100 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY of seven years, during which he established a reputation for the correct administration of justice, which but few have equalled. He left this office in February, 1890, and again resumed the practice of law, in which he has been continuously engaged since that date. Mr. Pendleton has served in a. number. of public positions, all of which he has filled wrth credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. About 1867 he was appointed county school examiner for Hancock county, in which position he served for a period of seven years, at the same time acting as examiner for the city schools of Findlay. From April, 1870, to the same date in 1872, he officiated as mayor of the city of Findlay, and from January 1, 1872, to January 1, 1876, covering a period of two terms, he was prosecuting attorney of Hancock county. May 2, 1871, Mr. Pendleton was married in Hancock county, to Emma F., the daughter of George W. Galloway, who died in 1874, leaving no issue. The second marriage of Mr. Pendleton occurred in Middletown, Ohio, December 14, 1877, when he led to the altar Mary B., daughter of Joseph Sutphin. The Sutphin family came from New Jersey to Ohio. John Sutphin, the grandfather Of Mrs. Pendleton, who was a large landowner of Warren and Butler counties, Ohio, died in Middletown, Ohio, at an advanced age. Joseph Sutphin, the father of Mrs. Pendleton, was a prominent flour and paper manufacturer of Middletown, Ohio, and died there at about seventy-five years of age. The mother of Mrs. Pendleton was Miss Caroline Johnston, a native of Ohio, who died in Cincinnati at more than seventy years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Pendleton have four children : Charles S., who graduated at Oberlin College, in 1901, and who is now professor of English at that institution; Emma G.; George F., Jr.; and Chester. Mr. Pendleton is a prominent and worthy member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of Stoker Post, Grand Army of the Republic. He and his family are members of the Presbyterian church. AARON J. GLATHART. It some times happens that though a man may wander over a considerable territory in the course of his life, that he will turn like a magnet to his birthplace and early environments and spend his remaining years as he began them. Farm life at the time when Aaron J. Glathart was born in Big Lick township, Hancock county, Ohio, February 14., 1844. was not what it is today. The hardships and work of those early days sent many a young man away from home to seek his fortune in other fields. For every pound of produce in those days meant a disproportionate amount of toil to secure it, so that there is CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 101 small wonder that so many young men left the farm as soon as they found a way to do so. As his name would indicate, Mr. Glathart is of Swiss parentage, his father having emigrated from Switzerland, and directly to Hancock county in 1828, at the age of twenty-six. He lived the remainder of his life in Hancock county, where in connection wrth farming. he had followed the trade of a stone mason. He was one of the men who helped burld the old Erie canal. His wife was Susannah von Kannall before her marriage, and their family consisted of eleven children, of Whom three survive, being Jeremiah H. : Elizabeth G., widow of William L. Wisley; and Aaron J. They gave three of their sons to their adopted country, the older one being Rudolph H., who was killed on Brazos river, Texas, in May, 1865, by guerrilla Confederates. Manassa C., who was a scout under General Lyons, was killed at Wilson's Creek, Missouri, August 10, 1861. Leon L. Glathart, the third of these patriotic sons, was a private in Company C, Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer In-fantry, having enlisted at Findlay in January, 1864, and died of smallpox at Chattanooga, Tennessee, February 29, 1864. The life of Mr. Glathart is an exceedingly interesting one, it having been full of both romance and danger, showing a surprising amount of pluck and courage all the way through. When but a boy of fifteen he went west to Lawrence, Kansas, where an older brother, J. H. Glathart, was running a bakery and provision store. The younger brother immediately went into his brother's business and in 185g was taken into partnership. In the early part of 1860 the firm sold out, and Aaron returned to Hancock county, in which year his father's death occurred. In August, 1861, Aaron J. Glathart enlisted as a private in a company formed at Findlay, being Company H, Fifty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, First Brigade, Second Division, Fifteenth Corps, army of the Tennessee, and his service in the war 0f the Rebellion is equaled by few of his countrymen for valor and hardships. He was engaged in many battles, some of them the most notable of the war, including Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Siege of Corinth, Morning. Sun, Tennessee, Wolf Creek Bridge, Tallahatchee, Holly Springs, Mississippi ; Chickasaw Bayou, Yazoo Pass, Mississippi; Arkansas Post, Arkansas; second expedition to Chickasaw Bayou; Steele's Bayou, Deer Creek, Mississippi; running the batteries at Vicksburg on the ram Queen of the West on April 16, 1863 ; Raymond, Mississippi; Jackson, Mississippi—the first and second battles ; Champion Hills; Big Black River, Mississippi, May 17, 1863 ; Siege of Vicksburg, May 18 to July 4; Chattanooga; Missionary Ridge; Knoxville, Tennessee; Snake Creek Gap, Dalton, Resaca,, Kingston, New , Hope Church, Big Shanty, Kenesaw 102 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Mountain, Pumpkin Vine Creek and Atlanta, Georgia. On July 19, 1864, the army of the Tennessee swung around Atlanta, and about 4 p. m. on the 2204., just after General McPherson was killed, he was captured and sent. to Andersonville prison, where he was held from July 25 to October 1, 1864. He was then sent to Savannah and held about two weeks, and from there sent to : Millen, Georgia, and held until about the first of December, when he was sent to Charleston, South Carolina, and there placed under the fire. of the Federal batteries. His lucky star never deserted, or perhaps it would be more truthful to say his pluck never failed him, and after being held at Charleston three or four days he was sent to Florence, South Carolina, to a new stock-ade. He was paroled in the last part of December, 1864, and sent to the hospital at Annapolis. At that place he received a furlough and returned home in a very bad conditon, being unable to speak aloud for seven months. But he could not be contented to stay at home, and at great risk to .himself he went to Richmond, Virginia, where he rejoined his regiment, and :with it participated in the Grand Review at Washington, D. C., filling his old position of color bearer, which he had held for the last fourteen months of his service,: and carrying the battle scarred flag of his regiment. Another incident which showed his indomitable courage and pluck was when on May 19, 1863, he was severely wounded in the abdomen. The wound was of a peculiar nature, a ball having pierced through twenty-seven thicknesses of his rubber blanket and a heavy brass belt plate, this ball and plate being now a dearly appreciated heir-loom in the family. He was immediately sent to the hospital, but on the same evening, he escaped the guards and crawled back to the battle field, accompanying his regiment on a forced march up the Yazoo. However the wound did not heal and later became so serious that he was unable to carry a gun or wear a belt. He was assigned to. light duty about camp, and was made camp postmaster. He positively refused to go to the hospital, preferring to stick to his regiment and take the fortunes of war as they came. He was mustered out on August 25, 1865, at Little Rock, Arkansas, being at that time color bearer and postmaster of his regiment. He returned to Findlay broken in health, but remembering the healthy life of the western frontier and being inured to the outdoor life, he set resolutely to work to recover his health, and went to Kansas and camped on the prairie for three months. He again went to Lawrence and went into the auctioneering and second-hand furniture business. A year later he bought a farm near Lawrence and remained there some six years, but his faith in Ohio had not wavered, and in 1874 he returned to his native county, where he farmed CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 103 until 1897, when he retired and moved to Findlay, where he has resided ever since. His faithful wife, who has shared his fortunes and misfortunes, was Amanda J., daughter of Anthony W. and Mary J. (McRill) Strother, and whose great uncle, Robert Strother, was a soldier of Revolutionary war fame, from the colony of Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Glathart have seven children: Lena B., the wife of Captain T. L. Huston, Second United States Engineers; Harry A.; Floy M., wife of Levi K. Harvitt; Edna E., wife of Samuel H. Warren, died August 25, 1897; Rolland L.; Gail J., wife of Harry Riemund; and Carl A. Rolland L. Glathart was a private in Company A, Second Ohio Infantry, in the Spanish-American war, enlisting in March, 1898, with his company, of which he had been a member since April 2 1, 1897. He served eleven months, holding the rank of sergeant when mustered out, having received his promotion on August 1, 1898. He was located in the camps at Knoxville, Chickamagua and Macon, Georgia. Carl A. Glathart enlisted in the United States navy June 6, 1900, and was immediately as-signed to the training ship Essex, where he remained a year. His second assignment was on the battleship Alabama, and he is now with that ship. The only order to Which Mr. Glathart pays allegiance is that of Stoker Post No. 54, Grand Army of the Republic, in which he. is a time-honored and much esteemed member. In politics he is of Republican faith, in the ranks of which party he is a conscientious voter. He does not associate with any religious body. CHRISTIAN HEYN. Christian Heyn, editor and proprietor of the Wochenblatt, a weekly German newspaper, published at Findlay, Ohio, was born in Elgersburg, Thuringia, Saxony, in 1859, and he is a son of Christian Heyn, who was a native of Manebach, Germany, born in 1832. He came with his family to America in 1886, and died in 1894, at Findlay, where his widow still resides. Our subject came to America in 1881 and located in Cincinnati, where he started the first mask factory in the United States, which he carried on for three years, selling to other parties at the end of that time. In 1884 he came to Findlay, where many of the most highly esteemed citizens are of German birth, and again started a mask factory, which business is still carried on under the name of the American Mask Manufacturing Company. After four years Mr. Heyn sold his interest in the factory and bought an interest in the newspaper of which he became sole owner a year 104 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY later. He is an independent Democrat and his journal is conducted in the interest of that party, but aside from politics, it is a paper of great merit and general interest. In 1885 our subject was married, in Findlay, to Miss Clara Dietsh, and their two daughters were named Hi1de and Emilie. Mrs. Heyn died March 1, 1892, at the age of thirty-seven years. In fraternal connection Mr. Heyn is a Mason of the blue lodge, and his religious association is with the German Lutheran church. MAJOR BRIGHT. One of the large landowners and successful agriculturists of Hancock county is Major Bright, who is descended from old pioneers of the county, prominent in business and public affairs. Our subject's grandparents were Major and Deborah (Moore) Bright, both natives of Maryland, who came to Hancock county in 1829, when there was little evidence of its becoming the great country it now is. The family first made their home in Fairfield county but later removed to this county. Mr. Bright was a hard-working man and when he came to this state he had little personal property and no real estate; but he entered a thousand acres of government land and by his industry soon possessed valuable interests, which were subsequently divided among his children. He was a man of some influence and held one of the important public offices of the county. He died about 1845, and his wife in 1879 at ninety-three years of age. Of the ten children of the family some became prominent citizens in the county. One of the sons of the above family was Nimrod, who was born in Fairfield county in 1813, but came with his father to this county. He inherited four hundred acres from his father and to this added fourteen hundred acres more, at the time of his death his property being worth thirty thousand dollars. He was a man of strong convictions and not easily changed from his ideas of right, and that he was a good business man is shown by his large property. He was one of the influential members of the United Brethren church, and in his early years he was a Democrat in political belief, but about the time of the formation of the Republican party he joined its ranks. His death occurred December 27, 1893. He had been married three times, in June, 1833, to Harriet Wisely, who died in 186o, the mother of nine children, of whom seven are living. His second wife was Margaret Flack, who bore him two children, one living. For his third wife he took the sister of his second wife, Julia A., who is now (1902) living; by this marriage were four born, of whom two are living. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 105 Major Bright, the subject of this sketch, is a son of the first marriage, being born on July 23, 1835, in Big Lick township, Hancock county.. He was reared and educated in his native township, also at Westerville, Franklin county. He inherited his share of his father's estate, to the amount of' three hundred and twenty acres and to this Ile later added two hundred and forty acres more. He now owns and operates three hundred and twenty acres of valuable land in Amanda township and is recognized as one of the leading agriculturists of the county. In 1856 Mr, Bright was married to Sarah S. Firman, the daughter of Erastus and Kesiah W. Firman, of Delaware county ; she was born in Licking county, December II, 1834. Of the f0ur children born to them three are now living: Elizabeth A., now Mrs. Ewing; Emma Lois, the wife of Edgar Wilcox; and Nimrod W., a prominent man of the county and a candidate for probate judge. The Bright family are members of the United Brethren church, in which Mr. Bright has served. as class leader, steward, superintendent and teacher of the Sunday-school. In politics the members of the family hold the views of the Republican party. GEORGE W. PETERS. The subject of this sketch is of Virginia ancestry and comes of a family whose descendants have long been settled in Ohio. His grandfather, Ambrose Peters, came with his wife from the Old Dominion in 1849 and first settled in Jefferson county, Ohio, but later removed to Hancock county, buying land in Washington township, a part of which afterward became the site on which the town of Arcadia now stands. The family of Ambrose Peters consisted of ten children : Ann, deceased wife of J. Laughlin ; Catherine, deceased wife of Joseph Dillery ; John; Abraham; Mary, wife of Seth Smith; Elizabeth, wife of George Taylor ; David; Susan, wife of John Ribley; Middleton and Sabina (both deceased). John Peters, third of the above enumerated children, was born in Virginia, February 5, 1829, and was consequently twenty years old when his parents reached Ohio. October 9, 1851, he married Cynthia McFadden, by whom he had eight children : Ambrose, married to Elizabeth Ewing; Christena J., wife of John C. Thomas; Amos W., married Rosa Kamp; George W., subject of this sketch; Ida, Abraham L., Alice and David. Six of these are residents of Hancock county. The father settled in Big Lick township, where he accumulated several hundred acres of land, some of which he gave to his children, and with his wife is liv-ing at his old homestead in the enjoyment of a serene old age. 7 106 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY His son, George W. Peters, was born in Big Lick township, Hancock county, Ohio, July 10, 1860, and was trained to farm life from childhood. At the present time he owns and. operates a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Big Lick township and ranks as one of the progressive agriculturists of the county. All of his adult years have been spent in agricultural pursuits and he has been successful in his business, as the result of industry, combined with good judgment and good management. August 18, 1882, Mr. Peters was united in marriage with Miss Lucy Kinsel, a native of Big- Lick township, where her birth occurred August 31, 1863. The children resulting from this union, four in number, are as follows : Nellie, born July 23, 1884; Edna, born January 14, 1886; Wilber, born March 15, 1887; and Clara, who was born October 1899, and died September 13, 'g00. Mr. and Mrs. Peters are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which the former has held the position of steward. The Peters family, both of the older and younger generations, during their long connection with Hancock county affairs, have always enjoyed good standing as friends, neighbors and citizens. They have contributed their full share to that agricultural development which has given Hancock county prominence for its fine stock, well cultivated fields and beautiful country homes. ALBERT L. EWING. Among the younger generation of farmers in Hancock county none stand better or have made better use of their opportunities than the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. The family has long been identified with the affairs of Hancock county and three generations of the name have contributed their share toward its growth and prosperity. It was about the year 1832 that William Ewing came with his wife and young children to Ashland county, Ohio, where he settled and remained a number of years. During this period he visited Hancock county and being pleased with its outlook, purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land. This property he event-ually gave to his children and eighty acres went to his son, John D. Ewing, who later traded the same for a farm in Big Lick township. John D. was born September 7, 1822, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and was only ten years old when his parents settled in Ashland county. He was a man of intelligence and after locating in Hancock county rose to positions of influence, holding the offices of land. appraiser, township trustee and treasurer. His religious affiliations were with flip Presbyterian church, his politics Democratic and he ended his days on his farm in Big Lick township February 4,   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 107 1901. In early life John D. Ewing had married Martha E. Cooper, with whom he lived happily until the time of her death, which occurred February 14, 1881. They became the parents of four children : Amanda J., Sarah E., A. P. and A. L. Ewing. The latter, who is. the immediate subject of this sketch, was born on the home farm in Big Lick township., Hancock county, Ohio, January 23, 1861. He was reared and trained on the farm which he now occupies and there is little connected with the details of practical agriculture which he has not learned from experience. At the present time he owns one hundred and sixty acres, all of which is in excellent condition and exhibits the evidences of scientific cultivation, painstaking care and other signs of good husbandry. Mr. Ewing has been successful in his ventures, his farm has yielded him fair returns and he has received the reward which seldom fails to follow intelligent labor backed by cool judgment. In 1884 Mr. Ewing was united in marriage with Miss Eva R., the estimable daughter of William and Rachel Warren, the former of whom was a successful farmer, who died at the age of sixty-two years. This union has proved congenial in every way, and the happy household of Mr. and Mrs. Ewing is the meeting place of many friends who are always entertained in the most cordial and hospitable manner. Mr. Ewing is of Scotch-Irish descent through his father, and of German extraction on the Co0per side. HENRY C. SMITH. Henry C. Smith is one who owes his own advancement entirely to his enterprising efforts. He has steadily worked his way upward until he is now manager of the carpet department for the firm of J. S. Patterson & Sons, in their store at Findlay. His parents were William H. and Caroline (Glick) Smith, natives of Germany, where he was born in 1838 and she in 1842. They came to this country in early life, where he pursued the cabinetmaker's trade with success and they are now enjoying the fruits of their industry in quiet retirement. Their son, Henry C., was born in December, 1859, at Findlay, was graduated in the high school in 1879, and after putting aside his text books entered upon his business career, his first year being spent in the employment of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad Company. In 1882 he entered the store of Patterson & Sons, in which he accepted the position of clerk and utility man, but his willingness to work, his close application and fidelity to duty led continuously to promotion, until in 1894 he was made manager of the carpet department and has since served in this capacity. In 1891, in Findlay, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Leotia 108 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY A. Keltner, and they now have two children: Agnes E., born September 3, 1892, and Herbert L., torn March 14, 1897. Orlando Keltner, father of Mrs. Smith, was a son of Isaiah Keltner, a veteran of the Mexican and Civil wars, who is still living at the advanced age of eighty-four years. Mr. Smith votes with the Democracy and has served as a member of the library board of this city. Socially he is connected with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias and the Knights of Korassan. In business he is found as a genial, obliging and courteous salesman, and in all relations of life he manifests strong fidelity to honorable principles, so that he has gained the esteem and confidence of a large circle of friends. LEVI FALK. Levi Falk is one of the prominent business men of the village of Mount Cory, Ohio, and certainly merits mention among the men of action and progress who have been the principal forces in the growth and development of Hancock county within the past half century. While his life has not been filled. with the eventful scenes which add color to the history of many men, yet, as history proves that the nation without war burdened and sensational annals is the most prosperous, so in individuals the busy man who does his work carefully and conscientiously may have no record that would appeal to the imagination of the novelist; and Mr. Falk is pre-eminently a busy man, and although he is not the oldest man in the thriving little town of Mount Cory, he is said to be the oldest business man in the limits of that corporation. Gideon and Hannah (Kemerer) Falk were the parents of our subject; they were both natives of the state of Pennsylvania, the former born in 1811 and the latter in 1816. In 1848 Gideon removed with his father Mathias to Hancock county, and the former located in section 22 of Union township, where he bought two hundred and forty acres of land, some of which was partially improved. He began at once the work of improvement and cultivation and he was one of the pioneers to whom much credit is due for the reclaiming of the wilderness and the breaking of the virgin soil. He possessed rare business qualifications, and his advice and counsel were often sought by his neighbors. And not only was he an expert farmer and a keen, foresighted business man, but he had those characteristics which allowed his fellow-citizens to designate him by that high title of "a good man," in which is summed up the estimate of one's influence toward the cause of all that is high and noble and true. He and his wife were members of the CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 109 Evangelical church, and he was a firm believer in the principles of the Republican party. His death occurred. in 1892, when he was eighty-one years old, and his good wife died in 1901,. aged eighty-six years. They were the parents of eight children, seven of whom grew to maturity and three are living at present, Levi and his sister being residents of this county. Levi Falk was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, .November 26, 1847, and was therefore one year old when he was brought by his parents to Hancock. He owes much to the careful 'training which he received at the hands of his father and mother and he made good use of the golden opportunities which lie before the feet of every youth, in the school-room, in his recreation and in the performance of his set tasks. His first important business enterprise was the operating of an elevator and grist-mill combined. This plant had been built at Mount Cory some years before by Dr. .H. P. Eaton and operated by him; he was succeeded by Zay & Runkle, and they by Mr. Falk in 1877. Mr. Falk was very successful in this enterprise and he continued its operation up to 1895, in which year it was destroyed by fire and was not rebuilt. He next began making extensive dears in hay, shipping it to various points, but in 1902 he discontinued his active business career, and while he is too young- and vigorous to go on the retired list, he takes life more leisurely and does not find it necessary to push forward with the energy he has displayed in the past. He owns a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Union township, which he purchased in 1894, and he now oversees the cultivation of its crops. In 1871 Mr. Falk was united in marriage to Miss Maggie M. Zay, the daughter of William E. and Margaret Zay; she was torn in Germany in 1847, of which country Mr. Falk's ancestors were also natives. Mr. and Mrs. Falk have no children. They are members of the Protestant Methodist church at Mount Cory; he is one of the popular citizens of the township and has been chosen to the office of treasurer for several terms. He is a man of many sterling qualities and well deserves his success. In. politics, he has been a life long Republican and is a member of Mt. Cory .Lodge, No. 495, Knights of Pythias. JOHN MONTGOMERY. This gentleman, who is at present a retired 'farmer living at .Bluffton, Ohio, is a worthy member of an interesting family, whose history carries us back to the most exciting times of the pioneer period. John Montgomery, the young Irishman whose emigration led to the founding of this family in 110 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY America, came over in the eighteenth century, at a time sufficiently. early to enable him to take part in the Revolutionary war as a soldier under Washington. He made his way to southwestern Pennsylvania, where his descendants lived during the time when there was almost constant conflict between the white and red men in the frontier regions bordering the Ohio river. William Montgomery, son of the Irish emigrant and Revolutionary patriot, was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, but found his way at an early age to the nearby county of Columbiana, just across the river in Ohio. There he married Sarah, daughter of William Fouts, also from Pennsylvania, engaged in farming and followed that occupation until his death, at the age of, eighty-seven years, his wife living to celebrate her eighty-third birthday. This pioneer couple had twelve children, five and seven daughters, all of whom grew to maturity. John Montgomery, the venerable farmer whose biography is the main object of this writing, was the fourth child and eldest son in the family above mentioned. He was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, February 1, 1824, and remained on the farm in his native hills until a year or two after reaching his majority. In 1847 he came to Hancock county and took up his residence in a log cabin situated on unimproved in Orange township. Mr. Montgomery was young and robust, was not afraid of. work and thus the task before him did not seem so appalling as it does to a modern "tenderfoot." He set resolutely to the business before him, which was to convert a lot of heavily wooded and partly submerged land into a farm fit for cultivation. This, of course, involved an immense amount of labor and no end of worry; as they say in the cduntcountry by patience and unflagging industry Mr. Montgomery eventually accomplished his object. The result is now before any one who visits that section in the shape of a well cleared, well fenced and well ordered farm of the modern Ohio type, with its neat residence, commodious outbuildings and all other essentials of up-to-date agriculture. After continuing in the business over sixty years, Mr. Montgomery decided that he had done his share and was entitled to a rest. In 1891 he turned the farm over to his sons and located at Bluffton, where he lived retired from all active business and free from worrying pursuits of every kind. No one of his means did more than Mr. Montgomery to build up and civilize Orange township, and his long life there was made useful in many ways, not only to himself and family, but to the public. February 18, 1847, Mr. Montgomery was married in his native county to Eleanor McClain, who had come there from Greene county, Pennsylvania, where she was born November 12, 1827. She was the daughter of a Pennsylvania farmer named David McClain, who married Rebecca West and later CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY removed to Ohio, where they reared a family of ten children, consisting of three sons and seven daughters. Mrs. Montgomery, the third child and second daughter, when nine years old was brought from Pennsylvania by her parents to Wyandot county, Ohio, and spent all of her subsequent life in different parts of the state. By her marriage to Mr. Montgomery she became the mother of seven children, but of these only three are now living: Re-becca, wife of William Kinnel, is a resident of Bluffton; Jesse S. and F. Marion are farmers in Orange township; Eliza, William and Alice, the first, second and seventh born, respectively, are deceased. Mr. Montgomery, as previously stated, retired from business some years ago and left the farm in charge of his sons. During his active career he held various township offices, including those of trustee, treasurer and assessor, and for a long period was one of the principal men in reclamation of the land comprising Orange township and in building up that portion of Hancock county. MELVIN E. EWING. During the latter part of the eighteenth century, there lived in Ireland a hard working and honest mechanic by the name of William Ewing. Wearying of rack-rents, oppressive landlords and the other ills which "Patient merit of the unworthy takes," this poor peasant determined to seek refuge in the land. of freedom across the deep sea. Accordingly, about the year 1800, he made his appearance in America and found a hospitable welcome in the state of Maryland, where he worked for a while at his trade as a mason. He married Miss Polly England, removed to Fairfield county, Ohio, cultivated a small farm and reared a. family of eight children, all of whom did well and reached places of prominence in various occupations. Samuel Ewing, one of his sons, born in 1811, was married in Fairfield county to Rebecca Alspach and in 1834. removed to Hancock county, where he purchased and improved one hundred and twenty acres of land in Amanda. township. Samuel was a brickmaker and manufactured the first brick that were made in that part of the country where he had settled. He was a man of upright life and industrious habits, a class leader and steward in the Methodist Protestant church, and altogether his life may. be pronounced an unusually prosperous one. He. accumulated considerable property and some time before his death, which occurred in 1878, he had sold his farm and retired from business after making suitable provision for his children. .His wife, Who was of the same age as her husband, having been born in 1811, outlived him ten years and passed away in 1888. Of their seven children four are living and included in this 112 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY number is William E. Ewing, who was born in Hancock county,. Ohio, in 1836. He grew up on his father's farm in Amanda township and eventually became the owner of seventy-three acres of land on which he has resided during his entire life, with the exception of four years. He is regarded as a good farmer as well as a worthy citizen, belongs to the United Brethem church and has served his township in various offices of trust and responsibility. In 1856 he married Lydia Cross, who died June 28, 1859, leaving one son, Melvin E. In 1861 Mr. Ewing espoused Sarah E.. Beck, who died in 1873 without issue. His third wife, with whom he is now living,. was Levina Alspach and by this union there is one son, Loren B. Melvin Ewing, the subject of this sketch and product of his father's first marriage, was born in Amanda township, Hancock county, Ohio, June 9, 1857, and from that time on has been a continuous resident of his native place. Having grown up on the farm and learned the details of the business, he chose this as his life's work and though he has had his share of the cares and disappointments incident to the calling, on the whole he has been quite successful. In 1885 he made his first purchase of real estate, consisting of the eighty acres whiCh constitute his present home. He was fortunate in the selection of a life partner, having chosen as his bride Miss Lizzie A. Bright, a talented lady who had gained high reputation as an experienced school teacher. Her birth occurred in Delaware county, Ohio, February 2, 1858, and she was