Horizontal length Length following curvature of skull Breadth across the eyes Breadth back of head Vertical height Height occipital bone Diameter of both nostrils Diameter of each measuring the other way Diameter of tusk sockets. Depth of tusk sockets Diameter of eye sockets Weight of skull and Upper jaw	39 inches 42 ½ inches 26 ½ inches 25 1/3 inches 22 inches 16 inches 11 ½ inches 5 inches 6 inches 22 inches 6 inches 160 pounds
The Under Jaw
Horizontal length following outside curvature Height to junction with upper jaw Weight Front molars, apart Back molars, apart Length of back molar Breadth of back molar Length of front molar	31 ½ inches 16 ½ inches 69 pounds 6 inches 5 ¾ inches 7 ½ inches 4 inches 4 ½ inches
Femur or Thigh Bone
Length Largest circumference Smallest circumference	37 inches 30 inches 15 ½ inches
Tibia (Largest Bone Between Thigh and Hoof)
Length Largest circumference Smallest circumference	22 ½ inches 24 ½ inches 11 inches
Fibula (Smaller Bone Between Thigh and Hoof
Length Largest circumference Smallest circumference	20 ½ inches 12 ½ inches 4 ½ inches
Humerus (Bone from Shoulder to Knee)
Length Largest circumference Smallest circumference	30 inches 34 ½ inches 14 ½ inches
Rib
Length of outer curve Smallest circumference	43 ½ inches 5 ¼ inches

Hahn soon found the enterprise in which he had become involved would not be a financial success, and after several years the business was abandoned. When the town was extended and improved toward the southeast; the millpond was drained and the water-course gradually filled up with earth, but years after in making excavations for sewers and cellars, the remains of this race have frequently been found. At first Mr. Hahn exhibited the bones of this mastodon, but finally sold them, and the proceeds derived from the same served to pay him for the immense financial outlay he had made in building the race. He died at Mt. Gilead, Ohio, January 19, 1867, and in his obituary notice the following was published in regard to the latter history of the skeleton "He afterward sold the mastodon to a man AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 551 in Columbus for $1,000, and it was again resold to a Cincinnati man for $2,800; was afterward taken to New York and put in Barnum's museum, and was consumed by the fire which destroyed Barnum's Museum on lower Broadway half a century ago. "JOHNNY APPLESEED" and turned up so much as appar- A history of Crawford county—in fact the history of many another county in northern Ohio—would be incomplete without mention of the eccentric personage known far and wide in the early part of the last century by the name of "Johnny Appleseed." His real name was John Chapman, and he was born in Springfield, Mass., in the year 1775. From a half sister of his, who came west at a later period it was learned that in boyhood he evinced a great fondness for nature, and used to wander far from home in quest of plants and flowers, and that he liked to listen to the birds singing and to gaze at the stars. These tastes were little, if at all, altered in his later years. At what precise time he started out on his self-appointed mission has not been definitely ascertained, and as little is known as to the causes which led him to adopt his peculiar vocation, which was to plant appleseeds in well located nurseries in advance of civilization, and have apple trees ready for planting when the pioneers should appear. He also scattered through the forest the seeds of medicinal plants, such as dog-fennel, catnip, pennyroyal, hoarhound, rattlesnake root, and the like. As early as the year 1806 he appeared on the Ohio river with two canoe loads of appleseeds obtained at the cider presses of western Pennsylvania, and with these he planted nurseries along the Muskingum river and its tributaries. His first, or one of his first nurseries, was planted about nine miles below Steubenville, up a narrow valley from the Ohio river, at Brilliant (formerly called LaGrange), opposite Wellsburg, W. Va. From this point he subsequently extended his operations into the interior of the state. For a number of years he made his home in a little cabin near Perrysville (then in Richland county), but later he vent to live with his half sister, Mrs. Broome, who resided in Mansfield. He usually located his nurseries along the banks of streams and, after planting his seeds, surrounded the patch with a brush fence. He was then accustomed to visit them yearly to care for the young trees and repair the fences, which obliged him to travel hundreds of miles during the year. When the pioneers subsequently arrived from Western Virginia and Pennsylvania, they found the little nurseries of seedling apple trees on many of the streams in the Ohio Valley. He extended his operations into northwestern Ohio, and finally into Indiana, where the last years of his life were spent. His apple trees were nearly all planted near the banks of the streams; one of his orchards was along the Whetstone where Galion now is on the Sandusky there were some trees planted by him near the Luke tavern; at Bucyrus, an orchard was where the hone of Gen. Finley now is, and this orchard was bearing fruit when Samuel Norton came or soon after, as Norton brought seed with hire and planted an orchard himself on the south bank of the San-dusky and stated that he secured apples from the orchard across the river. One of the trees is still bearing fruit. There was a spring in front of the Finley residence, but across the street in front of what is nou the Memorial Hospital was a larger spring, which was a favorite resort of Johnny Appleseed when he went through this section. Here he would lay on his back in the grass, under the shade of the trees, and with his bare feet in the air talk religion to any from Bucyrus who from curiosity crossed the river to see the eccentric character. Another apple orchard planted by him was down the river. On the Daniel McMichael farm on the river above Bucyrus, is an apple tree which was planted by Johnny Appleseed in 1821. The tree is now 91 years old. The eccentric character came along and put up at the Iog cabin, sleeping on the floor in front of the fire-place, his regular sleeping place. The next morning he and Margaret Anderson planted the tree. She was a daughter of John Anderson, and later married David McMichael, the father of Daniel L. McMichael. Margaret Anderson was only a little girl at the time of the planting. One who saw Johnny Appleseed at Mansfield thus describes his appearance: "John Chapman was a small man, wiry and thin in habit. His cheeks were hollow and his face and neck dark and skinny from exposure to the weather. His mouth was small; his nose small, and turned up so much as appar- 552 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY ently to raise his upper lip. His eyes were dark and deeply set in his head, but searching and penetrating. His hair black and straight, was parted in the middle and permitted to fall about his neck. I. [is hair, withal, was thin, fine and glossy. He never wore a full beard but shaved all clean, except a thin roach at the bottom of his throat. His beard was lightly set and very black." Chapman's nature was deeply religious. He was a regularly constituted minister of the Church of the New Jerusalem, according to the revelations of Emanuel Swedenborg, and was also a missionary of that faith. He was a beautiful reader and never traveled without several of the Swedenborgian pamphlets with him, which he generally carried in his bosom, and which he was ever ready to produce and read on request. He never attempted to preach or address public audiences, but in private consultations would often become enthusiastic and arise to expound the philosophy of his faith. On these occasions, as though inspired, he would often soar to flights of real eloquence, his ideas being clearly and forcibly expressed, illustrated with chaste figures, and replete with argumentative deductions. His life was blameless among his fellow men. He was of a kind and generous disposition, and polite and attentive in manner. So gentle was his nature that he was never known to kill any living thing, ever for food. He is said, on one occasion to have put out hiscampfire,, because he noticed that the flies and moths, attracted by the blaze, fell into it and were consumed. He was known to pay the full value for old horses, take them from the harness, and, with a blessing, turn them loose to the luxurious pastures of the wilderness, to become their own masters. This almost bnormall tenderness was indeed a leading trait in his character. He seemed to bear a charmed life. Savage beasts never hurt him, nor did the still more savage Indian warrior. By the latter he was regarded as a great Medicine Man, to injure whom would bring misfortune on the tribe, or individual, guilty of the offense. When on his journeys he usually camped out. He carried a kit of cooking utensils with him, among which was a mush-pan, which he sometimes wore as a hat. When he spent the night at a house, it was his custom to lie upon the floor, with his kit for a pillow. He declined to lie in a soft bed, as, being naturally, he claimed, of an indolent disposition, he feared that such self-indulgence might beget a desire which he could not hope often to gratify in his wandering mode of life. As an illustration of his natural indolence, it is said that he was once seen working in his nursery near Mansfield, and that, lying on his side, he reached out with his hoe and extirpated only such weeds as were within reach. He was never without money, which he obtained from the sale of his trees, his usual price for a tree being a "fip-pennybit,"" but if the settler hadn't money. Johnny would either give him credit or accept old clothes in payment. Yet, though he, himself, cared nothing for luxuries, and nothing for the ordinary comforts of life, he would often spend his money freely to benefit others. Frequently he would furnish the housewives with a pound or two of tea—a high-priced luxury at that time, and the use of which he regarded almost as a sort of dissipation. On one occasion he was seen with a number of plates. which he had purchased at a village store. Being asked «-hat he wanted them for, he replied that if he had a number he would not have to wash dishes so often; but he had really purchased them to present to a poor family who had had the misfortune to break their crockery. He was often oddly dressed and sometimes clothed in rags and tatters, yet was always personally clean. He seldom wore shoes or stockings, except in the coldest winter weather, and the soles of his feet in consequence, were of a hard and almost horny consistence. He usually wore a broad- brimmed hat. Some have said that at times he was seen clothed with a coat or garment made out of a coffee-sack, with holes cut in it for the neck and arms, but this story has been doubted by others. It seems clear that, if he ever wore it, it was not his usual dress. He was, however, frequently seen with shirt, pantaloons, and a long-tailed coat of the tow-linen then much worn by the farmers. This coat was an invention of his own and was in itself a curiosity. It consisted of one width of the coarse fabric, which descended from his neck to his heels. It was without collar. In this robe were cut two armholes, into which were placed two straight sleeves. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 553 His immunity iron molestation by the Indians enabled him on more than one occasion to warn settlers of impending Indian attacks, his services in this direction saving a number of lives during the war of 1812. On one such occasion, when the settlers at Mansfield were threatened, there being no troops in the blockhouse at the time, Johnny volunteered to act as messenger to Captain Douglas at Mt. Vernon, thirty miles away. Setting out in the evening, as the stars were beginning to shine in the darkening sky, bare-headed and bare-footed, he made the trip, over a newly-cut road, through a forest infested by wild beasts and hostile Indians, and, having aroused the garrison at Mt. Vernon, accompanied the troops back the next morning, having made the round trip of 6o miles between sunset and sunrise. One writing about 30 years ago of the massacre of the Seymour family, on the Black Fork, near Mansfield, penned the following lines "Although I was then but a mere child, I can remember, as if it were yesterday, the warning cry of Johnny Appleseed, as he stood before my father's log cabin door on that night. I remember the precise language, the clear lotid voice, the deliberate exclamation, and the fearful thrill it awakened in my bosom. 'Fly! fly for your lives! the Indians are murdering and scalping Seymours and Copuses!' My father sprang to the door, but the messenger was gone, and midnight silence reigned without." Johnny's intellectual acuteness in matters of religion, and his acquaintance with the scriptures is well illustrated in the following anecdote: "The year of the erecton of the old court house in Mansfield, while the blocks of foundation stone and the timber lay scattered about the public square, a wandering street preacher of the name of Paine, a man with a long white beard, who called himself the Pilgrim, entered the town. After blowing a long tin horn, which he carried with him, he assembled an audience on the stone and timbers of the court house. In the course of his sermon he pointed to where Johnny Appleseed lay on the ground, with his feet resting upon the top of one of the stones, and exclaimed: `See you ragged, old, bare-footed sinner, and be warned of the paths of sin by his example.' Johnny rose to his feet, folded hishands behind him, under his tow-linen coat, and slowly approached the speaker. As the speaker paused a space Johnny commenced in this wise : `I presume you thank God that you are not as other men?' 'I thank God that I am not as you are,' returned Paine. 'I am not a hypocrite, nor am I of the generation of vipers. I any a regularly appointed minister, whether you are or not.' 'Lord be merciful to me, a sinner, said Chapman, and walked away." "In 1838, thirty-seven years after his appearance on Licking Creek," says a former writer, "Johnny noticed that civilization, wealth and population were pressing into the wilderness of Ohio. Hither to he had easily kept just in advance of the wave of settlement; but now towns and churches were making their appearance, and, at long intervals, the stage-driver's horn broke the silence of the grand old forest, and he felt that his work was done in the region in which he had labored so long. In 1840 he resided near Fort Wayne, in the state of Indiana, where he had a sister living, and probably made that his headquarters during the nine years that he pursued his eccentric avocation on the western border of Ohio and in Indiana." Here he resided until the summer of 1847, his labors by that time having borne fruit over a hundred thousand miles of territory. One day he heard that cattle had broken into his nursery at St. Joseph's township, and were destroying his trees, and he started out on foot to look after his property. The journey proved too much for one of his age and feeble condition, and at even-tide he applied at the home of Mr. Worth for lodging for the night. Mr. Worth was a native Buckeye and had lived in Richland county when a boy, and when he heard that his oddly dressed caller was Johnny Appleseed, gave him a cordial welcome. Johnny declined going to the supper table, but partook of a bowl of bread and milk. Says Mr. Baughman, from whose "History of Richland County" we quote, "The day had been cold and raw, with occasional flurries of snow, but in the evening the clouds cleared away and the sun shone warm and bright as it sank in the western sky. Johnny noticed this beautiful sunset, an augury of the spring and flowers so soon to come, and sat on the doorstep and gazed with wistful eyes toward the 554 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY West. Perhaps this herald of the spring-time, the season in which nature is resurrected from the death of winter, caused him to look with prophetic eyes to the future and contemplate that glorious event of which Christ is the resurrection and the life. Upon re-entering the house Johnny declined the bed offered him for the night, preferring a quilt and pillow on the floor, but asked permission to hold family worship, and read Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven,' `Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,' etc. After he had finished the lesson he prayed, and both the words of the prayer and the pathos of his voice made a deep impression upon those present. In the morning he was found in a high state of fever, pneumonia having developed during the night. A physician who was called gave no hope for his recovery, but said that he had never seen a dying man so perfectly calm, for "upon his wan face there was an expression of happiness and upon his pale lips there was a smile of joy, as though he were communing with loved ones who had come to meet him and to soothe his weary spirit in his dying moments. And as his eye shone with the beautiful light supernal, God touched him with his finger and beckoned him home." In the Sherman-Heineman park at Mansfield, Ohio, there stands a monument to his memory, which was dedicated in November, 1900, and which bears a simple and appropriate inscription; yet his best and most enduring monument lies in the memory of his kind and lovable character, his simple faith, his pure and blameless life, and the useful work he accomplished for the good of his fellowmen. THE BAD INDIANS Benjamin Sharrock thus describes one of the "bad Indians," and his ultimate death, probably the last one killed by a settler in this county: "About the year 1821 or 1822, there were several Indians who frequently camped and hunted on the waters of the west and middle forks of the Whetstone, to-wit : Capt. Dowdee, his son Tom, and Capt. Dowdee's son-in-law, Nickels, the bad Indian, the subject of this narrative. He was regarded as a dangerous man among his own companions. He had become embittered against Benjamin Sharrock, his brother Everard Sharrock, and Jacob Stateler, who had three sons, Andrew, James and John (the two latter were twins). The Dowdees had frequently shared the hospitalities of our cabin, and we regarded them as peaceful and well-disposed citizens. Mr. Sharrock says : "This Indian, Nickels, had been skulking around and watching my house, trying to get a chance to shoot me. I have seen him dodge from tree to tree when trying to get a shot at me. He also made threats of killing my stock. About this time, he and the two Dowdees were camped on the boundary north of where Iberia now is. Mr. Catrell, my brother and myself held a consultation, whereupon we resolved that this state of things should no longer be tolerated, and the next morning was the time agreed upon to bring this matter to a test. They were to be at my house fully armed for any emergency. They were promptly on time, and as Catrell had no gun he took my tomahawk, sheath-knife, etc. "In this plight, we went directly to their camp, called Tom Dowdee out, and ordered him to take those coon-skins out of their frames. (They are stretched in frames to keep them dry and in shape.) We next went to the tent of Tom's father, old Capt. Dowdee, told him how Nickels had been watching my house, and that he threatened to kill me and my stock. I told him to call Nickels out, but he would not leave his hurt. We .told theta we would not endure such treatment any longer, and that we had come to settle it right then and there, and were ready to fight it out. The Dowdees seemed to be peaceably inclined, and as Nickels did not show himself the matter was dropped for a short time. Some time after this, as I was returning from Wooster, where I had been to enter a piece of land, I saw quite a number of moccasin tracks in the snow near Hosfords. I thought there would be trouble, as it appeared from the tracks that there were about thirty persons, and by the way they had tumbled about, concluded they were on a big drunk. I followed the tracks from Hosford's down the road leading to our cabin. They had not proceeded far before they left their tracks in the snow somewhat besprinkled with blood. I AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 555 afterward learned that Tom Dowdee had stabbed another Indian, inflicting two dangerous wounds. They were camped north of my house on the land now owned by James Dunlap. The excitement among the settlers now became intense, and soon a number of us repaired to their camp but we had not been there long before Tom Dowdee rushed upon rue and grasped me by the collar perhaps intending to retaliate for the visit we had made to their camp a few days before. I was not slow in returning the compliment by taking him by the throat, and my arms being the longest, I could easily hold him at bay. At this moment we saw an Indian boy loading a gun. I told Dowdee several times to let me alone, but he still persisted in fighting me. I then attempted to give him a severe thrust with my gun barrel; he sprang and grasped the gun which the boy had just loaded, when several of the squaws. also grasped it to prevent him from shooting me. All this time I kept my rifle up with a steady aim upon the Indian, ready to fire before he should be able to fire at me. At this crisis Joel Leverick* interfered, and the Indians allowed him to take possession of the gun, so the quarrel was then settled without bloodshed. But what grieves me to this day is that Bashford and Leverick both knew that my rifle was not primed all the time and I was aiming it at the Indian, and they did not tell me. The next day I was out in the woods with my gun, and cane upon Dowdee before he discovered me. He had no gun with him, and he begged and implored me not to kill him, promising over and over that if I would not he would never molest me, but would be my fast friend as long as he lived. I gladly agreed to his proposal, and to his credit be it said, I never saw him after that time but that he met me with the kindest greetings. "About the same time some of the Indians told Stateler, `Nickels bad Indian ; by and by he go to Stony Creek; before he go he kill Stateler and two Sharrocks. and we 'fraid that big fight. We want white man to kill Nickels, then we say Nickels gone to Stony Creek" "We never saw Nickels after about that time, but did not know at what moment he would come down upon us. I often asked the Indians * Leveridge. whether they knew where Nickels was, and they usually replied that he had gone to Stony Creek. We had often seen a gun in the settlement, first owned by one, then by another, that I believed was Nickels' gun. Jake Stateler often stayed with us several weeks at a time, and many times when he spoke about those Indians, Jake would say, `Nickels will never do you any harm, but made no further disclosures till a long time afterward; when the subject came up, he said "Ben, Nickels will never hurt you nor your brother." "How do you know, Uncle Jake'" "I know very well how I know, Uncle Ben. Did you never know what became of Nickels "No, Jake, I never knew what became of him any more than what the Indians told me, that he had gone to Stony Creek." "I thought my boys had told you long ago, as they always thought so much of you. I will then tell you what I know of what became of Nickels. After he was about ready to start for Stony Creek, he had only one more job to do before he could leave Pipetown, and that was to kill Stateler, and you and your brother, if possible. No sooner had Nickels left Pipetown than the Indians sent another Indian by a different route to give us notice of his coming, and of his intentions, desiring us to kill him and they would say he had gone to Stony Creek. The messenger arrived in time and departed. I loaded my rifle, put it in good order, and went up to Coss' cabin to watch the Pipetown trail, on which I expected him to come. I did not wait long before I saw him coning, and stepping behind a tree, closely watched his movements. After he had come within easy range of my rifle, he stopped and commenced looking all around, which enabled me to take a steady aim at him: I fired, and he sprang several feet from the ground with a terrific scream and fell dead, and that was the last of `Bad Indian.' We took his gun, shot-pouch, tomahawk, butcher-knife, etc., and laid them by a log, and buried him under the roots of a large tree that had blown near the foot of the bluff bank of the Whetstone, nearly opposite the old Coss cabin. Now, Uncle Ben, that is the reason why I know Nickels will never do you or me or your brother any harm." 556 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY POPULATION FROM 1850 TO 1910 Since the present county was formed it 1845, the population at each succeeding census has been as follows:

