700 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. eighty acres of wood land and lived a year and a half. Disposing of his interests there he moved to Texas township, Crawford county, where he bought of his father-in-law his present home farm, of which he has cleared thirty acres, which he devotes to general farming and stock-raising. He now owns altogether one hundred and sixty acres of land. When he was twenty-four years old Mr. Shalter married Miss Mary Clark, who has borne him five children. Their son Robert is dead. Their son Frank lives at Sycamore, Ohio. Their daughter Laura is the wife of Charles Oder. Their son George is dead, as is also their daughter Minnie. In politics Mr. Shalter is a stanch Republican, but he has. never sought nor consented to hold office. He and his wife are consistent members of the Baptist church. He is a. man of much public spirit who takes a deep interest in the cause of education and has done whatever he has been able to do to improve the common schools of his neighborhod. In his youth he enjoyed few educational advantages, and he is largely self-educated. The first school of which he has any recollection was taught at Bulgo, as the original settlement of Lykens was called, in a little log building with no floor, all the appointments of which were of the crudest description, and on account of sickness only one clay of schooling was available to him that summer. He next attended school in another log school house which was not much of an improvement on the one just referred to, and the information imparted in which was scant and somewhat vague in character. The following items concerning his brothers and sisters will be found interesting. His sister Della was formerly a successful teacher. For several years she and her sisters Nancy and Lizzie have owned millinery stores at Bloomville and at other points in Ohio. His brothers Levi and David and his sisters Mary A., Catharine, Emma and Susanna are dead. His sister Saloma married Daniel Savage. His brother John lives in Putnam county, Ohio, his brother Abraham in Seneca county, and D. Savage lives at Cripple Creek, Colorado. CHARLES TOBIN. Upon the farm where he now resides Charles Tobin first opened his eyes to the light of day on the l0th of January, 1855. He is now the only survivor of the three children born unto William J. and Margery (Stewart) Tobin. The family is of Irish lineage, and the father of our subject was born in the town of Letter Kenny, in County Donegal, Ireland, about 1820. His parents died within one week of typhoid fever, and he was thus left an CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 701 orphan at the age of eight years. He then became an inmate of the home of an uncle, Mr. John Gibson, with whom he remained until twenty years of age. Attracted by the opportunities afforded in the land of the free, he made his way to the new world in 1840, landing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after a voyage of four weeks upon the sailing vessel "The Lazy Hulk," so named because of her slowness in travel. When he reached the shores of the new world Mr. Tobin had but one English guinea, and this he changed into United States money, receiving four dollars and eighty-four cents. For ten days he remained in Philadelphia and then went up the Delaware river about thirty miles, where he secured employment as a farm hand, working in that capacity until the spring of 1841 and during the winter attended school. He then came to Ohio by way of the Ohio river to Pittsburg and by stage to Richland county, locating in Rome, where his uncle, Dr. Gustavus Allen, then resided. Our subject worked upon his uncle's farm during the summer months and in the winter again took up his educational work in the district schools of the neighborhood. In the spring of 1853 he entered upon an apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade under a Mr. Haymaker, of Franklin township, with whom he remained for two years. He afterward went to Mansfield, where he was employed at his trade for a similar period during the fall and winter months, while in the summer he worked at farm labor. About 1845 he entered the employ of a Mr. Barnett, a wagon-maker of Franklin township, in whose service he continued for two winters. He then obtained work with Charles Stewart as a farm hand, and in 1847 he was united in marriage to his employer's daughter, Miss Margorie Stewart, who was born in Franklin township, Richland county. Her mother was Mrs. Catherine (Sweeney) Stewart, and both of her parents were natives of County Donegal, Ireland. Immediately after their marriage they came to the United States and for a short period were residents of Pennsylvania, coming thence to Ohio. The father entered land on Black Fork, in Franklin township, Richland county, being one of the first settlers in this portion of the state. The Indians were yet numerous and the country was wild and unimproved. After his marriage William J. Tobin remained upon his father-in-law's farm as a farm hand for three years, in connection with his brother-in-law. In the spring of 1850 he came with his young wife and one child to his present home, having purchased eighty acres of land during the previous winter. This was practically virgin forest, for only a small patch of four acres had been cleared, and upon it a log cabin had been erected. This little pioneer home furnished shelter for the Tobin family until the spring of 1861, when the resi- 702 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. dence in which our subject is now located was erected. In the following autumn he built a substantial bank barn, and in the course of time made his farm one of the best improved country seats in this portion of the state, reclaiming the land from the forest and the swamps and transforming it into richly cultivated fields, whose golden harvests returned to him a gratifying income each year. During the '50s Mr. Tobin also purchased an additional tract of forty-one acres a quarter of a mile west and a quarter of a mile south of his home. He is a stanch Democrat, but the honors and emoluments of office have not had attraction for him, as he has preferred to devote his energies to his farming interests. Of the Presbyterian church he is a consistent member, and during the past quarter of a century has faithfully served as one of its elders. Although he has traveled life's journey for more than eighty years he is yet in possession of all his faculties and enjoyed remarkably good health until the past winter, when his constitution was somewhat undermined by la grippe. Throughout the community in which he has resided he is venerated and respected and enjoys the warm friendship of young and old, rich and poor. His wife passed away in July, 1883, when fifty-five years of age. Charles Tobin spent the days of his boyhood in the usual manner of farmer lads of that period. In the winter months he carried his text-books to the nearest school and there mastered the common branches of English learning. He worked upon his father's farm as health and strength would permit, and in the winter of 1889-90 he went to southern California for the purpose of recuperating his health. The trip. proved quite beneficial and in the spring he returned home. In the same year he was united in marriage to Miss Chloris Beattie Turrittin, a native of Le Seuer county, Minnesota, and a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Kendall) Turrittin. Her father was born in County Donegal, Ireland, and her mother was a native of Maine. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Tobin has been blessed with two children, but the son died in infancy. The daughter, Margie Elizabeth, was born May 6, 1894. In the spring following his marriage Mr. Tobin assumed the management of the home farm, which he has since operated on the shares. He has placed the land under a high state of cultivation, and the neat and thrifty appearance of the place indicates his careful supervision. In politics he is quite prominent in Democratic circles, and in 1892 was appointed township trustee to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John Bland. In the spring of 1893 he was regularly elected to the office, and in 1896 was re-elected, so that he has served for more than two terms. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church, and also belong to Cranberry Grange, No. 1435, Patrons of CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 703 Husbandry. Mr. Tobin is accounted one of the progressive agriculturists of his community. His entire life has been passed within the borders of Crawford county, and the fact that many of his warmest friends are numbered among those who have known him from childhood is an indication of his upright and straightforward career. JOHN HILBORN. John Hilborn, one of the highly esteemed citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, now engaged in the coal and draying business in the town of Tiro, was, born in Liberty township, in this county, on November 16, 1838. He was a son of Isaac and Nancy (George) Hilborn, and was a member of a family of nine children, the two survivors being the subject of this sketch and his brother Samuel, who now resides on the old home farm in Auburn township. Our subject grew to manhood on the home farm, which is located within one mile of his present home in Tiro. He received an excellent common-school education, and, as his father was growing old and he was the youngest son, he remained under the parental roof. When he was twenty-two years of age his father gave him forty acres of timber land and he went to work clearing this property. Into his peaceful life, as into that of many another farmer boy,. sounded the call to arms in defense of his country, and our subject was quick to respond. On September 7, 1861, he enlisted for service in the Union army,. entering Company I, Fifteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and soon they were sent from Mansfield to Camp Dennison to be trained in the arts of war.. Shortly after, our subject and his companions were sent to Covington, Kentucky, and camped there for a short time, going then to Camp Nevin, where. they spent the greater part of the winter. While here our subject was attacked with a serious illness which necessitated a season in the hospital, and a month later he obtained a furlough for twenty-six days' leave, on condition that some one would take charge of him. A brother-in-law came for him and brought him home. One week after his return he broke out with small-pox, but this did not prevent his reporting for duty on the day before the expiration of his furlough. However, under the circumstances his services were not needed in camp and he was sent back home with orders to remain there until he was fit for duty. About ten days later he again reported, but was then sent to what was known as Hospital No. 4, but his condition was such that he could not be received there and he was sent to Park Barracks, and here he was later detailed as assistant waiter in the officers' mess. 39 704 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Some three weeks later our subject was permitted to join his regiment, which was but one day's march from Corinth, and the battle at Pittsburg Landing had been fought but a few days previously. Our subject crossed the field of carnage on his way to join his regiment, and soon after reaching it his company was detailed to guard a bridge near Huntsville. Here the regiment threw up breastworks and then returned to Louisville with the idea of preventing the Confederate General Bragg from crossing the river. A few weeks later they pursued General Bragg and broke up his plans in that locality. Our subject took part in the greater number of the battles of the Army of the Cumberland. In the one-hundred-day fight in the march from, Chattanooga to Atlanta our subject was wounded at Pumpkin Vine creek, suffering both in the face and also in the left hand, but he declined to leave his company, although for several days he was totally unable to handle his gun. Mr. Hilborn had his endurance tried again the first day following his again accepting his gun, as he was then severely wounded. He was on the picket line at what was known as Picket's Mills or New Hope church, and found it necessary to shoot an intruder, and before he had an opportunity to load his gun a party of the enemy came upon him, demanding his surrender, but he *declined to do that and ran as fast as he could toward the camp, reaching there alive but with two bullets in his body. He was then sent to the division hospital, where he endured agonies from the operations necessary, and three weeks later was removed to Chattanooga, and four weeks later was passed on to the hospital in Nashville. Four weeks after he was sent home on a furlough and remained for twenty days. Returning to his company, our subject found it at Atlanta, Georgia, but before he reached there he had an encounter with Confederate scouts which almost prevented this gallant and faithful soldier from giving more service to his country. At Atlanta the Fourth Army Corps and the Twenty-third Army Corps were left to pursue General Hood. Our subject's command belonged to the former, and they pressed on to Nashville and later the country heard of the fierce battle of Franklin, and later the battle of Nashville. Our subject received his honorable and well-earned discharge on December 24, 1865, after having been five months in camp in Texas. After Mr. Hilborn's return from the army he resumed farming, and on July 10, 1866, he was married to Miss Emmeline Clark, and to this marriage one child was born, which died when five months old, and Mrs. Hilborn died -soon after its birth. On June 29, 1869, our subject was married to Miss S. J. Davis, and the one child of this marriage died in infancy. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 705 In 1868 Mr. Hilborn sold his farm and bought eighty acres located five miles north of his former farm, residing there for six months, then disposing of it and removing to Mechanicsburg, where he purchased two and one-half acres. This tract he also sold and then bought three acres and built upon it a good house and barn, making excellent improvements, and there he resided for four years and then sold and purchased five acres of land in Tiro. This he laid out in town lots and has sold all but his home place. Mr. Hilborn has done well in his real estate transactions and has displayed excellent judgment in every sale and purchase. For about ten years Mr. Hilborn engaged in truck gardening, but for the past few years he has conducted a coal and draying business in Tiro, where he is well and favorably known. For many years our subject has been a leading member of the United Brethren church and is one of the trustees of the same. In political sympathy he has ever been an ardent Republican, and has efficiently served on the town council for two terms. Socially he is connected with the G. A. R. organization, and both in this community and through the county where lie is well known he is universally esteemed. JOHN BURGER. One of the substantial and successful farmers as well as much respected citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, is John Burger, who was born in Alsace while it was still a province of France, in the year 1845. He was one of a family of twelve children born to John and Mary (Shearer) Burger, five of whom still survive, as follows : Horace, of this township; John, the subject of this sketch ; Margaret, the wife of Louis Phillips, of Norwalk, Ohio; George, a resident of this township; and Mathias, also of this township. Mr. and Mrs. John Burger were also natives of Alsace, where the former was born on May 25, 1810, and the latter was born on February 2, 1816. There they grew to maturity, in the same neighborhood, and there the father learned the trade of weaver. At the age of twenty years he entered the army and served in it for seven years, marrying soon after his discharge. During the summer months it was his custom, to engage in farming, while the winter months were employed in work at his trade. In 1846 Mr. Burger brought his family, by sailing vessel, to America. The voyage consumed forty-two clays and after landing in New York city they came direct to Crawford county, Ohio. After coming to Ohio Mr. Burger bought a farm of forty acres, in Cranberry township, consisting of forest land. For this he paid two hundred and 706 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. forty dollars, and here he built a cabin and was busily engaged during the succeeding eight years in clearing