married to Mr. Ewing in December, 1882. This union, which has proved in every way congenial and helpful to the contracting parties, has been strengthened by the birth of the following named children : Dressel D., in 1883; Frank W., in 1887; Selwin B., in 1892, and Orin E., in 1894. Dressel is a graduate of the Van Lue school and Frank W. expects to graduate in 1903. Mr. and Mrs. Ewing are members of the United Brethren church, in which he has held the position of Sunday-school superintendent, conference delegate, :trustee and steward. In fact; both as a church member and a man of affairs, the influence of Melvin E. Ewing has long been recognized in the community of which he is an esteemed member. DAVID M. DREISBACH. The above named gentleman, at present a prominent farmer of Blanchard township, is a member of an extensive family long known in various callings, but especially in connection with religious affairs. Both the father and grandfather of Mr. Dreisbach were distinguished ministers of the Evangelical church, and two of his brothers are also ministers of the gospel CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 113 of the same denomination. As the genealogy of the family is sketched in connection with Mr. Gabriel M. Dreisbach in another part of this volume, it will not be necessary to repeat all the particulars concerning the earlier branches, but some additional particulars will be given about the more immediate ancestors. The grandparents of our subject were Rev. John and Fannie (Eyer) Dreisbach, who had thirteen children. The former was a pioneer of the infant Evangelical church in Pennsylvania, became its first presiding elder and was instrumental in the organization of its first general conference. He was a man of prominence and influence in his native state, being elected to the legislature and editor of the church paper called the "Evangelical Messenger." He was recognized as a pulpit orator of great power and his fame as a church worker, during his long And blameless life, extended over Pennsylvania and even beyond the limits of his native state. His mantle and many of his personal characteristics descended to his son, Abraham E. Dreisbach, who also became noted in the Evangelical ministry. Born in Union county, Pennsylvania, in 1818, he married Mary A. Miesse, a native of the same state and county, who was two years his junior. Of the ten children born to this union the following named are living: Caroline M., John M., Susanna M., David M., Gabriel M., Cornelius M., Abraham M., Mary A. M., and Benjamin. Daniel, twin brother of the last mentioned, died at an early age. The mother died in 1857, and the husband's second wife was Elizabeth Strome, who died in 1871 without issue. The third wife of Mr. Dreisbach was Sarah Hankey who was also childless. In 1844 Rev. Abraham Dreisbach entered the Evangelical ministry and was for thirty years actively connected therewith. 'His circuit at one time embraced the counties of Pickaway, Franklin, Delaware, Wyandot, Seneca, Sandusky, Wood and Hancock, and it was his custom to visit them twice a year. Like his father, he rose to a position of influence and was considered one of the leading ministers of the association, being presiding elder for .four years. He also achieved a name in literature, and deserved especial credit from the fact that he was entirely self-made and owed all his success to his individual efforts. This good man passed away August 28, 1876, leaving to his children the priceless heritage of an unsullied name. Two of his sons "also became min-isters of the gospel, John M. belonging to the Evangelical, and Abraham to the ministry of the United Brethren church. David M. Dreisbach, fourth of the children, was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, September 28, 1845, but was reared and educated in Seneca. comity, where he had been taken by his father when seven years old. In 1868 he came to Hancock county and located on forty acres of land purchased in 114 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Liberty township. Subsequently he sold this farm and moved to Benton Ridge, where he engaged in general merchandising, besides operating a flouring. mill in Which he owned a half interest. After continuing in these lines until 1871, Mr. Dreisbach purchased eighty acres of land in Findlay township, which he cultivated for the ten following years, and then removed to Delaware township. There he purchased two hundred and forty acres of well improved land. which he devoted to the raising of fine stock. At the present time Mr. Dreisbach resides on and operates three hundred and twenty acres of fertile land in Blanchard township, where he is recognized as one of the county's representative agriculturists. He .enlisted as a member of Company B, One Hundred and Ninety-fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served in the army of the Potomac until honorably discharged in December, 1865. While living. in Delaware township he served several years as assessor, and land appraiser, and he has served six years as assess& of Blanchard township. October 15, 1867, Mr. Dreisbach was United in marriage with Miss Caroline, daughter of Jacob and Mary B. Wagner, of Fairfield county, Ohio. The children resulting from this union are: Lillie W., born in 1869; Silas W., born in 1873; Helen. W., in 1875; William H. W., in 1877; Aaron -W., in 1879; David W., 1881; and Arthur W. in 1884. Mr. Dreisbach is a member of the United Brethren church, in which lie has held all the offices except that of minister. He also holds membership in the Free and Accepted Masons, the Maccabees and the Grand Army of the Republic, being a popular and esteemed associate in all these fraternal orders. H. A. BRICKMAN. This gentleman, who is one of the most prosperous and progressive of the younger generation of farmers in Hancock county, belongs to that element generally designated in this country, German-Americans. His father, Frederick Brickman, was born in Germany in 1833 and married a lady named Frederika Zenkel, whose birth occurred in the same country in 1835. In 1857 not long after their marriage, this worthy German couple concluded to try their fortunes in the "land of the free," and in due time made their way to Hancock county. They located at Arcadia, where they remained six years, and in 1863 removed to Portage township, where Mr. Brickman had purchased a farm of eighty acres. As his affairs prospered his real estate holdings increased until they amounted to the one hundred and seventy-two acres, which are now in possession of his son. Frederick Brickman was a man of more CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 115 than average good qualities and commanded universal respect in his community. The fact that he was several times elected to the important office of township trustee shows the estimate put upon his business ability and honesty by his neighbors and constituents. He was a man of moral and upright char-acter and a consistent member of the German Lutheran church, in which he held various responsible offices at different times. His hospitality was of the most cordial kind, he loved to entertain his numerous friends and so many were his acts of charity and assistance in time of need to the deserving that it would be useless to attempt to mention half of them. Few men were more popular and none could count their friends in larger numbers than this kind native of the "vaterland." After a life of usefulness, largely devoted to the happiness of others, this good man passed to his final rest, December 20, 1892. His excellent wife, who shared his joys and sorrows for so many years, survived him only a year or two, her death occurring in 1894. Of their eight children, the only survivors are W. G. and H. A. Brickman. The latter was born on the farm he now owns, in Portage township, Hancock county, Ohio, in 1877, and he received his education in the neighborhood schools. Since reaching manhood !le has devoted his entire time to agricultural pursuits and the general appearance of his fine farm shows that he understands his business. He is up-to-date in his methods and keeps well informed as to the various improvements so constantly taking place in modern agriculture. Mr. Brickman devotes his place to general farming and stock raising, depending on the standard crops and natural increase of his herds for the remuneration which seldom fails to come to the industrious farmer. He inherits many of the traits of his excellent father and is one of the-popular young men of his township, tor whom a prosperous future is freely predicted by his associates. In 1899 Mr. Brickman was united in marriage with Miss Nora, daughter of Peter Kuaile, a young lady of great popularity, attractive manners and a most agreeable personality. MOSES McANELLY. No family in Hancock county has been longer or more favorably known than the one which bears the name above transcribed. It was founded by the late Moses McAnelly, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1804 and became a resident of Hancock county in 1836. Before leaving his native state he taught school several years and this occupation he continued for some time after he established his new home in Ohio. He soon found himself able to purchase one hundred and sixty acres of land in Big Lick township, which during the 116 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY course of his long and industrious life he increased to four hundred acres. His public career, which was destined to be conspicuous for its usefulness and brilliant display of varied ability, commenced in 1839 by his election to the lower house of the Ohio legislature. After two terms in that body, served with constantly increasing popularity, Mr. McAnelly was rewarded by promotion to the state senate, in which he also served two terms most acceptably to his constituents. The districts were then larger than at the present time and the one represented by Mr. McAnelly included five counties of Ohio. In addition to his legislative duties he served various terms as justice of the peace and his judicial responsibility was discharged with the same fidelity and integrity that characterized all of his public work. His affiliations were with the Democratic party, of which he became a conspicuous and influential leader. He was a forcible and eloquent speaker and few men of his day excelled him in the art of convincing his hearers to think as he did. He enjoyed the reputation of being an honest and conscientious public functionary whose efforts were always directed toward rendering the best possible service for the welfare of his constituents. In 1833 he was united in marriage with Mary, daughter of Hon. William and Nancy Roller, a lady of high social rank, whose birth occurred in Pennsylvania, September 28, 1812, and who came to Richland county, Ohio, with her parents at the age of twelve years. The union of Hon. Moses McAnelly and Mary Roller resulted in the birth of eight children, of whom the following named grew to maturity : Lucinda, Charlotte, Moses, judge Jefferson, Nancy and Mary. The father died October 21, 1854, but his wife long survived him, not passing to her final rest until March 5, 1898, when she closed her career at the advanced age of eighty-five years, five months and five days. Moses McAnelly, his father's namesake and youngest surviving son, was born in Hancock county, Ohio, March 15, 1853, attended the district schools of his township and was trained to farm work from his earliest years. In due time -he inherited the paternal homestead and his entire life has been spent in the place of his nativity. He has shown skill in his chosen calling and has so managed his fine estate as to gain recognition as a successful and progressive farmer. He has found time, however, for public duties and has served his constituents six years as township clerk, assessor two terms, and for the last five years has been justice of the peace, an office whose duties he has discharged with marked ability and efficiency. December 15, 1881, Mr. McAnelly was united in marriage with Miss Phebe E., daughter of John and Eliza Cooper, whose family was one of distinction and influence. Her father, Judge John Cooper, was a native of Fayette county, Pennsylvania, where his birth. occurred April 25, 1811. He was the eldest CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 117 son of James Cooper, whose paternal ancestry was of Scotch-Irish descent and the maternal progenitors of Holland Dutch stock. John Cooper came with his parents to Perry county, Ohio, in 1812, when he was still an infant. He became a successful farmer, was married December 15, 183o, and two years later settled in Hancock county, where his career was useful and distinguished. He held various important. offices in Portage township and in 1849 was appointed associate judge, which honorable position he filled acceptably until the change of the law in 1852. In 1862 he was elected one of the commissioners of Hancock county, and discharged the duties of that office with signal discretion and judgment for six years. He was also one of the first directors of the county infirmary and gave entire satisfaction by his methods of attending to the work devolved upon him by that responsibility. Of his nine children four are still living including his daughter, Mrs.. McAnelly, whose birth occurred in Portage township, October 5, 1853. Judge Cooper passed away in 1892 at the venerable age of eighty-one, and his wife, after surviving him two years, terminated her life in 1894. The union of Moses McAnelly and Phebe E. Cooper resulted in the birth of five children : John C., Mary, Thomas H., Roller C. and Lois. He and his wife were attentive members of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. McAnelly is connected with the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The family move in the best social circles of the county and are widely. and favorably known in the section where they reside. J. L. HIGBIE, M. D. During his residence of thirteen years at Jenera the above named gentleman has become quite a feature of the village life, not only as a medical practitioner, but because of his prominence in political, social and fraternal affairs. Still in the prime of life and popular with all classes, no movement goes on for the betterment of conditions in the community that Dr. Higbie is not found well to the front doing his full share to help things along. As will be seen later on the public confidence in him has often been expressed by his election to various offices, and Van Buren township has no more energetic or public spirited citizen. In fact he might be properly described as a "worthy son of a worthy sire," as his father, Henry H. Higbie, has long been an influential factor in Allen county and a noted educator of the old school. He was born in Knox county, and the death of his father threw him on his own resources at an early period. Through the assistance of an aunt he was enabled to attend Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, and by diligent appli- 118 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY cation succeeded in getting a fair education at that institution. With this equipment as his only capital, aside from his personal qualifications, young Higbie began school teaching at the age of seventeen, and continued in that occupation for twenty-one successive years. During. this long period he had for his pupils a whole generation of Ohioans, many of whom subsequently rose to high positions in the different walks of life. Dr. Norton, who became a member of congress from his district, obtained his early education under Professor Higbie's care, and the number of successful business and professional men who got the benefit of his instruction is too large for mention. Besides his -work in Ohio he taught for a while in Indiana, and finally located on a farm in Allen county, about five miles east of Lima, where he made a division of his time between teaching and agricultural pursuits. He served as a soldier during the Civil war, has always been found on the right side of important public questions and wherever located was respected as a man of probity and learning. He still resides in Allen county, and occupies a posi-tion of influence both among the older and rising generations as a discreet counsellor and well informed man. He married Elizabeth Swaney, who was a native Of Allen county, descended from Pennsylvania parents, and four years her husband's junior. By this union there were eight children, all of whom are living but one. Dr. Higbie was the eldest, but as he will be fully noticed later on, only his brothers and sisters will be mentioned at this point. Rev. Frank E. Higbie, the second son, is a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, who gives promise of much future usefulness. Birdsell, the third son, remains at home and looks after the affairs of the farm.. Dr. Will-iam E. Higbie, who is a graduate of the medical department of the University of Cincinnati, is now practicing at Lindsey, Ohio. The three