600 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. adjoins her home. Her parents were William and Elizabeth (Heller) Chambers, the former of whom was a native of Crawford county. His father, Elias Chambers, was one of the early pioneers of Crawford county, while his mother, Elizabeth Heller, was a native of Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, and had been brought to Crawford county when but seven years of age, by her parents, Jacob and Catherine (Hay) Heller. To our subject and wife six children have been born : V. Blanche, Elgar J., Florence E., Mary Elizabeth, Ernest Merl and Lois M. The three eldest of these children have displayed unusual intelligence and have passed the Boswell examination, and all are being thoroughly educated and give every promise of becoming an honor to their estimable parents, as well as useful citizens of Crawford county. The first year following our subject's marriage he spent in farming on the home farm and then rented a farm belonging to his wife's grandfather, which was located across the road from his present farm, and in 1890 he purchased it, the tract containing one hundred and fifteen acres. Here the family resided until 1895, when Mr. Pfleiderer bought forty acres of the farm he now occupies and removed to it, across the road, and rented his large farm to a tenant. In 1899 he purchased an additional ten acres, which was adjoining land, and now this home place consists of fifty acres and is one of the most attractive places in the vicinity. In 190o he rebuilt the family residence, introducing all modern improvements, and he now possesses an ideal country home. Since 1893 he has done little farming, having then sold his agricultural implements, and now devotes his time to the buying and shipping of stock, and is known as one of the most successful dealers through the state. Mr. Pfleiderer has been a life-long Democrat and has been very active in party affairs. From 1893 to 1899 he served most efficiently in the office of township trustee and has exerted considerable influence in this section. Both he and wife are leading members of the Evangelical church. HENRY N. OBERLANDER. The gentleman whose name is mentioned above and who is a well-known farmer of Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio, is descended from old and honorable trans-Atlantic stock, which was transplanted to one of our eastern colonies, whence his father, Emanuel Oberlander, emigrated to Ohio at a period early enough to be counted among the pioneers of this great state. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 603 All those qualities of mind and heart, all those characteristics which make for personal success and good citizenship, have been conspicuous in nearly every generation of his family. Henry N. Oberlander is a native of Lykens township, Crawford county, and was born on the 14th day of March, 1863. He received his early education in such crude public schools near his home as were in vogue at that time and was early initiated into the mysteries of practical farming. According to his father what was his father's due, he remained with him, assisting him in every way possible, until he was twenty-one years old, then with willing hands and active brain and a clean record he took up the battle of life on his own account. He began his independent. business career by renting the farm which he now owns, which became his by purchase in 1895. The farm consists of one hundred and twenty acres of well improved and very productive land, in connection with which for the past ten years he has cultivated the Shalter farm. He has made many improvements on his place and gives his attention to general farming, in which he has been satisfactorily successful. Mr. Oberlander also owns and operates the grain elevator at Lykens, and in partnership with G. B. Quaintance owns and operates a grain elevator at Ridgeton, Ohio. July 10, 1884, Mr. Oberlander married Lily M. Dillinger, a daughter of David Dillinger, deceased, and they have two children, named Wynona and Chalmers, who are now gaining an education. The daughter is especially-promising, having obtained a teacher's license at the age of fifteen. Politically Mr. Oberlander affiliates with the Democratic party and he' exerts a not uncertain influence on local affairs. While he has never been an office seeker, a considerable number of .responsible offices have sought him and in the interests of good government he has accepted them. He has twice filled the office of assessor in his township, and for five years has been a member of the board of education. During this time he has done everything in his power to improve the efficiency of the schools, and in the fall of 1900 was elected to the office of county commissioner, which he is filling with great ability and credit. It may be said of him that he is a man of pronounced public spirit, and his admiring fellow citizens bear testimony to the fact that he may safely be depended upon to advance to the extent of his ability any movement, which in his good judgment promises to benefit the people of his township or county. He is a member of Lykens Lodge, No. 530, Knights of Pythias. 33 604 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. JOHN PFLEIDERER. Prominent among the public-spirited, progressive and successful farmers of Liberty township, Crawford county, Ohio, is John Pfleiderer, one of the most highly esteemed citizens of this locality. He is a product of this township, born here on November 14, 1833, a son of Christian and Barbara Pfleiderer, who were natives of Germany and became early settlers in this part of the state. Seven children were born to these worthy pioneer parents, the three survivors being Christian, of this township; John, of this biography, and Daniel, also of this township. John Pfleiderer grew up in his father's house, a sturdy, healthy lad, noted for his strength and manliness, and at the age of twelve years was able to take his place with the grown laborers in the harvest field. He has seen the wonderful changes which have taken place in Liberty township, as his services were required to assist in the clearing of the fertile fields he now owns of the virgin forest growth. Well he remembers the hardships of .those early days and recalls many interesting events of men and localities of which the world never tires of hearing, because of the prominence the Buckeye state has so long held in public regard. After the marriage of his brother David, young John went to make his home with him, as he was his guardian, and worked for him until his marriage, on June 16, 1859, to Miss Mary A. Kafer, a native of Liberty township, and a daughter of Frederick Kafer, a native of Germany, who was an early settler of the county. Previous to his marriage he had made preparations for it by purchasing sixty acres of land, which is included in his present farm. In later years, as prosperity smiled upon him, on acount of his persevering efforts, he gradually added until he now owns one hundred and sixty-one and one-half acres in the home place, and also owns a most desirable tract of eighty acres, located one and one-half miles south of Sulphur Springs, and also a section of land in Texas, which promises to be very valuable. The eight surviving children of Mr. and Mrs. Pfleiderer are: Franklin, Samuel, and Emanuel, of this township; Joseph, the farmer on the home place; Lizzie, the wife of George Abendroth, of this township; Amanda, the wife of Louis Witter, of Bucyrus ; and Emma and Ida, at home. Mr. Pfleiderer is one of the most progressive farmers of this locality. His investments are undertaken with good judgment and are universally remunerative, while aside from his personal matters he is interested in any- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 605 thing which promises to be of benefit to the locality. In politics he has always been a Democrat. For the past fourteen years he has faithfully served in the offices of the Lutheran church and contributes to it largely, ever being ready to promote its charitable and benevolent enterprises. JOHN GORDON. The farming interests of Bucyrus township are in the hands of capable agriculturists, and one of these, who has shown a thorough understanding of the principles of modern farming, is John Gordon, a native of South Wales, born there, in county of Glamorgan, on March 3, 1849, being the only representative of his family in America. The parents of Mr. Gordon were Thomas and Catherine (Morris) Gordon, and they reared a family of seven children : Mary, Thomas, Eliza, John, Ann, Richard and George, Ann and Richard having passed away. Both parents have also passed out of life, while the others of the family still reside in the old home in South Wales. John Gordon was reared on his father's farm and received a common--school education, remaining at home until he attained his majority, although he had long cherished a desire to see the country across the Atlantic. On the loth day of May, 187o, he set sail for America, landing at Quebec, Canada, from which point he took a train to Toronto, a schoolmate living in that city. Later he made his way to Trumbull county, Ohio, where he secured lucrative employment on a dairy farm, and remained there for three years, in the employ of Noble Thompson. During the year 1874 he worked in the Pennsylvania oil regions, and then another year for Mr. Thompson, leaving him when Mr. Thompson sold his farm, but later again returned to this kind employer when he resided in Painesville. It was during his association with Mr. Thompson that he had the good fortune of meeting the lady who later became his wife. She was the amiable daughter of Henry Flock, a prominent farmer of Bucyrus township, a visitor in the home of Mr. Thompson. The marriage of Mr. Gordon to Miss Callie F. Flock took place February 24, 1875, following which was their removal to Crewford county, where the home has ever since remained. For two years Mr. Gordon remained with his father-in-law and then bought land in Todd township, where he owns one hundred and sixty-eight acres of land. In 1888 Mr. Gordon returned to the farm of his father-in-law, where he now resides', the former, who lives retired, enjoying the care of his children and grandchildren . The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Gordon were: Florence, Luella, 606 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Henry, Elva, Alice and Letty, of whom Luella, Henry, and Alice survive. Mr.. Gordon enjoys the respect and esteem of the neighborhood in the highest degree, and is known as one of the most intelligent and progressive farmers of the township. Henry Flock, the father of Mrs. Gordon, is the eldest son of Stephen and Catherine Flock, and was born in the Rhine province of Bavaria, Germany, December 14, 1815, and there was thoroughly educated. While still a youth he went to work in order to contribute to the support of the family, but then wages were very low and many days he worked for twenty cents a day.. In the locality of his home wood was scarce and it was necessary for him to haul fuel, or fagots, a distance of almost ten miles, on a wheelbarrow; consequently the stoves were seldom very hot. The law did not permit the peasants to cut green timber, and their way of obtaining fuel was to break off the dead limbs, it frequently being necessary for them to climb the trees in order to secure these branches. Upon one occasion young Henry became so benumbed with the cold, while in a tree, that he almost fell to the ground, and this, with other severe trials, led him to a determination to try his fortune in America. When he became of military age he was too short to enter the service; and the officials put him back one year, expecting him to grow, but he failed to do so, and thus was rejected altogether. Although his inclinations were-toward matrimony, circumstances were not promising, in Bavaria, and in 1839 he put into practice his resolve to leave the fatherland. Settling in Bucyrus,. Ohio, he worked in a hotel for Abraham Hahn, remaining with him three years, receiving for his services seven dollars and fifty cents per month, and during this period, although sick for six months, he managed to save one hundred and fifty-eight dollars. Of this amount he sent forty-five dollar. to Germany to pay the passage of Miss Catherine Slicker to America. Some two years later she reached the United States, and upon her arrival in Bucyrus she and Mr. Flock were married. After severing his business connection with Mr. Hahn, Mr. Flock worked for three years for other parties, keeping continually busy, finally entering the employ of Dr. Willis Merriman, where he remained as a faithful clerk for seven years. In March, 1853, he removed to Wyandot and formed a partnership with James H. Reinicker in the mercantile business, and later Mr. Flock bought his partner's interest and continued the business until 1870,. when he transferred it to his son. While residing in Wyandot, Mr. Flock served the village as postmaster for seven years, and while a clerk for Dr. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 607 Merriman he was made treasurer of Bucyrus corporation, possessing the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens. In 1870 he located on his present farm. The first marriage of Mr. Flock was on September 22, 1842, to Catherine Slicker, born January 20, 182o, in Bavaria, who emigrated to America with the family of Peter Geiger. These children were born of this marriage: Mary, who married William Welsh; Daniel ; Kate, who married Peter Bair ; Louisa, who married John B. Welsh; Caroline, who married John Gordon. The mother died October 11, 1862, and the second marriage of Mr. Flock was on November 6, 1864, to Mary Jane Clark, who was a teacher in the schools of Bucyrus for several years. Her death occurred January 25, 1875. On October I I, 1877, occurred his marriage to Lena Hooker, who also passed away, his last wife having been Mary Stoll, who died in 1901. When but thirteen years of age, Mr. Flock united with the Evangelical church, in Germany. When he settled in Bucyrus, he joined the German Lutheran church, and later in life the English Lutheran church. ELI MILLER. A thoroughly representative citizen and successful farmer of Holmes township, Crawford county, is Eli Miller, who was born in Richland county, Ohio, on March 13, 185o, a son of Joseph and Louisa (Hacker) Miller, and belonged to a family of ten children, nine of whom are living, viz. : Eli, of this biography; John S., residing on a part of the home farm; Ceno P., residing with his mother on the home place; Alva M., of Putnam county ; Josiah, of Putnam county ; Joseph F., of Wyandot county ; Barbara, the wife of George Grau, of Whitley county, Indiana; Dora, the wife of Frank Much-ling, of Putnam county ; and Ellen, the wife of Joseph Nickler, of Liberty township. The parents of Mr. Miller were married in 1848, and they then located in Crawford county, purchasing the eighty acres of land which now is included in the Miller home, and as prosperity came the father purchased much more land, eighty acres lying to the north of his farm, eighty on the south and fifty a short distance east, making a large estate of two hundred and ninety acres in all. The father died January 28, 1897, and there passed away one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Holmes township. Eli Miller, a worthy descendant of most excellent parents, was carefully reared by them through childhood, and attended the common schools. He was taught to be industrious and honest and those lessons have never been 608 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. forgotten. On February 20, 1873, he was married to Miss Julia A. Spahr, a native of this township, a daughter of George A. Spahr (a sketch of whom appears in another part of this volume), one of the prominent farmers of this county. Following his marriage, Mr. Miller purchased fifty acres of land in the vicinity of the home farm, but finding the payments too heavy for a beginner he sold the property to his father and rented land until the spring of 1888, when he removed to his present home farm, which he had acquired in the fall of 1883. Here Mr. Miller has given his attention most successfully to general farming and stock-raising, becoming, as the years have passed, one of the reliable and substantial farmers of Holmes township. Five children came to Mr. and Mrs. Miller, the survivors being : Elmer M., Dennis E., Harvey L., and Alfred E., Clarence J. being the name of the little son that passed early out of life. With the exception of Dennis, who is engaged in teaming in Bucyrus, these manly, intelligent sons still remain under the parental roof. In politics Mr. Miller is a Democrat, and has taken a great interest in public affairs. For the past seven years he has been a trustee in the United Brethren church, of which he has long been a worthy member and to which his contributions are most substantial. Holmes township is fortunate in having among its citizens such honest, energetic and progressive men as Eli Miller. ORWIN B. MONNETT. Agriculture forms the basis of all commercial and industrial prosperity. It is the corner stone of the business structure and has led to the upbuilding of many nations. The rich and fertile lands of Ohio have become the place of residence for a prosperous and contented people who have established a commonwealth of which they have every reason to be proud. Among the successful agriculturists and stock-raisers now identified with the interests of Crawford county is the gentleman whose name introduces this review and who was born on one of the old and valuable farms of this portion of the state—the Monnett homestead, in Bucyrus township. The date of his birth was September 29, 1850. His father, the Rev. T. J. Monnett, was a Methodist minister, and, in accordance with the laws of that denomination, he was removed from one pastorate to another, so that our subject spent his youth in various places, including Fostoria, Kenton and Upper Sandusky. When he was ten years of age his father retired from the ministry and the family took up their abode on the old homestead in Bucyrus township where his birth had occurred and CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 609 where he remained until nineteen years of age. In the fall of 1869 he was sent to the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, there to supplement his preliminary scholastic training with more advanced education. After a year however, his health failed him and he bad to abandon the course. He next took a course in J. W. Sharp's Commercial School, at Delaware, and was graduated with the highest honors of his class. He then became bookkeeper for the Bucyrus Woolen Mill Company, and after a year spent in that position he became a partner in a grocery store, the connection being maintained for a little more than two years. Mr. Monnett then returned to the farm, but in a short time became an employe of the American Express Company and assistant ticket agent for the Big Four Railroad Company at Galion, which service continued for about seven months. In 1876 he returned to the farm and was engaged in its cultivation until 1882, when he removed to Bucyrus, where he filled the position of superintendent for the Bucyrus Gas Light & Fuel Company for four and a half years. His father was interested in the company, and when he sold out Mr. Monnett, of this review, again resumed farming on the old home place, where he has since remained, being ranked among the leading farmers and stock-raisers of the county. He has been especially interested in sheep-growing for a number of years, and keeps on hand several hundred head of sheep. He has four hundred acres of rich land, divided into highly cultivated fields and rich meadows, and the work carried on within the boundaries of his farm brings a good financial return. In 1877 Mr. Monnett was united in marriage to Miss Annie Hoffman, a daughter of Charles F. Hoffman, who many years ago was a well-known business man of Bucyrus, and is now living a retired life in Houston, Texas. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Monnett have been born two children, Ethel and Bessie, both of whom are at home. The family attend the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mr. and Mrs. Monnett are members. He has taken quite an active interest in politics as an advocate of the Republican party, and was its candidate for county treasurer in 1899. He made a good race, running ahead of the state ticket, but as his party is in the minority in the county he was defeated. He was the candidate for county sheriff in 19o1. He is a member of the Republican executive committee of Crawford county, and belongs to the Farmers' Institute. For a number of years he has been a correspondent for the home papers and for the Ohio State Journal, also the Pittsburg National Stockman and Farmers' Journal. Under the nom de plume of Tim Frinx he has written much of a humorous character for the Forum. His articles are 610 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY, entertaining, fluently written and many of them are of great value, especially those pertaining to agricultural and stock-raising subjects, for his wide experience in these departments of labor and his excellent success have made his opinions worthy of adoption. Well known in his native county as a citizen of worth, as a reliable business man, as a trustworthy friend and as a considerate husband and father, these qualities have gained him admiration and esteem. JOHN HOFFMANN. Nature has certainly intended that the last years of man shall be spent in retirement. He loses the vigor and strength of former years, and the fitting crown of an active career is rest from labor. This has been vouchsafed to Mr. Hoffmann as the reward of a busy and useful life. He was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, September 13, 1842. His father, Andrew Hoffmann, was a native of the same locality, and the grandfather was born, lived and died in that portion of Germany. Andrew Hoffmann was born in 1817, and in 1854 came to America, bringing with him his family. He had married Margaret Schaeffer, also a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, born in the year 1822. They became the parents of thirteen children, of whom six are yet living : Adam, who married Lovina Coyer and is now deceased; George, who is married and resides in California ; John, of this review ; Andrew, who married Carry Kauaram ; Margaret, now the widow of David Blum; Catherine, wife of John .Mathias ; Elizabeth, the widow of John Esinger ; and six who died in infancy. The mother of this family passed away in 1893. John Hoffmann pursued his education in the schools of Germany for five years and then accompanied his parents on their emigration to America when a lad of eleven summers. His father died the second day after they arrived in Ohio. The family made their way direct to Crestline and John continued his education in the schools of this city for a short time, but soon began to earn his own livelihood, working at any employment which would yield to him an honest living. Later, however, he began learning the shoemaker's trade, which he followed for two years, and subsequently learned the baker's trade. He was then engaged in the baking and grocery business in Crestline for thirty-three years, one of the oldest merchants in years of continuous connection with commercial circles in the city. He had a well-conducted establishment, supplied with everything in his line, and his trade was a large and profitable one. Thus year by year he increased his income, for his moderate prices, honorable deal- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 611 ing and earnest desire to please his patrons enabled him to have a liberal patronage. Mr. Hoffmann was united in marriage to Miss Johanna Frank, who was born in Germany, May 24, 1844, and in early life came to the United States with her parents, first locating in Erie, Pennsylvania. Her father, George Frank, was born in Germany, in 1804, and in 1845 bade adieu to the fatherland, crossing the briny deep to the new world. He afterward became a farmer in Morrow county, Ohio, where he died about 1875. His wife bore the maiden name of Margaret Heigle, and she, too, was born in Germany. After the death of her husband she came to Crawford county, where her remaining days were passed. Mrs. Hoffmann accompanied her parents from Pennsylvania to Morrow county, Ohio, and thence came to Crawford county. The marriage of our subject and his wife was celebrated in Morrow county and has been blessed with six children, but the first two, Matilda and Emma, are now deceased, and Charles, the fourth member of the family, has also passed away. The others are: Elizabeth; Anna, the wife of A. Fabor ; and Frances. Mr. Hoffmann gives his political support to the Democracy, and is a member of the German Reformed church. Entering upon his business career at a very early age, with no friends or influence to aid him, he has advanced steadily through the strength of his own merit and as the result of close application and untiring industry. Such a career should serve as a source of inspiration to others to whom fate seems unkind. Success can always be gained by determined purpose and honorable dealing when guided by sound judgment, and it is such equalities that won for Mr. Hoffmann his place among the representative men and leading merchants of Crestline. Although he is not yet sixty years of age, he has a competence sufficient to enable him to live without further labor and to enjoy the fruits of his former toil. FRANK P. WARNER One of the public-spirited and progressive citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, who is prominent in his locality both in political and religious circles, is Frank Warner, who was born on the farm where he now resides, on October 8, 1852, and was a son of John and Rebecca. J. (French) Warner, who had six children, four of whom survive, these being as follows : William, a resident of Hicksville, Defiance county; Julia, the widow of J. H. Fry, of Sulphur Springs, this state; Frank, the subject of this sketch; and Thomas J., a resident of this township. 612 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. John Warner, the father of our subject and one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Liberty township, was born in York county, Pennsylvania, on June 9, 1817, and was a son of Charles and Catherine (Boblets) Warner, who, with their family, removed from their native state and settled in Harrison county, Ohio, where they remained nine years, removing at the end of that time to Vernon township, Crawford county, where John has since resided. John Warner assisted his father in clearing up his land and learned the carpenter trade: Soon after beginning business for himself his shop was burned and he lost all of his tools, but he soon earned more, and in the course of time accumulated a considerable fortune, owning two farms, comprising in the aggregate two hundred and forty acres of land. In politics he was a Democrat and for some sixteen or eighteen years held the office of justice of the peace and also served his township in other positions. For many years he was a leading member of the Lutheran church, and for a long period was an official member. His death occurred on September 17, 1896, when he had reached his eightieth year, passing away with the respect of his fellow citizens and lamented by a large circle of friends. The mother of our subject was born in Cumberland, Maryland, a daughter of Judge French, who was one of the first settlers of the county. Mrs. Warner died in 1892, one of the most esteemed residents of Vernon township, where she was beloved for her many acts of neighborly kindness. Frank P. Warner, who is the subject of this biography, was reared at his paternal home and acquired his education in the common schools, where he was an apt and ambitious student. By his marriage, on December 24, 1874, to Miss Isabelle Maxwell, he became connected with one of the prominent families of. Defiance county, Ohio. Mrs. Warner was a daughter of William R. Maxwell, who occupied a number of important positions in his county, where for twenty-four years he was a justice of the peace, during which time he performed eighty-four marriage ceremonies. For eight years Mr. Maxwell was county commissioner, and regret was expressed very universally throughout Defiance county on the occasion of his death, in 1899, at the age of seventy-seven years. After marriage our subject and his estimable wife established their home on the farm, where Mr. Warner engaged in farming on shares for a time. At the death of his father a portion of the estate came into his possession, by will, and later he purchased the interests of the other heirs, and is now the owner of the whole one hundred and fifty-three acres, this land having been earned by his father by work at his trade of carpenter during his earlier years. It is CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 613 a very valuable and highly improved property and makes one of the most agreeable homes in the township. The one son born to our subject and wife, Charles Ray, was reared and educated in this locality and later married Miss. Maud Weaver, and now the hospitable old home roof shelters the two families, the son assisting his father in the management of the property. Mr. Warner comes of a Democratic family and is a stanch supporter of. Democratic men and measures. Like his father, he has long been a leading member of the Lutheran church, belonging to the church council, while fraternally he is connected with Tiro Lodge, No. 592, K. of P., and is recognized as one of the best farmers of Vernon township. PHILIP BENDER. Honored and respected by all, there is no man in Crawford county who occupies a more enviable position in business circles than Philip Bender, who for many years has devoted his energies to the tilling of the soil and to the raising of a high grade of stock. A native of Richland county, Ohio, his birth occurred on the 5th of April, 1857, a son of Jacob Bender, also of this county. Our subject received his education in the primitive schools of his locality, and on his father's farm he was early inured to the work of field and meadow. In 1881, in company with his brother John, he assumed the management of the homestead farm, which they continued for about ten years.. On the 18th of December, 1891, he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth May, a daughter of Lewis May, of Vernon township. For one year after his marriage our subject continued farming the old home farm in partnership with his brother, although he maintained his residence in Tiro. In March, 1893, he removed to the farm which he now owns and occupies, he and his father purchasing of William Hanley one hundred and sixteen acres, our subject becoming the owner if forty-six acres, while his father took possession of the remaining seventy acres Subsequently Mr. Bender purchased his father's interest in the tract, thus becoming the owner of the entire one hundred and sixteen acres. In 190o he rebulit his barn, and has improved his place in many other ways until it is now one of the valuable and attractive homesteads of the township. In addition to the raising of the cereals best adapted to this soil and climate he is also extensively engaged in the breeding of Aberdeen cattle, and in both branches of his business he has met with a high and well-merited degree of success. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Bender has been brightened and blessed by the 614 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. presence of two children,—Carrie M. and Clarence T. The family is one of prominence in their locality, and are attendants and liberal supporters of the Lutheran church. Mr. Bender gives his political support to the Democratic party. He is an energetic business man of marked ability, a progressive citizen and justly popular in his wide circle of acquaintances. WILLIAM S. TUTTLE. Wherever they have found residence in the United States, Canadians have been model citizens, and their descendants have followed in their footsteps. Prominent among Canadians who have settled in Crawford county, Ohio, was the late Alvin F. Tuttle, whose son, William S. Tuttle, is a well-known farmer of Texas township. Alvin F. Tuttle was born near Elizabethtown, Canada, May 26, 1818, and was reared to manhood there. In 1839 he settled in Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio. In 1841 he was joined by his parents, and they bought eighty acres of land where John Tuttle now lives. Later Alvin F. Tuttle removed to Texas township and bought eighty acres of land where his son, William S. Tuttle, now resides. He added to his original purchase until he owned one hundred and ninety acres, which he cleared and improved until it was a valuable agricultural property. He was a Republican in politics from the organization of that party until his death, and took much interest in township affairs, serving his fellow citizens as township clerk and filling the office of assessor of taxes for more than fifteen years. He was for more than sixty years a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, devout in his worship, regular in his attendance at stated services and generous in his contributions toward the supportof its material interests. When he came to the county he began his career in a log cabin which he erected in the wilderness. The woods were alive with game of all kinds and the Indians were frequent visitors at his humble abode. He was married October I, 1844, to Eliza Thompson, who died May 26, 1893. He died May 26, 1901, and they are buried in Poplar cemetery near their old home. They had five children, the following information concerning four of whom will be found interesting : Norsicy A. died in infancy; George T. lives at Bucyrus, Ohio; V. 0., who was a butcher, died in Nevada ; and Dow J. is a merchant at Sycamore, Ohio. William S. Tuttle, youngest child of Alvin F. and Eliza (Thompson) Tuttle, was born on the farm in Texas township, Crawford county, Ohio, on which he now lives, September 17, 1856. He was reared to farm labor and CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 615 educated in the district school. He farmed in association with his father until the latter's death, and is one of the most successful general farmers in the township. He is now the owner of his father's old homestead. In politics he is a Republican, and he has held the office of trustee of Texas township for five years. He is a Knight of Pythias and is widely known as a popular, enterprising and public-spirited man. January 1, 188o, he married Miss Jennie Dunlap.. JOSEPH M. SHELL. A brilliant example of a self-made American citizen and a grand exempli- fication of the progress that an ambitious foreigner can make in this country of unbounded opportunities is shown in the case of Joseph M. Shell, one of the-leading Austrian-American residents of Ohio. His singular success is due' to his own energy and the high ideal which his lofty and laudable ambition placed before him. Success in any walk of life is an indication of earnest endeavor and persevering effort,—characteristics that Mr. Shell possesses in. an eminent degree. He was born in Austria, on the 17th of September, 1845, and his parents, Joseph and Catherine (Lautner) Shell, were also natives of the same country. The father was born in 1824 and was a son of Frank Shell, a potter by trade. He, too, learned the potter's trade and followed that occupation in the town of Staab. In 1872 he came to America, locating in Venice township, Seneca county, Ohio, where he purchased a small tract of land of twenty-six and two-thirds acres and turned his attention to farming, engaging in that pursuit up-to the time of his death, which occurred on the 1st of April, 1877. He was a member of the Catholic church and died in that faith. His wife, who was born in 1825, was a daughter of John Lautner, also a potter by trade, and her death occurred in the year 1896. This worthy couple were the parents of eleven children, but only four are now living, namely : Joseph M. ; Barbara, wife of Wencl Muhr, a resident farmer of Cranberry township; Amelia, wife of Andrew Schott, an agriculturist of Chatfield township; and Charlie, who is engaged in the cultivation of a tract of land in Huron county, Ohio. In the schools of his native land Joseph M. Shell pursued a thorough education in the German tongue, and after coming to America he was through one winter a student in the English school near his home. He also attended night school, and thus became a well-informed man, whose knowledge is continually being supplemented by reading, experience and observation. In early- 616 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. manhood he entered his father's pottery and mastered the business. Believing that better opportunities were afforded for advancement in the new world, he bade adieu to home and friends in 1865 and sailed for the United States, landing in New York City on the 12th of November, after a voyage of forty-nine days on the sailing vessel Louis Henry. The day after his arrival he proceeded to Cleveland, where he arrived with a cash capital of only two dollars, and of this sum he paid one dollar and fifty-six cents for a comfort. For two years he worked at his trade in that city and then went to Shenandoah, Richland county, where he engaged in the pottery business for a year. It was during his residence there that he supplemented his education by one term's attendance in the district school. In the spring of 1868 he came to New Washington, Crawford county, erected a residence and a shop and embarked in the pottery business on his own account. But the new enterprise did not prove profitable, and after a year he closed his shop and secured a situation in connection with the building of the Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad, which was then being constructed through New Washington. He was employed in that capacity for about a year and also worked in a water house. Later he followed any labor that would yield him a living, and in the fall of 1874, having through his diligence, perseverance and economy acquired some capital, he purchased forty acres of land one mile west of his present home. In the following spring he removed to his farm, which was partially cleared, and with characteristic energy began its further development and improvement, transforming it into a comfortable home and richly cultivated fields. He soon remodeled the house and in 1881 he built a bank barn. Two years later he sold the property for one hundred and ten dollars per acre, and through the succeeding year he engaged in the cultivation of a farm belonging to his brother-in-law, Mr. Muhr. In 1884 he purchased his present property, comprising a tract of eighty acres in Cranberry township, and has to-clay one of the most _attractive and desirable farms in the county. His life has been one of marked industry and enterprise, and upon this sure foundation he has builded the superstructure of his success. Mr. Shell was married November 12, 1868, to Miss Catherine Kreim, a native of the same town in which occurred the birth of her husband. She was brought to America by her parents when only four years of age, and by her marriage she has become the mother of ten children, of whom seven are yet living, namely : Rosa, the wife of Edward Alt, of New Washington ; Edward, who is a graduate and now a teacher in the Catholic school of North CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 617 Auburn; Mary, the wife of George Uhl, of Cranberry township; Katharina, Amelia, Frank and Leon, all of whom are still with their parents. Careful consideration of the political issues and questions of the day has led Mr. Shell to identify himself with the Democracy, and upon that ticket in 1887 he was elected township trustee, in which position he served for six years. He was also a member of the election board of Cranberry township for nine years, and during the greater part of that period served as presiding judge of the board. In 1900 he was elected land appraiser of the township and filled the office of a member of the school board for several years. In every political position in which he has been called to serve he has discharged his duties with promptness and reliability, displaying marked loyalty to the trusts reposed in him. He is a zealous member of the Catholic church and was one of the liberal contributors toward the erection of its house of worship in New Washington. He came to America a poor young man, empty-handed, yet with strong will and determined purpose, and these stood him in stead of fortune. They served as a starting point on the highway of prosperity, and steadily has he advanced, gaining as the result of his energetic labors a favorable and well-merited confidence. WESLEY GRUBB. Among the respected, well-known and popular residents of Crawford county, Ohio, is Wesley Grubb, who owns a fine farm in Todd township, but who for the past sixteen years has been engaged in the blacksmithing business in this locality. The birth of Mr. Grubb was in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, on September 5, 1845, and he was a son of John and Margaret ( Emminger) Grubb, who reared a family of eight children ; four oC these still survive, namely : Catherine, who is Mrs. Russell, of Wichita, Kansas ; Agnes, who is Mrs. James Cordell, of Boone, Iowa.; Mary, who is Mrs. Luther Minich, of Paola, Kansas ; and Wesley, who is the subject of this biography. John Grubb was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, in June, 1813, and grew up on the farm, married and rented land until 1854, at which time he emigrated to Ohio, with his family, coming first to Richland county and spending a short time in Mansfield. After looking over the country he found a tract of land consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, located on the Ashland road, which suited his fancy, and this he bought, and it remained the family home until 1859, when he sold it and came to Crawford county, where he purchased a farm of eighty-three acres east of Osceola, in Todd town- 618 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY ship. However, in 1864, as his two sons had left home, one going to Iowa and our subject entering the army, Mr. Grubb rented his farm and removed into Osceola and was engaged there for several years in the sawmill and mercantile business. In 1887 he removed to Kansas and has since that time made his home with his daughter Mary. The mother of our subject, nee Margaret Emminger, died when her children were grown, and Mr. Grubb was later united in marriage to Miss Emily Poole, there being no issue from this marriage, and she has been dead for the past fifteen years. Mr. Grubb is now in his eighty-ninth year and is still in possession of all of his faculties, still takes and active and intelligent interest in the doings of the Republican party and is revered in the Methodist church, in which his membership has covered more than fifty years. Wesley Grubb, who is the subject of this biography, was the youngest of his parents' children, and he received a good common-school education. He was but eighteen years old when he offered his services to his country, enlisting in Company A, Twelfth Ohio Cavalry, on October 23, 1863, as a private, and one year later he was made an officer, although still so youthful. He continued in the service until the expiration of his enlistment, and was mustered out on November 14, 1865, after taking part in some of the most serious engagements of the Civil war, these being : Mt. Sterling, Kentucky; Marion, Virginia; Cynthiana, Kentucky ; Salt Works, Virginia ; Salisbury, North Carolina ; and various minor engagements. After his return from the army Mr. Grubb went to work for his father in the sawmill, later for Judd & Decker, in the Osceola gristmill, but after his marriage he located on a farm, managing his father's property for two years. His wife then inherited the farm upon which our subject now resides from her father's estate, and upon this property our subject erected a handsome residence, which has been the family home ever since, although Mr. Grubb does not actively engage in farming. He has a predisposition for working in iron, and although he never served an apprenticeship he has conducted a very successful smithy for the past sixteen years, his work comparing favorably with that of those who learned the trade in the old style. In 1868 our subject was married to Miss Rhoda A. Williams, who was born in Ashland county, Ohio, a daughter of Reason Williams, who was a member of Company C, One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and gave his life for his country. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Grubbs,—Emmett, deceased, and Ethel, at home. Mrs. Grubbs died October 11, 1901. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 619 Mr. Grubb is an ardent Republican and possesses considerable influence in public affairs, but is no seeker after official favor. Fraternally he is a Mason and is connected with Nevada Lodge, No. 343, A. F. & A. M., of which he served as worshipful master for five years, and with Leith Post, G. A. R., of Nevada, Ohio, holding the offices of past commander, quartermaster and adjutant, and is aide-de-camp of the Department of Ohio, G. A. R., at the present time. Rhoda, wife of Wesley-, died October i 1, 1901. Mr. Grubb is one of the highly esteemed citizens of this county, and enjoys the friendship and respect of all who have come into fellowship with him. He was a brave soldier, and since that time he has been a useful citizen, upholding the laws. and exerting an influence through his locality in favor of all measures looking to the material interests of his county, township, neighborhood and home. ISAAC SNAVELY. Isaac Snavely has resided in Ohio for more than half a century and is a representative of one of the honored pioneer families. People of the present end-of-the-century period can scarcely realize the struggles and dangers which attended the early settlers, the heroism and self-sacrifice of lives passed upon the borders of civilization, the hardships endured, the difficulties overcome.. These tales of the early days read almost like a romance to those who have known only the modern prosperity and conveniences. To the pioneer of the-early days, far removed from the privileges and conveniences of city or town,. the struggle for existence was a stern and hard one, and these men and women: must have possessed indomitable energies and sterling worth of character, as. well as marked physical courage, when they thus voluntarily selected such al life and successfully fought its battles under such circumstances as prevailed in the northwest. The grandparents of our subject were Isaac and Anna (Baum) Snavely. The father of our subject was Michael Snavely, who was born in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, August 17, 1818, and when a young- man he became a resident of Richland county, Ohio. There he was united in marriage to Miss Barbara Whistler, who was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, February 19, 1829, and was a daughter of Jacob and Nancy A. (Funk) Whistler. Her father was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, March 3, 1801, and there spent his youth, learning the trade of wagon-making. Through following that occupation he accumulated some money, and in 1833 he emigrated to Ohio, making the journey by wagon with his family and bringing with him, 34 620 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. his few household effects. He located in Franklin township, Richland county. They had intended to travel further, but the birth of a child, now Mrs. Sarah Smith, on the night of their arrival in Franklin township, caused them to locate there, and Mr. Whistler entered land, eventually becoming one of the well-to-do farmers of the community. He first secured from the government a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, on which he built his cabin and began the task of clearing away the trees and preparing the soil for the plow. As his financial resources increased he added to his property until he had some four hundred acres. He also purchased extensive landed interests in Wood and Hancock counties and gave to each of his sons three hundred and fifty acres of land and to each of his daughters one hundred and sixty acres. He was a member of the Dunkard church and earnest Christian principles permeated his life, making him a man whose example was well worthy of emulation. He died August 13, 1883. Michael and Barbara (Whistler) Snavely established their home in Richland county, Ohio, where they remained until about six months after the birth of our subject, when they removed to Crawford county, the father entering one hundred and sixty acres of the farm whereon he now resides. This was then a tract of virgin forest, only a small portion cf the farm having been cleared, while upon the little patch of land had been erected a log cabin inhabited by an earlier settler. Mr. Snavely was a man of energy and strong determination and at once began the task of cutting away the trees and putting the land under cultivation. There he carried on farming until his death. About 1874 he purchased an additional tract of eighty acres, so that his farm comprised altogether two hundred and forty acres. His political support was given to the Democracy, and he was a life long and earnest member of the German Baptist church. His death occurred November 25, 1884, and his wife died in 1887. They had five children, but only two are living: Isaac and Mary A., the latter now the wife of Adam B. Wolf, of Cranberry township. Isaac Snavely, being but an infant when brought to Crawford county, may be said to have passed his entire life within its borders, and is, therefore, closely identified with its interests. He attended the common schools in his youth and was trained to farm work, so that he was well prepared to carry on agricultural pursuits on his own account when, after his marriage, he began the improvement of a farm. He erected a set of buildings on the west half of the old homestead and took up his abode there with his young bride, operating eighty acres of land. Thereon he made his home until his father's death, when he exchanged his farm for the property of his brother, who was culti- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 621 vating the east half of the home place. He thereby acquired the old home residence and cared for his mother until she, too, passed away. Mr. Snavely has been twice married. In October, 1872, he wedded Miss Sarah E. Resh, a native of Huron. county, Ohio, and a daughter of Henry Resh, a prominent agriculturist. They had three children, of whom two are living : Clara, now the wife of Albert Musselman, of Cranberry township; and Barbara, at home. The mother died in September, 1881, and on the 25th of August, 1882, Mr. Snavely was joined in wedlock to Mrs. Harvey Swartz, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Musselman. They now have five children,—Ray W., Arthur G., Florence A., Samuel A. and John W., and the family circle has never been broken by the hand, of death. Mr. Snavely has never been an aspirant for public office, but when election day conies round he manifests his political preference by casting his ballot for the adherents of the Democracy. He belongs to the German Baptist church and was one of the leaders in the erection of Cranberry Chapel in 1879, it being used as the union church by the German Baptists, the Church of God, the Free-Will Baptists and the Methodists. Such, in brief, is the life record of Isaac Snavely, whose progressive spirit has enabled him to achieve success in business affairs and whose upright life has been the means of gaining for him the warm regard of many friends. JOSEPH MOLLENKOP. Joseph Mollenkop was born on a farm in Bucyrus township, Crawford county, Ohio, November 4,.1865, and is a son of Samuel and Eliza (Deppler) Mollenkop, both parents being natives of Ohio. They were married in Crawford county and settled on a farm in Bucyrus township. In after years they removed to Sandusky township, and there the father died in 1876, aged forty-seven years. Subsequently the mother married William G. Kalb, with whom she now lives in the town of Chatfield. Our subject was reared on the farm. Upon his own resources he was thrown at the age of eleven years, at the death of his father. At the age of eighteen years he came to Chatfield, where he has since made his home, being engaged as a clerk in a general store. For the past sixteen years he has clerked for A. Muth, general merchant. In 1892 he married Mary Muth, a daughter of his employer, and unto the marriage two children have been born, namely : Pearl and Raymond. In politics Mr. Mollenkop is a Republican, and he has been postmaster of 622 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Chatfield since 1898. In 1896 he was elected justice of the peace, which office he held for one term. His education was obtained in the public schools. He is a self-made man, and is esteemed and respected for his many sterling qualities. E. M. NEFF. When determined purpose and unflagging perseverance are lacking effort is rendered futile and resolution unavailing. Well-formulated plans and a close adherence thereto, these are the necessary concomitants of success, and as exemplified in the career of Mr. Neff, have brought to him a richly merited degree of prosperity. He is now in control of one of the leading dry goods. stores of Crestline, his native city, and occupies an enviable position in commercial circles. Mr. Neff was born November 1o, 1863: His father, John Neff, was a native of Germany, and after arriving at years of maturity was there married.. He afterward crossed the Atlantic to "the land of the free," and located in. Galion, Ohio, where he followed his chosen occupation of carpentering, being: employed in the railioad shops. Some time in the '60s he removed to Crest- line and became proprietor of a hotel, which he conducted up to the time of his death, which occurred when he was about fifty-nine years of age. He was a member of the German Lutheran church, lived in harmony with his Christian belief, and his fair 'name in business was never tarnished by unscrupulous dealings. By his first marriage .he had three children: When their mother had passed away .he was again married, in this country, to Mrs. Catherine (Burkhardt) Henge, a widow. She, too, is a native of the fatherland, and is still living. She first married Anthony Henge, and by that union had one son. The parents of our subject had five sons and one daughter of the second marriage, of whom three are still living. E. M. Neff, their youngest child, was reared in Crestline and acquired his education in the schools of the town, but at the age of fifteen years he started out in life on his own account, securing a clerkship in the employ of the firm of McKean & Thoman, with whom he remained for twelve years; mastering the business in principle and detail and giving the fullest satisfaction to employers and patrons, as shown by his. long continuation with the house. For about five years of the time he was chief clerk. In 1891 he embarked in business on his own account, opening a small "Rackett" store with a very limited stock. From that humble beginning, however, has grown his present excellent establishment with its large stock and modern appointments. In CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 623 1896 he erected a two-story brick building on Setzer street, and now has one of the largest dry goods establishments in the town. He enjoys a large and constantly increasing patronage and has a very enviable reputation for straightforward dealing. In addition to his store he has other business interests, being a stockholder in the Schill Brothers Manufacturing Company and in the First National Bank. In 1884 occurred the marriage of Mr. Neff and Miss Emma Lampert, a native of Crestline and a daughter of William and Jamima Lampert.. Their marriage has been .blessed with eight children: Stella J., Arthur J., Theador M., Norma E., Millita, Edward G., Catherine and Marthia. The' parents hold membership in the German Lutheran church, in which Mr. Neff has held several offices, including that of treasurer for six years and trustee for two years. He has taken a very active part in its work and is a generous Contributor to all measures calculated to prove of general good along lines of reform and progress. In politics he is a Democrat, and, as every true American should do, feels an interest in the success of the principles in which he believes, but has never been an office seeker, preferring to devote his energies to his business affairs, in which he is meeting with very creditable prosperity. ROBERT T. JOHNSTON. Among the. worthy pioneers of Crawford county was Robert Thompson Johnston. More than a half century of his useful and exemplary life was spent in Bucyrus, and to the upbuilding of the. city he contributed in no small .degree, so that no compendium of the county would be complete without the record of his career. He was born on the 30th of October, 1822, in Wooster, Ohio, his parents being Thomas and Abigail (Powell) Johnston. In tracing the family genealogy it is found that the first of the name in America was the father Of' our ,subject. He Was born in' County Down, Ireland, in 1782, and probably left the Emerald Isle when about seventeen years of age, for he became naturalized citizen of the United States in 1808, in Fayette county, Pennsylvania,. where his naturalization certificate was issued, stating that he had been a resident of the country for five years. Hence the probable date of his emigration was 1802. He was a tailor by trade, and in the early part of the century he settled in Columbiana county, Ohio, where in .1816 he took an apprentice. The paper of indenture is now in possession of his grandson, and is a contract between Thomas Johnston and a youth who desired to learn tailoring. We infer that Mr. Johnston was married, at the time, for according to 624 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. the terms of the contract he agreed to clothe and board the youth, for in those days apprenticeship nearly always carried with it the agreement that the pupil should be taken into the home of the "master." Thomas Johnston died at Wooster, Ohio, in the year 1853, his wife preceding him in death, passing away in the year 1841, aged fifty-seven years. Unto Thomas and Abigail (Powell) Johnston five children were born, namely : Thomas Powell, Mary, Eliza., Rebecca and Robert Thompson. With their family the parents removed from Columbian county to Wooster, Wayne county, and there they continued to reside until Robert T. Johnston, their second son, was eight years of age, when they removed to a farm in the same county, making it their home for seven successive years. This while, the early childhood of Robert T. Johnston was spent in. the town of his nativity. His youth, up to the age of fifteen, was passed upon the farm, where his lot was not unlike that of other farmer lads, whose privilege it is while developing into manhood to enjoy the wholesomeness of rural life and there learn lessons of industry and perseverance. His educational privileges were necessarily limited, for the schools of Ohio at that time were quite unlike those of to-day, which have reached a high. standard of excellence. For the purpose of educating their children the parents returned to Wooster, where Robert attended school for a year and then entered a printing office, where he was employed for a little more than two years. Owing to failing health he decided to give tip the printing business and turn his attention to the .study of medicine. For three and a half years he was a student in the office of Dr. S. Bissell, of Wooster, teaching school in winter, and for two years he attended medical lectures at Willoughby College. He then practiced for one year in association with his preceptor at Wooster. Dr. Johnston came to Bucyrus in November, 1845,—a poor young. man. His chosen profession did not prove congenial and he engaged in the drug business shortly after arriving in the city, opening the first drug store here in 1845, with Jabez B. Larwill a .partner. This relationship was maintained for about three years. While Dr. Johnston remained a member of the medical fraternity for only .a brief period, he was always called by the title. Upon the close of the partnership with Mr. Larwill, Dr. Johnston sought to continue in the drug business, but having no capital of his own, and it being the custom of wholesale druggists in the east to lend a helping hand to worthy and reliable young men in the rapidly growing west, he Was aided by the firm of J. M. Maris & Company, of