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United Brethren Church at Delphos, and he is one of the church trustees and a Sunday school worker. He is a trustee and for two years was treasurer of the Riverside Grange. Politically he is a democrat. Besides his farm interests he is a stockholder in the Delphos Equity Exchange and in the Delphos Rubber Company.
WILLIAM DAUCH is widely known as one of the honored citizens of Delphos. He has lived here for a number of years and is prominently identified with the commercial interests of his community. His well directed efforts in the practical affairs of life, his capable management of his business interests and his sound judgment have gained for him prosperity, and in all the relations of life he has commanded the respect and confidence of those with whom he has been brought into contact.
William Dauch, superintendent of the Hinde & Dauch Paper Company's plant at Delphos, was born in Erie County, Ohio, November 27, 1872, the son of Philip and Mary (Klotz) Dauch. His father was born in Murgentine, Germany, whence he came to the United States and settled in Erie County, Ohio, where he became the owner of and operated a brew. ery. Later he turned his attention to farming, to which he devoted his time during the remainder of his life, his death occurring in Erie County. He was a member of the Druids, and in his political views was a republican. The mother was also born in Germany, and at the age of eighteen months was brought by her parents to the United States, the family settling in Springfield, Clark County, Ohio, where she was reared and educated. She survives her husband and is now living in Erie County. To Philip and Mary Dauch were born eight children, seven of whom are living, namely : Emma, the wife of Emmett Kelley ; Gustavus, of Erie County ; Regina, the wife of William Hattzhauser ; Louise, the wife of William Goodsite; Theo, of Erie County; William, the subject of this review ; and Martha, the widow of Henry LaFavre.
William Dauch was reared on his father's farm, and secured a good practical education in the district schools. He remained at home until he had attained his majority, when he took up farming on his own account, following that vocation until 1900. In 1886 J. J. Dauch and Mr. Hinde leased a paper mill at Sandusky, Ohio, with which to work up their surplus straw. They managed the propostion so judiciously that eventually they bought the plant, and Mr. Dauch accumulated his wealth at the business. William Dauch became a stockholder and superintendent of the paper mill here, of which he is now one of the directors. The present officers of the company are: Sidney Frohman, president ; C. B. Lockwood, vice president; Fred Emmons, secretary; R. K. Ramsey, treasurer, and these gentlemen also compose the directorate with the following members : William Dauch, M. H. Merch, Joseph Crons and George Little. Mr. Dauch has devoted himself indefatigably to the building up of the business of this company, which is now one of the prosperous and substantial enterprises of this community.
William Dauch is also a member of other business enterprises, being a stockholder in the Dauch Coal Company, which is owned by E. E. Truesdale and himself ; a stockholder in the Automatic Steam and Gas Engine Company of Buffalo, New York ; a stockholder in the Flint Coal Company of Vinton County, Ohio, and in Van Wert coal properties; a stockholder in the Riverside Orchard Company at Payette, Idaho, of which he is the president; and a stockholder in the Rapid Bottle Washer Company. He is also the owner of excellent farm land in Auglaize Township, Allen County. Politically he is an earnest supporter of the republican party. He is a man of excellent business judgment and energetic habits, devoting himself with untiring zeal to whatever he has in hand. Because of his success and his fine personal characteristics he is deservedly popular in the circle in which he moves.
EMANUEL A. LONG. The farmers of Allen County are as a class prosperous and contented, living independently upon their well-tilled and fertile acres which their energy has developed to a high state of productiveness. One who has been more than usually successful in his undertakings is Emanuel A. Long, whose fine properly is located in Jackson Township, two and one-half miles east of Lafayette. Mr. Long has been a life-long resident of this locality, having been born in Jackson Township August 22, 1865, a son of John T. and Barbara (Long) Long.
The parents of Mr. Long were born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, where they were reared and educated, and following their marriage lived on a farm there in Hemfield Township until their removal in 1854 to Allen County, on August 20 of which year they settled on a farm in Jackson Township. There they passed the remainder of their lives in the peaceful pursuits of the soil, winning material success and personal respect and confidence. They were devout members of the Reformed Church, and in politics Mr. Long was a democrat. There were ten children in the family, of which number six are living: Mary, the widow of John F. Shuffer; Michael, who is engaged in farming operations in Jackson Township ; Lizzie A., the wife of John Rhodes, a farmer of Allen County; Jonas, who is engaged in farming in Hardin County, Ohio ; Tobias, who carries on farming in Jackson Township; and Emanuel A.
Emanuel A. Long acquired his educational training in the district schools in Jackson Township, and was reared to agricultural pursuits under his father's preceptorship on the home place, on which he made his home until he reached the age of twenty-seven years. In 1892 he was united in marriage with Miss Nora Guyton, who was born in Auglaize Township, Allen County, in 1874, and following their union they located on the Long farm, where they spent several years. Later Mr. Long bought the property on which he now lives, a tract of 187 1/2 acres of valuable and productive soil, on which he has made all the improvements. These consist of substantial buildings, a comfortable, modern and commodious home, and up-to-date improvements of every kind. He devotes himself to general farming and stock raising and has good grades of cattle, hogs, sheep and horses. Mr. Long has the reputation of being a man of sterling business qualities and high integrity, and is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator at Lafayette. He is a member of the Jackson Grange, to which his wife belongs also, and both hold membership in the Reformed Church in Hardin County, in the work of which they have been active and helpful. His fraternal connection is with Jackson Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd
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Fellows, in which he has numerous friends. Mr. Long is a democrat. He stands high in the confidence of his fellow-citizens, and on several occasions has been called upon to discharge the duties of offices of trust and responsibility, having accepted the positions of township trustee two terms and township supervisor, in which he served his community capably and conscientiously.
To Mr. and Mrs. Long there have been born eleven children, of whom two are deceased, the survivors being: Paul, Letitia, Grace, John, Don, Marguerite, Anna Bell, Marvin and Evelyn. The children are all being given the best of educational advantages, fitting them to occupy whatever positions in life they may be called upon to assume.
CHRISTIAN GOOD has had a busy career of a quarter of a century, establishing a home, cultivating his fields, rearing his children and performing the various duties of good citizenship. He is one of Allen County's leading farmers, his home is in section 11 of Marion Township, two miles west of Elida.
He was born in the same township November 25, 1873, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Culp) Good, his father a native of Virginia and his mother of Fairfield County, Ohio. Christian Good was the oldest of thirteen children, nine of whom are still living. His boyhood was spent on the home farm, with an education secured in the district schools.
June 20, 1895, not long after he reached his twenty-first year, he married Emma J. Heatwole, who was born in Allen County January 7, 1877, daughter of John R. and Catherine (Steinen) Heatwole. From the time of their marriage to the present Mr. and Mrs. Good have been engaged in farming in Marion Township. Their farm home consists of seventy-five acres, and is made very valuable by the presence of eight productive oil wells on the property. Mr. Good is a dairy farmer and operates a milk route. He is an independent in politics and all his family are Mennonites. Mr. and Mrs. Good have eight children : Floyd, John H.. Ethel M., Lesta, Velma, Elizabeth, Merlin and Mary. The son John is married and is an active factor in the management of the home farm.
W. S. HOFFMAN, D. D. S. The science of dental surgery has made mighty strides during the past few years, and the modern dentist is a man who ranks with his brother in the medical profession in the matter of importance to public health, and is just as carefully trained for the exacting demands of his patients. One of the dental surgeons of Lima who is fully measuring up to the high standards of his learned profession is Dr. W. S. Hoffman, who occupies a suite in the Central Building. He was born at Derby, Ohio, a son of Dr. George W. and Ella (Rapp) Hoffman, coming into the world in 1883. The great-grandfather, John Hoffman, was born in Berlin, Germany, from whence he came to the United States and located at Cincinnati, Ohio, where he became an extensive soap manufacturer. His son, also John, was a farmer of Clermont County, Ohio, and spent his entire life in that locality. Dr. George W. Hoffman. son of John Hoffman, and father of Dr. W. S. Hoffman, was also a dentist. He founded the town of Derby, where he continued to reside for five years, and then died, passing away in 1906. His widow survives him and is living at Cincinnati, Ohio.
Dr. W. S. Hoffman is the oldest of the three children born to his parents. He attended the Cincinnati public schools, and was graduated from the Everts High School of that city in 1902 with honors. That same year he entered the University of Cincinnati, and was graduated therefrom in 1905 as valedictorian of his class, and with the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. In 1910 Doctor Hoffman did post-graduate work at Cincinnati. For a time following his graduation he was associated with other dentists at Erie, Pennsylvania, and Cleveland, Ohio, and then in 1909 located permanently at Lima, where he has since been engaged in a general dental practice, and has built up a very desirable connection. He belongs to the Ohio State Progressive Dental Society. Well known in Masonry, Doctor Hoffman belongs to the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Commandery, Consistory and Mystic Shrine of that order, and has taken the thirty-second degree. He is unmarried.
DON LACKEY. It is in a large degree to the self- made men of Allen County that the prosperity of this section is due to those who, starting life without means, have worked their way to the front, placing themselves by the sheer force of their energy and perseverance among the successful men of their localities. Of the agriculturists of Allen County who have been the architects of their own fortunes and who have planned and builded well is Don Lackey, proprietor of the Buckeye Farm, seven miles northeast of Lima in Monroe Township.
Mr. Lackey was born in Monroe Township September 26, 1887, a son of Henry F. and Sarah F. (Martz) Lackey, natives also of Allen County. Henry F. Lackey was born in Monroe Township September 7, 1863, attended the graded and normal schools and after growing to manhood married Miss Martz, who was born in Sugar Creek Township December 31, 1866, and was brought to Monroe Township by her parents as a child. Following their marriage they settled in Monroe Township, where they resided until Mr. Lackey's death in December, 1918, while his widow still survives him. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which her husband served on the official board. He was a republican in his political affiliation and served on the Board of Education and in other offices. There were ten children in the family, of whom seven are living: Don ; Glenn, who trained at Camp Devens, Massachusetts, for service in the World war ; Waldo F., who married Lou Freet and is engaged in farming in Bath Township, Allen County; and Elva, Ilo, Voit and Alice.
Don Lackey obtained his education in the district schools of Monroe Township and the normal school at Ada, and remained on the home farm until reaching the age of twenty-one years as his father's assistant. For two years thereafter he worked for the elder man as a wage earner, and February 12, 1911, was united in marriage with Miss Clara Detrick, who was born in Monroe Township August 16, 1889, a daughter of Samuel and Mary E. (Driver) Detrick, the former born in Rockingham County, Virginia, November 19, 1854, and the latter in Monroe Township, October 23, 1855. Mr. Detrick, who spent his active career as a farmer in Bath and Monroe townships, died in November, 1914, and is survived by his widow.
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Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Lackey began housekeeping in Monroe Township, and after seven years purchased their present farm of 120 acres seven miles northeast of Lima, on Lima rural free delivery route No. 8. Here Mr. Lackey is engaged in successful operations as a general farmer and stock raiser. Buckeye Farm, as the property is known, is a well-improved and highly productive tract of land which in its buildings, equipment and general prosperity reflects the good management, farming ability and business industry of its owner. Mr. Lackey is a stockholder in the West Cairo Farmers Elevator and has other interests. He is a member and clerk of the local board of school directors, and was formerly clerk of Monroe Township. In political faith he is a staunch supporter of the republican party. As a citizen he has given his aid to all movements looking toward the betterment of Monroe Township and its people. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church, while Mrs. Lackey holds membership in the Church of the Brethren. They are the parents of two children : Evaline, born April 8, 1912, who is attending school; and Helen, born November 7, 1915.
PHILIP JACOB ALTSTAETTER. One Of the leading agriculturists of Monroe Township, owning and operating a well-developed property four miles south and two miles west of Columbus Grove, Philip Jacob Altstaetter also has the distinction of being the head of a family of remarkable musicians whose talents have brought their services within the scope of a constant demand in the various towns and villages of Allen and adjoining counties.
Mr. Altstaetter was born on the farm which he now occupies in 1861, and is a son of Jacob and Catherine (Bucher) Altstaetter. His father, who was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, February 21, 1811, was twenty-one years of age when he immigrated to the United States, and first spent a year in Maryland, where he followed his trade of carpenter. Coming to Dayton, Ohio, in 1833, he spent two years at that place, and in 1835 settled on a farm in Monroe Township, Allen County, where the rest of his long and honorable life was passed, his death occurring November 10, 1898, when he had reached the advanced age of nearly eighty-eight years. At the time of his arrival this ambitious and enterprising man entered forty acres of land from the United States Government, and from that time forward continued to add to his holdings until he owned 700 acres of good land. Mr. Altstaetter was one of the founders of the church in his locality, of which he and his wife were faithful members throughout their lives. In 1835 he married Catherine Bucher, who was born near Salem, Montgomery County, Ohio, October 26, 1816, a Great-granddaughter of immigrants from Switzerland. To Mr. and Mrs. Altstaetter there were born thirteen children, namely : Elizabeth, deceased ; Frederick, deceased; John, deceased ; Susannah ; Sarah, deceased ; George L., deceased ; Michael ; Mary ; Louisa, deceased ; Catherine. deceased ; Bertha, deceased ; Philip Jacob and Abigail.
Philip Jacob Altstaetter was educated in the district schools and reared on the home farm, on which he made his home until the time of his twenty- third year, when he engaged in operations on his own account. On January 1, 1889, he was united in marriage with Miss Emma L. Miller, who was born January 1, 1868, a daughter of Henry and Mary (Souer) Miller. Mr. Miller was born in Hesse-Darmstadt April 24, 1841, and died March 7, 1912, and Mrs. Miller was born in Prussia, January 21, 1846, and became the mother of fourteen children, all living in 1920: Margaret M., John F., Emma L., Hannah C., Alice M., Sarah M., Catherine R., Bertha A., William H., Herman M., Lewis P., Clara I., Grace N. and Arthur M.
To Mr. and Mrs. Altstaetter there have come the following children, all accomplished musicians: Emil H., born March 22, 1890, a solo cornetist and first violinist; Gilbert W., born November 11, 1892, a baritone and first violinist ; Clifford J., born November 27, 1894, who plays the slide trombone ; Marie C., born February 20, 1896, who plays the mellowphone piano ; Waldo E., born July 19, 1898, a performer on the bass and small drums and traps; Albert A., born August 28, 1900, a solo cornetist ; Clara H., born October 10, 1902, performer on the mellow- phone violin ; Lena A., born October 5, 1904, who plays the first B-flat cornet and piano ; Lewis C., born October 14, 1906, who plays the clarinet ; Clarence F., born January 9, 1908, who plays the second B-flat cornet ; Alice M., born April 20, 1911, who plays the piano ; and Harold C., the baby, born May 3, 1913, a cornetist. Under the leadership of their father, a musician of finished and versatile talents, the members of this remarkable family have appeared at Columbus, Dayton, Napoleon and various other cities and towns in this region, and their services are in demand at picnics, celebrations, fairs, etc., as well as for commercial interests.
Mr. Altstaetter is one of the substantial farmers of Monroe Township, where he owns 160 acres of highly cultivated land in the southeast quarter of section 18. He is a citizen of public spirit and has contributed liberally to all movements making for advancement in his locality. In politics he is a democrat. As a fraternalist he belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in the last-named of which he is a past noble grand. Mrs. Altstaetter and her two daughters belong to the Rebekahs, and five of the sons are members of the Odd Fellows, and all members of the Rebekahs. Gilbert W. Altstaetter also is a past noble grand. He is a veteran of the World war and saw six months of service in France as a musician.
JAMES M. YANT. Among the citizens occupying responsible positions in the business world of Allen County, one who has thoroughly vindicated the faith placed in him by his associates and the public is James M. Yant, manager of the West Cairo Farmers Elevator. During his career Mr. Yant has exemplified an inherent integrity and deep-seated principles of right, and these qualities have communicated themselves to the various enterprises with which his name has been connected.
Mr. Yant was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, February 5, 1859, a son of Noah B. and Drusilla M. (Miller) Yant, natives of Carroll County, the former born April 27, 1827, and the latter April 7, 1828. They were educated in Carroll County, where they grew to maturity and were married, following which event they settled on a farm in Carroll County, on which they lived until October, 1864. At that time they came to Allen County and settled near West Cairo, where they rounded out useful
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and honorable careers in the pursuits of agriculture. Mr. Yant was a republican, and the confidence in which he was held by his fellow-citizens was evidenced by his election for some years as a member of the Board of Township Trustees. Mr. and Mrs. Yant were faithful and active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They had five sons and two daughters : James M.; W. H., o f Paulding, clerk of Paulding County, Ohio ; Hugh, a merchant at Toledo ; J. K., a clerk in the United States Post Office at Lima ; Samantha, the wife of Lewis Lawrence, of Toledo ; Sarah, the wife of J. M. Waltz, of Durand, Michigan ; and a son who died in infancy.
James M. Yant was a youth when he accompanied his parents to Monroe Township, Allen County, and there his education was acquired in the district schools. He acted as his father's assistant on the home farm until he was twenty years of age, at which time he began to teach in the country schools, and that formed his principal occupation until the time of his marriage. On November 21, 1879, Mr. Yant was united in marriage with Miss Ina Hartzog, and in October, 1881, went to Kansas and purchased an interest in a farm, on which he made his home for eleven years. Selling out, he returned to Allen County and engaged in agricultural pursuits for six years, then embarking in the butchering business, which he followed seven years. Returning to the home farm, he again associated himself with his father, and at the elder man's death bought out the interests of the other heirs and continued to operate the property until November, 1913, when he removed to Lima.
Mr. Yant's first wife died June 16, 1912, having been the mother of four children: Perry L., the San Francisco representative of the Bowser Tank Company of Fort Wayne, Indiana ; Nina B., the wife of 0. E. Vincent of Lima ; Emma, the wife of C. L. Fowler of Lima ; and Pearl L., a graduate of the Lima Business College, who was with the Lima Home Savings Bank as assistant secretary for fifteen years, and is now identified with C. L. Dunn of Zanesville.
On June 23, 1915, Mr. Yant married Miss Elizabeth Martz, who is well known in this community and an active member of the Christian Church. Mr. and Mrs. Yant served as superintendent and matron of the Allen County Infirmary for three years, at the end of which time they came to West Cairo, Mr. Yant embarking in the grocery and general store business. He disposed of his interests therein in December, 1919, and July 1, 1920, took charge as manager of the West Cairo Farmers Elevator of West Cairo, a position in which he has served very efficiently ever since. Mr. Yant is a member of West Cairo Lodge No. 485, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is a past noble grand, and of Lima Encampment, of which he is past chief patriarch. He is a republican in politics. His appointment as superintendent of the ,Infirmary came entirely unsolicited, and in various other ways he has been shown that he is held in the highest confidence by those among whom his worthy and industrious career has been passed.
ELIAS LORA. The occupation of an auctioneer approaches a profession, and the qualifications necessary for successful participation therein are indeed numerous. To become successful a person must be a good judge of values, also be able to give an intelligent and elaborate description of the thousands of different articles placed on sale. Good auctioneers are born, not made. A person can learn to be a doctor, lawyer or minister, but there are no advantages whereby an individual may learn the art of auctioneering. Among the men of Allen County who are following this calling and achieving success therein is Elias Lora, who has followed this business for forty-five years, and who since 1912 has devoted his entire time thereto at West Cairo.
Mr. Lora was born on a farm in Riley Township, Allen County, Ohio, March 6, 1863, a son of Peter and Mary (Geiger) Lora, the former a native of Wayne County, Ohio. Mrs. Lora was born in Switzerland and was a child when she accompanied her parents to the United States, the family settling in Allen County, where she grew to young womanhood and met and married Mr. Lora. Following their marriage, they settled on a farm in Putnam County in 1866, and resided there for a number of years. At the time of his retirement Peter Lora moved to Bluffton, and ten years later his death occurred there, Mrs. Lora surviving him for a time and passing away in Richland Township, Allen County. They were faithful members of the Mennonite Church and the parents of eight sons and seven daughters: Samuel, Peter, Elias, Christ, Albert, Amos, Rena, Susanna, and several children who died in infancy. The parents of these children were honorable, God-fearing people, who were greatly respected in their community for their industry and many sterling qualities of heart and mind.
Elias Lora was reared on a farm in Monroe Township, Allen County, where he secured his education in the district school, and until his twenty-first year remained on the home place, where he was associated with his father in farming operations. At the time of the attainment of his majority he married Mary Bowman and settled on a farm, on which he made his home and carried on general operations until 1912. Mr. Lora had his initial experience as an auctioneer when he was but twenty-two years of age. His success in this direction convinced him that there was a field here for his abilities, and he was more and more encouraged by the prosperity which attended his further efforts. At the time he came to West Cairo, in 1912, he put aside all other considerations for auctioneering, and has since devoted himself uninterruptedly to its practice. Auctioneering is the only profession wherein a person can display whatever ability he may possess in different respects and can intermingle therein humor if he sees fit. There is nothing to which he may refer for reference, every thought being extemporaneous, and he must guide himself accordingly. Mr. Lora possesses the necessary qualifications of a knowledge of values, a pleasing and forceful address and ability as an extemporaneous speaker and natural humorist, and these qualities have served to extend his reputation in his specialized field of activity far beyond the bounds of his immediate home locality.
Mr. and Mrs. Lora are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. As a fraternalist he is affiliated with West Cairo Lodge No. 856, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His political allegiance is with the democratic party, and he has served very efficiently as assessor of his township.
WILLIAM H. EVERSOLE. The farming element is very strong in Monroe Township, Allen County, for
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this is essentially an agricultural locality, soil and climatic conditions combining to make it a profitable region for general farming. One of the men who has taken advantage of the opportunities presented for success in agriculture here, and who has gained thereby a comfortable competence, is William H. Eversole, justice of the peace, whose productive property is located at Columbus Grove, rural route No. 2 in Monroe Township.
Mr. Eversole was born on a farm in Jackson Township, Allen County, Ohio, in April, 1859, a son of Daniel and Melvina (Tompkins) Eversole. Daniel Eversole was born in Perry County, Ohio, April 14, 1833, and was a young man when he came to Allen County and settled in Jackson Township, where he married Miss Tompkins, who was born November 25, 1837, in this county. In his natrve county Mr. Eversole had learned the trade of blacksmith, and this he followed for one and one-half years at Lafayette, after which he purchased a small property two and one-half miles southwest of that point. While living there he was called into the service of the Union Army during the Civil war, and for 100 days wore the uniform of blue. When his service was completed he returned to his farm, on which he lived until 1866, in that year settling in Monroe Township. He continued to carry on agricultural operations here until his retirement, when he moved to Columbus Grove, where he makes his home, his wife having died in 1919. She belonged to the First Christian Church of Columbus Grove. Mr. Eversole is a republican, and has served very efficiently in the capacity of treasurer of Monroe Township and as a member of the Board of Trustees thereof. He belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic. Of the five children in the family three grew to maturity: William H.; Francis M., a resident of Lima ; and John H., of Columbus Grove.
William H. Eversole was reared on the home farm in Monroe Township, where he received his education in the district schools. At the time that he reached his majority he started out on his own account, and for two years was a renter of land in his native community. At the end of that time he purchased eighty acres where he now lives, and since then has been applying himself to the development of one of the most fertile properties in the township, in the management of which he has displayed excellent ability and practical intelligence. He has a modern residence and up-to-date buildings of all kinds, commodious in size and fully equipped as to appurtenances and appliances. He carries on general operations for the most part, and raises a good grade of all kinds of live stock.
Mr. Eversole was married August 14, 1881, to Miss Emily J. Sear foss, who was born in Monroe Township in 1856, and reared in this township, where she secured her education in the district schools. Eight children have been born to this union : Hilbert E., who married Stella Major ; Charles W., who married Sophia Basinger ; Daniel O., who married Helen Lavan; Homer M., Foreman for the Goodrich Rubber Company at Akron, who served with the United States Army in France for about ten months ; Benjamin H., residing with his parents, who saw thirteen months of service in France during the World war ; Walter H. and John R., who are single and reside with their parents on the home farm ; and Melvina, the wife of Walter V. Bowers, of Beaver Dam.
Mr. and Mrs. Eversole and their children are members of the Columbus Grove Christian Church. Mr. Eversole is fraternally affiliated with Columbus Grove Lodge No. 464, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is a past noble grand, and in politics is a republican. He has served as township trustee for eight years, and for the past six years has occupied his present position as a justice of the peace. Mr. Eversole has numerous business connections and is one of the stockholders in the Mid-Winter Fair at Columbus Grove.
BYRON L. McDOWELL. Allen County is fortunate in that it numbers among its most progressive and energetic agriculturists men who are yet in the very prime of vigorous young manhood, for from them much can be expected in the way of development of the county's inexhaustible farming resources. Byron L. McDowell, who is carrying on operations on the old Cupp farm, two and one-half miles southeast of Columbus Grove in Monroe Township, belongs to the farming class of the younger generation. He is a native of Putnam County, Ohio, and was born January 22, 1896, a son of Charles and Anna (Jones) McDowell, natives of the same county.
Charles McDowell was born October 17, 1870, and grew to manhood in his home locality, where he was married in 1895 to Miss Jones, who was born in this county in 1880. They have resided throughout their lives in Putnam County, where they are the owners of 220 acres of splendid farming land, and where they are held in the highest esteem of those among whom they have passed their careers. They are consistent members of the United Brethren Church of Columbus Grove. Mr. McDowell is a democrat in politics and has served his community as a member of the Board of School Directors, There are three children in the family: Byron L.; Clifford C., who assists his father in the cultivation of the home farm in Putnam County; and Ethel G., who is a student at high school.
Byron L. McDowell was reared on the home farm and educated in the public schools, residing under the parental roof until the time he attained his majority. When twenty-one years of age, February 7, 1917, he was united in marriage with Miss Neva McKanna, and at that time began operations as a farmer on his own account, taking up his residence on the old Cupp farm in Monroe Township, Allen County. Here he is carrying on general farming and stock raising in a progressive and industrious manner, and has already made rapid strides toward the front. He is a democrat in politics and one of the popular young men of his community, and he and Mrs. McDowell are faithful members of the United Brethren Church at Columbus Grove.
JOHN D. MUSSER. It is a noticeable fact that the agriculturists of any locality who have the most proportionately productive farms are those who take the most pride in the prosperity of their community and the most active part in the upbuilding and development of its interests and institutions, and this statement holds good in Allen County. Of the substantial representatives of the farming industry who have contributed through agricultural work and public service to the advancement of this region, one who is well known and highly esteemed is John D. Musser, owner of a property two and one- half miles east and one mile north of Lafayette,
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and a member of the Board of Trustees of Jackson Township.
Mr. Musser was born at Lima, Ohio, October 31, 1863, a son of D. A. and Mary (Evans) Musser. D. A. Musser was born at Marion, Ohio, June 15, 1830, and as a young man went to Lima, where in 1861 he was united in marriage with Miss Evans. She was born June 13, 1829, at Carmarthenshire, South Wales, and was brought to the United States in 1839, when her parents settled on a farm near Gomer. Mr. and Mrs. Musser began housekeeping at Lima, where they made their home until 1887, and in that year came to Jackson Township to make their home with their son, on whose farm they both passed away in the faith of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Musser was a republican, although not a politican, and he and his worthy wife were the parents of four children: Benjamin D., who is engaged in farming in Jackson Township ; Timothy E., also an agriculturalist of this locality; Anna E., the widow of Albert Long, of Ada, Ohio ; and John D.
John D. Musser acquired his education in the public schools of Lima, and when still a youth became identified with the oil business. From that time forward for a period covering about eighteen years he worked in the oil fields in different parts of the country and in various capacities. The more or less nomadic life of the oil fields, however, did not appeal to him, for he desired a permanent abode and a settled occupation, and following his marriage he began to apply himself to farming, a vocation to which he has been uninterruptedly devoted. Mr. Musser is now the owner of forty acres of good land in Jackson Township, which he has brought to a high state of cultivation through intelligent methods and industrious labor, and has improvements of a modern character, including a comfortable and commodious home, substantial barns and well-built outbuildings. He is a general farmer and also raises a small amount of a good grade of stock, and is known for his business integrity and straightforward dealing.
Mr. Musser married Miss Susan Dessenberg, of Allen County, who was born in Ashland County, Ohio, October 31, 1848, and died without issue December 15, 1917. Mr. Musser is a republican in his political allegiance. He has taken an active interest in public affairs, and at present is serving efficiently as a member of the Township Board of Trustees.
PETER B. AMSTUTZ. The retired colony of the community of Bluffton has no more highly esteemed a resident than Peter B. Amstutz, who after many years passed in agricultural pursuits is now living in comfortable retirement at his pleasant home located on his farm one and one-half miles southwest of Bluffton in Richland Township. Mr. Amstutz was born in Wayne County, Ohio, June 6, 1846, a son of John B. and Fannie (Lehman) Amstutz.
John B. Amstutz was born in the canton of Berne, Switzerland, in 1799, and was nineteen years of age when he immigrated to the United States, settling first at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he secured employment as a hired hand. Later he walked to Wayne County, Ohio, where he was also employed as a farm hand until his marriage to Fannie Lehman, also a native of Switzerland, and at that time earned ten acres of land by splitting logs and building one
Vol. 11-20
mile of fence, carrying and putting up every rail. Mr. Amstutz continued his industrious work until he was the owner of eighty acres of land, which he sold in 1850 and moved to Putnam County, Ohio, where he bought 240 acres of land, and later added to this by the purchase of 200 acres for the sum of $600. Eventually Mr. Amstutz moved to Allen County, where he passed the rest of his life on a farm of eighty acres. By his first wife he had eleven children, of whom Peter B., the youngest son, is the only survivor. By his second marriage, to Catherine Herr, he had one child, Anna E., the wife of Theo Amstutz. John B. Amstutz died in 1865 and his second wife died in 1854.
Peter B. Amstutz was reared on the Putnam County farm and educated in the district schools, in addition to which he attended college one winter. He married Elizabeth Lugibill, who died in 1873, leaving two children, of whom one is living, Dinah, the wife of Christian Hofstetler, of Richland Township, with six children. Mr. Amstutz was again married, in 1879, to Miss Leah Gerber, and they had eight children, of whom four are living: Amos, Olive, Lydia and Edwin, all single and living at home. The family belongs to the Mennonite Church, in which Mr. Amstutz is a deacon. He is a democrat in politics.
During his active years Mr. Amstutz devoted his chief attention to farming, but also had other interests to share his activities. He built a factory on his farm for the manufacture of wooden forks and hand hay rakes. This factory was destroyed by fire in 1912, but was rebuilt in 1913 and is now utilized for sawing lumber and turning broom and mop handles, which are shipped to various large points for distribution to the trade. He is likewise the owner of another farm, and is a stockholder in the Bluffton Milling Company and the Milk Condensing Plant at Bluffton. While he is retired from active labors, he takes part in the supervision of his various enterprises, in connection with which he has always been known as a man of sound business integrity and ripe judgment, while as a citizen he has public spiritedly supported all worthy movements.
WILLIAM A. PHILLIPS, who is proprietor of the Maple Lane Farm, a tract of eighty acres in section 2, Jackson Township, is one of that class of citizens who contribute faithfully to the advancement of the section in which they make their homes. This class is the one to further public improvements, to establish permanent enterprises, and, in an agricultural region, these individuals are reasonably sure to own valuable farms, good live stock and modern improvements, and to make a good profit out of farming enterprises.
Mr. Phillips was born on the farm which he now owns and operates June 2, 1873, a son of Sanford P. and Mary E. (Huber) Phillips. His father was born in Knox County, Ohio, and was brought as a child to Allen County by his parents, the family settling in Richland Township, where he met and married Miss Huber, a native of this county. Following their union they settled on the farm now occupied by their son in Jackson Township, on which they lived from 1871 until 1906, then removing to Richland Township. That was their home until 1910,• when they went to Monroe County, Michigan, where they now live. They are active members of the
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Methodist Episcopal Church and the parents of two children : William A.; and Archie, a mechanic residing at Bluffton, Ohio.
William A. Phillips was educated in the public schools of his native township and was reared on the home farm, which he eventually purchased from his father in 1906. This property has been carefully improved and intelligently cultivated. Mr. Phillips is a capable general farmer and a breeder of a good grade of live stock, and is a business man of high principles and sound integrity. He is a member of the Golden Ridge Grange, which he serves as business agent, and is a stockholder in the Farmers Co-operative Elevator at Lafayette.
On October 3, 1894, Mr. Phillips was united in marriage with Miss Mettie B. Youngman. They are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the work of which they are active, Mr. Phillips being a member of the Official Board of the church and superintendent of the Sunday School. He has always been a supporter of worthy enterprises of a civic and educational character, and he and his wife are well and favorably known in social circles, their hospitable home being at all times open to their many friends.
MICHAEL LONG. The fertile fields of Allen County have furnished some of its best citizens with the means of working out their life's destiny and of laying up for themselves a comfortable provision for later years. Among the honored residents of this county who have found contentment and success in agricultural work, and who at the same time have gained the good will and esteem of their associates, is Michael Long, still carrying on his operations in Jackson Township.
Mr. Long was born on a farm in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, February 13, 1853, a son of John T. and Barbara (Long) Long, natives of the same state and county. They were reared, educated and married there, but in 1854 migrated to Allen County, Ohio, arriving August 20 and settling on a farm in Jackson Township, on which they spent the remainder of their lives. Mr. Long was a democrat in politics and a man highly respected in his community, and he and his wife were honest, God- fearing people who were devout members of the Reformed Church. They were the parents of ten children, of whom six are living: Mary, the widow of John F. Shuffer ; Michael, of this notice; Lizzie A., the wife of John Rhodes, a farmer of Allen County; Jonas, who is engaged in farming in Hardin County, Ohio; Tobias, who is engaged in farming in Jackson Township ; and Emanuel A., who is also engaged in farming in Jackson Township.
Michael Long was brought from Hemfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, to Allen County, Ohio, when he was an infant and was reared on the Long farm in Jackson Township, rn which community he was sent to the public school. He lived with his parents until he was twenty-four years old, and September 7. 1876, was united in marriage with Miss Leah Anspauch, who was born May 2, 1854, in Liberty Township, Allen County. Following his marriage Mr. Long rented a farm in Allen County for nine years, after which he purchased his present farm of eighty acres in Jackson Township. in addition to which he owns thirty acres in Liberty Township, Hardin County. He is a general farmer and also raises a good grade of live stock, and has his farm well improved with good buildings and modern equipment. His standing has always been that of an honorable man of business and he is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator at Ada. His political affiliation is with the democratic party. With his family he belongs to the Reformed Church, in which he has served as elder. In recent years Mr. Long had the novel experience of a journey in an aeroplane, having made a trip from two miles east of Ada to his farm, the journey having been made at an altitude of 3,000 feet. He thoroughly enjoyed his ride, and had the distinction of having been the most elderly man who had been taken on such a journey by his pilot up to that time.
Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Long: Emmett E., a graduate of the Lafayette High School and the Ohio Northern University at Ada, who is now a teacher of the commercial class in that institution; Clara, the wife of Wilbur Rhodes, a farmer of Allen County ; Jennie, a graduate of the Lafayette High School, who is the wife of Victor F. Clum, an agriculturist of this county ; Charles C., who is engaged in farming in Jackson Township; and George G., who assists his father on the home farm. Mr. Long and the members of his family have always been staunch supporters of movements tending toward the advancement of the interests of their home community.
THOMAS L. HELSER. Many of the more progressive farmers of Allen County are specializing on certain distinct lines and are succeeding much better than if they had confined their operations to the regular routine. In the field of hog breeding Thomas L. Heiser, of section 26, Jackson Township, has become known as an excellent judge of live stock, and his property is known as the breeding place of Spotted Poland China swine, a line of business endeavor in which he has attained well-merited success.
Mr. Heiser was born on a farm in section 36, Jackson Township, May 24, 1864, a son of John W. and Amelia (Seiotz) Heiser, natives of Perry County, Ohio. They were children when brought by their respective parents to Allen County, and after their marriage settled on a farm in Jackson Township, where they resided until 1893. In that year they retired and moved to Lima, but after four or five years in that city went to Lafayette, where Mr. Heiser died, Mrs. Heiser subsequently going back to Lima, where her death occurred. They were members of the Lutheran Church, in which Mr. Helser was an elder for many years. He belonged to Jackson Grange and Sagar Lodge No. 513, Free and Accepted Masons, and in politics was a democrat. A highly esteemed man, he possessed the confidence of his fellow-citizens, and for a time served as a member of the Township Board of Trustees. There were four children in the family : Thomas L.; Ida B., the wife of Ed Holman, of Lima ; Joseph E., of that city; and Ira, who died at the age of sixteen years.
Thomas L. Helser was given his education in the district school near his home in Jackson Township, and was reared on the farm in section 26, where he assisted his father until reaching the age of twenty-one years. He was married June 11, 1887, to Miss Jennie Growdon, who was born November 28, 1864, in Auglaize Township, Allen County, and of the children born to this union
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five are living: John P., a farmer near the place of his birth, who married Mary Sheller ; Ruth, the wife of Willis Ross, a farmer of Monroe Township, Allen County; Howard B., also an Allen County agriculturist, who married Daisy McIlwain ; Lois, a graduate of the Lafayette High School and the Ohio Northern University at Ada, who is stenographer for the Allen Farmers Bureau; and Sarah, who is unmarried and lives with her parents.
Following his marriage Mr. Helser started operations on his own account as a general farmer, but gradually began specializing in the breeding of swine, and this forms his chief interest at this time on his 196-acre farm. He has found the Spotted Poland China hog to be an excellent strain, and now has a large number of the animals, headed by a registered individual, with from fifteen to eighteen brood sows. For the greater part he disposes of his hogs at private sales, which have been some of the largest ever held in this part of the county. Mr. Heiser is a man of strict business integrity and a valued member of Jackson Grange, being also a stockholder in the Farmers Co-operative Elevators at Lafayette. In political faith he is a democrat, but has not sought public honors. Good movements which prove themselves practical and beneficial find in him a stanch and generous friend. Mr. Helser is well known in fraternal circles, belonging to Sagar Lodge No. 513, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is a past master and which he has represented three times in the Grand Lodge of the state.
JOHN E. EVERSOLE. Jackson Township has become noted for its men who have a thorough knowledge of agricultural conditions and the science of breeding stock. Perhaps the conditions in this part of the state are as near ideal as anywhere for the successful raising of huge crops of grain and other produce, and the fertile pastures are especially adapted to the needs of the stock raiser. Of the men who have accepted the opportunities offered in this locality and thereby have acquired success, one who has attained enviable standing is John E. Eversole, the owner and operator of a well- cultivated farm just south of the corporation limits of Lafayette, and a breeder of Jersey cattle.
Mr. Eversole was born in Jackson Township, Allen County, June 2, 1862, a son of Lemuel and Sarah (Nash) Eversole, the former a native of Perry County, Ohio, and the latter of Jackson Township. Lemuel Eversole was a young man when he migrated to Jackson Township, and after his marriage settled down to farming, in which he was engaged until the Civil war period. In 1863 he enlisted in the Union Army and served 100 days, following which he returned to farm and continued operations thereon during the remainder of his life. He and his worthy wife were members of the Lafayette Christian Church and were highly respected members of their community, where they had numerous friends. They were the parents of a large family of children, of whom nine are living: George A., who is engaged in farming in Ashtabula County. Ohio ; Eliza J., the wife of L. B. Harrod, a farmer of Auglaize Township, Allen County ; John E., of this notice; Frank J., of Lima ; C. A., a farmer of Auglaize Township; Elvie C., the wife of Edgar Eubanks, of Chicago, Illinois ; Daniel B., of Ada, Ohio ; Ora• D., the wife
of Ansel Winegardner, of Jackson Township; and Ralph L., a farmer of this Township.
John E. Eversole secured his education in the district schools of Jackson Township, and was reared on his father's farm, where he acted as assistant to the elder man until he was eighteen years of age. Having learned the trade of carpenter, he followed that vocation for a number of years, and developed into a contractor and builder, erecting numerous structures in this community which still stand as mounments to his skill and good workmanship. Mr. Eversole was married in 1883 to Miss Jennie Heffner, who was born, reared and educated in Jackson Township, a daughter of Jacob and Christian Heffner. To this union there were born six children. Carrie E., a graduate of Lafayette High School, is now the wife of Jesse 0. Lentz, an Allen County agriculturist ; Gertrude, also a high school graduate, is the wife of John Shrider, a resident of Fremont, Nebraska; Hazel, a graduate of high school, is the wife of John P. Guthrie, of Detroit, Michigan; Donald V., a Jackson Township farmer, who married Blanche McKee; John W., a graduate of a business college in Fremont is now a resident of Jackson Township. He is a veteran of the World war, during which he saw active service at the front in France; Carl is attending high school. Mr. and Mrs. Ever- sole and their children are members of the Christian Church.
After his marriage Mr. Eversole turned his attention to farming and eventually gave up the business of contracting and building in order to devote himself unreservedly to the tilling of the soil and the breeding of Jersey cattle, of which he now owns a fine and valuable herd. His well-cultivated farm consists of 110 acres in Jackson Township, just outside of Lafayette, and is improved with modern buildings and up-to-date equipment, which evidences the progressiveness and good management of the owner. Mr. Eversole is a stockholder in the Farmers Co-operative Elevator at Lafayette and has a high standing in business circles. Fraternally he is affiliated with Sagar Lodge No. 513, Free and Accepted Masons, and he and Mrs. Ever- sole are popular members of the Order of the Eastern Star. In politics Mr. Eversole is a republican. He has rendered valuable service to his community in several positions of trust and responsibility, having been a member of the Board of Directors of the County Infirmary for four years, of the Township Board of Trustees three years and of the Board of School Directors several terms, his public record being an excellent one, characterized by conscientious and constructive service.
CHARLES M. CONTRIS. By an extensive and honorable career as a farmer and buyer and shipper of live stock Charles M. Contris has succeeded to a place of recognized preferment among the business men of the Lafayette community, where his thoughtful consideration of others and his public-spirited support of worthy measures have gained for him public confidence and good will. He is a product of this part of Allen County, having been born at Lafayette December 5, 1882, a son of M. and Emma (Corbet) Contris.
M. Contris was born in Wayne County, Ohio, and as a lad was brought to Lafayette. He turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, in which he
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started in a modest way and gradually developed into one of the most substantial citizens of his locality. As a farmer and stock buyer his operations reached large proportions, and through the medium of his own efforts he accumulated approximately 500 acres of land. He was a democrat in politics and a man who took an interest in the affairs of his community, although not as a seeker for office. Mr. Contris married Emma Corbet, a teacher in the public schools, daughter of the Reverend Corbet, a minister of the Lutheran Church. She was born in Guernsey County, Ohio, and was a child when brought by her parents to Allen County. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Contris, of whom four are living: William W., a stock buyer of Westminster, Ohio; Charles M.; Nora, a graduate of Lafayette High School and now the wife of Clyde Thayer of Phoenix, Arizona ; and Edna, a graduate of Lafayette High School and Wittenberg College, who is now a teacher in the public schools of Phoenix.
Charles M. Contris was given excellent educational advantages in his youth, attending the local schools, the Lafayette High School and the normal school at Ada. For two years after leaving the latter he taught school in the rural districts, but eventually turned his attention to the stock business, in which he has won marked success. He handles hogs, cattle, sheep and horses, buying and shipping extensively, and has established a name for integrity in his transactions and a reputation as an excellent judge of live stock. Mr. Contris is a member of Sagar Lodge No. 513, Free and Accepted Masons; Ada Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and Lafayette Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in all of which he has numerous friends. In politics he is a democrat. He has not sought public office, but takes a good citizen's interest in political and civic affairs.
Mr. Contris was married in 1908 to Miss Hulda Herr, who was born in Jackson Township, Allen County, and educated in the Lafayette High School, of which she is a graduate. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Contris : Lucile, Marguerite, Charles, Esther and William. Mrs. Contris, who is a lady of numerous accomplishments, and who, like her husband, has many friends in this locality, is an active and helpful member of the Christian Church.
JOHN C. MARSH, whose various connections at Lafayette have made him one of the leading citizens of that community, has spent his entire life in Allen County, where he has become well and widely known to the citizens. As agriculturist, public servant and prominent fraternalist he has occupied positions of trust and responsibility, in all of which he has displayed his ability, soundness of judgment and integrity of character.
Mr. Marsh was born on the old Marsh farm in Jackson Township, Allen County, December 8, 1865, a son of Peter and Eliza (Cloord) Marsh, natives also of Allen County. Peter Marsh was born February 23, 1836, on the same farm as his son. His parents, Joseph and Elizabeth (Staley) Marsh, who came to Allen County as early as 1823 and settled in Jackson Township. Joseph Marsh was born in North Carolina, whence he subsequently moved to Virginia, and from that state moved to Pickaway County, his last residence before settling in Allen County. The farm in Jackson Township on which he located continued to be his home during the rest of his long' and honorable career, and has never been out of the Marsh name. He and his worthy wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and he was a republican in politics and one of the community's public- spirited men. There were five children in the family: John, William, Peter, Mary A. and Joseph. All of the sons served as soldiers of the Union during the Civil war, and Joseph died while wearing his country's uniform.
Peter Marsh was educated in the public schools of Allen County and reared on the home farm in Jackson Township, on which he was living when the Civil war came on. With his three brothers he enlisted in an Ohio volunteer infantry regiment, with which he fought bravely until the close of the war, and then returned to the home place, which he purchased in 1876. During the remainder of his life he continued to cultivate his eighty-acre property with industry and judgment, and became known as one of the reliable farmers and good citizens of the locality. He was a republican in politics, and he and Mrs. Marsh were devout members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Lafayette, in the work of which they took an active part. They were the parents of four children, John C. being the only survivor.
John C. Marsh secured a public school education at Lafayette and was reared on the home farm, where he worked with his father until the attainment of his majority, after which he was paid a monthly wage by the elder man. Mr. Marsh was married December Z8, 1889, to Miss Lizzie Kiracofe, who was born in American (formerly German) Township, Allen County, August 5, 1871. She is a graduate of the district schools. After their marriage they settled on the old Marsh farm, where they resided until 1910, at that time coming to their present comfortable modern home at Lafayette.
While still residing on his farm Mr. Marsh received appointment as United States revenue agent for his district, a capacity in which he served very capably for twelve years. A republican in politics, he has long been active in the ranks of his party, and acted for seven years as a member of the Board of Elections. After completing his service as a United States revenue agent he became a member of the Allen County Liquor License Board, a position which he retained several years. In the republican party he has been a member of the state and county executive committees and has wielded much influence.
Mr. Marsh is well known in fraternal circles, being the present master of Sagar Lodge No. 513, Free and Accepted Masons, and a member of Jackson Lodge No. 819, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has unmerous friends in each order. He supports the movements of the Lafayette Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Mrs. Marsh is an active member. They are the parents of one son, John C., Jr., born February 1, 1910.
CHARLES N. CLUM. Perhaps no part of Allen County has more comfortable old homes or a more prosperous class of citizens than has Jackson Township, and the farm of Charles N. Clum, situated in section 36, southeast of Lafayette, offers proof of the statement. Mr. Clum has passed his entire life
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in this region and has contributed materially to its development through his agricultural work and good citizenship, both of which have been of a high order.
Mr. CIUm was born in Allen County, Ohio, November 26, 1864, a son of Noah and Amelia (Binkley) Clum, natives of Perry County, Ohio. Noah Clum was born in 1840 and came to Allen County in 1860, two years later marrying Miss Binkley, who was born ecember 1, 1838, and had been brought to Jackson Township as a child of six years. After their marriage they moved to Mr. Clum's farm of forty acres in section 6, Jackson Township, and to this they added until they were the owners of 120 acres, all of which Mr. Clum cleared and improved. They were members of the Reformed Church, in he work of which they were very active, and Mr. Clump was a charter member of the Jackson Grange. A democrat in politics, he was active in the ranks of his party, and was elected by his fellow citizens to two terms in the office of township trustee. He and his worthy wife were the parents of five children : Charles N.; Wilbert A., who died at the age of twenty-two years ; Ella, deceased, who was the wife of John Kingler ; Ollie, who died at the age cf nineteen years; and Bertha, who was the wife of U. C. Thompson, deceased.
Charles N. Clum, the only survivor of his parents' children, attended the district schools and was reared on the home farm. He was married November 5, 1885, to Miss Clara Klingier, who was born in Liberty Township, Hardin County, Ohio, and following their union came to Jackson Township, Allen County, and settled on a farm in section 36, which has since been his home. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Clum: Victor E., who is married and carries on agricultural operations on a property adjoining that of his father ; Jesse E., also married and a farmer of this locality ; Allie, the wife of Ira Moore, of Liberty Township, Hardin County ; W. A., a farmer of Jackson Township; Vernie, who died as the wife of Noah McClure, of Auglaize Township, Allen County ; Corda, the wife of Paul Long of Jackson Township ; and Carl, who is single and resides with his parents.
The family belongs to the St. Paul's Reformed Church, in which Mr. Clum is a leader. He has been a member of Jackson Grange since he was sixteen years of age, and is a stockholder in the elevator at Lafayette. A democrat in politics, Mr. Clum has served capably as a member of the Jackson Township Board of Trustees and in various other ways has contributed to the advancement and good government of his community, where he is known as a reliable business man and public spirited citizen. Having divided 127 acres of land among his sons, he is still the owner of a well-cultivated and valuable property of 120 acres.
JAMES G. HELSER. Since his arrival in Allen County sixty-six years ago James G. Helser has been identified with the farming interests of this fertile region of the Buckeye State, and during his long and active experience as a tiller of the soil has contributed materially to his community's development. At the present time he is the occupant, owner and operator of a well-cultivated property, lying in sections 23, 25 and 26, Jackson Township, two miles east of Lafayette, a farm which has been brought to its present high state of fertility under his personal good management and labor.
Mr. Heiser was born in Perry County, Ohio, September 21, 1845, a son of Elijah and Eliza (Eversole) Heiser, natives of the same county, the former born in November, 1815, and the latter in 1822. The parents grew to maturity in Perry County, where they were married, and in May, 1854, came to Allen County and settled on a farm of 240 acres in sections 25 and 26, Jackson Township, which continued to be their home during the remainder of their lives. While Mr. Helser followed farming, he was a carpenter and cabinet maker by trade and engaged in these vocations throughout his career as a means of adding to his income. A man of sterling traits of character and of good citizenship, during his residence in Perry County he acted as township trustee, and after coming to Allen County was elected treasurer of Jackson Township. He and his worthy wife were members of the Dunkard Church and were the parents of nine children : John W., deceased ; James G.; Peter F., deceased; Lemuel L.; Daniel 0.; Sarah A., deceased ; Melvina C., deceased; George E.; and Jennie E., deceased.
James G. Heiser obtained a district school education near the home farm, on which he was reared and where he was his father's assistant. He has always lived on his present property, a part of which he inherited at the death of his parents, and at one time was the owner of 200 acres of land. Of this, however, he gave his son 100 acres at the time of the latter's marriage, and now has 100 acres in sections 23, 25 and 26, which he devotes to general farming ventures. He has been content to center his activities in his farm and has not sought public honors, but takes a keen and intelligent interest in the affairs of the day, particularly as they affect his community and its people, and is a supporter of worthy movements. In politics he supports the principles and candidates of the democratic party. He and his worthy wife are consistent members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, in which he was a deacon and elder for many years. His fraternal affiliation is with Sagar Lodge No. 513, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he was master in 1910 and 1911, while Mrs. Helser is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and much interested in its work.
On December 23, 1866, Mr. Helser was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Long, of Jackson Township, who was born in Holmes County, Ohio, December 24, 1842, and to this union there were born three children, of whom one survives: Lewis O. Lewis O. Heiser is one of the progressive and enterprising agriculturists of Jackson Township, where he is operating a farm of 160 acres adjoining that of his father. He married Miss Ethel Sagar, granddaughter of Doctor Sagar, the elder, one of the greatly respected men of his day in this locality, and they have three children: Otto H., Lester K. and Elza C.
JAMES N. BOOP. An instance of the call of the country rising superior to the inducements of town or city life is found in the career of James N. Boop, of Shawnee Township, who is now engaged in agricultural operations after many years devoted to other lines of endeavor. Mr. Boop has been a blacksmith, a hotel keeper and a merchant, but has found his greatest contentment and success in farm-
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ing, and is now listed among the substantial citizens of his community.
James N. Boop was born at Cedarville, Greene County, Ohio, August 4, 1850, a son of John and Elizabeth (Sanders) Boon. His grandparents, George and May Boop, were born in Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1832, settling at Lima at a time when there were but four houses in that now thriving city. Mr. Boop bought a small piece of land there. which he later traded for an eighty-acre farm adjoining the County Farm, and there rounded out his career as a farmer, dying in 1867, while his widow survived him several years. John Boop was born in Bath Township, Allen County, and as a young man left the home farm and went to Cedarville, Greene County, where 1.e learned the trade of carpenter. In 1852, while working on the first steam flour mill at Cedarville, he met an accidental death. His widow lived for a time at Jamestown. Greene County, but in 1856 came to Lima with her two daughters and one son. She was subsequently married to James F. Smith, of Jamestown, a farmer and stock raiser, and resided at Waynesfield.
After the second marriage of his mother James N. Boop went to live with an uncle, Martin Boop, of Bath Township, Allen County, with whom he made his home until 1866, acquiring his education there in the district school. He then went to Sidney, where he was employed on the pike road for about three months, subsequently going to Waynesfield, where he began to work for a step-uncle, A. C. Smith, by whom he was employed three years. Going then to St. Johns, Ohio, Mr. Boop learne3 the blacksmith trade, and while there, in February, 1872, married Henrietta Bush, who was born at St. Johns, a daughter of W. M. and Margaret (Neil) Bush, the latter also born at St. Johns. W. M. Bush, a native of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, was a justice of the peace for forty-four years.
Following his marriage Mr. Boop lived at St. Johns for two years and then returned to Waynesfield, where he conducted a blacksmith shop for one and one-half years, later going back to St. Johns and entering into partnership with his brother-in-law, Joseph Bush, in the conduct of a blacksmith establishment, an association that continued for six years. His next location was at Uniopolis, where he followed blacksmithing two years and also served as postmaster, and then moved to Wapakoneta, where for one year he was proprietor of a hotel. Disposing of his interests there, he went to Lima and worked at his trade in the car shops one year, leaving that employment to become the proprietor of a retail liquor business. After a few years he sold out and purchased a farm in American Township, which he later sold to buy his present farm of sixty- two and seven-tenths acres, located partly in Shawnee and partly in American townships. Of this land he has about forty acres under cultivation, the remainder being in timber pasture. Mr. Boop carries on general farming and raises some stock, and has made a success of his operations. He is a republican in his political adherence, and is fraternally affiliated with the Odd Fellows at St. Johns, while both Mr. and Mrs. Boop hold membership in the Christian Church.
Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Boop : William A., a widower living with his parents, who has four children, Robert E., James David, Betty and Billie ; Bernice Gertrude, who died aged four years; Fred of Akron; and Carl of near Gomer, Ohio.
OSCAR J. ROUSH. The efficient service of the police department of the City of Lima is to a large measure attributed to the careful and well directed administration of its executive head, and as chief of the department Mr. Roush is making an admirable record.
Oscar Jacob Roush was born in Bath Township, this county, in 1885, and is a son of John K. and Katherine (Hertzog) Roush. His paternal great- grandfather was born in Germany, and upon coming to America settled in Pennsylvania, where he passed the remainder of his life. His son Joseph, grandfather of Lima's chief of police, came from the old Keystone State to Allen County, Ohio, where he settled in Bath Township and developed the excellent farm on which he and his wife remained until their deaths. John K. Roush and his wife still reside on their farm in Bath Township, and he is one of the substantial and honored citizens of the county. Oscar J. is their only son and the daughters are five in number.
The invigorating discipline of the home farm compassed the childhood and youth of Oscar J. Roush, and he was associated with the activities of the home farm until he was twenty years of age. In the meanwhile he had profited fully by the advantages of the district schools. For one year Mr. Roush was employed as a blacksmith helper at Lima, and for eight years thereafter he was in the employ of the Crystal Ice Company of this city. He then, in 1914. became one of the patrolmen constituting the police force of the city, and thereafter was for two and one-half years in service as a "plain clothes" policeman, with detective functions. His heroism and efficient service in connection with the Lima street railway riot of September 17, 1917, led to his appointment, on the 30th of the same month, to the office of chief of police, a merited promotion that was conferred upon him by Mayor Simpson. His service in this important municipal position has fully justified his appointment to the office, and his record has been marked by the successful handling of a large amount of police work of important order, including the capture of two murderers. His reappointment under three consecutive municipal councils indicates the general appreciation of his efficiency in maintaining law and order and materially reducing crime in Lima. In 1918 3,116 arrests were made by the police department, and in 1919 the number was only 1,836. It is worthy of note in this connection that the record for the year 1918 showed twenty-four arrests for burglary and larceny, thirty-three for grand larceny and 151 for petty larceny. In the following year there were thirty-five arrests for burglary and larceny, forty-three for grand larceny and 158 for petty larceny. The year 1919 recorded only fifteen arrests for burglary and larceny, a similar number for grand larceny and fifty-six for petty larceny.
Chief Roush is an appreciative and popular affiliant of the local organizations of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Fraternal Order of Eagles, is a stalwart advocate of the principles of the democratic party and is a commnuicant of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. His name is still
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enrolled on the roster of eligible bachelors in his native county.
WILLIAM M. PATTERSON. Five miles northeast of Spencerville is located one of the good farms of Allen County, the proprietor of which, William M. Patterson, has lived there most of his life and in that locality has exemplified his best work and his best citizenship. The farm occupies an interesting place on the historic Defiance Trail.
Mr. Patterson was born at Ada in Hardin County, Ohio, August 12, 1858, son of William B. and Sarah A. (Boyd) Patterson. His father was born in Hardin County April 29, 1831, while his mother was born in Tuscarawas County of this state March 21, 1832. They were married in Allen County and at once went into a portion of the heavily timbered area in Amanda Township, cleared some of the woods to make room for their first home, and remained there, industrious and honored citizens, to the end of their days. The father died October 18, 1892, and the mother July 9, 1909. They were earnest and active members of the Hartford Christian Church, and the political support of the family was given to the democratic party. William B. Patterson served as assessor of Amanda Township. He was the father of five children: Arthur S. T., an Amanda Township farmer ; Elsina C., who died unmarried; William M.; James A., also a farmer in Amanda Township ; and Robert C., formerly a teacher in the public schools of Fulton County, now a resident of Roundhead, Ohio.
William M. Patterson grew up on the farm where he lives today, acquired a common school education, and lived at home and took part in farm labors to the age of twenty-one. On April 24, 1880, he married Mary Luthi, who was born in Auglaize County, Ohio, September 9, 1858, and was reared in that county. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Patterson lived on his father's farm one year and rented another place three years, for a time lived in Auglaize County, and for many years past have been permanent residents of Amanda Township, where Mr. Patterson eventually bought out the interests of the other heirs in the old homestead. He now has seventy acres devoted to his general business of farming and stock raising. He has made the farm a noted breeding center for Hampshire hogs, and usually runs between 125 and 150 head of this strain.
Mr. and Mrs. Patterson had four children: Clare E., deceased; James W., a farmer in Amanda Township ; Clarence O., who spent three months in Camp Sherman during the World war and by his marriage to Hazel Ralston has a daughter, Clara C., born February 24, 1920; and Fred, the youngest of the family, died February 15, 1913. Mrs. Patterson passed away March 13, 1913. Mr. Patterson is clerk of the Hartford Christian Church and is a democratic voter.
WILLIAM DILLER. Owner of a substantial farm, a man of recognized integrity and wholesome influence in his community, William Diller has spent all his active life in Allen County and is a member of a family that has been identified with this section of northwestern Ohio for more than eighty years.
Mr. Diller, whose home and farm are three miles west of Elida, on rural route No. 1, was born in American Township May 31, 1870, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Brenneman) Diller. His father was born in Pennsylvania in 1835 and his mother in Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1836, and both were brought when children by their respective parents to Allen County, where they grew up and after their marriage settled on a farm in American Township. Samuel Diller owned 160 acres there, and was widely known over the country as a successful farmer and citizen of unimpeachable character. He was a democrat and a member of the Mennonite Church. Samuel Diller and wife had nine children, five of whom are still living: George, a farmer in American Township ; Barbara, wife of A. B. Weaver of Marion Township ; Samuel S., who lives on a farm in American Township ; William; and Andrew, a Marion Township farmer.
William Diller grew up on his father's homestead, where he lived to the age of twenty-one. He acquired a good education in the local schools. On June 28, 1891, he married Anna R. Shank. Mrs. Diller was born in Missouri November 9, 1872, daughter of David and Sarah (Bowman) Shank. Her parents were born and married in Virginia, soon afterward moved out to Missouri, where the mother died, and her father died in Howard County, Indiana. From early girlhood Mrs. Diller lived largely among strangers, had to work for her living, and attended school only in winter terms until her marriage.
For the first two years after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Diller rented the Diller homestead. He then came to his present location in Marion Township, where he owns a well improved farm of sixty acres. He is also a stockholder in the Elida Equity Exchange, is a democratic voter and he and his family are all members of the Mennonite Church.
Mr. and Mrs. Diller had eight children. Two are now deceased, Laura and Vera. Those living are Lissa, Arthur D., Clara, Wilmer, Osie and Della. The daughter Lissa, born July 15, 1892, is the wife of A. S. Brenneman and lives in Amanda Township. The son Arthur, who was born October 10, 1895, is a graduate of the Elida High School, spent two years in college, and during the war was employed in reconstruction and relief work, spending thirteen months in France.
MARY E. WIESENMEYER WILSON. Wholly devoted to home and domestic duties, doing through all the best years of her life the lowly but sacred work that comes within her sphere, there is not much to record concerning the life of the average woman. And yet, as man's equal in every qualification save the physical, and his superior in the gentle, tender and loving amenities of life, she fully merits a much larger notice than she ordinarily receives, and the writer of these lines is optimistrc enough to indulge the opinion that in the no distant future she will receive due credit for the important part she acts in life's great drama and be accorded her proper place in history and biography.
Mary E. Wiesenmeyer was born in Amanda Township, Allen County, on September 18, 1872, the daughter of George and Eva (Haas) Wiesenmeyer. Both of her parents were natives -of Germany, the father born on June 26, 1830, and the mother on March 3, 1836. George Wiesenmeyer came to the United States in 1851 and settled at Delaware, Ohio. Subsequently Eva Haas came also to this country with her brother and located at Delaware, where occurred her marriage to Mr. Wiesenineyer. He
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was a carpenter by trade, and they lived at Delaware for about ten years after their marriage. They then came to Allen County and settled in Amanda Township, where they still live at advanced ages, the father being ninety years and the mother eighty- four at the time of this writing. To them were born the, following children : Caroline, the wife of Fred Koch of Lima; Delilah, the wife of Abraham Zerkel of Auglaize County, Ohio ; Sophronia, the wife of William Russler of Shawnee Township ; Matilda, the wife of Enos Niese of Auglaize County; and Mary E., the immediate subject of this sketch.
Mary E. Wiesenmeyer was reared on her father's farm in Amanda Township and secured her educational training in the public schools. She remained at home until her marriage on July 28, 1892, to Seymour Place, who was born in Logan Township, Auglaize County, Ohio, on January 24, 1865. His parents were Smith and Martha (Whetstone) Place, both of whom also were natives of Auglaize County. Both are now deceased, the father dying in 1914 and the mother in 1904. Seymour Place was reared to the life of a farmer and in his youth received the advantage of a common school education. He lived at home until his marriage to Mary E. Wiesenmeyer, after which he engaged in farming on his own account, and followed that vocation successfully up to the time of his death. He was a man of industrious habits, strict integrity and good business capacity, and enjoyed the universal respect of all who knew him, his death being greatly regretted throughout the community. To him and his wife were born six children, of whom five are living, namely: George S., a graduate of the Spencerviile High School and the Ohio State University, is a veterinary surgeon at St. Marys, Ohio. He was married to Mildred Mack, the daughter of William Mack, and they have one child, Robert Arthur. Arthur L., who graduated from the Spencerville High School, is a veteran of the World war, having served nine months in the front lines of the armies in France. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Union Elevator at Spencerville, and now makes his home with his mother. Frederick and Freda are students in the Spencerville High School. Ruth A. is three years old.
Seymour Place was a democrat in his political views and was an ardent supporter, of every movement or enterprise for the general good of the community. He and the family were members of the Christian Church, but his widow is now a member of the Zion Methodist Episcopal Church. She is the owner of eighty acres of excellent land, which she is operating to good advantage with the assistance of her son. She is a woman of most excellent personal qualities, moving in the best social circles of the community, and is held in the highest esteem by all who enjoy her acquaintance.
WALTER A. ROSS is one of the prosperous farmers of Marion Township, his home being three miles west of Elida on rural route No. 1. He has achieved prosperity after an early life of considerable hardship and struggle, and has gained a position of esteem through the exercise of self reliance, industry and integrity in all his relations.
Mr. Ross was born in Virginia June 1, 1876, son of David and Julia (Whitsell) Ross. His parents were natives of the same state. The father died in Virginia in 1880, and in 1883 the widowed mother brought her family to Allen County, Ohio, and lived in Marion Township for a number of years, but died in Colorado. Both parents were devout members of the United Brethren Church. In the family were nine children: George is a minister in the Mennonite Church and a farmer in Allen County; Hettie, who is married and lives in this county ; Margaret is the wife of Thomas Montague; Mary is the wife of Franklin Taylor ; Jacob of Allen County; John, who lives in Colorado ; William of Allen County; Walter A.; and Calvin, who is a minister of the United Brethren Church.
Walter A. Ross was seven years old when brought to Allen County, grew up on his mother's farm and lived with her until he was twenty-one, though in the meantime he employed most of his time working out for wages by the month. He acquired a common school education.
August 11, 1898, Mr. Ross married Fannie Good, daughter of Henry Good. She was born in Marion Township. Into their home came ten children, and eight are still living, named Arlo, Omer, Henry, Burdett, Adam, Roland, Irene and Richard.
For a number of years Mr. Ross has been busied with the management of his 105-acre farm. He is also a stockholder in the Threshing Ring and in the Elida Equity Exchange. The family are active members of the Mennonite Church of Marion Township.
THOMAS GRUBB. Industry, perseverance, intelligence and good judgment are the price of success in agricultural work in these modern days of farming, when the hard, unremitting toil of former years has been largely eradicated by the scientific use of modern machinery and a knowledge of the proper treatment of the soil. Allen County has many skilled farmers who treat their vocation more as a profession than a mere occupation and take a justifiable pride in their accomplishments, and among them is Thomas Grubb, proprietor of the Fertile Valley Farm, in Amanda Township, twelve miles southeast of Delphos.
Mr. Grubb was born at Lafayette, Jackson Township, Allen County, Ohio, September 27, 1853, a son of John B. and Elizabeth (Robinson) Grubb, the former a native of Morgan County and the latter of Allen County. They were married in the latter county, following which they settled on a farm in Jackson Township, although Mr. Grubb, the elder, was also a merchant at Lafayette, to which point he had come as early as 1843. He was a contractor on the construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and, being a tanner by trade, had a tan yard. In 1858 he moved to a farm in Auglaize Township, and there spent the rest of his life in agricultural pursuits. He was a member of the Grange, a democrat in politics and a member of the Christian Church, as was his worthy wife. They were the parents of six children, of whom three are living: Thomas; John A., who is engaged in farming in Allen County; and Elizabeth A., the wife of J. H. Buickley of Auglaize County.
Thomas Grubb passed his boyhood days on the home farm and secured his education in the district schools and the select school at Lafayette. He remained at home until reaching the age of twenty- five years, at which time he rented land and began operations on his own account, and in 1881 was married to .Miss Catherine Bowers, who was born at
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Springfield, Ohio, in 1858. At that time Mr. Grubb purchased fifty acres of land in Amanda Township, and to this he has since added from time to time until he now has 255 acres. He has been a general farmer and has also been successful as a breeder of stock, particularly of Delaine sheep and Duroc hogs. He has been exceedingly active in the Grange movement, being a member of Jackson Grange and a past master thereof, and at one time was president' of the Allen County Grange. He also belongs to Acadia Lodge No. 306, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. As a voter he supports the democratic party and its candidates, and has himself filled several positions, having been township trustee, justice of the peace and member of the School Board, in all of which positions he displayed executive ability and a conscientious desire to discharge his duties fully. Mr. Grubb holds the oldest mem bership in the Methodist Episcopal Church at Allentown, and has been active in the church as well as in the Sunday school. Mrs. Grubb also belongs to this church.
Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Grubb : Rollie G., a graduate of the normal school at Lima, Ohio, and now a commercial traveler of that city; Laura B., the wife of D. M. Hildred, a farmer of Paulding County, Ohio ; and Maude B., the wife of Edwin Boyer, a farmer of Amanda Township.
PHILIP MELANCTHON ROUSCULP has had a substantial place in the community of Perry Township for a long period of years. He is chiefly known as a practical and thorough-going farmer, though in early life he learned the trade of carpenter and has done a great deal of building work throughout his section of the county.
Mr. Rousculp was born November 25, 1872, son of Levi and Susanna (Blank) Rousculp. His father was born in Perry County, Ohio, and his mother in Union Township, Auglaize County, Ohio. His paternal grandparents, Jacob and Elizabeth Rousculp, were natives of Pennsylvania. The maternal grandfather was John Blank of Auglaize County, Ohio. Levi Rousculp was married in Ohio and settled in Allen County about 1856. He was a blacksmith by trade, and even after he bought a forty-acre farm in section 32 he continued working in his shop and did most of the blacksmithing required of that entire community. He subsequently added twenty- acres to his farm, cleared and improved it and was a member of that quiet industry all his days. He died in December, 1902, and his wife died in 1877. They had two children, Philip M. and John D., the latter a resident of Delaware, Oklahoma.
Philip M. Rousculp was educated in the district schools of Allen County and as a boy showed mechanical propensities that led him to acquire the skill of a carpenter. On July 27, 1895, he married Anna S. Miller. She was born in Wayne Township of Auglaize County in May, 1876, daughter of John and Mary Anne (Crouse) Miller. John Miller was born in Switzerland. Mary Anne Crouse was born in Pennsylvania.
After his marriage Mr. Rousculp gave the larger part of his time for ten years to the building of rigs for the oil fields. He then joined his brother and bought the old homestead of sixty acres, and they still own this place jointly. However, Mr. Rousculp has also acquired twenty-four acres in section 21, and is one of the leading farmers of the township. Much of his time has been taken away from his fields by demands for his services as a carpenter and builder, and he has erected a number of residences and barns in his community.
Mr. Rousculp served three years as assessor and six years as a member of the Board of Education. In the fall of 1917 he was elected township trustee, and has- filled that office continuously. He is a democrat in politics, and a citizen well qualified to act in a public capacity. He is a trustee of the Lutheran Church.
Mr. and Mrs. Rousculp have the following children : Muriel, Mrs. Alva L. Naus, of Union Township, Auglaize County ; Hazel, who was born September 8, 1897, and died August 26, 1920, wife of Ortho Graham; Levi L. of Lima ; John A., who was in the Students' Army Training Corps at Columbus in 1917-18, and is now taking the engineering course in Ohio State University; Herman Philip ; Daisy Leola ; Wilbur Ward; Wilmuth Ganell; Adrian Dale ; Alice Gail; Donald Paul, and Milo Millard.
ALEXANDER J. MCBRIDE. When an individual has been spared to pass the age of eighty-four, and when the greater part of his life has been passed in industrious application to the pursuits of agriculture, he is entitled to a rest and may look back over his career with the contentment that comes through a realization of work well done. Among the retired citizens siof Allen County was one who was held in high respect and esteem, Alexander J. McBride, who passed the evening of life quietly at his comfortable home on rural route No. 2, Elida, Ohio, where he died March 5, 1921.
Mr. McBride was born in Ross County, Ohio, March 23, 1836, a son of Alexander and Leah (Wolfe) McBride, the former born in Maryland in 1805, and the latter in Pickaway County, Ohio, in 1807. Alexander McBride, the elder, went to Pickaway County, Ohio, in young manhood and there married, and for a time was a salesman of the old style chaff pilers and threshing machines. In 1839 he came to Allen County, where he purchased a farm in the woods of American Township, upon which he built a hewed-log house. He succeeded in clearing his farm and making it productive, and upon it he and his worthy and faithful wife passed the remainder of their lives. In addition to his home property of 160 acres he became the owner of eighty additional acres, all obtained through his own effort and able management. He was a republican and he and his wife were consistent members of the Christian Union Church. They were the parents of eleven children, of whom two are living : Nelson, ex-auditor of Allen County, who resides in American Township, and Eli, who is still engaged in farming in that township.
Alexander J. McBride was given his educational training in a log schoolhouse in the district of his father's farm and was reared to the rough life of clearing a property from the virgin forest. Remaining at home until he was twenty-one years of age, at that time he started work on his own account, and in April, 1861, took the initial step for the forming of a household by his marriage to Louisa Baker, who was born in American Township, Allen County, a daughter of Jacob S. and Mary (East) Baker, the former born in Maryland and the latter
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in Pickaway County, but they were married in Allen County, where they passed their lives as farming people and were highly respected. Following his marriage Mr. McBride enlisted, in 1864, in Company E, One Hundred and Eightieth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of the war. Returning then to his home, he resumed the clearing of the farm in Amanda Township, where he spent the remainder of his life, a tract of 160 acres. For many years he was known as one of the most industrious farmers of his township, but the coming of age caused him to turn over his labors to younger and stronger shoulders. He was always a democrat, and in past years served as a member of the Board of School Directors, of the Board of Township Trustees and of the Board of County Supervisors.
Mrs. Louise McBride died in 1913, the mother of three children: Orlando C., born January 2, 1862 ; Marion, born September 5, 1863; and Cora, born April 29, 1866.
JOHN W. THOMPSON. While for more than a quarter of a century John W. Thompson has lived on and operated one farm in Marion Township, his business interests have extended outside as a hay and grain dealer, and he is widely known by his connections with that industry over northwestern Ohio.
Mr. Thompson was born in Marion Township August 22, 1873, a son of William and Margaret (Holmes) Thompson. His father was born in Champaign County, Ohio, November 26, 1828, and his mother was born in Fairfield County in March, 1842. William Thompson grew up and acquired a common school education, and is one of the few survivors of the real pioneer epoch in western Ohio. He is at the time of this writing ninety-three years of age, and has lived the life of a farmer in Marion Township since his marriage. For many years he has been active in the Marion Baptist Church. Three children are still living: John W. and E. J., both of Marion Township, and Della, the wife of Charles Allen, of Ridge Township in Van Wert County.
John W. Thompson grew up on the old homestead in Marion Township, and made good use of his advantages in the public schools. On January 24, 1893, he married Emma Mosier, who was born in the same township and went through the common schools. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Thompson located on their present farm, where they have 134 acres, most of it thoroughly cultivated and highly productive. Mr. Thompson has been in the grain and hay business since 1909, under the name of Thompson, Foust & Company. For two years he was connected with the management of the Ohio City Elevator, and also has managed elevators at Spencerville and Columbus Grove. He is a stockholder in and a member of the Board of Directors of the Elida Bank and a stockholder in the Equity Exchange at Elida, and is president of the Elida Mutual Telephone Company.
Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have six children : Clifford, a farmer in Marion Township ; Rolie, who farms the home place ; Willie, Teddy, Laura and Orvin. The family are active members and supporters of the Middle River Church, Mr. Thompson being superintendent of the Sunday school. He is affiliated with the Elida Lodge of Odd Fellows, the Delphos Encampment, and is a member of Canton Orion, Patriarchs Militant No. 24 of Lima. He is also affiliated with the Riverside Grange and the Pomona Grange of Allen County, and his family are identified with the Grange. His sons Rolie and Clifford are members of the Odd Fellows at Elida, Ohio. Mr. Thompson has given much of his time to public matters, and is now president of the township School Board and a county commissioner, elected on the republican ticket.
DARL W. THOMSON, one of the popular young citizens of Lima, is a secretary and treasurer of both the Lima and the Shawnee Country clubs. The Lima Club contains the best and most representative citizenship of Lima. It was founded in 1894 by William K. Boone, and now has 300 active members and 195 non-resident members. The president of the club is H. L. Solomon and the vice president, A. L. Matheney.
Darl W. Thomson was born at Dunkirk, Ohio, October 15, 1897, son of John W. and Anna (Fulton) Thomson, who are still living on the old Thomson homestead near Dunkirk. The paternal grandparents were James and Elizabeth (Hindbaugh) Thomson, the former born in Scotland and the latter near Dunkirk, Ohio. The Thomsons settled in that section of Ohio when the country was filled with Indians and the land covered with dense timber, so that they had to blaze their path through the woods to their destination. The maternal grandparents of Darl Thomson were John Henry and Margaret (Stull) Fulton, natives of southern Ohio.
Darl W. Thomson received a grammar and high school education at Dunkirk and also attended the Lima Business College. In 1915 he entered the general foreman's office of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway, now a part of the Baltimore & Ohio system. In December, 1916, he went with Don N. Burton handling office supplies, and on October 1, 1918, was inducted into the Students' Army Training Corps at the Ohio Northern University at Ada. On leaving the army December 20, 1918, he became an office man for the Chalmers Pump & Manufacturing Company, but in October, 1919, was appointed to his present responsible and pleasant duties as secretary and treasurer of the Lima and Shawnee clubs. He is unmarried, is a republican and a member of the Christian Church.
DANIEL OSCAR SNIDER. About the time he was old enough to vote Daniel Oscar Snider left the home farm in Allen County and found employment in the oil fields of the Lima district, but much the greater portion of his mature life has been spent in the service of the Ohio Electric Railroad Company, with which he has had repeated advancement in technical responsibilities, and for a number of years past has been chief engineer of the company at Lima.
Mr. Snider was born in Auglaize Township of Allen County, near the Town of Harrod, April 10, 1872, a son of Amos and Elizabeth J. Snider. The grandfather, George Snider, came from Germany when twelve years of age with his parents, and grew up on a farm in Perry County. Ohio. In the three generations of the Snider family that have lived in Ohio most of them have been farmers. The Sniders came to Allen County when the country was practically covered with dense woods, and as a family they did their share of the strenuous labor of clear-
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ing away the timber and developing farms. Amos Snider was the second in a family of nine children, and the only one of that generation now living is George Snider in this county. Amos Snider spent most of his life on the home farm in Jackson Township, but his death occurred in Lima July 28, 1916. His widow is still living.
Daniel Oscar Snider is the sixth of nine children, all of whom are still living with the exception of the oldest son, who died September 20, 1920. As a boy Daniel acquired his education in the Baker schoolhouse, two miles from the home farm, walking back and forth every day during the winter terms. In summer his time was given to the work of the fields, and after he was nineteen he worked altogether on the farm until 1893, when he came to Lima and during the next four years worked as a teamster in the oil fields. Leaving that work, he became a lineman for the Lima Light Company, and after two and a half years was advanced to oiler, serving in that capacity six years, and at the time the new power house was built at Lima by the Ohio Electric Railroad Company in 1900 he was given duties as engineer, a post for which he had splendid qualifications, and is one of the veterans in the service of the corporation. Since 1917 he has been chief engineer, and had the supervision of thirty men in his department, but the force now numbers twenty-five men.
In 1894 Mr. Snider married Bertie Norris, a daughter of George Norris, of Harrod, Allen County. They have two children, a son and daughter. Norris Amos, who was born in 1895, is oil tester at the Solar Refinery. He married Beryl Verbright, of Lima, and has two children, Ruth Eleanor and Richard. Gladys Snider became the wife of Harlin Prosser, general foreman of the Lima Sheet Metal Works, who died March 28, 1921. They had one child, Donald.
ULYSSES M. COCHRAN. One of the best known families in Marion Township is the Cochrans, and on land where he was born and reared Ulysses M. Cochran is still actively engaged in his agricultural operations. His interests have extended to farmers and general business organizations, and to every movement in the locality to promote the general welfare.
Mr. Cochran was born July 23, 1868, a son of W. R. and Eliza (Baxter) Cochran. His father was born in Putnam County, Ohio, in 1829 and his mother in Fairfield County in 1833. After their marriage they settled on the old farm in Marion Township, and proved themselves people of the greatest worth and industry in that community. The father died August 17, 1812, and the mother April 12, 1901. For many years they were faithful members of the Morris Methodist Chapel, and W. R. Cochran was a trustee in the church and worker in the Sunday school. He was affiliated with Hope Lodge of Masons at Delphos and also filled the office of township trustee, being elected on the republican ticket. In the family were nine children: Clara, deceased; Keziah J., Julia, Newton, William, Frances, Emma, Ulysses and Isaac M.
Ulysses M. Cochran while growing up on the farm attended the public schools, and after getting his education was a successful teacher altogether for seventeen years, though farming in the meanwhile.
April 16, 1891, he married Emma L. Brand, daughter of S. J. and Louisa (Peltier) Brand. After their marriage they settled on the old homestead and Mr. Cochran owns a well improved farm of eighty acres, but operates altogether 160 acres. He and his wife are very active members of Morris Chapel of the Methodist Church, and he has been identified with that church since boyhood. He is a trustee, and has contributed liberally to the maintenance of church activities. Mr. Cochran is a past master of Hope Lodge No. 214, Free and Accepted Masons, at Delphos, is a past high priest of Delphos Chapter No. 105, Royal Arch Masons, and is the present thrice illustrious master of Delphos Council No. 72, Royal and Select Masters. He is the present master of Riverside Grange.
Three children were born to the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Cochran : Ruth, who received a high school education and is the wife of C. F. Buettner ; Charlotte, who graduated from the Delphos High School, from the Oxford College of Music, and is pursuing post-graduate courses in music and opera at the Conservatory of Cincinnati and in New York ; and Byron, who died at the age of two years. Mr. and Mrs. Cochran are rearing a son, Clayton Cochran, in their home.
ROY J. CLEVENGER. Located one-quarter of a mile north of Gomer is the well-cultivated and productive farm belonging to Roy J. Clevenger, one of the progressive agriculturists of Sugar Creek Township. Mr. Clevenger is a capable agriculturist and has also shown an interest in civic affairs, as well as in the institutions of education and religion in his community, and is accounted a substantial and dependable citizen.
Roy J. Clevenger was born in section 21, Sugar Creek Township, Allen County, August 17, 1881, a son of Joseph F. and Clara (Sarber) Clevenger. The Clevenger family is one of the old and highly respected ones of this county, having been founded here in 1830 by the great-grandfather of Roy J. Clevenger, William Clevenger, who came alone in that year and entered a large tract of Government land. In 1831 he brought his family here, they being among the first settlers of Sugar Creek Township, where the family has always been identified with agricultural pursuits and where its members have been noted for their industry, honorable lives and good citizenship. William Clevenger was a republican and he and his wife were consistent members of the church in their locality. They were the parents of three children : Anna, who became the wife of Jacob Gander ; Chloe, who became the wife of John Roberts ; and Isaac H.
Isaac H. Clevenger, the grandfather of Roy J., was born in Franklin County, Ohio, in 1828, and was four years of age when brought to Allen County, where he passed the rest of a long and useful life in the pursuits of the soil. He married Lucinda Ford, and they became the parents of the following children : Lizzie, who married Abe Funk; Benjamin, who married Mary Rimer ; Joseph, who married Clara Sarber ; William, who married Ella Griffith ; Dr. R. E., who married Anna Davis ; Amanda, who married P. H. Beck ; Mary, who married C. D. Sarber ; Minnie, who died as a child; Nora, who died in infancy; and Phoebe, deceased.
Joseph F. Clevenger was educated in the public schools of Sugar Creek Township, and on reaching manhood followed in the footsteps of his forebears
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and adopted the vocation of farming for his life work. During a long and active career he devoted himself to the development and improvement of his property, became a successful agriculturist, and won the confidence and -espect of those among whom his life was passed. He and his worthy and estimable wife became the parents of five children: Gus, deceased, who was a graduate of the Tri-State College of Angola, Indiana ; Bertha, the wife of O. T. McBride; Roy J.; Maude, the wife of E. J. Reynolds; and Howard, of Vaughnsville, who married Sarah Reynolds.
Roy J. Clevenger was reared on the home farm and educated in the public school at Gomer. He remained on the home place until reaching the age of twenty-one years, at which time he married Blodwen Watkins, who died at the birth of her first child, who also passed away. On June 9, 1909, Mr. Clevenenger married Nellie Garlock, who was born at Coal- town, Pennsylvania, and a graduate of the high school at North Baltimore, Ohio. For seven years prior to her marriage Mrs. Clevenger, a lady of fine intellectual attainments, taught in the public schools. She and her husband are the parents of two children: Mary I., born June 11, 1910; and Margaret, born October 19, 1913. Mr. and Mrs. Clevenger are members of the Presbyterian Church, where Mr. Clevenger is president of the Board of Trustees. He is a republican in politics, and is fraternally affiliated with Hope Lodge No. 214, Free and Accepted Masons.
PERRY E. BRUNE. Among the substantial families contributed to Allen County by the old State of Virginia one is that of Brunk, represented by Perry E. Brunk, for many years a prosperous farmer and citizen of Marion Township whose home is west of Elida.
Mr. Brunk was born in Virginia June 19, 1858, a son of George and Mary (Weaver) Brunk. His parents were both natives of Virginia, the mother born in 1833, is still living at the venerable age of eighty-seven. They were married in Virginia, spent many years as farmers there, and when their children were grown they came to Allen County and settled two miles west of Elida in Marion Township, where the father lived until his death. As a family they have all been closely identified with the Mennonite Church and George Brunk was a minister. Six children are still living: Elizabeth, wife of D. P. Mason; Samuel C., a farmer in Marion Township; Perry E.; Frank B., who is a farmer in eastern Virginia ; Fannie, wife of O. G. Wilkin ; and Lydia, wife of Hiram Hoover of Allen County.
Perry E. Brunk grew up on a Virginia farm and acquired his education in the schools of that state. He was twenty years of age when he came to Allen County and in 1880 married Maria J. Powell, who was born in Virginia in 1857. For the forty years of their married lives Mr. and Mrs. Brunk have lived' on a farm in their present locality, where he has sixty-five acres devoted to general crops. In addition to his farm duties he has for many years been a minister of the Mennonite Church. Mr. and Mrs. Brunk have nine children, most of whom have followed professional careers : George L., a graduate in dentistry and practicing at Lima ; Andrew S., who graduated from medical college and is a physician at La Junta, Colorado; Mary E., living at Elkhart, Indiana, wife of E. E. Stutzman; Henry J., a Lima dentist, who was with the army during the the World war, spending nine months in France; Elizabeth, wife of O. G. Brenneman of Mansfield, Ohio; Clifford F., who is a specialist in eye, ear and throat; Lewis P., who is practicing dentistry at Rockford, Ohio; Walter, now attending a dental college and Lloyd S., who spent nine months with the Signal Corps during the World war.
WILLIAM J. REAGAN. One of the well known and successful agriculturists of Allen County is William J. Reagan, who is carrying on operations on his forty-acre property in Jackson Township. Mr. Reagan is likewise a gauger for the Buckeye Pipe Line Company, and a man who has won the esteem and confidence of the people of his community through a strict observance of the principles of integrity and good citizenship. Mr. Reagan was born August 14, 1876, at Olean, New York, and is a son of Thomas and Catherine (Moriarity) Reagan, natives of Ireland.
Thomas Reagan was a young man when he emigrated to the United States, settling at Olean, New York, where he was married. At the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted in the Union army and fought four years with a New York infantry regiment, receiving a serious wound at the battle of Gettysburg which eventually caused his death a number of years after the war had closed. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and a democrat in politics, and he and his wife were faithful members of the Catholic Church. They were the parents of seven children : Michael, a resident of Delphos, Ohio ; Theresa, living at Amarillo, Texas ; John J., of Spencerville, Ohio; William J., of this review ; Thomas, of Oklahoma ; D. V., of Fort Worth, Texas ; and Mary, the wife of L. H. Barr, of Tulsa, Oklahoma. During the period of his active career, Thomas Reagan was engaged in farming in New York, and was known as a substantial and reliable citizen and an industrious agriculturist.
William J. Reagan attended the public schools of his native community and resided on the home farm until he reached the age of fourteen years, at which time he came to Ohio and settled first in Auglaize County, where he worked as a farm hand for some years. He was married in 1898 to Miss Minerva Jacob, and to this union there have been born five sons : Ralph, a graduate of Lafayette High School, who is assisting his father in cultivating the home farm ; Harold, who is a student at Lafayette High School ; and Basil, Arthur and Delmar, who are attending the graded schools. The family belongs to the Catholic Church, which they attend at Bluffton. Mr. Reagan is a member of Lima Council, Knights of Columbus, and in politics is a democrat. On coming to Allen County, some time after his marriage, Mr. Reagan settled on a farm in Jackson Township, where he now has forty acres under cultivation. He has substantial buildings and other modern improvements on his land, and conducts his operations in a progressive and up-to-date manner. He is a stockholder in the Beaver Dam Farmers Elevator, as well as the elevator at Lafayette, and in addition to his agricultural activities acts as a gauger for the Buckeye Pipe Line Company.
WILLIAM EDWARD BAXTER. Three generations of the Baxter family have contributed their energies and influence to the making of Allen County the
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community it is today, particularly in the development of its agriculture and related industries. A representative of the third generation, William Edward Baxter is one of the live and progressive farmers of Marion Township and has also been officially identified with farmers' business organizations, and with various other community projects, particularly education. For a number of years he was an active school man.
Mr. Baxter, whose farm home is in section 3 of Marion Township, on Elida rural route No. 1, three and a half miles northwest of Elida, was born on part of the farm where he lives today, July 22, 1886, in the same house in which his father was born. His grandfather, Curtis Baxter, was born in Ross County, Ohio, in 1822, and in 1843 married Emily John. After their marriage they came to Allen County and settled along the Auglaize River in Marion Township, where they lived out their lives. Curtis Baxter is remembered by some of the older people of Allen County as a man of powerful physique and one well equipped for the pioneer responsibilities of clearing up a home from the woods. He was one of the founders of Morris Chapel of the Methodist Church and long one of its active members. Politically he was a republican, and was affiliated with the Masonic and Odd Fellows fraternities.
His son, Curtis Truman, was born at the old homestead in Marion Township, September 7, 1859, grew up there, and on February 1, 1881, married Osie Westerfield, who was born August 11, 1858. They became the parents of four children: Clinton C., a Marion Township farmer ; William E.; Clyde M., who also farms in Marion Township ; and Carl W., whose farming activities have likewise been pursued in his home township.
William E. Baxter made the best possible use of the opportunities of the public schools while growing up, spent three terms in Lima College, took a course in Moody Institute, and also continued his education by correspondence work with the Ohio State University. His career as a teacher was continued for thirteen years, ten years in Marion Township and three years in American Township. Mr. Baxter is also a licensed local minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
June 16, 1917, he married Miss Martha East, who was born in American Township. They have one daughter, Ruth Emily, born October 21, 1920. Mr. and Mrs. Baxter are active members of the Morris Methodist Chapel. Mr. Baxter is a member of Elida Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Delphos Encampment of the same order, and is a prominent member of Riverside Grange. He is a stockholder in the Equity Exchange at Elida, is secretary of the Allen County Mutual Insurance Company, is a director of the Riverside Threshing Company and still gives his time and thought to educational matters as president of the County Board of School Examiners. During the World war Mr. Baxter and his brother Carl were in Jackson Camp, South Carolina.
LEWIS MELVIN BOTKIN is one of the progressive young farmers in Perry Township, a young man who started out as a renter, improved land of his own and has a valuable farm and is making rapid headway to independent prosperity.
He was born in Auglaize County, Ohio, in July, 1877, son of William R. and Barbara Helen (Seibert) Botkin. His father was a native of Montgomery County, Ohio, and his mother of Auglaize County. The paternal grandparents, Thomas and Martha (Botkin) Botkin, were natives of Virginia and early settlers in northwest Ohio. Thomas Botkin was at one time a boatman on the Ohio and Michigan Canal. The maternal grandparents, Samuel and Henrietta (Shanahan) Seibert, the former a native of Maryland and the latter of Virginia, were early settlers in Auglaize County, Ohio. L. M. Botkin's parents now live on a farm in Union Township of Auglaize County.
Mr. Botkin had to be satisfied with the advantages offered by the district schools, grew up in the discipline of a farm home, and had a very small capital when he married and settled down to the serious business of life. December 25, 1902, he married Rosa Riley, a native of Auglaize County and daughter of Virginus and Elizabeth (Neil) Riley. Her father is a native of West Virginia and is now living in Perry Township of Allen County.
For ten years, from February, 1903, until 1913, Mr. Botkin and wife lived on a farm they rented from H. M. Colvin in section 26 of Perry Township. Besides providing for his family Mr. Botkin saved some money by renting, and in 1909 bought eighty acres of unimproved land in section 36 of Perry Township. In 1913 he built his house and barn, moved to the farm, and has since cleared up and put it all in cultivation except about five acres of timber pasture. His profits have come from general farming, but he has always been progressive and has handled both the producing and marketing end of his business with a rare degree of good judgment. Mr. and Mrs. Botkin have one daughter, Threeca Helen, born October 20, 1904. She married Albert Anderson on March 2, 1921. Politically Mr. Botkin is a republican and is affiliated with Lima Lodge No. 199 of the Order of Moose and Westminster Tent No. 455 of the Knights of the Maccabees.
GAIL E. MILLER, M. D. Associated in practice at Spencerville with the veteran physician and surgeon Dr. Welch, Dr. Miller served as a medical officer in France during the World war, going into the army about a year after he had begun practice at Spencerville and he returned to his duties in 1919 with the enlarged viewpoint of a soldier and the special training and experience of one who served in the hospitals and near the battle lines of the World war.
Doctor Miller was born in Allen County near Elida February 17, 1892. His parents are Issachar and Mary (Baty) Miller, also natives of Allen County, and well known farmers near Elida. They are very active members of the Lutheran Church there and the father is a democrat in politics. There were four children: Grace, wife of John B. Badertscher of Bridgeport. Illinois; Roy W., a farmer near Elida ; Darrell A., deceased ; and Dr. Gail E.
Doctor Miller grew up on his father's farm and giving evidence, of his studious inclinations he had all the opportunities for a liberal education. After finishing in the district schools he graduated from the Elida High School, spent one year in Thiel College at Greenville, Pennsylvania, and took the full four year course in the Ohio State Medical College, graduating with the Doctor of Medicine degree. He located at Spencerville in June, 1916, and on July 3,
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1917, joined the Medical Corps of the Second Ohio Infantry. He was given his camp training in Alabama, was commissioned a first lieutenant, and on June 28, 1918, sailed from Montreal, Canada. In France after competitive examination he was promoted to the rank of captain. He was in service close enough to the battle lines to see the concluding phases of the great struggle, being assigned duty in the Marbache sector from October 11 to October 29, in the Meuse-Argonne from October 29 to November 8, and the three days before the signing of the armistic was in the Puvenelle sector. He was continued on duty in France until March 11, 1919, when he sailed for home, landing at Newport News March 24, was discharged at Camp Sherman, April 11th, and reached home April 12th, resuming his professional work the following month.
Doctor Miller helped organize and is now commander of the Harry J. Reynolds Post No. 191 of the American Legion at Spencerville. Professionally he is a member of the County, State and American Medical associations, is affiliated with the Spencerville lodges of the Masons and Odd Fellows, is a democrat in politics and a member of the Lutheran Church. November 21, 1919, Doctor Miller married Miss Irene Bowers. She is a graduate of the Lima High School, studied music at Cornell University and was a teacher before her marriage. They have one child, Gail Gene, born September 17, 1920.
JOHN H. BINKLEY. The progressive citizenship found in agricultural communities today, in Allen County as in other parts of the Middle West, has a good representative in the person of John H. Hinkley of Auglaize Township, a man who has demonstrated his ability as a practical farmer and who largely for the good of his fellow men has done a great deal of work outside his farm and his own personal sphere of interests to keep up organizations that are doing much to solve the problems of country life.
Mr. Binkley, whose farm is in section 3 of Auglaize Township on the Marion road two and a half miles southeast of Lafayette, was born in Jackson Township of this county May 21, 1860. He is a son of Solomon and Anna (Holman) Binkley, and the Binkleys have been in Ohio for more than a century. Solomon Binkley was born in Perry County, this state, October 10, 1829, and was' thirteen years of age when in 1842 his father settled on the Marion road in section 32 of Jackson Township. His father entered land from the Government and as he grew to manhood Solomon did his part in clearing and developing a farm out of it. Subsequently he bought forty acres from his father, and after his marriage settled down on that tract, but in 1862 hold it and bought 120 acres in section 35 of Jackson Township. On this' farm he built a substantial brick house, one of the best residences in the township when it was constructed in 1875, and he enjoyed its comforts and the prosperity of his labors in the fields until his death on May 10 1913. His wife died at the same home April 19, 1908. Both were active members of the Christian Church at Lafayette and he was a charter member of the Jackson Grange, served as township trustee, and was a loyal democrat in politics. These parents had five children : Cloid, of Jackson Township ; Sarah, who was the wife of Martin Geyton; John H.; Amos, a farmer on the old homestead ; and Ida, who lives at Lafayette, Ohio.
John H. Binkley grew up on his father's farm and acquired his education in the local schools. He lived at home until his marriage on December 25, 1891, to Miss Anna Grubb. Mrs. Binkley is a daughter of J. B. Grubb and a sister of Thomas B. Grubb and thus belongs to one of the old and substantial families of Allen County. Mr. and Mrs. Binkley have four children : Howard, the oldest, is a graduate of the Harrod High School, also attended Ohio State University, and during the World war was with the colors at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, and now lives on a farm a mile west of Harrod. Ralph, the second son, married Opal Long. Homer, the third, is at home, and the youngest is Elizabeth, still attending school.
The family are active members of the Harrod Christian Church, Mr. Binkley being one of its trustees. He is a past master of Jackson Grange, and is serving as president of the Lafayette Co-operative Elevator. While much of his time is given to organized work in behalf of his fellow farmers, he has also taken much interest in politics in general, is a democrat, and is a former trustee of Auglaize Township.
WILLIAM H. CREPS is owner of one of the best farms in Auglaize Township, in section 18, and practically all his life his interests have been identified with that community. In the same neighborhood his grandparents settled at a pioneer date in Allen County ninety years ago, and the name has had every honorable association with the locality since then.
Mr. Creps was born January 6, 1859, on a farm adjoining his present place, being in section 17. His parents were Sylvester A. and Ann (Shockey) Creps, both natives of Auglaize Township. His father was born in 1833 and lived to be eighty-five years of age, passing away in September, 1918, and one of the oldest and most highly respected residents of the county. The mother of William H. Creps died in 1865. Sylvester Creps died on the farm of his son William. He was an active member of the Christian Church while his wife was a Methodist. At the time of the Civil war he enlisted and served in a 100 days' regiment. He was a republican, and at one time held the office of township clerk. There were three children : Lyman, now deceased; Albert A., who lives at Lima ; and William H.
William H. Creps grew up on the home farm and made the best of his opportunities in the local schools. For forty years he has been engaged in farming and operates 145 acres in section 18. Mr. Creps married for his first wife Rose A. Wooley, and the two sons of that union, Arthur L. and Kenneth G., both live in Illinois. His second wife was Eva McCoy, who was the mother of one child. For his third wife he married Laura Z. Louthan. They have four children : Othel I., who graduated from high school and spent two years in college, served as a soldier in the World war, spending ten months in France. He is now employed with a pipe line company in Illinois. Elizabeth H., the second child, is a high school graduate, and the wife of Harold Borders. Josephine had three years in high school and is the wife of Rev. E. M. Ryan. The youngest, Robert, was born in 1905, and has completed the work of the common schools.
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The family are members of the Christian Church and Mr. Creps is president of the Board of Trustees. He has always been identified with the republican party and has performed a great deal of official duty in his community, having served as township clerk, justice of the peace eleven years, as president of the School Board, and also clerk and treasurer of the School Board.
PETER SPRINKLE has lived all his life in Auglaize Township of Allen County, and for forty years has given his best energies to the business of farming. He is owner of one of the highly improved farms of the township near the Village of Harrod.
Mr. Sprinkle was born not far from his present home on January 2, 1860, son of Henry and Phoebe (Mackling) Sprinkle. His father was born in Pennsylvania and his mother in Perry County, Ohio. After their marriage in Perry County they lived there on a farm for several years and then moved to Allen County and settled near the present site of Harrod in Auglaize Township. They made this community their home the rest of their lives. The father who was a democrat in politics died in 1904 and the mother in December, 1916. Both were active church members. They had nine children and six are still living: Mary, wife of Henry King of Hardin County, Ohio ; Margaret, widow of W. H. Smith of Harrod; Jacob, a farmer in Auglaize Township ; Peter ; Elvira, wife of Daniel Greenwalt; and Addie, wife of Reuben Clingier.
Peter Sprinkle grew up on the homestead, had a district school education, and learned farming and assisted his father on the home place until he was twenty-four years of age. After his marriage he began a career of his own as an independent farmer, his affairs have prospered, and his home place compries eighty-six acres. Mr. Sprinkle is a democrat and has long been active as a member o f the Lutheran Church, serving as trustee.
He married Lucinda Clum, who at her death left him two children : Stella, wife of Carl Maynard; and Mary, wife of Leroy Leatherman. Mr. and Mrs. Leatherman live on the Sprinkle farm. Mr. Sprinkle also has three grandchildren. For his second wife he married Elvira (Holman) Smith, who is also deceased.
BARRON BROTHERS, Joseph S. and James E. Barron, are a firm of progressive and successful farmers in Auglaize Township and have worked together and have been partners in their business affairs for many years.
Joseph S. Barron, the senior member of the firm, was born in Darke County, Ohio, six miles east of Greenville, August 16, 1856. His parents were Lewis K. and Hannah M. (Shermer) Barron. His father was born in France in 1801, came to the United States when a young man and was married near Dayton, Ohio, his wife being a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After his marriage he was employed as manager of a distillery at Union, Ohio, but subsequently moved to Darke County and bought a farm. He and his wife lived there the rest of their years. His last years were spent in blindness. He was a member of the Catholic Church while his wife was of the Christian denomination. Politically he supported the democratic ticket. These parents had seven children : Margaret, wife of Samuel Spidle; Charles A., a retired farmer living in
Nebraska ; Lewis and Maria, both deceased; Joseph S.; George, a farmer in Alberta, Canada ; and James E.
The Barron brothers were both born in Darke County, Ohio. Joseph acquired a district school education and was at home until about the age of twenty-five. He then went out to Nebraska and took up a 150-acre homestead, working on it and proving his title before he returned to Ohio. He resumed farming in Darke County for a time, but subsequently went west and was a monthly wage worker in Iowa three or four years, and also lived on his land in Nebraska and farmed it some four or five years. After selling out his Nebraska interests he returned to Allen County and he and his brother James bought 140 acres in Auglaize Township, and together they have carried on the business of that farm and have been successful stock men for many years.
Joseph Barron is a member of the Evangelical Church, is a democrat, and is affiliated with Ansonia Lodge No. 605 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
James E. Barron accompanied his older brother west and spent a part of one year in Nebraska and lived in Iowa nine years. He is a member of the Methodist Church, a democrat, and is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
JOHN REESE. Among the well-known families of Allen County, one which is honorably represented in Sugar Creek Township is that of Reese, three members of which are Elmer E., Ulysses S. and Miss Susie Reese. They are children of the late John Reese, who was for many years a highly esteemed citizen and capable agriculturist of this region.
John Reese was born in Montgomeryshire, Wales, March 27, 1824, and was there reared. In his native land he married Margaret Thomas, who was born August 24, 1829, in the same locality, and three children were born to them in Wales. Seeking his fortune in the New World, Mr. Reese embarked on a sailing vessel bound for the United States, and on the journey to this country all three of his children died on the ocean. Arriving in America in 1856, Mr. and Mrs. Reese came to southern Ohio and settled on a farm in Butler County, but in 1869 removed to Allen County and located in Sugar Creek Township, where they spent many years of their active lives, later going to Putnam County where they both passed away. They were people who were honored and respected for their integrity, probity and many virtues of mind and heart, and were faithful members of the Congregational Church. During the Civil war, Mr. Reese saw 100 days of service in the Union army, and following the war was for many years until his death a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Mr. and Mrs. Reese were the parents of twelve children, of whom five are living: Evan T.; William M., a resident of Seattle, Washington ; and Elmer E., Ulysses S. and Susie, of Sugar Creek Township.
Elmer E. Reese was reared on farms in Allen and Putnam counties, acquiring his education in the public schools, and on reaching maturity adopted the vocation of agriculture. He was married in 1893 to Jennie Tudor, daughter of H. Tudor, who died August 16, 1894, leaving one son, H. Tudor, born June 18, 1894. He enlisted for service in the World war, but was taken sick at Camp Sherman and died
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on October 3, 1918. The two brothers and the sister are engaged in successful operations as general farmers and raisers of live stock. They are members of the Congregational Church and are highly esteemed in their community, where they have numerous friends. The brothers are republican, but have not sought public honors, being content to evidence their good citizenship by their public spirited support of all measures tending to advance the welfare of their community.
REV. GEORGE W. FOLTZ has been a prominent minister of the Christian Church in northwestern Ohio for about forty years and has his home at Harrod, where he is a citizen of many property interests.
Rev. Mr. Foltz was born in Hancock County, Ohio, January 7, 1850, son of Peter and Elizabeth (Powell) Foltz. His grandfather, Basil Foltz, settled in Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1821, just a century ago and acquired direct from the Government several hundred acres of land. He built his log cabin home in the midst of the woods, cleared up and developed a fine farm and lived there the rest of his life. He was a man of fine pioneer character and a devoted churchman. His sons were Peter, Noah, Philip, John, George and Daniel, and he also had five daughters.
The son, Peter Foltz, after his marriage in Fairfield County moved to Hancock County, and followed the example of his father at pioneering, developing 240 acres of wood land. He built his house there in 1833 and remained there the rest of his days, seeing his affairs prosper. He was an active member of the Christian Union Church, and a democrat in politics. By his first wife he had eight children, and by his second union there were nine. Of the first set of children four are still living: George W., Jacob, of Portland, Indiana ; Lavina, widow of Daniel Wagoner of Salem, Ohio ; and Lucinda, widow of J. W. Edwards of Findlay, Ohio.
George W. Foltz grew up on the old homestead in Hancock County and besides the advantages of the district schools attended the Findlay High School. He has always kept in close touch with agricultural matters, and in the ministry has to a large extent served rural churches and communities. As a young man he qualified as a teacher and for twelve terms was engaged in school work. He has been active in the ministry of the Christian Church since about 1880 and for many years has been secretary of the Northwest Ohio Christian Conference. Mr. Foltz lives in the Village of Harrod, where he owns a home an an acre of ground. His farming interests are in Auglaize Township, and consist of 109 acres.
In 1871 Mr. Foltz married Sarah A. Schwab, a native of Hancock County, Ohio. She died in 1899, the mother of eight children, seven of whom are still living: Grover B., a farmer in Auglaize Township ; Rosa B., wife of C. L. Rutter of Findlay, Ohio ; O. H. Foltz, who holds a state teacher's certificate and is connected with the Harrod schools ; Charles C., bookkeeper in one of the large industrial plants of Fostoria ; Earl, a farmer in Allen County ; O. L. Foltz of Fostoria ; and Virgil J., who graduated in music at Defiance College, is a graduate of Hiram College, was a soldier during the World war, and now lives at Cleveland.
In 1900 Mr. Foltz married Mary F. Smith, who died in 1910, leaving one child, George D., now
attending the high school at Vaughnsville, Ohio. In 1918 Mr. Foltz married Emma E. Monroe.
Mr. Foltz is an independent in politics. He is affiliated with the Masonic Lodge at Deshler, Ohio, the Eastern Star Chapter at Spencerville, and the Lodge of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs at Belmore, Ohio.
CHRISTIAN LUGIBILL. The distinction of having been the first white child now living born in Riley (now Richland) Township, Allen County, rests with Christian Lugibill, one of the oldest and most highly respected citizens of Bluffton. He had a sister older than himself who died in infancy, and she was the first white child born in Richland Township. Christian Lugibill, an octogenarian, has passed his life in this community, where for the most part he has applied his energies to the carpenter trade, many evidences of his skill and good workmanship being found in this locality. He was born November 13, 1836, a son of John and Catherine (Staufer) Lugibill, natives of Germany.
John Lugibill was eighteen years of age when he immigrated to the United States in 1825, settling first in Wayne County, Ohio, with a brother and sister, and remaining there until after his marriage. In 1834 he came with his young wife to Allen County and settled near the present site of Bluffton, where he passed his life in agricultural pursuits. Mrs. Lugibill was born in Alsace, France, in 1818, and came to the United States with her parents in 1820, the family settling in Wayne County, where she met and married Mr. Lugibill. They were honest, industrious, God-fearing people and faithful members of the Mennonite Church, in the work of which they were active. They had six children, the oldest and youngest of whom died in infancy, while the others were: Elizabeth, who became the wife of Nicholas Schaublin and died leaving one child; Barbara, who became the wife of Jacob Gable and died leaving seven sons; Emanuel, deceased, who married Elizabeth Amstutz and left six children ; and Christian.
Christian Lugibill has passed his life in Allen County, with the exception of a short time spent in travel. His education was secured in the little log schoolhouse of his community, and his boyhood was passed on the home farm, where he assisted his father until he reached the age of twenty years. At that time he learned the trade of carpenter, and this constituted his chief occupation to the time of his retirement in 1920, when he was nearing the advanced age' o f eighty-four years. For a number of years Mr. Lugibill was head carpenter for the Lake Erie & Western Railway, having charge of thirty mechanics, and in all his activities showed himself a man of steady purpose, practical ideas and thorough mastery of his trade.
Mr. Lugibill married first Verena Schaublin, who was born in Switzerland and was an infant when brought to the United States by her parents. To this union there was born one child, Emma, now the wife of John A. Ferrell. Mrs. Lugibill died in 1882, and for ten years thereafter Mr. Lugibill remained single, during which time he took a trip to Europe, where he remained some time. Returning to the United States, he married Maria Hager, and they became the parents of three children : Dent, now with the National Supply Company of Toledo, who went to France with the American Expeditionary Forces during the World war and was at the front for
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nearly a year ; Rose, the wife of Warren Newlan; and Esta, a graduate of the Bluffton High School and Bluffton College and residing with her father. The mother of these children died October 8, 1911.
Mr. Lugibill is a member of the German Reformed Church at Bluffton, as was also Mrs. Lugibill. He is past noble grand of the Odd Fellows Lodge here and past chief patriarch of the Encampment of that body. In politics a democrat, he has taken an active and helpful interest in civic affairs, and has served as a member of the Bluffton Council, the township Board of Trustees and the Waterworks and Light Board of Bluffton. Mr. Lugibill is in comfortable circumstances as a result of his many years of industrious labor, and owns four acres of land in the corporation of Bluffton. His long career has been characterized by steadfast adherence to principles of integrity and honorable living, and his declining years are filled with the contentment that comes from a knowledge of a life well spent.
HENRY GALLASPIE. While he was long identified with the educational affairs and in public office in Allen County, Mr. Gallaspie for the past fourteen years has been an active farmer in Marion Township. His farm and home are five miles southeast of Delphos on Elida rural route No. 1.
Mr. Gallaspie was born in Bath Township of Allen County December 21, 1857, son of Henry and Lucinda (Davidson) Gallaspie. His father was born in Holmes County, Ohio, and his mother in Coshocton County. Both the Gallaspie and Davidson families were pioneers in Allen County. Andrew Gallaspie, grandfather of Henry, brought the name to this county in 1832 and was one of the pioneers who helped clear up the wilderness of Bath Township, where he and his wife spent the rest of their years. Henry Gallaspie, Sr., was married in Allen County, lived for some years in Amanda Township, but died in Bath Township while his wife passed away in Marion Township. Of their three children only Henry survives. Nancy J., the oldest, died at the age of thirteen, and C. A., the youngest, is also deceased.
Henry Gallaspie grew up on a farm, acquired a district school education, and preparatory to teaching took the classical course at the Ohio Normal University at Ada. For twelve years he was identified with school work in country districts. From 1900 to 1906, a period of six years, Mr. Gallaspie was deputy probate judge of Allen County, and since then has been engaged in farming.
In 1882 he married Jane Laman, daughter of Joseph Laman. She was born in Marion Township. Mr. and Mrs. Gallaspie have ten children . William A., Cora B., Effie M., Clarence J. Mabel P., Myrtle A., Edward L., Marion, Elizabeth and Grace. The son Edward L. was with the American Expeditionary Forces in France and while on the Verdun front was gassed. Mr. Gallaspie is a democrat, is a charter member of Elida Lodge of Odd Fellows, and he and his family are members of the Christian Church, in which he is a trustee.
JOHN F. LINDEMANN. As a record for the future and not in any sense calculated to explain who John F. Lindemann is to the people of Allen County, this brief sketch is incorporated in this publication.
Mr. Lindemann was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, April 7, 1861, but almost all his life has been spent at Delphos. His parents were Henry and Clara (Ossenbeck) Lindemann. His paternal grandparents were Frederick and Clara (Moenter) Lindemann, who in the fall of 1845 left their native home near Bomte, Hanover, Germany, and came to America and settled in the neighborhood of Delphos, in Van Wert County, Ohio. Henry Lindemann was at that time eleven years of age. The mother of Judge Lindemann was born near Deep Cut in Auglaize County, Ohio, in July, 1841, daughter of Henry and Clara (Schulze-Bruening) Ossenbeck. Henry Ossenbeck was a contractor and had charge of the construction of a part of the Miami and Erie Canal. He 'died about 1846.
John F. Lindemann, as a boy at Delphos, attended the parochial and public schools, graduating from the public schools in 1878, and forthwith took up work that would earn him his own living. He clerked in a general store, afterwards learned the shoemaker's trade, and first came in touch with public affairs on February 9, 1882, through his appointment as deputy clerk in the Probate Court of Allen County. Hon. S. S. Yoder was then judge of said court. On Judge Yoder's election to Congress his former deputy was chosen judge in his stead, and by re-election filled this important office from November 15, 1886, to February 9, 1894. At the time of his first election he was the youngest Probate Judge in the state.
Judge Lindemann was admitted to the practice of law by the Supreme Court of Ohio December 6, 1892, and since January of the year 1895 has been engaged in active practice at Delphos. In 1910, upon his admission to the bar, his son Arthur F. became associated with the father, and since then the firm has been Lindemann & Lindemann, attorneys and counsellors of law. In 1920 his other son, Richard A., came into the office and there are now three lawyers of the name in the firm of Lindemann & Lindemann. Judge Lindemann is a director and attorney for the National Bank of Delphos, the Delphos Savings & Loan Association, the Delphos Printing and Publishing Company, the Delphos Home Telephone Company, and the Mueller Implement & Automobile Company.
He served four years as a member of the Board of Education at Delphos, and for three years was president of the board. He has been a prominent democrat in politics and during thirty-four years of active political connections was for twenty-eight years a member of the Democratic County Central or Executive Committee, and twenty-four years of that time was chairman of one or btoh of these committees. Judge Lindemann is a member of the Idlewild Club of Delphos, is a Catholic, attends St. John's Church at Delphos and is a member of the Knights of Columbus.
On October 11, 1882, in St. John's Church at Delphos, he married Rose M. Limbach, daughter of Professor Joseph and Margaret (Huschart) Limbach. Her father was for fifteen years principal of the German department of the public schools of Delphos, was for nine years county school examiner of Allen County and for six years a special examiner in the pension department of the Federal Government. Judge and Mrs. Lindemann have a family of six children, and three of their sons were enrolled with the Government during the World war, John A., Richard A. and Eugene S. The oldest child, Gertrude C., is the wife of Alexander J. Shenk.
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Dr. Clarence J. Lindemann is a practicing dentist and married Jeanette Farley. Arthur F. Lindemann, law partner with his father, married Anna Wahmhoff. John A. Lindemann is a machinist, Richard A. Lindemann is an attorney, and Eugene S. Lindemann is member of the class of 1922 of the Western Reserve University Law School. The three younger sons are unmarried.
JOHN M. McGOUGH during the past five years has gained a substantial position among the business men and citizens of Allen County, his home interests being centered at Harrod, where he is proprietor of the leading hardware store and is also local postmaster. Mr. McGough was born on a farm in Van Wert County, Ohio, August 1, 1879, son of C. A. and Arabelle (Shaffer) McGough, the former a native of Mercer County and the latter of Van Wert County. After their marriage they located on a farm in Van Wert County, but in 1912 the father sold his farm and engaged in the bakery business at West Mansfield. The mother died April 3, 1912. C. A. McGough was for many years a member of the United Brethren Church but is now affiliated with the Methodist denomination. There were twelve children in the family : John M., Clarence, Percy, Lucy, Bert, Harry and Nina, the two latter deceased, Addie, Marie, D'Arle, Ruby and Vernon.
John M. McGough spent his boyhood and early youth on a Van Wert County farm, acquired the advantages of the common schools, and subsequently finished his education in the Ohio Northern University at Ada. Beginning at the age of eighteen he was a teacher and spent altogether six years in school work. In 1904 he entered the service of the Oil Well Supply Company at Lima as bookkeeper and later was promoted to manager of the business. He continued at Lima until May, 1912, when he engaged in business with his father at West Mansfield, but in 1915 sold his interests there and coming to Harrod bought the local hardware and furniture business. He is a thorough business man and has widely extended his trade and patronage over the surrounding territory. While a republican in politics Mr. McGough was appointed postmaster at Harrod under the democratic administration.
In 1902 Mr. McGough married Miss Eva Behemer, who died in 1913 leaving no children. In 1916 Mr. McGough married Mae Brown of West Mansfield, and they are the parents of two sons: Kent, born July 20, 1917. and William, born September 4, 1920. Mr. and Mrs. McGough are members of the United Brethren Church and he is superintendent of the Sunday school. He is affiliated with Sagar Lodge No. 513, Free and Accepted Masons. He and Mrs. McGough are members of Lafayette Chapter No. 121, Eastern Star, of which he is worthy patron, and is past chancellor of Golden Spur Lodge No. 612, Knights of Pythias, and both are identified with the Pythian Sisters.
MILTON L. JOHNSTON, M. D. For many years Doctor Johnston has practiced medicine and surgery in the community where he was born and reared, and where the people have learned to prize and esteem his abilities and faithful service. His home is at Harrod and in that community he was born September 10, 1861.
His parents were John P. and Catherine (Binkley) Johnston. His father was born in Hocking
County, Ohio, in 1835 and his mother in Perry County in 1837. His father grew up in his native county, while the mother was brought by her parents to Allen County when young. After their marriage the parents of Doctor Johnston settled on a farm near Harrod, and his father is still living there. He was a Union soldier from this community, having gone out with the One Hundred and Eightieth Ohio Infantry and saw eleven months of service. After the war he engaged in farming until he retired, and has long been identified with the Grand Army of the Republic, is a republican voter and a member of the United Brethren Church. His wife died in 1915.
The only child of his parents Dr. Milton L. Johnston grew up on the home farm, made good use of his advantages in the local schools, completed his literary education in the Ohio Northern University at Ada and then entered the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, where after the complete course he was graduated with the Doctor of Medicine degree. Since then for many years he has given all the resources at his command and his utmost devotion to his private practice at Harrod. During the World war he was a member of the Medical Reserve Corps, and is a member of the County and State Medical societies.
In 1885 Doctor Johnston married Miss May Bell Shockey, who was born in Auglaize Township of Allen County and completed her education in the Ohio Northern University. She was a successful teacher for several years before her marriage. Dr. and Mrs. Johnston have two children. Essa May, the daughter, was born in 1888 and after graduating from high school entered the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware and won special honors and scholarship and also specialized in music. She is now the wife of E. S. Faulkner of Ada, Ohio, and has two children. The son, John W. Johnston, was born August 27, 1889, and from high school entered the Ohio Northern University, completing the electrical engineering course and subsequently had a practical training in the Westinghouse Electric Company and is now a successful business man, salesman for the Westinghouse people. He married Miss Wave Baker. daughter of Dr. W. E. Baker.
Doctor Johnston is a member of Lodge No. 513 of the Masons, being a past master, and both he and his wife are members of the Eastern Star. He is affiliated with Ada Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and the Council and Commandery at Lima and the Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Dayton. Ohio. Doctor Johnston is a republican in politics and is a director in the Harrison State Bank.
CLYDE K. HAY. With the responsibility of a 240 acre farm Clyde K. Hay is one of the very busy men of Allen County and is one of the important contributors to the county's agricultural prosperity and progress. Mr. Hay inherits progressiveness from his father, long one of the most successful men in agricultural affairs in Allen County.
Clyde K. Hay was born in West Newton in Auglaize Township May 14, 1874. His parents were James A. and Isabelle (Faulkner) Hay. His father was born in Knox County, Ohio, February 15, 1833, and his mother in Champaign County December 28, 1838. Both came to Allen County when young, were married here November 1, 1855, and they at once settled on a farm in Auglaize County. In 1870 the fam-
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ily moved to West Newton, and still later to Harrod, where the parents spent the rest of their days. The mother died in November, 1918, at the age of eighty. James Hay was a man of great industry, of good judgment and of much resourcefulness. He owned a large amount of farm land, and was always seeking the best means of operating it, and was usually among the first to procure labor saving machinery. He bought the first self binder in his neighborhood. He was very public spirited, served on the School Board and in township offices, and was an active republican. He and his wife had the following children : William H., born September 7, 1856; Mary E., born September 30, 1858 . Ada C., born April 8, 1862 ; Clara E., born December 8, 1865 ; Elmer C., born March 17, 1869; Clyde K., born May 14, 1874; and Harry H., born March 20, 1877. Six of these children are still living.
Clyde K. Hay was educated in the common schools and also took a commercial course in Lima. For over twenty years he has been one of the busiest farmers in the Harrod community and has always given much attention to good live stock. He is one of the directors of the Harrod State Bank. The offrcers of this institution are L. B. Harrod, president ; John A. 'Grubb, vice president ; Walter E. Hyre, cashier ; while the directors are L. B. Harrod, John A. Grubb, M. L. Johnston, L. B. Miller, W. H. Custer, C. C. White, W. C. Johnston, C. A. Cochensparger and C. K. Hay.
Mr. Hay has served as a member of the School Board and is present clerk of the board. He is active in the Methodist Church, is a republican and is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America.
In April, 1900, he married Siddie Rice, who was born in Hardin County, Ohio, April 23, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Hay are very proud of their large family of children : James R., who was born in 1900 and died when a promising boy of twelve years ; Lennel H., born September 10, 1903, who is a graduate of both the Harrod and Lima schools and is now a student in the engineering department in the Ohio Northern University at Ada ; Martha I., born February 8, 1906, a high school girl; Don L., born June 9, 1908 ; Mary I., born January 9, 1911 ; Elizabeth, born June 14, 1913; Ruth B., born April 3, 1916; and William H., born July 1, 1918.
WILLIAM H. WATT. To the man of industry and enterprise, a life of retirement after many years spent in hard and active toil seems repellant, and not until he is absolutely convinced that he has earned his leisure will the average Allen County agriculturist relinquish his hold upon active operations. Then, when he finally settles down in his home in the town or village, he is bound to prove a valuable asset and is welcomed to his new surroundings as a substantial addition to the community's population. Of the retired colony of Lafayette William H. Watt is one of the highly respected members. Mr. Watt was formerly a leading agriculturist of the county, and also a member of Watt Brothers Stone Company, contractors, and in which he yet retains an interest.
He was born on a farm in Jackson Township, Allen County, February 6, 1864. a son of Robert and Eve (Staley) Watt. His father, a native of Champaign County, Ohio, born November 16, 1827, a son of Samuel and Sarah (Walton) Watt, was brought to Allen County in 1829, and here passed his life as a substantial farmer, dying October 11, 1914. He was a democrat in politics, and served efficiently on one occasion as a member of the Board of Trustees of Jackson Township. Mr. Watt was married March 29, 1848, to Eve Staley, who was born May 12, 1827, in Pickaway County, Ohio, and died January 4, 1915. They were faithful members of the Christian Church, and the parents of seven children, of whom four survive: James, who is engaged in farming in Jackson Township ; Francis M., of Lima ; William H.; and Jacob A., a farmer and stone contractor of Jackson Township.
William H. Watt was reared on the home farm and acquired his education in the district schools. He remained on the home farm until he was twenty-one years of age, and was married May 30, 1885, to Miss Flora E. Hadsell, who was born in Jackson Township, September 16, 1866, and died May 30, 1907, leaving three children : Alma, born December 19, 1886, is a graduate of the Lafayette High School and is now the wife of Thomas Robinson ; their two children are Ralph W. and Norval H. Milo, born December 9, 1888, is a graduate of the same high school. He married Ura Prater and they have one child, Louise Alice. Donna, born January 20, 1893, is also a graduate of the Lafayette High School, and is now the wife of Lester Schrider. Their two children are Harley and Crystal. Mr. Watt has five grandchildren. He is a democrat in his political allegiance, and was formerly a member of the Board of Trustees of Jackson Township, and in other ways served his community.
Following his marriage Mr. Watt embarked in agricultural ventures on his own account, and eventually became one of the successful operators of Jackson Township, where he accumulated a property of 120 acres, which he still owns. He likewise has a half interest in a stone quarry belonging to Watt Brothers Stone Company, road contractors, of which he was one of the founders and in which he was in partnership for a number of years with his brother Jacob A. Watt. While he has retired from active pursuits, Mr. Watt still takes a keen and intelligent interest in the active life that is going on about him, and is every ready to give his support to worthy measures which are promulgated in his community.
PETER C. PLAUGHER came to Allen County about thirty years ago with a practical knowledge of farm work but without money. In a few years he proved his usefulness in the community, won friends and confidence, and after his marriage rented a farm for a number of years, until he was able to make a substantial payment towards its purchase. He now enjoys a comfortable prosperity represented in one of the fine farms of Auglaize Township.
Mr. Plaugher, whose home is two and a quarter miles southeast of Westminster, was born in Pendleton County, West Virginia, March 18, 1869, son of Jacob H. and Christina E. (Miller) Plaugher. His father was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, November 10, 1843, and is still living. He served as a Confederate soldier from 1861 to 1865, and after he war moved to Pendleton County. West Virginia, and since 1911 has been a resident of Allen County, Ohio, his home being in Richland, near Beaver Dam. He is a democrat and an active member of the Church of the Brethren. His wife, Christina Miller, was born in Pendleton County, West Virginia, March 2, 1845, and died June 14, 1891.
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Jacob Plaugher was three times married. Altogether he was the father of twenty-eight children, twelve by his first wife, six by the second marriage, and ten by the third wife.
Peter C. Plaugher grew up on a farm in Pendlementon County, West Virginia, and had few advantages in the way of schooling. He was twenty-one years of age when he came to Lima, Ohio, in February, 1890, and had only $5.37 when he reached that city. The first year he worked out as a farm hand at $17 a month. Then another farmer secured his services at $1 a day. On March 31, 1892, Mr. Plaugher married Zoro Gibbs. They moved to a farm which they rented three miles east of Lima, and slowly but surely laid the foundation of their prosperity as renters. They remained on this one farm, and on March 4, 1906, Mr. Plaugher bought it, paying $2,500 down. Today he owns a place of 183%3 acres, and is one of the leading farmers and substantial citizens of the county.
Mr. and Mrs. Plaugher have five children, named Orvin D., Marietta, Velma L., Odie K. and Audra C. Mr. Plaugher is one of the members of the Church of the Brethren, is a deacon and trustee of the church, active in the Sunday school, and is a democrat in politics and a member of the Auglaize Township School Board. Mr. Plaugher has the distinction of cutting into cordwood the timber which stood on the ground now occupied by the State Capitol Building and in performing this work he came near losing his life by being hit on the head by a large stick of timber.
PERRY HUGHES has lived in Allen County for more than three-quarters of a century, went from this county into the Union army and fought for the preservation of the Union during the Civil war. For half a century he was closely identified with the business of merchandising and farming, and still makes his home on his farm in Auglaize Township, though now retired from active responsibilities.
Mr. Hughes was born in Morgan County, Ohio, November 27, 1842, son of Jeremiah and Julia A. (Hardin) Hughes. His father was a native of Muskingum County and his mother of Morgan County. They were married in the latter county, and in 1843 came to Allen County and located in Perry Township. Some years later they moved to the land where Perry Hughes now lives. Jeremiah Hughes spent his last days in Hardin County, Ohio, where he died. He was one of the early settlers of Allen County, a man of much influence in his community, and held several township offices. He voted as a republican, and he and his wife were active members of the Methodist Church. Of their eight children only two are now living: Perry and Calvin, the latter of Hardin County.
Perry Hughes was about ten years of age when his parents moved to the farm where he is living today. He acquired a good common school education and when about nineteen years of age, on October 15, 1861, he enlisted in Company K of the Thirty-third Ohio Infantry. He was in the war to the close, participated in twenty-one battles, and also endured the ravages of typhoid fever. He was with the Army of the Cumberland, and though he saw a great deal of arduous service he was never wounded. He was mustered out at Madison, Indiana, and at once returned to Allen County.
On March 10, 1866, the veteran soldier married Nancy E. M. Farren, a native of Allen County. After their marriage they lived for about seven years at West Newton, where Mr. Hughes was in the mercantile business. Selling his store, he bought the old homestead of his father and has lived in that one locality ever since. His business as a farrier has prospered and he is still a stockholder in the Harris State Bank. He served six years as township trustee, is a republican, a member of the Order of Owls, and has long been prominent in the United Brethren Church. He became a member of that denomination at the age of fifteen. Mr. Hughes still teacher the men's class of the Sunday school.
He and his wife have four children: Marion E., of San Francisco, California ; Walter C., a farmer; William B., who lives in Colorado ; and Ira, of Hardin County, Ohio. Mr. Hughes is an honored member of the Grand Army Post at Lima.
OSCAR B. MORRIS. In the less extensive and populous villages and towns of Ohio the postmaster is very likely to be brought into contact with a greatet number of the inhabitants and at more frequent intervals than any other member of the community. Few are the individual members of the locality who do not become familiar with his presence and deportment, and with such an intimate relationship existing between the man conducting the office and the townspeople depending on it, fortunate is the incumbent of that office when the people have for him only words of commendation. Such is the favored position of Oscar B. Morris, the efficient and popular postmaster of West Cairo, who is the possessor of those qualities of candor, sincerity, fidelity and affability which give the best class of public officials a high standing in the estimation of those whose interests are entrusted to their care.
Mr. Morris was born in the State of Tennessee, October 30, 1887, a son of John B. and Clara J. (Ridenour) Morris. John B. Morris was born at Utica, New York, February 16, 1848, and was brought as a child to Allen County, Ohio, where he grew to manhood and was married September 11, 1873, to Clara J. Ridenour, who was born in Sugar Creek Township, Allen County, September 26, 1853. Following their marriage, they settled in Allen County, where Mr. Morris followed the vocations of farming and carpentry for some years, but later moved to Tennessee, where Mrs. Morris died July 2, 1890. They were the parents of four children: Sadie, deceased; Roy B., of Oklahoma ; Oscar B.; and John W., deceased. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Morris married Miss Serene Kirby, who died without issue in 1919. Mr. Morris, who still survives, is a resident of Allen County and the owner of a substantial property in his community, where he is accounted a reliable citizen, and is a man highly respected because of the honorable life which he has led. He is an active member of the Christian Church.
Oscar B. Morris was four years of age when brought by his father to Allen County, and his boyhood was passed in Sugar Creek Township, where he acquired an ordinary education through attendance at the district school. Brought up in a farming community, he was trained in all the arts of the agriculturist and remained at home as his father's assistant until the time he reached his twenty-first year. He then went to Detroit, Michigan, where he secured
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employment as motorman on a street railway line, an occupation which had his attention for five years. After this he returned to the home place for one summer, and in October, 1917, came to West Cairo, where he was living when the United States entered the great World war. Mr. Morris enlisted for service in the army May 27, 1918, and six weeks later was sent overseas with his contingent. He saw active service in the front line fighting, where, on one occasion, he was gassed, and after the signing of the armistice accompanied the army of occupation into Germany, where he remained until July 13, 1919. He arrived home August 9, 1919, and April 26, 1920, was appointed postmaster of West Cairo.
Mr. Morris has studied and worked to make the postoffice service conform to the interests of the community, and has been gratified to see its business reflect the growth and prosperity of the community. He is a member and past grand of West Cairo Lodge No. 857, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has numerous friends, as he also has in the Encampment and the Rebekahs. In politics he has always been a staunch and unwavering democrat, while his religious faith is that of the Christian Church. Mr. Morris is unmarried.
HOMER F. THOMAS. A property that illustrates the possibilities of diversified agriculture in Allen County is the Ridge View Farm, comprising 137 acres and situated a half mile east of Harrod in Auglaize Township. Its proprietor, Homer F. Thomas, was for a number of years a successful school teacher, and is a high-class citizen who manifests a keen interest in community affairs and matters beyond his immediate farm and home.
Though most of his life has been spent in Allen County, he was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, January 1, 1863, son of Martin L. and Sarah E. (Dick) Thomas. His parents were natives of the same county, were reared and educated there and after their marriage settled on a farm, but in 1869 came to Allen County and located at South Warsaw in Perry Township. Here they bought a farm and lived out their lives in that community. Both were very active members of the Methodist Church. They were the parents of six children that reached mature years : Rev. Aaron A., pastor of a Methodist Church at Lima ; Orin M., who was educated in the Ohio Northern University at Ada, was a teacher, and is now a farmer in Perry Township ; Emery S., a farmer in Perry Township ; Flora A.. wife of Christopher Graham, of Perry Township ; Geneva G., wife of Gideon Logan of Auglaize County, and Homer F.
Homer F. Thomas was six years of age when brought to Allen County. The first school he attended was in Perry Township, a district school. As a young man of twenty-four, on April 26, 1887, he married Emma E. Brocklesby, who was born in Marion County, Ohio, May 15, 1862. Mrs. Thomas was also well educated, having attended Iberia College in Morrow County, and the Ohio Northern University at Ada. For several years she was a teacher of music.
After his marriage Mr. Thomas rented a farm with his father, later moved to Marion County, where he farmed in connection with his brother-in-law, and leaving the farm resumed his studies in the Ohio Northern University and began teaching. He taught a school in Perry Township of Allen County, and on leaving the school work moved to Auglaize Township and bought the land which now comprises the attractive Ridge View Farm. He handles this farm as a diversified proposition, raises crops and live stock, and one department of his enterprise has been the breeding of chickens. He is a member of the Allen County Agricultural Society and exercises a keen interest at the county fair displays. He is also a stockholder in the Harrod State Bank, and has served as a member of the Township School Board and a justice of the peace. Mr. Thomas is a republican, and for many years has been active in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have two children : Norma G., a high school graduate, wife of J. C. McClure, of Galion, Ohio ; and Neva L., who finished her education at Ada and has been a successful teacher.
WALTER P. BLOOM. There are numerous extensive farming properties in Allen County to which the residents of this region may point with pride as contributing factors to the county's agricultural standing, and among these none is more worthy of attention than the eighty-acre tract known as The Maples Farm, situated two miles east of Gomer, in Sugar Creek Township. The proprietor of this modern country estate is Walter P. Bloom, an agriculturist of sound ability and intelligence and a citizen of worth and standing.
Mr. Bloom was born at Detroit, Michigan, August 23, 1867, a son of Oliver C. and Julia (Powell) Bloom, the former also a native of Detroit. born May 16, 1843. Mrs. Bloom was born at Dublin, Ireland, and was an infant when brought to the United States by her parents, the family settling at Detroit, where she grew to young womanhood and met and married Mr. Bloom. He was a mail carrier at Detroit, and became a veteran in the United States postal service, with which he was identified, principally as a carrier, for a period covering thirty-six years. He likewise served the Federal Government as a soldier during the Civil war, and for more than a year fought bravely with the famous Fifth Michigan Infantry.
As a boy Walter P. Bloom was sent to the public schools of Detroit, but his schooling ceased when he was fourteen years of age, at which time he secured employment as a tally boy for a lumber inspector. Being possessed of ready intelligence and having the ability to grasp details, he learned the duties of this business and after a long, thorough and extensive apprenticeship was himself advanced to the position of inspector. Mr. Bloom passed some years thus engaged, subsequently becoming a traveling salesman for his firm, and this gave him added experience and valuable training. Eventually he embarked in the lumber business on his own account, and through industry, judgment and a thorough knowledge of the industry built up a large and prosperous enterprise at Lima, where he remained in business for twenty years.
Mr. Bloom became widely known to the lumber trade, in which he was acknowledged to be a man comprehensively conversant with every department of the industry. Through the force of his integrity, fair dealing and practical direction of his affairs he earned a competence, and in November, 1917, disposed of his business, although retaining possession of the land. He then moved to his present farm in Sugar Creek Township, where he had erected a modern home in the previous year. Mr. Bloom has
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his own system of carrying on his farming operations, including the highest efficiency and the intelligent use of modern machinery and labor saving devices. His entire farm is a model of up-to-date completeness, and in addition thereto, he is also the 'owner of real estate at Lima, where he has a number of important business connections.
In 1890, Mr. Bloom was united in marriage with Miss Florence Langtry, who was born August 10, 1867, at London, England, and was brought to the United States in 1868, the family settling at Detroit, where she attended the public schools. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bloom : Milton D., a graduate of the Ohio Northern University at Ada, is an employe of the C. A. Mauk Lumber Company, Toledo, Ohio ; Powell is attending the Gomer High School ; and Clementine and Florence are attending the graded schools at Gomer. Mr. and Mrs. Bloom and their children are members of the Episcopal Church. He is a staunch republican in his political allegiance, and his fraternal affiliation is with Lima Lodge No. 585, Free and Accepted Masons, in which he has numerous friends.
A. D. AKINS. A resident of Allen County for a quarter of a century, A. D. Akins has handled numerous responsibilities in the business affairs of the Spencerville community, where he is president of the Farmers Bank of Spencerville.
Mr. Akins was born at Sugar Grove in Warren County, Pennsylvania, June 21, 1857, a son of John M. and Mary L. Akins. His parents were born in Sweden, were married there, and in 1851 came to the United States and lived out their lives as industrious farmers in the Sugar Grove community of western Pennsylvania. Both of them died in the same year, 1893, the father in June and the mother in February. They were members of the Lutheran Church and he served as an elder. Ten children were born to their marriage, and those to reach mature years were: Jonas P., who went out to Minnesota, served as a Union soldier during the Civil war and also represented his county in the Legislature ; Christina, widow of Alfred Johnson, living in Jamestown, New York; John A., who served in the Civil war, enlisted three times, is deceased, was active in politics, held the office of county commissioner, and was superintendent of the Rouse Hospital; A. M., of Butler, Pennsylvania, has been an oil operator for many years ; Matilda is the widow of Delos Swanson and lives at Wichita Falls, Texas ; O. W. Akins is in the oil business and lives at Washington, Pennsylvania ; the next in age is A. D. Akins ; Theo lives on the old farm in Warren County, Pennsylvania ; and Mary, the youngest, is deceased.
The old farm in Warren County was the environment in which Alfred D. Akins grew to manhood. Besides the advantages of the local schools he attended the Normal School at Edinboro, Pennsylvania, and when he left school he entered the great industry of western Pennsylvania, oil production. He followed outdoor work in this line until rheumatism compelled him to retire. Mr. Akins came to Allen County in 1896, and has been one of the responsible citizens of the county ever since. He has served as president of the Farmers Bank of Spencerville since its reorganization. The other officers are John Lauer, vice president ; A. N. Bailey, cashier, and John Berry, assistant cashier. Besides the three chief officers the other directors are
Mrs. W. A. Reynolds and William Bailey. Mr. Akins is also vice president and a director of the Spencerville Telephone Company, and is a stockholder in oil companies in the east.
In 1915 he married Grace Schamp. She was born in Auglaize County, Ohio, and is a graduate of the Spencerville schools, finished her education elsewhere, and was a successful teacher at Spencerville until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Akins are members of the Christian Church, and she has long taken an active part in its affairs, serving as superintendent of the Sunday school. Mr. Akins is affiliated with the Masonic Lodge No. 164, Royal Arch Chapter No. 127, Knights Templar Commandery No. all at Washington, Pennsylvania. Politically he is a republican. Mrs. Akins is a member of the Eastern Star, Chapter No. 130, and is serving as deputy grand matron of the Eighth District.
ELLIS JONES. The mercantile and undertaking establishment of Ellis Jones is a necessary adjunct to the business interests of the community of Gomer, and, conducted under a policy of honorable dealing and fair representation, has won and held public confidence. Mr. Jones is a product of the farming districts of Allen County, having been born in Sugar Creek Township, September 23, 1889, a son of W. R. and Catherine (Franis) Jones, natives of Wales.
W. R. Jones was born in June, 1853. and in young manhood came to the United States and located in Allen County. For many years he carried on successful agricultural operations in Sugar Creek, where he bore the reputation of a man of integrity and public spirited citizenship. He was a republican in politics, but did not seek public office. Mr. and Mrs. Jones were faithful members of the Congregational Church and the parents of one child, Ellis. The public school at Gomer furnished Ellis Jones with his educational training and he was reared on the home farm, where he remained until reaching the age of twenty-one years. At that time he went to Delphos, where he had some mercantile experience as a clerk, subsequently taking up the undertaking vocation as a student of the Columbus School of Embalming. Graduating therefrom in 1915 he applied himself to that art, and later came to Gomer, where he founded his present mercantile and undertaking establishment, which he has built up to the proportions of an important enterprise.
In 1918 Mr. Jones was united in marriage with Miss Dorotha Watkins. They are members of the Congregational Church. As a fraternalist Mr. Jones is affiliated with Hope Lodge No. 214, Free and Accepted Masons ; Delphos Chapter No. 105, Royal Arch Masons ; Delphos Council, Royal and Select Masters ; Shawnee Commandery No. 14, Knights Templar, Lima, Ohio ; and Toledo Consistory, thirty- second degree ; and he and Mrs. Jones are members of the Order of the Eastern Star at Delphos. In his political allegiance Mr. Jones is a republican. During the World war he served for six months with the heavy artillery at Camp Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina.
WILLIAM HOTZ, whom it is no invidious comparison to designate as one of the most substantial farmers of Spencer Township, Allen County, and no empty tribute to pronounce one of its leading citizens, is the owner of the handsome property known as Oakwood Farm, a tract of 140 acres lying five and
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one-half miles north and one and one-quarter miles west of the Town of Spencerville.
Mr. Hotz was born in Putnam County, Ohio, March 25, 1866, a son of Joseph and Catherine (Fralick) Hotz, the former a native of Baden, Germany, who was twenty-two years of age when he immigrated to the United States, and the latter a resident of Alsace-Lorraine until her eleventh year, when she was brought to this country by her parents. Following their marriage the parents of William Hotz settled in Huron County, Ohio, later moving to Putnam County, and in 1866 coming to Allen County and settling in Miami Township, where the father became the owner of 100 acres of good land. He continued to be engaged in agricultural pursurts throughout the remaining active years of his life, and, being an industrious man, thrifty and economical, accumulated a goodly property. He was a democrat in politics, although he did not seek public office. Mr. Hotz died in February, 1913. in the faith of the Catholic Church, of which his wife was also a devoted member. They were the parents of eleven children, of whom eight are living: John, who is a resident of Delphos, Ohio ; Mary, the wife of David Suchmoeller of that place ; Frank X., who is engaged in farming in Marion Township ; William, of this review ; Catherine, the widow of Frank Burger of Lima ; Frances, the wife of Martin Schook of Fostoria, Ohio ; Anna, the widow of Myron Busolch of Fremont, Ohio ; and Benjamin, a resident of California.
William Hotz was reared on the home farm three miles east of Delphos, and spent his boyhood and youth in much the same manner as other agriculturists' sons of his day and locality. He attended the district schools and assisted his father in the work of the home acres, remaining under the parental roof until he Was past twenty-six years of age, when he was united in marriage with Lucy Kill in October, 1892. She was born, reared and educated in the farming community of Spencer Township, and is a daughter of Nicholas Kill. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hotz : Raymond, who is married and a farmer of Spencer Township ; Alfred, who was called for service in the World war, but got no further than training camp when the armistice was signed, now married and a resident of Oklahoma ; Clara, the wife of Roy Duncan of Delphos, Ohio ; Cordelia, the wife of Richard Haumhorst ; Loretta, Aloysius, Lauretta and Agnes, who are single and reside with their parents. The family belongs to the Catholic Church, which they attend at Landeck, and Mr. Hotz maintains membership in the Knights of Ohio. In politics he is a democrat. He has various interests besides his farm, and is a stockkholder in the Farmers Union Elevator at Spencerville.
ALBERT M. HARROD, owner of a valuable farm near the Auglaize Church in the township of that name, is a member of that very ,old and substantial family whose name is carried by one of the villages of Allen County, and the Harrods came here in pioneer times and as a family they have contributed a great deal to the advancement and improvement of Allen County.
Albert M. Harrod was born in Auglaize Township, a quarter of a mile east of the center, on March 7, 1852. He is a son of William and Mary (Copeland) Harrod, the former born in Knox County, Ohio, October 4, 1819. The paternal grandparents were Levi and Rebecca Harrod, the former born June 30, 1777, and the latter April 12, 1780. They were the parents of twelve children. Levi Harrod entered land from the Government in Auglaize Township, and it was on that property Albert M. Harrod was born. On the same farm William and Mary Harrod lived out their lives, and owned at one time 440 acres. They were closely identified with the church and school institutions of their community, and William Harrod always voted as a democrat. They had six children: James M., who was founder of the Town of Harrod; Margaret R., who was the wife of Henry C. Patterson and died in August, 1919 ; Albert M.; Laura A., wife of John W. Jacobs, of Auglaize Township ; Louis B., of Auglaize Township ; and Dora B., wife of A. M. Growden of Champaign County, Ohio.
Albert M. Harrod spent his early life on the home farm and attended the district schools, but when past eighteen joined his brother James M. in the operation of a sawmill and general lumber business in Hardin County, Ohio, the mill being later located near the present site of the Town of Harrod. After about four years Albert Harrod sold his interests to his brother and re-entered school at Ada, and after his course there was a successful teacher for four years.
On August 18, 1878, Mr. Harrod married Hannah C. Leatherman, who was born in Auglaize Township March 29, 1857, and was reared and educated in her native township and in Jackson Township. Mr. and Mrs. Harrod have one son, Jesse R., born June 1, 1885, who finished his high school course at Ada. He also attended college at Lima and Ada, then the Ohio State University, and became principal of the Ada High School. He is now a teacher in Ada College. Jesse Harrod married Maude E. Hull, and they have a son, Paul M., born February 15, 1910.
Mr. Harrod and family are members of the Christian Church at Harrod and for many years he has been a sustaining factor in that organization. He is one of the oldest township officials in Allen County and has been continuously in service as township clerk since April, 1880, a period of over forty years. He has also served as trustee and member of the School Board. He is a democrat in politics. Mr. Harrod owns a well improved farm of 120 acres and is a stockholder in the Harrod State Bank.
GEORGE WILLIAM STEIGER, manager of the Spencerville Farmers Union Company, is one of the dependable men of Allen County, who has won his present position through merit and past record of sound business achievement. He was born in Spencer Township, Allen County, Ohio, on December 5, 1882, a son of John and Annie (Doty) Steiger, the former born on the same farm and in the same house as his son George William, his birth occurring on May 23, 1860. The mother was born in Knox County, Ohio, and she is now deceased. They were married in Allen County, and after their union settled on the Steiger farm, where John Steiger still lives. While she was an earnest church member, John Steiger was not connected with any religious organization. He is active in Spencerville Lodge of the Knights of Pythias, of which he is past chancellor, and he also belongs to the Grange. A demo. crat, he was elected on his party ticket as trustee of Spencer Township. The homestead comprises 108 acres of land in Spencer Township, and on it John
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Steiger is specializing in breeding Jersey and Shorthorn cattle. The children born to John Steiger and his wife were as follows : George William, who is the eldest ; Henry, who married and lives on a farm in Spencer Township; Myrtle, who is the wife of J. A. Beerman of Spencer Township; Bessie, who is deceased; Arthur, who is a graduate of the Spencerville High School, is a railroad man of Hammond, Indiana; and Guy, who is a farmer of Spencer Township.
George William Steiger was reared on his father's farm and received the educational advantages offered by the local schools. He remained at home until he reached his majority, and was married to Elsie Stose on September 15, 1909, a daughter of C. B. and Clara (Coil) Stose, both of whom are living and residing in Spencer Township. Mr. and Mrs. Steiger have four children, namely : Wilma, Howard, Evaltine and Margaret. Mr. and Mrs. Steiger belong to the Christian Church and Mr. Steiger served that denomination at West Union as a deacon. He belongs to Spencerville Lodge No. 251, Knights of Pythias, of which he is past chancellor, and he is also a member of the Grand Lodge of that order.
For a number of years Mr. Steiger was engaged in operating his farm of eighty acres of land in Auglaize County, and while doing so became active in Grange work. His success in farming and the sound business methods he developed in handling his affairs and those of the Grange brought him before the agriculturalists of this region. On May 1, 1920, he was made manager of the Spencerville Farmers Union Company, and already has convinced his backers that he is the right man for this position.
JOHN A. WOLFORD. Because of the business ability and popularity of the men directing its affairs the Spencer Stone Company of Spencer Township has become considered one of the substantial and necessary adjuncts to the commercial life of Allen County. Conducted under a policy of honorable dealing and honest representation, it has grown and developed steadily, and much of its success may be accredited to the sound business ability of its manager, John A. Wolford.
Mr. Wolford was born on a farm in Spencer Township, Allen County, Ohio, March 22, 1864, a son of George and Catherine (Book) Wolford, natives of Marion County, Ohio, where they were reared, educated and married. Some time after their union the parents came to Allen County and settled in Spencer Township, three miles northwest of Spencerville, where they were engaged in agricultural pursuits until the time of their retirement. They then moved to Spencerville and resided in their comfortable home there until both passed away. Mr. Wolford was a local preacher in the Christian Union Church, an enthusiastic and interested member of the Grange, and a democrat in his political adherence. He and his worthy wife were the parents of ten children, of whom nine are living : Minnie L., the wife of Hon. T. M. Berry of Spencerville; John A.; William J., representative in Australia of the Shaftless Separator Company; Nellie, the wife of J. W. Weaver of Van Wert County, Ohio; Emma C., the wife of T. B. Winans of Idaho; Flora B., the wife of C. E. Wisher, living on the home farm ; Charles A., of Lima, Ohio; Daisy E., the wife of W. W. Wisher of Spencer Township; and Anna, the wife of I. W. Lutz of Huntington, Indiana.
John A. Wolford attended the district school in Spencer Township, and remained under the parental roof until reaching the age of twenty-five years. He was married at that time to Rilla Mouser, who was born in Wyandotte County, a daughter of Decatur Mouser, and she was educated in the public schools of this locality. To this union there has been born one son, Hugh F., born January 3, 1891, who married Minnie Lauer and follows farming in Spencer Township. Mr. Wolford has always engaged in farming, and at this time is operating ninety-three acres of land. Of more recent years, however, he has given his principal attention to the duties of managing the business of the Spencer Stone Company, of which he is secretary and treasurer, and John Lauer, president. This concern has gained an excellent reputation in business circles, and under capable management is making continued advancement. As a fraternalist Mr. Wolford belongs to Vanadona Lodge No. 890, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is a past grand. He is a democrat in his political allegiance, and served efficiently as justice of the peace for one term and as a member of the Township Board of Trustees two terms. His official record is an excellent one, and in all matters pertaining to the welfare of his community he will be found giving public spirited support on the side of progress.
JOHN W. JACOBS. In the same community where he was born and reared John W. Jacobs is living today, one of the hale and hearty citizens past the age of three score and ten and still gives effective direction to his large farm ten miles southeast of Lima in Auglaize Township.
Mr. Jacobs was born June 26, 1846, a son of Peter and Anna (Ward) Jacobs. These families were among the pioneers of Allen County. His maternal grandfather, James Ward, came here at a very early date and entered land. Peter Jacobs, the paternal grandfather, arrived in 1832, entered eighty acres in Auglaize Township, built a cabin home, and in 1833 moved to it with his little family and lived out his life there. In time he had 234 acres. Peter Jacobs and Anna Ward were married in Miami County, Ohio, where they lived for several years before coming to Allen County. Peter Jacobs was born in that county and his wife was born in Perry County. Both were active members of the Dunkard Church and the father was a democrat. In the family were five sons and one daughter: Mary, who was the wife of Alexander Madden; James, who served as a Union soldier in the Civil war and is deceased; William, deceased ; Mark, who died at the age of twenty-one; Samuel, who lives at Lima; and John W.
John W. Jacobs lived at home to the age of twenty-one, acquired a common school education, and on reaching manhood went out to Henry County, Missouri, and for nearly two years lived with his brother-in-law and farmed. Returning to Ohio, he conducted his father's old place. Mr. Jacobs owns 194 acres and for years has been closely identified with the substantial interests of his locality. He is a stockholder in the Harrod State Bank.
On November 12, 1874, he married Laura A. Harrod, a daughter of William and Mary Harrod, the former a native of Knox County, and the latter of
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Greene County, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs have lived on their present farm from the time of their marriage. They had no children of their own, but took into their home Morris William at the age of three and reared him until he was grown, giving him the advantages of the Ada High School. This boy married Laura Snyder, is a farmer on eighty acres in Monroe Township and has a family of six children.
Mrs. Jacobs is a member of the Baptist Church. Mr. Jacobs is a democrat politically. Many know him for his well known skill and activity as a hunter. He has hunted big game in Maine, Wyoming, Nebraska and Canada. During the seventies he killed a buffalo close to the Colorado line, and is perhaps the only surviving Allen County man who ever killed a buffalo on the western plains. He has the finest specimen of a Moose head known, and his collection alsd includes a mounted allegator that he killed in Hogtown Bay, Florida.
WILLIAM HENRY MATTINGLY. The late William Henry Mattingly was long associated with Lima as proprietor of one of the leading undertaking establishments of the city, and he won appreciatron and gratitude from those he served in the period of greatest bereavement because of his sympathetic and dignified conduct of the last rites. He was a man of high character and earned and held the confidence of his fellow citizens.
William Henry Mattingly was born at Zanesville, Ohio, February 18, 1850, a son of Francis and Mary (Heeman) Mattingly, natives of Baltimore, Maryland, and England, respectively, who were married at Zanesville and became farmers in the vicinity of that city. Both died many years ago.
On January 17, 1878, William Henry Mattingly was united in marriage with Mary E. Carr, who was born at Zanesville, Ohio, August 15, 1854, a daughter of James W. and Margaret (Maher) Carr, natives of Maryland and Somerset, Ohio, respectively. Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Mattingly resided on the old home farm of his father near Zanesville for two years, and then moved with his father to a farm that is now included in South Zanesville. After four years on that farm Mr. Mattingly located in Zanesville as an undertaker in partnership with George Brenholtz, and this connection was maintained for six years, when Mr. Mattingly sold his interest and went to Indianapolis, Indiana, where for two years he was in an undertaking business in partnership with a Mr. Homoun. Again selling, he came to Lima, and for many years was one of the leading undertakers of the city, remaining in the business until ill health forced him to retire. His death occurred January 14, 1920, and he was buried in Mount Cavalry Cemetery, Zanesville, Ohio.
Although they had no children of their own, Mr. and Mrs. Mattingly took two little ones into their home and hearts and reared them with real parental affection, they being : Edith Donnelly, a niece of Mrs. Mattingly, who is now Mrs. Henry Gutzwiller of Cincinnati, Ohio ; and Winnif red Arnold. who is still living with Mrs. Mattingly. Mr. Mattingly was a Catholic and his widow is of the same religious faith and connected with Saint Rose Church. For many years Mr. Mattingly was secretary of the parish, and held the same office in the Knights of Columbus, the Knights of Ohio and Gethsemane Cemetery. He was a man of broad charities, a kind and sympathetic nature, and when he died his community lost one of its best citizens.
HON, S. D. CRITES, one of the Advisory Board of Editors for the History of Allen County, is a native of the county, and his abilities have gained him a most substantial part in its affairs.
He was born in German Township November 28, 1847, son of Jacob and Mary J. (Cremean) Crites. His father, who was born in Pickaway County October 19, 1822, was a pioneer settler in Allen County and was living on a farm in German Township when he died in March, 1904. During a long and useful life he was identified with many important interests in the county and was a highly respected citizen.
S. D. Crites grew up on his father's farm, attended local schools, and at the age of eighteen began teaching. Teaching gave him the money to enable him to enter, in 1869, the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, where he came under the supervision of that great educator Alfred Holbrook. He was soon afterward appointed superintendent of the Elida public schools, and for twelve successive years gave his enthusiasm and efforts to his duties, finally resigning on account of failing health. From 1876 to 1888 he was also a member of the Allen County Board of School Examiners, and for nine years served as justice of the peace in German Township.
In 1883 Mr. Crites in an effort to restore his health sought outdoor occupation, and for a number of years was one of the very practical and useful farmers and stockmen of the county. Besides the stock raised on his own farm he also bought and shipped to market. After a few years of country life his health was restored to normal and since then he has kept his farms under tenants.
In September, 1903, Mr. Crites organized one of the leading financial institutions of this part of the state, the Farmers Bank at Elida, and for a number of years has been actively identified with its management.
Besides the work of education, which is one of the creditable features of his record in Allen County, Mr. Crites for a number of years was a leader in the democratic party. In 1901 he was nominated by acclamation, an unusual testimony of party esteem, at the Democratic District Convention for senator to represent the Thirty-Second Senatorial District, comprising the populous counties of Allen, Auglaize, Defiance, Mercer, Paulding, Van Wert and Williams. He was elected by a majority of 2,300 votes, and was re-elected practically without opposition. As a member of the State Senate he gave his time, thought and energies to the duties of such committees as finance, agriculture, public works, public lands, benevolent institutions, universities, colleges, banks, etc. Since leaving the Senate Mr. Crites has retired from public affairs and his chief interest today is the bank.
In 1872 he married Sarah Jane Ruchelderfer, of Pickaway County. She died the same year. In 1876 he married Emma M. Ditto. They are the parents of four accomplished daughters : Jessie K., wife of S. O. Morris, of Morris Brothers, Lima, Ohio ; Mabel, wife of Abner Brenneman, cashier of the Farmers Bank of Elida ; Zoe, wife of Philip Schnabel, bookkeeper at the Solar Refining Com-
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pany, Lima ; and Grace, wife of W. L. Hook, a clothing merchant at Upper Sandusky, Ohio.
While a member of the State Senate Mr. Crites had the distinction of serving on a number of committees with Warren G. Harding of Marion. During the past forty years he has missed only a few seasons hunting big game, and has to his credit a large collection of fine specimens. On one of his hunting expeditions he shot an alligator in Florida weighing 600 pounds, 12 feet long, and claimed to be 200 years old. Senator Crites also has some of the interests of the real antiquarian, and has accumulated many old relics and specimens now quite valuable. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Masonic Order, is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason, and is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Elida.
BRICE C. MILLER. When consideration is given to the substantial farmers of Auglaize Township, one deserving of special consideration is Brice C. Miller, a young man of great energy and business ability whose work stands in evidence at his home farm two miles southeast of Harrod.
Mr. Miller was born in Monroe Township of Allen County January 24, 1886, son of Jaseph H. and Alice Miller. His parents were born in this county, in Sugar Creek Township, and the Millers have lived here from pioneer times. The grandfather Miller in early days managed a farm and also operated a mill at West Cairo, and after his death the mill was taken over by two sons and continued in operation for several years by them, after which they sold it. Joseph H. Miller since his marriage has been a leading farmer, and his home is a mile and a quarter east of West Cairo. He is a republican and he and his wife are members of the Dunkard Church. They had four children: Chloe, wife of J. A. Vore ; Brice C.; Guy, a farmer in Monroe Township ; and Paul, who also is a well known young farmer in Monroe Township. Brice C. Miller grew up on his father's place in Monroe Township and made good use of his advantages in the district schools. His life was spent at home to the age of twenty-one.
On March 4, 1916, Mr. Miller married Gladys Truex, who was born in this state December 21, 1894. They have two children: Ivan, born February 21, 1917, and Harold, born September 19, 1918. Mr. Miller also has a daughter, now fifteen years old, by a former marriage.
Mr. Miller is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America. Politically he votes and acts with the republican party. He has served as a member of the Central Committee. As a farmer he has 136 acres in Auglaize Township, and while not a specialty farmer, he has always kept good grades of livestock and most of his profits come from the sale of stock.
CLARENCE H. FOLSOM. The sentiment which brings about marriages creates a desire for a home, and the men who are engaged in satisfying it not only are achieving a material prosperity, but are building the bulwarks of real Americanism. The owner of a home naturally takes more interest in his community than the transient who can easily move if conditions are not to his liking, and he works to bring about improvements and raise the moral standards and increase the educational advantages. With his growing interest in his immediate vicinity comes the broader outlook which teaches him that the affairs of the whole county are of concern to him, and with this is born true partiotism. There are a number of the best business men of Lima who are devoting themselves to the handling of real estate and the placing of loans which will make possible the creation of homes, and among them one of considerable importance on account of the number and magnitude of his transactions is Clarence H. Folsom of 210 Holmes Building.
Clarence H. Folsom was born a son of Charles and Lydia (Pennock) Folsom. The Folsom family was founded in America many generations ago by Josiah Folsom, and his descendants have been as a general rule professional men, although Charles Folsom was a merchant and miller after he had owned and operated a farm on Mad River at Zanesfield, Logan County, Ohio. He died at the age of seventy-seven years, his wife surviving him until 1917, when she passed away at the age of eighty- seven years.
Mr. Folsom attended the local schools and academy of Zanesfield and then spent two years at the Urbana, Ohio, Presbyterian College, completing his studies with a commercial course at the Toledo Business College of Toledo, Ohio. Coming to Lima in 1882, Mr. Folsom established himself in his present business and has carried it on ever since, being one of the most successful realtors in Allen County. Mr. Folsom has many other interests, and is a stockholder of the Lima Trust Company, the Lima Telephone Company. the Allen County Fair Grounds Association, the Lima Club and the Masonic Club.
In 1869 he was united in marriage at Zanesfield, Ohio, with Jennie Crew, a daughter of Dr. James and Lucinda (Stewart) Crew, and she died on December 16, 1897, leaving one daughter, Belle F., who married Dr. Oliver S. Steiner, of Lima, and they have two children, Mary Jane and Helen Pauline. Mr. Folsom is a thirty-second degree Mason and also belongs to Antioch Shrine of Dayton, Ohio. He is a member of Zanesfield Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Lima Lodge Knights of Pythias, and Lima Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. When he came to Lima the city did not offer the opportunities it does today, but Mr. Folsom possessed that courage and bigger vision which have made him the successful man of affairs he is, and the shrewd business sense which enabled him to carry on his transactions with well-directed effort, always regulating them according to his own sound judgment and innate honesty so that his name has come to be a synonym for successful and inspiring operations all over Allen County.
STEWART D. ROBERTS. A highly respected citizen of Spencer Township, Allen County, who has ever had the interests of his community at heart, is Stewart D. Roberts, a man who has won success in life because he has been persistent and never permitted obstacles to thwart him in his course when once he knew he was right. He comes of sterling ancestry and in his own life he has exemplified those sturdy qualities of character which ever commend a man to the regard and esteem of his fellows.
Stewart D. Roberts was born in Van Wert County, Ohio, on December 13, 1871, and is the son of Simeon and Elizabeth (Stoffer) Roberts, the former a native of Knox County, Ohio, and the latter born
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and reared in Spencer Township, two miles west of Spencerville. They were married in Allen County and lived on a farm here until their removal to Van Wert County, where they remained about two years. At the end of that time they returned to Spencer Township, Allen County, where they bought a farm and where they spent the remainder of their lives. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically Mr. Roberts was a democrat, and served several years as a member of the school board. To him and his wife were born eight children, of whom four are now living, namely: Marellen, the wife of John J. Davis, of Spencerville; Stewart D., the immediate subject of this sketch; John J., of Spencer Township ; and Tena, the wife of Rev. Roy Wilken, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church at South Troy, Ohio.