daughters are: Jennie; Addie, wife of Milton Dickinson, of Lima; and Cora, wife of David Warner, of Westminster, Ohro. J. L. Higbie, eldest of this interesting family, was born on the parental farm in Allen county, Ohio, February 23, 1863, and with such a father it is needless to say he was given a good education. Besides the usual routine in the district schools he had the benefit of a course in the Normal University at Ada, after which he made preparations for what he. had decided upon as the work of his life. In 1885 he entered the office of Dr. H. E. Blackstone, who as a graduate of the Ada Normal and the University of Michigan, was well qualified as an instructor in medicine, and remained under his tutelage about three years. Meantime he supplemented his local instruction by attendance at lectures in the St. Louis Medical College, where he received his diploma with the class which graduated March 6, 1888. Returning home CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 119 immediately thereafter, Dr. Higbie located in the following year at Jenera, where he has since continued in the active practice of his profession. Dr. Higbie is a member of the Northwestern Ohio Medical Association, the American Medical Association and of the fraternal order of K. O. T. M. He affiliates with the Democratic party, and has held the offices of treasurer by appointment for two years, justice of the peace by election for five years and in 'goo was elected mayor of Jenera, a position which he still holds. January 22, 189i, Dr. Higbie was united in. marriage with Mary E., daughter of Peter Traucht, the latter a native of Germany, who came with his father to Hancock county among the early settlers. Dr. and Mrs. Higbie have three children, Una, Lloyd and Merle, and the family enjoy a cordial welcome in the best social circles of their section. CORNELIUS EWING. After a long and industrious life, having fulfilled every duty to state and county and performed his full share in helping forward the growth and development of his adopted county, the gentleman above named is enjoying a period of well earned repose. Having retired from active business, he has lived for fifteen years in. comparative retirement at Findlay, the thriving county seat of. Hancock county. The family is of foreign lineage, both John and Maria Ewing, the grandparents of Cornelius, being natives of Germany. Jacob and Sophia (Mowery) Ewing, born in Pennsylvania, came to Ashland county, Ohio, in the first quarter of the nineteenth century and there lived many years. In 1854 they removed to Hancock county and located on two hundred and forty acres of land purchased in Liberty township. In the fulness of years, he and his wife ended their lives in Hancock county, beloved and respected by all who knew them. Their family consisted of eight children, of whom there are six survivors and all these residents of Hancock county. Cornelius Ewing, the subject of this sketch, was born in Ashland county, Ohio, April 16, 1824, and was about thirty years old when he took up his abode in Hancock county, where he was destined to lead such an active life. He entered actively into business, worked hard, managed well and has been rewarded by an abundance of this world's goods. At the present time he owns two hundred and eighty-six acres of valuable land, situated in Union and Liberty townships. In the last mentioned township there are fifteen oil wells on Mr. Ewing's property, which yield .a handsome and steady revenue, aside from the yield derived through strictly agricultural sources. During bis years of activity, Mr. Ewing was a useful citizen in his township, where he 120 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY served as assessor and in various other capacities of a public nature. Being a man of excellent judgment and progressive ideas, his advice was often sought and he could always be relied on to assist in advancing every cause which promised to aid the community or advance the general welfare. In 1848 Mr. Ewing was united in marriage with Arminda Ann Sheridan, who died a year later without issue. January 29, 1854, Mr. Ewing took a second wife in the person of Miss Elizabeth A. Inzley, who was born in Ashland county, Ohio, September 24, 1833. This union, which has proved an ideally happy one, resulted in the birth of five children ::Alvin C., Judson W. (deceased), Harvey G., Clara A. and Philip W. The father of Mrs. Ewing, T. F. Inzley, was born in Pennsylvania in 1808, and died in South Dakota at eighty-two years of age. The mother of Mrs. Ewing was Amelia (Eagle) Inzley, born in Wayne county, Ohio, in 1808, and died in Hancock county, Ohio, at seventy-five years of age. Mrs. Ewing is a.. woman who, by her in-dustry and economy, has largely aided in making and saving the property which forms the basis of the present comfortable financial condition of herself and husband. The family are members of the Presbyterian church, in which Mr. Ewing held the position of elder for several years. He took up his resi-dence in 'Findlay in 1887, and though he does not worry himself with routine affairs he still keeps up an intelligent supervision of his estate and in his home dispenses a generous hospitality to his friends. HARRY L. TARBOX. Harry L. Tarbox, who is the senior member of the firm of Tarbox & McCall, proprietors of the Tarbox & McCall quarries, which are situated at Findlay, Ohio, is one of the successful business men and much esteemed citizens of this city. Mr. Tarbox is able to trace an honorable ancestry, which, on the maternal side at least, includes one of the most distinguished citizens of the United States. The mother of our subject was Ruth L. Jackson, a daughter of David and Mary Jackson, the former of whom was born on March 3, 1794, in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. David's parents were Robert and Elizabeth (McCorkle) Jackson, who were married in 1786. Robert was a son of another David, who was a native of Ireland. This David was the son of Dr. Joseph Jackson, a native of the North of Ireland, by his second wife, and was born in 173o. This David emigrated to America in 1762, located in Chester county, Pennsylvania, followed blacksmithing and farming and died in Lancaster county in the same state. Dr. Joseph Jackson was born CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 121 in 1690 and was twice married,. his son by his first wife; Andrew, also emigrating to America. Andrew located, in 1765, in. South Carolina, and on March 15, 1767, was born Andrew Jackson, his distinguished son. Thus our subject is but seven generations removed from this great statesman and soldier. Harry L. Tarbox was born in Cedarville, Ohio, in 1858, his father, Samuel Tarbox, being a native of the state of Maine, his mother being a native of Greene county, Ohio. Samuel Tarbox was for many years exten-sively engaged in a lumber business, was successful in his enterprises and was always regarded with respect by his neighbors and fellow-citizens. After finishing his education in the district schools of Cedarville, our subject engaged in the saw mill business and continued in the same even after his removal to Findlay, in 1889. In 1898 he formed his present partnership with James A. McCall and since that time has devoted his energies to the development of his fine quarries. These deposits of stone cover an area of fourteen acres, the limestone rock extending from two to four hundred feet deep. The product is all in the form of crushed stone. This quarry's output per season reaches one thousand carloads and is shipped all over the country. The firm employs eighteen men. March 12, 1884, Mr. Tarbox was married to Miss Essie, daughter of Eliphalet and Sarah Daugherty, and born in Cedarville, Greene county, Ohio, in 186o. To this union were born six children : Nellie, Frederick, Belle, Frank, and Edna and Edwin, twins. Mr. Tarbox has been a useful citizen, has served on the school board with efficiency, and is a Republican in politics. He is a thoroughly reliable business man and one who takes a deep interest in the enterprises which will build up his home. He is giving his children educational advantages and in every way living up to the demands of good citizenship. JAMES CROSS. The family of which the above named is one of the strongest representatives, has been identified with Hancock county affairs since 1835. At that early period Elijah and Elizabeth (Wyant) Cross "moved in" from Fairfield county, where they were both born and had grown to maturity, but decided on a change of residence some years after marriage. At the time Elijah came land of the very best quality was to be had in that part of Ohio very cheaply on easy payments, and the newcomer took advantage of the situation to buy from the government three hundred and twenty acres in 8 122 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Amanda township. Elijah Cross was not only a very worthy man in the ordinary relations of life, but he was in some respects a character remarkable above the average. His strongest characteristic was his religious inclination, which he exhibited throughout life and on all occasions. He threw his home open for the entertainment of. the ministers of the United Brethren church, to which he belonged, and kept the latch string hanging out, as the pioneers used to say-, for every worthy person and every worthy cause. He was by nature gifted with the power of persuasion, and his exhortations are described as remarkable for one not trained to oratory. He supported the gospel liberally and to the full extent of his means, contributing both to the foreign and home missionary establishments of the denomination to which he belonged. He held every office in the church except that of licensed preacher, and his friends always insisted that had he gone into the pulpit regularly he would have made a high reputation for evangelical oratory. One of his accomplishments was the possession of a voice of singular tone and sweetness, which could be heard distinctly in melodious resonance above all other voices in the congregational singing. By his first wife, who came with him from Fairfield county, Elijah Cross had seven children, but all of these have passed away except the gentleman who furnishes the immediate subject of this biography. The second wife was Charity Essec, who became the mother of five children, none of whom are now living. James Cross, who, as above stated, is the only survivor of his father's two sets of children, was born on the Hancock county homestead in July, 184o. His father being a farmer, and a good one, the son was taught the best agricultural methods known at that day, and besides had the principles of morality and honest dealing instilled into him by his pious sire. So when he grew up his chief ambition was to have a place of his own, and in due time he succeeded in Obtaining possession of ten 'acres of land in his native township. This little farm was increased. from time to time until Mr. Cross found himself the proprietor of one hundred and ten acres of as good land as his neighborhood afforded. It is evident without so stating- that he has managed well, and this is indicated by his success and accumulations. In fact "Jim" Cross, as his friends call him, understands his business thoroughly, is shrewd in his bargaining and knows how to get the best possible results from his general farming and stock-raising. In 1865 Mr.. Cross was united in marriage to Mary A., daughter of Benjamin and Christina (Kitsmiller) Shull, old residents of Logan county, where her birth occurred in 1843. The four children of this union are Ida, Clifton, Ada and. Clarence, who share with their parents the good will of those CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 123 who are intimate with the Cross family and know their good qualities. Considering the religious record of his father, we naturally expect to find Mr. Cross and wife in the United Brethren church, and such is the fact, as they are not only members in good standing but enthusiastic as contributors to the general work of the denomination. RAYMOND COLE. During his life time, the subject of this sketch gained success as a farmer and business man, but what is far more valuable, he earned the title of an honest man and a good citizen, an affectionate husband and father. The family from which he sprung were long settled in Delaware and his grandfather, Perry Cole, died in that state during the earlier half of the nineteenth century. He left a son named James, who married Rachel Webster, and with her migrated from their state to Ohio, locating- at Huron, in Erie county, about 1835. At a later period they resided. for a while in. Richland county, but subsequently went to Ashland and from there to Hancock county, where they remained as permanent residents. Their son, Raymond Cole, who was born in Ashland county, Ohio, March 5, 1846, was eighteen years old when his parents came to Hancock county in 1864. He soon established for himself a reputation as a young man of industrious habits and an unusual shrewdness in business. He saved money and in 1872 was able to make his first pur- chase of land, the same- being a tract of eighty acres in Big Lick township. Selling this he purchased lofty acres of land in the same township, adjoining a farm of two hundred acres owned by his wife's parents, for which' they gave them a deed. Locating on this farm he proceeded to improve it and get it under a state of good cultivation, also erecting a beautiful residence, in which his widow and daughter now reside. Raymond Cole was a man of temperate habits, an exemplary member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in every way a citizen without reproach. In business affairs he exhibited that cool judgment which invariably accompanies the successful man. He held the position of steward in his church, trustee of the camp-meeting ground of that denomination and in every way exercised a wholesome influ-ence in his community, always being interested in and providing for the wants of the needy and unfortunate. Mr. Cole was especially fortunate in the selection of a wife and in his marriage relations. In early manhood he became acquainted with Miss H. Kate Ward, which acquaintance ripened into affection and led to their marriage, April 1, 1875. The parents of Mrs. Cole were N. H. and Eliza (McCalla) Ward, both natives of Pennsylvania, 124 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY where their births occurred in 1812 and 1814, respectively. In youth Mr. Ward went with his parents to Columbiana county, Ohio, where he remained until 1834 and then removed to Findlay. In that place he opened a merchant tailoring establishment, and being an excellent mechanic as well as a shrewd man of affairs, his business flourished and he became quite popular with a large list of patrons. He remained in Findlay many years and his financial success enabled him to purchase four hundred and sixty acres of excellent farming land. By his first marriage with a. Miss Bayless Mr. Ward had one child, now deceased; by a second marriage' with a Miss Leonard he also had one child, now dead; by his third marriage there were three children, the two survivors being Mrs. H. Kate Cole and A. J. Ward, the latter now occupying his father's homestead farm. After the death of his second wife, which occurred in Findlay, the elder Mr. Ward removed to Columbiana county, Ohio, where he lived for some years, the births of several of his children occurring there. Eventually he returned to Hancock county and died there January 9, 1888, on the homestead farm, his last wife passing away February 3, 1901. He was a man of moral and upright life, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in the performance. of all duties an example of good citizenship. The union of H. Kate Ward and Raymond Cole resulted in the birth of two children, of whom Frosa McL. is the only one living. Mr. Cole died October 16, 1900. JOHN SCHUBERT. Casper Schubert, who was born at Bremen, Germany, about 1792, concluded a few years after his marriage to one of the neighboring "frauleins" that America offered better opportunities for fame and fortune than any country of the old world. After frequently talking it over with his wife they decided to make the venture, and one fine day in 1835 found them embarking for the new world from one of the ports. of Germany. Crossing the Atlantic in those days was quite a different thing from what it is in this age of ocean greyhounds, which 'compass the distance from shore to shore in less than a week's time. When Casper Schubert, his young wife and two little children, embarked for America it was in a slow sailing vessel, which took three months to make the passage. And a journey of that length in the steerage of an ocean sailer was anything but an enticing undertaking. Water was scarce, provisions short and sleeping bunks uncomfortable to the last degree. The Schuberts long remembered the discomforts of this tedious voyage, and in after years often entertained their children, as they sat around CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 125 the family fireside, with stories of their hardships and wearisome watching for land. Eventually the ship touched dock in New York harbor, and the little party of German emigrants walked feebly ashore to face the new problems awaiting them in this new and untried country. Without much delay they headed for Ohio, and as there were as yet no railways, this, too, proved tiresome and exasperating journey. At length, however, the little party reached their destination and found themselves "all at sea" in the wilds of Crawford county. But Casper Schubert was not a man to be discouraged by ordinary difficulties, and he lost no time in securing some government land, on which he went resolutely to work, with his neighbors consisting principally of wolves and Indians. With German foresight he had brought along with him a few farming tools from the old country, which proved of great value in tilling his wild land. In order to support his family while the first crops were growing Casper worked on the turnpikes then being constructed in the county, and with the money thus earned managed to pull through till harvest time. About 1845 he sold his Crawford county holdings and made a new invest-ment in Big Spring township, of what was then Seneca county. On the farm of eighty acres thus secured he lived in peace and comfort until his death, which occurred in 1888, at the advanced age of ninety-two years. His wife and faithful companion had long preceded him to the grave, her death having taken place as early as 1873. This worthy couple were such stanch members of the German Lutheran church as to be regarded as the main pillars of the edifice and were generally at the front when donations were needed to help along worthy enterprises. Besides the two children who accompanied them from Germany six others were born to them after the settlement in this country. Leander Schubert, one of the boys who crossed the ocean with his parents, was born in Germany in 1823, and consequently had reached his twelfth year when the memorable voyage was entered upon. After reaching' America he learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed with more or less assiduity during the whole of his life, but he also farmed a good deal and, with the assistance of his sons, accumulated landed property amounting to three hundred acres. He was a first-class mechanic, whose services were always in demand, and also ranked as one of the township's useful and enterprising citizens. Occasionally he consented to fill a township office, but as a general thing preferred to attend to his own private business. Leander Schubert was united in marriage with Susan Grove, by whom he had eight children, but only six of these are now living and only two are residents of Hancock county. A. life-long member of the German Baptist church, he served as its treasurer 126 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY for many years and took an active part in all the religious work of this denomination. By his death, which occurred in the fall of 1899, the people of his community realized that they had lost a kind neighbor and a useful man in all the relations of life. John Schubert, son of Leander, was born on the ancestral homestead in Hancock county, Ohio, in 1852, and was reared and educated in Big Lick township. He inherited the industrious traits of his forefathers, also their taste and talent for agriculture, and at an early day took quite naturally to farming pursuits. As he grew up he studied the business both practically and theoretically, watched the latest inventions and improvements, and by reading caught a glimpse of progressive and scientific agriculture. He began business on a very modest scale at first, but soon showed adaptability and a knowledge of trading which have brought him to the front and enabled him to show steady progress in his accumulations. After Various deals in 'real estate, both as a seller and buyer, he finally purchased and in 1886 settled upon his present fine farm of one hundred and twenty-two acres of fertile land in Amanda township. This he has brought into a high state of cultivation and by good farming and good management makes it produce up to the top notch in the way of standard crops and fat stock. December 26, 1878, Mr. Schubert was married to Nancy C., daughter of Abram Rangeler, and a member of an old time family of Big Lick township. The six children resulting from this union are Orpha B., Ernest A., Alletha D., Winnona E., Harry R., and Paul E. Mr. and Mrs. Schubert are members of the United Brethren church, in which he has held the office of steward. His political affiliations are with the Republican party, and he has served the township in various capacities, being a member of the school board for fifteen years. FRANKLIN WISE. The Wise family has been identified with Hancock county affairs for sixty years,. and during that time its members have figured creditably and conspicuously. in various walks of life. The founders of the Ohio branch of this surname were Benjamin and Lydia (Opp) Wise, who came to Hancock county in 184.2 and located in Marion township, on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres. This land was cultivated by such effective methods as to bring its owner a comfortable competence and eventually he rose to a position of influence in his community. This was manifested by his election at various times to township offices, including that of assessor, which he held for several terms. The eight of his eleven children CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 117 now living are: Fannie, Vine, Benjamin J., Mary, Sarah, Lydia, Franklin and Dickson, those deceased being Isabelle, Israel and Jane. The mother of this family died in March, 1885, and the father in 1890. Franklin Wise, next to the youngest of his father's surviving children, was born on the family homestead in Hancock county, Ohio, in 1851, and was reared and educated in Marion township. In 1872, as soon as he had reached his majority, he bought forty acres of land in Big Lick township, but soon disposed of this and purchased another farm in the same locality. In 1885 he bought a tract of fifty-six acres in Amanda township, which was disposed of in 1892 and the proceeds invested in the farm of one hundred and two acres which constitutes his present homestead. It is good land and Mr. Wise, by devoting it to general farming and cultivating as well as managing with care, has met with that. success which usually awaits the patient husbandman. In 1875 he was united in marriage with Miss Harriet, a daughter of James and Mary (Morehart) Van Horn, whose birth occurred in Amanda township in 1852. This union, which has proved in every way congenial and happy, has resulted in the birth of six. children, whose names thus appear in the family register : Ella, Maud, Carrie, Charles, Walter, deceased, and Fern. Benjamin J., an elder brother of Mr. .Wise, is a well known man in Hancock county, having for thirty-five years been a minister of the gospel in the United Brethren church. GEORGE W. ROLLER. The gentleman whose name we here present is a farmer residing in Big Lick township on a farm of one hundred and twenty acres. This farm land he devotes to general farming. He was born in Big Lick township, August 26, 1858, the son of Michael and Elizabeth (Swindler) Roller. His life has been passed in the township, it being the uneventful one of those who live in the country engaged in agricultural pursuits. His whole life and attention have been given to that vocation, in which he has been preeminently successful. Since 1883 he. has, been residing on his present farm, on which are in operation eight producing oil wells. Mr. Roller has always been interested in the public life and utilities of the township and has been honored a number of times by election as township trustee, an office which he has filled with great satisfaction to his constituency. February 17, 1881, Mr. Roller married. Miss Jennie, the daughter of George and Melissa (Jally) Vickers, and the chil-dren by this union are an interesting group, consisting of Harley, born Jan- 128 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY uary 15, 1882; Lodema, March 27, 1884; Otas, March 21, 1887; Clark, February 10, 1893, and now deceased; and Willis, July 5, 1896. The mother of this family is also a native of the county, born in Cass township, December 22, 186i. His father, Michael Roller, was a native of the Buckeye state, born in Columbiana county, March 3, 1822. His mother, Elizabeth, was born in Jefferson county, Ohio. Michael Roller was a practical farmer, whose life in the community was above reproach, and whose friends were numerous. He was honored with office many times, filling acceptably various positions in the township. His family numbered eight children : Sara, William, Mary, Filena, George W., Ida, Henry and Lorena. He died August 13, 1886, aged sixty-four years, and his wife departed this life May 8, 1902, at the age of seventy-seven. The paternal grandparents of our subject were William and Charlotte Roller, of Quaker faith, of Democratic affinities and of Pennsylvania Dutch descent. They with their eight children came to this county in 1834 and located in Big Lick township, where William entered a quarter section of land from the govemment. Their children took up the burden of life as they came of age, and have been useful members of society in Hancock county and have done their share in making- it what it. is to-day, one of the finest sections of the great state of Ohio. The Vickers family, into which Mr. Roller married, was of English extraction and prominent people in this county from a very early day. They were Methodists in faith and the history of Methodism in Hancock county cannot be written without mention of their services. A more extended history of this family will be found elsewhere in this volume. Mr. George W. Roller is a worthy and honored resident of this county, where he is held in high esteem for his many good qualities and excellencies of heart and mind. BENJAMIN KISTLER, SR. This well known and most industrious citizen is a resident of Marion township, where he conducts most successfully one of the best farms in Han-cock county. He is a native of Fairfield county, Ohio, where, on January 30, 1817, he first opened his eyes to the light. His education was of very limited nature because of his environment, and the age in which he was born, things entirely beyond his control, but endowed by nature with a strong constitution and a will which brought things to pass in his favor, he became permanently successful as a farmer. His parents were Benjamin and Elizabeth Kistler, one of the oldest and most respected families in Fairfield county, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 129 where the former owned and operated a flouring mill and a saw mill. He removed to the Buckeye state seven years previous to the date of our sub-ject's birth, where he died in 1822. The gentleman whose name heads this paragraph is a self-made man in the truest sense of the word. It is well to remark that the history of a state as well as that of a nation is chiefly the chronicle of the life and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity on society. The world judges the character and deeds of a community by its representative citizens, and yields its tributes of admiration and respect for the genius, learning and virtues of those whose works and actions constitute the record of a state's prosperity and pride; and it is by their character as exemplified in benevolence and kindly virtues in the affairs of life, that we are afforded worthy examples for emulation and valuable lessons of incentive. To a student of biography, there is nothing more interesting than to examine the life history of' a self-made man, and to detect the elements of character which have enabled him to pass on the highway of life many of the companions of his youth, who at the outset of their career were more advantageously equipped or endowed. The subject of this review has through his own exertions attained an honorable position among the citizens of Hancock county, and it may be said truthfully that he is the architect of his own fortunes, and one whose success amply justifies the application of the somewhat hackeyed, but most expressive title, a self-made man. Returning from this digression to the consideration of the biography of Mr. Kistler, he removed froth Pickaway county in February of 1841, and succeeded in accumulating two hundred and forty acres of valuable land, on some of which he now resides in his old age. His farming has been of a general character, and owing to the scientific manner in which he has conducted it, has been profitable in the extreme. Mr. Kistler is now living a retired life, having. done what many thoughtful man may well ponder upon, by dividing his land among his sons before his death in order to save lawyers' fees. December 3, 1840, he was married to Sarah Searfuss, by whom he had seven children : David, Henry, Benjamin, Jr., Clarinda J., John and William, besides a deceased child. The mother of this family was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, in 1819, and is still a woman of robust health and excellent spirits. During his lifetime, Mr. Kistler has performed his full share of the duties devolving on township officers, but he is by no means a politician. They are both members and active workers in the Lutheran church, and have the respect and friendship in their old age of a large circle of acquaintances in Hancock and adjoining counties. Our subject's grand- 130 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY father, Henry, with two brothers, emigrated from Germany in the seventeenth century and settled in .a valley in Pennsylvania, which was called Kistler valley, and is known as such to this day. Henry's wife also came to this country at the age of sixteen, was married in Kistler valley to Henry, and their descendants have all been honest and prosperous and mostly members of the Lutheran church. DAVID W. SAUSSER. The families of Sausser and Hemry, which subsequently intermarried, were among the earliest of the Hancock county pioneers. The first arrivals came when most of the land was wild, but little progress made toward improvement of any kind and government itself in a chaotic state. The story of how all this was changed in a few decades to the present garden spot need not be repeated here, but it is proper to say that the descendants of the families mentioned above bore their full share of .the work in bringing the county to the front. Isaac Sausser, who may properly be called the immigrant founder came from Pennsylvania during the first quarter of the nineteenth century and entered eighty. acres of land in Jackson township. Shortly after his arrival he was married to Elizabeth Hemry, whose parents had moved in some years before from Harrison county, Ohio, where she was born. On the homestead thus established this couple went to housekeeping and there shared together the joys and sorrows of more than half a century. They were members of the Church of Christ and of quiet, unassuming lives, devoted to. their children and thoughtful in the discharge. of all social duties. Isaac was a hatter by trade and did considerable work in this line in connec-tion with his regular business of farming. Altogether he prospered fairly well, and at the end had something to show as the result of his long and industrious life.. He closed his earthly career in 1892, and his faithful companion, after surviving him seven years, passed away in 1899. Of their six children four are still living and named as follows : John D., Jesse, Sarah and David W. David W. Sausser, youngest of the surviving children, was born on the old homestead in Jackson township, Hancock county, June 25, 1838. As he grew up he was trained to farm work, and this was in line with the business he has always followed since reaching- maturity. His first venture as a land owner was made when he bought a tract of forty acres in his native township, but after working this three years he disposed of it in 1874 and purchased his present holding of seventy-three acres. At the time he took pos- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 131 session this was virgin soil, wholly unimproved, but Mr. Sausser has brought it out greatly. By the necessary fencing and outbuilding, clearing, grubbing and road making, but above all by scientific cultivation, such as .soil renovation and crop rotation, he has made his farm one of the finest of its size in the county. In 1865 Mr. Sausser Was married to Sarah, daughter of John and Eliza Snider, well known citizens of Amanda, township, and of their ten children the following named nine are living: Zella, Etta, Viola, Abbie, Louie, J. F., W. E., .B. L. and Dail. The family are members of the United Brethren church, and Mr. Sausser's connection with public affairs has been confined to holding the office of constable for three years, justice of the peace the same