and improving this land, succeeding in getting the larger portion of it ready for cultivation. . In 1853 Mr. Burger exchanged this farm for one of eighty acres in Auburn township, this property adjoining the farm of our subject on the west, and here he resided until the time of his death, in 1873. Mr. Burger was a man of great energy and endurance, but was stricken with paralysis seven years prior to his death, and this entirely incapacitated him for further work. For a man of his industry this was a heavy affliction, but he bore it with Christian fortitude. His wife survived him some twenty-two years, dying in 1895, in the eightieth year of her age. Both parents had been worthy members of the Catholic church. John Burger, of this biography, grew up at home, but received only limited educational advantages, his whole time at school being included in the eight or nine months when he was able to receive instruction in a subscription school. However, reading and association with others have done their work, and Mr. Burger is now able to take his place with the most intelligent and best informed farmer citizens in his neighborhood. He was not more than eighteen years of age when the management of the home farm of one hundred and ninety acres fell upon his youthful shoulders, but he possessed much of his father's energy and industry and managed so well that at the age of twenty-one he took entire charge of affairs and farmed the land on shares. The marriage of our subject was on November 22, 1870, to Miss Louisa Fisher, who was a native of Erie county, Ohio, and who was a daughter of Anthony Fisher, who was born in Baden, Germany. After marriage our subject continued to manage the home farm for the three succeeding years, but in 1876 he purchased one hundred and forty acres of land where he now resides and removed to this place. With the additions he has since made, this farm now consists of some two hundred and seventeen acres, but this does not represent all the land owned by Mr. Burger. Two other farms in this township belong to him, one consisting of one hundred and twenty acres, and another of eighty acres, while in Huron county he owns one farm of one hundred and seventeen acres and another of one hundred and twenty-two acres, making his landed possessions amount to six hundred and fifty-nine acres. Mr. Burger has been very successful in his land transactions, possessing good judgment and a thorough knowledge of the value of property in the different parts of the county. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Burger, namely : Amelia, the wife of Adam Miller, a merchant of New 'Washington, Ohio; Edward, at CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 707 home; and Josephine, a student in New Washington. In his political belief Mr. Burger has always been a Democrat, and has taken a great interest in the :success of his party. He is a leading member of the Catholic church, in which he is a trustee, and is one of the solid and reliable citizens of Auburn township, where he is widely known and universally respected. MRS. CATHERINE B. BROWN. Prominent among the residents of Crawford county, Ohio, in Sandusky township, is Mrs. Catherine B. Brown, the widow of the late Christian Brown, who during life was one of the highly esteemed citizens of this township. Mrs. Brown was born in Liberty township, on April 23, 1834, and she was a daughter of Caleb and Magdalena (Brosie) Schieber. Mrs. Brown grew to womanhood under paternal care and acquired her ,education in the common schools of the neighborhood and became thoroughly fitted to assume the position of farmer's wife, skilled in housewifery and possessed of those estimable qualities which through life have won for her warm and appreciative friends. On January 10, 1853, she was united in marriage to Mr. Christian Brown. The latter was a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, where he was born on July 28, 1825, and he was a son of John and Rosanna Brown, who came into Sandusky township at an early day, where Mr. Brown, the father, purchased the farm upon which our subject now resides. Mr. Brown was seven years of age when his parents came to America, and his education was pursued in the common schools. Shortly after reaching his majority Mr. Brown began farming operations on the home farm, working on shares. After his marriage in 1853 he settled with his bride on the home farm and continued to follow agricultural pursuits until the death of his parents. The father died first, passing from life as one of the esteemed men of his locality. The mother resided with her son until she also passed away. Both had been most worthy members of the German Reformed church and in that church Christian Brown was also a leading and valued member. After coming into possession of the home farm Mr. Brown bought twenty-six acres which adjoined it, making the farm to consist of one hundred and six acres, and in addition to this he bought another farm, comprising sixty .acres, upon which his son Oscar now lives. Eight children were born to Mrs. Brown and her lamented husband, these being as follows : Oscar, a farmer; Rosanna, the wife of H. J. Shupp, of Holmes township; Autillie, deceased; 708 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Mary E., at home; Sarah, the wife of Lincoln Majors, the manager of the home farm ; Charles, at home; and two infants, who died early. The death of Mr. Brown on January 23, 1873, removed from the township one of its most worthy citizens. In politics he was a stanch Democrat, although he never sought office, and was highly regarded by all who knew him for his many fine traits of character. Mrs. Brown is surrounded by her children and is a lady well and favorably known both in the church and in the neighborhood. JOHN R. ECKERT. The Eckert family has long been prominent in Germany and is ably represented in America, east and west. John Eckert and his wife, who was. Annie M. Reuter, came to America in 1847, and located at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where John R. Eckert, their only child, was born October 3, 1849. John R. Eckert, who is a well-known farmer of Jefferson township, Crawford county, Ohio, is the immediate subject of this sketch, and his career will be treated more at length further on. In 1866 John Eckert came with his family from Lancaster county, Penn sylvania, to Jefferson township, Crawford county, Ohio, and bought fifty acres of land, which is now comprised in his son's homestead. Later he bought seventy-eight acres more. He was a thrifty and successful farmer and a good business man and he and his wife were devout members of the Lutheran church. He died in 1886, at the age of seventy years. His wife died in 1883. John R. Eckert was in his seventeenth year when his father located on the Eckert farm in Jefferson township. He received a good education in the common schools and early became a valuable assistant to his father. He now owns one hundred and ninety-six acres of valuable farming land which he devotes to miscellaneous crops and to stock-raising. He is a man of influence in the township, who consistently votes the Democratic ticket. He was elected land appraiser in 1890 and again in 1900, and filled the office of township trustee from 1892 to 1898, and for three years has been central committeeman. His public spirit has impelled him to ally himself with many movements for the general good and he is an active and helpful member of the Lutheran church. In 1871 Mr. Eckert married Miss Barbara Vulkmar, and they have had CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 709 nine children, named as follows : Jacob, George Henry, Annie Margaret, Elizabeth Eva, John William, Albert Carl, Ernest Paul, Maud Mae and Ruth Oleona. Elizabeth Eva is dead. FREDERICK PRY. The subject of this sketch was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1803,. emigrated to this country in 1828 and settled in New Lisbon, Columbiana county, Ohio. There he resided one year and was united in marriage with Rica Bowman, who, with her parents, emigrated to this country the same. year: Soon after their marriage they moved to Liberty township. Mr. Pry bought a small farm of forty acres, built a log cabin in the woods and com menced to clear the ground for a farm, upon which he resided until 1840, when he removed to Sandusky township, Crawford county, and purchased a larger farm, on which he lived until his death, which occurred in 1893, in the ninetieth year of his age. He had thirteen children, five of whom were deceased over thirty years. ago. The family Bible in which their records were kept was burned about ten years ago, at the burning of his son Lewis' house. The other children, of whom a record was preserved, are as follows : John, of Richland county ; Eliza Heller, a resident of Williams county ; Christ, who resided in Auburn township, Crawford county, until his death, which occurred in 1898; Jacob, who resides in Sandusky township on the old homestead; Lewis, a resident of Sandusky township; Christena, now Mrs. Lewis Dapper, who resides in Leesville, this county ; William, who lives in Liberty township, this county; and Celia, the youngest, who was married to J. M. Solinger in the year 1876. They lived with her parents until their death. In the year 1894 she, with her husband, moved to a point near Crestline, on which place she resided until her death, which occurred in 1900. The mother of our subject also was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1811, and died in 1887, at the age of seventy-six. She was a daughter of Jacob and Margaret Bowman, who came to this country about the same time as did the Pry family, and they located in Vernon township, Crawford county. John Pry acquired a common-school education and early began assisting his father on the farm, remaining with him until his marriage. On December 1, 1859, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Cole, who was a daughter of Barnet Cole, the latter being a native of Pennsylvania. He came to Crawford county, Ohio, when he was a young man, was married in this state and 710 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. here reared his family. After marriage Mr. Pry moved to Plymouth, Ohio, and there engaged in the hotel business for one year, returning then to a farming life. His father-in-law wished him to take charge of his farm and conduct operations on shares, and this our subject consented to do for the following three years. After this period he rented a farm from James English, later one from Thomas Mickey, and followed agricultural pursuits on these tracts until 1866. At this time, in association with his brother, Jacob Pry, he purchased the farm of one hundred and twenty acres upon which he now resides, and for twelve years the brothers farmed in partnership, and then our subject bought his brother's interest, the latter removing to Sandusky township. This farm shows the care and attention which has been given it and ranks with the best in the county. Our subject's eighty-acre farm lies in Crawford county, and forty acres lie in Richland county, both tracts being highly improved and most desirable property. Mr. Pry is known as a most industrious and worthy citizen and has a wide circle of friends. In politics his vote is always given to the candidates of the Republcan party and he is a stanch supporter of its principles. Socially he has long been connected with the Odd Fellows order, and both he and wife are leading members in the Methodist church. Our subject and wife have reared a family of eight children, six of whom still survive, namely : Lewis Franklin, born September 15, 1860; Albert Wilis, born May 3, 1865; Lucy Jane, who was born October 18, 1862, and was married to Henry J. Kahl in 1884; John Crowvalia, born October 13, 1875 ; Charles C., January I, 1877; Rica Maudesta, born April 18, 1880; Barnet J. C., who was born July 13, 187o,' and died August 27, 1886; and Meda Belle, who was born February 18, 1868, and died August 7, following. BENJAMIN STEVENS. The Stevens family has been one of the most prominent in the development of Crawford county, Ohio, and no member of it stood higher in the esteem of the community in which his useful life was passed than did Benjamin Stevens, whose death occurred on December 4, 1893. Benjamin Stevens was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, on April 4, 1820, and he was a son of Amos and Hannah (Cummings) Stevens, of whom a more extended mention is made in the sketch of Jacob Stevens, which may be found in another part of this volume. Mr. Stevens, of this sketch, was fourteen years of age when his parents came to Crawford county, and here CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 711 he grew to manhood and took advantage of every educational opportunity. Through life he was a reflective reader and gained thus much knowledge, while his association in later years with men of affairs widened his stock of information, rendering his education both practical and useful. During years of invalidism his books were companions. He assumed control of the home farm when he was about twenty-five years old, his parents making their home with him, and he looked after their comfort as long as they survived. In 1850 he was united in marriage to Miss Eliza A. S. Barker, who was a native of Geauga county, Ohio, and a daughter of Asa and Roby (Adams) Barker, both of whom were natives of Connecticut, where they grew to maturity and were married, and five of their six children were born in that state prior to the birth of the late Mrs. Stevens. The Barker family came to Geauga county, Ohio, but later removed into Richland county, where they resided for a number of years, finally removing to Illinois, to which state two sons had preceded them. They continued to reside there until their lives ended, and the only member of the family still surviving is Sidney Barker, of Illinois. Following his marriage the late Mr. Stevens farmed on the home place and took a prominent position in the county for the succeeding fifteen years. His father had passed away in 1852 and the old home place reverted to him, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres of land, with buildings and so forth. Here Mr. Stevens remained until April 4, 1865, when he celebrated his birthday by removing to the farm he last occupied, consisting of one hundred and twenty acres, he having sold the former one. This place possessed many attractions for our subject, as he had helped to clear the land and assisted in the building of the first cabin on it. The land had been entered by a Mr. Wells and was intended for his daughter at that time. This was the comfortable and attractive home in which the remainder of the life of Mr. 'Stevens was spent. His attention was given to this property and it is one of the best improved and most desirable estates in Crawford county. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, one of whom died in infancy, the other being Minelva G., who resides on the farm, a worthy representative of one of the most esteemed citizens of the community. The mother of Miss Stevens died in 1854 and some years later the father married Miss Ann McCracken, who was a native of Bucyrus, where she resided until her 'eighth year, at which time her parents removed to a farm that was located one mile east of Bucyrus, where her parents resided during the rest of their 712 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. lives. Mrs. Stevens survived her husband for six years, dying on September 24, 1899. In politics Mr. Stevens was an ardent Republican, but his tastes never caused him to desire office, although he always performed his duty as a citizen. Neither was he formally connected with any church organization, having early taken the Golden Rule as his guide through life and conscientiously following its leadings. Although leading a quiet life and rarely assuming a conspicuous position even in county affairs, he was always to be found when charitable or benevolent objects were to be furthered or action taken in educational or moral movements. The sterling qualities which made him a man above his fellows have in great degree been displayed in the character of his only surviving child, and she is both highly esteemed and much respected through Sandusky township. FRANKLIN D. HEINLEN. The agricultural interests of Crawford county are well represented by Franklin D. Heinlen, one of the leading and foremost citizens of the locality. He was born on the farm where he still resides, on the 24th of June, 1858, a son of Matthias. and Elizabeth (Sickle) Heinlen. The father was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1815, and in 1837, in company with his brother George, he came to the United States, landing in New York city after a voyage of seventy days. On his arrival in this country his worldly possessions consisted of but one dollar, which he spent for his night's lodging, and on the following day he and his brother borrowed enough money from a friend who was coming to Crawford county to accompany him to this locality. The brother remained in Crawford county and worked out their indebtedness, while Matthias proceeded north to the Maumee canal, where he worked on the construction of the canal for a year, after which his health failed and he then returned to Crawford county and secured employment at farm labor south of Bucyrus, where he remained for eight years. He was then married and purchased a small farm of twenty acres, now known as the-Nussbaum farm, in Bucyrus township, where he remained for another six years, when he sold that property and purchased forty acres near Glenville, now known as the Benjamin Simm farm, and after residing there for five years he sold that tract, and on the 1st of March, 1858, secured possession of the present Heinlen farm, then known as the McLain farm. It contained CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 713 a tract of eighty acres, and by hard work and persistent effort Mr. Heinlen was enabled to add another eighty acres thereto, making a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, and there he spent his remaining days, his death occurring on the 16th of September, 1897. The brothers deserve great credit for the success that they attained in life. They arrived in this country without money and without friends, strangers in a strange land, and by perseverance and economy they both succeeded in acquiring a competency, and were numbered among Crawford county's most honored citizens. Matthias Heinlen was a Democrat in his political views, and was a worthy member of the Lutheran church. His wife, who was born in Germany, in 1820, came to America with her parents, Simon and Elizabeth Bickle, when a child of eight years, the family locating in the cranberry marsh in Ohio, but later removed to Bucyrus township, where they spent the remainder of their lives. Mrs. Heinlen is still living and now makes her home with our subject. Mr. and Mrs. Heinlen became the-parents of nine children, eight of whom still survive, namely : Elizabeth, the wife of Absalom Bolinger, of Wyandot county, Ohio; John, of Bucyrus township, Crawford county ; Simon M. and Samuel, also of Bucyrus township; Lena, wife of Byron Kent, a resident of Bucyrus township; Matilda, widow of Henry Ochse, of Nevada, Ohio; Lucinda, wife of J. S. Murphy, of Dallas township; and Franklin D., the subject of this review. The latter was reared on the home farm, but received very limited school privileges, for at the early age of five years he began working on the farm, riding a horse in the fields for plowing corn, and as lie grew older more important tasks were assigned him. Thus when most boys enter upon the active duties of life he was a leading factor in the conduct of the home farm. In 1881 he assumed full management of the old homestead, working on the shares, and in 1889, with the accumulation of his former years of hard and incessant toil, he was enabled to purchase a farm of his own, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, in Dallas township. The land was then in its primitive condition, but he cleared and improved the tract, erected substantial farm' buildings, and not only has he cleared it of all indebtedness, but has also made it one of the most desirable farms of the county. However, lie has never resided on this property, it being conducted by a tenant. He has always made his home on the old Heinlen homestead, which after the father's death was divided, the mother retaining a dower interest in the original tract of eighty acres, while our subject purchased the remaining eighty acres. On the l0th of October, 1901, he purchased a farm of thirty acres of his neighbor and 714 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. friend, Frank M. Harvey, who was obliged to sell owing to the poor health of his sister, Minnie, and move to town. On the l0th of February, 1901, Mr. Heinlen was united in marriage with Mrs. Mary Harris, a native of Antrim township, Wyandot county, Ohio, and a daughter of A. E. Miller. By her marriage to Arthur Harris she became the mother of three children, only one of whom is now living, Chester A. A. In his political affiliations our subject exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democracy. For the past nineteen years he has been a correspondent for the Nevada Enterprise, one of the leading journals of the locality, and he is also a member of the school board, now serving on his second term. He is also a prominent and active member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity, No. 234, of Nevada, Ohio, in which he has .filled nearly all of the chairs. He served one term as outer guard, one term as inner guard, one term as master at arms, one term as prelate, one term as vice chancellor commander, two terms as chancellor commander, one term as deputy grand chancellor, and at the present time is serving as master at arms. He is one of the well known and highly esteemed residents of Crawford county, and all measures for the public good receive his hearty support and co-operation. JOHN J. WEAVER. Among the prominent and well known citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, John J. Weaver takes a leading position, having for a number of years been identified with the public affairs of Vernon township. John J. Weaver, Esq., was born in the township and county where he resides, on January 31, 1857, and he was a son of Peter and Mary (Baublitz) Weaver, and was the eldest in their family of eight children, the others of the family being : George, a resident of Jackson township in Richland county ; David, of this township ; Henry, of Shelby, Ohio; William, of Crestline; Samuel, of Shelby ; and Anna, the wife of Clement Bodley, of Shelby, Ohio. Peter Weaver, who is our subject's honored father, is a native of Germany, born there in the province of Hesse-Darmstadt, on August 8, 1831, and when he was a lad of eleven years accompanied his parents to America. They located in Jefferson township, in Crawford county, later removing to Vernon township. There the grandfather of our subject acquired a farm of seventy acres, this now being a part of the Knapp farm The grandparents passed their last days on this property. Peter Weaver grew to manhood on this farm and mar- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 715 ried while living there, but one year later he removed to Wyandot county and bought a farm of forty acres, in Eden township. At a later date he sold this and bought a farm of eighty acres which was located one mile from his former property and for six years he made this the family home. In 1869 he sold this property and returned to Crawford county, at this time buying a farm of one hundred and forty acres in section 9, in Vernon township, and here he lived. until 1881, when he also sold this farm in order to purchase the one consisting of two hundred and twenty acres, this being the property upon which our subject now resides. For the following six years Mr. Weaver managed this large estate and then sold it to his sons and removed to Shelby, where he has since resided, living a somewhat retired life, enjoying the results of many years of industry. In politics Mr. Weaver is a stanch Democrat, but he has never been willing to accept any party preferment. Both he and his estimable wife have-long been leading members of the German Lutheran church, and are among the most respected of the older residents of Shelby. John J. Weaver, familiarly known as Esquire Weaver, on account of his long and honorable service as justice of the peace, was reared on the home farm and acquired an excellent common-school education, and later had the advantage of one term in the Ada Academy. He was about twenty years of age when he became a teacher in the district schools, continuing to follow this profession in districts one, four and five for some seven years. On August 1, 1880, our subject was united in marriage to Miss Susie Esterline, who was a native of this township and who was the daughter of Eli Esterline, who was one of the early settlers of Crawford county, coming from Pennsylvania, which was his native state. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Weaver established their home on our subject's present farm, which then consisted of forty acres, but since then he has added to this until he now owns eighty-nine and one-fourth acres, all of which has been bought of his father. Mr. Weaver is an excellent farmer and owns one of the most desirable tracts in the township. As a leading member of the Democratic party, our subject has been identified with public affairs in no small degree and has been honored by his fellow-citizens by election to many of the local offices. In the spring of 1885 he was,. elected assessor and efficiently served for two terms, and in 1889 he was made justice of the peace and has shown such excellent judgment and thorough knowledge of the duties of this position, that he has been called on to serve continuously ever since. In 1890 he was also elected township clerk and served in that capacity for two successive terms, and he is still serving as truant officer, to which position he was appointed in 1893. In 1900 Mr. Weaver was called: 716 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. upon to serve as land appraiser of the township and his careful and just attention to the duties of this position gained for him the commendation of all concerned, his report passing both boards of equalization without a single change being. made in his work. In 1893 Mr. Weaver was appointed an agent in the Crawford County Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of Bucyrus, Ohio, a position in which he still serves. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Weaver, namely : Maud Leone, the wife of Charles R. Warner, of Vernon township ; Anna Elizabeth and Estella May. They also have a son named Wilber W. Weaver, of whom they feel very proud. The Lutheran church has long had the support of our subject and family, and in it as well as in business and political circles, Mr. Weaver is regarded as a just and honest man, a useful citizen and one who well represents the leading class in Crawford county. EMORY JAY DWIRE A leading educator and also a prominent business man of Crawford county, Ohio, is Emory J. Dwire, who is a well known and esteemed resident of Tiro. The birth of Mr. Dwire was near Clyde, Sandusky county, Ohio, on November 28, 1874, and he is a son of John S. and Lucy A. (Beard) Dwire, who reared a family of five children. Our subject is one of the three survivors, the others being Lumetta B., the wife of William G. Setterfield, of Richland county ; and Dr. Harry E., of Oceola, Ohio. The Dwire family is one of the old and leading ones in this part of the state of Ohio. Great-grandfather William Dwire was for many years an ordained minister of the Methodist church, as well as a prominent merchant in Ashland. He was a man of sterling traits of character and was most highly esteemed. His son, Isaac Dwire, grew to manhood a worthy successor to his father. He was born near Ash1808, then Richland county, Ohio, in 18o8, and was thoroughly educated, his father being a man of superior intellectual qualifications. Very early in life he became a teacher. When near his twenty-first year he was married, and about 1835 he removed to Seneca county, where he entered one hundred and twenty acres of forest land, built there a cabin arid labored there until his land was cleared and improved, and there his useful and blameless life ended in 1874, when sixty-six years of age. In politics Grandfather Isaac was a Whig, but later on he became a Republican, although he was never an office-seeker. At one time he was elected justice of the peace but held the position but a short time, resigning it in order to give his attention to more CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 717 congenial duties. For very many years he was a leading member of the Methodist church, where he was held in the highest esteem. The birth of John S. Dwire, who was the father of our subject, was in Seneca county, Ohio, and he was a son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Whittington) Dwire, and was reared in Seneca county. A family of fifteen children were born to his parents, fourteen of whom grew to maturity and became prominent in many walks of life, eight of them being teachers. Their father looked carefully after their education, as the school advantages in the neighborhood were poor. At night he gathered them around him and instructed them, giving them the personal care that they would not have received in any public establishment. He was well rewarded, for they all grew to intelligent manhood or womanhood. John Dwire began to teach. at the early age of sixteen years, and seemed so well fitted for the profession that he continued an instructor for twenty-six years. During this time, however, he also engaged in farming, bought and sold land, owning at different times five farms in various localities, but the last ten years of his life he spent on a farm in Jefferson township, in Crawford county, where he died on February 5, 1899. In his early years he was a member of the Republican party, but he was a man of strong temperance principles and during his later life he worked and voted in sympathy with the Prohibition party. In religion Mr. Dwire was a member of the Methodist church and the last twelve years of his life were given to Christian work. As a husband, father and friend he reached the highest point of Christian manhood. The mother of our subject was born in Seneca county in 1841, and was the daughter of David Beard, who came to Seneca county from Maryland, and was of Pennsylvania-German stock. Her death occurred on 18th of August, 1898. She had been a consistent member of the Methodist church from her youth. Emory J. Dwire, of this biography, grew to manhood under the parental roof, and until his sixteenth year he attended the country schools. He was ambitious and found honorable methods of earning enough to permit his attendance at select school at Crestline, Ohio, where he improved his opportunities and after passing his first county examination with credit was permitted to enroll himself among the educators of his native state. After one term in the school-room he used the money thus earned in attendance at the Fostoria Academy, where he perfected himself in the higher branches, and the following winter he was one of the acceptable teachers of Richland county. After this his next educational movement was a summer spent at the National 718 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, and following this he was continually employed in the district schools until 1896. Mr. Dwire is one of those deeply intellectual men who always remain students, and his next course was at the Ohio Normal University at Ada, Ohio, and there he graduated in the summer of 1897, although he did not take out his diploma until 1900, at which time he reviewed his studies preparatroy to accepting a position in the Charleroi (Pennsylvania) high school. From 1897 he taught three more terms in the district schools, and in the fall of 1900, after making all preparations to undertake the duties of the Pennsylvania position, he was elected superintendent of the Tiro schools, and decided to remain in his native state. So satisfactory was his management of the schools of Tiro that a re-election followed in 1901, a testimonial to the scholarship Sand executive ability of our subject, most gratifying to his wide circle of friends. In April, 1897, our subject. purchased an interest in the old home place in Wyandot county, and in April, 1899, he bought a residence property in Clyde, Ohio. In August, 1900, in company with his brother Harry, he purchased the drug store in Tiro, and thus he is the manager of one of the leading business lines in this place. The marriage of Professor Dwire was on July 15, 1900, to Miss Grace M. Champion, a native of Richland county and a daughter of Joseph D. Champion, who came to Tiro in 1888. In politics Professor Dwire is nonpartisan, and he is fraternally connected with the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. Both he and his wife are leaders in the social circles of the village and are highly valued in the United Brethren church. Mr. Dwire has won an enviable reputation through the state as an educator, and is thoroughly representative, not only of a fine old family, but also of the most intelligent citizens of one of the leading states of the Union. MARTIN V. B. WOOD. One of the highly esteemed and honored citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, is Martin V. B. Wood, who was born in Huron county, Ohio, on April 14, 1842, and he was a son of Jotham C. and Almira (Petrie) Wood, and was one of a family of five children born to them, four of whom still survive. The names of these are as follows : John J., of this township ; Susan A., the widow of Peter Blystone, of Polk county, Missouri ; Nancy J., the widow of Nancy Akers, of this township; and Martin, who is the subject of this sketch. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 719 Jotham C. Wood was born in Herkimer county, New York, about 1810, the family being an old and highly respected one in his native state. Here he grew to manhood and graduated in the study of medicine, coming to Huron county, Ohio, to engage in practice. With him came his wife and two children, and there Dr. Wood and his family resided until 1845, at which time he came to Crawford county and located in West Liberty, where he lived until his death in 1847. In religious belief he was a Methodist, while in politics he belonged to the Democratic party. Dr. Wood was widely known and universally esteemed, and was a man of broad views, well educated, and highly gifted in oratory. The birth of the mother of our subject was in the state of New York, on January 27, 1810, and she came of Holland ancestry. After the death of her husband, the father of our subject, she was marrid to Enoch Baker, but of this union there was no issue. At the age of eight years, Martin V. B. Wood, who is our immediate subject, was taken to the home and made a member of the family of Mr. Jonas Ashley, and there he remained until the breaking out of the Civil war. In October, 1861, he enlisted in Company I, Fifty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, re-enlisting at Larkinsville, Alabama, in January, 1864, then entering Company I, Ohio Volunteer Veteran Infantry, and serving faithfully until the close of hostilities, on August 15, 1865, when he was mustered out at Camp, Chase. During his double service, Mr. Wood participated in many of the-greatest battles of the war, among these Shiloh, siege of Vicksburg, Arkansas. Post, Resaca and the Atlanta campaign, besides many minor engagements, and. he was with General Sherman on his march to the sea, returnig thence to Washington, by way of Richmond. For three months following his return from the wars, our subject worked as a farm hand, but the same autumn he purchased forty acres of land in Auburn township and engaged in farming for himself. On September 6, 1866, he was united in marriage to Miss Melissa Daugherty, who was a daugher of Ezekiel Daugherty, the latter being a native of New Jersey, where he was born in 1818. On February 5, 1842, Mr. Daugherty was united in marriage with Elizabeth White, and in 1832 they removed to Auburn township, in Crawford county, where Mr. Daugherty died. The mother of Mrs. Wood died December 15, 1893, at her own home in Tiro. Her youngest daughter, Clara, lived with her. Mrs. Daugherty is a descendant of Peregrine White, of Plymouth Rock notoriety, and they are all upright and much respected people. 40 720 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. On the first of the month of November following the marriage of our subject the young couple went to housekeeping in a log house on Mr. Wood's farm of forty acres, but in the following April removal was made to a portion of Mr. Daugherty's land, where our subject and his brother-in-law farmed on shares for two summers and then Mr. Wood went back to the farm on which he was reared, and for three years farmed there for Mrs. Ashby, her husband having died in 1862. In 1871 Mr. Wood bought his first sixty acres of the farm he now operates, and later he added to it until his acres now number one hundred and eight and one-half. This has been admirably improved. In 1881 he erected one of the handsomest houses in the township, and it is one of the most attractive estates in this part of Crawford county. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Wood, the eldest of whom, Sarah, is deceased. The two survivors are: Mary 0., the wife of Howard Griffith, a commercial traveler, of Indianapolis, Indiana; and Irving S., a druggist. In politics Mr. Wood is-a Republican and takes a deep interest in public affairs. Mrs. Wood is a member of the Lutheran church and Mr. Wood also attends services there and is liberal in his support. He is one of the leading citizens of the township, where he is highly esteemed on account of his upright and exemplary character. BENJAMIN F. ALLEN. Benjamin F. Allen, of this bibusinesshas been one of the leading business men of Crawford county for the past twenty years, and is now one of the largest buyers and shippers of lumber in this part of the state of Ohio. The birth of Mr. Allen was in Concord, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, on September 23, 1849, and he was a son of Walter and Barbara (Emery) Allen, who had a family of ten children born to them, six of these still surviving. These are: Priscilla J., the wife of Samuel Beaston, a farmer of Perry county, Pennsylvania; Benjamin F., the subject of this sketch ; John, a resident of East Waterford, Juniata county, Pennsylvania; George, on the old home farm ; Walter, a resident of Cambria county, Pennsylvania; and Anna, the widow of .A. A. Channing, of Plymouth, Ohio. Walter Allen was born in Boston, Massachusetts, about 1822, and he was nine years old when he started with his parents for the frontier. Upon -reaching Baltimore both parents were taken ill and died there and the father of our subject was taken to the home o720 wealthy tanner named McClelland, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 721 of Strasburg, Pennsylvania, while two other kind families furnished homes for the other two children, Benjamin and Priscilla. Mr. Allen never heard from either. He knew that his parents were people of means, but was never able to learn anything more of his family. With Mr. McClelland Mr. Allen found a good home. He was a man of large means, owning a tannery, farms and stores and controlling much of the business then carried on in Strasburg. Mr. Allen was afforded the advantages of a good common-school education, and was taught the trade of tanner. At the age of twenty-one he left the care of his foster-father and started out for himself, well equipped, for he had an education, a trade and good health and friends. Going to Concord, Pennsylvania, he began work as a journeyman, and so well performed his duties that he was soon made foreman of the tanning yards, and continued in this line of work until 1872. Then he retired to his farm of one hundred and seventy acres near Concord, this property having belonged to his (our subject's) grandfather. Here he lived until the time of his death, in 1896. In his political convictions he was formerly a Know-nothing, their became a Whig and later a Republican, but he was never a seeker for office. During his later years he was an active member of the Methodist church and was unusually well informed on all Bible literature. The mother of our subject was born near Concord, Pennsylvania, on April 16; 1824, and she was a daughter of William and Jane (Steward) Emery. This was one of the old and influential families of Franklin county. The honored mother still resides on the old home farm, where she was married and where she took up her residence after the death of her parents, Mr. Allen having bought the property from the heirs. Benjamin F. Allen, of this sketch, was brought up in a good home under the care of a just father and an excellent mother. His education was acquired in the common schools, and at the age of twelve years he entered a tannery and under his father's instruction learned the trade at Spring Run. Here he worked for five years ; eight months in the summer and four months in the winter were given to attendance at school. In 1866 his apprenticeship was finished and then he went to "Horse Valley," where he worked as a journeyman until 1870, going from there to Liberty Valley, Perry county, Pennsylvania, where he was employed at his trade until 1875. From there Mr. Allen went to Elmwood, Illinois, and became identified with the stock interests of J. P. Ryner, remaining with him one year. Then he returned to Perry county and formed a partnership with an uncle, James Emery, in farming, 40 722 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. but eighteen months later sold his interests there to his uncle and came to Shelby, Ohio. Here he was employed by B. F. Lash on a farm for some three years, leaving there to embark in the lumber business. From the start Mr. Allen has been successful in this business, buying and selling great quantities of timber. In 1881 he came to Tiro, and since then has been one of the leading factors in industrial trade. His operations in lumber are very large, and sometimes he has as many as eleven mills engaged in cutting for him. For many years he has conducted the sawmill in this place. and is one of the largest shippers in this county of ash timber. The marriage of Mr. Allen was on October 13, 1873, to Miss Fannie E. Snyder, who was the daughter of Francis and Mary A. (Swartz) Snyder, the former of whom was a miller by trade, but later entered the mercantile business, and for twenty-two years he was postmaster of Honey Grove,, Juniata county, Pennsylvania, where he died. He had given the name to Honey Grove and he was one of the well-known and highly esteemed citizens of the county. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Allen, the two survivors being,—Ray and Ethan. In his political belief he is a stanch Republican, but is better known as a. business man than as a politician. His standing in the county is high and his circle of both business .and personal friends is large. GEORGE W. WICKHAM. The state of New York was recruiting ground of early settlers in western Pennsylvania and Ohio and from those points descendants of early settlers from New York have gone to all parts of the great west and southwest, and wherever they have planted the banner of civilization development and prosperity have followed until literally the desert has been made to bloom like the rose. Some of the early settlers in Craw ford county, Ohio, were New Yorkers, who trace their lineage to old and honorable colonial families, and one of the best known of these was Willard Wickham, father of George W. Wickham, a prominent citizen of Texas township. George W. Wickham was born in Texas township, Crawford county, Ohio, on the farm on which Mrs. David Bouks, his sister, now lives, November 11, 1841. His father, Willard Wickham, was born in Columbia county, New York, and was taken early to Ithaca, in central New York, where he was reared to manhood. In 1837 he went with his father, David Wickham,. to Ohio, and they bought an eighty-acre improvement in Texas township, Craw-, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 723 ford county, on which a few acres had been cleared and a log cabin had been erected. There David Wickham died at the age of sixty-three years. For three years after his arrival in Ohio Willard Wickham taught winter terms of school. He served his fellow citizens as justice of the peace for twelve years and held other important local offices. He was a devout member of and an active worker in the United Brethren church. He married Phebe Pennington and they had nine children. He died in Texas township, December 15, 1900, aged eighty-five years, and his good wife died in 1888. The following facts concerning their children will be of interest in this connection : William H. Wickham, their eldest child, died at the age of three years. George W. Wickham, the immediate subject of this sketch, was the second in order of birth. Margaret married Peter Huffman, of Texas township. M. W. is well known in Texas township. Anson, a lawyer, lives at Bucyrus, Ohio. Mary F. married David Banks, of Texas township. William H., the second son of that name, is a practicing physician of Sycamore, Ohio. Wallace M. is ticket agent for the Ohio Central Railroad Company at Pemberville. Wood county, Ohio. Grant died at the age of fifteen years. George W. Wickham was born in 1841, in Texas township, and later during that year his father removed with his family to Lykens township, where the boy grew to manhood. August 22, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company H, One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The regiment was stationed for a time at Parkersburg, West Virginia. It participated in the battle of Winchester, where most of its members, Mr. Wickham among them, were made prisoners of war. After being confined in Libby prison for two days they were taken to the Belle Isle prison. After about a month's confinement there they were paroled. Mr. Wickham went to Annapolis, Maryland, where he was clerk for the adjutant of the federal camp, and thence he went home to Ohio on a furlough. He rejoined his regiment at Martinsburg, Virginia, and participated in the battle at Newmarket. Afterward he fought at Piedmont and at Lynchburg, Virginia, and after being in camp for a time at Harper's Ferry his regiment participated in the fight at Snicker's Gap, the engagement near Winchester, the battle of Berryville, and fought under Sheridan at Opequan. After that he fought at Fisher's Hill and at Cedar Creek. His regiment was transferred to the Army of the Potomac, under Grant, and was encamped at Deep Bottom, Virginia, until April, 1865. Next, under General Ord, it helped to storm and take Petersburg and Richmond. After the fall of Richmond that regiment and the Fifty-fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, were detached 724 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. to cross the river and burn a bridge to prevent the escape of Lee's army. In this expedition he was again made a prisoner of war and was under guard with Lee's command when Lee surrendered. At the battle of Newmarket a minie ball penetrated his thigh, wounding him severely. After the war Mr. Wickham returned to Ohio and attended college at Westerville. After a year as a student there he became a school-teacher. He taught three years in Ohio and then went to Cass county, Missouri, where he taught three years and a half. Then, returning to Ohio, he located on his present farm in Texas township. He owns eighty acres of good land and devotes himself to general farming. He is a member of Roberts Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of Benton, and of the Masonic lodge at Sycamore, Ohio. In politics he is a Republican and exerts a recognized influence in the councils of his party, and he has served six years as justice of the peace, three years as assessor and six years as township trustee. He was married March 12, 1872, to Mary Coder, and they have had seven children,named : Fleta ; Dock D., deceased ; Elizabeth ; Josie C.; Ulysses; Georgia ; and Jerome G. VALENTINE UNDERWOOD. The gentleman whose name is mentioned above is a prominent citizen of Todd township, Crawford county, Ohio, and is known not only in connection with local farming interests but in connection with milling interests at Lernert and elsewhere. Valentine Underwood was born in Crawford county, Ohio, September 6, 1844, a son of Lorenzo D. and Martha (Warner) Underwood, who had four sons and two daughters, three of whom are living. Mr. Under-wood's father removed to Crawford county in the pioneer period of its history, and in 1852 he went to Illinois. Thence after a year he removed to Centerville, Iowa, where he took up government land and remained until 1859, when he started for the California gold fields, Pike's Peak being his objective point, driving a team of horses overland, but sickened and died by the way. In 1860 his widow took her family to Liberty township, Crawford county, Ohio, NI' here her son Valentine learned the miller's trade;' in the old Warner flour mill, in which he was employed continuously for seven years. After that for two years he operated the old Taylor water-power gristmill in Sycamore township, Wyandot county, Ohio, under lease. Then, in company with B. W. Warner, his brother-in-law, he built a CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 725 flouring mill at Melmore, Ohio, which lie operated for six years, when, on account of failing health, he sold his interest in it to his partner and bought a farm of seventy-five acres in Todd township, Crawford county, where he has since lived, devoting himself to general farming and since his health has improved somewhat to the manufacture of flour. He leased the Oceola mills for four years, and since 1897 has operated the Lemert roller mills, which have a capacity of one hundred barrels. April 13, 1865, Mr. Underwood married Miss Lucetta Quaintance, who, has borne him two children, Tilley Edwin, who is a coal operator near Corning, Perry county, Ohio; and Benjamin F., who is an engineer in the Lemert mill for his father. In politics Mr. Underwood is a Republican, but he is not an active politician, and has always been too busy to trouble himself with office-holding, but he is not without a recognized influence in his party councils, and is known as a man of public spirit, who feels much solicitude concerning important interests of his township and county. GEORGE L. JENNER. George Lewis Jenner enjoys the distinction of being one of the most enterprising and successful farmers and stock-raisers in Crawford county. A native son of the Buckeye state, his birth occurred in Liberty township, Crawford county, in 1852, a son of John George and Mary A. (Ackerman) Jenner. The father was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1816, but came with his parents to the United States when sixteen years of age, the family locating in Whetstone township, Crawford county, Ohio, but some years later removed to Liberty township, one and a half miles southwest of Sulphur Springs, where the grandfather purchased a farm of seventy acres. There he spent his remaining days. After one year spent in Sulphur Springs the father of our subject removed to a farm of forty acres south of the town, which he owned and operated for about ten years. He had learned the manufacture of spinning wheels in his young manhood, and he divided his time between that occupation and the work of clearing and improving his farm, which was covered with a native growth of timber. He subsequently sold that land and purchased ninety-four acres of the farm where our subject now resides, to which he afterward added sixty-six and a half acres, making him the possessor of one hundred and sixty and a fraction acres of land. He was a stanch Democrat in his political views,, and was an active member of the Lutheran church. The mother of our subject was also a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, 726 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. but when ten years of age she came to America with her parents, the family locating in Columbiana county, Ohio. Her father was a tanner by trade, and followed that occupation as a means of support for himself and family. He passed away in early life, his death occurring about 1840, and his wife was called to the home beyond some years prior to her husband's death. Mrs. Jenner is still living, and now makes her home with the subject of this review. By her marriage with Mr. Jenner she became the mother of eight children, only three of whom survive, and the two daughters, Mary C. and Amelia, still reside on the old homestead with their mother. George Lewis Jenner, whose name introduces this review, was reared upon the home farm, and the educational advantages which he enjoyed in his youth were extremely limited. As he was the only son of the family the work of the farm early fell upon his young shoulders. When he was twenty-one years of age he assumed the entire management of the homestead, farming the same on shares, during the first two years receiving one-third of the crops, but the farm implements becoming badly worn he purchased new ones and from that time on received one-half of the proceeds. After the father's death, through the liberality of the children, the farm was given to the mother during her life-time, but our subject has ever since continued its management. In political matters Mr. Jenner is a stanch advocate of Democratic principles, and was the choice of his party for township treasurer, in which he served for one term, refusing to again become an incumbent in the office. Mr. Jenner is one of the practical and progressive farmers of the county, his fields being under a fine state of cultivation, the place stocked with the best grades of cattle and horses, and everything about the farm indicates its owner to be a man of wise judgment, perseverance and excellent business ability. ALLEN B. MULFORD. The name above will be recognized by readers of this work throughout Crawford county, Ohio, as that of a prominent farmer of Texas township, now living in well-earned retiracy after many years of useful and fruitful endeavor. Allen B. Mulford was born at Monroeville, Huron county, Ohio, March 4, 1839, and came to Crawford county with his parents at the age of twelve years. He received his education in the common schools near his parents' home and early became an assistant to his father in his agricultural enterprises, and, after his father's death he acquired the ownership of the old family homestead of one hundred and forty-two acres. He devoted himself to general CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 727 farming and stock-raising until 1892, and since that time has rented his farm but has retained his residence upon it. During the Civil war Mr. Mulford offered his services to the country but they were rejected because of his physical disability. Later he became a member of the home guards, and as such performed such duties as devolved upon him, regretting that he had been unable to go to the front and participate in the more stirring and dangerous scenes of the war. He is a member of D. A. Roberts Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of Benton, Ohio. In politics he is a Republican, but he never sought nor accepted office or has been especially active in political work, but his public spirit has impelled him, to further so far as has been possible all measures having for their object the enhancement of the public weal. He was married November 16, 1893, to Miss Christine Beard. WILLIAM F. McCONNELL. Crawford county, Ohio, has many public-spirited and progressive citizens who have long had her best interests at heart, and one of these is William F. McConnell, who is a native of this county, born in Auburn township, on April 23, 1858. His parents were Samuel and Charity A. (Lash) McConnell, who reared a family of three children, these being as follows : Jennie, who is the wife of Francis M. Wilford and they reside on the home farm in Auburn township; Mary M., who is the widow of Frank Stock, of Tiro, Ohio; and William F., who is the subject of this sketch. Samuel McConnell was born in Jefferson county, near Steubenville, Ohio, on February 19, 1827, and he was the son of Charles and Nancy (Taggart) McConnell. When about twelve years of age he came with his parents to Richland county, Ohio, settling in Auburn township, and here Samuel grew to manhood. In 1850 his uncle, William Taggart, decided to go to California and proposed to take Samuel with him, the latter agreeing to pay to his uncle one-half of all he earned during the first year to reimburse him. They made the trip by way of the isthmus, and Samuel remained in California for three years, during which time he was very successful. Upon his return to Craw, ford county, in 1853, he purchased one hundred and six acres of land in Auburn township and engaged in farming, and lived in this same place until the time of his death, in December, 1890. In his immediate neighborhood he was regarded with esteem and was one of the leading members of the United Brethren church. 728 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. William F. McConnell, of this sketch, grew up at home and acquired his education in the common schools. After his marriage he located in Mechanicsburg and there engaged for a time in farming, but in September, 1883, he purchased a butcher shop and removed to Tiro, where he did a retail meat business for the following six years. In 1889 Mr. McConnell changed his business from a retail to a wholesale trade, and began the buying and shipping of stock, in which business he is still engaged, finding a market in Chicago. He has been the means of bringing much fine stock into Crawford county, while his shipments from the county have created a great agricultural industry. During the spring and summer of 1893 our subject was employed by Armour & Company as a traveling salesman, but being a man of family and fond of domestic life he resigned that position. In connection with his stock interests Mr. McConnell also operates a farm of eighty acres. On August 9, 1882, our subject was united in marriage to Miss Lucy Daugherty, who was a native of Auburn township, and was the daughter of Aaron Daugherty. To this marriage six children were born, these being: Sherman C., deceased ; Donna M., Claude, Blanche, George S:, Glenna E. and Genevieve. The children are all attending school, as Mr. McConnell advocates a thorough education for all. For four years he was the capable marshal of the town. In 1892 Mr. McConnell built a large grain elevator in Tiro, which he successfully operated for one year, but his other business required his attention and he sold that property. He is a valued member of Tiro Lodge, No. 592, Knights of Pythias, and is one of the progressive and truly representative men of Crawford county. His energy and his thoroughgoing business methods have opened up avenues of industry through the county and he is well known and appreciated by a large circle of both personal and business friends. JOHN BROWN, JR. John Brown, one of the wealthy and influential agriculturists of Crawford county, is a native son of the Buckeye state, his birth having occurred in Vernon township, Crawford county, on the 27th of February, 1849. His father, John Brown, Sr., was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, on the 12th of March, 1819. His father died when he was but an infant, and his mother, Catherine Brown, reared her family of five children, two of whom, Gottlieb, of Ottawa county, Ohio, and John, still survive. The latter grew to manhood in his CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 729 native country, and there learned the baker's trade, which he there followed until 1847. In that year, in company with his brother Gottlieb, he came to America, sixty-four days having been spent on the water, and they landed in New York in May of that year. Mr. Brown made his way to Ohio, settling in Vernon township, Crawford county, where he purchased ninety-three acres of land, the property being now owned by his son Philip. Shortly after his arrival here he was united in marriage with Mrs. Weidemeyer, who bore the maiden name of Catherine Kinney. She was born in Baden, Germany, in 1819, and was there married to a Mr. Weidemeyer, four children having been born unto this union after they came to the United States. Three of the number still survive,--Barbara, wife of Jacob Glower, of Vernon township ; Leonard, also a resident of this township; and Catherine, wife of Emanuel Knapp, of Henry county, Ohio. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Brown were born five children, namely : John, the subject of this review ; William, a farmer of Vernon township ; Jacob and Philip, who also make their home in Vernon township; and Charlie, a resident of Toledo, Ohio. After his marriage Mr. Brown, Sr., located on forty acres of land belonging to his wife, where he remained until her children reached adult age, when he purchased ninety-three acres in Vernon township, making his home thereon from 1858 until 1899. In the latter year he removed to the home of his son Philip, where he still resides. His wife was called to the home beyond on the 16th of December, 1896. Both she and her husband were active members of the German Lutheran church, in which the latter has served as a trustee and treasurer for many years. In political matters he affiliates with the Democratic party, and for six years he held the office of township treasurer. Mr. Brown has long held rank among the leading citizens of Crawford county, and in all the relations of life he has borne himself as a kind husband and father, a true friend and an honest man of business. John Brown, the immediate subject of this sketch, was reared to manhood in his parents' home, acquiring his education in the common schools of his neighborhood. At the age of nineteen years he left the parental roof and began the active battle of life as a farm hand, continuing that occupation until after his marriage, when he located on one of his father-in-law's farms, making his home there for two years. The place was then sold and our subject took up his abode upon the Brown homestead, his father-in-law removing to Tiro, and there he resided until 1895, when he removed to his present location, this farm being also the property of his father-in-law and contains one 730 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. hundred and sixty-nine acres. Some time in the '80s Mr. Brown purchased land in Vernon township, the purchase price being seventeen thousand dollars, and this land is now operated by his brother Philip, who also has charge of their father's farm. On the 28th of April, 1874, Mr. Brown was united in marriage with Miss Mary A. Brown, a daughter of Joseph D. Brown, whose history will be found on another page of this volume. Four children have been born unto this union, namely : Eva M., who was first married to Frank Turner, by whom she had two children, John H. and Hazel L., and she is now the wife of Ed Lucabaugh, of Crestline, Ohio; Sarah Josephine; Florence C. ; and Nora Luella. Mr. Brown exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democratic party, and many times he has served as a delegate to county conventions, while at the present time he is serving his fourth term as treasurer of the township. In his social relations he is a member of Tiro Lodge, No. 592, K. P. He was reared in the Lutheran faith but is not a member of any religious denomination, although his wife and children hold membership in the Presbyterian church. The family is highly esteemed in the community. Mr. Brown has now reached the plane of affluence, but his possessions represent his own earnings. He is honorable and upright in all that lie does, thus deserving the respect and esteem which are accorded him as one of the substantial and representative citizens of Crawford county. SAMUEL HILBORN. One of the prominent farmer citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, who is well known and highly esteemed, is Samuel Hilborn, who was born in Richland county, Ohio, on June 28, 1826. His parents were Isaac and Nancy (George) Hilborn, and both of them were natives of Pennsylvania, where the former was born in 1798, and the. latter on May 22, 1801. They were the parents of nine children, these being as follows : Polly, Robert, Samuel, Amos, William, Elizabeth Isabella, John and Sarah. The father died April 30, 1865, and the mother April 17, 1841. Isaac Hilborn was one of the early settlers of Auburn township. Samuel Hilborn, who is the subject of this sketch, was reared on the home farm and received the best education possible in that locality. At the age of seventeen years he left the parental roof and apprenticed himself to the blacksmith trade, remaining three years under instruction. Then he opened a shop of his own on the cross roads in Auburn township, which was later CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 731 known as Mechanicsburg from the fact of the establishment there of a shoemaker, a wagonmaker and a blacksmith, the combination being very satisfactory to the surrounding farming region. For ten years Mr. Hilborn conducted his blacksmith shop and then gave up his trade in order to engage in farming on his father's place on shares. In 1856 he purchased eighty acres of land in Cranberry township, removed to, the same and resided there for two years. Selling that, he then bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in Auburn township, which was timber land, located one mile north of the home farm, and here, in company with two others, our subject erected a sawmill, which was operated by them for several years. When this mill was sold to other parties our subject built a log cabin on the land and resided upon it for a short period and then returned to the home farm. Later, through exchange of land and a money consideration, our subject acquired the home farm, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, and here has been the permanent family home ever since. In 1851 Mr. Hilborn was married to Miss Elizabeth A. Irwin, a native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Israel H. Irwin, who came to Crawford county about 1834, settling in Auburn township. To our subject and wife five children were born, these being as follows : Ellsworth I., who conducts the home farm in Auburn township; Zella M., the wife of James. Michener, of Tiro, Ohio; Charles M., of Massillon; and Isaac N. and Emma L., both deceased. In politics Mr. Hilborn is a stanch and outspoken Republican, and in his religious belief he is a Lutheran and is one of the liberal supporters of that church. His reputation in Auburn township is that of a man whose word is just as good as his bond, and he well deserves the high regard in which he is held. WILLIAM MORROW. Holding marked prestige among the prominent agriculturists of Crawford county is William Morrow, who was born in Auburn township, this county, on the 13th of June, 1832, a son of James and Margaret (Kumler). Morrow. The father was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in 1809, a son of Charles and Mary (Cummings) Morrow, also natives of the Keystone state. In 1817 they came to Crawford county, Ohio, locating in Auburn township, having been the third family to settle in this locality. The grandfather was a, powerful man physically, and to him the word fear was unknown. 