Stewart D. Roberts received his educational training in the common schools of Spencer Township, his summer months being spent in work on the home farm. He assisted his father on the farm until twenty-one years of age, then rented the farm for two years. At the end of that time he bought forty acres of land included in the farm which he now owns, and applied his energies indefatigably to its operation. He has been eminently successful and has made two additional purchases of farm land, one of forty acres and one of eighty acres in Van Wert County. He has demonstrated his thorough knowledge of the best agricultural methods, raising all the crops common to this locality, and also gives some attention to the raising of live stock, specializing in Duroc hogs. A number of years ago Mr. Roberts engaged in the threshing business in association with his father, but subsequently bought his father's interests and now owns the outfit. He is also the owner of a saw mill outfit, and in both of these enterprises he has done a good deal of business in this community.
On December 10, 1891, Mr. Roberts was married to Nettie Masters, of Van Wert County, Ohio, the daughter of John Masters. When she was but six months old her mother died, and her father afterward remarried. To Mr. and Mrs. Roberts have been born five children, namely: Bessie, the wife of Arthur Craft, of Van Wert County ; Edna, the wife of Ernest Reibesell, of Randolph County, Indiana ; John B., Emma and Leroy, who remain at home.
Mr. Roberts and his family are members of the United Brethren Church at Monticello, Ohio, in the various activities of which they take a prominent part. Fraternally he is a member of Deep Cut Lodge No. 311, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a democrat in his political views and takes an intelligent interest in the public affairs of the community, though not an aspirant for public position or leadership, However, he is rendering good service as assessor of Spencer Township. He is a stockholder of the Farmers Union Elevator at Spencerville, and is considered a man of broad views and excellent business judgment, standing high in the esteem of all who know him.
JOHN J. REAGAN. A number of the most substantial men of Allen County are connected with one or other of the large corporations operating in their midst, and one of them is John J. Reagan, gauger for the Buckeye Pipe Line Company of Spencerville, who is not only well thought of by his company, but by his community as well, as is proven in his being elected by his fellow citizens as a member of the Board of Education.
John J. Reagan was born in Olean, New York, on April 21, 1874, a son of Thomas and Catherine (Morearity) Reagan, the former of whom was born in Ireland, but was brought to the United States in childhood and reared in New York State. He was married in Allegany, Cattaraugus County, New York, and spent the remainder of his life in that neighborhood, dying on a farm not far from Allegany. His widow moved to Auglaize County, Ohio, where she later passed away. The parents had the following children born to them : Michael D., who lives at Delphos, Ohio ; Theresa, who is the widow of Dr. J. F. Gallison, of American, Ohio ; J. J., whose name heads this review ; William J., who is a farmer and oilman in the neighborhood of Beaver Dam, Ohio ; Thomas F., who lives at Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is superintendent of the Texas Pipe Line Company; Vincent D., who is superintendent of an oil company in Texas ' • Mary E., who married Len H. Barr, of Tulsa, Oklahoma ; and three who died in infancy.
John J. Reagan was reared on his father's farm, where he lived until he reached his majority, and until he was nine years old went to a parochial school, and then until he was fifteen went to the public schools, but after that put in all of his time on the farm. Coming to Spencerville, he entered the employ of the Buckeye Pipe Line Company, and has risen to be one of their gaugers.
On September 16, 1902, Mr. Reagan was married to Gertrude E. Butcher, of Buckland, Ohio, a high school graduate. Mr. and Mrs. Reagan have a comfortable modern home on Canal Street, their faith in this community being evidenced by their investment in its realty. Hard-working and thrifty, Mr. Reagan has gone ahead steadily and honorably, and it would be difficult to find a man better fitted for his duties or one who more thoroughly exemplifies the spirit of real Americanism.
IRA ELLSWORTH BABER began his career as a farm hand, was a farm renter for a number of years and through his hard work and thrifty management made enough by operating the land of others to purchase the good farm home he now occupies in Bath Township on rural route No. 8 out of Lima.
Mr. Baber was born at Peru, Indiana, March 16, 1880, a son of Henry Floyd and Rhena (Bowers) Baber. When he was a child his parents moved to Shawnee Township of Allen County and bought a farm of a hundred acres. Ira Ellsworth Baber grew up there and attended winter sessions of school in Amanda Township until he was about fifteen. After that he was employed regularly on the home farm, worked out for others, and had made only a modest advance towards prosperity when he set up a home of his own by his marriage on December 4, 1904, to Mary Altha Beeber. Mrs. Baber is a daughter of W. H. and Mary Catherine (Mosher) Beeber, of Elida, American Township. Mr. and Mrs. Baber started housekeeping with very limited equipment and capital, and they have been steadily achieving economic independence at the same time they had been rearing their family of nine children, all of whom are still living: Ira Williams, Paul Lester, Zelma Marie, Zelin Harold, Jessie Helm, Howard
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Bernard, Waldo Edwin, Alta Gertrude and Harold Franklin.
After his marriage Mr. Baber rented 150 acres near Lima for two years. For a period of three years he lived on and farmed the forty acres of Mrs. Baber's father. Following that he spent two years on 160 north of Elida, another two years on a 173-acre farm in Auglaize Township, and in August, 1919, bought the well improved and eligibly located farm of eighty-three acres where he lives today. Mr. Baber is a democrat in politics, and he and his family are members of the United Brethren Church.
SAMUEL LUTZ. For sixty-five years, practically his entire life, Samuel Lutz has lived on one farm in Amanda Township. He grew up there, went from the farm to the nearby schools to acquire his early education, and his life of industry and good business management has been laid in that community. His farm and home are on rural route No. 2 out of Elida, five miles southwest of that Allen County town.
Mr. Lutz was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, September 13, 1853, son of John and Elizabeth (Miller) Lutz. His mother was born in Fairfield County October 21, 1825, representing one of the earliest families there. John Lutz was born in Maryland, January 20, 1820, and when he was a child his parents moved out to Fairfield County, Ohio, and located in the same neighborhood as the Miller family. He and his wife grew up together, had the advantages of pioneer schools, and were married May 1, 1851. The mother of Samuel Lutz always took a very active part in church affairs, and the father was a republican voter and a man of high moral principles and business integrity. They had a family of four children, three of whom are still living : William, of Amanda Township ; Samuel; Sarah J., deceased; and George A., of Amanda Township.
Samuel Lutz was two years old when his parents moved to the Amanda Township farm in section 22 in 1855. He acquired his education in the local district schools, and after his father's death he and his brother took charge of the farm and operated it on a partnership basis for five years. He then bought the interests of his brother William, and has remained in that one locality and has seen his affairs prosper and increase. His farm of 279 acres is all in section 22.
On November 21, 1875, Mr. Lutz married Catherine Alexander, a daughter of Adam and Elizabeth Alexander. She was horn in Allen County April 10, 1853, and acquired her education in the schools of the county. They have three children : Orlo E., born July 30, 1877, married Clennie Sawmiller and lives on part of the homestead farm; Harry A., born December 4, 1880, married Nettie Myers and lives at Buffalo, .New York; Carrie Idetta, born September 15, 1886. is a college graduate, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts, holds a life state teacher's certificate and has been active in educational affairs for a number of years. Mr. and Mrs. Lutz also have three grandchildren.
The family are members of the Zion Methodist Episcopal Church, and he is one of the trustees. He is affiliated with Elida Lodge No. 818, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Lima Encampment No. 62, and is a republican voter.
JOHN M. BINER. One of the progressive men of Allen County is John M. Biner, of Spencer Township, whose indomitable courage, persistent and aggressive efforts and his excellent management have brought to him the prosperity which is today his. He has ever stood ready to do what he could in pushing forward the wheels of progress and advancing prosperity in this community, and his career, both private and public, has been one worthy the high esteem which those knowing him best freely accord. John M. Biner, whose well-cultivated farm lies one-half mile south and one mile east of Spencerville, was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, on July 26, 1849. He is the son of Wesley and Anna (Haver) Biner, the former of whom was born in Virginia on December 6, 1806, and died on August 8, 1890, and the mother was born in Pennsylvania and died in 1851. Their respective families moved to Ohio, settling in Tuscarawas County, where they were married and established their home on a farm. In 1851 Mr. Biner came to Van Wert County, Ohio, and entered forty acres of timber land five miles northwest of Spencerville, which he cleared and developed into a farm, building a log cabin, in which they resided and where the wife died during their first year there. In 1863 Mr. Biner was married to Hannah Mills. To his first marriage were born seven children, of which number three are living, namely: George W., of Lima ; Elizabeth, the widow of Tillman Wilkin and living in Spencer Township, this county ; and John M., the subject of this sketch.
John M. Biner was about three years of age when his mother died, but the father managed to keep the children in the home and they were later well cared for by their stepmother. John M. remained at home until he was twenty-years of age and attended the schools of the neighborhood. During the following three years he was employed at farm labor in Miami County, Ohio, but at the end of that period returned to Allen County and rented his father's farm for one year. Later he acquired land of his own and has since devoted himself to agricultural pursuits, in which he has been successful to a satisfactory degree, having for many years been numbered among the progressive and enterprising farmers of his section of the county. He is the owner of ninety-six acres of well improved land and raises all the crops common to this locality.
On December 31, 1874, Mr. Biner was married to Lucretia J. Post, who was born in Spencer Township, about four miles north of Spencerville, the daughter of Martin and Caroline (Wiem) Post. Her father was born in Richland County, Ohio, on September 24, 1827, and her mother was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, on March 24, 1827. She came with her parents to Richland County, Ohio, in 1833, the family settling near the home of the Post family. Thus the young people were reared in the same neighborhood and were married at Galion, Ohio, on February 6, 1851. The same year they came to Allen County and settled in Spencer Township, where they lived until their final removal to Spencerville, where they spent the remainder of their days, the father dying on June 8, 1883, and the mother in 1890. They were the parents of four children, namely: Lucretia, the wife of Mr. Biner; William, a retired farmer living in Spencerville; Howard, who died in 1893 ; and Theodore, of Spencerville. To Mr. and Mrs. Biner have been born three children, namely : Bertha A., born on October
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4, 1875, the wife of E. S. Berryman ; Edith C., born October 18, 1877, the wife of William H. Stose, of Auglaize County, Ohio ; and Earl A., born on August 11, 1890, who is unmarried and remains at home. Mrs. Biner is a member of the Christian Church.
Politically Mr. Biner is a stanch supporter of the republican party and has served as a member and clerk of the school board. He is an earnest advocate of all movements for the advancement of the public welfare and enjoys to a pronounced degree the esteem and good will of all who know
him.
IDA MAE PRATER is one of the interesting women of Allen County and is one of the few women anywhere who have been successful in the career of hard discipline and duty required of railway telegraphers and station agents.
Miss Prater, who is station agent at Westminster in Auglaize Township, was born at Kenton, Ohio, a daughter of John B. and Clara E. (Spring) Prater, the former a native of Logan County, Ohio, and the latter of Virginia. Her father is in the transfer and storage business at Kenton.
Miss Prater received a grammar and high school education, took a three months' business course, and then attended a school of telegraphy until she mastered the art. Her first assignment of duty was at Bippus, Indiana, with the Erie Railroad, and she was operator there for six years. For six months she was on duty at Laketon, Indiana, spent two years at Lomax, Indiana, and for a year and a half was stationed at Palmer, Indiana.
February 15, 1919, Miss Prater took up her duties as station agent and operator at Westminster, Ohio. The regular station building was burned in 1918, and the railroad company made temporary provision for station use of two box cars, and perhaps as a result of Miss Prater's thrift and faculty for adding a touch of beauty and attractiveness the railroad company is still getting along with this provision. She has painted the cars both inside and out, and has adorned the station grounds, setting out a vegetable garden and flower garden. Miss Prater is a member of the Christian Church at Kenton and has long had a membership in the Order of Railway Telegraphers.
GEORGE L. HAAS. The gentleman whose life history is here taken under consideration is one of the strong, sturdy characters who has contributed largely to the welfare of the community where he lives, being an industrious and practical farmer, a business man of sagacity and foresight, and a public-spirited and progressive citizen in all that the term implies. George L. Haas, whose well cultivated and productive farm of seventy-one acres lies in Spencer Township, two miles southwest of Spencerville, was born at Batesville, Indiana, on December 14, 1872, and is a son of Rev. John and Valeria (Rates) Haas. The latter was a native of Pennsylvania and in girlhood accompanied her parents on their removal to Minnesota, where she grew to womanhood and where her marriage occurred. John Haas was born at St. Paul, Minnesota, and became a minister of the German Methodist Episcopal Church, being one of the first ministers of that denomination in Minnesota. He raised the funds with which was built the first church of that denomination in that state, and he preached at that point and other stations for
thirty-five years. One of his charges was at Kendallville, Indiana, where his death occurred in 1906. He also served at one time in Spencerville, Ohio. After he retired from the active work of the ministry he went to Kendallville to live, and was several times elected treasurer of that city. He was a republican in his political views and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
To Rev. John and Valeria Haas eight children were born, of which number seven are living, namely: Wesley, who lives in Auglaize County, Ohio ; Frank, of LaGrange, Indiana ; George L., who will be referred to specifically in a later paragraph; Emma, who is the wife of P. C. Conlongue, of Noble County, Indiana ; Oliver, of Kendallville, Indiana ; Irvin, of Providence, Rhode Island ; and Elle, the wife of Homer Reed, of Kendallville.
George L. Haas spent the years of his youth in Kendallville, Indiana, and received his educational training in the public schools of that city. He has wisely devoted himself to agricultural pursuits and in achieving a splendid success in the operation of his farm of seventy-one acres in Spencer Township. His place is well improved and is one of the most productive farms in that community. Mr. Haas is not only a good farmer, but he is also possessed of sound business judgment, conducting his affairs according to the highest ethics of business.
George L. Haas married Albertha Henne. After their marriage they lived in Kendallville, Indiana, where Mr. Haas was engaged in the grocery business for five years. He later sold that business and has erected a splendid modern residence, which was completed in 1919, and which has every up-to-date convenience, including a private electric light plant. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and of its official board, while he is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. To him and his wife have been born three children, Hildeth, Edwin and Howard.
Mr. Haas is a republican politically and has served two terms as president of the Electric Light Board. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of the Maccabees. He maintains a public spirited attitude towards every movement or enterprise looking to the advancement of the welfare of the community, and because of his business ability and his excellent character he occupies an enviable position among his fellow citizens.
NOAH WOLLET. Prominent among the old and honored citizens of Allen County whose lives have been devoted to the pursuits of agriculture and who have reached advanced years with the compensations of personal means and the respect and esteem of their associates and neighbors is Noah Wollet, of Jackson Township. Mr. Wollet, who is the owner of a valuable property in section 32, has passed his entire life in this region, where he continues to contribute to the development and advancement of the interests and institutions of his community.
Noah Wollet was born on a farm three miles east of Lima, in Bath Township, Allen County, November 22, 1840, a son of Samuel and Phoebe (Ridenour) Wollet. Samuel Wollet came to Allen County from Fairfield County, Ohio, where he had been born August 17, 1817, arriving in this locality in 1832. Here he met and married Miss Ridenour, who was born in Perry County, Ohio, March 29, 1819, and had
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come, to Allen County with her parents in 1831, settling near Lima in Perry Township, while the Wollets had located three miles east of Lima, in Bath Township. They were married March 29, 1837, following which they settled on the old Wollet farm, but later went to Van Wert County, Ohio, where they spent the remainder of their long, useful and honorable lives, the mother passing away August 18, 1890, and the father March 3, 1893. He was a member of the democratic party and of the Lutheran Church, to which latter Mrs. Wollet belonged. They were the parents of fourteen children, of whom ten grew to maturity and seven are living: Hannah, the widow of Oliver Bowser, of Lima; Noah : Aaron, of Middlepoint, Ohio; Samuel, of Chicago; Melissa, the widow of David Crumrine; Phoebe, the wife of Lewis Johns, of Hudson, Michigan; and John, who is engaged in farming near that place.
Noah Wollet was educated in the public schools and was reared in the home locality of Bath Township, where he assisted his father in the cultivation of the home farm until the time of his enlistment, in 1861, in Company B, Eighty-First Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for service during the Civil war. For three years he served the Union faithfully and gallantly, and after securing his honorable discharge returned to -Perry Township, where he secured employment as a farm hand for his uncle. Mr. Wollet was married April 26, 1866, to Miss Sarah C. Layman, following which he rented a farm in Perry Township and continued to carry on agricultural operations as a renter for a period of thirty years. At the end of that time he bought his present farm in section 32, Jackson Township, where he has 105 acres of land under cultivation, devoted to the pursuits of farming and stock raising. He has been successful in his undertakings and is numbered among the well-to-do men of his community, and his prosperity has been well merited, as it has been gained through hard, unremitting labor and a perseverance that has overcome all obstacles.
Mr. Wollet is a democrat in politics, but has not cared for political honors. Hs is a valued and popular comrade of Lima Post No. 202, Grand Army of the Republic, and he and Mrs. Wollet belong to the Lutheran Church. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Co-operative Elevators at Lafayette. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wollet : Edwin, Ida, Alma (deceased), Fannie, Stella, Howard, Nettie (deceased), Maggie and Josephine. Mrs. Noah Wollet passed from this life August 28, 1920.
JOHN E. PURDY. While it is true that Allen County farm land is remarkably fertile, the present prestige of this region would never have been reached had it not been for the zeal and industry of the owners of this land, and of them one deserving of particular mention is John E. Purdy of Spencer Township, whose farm is located two and one-half miles west of Spencerville. He was born in Van Wert County, Ohio, on July 14, 1860, a son of Ephraim and Susan (Gray) Purdy. Ephraim Purdy was born in Holmes County, Ohio, on May 31, 1837, and she was born in same county and state in 1842. They .were married in Holmes County, Ohio, and same to Van Wert in 1859, settling on a farm, where he lived until 1912, when he moved to Spencerville, and was active in the Baptist Church of this city. For many years prior to her demise his wife was also
a devout member of that denomination. In politics he was a life-long democrat.
The children born to Ephraim Purdy and his wife were as follows: John E., who was the eldest; Ed, who is a carpenter, of Spencerville; Flora, who is the wife of Joseph Wolfe; Jane, who is the wife of Conrad Baker, of Auglaize County, Ohio; Richard E., who is a farmer of Allen County; Daniel, who is a resident of Lima, Ohio; Maude, who is the wife of George Baker, of Mercer County, Ohio; and Frank, who is deceased.
John E. Purdy was reared on the old homestead that is adjacent to the one he now owns, and he attended the district schools. Remaining at home until he was twenty-one years old, he not only learned farming, but also the carpenter trade. This trade he followed for twenty-eight years. Later he bought his farm of seventy-eight acres of land, and is principally occupied in conducting it. Beginning with practically nothing but his willingness to work, he has advanced until he is now one of the substantial men of his township.
On March 1, 1882, Mr. Purdy was united in marriage with Mary Miller, a daughter of Eli Miller, who was born in Allen County in 1863, and educated in its district schools. Mr. and Mrs. Purdy became the parents of the following children: Susie, who is the wife of Daniel Kennedy, of Mercer County; Emma, who is the wife of John J. Roberts, of Spencerville; Huldah, who is the wife of Emery Masher, of Van Wert County ; Lillie, who is the wife of Harmon Rocko, of Allen County; Lois, who is the wife of Edward Lauer, of Spencer Township, was graduated from the Spencerville High School; Orville G., who is a farmer of Van Wert County; Iona, who is the wife of Chester McTurn, of Oklahoma ; and John B., who is unmarried and living at home. Mr. Purdy belongs to Deep Cut Lodge No. 311, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In politics, like his father, he is a democrat. In addition to a number of residences which he built at Spencerville and other places, Mr. Purdy also built several business blocks in the former city, and he is further interested there in that he is a stockholder in the Farmers Union Elevator Company of Spencerville.
ISAM ELEY. Many of the more progressive farmers of Allen County are specializing along certain distinct lines and are succeeding much better than if they had followed the regular farm routine. Isam Eley is one of those who has found success as a breeder of Percheron Horses, a specialty that has given some distinction to his farm, Mud College Farm, located in section 36, Amanda Township, his home being situated on route No. 6, Delphos, ten miles southeast of that city. Mr. Eley was born December 10, 1873, in Amanda Township, a son of Clark and Esther (Moorman) Eley.
Clark Eley was born in Auglaize County, Ohio, in January, 1839, and as a young man came to Allen County, where he married Miss Moorman, a native of this county, and settled on a farm in Amanda Township, where he continued agricultural operations until his death. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, having served during the war between the states as a member of Company H, Eighty-First Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was a democrat in politics. Mrs. Eley, who died in 1877, was a member of the
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Methodist Episcopal Church. They were the parents of seven children, of whom six are living: Ferman, who is engaged in farming in Amanda Township; Elizabeth, the wife of Albert Williams, of Spencerville; Rosa, the wife of Isam Young; Peter, of Lima; Alice, the wife of John Richardson; and Isam.
Isam Eley received his education in the district schools and was reared on the home farm, where he remained until reaching the age of twenty-one years. At that time he faced life on his own account and worked by the day and month until his marriage in August, 1898, to Miss Lizzie L. Coon, a of Isaac and Lovisa (Cobb) Coon, the former born in Allen County, Ohio, and the latter was born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, September 5, 1843. When she was three years of age Mrs. Coon was taken by her parents to Van Wert County, Ohio, and in 1858 came to Allen County, where, three years later she was married to Isaac Coon. About the time of their marriage Mr. Coon enlisted in the Union Army and fought through to the close of the Civil war, during the period of which he was twice wounded. He then returned to his farm in Amanda Township, where he followed farming and stock raising until his death, December 27, 1901. He was a republican in his political allegiance and a member of Armstrong Post, Grand Army of the Republic. Mrs. Coon, who died October 26, 1919, had been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church since 1872, and had been active in its work for many years.
Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Eley settled on their farm in Amanda Township, where they now have eighty acres under a high state of cultivation. While Mr. Eley carries on general farming, he makes a specialty of breeding Percheron horses and also has a good grade of other kinds of live stock. He is a stockholder in the Elida Equality Union Elevator, and his business standing is of the best, while as a citizen he is highly esteemed. Mr. Eley is a democrat, and is fraternally affiliated with Acadia Lodge No. 306, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Spencerville Chapter No. 169, Royal Arch Masons, and Delphos Chapter No. 69, Royal and Select Masters, while Mrs. Eley belongs to Spencerville Chapter No. 130, Order of Eastern Star. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. and Mrs. Eley have three children: Edna, a graduate of the high school at Lima and a member of Spencerville Chapter No. 130, Order of Eastern Star ; Edgar C., who is attending high school at Lima; and Mary, who is attending the public schools.
CHARLES H. HOCH. Individual enterprise, which is the just boast of the people of Iowa, is forcefully exhibited in the career of Charles H. Hoch, one of the substantial farmers of Spencer Township. He is a worthy representative of one of the old and highly honored families of this locality, and his life record has been such as to elicit just praise from those who know him best. Mr. Hoch was born in Marion County, Ohio, on September 10, 1855, and is the son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Lust) Hoch, both of whom were natives of Baden, Germany, the father was born in 1822 and his wife one year earlier. They there grew to maturity and were married and then went to housekeeping in a village, though the father carried on farming operations. The paternal grandfather, Jacob Hoch, was a renter of Government land, having had thirty acres leased for thirty years, and on this he devoted himself to agriculture. In 1853 he came to the United States, locating in Marion County, Ohio, and buying 160 acres of land located south of Marion, on which he spent the remainder of his days and died, his wife's death also occurring there. This land has never passed out of the Hoch family. Mr. Hoch's parents were aged respectively thirty and thirty-one years when they located in Marion County, and there they continued to reside until 1866, when they moved to Allen County, Ohio, Jacob Hoch having bought a farm about three miles west of Spencerville, this being the farm now owned and occupied by his son Charles. Jacob and Elizabeth Hoch lived the remainder of their lives on that farm, and there they died. They were active and faithful members of the German Reformed Church, while in politics Mr. Hoch gave his support to the democratic party. They were the parents of three children, namely:
Charles H., the immediate subject of this sketch; Jacob, deceased ; and Catherine, the wife of John Lauer, of Spencerville.
Charles H. Hoch was about ten years of age when his family came to Allen County, and during the remaining years of his youth he worked on the home farm, in the meantime securing a good practical education in the district schools. He was married at the age of twenty-three years and then bought twenty acres of land, on which he located and to which he devoted himself for seven years. He then bought the old home farm of 138 acres, onto which he moved and continued to reside there until 1911, when he moved where he now lives, his present farm comprising 272 acres of land, known as the Homewood farm, located on the State Road, three-quarters of a mile west of Spencerville. Mr. Hoch is thorn oughly up-to-date in his farming methods and is numbered among the progressive and enterprising farmers of his community.
On June 30, 1879, Mr. Hoch was married to Ida Blochberger, who was born in Washington Township, Van Wert County, Ohio, on December 31, 1855, the daughter of Christian and Tena (Baughman) Blochberger, natives of Saxony, Germany, where they were reared and married. They came to the United States in 1853 and settled northwest of Delphos, Van Wert County, Ohio. Mrs. Hoch was reared on the home farm and secured her education in the common schools. She has borne her husband four children, as follows: Elizabeth is the wife of Edward Stalter, who is operating the old home farm ; Jacob, who is a graduate of the Lima Business College, is now a resident of Lima, and is married to Hazel Dean; Henry is married to Lucile Dunheiser and lives east of Spencerville; Laura E. died at the age of thirteen.
Mr. Hoch and his family are members of the Reformed Church at Spencerville, in which he is an elder and an active worker in the Sunday school. He is a democrat in his political views and served one term as trustee of Spencer Township, He is a stockholder in the Farmers Union Elevator at Spencerville, and takes a deep interest in the advancement of every movement or enterprise looking to the welfare of the people. Because of his success in life and his excellent personal character he enjoys a well deserved popularity among his fellow citizens.
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JOSEPH J. KILL. For a number of years the name of Joseph J. Kill has been increasingly identified with the best tenets of agricultural science in Allen County, where he is the owner of a well-cultivated and productive farm in section 22, Spencer Township, located five miles north and one mile west of Spencerville. Mr. Kill was born on this property February 23, 1865, a son of Nicholas and Elizabeth (Ruhrig) Kill.
Nicholas Kill was born in Luxembourg, Germany, in 1835, and when he was twelve years of age, and the eldest in the family, his parents died and he was put out among strangers. At the age of eighteen years he went to Paris, where he earned enough money to pay his fare to the United States, to which country he came in 1856, locating in Seneca County, Ohio. There lie secured employment at $8 per month for the first year, and while thus employed met and married Miss Ruhrig, who was employed at the same place. They continued to work out for a time, but later came to Allen County, where the father purchased forty acres of land, going heavily into debt. This indebtedness was largely paid off through Mr. Kill cutting wood on his property, which he sold to the canal company. Later he bought eighty acres of land, located in the woods, to which he moved in 1865, and this land he cleared and cultivated. As the years passed he continued to add from time to time to his holdings, and eventually became the possessor of 266 acres, all earned through his own industry and by honorable and straightforward methods. Mr. Kill was a democrat in his political affiliation, and at one time served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Spencer Township. He and his wife belonged to St. John's Catholic Church, in the faith of which he died in 1908. There were nine children in the family, as follows: Vincent, who is a resident of Oklahoma ; Mary, deceased, who was married to D. M. Banifas; Joseph J., of this review ; Theresa, the wife of J. J. Falter ; Sylvester, a farmer and the owner of 160 acres of land in Oklahoma ; Lewis, who resides at Toledo ; Lucy, the wife of William Holz, a farmer of Spencer Township ; Elizabeth, the wife of Adolphus Davis; and Julia, the widow of Frank J. Pohlman.
Joseph J. Kill was reared on the farm which he now owns, and secured his education in the public schools, also spending two years at Ada. Returning to Allen County, he began working in the oil fields, first as a roustabout, later as a pumper, and finally as a foreman for the Ohio Oil Company, with which he continued to be identified for a period of eleven years. At the time of his father's retirement from active affairs Mr. Kill returned to the home place, and when the elder man died purchased the interest of the other heirs to the property, thereby becoming its owner. He has since devoted himself energetically to the development and continued improvement of this land, which now comprises one of the fertile and modernly-improved estates of this part of Allen County. Mr. Kill is one of the directors of the Spencer Stone Company, Incorporated, and has other interests. He is a democrat in his political views, and he and the members of his family belong to the Catholic Church.
In 1891 Mr. Kill was united in marriage with Miss Mary Vondram, who was born in Spencer Township, daughter of Michael Vondram. To this union there have been born seven sons : Albert, single and at home, who was in training for service in the World war at Camp Taylor when the armistice was signed; Richard, who had the same military experience as his brother, and who is now married and engaged in farming; and Harold, William, Eugene, Linus and Luke, at home.
ELMER MCCLAIN, Lima lawyer, who in this biographical sketch represents the McClain family of Allen County, is of Scotch-Irish, Swiss and Dutch ancestry. The original Highland Scottish Clan of Macguillean ("Sons of Saint John"), inhabited the Isle of Mull, the founder being "Robert of the Battle Axe," who lived about 1250 A. D. The warriors of this clan were strong partisans of Robert Bruce and the Stuarts during the long conflicts between Scotland and England.
Mr. McClain's grandparents were all pioneers of Allen County. During the summer of 1828 James McDonel came northward through Ohio looking for a promising place to settle with his family and stopped at the town of Piqua which was then the seat of the United States District Land Office. There, so runs family tradition, the pioneer gained the friendship of a Shawnee Indian chief who volunteered to show him a desirable location and conducted him to a tract lying northwest of what is now the intersection of Market and McDonel streets in Lima and advised him to enter it. Nancy Ann McDonel, Mr. McClain's paternal grandmother, was born there. The well, mentioned elsewhere in the general history of the county, which James McDonel dug in his dooryard is conceded to be the oldest well in the community. It still furnishes an abundance of cool water and will always be a landmark in the city. It is lined with boulders and has never been repaired. This well is about fifty feet west of McDonel Street, on the north side of Market Street. David McClain, Elmer M. McClain's grandfather, was reared on a farm just beyond the present northern limits of Lima. This farm was entered by David's father, James McClain, in 1834. David's grandfather, Robert McClain, was an immigrant from Ireland.
Elmer McClain's maternal great-grandfather, John Casper Zurmehly, of the Swiss landed gentry, married a peasant girl, Susana Schafner, and was disinherited for it. The couple emigrated from Schinznach, Province of Argau, Switzerland, following the Napoleonic wars. After a voyage of three months they landed at Philadelphia and bound themselves out for three years and six months to pay for their passage money, amounting to $117.10. When they had served three years their master, William Thompson, of Thompsontown, Pennsylvania, gave them their freedom and the use of a cow during the winter for their faithful service. The son of these immigrants, Samuel Zurmehly, married Catherine Book and settled upon the farm in Shawnee Township which is now the site of the Garford factory; the Lima Foundry and Machine Company; the Adgate Pump Station and the Union Tank Car factory.
Elmer McClain, the subject of this sketch, is the son of Lonzo McClain and Ida Belle Zurmehly McClain, and was born in Shawnee Township, Allen County, Ohio, October 26, 1883, He 'has two brothers, Howard and Harry, who with their father are well known breeders and importers of pure bred live stock. He attended country schools, the Lima
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High School, the Ohio Northern University, Adelbert College, Oberlin College and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1909. While pursuing studies in the above named institutions he was, as his finances demanded, farm laborer, carpenter, janitor, solicitor and teacher. During the four years of college work preceding graduation from the University of Chicago he remained at home one year in the absence of a brother at college and was for two years principal of a high school in Indiana which was commissioned by the state as a first class high school upon his scholarship. He completed his . law studies and was admitted to the bar of Ohio in 1912, being an honor man and was made a member of the Order of the Coif, an honorary law fraternity, by the Western Reserve Law School, where he was assistant librarian. Since 1912 he has practiced law in Lima with the exception of nearly two years of military service in the great war, in which he volunteered for training in May, 1917. He served in the Army Transport Service as first lieutenant and was transport quartermaster on two freight ships, the Wabash and the Coronado, plying between the United States and France. In 1908 he married Miss Rebecca Lonsford, who was the daughter of Mrs. Myrtle Elizabeth Harrod. Her father, Reuben Lonsford, died when she was four years old. She was the victim of the epidemic of influenza in December, 1918, at Passaic, New Jersey, while her husband was on duty with his ship in France. One son, Robert, was born in 1911.
Elmer McClain was one of the founders of the progressive party in Ohio. He managed the campaign in northwestern Ohio for the adoption of the Progressive 1912 State Constitution of Ohio. He was director of public service of Lima during 1920 and 1921, until the commission form of city government went into effect, during which time he was the despair of old guard politicians, long favored public utilities and business and politically controlled newspapers. He married Miss Mildred Jacobs, the daughter of S. R. and Cora L. Jacobs, in 1920.
JAMES R. WATT. Most intimately associated with the growth and development of any community are its agricultural interests and the men who control them. They mold the life of the people. give direction to their efforts and crystallize the present and future possibilities of the locality into concrete form. The leading agriculturists of a farming country are its greatest forces and benefactors, who bring progress and prosperity, and the influence of whose careers is helpful and constructive. One of the leading agriculturists of Jackson Township is James R. Watt, the owner of a valuable property and a citizen of worth and standing.
