary M. (Thompson) Blue, of Henry county. To the second marriage have been born two children William R., at home; and Jennie N., who died in infancy. By her first marriage Mrs. Frederick had three children: Hattie B. (who died in infancy), Ova N. and Amos A. In 1872 Mr. Frederick located on his present farm, which he had purchased six years previously, and he is now devoting his energies to the cultivation of his eighty acres of rich farming land. He is an energetic, industrious man, and ranks among the leading agriculturists of the community. During the Civil war he manifested his loyalty to the government by enlisting, in 1864, in Company H, 49th O. V. I., joining the regiment at Tiffin, Ohio. He soon went to the front, and participated in the battles of Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, Pickett's Mills and Kenesaw Mountain, and was discharged November 30, 1865, at Victoria, Texas. In politics he is a Republican, and he has served for eight years both as supervisor and school director, discharging his duties in a prompt and capable manner. JOHN CHALLEN is numbered among the stalwart and substantial farmers of Plain township, and is a native of Wood county, born in Center township, December 30, 1857. William Challen, his father, was born in England in 1809, and came to America in 1857. He at once settled in Wood county, and always lived here. After the death of his wife in 1882, he made his home with his youngest child, John, and there died September 20, 1896, leaving nine children, namely: James, Charlotte, Mary, Ann, William, Charles, Harriet, George (a prominent farmer of Plain township) and John; two other children-Jane and Henry-are deceased. In politics he was a stanch Republican, and was much loved and respected by all who knew him. John Challen grew to manhood upon his father's farm, and as soon as old enough assisted in its cultivation, remaining at home until he was twenty- one, and gaining a good practical knowledge of the labors of an agriculturist under the wise guidance of his father. He then rented the homestead for a few years, and later purchased a farm of his father, which he has greatly improved by draining, the erection of substantial buildings, and the planting of an orchard. On April 19, 1877, at Perrysburg, Ohio, he was married to Miss Nettie Newton, who was born November 12, 1858, and is one of the four daughters of George Newton. To this worthy couple was born a daughter, named Eva May, September 4, 1878, Mr. Challen occupies a high place in the estimation of his fellow citizens. His genial manners and his sturdy integrity have won him a host of friends, and he is highly regarded by all with whom he comes in contact. He is strong in his faith in the principles of the Republican party, and never falters in his allegiance to that organization; but, although interested in a great degree in all local campaigns, has no desire for the troubles, responsibilities, and disquieting influences of political office, though induced to accept the position of school director for one year. In religious faith he is an adherent of the Congregational Church. GEORGE B. HEDGE. Among the venerable citizens of Montgomery township, none is better known or more highly respected than he whose RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE