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History of Allen County WILLIAM L. RUSSELL is one of Lima's wealthy and most widely known men, a capitalist and business executive whose range of affairs has been almost world wide. Mr. Russell was born in Zanesville, Ohio. His father, Amson Henry Russell, was one of the pioneer oil producers, beginning almost with the original exploitation of petroleum in western Pennsylvania. His father died in Cleveland, Ohio. William L. Russell was educated at Hanoverton, Ohio, Logansport, Indiana, and Saginaw, Michigan. As a youth he was associated with his father in the oil industry in Venango County, Pennsylvania, where the father had large production. During the past thirty or forty years William L. Russell has been an investor or otherwise actively interested in practically all the oil fields of the United States, primarily those of Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, and still has large interests in Texas and Oklahoma. Mr. Russell has been a resident of Lima since 1902. He has one of the finest homes on the chief residence street, West Market Street. It is a beautiful house, on an ample lawn containing many rare shade and ornamental trees. Mr. Russell has the characteristics that seem to mark the man of large affairs, and has met and mingled with many of the master minds of business and politics. When the Klondike first became a popular name in romance and imagination he went to the far north, and made more than an ordinary success in the gold fields. He was there eighteen months and narrowly escaped being caught in a great snow slide in which eighty-six men and three women lost their lives. He assisted in taking out the bodies of six of the unfortunates. Three years prior to his Klondike experience Mr. Russell went to Venezuela, South America, and while there secured from President Crispo concessions for the construction of a long distance telephone service. After securing the concessions he had much to do in an executive way with the construction of fifteen hundred miles of trunk line through the Andes Mountains. This was the first extensive telephone system in South America, with seventeen local exchanges. Mr. Russell fell a victim to the yellow fever while in South America, and was cured by treatment of his own while twenty of his employes died of the disease. On another occasion he was directly instrumental in saving the life of President Crispo at the beginning of the Revolution. For that act he was decorated with the third degree of the Baste Bolivar. He has the distinction of being the only private citizen in the United States who ever received that decoration. Mr. Russell is also responsible for the telephone system between Guyaquile and Quito in Ecuador, South America. He is a Republican who has taken a prominent part in party councils. He served as a delegate from the Fourth Congressional District to the Republican National Convention which nominated Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. He is a member of the Masonic Order, the Elks and the Improved Order of Red Men. ROBERT MEHAFFEY. No history of Lima and Allen County would be complete without some record of the life and accomplishments of the late Robert Mehaffey, whose influence upon his own times was far-reaching and effective and has not passed, for the results accomplished by him remain and are a stimulating force in the community he loved so dearly. Robert Mehaffey was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, August 23, 1833, a son of John and Martha (Clarke) Mehaffey, of Scotch-Irish stock. John Mehaffey was born in Ireland and had the following children: James, Robert, Elizabeth and John, all of whom reached maturity. Of them James and Robert came to the United States, the others remaining in Ireland. The mother of Robert Mehaffey, Martha Clarke, was reared in the faith of the Presbyterian Church, but after her marriage identified herself with the Church of England, of which her husband was a communicant. Death depriving him of his mother when he was but sixteen, Robert Mehaffey was sent to London and made his home with an uncle, who gave him an allowance each month, which Robert carefully saved, and at the age of seventeen he and his brother. James came to the United States, making the trip earlier than they had planned on account of an epidemic of cholera then raging in London. They took passage on a sailing vessel from Liverpool, England, and after a long and weary voyage of fifty-three days, landed at Philadelphia. From the City of Brotherly Love they went on to Baltimore, Maryland, and then to Cumberland, Maryland, where they took the stage over the old National Pike into Wheeling, West Virginia, and thence continued their journey to Cincinnati, Ohio, by boat. Having insufficient funds to take them both to their destination, the home of their uncle, Samuel Clarke, near Beaver Dam, Allen County, Ohio, James preceded Robert, whom he left in Cincinnati for two or three weeks until money could be sent him from his uncle to complete his journey. At the expiration of this time Robert traveled by rail to Huntsville, Ohio, and from there walked to Lima and thence out to his uncle's home. His funds were again nearly exhausted. His entire capital when he reached Huntsville amounted to just a sixpence. For his food he depended upon the kindness of the wayside inn keepers. Among those who generously aided him was Mrs. Washburn of Lima, who not only gave him food, but remained his friend through life. When Robert was within about two miles of his uncle's farm of Mr. Huffman, of near Beaver Dam, approached on horseback and noticing the young man's exhausted condition dismounted and gave him his horse to ride the remaining distance. Mr. Mehaffey always remembered with deep gratitude Mr. Huffman's unselfish kindness to him, a total stranger. - 3 - 4 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY Upon reaching the home of his uncle Robert Mehaffey applied himself to farm work. He received a shilling a week and his board for his labors. He had some opportunity for study and educated himself. About two years later he moved to Lafayette, Ohio, and became an errand boy for Dr. Newton Sager, Sr., and later was made a clerk in the store owned by Dr. Sager, and continued in that good man's employ for a long period. Subsequently he established himself in a general store in the village, and developed into one of the enterprising and successful business men of that region. He continued to expand his business interests and became identified with many concerns of local importance. He was connected with a great number of the industries which contributed to the growth of Lima, and was through his force of character and ability a recognized leader of men and affairs. Mr. Mehaffey assisted in shaping the policies of the First National Bank of Lima and was elected to its presidency, but later sold his stock in this bank, being succeeded as president by Dr. Samuel A. Baxter. Upon the organization of the Merchants National Bank Mr. Mehaffey was elected its president, and filled that position for a number of years with dignified capability. Later on he was associated with R. W. Thrift in the "Merchants Bank," and was president of this institution also. One of the organizers and one of the original stockholders of the Metropolitan Bank, he served as its president until claimed by death. Abreast of the times, he was one of the first men to become an oil producer in Allen County, and developed large oil properties that produced upon an extensive scale. He was also interested in a number of leading industrial enterprises and owned a large block of stock in the Lima Times Democrat, serving as president of its publishing company until his death. A man of broad vision and possessing excellent judgment with reference to men and their motives, he was a wise adviser and was sought by men of moment, especially in the Democratic party, in whose workings he was extremely active, oftentimes being elected to local office. From 1857 to 1861 he served as postmaster of Lafayette, where he always maintained his residence, and in 1869 he was elected clerk of the courts, succeeding himself in the office and serving in it continuously for six years. In 1885 he was elected from the Thirty-second Senatorial District to the Upper House of the State Assembly of Ohio, was reelected and served a second term, during both sessions being on some of the most im¬portant committees. Mr. Mehaffey was a Blue Lodge Mason. He was a member and one of the founders of Christ Episcopal Church of Lima. Mr. Mehaffey served as a trustee of the Institution for Feeble Minded at Columbus, Ohio, for a period of twenty-one years. He received his first appointment from Governor Foraker March 19, 1887, and was reappointed by Governors McKinley, Bushnell, Nash and Harris. Mr. Mehaffey had been a member of the board longer than any other man, and was for many years president of the board, and was serving in that capacity at the time of his death, which occurred September 24, 1908, in Lafayette, Ohio. On August 19, 1856, Mr. Mehaffey was united in marriage with Mary Eleanor Richardson, a daughter of Joseph H. and Eda Richardson. They became the parents of the following children : William Robert, Eda Alice I, Eda Alice II, and George Edgar. William Robert Mehaffey, born in Lafayette, Ohio, December 12, 1857, was graduated from Kenyon College and was editor of the Allen County Democrat and later of the Times-Democrat, covering a period of twenty-five years. He was twice married, his first wife being Mary Brooks Stahl, born April 10, 1863, in Mount Vernon, Ohio. She was educated at Delaware, Ohio, and at Rye Seminary, New York, and her marriage to Mr. Mehaffey occurred October 10, 1883, at Delaware. She died March 18, 1899, mother of the following children: Robert Chisholm, who was born July 22, 1884; Eleanor Cowles, who was born October 10, 1885, and died in 1887; Joseph Cowles, who was born November 20, 1889, was graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1911, and is a major in the United States Army, and William Kenneth, who was born August 23, 1891, and died August 29, 1896. In November, 1907, William Robert Mehaffey married Mary Mount at Chatham, Ontario, Canada. The second child, Eda Alice, born to Robert Mehaffey and his wife, April 10, 1859, in Lafayette, died August 22, 1859. The second Eda Alice was born May 21, 1860, in Lafayette. She was graduated from the Cincinnati Wesleyan College in 1880. On December 4, 1884, she was married to R. M. C. Hill, M. D., who was born at Prospect, Ohio, June 19, 1860. Their one child, Alice Mehaffey Hill, was born at Knoxville, Tennessee, June 15, 1891. She was graduated from the Lima High School in 1909, from Vassar College in 1913. George Edgar, the fourth child of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mehaffey, was born February 14, 1872, at Lafayette, Ohio, was educated at the University of Tennessee, and has been officially connected with the Metropolitan Bank of Lima since 1891. He is also interested in several local enterprises. On April 11, 1894, at Lima, he married Edna Margaret Bell, who was born February 11, 1875, in Pekin, Illinois, daughter of Oscar White and Harriet (Clauser) Bell. They have two children : Donald Bell, who was born in Lima January 21, 1895, and Margaret Eleanor, who was born in Lima April 3, 1901. Donald Bell Mehaffey was married in Lima, Ohio, September 2, 1919, to Josephine Sherwood, daughter of Ethelyn Hager and D. L. Sherwood. Josephine was born at Plain City, Ohio, August 13, 1899. Mr. and Mrs. Donald Bell Mehaffey have one child, Patricia, born September 11, 1920, at Lima. Mary Eleanor, wife of Robert Mehaffey and mother of the above named children, was born in Greene County, Ohio, January 5, 1834. When two years of age she moved with her parents to Lima, where she was educated. She became a school teacher at the age of sixteen. For many years she has been an active and successful worker in the cause of temperance. She has been identified with practically every temperance movement of northwestern Ohio, beginning with the historic crusade. She has been a forceful worker and .member of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union for a period of forty or more years, and for twenty-four years of that time was county president of the Allen County organization, a record of which she is justly proud. It is needless to say that Mrs. Mehaffey is greatly gratified by the passage and ratification of the eighteenth amendment, although she realizes that there is still a great deal of work to be done in order to educate the general public along temperance lines. The Methodist Episcopal Church has in her one of its HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 5 earnest members and supporters, and she always gives her aid to every movement which promises to enhance the welfare of the community. Mrs. Mehaffey's ancestral line is traced back through intervening generations to her great-grandfather, William Richardson, Sr., who was born in 1748 or 1749 in Surrey County, North Carolina, and died in Rich Valley, Virginia, January 31, 1835. In 1768 or 1769 he married Rebecca Hays. During the American Revolution he served in the Washington County, Virginia, militia, under Colonel William Campbell. William Richardson, Jr., son of this patriot soldier and grandfather of Mrs. Mehaffey, was born March 23, 1783, in Rich Valley, in what is now Smith County but was formerly Washington County, Virginia, and originally Fincastle County. He died January 21, 1835. About 1807 he married Rhoda Hicks, born in Bland County, Virginia, in 1787, a daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Totten) Hicks. She died in Rich Valley, Virginia, April 9, 1847. Family tradition supports the statement that Joseph Hicks was of English descent and originally from Campbell County, Virginia. He was a soldier of the French and Indian War and in the American Revolution. Joseph Hicks was the second white man to enter the celebrated Burke's Garden in Virginia, going there as a pioneer. In what was then Tazewell County he acquired two hundred and ten acres of land which was surveyed by Alexander Suiter, Sr., under the Loyal Company's Grant, February 27, 1774. This Alexander Suiter was the first husband of Sarah Totten, who after his death was married to Joseph Hicks. A grant to the land was not obtained until 1807, when it was delivered to Joseph Hicks on March 20th of that year. This land has been added to until there are now five hundred acres in the property. A portion of the land which was acquired by William Richardson, Sr., in Fincastle County, Virginia, is still in possession of his descendants. William Richardson, Jr., also ha d an honorable military record, serving as a captain in the War of 1812, organizing his own company in Rich Valley, Virginia. Joseph Hicks Richardson, son of William Richardson, Jr., and father of Mrs. Mehaffey, was born in Rich Valley, Virginia, August 12, 1811, and died in Lima, Ohio, May 9, 1856. On December 23, 1830, he was married in Rich Valley to Eda Whitworth Smith, who was born in North Carolina August 16, 1809, and died at Lima May 13, 1874. To this union were born seven children, Elvira Cosby, Mary Eleanor (Mrs. Mehaffey), William Hamilton, Martha Jane, Eda America, Virginia Torte and Charles Smith. Joseph Hicks Richardson was a man of pronounced ability and excellent qualities of character, and he stood among the leading men of Allen County for many years. Coming to Ohio in an early day, he located in Greene County, where Mrs. Mehaffey was born. The family, as before stated, moved to Allen County, where for a number of years Mr. Richardson was engaged in teaching, first in the country schools and later in the Lima schools. In recent years he was honored by having one of Lima's school buildings "The Richardson" named for him. In 1845 he was elected auditor of Allen County and was re-elected in October, 1847. In the fall of 1851 he was elected clerk of Allen County. His wife belonged to the Baptist Church and was a woman of rare sweetness of character. Of their children Mrs. Mehaffey is now the only survivor. GEORGE HALL, D. D. S. It is not always easy to discover and define the hidden forces that move a life of ceaseless activity and large professional success; little more can be done than to note their manifestation in the career of the individual under consideration. Doctor Hall has long held distinctive prestige in a calling which requires for its basis sound mentality and rigid professional training and thorough mastery of technical knowledge, with the skill to apply the same. The gentleman whose name appears at the head of this paragraph is numbered among the successful and respected professional men of Allen County, where he has lived for more than a half a century. He also is numbered among that great army of defenders of the Union who in the dark days of the early '60s offered their lives on the altar of their country's freedom and perpetuity. By a life of consistent living and worthy purpose he has won the respect and esteem of the entire community. George Hall was born in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa, on May 24, 1842, and is the son of Harrison and Anna (Wright) Hall, both of Zanesville, Ohio. There they grew up together and eventually both families moved to Iowa, where subsequently the young couple were married. Harrison Hall engaged in the building and contracting business there until 1863, when he moved to Lima, Ohio, and continued in the same line of business. He bought nine houses and lots here and became extensively engaged in the real estate business. In 1868 he and his son George erected what is now the east part of the Lima House, which was then owned by John Shade, and many of the prominent buildings of that period were erected by him. He died in 1888, and his wife died at Columbus Grove, Ohio, in 1873. They were the parents of the following children : Eliza, deceased; George, the subject of this sketch ; William, of Detroit, Ohio ; Hattie, the wife of Daniel McComb, of Toledo ; Edward, of Toledo, Ohio ; and Rachel, deceased. George Hall attended the public schools of Davenport, Iowa, and later attended Cornell College at Mt. Vernon, Iowa, where he studied medicine and dentistry with the intention of devoting his life to the latter profession. However, his plans were interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War, and on April 24, 1861, he enlisted in the three-months' service as a member of Company A, First Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry. At the expiration of his first period of enlistment he re-enlisted at Mount Vernon, becoming a member of Company A of the Thirteenth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry, which became a part of the Army of the Tennessee. He took part in all the campaigns and battles in which that army had a part, including the siege of Atlanta, where on July 22, 1864, Mr. Hall was captured by the Confederates. He was confined in Andersonville and Florence prisons, enduring all the hardships and sufferings for which those prison pens became notorious, but on February 22, 1865, he succeeded in effecting his escape from Florence and rejoined his regiment at Wilmington, North Caroplina. In the spring of 1864 he had veteranized at Vicksburg, and he received his final discharge in July, 1865, after a most honorable and faithful service of over four years. After leaving the army Mr. Hall came to Lima, where his parents had located during his absence in the army, and here for a time he was associated 6 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY with his father in the business of contracting and building. This was aside from his main purpose, however, and in 1867 he formed a partnership with Dr. C. W. Swisher and engaged in dentistry. He was successful in that profession and has been engaged in it here continuously since that time. For ten years he and Dr. Swisher were associated in the work, at the end of which time Doctor Hall bought out his partner and formed a new association with Doctor Moon, but four years later Dr. Hall acquired sole ownership of the office and thereafter remained alone in the practice. He has through all these years enjoyed a high reputation in the community because of his professional attainments as well as because of his high personal character, and has commanded a representative clientele. Doctor Hall for a number of years took a prominent part in local public affairs, having served ten years continuously as postmaster of Lima under the administrations of Presidents Harrison and McKinley. He also served four years as a member of the City Council, a part of the time being president of that body. During that period he was instrumental in securing the construction of the sewers through the public square, the Timberlake sewer and the Banta sewer, and among other improvements inaugurated by him was a large amount of street paving and the building by the city of its own water works plant. He also served four years as a member of the City School Board and four years as city director. On October 13, 1870, Doctor Hall was married to Virginia Hackedorn, who was born at Cardington, Ohio, the daughter of George G. Hackedorn, a native of Ohio, and whose wife was also a native of this state. To Doctor and Mrs. Hall was born a son, Homer L., who was a successful dentist, but who died in 1899, at the age of twenty-four years; leaving a widow and daughter. Two children also passed away in infancy. Politically Doctor Hall has been a life-long supporter of the Republican party, and his religious membership is with the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, in which he has attained to the degree of Knight Templar, and has held many offices in the various bodies of this order. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of Mark Armstrong Post No. 202, Grand Army of the Republic, which he has served as commander three terms. He has received distinctive preferment at the hands of his old comrades by being elected commander of the Department of Ohio, Grand Army of the Republic. He also holds membership in the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. He is a trustee of the Allen County Historical Society and a member of the Board of Commerce. Such in brief is the record of one of Allen County's honored citizens, a man whom the people respect and admire because of his unassailable character, his public spirited support of the best things in the community life and his professional standing. To write in detail a full account of his long and useful life would require a much more elaborate article than the nature of this work admits or requires, but sufficient has been said to make it eminently consonant that this tribute to him be incorporated herein. JUDGE WILLIAM KLINGER. Ohio has always been distinguished for the high rank of her bench and bar. Many of her jurists and attorneys have been men of national fame, and among those whose lives have been passed on a quieter plane there is scarcely a town or city in the state but that can boast of one or more lawyers capable of crossing swords in forensic combat with many of the distinguished legal lights of the United States. While the growth and development of the state in the last three-quarters of a century has been marvelous, viewed from any standpoint, yet of no one class of her citizenship has she greater reason for just pride than her judges and attorneys. In Judge Klinger are found united many of the rare qualities that go to make up the successful lawyer and jurist. He possesses, perhaps, few of those brilliant, dazzling, meteoric qualities which have sometimes flashed along the legal horizon, riveting the gaze and blinding the vision for the moment, then disappearing, leaving little or no trace behind, but rather has those solid and more substantial qualities which shine with a constant luster, shedding light with steadiness and continuity. William Klinger, judge of the Common Pleas Court of Allen county, was born in ,Monroe township, this county, on the 11th day of September, 1870, and is the son of Philip and Mary (Naas) Klinger, both of whom were natives of Koenig, Germany. His paternal grandparents, Adam and Eva (Hofer) Klinger, came from the fatherland to the United States in 1852, landing at New York City, whence they worked their way out to Allen County, Ohio, and made settlement in Monroe township. The maternal grandparents, Christoph and Anna (Koch) Naas, came to Ohio from Westmoreland County Pennsylvania, in 1856, and two years later they came to Allen County, settling in Monroe township, in a Hessian settlement, a band of Germans having come here for settlement soon after the revolution of 1848 in their own country. Mr. Klinger's parents were married in Monroe township and spent the remainder of their lives there, the mother dying on April 3, 1916, and the father passing away on November 30, 1917. They were the parents of the following children: Anna, the wife of Jerome Snider, of Lima ; William, the immediate subject of this review ; John, of Lima; Louis C., who died at the age of two and a half years, and Clara, the wife of EL D. Allen, of Lima. William Klinger was reared on the paternal farmstead in Monroe township and attended the district schools of that neighborhood. At the age of seventeen years he began teaching school, which vocation he followed for four years, continuing to make his home with his parents during that period. After his marriage he and his wife attended the Normal College at Ada, Ohio, for four years, and then spent a year at Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Mr. Klinger was a student in the law department of the Michigan State University. He was admitted to the bar at Lima in June, 1895, and in the following year he formed a law partnership with Judge G. H. Quaill. Ten years later that relationship was dissolved and Mr. Klinger became associated with J. H. Secrest, which partnership was continued up to the time of Mr. Klinger's election to the bench of the Common Pleas Court, of which he became the incumbent on February 9, 1909. Judge Klinger is still presiding over this court, having been elected to a second term. From January 1, 1900, until HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 7 January 1, 1906, he served as prosecuting attorney of Allen County, discharging the duties of the office fearlessly and without favor. His career on the bench has been one of which Allen County may well be proud. He is universally recognized as a splendid citizen, of lofty character, sturdy integrity and high professional attainments, and as one of those who have lent dignity and honor to the legal profession in Ohio, and who brought to his chosen vocation the strength and devotion of a keen mind and earnest soul, it is most consonant that this specific mention of him appear in a work of this character. On February 28, 1892, Judge Klinger was married to Ida Hood, of Monroe township, Allen County, the daughter of John and Sarah (Hitchcock) Hood, the former of whom was a native of Maryland and the latter of Allen County. To Judge and Mrs. Klinger have been born two children, namely: Clarence H., born March 18, 1894, a lawyer in Lima, and Helen, born September 28, 1895, and now a student in Ohio State University. Judge Klinger resides in a comfortable and attractive home on his farm in American township, and there he finds splendid relaxation from the strain and inevitable monotony of professional labors. He takes a keen interest in agricultural affairs and is a member of the Sugar Creek Grange. Politically he is a democrat, while his fraternal relations are with Lodge No. 581, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a member of the German Reformed Church. The Judge is public spirited in his attitude towards all enterprises for the material, civic or moral welfare of the county, and is deservedly well liked among all classes. BENJAMIN A. GRAMM. In 1900, at the age of twenty-eight, Benjamin A. Gramm had earned the respect and confidence of a comparatively small circle of people in his home town of Chillicothe, where he was connected with one of the leading banks. Chillicothe was his home community. He was born there July 30, 1872, son of Adolph and Anna M. (Lauer) Gramm. His father was a native of Portsmouth, Ohio, and his mother of Chillicothe. Adolph Gramm was a cigar manufacturer and died in 1909, while the widowed mother is now living at Lima. Educated in the grammar and high schools of Chillicothe, Benjamin A. Gramm began his service with the First National Bank of Chillicothe as a messenger, and was with that institution seventeen years, reaching the post of assistant cashier. In the meantime, on April 10, 1894, he established a home of his own by his marriage to Minnie Young. She was born in Richfield Springs, New York, a daughter of Major John W. and Mary (Palmer) Young. Her father was a Union officer, served with the rank of major and was discharged as a colonel. He was in Libbey Prison, made his escape from that famous old warehouse, was recaptured, and experienced many sufferings and hardships. Mr. and Mrs. Gramm had two children: Willard Joseph and Mary Catherine. These are the facts of a normal American life, engaged in commonplace duties for the most part, with growing responsibilities of a business nature, with a home and with an interest in the community where his home and business are located. Mr. Gramm also had a play interest—a diversion. Mechanically inclined, he had become interested in the first experiments for perfecting motor driven vehicles. Perhaps more important still, he possessed that optimism which enabled him to look ahead and realize to some degree the wonderful achievements of the motor age. Nearly every community had a few motor cars, largely the one-cylinder type, in 1900. The application of automotive mechanism to freight trucks had been barely considered by the most ardent automobile engineers. Mr. Gramm for one believed that the difficulties of this application could be solved and that a wonderful future awaited practical automobile trucks. There is a picture still preserved showing the first Gramm commercial car, built in 1901. It was governed by a one-cylinder engine. His first experiments were made in a small shop of his own, but in 1964 he moved to the plant of the Logan Construction Company, then the largest in America for the manufacture of motor trucks. Here he produced "The Logan," the first two-cylinder truck. This was followed in 1906 by the first four-cylinder truck, and one of those trucks was still in use at Chillicothe thirteen years later. From Chillicothe Mr. Gramm moved in July, 1908, to Bowling Green, Ohio, where he organized the Gramm Motor Truck Company and continued with increased production for two years. On account of poor transportation facilities at Bowling Green a better location was sought. In the fall of 1910 members of the Lima Locomotive Company and Mr. M. Bernstein bought an interest in the Gramm industry and in the same fall a large plant was built at Lima. This plant was occupied in January, 1911, and the Gramm trucks were manufactured there until the spring of 1912, when the Lima Locomotive Company sold its interests to the Willis Company of Toledo. The plant was then taken over by the Gar ford Truck Company. In July, 1912, Mr. Gramm became associated with M. Bernstein in forming the present corporation, known as the Gramm-Bernstein Motor Truck Company of Lima. Mr. Bernstein is president and treasurer and Mr. Gramm vice president and general manager. In eight years this has become one of the largest motor vehicle industries in the world. The corporation's success has undoubtedly been due in part to limiting its production to one line, motor trucks exclusively. If there is one standardized name synonymous with motor trucks in the world today it is Gramm-Bernstein. Here Mr. Gramm has seen all his dreams and hopes realized. The great plant at Lima covers twelve acres and employs six hundred skilled workmen and about seventy-five laborers, and in addition to branches in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia there are dealers and representatives of the Gramm-Bernstein Motor Truck Company in all parts of the world. Mr. Gramm served in an advisory capacity during the conferences held in Washington in the summer of 1917 to design a motor and a motor truck which could be standardized by the Government for the United States Army. Known as "father of the motor truck industry" his counsel was indispensable to the success of the program, and many of the exclusive features of the Gramm-Bernstein were incorporated in what is known as the "Liberty Truck." The making of the first sample Liberty Truck was awarded the Lima Company, and by heroic efforts it was completed October 7, 1917, three days before the scheduled time. Taken to Washington under its own power, the truck stood the exacting tests and was publicly accepted October 29th, and a few days 8 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY later the first order for this class of Liberty Trucks was awarded a number of truck manufacturers, the Gramm-Bernstein Company receiving an order for one thousand. The Lima plant again achieved an honor by having the first fleet of thirty trucks completed, ahead of any other manufacturer, this fleet leaving the plant for the east on March 10, 1918. Hundreds of these trucks were doing duty behind battle lines in France before the great war came to an end. Since 1917 Mr. Gramm has been president of the National Motor Truck Association. He is a director and part owner of the Lima Steel Casting Company, a director and part owner in the South Side Commercial Star, is president of the Lima Manufacturers Association, is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, a director of the Lima Y. M. C. A., ;s a trustee of the Ohio Northern University at Ada, is a Knight Templar and thirty-second degree Mason, a member of the Elks, Lima Club, Shawnee Country Club, and is vice president of the Kiwanis Club. He is a trustee of the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. May 28, 1919, the Ohio Northern University conferred on Mr. Gramm the degree master of arts. HENRY ANDREW MOORE was for many years a prominent citizen of Allen County, and he married a daughter of the late Thomas J. Jacobs, one of Lima's most prominent old time business men and citizens. Mr. Moore was born in Butler County, Ohio, August 16, 1833, son of Andrew and Elizabeth (McTagart) Moore. His parents were born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were early settlers in Butler County, Ohio, and a few years after the birth of their son, Henry A., moved to Allen County, Ohio, and were among the pioneers of Prairie township. Henry Andrew Moore grew up in pioneer times, when schools were limited in number and in curriculum, and from boyhood had to make his own way in the world. In order to secure better training than he could get in his home community he went to Cincinnati and joined an uncle, a merchant in that city. He was in his employ several years, subsequently engaged in the grocery business for himself, but finally returned to Allen County and married Emeline Underwood. After his marriage he settled on a farm in Prairie township, but left the farm during the Civil war and moved to Lima. Here he was a general merchant and later engaged in the dry goods business. In 1880 he sold his business and was financially interested in Moore Brothers, wholesale grocers. He also owned much Lima real estate and was a real estate operator for a number of years. Mr. Moore died in Septmber, 1909. By his first marriage he had four children: Leone, Eva May (widow of Walter I. McNairy of Lima) and Edwin, twins, and Clifford. July 16. 1888, Mr. Moore married Editha Matilda Jacobs. Mrs. Moore was born in Lima in March, 1844, daughter of Thomas Kenny and Ann (Elder) Jacobs. Her father was a native of Juniata County, Pennsylvania, and her mother of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. Thomas K. Jacobs though he had no school advantages when a boy trained himself and was for many years regarded as one of the best posted men in Allen County. He saw to it that all his children had the very best school advantages. He came to Allen County at a very early day and entered land, including the southeast section of the present City of Lima. After his marriage in 1836 he left Pennsylvania, by canal to Pittsburgh, and thence came overland with wagons and teams to Ashland County, Ohio, and in 1838 moved to Lima, then a small town. He was one of the pioneer tailors at Lima, but later expanded his business to general merchandising and finally left merchandising to handle his extensive real estate and other property interests. Thomas K. Jacobs is remembered for his kindness of heart and practical philanthropy. In the early days the county made no provision for the care of orphan children, and when seven Jenkins children were left orphans Mr. Jacobs took charge of them, saw that they were placed in good homes, and one of the daughters he reared and educated. He also took care of several other children in a similar manner, and always showed the greatest interest in children as well as other unfortunates. His individual career was one of marked success. At one time he was financially interested but had nothing to do with the management of the Hurd & Jacobs Bank. This bank failed and Mr. Jacobs at once returned to Lima from the session of the Ohio State Legislature, of which he was then a member, and personally secured the deposits of all the widows and orphans and eventually paid off all the claims. For eight terms continuously he was treasurer of Allen County, and many times placed his own resources as guarantee for the payment of taxes for those who did not have the money for that purpose. Mr. Jacobs was associated with S. A. Baxter, Sr., F. H. Binkley and Daniel Boyer in platting what is known as the East Addition of Lima, including the land east of the Baltimore & Ohio tracks, north to North Street and south to the river. In 1861 he platted other land south of that addition to the river, and subsequently another addition south to Kibby street. Mr. Jacobs was a member of the State Legislature at the beginning of the Civil war, having been elected as a democrat. At the close of his term in the Legislature he returned to Lima and enlisted in the 99th Ohio Infantry, and served as quartermaster until March, 1865, when he resigned on account of disability. His death occurred November 12, 1884, having survived his wife, who died in 1880. Of their nine children only two are living, Mrs. Moore and Dr. Thomas K. Jacobs of Lima. Henry A. Moore by his second marriage had the following children : Emma Catherine, who lives with her mother ; Dr. Thomas K., of Akron ; Anna, who lives at home and is engaged in child welfare work at Lima ; Henry Stewart, who died at the age of thirty-five; and William Cloyd, of Monrovia, California. Mrs. Moore is an active member of the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church and her husband was on its Official Board for several years. She is a member of the College Woman's Club, the W. C. T. U., the Allen County Historical Society, the Women's Club, the Music Club and has many of the charitable interests that were distinctive of the career of her honored father. RINGGOLD WALKER MEILY. Prominent among the citizens of Lima who in the past have worked their way to honorable success in various lines of endeavor was the late Ringgold Walker Meily, a man who ever showed himself reliable and capable in the marts of commerce and trade and patriotic and HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 9 public-spirited as a citizen. His long and industrious career brought him financial independence and social prestige, and at his death, December 29, 1911, he left his family the priceless heritage of an honorable and honored name. Mr: Meily was, born at Lima, April 18, 1846, a son of John Henry and Catherine (Fisher) Meily, natives of Pennsylvania, and very early settlers of Lima, where Mr. Meily was first a carpet weaver and later the proprietor of a brick yard. He subsequently became one of the substantial men of the city, owning large properties, and served as clerk of the court and in other offices. Ringgold W. Meily received his education in the public schools and as a youth learned the trade of painter and decorator, gradually developing into a contractor and doing contract work for the whole section, including Lima and its surrounding communities. In 1868 he went to Kansas City, Missouri, where he fulfilled the contract of painting the bridge across the Missouri River, and likewise carried on other painting and decorating work in that region. Returning to Lima, he was married October 7, 1874, and at that time moved to Toledo, where he became foreman for a large firm of painters, a position which he held two and one-half years. He then returned to Lima and resumed his contracting work. In 1885 he was appointed postmaster of the city, serving four years, and free delivery was established during his term of office. After retiring from that position he took charge of his mother's real estate affairs and other matters. He was thus occupied until his death, being identified with a number of important business interests. A man of broad ideas, he held his friendships and lent his aid to those measures looking towards a further development of the city where his influence was so potent a factor for many years. Mr. Meily was a democrat, but took only a good citizen's interest in political affairs, his only public office being that of postmaster, in the discharge of the duties of which he displayed executive ability and conscientious devotion to his responsibiltes. Mr. Meily was married October 7. 1874, to Miss Julia E. Orbison, who was born at Troy, Miami County, Ohio, a daughter of James Telford and Elizabeth Jane (Adams) Orbison, natives of Troy. Mrs. Meily was graduated from the Troy High School in 1866, at which time she began teaching public and private schools. In the spring of 1868 she came to Lima and taught school for six years, then returning to Troy, where she taught until her marriage. She and her husband were the parents of two children : James Robb, of Lima, who married Ethel Heffner and has two children, Frances Julia and David Ringgold ; and Frederick Ringgold, who is unmarried and resides with his widowed mother in their pleasant modern home at No. 329 Northwest street. Mrs. Meily attends the Presbyterian Church, and is generous in her contributions to its movements. She is a member of the Allen County Historical Society, and is a lady of superior intellectual attainments and possesses numerous friends at Lima. JESSE H. HAMILTON has been engaged in the practice of law in the City of Lima since the year 1905, and has here served continuously as justice of the peace since 1915, his re-election for a second term having occurred in November, 1919. He has developed a successful law business, with a representative clientage, and his professional and official duties make ample demands upon his time and attention. Jesse Howard Hamilton traces his lineage back to Scotch origin on the paternal side, and the first representatives of the family in America settled in Pennsylvania in the colonial days. John Hamilton was born and reared in the old Keystone state and was an early settler in Columbiana County, Ohio, whence he later removed with his family to Hancock County, where he passed the remainder of his life and where he followed his trade of blacksmith in connection with his successful activities as a farmer. His son Jonathan, father of the subject of this review, was a child at the time of the family removal to Hancock County, where he became a prosperous farmer and where was solemnized his marriage to Sarah Ann Anderson, Jesse H., of this review, having been the fifth in order of birth of their seven children. Jonathan Hamilton was a gallant soldier of the Union in the Civil war, in which he served from 1862 until the close of the great conflict, he having been a member of Company B, Eighty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Jesse H. Hamilton was born in Orange Township, Hancock County, on the 25th of January, 1878, and he acquired his early education in the district schools of Hancock County until he was nineteen years of age. That he made good use of his advantages is evidenced by the fact that he then proved his eligibility for pedagogic honors and became a successful teacher in the district schools. He taught in Jackson, Bath and American townships, Allen County, and in the meanwhile continued his own educational discipline by attending Ohio Northern University at Ada, where he prosecuted courses in both the literary and law departments. In 1905 he received from this institution the degree of Bachelor of Laws, and he was forthwith admitted to the bar of his native state. He at once engaged in practice in the City of Lima, where he has been successful both as a well fortified counsellor and a resourceful trial lawyer. He was elected probate judge of Allen County in November, 1920, and took his seat February 9, 1921. He is a stockholder of the Potter Motor Company at Lima, is a staunch advocate and supporter of the principles of the republican party, is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America, the Sons of Veterans, the Protected Home Circle, the Loyal Order of Moose and the Knights of Pythias, and both he and his wife hold membership in the Presbyterian Church. In 1905 was recorded the marriage of Mr. Hamilton to Miss Effa Harshe, daughter of James and Margaret (Brosher) Harshe, of Hardin County, and the two children of this union are Harold L., who was born in 1906, and Jean M., born in 1921. JACOB PIPER. The man who is engaged in handling foodstuffs is confronted with problems which never before entered into the business life of this country. and when he gives good quality, excellent service and charges reasonable prices he is proving himself to be a man of more than ordinary ability, provided that his returns show a profit. The old days of plenty are gone, perhaps forever. The exhaustion of reserve stocks by the lavish generosity to war- devastated regions, lack of normal production by farmers and manufacturers and interrupted railroad transportation, combined with the unprecedented rise in overhead expenses, have all contributed toward 10 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY the changes in the business world which are felt by everyone, rich and poor, old and young. Therefore the successful merchant of today deserves much more credit for what he is accomplishing than did the one who operated a decade ago. One of these reliable and efficient merchants of Allen County who gained and held the confidence of the public is Jacob Piper, until recently sole proprietor of Piper's Grocery of Lima, located at 131-135 West Market street, the largest establishment of its kind in the entire county. Mr. Piper retired from business on the 1st of March, 1921. He was born at Sidney, Ohio, on January 19, 1855, a son of Jacob Piper, a German by birth, who left his native land in young manhood and came to the United States and located at Lima, Ohio, in 1838. Later he moved to Sidney, Ohio, where he opened a general store and conducted it until 1876, in which year he retired. He died in that place during 1903, his wife having passed away in 1888. They had six children, four of whom are living, and of them all Jacob Piper was the fourth in order of birth. Jacob Piper, whose name heads this review, went through the high school course at Sidney, Ohio, completing it by the time he was nineteen years old. His father believed in teaching his children to be helpful, and had him make himself useful about the store, and when he retired Jacob, the younger, with his brother took over the business, conducting it under the name of Piper Brothers until 1900, when Mr. Piper came to Lima and bought the business owned by John Wheeler, then the oldest grocer of the city. The store was at the present location, but Mr. Piper enlarged his quarters, installed new fixtures, entirely remodeled it, and had one of the best equipped establishments in this part of the state. He is a stockholder in the Lima Trust Company. In 1888 Mr. Piper was married to Agnes Line, a daughter of David and Sarah (Robinson) Line, of Sidney, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Piper have no children. In his political views Mr. Piper is a strong republican. He is both a York and Scottish Rite Mason and has attained to the thirty-second degree, and he also belongs to the Knights of Pythias. For some years he has been a forceful factor of the Lima Club, the Lima Chamber of Commerce, the Merchants Association, the Grocers Association and has held office in several of these organizations. In his religious faith he is a Methodist, and belongs to the local church of his denomination. Recognizing as he does the necessity for the introduction and maintenance of modern methods in civic affairs, Mr. Piper has always willingly given his support to those movements having such objects in view, and is recognized as one of the most public-spirited men of the city and county. JOHN DAVISON, Though as an educator and lecturer his name and career belong to the state and even to the nation, Dr. John Davison is almost entirely an Allen County product and citizen, his ancestors were pioneers here, and the best years of his own life have been lived in Lima or in the immediate vicinity. He was born at West Newton in Allen County July 22, 1858. The family name was originally spelled Davisson, but Doctor Davison's father omitted one s. The paternal grandparents were John and Mary (Critchfield) Davisson. John Davisson, a native of Clarksburg, now in West Virginia, had attained distinction in his native state, was a planter and slave owner, served as a member of both branches of the legislature and as high sheriff of his county. His affairs becoming involved, he left Virginia with a small residue of his property and in 1834 reached Champaign County, Ohio, and in the fall of that year came up over the trail through the timber to the southeast corner of Allen County. Here he entered a tract of timbered land. The following winter was spent in Champaign County, and then with two sons and a daughter he returned to his land, cleared away some of the trees and cut enough logs to erect the typical pioneer home of that day. The strenuous undertaking of making a pioneer home was too much for him. He had not been accustomed to hard physical labor, and endured many disappointments, and the hardships connected with establishing a new home prostrated him. Though he was removed to Urbana, Ohio, and given care and comfort he died there in the spring of 1835. His two sons with their mother and sister then returned to Allen County and carried forward the work begun by the father. One of the sons was Amaziah Davison, who was born at Bridgeport, Harrison County, Virginia, September 21, 1822. He bought the interests of the other heirs in the Allen County homestead, readily adapted himself to the pioneer circumstances in which he lived, and achieved success as a farmer and became a man of influence in the community where he lived nearly sixty years, until his death on November 24, 1895. He served as a trustee of Auglaize Township, became a republican in politics, was a Baptist and a member of the Masonic order. On April 8, 1852, he married Eliza Nye, who for several years had been a successful and popular teacher in Allen County. She was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, March 24, 1829, daughter of George and Sarah (Paschal) Nye, who had come to Ohio from Berkeley County, Virginia. Eliza Davison, whose cultured mind and character exercised a strong influence over her children, died June 24, 1904. Her children were: Dr. Monroe, who was born December 12, 1855, and died October 23, 1907, after a long and useful career as a physician and surgeon at West Newton; John Albert, who was born January 22, 1861, and for many years has been a business man at McKeesport, Pennsylvania ; and Belle, born May 30, 1863, wife of James A. McCartney, of Lima. Dr. John Davison grew up on a farm, and more or less through all the years of his career has kept in active touch with agricultural matters. He attended the village schools of West Newton and is a graduate of the Ohio Northern University at Ada, receiving his first degree in 1883. His scholarship and varied attainments have earned him various scholastic honors, represented in the following degrees with the dates of their conferring : Pd. B. 1883, B. S. 1889, B. L. 1891, M. S. 1893, M. L. 1902, and Ph. D. 1912. Dr. Davison for about ten years was superintedent of schools at Elida, Ohio, and from 1895 to 1899 was Dean of the Normal Department of the Lima Lutheran College. He was professor of Literature in the Ohio Northern University at Ada from 1899 to 1905, and for the next ten years was superintendent of the public schools of Lima. Since 1915, though retaining his home in Lima, he has been vice president and Dean of the Ohio North- HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 11 ern University at Ada.. He has owned his home properly in Lima since 1895. March 24, 1886, Dr. Davison married Miss Clara E. Hay, who was born in Auglaize township of Allen County December 8, 1865, daughter of James and Isabell (Falkner) Hay. Her father was an early settler of Allen County, and spent his life as a farmer and business man. Her mother was born in Champaign County, Ohio, December 28, 1838. Doctor and Mrs. Davison have four children : Evelyn, born January 5, 1889, a graduate of Oxford College for Women at Oxford, Ohio, has for several years been a high school teacher ; Walter, born September 16, 1890, is a graduate of the law school of Ohio State University and, is now in practice at Tulsa, Oklahoma; Joseph Homer, born October 16, 1894, completed his education in the Ohio State University, and lives at Lima ; and John Hay, born June 16, 1903, is still at home. He graduated from the Central High School in 1921 and was president of the senior class. Doctor and Mrs. Davison have long been identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has served in the capacities of superintendent or teacher of Sunday schools for over forty years. He is a republican, and is a member off the Allen County Historical Society, the Ohio State Teachers' Association, the National Education Association and, the National Superintendents' Association. Doctor Davison has been a popular and entertaining lecturer ever since 1885, and his professional engagements have covered practically the entire United States. During this time he has delivered about twelve hundred commencement addresses. more than two thousand lectures before teachers and popular assemblages, and in this way has carried the benefit of his long experience and thought to thousands of people outside the range of his influence as a teacher and school administrator. Doctor Davison also served five years as deputy state inspector of oils, and at one time was city examiner of teachers at Lima. T. C. PENNELL, of Lima, is one of the veteran oil operators whose connections with the great fields of Western Pennsylvania began nearly half a century ago, when nearly all the petroleum oil produced in this country came from Pennsylvania. His operations were extended over most of the western counties of that state, and more than thirty years ago he became identified with the drilling in Northwestern Ohio and continued his operations until a few years ago. Mr. Pennell was born in Erie County, New York, in November, 1848, a son of Randolph and Caroline (Burrows) Pennell. His father was a native of Ontario County, New York. T. C. Pennell acquired his education in the common schools of Livingston County, and was sixteen years of age when he was attracted into the oil country around Titusville, Pennsylvania. His first experience was as a teamster, but he became fascinated with the oil industry and in time acquired a practical knowledge of every phase of oil well production. He was a driller until 1878, when he removed to Bradford, Pennsylvania, and later to Allegheny County, New York. In time he owned an outfit of his own and drilled in many different fields. In 1886 he came to Lima and continued his independent operations as a driller, and for three or four years was also employed by the Ohio Oil Company in its development work. Later he became an independent producer, and brought in a number of valuable wells in Northwest Ohio. Since 1917 he has been retired from the oil industry, but still retains some financial interests, including stock in the Lima Gazette, the National Supply Company and the Lima Telephone Company. In 1888 Mr. Pennell married Miss Anna Tabler, a native of Allen County and daughter of G. W. and Sarah Elizabeth (Goldsmith) Tabler, the former a native of Perry County, Ohio, and the latter of Allen County. Mrs. Pennell's maternal grandfather, William Goldsmith, was one of the earliest settlers of Allen County. Mr. Pennell during the summer of 1917 completed a beautiful home at 670 West Market street, where he and his family now reside. He has two daughters, Stella and Hazel, the latter the wife of Herbert Tuttle, of Toledo. Mrs. Pennell and her daughters are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. From 1892 to 1902 Mr. Pennell lived at Gibsonburg, Ohio, and while there served three terms on the city council and three years as a member of the school board. He has always been affiliated with the republican party, and is a thirty-second degree Mason and a member of the Lima Club. REV. WILLIAM S. GOTTSHALL. The name of Gottshall has been a prominent one in religious work in the United States ever since the advent of the Rev. Jacob Gottshall, the second Mennonite preacher in America. Among the descendants of this good and brilliant man fourteen were at one time preaching the Gospel, and of these one who has long been prominent in the councils of this denomination is the learned, pious and greatly-beloved preacher in charge of the Swiss Mennonite Church at Bluffton, Rev. William S. Gottshall. Reverend Gottshall was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, June 23, 1865, a soli of Rev. Moses and Mary (Shelly) Gottshall. His father was born on the same farm in that county, a property which had been originally purchased by the great-grandfather of Rev. William S. Gottshall, and which is now occupied by the fifth veneration of the family. Rev. Moses Gottshall passed his life in the vicinity of Schwenkville, Pennsylvania, where he preached to the same congregation for forty-one years, and where his son later -preached for twenty- one years. While Moses Gottshall had only a common school education, he was a natural orator, was possessed of fire and zeal, and won many souls for his Master. By his first marriage eight children were born, two of whom died in infancy and only one is living at this time, Jacob, who is living in retirement at Fleetwood, Pennsylvania. Of his second marriage two children were born, and the only one living is the subject of this sketch. Rev. William S. Gottshall spent his boyhood days on the old family farm and acquired his primary education in the common schools, after leaving which he attended the Perkiomenville school to prepare himself for teaching. While teaching in the winter months he attended Ursinus College, a reformed institution, during the summer seasons, and thus took a theological course in full, being duly graduated in 1889. In the meantime, in 1886, he had been elected his father's assistant, and subsequently placed in charge at Schwenkville, where, as before 12 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY noted, he preached for twenty-one years. Later Reverend Gottshall was placed in charge at Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he remained until 1909, in that year coming to Bluffton to take charge of three churches. In the spring of 1918 he was relieved of the First Mennonite Church. Reverend Gottshall is greatly esteemed and beloved by his people, who have found in him not only a spiritual guide, but a business counsellor and a warm-hearted and self-sacrificing friend. Aside from his ministerial labors in his own community he has performed splendid services to his church, having been formerly secretary of the Eastern Conference for sixteen years ; a member of the board of managers of the Eastern Conference Home for the Aged; business manager of the Publication Board for several years; a member of the Foreign Mission Board of the General Conference for three years; and a member of the Home Mission Board of the General Conference for twenty-four years, of which he was twelve years treasurer and twelve years president of this body, holding the latter position at the present time. He has also served five years as a member of the Board ore Trustees of Bluffton College and as president of the Middle District Conference two years, and at present is chairman of the Evangelization Committee of the Middle District. On September 22, 1886, Reverend Gottshall married Miss Nancy Von Nieda, who was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and educated in the public schools there, and four children have been born to this union: Aaron E., born October 13, 1889, a graduate A. B. of Brown University, who is superintendent of a division of the United States Revenue Department ; Jennie, born January 24, 1892, a graduate of Bluffton College Academy and wife of Rev. P. J. Boehr, a missionary of the Mennonite Church at Tung Ming Hsien, China ; Flora, born February 27, 1896, a graduate of Bluffton College, who teaches in high school and resides with her parents ; and Paul H., born February 12, 1898, attending Bluffton College. MILAN E. TONEFF. Keen of intellect, alert and far-sighted, Milan E. Toneff, who came to this country from far-away Macedonia, is a typical representative of the foreign born citizens that have met with eminent success since coming to the United States, his position among the successful merchants of Lima, Allen County, being especially noteworthy. He was born March 15, 1889, at Radovich, Macedonia, Turkey, where his parents, Elia and Evangeline Toneff, have spent their entire lives, and where for many generations the Toneff family have been engaged in mercantile pursuits. At the age of nineteen years, being adventurous and ambitious, Milan E. Toneff bade goodbye to his family and friends and immigrated to America. First locating in Chicago, Illinois, he studied for a short time at the Moody Institute in order to prepare himself for the ministry, and later spent six months at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, taking the English course while there. Returning to Chicago, Mr. Toneff was for a few months employed in the Rothschild Department Store on State Street. Not content with that position, he was for three years a laborer on the tracks of different railroads, including among others the Northwestern Railroad. Going then to Benton, Wisconsin, he was for sixteen months employed as a miner in the zinc mines, and later worked in a grocery six months. Continuing in Benton, Mr. Toneff embarked in mercantile pursuits, opening a store of general merchandise, and was very successful in its management, during the three years that he operated it increasing the value of his stock from $180 to $14,000. The World war being then in progress, Mr. Toneff enlisted at Camp Grant, Illinois, as a private in the United States Army, and was there kept as a member of the Supply Company, One Hundred and Sixty-First Depot Brigade, until receiving his discharge from the service on December 12, 1918. Locating on June 13, 1918, in Lima, Mr. Toneff bought the H. D. Allen Grocery at 688 South Main Street, and has since managed it with genuine success, his trade being largely extended and quite remunerative. Mr. Toneff married April 9, 1918, Vera Vinaroff, a daughter of E. and Mary Vinaroff, of Granite City, Illinois, and they have one child, Nedelko Toneff, a year and a half old. Politically Mr. Toneff is a republican, and religiously he is a Christian Scientist. NELSON MCBRIDE is one of the oldest living native sons' of Allen County, son of a real pioneer, and his life has been one of more than ordinary eventfulness, influence and service. While in earlier years business and other duties took him much from home, the strongest ties and associations of his long life have been centered in one locality. His birth occurred March 25, 1838, at Adelphia, Ross County, Ohio, and he is a son of Alexander and Leah (Wolf) McBride. His grandfather was also named Alexander, was a Revolutionary soldier, and after the close of the war for independence settled in Southwestern Pennsylvania, in Washington County, where he cleared and developed a tract of land. Subsequently he removed to Ross County, Ohio, and settled near the first capital of Ohio, Chillicothe. His last years were spent at Adelphia in Ross County. He married in Washington County a Miss Miller, and their family consisted of three daughters and one son. The son, Alexander McBride, was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and lived all his life as a farmer. The date of his permanent coming to Allen County was 1834. He found a rugged and sparsely settled district, went through the trials and hardships of other early settlers, and acquired a large farm of 300 hundred acres and was always regarded as a man of most substantial influence. He cleared up a large part of the land himself, and lived there until his death, in 1875. His wife passed away in 1885. They were the parents of ten children, four daughters and six sons. Nelson was the fourth in age, and is the second among two living brothers. Nelson McBride has boyhood recollections of an environment that has been wonderfully changed and transformed by the passage of years. The first school he attended was in a log house, and his schooling was limited to a few months each winter. From an early age he shared in all the physical toil which was the lot of pioneers in clearing the forests, facilitating drainage, grubbing the stumps and preparing the land for cultivation. When the Civil war came on he tried to get into the Union army but his health prevented. He then tried to HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 13 fit himself for some other duty that would make him available to the cause. With this in view he attended Westerville College at Westerville, Ohio, for two terms in 1863 and graduated as an accountant from the Iron City Business College at Pittsburgh. Even with this preparation, paid for by himself, since there was no students army training corps in the Civil war, he did not realize his ambition to serve the country during the dark days of the sixties. Returning home, Mr. McBride formed a business partnership with Jacob Metzler, under the name of Metzler & McBride, and began a long and profitable association in the wholesale stock buying and shipping industry. One of the partners looked after the business in Chicago and the other in the eastern markets. For twelve years they were a firm of known integrity and splendid judgment, and their operations extended over several states in the buying of cattle and hogs. Mr. McBride gave up that line of business and turned his attention to the operation of his farm. He bought the interests of the other heirs in his father's homestead, and now owns between five hundred and fifty and six hundred acres, comprising some of the very best land in Allen County. He has always employed a sound business judgment and management to his farming, and has realized a more than ordinary success. Since 1911 he has been practically retired from heavy work, though he still lives on his farm and oversees its management. He has lived a clean life, spent much of his time out of doors, and still possesses his faculties with only moderate infirmities of age. He is a stockholder in the Lima Home & Savings Bank, the South Side Loan Bank, the Allen County Loan Bank and the Citizens Bank, and was one of the large investors in Liberty Bonds in Allen County. While Mr. McBride has never posed as an orator he has the gift of ready speech and on many occasions, political and otherwise, has shown the ability of forceful and concise utterance. In politics he has always been a staunch democrat. In 1869 he was appointed deputy to County Auditor S. J. Brand, and filled that position five years. He then became a candidate for auditor on the democratic ticket, was elected in 1874 and re-elected in 1876. After a third candidacy in 1878 the tide of politics ran against him. In 1912 he was elector at large from Ohio, and had the pleasure of casting one of the votes in the electoral college for Woodrow Wilson. He was a member of the school board for forty- eight years. He takes a deep interest in all things pertaining to education. Both he and his wife taught school many years in Allen County. Mr. McBride while always a man of action has also been a philosophic observer of events. He has seen America go through many crises of war and economic troubles. Events in recent years have strengthened his opinion that the three worst evils in this country are too much greed, too much haste, and too much expediency in statesmanship. Mr. McBride has one of the fine country homes of Allen County, and it has been shared for over thirty years by a wife who also represents a pioneer family of the county and whose interests and activities make her one of the county's prominent women. Both are deeply interested in the life of previous generations and have done much to preserve some of the historical records of by-gone days. Mr. and Mrs. McBride were married November 5, 1889. Mrs. McBride bore the maiden name of Florence Genette Doner. A few years ago she completed a long investigation of family records and had the data published in an interesting pamphlet, "History of the Doner Family." As the Doners came to Allen County eighty-five years ago, it is only fitting that some of the facts contained in this pamphlet should be noted here as bearing on the history of one of the oldest and most substantial names in this part of Ohio. Mrs. McBride is a descendant of Christian Doner, who was born in Center County, Pennsylvania, March 12, 1762. In 1793 he married Nancy Friesener, born in the same state June 10, 1765. In 1819 the entire family left Pennsylvania and settled in Fairfield County, Ohio, where Christian Doner died in 1831 and his wife on November 18, 1840. These pioneers were Lutherans, and a large part of their descendants today are of the same faith. Most of them have been farmers, and still own and occupy some of the best and most beautiful country homes in Allen, Fairfield, and Van Wert counties, while others have gone to Indiana, Illinois and other states. The oldest child of this pioneer couple was Abraham Doner, who was born January 15, 1795, in Center County, Pennsylvania. He grew up there and on May 2, 1815, married Catherine Swisher, who was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, September 25, 1794, daughter of Joseph Swisher. Abraham Doner accompanied the family migration to Fairfield County in 1819, and in April, 1835, with his own family, moved into the wilderness of Allen County, a journey requiring two weeks, and part of their way they blazed through the woods. They stopped on the bank of Honey Run, erected their firest shelter with the aid of pioneer neighbors, and Abraham Doner acquired two hundred acres, a part of which remained in the family until 1910. He was one of the first Lutherans in that community, and by his efforts established worship in that faith, at first with informal meeting places. In 1839 he was licensed to preach, and for many years gave his time and strength to the organization of Lutheran Churches over Allen, Auglaize, Hardin and Van Wert counties. He served his home congregation at Elida from 1839 until the fall of 1852. He also aroused the first interest in a Lutheran Church at Lima. It was the stress and strain of pioneer travel on horseback through swamp and woods in pursuit of his ministerial duties that wore him out, and on April 25, 1854, he died at the age of fifty- nine. His body was laid to rest in the Trinity- Lutheran churchyard at Elida, where also rests his wife, his wife's father and many other relatives of the family. He was the father of nine children, the first three born in Pennsylvania and the others in Fairfield county. The second son of Abraham Doner was Abraham Doner, who was born in Fairfield County June 1, 1821, and from the age of fourteen lived in Allen County, where he bought a hundred acres of the old homestead after his father's death. In the spring of 1862 he enlisted in the Union army, and served until the close of the struggle. Except for a few terms of teaching in early years he was a life long agriculturalist, and died at his home a mile west of Elida September 3, 1878, at the age of fifty-seven. He became a member of the Lutheran Church at Elida at the time of its organization. October 26, 14 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY 1854, Abraham Doner married Louisa Holtsapple. She was his second wife. His first wife, Sarah Stemen, whom he married in 1846, died in 1853, the mother of three children. Louisa Holtsapple was the mother of four children. The youngest daughter is Florence Genette McBride, who was born in Amanda township of Allen County, February 27, 1857, and has spent her entire life in and near Elida, within two miles of the place of her birth. HENRY PARHAM. The late Henry Parham was a Christian in the truest and higest sense of the word, and carried his religion into his everyday life, making the world the better for his passage through it. When he died at Lima the city mourned his loss, for it realized that in his death the community had lost one of its best citizens. Mr. Parham was born at Warren, Ohio, March 27, 1841, a son of Charles _and Rebecca (Davis) Parham, natives of England and Wales, respectively, who came to the United States when young. They were married at Warren, Ohio, where he carried on a carriage painting business for a time, later moving to Deerfield, Portage County, Ohio, where he became a farmer, and there both he and his wife died. Henry Parham was reared on his father's farm in Portage County until he was eighteen years of age, at which time he went to Revenge, Ohio, and worked at the harness making trade and was also connected with a hardware store of that place. In April, 1868, he came to Lima,, and in partnership with Eli P. King went into a hardware business in this city, continuing in it for about four years, when he sold his interest and established himself as a dealer in agricultural implements and buggies at 130 East High Street. Until 1908 he continued this business and then retired. His death occurred April 9, 1912. In 1890 he erected a fine frame residence at 714 West North Street, and here his widow is still living. During the war between the States Mr. Parham did his duty as a loyal Union man, serving as corporal of Company G. One Hundred and Thirty- First Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served for one hundred days. On June 30, 1863, he enlisted in Company B, Fourteenth Battalion, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Captain King, and did guard duty at Johnson Island, receiving his honorable discharge April 2, 1866. On April 18, 1868, Mr. Parham was married to Sarah B. Howland, who was born at Revenge, Portage County, Ohio, December 29, 1852, a daughter of Frank and Margaret '(Armstrong) Howland, natives of Connecticut and Ireland. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Parham were Benjamin and Abigail Howland, and they were born in Connecticut, he being a direct descendant of John Howland, who was born in England and came to Plymouth, Massachusetts, on the historic "Mayflower." Mr. and Mrs. Parham have one daughter, Edith, who married Frank Kelley, of Huntington, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Kelley have three children, namely: Mary Elizabeth, Henry Parham and Joseph Allen. Mr. and Parham became connected with Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church upon coming to Lima, and he was on its official board as recording secretary for about thirty years. A republican, he served in the city council for several terms, and was ever mindful of the best interests of his community. Mr. Parham belonged to the Masonic fraternity and to the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic. It would have been difficult to find a man who was more deserving of the esteem and confidence of his neighbors than this kind-hearted, upright, honorable Christian gentleman, and his memory is still cherished by those who knew him. CHARLES FRED MALZEN has been instrumental in giving Lima its chief industry representing the clothing trades, and is president and executive head of the Apex Skirt & Dress Company, a business whose products are distributed through many of the states of the Union. Mr. Malzen, who began his experience in garment manufacture as a boy, was born at Buffalo, New York, August 30, 1873. His parents, Charles Fred and Mary Marie (Yeager) Malzen, came from Germany, locating at Buffalo, where the father had charge of the coal docks of S. Williams & Company. Both parents are now deceased, the mother having died while visiting her son in Lima. Charles Fred Malzen attended the German parochial schools at Buffalo and began earning his own living at the age of thirteen. Aside from five months of experience his first job, as an employe of J. M. Pierce & Company, manufacturers of bird cages and refrigerators, his work has always been in tailoring and garment manufacture. For seven years he went through the grades of apprenticeship and journeyman work for William Schworm, a merchant tailor. After that he was with Henderson & Lielsure, ladies' tailors at Bradford, Pennsylvania. In the meantime he had become a member of Company C of the 16th Regiment of the Pennsylvania National Guard, and when the Spanish- American war came on he volunteered and was transferred to the First Division under General Glen, First Army Corps, and was sent to Porto Rico, but while on the way was taken ill and was returned to the hospital at Charleston, South Carolina. Discharged from hospital seventeen weeks later, he went to Buffalo and reported for duty, but was held in waiting seventy days until his regiment returned. He was mustered out of the United States service at Bradford, Pennsylvania, December 27, 1898. After this military experience Mr. Malzen went to Cleveland, Ohio, and was employed at his trade as a ladies' tailor for S. Korach & Company. He was with that firm until 1910, and on the first of June of that year came to Lima and with L. McElroy, engaged in the manufacture of skirts and dresses. Their partnership being dissolved a year and a half later, he then incorporated the Apex Skirt & Dress Company, of which he is president, with Lee Copeland, vice president, and B. L. Apple- man, secretary and treasurer. At the start the working force comprised only four, including the members of the company. Now the company employes a hundred thirty-two experienced operators, and their output is sold through the states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, California, Utah, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska. Their special lines of manufacture are dresses and aprons. Besides the business at Lima they conduct a plant at Napoleon, Ohio, and another at Spencerville. Mr. Malzen has personal charge of the Lima plant at 122-124 South Union street, where the business occupies two floors, 65 x 87 feet. Mr. Malzen is also a director in the Lima Coal Company, and is a stockholder in the Lily White HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 15 Oil Company and the Potter Motor Equipment Company. He is a Republican, is a thirty-second degree Mason and Shriner, a member of Council No. 17 of the United Commercial Travelers at Lima and a member of the Lima Club. His home is at 1217 Brice avenue. August 9, 1893, he married Sadie A. Davis, who was born at Middlesex, Pennsylvania, daughter of Cyrus Clark and Elizabeth (Bridget) Davis. Her father was born in Scotland of Irish parentage and her mother in Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Malzen have two children, both at home, Artridge and Mary. EUGENE TULLIUS LIPPINCOTT. One of the leading lawyers and representative citizens of Allen County is Eugene T. Lippincott, of Lima. His has been an eminently active and useful life, but the limited space at the disposal of the biographer forbids more than a casual mention of the leading events in his career, which will suffice to show that earnest endeavor and honesty of purpose rightly applied and persistently followed will lead to unqualified success. He is not only prominent in his profession, but is a man of influence in local affairs, being looked upon as a man in thorough sympathy with any movement for the betterment or advancement in any way of the community. Eugene T. Lippincott was born in Allen County on September 22, 1877, and is the son of James M. and Mary E, (Stewart) Lippincott, of Beaver Dam, this county. On both the paternal and maternal sides he is descended from sterling old pioneer stock of this locality, his paternal grandparents being James Turner and Mary (Kidd) Lippincott, early settlers of Rockport, while on the maternal side he is descended from Alexander and Sarah (Rockhill) Stewart, the former a native of Ross County, Ohio, and the latter of Allen County. Both families came to Allen County at a very early date and bought tracts of timber land, which they cleared and developed into good farms. James M. and Mary E. Lippincott after their marriage settled on a farm that he owned at Beaver Dam, and there he still resides, at the age of seventy years. His wife died in March, 1910, at the age of fifty-six years. They became the parents of two children, the subject of this sketch and his brother and business partner, Otis T. Eugene T. Lippincott was reared at home and attended the public schools of his home neighborhood. Ambitious for a higher education and a professional career, he further pursued his studies in the Ohio Northern University, the Ohio Wesleyan University, Western Reserve University and the law department of the University of Chicago, where he was graduated in 1906. Immediately thereafter he came to Lima and engaged in the practice of his profession, to which he has closely devoted his energies since. He is in partnership with his brother, Otis T., and together they form one of the strongest and most successful law firms in this section of the state, enjoying large and lucrative clientele. Mr. Lippincott has been connected with much of the most important litigation in this and neighboring courts and has achieved a splendid record as a trial lawyer. In the trial of cases he is uniformly courteous to court and opposing counsel, caring little for display, never losing a point for the purpose of creating a favorable impression, but seeking to impress the jury rather by weight of facts in his favor and by clear and logical argument. Politically Mr. Lippincott is a republican and takes a keen interest in public affairs, especially as pertaining to the welfare of his community. In the fall of 1917 he was appointed assistant prosecuting attorney. He served so successfully in this capacity that in November, 1920, he was elected prosecuting attorney of Allen County by the largest majority ever given any candidate of any party. He and his wife are members of the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is a member of the board of trustees. He is deeply interested in the work of the Sunday school, in which he is the teacher of the Men's Brotherhood class. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Tribe of Ben Hur, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Loyal Order of Moose, all in Lima. He is also a member of the Lima Club and the Kiwanis Club. He is keenly interested in the breeding of high-class live stock, especially of registered Berkshire hogs and Jersey cattle, and has served as president of the American Berkshire Congress. He has given active support to a number of local business enterprises, and in many ways has demonstrated his public spirit and enterprise. In June, 1908, Mr. Lippincott was married to Myrtle A. Bowsher, of Shawnee Township, Allen County, the daughter of George Washington and Harriett (Arthur) Bowsher, who were born and reared in Auglaize County, Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Lippincott have been born two children, Naomi Rue and Janis Arthur. Because of his professional success, his interest in the welfare of the community and his sterling qualities of character Mr. Lippincott enjoys to a notable degree the confidence and good will of the entire community. JOHN A. BEERMAN. It is proper to judge of a man's life by the estimation in which he is held by his fellow citizens. They see him at his work, in the family circle, hear his views on public questions, witness how he conducts himself in all the relations of society and civilization, and are therefore competent to judge of his merits and demerits. In this connection it is not too much to say that the several members of the Beerman family have ever stood high in the estimation of their fellow citizens, for their conduct has been honorable in all the relations of life and their duty well performed, whether in public or private life, and their success has been due to their industry, perseverance and common sense, qualities which have been especially manifested in the career of the subject of this sketch. John A. Beerman was born in Spencer township on May 5, 1886. His parents, William and Julia (Newhouser) Beerman, were natives of Hanover, Germany, where they were reared to maturity, were married and engaged in farming. Eventually they came to the United States, settling on a farm west of Spencerville, Ohio, where they lived for a time, but, selling their first farm, they moved to Auglaize County and bought another farm, where they lived until retiring from active business affairs and moving to Spencerville. Here Mr. Beerman died in June, 1919, being survived by his widow. They were members of the Reformed Church, in which he was an elder. They were the parents of four children, namely : Henry, of Spencer Township ; Anna, 16 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY the wife of Elmer W. Wilkin, who is represented elsewhere in this work; John A., the immediate subject of this sketch, and Louise, the wife of Arthur Miller, of Amanda Township. John A. Beerman. was reared on the home farm, which comprises his present home, and he received his educational training in the common schools. He has consistently devoted his entire life to agricultural pursuits, in which he has met with most pronounced success, being today considered one of the most progressive farmers and enterprising citizens of his township. He carries on general farming operations, raising all the crops common to this locality, and his farm buildings and other improvements on the place are substantial and present an attractive prospect. In addition to tilling the soil he also gives some attention to the raising of pure- blood Plymouth Rock chickens, having a splendid flock of fine birds. Politically Mr. Beerman is a democrat. He and his wife are members of the Saint John Reformed Church, in which he is a deacon and active in all its work. He is a member and chancellor commander of Spencerville Lodge No. 251, Knights of Pythias, and he and his wife are members of the Pythian Sisters and of the American Insurance Union. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Union Elevator at Spencerville and gives his support to every movement or enterprise looking to the advancement of the general welfare of the community. Mr. Beerman was married to Myrtle M. Steiger, who was born in Spencer Township, the daughter of John S. Steiger, who died October 9, 1921. Mrs. Beerman has borne her husband the following children: Harold, William, Ruth and Esther. Mr. Beer- man has used his intellect to the best purposes, has directed his energies along legitimate lines and his career has been based on the wise assumption that nothing save industry, perseverance, sturdy integrity and fidelity to duty will lead to success. DR. SAMUEL ALEXANDER BAXTER. It has been the pleasure of Mrs. Deborah Ellison Baxter, who lives in the fine old Baxter family homestead at 910 West Market Street in Lima, to commemorate her husband, the late Dr. Samuel A. Baxter, in the annals of Lima and community in the History of Allen County. In his lifetime Doctor Baxter was identified with community interests both in a professional and business way. In 1906 he collaborated with P. A. Miller, Ph. D., in producing a local history, and as a public spirited citizen he was always interested in the growth and development of the whole community. Doctor Baxter was born in Lima October 26, 1839, and he had witnessed its transformation. He was a son of Samuel A. and Nancy Miranda (Mason) Baxter who died in the '60s. They had come from Virginia. The doctor had two ,older brothers, George and Alfred. By the second marriage of the father, to Anna Mason, there was a daughter, Nancy Miranda, wife of William Booth of Chicago. S. A. Baxter, the father, went from his home in Maryland to Lancaster, where he was a hatter and furrier, later becoming manager and finally the owner of the business, and with it all he studied law. In 1838 he came to Lima and opened a hatter's store and in 1847 he was admitted to the Allen County bar as an attorney at law. He was identified with all community enterprises and he served as mayor of Lima from April, 1851, to 1853, and in return for his business activities he acquired considerable land and town property. In 1863 Doctor Baxter, who was the third son of S. A. Baxter, Sr., graduated from the Cincinnati Medical College, and he immediately enlisted as. a physician in the Union army, receiving his commission direct from Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War. He was commissioned by Governor John Brough, of Ohio, to the Eighteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, commanded by General Thomas Grosvenor, who was his personal friend from their boyhood days, and later he was made the assistant acting medical director of the department of Georgia under General James B. Stedman. At the close of the Civil war Doctor Baxter returned to Lima, where he engaged at once in the practice of medicine, and he was installed as health officer and placed in charge of the smallpox epidemic sweeping the community at the time. He nursed the dying and buried the dead, and in that terrible scourge he became so well known that he was called to attend the sick as far as fifty miles from Lima. Doctor Baxter was a good financier, and he became interested in many business enterprises of the community. He was secretary of the original gas company in Lima in the natural gas boom days. He established the City Bank of Lima and was president of the First National Bank. As secretary of the gas company he was manager of the artificial gas plant and helped plan the construction of the natural gas plants. He promoted the Ohio and Indiana gas pipe lines when natural gas was so abundant in Allen County. Doctor Baxter was a strong factor in securing the Lima street car service, and he helped secure the buildings of the car works later consolidated with the Lima Locomotive and Machine Company. The Lake Erie and Western shops, the Chicago and Erie and the Ohio Southern railroads were largely secured for Lima through his aid and influence. There are always public spirited men who have definite vision of the future, and Doctor Baxter was that kind of a man. His influence was exerted in securing the Lima Young Men's Christian Association, and Lima College, and the future will witness the result of his untiring effort in the community welfare movements of the past. On June 19, 1866, Doctor Baxter married Deborah, a daughter of William P. and Hannah (Vaughn) Ellison, of Marlboro, Stark County. She was born May 28, 1845, in Stark County. The paternal ancestry, Samuel and Anna Ellison, had come from Virginia to Stark County, and the maternal grandparents, Matthew and Phoebe Vaughn, had come from Wales. All were pioneers in Stark County. The children born to Doctor and Mrs. Baxter are: Frank E. Baxter, of Lima ; Don A., who married Eda Leonard ; Clem S., who married Blanche Newman, and has one daughter, Jean Baxter. Frederick H. Baxter, born November 29, 1885, died January 8, 1917. Doctor Baxter died January 5, 1908, and his death was the removal from the community of one of its most loyal and enterprising citizens. The doctor voted with the democratic party. He was a Mason and a Shriner, and in every sense a progressive community man. GEORGE LESLIE ARTERS. While Spencerville is an old town and old center of substantial agricultural HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 17 community, it is assuming an industrial character, and a decided impetus to this direction of development has been given by the presence here of the Allen Furniture Manufacturing Company. This company is organized under the laws of Ohio, the chief executive officers being O. K. Wheelock, president ; George Leslie Arters, vice president and manager ; J. H. Patterson, secretary ; J. B. Patterson, treasurer. At the present writing about thirty-five people, many of them highly skilled, are employed in the company's service, and the weekly payroll is about seven hundred dollars. The chief output of the company's factory is a line of high grade buffets. The superintendent and manager of the plant at Spencerville has given most of his career to industrial companies, is a draftsman by profession and a designer and production engineer. He was born at Ross Mills, New York, July 17, 1884, a son of Henry and Maria (Ackley) Arters. His father was born at Youngsville, Pennsylvania, and his mother at Ackley Station, Pennsylvania, a town named in honor of her father, a business man and extensive land owner. In the family of Henry Arters and wife were six children, three of whom are still living, George Leslie, Clarence, of Corry, Pennsylvania, and May, wife of Guy Durling, of Corry. George Leslie Arters spent his early life in a small village or on a farm, was educated in public schools, and later secured a diploma for work in the Scranton Correspondence School. He perfected his knowledge of drafting, and has used that effectively in his business and profession. Mr. Arters came to Spencerville as superintendent and manager of the furniture company on October 1, 1919. January 8, 1918, he married Elnore V. Stevens, daughter of James Odelle Stevens, of Silver Creek, New York. They have two sons, Stewart E. and Robert L. ROLLA BUSKIRK HOLLAND. One of the most important lines of business in any community is that connected in an way with the handling of real estate, and this is especially true within recent years when the shortage of buildings for all purposes has become so acute, the operation of those standing entailing largely increased expense so that a more than usual degree of astuteness is demanded of the realtors. One of the men who is proving his particular fitness for this business at Lima is Rolla B. Holland, whose offices are at 210 Holland Block. Rolla B. Holland was born at Lima, Ohio, on August 8, 1879, a son of Fred A. and Jessie (Shafer) Holland, he born at Tiffin, Ohio, and she at Smithville, Ohio. The paternal grandfather, S. K. Holland went to Lima at an early day and there established himself in a retail grocery business, being succeeded by his son, Fred A. Holland. The latter became one of the extensive business men of the city, and in 1893 built the first five-story business and office block in Lima, to which in 1900 he made a large addition, and it is now the largest building of Allen County. His death occurred in 1916, but his widow survives and lives at 883 West Spring Street. Rolla B. Holland has a younger sister, Adda, of Lima, who married D. W. Morris, the two being the only children of their parents. Leaving high school about 1897, Rolla B. Holland took a commercial course at the Lima Business College, and became an oil operator at Lima, and Vol. II-2 then, about 1908, went to Portland, Oregon, as manager of the Star Drilling Machine Company, and remained in that city for three years, and then returned to Lima, and buying a farm in Shawnee Township, was occupied in conducting it for five years, then sold it, moved back to Lima, and became interested in handling city real estate, with offices in the block which bears his name. On October 20, 1908, Mr. Holland was united in marriage with Helen M. Mackenzie, born at Lima, a daughter of E. C. and Ella (Gorton) Mackenzie. Mr. and Mrs. Holland have the following children : Helen Kathryn, Fred Mackenzie, Rolla Buskirk, Jr., and Eugene Gorton. Mr. Holland is an Episcopalian. His political convictions are such as to make him a republican. Fraternally he is a Knight Templar Mason, belongs to the Mystic Shrine, and also to Lima Lodge No. 54, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Holland has reached his present prosperity through his own endeavors, and he has also earned the respect and approbation of his associates in business as well as of his personall friends. G. P. SCHNEGG. The almost universal use of the automobile has brought into being a nmber of allied lines of business, chief of which is the garage for the housing and repair of cars. Some of the most expert machinists have gone into the garage business and found it very profitable. One of the men of Allen County who is thus meeting a popular demand is G. P. Schnegg, proprietor of the Schnegg Garage of Bluffton, which is located at 331 North Main Street. G. P. Schnegg was born in Switzerland, June 21, 1884, a son of Peter and Catherine (Lichty) Schnegg, both of whom were also born in Switzerland, where they were reared, educated and married. In 1888 they came to the United States, and immediately after landing in this country located on a farm near Bluffton, Ohio, where they continued to live the remainder of their lives. They were consistent members of the Mennonites and took a very active part in their work. In politics he was a democrat. The children born to him and his wife were six in number, and five are now living, namely : Christ, who is a farmer of Richland Township, Allen County ; Jacob, who is a farmer of the, same township as his brother ; Fannie, who is deceased ; Peter, who is a resident of Bluffton ; Anna, who is the wife of Leonard Steger, of Richland Township ; and G. P., who was the youngest. Growing up on his father's farm under the care of watchful parents, G. P. Schnegg learned to be honest, industrious and thrifty from childhood, and has never forgotten the lessons then taught him. He attended the local schools and the Lima Business College, and was graduated therefrom after completing the commercial course. For some years Mr. Schnegg was a traveling salesman for a woodenware firm, but after ten years of successful work in that line went into the automobile business in 1910, and had the agency for the Studebaker and Chevrolet cars, and also conducts a regular repair business and handles a full line of accessories. Mr. Schnegg owns the building he occupies with his garage business, and all that he possesses he has earned himself. In 1909 Mr. Schnegg was united in marriage with Ova Bogart, who was born at Bluffton, Ohio, 18 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY February 22, 1893, a daughter of Joseph Bogart. Mrs. Schnegg was educated in the Bluffton public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Schnegg have had two children, namely : Oliver, who wits born February 23, 1910, died July 27, 1916; and Robert, who was born November 3, 1911. They are members .of the Disciples Church and much interested in religious work in connection with it. Mr. Schnegg belongs to Lima Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the United Commercial Travelers, and the Odd Fellows, and is popular in all of these organizations. HENRY C. ADGATE. The Adgates came to Allen County nearly ninety years ago, and the activities of three generations have been closely and fruitfully identified with agricultural enterprise here. The name is also honored for the best type of citizenship that has been exhibited by the people of that name. The founder of the family in Allen County was Charles H. Adgate, who was born in the New England State of Connecticut in 1797. He married Mary Carlyle, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1810. From eastern Ohio in 1834 they traveled overland by the wagon roads then cut out and rough trails into Allen County. Charles H. Adgate after his arrival bought a hundred and sixty acres in Shawnee Township. The greater part of that was covered with timber. It is _the portion of the Adgate farm today owned by his grandson, Gouverneur H. Adgate, a prosperous farmer and public spirited citizen of that locality. The farm is interesting as exhibiting the progressive labors and toils of three generations of the Adgate family. Charles H. Adgate remained a resident of Allen County until his death in October, 1854. His widow survived him many years, passing away April 15, 1891. One of their children was the late Henry C. Adgate, whose long life was a commendable record of industry and integrity. He was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, in 1834, just a short time before his parents brought him to Allen County. He and three of his brothers showed their patriotism by enlisting and serving for various periods as Union soldiers in the Civil war. Henry C. Adgate was an orderly sergeant with the Hundred Day Men, and acted as a guard at Washington. His brother, Gouverneur A. Adgate, who was born in Shawnee Township in 1842, enlisted in Company B of the Eighty-First Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was in some of the early campaigns in the Mississippi Valley with the army of Grant, and at the battle of Corinth, Mississippi, was killed October 3, 1862, being then only twenty years of age. His brother, Henry C. Adgate, brought his remains home and he was laid to rest in the Shawnee Cemetery. Another brother, Hart C. Adgate, was born in Shawnee Township in 1840, served with the Ninety-Ninth Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and lived for nearly half a century after the war, finally meeting his death by accident in 1911. The fourth soldier representative of this generation was Charles H. Adgate, who was born in Shawnee Township in 1844 and enlisted in 1864 in Company D, Fifty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Second Division, under John A. Logan was in the battle of Resaca and the chief engagements of the Atlanta campaign and was discharged at Little Rock, Arkansas, in July, 1865. He died in 1908. Charles H. and wife had one daughter, Margaret Ann, born in 1832 and who died in her twenty-first year. Henry C. Adgate married Cynthia S. Beal, who was born in Wayne County, New York, daughter of Seth Deal of that state. After their marriage Henry C. Adgate and wife settled on a farm they owned in Shawnee Township. For half a century Henry C. Adgate devoted his labors to farming in that community and he was eighty-four years of age when death called him December 15, 1918. He was a republican in politics, though well satisfied to perform his duties as a citizen without seeking public office. He was a member of Mart 'Armstrong Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Lima. His first wife died on the farm August 25, 1872, the mother of two children, Gouverneur H. and Charles B. For his second wife Henry C. Adgate married Belle S. Stockton, who died in 1889. Gouverneur H. Adgate was born November 2, 1863, on the farm where he lives today in section 11 of Shawnee Township. He attended the district schools at different times, and advanced his education in the Ohio Northern University at Ada, graduated in a commercial course from Valparaiso University of Indiana in the spring of 1888. Since then, a period of a third of a century, his energies have almost wholly been devoted to the farm. The homestead comprised 278 acres, including the 160 first settled by his grandfather. Mr. G. H. Adgate inherited the property at the death of his father. He has a fine new residence in addition to the old home on the farm and gives effective direction to the management of his property, notwithstanding the handicap imposed upon him when in a railroad accident May 29, 1904, he lost his right arm above the elbow. Mr. Adgate votes as a republican, but like his father is no aspirant for public honors. CHARLES B. ADGATE, a son of the late Henry C, Adgate of Shawnee Township, was a talented lawyer and his professional career added some special distinctions to the favorable reputation which the family name of Adgate has borne through so many years in Allen County. Charles B. Adgate was born in Shawnee Township August 27, 1865, son of Henry C. and Cynthia S. (Beal) Adgate. He acquired a liberal education, beginning in the country schools of Shawnee Township, continuing through the city schools of Lima, also attended the Ohio Northern University at Ada and the Cincinnati Law School. Admitted to the bar in 1888, he began practice at Lima, but in a short time removed to Wahoo, Nebraska, and for two years practiced in partnership with I. K. Perky. Returning to Lima he was later elected city solicitor, and was re-elected, serving five years, 1894-5-6-7-8. In the meantime he became associated with W. H. Cunningham, in the law firm of Cunningham & Adgate. On the elevation of Mr. Cunningham to the bench A. L. Graham took over his law practice and subsequently the partnership of Graham & Adgate was formed, a relationship that continued until a few years before the death of Mr. Adgate. Charles B. Adgate died June 26, 1907. He never married, and his energies and enthusiasm were completely absorbed in his profession, though he also took an active part in politics. Mr. Adgate was a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 19 Elks, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. SAMUEL V. SWISHER. The character of a community or country is not always determined by those whose eloquence resounds in the Senate chamber, or commands the armies of defense. These are but the servants of the people ; the mouthpieces of men who put them in charge of affairs. The real citizens of importance, during the normal times of peace, are those who quietly, day by day, maintain business houses of repute, and supply legitimate demands of a growing populace. The captains of industry who command the army of producers are always men of portent, for upon them and their cohorts depend the well being of many and the prosperity of all. Lima has for years attracted to it men of affairs. Here for many decades have been centered important interests, while with the growth of population of the city has come a never ceasing demand for all kinds of manufactured commodities, and especially, of late years, has that connected with lumber been especially insistent. To meet this demand readily and profitably has taken brains and skill, and one of the men who early say the possibilities of the saw- milling industry at this point and entered it is Samuel V. Swisher, who of late years has been assisted by his sons. Samuel V. Swisher was born in Amada Township, Allen County, Ohio, June 21, 1863, a son of Silas and Augusta (Long) Swisher, natives of Pennsylvania and Germany, respectively. Silas Swisher was a farmer of Amanda Township until 1865, when he moved to Sugar Creek Township in the same county, and there he and his wife both passed away. Samuel V. Swisher was reared on the farm and attended the district schools, and adopted farming as his calling. In February, 1889, he was united in marriage with Hattie Jacobs, a daughter of James Jacobs, of Sugar Creek Township. Following his marriage Mr. Swisher was engaged in farming in Sugar Creek Township for six years, and then came to Lima, and for four years conducted a grocery business, but then sold it and purchased a saw-mill on the corner of Jackson street and Findlay road, which he has since conducted. Recently he took his sons Otto and Donald into partnership with him. The firm manufacture all kinds of lumber and are doing a large business. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Swisher are as follows : Fay, who is Mrs. William Murray of American Township ; Otto and Donald. both of whom reside at Lima ; and Algernon, who is at home. Mr. Swisher belongs to the Wesley Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church of American Township, and has been one of its trustees since 1900. In politics he is a democrat. The prosperity which has crowned the efforts of this eminently successful man has been attained through his own unaided endeavors, and he deserves all the more credit because he is the architect of his own fortune and does not owe what he possesses to inherited wealth or powerful influences. WILLIAM NEFF. The land on which for many years he has pursued his well ordered occupation as a farmer and stock raiser is about half a mile east of where William Neff was born. The farm is close to the site of historic Fort Amanda, and is located in Amanda Township six miles southeast, of Spencerville on the Fort Amanda road. Mr. Neff was born over, the line in Auglaize County March 28, 1863, son of Christ and Magdalena (Hager) Neff. His father was born in Wuertemberg, Germany, his mother in Baden, Germany, and he was four years of age when his parents brought him to America and settled in Marion County, Ohio. He grew up there and married, lived on a farm in that county and subsequently moved to Auglaize County, where he spent the rest of his days. He and his wife were very devout in their church relations, and originally German Methodists but later members of the Christian Union Church. Politically he was a democrat. Of eight children born to their marriage seven are still living: John of Auglaize County; Catherine, unmarried ; Louise, deceased ; Lewis of Lima; William ; Mary, wife of Gus Owen ; George of Portland, Oregon ; and Samuel, a resident of Allen County. William Neff grew up on his father's farm in Auglaize County, received competent instruction in the public schools, and made his first efforts toward a livelihood as a practical farmer. In January, 1889, he married Miss Effie Baker, who was born in Auglaize County September 2, 1867. Mrs. Neff died in July, 1911. Her only daughter, Jemima, is the wife of C. V. Whetstone of Auglaize County. Not long after his marriage Mr. Neff moved to his present farm, where he has 130 acres, part of it in Auglaize County. He has been a successful breeder of Percheron horses and Shropshire sheep, and besides his farm and stock interests he is a stockholder in the Mutual Telephone Company of Buck- land. He has held every office in the township except township clerk. Mr. Neff is a member of the Shawnee Grange and for years has taken an active part in the Christian Union Church. HORACE E. SIMONTON, commercial agent of the Lima Telephone & Telegraph Company, Inc., has been actively concerned in the development and upbuilding of its fine system and substantial business. Horace Earl Simonton was born at Lebanon, judicial center of Warren County, Ohio, October 11, 1878, and is a son of Duncan C. and Rose (Cameron) Simonton. The lineage of Mr. Simonton traces to staunch Scotch and Welsh origin, and his paternal great-grandfather was an early settler in the State of Pennsylvania, where he remained until his death. His son Joseph was reared and educated in the old Keystone State, whence he came to Ohio and established his residence in the City of Cincinnati, where he engaged in mercantile business. Duncan C. Simonton was born in that city, a son of Joseph Simonton, and there he received his early education. At the age of eighteen years he became a resident of Lebanon, Warren County, where eventually he developed a substantial industrial enterprise as a manufacturer of carriages. He long continued as one of the representative business men and influential citizens of that city, and his death occurred in 1909, his wife having passed away in 1903, Horace E. being the youngest of their three children, and the other two are deceased. Horace E. Simonton was a boy at the time of his parents' removal from Lebanon to Dayton, in which latter city he was afforded the advantages of the public schools. At the age of fourteen years he there took a position as messenger in the office of the American Express Company, and by his effrciency 20 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY and fidelity he won advancement, his services having included the driving of an express wagon, the duties of billing clerk and other office work. Finally he was made the company's -messenger on the Big Four Railroad between Cincinnati and Cleveland. He continued in the employ of the express company until he was twenty years of age, when he resigned. He had conserved his earnings and at this juncture he drew on the same to defray the expenses of a course in Beck's Commercial College at Dayton. Thereafter he established himself with his father in the retail coal business at Dayton, and after successfully continuing this enterprise five years he was for several years a successful traveling salesman. In the year 1900 Mr. Simonton took a position as collector with the Central Union Telephone Company at Dayton, and later he became a solicitor for the contract department. His energy and ability led to his being made manager of a crew of telephone canvassers, or solicitors, and such was his success in this executive post that he was made the head of "The Flying Squadron" of telephone solicitors assigned to special service in the company's Ohio territory. After resigning his position with this corporation Mr. Simonton accepted that of commercial manager with the Dayton Home Telephone Company. In this capacity he again made a characteristically effective record, and he continued his alliance with the Dayton company until 1911, when he removed to Lima and soon became identified with the Lima Telephone & Telegraph Company, to the affairs of which he has since given the major part of his time and attention. He is a stockholder in the North Electric Manufacturing Company of Galion, Ohio, as is he also in the Mechanics Building and Loan Association of Lima, besides which he is interested in the development of oil properties in the State of Wyoming. While his initiative and executive abilty has gained him advancement and high reputation in connection with business affairs, Mr. Simonton has also found time and opportunity to give effective service in furtherance of the cause of the republican party, in the councils of which he is an influential figure in Allen County. He is serving in 1920 as secretary of the Republican Executive Committee of the county, and is a member of the Board of Deputy State Supervisors of Elections, a position to which he was appointed by Hon. Charles Q. Hildebrandt, secretary of state, which reappointment by the latter's successor, Hon. William D. Fulton. On December 7, 1917, Mr. Simonton was made chairman of the Allen County War Savings Committee, and he entered earnestly and loyally into