	1850	1860	1870	1880	1890	1900	1910
Auburn Bucyrus Chatfield Cranberry Dallas Holmes Jackson Jefferson Liberty Lykens Polk Sandusky Texas Tod Vernon Whetstone Bucyrus Galion Crestline New Washington Tiro Chatfield North Robinson Leesville	951 2,315 1,351 1,042 406 1,238 1,711 .... 1,782 1,185 1,318 822 545 578 1,276 1,657 8,177 1,365 421 ... 76 ... 52 ... 197	1,072 3,543 1,430 1,339 406 1,639 3,290 ... 1,788 1,265 2,911 792 566 1,093 1,224 1,524 23,881 2,180 1,966 1,487 221 ... 106 ... 235	910 4,184 1,247 1,281 370 1,570 4,021 ... 1,597 1,140 4,369 665 665 1,156 980 1,490 25,556 3,066 3,523 2,279 273 ... 198 157 320	1,176 5,073 1,266 1,824 500 1,660 3,216 1,224 1,679 1,225 6,518 658 587 1,099 1,038 1,840 30,583 3,835 5,635 2,848 675 ... 216 182 213	1,244 6,988 1,201 1,662 430 1,423 3,248 1,009 1,591 1,058 7,200 615 539 974 952 1.793 31,927 5,974 6,326 2,911 704 ... 326 257 203	1,174 7,587 1,304 1,819 465 1,500 3,670 913 1,666 930 8,433 569 516 882 926 1,661 33,915 6,560 7,282 3,282 824 293 298 200 178	1,161 9,032 1,129 1,819 469 1,233 4,236 802 1,342 883 8,019 510 476 774 722 1.429 34,036 8,122 7,214 3,807 889 321 270 155 115

THE HERMITS The Crawford County History of 1880 contains the following account of two hermits in Auburn township "Among the early residents of the township were two singular old bachelors named Varnica and Wadsworth. They were hermits and lived lonely and solitary lives, in rude caves dug by themselves in the side of embankments, the roof being supported by upright posts, standing at intervals within the caves. People called them crazy, and the eccentricity of the two gave abundant credence to the report. They shunned all associates except their faithful dogs, and were never seen in the neighboring settlements, unless they were there for supplies or to dispose of provisions. Varnica was a German and could handle the glib idioms of his native language with a grace and fluency that proved his education to be of unusual excellence. It became current, and was universally believed, that he had been an officer in one of the European armies, possibly in that of Napoleon Bonaparte. His language and manners indicated that he was familiar with military tactics, and his inabilty to speak English proved that he had not resided long in America. Although he lived in poverty and went dressed in insufficient and even ragged clothing, he seemed to have an abundance of money, which he kept hid in out-of-the-way places. He entered a quarter-section of land, upon which he resided until his death. But little money was found after this event, until a will was found among his papers, bequeathing his land, and a few hundred dollars in money, to a young man named James Wilson, with whom he had lived at the time of his death. The secret of this strange man's life was buried with him. He was always silent and melancholy, and seemed to have a deep-rooted sorrow preying upon his mind, robbing it of joys that make life endurable. By the provisions of the will James Wilson was made executor, and was enjoined AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 557 to distribute the balance of the money among poor and friendless females. This provision was a surprise to some, who had noticed that Varnica shunned the opposite sex as he would the plagues of Egypt, his conduct giving rise to the report that his life had been blighted by a woman. The will disclosed the hiding-place of $2,000 in gold, which had been concealed in a gate-post, into which a hole had been bored and the gold dropped in, after -which the hole had been closed with a pin of the same wood as the post . He died in 1840, and Wilson faithfully executed the provisions of the will. Wadsworth was a graduate of Yale College, and had evidently fitted himself for the ministerial profession. He lived in a cave on his land and, though bent almost double from unknown circumstances, was possessed of enormous . strength. He carried his melons, potatoes, and other provisions, in a sack on his back from house to house, or to some of the surrounding villages. He was a recluse and seemed contented only when he could brood without molestation over his linysterious life. He had rich relatives living in Boston, who occasionally visited him and tried to induce him to abandon his life of poverty and loneliness, but to no avail. A happy smile was never seen upon his sad face, and when he at last died, in about 1838. his property was claimed by his Eastern relatives." James Wadsworth cane to Auburn township in 1817, and Andrew Varnica in 1818. Varnica died March 23, 1847, and left two executors, both of whom died before the estate was settled. He left notes and money amounting to about $4,000, and under the provisions of the will his executors gave sums of money to over a hundred people who were deserving and needy. Both men were buried in the Hanna graveyard. AGRICULTURAL FAIRS In 1846, a law was passed authorizing counties to make donations for Agricultural Fairs, and in 1848 the first fair was held in Crawford county. Among those who organized the first society were the first officers, and Stephen Kelley, Samuel Caldwell, Gen. Samuel Myers, Judge R. W. Musgrave, George and William Cummings. William Cox and Abel Dewalt. The first officers were Col. Zalmon Rowse, president; Jacob Mollenkopf, vice president ; J. B. Larwill, secretary ; Andrew bailor, treasurer. The first fair was held in the Court House yard, the building itself being used for the domestic articles, which were few. The horses and cattle were tied to the fence; and there were not many of them. There were some sheep and hogs, which were shown in wagons in which they had been hauled in ; there were about five exhibits of sheep and the same number of hogs. The Fair was held on Oct. 19, 1848. The award of premiums was published in the People's Forum, of March 24, 1849, five months after the fair was held. in his letter asking for the publication of the premiums awarded, the secretary, J. B. Larwill, writes that he should have furnished the list earlier but he was prevented by other engagements. He states further : "I was confined by sickness at the time of the fair, and therefore cannot speak from personal observation ; but have understood that the fair was much more numerously attended than was expected, owing to the had state of the roads, the unfavorableness of the weather, and the fact that this was merely an experiment, being the first held in the county; and from the fact that but very little interest has heretofore been manifested by the farmers and others in relation to the affairs of the society. Those who were present state that, although but few articles were presented, and in several cases where premiums were awarded there was no competition. vet there was much spirit manifested by those present. in reference to the importance of such exhibitions and a determination to have a much more interesting fair next year." The following were the premiums awarded at the first annual fair Horses To Frederick Wadhams, for best blooded stallion $5.00 To David Decker, for second best blooded stallion 3.00 To David Decker, for best two year old colt 1.00 To Zalmon Rowse. for best blooded mare (not brood) 3.00 To John Moderwell, for best gelding 2.00 Cattle To Andrew Worling, for best blooded bull 4.00 558      HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY To Zalmon Rowse, for best cow 3.00 To Alfred pagers, for best calf 2.00 Sheep To Samuel Andrews, for best buck 3.00 To Samuel Andrews, for second best buck 2.00 To Samuel Andrews, for best lot of ewes 3.00 Swine To John Moderwell, for best sow 2.00 Agricultural Implements To David P. Norton, for best windmill 3.00 Manufactured Articles To Samuel Andrews, for best flannel 2.00 To John Mollenkopf, for best thread 1.00 To John Sims, for best single harness 2.00 To William Mallory, for best sample of butter 2.00 To William Mallory, for best sample of cheese 1.00 Fruits To J. B. Larwill, for best grapes 1.00 Total   ..........................$45.00 The Second Annual Fair was also held in the Court House yard, pens being erected at the east end of the Quinby Block lot for the cattle. Fancy articles are shown in the court room. In the report of the fair to the state board, the officers say: The best mode for the culture of corn "is to plow deep and keep the weeds out;" rye and barley are 35 cents per bushel ; apple crop nearly a failure; peaches this year in abundance; 10,000 bushels clover-seed exported; amount of timothy unknown, but large; clover seed $3 a bushel ; timothy seed $1 a bushel; 150,000 pounds butter exported; 150,000 pounds wool exported at about 20 cents per pound ; many good sheep have been brought into the county, and lately Gen. S. Myers purchased 10, one buck and nine ewes of the "Bingham" flock lately brought from Vermont; number of hogs assessed 20,922, valued at $17,046, "which is about their true value previous to fattening;" 12,000 to 13,000 head of cattle exported, value here when sold about $12 to $15; "all threshing is done now by machines ; one or more wheat drills have been introduced into the county: much more improvement is wanted ;" "no regular system of drainage adopted ; nothing more than the ordinary modes of farming have been tried." The treasurer's report of the Second Annual Fair was as follows, Nov. 5, 1849:- Amount on hand from last year..... $12.00 Amount received from members on subscription ....................67.00 Amount received from the county treasury .......................50.00 .... $129.00 By amount paid out for premiums Oct. 24, 1849 ...................... 78.50 Balance remaining in treasury....... $50.50 Third fair was held in the Norton Grove between Walnut and Lane streets and north of the Pennsylvania track. The fair was becoming a success. The fair this year was advertised as a cattle show. Pens were erected in and near the grove for the stock. Tents were erected on Walnut street for the exhibition of the farm products, and domestic articles. The fair was to be held on Oct. 17 and r8, but owing to bad weather it was abandoned on the afternoon of the first day. The report to the state showed wheat that year averaged 25 to 3o bushels to the acre; corn averaged 30 to 35, and sold at 20 to 25 cents; barley and rye sold at 35 to 40 cents per bushel; oats crop a failure, and price 20 to 225 cents a bushel ; timothy and clover, the crop short and sold at $4 to $5 Per ton ; large yield of apples and peaches a failure; 200,000 pounds of butter exported; an increase in wool, and a better quality, at 28 to 29 cents for common, and 30 to 33 cents for fine; cattle $10 to $35 per head, and large amounts sold to drovers. "There is a steady improvement in the quantity and number of farming implements used. Some wheat drills are in use, also mowing machines ; how they answer the purpose is not known as yet." The following is the report of Treasurer Myers of the third annual fair: Dec. 2, 1850— On hand from last year ..........$ 50.50 Received from members on subscription...........................58.00 Received from the county treasury .. 50.00 Amount paid for premiums, Oct. 7, 1850 ............$54.50 $158.50 AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 559 Amount paid for cultivator for award premium ...... 12.75 67.25 Balance in treasury ............................................................$ 91.25 On Jan. 4, 1851, the board of managers met at Bucyrus to arrange for the fourth annual fair. The board was Judge R. W. Musgrave, president; Zalmon Rowse, vice president; Andrew Failor, secretary; Gen. Samuel Myers, treasurer; Isaac Rice, Jacob Mollenkopf, William Robinson, Samuel S. Caldwell, John Campbell. The board decided to hold the next fair at Bucyrus provided the citizens would raise $40. The money was raised, and to secure the future fairs at Bucyrus, grounds were secured at the southwest corner of Kaler avenue and Wise streets. The grounds six to eight acres, were furnished rent free by Henry Minich, but the society were to put a fence around them. There were not sufficient funds to build the fence the first year, but later the entire fence was completed. In front on Kaler avenue was the ring, for the exhibition of stock. At the rear of the ring were the domestic and floral halls, the former being open on the sides, the clapboard roof being supported by poles; the floral hall, containing more delicate exhibits, was made of rough boards, and had a canvas -which was taken off at the close of the fair and laid carefully away until the next year. Back of the halls was a grove. The track was enlarged to a third of a mile in 1857, and was inclosed during the fair with a rope fence, which was taken down after the fair. In 1859 a third day was added to give opportunity for the races. The last fair was held in 1861, and the next year all arrangements were made for a fair, but about June it was abandoned on account of the war. At the fair in 1853, one of the curiosities was a pumpkin vine exhibited by Jacob Mollenkopf. The vine contained nine pumpkins, and they were exhibited all attached to the vine, just as they had grown. The largest pumpkins weighed 110, 92, and 92 pounds. The smallest weighed 48 pounds; the total weight of the nine pumpkins on the one vine was 595 pounds. In 1867, D. C. Boyer, Josiah Kohler, Barber Robinson, James Robinson, C. S. Crim, William Cox, Adam Klink, John Brehman, E. R. Kearsley, James Orr, H. J. Thompson and Luther Myers organized the Craw ford County Agricultural Association with a capital stock of $7,000, and they bought nineteen acres of land, on the Galion Road, east of where the T. & O. C. track now is; this was added to later, until it contained nearly 33 acres. A half mile track was built, and two halls erected with pens for the stock; on the west side of the ground was a grove of about three acres. The total cost of the ground and buildings was about $13,000, and here the first fair was held in October, 1867. It was not a profitable investment, the stock varying from fifty to seventy cents on the dollar, and in 1882 the county took charge of the fair. At these grounds fairs were held annually, the last being in 1911. A part of the land was needed by the T. & O. C. road, so a company of citizens organized and bought the Fair Grounds for a thousand dollars an acre, the T. & O. C. being given the nine acres they needed at about $400 an acre, and the balance laid out as an addition to Bucyrus. The Agricultural Society purchased of Edward Yaussey, 70 acres east of the old grounds for $17,500, which were laid out, the buildings moved, a new track built, and the first fair held in September, 1912. The early officers of the Agricultural Society and the dates holding the fair were as follows 1848, October 19—Zalmon Rowse, president, Jacob Mollenkoff, vice president, J. B. Larwill, secretary, Andrew Failor, treasurer. 1849, October 24—Abraham Monnett, president, Jacob Mollenkoff, vice president, J. B. Larwill, secretary, Samuel Myers, treasurer. 1850, October 17, 18—Abraham Monnett, president, Jacob Mollenkoff, vice president, J. B. Larwill, secretary, Samuel Myers, treasurer. 1851, October 23, 24—R. W. Musgrave, president, Zalmon Rowse, vice president, Andrew Failor, secretary, Samuel Myers, treasurer. 1852, October 14, 15—R. W. Musgrave, president, Samuel S. Caldwell, vice president, Andrew Failor, secretary, Samuel Myers, treasurer. 1853, October 13, 14—R. W. Musgrave, 560 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY president, S. S. Caldwell, vice president, Andrew Failor, secretary, Samuel Myers, treasurer. 1854, October 13, 14-Samuel S. Caldwell, president, Samuel Myers, vice president, P. S. Marshall, secretary, H. Failor, treasurer. 1855, October 11, 12-Samuel S. Caldwell, president, James Lewis, vice president, H. Failor, secretary, Henry Minich, treasurer. 1856, October 16, 17-Samuel Myers, president, James Lewis, vice president, Pinckney Lewis, secretary, P. S. Marshall, treasurer. 1857, October 15, 16-Samuel S. Caldwell, president, Henry Minich, vice president, B. M. Failor, secretary, F. W/. Butterfield, treasurer. 1858, September 29, 3o-Samuel S. Caldwell, president, Henry Minich, vice president, H. M. Locke, secretary, F. W. Butterfield, treasurer. 1859, October 12, 13, 14-C. K. Ward, president, James Lewis, vice president, Pinckney Lewis, secretary, George Quinby, treasurer. 1860, October 3, 4, 5-C. K. Ward, president, James Lewis, vice president, Pinckney Lewis, secretary, George Quinby, treasurer. 1861, September 18, 19, 20-Samuel Myers, president, D. C. Boyer, vice president, John Hopley, secretary, George Quinby, treasurer. Same officers were elected but fair discontinued; in 1867 met and organized. 1867, October 15, 16, 17, 18-D. C. Boyer, president, Josiah Kohler, vice president, C. Elliott, secretary, J. B. Gormly, treasurer. 1868, October 6, 7, 8, 9-Josiah Kohler, president, John Monnett, vice president, John R. Clymer, secretary, J. B. Gormly, treasurer. 1869, September 28, 29, 30, October 1, 2-Josiah Kohler, president, John Monnett, vice president, George Keller, secretary, J. B. Gormly, treasurer. 1870, October 4, 5, 6, 7, 8-Josiah Kohler, president, James Orr, vice president, George Keller, secretary, J. B. Gormly, treasurer. 1871, October 3, 4; 5, 6-Josiah Kohler, president, G. H. Wright, vice president, George Keller, secretary, J. B. Gormly, treasurer. 1872, September 17, i8, 19. 20, 21-James Orr, president, E. B. Monnett, vice president; George Keller, secretary, J. B. Gormly treasurer. THE CANAL CRAWFORD DID NOT GET In 1818, the subject of a canal came up in Ohio, and the Legislature incorporated the Little Miami Canal and blanking Company. Other canal companies desired to incorporate, and in 1821 Gov. Brown in a message to the Legislature said the state ought to build and own the canals. In 1822 Thomas Worthington, Benjamin Tappan, Jeremiah Morrow, Isaac Minor and Alfred Kelley were appointed a commission to report on a route. One of the routes surveyed was through Crawford county, following along the Sandusky and the Scioto. In regard to this route Col. Kilbourne published the following article in the Columbus Gazette on Jan. 23, 1823 : "The summit of level of these rivers is ascertained to be (354) three hundred and fifty-four feet above the level of Lake Erie, and (455) four hundred and fifty-five feet above low water marks in the Ohio river at Portsmouth. "The engineer represents that the main branch of the Great Miami with several other durable streams which fall into it may be brought by a short feeder to the Scioto at Round Head's town. He states that it is probable that the feeder from the Sandusky will not exceed six or eight miles in length, and that from the sources already mentioned, including the two branches of the Whetstone and others which may be obtained, it is highly probable that there will be an ample sufficiency for the summit pond of this canal. The engineer states that the Sandusky and Scioto valleys may be pronounced favorable for the conducting of a canal along them When compared with the valleys of most other rivers, and very favorable when compared with the Mohawk in the state of New York. The particular, advantages possessed by said valleys is the facility with which the canal (in most places), may be led along on a level altogether above the alluvial bottoms of the margin of the rivers, entirely secure from floods, so menacing to canal works. The total absence of lateral rivers is an advantage on this route worthy of note. The Big Belly, Little Walnut and Salt Creeks being the most formidable, each of which drains, comparatively, but a small tract of country." AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 561 The Colonel was fighting and working for this route, and at the same time was running for Congress, and his opponents propounded the inquiry as to whether, if he could not secure the Sandusky-Scioto canal, he would support one of the other routes. The Colonel's reply was that he was in favor of a canal, but "it was not good judgment to tell your opponents you might later support them." He was elected to Congress, but the Legislature decided on two canals, one in the eastern part of the state, along the Cuyahoga and the Muskingum, with a branch to Columbus; the other in the western part from what is now Toledo to Cincinnati. Kilbourne promptly published a four-column protest in the Columbus Gazette, showing the Sandusky and Scioto route was the cheapest and best, and followed it up with several more articles, but the matter was settled, and in 1825, Gov. DeWitt Clinton, of New York came to Ohio, and dug the first spade full of earth. It appears Col. Kilbourne never gave up his idea of a central canal, until after the building of railroads commenced and the demand for canals ceased. In 1839, he was in Bucyrus consulting the engineer, who was looking over this route, and on his return inclosed the following letter to Samuel Norton, to be handed to the engineer. In his letter to Norton he says: "Enclosed you will find the ten dollars I borrowed of you, for which accommodation please accept my thanks. My hand is still giving me trouble, no better than when I left you, if so well. Please hand the last half sheet of this letter to Major Norton at first opportunity. If he has left you for headquarters when this comes to hand, please send it to him by special carrier. It is of importance that he should have it immediately." The following is the letter: "An idea has occurred to me since we parted which may be of some value. I hasten to communicate. "I have remarked to you already that Brokensword Creek, of itself, is of no value as a feeder to the summit, for in the time when foreign supplies are necessary, it has but little of running water. Its value is therefore mainly or wholly as a conduit from the reservoir in Cranberry marsh ; and it is only a few miles that it could be so used; and would fall in below the regulating reservoir on the Sandusky, crossing the valley of Grassey Run, and a branch of Brokensword above that run, where those waters are deep. Therefore, for the thought on the subject, has presented this view, viz.: That you take the water from the reservoir in Cranberry marsh, by the shortest outlet, at Mr. Dorland's, to Brokensword, and immediately crossing the valley of that creek, keep as high a level as practicable, on the left of the creek, descending, so as to discharge the water into the regulating reservoir at the summit level. In doing this you will have no deep cuttings or large embankments in constructing the feeder, but nearly a regular plain all the way. The more I have considered this improvement in the plan, the better it appears, and I have now no doubt of its superior advantages in every point of view." The building of railroads put an end to canals and the one through Crawford county was abandoned. THE CHOLERA In August of 1852, cholera broke out in Bucyrus. It was at that time raging at Sandusky City, where the death rate reached as high as sixteen a day for several days. On Saturday, Aug. 20, a German woman arrived and went to the hone of friends on East Rensselaer street. The next evening she died suddenly and the attending physician pronounced it cholera. An investigation of the case showed she had arrived the clay before from Sandusky City. The physicians hurredly took the matter into consideration and differed as to the cause of her death, but the majority pronounced it cholera. No special alarm was felt by the citizens. But in the next day or two several similar cases were reported in the same neighborhood; on Thursday, Aug. 26th, Margaret, the daughter of E. F. Sheckler, aged i8 months, died. And two days later, Mary, the daughter of Abraham and Ann Keller, aged 14 years, made the third death. Following these within the next two days, were the deaths of Elizabeth Sheckler, wife of E. F. Sheckler; Isaac Didie, a young man of twenty, and on Sept. i, Abraham Rever and Abraham Keller, the German reformed minister, and there were several other cases in that neighbor- 562 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY hood. For the past few days the physicians and the authorities had taken the most active measures in purifying the city. The infected district was closely guarded and the cholera was confined exclusively to that section. There were several other deaths, but the disease was finally brought under control. But it was by far the most severe epidemic ever in Bucyrus. EARLY VALUATION AND EXPENSES In 1830 the valuation of the property in Crawford county. In Bucyrus, $5,518 were the values of the lots in that village; $753 were values of lots in Holmes township, and $67 in Antrim township. The last five townships in .1845 became a part of Wyandot county.