Philadelphia, which. house, at its own. risk, in 1848 supplied him with a stock of goods. This was a strong testimonial of the busi- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 625 ness reputation which he bore. The confidence thus reposed in him he even merited, and the firm of J. M. Maris & Company remained his friends for years. afterward, even until his demise. It was at the beginning of his career as a. druggist that Jabez B. Larwell became associated with him. The store was located in a frame building on the east side of Sandusky avenue, but after the dissolution of the partnership in 1848 Dr. Johnston removed into the building still occupied by the Johnston Drug Store. There he continued business uniil his life labors were ended in death. For more than half a century he was hi the drug business in Bucyrus, and throughout the greater part of that period he occupied one building. As the years passed his trade became increasingly profitable and he amassed a very comfortable competence as the result of his close attention to business, honest dealing, steady habits and a thorough knowledge of drugs and their properties, together with a spirit of kindness and friendship toward his fellow men. In his youth Dr. Johnston was taught that the principles of the Democratic party were for the good of all classes, but he was opposed to the institution of slavery, and as the Republican party opposed the extension of slavery he joined its ranks in 1856. During the administration of President James. K. Polk he served as postmaster of Bucyrus, but other than this he held no political position of any importance. In Matters religious he was of the Presbyterian faith. The records of the Bucyrus Presbyterian church Show that on the 14th of August, 1846, he united with that congregation by letter from the church at Wooster, Ohio. His faithful, consistent and blameless Christian life made him not only a strong influence in behalf of Christianity at large but also a. strong pillar in his immediate church. His clear comprehension and unusually strong mentality rendered him authority in all points of church doctrine and polity. For years he was a ruling elder in the church and labored earnestly and effectively, for its welfare. He was one of the organizers of the Oakwood Cemetery Association and served as its treasurer for about thirty years. For several years prior to his death he was afflicted with rheumatism, and, being unable to walk, he would ride each week day to and from his place of business, and seldom did he miss divine services at the church on Sunday. He was stricken with paralysis Tuesday night, January 31, 1899, and on Sunday, February 5, he passed to the great beyond. Thus passed away a man whose life was blameless, whose example was well worthy of emulation. His life shed a helpful and beneficent influence upon all with whom he came in contact, and his memory remains as a blessed benediction to all who knew him. Dr. Johnston was united in marriage, October 24, 185o, to Miss Pamelia 626 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. F. Haskell, of Pittsburg, who survives him and still resides in Bucyrus, where she is loved and esteemed for her many sterling qualities and Christian character. She was born in Newport, Ohio, February 2, 1830, a daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Dana) Haskell. Her father was a son of Maj oc Jonathan and Phoebe (Green) Haskell, the former a native of Massachusetts, who served with distinction as an officer in the war of the American Revolution. Unto the marriage of Dr. and Mrs. Johnston were born three children : Belle C., who lives with her mother ; Frank Thompson ; and Pamelia Dana, now the wife of Charles M. Hord, of Columbus, Kansas. The son was born in Bucyrus, March 23, 1857, was reared in his native city and has here spent his entire life. He pursued his preliminary education in the schools of Bucyrus and then entered Wooster University, returning home in 1878. He then became associated in business with his father, who made him a partner in the enterprise, and in 1879 he was graduated in the Cincinnati 'College of Pharmacy. After his return the firm style of R. T. Johnston & Son was assumed, and for a number of years before the father's death the son was the active manager of the business which he has since conducted with excellent success. In 1882 Frank T. Johnston was married to Miss Clara L. Rupp, a native of Bucyrus and a daughter of Charles G. and Margaret J. (Ruhl) Rupp. Three children, Ralph R., Bessie P. and Margaret H., have been born of this marriage. ADAM LEONHART. For almost a third of a century Adam Leonhart has resided upon the valuable and attractive farm in Chatfield township which is now his home and where he owns and operates two hundred and thirty-four acres of land. He was born on the old Leonhart homestead in the same township, September 15, 1846, and there remained until twenty-one years of age, his childhood and youth being passed in the usual manner of farmer lads of the period. The duties of the schoolroom, the pleasures of the playground and the labors of the fields on the home farm occupied his attention. Thus the years went by until he had attained his majority, when he sought as a companion for the journey of life Miss Mary Crabach, and their marriage was celebrated on the 8th of March, 1868. Mr. Leonhart then began farming as a renter, first renting a portion of his father's farm, later other lands, and for several years farmed rented lands. He owns two hundred and thirty-four acres of land, all in one body, including a tract of valuable timber land. It has been divided into fields CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 627 of convenient size for cultivation, and almost always he raises good crops, which sell at high market prices, thus bringing him a merited reward for his labor. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Leonhart has been blessed with six children, as follows : Elizabeth, the wife of William Kline, of Cranberry township, Crawford county; Ira A., who is living in New Washington; Emma; Oliver H., a veterinary surgeon; and Nora and Walter, at home. They have also lost one child, Clara B., who died at the age of seven years. The family attend the German Evangelical Lutheran church, of which Mr. Leonhart is a consistent member. He exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democratic party, but has never been an aspirant for the honors and emoluments of public office, preferring to give his attention to his farming operations, whereby he has gained a place among the men of affluence in his community. Mention of his parental history is made in the biography of John Leonhart, his eldest brother. ADAM REICHHARD. For a quarter of a century Adam Reichhard has made his home upon the farm in Chatfield township which he still occupies. He is numbered among the native sons of the county, his birth having occurred in Cranberry township, November 4, 1836, his parents being Henry and Elizabeth Reichhard. The father was born in the western part of Germany and when a young man crossed the briny deep to the new world. Here he was married and six children were born of the union, namely : Elizabeth, now deceased ; Adam; Annie, who has also passed away ; John, a resident of Columbus, Ohio; Catherine ; and Henry, who is living in New Washington. It was in the year 1834 that the father came to Crawford county, establishing his home in Cranberry township, where he died in 1848, our subject being then twelve years of age. When a child of two years, however, Mr. Reichhard, of this review, became a member of the family of Adam Kaylor, whose wife was an aunt of Mr. Reichhard's mother, and with them our subject remained throughout his boyhood and youth and when they were old they made their home with Mr. Reichbard. Farm work occupied much of his attention in youth, and the district schools of the neighborhood afforded him his educational privileges. On the 9th of July, 1857, he wedded Miss Elizabeth Leonhart, a daughter of George Leonhart, and unto them have been born thirteen children, of whom ten are 628 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. yet living : Frank, John, William, Fred, George, Kate, Maggie, Ella, Lena, Helma and Elizabeth. Adam and Tillie are now deceased. Soon after his marriage Mr. Reichhard began farming in Chatfield township and in 1876 took up his abode upon the farm where he now lives: For four years prior to that time he had engaged in buying and selling stock of all kinds. He owns here eighty acres of land and has six hundred and forty acres in Texas. He deals in stock and also carries on general farming and for thirty-three years engaged in the operation of a threshing machine. His life has been a busy one, industry being one of his most marked characteristics. This forms the basis of all success, and his extensive operations and well directed business affairs have brought to Mr. Reichhard enviable prosperity. He has yet found time to devote to public interests and his fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, have frequently called him to public office. For seven years he served as constable, was road master for eighteen years and school director for twenty years, discharging the duties of all the offices in a most capable and reliable manner, so that over the record of his public career there falls no shadow of wrong. In his political views he is a Democrat, and religiously he is a member of the German Evangelical Lutheran church. Those who have known him from boyhood are numbered among his warmest friendsa fact which indicates that his has been a life worthy of high regard. Through more than six decades he has resided in the county and well does he deserve mention among her deserve mention among her respresentative citizens. ALEXANDER McKEAN. There is not in Jefferson township, Crawford county, Ohio, a man who is held in higher esteem for all that constitutes good citizenship than the subject of this sketch. Alexander McKean was born in Leesville, Ohio, June 1839, a son of Dr. John and Rebecca (McClaskey) McKean. Dr. John McKean, a detailed account of whose life would be very interesting reading, was born at aver Falls, Pennsylvania, February 10, 1810. Long before that time his father had carried the mail on horseback between Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and Baltimore, Maryland, and in 1819, when the future physician was about nine years old, the family removed to Calcutta, Columbiana county, Ohio, where the youth gained a good common school education and a practical knowledge of business as it was transacted there at that time. When quite young he began teaching school, studying medicine in his spare moments and in that employment he earned money with which to pay for his professional ed- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 629 ucation. In 1830, equipped with the necessary diploma and some little experience as a medical practitioner, he started out on horseback in quest of a location in which to practice his profession. He passed through Mansfield, Ohio, which did not appear promising to him; and at Galion he found only a few log cabins. While taking dinner at the last mentioned settlement he met the Rev. Robert Lee, the founder of the village of Leesville, who persuaded the young physician to locate at that point. For four y ears he boarded with the Rev. Mr. Lee and was practically a member of his household. Then he married Miss McClaskey, who bore him nine children, the following information concerning the most of whom will be of interest in this connection. Their daughter Margaret, who became Mrs. Robert Hall, is dead. Alexander, who is the immediate subject of this sketch, was the second in order of birth. William, Rebecca J. and John L. are dead. Eugenia is the wife of John Ludlum, superintendent of the Barnett shops at Canton, Ohio. Jacob lives in California. Emma is the wife of D. G. R. Edwards, of Los Angeles, California. Dr. McKean lived at Leesville, Ohio, giving his entire attention to a growing medical practice, until 1866, and then removed to Crestline, Ohio, where he practiced his profession until 1879, when he retired. He died in 189o, aged eighty years. His wife died in 1886. They were consistent members of the Presbyterian church, in which he took great interest. He was a well read man who gave much attention to the world's progress in every department of human endeavor, and he was a charitable man who gave his professional services freely even when there was no hope of pecuniary reward. He rode over the country in all directions from his place of residence and had hundreds of accounts on his books, but it is said of him that he never sued on any claim or pressed any delinquent unduly. Alexander, his oldest son, was born and reared and educated at Leesville, Ohio, and at the age of twenty-two moved upon a farm near that place, where he lived until 1872. From. 1872 to 1889 he lived on a farm near Crestline, and in 1889 he located on his present farm in Jefferson township, Crawford county. He is the owner of eighty acres of good land and gives his attention to the production of miscellaneous crops. He is a Republican, and while not a practical politician he has been active in promoting all measures tending to benefit the township and county. Devoted to his church, the Lutheran, he has been liberal in the support of religious worship wherever he has lived. His life embraces not only the modern but the pioneer period of the history of this part of the country and is rich in reminiscence of the early days. Among other recollections is one concerning the advent of the first cook. stove at Lees- 630 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY . ville. Money as a commodity those times was scarce, and his father having .secured a load of wheat from the settlers for medical services, and for the express purpose of buying a stove, hired John Clements to haul it to Sandusky City, a distance of sixty miles. Clements returned with the stove on the evening of the fifth days after leaving, when every one in the village turned out to see it. Mr. McKean was married January 1, 1862, to Margaretta Osborn, who died August 19, 1897. To them were born ten children, nine of whom are living. Bernhard, the oldest son, is married and lives on the farm. Sherwood, a railroader, lives in Crestline, Ohio. Irene died April 4, 1880. Hall and Claude, both railroaders, reside in Pratt, Kansas. Grace is the wife of William Thoman, also a resident of Pratt, Kansas. Pearl is the wife of Elmer Courter, whose home is in Galion, Ohio, and who is a railroader. The three youngest, Ariadne, Edna and Philena, live with their father on the old homestead: BENJAMIN F. LASH. One of the highly respected farmers of Crawford county, Ohio, is Benjamin Franklin Lash, who was born in Crawford county, in Auburn township, on December 17, 1840, and he was a son of Peter and Mary (Fredline) Lash, extended notice of whom may be found in the sketch of Peter B. Lash, in another part of this volume. Benjamin Franklin Lash was reared on the home farm and obtained his education in the common schools of the neighborhood. His father died at the age of forty-three years, and from the age of seventeen years the management of the