the patriotic work incidental to the furtherance of Government activities in connection with the great World war. He assisted in conducting the first military registration for Allen County, had supervision of the voting of the soldiers at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio, and at Camp Sheridan, Montgomery, Alabama, as a member of the Ohio Board of Elections in the fall of 1917, and he took a specially active and effective part in the furtherance of the various war loans and the drives in support of the work of the Salvation Army and the Red Cross., He served as chairman of the home-service division of the Allen County Chapter of the American Red Cross. In June, 1919, Mr. Simonton became chairman of the Allen County citizens' committee in the associate membership campaign for the National Council of Boy Scouts of America. In short he is a vital, loyal and patriotic citizen whose influence and aid are always to be counted upon in the support of measures advanced for the general good of his home community and the well being of his home state and the nation. He is actively identified with the Rotary Club of Lima, in which he is a member of the civics committee, and he served as assistant chief of the local organization of the American Protective League, a position in which he continued the incumbent until February, 1919. In his home city he is affiliated with the various York Rite bodies of the Masonic fraternity, including Shawnee Commandery No. 14, Knights Templar ; at Toledo he has received in the Consistory of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite the thirty-second degree, and in the City of Cincinnati he is affiliated with Syrian Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He holds membership in Lima Lodge No. 54, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; the Lima Chamber of Commerce; and Lima Council No. 17, United Commercial Travelers of America. Both he and his wife hold membership in Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church in Lima. He is one of the vigorous, alert and progressive citizens of the Allen County metropolis and has secure place in popular confidence and esteem. Through his own efforts Mr. Simonton has achieved worthy success, and in addition to his varied business investments he is the owner of city and farm property. In the year 1906 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Simonton to Miss E. Ellen Sherman, daughter of Aaron and Lucinda Viola (Funk) Sherman of Lima, and the three children of this union are Janice Imogene, Doris Virginia and Louetta Rose. JOSHUA C. STAINER, clerk of Spencer Township and recorder of vital statistics of the Fifteenth Division, comprising Armand and Spencer townships, is one of the best known men of Allen County. He was born in Juniata County, Pennsylvania, on November 9, 1839, a son of Stewart and Nancy A. (Law) Stayner, both of whom were born in Juniata County, Pennsylvania. Joshua and John W. Stayner are the only survivors of the children of their parents. Having been brought to Allen County when a boy, Joshua Stayner attended school in Salem Township, Auglaize County, and assisted his father in operating the homestead. Later on he began farming for himself, and was so engaged when the war broke out between the states. His sympathies being enlisted on the side of the Union, he offered his country his services and became a member of Company E, One Hundred and Eighteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on August 20, 1862. Prior to that he had been in a three-month regiment. Mr. Stayner remained in the service until the close of the war and was discharged as an orderly sergeant. Upon his return to Ohio he was married in Auglaize County, Ohio, to Catherine L. Robbins, who is now deceased. She bore him three children, namely: Calvin L., who died at the age of eighteen years ; Lennie W., who married John H. Neihart of Delphos, Ohio ; and Grace C., who is secretary of the Spencerville Telephone Company and lives with her father. Mr. Stayner never remarried. He is a democrat and was elected on his party ticket clerk of Spencer Township, and has held that office for a number of years. Until recently he was engaged in : center">HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 21 farming, but then retired and moved to Spencerville, which is still his place of residence. Having been in Allen County for so many years he is thoroughly posted as to its history and possibilities, and is enthusiastic with reference to its future. REV. GEORGE RILEY. While he was one of the pioneers of Allen County in the '30s, there is a still broader historical significance to the name and career of Rev. George Riley, who exemplified all the devotion of a self-sacrificing minister of the gospel in pioneer and frontier communities, and was one of the early Indian missionaries of Ohio. He was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and was born at Medford, Burlington County, New Jersey, August 27, 1792. He was reared and educated in the East, and on November 19, 1826, he married at Mount Holly, New Jersey, Meribah Springer Peacock. The Peacock family originated in Scotland, Meribah Springer Peacock whose birthplace was also at Medford, New Jersey, was born November 9, 1805, daughter of Adonijah and Elizabeth Peacock. Her great-grandfather John Peacock of New Jersey was deputy surveyor of the Colonial Government. Her grandfather Adonijah, Sr., owned a powder mill. At the time of the Revolution while making powder for Washington's army an explosion in the mill killed him. On her mother's side she was a direct descendant of Lady Kendreckson, companion to Queen Elenora of Sweden. The family kept the title until corning to America in the early clays of the colonies. Rev. George Riley soon after his entry into the ministry came to Ohio, and for three years had the difficult task of acting as a missionary at Lebanon to the Wyandotte Indians, where he and his wife lived in the complete simplicity of frontier days. He then went to Upper Sandusky for a year, where he built a mission house for the use of the Indians. In 1835 he moved to Springfield, Ohio, but after a few months came in the fall of 1835 to Allen County. In this county he bought from the Government what is now the Failor farm. He cleared off the land, developed it to agricultural purposes, and in that community his industrious years were spent until his death in 1882. Through his influence and help Wesley Chapel Church was built. This was one of the first churches in the county, and he attended regularly to his duties in the pulpit there until his death. While he fully discharged his responsibilities to his family, he was always keenly interested in the religious and moral life around him, and was one of the truly noble men of the community. Mrs. Meribah Riley, who survived him three years, was a woman or rare refinement and charm. Her brave and courageous spirit was a constant source of encouragement to her husband and family in the pioneer days of the county. This noble couple were the parents of nine children, five sons and four daughters. JOHN C. HOCHSTETTLER. Lying as it does in the midst of a rich agricultural region, Bluffton does a large business in handling various produce, especially in grain, and one of the concerns connected with the grain trade at this point is that operated under the name of the Farmers Grain Company, of which John C. Hochstettler is manager. He was born in Richland Township, Allen County, January 5, 1871, a son of Isaac and Anna (Lanby) Hochstettler, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania in 1840, and the latter in Switzerland in 1839. She was brought to the United States by her parents in 1846, so was practically reared in this country. After a time spent in Seneca County, Ohio, the Lanby family moved to Allen County, locating on a farm three miles south of Bluffton, and there both Mr. and Mrs. Lanby died. Isaac Hochstettler was brought to Ohio by his parents when he was a boy, and they settled three and one-half miles southwest of Bluffton. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hochstettler settled on a farm in Richland Township, and there she died in 1904, following which he moved to Bluff ton, and lived there until his death in February, 1916. He and his wife belonged to the Missionary Baptist Church of Pandora, Ohio. They had twelve children, of whom six survive, namely: Lydia, who is the wife of G. Badentscher; Leah, who is the wife of Calvin Hauenstein; John C., whose name heads this review ; Levi, who is engaged in farming four miles southwest of Bluffton; Henry, who is manager of the Mount Cora Elevator Company at Bluffton; Jacob, who is in the cement business at Bluffton; and Anna, who died in August, 1920, was the wife of Eli Settler. John C. Hochstettler was reared on the homestead and after he had completed the courses in the public schools became a college student. For two years he was engaged in teaching school, but decided that he preferred a business life, and so, going to Rossville, Indiana, embarked in a grain business with his brother, and remained there for six years, when he sold his interests there and, returning to the homestead, was occupied with farming for six years. In 1910 he moved to Bluffton and went into a livestock and grain business, conducting it very profitably until 1919, when he sold to the Farmers Grain Company, of which he has since been manager. A man of wide experience in the grain trade, he is able to superintend the affairs of his company with commendable efficiency. On June 21, 1896, Mr. Hochstettler was married to Lydia Stettler, who was born in Richland Township, just one mile from his birthplace, and they were schoolmates, and both taught the same school at different times, she remaining in the educational field for a period of five years. Mr. and Mrs. Hochstettler became the parents of five children, as follows : Paul, who was graduated from the Bluffton High School, is now attending Bluffton College; Ruth, who was also graduated from Bluffton High School, is now attending Bluffton College, and both she and her brother have taught school; Arthur, who is attending the Bluffton High School; Claude, who is attending- the Bluffton High School; and Donald, who is attending the graded schools. The family all belong to the Reformed Church. In politics a democrat, Mr. Hochstettler was for a time a member of the School Board in Rossville, Indiana. In addition to his other interests he owns a one-half interest in a cement block business with his brother, Jacob Hochstettler, and is a stockholder in the Citizens National Bank of Bluffton, one of the newly organized and dependable financial institutions of Allen County. In every walk of life Mr. Hochstettler has proven his worth, and is held in the highest esteem by his fellow citizens. JOHN GLENN MEDAUGH. The excellent business standing of John Glenn Medaugh among the citizens of Spencerville rests upon many years of activity, 22 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY but principally is it the outgrowth of the successful coal business which he has maintained for some years. He is further known as a business man of natural abilities and as a citizen whose public spirit has led him to actively support worthy movements promulgated in his community. ' Mr. Medaugh was born in Van Wert County, Ohio, February 22, 1876, a son of John and Emily (Carter) Medaugh. His father, born in the same county March 8, 1842, was a soldier of the Union during the struggle between the North and the South, having enlisted in Company A, Ninety-Ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of the war. Following his military service he went back to his native county and then to Adams County, Indiana, where he met and married Emily Carter, who was born in southeastern Ohio August 19, 1839. They then settled on a farm in Van Wert County, Ohio, where they passed the rest of long and honorable lives in the pursuits of the soil. Mr. Medaugh was a republican and served his township as a member of the Board of Trustees for several years. He and his worthy wife were active members of the United Brethren Church, and the parents of five children: Norman R., who is engaged in agricultural operations in Van Wert County ; Etta, the wife of C. S. Walters, also a farmer in that county; William M., who is tilling the soil in Warren County, this state ; Mrs. Nina Smyle of Decatur, Indiana ; and John Glenn. John G. Medaugh was reared on the home farm in Van Wert County, where he received his education in the public schools and started to work for himself at the age of eighteen years. He applied himself first to farming, later worked in the fields with a threshing outfit and then secured employment in the brick yards, keeping in view all the time his goal of becoming the proprietor of a business of his own. On August 8, 1895, Mr. Medaugh was united in marriage with Miss Della Brown, one of the eleven children of Samuel A. and Maria (Kessler) Brown, and following their union they settled on a farm, on which they resided for three years. Mr. Medaugh then embarked in the draying business at Ohio City, Ohio, in which he remained two years, his next experience being in the butcher business, which he followed six years at Ohio City and several years at Spencerville. He was also the proprietor of a restaurant at Spencerville for four years and followed carpentry for a like period, and March 8, 1920, embarked in the coal business. He has already built up a good patronage, and is respected for his many amiable and excellent traits of character, and for the example of sterling manhood which he has contributed to the annals of his adopted Town of Spencerville. He is the owner of the property upon which his coal yard is situated, and has also a comfortable and modern home. Mr. and Mrs. Medaugh are the parents of the following children: Russell A., now of Lima, who enlisted for service in the World war, went to France with the machine gun corps, was wounded at Toul, France, and on his return married Louise Berryman ; Reah M., also a graduate of the Spencerville High School, and now a teacher in the public schools of this place ; Coila A., a high school graduate ; Carl G. and Carlon, who are still attending school ; Rex Eugene, born March 9, 1921. Mr. Medaugh is a republican and takes a good citizen's interest in public affairs in his community. CHARLES A. GRAHAM, of Lima, belongs to one of the early pioneer families. He was born November 17, 1864, in Union Township, Auglaize County (then Allen County) in the same log house, erected in 1832, in which his father, John Graham, was born July 1, 1839. His mother, Mary (Tussing) Graham, was born July 24, 1840, in Franklin County, and moved to Allen County with her parents, John and Delilah Tussing, when a mere child. The paternal grandparents, Charles and Cassa Ann (Logan) Graham, built their hewed log house in 1832. The paternal grandfather immigrated from Ireland, being of Scotch descent, while the paternal grandmother was of English descent. They purchased from the United States Government a quarter section of land which is still owned by the Graham family, Charles A. Graham owning eighty acres of it and his two brothers the remainder of the farm, the original deed still being preserved. The grandfather, Charles Graham, met an accidental death in 1852, leaving his oldest son, John, the only support of his widowed mother, as well as of his two younger brothers, Thomas and Christopher, and of his sister, Rhoda. Thomas was killed in battle during the Civil war, Rhoda died when a young girl and Christopher served as a volunteer soldier throughout the Civil war and resides on his farm in Perry Township. John, the father of the subject of this sketch, died December 1, 1913, and his wife (the mother) October 27, 1919, after spending their entire married life on the same farm noted as one of the most carefully kept in the entire community. Both were active members of the Cherry Grove Christian Church, the father for many years being the main support thereof in the erection of the church edifice, as well as in the maintaining of the organization. He would not accept political office of any kind, although frequently urged so to do, even declining to serve after being elected, preferring to devote his entire time and energy to his farm, his home and his church. The children born to John and Mary Graham are: Charles A. Graham of Lima ; Thomas H. Graham and Anna D. (Graham) White, both living in Union Township, Auglaize County ; and George W. Graham of Perry Township, Allen County. Charles A. Graham supplemented his common school education by attending the Ohio Northern University at Ada and for twenty years was a teacher in the public schools of Allen County, eleven of which were in the district schools, eight years superintendent of the LaFayette and Jackson Township schools, and he finished his school work as superintendent of the Spencerville schools. During this time he served six years as county school examiner. Mr. Graham received the appointment of deputy clerk of courts of Allen County, serving three years in that capacity and in 1908 was elected clerk of courts of Allen County, serving with distinction two terms, from August 1, 1909, to August 1, 1913. Mr. Graham was one of the organizers of the Central Building and Loan Company, being elected a member of its first board of directors when organized, September 3, 1906, since which time he has served continuously and since February 1, 1908, has been its secretary. The remarkable growth of this financial institution as well as his success as a teacher are evidences of his devotion to duty. On August 18, 1888, Charles A. Graham married Eva Inez Wonnell of South Warsaw, Allen County. She was a daughter of Edward and Mary Jane HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 23 (Smith) Wonnell. The father was born April 10, 1836, and died May 14, 1917, having always lived in Allen County. He was a son of William and Sarah (Stiles) Wonnell, who became residents of Allen County in 1836, securing their land from the State of Ohio the same year. William Wonnell was of English descent, a native of the State of Delaware, his father immigrating from England. Sarah (Stiles) Wonnell was also of English descent and a (laughter of Jonathan Stiles, a native of Vermont. Edward Wonnell was a merchant of South Warsaw for nearly forty years, during more than thirty of which he served as postmaster, receiving his appointment and commission from President Lincoln. He was a volunteer soldier in the Civil war, and helped promote the organization of the Grand Army of the Republic at Lima, in which organization he remained a member until his death. Mary Jane (Smith) Wonnell, who was born January 5, 1838, and died October 25, 1916, was a daughter of Robert and Rebecca (Turner) Smith, who were also early citizens of Ohio. He was a native of Fairfield County, while she was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, from where she moved to Fairfield County, Ohio, and married in the year 1837. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Wonnell were active members and strong supporters of the Olive Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church until called to their eternal home. Among the very early settlers who were closely related to the Graham and Wonnell families were William Graham, Sr., Christopher Graham, Sr., and Catherine (Graham) Martin, brothers and sisters, respectively, of Charles Graham, the grandfather of Charles A. Graham. John R. Logan, David Logan, Alpheus Logan and James Logan, brothers of Cassa Ann (Logan) Graham ; Jonathan Stiles, who settled in this wilderness in 1834 and his children, George Sliles, Joseph Stiles, Elias Stiles, Demaris (Stiles) Snyder, Louisa (Stiles) DeWeese, brothers and sisters, respectively, of Sarah (Stiles) Wonnell. The Grahams, Logans, Wonnells, Stiles, Tussings, Smiths and Martins were suited to the times in which they lived, all living in the same community, devoted to one another, sturdy in character, active in religious and educational affairs and strong factors in the early civilization of Ohio. One of the greatest factors of the success of these early pioneers was the strong devotion of the wives and mothers, which has been one of the characteristics from the first settlers to the present time. As neighbors these early settlers spent their entire lives in clearing away the wilderness, developing their farms, training their children to become useful citizens, and establishing schools and churches, which are to this day maintained by their descendants. The children born to Charles A. Graham and his devoted wife (to whom he gives much of the credit for his success in life) are : Helen Estelle, deputy clerk of courts of Allen County, and Russell Thoburn, assistant secretary of the Central Building and Loan Company, who on September 3, 1919, was united in marriage to Loretta Sonderman, a daughter of John and Bessie Sonderman of Lima, formerly of Wendelin, Mercer County. Charles A. Graham and family are members of the Christian Church, in which he has served in many official capacities and has taken especial interest in State Sunday School work and the Young Men's Christian Association. In a social way Mr. Graham belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks No. 54 of Lima, Modern Woodmen of America, Royal Arcanum and all the various branches of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which order he represented his district in the Grand Encampment of Ohio for eight years and is now past grand patriarch of Ohio and representative to the Sovereign Grand Lodge. His home is at 320 Elmwood place. Always active in politics, social, business and religious affairs, few men are better known in Allen County than Charles A. Graham. FRANK H. KOMMINSK. Clearly defined purpose and consecutive effort in the affairs of life will inevitably result in the attaining of a due measure of success, but in following out the career of one who has attained success by his own efforts there comes into view the intrinsic individuality which made such accomplishment possible, and thus there is enkindled a feeling of respect and admiration. The qualities which have made Mr. Komminsk one of the successful men of Lima have also earned for him the esteem of his fellow citizens, for his career has been one of well directed energy, strong determination and honorable methods. Frank H. Komminsk was born at New Bremen, Ohio, on February 15, 1883, and is the son of John and Mary (Huckreide) Komminsk, the former a native of Baden, Germany, and the latter of New Bremen, Ohio. John Komminsk came to the United States at the age of fifteen years, going at once to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he learned the blacksmith trade, at which he was employed there for twenty years. He then moved to New Bremen, Ohio, where for twenty years he operated a wagon factory, retiring from active business at the end of that time and now living quietly at New Bremen. Frank H. Komminsk received his educational training in the public and high schools. His first employment was as a bookkeeper in a grist mill for a period of six years. Then for the same length of time he served as bookkeeper for the White Mountain Creamery Company at New Bremen. In 1914 he came to Lima and established the White Mountain Creamery, of which he is local manager, secretary and treasure. The company erected a large and substantial brick building, in which are manufactured all kinds of dairy products, such as ice cream, buttermilk, butter and cottage cheese, and they have built up a large and constantly increasing patronage in this community, theirs being the only creamery here that manufactures and sells a full line of dairy products. Mr. Komminsk is devoting his entire time and attention to this business and has demonstrated himself to be the possessor of business talents of superior order. He is a stockholder and director in the First National Bank and in the Lily White Oil Company. In November, 1910, Mr. Komminsk was married to Flossie Huenke, of New Bremen, the daughter of William and Sophia (Fravert) Huenke, both of whom also were natives of New Bremen. To Mr. and Mrs. Komminsk have been born two children, John and Robert. The family are identified with the Presbyterian Church, to which they are generous contributors. Politically Mr. Komminsk gives his support to the republican party, while fraternally he is a member of Lodge No. 54, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and Lodge No. 119, 24 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY Loyal Order of Moose. He also belongs to the Lima Club, the Shawnee Country Club and the Rotary Club. Besides his business interests Mr. Komminsk keeps himself well informed on all matters pertaining to the public welfare and exercises the duties of citizenship in a conscientious manner. JOHN F. EMANS. The life of John F. Emans, a well known attorney of Lima, has been one of hard study and research from his youth and, since maturity, of laborious professional duty, and the position which he has attained in the professional life of Allen County is evidence that the qualities which he possesses afford the means of distinction under a system of government in which places of honor and usefulness are open to all who may be worthy of them. Mr. Emans was born in Mercer County, Ohio, on February 29, 1876, and is the son of Christopher R. and Jemima (Sutton) Emans, both of whom were born and reared near Ottawa, Putnam County, Ohio. The father was a farmer in that neighborhood, and soon after his marriage there he moved to Mercer County, where he bought a farm, to which he devoted his energies for a number of years. He is now retired from active business life and lives in Mendon, Ohio. His wife died in 1900. They became the parents of the following children : Alice (Mrs. Rice) is deceased; John F., the subject of this sketch; Ida is the wife of John Taylor of Lima ; William, deceased ; and Eva, the wife of Bernard Miller of near Mendon, Mercer County, Ohio. John F. Emans attended the district schools of his home neighborhood and the township high school, followed by two terms in the Tri-State Normal College at Angola, Indiana. At the age of seventeen years he began teaching school, and followed that vocation for thirteen years in Hardin, Mercer and Allen counties. He attended the Ohio Northern University at Ada, and graduated in 1903, and then entered the law department of the same institution. In June, 1905, he was admitted to the bar. During the following two years he was engaged in teaching school, but in 1908 he came to Lima and engaged in the practice of law, forming a partnership with H. Edmond Garling, an association which was maintained about three years, since which time Mr. Emans has been alone in the practice. He has won for himself a place of honor and prominence in his profession and has been identified as counsel with many of the most important cases in the courts of Allen and adjoining counties. He has been successful both in office practice and as a trial lawyer, and commands a large and constantly increasing clientele. On October 26, 1900, Mr. Emans was married to Estella J. Custer, who was born near Mendon County, Ohio, the daughter of George and Elizabeth (Kraugh) Custer, also natives of that county. Mr. and Mrs. Emans are the parents of a son, Erin Emerson, born January 6, 1905. Mr. and Mrs. Emans are members of the Olivet Presbyterian Church, of which he is a trustee. Politically Mr. Emans gives his support to the republican party. His fraternal relations are with Lodge No. 586, Free and Accepted Masons, at Mendon, Ohio ; the Knights of Pythias, in which he has passed through the chairs of the lodge at Mendon, but now holds his membership at Lima; and Banner Tent, Knights of the Maccabees, at Lima. Personally he is a man of generous impulses and kindly disposition, and is well liked by all who know him. JAMES WOOD HALFHILL. Thirty-three years a member of the Lima bar, James Wood Halfhill has devoted his time and talents to his profession with singular fidelity, seldom mixed with political responsibilities and has achieved a very enviable position among the leading lawyers of Ohio. For a number of years past he has been senior partner of Halfhill, Quail & Kirk. Mr. Halfhill was born on a farm near Mercer, Mercer County, Ohio, March 1, 1861, and on his father's side is of Pennsylvania German stock, son of Moses and Eleanor Maria (Wood) Halfhill. His grandfather, George Halfhill, came from Germany when a young man, lived for a time as a farmer in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and then settled on a farm near Apple Creek, Wayne County, Ohio. He reared a large family of children, his sons being Jacob, Moses and Aaron, while the daughters to reach mature age were Charlotte, Rosana, Mary and Rebecca. Moses Halfhill grew up on the homestead farm, and after his first marriage moved to Morrow County, Ohio. He had three children by his first wife. In March, 1860, he married Eleanor Maria Wood, then a teacher in the St. Mary's, Ohio, schools, a native of Essex County, New York, of English and Irish parentage by extraction, though American for several generations. Afterward they lived near Mercer in Mercer County, Ohio. He was a farmer, contractor and school teacher, and died March 26, 1876. His widow is still living on the old homestead in Mercer County. The eldest child of this marriage is James Wood Halfhill, and the other surviving children are Charles W. Halfhill, Mercer, Ohio; Amelia H., wife of Dr. A. E. Powell, Cleveland, Ohio ; and Martha H., wife of J. E. Shatzel, attorney, Bowling Green, Ohio. James Wood Halfhill was fifteen years old when his father died. He attended the Union school at Mercer, but his education was interrupted on account of his father's death, and for several years his time was largely devoted to operating the farm. In 1881 he entered the Ohio Northern University at Ada, and was graduated with the Master of Science degree in 1884, being valedictorian of his class. Mr. Halfhill began the study of law in the office of Judge William H. West at Bellefontaine, and having, made considerable progress he took the entrance examination in the fall of 1886 and was admitted to the senior class of the law school of the University of Cincinnati. He was graduated Bachelor of Laws in 1887 and was elected president of his graduating class. Admitted to the bar immediately thereafter, he located at Lima in June of the year 1887, and at that time became associated with Jacob C. Ridenour, under the name of Ridenour & Halfhill. This partnership was continued with an enlarging scope of practice until the death of Mr. Ridenour July 8, 1908. At that time the firm of Halfhill, Quail & Kirk was established and for twelve years this has been one of the leading law firms of Allen County, with an extensive general practice. Mr. Halfhill is a stockholder, a director and attorney for the Old National Bank of Lima, the First National Bank of Ada, the Ohio State Life Insurance Company of Columbus, and several other corporations. He was induced to run on the republican ticket in 1890 for city solicitor, and his election gave him the distinction of being the first republican chosen for that office in many years. He was re-elected by a largely increased majority in 1892. HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 25 He then gave up politics altogether because his partner, Mr. Ridenour, was elected prosecuting attorney, and during his six years in that office Mr. Half- hill bore the burden of their law practice. Mr. Half- hill was chosen a member of the Ohio Constitutional Convenlion in 1911, and never missed a day or night session of that body or of any of its committees of which he was a member. In 1920 he was chosen delegate from the Fourth District to the National Republican Convention, and was one of the men instrumental at Chicago in securing the nomination for President of Warren G. Harding of Marion, his personal and political friend for many years. September 23, 1896, Mr. Halfhill married Cora Miller, daughter of Rev. I. J. Miller and Louise S. (Spait) Miller. Her father for a number of years was a Lutheran minister at Lima. They have one son, James Wood Halfhill, Jr., born October 23, 1897. He is now in the medical department of the University of Michigan and in 1918 attended the Officers Training Camp at Camp Taylor and received a commission as second lieutenant of artillery. Mr. Halfhill is a Knight Templar Mason, Knight of Pythias and Elk, member of the Lima Club, Chamber of Commerce and Shawnee Country Club, and as a lawyer is a member of the Allen County, Ohio State and American Bar associations. For five years he served as a member of the State Board of Law Examiners. A. L. GAMBLE. One of the well established business houses of Spencerville is that of A. L. Gamble, grocer, who has been identified with this community for many years, and while prosecuting his work as a merchant to success and a high quality of service he has cooperated with other citizens in promoting everything of benefit to the town. Mr. Gamble was born in Van Wert county, Ohio, October 9, 1852, son of George W. and Martha (Davis) Gamble. His parents were both • born in Ireland and were children when their respective families took passage on the same vessel to the United States, reaching this counlry after fourteen weeks on the water. The Davis and Gamble families came over in 1821, and first settled in Carroll county, Ohio. George W, Gamble and wife were married in that county, and soon afterward removed to Van Wert county, where he entered a hundred sixty acres three miles from Van Wert. Subsequently he traded his land to his uncle, Robert Gamble, for land in Carroll county, on which he lived for a time, but about 1850 returned to Van Wert county and spent lhe rest of his days as a successful farmer. George W. Gamble though well advanced in years enlisted and served as a member of Company A of the 99th Ohio Infantry, and was in the ;my when the Civil war closed. He was a Republican in politics. Of his nine children five are still living: Eva, wife of Charles McMullen; Sarah J., widow of John Davis; Robert A., who also served in the Civil war and is now living at Middlepoint, Ohio; Parker, of Van Wert country and A. L. Gamble. A. L. Gamble grew up on his father's farm in Van Wert county and made good use of his opportunities in the home school. In December, 1875, at the age of twenty-three, he married Ida Cowell, who was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, but grew up from early girlhood in Allen county. Mr. and Mrs. Gamble have one son, C. D. Gamble, who graduated from the Spencerville High School and from a business college at Lima and subsequently took his degree in medicine from the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia. He has gained prominence as a physician and surgeon, specializing in surgery, and is well known all over Allen county, his home and offices being in Lima. Mr. and Mrs. Gamble are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which he has served for twenty-five years on its Official Board. He is affiliated with Arcadia Lodge No. 306, F. and A. M., Spencerville Chapter, R. A. M., he and his wife are members of the Eastern Star, and he has taken both the subordinate and encampment degrees in Odd Fellowship and is a past noble grand and past chief patriarch. The Rebekah Lodge at Spencerville is known as the Ida Rebekah Lodge, named for Mrs. Gamble, who was its first noble grand and a delegate to the Grand Lodge. Besides his flourishing business at Spencerville Mr. Gamble owns a seventy-five acres farm in Amanda township. In politics he is a Republican. JOHN WESLEY STAINER, a retired farmer of Spencerville and one of the dependable citizens of Allen county, was for years profitably connected with the agricultural interests of this section. He was born in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, on December 31, 1839, a son of Stewart and Nancy (Law) Stayner, both of whom were natives of Juniata- county, Pennsylvania, where they were married and lived until 1852, when they mrgrated to Deep Cut, Auglaize county, Ohio. The father bought a farm one and one-half miles from Deep Cut, and on it he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives. The Presbyterian Church afforded them a medium for the expression of their strong religious belief. Politically he was a Democrat. They had six sons, as follows: William L., who is deceased; Joshua C., who served as clerk of Spencer township, during the war of the '60s; John W., whose name heads this review; George A., who died in the service of the Union army; Joseph M., who is also deceased; and Gilbert R., who has also passed away. When he was but fourteen years old John W. Stayner was brought to Allen county, and he remained at home until he was twenty-two years old, being given the educational advantages offered by the rural schools of Pennsylvania and Ohio. On August 13, 1862, he enlisted in the Union army as a member of Company E, One Hundred and Eighteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served until he was discharged on account of disability caused by sickness after a service of three years. After he had recovered his health he reported for duty, but was rejected. He was wounded near Falmouth, Kentucky, and never has entirely recovered from the effects of his injury. Returning home, he resumed the peaceful occupation of farming. On December 28, 1865, Mr. Stayner was married to Sophia Bayman, born in Miami county, Ohio, on October 12, 1848, a daughter of Ellis and Harriet (Austin) Bayman, natives of Ross county and Carthage, Ohio, respectively. They were married in Shelby county, Ohio. Mr. Bay- man was a carpenter by trade, but when he came to Allen county he entered land. He was also 26 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY superintendent of the canal and of the construction work on this canal, and was connected with it until his death, at the age of thirty years. Mr. and Mrs. Bayman had four children, as follows: Sarah J., who is the widow of John Jacobs; Sophia, who is Mrs. Stayner; George, who is deceased; and Margaret, who is the widow of Robert Thompson Schamp. Mr. and Mrs. Stayner became the parents of three children, two of whom survive, namely: Stewart A., who is a druggist of Portland, Oregon; Ira C., who is a physician of Spencerville, Ohio; and Ida A., who is deceased. Mrs. Stayner is a member of the Christian Church. In politics, Mr. Stayner is a Democrat. For a number of years he has belonged to Fair Post No. 322, G. A. R., which he has served as commander. After many years spent in farming he retired to Spencerville, where he is now enjoying the comforts to which his hard work earlier in life entitle him. Not only has he achieved a material prosperity, but he has won and holds the confidence of all with whom he is associated. ALBERT O. COON. Located seven miles east of Spencerville is the productive and highly valuable farming property of Albert O. Coon, one of the substantial residents and progressive agriculturists of Amanda township. Mr. Coon is one of the men who have passed their entire careers in this locality, as he was born in Amanda township, Allen county, October 1, 1869, a son of Isaac and Louisa (Cobb) Coon. The parents of Mr. Coon were natives of Pennsylvania, the father born March 0, 1829, and the mother September 5, 1843, and as young people came to Allen county, Ohio, where they met and were married in 1861, this being Mr. Coon's second marriage. In 1862 Isaac Coon enlisted in the Union army and served until the close of the War between the States, then returning to his farm where he carried on successful agricultural operations until his death. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic post at Lima, was a Republican in his political adherence, and he and Mrs. Coon belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church. They were the parents of five sons and one daughter: S. S., who is deceased; Oren F., a farmer of Amanda township; Albert O.; Charles H., a farmer of Shawnee township; Lizzie, the wife of Isam Eley, of Amanda township; and Ira E., a farmer of Amanda township, who married Clara Rusler. Albert O. Coon was educated in the district schools and reared on the home farm, where he remained as his father's associate until he reached his majority. For a time thereafter he was variously employed, after which he took up farming, and January 23, 1892, was united in marriage with Mary E. Sunderland, a daughter of Ebenezer and Mary (Little) Sunderland. Mr. Sunderland was born in Amanda township, Allen county, January 5, 1832, and died March 10, 1905, after a long and honorable career as an agriculturist. Mrs. Sunderland, born April 16, 1835, died February 28, 1876. She was an active church worker and was greatly beloved by the many who knew her excellent qualities. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Sunderland: Anna, the wife of W. S. Hullinger of Conant, Ohio; Dora C., the wife of George Peffers; Alice, who is deceased, was the wife of James Dershen; D. F., of Lima; and Mrs. Coon. Following their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Coon settled down to farming on section 12, Amanda township, seven miles east of Spencerville, where Mr. Coon is now the owner of 160 acres of good land, 80 acres formerly entered by his father. He raises the crops usual to the vicinity, his land having been made very productive through scientific treatment of the soil, and he also carries on stock raising to some extent. He has displayed good management in carrying on his operations,. and has transacted his business in a way that has given him a substantial reputation as a man of sound integrity. In politics he is a Republican, and he and Mrs. Coon belong to the Christy Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is a trustee and she a teacher in the Sunday school. Their only daughter, Beatrice, is the wife of Wilber McConnell, of Amanda township, and has four children, two boys and two girls. JOEL SPYKER. Prominent among the solid, reliable business men of Lima stands Joel Spyker, sole proprietor of the Spyker Hardware, who in the matter of correctly gauging and intelligently supplying the public in his line of goods has few superiors in Allen county. Mr. Spyker has given continuous attention to the hardware business for the past ten years at Lima, and has built up a large city trade and one that covers adjacent territory in the county. Joel Spyker was born in Shawnee township, Allen county, Ohio, in 1865. His parents were Samuel and Margaret (Losch) Spyker, the former of whom died in 1897 and the latter in 1903, she being the second wife. Samuel Spyker by two marriages was the father of twenty children, twelve sons and eight daughters, and six of the family are living. The paternal grandfather was of German parentage but was reared in Pennsylvania and drove from there to Fairfield county, Ohio, where he had a farm, and later came to Allen county. Samuel Spyker learned the hat- making trade. After he settled on his farm in section 25, Shawnee township, Allen county, he followed farming and also did plastering for his farmer neighbors. Joel Spyker attended the country schools when a boy, later the Cridersville public schools and the high school at Ottawa. After he was twenty- one years old he remained with his father and worked the homestead farm of 176 acres for two years. He then became interested in the oil fields and prospered, not as a prospector but as a driller and contractor, remaining for eighteen years in the business and retiring with a small fortune saved where hundreds of others less provident had lost everything. Mr. Spyker returned then to agricultural pursuits and as a beginning bought the old homestead, but sold it to advantage eight months later and then purchased 240 acers of the Sealt's farm, which he operated for four years and then became interested in a real estate and hardware business, traded in his farm and became a director of the company, doing business under the firm name of Penny, Jones & Burden. Since 1913 Mr. Spyker has been sole owner of the Spyker Hardware, which he has made a distinct success. He was one of the organizers of the Consumers Coal Company, which operated for eighteen HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 27 years, and has other interests, including real estate. In 1887 Mr. Spyker was married to Miss Belle Driscoll, a daughter of Dennis and Margaret (Cooney) Driscoll, and they have five surviving children and one deceased, Jonathan Dale, who died in 1900, when five years old; those living are Lawrence K., Gertrude, Florence, Emma and Eleanor. Mr. Spyker is looked upon as a trustworthy business man, one whose word is as good as his bond, and as a reliable citizen, but has never taken a very active part in politics. He is a member of Solar Lodge No. 783 and of Fort Amanda Encampment No. 302, I. 0. C). F.; of Lima Lodge No. 205, F. & A. M.; and member of the Modern Woodmen of America HARRY THOMAS. It would be difficult to indicate the high degree of esteem in which the late Harry Thomas was held in the commercial and social circles of Lima. He was a splendid business man, starting as a boy worker and eventually achieving a business of his own. He was active in church, and was liberal of his time and enterprise for various community, projects. Mr. Thomas, who died at Lima April 5, 1916, was born in that city July 10, 1864, of Welsh ancestry, son of Lewis and Margaret (Jones) Thomas. His father and mother were natives of Wales. Harry was the sixth in a family of eleven ,children and attended grammar and high schools of Lima to the age of seventeen. He began his career of usefulness as a delivery boy for F, A. Holland, a Lima grocer, and for twenty- seven years was with Mr. Holland either as an employe or partner. After they had been in partnership for some years he bought out and became sole proprietor of the business, then located in what is now the Holland Building. He continued the grocery business and constructed a special building for the housing of his business and for other purposes. This building was completed in the fall of 1914. The Thomas Block contains fifteen flats and one store. Mr. Thomas was a man of initiative and progressive temper, and bought the first motor delivery truck used in Lima, a Jackson car. He was the first president and helped organize the Grocers Association of Lima. At his death every grocery and meat market in the city was closed as a tribute to his memory, and his funeral was largely attended. He was a Republican in politics, but for many years his chief interest outside of home and business was the Grace Methodist Episcopal Church. He held every lay office in the church, was chairman of the Board of Trustees and chairman of the building committee when the new church edifice was erected, was also superintendent of the Sunday school and the first president of the Epworth League and filled the office of president of the district for ten years. He was affiliated with Lodge No. 91 of the Knights of Pythias. In 1889 he married Miss Belle Bowdle. They were married by Rev. John Bates. Mrs. Thomas, who now owns the Thomas Block, is the mother of two children, Holland Bowdle Thomas, and Lenore Yvonne Thomas. Mrs. Thomas is a daughter of Milton and Letitia (McCoy) Bowdle, residents of Allen county. Her people were pioneers of Allen county, and her father saw Lima grow from a log cabin town to a large and prosperous city. They came from West Virginia, and at first settled on a farm in Hardin county, Ohio. Mrs. Thomas was the youngest of six children. Her father lived a remarkably long and active life, dying when past ninety-nine and would have reached the century mark two and a half months later, on November 15, 1918. He was an original Republican and supported that party all his life. WILLIAM HENRY BEELER. The active career of Mr. Beeler comprises a period of about forty years, nearly all of which he spent as a member of the farming community of Marion township. He still owns a large and valuable farm there, though for several years he has lived practically retired and has his home in Elida. He was born in Shawnee township of Allen county March 16, 1860, a son of George and Mary C. (DeLong) Beeler, and is of German ancestry. His grandparents Beeler came from Germany with two children, first settled in Pennsylvania, and later became pioneer farmers in Shawnee township of Allen county, where they owned a hundred thirty acres and where both of them spent their last years. In their family were three sons and one daughter, George being the youngest. George Beeler was a citizen much esteemed, a life-long farmer in Allen county, and died in 190, at the age of eighty-two. His wife died in 1881, at the age of sixty. They were survived by five children, only two of whom are now living. William Henry Beeler as a boy was given regular duties at home and on the farm, and in the winter terms walked back and forth three miles each way to the Owen Boyatt School in Shawnee township. He continued to attend school until he was about eighteen years of age, and then lived at home and played a helpful part in the farming activities until his own marriage. In 1882 he married Mary C. Mosher, daughter of Valentine and Mary C. (King) Mosher, of Allen county. Mr. Beeler lost his first wife thirty- four years after their marriage, on June 12, 1916. In 1918 he married Elizabeth Huffer, who is of French ancestry. Mr. Beeler's children are all by his first marriage: John Henry, living on the home farm in Marion township and married Marian Bice; George Allen, who lives in Amanda township, married a Miss Goodman and has a son, William; Albert Valentine, a resident of Marion township, married Phyllis Patten and has two children; Clarence, of Marion township, is married and 'has two children; Arthur Ray is a bookkeeper in the Lima Locomotive Works; Mary C., is the wife of Ellis Baber, living near Lima, and has eight children. Mr. Beeler is a stockholder in the Farmers' Equity Union Elevator and in the Farmers Bank of Elida. He votes independently, though nominally a Democrat. He is a member of the Lutheran Church, and is affiliated with the Lodge and Encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Elida, and also with the Rebekahs. SAMUEL S. MOTTER. Ever since the first pioneer came to Allen county and cleared off a small patch of land from the heavy timber and put in a crop, agriculture has been the leading industry of this region, and some of the most progressive 28 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY of its citizens are engaged in it. One of them is Samuel S. Motter, whose property lies at the end of the paved portion of South Main street, Bluffton. Samuel S. Motter was born in Richland township, Allen county, April 20, 1861, a son of Christian and Reginia (Stauffer) Motter. Christian Motter was born in Richland county, Ohio, in March, 1839, and his wife was born in Adams county, Indiana, in August, 1840. The Stauffer family came to Allen county, Ohio, and located in Richland township, to which locality the Mot- ter family had come some time previously. After their marriage Christian Motter and his wife located on a farm four and one-half miles south of Bluffton and later moved to the present homestead, two miles south of Bluffton. They were consistent members of the Reformed Church. In politics he was a Democrat. They had eleven children,, of whom the following survive: Samuel S., whose name heads this review; Daniel, who lives in Hancock county, Ohio; Noah, Peter and Henry, all of whom live in Richland township; Theophilus, who lives in Perry township; Sarah E., wife of John Walker,and lives at Lima, Ohio; Anna, who is the wife of Joseph Gromann, of Richland township; Catherine, who is the wife of Gideon Oberly, of Auglaize township; and Henry, who lives in Richland township. Growing to manhood in Richland township, Samuel S. Motter attended the neighborhood schools and later took a course in the Ohio State Normal School. Following this he was engaged in teaching school for seven years in Allen county, at the same time continuing to be interested in farming, and at the close of his educational career he devoted all of his time to agriculture. His farm now comprises 294 acres of land, and it is in a high state of cultivation. Samuel S. Motter was married in 1892 to Sarah D. Carman, born in Hardin county, Ohio, October 5, 1870, a daughter of Harrison B. and Elizabeth (Phillips) Carman. Harrison Carman was born in Hardin county, Ohio, January 1, 1848, and his wife was born in Knox county, Ohio, April 4, 1845. They were married in February, 1869. Mr. Carman served during the war between the states in Company I, One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry as a private. The family belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church. There were eight children in the Carman family, namely: Sarah D., who was the eldest; Augusta R., who married G. E. Landfair; Carrie L., who married H. S. Cooney; John M , who married Myrtle Sinift; Robert A., who married Allie Lomes; Reuben J., who married Aurilla Thompkins; Abbie B., who married Clinton Winegartner; and Frank H., who married Chloe Johnson. Mrs. Motter was reared on her father's farm and attended the neighborhood schools and the Ohio Northern University at Ada, Ohio. Prior to her marriage she was a teacher for eleven terms in the public schools of Hardin county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Motter became the parents of the following children: Thomas C., who was born December 5, 1893, died April 28, 1915, after he had been graduated from the Bluffton High School; Dudley H., who was born December 14, 1895, lives at home; Myron S., who was born November 17, 1901, is also at home; and Walter S., who was born August 14, 1905, is attending the Bluffton High School. Mr. Motter and his wife belong to the Church of Christ, of which he is a trustee, and they take an active part in religious work. In politics a Democrat, Mr. Motter is an energizing force in his party, and for eight years has been a trustee of the township. GILBERT MONFORT. The passing years have dealt 'kindly with Gilbert Monfort, one of the prosperous farmers of Allen county. He has lived in Amanda township practically all his life, has worked hard for his prosperity, and enjoys high standing as a citizen and has reared three sturdy sons to represent him worthily in the next generation. Mr. Monfort whose home is five miles northeast of Spencerville was born in Section 29 of Amanda township July 6, 1866, son of James and Jane (Stull) Monfort. His father was born in Butler county, Ohio, in 1832 while the Stulls were a very early family in Amanda township, Jane being born in 1834. James Monfort came to Allen county at the age of eighteen, and after his marriage settled in Section 29 of Amanda township and he and his wife lived to ripe years and to enjoy many of the comforts which their early labors and efforts had won. James Monfort died in 1920 and his wife in 1918. They were long identified with the Methodist Church in which,he was a class leader and for many years Sunday School superintendent. He was also a member of the Grange and was a Republican voter. In the family were four children: Alice, deceased, who was the wife of Samuel Miller; Margaret ,wife of C. B. Harris of Amanda township; Martin E., of Spencerville; and Gilbert. Gilbert Monfort grew up in the community where he was born and supplemented his advantages in the common schools by attending the Normal at Middlepoint, Ohio, and a commercial school at Dayton. After completing his education he returned to the farm and on December 24, 1894, he married Ida C. Montfort. Mrs. Monfort was born in Montgomery county, Ohio. For over a quarter of a century Mr. and Mrs. Mon- fort have lived on their farm in Amanda township and he is one of the largest land owners in that section. His farm comprises five hundred eight acres and in point of productiveness and general value is one of the best farms in the county. Mr. and Mrs. Monfort have three children: Leroy, J. C., and Marcus E., the youngest being fourteen years of age. Leroy and Marcus are still at home. J. C. during the World's war was a member of the Marines and on duty at the Boston Navy Yard. He is now a railroad employe at Toledo. The family are members of the Zion Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Monfort is a trustee, active in various branches of church work and was formerly a teacher in the Sunday School. Politically he is a Republican. REV. DAVID FRANKLIN HELMS, who for nearly forty years has been a prominent member of the Ohio Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, has for the past four years been district superintendent, with his home at Lima. He has been distinguished as an able preacher, a constructive worker in the upbuilding of churches, HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 29 and a man of broad scholarship and effective Christian influence. He was born in Washington township, Hardin county, Ohio, November 27, 1858, a son of Daniel' and Elizabeth (Miller) Helms. His father was a native of Knox county, Ohio, and his mother of Stark county. The paternal grandparents, John and Elizabeth (Long) Helms, were also natives of Ohio. The maternal grandparents were Joseph and Elizabeth (Marsh) Miller, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Virginia. Daniel Helms was a farmer and carpenter, and lived in Hardin county, Ohio, until 1883, when he removed to Tippecanoe City, Ohio, and the following year went on a farm near Salamonia, Indiana. A few years before his death, in 1906, he moved to Salamonia. His widow is still living, and makes her home alternately with her sons David Franklin and Elmer Elsworth. The latter is also a Methodist minister, living at Los Angeles, California. David Franklin Helms acquired a liberal education, after the common schools attending Ohio Northern University at Ada, also the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, and also pursued studies under the late Dr. Harper of the University of Chicago. In 1919 Ohio Northern University conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He was ordained a deacon of the Methodist Church in 1883 at Findlay, Ohio, by Bishop R. S. Foster. He was ordained as an Elder in the ministry in September, 86, by Bishop John M. Walden at Bellefontaine, Ohio. His first pastorate was at New Madison in Darke county, Ohio, and his successive charges. were at Anna in Shelby county, three years; Wapakoneta, five years; Wauseon, three years; Columbus Grove, five years; Fayette, four years; Hicksville, seven years; Paulding, two years; and his last pastorate was the Broadway Church of Toledo. In September, 1916, he was appointed to his present duties as superintendent of the Lima district, with headquarters at Lima, where he has since purchased a modern and attractive residence at 726 Brice avenue. Dr. Helms was a delegate to the General Conference of the church at Des Moines, Iowa, in May, 1920. October 16, 1880, he married Olive Brooks in Hancock county, Ohio. She was a native of Allen county, and died August 23, 1881. On October 29, 1882, he married Mary Ellen Darland, who was born near Richmond, Indiana. Their companionship continued a little less than ten years, until her death April 11, 1892. Her children were: Blanche, who is the wife of Addie L. Rice, of Morenci, Michigan, and the mother of four children; Huber Elsworth, who was drowned at the age of twenty-three; Willis D., of the regular army, now a sergeant on recruiting duty at St. Louis, Missouri; and Koneta, a librarian at Santa Monica, California. On August 1, 1893, Dr. Helms married Cora May Blake, who was born at Wauseon, Ohio, a daughter of Wesley A. and Hester A. (Newcomer) Blake, the former a native of Medina county, Ohio, while her mother was the first white child born at Wauseon. The children of Dr. and Mrs. Helms are: Seona, a teacher in the public schools of Cleveland, Ohio; Naomi, Mrs. L. D. Cordell, of Toledo, and they have lhree children; Blake, who was an enlisted man in the medical division during the World war and now lives at Lima ,and is married, his wife's maiden name having been Eleanor Carr; Ralph W., who during a part of the war was in the Students Army Reserve Corps, is still in the Ohio State University and was married December 24, 1920, to Miss Carolyn Thuer, of Louisville, Kentucky; Ruth, a student in the Ohio Wesleyan University; and Wilfrid, a graduate of the Lima High School. Dr. Helms is independent in politics, is affiliated with Rufus Putnam Lodge No. 364, of Masons at Columbus Grove, and both he and his wife are members of the Ohio Wesleyan University Club of. Lima. FRED C. SNOW is one of the veteran printers and newspaper men of Allen county. For many years he was in the printing and newspaper business at Lima, but in recent years has lived at Spencerville and conducted a first-class job printing shop. Mr. Snow is a printer, but he learned another mechanical trade as. a youth, and also has exceptional musical gifts and abilities. He was born in Van Buren county, Michigan, May 8, 1858, son of Montraville and Flavilia (Tanner) Snow. His parents were born in New York state, and after their marriage moved to Michigan. Montraville Snow was a foundryman and owned and conducted a foundry at Paw Paw, Michigan, where he lived for many years and where he died honored and respected. He was active in the Odd Fellows and was a Republican in politics. Of a large family of nine sons and one daughter three are still living: William, a Montana farmer; Fred C.; and Herbert E., of Birmingham, Alabama. Fred C. Snow acquired his early education in the grammar and high schools of Paw Paw, Michigan. He learned the trade of molder in his father's foundry, and before coming to Ohio he also gained proficiency in the printer's trade. On coming to Lima he conducted the first job printing shop in the city, 'continuing it for twelve years. In 1900 he bought the Journal of Lima, later consolidating it with the News, and after building up the business of the paper sold out in 1913 to the present owners. He had moved his job printing equipment to Spencerville, and still conducts a growing business, with a trade in many other towns besides Spencerville. Mr. Snow married Fannie Alice Mumaugh in 1885. She died in 1903, the mother of five children, two sons and three daughters, all of whom are living: Flavilia, wife of Charles Umbaugh, of Lima; Carl, a printer at Springfield, Ohio; Fred, Jr., a printer at Galion; Lenore, unmarried and living at Lima; and Fannie at home. Two of the daughters are high school graduates. In 1905 Mr. Snow married Harriet Arter, who was born at Gomer in Allen county, a daughter of Thomas and Jane Watkins. Her father was a native of Wales and her mother of Ohio. Thomas Watkins came to Allen county in 1832, being one of the pioneer settlers, and he lived and died on a farm. Good business judgment and energy brought him much prosperity, and at one time he owned eight farms in this section of the state. Mrs. Snow was reared and educated at Gomer, and her first husband was Dr. David L. Arter, who died in 1899. Mr. and Mrs. Snow are members of the Methodist Church. He is a past mas- 30 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY ter of Arcadia Lodge No. 306, F. and A. M., and he and his wife are members of the Eastern Star. Politically he is a Democrat. Besides his business he owns an attractive home on Broadway in Spencerville. Nearly all his life he has been a musician, connected with various organizations in communities where he has lived. He was a member of an orchestra at .Lima, and is a prominent figure in musical circles at Spencerville, bearing some of the burdens of church music. RICHARD FREDERICK EMIG. The public is demanding and receiving clean and amusing entertainment through the medium of the theatres. The managers of the theatres all over the country have recognized the fact that with the abolition of some forms of amusement others would receive additional attention, and made their plans accordingly. Within the past few months there have been more and better shows than have ever before been put out in the same length of time, and the popularity of the theatre is on the increase. One of the men who is bending his energies to secure for his patrons the highest class of amusement at Lima is Richard Frederick Emig, manager of the Regent Theatre. This theatre has a seating capacity of 1,000, and is devoted to moving pictures, being one of the most popular in the city. It is the largest and best equipped and the very best features are shown here. R. F. Emig was born at Buffalo, New York, October 5, 1890, a son of John J. and Mary (Pugh) Emig, of German stock, both the grandfather and grandmother on the paternal side coming from Frankfort, Germany, to the United States, and settling at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a hat manufacturer. He founded a town in Pennsylvania which was named in honor of him, Emig, and as the place increased in importance it was called Emigsville, which name it now bears. This place was started as a social experiment, and the original settlers were the workers in the hat factory, who were to share in the profits, if there were any, and to be taken care of if there were not. The venture was a success. Subsequently he went to Buffalo, New York, and manufactured hats which he sold to the French and Indians. His death occurred in 1870, after he had had a long and successful career. He was the father of eight children, and of them John J. Emig was the sixth in order of birth. John J. Emig was also a manufacturer and lived until 1903, when he passed away, his wife having died the year previously. They had five sons and two daughters born to them. Growing up at Buffalo, New York, Richard Frederick Emig attended the graded and high schools of that city, leaving the latter after a two years' course and going to work for the English Woolen Mills of Buffalo, and remained there for two years as a clerk. His next employment was with the Mohican Grocery Company, and he was in their office and auditing department for two and one-half years. For one year Mr. Emig was with the J. Adams Company of Buffalo as assistant buyer. In the meanwhile the motion picture business was making wonderful strides forward in its development, and the attention of shrewd business men was being attracted to its possibilities. Mr. Emig was one of these men of broad vision, and in 190 he definitely entered the field of theatrical management and became the owner and operator of the Warren Theatre of Hudson, New York, where he remained for three years. For the subsequent eighteen months he conducted the Regent Theatre, which he had opened in that city. His next venture was with the Strand Theatre at Oneonta, New York, where he remained for two years. Going back to Albany, New York; he opened the New Albany Theatre, and was connected with it for a short time, and then went to Cleveland, Ohio, and did publicity work for the Robertson-Cole Picture Corporation for seven months. He was then manager of the Regent Theatre, at Saginaw, Michigan, for the Butterfield Corporation for six months, and then came to Lima as manager of the Regent Theatre. The business has been practically revolutionized since Mr. Emig first entered it, and he has kept abreast of the times. Those who complain at the increase in the prices, as some do who are not conversant with conditions, ought to have had his experience, and they would appreciate how much is now being given in excess of what was then required when he opened his little theatre in 190. An audience of today would soon rebel at the class of show he gave his patrons, and yet at that time it was regarded as entirely satisfactory. The quality of the pictures, the increase in the length of a performance, the introduction of musical specialties, the improvement in the theatres themselves, the installation of expensive projecting machines, organs and other appliances, the advance in salaries of employes, the increase in taxes, local and federal, all of these have had their influence on the business. There are thousands of people today who are enjoying and understanding entertainments who before the introduction of moving pictures never entered a theatre or spent a nickel for personal pleasure of this nature. Numbers of the patrons who once were constant attendants at the speaking theatres now have lost their taste for that form of amusement and prefer the pictures, claiming that those on the stage appear too artificial. To one who is used to view pictures of actual houses and rooms, towering mountains and sandy beaches, the painted substitutes do make but small appeal. That actors are recognizing the trend of events is shown in their eager entry into the new branch of their profession. Leaving out the educational side, which is an important one, the effect of the moving picture theatres have on a community is a very beneficial one, and too much credit cannot be accorded to the enterprise, good judgment and shrewd management of the men in charge of these ventures. A man of strong personal convictions, Mr. Emig prefers to select his own candidates and vote for the men he thinks will handle the duties of the offices in question, rather than to bind himself down by adhering to party platforms. He belongs to Orient Lodge Number 46, A. F. & A. M., and he also belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Through the medium of the English Lutheran Church he finds expression for his religious faith. While not active in politics, Mr. Emig is a man who has always been a good citizen and is very much interested in everything which has for its object the further- HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 31 ance of the welfare of Lima or Allen county, and is ready to give his personal suport when it is needed. CHARLES W. BAXTER assumed the office of sheriff of Allen county on the 6th of January, 1919, and his administration is fully justifying the electoral choice of the incumbent. He is a native of Allen county and a popular representative of one of its old and honored families. Charles Wesley Baxter was born in American township, this county, on the 3rd of October, 1867, and is the eldest of a family of eleven children, all of whom are living except one. He is a son of Griffith J. .and Mary (Metzler) Baxter, the former of Scotch-Irish and the latter of German ancestry. James Baxter, grandfather of the sheriff, passed his entire life as a farmer rn Amanda township, Allen county. Griffith J. Baxter was born and reared in this county, where he became in his youth a successful teacher in the district schools and where he continued his association with farm enterprise until 1879, when he removed with his family to Kansas, where he became a pioneer farmer and where he and his wife now reside at Hartford, he being retired from aclive affairs. The present sheriff of Allen county here gained his rudimentary education in the district schools, and he was eleven years of age at the time of the family removal to Kansas, where he continued to attend school at intervals until 1886. He then returned to Allen county, where he continued his studies in the village schools of Elida until he was twenty years of age. Thereafter he continued to be employed at farm work in his native county until he had attained to the age of thirty-one years, when he married. His added responsibilities and well directed ambition lead him about this time to become a salesman of agricultural implements and, machinery, and for seven years he continued as a successful salesman in the employ of the Deering Harvester Company, with headquarters at Lima. He was then appointed deputy sheriff by Sheriff E. J. Barr, and he continued his service in this position from 1905 until 1915, his service having continued during the administration of Sheriffs Barr, Van Gunten and Watt. After his retirement he was again engaged in the agricultural implement and machinery business for four years, and in 1918 he was made the Democratic nominee for the office of sheriff, to which he was elected in November of that year. He was reelected in 1920, commencing his second term in January, 1921, and is serving with characteristic loyalty and efficiency. Mr. Baxter is a stalwart advocate of the principles of the Democratic party, and is progressive and public-spirited in hrs civic attitude. Both he and his wife are communicants of the Lutheran Church at Lima. The year 1898 recorded the marriage of Mr. Baxter to Miss Clara Boose, daughter of Henry and Catherine Boose, of Bath township, Allen county, and the two children of this union are Loyal Bryan and Mary Catherine. C A. BYBEE. Among the enterprising young business men of Lima none have met with more deserved success than C. A. Bybee, who is general manager of the Bybee Tire & Service Company. From boyhood he has been interested in mechanics, particularly in relation to the automobile industry, and has won his way to financial independence through hard work and determined perseverance. Mr. Bybee was born March 23, 1896, at Paulding, Ohio, and is a son of Allen and Alice (Stover) Bybee. The early American members of thrs family came from France and in the main have been farmers and merchants for generatrons. Mr. Bybee attended the public schools at Paulding, spending one year in the high school, and after that continued his education in the night schools. He was only fifteen years old when he became the owner of a vulcanizing shop, in which he kept himself employed until he secured a position wrth the Overland people at Toledo, where he was put in charge of the new car department and remained there two years. He then engaged with the Tillotson Carburetor Company of Toledo as service man, and was on tire road for this concern for six months, after which he had experience in the same capacity with the Toledo branch of the Studebaker Auto Company. Mr. Bybee then decided to learn the tire business with thoroughness, and for the next year and a half worked with the Toledo Double Tread Company, his natural mechanical ability assisting in his rapidly becoming an expert in this branch of mechanics. In 1916 he came to Lima and started the Lima Double Tread Tire Company at No. 122 South Main street. A year later, in partnership with his father, he started the Bybee Tire & Service Company, with headquarters on Spring and Elizabeth streets, for the distribution of Firestone tires, the trade territory over which they have the agency, covering eight counties of Ohio. The firm carries also a complete lrne of automobile accessories, and through first class goods and courteous and expert service has garned a very substantial patronage. In September, 1917, Mr. Bybee was united in marriage to Miss Claudia W. Betts, who is a daughter of the late Henry Betts, of Paulding, Ohio. They are members of the Church of Christ. Mr. Bybee belongs to the order of Elks at Lima and to other organizations of a social nature. He has always been too busily engaged in business to take any very active part in political life, but as an American citizen keeps thoroughly informed on all public matters and has always voted with the Republican party. FRANK COLUCCI. Many of the more prosperous and able business men of our country are of foreign birth and breeding, noteworthy among the number being Frank Colucci, of Lima, a prominent and wealthy citizen, who has achieved success in his active career by patient industry, thoughtful thrift and wise investment. Born July 3, 1863, in Italy, he was there brought up and educated. Anxious to take advantage of the opportunities offered a poor Than in this country, he left home at the age of nineteen years and, crossing the Atlantic, landed in New York city in 1882. The following three years he worked on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, after which he spent two years in Green county, Wisconsin, being in the employ of Drake & Stratton, railroad contractors. Continuing in the same line of industry, Mr. Colucci worked on the Illinois Central Railroad a year, and from the fall of 1888 until the 32 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY summer of 1889 was engaged in construction work in Chicago, Illinois. Coming then to Lima, Ohio, he was foreman of the force of men employed in the construction of the Columbus, Lima and Milwaukee Railway, now known as the Columbus & Lake Michigan Railroad, being in the employ of the late Benjamin C. Faurot. He then secured the contract for building the railway between Findlay and Kenton, and having employed sixty men completed his contract in January, 1890. Returning to Lima when the work was finished, Mr. Colucci, who had saved considerable money, made what at first seemed to be a bad bargain, having loaned $200 to one of his fellow countrymen, a fruit dealer having stores opposite the Court House and one on East Main street. The fruit dealer failed, and Mr. Colucci was forced to take over the business, which he placed in charge of his brother-in-law, who became quite successful, placing the different stores on a paying basis. On March 22, 1890, Mr. Colucci was engaged by the Chicago & Atlantic Railroad Company to furnish laborers for construction work. In the fall of that year that road passed into the control of the Chicago & Erie Railroad Company, and for many years thereafter Mr. Colucci was the contractor for laborers. For a long time he has held grading contracts and business relations with the Standard Oil Company and with Pennsylvania lines engaged in the oil business. Possessing excellent business capacity and judgment, he has acquired valuable interests in realty, and is one of the stockholders and directors of the American Bank of Lima and of the Lima News Company. In Akron, Ohio, on June 22, 1904, Mr. Colucci married Miss Rosina Fusco, a native of Italy. They have five children, namely: Elinor M., born May .2, 1906; Clementina A., born August 11, 1907; Frances R., born November 8, 1908: Frank L., Jr., born October 16, 1909; and Emilio S., born September 28, 1911. All were born in Lima and all are in school. CAPTAIN J. SMITH HOWE, of Spencerville, is a veteran of two wars with a long period of service in the Ohio National Guard between. He is a well known citizen of Allen county, where he has spent all his life and where his people were early settlers. Captain J. Smith Howe was born at Spencerville June 4, 1877, son of Julius H. and Flora (Fogle) Howe. His mother was born in Spencerville January 29, 1857, the Fogles having been early residents in that section. She died October 3, 1893. Julius Howe was born at Wayne, Michigan, Afigust 20, 1850, and came to Spencerville at the age of twenty. For many years he was in the lumber business, and in pursuit of that industry lived in Allen, Hardin and Auglaize counties. He was a man of many interests, closely identified with the Methodist Church and superintendent of its Sunday School, as a Republican served as assessor of Spencerville several times and was corporation assessor for eight years in succession. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias. Of five children four are still living: Captain J. Smith; Mabel, wife of William Sprague, Ella, wife of Ira Gilmore; and Dr. J. Holland Howe, of Lexington, Illinois, who was the first lieutenant in the Medical Department of the Aviation Corps and served at Kelley Field in Texas during the World war. J. Smith Howe spent his early life in and around Spencerville, and acquired a good education in the common and high schools. June 22, 1898, shortly after he reached his twenty-first birthday, he enlisted in Company L of the Second Ohio Infantry in the Spanish-American war. He was in the ranks as a private, and received his honorable discharge February 0, 1899. Ever since that time he has been much interested in military affairs. He helped organize a local unrt of the National Guard and enlisted May 25, 1900, as a private in Company F of the Second Ohio Infantry. He became a sergeant in the same year and battalion sergeant major in May, 1902, was appointed first sergeant April 2, 1904, first lieutenant July 15, 1907, and was commissioned captain March 31, 190. He continued to hold the rank of a captain of the National Guard until July, 1918. He was called into the Federal service as captain of a company during the trouble on the Mexican border, receiving his honorable muster out after that duty March 26, 1917. On May 16, 1917, during the war with Germany, he was called to duty as an enlisting officer, performing that duty until July 15, 1917, and was then placed in the National Army and was in service until his discharge, March 21, 1918. In the meantime Captain Howe had for several years been performing civilian duties as a rural mail carrier, and since leaving the army has continued that work, being carrier on route No. 3 out of Spencerville. March 22, 1902, he married Lou Alma Howell, a native of Miami county, Ohio. They have an adopted child, who is a graduate of the Spencer. ville High School. Mr. and Mrs. Howe are mein• bers of the Methodist Church, in which he is a teacher of a boys' class. He is affiliated with Ar cadia Lodge No. 306, F. and A. M., with his wife is a member of Eastern Star Chapter No. 130, is affiliated with Spencerville Chapter, R. A. M., Delfosse Council No. 72, R. & S. M., and is a member of the Scottish Rite bodies at Toledo. He is also vice commander of the Harry J. Reynolds Post No. 191 of the American Legion. Captain Howe has always been ready to found and give his help to various community organizations, He has served as chief of the local fire department, and is scout master of the local organization of Boy Scouts. Politically he is a Republican. Mrs. Howe gave a large part of her time during the World war to Red Cross duties, and has also been active in local literary clubs. JAMES OSCAR MONTAGUE. The love of the soil is with a man, and once he recognizes this he is apt to decide on farming for his life work. Many of the best farmers of Allen county are men who come of a long line of agriculturalists and learned their work under the careful supervision of a watchful father. Having begun at an early age to perform the work of a farm, these duties come natural to them, and they are able to achieve a prosperity that does not attend those who turn to the farm from other vocations. James Oscar Montague, owner of 122 acres of finely-cultivated land in American township, is one of the men who belongs to this important class, and he was HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 33 born on his present farm November 18, 1877, a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Neff) Montague. The founder of the family in America, Peter Montague, came from England to the Jamestown Colony in Virginia, and since then this family has been well represented in this country. Beginning with the American Revolution, men bearing this name have fought in the different wars of the country, and the majority have devoted their energies to farming. The grandfather, James Marion Montague, moved from Virginia to Fairfield county, Ohio, and in 1853 settled in Allen county, bringing with him his two sons and two daughters. He bought eighty acres of woodland, cleared it off, and this is the present farm of James Oscar Montague. In the course of time Thomas Montague succeeded to this farm, on which he spent his life unlil his retirement, he being now a resident of Lima. He and his wife had a family of nine children, and of them all James Oscar was the eldest son. Growing up on the farm James Oscar Montague was sent to the Ash Grove country school for four months out of the year during the wintertime, according to the custom prevailing at that time, and when he had completed his work there he was given the additional advantage of two years at the Elida High School, three years at Lima College, where he took the classical course, and two years at Otterbein College, where he also took the classical course. For a year following he was official secretary of the Lima Young Men's Christian Association, and then returned to the homestead and spent three years upon it. He then spent four years with the National Cash Register Company at Dayton, Ohio, being employed in the purchasing department,. and was later made foreman of a portion of the stock department. In 1908 he returned to the home farm, where he has continued to reside ever since. Mr. Montague and his father built a large greenhouse on their property in 1912, and conducled it until 1918, raising lettuce, cucumbers and tomaloes, but since then it has been rented to outside parties, the father retiring and the son devoting himself to conducting the farm. In 1903 Mr. Montague was married to Grace Angell, a daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Riley) Angell, of Lima, and they became the parenls of four children, namely: Ruth Elizabeth, Marian Lucile, Virgil Thomas and Dorothy Bernice. Mr. Montague is a Republican, and has always given his support to this party. In 1914 he ran for county auditor in a strong Democratic county, and was defeated. In 1906 he was his party's candidate for county auditor, and was defealed by only 373 votes. A Mason, he belongs to Lima Lodge No. 585, A. F. & A. M., and to Lima Chapter No. 4, R. A. M. A progressive man, he helped to organize the township farm bureau, and was elected its president in July, 1920, and is one of its directors, and he is also on lhe executive committee of the farm bureau of Allen county. Mr. Montague is a man who has found his educational training of benefit to him in his farm work, and his experiments are watched wilh great interest by his neighbors, and many of his innovations are adopted. ALBERT DANIEL NEUMAN. At One time a machinist in the locomotive shops at Lima, Albert D. Neuman also possessed the talent of a real business executive, and from the time he ventured into undertakings of his own has steadily prospered and seen his affairs and interests grow to cover a large share of the commercial activities of Lrma. Mr. Neuman, who is especially identified with several of the mercantile enterprises of the city, was born in Crawford county, Ohio, a mile and a half west of Crestline, in 1858, a son of John and Elizabeth (Metcalf) Neuman. The Metcalfs were a Pennsylvania German family. The mother died in 1902. The father, a native of Germany, came alone at the age of seventeen to America and was an early farmer in Crawford county and for many years a general merchant at Crestline, where he died in 1882. Albert D. Neuman is the fifth in a family of ten children, five sons and five daughters. While he attended public school at Leesville and Crestline, he early launched into work and experiences more directly connected with his future. Between the age of twelve and sixteen he was employed in a general store at Crestline. He then went on a farm, and for three and a half years was a steady working farm hand, the rate of wage being two hundred dollars a year, including board. Not satisfied to continue in the country and to become a farmer, he next learned the machinist's trade in the Pennsylvania shops at Crestline, and served an apprenticeship of three years. A finished workman, he came to Lima and for four months was in the Lima Locomotive Works, and for three and a half years was in the shops of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway, after which he went west to Topeka, Kansas, and was employed in the Santa Fe shops eleven months. On returning to Lima Mr. Neuman was in the Lake Erie shops for four months. That terminated his services for others. With A. B. Skelley he bought out the City Laundry Company, and operated this local industry with growing success and advantage for six and a half years. Selling out in 1898, he established the firm of Neuman & Williams, with Hugh Williams as partner, and bought the C. Bitzer Furniture House. For a quarter of a century Mr. Neuman has been one of the leading furniture merchants of Lima. The firm of Neuman & Williams was dissolved after six and a half years, and he then reorganized a stock company, since known as the Neuman-Kettler Furniture Company, of which he is vice president. This is one of the important establishments of its kind in this section of Ohio. In 1913 he also started another furniture house in another section of the city, known as the Lima House Furniture Company, of which he is president and active director. Mr. Neuman is president of the Central Building & Loan Company, a director of the Lima Cord, Sole & Heel Company, and is interested in a number of other local enterprises. In 1887 he married Miss Debbie Reed, a daughter of James M. Reed, of Crestline. At her death in 1892 she was survived by two children: Mary Elizabeth, who is now married and living in Pennsylvania; and Howard Neuman, of Mansfield, Ohio. In 1896 Mr. Neuman married Emma Clementine Glock daughter of Coonrod and Anna (Borst) Glock of Kenton, Ohio. Three children have been born to their marriage: Emma Vol. II-3 34 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY Winona, Margaret Corinne and Florence Jeannette. In matters of politics Mr. Neuman is independent, voting for the man rather than for the party. He is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason and also a York Rite Mason, is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and belongs to the Lima Merchants Association, being one of the members whose successful achievements rate him high in local business circles. Among other connections already noted Mr. Neuman at one time was vice president of the East Iron Machine Company. EDWIN C. AKERMAN, who is giving efficient service as chief deputy auditor of Allen county, was born and reared in this county and is a representative of a family here founded nearly ninety years ago. Edwin Clyde Akerman was born on a farm near Lafayette, this county, on the 2d of June, 1864, and is a son of William Henry Akerman and Jane (Ransbottom) Akerman. The paternal grandfather, William Akerman, came from Morgan county, Ohio, to Allen county in 1834. Here he became a prosperous farmer and influential citizen of his community and here he and his wife remained until the close of their long and useful lives. William Akerman married Keziah B. Carroll, of Morgan county, and they became the parents of thirteen children, of whom William Henry, father of the subject of this sketch, was the fourth in order of birth. William H. Akerman received the advantages of the common schools of Ohio and in his youth became a successful teacher, his principal pedagogic service having been in the Suddeth district in Jackson township. He was only twenty-eight years of age at the time of his death, October 25, 1868, and had been engaged in farming and teaching prior to his demise. His widow survived him by nearly half a century and was venerable in years at the time of her death, February 26, 1918. Edwin C. is the elder of their two children. After having attended the public schools at Lafayette Edwin C. Akerman entered the Ohio Northern University at Ada in 1882, and through his own efforts he defrayed the expenses of his collegiate education. He continued to attend this institution at intervals, and in the meanwhile did successful service as a teacher in the public schools, his determined application finally resulting in his graduation in 1892, with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. In the year 1888 was recorded the marriage of Mr. Akerman to Miss Sarah Augusta Butterfoss, daughter of Charles W. and Mille Q. (Roby) Butterfoss, of Ada, and the two children of this union are Audrey Gale, of Lima, and Opal Fenella, wife of Wilbur D. Nye, of this city. After his graduation in the Ohio Northern University Mr. Akerman served from 1892 until 1897 as superintendent of the public schools in the village of Elida, Allen county, and from 1897 until 1900 he was the popular and successful principal of the high school at Bluffton, this county. He had previously served as principal of this high school--from 1887 until 1891—and upon his resignation, completed his course and was graduated in the university, as previously noted. In 1900 he was advanced to the position of superintendent of the Bluffton public schools, in which position he continued to give characteristically effective administration until 1906. Mr. Akerman retired from the work of his profession to assume the office of auditor of his native county, a position to which he was elected in the autumn of 1905 He assumed his official duties in October, 1906, and at the expiration of his term of three years he was re-elected, in 1908, for a term of two years. Upon his retirement, October 15, 1911, he was retained by the county in the office of chief deputy auditor, a position of which he has since continued the incumbent. Mr. Akerman in the meanwhile gave close attention to the study of law, entirely during his leisure hours at home, and on the 4th of January, 1916, was admitted to the bar of his native state. He has been an active and loyal advocate and supporter of the cause of the Democratic party, is affiliated with the Lodge and Encampment organizations of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the lodge of Free and Accepted Masons at Bluffton and the camp of the Modern Woodmen of America in the same vil lage. He and his wife are active members of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church in their home city of Lima, and he is a teacher in its Sunday School. His continued interest in the profession which so long engaged his time and attention rs shown by the fact that since 1917 Mr. Akerman has been teacher of bookkeeping and accounting in the night school session of the Lima High School. JOHN M. REYNOLDS. A business founded many years ago and made to grow and prosper and still an important asset of Spencerville is the W. A Reynolds Lumber Company. Its founder was the late W. A. Reynolds and two of his sons are actively identified with its management today. W. A. Reynolds was born in Clinton count Ohio, but came to Allen county as a young man For a time he was head sawyer in the Kephart Saw Mill at Spencerville. He also operated a feed mill, and owned and operated mills of his own. He also bought the lumber yard from A. W. Mauk. His business suffered several fires, on time both his mill and yard being destroyed. Pe sistency was one of the dominant traits of hr character and he never allowed even the most discouraging circumstances to balk him in his efforts. Another factor that contributed to his so cess was the perfect credit rating he maintaine He was largely self educated, having attended some of the old log school-houses of Ohio. Even through the busy years of his mature life he main. tained the habit of industrious reading. W. A. Reynolds married Mary C. Dietch, who was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, but gr up in Auglaize county, where they were marri They began housekeeping in Spencerville, a that community had cause to mourn the death a fine and upright citizen when W. A. Reynol passed away March 9, 1907. He was an act member of the Methodist Church, a charter mem her of Arcadia Lodge No. 306, A. F. and A. M and was quite active in the Democratic party. served eighteen years on the school board, a was also a banker. There were seven children in the family, five sons and two daughters. The oldest is John The second is W. Earl. an oil operator in Ok homa. The third is Wilmer G. Reynolds, of th HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 35 W. A. Reynolds Lumber Company, who was born in Spencerville June 14, 1888. Mary R., is the wife of F. J. Rupert, is a graduate of the Spencerville High School and graduated in music from the Baldwin-Wallace College. Anna M., the other daughter, is also a high school graduate and took the musical course at Baldwin College and is now secretary of the Y. W. C. A. at Springfield, Ohio. Homer D., who lives at Joplin, Missouri, after graduating from the local high school attended Eastman's Business College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Morris D. is a graduate of the Spencerville High School. Wilmer G. Reynolds married, June 23, 1914, Lois Hirn, who was a graduate of Wooster College and was a teacher before her marriage. They have one daughter, Margaret L., born June 28, 1917. John M. Reynolds received a high school education at Spencerville, graduated from the business college at Poughkeepsie, New York, and soon after his return home went to old Mexico, where he lived eight months, and was at Los Angeles when his father died. He returned to Spencerville to take charge of his father's business, and is now actively associated with his brother and his mother in the partnership of the W. A. Reynolds Lumber Company. The family are also extensively interested in oil and mining in the west. October 16, 1913, John M. Reynolds married Gertrude Tone, who was born near Spencerville and was a graduate of the high school of that city, She was an active member of the Methodist Church, and a large community of friends deeply mourned her death on April 13, 1918. John M. Reynolds is a Royal Arch and Council Mason, being a past high priest of his Chapter, and is a charter member of El Carno Grotto, tieing the only charter member outside of Lima. He is also affiliated with the Elks and Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Lima, and is a director in the Citizens Bank of Spencerville and a member of lhe Progressive Association. C. HENRY SMITH, persident of the Citizens Nalional Bank of Bluffton, and secretary and teacher of history of Bluffton College, is one of the eminent men of Bluffton, and a man who is also taking considerable interest, in a constructive way, rn the civic affairs of his community. He was born in Woodford county, Illinois, June 8, 1875, a son of John and Magdalene (Schertz) Smith. John Smith was born in Illinois in 1843, and his wife was born in the same state in 1844. On both sides the grandparents were natives of Alsace-Lorraine, France, from whence they came to the United States in the early part of the nineteenth century and settled in central Illinois, where they became farming people. Following their marriage John Smith and his wife located on a farm in Woodford county, and there spent the remainder of their useful lives. They were consistent members of the Mennonite Church. They had eight children, five of whom survive in 1920, namely: Joseph D., who is a farmer of central Illinois; Samuel E., who lives in Kansas; John C., who is a resident of central Illinois; Emma, who is the wife of B. J. Schertz, lives in Illinois; and C. Henry, whose name heads this review. C. Henry Smith was reared on his father's farm in Woodford county, and attended the district schools, the Metamora, Illinois, High School, and the Illinois State Normal School at Normal, Illinois, being graduated from the latter institution. He then became a student of the University of Illinois and was graduated therefrom with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and he then took a course at the University of Chicago, and was graduated from it with the degrees of Master of Arts and of Doctor of Philosophy. While taking these extended courses Mr. Smith was engaged in teaching in the public schools of Illinois, Elkhart Institute and Goshen College, and then became an instructor of history in the Manual Training High School at Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1913 Bluffton College was fortunate enough to secure him as secretary and instructor in history, and he has remained with this institution ever since. Doctor Smith is an authority on historical subjects, and maintains membership in the American Historical Society and the American Sociological Society. In December, 1908, Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Laura L. Ioder, a daughter of William and Frances (Stauffer) Ioder, farmers and stockraisers. Mrs. Smith is a graduate of Knox College and a lady of great intellectual attainments. Doctor and Mrs. Smith have no children. They are active members of the Mennonite Church. When the Citizens National Bank was organized in 1920 Doctor Smith was made its first president, and he is also president of the First National Bank of Pendora, Ohio. The officers of the Citizens National Bank are: C. Henry Smith, president; Herman Locher, vice president; Elmer Romey, cashier; and E. M. Hostellter, assistant cashier. The directors of the bank are: C. Henry Smith, Herman Locher, Henry Zehrebach, D. D. Flick, Noah Basinger, Casper Herman and Adam S. Steier. Doctor Smith is a Democrat, and has served as a member of the Bluffton City Council. In addition to the other organizations with which he is connected he belongs to the American Economic Association, the Ohio Historical Association and the Greek Letter college fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa. Doctor Smith knows how to awaken an interest in history as do few instructors, putting life into the dry facts and arousing an interest on the part of his pupils which cannot help but be inspiring. The part he is taking in the financial and civic affairs of Bluffton is of a high character and entitles him to the confidence and gratitude of his associates, and few men in this locality are held in as high regard as he. AZARIAH D. MILLER. In the legal fraternity of Allen county a name which is known and honored is that of Azariah D. Miller, of Lima, who has been connected long and prominently with matters of jurisprudence in the county, both as an able, thorough and industrious lawyer, and as a dignified, learned and eminently honorable member of the bench. Mr. Miller was born on a farm in Amanda township, Allen county, June 18, 1853, a son of Joseph and Minerva (Shock) Miller, the former a native of Ross county. As a youth Azariah D. Miller divided his time between assisting his father and 36 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY attending the district school, and when still a lad began teaching school, having taught and closed his first school term before he was sixteen years of age. He then attended a school at Lebanon, Ohio, where he furthered his preparation for the educator's vocation, and March 5, 1876, was united in marriage with Darthula Place, who was also born in Amanda township, a daughter of James and Susan (Culver) Place, of Delaware county, Ohio. Following his marriage Mr. Miller continued to teach in the country districts for several years, and also engaged in farming on a small property which he owned. In the meantime, however, he was constantly applying himself to the study of law with the late Judge James Mackenzie and Judge Theo. D. Robb. Mr. Miller came to Lima and entered the Probate Judge's office as chief clerk under Judge Robb. He was identified from the first with matters of the utmost legal importance, and in a number of cases showed such ability and thorough knowledge of the fundamentals of law that it was recognized that he was composed of judicial timber. For six years he acted in the capacity of deputy probate judge of Allen county, and for two terms as probate judge, and during his long incumbency his decisions were agreed upon as being just and impartial and based upon the true principles of law and has the distinction of never having been reversed by the higher courts of the county and state. At the present time Mr. Miller has an office in the Metropolitan Building, where he receives his clients, among whom are to be found some of the leading interests of the city. He is interested in civic affairs as a good citizen and gives his public- spirited support to every project that promises to benefit Lima, its institutions and the welfare of its people. Mr. and Mrs. Miller were the parents of the following children: Heber Herman, who died at the age of eleven months; Lehr E., treasurer of Allen county; Freda, the wife of Herbert Conrad, of Lima; Susan, the wife of Edgar V. Smith, of this city; James Joseph, also a resident of Lima; Adeline, the wife of Dalis Stiles, of Muskogee, Oklahoma; Mabel, the wife of Carl Leonard, of Houston, Texas; Walter L. and Theodore D., twins, who reside at Lima; and Marie Beatrice, wife of Frank Roberts of Lima. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are members of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. His fraternal affiliations are with the Modern Woodmen of America and the A. I. U. He is a Democrat in politics, has represented his party as a delegate in county, state and national conventions and was considered a leader in his party until he retired from politics. JOHN A. SCHERGER. A life-long resident of Delphos, one of its quiet and industrious business men and capable citizens, John A. Scherger is a member of the firm C. Scherger & Sons, proprietors of the largest and best, equipped marble, granite and monumental business in this section of the state. The founder of the business is Constantine Scherger, one of the prominent old residents of Allen county. He was born in Bavaria, Germany, October 1, 1842, son of -Anton and Josephine Scherger. Three years later, in 1845, the family came to the United States, first locating in Seneca county,, Ohio. In 1851 Josephine Scherger, the mother, lost her life when she fell in a well and drowned. Anton Scherger died in 1875. Both were devout Catholics. Constantine Scherger lived at home until 1858. He spent a year in Hancock county, Ohio, then learned the wagon maker's trade at Fremont and subsequently worked at Lima and then located permanently in Delphos. On June 28, 1862, he responded to the call of the president for troops to put down the rebellion, enlisting in Company A of the 99th Ohio Infantry, and was in service through many campaigns until the close of the war, being mustered out at Nashville in June, 1865. After the war he followed various business pur- suits until 1874, when with a brother he bought the marble shop of James Tolan. The brothers were associated for about two years, and since then Constantine Scherger has continued the busi. ness with constantly expanding facilities and trade until his shop is now one of the largest in either Allen or Van Wert counties. He also established two branch shops, but these have been discontinued. On January 1, 1905, he took in his sons, Barney T. and John, as partners and since then the firm title has been C. Scherger & Sons. Every mechanical equipment for perfect work is found in the shop, and some very expert tradesmen and artists are also employed on the staff. In 1868 Constantine Scherger married Fannie Fischer, who was born in Huron county, Ohio, a daughter of Saffron Fischer. She died in 1883, the mother of nine children. On April 22, 1884, Constantine Scherger married Mrs. Mary (Dolt) Suever, widow of Frank Suever and daughter of Joseph Dolt. To the second marriage were born Joseph, Leo, Ida and Anthony. The family are all members of St. John's Catholic Church. Con. stantine Scherger is a Democrat and is a former member of the City Council. John A. Scherger was born on Main street rn Delphos August 6, 1869, and as he grew up in the village he attended both the parochial and public schools. He left school to learn the marble and granite trade, and on January 1, 1892, he became a partner with his father and for nearly thirty years has had a great deal to do with the success and expansion of this industry. He established a branch shop at Ottawa, Ohio. August 9, 1892, John A. Scherger married Agnes Weible. She died in 1893, at the birth of her twin sons, Constantine and Henry. The so Henry died August 27, 1893. On November 1897, Mr. Scherger married for his present wife Mary C. Goebel. They have three children, Leona, Ruth and John B. Leona is a graduate of the parochial schools in 1918, while Ruth is attending high school. The family are all member of St. John's Catholic Church and Mr. Scherger affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Knights of America,' Catholic Knights of Oh and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He has taken interest in Democratic politics, and served four terms as a member of the City Council. He also a director of the Delphos National Bank, the Delphos Savings and Loan Association, the Mueller Implement and Automobile Company and the Delphos Printing and Publishing Company, and is also one of the real men of affa of his little city and regarded by all as a man completely worthy and deserving of trust an responsibility. HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 37 CHARLES E. ECKERT, senior member of the reliable firm of Charles E. Eckert & Son, undertakers, is one of the sound business men of Lima, and a leader in his line of endeavor in Allen county. He was born at Miltonville, Butler county, Ohio, in 1853, a son of George and Mary (Squier) Eckert, and grandson of Jacob Eckert, who came to the United States from Baden, Germany, and first settled in Pennsylvania, where he was married to a girl of German birth, but later moved to Miltonville, Ohio. By trade he was a tailor, and he worked at his calling all of his life. He and his wife had the following children: Joseph, Jacob, John George, Henry, August, Daniel and two daughters. George Eckert owned a pottery at Miltonville, was by trade a potter, and he continued in that line of business until his death, which occurred in 1895, his widow surviving him until 1905, when she, too, passed away. Of the three children born to them Charles E. Eckert was the eldest. Growing up in his native town Charles E. Eckert attended its public schools until he reached the age of sixteen years, when he began working in his father's pottery, and remained with him until 1893. In that year he went to Middletown, Ohio, and entering the employ of an undertaker, remained with him, learning the business thoroughly, so that at the expiration he was able to pass the state examinations. Mr. Eckert then came to Lima, his old employer, Mr. Wilson at that time moving his establishment to this city, and for a short period Mr. Eckert remained with him, but then left him to go with James E, Grosjean, undertaker, and continued with the latter for five years. On April 23, 1902, Mr. Eckert in partnership with his only son, George Warren Eckert, went into business for himself on Spring street, under the firm style of Charles E. Eckert & Son. The firm have erected a funeral home and chapel for private funerals at No. 206 South West street, on a plat 51 x 165 feet. The patronage comes from Lima and the country adjacent to the city for a radius of many miles. The partners are noted for their reliable and sympathetic service and moderate charges, and the connections formed in the hour of deepest bereavement oftentimes develop into permanent friendships. Mr. Eckert is also vice president of the Shawnee Finance Company. In 1874 Mr. Eckert was united in marriage at Centerville, Indiana, to Drusilla Antrim, a daughter of Cyrus and Catherine (Seeley) Antrim, and they became the parents of three children, namely: George Warren, who married Blanche Talbot, a daughter of Frank and Mary (Ring) Talbot, in 1914, and has two children, Charles Francis and Mary Drusilla; Keturah A., who married Harry Taylor, of Lima; and Cyrus, who died in the Fall of 1893, when he was nine years old. Mrs. Eckert died on September 29, 1892. Mr. Eckert subsequently was married to Minnie Dietz, a daughter of August and Sarah (Buehl) Dietz. There were no children by this marriage, and the second Mrs. Eckert died in 1913. Mr. Eckert is a Republican and very strong in his support of his party. In his fraternal relations he maintains membership with the Odd Fellows, Maccabees, Royal Arcanum and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, all of Lima, and socially he belongs to the Lima Club and the Lima Automobile Club. For some years he has been a member of the Lima Chamber of Commerce, and he is ex-president of the Ohio Funeral Directors & Embalming Association, having presided over its destinies in 1918. He is a member and elder of the Market Street Presbyterian Church. George Warren Eckert is a Scottish Rite Mason, having attained to the thirty-second degree in Masonry, and he also belongs to Zenobia Templet Mystic Shrine, of Toledo, Ohio. He is a member of Lima Commandery, K. T., and also belongs to the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Council. In addition he is prominent in Lima Lodge, K. of P., of which he is past chancellor; Lima Lodge, B. P. 0. E., and the Lima Tribe of Ben Hur. The Kiwanis, Lima, Lima Automobile and Shawnee Country Clubs have him as an active member. During the Spanish-American war George W. Eckert was a private in Company C, Second Ohio National Guard, and in 1898 was sent to Chickamauga Park, and from there south, being in active service for a period of nine months. On October 23, 1913, he was made captain of his company, and as such was sent to the Mexican border, was promoted to be regimental adjutant, and resigned with that rank in 1916. Both father and son are very well known all over Allen county and are recognized as men of sterling character and citizens of the most desirable kind. They understand their difficult business and know how to invest the last rites with a dignity that is fitting and soothing, and their services are in demand by those who appreciate the high quality of all of their transactions. WILLIAM H. GALLANT. The service the insurance men are rendering their fellow citizens is not appreciated until after a calamity. When a devastating fire has swept through a neighborhood, almost the first question asked after the safety of the occupants of the buildings is ascertained is "what insurance is carried?' Strange to say this is a question seldom asked except by the man who seeks to awaken the prospective buyer to a sense of the importance of such an investment. Again when death has taken its toll, or accident maimed or totally incapacitated, once more the question arises as to the amount of insurance carried. The world is too apt to feel too secure. Until the blow falls a man feels so safe. He can see the need of another for such protection, but not for himself, until the insurance man, through hard work and real eloquence, convinces him of his duty to his family, his community and himself. No man has the right to leave his family unprotected; he should not fail in his duty as a citizen in taking care that he and his are not a public charge; and he most certainly owes it to himself to make some arrangements so that his old age, following his years of production, are comfortable ones. All of this and much more the insurance man talks and teaches, and to the credit of this large body ,of alert and hard-working men be it said there is more insurance being bought today than ever before in the history of the country. Lima has some of the best men in this line of business, and one of them is William H. Gallant, who is a general agent for the International Life Insurance Company of Saint Louis, Missouri, his 38 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY territory covering all of northern Ohio, and for the Aetna Life Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut. His offices are at 129 1/2 West High street. He was born in Mechlenburg county, North Carolina, March 12, 1893, a son of Thomas A. and Margaret (Hargett) Gallant. The family is of Scotch-Irish stock, and the majority of its members have been either farmers or professional men. Until he was fifteen years old Mr. Gallant attended the public schools of his native county, but then entered the