732 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. The Indians stood in constant dread of him, and on one occasion he ran six of them from his house with a wagon whip, while at another time, the Indians having stolen some of his horses, he pursued them on horseback, and when they saw him coming with his rifle in hand they abandoned the horses and fled. His death occurred in 1865, having been of Irish descent. Unto Charles and Mary (Cummings) Morrow were born the following children : Davis, who served as postmaster and justice of the peace of Tiro for many years; James, the father of our subject; Nancy, who became the wife of James Dixon; Eliza, the wife of Walter Dleen, one of the early pioneers of Crawford county ; and Mary J., the wife of Barber Robinson. Unto the parents of our subject were born four children,—William, James, Charles and John. The father died in 1875. In political matters he gave his support to the Democratic party. William Morrow, whose name introduces this review, was reared to manhood on the home farm, and his education was acquired in the pioneer log school house of the neighborhood, He remained at home until after his marriage, when he purchased and located on seventy-four acres of his present farm. He afterward purchased the eighty acres of land where William Bender now resides, where he conducted a tavern for four years, and after residing on that property for ten years he sold the tract and purchased four hundred acres of land in Auburn township. He also spent ten years on that property, on the expiration of which period he disposed of the land and returned to his original purchase of seventy-four acres, where he now makes his home. In October, 1859, occurred the marriage of Mr. Morrow and Miss Lucy A. Trux, a daughter of Michael Trux, who emigrated to Richland county, Ohio, locating in Plymouth before a stick of the native timber had been cut from the forest there. Unto this union were born four children,—Abraham, a prominent agriculturist of Auburn township; William, who owns four hundred acres of land at Round Lake, Minnesota; Davis and James, also residents of this township. The wife and mother died, and for his second wife our subject chose Nancy Loudon, a daughter of James Loudon, who came to Auburn township, Crawford county, from Pennsylvania, in a very early day. Two children were born unto the second union, namely : Frank, who makes his home in Crawford county; and Minnie M., the wife of Hays Mallic, of Auburn township. Mr. Morrow has been a third time married, when Mary Lipsett became his wife, but after four years of happy married life she, too, was called to the home beyond. In politics Mr. Morrow supports the Demo- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 733 cratic party, and socially he is a member of Auburn Grange, No. 556, P. of H. He has now rounded the sixty-ninth milestone on the journey of life, and during this entire time he has been identified with the interests of the Buckeye state. At all times he has endeavored to promote the best interests of this section of the country, and high on the roll of the honored men of Crawford county is found the name of this worthy pioneer. CHARLES MORROW. Charles Morrow has long been a conspicuous figure in agricultural circles in Crawford county. He was born on the farm which he still owns, in Auburn township, on the 15th of May, 1839, a son of James and Margaret (Kumler) Morrow. He was reared to manhood on the old family homestead, being early inured to the labors of field and meadow, and his educational advantages were those afforded by the pioneer schools of that day. On reaching his twenty-first year he was employed by a Mr. Hodge, of Connecticut, to assist in driving cattle to that state. He made the return trip and started on a second, but after making a portion of the journey he returned, and on the 1st of January, 1863, was united in marriage with Miss Savina Nickler, a native of Somerset county, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Benjamin and Nancy (Nicholson) Nickler. The father, who was a native of Germany, came to America with his mother and stepfather when fourteen years of age, his father, who was of French parentage, having died in the fatherland. The family located in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, where Benjamin grew to manhood and learned the trade of a tailor. After his marriage he located in Somerset county, his wife's native place, and there divided his time between farming and working at the tailor's trade. In 1863 he emigrated to Crawford county, Ohio, locating in Liberty township, where he followed farming during the remainder of his life, passing away in death in 1864, at the age of fifty-five years. His widow survived him thirty years, dying at the advanced age of eighty years and ten days. At the time of her marriage Mrs. Morrow was residing with a sister, Mrs. Anna Eicher, in Auburn township, and by her marriage with our subject she has become the mother of three children, namely : Martha Ann, wife of W. J. Cleland, who resides on the old Arthur Cleland farm in this county; Ida E., the wife of Frank Will, who now makes his home on Mr. Morrow's farm ; and Mary J., the wife of Orin Lake, a prominent agriculturist of Auburn township. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Morrow began their domestic life in 734 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. a little log cabin on one hundred and sixty acres of land which belonged to his father and where his brother William now resides, and there he followed agricultural pursuits for two years, receiving the entire profits from the farm. On the expiration of that period he returned to the old home farm on which he was born, and on his father's death he inherited the property, making his home thereon until 1885. In 1883 he purchased four and a half acres of land in the city of Tiro, and two years later he retired from the active duties of farm life and took up his abode in this city. He has since rebuilt his residence, making it one of the finest in the town, and there he and his wife are now living, surrounded by the comforts and many of the luxuries of life, the result of former toil. In political matters Mr. Morrow is identified with the Democratic party, and socially he is a member of Tiro Lodge, No. 688, I. O. O. F., of which he has been a member for twenty years. In his business affairs he has met with splendid success, and by reason of his energy, ambition and careful discrimination he has been very successful, being now regarded as one of the foremost men of his locality. A man of unswerving integrity -and honor, one who has a perfect appreciation of the higher ethics of life, he has gained and retained the confidence and respect of his fellow men, and is distinctively one of the leading citizens of Crawford county, with whose interests he has been identified for so many years. FRANCIS M. LASH. Among the highly esteemed farmer citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, is Francis M. Lash, who was born in Auburn township, in this county, on the farm which he now occupies, on January 23, 1848. He was a son of Peter and Mary (Fredline) Lash, who were pioneer settlers of Crawford county, and of whom extended mention is made in the biography of Peter B. Lash in another part of this volume. Francis M. Lash was the youngest of the family born to his parents, and when his father died, at the age of forty-three, the hard labor of the farm fell upon his sons. The older brothers of our subject first managed the farm, while the latter grew to manhood and acquired his education in the public schools, and in 187o,1870, his. next older brother left the home roof, the responsibility fell upon him. As his circumstances warranted, our subject gradually purchased the interests of the other heirs, and by 1885 he had obtained entire control of the homestead, consisting of one hundred and three acres. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 735 Mr. Lash is a thorough farmer and has brought his land to a fine state of cultivation, its value increasing year by year. The marriage of Mr. Lash was on November 15, 1874, to Miss Almira Crum, a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of David Crum, who was an old and honored resident of Liberty township, and a sketch of whom appears upon another page of this record. In politics Mr. Lash now supports the Republican party, but for several years he worked diligently for the Prohibition party and at different times was a candidate on that ticket. His interest in the cause of temperance has not diminished, but he believes that the Republican party can best adjust the issues of the people. Both Mr. Lash and wife are active and useful members of the United Brethren church, in which his parents were so deeply interested, and for many years he has been one of the trustees, and is one of its most liberal contributors to both home and foreign missions. Mr. Lash stands high in public esteem and is known to be a man of sterling character and unimpeachable integrity. GEORGE WEAVER. Among the prominent citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, George Weaver, of Auburn township, takes a leading position. The birth of Mr. Weaver was in Germany, a country which has contributed a large number of substantial citizens to America. Baden was the native city of Mr. Weaver, and there he was born on June 15, 1831, a member of a family of seven children born to his parents, Frederick and Mary M. (Brimley) Weaver. Two of this family are the only survivors, these being our subject and his sister Catherine, who is the wife of John Zabst, of Steuben county, Indiana. Both Frederick Weaver and wife were born in Baden, and there they were reared and married, later becoming farmers. When our subject was but: six months old his father died and the mother, with her family, emigrated to the United States, coming to Ohio and buying eighty acres of land in what was then a part of Richland county, but is now included in Crawford county. This land was located about one mile west of our subject's present farm, and was placed under the management of her eldest son, who had reached maturity. This son died some eight years later, perishing from foul gas in a well, the gas overcoming another young man who went to his assistance. The mother continued to reside on this farm for a number of years, finally selling it and spending her last days with her children and dying early in the '70s, 41 736 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. aged about eighty-five years, having been a good mother and an excellent manager. George Weaver, of this sketch, grew to the age of fourteen years, spending his time on the farm and in attendance at the pioneer school, where the conveniences and adornments consisted in slab benches and puncheon floor. By the time our subject was fourteen his mother broke up her home and he went to make his residence with a neighbor by the name of Jacob Cruykendall, and remained with him until he had reached his majority. Then our subject began his own career, working as a farm hand until his marriage. This took place on March 19, 1857, when he was united in marriage to Miss Katy A. Aumund, who was a native of this township and was a daughter of Adam Aumund. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Weaver located on a portion of Mr. Cruykendall's farm, where our subject carried on one summer's operations, on shares. Prior to his marriage he had purchased eighty acres of land in Indiana, but Mrs. Weaver did not feel inclined to go so far from her old home and friends, and our subject respected her desires and exchanged that land for seventy acres of his present farm, and in the fall of 1857 they removed to this new home. An earlier settler had built a log cabin and the young people soon made it cosy and comfortable, and this remained their residence for a number of years, Mr. Weaver later enlarging it. In 1874 he erected the substantial frame house where the family has since resided. The high cultivation to -which Mr. Weaver has brought his land proves him a skilled farmer. It contains one hundred acres and has excellent improvements and presents a most attractive and thrifty appearance. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Weaver, these being: Henry, at home, and Clara B. and Royal, both deceased. In politics Mr. Weaver has been a life-long Republican, and the esteem in which he is held by his fellow citizens has been shown by his election to the office of township trustee for three terms. Both Mr. and Mrs. Weaver, as well as their son, belong to the Methodist church, where our subject is recording steward and where he is held in the highest esteem. Mrs. Weaver was a daughter of Adam, Jr., and Susannah (Harley) Aumund, the former of whom was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1799, and was a son of Adam and Christina Aumund. Soon after coming to Richland county, when a young man, he was married and located on a farm of eighty acres adjoining his father's home farm, the latter having made provision for his sons by entering four tracts of eighty acres each. Mr. Au- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 737 mund lived on this farm all his life, adding to it until he had two hundred and thirty acres. He was a man of much influence in his district and was a power in the councils of the Democratic party, serving several years as a justice of the peace, township truste and in other local offices, and was also an active member of the Methodist church. His death occurred in 1879, in his eightieth year. After the death of the mother of Mrs. Weaver, her father married, first, Nancy Harley, and by that marriage one son, Riley W., was born, since deceased ; and Mr. Aumund's next marriage was to Mrs. Runyan, formerly Miss Prudence West, and his last marriage was to Mrs. Vincent, who was formerly Miss Mary Davidson. Seven children survive, these being : Henry ; Samuel ; Mary E. ; Mrs. Weaver ; George W. ; Mary A., the wife of R. R. Ross, of this township; and Henderson P. SAMUEL A. STOCK. Samuel A. Stock is one of the leading and influential men of the township in which he was born. His birth occurred on August 14, 1850, in Auburn township, Crawford county, Ohio, and he was a son of John and Christina (Schaffer) Stock, who reared a family of twelve children, six of whom still survive. These are as follows : George W., a resident of Cranberry township ; Samuel A., the subject of this sketch ; Jennie, the wife of George Hart, of this township; Elvira, the wife of Frank Morse, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Sabine, the wife of Abner McCane, of New Washington, Ohio; and Eva, the wife of Charles Urich, of Cranberry township. John Stock was born in Pennsylvania and came with his parents in his youth to Richland county, Ohio, where he married and then moved to Auburn township, Crawford county, where he owned an eighty-acre farm. Some time later he sold this farm and returned to Richland county and engaged in farming on the home place. His wife purchased a farm of one hundred and ten acres in Crawford county from her brother-in-law, and some years later exchanged this farm for the one which is now owned by her son George, and there her last years were spent. John Stock was a soldier during the Civil war, and was a member of the One Hundred and Sixtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was sent to the front, the privation and exposure bringing on dysentery, from which he died in Philadelphia, and there he was buried. Our subject grew to manhood amid home surroundings, and obtained an excellent school education in the district schools. He remained at home until he was twenty-six years old, managing his mother's property, and then 738 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. was married to Miss Adelia L. Morse, who was also born in Auburn township. She was a daughter of Amos and Mehetable (Carlisle) Morse, the former of whom was one of the most influential men in the neighborhood. In his earlier years he was a teacher, but before his death followed agriculture on one hundred and sixty acres of land. In politics he was a Republican, and he held the office of justice of the peace for the last twenty years of his life. He was a member of the Baptist church and a man of more than average intelligence, and was the father of three children, viz. : Frank R., Adelia and Amanda, twins. After marriage our subject rented a farm of one hundred and fourteen acres in Cranberry township, where he remained some two years, removing then to his father-in-law's farm, which he has managed ever since. At the death of Mr. Morse he was made executor, and his esteemed mother-in-law resides with our subject and family. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Stock, and the five survivors are: Otis M., who is a graduate of the Linwood high school and the Woodward high school, of Cincinnati; and Ira W., Charles A., Irma A. and Harold M., all of whom are at home except Ira, who is employed in the tube works in Shelby, Ohio. The one member of the family who is deceased was Olive E. In politics our subject is a member of the Democratic party, and he has been quite active in township affairs, serving four terms as assessor. At one time he was made a candidate by his friends for the office of trustee, but he never desired the office and did not work for it, and he was defeated by just one vote. In the order of K. of P. Mr. Stock has been a valued and useful member of Tiro Lodge, No. 592. He is one of the charter members of this lodge and has done much for its advancement. In the township he occupies a position of confidence and trust, and is regarded as one of the progressive and public-spirited citizens who are ever on the alert to advance the interests of Crawford county. WILLIAM DAWSON. Among the progressive and representative farmers of Crawford county, Ohio, is William Dawson, who for many years has been a very successful agriculturist of Auburn township. The birth of Mr. Dawson, of this biography, was in Lincolnshire, England, near the town of Boston, on December 13, 1835. He was a son of William and Susan (Courtright) Dawson, and is the only surviving child of his parents. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 739 William Dawson was born also in Lincolnshire, in 1800, and after the death of his wife, some time after 1840, he came to America and located in Crawford county, Ohio, where he bought a farm of fifty acres, in Auburn township. At a later date he purchased an adjoining thirty acres, and this he improved and lived upon until his death, in 1858. Mr. Dawson was a man of high moral purpose and a most consistent member of the Primitive Methodist church. In England he had been a local preacher and exhorter in the church, and always lived an exemplary life. After coming to America he contracted a second marriage, Miss Mary Gibson becoming his second wife, and she survived her husband for some years. After the death of the mother of our subject, when he was about seven or eight years of age, he found a comfortable home with an uncle, Samuel Dawson, and young William remained with him until his eighteenth year. This uncle was an extensive farmer and successful stock-raiser, and under his supervision our subject became well trained in all agricultural pursuits. This severe discipline served our subject well in after life, as he applied on his own land the principles which his uncle had taught, and now owns one of the best developed and valuable farms in Crawford county. In 1853 Mr. Dawson, our subject, came to America, landing in New York City on May II, 1853, after a tempestuous voyage, in the sailing vessel "Forest King," which lasted forty-seven days. In the furious storm they encountered the vessel was stripped of her canvas and was almost wrecked. It was with a feeling of great relief that Mr. Dawson found himself again on firm land, and he immediately made his way to his father in Crawford county. With him he engaged in farming, and on January 6, 1857, was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca J. Doty, who was a native of Ashland county, Ohio, and a daughter of a prominent farmer of Ashland county. In the following summer our subject took charge of the farm, and as his father died during the next year the property came into his possession. In 1862 our subject purchased one hundred and fifty-one acres of land in Ashland county, with the intention of moving to that place, but just at this time came a family affliction,—the death of a dear child, and Mrs. Dawson felt unable in her trouble to leave old friends and associations. Therefore, in 1864 Mr. Dawson sold this farm and purchased his present one, which consists of one hundred and eighty acres, and resided upon it, improving and beautifying it, until about 1887, when he rented it to his son-in-law and retired to Plymouth. In 1890 Mrs. Dawson died. Five years later Mr. Dawson returned to his farm, having been married on June 28, 1896, to Miss Dora 740 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Doty, who was a native of Ashland county, and she was a daughter of James Doty, also of that county. To his former marriage five children were born, as' follows : Ada A.; deceased ; Elmer Lincoln, a farmer of Richland county ; Effie R., the wife of Howard Clark, a farmer of Richland county ; Emma R., the wife of Andrew Trobridge, of Chicago; and Ida May, who resides with her sister Effie. In politics Mr. Dawson is numbered among the stanch Republicans of Auburn township. Socially he is a valued member of the Auburn Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, while he has long been one of the leading members of the Methodist church, in which he is a steward. His farm shows the personal care and attention that has been given it and is an example of what skilled farming can accomplish. He is one of the highly respected citizens of this locality and is well and favorably known over a wide section. THOMAS B. ENDSLOW. The history of mankind is replete with illustrations of the fact that it is only under the pressure of adversity and the stimulus of opposition that the best and strongest in men are brought out and developed. Perhaps the history of no people so forcibly impresses one with this truth as the annals of our own republic. If anything can inspire the youth of our country to persistent, honest and laudable endeavor it should be the life record of such men as he of whom we write. The example of the illustrious few of our countrymen, who have risen from obscurity to the highest positions in the gift of the nation, serves often to awe our young men rather than inspire them to emulation, because they reason that only a few can ever attain such eminence; but the history of such men as Thomas B. Endslow proves conclusively that with a reasonable amount of mental and physical power success is bound eventually to crown the endeavor of those who have the ambition to put forth their best efforts and the will and manliness to persevere therein. Thomas B. Enslow was born in Lykens township, Crawford county, May 6, 1850, and is a son of William and Eliza ( Junk) Endslow, of whose family of eight children five are yet living. The Endslows are of English lineage. William Endslow, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was a native of the Merrie Isle, but when a young man crossed the briny deep to the new world, settling in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, where he followed farming.. His wife was Mrs. Margaret Endslow, and among their children was William Endslow, Jr., whose birth occurred in Juniata county, in 1803. In his youth CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 741 he learned the trade of wagon-making, and when he had attained his majority he chose as a companion and helpmate for the journey of life Miss Eliza Junk. In 1831, accompanied by his wife and one child, who was born in the Keystone state, he made his way to Ohio, settling in Richland county, near Shelby, which was then a small hamlet of two houses and a blacksmith shop. He there erected a wagon-maker's shop, but after two or three years came to Crawford county and purchased eighty acres of land in Lykens township, turning his attention to agricultural pursuits. The journey thither was made by way of New Washington, which was also in the period of inception, containing but two dwellings. Mr. Endslow and his brother-in-law erected his first residence of poles, the house being twelve by eighteen feet. It was completed in a day and at once furnished shelter for the family. Later they covered the poles with clapboards on the front and sides and plastered the house with straw and mud. This served as the family residence for only a year or two, after which Mr. Endslow erected a substantial hewed-log house. He made his home until his death, which occurred in 1876, upon the farm which he there developed, but in the meantime he erected four other houses, the last being a commodious frame residence, erected some time in the '50s. His wild land was transformed into richly. cultivated fields that brought to him golden harvests in return for his plowing and planting. In his political views he was a Democrat and in religious faith was first a Presbyterian, but afterward became a member of the Seceders church. During the many years of his residence upon his farm he devoted much of his time to his trade, and thus the care of the fields developed largely upon his children. The five surviving members of the family are: Margaret, who is now living in Crawford county, Kansas ; William, a miller of Columbus, Ohio ; Samuel ; Eliza, now the wife of R. K. Williams, an agriculturist of Seneca county ; and Thomas B. No event of special importance occurred to change the usual routine of farm life for Thomas B. Endslow. He was a student in the district schools through the winter season and made a hand in the fields through the summer months. At the age of twenty, however, he left the parental roof and became an apprentice to the miller's trade, serving in a mill near Loudonville. After three years there passed he came to New Washington and was employed in the mill which he now operates. Two years later he acquired an interest in the business, which he retained until 1885, when he removed to Aberdeen, Brown county, where he rented a mill for a year. That property was then sold, after which Mr. Endslow worked on a salary until 1890, when he returned to New Washington and purchased the mill in which he had formerly 742 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. been employed and which he now conducts. He is doing a good business, his patronage steadily increasing, which calls for an enlarged output. In 1876 was celebrated .the marriage of Mr. Endslow and Miss Sarah Springer, of Crawford county, a daughter of George W. Springer, a prominent farmer who resided in this locality, but is now deceased. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Endslow has been blessed with four children, namely : Maud L., now the. wife of Dr. H. G. Blaine, of Attica, Ohio; B. Clyde, who is in the mill with his father ; W. Lloyd, an engineer in the mill ; and Myrtle B. The mother of this family was called to her final rest in 1892, and in September, 1896, Mr. Endslow was again married, his second union being with Miss Lydia Evert, a native of Crawford county. In his political views he is a Democrat, and, though not an office seeker, he was elected and served for three terms, in the early '80s, as township clerk, while at the present writing he is a member of the board of councilmen of New Washington. To those who are familiar with his history it is needless to say that his duties were ever discharged with promptness and fidelity. He holds membership relations with the Methodist church and is serving as one of its trustees. Fraternally he is connected with Hyperion Lodge, No. 651, K. P., of which he became a charter member and in which he has filled all the offices. In all life's relations he has been found true to duty and to every obligation. His life record is commendable in that he owes his advancement tb his unflagging energy and perseverance, and to the fact that he has ever conducted all business transactions along the lines of strict commercial ethics. ISAAC HOSLER. Isaac Hosier is now serving as mayor of New Washington, and the city has found him a capable, energetic and faithful official, having a just appreciation of the duties that devolve upon him and discharging them with promptness and ability. He was born in Seneca county, Ohio, at the old family homestead in Bloom township, May 11, 1840, his parents being Jonas and Catherine (Troxel) Hosler. The grandfather of our subject, Christian Hosier, was a native of York county, Pennsylvania, and was of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry. In the place of his nativity he was reared and learned the trade of a cooper. He married a Miss Gensler and followed his chosen vocation in his native county until 1824, when he emigrated with his family to Ohio, settling in Stark county, where he carried on the coopering business until within the last five years of his life. His wife died and then he went to live with his son CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 743 Jonas, in whose home he remained until called to his final rest, when about seventy-five years of age. Jonas Hosler, the father of our subject, was born in York county, Pennsylvania, March, 14, 1810, and spent his boyhood days in his parents' home, learning the coopering business with his father ere the removal of the family to Ohio. As his parents were in but moderate circumstances Jonas Hosler and his elder brother worked for the neighboring farmers during the early years of their residence in the Buckeye state. The father of our subject entered the employ of Mr. Troxel, whose daughter he afterward married. Subsequently he and his brother-in-law engaged in the operation of the Troxel farm on the shares, but soon after his marriage, which occurred in 1832, he went to Seneca county in search of a home for his bride. While there he entered one hundred and sixty acres of land and two years later he removed his wife and two children to the log cabin which he had erected in the forest. There he developed an excellent farm, making it one of the best agricultural properties in the county. He continued its cultivation until 1863, when he sold and purchased a farm of one hundred and three acres in Chatfield township, Crawford county, where he died August 30, 1875. He was a very energetic man, of strong purposes and keen discrimination in business and thereby won a comfortable competence. In his political views he was a stalwart Democrat, but office holding had no attractions for him. His life was in harmony with his professions as a ,member of the German Lutheran church and he was one of the most highly esteemed men of his community. He married Miss Catherine Troxel and they became the parents of nine children, seven of whom are yet living, namely : Peter, a farmer of Defiance county, Ohio; Amanda, wife of Elias Miller, an agriculturist of Fulton county, Indiana ; Isaac, of this review ; Mathilda, wife of William Cummings, Sr., of New Washington ; Malinda, wife of John Donnenwirth, a former postmaster of New Washington, and now resides in Bucyrus; Minerva, the widow of Jacob Haas, of Wyandot county, Ohio; and Elizabeth, who married Conrad Kahler, a resident of Kosciusko county, Indiana. In taking up the personal history of Isaac Hosier we present to our reader the life record of one who is widely and favorably known in the Buckeye state, where he has always resided. His boyhood days were quietly passed on the home farm, and during that period he acquired only a limited common-school education, for his services were needed in the