CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHIC, HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY, OHIO. JACOB F. BURKET. The subject of this sketch has been a familiar figure in Ohio for many years, owing to his prominent connection both with the. bench and bar of the state. For over thirty years he was an attorney in active practice at Findlay, and since February 9, 1893, has been a member of the state supreme court, at present holding the position of chief justice. of that tribunal. His family is of Swiss origin and it seems that the name was originally written Burkhardt. In 1758 the great-grandparents of our subject emigrated from Switzerland to America, accompanied by their son John, who was at that time an infant about four years old. On the voyage across the ocean the father died of a fatal illness, and his widow after. arriving in the United States located at Reading, Pennsylvania. John Burkhardt grew to manhood at that place, and at the beginning. of the Revolutionary war became a member of Von Heer's Cavalry, which was organized under a special act of the Continental congress for the purpose of acting as a body guard to Washington. He participated with his command in its subsequent service, and with them shared the horrors of the never to be forgotten winter at Valley Forge. He remained with the army until the surrender of Cornwallis, after which he returned to his home at Reading, Where he married a Miss Fox and subsequently removed to Ohio. Locating first in Perry county, near the village of Somerset, he removed later with his family to Sandusky county, settling near Hessville, west. of Fremont, where his death occurred in February, 1847. John Burket became the. father of eighteen children, among the younger of whom was a son named Solomon, 10 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY who was born in 1806. He married Mary, daughter of George Brehn, who was a soldier in the war of 1812, took part in the battles of Fort Meigs and Fallen Timbers, and died in Perry county. at the age of ninety-three years. Solomon Burket resided in Perry county until 1838, when he removed to Hancock county, where he engaged in farming and followed that occupation until his death, which occurred March 6, 1847. He had a family of ten children, among whom was included the subject of this sketch. Jacob F. Burket was born on a farm in Perry county, three miles south of the village of. Somerset, March 25, 1837, and when eighteen months old was brought to Hancock county by his parents, who located. in Union township. He passed the earlier years of his life in the uneventful routine of farm work, in the meantime acquiring a fairly good education in the schools of the district and at Findlay. After finishing at this place, he completed his educated at the Seneca County Academy, then the best school in northwestern Ohio. When he had reached the eighteenth year of his age he became an instructor and taught his first term of school during the summer of 1855, in Blanchard township. The subsequent seven years were occupied in teaching and attending School, with a view to entering the legal. profession, of which he became a member by admission to the bar in 1861. In the fall of 1861 he located at Ottawa, Putnam county, but in. April, T.862, returned to Findlay, where. he continued the practice of law with marked success until 1893. During this period of more than thirty years Mr. Burk& steadily rose in his profession and made a reputation as being One of the best lawyers of the Findlay bar In 1892 he was nominated by the Republican party as candidate for judge of the supreme court, of Ohio, was elected in the ensuing fall and took his seat February 9, 1893. In 1897 he was. re-elected to this position for another term of six years and is now chief justice of the court. While throughout his life Judge Burket has always been a consistent and earnest Republican in politics, he has never taken an active part in the campaigns. In. 1880, however, he was an elector on the Garfield and Arthur ticket and still retains the ticket cast for those candidates in the electoral college: In 1887 he assisted in organizing the .American National Bank of Findlay, of which he was elected president. Judge Burket Was married near Adrian, Michigan, to Miss Pamy D. Walters, daughter of John and Eliza (Lowrey Walters, and to this union have been born six children., whose names are Harlan F., Charles O., J., John F., Reginald and Lillie B., the latter being now the -wife of Louis W. Eoff. Mrs. Burket died June 6, 1900: Judge Burket is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and was grand master of the Ohio order in 1882 and 1883. He and his sons, Harlan F. and John F., are members of the society. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 11 of the *Sons of the American Revolution. He and his son, Harlan. F., are members of the Ohio State Bar Association, also of the American Bar Association, and usually. attend the meetings of those organizations. LUTHER C. KELLY. The family of this name, so long and favorably known in Hancock county, had its Ohio origin in Pickaway county from emigrants who came west at what the 'pioneers Called "an early day." We first hear of Joseph Kelly, who was born in Pickaway county, about the beginning of the last century, and he was married in Fairfield county to Sarah. Shaw, an incomer from Pennsylvania. After marriage this couple located: in. Pickaway county, where they reared five children, and of these four came to Hancock county for residence at different times. Among the latter was George j. Kelly, whose birth occurred in Pickaway county, Ohio, in January, 1823, and who remained in his native locality until about thirty years old. In April,. 1842, he married Caroline Fellers, and eleven years later left Pickaway to seek a home in Hancock county. He located on eighty acres of land in Union township, which embraced the present site of Rawson, and shortly after his arrival in 1852 this village was laid out. This made a demand for lots, arid a considerable Portion of George J. Kelly's purchase was thus disposed of. 'Subsequently he acquired additional land until his total holdings amount to two hundred and eighty acres, besides several houses and lots in Rawson. He. suffered a loss of over seven thousand dollars by a destructive fire which swept, over Rawson in 1887 and practically wiped the village from the map. Of the eight. children born to Mr. and Mrs. George J. Kelly the six living. are: Mrs. Jane Benedict, Luther C., John A., Mrs. Olive M. Zugschwert, Mrs. Mary A. Allion and Mrs. Ines A. Woods, Chester D., the deceased son,. Whose death occurred in 1894, was a lawyer of promise who resided at Kenton, where he served as prosecuting attorney for two terms. In addition. to his own children Mr. Kelly reared and educated Scott H. Kelly, his nephew, who is now practicing law at Toledo, Ohio. Mrs Caroline Kelly passed away in 1898, and all accounts agree in representing her. as a most affectionate wife and devoted mother Luther C. Kelly, eldest of his father's sons, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, November 10, 1847, and was Consequently four years old when his parents came to this county. He was reared at Rawson, and after attending the common schools there went to Findlay for the purpose of fitting himself as a teacher by a course in the high school at that place. , After finishing the education prescribed for him he taught school awhile' in Jackson. township, but 12 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY soon abandoned this occupation to engage in mercantile pursuits. Securing. a clerkship in an establishment at Ada, he remained there a year and then returned to Rawson to go into business with J. C. Benham. This partnership, after lasting a year or so, was dissolved with mutual consent and Mr. Kelly determined to make agriculture a permanent employment. With this in view he made his first. real estate investment in 1875, consisting of forty acres of land in Union township, which he increased in 1880 by an addition of twenty-one acres, and by subsequent deed from his father his total holdings were brought up to an even one hundred acres. On this place he has since resided, cultivating his fertile fields after modem methods, raising good stock and otherwise leading the life of a well-to-do. Ohio farmer. Aside from his own business his public service has consisted of two terms as township trustee and several terms as member of the school board; in whose educational work he has taken an especial interest. In 1868 Mr. Kelly was married to Sarah, daughter of W. C. and Mary A. Needles, by whom he had one child, Sarah Eva, now Mrs. M. A. Runkle. In 1883 he contracted a second marriage with Magdalena M., daughter of David and Julia A. Stallsmith, and the children by this union are Jasper F., who married Bessie Reed, of Ottumwa, Iowa; Florence M., now. Mrs. A. B. DeWese, Homer C., Julia A., Lucia E. and Zoda J. Mrs. Kelly, who is a native of Portage county, was a successful teacher in her earlier life and. enjoyed a high reputation in the educational circles of Portage, Marion and Hancock counties. The Kellys were formerly members of the Methodist Protestant church, but that establishment not being regularly supplied with pastors the family joined the old Methodist church, in whose work they are actively interested. Mr. Kelly and his rather have at different times held nearly every official position in the church except that of minister. Owing to their success in business, their. exemplary lives and their value as citizens this family has long occupied a position of influence in the locality around Rawson GEORGE CARROTHERS. As a veteran of the Civil war, farmer and later a real estate dealer of enterprise and prominence, the subject of this sketch. has made so creditable a record as to enjoy high standing in Findlay. He comes of Scotch-Irish stock and at every crisis of his life has displayed the courage and persistence characteristic of that historic race. His grandfather, John Carrothers, was born in Scotland, went from there to the North of Ireland and about the year 1813 crossed the Atlantic to the United States, where he died when near his CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 13 forty-fifth year. John Carrothers, son of the last mentioned, was born in North Ireland in 1807 and came to America with his parents in childhood, the vessel in which they sailed being wrecked and causing a loss of all the family belongings. They made their way to Guernsey county, Ohio, where the father of our subject grew up and later made his way to Crawford county, where he died in 1883. In 1833 he was married to Elizabeth Laird, by whom he had eight children. John W., the eldest of these, was a non-commissioned officer in the First Regiment of Nebraska Volunteer Infantry and died some time after the war. Margaret E. and Robert are deceased; George was the fourth child, and James B., the next in order of birth, was a private in the One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, from which he received an honorable discharge in 1863 for disability. William is dead and Dr. Moses M. served with the troops called out in 1864. to meet Morgan's raid. Mary J., the youngest child, has departed this life, as hags also the mother, whose death occurred in 1891. George Carrothers was born in 1839 while his parents were living on their farm in Crawford county; Ohio, and he remained in that neighborhood until seventeen years of age.. Having earned money enough to pay his own way, he entered Oberlin College and there obtained most of his literary education. In June, 1861, he enlisted in Company C, Seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served as a private for three months and then veteranized in the same command for the three years' service. He took part with his regiment in the battles at Cross Lane, West Virginia, the first engagement at Winchester and the bloody struggle at Cedar Mountain, August 9, 1862. He was so badly wounded in the last mentioned battle as to necessitate his transference to a hospital, the one selected being Davids Island, New York. After confinement there until May, 1863, he was honorably discharged from the service for serious disability and returned to his home in Crawford county, Ohio. For three years he was incapacitated for labor, but in 1867 engaged in the fire insurance business, which constituted his employment until 1869. On March 9 of that year he was married in Richland county, Ohio, to Lucina M., daughter of Rev. Philo and Clarinda (Rogers) Blackman, by whom he has had five children: Clara E. ; Minnie M., wife of George B. Landis; Lulu D., wife of R. B. Myers; Georgia M., and James G. The family of Mrs. Carrothers is of ancient origin and many of its members have made creditable records both in civic and military life. Rev. Adam Blackman, the founder of the family in America, was born in Eng-land in 1598 and came to this country as far back as 1630. He settled in Stratford, Connecticut, where he organized the first Congregational church, of which he was pastor for tventy-five years, and 14 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISHISTORY died there in 1665. John Blackman, one of his descendants, became the father of Ebenezer Blackman, the great-great-grandfather of Mrs. Carrothers. Her great-grandfather was Enoch Blackman, who served at. different times in the Revolutionary ariarmyis last enlistment being August 1, 1780, and his discharge December 9, the same year. Rev. Philo Blackmail, father of Mrs. Carrothers, served as a private in the Fifteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and died in 1877. The mother of Mrs. Carrothers was born at Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania, and died at Columbus Grove, Ohio, when eighty-one years of age. After his marriage, Mr. Carrothers located on a farm in Crawford county, which he cultivated until 1882, when he came to Findlay, where he has since made his home. He engaged in the real estate business, which by good judgment and energy he has made quite remunerative. From 1887 until the fall of 1992 he was extensively engaged in the oil and gas business. He was one Of the first men to engage in these industries in this district and in the main was successful. He has been a director of the American National Bank of Findlay ever since its founding. He increased the corp. orate limits of Findlay by an addition called after his name, containing eighty-four lots, and has erected forty houses on this land. He has been an active figure in the business affairs and .industrial development of Findlay and served one term as gas trustee of the city. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, Republican. politics and belongs to Henry Lincoln Post, No. 343, Grand Army of the Republic, at Oberlin, Ohio. GEORGE M. STOKER. With the industrial intintere McComb this gentleman is closely associated, being a member of the firm of Stoker Brothers owners of the planing-mill. He is a young man of enterprise and business capability and in his undertakings meeting with desirable and well merited success. Mr. Stoker is a native of Hancock county, his birth having occurred in Allen township, upon his father's flararmn the year 1866. He is a son of T. A. Stoker, a well known agriculturist of this community. He remained upon the old homestead until fourteen years of age, during which tiitime pursued his education in the public schools of the neighborhood, and thrthroughe summer months and in the periods of vacation he worked in field and mnleeadowssisting in the cultivation of the farm, but belbelievingat another pursuit would prove more concongenialhen fourteen years of ag-age began learning the carpenter's trade, which he followed continuously until 1897. He became a CENTENNIAL BIOGRAP:HICAL HISTORY - 15 proficient workman and evidences of his skill are seen in many substantial buildings of the county. In 1897 he joined his brother in the establishment of a planing mill business in McComb, and in the new enterprise they prospered, their business assuming large and profitable proportions., The Stoker Brothers are now manufacturing the Little Star grain separator for the company of which they are now members, and of which company George M. Stoker is the manager. In the year 1888 Mr. Stoker was united in marriage to Miss Lily Stout; and they have one son, Fred. Mr. Stoker is a prominent Odd Fellow, belonging to both the lodge and the encampment, and in the former he has filled all of the chairs. He is now serving as treasurer of the town, being elected on the Republican ticket by a majority of ninety-five, although the usual majority is about thirty,— the increased vote indicating his personal popularity and the confidence and trust reposed in him by his fellow townsmen, who recognize his capability and his loyalty in citizenship. WILLIAM H. PEPPLE The carpenter, always one of the most important characters in any community, was especially so before the custom of using stone and metals came so much in vogue. In fact during the pioneer period the carpenter was indispensable—there could be no industrial growth. without him. One of the old-est, it is also one of the most useful of all the mechanical callings, and usually .this trade is regarded in rural neighborhoods as the very embodiment of industry and good citizenship. Mr. Pepple, whose memoir it is now a pleasant duty to.set before the readers of this volumns a typical mechanic of the kind above alluded to. He has been following carpentering in. Jackson township for nearly thirty years, and during that time has done a large amount of work in the line of his trade. In fact monuments to his skill are scattered around abundantly in the shape of scores of barns, all of which owe their. erection. to Mr. Pepple, and it is only necessary to examine them cursorily to find that they were put up by a first-class workman. William H. Pepple was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1849, but only three years of his life were passed in the place of his nativity. In 1852 his parents, Jesse and Mary (Tipple) Pepple, removed to Hancock county, located on a farm in Jackson township and lived there until 1870. In that year they went to Michigan and purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land,. which they occupied and cultivated until both were claimed by death. William H. Pepple remained with his parents in Michigan until 1875, 16 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY meantime beginning to learn his trade as carpenter and. completed his apprenticeship after returning to Hancock county. He gradually developed into a mechanic of the best class, and as he got plenty of business to do was rewarded with a fair measure of this world's. goods as proof of his industry and saving disposition. At the present time one may count .in Jackson and surrounding townships one hundred and eighty-two barns, all of which were constructed by Mr. Pepple, to say nothing of many minor jobs turned out by him at different times. While doing. well for himself he has done well for his community, of which he has long been considered a leading carpenter. In 1871 Mr. Pepple was united in marriage with Miss. Mary. J.; daughter of James and Elizabeth Jacobs of Marion township, and they have had six children, Martha, Mary, Jesse, Gertrude, Flora and James. At the present time Mr. Pepple owns and resides upon a farm of fifty acres, which makes a. comfortable home for himself and family and a pleasant visiting place. for his many friends. LEWIS S. DUKES. Throughout a long period Lewis S. Dukes has been a prominent figure in the annals of Hancock county, and has aided materially in its progress and development. By a life of uprightness, industry and. honorable dealing—a life devoted to the support of Whatever is good and true he has won the genuine regard of a large circle of. friends. He traces his ancestry back to the Old Dominion state-, for ins that commonwealth his father was born, but as early as the '30s he removed from Franklin county, Ohio, to Hancock county, Ohio, where he entered a large tract of land in Union township.. As the years passed by he was enabled by his. industry and excellent Management to add to this tract -until he' became the owner. of about one. thousand acres. He was an excellent business man, a successful :farmer and a man whose influence for good Was felt far and wide in his township. He was twice married, first to a Miss Downing, by whom he had three children, two of whom are now living, George and William. For his second wife he chose Sarah Smith, by whom he had four children, and the two now living are Mrs. Mary Green and Lewis Nicholas Dukes was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in that faith he passed away in death in 1850, but he is still Survived by his widow. Lewis S. Dukes, whose name introduces this review, was born in Union township, Hancock county, on the farm on which he now resides, on the 6th of January, 1848: When about seven years of age he was taken by his Another to Pennsylvania, where. she was a second time married, and in that CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 17 commonwealth Lewis S. received his early education. Remaining in the Keystone state until arriving at his majority, he returned then to the township of his nativity, where he has ever since devoted his time and energies to farming and stock-raising on an extensive scale. His landed possessions consist of three hundred and sixty acres of fertile and productive land, eighty acres of which are located in Putnam county, while the remainder lies in Union township, Hancock county. He is also the vice president and a director in the First National Bank of Bluffton, and his business interests are varied and extensive. For his wife Mr. Dukes chose Miss Mary L., the daughter of John Weltner, their wedding having been celebrated in 1877. Unto this union were born six children, as follows : Elfa E., Grace A., Ruth E., Lulu R. (deceased), Lela M. and Lewis W. The mother of these children was born in Pennsylvania in 1856, and on the 4th of July, 1898, she was .summoned to the home beyond, aged forty-two years, nine months and twenty-two days. Having been a resident of the Buckeye state since pioneer days, Mr. Dukes has watched with interest through the passing years its development and progress, and has borne his part in its substantial upbuilding. He is known as one of its reliable and progressive citizens and a man whose example is well worthy of emulation. In politics Mr. Dukes has been a life long Re publican. ERWIN E. EWING. Few men are better known in Hancock county than he whose name is given above, as he was long prominently identified with the political management of the county. As deputy sheriff for several years under different principals and later as incumbent of the sheriff's office for two terms, he became acquainted with nearly everybody in the county. Since his retirement from office, his connection with the oil industry has enlarged his acquaintance in business circles, where he enjoys good standing as an enterprising producer. His grandfather, Jacob Ewing, was a Pennsylvanian who settled in Ohio in early manhood, and ended his days in this state. The latter's son and namesake, and father of our subject, was born in Ashland county, Ohio, in 1836. Ten years later he came to Hancock county, engaged in farming and followed that pursuit until the time of his death, which occurred in 1878. Erwin E. Ewing was born on a farm in Liberty township, Hancock county, July 6, 1862; and spent the first five years of his life at the place of his nativity. About the expiration of that time, his parents removed to a farm in Pleasant township, where he grew up and received his education in the 18 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY country schools. After reaching manhood he took some interest in politics, worked for his party during campaigns and thus attracted the attention of the leaders.. In 1890 he received the "appointment as deputy under Sheriff George L. Cusac, and served acceptably in this position for two years. When Sheriff J. T. Barton took office, he too tendered a deputyship to Mr. Ewing, who accepted and served under that official for one year. His satisfactory service as deputy advertised him so favorably to the rank and file of his party, that he was urged for the main office by his many friends, and in 1896 received the nomination as the Republican candidate for sheriff. At the ensuing election he was triumphant, and served his first term so satisfactorily that in 1898 he was honored by renomination and reelection. After retiring from the shrievalty, Mr. Ewing. engaged in the oil producing business, and this is his present occupation. Mr. Ewing is not connected with any of the religious denominations, but shows fondness for the fraternities, enjoying the associations afforded by the various orders. He holds membership in the Knights Templar, Lodge No. 400, Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, No. 75. In his fraternal, social and political relations, Mr. Ewing has cultivated many friendships, which are as grateful to himself as agreeable to those who know and esteem him. JOSEPH R. KAGY. To give the causes of success or failure, to describe minutely the character and disposition of a man, is beyond the limits of a work of this nature; all that can be done is to afford a bare outline of the outward facts and allow the world to judge the inner nature of the individual. In the case of the subject of this sketch there can be no doubt as to his peculiar fitness for the duties that have been assigned' him in public life nor that he has well deserved the success he has won. Joseph R. Kagy dates his birth as occurring in Fairfield county, Ohio, on the 21st day of December, 1842, and he came five years later to Hancock county with his parents, who located on a.. farm near Van Buren, where his boyhood days were passed. Here he attended the district schools until he was eighteen and then entered the high school at Findlay, where he prepared himself for the profession of teaching. He began teaching at the age of nineteen and was engaged in this in the winter and in farming in the summer up to 1877, for nine years of this time having charge of the schools at Van Buren. While residing in Van Buren, Allen township, Mr. Kagy had served as CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 19 township clerk for two terms, as .township assessor two terms, and as township treasurer for about seven years. He was holding this last named office, when in 1877 he was elected auditor of Hancock county. He was reelected in 1880, serving for six years, then for eighteen months was deputy auditor and in 1885 was. elected to the city council. Mr. Kagy served as member of the board of county school examiners from 1871 to 1877—and as mayor of the city of Findlay to fill out the unexpired term of W. L. Carlin, who resigned to take his seat in the Ohio state senate. During the period from 1886 to 1889 he engaged, in the oil and gas business at Findlay. January, 1890, found him one of the assistant clerks of the senate, and in the spring of that year he became deputy state superintendent of insurance under W. Kinder. For two years he carried on a real estate business at Findlay; and from 1895 to 1898 he served as roll clerk in the. pension department at Columbus, Ohio, under General A. V. Rice. Since this time Mr. Kagy has successfully conducted a real estate and insurance business. In the fall of 1901 he was candidate on the Democratic