insurance field and from then on has been engaged in this line of endeavor, with very gratifying results. For a number of years he traveled, .but in 1915 located permanently at Lima, first being manager for Elmer Webb & Company, and had all of the life insurance of that concern under his supervision until he entered the service of his country, June 24, 1918, as a private from Lima in the Three Hundred and Thirty- fourth Regiment, Eighty-fourth Division, United States Army. He was sent overseas, landed at La Havre, France, and was in the training area until November 4, 1918, when he and his organization was sent to Belgium, and was on the way when the armistice was signed. He spent some time at Le Mons Belgian camp, where he received his promotion as corporal, and was transferred to the Quartermasters Department in February, 1919. Mr. Gallant had the distinction of being returned to his own country on the "George Washington" as a fellow passenger with President Wilson in June, 1919, and was sent to Camp Merritt, and from there to Camp Sherman, where he was honorably discharged July 18, 1919. Returning to Lima, he secured the general agency for the two companies he is representing, and is doing remarkably well, his long and varied experience in this line of business making him specially fitted for it. Like the majority of the veterans of the great war, Mr. Gallant wears the Legion button, and is post adjutant of the Lima Post of the American Legion, and chairman of the Entertainment Committee. In October, 1917, he was united in marriage with Miss Marie Neville Nagle, a daughter of Willis C. and Alice (Neville) Nagle. In politics Mr. Gallant is a Republican. He belongs to the Lima organizations of the Elks and Knights of Pythias. The Presbyterian Church holds his membership. OLIVER S. KITCHEN. The qualities of perseverance, industry, adaptability and good judgment have prevailed in the career of Oliver S. Kitchen, winning for him an honorable position in the business life of Lima, where he is manager and equal owner of the Sherwood Walk-Over Boot Shop, located on the Public Square. Mr. Kitchen is a product of the agricultural regions of Putnam county, Ohio, having been born at Leipsic February 12, 1891, a son of Thomas A. and Irene (Clark) Kitchen. Mr. Kitchen is of Irish-Scotch descent, and for the greater part the members of his family have been identified with agricultural pursuits. His parents, after many years spent in farming, are now residing in comfortable retirement at Bluffton. The youngest of three sons, Oliver S. Kitchen attended the public schools of Bluffton, and after three years at the high school there secured a position as delivery boy in the grocery store of Charles Lambert, a well-known merchant of that city. He spent three years in that capacity and then resigned to accept the position of salesman with the Wise Clothing Company, a concern with which he was identified for four years. In 1911 Mr. Kitchen came to Lima to become a clerk in the Walk-Over Boot Shop, owned by D. L. Sherwood, at whose death in 1915 Mr. Kitchen bought a half-interest in the business from the Sherwood estate. Since that time he has acted as manager for this enterprise, which has the agency for the well-known Walk-Over shoes, and has built up a large and prosperous business, the trade extend. ing into the country for a radius of thirty miles, in addition to controlling a large and important city patronage. The volume of business done necessitates the employment of four salesmen. Through his business ability, unfailing courtesy and progressive spirit Mr. Kitchen has developed a substantial enterprise, and at the same time has succeeded to the good will and friendship of his patrons. Mr. Kitchen was married in 1913 to Miss Mae Riker, daughter of John and Teresa (Wynn) Riker, of Lima, and to this union there has been born one daughter, Marie Helen, born in 1914. Mr. and Mrs. Kitchen are members of Trinity Methodist Church. politics he is a Republi- can. He is an active and valued member of the Lima Chamber of Commerce and the Lima Merchants Association, and his fraternal affiliations include membership in Lima Lodge No. 585, F. & A. M., and the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, in each of which he has numerous friends. ISAAC WILEY JOHN. Elida is one of the smaller cities of Ohio which is a distributing center fo a wide outside territory, so that the business of meeting the demands of this trade is an important one and the merchants of the place are achieving gratifying results as a result of their hard work and good management. One of these meh is Isaac Wiley John, sole proprietor of the general store which bears his name. He was born at Elida, Ohio, in 1874, a son of Jesse J. and Mary (Rousch) John. The family is of Welsh origin and was founded in the American colonies by three brothers who came here from Wales. Griffith John, the great-grandfather of Isaac W. John, came to Ohio from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, named in honor of the family, and after a time spent in Ross county moved into Allen county and settled in what is now Elida. He named the place Elida in honor of his brother, Elida John, Griffith John secured land from the Federal Government to the extent of 1,600 acres, and was engaged in conducting his farm all of his life. Jesse J. John was the eldest of fourteen chil• dren born of his parents, and his sister, Marth John, was the first white child born at Elida She married D. L. Crites. As was but natural, Jesse J. John was a farmer, and became very suc cessful. He and his wife had fourteen children, of whom Isaac W. John was the twelfth. Until he was fourteen years old Isaac W. John attended the public schools of his district, but then left school and began working on the home. HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 39 stead of 200 acres located near Elida, and remained on it until he was twenty-three years old. For the subsequent two years he was engaged in a butchering business at Elida with his brother, and in 1900 began conducting a meat market of his own, but sold it in 1902. For the subsequent five years he was custodian of the Court House of Allen county, and then for two years served on the police force of Lima under Mayor Dyer. In 1910 he re-embarked in the meat business at Elida, and after a year added groceries, and now has a general store, handling a large and varied stock of first-class goods, which he sells at prices as are as low as is consistent with the market and lhe quality. His trade comes from the city and the country for a radius of ten miles. In addition to his store Mr. John has other interests, and is a stockholder of the Delphose Rubber Company. Mr. John was first married to Pearl Miller, who died in 1898, leaving one child. In 1900 Mr. John was married to Myrtle Lease, a daughter of Jacob and Susan Lease, of Elida, and they have two children. In politics, Mr. John is a Republican, and takes an intelligent interest in public matters. From 1899 to 1905 he was town marshal of Elida, and the various positions he has held and the interest he has always shown in his duties have not only gained him the acquaintance of the majority of the people of this region, but their friendship and confidence, and by them and all who come into contact with him he is recognized as a solid citizen of real merit. Although he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the John family were originally Quakers, and very active in the Society of Friends. Fraternally he belongs to the Odd Fellows and Loyal Order of Moose, and is as popular in these organizations as he is elsewhere, for he is one who knows' how to inspire esteem. GEORGE E. BAYLY. Fealty to facts in the analyzation of the character of a citizen of the type of George E. Bayly, of Lima, is all that is required to make a biographical sketch interesting to those who have at heart the good name of the community, because it is the honorable reputation of the man of standing and affairs more than any other consideration that gives character and stability to the body politic and makes the true glory of a city or county revered at home and respected in other and distant localities. In the broad light which things of good report ever invite the name and character of Mr. Bayly stand revealed and secure, and, though of modest demeanor, with no ambition to distinguish himself in public position or as a leader of men, his career has been signally honorable, and it may be studied with profit by the youth entering upon his life work. George E. Bayly was born at New Hagerstown, Ohio, on the 6th day of April, 1883, and is the son of William E. and Mary L. (Brann) Bayly, both of whom were born and reared in Cincinnati, Ohio. Their marriage occurred at Lockport, near Cincinnati, and Mr. Bayly engaged in the wholesale business, in which he was successful. Eventually he moved to New Hagerstown and bought a large farm. Here the son George E. was reared and attended the neighboring district schools and an academy during his youth. He then entered Valparaiso University at Valparaiso, Indiana, where he was graduated in 1903. Immediately thereafter he went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he became connected with the treasurer's department of the Carnegie Steel Company, with which he remained about four years. He then came to Lima and engaged in the furniture and office supply business, with which he was identified for nine years in the capacity of personal manager. The business is still conducted under the title of the Emerson W. Price Company, of which he is secretary and a director. He also has a financial interest in the Lima Overland Company, of which he became president in June, 1916, and which has developed rnto one of the largest and most prosperous concerns of the kind in northwestern Ohio. They handle Overland and Willys-Knight cars, for which they have the agency of the six northwestern Ohio counties. They also conduct a used-car department, which has been very successfully conducted, and the enterprise is numbered among the most successful of the kind here. As the executive head of the company Mr. Bayly has devoted his energies entirely to this field of effort, being ably seconded by the other officers of the company, Samuel Roeder, vice- president, and E. R. Lindesmith, secretary and treasurer. They have erected a splendid sales room on West Market street, where they are well equipped for the carrying on of their operations. Starting out with a capital stock of $50,000, the growth of the business was so rapid that it has been found necessary to increase the capitalization to $150,000. Mr. Bayly has also given his support to other local enterprises, being a stockholder in the First National Bank, of which he was chosen a director at the age of thirty-two years, and is a stockholder and director of the Weatley Company. He has been public spirited and loyal in his attitude toward all movements looking to the advancement of the community in any way, and during the various activities of the World war he took a leading part, serving effectively as chairman of all the Liberty and Victory loan drives in Allen county. Mr. Bayly is a Democrat in his political views, and served one term as a member of the City Council from the Fourth Ward, being the first Democrat ever elected from that ward. Fraternally he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, in which he has attained to the thirty- second degree of the Scottish Rite, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the United Commercial Travelers. He is a member of the Lima Club, of which he has served as president; has served as vice president of the Shawnee Country Club; vice president of the Rotary Club, and president of the Chamber of Commerce. On June 30, 1908, Mr. Bayly was married to Madge Vail, who was born and reared in Lima, the daughter of Dr. J. B. and Rose (Skinner) Vail, and to this union has been born a son, George Vail Bayly, born July 23, 1917. Further specific mention of Dr. Vail will be found elsewhere in this work. Mr. Bayly has by his public spirit, business success and personal character won the universal esteem of all who know him. FRANK W. SWANEY. For a number of years the personal medium between the patrons and the 40 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY Erie Railway Company at Spencerville has been Frank W. Swaney, Erie agent, an expert in all his duties and a very energetic and public spirited citizen of his locality. Mr. Swaney, who has been in railroad work practically ever since he left the farm, was born in Allen county February 22, 1879, son of John and Margaret (Williams) Swaney. His parents were also born in this state, the mother in Allen county. John Swaney was reared in Allen county and after his marriage located on a farm and spent many industrious years cultivating the land and providing for his family. Late in life he retired to Lima, where his wife died December 25, 1915, and where he is still living. He is a member of the Christian Church, and while living in the country was an active worker in the Grange, served as a road supervisor and is a Democrat in politics. Of eight children seven are still living: Verdie, wife of A. M. De Weese, of Hammond, Indiana; Alphus, a farmer near Harrod, Ohio; Nettie, wife of Arthur May, living near Lafayette, Ohio; Frank W.; Myrtle, wife of William Richards, of Lima; Ed, a real estate dealer at Lima; and Walter, connected with the Lima Locomotive Works. Frank W. Swaney grew up on the farm, acquired a district school education, and at the age of eighteen left home and began learning telegraphy. He was soon pronounced proficient rn handling the telegraph key, and on April 20, 1904, was assigned his first duties with the Erie Railway at Spencerville, and as operator and agent has been at his post of duty continuously for sixteen years. June 9, 1902, Mr. Swaney married Florence Briggs, daughter of Charles and Emma Briggs, her mother now deceased. She was educated in the common schools and is a graduate of the Spencerville High School. Mr. and Mrs. Swaney are members of the Christian Church, and he is a Republican and is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias, being a past chancellor of the latter order. WILLIAM C. BERRYHILL. The prosperity of any community is indicated to the thoughtful person not through the medium of senseless public demonstrations or wasteful improvements, but in the standing of the solid, conservative business houses, and judged by this standard Lima is hold,- ing its own, even in these days of unrest. One of these representative houses is that of Waltz & Berryhill, dealers in general hardware, and William C. Berryhill, the junior member, is one of the well-known as well as highly respected men of Allen county, of which he is a native son, as he was born in Bath township on February 26, 1876. His parents, Jefferson and Hester Anne (Bellinger) Berryhill, came of Irish and Scotch stock, and were born in the vicinity of Lima, on farming properties. John Berryhill, the paternal grandfather, bought eighty acres of land in Bath township, Allen county, Ohio, and his deed to it, signed by President Martin Van Buren, is still in the family, as is the land, it now being the property of Lewis Franklin Berryhill. William C. Berryhill is the youngest of the seven children born to his parents. Until he reached his majority William C. Berryhill attended the country schools and assisted his father on the farm, but then, leaving the farm, took a year's course at the Lima Business College so as to prepare himself for a different kind of a career. He was ambitious and decided to become a lawyer, and with this end in view became a stenographer and notary public in the office of Hamilton & Bentley, and at the same time studied law, remaining with this firm until it was dissolved, at which time he went with T. R. Hamilton, and remained with him for three years. Mr. Berryhill then became bookkeeper for the J. J. Ewing Hardware Company, and when this concern was succeeded in 1908 by the Lima Hardware Company Mr. Berryhill continued to hold the same position with the new concern, and subsequently was made its treasurer, In 1913, in partnership with Mr. Waltz, he founded the hardware house of Waltz & Berryhill, and since then the two have been eminently successful in their undertakings. The business is located at 323 West Main street, Lima, and here a general line of hardware is carried. Mr. Berry- hill is also a stockholder in the Lima Trust Company. In November, 1919, Mr. Berryhill was married to Flora Plattner, of Bluffton, Ohio. Mr. Berryhill is a Republican, but has never cared to go into politics. While he has found a business life more to his liking, the knowledge he gained while associated with the profession of law has come in useful, and he feels that his outlook on life is broadened considerably because of it. ADAM HIRN, a notary public of Spencerville, one of the reliable realtors and insurance men of this city, and at one time served in the office of justice of the peace. He was born in Morrow county, Ohio, on October 9, 1852, a son of Christopher and Veronica (Shaub) Hirn, natives of Baden, Germany, who came to the United States in 1852, and after some years spent in the vicinity of Galion, Ohio, he moved to Van Wert county, and, buying 160 acres of land, lived upon it until claimed by death. Religious people, he and his wife were active in the Reformed Church, and he served the local body in several official capacities. Not only did he assrst in the construction of the church edifice at Galion, but also was a generous contributor to the building fund of the one at Spencerville. His political convictions led him to give his support to the Republican party after he had received his papers of citizenship. Seven children were born to him and his wife, those living being as follows: Frederick, who is a retired butcher of Spencerville, served in the war between the states, married Margaret McCoy, and a sketch of him appears elsewhere in this work; Philip, who also served in the Union army, married Catherine Rose, and lives at Delphos, Ohio; Anna L., married William Marbagh, October 2, 1889; Englehardt, also an ex-Union soldier, married Minnie Lawrence and lives at Arkaloma, Kansas; and Adam, whose name heads this review. Adam Hirn was reared in Morrow and Van Wert counties, and attended their schools and the National Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio, and after he had completed his courses became a public school teacher. For eighteen years Mr, Hirn continued in the educational field, and then for two years was a member of the selling force HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 41 of a department store at Princeton, Indiana, but returned to the farm, and, buying out the other heirs, conducted the homestead until 1917, in that year locating at Spencerville and establishing himself in his present business. He handles city and country properties, and represents a number of the old-line fire insurance companies. He still owns a farm of 140 acres in Van Wert county, five miles southwest of Spencerville. For several years Mr. Hirn held the office of justice of the peace, and his decisions never were reversed by the higher courts. In politics he is a Republican. On June 9, 1881, Mr. Hirn was united in marriage with Elizabeth Hight, born in Mercer county, Ohio, on July 29, 1860, a daughter of William and Theresa Hight. Mrs. Hirn was reared at Celina, Ohio, and after being graduated from its high school was engaged in teaching school for lhree years prior to her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Him became the parents of four children, namely: William C., who was born on August 22, 1882, was graduated from the Tri-State College at Angola, Indiana, and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, is now with the Sanitary Department of Michigan; Mary G., who was born October 27, 1883, was graduated from Oxford College and taught school prior to her marriage to L. L. Rupert, a graduate of the Wisconsin State University, and who served in the World war as a captain; Carl D., who was born October 1, 1885, was graduated from the Ohio State University, and is county agent of the agricultural extension department of Clinton county; and Lois L., who was born November 0, 1889, attended the Tri-State College at Angola, Indiana, and also the institution at Wooster, Ohio, and taught school prior to her marriage to Wilmer G. Reynolds, of Spencerville, Ohio. The family belong to the New Salem Presbyterian Church of Spencerville, of which Mr. Hirn has been an elder for thirly-seven years. Well known as a Mason, he belongs to Arcadia Lodge No. 306, F. & A. M. CARL MATTHIAE is an old and prominent business man of Lima and has been identified with the industrial and commercial life of the city for over thirty years. He was born in Saxony, Germany, May 1, 1858, and was reared and educated in his native land, where he learned the trade of stone cutter. In 1882, at the age of twenty-four, he came to the United States, and for a year or so was employed at his trade in Herkimer county, New York. In 1884 he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and in 1889 brought his family to Lima, where during the first winler he was employed as a journeyman. He then entered business as a general contractor, furnishing cut stone and also taking contracts for one and brick work for buildings. He handled several contracts for school houses in Lima, also r a school house at Lafayette, and subsequently established a monument business at 629 North Jackson street, a business he still operates, employing the most experienced stone cutters and has lhe plant thoroughly equipped with all modern machinery and labor saving devices. January 1, 1885, Mr. Matthiae married Catherine Jost. She was born in Prussia, Germany, and arrived at Baltimore, Maryland, August 27, 1884, soon afterward going to Cincinnati, where she was married the first of the following year. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Matthiae are as follows: Catherine, who died in infancy; Carl H., an engineer of the Baltimore and Ohio Railway, living at Lima; Anna, Mrs. M. E. Frawley, of Lima; Louisa, who died at the age of thirteen; Edmund Philip, connected with the Lima Locomotive Works; Margaret, Mrs. Charles Shoeker, of Green Bay, Wisconsin; Herman P., a soldier in the regular army now at Brownsville, Texas; William Lewis, at home; Marie Johanna and Irene Elizabeth, also at home. The family are communicants of St. Rose Catholic Church. Mr. Matthiae is .a Democrat in political affiliations, and is a member of Lima Lodge No. 199, Loyal Order of Moose. ROBERT PERRY JONES. A prominent, progressive and public-spirited citizen of Lima, Robert Perry Jones is conspicuously identified with the promotion of the mercantile prosperity of this part of Allen county, and as one of the leading hardware dealers of the city has a large and lucrative business, which he is managing ably and systematically. A son of Thomas R. and Margaret .(Turnbull) Jones, he was born in Ohio, of Welsh and English ancestry. Born, bred and educated in Wales, Thomas R. Jones learned the tinner's trade when young, and at the age of twenty-two years immigrated to this country, settling in Pomeroy, Meigs county, Ohio, where he followed his trade two years. Then, in company with his father-in-law, he embarked in the hardware business in Pomeroy, where he continued for a few years as head of the firm of Jones & Trumbull. Buying his partner's interest in the business, he conducted it alone as the Thomas R. Jones Company until 1880, when he sold out his interests in that place. Removing to London, Ohio, he operated a hardware store there for eight years, being senior member of the firm of Jones & Thomas. Selling out in 1888, he spent a year in Seattle, Washington, taking a much needed vacation. Coming back to Ohio, he spent a short time in Lima, and was afterward in Columbus for two years. Returning to Lima, he then purchased the old W. F. Steckle & Co. Hardware Store located in the Trust Building in the Ashton Block, and in company with his son Robert Perry Jones, of whom we write, continued business as head of the firm of Thomas R. Jones & Son until ready to retire from active business cares in 1911. Having gained a practical insight into the details of the hardware business while associated with his father, Robert Perry Jones organized in 190 the Jones Hardware Company, locating on South Main street, Lima, and served as its secretary and treasurer until 1915, when he sold his interests in the concern, and for sixteen months traveled as a salesman. Returning to Lima, Mr. Jones then bought the old Cover Hardware Store, which was located in the Public Square, and which is the oldest estabished store of the kind in the city, having been opened in 1868 by W. K. Boone. Mr. Jones has since managed it very satisfactorily, his trade covering all of the country within a radius of sixty miles from Lima. Mr. Jones married in 1892 Effie Huggett, daughter of Richard and Margaret (Ballinger) Huggett, of London, Ohio, and of their union three children 42 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY have been born, namely: Hazel W., wife of H. L. Coutnay, of Lima, and they have three children, Howard Lyle, Richard T. and Margaret; Richard T. married Pauline E. Roeder, and they have three children, Thomas R., Robert and Martha Margaret; and Robert Perry, Jr., born in 1905. Mr. Jones is an independent Republican in politics, and having been elected city councilman in 1909 served ably on the committee of finance. Fraternally he is a member of Lima Lodge No. 205, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; of Lima Chapter No. 49, Royal Arch Masons; of Lima Council No. 20, Royal and Select Masters; of Lima Lodge No. 54, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; and of the Knights of Pythias. HON. JASPER L. COCHRUN. To his duties in the Legislature Jasper L. Cochrun took the viewpoint and experience of a successful farmer, a man thoroughly in touch with the advanced program of his home county in agriculture and public improvements, and his record at Columbus has justified all the expectations of his many friends back home. He has been twice elected to the office of representative from Allen county, serving with the 83rd and the 84th General Assemblies. Mr. Cochrun, whose home is at Spencerville, represents a family that has been identified with the history of Allen county for the past ninety years. He was born in Amanda township February 1, 1859, son of Simon and Lucinda (Miller) Cochrun. Rev. Simon Cochrun, the ancestor of all the Cochruns in Allen county, was born August 3, 1755, and died June 9, 1845, at the age of eighty-nine years, eleven months and six days. He fought under Washington in the Revoluntionary war and is buried in Allen county. His son, Wesley Cochrun, who died in Allen county, Ohio, when upwards of eighty years of age, came to this section in 1831, and spent his active years as a farmer in Sugar Creek township. He was an active factor in establishing and upholding the influence of the Methodist Church in his community. Simon Cochrun, son of Wesley and a grandson of the Revoluntionary soldier and pioneer Methodist preacher, was born in 1821, and was ten years of age when he arrived in Allen county. He died in 1897. Simon Cochrun married Lucinda Miller. She was born November 0, 1819. Simon Cochrun was educated in the public schools, and for several terms taught in some of the old log school houses of the county. His later years were given to farming. Throughout his long life he was devoted to the best interests of his community, was a liberal supporter of the Methodist Church and a friend of progress everywhere. He was the father of five children: James ,a retired farmer and merchant at Spencerville; L. Y., a Spencerville merchant; Lizzie and William, both deceased; and Jasper L. Jasper L. Cochrun grew up in the environment of the old farm in Amanda township, and made good use of his educational opportunities, first in the district schools and later finishing his education by taking a normal course at the Ohio Northern University at Ada. For five years he was a teacher, and then began buying and shipping live-stock, a business he has followed ever since. He owns three hundred and twenty acres of land, two hundred and twenty acres in Auglaize county and the remainder in Amanda township of Allen county. Mr. Cochrun married Catherine B. Carme in June, 1881. She was born in Auglaize coun February 28, 1859, a daughter of James an Sarah A. (Bowersock) Carmean, and received h early education in the common schools. F twenty-five years after their marriage Mr. an Mrs. Cochrun lived on their farm in Amand township, but in 1906 moved to Spencerville. Bo are members of the Methodist Church. Mr. Cochrun is a past chancellor of Spencervil Lodge No. 251, Knights of Pythias, and his wi is a member of the Pythian Sisters and the R bekahs. Mr. Cochrun has always taken a gre amount of interest in school work, and for ye has been president of the Board of Education a Spencerville. He is also vice president and a director of the Citizens Bank, Spencerville, member of the Spencerville Progressive Assoc tion, a member of the Grange and a member the Allen County Farm Bureau. His politica allegiance has always been Republican, and was on that ticket that he has been twice elected as a representative from Allen county to the General Assembly. Mr. and Mrs. Cochrun became the parents of four children, two of whom died young, the daughter Ruth at the age of ten. The two living sons are Paul W., a newspaper man, and James Lee, who gained a distinguished record as a so dier. James Lee graduated from the Ohio W leyan University at Delaware. This Universi has also conferred upon him the honorary degre of Master of Arts for the record he made in th World war. The day James Lee was twenty-one he re ceived a commission as second lieutenant in th Philippine Constabulary, sailed for the far eat and the coming nine years of his life were spen in the southern islands of the Philippine group For gallantry while in action at the battle o Sahippa's Cotta, on the island of Bolo, the Con gress of the United States presented him with a medal of valor. It was during this engagement that he was badly wounded, and was compelled to return to the States. Returning to civil life, he was made crop estimator of the state of Ohio by the Agricultural Department at Washington, which position he held until the United States entered the World war. War being declared, he offered his services to his country, was given the rank of captain and made division adjutant under General Glenn at Camp Sherman. He went over• seas with the 83rd Division, was promoted to the rank of major and then to the rank of lieutenant colonel and placed on the Second Army Staff. James Lee Cochrun is now living at Akron and is connected with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. PAUL WESLEY COCHRUN, owner and editor of the Spencerville Journal-News, represents one of lh very old families of Allen county. He was born in Amanda township, Allen county, June 6, 18 His parents are Jasper L. and Catherine B. (Ca mean) Cochrun. He comes from Scotch-Irish an cestry, and his great-great-grandfather, Simon Cochrun, was a Revolutionary war soldier. Mr. Cochrun was born and raised on a farm and secured his public school education at a coon• try school. He completed his education at the HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 43 Ohio Northern University at Ada, Ohio, and at the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio. For a number of years he was identified with school work and was a teacher in many parts of lhe world. He made a complete tour of the world as teacher, and for one year was superintendent of schools of the District of Cotabata in the Island of Mindanao, Philippines. In November, 1913, after returning to the United States, he purchased the Journal-News at Spencerville. Since then he has given all his lime to his work as editor and publisher. Mr. Cochrun is a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fralernily, is a member of the Masonic, I. 0. 0. F., and Rebekah orders, a member of the Spencerville Progressive Association, and is first lieutenant of Company H of the Second Ohio Infantry. March 24, 1917, he was married to Laura E. McClure. She was born in Latty township, Paulding county, Ohio, February 12, 1896. Her parents were Alexander H. and Alice A. (Bigelow) McClure. Mrs. Cochrun received her early education in the public schools of Paulding county and finished her education at the Malden, Missouri, High School. Her ancestry is Scotch- Irish. Her great-great-grandfather, Nathan McClure, was a Revolutionary war soldier, and he died at Burnt Cabins, Kentucky, while his son, Samuel McClure, was fighting Indians at the battle of the Thames. Mrs. Cochrun's ancestry were among the early setllers of northwestern Ohio, Moses McClure being the first white child born in what is now Allen county. Mr. and Mrs. Cochrun are the parents of one child, a son, John Wesley, born May 4, 1918. They are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. DAVIS JOSEPH CABLE, born August 11, 1859, is a son of John I. and Angie Rebecca (Johnson) Cable, of English stock. The paternal grandfather, Joseph Cable was a distinguished man bolh in the law and newspaper work, for years being editor of the "Jeffersonian" at Carrollton, Ohio, and he also edited and published a newspaper at Sandusky, Ohio. From 1848 to 1852 he served in the Lower House of Congress, to which office he was elected on the democratic ticket from the old Fifth District of Ohio. As a member of that august body, he assisted in passing some very constructive legislation and was the father of the first United States homestead law. His son, John I. Cable, was also active in newspaper work for many years. Davis Joseph Cable was given exceptional educational opportunities. Coming to Lima he spent a year in the law office of Richie & Richie, and then formed a partnership under the name of Long and Cable which continued until 1885 when Mr. Long retired. Mr. Cable continued in the active practice of the law. Afterward John L. in 1910, and Chester M., in 1916, joined their lather in the practice of the law. In politics Mr. Cable is a Republican and served as city solicitor of Lima during 1882 and 1883. He has long made a specialty of 'corporation law. and is a recognized authority on this branch of his profession. Very proud of his city and interested in the development of local enterprises Mr. Cable organized The Lima Telephone Company and continues as its president, is a stock- holder of the Lima Trust Company, which he served as its first president, and of which he is still a director, is president of the Delphos Home Telephone Company, and is connected with other enterprises in Lima and Allen county. He resides on a farm three miles from Lima, and here he is raising high-grade Percheron horses. The Lima Club, the Lima Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, the Toledo Club and the Columbus Club, all hold his membership. Mr. Cable is a thirty-second Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Mason. In 1882 Mr. Cable was united in marriage with Mary A. Harnly, a daughter of Levi and Milla (Morse) Harnly, of Van Wert county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Cable became the parents of six children, namely: John L., who was born April 15, 1884, married Rhea Watson of Lima, and they have two children, Alice Mary and Davis Watson; Davis Arthur, who was born December .3, 1885, married Gail Watson of Lima; Ethel Rachel, who married Captain James R. McCabe, now a lawyer of Oklahoma, served in the Great war ; Chester M., who was born in 1889, married Bes- sie Creps; Jo Harnly, who married Ruth Cottrill of Red Banks, New Jersey; and Marian Ruth. Chester M. Cable served overseas in the Great war as a first lieutenant, and his brother, Jo H., was in the aviation service. Chester M. resumed his law practice with his father which his military services interrupted. The Cable family is one of the most representative of Allen county. JOHN H. KLATTE. Not without justification did John H. Klatte elect to pursue the calling of the law. This profession is peculiarly a field for men of strong personality, and none other demands so much of personal ability and address. A lawyer cannot buy his business, nor can he receive it by inheritance. Clients select their own lawyers, from whom they demand capability and experience. And yet, underlying all must be the fundamental element of sound judgment which is the basis of all professional and business transactions of merit. It is therefore because Mr. Klatte does possess these special qualities so necessary to the successful career of an attorney of good repute that his choice of his profession is justified in his own eyes and those of his acquaintances. Through these dominating qualities and hard, conscientious work, he has risen among the members of the Allen County Bar Association, and is recognized not only as an able lawyer, but is a desirable citizen of Lima, where he is located. John H. Klatte was born September 9, 1868, a son of John and Mary (Bridgesmith) Klatte, whose parents came from Germany to the United States at an early day and became farming people. The parents also were engaged in farming. John H. Klatte received his preliminary educatronal training at the Lima public schools, and then took the scientific course at the Ohio Northern University at Ada, Ohio, where he was a student from 1888 until 1891. In the meanwhile he had been studying law, and, passing the necessary examinations in 1892, he was admitted to the bar and has been engaged in a general practice ever since. For a year Mr. Klatte was a partner of Charles Atkins under the firm name of Atkins & Klatte, but with this exception has practiced alone. A Democrat, Mr. Klatte was the candidate of his party for city solicitor in 1895, and was de- 44 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY feated by only thirty-eight votes. Although urged to do so upon numerous occasions, he has never come before the public again for office. In 1910 he was appointed chief deputy state supervisor of elections by Secretary of State Charles S. Graves of Ohio, and his appointment was endorsed by the local executive committee. Mr. Klatte discharged the duties pertaining to this office until 1915. He is unmarried. Both by