Mr. Watt was born in Jackson Township, October 11, 1837, a son of Robert and Eve (Staley) Watt, His father, a native of Champaign County. Ohio, born November 16, 1827, a son of Samuel and Sarah (Walton) Watt, was brought by his parents to Allen County in 1829, and here passed his life as a substantial farmer, dying October 11, 1914. He was a democrat in his political faith and served efficiently on one occasion as a member of the Board of Trustees of Jackson Township. Mr. Watt was married March 29, 1848, to Miss Eve Staley, who was born May 12, 1827, in Pickaway County, Ohio, and died January 4, 1915. They were members of the Grange and faithful attendants of the Christian Church. They became the parents of seven children, of whom four survive : James, who is engaged in farming in Jackson Township ; Francis M., a resident of Lima ; William H., a retired farmer of Lafayette; and Jacob A., a farmer and stone road contractor of Jackson Township.
James R. Watt was reared on the home farm in Jackson Township, where he acquired his educational training in the district school, and where he was required to accept only a limited schooling, his services being needed in helping supply the family exchequer. He early adopted farming as his life work and remained on the home farm until he was twenty-two years of age, being married at that time to Miss Sarah A. Watt, who died in 1892, leaving five sons : John, Robert, Ross, Harry and Ralph. Following his marriage Mr. Watt embarked upon farming operations on his own account and has been engaged therein ever since, being at this time the owner of a well-cultivated farm, on which he has substantial buildings and up-to-date improvements. He is known in his community as a man of sound business principles, practical judgment and absolute integrity, and therefore is one of the reliable men of his locality. Politically he is a democrat. For six years he acted as a member of the Board of Trustees of Jackson Township, a position in which he rendered his community excellent service. In addition to general farming and stock raising operations he is a stockholder in the Farmers Co-operative Elevator at Lafayette. Mr. Watt's farm is located in section 17, Jackson Township, on the Napoleon road, one and one-half miles northwest of Lafayette.
JOHN N. PATTERSON. Many of the leading farms of Allen County are specialty farms, made profitable by the growing of a particular line of crops or live stock. One of these is River Knoll Farm at Lafayette, the distinctive features of which are a herd of fine Jersey cattle and a flock of White Leghorn chickens. The bull at the head of the Jersey herd is You'll Do's Finance No. 174290.
The owners of this farm are John N. Patterson and son. It is the farm and land of which Mr. Patterson was born December 4, 1862. His parents were John B. and Sarah (Watt) Patterson, both natives of Ohio. The father was born in Highland County February 11, 1822, and died March 31, 1894. The Pattersons were pioneers of Allen County, the family coming here in 1832, when John B. was ten years of age, and when nearly all this part of Western Ohio was a veritable wilderness. John B. Patterson was married December 18, 1845, and his wife died in 1868. They had a family of ten children, their names and dates of birth being recorded as follows : William, December 7, 1846; Elizabeth C., March 1, 1849; Mary J., July 28, 1850; Margaret A., March 6, 1853; Alonzo E., August 12, 1855; Ellen B., December 19, 1857; Sarah A., June 7, 1860; John N., December 4, 1862; Rosetta, December 26, 1865, and her twin sister Annetta. Those still living besides John N. are Mary J., wife of John N. Hawk, also of Jackson Township ; Alonzo E., a farmer in Hardin County, Ohio ; and Rosetta, wife of Charles B. Rice, living in Michigan. The parents were both devout members of the Methodist Church and the father casts his vote as a democrat. He spent his life as a farmer and had also taught for several years in Jackson Township.
Vol. 11-22
338 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY.
John N. Patterson grew un on the home farm and as a member of a large household had to make his abilities and services count in practical work as early as possible. He attended school in winter, worked in the fields in summer, and some four or five years after reaching his majority established a home of his own by his marriage to Bertha A. McElwain on August 1, 1887. Mrs. Patterson was born in Crawford County, Ohio, in 1869.
After their marriage they settled on the farm and at his father's death he acquired the interests of the other heirs and now has ninety-two acres, including fields in which he worked as a boy.
Mr. Patterson's son and business partner is Harry L. Patterson, who was born April 14, 1889. He attended the district schools, the Lafayette High School, and on February 12, 1913, married Edith I. Shinabcry, who was born in Putnam County, Ohio. To their marriage were born three children, Ilo May, May 13, 1914; Chester L., March, 1916; and Golda V., October 3, 1917. The family are all members of the Liberty Methodist Church. John N. Patterson is a trustee of the church while his son is superintendent of the Sunday School. Both are actively identified with the Golden Ridge Grange and both are stockholders in the Lafayette Co-operative Company, Harry being one of the directors and secretary and treasurer. Both are democrats and Harry L. Patterson is one of the trustees of Jackson Township. John N. Patterson has always done his duty as he saw it, has made his life work count for prosperity to his family and for the community, and has lived a very quiet and substantial life. It has never been his fortune to serve on a jury and he has never been called as a witness for or against anyone.
ALBERT J. BARER. The contribution of Albert J. Baber to the welfare and development of his part of Allen County has included a number of years of faithful and constructive devotion to agricultural work and efficient service rendered in public positions. At the present time he is devoting himself to the cultivation of his valuable farm in Amanda Township, where he is likewise serving as a member of the township Board of Trustees. He was born in Auglaize County, Ohio, August 1, 1875, and is a son of Isaac J. and Mary (Thomas) Baber.
Isaac J. Baber was born in Amanda Township, Allen County, October 6, 1842, and Mrs. Baber is a native of Allentown, Ohio, born in March, 1848. They were educated in Amanda Township, where they grew to maturity, and after their marriage settled on a rented farm. Later, going to Auglaize County, they bought a farm of forty acres, on which they resided for several years, and when this land was sold returned to Allen County and bought eighty acres in Amanda Township. To this property Mr. Baber, who was an industrious and progressive farmer, subsequently added, and at the time of his demise was the possessor of 161 acres. He was a valued member of the Grange and a democrat in politics, and belonged to the Antioch Christian Union Church, of which he was a trustee. Mrs. Baber, who survives her husband, is also a member of this church. They were the parents of eleven children, of whom nine are living: Frank O., Albert J., Naomi, Maggie, Walter, Isaac, Harry, Nora and Geneva.
Albert J. Baber was educated in the district schools and reared to the life of an agriculturist on the property on which he now resides. He has passed his life as a farmer, and his operations have been uniformly successful. He is engaged in general farming and has a good grade of live stock, including Duroc hogs and Belgian horses. Likewise, he is interested in poultry raising and has an excellent flock of Barred Rock chickens. Mr. Baber was one of the principal organizers of the Hume Equity Exchange, in which he is a stockholder. He is one of the pillars of the Christian Union Church, where he is leading elder, president of the Board of Trustees, chorister and a Sunday school teacher, and for six years was township president of Sunday schools. A democrat in politics, he is one of the influential men of his party in this region and a member of the County Central Committee for Amanda Township, where he is likewise a member of the township Board of Trustees. His public record is an excellent one, and he is the possessor of unqualified public confidence. As a fraternalist he belongs to Acadia Lodge No. 306, Ancient Free ,and Accepted Masons, and Spencerville Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, likewise holding membership in the Odd Fellows and the local Grange.
On July 25, 1895, Mr. Baber was united in marriage with Miss Emma Tolman, who was born at Delphos, Ohio, and educated in the public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Baber's adopted daughter, Grace, is the wife of Rev. H. L. Burtchin, a minister of the Christian Union Church, and they have two children: Clyde Albert and Gladys.
G. H. CARPENTER, M. D. One of the men who has achieved success in his chosen field of activity almost before the flush of youth has faded from his countenance and has made his name a representative one in his community in the profession of medicine is Dr. G. H. Carpenter, who has been engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery at Beaver Dam since 1917. Doctor Carpenter is a native of Defiance County, Ohio, and was born June 27, 1883, a son of I. M. and Susan (Flora) Carpenter.
The parents of Doctor Carpenter were born in Defiance County, where they were educated in the public schools and reared to maturity, and after their marriage settled down to careers as agriculturists. They followed farming there for many years, but at the present time are residents of Michigan, where they are highly respected members of their community. They are faithful attendants of the Dunkard Church. Of the seven children in the family three are deceased, the survivors being: Jay, a resident of Beaverton, Michigan; Ova and Clarence, who are assisting their father in the cultivation of the home farm in Michigan ; and Dr. G. H.
G. H. Carpenter is indebted to the public schools of Defiance County for his primary educational training. Subsequently he attended Defiance College and after completing his course there enrolled as a student at the Toledo Medical College, from which he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine with the class of 1912. At that time he entered upon his professional career at a rural point in Hancock County, Ohio, and for five years gained experience and valuable training in ministering to the needs of suffering humanity there. In 1917 he came to Beaver Dam, where he has since followed his calling. He has built up a large and lucrative prac-
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tice and has handled some hitherto very discouraging cases with absolute success. Doctor Carpenter keeps fully abreast of the advancements being made constantly in his profession, and maintains membership in the Alien County Medical Society and the Ohio State Medical Society, in which his standing is high among his fellow practitioners. A close student, a careful observer, full of energy and possessed of executive ability, Doctor Carpenter is a leader not only in his profession, but in the community where his activities are centered. He owns his own home, a comfortable modern structure, where the many friends of the doctor and his accomplished wife are always made welcome.
In 1907 Doctor Carpenter married Miss Eva Crates, and three children have been born to this union: Wesley, Delphina and Fairy, all at home, and the elder two are attending school.
GEORGE W. SHAFFER. Among the prosperous and substantial agriculturists of Allen County whose successful careers reflect credit upon the community in which they live is George W. Shaffer. A farmer of experience and capability, and a citizen of standing and worth, he is the owner and operator of the Excelsior Farm, located one mile northwest of Spencerville in Spencer Township. Mr. Shaffer was born August 2, 1858, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Nathan and Mary A. (Devore) Shaffer.
The Shaffer family was founded in the United States by Levi Shaffer, the grandfather of George W., who was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States as a young man, settling in Pennsylvania. There was born his son Nathan, who married Miss Devore, also a native of the Keystone State, and after their union they settled on a farm near Hindman in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. After residing there for a time they became the owners of their own farm and continued its operation throughout their lives. Mr. Shaffer became one of the influential men of his community, respected and looked up to, and was a democrat in politics, filling several offices in his township. He and his first wife were faithful church members and the parents of five children : George W.; Elizabeth A., deceased; Sarah E., now Mrs. Fuller of Pennsylvania; Clara, the wife of M. Hudsell; and Charles E., a Pennsylvania farmer. For his second wife Mr. Shaffer married Lavina Conn, and of their six children four are living at this time.
George W. Shaffer divided his time in his boyhood and youth between attending the public schools and assisting his father in the work of the home farm. Thus he continued until he reached the age of twenty-one years, when he left the parental home and embarked upon his own career in life. He was for a time engaged in working as a farm hand, and later took up railroading as a vocation. He was careful with his wages, so that when he came to Allen County, May 21, 1881, he possessed the sum of $400, which capital he invested in the tile business, with his uncle as a partner. The firm of E. & G. W. Shaffer continued in business for a number of years, but it was G. W. Shaffer's ambition to carry on extensive farming operations, and eventually he disposed of his interest in the business to his uncle, and after working around at various employments for a season, bought eighty acres of land, all located in the woods. From this modest beginning he has steadily worked his way to affluence and the possession of a farm of 205 acres, all in one body, located in Spencer Township. Here he carries on successful operations as a farmer and a grower of live stock, and is known as one of his community's capable and substantial men. Also for several years, he has resumed his former occupation of manufacturing tile, and is building up quite a side line business in this direction, disposing of his product to the farmers of this community. Mr. Shaffer is a democrat in his political views, and as a fraternalist belongs to Acadia Lodge No. 306, Free and Accepted Masons, and to the Chapter, and has served as tyler.
Mr. Shaffer married Nancy J. Roberts, who was born in Allen County, Ohio, a daughter of J. J. Roberts, and to this union there have been born four children : George, a graduate of the Spencerville High School, who is assisting his father in the work of the home farm; Mary, who is deceased ; and Nathan and Floyd, who are attending school.
CARY C. ARNOLD. Farming has drawn out the best efforts of some of the leading men of Allen County and developed their abilities, and through their endeavors in an agricultural way they have become well to do and prominent in their communities. Among the men who has taken advantage of the opportunities offered in the vocation of agriculture and who has won thereby a gratifying success is Cary C. Arnold, the owner of a well cultivated and valuable farm in section 10, Jackson Township.
Mr. Arnold was born on the farm which he now occupies September 27, 1874, a son of Solomon and Emmeline (Millikin) Arnold. His father, born in Pennsylvania in 1843, was four years of age when he was brought by his parents to Allen County, and here grew to maturity, receiving a public school education. Following his marriage he settled on the farm now occupied by his son, and here spent the active portion of his career in cultivating the soil and raising live stock. He is now retired from active pursuits, but takes a keen interest in matters both agricultural and civic and is still accounted one of his community's able and useful citizens. He is a democrat and has been active in political affairs, and has also served in a number of offices within the gift of his fellow citizens, having been a member of the Board of County Commissioners of Allen County for two terms, from 1909 to 1915. Mrs. Arnold died in 1904, in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which Mr. Arnold also belongs. They were the parents of five children : Thomas, who is engaged in farming in Jackson Township; Emmett, an agriculturist of Marshall County, Kansas ; William A. and Joseph F., who are Jackson Township farmers ; and Cary C.
Cary C. Arnold was reared on the home farm and passed his boyhood and youth in much the same manner as other farmers' sons of his day and community, dividing his time between attendance at the district school each season and devoting a large part of his time in the summer months to assisting his father. He was married in 1892 to Miss Clara Hefner, who was born in this county, daughter of Jacob Hefner, a well-known agriculturist of this locality, and to this union there have been born seven children : Rolly, a graduate of the Lima High School; Walter, a graduate of the high school of Jackson Township; Wilbur, a graduate of the high
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high school and the Northern Ohio University at Columbus, who saw service with the United States forces during the World war ; Gerald and Velma, attending high school; and Lloyd and Christena, attending the graded schools.
After his marriage Mr. Arnold settled down to farming and at this time has a well-improved property which he devotes to general farming and the raising of stock, and in the operation of which he is assisted by his sons, young men of enterprise and energy. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Co-operative Elevator at Lafayette, and is a member and for seven years has been a director of the Allen County Farmers' Agricultural Society, in the work of which, he has been decidedly active, and is also a member of .:he Allen County Farm Bureau. In politics a democrat, he is one of the influential men of his party in this locality, and in 1920 was the nominee of his party in his township for the position of county commissioner. Mr. Arnold is also well known and popular in fraternal circles, being a member of Sagar Lodge No. 513, Free and Accepted Masons, and of Jackson Lodge No. 826, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and also a member of Golden Ridge Grange No. 2246, in all of which he has numerous friends. With his family he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is a member of the Board of Trustees, and has been active in religious and charitable movements of that denomination.
EUGENE T. HALL is proprietor of the Idle Hour Place, a name that is suggestive of the attractiveness of the landscape, but in some senses belies the character of its owner, who is one of the most energetic and enterprising farmers and stockmen in Allen County. His farm, comprising 130 acres, is situated in Jackson Township.
Though Mr. Hall is a native of southern Missouri, he has spent practically all his life in Allen County, and his people have been identified with this section of Ohio for several generations. He was born at Knobnoster, Missouri, October 11, 1872, son of Philip M. and Catherine (Fridly) Hall. His father was born in Allen County, Ohio, in 1837. The mother was born in Pickaway County, this state, in 1842, and they were married in that county and soon settled on a farm in Allen County. On leaving Ohio they went to southern Missouri, where the father was in the general merchandise business at Knobnoster for about eight years. Selling his interests there he returned to Allen County, and subsequently was a merchant at Lafayette until his death in 1882. The mother survived until 1893. Both were members of the Methodist Church, and the father was very active in his church and also in the Sunday school, which he served as superintendent. He was a charter member of Sagar Lodge No. 153, Ancient Free and AccePted Masons, and was its first secretary and afterwards worshipful master. Politically a democrat, he held the office of justice of the peace for a number of years. This honored old couple of Allen County were the parents of five children : Norvil F., formerly a teacher in the public schools and now a resident of Lima ; Edwin, deceased; Eugene T.; Mamie, the deceased wife of James E. Fisher ; and Eda, wife of B. F. Hall of Jackson Township.
Eugene T. Hall was three months old when his parents returned to Allen County, and he was just
ten when his father died. He made the best of rather limited opportunities to gain an education, and one of his early experiences came at the age of fifteen, when he went to North Dakota and lived with an uncle in the northwest for two years. Returning to Ohio, he lived on his grandfather's farm, and after completing his education in the public schools also attended the Ohio Northern University at Ada.
On September 3, 1894, Mr. Hall married Miss Daisy Hefner, daughter of Jacob Hefner. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hall are active members of the Eastern Star, and he is affiliated with Sagar Lodge No. 513, Free and. Accepted Masons. In politics he supports the democratic ticket. Mr. Hall as a farmer has received considerable note through his herd of Jersey cattle. The herd bull is Ferns Golden. He is also a stockholder in the Farmers Co-operative Elevator at Lafayette, and a number of interests identify him with the welfare and progress of the community.
JACOB A. WATT. With many men there seems to be but one line which they can follow, one vocation which fits their abilities, one special occupation in which they can find success, and until they have settled themselves in that one definite groove they make little headway. To the man of versatile traits and abilities, however, any line of occupation which presents itself is acceptable, and if he be sufficiently persistent he will win success in whatever field he finds employment. Jacob A. Watt, prominent agriculturist and one of the proprietors of Watt Brothers Stone Company of Lafayette, is not only a man of versatile abilities, but is a good example of the successful self-made man of today.
Mr. Watt was born on a farm in Jackson Township, Allen County, March 17, 1868, a son of Robert and Eve (Staley) Watt, natives respectively of Champaign County, Ohio, and Virginia, and for many years residents of Jackson Township, Allen County, where they followed agricultural operations until their deaths, and where they were highly esteemed and respected. Mr. Watt, the elder, was a democrat, although not an office seeker, and was a stanch and generous supporter of all movements which promised to better the community and the interests of its people. He and his worthy wife were the parents of seven children, of whom four are living: James, F. M., William and Jacob A.
Jacob A. Watt acquired his educational training in the public schools and was reared on the home farm in Jackson Township, where he was engaged in assisting his father until he reached his majority. At that time, in partnership with his brother William H. Watt, he began contracting in and building stone roads, under the firm style of Watt Brothers Stone Company at Lafayette, and this business he has continued with constantly growing success to the present date. Many miles of roads in this part of Allen County have been laid out and constructed by this company, the workmanship of which testifies to the business integrity and mechanical ability of the concern. Particularly since the coming of the automobile and the consequent demand for good roads have their services been in demand, and they have established and maintained a high reputation for proper and thorough fulfillment of contracts. In addition to his connection with this company Mr. Watt is engaged in farming in Jackson Town-
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ship, where he is the owner of a farm of 120 acres of highly productive land, well improved with good buildings. He is a stockholder: in the Farmers Co-operative Elevator at Lafayette and has a number of other interests. As a fraternalist he belongs to Sagar Lodge No. 513, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is treasurer, and he and Mrs. Watt are members of the Order of the Eastern Star. He is a democrat in politics and has always been active in the ranks of his party.
Mr. Watt was united in marriage with Miss Chesta Straker, and to them there were born two children : Clifton, born in 1912; and Hattie, born in 1914, both attending the Lafayette Schools.
CLEMENT R. PHILLIPS, who is giving excellent administration as county auditor of Allen county, a position to which he was elected on the 20th of October, 1919, is a scion of a family whose name has been identified with Ohio history since the pioneer era and of one that was founded in America in the early colonial days. There is no lack of authority in the family tradition that the original representatives of the name came from England to America about the time when Lord Baltimore obtained from King James a charter for a large tract of land on the Potomac River, and became the founder of the colony in what is now the state of Maryland. No definitely authentic record of the Phillips family in this country began until 100 years later, when William Phillips was born, in 1739. In 1766 he married Margaret Mince and they became the parents of five children. Data concerning them are very meager, but there is ample assurance that representatives of the family were actively identified with farm industry in Baltimore county, Maryland, at the time of the war of the Revolution. James Phillips, eldest son of William and Margaret, was born in 1768, and in 1789 he married Catherine Frizzell. They became the parents of seven children and are recognized as the ancestors of the Phillips family in Ohio at the present day. About the opening of the nineteenth century the family began to scatter, a few of its representatives going from Maryland to South Carolina, and others proceeding as pioneers in the great Northwest Territory. In 1818 members of this family arrived in Harrison county, Ohio, the overland journey through the wilderness having been made with teams and wagons and by riding on horseback. Settlement was made on wild land near Cadiz, the present county seat, and there was instituted the reclamation of farms. Collateral branches of the Phillips family still have numerous representatives in Harrison county, but the branch of which the auditor of Allen county is a scion moved westward once more, after seven years of residence in Harrison county. William Phillips, grandfather of the subject of this review, settled with other representatives of the family in Pike township, Knox county, where he obtained land, erected his pioneer log cabin and instituted the development of a farm. There he reared his ten children and there he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives.
Clement Rigdon Phillips, the immediate subject of this review, was born in Knox county, Ohio, November 25, 1864, and is the fifth in order of birth of the six children of George and Emeline (Woodruff) Phillips, his father having become one of the prosperous farmers in Pike township, Knox county, where he remained until his death, January 26, 1879, his widow having long survived him and having been called to the life eternal on the 15th of June, 1905. Clement R. Phillips acquired his preliminary education in the district schools of his native township, where he was reared to the sturdy discipline of the home farm, and later he entered the high school at Fredericktown in his home county, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1880. In the meanwhile, by application outside of school hours, he had learned telegraphy, and after leaving the high school he became a telegraph operator in the service of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. He was thus engaged for two years, within which he held positions at Mount Vernon, Ohio, and at Albion, Garrett and Wellsboro, Indiana. With definite ambition to obtain higher education he carefully conserved his earnings, and finally was matriculated in historic old Kenyon College at Gambier, Ohio, where he continued his studies two years. After leaving college he resumed service as a telegraph operator. For two years he was operator in the station of the Wabash Railroad at Columbia City, Indiana, and he then went to Pavonia, Ohio, where he remained eight months as operator in the office of what is now the Erie Railroad. In 1884 Mr. Phillips became telegraph operator for the Pennsylvania Railroad at Forest City, Ohio, where he remained thus engaged until 1886, in which year he married and went to Kansas City, Missouri, where he became telegraphist in the employ of the Union Pacific Railroad Company and was assigned to duty at Manhattan, Kansas. Shortly afterward he became operator in the Kansas City offices of the Santa Fe Railroad, and after serving one year he was made manager of the office in that city. Of this responsible position he continued the incumbent from 1887 until the 18th of July, 1893, when he secured leave of absence and came to Lima, Allen county, Ohio, where he shortly afterward accepted the post of operator in the office of the Erie Railroad. He retained this active incumbency until September 16, 1909, when he was appointed clerk of the Board of County Commissioners. He thus served until September 13, 1913, and thereafter was again the local telegraph operator for the Erie Railroad until October 15, 1919, when he assumed his present office, that of county auditor, to which he had been elected in November, 1918, as candidate on the Democratic ticket. He had been the Democratic candidate for this office in the election of 1914, in which he was defeated by only, twenty-seven votes. There was a strong opposing element at the time of his nomination in 1918, but his personal popularity enabled him to roll up a majority of 861 votes at the polls. Mr. Phillips has never wavered in his loyal advocacy of the principles of the Democratic party, and has been influential in its local councils and campaign activities. He is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America at Lima. He was a char, ter member of the Kansas City Division of the Order of Railroad Telegraphers and is now affiliated with Division No. 42 of the Erie Railroad System of this organization, of which he became a member in 1886. He and his wife are zealous members of the Presbyterian Church in their
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home city, and he is serving as a deacon of the same.
On the 10th of September, 1886, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Phillips to Miss Rilla Mabley, daughter of John T. and Belle Mabley, of Forest, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips have two children: George E., married Miss Edith Marshall, and their one child is a son, Marshall; Blanche E., is the wife of Gerald C. Fess, of Lima.
WALTER O. ROBERTS. The career of Walter O. Roberts has been one in which industry, good management and persistence have combined to bring about success, and at this time Mr. Roberts, formerly one of the progressive agriculturists of Allen County, is now living in comfortable retirement at Gomer. He is a native of this locality, having been born on a farm one-half mile south of this village, in Sugar Creek Township, December 18, 1879, a son of W. W. and Margaret ( Jones) Roberts, natives of Ohio.
W. W. Roberts was reared as an agriculturist and engaged in farming until the time of his enlistment for service in the Union army during the war between the states, when he became a member of the One Hundred and Fifty-First Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, being identified with that command for three months toward the close of the great civil struggle. He is a republican in politics, and he and Mrs. Roberts belong to the Congregational Church. His life has been passed in the pursuits of agriculture, and his name in Sugar Creek Township is synonymous with integrity and good citizenship. There were ten children in the family, of whom eight are living: T. C., of Pontiac, Illinois ; Jennie, the wife of W. H. Reese, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ; Frank, of Saginaw, Michigan ; Ella, the wife of C. A. Jones, of Saginaw ; Will, a resident of Iowa ; W. O., of this notice; I. E., of Mars, Pennsylvania ; and Gladys, the wife of J. C. Jones, of Gomer.
Walter O. Roberts was reared on the farm and educated in the district schools, and until he was seventeen years of age remained on the home farm, where he was associated with his father and brothers. On the attainment of his majority, he began his agricultural operations on his own account, and, from the start, his activities were attended with success. For a number of years he devoted himself uninterruptedly to general farming operations and the raising of live stock, but later became interested in buying and selling farming properties, a field in which he became prosperous. He also became widely known as a breeder of Percheron horses and Duroc hogs. While he is now retired from active pursuits, and living comfortably at his modern residence at Gomer, he has valuable holdings and is largely interested in land in the South.
On September 30, 1898, Mr. Roberts was united in marriage with Miss Hannah M. Schindler, who was born at West Cairo, Monroe Township, Allen County, July 2, 1875. After graduating from Lima College Mrs. Roberts engaged in teaching in the public schools, a profession which she followed up to the time of her marriage. She is a lady of marked intellectual attainments, and has been a great help to her husband in his efforts toward the attainment of success. They have three sons: Homer, who at the age of eighteen years enlisted in the United States army for participation in the World war, went overseas with the Thirty-Seventh Division, and saw much active fighting at the front, where he was severely gassed, and is now residing with his par
ents ; Warren, who is attending the Gomer High School ; and Owen, attending the graded school. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts are consistent members of the Presbyterian Church, in which Mr. Roberts is an elder, and in the work of which both have taken an active part. Mr. Roberts is a republican in his political allegiance. He has a beautiful home on the west coast of Florida, where they enjoy the winter months.
WILLIAM W. CONTRIS. The name Contris for a long period of years has been associated with the ownership of extensive bodies of fine agricultural land in Allen County and with some of the most progressive enterprise of farm work. A member of this family is William W. Contris, who enjoys the use and ownership of one of the good farms near Westminster in Auglaize Township.
Mr. Contris was born at Lafayette, Ohio, July 10, 1878, a son of Melanchton and Emma (Corbet) Contris, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio. His father came to Lafayette, Ohio, at the age of fifteen, and he and his wife grew up in the same community. They lived out their lives in Allen County and Melanchton Contris prosecuted his labors so effectively that at one time he owned about 500 acres of land. He and his wife died at Lafayette, where they were devout members of the Christian Church. In politics the father was a democrat. There were five children in the family: William W.; Charles M., of Lafayette ; Nora, wife of Clyde Thayer, of Phoenix, Arizona ; Edna, who is a graduate of Wittenberg College at Springfield; and one other, now deceased.
William W. Contris as a boy attended the common schools of Lafayette and made himself a factor in the home and was connected with his father's affairs until he was twenty-eight years of age. On December 15, 1905, he married May Ackerman, who was educated in the schools of Defiance, Ohio. They have two children : Lyman, born October 1, 1908; and Donald, born July 8, 1912. Mr. Contris is a democrat in politics. The farm where he lives and which he gives his best efforts as a worker and manager comprises 220 acres, and all is situated in Auglaize Township.
WILLIAM J. HOLLAND. While through the greater part of his active career Mr. Holland has been identified with practical farming, owning a good farm in Auglaize Township, three-quarters of a mile west of Westminster, he has also been active in business affairs, and is widely known over Allen and surrounding counties as a buyer and feeder of live stock, and most of the farmers of Allen County have at some time or other had dealings with him in this relationship.
Mr. Holland has spent most of his life in Allen County but was born in the State of Iowa March 11, 1878, a son of James H. and Catherine (Deitz) Holland. His mother was a native of Germany and was brought to this country when a girl with her parents. NHis father was born in Green County. Ohio, was three weeks old when his mother died, and at the age of six weeks was brought to Allen County and reared in the family of William Weikle. At the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted in 1862 and served until the close of hostilities. In the meantime he had entered land in the southwest corner of Auglaize Township, but after the war married and settled on that farm. Subsequently he lived on a
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farm in Iowa for a time, during which period his son William was born. Later he returned to Allen County and continued farming here until his death. He was an active church member and a republican in politics. He and his wife had eight children: F. A. Holland, of Auglaize Township ; Nannie J., deceased ; Henry A. of Auglaize Township ; one that died in infancy ; William J.; Bessie, wife of Alvin Gooderling; Edna Lenora ; and Jessie, wife of Paul Heckler.
William J. Holland was reared and educated in Auglaize Township, and when a young man he acquired his first land in the purchase of twelve acres. The farm which he uses for crop growing and the feeding of live stock in preparation for the market now comprises eighty-six acres, and he also has some interests in other lands. He is the owner of twelve or fifteen lots of real estate and in his business as a buyer and dealer in cattle, horses and hogs he handles on the average about $1,000 worth of live stock every day, chiefly to the Lima Packing Company. Another business enterprise in which he is actively interested is the Westminster Sand and Gravel Company, Incorporated, of which he is general manager.
September 7, 1904, he married Ellen M. Brown, a native of Allen County. They have four children: Breta, Frank, Doyle and Thelma. Mr. Holland is affiliated with Lima Lodge No. ,581 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and with the Travelers Protective Association. Politically he is a republican.
EDWARD C. FINLEY, for several years an active and prominent figure in the publishing field in New England, was born in Wellsville, Columbiana County, Ohio, October 29, 1873, oldest son of William and Frances (Whitney) Finley, and a descendant of one of the pioneer families of Ohio. Patrick Finley, first of the family to settle in Ohio, was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, about 1812. He married there Mary Ryan, who was born in County Kilkenny, and died in Wellsville, Ohio, in 1874. In 1848 Patrick Finley brought his wife to America, settling in Wellsville, Ohio, where a cousin, O. P. Shearman, was located in business and was also postmaster. Patrick and Mary (Ryan) Finley were the parents of five children, Richard, Mary, John, William and Elizabeth, of whom Mary and John are still living. Patrick Finley died at Lima, Ohio, in 1888. His wife died at Wellsville in 1874. Their son William Finley was born in Wellsville, Ohio, and followed the machinist trade there during the greater part of his life. He married in Wellsville, in 1870, Frances Whitney, daughter of Stephen Whitney. Stephen Whitney, who was a native of Ireland, came to Ohio toward the middle of the nineteenth century, and became one of the best known locomotive engineers of his time in the middle west, running the first locomotive over the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad. He served with the Ohio troop during the Civil war. William and Frances (Whitney) Finley were the parents of three children : Edward Charles, mentioned below ; Walter Stephen, born in Dennison, Ohio, and Frank Albert, born in Wellsville, Ohio. William Finley died at Lima in 1899, his wife surviving him and dying at Butler, Pennsylvania, in 1913.
Edward C. Finley was educated in the public schools of Wellsville and Cleveland. but at an early age left school to learn the machinist trade in a shop in Cleveland. He finished his trade at the Lake Erie & Western shops at Lima, Ohio, and subsequently became an expert machinist and tool maker. With the intention of eventually rising to the top of his trade, he traveled throughout the country, working in machine shops of every kind as a machinist and tool maker in order to gain experience and familiarity with every branch of his trade. Realizing, however, the narrowness of outlook which this offered, Mr. Finley resigned his position with the Lake Erie & Western shops in Lima in 1903 in order to devote all his time to apother business in which he had been active since about the year 1894. In the latter year he took up the teaching of dancing in Lima, was highly successful here, and for a period of about fifteen years conducted large classes throughout the south and middle west. During this time he induced Mr. J. O. Ohler, a capitalist of Lima, to erect the Auditorium, a large building in the heart of the city, to be given over to sports and athletic entertainments and various forms of amusement. On its completion Mr. Finley leased the building, and for years conducted in it practically every sort of amusement and entertainment, such as concerts, dancing and skating, and he later introduced athletic entertainments. He organized and managed the famous White Star basketball team of Lima, which was never defeated while under his management. He also organized and managed the Girls' Basketball Team, an unique and widely known organization which never suffered defeat while under his direction. While conducting a skating rink in the Auditorium Mr. Finley discovered and developed a young girl who later became the world's champion roller skater under his management. He managed during this period several noted athletes, largely wrestlers, who won the world's championships in their class while under his direction. In addition to carrying on the entertainments in the Auditorium Mr. Finley also leased and conducted at different times the Colonial Vaudeville Theater, Macbeth's Park Dancing Pavilion, the Armory Dancing Academy, and Wheeler Hall Dancing Academy, all in Lima.