work of the fields. When he was twenty years of age he and his brother Peter took charge of the old homestead, which they operated on the shares for three years. In the summer of 744 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 1863 Mr. Hosler, of this review, had charge of the harvesting of the crops and worked at various other occupations, such as brick-making and threshing. In the spring of 1864, in company with five others, he started by wagon across the plains for California, leaving Bucyrus on the 1st of April. The travelers arrived in Austin, Nevada, on the 2nd of July, and there stopped for a couple of weeks. One of their number died while in that place. When the party left Austin Mr. Hosier remained behind and after two weeks' work in the silver mines took charge of some horses and mules on a stock ranch, his time being thus occupied during the fall and winter. In the spring of 1865 he began work in the salt marshes, about thirty miles from Austin, and in the fall of 1865 he went with a freight train to Colfax, California. After reaching that place he proceeded to Sacramento, over the Union Pacific Railroad, and from there, by river, to San Francisco. He spent about a week in the latter city and then took passage on a steamer going by the "Keystone" route. He crossed a lake in Central America, thence proceeded by way of the San Juan river to the Caribbean sea—the present proposed route of the Nicaraguan canal. He arrived in New York about a month after leaving San Francisco and at once continued on his way to his home. After two months spent upon the farm Mr. Hosler proceeded to Bucyrus and during the six succeeding years was employed as engineer in the Bucyrus Woolen Mills. In 1872, in connection with his brother-in-law, John Donnenwirth, Mr. Hosier came to New Washington and opened a tinshop, which they conducted for four years, when they sold their business, and through the two succeeding years our subject followed various pursuits. In 1878 he accepted a position in the tinshop, where he remained until 1900, but at the present time he is devoting his entire time and attention to his official duties. While residing in Bucyrus Mr. Hosler was united in marriage, in 1867, to Miss Teresa Rook, a native of Alsace, Germany, a daughter of Phillip and. Magdalena Rook, who came to America, locating in Ohio about 1854. In his political views the subject of this review is a stalwart Democrat and at various times has served for ten 'years as a member of the town council of New Washington. Entirely without his solicitation, in the spring of 1899, he was nominated and elected to the office of mayor, and in the spring of 1901 he was again nominated in a district where a Democratic nomination is equivalent to an election. He has proved a capable executive, laboring earnestly for the best interests of the people and exercises his official prerogatives in support of all measures and movements for the reform and progress of the city. He belongs to Cranberry Lodge, No. 441, I. O. O. F., has filled all its offices CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 745 and for seventeen consecutive years was secretary, to which position he has again been re-elected. Although not a church member, he contributes liberally to religious work and withholds his support and co-operation from no movement or measure for the general good. His fidelity to principle, his earnest purpose and his unquestioned honesty have gained for him the unfaltering confidence and high regard of the people among whom his lot has been cast. CHARLES MAHON. It is the enterprise and character of the citizens that enrich and ennoble the commonwealth. From individual enterprise has sprung all the splendor and importance of this great west. The greatest merchants have developed from the humblest origins. From clerkships have emerged men who have built great enterprises. America is a self-made country, and those who have created it are self-made men. No influence of birth or fortune have favored the architects of her glory. Among those who have achieved prominence as men of marked ability and substantial worth in Crawford county is the subject of this sketch, Charles Mahon, who occupies a prominent position. He is now proprietor of a saw and planing-mill in New Washington and is accounted one of the leading representatives of industrial interests in this portion of Crawford county. Mr. Mahon was born in Weller township, Richland county, July 24, 1843, and is a son of John and Margaret ( Steward) Mahon. The family was established in Ohio during the pioneer epoch in the history of the state. The father was born in Weller township, Richland county, and was a son of James Mahon, a native of Ireland, who came to America soon after his marriage and established a home in Weller township, on Chestnut Hill, being one of the first residents of that portion of the state. Mansfield then contained but three houses and the country for miles around was in its primitive condition, the forests standing in their primeval strength, unmarked by roads made by the white man or by the habitations of early settlers. Mr. Mahon entered three hundred and twenty acres of land and built a round-log house. He began clearing his land and was connected with the work of cultivating the fields up to the time of his death. Amid the wild scenes of pioneer life on the old family homestead John Mahon was reared, and in the common schools of the neighborhood he acquired his education. He married Miss Margaret Steward, who was also born in Weller township and was a daughter of Charles Steward, whose birth occurred in the Emerald Isle. Soon after his marriage he, too, sought a home in the new world and became a resident of Weller township, tak- 746 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ing up his abode on Black Fork. He entered one hundred and sixty acres of land from the government, cleared and improved the property and in the early .days experienced all the hardships and privations which fall to the lot of the early.settlers. They established a home in the wilderness and laid the foundation for the present prosperity and progress of the community. He continued in Weller township until called to the home beyond. He was a Presbyterian -in religious faith and was a very active and influential member of the church. After his marriage John Mahon located upon a portion of the old homestead, having received eighty acres of the farm as his patrimony, the grandfather having died when his son was only three years of age. Until 1859 John Mahon continued to cultivate his fields at that point and then sold the property, removing with his family to Crawford county, locating on the southeast corner of Cranberry township. He purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land, and the farm which he there improved and developed was his place of residence until his life's labors were ended in death. His political support was unswervingly given to the Democracy, and for several terms he served as township trustee, discharging his duties in a prompt and capable manner. He was quite active in church work, holding membership with the Methodist denomination. In early days he was for a number of years a member of the state militia and throughout his entire life was a man of influence and prominent in his community. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Mahon were born ten children, of whom five are yet living, namely : Charles; Millie, the widow of William Striker, of Cranberry township; Barger, of the same township; John, who is living near Bloomville, Ohio ; and Jennie, the wife of David Smith, of Shelby, Ohio. To the common-school system of Ohio Charles Mahon is indebted for the educational privileges which were afforded him in his youth. During the Civil war he was drafted for service, but owing to the objections raised by his parents he did not go to the front, although it was his desire to aid his country in her struggle to preserve the Union. As is usual with young men when they start out upon a business career he sought a companion and helpmate for the journey of life, and on the 28th of July, 1866, was united in marriage to Miss Hannah M. Shilling, a native of Cranberry township, and a daughter of David Shilling, who emigrated from Pennsylvania to Ohio when. Mrs. Mahon was a little child of only two years. The journey was made by wagon and often led Through dense forests. In the Keystone state her father had followed teaming, but soon after his arrival in Crawford county he turned his attention to farming. The same pursuit claimed the energies of Mr. Mahon after his CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 747 marriage, and he began his labors as an agriculturist upon a tract of eighty acres, near the old homestead. About a year later, however, he sold that property and purchased another eighty-acre tract a mile to the north, residing thereon for six or seven years. After disposing of that property he became the owner of eighty acres, one mile east and a half mile north of New Washington, and there engaged in the tilling of the fields until 1885, when he once more sold his farm and in that year became a resident of the town. He purchased a half interest in a saw and planing-mill, which, in connection with his partner, Anthony Herman, he has since conducted. The business has proven a profitable one under the capable management of the owners and now furnishes employment to twelve or more workmen. They manufacture lumber, and do all kinds of planing mill work, and their business has steadily increased, both in volume and importance. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Mahon has been blessed with four children, of whom three are yet living, namely : John I., who is employed by the milling firm ; Marinda M. and Lettie F., both at home. The parents hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, and for fifteen years Mr. Mahon has served as class-leader, steward and trustee. Socially he is connected with Cranberry Lodge, .No. 441, I. O. O. F., in which he has- passed all of the chairs. He is likewise a member of Rex Tent, No. 229, K. O. T. M., in which he has filled all the offices, at the present time serving as commander. His political support is given the Democracy, and for nine years he has been a member of the school board. However, he is not an office seeker, and has steadily refused to allow his name to be placed on the ticket at a candidate for office. In the latter part of the '70s, however, he was elected township trustee, and popular suffrage has continued him in the position for three terms. He ranks among the progressive and representative men of the county. Of verile strength and strong purpose, he has carried forward to successful completion whatever he has undertaken, and his labors have brought to him a comfortable competence. FREDERICK CARLE. Frederick Carle is a manufacturer of and dealer in buggies and wagons. in New Washington and also conducts a horse-shoeing and general repair shop. Industry is a most potent element in securing success and this principle is well exemplified in the life of Mr. Carle, who is a most energetic man, indolence and idleness being utterly foreign to his nature. He is classed among the rep-- 748 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. resentative German-American citizens of' Crawford county, his birth having occurred in Oberheinrieth, Wurtemberg, Germany, August 16,1860, his parents being Christian and Barbara (Loehle) Cade, of whose family of six sons four are yet living, namely : William, a carpenter of Bucyrus, Ohio; Frederick; and Henry and Ernest, both of whom are residents of Newark, New Jersey. The father was also a native of the same village in which occurred the birth of our subject. He was born May 5, 1806, and died May 16, 1888. His first wife was a Miss Weik and they became the parents of six children, four sons and two daughters, of whom one is yet living, namely, Gottlieb, of Stuttgart, Ohio. The mother died October 26, 1858, and the father afterward married Miss Barbara Loehle. He continued farm work until 1836, when he was appointed keeper of the forest, which important-position he filled for a period of thirty-two years. He then retired to farm life. In 1867 Gottlieb Carle, the son of the first marriage, came to America, and in 1872 William, the eldest of the children of the second marriage, crossed the Atlantic, taking up his abode in Bucyrus, Ohio. The glowing accounts of the country tempted our subject to cast his fortunes in the golden land of promise, and in 1880, just prior to the time when he would have been forced to enter military life in the fatherland, he sailed for America. In 1881 Christian Carle, the father, and the other members of the family also came to the new world, taking up their abode in Bucyrus, and Frederick and his brother. William were then single and boarded at home. After the marriage of our subjecct, however, the parents broke up housekeeping and made their home with him until called to their final rest. The mother, who was born September 16, 1826, in Untergruppenbach, Heilbron, Wurtemberg, died on Thanksgiving day in 1897, while the father passed away about nine years previous. Frederick Carle, whose name introduces this record, pursued his education in the public schools of his native land until fourteen years of age, when he was apprenticed to learn the blacksmith's trade. On the completion of his three-years' term of service he worked as a journeyman until 1880, when he resolved to seek a home in the new world and, on the 29th of July, embarked on the steamer Niederland at Antwerben, which, after fourteen days spent on the Atlantic, dropped anchor in the harbor of New York, on the 12th of August. Mr. Carle first set foot on American soil in the metropolis, and after visiting his sister in Newark, New Jersey, he came direct to Crawford county, taking up his abode in Bucyrus, where he worked at his trade for three years in the, employ of Phillip Sager. On the 1st of October, 1883, he opened a shop of his own and did a general repair business in connection with horse-shoeing. He CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 749 also engaged in wagon manufacturing and thus continued operations until 1897, when, desiring to increase the scope of his work and being unable to secure suitable quarters where he was, he purchased the business of Charles Vollmer, in New Washington. In the intervening four years he has done a gradually increasing business and now has a large trade, which brings him a good financial return. He is numbered among the progressive business men of the town and his patronage has attained considerable magnitude, so that he now has in his employ one carriage trimmer, one carriage painter and two blacksmiths. On the 7th of October, 1883, Mr. Carle was united in marriage to Miss Catherine R. Pfeifer, a native of Bucyrus and a daughter of Christian and Maria (Schwalb) Pfeifer, both of whom were natives of Germany, the former coming to America in 1856, the latter in 1857. The father is now one of the prominent shoe merchants of Bucyrus. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Carle has been blessed with four children, but they lost their first born, Minnie. The others are: Frederick C., born March 2, 1889; Elmer R., born July 15, 1.892 ; and Howard E., born July 25, 1897. Mr. Carle is one of the stalwart supporters of the Democracy, inflexible in his adherence to its principles and while in Bucyrus he served one term as a member of the city council. He is not, however, an office-seeker, preferring to devote his energies to his business affairs. He and his wife are members of the German Lutheran church, and he belongs to the Duetsche Gesllschaft Society in Bucyrus. He was president of the organization for four years, and for six years was one of its trustees. He is likewise a member of Hyperion Lodge, No. 651, K. P., of New Washington, and enjoys the high regard of his brethren of the fraternity, while in business circles he sustains an unassailable reputation and in social life he has many friends. ISAAC PFLEIDERER. A worthy representative of an old and honored Crawford county agricultural family is found in Isaac Pfleiderer, one of the progressive and successful farmers of Liberty township. Mr. Pfleiderer was born in this township on August 4, 1860, a son of David and Mary (Hickenlively) Pfleiderer. (The full ancestry of the Pfleiderer family may be found in another part of this volume.) Our subject grew to manhood on the family homestead, acquiring his education in the public schools and adding to it by a very liberal course of