ticket for state senator from his district, but failed of election. On January 21, 1864, at Van Buren, Mr. Kagy became the husband of Catharine M., daughter of' John Zarbaugh, and children were born to them, of whom two died in infancy and one after arriving at maturity. Those living are Nora B.; Mary. E.,. the wife of Dr. E. Jacobs, of Chicago; and David D., who is a teacher in the Findlay public schools. Mr. Kagy is an honored member of the Independent Order. of Odd Fellows. and of the Elks. He holds a highly respected:place in society as a result of his long arid successful career as farmer, teacher, public spirited Citizen and office holder. JAMES W. KIRKBRIDE. James W. Kirkbride, who has been identified with the oil producing districts of New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio for many years, was born in Ogdensburg, New York, November 22, 1854, and is a son of Joseph and Sarah (Nugent) Kirkbride. Joseph Kirkbride was born in Northumberland, County of Claire, England, December 6, 1821, and came with his father to America in 1833. The father of our subject has been indirectly associated with production of oil since 1863, Sarah .Nugent Kirkbride died 1860, leaving a family of seven. children—four girls and three boys, of which James W. is the second son.. James W. Kirkbride grew to the age of thirteen years in his native place, and at that time accompanied his father's family on their removal to 20 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Tidioute, Warren county, Pennsylvania, where .he continued to attend school for several years. He began his business with his father, whom .he assisted in the contracting and building of oil derricks and tanks, following this for about four years, when he removed to Parker, in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania. His connection with the oil industry dates from early manhood, his thorough and systematic study of the Butler and Armstrong county fields being of untold value to him in later years. The development of a new field near Bolivar, Alleghany county, New York, called Mr. Kirkbride to that place in 188o, where he remained until the Ohio field was opened in 1886, then moving to his present home at Findlay. In 1887 he embarked in the wholesale and retail lumber business and until 1892 carried this on in connection with his large oil interests, since that time devoting his time to the latter. November 15, 1894, he, in connection with a brother, drilled in the largest oil well that had ever been found in this country and from which the Kirkbride Brothers derived enormous dividends and not a little fame. Mr. Kirkbride is one of the largest independent producers of oil in the country, his producing wells and leases lying in many counties. He also has extensive mining interests at Joplin, Missouri. Since locating in Findlay he has become interested in various financial enterprises and is one of the directors of the Farmers' National Bank. In politics he is a Republican, but his attention to business has obliged him to refuse many flattering offers in politics, as he has also been obliged to decline many positions of trust in the world of business. In 1877 Mr. Kirkbride was married in Parker, Pennsylvania, to Amy C. Carson, who is the daughter of George W . Carson, and they have three children, namely : Charles W., Amy G. and Harry C. Mr. Kirkbride is a leading member of the Howard Methodist church, to which he is a liberal contributor. As a business man he is regarded with confidence and respect, while he has a wide circle of friends through the community who esteem him highly. JOHN N. DOTY. The gentleman above mentioned, who is at present a leading member of the Findlay bar, has served his fellow men. in the triple capacity of teacher, farmer and lawyer. Nor is it at all in the nature of flattery. to say that he has made a marked success in each one of these callings, having first been a good teacher, later a good lawyer and still later an agriculturist of the progressive school. His family originated in Maryland and the Ohio branch, was founded by Henry Doty, who came to the state early in the nineteenth CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 21 century, located in Fairfield county and lived there until his death in 1873. Though advanced in years at the outbreak of the Civil war, he was especially enthusiastic in support of the Union cause, and did all he could to uphold the government and assist the soldiers in the field. His son, William Doty, was born in Fairfield county. in 1825, removed to Hancock county in his seventeenth year and was identified with its agricultural interests for. more than half a century. He was a man of vigorous understanding, noted .for the uprightness of his character, and. when on September. IQ, 1900, his long and blameless life came to a close, it' was the general remark that Hancock county had lost one of its most esteemed citizens. In 1847 William Doty was mar- ried to Mary A., daughter of Levi Sampson, and a member of an old Maryland family, who came with her parents to. Hancock county when a child eight years old. After becoming the mother of eight children, of whom seven are living, Mrs. Doty ended her, earthly career February 4, 1894, and was fol- lowed to the grave by a large concourse who mourned her sincerely as a true "mother in Israel." John N.. Doty, one of the seven surviving children of William and Mary (Sampson) Doty, was born on his father's farm in Jackson township, Hancock county, Ohio, April 19, 1858. Having a natural turn for books and being an apt pupil, he received more benefits from his attendance in the country schools than falls to the lot of the average boy. This is demonstrated by the fact that he had hardly ceased to be a student until he became a teacher, being licensed for that calling at the unusually early age of fifteen years. Boy as he was, however, he succeeded in convincing even his own neighbors that he was able to teach their children something, his first rather 'daring venture as a pedagogue being made in his native district. This success was followed by others and. during his six years' tenure of the home school the young teacher grew in popularity while adding to his own mental culture and training as an educator. This novitiate, as it may be termed, was followed by a year's attendance in the Normal School at Lebanon, after which he entered college at Adrian, Michigan, and finished the literary course in 1881. Not content with the equipment thus gained but anxious to qualify himself thoroughly, Mr. Doty returned some years later, to his alma mater at Adrian and added to his store of learning by taking a post graduate course. Shortly after leaving school, he located at Findlay and in 1882 was appointed school examiner of Hancock county, in which position he served two three-year terms with entire acceptability to all concerned. After leaving the office of examiner, Mr. Doty became one of the teachers in the Findlay high. school, and continued. in that occupation until his admission to the bar in June, 1887. With that 22 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY event his career as a teacher ended and that of a lawyer began, with the result that during his practice of about fifteen years Mr. Doty has established himself as one of the. leading men of. the profession in his native county. Bur, aside from his business as an attorney, Mr. Doty is largely interested in agriculture, and during the last fifteen years has Managed his own farm, which consists of about three hundred acres of excellent land near Findlay. December 29, 1881, occurred the marriage of John K. Doty and Bertha E., daughter of James and Mary A. (Ewing) Huston, all of Findlay, Ohio. Euclid DeLoss Doty, the only son by this union, is now in his closing high. school year. Miss Maud Ethel Doty, the only daughter, died January 6, 1902, at the age of fourteen years and four months. Mr. Doty's religious affiliations are with the. Methodist Episcopal church and he contributed one thousand dollars toward the building of the new house of worship of this denomination at Findlay. His fraternal connections are confined to mem-bership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he is past chief patriarch of the encampment. JOEL ECKELS. A worthy representative of the modern methods of farming prevalent in Hancock county is here presented to the readers of this volume. He lives in Cass township, where he cultivates a farm of ninety acres. He is the grandson of William Eckels, one of the first pioneers of this county, who took up government land in 1833 under President "Hickory" Jackson, the tract being two hundred and forty acres in extent. Eighty acres of this tract had fallen to Charles Eckels, a son of William, which our subject now owns. William Eckels finally sold out his one hundred and sixty acres, and removed to the state of Wisconsin. He was an excellent farmer and an upright man in all his dealings with his neighbors. He held the office of justice of the peace for many years in Hancock county. He was a strong churchman, lent his in-fluence to the establishment of Methodism in the new country, and his home was always open to the itinerant preachers of that denomination, whom he delighted to honor. His death occurred in 1866 and Isabella, his wife, died during the previous year. They had ten children, and of this number one daughter is still living. Her twin brother, Irvin, was a captain in the Civil war and suffered .death at the battle of River's Bridge in South Carolina, in the last months of the war. His company was a part of the Thirty-second Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer. Infantry. Charles Eckels was the son of the original pioneer and the father of Joel. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 23 His birth occurred in Pennsylvania in 1810 and came to Hancock county with his parents in 1833. He was a citizen of good repute, and like his father before him a pillar in the Methodist Episcopal church. He held the office of assessor of Cass township for a number of years, and was also elected to other of the minor offices. He was interested in the public life of the community, and for a number of years was captain of a rifle company that had quite a reputation. in Hancock county. He was a practical farmer and useful man in the commuity, whose hand was always outstretched to do good. He married Magdeline Karn, a native of Maryland, by whom he had eight children, two of whom now reside in the county. Charles Eckels, after a life of usefulness, died in 1852 and his wife passed away in 1877. Joel Eckels is a native of Hancock county, born on the farm which he now cultivates, March 22, 1837. He received his education in the common schools of his district, and passed his boyhood in the active work of those pioneer days. In his younger years he learned the blacksmith trade, serving his lime at Fostoria and doing journeyman work for four years at Findlay. He worked twenty-five years at the anvil, during which time he established the reputation of being one of the best horse shoers and workers in iron in the county. No event of special importance occurred in the early life of Joel Eckels to vary the usual routine, but after the inauguration of the Civil war all was changed and the patriotic spirit of the young man was aroused. He. became one of the boys in blue who went to the front in defense of "Old Glory." He enlisted as a member of Company F, Twenty-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for the three months' service, expecting as a great number of the soldiers did at the inception of the Civil war, that it would only take a short period to suppress the rebellion. On his being honorably discharged from that first service, he again enlisted., this time as a member of Company K, One Hundred and Eighteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for "three years or the war." He saw much active service, following the flag through many of the most important battles of the war in the middle west. He was at Mossy Creek, Resaca, Kennesaw Mountain, Nashville, Franklin, on the Atlanta campaign and in many of the lighter skirmishes. Soon after his enlistment he was made first sergeant of his company, and in February, 1864, was commissioned second lieutenant for meritorious service on the field, and the following year was advanced to the rank of a first lieutenancy. He received his discharge at the close of the war and returned home with an honorable record as a defender of. the Union. He had proved himself a true and brave soldier, and a good and true friend to his men, among whom he was an ex- 24 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY ceedingly popular officer. Mr Eckels passed through the service without harm, with exception of the battle of Ft. Anderson, where he received a slight wound from a piece of shell. Two of his brothers also served in the Union army. Valentine Eckels was a member of the Fifty-seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was a sergeant and honorably discharged on account of disability. John Eckels was a member of Company G, One Hundred and Eighteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was advanced to the rank of sergeant for bravery on the field, and was subsequently commissioned second lieutenant of his company. He died while in the service of his country near Kennesaw Mountain in 1864. November 13, 1867, Joel Eckels celebrated his marriage to Miss Deborah J., daughter of Llewellyn and Martha Biggs, and their union resulted in the birth of six children : Charles L., Cora V., deceased, Anna B., Martha E., Maggie D., and Clara B. Mrs. Eckels was. born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, April 1, 1834. The military record of the Biggs family is as remarkable and as honorable as that of the Eckels, four of Mrs. Eckels's brothers giving gallant service during the war, their names being Samuel, Mathew, Wesley and James, Samuel was a captain. His death occurred August 22, 1900. James was a sergeant in the Fifty-seventh regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, the same in which Valentine Eckels was a sergeant. Mathew and Wesley were private soldiers, all gallant men and fought as heroes for the integrity of their country's flag. Joel Eckels is a member of Urie Post, G. A. R., No. 110, of Bloomdale. He stands well in the community, and has filled some of the minor township offices, such as assessor, constable and supervisor. He enjoys the full confi-dence of his fellow citizens, and well deserves representation in this volume. JUSTUS CHASE. After a long and laborious life, characterized by the trials and troubles, good and ill fortune which beset all humanity in its struggle for betterment, the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch has retired from active business and is spending the evening of his days in repose at Findlay. It has not been an adventurous life, nor have its different periods been marked by either the romantic or the heroic. Just the plain life. of an industrious agriculturist, and such as falls to the lot of most of those engaged in wresting a living from the bosom of Mother Earth, has been that of Justus Chase. He is a native of New York state and was born in 1817 on a farm in Saratoga county, near CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 25 Amsterdam. When he was six months old his parents started in a wagon. for Ohio, and all who have read the Iiistory of the early settlement of the. west.will understand that this was not a pleasure trip.. A jolting ride over bad roads or no roads, all the way from central New York to the then undeveloped regions of Ohio, was hardly such as would be recommended to invalids or weaklings of any kind as a means of restoring health. But the little. party, consisting of father and mother and fretful baby, eventually got across the mountains and plains lying between and drew up in Madison county, Ohio, which had been selected as their location. It not proving satisfactory for some reason, the Chases resumed their wanderings after a stay of two, years and next took up their residence at Little Sandusky, in the county of Wyandotte. They lived there several years and then decided to retrace their: steps to the old home in New York, thus illustrating the proverb that a "rolling, stone gathers no moss." Again the emigration fever set in, and again Mr. and Mrs. Chase, with the baby and weary team, were on the road; this time headed for Niagara Falls, New York, in the vicinity of which great cataract. they settled on a farm and endeavored for two years to extract a living from the same. At the end of that period a consultation was held and a decision arrived at to again try their fortunes at Little Sandusky, to which place they accordingly returned and there lived for the usual space of two years. Still another move, however, was to be made and this proved the final one, which gave the turn to the whole future life of our subject. In 1831 his parents settled permanently in Liberty township, Hancock county, where fortune at. last smiled upon them and where they lived in peace until the end of their earthly career. At the time his parents finally "came to anchor," as the sailors would say, Justus Chase had about completed the fourteenth year of his age, and the succeeding sixty-four years and seven months were spent on this Hancock farm. This long period was unbroken by any special incident, being devoted to agricultural affairs, in all the details and ramifications of which Mr. Chase became very proficient and accumulated a fair share of this world's goods. in 1895 he retired from active business and located at Findlay for that rest and repose with which every wise man desires to spend the evening of his earthly existence. Mr. Chase has been three times married, the first time in 1839 to Mary A. Jones, with whom. he lived for fifty years, and who died in 1889, leaving five survivors of her eleven children. The second wife was Mrs. Sarah Williams, whose maiden. name was Howard, but this lady only survived her marriage a year or two and died without issue. In, 1895 Mr. Chase was united in marriage with Mrs. Anna (Frew) Eckles, who is at 2 26 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY present sharing with him the quiet home life at Findlay. Mr. Chase has long been connected with the Methodist Episcopal church, but his wife is a Presbyterian in her religious faith. The first presidential vote of Mr. Chase was cast for William Henry Harrison after the exciting "log cabin and coon skin" campaign of 1840. From the Whigs he naturally gravitated into the Republican movement and has voted steadily with that party from Fremont. in 1856 to McKinley in 'goo. The only one of the great fraternities to which he belongs is that of the Masons. He is a member of Findlay Lodge, No. 227, A. .F. & A. M., which he joined thirty years ago. As a farmer, as a Mason, as a neighbor and as a good all around citizen Justus Chase has always done his duty to his fellow. man and to his country. JOHN H. LINHART. One of the most valuable farms in Hancock county, not only for agricultural purposes, but in the line of oil producers; is that owned by the subject of this review. It is situated in Cass township, and on it are sixteen producing wells. The subject of this biography is a son of Jacob and Martha (Homing) Linhart, both of whom were natives of Westmoreland county; Pennsylvania, and born about the year 1808. They passed almost the entire period of their lives in the county of their nativity, where they were successful and prosperous farmers. In the last year of the great Civil war they removed to Hancock county, where they purchased two hundred and seventeen acres of land, to which they added at various times, and at their death the estate consisted of three hundred and seventy-seven acres. Jacob Linhart attended strictly .to his own business, and succeeded in paving the way for his descendants, who have taken up the reins where he laid them down. He gave adherence to the Lutheran faith, and was a liberal contributor to the church. He died in 1872, his wife outliving him by two decades, and their family numbered seven children, five of whom are living. John H. Linhart was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1844, and passed his boyhood on the farm, no event of special importance occurring to break the monotony of his existence. He acquired the ordinary branches of education in the common schools of his district. He has always confined himself to agricultural pursuits, and upon arriving at maturity purchased one hundred acres. of land. He is a practical farmer and a worthy citizen. He stands well in the community, where he has held the office of supervisor for some time. He, like his father before him, is a member of the Lutheran church, as is also Mrs. Linhart This lady he married in 1867, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 27 her maiden name having been Hannah Starm. Her parents, Samuel and Elizabeth C. Starm, came to the county about 1856 from Wayne county, Ohio, and settled in Madison township on a farm of eighty acres. They later removed to Fostoria, where Mr. Starm pursued his early trade, that of carpentry, for a number of years, and where he died in 1892. Mrs. Starm is also deceased, having passed to her rest in the year 1900. They reared a family of eight children, four of whom are living. Mr. and Mrs. Linhart have five children : Martha E., Jacob A., Nellie M., Harvey S., and Curtis C. Jacob A. Linhart, the eldest son, now one of the progressive young farmers of the county, was born in Cass township, December 26, 1871. Being reared on the farm, he early became familiar with the labors of the field and meadow and assisted in the general work. He passed his boyhood days uneventfully, and in the common schools of his district acquired his elementary education. Arriving at manhood, he chose for a companion on life's journey a very estimable lady and a member of one of the most progressive and respected families in the county, the record of which will be found elsewhere in this volume. Her maiden name was Arnolda M. Overholt, she being the daughter of J. S. and Maria Overholt. Her marriage to Mr. Linhart occurred August 17, 1893, and to this happy union have been born two. children, Le Roy, born August 26, 1894, and John S., born May 14., 1896. Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Linhart are worthy members of the Lutheran church. RICHARD W. BOYD. Richard W. Boyd is now living a retired life in Findlay. He has passed the eightieth milestone on life's journey and receives the veneration and respect which should ever be accorded to one in advanced years. He was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania,. July 19, 1822. His father, Thomas Boyd, was also a native of the same county, while his grandfather, David Boyd, was likewise born in the Keystone state. The father of the last named was killed by the Indians when David was a mere child, and he was carried off and held a prisoner for three years. When the .country became involved in war with England, wishing to become an .independent nation, David Boyd entered the American army and valiantly. fought for the cause of liberty. Thomas Boyd was reared and educated in his native state and after arriving at years of maturity he wedded Mary Scott, by whom he had eight children, two of whom are yet living: Joseph H., a resident of Ashland, Ohio, now ninety-three years of age; and -the subject of this review. 28 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Richard W. Boyd spent the days of his boyhood and youth under the. parental roof in Pennsylvania, there remaining- until 'he was twenty-five years of age, when he came to Ohio, settling in Ashland county, where he engaged in farming for two years. On the expiration of that period he removed to, Mansfield, Ohio, where he lived for two years and during that time engaged in executing a contract to furnish ties for four miles of the Pittsburg & Fort Wayne Railroad. In 1851 he came to Liberty township, Hancock county,. Ohio, and here again turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, successfully conducting his farm until 1887, when oil was found upon his land, and there are now about forty wells upon his place. These return to him a good royalty and since the discovery of oil and the sinking of the wells he has. practically lived retired. In Iwo he took up his abode in Findlay, Where be is now living in the enjoyment of a well merited rest. In 1853 Mr. Boyd was united in marriage to Almira, a daughter of Jacob Ewing, and this union has been blessed with nine children, four of. whom are yet living, as follows Mary M., the wife of Eli Reed ; Thomas C.; Etta R., the wife of John B. Heimhofer; and Jennie, the wife of Parlee Mitchell. Mr. Boyd has ever been a loyal, public. spirited citizen and at the time of the Mexican war he volunteered his services, but the troops were not. needed and he never went into action. He has served for four years as. justice of the peace in Liberty township, discharging his duties with fairness. and capability. He belongs to the Presbyterian church and his life has been an upright and honorable one, winning for him the commendation of all. concerned. HON. CHARLES BRIGHT. The world instinctively pays deference to the man whose success has been worthily achieved, and who has acquired a high reputation in his chosen calling, and whose prominence is not the less the result of an irreproachable life than of recognized natural gifts. It is a pleasing duty to write the biography of. a man of this character, such as the Hon. Charles Bright is known to be. This. gentleman is a well known and influential farmer of Marion township, Hancock county, Ohio, residing on a farm of three hundred and fifty-three acres,. containing both gas and oil. Mr. Bright is not only an extensive farmer, but is a well informed and successful 'business man. He was born. near the town of Lancaster, in Fairfield county, Ohio, on the 28th of December, 1835, and is the son of. David and Leahr (Arnold) Bright. David Bright, the CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 29 paternal grandfather was born in Berks county Pennsylvania,. and came in i800 to what is now the state of Ohio, Settling near Lancaster, where he died. Charles Bright received a common school education, which was greatly enlarged by subsequent study. Being of an observant and inquiring disposition and a great lover of books, he has added to his stock of knowledge until he is now looked upon as a very well read man. His life has been an active and eventful one. In the dark days of the Rebellion, in the full power of his manhood, he gave himself a willing sacrifice on the altar of his country. He enrolled as a private soldier in. Company F, of the Seventeenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division, Fourteenth Army Corps. Immediately after his enlistment he was made corporal of his company, and the following year was promoted to sergeant for meritorious service on the field. He participated in the following battles : Wild Cat Mountain (Kentucky), Corinth, Honover's Gap, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, the siege of Atlanta, Peach Tree Creek, Burnt Hickory and. Jonesboro, besides other battles of minor importance. During the three years his army life he had shown himself worthy of the great nation of which he was a citizen and the great cause he represented and helped to carry through to a successful issue. He had during this time many narrow escapes. The exposures he endured