In 1892 he organized the Second Regiment Drum Corps, which was a part of the Ohio National Guard, and which subsequently became famous throughout the United States. Mr. Finley was elected drum major, and under his leadership the band became one of the best known in the country, and was eagerly sought for public events. The Second Regiment Drum Corps, which was composed of forty drums and four bass drums, appeared at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893, at thq Cleveland Centennial, and at the dedication of Grant's Tomb in New York, leading all the western troops in the parade on that occasion. On the breaking out of the Spanish-American war, the entire organization enlisted in the regular army and were stationed at Camp McKinley, Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Finley, as drum major, ranking as sergeant major, had charge of the drum corps and band at Camp McKinley, totaling in all about one hundred men. The organization was honorably discharged at the end of three months' service, and he returned to Hamilton, Ohio, where for the duration of the war he was employed by the Government at the Niles Tool Works as expert machinist on disappearing gun carriages for coast defense. At the end of hostilities he returned to Lima, but did not immedi-
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ately resume his old interests here. For several. years he was connected with the Lake Erie & Western shops of Lima as expert machinist. From 1900 to 1906 he was active in musical organizations in the city, and was a pronfinent member of the City Band, the Odeon Mandolin and Glee Club, and of several others.
In 1906 Mr. Finley resumed his interests in the amusement and sporting world, and for several years promoted high grade sporting events throughout the United States. About 1907 he became interested in the publishing business, and was induced to accept a position with the Richmond & Arnold Publishing Company of Chicago as special writer and salesman. Always a keen student of history and kindred subjects, he found this work highly absorbing, and rose rapidly to a position of prominence in publishing circles as an historian and genealogist. He has been identified with several of the foremost publishing houses in the country as a writer on historical subjects, and was associated with the S. J. Clarke Publishing Company of Chicago, in writing the histories of Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, and with the Lewis Publishing Company of Chicago in compiling the history of Detroit. In 1912, with J. R. Fennell, a well known journalist of Lima, he organized and incorporated the Memorial Publishing Company. The firm, of which Mr. Finley was elected president, had headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. Two years later, receiving a flattering request from the American Historical Society of New York to identify himself with their work in the east, he disposed of his interest in the Memorial Publishing Company to Mr. Fennell, and went east. He has since been identified with the American Historical Society as their New England representative, with offices at Providence, Rhode Island. Mr. Finley has written extensively on historical and genealogical subjects, largely in the preparation of state, family and county histories. He is well versed in heraldry, to which he has given much time and study, and is the author of an article on English Heraldry appearing in the "Americana" magazine, quarterly issue of January, 1921.
He is a member of the following organizations: The International Association of Machinists ; International Association of Masters of Dancing; the Musicians' Union, Western Vaudeville Managers Association ; the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, No. 1, of New York ; the Providence Chamber of Commerce ; Humane Society of Providence; the Pawtucket Volunteer • Fire Department ; the Aerial League of America ; the Red Cross, of which he is a life member ; the Y. M. C. A. of Providence, Rhode Island ; the American Historical Society ; Rhode Island Citizens' Historical Association; New England Genealogical and Antiquarian Society, of which he is president, and the Newport Historical Society. His clubs are the Nashville Athletic Club,.
Hartford Auto Club, Hartford, Connecticut ; Rhode Island Yacht Club ; Edgewood Club ; Metacomet Golf Club of Providence, Rhode Island; and the Automobile Club of Southern California.
On Thanksgiving Day, 1894, Mr. Finley was married at the German Reformed Church, Lima, by the Rev. Baum, to Caroline Herold, daughter of Frederick and Margaret (Marx) Herold, pioneer settlers of the northern part of Lima. Their children are: Herold R., born August 20, 1896; and Ruth C., born July 4, 1898, who married in September, 1916, Herbert A. Hull, of New Haven, Connecticut, and they are the parents of a daughter, Jean Whitney Hull, born June 23, 1921. Mr. Hull is identified with the American Historical Society, and he is a talented musician. Mrs. Finley is a member of the Christian Science Church. Mr. and Mrs. Finley reside at 84 Ocean Avenue, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and spend the winter months in Hollywood, California.
HOWARD L. KAY has been a resident of Allen County nearly twenty years. He is a public accountant and auditor at Lima, but also a farmer and a leader in the rural activities of the county.
He was born at Watseka, Illinois, January 2, 1872, second son of James W. and Adaline (Ellingwood) Kay. His father, who was born in Iroquois County, Illinois, February 26, 1838, and died May 30, 1917, was a self educated but thoroughly qualified teacher. He was a Union soldier during the Civil war in Company A of the 76th Illinois Infantry, and for many years was affiliated with the Grand Army of the Republic. He was elected and served two terms as county clerk of Iroquois County, and later was in the abstract and real estate business. In politics he was an active republican until 1882, when he took up the support of the prohibition' party. The mother of Howard I. Kay was educated at Kankakee, Illinois, and was likewise identified with educational work, at one time being principal of an academy. Both parents Here members of the Methodist Church, in which the father was a class leader. Of four children, the oldest is Wendell P., who graduated from the Grand Prairie Seminary, from Northwestern University and the Chicago College of Law, .nd is a prominent attorney and a former mayor of Watseka, Illinois. The third son is Wilbur J., who was educated jn the public schools, Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, and for several years was a professor in Washington-Jefferson College, but is now professor of the Department of Public Speaking in the University of West Virginia, and devotes his summers to Chautauqua work. The fourth in the family, Miriam R., a graduate of the Grand Prairie Seminary, is the wife of Ralph F. Paine and lives at Saginaw, Michigan.
Howard L. Kay grew up at Watseka, and most of his time from the age of thirteen to seventeen was spent on his father's farm. He supplemented a common school education by attending high school in Chicago, is a graduate of the Grand Prairie Seminary at Onarga, Illinois, and was a special student at Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois. For ten years he was employed as an accountant in Chicago. In 1902 he came to Allen County, Ohio, and after farming a year returned to Chicago. Mr. Kay has regarded Allen County as his permanent home since 1905. During five years he was engaged in the real estate and insurance business at Spencerville, and while there he served as township clerk, four years as township trustee, and as clerk of the Board of Education two years in his local township.
Mr. Kay was the first public accountant to open an office in Lima and has been actively engaged in that profession since December, 1912. He is a stockholder in a number of corporations at Lima, and is deeply interested in the practical side of farming
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as a business. His attractive rural homestead is known as Buck Run Terrace located ten miles west of Lima, where with his family he resides, except during the winter months.
Mr. Kay has been secretary and treasurer of the Allen County Farm Bureau and a member of its executive board since its organization in 1918. He is a member of the Allen County Board of Education, the Lima Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club. His family are all represented in the membership of the Methodist Church. Mr. Kay is on the Official Board of the church and an active Sunday School worker and teacher of a large class of young men. He is also president of the Epworth League.
On October 27, 1897, he married Miss Bessie Bice, a daughter of former County Commissioner William Bice, familiarly known as "Uncle Billy." Mrs. Kay was educated in the Tri-State Normal School of Angola, Indiana, and formerly was a teacher of music. The three children of their marriage are: Webster, who graduated from the Lima High School in 1918 and is now in the junior year of the State University; James W., a graduate of the Lima High School and a sophomore in the Ohio State University ; and Susan, attending public school at Lima.
FRANK L. MAIRE. Examples that impress force of character on all who study them are worthy of record in the annals of history wherever they are found. By a few general observations the biographer hopes to convey in the following paragraphs succinctly and yet without fulsome encomium some idea of the high standing of Frank L. Maire of Lima as a business man and one of the representative citizens of Allen County. Those who know him best will readily acquiesce in the statement that many elements of a solid and practical nature are united in his composition and which during a series of years have brought him into prominent notice in his community, his life career earning for him a place of influence and esteem among his fellow citizens.
Frank L. Maire was born in Venango County, Pennsylvania, March 10, 1870, and is the son of Louis and Josephine (Countis) Ma ire, both of whom were natives of France. They were married after coming to America, having first located in New York City. They then went to Titusville, Pennsylvania, where Mr. Maire engaged in the grocery business until 1873, when he moved to Bradford, Pennsylvania, and there followed his trade, that of cabinet-maker, in connection with which he engaged in general contracting and building. In 1880 he moved to Bolivar, New York, and was engaged in contracting up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1882. His wife had passed away in 1879.
After his father's death Frank L. Maire formed a partnership with his brother Edward J., and embarked in the cigar business at Bolivar, which line they followed about ten years, when they sold the business. In the meantime they had become interested in the production of petroleum, in which they met with splendid success. In 1897 they moved to Spencerville. Ohio, where they established an office, their main interest still being oil. Two years later they moved to Lima, becoming heavily interested in the Lima oil and the fields of southeastern Ohio. They are still heavily interested in the production of crude oil and have been successful in their development of this industry. Mr. Maire was the prime mover in the organization of the Lily White Oil Company, of which he is president, the other officers being: F. W. Cook, vice president; John Stoodt, secretary ; Dr. W. C. Brunk, treasurer, and Theo Eysenbaugh, assistant treasurer. This company has about one hundred and fifty oil-filling stations in northwestern Ohio and are constantly increasing the scope and volume of their business. Mr. Maire is also vice president of the Lima Cord Sole and Heel Company. In addition to the interests mentioned, he and his brother Edward are heavily interested in the oil producing fields of Oklahoma and Kansas. In 1908 Mr. Maire became a director in the Old National Bank of Lima, and in May, 1917, was elected president of this well known and influential financial institution.
On April 30, 1912, he was married to Pearl Gros- jean, who was born and reared in Lima, the daughter of James E. and Nannie (Armstrong) Grosjean. Mr. and Mrs. Maire are active members of the Presbyterian Church, of which he is a trustee. He is a member of the Lima Chamber of Commerce, of which he served as president four years. Politically he gives his support to the republican party. Fraternally he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, in which he has attained the thirty- second degree of the Scottish Rite, and he also belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a member of the Lima Club and the Shawnee Country Club. Mr. Maire's energy, foresight and perseverance have resulted in the accumulation of a comfortable competency. He has carried forward to successful completion whatever he has undertaken, and his business methods have ever been in strict conformity with the standard ethics of commercial life. His is the record of a well balanced mental and moral constitution, strongly influenced by those traits of character which are ever of special value in a progressive state of society.
DEWITT TALMADGE MCGRIFF, M. D. The medical profession of Allen County has a worthy representative in the person of Dr. DeWitt T. McGriff, of Lima, whose success, although he is yet young in years, has won him a host of warm friends and admirers in the city and county and made him favorably known among the medical men in this section of the state. Dr. McGriff is a native son of Ohio, having been born November 29, 1884, in Butler Township, Darke County. He is the son of William Patrick and Melzonia (Braddock) McGriff, of Darke County, where the father followed farming. His paternal grandparents were Price and Jane (Mulnix) McGriff, of Darke County, Ohio, and his materal grandparents were James and Cathryn (Shields) Braddock, of West Manchester, Preble County, Ohio. Dr. McGriff's parents are both deceased, the father dying in 1916 and his widow passing away in 1912. They were the parents of four children, as follows: Clayton, of Castine, Ohio; Flora McGriff Poyner, who died in 1914; DeWitt T., the subject of this sketch, and Gorman, of Eaton, Ohio.
Dr. McGriff was reared on the paternal farmstead and secured his elemental education in the Castine public and West Manchester high schools. After completing his high school education he obtained license to teach in the public schools, which
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position he held as principal at Castine for two terms. Having always determined to devote himself to the practice of medicine, he matriculated in the medical department of the Ohio State University (known at that time as the Starling Ohio Medical College), where he was graduated with the degree of doctor of medicine in 1912. He then took six months of special surgical work in the Miami Valley Hospital at Dayton, Ohio, and on January 1, 1913, came to Lima and engaged in the practice of his profession, to which he has devoted himself continuously since, gradually working into industrial surgery and X-ray work. He has demonstrated his ability as a healer of human ills and enjoys a large and representative patronage throughout this community. Dr. McGriff served as county physician during the years of 1914-15-16 and as county coroner during 1917-18. At this time he was appointed and is at present surgeon for the Lima Locomotive Works, Inc., and the Ohio Steel Foundry Company and a few other minor industries. He is a member of the Allen County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Society, the North America Radiological Society, the Northwestern Medical Society, and the American Medical Association.
Politically Dr. McGriff gives his support to the democratic party, while socially he is a member of the Shawnee Country Club, the Lima Club and the Kiwanis Club. Fraternally he is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Loyal Order of Moose. He is a member of the staffs of St. Rita's Hospital and City Hospital, and a member of the Lima Investment Company. He has taken a deep interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community, and during the recent World war he took an active part as a solicitor for all of the Liberty Loans
In 1906 Dr. McGriff was married to Clenna May Rieker, who was born near Arcanum, Darke County, Ohio, the daughter of George and Mary (Sarver) Rieker, of Preble County, Ohio. Two children were born to them, Audre Evelyn and William Patrick. Mrs. Clenna McGriff passed away on November 1. 1919. She was a great help to the doctor and stood very high in the community in which she lived. Dr. McGriff has attained a position of distinctive prestige in a calling which requires for its basis sound mentality and intellectual discipline of a high order, and as a citizen of broad views and earnest purpose he richly merits his high standing in the community and his profession.
BURDETTA F. HALL has always lived in Jackson Township. His home today is the farm where he was born, and besides the business represented in the proprietorship of this place he has always been identified with every good movement of local citizenship. His farm is known as Bonnie Crest Farm, comprises ninety-eight acres and is located in' sections 8 and 17 n Jackson Township, two miles north and half a mile west of Lafayette.
He was born there November 26, 1873, a son of William and Elizabeth (Watt) Hall. The Halls were pioneers of Allen County, the family having been established here during the first tides of early settlement. William Hall was born in Jackson Township January 13, 1832, and his wife was born in the same county in 1837. They grew up in Jackson Township, had the advantages of the pioneer schools, and after their marriage settled on the land now contained in Bonnie Crest Farm. After many years of work and responsibility as farmers they moved to Bluffton, Ohio, where they lived out their days. They were very devout members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and filled all the offices. The father always voted as a democrat. Of their seven children six are still living: Hulda, widow of Milford Boyd; A. D. Hall, of Bluffton ; Electa, wife of Wilson Hawk ; Leanna, wife of David Bogart ; Jasper C., of Texas, and Burdetta F.
Burdetta F. Hall while growing up attended the common schools of Jackson Township, and not long after reaching his majority, married, in November, 1895, Eda C. Hall. She was born in Lafayette, Ohio, June 29, 1878, a daughter of Philip and Catherine (Fridley) Hall, her father being a native of Jackson Township. Her parents were married in Pickaway County and soon settled in Lafayette, where her father died when she was four years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Philip Hall were very active members of and workers in the Methodist Church. Mrs. Hall is one of three living children, her brother, N. F. Hall, being a resident of Lima, while E. T. Hall lives in Jackson Township. Mrs. Hall was educated at Lafayette and also attended school at Ada, Ohio.
Mr. and Mrs. Hall have three children. Clifford D., who graduated from the Bluffton High School and the Lima Business College, enlisted at the time of the World war, was in the 146th Infantry of the 37th Division, and spent nine months in France, part of the time on the battle lines. He received an honorable discharge as a sergeant major, and is now connected with the Buckeye Pipe Line Company of Lima. He is a member of the Masonic Order. The second son, Doyt P., graduated from the Lafayette High School and the Lima Business College and was also in training as a soldier during the World war. He is also a Mason. The third son, Edison F., is now attending the seventh grade of the public schools at Lafayette.
Mrs. Hall is a member of the Eastern Star at Lafayette. He is one of the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church and politically votes as a democrat.
WILLIAM W. HALL, a native of Allen County, has during his active career made several changes in location and business, each one marking a step in advance of his previous condition, and today is the owner of one of the large farms of Auglaize Township. His farm home is three miles south of Harrod.
Mr. Hall was born in Monroe Township two and a half miles west of Beaver Dam, August 23, 1871, son of Jacob and Harriet E. (Wallace) Hall. His father was born in New Jersey, October 5, 1830, and died October 12, 1907, after a long and well spent life. He was brought to Allen County by his parents, grew up here, and after his marriage settled on the old farm in Monroe Township, where he lived until his death. His wife was born in Pennsylvania, April 29, 1837, and was also brought to Allen County when a girl. She still owns and occupies the old homestead and is a fine old lady, now eighty-three years of age. She is a member of the United Brethren Church, as was Jacob Hall, who in politics espoused the cause of the republican party. The parents had five children:
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Hilas M., who died at the age of thirty-two ; Belle, wife of A. M. Herron of Monroe Township; Rebecca, wife'of A. W. Roberts of Lima ; Christina, wife of Jacob F. Miller of Monroe Township, and William W.
William W. Hall spent his early life on the old farm in Monroe Township, and was educated in the public schools there. He was well trained to the business of farming and on February 15, 1891, he established a home of his own by his marriage to Lula C. Boyer. She was born in the same township as her husband, August 25, 1872, daughter of G. F. and Edith A. Boyer. Her education came from the district schools near Rockford.
After his marriage Mr. Hall lived for five years on his father's farm and then bought eighty acres in Paulding County, but sold after two years, and for the next three years was engaged in the grocery business at Lima. He then secured eighty acres in Monroe Township, and was on that farm four years, from 1908, and in 1912 bought and came to his present farm. He has four hundred thirty acres, one of the larger farms of the township, and uses practically all of it for his varied industry as a stockman. Mr. Hall buys cattle and hogs by the carload, prepares them for the market and ships, being one of the extensive stock feeders of the county. Politically Mr. Hall supports the republican ticket.
He and his wife have seven children : Lyle F., who spent six months in training as a soldier at Camp Jackson, South Carolina ; Clifford B.. a high school graduate, who was also in the army at Camp Jackson and Camp Wadsworth ; Coda B., a graduate of high school; Cloyd D., at home; Harold, still in school ; Edward L., a high school boy, and Mayme, attending the public schools.
F. W. DRAKE. A retired business man, F. W. Drake has had a long and active career and one that has brought him permanent connections in many localities. He was until he retired actively identified with an important business at Lima.
He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, November 22, 1852, a son of Charles W. .and Sarah J. (Tuttle) Drake, the former a native of Dover, New Hampshire, and the latter of Effingham, New Hampshire. His paternal grandfather was Abram Drake, while the maternal grandparents were Samuel and Nancy (Drake) Tuttle. On both sides he is of old American Colonial stock. His father for several years lived in Central America, where he acted as agent for the Nicaragua Transit Company, and had charge of the transportation of gold across the Isthmus for the United States mint. It was customary for a train of some forty mules to be loaded up with gold bullion every Saturday night, and he was the responsible agent looking after the transportation of this valuable cargo. After returning to the States he moved out to Livingston County, Illinois, where he acquired a section of land, and became the founder of the Village of Chatsworth, which he named in honor of Chatsworth, England. Some years later he went to Good- land, Indiana, and bought three hundred twenty acres, developing a fine farm, and after two years acquired the Grand Central Hotel in Goodland, which he personally conducted for several years. On leaving Indiana he bought a Fruit farm at St. Joseph, Michigan, but died there six weeks later, in March, 1874, his widow surviving until 1876.
F. W. Drake was educated in the grammar and high school and at the age of fifteen returned to Boston, Massachusetts, and lived with an uncle, who conducted a livery stable and was also the patentee of Tuttle's Elixir, a proprietary preparation from which he realized a fortune. After the death of his father F. W. Drake returned to St. Joseph, Michigan, and took charge of the fruit farm. At his mother's, death the farm was sold.
February 19, 1876, in Michigan, Mr. Drake married Miss Ella Merwin, who was born at Mokena, Illinois, daughter of William Merwin. After his marriage he.continued to live at St. Joseph, Michigan, until 1898, when he bought a farm near Emporia, Kansas, and employed his capital at stock raising on an extensive scale. He was also an importer of thoroughbred English trotting horses. He continued his ranch and stock raising enterprise in Kansas for fourteen years, and then for three years was a stock dealer at the Union Stock Yards in Chicago.
From Chicago Mr. Drake moved to Lima, where for seven years he was foreman for the Standard Oil Company. He then engaged in business for himself, handling business supplies, coal, flour and feed, and so continued until the fall of 1917, when he sold the business to Minor Evans and has since lived retired in his fine modern home at 1424 Lakewood Avenue. He still owns the plant in which his business was conducted and has other financial interests at Lima.
Mr. and Mrs. Drake have no children. He served several years as a trustee of the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics he casts his vote as a republican and is a member of the Lima Club.
CARL S. SHAFFER. The business community of Spencerville acknowledges as one of its livest and most pushing factors Carl S. Shaffer, who came to the town from his father's farm some years ago and by strict attention to his duties has achieved a place as an independent merchant, being proprietor of the leading coal and ice business of the community.
Mr. Shaffer was born in Amanda Township of Allen County, May 22, 1887. His parents, Simon and Margaret (Richardson) Shaffer, were also born in Allen County. His father's birth occurred a mile east of Hume in March, 1849. For many years they lived on their farm in Amanda Township, but are now living retired in Spencerville. Simon Shaffer is affiliated with Acadia Lodge, No. 306, Free and Accepted Masons, Royal Arch Chapter, and is a democrat in politics. There are six children: Alba, who is in the oil business at Sapulpa, Oklahoma ; Roszille, wife of Amos Miller of Spencerville; Michael of Ortville, Ohio; Julia, widow of Bart Graham ; Carl, and Margaret, wife Of Connor Miller of Greenville, Ohio.
Carl Shaffer lived on the home farm to the age of seventeen, and shared in its duties as his strength permitted. He attended the district and high schools and after graduating from the Lima Business College became a clerk for James Cochrun at Spencerville. He has been in that one line of work ever since, and in November, 1917, was able to buy out his employer, and has since conducted a coal and ice business under his own name. Mr. Shaffer is a man of public spirit in his community, and is doing some creditable work for Spencerville as president of the Town Council. He is a democrat,
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is affiliated with Acadia Lodge, No. 306, Free and Accepted Masons and Spencerville Chapter, Royal Arch Masons. He and his family are members of the Methodist Church.
June 22, 1907, he married Miss Lena Zimmerman, who was born in Auglaize County, Ohio, and was educated in public schools. Their two children are Bernetta May and Robert.
JEREMIAH M. OWENS. The visitor to Allen County. viewing for the first time its fertile fields, well regulated farms and general air of prosperity, finds it hard to realize that only comparatively a few years ago this region of the country was a wild waste, covered with timber and brush. Such was the case, however, and the present excellent condition of the county has only been attained through the untiring labor and persistent endeavor of men of energy and perseverance, whose lives have been spent in forwarding their communities' development. One of the farms of Allen County which has been developed entirely by members of the same family is that known as the old Owens farm, lying five miles east of Beaverdam, in Jackson Township, which was entered i rom the United States Government in 1837 and has never been out of the family name.
The present owner of this property is Jeremiah M. Owens, who was born on the farm, November 17, 1857, a son of James and Sarah (Colawell) Owens. James Owens was born in Virginia, September 16, 1803, and as a young man moved to Belmont County, Ohio, where he married Miss Colawell, a native of that county. In 1837 he entered 320 acres of land in Allen County and in the following spring brought his wife to their new home, making the journey from near Wheeling, West Virginia, in a one-horse wagon. During the latter stages of their journey they camped at night beneath beech trees, and for the last eight miles had to literally cut their way through the timber. In the new region they applied their sturdy energies to the clearing of their land, the establishment of a home and the development of a farm, all of which aims were accomplished. They not only became known as prosperous people for their day, but were rich also in the esteem and respect of their neighbors and the affection and love of their children. They were faithful members of the Catholic Church, and Mr. Owens was a democrat and served his community capably in the office of township trustee for several years. There were twelve children in the family, among them: Henry P.; Andrew J.; Sarah I., the wife of Thomas Doyle; Joseph C., of Indianapolis, Indiana ; Frank M., of Richland Township, Allen County; Jeremiah M.; and Martha, the wife of Harry Hartley.
Jeremiah M. Owens acquired a somewhat limited education in the public schools of Jackson Township and was reared to manhood on the home farm, of which he now owns 197 acres. He was married May 17, 1903, to Miss Ida Montgomery, who was born in Hancock County, Ohio, May 17, 1862, and to this union there have been born four children : Sarah, a graduate of Bluffton High School and the Ohio Northern University of Ada, who holds a state teacher's license; Clara B., a graduate of Bluffton High School, who also attended the university at Ada and has a three-year teacher's license; James G., a graduate of Bluffton High School, who is attending Bluff ton College; and Dale H., who is attending the graded schools.
Mr. and Mrs. Owens are members of the Catholic Church at Bluffton. Mr. Owens is a democrat in politics, belongs to the Richland Grange, and is a stockholder in the elevator at ileaverdam. He has brought his property to a high state of productiveness, and his progressive methods and constant industry have served to make his undertakings a success, while his good citizenship and sound integrity have assured him high standing in the estimation of his fellow-citizens.
FRANK B. COTNER. As teacher, farmer and banker, Frank B. Cotner has been prominently identified with the affairs of Allen County, of which he is a native son. Mr. Cotner's home is at Lafayette, where he is cashier of the Lafayette Banking Company.
He was born in Richland Township of Allen County, November 2, 1868, son of David S. and Elizabeth Cotner. The family came to Allen County in pioneer times and his father was one of the prosperous farmers, always alert to his duties of citizenship. Frank B. Cotner had a common school education, and in 1892 graduated from the Ohio Northern University at Ada. His active career as a teacher continued from 1890 to 1907, a period of seventeen years, though in the meantime he was also interested in farming, and is still owner of farming lands in his section of the county. Mr. Cotner in 1907 entered the banking business and for a number of years has been cashier and a director of the Lafayette Banking Company. He was mayor of Lafayette continuously from 1908 to 1921. He has also held several township offices, and since giving up the role of a teacher has been interested in school affairs.
Mr. Cotner is a democrat and is one of the leaders in the Methodist Episcopal Church at Lafayette and has served as superintendent of its Sunday School. He is affiliated with Sager Lodge No. 513, F. and A. M., having been initiated January 25, passed February 22, and raised a Master Mason, March 28, 1908. He has served the lodge as chaplain and trustee. He was initiated June 16, 1890, in Beaver Dam Lodge No. 689, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
At Lafayette, October 15, 1891, Mr. Cotner married Nancy J. Stoodt, daughter of Frederick and Rebecca Stoodt. Her father was a Union soldier in the Civil war and in after years a well known farmer of Allen County. Mr. and Mrs. Cotner have three children: Clifford A., who married Evadna E. Meyer ; Bryan D., who married Louise M. Urich, and David L. Cotner, still at home.
Bryan D. Cotner enlisted in the army, from the Ohio State University in the 37th Division in the World war. He was in Belgium when the Armistice was signed.
JOSEPH O. HOVER. It is a compliment worthily bestowed to say that Allen County is honored by the life-long citizenship of J. 0. Hover, of Lima, for he has achieved definite success through his own efforts and is thoroughly deserving of the proud American title of self-made man, the term being one that, in its better sense, cannot but appeal to the loyal admiration of all who are appreciative of our national institutions and the privileges afforded here for individual accomplishment. Mr. Hover has by his energy, perseverance and integrity gained an enviable position among his fellow citizens and is
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eminently deserving of mention in a work of the character of the one in hand.
J. O. Hover was born in Lima, Ohio, in April, 1850, and is the son of William Ulysses and Mary Jane (Milligan) Hover, both of whom were natives of Ohio, the father having been born in Trumbull County and the mother at Cadiz. The subject's paternal grandfather, Joseph Hover, who also was a native of Eastern Ohio, wended his way through the dense timber to Allen County, in 1833, settling at Lima. Of Grandfather Milligan, it may be noted that he erected the first courthouse of Allen County and was also the first jailer of the county. William Ulysses Hover learned the foundry business and conducted at Lima the first tinshop and foundry established here. He bought a tract of land adjoining the city to the southwest, in Shawnee Township, which in later years was converted into a park, known as Hover Park, but which eventually was made an addition to the city and was converted into residence lots. William U. Hover died in 1895, at the age of seventy years, and was survived a number of years by his widow, who died in 1912, at the age of eighty-six years. The following children blessed their union: J. O., the subject of this review ; T. L., deceased; Dr. W. E., of Lima ; F. B., who is connected with the Reed Furniture Company at Dayton, Ohio ; Sarah C., wife of Dr. J. O. Stockton of Upper Sandusky, Ohio ; Mary Leah, wife of Miles U. Beatty, now holding a position with the Queen Crescent Railroad Company; Flora, who died at the age of twelve years ; Lydia Mae, wife of H. M. Dillie, who died in 1912.
The subject attended the common schools of Shawnee Township, and at the age of nineteen years he became a clerk for Watt Brothers of Lima, with whom he remained for five years. Then he and his brother, T. L., engaged in the general mercantile business at Cridersville, Ohio. in which they continued for twenty-five years, after which the subject sold his interest in the business. During the years they had been together Mr. Hover and his brother had become interested in the oil producing business in the district around Lima, as well as in the Indiana and Kentucky fields, and since that time Mr. Hover has retained these interests, devoting his principal attention to his producing interests in the Lima field. His interests are held in the name of Maple Oil Company, a private concern, of which Mr. Hover is general manager.
On September 10, 1878, Mr. Hover was married to Ella Brown, who was born at Kalida, Putnam County, Ohio, the daughter of David I. and Elizabeth (Shaw) Brown. Mr. Brown was born in Crawford County, Ohio, and became an early school teacher. Later he became a practicing attorney and was active in public affairs. He was sent to the Ohio Legislature to fill out an unexpired term during the Civil war, and in 1877 he was again elected to the Legislature, serving two full terms. His wife was born in Stark County, Ohio. Mrs. Hover received a good education in the public schools, being a member of one of the pioneer classes at Ottawa, Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Hover have been born two children, Flora, who died at the age of two and a half years, and Hazel, who is the wife of Dwight E. Wyre, of Madison, Wisconsin.
Mr. Hover and his family are adherents of the Presbyterian Church. Politically he gives his support to the republican party and is a member of the Knights of Pythias. Socially, he is a member of the Lima City Club and the Shawnee Country Club. Mrs. Hover is a member of the Lima Music Club and takes great interest in the work of the Young Women's Christian Association. Mr. Hover's success in life has been the reward of the application of mental qualifications of a high order to the affairs of business, enabling him to grasp the opportunities that presented themselves. This he has done with success and, what is more important, with honor. Therefore he is richly deserving of the enviable standing which he enjoys among his fellow citizens throughout this community.
CHARLES E. BARNETT, sole proprietor of the Lima- Holmes Company, dealer and stockholder in the Holmes Air-Cooled Motor car of Canton, Ohio, is conveniently located in the Public Square. He is a man of ample means, and in addition to other business interests owns 113 acres of highly cultivated and valuable land in Auglaize County, Ohio.
The birth of Mr. Barnett took place in Wyandotte County, Ohio, March 11, 1870, and he is a son of Thomas J. and Anna (Harmon) Barnett, of Scotch- Irish ancestry. They had five children, of whom Charles E. Barnett is the second in order of birth. He attended the country schools and the Ohio State Normal School at Ada, Ohio, where he took a commercial course. Having prepared himself for a business career, Mr. Barnett went into a general store at Kossuth, Ohio, and worked for nine years. Later he and Emanuel Krass bought this store and conducted it under the name of Barnett & Krass. Still later Mr. Barnett bought out his partner, and continued to operate the store for fifteen years, when he sold at a profit, and came to Lima as agent for the Holmes car, and his territory embraces the counties of Van Wert, Mercer, Putnam, Allen, Auglaize and Harding. He is sole agent for the Holmes Improved Air-Cooled automobiles, with salesrooms at 15 Public Square. He is one of the stockholders of the Holmes Company, and is very enthusiastic about the new process cars.
Mr. Barnett was married to Fairy Hydaker, a daughter of William M. and Catherine (Mack) Hydaker of Auglaize County, Ohio, on December 25, 1899. Mr. and Mrs. Barnett became the parents of three children, namely: Carl T., Ethel and Ray W. Mr. Barnett is an independent democrat, preferring to cast his vote for the man rather than be tied down by party affiliations. He belongs to Spencerville Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and Kossuth Lodge, 'Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Both he and Mrs. Barnett are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Barnett is an efficient salesman, and believing thoroughly in his car, he is able to demonstrate its possibilities and superior qualities in a very convincing manner and is building up a very desirable line of business in his territory. Since coming to Lima he has won the approval of the business men and the community generally, and is numbered among the worthwhile citizens of the place.