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100 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY him at Yellow Springs, Ohio, and there he worked at his trade for a year. For the subsequent year he worked for his old house, the Kaiser Buggy Company at Kenton, Ohio, and then going to Defiance, Ohio, was with the Linthicum Carriage Company for seven months. Then for seven years he was at Akron, Ohio, working for the Collins Buggy Company as foreman, and while there took a four years' course at carriage designing in a private school of design. Having thus enlarged his scope of usefulness and increased his earning capacity, Mr. Owen came to Lima, and in partnership with John Palmer opened a carriage shop under the name of Palmer & Owen on Market and Union streets, and remained there for two years. The firm then leased the Hetrick Block on West Market street, and were there for eighteen months. Another change was made when the plant was moved to the Stamert Block, and it remained the home of the concern for six years. In 190 the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Owen took his brother into the firm, the partners now being Robert and Morrill D. Owen, operating as Owen Brothers, and for five years the same business was continued, the plant occupying the present site of the Orpheum Theatre. The brothers then bought their present building site, a lot 120 x 70 feet, and on it erected a brick and steel building which bears their name, and here they have since remained. Employment is given to fifty employes, and sales are made all over the United States. On November 6, 1893, Mr. Owen was united in marriage with Austa Lynch, a daughter of A. and Charlotte (Rush) Lynch, of Kenton, Ohio. There are no children. Mr. Owen is an independent Republican. He belongs to the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Council and Commandery, and is very well known in Masonry. The Lima, Lima Automobile and Shawnee Country Clubs hold his membership, and he has been for some time one of the active members of the Lima Chamber of Commerce. A levelheaded, practical man of affairs, Mr. Owen has steadily advanced until he has become one of the leading men in his industry in the state, and at the same time he has won the approval of his associates and competitors for his honorable methods and fair handling of the problems which necessarily come up in everyday transactions. DAVID E. HOVER for a number of years was an active factor in the agricultural life of Shawnee township, and still owns 150 acres of land in it, although he no longer operates his farm. He was born in a log cabin in section 10, Shawnee township, November 22, 1837, son of Emanuel and Margaret (Carlyle) Hover, he was born in Pennsylvania in 1800 and she in Trumbull county, Ohio, in 1816. He is a grandson of Ezekiel and Maria (Adgate) Hover, natives of Pennsylvania and New York state, and David and Anna (Davison) Carlyle, natives of Pennsylvania. Both families drove overland from Trumbull county to Allen county, Ohio, in 1833, blazing their way through the woods the greater part of the way. They settled in Allen county on large tracts of land, which members of the family cleared and improved. In 1835 the parents of David E. Hover were married, and they located on the homestead in 1837, and there the father died in 1840, leaving two children: David E. and his sister, Sarah Jane, who married John Hanson, but is now deceased, as is her husband. After the death of her husband the mother with her brother, John Carlyle, drove back to Trumbull county, Ohio, with a two horse wagon, and she lived with her parents until her second marriage, in 1849, to Jonathan Howard, a resident of Ellsworth, Mahoning county, Ohio. Until in February, 1860, David E. Hover lived with an uncle in Trumbull county, and then returned to the homestead in Allen .county, which then contained 10 acres of land. On it he erected a story and a half house, 18 x 21 feet, hauling the logs for it to town during the winter of 1863 and having them sawed. He kept on improving the place, clearing off the timber and buying more land until at one time he owned 177 acres, but he has sold some of this and now has but 150 acres. He farmed this land and raised stock until about 1905, when he retired, and since then has rented the farm. On December 18, 1860, he married Susan Boyd, born in Mahoning county, Ohio, a daughter of John and Anna (Lazarus) Boyd. Mr. and Mrs. Hover became the parents of the following children: Charles A., who lives in Shawnee township; Frank, who died at the age of two years; Howard B. and Anna M., twins, the former of whom is a resident of Denver, Colorado, and the latter the housekeeper for her father. Mrs. Hover died October 30, 1886. Reared in the faith of the Presbyterian Church, Mr. Hover has attended its services, although he has not enrolled himself on its membership books. Casting his first vote for Abraham Lincoln for the presidency, he has been a Republican ever since, and has been elected on his party's ticket township trustee a number of times. For eighteen years he has been secretary of the Shawnee Cemetery Association, and for twenty-five years has been on the board of trustees of the Allen County Children's Home. A man faithful to what he believes to be his duty, Mr. Hover has worked hard not only to acquire personal advancement, but also to improve his neighborhood, and has won and retains the confidence and respect of all who know him. G. DALE CREMEAN. Reared on an Allen county farm and qualifying for business as clerk in a clothing store, G. Dale Cremean in a remarkably brief career has found himself loaded with responsibilities both business and connected with the public welfare. He was born on his father's farm in American township, August 17, 1893, son of Abraham and Jane (Brubaker) Cremean. He is of Irish ancestry. His grandfather Cremean was an early settler in Allen county and cleared some land, developed a farm and reared his family on it. Abraham Cremean and wife are now living retired at Lima after many industrious years on the farm. The youngest of four children, three sons and one daughter, G. Dale Cremean attended his first schools in American township, later graduated from the Lima High School, and for two years not only diligently served his employers but accepted every opportunity to train himself commercially as clerk in the clothing house of Lichtenstrader & Company. With this experience he went into business for himself under the name Weyer & Cremean, clothing merchants on South HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 101 Main street. After two and a half years he bought his partner's interest but later sold one-half rnterest to C. A. Redderson and continued partnership under the firm name of Cremean & Redderson until 1918, when he sold his interest to Mr. Redderson. For nine months Mr. Cremean was assistant storekeeper in the Lima Locomotive Works, and then took up what is now his chief business in association with Mr. L. Mayer as general builders and contractors. The Mayer & Cremean Construction Company have done much work in the building program of Allen county in recent years, making a specialty of houses and flats. Mr. Cremean was elected in 1916 a member of the Allen County Fair Board, and was re-elected for a second three year term in 1919. He is treasurer of the board. He was state inspector of oils and gas for the Third District during Governor Cox's last administration and among other interests is a stockholder in the Templar Motor Company of Cleveland, the K. of C. Building, Photo Metric Products Company of Chicago, and a director of the Mayer Non-Max Shade and Draperies Company of Lima. Mr. Cremean, who is unmarried, is affiliated with the Democratic party, with Lima Lodge No. 285, F. and A. M., Royal Arch Chapter of Masons, Elks, Moose and Woodmen of the World. He also belongs to the Lima Automobile Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Kiwanis Club, and is a member of Allentown Methodist Church. WILLIAM RHODA is a Lima business man who has worked progressively from apprenticeship. and journeyman mechanic to a controlling and independent position in business. He is senior partner of Rhoda Brothers, heavy hardware merchants and wagon repairers at 117-119 South Union street, and has several other connections with well known Lima enterprises. He was born at Westminster, Ohio, in 1857, son of Christian and Anna (Snook) Rhoda. His parents were born in Germany, and when they came to America they settled at Westminster, where his father followed the trade of blacksmith. William Rhoda, second among four children, acquired his early education in the public schools of German township, and at the age of seventeen came to Lima and began an apprenticeship at the trade of blacksmith. The apprenticeship was completed three years later and then for seven years he was employed as a journeyman by J. C. Blocher. The next forward step was taken when he became a partner in the firm of Blocher & Rhoda on South Union street. They did a flourishing business together for six years, at the end of which time Mr. Rhoda bought out and became sole proprietor and soon afterward took in his brother Charles, making the firm of Rhoda Brothers. In 1915 they built the modern brick and steel building where their well known establishment now stands, and while the shop work is continued, they also have a prosperous business as jobbers in hardware, with a trade extending in a radius fifty miles around Lima. Mr. Rhoda is a stockholder in the American Bank of Lima, in the Glenmore Oil Company, Mechanics Building and Loan Company, Chalmers Machine Company, the Buckeye Machine Company and the Imel Body Company of Columbus. His participation in politics has been chiefly as a Democratic voter. He is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and for twelve years has served as an elder of the First Reformed Church. CHARLES RHODA. For a long period of years the firm Rhoda Brothers has been associated with substantial business enterprise and successful management in Lima. Jobbers and dealers in heavy hardware, wagon repairs and both practical and expert mechanics and machinists, the members of the firm have all the qualifications of successful business men, and their prosperity has been well earned. Charles Rhoda, junior member of the firm, was born at Westminster, Ohio, October 16, 1859, son of Christian and Anna (Snook) Rhoda. His parents were born in Germany, and were early residents of Westminster, where the father conducted a blacksmith shop for many years. Charles Rhoda acquired a country school education in district No. 10 of German township, and at the age of nineteen began dividing his time between work on the farm and at a trade. In 1884 he began learning the trade of blacksmith with the firm Blocher & Rhoda, the junior member being his brother. In 1890 they established the firm of Rhoda Brothers, and have been in business together now for thirty years. In 1915 they put up the substantial brick and steel building on South Union street, where they handle the goods and do the work that satisfy a constantly growing trade over a territory fifty miles around Lima. Mr. Charles Rhoda is also interested in the American Bank of Lima, the Mechanics Building & Loan Company, the Chalmers Machine Company and , the Buckeye Machine Company. In 1883 he married Miss Fredericka Blochberger, daughter of Christian and Ernestine (Buchmann) Blochberger, of Delphos. They are the parents of five children, all living. Mr. Rhoda is a Democrat, is affiliated with the Odd Fellows at Lima and is a deacon in the First Reformed Church. CHRISTIAN DANIEL STRAWBRIDGE, one of the substantial men of Shawnee Township, was for a number of years profitably engaged in farming, but is now taking things more easily, his son attending to the operation of the homestead of eighty acres. He was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, December 17, 1858, a son of Christian and Eliza (Devler) Strawbridge, who were born in Rohrerstown, Pennsylvania. During the early '60s they came to Allen County, where he found employment at his trade of a mason and developed into a mason contractor, continuing to reside at Allentown, Ohio, until in 1878, when he moved to Burlington, Coffee County, Kansas, and there he died May 28, 1888. His wife died December 9, 1863. After the death of his first wife Christian Strawbridge was married to Mary Jane Neely, and they had one daughter, Frances Idora, who is Mrs. Clinton John of Sugar Creek Township, Allen County. Christian Strawbridge married for his third wife Mrs. Lydia Daniels, but they had no children. By his first marriage he had five children, namely: John, who is. deceased; James, who is a resident of Muskegon, Michigan; Anna, who is deceased; Christian Daniel, whose name heads this review ; and Elizabeth, who is deceased. Having the misfortune to lose his mother when still a child, and not liking his stepmother, Christian 102 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY Daniel Strawbridge was forced to leave home and work for strangers. For some years he worked on farms for his board and lodging and the privilege of attending school, and values his education, for he secured it under such difficulties. On September 14, 1880, Mr. Strawbridge was married to Mary Breese, who was born in Shawnee Township, a daughter, of George and Sarah (Yoakam) Breese, natives of Butler County, Pennsylvania, and Knox County, Ohio, respectively. He came to Shawnee Township with his father, Griffith Breese, about 1831, and spent the remainder of his life there. His wife was brought to Shawnee Township by her parents, also early settlers of this township. Mr. and Mrs. Strawbridge settled on a part of the farm Mr. Breese had entered from the Government, in section 21. This farm of eighty acres had thirty-two acres cleared, and he proceeded at once to imporve the place, and was there engaged in farming until about 190, since which time his son Clinton has relieved him. Mr. and Mrs. Strawbridge became the parents of the following children: Claude, who lives at Lima; Clinton, who is on the home place; and Alta, who is Mrs. Howard E. Hadsel of Lima. Mr. Strawbridge votes the republican ticket, and while he has never cared to enter politics, has exerted an influence of his own and gives a hearty support to the candidates of his party. He is a man who holds the confidence of his neighbors, and is worthy of the respect he has always inspired from those with whom he has been associated. JAMES H. HOFER. The name of James H. Hofer is connected at Lima with the real estate and insurance business which bears his name and with which he has been identified here for some years. He has been successful and progressive in his business, which he has built up through good judgment, enterprise and careful management, and which has been maintained in harmony with the times. His prosperity is entirely self-acquired for at no time in his career has he found it necessary to depend upon other agencies than his own industry and resource. Mr. Hofer was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, April 13, 1886, a son of Louis and Agnes (Henshaw) Hofer. The family of which he is a member originated in Germany, whence came his grandfather to the United States, he becoming a well- to-do wine merchant of Cincinnati. In that city resides Louis Hofer, a retired printer, and there the mother of Mr. Hofer passed away in 1906. The eldest of his parents' children, James H. Hofer attended the public schools of Cincinnati, graduating from the Woodward High School with the class of 1903. Next he entered upon a course in chemistry and science at the Cincinnati University, but only spent two years at that institution. During his college career he was prominent in athletics and made both the freshman and sophomore football teams. When he left college Mr. Hofer established himself in business as the proprietor of a photograph gallery, which he conducted with a measure of success for five years at Cincinnati, then entering the advertising business in connection with city and country newspapers. When he left that line of endeavor he started to learn the real estate business, and after two years of training commenced operations on his own account at Walnut Hill, Cincinnati. His success in his early undertakings encouraged him to enlarge the scope of his operations, and about 1915 he came to Lima and established an office in the Lima Trust Company Building, where he remained for a year. Subsequently he removed his office quarters to the Holland Block, where he also remained a year, and in 1917 came to his present location, rooms 303 to 30 Savings Building. Here Mr. Hofer carries on general operations as a realtor, handling both city and country property, mercantile and residential locations at Lima and farms and country estates in Allen and other counties. In connection with his business he also engages extensively in writing insurance, a field in which he has also built up a large and representative patronage and which, forms an appreciable part of his operations. He has steadily advanced to a position of preferment, and is accounted one of Lima's sound, reliable and conservative operators. -Mr. Hofer is a valued member of the Lima Real Estate Board. He belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, in which he has numerous friends, and in politics takes an independent stand, voting rather for the man than the party. On December 31, 1919, Mr. Hofer married Miss Harriet Miller, daughter of W. H. and Mary (Cessna) Miller, of Ada, Ohio. HAROLD STEINLE, a worthy representative of the younger generations of the wide-awake and progressive business men of Lima, is junior member of the firm of Horner & Steinle, dealers in footwear. Mr. Steinle has been identified with this line of business since he began his career and is possessed of the necessary qualifications for success in his chosen field of endeavor. He is a native of Lima and the younger of two children born to Henry C. and Mary (Mann) Steinle, this being an old American family of Holland Dutch origin. After attending the graded and high schools of Lima Mr. Steinle spent one year at the University of Ohio at Columbus, where he pursued a scientific course, and this ended his educational training. While he was still attending high school he had started to learn the shoe business with J. E. Grosjean, and remained with this gentleman during the period of his college studies. When he left that institution he continued in his employ, his identification in this connection continuing altogether over a period of eight years. When he left Mr. Grosjean, March 22, 1919, he joined Harry C. Horner in the formation of the new firm of Horner & Steinle, which opened a modern establishment at 121-123 West Market street, The concern carries a full line of shoes, carrying a number of well-known makes and all styles, and now does a large business, its custom not only including a big city trade, but a patronage that extends over a radius of. thirty miles surrounding the city of Lima. Mr. Steinle is an energetic and progressive business man, thoroughly informed as to all details of the shoe business, and possessed of initiative and resource as well as the qualities of courtesy and obligingness so necessary to the success of the retail merchant. He belongs to the Ohio Valley Shoe Retailers Association, the conventions of which he attends regularly, thus keeping himself well posted as to the development of the HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 103 trade. He also holds membership in the Lima Merchants Association and the Lima Chamber of Commerce, is fraternally affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is socially a member of the Wayfarers Society. In national politics he is inclined to favor the Democratic candidates, although not closely bound by party lines, while in local elections he maintains an independent stand. Mr. Steinle is unmarried. EVAN A. EVANS. Senior partner in the firm of Evans & Thomas, hardware merchants of Lima, Evan A. Evans has been a resident of the county seat of Allen county for over thirty-five years, and continuously identified with its commercial life. As a salesman and independent merchant he probably has the longest continuous connection with the hardware trade in the city. Mr. Evans was born on a farm in Raccoon township, Gallia county, Ohio, in 1860, son of David S. and Mary (Jones) Evans, and of sturdy Welsh ancestry on both sides. His grandfather, Isaac Evans, was married and had a family of four children when he came from South Wales by sailing ship, and after a voyage of nine weeks landed in Baltrmore. The little party traveled by stage coach to Pittsburg, thence by boat down the Ohio to Gallipolis, where Isaac Evans spent the rest of his life as a farmer. He developed a farm and lived on it until his death, at the age of eighty-seven, in 1895. Of his two sons and two daughters the youngest was David S. Evans, who was one year old when the family came to America. He lived on the farm improved by his father all his life, and cultivated its hundred sixty acres. He died in 1909, at the age of seventy- four, and his widow passed away in July, 1920, at the age of eighty years. Evan A. Evans, the second in a family of six children, three sons and three daughters, grew up in the southern Ohio country, and had the privilege of attending school only a few months each winter, the rest of the year being given to the round of duties on the farm. That was his mode of life until he reached the age of twenty- one, and in 1884 he came to Lima and entered the employ of J. M. Dungan, a hardware merchant on the Public Square. Mr. Dungan subsequently moved to the Holmes Block, and sold to the firm of Ewing & Emrick. Still later Mr. Ewing bought out his partner and continued the business until 1907. In that year Mr. Evans with a fellow salesman in the old firm, W. Elmer Thomas, drew out and with their capital and long experience established a business of their own at the present location, 306 North Main street, under the name Evans & Thomas. They have a large and satisfactory trade extending out into the country twenty-five miles around Lima. Mr. Evans married Emma Berryhill, a daughter of Jefferson and Esther (Bellinger) Berry- hill, of Lima, in 1895. She died in 1910. In 1912 he married Mrs. Cora I. Leith, daughter of G. E. and Elizabeth Copeland. Mr. Evans is a Republican in politics, a member of the Congregational Church, and is affiliated with the Lima Lodge of Masons and Protected Home Circle. ROBERT GRAHAM STOCKTON. One of the most representative and remarkable men of Allen county, if not of his part of the state, is Robert Graham Stockton of Shawnee township, who, although he is now ten years beyond the limit set by the psalmist, is able to do more than many a man one-half his years. He is actively interested in current events, and still engaged in operating his farm, which is one of the finest in the county. For some years he was in the employ of the Government as a rural mail carrier, being the eighty-second man to be appointed as such in the whole state of Ohio, and his life teems with duties faithfully and competently performed, and kindly deeds of good fellowship. Mr. Stockton was born in Licking county, Ohio, October 9, 1840, a son of Thomas and Sarah (Rea) Stockton, natives of Washington county, Pennsylvania, and Harrison county, Ohio, respectively. The latter was orphaned at a tender age and was reared in Pennsylvania. Thomas Stockton and Sarah Rea were married in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1835, and moved soon thereafter to Licking county, Ohio, where they continued to reside until 1865, when they came to Allen county and settled on 240 acres of land he had bought previously in Shawnee township. He also bought 139 acres in another section in the same township, and in 1873 moved to Lima, where he died in 1875, his widow surviving him until 1879, when she, too, passed away. Their children were as follows: Joseph Rea and Sarah Isabella, both of whom are deceased; Robert Graham, who was third in order of birth; Thomas M., who died while serving in the Union army during the war between the North and the South; James A., who is deceased; John V., who was the next child in the family; and Mary Alice, who died at the age of two years. On December 29, 1870, Robert Graham Stockton was united in marriage with Mary Heindel, who was born in Allen county, Ohio, a daughter of Daniel and Lydia (Otstot) Heindel, natives of Pennsylvania, who were married in Franklin county, Ohio, and then came to Allen county, Ohio, arriving here in 1840. Mr. Heindel was a miller and built the first grist-mill erected at Lima, and also conducted a saw-mill in connection with it. Following his marriage Mr. Stockton struck out for himself, moving on one of his father's farms in Shawnee township, and in 1877 his father deeded forty acres to him, which were located in section 22 of that township. There were no buildings on the place and it was all in timber. After he had cleared off his first forty acres he bought forty acres more timber land in section 23, and has all of it now under cultivation with the exception of about twelve acres, which are in timber and pasture. Ever since he first took possession of his farm Mr. Stockton has been improving it, and now has one of the finest places in Allen county. He takes a great pride in having everything thoroughly up-to-date, and in his methods of operation sets an example any of the young men of his neighborhood will do well to follow. Mr. and Mrs. Stockton became the parents of the following children: Eva Lenore, who is at home, and is one of the music teachers of Shawnee county; Laura Blanche, who died in infancy; Amanda Belle, Lydia Alice, a teacher in the Lima schools, and Mary Luella, all of whom are at home; and Thomas H., who died in infancy. 104 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY In April, 1900, Mr. Stockton was appointed carrier of rural free delivery route No. 1 out of Lima, and was the first man to carry the rural mails in Allen county, and the eighty-second to receive appointment in Ohio. He held his position until February 15, 1917, when he resigned. During the time he was thus serving he lived at Lima, but the remainder of the time has lived on his farm. He is a Republican, and served for one year as township clerk of Shawnee township. The Presbyterian Church of Lima holds his membership, and his wife belongs to Saint Paul's Lutheran Church of Lima. Both Mr. and Mrs. Stockton received only district school educations, but they are very well informed people and held in the highest esteem by all who have the privilege of their acquaintance. During the many years that Mr. Stockton has been engaged in farming remarkable changes have come into his line of work, and he has kept abreast of all of them. He has witnessed the development of this section into one of the finest agricultural sections of the country, and has borne his part in this advancement and today is just as much interested in keeping up the schools, roads and other improvements as he was when he and his wife began their married life in the great woods. JOHN M. BOOSE. Occupying a conspicuous place among the dependable real estate operators and insurance men of Allen county, John M. Boose, senior member of the firm of John M. Boose & Son of Lima, is a man who fully justifies the high regard in which he is held, not only by the general public, but all with whom he is brought into contact. He is a native son of Lima, where he was born August 31, 1865, a son of Rudolph and Adaline (Phillipi) Boose, of Swiss stock. The paternal grandfather came from Switzerland and located in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, where he continued to live until his death, berng engaged in farming all of his life. He and his wife had seven children, of whom Rudolph Boose was the second in order of birth. Rudolph Boose attended the country schools of Somerset county, Pennsylvania, and also had some collegiate training before he left that state for Ohio. At that time Rockport, twelve miles northeast of Lima, was the larger and more important trading point, and he settled there and conducted a general store. After three years at Rockport he moved to a location three miles north of Lima. At the time of the construction of the large stone arch by the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad over Sulphur Spring Road he conducted a large store, and continued at that point for two years. He then moved to Lima, and in 1860 opened the first general store in the city, in what was then the New Baxter Block, and is now occupied by the Crawford Shoe House. In 1868 he retired from the mercantile field and became a stockdealer, buying and shipping cattle. Having faith in the future of Allen county, he invested in its land and became the owner of 280 acres of farm land. His death occurred in 1871, while he was still actively engaged in business. His widow survived him for many years, not dying until 1913, in which year she passed away at the family residence at Lima. In politics Rudolph Boose was a Democrat of the old school. He and his wife had three children. One died in infancy at Rockport, but John M. and his brother, Peter M., a resident of Portland, Ore. gon, survive. After attending the public schools of Lima John M. Boose took the academic course at Notre Dame College, from which he was graduated in 1882, and later learned the fundamentals of business life in a business college. On April 1, 1882, Mr. Boose entered the Lima City Bank as a messenger, and remained with that institution for twenty years, rising to be assistant cashier. He resigned that position on September 1, 1901, to go into business for himself rn Black's Block, remaining in that location ever since. In 1914 he took his son, Roger E. Boose, into part. nership .with him, under the title of John B. Boose & Son. The firm carry on a general real estate and insurance business, and handle both city and country property. Mr. Boose has other interests, and has done much to advance the city and county. In 1892 he was married to Rowena Fountaine, a daughter of Doctor and Nancy (Cahill) Fountaine, of Lima, and their children are as follows: Roger E., who is in business with his father, married Frances Robinson, of Parkersburg, West Virginia; Leonore, who was graduated from a western college, died in 1916, at the age of twenty-two years; Gertrude, who was graduated from the Russell Sage College of Troy, New York, is taking a secretarial course; and John M., Jr., who is his father's namesake. A man of independent ideas, Mr. Boose prefers to cast his vote for the man he deems best suited for the office in question, rather than to be bound down by party ties, and he is at all times deeply interested in the live topics of the day. He belongs to the Elks, being one of the charter members of the order now living in Lima, and is also a member of the Royal Arcanum of Lima, He is a member of the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Merchants Association, the National Board of Real Estate the Lima Underwriters Club, and during 1920 served as president of the Real Estate Board of Lima. In all of his transactions Mr. Boose has been actuated by the highest principles and a desire to exert a beneficial influence on his community. Through his instrumentality different portions of the city have been developed and his local pride has induced him to invest in a number of the home enterprises. He was instrumental in bringing about the widening and improving of the Ottawa River through the city of Lima, and was secretary of the River Commission, composed of W, C. Bradley, Andrew De Curtain and John M. Boose. HENRY JOHN EILERMAN, of the Eilerman Clothing Company of Lima, belongs to a family of merchants, and the Lima business is an offshoot of the original enterprise of his father at Cincinnati, Ohio, and the business has been represented in several Kentucky cities as well. Henry John Eilerman was born at Newport, Kentucky, July 23, 1863, a son of Herman and Marie (Borg) Eilerman. His father as a youth came from Germany, and at Cincinnati was engaged for thirty-five years in the boot and shoe jobbing business. In 1886 with his five sons he established a clothing store conducted as H. Eilerman & Sons at Newport, Kentucky. In 1890 they opened a branch at Covington, Kentucky, HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 105 and opened still another branch of the business in Lima in 1904. Over the Lima establishment Henry J. Eilerman has presided. He is the oldest of the five brothers. A large patronage knows and appreciates the quality of goods and service found at the Eilerman store in Lima. The store has a general stock of clothing, hats and haberdashery. At Newport, Kentucky, in 1900, Henry J. Eilerman married Elizabeth Ritter, a daughter of Peter Ritter, of Newport. To their marriage were born eight children, all of whom are still living. Mr. Eilerman is a Democrat, a member of the Elks, the Lima Chamber of Commerce, the Merchants Association, and with his family is a communicant of St. John's Church. HERBERT LESLIE WURMSER, D. C. This is the age of progress; old methods are being replaced with those of more recent discovery, and the world is awakening to the fact that just as, the people f today are changing their mode of living in every respect so must they turn for relief from the ills of humanity to the men who have developed a system of treatment more in accord with natural causes than the ones used by the old schools of medicine. The profession of chiropractic is one which is daily gaining in favor, as those benefitting from it realize, and one of the skilled practitioners of this science in Allen county is Dr. Hetbert Leslie Wurmser, of Lima. Doctor Wurmser was born on a farm in Liberty township, Hancock county, Ohio, on June 11, 1883, a son of Lewis Eugene and Clarinda (Ward) Wurmser. The paternal grandfather, a descendant of General Wurmser, who fought against Napoleon in European wars, came from Alsace, France, to the United States many years ago, and settled at New Orleans, Louisiana, where he worked at his trade of cabinetmaking. When he made the trip he brought with him one child, Lewis Eugene Wurmser, the eldest. The family remained some time in New Orleans, was lated in Findlay, Ohio, for a few years, and then located on a farm in Eagle township, Hancock county, Ohio, where the father and mother lived and died. By trade Lewis Eugene Wurmser was a carpenter as well as a farmer, and he is still living and working at his trade. Of the six children born to him and his wife, Doctor Wurmser was the third in order of birth. Until he was eight years old Doctor Wurmser attended the Swale School in Eagle township, Hancock county, but then became a student of the Findlay public schools and attended them for two years. Returning to the farm, he resumed his studies at the Swale School, which he attended until he reached the age of eighteen years, at the same time assisting his father with the work of operating the homestead. He continued to assist in the farming operations and work in the neighborhood for several years. The family then moved to Findlay, Ohio, and for the subsequent two years he was associated with his father in his carpenter work. During all of this time Doctor Wurrnser was not contented, for he had aspirations toward a professional life, but he was not in accord with either of the old schools of medicine, and it was not until he became interested in chiropractic that he felt he would be justified in fitting himself to be a healer. He therefore took up the study of this calling in the Robbins Chiropractic Institute at Sault Saint Marie, Michigan, and was graduated therefrom in 1912 with the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic, and he subsequently took post graduate work under Doctor A. E. Gregory, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 1914 Doctor Wurmser began his practice at Lima, with offices in the Masonic Temple, and he has occupied these quarters ever since. At present he is the oldest practitioner of his school at Lima, and his patients come to him from a radius of twenty-five miles. His success has been remarkable, and those whom he has benefitted are enthusiastic over his methods, and fully convinced of the efficacy of this science of spinal adjustment. Like others of his school, Doctor Wurmser has had to overcome opposition, growing out of ignorance, but has won his place in the confidence of the people of Allen county. Professionally he belongs to the Ohio Chiropractic Association. In politics he is a Republican, but while supporting the principles of the party, has never cared to ask any favors from it. He is unmarried. A man of energy and civic pride, Doctor Wurmser has been interested in various matters and has seen fit to invest in several of the enterprises of the city as well as give his support to movements for the betterment of the city and County. JOHN BENEDUM LONG, proprietor of the Allentown Auto Truck Service Company, is one of the ,enterprising business men of Allentown, and one who has built up a paying business because of his dependability. He was born in Allen county, Ohio, December 12, 1883, a son of T. C. and Mary (Benedum) Long, prominent people of Allen county. After going to school at Allentown until he was eighteen years old, John B. Long entered his father's stone quarry in American township, but left that business to spend two years with the Lima Locomotive Works at Lima, Ohio. In June, 1917, he established his present business, realizing that there was an excellent opening for such a concern, and he has prospered greatly, now owning three trucks for heavy hauling, which he rents, as well as the other equipment necessary for his service. As he has made money Mr. Long has invested it in Allentown realty, for he has great faith in the future of this locality, where he feels he is permanently situated, and proves it in this practical manner. On November 8, 1905, Mr. Long was married to Alice Norton, a daughter of Mrs. Mary Norton, of Olean, New York. She died November 9, 1908, leaving two children, namely: Thomas Newton and Edgar Norton. In December, 1911, Mr. Long was married to Alta Myers a daughter of Elmer and Mary (Epperson) Myers, of Lima, Ohio. While he has always voted the Democratic ticket, Mr. Long has never cared to enter public life. The Methodist Episcopal Church of Allentown holds his membership, and to it he gives a generous support. He is also a member of the Moose of Lima. A self-reliant young man, Mr. Long has steadily advanced, and today is one of the substantial citizens of Allentown and Allen county, and enjoys the confidence of all with whom he does business. 106 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY HENRI WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW KIDDER. The Lima Storage Battery Company, of which Mr. Kidder is president, is a rapidly developing business supplying an essential service to the motor users in Lima and Allen county, and the man at the head of the business has been connected with some phase of the automobile industry ever since he left college. Mr. Kidder was born at Richmond, Maine, in 1890, son of Albert B. and Henrietta (Patten) Kidder, and is of English stock on both sides and of Revolutionary ancestry. His parents are still living in Maine, and he was the youngest of their four children. He attended high school in Richmond and in 1913 graduated with the A. B. degree from Bates College at Lewiston, Maine. He immediately came west and entered the salesmanship school of B. F. Goodrich Rubber Company at Akron, and after being trained was made manager of a branch of the Goodrich Company at Toledo, and a year later became manager of a branch at Columbus, Ohio, where he remained two years. Mr. Kidder came to Lima in the fall of 1917 and organized and has since been president of the Lima Storage Battery Company. To meet the demands of a growing business a complete new modern building has been erected. In 1919 Mr. Kidder married Miss Margery Borges, a daughter of F. G. and Bertha Borges, of Lima. He is a Republican in politics, is a Knight Templar Mason and Elk, and is also affiliated with the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Merchants Association and the Lima Club. His church is the Episcopal. HOWARD T. FLETCHER first became identified with the business life of Lima as local manager for the B. F. Goodrich Rubber Company . He is now secretary and treasurer and was one of the organizers of the Lima Storage Battery Company, operating the famous Willard Service at Lima, and dealers, agents and distributors for the Goodrich and Goodyear tires. Mr. Fletcher was born at West Salem, Ohio. July 25, 1886, a son of John W. and Emma Fletcher. He comes of a family of business men. Up to the age of fifteen he attended public school at Lima, and his first working employment was in the storekeeper's office of the Ohio Electric Railway. He was there five years, and was then promoted to purchasing agent for this district for the Ohio Electric Railway, an office he filled five ,years. As manager he opened the first Lima branch of the Goodrich Rubber Company in March, 1917, his headquarters for one year being on West Elm street. Then, in association with H. W. L. Kidder and Guy Bayly, he organized the Lima Storage Battery Company at 111 West Elm street in June, 1918. This company handles the Willard Service for Allen, Putnam and Van Wert counties, and also the agency for the Goodrich and Goodyear tires, and are sole distributors for the Goodrich Solid Tires in the nine counties of Allen, Van Wert, Putnam, Mercer, Auglaize, Crawford, Hancock, Wyandot and Hardin. The Service Station is in a building 50 x 200 feet on the corner of West and Elm streets, and the firm has now built a solid steel and brick fireproof structure that will give more adequate accommodation for the increased business. In 1907 Mr. Fletcher married Miss Erma Roeder, a daughter of Samuel and Emma (Baker) Roeder, of Lima. They have one son, James Roeder, born in 1909. Mr. Fletcher is a Republican, is affiliated with Lima Lodge No. 205, F. and A. M., the Lima Lodge of Elks, is a member of the United Commercial Travelers, the Kiwanis Club, Shawnee Country Club, Merchants Association, Chamber of Commerce and Auto Trade Association. He is one of the live and successful young business men of Allen county. CHARLES L. TAPPEN, president and manager of the Tappen Auto Electric Company of Lima, is a young business man of remarkably versatile gifts and varied experience and accomplishment, particularly in the field of applied electricity and as an electrical engineer. He comes of a gifted ancestry. He was born at St. Louis, Missouri, June 21, 1886, a son of William A. and Laura (Dean) Tappen. His people have been in America for many generations, and one of his ancestors was the famous Revolutionary soldier and leader, Israel Putnam. William A. Tappen, his father, now living at Buenos Ayres, South America, has had a distinguished career as a railroad construction engineer. He built railroads all through South America, and subsequently established the first insurance business in Argentine, and is still active in its management. He compiled the first actuarial tables in Argentine for insurance purposes and also the first mortality tables. Charles L. Tappen, the youngest son in a family of eleven children, acquired his early education in Buenos Aires, and has a fluent command of the Spanish, French, German and English languages. He traveled with his father until he was nineteen years of age, and then began laboratory work on his own account with the Dean Electric Company of Elyria, Ohio. Subsequently he was with some of the largest plants in the United States manufacturing electrical equipment for automobiles. One of these concerns, with which he spent a year and a half, was the U. S. Light and Heat Company, where he acquired a thorough knowledge of electric battery construction. For two years he was with the Electric AutoLite Company of Toledo, and for years did research work in the Foreign Department of the Overland Company at Toledo. Mr. Tappen came to Lima as an appropriate location for building up a business of his own as an electric auto lighting system, at first being associated with Harlem Post under the name Post & Tappen. When the business was incorporated he acquired Mr. Post's interest and has since been president and manager of the Tappen Auto Electric Company. This business has just moved into a brick and steel modern structure at the corner of Elm and West streets, where it has the most modern facilities for handling its growing business, extending in a radius forty miles around Lima. In 1910 Mr. Tappen married Miss Hazel G, Foster, a daughter of C. and Florence (Hatch) Foster, of Toledo. Their three children are Edith, Florence Jane and Ralph Raymond. Mr. Tappen is independent in politics. HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 107 ANDREW QUINN. A great deal of credit must be accorded the man who is able to establish and maintain at a high standard of excellence a business of his own in any line whatsoever, and especially is this true in one in which the demands are so exacting as that of interior decorating. One of the men who has made his name and work known to the most exacting trade at Lima and in its vicinity is Andrew Quinn, sole proprietor of the Quinn Decorating Company, whose place of business is conveniently located at No. 1 Morris Arcade. Andrew Quinn was born in County Kerry, Ireland, June 15, 1867, a son of John Jasper and (Dalton) Quinn. John J. Quinn was a engineer who received his professional training at Limerick, Ireland. He and his wife had five children, and Andrew was the fourth in order of birth. Growing up in his native county, Andrew Quinn attended its public schools until he was fifteen years old, at which time he was apprenticed to learn the trade of painting and graining, and his employer took him all over the country, as his business called him to different places, so Mr. Quinn had traveled considerably before he came the United States in 1895. Upon his arrival :II this country he came to Lima, Ohio, and worked for nine years in the coach department of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad shops. A rodent and thrifty man, he saved his money, and at the expiration of the nine years was able to establish himself in a business of his own, at his present location, and he has been able to build up a large and valuable trade. Employment is given to twelve persons. In addition to doing all kinds of interior decorating Mr. Quinn carries a full and vatied line of paints and wall paper, and his prices are as low as is consistent with the market and the superior quality of the goods. In 1900 Mr. Quinn was married at Lima to Della Hartnett, a daughter of James J. and Anna (Healey) Hartnett, and they have eight children, all of whom are living. In his political convictions Mr. Quinn is an independent thinker and casts his vote according to his own ideas, and not in response to party appeal. He belongs to the Knights of Columbus, Modern Woodmen of America and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of Lima. In a business way he maintains membership with the Lima Chamber of Commerce and the Lima Merchants Association. Both by inheritance and conviction Mr. Quinn is a Catholic, and he is a member of Saint Rose parish. HAROLD FISHER, who has a very interesting service record as a soldier, came to Lima after leaving the army, and is employing his expert talents as manager and owner of a garage, repair shop and accessory business at 133135 East Spring street. He was born in Greensburg township, Putnam county, Ohio, a son of Charles Thomas and Sarah (Shirey) Fisher and is of English ancestry. His grandfather, Edward Fisher, came from London, England, was a stone cutter and mason by trade, and after locating in Greensburg township of Putnam county took up farming as a vocation. Among his four children Charles T. Fisher was the second, and has spent his active career as a farmer and machinist, he and his wife living at Lima. Harold Fisher acquired a public school education in Putnam county and grew up a strong and vigorous youth, so that at the age of fourteen when he left school he was able to obtain employment as a yard clerk for the Pere Marquette Railroad Company at Plymouth, Michigan. A year later he was made a brakeman, being the youngest man in that capacity on the road, and served three years. He left railroading at the age of nineteen, and then entered the automobile business as foreman for the Hudson Motor Sales Company at Akron. He was there two years, and then joined Gramm-Bernstein Company of Lima as a road tester. In May, 1918, he enlisted for the army, spent nine days at Camp Taylor, Kentucky, a month and a half in training as a wagoner at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, and was attached to the 114th Ammunition Train of the 39th Division. He sailed for France August 12, 1918, landing at Brest, and was soon appointed dispatch rider with a motor cycle and performed that interesting and frequently dangerous service riding over the roads of France for three and a half months. On account of his special skill he was then placed in charge of a large motor repair and truck station at St. Nazaire, ranking as sergeant, senior grade. May 18, 1919, he sailed for home, landed at New York May 30, 1919, and after ten days in Camp Merritt, New Jersey, was mustered out at Camp Sherman June 12, 1919. Soon afterward Mr. Fisher returned to Lima and bought the established automobile and garage business on East Spring street, and his abilities have given the business much prestige with car owners all over Allen county. Mr. Fisher is independent in politics and a member of the Allen County Auto Trade Association. HARRY DONALD BALDWIN. Hand in hand in public usefulness is the drug store associated with the physician, and this mutual dependence is universally acknowledged as a condition of public safety. Healing remedies are older than the doctors, and as far back as one may delve in ancient lore he may find mention of medicaments for some of the ills that seem to have always afflicted the human race. At times the discovery of a new drug of surpassing properties, chinchona, for example, has brought wonderful changes, and has been even a factor in advancing civilization. Out of the hands of the ignorant and superstitious the lawful administration of drugs has long since passed, and the term druggist or pharmacist now means one who after a protracted period of study and experiment covering a number of years and sciences has passed a thorough and satisfactory examination before a learned and scientific body. Into his hands there is practically placed life and death, for it is his knowledge of drugs and their effects that must guide him in handling the most careful of physicians' prescriptions, for his accuracy of measurement may change a tonic into a death drought. Thus it is no unimportant position that a druggist holds in a community, and his personal standing is usually of the highest. One of the men of Allen county who measures up to the standards above mentioned is Harry Donald Baldwin of Lima, sole proprietor of the Baldwin Central Drug Store of No. 150 West Main street. 108 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY Harry Donald Baldwin was born in Swift, Washington county, Ohio, a son of Leonard and Emma (Radenbach) Baldwin, people of English stock. The Baldwin family moved into Washington county, Ohio, at a very early day, and there secured Government land that is still in the possession of the descendants of the original homesteaders. Growing to manhood in his native county, H. D. Baldwin attended the graded and high schools of Swift, and was graduated from the latter as valedictorian of his class, 1912. For the subsequent five years he was engaged in educational work, teaching in the seventh and eighth grades of the Waterford, Ohio, schools, and then entered the Ohio State College, where he took a one year course in art and chemistry. In 1917 Mr. Baldwin went into the drug business at the corner of Main and High streets, Lima, with his uncle, A. T. Baldwin, and they remained together until November 21, 1919, when H. D. Baldwin bought out the elder man, and is now the sole proprietor of his flourishing business. On December 31, 1918, Mr. Baldwin was united in marriage with Elizabeth Malster, a daughter of John and Della Malster, of Waterford, Ohio. They have no children. In politics Mr. Baldwin is a Republican. He belongs to Beverly Lodge No. 37, A. F. & A. M., the Acacia fraternity of the Ohio State University and the Ohio State Pharmaceutical Association. A man of strong personality, Mr. Baldwin has made a favorable impression upon the people of Lima and attracted to his store a high class trade, so that the volume of busineess he does shows a healthy increase. Both he and his wife are popular socially and have gathered about them a delightful circle of congenial friends. FRANK EDWARD KELLEY. In all that constitutes true manhood and good citizenship Frank E. Kelley, one of the enterprising business men of Lima, is a notable example and none stands higher in the esteem and confidence of the community honored by his citizenship. His career has been characterized by industry, thrift and wisely directed efforts, for he has worked hard for that which he now possesses and he knows how to appreciate the true dignity of labor and to place to a correct estimate upon the value of money. He has played well his part in the affairs of the community, ever standing ready to support with his influence and means all measures for the public welfare. Frank E. Kelley was born at Mowrystown, Highland county, Ohio, and is the son of Lewis Henry and Louise Mary (Tissot) Kelley. The family is of French origin, the name having formerly been spelled "Quellete," the progenitors of the family having come from Strassburg, Alsace-Lorraine. Frank E. Kelley attended the public schools at Mowrystown until eighteen years of age, his studies including one year in the high school. In 1912 he came to Lima and entered the employ of G. A. Herrett, who operated a grocery store where Mr. Kelley is now located. His first work was as a delivery boy, from which he advanced to salesman and finally became manager of the store, retaining that position until November, 1919, when he bought his employer's stock and good will and has since conducted the business himself. By close devotion to business and careful attention to the wants and tastes of his customers he steadily increased the volume of his business and is now en joying one of the best grocery trades in his secti of the city. In 1916 Mr. Kelley was married to Myrtle King, the daughter of B. D. and Sarah Ann (Hole King, of Lima, and they are the parents of two son! George King and Harold Edward. Politically MI Kelley is an independent Democrat. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, while his religious faith is that of the Presbyterian Church, to which he and his wife belong. He is a member of the Merchants Association and takes a commendable interest in the advancement of the commercial interests of the city. A man of gentlemanly demeanor and excellent personal qualities, he enjoys to a marked degree the esteem and good will of all who know him. JOSEPH ARTHUR JONES. One of the conspicuous figures in the present-day commercial history of Lima is Joseph A. Jones, who is actively identified with the business interests of this locality and well known as one of the substantial citizens of this community, He is essentially a man of affairs, sound of judgment and far seeing in what he undertakes, while his actions as a private citizen have been such as to win for him the confidence and esteem of all classes, Joseph Arthur Jones, proprietor of the wholesale and retail grocery house of J. A. Jones & Son, Lima, was born at Hillsboro, Highland county, Ohio, on April 23, 1872, and. is the son of John B. and Sophia E. (Evans) Jones. His paternal grandfather, James W. Jones, was a native of South Wales, whence he came to the United States in young manhood and settled in Shelby county, West Virginia, where he spent the remainder of his life. To him and his wife were born eleven children, of whom John B. Jones was the fifth in order of birth. The latter was reared to the life of a farmer, which vocation he followed in Highland county until he retired from active labor, and is now living in Logan county, Ohio. Joseph Arthur Jones was reared on the parental farmstead and attended the public schools of his native community until eighteen years of age, when he hired out to a neighboring farmer at a wage of thirteen dollars a month. He worked three years for his first employer and two years for another farmer at the same wages. Then he became associated with his father in the selling and building of wire fencing, obtaining the agency for the counties of Highland, Clinton and Fayette for the Page Woven Wire Fence Company. They carried on this line of work for eight years, meeting with splendid success, and then they devised a fence of their own, called the Keystone Straight Wire Fence, which proved very practicable, and they were successful in handling it. However, they never secured a patent on it. During the following five years Mr. Jones was employed as a salesman for a furniture and stove store in Washington Court House, Ohio, and at the end of that time he bought a similar business in that city, conducting it for three years. Selling that business, he next moved to Dayton, Ohio, where he engaged in the grocery business until 1916, when he sold out there and came to Lima. Here he became a clerk in the Rawlings Furniture Store for one year and then for fourteen months was a salesman in the McLeader Department Store. He then bought his present location and engaged in the grocery business, in connection with which he has meat and fruit de- HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 109 partments. He handles his goods in both wholesale and retail quantities and has met with notable success, being numbered among the important and growing concerns of the kind in this city. In 1915 Mr. Jones was married to Mrs. Rose McHenry, the daughter of Peter and Catherine (Maberry) Teagarden, of Lima. Fraternally Mr. Jones is a member of the Improved Order of Red Men and the Loyal Order of Moose. Religiously he is a member of the First Baptist Church of Lima, and gives generously to its support. A man of high moral character, unimpeachable integrity, persistent industry and excellent judgment, he stands "four square to every wind that blows" and occupies an enviable position among his fellow men throughout this community. CHAUNCEY O. EAGY. The true western spirt of progress and enterprise is strikingly exemplified in the lives of such men as Chauncey O. Eagy, one of Allen county's honored citizens, whose energetic nature and laudable ambition have enabled him to conquer adverse circumstances and advance steadily. Such a man is a credit to any community, and his life forcibly illustrates what energy and consecutive effort can accomplish when directed and controlled by correct principles, therefore he is emrnently worthy of specific mention in a volume of the province of the one at hand. Chauncey O. Eagy, proprietor of the Eagy Truck and Storage Company of Lima, was born in Van Wert county, Ohio, and is descended from sterling old Pennsylvania Dutch stock, being the eldest of two children who were born to George and Samantha (Milligan) Eagy. He received the advantage of a few years' attendance in the public schools of Van Wert, and his first employment after leaving the home farm was as a railroad conductor, in which service he was engaged for eight years on the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad and other roads. In 1907 Mr. Eagy engaged in the trucking and Braying business in Lima, starting in a modest way, with one team and a wagon. By close attention to business, prompt and efficient service and courteous attention to the needs of his patrons he has during the subsequent years gradually built up his business until now he gives constant employment to seven teams. He is operating under the name of the Eagy Truck and Storage Company and is handling his full share of the local business in his line. He attends to general hauling, including heavy drayage, and also does storage for thOSe who require it. In May, 1887, Mr. Eagy was married to Claudia May Bogart, of Columbus Grove, Ohio, and they are the parents of one child, Harry C. Politically Mr. Eagy gives his support to the Republican party, while fraternally he is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Woodmen of the World. He is a man of marked social qualities, and during the years of his residence in Lima he has won a host of warm and loyal friends. Harry C. Eagy received his educational training in the public schools of Lima, graduating from the high school in 1907, at the age of eighteen years. He then entered the employ of the Central Union Telephone Company, and later worked for the Northern Electric Company, being employed in the installation of switch boards. On May 21, 1917, Harry Eagy enlisted at Lima as a private in the Second Regiment, Ohio National Guard, being soon afterward appointed a corporal. He was sent to Camp Sheridan in Alabama, where he was assigned to Company M of the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Infantry Regiment, and was made a sergeant in February, 1918. In May, 1918, he was sent to the Officers' Training School at ! Camp Sheridan, and in the following month was transferred to the Central Officers School at Camp Gordon, where on August 2'5, 1918, he was commissioned a second lieutenant. He was then sent to Camp Perry, Ohio, where he attended the Small Arms Firing School during September and October. Next he was sent to Camp Grant, Illinois, where for forty days he was actively in service as a range instructor. However, the close of the war cut short his military experience and he was honorably discharged on December 3, 1918. He then returned home and shortly afterward went to Galesburg, Illinois, and entered the employ of the Galesburg Union Telephone Company, for whom he worked for six months as an installer of equipment. On July 14, 1918, Harry C. Eagy was married to Clara Carlson, the daughter of John A. and Julia (Wramstrom) Carlson, of Galesburg, Illinois. Politically Mr. Eagy is a stanch supporter of the Republican party, and he is also a member of the American Legion. His religious membership is with the Presbyterian Church. He is a popular member of the circles in which he moves, and is numbered among the energetic, progressive citizens of Lima. SAMUEL W. KEMP. For several seasons in years past Samuel W. Kemp of Spencerville has been credited with being the largest individual dealer and shipper of hay in this section of Ohio. Mr. Kemp is regarded as a national authority on the grading and marketing of hay, and has had almost a lifetablong experience in that industry. Seven miles west of Lima, where Mr. Kemp was born, February 16, 1853, is now the village of Kempton, which derived its early importance from the commercial enterprise and activities of the Kemp family. Samuel W. Kemp is the only son of John W. and Nancy J. (Andrews) Kemp. His father was born at Chillicothe, Ross county, Ohio, February 1, 1828, son of Joseph Kemp. Joseph Kemp came to Allen county in 1847, when his son John was nineteen years of age. Joseph cleared up a hundred twenty acres in Amanda township, and lived and died there. The Kemps came to Amanda township when there were only three other families, and nearly all the country was an unbroken wilderness. Their first home was in section 36. John W. Kemp remained at home until his marriage in 1849, and he then bought forty acres of land covered with heavy woods, and a short time afterward sold that and bought eighty acres in section 1 of Amanda township. It is on that eighty acres that the village of Kempton stands. John W. Kemp had two enlistments in the Union army during the Civil war. The first time he was out three months, and later enlisted for a year, but the war closed before he had served the full time. He was a member of the Grand Army Post and was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was mustered out of the army as a third sergeant. John W. Kemp died October 5, 1891. His first wife, whom he married in 1849, was Nancy J. Andrews, who was born in Fayette county, Ohio, November 21, 1826, and died December 24, 1876. Their five daughters were Catherine, Lucinda, Margaret E., Sarah A. and Emma, the only one now 110 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY living being Sarah, wife of Charles B. Crites, of Spencerville. Samuel W. Kemp grew up on the home farm in Amanda township and attended district schools, the first school being taught in a log cabin. When he was about eight years of age his father entered the army, and after that his schooling was irregular and limited to brief terms. He employed his strength in helping clear up the farm, and lived with his parents to the age of twenty-two. At that time he married Anna E. Bice, daughter of William Bice. After their marriage they rented a farm near Kempton for two years, and Mr. Kemp was then in the grocery business at Tones Mills for five years. Returning to Kemp Station he built a storeroom and home, and in 1878 was appointed postmaster, filling that office for many years. While at Kempton he built up a large business buying and shipping hay, straw and dealing in livestock. In 1900 he moved his business headquarters to Spencerville and for twenty years has continued business as a hay merchant. He is a member of the National Hay Association and has filled many of the offices of that organization and has served on its important committees. He is now chairman of the grading committee. In the fall of 1919 he was appointed final judge of the hay department in the International Exposition at Chicago. Mr. Kemp is interested in the Dorset Grain and Hay Company of Cincinnati, and has built up the business to second to none in its line. He has made his knowledge and experience available and profitable not only to his own business but to the hay trade in general. Mr. and Mrs. Kemp had one son, William D., who graduated from Clark's Business College in Kentucky and until his death in October, 1913, was actively associated with his father, acquiring a working interest in the business at Spencerville. At the age of twenty two he married May Steller, of Rockford, Ohio, and is survived by his widow and one child, Mr. Kemp's only grandchild, Ruth Doris Kemp, who is now eight years of age and whose weight is 110 pounds. She is living with her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Kemp. She was born July 5, 1912. She is quite talented in music as well as in her school work. Miss Ruth Kemp is quite widely known, as she has accompanied her grandfather to many Hay Conventions in different parts of the country. She has a striking appearance and is prominent in society. ROBERT E. COOK. The territory embraced within the borders of Allen County has its full quota of business and professional men, bankers and legislators, but particularly has it been noted for the high standard set by its agriculturists, whose energy and enterprise during the past several decades have combined to make this region one of the garden spots of Ohio. In this connection mention is made of Robert E. Cook, a progressive and capable agriculturist who is carrying on extensive and effective operations on the old Cook farm in Monroe Township, southeast of Columbus Grove. Mr. Cook was born on his present farm August 4, 1881, a son of Albert B. and Sarah I. (Taylor) Cook, and a member of a family which settled at an early date in Allen County, his father having been born on the same farm June 30, 1859. The parents of Mr. Cook, after many years of agricultural pursuits, are now living in retirement. Mrs. Cook is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the movements of which are supported by her husband. He is affiliated fraternally with the Modern Wood. men of America, and in politics is a republican. He has served his community in a number of ways, and was township assessor of Monroe Township for two terms. Of the nine children in the family eight are living: Homer E.; Robert E., of this review; Charles H.; Lyman E.; Florence, the wife of Ernest Freet ; Lola, the wife of Cloyce Kidd; and Marie, the wife of Clifford Fruchy; and Caddie, who resides with her parents. Robert E. Cook acquired his educational training in the public schools of Monroe Township, and was reared on the home farm. On December 2, 1903, he was united in marriage with Miss May Kolors, who was born in 1885, in Allen County, Ohio, and to this union there have been born five children: Morris, who is deceased ; and Harold, Raymond, Warren and Lois, living with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Cook are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the work of which she takes an active and helpful interest. Mr. Cook is a republican in his political allegiance, but thus far has been too greatly engrossed with the duties of his farm to think of entering actively into political affairs. At the present time he is operating 119 acres of land, which is all under a high state of cultivation. Progressive in his methods and industrious in his labors, he has fairly won a substantial success, and is known as one of the substantial and enterprising young farmers of his community. JACOB R. WELCH, M. D. For nearly forty years Dr. Welch has borne the burdens and responsibilities of the medical profession in the community of Spun. cerville. He is one of the oldest practicing physicians and surgeons in Allen county, and his life has been dignified and made highly useful by his long continued devotion to one of the greatest professions in which men can engage. Dr. Welch was born near old Fort Jennings in Putnam county, Ohio, March 16, 1859, son of Jacob and Mary (Allen) Welch. The father was also a physician and was born in Allen county, Ohio, in 1826. He graduated from the Eclectic School of Medicine and in 1856 established his home at Cuba, Ohio, where he practiced until his death at a cm paratively early age. Jacob R. Welch was the only child of his father, and when the latter died he was taken by his mother to his maternal grandparents, and at the age of nine years she removed to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he grew up and finished his literary education. He attended the grammar and high schools of Fort Wayne, also the Methodist College of that city, and after graduating entered the Fort Wayne Medical College, receiving his M. D. degree from that institution. On March 16, 1882, Dr. Welch began the work for which he is best known and esteemed at Spencerville, and has been the capable and kindly doctor to nearly two generations of, people in this community. He is a member of the County, State and American Medical Associations. Dr. Welch married Mary Miller, a graduate of the musical department of the Methodist College at Fort Wayne. She was a student there when she met Dr. Welch. Her father was Harvey Miller, of Warsaw, Indiana, and she was born near the county seat of Kosciusko county and had graduated from the Warsaw High School before going to college at Fort HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 111 Wayne. Dr. Welch is a Republican, is affiliated with Spencerville Lodge No. 251, A. F. and A. M., and has served as a member of the Spencerville School Board. Along with his professional work he carries the responsibilities of vice president of the Citizens Bank of Spencerville, of which Ira B. Post is president and cashier. He is also interested in the Lima Trust Company. CHARLES W. MAY. The enterprise and successful management of Charles W. May has done much to distinguish his farm, known as the Riverview Farm, as a place of well ordered industry and the home of fine livestock. Riverview Farm, containing 125 acres, lies in section 16 of Marion Township, and is situated six miles southeast of Delphos on Elida rural route No. 1. Mr. May was born in Auglaize Township of Allen County March 26, 1863, a son of Nathaniel and Louisa (Rumbaugh) May. His father was born in Ross County, Ohio, March 8, 1832, and was brought to Allen County by his parents, early pioneers, when he was two years of age. The mother was born in Allen County in April, 1838, and her people were also among the first settlers of Allen County. They grew up here and after their marriage settled on a farm in Auglaize Township, later lived in Jackson Township, in 1868 went west to Missouri, but soon returned, and in the spring of 1869 located in Amanda Township. About 1884 they sold their farm in that township and moved to Marion Township, where they spent the rest of their useful lives. The mother died in September, 1913, and the father on October 15, 1915. Both were very active members of the Zion Methodist Church, were identified with the Grange, and in politics the father exercised an independence of voting. In the family were ten children: Iona, wife of George A. Lutz, of Amanda Township; Charles W.; Almeda, wife of Reason Keith; Jasper, of Lima ; Mrs. Ida Griffith, of Lima ; Lillie, wife of Clinton Roush, of Lima : Cora, wife of Joseph Stouf, of Spencerville ; Dexa, wife of Joseph Griffith, of West Cairo, Ohio ; Ollie, wife of Virgil Holmes, living near Lafayette, Ohio ; and Lulu, wife of Will Brenneman, of Lima. Most of the years of his boyhood Charles W. May spent in Amanda Township, where he attended the local schools. At the age of twenty-one he began life for himself, his chief capital being his industry and training as a farmer. On December 25, 1886, he married Julia B. Ford, daughter of John C. and Elizabeth M. (Foust) Ford. Her father was born in Allen County October 15, 1846, and her mother in December, 1846. They were married December 25, 1866, just twenty years before Mrs. May gave her hand in marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Ford have long been identified with the Zion Methodist Church, and he is a democrat and is affiliated with the lodge of Odd Fellows at Elida. Mrs. May is the oldest of three children. The only other one now living is Charles C., of Marion Township. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. May rented for several years, then bought a small tract of land, and with increased prosperity they came to their present home, where Mr. May has made a decided success, particularly in the breeding of Jersey cattle and Duroc hogs. He is a stockholder in the Elida Equity Exchange. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. May: Verda E., wife of Wilmer W. Ditto ; Goldie B., wife of Edward Roush, of Amanda Township; Clifton, deceased; Gerald N., who for six months was with the colors, being trained at Camp Jackson in South Carolina ; M. Ellis, who was also a soldier in the same regiment and camp with his brother ; and Jessie E., Ogatha and Vertrice, who are the three younger children at home. The family are active in church and in the Marion Grange, both Mr. and Mrs. May having had an official part in the Grange. He is a democrat in politics. HIRAM HOOVER. While he did not come to Allen County until the present century, Hiram Hoover and family have become well known as good substantial citizens and prosperous farmers. Mr. Hoover owns a valuable farm four miles west of Elida, on rural route No. 1 in Marion Township, and his name is associated with all the substantial interests of that locality. Mr. Hoover was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, January 22, 1852. His parents, Abraham and Hannah (Roadcap) Hoover, were natives of the same county and state, and spent all their lives there. The father died at the age of seventy-five and the mother at eighty-six. Both were active in the Mennonite Church. For a number of years Abraham Hoover filled the post of roadmaster in his community. Of the family of eleven children six are still living: Elizabeth, wife of Jackson Shoemaker, who was a soldier in the Confederate army ; Delilah, wife of Joseph Neff, of Virginia ; Abraham, who also was in the Confederate army and lives in Missouri; Hiram; Calvin and Daniel, both in Illinois. Hiram Hoover grew up on a Virginia farm and received his education in the Old Field schools. He married Eva Richie in Rockingham County, and after their marriage they devoted themselves to the interests of their home and farm in Virginia until they sold out and moved to Allen County in 1904. Mr. Hoover first bought a farm of forty acres, sold that and bought sixty-eight acres north of Elida, and subsequently traded that for the 120-acre farm where he lives today. He is a stockholder in the Elida Equity Exchange, and all the family are members of the Mennonite Church. Mr. and Mrs. Hoover had four children. The oldest, Archie, lives in Colorado ; Joseph is a resident of Iowa, while Bessie is the wife of J. B. Bremmenan. The youngest is Benjamin, of Elida, and he has two children, George, born July 18, 1905, and Mary, born November 1, 1909. After the death of his first wife Mr. Hoover of this review married Lydia Brunk. ISAAC MCKENZIE. A man's reputation is the property of the world, for the laws of nature have forbidden isolation. Every human being either submits to or rises above the controlling influence which touches, controls, guides or misdirects others. If he be honest and successful in his chosen field of endeavor, investigation will brighten his reputation and point the way along which others may follow with like success. The career of Isaac McKenzie, well known business man of Delphos, is of that class of enterprising citizens whose example is calculated to be an incentive to others for his efforts have met with a fair measure of success. Isaac McKenzie, proprietor of a marble and granite works on South Main street, Delphos, was born in Van Wert county, Ohio, on August 23, 1865, and is a son of John T. and Mary (Stickler) McKenzie. The 112 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY father was a native of Baltimore, Maryland, while his wife was born in Germany, from which country she came to the United States with her parents at the age of nine years. They located in Seneca county, Ohio, where occurred her marriage to John T. McKenzie. Later they moved to Van Wert county, of which locality they were among the earliest settlers. Their home farm was located six miles southwest of Delphos, and there they continued to live until, late in life, they retired from active labor and moved to Delphos, where they spent the remaining years of their lives. They both were members of the United Brethren Church and active in its affairs. In politics Mr. McKenzie was a Republican. They became the parents of ten children, of whom six are living, namely : W. H., a retired farmer living in Delphos; C. W., of Toledo, Ohio; Martha E., the wife of Samuel Runyan, of Detroit, Michigan; Isaac, the subject of this sketch, and his twin brother, Jesse, who is engaged in the piano business in Delphos; Ida A., the wife of Frank Hilt, of Delphos. Isaac McKenzie was reared in Van Wert county, where he resided until thirty-eight years of age. In his youth he attended the district schools and the public school of Delphos. Upon attaining mature years he was variously employed in the factories about Delphos, including the hoop factory, and also was employed at Decatur, Indiana. He worked for three years as an inspector on the Clover Leaf Railroad, following which he was in the grocery business for two years in Delphos. During the following four years he engaged in the drilling of water wells, and at the end of that period engaged in the monument business in partnership with his brother Jesse, whose interest he afterward bought, and is still running this business. He carries a large stock of finished monuments and is constantly employed in their manufacture, having sold and placed some of the most pretentious monuments in this county. Through his good management and right treatment of his customers he has built up a large and representative patronage, covering a wide radius of surrounding country. In 1886 Mr. McKenzie was married to Della Krutsch, and they became the parents of four children, three of whom are living, namely: Aaron B., deceased; Bessie E., the wife of Carl P. Roth, of Delphos; Donald 0., at home, and Lola D., also at home. During the recent World war Donald enlisted in the United States army, being assigned to the Engineer Corps, with which he served ten months in France, being mainly employed in railroad work. Isaac McKenzie gives his support to the Republican party, though he has never been a seeker after public office. He takes a keen interest in local public affairs and is a warm supporter of every movement or enterprise which promises to advance the material, civic or moral welfare of his community. Because of his honorable career, in his business success and his high personal character he holds an enviable position in the esteem of all who know him. ELMER A. MILLER is serving his second term as county surveyor of Allen county, and his efficient administration has shown alike his technical abil. ity and his unswerving civic loyalty. As a native son of the county, and as a valued official he is well entitled to specific recognition in this publication. Elmer Amos Miller was born in Sugar Creek township, this county, December 20, 1873, and is a son of Thomas Walter and Sarah (Kingsley) Miller, the father having long been one of the representative farmers of that township, where he continued to reside until his death, in 1909, and where his widow still resides. His grandfather was a native of Virginia and became an early settler in Allen county, Ohio, where he secured a tract of Government land at the time of the administration of President Andrew Jackson, and where he developed a productive pioneer farm of eighty acres in section 24, Sugar Creek township, his son Thomas W. eventually conning into possession of the old homestead, which is still retained by the family. Elmer A. Miller was reared on the old ancestral farmstead and gained his preliminary education in the district schools of his native township. In SG he was graduated in the normal college at Lima with the degree of Bachelor of Pedagogy. For seventeen years thereafter he was a successful and popular teacher in the public schools, his service having been principally in Allen and Defiance counties and having included effective high-school work. In 1916 he received from Defiance College the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In August of the same year he was made the Democratic nominee for the office of surveyor of his native county, and the majority accorded him in the ensuing election attested alike his personal popularity and his hold upon the confidence and good will of the voters of the county. In 1918 he was re-elected for a second term of two years, and this vouches for the estimate placed upon his administration. Mr. Miller gives unqualified allegiance to the Democratic party, is affiliated with the Masonic Fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of the Maccabees. He holds membership in the Christian Church. Mr. Miller is the owner of a valuable farm property of 115 acres in his native county, and takes deep interest in all that concerns the civic and material prosperity and progress of the county. In furtherance of his technical knowledge he completed a thorough course in civil engineering through the medium of the celebrated Inter-National Correspondence School at Scranton, Pennsylvania. His name is still enrolled on the list of eligible bachelors in Allen county. REUBEN HENRY REX is one of the substantial farmer citizens living in Bath township, his daily mail being delivered over rural route No. 8 out of Lima. Mr. Rex started to carve his fortune when a boy of only fifteen, and has been an industrious and steady worker all his life, earning wages, doing for himself, and altogether has been a valuable asset to any community in which he has lived. Reuben Henry Rex was born in Polk township, Crawford county, Ohio, on a farm, September 17, 1867, son of Elias and Mary (Pfeifer) Rex. His grandfather John W. Rex left Germany with his wife and settled in Pennsylvania, and lived out his years in Crawford county, that State, where he reared his family. Elias Rex, when a young man, left Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and moved to a county of the same name in Ohio. He was three times married and was the father of seventeen children. The mother of Reuben H. Rex died in 1874, when he was seven years of age. About that time the family moved to Leipsic, Putnam county, where Reuben ac. (mired his early advantages in the public school. Still later he went with his father to Rockport in Allen county, where he finished his schooling. He left HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 113 home at fifteen and from that time forward has depended on his own exertions for everything that has come to him in the way of material prosperity. At that age he commanded the wages of thirteen dollars a month as a farm. hand. He continued working on different farms until he was twenty-two, and in 1889 he married Miss Estelle Gallaspie, daughter of Andrew and Barbara (Wagner) Gallaspie of Beaver Dam. Mr. and Mrs. Rex had two children, but both died young, Lois at the age of six months in 1890, and Nile at the age of ten in August, 1908. After his marriage Mr. Rex rented a farm at Beaver Dam for six years, for one year was a renter of forty acres in Monroe township, and then bought a small place near Allentown. He lived there three years and next moved to a forty acre farm with a log house in Bath township. That was his home until the fall of 1901, when he bought his present place of forty acres. He has engaged in general farming, has done much to improve his property, and when not busy with his own farm work his services have been in great demand as a blacksmith, which trade he thoroughly mastered. Mr. Rex has also played an important part in local affairs. He is a Republican in politics, and was elected trustee of Bath township in 1910 and reelected for a second term in 1912. In October, 1919, he was appointed a member of the County Board of Health and is still serving in that capacity. Mr. Rex is a member of the Church of the Brethren. RALPH S. MARSHALL. Prominent among the younger generation of Allen county's successful business men is Ralph S. Marshall, of Lima, who has built up a thriving trade as a dealer in sporting goods, and in bicycles and accessories, his establishment being advantageously located on Main street. A son of E. A. and Lydia (Hull) Marshall, he is a native. and to the manner born, his birth having occurred in Lima in 1894. He comes of honored Scotch-Irish stock, his immigrant ancestor on the paternal side having been the same as that of Chief Justice Marshall, the noted statesman, soldier and jurist. He is related also to Vice-President Thomas R. Marshall, both coming from the Indiana Marshalls. That branch of the family to which he belongs was prominent in the Civil War, and has long been active and influential in political affairs. His father, now chief engineer for the Illinois Pipe Lines Company, is stationed at Lima. After his graduation from the Central High School, at Lima, Ralph S. Marshall entered' the employ of Gladwell & Grossley, and during the year he was with them learned the details of the bicycle business. He was subsequently similarly employed for a year in Detroit, 'Michigan, and later was with Harry Svengaard, a dealer in bicycles and sporting goods, his store being located on Woodward avenue, that city; between times, however, having worked in Flint, Michigan. Returning to Lima, Mr. Marshall was road tester for the Garford Motor Company for a year, after which, in partnership with Samuel E. Croushorn, he carried on a successful business for two and a half years as head of. the MarshallCroushorn Company, dealing in sporting goods, and having a bicycle agency. Enlisting in the United States Army on July 25, 1913, Mr. Marshall was stationed at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, two months and was then transferred to Camp Sevier, Greenville, South Carolina, where he remained until receiving his honorable discharge January 6, 1919. Returning to Lima Mr. Marshall opened his present establishment at 701 South Main street under the firm name of R. S. Marshall & Company, and has since built up a well-paying business, dealing in sporting goods of all kinds, and having the agency for both the Pierce and the Marshall bicycles. R. S. Marshall & Company besides this retail business does a jobbing business in bicycles and sporting goods. Mr. Marshall is a promoter of bicycle racing, bicycle picnics and other sports. In the earlier days, when he first became interested in the bicycle business, he ran a motorcycle, and gave cycle races through the country principally in the South, and acquired considerable fame as a cyclist. He is independent in his political relations, voting-as he deems best, paying no regard to party affiliations. LEON B. MERRITT. A man of unquestioned business ability and intelligence, Leo B. Merritt, of Lima, Allen county, is actively identified with the expansion of the automobile interests of this section of the state, as manager of the Sturtevant-Jones Company, in which he is a stockholder and director, having built up an extensive and remunerative business as a distributor of automobiles, handling the Marmon and Buick cars. A son of E. T. and Anna (Malle) Merritt, he was born September 23, 1887, in Blanchard, Missouri, of French Huguenot ancestry. His great-grandfather Merritt settled in Ashtabula county, Ohio. when young and remained there until after his marriage. Deciding to make a change of residence, he journeyed in a sailing vessel from Cleveland, this state, to Duluth, Minnesota, arriving there when the settlers were very few. He engaged in the lumber business, and being a man of enterprise and foresight established a fleet of sailing boats, and for many years did a good deal of freighting. The business was continued by his son, Napoleon B. Merritt, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, who has watched with pride and pleasure the development and growth of his home city, Duluth, where he is now living retired at the venerable age of eighty-three years. The eldest child in a family consisting of five sons and one daughter, E. T. Merritt grew to manhood in Duluth, and for many years was actively associated with its mining interests. He was one of the discoverers of the mineral wealth of the Mesaba Range, a part of which he owned at one time. He subsequently embarked in the oil business, having valuable oil properties in Texas. To him and his wife, both of whom are living, five children have been born, four boys and a girl, Leon B. being the second child in succession of birth. Having obtained his preliminary education in the public schools of Duluth, Minnesota, Leon B. Merritt was subsequently graduated from the Portland Academy in Portland, Oregon, after which he continued his studies for three years in the University of Chicago, taking the scientific course. Returning to Minnesota in 1908, he was engaged in the mining business for awhile. Giving up that occupation, Mr. Merritt spent two and a half years in Atlanta, Georgia, where he built up a good business as a distributor of Overland automobiles, his territory embracing Georgia, Florida and a part of Alabama. Returning north, he spent six months in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as manager of the Becker Motor Company, Vol. II - 8 114 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY in which he was financially interested. Locating then in Cleveland, Ohio, he was manager of the Philadelphia branch of the F. B. Stearns Company for six months, when the business was closed out on account of the World war. Coming from that city to Lima, Mr. Merritt was for a year associated with the Garford Motor Truck Company, as distributor and traveling manager, having charge of its western territory. Since 1919 he has carried on a substantial business in the selling and distributing of the Marmon and Buick cars in the five counties that he covers, as follows: Allen, Van Wert, Putnam, Hardin and Auglaize, selling the Marmon cars and trucks in Mercer county also. Mr. Merritt has a service station in Lima, and is likewise interested in the Beckman Company. Mr. Merritt married in 1914 Louise Holdredge, daughter of Hiram and a Miss (Roberts) Holdredge, of Lima, and of their union three children have been born, Margaret, William Holdredge and Mary Ann. Politically Mr. Merritt is a Republican. Socially he is a member of the Lima Club; the Lima Country Club; the Kiwanis Club; the Elks and the Lima Auto Club. Religiously Mr. and Mrs. Merritt are worthy members of the Presbyterian Church. ROBERT THOMAS GREGG. Noteworthy for his keen intelligence, business ability and good citizenship, Robert Thomas Gregg, of Lima, holds an honored position among the leading merchants of his community, and as head of the well-known firm of R. T. Gregg & Company is carrying on an extensive business. He was born in 1861 on a farm in Pickaway county, Ohio, a son of the late Thomas and Melissa (Cook) Gregg, both members of early American families. His father, who succeeded to the ancestral occupation, was engaged in mercantile pursuits until his death, about thirty- three years ago. Having received a practical education in the country and town schools, Robert Thomas Gregg began the battle of life on his own account as clerk in a general store in the country, where he remained fifteen years, and was afterward similarly employed in Baltimore, Ohio, twelve years. Going then to Tiffin, Ohio, he opened a department store, and as junior member of the firm of C. F. Hansberger & Company carried on a thriving business for fifteen years. Selling his interests rn the concern to his partner in 1903, Mr. Gregg established his present department store in Lima, and in its management has met with highly satisfactory results, the store being one of the largest, most popular and best patronized mercantile concerns in this section of the county. He possesses excellent financial ability, and is one of the directors of the Lima Home and Savings Association. Mr. Gregg married in 1888 Emma J. Beery, who was born near Lancaster, Ohio, and into their pleasant household three children have made their advent namely: Roy Beery, born in 1890, married Hazel West, of Wilmington, Ohio, and they have two children; Margaret Catherine, a student m the Cincinnati College of Music, where she is taking lessons in vocal and instrumental music; and Robert T., Jr. Politically Mr. Gregg is a steadfast Republican, but has never been an aspirant for public office, his business affairs demanding his entire attention. WILLIAM H. WELLMAN. The life history of him whose name heads this sketch has been closely identified with Lima for a number of years, Hi: lrfe has been one of untiring activity and has beer crowned with a degree of success attained only by those who devote themselves indefatigably t( the work before them. He is of a high type of a business man, and none more then he deserves a fitting recognition among the representative citi zens of his locality. William H. Wellman, who is senior partner and manager of the Lima Gordon Tire Company, war born on his father's farm in Washington town. ship, Auglaize county, Ohio, in 1887, and is du second in order of birth in the family of aim children which blessed the union of Harmon H and Caroline (Katterhenry) Wellman. He is de scended from sturdy old German stock, his pater nal grandfather, George Wellman, having immi grated from Germany to the United States am settled in Washington township, Auglaize county where he engaged in farming during the remain der of his life, his death occurring in 1880. liar mon H. Wellman also has devoted his entire to agricultural pursuits, and is still living on the same farm in Washington township where hi; father settled. In addition to general farming he also gives special attention to the raising of Jersey cattle and Brown Leghorn chickens, keeping none but full-bred stock in each line. His place, know' as Elmdale farm, is located three miles southeas of St. Mary's, Auglaize county, and comprises 101 acres of excellent land. William H. Wellman secured his education it the public schools of Washington township an( St. Mary's, which he attended until twenty year; of age. He then took a commercial course in the Lima Business College, and from 1913 to July 1919, he was employed as cashier by the Whit( Mountain Dairy Company. On April 27, 1918 Mr. Wellman enlisted in the United States army and was sent to Camp Sherman, where he war appointed camp adjutant, with the rank of ser geant. He had charge of the qualifications care department during practically the entire time hr was at Camp Sherman, being assigned to the Permanent Camp Division. He was mustered out of service on December 17. 1918, and returned to Lima. On July 29, 1919, Mr. Wellman established a rubber tire and accessory business in Lima which from a modest beginning has grown to 13( one of the largest concerns of the kind in Lima He has the distribution agency for the Miller & Hood tires in Allen county and also carries other well-known and standard makes. Mr. Wellman has devoted himself indefatigably to this business, and has won a well-earned reputation as a man of hustling qualities and sound business judgment. On June 24, 1920, Mr. Wellman was married to Ida Kuhlman, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Kuhlman, of New Knoxville. Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Wellman are members of the Reformed Church. Mr. Wellman is an active member of the Lima Chamber of Commerce. the Merchants Association, and the United Commercial Travelers. He takes a public-spirited interest in the advancement of the community along material, civic, and moral lines and enjoys the confidence and esteem of the people generally. HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 115 D. WILSON HUGHES. With a practical experience as a chef of almost national fame back of him. D, Wilson Hughes is conducting the best restaurant at Lima and has made it a popular resort for those who appreciate superior cooking and superfine service. It is no exaggeration to say that Mr. Hughes is the best known man at Lima, just as the Congress Restaurant is the most popular establishment of its kind in the city. It is conveniently located at 134 North Main street. D. Wilson Hughes was born at Leipsic, Ohio, a son of Thomas and Jennie (Waltner) Hughes, of Welsh stock. At the age of sixteen years D. Wilson Hughes came to Lima with but $1.04 in his pocket, and with this amount bought a pair of overalls, this being before the present high prices prevailed, and began working for George Heffner in his egg case factory, receiving for his labors eighty-five cents a day. After a year at this employment the lad went with Charles King, restaurant man, and was paid $0 a month for washing dishes. This menial work was the beginning of his career in the restaurant business, and the subsequent events prove conclusively that it matters little what a man's start in life may be, but entirely the material of which he is composed. If he wants to get ahead, his progress is certain. He must be willing to work, not only performing an honest day's labor for which he is paid, but doing the work of another in learning something new, so that whenever the occasion arises he will be able to take advantage of it. As a lad he had been interested in home cooking, and after he entered the restaurant he watched every operation until he became as proficient as the chef himself, and when there was a vacancy was able to fill and hold it for four years, when his services were secured by the Hotel Norval of Lima. He spent a year there, and then went to Findlay, Ohio, and was there for seven years working in several hotels and restaurants as chef. In the meanwhile his fame was growing, and traveling men were learning that the meals he prepared were of a quality far ahead of the majority of his calling. His success encouraged him to go into business for himself, and coming back to Lima he opened in 1909 the Manhattan Restaurant, but sold it the following year. Mr. Hughes then opened the Congress Chop House, at his present location, and has built up a trade second to none in this part of the state. He has great faith in Lima and has invested his profits in city enterprises and realty, and is a stockholder in the Lima Sheet Metal Products Company, and owns a large amount of residence and business property, including his own home. In 1898 Mr. Hughes was united in marriage with Rosa Danner, a daughter of Gottlieb and Catherine Danner, of Bluffton, Ohio, natives of the canton of Bern, Switzerland. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes have two children, namely, La Verne, who married Clara King, of Lima, has one child, Dona Catherine; and Willard Russell, who married Grace Ross, of Lima, Ohio. Mr. Hughes is independent politically. He belongs to the Chamber of Commerce. Possessing in marked degree the ability to make friends everywhere, he is easily one of the most popular men at Lima. It is his aim to make his establishment the very best of its kind in the world, and he gives to each detail of his business a personal and practical supervision which cannot help but attain to desirable results and efficiency in every respect. As a chef he is an artist, and takes a pride in what he can accomplish in his profession, and those who enjoy the entertainments he is able to furnish feel that it is not only an important but also a dignified one, and one whrch more ought to cultivate, for there is a crying need today for good, wholesome food attractively cooked and served. FRANK S. SMITH, M. D. Recognizing the fact that more effective service can be rendered if special attention is given some certain disease or diseases, some of the most successful medical men of the country have concentrated upon those maladies in which they are the most interested, and in this way have been able to acquire special skill and experience in their treatment and prevention. One of these eminent specialists is Dr. Frank S. Smith of Lima, who has made a particular study of surgery and diseases of women. Doctor Smith was born at Rushsylvania, Logan county, Ohio, on March 13, 1874, a son of Jeremiah W. and Eliza Jane (Sieg) Smith, natives of Delaware county, Ohio, and Ridgeway, Hardin county, Ohio, respectively. The paternal grandfather, Henry Smith, was born in New York, and the maternal grandfather, Jonathan Sieg, was born in Pennsylvania, and both became early settlers of Ohio. Henry Smith was a tavern keeper and farmer. His son, Jeremiah W. Smith, was a physician, and established himself in the practice of his profession at Marysville, Ohio. During the war between the North and the South he served as a soldier in the One Hundred and Thirteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was assistant regimental surgeon. Later on in life he retired to his farm in Delaware county, Ohio, and there he died in 1892, but his widow survives him and makes her home with Doctor Smith, her only child. After attending the common schools of his native county Doctor Smith was graduated from the Marysville High School, and then entered the Wesleyan Ohio University at Delaware, and still later studied medicine at Starling Medical College at Columbus, Ohio, from which he was graduated in 1897. Doctor Smith has had a somewhat varied experience, and practiced at West Union and Willard, Ohio, prior to coming to Lima, and for two years was the physician at the Ohio Hospital for Epileptics. Doctor Smith has his offices in the Citizens Building at Lima, and has built up a large practice in his specialties. On March 22, 1913, Doctor Smith was united in marriage with Blanche Moch, born at Gallipolis, Ohio, a daughter of Abraham and Amelia (Blatt) Moch. Doctor and Mrs. Smith have two children, Blanche Josephine and Amelia Ann. In politics he is a Democrat, and he served as pension examiner and health officer of Huron county, Ohio. Fraternally he belongs to Lima Lodge No. 54, B. P. O. E.; Willard Aerie No. 550, F. O. E.; Junior Order United American Mechanics of Lima, and the J. O. N. A. M. of Lima. Doctor Smith maintains professional connections with the Allen County Medical Society and the Ohio State Medical Society. The fundamental gauge of any man's 116 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY character is his standing among his associates, and judged by this Doctor Smith measures up to the highest standards of his profession. Like the majority of medical men, he is essentially a humanitarian and has always been willing to put his shoulder to the wheel of progress no matter at what cost to himself. The breadth of his sympathies is only limited by the limitations of human endurance, and he is recognized as a friend of his patients as well as an efficient healer. THOMAS TAYLOR SIDENER was born at Clearport, Fairfield county, Ohio, on April 17, 1867, and is the son of Noah and Mary (Greer) Sidener, of Fairfield county, Ohio. His grandparents, George and Barbara (Brashears) Sidener, were from one of the eastern states, probably Maryland or Pennsylvania. Noah and Mary Sidener were married in 1851, and settled on a farm in Fairfield county, where they lived until Mr. Sidener's death, which occurred in 1875. His widow then brought her six children to South Warsaw, Allen county, and settled on a farm, where she spent her remaining days, her death occurring in 1899. To these worthy parents were born the following children: Charles, deceased; Sterling, Joseph and Fenton, of Perry township, Allen county; Ross, who died in 1902; Thomas T., the immediate subject of this sketch; and Effie, of Perry township. Thomas T. Sidener attended the district schools of his home neighborhood, and then took a course in the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio. He then engaged in teaching school, following that vocation during fourteen successive winters, while his summer months were spent in work on the farm. In 1902 he entered the Eclectic Medical College in Cincinnati, where he was graduated in 1906 with honors, being selected to make the class address. In the fall of that year Doctor Sidener came to Lima and entered upon the active practice of his profession, in which he has been engaged continuously since. The people have found him a man to be depended upon, his patients knowing that they can repose the utmost confidence in him and rely upon his judgment, therefore he has built up a large and lucrative practice. Thomas T. Sidener was married in March, 1899, to Belle Lippincott, who was born and reared in Allen county, the daughter of Amos and Mary (Budd) Lippincott. Both of her parents are natives of Ohio. the father having been born in Champaign county and the mother in Allen county. To Doctor and Mrs. Sidener have been born the following children: Helen, Mildred and Thomas. Politically Doctor Sidener gives his support to the Republican party, while fraternally he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Knights of the Maccabees. He and his wife are members of the Epworth Methodist Episcopal Church. Because of his professional success and his high personal character, the Doctor is held in high esteem by all classes. MRS. LAVINA JENNINGS, of 775 West Main street, Lima, is an old resident of Allen county and related to several of the oldest families in the annals of early settlement. Mrs. Jennings was born in Monroe township of Allen county, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Morris) Hartman. Her mother was born in Monroe township September 28, 1835, and has lived at one place in the county since March 4, 1855, being one of the oldest inhabitants of that section. Her brother, George Morris, was born in October, 1833, and is also still living in Monroe township. They were the children of Henry and Margaret (Weaver) Morris. Henry Morris was a Baptist minister and preached in a number of pioneer communities in Allen county. John Hartman, father of Mrs. Jennings, was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, the son of John and Rebecca (Thomas) Hartman, who pioneered to Monroe township of Allen county when all the country was new. Lavina Hartman was first married to Adam Miller. He was born in Germany, a son of Michael and Mary (Kunkleman) Miller, who came from their native country and settled in Monroe township of Allen county as early as 1835. Michael Miller entered land, cleared it up and developed a good farm. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Miller settled at the old Miller homestead in Monroe township, which Adam Miller acquired to the extent of a hundred twenty acres. He lived there an honest and sturdy farmer and upright citizen until his death on September 1, 1890. Mrs. Miller continued to live at the home farm until 1904, when she removed to Columbus Grove, and in May, 1907, became the wife of Mr. Gregory Jennings. Mr. Jennings was born in Allen county September 13, 1836, grew up on a farm and gave the best years of his life to the agricultural vocation. His first wife was Celinda Hall, and by that marriage he had a family of nine children. For many years he lived on a farm in Monroe township, but was lrving on a farm in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, when his wife, Celinda, died. Mr. and Mrs. Jennings in October following their marriage moved to Lima, where Mr. Jennings lived retired until his death on December 26, 1913. Mrs. Jennings by her marriage to Adam Miller had three children: Mary Elizabeth, wife of James Snyder, of Warsaw, Indiana; John M., who died at the age of twenty-six; and Joseph W., who lives in American township. Mrs. Jennings received her early education in School District No. 3 of Monroe township. She is an active member of the Methodist Church, while Mr. Miller was a Lutheran. Adam Miller served as a trustee of Monroe township and was a member of the National Union of Columbus Grove. The late Gregory Jennings was a veteran of the Civil War, having served a period of ninety days in the Fifty-First Ohio Volunteer Infantry. JAMES MERRIT ALEXANDER has been one of the young business men of Lima for the past twenty years, and has had a progressive career of advancement until he is now general manager of the Lima Ice and Coal Company. Mr. Alexander was born at Rockford, Mercer county, Ohio. in 1882, a son of 0. S. and Amanda (Swander) Alexander. He is of English ancestry, and the Alexanders have been in this country for many generations. The oldest of four children, Mr. Alexander attended public school at Rockford, Ohio, also the high school, and for two years beginning in 1897 pursued a business course in Notre Dame University. When he came to Lima in 1900 his first work was as driver of an ice wagon. For six years he served the company in that capacity, was then made a company foreman, filling that office seven years, and since 1919 has been general manager of the business. HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 117 The company is incorporated for eighty-five thousand dollars, and is one of the real public service institutions of the city. In 1903 Mr, Alexander married Miss Estelle May Runyan, daughter of William and J ennie Runyan, of Sidney, Ohio. They have one son, Carl Anderson, born in 1906. Mr. Alexander is a Democrat d a member of the Epworth Church. FRANK A. THOMAS. For nearly forty years the Thomas family has had a recognized prominence in Lima in connection with the produce and general packing industry. One of the family, Frank A. aromas, who went from Lima to engage in the commission business in Boston, has for some years past resumed his place among Lima business men, where he is a director and stockholder in the Lima Packing Company and has numerous other business, civic and social relations with the community. He is a son of the late Morgan Thomas, for many years a resident of Lima, and whose life was an example of splendid integrity and Christian character. The Thomas ancestry is Welsh, though the father of Morgan Thomas, Edward Thomas, was born in Germany, where his father at the time was a merchant. Edward Thomas came to America and for any years was a shoe merchant in New York city, but spent his last years at Urbana, Ohio. Morgan Thomas, the oldest of three children, was am in New York city September 19, 1839. During all his active career he was in the commission business and in 1871 came west to Sidney, Ohio, and in 1882 located at Lima, where he lived until his death, November 16, 1911, at the age of seventy-two years, one month and twenty-seven days. Along with the capable management of his business affairs he took a deep interest in the life of the community, serving two years on the city council, and at the time of the Civil war was a member of the New York Militia and helped quell some of the draft riots. But outside of home and business his longest and most consistent relationship was as a member of the Baptist Church. For nearly thirty years he was a member of the First Church at Lima, and a large part of that time served as deacon. He was twice married, his wives being sisters, Diana and Johanna Unkenholz. Johanna Thomas died in 1905. Morgan Thomas was survived by four sons, Charles E., Benjamin F., Joseph M. and Frank A., and one daughter, Mrs. William J. Fitzgerald. Of the sons Frank A. Thomas was born at Sidney, Shelby county, Ohio. in 1874, being the youngest of the five children. From the age of eight he was reared in Lima, where he attended the grammar and high schools and the Lima Business College. For three years he was employed by his father as a buyer of butter, eggs and poultry, then went east and opened up a commission house in Boston under the name M. Thomas & Sons. In that enterprise his brother Joseph M. was associated with him for seven years. In 1900 Mr. Thomas returned to Lima and joined his brother Benjamin F. and W. C. Bradley in establishing the Lima Packing Company, and he has had an official part in its management ever since. This is one of the important industries of Lima and employs seventy-five people. The company kill and dress hogs and cattle and do a general packing business, shipping their products all over the state. Among other important interests Mr. Thomas is vice president and treasurer of the Manufacturers Supply Company, is president of the Lima Construc tion Company, and manager of the Lima coal mines at Hobson, Ohio. In 1898 he married Mary J. Morris, daughter of M. J. and Elizabeth Morris, of Lima. They have one son, Morris A., twenty years of age and living at Lima. Mr. Thomas is a Republican voter, and a York and Scottish Rite Mason, being affiliated with Antioch Temple of the Shrine at Dayton. He is a member of the Lima Lodge of Elks, the United Commercial Travelers, the Travelers Protective Association, the Kiwanis Club, Chamber of Commerce and Shawnee Country Club. SINUS OLIVER FRENCH, chief engineer of the Crystal Ice and Coal Company of Lima, has had a long and varied, experience in the petroleum products industry, having started his career as a youth in the famous petroleum district around Oil City, Pennsylvania. He is one of Lima's leading and public spirited citizens, and has been a resident of this city for a number of years. He was born at St. Petersburg, Clarion county, Pennsylvania, September, 8, 1859, and is of Scotch ancestry. He is a son of William H. and Marilda C. (Porter) French. His father was a coal mine operator in Pennsylvania. The second of nine children, S. 0. French was educated in the public schools of his native state to the age of sixteen, and then going to Oil City entered the service of the Standard Oil Company and for seven years was employed in the paraffin department. Another two years he spent as pipe inspector with the Oil City Tube Company. It was his knowledge of the petroleum products industry that brought Mr. French to Lima, and for twenty-one years he was employed as refrigerating engineer in the parafine department of the Solar Refining Company. He finally left that industry in 1912 to become chief engineer of the Crystal Ice and Coal Company, and is also one of the stockholders of this corporation. Mr. French has acquired some Lima real estate since becoming a resident of that city. He is a Democrat, a member of the Engineers Association of the United States, and is affiliated with the Knights of the Golden Eagle and is a member of the Presbyterian Church. In 1880 he married Miss Minnie Williams, a daughter of Perry and Nancy (McMillen) Williams, of Venango county, Pennsylvania. Three children were born to their marriage : Harold Lee, born in 1882, is married, lives at Marion, Ohio, and has two children; Roger Williams, of Lima, is married and has two children; and Mildred, who died in 1914, at the age of twenty-four, was Mrs. Howard Chapman, of Lima. ALBERT FREDERICK SMITH, general superintendent of the Lima Cord, Sole and Heel Company, has spent practically all his active career in some branch of the rubber industry, having grown up in the great rubber city of Akron, where he lived for many years, until coming to Lima. Mr. Smith was born at Akron November 21, 1881, son of Frederick S. and Alice (Kintz) Smith. His grandfather Sebastian, who spelled the family name Schmitz, came from Germany when a young man, having previously been a coal mine inspector in the Government service in Germany. After coming to this country he conducted a general store and tavern at Massillon, Ohio. Of his six children Frederick S. was the second in age, and for many years has been a leading building contractor of Akron, where both he and his wife are still living. 118 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY Albert F. Smith, the oldest son of four sons and two daughters, was educated in the parochial schools of Akron to the age of thirteen. He then went to work with his father and acquired a varied knowledge of the building trades, but at the age of seventeen turned from, a prospective career as a building contractor to go to work as a laborer in the mechanical rubber department of the B. F. Goodrich Rubber Company. At the end of three months he was put in charge of the mechanical department, being promoted to manager, and for seventeen years was connected with the Goodrich Company. Following that for five years he was in charge of the Mechanical Rubber Goods Department of the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, and left that to come to Lima and serve as the chief technical expert to the Lima Cord, Sole and Heel Company. This is one of Lima's leading industries, the company being incorporated for two hundred thousand dollars, and the output is a line of fabric soles and rubber heels. Mr. Smith is also a stockholder and director in the company and is a stockholder in the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company of Akron and the Mason Tire & Rubber Company of Kent, Ohio. He has also acquired some real estate interests. In 1903 Mr. Smith married Ada C. Gardner, daughter of Henry and Katherine (Whitman) Gardner, of Doylestown, Ohio. They have two children, Blanche Katherine, born in 1906, and Bertha Cecelia born in 1906. Mr. Smith is an independent voter, is a member of St. Rose Catholic Church and is affiliated with the Akron Lodge of Catholic Knights of Ohio. He is also one of the leading members of the Lima Chamber of Commerce. WALLACE H. HARTZLER has during the past year or so become a substantial factor in the commercial life of Lima as manager of the P & Q Stores on the Public Square, a business where a great many of the people of good taste and thrifty judgment buy their clothing and furnishings. Mr. Hartzler comes of a family of merchants, and was born at Hicksville, Defiance county, Ohio, September 2, 1882. He is of old Pennsylvania German stock and a son of Jacob and Martha (Hart) Hartzler. He is the youngest of five children and was educated at Hicksville to the age of seventeen. He then spent two years learning the baker's trade at Hicksville, where his father for years has conducted a bakery business. Leaving that trade, he became a truck driver with the firm of Boon & Bevington Company, later spent a year as clerk in the grocery department of the same firm, subsequently was salesman in the clothing department six years, and then removed to Woodsfield, Monroe county, Ohio, where for three years he was connected with the Woodsfield Clothing Company as a salesman. His next place of business experience was at Columbus Grove, Ohio, where he was a salesman for the Laughlin & Ogan Company and for seven years with the Eiderman Clothing Company. It was with this wealth of training and experience that Mr. Hartzler was appointed to open the Lima branch of the P & Q Stores, and he has been manager of that establishment since September, 1919. The business requires the services of five people besides Mr. Hartzler, and has been rapidly growing and increasing in patronage. In 1913 Mr. Hartzler married Cleo Cowden, daughter of Elias and Martha (Roberts) Cowden, of Columbus Grove. Politically he votes as a Republican, and is affiliated with Hicksville Lodge No 478, A. F. and A. M. CARSON LEWIS DALZELL. Every branch of industry is represented at Lima because it not only has a large and constantly augmented population whose demands are insistent, but it is also a distributing center for a wide territory contiguous to it. A number of the alert men of the state have found it profitable to locate their houses here, and among them one worthy of special comment is Carson Lewis Dalzell, member of the Glover & Winters Company, wholesale millinery, at number 136 and 138 West High street. Mr. Dalzell was born in Allen county, Ohio, in 1863, a son of Elijah and Nancy (Mowen) Dalzell. The great-grandfather came to this country from the north of Ireland, being of Scotch-Irish stock, and located at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from whence he moved to Columbiana county, Ohio. The grand. father, a blacksmith by trade, moved from Columbiana county, Ohio, to Allen county, and in the latter county Elijah Dalzell developed into a contractor of some note, and was engaged in doing a large business until his death, which occurred in 1886, when he was sixty-three years old. He and his wife became the parents of ten children, of whom six are now lrving, and of them all Carson Lewis Dalzell was the fifth in order of birth. When he was six weeks old the family moved to Lima, so Carson Lewis Dalzell was reared in this city and given the advantages offered by its excellent public schools, and he completed the high school course. Going to work, Mr. Dalzell was employed by a contractor, and was thus engaged for four years. He then engaged with the Adams Express Company as agent, going from that concern to the Buckeye Pipe Line Company as bookkeeper and accountant, and remained with that corporation for twenty-four years. He was thrifty and prudent, saved his money, and finally in 1913, was able to buy an interest in his present company, and has since been connected with it with gratifying results. This company make and sell at retail and wholesale millinery, the territory covered by them extending over a radius of fifty miles, and employment is given to sixteen persons. Mr. Dalzell was married in 1911 to Betty Schnewind, a daughter of Henry and Barbetta (Adler) Schnewind of Lima. There are no children. Mr. Dalzell is a Republican. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias. A man of strong convictions and deep thought, after due consideration he has found in the teachings of Christian Science the medium for the expression of his religious belief. OTIS R. MOREY. One of the careful agriculturists and respected citizens of Spencer township, Allen county, is Otis R. Morey, a man whose history furnishes a splendid example of what may be accomplished through determined purpose, laudable ambition and well-directed efforts. Starting out in life for himself at an early age, he has steadily worked his way upward, winning success in his chosen field of endeavor and gaining the respect of the public through his consistent actions in all the relations which he has sustained with his fellow men. Otis R. Morey, whose fine farm of 120 acres lies two miles east and a half mile south of Spen- HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 119 cerville, Ohio, was born in that town on May 11, 1886, and is the son of Cyrus Z. and Sarah E. (Bitters) Morey. His father was born in Auglaize county, Ohio, on October 6, 1852, and died on October 17, 1916, while his wife, who was born in Allen county on February 27, 1862, passed away in March, 1902. They were married in Auglaize county and settled on a farm there, remaining there until their removal to Spencerville, where their last years were spent. Cyrus Morey had a high reputation as an educator, was superintendent of the Spencerville schools, and taught school the greater part of his life. He and his wife were members of the Christian Church. He was a Democrat in his political views, and was a member of the Improved Order of Red Men. To him and his wife were born four children, all of whom are living, namely; Otis R., the subject of this sketch; Frankie, who after her graduation from the Spencerville schools become a teacher, and is now the wife of Strange Eley of Conant; Loi, the wife of Simon Hines, of Saint Mary's; and Opal G., who remains unmarried, and is also a graduate of the public schools. Otis R. Morey was reared in Spencerville and secured his educational trainrng in the public schools of that town. At the age of seventeen years he began life on his own account and went west, where during the following fourteen years he was employed at various places as a farm hand, and during that period he lived in twenty-two different states of the Union. He was economical of his means and saved some money, but, tiring of that kind of a life, he returned to Allen county and with his sister Opal he bought the old home farm of 120 acres, where he has since lived and to the operation of which he has devoted himself. His extensive experience in farm work, under varying conditions, gave him an unusual opportunity for absorbing first-hand information as to different agricultural methods, and he is considered a man of thoroughly progressive and up-to- date ideas. He raises all the crops common to this locality and also gives considerable attention to the raising of sheep and Barred Plymouth Rock chickens, in which also he has met with good success. Mr. Morey gives his political support to the Democratic party. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Union Elevator at Spencerville, and is a supporter of every enterprise for the advancement of the general welfare. By reason of his indefatigable labor and honest effort he has not only acquired a well merited material prosperity, but has also earned the highest esteem of all with whom he has been associated. CURTIS C. BLACK. Interior decorating has been developed from a business into an art, and the public has become educated to the point of demanding and receiving beautiful materials for their homes at a low price. One of the experienced decorators of Lima who has a business which extends outside the city for a distance of fifty miles is Curtis C. Black, sole proprietor of Black Wall Paper Store. Mr. Black was born on a farm near Convoy, Van Wert county, Ohio, November 1, 1893, a son of James and Margaret (Church) Black. The family is of English stock, and for many years back have been connected with agricultural development and activities. James Black owned a farm in Wilshire township, Van Wert county, Ohio, but died when his son Curtis C. Black was twelve years of age, and he had the further misfortune to lose his mother when he was thirteen years old. The lad was attending the country schools when his mother died, and this loss throwrng him on his own resources he left school and secured employment with the Erie Railroad as a section hand. He was stationed at Glenmore, Ohio, and remained with that road for sixteen years. When he was seventeen he was promoted to the position of foreman of a track laying gang on the Erie Railroad, and they were occupied in laying a double track through Glenmore and for a distance of seven miles beyond that place. Young as he was he had forty men under his supervision, and was able to control them and get a good amount of work out of them. Learning to be a decorator at Glenmore, he worked for others for two years, and then established himself in business as a decorator, leaving Glenmore in 1912 to come to Lima, where he worked as a journeyman decorator for A. D. Hale for two years. Mr. Black then bought an established decorating business from J. W. Mowen, and has conducted it ever since, and has been very successful. He gives employment to fourteen men. His business is located at 215 West High street. He is also interested in a rubber tire business, and is a man of means. Mr. Black was united in marriage to Lydia Stilgenbauer, a daughter of J. W. and Phoebe (Klein) Stilgenbauer, of Glenmore, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Black have one daughter, Leona. Preferring to exercise his own judgment, Mr. Black has not definitely connected himself with any party, but casts his vote for the man he deems is best fitted for the office under consideration. A man of a religious turn of mind, he finds in the simple creed of the United Brethren the expression of his own views, and has long been a member of that church. In his fraternal affiliations he maintains membership with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and Loyal Order of Moose. A man of unusual ability in his calling, Mr. Black has been able to build up a fine business, and deserves the prosperity which is attending him, for he has worked hard for it. Few boys of today could begin to support themselves at the age he was thrown upon the mercies of the world. His educational opportunities were of necessity limited, but he has known how to teach himself and is today a well-posted and very intelligent man, with definite opinions on public questions. His pride in Lima is deep and sincere, and he can be depended upon to give a public-spirited support to those measures which he believes will work out for its welfare. CLAYTON M. PAINE, junior member of the Gable- Paine Company, wholesale dealers in hay and grain at 212 and 213 Business College Building, is one of the substantial and alert business men of Lima, and one who has won his own place in the commercial life of Allen county. He was born at Toledo, Ohio, September 19, 1887, a son of Cassius M. and Jeanette (Thompson) Paine. The family is of Scotch-Irish stock, the ancestors having come to this country in an early day and settled in Cayuga county, New York. The older generations were occupied with farming and school 120 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY teaching. C. M. Paine was a school teacher in the state of Michigan for a number of years. Growing up at Toledo, Ohio, Clayton M. Paine attended the graded schools there, and then became a student of the Lima High School, from which he was graduated in 1903, at the head of the class. Following that event he took a commercial and stenographic course in the Lima Business College. Going into business life, Mr. Paine became stenographer for the freight agent of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, and held that position for eighteen months. He was then office secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association for six months, leaving that organization to go with the old National Bank as messenger. He rose to be assistant bookkeeper and head bookkeeper, and then left that bank to become receiving teller for the German-American Bank, and when he left that institution in August, 1918, he was assistant cashier. Mr. Paine then became secretary for the T. P. Riddle Wholesale Hay and Grain Company, and continued as such until July 15, 1920, when he and C. H. Gable bought the business from Mr. Riddle and are now conducting it as the Gable-Paine Company. Their territory embraces the city and country for a radius of fifty miles, and already a heavy increase is shown in their trade. Mr. Paine was united in marriage with Myrtle Philliams, a daughter of John and Melissa (Wilson) Philliams, of Lima, the ceremony taking place in August, 1915. There are no children. Mr. Paine is a Republican, and steadfastly supports the platform and candidates of his party. He holds membership in the Kiwanis Club. The Market Street Presbyterian Church affords him a medium for the expression of his religious creed. An energetic, alert business man of modern ideas. Mr. Paine is well fitted for his business responsibilities, and he and his partner have a bright future before them. As a citizen he measures up to excellent standards, and takes a pride in the city with which all of his business life is connected, and in which his interests are centered, and is prepared to render it an efficient service whenever and however the occasion arises. EDWARD AARON DEAN. The record of the accomplishments of some men in the brief span of their life's period reads like a romance. Without knowledge of all of the conditions it seems almost im- possible that one man could climb so high, or find time to superintend the details of so many concerns, and yet there are a large number of energetic business men who are of inestimable value to their communities because of the interest they excite in financial and industrial circles, which is a healthy stimulus to trade. One of the men who is connected with many of the leading enterprises of Lima and is very active in real-estate and as an oil producer is Edward Aaron Dean, a stockholder of the Wentworth-Dean Company, the "South Side Star," the Lima Trust Company, the Lima Telephone & Telegraph Company, the Chalmers Pump Manufacturing Company, the Cleveland Discount Company of Cleveland, Ohio, the Arab Oil Company of Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania, and other enterprises. Edward Aaron Dean was born in Stockport, England, a son of Thomas and Rebecca (Unsworth) Dean, both natives of Stockport, England. Both the father and grandfather were millwrights by trade. The father died in England, and his widow came to the United States in 1857 with her son and a daughter, Caroline, taking passage in a sailing vessel which took four weeks and four days to cross the ocean, The little party landed in New York city, New York, from whence they traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the time he was brought here Mr. Dean was only four years old, as he was born December 1, 1853, and he was practically reared in this country. The public schools of Pittsburgh gave him his schooling until he was thirteen years old, and then at that tender age he began working in the Pittsburgh Cotton Mill as bobbin boy, and when only fourteen years old was made a weaver. He remained there until he was sixteen, and then began learning the trade of a plumber and gasfitter, leaving Pittsburgh when eighteen and going to Butler, Pennsylvania, where he had charge of a Pittsburgh plumbing company for one year. Buying this business, he conducted it himself for a year, then sold it. Realizing the need of a better education, he then went to Poughkeepsie, New York, and took a commercial course in the Eastman Business College. Having learned the fundamentals of business at college and in a practical way Mr. Dean entered into a new phase of his career and for six years was accountant for the general store of Drake & Holbert at Port Jervis, New York. In 1884 Mr. Dean came to Lima, Ohio, and until 1889 was engaged in the dry goods business in South Lima, but sold his establishment in 1889. He then accepted the position of bookkeeper and general manager for the Sinclair & Morrison Company manufacturers of oil well tools. Mr. Dean was with this concern for twenty-eight years, and he finally bought the Ohio Shop and closed the business in 1919. As he has become convinced of the solidity of various enterprises he has invested, in them, and in a number of them owns a controlling interest. On December 28, 1876, Mr. Dean was united in marriage with Mary Pomeroy, a daughter of George and Flora (Yady) Pomeroy, and they became the parents of eight children, four of whom are dead. Howard P. married Charity Mitchell, of Lima, and has a son Sinclair Mitchell Dean. Walter Odell. who married F. Hazel Axline, died in 1913. Earl Cragg, who was born in 1886, died in 1902. Chester Eugene, who was born in 1888, is an architect of Kansas City, Missouri. Doris Wright, who was born in 1890, married Charles Chappell, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has two children, Howard E. and Mary Louise. Edna Graham. who was born in 1893, married C. R. Alexander, of Lima, and has two children, Betty Jane and Charles Dean. Mr. Dean is a Republican, and has served on the school board for three years. He was a member of the Lima Sinking Fund, for four years, and was on the civil service commission three years. He is a thirty-second degree Mason. In his religious life he maintains membership with the Associate Unitarian Church of Boston, Massachusetts. From the time he came to Lima Mr. Dean began to rapidly acquire respect from the business men, and now occupies a commanding position among them. In his civic life he has that broader sense of responsibility which goes toward the making of the dependable citizen, and has long been recognized as one of the most constructive factors in the city and county. GEORGE STEVENS, located at 127 and 129 North Union street, is one of the oldest practical horse HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 121 shoers of Lima, and he has been continuously engaged in this line of business for thirty years. He was born at Monroeville, Indiana, January 14, 1873, a son of Henry and Sarah E. (Barnes) Stevens. The family is an old-established one of ScotchIrish stock. During the four year war between the North and the South Henry Stevens served in the Union army, and never fully recovered from the effects of the hardships he endured, for he died when his son George was a child. His widow survived him many years, and died January 4, 1917. They had five children, of whom George was the third in order of birth. The educational advantages of George Stevens were very meagre, as he left school when he was in the third reader and began learning the trade of horseshoeing. After working at this trade at Monroeville, Indiana, for six months he went to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and there completed his trade with William Geary, with whom he remained for eight years. Following that he worked as a journeyman horse shoer in different parts of the country for a period covering ten years. Mr. Stevens then established himself in business at Auburn, Indiana, and remained there for two years, leaving that place to go to Geneva, Indiana, where he conducted his own shop for two years. For some time after disposing of his business at Geneva Mr. Stevens worked as a journeyman horseshoer, and came to Lima to work as such for Floyd Davey. Like his father, he is intensely patriotic, and when the United States entered the great war he enlisted, June 4, 1917, at Lima, as a member of the old Second Supply Company, and was sent to Montgomery, Alabama, as a horseshoer in the Quarter-master's Corps, United States Army. He was made a sergeant of the first class, Quartermaster's Corps of the National Army, on February 26, 1918. He received his honorable discharge March 20, 1919. Returning to Lima he opened his present shop and is meeting with the success his skill deserves, for he is an expert in his line, and takes pride in his work. He is a Republican. Fraternally he belongs to the Loyal Order of Moose. The Christian Church holds membership. Mr. Stevens takes an intelligent interest in the progress of Lima, and while not active in politics, casts his vote for the candidates of his party, and is ready to give support to those measures looking toward a further improvement of existing conditions. JOSHUA B. COON, now living in comfortable retirement near Lima, where he is surrounded by hosts of friends who solicitously regard his welfare, was formerly one of the most progressive agriculturists of Shawnee township, where his home was made for many years, directly following his brave and valiant service as a Union soldier during the Civil war. Mr. Coon was born January 23, 1842, in Shawnee township, Allen county, a son of Wesley and Mary Ann (Flynn) Coon. Wesley Coon was born in 1807 in Pennsylvania. He moved to Belmont county, Ohio, subsequently to Logan county, and in 1832 came to Allen county, where he was married. He bought eighty acres of raw timber land in section 4, Shawnee township. There he engaged in farming for many years, and it was on his farm that his first wife died in 1856, she having been the mother of five children: Joshua B.; Philena, who died as Mrs. James Gaskill; Caleb, a resident of Allentown, .Ohio; Sarah Ann, deceased, who was the wife of the late Jasper Gorham; and Mary E., deceased, who was the wife of Henry Nonjester. For his second wife Wesley Coon married Caroline Craft, and they became the parents of three daughters: Lydia, the wife of William Benedum, of Elida, Ohio; Rachael, the wife of Scott Rembaugh, of Shawnee township; and Nettie, deceased, who was the wife of William Neeley. Mr. Coon died in 1866. Joshua B. Coon was brought up to the hard work of the home farm and secured his education through attendance at the community log schoolhouse. Like thousands of others of the yo the land he left the farm to take up the implements of war during the dark days of secession, enlisting November 18, 1861, in Company F, Forty- sixth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Honorably discharged during the winter of 1863-4, he re-enlisted in the same company and regiment, and during his service was under the beloved Logan in the ,Fifteenth Army Corps. Mr. Coon saw much hard fighting during his service, his more important battles including the engagements of Shiloh, Corintl Vicksburg Missionary Ridge, Resaca, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek and Atlanta, and he was a participant in Sherman's famous March to Sea and the Grand Review at Washington, D. C. He received his honorable discharge July 26, 1865, after having established a splendid record for bravery and fidelity to duty. Returning to his home, the young ex-soldier purchased eighty acres of land in section 5, Shawnee township, adjoining the home farm. About three acres of land had been cleared, and on this there was located an old log cabin, of which Mr. Coon took possession for his home. He cleared this property and made many improvements, then purchasing forty acres additional. Before he gave up active work he had all of his property under cultivation with the exception of twenty acres in timber pasture land, and had added greatly to it value by the erection of substantial buildings and the installation of modern improvements. In 1912 he rented this farm to his son and moved to Kemp, Ohio, where he lived three years, then going to 1240 West Market street, Lima, where he lived in his own home for five years. Selling out in the fall of 1919, he returned to his farm, where he now lives in quiet and comfortable retirement. Mr. Coon was married June 27, 1867, to Miss Mary Buckley, who was born in Seneca county, Ohio, January 0, 1844, a daughter of William and Eliza (Shilling) Buckley, the former born in Ireland and the latter in England, and a granddaughter of William and Eliza Buckley, natives of Ireland, and Robert Shilling. All were early settlers of Wayne county, Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Coon there were born the following children: Naocia, who died at the age of four years; Maude, who died aged five years; Charles W., a resident of Allen county, Ohio: Mary A., who married R. D. Crites and is living near Kemp, Ohio; and Virgil, conducting operations on the home farm, who married Mrs. Eva (McDorman) Anspach, widow of George Anspach. Mr. and Mrs. Coon are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has held various offices He is a Re- 122 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY publican in politics, and has served commendably for three terms as a member of the board of Shawnee township trustees. EDWARD BRENDAN, foreman of the roundhouse of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Lima, has under his charge 125 men. He has held this position since 1905, and is now one of the most highly regarded employes of his road. His long and practical experience fits him for his responsibilities and his men realize that they will receive fair treatment from him. The work of the railroad men is assuming such vast importance that the country is awakening to the fact that it is absolutely necessary to have those who know the business from its foundations up handle the problems which are constantly arising, and are therefore giving these men whose lives have been devoted to this line something like their just dues. Mr. Brennan was born at Lima January 15, 1871, a son of Edward and Mary (Fahey) Brennan, both of whom were born in Queens County, Ireland, from whence they came in 1861 to the United States, being then young married people. Their eldest child, Mary Ann, was born in New York City, New York, two days after they landed. From that city they came west to Lima, Ohio, and Edward Brennan first worked on the Pennsylvania Railroad and later in the Lima Paper Mill. His first wages were ninety cents a day, and even .hat was much better than he had been receiving his old home; but then, of course, living expenses were so very much lower than they are today. The death of this excellent man took place November, 1889, but his widow survived him or many years, passing away in 1915. They had ;ix children, of whom Edward Brennan, of whom we write, was the fourth in order of birth. Growing up at Lima, Edward Brennan attended Saint Rose parochial school, and when he was sixteen years of age began working for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, being for a time in the boiler-making department at the old Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton shops. He then began learning the machinist trade as an apprentice with the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad, and continued to work for this road for a year after he sad completed his time. He was then with the Lake Erie & Western Railroad as a machinist or six years, when, leaving that road, he did odd jobs for a time, but found that he preferred railtoad work, so returned to the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton road, now the Baltimore & Ohio, and was made foreman of the roundhouse. Mr. Brennan has faith in the future of Lima and has sot hesitated to invest his savings in city realty, low owning his own residence. In 1906 Mr. Brennan was married to Bridget O'Brien, a daughter of Patrick and Bridget (Noonan) O'Brien, of Lima Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Brennan became the parents of the following children: Robert Edward, who is studying for the priesthood at Saint Rose Seminary of Springfield, Kentucky; Cyril James, Mary Cecile, Margaret Ann, Alfred Francis, Katherine Lucile and Ralph Thomas. Mrs. Brennan died in January, 1914. In politics Mr. Brennan is a Democrat. He belongs Saint Rose Roman Catholic Church. The Knights of Columbus, Catholic Order of Foresters and the Holy Name Society hold his membership. All that he has today he has earned through his own industry and thrift. His example is a stimulant to others to follow in his footsteps and, like him, win the approval of employers and associates, and the material possessions which place therr among the substantial citizens of the community. JOHN REED WELLS. The gentleman to a review of whose life the reader's attention is herewith directed is recognized as one of the energetic business men of Allen county, having for several years been engaged in the sheet metal and roofing business at Lima. In the course of an honorable career he has been successful in his chosen vocation and has enjoyed the confidence and good will of those with whom he has been associated either in a business or social way. John Reed Wells was born at Kalida, Putnam county, Ohio, April 26, 1879, and is the son of Marvel White and Farrilla (Beach) Wells, who were descended from Scotch stock. His father was a farmer and was also engaged in the real estate business. He was prominent in the local affairs and served two terms as mayor of Columbus Grove. He died in 1902, and his wife passed away in 1900. The subject of this sketch received a good practical education in the public and high schools of Columbus Grove, completing his studies at the age of eighteen years. He then learned the trade of a tinner at Columbus Grove, being so employed for nine years there. Then for three years he worked at Bodkins, Auglaize county, Ohio, and four years at Kalida, Putnam county. In 1913 he came to Lima and opened a shop of his own, in the operation of which he has met with a gratifying measure of success. In addition to the usual stock found in a tinstore he makes a specialty of sheet metal and roofing work, and has done a vast amount of work in this community in that line. He also has some real estate interests here and is numbered among the energetic, progressive and up-to-date business men of Lima. Fraternally Mr. Wells is a member of Kalida Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Lima Lodge No. 54, Benevolent and Protective Orders of Elks; the Lima Chamber of Commerce, and the Builders Exchange. His religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which he is a generous contributor. The splendid success which has come to him is directly traceable to the salient points in his character, for he has been indefatigable in his efforts and honest in his dealings with the public, because of which he is entitled to the confidence and esteem in which he is universally held. ARLOW VINCENT MOYER. One of the most enterprising of Lima's younger generation of business men is Arlow V. Moyer, junior member of the firm of Moyer Brothers, wholesale and retail dealers in meats. He seems to have inherited many of the characteristics of his sterling ancestors, who were marked for their habits of industry, integrity and business ability, and he stands deservedly high among those who know him best and have had dealings with him. Arlow V. Moyer was born on his grandfather's farm in Auglaize county, Ohio, in 1890, and is the son of Isaac R. and Jennie (Runyon) Moyer. He received his educational training in the public schools of Lima until thirteen years of age, going then to the Tileville. School House in Allen county until seventeen years old. His first employment was as HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 123 a clerk in the Duffield Grocery Store, where he was employed about one year, after which for two years he was with Thomas Brentlinger as a clerk. Then for a time he was with George Herret, and then spent another year with Mr. Herret. His next engagement was as manager of the Pittsburgh Cash Grocery, but six months later he went to work for Ed McCauley as a clerk. He then engaged in the grocery business on his own account at the corner of Jefferson and McKibben streets, in which he met with such splendid success that a year later he was compelled to move to larger quarters at No. 815 North Main street, where under the name of the Red Cross Grocery he continued in business for two years. He then sold that business and entered into parnership with his brother F. C. Moyer, under the firm name of Moyer Brothers, wholesale and retail dealers in meat. They kill their own animals, having three slaughter houses, and supply a large part of the local meat trade in Lima and surrounding towns. Moyer Brothers, A. V. and F. C. Moyer, are operating the Peoples Meat Market, 203 South Main street, and also have a branch meat market at 815 North Main street at the present time, and are doing one of the best businesses in Lima. Their motto is quality first and service always, thus making a great headway in the meat business. In 1914 Mr. Moyer was married to Onnie Grace Young, the daughter of Alfred J. and Phoebe (Baker) Young, of Lima, and to them have been born three children, Holland Romance, four years of age; Merton Russell, aged three years, and Levara Jane, aged, nine months. Mr. and Mrs. Moyer are members of the United Brethren Church, while fraternally he is a member of the Loyal Order of Moose. He gives his political support to the Republican party, and stands for everything calculated to advance the general welfare of the community. He has succeeded in business because he has been honest in his dealings 'with the public, and he thetefore has the confidence and good will of all who know him. WILLIAM G. BRANSON. The gentleman whose name heads this paragraph is widely known as one of the enterprising business men of Lima. His well directed efforts in the practical affairs of life, his capable management of important business interests and his sound judgment have brought him large rewards for the effort he has expended, and his life demonstrates what may be accomplished by one not afraid to work along legitimate lines. William G. Branson, manager of the Jones Hardware Company at Nos. 137-139 South Main street, Lima, was born in Linn county, Missouri, on November 19, 1866, the youngest of the three children born to the union of John and Ann Maria (Heckman) Branson, and is of sterling old English stock on the paternal side. He received his educational training in the common schools of his native locality, supplementing this by attendance at Avalon Academy for two years. He then spent three years at the Stanberry Normal School and Business College, and during and after this period he was engaged in teaching in the country schools of his home county. He then worked on the home farm until 1896, when he went to Las Animas, Colorado, where he established a hardware business under the firm name of the Branson Hardware Company, in the operation of which he was successfully engaged for fifteen years. At the end of that time he sold out and took the management of a large hardware and implement business at Monte Vista, Colorado, where he remained about four years. In 1915 Mr. Branson came to Lima, Ohio, as manager of the Jones Hardware Company, a position which he still fills to the entire satisfaction of those with whom he is associated. The Jones Hardware Store is one of the most important of its line in this section of the state, carrying a large and complete stock of all kinds of shelf and heavy hardware, and enjoys a large and constantly increasing trade throughout this locality. To a large degree this success may be attributed to the energetrc methods and good business management of Mr. Branson, who devotes himself indefatigably to the business. In 1888 he was married to Bessie Carothers, the daughter of Joseph Carothers, of Linn County, Missouri, and their union has been blessed in the birth of four children, as follows: John Franklin, who is married and lives at Wilson, Kansas, where he is superintendent of the electric light and water works; James C., who is married and living in Lima, and Harry and Alma. Politically Mr. Branson gives his support to the Republican party and his religious membership is with the Presbyterian Church. He is, a man of broad and accurate views of life and is a consistent supporter of every movement for the upbuilding of the community along legitimate lines. Because of his business ability and his excellent personal qualities he enjoys a marked popularity among those who know him. RAYMOND R. HORN. A spirit of marked progressiveness and a policy of honorable dealing and fair representation, directed by a thorough knowledge of his profession and a strict observance of the highest ethics of the calling, have served to place Raymond R. Horn in the front rank of Lima pharmacists. Mr. Horn has been identified with this line of business endeavor ever since entering upon his career, and since 1914 has been the sole proprietor of the Market Street Drug Store, one of the largest and most modern establishments of its kind in the city. Raymond R. Horn was born on a farm two miles south of the village of Wapakoneta, Auglaize county, Ohio, in 1883, a son of F. M. and Elizabeth (Barka- low) Horn, and is of English origin and of Revolutionary stock. The family for the greater part has been devoted to the pursuits of agriculture, but F. M. Horn was an attorney and for many years practiced his profession at Wapakoneta, where he died in 1912, and where his widow still survives. The eldest in a family of four children, Raymond R. Horn received a public school education and after his graduation from high school in 1901 started to work in drug stores, where he learned the business behind the counter. In 1909 he entered the Ohio Northern University, which institution granted him his degree in pharmacy in 190, and in the same year he duly passed the examination of the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy and became a registered pharmacist. At that time Mr. Horn went to Dayton, where for one year he was employed as a clerk in drug stores, and in 1911 came to Lima and entered the employ of Harold Cunningham, with whom he remained for three years. Mr. Horn opened the Market Street Drug Store in 1914 in the Savings Building, and this has become one of the largest and most generally patronized establishments in the city. He maintains a prescription de- 124 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY partment, strictly ethical in character, and carries a full line of all drugs, medicines and articles generally found in an up-to-date drug establishment, and controls a large city trade as well as some country custom. Mr. Horn is a valued and active member of the National Retail Druggists' Association, the Ohio State Pharmaceutical Association and the County Organization of Retail Druggists, and keeps fully abreast of the advancement and progress being made in his calling. He likewise holds membership in the Lima Chamber of Commerce and the Lima Merchants' Association, and is a member of the Kiwanis Club. His fraternal affiliations are with the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a Republican, but takes only a good citizen's interest in public matters. In 1909 Mr. Horn was united in marriage wrth Miss Sallie Chenoweth, who was born in Union township, Auglaize county, Ohio, daughter of J. Edgar Chenoweth, and to this union there have been born two children : Leonore Elizabeth and Frederick Chenoweth. Mr. and Mrs. Horn are consistent members of the Presbyterian Church. WILLIAM E. MYERS. Throughout an active and interesting career duty has ever been the motive of action with William E. Myers, one of the well-known citizens and successful business men of Lima, and usefulness to his fellow men has by no means been a secondary consideration with him. Thus strong and forceful in his relations with his fellows, he has gained the good will and commendation of his associates and the general public, retaining his reputation among men of integrity and high character, and never losing the dignity which is the birthright of the true gentleman. William E. Myers was born in Bath township, Allen county, in June, 1880, and is the son of Wesley and Jane (Heffner) Myers„ the father born near LaGrange, Indiana, and the mother in Bath township, Allen county. Wesley Myers was the son of Jonathan Myers and his wife was the daughter of Amos and Mary Ann (Galispie) Haffner, the former a native of Delaware and the latter of Pennsylvania. The subject's parents were brought to Allen county in a very early day with their respective families, and in Bath township they were reared to maturity and received their educational training in the public schools. After their marriage they settled on a farm, where the father spent the active years of his life and where his wife died in 1892. He continued to reside there for a time after her death, and then moved to Defiance, Ohio, where his death occurred on March 9, 1920. They were the parents of three children, namely: Nettie, the wife of Harry Lutz, of Elida, Ohio ; William E., the subject of this sketch, and Cora, the wife of Frank Krohn, of Toledo, Ohio. William E. Myers was reared at home and attended the common schools until the age of fourteen years, when he went to work in a stone quarry, remaining so employed for five years. Then until 1903 he was employed at farm work in Amanda township, but in that year he came to Lima and was employed in the grocery business for about two and a half years, the last year being with the Harry Thomas Grocery Company. He then engaged in the grocery business on his own account on West North street, Lima, but after six months he sold a half interest in the business to J. A. Undine. About eighteen months later Mr. Myers sold his interest in the grocery business and went to work for the American Cement Plaster Company of Lawrence, Kansas, with whom he remained one year. Then for a similar period he was in the employ of the Alabastine Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 190 he became associated with H. D. Campbell in the operation of the Peerless Coal and Supply Company in Lima, but in 1915 Mr. Myers disposed of his interest in the business and during the following year was in the employ of the Cliffwood Coal and Supply Company of Lima. He then became manager for the United Fuel Company, of Lima, but whose main offices are in Cincinnati, and he is still devoting his attention and energies to this concern. The officers of this company, which is one of the leading enterprises of its kind in this community, are as follows: H. C. Christman, president ; William E. Myers, vice president and general manager ; L. H. Stone, secretary and treasurer. The company handles anthracite and bituminous coal, at both wholesale and retail, and they enjoy a large and constantly increasing trade. On June 29, 1905, Mr. Myers was married to Maude Keve, who was born and reared in Lima, Ohio, the daughter of James C. and Margaret (Wilson) Keve. To this union has been born a son, James W., whose birth occurred on August, 3, 1909. Mr. and Mts. Myers are members of the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church and Mr. Myers sustains fraternal relations with the Knights of Pythias. Politically he gives his support to the Republican party and takes a keen interest in public affairs, especially as pertaining to the locality in which he lives. He is an ardent supporter of every worthy movement for the advancement of the general welfare, and because of his public spirit and his excellent personal qualities he enjoys the confidence and esteem of the entire community. EDWARD JOSEPH ROTHWELL. The talents of all men do not, fortunately, lie along the same lines. Some are attracted toward a professional life, others desire to attain their success through politics, while still others realize that for them business offers the greatest attraction. The number of the latter are in the majority, but all of them are not successful, for business is a hard master, and now that competition is so great only the really capable rise above their fellows. Capital and influence bear their part in the carrying out of large concerns, but after all it is the man with the practical ideas and shrewd common sense who wins in the race for success. The most important organizations of the country realize this and are offering men who possess these qualifications special inducements to secure their services, and one of the men who is now reaping in the importance of his position and the value of the service he is rendering the harvest of years of hard work, faithful attention to detail and a never ceasing determination to understand thoroughly and exhaustively just what he was doing, is Edward Joseph Rothwell, division storekeeper for the Toledo Division of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, with headquarters at Lima. He has charge of supplying all lines of his road between Toledo, Cincinnati, Dayton and Wellston, Ohio. This territory covers 310 miles and he has complete charge of all maintenance of way stock and mechanical stock at Lima and Toledo, including coal and ore dock material at Rossford, Ohio, the stock at all times averaging $1,000,000 in value, and the number of men under him reaching sixty. HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 125 Edward Joseph Bothwell was born at Wellsboro, LaPorte county, Indiana, July 3, 1887, a son of John J. and Cora (Allison) Rothwell. He comes of Canadian and Irish stock. His grandfather, John Rothwell, came from Ireland to Canada in young manhood and located at Kingstown, Ontario, where he was married to Mary Fitzgerald. They had five children, of whom John J. Bothwell was the eldest, and he was born at Napanee, Ontario. He became a railroad man and was connected