brought on rheumatism, but he is now receiving a recompense for this, which is richly deserved. He was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant at Atlanta, Georgia, on the 22d of October, 1864. Returning to his home, he on the 24th of September, 1866, was happily married to Miss Katherine A., the. daughter of John and Eliza Carnes, of Fairfield County, Ohio. The union has been blessed with two sons and a daughter, Whose names are John C.; born June 12., 1869; David R., born August 3, 1873, and Effie E. E., born August 2, 1876, now Mrs. Curtis M. Wiseley... In 1867 Mr. Bright removed to Hancock county, Ohio, where he located on his present farm, containing one hundred and fifty-seven acres at that time, to which he has added at various times two other farms, making in all three hundred and fifty-three acres. In public. life Mr. .Bright has always been willing to do his share of the work of his immediate community. He has served as supervisor for several years at various periods. He. has also served as trustee of. the township, and at other periods has held the offices of treasurer and land appraiser, which he has 'filled with exceptional ability. and to the entire' satisfaction of his fellow citizens, In 1893 he was elected a member of the seventy-first general assembly of the state of Ohio from Hancock county. This .was in recognition of effective 30 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY service rendered his party during his long residence in the county, he having always been ready to do anything that would advance the principles which he value's so much. His majority over competitor, who was a very popular gentleman by the name of Moses McAnnelly and a Democrat of the strongest type, was four hundred and eighty-six, the highest majority ever given a Republican for the office of representative in Hancock county up to that date. Mr. Bright has connected himself with Stoker Post, Grand Army of the Republic at Findlay, and takes delight in furthering the interest of the old soldiers, of whom he is a worthy and honored representative. It is a pleasure to show our appreciation of such a man; as Mr. Bright, who in every relation of life has been faithful to every trust, a statesman diligent in the service of his country and keeping before him only the public good. CHARLES A. STOCKTON. The well known pension agent of this name at Findlay is entitled to representation in any history of his county by reason of his services to the community, both in war and peace. He has an unblemished and unusually meritorious military record, covering four years of arduous campaigning, during the Civil war, while most of his. time since has been devoted to serving his old comrades in their efforts to get what is due them from the government. Meantime he has not been neglectful of any duty imposed by the obliga-tions of good citizenship, but has stood ready at all times to do his share in promoting the general welfare. The Stockton family, which originated in England, can justly boast of a long lineage and an aristocratic pedigree. Not attempting to go farther back than the earliest emigration to this country, it may be stated that Charles W. Stockton, son of the first comer, was born in New Jersey, where he married Elizabeth, sister of Lord North, of England, an adviser of George III. Charles W. was a cousin of Richard Stockton", a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Richard W. Stockton, son of the last mentioned, and a native of New York, served as surgeon in the war of 1812, and died in 187o aged eighty-four years. His son, Erastus D. Stockton, was born in New York in 1811, became a general merchant after his removal to Ohio, joined an Iowa regiment in the fall of 1861 and died in the service about one year later of disease. Charles A. Stockton, son of Erastus D., was born in Nelsonville, Ohio, in 1839, and seven years later went to live on a farm in Knox county. After CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 31 remaining there until 1858 he removed to Hancock county and located at Mount Blanchard, where he resided until entering- the Union army. In 1859 Charles A. began the study of medicine in connection with school teach-ing, which occupied his time until the .momentous event which completely changed the whole tenor of his life. April 18, 186i, he enlisted at Forest, Ohio, as a private in Company D, Fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served three months and then veteranized by re-enlisting in the same for three years or the war. Mr. Stockton took part with his regiment in the most famous campaigns and several of the most important battles of the Civil war, including Rich Mountain, Romney, Winchester, Front Royal, Port Republic, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. He received a wound in the arm at Chancellorsville, and after Gettysburg was detailed as assistant in the adjutant-general's office at Washington, D. C., where he remained until mustered out on June 4, 1864, at Columbus, Ohio, with the rank of corporal.' After being released from army duty, Mr. Stockton embarked in the dry-goods and pension business at Forest, Ohio, which he conducted in combination for fifteen years. In 188o he transferred his scene of operations to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he conducted the pension business four years and then returning to Ohio established an office for the continuance of his work at Findlay. In 1865 Mr. Stockton was married .to Emma J. Cook, by whom he has five children, and since 1889 the family has resided at Findlay.. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, Republican in politics, has served on the board of trustees and as justice of the peace. Mr. Stockton is prominent in Odd Fellowship; having been representative to the grand lodge four years, and belongs to Stoker Post, No. 54, Grand .Army of the Republic. DAVID C. ROUTZON. Marion township, Hancock county, has many estimable citizens within its borders, but none more so than the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. He was born in Holmes county, Ohio, in 1837. In early childhood his parents removed to Hancock county, where he was reared and was given the ordinary country school education. He came to the county when he was three years old, and has since been a resident here. He passed his boyhood on the farm engaged in the occupations and pleasures of the average farmer boy. They were such, however, as to develop good traits of character, and he has always been an active and busy worker. He early learned the brick layer's trade, which he followed for -a period of thirty-seven years. 32 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY During that time he -was an extensive contractor, and he erected many handsome buildings, which are to-day monuments to his superior handicraft. Many of these buildings. are to be seen in the city of Findlay and vicinity.. The energy which he. devoted to his. calling, together with the sound business judgment which he always displayed in making investments of his savings, resulted in the accumulation of a competence which he is now enjoying. He, however, is not entirely inactive, for no man who follows the busy life which our subject pursued, can afford to. rust out. People of his class always prefer to wear out. He therefore is Continuing this wearing process in the management of a small place, making a specialty of bee culture, and having at this time about one hundred colonies of bees. Mr. Routzon is an expert in bee culture, having given attention to -this business for the past twenty-five years, and he is well up on all that pertains to a modern apiary. His stock is of the best Italian strain, the output per colony. being fifty pounds. He cleared his own land and built his own house, and as he remarks owes no man anything but—love:" March 28, 1861, Mr. Routzon was joined in marriage to Mary Baer, who has borne him twelve children : Jannette; Jennie, deceased; Margaret; Vivie; G. W.; John D.; Warren; David E. C.; Jason H.; Wilbur; Eugene, deceased;. and Harvey, :deceased. The mother of this family was born in Westmoreland. county, Pennsylvania, February 3., .1842. The parents of David C. Routzon were John and Jane Routzon, natives of Maryland and Ohio, respectively. His father was born 1796 and died in 1877 in Hancock county, Ohio. He. was a brickmaker by trade, and was one of the early pioneers of the state. He was an extensive contractor and a well known business man of the town of Findlay. The grandfather of David C. Routzon was David Routzon, a native of Maryland, who came from Columbiana county, Ohio, to Hancock county in 1837, and died at Findlay. David C. Routzon has been one of the upright men of this county. He has never had a 'lawsuit and is universally esteemed both as a man. and citizen. CYRUS GRUBB. In 'recounting the life of Cyrus Grubb we are touching the history of one of the prominent families of this county. His parents, Jacob and Mary A.. (Critzer) Grubb, were both of Welsh descent and natives of Pennsylvania. The father was a tailor by trade, but shortly after his marriage began farming in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania. In 1848 they left the old home to put their efforts into an. unimproved farm of one hundred and twenty. acres CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 33 near Findlay in Marion township. They held this land until 1862, when they sold and located on a farm of the same size in Liberty township. The old farm in Marion township is now owned by D. I. Norris, whereas the land in Liberty township is still in the family, being held and operated by the youngest son, John H. Grubb. Jacob Grubb was a man in whom his fellow citizens :placed great confidence. He belonged to the United Brethren church and was for several years a steward in that church. In 1889 his wife died, and three years later, in 1892 he followed her to the grave. Of their nine., children six survive: Elizabeth, Cyrus, Catherine, Emma, Jacob G. and John H. Grubb. The eldest son, Cyrus, was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, November 9, 1843. Five years later his parents settled near Findlay, where, Cyrus spent his childhood and youth, securing a common-school education and learning to enjoy. agricultural pursuits. In 1862 he followed his parents to Liberty township, and one year later enlisted in Company B, of the Twenty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving his country until the close of the war, when in 1865 he was honorably discharged. Three years later, in 1868, he married Leaffa A. Goody, by- whom he .had four children : Lewis O., Mary B., Calvin O. and Bertha A. Mary became the wife of D. D. Porter, and Bertha was married to Roy George. in 1884 his wife died, and two years later he married Lizzie Fry, who was born in Snyder county, Penn-sylvania, March 28, 1862, a daughter of Jesse and Mary Ann (Bowman) Fry, who were born. and died in Pennsylvania. By this marriage Mr. Grubb was the father of four children: Roy A., Grace M., Clarence H. and Fae Aline. Cyrus Grubb stands among his fellow citizens as a true type of the self-made man. His industry has assured him. comfortable circumstances, and by his integrity and patriotism he has won the esteem of the community. His first purchase of land was made in 1872 under the burden of a heavy debt. By untiring industry he gained clear title to the first eighty acres, and now he is sole.. owner of four hundred and thirty-seven acres of the finest fanning land in Hancock county. Two hundred of these acres are in Blanchard township, upon which there are new buildings; the remaining land is in Liberty township, where in 1899 he built a beautiful residence and where from time to time he has put up larger and finer farm buildings, as the. increased demands of his business dictated. Mr. Grubb, though thoroughly devoted to farming, has had sufficient time and interest in public affairs to hold several township offices, including 34 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY that of township trustee. His life may truly be counted a success. In politics he has been a life-long Republican and member of Benton Ridge Post, No. 109, G. A. R. GEORGE F. CRAMER. Since early pioneer days members of the Cramer family have resided in Hancock county, and they have nobly borne their part in the work of improvement as loyal and patriotic citizens. The paternal grandfather of our subject, Philip Cramer, came from Pennsylvania, his native state, to Fairfield county, Ohio, in early pioneer days, and in that locality the family made their home for some time. Coming to Hancock county in 1830, he here entered four hundred acres of land, which was located in various townships, and this he afterward gave to his children. His was a deeply religious nature, and he became a prominent minister in the United Brethren church, having been the means of guiding many to the better way, while at the same time he proved himself a financier of no small ability. Through his efforts was erected the first grist-mill operated by horse power in Union township. Philip Cramer was three times married and became the father of fifteen children, and one of his daughters, Sally, was the first girl married in Union township, Hancock county. The following are the children who accompanied him on his removal to Hancock county : Philip, John, Christina, Simon, Adam, Daniel, Jacob, Sarah, Phebe, Rachel and Margaret. Philip Cramer died after reaching the eighty-fourth milestone on the journey of life. His was a long, active, useful and honorable life, and his name is indelibly inscribed on the pages of Hancock county's history. Daniel Cramer, the only one of the above named children now living, became the father of our subject. He was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, on the 22d of July, 1820, and was but ten years of age when he was brought by his parents to Hancock county, the year of their arrival being 1830. His farm of seventy-three acres was inherited from his father, and the tract is located in Union township, where he is engaged in general farming. In April, 1844, he was united in marriage to Christina Hartege, who was born in 1824, in Germany, where her father, Lorenzo Hartege, served as a soldier under Napoleon. In 1834, when ten years of age, Mrs. Cramer left her little German home for the United States, and by her marriage she became the mother of ten children, eight of whom are now living, namely : George, Louisa, Levi, Elmira, Rebecca, Aaron, Amanda and Melissa. Six of the number reside in Hancock county. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 35 George Cramer, whose name introduces this review, was born on his father's farm in Union township, on. the 30th of March, 1846, and to its public school system he is indebted for his elementary education, which was completed in the schools of Findlay. During the early years of his life he worked at the carpenter's trade, but later abandoned that occupation for farming-, which he now continues on the old homestead. For six years he made his home in the village of Rawson, and during that time he served efficiently as its treasurer. He has also. held other public positions, having for ten years served as the constable of his township, and for a long period was an assessor. In his. fraternal relations he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Rawson. His marriage was celebrated on the 26th of August, 1886, when Miss Sarah C. Barnhill became his wife. She was born in Liberty township, Hancock county, Ohio, May 18, 1858, being a daughter of Joseph and Sarah Barnhill, and her death occurred on the 26th of August, 1892. Three children graced this union, but the first born, Grace, is now deceased, the others being Georgie F. and Gerty G. The family are members of the United Brethren church. BENJAMIN C. STEINMAN. Jenera, a village of Van 'Buren township, though a comparatively new growth, holds its own quite well with other towns of its size in Hancock county. It is surrounded by a good farming community and is the center of a considerable trade of a local character, which promises in time to make the village a place of some importance. In places of this kind "the store" is al-ways a feature of consequence, being a kind of rallying point and headquarters for news, as well as the supply depot for all in need 0f goods of any kind. The establishment in Jenera which fills this description has for six or eight years been under the energetic management of Mr. B. C. Steinman, who has shown himself well qualified to fill the role of general merchant, and has attained a high degree of prosperity among his patrons. He is of German descent and a son of a man who rose to distinction in politics and held a position of commanding influence during his days of activity. Adam Steinman, a native of Germany, was but eleven years old when brought to this country by his parents. His first residence was in Pennsylvania, but later he came to Columbus, Ohio, and there learned the tailor's trade, which he afterward pursued many years with a profit that made him fairly independent. Eventually he found his way to Hancock county, where his "mixing" qualities soon made him popular and enabled him to rise in the political world. Be- 36 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY coming one of the local leaders of the Democracy, he was elected county re-corder on the ticket of that party during the period. of the Civil war and subsequently served repeated terms in the office of justice of the peace. By a first marriage, with a Mrs. Smith, Mr. Steinman had three sons and one daughter; by a second union, contracted with. Mrs. Elizabeth (Tanner) Helmes, there was no issue. Benjamin C. Steinman, the second child as well as second son in this family, was born in Eagle township, Hancock. county, Ohio, February 4, 1858, and received his education in different schools, including those at Findlay. In early life he went to Springfield, Ohio, in search of work, and, obtaining employment as a clerk in one of the general stores of. that city, remained there four years. At the expiration of that time he returned home and subsequently went to Findlay, where he was engaged a short time in the grocery business. This he abandoned to go into farming; which pursuit he followed until his marriage, August 30, 1888, to Miss Maggie C. Grossman. A year after this important event in his domestic life Mr. Steinman engaged in the general merchandise business at Jenera, first as clerk and later as proprietor. In 1895 he purchased from his employer the store in which he had been clerking, and has since then had sole charge. It is a general Store in the truest sense, Containing a large and miscellaneous stock of goods of every kind likely to be in demand at such a place, dry goods and gents fur- nishings being special features of the five children born to Mr. and. Mrs. Steinman one; named Carrie, died in infancy, the survivors being Ancel C., Calvin A., Nelo B. and Imo Mr. Steinman is Democratic in his politics, has held the offices of clerk of the township and mayor of the village and is now treasurer of the corporation. He holds fraternal relations with the. K. O. T. M. and ranks as one of the leading men in the political and social as well as the business life Of the township. GEORGE F. HAMMOND. The above named, at present a prosperous farmer of Union township, is one of that honored class who served his country loyally and well during the great crisis of the Union, and cherishes the memory of the adventures, hardships and dangers which beset every veteran of the Civil war. The modest soldier never boasts of his achievements, but it is fitting that others should say for him what he fails to say for himself, and it is a, pleasure for the biographer to state that no private soldier of the great army whose heroism and self-sacrifice perpetuated this great Republic, has a more creditable record CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 37 than George F. Hammond. More fortunate than others, though serving throughout the whole period of the war he escaped without serious injury and has since .devoted his strength of mind and body. in achieving another honorable career in the ranks of industrial toilers. On the paternal side he. is of Virginia ancestry, his father, George Hammond, having emigrated from the Old Dominion during the earlier decades of the nineteenth century. He located in Carroll county, Ohio, married a lady whose parents came from Maryland, and in. 1852 removed to Hancock county. He was a cooper by trade and followed that calling throughout his life, the latter years of which were spent in Indiana, where he ended his days in 1865; .His wife Ann Hammond had preceded, him from the scenes of earth, her' death having occurred in 1863. Their son, George F. Hammond, was born in Carroll county, Ohio, September 19, 1838, and was consequently fourteen years of age when his parents to up their abode in Hancock county. The Civil war was opened shortly after he reached manhood and he imbibed the spirit of patriotism then rife around him, which urged every able bodied young man to take up arms for his country. Mr. Hammond was one of the first to come forward and exhibited his earnestness by enlisting in the Twenty-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he was promptly sent to the front. It was his fortune to serve in some of the most important of the western campaigns., including the ever memorable one of Sherman in 1864 from Chattanooga to Atlanta. During his service Mr. Hammond took part in innumerable skirmishes and hard marches, besides the great-battles of Stone River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and Atlanta. He carried his musket until the termination of hostilities, missing few roll calls, and always on hand when 'serious work was to be done, finally getting an honorable discharge without serious mishap at the close of the war in 1865. Mr. Hammond's father and one of his brothers were also soldiers in the Eleventh Regiment, Indiana; Cavalry. Another brother, named Harrison, died in the service at Nashville, Tennessee, in June, 1863. After returning to Civil life Mr. Hammond lost no time in seeking a means of livelihood by joining- the hosts engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1867 he made his lint purchase of land, consisting of forty acres in Blanchard township., which he retained and cultivated for some years afterward.. Subsequently, however, he disposed of this property and purchased of Lewis Dukes a tract of one hundred and fourteen acres situated in Union township, which constitutes his present homestead; This farm was in only a fair state of cultivation at the time it was purchased by Mr. Hammond, but 38 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY he has since greatly improved it and devotes all the arable area to general farming and stock raising. October 28; 1858, Mr. Hammond selected his life partner in the. per-son of Elizabeth, daughter Of Samuel and Martha Seitz,. with whom he lived happily until her death July 31, 1902, at the age of sixty years. The. children resulting from this union were eight in number, but of these only the following named grew to maturity : Jane, Sherman, Emma, Alfred,. Amanda and George G.. Mr. Hammond has always supported the principles of the Republican and preserves memories of old times and old associations as a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. WILLIAM R. RUMMELL. One of the representative citizens and progressive business men of the city of Piny is Mr. Rummell,. whose life has been passed here, his father having located in the town more than half a century ago and having been prominently identified, with its business activities until his death,. being a man of the. highest character and commanding unequivocal confidence and esteem in the community. William R. Rummell was born in Findlay, on the 2d of September, 1860, and received his early educational discipline in the public schools of his native city. He left school at the age of fifteen. and gave inception to his business career by assuming a clerical position in his father's furniture establishment. He thoroughly familiarized himself with all detail's of the enterprise, and in 1888 was, admitted to partnership in the business,. the firm name of D. Rummell & Son being simultaneously adopted.. Since the death of his father, in 1897, the subject of this sketch has individually continued the business, which is one of no inconsiderable scope and importance, the establishment being well equipped with a large and select line of furniture and. being one of the popular. business institutions of the city. David Rummell, father of our subject, was likewise a native of the Buckeye state, having been born in Columbiana county, Ohio, in the year 1830, the son of Jacob Rummell, who was born in Germany, in the year 1792, and who died in Findlay, in 1879, having been a brick mason and contractor by vocation and honored as one of the pioneers of the state. 1851 David Rummell was united in marriage to Mary Reed,. daughter of William Reed, of Letonia, Columbiana county, and they became the parents of four children, namely : Ellen M., Jesse B., William R. and George B. David Rummell came to Hancock county in 1848, having been a chairmaker and brick CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 39 mason by trade. In 1875 he established himself in the furniture business in Findlay and by his sterling integrity and honorable and progressive methods succeeded in building up a large and representative business, while he took a lively interest in all that promoted the general welfare of the community. He served. for a number of years as a member of the city council -and also as a member of the board. of education, and he was honored for 'his fidelity and for his rigorous observance of the ethics which. should safeguard all human thought and action. William R. Rummell proved an able coadjutor to his father in his business enterprise and has since continued the same with honor and credit. He is a Republican in his political proclivities and his religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church, while fraternally he is identified with the independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias and Junior Order of United American Mechanics. In Allegan county, Michigan, in the year 1882, Mr. Rummell was united in marriage to Miss Nancy E. Bowman, a daughter of William. Bowman, and they are the parents of three children,—Karl R., Maud B., and Mary C. FRANCIS M. MILLER. During his residence of less than seven years in Findlay the subject of this sketch has become popular in connection. with the city's varied activities, social, political and commercial. He -has made the "Oak Pharmacy" a well. known establishment and both by business tact and uniform courtesy in his intercourse has acquired a good patronage along with many friends and well-wishers. He thoroughly understands the technique of his calling, which is that of a pharmacist, and keeps well informed as .to all improvements and new discoveries in that line of business. His. family originated in Pennsylvania, whence his grandparents came in the first half of the nineteenth century, and settled in Monroe county, Ohio. With them came a son named Jacob, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1822, and was but a youth when the removal to the west took place. Jacob Miller grew up in his new Ohio home, married, raised a family and went to his final rest .in Beallsville in 1883. His surviving children, five in