home farm fell upon his shoulders. After his marriage he still -continued on the home farm, operating it for his mother, on shares, for some five years. He then purchased a farm of .fifty acres in Sharon township, in Richland county, and resided upon that property for the following two years. During this time the Mansfield, Cold Water & Michigan Railroad was built through his property, and he was made foreman of construction for four miles of the road, and after the completion of this division of the road he was made .an offer of the important position of division master, but he did not accept the position, on account of the objections of his family to his becoming a railroad man. Selling his farm at this time, Mr. Lash went to Plymouth township, in Richland county, and there bought eighty acres, but in the following summer the railway officials solicited him to accept a position in their service, but he CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 631 still declined. For four years he remained on the Plymouth farm and then purchased one hundred and twenty acres of his present home farm, in Auburn township, in Crawford county. This was in the spring of 1876, and five years. later he purchased the sixty acres lying directly across the road from his home property. Both of these farms are highly improved and well represent the excellent agricultural conditions for which Crawford county has long, been noted. On January 12, 1865, Mr. Lash was united in marriage to Miss Sarah J. Kauffman, who was a native of Cranberry township and a daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Kauffman, the latter having come to Crawford county and settled in Cranberry township early in the '40s. Three children have been born to this union, the two survivors being : Mary E., at home ; and Nellie. Clyde, the wife of Elias Cashman, who resides on our subject's sixty-acre. farm and operates the whole farm. The first vote Mr. Lash cast for president was for Abraham Lincoln, and. he has always been active in party affairs, serving in several of the local offices, notably during one term as land appraiser and one term as township assessor.. His parents were among the organizers of the United Brethren church on the. Auburn circuit, and some of the family is still connected with that religious body, but our subject and family are connected with the Methodist church,_ and for the past forty-four years Mr. Lash has been one of its leading members and hearty and liberal supporters. For many years he has served as superintend the of the Sunday-school and has done much to awaken and keep alive an active interest in religious work in his locality. At present he is one of the class-leaders and has been the chorister ever since his earliest connection with it. Mr.. Lash is a representative of an honored and esteemed ancestry, and he enjoys the position of being one of the representative men of Auburn township. With regard to his personal habits we may add that Mr. Lash has never chewed a. particle of tobacco or smoked a cigar or pipe, and has never taken a drink of liquors of any kind, nor has played a game of cards or danced a jig. JOHN W. HUMPHREY. A prominent and highly esteemed citizen of Crawford county, Ohio, is John W. Humphrey, of Vernon township, whose birth was in New Haven, Huron county, Ohio, on January 28, 1836. He was the eldest son of Evan and Sarah E. (Hoyt) Humphrey, who reared ten children to useful manhood and womanhood. The other members of the family are as follows: Matilda, 632 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. the wife of Peter Will, of Richland county ; Franklin, who enlisted in Company H, One. Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment Of Ohio Volunteers, and died of wounds received in the battle of Winchester, Virginia, in 1861 ; James, who was in the same company and died in Salisbury prison ; William., a resident of Kansas City ; Sarah E., the wife of Samuel Esterline, of this township ; Mary J., the' wife of Ira Gloyd, of Kansas City ; Jacob, a resident of Texas ; Elmira, the wife of Henry Esterline, of Crestline; and Evan, a horse dealer of Kansas City. Evan Humphrey, the father of our subject, was born in Virginia, in 1797, and grew to maturity in his native state, at which time he removed to Licking county, Ohio, where some of his brothers and sisters had located, and while in that county engaged in driving a stage for a period, later going to Huron county, where he married and took up his residence in the town of New Haven. There Mr. Humphrey opened up a butcher business. At the birth of her infant Mrs. Humphrey died, and later Mr. Humphrey married Sarah E. Hoyt, who had been born in the state of New York and came with her parents to Huron county. In 1836 Evan Humphrey removed with his wife and two children to Crawford county, buying a farm of eighty acres of a Mr. Hagerman, this farm being now the property of Samuel Esterline, and here he spent. the remainder of his life. This land, when he took possession of it, was all timber and swamp, and predictions were made that the family would starve upon it before it was ever brought to a producing state ; but Mr. Humphrey was not easily dismayed and not only lived to see it all cleared, but also to have it regarded as one of the most desirable and valuable farms in the county. First he added twenty acres to the original purchase, and by ditching and tiling changed its conditions, and upon it reared a family that equaled in robustness the children of those who doubted his earlier judgment. In his earlier days he voted with the Democratic party, but later in life adopted the principle's of the Republican party. For a time the township election booth was in his house. Mr. Humphrey was an active member in the religious body known as the Church of God, for a number of years belonging to its official body. He lived to more than seventy-five years, and died one of the most highly esteemed men of his neighborhood. John W. Humphrey, of this biography„ attained his manhood in his home and was given superior educational advantages. After completing the common school course he was sent to the private seminary in De Kalb, which was conducted by a local educator of note, Professor Thompson, and at the age of CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 633 twenty years he was deemed sufficiently educated to become a teacher himself. For six terms he taught in the district schools of his neighborhood, but his marriage closed this career, as then he began work as a farmer. For about five years Mr. Humphrey managed the home farm for his father and later followed the same vocation on other rented land, but in 1874 he purchased eighty-seven acres of his present home farm, and subsequently has added eleven acres, making his present holdings a fraction over ninety-eight acres. Here he has demonstrated his ability as a farmer and now owns a tract of land which compares, in cultivation and improvement, very favorably with any other in this township. In 1858 Mr. Humphrey was married to Miss Rebecca Traub, who was a native of Galion, Ohio, and who was a daughter of Henry Traub, who came to Crawford county at an early day. To our subject and his wife have been born nine children, their names ̊being as follows : William H., a resident of Auburn township ; James B., of Stevensville, Montana ; Emma, the wife of Arthur Knowles, of this township ; Sadie, the wife of Charles Gribben, of Richland county; Ella, the wife of Thomas B. Branton, of Montana ; Catherine, the wife of George Gutschall, the farmer on our subject's home farm ; and Anna, Zoe and Ira, at home. In politics Mr. Humphrey has always been in sympathy with the Democratic party, and has most efficiently filled a number of local offices. For the past twenty years he has been a justice of the peace, and for three successive terms he has been elected township clerk, and for two years was one of the best and most satisfactory assessors the township ever had. Both Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey are consistent members of the Church of God, in which our subject has been an honored elder for more than fifteen years. He is a man of sterling character and is justly held in the highest esteem in his locality. AARON NEFF. Among the young men who are cultivating a portion of the soil of Crawford county with gratifying success should be mentioned Aaron Neff, who is a prominent agriculturist of Sandusky township. This is indeed a beautiful farming country, and the land which our subject now cultivates is some of the best in the locality. A native son of the Buckeye state, Mr. Neff was born on the 21st of February, 1873, in Crawford county, a son of Joseph Neff, one of the most prominent and esteemed citizens of this county. Aaron was reared to manh000d under 634 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. the paternal roof, acquiring his education in the common schools of his local ity. At the age of twenty-two years, in company with his brother Emanuel, he came to Sandusky township, Crawford county, and began operating the two hundred and forty-four acres of land which belongs to his father, for which he pays cash rent. He is meeting with success in his venture as an agriculturist and he now occupies a front rank among the public-spirited and progressive young farmers of his locality. In his political views he is a stanch supporter of the Republican party. He is very popular and is held in high esteem by the people of his locality for his honorable character and energetic nature. PETER ROSS One of the fine farms in Lykens township is owned by Peter Ross, who has a valuable tract of three hundred and nineteen acres, all under a high state of cultivation and improved with all modern accessories. He has resided thereon for Many years and is numbered among the leading agriculturists of Crawford county. Mr. Ross was born in Germany, November 19, 1836, a son of Peter and Margaret (Simmermacher) Ross; whose family numbered six children, namely : Catherine, who married Chris Kibler, of Chatfield township; Peter, of this review ; George, who died in 1899 ; Philip, who was one of the first contractors on building in Bucyrus, and now makes his home in this city ; Margaret, the wife of Charles Jacobs; and William, who is connected with the planing mills in Crestline, Ohio. During the first eighteen years of his life Peter Ross, of this review, remained in the fatherland, and during that period pursued his education in the Public schools. It was in the year 1854 that he came to America as a passenger on a sailing vessel, which was twenty-eight days in reaching the harbor of New York. The following year his parents also came to the new world. Our subject spent the first year after his arrival in working as a farm hand in Vernon township, and in 1855 he came to Lykens township, where his father purchased eighty acres of land, upon which he now resides. Only fifteen acres of the land had been cleared, and a log house was almost the only improvement on the place. Mr. Ross continued to engage in agricultural pursuits upon that farm until 1866, when he went to Jackson, where he was employed for a year. Later he rented land for a year and then returned to the old homestead, where he has since remained a resident. As his financial resources have increased he has made judicious investments in property and is to-day the owner of three CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 635 hundred and nineteen acres, constituting one of the attractive and desirable farms of the county. The fields are thoroughly tilled and usually yield excellent crops. In his farming operations Mr. Ross has ever been industrious and progressive, and his place, in its neat and thrifty appearance, is proof to the passerby of the careful supervision of the owner. In 1867 Mr. Ross married Miss Elizabeth Schimp, and unto them have been born ten children : Emma, deceased ; 'Philip; Jacob; Henry, deceased; Charley, Adam, Tilley, Henry, Martha, who died on the 18th of October, 1901, and Christian. The parents are members of the Lutheran church, in which Mr. Ross has served as trustee and as a township official. He contributes liberally to its support and is deeply interested in its welfare and growth.. He exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democracy. His life has been one of honorable activity, in which his enterprise and industry have enabled him to overcome all obstacles and work his way upward to. success. It was a wise decision that brought him to America, for in this land he found the opportunities he sought and has gained a comfortable competence. EMANUEL NEFF. One of the most straightforward, energetic and successful business men. of Sandusky township is Emanuel Neff, who has attained a front rank in agricultural circles in his locality. He was born in Holmes township, Crawford county, Ohio, on the 9th of January, 1870, a son of Joseph Neff, whose history. will be found on .another page of this volume. Our subject was reared to manhood on his father's farm, his educational advantages being those afforded by the common schools of his neighborhood. On the 28th of March, 1895, he was united in 'marriage with Miss Sarah Krauter, a native of Cranberry township and the daughter of Jacob Krauter, who came to this locality with his parents when a child, the family locating in Liberty township. Immediately after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Neff came to Sandusky township, locating on the farm where they still reside and which belongs to his father. The place consists of two hundred and forty-four acres of rich and fertile land, and there our subject and his brother Aaron are extensively engaged in farming and stock-raising, their efforts in both branches of their business being attended with a high and gratifying success. They pay cash rent for the land. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Neff has been blessed with two children,— Lester, E. and Ralph. Mr. Neff exercises his right of franchise in support of 35 636 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. the men and measures of the Republican party. He has made farming his life occupation, in which he has been very successful, and his record thus far in life has been such as to commend him to the respect and esteem of all with whom he has had business or social intercourse. JOHN BENDER. A resident of Crawford county, John Bender has for many years been prominently identified with the agricultural interests of his locality, and has contributed materially to the advancement and progress of the county through this channel. He is a well informed man, possessed of broad general information, and in his nature there is nothing narrow or contracted. All who know him esteem him highly for his genuine worth, and it 'is with pleasure that we present the record of his life to our readers. Born in Richland county, Ohio, on the 15th of December, 1852, he is a son of Jacob Bender, also a prominent agriculturist of Crawford county. Upon the homestead property our subject spent the days of his boyhood and youth, and his labors in the fields were alternated by study in the district schools of the neighborhood. After reaching mature years he and his brother Philip began farming the old homestead as renters, which they continued until the brother removed to a place of his own, and our subject then continued operating the home farm alone for a time. After his father's death he purchased eighty acres of the place, the tract containing all of the farm buildings, and two years later, by his perseverance and constant toil, he was enabled to purchase an additional forty-five acres, .and his landed possessions now aggregate one hundred and twenty-five acres, all being under a high state of cultivation and improved with all the modern accessories and conveniences of a model farm of the present clay. He is practical and progressive in his Methods of farming, and in the management of his business affairs he displays a sound judgment that has brought to him a merited success. In 1884 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Bender and Miss Tracy Brady, a native of Henry county, Ohio, and a daughter of Cornelius and Anna (Keys) Brady. The father was. one of the earliest pioneers and most prominent farmers of Henry county, and he now makes his home with his son, Alphonses. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bender have been born ten children,--Edith, Ralph, Anna, Romain, Virl, Ollie, Moodie, Oliver, Otis and Laid, all still under the parental roof. In. his political faith Mr. Bender is a stanch Democrat. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 637 The family enjoy the hospitality of many of the best homes of Crawford county, and their circle of friends is almost co-extensive with their circle of acquaintances. JOHN H. MULFORD. The subject of this sketch is of that stanch old New Jersey stock which has planted the seeds of progress and of prosperity in all parts of our land. He has been known as a merchant and farmer for many years and is one of the leading citizens of Texas township, Crawford county, Ohio. His father, John Mulford, a native of New Jersey and a tanner by trade, came to Ohio in 1832 and worked at his trade in Monroeville, Huron county, until he removed to Richland county, where he bought eighty acres of land. After farming for a while, he became a general merchant at Ganges, Richland county, where he traded successfully two years. At the end of that time he removed his enterprise to Bellville, where he ran a store for one year. From 1851 to 1868 he followed mercantile business successfully at Benton, Crawford county. Then, disposing of his mercantile interests, he retired to his farm, where he died December 20, 1878, at the age of seventy years. At the time of his death he owned three hundred and sixty acres of land. Influential in local affairs, he served for many years as township trustee and treasurer. In politics he was a Republican. He was for many years a consistent and helpful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His good wife survived him until June 2, 1892, when she died at the age of eighty-two years. Lodusky, wife of John Mulford, was the daughter of Silas Bevenstock, and came alone to Ohio about the year 1832, from. Vermont. She taught school and was housekeeper for her brother, A. B. Bevenstock, after the death of his first wife: She was married to John Mulford, in 1834, and they had three children—William, Allen and John H. John H. Mulford was born near Bellville, Richland county, Ohio, January 2, 1845, and was six years of age when his father removed to Benton, where he was reared to manhood. He gained a substantial education in the village school and had a valuable business experience 'as a clerk in his father's store. Later he turned his attention to farming and he was so employed until he married Julia Longwell, a daughter of Peter Longwell, February 29, 1868. For eight years after his marriage he lived in Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio. From the spring of 1877 to 1896 he was the proprietor of a popular general store at Benton. Meantime, in 1885, he removed to his 638 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. present farm in Texas township and from that time until 1896 he was both a.. farmer and a merchant. Since he disposed of his store he has given his entire attention to general farming and stock-raising. He owns one hundred and sixty acres in Texas township and one hundred and eighty acres in Lykens township, making an aggregate of three hundred and forty acres. He is a Republican in politics, and has been treasurer of his township for ten years. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which for some time he has held the office of trustee. Mr. and Mrs. Mulford have six children, named. Rolla, Mary, Jesse, Milo, Cora and Oland. WILLIAM H. MILLER. William Henry Miller is a passenger conductor on the Toledo & Ohio. Central Railroad and makes his home in Bucyrus. He was born March 11, 1858, in Tiffin, Ohio, and is a son of Louis Miller, whose birth occurred February 6, 1829, in Scheime, Alsace, which was a province of France prior to the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71, and came to this country with his parents. in 1835, locating at Massillon, Stark county, Ohio, where he acquired his education and learned the shoemaker's trade, and in 1852 removed to Tiffin, Seneca county, this state. He married Eva Zircher, who was born December 16, 1833, in Alsace, France, and was brought to the United States in 1836, the family locating on the boundary line between Seneca and Crawford counties. Her parents afterward removed to Tiffin, Ohio, about 1870. Mrs. Miller departed this-life April 17, 1884, but the father of our subject is still living. In the common schools of his native city William H. Miller, of this review, pursued his education, and on putting aside his text-books at the age of thirteen assisted his father in the conduct of a meat market. He was concerned with that business for about five years and then turned his attention to farming. For two years he engaged in operating a threshing machine and sawmill machine, the former being the second one brought to Seneca county. On the 5th of January, 1882, he came to Crawford county and accepted a position as brakeman on the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad, making his first trip on the 9th of January of that year. After acting in that capacity for a year and four Months he was promoted to the position of conductor, in May, 1883, and served on a through freight for three years, when he was made the first conductor on a working train on the road. He filled that position for about three months and was then transferred to a local freight train on the Corning di- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 639 vision, running between Corning and Columbus. After six months he was transferred to a local freight train on the Bucyrus division and was on that line for about ten months. Later he was made passenger conductor, in which capacity he has served to the present time, covering a period of fourteen years. On the l0th of April, 1882, .Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Margarite M. Link, a daughter of Adam and Mary Anna Link. Her father was a tailor by trade and was born in Baden, Germany, June 5, 1828. When a young man of twenty years he came to the United States and was here married to Miss Mary Anna Stundel, who was born March 19, 1828, in Bavaria, and came to the new world in 1847, landing at Baltimore. Mrs. Miller was born in Liverpool, Pennsylvania, July 27, 1858, and became a resident of Bucyrus in 1865. Unto our subject and wife have been born two children : William Edward, whose birth occurred November 28, 1882, and Annie Kathrine, born October 17, 1884. Mr. Miller and his family are all members of the Catholic church, and he is identified with various fraternal and civic societies, including the Order of Railway conductors, the Royal Arcanum, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His long service on the railroad indicates unmistakably his fidelity to duty and his .ability in the discharge of the tasks which devolve upon him. 'He is most trust" worthy and painstaking and has won the friendship of many patrons of the oad. MICHAEL WINKELFOOS. Michael Winkelfoos, who for many years has been connected with the railway service, resides. in Bucyrus where he is a well known and highly esteemed citizen. He was born in McKeesport, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, on the 23d .of October, 1852, and is a son of August Winkelfoos, who was born at Micheistadt in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, which was also the birthplace of his wife, who bore the maiden name of Barbara Reh. Both came to America prior to their marriage. In 1852. the father went to San Francisco, California, where he spent his remaining days, passing away in 1873, at the age of forty-six years. His widow, who was born in 1833, is still living and now makes her home in Mansfield, Ohio. In the family are two children who yet survive, namely : Michael, of this review and Mrs. C. Stephen, :a widow, who is living in Crestline. Mr. Michael Winkelfoos, whose name heads this record, pursued his education at .Crestline, Crawford county and at Lima,. attended the public schools 640 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. and on putting aside his text-books he entered upon his business career in 1867, at the age of fifteen years, as an employe on the eastern division of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago road. He at first ran between Crestline and. Alliance. His duties were those of a fireman, but in 1872, at the age of nineteen years, he was made an engineer. Very seldom is one so young appointed. to such an important position. He continued with the 'Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chicago road until 1877, and for the past thirteen years he has been a. passenger engineer on the Toledo & Ohio Central road. In 1880 he took up his abode in Columbus, whence he removed to Bucyrus, where he is now permanently located. During his long .railroad experience he has met with several accidents. In 1895 he was in a head-end collision, in which the fireman,. Frank Doty, was killed, while Mr. Winkelfoos was badly injured. He has also been in two other wrecks, where the engine turned over, in which he has suffered some injuries, and on one occasion his engine became ditched in a tunnel. He is, however, most careful in his work, reliable and trustworthy and has the entire confidence of the company. In 1874 Mr. Winklefoos married Miss Caroline Ludwig, a daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth (Mager) Ludwig. Her father went to Crestline in 1842 and has there made his home ever since. He was born at Nedemdow in Hesse-Darmstadt, and for fifty years was employed by the Pennsylvania: Railroad Company, but for the past seventeen years he has lived retired, making his home in Crestline. His birth occurred January 9, 1825, and *he is. therefore now seventy-six years of age. His wife, who was also a native of Germany, was born August 19, 1828, and died January 28, 1900. Two of their .daughters are yet living, namely : Mrs. .Winkelfoos and Mrs. J. W. Smith, the latter a resident of Crestline. The marriage of our subject and his. wife has been blessed with the following children : Fred, who is now employed as fireman on the Toledo. & Ohio Central Railroad; Gustave, who died at the age of six years ; Bartholomew, who was killed on the Pennsylvania. road, at the age of twelve years ; Delbert, who is employed by the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad Company and makes -his home with his parents ; and Emma, who is now in school. Mr. Winkelfoos is a prominent and exemplary Mason and holds membership in the blue lodge, chapter and council. Both he and his wife are also members of the Order of the Eastern Star, in which Mrs. Winkelfoos is now serving as warden. He is also a member of the Royal Arcanum and of the Deutsche Gesellschaft. In politics he is independent, preferring to support the men whom he thinks best qualified for the office, regardless of party affilia- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 641 tions. Both he and his wife are active members of the German Lutheran church and are people held in highest esteem because of their many excellent qualities. They are earnest and efficient workers in church and lodge and wherever known have won the regard and friendship of many with whom they have been brought in contact. CHARLES EDLER. Crawford county, Ohio, has reason to congratulate itself upon having within its borders many leading citizens of German birth and extraction. Prominent among these is Charles Edler, of Jefferson township, who was born in Baden, Germany, June 24, 1830, a son of Martin and Margaret (Shrick) Edler, of whose twelve children only three survive—the subject of this sketch, his brother George and sister Elizabeth, both of whom remain in the fatherland. Charles Edler was brought up on his father's farm in Germany and came to America in 1852, landing in New York after a voyage which consumed twenty-seven days. He went to Ohio and making his headquarters at Galion worked out as a farm hand four years. In 1856 he married Margaret Beach, a native of Crawford county, Ohio, and about that time he bought a small piece of land in Whetstone township, Crawford county, on which he began farming on his own account. He remained there until 1862, when he bought eighty acres of land across the county line in Marion county, where he lived ten years, meanwhile adding forty acres to his original purchase. In 1872 he sold his farm in Marion county, and removed to his present farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Jefferson township, Crawford county, Ohio. He has adhered closely to .general farming and stock-raising and has made a notable business success. He is a stanch Republican in politics, devoted to the traditions and principles of his party and has always been influential in public affairs, but though he has helped friends to important offices he has never sought any official position for himself, and as a farmer has been too busy to give much attention to practical politics. He is a broad-minded man of much general information who has read a good deal and has traveled extensively.. In 1900 he visited three months in Germany, and the Paris Exposition, and in 1901 he and his wife attended the Pan-American exposition at Buffalo, New York. Charles and Margaret (Beach) Edler have had ten children, eight of whom survive. Their daughter Emma married William Ricker and lives at 642 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Bucyrus, Ohio. Their daughter Catharine became the wife of Levi Smith and lives at Galion. Their daughters Amanda and Margaret are members of their household. Their daughter Etta married Elmer Smith and also lives at Galion. Their son George is a resident of the same city. Their son Carl manages his father's farm and takes a prominent part in many township and county affairs. JEROME BLAND, M. D. There is no other profession in which peculiar to which greater responsibility rest than is peculiar to the medical profession. Upon the skill and fidelity of the physician depends life and death in great measure. No other professional man has greater opportunity to gain the confidence and esteem of his fellow man