with the Santa Fe Railroad and the Wabash Railroad, and is now serving as road supervisor of the latter, with headquarters at Garrett, Indiana. His wife was born at Goshen, Indiana, but she died in 1900. They had a large family, and Edward Joseph Rothwell is the second in order of birth. Growing up at Garrett, Indiana, Edward Joseph Rothwell attended the graded and high schools of that place and was graduated with honors from the latter. In 1908 he entered Purdue University at Lafayette, Indiana, and took a two years' course in electrical engineering. Leaving the university, Mr. Rothwell entered the store department of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad as chief clerk to the store keeper and rose to be assistant storekeeper in two years. Going to Lima, Ohio, he became storekeeper for the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad Company, and held that position until 1913, when he went with the Pere Marquette Railroad at Grand Rapids, Michigan, as division accountant and remained there as such for a year. Mr. Rothwell then went to Oelwein, Iowa, and was with the Chicago & Great Western Railroad, holding a responsible position in the office of the superintendent of motive power for two years. He was then transferred to Saginaw, Michigan, and was with the same road for two years more as chief clerk to the stores' accountant. On June 24, 1918, Mr. Rothwell received his appointment to his present responsible position, and coming to Lima has been holding it ever since with efficient capability. In 1913 Mr. Rothwell was married to Gertrude Goebel, a daughter of City Council Man Joseph and Mary (Murray) Goebel. Mr. and Mrs. Rothwell have two children, John Goebel and Edward J., Jr. Mr. Rothwell is a Democrat, and is active in local politics. He is very much interested in the work of Saint Rose Catholic Church of Lima. In every position he has occupied Mr. Rothwell has displayed an earnest effectiveness which has enabled him to acquire additional knowledge of the duties of the positions above him so that when promotion was offered him he was prepared to accept it and make good on it. Such men as he never stand still, but are always progressing, so it is safe to say that further advancement is in store for him, and that whatever it may be, he will be ready for it and its increased responsibilities when it comes. FRANK P. RUSHER. The gentleman whose life history is here taken under consideration is one of the strong, sturdy characters who has contributed largely to the material welfare of the community where he lives, being a business man of more than ordinary sagacity and foresight, and as a citizen, public spirited and progressive in all that the term implies, being ranked as one of the leaders in business circles in Allen county and one of the representative citizens of Lima, and yet a plain, unassuming, straightforward gentleman whom to know is to admire and respect. Frank P. Rusher, president of the Rusher & Cook Lumber Company at Lima, was born in January, 1858, in Hardin county, Ohio, and is the son of George Rusher, a native of Germany, who immigrated to the United States, settling in Hardin county, where he became a successful farmer and maintained his residence during the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1894. Frank P. Rusher secured his elemental education in the public schools, which he attended until seventeen years of age, when he entered the employ of his uncle, Nicholas High, with whom he remained about three years. He then entered the Ohio Normal University at Ada, where he took the courses in civil engineering, science and the classics. He then engaged in teaching school in Hardin and Putnam counties, and finally was elected superintendent of the Liepsic schools, but because of ill health was compelled to resign that position a year later. He then was appointed deputy postmaster at Ada, but again ill health compelled him to change occupations and he resigned, and he became connected with the Ada Lumber Company, with which he remained about two years. Later he managed a lumber company at another point in Ohio, but in 1900 he resigned and came to Lima to associate himself in the lumber business with John Rossfeld, under the firm name of Rusher & Rossfeld. Two years later G. V. Guy- ton also became a member of the firm, which was then known as the Rusher-Rossfeld Lumber Company. This was succeeded by the F. P. Rusher Lumber Company, capitalized at $15,000, wholesale and retail dealers in lumber, laths, shingles and general builders' supplies, with F. C. Jocelyn of Chicago, as president and Frank P. Rusher as general manager. This in time was succeeded by the present organization, which is known as the Rusher & Cook Lumber Company, of which the subject is president, and his son, Ross W. Rusher, is vice president. This company, which is one of the largest lumber companies in Allen county, is numbered among the leading enterprises of Lima and is enjoying a splendid business, covering a wide radius of surrounding country. They carry at all times a large and complete stock, and by fair dealing and prompt service have won a high place in business .circles. On October 28, 1886, Frank P. Rusher was married to Ida Shuster, the daughter of Daniel Shuster, now deceased, who during his lifetime was a successful farmer and mechanic of Hardin county, Ohio. To this union have been born three children, Paul W., Ross W. and Virgil. Mr. Rusher is recognized as a man of strong and alert mentality, deeply interested in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community along material, civic and moral lines, and is recognized as one of the progressive and representative men of his city and county, enjoying to a marked degree the confidence and good will of all who know him. ROSS W. RUSHER. One of Lima's well-known and successful business men and, representative citizen's is Ross W. Rusher, vice president of the Rusher & Cook Lumber Company, the success of which has been partly due to his energetic efforts and good business methods. He is the scion of sterling old Buckeye stock and enjoys marked prestige in the community with which his interests are identified. Mr. Rusher was born at Ada, Ohio, on November 20, 1888, and is the son of Frank P. 126 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY and Ida H. (Shuster) Rusher. In 1900, when he was about twelve years of age, the family moved to Lima, and here he completed his education in the public schools, graduating from the high school with the class of 1907. He then became associated with his father in the lumber business, every detail of which he learned and with which he has remained identified to the present time. He is a stockholder in the business, which is now conducted under the firm style of the Rusher & Cook Lumber Company, Inc., and of which he is vice president. Further reference is made to the history of this company in the sketch of Mr. Rusher's father elsewhere in this work. Mr. Ross Rusher also has other business interests in Lima and is numbered among the most progressive and enterprising of Lima's younger business men. He is a member of the Merchants' Association. Politically he is independent, reserving the right to vote according to the dictates of his own judgment, regardless of party lines. Because of his excellent habits and business ability he enjoys the high esteem and good will of all who know him. HARRY WILLIAM DAVID SPAYD. The development of fresh interests and the building up of sound resources are work for a life time of endeavor. All men cannot succeed, for many fail to discover their natural bent until too late to follow it, and so do not live up to their early promises. When a man does attain to that which the world accounts as success those with whom he has been associated may well be proud of such a career of usefulness. The endorsement such a man is an aid to others, and his example urges those around him to strive to forge ahea d and make their names stand for something. In reviewing the lives of Lima's representative men it becomes evident that one of the most salient characteristics possessed by them is the power of application, which of course is an essential one in the raising and maintenance of all standards. Harry William David Spayd, senior member of the firm owning and operating •the City Coal Company, has demonstrated in his career all of the above. No matter what his discouragements were, he had the will to stick to his business and carry out his plans as originally conceived, and as a result he stands today one of the sound and dependable men in his line in Allen county. Harry W. D. Spayd was born at Greenville, Darke county, Ohio, March 18, 1870, a son of William and Lucy (Molleson) Spayd, who came of Pennsylvania-Dutch stock. Growing up in his native place Mr. Spayd attended its schools until he was sixteen years of age, and then began working for the Hartzell Wagon Company at Greenville, with which he remained for six years. He then became a salesman, both buying and selling in different lines, and also did some farming, but all the while he had one object in view, the establishment of himself in a business of his own, and he worked steadily to accomplish that. In 1913 he found the opening he desired and went into the wholesale and retail coal business at Lima at his present location. He has had several associates, and his partner at present is S. B. Klefeker. The yards are modern and fully equipped for the business in hand, and Mr. Spayd is doing a very large trade both as a wholesaler and retailer. He owns eighty acres of land west of Lima, which he is farming, and he is a stockholder in the Wapakoneta Manufacturing Company. The United Brethren Church holds his membership. Fraternally he belongs to the Loyal Order of Moose and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. While he has been too much occupied with his personal affairs to think of participating actively in public matters, he has always had an intelligent interest in civic conditions and borne his part in advancing Lima's prestige in every possrble way. SAMUEL B. KLEFEKER. History teaches that the growth of any community or country is directly due to the progressive ideas and determined actions of a few who have had the courage of their convictions and the willingness to go ahead and carry out what they have believed was right. These men may be the soldiers of fortune who are sent ahead of civilization; they may be the officials of newly established governments ; they may be men in whose hands are laid the reins of large corporations, or they may be those who are engaged in supplying the community with the necessities of life. It matters little by what name they are known ot in what field they labor. The results are what count; the effects of their labor which develop and enlarge. The fact that the proper distribution of coal lies at the bottom of all industry and progress cannot be denied, and therefore, the men who are engaged in this extremely important branch of the country's commerce are rendering a service when they conduct their affairs properly that can scarcely be over-estimated. One of the men thus engaged is Samuel B. Klefeker, junior partner in the City Coal Company of Lima. Samuel B. Klefeker was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1845, a son of Alexander and Anna (Bear) Klefeker, who came of German stock. The father is a minister of the Lutheran faith, now stationed in Darke county, Ohio. He and his wife had eight children born to them, of whom Samuel B. was the third. Growing up in Darke county, Ohio, Samuel B. Klefeker attended the country schools until he was seventeen years of age, at which time he went with an uncle and was engaged in farming. In 1869 he began farming for himself, but left the farm in 1883 and until 1913 was in a butchering business at Greenville, Ohio, with his brother. In the latter year he came to Lima and for a time was interested in farming, but in 1916 went into the City Coal Company with Harry W. D. Spayd, his present partner, and they have developed a very large wholesale and retail business. In 1869 Mr. Klefeker was married to Sarah B. Mackley, a daughter of. Mrs. Julia Ann (Helm) Mackley, of Darke county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Klefeker became the parents of one daughtet, Anna Gertrude, widow of John F. Givins. Mr. Givins died in 1916. Mr. and Mrs. Givins had one daughter, Sarah C., who died in infancy. Mr. Klefeker is a Democrat. He belongs to the United Brethren Church. JOHN RAY JOHNSON, M. D. Actively associated with one of the most exacting of all the professions to which man may devote his time and energies, John Ray Johnson, M. D., has met with well deserved success as a physician and surgeon, having built up an extensive and constantly growing patronage. A son of the late Lewis N. Johnson, he was horn June 21, 1885, in Rockford, Mercer county, Ohio, of honored Virginian ancestry. Lewis N. Johnson, a son of Peter Johnson, was born and bred in West Virginia. Acquiring a good HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 127 education when young, Lewis N. Johnson taught in the public schools of Ohio for many years, being very successful in his pedagogical work. Being chosen clerk of the County Court of Mercer county, Ohio, he served in that position until his death, which occurred eighteen months later, in 1905. His wife, whose maiden name was Sarah C. Addy, was born in Mercer county, Ohio, a daughter of John and Catherine (Albers) Addy, and is now living in Celina, Ohio. After his graduation from the Celina High School John Ray Johnson entered the Starling Medical College at Columbus, Ohio, and was there graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1907. Then after serving for a year as house surgeon in the Miami Valley Hospital at Dayton, Ohio, he began the practice of his chosen profession at Arcanum, Ohio. Coming from there to Lima in 1911, Dr. Johnson was located in the Wheeler Block for a year, and the following two and a half years was medical superintendent of the District Tuberculosis Hospital, and on his return to Lima opened an office in the Eilerman Building. On June 27, 1917, the Doctor enlisted in the Medical Corps for service in the World war, and was first stationed at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. Ordered from there to the Vancouver Barracks in Washington, he was placed in the aviation section of the Signal Corps, and was later transferred to the Spruce Production Division of that corps, which he joined November 22, 1917. On December 28, 1918, he was discharged from the service at Camp Grant, Illinois. Returning to Lima, the Doctor opened his present office in the Citizens Building, and has since built up a fine practice, his reputation for professional skill and ability being far extended. Dr. Johnson married August 2, 1917, Hallie Hawk, who was born in Kossuth, Ohio, a daughter of Mandus and Ann Hawk, neither of whom are now living. The Doctor and Mrs. Johnson have two children, Richard L. Johnson, born March 13, 1919, and Robert M. Johnson, born August 9, 1920. Politically the Doctor is a Democrat, and religiously he and his wife are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Doctor is affiliated by membership with the Allen County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Association and the American Medical Association. Fraternally he is a member of Lima Lodge No. 54, Benevolent and Protective Orders of Elks; of Celina Lodge No. 129, Knights of Pythias, and of Lima Lodge, Loyal Order of Moose. JONATHAN BYAL VAIL, M. D. For nearly a half century the name of Dr. Jonathan B. Vail, of Lima, has been a household word in Allen county, where he has enjoyed a large and lucrative practice. He is numbered among the representative citizens of this locality, having ever been known to be an able, reliable and progressive physician, and patriotic in his citizenship. He is esteemed for those commendable traits, together with his cordial disposition and genuine worth, and although he has been more or less active in various relations with his fellow men he stands out pre-eminently in connection with the medical profession in which he has long been a prominent figure. Jonathan Byal Vail was born at Kalida, Putnam county, Ohio, on August 24, 1845, and he is the son of James H. and Catherine Ann (Byal) Vail, the former of whom was born near Mansfield, Ohio, and the latter in Stark county, Ohio, to which locality her parents had come from Pennsylvania. The parents were married at Findlay, Ohio, previous to which time James H. Vail had been employed at Natchez, Mississippi, in the building of river boats. After his marriage he engaged in the dry goods business at Kalida, Ohio, conducting the same for many years. He was a man of considerable prominence in the community, serving two continuous terms as sheriff of Putnam county and again serving in that office from 1856 to 1860. During that time he bought from a Mr. Guthrie a water-power grist mill, which he afterward conducted for many years, though during that time he resided on a farm, which he operated. During the Civil war, while the draft was in operation, he served as enrolling officer for seven sub-districts. He was born in 1813, and died in March, 1906, in the ninety- third year of his age; his wife died at the age of eighty years. They were the parents of the following children: Levonia Catherine, of Jacksonville, Florida, is the widow of Harry Tingle; and Jonathan B., the subject of this sketch. Jonathan Vail was reared under the parental roof and during his youth attended the common schools of that neighborhood. In 1864 he enlisted in the commissary department of the Army of the Cumberland, with which he served until October, 1865, when he was honorably discharged. He then entered Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, where he was graduated in 1869. He later matriculated in the medical department of the University of Michigan, going from there to the Ohio Medical College, where he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1871. That same year he entered upon the active practice of medicine at Kalida, remaining there until 1875, when he moved to Lima, where he has been engaged in the practice of his profession continuously since. He early demonstrated the possession of those qualities which are necessary to the successful physician, and soon became recognized as an able and successful doctor, a reputation which has only been enhanced through the subsequent years, for Doctor Vail has never relinquished his habits of study and research in relation to the healing art. In September, 1872, Doctor Vail was married to Rose Skinner, who was born and reared at Kalida, Ohio, the daughter of Judge George and Abim (Thrift) Skinner, of near Falls Church, Fairfax county, Virginia, the father being of Scotch descent. To Doctor and Mrs. Vail have been born the following children: Thrift, who died at the age of three years; Lavonia, the wife of Frank M. Griffin, of Portland, Oregon; Madge S., the wife of George E. Bayley, of Lima, who is represented elsewhere in this work; and George, of Cleveland, Ohio, who married Cretora Hay and has three children, Jane, Nancy and Mary. Politically Doctor Vail gives his support to the Republican party. While a resident of Kalida he served two terms as mayor. Since coming to Lima he has served four years as city health officer and about nine years as a member of the School Board. From 1882 to 1886 he served as a member of the Board of Pension Examiners for Allen county, and since 1911 he has served on the Board of Trustees of Miami University. He is physician to the Allen County Children's Home. Fraternally he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, in which he has attained the de- 128 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY grees of Knight Templar, and also belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a member of the Allen County Medical Society, which he has served as president; the Ohio State Medical Society; the Northwestern Medical Society, which he has served as president; and the American Medical Association. He has ever stood stanchly for those ideas and movements which have tended to advance the general welfare of the community, and he has conscientiously and ably carried on his professional work in a manner that has won for him the confidence and universal esteem of all classes. WILLIAM H. BREESE. Of the families who pioneered into Allen county in the early thirties, a representative of one of the best known is William H. Breese of Lima. Mr. Breese was born in Shawnee township September 12, 1848, son of John and Emily (Valentine) Breese. Both the Breese and Valentine families came at a very early date to Allen county. John Breese was born in Butler county, Ohio, and his wife in Champaign county. He was a son. of Griffith and Mary (Mower) Breese, the former a native of Wales and the latter of Pennsylvania. The maternal grandparents were Crane and Mrs. (Harper) Valentine, natives of Champaign county, Ohio. The Breese family with horses and teams and oxen drove overland into Allen county in 1832, and had to cut their way through virgin timber to reach their home. The Breeses entered a large amount of timbered land from the Government, part of it in American and several tracts in Shawnee township. While the Valentines were also early settlers of Allen county, they soon moved out of the county into Michigan. John Breese after his marriage settled southeast of Lima, just outside the city, on land that is now the site of the plant of the Garford Motor Truck Company. After clearing up about fifty acres he sold this place and bought a hundred sixty acres of partly improved land in section 2 of Shawnee township. He died there November 17, 1865. In 1873 his widow became the wife of Daniel Musser, and they lived at Lima, where he died in 1880 . She then returned to the homestead farm and lived to advanced years, passing away August 31, 1903. The only child of his parents, William H. Breese attended district school until his father's death, and then began working the home farm, improved it and for many years has owned the tract. His chief farm of a hundred eighty-eight acres lies in Shawnee township, and he also has a seventy- four acre farm in American township. In November, 1903, he moved to Lima and occupies a fine home at 333 South Metcalf street. For the past seventeen years he has operated his farm through tenants. While in the country he served as trustee and school director in Shawnee township and is a Republican. His wife is a Presbyterian. November 10, 1874, Mr. Breese married Ida Hover, who was born at Lima, a daughter of James and Isabel (Ferguson) Hover, the former a native of Trumbull county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Breese have two children: Naamah, wife of Ira L. Shafer, of Lima; and John, of Richmond, California. ROBERT BURN DAVIS. A man of sterling worth and integrity, possessing unquestioned business judgment and forethought, Robert Burn Davis, who spent the last two years of his earthly life in Lima, where his death occurred on May 1,1915, was one of the prime movers in the establishment of enterprises of importance in Ohio and in Kentucky, and his death, while yet in manhood's prime, was a loss to the community in which he resided. A son of Joseph B. Davis, he was born April 29, 1873, in Monroeville, Indiana, of pioneer stock. Joseph B. Davis was born in Ohio, near Columbus, and as a young man settled in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Well educated and talented, he embarked in journalistic work, and at the time of his death, in 190, was editing and publishing a newspaper in Fort Wayne. He married Elizabeth Meeks, who was born in Monroeville, Indiana, and is now residing in Tacoma, Washington. Brought up and educated in Fort Wayne, Robert Burn Davis was associated with journalism in his earlier years, and later was employed as a broker. Progressive and far-sighted, he subsequently became identified with several new projects of a beneficial nature, and organized various enterprises, not only in Canton and Cleveland, Ohio, but in Louisville, Kentucky. Moving to Lima, Ohio, in 1913, he continued a resident of the city until called to the life beyond. Mr. Davis married, October 7, 1892, Lena Bertha Griswold, who was born in Middleport, Ohio, July 13, 1875. Her father, Crawford Griswold, a native of Chatham, New York, served in the Civil war as a sergeant in the First New York Mounted Rifles, and at the close of the conflict began work on the Pennsylvania Railroad, making Lima, Ohio, his headquarters. Moving in 1880 to Fort Wayne, Indiana, he there superintended the building of railroad bridges. He married Louise Kessler, a daughter of Samuel and Louisa (Frazier) Kessler, the former of whom was born at Amanda, Fairfield. county, Ohio, where his parents, who were of Revolutionary stock, settled as pioneers in 1808, while the latter was a native of Virginia. Two children blessed the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Davis, Paul D., born April 2, 1894; and Robert Joseph, born May 18, 1898. Paul a Davis, who served during the World war as captain of Company M, Forty-fifth Infantry, is now export advertising manager for the Firestone Rubber Company, his home being in New York city. He married Lucy Cullin, who was born in Lima, a daughter of Martin Cullin. She was graduated from the Lima High School and from Skidmore University, while he is a graduate of the Clinton, Ohio, High School and of the Ohio State University. They have one con, Thomas Robert, born February 18, 1920. Robert Joseph Davis, who was graduated from the Lima High School and later. served six months as seaman's mate in the United States Navy, is now advertising editor of "Motor Age," and resides in Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Davis was a Republican in politics, and fraternally belonged to the Canton, Ohio, Lodge; Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Religiously he was a valued member of the Congregational Church. Mrs. Davis is an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY -129 which she has served as secretary; of the Order of the Eastern Star; and of the White Shrine of Jerusalem. She is a member of the Presbyterian Church. During the World war she labored unceasingly in her efforts to aid the Red Cross, serving as chairman of the local Woman's Work and of the National Woman's Work. EZEKIEL HOVER, who recently retired from business after having maintained an organization for supplying the people of, Lima with ice for many years, is a member of one of the old and notable families of Allen county. He was born in Shawnee township November 6, 1849. He still owns twenty-eight acres of the old home where his parents live. This land has historic associations, since on it at one trme stood the old Indian Council House. Mr. Hover is a son of Charles A. and Adeline D. (Smedley) Hover, the former a native of Trumbull county, Ohio, and the latter born in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Grandfather Ezekiel Hover came to Allen county, Ohio, as a Government surveyor in 1832 and helped establish some of the original land lines of the county. Charles A. Hover after his marriage lived on the farm in Shawnee township where the Children's Home is now located, and died there in December, 1864, at the age of forty-seven. His widow survived him until the spring of 1869, when she was sixty- five years of age. They were the parents of twelve children, and the five still living are : Sarah A., Mrs. George W. Dixon, of Colorado; Hart D., of Hover, Idaho; Charles D., of Fall River, Massachusetts; Jessie, of Ohio; and Ezekiel. The oldest son, Ezekiel Hover, was fifteen years of age when his father died, and with another brother he operated the home farm of a hundred forty acres, and thus furnished the means of keeping the family together. On July 3, 1872, he married Elizabeth Ann Bresler, of Allentown, Ohio, a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Ann (Donor) Bresler. In the spring of 1873 Mr. Hover moved to Lima and began the ice business on a small scale. He owned a tract of two acres, from which he excavated a pond, since at that time there was no artificial ice making machinery. The crop gathered on this pond sufficed for several years, when he constructed a larger pond or lake in Shawnee township. He and John Thomas were associated together in the ice business until 1905, after which he continued it alone until 1909, and was then joined by his son Charles A. Only in the spring of 1920 did the Hovers sell their equipment and business. Mr. Hover is now living retired in a fine residence at 675 West Market street. He is the father of four children: Joseph, who died in May, 1900, at the age of twenty-seven ; Charles, of Lima; Catherine, Mrs. Charles Herbst, living with her father; and Harriet, Mrs. Walter Booth, of Pontiac, Michigan. Mr. Hover is a Presbyterian, a Republican, and has filled all the chairs of Lima Lodge No. 91, Knights of Pythias. CHARLES ANDREW SCHMITT. In such men as Charles A. Schmitt, a successful business man of Lima and one of the community's representative citizens, there is peculiar satisfaction in offering their life histories—justification for the compilation of works of this character—not that their lives have been such as to gain them particularly wide notoriety or the admrring plaudits of men, but that they have been true to all trusts reposed in them and have shown such attributes of character as entitle them to the regard of all. Charles Andrew Schmitt was born at Prophets- town, Illinois, rn April, 1884, and is the son of Theopholis and Magdaline (Climentz) Schmitt, both of whom were natives of AlsaceLorraine, France. They came to the United States with their respective families, settling in Illinois. After their marriage they settled on a farm near Prophetstown, where they made their permanent home, the father dying there in 1917. His widow now lives in Prophetstown. Charles A. Schmitt received his preliminary educational training in the public and high schools of his home neighborhood and then became a student in the Marion (Indrana) Normal School, where he was graduated in 1905. He then entered the Kansas City School of Optometry, where he was graduated in 190. He then went, to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and became assistant manager for Rogers Eyesight Specialist, but in 1913 was transferred to Lima, Ohio, and has complete charge here of the Rogers Eyesight Specialist Shop. He is thoroughly qualified by natural aptitude, training and experience for the important work to which he is devoting himself, and he has achieved some remarkable results during his professional experience in this community. Because of his ability and courtesy he has built up a large and constantly increasing patronage and is now numbered among the leaders in his line in this section of the state. In political matters Mr. Schmitt maintains an independent attitude, preferring to vote according to the dictates of his own judgment, regardless of party lines. His religious membership is with the Methodist Episcopal Church. Fraternally he is a member of Garrett Wycoff Lodge No. 585, Free and Accepted Masons, at Lima. He is also an active member of the Lima Chamber of Commerce, the Retail Merchants Association and the Rotary Club. Genial and unassuming, Mr. Schmitt has won a host of warm personal friends since becoming a citizen of Lima, and throughout the community he is held in high regard generally. JOSEPH POTTER. One of the venerable residents of Lima, Joseph Potter long had a prominent part in affairs both industrial and commercial. He has been acquainted with this section of Ohio for more than sixty years and has been a resident of Lima for fifty years. He was born at Schuylerville, Saratoga county, New York, May 16, 1829, a son of Rennseleer and Loereta (Clements) Potter. He had the advantages of common schools and a collegiate seminary, and in 1850 began work as a joiner in Genesee county, New York, whither the family had settled in 1835.. In 1855 he came to Kenton, Ohio, and after peddling medicine six years 'resumed the trade of carpenter, and from 1860 was a resident of Upper Sandusky. Mr. Potter permanently settled at Lima in 1871 and became identified with the old Lima Machine Works, now the Locomotive Works, as a pattern maker. He continued with that prominent Lima industry twenty years, retiring in 1891. He still takes Vol. II-9 130 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY some part in local business as a director of the Lima Home Savings Association, of which he was vice president a few years. He was also appraiser for this association. Mr. Potter lives at 1045 West Market street. December 2, 1858, at Medina, Ohio, he married Abigail Foskett, a native of Monroe county, New York. They were married nearly half a century, and Mrs. Potter passed away November 18, 1907. Her only daughter is Nellie, Mrs. Burt E. Swem, of Lima. Mr. Potter was for a number of years a deacon and is an active member of the First Baptist Church. He represented the first ward in the council two terms and ha .s been a Republican practically throughout the life of the party. He is a Lodge and Encampment Degree Odd Fellow, Knight of Pythias, filled various chairs in these orders, and he is also a member of the Rebekahs. JOSEPH H. HUNTLEY, M. D. The gentleman to a brief review of whose life and character the reader's attention is herewith directed is among the favorably known and representative citizens of Allen county, having for many years been recognized as a leading member of the medical profession. During the course of an honorable and exceedingly busy career Doctor Huntley has not only gained a high reputation because of his skill and ability and won a comfortable situation in material affairs, but he has mantained at all times a public spirited attitude towards all movements for the advancement of the general welfare. Joseph H. Huntley was born in Hardin county, Ohio, on April 11, 1851, and is the son of Joseph and Nancy (Hitchcock) Huntley, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Hardin county, Ohio. In the latter county these parents were married, and there Joseph Huntley followed the vocation of farming until 1853, when he moved to Allen county, bought a small farm in the midst of the timber which covered most of the land in Auglaize township, and there he established a home, cleared the land and resided until 1863, when his death occurred. His wife had died on April 25, 1851, only two weeks after the birth of her son Joseph. Joseph Huntley, the father, was married four times, and after the death of the subject's mother he married Mrs. Mary Wooley, a native of Champaign county, Ohio. He was the father of eight children. Of the two families of Wooleys and Huntleys, six of them were volunteer soldiers for the Union during the Civil war, but only two of the Wooley boys returned, one having (lied in Andersonville orison and one in Libby prison, while two died of measles. The subject of this sketch was about twelve years of age when his father died, and he was then reared by Milton M. Bowle, of Auglaize township, with whom he remained until he had attained his majority. He secured his educational training in the district schools and when twenty one years old he began teaching school, being thus engaged for about seven years during the winter months, while during the summers he worked at the saddlery and harness-making trade. In 1876 he began the study of medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. Hiram Thomas at West Newton, Ohio. He attended his first course of lectures in thq medical department of the Michigan State University at Ann Arbor, and completed his studies in the Cincinnati Medical College, where he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Ten years later he took a postgraduate course at Columbus, Ohio. Oa March 28, 1878, Doctor Huntley began the practice of his profession at West Newton, Ohio, where he remained seven years, moving at the end of that time to Alger, Hardin county, where he remained about ten years. In 1895 he came to Lima, opened an office and practically ever since that time has been universally recognized as one of Lima's leading physicians and surgeons. After 1906 he devoted himself almost exclusively to surgery, specializing in orthopedic surgery, operating on deformities which had existed from birth, and in this class of cases his success was remarkable. In 1909 the Doctor met with an accident which nearly cost him his life. While riding in a closed coupe, with which he usually made his professional calls, his machine was struck by an Erie freight engine at a grade crossing. The automobile was completely demolished and the Doctor's left knee joint was so severely crushed and the leg otherwise injured that amputation was necessary at the thigh. After his recovery the Doctor continued in the practice until 1919, when, on account of ill health, he was compelled to retire from the active practice and is now living quietly at his home in this city. On April 11, 1885, Doctor Huntley was married to Mary E. McClung, who was born at Roundhead, Ohio, the daughter of Hutchison and Mary McClung, the former a native of Hardin county, Ohio, and the latter of Roundhead. T Doctor and Mrs. Huntley was born a daught Grace Darling, who is now the wife of C. L. L Fevre, and they make their home with Doctor Huntley at No. 759 West Market street. Politically Doctor Huntley has always been a warm supporter of the Republican party, while fraternally he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, in which he has attained to the degrees of the Royal Arch, and to Lodge No, 51, Benevolent and Protective Orders of Elks. He is a member of the Allen County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Society and the North. west Medical Society. Mrs. Grace Darling LeFevre, after completing her public school course, took the course in literature and graduated at Lima College, receiving her degree at the age of seventeen years. She then entered the Leland T. Powers School of Oratory at Boston, which she attended for four years. Then for a year she did general reading and Chautaqua work, following which for four years she was identified with the drama and about a year in moving pictures at Los Angeles, California. Personally Doctor Huntley is affable and popular with all classes and has stood ready at all times to encourage and aid all laudable measures and enterprises for the general good. By a life consistent in motive and because of his many fine qualities of head and heart he earned the sincere regard of a vast acquaintance, and his success in his chosen field of endeavor bespeaks for him the possession of superior attributes. WALTON ELLIS CLARK. When the history of music in Allen county shall be properly written few men will be found who have more deeply stamped their HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 131 individuality upon the musical development of their period than did the late Walton Ellis Clark of Lima. The complete history of his busy life would be inspiring and serve as an example to those seeking achievement that can only come through thoughtful and persistent effort. Mr. Clark was born at Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, May 20, 1859, a son of Captain James M. and Maria (Benson) Clark, natives of the Bay state, who passed their entire lives within its confines. Mr. Clark received his education in his native state, and as a youth displayed a remarkable talent for music, expressed through his performances on the organ. This talent was given the opportunity for development and he became a masterful performer on the pipe organ, and it was as such that he came to Lima in about 1883. Here he was retained for numerous entertainments, celebrations, church affairs and other public performances, where his work was always greatly popular and his skill and sympathetic rendition of his art was recognized and appreciated. He is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and for many years he was a teacher of music, and many of his pupils becoming talented performers, both amateur and professional. He was Organist for the Market Street Presbyterian Church all the years that he lived here. In all business relations he was known as a honest man whose dues were strictly paid. He belonged to the Lima Club and the Knights of Pythias and was a Knight Templar Mason, while his political faith was that of the Republican party. Temperate in his habits, his private character was without reproach, and he was justly recognized as one of the best representatives of the highest type of manhood. When he died, February 26, 1903, he left many to mourn sincerely his loss. Mr. Clark was married June 25, 1889, to May P. Kibby, born at Lima, daughter of Harmon and Mercy A. (Purdy) Kibby, the former a native of Simsbury, Connecticut, and the latter of Pennsylvania, although reared at Chili, New York, where the parents were married. Mr. and Mrs. Kibby came to Lima among the earliest settlers of this community, and one of the principal streets in the southern part of the city is named Kibby in honor of Mr. Kibby, who was at first the proprietor of a tannery, but in later life conducted a wholesale grocery. He died April 9, 1901, his widow surviving him until September 20, 1911. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Clark: Harmon James, who died in infancy; and Rodney Kibby, who is unmarried and resides with his mother in their home at No. 749 West Spring street. Mrs. Clark, who survises her husband, is very popular in club and social circles of Lima, and is a valued member of the Women's Music Club and the Shakespeare Club. She belongs to the Market Street Presbyterian Church, in the work of which she has been actively helpful, JAMES E. GROSJEAN. The gentleman to a brief review of whose life and characteristics the reader's attention is herewith directed is among the favorably known and representative citizens of Allen county, where he has lived for many years. He has by his indomitable enterprise and progressive methods contributed in a material way to the advancement of his locality, and during the course of an honorable career has met with success, being a man of energy, sound judgment and honesty of purpose. James E. Grosjean was born in Wayne county, Ohio, on March 1, 1861, and is the son of Edward and Caroline (Wizard) Grosjean, the former a native of Wayne county and the latter born in Switzerland, though of French descent. Edward Grosjean was the son of Charles Grosjean, a native of Switzerland, who came to the United States and settled in Wayne county, Ohio. In about 1860 he came to Allen county and settled on a farm near Beaverdam, where he spent the rest of his years, and there died. Mr. Grosjean's parents were married in Wayne county, and there the father engaged in farming, also working at the carpenter trade. James E. Grosjean received his early education in the common schools and also attended the school at West Lebanon two years. At the age of nineteen years he learned the trade of cabinet-making at Mount Eaton, Ohio, and worked there two years. He then went to Fredericksburg, Ohio, and engaged in the furniture and undertaking business, being so engaged for ten years, or until 1892, when he disposed of the business and came to Lima, where for ten years he served the public as a funeral director. At the end of that period he sold out and opened a shoe store, which he conducted for sixteen years. He then disposed of that interest and organized the Lima Cord Sole and Heel Company, of which he is president, the other officers of the company being as follows : F. L. Maire. vice president; J. C. Bucher, secretary and Fred Cook, treasurer. They are engaged in the manufacture of rubber heels and cord shoe soles, and with the competition of the new factory building at No. 447 North Elizabeth street, they are equipped for the manufacture of anything in the rubber line. Mr. Grosjean is the inventor of the GroCord Soles and Heels. On February 18, 1886, he was married to Nanie Armstrong, a native of Wayne county, Ohio, and the daughter of John D. and Mary (Cunningham) Armstrong, who also were natives of Wayne county. To Mr. and Mrs. Grosjean have been born two children, Pearl, the wife of Frank Maire, of Lima, and Mary, who died at the age of three years. Mr. Grosjean gives his political support to the Republican party and fraternally he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a member of the Market Street Presbyterian Church, of which he has been an elder since 190. He is an active member of the Lima Chamber of Commerce, of which he has been trustee, and is a charter and active member of the Allen County Historical Society. He is a stanch supporter of every movement which promises to be of benefit to the community in a material, civic or moral way, and because of his excellent personal qualities he enjoys a well-deserved popularity. EZEKIEL OWEN. Closely connected with newspaper work in Allen county, Ezekiel Owen since 1910 has been secretary and treasurer of the Republican Gazette Publishing Company of Lima. He was born in Shawnee township, Allen county, Ohio, a son of David and Fannie (Rose) Owen, natives of Wales and Trumbull county, Ohio, respectively. The maternal grandparents were Charles and Mary (Hoover) Rose, natives of New York City, New York, and western Pennsylvania, respectively. Manuel Hoover, the maternal great-grandfather, served in the American Revolution, was discharged with the rank of captain, and was given a grant of land in western 132 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY Pennsylvania for his services in that war, to which he went immediately following the close of hostilities. The maternal grandparents moved to Trumbull county, Ohio, where they remained until the spring of 1834, and then came to Allen county, locating in Shawnee township in May of that year. On the site of an old Indian village they entered a farm from the Government, and the grandfather cleared it of the heavy timber with which it was covered. Both he and his wife died on that farm and are buried in Shawnee township. From the time she was twelve years old Mrs. Fannie (Rose) Owen taught school, and for sixteen years was one of the popular educators of the county. She was then married at West Newton, Ohio, where David Owen, who came to the United States from Wales when a lad, was engaged in business as a wagonmaker. They lived there until about 1859, when they moved to Lima and he continued to make wagons, having his shop at the corner of Main and Elm streets. His death occurred March 13, 1873, and for two or three years following his demise his widow continued the business, but then disposed of it. Her death occurred December 7, 1915. She and her husband had three children, namely: Charles, who died in March, 1888; Ezekiel, who was the second in order of birth; and Owen T., who is a health officer of Chicago, Illinois. Ezekiel Owen attended the graded and high schools of Lima, and was graduated from the latter in 1878, after which he began to learn the printer's trade and worked at it for seven years in Lima. In August, 1882, he helped to put out the "Daily Republican," and the following year he went to Dunkirk, Ohio, and bought the "Dunkirk Standard," which he conducted in partnership with his brother, 0. T. Owen, being there from January, 1883, until November, 1887, when he sold and went to Stockton, Rooks county, Kansas, and bought the "Western News." This he sold in May, 1895, and returned to Lima to take charge of the "Lima Advertiser," of which he had complete control until April, 1898, when he went with the Lima "Daily Republican" as book-keeper, also assisting as editorial writer and dramatic critic. In 1910 he was elected secretary and treasurer of the Daily Republican Publishing Company, which offices he still holds, his associates in the company being: W. A. Campbell, president ; F. E. Baxter, vice president; W. J. Galvin, business manager ; and Donald D. Campbell, managing editor. For many years he has belonged to the Market Street Presbyterian Church, of which he has been Sunday School superintendent since 1914. In politics he is a Republican. Fraternally he belongs to the Knight of Pythias, in which he has passed all the chairs, and to the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a charter member of the Allen County Historical Society, has been on its official board from its begining and has assisted greatly in building up that society to its present position. He is an enthusiast in matters of local history. Mr. Owen was married to Miss Elizabeth Baillie Graham, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, who came to Lima when a child with her sturdy Scotch parents, Allan and Margaret (Shaw) Graham. She was graduated from the Lima High Schools. Since its inception she has been a member of the Board of Control of the Allen County Historical Society. In club matters she has confined her activities mainly to the Shakespeare Study Club. of which she is a charter member. HILREY C. NAPIER. Among the old and honored families of Allen county, one which is well an favorably known is that bearing the name of Napier, and a worthy representative of which is found in the person of Hilrey C. NaPier of Lima. Mr. NaPier's career has been one in which his activities have invaded a number of fields of endeavor, in each of which he has displayed ability to make the most of his opportunities and to emerge with a sat. isfying share of prosperity. He is a native of Shawnee township, Allen county, born January 9, 1850, a son of William and Sarah (Huff) NaPier. William NaPier, the paternal grandfather of Hilrey C., was born in England of French parentage and was given good educational advantages in his youth. While attending an advanced school which was situated on the beach of the ocean, several officers from a sailing vessel anchored nearby came ashore and invited the youthful scholar and three of the companions to come aboard and inspect the ship When the youths were once on the vessel she put to sea, and the youths were shanghaied into her service. William NaPier did not see his home again until he was twenty-one years of age, by which time he had formed a love for the life of a sailor, which he followed until he met his death in the wreck of his vessel when he was sixty years of age. For a time the home of William NaPier was in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, where was born his son William NaPier the younger, who learned t' trades of shoemaker and tanner and was married is that state. About the year 1843 the parents started on a journey of 250 miles, bringing with them a yoke of oxen and a horse, with their household effects and other belongings loaded in a wagon. The young wife walked all the distance, carrying her infant daughter, and eventually they arrived at their destination, a forty-acre farm in Shawnee township, Allen county, on which William NaPier erected a small tannery. About 1855 he sold his property and bought 200 acres of land, all heavily timbered except forty acres partly cleared, on which he started the work of clearing and cultivation. When his first payment fell due he was without funds, but brought his team of good horses to Lima, where he obtained $200 for the animals and liquidated his indebtedness. Now, however, he was without a team for his farm work. He was possessed of a bull, and borrowed another from a neighbor, which he broke with the aid of a pair of oxen, also borrowed from a kindly disposed friend. Thus he struggled along, an. eventually built another small tannery, in which be carried on modest operations. One day a horse came running down the road, with a rope attached to its neck, and it was caught by one of Mr. NaPier's sons. As it was not claimed at the end of six months it was sold at public auction, and Mr. NaPier secured the animal for its keeping. Following this he bought a blind mare for ten dollars, and thus had a team again, and when his half-brother secured employment elsewhere he left his team with Mr. NaPier, who was thus able to carry on his work at a much faster rate of speed. A strange and almost human affection sprang up between the stray horse and the blind mare, the animals refusing to be separated. When the horse finally died the mare was locked up, but caused such a disturbance that it was finally turned loose, whereupon it immediately went to the place where its mate lay dead, lay beside it and expired. Mr. NaPier cleared his 200 acres of land and HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 133 eventually became one of the substantial men of his community. He served as justice of the peace for many years, and at his death in 1901 his community lost a man who had done much for its welfare. Hrs widow survived him until October, 1911, and when she passed away left the following children: Adelia, who died as Mrs. Salem Reed; Harriet, the wife of Silas Reed, of Shawnee township; Hamlin H., deceased; Susan, who died as Mrs. Freeman Reed ;. Hilrey C.; Sarah E., the wife of W. A. Smith, and Mary V., the wife of John Striff, of Lima. Hilrey C. NaPier received his education in the district school in Shawnee township, and resided at home until his marriage, October 17, 1872, to Emma Byrd, born in Amanda township, Allen county, daughter of Andrew and Cynthia Ann Byrd, natives of Shenandoah county, Virginia. Following his marriage Mr. NaPier moved to Lima, where he followed carpentry for a few years and then became a contractor and builder, a vocation which he engaged in for eighteen years, during which time he erected many of the principal residences and business structures of Lima. Subsequently he embarked in the coal and feed business at Kibby and South Main streets and remained therein for two years, then buying property at the corner of Kibby street and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad tracks, where he erected a two-story brick building, 24x70 feet, and placed therein a stock of groceries. He also carried sand, brick, tile and a general line of building material and conducted a successful business there for thirteen years. Disposing of his holdings therein at the end of that time, he purchased a farm of 150 acres in Paulding county, Ohio, which he rented out until he sold it in January, 1911, at that time investing a part of his capital in land at Sarasota, Manatee county, Florida, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, where he makes his home during the winter months. He still has his business headquarters at Lima, where he likewise maintains his fine residence, but spends his summers at Indian Lake, Orchard Island, in Washington township, Logan county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. NaPier were the parents of the following children : Florence, who died as Mrs. William Everett, at the age of forty-three years ; 011ie, the wife of George E. Welsted, of 1040 North street, Lima; Oscar Clyde, a soldier of the United States Army now in Europe and Howard W., an electrical contractor of Lima. Howard W., born in Lima on the 31st of August 1892, married Elizabeth Hanna, a daughter of Charles E. and Wilhelmina (Pape) Hanna. They have two children, Martha Elizabeth and Ruth Margaret. Mr. NaPier has rendered valuable service to Lima in a number of capacities of public importance. He was the first councilman from the Fifth ward, serving two terms; was appointed and served six years as a member of the Board of Review ; and for eight years was a member of the Board of Sinking Fund Trustees, being appointed first by a Democratic mayor, next by a Republican and finally by a Socialist chief executive. His own political faith is that of the Republican party. As a fraternalist he holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has passed through the chairs, and is a charter member of Solar Lodge No. 783, and Fort Amanda Encampment No. 302, having membership also in Ohio Encampment No. 256. MARSHALL ATMUR. At the age of ninety-two men who have retained their faculties and profited by their experiences look across life and not into it, and see mostly the fair shore of their childhood from which they have constantly receded, rather than the bridge which connects it and of which they have been one of the builders. But it is in proportion as they have builded wisely and been in accord with the changing tide of affairs that their satisfaction is great or otherwise, and it thus becomes a pleasure to know and talk to one who has lived so long and gathered so much of interest as has Marshall Atmur, of Lima, the oldest man in Allen county, whose life has gone parallel with the development of the county ever since his arrival here in 1848. Mr. Atmur was born in Harrison county, Virginia, November 29, 1828, a son of Levi and Louisa (Marshall) Atmur, the former born in Virginia in 1801 and the latter in Fairfax county, that state, in 1806. Mrs. Atmur witnessed the burning of the city of Washington by the British in 1814. After their marriage the parents started farming in Harrison county, Virginia, where their son Marshall was born in a log cabin, and in 1834 they traveled overland to Champaign county, Ohio, which was their home until 1848. In that year they drove through to Lima, being three days on the way, and Mr. Atmur purchased a farm in Perry township, on which his wife died when aged about sixty-two years, he surviving until 1890. They had twelve children, of whom four of the sons served in the Union army during the Civil war, and three of the children are now living: Marshall ; Lucy, the widow of George Williams, residing on East North street, Lima; and William, a resident of Bluffton, Ohio. Marshall Atmur was a child of six years when taken by his parents to Champaign county, Ohio, and there his education was acquired in the district schools. He was twenty years old when he came to Allen county, and here he assisted his father in the cultivation of the home property in Perry township until the time of his marriage. He then settled on a forty-acre farm in Bath township, to which he subsequently added a farm of eighty-eight and one half acres, located one-quarter of a mile distant, where he lived for eighteen years in a log house. He then erected a new frame house, which was his home for twenty years, and at the end of that time he moved to Lima, with the profits which .he had secured from oil leases. He has been living in retirement in this city since 1901, having a pleasant modern residence property at 931 West Wayne street. Mr. Atmur is a veteran of the Civil war, having served for 100 days during that struggle as a member of Company F, 151st Regiment, Ohio National Guard. He is a valued and popular member of the local lodge of the Masons and has been a Mason for fifty years. In politics he is a Republican, but he has never been disturbed by great political ambitions, seeking the quiet paths of the lover of nature and the tiller of the soil, content to await the arrival of his harvests and the sale of his products. The years have dealt gently with him, giving him the companionship of many friends and the solace which comes of dealing fairly with one's fellow-men. In many ways he is a remarkable man, his vitality being wonderful, his health extraordinarily good and his memory excellent. 134 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY Mr. Atmur was married September 8, 1852, to Elizabeth Hoffman, who was born in Pennsylvania, daughter of Nicholas and Elizabeth (Gotwald) Hoffman, natives of York county, . Pennsylvania. Mrs. Atmur died July 0, 1913, having been the mother of the following children: Charles G., William E., Clara and Libbie French, all deceased; Della; Minor A., an attorney of Lima; and Clarence an employe of the Lima Postoffice. WALT M. DEKALB. The strength of natural inclination in relation to choice of vocation has been notably illustrated in the case of one of Lima's professional men, Walt M. DeKalb, architect. Gifted with versatile talents, Mr. DeKalb in his youth found many congenial vocations to choose from, but after some years of study and even successful effort in other lines finally decided to devote himself entirely to architectural art. Prior to coming to Lima he had considerable artistic experience, and since making this city his home has met with the hearty recognition that his perfected talent deserves. Walt M. DeKalb was born at Ottawa in Putnam county, Ohio, March 27, 1867, and is a son Of M. G. and Angeline (Hamer) DeKalb, the former of whom was born in Fairfield county and the latter in Licking county, Ohio, the grandfathers having been Ohio pioneers of about the same date. The paternal ancestry in America goes back to Revolutionary days, to the brave soldier, Baron John DeKalb, born in Huttendorf, near Bayreuth, Bavaria, in 1721. He accompanied the young Marquis de Lafayette to America in 1777. He was appointed a major general in the Patriot army and served nobly in the cause of liberty. History tells how he faced the trained soldiers of Lord Cornwallis at the head of his farmer boy troops of Maryland and Delaware and fell at the battle of Camden, New Jersey, pierced by eleven wounds. A monument erected to his memory in 1825 stands at Camden. A brave military spirit and love of liberty persisted in the family, and when the Civil war was precipitated in 1861 the father of Walt M. DeKalb became a soldier in the Union army, enlisting from Lima in Company D, 54th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He still survives and is one of the honored veterans of that great struggle living at Lima. The mother of Mr. DeKalb passed away in 1910. Mr. DeKaib's boyhood schooldays were passed at Ottawa, and afterward he completed the high school course at Perryburg, in Wood county. Deciding then to study medicine, he became a student in Rush Medical College, Chicago, where he continued for three years, but before securing his degree had become more interested in his art studies, and while pursuing them accepted a position as teacher in the Academy of Art, Chicago, where he remained as instructor for two years. During his subsequent years in Chicago he devoted himself to his work as an architect. Prior to coming to Lima in 1917 he had spent three years in his profession at Chattanooga, Tennessee. He embarked in business at Lima after purchasing the office of John Chapin in the Holland Building, and found immediate recognition as a competent and talented architect and since then has designed many of the beautiful and substantial structures lately erected in this city. Aside from his profession he has some other important business interests. Mr. DeKalb was married to Miss Hannah Markel, a daughter of Aloysius and Cecelia (Neugebauer) Markel, and they have three children. Mr. DeKalb and his family belong to Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. He is an interested member of the Chamber of Commerce, and in all progressive movements at Lima makes his influence felt. A Republican from early manhood, he has always been loyal in support of its principles but has never felt inclined toward official life as a personal matter. He is a Thirty-second Degree Mason and belongs to Lima Lodge No. 585, F. & A. M.; Lima Chapter; Shawnee Commandery at Lima; Oriental Consistory at Chicago; and is a member of Zenobia Temple, Toledo, Ohio, CHARLES D. GAMBLE, M. D., whose technical ability and loyal and effective service have given him secure status as one of the representative physicians and surgeons of Allen county, is established in a successful practice in the city of Lima. Dr. Charles Delbert Gamble was born in Van Wert county, Ohio, on the 24th of March, 1878, and is a son of Amor L. and Ida (Conwell) Gamble. George Gamble, grandfather of the Doctor, came to the United States from County Cavan, Ireland, and he early settled in Van Wert county, Ohio, where he developed a fine farm and where he and his wife passed the residue of their lives. Amor L. Gamble was reared and educated in Van Wert county, where he followed farm enterprise in his youth, though later he was a grocer in Spencerville, Ohio. Of his four sons Dr. Charles D. Gamble is the only survivor. The old home and its influences compassed the childhood and youth of Doctor Gamble, and to the public schools of Ohio he is indebted for his early education, his studies having been continued until his graduation in the high school at Spencerville, Allen county, where his father was engaged in the grocery business for the long period of thirty-two years. Thereafter he took a one-year preparatory course in Puget Sound University at Tacoma, Washington, but at the inception of the Spanish-American war he returned to Ohio, where, on the 21st of June, 1898, at Wapakoneta, Auglaize county, he enlisted in Company L, Second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In the following August he went with his company to Camp Thomas at Chickamauga, where later he was transferred to membership in the military band of his regiment. The command was not called into active service on the stage of warfare, but he continued with his regiment until February 10, 1899, when he was mustered out, with due reception of his honorable discharge. For two years thereafter the Doctor was clerk in a drug store at Spencerville, and he then entered Vanderbilt University at Nashville, Tennessee, in which institution he continued his studies two years, the last of which he was a student in the medical department. In the furtherance of his technical education he then entered the celebrated old Jefferson Medical College in the city of Philadelphia, and in this institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1905. After thus receiving his degree of Doctor of Medicine the Doctor further fortified himself through the clinical advantages HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 135 derived in eight months' service as interne in a leading hospital at Easton, Pennsylvania, and srx months in a similar service at the hospital marntained in connection with his alma mater, Jefferson Medical College. He then returned to Allen county, where he engaged in practice at Spencerville, which place continued the stage of his professional activities until 1916, and in the meanwhile he gained no little distinction in connection with the Ohio National Guard. In the year 1900 he had become a member of Company F, Second Ohio Infantry, at Spencerville, and in this fine organization he won successive promotions until he was made captain of the company. In 1910 the Doctor was transferred to the medical corps of the Ohio National Guard, with the rank of captain, and in 1911 he was advanced to the rank of major in the medical corps of the Second Regiment. With his command Doctor Gamble was called into active service on the Mexican border, the regiment having proceeded to Columbus, Ohio, on the 19th of June, 1916, and thence having been sent early in the following month to El Paso, Texas. He there remained with his regiment until the 8th of March, 1917, when he accompanied his regiment to Fort Sheridan, Illinois, where he was mustered out on the 24th of the same month. He then returned to his home, but on the 15th of April he was assigned to service in recruiting for his old regiment, the Second Ohio Infantry, He thus continued his service until the 15th of July, when he was assigned to duty at Camp Sheridan, Montgomery, Alabama. In connection with the nation's preparations for the great World war Doctor Gamble served there as surgeon of the One Hundred and Forty-eighth United States Infantry until May 24, 1918, when the regiment was sent to Camp Lee, Virginia, where it remained until the 20th of June. On the following day, at Newport News, that state, he embarked on the transport that landed him at Brest, France, on the 5th of July. He was assigned to service at regimental headquarters at Belinconrt, where he remained thirteen days. and on the 29th of July he accompanied his regiment to the front, the command being on duty in holding a sector at the front until the 14th of the following September. It then took pa rt in the great Argonne campaign, and in the five-days drive in which Doctor Gamble there took part he lost one-third of the men in his detachment. With his command he was thereafter in the St. Mihiel sector for twelve days, in command of the One Hundred and Forty-sixth Field Hospital. He then proceeded into Belgium and joined the forces of King Albert, with which he took part in two vigorous and sanguinary drives. He endured the full tension of the great conflict and continued in active service until the signing of the historical armistice. After the close of hostilities Doctor Gamble remained in France until March 15, 1919, when he embarked for the home port. Upon his arrival in the United States he proceeded to Camp Sherman, and he received his honorable discharge on the 28th of April, 1919, after having made a record that shall ever reflect honor upon his name and mark him as a true patriot whose loyalty was shown in the most strenuous service. Upon his return to Allen county Doctor Gamble resumed the active practice of his profession, with residence in the city of Lima, where he has built up a substantial and representative practice. He holds membership in the Allen County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party, and he is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, in which he has received the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, besides being a member of Antioch temple of the Mystic Shrine in the city, of Dayton, and of the lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Spencerville. He is also a member of the Beta Theta Pi College Fraternity. In 1911 was solemnized the marriage of Doctor Gamble to Miss Mildred M. Welch, daughter of Dr. Jacob R. and Mary (Miller) Welch, of Spencerville, and the one child of this union is a winsome little daughter, Hilda M. CLYDE W. MYERS. Each man who strives to fulfill his part in connection with human life and human activities is deserving of recognition, whatever may be his field of endeavor, and it is the function of works of this nature to prepare for future generations an authentic record concerning those represented in its pages. The value of such publications is certain to be cumulative for all time to come, showing forth the specific and individual accomplishments of which generic history is ever engendered. The record of the subject of this sketch is worthy of perpetuation along with others of his fellow citizens of Allen county, as will be readily ascertained in the following lines. Clyde W. Myers, president and general manager of the Peerless Candy Company of Lima is a native son of the Buckeye state, having been born in Auglaize county on June 13, 1882, and he is the son of William S. and Nettie (Vertner) Myers. Both of these parents also were born and reared in Ohio, the father in Auglaize county and the mother in Champaign county. William S. Myers was a farmer by vocation, following that pursuit in Auglaize county until about 1895, when he moved to Lima, where he resided until his death in 1910. He was survived but a short time by his widow, whose death occurred in 1912. They were the parents of the following children: Ella. who died in infancy; Mina. the wife of W. R. Graham, of Toledo, Ohio; Blanche, the wife of William Kessler, of Youngstown, Ohio; Clyde W., the immeditae subject of this sketch; Ozro, of Lima, and Idona, the wife of Charles Baumgardner. Clyde W. Myers received his early education in the public schools of Waynesfield, Ohio, but at the early age of ten years he found it necessary to go to work, being employed successively on a farm. in a tile mill and in a hoop mill until sixteen years of age, when he came to Lima and for two years was employed in the general store of T. U. Heiniger. He was then sent to Quincy, Ohio, by Mr. Heiniger as manager of his store at that place, remaining there about eighteen months. Mr. Myers then went to Kenton, Ohio, and worked in a creamery for A. G. Wesley & Company for three years. Later he returned to Lima and became manager for the Peerless Candy 136 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY Company, continuing in this position until January, 1919, when he bought the business, which he has since controlled. f he company is now incorporated, with the following officers: Clyde W. Myers, president and general manager; Samuel Roeder, vice president; and A. D. Alaire, secretary and treasurer. They are wholesale dealers in all kinds of candies, and in the fall of 1920 will engage extensively in their manufacture. The company has enjoyed great prosperity, and its volume of business and field of operations are constantly increasing. Mr. Myers is devoting his entire time and energy to the business and is considered a man of unusually energetic and progressive make-up. In. April, 1909, he was married to Sadie Phillips, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of John and Barbara (Allen) Phillips, natives of Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Myers have one child, Delight Lillian. Mr. Myers' sympathies are with the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which faith he was reared. Politically he is a stanch supporter of the Republican party, though not in any sense an aspirant for public office or leadership. Fraternally he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, being affiliated with the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Council and Commandery of that order, and also holds membership in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Loyal Order of Moose. He is a member of the Kiwanis Club, the Lima Automobile Club and the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Myers has not only been energetic in the advancement of his personal interests, but his influence is felt in the upbuilding of the community honored by his citizenship. The prosperity which he enjoys is the result of energy rightly applied and he is eminently deserving of the high place which he occupies among his fellow citizens of Lima and Allen county. HARRY O. BENTLEY. One of the best known attorneys of Allen .county is Harry 0. Bentley, of Lima, an honored native son who has always tried to measure up to the standard of true manhood. The community is proud to number him among its progressive and representative men, he having always maintained his home here and having the interests of the community at heart, seeking to promote the same in every way possible. In all the relations of life he has proven true to every trust reposed in him, and no one is worthier of the high esteem in which he is held. Harry 0. Bentley was born in Bluffton, Allen county, on April 14, 1873, and is the son of W. S. and Mary Jane (Anderson) Bentley, natives of Hancock county, Ohio. His paternal grandnarents were Thomas Jefferson and Barbara (Fusselman) Bentley, of Trumbull county, Ohio, the former being a son of John Bentley, a native of Massachusetts and of Revolutionary stock. Thomas Jefferson Bentley came to Allen county about 1840 and settled in a tract of timber land, to the clearing of which he gave his attention, though he was a wheelwright by trade. The maternal grandparents were Warrick and Mary (Anderson) Anderson, natives of York county, Pennsylvania, who drove through to Allen county sometime in the '40s, settling on a tract of timber land, which they developed into a good farm and which is still the Anderson homestead. After their marriage, Mr. Bentley's parents settled on a farm in Richland township, where the father spent the remainder of his days, his death occurring in 1918. He was a man of prominence and influence in his community and served several terms as trustee of his township. His widow now lives in Bluffton, Allen county. They became the parents of two children, Harry 0. and Myrtle, the wife of Charles Killen, manager of the Lima Stone Company at Lima. Harry O. Bentley was reared on the parental farmstead and secured his educational training in the district school and the Bluffton High School. He attended the law department of the Ohio Northern University at Ada, where he was graduated in 1896. He then came to Lima and entered upon the practice of his profession, forming a partnership with T. R. Hamilton. Two and a half years later the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Bentley was alone in the practice for three years. On July 1, 1902, he formed a partnership with S. S. Wheeler, who was previously a partner with Senator Brice. This has constituted one of the strongest and most reliable law firms in Allen county, having been retained in most of the important cases which have been tried in the local courts. As a lawyer Mr. Bentley is thoroughly familiar with legal principles, and years of conscientious work have not only brought with them increase of practice and reputation, but also that growth in legal knowledge and that wide and accurate judgment the possession of which constitutes marked excellence in his profession. On April 3, 1901, Mr. Bentley was married to Blanche N. Neff, of Lima, the daughter of Henry C. and Jennie (Mauk) Neff, who also were born in Allen county. To Mr. and Mrs. Bentley were born two children, Jane, born on June 13, 1905, and Mary Esther, born January 9, 1908. Mr. Bentley and his family are members of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Bentley is a Republican in his political affiliation, and served as city solicitor of Lima from 1901 to 1905. Fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Royal Arcanum, having served as exalted ruler of the Elks. Socially he is a member of the Lima Club, of which he is a member of the Board of Trustees, the Shawnee Country Club and the Rotary Club, of which he is an ex-president. A man of vigorous mentality and strong moral fiber, Mr. ' Bentley has achieved signal success in a calling where few rise above mediocrity, and he has not only earned the respect of his professional colleagues, but also the sincere confidence and esteem of all who know him. BAILIS H. SIMPSON. Former mayor of Lima, now manager of the Lima Hospital, Bailis H. Simpson is a citizen naturally looked to for leadership in this community and has always distinguished himself by his prompt and energetic administration of affairs of trust. Mr. Simpson was born in Franklin county, Ohio, in September. 1869, son of Washington and Martha (Sudlow) Simpson. His grandfather, Robert Simpson, was a native of Virginia and settled in Ross county, Ohio, about 1818. His maternal grandfather, Jay Sudlow, was a native HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 137 of England, and settled in Connecticut. Washington Simpson was born in Ross county, Ohio, in 1818, while his wife was born in New London, Connecticut, and as a girl came to McArthur, Ohio, to live with her, sister. After her marriage she and Washington Simpson settled on a farm in Franklin county, where he passed away. She survived him many years and died at Lima in 1912. They were the parents of nine children: Cornelia, deceased; Harriet, deceased; George, deceased; James, of Lima; William, of Lima; Bailis H.; Charles, who was killed at the age of eight years; Frank, of Columbus, Ohio; and Orrin, deceased. Bailis H. Simpson was only a small lad when his father died, and he grew to manhood with his widowed mother on the home farm in Franklin county. He had a common school education and beginning at the age of twenty-one farmed the old place until 1885,, in which year he established his home at Lima. For two years he was associated with his brothers in the grocery business and then took up railroading as a clerk in the Lima office of the Erie Railroad. He was successively promoted to chief clerk, cashier and station agent. Mr. Simpson left the railroad in 1910 to become secretary of the Lima Waterworks, and two years later was elected city auditor, filling that office two successive terms. From the post of auditor he entered upon his duties as mayor, and filled that office two successive terms, his administration comprising the important era of the World war. Mr. Simpson left the mayor's office January 1, 1920, and has since given his time to his duties as manager of the Lima Hospital. In April, 1890, he married Minnie A. East, a native of Allen county and daughter of Abraham and Mary (Leach) East. Her parents were born near Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and her mother is still living at Lima. Mr. and Mrs. Simpson have five children: Gladys, Mrs. Harry Blair, of Allen county; Merle, a farmer in American township; Robert, of Lima; Ruth, Mrs. Earl Fandry, of Lima; and Emerson, at home. Mr. Simpson is a Republican in his political affiliations. He has filled chairs in Lima Lodge No. 54 of the Elks and Lodge No. 91 of the Knights of Pythias, and with his family is a member of the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. OTTO C. PLUMMER. The automobile business has attracted some of the best commercial genius of the country, and one of the leading dealers in automobiles at Lima is Otto C. Plummer, formerly a merchant in this section of Ohio. He was born in Auglaize county July 21, 1882, a son of Samuel and Norah (McGinnis) Plummer. His parents were also natives of Auglaize county, where his father servevd several terms as county commissioner. About 1905 he moved his family to Lima and was a dealer in horses and livestock for several years but is now retired. Otto C. Plummer acquired a grammar and high school education and at the age of nineteen began his business career as clerk in a dry goods store at Waynesfield. He continued business there until 1907, when he took the agency for the Cadillac automobile with H. A. Mack. They were associated four years, at the end of which time Mr. Plummer bought out his partner and established a company of which he is president, R. A. Kerr, vice president, and A. L. Kirk, secretary. Since 1917 they have been the distributing agents over Allen county for the Dodge Brothers' automobiles, and recently entered handsome new quarters on West Market street. Mr. Plummer on August 8, 1903, married Ethel Kerr, a native of Allen county and a daughter of R. A. and Belle (Smith) Kerr. They have one son, Carl K. Mr. Plummer is independent in politics, is a Methodist, a Mason and belongs to Lima Lodge No. 54 of the Elks. He is also a member of the Lima Club and the Shawnee Country Club. CHARLES B. MILLER for a number of years has been an esteemed factor in the Spencerville community of Allen county, and in his profession as a funeral director and embalmer has developed a high class service and unsurpassed equipment in his line. Mr. Miller was born at Kossuth, Ohio, March 3, 1877, son of F. B. and Mary O. Miller. He spent most of his youth in Spencerville, where he attended the public schOOls, and fitted himself for his profession in the Cincinnati College of Embalming. Since early manhood his business experience has been as an undertaker or in the furniture business, and for several years past he has devoted his best energies to the ideal of furnishing an undertaking service second to none in Allen county. Mr. Miller has also served as township treasurer of Spencer township. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Masonic order, is a member of the Subordinate Lodge and Encampment of Odd Fellows, and also belongs to the Elks. July 2, 1896, at Spencerville, he married Mary E. Seibert, a daughter of Jacob Seibert. Six children were born to their marriage: Corrine, Robert, Arthur, Ira, Dorothy and Marjorie, all living except Ira. Corrine is a student at Ohio State University; Robert is a graduate of the Ohio State University in Electric and Ceramic Engineering; Arthur is a student at Eastman-Gaines College at Poughkeepsie, New York; and Dorothy and Marjorie are at home. CARL A. BOWDLE. One of the worthy native sons of Allen county is Carl A. Bowdle, a progressive business man of Lima, who is easily the peer of any of his fellows in the qualities that constitute good citizenship. He is what he is from natural endowment and self-culture, having attained his present standing solely through his own efforts. He possesses not only those powers which render men efficient in the material affairs of the community, but also those traits that mark genial and helpful social intercourse, and he is therefore deservedly popular in the community in which he lives. Carl A. Bowdle was born in Perry township, Allen county, on October 19, 1884, and is the son of Freeman A. and Samantha (Crabb) Bowdle, the former a native of Perry township and the latter of Pickaway county, Ohio. Mr. Owdle's paternal grandparents were Jesse Lee and Elizabeth (McCoy) Bowdle, the former of whom was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, and the latter in Virginia. They eventually came to Allen county, and settled on a farm in Perry township. In that township Mr. Bowdle's parents followed the vocation of farming until they retired from the farm and moved into Lima, residing at No. 717 West Market street. Mrs. Samantha Bowdle died in April, 138 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY 1920. Carl A. was the only child born to their union. After completing his studies in the common schools he entered Lima College whete he pursued his studies from the age of fifteen years until he had attained his majority. He then went to work in the shoe store of E. M. Gooding, with whom he remained for four years, and during the two following years he managed the shoe department for Morris Brothers. He then entered into a partnership with P. W. Crawford, and they conducted a shoe store for fout years, though during this time Mr. Bowdle was on the road as a traveling salesman for the Krippendorf & Dittman Shoe Company of Cincinnati, covering the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. In 1916 he sold to Mr. Crawford his interest in the shoe business and helped organize the Lima Cadillac Company, dealers in automobiles. The official personnel of the company is a follows: 0. C. Plummer, president; R. A. Kerr, vice president and treasurer; E. L. Kirk, secretary; Carl A. Bowdle, sales manager. They have the agencies for the Cadillac and Dodge Brothers motor cars, having control of sixteen counties for the former car and three and a half counties for the latter. They have been very successful in this enterprise and are numbered among the leading automobile sales houses in this section of the state. A large part of their success is directly attribule to the personal efforts of Mr. Bowdle, who devotes his entire time and attention to the business. On April 3, 1912, Mr. Bowdle was married to May Roeder, who was born in Bath township, Allen county, the daughter of Philip and Nancy (Prottsman) Roeder, also natives of Allen county. They have two children, Bob Oen, born December 1, 1913, and Betty Nan, born April 13, 1917. Politically Mr. Bowdle gives his support to the Republican party, though he does not take an active part in public affairs. He is a member of Lodge No. 54, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of the Lima Club and of the United Commercial Travelers. He is a splendid type of the self made man. He has in him the elements that make men successful, preeminent among his qualities being that sound judgment which is ordinarily called common sense. Because of his splendid success and his excellent personal qualities he stands deservedly high in the esteem and confidence of the people generally. ELLWOOD R. LINDESMITH, secretary and treasurer of thq Overland Company, is the dean of the automobile trade at Lima, and his company does the largest automobile business in northwest Ohio outside of Toledo. Their business headquarters are a fine two story brick building at 407-409 West Market street. Mr. Lindesmith was born at Bryan, Ohio, December 20, 1882, a son of L. S. and Rosa A. (Scott) Lindesmith. His father was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, and his mother in Williams county. L. S. Lindesmith was in the buggy and implement business at Bryan until 1902, and he continued in the same line at Lima until his death in August, 1908. Ellwood R. Lindesmith, whose mother is still living at Lima, had a high school education and at the age of nineteen entered the office of the Hocking Valley Railroad Company at Fostoria, Ohio. He took the Agency for the Overland automobile at Lima in 1909, and has been promoting the sales of that widely known and popular car for eleven years. He was in business alone until 1911, when he established the Lima Overland Company, with George Bayly as president, Samuel Roeder as vice president and Mr. Lindesmith as secretary and treasurer. NV. H. Howell has charge of the retail sales of the company, while Harry Lindesmith is in charge of the parts department. In February, 1907, Mr. Lindesmith married Miss Leo Creps, who was born at Westminster, Ohio, daughter of Frank and Eva (Call) Creps. The Creps family were among the earliest settlers in the southeastern quarter of Allen county. Mr. and Mrs, Lindesmith have one daughter, Berenice, at home. They are members of the Central Church of Christ, and Mr. Lindesmith is a Royal Arch and Knight Templar Mason, a member of Lima Lodge No. 54 of the Elks, the Modern Woodmen of America, and is a member of the Rotary Club, the United Commercial Travelers, Lima Club, Shawnee Country Club and the Chamber of Commerce. EDWIN L. KIRK. The unostentatious routine of private life, although in the aggregate more important to the welfare lof the community than any meteoric public career, cannot, from its very nature, figure in the public annals, though each locality's history should contain the names of those individuals who contribute to the success of the material affairs of a community and to its public stability, men who lead wholesome and exemplary lives which contribute to the general standing of a city or locality. In such a class must consistently appear the name of Edwin L. Kirk, one of the leading citizens and public spirited business men of Lima, a man who leads a plain, industrious life, endeavoring to deal honestly with his fellow men and contribute somewhat to the general public good in an unobtrusive manner. Edwin L. Kirk was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on the 9th day of August, 1876, and is the son of Robert and Laura (Osborn) Kirk, the former a native of Cleveland and the latter of Columbiana county, Ohio. Mr. Kirk's paternal grandparents were Thomas and Eliza Kirk, both of whom were natives of Scotland. Robert Kirk was reared to manhood and spent part of his life in Cleveland, but subsequently acquired a farm at Ellsworth, Ohio, to which place he moved, and there he also engaged in the sale of farming implements. He died in 1882, and his widow then moved to Youngstown, Ohio, with her two children, Edwin L. and Belle, who became the wife of Robert Taylor, a farmer in Mahoning county, Ohio After living a short time at Youngstown Mrs. Laura Kirk came to Lima, at the suggestion of her brother, Albert Osborn, who was one of the pioneer grocers of Lima. Here she became the wife of George Stevens, a real estate dealer. Edwin L. Kirk attended the public and high schools of his native city, and then took a commercial course in the Cleveland Business College, finishing the course when sixteen years of age. He then came to Lima and entered the employ of the Standard Oil Company with whom he remained until 1912, when he entered into a partnership with R. A. Kerr, 0. C. Plummer and C. A. Bowdle, and they organized the Lima Cadillac Company for the sale of Cadillac and Dodge Brothers automobiles. They have been very successful in the distribution of these machines, having control of twelve counties on the Cadillac car and two counties on the Dodge. The members of this company are all wide-awake, energetic business men and their company is now numbered among the leaders in their line in this section of the state. HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 139 Mr. Kirk was married on June 18, 1902, to Olive Grafton, who was born and reared in Ada, Ohio, the daughter of William B. and Eliza Jane (Pingree) Grafton, the former a native of Columbus, Ohio, and the latter of Malone, New York. Mrs. Kirksl paternal grandparents were William and Rachel (Sells) Grafton, of Columbus, Ohio, while her maternal grandparents, William and Nancy (Cowan) Pingree, were born and reared near Concord, New Hampshire. Mrs. Kirk is descended from sterling old colonial stock, as is evidenced by the fact that she is a member of the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution, of which she is treasurer. To Mr. and Mrs. Kirk have been born the following children: Joseph E., William B., Oliver G. and Marjorie. Mrs. Kirk is also a member of the Lima Woman's Club ; of St. Martin's Guild of the Episcopal Church, of which she is president, and of the Woman's Music Club. Politically Mr. Kirk is an earnest supporter of the Democratic party, and fraternally he is a member of Lodge No. 54, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Socially he is a member of the Liana Club, which he served as secretary and treasurer during the erection of their new club house; of the Shawnee Country Club, the Kiwanis Club and the Young Men's Christian Association. He is a communicant of the Episcopal Church, in which he has served as vestryman a number of years, and as a member of the building committee having charge of the erection of the new church. Personally Mr. Kirk is a man of kindly and generous impulses and is an ardent supporter of every movement which promises to advance the welfare of the people. Genial and unassuming in manner, he has a host of warm personal friends throughout this community. CLIFF M. WOOD. Specific mention is made herein of many of the worthy citizens of Allen county, citizens who have figured in the growth and development of this favored locality and whose interests have been identified with its every phase of progress, each contributing in his sphere of action to the well being of the community in which he resides and to the advancement of its normal and legitimate growth. Among this number is he whose name appears above, peculiar interest attaching to his career from the fact that practically his entire life has been spent within the borders of this county. Cliff M. Wood, president, treasurer and general manager of the Cliff Wood Coal and Supply Company at Lima, was horn on his father's farm in Bath township on July 27, 1877, and is the third in order of birth of the four children who blessed the union of C. M. and Sarah (Allen) Wood. The family has long been established on American soil, though originally it was of Scotch origin. The several generations of the family generally followed agriculture, though Mr. WOOd's father successfully devoted himself to the trade of carpenter and contractor. The mother died in 1881, but the father is still living at his home near Lima. Cliff M. Wood received his education in the public schools of his native township, which he attendee during the winter months, his summers being devoted to farm work. His first active employment after leaving the home farm was as a teamster and general laborer in the Lima oil field, and eventually he became a pumper, which work he followed until 1900. He then engaged in the coal and feed business at Main and Kibby streets, for two years and was successful in this enterprise. He then went to Richmond, Indiana, and became bookkeeper and salesman for the A. Harsh Coal and Supply Company, with whom he remained for six years. During this period Mr. Wood took two six months courses in the Richmond Business College to better fit himself for commercial life. In 1908 he entered into a partnership with J. M. Morgan and engaged in the plumbing and heating business under the firm title of the Morgan- Wood Company. They were successful contractors in their line, conducting the business until June, 1916. In the meantime Mr. Wood learned the technical details of the plumbing and heating business, and passed the state examination for the practice of heating and plumbing. In 1916 he sold his interest in the business and established the Cliff Wood Coal and Supply Company, of which he is three-fourths owner, the remaining quarter interest being owned by A. Harsh, of Richmond, Indiana, by whom he had formerly been employed. They are dealers in coal and all kinds of building material and have built up a large trade throughout this section of the country. Some idea of the rapid increase in their trade may be gained from the statement that for several years the volume of their business has trebled annually. Mr. Wood gives his sole attention to this business and is considered a man of unusual business qualifications, because of the shrewd foresight and sagacity which he has displayed in the conduct of this enterprise, which has grown to be one of the most important in its line in Lima. In 1900 Mr. Wood was married to Neela Nunemaker, the daughter of W. T. and Harriet (Heskett) Nunemaker, of Lima. To their union have been born four children, Rowena Fay, Marvel Ray, Dorotha Ladonna and Clifford Harold. Mr. and Mrs. Wood are members of the First Baptist Church of Lima. Politically Mr. Wood is an independent Democrat, and takes a keen interest in local public affairs, though not a seeker after office. Fraternally he is a member of Lodge No. 91, Knights of Pythias, and Lodge No. 54, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, both at Lima. He is a member of the Lima Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Merchants' Association and the Young Men's Christian Association. He is president of District No. 23 of the Ohio State Building Supply Association, also belongs to the National Building Supply Association and the Ohio, Indiana and Michigan Coal Dealers' Association. The splendid success which has come to Mr. Wood is directly traceable to the salient points in his make-up, for he started in life at the bottom of the ladder, which he has mounted unaided. He has strictly observed the highest business ethics in his dealings with his fellow men, and therefore he enjoys the confidence and good will of all who know him. CLARENCE NYE BREESE, a prominent farmer who has also been interested in public affairs in Allen county for many years, is president of the Allen County Farm Bureau. He was born in Shawnee township in Section 10 December 13, 1877, son of George L. and Susan (Nye) Breese. His parents were also natives of Shawnee township and the Breeses are one of the very old and substantial families of the county. Clarence Breese graduated in 1902 from the Ohio State University at Columbus. In the meantime at 140 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY the age of twenty on June 28, 1896, he enlisted in Company C of the Second Ohio National Guard and April 27, 1898, was called for service in the Spanish-American war. He was mustered into the Federal service and was at Chickamauga Park, Tennessee, was transferred in August to Knoxville, Tennessee, in November to Macon, Georgia, and was mustered out with the rank of Corporal February 10, 1899. After completing his education, Mr. Breese in 1902 lived for eight months in Fairfield county, Ohio, where he operated a creamery. Returning to Lima in August, 1903, he became deputy to the county clerk, and filled that position for six years. During 190 he was also clerk of the Board of Appraisers of the city of Lima and was employed in the Engineer's office four months. In the past ten years he has given most of his time to farming and dairying, having joined his father in the operation of the Breese farm of three hundred and eighteen acres. In May, 1917, Mr. Breese was appointed member of the local draft hoard of Allen county, and for nearly two years until the work of the Board was completed he had little time for private business, since the work of the draft board imposed probably more cares and responsibilities than any other duty required of civilians during the war. His associates on the Board were F. M. Watt and Dr. I. N. Sayner. June 28, 1905, Mr. Breese married Mabel Kerr, a native of Lima and daughter of George S. and Jennie (Harrod) Kerr. Mr. Breese is a prominent Republican and has served as central committeeman and member of the County Executive Committee. He has filled the office of Justice of the Peace, is a Past Commander of the Spanish War Veterans, is a member of the Grange and is Past Chancellor and Past Grand Representative of Lima Lodge No. 91 of the Knights of Pythias. CHARLES L. FESS, one of the representative members of the Allen county bar, is engaged in the practice of his prof ression in the city of Lima, the metropolis and judicial center of his native county, and is a scion of a family whose name has been long and worthily identified with the history of this county. He was born op a farm near the present village of Harrod, which was not at that time platted, and the date of his nativity was March 2, 1866. He is a son of Henry and Barbara (Herring) Fess, and has six brothers and two sisters, the eldest brother, Hon. Simeon D. Fess, represented this district in the United States Congress for four terms and is still serving. The original representative of the family in Allen county came here at an early day, from Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and the family name has here been primarily prominent in connection with farm industry and educational matters. Mr. Fess passed the period of his childhood and youth on the farm home, and through its sturdy discipline and the advantages afforded him in the district schools, he waxed strong and vigorous in mental and physical powers. He taught school ten years. Thereafter he attended the Ohio Northern University, at Ada, Hardin county, and in the law department of this institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1899, his reception of the degree of Bachelor of Laws being virtually coincident with his admission to the bar of his native state. Prior to his graduation Mr. Fess had made an excellent record in the pedagogic profession, his service in which included one term as a teacher in the b school at Spencerville, Allen county, and also special ly effective work as superintendent of schools Beaverdam, this county, a position which he retain: from 1897 until 1901, while in the meantime he completed his course in the law school. In 1901 Mr. Fess established an office in the Metropolitan build: at Lima and engaged in the practice of law, in which he has developed a substantial and representative business and established a reputation as a discriminating counselor and resourceful trial lawyer. Fess is a well fortified advocate and supporter the principles and policies of the Democratic party is affiliated with the local organizations of the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks, the Loyal Order of Moose, and the Woodmen of the Wer and both he and his wife hold membership in Tr ity Church, Methodist Episcopal, in their home city. In February, 1917, was solemnized the marriage Mr. Fess to Miss Maude Van Vlerah, and they Pr one child, Donald 0. CHRISTIAN BAECHLER. For the greater part of b a century Christian Baechler has been an honor resident of Allen county, though his interests in taken him to many different parts of the coup.. partly as a matter of business and partly for he He is a sturdy and stanch American though of See birth and ancestry, and has employed his labor, and enterprise to the improvement and adorning of many pieces of property he has owned. Mr. Baechler, who is now enjoying a comfort. retirement at his home in Lima, was born in Berne, Switzerland, November 17, 1839, son of Christian and Elizabeth (Rolle) Baechler. His father was a Swiss farmer and spent all his life in his native country. Christian Baechler was reared on his father's farm, had a common school education, and at the age of seventeen began his career as a gardener. In April, 1867, he married Magdalena Gortner, a native of Berne. In 1871, accompanied by his a a daughter and two sons, Mr. Baechler came to America and first located at New Philadelphia, Ohio where for a time he was employed in the iron business. For nine months he was a gardener Cleveland, and then engaged in garden and I scape work at Cardington in Morrow county. March, 1873, Mr. Baechler became superintendent the Woodlawn Cemetery at Lima, that being first active connection with the city where he resides. While thus employed he acquired farming lands in Paulding and Morrow coon and also in German township of Allen county. ire did much to develop and improve these tracts, and sold at a good profit. The years brought him a steady increase of prosperity, and he has long been financially independent. Mr. Baechler in 1892 re• turned to his native land for a visit of six months. In 1893 he went to live on his farm of ninety-four acres in German township, and for the next eleven years was busily engaged in a general business of farming, fruit growing and also gardening and floriculture. After selling his farm he sought an entirely new location in the northwest, near Silverton. Oregon, where he bought a small farm, and for taro years was a hop grower. Losing his health while there, he sold out and returned to Lima and bought property on Garfield avenue. After a yeat he acquired ten acres in Shawnee township, and remained on it, farming for two or three years. Disposing of HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 141 that property, he returned to Lima, and on ground he owned there built the fine residence in which he now resides. Mr. Baechler spent a large part of 1911-12 traveling throughout the west for his health, was at Salem, Oregon, in 1913-14, and during that time bought a five-acre fruit farm and operated it. He has also spent two winters in Florida. He is a member of the German Reformed Church and is independent in politics. His first wife died in 1881, the mother of the following children: Bertha, deceased; Gottfried of Daytona, Florida, who married Louise Hartman, and they have one son, Karlos; Edward, of Lima, Ohio, married Mary Zulliger, of Lima; Celestine, who was born in 1878 and died in 1880; Emma, widow of William Moore, lives with her father and is looking aftet his home, and has one son, William, Jr., and Albert, who is the present superintendent of Wood- lawn Cemetery at Lima. On June 3, 1884, Mr. Baechler married Elizabeth Zurcher, who was also born in Switzerland. She died April 2, 1920, the mother of one son, Christian, who lives at Lima, Ohio. In December, 1910, Christian Baechler married Agnes Reeves, of St. Marys, Ohio, and they have one child, Katheryn E., born November 17, 1914. JOHN HENRY ENSLEN. Nothing happens without a cause. Back of every success there are reasons, whether the world knows them or not. It is often said by the unthinking that it is impossible to understand some men's success, but this is because they are unable to appreciate the reasons which lie back of the fundamental principles of this man's life and effort. Some believe that promotions are merely because of assistance rendered from the outside; others claim that friendship plays a large part in securing a firm foothold on the ladder of success, but the final verdict of the student of men usually is that no man progresses very far unless he has a special fitness for his work; a willingness to give the best of what is in him to it, and a native ability which carries him far in advance of the one who labors simply for the present emoluments. John Henry Enslen, one of the substantial citizens and sole proprietor of the Enslen General Store of Elida, is a man who measures up to the above standards, and has the satisfaction of knowing that his is the largest establishment of its kind in his community. John Henry Enslen was born in Sugar Creek township, Allen county, Ohio, March 20, 1859, a son of John and Mary (Shutt) Enslen, of Pennsylvania Dutch stock, well known as farming people. John Enslen, the paternal grandfather, was born in Germany, from which country he came to the United States in young manhood on a sailing vessel, and after his arrival located in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, from whence he went to Franklin county, Ohio, and there his son John was born in 1811, he being the seventh in a family of eight children. In 1831 the family moved to Allen county and settled in Sugar Creek township, where the grandfather died. The younger John Enslen, father of John Henry Enslen, made Sugar Creek township his home from 1831 until his death, and spent his life as a farmer. There were eight children born to the latter, and of them John Henry Enslen was the third. John Henry Enslen attended the district schools of Sugar Creek township, and then for a year was a student of the Elida High School under Professor S. D. Crites. He then began working for Charles B. Rice of Elida, who was postmaster and agent and telegrapher for the Pennsylvania Railroad, and during the two years he was with him learned something of telegraphy. Mr. Enslen then formed a partnership with George R. Leist, under the caption of Leist & Enslen, and opened a general store at the west end of Main street, Elida, in 1887. For the first three years he had only a third interest, but then acquired a half interest, and in 1892 became the sole proprietor, in that year erecting his present two-story brick building, which he has since occupied. He has been very successful and has a large trade in the crty and throughout the surrounding country for ten miles. Mr. Enslen has invested to a considerable extent in real estate, and is a man of ample means. In 1883 John Henry Enslen was married to Ella Sawmiller, a daughter of Andrew and Catherine (Hilyard) Sawmiller, of Marion township, Allen county. They have two children, namely: Orlo F., who married Gay Baxter, of Elida, in 1914, and they have one child, Emily Maurine; and Cretora, who is at home. Mr. Enslen has always been a Democrat, has been town treasurer two terms, and has served on the town council and the school board. The United Brethren Church holds his membership, and he is high in the councils of his denomination. In every way Mr. Enslen measures up to a high standard of citizenship and richly merits the prosperity which has fallen to his share. B. FRANK THUT, M. D. Allen county has some of the most reliable, efficient and scholarly medical men in this part of the state, and the work they are doing in conserving the health of their communities, as well as serving the sick, no mere words will explain. The results speak in part for themselves, but only future generations will be able to fully appreciate the debt the people of today owe to their medical practitioners. One of these able men is Dr. B. Frank Thut of Elida. Doctor Thut was born at Bluffton, Ohio, September 19, 1873, a son of Peter B. Thut, and grandson of John Thut, who was born in the Canton of Berne, Switzerland. When a young man he came to the United States and located in Holmes county, Ohio, where he became a farmer. He married Christina Bechtol of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he spent a short time, and they had thirteen children, of whom Peter B. Thut was the tenth in order of birth. Peter B. Thut came to Richland township, Allen county, and developed large farming interests before his death, which occurred in 190. He had nine children, eight of whom survive, and of them all Doctor Thut was the fourth. After attending the public schools at New Stark, Ohio, Doctor Thut entered the Ohio Northern University at Ada, Ohio, in 1890, and took an art course. From 1891 until 1899 he was engaged in teaching school in Hardin and Hancock counties, and at the same time taught vocal music. Having in mind the entering of the medical profession he saved his money and entered the Ohio Northern University once more, this time taking the scientific course, and being graduated in it in 1902 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. For one term he was principal of the Ada High School, and then took a scientific course of one year at the Uni- 142 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY versity of Chicago. From 1903 until 1906 he held the chair of science of the Goshen, Indiana, College, and then felt able to carry out his ambitions with reference to his medical career, and was graduated from the medical department of the Toledo, Ohio, University in 190, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. While taking his medical course Doctor Thut taught biology for four years, and in this way helped to defray his expenses. From 1909 until 1910 he was an interne of Lucas Hospital, and then, in February of the latter year, he came to Elida and embarked on a general practice of his profession, which he has since built up to large proportions, his patients coming to him from a radius of fifteen miles. Doctor Thut has other interests outside of his practice and is a director of the Farmers Bank of Elida and a stockholder of the Elida Farmers Equity Elevator Company. In 1899 Doctor Thut was married to Mayme Stutzman, a daughter of Henry and Nancy (Berry) Stutzman, of Hancock county, Ohio. She died in November, 1918, having borne her husband four children, namely: Mary Katheryn, Richard Frank, Robert Paul and Helen Esther. On December 25, 1919, Doctor Thut was married to the sister of his first wife, Salome Stutzman. One son, John Oliver, was born to this union. Doctor Thut is an independent Democrat, and was elected a member of the school board of Elida, which position he is still holding. He belongs to the County, State and National Medical Associations, and is a Fellow of the American Medical Association. The Mennonite Church holds his membership, and he is very active in all of its good work. JEHU MOUNTS JOHN. A partner in ownership and management with his brother Jesse Roberts John in the one hundred eighteen acre farm, part of the old John estate at Elida, Jehu Mounts John has had all his interests and activities identified with that farm and the community, has prospered, and has been a citizen ever responsive to the needs and demands of his community. His parents were Abia and Phoebe Ann (Myers) John, arrd at the time of his birth, in 1865, they were living in a home of simple comforts, a log cabin in Marion township. Much is said in these pages concerning the pioneer John family in Allen county. The old homestead of a hundred eighteen acres is partly within the limits of Elida and in American township. Jehu Mounts John attended the public schools of Elida, and has always had a share in the management of the homestead. He is also a stockholder in the Elida Farmers Equity Exchange Elevator and the Lima Telephone and Telegraph Company. He was elected in 1915 and served one term as a member of the Elida Town Council. Mr. John is a Republican, is affiliated with the Masonic Order at Lima, Elida Lodge of Odd Fellows, and is a member of the Methodist Church. In 1886 he married Carrie Conrad, daughter of Simon and Malinda Conrad, of Elida. Mrs. John died April 2, 1905. JESSE ROBERTS JOHN has not made many moves in his lifetime, and is one of those enviable citizens who find their interests early in life and keep steadily and contentedly in one environment. His home is the old pioneer John farm, part of which is in the limits of the village of Elida. Mr. John was born, September 8, 1869, in a log cabin in Marion township, near the Auglaize River, a son of Abia and Phoebe Ann (Myers) John. He is of Welsh ancestry, and various members of the John family has been prominent in Allen county for practically a century. Jesse R. John attended a country school to the age of nineteen, and left school because of ill health. Since then all his days have been spent on the old homestead, and he and his brother Jehu M. John still own the old place of a hundred eighteen acres. He has been prospered in his life as a farmer, and is a successful and public spirited citizen. Mr. John was elected treasurer of Elida Corporation two terms, in 1917 and 1918. He is chorister of the Elida Methodist Church. He is affiliated with the local lodge of Odd Fellows and votes with the Republican party. In 1907 he married Edith Albers, daughter of Peter and Emma (Tilbury) Albers, of Chicago, Illinois. They have one son, Clark Roberts, born in 1909. OTIS ELIAS DAVIS has been in the undertaking profession at Lima for a quarter of a century, and is member of the Williams & Davis Undertaking Company, owning and operating the largest and best equipped establishment of its kind in Allen county. Mr. Davis was born at Elida, Ohio, March 11, 1876, son of Alvin and Mary Celina (Crites) Davis. The maternal grandparents were Elias and Leanna (Mowery) Crites, natives of Pickaway county. Elias Crites in the early days came by wagon and established a farm half mile north of Elida. Alvin Davis after his marriage settled at Elida and for over thirty years was a successful livestock buyer. He now lives on a farm in Bath township. His wife, Mary Celina, died in 1880, and he afterward married Emma Harris, who is still living. Otis Elias Davis had a public school education at Elida, and at the age of nineteen came to Lima and went to work for J. E. Grosjean, a well known undertaker. He was with the Grosjean establishment six years, when it was sold to Mr. Bennett, and Mr. Davis continued four years with him. He and C. C. Williams then joined forces and organized the present firm of Williams & Davis. June 26, 1900, Mr. Davis married Clara Schlupp, who was born at Newcomerstown, Tuscarawas county, Ohio, daughter of Frank and Elizabeth (Haver) Schlupp, the former a native of Switzerland and the latter of Tuscarawas county. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. He is a Democrat, and fraternally is affiliated with the Masons, Elks, Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America, Loyal Order of Moose and is an active member of the Lima Club and the Rotary club. DUANE HARMON COUNSELLER. It is no unimportant position that Mr. Counseller has achieved for himself in Allen county. He is .a good business man, spent many years at the productive end of farming, has been a dealer and shipper of hay out of Elida for the past twenty-seven years, and lives in that thriving little city. Mr. Counseller was born in Auglaize township on a farm near Westminster at Devil's Backbone in HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 143 1860. His grandfather, William Counseller, was an early settler of Auglaize county, coming from New Jersey. He lived for a number of years near St. Johns in Auglaize county, and was local minister of that community of the Methodist Church. Rev. Elias Counseller, father of Duane Harmon, was born in New Jersey March 15, 1834, the oldest of thirteen children, and was eight years of age when brought to Ohio. Two other brothers, Frank and William, gave up their lives as Union soldiers during the Civil war. Rev. Elias Counseller lived in Auglaize township of Allen county for many years, for thirteen years taught school in this county and in Auglaize county, and was also pastor of the United Brethren Church at Elida. He died at the age of seventy-nine at Elida, on May 23, 1913. On April 8, 1857, he married Elizabeth Shockey, who died in 1911. They were the parents of six children, Duane H. being the second son. Rev. Elias Counsellor Was a faithful minister of the United Brethren Church for over half a century. Duane Harmon Counseller acquired a country school education, spent two terms as a student in the Ohio Northern University at Ada, and his early experiences were in the work of the home farm in Auglaize township and on his grandfather's place of eighty acres. In 1883 he married Lucinda Margaret Kiracofe, daughter of Henry and Delilah (Huffer) Kiracofe, of Elida. They had two daughters, Colona Zaphara, now the wife of Charles W. Baxter, of Marion township, and Zeyla Dawn, who died in 1910, at the age of twenty-three. After his marriage Mr. Counseller went to farming for himself, the first year renting from L. B. Barron a hundred thirty acres in Auglaize township. He then farmed eighty acres of his wife's father's farm of two hundred forty acres near Elida in Marion township. Leaving his native county, Mr. Counseller then removed to Wells county, Indiana, and for eight years handled a farming proposition of eighty acres near the village of Ossian and not far from Fort Wayne. In the fall of 1895 he returned to Allen county and bought his present farm of eighty acres near Elida in Marion township. He still looks after the cultivation of this farm, but since 1910 has lived in Elida. For one year Mr. Counseller has in connection with his farming held the agency for the Delco lighting system for American township, and has been instrumental in introducing into many farm homes that splendid system for lighting and domestic power. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Bank of Elida. Mr. Counseller has the distinction of having owned the first automobile in Elida. He is a Republican, a member of the United Brethren Church, and is affiliated with the Farmers' Mutual Benevolent Association and Order of Gideons. DWIGHT C. McBETH. The record of the subject of this sketch is that of a man who by his own unaided efforts has worked his way from a modest beginning to a position of comfort and influence in his. community. His life has been one of unceasing industry and perseverance, and the systematic and honorable methods he has followed have won him the unbounded confidence of his fellow citizens of Allen county. Dwight C. McBeth is a native of the county now honored by his citizenship, having been born in Shawnee township on the 10th of January, 1891. He is the son of William A. and Aldulia (Reed) McBeth, the former a native of the state of California and the latter born in Shawnee township, Allen county. William A. McBeth was a son of James R. McBeth, who was born and reared in Scotland and who after immigrating to the United States came to Allen county and settled on a farm in Shawnee township. On that farm Dwight C. Mc Beth's parents settled after their marriage, the place being generally known as McBeth's Park, to the cultivation of which he devoted the remaining active years of his life. His death occurred on April 12, 1920, and he is survived by his widow, who still lives on the home farm. They were the parents of the following children, namely: James R., Harry and Dwight C., all of whom live in Lima ; Hazel, a twin sister of Dwight, is now the wife of Russell Tam, of Shawnee township, and Quay, of Lima. Dwight C. McBeth was reared on the parental farmstead and attended the district schools until the age of fifteen years, when he started to learn the jeweler's trade, at which he worked for four years. He then went to Elyria, Ohio, where he was employed about a year in the repair of motorcycles. During the following year he ran a cigar store in Lima, and then went on the road as a motordrome rider with a carnival company, in which he was engaged for about two and a half years. In August, 1917, he and Lewis Quick opened a garage in Lima, engaging in general repair work, and in which they met with splendid success, but on April 1, 1920, they dissolved partnership and Mr. McBeth opened a garage at No. 771 West North street. He is agent for Allen county for the Grant Six automobiles and has been very successful in the sale of these popular cars. He also is well equipped for all kinds of repair work, and enjoys a large and constantly increasing patronage. On October 22, 1912, Mr. McBeth was married to Eva Leffel, who was born near Grove Hill, Paulding county, Ohio, the daughter of Philip and Rebecca (Harruff) Leffel. Both of her parents are natives of Ohio, the father having been born a.t Kossuth and the mother at Spencerville. They now reside at Toledo, Ohio. Mr. McBeth and his wife are the parents of a daughter, Hazel E., born on June 19, 1913. Politically Mr. McBeth maintains an independent attitude, voting according to the dictates of his own judgment. Fraternally he is a member of Lodge No. 54, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, at Lima. The record of testimony in Lima is ample that he is a good citizen in the full sense of the term, and well worthy of the confidence and esteem accorded him by the people generally. FRANCIS EMANUEL HARMAN. It would be difficult to imagine a better known business or a better known business man in Allen county than the F. E. Harman Company and its proprietor and owner at Lima. The largest furniture and house furnishing establishment in the county, the head of the business has been dealing with the people of this district for more than forty years, always on terms of commercial integrity and the finest personal honesty. Mr. Harman was born at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 7, 1857, and is of Scotch-Irish ancestry. The founder of the family came from the north of Ireland, and in colonial times located in Pennsylvania. William Harman, father of the Lima mer- 144 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY chant, was taken at the age of nine years to Philadelphia by his mother. He was the oldest of five children. His mother possessed some means and carefully reared her children. William Harman became a merchant, and is still living at the venerable age of ninety years. His first wife, Elizabeth Warren, died when her son Francis was a small child. William Harman married for his second wife Fannie Carpenter, of Auburn, New York, a daughter of Henry Carpenter. She died in 1917. The second oldest of his father's five children, Francis Emanuel Harman attended the public schools of Lima, the family having come to this Ohio city in 1869. His education was complete so far as family circumstances would justify at the age of sixteen, and he at once sought an opportunity to make himself useful. For three years he was a clerk in the local Pennsylvania freight office, and then entered upon terms of apprenticeship to learn the trade of tinner with J. R. Hughes. The arrangement, covering three years, was that he should receive a dollar a week and board the first year, two dollars a week and board the second year and three dollars the third year. He learned the trade and the business as well, and for six years Mr. Hughes conferred upon him responsibilities far in advance of his years by making him manager of the stove and house furnishing store and tin shop. In 1886 he bought a partnership, the firm name becoming Hughes & Harman. For three years his firm was located in the Union Block on the Public Square. Mr. Harman then sold out to his partner, and with his brotherin-law, F. M. Bell, established a house furnishing business of his own at 213 North Main street, under the name Harman & Bell. They opened their store March 2, 1889, and were associated as a firm until 1894, when Mr. Harman became sole owner, continuing the business under his individual name. September 1, 1913, he erected a modern business building known as the Harman Building at Market and Elizabeth streets, and the business title is now F. E. Harman Company. There are twenty-eight employes in this model establishment, and besides the local trade the house does business with patrons a hundred miles away. Mr. Harman has many other business and civic interests. He is one of the original stockholders and directors of the Old National Bank of Lima. He is a member of the Lima Club, Chamber of Commerce, Merchants' Association, Presbyterian Church, Lima Lodge No. 585 of Masons and politically is a Republican. In 1883 he married Miss Clara M. Bell, daughter of William and Lutresa (Cretcher) Bell, of Lima. FRANCIS P. O'CONNOR is president of the O'Connor-McCune Company, one of the oldest general insurance concerns, in Ohio. The business was started fifty-five years ago by Mr. O'Connor's grandfather, and members of three generations of the family have sustained and fostered it. For many years the business was entirely in the O'Connor name, the present corporation being of recent origin. Francis P. O'Connor was born at Lima September 19, 1892, son of Daniel F. and Anna (Welsh) O'Connor. His grandfather, John O'Connor, was born in Limerick, Ireland, November 27, 1835, a son of Patrick and Margaret (McCoy) O'Connor. In 1847 the family came to America and opened a clearing in the woods near Lima. John O'Connor was then twelve years of age. His first important connection with the town was as foreman in the shops of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway, but in 1865 he engaged in the insurance business, subsequently taking in his sons as partners, as John O'Connor Sons Company. John O'Connor died in 1900, and left a name and record as one of the notable men of Allen county. For a long period of years he was a member of the City Council, president two terms, was an active Democrat, and a member of St. Rose Catholic Church. On May 29, 1858, he married Sarah O'Connell, who was born south of Lima May 6, 1838. She died in 1908, the mother of a large family of children. Daniel F. O'Connor was born at Lima August 14, 1865, and was liberally educated in Assumption College in Ontario and Notre Dame University at South Bend. From the time he left college until his death he was in the general insurance business, he and his brother John S. being associated with their father, and after his death as the O'Connor Brothers Company, and upon the death of John S. O'Connor Daniel continued the business alone until he passed away November 23, 1915. For many years the company were general agents for the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. Daniel O'Connor enjoyed a place of peculiar esteem in Lima not only for his good business ability, but for his good citizenship and genial character. He was a director of the Chamber of Commerce, and active in a number of social and civic organizations. He married Miss Anna Welsh, who survives him, and was the mother of eleven children. The oldest of the four sons is Francis P. O'Connor, who after finishing his education in the parochial schools entered his father's office in 1910, at the age of eighteen, and sometime before his father's death had the chief responsibilities of management. In 1918 he merged the old family business with that of C. J. McCune, and in 1919 the O'Connor-McCune Company was incorporated with Mr. O'Connor as president and Christopher McCune vice president and treasurer, the secretary of the company being Miss Helen L. O'Connor, a sister of Francis. Francis O'Connor is a stockholder in a number of other companies, including the Garford Motor Truck Company and the Lima Telegraph & Telephone Company. He is an independent Democrat a member of the Knights of Columbus, Elks, Lima Club, Chamber of Commerce, Merchants' Association, Kiwanis Club, and, like his grandfather, father and other members of the O'Connor family, is a sustain. ing member of St. Rose's Catholic Church. In 1917 he married Carolyn F. Prophet, daughter of Herbert and Matilda (Hoover) Prophet, of Lima. They have one daughter, Jean Annie. ALLEN PATTERSON. The true measure of individual success is determined by what one has accomplished, and, as taken in contradistinction to the old adage that a prophet is not without honor save in his own country, there is a particular interest attached to the career of the subject of this review, since he is a native son of Allen county, where the major portion of his life has been passed, and he has so directed his ability and efforts as to gain recognition as one of the representative citizens of the vicinity, being a worthy scion of one of our sterling families. Allen Patterson was born in Jackson township, Allen county, on June 15, 1862, and is a son of HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 145 Robert A. and Margaret (Guthrie) Patterson, who were natives of Hillsboro, Highland county, Ohio. The paternal grandfather, John Patterson, was born in Ireland, whence he immigrated to the United States early in the nineteenth century. The maternal grandparents, Robert and Margaret (Murray) Guthrie, were natives of Highland county, Ohio. After their marriage Robert A. and Margaret Patterson came to Allen county, settling on a farm in Jackson township, where they resided about five years, at the end of that period moving to a farm near Dunkirk, Hardin county, where they spent the remainder of their lives, both being now deceased. Allen Patterson received a good practical education in the common schools, which he supplemented by taking a commercial course in the college at Ada, Ohio. On attaining maturity he engaged in road construction work, which engaged his attention for thirty-two years, mostly in Ohio, and in which he not only gained valuable experience, but also won a splendid reputation because of the high character of his work. After his marriage, which occurred in 1889, Mr. Patterson resided in Ada. Ohio. where he conducted a stone quarry until May 1, 1902. when he returned to Lima, acquiring the ownership of a stone quarry in Bath township, the business being conducted under the name of Patterson Brothers & Company. In 1905 this partnership was dissolved and Mr. Patterson organized the Bluffton Stone Company in 1906. He was the first president and manager, but the present officers are Joseph Patterson, president ; E. T. Paul, vice president, and Allen Patterson, secretary, treasurer and manager. The offices of the company are in Lima. They operate six quaries, three in the vicinity of Lima, two at Lewisburg, Ohio, and one at Lafayette, Indiana. The matetial is used for railroad ballast, county and township roads and cement and lime mills. Their two plants at Lewisburg run about eighty per cent with rock for cement plants, for the refining of sugar at various plants, and fluxing stone for rolling mills. For six consecutive years this company has furnished all the ballast for seven hundred miles of railroad tracks. They employ about two hundred men in the various locations of their work and are enjoying a wonderful degree of prosperity. On August 12, 1889, Allen Patterson was married to Luella Pugh, who was born in Hardin county, Ohio, the daughter of Henry and Catherine (Huila, barger) Pugh, of Hardin county. To Mr. and Mrs. Patterson have been born three children, Gladys, the wife of Ross Pepple, of Lima, and Agnes and Sly, who are at home. Mr. and Mrs. Patterson are members of the Church of Christ, and in his political views Mr. Patterson is a Democrat. Fraternally he is a member of Lodge No. 54, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, at Lima. He is deeply interested in everything pertaining to the good roads movement and is a member of the Oard of Directors of the Ohio Good Roads Federation, as well as chairman of the executive committee of the Ohio Macadam Association. While he has carried on a special line of business in such a manner as to gain a comfortable competency for himself, he also belongs to that class of representative citizens promote the public welfare while advancing individual success. He possesses to a marked degree those sterling traits of character which command public regard, and he is deservedly well liked in all the circles in which he moves. Vol. II-10  JOSEPH BENTLEY CORDERMAN. It id always pleasant and profitable to contemplate the career of a man who has made a success of life and won the honor and respect of his fellow citizens. Such is the record of the well-known gentleman whose name heads this sketch, than whom a more whole-souled or popular man it would be difficult to find in the community with which he is identified. Joseph B. Corderman was born in Washington township, Van Wert county, Ohio, in 1879, and is one of seven children born to John A. and Elizabeth (Light) Corderman. On the paternal side Mr. Corderman is of Pennsylvania Dutch stock, while on the maternal side he is of English descent. His paternal grandfather, Lewis Corderman, was a native of Perry County, Ohio, and was a wagon-maker by trade. Mr. Corderman's mother, who was a full cousin of Francis Scott Key, author of "The Star-Spangled Banner," was barn at Washington, D. C., and when seven years old moved with her parents to Champaign county, Ohio. Her death occurred in 1903. Mr. Corderman's father is now retired from active business pursuits and lives in Van Wert county. Joseph B. Corderman attended the district schools of his native community until fifteen years of age. From sixteen to twenty years of age he devoted himself to farm work on shares. He then went to work in the E. H. France & Son stone quarry at Middle- point, Ohio, where he operated a steam shovel. He then was engaged in construction work on the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad. When twenty-one years of age Mr. Corderman came to Lima and went to work in the shops of the Lake Erie Railroad as machinist's helper. In June, 1901, he was made yard foreman, serving as such until July 7, 1903, when he entered the employ of the Lima Street Railway Company as a motorman, working on the city lines from 1903 to 1905. He then went on the interurban service of the Ohio Electric Railway, Fort Wayne division, as a motorman, being so employed until February 1, 1907, when he was made night foreman of the Lima shops. On April 1, 1908, he was made day foreman of these shops, and is still occupying that responsible position. He has immediate charge of fifty men and is handling the multitudinous duties of his position with an ability and tact that has gained for him the commendation of his superiors and the respect of those under him. He has been wisely economical of his resources and has made a number of real estate and other investments in Lima and vicinity. In 1900 Mr. Corderman was married to Margaret Alspaugh, the daughter of Charles and Barbara (McCabe) Alspaugh, of Van Wert county. Ohio, and they are the parents of two children, J. Warren and Margaret Odelia. Mr. and Mrs. Corderman are members of the United Brethren Church. Politically Mr. Corderman gives his support to the Republican party, and he sustains fraternal relations with the Independent Order of Foresters. Though a man of unpretentious demeanor, he possesses those qualities which attract men to him and the tact and power to command their co-operation and retain their confidence and good will. Because of his public spirited attitude toward the advancement of the community and his intelligent interest in the welfare of those about him he occupies an enviable position in public esteem. 146 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY WARREN JOHN MCLAUGHLIN was born in Oil City, Pennsylvania, on the 5th day of November, 1879, and is the son of Thomas A. and Ella G. (Gray) McLaughlin, the former of whom was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the latter in New York city. Thomas A. McLaughlin was a prominent factor in the oil interests of western Pennsylvania for many years, and was the first president of the Oil Exchange at Oil City. In 1886 he came to Lima, Ohio, as chief purchasing agent for the Standard Oil Company, and remained a resident of this city up to the time of his death, which occurred in February, 1917. He is survived by his widow, who lives in Lima. They were the parents of the following children : Warren J., the immediate subject of this sketch; Thomas I)., of Lima, and Laura, the wife of Dr. Carl Swan, of Lima. Warren J. McLaughlin was about seven years of age when his parents brought their family to Lima, and here he received his elementary education in the public schools, graduating from the Lima High School. He then attended Lima College, after which he entered Hamilton College at Clinton, New York, where he was graduated in 1901, with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts. Having determined to devote his life to the practice of law, Mr. McLaughlin then entered the law department of Columbia University at New York city, where he was graduated in 1904, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. Immediately thereafter he returned to Lima and entered upon the practice of his profession. He served one term as city solicitor of Lima, and also served as special counsel under Attorney General Joseph McGee. On October 1, 1918, Mr. McLaughlin entered the athletic department of the Young Men's Christian Association for special war work, and was assigned to the Three Hundred and Seventeenth Regiment of the Eightieth Division. In November he went to France with his regiment, and there had complete charge of entertainments, educational and canteen work and athletics. The value of the work accomplished with the American Expeditionary Forces by the Young Men's Christian Association in its several phases of work cannot be overestimated and was a most important factor in maintaining the morale of the American soldiers. Mr. McLaughlin continued his work with the regiment during his entire absence, and returned to the United States with that command in June, 1919. Returning to Lima he accepted the position of general manager with the Reliance Life insurance Company of Pittsburgh with Northwest Ohio as his territory.; In November, 1907, Mr. McLaughlin was married to Edith King, who was born in Buffalo, New York, the daughter of William and Margaret (Shaffer) King, the former a native of New York and the latter of Pennsylvania. They have two children, Nancy and Betty. Politically Mr. McLaughlin gives his support to the Democratic party, and has taken an active part in local political affairs, having served as chief deputy of the Board of Elections and as chairman of the County Executive Committee of his party. Religiously he is a member of the Presbyterian Church, of which he was a trustee, and was superintendent of the Sunday School. Fraternally he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, belonging to the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Council. and is a member of Lodge No. 54, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of Lima. He is a member of the Lima Club and the Country Club, and served as secret,- of the latter for a number of years. Mr. McLaughlin has always been keenly and actively interested in many branches of athletic sports, having for a number of years held the state championship in tennis, has held championships in golf and stands high other forms of athletics. Personally he is affable and popular with all classes, and always stands ready to lend his support to every movement for the advancement of the general welfare. FRANK H. CREPS, of Lima, is a Son of William W. and Sarah Ann (Biddings) Creps. He was born in October, 1860, at Westminster, and his parents were both born there. The paternal grandparents, Alexander and Rebecca ('Moss) Creps, were Pennsylvanians. They came early to Allen county and secured 1,600 acres of land in the vicinity of Westminster. They were the first to engage in business at Westminster. W. W. Creps, father of Frank H. lived on a farm of 400 acres near Westminster until 1905, when they moved to town. The mother died in 1913, and he died in 1919, having always lived in the vicinity of Westminster. The children of W. W. Creps are: Frank H., Rufus, of Allen county; Charles C., of Lima; Mrs. Lillie Shockey, of Toledo ; George A., of Lima; Roy and Ivan, of Westminster, and Mrs. Cora Miller, of Tulsa, Oklahoma. They all had common school educations, and Frank H. Creps worked on his father's farm until he was twenty-one years old, when he pumped oil for several years in the oil fields of Allen county. In 1902 he came to Lima and worked as a carpenter until 1908, when he went into the Smith and Sherrick Mill as a door and sash man. He still holds that position with the company. In October, 1883, Mr. Creps married Eva Call, of Yodes, Ohio. Their children are : Leo, wife of E. L. Lindesmith, of the Lima Overland Company; and Clark, of El Paso, Texas, superintendent cf the Trupson Steel Company. He was on the Mexican border, returning to Lima March 21, 1917, and on August 25 he became Commander of Company C, Thirty-seventh Army Division and sailed for France, remaining until after the armistice, and he was in many of the hardest battles. Although he had been promoted to major he was transferred to another division and reached home in April, 1919, giving him considerable military experience in three years. Mr. and Mrs. Creps are members of the Church of Christ, and she is a district secretary of the C. W. B. M., and she has charge of the organization of the Mizpah Mission. She is a member of the Allen County Sunday School Board and a tireless worker in the church and Sunday School. While the war was going on she was an organizer in the Allen County Branch of the American Red Cross. Mr. Creps is independent in his political affiliations. He is a member of the M. W. A., and much interested in the social as well as business welfare of Allen county. FRANK H. DOWNING, a prominent Lima lawyer, represents one of the pioneer families of Monroe township in Allen county. His grandparents, Adam and Sarah (Laughlin) Downing, were natives of Stark county, Ohio, and left that comparatively well settled community to establish a new home in Allen county, driving over- HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 147 land and cutting their way through the woods to reach their land in Monroe township. Adam Downing acquired a section and a half of wild timber land, and cleared and improved a portion of it during his lifetime. The maternal grandparents of the Lima lawyer were Hugh and Jane Hughes, natives of Wales, who after their marriage came to America and settled in Putnam county, Ohio They lived with Indians as neighbors and got their flour from Upper Sandusky. About 1835, while he was on his way to the grist mill, he was attacked by Indians with the purpose of robbing him of his meal, but assistance arrived fortunately in time to drive the marauders away. Frank H. Downing was born on the old homestead in Monroe township July 27, 1870, son of Hugh L. and Mary Ann (Hughes) Downing. His father was born in Stark county in 1833 and his mother in Putnam county. After their marriage they settled on eighty acres of the old homestead, where the mother died in 1881. He continued to keep house there five years and then removed to Columbus Grove and died in 1908, at the age of seventy-six. Frank H. Downing is the oldest of three children. At the age of sixteen he taught a term of district school and for eight years that was his regular occupation. For two years of that time he was connected with the schools of Pandora. Mr. Downing was admitted to the bar October 17, 1899, and has been in practice at Lima for over twenty years. He is a partner of Benjamin Welty, and they have one of the oldest law partnerships in Allen county. Mr. Downing completed his education in the Ohio Northern University at Ada. For four years he served as president of the Lima Civil Service Commission, and is still a member. He was chairman of the Allen County Executive Committee and for twenty years has been a delegate to nearly every Republican State Convention. He is affiliated with Lima Lodge of Elks and has filled various offices in that order. In August, 1908, he married Mau.d M. McQuirk, of Michigan. They have one son, Franklin Judd, at home. CHARLES H. CORY. It is a well authenticated fact that success comes as the result of legitimate and well applied energy, unflagging determination and perseverance in a course of action wh(n once decided upon. In tracing the history of the influential business man and representative citizen whose name introduces this sketch it is plainly seen that the prosperity which he enjoys has been won by commendable qualities, and it is also his personal worth that has gained for him the high esteem of those who know him. Charles H. Cory, than whom no one stands in higher general esteem in the city of Lima, was horn in Morris county, New Jersey, on December 26, 1839, and is the son of James and Susan (Mulford) Cory, who also were natives of Morris county. On the paternal side he is of Scotch forebears, his ancestors having moved from that country to England, whence they immigrated to America. The Mulfords were of English descent. Both of Mr. Corv's grandfathers were soldiers for the colonies in the War of the Revolution, and Great-grandfather Axtell, father-in-law of Grandfather Cory, was a major in that struggle. James Cory was born in January, 1801, and was killed by accident on February. 6, 1880. He was survived by his widow, who was born in December, 1801, and whose death occurred in 1898. Charles H. Cory attended the common schools of his native state until the age of sixteen years, when he was apprenticed to learn the trade of locomotive machinist at Paterson, New Jersey, remaining there until he attained his majority. During the first year he received the wages of one dollar and a half per week, with which he boarded and clothed himself ; the second year he received two dollars, the third year two dollars and a half and three dollars a week for the remainder of his apprenticeship. He then worked for three and a half dollars a week, this being later increased to nine shillings, or about one dollar twelve and a half cents, per day, for about six months. These figures are in marked contrast to wages paid at the present time for the most humble service. After working in an engine repair shop for about a year Mr. Cory went to Centralia, Illinois, where he was employed as machinist, later becoming gang foreman and finally being promoted to division master mechanic. During a part of this period he was also located in Cairo, Illinois. In 1863 Mr. Cory entered the Government employ and was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland at Nashville, Tennessee. At the close of the Civil war he returned to Centralia, Illinois, and was again made foreman of machinists, later being appointed division master mechanic and transferred to Champaign, Illinois. He remained with the Illinois Central Railroad for sixteen years, and also served in various capacities with other railroads in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. Then for four years he was with the Boston, Hoosic Tunnel and Western Railroad at Saratoga, New York, and in the fall of 1886 he came to Lima, Ohio, as superintendent of motive power of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad, which position he retained until 1907, when he retired from railroad work and has since confined his attention to his private business interests. He is a stockholder in a number of important business enterprises in Lima and has been an active factor in the commercial development and prosperity of the community for many years. He is president of the Lima Home and Savings Association, having held this position since 1913, and five years previous was vice president; is a director of the Lima Telephone Company, a director in the Crystal Ice and Coal Company, and president of the Metropolitan Bank, of which he was one of the founders: He was one of the original trustees of the Lima City Hospital, serving in that capacity until 1919, when he resigned and he also served several years as a trustee of Woodlawn Cemetery. On March 17, 1869, Mr. Cory was married to Mary L. Young, who was born in New York state, the daughter R.,L. Young. To Mr. and Mrs. Cory have been born the following children: Charles H., who remains at home; Fred, of Lima ; Lewis, who died at the age of forty years ; Caroline. the wife of M. C. Purtscher, of Lima ; and James M., of Lima. Politically Mr. Cory has been a life long supporter of the Republican party, while his fraternal relations are with the Free and Accepted Masons. He and his family are members of the Presbyterian Church, of which society he served as trustee for a number of years. In all that constitutes true manhood and good citizenship he is a notable example, his career having been characterized by duty faithfully performed, and by industry, thrift and wisely 148 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY directed effort. He is a public spirited, unassuming, conservative, genteel gentlemen whom to know is to respect and admire. CHARLES ELLIOTT JOHN. Until he retired about a year ago Charles Elliott John was widely known over northwestern Ohio as a grain merchant and elevator proprietor, and for years the firm of John Brothers handled much of the grain raised locally and shipped to market. Mr. John represents one of the very old families of Allen county. He was born in Elida October 17, 1866. His present comfortable home occupies the site of his birthplace. He is of Welsh stock and of people who for several generations were affiliated with the Quaker Church. His parents were Jesse Jones and Mary (Roush) John. His great-great-grandfather, John Griffith, came from Wales and changed his name to Griffith John. He settled at Shamokin Pennsylvania. His descendants subsequently became widely scattered. Mr. John's grandfather was also named Griffith John, and from the vicinity of Philadelphia came west to Ross county, Ohio, and subsequently to Allen county. He was a Government surveyor, and did some work as a surveyor in northwestern Ohio as early as 1820. He became a farmer in German township of Allen county, and lived there until his death in 1855, at the age of fifty-nine. His wife was Rachel Miller, and she died in 1860. Their daughter Martha, who afterward married a Mr. Crites was the first white child born in German township, now known as American township. Altogether they had four sons and eight daughters, the sons becoming farmers. The youngest of them, Jehu, was a Union soldier and lost his life in the battle of Kenesaw Mountain. Jessie Jones John, the second son in his father's family, spent his entire life as a farmer and owned two hundred acres here and in Elida. He was the father of fourteen children, and thirteen of them are still living, the youngest past forty years of age. Charles Elliott John attended the public schools of Elida to the age of nineteen, and in the meantime had much training in the work of the home farm. He continued to busy himeslf with farming occupations at home until 1895, when at the time of the great oil boom in this section he became a stockholder in the Elida. Oil Company, and did much of the practical work of the oil fields, being a pumper and employed in other capacities. Mr. John continued active in the various phases of the oil industry until 1910, in which year he bought the local grain elevator at Lafayette, Ohio. He joined his brother Jehu E., and they continued the business under the name of John Brothers until 1919. He also owned and operated the elevator at Beaverdam until July, 1920, since which date he has lieen practically retired, looking after his private affairs. In 1888 he married Miss Anna Kiracofe, daughter of Robert and Miorgaret (Thomas) Kiracofe, of German township. Three children were born to their marriage. The first two, twins, are Otis Ray and Odessa Fae. The son lives at Lima and by his marriage to Frances Swisher has four sons. Odessa is the wife of Frank Sherrick, of Beaver Dam, and has a son, Charles John Sherrick. Mr. John's third child is Mary Margaret, still attending school. In Politics he has always given his vigorous support to the Republican candidates and principles. At different times he has given service as a member of the School Board, is affiliated with the Masonic Lodge at Lafayette, charter member of the Elida Lodge of Odd Fellows, and is a member of the Methodist Church. FRANK ADELBERT BUNDY. It is a pleasure to investigate the career of a successful, self-made man. Peculiar honor attaches to that individual who, beginning the great struggle of life unaided, gradually overcomes unfavorable environment, removes one by one the obstacles from the pathway of success and by the master strokes of his own vitality and force succeeds in forging his way to the front and winning for himself a place of esteem and influence among his fellow men. Such is the record of the popular citizen of Lima to a brief synopsis of whose life and character the following lines are devoted. Frank Adelbert Bundy, who holds the responsible position of master mechanic of the Ohio Electric Railway, with headquarters at Lima, Ohio, was born in Tioga county, Pennsylvania, on December 28,1861 and is the son of Charles and Mary Louisa (Sickles) Bundy, through whom he inherited a mixture of German, English, French and Pennsylvania Dutch blood. In his early youth the family moved to Indiana, and in the public schools of Dekalb county he secured his education, graduating from the high school at Auburn in 1881. For five years he engaged in teaching country schools in Dekalb and Steuben Counties, the remainder of his time during that period being spent on his father's farm. He then entered the employ of the Chicago City Railway Company as a mechanic, and remained with that company for sixteen years, rising by successive promotions to the position of master mechanic. This result was not attained by outside influence or fortuitous circumstances, but was the honest reward of diligence, faithfulness and efficiency on his part, for during these years he had been a constant student of the mechanical problems of electric transportation systems and had become an expert in his detailed knowledge of the solution of these problems. Mr. Bundy's next employment was with the Wells & French Company, Chicago, with whom he remained three years as superintendent of car shop construction. He then was with the Peckham Truck Company and also the Sprague Electric Company, and while with the latter company he installed all the electrical equipment of the Southside Elevated Railway, entailing about two years of labor. In 1904 he came to Lima and became master mechanic and superintendent of city lines of the Lima Street Railway Company, serving as such until 1907, when he was made master mechanic of the Fort Wayne- Lima and Toledo-Lima divisions of the Ohio Electric Railway, a position which he still holds, discharging his duties in a manner which has earned for him the commendation of his superior officials. On March 26, 1885, Mr. Bundy was married to Lina C. Ode, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. August Ode, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and they are the parents of three children, namely : Gertrude, who became the wife of Gonter Hughes of Lima, August 14, 1912, died in August, 1913, at the age of twenty-six years ; Edna Lucile Bundy, who married November 25, 1920, Dr. W. W. Horst, Globe, Arizona ; and Gladys Bertha. Bundy, who married November 14, 1912, Glen Pletcher, of Lima, and to them two children have been born, Carolyn Lucile and Donald Frank. Politically Mr. Bundy has been a life long HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY - 149 supporter of the Republican party, while his religious faith is that of the Congregational Church, of which he is a deacon and superintendent of the Sunday School. He is a member of the Rotary Club and of the Lima Chamber of Commerce. He is a man of pleasing personality, possessing those characteristics which beget esteem, confidence and friendship, and none can fail to have an appreciation of his accomplishments at a time when such powers as his have been at a permium. FRANK E. WILLIAMS, foreman of the shipping department of the Garford Motor Truck Company, and veteran of the great war, is one of the alert young men of Lima, and one who is held in the highest esteem by his fellow citizens. He was born at Lima August 20, 1897, a son of John and Mollie (Findley) Williams, natives of Lima and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, respectively. At present John Williams is occupying his time in overseeing his real estate at Lima, and is a man of large means and considerable civic importance. Growing up in his native city, Frank E. Williams attended its grade and high schools and the Lima nosiness College. When he was only fifteen years of age he began working by the month on farms during he school vacations, and when he was seventeen he ommenced as an employe of the Lima Locomotive Works, going from there to the Ohio Steel Foundry, where he remained for eight months. It was while thus working that he realized the need for a regular commercial training and took his business college course, and following its termination he secured employment as a general foreman's clerk at the offices of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad. After three months, in November, 1915, he came to the Gaylord Motor Truck Company as clerk, and for a period of two years faithfully discharged the duties of that position and was in line for promotion when. With so many of his countrymen, he went into the Army. He enlisted in the field ordnance branch of the service and was assigned to the Thirty-seventh Division and trained at Camp Upton, Long Island. Sailing for England, his organization was landed at Southampton, and after a week there crossed to Havre, France. After being in camp for four weeks they were sent to Saint Gaudens for two weeks and then were participants in the Saint Mihiel offensive and that of Verdun. After a fourteen days campaign at Verdun they went to Metz and spent another fortnight, and were then at Vigneulles for three weeks. The organization was under fire in a number of hotly contested assaults and spent a month at Bar-le-Duc. Following the signing of the armistice Mr. Williams was selected as a member of the Army of Occupation, and finally was sent to Brest, France, from where he sailed on March 12, 1919; for the United States, landing at Newport News, Virginia, March 24, 1919. He was mustered out of the service and returned to Ohio, and after being at Cleveland and Akron was finally honorably discharged April 10, 1919, as a first class private. Returning to Lima, he resumed work with his old company, and received his promotion to his present position in March, 1920. On November 26, 1919, Mr. Williams was married to Jeannette Werst, born in Auglaize county, Ohio, a daughter of George and Mary (Fryer) Werst, also born in Auglaize county. Mr. Williams; belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church. He is a member of the local post of the American Legion, of which he is now serving as assistant adjutant, and also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge No. 54. The Garford Motor Truck Company is one of the leading concerns of its line in Allen county, and the men at its head are among the sound business men of this region. They are E. A. Williams president; John Zacharias, assistant to the president; D. B. McPheron, superintendent; and O. M. Binkley, assistant superintendent. Mr. Williams has quietly resumed his usual duties following his discharge from the service, but it is safe to say that all of his after life will be tinged with the effects of his military experience. No man can fail to hold very dear to his heart what he has risked his life to save, and not one of the young Americans who wore their country's uniform during the great war will ever fail to live up to the highest conception of patriotism. This realization on the part of the returned soldiers of what their country and flag really mean to them is one of the beneficial results of what at the time appeared almost in the light of a calamity. The periods of greatest development and civic and national enthusiasm have always followed a war, and judging the present by the light of the past the next decade is going to show a wonderful advance along every line, and it is going to be made by these veterans of the mightiest conflict the world has ever known. IRA E. COON. Among the substantial agriculturists of Allen county there are many who confine themselves to a particular department of farm work, feeling that in centralizing their efforts in this manner that they achieve better results. Following this inclination toward specialization, Ira E. Coon, of Amanda township, is devoting himself chiefly to the breeding of registered Guernsey cattle, a field of endeavor in which he has won success and reputation. Mr. Coon was born in Amanda township, Allen county, October 1, 1882, a son of Isaac and Sarah L. (Cobb) Coon, natives of Pennsylvania, the former of whom came to Allen county as a child of three years. Both families located in Shawnee township, where the children were educated in the public schools, and following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Coon settled on a forty-acre tract of land in Amanda township which Mr. Coon had entered and later increased his land possession to the extent of six hundred acres. There the father continued to be - engaged in successful farming operations with the exception of the time that he spent as a soldier in an Ohio Infantry regiment during the Civil war, in which he enlisted in 1862, was wounded, and served until the close of the struggle. He died December 27, 1901. He was a Republican, although he never filled office, belonged to Armstrong Post, G. A. R., of Lima, and he and his wife were faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which Mrs. Coon was an active worker. The father, born March 10, 1829, attained advanced years, while the mother was born September 5, 1843. By his first marriage Mr. Coon had three children, of whom one is living: M. L., of Lima. There were six children born to the second marriage, of whom five are living: S. S., deceased ; Oren F., a farmer of Amanda township ; Albert O., of Amanda township, who married Mary Sunderland ; Charles H., of Shawnee township ;