number, are thus named in order of birth : Emmet M.; Ophelia, wife of Isaac Hartline; Francis M.; John B. and Clara. Francis M. Miller, third of the above enumerated family, was born at Beallsville, Monroe county, Ohio, in 1868, and was reared and educated in his native place. From an early age his tastes and inclinations were towards CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 39 the druggist's profession, and after. growing up he lost no time in securing a.n opportunity to qualify himself for this useful calling. Shortly after reach-ing his majority he entered the College of Pharmacy at Ada, Ohio, and remained at that excellent institution. until his graduation in 1894. Thus equipped with a modern. education in his chosen vocation, he went with little delay to Lima, Ohio, where he purchased a drug store and opened for business. Not liking the location, he determined to transfer his scene of operations to Findlay, where, in. 1895, he established the "Oak Pharmacy"' and from that time on he has had charge of this store, which has grown in popularity as it increased its patronage. Mr. Miller is quite conspicuous in Knights of Pythias circles, and takes much interest in the affairs of the order. He is a member of Lodge. No. 400 at Findlay, captain of the Uniformed Rank and has held all the chairs in his lodge. Politically his affiliations are with the Republican party, though not especially active in the campaigns, and he holds membership in the Church of Christ. As a young man of good manners as well as good morals, Mr. Miller has commended himself to all with whom he has come in contact, and enjoys general esteem both in the social and business world. WILLIAM H. HOUCK. An interesting old pioneer couple were the late Jacob F. Houck and his wife, whom he married as Eve Ebaugh. The former was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, early in the nineteenth century, and the latter in York county, Pennsylvania, and after marriage in the east. they came to Hancock county in the fall of 1836. They located on a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of land, purchased in Jackson township, which was shortly afterward increased to the extent of thirty-six additional acres, and here they settled down to the hard work of clearing a. primitive place. Jacob became a man of consequence in the community in various ways, holding every office in the township except those of constable and justice of the peace, and was captain of a militia company called the Blanchard Blues. The family's religious affiliations were with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mr. Houck was steward for a number of years and one of the pillars of the organization. This worthy pioneer pair had ten children, of whom eight grew to maturity and seven of these are Still living. The mother passed. away in 1850, and her husband, after surviving her thirty-four years, closed his eyes upon the world in 1884. William H. Houck, eldest son among the children above mentioned, was CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 41 born in Baltimore, now Carroll county, Maryland, March 4, :1826, and consequently was ten years Old when his parents made their journey to the western wilderness. It was upon .his vigorous 'young shoulders in after years that the task devolved of bringing into cultivation the wild land purchased by his father. In 1852, in connection. with his father, he built a sawmill at what was called Houcktown and the operation of, this occupied most of his. time for ten years. Eventually he exchanged this property for eighty acres of land, which, however, was soon sold and the proceeds invested in another tract, still in its virgin state. Mr. Houck took hold of this with his usual energy and in time converted it into a smiling farm, well fenced and highly improved after the latest methods. Some notion of what this pioneer settler has gone through may be realized from the statement that during his life time he has cleared all told two hundred acres of land. The amount of "hard licks," patient endurance, grinding labor and endless drudgery involved in this will give the modern man an idea, however incomplete, of what it took to make Hancock county the agricultural paradise it now exhibits.. Mr. Houck's present homestead, which he has owned since 1863, consists of two hundred acres of well improved land in Jackson township, which he devotes to general farming and stock-raising. He has held. various important township offices, including that of trustee for six years and in a general way has 'been both a busy and useful citizen. In 1852 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Smaltz, and of the eleven children of this union ten grew to maturity : Solomon S., Adam B., Catherine E., Annie M., Lottie A., John P., Jacob H., Robert C., Perry H. and Willie E. All these have been liberally educated.; well settled in life and occupy places of usefulness in their respective spheres. The mother passed away in September, 1899, in ripeness of years and enjoyment of the devoted love of her family as well as the. universal respect of all acquaintances. Mr. Houck is a devoted member of the Methodist church, in which he has been class leader for more than half a century and licensed to exhort over forty years. The appreciation put upon his good judgment and rectitude is shown by the fact that on five different occasions he was selected as a member of the county grand jury. His brother Adam served as a soldier during the Rebellion and became an eminent physician after the war, removing to Kansas, where his death occurred some years ago. The foregoing details are ample to show that the Houcks, both of the older and later generations, are among the best families in the county and second to none in the discharge of all the duties of good citizenship. In 1902, Mr. Houck took up his home with his son Willie, at 605 West Hardin street, in Findlay. Willie married 42 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Gail Grindle, daughter of D. H..and Lizzie U. (Miller) Grindle, and has two. interesting children, Hugh H. and Mary Elizabeth. He is interested in the marble and granite business. JACOB O. KETZENBARGER. Few citizens of Hancock county, Ohio, are better known or have been more successful in agricultural pursuits and stock-raising than Jacob O. Ketzenbarger, who owns and operates a farm of one hundred and sixty-acres in Union township. He is a native son of Hancock county, his birth occurring in Union. township on the 7th of February, 1861. He is a son of Sebastian Ketzenbarger, who was born in Germany August 31, 1823, and the latter's parents, Michael and Eve (Strong) Ketzenbarger, were also natives of the fatherland. In 1833 they emigrated to America, first taking up their abode in Baltimore, Maryland, where Michael pursued his trade of wagonmaking and farming for a number of years. From Baltimore they subsequently removed to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, there making their home for a time, and in 1840 cast in their lot with the early settlers of Hancock county, their son Sebastian being at that time about eighteen years of age. During all these years Michael Ketzenbarger continued to follow his trade of wagonmaking, while his sons carried on the work of the farm. In his family were three children who grew to years of maturity—Mary, Annie and Sebastian, but the last named is now the only one living. The father was called to his final rest in 1845, and his wife followed him to the grave some years later. Sebastian Ketzenbarger, the father of our subject, accompanied his parents on their various removals, and his first purchase of real estate was in Union township, Hancock county, the same consisting of one hundred acres of timber land. In the midst of the virgin forest he erected a little log house and began life in true pioneer style, but as the years passed by he succeeded in clearing his land and placing his fields under cultivation, this having been accomplished only by incessant toil and excellent management. Selling his possessions in 1866, he removed to Wood county, Ohio, where he became the owner of a farm of one hundred and twenty acres on which he made his home until 1888, and in that year he came again to Hancock county, where he now owns and operates one hundred and sixty acres of land. Mr. Ketzenbarger has been twice married, his first wife having been in her maidenhood Miss Rachel Cramer, and their wedding was celebrated on the 13th of September, 1849. This union resulted in the birth of nine children : Isabell, who was born in 1850, and is now deceased; John, born in 1851; Sarah, who CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 43 was born in 1853, and is also deceased; Andrew, born in 1855; Irene, born in 1857; George and Ella, twins, and their birth occurred in 1859, but the last named is now deceased; Jacob O., born in 1861; and Marianna, born in 1862. Mrs. Ketzenbarger, who was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, April 21, 1822, died in 1891, and Mr. Ketzenbarger's second marriage occurred in December, 1895, when Mrs. Lucy Fox became his wife. In political matters the family have long been identified with Democratic principles. Jacob O. Ketzenbarger, the immediate subject of this review, was taken by his parents to Wood county, Ohio, when but five years of age, and in the public schools of that county he received his early mental training. In 1889 he returned to Union township, Hancock county, and in 1900 purchased his present farm of fifty acres, which he is now operating in connection with his father's old homestead. He makes his home on the last named place, and in his farming- and stock-raising interests he has met with -a high degree of success. His land is well improved, and his fields now annually yield to him a handsome financial return .for the care and labor which he bestows upon them. On the 9th of November, 1882, Miss Nellie Eckleberger became his wife, and they have become the parents of four children, namely : Reggie C., who was born on the 25th of September, 1883; John I., born May 1, 1887; Ella G., who was born on the 2d of June, 1890; and Ethel L., born December 27, 1895. Mrs. Ketzenbarger was born in Wood county Ohio, April 18, 1862, and is a daughter of John and Barbara Eckelberger. The Ketzenbarger family are worthy members of the United Brethren church. They are held in high regard in the community in which they reside, and their own home is celebrated for its gracious hospitality. JOHN T. MONTGOMERY. The subject of this sketch, though now a prosperous producer and dealer in oil, a factor in a -Missouri lumber enterprise, and otherwise identified with the industrial development of Findlay, has not reached his present position. without the usual "ups and downs" that generally accompany human endeavor. He had few advantages in early life and put in many hard licks as a blacksmith before fortune smiled upon him and enabled him to live with-out the the drudgery of daily toil. He is of Irish origin, his father, William Montgomery, having been born in the historic land of Erin in 1820, whence he emigrated to the new world and after a struggle ended his days in Canada in 1894. It was in the last mentioned country that his son, John T. Montgomery, first saw the light of day, his birth having occurred there in 1853. 44 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY He was reared at Renfrew, the prace of his nativity, but in 1877 made his way to the Pennsylvania oil. fields. But being of a speculative' turn of mind and realizing that blacksmithing was a rather slow way to make much advancement, Mr. Montgomery secured an interest in some oil wells in Allegany county, New York. After obtaining this foretaste, and realizing the immense possibilities of this great industry, he transferred the scene of his operations to Ohio, locating at Findlay in 1887. Immediately thereafter he entered upon his career as a producer and contractor in oil, and has achieved conspicuous success in this fascinating line of investment. He is now senior member of the firm of Montgomery & Stitt, which owns wells in Hancock, Wood, Mercer, Sandusky and Lucas counties, Ohio. In addition to these interests, Mr. Montgomery is a member of the Findlay Lumber Company, consisting of two persons besides himself, which has acquired a lot of timber land in Missouri and is operating a sawmill thereon. In September, 1893, Mr. Montgomery married Anna M. George, who died leaving a daughter named Hortensia. In 1897 'he took a second wife in the person of Miss Lida M. Shoultz, of Findlay, Ohio, by whom he has two children, John William and Irene. Mr. Montgomery a member of the First Methodist Episcopal church, independent in politics and a Mason. He is recognized among his associates as a man of strong force of character and remarkably good judgment in business matters. Though not a large man, his physical development is like that of an athlete, full of nervous energy and with a muscular strength which suggests his early training at the anvil as the prime cause. He lives in a handsome house at Findlay, where. all friends who call are entertained with cordial welcome and genuine Irish joviality. JOHN T. ARNOLD. While a modest man never boasts of his achievements, from dislike to what would appear as self-glorification, it is not improper for friends of the gentleman above named to say for him what he -would not be heard saying for himself—that he had, achieved success in the world under very disadvantageous circumstances. The orphan at best usually has a hard lot, but when poverty is coupled with orphanage at a very early age a cross is made which is very hard to bear. Even if the child is fortunate enough to fall into good hands there can be no substitute for a mother's. love or a father's care, and