than has the physician. The public mind, nevertheless, is sharp and piercing in criticism ; the sick, too, are susceptible to change of sentiment, easily discouraged, quick to make changes of mind, so that after all the physician has not only to battle with disease but also with ever-changing temper of mind and heart so: manifest in mankind. And that physician who succeeds in the art of healing and establishes and long holds for himself high rank in his 'profession and in the: esteem and confidence of his patients and fellow men deserves no little praise from the pen of the biographer. Among skillful, successful and esteemed physicians of Ohio the subject of this sketch holds a conspicuous place. He was an Ohio farmer's son, and made school teaching of stepping-stone into profession of medicine; began his professional career a poor man, and not under the most promising circumstances but more than thirty years mark the span of a successful professional career for him, and yet he is still active and usefulness of no limited years of usefulness in his profession. Dr. Bland is a native of Ohio, born on 1840,in Muskingum county, July 22, 1840, and spent the first twenty-three years of his life on the farm, where he was schooled in arduous labors of farm life, learning most useful lessons of industry and perseverance that have characterized his life. His parents were Ebenezer and Harriet (Lane) Bland, and of their ten children, three daughters and seven sons, the Doctor was the eldest. The father was a native of Virginia, while the mother's native state was Maryland. John Bland, the paternal grandfather of our subject, came from Virginia to Ohio as early as 1798, and settled in Muskingum county. The land which he obtained by patent from the general government is still in possession of his de- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 645 scendants, which are numerous in Muskingum county. From sturdy ancestors our subject is descended, and his father and mother were possessed of many sterling qualities. At the age of nineteen years Dr. Bland began teaching in the country schools of his native county, and, in all, he taught nine winter terms. In 1862 he became a student in Denison College at Granville, Ohio, where he remained till 1864, after which date he taught several terms of school. Disposition of mind, that of a student, led him into preparation for professional life. Deciding upon the profession of medicine, he began, in 1864, the study of medicine, under the preceptorship of Dr. Joseph McCann, an old and successful practitioner of Irville, Ohio. Later he attended one term of lectures in the Starling Medical College, of Columbus, this state. He then began the practice of medicine at Hanover, also in this state, where he remained two years, and then returned to the Starling Medical College, where he graduated in 1869. He then came to Crawford county and located at Benton, now Poplar, where he continued in a most active and lucrative practice for fourteen years. During this time so large was his practice that he was "on the go" almost night and day. No other physician of the county ever had larger, if as large, a country practice as had Dr. Bland while he was located at Benton, from which place he came to. Bucyrus in 1883, since when he has been numbered among the most active and successful physicians and surgeons of Bucyrus, enjoying a very large and lucrative practice. He is a member of the Northwestern Ohio Medical Society, of the Ohio State Medical Society and of the American Medical Association. In politics the Doctor is a Democrat. He has served five years as county ,coroner and was a member of the pension board of examiners for four years under the second administration of Grover Cleveland. He also is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and of the Masonic order, being a Knight Templar and also a "Shriner," holding membership in Alkoran Temple, at Cleveland. He has considerable business interests; being the proprietor of the Knisely Springs stock farm, owning and breeding high-bred horses, his stock farm being noted for its high-class horses. On his farm are also, most valuable mineral springs, the water from which constitute the product for the Knisely Mineral Springs Bottling Works. In the mention of the Doctor's family history there is a peculiar item to record. He had two brothers, Charles and John Bland, who studied medicine under him, and both entered medical college and died of consumption during 646 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. the last year of their studies in college, and both at the age of twenty-eight, though their deaths occurred some eight years apart; and while a third brother died of consumption, his other brothers and himself are large and robust men. In 1867 Dr. Bland married Lucy Coon, and they have had a son and two daughters. The son, whose name was Ebbie, died while in Cuba during the Spanish-American war, and his remains were brought back to this country and interred in Arlington cemetery, near Washington; D. C. He was a member of Company A, a company of Bucyrus soldiers. The daughters are Hattie, now Mrs. A. J. Yawger, of Bucyrus ; and Alice, now in school. Dr. Bland is in every sense of that over used term a self-made man. Many have been his life struggles, but steadily he has worked his way up his profession and business affairs. His success in life has been largely due to his fortitude of character, stern resolution and fidelity of purpose. Pleasant and agreeable in manner toward his fellow men, his friends are many and his name respected: ELMER DEAN ROBISON. An enterprising young farmer of Cranberry township, Elmer Dean Robison, was born at the family homestead,. where he now resides, October 22, 1866, and is one of a family of six children whose. parents were Robert and Esther (Robison). Robison. Only three of the children, however, survive, the eldest. being Margaret J., wife of Isaac Helem. of Chicago junction, Ohio, while the youngest is William L., a resident farmer of Cranberry township. The father was twice married, his first union being with Mary A. Robison, a daughter of William Robison, who was one of three brothers and a brother of the grandfather of our subject. There were three children by this marriage, but all are now deceased. Many of the leading citizens of Ohio have come to this state from. Pennsylvania, and among the number was the father our subject, who was, born in Perry county, of the Keystone state, on the 10th of October, 1825. His parents were John and Jennie (Baxter) Robison, who were also natives of that county and the former. was of Scotch-Irish extraction, while the latter was of Scotch parentage. In 1867, when their son Robert was only twelve years of age, they traveled by wagon to Ohio, bringing with them their household effects. The journey led them through dense forests and across unbridged streams, and with the pioneer settlers of this portion of the Buckeye state they CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 647 cast in their lot. Having arrived in Crawford county, the grandfather purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Cranberry township, now owned by Adam Eckstein. He was a blacksmith by trade, and after locating here erected a shop on his farm, conducting business along that line for a number of years. In early life Robert Robison worked in the smithy with his father and in this. way mastered the business, becoming quite an expert at the forge. When twenty years of age he opened a shop of his own in Waynesburg, and during the succeeding three years worked almost day and night in order to, gain a start in business life. He received good pay for his labor, and on the completion of that period he had received three thousand dollars. This he invested in a farm of eighty acres, where his son, William L., now resides. It was then almost entirely forest land, and in the midst of the green woods he elected a log house, as well as a shop, giving his attention to blacksmithing. He hired some one to clear his land and devlop the fields. Some time later he developed forty acres adjoining his farm, thus extending its boundaries until it comprised one hundred and twenty acres. He continued work in the smithy until. 1867, when. he purchased of Casper Eberly a tract of land of forty acres; on which he erected a residence, and then moved to the farm which is now the home of his son Elmer. He then abandoned blacksmithing, except as he occasionally did a little. Work in that Way as an accommodation for some friend or neighbor. In 1876 he purchased thirty acres of land lying just north of the home farm and in. 1880 bought fifty acres of the Cory heirs, lying just across the road from his residence. This is now the property of our subject. His landed possessions. after these purchases aggregated two hundred and forty acres, and he also owned a town residence, surrounded by eleven acres, in New Washington.. After a useful, honorable and active career he was called to his final rest March 16, 1900. During the last eight. years of his life he was blind, but he bore the affliction with Christian fortitude. He held membership in the Presbyterian, church and was a stanch Democrat in politics, but would never accept office, preferring to devote his energies to his business affairs, which demanded all of his attention and which brought to him a good financial return for his labor.. He possessed an iron constitution, indomitable will and unflagging energy; and his life is in many respects well worthy of emolution. His wife was born in Perry county, Pennsylvania, May 25, 1832, and was a daughter of George Robison, a native of Perry county, Pennsylvania, and of Scotch-Irish extraction, as was also her mother. The. paternal and maternal grandfathers of our subject were own cousins. George Robison, the maternal grandfather, was. 648 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. an officer in the war of 1812, and after the close of hostilities was recognized .as a leader in military matters for many years. By trade he was a cooper and he acquired considerable land, thus becoming in comfortable circumstances. He and his wife both spent their lives in Perry county, Pennsylvania, and their daughter, Mrs. Esther Robison, passed away in Crawford county, January 5, 1900. Elmer Dean Robison, whose name forms the caption of this article,. was .given the educational privileges afforded by the common and high schools of New Washington, completing the course with the first graduating class, in 1883. The same fall he entered Oberlin College, where he completed the work of the junior year. His health then failed him and he was compelled to discontinue his studies, which was a great blow to him, for he possessed literary tastes and wished to prepare for a profession or for some literary work. Leaving college, he returned home, and after a few months spent in recuperating he became a student in the Davis Business College of Toledo, where he was graduated in the fall of 1887. During the succeeding winter' and summer he remained at home, his health being greatly benefitted thereby. He assisted -in the work of the farm to some extent, and in the fall of 1888 he began teaching, which profession he followed through the winter months, while in the summers he aided in the labors of the field and meadow. However, when the spring of 1890 came he found that the confinement of the school-room had again undermine.d his health and he went to Colorado, where during the following six months he improved rapidly. He extended his trip into Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, California, Wyoming. and Nevada, and in November, 1890, returned to his home. The following year his father lost the sight of one eye through an accident. In January, 1892, Mr. Robison, of this sketch, took a trip through the south to Jacksonville, Florida, in order to recover from the effects of the grip, and spent two months in that sunny clime. after which he made his way northward to Atlanta, Georgia, where he accepted a position with the Southern Bell Telephone Company, acting as secretary to the superintendent. He served in that capacity until, in a traction accident on a Sunday excursion on the Chattanooga river, he had his legs almost cut off. For six weeks he was forced to remain in bed. He then returned home to rest and recuperate, and soon after his arrival his father entirely lost the sight of both eyes. At the earnest solicitation Of his parents Mr. Robison decided to remain :at home, where he has since continued, 'caring for his father and managing the farm. He is a most .energetic and resolute young man, of strong purpose CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 649 and marked ability, and his business management has brought to the farm good.. success. He votes with the Democracy and socially is identified with Hyperion. Lodge, No. 651, K. P., in which he has fielled all of the chairs and is now crving as keeper of the records and seals and master of finance. His life has been upright and honorable, energetic and diligent, and throughout the community he has a large circle of friends. JEREMIAH J. HOPPEL. Jeremiah J: Hoppel is justly regarded by the citizens of Liberty township as one of their leading and representative men. He is a thorough farmer, a reliable township official and is thoroughly respected by his neighbors and those who know him best in private life. The birth of Mr. Hoppel was in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, on December 5, 1847, a son of Reuben and Christina (Deal) Hoppel, and is one of the surviving children of a family of four, his sister being Emma E., the wife of A. B. Charlton. The two deceased sisters were Anna, the wife of John Davidson; and Effia, the wife of Joseph Kinsley. Reuben Hoppel was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, of French ancestry, on August .18, 1-818. At the age of fourteen years, he with his brothers, Charles and Adam, lost the parental care of their father, and were thrown upon their own resources. Reuben worked for neighboring farmers and grew up industrious and respected and married Christina Deal in his twenty-third year, her death occurring in 1862. After marriage he bought a farm, in the timber land and settled down to the laborous task of clearing it and putting it under cultivation. By 1858 he had succeeded in clearing it and had erected substantial buildings, but his brother Charles had gone to Indiana and prospered and Reuben decided to also go as far west as Ohio. He had inherited several thousand dollars from his granfather Kester, who owned extensive chestnut timber lands in Northampton county which sold for a fortune, after his death, and this money Reuben Hoppel brought with him to Ohio, buying. with it one hundred and eighteen acres of land in section 6, . Liberty township. This farm was later known as the model farm and passed into the possession of the Klunk family, by which it is still owned. After a residence of some six years upon it, Mr. Hoppel sold it and bought of Jacob Thomas, three hundred and twenty acres adjoining his former farm, on the south and here resided until 1896,. having made it one of the best improved farms in the county. Here he built a handsome brick residence, in