Townships	Acres Tax	Value	Pers’l Prop’y	Total
Bucyrus Holmes Liberty Whetstone Cranberry Sandusky Chatfield Sycamore Tymochtee Crawford Pitt Antrim	7,913 2,o66 7,017 7,897 1,513 12,091 ... 6,250 8,729 5,509 2,156 I,556	$17,637 3,980 10,455 11,283 1,815 13,751 ... 9,312 15,386 6,309 3,392 2,156	$11,841 1,124 4,872 9,896 1,000 6,280 288 3,152 12,096 3,584 4,144 1,744	$29,478 5,104 15,327 21,179 2,815 20,031 288 12,464 27,482 9,893 7,536 3,900
Totals	62,697	$95,476	$60,021	$155,497

Here is the commissioners' report for the year ending June 4, 1834, showing what they raid out to run the county

Paid for wolf scalps James L. Harper, commissioner Isaac Sweeney, commissioner Daniel Williams, commissioner William Earley, commissioner Isaac Robertson, associate judge Abel Carey, associate judge George Poe, associate judge Josiah Scott, prosecuting attorney Zalmon Rowse, clerk, his salary Location of county roads Location of State roads Justices, constables and witnesses in criminal cases For blank books Constables attending court Grand and petit jurors Judges and clerks of elections Nicholas Cronbaugh, making window shutters for court house John Caldwell, William Early and others, superintending appropriations of 3 per cent bond Tax, improperly charged Interest on county orders Zalmon Rowse, for copying old deed records John Tingler, assessor Peter Hesser, Sr., and Peter Hesser, Jr., for keeping Andrew Hesser, a county pauper Furniture for auditor's office Meeker & Rowse, for stoves for clerk's and auditor's offices T. T. Sweney, expenses to Cincinnati, procuring field notes Joseph Paske, for medicines and attendance on Andrew Hesser Fuel One copy of the Revised Statutes of Ohio Z. Rowse, opening poll books of elections, making abstracts of votes, &c Sheriff, for boarding criminals, guarding and repairing jail Sheriff, summoning jury and advertising elections, stationery J. Turnbull for blank deed book John Caldwell, county auditor Abraham Myers, damages by locating State road Bowen and Smith special fees as prosecuting attorneys William Crosby, printing Total amount expended for county purposes

18.00 28.00 24.00 22.00 6.00 17.59 15.00 15.00 32.50 57.50 79.75 23.00 69.20 5.62 13.25 208.70 96.44 12.59 ... 25.00 11.07 139.71 250.00 67.50 ... 39.00 15.00 28.00 18.73 4.81 10.50 6.00 8.80 23.27 8.43 10.12 247.50 50.00 27.00 48.50 $1,853,12

EARLY MARRIAGE LICENSES Searching among the old records in adjoining counties before Crawford was organized in 1826, a number of marriage licenses were discovered, where the names indicate that one or both of the parties were residents of Crawford county. The following were found in Huron county March 3, 1819-Mathias Cummins and Mary Morgan. Wm. Ritchey, J. P. May 1, 1820-Arabel C. Caldwell and Lucinda Cummins, married at Bloomingville. Samuel B. Caldwell, J. P. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 563 Oct. 21, 1821-Elijah Sanderson and Sophronia Blair. Josiah Traverse, J. P. April 20, 1822-Elijah Collins and Esther Kellogg, Alvan Cox, minister. June 27, 1822-James Kellogg and Nancy Wood, Thomas Stevens, J. P. Here are two from Delaware County: ___ 1822-Auer Umberfield and ___ Scott. Sept. -, 1822-Philander Odell and Sarah Bacon. Here are some from Marion county: May 7, 1824-Seldon Feldon and Lydia Ketchum. May 15, 1824-Joshua Bearss and Susannah Wade. May 16, 1824-David Allen and Polly Hazlett. June 7, 1824-Alanson Pack and Nancy Fickle. June 13, 1824-James Stewart and Elizabeth Steen. Sept. 4, 1824-Geo. M. Fickle and Margaret Beckley. Sept. 7, 1824-Joseph Stewart and Jane Steen. Sept. -, 1824-Peter Long and Riley Darland. Dec. 16, 1824-Henry Miller and Magdalena Wolf. Dec. 28, 1824-Zachariah Barrett and Hannah Darling. Dec. 28, 1824-Isaac Longwell and Sarah Winslow. Dec. 29, 1824-Robert Rice and Eliza Ann Caldwell. Dec. 29, 1824-Joseph Leonard and Nancy Longwell. Jan. 5, 1825-George W. Baker and Louisa Davis. Jan, 10, 1825-Chas. Merriman and Susan Carey. Jan. 10, 1825- Joseph Pierce and Mary Caren. Jan, 16, 1825-Andrew Ridgeley and Rebecca Hatton. Jan. 19, 1825-Simon Smith and Louisa Gleason. Jan. 30, 1825-Benjamin Meeker and Susan Smith. Feb. 5, 1825-Israel Clark and Laura Bearss. Feb. 26, 1825-Geo. Garrett and Nancy Walker. March 9, 1825-Antony Comines and Rachel Rodgers. March 10, 1825-Asa Howard and Polly Garver. March 11, 1825-John Cory and Peggy McIntyre. March 11, 1825-Abraham Brown and Fronica Coon. March 25, 1825-Isaac Fickle and Eliza Tipton. March 26, 1825-Joseph Winslow and Phoebe Smith. March 29, 1825-Joseph Harper and Mary Copperstone. April 5, 1825-Hugh McCracken and Martha Moore. April 5, 1825-Joseph McComb and Rebecca Kimball. April 5, 1825-Joseph Whitherd and Clarinda Beadle. April 9, 1825-Jacob Shafer and Mary Ann Smith. April 9, 1825-Dexter Baker and Sarah Kimball. April 25, 1825 Joel Lee and Jane Parker. April 28, 1825- Eli Odell and Asenath Parcher. April 29, 1825-Phineas Packard and Elizabeth Fickle. June 7, 1825-Geo. Pieper and Laura Gleason. June 22, 1825-James Hughey and Ann Maria Drake. Aug. 8, 1825-Elihu Dowd and Polly Ketcham. Sept. 3, 1825-Dowd Kellogg and Amelia Eaton. Sept. 14, 1825-Horace Pratt and Esther Busklin. Oct. 15, 1825-Sanuel Wilkins and ____ McIntyre. Oct. 24, 1825-Samuel Holmes and Eliza W. Conklin. Nov. 1, 1825-Samuel Hazlett and Zella Spurgeon. Nov. 28, 1825-Isaac H. Fickle and Nancy Young. 564 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY Nov. 20, 1825—Abraham Synus and Susanna Bair. Nov. 29, 1825—David Tipton and Sally Kent. Dec. 19, 1825—John Walters and Lilian Ridgley. Dec. 29, 1825—Jaynes Dorland and Eunice Dowd. Here are some from Richland county; it should be remembered that up to 1845 the four eastern miles of the present Crawford county was in Richland county: Feb. 27, 1823—Josiah M. Dove and Mary Ann Green. Levi Shepherd, J. P. April 10, 1823—Charles Gardiner and Lucy Ammersman. Timothy Taylor, J. P. Oct. 5, 1823—Jacob Baker and Polly DeWitt. Ransom B. Ellsworth, J. P. Aug. 19, 1824—Simmons Palmer and Jamima Palmer. Rundel Palmer, J. P. Oct. 31, 1824—Charles Myers and Hulda M. Kellogg. James McIntyre, M. E. Jan. 19, 1825—Daniel Higgins and Hannah Corey. John Rigdon, M. G.* Nov. 16, 1826—Nicholas Chilcoat and Elizabeth Inscho. Caleb Palmer, J. P. Oct. 2, 1826—Richard Gardner and Maria Lawrence. Zebediah Morse, J. P. July 13, 1826—Jacob Simson and Margaret Chilcoat. Christian Culp, J. P. March 8, 1827—Theodore Baker and Almira Morse. Zebediah Morse, J. P. Sept. 2, 1827—Silas S. Green and Betsy How. M. G. Shellhouse, J. P. Nov. 19, 1827—George Wheeler and Eliza Kellogg. Martin G. Shellhouse, J. P. Oct. 17, 1827—Joseph Darling and Elizabeth A. Edwards. Enoch Conger, M. G. Dec. 27, 1827—George Kellogg and Lydia Isham. E. Andrews, J. P. Jan. 6, 1828—Asher Cole and Narcissa Lawrence. John Beach, M. G. The following is taken from the Richland county records: "This is to certify that John Steward and Polly Carter, both of Upper Sandusky, were joined together in holy matrimony, Dec. 25, 1818, by nee. Henry Georg, Baptist Minister." This is probably John Stewart, the colored missionary, who preached the first Protestant * M. G.—Minister of the Gospel. sermon in this section in 1816, four years before the county was formed. James Finley in his history of the Wyandot mission places the marriage in 1820. In Crawford county the records were all destroyed by fire some time the latter part of 1831, some time in October; but four returns were made of licenses that were issued before the fire and these are pinned on the fly leaf of the record book. These four licenses are: June 12, 1831—Rufus L. Blowers and Susan Smith. Sept. 25, 1831—Daniel Bair and Sarah Jewell. Oct. 9, 1831—Peter Eby and Rebecca Guisinger. Nov. 14, 1831—David Shay and Sarah M. Warden. Then comes the marriage record of Crawford county, Ohio, since October 11th, 1831. At this time Zalmon Rowse was clerk and Willis Merriman Deputy. The licenses were issued in the following order; with date of marriage, when returns were made: 1. Oct. 17—George Reid and Mary Ann Foster, October 18. 2. Oct. 19—John. Cline and Rachael Casto, Oct. 20. 3. Oct. 27—Samuel Whetstone and Elizabeth Patterson, Nov. 3. 4. Nov. 1—John Stuckman and Betsey Slichg, Nov. 3. 5. Nov. 7—David Gibson and Harriet White, Nov. 8. 6. Nov. 15—Chester Smally and Esther Scott, Nov. 16. 7. Nov. 19—John Ragon and Sarah Curtis, No return. 8. Nov. 19—David Sockrider and Sarah Hodge, No return. 9. Dec. 7—John Noacre and Sarah Yawkey, Dec. 8. 10. Dec. 15—Alexander Johnson and Polly Adams, Dec. 15. 11. Dec. 31—Horace Smalley and Hannah Chandler, Jan. 5. In 1832 the following were issued 12. Jan. 12—Jacob Foy, Jr., and Mercy Lupton, Jan. 26. 13. Nov. 25—Joseph M. Hill and Fanny Chatfield, Dec. 1, 1831. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 565 14. Jan. 27-John Perka and Elizabeth Whetstone, Jan. 27. 15. Feb. 9-John Erret and Nancy Berlene, Feb. 14. 16. Feb. 10-Samuel O. Brundage and Anngeline Lish, Feb. 12. 17. Feb. 24-Thomas Hitchcock and Naomey Corey, March 1, 18. Feb. 27-Benjamin Clemmens and Susan Stuckman, March 1. 19. Feb. 28-Wm. Henry and Jane Morgan, Feb. 28. 20. March 6-Peter Whetstone and Mary Stinebaugh, March 6. 21. March 9-David R. King and Sarah B. Sweet, March 9. 22. March 15-Jacob Flemming and Kittery Hesser. 23. March 19-Daniel Wright and Eliza Gibson. 24. April 15-William Wallace and Ellen Davis. 25. April 12-Michael Petterman and Sarah Ridgley. 26. April 24-Samuel Ducher and Catherine Duddleston. 27. May 3-Joshua Chilcote and Mary Mix. 28. May 12-Wm. Sproat and Elizabeth Cooper. 29. May 8-Samuel Shaffner and Frances Shultz. 30. June 6-James Gibson and Emmiline Dunn. 31. June 14-Martin Shaffner and Susan Aurandt. 32. July 2-Jacob Yost and Julia Crosby. 33. July 9-Charles Edward Van Voorhis and Susan Jones. 34. July 12-Joseph Rush and Phoebe Casto. 35. July 26-Amos Garton and Nancy Bibler. 36. Aug. 6-Sebastian Lay and Magdalene Benton. 37. Aug. 11-Edward Porter and Rachael Schupp. 38. Sept. 17-Michael Fishel and Anna Hammond. 39. Aug. 30-Daniel Ball and Katharine Ziegeler. 40. Sept. 6-Geo. Reed and Catherine Bash. 41. Sept. 30-Adam Shoemaker and Catharine Staffer. 42. Sept. 18-Anthony Walters and Elizabeth Henry. 43. Sept. 23-Thomas S. Anderson and Eliza Ritchey. 44. Oct. 11-Thomas Conley and Sarah Stuarts. 45. Oct. 4-John Snyder and Mary Aubertson. 46. Oct. 7-Joseph Rockwell and Rachael Gurner. 47. Oct. 9-Silas Armstrong and Sarah Preston. 48. Oct. 13-David Thomas and Jane Farmer. 49. Oct. 25-Wm. Davis and Lucy Brayton. 50. Oct. 18-Daniel Williams and Jerusha Switzer. 51. Oct. 21-Daniel Albright and Judith Lashley. 52. Oct. 23-Wm. Magers and Mary Andrews. 53. Oct. 20--Archibold Flora and Sarah Kroft. 54. Nov. 8-Thomas Miller and Betsey Mariah Miner. 55. Nov. 6-Stephen Dukeman and Margaret Deeds. 56. Nov. 15-Daniel Wright and Elizabeth Woolsey. 57. Nov. 18-Gabriel Langdon and Eliza Boyce. 58. Nov. 22-John S. Crandall and Elizabeth Bibler. 59. Nov. 21-Wm. Sinclair and Laura Barney. 60. Nov. 25-Frederick Green and Rakina Moyer. 61. Dec. 4- James McCracken and Ruth Marquis. 62. Dec. 6-Jacob Beck and Mary Berlene. 63. Dec. 4-Hugh Long and Sarah Hinkle. 64. Dec. 9-John Schultz and Mary McMichael. 65. Dec. 9-John Duncan and Mary McMichael. 66. Dec. 20-Benjamin VanPloet and Sarah Ann Champion. 67. Dec. 19-William Bevington and Sarah Jane Wolsey. 566 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY 68. Dec. 25—Daniel Metcalf and Lena Stauffer. From the time of the commencement of the marriage record on October 17, 1831, until Jan. 1, 1832, there were 12 licenses issued. During the year 1832 there were 56 issued. In 1833 there were 80 issued. In 1834 there were 72. In 1835 there were 95. In 1836 there were 17. In 1837 there were 103. In 1838 there were 104. In 1839 there were 135 and in 1840 there were 102. THE NAME OF BUCYRUS For over half a century the name Bucyrus has been the subject of much research and earnest, honest endeavor to discover why it was so named. In the History of Crawford county of 1880 the historian of Bucyrus, Thomas P. Hopley, goes into the matter very fully, as follows: "The new town was christened Bucyrus by Col. Kilbourne. There has been much speculation in regard to the origin of the word, and many persons have wondered why the town received this name. The word is so classical in sound that it is not surprising its meaning should not be universally understood unless its true origin is known. Doubtless many a classical scholar has examined his Latin dictionary and Greek lexicon to obtain a satisfactory derivation of the word, and during the past sixty years many plausible theories have been advanced. An examination of the original contract between Messrs. Norton and Kilbourne will prove that the town was named Bucyrus betwen the time the agreement was made (Oct. 4, 1821) and the date it was first altered, (Dec. 15, 1821); it also proves that the name of the town was spelled in the first legal papers of the village, as at the present time. Of all the theories advanced in regard to the origin of this word Bucyrus, only two refer to Col. Kilbourne as authority, and, as it is beyond a doubt that this gentleman created and then adopted this name, these theories are both given. It is claimed by b0th authorities that Kilbourne desired to have a name for this town different from that of any burg ever inhabited by man since the world was created. He succeeded. The daughters of Samuel Norton, the original proprietor of the land, assert that one of Col. Kilbourne's favorite historical characters was *Cyrus, the Persian general, who conquered the city of Babylon, and the town was named by the Colonel in honor of this distinguished soldier. The country in the vicinity of this town was very beautiful at an early day, and the name Cyrus being rather short, (possibly too much, so to suit the metre of his early songs), Kilbourne prefixed to the celebrated Persian's name the syllable "bu", the sound of the first part of the word beautiful, and the old surveyor declared the name should always mean "beautiful Cyrus." This theory is a very plausible one, and will be satisfactory to many citizens whose knowledge of the classics is even m0re limited than some who have prepared historical sketches for this work. But there are those who solemnly assert that a classical scholar would smile at the formation of a word in this manner; these persons declare that, as C0l. Kilbourne was a very highly educated man, he would never attempt to coin a word in defiance of the rules laid down by Noah Webster and other distinguished men of letters who preceded him. "The other authority, however is also based upon Col. Kilbourne's statement. F. Adams, Esq., 0f Bucyrus, who was well acquainted with the old surveyor, says that Mr. Kilbourne told him in after years that it was his desire the town should have a name of its own, and be the only town of that name—that the African town "Busiris" (in ancient Egypt, near the river Nile) pleased his fancy, and he changed it into Bucyrus as a good sounding naive. These two statements are both from responsible and reliable sources; it may be the duty of an unbiased historian to draw conclusions from these facts presented, and endeavor to settle the disputed point, but in this case we will not undertake the task, but will refer the matter to the patrons of this work. However, this name Bucyrus did not suit some of the early settlers in the village, who were ill-natured enough to object to the Colonel's ideas about a queer name; it has frequently been, in later years, a stumbling block to many nonresidents who invariably mispronounce the word. But these early residents who objected to the name are nearly all dead, and those who fail to speak the word like a native of the * Cyrus was a King as well as "general." AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 567 city are not firm believers in the future destiny of the place, and consequently should not be consulted in regard to the name; undoubtedly all of the present inhabitants are satisfied, and many are proud of the name Bucyrus." The following is taken from the Bucyrus Journal of Nov. 28, 1862: "Rev. W. M. Ferguson, one of the ministers in attendance at the recent Synod of the Presbyterian Church, writes to the Philadelphia Presbyterian as follows, in regard to Bucyrus: "Here we all are! All who? Members of the Synod of Ohio, in session in Bucyrus, the shire town of Crawford county, situated on the head waters of Sandusky river, and named after a boy whom his father was wont to call the `Beautiful Cyrus,' a convenient name for a real nice town—one far more euphonious than Cyrusville or burg, or some similar or wretchedly commonplace appellative. It is the only town of the name in the world, and, therefore, its legibly written mail matter is seldom `missent.' How unlike is the postal experience of many unfortunates who live in some of the numerous 'Johnstowns' and 'Washingtons' of the west.'' The writer of this History in the chapter on Bucyrus has given his opinion without hesitation that the town was called after the Egyptan name of Busiris. In thus differing from the children of Samuel Norton, who met Col. Kilbourne many times, it is perhaps proper that the facts on which this opinion is based should be laid before the reader: That Mr. Kilbourne was a classical scholar is true, but the inference drawn by Josiah Scott and Franklin Adams, who were companions of his, that he would never "attempt to coin a word in defiance of the rules laid down by Noah Webster," is hardly correct. Mr. Kilbourne laid out thirteen towns in Ohio. One of these is Claridon, in Marion county, and both Marion historians say it was "given the beautiful and historic name of Claridon by Col. Kilbourne." There is no such name in ancient or modern history, nor can it be found in Grecian mythology. It was probably named after a distinguished family named Clarendon who founded a colony with advanced ideas in South Carolina. The Colonel changed the spelling because it suited him, and sounded pretty. He laid out the town of Melmore in Seneca county. He named it after the Latin word "mel," honey, and added the word "more" to it. He did the same thing in regard to Bucyrus; he changed the spelling, because it suited his fancy. He did undoubtedly say, at Bucyrus, that he had named it after Cyrus, prefixing the first syllable of the word beautiful. Col. Kilbourne was one of the most sociable of men, very entertaining, and given to light and joking remarks. He was twice married. His second wife was Mrs. Barnes, whom he married in 1808, and she had three little daughters, and they were brought tip in the Kilbourne home and were great favorites of the Colonel. One of these daughters, Mira, in 1818, married Cyrus Fay. Can any one doubt that the Little Cyrus would be called by all sorts of pet names and before he could more than prattle, unable to master the "beautiful" would content himself by lisping "Boo-Cyrus." Can any one doubt that the happy Colonel gleefully told the story, and assured his friends he positively named the town after his little favorite. Later, when the infant had grown the story was flat, and the natural tendency was for the Colonel to transfer the story to Cyrus the Great. That is how Beautiful Cyrus probably originated. When the Journal published the communication of Mr. Ferguson, it published at the same time the following reply: "Bucyrus is not, as many suppose, an Indian name, neither was it named after a boy whom his father was wont to call `the Beautiful Cyrus,' as a correspondent in the Philadelphia Presbyterian suggests. "Col. Kilbourne, the founder of the town, derived the name from that passage in the first chapter of Milton's Paradise Lost, which reads thus: "The red sea coast whose waves o'erthrew Busiris and Ins Memphian chivalry." "The present orthography was the invention of Col. K." As late as 1895 Major E. C. Moderwell wrote the Evening Telegraph a long letter on this subject, from which the following is taken: "When in Bucyrus a few months ago, I heard one of the High School pupils say that one of the teachers had recently stated the origin of the name Bucyrus. Said it was so 568 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY named by Col. Janes Kilbourne because he was a great admirer of Cyrus the Great, and as he knew the town was to be a beautiful one, he thought "Beautiful Cyrus" would be an appropriate name, As the name would be rather long he concluded to abbreviate `beautiful' clown to 'bu,' and called it Bucyrus. "About 20 years ago J. `Yard in his historical sketch of Crawford county made a similar statement, and in the history of Crawford county the same was given as the probable origin of the name Bucyrus. "Now with all due deference to the authors of these sayings, allow one of the oldest natives born in Bucyrus now living to enter a protest against such ridiculous statements. "I remember well, when about 12 years of age,* going with several schoolmates to attend a meeting of the board of the Bucyrus Library Association. Josiah Scott, president; George Quinby, librarian; Jabez Larwill, James McCracken, John Smith, and several other old citizens, all of whom knew Col. Kilbourne, were present. "After the meeting adjourned, Judge Scott said to us: `Young men, if you ever want to know the origin of the name of the town, look in Milton's Paradise Lost.' He took the book out of the library and quoted therefrom: *Major E. C. Moderwell was born, March 6, 1838. "The Red Sea coast, whose waves o'erthrew Busiris and his Memphian chivalry." "Judge Scott was intimately acquainted with Col. Kilbourne, and used to play chess with him at Columbus and when he visited Bucyrus." Weighing all of the above and much more on both sides which has been gone over carefully, it might be difficult to form, a definite opinion. But the convincing proofs are certain records which are not handed down, but appeared in black and white when the town first sprang into existence. It is impossible to figure any way by which "Busiris" could have crept into these records, except the fact that it was the foundation for the name. I—In 1829, John Kilbourne, a nephew of Col. Kilbourne, published his ninth Ohio Gazeteer, giving the names of all the towns and postoffices in Ohio. On page 251 of that book the last "B" on the list is "Busiris," see Bucyrus." And under `Bucyrus" he gives the statistics relating to the village. II—The Postoffice Department at Washington writes : `Bucyrus or Busirus was established Feb. 2, 1824, with Lewis Cary as P. M., who served until Henry St. John was appointed July 20, 1829. During these five years the name of the office appears on the records as `Bucyrus.' alias `Busiris.' " Representative Citizens HON. DANIEL BABST. Among the conditions which determine the characters of men, their mental and physical qualities and their ultimate destiny in life, none are more powerful than environment and heredity. The Babst family was nurtured beneath the shadows of the blue Alsatian Mountains. Living near the city of Strasburg, in that Rhinish borderland so many centuries the scene of contest between the Germans and the French, they were of necessity lovers of liberty, strong of limb and sturdy of body, keen of intellect, haters of oppression, upright in character, and ready and willing at all times to fight their own battles in life. Of such parentage and country was Daniel Babst, Sr., who was born in 1810. His father was an officer in the French army, and the son retained until his death vivid recollections of Napoleon's last campaign, and especially of the straggling army returning from the disastrous battle of Waterloo. He remained in his native country until 1832, when he came to America. He spent three years in New York city and then came to Ohio, locating in Stark county, first at Massillon and later at Canal Fulton. At the latter place in 1841 he was married to Margaret Yost, whose family were also natives of Alsace-Lorraine, and shared the sturdy characteristics of her husband's family. It was at Canal Fulton that Daniel Babst was born, on Oct. 19, 1847. He was still but a lad when, in 1852, his father removed with his family to Crestline, a town brought into existence by the building of new railroads, and having the promise of a brilliant future. He received his public school training in the Crestline schools, and from 1864 to 1867 was a student in Oberlin College. Leaving college he began the study of law under the tutelage of Nathan Jones, Esq., of Crestline, and in 1872 was admitted to the bar. His practice from that time was uninterrupted until his election to the Common Pleas bench in 1906. During his career in the legal profession, in which Judge Babst soon attained a leading rank his services have always been at the command of the poor and needy, the altruistic spirit being among the most marked traits of the man. The native talent which he inherited was accompanied by the genius for hard work which is at the bottom of every great success in life. To whatever task he applies himself is given the best effort of which he is capable. A natural leader of men, he has been called to many positions of usefulness and honor. His antecedents made him naturally a Republican, but he was appointed solicitor by a Democratic council, serving from 1877 to 1879, when he was appointed mayor by the same body. Later he was elected to that office, serving for seven years at that time. He was again elected mayor in 1894 and served two terms'. His service to his home town also included ten years as a member of the Board of Education and Board of School Examiners, a service which he justly regarded as the most useful and important that a man can give. To it he brought the benefit of his legal knowledge and his literary training, making it a service of rare value. In 1884 Mr. Babst was the Republican nominee for Congress in this district, and although his opponent was elected it was by so greatly reduced a majority as to be really a - 571 - 572 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY defeat. Three years later he made the race for attorney-general of the State, losing out by a very narrow margin. Always an independent thinker, Mr. Babst left his party in 1896, supporting Hon. William P. Bryan on the financial issues that then became uppermost in American politics. He has since acted with the Democratic party. In 1906 he was nominated and elected to the Common Pleas bench of the Second Sub-division of the Tenth District, an office which he still holds. In accepting the position of judge, Mr. Babst had but one ambition. This was to merit the reputation of a just judge. Though a man of strong feelings, of ardent likes and dislikes, on the bench he knows neither friend nor foe. His knowledge of the law is broad and profound, and in practice he was brilliant and able. On the bench all of this talent is given to careful and just interpretation of the law, always bearing in mind also that a Court is a seat of equity as well as law. While, like all judges, he is compelled at times to render decisions which some of the parties do not like, they are almost uniformly sustained by the higher courts, thus demonstrating that the law has been faithfully and impartially applied. Judge Babst from his long practice realized the many evils that had crept into court procedure, and these he has striven to correct, with admirable success. The rules have been simplified and so arranged that all could understand and conform to them. Promptness has characterized the work of the court and the docket has been more nearly cleaned up than for many years. The great work that Judge Babst has accomplished is recognized by those most competent to pronounce an opinion, and he bids fair to realize his ambition of making a record as a model judge of a trial court, the most difficult position in our judicial system. But it is not alone in his professional and official work that Judge Babst has achieved success in life. As a citizen he has been always active and public spirited. Without entering into elaborate details it may be noted that he was a leading factor in the establishment of the Schill Bros.' factory at Crestline. He promoted and established the works now occupied by the Burch Plow Company. He drafted and procured the passage of the law which made possible the beginning of road improvement in Jackson township, and which has since been of inestimable value to communities throughout the state. He was a promoter of the Crestline Building and Loan Association, and promoted and established the First National Bank of that city. It was he also who promoted and brought to Crestline the interurban electric road, now the C. & S. W. Judge Babst's experience in business affairs has been wide and his judgment sound. He was a partner in the Babst Banking House with his brother Jacob for a number of years, and was his father's assistant in many important matters. He was a few years ago appointed receiver of the N. Y. & P. & O. Railway by Judge Caleb H. Norris and has had many other trusts confided to his hands, vital in importance, and always executed with the most scrupulous and painstaking fidelity. His acquaintance with public men is broad and his knowledge of affairs is of wide scope. His erudition and culture, his experience and travels at home and abroad, combined with a genial nature and broad and catholic sympathies, make him a welcome addition to every circle into which he can be induced to enter. He is a Mason of high degree and an Elk. It is in his home that Judge Babst finds his greatest happiness and is at his best. His spacious residence on Pearl Street in Crestline is a center of whole-souled hospitality, and is admirably arranged for every purpose. The library is his favorite lounging place. In it he has a collection of relics and curios rarely to be equaled and almost never surpassed in a private collection. There too is his magnificent private library, the finest collection in Central Ohio. It is, indeed, many libraries in one. His law library is superb and includes many rare and valuable volumes seldom available to either legal practitioner or judge. The classics, history, especially American, French and English, fiction, biography and other departments, each reach to the dimensions of a library, and each contains many volumes secured only by the true book lover and collector. Here, among his beloved books, Judge Babst enjoys his leisure hours. Here he receives and entertains his friends and here he does the work which his judicial service imposes upon the midnight hours. Here he produces the occasional addresses which never fail to charm AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 573 his hearers, whether of the bar or laity, in social gathering or before the general public. Sincerity, eloquence and literary polish mark legal opinions as well as public speech, and have helped to give him the good will as well as the confidence of all. Judge Babst has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Alice Martin of Crestline. After a brief married life, Mrs. Babst died, leaving two children, both of whom are still living, They are : Lora May, now the wife of Prof. E. P. Wiles, of Evansville, Ind.; and Carl M. Babst, who is an attorney located at Crestline, and also a well known civil engineer. His second wife was Miss Lou Ella Carlisle, of Cambridge, Guernsey county, O. They have two children: Clara Eleanore and Guy M. Babst. Miss Clara is at home and has recently completed a course in Oberlin College. Guy M. Babst is interested in the manufacture of Aluminum Cast Ware at Kansas City, Mo. Happy in his home and family, honoring the work in which he engages and honored by his fellow men, Judge Babst pursues the even tenor of his way through the afternoon of life—a life whose activities and usefulness will not cease until the lengthening twilight shadows have been merged into the night, to be the herald of a new dawn upon a brighter day. HON. CHARLES F. SCHABER, probate judge in Crawford county, Ohio, and for many years a leading member of the bar at Bucyrus, is a native of said city, born July 30, 1873 and is a son of John A. and Bertha W. (Margraff) Schaber. John A. Schaber was born in Germany and accompanied his parents John George and Fredrica Schaber, to Crawford county, Ohio, in 1854. He was a blacksmith by trade but was engaged during the larger part of his active life in merchandising. In 1877 he was elected sheriff of Crawford county and served with efficiency in that office for two terms. To John A. Schaber and wife three children were born: Charles F., Sophia M., and a son that died in childhood. Charles F. Schaper was educated in the public schools of Bucyrus. In January, 1892, he accepted a position as clerk in the office of Hon. J. C. Tobias, judge of the probate court, and later was made deputy clerk of said court and served in that position for six years. He chose law as his profession and pursued his studies in the office of Finley & Gallinger, at Bucyrus, and in December, 1900, was admitted to the bar. He immediately opened a law office and entered upon the labors of his profession, showing the qualities as he rapidly made headway that aroused attention. His legal qualifications placed him early among the able members of the Bucyrus bar, while his years of close connection with the probate court seemed to especially fit him for the responsible duties of a judge of the same and in 19o5 he was elected to his present office on the democratic ticket. Judge Schaber is identified with numerous social organizations, belongs fraternally to the Elks and the Knights of Pythias, and has always taken an active interest in public matters as becomes the reliable and earnest citizen, and both personally and professionally is held in high esteem. During the Spanish-American war he served as a lieutenant and adjutant in the Eighth Ohio Vol. Inf., which was attached to the Fifth Army Corps, and was present at the surrender of Santiago, Cuba. Judge Schaber was married September 8, 1904, to Miss Ida Blanche Johnston, a native of this county; they have three children, Bertha Mary, Virginia May and Ruth Marion. The pleasant family home is situated on West Warren street, Bucyrus. He was reared in the German Lutheran church. WILLIAM ULMER, general farmer, and well known and respected citizen of Crawford county, was born in Crawford county, Jan. 22, 1851, and is a son of Adam and Catherine (Bahler) Ulmer. The father and mother of William Ulmer were born in Wurtemberg, Germany. They were the parents of the following children: John, William and Minnie (twins), Israel, and Mary. The father of this family died in 1856. The family then moved to Henry county, Ohio. William Ulmer attended the country schools and afterward worked on the farm and also learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed for some time and was considered a skillful workman. Then, in partnership with his brother Israel, he purchased the present farm of 113 acres, only 30 of 574 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY which had been cleared when they purchased it. Since then the farm has been much improved. It is located in Bucyrus township, three and a half miles west of Bucyrus, on the Nevada road. In 1882 William Ulmer was married to Miss Sarah Seibert, the youngest daughter of Peter and Catherine (Smith) Seibert. Two this union eight children were born : Edith May, wife of Clarence Briggs; Bessie Belle; William Calvin; Elsie Anna, wife of Harrison Henry; Frank Adam; Katheryn Frances; James Monroe; and Howard Hamilton. William Ulmer is a member of the Lutheran church and a Democrat in politics and is a very active party man, having held the office of trustee of Bucyrus township for two terms. THOMAS J. GRISELL, one of Galion's highly respected citizens, was born in Morrow county, O., in October, 1851, and is a son of Thomas and Susanna (Benedict) (Shaw) Grisell. They spent many years of happy married life on their farm near Cardington, 0., and died there when aged about seventy years. Thomas J. Grisell attended the country schools in boyhood but as soon as old enough to look out for himself, began railroad work with the Erie and Big Four lines and when he was promoted to be local freight conductor, settled at Findlay, O. In 1890 he came to Galion and since then has been engaged at carpentering and is known as a skillful workman, apt with his tools and accurate in his estimates, and as such has been connected with a great deal of the recent building which has made Galion a very beautiful city. Mr. Grisell was married at Findlay, O., to Miss Mary Jane Merrit, who died in 1882, at the age of 38 years, survived by two daughters : Lulu, who married Fred Lamb, resides at Cleveland, 0., and has two sons ; and Olive, who is the wife of Walter Cristie, who is a clerk in the office of the Erie Railway Company at Marion, O. Mr. Grisell was married (second) at Galion, to Miss Mary Gerth, who was born in this city, April 23, 1861, a daughter of Peter and Amy (Baker) Gerth. The father of Mrs. Grisell was born in Germany and was six years old when his parents, Louis and Margaret Gerth, brought him to Galion. Grandfather Gerth was a well educated man and taught in the early schools of Galion and lived to be seventy years of age. Peter Gerth learned the trade of custom boot and shoemaker and for many years carried on business at Galion. He survives, being now 78 years of age and for the past six years has lived retired. He takes an active interest in public affairs notwithstanding his years, and has always voted the democratic ticket. The mother of Mrs. Grisell died in 1892. Both parents were members of the English Methodist church. One daughter has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Grisell, Amy Louise, August 3, 2895, who is a bright student as well as attractive young lady and is a member of the class of 1914, in the Galion High school. Mr. and Mrs. Grisell are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, with which she has been united since she was twelve years of age and in which she has always since been an active worker, belonging to the benevolent organizations in which this church is especially prominent among religious bodies. She is a member also of the Eastern Star. FREDERICK W. HIEBER, one of the highly respected citizens of Liberty township, and one of its leading agriculturists, lives on his excellent farm of 120 acres which is situated six and one-half miles northeast of Bucyrus. He was born in Liberty township, Crawford county, O., April 27, 1868, and is a son of Frederick and Lydia (Lust) Hieber. Frederick Hieber was born in Germany and was brought to Crawford county when a child of five years; he grew to manhood here and followed farming all his life, and through industry and good management became the owner of 372 acres. His death occurred in 1894, when he was aged but fifty-two years. He married Lydia Lust, who was born in Crawford county, a daughter of one of the old settlers, Frederick Lust, and the following children were born to them: Frederick W., Mrs. Elizabeth Luidhardt, Samuel, Benjamin, Joseph, Jacob, Sarah, Isaac, Sophia and Reuben. Frederick W. Hieber has been a farmer and stock raiser ever since his school days, spending eight years in Lykens township prior to 1894, when he came to his present valuable farm in Liberty township, where he has made AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 575 improvements and enjoys a comfortable home. In 1891 Mr. Hieber was united in marriage with Miss Mary Schieber, a daughter of Jacob Schieber. The father of Mrs. Hieber came from Germany to Ohio and engaged in farming in Crawford county, owning 180 acres in Liberty township and 200 acres in Whetstone township, at time of his death, at the age of fifty-two years. He married Eve Mauer, who was born in Stark county, O., and they had nine children, namely : John, Louisa, Henry, David, Emanuel, Mary, Lizzie, Abraham and Jay, all now surviving except Louisa and Jay. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hieber, namely: Eva, Carrie, Gladys, Lulu and Lela (twins), and Naomi. Of this family all are living except Carrie. They attend the Evangelical church of which they are liberal supporters. In politics Mr. Hieber is a Democrat. WILLIAM H. KEEL. There are few business men in the city of Bucyrus, 0., who can claim a longer continuous business record than can William H. Keel, who established his monument and marble works here 33 years ago. He has been a witness of wonderful development and has borne a part in advancing the general welfare. He was born in Somerset county, Pa., in April, 1854, and is a son of Henry and Harriet (Sailor) Keel. Henry Keel was born also in Somerset county and spent the greater part of his life there, engaged in business as a shoemaker. He came to Ohio after his son had established himself here, but four years later returned to Somerset county and died there at the home of a slaughter, when aged 69 years. He was a Democrat in politics and was a member of the Christian church, to which his wife also belonged. She died when her son, William H., was eight years old. Three sons and two daughters yet live and one son and two daughters came to Ohio, namely: William H., Mrs. John Auman, who lives at Ashland, O. and Mrs. William Houpt, who died in Shelby, O. Another daughter, Mrs. Harriet Woolley, died in Somerset, Somerset county, Pa. ; and still another, Mrs. Lewis, lives at Barre, Vt. ; another daughter, Mrs. Ruby, died at Braddock, Pa. William H. Keel started to learn his trade in Somerset county, Pa., in April, 1867, afterward coming to Ohio and working for nine years as a journeyman in Shelby, O. In 1878 he came to Bucyrus and started into business, establishing his shops at No. 220 South Walnut street. He soon built up a large trade being able to make his own designs and to work in any kind of stone being particularly skillful in cutting marble and granite. At one time, before machinery had been introduced to do a part of stone cutting work, he gave employment to twenty-four workmen and kept them busy. Mr. Keel is a well known and highly respected citizen and can look back over many worthy achievements of his industrious life. Mr. Keel was married first at Bucyrus, to Miss Tena Hipp, who died in this city August 15, 1894. She was a daughter of Judge Frederick Hipp. One son survived, Claude D. After graduating from the Bucyrus High school, he graduated in the class of 1897, from the Ohio State college, at Columbus, as a druggist and chemist and since then has been engaged in the business at Bucyrus. He married Minnie Leifer. Mr. Keel was married, secondly, to Miss Catherine Haas, who was born, reared and educated in Holmes township, Crawford county, a daughter of Henry Haas, who carries on a blacksmith business there. The mother of Mrs. Keel died some eight ears ago, leaving one son and four daughters. Mr. Keel is a Democrat in politics. He belongs to La Salle lodge, NO. 51, Odd Fellows, of which he is an ex-official. J. WALTER WRIGHT, attorney and counsellor at law, with offices in the Rouse Block, Bucyrus, O., was born at West Liberty, Logan county, O., July 14, 1874, a son of James W, and Margaret S. (Secrist) Wright. James W. Wright was born at Frostburg, Md., in 1831, and came to Ohio in 1838 with his father, James Wright, the family settling in Champaign county, O. Henry Wright, father of James Wright the elder, came from Ireland, being of Scotch-Irish ancestry, settling in Maryland. James W. Wright married Margaret S. Secrist in 1860, and they have lived continuously at West Liberty, O. She was born near West Liberty in 1840, a daughter of 576 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY George Secrist, a farmer, who came from Virginia and settled in Logan county. J. Walter Wright attended the public schools of West Liberty and was graduated from the High school and afterwards was a student at Oberlin college, Oberlin, O., for one year. He then began the study of law and entered the law school of the Ohio Northern university, where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws in the spring of 1898, when he was admitted to the bar at Columbus. In January, 1899, he came to Bucyrus and with the exception of a part of the year of 1903, when he was practicing law at Bellingham, Wash., he has continued his professional activities in this city for the past twelve years. In politics Mr. Wright is a Republican. He is identified with the Masonic fraternity. ALVIN G. FLICKINGER, deputy county auditor of Crawford county, belongs to one of the old county families and was reared on the home farm in Holmes township. He was born there in July, 1872, and is a son of Horace H. and Catherine (Fralick) Flickinger, and a grandson of Samuel Flickinger, who was the first of the family to settle in Crawford county. Samuel Flickinger was born in Lancaster county, Pa., May 29, 1792, and accompanied his parents to McConnellstown in 1796 and from there came to Stark county, 0., in i8 r z . He engaged in farming in that county until 1833 when he came to Crawford county and purchased a farm in Holmes township, which is yet known as the Flickinger farm although now owned by Reuben Hershberger. He died here June 20, 1871. In 1820 he married Phylinda Healy, who was born at Jamaica, Vermont, and died in Crawford county in 1873. Of their ten children two died in infancy and all have now passed away, with one exception, Mary, who is the wife of Horace Austin, a merchant in Portage county, O. They have three sons and one daughter. Horace H. Flickinger was the seventh born in his parents' family. His birth took place in Holmes township, Crawford county, O., April 22, 1833, and he continued to reside in his native township until 1876, being in the lumber and saw mill business. He then moved to Bucyrus township, where he followed an agricultural life until his death, which occurred May 28, 1898. He was an honorable business man and a respected citizen. For many years he had been a member of the Albright Methodist church. He married Catherine Fralick, who was born in Holmes township, Aug. 31, 1841, and died at her home in Bucyrus township, Nov. 30, 1909. Five children were born to the above marriage, namely: Herschel V., who is deputy county surveyor and formerly was county surveyor; Della A., who is the wife of Lincoln Havey, of Bucyrus, and has four children—Carry, Harrison, Cecil and Maude; Clement L., who is a farmer in Bucyrus township; Alvin G. ; and Carry B., who is the wife of Albert L. Shoemaker. Alvin G. Flickinger was educated in the country schools and at Bucyrus and assisted his father on the home farm. Since early manhood he has been to some degree connected with political offices and in 1903 was first appointed deputy county auditor and through reappointment has served in this capacity ever since. He is very active in Democratic circles and frequently has been sent as a delegate to important conventions. Mr. Flickinger was married in Bucyrus township to Miss Effie V. Foulk, who was born at Bucyrus, Nov. 30, 1870, a daughter of John and Susana A. (Ort) Foulk. John Foulk was born Aug. 17, 1830, at Baltimore, Md., and died Feb. 12, 1874, at Bucyrus, O. His wife, Susan A. Ort, was born -Nov. 19, 1835, at York, Pa., and died at Bucyrus, Aug. 28, 1906. They were married at York, Pa., Dec. 28, 18~I, and to them thirteen children were born, four of whom died in infancy. Mr. Foulk followed the trade of a butcher during his residence in Bucyrus. Mr. and Mrs. Flickinger attend the Methodist Episcopal church. The only fraternal organization with which he is identified is the order of Eagles. CHRISTIAN F. BIRK, of the well known drug firm of Birk Bros., operating at Bucyrus, 0., and made up of George M. and Christian F. Birk, was born at Bucyrus, April 29, 1852, and is a son of John G. and Joanna (Kuhn) Birk. The Birk family is of German extraction and the grandfather, John G. Birk, Sr., was born in Wurtemberg, in the village of Kricheim, where the old family residence still AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 577 stands. He was one of the patriots of. 1848 who, on account of his courage in advocating freedom of speech and action, was threatened with persecution and in order to avoid it, in 1849, followed other members of his family to America, deeding his estate in his native land to a daughter, but later it was confiscated by the government. Mr. Birk and wife found a safe and pleasant home in Liberty township, Crawford county, he following agricultural pursuits until his death in 1876. He became an American citizen and identified himself with the Democratic party, but never severed his connection with the German Lutheran church. In his own neighborhood he had married a Miss Schmidt, who died in 1862. They had the following children: Louis, who died at Fort Plain, N. Y., in 1865; J. Christian, who died unmarried in the Soldiers' Home at Dayton, 0., at the age of sixty-two years, having served in the Civil war from 1861 until 1865; John G.; Salome, who married William Carle, a farmer in Holmes township; Wilhelmina, who married Jacob Bower, and lived and died in Liberty township; and Rosanna, who married Jacob Donnenwirth, and lived and died at Bucyrus. John G. Birk, Jr., was born in Germany, July 22, 1823, and came to the United States in 1847, locating first at Albany, N. Y., but in 1849 reached Bucyrus and here established himself in the harness making business and continued in this line until the close of his life, his death occurring October t0, 1888. He was active in the Democratic party and served four years as county treasurer of Crawford county. On April 24, 185 z, he married Joanna Kuhn, who was born also in Germany, June 6, 1831. Her parents came to America in 1832 and during the long voyage she learned to walk, although it may well be supposed that the ship's floor was unsteady for little feet. Her people remained in New York until 1837 and then came to Bucyrus, where she died October 9, 1893. Both she and husband were members of the Lutheran church. The following children were Born to them: Christian F.; Louis C., born in 184, who is in the harness business at Bucyrus, and who married Caroline Kircus; Elizabeth, born in 1857, who is the wife of Frank P. Donnenwirth of Bucyrus and has two children —Louis and Gertrude; Helen and Matilda, both of whom died in infancy; Emanuel, born in 1866, who is proprietor of the harness store which his father founded in 1849, and who married Theresa Vollworth; and George M., who is associated with his brother, Christian F. Birk, in the drug business at Bucyrus. Christian F. Birk attended school at Bucyrus and then learned the harnessmaking trade with his father and for eighteen years worked in the shop. In 1892, associated with his brother, George M. Birk, a licensed pharmacist, he became part proprietor of the present drug business, this being the third oldest drug store in the city. Mr. Birk has not only been a successful business man but he has been a useful, reliable and active citizen. In 18i7 he was elected a member of the city council for a period of four years; in 1884 was elected city marshal, serving until 1890, when he was elected sheriff of Crawford county and served in that capacity for four years and nine months. In 1898 he was elected mayor of Bucyrus and served as such for two terms. In many ways his fellow citizens, at times, endeavored to show their appreciation of his public-spirited and faithful efforts and on one occasion presented him with a handsome ring, properly engraved. On numerous occasions he has been sent as a delegate to Democratic conventions where matters of vital party interest have been under consideration. Mr. Birk was united in marriage with Miss Bertha S. Volk, who was born at Bucyrus, March 3, 1851, and died August 10, 1898. They had three children born to them: John W., who is a graduate of the School of Pharmacy, at Columbus, O., and of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, at Chicago, of which he is a member of the faculty, who served as first lieutenant in Co. A, in what was known as McKinley's Own, in the Spanish-American war, and who married Margaret Curtis and has one daughter, Helen; Caroline Elizabeth, who is the wife of Glenn W. Kerr, who is private secretary to the president of the Good Roads Machinery company, at Kennett Square, Pa., and has two children—Virginia and Caroline; and Edna T., who is the wife of O. W. Kennedy. Mr. Birk is a member of the German Lutheran church. He is identified with the Elks and the Knights of Pythias. 578 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY C. H. AHLEFELD, general farmer and a mason by trade, resides on his valuable property located eight and one-half miles northwest of Bucyrus, where he has 60 acres. He was born in Wyandot county, O., Jan. 7, 1868, and is a son of John C. and Susanna (Paulin) Ahlefeld. John C. Ahlefeld was of German extraction but he was born at Mansfield, O., and in childhood accompanied his parents to Wyandot county, where he followed farming until his death, when aged 46 years. He married Susanna Paulin who still lives on the old home place in Wyandot county. They had four children: C. H. ; Melinda, who married Christopher Shengler; William; and Bessie, who married William Grove. C. H. Ahlefeld attended school in Wyandot county and worked on the home farm until 1891, when he came to Holmes township and located on his present place. Here he has made many excellent improvements, including the building of a substantial barn. By trade Mr. Ahlefeld is a mason and his sons mainly carry on the farm industries. Mr. Ahlefeld married Miss Amanda Schiefer, a daughter of C. G. Schiefer, and they have five children, namely: Christopher, Zearl, Hattie, Fred and Harland. The family attend the Evangelical church. Mr. Ahlefeld is a Democrat in politics. He takes much interest in educational matters and is serving as school director and has also been township constable. ORRA H. LINN, the owner of 160 acres of land in Dallas township, operates also 200 acres which belong to his father, 80 acres bel0nging to Gertrude Linn Hilty and 80 acres belonging to Helen A. Linn. He was born in this township Jan. 10, 1886, a son of Henry and Alice (Martin) Linn, who are now living retired at Bucyrus. Their children were named as follows: Grace, who is now deceased; Gertrude, the wife of Elmer Hilty; Helen, who lives with her parents; and Orra H., the subject of this article and the youngest child. Orra H. Linn attended the common schools and after completing his education took up farming and has since made this his occupation, having been very successful. His land is devoted to general farming and he has to have the services of two men the year around. In 1910 Mr. Linn was married to Miss Edna Winch. Orra H. Linn and his father are both Democrats in political views. The family belongs to the Methodist church. JACOB L. DAY, who now lives in comfortable retirement at Galion, Ohio, is a citizen well known throughout both Crawford and Richland counties, and is a member of one of the old pioneer families of the latter. He was born in Sandusky township, Richland county, Ohio, February 1, 1838, and is a son of Ezra and Nancy (Wolf) Day. Ezra Day was born October 19, 1811, in Washington county, Morris township, Pa., and died at Tecumseh, Mich., June 2, 1896. his wife Nancy was born in Richland county, Ohio, June 20, 1812, and died in Sandusky township, Richland county, Ohio, March 28, 1840. Amos Day, grandfather of Ezra Day, was born in the Highlands of Scotland, and is of Scotch birth. He was born Sept. 15, 1754. His wife was of Irish descent. They emigrated to America and settled in Maryland and from there to Richland county, 0., where he died Feb. 4, 1830, and was buried in the family burying ground on the place of his son Lewis Day. He was a soldier in the War of the Revolution and lost one of his legs in the service. His wife bore the name of Jane, and was born Sept. 2, 1759 and died Sept. 9, 1833, and was buried beside her husband. Lewis Day, son of Amos, and grandfather of Jacob L. Day, was born in Washington county, Pa., April 26, 1785, and died July 5, 1863, in Sandusky township, Richland county, Ohio. In his native county he married Mary Hull, who was born there Sept. 4, 1790, and died November 14, 1862. In early days the Days were Scotch Covenanters, and the later generations have been, almost without exception, Presbyterians. The family has been largely an agricultural one. Jacob L. Day is the only living child of his parents. He was reared on the home farm and remained with his father until he became of age, and then accepted a position as clerk in a store in Ontario village, and while engaged there enlisted for service in the Civil war, in answer to the second call of President Lincoln AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 579 for troops. On Sept. 9, 1861, he became a private in Co. G, 15th O. Vol. Inf., in the Fourth Army corps, and was honorably discharged Sept. 19, 1864, after dangers innumerable and many escapes with his life. At Resaca, Ga., his cap, that had been presented him by a young lady sympathizer, at Nashville, Tenn., was shot from his head by a murderous mime ball ; at Pickett's Mills. he was thrown several feet in the air by a shell; before Atlanta he received a flesh wound in the pit of the stomach, and sun stroke, this so disabled him as to require attention in a hospital for some time. On March 9, 1862, he was sent from his regiment to Nashville for special service, where be served as clerk and manager of the U. S. Hospital bakery and assistant and chief steward of hospitals. Later he was acting orderly sergeant in charge of commissary and details at Camp Louden, Tenn., and chief clerk and second officer in command at Camp Remington, Knoxville, Tenn. In all Mr. Day took part in 13 battles and 36 skirmishes, and more than once just escaped being captured by the enemy. He with the teamster alone, with the country filled with rebels and guerilla bands, took the 15th O. V. I. hospital wagon through from Bowling Green, Ky., to Nashville, Tenn., 84 miles, without arms, rations or guards, and en-route three days did not see an officer or soldier of Uncle Sam. This was March 2-3-4, 1862. On arriving at Camp, south of Nashville, they received three rousing cheers as they had been given up as captured. Among his treasured army relics are testimonials from his superior officers of service satisfactorily rendered and recommendations for promotion and commission. In Richland county, Ohio, March 8, 2865, Mr, Day was married to Miss Mary Jane McConnell, who was born in Franklin county, Pa.. Feb. 27, 1838, a daughter of John and Jane (Barr) McConnell. The father of Mrs. Day was born in Pennsylvania, of Irish parents, later participated in the War of 1812, married in Pennsylvania and in 1839 moved to Ohio. Later in life they came to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Day in Blooming Grove, where the father died when aged eighty-seven years, and the mother in her seventy-third year. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. To Mr. and Mrs. Day, the following children were born: Homer B., who is widely known in the theatrical business as manager and playwright; M. Ollie, who is the wife of James Hugo, an engineer with the Big Four railroad, with home at Galion; Nettie Ora, who married John E. Rayl, a resident of Galion; Harry J., born Apr. 26, 1881, who maintains his home at Galion, a commercial traveler, and has one son Robert W., born Aug. 20, 1903, and Mattie, Cora and Nettie, all three of whom are deceased. After his return from the army and period. of rest, Mr. Day embarked in the mercantile business at Blooming Grove, Morrow county, Ohio, and in 1876 transferred it to Galion, Ohio, and continued in business until 1898. Then, on account of ill health, he retired, and in the fall of the same year moved to Tecumseh, 'Mich., where he lived one year, and then moved back to Galion, and engaged for a short time in the news business, previous to his retirement on a little farm west of the city. He is now a resident of Galion, and member of Dick Morris Post, No. 130, G. A. R., and Chaplain of the Post, year 19122. JAMES J. MARTIN, M. D., physician and surgeon at Bucyrus, O., to which city he came in 1898, following his graduation from medical college, is in the enjoyment of a satisfactory practice and is recognized professionally and otherwise as a worthy citizen. Dr. Martin was born in Marion county, O., March 20, 1866, and is the only child of James H. and Catherine (Mack) Martin. James J. Martin spent his boyhood on his father's farm and attended the public schools and afterward, for some fifteen years, was a teacher in Marion county. In the meanwhile he devoted much time to medical study and research, his natural inclinations being in this direction, and later entered the Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati, from which he was graduated in 1898. Dr. Martin has always kept in close touch with the advances made by his profession and belongs to the leading medical organizations of the country including the American Medical Association, the Ohio state and the county bodies, the Northwestern Ohio Eclectic Medical Association and the National Medical Association. 580 HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY Dr. Martin married Miss Dora Ruth, a daughter of John G. Ruth, of Marion county, 0., and they have one son, Rolla U. Dr. and Mrs. Martin are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is identified fraternally with the Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen and the Home Guards of America. He maintains his office at 114 S. Walnut Street, and his residence is at No. 1 16 S. Walnut Street, Bucyrus. S. J. KIBLER, one of the representative citizens of New Washington, O., who is known all over Crawford county through his many important business enterprises, was born at New Washington, March 9, 1851, and is a son of Mathias and Frederika (Pfahler) Kibler. Mathias Kibler was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, and when two years of age came to the United States and was one of the early school teachers on the frontier 0f the Western Reserve. He became a prominent man at New Washington, O., both in public life and in business. For many years he operated a tannery and was otherwise engaged. He was a Democrat in politics, served on the school board and for many years was a justice of the peace and was the first mayor of New Washington. He lived a long, busy and honorable life and died in September, 1876. He married Frederika Pfahler, who was also born in Germany and died at New Washington, O., in October, 1902. Of their eight children, three are deceased, the five survivors all living at New Washington. S. J. Kibler obtained his education in the New Washington schools. He began his business career by assisting his father in the tannery and in this way became interested in the hide and leather business, which has particularly claimed his attention for many years and which is one of the important business enterprises of many parts of Ohio. He is a member of the firm which operates under the style of The S. J. Kibler & Brother Company, which was incorporated in 1901 under the name of S. J. Kibler & Brother. Later the brother retired and S. J. Kibler then admitted his sons, A. G., M. M. and A. S. Kibler, to partnership, when the present firm name was adopted. The firm deals in hides, tallow and sheep, skins and wool and furs, wholesale, and maintains its offices at New Washington, but it owns 90 per cent of the Lake Erie Hide & Leather Company, of Sandusky, O. A vast volume of business is done by this firm, its annual sales ending in May, 1912, amounting to over two million dollars. Mr. Kibler's additional business connections include equally important enterprises. He is president of the New Washington Lumber & Manufacturing Company, which was established in 1903. His beautiful home, one of the handsomest residences in the city, stands on the corner of Main and Center Streets, New Washington. Mr. Kibler was married at New Washington, to Miss Elizabeth Herr, who was born in Seneca county, O., a daughter of George Herr, and the following children have been born to them: A. G., who, after attending the local schools and taking a commercial course at Toledo, 0., went into business and is now vice president of the local firm above mentioned and president of the Lake Eric Hide & Leather Company, and is married to Mildred Donnenwirth and lives at New Washington having three children—Alfred Leo, Beatrice Elizabeth and Emma Winnifred; Clara T., who is the wife of A. F. Cronenberger, manager of the Lake Erie Hide & Leather C0mpany, and a resident of Sandusky, O., and has three sons—Marshall Kibler, Harold Frederick and. Cecil Paul; M. M., secretary and director in the firm of S. J. Kibler & Brother Company, who married Elsie Michaelfelder, and has three children—Harold Weldon, deceased, Marian Geraldine and Donald Orville; A. S., who is connected also with the above named company, and looks after its interests at Toledo, O.; Ida P., who is a stenographer for her father; and Florence Edith, who is a member of the class of 1913 in a musical college in Ohio. Mr. Kibler and family are members of the Lutheran church. In his political views he is a Democrat and has always been somewhat active in public affairs, believing in business men assuming the responsibilities of citizenship and public office when tendered them. For 15 years he has been a member of the school board and also of the city council and for four years was treasurer of Cranberry township. He is a man of ripe business experience and in managing his many interests, has displayed exceptional foresight and good judgment. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 583 JOHN SHEALY, a well-known farmer and citizen of Liberty township, Crawford county, O., resides on the old Shealy homestead, of which he owns a part, has 60 acres of well improved land, situated eight and one-half miles northeast of Bucyrus, O. His parents, Christian Shealy and wife, were born in Germany and were brought to Ohio in childhood. Christian Shealy was a farmer during his active years but had practically retired when his death occurred in his seventieth year. His widow survives and is now aged 82 years. The following children were born to Christian Shealy and wife: Michael, who married Lidy Luidhardt and lives in Cranberry township; Henry, a resident of Bucyrus, who married Esther Nagle; John; Lena, who is the wife of Jacob S. Kafer, living near Sulphur Springs; Mary, who is the wife of John Feichtner, living near Sulphur Springs; Catherine, who married George Luidhardt and lives in Liberty township; Elizabeth, who is the wife of Henry Green, of Liberty township; Matilda, who is the wife of H. J. Rowe, and lives at Sandusky City, 0.; and Anna, who died at the age of 23 years. John Shealy obtained his education in the township schools and is an intelligent, well informed man and practical farmer. He married Miss Matilda Hildebrand and while he had two brothers and six sisters, his wife had six brothers and two sisters and each have one sister deceased, who died after reaching womanhood. Mrs. Shealy's sister, Mary A., died when aged 25 years. Her one other sister, Sophia, is the wife of T. T. Tupps and they live in Liberty township. Her brothers are as follows: Solomon, who lives at New Castle, Pa., and who married Sue McFarland; George, who lives at New Washington, O., and who married Rika Michelfelder; Jacob, a farmer in Bucyrus township, who married Maria Utz; Christian, living at Brandywine, O., who married a Miss Mary Heiby; and John, a resident of Liberty township, who married Ida Shell. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Shealy, namely: Christian W., who resides at home, and who married Laura Myers and has one daughter, Gwendoline E.; Ella M., who married O. L. Green, of New Washington, O., and has two children—Russell and Virgil; Albert, who resides at New Washington, O., and who married Matilda Feichtner, whose one child died in infancy; Hattie, who is the wife of Clarence Miller, and resides at home; Emanuel, who is deceased; and Emma M., Edna May and Mildred Marie, all three living with their parents. Mr. Shealy and family are members of the Lutheran church. He is a Democrat in politics and exerts considerable influence in this section, being considered a man of excellent judgment and of sterling character. He has served as township trustee and as school director. SAMUEL RORICK, a retired farmer, who, for twenty years has occupied his comfortable residence at No. 523 South Sandusky Street, Bucyrus, O., was born in Whetstone township, Crawford county, O., April 28,1839, and is a son of Augustus Rorick and his wife, Elizabeth (Ream) Rorick. Augustus Rorick was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1800, where he grew to manhood and married Elizabeth Ream. In 1832, after the birth of their third child, Augustus Rorick and wife took passage on a sailing vessel for America and after a voyage of ninety days, were safely landed at Baltimore, Md. Their objective point was Crawford county, O., and they made the overland journey as rapidly as they were able and finally reached this section, which, at that time was almost a wilderness. Augustus Rorick secured eighty acres of Government land and later added to this tract and continued to live here until the time of his death, in September, 1873, when he was aged 15 years, his wife having died in the previ0us year. They attended the German Reformed church. They had four children, as follows: Henry, who was 83 years of age at time of death, was a retired farmer, married Katie Bremen and they left descendants; August, who died in Marion county, 0., at the age of 69 years, married Rosanna Goldsmith, also now deceased, and they left children; William, who died in Whetstone township, Crawford county, at the age of 55 years, was married twice but left no children; Samuel, who was born after the family came to Ohio, is the only survivor. Samuel Rorick for many years was a very 584 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY successful farmer and stock raiser and owned 250 acres of valuable land. Politically he is a Democrat and for a long period served more or less continuously in township offices, his fellow citizens regarding him as a man of unusual good judgment and knowing him to be of sterling integrity. In 1862 he was married in Whetstone township to Miss Mary Jane Heinlen, who was born there May 26, 1846, a daughter of Jacob and Eliza (Deebler) Heinlen. In the thirties the Heinlen family came from Pennsylvania to Crawford county, driving their ox-teams the whole distance. They were true pioneers and at first lived in a log cabin that had only an earth floor; quilts served ed to cover the window spaces, as they had no glass. Not only did Indians visit them but also wolves came out of the near-by forest and often endangered their lives. Later in life Jacob Heinlen and wife retired to Bucyrus, being then able to live in comfort, and there his sudden death occurred in December, 1889. He was a Democrat in politics and both he and wife belonged to the Reformed church. Mrs. Heinlen, who on June ad, 1912, became g0 years of age, remains active in body and enjoys a social visit with her many friends in Bucyrus. Mrs. Rorick was an only daughter and the only member of her family now alive except the aged mother. Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Rorick, as follows: Mary E., born in 1862, died in 1904, the wife of J. D. Snyder; William M., born in 1864, died in 1888, unmarried; Charles A., born in 1866, who follows the trade of paper hanger at New Chester, Crawford county, married Carrie Kern and they have children; Elma D., born in 1869, is the wife of H. J. Stump, of Whetstone township and they have two children; George L., born in 1871, died in 1887; Sarah A., born in 1873, is the wife of D. M. Roberts, of Lorain, 0., and they have two children; Henry J., born in 1875, lives at home and is unmarried; Anna C., born in 1879, is the wife of J. C. Bauman, lives at Mansfield, O., and has two children; Samuel O., born in 1879, died in 1888; Rosa Alice, born in 1887, died at the age of eleven months; Urban Paul, the remaining child, was born May 25, 1889. The latter is a well educated young man and has become a skilled machinist. He continues to live with his parents. The Roricks are all members of the Reformed church. HARRY J. MARTIN, an enterprising agriculturist of Dallas township and the owner of 40 acres of land, was born December 10, 1875, on this farm. His parents, Henry and Elizabeth (Miller) Martin, were early settlers in this township and industrious farming people. The father was a Democrat and with his family attended the Methodist church. Both Mr. and Mrs. Henry Martin are now deceased and buried in Bucyrus. They were the parents of a number of children, namely: George; Alice, the wife of Henry Linn; Mary Jane, the wife of Jacob Linn; Anna, the wife of Horace Munsen; Ella, deceased, who was the wife of Ira E. Quaintance; Ida, the wife of William Booze; Viola, the wife of John Bone; Charles, the subject of this sketch; and Blanche, the wife of Ed. Harvey. Harry J. Martin in his boyhood attended the common schools of his locality and since then has devoted his attention to general farming and stock raising, though he does not make a specialty of the latter, merely raising enough stock for his own needs. His farm is a part of the old Martin homestead and was purchased by Mr. Martin from the other heirs. He has made a success of his agricultural operations and does some farming on land besides that which he owns. Mr. Martin was united in marriage on Feb. 22, 1905, with Miss Mary J. Turney, a daughter of Eugene and Catherine (Brown) Turney. Mr. Turney is a well known farmer of Wyandot county. The brothers and sisters of Mrs. Martin were named: Harry, who is deceased; Claude; and Florence, the wife of William Cochran. To Mr. and Mrs. Harry J. Martin have been born the following children: Mildred, Blanche, Eugene and Elizabeth. In his political views Mr. Martin is a Democrat but votes according to his judgment. He has been road supervisor for two years and is now serving his second term as school director. Religiously, the Martin family is affiliated with the Methodist church. ALBERT G. STOLTZ, cashier of the Second National Bank at Bucyrus, O., with which institution he has been identified for AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 585 the past thirteen years, is a native of Crawford county, O., to which section his family came in 1836, from Pennsylvania. Michael Stoltz, the paternal grandfather, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, July 9, 1809, and was eight years old when his parents emigrated to the United States, locating in Lycoming county, Pa. He grew to manhood there and married Mary Kober in 1833. A part of their family of children were born before they started westward and finally located in Whetstone township, Crawford county, of which section they became worthy and substantial residents. Michael Stoltz died in this township in his eighty-eighth year, his entire family of nine children passing away with the death of the last son, which occurred October 19, 1911. George Stoltz, father of Albert G., was born in Lycoming county, Pa., in 1835, and died on his farm in Whetstone township, Crawford county, O., September 10, 1888. He spent a long and busy life engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was never active in politics but voted with the Democratic party and always lent his influence in support of law, temperance and religion. On January i8, 1867, he was married to Susan Stump, who was born March 25, 1839, in Whetstone township, Crawford county, where she continued to live until a few years since. She then came to Bucyrus, where she has since made her home. She was reared a Methodist but later united with the German Reformed church and attended it with her husband. She has a wide social circle and is active in neighborhood benevolence. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Stoltz: Laura, who died at the age of nine years; Samuel, who died when three years old; Emma, who is the wife of S. D. Beal, at Bucyrus; a daughter that died unnamed; and Albert G. Albert G. Stoltz was graduated from the Bucyrus High School in the class of 1897, after which he took a c0mmercial course in the Ohio Normal University at Ada, Ohio. He then entered a business house as a bookkeeper, afterward becoming teller in a bank, but resigned that position in order to go to New York, there becoming bookkeeper in an office connected with the Government Navy Yard. On February 1, 1903, he accepted a position as assistant teller in the sub-treasury, where he remained until January 1, 1904, at which time he came back to Bucyrus. At this time Mr. Stoltz accepted the position of assistant cashier in the Second National Bank and so continued until 1907, when he was elected cashier. For the duties of this position, as will be seen above, he has had an excellent training and among the great assets of this bank his name, as an important official, carries considerable weight. Mr. Stoltz was married at Bucyrus to Miss Laura Hurr, who was born in Whetstone township, a daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Sherer) Hurr. They were natives of Pennsylvania and in youth accompanied their parents to Crawford county, later married and lived on a farm in Whetstone township until somewhat advanced in years, when they retired to Bucyrus, where the father of Mrs. Stoltz died in 1904 and the mother in 1907. They were Methodists in religious faith. Of their children Mrs. Stoltz was the youngest born. Of the five members of the Hurr family yet living, all are married and all but one are residents of Bucyrus. Mr. and Mrs. Stoltz have two children: Albert George, who was born November z8, 1906; and Dorothy Virginia, born February 21, 1908. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, Mr. Stoltz being one of the church officials. In politics he is a Republican. He is identified fraternally with the Masons, the Elks and the Knights of Pythias. WILLIAM CAMERON BEER was born in Bucyrus, O., on June 15 6th, 15 874. He was the second son of Capt. William Nevin Beer and his wife Mary, whose maiden name was Mary Denman Swingly. His father was the sixth son of Rev. Thomas Beer and Margaret Cameron, the former being of Irish and the latter of Scotch parentage. His mother was the daughter of Dr. Frederick Swingly and Mary Denman; she was born and reared in Bucyrus, O., where she still resides. The ancestors of Mr. Beer were among the early settlers of this country, and they endured the trials and privations that fell to the lot of the hardy pioneers who developed the American commonwealth. William Beer, the first of the family to emigrate to this country, 586 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY left his home in Derry county, Ireland, in 1764 and took up his abode in Pennsylvania. His son Thomas, who accompanied him, served throughout the War for Independence. The Denmans., Mr. Beer's maternal ancestors, were among the very early settlers in New England; authentic records on file in the Connecticut State Library show them to have been residents of that colony as far back as 1650. In the early Indian wars, in the War for Independence, in the War of 1812 and in the Civil War, the ancestors of Mr. Beer rendered valuable service to the colonies and to the United States. William N. Beer, as captain in the 101st O. V. I., and four brothers, followed the fortunes of the flag in the great Civil War. Mr. Beer's grandfather, Dr. Frederick Swingly, and his uncle, Frederick Swingly, were soldiers in the army of the North—the former a surgeon with the rank of captain, and the latter a hospital steward. When the war with Spain was declared, Mr. Beer and his brother, Frederick T., followed the traditions of the family by enlisting and serving with Company A, Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the war. They saw active military service in the Santiago campaign in July, 1898. William Cameron Beer began his education in the public schools of Bucyrus. In 1896 he graduated from Nelson's Business College at Springfield, Ohio. For, a short time thereafter he was engaged in. newspaper work. On the breaking out of the war with Spain, as above narrated, he became a member of Company A, Eighth O. V. I., and served during hostilities. Upon his muster-out he went to Belle Plaine, Ia., where he entered the service of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Co. as a stenographer. June 30, 1900, he married Jessie Blanche Hutchison at Lake City, Ia. In June, 1901, Mr. Beer entered the law department of the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated with the degree of LL. B. in 1903. He was admitted to the practice of law in Ohio in December, 1903, and in April of the following year he began the practice of his profession in Bucyrus, Ohio, as a partner of the late Judge Thomas Beer. Upon the death of Judge Beer in 1910 he formed a partnership for the practice of his profession with J. W. Wright, under the firm name of Beer & Wright; this firm was dissolved in January, 1912. Mr. Beer was elected city solicitor of Bucyrus in November, 1905, and held the office for two years. He is a member of Bucyrus Lodge No. 156, B. P. O. Elks; Camp Thoman No. 33 United Spanish War Veterans, and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. In politics he is a Republican, being the chairman of the Republican Executive Committee of Crawford county, Ohio. C. E. HILDEBRAND, druggist, who is the leader in his line at New Washington, O., is sole proprietor and successor of J. F. Hildebrand & Bro., which firm succeeded J. F. Tobin. Mr. Hildebrand was born at New Washington, June 29, 1875, and is a son of George and Frederica (Michelfelder) Hildebrand. George Hildebrand was born at Brokensword, O., and after an agricultural life, lives retired at New Washington. He is a strong supporter of the Democratic party and a faithful member of the Lutheran church. In this city he was married to Frederica Michelfelder, a daughter of John and Frederica (Utz) Michelf elder, and they had two sons—J.. F., who is deceased, and C. E. C. E. Hildebrand attended school at New Washington and then entered the Ohio Normal University at Ada, O., where he completed his course in pharmacy. In 1896 he purchased his interest in the present store, from his brother, and the firm was known as J. F. Hildebrand & Bro., until 2899, on the death of the senior partner, C. E. Hildebrand becoming the sole owner. e carries everything usually found in a modern drug store, including a complete line of drugs, wall paper, paints, china, books, novelties and fancy and toilet articles, perfumes and choice confectionery, occupying a double room 44x76 ft. in dimensions. Mr. Hildebrand married Miss Henrietta Heinmiller, a daughter of John and Margaret Heinmiller of New Washington, and they have three children; John, Harold and Evelyn. Mr. Hildebrand and family are members of the Lutheran church. Politically he is a Democrat and at times has served in the AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 587 town council and on the school board. He is a member of the Ohio State Drug Association. Mr. Hildebrand occupies. well appointed flats above his drug store on Mansfield Street. BENJAMIN MECK, who has been established in the practice of law at Bucyrus, O., since 1907, and is a member of the able law firm of Meek & Stalter, of this city, is also a prominent Democratic politician and a man of good report along every line. He was born March 1, 1860, in Lykens township Crawford county, 0., a son of John Frederick Meek. The ancestors of Mr. Meek came to America from Germany and the paternal grandfather brought the family to Ohio and settled in Lykens township, Crawford county. He and his wife were among the early members of the German Evangelical church in that section. In 1831, when the family came to America, the father of Benjamin Meek was about fifteen years of age. He became a farmer in Lykens township and lived there during all his active life, then retired to Chatfield, where he died in 1899. He married and his widow still survives, being now eighty-one years old. In her girlhood days she united with the Methodist church but later attended the German Evangelical with her husband. All of their eleven children grew to maturity except one, and all live in Ohio and are married except two. Benjamin Meek was the fifth born in the above family. His boyhood was spent on the home farm and he attended the country schools but later enjoyed other advantages, in 1883 graduating from the Ohio Normal university. He was admitted to the bar in June, 1889, and located at Upper Sandusky, where he resided for twenty years. He was recognized as one of the ablest members of the Wyandot county bar and for six years was prosecuting attorney. It was during his term that Wyandot county erected its present handsome court house, which was built under the careful scrutiny of Prosecuting Attorney Meek, with the happy result that was appreciated by the taxpayers, of moderate taxation and reasonable cost of erection. There was no opportunity for false representations when every item went through the office of the prosecuting attorney as well as the auditor's and treasurer's. His first election was in 1896 and his second in 1899, following the close of which he declined a third nomination. Since then he has attended closely to an ever increasing practice, both in Wyandot county and since coming to Bucyrus, and is known as a learned, accurate, high-minded lawyer. Mr. Meek was married in Wyandot county, to Miss Mary McLaughlin, who was born and reared there, and they have five children, as foll0ws: Henry Lehr, who is engaged in the practice of medicine at Petersburg, Mich., is a graduate of the Detroit Medical college, in the class of 1909; he married Clara Lynch, of Sycamore, O. Abraham K., who is engaged in the practice of law at Denver, Colo., is a graduate of the Chicago university; he married Maria Chenowith. Chester Allen, who is a graduate of the Bucyrus High school, is a student in the class of 1914 in the law department of the Ohio Northern university at Ada, O. Nina Augusta is the wife of Dorsey Wirth, who is a merchant at Bucyrus. Calvin Benjamin attends the public schools. Mrs. Meck is a member of the German Reformed church. Mr. Meek is identified with Walpole lodge, F. & A. M., at Upper Sandusky. RUFUS V. SEARS, a foremost member of the Bucyrus bar and a representative citizen along every line of intelligent effort, belongs to one of the old settled families of Crawford county, O. He was born on the Sears homestead, within a few miles of Bucyrus, and was principally educated in this city. He is of Revolutionary stock in both branches of his ancestry. His parents were Benjamin and Melissa (Minich) Sears, names well known in the early settlement of Maryland and Ohio. After being creditably graduated from the Bucyrus High school, he entered upon the study of the law and in 1886 was admitted to the bar. He opened an office at Bucyrus and practiced alone until 1893, when he entered into partnership with the late Hon. S. R. Harris, his father-in-law. This law firm, collectively and individually, was a strong one in Crawford county for many years. Since the death of Judge Harris, Mr. Sears has continued without a partner. He is additionally interested in numerous successful enterprises 588 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY of city and section, and is officially connected with several, and is one of the directing board of the First National bank of Bucyrus. In his political views Mr. Sears is a Republican and is loyal to party and friends but has seldom consented to accept political preferment for himself. He has always identified himself vitally with the best interests of the city, and belongs to that class of useful and constructive citizens that maintain order and encourage progress, thereby establishing the good name of their section abroad. Mr. Sears was married in 1888 to Miss Sallie J. Harris, and their family consists of three sons: Paul Bigelow, Demas Lindley and John Dudley. ALBERT L. BRIGGS, a general farmer and highly respected citizen of Whetstone township, Crawford county, O., operates a farm of eighty acres and is considered one of the successful agriculturists of this section. Mr. Briggs was born in Pennsylvania, February 12, 1860, and is a son of Alexander and Sarah (Shearer) Briggs. Alexander Briggs was born also in Pennsylvania, a son of Jonathan Briggs, who was probably of English ancestry. Alexander Briggs carried on farming in Pennsylvania and is now deceased. He was somewhat active in the Democratic party in his locality and was a man who was well thought of by his neighbors. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He married Sarah Shearer, a daughter of Michael Shearer, and they had the following children: Albert L. ; Harry; Wade; Charles; Mary, wife of Samuel Louden; Edna, wife of Thomas Guinn; Catherine, wife of Frank Brown; Matilda, now deceased, who was the wife of a Mr. Young; and Bertha, wife of William Bell. The mother of this family survives and lives in Iowa. She is a member of the Presbyterian church. Albert L. Briggs attended the public schools in Huntingdon county, Pa., and assisted his father on the home place until he was twenty years of age. He then came to Crawford county, 0., where he soon found employment in the agricultural districts, and thus it happened that be was engaged by George Brehman as a farm assistant and worked for two years on the present place prior to his marriage with his employer's daughter. This marriage was celebrated January 17, 1888, the lady being Miss Matilda Brehman, a daughter of George and Hettie (Reiter) Brehman, and a granddaughter of John Brehman and John Reiter. It was Grandfather Brehman who entered the present farm from the Government and the deed, which Mr. and Mrs. Briggs preserve, bears the signature of Andrew Jackson as President of the United States. The Briggs farm belongs to Mrs. Briggs, it having descended to her when her parents died, and she is also one of the heirs interested in another eighty acres. George Brehman and wife were well known and much esteemed people and were faithful members of the Lutheran church. They had the following children: Martha,, wife of William Vail; Emmeline wife of Marion Smith; George; Matilda, wife of Albert L. Briggs; Malinda; Amanda; and Elias, deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Briggs have three children, May, Carl and Kenneth, all of whom have been given excellent school advantages. Mr. Briggs has served as school director and also as road supervisor, and is known to be a sensible, honest, practical man. The family attends the Lutheran church. CHARLES R. ROW E, of The Rowe Bros. Co., proprietors of the leading mercantile establishment at Bucyrus, O., has been a partner in the above mentioned business since 1897, having had previous mercantile experience. He was born in Medina county, 0., and is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Grant) Rowe. Dr. Thomas Rowe, the grandfather of the Rowe Brothers of Bucyrus, was born in New Hampshire and came to the Western Reserve with his family in 1840, locating in Medina c0unty. He had much pioneering experience, as the country at that date was but sparsely settled and his practice called him long distances from home and his visits were necessarily made in primitive style, carrying his saddle bags of medicine and instruments on horseback. Of his children, his son Thomas was a small boy when the family came to Medina county, which section continued to be his home through life. He acquired a large amount of valuable farm land. His death occurred in 1897, when he was aged sixty-four AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 589 years. He married Elizabeth Grant, who was born in Connecticut, from which state she came to Medina county as a school teacher and subsequently was married to Thomas Rowe. She still survives and resides in Medina county and has many pleasant recollections of earlier times there. She is a member of the Congregational church. To Thomas and Elizabeth Rowe five children were born, four sons and one daughter, the last, Emma, being the wife of G. W. Thompson, of Lexington, Idaho, and the mother of four sons and one daughter. The sons, Charles R., Thomas G., George S. and H. G., are all business men, the two older brothers being associated together at Bucyrus, while George S. is with the Putnam Publishing Company, at New York City, and H. G. is owner and proprietor of the Medina County Gazette and a prominent resident of the city of Medina. Charles R. Rowe was reared and educated at Medina and after his school days were over entered a mercantile establishment as a clerk. Five years later he came to Bucyrus, entered into business here and in 1897 became a partner in the Rowe Bros. Co., as above mentioned. The business was started under the firm name of Lauck & Rowe, the junior partner being Thomas G. Rowe, who, in 1897 purchased the entire interest and in the same year took his brother, Charles R., as a partner. The business was conducted at No. 130 South Sandusky avenue but accommodations soon proved too limited and additional space was secured and the present frontage of their establishment, which includes Nos. 130-132 South Sandusky avenue, is 160 feet. In 1907 the firm became a close corporation and in 1911 a branch store was established at Cleveland. The business at Bucyrus is conducted under the corporation style of The Rowe Bros. Co., while the firm name at Cleveland is Rowe Bros. They give employment to a large force and cater to the best trade, carrying a complete stock of fine merchandise, carpets and ladies' wearing apparel. They are enterprising and reputable business men and enjoy a large degree of well merited prosperity. Both members of the firm are identified with the Masonic fraternity. In 1899 Mr, Rowe was married to -Miss Pauline Erichman, who was born at Bucyrus and they have two children, Richard Grant and Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Rowe are members of the Presbyterian church. ARTHUR J. BEALL, whose excellent farm of 112 acres is favorably situated half a mile west of Bucyrus, Ohio, in Bucyrus township, Crawford county, was born in the southern part of this county, March 7, 1883, and is one of the modern, progressive and successful young agriculturists of this section. His parents were John W. and Annetta (Wentz ) Beall. John W. Beall was a lifelong resident of Crawford county and was a well-known farmer and stock-raiser. His death occurred in his 37th year. He married Annetta Wentz, a daughter of John Wentz and they became the parents of four children, as follows: Arthur J.: Mabel E., who is the wife of Alfred C. George, who owns and successfully operates 148 acres of land in Dallas township, Crawford county; they have one daughter, Elizabeth Annetta Walter R., who owns a splendid farm of i00 acres in Dallas township, Crawford county; and Edgar B., who is assistant cashier in the Commercial Savings bank at Galion, Ohio. A. J. Beall obtained a public school education, afterward spending one year at the Ohio Northern university. He then taught school for five years in Holmes and Bucyrus townships and then came to his present home which he purchased in 1910. He carries on general farming and stock-raising in a scientific way, having a complete equipment of the most improved farm machinery and keeping in touch with the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station and modern methods, and is one of the model farmers of the county. He belongs to the local grange and formerly was president of the Farmers' Institute. On March 27, 1910, Mr. Beall was married to Miss Rebecca A. Conkle, only daughter of Peter and Mary E. (Foulke) Conkle, the former of whom is a partner and manager of the Colter & Co. lumber mills of Bucyrus, Ohio. Mrs. Beall was born October 7, s886, and received her education in the public schools of Bucyrus, being graduated in the class of 1907. She later studied in elocution and is a very accomplished reader. Mrs. Beall has one broth- 590 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY er, Dr. G. C. Conkle, who is a physician at Boyne Falls, Mich. Mr. and Mrs. Beall attend the Methodist Episcopal church at Bucyrus. In politics he is a Republican. JULIUS J. BLISS, whose long and able association with the public schools of Crawford county and the city of Bucyrus, made his name a prominent one among the educators of his native state, is recognized as one of the constructive and valuable citizens of this city. He was born May 16, 184, in Bainbridge township, Geauga county, 0., and is a son of Olney R. and Mahala J. (McFarland) Bliss. The Bliss family traces its ancestry to England, Thomas Bliss, of Devonshire being recorded as a member of the Plymouth Colony in 1635. In the War of the Revolution the unusual spectacle was presented of three generations participating together in that struggle, Ephraim Bliss, his son Ephraim, and his grandson, Benjamin Bliss, the last named being but a boy in years. Col. Otis B. Bliss, son of the above Benjamin Bliss, was born at North Adams, Berkshire county, Mass., and in 1833 moved from there to Geauga county, 0., establishing the family home in Bainbridge township, where many 0f his descendants may yet be found among the people of substantial character. In 1831 he had married Julia Elma Maria Potter, who was born at Gloucester, R. I., a daughter of Olney Potter, and a granddaughter of James Potter, and a great-granddaughter of Samuel Potter, both grandfather and great-grandfather being soldiers in the Revolutionary war and descendants of Roger Williams. Olney R. Bliss, father of Julius J. Bliss and son of Otis B. Bliss, was born in Geauga county O. ; in the firs year the family settled there. He was reared in Bainbridge township and married the daughter of a neighbor, Mabala J. McFarland, whose father, John Wesley McFarland, had moved from Berkshire, Mass., in 1816, to that township. In 1883 the parents of Mr. Bliss removed to Brookville, Kans., where they survived into old age. Julius J. Bliss attended the public schools in Geauga county and then entered Hiram college, and during the period passed there he came under the influence of Prof. James A. Garfield, who later became president of the United States. From Hiram college Mr. Bliss went to Oberlin college, where he was graduated in 1881, receiving his B. A. degree, and five years later his degree of M. A., was conferred. At the age of sixteen Mr. Bliss went into educational work and by this means sent himself through college. The exceptional success which he achieved in the succeeding years gave abundant proof of his qualifications as a teacher. In January, 1883, he became one of the instructors at the Bucyrus High school, where he continued for two and one-half years, and then accepted the superintendency of the public schools of Crestline. For ten years Mr. Bliss remained in that city, where his professional and executive ability were thoroughly tested and recognized. In 1895 he came to Bucyrus, accepting the superintendency of the public schools of this city, and continued in charge until 1907. During this long period many changes were brought about in almost every department of the school system, Mr. Bliss giving his entire attention to the advancement and upbuilding of the city's educational institutions. Largely increased attendance, a higher curriculum, and a more pronounced enthusiasm for more advanced opportunities, were some of the results of his long superintendency. In 1907 Mr. Bliss turned his attention to banking and is at present identified with the Bucyrus City bank. He has ever been an interested citizen, is secretary of the Bucyrus City Library board and a leader in all movements looking toward the educational and moral advancement of the community. He was the leading factor in securing the establishment of the Y. M. C. A., in this city, and has always taken a deep interest in its work. Mr. Bliss was married in 1886, at Bucyrus, to Miss Ella May Fuhrman, a daughter of Thomas and Adeline (Kirby) Fuhrman, and they have two children: Marion George and Mary Mahala. The family are all members of the Presbyterian church. He has been affiliated with many educational bodies, but the only fraternal organization with which he is connected is the order of Knights of Pythias. The hospitable home of Mr. and Mrs. Bliss is at No. 512 E. Rensselaer street, Bucyrus. HENRY WITTER, a highly respected citizen of Bucyrus, 0., who now lives retired after many years of successful agricultural effort, AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 591 enjoys the comforts of a beautiful home at No. 412 South Sandusky street. He was born August 14, 1844, in Chatfield township, Crawford county, O., and is a son of William Witter. William Witter was born in North Carolina and for some years after reaching manhood was overseer on plantations where many slaves were owned. He was married in Rockingham county, N. C., to C. Barbara Fitz, who was born in Germany and came to America when young. Mr. and Mrs. Witter remained in North Caroline until after the birth of four children and then decided to come north, making a choice of Crawford county, O. With wagon and one horse and bringing along all their household effects, the family started for the new home. It took quite a long time in those days to cover such a distance, as the roads were poor and many of the streams were unbridged, but they had expected to encounter hardships as pioneers and kept perseveringly on. They reached Chatfield township, Crawford county, in 1836, and their first purchase of land was forty-five acres, none of which had yet been cleared or improved. Later Mr. Witter bought additional land and about this time the father of Mrs. Witter, Christian Fritz, joined the other pioneers and together they acquired still more land and cleared and unproved it. Mr. Fritz died on that place in his eighty-fifth year. William Witter died there in 1891, aged ninety-one years, having survived his wife since February, 1883. He was a Whig in early life and later became a Republican. His wife belonged to the German Lutheran church but he was identified with the Campbellite church. The following children were born to them : William, who was accidentally killed by a runaway team of horses when aged eighteen years; Thomas, who died at Vicksburg, Miss., while serving in the Federal army during the Civil war; John, who is a farmer in Western Ohio; Elizabeth, deceased, who was the wife of Christian Baldosser; Caroline, deceased, who was twice married; Alexander, who died in 1895; Charles, who died at the age of fourteen years; and Henry, now of Bucyrus. Henry Witter assisted in clearing and improving the home farm and lived there until one year after his marriage. He then moved five miles south of Bucyrus, remaining in that locality one year, after which he bought 80 acres in Holmes township, where he resided three years. At the end of that time he sold his place and bought in Bucyrus township a farm of 85 acres and shortly afterwards 24 acres more, and lived there until 1905, when he returned to Bucyrus. He has never been greatly interested in politics and for some years has maintained an independent attitude. He is a member of the German Lutheran church. Mr. Witter was married in Seneca county, to Fredericka Louise Bauer, who was born in Saxony, Germany, November 7, 1844, and died at her home in Bucyrus, May 5, 1910. She was six years old when her parents, Frederick and Henriette O. Bauer, brought her to the United States. For some years they lived in Massachusetts and then came to Crawford county and Mr. Bauer purchased a large farm in Lykens township, on which his wife died at the age of seventy-six years. Afterward he came to Bucyrus and here his death occurred in his eighty-sixth year. To Mr. and Mrs. Witter the following children were born: Frederick, who is a resident of Bucyrus, married Nora Ruch and they have three children—Henry, Ruth and May; William, who is a prominent physician at Detroit, Mich., was graduated from the Bucyrus High school in the class of 1892, the medical department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, in the class of 1898, was married at West Branch, Mich., to Caroline B. Cline, and they have two children— Caroline I. and Lelia M. ; Charles A., who died at the age of nine years; Louis, who is in the transportation business at Bucyrus, married Emanda Pfieider, and they have three children—J. Edwin, Henry H. and Caroline Anna; Thomas, who died in infancy; Mary Ann Isabel, who is her father's competent housekeeper; James, who resides on a farm in Sandusky township, has four children —James, Ardis, William and Robert; Alberta, who died when aged ten years; Elsie, who died at the age of eight years; and Roy, who lived but five years. The surviving members of Mr. Witter's family are all well established in life and all are respected members of society. 592 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY COL. CYRUS W. FISHER, who has been a man of influence and more or less pr0minence in different sections of the country for very many years, and who is now one of the most distinguished citizens of Bucyrus, 0., was born Sept. 22, 1835, at Waynesville, Warren county, O. After several family changes of residence in his boyhood, Cyrus W. Fisher was sent in 1846, by his father, Dr. Fisher, from the pioneer home in Rock county, Wis., t0 attend school at his birthplace in Ohio. In 1849 Dr. Fisher with the rest of his family also returned to Ohio and the son joined his father at Lebanon in Warren county, and continued his studies while living at home until about 185 r. In the above mentioned year he accompanied a corps of railroad engineers and assisted in making surveys through Ohio, being thus occupied until 1854, in which year he entered the employ of the Ohio & Indiana Railroad Company, remaining with that corporation for two years. His next railroad connection was with the Bee Line road, with which he was identified until 1857, being a passenger conductor on the line between Crestline and Indianapolis. He then accepted a position in the office of the superintendent of that road, at Bellefontaine, Ohio, and remained there until President Lincoln's first call for troops in 1861. He then entered the service of the Federal Government as first lieutenant of Co. F, 23rd O. V. I. His brother officers were men of high character and ability and several of them later achieved national distinction. His colonel was W. S. Rosecrans, his lieutenant colonel, Stanley Matthews, and his major, Rutherford B. Hayes. In July, 1861, the regiment was sent to western Virginia, and in the succeeding November Lieut. Fisher became major of the 54th Ohio Infantry, which regime~it, in February, 1862 became a part of the army division that first came under the command of General Sherman, who was then a brigadier. In November, 1862 Major Fisher was again promoted, becoming lieutenant-colonel of the 54th regiment, and as such he was a participant in all the operations of the 15th Army Corps, his valor, coolness and military ability serving well his command on many a battle-field. His faithful service to his cause and country ended only with the close of the war, when he returned to Bellefontaine, where his family then resided. Immediately after the termination of his military career, Col. Fisher removed to Oskaloosa, Iowa, with the idea of entering upon the practice of law, having been admitted to the Ohio bar in 1864. He first, however, went into journalism, purchasing the Oskaloosa Herald, which he conducted until 1868, when he disposed of it and opened a law office. His prospects were encouraging, but by this time he had found the climate not favorable to his health, and when it became a matter of necessity for him to find a less trying one, his thoughts again turned to railroading, in which field he felt at home. Accordingly he shortly afterward accepted the position of superintendent and general freight and ticket agent in the more c0ngenial climate of Colorado, being the first incumbent of that office for the Denver Pacific line in that state. Col. Fisher's identification with the Denver Pacific, the Kansas Pacific, and the Colorado Central railroads continued until the summer of 1878, when he was made superintendent of the Mountain Division of the Union Pacific Railroad. e held this latter position until 1879, when he resigned in order to become general superintendent of the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad, of which he was also a director and second vice president. In September, 1882, he became general manager of the New Orleans & Denver Railroad Company, of which in 1883 he was elected general manager and president. In 1884-5 he was general manager and lessee of this road, but resigned in March, 1886, in order to accept the position of general manager of the Rock Island Railroad lines west of the Missouri river. From 1886 to 1888 his time was completely taken up in the construction and putting into operation of thirteen hundred miles of trackage. Family affliction in the death of his wife, which took place in this year, induced his resignation, his need of rest and recreation being apparent to all his friends. These he found in a trip to Europe, where, during a stay of six months, he visited many points of interest. The year 1889 found him once more in his native state and subsequently he became a settled citizen of Bucyrus, where he AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 595 made investments and purchased a comfortable and attractive residence at No. 125 Renssalaer street. After locating in this city he became connected with the Frey-Sheckler Clay Working Company, later known as the American Clay -Machinery Company. At the present writing he is president of the Bucyrus Public Library, also of the Bucyrus Hospital Association, and of the Fairbanks Steam Shovel Company, of Marion, Ohio. He has been very active in Grand Army circles and has served for several years as commander of the post at Bucyrus. For many years Col. Fisher has been a leading factor in Republican politics, and was a hearty and effective worker for the late President William McKinley, who was an old army comrade and a personal friend. In 1896 Col. Fisher visited Denver, Colo, in a political capacity, just at the time that the Denver, Cripple Creek & Southwestern Railroad was being organized, and the presidency of this company being tendered him, he accepted it and held the office for two years. Other interests, however, soon claimed his attention and he retired permanently from participation in railroad affairs. Col. Fisher was first married at Bellefontaine, O., in 1859, to Miss Sallie M. Dunham. She died Sept. 25, 1860, being survived for a few weeks by an infant son. The Colonel's second marriage was contracted in 1864 with Miss Martha I. Hetich, who was born in Crawford county, O. Her death took place in x888, at Hot Springs, Ark. In 1891 Col. Fisher married Mrs. Mary D. Beer, a lady well known in Bucyrus. To his second marriage ten children were born, two of whom survive—Cyrus H. and Sallie. Col. Fisher is a thirty-second degree Mason, having been identified with the fraternity for the past 54 years. He manifests a thorough interest in all that concerns the welfare of Bucyrus, which he has shown by action whenever a good example was needed or when called upon to aid in a worthy cause. Every practical movement for the moral and material betterment of the community has had his cordial support. The extent of his private charities will never be fully known, for, like every true gentleman, he dislikes ostentation, satisfied with the approval of his own conscience in whatever he may do for his fellow man. JOHN H. LIGHT, who has made a success his chosen line of business—agriculture—resides on his well improved farm of seventy-one acres, located five miles northeast of Bucyrus, was born in Liberty township, Crawford county, O., in 1872, and has always lived here. He is a son of William and Sarah (Hay) Light. William Light and wife were both born in Pennsylvania and they came to Ohio in 1857. Both died in Liberty township, aged respectively seventy-three and seventy-two years. They had seven children : Swingly, who resides in Liberty township, married Caroline Pfiuderer ; Scyanthia, who resides at Bucyrus, married G. W. Sprow ; William, who is a business man of Bucyrus, married Rebecca Charlton; Ida, residing in Liberty township, is the widow of H. J. Sprow, who died July 27, 1911 ; Daniel died in 1895; Mary, the wife of G. B. Kelly--they live in Liberty township; and John H., the subject of this sketch. John H. Light had public school advantages and grew to manhood well trained in farm work and has made farming his sole business. As his property has needed improving he has attended to this matter and recently has completed a very fine barn. He raises the usual crops of this section and enough stock for his own use. Mr. Light was married to Miss Anna Bittekofer, who was born in 1881, a daughter of Jacob and Christiana (Auckerman) Bittekofer. Mrs. Light's brothers and sisters are Fred, Jesse, John, Harve, Earl, Albert, Mary, and Cora; one brother, Irvin, is deceased. Fred is a teacher in the Tiffin, 0., High school; Jesse lives in Lykens township; John lives at New Washington, and the others remain at home. Mr. and Mrs. Light have five children, namely: Ruth I., Mabel M., Fairy M., Walter B. and Ethel O. Mr. Light and family belong to the Reformed church. In politics he is a Republican. OTHO W. KENNEDY, who is serving in his third term as city solicitor of Bucyrus, 0., is a well known member of the Crawford county bar and belongs to one of the old families of the county. He was born May 25, 1878, one of a family of twelve children born 596 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY to his parents, Thomas S. and Hester F. (Monnett) Kennedy. Otho W. Kennedy began his education in the public schools and later continued it at the Ohio Normal university, at Ada, O., during this latter period also teaching school. He then entered the Western Reserve college at Cleveland, 0., which he attended for a time, being afterward graduated from the Ohio Normal university at Ada. He was admitted to the bar in December, 1902. and began practice in Marion county, O. Believing that Bucyrus offered a wider field for professional effort, in 1903 he came to this city, where he has had no reason to feel that his judgment was in any way deficient in making a choice of home. He has thoroughly identified himself with the activities and interests which go to build up a city and is widely and favorably known both in his profession and otherwise. He was first elected to the office of city solicitor in 1907 and was reelected in 1909 and 1911. He is a Democrat in his political views and heartily supports his party's candidates. During 1906 and 1907 he was a member of the board of deputy state supervisors of elections. Mr. Kennedy married Miss Edna T. Birk, a daughter of C. F. Birk. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy are members of the Lutheran church. Fraternally he is connected with the Elks and the Eagles. DANIEL J. STRICKER, a government railway mail clerk, for the past eleven years has been detailed on the service between Pittsburg, Pa., and Chicago, Ill., a route of great importance, the handling and safety of the mail between these points being a matter of extreme responsibility. He has been a resident of the United States since he was five years old, but was born at Vienna, Austria, April 13, 1869. His parents were Anton and Cecelia (Waller) Stricker. The early history of the family has not been preserved to a great extent but a coat of arms is in the possession of its present representative which shows connection with the nobility in 1162. Anton Stricker was born also in Austria and served in the army in 1848, receiving wounds. He later carried on the business of manufacturing meerschaum pipes at Vienna. In 1874 he came with his family to the United States and shortly afterward settled at Bucyrus, where his death occurred February 25, 1911, within four months of his being ninety-two years of age. In Austria he married Cecelia Waller, who was born in Bohemia and died March 2, 1911, in her seventy-eighth year. In Austria they were Catholics but in Ohio affiliated themselves with the German Lutheran church. They had five children, one son having died in infancy in Vienna. The other four were : August, who is a telegraph operator for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, at Dunkirk, 0., married Elizabeth Wakefield; Daniel J.; Charles, who is a machinist at Bucyrus, married Anna Scheib; and John, who was accidentally killed on the T. & O. Railroad, of which he was an employe. Daniel J. Stricker obtained his education at Bucyrus and after a number of years as telegraph operator for the Pennsylvania railroad company, specially prepared himself for his present work. October 14, 1896, he was married to Miss Katheryn L. Uhl, who was born at Galion. 0., where she was reared and educated and for several years previous to the marriage was an acceptable teacher. She is a daughter of John F. and Anna Barbara (Tracht) Uhl, both of German parentage. Mr. Uhl was a cabinetmaker and interior finisher by trade, which he followed at Galion until his death in 1875. His widow survived him until 1894. They were German Lutherans in their religious belief. Mr. and Mrs. Stricker have one son, Harold Eugene, who was born April 16, 1905. He is a child of great promise and possesses artistic talents that may make him famous in after life. When but four years old he could use a pencil artistically and by the next birthday could produce landscapes and correctly draw engines in motion. Mr. and Mrs. Stricker are members of the English Lutheran church. In politics he is a Democrat. He is a Knight of Pythias. The family residence, a fine one recently completed by Mr. Stricker, is located at No. 420 Middletown street, Bucyrus. ABRAHAM J. LUST, a well known citizen of Holmes township and a successful general farmer and stock raiser, resides on a valu- AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 597 able farm of eighty acres, which lies one mile east of Brokensword, O. Mr. Lust belongs to one of the representative families of this section. He was born on the old Lust homestead, August 28, 1872, and is a son of David Lust. Abraham J. Lust obtained a district school education and then chose farming as his life business, following it first in Lykens township but retaining his residence always in Holmes township. His well cultivated and comfortably improved farm is numbered with the good properties of this part of the county. Mr: Lust was married in 1894, to Miss Emma Haas, who is a daughter of Henry Hass, a blacksmith in business at Broken-sword, and they have one daughter, Edith, who resides with her parents. Mr. Lust and gamily attend Emanuel church at Broken-sword. He belongs to a Democratic family, he and his brothers haying followed the example of their father in public matters. REV. CHARLES BRASCHLER, pastor of the Holy Trinity Catholic church, at Bucyrus, O., came to this charge in May, 1899, and for fourteen years has zealously devoted himself to the spiritual upbuilding of this congregation and has also been in no wise neglectful in regard to the material advancement of his parish. Rev. Father Braschler was born in Switzerland, October 29, 1842, a son of Jacob Braschler. His parents were also natiyes of Switzerland, most worthy people, who gaye their eleven children every advantage within their power. Father Braschler attended the parochial schools in boyhood and after deciding to become a priest, he entered a Catholic college in Switzerland, where he was graduated. After coming to the United States he still further prosecuted his theological studies and at Cleveland, 0., on July 17, 1870, was ordained by Right Reverend Bishop Mullin, of the Erie diocese. During the first three years of seryice in the church, Father Braschler ministered to eight missions distributed in three counties, after which he was stationed at Upper Sandusky, where he remained in charge for sixteen years. His next parish was in Putnam county, O., where he continued for ten years and then was called to Bucyrus to become pastor of Holy Trinity. His congregation includes 150 families and his influence has been markedly beneficial. The church school attached to Holy Trinity has 120 pupils and is in charge of the Sisters of St. Dominic and Father Braschler erected the present commodious school building in 1910. He is well known to all circles at Bucyrus and is held in the highest regard by his own people and respected by those of every denomination. ANCHEL EDELSTEIN, a well known business man of Bucyrus, O., who has been engaged in stock buying and dealing in Crawford county for the past thirty years, is a prominent man in this industry, in connection with which he is widely known in other sections. He was born in Germany, May 3, 1850, and is a son of Joseph Edelstein, who was born in Germany in 1800 and died in 1876. He was a butcher by trade and he dealt extensively for the times, in horses and cattle. Anchel Edelstein was practically reared in his present business and early learned the values of stock and the alertness necessary to make a success along this line. He was but fourteen years of age when he completed his first purchase, buying a cow that he immediately sold at an adyance and this has been a business policy of soundness that he has followed eyer since. In July, 1880, Mr. Edelstein came to Bucyrus and soon afterward became interested in the stock business here and operated in a small way from 1882 until 1888. At that time he became connected with M. Goldsmith, one of the largest exporters of cattle at that time in New York city and continued a purchasing agent for Mr. Goldsmith until the latter's death in 1891. Later he accepted a similar position with another large importing house and for eight years bought cattle for them, terminating that connection when his firm was dissolved on account of the death of the senior member. In 1903 Mr. Edelstein became purchasing agent for E. J. Joyce & Co., of Pittsburg, Pa., and remained with this house until the death of E. J. Joyce of Pittsburg, Pa., in March, 1912, when the firm was dissolved and Mr. Edelstein at once became associated with S. B. Hedges & Co., of Pittsburg, with whom he is at present. His experiences have been wide and varied. He has purchased cattle in a number of counties 598 - HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY in Ohio, in West Virginia and other cattle growing sections and his expert knowledge and thorough experience rake him very valuable along this line. Besides being engaged in the live stock business Mr. Edelstein is also a well known wool buyer in Crawford county. Mr. Edelstein was married in 1878 at Unterredenberg, Germany, to Miss Reka Sitzman, who was born at that place, September 2, 1854, a daughter of Meyer and Leah Strauss) Sitzman. They were members of the Hebrew congregation, in their native land. Mn 1800 Mr. Edelstein came to Ohio and two years later was joined by his wife. They are active in the Manon Jewish congregation at Marion, O. Five sons and two daughters have been born to them, as follows: Hattie; Clara, who is the wife of Lester Mitchel, a business man of Cincinnati ; Joseph, who is a business man of Toledo; Carl, who is associated with his father; Nathan and Victor, both of whore are High school students; and Myron, who attends the public schools. Politically Mr. Edelstein is a Republican. He belongs to the National Union and is identified also witb the Elks. FREDERICK E. SHIFLEY, who cultivates with much success his valuable farm of eighty acres, which lies in Whetstone township, Crawford county, O., not far from Bucyrus, is a well known resident of this section and was born in this county, March 25, 1867. His parents were Daniel and Louisa (Motz) Shifley. Daniel Shifley was born in New York, while his wife was a native of France. He engaged in farming for a number of years in Holmes township, Crawford county, and was somewhat active in Democratic politics. Both he and wife are now deceased, their burial being in the Oakwood cemetery. They had the following children: Daniel, Samuel, John, Benjamin, Addie, Frederick E., Henry, Amelia, Effie, Charles and Andrew. Of the above all survive except John. Addle and Amelia. Addie was thewife of Frank Bare, and Amelia the wife of Ark Kimble. Effie is the wife of Charles Melchor. Frederick E. Shifley obtained his education in the public schools and assisted on the borne farm until he was twenty-four years of age. He then bought a general store business at New Winchester, which he conducted for eighteen years. Mr. Shifley then decided to return to an agricultural life and after disposing of his store, bought from the county court what was known as the old Joseph Albright place. He found the property needed improving and the land enriching, and was not long in making these improvements including the building of a new house and barn. The property known as Block Farm, is now one of the best improved farms in the county-. Mr. Shifley makes a specialty of pure bred Poland China hogs. In his activities he is greatly assisted by his son, Russell Valentine, who promises to be as good a farmer as his father. In December, 1891, Mr. Shifley was married to Miss Mary Ellen Keiter, who is a daughter of Josiah and Sarah Ann (Darger) Keiter. The father of Mrs. Shifley was a well known blacksmith and a highly respected man. The mother servives and resides with Mr. and Mrs. Shifley, the latter being the only survivors of three children. Mr. and Mrs. Shifley have eight children, namely : Claudius Alvah, who is a creditable member of the class of 1912, in the Bucyrus High school; Ida Alethea; Russell Valentine; and Mildred Cleo, Ruia Arvella, Hazel Floy, Carl Milford and Harold Eugene. Mr. Shifley and family are members of the German Reformed church. Mr. Shifley is an active citizen in all that pertains to public matters in his township but has neither time nor inclination for public office. He gives political support to the Democratic party. MARTIN SIDNER, a respected and well known citizen of Bucyrus, O., residing at No. 463 South Walnut street, for some years has been retired from active pursuits but remains fully alive to all that concerns his country, city and social circle. He was born September 12. 1831, in Clear Creek townsbip, Fairfield county, 0., and is a son of Nicholas and Sarah (Winters) Sidner. Martin Sidner, the grandfather, came to America from Germany and was a young man when he settled near Fredericksburg, Va. He served under General Washington, in the Revolutionary war, and afterward moved with his family to Bourbon county, Ky., where he died at the age of eight years. He owned large AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 599 plantations and many slaves and at the time of death left the sum of $20,000 to be divided among his children, all sharing except his son Nicholas, who had displeased him through his marriage. To this son oneslayee and one horse was willed and it is not recorded that the son protested at this unjust discrimination, but, that, on the other hand, he gave the slave his liberty and with the horse made his way to another section of the country, Nicholas Sidner was born in 1774. near Fredericksburg, Va., and at the usual age of marriage was united to Mary Cline, who, for some reason, was objectionable to his father. There is nothing to show that she was not an admirable wife and she bore her husband eight children, all of whom survived to rear families of their own but are now deceased. After being practically disinherited by his father, Nicholas Sidner, accompanied by his wife, came to Ohio, in 1798, where be settled on a tract of land as a squatter. Before he lost this first tract, by pre-emption, he had improved the same, but afterward secured forty acres and in 1809 secured a deed for160 acres in Clear Creek township, Fairfield county. This valuable piece of parchment is in the possession of his son Martin Sidner, bearing the signature of Thomas Jefferson, president of the United States, and James Madison, secretary of state. On this farm Nicholas Sidner peacefully passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1841. iss second marriage was to Sarah Winters, who was born near Hagerstown, Md., in 1799. She survived her husband and died in Clear Creek township, when aged seventy-five years. To the second marriage five children were born and four of these still survive : Mrs. Elizabeth Coldren, a widow, who lives in Pickaway county, O., and who is now aged eighty-six years; Mrs. Eliza Bond, who is the wife of Thomas Bond, of Charleston, Coles county, Ill.; Mrs. Sarah Jane Doner and Martin, twins, the former of whom lives at Fanner City, Ill. When the last named children were born the father was fifty-nine years of age. Martin Sidner remained at home with his parents and through interest and practical experience became a successful farmer. His educational opportunities were somewhat meager but he has always been intelligently interested in people andeyentss and has kept well informed not only along his own line of work but regarding the other activities and industries that go to make a contented and prosperous community. His home has been maintained at Bucyrus since861r and until he retired he was engaged as a farmer and trucker. His first presidential vote was cast for General Winfield Scott and his second one for General John C. Fremont and since then he has given his political support to candidates of the Republican party. In Pickaway county, O., Mr. Sidner was married to Miss Lydia Raymond, who was born there in 1830, and died at Bucyrus, in 1886. They had three children: Chauncy, Charles and Della. Chauncy Sidner, who was accidentally killed by the premature explosion of a cannon during the honorary saluting of high French officials when on a visit to the United States, had been in the U. S. regular army for a number of years. He had served with honor for five years in Texas as a cavalryman, and one year as an artilleryman at Fort Columbus, N. Y. and at the time of death, when aged twenty-eight years, was holding the position of commissary sergeant. The second son, Charles, died at the age of sixteen years, while engaged with a business house at Chicago, Ill. The daughter is the wife of Charles Goodman. Mr. Sidner and daughter are members of the Lutheran church. WILLIAM L. PETERMAN represents the fourth generation of one of the old pioneer families of Liberty township, Crawford county, O. His great grandfather, John Peterman, coming to Liberty township in the beginning of the 19th century from New York county, Pennsylvania, his grandfather, Michael, entered the present homestead from the government. William L. resides in one of the two fine residences which stand on the valuable farm of 215 acres, belonging to his father, which is situated six miles northeast of Bucyrus, O. He was born on this farm on Feb. 22, 1877 and is a son of Michael A. and Amelia (Stremmel) Peterman. Michael A. Peterman was born on the same farm on the 23rd of September, 1837, and was married to Amelia Stremmel, who was born in Maryland, Mar. 11, 1849. Three children