250 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY cattle and hogs on quite an extensive scale. In 1882 he did a business of handling nineteen hundred and fifty hogs and seven hundred and fifty head of cattle, for which he contracted one year ahead. At times he has contracted for hogs before they were born, paying five cents per pound and selling the same for nine and a half cents in Buffalo over a year after the contracts were made. Mr. Solt, with his partner, does an annual business of thirty-five thousand to fifty thousand dollars. For twenty years he has engaged in the feeding of sheep and has also fed hogs largely during the summer months. Almost a half century has passed since he became interested in the stock business and during that. time there has been hardly a year in which he did not buy and sell stock in connection with farming. He owns a nice place of eighty acres, on which he has erected a good house and barn, and made many other useful and valuable improvements. On the 15th of May, 1853, in Fairfield county, Ohio, Mr. Solt was united in marriage to Miss Henrietta Cloud, a native of Ohio and a daughter of Mordecai and Ellen (Jones) Cloud, both of whom spent their last years with our subject and died at his hoihomento Mr. and Mrs. Solt were born the following children : Mary Elizabeth, now the wife of F. B. McClelland of Eagle township; David B., and Clifford W., also residents of Eagle township; Ellen Saloma, wife of S. H. Hoy, of Eagle township.; Dora E., wife of Dr. E. B. Harrington, of Findlay, Ohio ; Sanderson H., who is unmarried and now operates the home farm ; and Fanny Grant, wife of Bruce. Keller, of Eagle township. Each one of the children has had a farm given him and to-day all are well-to-do, the sons being first-class business men like their father, who stands as the banker of the family and has worked hard to give his children a good start in life. Throughout his business career Mr. Solt has met with many reverses, losing in one dy sixteen hundred dollars and at another time thirty-two hundred, dollars, owing to a decline in the market. He has also loSlostch by going security for others, but has never allowed himself to become discouraged or disheartened. With indefatigable energy. he has worked his way upward, overcoming all. the obstacles and difficulties in his path until he is to-day one of the well-to-do and substantial citizens of his .community, as well as one of its most honored and highly respected citizens. In his political views he is a Republican, but has never hesitated to vote for a Democrat when he thought the candidate of that party was more fitted for the position than his own. He has been quite a political worker but has never cared for official honors. At one time he was elected sheriff, having been nominated against his desire. In all the relations of life he has been found CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 251 true to every trust reposed in him, and he has the respect and confidence of all who know him. It is said, and without any qualification, that the word of Peter Solt has always been and is as good as his bond. NAPOLEON B. PRESLER. The above named is the only one of a large family of children who resides in Hancock county, though he has brothers and sisters in other parts of the country. His father was William M. Presler, a Pennsylvanian, who emigrated to Ohio as early as 1835 and located on one hundred and twenty acres of land in Seneca county. Before leaving his native state he had married a widow named Elmina (Boden) Crabill, with whom he resided in Seneca county until 1876, and then removed to Kansas. There he purchased one hundred and seventy acres of laid and busied himself in its cultivation until the spring of 1897, when he lost his wife by death and has since lived alone on his farm. When he married Mrs. Crabill she had five children by her first husband, and subsequently became the mother of six additional. Napoleon B. Presler, one of the sons of his father's second marriage, was born in Big Spring township, Seneca county, Ohio, February 9, 1857, and remained there until he reached his majority. August 18, 1878, he was married, in his native county, to Miss Phebe Ellen Hile, whose parents had settled in Seneca county shortly before his own father's arrival from the east. Adam Hile, father of Mrs. Presler, was born in Germany, in 1804, emigrated to Pennsylvania in early life, married a native of that state and removed to Ohio in 1834. He spent the remainder of his days in Seneca county, his death occurring there in 1885, followed by that of his wife in November of the subsequent year. The Hiles were members of the Lutheran church and had a family of nine children, of whom six are now living, including Mrs. Presler. After his marriage Mr. Presler remained in Seneca county about four years, and in 1882 removed to Putnam county, where he purchased forty acres of land and spent the three following years in its cultivation. In 1885 he came to Hancock county and bought seventy-nine acres of land in Portage township, upon which he settled, and was engaged in farming for the four following years. In 1889 he made his final move to the farm of one hundred and five acres in Amanda township which constitutes his present homestead. This land is fertile, and under Mr. Presler's good management has been made productive and profitable. He raises all the cereal crops adapted to the climate, and the usual amount and variety of stock customary in that locality. Mr. Presler has greatly improved his place since taking possession, 252 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY and among the substantial additions made by him was a fine barn erected in 1892. As a citizen and neighbor Mr. Presler stands well, and has several times been called upon to fill township offices. His political affiliations are with the Republican party, of which he has been a stanch supporter from earliest manhood. Mr. and Mrs. Presler have six children : Schuyler C.,. Orpha K., Olivia O., Florence B., Edna G. and James L. JEROME M. MARTIN. Among the busiest, most energetic and enterprising men of McComb is the subject of this review, the senior member of the hardware firm of Martin Si Weinland. He was born at Commercial Point, Pickaway county, Ohio, in 1854, and when only a year and a half old was deprived by death of his mother, and at the age of six years was left an orphan by his father's death. Mr. Martin remained in the place of his nativity until twenty-one years. of age and during that time acquired a good common-school education, well fitting him for the practical and responsible duties of life. In the winter months he attended school and in the summer seasons worked on a farm, thus providing for his own support from an early age. In the year 1875, with the capital which he had acquired through his own exertions, he embarked in the grocery business at Napoleon, Ohio, but after a year spent at that place he sold his store and removed to Decatur, Illinois, where he opened a restaurant. He conducted the new enterprise for a year and then returned to Napoleon, where he followed the trade of carpentering, which he learned there, also executing contracts for work of that nature. He remained in Napoleon until 1888, when he came to McComb and established his hardware store, having one of the largest and best stocked stores in this line of commercial activity in northern Ohio. The firm carries an extensive stock in order to meet the constantly growing demands of its trade, and the business is continually increasing, both in volume and importance. In 1877, in Napoleon, Mr. Martin was united in marriage to Miss Clara J. Weaver, and they now have a pleasant home and many friends in McComb. Mr. Martin is a Democrat in his political views and has taken an active part in political affairs, serving as a member of the city council of Napoleon. He was also chief of the fire department, acting in that capacity for a number of years in a most capable manner. For six years, from 1893 until 1899, he served as treasurer of McComb, and from the latter date until the present time he has been the treasurer of Pleasant township, Hancock. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 253 county. In 1888 he was a member of the city council here, and is an officer whose political record is above reproach, for he is true to every trust reposed in him and is loyal and patriotic in the discharge of his duties. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is an exemplary representative of the organization. His attention, however, is closely given to his business interests, which are now of an extensive character, and in the control of which he is meeting with. very desirable success. M. M. MOYER. Edwin R. Moyer, the son of poor Pennsylvania parents, was inured to hardships in youth, and as he grew up learned the trade of shoemaking, which he pursued some years as a means of livelihood. After his marriage to Lucinda Grinawalt he obtained possession of a small piece of land, whose cultivation, in connection with his work on the bench, enabled him with difficulty to support his growing family. Thinking to better his fortunes by a movement to the west, he came about 1866 to Hancock county, where he bought eighty acres of land in Union township. This place, however, being found unsuitable on account of size and other reasons, he disposed of it to buy a tract double its size, on which he established his family as comfort:- ably as possible. From that time on he abandoned his shoemaker's tools, and by devoting his whole attention to the farm obtained a success beyond his most sanguine expectations. In fact the quondam shoemaker proved to be an excellent agriculturist and soon became noted for the abundance as well as quality of his crops, while his stock was among the finest and fattest in the land. As Edwin's circumstances improved his family kept pace with the increased income, and in time Mr. and Mrs. Moyer found their household enlivened by the presence of twelve lusty children. The boys as they grew up all proved to be sober and industrious, and were of great assistance to their father in carrying on his farming operations. In time they all married and without exception have done well, being found in honorable positions in the various walks of life and respected as useful citizens. The father, after doing his full duty during a long and blameless life, passed away in 1888, and four years later his good wife, Lucinda, was laid by his side in the family burying ground. M. M. Moyer, one of the sons of this worthy couple, was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, in July, 1862, and hence was only about four years old when his parents settled in-Hancock county. He had no aspirations aside from farming, and having learned the details of this business under his fa- 254 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY ther's tutelage adopted it as his regular calling as soon as he approached manhood. When his mother died, in 1890, he bought the interest of the other heirs in half of the homestead, and now owns eighty acres of his father's original purchase. This tract he has been cultivating for twelve years with such skill and industry as to be ranked as one of the most promising of the younger generation of farmers, while his genial character and kind disposition have gained him the good will of all his neighbors. He attends closely to business, manages his farm with judgment and his operations have yielded him a steady and increasing income. In the same year that he effected the purchase of his place he led to the altar Miss Alice, the accomplished daughter of Dr. F. C. Steingraver, and this union, which proved in every way happy and congenial, resulted in the birth of three bright children, whose names are Frederick E., Helen M. and Myron D. Mr. and Mrs. Moyer are members of the Methodist Protestant church, in which he holds the position of trustee- and steward. The success of Mr. Moyer, taken in connection with the standing obtained by his numerous brothers and sisters, shows that the emigration of the Pennsylvania shoemaker made a valuable addition to the stanch citizenship of Hancock county. LEVI BRIGHT. In the great and prosperous agricultural district of Hancock county, Ohio, one of the well known farmers. is Levi Bright, who owns and resides on one hundred and two acres in Amanda township and also has three hundred and thirteen in Big Lick township. The Bright family has been intimately associated with the development and progress of this county for many years, and both the grandfather, Major, and the father, Nimrod Bright, were old settlers of the county. Further information concerning the family will be found in the history of Major Bright, on another page of this book. Levi had his birth on his father's farm in Big Lick township, May 22, 1844. He was reared in the atmosphere of farm life, was early inured to its labors, and after enjoying the advantages of the common schools of his neighborhood he entered upon agricultural pursuits as his life work. But while still a boy he was called away from the peaceful existence, of the farm to the stirring scenes of the Civil war. In 1862 he was enrolled as a member of Company H, Fifty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and participated in the battles of Arkansas Post, Allen's Hill and the siege of Vicksburg. Disease incapacitated him for further service and he was honorably discharged in 1863. After his return from the war he began as a farmer on CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 255 his own account and about 1870 made his first purchase of real estate, amounting to forty acres, to which he has added by purchase and by his father's gifts until he now owns his present acreage. It is needless to say that he has been very successful in. all that he has undertaken and is now rated as one of the foremost farmers of the county. He removed to Amanda township in 1895 and is now trustee of the township. With his brother, John, he developed the first oil well in the township, in 1901, and at the present time they own and operate thirteen wells. Mr. Bright is a member of the United Brethren church and serves as one of its trustees. His political beliefs are those of the Republican party. On March 27, 1867, Mr. Bright married Miss Mary F. Dotts, the daughter of Andrew and Matilda Dotts, who was born in Hancock county in February, 1845, and passed away on Christmas day of 1889. Of this marriage there were born eight children, of whom four are living : Anna B., Cora D., Etha L. and Bertha M. April 20, 1890, Mr. Bright was married to Mrs. Frances M., the widow of Newton Roberts, a native of Pennsylvania, born March 19, 1861. Mrs. Bright is a daughter of Abraham and Adaline Williams, who were born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, who came to Hancock county from. West Virginia twenty-six years ago, and now reside in Big Lick township. Mr. and. Mrs. Bright have four children, Sylvia M., Hazel A., Thornton I. and Weldon L.. Mr. Bright and his family enjoy the high regard of a large number of friends and acquaintances and are good and worthy citizens of the county. WILLIAM F. BRICKMAN A representative of the legal fraternity. in Hancock county, William F. Brickman is engaged in the practice of law in McComb and has gained a good clientage, which has connected him with much important litigation and legal business. He is one of the native sons of this county, his birth having occurred in Washington township, upon his father's farm, in 1866. He is a son of William Brickman, who was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, in the year 1825, and spent the days of his boyhood and youth in that country, but in 1854 he sailed for the new world, for the tales he had heard concerning business opportunities in this country attracted him to American shores. He made his way across the country to Hancock county, Ohio, and throughout his life carried on farming. His death occurred in .1883, seven children surviving him : Lewis; Samuel; Sarah, the wife of Charles F. Greiner; William F., whose name introduces this record; Minnie, the wife of 256 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Diverney Calhoun; Anna C., the wife of John W. Preble; and Etta C., who completes this family, of whom our subject is the fourth. During the very early boyhood of William F. Brickman his parents removed to Portage, township, Hancock county, Ohio, where he was reared and educated, attending the country schools through the winter months, while in the summer seasons he carried on agricultural pursuits, assisting his father in the work of field and meadow. He was thus engaged until twenty years of age, when he left the parental roof and made his way to Angola, Indiana, becoming a student in the Tri-State Normal College, of which he is a graduate, having completed the course with the class of 1890. He then entered the law office of Judge W. L. Penfield, of Auburn, Indiana, under whose direction he studied for a year, and then went to the state of Washington, locating in Pullman, where he engaged in teaching school for about a year, although he remained there for twenty months. Later Mr. Brickman became a student in the law department of the State University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, where he was graduated in 1893, and then he entered upon the practice of his profession in McComb, where a liberal patronage has been won, his clientage coming from a good class of people. He is deeply interested in his profession, thoroughly prepares his cases before entering the courtroom and before judge or jury is a strong advocate.' In 1900, in Hancock county, Mr. Brickman was united in marriage to Miss Vina S., daughter of Oliver P. Shaw,. and the hospitality of the best homes of this locality is extended to them. In his political views Mr. Brickman is a Democrat; and socially he belongs to the Knights of Pythias fraternity, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and to the Ben Hur Tribe. He belongs to the Lutheran church and thus gives due attention to the social and moral phases of life as well as to his professional duties and interests. PETER H. POWELL. Peter H. Powell has for many years been identified with agricultural pursuits in Eagle township, Hancock county, and his farm, being in the oil belt of this state, now has upon it a number of producing oil wells, whereby his income is materially increased each year. He was born July 17, 1838, on the farm which is yet his home, his parents being Philip and Elizabeth (Fellers) Powell, the former 'a native of Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, the latter of Fairfield county, Ohio. The Powell family is of Welsh origin as far back as the ancestry can be traced and for two centuries has been represented in CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 257 America, five brothers of the name having come to this country at one time about two hundred years ago. They became scattered, however, and no authentic record of their descendants is obtainable. The one who located in Pennsylvania was William Powell, who operated a ferry on one of the principal rivers of the Keystone state. John Philip Powell, the first to settle in Ohio, was a pioneer of Fairfield county. He entered several hundred acres of land from the government and divided it among his children. Peter Powell, the grandfather of our subject, entered one hundred acres for each of his children and settled the following sons in Hancock county : Peter, John, Henry, Samuel, Philip and Jacob, although Peter died in Fairfield county. Two other sons, George and Daniel, were settled elsewhere, the former in Wood county, Ohio, the latter in Carey, this state. Samuel and Henry were the pioneers here, coming in 1830 or 1831. Their father, Peter, spent his last years here, passing away when eighty-five years of age. He was a man of decided views, fearless in defense of his honest convictions and was respected by all who knew him. All of his sons have now passed away, the last being Jacob, who departed this life in Findlay, at the age of eighty-five. In 1834 Philip Powell, the father of our subject, came to Hancock county and settled in the midst of the green woods, where he began to make a farm, carrying on the work of its improvement until his death, which occurred in 1866. The mother of our subject had died about 1841, when only twenty-five years of age. They were the parents of three children : Joshua, of Liberty township ; Peter, of this review ; and Simon W., who left the old farm in 1859 and is now a civil and mining engineer of San Francisco. About 1842 the father had married again, Susanna Tussing, also of Fairfield county, becoming his wife. They had one child that died in infancy and the mother's death occurred in 1857. In 185o Mr. Powell had built the house and in 1854 the barn and had made other substantial improvements on the property. He was a shoemaker, having picked up the trade in his youth. His father agreed to buy the leather if Philip would make him a pair of boots, which he did, and thus the father got a better' fit than his sons, who had hired their boots made. In the winter months, in his own home, Philip Powell followed shoemaking and throughout the remainder of the year carried on farm work. He was a man of strict religious views and life and was a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Association. In his family was much sickness, his second wife having been an invalid for seven years, while he was in poor health for about the same length of time. He broke up house-keeping and this necessitated his sons starting out in life for themselves. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 258 Peter Powell was then nineteen. years of age. He worked for his brother Joshua until he was married, March 24, 1861, to Elizabeth C. Cogley. After his father's death in 1866, he purchased the interest of the other heirs in the property and returned to the and home place in. August, 1867. Here he has a remained continuously since has carried on general fanning. and stock-raising, both branches of his business being so well conducted that they bring to him success. He also has thirteen oil. wells sunk upon his farm and of these twelve are in operation and have produced a fair income. He has also become interested in property in Findlay in recent years. In 1892 Mr. Powell was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died July 2, of that year, after a happy married life of thirty years. They were the parents of six children ; Jacob Sylvester, of Eagle township, married Alice J. Decker; Alice A. is the wife of Oliver Yates, of Eagle township; Simon Joshua married. Lizzie Billman and is living in Seneca county; Emma V. is- the wife of J. W. Foreman, of Eagle township; Elmina is the wife of William Yates; of Liberty township.; Clemmons L. is at home.. On the 27th of December, 1894, Mr. Powell wedded Mrs. Jennie Deeds, the widow of Levi Deeds,. and a daughter of James .and Henrietta (Leeder) Beard, of Marion township, Hancock county, where she was born. By her first marriage .she had one daughter, Ivy Deeds, now fourteen years of age. With the exception of very brief intervals Mr. Powell has filled the office of justice of the peace since 1872 and his decisions are strictly fair and impartial, and during nine years of this time he was also township treasurer. For two terms he has been trustee and has been a member of the school board. He belongs to the Evangelical Association, and is a class leader and trustee in the church, and in every office in which he has been called to serve he has been found true and and faithful to the trust reposed in him and to the obligations devolving upon him. In politics he is a Democrat. In 1872 he became a member of the Hancock Lodge, No. 73, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. WILLIAM C. DOTY. The family to which Mr. Doty belongs has been identified with Hancock county affairs for over half a century, and none stand higher as citizens and business men. His father has lived on the same farm for sixty years, and has been a witness to the principal growth and development of Hancock county, most of which has occurred since the Civil war. John Doty was born in New Jersey, in October, 1816, and came west in early CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 259 manhood, settling first in Fairfield county, Ohio. In 1843 he removed to Hancock county, where he met and a year or two later married Margaret Walters, who was born in Kentucky, November 22, 1823. Immediately after marriage he took his bride to the farm- of one hundred and sixty acres, which he hadbought in Jackson township, and there he has lived through all the eventful years that have since passed by. He has, of course, greatly improved his farm lands since, the first crude days and besides many other additions both for beauty and comfort he put up a handsome brick residence in 1867. He has been quite active and influential in connection with township affairs, having held the office of trustee two terms, land appraiser one term and served sixteen years as township treasurer. The family are connected with the United Brethren church, of which Mr. Doty is now trustee and in the past has been class leader and steward.. His eight children are Margaret J. ; William C.; Elijah; Henry, a presiding elder in the United Brethren church; Edward; John L. ; H.. Walter, an attorney at Findlay ; and Flora E. William C. Doty, second in the above enumerated list, was born on his father's farm in Jackson township, Hancock county, Ohio, December 10, 1846, and grew to maturity on the old homestead. In August, 1876, he made his first .business investment by purchasing sixty-two acres of land in Amanda township, but after working this four years he sold it and invested the proceeds in the farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Jackson township which constitutes his present home place. During the twenty-two years of his occupancy Mr. Doty has greatly improved his estate in every way, especially by the erection of suitable outbuildings for storage of grain and housing of stock. He devotes his land to raising standard crops and keeps a sufficient amount of stock to consume the. surplus, his operations being carried on by modern methods and that intelligent economy that insures the best results. On the 15th of October, 1871, Mr. Doty was married to Anna, daughter of J. L. and Meletha (Clayton) Shields. Mrs. Doty's father was born in Virginia, and her mother in Maryland, near Sharpsburg. They became the parents of five children, Mrs. Doty being the youngest of the family. They moved from Fairfield county, Ohio, to Hancock in 1854, and locates in Jackson township, where they both died, the father in his eighty-first year and the mother when seventy-five years of age. They belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. and Mrs. Doty are parents of ten children, but of these the only ones living are : Fred S., John H., Edith, Harry and Edson. The family are members of the United Brethren church, in which Mr. Doty holds the position of steward, and they enjoy general esteem in the 260 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY social circles of their neighborhood. In 1898 Mr. Doty built his present modern residence, a house of ten rooms and up-to-date in every respect. It cost about two thousand dollars and is a credit to the community in which he lives. He has also a fine barn, eighty-four by thirty-eight, with wing sixty-four by twenty. In fact Mr. Doty's farm is one of the model ones of the township. He has been a life-long Democrat, but would not accept any office, though tendered them many times. JOHN E. FINSEL. Not in the desultory manner that renders effort without result, but with steady persistence has John E. Finsel carried on his work, and to-day he is numbered among the substantial farmers of Washington township, in Hancock county. Here he resides on a well tilled and superbly conducted farm. Every fence and every building on the farm is indicative of the intelligent methods which he pursues and the persistence and industry with which he carries them through. Mr, Finsel was born in Sandusky county, Ohio, April 14, 1859. He is the son of John and Kunigunda (Walters) Finsel. These parents were both natives of Bavaria, Germany, where the former was born April 27, 1823, and the latter April 3, 1827. In separate families they emigrated to. America in 1848 and were soon married, their voyage across the ocean occurring in the same vessel. After their marriage they located in Fremont, Sandusky county, where John applied himself to his trade, that of shoemaker. At this business he continued to 1871, at which time he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He owned forty acres of land, to which he soon added forty more, and by his industry became independent. In 186o he removed to Seneca county, where he died August 19, 1902. He favored the policies of the Democratic party, and in religious matters was a communicant of the Roman Catholic church. Their family consisted of two children, our subject, and a daughter Kate, now the wife of William West. John E. Finsel passed his life on the home farm in Seneca county without any event of special importance to break the monotony, attending the school of his home district in the winter, and passing the summer in the hard work of a pioneer farm. His advanced education was received at the Valparaiso Normal School, in which institution he fitted himself for teaching. This, however, he found not to his taste and soon abandoned it for agricultural pursuits, in which occupation he has been more than ordinarily successful. In fact he has the reputation of being one of the finest farmers of his town- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 261 ship. In 1881 Mr. Finsel married Miss Mary C., daughter of John and Elizabeth Nause, to whom were born Bertha E., William J., Ralph A., Albert C., Clara H., Ellen E., Colletta C., Coral J. and Cleo B. The wife was born in Sandusky county, March 20, 1859. Mr. Finsel bought his present farm in 1890. He and his family are devout communicants of the Catholic church, and he has received recognition at the hands of his fellow citizens by election to the office of township trustee, serving also as clerk of the school board for a number of years. He favors in political matters the policies as set forth in the Democratic platform. He is an honest and upright citizen and as such deserves the commendation which he receives from a large circle of friends and acquaintances. MARION A. COBB. Marion township has no more highly respected or worthy citizen than this well known farmer, who has spent his entire life in Hancock county. He resides on a farm of one hundred and fourteen acres, which he has cultivated for a number of years. He was born in Cass township on the 11th of July, 1845, the son of Alonzo H. and Jerusha (Palmer) Cobb. Here he was eared, later removing to Marion township where he received the education that is commonly given in the country schools. Upon reaching his maturity he chose farming for an occupation, and has since been engaged in its activities. He bought his farm in 1876, and has continued to reside there since that time. He has made great improvements on the original place, and is now possessed of very modern property. The farm was formerly the property of William. Davis, who was the brother of Mrs. Cobb. Mr. Cobb was joined in marriage on April 18, 1872, to Miss Sarah, daughter of William A. and Margaret Davis. Three children have come to bless their home, Viola M., Mamie E. and Harry A. Mrs. Cobb was born in Marion township on the 6th of March, 1845, and her family is further mentioned in another part of this volume. The parents of Mr. Cobb were natives of Vermont, where the father was born on December 4, 1809, and his mother, July 3, 1812. They removed to Hancock county, Ohio, about the year 1841, locating in Cass township on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres. Here the father died early in life, the date being August 13, 1847. During his short existence he was a man of influence in his township, and is remembered as having served a number of years as justice of the peace, which office he administered with great acumen. He in religious faith was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His fam- 262 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY ily numbered three .children, Charles, deceased, born July 26, 1834; Ann Jenette, deceased, born December 11, 1843; and Marion A., subject of this sketch. Mrs. Cobb the mother of the family died July 29, 1891. The grandfather of our subject, James Cobb, came to Ohio and settled at the same time with his son, Alonzo H., on one hundred and sixty acres in Cass township. He continued to reside there until his death in 1847. He is remembered as a man of most powerful physique, weighing some 270 pounds. His height was six feet and seven inches. Mr. and Mrs. Cobb are passing the declining years of their lives among friends who delight to honor them. GEORGE H. PHELPS. An interesting because original character is the senior member of Phelps & David, one of the leading law firms in practice at the Findlay bar. Whether right or wrong there is never anything commonplace about Mr. Phelps, who seems to have an instinctive abhorrence of what Goldsmith called "that rascally virtue prudence," in his discussion of men and things. Not only has he opinions to express, but these are usually delivered with an emphasis and trenchancy which are sure to attract attention if they do not cause conviction. This temperamental characteristic accompanies his intercourse in all the relations of life; with the result that Mr. Phelps is appreciated both as an entertaining and ithosective companion, especially by thoSe who abhor the overstocked "world of commonplace."' Doubtless Mr. Phelps inherits his quality of decisiveness froth his lamented father who, by all accounts from those who knew him best, was a very remarkable man in more ways than one. Augustus H. Phelps was a native of New York, who spent most of his life on a farm which he employed some one to manage for him. He never failed to attract attention at first sight, his drawing qualities being both mental and physical. His physical appearance was indeed so striking as to extract admiration from any beholder and recall to the reader of Shakespeare Hamlet's famous description of his father in the scene with his queen mother. The perfect form, open and manly features, bright eyes and other personal adornments were backed by a mind of the greatest brilliancy and strength. Widely read in the best literature of all peoples, a profound student of deep questions, and gifted with a conversational ability that was phenomenal an its range and forcefulness, the elder Phelps was a companion whose talk entranced every listener. In his religious views he was a freethinker and deeply versed in the 'works of all the great infidel writers from Voltaire to Ingersoll, but he denied being an atheist, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 263 always saying in this connection that he could not realize an effect without a cause. Broad in all his views, he had a contempt for all that was little and narrow, especially for cant and superstition in all its forms. He was fitted, had the opportunity offered, to become a leader among men and grapple successfully with most difficult problems. But alas ! "Full many a gem of purest ray serene, The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear. Full many a flower is born to blush unseen And waste its sweetness on the desert air." Augustus H. Phelps died in 1897, in his eighty-first year,. George H. Phelps, son of the remarkable man sketched in the foregoing paragraph, was born at Hinsdale, New York, September 24, 1854, and remained on his father's farm until nineteen years old. Meantime he had attended school at intervals and formed a resolution to make a lawyer of himself. With this end in view he borrowed some law books from the late Alexander Storrs, father of the famous Chicago advocate, Emory Storrs, and with these he secluded himself to pore, over the mysteries of Blackstone, the deep logic of Greenleaf, and the quaint conceptions of Coke upon Littleton. A law student without a teacher is apt to become discouraged, and young Phelps was wise when in the spring of 1874 he sought aid in the office of Champlain, Armstrong & Russell at Cuba, New York. He remained there one year as a clerk and had a similar position for another year in the office of Loveridge & Swift, of the same town. In the spring of 1876 he entered the office of Enos C. Brooks at Olean, New York, as a clerk, remained there until April of the following year, when he was admitted to the bar at Rochester and returned to Olean to locate. He was engaged in the practice of his profession at that place for ten years and made his first appearance at Findlay in April, 1888. Shortly thereafter he formed a partnership with Judge M. C. Whiteley, which continued only eighteen months, and after that time Mr. Phelps practiced alone until October, 1899. He then entered into a partnership with W. L. David, Jr., which under the firm name of Phelps & David, continues at the present time. Mr. Phelps has never taken any part or interest in politics, office-seeking or office-holding, for the reason, as he expresses it, that the lawyer in his profession and practice is sufficiently parasitical in a struggling society, and that in taking on politics he was adding insult to injury. He did, however, hold the office of notary public by appointment from the governor, until the Supreme court of Ohio, on the relation of the attorney general, and on au- 264 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY thority of the state constitution, ousted a Miss Adams from the office on the ground that ladies were ineligible, when he resigned his commission in a letter to the governor, in which he stated as his reason for resigning, that when it had come about that a bright woman could not adorn the office of notary public without having the constitution raised on her by a man, he regarded the office as a disgrace, rather than an honor. Mr. Phelps was married in 1882 to Miss Dell Canfield and to that union was born one living daughter—Nina A. Mrs. Phelps died in 1891 and in 1892 Mr. Phelps married his present wife, who was Ada C. Wicker, also of Olean, New York. In politics, he is at this date known as the "Greenback party of Ohio." ALEXANDER MILLER. The subject of this sketch, whose name is given above, has achieved distinction in two departments of industry, those of mechanic and farmer, and in both lines he has long occupied a well recognized position in the front rank. He worked in Hancock county thirty-two years at the carpenter's trade and gained the reputation of being the foremost builder in the county, remarkable for the neatness as well as the skill displayed in all his work. As a farmer, too, he ranked well up to the front in that long line of enterprising agriculturists whose energy and resourcefulness have made the Buckeye state so famous for its crops and stock. Though his family connections have long been identified with other parts of Ohio, Mr. Miller is their only representative in Hancock county, of which he has been a resident for forty-five years. His father, Isaac Miller, was born in Virginia in 1814, but came to Ohio in early manhood and spent the most of his subsequent life in the county of Licking as a farmer. He was a successful business man and accumulated considerable means during his career. A member of the United Brethren church, he lived an upright moral life, and was esteemed both as a good husbandman and good citizen. After locating in Ohio he married Sarah Knepper, a native of Fairfield county, where she was born in 1818, and this union resulted in the birth of eleven children, of whom nine grew to maturity and seven are still living. Alexander Miller, one of the latter, was born on his father's farm in Licking county, Ohio, May 10, 1838, and remained there until the nineteenth year of his age. In March, 1857, he came to Hancock county, located in Blanchard township and followed the carpenter's trade, in which he soon acquired unusual proficiency. As his skill in this branch of CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 265 mechanics became known, he had no difficulty in obtaining work, and this he turned off so satisfactorily that for thirty-two years he was kept busy in his chosen calling. In 1859 Mr. Miller purchased from Fountain N: Clymer eighty acres of land in Blanchard township, which was at the time wholly unimproved but which, with forty more acres added in 1871, has been brought to a high state of cultivation. After securing his first real estate, Mr. Miller divided his time between farming and carpentering, and attended to each with such assiduity as to obtain the best results. In fact, the Miller farm and the Miller houses vied with each other in neatness of appearance and efficiency of workmanship, no job being turned out by this master mechanic which was not able to withstand the most rigid criticism. In 1887 he sustained a severe loss by the destruction of his barn and contents by fire, but this calamity was soon repaired by his energy and undaunted determination. In place of the original buildings, newer and far finer ones were erected on the old sites, and now it is admitted that none superior are to be found in the township. All the surroundings are neat and attractive and the tasteful workmanship with all the modern improvements gives evidence of a master mind and hand behind the designs and construction. September 16, 1860, Mr. Miller was united in marriage with Miss Melissa Wise, born in Blanchard township in 1843 and whose family is deserving of more than a passing mention. Her grandfather, George Adam Wise, was a native of France and served as a soldier under Napoleon Bonaparte. He crossed the ocean in 1842, accompanied by his wife Barbara and settled in Hancock county, where both ended their days, he in 1846 and she in 1854. Among their six children was John Wise, father of Mrs. Miller, who accompanied his parents from Wheeling, West Virginia, where he was born, and became a school teacher after settling in Ohio. He also learned carpentering and worked at that trade in conjunction with farming, between the two making a very comfortable living. Three of his four children are living, including Mrs. Miller, who is the only one of them residing in Hancock county. The latter's mother died March 4, 1886, and her father passed away August 6, 1901, both much esteemed by those who had known them best. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Miller have had eight children, of whom Mary E., born in 1861, Martha J., born in 1863, and William H., born 1864, are deceased. Those living are Carrie W., born in 1866; Rose B., born in 1868 ; Grove E., born in 1873 ; Vernon E., born in 1880, and Merritt C., born in 1883. Mr. Miller has never been an office seeker, but at the request of his neighbors served three years as assessor and one year as real estate appraiser of the township, being elected by the Republican party, to which he has always 17 266 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY belonged. Both himself and family are members of the United Brethren church and in all the relations of life, as neighbors, friends and citizens, perform their duties as good Christians. LUKE H. BROADWATER. In Luke H. Broadwater, the efficient manager of the Findlay Glycerine Company, the city of Findlay has an estimable and useful citizen. His birth was on a farm, in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, in 1870, where he remained until he was sixteen years of age, in attendance upon the public schools and assisting in the work of the farm. Subsequently he enjoyed excellent educational advantages at Berlin, Pennsylvania, at New Centerville, and later at the Normal Institute, at Marshalltown, Iowa. Prior to locating in Iowa our subject taught school in his native state, and also followed that profession for three terms in Iowa. In 1891 he came to Findlay, Ohio, and for one year read law in the office of a local attorney, and then entered into the employ of the Bradford Glycerine Company, as bookkeeper, remaining with the concern from August, 1892, until April 1, 1897. The business then changed hands and Mr. Broadwater remained with the new firm for a few months, and then, with others, organized the Findlay Glycerine Company, entering the business as manager, and of which he is now president and general manager. This company supplies nitro-glycerine and shoots wells, their trade being a large one through the oil districts. Mr. Broadwater is also interested in two factories in Kentucky, one at Burnside and the other at Barbourville. These are the same kind as the Findlay company. In 1895 Mr. Broadwater was first married, to Miss Amelia Ziegler, who died November 19, 1900. October 17, 1901, our subject was again married, Miss Catherine Wasson, of Findlay, Ohio, becoming his wife. In political sentiment Mr. Broadwater is a Democrat, but takes no active interest in politics, being a thoroughly practical business man, and closely identified 'with the interests of his company. His fraternal association is with the Elks, in which order he is very popular. MARY A. WOLFE. We are now privileged to touch upon the life history of one of Hancock county's most estimable families, the immediate representative of which is the above lady, who is the widow of the late Levi Wolfe, of Marion' town- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 267 ship. She was born at Hagerstown, Washington county, Maryland, September 22, 1833, and is the daughter of William and Margaret Davis, of the same state. Her parents left that portion of the country in the fall of 1833, and during the overland journey to Ohio they lost a son as the result of an attack of sickness. This misfortune caused them to remain for the winter at the place where it occurred, so that it was in the spring of 1834 before they finally reached Marion township, of this county. Here the father entered a claim of forty acres, which he subsequently sold but soon bought another forty, which was increased at various times until his holdings amounted to six hundred acres of the most valuable land in the county. William Davis was a man of influence and character in his township, where for a number of years he held the office of justice of the peace, and was also county commissioner for a long period. He was kind to the poor, hospitable to all, and a man whose friends were myriad. He was a worthy member of the Baptist church, and proved his usefulness in that denomination by an active and consistent religious life. He was joined in marriage to Margaret Lafferty in 1830, and to this union there were born eleven children, nine of whom are now living. Mrs. Margaret Davis died in October of 1882, her husband having passed away a number of years before, in 1863. His death was caused' by anxiety for a favorite son John, who was a soldier in the active service during the Civil war. He had been wounded at the battle of. Picket Mills, where his father in searching for him contracted a cold, and which caused his death in the year above stated. He was a man of sterling qualities of character, and was missed by his host of friends. His life was one of usefulness, and he assisted in the events which helped to inaugurate the period of prosperity which his descendants now enjoy. The son John recovered from the wound, and returning to the army was unfortunate enough to be captured at the battle of Stone River. He was kept a prisoner in the lines of the enemy for a considerable period, but was finally exchanger, and returned home. Mary A. Wolfe was joined in marriage to Levi Wolfe on the 14th of August, 1851. The marriage resulted in the birth. of four children : Margaret J., Lydia A., Fannie D., and John W., the last two deceased. Levi Wolf, the father of the family, was was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, on the 20th of August, 1825. He there received an excellent common school education which fitted him for his life of usefulness. In 1843 he, together with his parents, Rev. David and Lydia Wolfe, removed to Hancok county. They first located upon eighty acres in Marion township, to which they added afterwards fifty more. Their family numbered eleven children, but two of whom are now living, viz : John and Christian Wolfe. Rev. David Wolfe was a minister in the Evangelical 268 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY church, and during his active career did much to build up that organization in that part of the state. By trade Levi Wolfe was a blacksmith in his younger life, but when the Civil war broke out he offered himself a willing sacrifice on the altar of his country, by enlisting in 1862 in Company E, Fifty-seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In the bloody battle of Shiloh, while trying to bind up a comrade's wound, he was taken prisoner and confined for a period at Macon, Georgia. He was finally exchanged, but was in such an emaciated condition as to cause his death before he reached home. He died in the city of Cincinnati on July 3o, 1862. During his life he held some of the responsible township offices, was a man of influence in his neighborhood and a worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Previous to his army life lie made provision for his family by laying the foundation for their present home. His kindness of heart and noble traits of character erected in the memories of the members of his family a lasting monument. ALDEN H. COBB. Alden H. Cobb was born in Cass township, Hancock county, Ohio, in 1847, on the farm where he now resides, which has never been out of the family since it was purchased by his grandfather, Foster Cobb. The latter was a native of Vermont, as was also his wife, Elizabeth, who died in 1811, having been born in 1782. In 1835 Foster Cobb with his four children moved upon the farm in Cass township, Hancock county, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres,. and with the assistance of his son Foster, did much of the clearing and improvement. He died on August 3, 1840. His second wife, Lydia, died in 1835. His children were as follows : Alonzo, Chester, John, Foster, Jane,. David, Nathan, Nancy and Elmira. Foster Cobb, fourth in the above list of children, was born on June. 15, 1817, in Vermont, and walked .closely in the footsteps of his honored father, proving himself a most worthy citizen. He was a justice of the peace for many years, a trustee and held most of the local offices, filling each to the complete satisfaction of every one, being held in high esteem. He married Mary Davis, who was born in Fairfield county, Ohio. Of their four children,. our subject is the only survivor. His father's death occurred in 1883, the mother of our subject having passed away in 1851. Alden H. Cobb was educated in the district schools of the time and place,. but in great measure he fitted himself for the life of usefulness he has led. Mr. Cobb is a practical farmer and no one better understands the qualities of CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 269 soil and the advantages of different methods of agriculture than he. He is also a successful stockraiser, giving close attention to that part of his business also. April 29, 1875, he was married to Catherine, daughter of Jacob Stecker, who was born in Cass township, August 13, 1856. One son, Charles Curtis, was born to this union. Jacob Stecker was born in 1824, in Germany and emigrated to America in 1840, being at that time about sixteen years of age. He attained a position of influence in Hancock county, where he established his home, and for many years was a justice of the peace in Cass township. He was a worthy member of the Methodist church. Mr. Stecker died on October 12, 1901. He first married Rosanna C. Klink, a native of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, who died leaving four children, Mrs. Cobb being the eldest. His second wife was Mariah Jameson, who died February 22, 1899, without issue. Mr. Cobb is one of the intelligent and progressive farmers of Cass township and his fine farm shows the cultivation which it receives. He is a leading member of the Lutheran church and has held the office of deacon in this religious body. In public matters Mr. Cobb has always taken a deep interest and he has served the township at times as trustee and as clerk. He is a man of enlarged ideas, possesses most excellent judgment and stands high among his neighbors on account of his many estimable traits of character. CHARLES R. WATSON. The attractions of the life of a farmer are many ; he is free and independent, monarch of all he surveys, so to speak, and he is the owner of the most stable and satisfying property in the world, little subject to the fluctuations of the market; while the sowing of the grain and the patient toil and waiting for the harvest add a touch of color to the occupation and aff0rd something of the fever of the speculators on the stock market, uncertain what time may bring forth. And in the modern conditions of agriculture with all the late improvements there is a vast field for the progressive man who desires to make the most out of his land. One of the young and promising farmers of Union township, Hancock county, whose future outlook is clear and bright is Charles R. Watson. This hardy tiller of the soil is the son of William and Susan (Heck) Watson, of Liberty township, who are well and favorably known citizens of the county. Charles made his advent into the world in Liberty township in 1867, and with the usual lot of a farmer boy he spent his youthful days in learning the duties of the farm, in attending the country school in the 270 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY winter season, and enjoying, as only a farmer boy can enjoy, the sports and recreations of the country. He was an unusually bright and studious lad in school and he has found in after life abundant opportunity to apply the lessons which he learned in the familiar old school. He early made farming the choice of vocations and has since devoted his best efforts to the work. He came into the possession of his present farm in 1899.; it consists of two hundred and four acres of fertile and highly cultivated soil, which he devotes to the raising of general farm produce and stock. Mr. Watson also has an interest in his father's farm in Liberty township. This farm is a valuable one from the fact that there are twenty-eight producing oil wells in operation, and thus he has a share in the production of one of the most important of the world's commodities, one, by the way, which has been available for commercial purposes 0nly a little more than forty years. In 1900 Mr. Watson celebrated his marriage to Miss Myrtie Oman the daughter of Jacob and Nellie Oman, of Eagle township, Hancock county; she was born in this township on December 20, 1876, and her parents are also natives of the same place and are members of an old pioneer family. Mr. and Mrs. Watson are numbered among the county's highly respected citizens and enjoy a well deserved prosperity. He is a Democrat in political views, well known throughout the county. He engaged in the oil business in 1902 on the home farm in Liberty township. HENRY REITER. As one passes through an agricultural community and notes the general condition of the farms to the right and left and learns the general characteristics of the owners, he is soon impressed with the marked excellence of the places which are owned by German-Americans; the large barns and other farm buildings, the well arranged grounds and well tilled fields, and the air of neatness and thrift pervading the whole place show the farmer of Teutonic origin to deserve rank among the peers of agriculturists and most substantial citizens. Henry Reiter, who is an enterprising farmer and resident of Union township, Hancock county, has the honor to be classed among. these citizens of the fatherland. His parents, Sebastian and Charlotte Reiter, were loth native Germans, who emigrated to this country in 1835 and settled in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, where they remained for two years. In 1838 they removed to Hancock county, Ohio, making their home in Union township, and about 1842 they purchased a small farm of forty acres, just CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 271 enough to give him a fair start,—and that was all he needed,—for. at this time he was a very poor man. A few years later he sold the place at an advance and in 1855 bought another .and larger farm of eighty acres, now the property of his son and daughter, Sebastian and Lydia. Mr. Reiter was a good business man for one whose . education had been necessarily limited and by his hard work and good management he accumulated enough property at his death to give each of his seven living children eight hundred dollars. He died in .September, 1878, aged sixty-nine years, having been born in 1809, while his wife, who was born in 1816, passed away December 28, 1898. They had eleven children, of whom six are now alive. The birth of Mr. Reiter occurred in Baden, Germany, before his parents left their native land. Being brought to this country at an early age he has been under .American .institutions and influences and is therefore a thorough American in everything except his birth. He' has been a successful farmer and has owned and resided on his present farm since 1872. In 1871 Mr. Reiter became the husband of Miss Eliza Brown, and to this happy union have been born three children, Franklin, on August 27, 1872; Arthur, on March 26, 1874; and Mable, August 5, 1878. His first wife died in 1880 and for his second wife Mr. Reiter married Miss Leah Steiner in 1882, to which union no children have been born. Mr. and Mrs. Reiter are devout members of the Disciples church and enjoy the confidence and esteem of their many. friends. SEBASTIAN J. REITER. Sebastian J. Reiter is a member of that class of farmers who are so much needed in every farming section and are necessarily prosperous because of their methods and excellent habits of doing things; he is a man of intelligence in regard to farming methods and believes in conducting matters on a thoroughly systematic basis, which is just as necessary in farming as in any other line of business. He is the son of German parents, Sebastian and Charlotte B. (Bookmiller) Reiter, who in 1835 came to America with a family of five children and located in Mercer county, Pennsylvania. They were in very poor circumstances when they arrived, being in debt to the amount of twenty-one dollars. In 1838 they moved farther. west to Hancock county and in the course of a few years bought a little farm of. forty acres in Union township, where by his industry and capable management he obtained a vantage ground in the business world. He afterward sold this place and in 1855 bought the eighty acres of land which is now the 272 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY property of our subject and his sister. Although an illiterate man through force of circumstances, Mr. Reiter possessed the requisite quality for success in this land of opportunity and at his death was able to give each of his seven living children eight hundred dollars, over and above the farm on which he resided and which was later bought by its present owners; eleven children were born to them in all. In religious belief they originally belonged to the Evangelical church, later joined the Christian Union, in which faith they passed away, he in September, 1878, aged sixty-nine years and nine months, and his wife in December 28, 1898, aged eighty-two years. Sebastian J. Reiter is a native of Union township, Hancock county, being born January 10, 1852, and in his native place he was reared and educated; so well did he improve his opportunities in school that he was himself able to instruct others and for six terms taught in the state of Illinois. He then traveled around extensively, getting as far west as Nebraska, and in 1882 he returned to his native county, where he has lived ever since. He and his sister Lydia live on their eighty acre farm, which he manages and is meeting with gratifying success. He still enjoys the blessings of single life and is devoted to his business. He has taken much interest in public affairs and has served his township in the capacity of trustee, assessor and supervisor. Like the other members of his family, he is a communicant of the Christian Union church. VALENTINE POWELL. No name is better or more favorably known in the agricultural circles of Hancock county than that borne by the subject of this sketch. He belongs to a numerous family connection, long established in this part of Ohio, and identified permanently with its growth and development. The particular branch to which our subject belongs originated in the Keystone state, where his ancestors figured in the agricultural and industrial movements for many generations in. the past. They sent forth offshoots toward the west during the pioneer period and had representatives at various points while the wilderness was being reclaimed. In 1834 Samuel and Sarah Powell, shortly after their marriage and while still enjoying the enthusiasm of youth, left Fairfield for Hancock county, Ohio, where they formed a permanent location in Liberty township. They reared a family of thirteen children, who, as they grew up, ramified throughout their native and neighboring counties and with their descendants furnish representatives to most of the various vocations CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 273 in life. As previously stated, the Powells, both of the older and younger generations, are most favorably known as citizens of probity and usefulness. Valentine Powell, son of Samuel and Sarah, was born on his father's large farm in Liberty township, Hancock county, Ohio, August 19, 1847, and was reared as well as educated in the neighborhood of the ancestral home. In 1864, when sixteen years of age, he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served for four months and saw some active service in Virginia. In his earlier years he was engaged in the lumbering business, but later took up farming and has since adhered to agricultural pursuits. In 1878 he made his first purchase of land, consisting of eighty acres, in Blanchard township, which he has greatly improved and modernized. This tract constitutes Mr. Powell's present home, whose commodiousness and surrounding comforts afford ample proof of good husbandry. In 1871 he was happily married to Miss Sophronia, daughter of John and Mary Schoonover, well-to-do people of Liberty township. who was born January 11, 1852. This union resulted in the birth of eight children, of whom the seven now living are : Earl R., Carrie, Everett, Bertha, Olive, Carl and Orville. Mr. and Mrs. Powell are members of the United Brethren church. In politics Mr. Powell's affiliations have always been with the Republican party, but his interest is confined to voting, as he has never been either a seeker or holder of office. His whole attention has been concentrated upon his business, and that his efforts have been rewarded is seen by a glance at his well tilled and neatly arranged estate. He is a practical as well as progressive farmer and keeps abreast of all improvements relating to agriculture, employing the best implements and using only up-to-date methods. LEVI MILLER. Sixty years a resident of Orange township, Hancock county, there are not many who can boast to have lived here for a longer period. And when Levi Miller first arrived at the age when his boyish eyes would roam around him and take note of the strange scenes that greeted him on every side, he became acquainted with an entirely different environment than that which now lies before him as he goes down the other side of the slope of life. The log house which figured as the birth place and home of boyhood for many who have wrought and are now passing away is one of the curiosities and reminders to the American of to-day of the transformations and progress of time; and as young Levi stood in the doorway of his log home, he 274 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY probably never dreamed, notwithstanding all the air castles which youth can construct of flimsy nothing, of the changes which would make this inland state almost the center of the great world of commerce and industry which was moving westward. His father, William Miller, who was born in Mahoning county, Ohio, came to Hancock county about 1840 and located in Orange township, on the farm which is now owned by Edward Battles. His occupation throughout his life was that of farming, but he died at the comparatively early age of forty years. He had married a native daughter of Vermont, Roxanna Patch, who lived to be seventy-eight years old and became the mother of five sons and four daughters. The third child and second son of these was Levi, and his birth was announced in that little house of hewn logs in Orange township on June 20, 1842. Until he was twenty years of age his life was not unusual, but was sufficiently varied by his work on the farm and by his attendance in the winter at the old school house. But the Civil war came on and afforded all the interest that may have been lacking from his earlier career. He enlisted in 1862 in Company D, Ninety-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and carried a musket in the ranks for twenty-seven months, at the close of which period he received his discharge on account of disability. He participated in the battle of Chickamauga and other engagements, but escaped without a wound; but he was taken sick and compelled to lie in the hospitals at Louisville, Kentucky, and Nashville, Tennessee, never recovering sufficiently to do active service. Returning from the war, Mr. Miller at first worked out by the month on the farms of the neighborhood, but he was married a few years later and then decided to take up a permanent location. He is not ashamed to recall that he and his wife made their first home in a rather rude log house on the farm which he still owns. But time and his diligence soon rewarded him, and he has put up a good home, barns and all necessary farm buildings and devoted his eighty acres of land to general farming and stock raising. His farm is not only productive in the ordinary products of the soil but has five oil wells which