length of time and assessor one term. He is also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, which honor he earned by service in Company A, Forty-seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer. infantry, during the Civil war. He went through the great Georgia campaign in 1864, assisted in the capture of Fort McAlister and received an honorable discharge at the close of hos-tilities. HERMON T. SHULL. The Shull family have been connected with Hancock county affairs since 1846, and have done their full share toward helping along the general development. Almost without exception the men have been farmers for generations back and they have ranked with the industrious and progressive element of the agricultural class.. They have figured also in the educational and other public interests of their township and in these as well as other matters have always been regarded as substantial and reliable citizens. Benjamin Shull, a native of Fairfield county, was the founder of the Hancock county branch of his family name. He married Christena Kitsmiller, of Franklin county, and removed in 1846 to Hancock county, where they established a homestead in what is now Amanda township. Eighty acres of virgin soil were purchased, the usual log cabin erected and the hard work of clearing begun without further delay. In due time this became a fertile farm and the hospitable home where all the rising generation of Shulls were reared and eventually sent out into the world to make their own living. They had the advantage of excellent parents, their father being an estimable man, who took much interest in educational matters and rose to a position of influence in his township. He retired from active business in 1887, lost his wife by death in 1892 and ended his own earthly career September 15, 1902, on his eighty-seventh birthday. This excellent couple were of religious inclinations and for many years zealous members of the United Brethren church, in which 132 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY the father served as class leader and trustee. They reared a fafamilof six children, whose names are thus recorded in the family register : John H., Mary A., William C., Harmon T., Sylvanus and Isaac L. Harmon T. Shull, who comes third in this list, was born on his father's farm, in Amanda township, Hancock county, Ohio, August 6, 1849, and grew to maturity on the family homestead. He had the benefit of a good education, received in the schools of the district and those of Mount Blanchard and Findlay. His first business venture was in the school room, and he taught for several years both before and after his marriage. This, however, was only intended as a kind of preparatory discipline, as it was always his intention to follow the hereditary vocation of farming, and this he entered upon in earnest when about twenty-five years old. His first purchase of real estate was made in 1874, and consisted of fifty-five acres, which he cultivated six years and then purchased another tract of seventy-eight acres. This also was disposed of, in 1882, when Mr. Shull bought his present homestead in Amanda township, consisting of one hundred and seventy-two acres. Since settling here he has greatly improved the place by building, repairing and scientific methods of cultivation. He does not attempt anything "fancy," but contents himself with general farming and the breeding of standard stock for the market, by which plan he has steadily forged ahead and become both a progressive and prosperous farmer. In 1870 Mr. Shull was united in marriage with Miss Mary E., daughter of John and Eliza Snider, of Amanda township, and of their four children the only ones living are: Lorin V. and Ray G. The family are members of the United Brethren. church and the political predilections of Mr. Shull are with the Republican party. He has held the office of school director, and is at present serving as trustee of the township. JOHN W. SWAB. John W. Swab, of Marion township, is a gentleman worthy of mention in a work which purports, as does this one, to record the principal points in the biographical records of the prominent citizens of Hancock county. He is the proprietor of what is known as the East Findlay Dairy Farm, which is situated on Blanchard's river, three miles east of Findlay as the crow flies. This farm contains one hundred and forty-three acres of possibly the most productive land in Hancock county, being excellently watered by the Blanchard river, and having been personally conducted by a gentleman of the agricultural taste and ability of Mr. Swab, its value has been greatly increased. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 133 Mr. Swab is an extensive dairyman and a breeder of fancy stock, his herd at the present time consisting of sixty-eight head. About half of these are the Dutch Belted breed, which is prolific as well as rich in quality. His barns are commodious and of the most modern construction, and he has in his buildings every machine and device of modem construction that is known to the dairy business. The breed of cattle known as the Belted Breed are superior animals and always brings top market prices. They combine beauty of form and utility of product in the highest degree. In constitution they are exceedingly strong and hearty, their beef is tender and easy to accumulate, and their disposition mild. Their milk is superior in flow and quality, all things considered, to any other breed of cattle. These superior qualities awarded them the highest prize at the Columbian Exposition in 1893. Mr. Swab handles daily on an average from thirty-nine cows about six hundred pounds of milk. He is not only a practical dairyman, but a most scientific farmer. Everything about his premises evidences the touch of this master hand. His home is heated and lighted free from the natural gas flowing froth his own farm, on which there are three gas wells. Mr. Swab was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1853, and when a lad of but ten years removed with his parents to Ohio, where he has spent the subsequent part of his life. His education was of the variety and extent that could be secured in the country school, but being of an inquiring and docile disposition he has all along during life supplemented this by a practical education, without which the best school education is at fault. He began his married life in 1879, when he chose Emma E. Walter to preside over his home. To this happy union there have been three children born: Nettie, Frank and Julia. The parents of Mr. Swab were Solomon and Catherine (Galloway) Swab, both of whom were natives of the Keystone state, and who removed from Washington county in that state to Ohio in 1863. Solomon Swab has been a man of very great activity and is still well preserved at the age of eighty-seven years. In religious faith, Mr. Swab is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and enters into all the public life of his immediate part of the county with willingness and zest. Our subject's grandfather crossed the Rhine in the eighteenth century from Holland and located in Pennsylvania. Emma E. Walter was the daughter of David and Amanda Walter, both born in Pennsylvania. The former, who has been a successful farmer, now resides with his children at the age of eighty-one. The mother, Amanda, died in 1900 at the age of sixty-eight. Her parents, Henry and Mary Bear, were of old Virginia stock. 134 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. SOLOMON N. ROBERTS. This name has long been a familiar one in Hancock county, and its representatives, commencing irk pioneer days, have at every period since their settlement been influential in connection with the general development. David and Fannie Roberts, whose births occurred in Fairfield county, Ohio, about the:closing of the first decade of the nineteenth century, came shortly after their marriage to Hancock county, Where "they located on forty acres of land in Big Lick township. The warrant for this land was signed by no less a person than General Andrew Jackson, better known as "Old Hickory," who was then serving his second term as President. As times prospered with the newcomers they saved money and eventually added to their original little farm one hundred and twenty acres more. David Roberts, besides being a good farmer, was a pious Christian and a man of most exemplary life. He was a leading elder and trustee of the Christian Union church and donated the land on which the local building of that denomination was constructed. His influence for good in his community was great and his active. benevolence, constantly exerted where it would do the most good, made David Roberts a useful and indeed a model citizen. A good neighbor, a progressive farmer and a friend of every worthy cause, he enjoyed and well deserved an esteem and consideration which is seldom bestowed upon a private citizen. The long and blameless life of this worthy man terminated in 1887, when he was sev-enty-seven years old, he being born in 1810. By two marriages Mr. Roberts had twelve children, nine by the first and three by the second, of whom eleven grew to maturity, seven are still living, and four of these are residents of Hancock county. David Roberts's second wife was Mary (Plummer) Rickets, a widow, and only one of her children survives. David J. died in February, 1890. Our subject's mother died when he was four years old, and six of her children survive her.. Solomon N. Roberts, the subject of this sketch, was the son of David and Fannie Roberts, and this birth occurred in Hancock county, Ohio, April 14, 1852. He ;was brought up on the paternal homestead in Big Lick township and went through the usual experiences of farmers' boys, attending school in winter and working on the farm in summer. He inherited some land from the estate of his father after the latter's death and to this he added one hundred acres, which constitute his present holdings in Big Lick township. His whole life has been devoted to agricultural pursuits and his farm, consisting now of one hundred and thirty acres, has been well cultivated. As a general all around farmer he ranks among the first in his community, his ideas being CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 135 progressive and his methods up-to-date. Personally he is quite popular with his fellow citizens, who elected him township. assessor, and like his father his life has been moral and upright. April 10, 1873, Mr. Robert was united in. marriage with Miss Susan D. Swihart, .member of one of the old and strongly established families of the county. Her parents, Aaron and Christina D. Swihart, came to Hancock When it was still little more than a primitive wilderness, and they bore their full share of the burdens incident to pioneer life. Aaron Swihart, who died in August, 1893, aged seventy-seven years, was a man of great worth and most excellent character, whose vigorous mind and enterprising disposition overcame all difficulties and enabled him to accumulate a fine body of land, ornamented with a handsome brick residence, in which his widow still resides. The latter was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, and was one year old when brought to this country. The union of Solomon N. and Susan (Swihart) Roberts proved congenial and fruitful, and eleven of their thirteen children are still living, named as follows in order of birth: Rosetta M., born September 22, 1876; Elma L., born August 26, 1878; Lucy A., b0rn January 19, 1880; David J., born May 2, 1882; Alton D., born April 1, 1884; Bertha L., born March 13, 1886; Cora D., born June 28, 1887; Edna L., born January 12, 1890; Aaron J., born May 10, 1892; Nellie S., born May 13, 1896; and Lola D., born September 16, 1898. The oldest child, Christina L., was born May 21, 1875, and died September 19, 1875. Charles C., the eleventh child, was born June 25, 1894, and died April 22, 1897.. Mrs. Roberts, who was born on her father's farm in Big Lick township, March 20, 1856, has proved a. most affectionate companion as well as wise adviser of her husband and is fairly idolized by her children. They are strict members of the Christian Union church, in which Mr. Roberts has held the position of first elder and is trustee at the present time. George Swihart, the grandfather of Mrs. Roberts, who was a farmer and blacksmith, died at an advanced age. ANDREW HARTMAN. Among the contributions from Pennsylvania to the citizenship of eastern Ohio was the family of Hartmans, who have done their full share since arriving in Hancock county as members of the business community. Philip Hartman was born in Pennsylvania in the first half of the nineteenth century and came to Hancock county, Ohio, about the year 1842. He located on a farm in Jackson township and spent the remainder of his life in the peaceful pursuits of agriculture and gaining the esteem of all his neighbors 136 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY by the probity of his character and honesty of his dealings. At the .time of his death, which occurred July 27, 1883, he was recognized as one of the successful farmers and most blameless citizens of his community. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Moses and Merry A. Elsea, the former of whom was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, and moved to Eagle township in 1835, where he spent his life as a farmer. Andrew Hartman, son of Philip, was born on his father's farm in Jackson township, Hancock county, Ohio, April 19, 1869, and grew to maturity in the locality of his nativity. He worked in the country for some years after becoming of age, removed to Findlay, October 11, 1898, clerked in a grocery store for six months, and then bought a grocery of his own, with which business he has made a good success. Mr. Hartman is one of the. youngest business men of the city, and though only there a short time has already shown an aptitude that bids fair to place him among the leading merchants. January 26, 1893, Mr. Hartman was married in Hancock county to Miss Mary McClellan, by whom he has three children : Cleo May, born May 1, 1895 ; Hazel Lavern, born January 29, 1897; and Everett McClellan, born September 19, 1898. Mrs. Mary A. Hartman was born November 6, 1873, and is a daughter of Thomas and Sophia McClellan, of Eagle township, Hancock county. Mr. Hartman is a member of the Lutheran church and is a welcome guest in the best social circles of Findlay. WILLIAM P. WISELY. The above mentioned, who is one of Findlay's most popular young men, belongs to a family which has been: identified with Hancock county from its earliest history. In fact his grandfather was at the very beginning of things in the county, being one of the first five men who made their appearance in its limits. This was as far back as 1831, and Allen Wisely helped survey the county when it was still in its state of primeval wilderness. With wise forethought, however, he foresaw that there was a future for Hancock county and invested in a tract of land of considerable extent, which he spent his subsequent life in cultivating. He achieved remarkable success in his calling, and at the time of his death in 1888, at the age of eighty years, was possessed of a fine estate of three thousand acres of land. Allen Wisely married Amelia Bright, and of his eight children those now living are Mrs. Sarah Davis, Mrs. America Glick, Loraine and Daniel S. Wisely, all of whom have been successful in life and are now in comfortable circumstances. The eldest of the eight children was William P. Wisely-, who followed in his father's CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 137 footsteps as a successful farmer, and when he died, twenty-five years ago, at the comparatively early age of fifty-one years, owned one of the handsomest landed estates the county. He was 'a member of the United Brethren church. a man of upright life and strict integrity in business dealings and in a quiet way exercised considerable influence in his community. He married Elizabeth Balton, and to this union we are indebted for the bright young man whose career and present status constitute the basis of this brief biography. William P. Wisely, namesake, as well as worthy successor of his honored father, was born at Findlay, Ohio, September 5, 1873. He had the benefit of a good education at the college in his native city, from which he was sent forth with a diploma in the class of 189i. Though still under legal age he lost no time. in entering business, and in connection with his brother, opened the ice and coal enterprise which still occupies his attention, and in the prosecution of which he has been quite successful. But it is not simply by his energetic management of the People's Ice & Coal Company that Mr. Wisely is known to the public of Findlay and the county of which it is the capital. He has figured actively in various capacities calculated to attract attention, and though still less than thirty years old is quite prominent in politics and recognized as one of the leaders of his party. Already he has served two years in the city