when later the real battle of life begins the natural difficulties always in the way seem especially loaded for the forlorn and friendless. The fact that CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 45 Mr. Arnold had to go through all these experiences and overcame them with-out succumbing furnishes the basis for the compliment paid him in the opening sentences of this introductory, and the justness of which will be proved as we proceed. During the latter part of the '30s Thomas Arnold was married to Rachel Moore in Hancock county, Ohio, and later took up their abode in the county of Delaware. There, on the 7th of December, 1840, John T. Arnold was born, and within six months after his advent into the world his mother was carried away by death. This first great misfortune was followed in a little over two years by another, the death of his father at that time leaving the child an orphan. Fortunately Elijah Galant, an uncle who lived in Delaware county, took charge of the boy and looked after his welfare until he grew to man's estate. When twenty years old he went to Columbus and learned the plasterer's trade, which furnished him occupation until 1864. In that year he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until honorably discharged. Previous to this, however, he had been a member of the militia, and in both branches of the service, during the short time he remained, endeavored to do his full duty as. a soldier. February 18, 1864, Mr: Arnold was married, in Licking county, to Jane Lewis, and for awhile engaged in farming in Delaware county. In 1866 he came to Hancock county and located on land in Orange township, where he remained until 1875, and then removed to the farm on which he now resides. This tract, consisting of two hundred acres at the time Mr. Arnold took possession, was wet land, mostly covered with timber and required much ditching. The task of clearing the place and getting it into shape for cultivation was a heavy and expensive one, but Mr. Arnold managed to accomplish it in time by the hard work of himself and his employes. The soil is rich and productive, and under Mr. Arnold's management his land has been made one of the best farms of its size in that neighborhood. Mrs. Arnold died January 17, 1897, after becoming the mother of eleven children, whose names are thus recorded in order of birth : Lizzie, wife of Miles Raston, of Morrow county, Ohio; Dellie Ai., who died June 16, 1895; Thomas, who died April 9, 1880; Samuel R.; James H.; Sarah G., wife of. Ross Rockey; George W., who died July 14, 1880; Ida, who died January 1, 1880; Bertha A.; Hulda, who died February 7, 1883; and William J. Mr. Arnold cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1864, and has ever since been a stanch supporter of Republican principles. He is a member of the Baptist church, and far many years was clerk of the sessions, always 46 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY taking much interest in the religious work. At one time he belonged to.the Grange, keeps well posted on affairs relating to agriculture and altogether is an kindhearted, unassuming man, who enjoys general respect as a good neighbor and good citizen. EDMUND C. TAYLOR. To the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and the resultant industries that grew therefrom on such a large scale, may be attributed the development of what may be called a new type of business men. The necessities of the case sharpened the wits, while enlarging the faculties, with the result that many of the most remarkable men of the country have owed their training to the exigencies of the great oil fields. The failures, of course, in that, as in all other lines of business, far exceed the successes, but those who were fortunate enough to be added to the latter list will generally prove, when found, to be the ruling spirits of their communities. These remarks will apply to several who have been mentioned in this volume, but to none with more force than to the gentleman whose career is herein outlined. In fact Mr. Taylor's whole life may be said to have been spent "in oil," though he himself will be. the first to admit that the sailing- was not always as smooth as the term would indicate. Almost from boyhood he has been connected in one way or another with the oil industry of Pennsylvania and Ohio, and none understand better than he all the "ins and outs," the advantages as :well as the dangers of the fascinating road to wealth which leads through those mysterious subterranean channels where is formed the precious fluid that has revolutionized the world. Mr. Taylor is one of those who made a success of this business, acquired wealth by dint of much hard work and risky venture, and is now at the head of one of the leading financial institutions of Findlay. Edmund C. Taylor was born in Ohio, September 2, 185i, attended the common schools as he grew up and rounded out his education at Oberlin College. Being ambitious for a business career and full of the ardor of youth, he could scarcely await the completion of his college career before venturing into the struggle for fortune with the hosts then engaged so strenuously in developing the Pennsylvania oil fields. He was twenty years old when he reached Oil City, then the center of the industry, and lost no time in becoming one of the throng who were making that town a hive of industry and speculative ventures. Mr. Taylor spent about eighteen months at Oil City,. without any incident worthy of special mention, but regarding Butler county CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 47 as a better opening, he repaired to that section and there continued in the same line of business for six years. In 1878 he located at Bradford and opened a nitro-glycerine manufactory, which was conducted in connection with the "shooting" of wells for prospectors, and this highly dangerous busi-ness occupied him for seven years, during which time many of those asso-ciated with him lost their lives by contact with the explosive. But the "fittest survive," according to the Darwinian philosophy, and it was Mr. Taylor's good fortune to escape all the deadly dangers incident to his perilous occupation. From Bradford he transferred his scene of operations to Richburg, Pennsylvania, where he became an oil producer and prosecuted that branch of the business with vigor, and more or less success, from 188i until 1886. In the latter year he decided to abandon the Pennsylvania for the Ohio fields, and in order to be in the center of activity, located at Findlay, where he immediately resumed operations with his usual energy and was connected with the first well drilled for oil in that region. During his residence of sixteen years in Hancock county Mr. Taylor has maintained his connection with the oil interests, but has found time to devote to other matters of importance for the public welfare. Among his contributions in this line was his service for many years as one of the gas trustees and his management of the Commercial Bank and Savings Company, to the presidency of which institution he was elected in January, 1901. In 1889 Mr. Taylor was united in marriage at Findlay with Mrs. Grace Moore, whose maiden name was Ostermeyer, and their household is one of the social centers of the city. Mr. Taylor has long been conspicuous in Masonry, having risen to the thirty-second degree in that ancient order, and is also connected with the Knights of Pythias and Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In politics he has been a life long Republican. HARVEY RAINEY. For sixty-three years Harvey Rainey traveled life's journey, and each year of that period was marked with good deeds and a record of an honorable career, and in the evening of life he received the veneration and re-spect which should ever be accorded those who live worthily, faithfully performing life's duties, and following their honest convictions of right and wrong. Harvey Rainey was a well known and respected representative of the agricultural class in Hancock county, residing for the greater part of the time in Big Lick township. He was born in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, August 13, 1834. At the age of fifteen years he left home and learned the 48 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY carpenter's trade under John Dickson, of Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, remaining with him six years. He then went to Wisconsin and Minnesota and worked at the carpenter's trade in both states for four years, when he came to Hancock county and worked at his trade here for about six years. In 1862 he located in Big Lick township, purchasing a farm of eighty acres. As he prospered later in life he made an addition to this original purchase of forty acres, located in Washington township; and again added a tract of one hundred acres to his real estate holdings, this time in Cass township. In early life Mr. Rainey learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed in connection with farming in Hancock county, his system being to let his land out on the shares, while he engaged actively as a contracting carpenter, turning the result of his labors into more real estate. He gradually ceased his connection with the carpenter's trade, and in 1865 abandoned it. entirely, after which he followed farming exclusively. Mr. 'Rainey combined many noble traits of character. He was a quiet, peaceful man, inoffensive as a child, a first-class farmer and a loyal citizen. He was a member in good 'standing in the Methodist Episcopal church,. and voted with the Republican party. His marriage was celebrated with Miss Sarah A. Taylor, April 5, 1860. Miss *Taylor was a daughter of William and Jane Taylor, and to the marriage were born five children, namely : Amanda J.; Charles W.; Mary A.; George B., deceased; and Alvin D. The death of the father of the family occurred December 23, 1897. Mrs. Sarah A. Rainey was born in Washington township, September 14, 1841, and has resided in sight of her home all of her lifetime. Her parents, William and Jane Taylor, came to this township in 1838, being natives of Washington county, Pennsylvania. They were among the worthy pioneers of Hancock county; whose descendants fill the various walks of life acceptably. Both died at the age of seventy-two. Robert, the grandfather, born in County Down, Ireland, who was of the Protestant faith and a successful farmer, died at the age of eighty years. Martha, the grandmother of Mrs. Rainey, died when about seventy years old. Grandfather and Grandmother Bell were of Welsh descent and both died of old age. HON. HENRY BISHOP. Hon. Henry Bishop, deceased, was prominently identified with public affairs in early days and was a recognized leader in local politics. A native of Ohio, he was born in Franklin county, November 23, 1820, and in early manhood joined his brother, John D., in Hancock county. Learning the CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 49 printer's trade in the office of the Courier at Findlay, he later purchased that paper and engaged in its publication from the 24th of January, 1839, until the 1st of July, 1845, but it did not prove a very profitable investment. He was a forcible though rather an illogical writer. Prior to disposing of the paper Mr. Bishop settled on a farm in Eagle township and devoted the remainder of his life to agricultural pursuits. In early life he engaged in teaching school for a few terms. On the 5th of November, 1840, he was united in marriage to Miss Eve Smith, who was also born in Franklin county, May 21, 1821, a daughter of William Smith, and they became the parents of six sons, namely : George S., born July 1, 1842, died in Seneca county, Ohio, September 12, 1896; Will-iam. is now living near Mt. Blanchard; John S. is mentioned below; Isaac lives on a part of the old homestead; Smith resides in Seneca county, two and a half miles northeast of Tiffin; and Henry Dixon is now serving as justice of the peace in Eagle township, Hancock county. The late John D. Bishop, our subject's brother, made his home in this county for many years. A sister, Polly, married Isaac Smith, a brother of our subject's wife, and they were the parents of Henry Smith, who is still living in Eagle township. During his residence in Hancock county Mr. Bishop took quite an active and influential part in public affairs, and was elected to the state legislature at the same time Reuben Wood was made governor. Being somewhat eccentric he attended the sessions of that august body clad in a hunting shirt and leggins, but he was nevertheless a valued member of the house and was unwavering in his support of those measures which he believed would advance the general welfare. He died within sight of his home, June 18, 1855, being drowned in Eagle creek during high water while attempting to loosen driftwood. He got a cramp while swimming and went down. He left a widow and six sons, the oldest of whom was only thirteen years of age and the youngest one year old. Mrs. Bishop carefully reared her children, and as soon as they were old enough to be of any assistance to her they began to aid in the opera-tion of the home farm. In 1871 she was again married, her second union being with Conrad Line, a farmer, who died in 1876. Two years after his death she returned to the old Bishop homestead, keeping her own part of the house and living independently until her death, which occurred October 24, 1896. She retained her faculties up to the last, being quite well preserved for one of her years. She was a faithful and consistent member of the old school Baptist church, was a strict Sabbatarian, and an active church worker. The sick and needy in her neighborhood always found in her a friend, and she was highly respected and esteemed by all who knew her. In 1863 she erected