furnish fuel for all time. The first marriage of Mr. Miller, which we have mentioned, was in 187o, to Mary Miller, who was born in Ohio and came to Hancock county when a child. This lady passed away after she had been his faithful companion for a number of years and had become the mother of three children. One of these died in infancy, while Newton was killed by the cars at Findlay ; the remaining son, John, is a resident of Bluffton, Ohio. Mr. Miller married his present wife in 1893 ; her name was Jane Reddick, the widow of Lemuel Reddick. Mr. Miller has not neglected the other phases of life's interests, and is a mem- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 275 ber of the Grand Army post at Bluffton and remains a firm adherent of the Republican party. His long residence in the county has identified him with many of the public matters, and he is one of the well known citizens who help and are helped by the common welfare of the community. GEORGE W. WATKINS. Thomas Watkins, a native of Wayne county, Ohio, was the first member of this well known family to take up his residence in Hancock county. About 1825, when the country was still in that raw and unsettled state which precedes the full bloom of civilization, he located in what is now Union township. His wife, whose Christian name was Susan, bore him twelve children, and of this number ten grew to maturity. An example of his kindness in providing for his children has come down, that to each of these children as they successively reached maturity, he gave eighty acres of land, a good team and a plough, with which outfit they were well prepared to fight the battles of life. And not only did Thomas Watkins bear the reputation of being kind to his own family, but he was known everywhere as an upright and self-sacrificing man, devoted to the best interests of his community and his fellow citizens. He was a farmer of the old pioneer stripe, making the very best of all circumstances and never complaining at adverse fate. The period of his .life extended over seventy-two years, from 1786 to August 19, 1858, and his wife, Susannah, was born in 1792, and died March 17, 1872, aged eighty years. Only one of their large family is now living. Isaac Watkins was one of the sons of the above parents and was born in Union township, Hancock county, in 1826. Being reared and educated on his father's farm and inheriting his father's generous equipment, he naturally took to farming on his eighty acres situated north of Mount Cory. In 1864 he felt it his duty to go to the defense of the Union and as a member of Company H, One Hundred and Ninety-second Ohio Volunteers, he was with General Sheridan on his famous raid through the Shenandoah valley, at the close of the war receiving his honorable discharge. He was married in 1845 to Esther Corwin, who became the mother of his nine children, seven of whom are living and two are residents of Hancock county. Later in life Mr. Watkins removed to the state of Michigan, where in 1893 he died at the age of sixty-seven years, but his widow is still living in that state. G. W. Watkins is the son of the last named parents, and his birth occurred in Union township in 1853, there being reared and educated. He 276 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY has always followed agricultural pursuits and has met with marked success, such as one would expect from a man of his native energy and ability. His first farm consisted of one hundred acres and in 1894 he sold it and bought his present place of one hundred and sixty acres, which he devotes to general farming and stock raising. In 1877 Mr. Watkins was married to Miss Lydia A. Shoemaker, the daughter of Jacob and Judith Shoemaker, who was born on the farm upon which she now resides in 1859. Of the seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Watkins, the five now living are Forest W., Charles M., Etta J., Jessie A. and Everett. While Mr. Watkins takes a true American's interest in political affairs in general he has never aspired to office. He is devoted to his family and the practical business of his beautiful farm, which is located to the south of the peaceful village of Mount Cory. GEORGE McARTHUR. The subject of this sketch is one of the contributors of Scotland to this country, and those acquainted with him agree that "old Scotia" has sent out no worthier or more industrious son. All of his adult life has been spent in America and most of it at Findlay, where as a manufacturer of boilers lie has clone his full share toward the growth and prosperity of the city's industries. The British Isles are famous for their mechanics, whose rigid technical training and reliability in execution make them desirable acquisitions in every workshop in the World, and Mr. McArthur has shown himself to be a worthy representative of this guild. George McArthur was born at Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1863, and thirteen years later was brought across the ocean by his parents, who located in Canada. In 1881, when he had reached his eighteenth year, young McArthur went alone to Detroit, where he remained for fifteen years in the employ of John McGregor in the manufacture of boilers, and then came to Findlay, where he has since been engaged in the boiler business. His father, Alexander McArthur, who was also born in Scotland, finally joined the son at Findlay and is now a resident of that city. Mr. McArthur has prospered in his business, in the management of which he has exhibited energy,- skill and good judgment, and the products of his establishment find no difficulty in obtaining -purchasers. He has the Scottish fondness for fraternal fellowship and gratifies this social inclination by membership in several of the important fraternities. Included in these is Masonry, in which ancient order he has reached the thirty-second degree, and he is CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 277 also a member of the Odd Fellows, the Encampment, Knights of Pythias and Elks. In addition to this he is district deputy of the Knights of the Golden Eagle and altogether devotes considerable time to duties devolved upon him by connection with these various orders. Though in politics in sympathy with the Republican party, he neither seeks nor cares for office and contents himself with a silent vote on what he considers the right side. In 1885 Mr. McArthur was married at Detroit, Michigan, to Mary Murphy, by whom he has two children, George and James. The family moves in an excellent social circle and the members are welcome guests in the most substantial households of the city. WILLIAM A. WILLIAMSON. The noble art of husbandry has ever been the conservator of our national progress and prosperity, and among those prominently concerned as its votaries in this section is the subject of this review. He was born in Orange township, Hancock county, Ohio, on the 19th of February, 1854, his parents being William and Jane (McCroskey) Williamson, the former born in Greene county, Ohio, in 1810, and the latter in Vriginia, in 1813. Their marriage is believed to have been celebrated in Virginia, from which commonwealth they removed to Greene county, Ohio, and some years later took up their abode in Tuscarawas county, this state. In 1851 they cast in their lot with the early settlers of Hancock county, and in the following year Mr. Williamson purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Orange township,.to which he subsequently added an additional tract of eighty acres. At the time of the purchase this land was in its primitive condition, but during the lifetime of Mr. Williamson it was cleared and improved and became one of the valuable homesteads of the locality. This worthy pioneer was a valued and consistent member of the United Presbyterian church, and in his political views was a stanch supporter of Republican principles. Ever loyal and patriotic, he gave three of his six sons to the cause of the Union during the dark days of the rebellion, one, Granville L., having died from the effects of wounds received in the battle of Chattanooga, while Madison H. died of disease contracted in the army. Joseph H., who was taken prisoner previous to the capture of the city of Richmond, is now a resident of Orange township, Hancock county. Of the ten children born unto Mr. and Mrs. Williamson only five are now living. The mother was called to her final rest on the 11th of September, 1877, and on the 24th of May, 1894, her husband joined her in the spirit world. 278 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY William A. Williamson, the immediate subject of this sketch, remained in the township of his nativity until reaching mature years, and to its public school system he is indebted for the educational privileges which he was permitted to enjoy in his youth. Removing to Union township, he there conducted a farm belonging to his father, and in 1876 purchased forty acres of his present place, to which he has added from time to time until his landed possessions now consist of one hundred and sixty acres, eighty acres of which are located in Union township, while the remainder lies in Orange township. In addition to his general farming Mr. Williamson is also engaged in stock raising, shipping about one carload a year. The sheep which he raises are of a superior grade, as are also his horses and hogs, and in both branches of his business he is meeting with a high and well merited degree of success. Aside from his extensive private affairs he has also found time to devote to the public welfare, having for a number of years served as the assessor of his township, was also president of the board of education for several years, and in all the movements and measures intended to advance the interests of his fellow men he has been an active and efficient worker. On the 14th of October, 1880, Mr. Williamson was united in marriage to Miss Anna J. Hamilton, who was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1860, and is a daughter of James and Sarah Hamilton. This union has been blessed with two children,—James M. and Ruah E. Both Mr. and Mrs. Williamson are members of the United Presbyterian church, in which the former has long served as a deacon and elder, also a Sunday-school superintendent and has held other minor offices. He has given his aid in many generous ways to the perpetuation of those forces which conserve the best interests of the community, and the course that he has followed in political, business, social and home circles commends him to the high esteem of all. He was a member of the board of agriculture four years, president of the same for two years and vice president one year. WILLIAM G. WAGGONER. William G. Waggoner, one of the foremost and most successful farmers of Marion township, Hancock county, Ohio, resides on a farm of eighty acres, which he devotes to general farming, and on which are a number of valuable gas and oil wells. Mr. Waggoner was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, March 4, 1840, and removed with his parents to this county when ten years of age. He has lived on his present farm since the year 1875. For a number of years he was engaged in the grocery business in Marion CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 279 township, but finally abandoned it for the present occupation. In public life he has done his duty to his fellow citizens, having served them in the offices of township trustee, supervisor and school director. He is ever ready to take part in anything that will inure to the benefit of society. in his county and state. He was united in marriage to Miss Rachel, the daughter of William and Margaret Davis on the 7th day of October, 1866. The children born to this union are: Edward L., Charles D., and Mary M. The eldest son, Edward L. married Laura Wisely, and now resides in Findlay; Mary is the wife of John Welsch, and resides in . Findlay. Mrs. Waggoner was born in Marion township in 1843, and for the further consideration of her family the reader is referred to a sketch of Mary A. Wolfe. William G. Waggoner is a son of Edward and Eliza (Allen) Waggoner. His father was born in Jefferson county in 1811, his mother in the same county in 1812. They were married on the 13th day of April, 1837, and their family numbered seven children, five of whom are now living. William G. is the only one residing in Ohio, the others being residents of Michigan. In 1850 Edward Waggoner purchased eighty acres of land in Cass township, Hancock county, upon which he continued to reside until his removal to Michigan in 1875. In that state the father died in 1886 and his wife Eliza in 1884. The paternal grandmother of Mr. Waggoner was Mary Jackson, who was born. in 1775, and died in 1840. She was related to President Andrew Jackson. Her husband, William Waggoner, was born July I, 1776, and died in 1854. His maternal grandparents were Aaron and Mary Allen, who. died in 1850 and 1843 respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Waggoner enjoy the esteem and confidence of a very large circle of the best citizens of Hancock county, whom 'they delight to receive and entertain in their pleasant rural home. In politics he is an earnest Republican and cast his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. NELSON COLEMAN. When Thomas Coleman arrived in Hancock county in 1840, the aspect of