council from the first ward of Findlay, and in 1900 was honored by the Democratic party as its candidate for the state legislature from Hancock county. Though the district is Republican and it was an "off year" for the Democrats, Mr. Wisely polled the full vote. of his organization and came out of the contest with credit. On the social side of life and in connection with the prominent fraternities, Mr. Wisely displays  the same suavity and geniality of address that have given him popularity in politics and business. For one of his age he has achieved unusual prominence in Masonry, having reached the thirty-second degree in that ancient order, being- a member of Findlay Commandery, No. 49, the Lake Erie Consistory in Cleveland, and the blue lodge at Findlay. In addition to this he. is conspicuous in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and altogether no young man in Findlay does his part .more fully than Mr. Wisely in connection with the city's social activities. On the 4th of June, 1895, Mr. Wisely led to the matrimonial altar Miss Bessie B. McLeod, and received the congratulations of many friends on his wise selection, as this young lady was not only of attractive personality, but a member Of one of the standard families of the community. Her father, Dr. Joseph R. McLeod, who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume, is one 9 138 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY of the oldest and best known physicians in the county, as well as .a man of influence in other departments of life aside froth the professional. By his union with Miss McLeod, Mr. Wisely has three bright children : Frank, the eldest, was born May 21, 1897; Helen E., September 19, 1900; and Joseph R., the baby of the family, commenced life's journey November 16, 1901. ISAAC HERSHEY. A stormy, hard-working and adventurous life has been that of the subject of this sketch, whose name is given above. The first part of it was that of an orphan boy, compelled at a tender age to delve and dig for the bare means of subsistence. Later it was a war career, not only involving the usual dangers of fighting, but attended by a wound so deadly and desperate that none thought survival possible. But our subject fought bravely through it all and is not only here to tell the tale, but has been able to do much hard work at various callings and has something to show for his industry. The Hersheys were Pennsylvanians, the grandfather of our subject being Christian Hershey, who lived and died in the Keystone state. His son, Benjamin Hershey, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1810, and removed to Hancock county, Ohio, where he died December 28, 1857. He married Sarah Tritch, by whom he had seven children, the surviving four being : Isaac; Henry; Harriet, wife of Benjamin Runyon, and William. Isaac Hershey, the eldest of these children, was born October 10, 1845, in what is now a part of Findlay, Ohio, and there received a little education in his early childhood. His father died when he was twelve years old, and after that, for some years, it was a hard struggle for the boy. He was compelled to work at anything he could get to do, his jobs being on farms, in lime-kilns, doing chores and other juvenile employments as exacting as they were ill paid. So matters went along until the fall of 1863, when, in his eighteenth year, young Hershey determined to enter the army. He enlisted as a private in Company A, Twenty-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which command he served until disabled in the following year. His regiment was with Sherman dying the spring and summer of 1864 in his onward march to Atlanta. Young Hershey had fighting enough to do to satisfy the military ambition of any boy, but he proved equal to the emergency and bore himself well at every critical moment. The principal battles in which he was engaged were those at Ringgold, Buzzard's Roost, Rocky Face Gap, Resaca, Kennesaw Mountain, and Vining Station, all in Georgia. He was shot in the left wrist at Kennesaw Mountain, but did not leave the field in consequence of CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 139 this injury. At Vining Station, however, he was so dangerously wounded that for a long time afterward no hopes were entertained of his recovery. The ball entered the right arm just below the shoulder and passed entirely through his body, coming out on the left side. He was struck down July 9, 1864, and all during the rest of that day and night and until the following afternoon he lay on the field of battle, weltering in his blood, unsought and uncared for. When finally found, it was discovered that under the effects of the hot weather and scorching July sun, the wound had generated maggots. Though the physicians despaired of saving him, he was sent to the hospital at Marietta, Georgia, later to Nashville, and from there to Louisville, Ken-tucky. Though by one of those unaccountable causes, which occasionally save desperately stricken soldiers, Mr. Hershey had escaped one great danger, his troubles were by no means ended. At Louisville he was transferred to the Reserve Corps and sent to Jackson, Michigan, where the alarming discovery was made that he had the smallpox, and this necessitated his confinement at the pest-house. He recovered from this dangerous disease also and later served on garrison duty at various places until his discharge, which occurred August 27, 1866, at Fort Mackinac, Michigan. After receiving his discharge Mr. Hershey returned to Findlay, Ohio, and shortly afterward engaged in the business of farming, lime-burning and stone-quarrying. In 1882 he abandoned the two lines first mentioned, and confined his work entirely to stone-quarrying, and this has constituted his employment up to the present time. Mr. Hershey has never married, but pleads guilty to the charge of being an "old bachelor," though like most of that class, he is of jovial disposition, fond of company, and by no means averse to the society of ladies. He is a member of the United Brethren church, and Republican in politics, but has never belonged to any- secret society. JOSEPH CRAMER. Joseph Cramer is a farmer located in Liberty township, Hancock county, Ohio, and devotes his valuable farm of one hundred and twenty acres to general farming. His excellent methods, combined with his practical knowledge, have resulted in a farm which is generally regarded as one of the best in the township. The birth of Mr. Cramer occurred in Liberty township, on April 16, 1855, and there he was reared and educated. His parents were Andrew and Christina (Allen) Cramer, pioneers in Hancock county, the former of whom is deceased, and the latter a resident of Liberty township. 140 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY With the exception of twelve years spent in Wood county, Ohio, our subject has been identified all his life with the interests of Hancock county. From his earliest business life he has been connected with agricultural pursuits, and he has followed methods which have resulted in excellent returns. On March 16, 1876, Mr. Cramer was married to Miss Elizabeth S., a daughter of William and Sarah Crossley, the former of whom was born in 1820 and the latter in 1825. They were married in 1842 and their children were: Catherine, Polly, Lydia, Jacob, Elizabeth S. and Joshua. The birth of Mrs. Cramer occurred January 22, 1859, and she died December 16, 1895. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Cramer were:. Metta, Who was born in 1876 and married A. Johnson; Sarah, who was born in 1877 and married J. Beckman; Fannie, who was born in 1879 and married F. St. Clair; Pearl, who was born in 1882 and married Ora Laudenback August 15, 1902 ; Eva, born in 1887; Hermon, born in 1889; Franklin, born in 1892; and William Ray, born in 1894. In politics AtIr. Cramer is a Democrat. JOHN PETERMAN. Among the brave men who devoted the opening years of their manhood to the defense of our country during the dark days of the Civil war was John Peterman, now a prominent farmer of Jackson township, Hancock county, Ohio. There he was born on the 16th of May, 1840:, a son of John and Mary Ann ( Jones) Peterman, who were natives of Pennsylvania and Maryland, respectively. During the childhood of Mrs. Peterman her father left home never to be heard of again and as a young girl she came to Ohio, where she was first married at the age of sixteen years. Later she became the wife of John Peterman, Sr., their marriage being celebrated in Holmes county, Ohio. He had come from Pennsylvania when a young man and entered the employ of his brother, James Peterman, a contractor in building canal locks, and for him he worked as a stone mason. About 1834 he took up his residence in Hancock county, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, on which a small clearing had been made and a cabin erected thereon, paying for the same five hundred dollars, though government land. could have been entered all around him. That farm is now the property of William Oman and adjoins the property of Asa Ellis. There the father of our subject continued to make his home until his death, which occurred in August, 1863, when he was fifty-six years of age. He had cleared one hundred acres of his land and placed it under cultivation and erected thereon the commodious residence which is still standing, it being built when CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 141 our subject was a lad of thirteen years. On coming to the county the father found the woods full of. wild. game and he killed a large number of deer, many of which were shot from his own doorway. The largest ever killed in that locality was shot in that way. During. the first year of his residence here Mr. Peterman killed twenty-three and that without any effort at -hunt-ing-. Although he took an active part in politics. as a supporter of the Democratic party, he would never accept office. His wife survived him for thirty-one years, dying in November, 1894., at the ripe old age of eighty-six years. In the family of this worthy couple were ten children who reached years years of maturity, namely: James, a resident of Jackson township; Sarah, who married Fred Marquet and dred at the age of sixty-five years; William, who died at the age of forty-four; John, Jr., of this review; Mary Jane, wife of Jacob Bishop; Joseph, who became a soldier of the Civil war and was killed by guerrillas near Peach Tree Creek while on a foraging expedition; Harriet, who married Jacob Greno and died twenty-four years ago; Napoleon Bonaparte, who served in the heavy. artillery during the war and is now living in this state; Nancy,. who married Bolser Hammond and died young; and Martha, who wedded Eli McClelland and died young. During his minority the subject of this sketch remained under the parental roof but when the country became involved in Civil war he could no longer be content to remain at home and at the first. call for seventy-five thousand men to aid in suppressing the rebellion, he enlisted in April, 1861, for three months, as a member of Company F, Twenty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry. :With his command he was first sent to Gallipolis, later did guard duty on the Ohio river, and subsequently went to Charleston, West Virginia, to drive General Wise out. After four months and two weeks in the service, Mr. Peterman was mustered out, but a week later he re-enlisted for three years in Company C, First Ohio Cavalry, under Command of Captain N. D. Menken, being one of the first to join the regiment, which was assigned to the army of the Potomac. As orderly he was placed on the staff of General Shields and served as orderly guard when that general was in command of the army in the valley of Virginia. He aided in the defense of the city of Washington until General Pope took command, and later was special orderly for General Roberts, who was chief of Pope's staff. He took part in the battle of Cedar Mountain and in all of the engagements until the second battle of Bull Run. At Catlett Station Pope's headquarters' train was captured, and at the same time Mr. Peterman was taken prisoner while carrying an order for General Roberts, but a few minutes later saw a chance to escape, though he had to leave behind him his. horse and 142 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY revolver. He remained with the headquarters' train: until the second battle of Bull Run and during that fight carried orders for General Pope, having volunteered in place of another orderly. After the engagement he went to Washington, D. .C., and in the defense of the city he remained there as orderly under General Hayes. He was also with that commander during the Gettysburg. campaign and was in the thickest of the fight near the cemetery. Soon afterward he had his. leg broken and. when able to travel was sent to rejoin his regiment, which had been in Tennessee and Kentucky all this time, only Companies A and C being in Virginia. Up to this time Mr. Peterman had never been with his regiment at all, as these two companies had been sent to the front before his regiment was organized. He joined his command at Nashville, Tennessee, and was there discharged on the expiration of his term of enlistment. Although he was in twenty-three battles, besides numerous skirmishes:, and had his clothes pierced by bullets many times, he was fortunately never wounded, though he got a sliver in his cheek from a cannon ball striking the timbers of a bridge over which he was stationed. Having a desire to be in action all of the time he served mainly on special orderly duty and was armed with sabre and revolver. He captured. several prisoners himself, was a brave and fearless soldier, and, was faithful. in the discharge of any trust committed to his care. He is now an honored member of Stoker Post, G. A.. R., of Findlay. On leaving the army Mr: Peterman resumed the more quiet duties of farm life, taking charge of the old homestead, as his father had died while he was. at the front. When the place was -sold he bought eighty acres, which he traded in 1873 for his present farm in Jackson township, which. had been entered by Dr. Barrett Needles' and which cost our subject eleven thousand five hundred and, fifty dollars, going twenty-five hundred dollar's in debt for the same. It comprises two hundred and twenty acres, about forty-five acres of which Mr. Peterman himself has cleared, and one hundred and ninety acres of the tract is now under a high state of cultivation and well improved; He has paid out about three thousand dollars for tiling and draining and the land is now in first-class condition, being very rich and productive. In ton, nection with general farming he has engaged in the feeding of stock for some years but is not a shipper, selling what he fattens for market to the butchers of Findlay. Upon his home place he has erected a good barn and remodeled the residence so that he. now has one of the best improved farms in the township, and it is pleasantly located seven and a half miles southeast of Findlay. He also owns a small farm nearer the city which is devoted to gardening, and upon which he has erected a couple of residences. Besides CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 143 this property he has an eighty acre tract of gas and oil land which is now being developed, and he is numbered among the prosperous and substantial citizens of his community. On the 11th of June, 1868, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Peterman and Miss Mary. A. Mains., a daughter of Joel and Elizabeth (Groves) Mains, of Jackson township. She was born in Huntington, Indiana, and was a young lady on coming to Hancock county about four or five years prior to her marriage. Her father, who was a chairmaker by trade; was a native of Fairfield county, Ohio, and a son of Jacob Mains, who came to Findlay about forty-five years ago and here operated a woolen mill and card machine. After their marriage in Fairfield county Mrs. Peterman's parents removed to Huntington, Indiana, and from there came to Hancock county, Ohio, locating on a farm in Jackson township. Mr. Mains did not, however, engage in agricultural pursuits, but worked at his trade in Findlay. He died in November, 1867: His widow subsequently made her home. with Mrs. Peterman for five years. The. children born to our subject and his wife are George Anson, Mary E., Nancy J., Thomas L., Oscar E., Blaine; Gertrude, Bertie. L., John Sherman and Maudie May. Mr. Peterman cast his first presidential ballot for Stephen. A. Douglas; the Democratic candidate, but since that time has always supported the Republican party and has attended Many of its conventions; taking an active interest in political affairs. Although his township is Democratic he, has been elected to the offices of Supervisor and trustee, which fact plainly indicates the confidence reposed in him as well as his personal popularity. Socially he is a member of the Odd Fellows. lodge at Mount: Blanchard, and both he and his wife are members of the Rebecca branch of that order: They