inheritance and conviction he is a Roman Catholic, and is one of the earnest members of St. Rose parish of Lima. EPHRAIM VALENTINE RIDENOUR, of Lima, is a native of Allen county, but for many years his business and public activities made him prominent in Paulding county. He is a member of a very notable family in Ohio and in fact in America. A comprehensive "Genealogy of the Ridenour Family" published in book form some years ago affords an interesting account of the different branches of the family in America, and from that book the principal facts regarding Ephraim V. Ridenour's ancestry is taken. For many generations his ancestors lived in the "Palatinates of the Rhine" in Germany. They were Protestants, followers of Martin Luther, and beginning in the eighteenth century a steady stream of emigration flowed from the German Palatinate s, largely on account of religious persecution, and also on account of the constant -wars and economic depression, across the ocean to America, accounting for the German settlements not only in Pennsylvania but in many other states both north and south during that century. According to the family tradition there were six Ridenours who came from Germany about the middle of the eighteenth century. The youngest of them was Lewis Ridenour, an ancestor of Ephraim V. For some years he lived at Hagerstown, Maryland, was a farmer by occupation, and served as a teamster in the Revolutionary war. He married Rosina Pfleuger at Hagerstown, and ten children were born to them in Maryland, the oldest in 1773 and the youngest in 1791. About the close of the eighteenth century Lewis with his family and his brother Mathias with his family left Maryland and moved to Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and in 1801 Lewis came to Perry county, Ohio, all but one of his children accompanying him. Lewis Ridenour died in Perry county. John Ridenour, the third son of Lewis and Rosina, was born at Hagerstown, Maryland, May 18, 1783, and died in Allen county, Ohio, October 7, 1874, at the age of ninety-one years, four months arid nineteen days. He was eighteen years of age when the family moved to Perry county, Ohio, and he grew up an apt frontiersman, becoming an expert bear hunter, though his chief occupation was farming. In the spring of 1831 he moved to Allen county and entered three hundred twenty acres in Perry township, this land now adjoining Lima on the southeast. At the first election in Perry township he was chosen one of the trustees. He had previously served as a soldier in the War of 1812. It was probably at his brother David's suggestion that the township was named Perry in honor of his former residence in Perry county. February 26, 1807, John Ridenour married Hannah Spohn, who was born at Hagerstown, Maryland, and died at the old homestead in Allen county July 27, 1879. T their marriage were born thirteen children, eight of whom reached mature years. All were born in Perry county, the oldest in 1809. The third son of John and Hannah Ridenour was Mathias Ridenour, who was born January 26, 1824, and was seven years of age when brought to Allen county. He spent his early youth in the log cabin home on the land near Lima, and helped clear and improve that place. After his marriage he settled on seventy acres in Perry township, made a good farm of it, but in 1860 sold and moved to Paulding county, where he bought an• other farm. In the meantime he had become ac• tive in Allen County politics, holding several township offices, served one term as coroner, and was sheriff from 1854 to 1856. Soon after going to Paulding county he raised a squad of soldiers for the Civil war and joined Company H of the 32nd Ohio Infantry, becoming sergeant of the company. He was in service until wounded in the battle of Clinton, Mississippi, by a gunshot in the right thigh in February, 1864. As soon as able he returned home and helped recruit Com. pany A of the 180th Ohio Infantry, being com• missioned first lieutenant of the company and later was captain, of Company H of the same regiment. He was in service as a soldier four years, being honorably discharged in August 1865. About that time he sold his farm in Pauld. ing county and returning to Allen county bought a place on St. John's Road in Perry township. He sold this and in 1872 moved to Ada, but seven years later returned to Lima and bought a small farm in Shawnee township. This he also sold and returned to Paulding county and lived near his son Ephraim until his death on May 27, 1908. February 22, 1846, Mathias Ridenour married Rebecca Ridenour, who was born October 21, 1821, a daughter of Michael and Hannah Riden. our. She died February 19, 1863, while her hus• band was in the army. She was the mother of eight children: Ephraim V.; Martha Eleanor, who was born April 22, 1848, and died September $, 1863; Hiram L., born February 15, 1850, a min•' ister of the Lutheran Church at New Lebanon, Ohio; Hannah E., born July 1, 1851, and died April 1, 1874, the wife of John Umbaugh; George W., born February 2, 1854, died March 23, 1880; Mary A., born May 22, 1856, Mrs. John Runser, of Hardin county, Ohio; Mathias N., born May 25, 1858, whose home is at Hicksville, Ohio; and Fanny R., born April 27, 1860, and died September 17, 1905, wife of John Copenhaver. In Na I vember, 1865, Mathias Ridenour married Harriet Fleming Newcomer, who died in 1868, the mother of one daughter, Harriet Amelia, now Mrs. Frank Bowsher of Shawnee township. In May, 1869, Mathias Ridenour married Margaret (Maxwell) Douglas, who died without children. For his fourth wife he married Mary E. Bowsher, and their two sons were John W., born November 11, 1888, and Andrew L., born April 20, 1891, both residents of Toledo. Ephraim Valentine Ridenour, who was born in Perry township, March 9, 1847, grew up in Allen and Paulding counties, acquired a public school education, and for several years taught in the, district schools of Allen, Hardin and Paulding counties. After his marriage in 1872 he rented a farm three miles south of Ada in Hardin county for three years, then bought eighty acres of un. HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 45 improved land in Paulding county, clearing away the timber and making a good farm. He sold this place in 1902 and returned to Allen county, buying a hundred ninety-seven acres of improved land in American township. This farm was his home until March, 1919, when he sold and bought a comfortable residence just a quarter of a mile west of lhe Lima city limits, and is now enjoying a well earned retirement. Mr. Ridenour has always been interested in local affairs, has filled township offices, and in 1890 was elected auditor of Paulding county, filling that office for several months by appointment before his regular term began in September, 1891. He is a Democrat in politrcs, and has been president of the Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mrs. Ridenour is a member of the Ladies' Aid Society. March 10, 1872, Mr. Ridenour married Sophia Mechling who was born March 10, 1853, in Perry township, a daughter of Joshua and Sophia (Weimer) Mechling, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Perry county, Ohio. Her paternal grandparents, William and Elizabeth (Mechling) Mechling, were natives of Pennsylvania and her maternal grandparents were Gottfried and Elizabeth (Sterner) Weimer. Mr. and Mrs. Ridenour have two children, Lewis A., born January 24, 1876, and Edith I., born February 11, 1879. The son, who has been a general merchant and dealer in agricultural implements, now lives at Fort Wayne, Indiana. December 31, 1899, he married Lessie Hallihan, and their children are Pauline, Donald W., Murrell, Paul Joseph and Dorothy. Edith I. Ridenour on June 8, 1902, became the wife of Jacob I. Klingler, a Lima druggist, and they have one daughter, Lois E., born September 22, 1903. JOSEPH RAY RICKOFF. One of the men who has stamped the impress of his strong individuality upon the minds of the people of Lima and vicinity is Joseph R. Rickoff, who is the owner of one of the most prosperous business enterprises in this locality. Faithfulness to duty and a strict adherence to a fixed purpose, which always do more to advance a man's interests than wealth or advantageous circumstances, have been dominating factors in his life, which has been replete with success worthily obtained. Joseph Ray Rickoff was born in Mercer county, Ohio, in March, 1855, the son of Aaron Paul and Abigail (Miller) Rickoff, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Ohio. Aaron P. Rickoff was a school teacher, residing near Montezuma for a number of years, but later moved to Cincinnati, where he became superintendent of the Ohio House of Refuge, a state instilution. On the expiration of his service there he moved to Milford, Ohio, where he taught school and engaged in farming until 1864, moving then to Bloomington, Indiana, where he was engaged in educational work up to the time of his death, in 1868. He was survived by his widow, who in 1875 became the wife of a Mr. Mathes. Joseph R. Rickoff received a good practical common school education and remained at home until 1873, when he went to Zanesville, Ohio, and look a commercial course in a business college. In the following spring he went to Cambridge, Ohio, as bookkeeper for a wholesale grocery house and in 1876 accompanied that firm on its removal to Zanesville, where he remained until 1878. He then moved to Cleveland, Ohio, as representative for the Smith & Curtiss Company, dealers in teas and coffee, with whom he remained for three years. He then moved to Columbus, Ohio, where for two years he represented Turner, Eldridge & Higgins, also dealers in tea and coffee, later selling the same line of goods for Grimm & Conway of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1888 Mr. Rickoff came to Lima and engaged in the retail tea and coffee trade, in connection with which he established a mail order business in that line. When he started in business here he was seventy-five dollars in debt, but from that modest beginning the business has steadily grown until it now amounts to about one-half of a million dollars annually. In 1913 Mr. Rickoff erected a four-story brick and concrete fire-proof building, one hundred by sixty feet in size, at the corner of Union street and the Pennsylvania Railroad, which is used for public and private storage. His retail store, which is located at No. 218 North Main street, is stocked with a complete line of all grades of teas, coffee, spices, china, glassware and groceries, and in connection with these he also carries a line of furniture. This store occupies four stories and is one of the most important and successful commercial enterprises in Lima. In 1880 Mr. Rickoff was married to Abbie Burk, who was born at Thorntown, Indiana, the daughter of Samuel Burk. Mrs. Rickoff died in February, 1904, without issue. Fraternally Mr. Rick- off is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons. His record is the story of a life whose success is measured by its usefulness—a life that has made for good in all its relations with the world. He possesses a strong social nature, and by his genial and kindly attitude to those with whom he comes in contact he has won the confidence and good will of everyone. TIMOTHY B. BOWERSOCK, of Shawnee township, is one of the best representatives of the successful agriculturalists of Ohio, and at one time was one of the heaviest breeders and raisers of registered Jersey cattle, and is still engaged in that line of endeavor, but not so extensively as formerly. He was born in Noble county, Ohio, April 28, 1853, a son of John and Ruth (Bates) Bowersock, and grandson of Jacob Bowersock, a native of Pennsylvania, and Timothy Bates, a native of Noble county, Ohio, whose parents were among the very earliest settlers of Noble county. John Bowersock was born in Pennsylvania December 16, 1811, and died in Allen county March 1, 1889. He was a shoemaker by trade, and worked as such early in life, but later became a miller, and during the war between the North and the South made considerable money buying horses for the Government. In 1865 he came to German township, Allen county, and bought 176 acres of land, which was partly improved. From the time of the organization of the Republican party until his death he voted for its candidates. The Christian Church held his membership. Eight children were born to him and his wife, of whom five survive, namely: Abigail, who is Mrs. Keel Deffenbaugh, of American township, and lives on a portion of her father's homestead; Sarah Ellen, who is Mrs. William Sereff, of Lima, 46 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY Ohio; Samuel, who is a resident of German township; Timothy B., whose name heads this review; and Walter M., who is a resident of Wayside, Kansas. Timothy B. Bowersock attended the common schools of his native county, and lived in one school district for forty-five years. After his father's death he inherited twenty acres of the home farm, where he resided for ten years, and then traded that property for 148 1-3 acres of unimproved land adjoining, which was owned by Marshall Field of Chicago, Illinois. This land was covered with timber, and Mr. Bowersock worked hard to clear and improve it and made it into one of the finest stock farms in Allen county, it being known as the "Lima Jersey Stock Farm," and on it he was extensively engaged in breeding and raising registered Jersey cattle. In 1907 he was elected infirmary director, and served as such for four years, and for eighteen months of that period lived at Lima, having sold his farm. In 1911 he bought another farm in sections 3 and 4, Shawnee township, consisting of thirty-five acres, arrd for two years rented it to his son, but in 1913 moved on the farm, and since then has been engaged in operating it. He resumed raising Jersey cattle of the registered strain, but of course is not as heavily involved as when he had the larger farm. On September 25, 1873, Mr. Bowersock was married to Ellen Kemp, who was born in Amanda township, and she died on December 23 of that same year. She was a daughter of Rev. J. W. and Nancy (Andrews) Kemp, the latter a clergyman of the United Brethren faith, and the town of Kemp, Ohio, is named in his honor. On March 25, 1876, Mr. Bowersock was married to Margaret L. Brewbaker, born in Shawnee township, a daughter of George and Sarah (Ridinour) Brewbaker, he born in Pennsylvania in 1826, a son of Jacob and Catherine (Smith) Brewbaker, who came to Allen county in 1833 and located in Shawnee township, from which they moved some years later to Franklin county, Ohio, where he died. Mr. and Mrs. Bowersock became the parents of the following children: George Albert, who died April 30, 1919, was a school-teacher, and had married Augusta Billiter, of German township, who with their. daughter Grace survives him; Walter, a resident of Lima, married Anna Clark, and they have four children, Timothy S., Ray, Lucile and Junita; William H., married Mary Burgess, of Lima, and they have two children, Ralph and Donald; Nora, who is Mrs. Dale Bowersox of Great Falls, Montana; Roy E., a resident of Lima, married Laney Hennige; Oscar B., a resident of Lima, married Mamie O'Neil, and they have five children, Margaret, Martin B., Richard, Lois Ruth and Nora June; and Calvin Brice, who also lives at Lima, married Teressa Zink, has one son, Donald. Mr. Bowersock belongs to the United Brethren Church. He served as assessor, land appraiser, trustee and township treasurer of German township in addition to the two terms he was infirmary director, being the last to hold that office. Since coming to Shawnee township he has been elected assessor, and is now holding that office. In politics he is a Democrat, and very active in party affairs. He belongs to the Fraternal Order of Eagles No. 370, of Lima, in which he has filled all of the chairs, and has been worthy president three times, and he was a delegate tot the national convention held at Denver, Colorado, and that of Spokane, Washington. Mr. Bower. sock also belongs to Lima Lodge No. 54, B. P. 0. E. He is one of the best known and most popular men in Allen county, and is recognized as an authority on Jersey cattle and other agri• cultural matters, his unqualified success proving that his knowledge and methods are worthy of attention. MATHIAS HENRY RIDENOUR, member of one of the most widely known pioneer families not only in Allen but in many northwestern Ohio counties, has given the best efforts of his life to farming, and from the fruits of a long and active career is now enjoying a well earned leisure in his comfortable home at Lima. The history and genealogy of the Ridenour. family has been published in book form and is found in many libraries. The Ridenours were German Protestants who came from the German Palatinates about the middle of the eighteenth century and lived for a generation or so around Hagerstown, Maryland. The ancestry of Mathias Henry Ridenour in the paternal line goes back to Lewis Ridenour, who came from Germany, served as a teamster in the Revolutionary war, and lived at Hagerstown, Maryland, until about 1797, when he moved to Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and in 1801 to Perry county, Ohio, where he died. His son. John was born in Maryland in 1783 and died in Allen county, Ohio, in 1874. He came to Allen county in the spring of 1831 and entered a tract of land in Perry township, near the city of Lima. He served as one of the first trustees of the township, and was a soldier in the War of 1812. In 1807 he married Hannah Spohn, and of their numerous family the second son was John Ridenour, who was born in October, 1816, and died April 25, 1855. He was about fifteen years of age when he came with his father. to Allen county, and he followed farming all his active career. He was buried in the family bury ing ground on his brother Jacob's farm. In 1841, John Ridenour, just mentioned, mar ried Lydia Ridenour, who belongs to still anothe branch of this noted family. She was born July. 18, 1813, and died April 20, 1864. Her father, Michael Ridenour, was born in Pennsylvania August 4, 1784, son of John and Christenia Ridenour. Michael Ridenour served as a soldier in the War of 1812, was a farmer by occupation, and in 1809 moved to Fairfield county, Ohio, and in the fall of 1831 came to Allen county and located on the northeast quarter of section 2 in Sugar Creek township, where he lived until his death, July 19, 1839. Michael Ridenour's broth. er George had come to Allen county in 1829 and his brother Peter about the same time. Michael Ridenour married Hannah Shotts in Westmore land county, Pennsylvania, and of their eleven children Lydia was the third. John and Lydia Ridenour had seven children: Sarah, born May 27, 1842; Cornelius, born December 17, 1843; Amelia, born December 1, 1845; Isabel, born August 4, 1847; William, born October 4, 1849, and died in November, 1878; Mathias Henry; and Mahala, born July 28, 1853. After the death of John Ridenour in 1855 the widowed mother kept her children with her on the home farm, and she died there April 20, 1864 HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 47 Not long afterward the children began to leave home and they grew up in different localities, but several of them have continued to be identified with the substantial citizenship of Allen county. Mathias Henry Ridenour, who was born January 25, 1852, was only three years old when his father died and twelve at the death of his mother. In 1869 he went to live with his maternal uncle, George M. Ridenour, in Sugar Creek township, and made his home with this uncle until his marriage, He acquired a good education, and, beginning at the age of twenty-one, taught district school for six years every winter. March 22, 1877, Mr. Ridenour married Sarah Lambert, who was born in Fulton county, Illinois, a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Cochran) Lambert, the former a native of Knox counly, Ohio. After his marriage Mr. Ridenour lived on his forty acre farm in Sugar Creek township three and a half years, then spent two years on a farm of his aunt in the same township, and on selling his forty acre place bought the Daniel Ridenour farm from his uncle. This comprised one hundred and eleven acres, and the land had been entered by his grandfather, Michael Ridenour, in pioneer times. Mr. Ridenour was successfully engaged in his agricultural efforts there until March 19, 1919, when he sold out. He then moved to a place' he owned containing forty acres in Amanda township, but sold that in the fall, though he remained a resident there until the spring of 1920, when he came to Lima. He owns a fine residence property on Cole street and another on East Albert street, besides his own home at 1323 West Market street. Mr. Ridenour and wife had three children: Mittie, born February 11, 1879; Ethel, born December 21, 1880, and died June 7, 1906; and Thomas, born December 5, 1882, and died Janu- ary 5, 1883. The daughter Mittie, who died in 1913, was married September 0, 1903, to John R. Smith. She left two children, Ruth, born in 1904, and Brookie, born in 1906. Mr. John R. Smith and Ruth and Brookie now live with Mr. Ridenour, who lost his good wife January 19, 1915. Mr. Ridenour completed his early education in the Ohio Normal University at Ada. He has always been active in the Methodist Church, serving as trustee, is a Democrat in politics, and while livrng on the farm served as road supervisor and for one term was a justice of the peace in Sugar Creek township. JAMES DELFERD MERICLE, sole proprietor of the grocery, meat market and confectionery establishment on Main street, Elida, which bears his name, is one of the enterprising business men and good citizens of Allen county. He was born on a farm in Marion township, Allen county, in September, 1890, a son of Elmer and Charlotte (Belt) Mericle, both of whom are still living and residing at Elida. The Mericle family is of English extraction, and the majority of the name have been agriculturalists. Until he was eighteen years old James D. Mericle attended the public schools of Van Wert county, Ohio, and when he left school he was in the first year of the high school course. At that time he entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co., and for four years was a brakeman on freight trains running between Chicago and Crestline. Leaving the railroad, Mr. Mericle was engaged in conducting a farm with his father, which was located near Elida, but after four years came to Elida, and since March 1, 1918, has been engaged in merchandising. He has built up an excellent trade and is recognized as one of the most dependable merchants in the county. In 1910 Mr. Mericle was united in marriage with Cora Spillman, a daughter of Samuel and Pauline (Miller) Spillman, of Grover Hill, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Merrcle have three children, namely: Charlotte, Kenneth B. and Helene. Mr. Mericle is a Democrat in his political convictions, but he has not desired to enter public life, although he takes an intelligent interest in local affairs and is anxious to do everything in his power to advance the welfare of Elida and Allen county. His fraternal affiliations are those he maintains as a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The United Brethren Church affords him a medium for the expression of his religious faith, and he has been a member of it for some years. Upright, energetic and sagacious, Mr. Mericle is able to meet the demands of his trade in a satisfactory manner, and the volume of his business is showing a steady and healthy expansion with each year. HARMON HEROLD. The man who possesses a practical training is better fitted to battle with the world today than he who has had a college education, for this is the age of production, and the demand is ever increasing for good workmanship and expert knowledge on mechanical subjects. One of the men of Lima who is putting to good use his natural mechanical ability and trained knowledge is Harmon Herold, who is doing all kinds of machine and general repair work. Harmon Herold was born at Lima, Ohio, January 21, 1871, a son of Fred and Margaret (Marks) Herold, natives of Germany, who came to the United States after their marriage and located at Lima, Ohio, where be became a railroad man. The mother died in 1903, but the father passed away in 1893. When he was only eleven years old Harmon Herold left school and began working in a brick yard, which employed him for three consecutive summers. He then began learning the machinist trade in the Dayton & Michigan Railroad shops, and spent thirty months in them, and then left to go with the Lima Machine Works, now the Lima Locomotive Works. While there he learned the tool making trade. Mr. Herold also worked for the Golly & Finley Machine Works. He also spent about fifteen years in the oil fields in Ohio and Indiana, and was successful in this line. In 1904 he returned to the Lima Locomotive Works, and was a foreman there for three years. Leaving that concern, he was employed by different companies until 1910, when he became machinist for the Starr Iron Works, and for seven years had charge of the shop. Once more he went back to the Lima Locomotive Works, and was in the maintenance department until November 21, 1918, when he went with the East Iron & Machine Company, and continued with them for six months. He then built a concrete building along the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad tracks on Pearl 48 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY street, and established himself in a business of his own, now doing all kinds of machine and machine repair work, having already built up a reputation for carefulness and expertness. On August 26, 1897. Mr. Herold was united in marriage with Catherine Lenehan, born at Lima, a daughter of Patrick and Mary (Malone) Lenehan. Mr. and Mrs. Herold became the parents of one son, Lewis H., who married Catherine Custy, and they have one son, Lewis G. Mr. Herold belongs to the Reformed Church. In politics he is a Democrat, but has never had any ambition to take an active part in public affairs. A hard-working man, he has progressed through his own efforts. Beginning to work at an age when the children of this generation are regarded as infants, he has asked no favors from life, but earned everything. Not having the advantages of even a common school education, he has acquired his knowledge through his observation and association with others and every opening which offered itself, and today he is a well-informed man. HARRY JOHN DABOLD has been in the paint business for many years, with interests in various cities of Ohio, and since 1913 has been proprietor of one of the leading paint and varnish stores of Allen county, located at 129 East High street in Lima. Mr. Dabold was born in the old and historic city of Marietta, Ohio, April 20, 1877, son of John and Jane (Stiles) Dabold. His parents were also natives of Marietta, and his father spent his active life as a farmer. He died May 28, 1902, and his wife died February 18, 1913. With a grammar school education at the age of sixteen Harry John Dabold began an apprenticeship at the machinist's trade, which continued for two years and five months. Later he was in the finishing room of the Marietta Paint and Color Company, and there learned all the technical details of the paint business. After two years the company sent him out to open stores in various cities, and he was engaged in that work until 1912, when he entered the paint and color business on his own account at Springfield, Ohio. He still owns half interest in the business in that city. May 1, 1913, he opened the Lima Paint and Color Company, and he and his wife and son Harold Harry are now the sole owners of this establishment, which carries a large and well selected line of paints, oils, varnishes and brushes. November 7, 1900, Mr. Dabold married Fannie Haynes, who was also horn at Marietta, daughter of Charles and Hannah (Richie) Haynes. Their only son is Harold Harry, born May 25, 1902, a youth who has shown much promise during his early experience in business. Mr. Dabold is a Republican, has taken the Lodge and Encampment degrees of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Lima, and is also a member of the Knights of Pythias and Lima Lodge No. 54 of the Elks. He is actively associated with the Y. M. C. A., and he and his family are members of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. JOSEPH D. LEONARD has done much to boost Lima's importance as a cigar manufacturing center. He is an expert at the trade himself, having learned it thoroughly when a young man, and for a number of years past has been at the head of a growing business at Lima and now has one of the largest cigar factories in the north western part of the state. Mr. Leonard was born at Montreal, Canad February 20, 1863, a son of Joseph D. and Mar Adel (Beaudoin) Leonard. His father was a n tive of St. Alexis, Montcalm county, Quebec, an spent his active career as a farmer. The son gre up on a Canadian farm and attended St. Alex parochial schools and the Brothers School Rowdon and, beginning at the age of seventee spent three years as clerk in a general merchan dise store at St. Julian, Canada. He then worke for three months at Springfield, Massachusett from whence he came to Defiance, Ohio, and fo a time attended public school and clerked for an uncle who was in the ship timber busines He remained at Defiance until 1886, and whil there learned the cigar making trade and late became an equal partner with Mr. Bohannan a cigar factory. For four or five years he acted as general salesman of the firm on the road. His next location was at Paulding, where he con ducted a hotel until 1904; and then moved t Lima and bought an interest in the Tony Zende cigar factory. Since 1908 Mr. Leonard has bee sole owner of the business, and it is now an in dustry employing between fifty and sixty-five workers. The choice brands which have gi this factory and the business of Mr. Leona great popularity over a wide radius of country surrounding Lima are the "Castila Club," "Zendora," "El Manton," "Tip of the Leaf," "Jo Joe,' and "Cuban Beauty." In September, 1891, Mr. Leonard married Ann Fahey, a native of Paulding county, Ohio. She died June 1, 1894, leaving one daughter, Theresa Adell, a graduate nurse and a resident of Toledo, who for nine months was an army nurse at Edgewood, Maryland. For his present wife Mr. Leo and married Frances Elizabeth Bittner, a native of Defiance, Ohio, and a daughter of Henry Frances Elizabeth (Fraleigh) Bittner. Her fath was a native of Hesse Harmstadt, Germany, while her mother was born in France. Mr. and Mrs Leonard have an interesting family of children Joseph D., who is superintendent of his father's factory; H. M., an employe in the factory; Frances Elizabeth, bookkeeper for the business; Mary Louise and John B., both at home; and Louise, who died in infancy. The son Joseph is a graduate of the University of Dayton, where he spent five years, and all the other children are graduates of St. Rose parochial school. The family are communicants of St. Rose Catholic Church and Mr. Leonard has long been prominent in local Catholic activities, having all the offices in the Catholic Knights of America, is financial secretary and past officer in the Catholic Knights of Ohio and is a member of the Knights of Columbus. Politically he votes as a Democrat. WILLIAM ALFRED SMITH. The record of Mr. Smith is that of a man who by his own unaided efforts worked his way from a modest beginning to a position of affluence and influence in business world. His life has been of unceasing industry and perseverance, and the systematic and honorable methods which he has followed have won for him the unbounded confidence of his fellow citizens of Lima and Allen county. HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 49 William Alfred Smith, the successful and well- known sheet-metal contractor of Lima, was born in Rensselaer county, New York, in 1855, and is lhe son of Alfred Allen and Abigail (Higgins) Smilh, and through both paternal and maternal lines he is descended from sterling old English slock, the father having been born at Birmingham and the mother in London. Previous to their marriage they emigrated to the United States, the falher coming alone and Mrs. Smith with her parents. Location was made in New York state, where the father followed his trade, that of a melal worker at Rensselaer and Watervliet. When William Alfred was about one year old the family moved to Bloomington, Illinois, where they remained a short time, or until the panic of 1857 swept over the county, when they returned to New York state, locating first at Union Village, but two years later again locating in Watervliet. In that city the son William attended public and private schools until sixteen years of age, when ender his father's directions he learned the trade of a sheet metal worker, being so employed there for three years. Then for about six months he was employed in a law office, after which he worked in various parts of the country and at different occupations as a journeyman metal worker, a lake sailor, a woodman, farmer, as a section band on the Texas Western Railroad, and as a gardener at Houston and Galveston, Texas, after which he again followed his trade for four years. In 1881 Mr. Smith came to Lima and entered the employ of J. R. Hughes as a sheet metal worker, remaining with him as an employe seven years. He then bought the business from Mr. Hughes, whose business was an old established one, and Mr. Smith has since that time been continuously engaged in that business here. His first location was in the Union Block on the Public Square, whence he moved to No. 113 East Spring street two years later. Having outgrown that location, he next established himself at Main and Spring slreels, where he remained three years. Then for four years he was located in the Linneman Block, and the following five years •he was in the Melzger Block on South Main street, at the end of thal time moving to his present location, Nos. 134-136-138 South Central avenue. He is well equipped to handle any kind of a contract in his line and he has done the metal work on many of the largest buildings in this community, including the Central High School Building, the Lima Gas Office, the Thayer Flats and other similar buildings. He is prepared to manufacture metal articles of all kinds and keeps a large force of men continually busy both in the shop and outside, Mr. Smith has earned a high reputation because of his sound business methods, promptness, reliability and courtesy being the elements which have contributed to the splendid prosperity which has rewarded his efforts since identifying himself with the business interests of this Community. In 1881 Mr. Smith was married to Sarah E. Napier, the daughter of William and Sarah (Huff) Napier, of near Lima. Mr. Napier of whom extended mention is made on other pages in this volume, was one of the pioneers of Allen county. Politically, Mr. Smith is an independent Republican; fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias, while his religious membership is with the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. The beginning of Mr. Smith's career was characterized by hard work and conscientious endeavor, and he owes his rise solely to his own honest efforts. He is essentially public spirited, giving his support to all public enterprises, and because of his business success and his high personal character he enjoys the general confidence and esteem of the community. RICHARD CHARLES MASSMAN, Of Lima, began supporting himself when only fourteen years of age, and has had a most varied, useful and successful career, passed in many sections of the middle west, but for a number of years past has been a resident of Lima, where he has a number of business interests but is chiefly concerned with the ownership and management of a wholesale dyeing and cleaning plant, the largest and best equipped and the only wholesale establishment of its kind in Allen county. Mr. Massman was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, February 19, 1865, son of Frederick and Wilhelmina (Yandt) Massman. His father was a native of Hinter Pomerania and his mother of Upper Pomerania. The father came to the United States when a young man, locating at Milwaukee, where he married, Richard Charles being the third of five children. Frederick Mass- man was an expert carpenter and cabinet maker, and for twenty-two years was foreman of carpenters and car builders for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. He died in 1892, at the age of fifty-seven, being one of the victims of the LaGrippe epidemic of that time. The mother survived him until 1914, passing away at the age of seventy-seven. Richard C. Massman attended public school in Milwaukee to the age of fourteen, and then began employment at the machinist's trade, and after six months became a brass finisher with the firm of Thomas, Bagley & Wentworth, serving that Milwaukee concern four and a half years. Going thence to northern Michigan, he clerked in a hotel at Hancock six months and three years in the Lakeview House at Hancock. For eight years he was with the Mineral Range Railroad, a narrow gauge line at Houghton, part of the time as check clerk and five years as station agent. Mr. Massman for a number of years in different localities was prominent in Y. M. C. A. work. At Hancock, Michigan, he became physical director and general secretary of the local association, serving one year. Then after a year in the grocery business at Milwaukee he was general secretary and physical director of the Y. M. C. A. at Calumet, Michigan, four and a half years, and it was as a Y. M. C. A. man that he first came to Ohio, serving as physical director of the Springfield Association until February 19, 1903. Resigning, he engaged in the insurance business, - and as agent for the State Mutual Life Insurance Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, he wrote an average of a hundred thousand dollars a year for three years. In 1905 Mr. Massman with only fifty dollars of available capital bought a cleaning and dyeing establishment at Springfield, and retained the ownership and management of the plant until 1919, when he sold out to his son Arthur R., who is now its proprietor. In the meantime, in 190, he came to Lima and bought the Henry Arnstein cleaning and dyeing shop, changing the name to the French Dry Cleaning Vol. I I--4