are well and favorably known, and are held in the highest esteem in the community where they reside. ISAAC C. SNIDER. Elsewhere in a sketch devoted to William F. Snider considerable space was devoted to the family generally, but. especially to the pioneer parents of the subject. We are now to deal with a younger brother of William F., and it will hardly be necessary to repeat the particulars previously given concerning the founders of his family in Hancock county. John and Elizabeth (Treece) Snider, who were married in Hancock county about 1836, went to farming on a small place bought by the husband about that time, but later considerably increased. Among their children was Isaac C. Snider, whose birth 144 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY occurred on this farm in Amanda township, Hancock county, September 29, 1856. His education was obtained in his native township and included two terms at the Mount Blanchard high school. Like his ancestry for generations he chose farming for his life work and. evidently selected well, as he has not only exhibited a remarkable aptitude for this noble calling-, but has achieved in its pursuit a, distinct and unusual success. In 1878 he made his first invest-ment in real estate, consisting of a tract of sixty acres of farm land., and this was increased ten years later by an additional purchase of forty-six acres. These constitute the home farm where he now resides, and it is on these one hundred and six acres of land that he has achieved such notable results as a stock-raiser. He keeps the best grades in all lines, but makes a specialty of Delaine sheep, of which he has one hundred and twenty head, and twenty head of standard register. This breed of sheep furnish an unusually valuable fleece, used principally in the manufacture of the finest grades of tweed cloth. It is a pleasure to look over Mr. Snider's place, neatly improved as it is with convenient buildings and animated by herds of fat swine and sleek cattle, ready for the market. Besides stock Mr. Snider's farm is famous for fruit of all kinds suitable to that latitude and its prolific crops of fine apples, peaches and smaller varieties have made it known far and wide. In fact his enterprise, "go-aheadativeness" and progressive. methods have given Mr. Snider high standing among Hancock county's agriculturists, and he receives as well as deserves the name of a.model farmer. In 1878 Mr. Snider was united in marriage with Miss Laura, daughter Of David and Rosilla Alspacgh, and a native of Wyandot county, by whom he has four children : Ulta, wife of Frank Sampson, of Delaware township; Edgar F.; Lulu; and Metta. The family are members of the United Brethren church, of which Mr. Snider is district steward. He cares nothing for office, but was once elected justice of the peace. His mind is centered entirely. on farming affairs, in which he has achieved such creditable results, and as an aid to his noble calling he organized the Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company, which though only got under way in 1898 is already in a flourishing condition. NOAH LEE. Noah Lee, who owns a fine farm in Jackson township, was born in Amanda township. Hancock county, August 15, 1845, and is a son of Richard and Lydia (Wyant) Lee, both of whom were born and reared in Fairfield county, this state. The paternal grandparents were Zebulon and Margaret CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 145 Lee, whose birth occurred on the banks of the Susquehanna river, the former born May 16, 1758, the latter September 9, 177o. The Lee family is of English lineage and was established in America in colonial days. When the colonies attempted to throw off the yoke of British oppression the grandfather joined the army which achieved the independence of the nation. He served as a mail carrier and as a spy and experienced the hardships of the memorable winter at Valley Forge. After peace had been declared and the republic established he brought his family to Ohio, settling in Fairfield county at an early day. When his son Richard came to Hancock county he came with him and spent his last years in Amanda township, passing away when our subject was about seven or eight years of age. He had been crippled while in the Revolutionary service, but he survived until ninety-four years of age. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Margaret Courtright, survived him for more than thirty years, and was ninety-three years of age when called to her final rest. Their children were Rachel, Noah, Daniel, John, Richard and Stephen. Stephen Lee, born February 15, 1813, also resided in Amanda township. Richard Lee, the father of our subject, was reared in Fairfield county, and in 183o came to Hancock county and entered a tract of land, upon which he located in the spring of the following year. He took up his abode in the midst of the wilderness, for there were no roads leading into the depths of the forest, and he devoted his. energies to opening up a farm. He became the owner of several hundred acres of land, including two hundred and forty acres in the home place, and he gave to each of his children a farm. He died of lung fever, in 1856, at the age of forty-eight years, and was buried in the Lee church cemetery. His wife survived him a quarter of a century, passing away in 1881, at the age of seventy-two years. In their family were the following: Zebulon P., who is living in Weston, Ohio; John A.V., .who died at the age of thirty-three‘years; Caroline, the wife of Daniel Gilbert, of Van Lue, Ohio; Francis Marion, who is living retired in Findlay; David, who died when past the age of sixty years; Stephen,, a resident of Amanda township; Jason., who is probably in Oklahoma ; and Noah. The death of David, the fourth son, occurred in a rather tragic manner. He was tolling the bell for a funeral, when the rope broke and he went to the top of the belfry. The board on which he was standing slipped, he fell eight feet, and several hours later was found dead. This took place in the Lee church in Amanda township, where he had tolled the bell for twenty-five years. Upon the old home farm the boyhood days of our subject were passed. His father died when he was nine years of age and his mother afterward. 146 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY married Jacob F. Houck, of Houcktown. They removed to the. farm upon which our subject now resides. Mr. Houck had also been married previously. He came from Baltimore county, Maryland, and settled on this farm. He died in. March, 1881, from injuries received while in a saw-mill, and the mother of our subject passed away in December of the same year. Noah Lee was thirteen years of age when he went to the Houck farm. He was the youngest and only child left with his mother at that time and he remained with her until his marriage, in 1866, a month before he attained his majority. He wedded Mary E. Sampson, a daughter of Nicholas and Eliza Sampson. She lived upon an adjoining farm ..and was twenty years age at the time:of their marriage. Mr: Lee rented the Houck farm for six or seven years and finally purchased the property, becoming owner of one hundred and forty-six acres. A corner covering fifteen acres had previously been Sold and the village of Houcktown established thereon. Mr. Lee added to his place until it now contains two hundred and sixty acres of valuable land, upon which he has erected a set of excellent farm buildings. He, has two hundred and twenty acres of the place under a high state of cultivation and the farm is as good as any in the locality, being well tiled and improved With all modern. equipments. He has always carried on general fanning, generally feeding his own stock, and his attention being closely given to his agricultural pursuits, he has prospered as the years have passed. In 1881 Mr. Lee was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the 20th of August of that Year and his mother died in the following . December. Seven— children were born unto our subject and his wife, five of who are living. Ora E. is the wife of Mack. B. Smith, of jackson township ; C. A., who resides on the farm, married Lura Bell and she died leaving one child, Edith Gertrude, who has since resided with her grandparents; Rozilla is the wife. of Harry Croft, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Richard N. is a practicing physician of Mount Blanchard, Ohio; Jesse is still on the home farm and two of the children died in infancy. On the 15th of April, 1883, Mr. Lee was united in marriage to Mrs. Belle Parker, the widow of W. F. Parker, who was a harnessmaker of Van Lue, Ohio. Her Parents were Frederick and Catherine (Funk) Shuler, and she was born in Pennsylvania, coming to Amanda township, Hancock county, when nine years of age, while at the age of twenty she gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Parker, by whom she had one child, Harry J. Parker, who now assists in operating the Lee farm, being a partner of Jesse Lee in the enterprise. No children were born of the second marriage, but Edith Gertrude, whose CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 147 mother was buried the day she was two weeks old, has since lived with them as their own child. Mr. and Mrs. Lee hold membership in the M.ethodist Episcopal church, in which he has served as steward, class leader and as Sunday-school superintendent for a quarter of a century. He is a Democrat in his political affil-iations. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Mount Blanchard and both he and his wife are connected with the Rebekah degree. Well known in the county, their friends are many and will receive with pleasure this record of their lives. WILLIAM FOGLER. This gentleman, who owns a fine farm in Big Lick township, belongs to the younger generation of Hancock county's agriculturists, and is regarded as one of the county's representative citizens. He is a son of Christian and Mary A. (Wagner) Fogler, both of whom were natives of Ohio and spent their whole lives in the borders of this state. In 1863 Christian Fogler removed with his family to Hancock county, where he located on two hundred and forty acres of land, which he had. purchased in Liberty township. He lival there, however, but a short time, when he disposed of his estate and purchased a small farm of eighty acres. This, too, he disposed of after three years, and his next purchase was a farm of two hundred and twenty-five acres in Jackson township. On this place he remained eleven years, in the meantime adding one hundred and seventeen acres to his original holding. This estate he eventually sold and made another purchase of land, amounting to about one hundred acres. Three years was spent upon this farm, after which Mr. Fogler disposed of it and moved to Carey, where he bought a grist-mill, conducted it for a while and then established himself upon a farm in Wyandot county. The next move of Mr. Fogler was to Wood county, Ohio, where he lived for a while on a rented farm and later purchased a place of forty acres in the same county. This was also disposed of, after which he boug-ht another farm in Wood county, which proved to be his final purchase, as he died February 29, 1897. The family of Christian and Mary (Wagner) Fogler consisted of ten children, of whom nine are living. William Fogler, the subject of this sketch, was born in Fairfield county, ivIarch 22, 185o, and is the only one of the children who is living in Hancock county. After the usual routine in the district schools he commenced work early on the farm and has always followed agricultural pursuits. His first investment in real estate was the purchase of ninety-two acres of land in 148 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Jackson township, which, however, he soon disposed of, and in, 1893 removed to Big Lick township. There he owns and operates a farm consisting of seventy-seven and a half acres, devoted to general farming and stock-raising. Mr. Fogler keeps his place in a high state of cultivation and allows no one to surpass him in keeping up with modern improvements. In 1874 Mr. Fogler was united in marriage with Miss Margaret Lee; who has borne him three children: Jennie, born in 1877, died May 2, 1878; Anna, born June 6, 1879; and Eva, born January 4, 1881. Margaret Lee was the daughter of Z. P. and Zilla (Gilbert) Lee, the former a farmer, who is still living, while she died in 1896. Richard Lee, the grandfather of Mrs. Fogler, was a farmer and died in the prime of life, while his father, Zebulin, was born in Wales and came to this country as a young man to seek his fortune. He came to Hancock county when it was all a forest. Zilla Gilbert was a daughter of Aquilla Gilbert, who was born in England and came over to this country to better his financial condition. He met with good success and died here at the age of eighty-nine years. John Fogler, grandfather of our subject, was a farmer who lived to advanced years. JAMES A. ENFIELD. During his residence of thirty-two years in Hancock county, the gentleman above mentioned, by his exemplary life and industrious habits has proved himself a worthy addition to its citizenship. He comes of excellent old Maryland stock, his ancestry having always enjoyed respectable standing in their community, reared their children in the pathways of truth and honor, and trained them to lives of usefulness. Jacob Enfield, though a native of York county, Pennsylvania, went early to Harford county, Maryland, and there spent forty years of his life. He became acquainted with Miss Nancy Howlett, member of one of the old families of Harford county, and in due time was united in marriage with that lady. During his earlier years Jacob followed the trade of a miller, by which occupation he obtained a good livelihood, but eventually he drifted into agricultural pursuits, to which he exclusively devoted all of his later life. He lost his first wife by death in 1855, subsequently married a Miss Smith, by whom there was no issue, and his own career was closed by the final summons in 1892. By his first wife Jacob Enfield had eight children, seven of whom grew to maturity and three are still living: James A. Enfield, who is one of the latter and the immediate subject of this biography, was born in Harford county, Maryland, March 1846, and was reared and educated in his native place. In 187o he re- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 149 moved to Hancock county, where he in time became the possessor of a neat little farm of forty acres, where he has since lived and carried on general agriculture. Though his place is small it is well cultivated and well managed, Mr. Enfield making his land so productive as to yield him a comfortable living. December 27, 1868, a year or two before coming to Ohio, Mr. Enfield was married to Miss Emma, daughter of Benjamin and Emma (Harvey) Weeks, substantial citizens of Harford county, where the former was a successful farmer. Of the six children who came to bless their union, George A. has passed away; Florence M., the eldest daughter, is now the wife of Jason Snyder ; three children blessed this union, Everett, Arena and Christa; Aura married LeRoy Garber ; two children came to this union, Wilber and Francis; O. D. is attending normal school at Angola, Indiana, where he expects to graduate in 19103 ; John W. is the husband of Etha, daughter of Levi Bright; and James B. is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Enfield are members of the -United Brethren church, in which he has held the position of class leader for twenty years, being also trustee for a number of years and for a term was superintendent of the Sunday-school. He has never been an aspirant for office, preferring business to politics, but his neighbors having elected him constable, he discharged the duties of that place to the best of his ability and was commended as a good official. Both the older and younger members of the Enfield family are highly esteemed in their respective spheres, and contribute their full share to the upbuilding of the communities in which they reside. John S., the oldest brother of our subject, moved to Missouri in 1873. He is a farmer and Christian gentleman of high standing in that state. Samuel P., second oldest son, lives in York county, Pennsylvania, where he has been quite successful in farming. ANDREW CRAMER. The late Andrew Cramer, a well known and highly respected resident of Liberty township, Hancock county, was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, on July 22, 1827. His parents were Henry and Mary Cramer, who came to Hancock county when Andrew was a lad of fifteen years. The early life of Andrew Cramer was one of toil. He learned the blacksmith trade and worked at this in connection with farming for a number of years. Although he died possessed of a large farm, he earned his first eighty acres of it by chopping wood from it and selling the same. As soon as he cleared this eighty, he bought forty acres more, located in Wood county, and also bought a small farm in Henry county. He was a hard working man