affairs was by no means so inviting as it is at the present day. There were no large towns, no manufacturing industries except of the rude pioneer kind, and farming had yet to assume that scientific and yrogressive form which now distinguishes the fertile fields of the Buckeye state. The famous and historic campaign of "log cabin and hard cider," coonskins and primitive emblems was then in full blast, which was to. land "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too," in the seats of power at Washington. But young Coleman, 280 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY newly arrived from his native state of Delaware, was thinking more of finding some way of making a living than he was of politics, though no doubt he was affected by the prevailing enthusiasm and perhaps lent a hand in landing General Harrison in the presidential chair. However this may be, it is recorded that he located near what is now Benton Ridge, purchased forty acres of virgin soil and set to work manfully to cut and grub a home out of this primeval wilderness. That he succeeded is proved by the fact that before his death he not only made a productive farm out of the first purchase, but added to it about four hundred acres more, which was also brought to a high state of cultivation. In fact, Thomas Coleman was one of those stirring and industrious men who are up early and late, improve every moment of their time and are not satisfied until the best results obtainable from busy minds and hands are visible before their eyes. He came to the country a single man, but found an excellent wife in the person of Susan Baldwin, a daughter of one of his neighbors and a native of Hancock county. This union proved happy and fruitful and eight of their nine children are still living, all residents of Hancock county, as follows : Nelson, Theodore, Oliver, Herbert, Viola, Jennie, Belle and Charles. Effie, the fifth born, is deceased, and the father passed away April 21, 1901, after a residence of nearly sixty-one years in Hancock county. Nelson Coleman, the eldest of the children, was born in Hancock county, April I, 1853, and was reared on his father's farm in Blanchard township. He was trained to farm work, while attending the common schools in season, and has never followed any occupation except that connected with agriculture. In 1883 he bought fifty-six acres of land in his native township , only ten of which were cleared, and it is only necessary to look at it now to realize that Mr. Coleman has fully improved his time as a practical farmer. It is in the best state of cultivation, well fenced, well cleared and well tilled, with fine modern improvements and buildings up-to-date in all their conveniences. He inherited his father's thrift, economy and industrious traits, and these are reinforced by observing and taking advantage of the latest discoveries in agriculture. All his life Mr. Coleman has been also engaged in the stock business in connection with general farming. In politics he is a Republican and one of the leading men of Blanchard township. In 1879, Mr. Coleman married Miss Caroline Hopkins, one of the neighborhood girls, and a daughter of M. E. and Maria M. Hopkins, estimable people of Blanchard township. The four children resulting from this union were Harry E., Hall, Alma and Gale, the two first mentioned being called from life at an early age. The family are connected with the United CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 281 Brethren church, in which Mr. Coleman holds the position of trustee, and they enjoy the good will which is due to those who spend blameless lives in an honorable calling. JOHN F. HIRSCHBERGER. Having been connected with the shoe business at Findlay for sixteen years, part of the time as salesman for others and latterly on his own account, the subject of this sketch is now one of the best known men of the city in that line of trade. He is also regarded as one of the best informed of the merchants engaged in furnishing footwear to the public, besides enjoying the reputation which his urbane manners and accommodating disposition have secured for him during his long years of contact with the people of Findlay and the territory tributary thereto. He has met with success in his ventures and those who know him most intimately will be ready to admit that this success is well deserved. As the name would indicate, he is of German origin, his father, Anthony Hirschberger, having been born in the empire of the Hohenzollerns in 1835. He came to America in his youth, first locating in New York state and later finding his way to the pretty town of Clyde, in Ohio. Throughout the period of his active life he was engaged in the business of shoe merchant and followed this occupation in Ohio until the time of his death in 1883. He was married in Rochester, New York, to Miss Kate Nape; by whom he had four children, the two survivors being Mary, wife of Alfred Passey, of Clyde, and John F. Hirsch-. verger. The latter, to whom this memoir is especially devoted, was born in Rochester, New York, in 1861, and was deprived of his mother by death four years later. He was eleven years old when his father located in Clyde, Ohio, and he remained there until 1886. He attended the schools of that place but the most valuable part of his education was obtained by his service in various capacities in the sh0e store of his father, and under the latter's experienced tutelage. He commenced this apprenticeship at the age of seventeen and continued it until his father's death five years later. From 1883 until 1886, Mr. Hirschberger was employed in other stores, one year as manager of the B. M. Lyons grocery and two years in the same kind of position at the clothing and furnishing establishment of E. D. Harkness. In 1866 he returned to his old love" by being installed at Findlay as manager in the shoe store of George F. Tanner and retained this responsibility until January, 1893. In that year Mr. Hirschberger purchased the entire stock and good will of the business he had been supervising and has since 18 282 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY been the sole proprietor. His previous experience, besides an inherited adaptability for this branch of trade, has enabled Mr. Hirschberger to crease the original business and carry it on to the entire success of a large line of patrons. He enjoys general esteem in the business world and is regarded as a merchant of integrity as well as a citizen of good repute. In October, 1893, was solemnized. the wedding of John F. Hirschberger and Miss Ella E., daughter of Thomas H. McCune, all of Findlay, where the ceremony was performed amid the congratulations of many friends. Mr. Hirschberger is a member of the two popular fraternities of the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America, and is an esteemed addition to each of these orders. His political affiliations are with the Democratic' party and socially he 'and his wife enjoy the best that Findlay can afford. T. C. BOYD. T. C. Boyd comes from good old Dutch stock. The parents are both natives of Pennsylvania and the family has devoted itself for years to farming. The father, R. W. Boyd, was born July 22, 1822 ; the mother, Almira Ewing, in June, 1834. They were married about 1852. In 1856 they moved from Ashland county, this state, and for five years lived upon various rented farms in Liberty township, this county. In 1861 they took hold of the eighty acres now the property of their son T. C. Boyd. The Half-Way House between Findlay and Macomb stood directly north across the road. Mr. Boyd kept his eye on that place and in 1868 he bought the establishment and the surrounding eighty acres.' He not only wanted to use the land, but he wanted to put an end to the liquor business there. He tore down the hotel and later, in 1887, erected a fine, brick residence in its stead. Mr. Boyd has served his township in the office of trustee and as justice of the peace and has always been prominent in township affairs. Politically he sides with Republicans, and religiously he is a Presbyterian. At present writing (1902) he and his wife are living a quiet, retired life in Findlay. Of their nine children, four only reached maturity and are living to-day. They are: T. C., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Mary Reed; Mrs. Etta Heimhoffer, and Mrs. Jennie Mitchel. T. C. Boyd was born in Ashland county, this state, November 5, 1855; but has lived in this county since he was six months old. He has taken kindly to the occupation of his forefathers and followed agriculture with considerable success. On his and the adjoining eighty acres of his father there are now forty oil wells, yielding a fine income. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 283 On November 5, 1879, he married Miss Barbara, daughter of David and Catherine Sherrick, a young woman born in Liberty township in 1861. They have three children : Joseph M., born in 1880 ; Lois M., born in .1882, and Virgil, born in 1886. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd belong to the Presbyterian church and he is a prominent member of the Knights of Pythias. In political belief and interest Mr. Boyd is an earnest supporter of the principles of the Republican party. ALBERT J. THOMAS. In various lines of employment the subject of this biography has been well known in Hancock county, since his business career began twenty-five years ago. He has been a school teacher, carpenter, salesman of threshing mashines, agricultural implement dealer, tile manufacturer and finally a producer of oil, in which last capacity he has operated largely and successfully for some years past. During this period of multiplied employments, Mr. Thomas has gained a well recognized standing in the industrial world as one of the county's enterprising citizens. He inherits Welsh blood, strengthened by Irish admixture, a combination that usually results in vigorous and energetic progeny who are able to make their way in the world wherever their lot is cast. Originating in Wales, the family emigrated to the north of Ireland and located in county Down. There James Thomas was born in 1792, married Mary A. Campbell in 1814, and with her emigrated two years later to America. After spending a few years at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, he settled in Wayne county, Ohio, in 1822, remained there until 1835, and then located permanently in Biglick township, Hancock county, where he died in 1879. His eleven children all grew to maturity, and six of these are still living as follows : Samuel B. ; Robert; Ann, wife of Henry Shroy ; Joseph; Nathaniel and Martha. Robert Thomas, second of the surviving children, was born in Wayne count, Ohio, January 1, 1827, came with his parents to Hancock county at the age of eight years, and since reaching maturity has been engaged in farming. In 1849 he married Dilly A., daughter of Solomon Little, had seven children, and the five of these who still survive are thus named : Albert J. and Alvin S. (twins), Alice R., Elsworth C. and Edgar P. Nathan H., the oldest, died April 9, 1899, and Libbie M. died September 1, 1887. The mother died December 23, 1898, but the father is still living, having sold his farm and moved to Findlay in . April, 1902. Albert J. Thomas, eldest of the survivors and one of the twin brothers above mentioned, was born on the farm in Biglick township, Hancock coun- 284 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY ty, Ohio, January 14, 1856. During his boyhood he received the ordinary ,farm training and education, but later had the benefit of a six months' course at the Normal school in Findlay. When eighteen years old he began to learn the carpenter's trade, which furnished him employment during three summers, and upon reaching his majority he engaged in school teaching in his native township. During the seven succeeding years, he continued his pedagogic labors in winter, and spent the summers and falls in selling threshing machines, or such other work as could be obtained. In the spring of 1880, in partnership with M. C. Sheraden, he built the first tile factory established in Biglick township, which was carried on by the firm for eleven years. At the end of that period Mr. Thomas embarked in the agricultural implement business at Findlay, in connection with I. C. Porter, and he continued in this line for two years. In 1893 he engaged as traveling salesman for the Flint & Walling Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of mills, pumps and kindred articles at Kendallville, Indiana. In 1894, however; Mr. Thomas returned to Findlay and renewed the work of drilling water wells, which he carried on extensively throughout Hancock county. In the spring of 1896 he went into the oil business, leasing lands and drilling wells, and this has been his occupation up to the present time. The first twelve wells he drilled proved to be what is known to the craft as "dry-holes," but he ''struck oil" in his thirteenth venture. In fact he has been one of the most successful of the many oil producers in the Findlay field and is able to show good results from his years of arduous labor. Mr. Thomas has never married but belongs to the class who rejoice in "single blessedness" and freedom from matrimonial restraint. He is, however, a man of regular habits and upright life, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church in good standing, and active in connection with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In politics he is a Republican. SHELDON WOODRUFF. Sheldon Woodruff resides in Eagle township, Hancock county, upon the farm on which he was born, July 10, 1842, his parents being Elijah and Sarah (Walters) Woodruff. The father was a native of Ohio, born in Pickaway county, July 28, 1806, and the mother's birth occurred in Jefferson county, Kentucky, December 17, 1819. She was brought to Hancock county by her parents about 1827. All the grandparents of our subject died in comparatively early life with the exception of the maternal grandmother, who reached an advanced age and passed away during the boyhood of Shel- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 285 don Woodruff. Her only living child is Margaret Doty, the wife of John Doty, Sr., of Jackson township. The parents of our subject were married in Eagle township, October 16, 1836. He had two brothers, Adam and William, who also settled in Hancock county and both died here, the latter many years ago. There were also two sisters who became residents of the county—Polly Ann, the wife of Peter George, and Hannah, who married Bonaparte Martz. Both of them were well advanced in years when called to their final rest. Elijah Woodruff had about thirty acres of land at the time of his marriage and in the cabin home on that farm his two eldest children were born. He later built the home in which Sheldon Woodruff is now living and in it the other children first opened their eyes to the light of day. He also erected a large farmhouse in the same year, but it was afterward destroyed by fire. The father entered his first land from the government and our subject now has in his possession three old parchment deeds, according him the ownership of property. The first is for one hundred and sixty acres of state land, which had been granted to the state to aid in building canals, and the deed.was signed by Governor Allen Trimble, in October, 1829. Another deed for forty acres was signed May 6, 1835, and bears the signature of President Andrew Jackson. A third for forty acres, dated April 18, 1837, was signed by Martin Van Buren. Taking up his abode in a little log cabin built in the primitive manner of pioneer times Elijah Woodruff began the development of his farm and placed about sixty acres of his land under cultivation. He died May 20, 1865, and his wife passed away March 30. 1886, at the age of sixty-six years, three months and three days. After the death of her first husband she married John Bickelhaupt, with whom she lived about two years and then returned to the old homestead, where her remaining days were passed. She was very devoted to her family and was an earnest Christian woman, who became one of the charter members of the United Brethren church at Pleasant Grove. Mr. Woodruff was a Democrat in his political affiliations but was never an office seeker. In their family were three children who died in childhood, while five reached years of maturity and are still living. These are: Benjamin, who owns a part of the old homestead; Samantha S., the wife of R. M. Henderson, of Dunkirk, Ohio; Angeline, the wife of John S. Bishop ; and William, who also owns a part of the old homestead. The other member of the family is Sheldon Woodruff of this review. He was reared upon the .old farm and has spent his entire life here. The three brothers purchased the interest of the other heirs in the property and 286 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY all lived together during the mother's lifetime, but after her death the property was divided, each taking a share of the farm. Mr. Woodruff has always carried on agricultural pursuits, and his land returns a good tribute for the care and labor he bestows upon it. On the 18th of February, 1864, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Woodruff and Miss Missouri Alspach, a daughter of George W. and Eliza-. beth (Zoll) Alspach, of Eagle township. Mrs. Woodruff was born in this township, January 17, 1846, and by her marriage has become the mother of four children. Ella is the wife of E. J. Pepple, of Jackson township. Harry, also of Eagle township, married Matilda Hartman, and has two children, Lola and Orval. Floyd, who operates his uncle Benjamin's farm, married Jennie Hoy, and they have one child, Farrell. 011ie, who cultivates his father's home farm, wedded Lillie Decker. Mr. Woodruff is a Democrat and has some times served as a delegate to the conventions of his party, but has never had any aspirations for office, though he was trustee for six years. He attends and supports the Pleasant Grove United Brethren church, and devotes his life to the farm, whereupon he has spent his entire days, so that the place is endeared to him through the associations of his boyhood and manhood. JOHN W. GRIMM. Though practicing at the Findlay bar only about twelve years, the subject of this sketch has not only done well but may be said to have achieved a notable success, considering the competition he has had to meet. Besides the business transacted in the ordinary channels he has held the posititon of deputy probate judge for seven years, and is at present referee in bankruptcy for the northern district of Ohio. Besides his industry and energy as a practitioner and the conscientious discharge of such judicial positions as he has held, Mr. Grimm has the recommendation of geniality in temperament and courtesy of address which brings its possessor in easy touch with the multitude and gains friends from widely diverse elements. These qualities make him one of the most popular, as he certainly is one of the most progx members of the local bar. The Grimm family seem to have been long settled in Pennsylvania and well represented in the industries as well as the professions. John Grimm, grandfather of the Findlay attorney, was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in 1814, spent his life as a farmer and grist-miller, and died in his native state in 1886. His son, Joseph Grimm, became in after life a noted CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 287 minister of the Church of God, and owing to his evangelical peregrinations was known over a wide scope of country in different states. He was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in 1837, was ordained at an early age and spent his whole life in the cause of religion, not ceasing to labor "in the vineyard" until death claimed him in October, 1900, while a resident of Allegheny county, of his native state. This reverend gentleman owned and for many years successfully operated a farm in Moon township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. He married early and became the father of eight children, the second of whom was John W. Grimm, whose birth occurred at Freedom, Pennsylvania, July 31, 1860. The children of itinerant preachers are apt to see considerable of the world, as their fathers travel from place to place and stay nowhere for any great length of time. By this process of moving around continuously, young Grimm's rearing and education were not lacking in such variety as could be given by frequent change of place, but for this very reason doubtless possessed additional elements of advantage. The boy grew up to manhood mostly in western Pennsylvania, and among the more important schools attended were Mt. Pleasant Institute and the State Normal at Edinboro, both in Pennsylvania. He taught school for a number of terms in the public schools of Beaver county, Pennsylvania. After Mr. Grimm came to Findlay in 1886 he entered the college of that place and put in two years of hard study by way of a finishing course. Upon leaving this institution in 1888 he immediately entered upon the- study of law under Theodore Totten, and made such headway as to be admitted to the bar in 1890. He opened an office in Findlay without delay, but was hardly well started in general business when, in 1891, he was appointed deputy probate judge, the duties of which position occupied the principal part of his time until 1895. At the present time he is one of the referees in bankruptcy for the northern district of Ohio, with headquarters at Findlay. Soon after coming to Ohio, Mr. Grimm purchased a farm in Hardin county, and has been much interested in Ohio farming since. In 1889 Mr. Grimm was married, at Findlay, to Miss Alice, daughter of William B. Miller, and they have five children : Bernice, DeWitt Miller, Helen, John and Flora. W. B. Miller, the father of Mrs. Grimm, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, and is one of the pioneers of Hancock county, having now reached the age of seventy-eight years. He is a farmer and stock raiser by occupation, and is one of the leading Republicans of the county. Mr. Grimm is also one of the leading Republicans of Hancock county and also of northwestern Ohio. He has for many years attended nearly all of the conventions of his party, both state and local, and has been a member of 288 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY the central and executive committees for many years. In his fraternal relations he is a member of the Masonic order, Findlay Lodge, No. 227; of the Knights of Pythias Lodge, No. 400; and of the Modern Woodmen of America, Bishop Camp No. 4678, of Findlay. He and his family are leading members of the First Presbyterian church of this city. DANIEL WALTER. The subject of this sketch, a prosperous and much esteemed farmer of Blanchard township, is descended from German parents who emigrated while young and became pioneers of Hancock county at an early period of its history. Peter Walter was born in Germany in 1796, and served six years in the army of his native land during his early manhood. He married Anna M. Ginder, whose. birth occurred May 6, 1819, in Switzerland. He made his way directly to Ohio, where Mr. Walter purchased eighty acres of virgin forest in Blanchard township. It took much hard work to "whip this land into shape," but by assiduous labor and wise management this worthy couple eventually brought their farm to a high state of coupon them and, as prosperity smiled upon them, by degrees added one hundred and sixty acres more to their estate. Peter Walter came to this country extremely poor, and all his accumulations were due to the efforts of himself and wife, who proved a most valuable assistant during the period of struggle. They finally obtained a firm foothold financially and were much esteemed socially, Mr. Walter himself being an industrious, unassuming man of the strictest integrity and honesty. He was a an of remarkable physique, robust and possessed of an unusually strong constitution, qualities which stood him in good stead for the hard work necessary at the beginning of his career. He was a consistent member of the United Brethren church and model of uprightness and good morals in all the affairs of life. Peter Walter ended his long and honored career in 1875, at the age of seventy-nine years. He was married three times, and all of his wives are now deceased. Their family consisted of five children, of whom three are still living and all residents of Hancock county. One of these survivors is Daniel Walter, subject of this sketch, who was born on his father's farm in Blanchard township, Hancock county, January 9, 1843. He was reared to farm work while getting the benefit of such educational opportunities as were afforded by the common schools, and has devoted all of his adult life to agricultural pursuits. At the death of his father he inherited the home farm, his holdings now consisting of two hundred and forty acres of valuable land in two tracts. This property has been managed CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 289 and operated with skill and good judgment, being devoted to stock raising and the standard crops of the latitude where located. Mr. Walter has greatly improved the appearance as well as the quality of his land since taking charge, the most noticeable changes being the erection of commodious buildings of modern construction, adapted to the needs of up-to-date agriculture. He is practical in his methods and has inherited the fine qualities which brought such marked success to his lamented father. December 20, 1866, Mr. Walter was married to Miss Louisa J., daughter of Daniel and Phebe Flick, whose birth occurred in Union township, June 7, 1847. Her parents were old settlers of Hancock county, who acquired ownership of one hundred and sixty acres of land and were much esteemed in the circle of their acquaintance. The union of Daniel and Louisa Walter proved prosperous and happy, their five children being reared in health and strength and all now married with the exception of the youngest. Mary E., the eldest daughter, was born August 9, 1868, married W. C. Elsea in Mardi, 1891, and has two children, Bernice E. and Walter C. Clara A., the second daughter, was born February 7, 1872, and married Dr. E. A. Powell, by whom she has one child, Avery D. Emmet C., the third child and only son, was born May 12, 1874, and married August 16, 1896, to Jettie Bish, and has one child, Velma Lucile. Ida V., who was born April 29, 1880, was united in marriage with W. L. Daymon on the l0th of November, 1898, and had one child, Marie, now deceased. Eva W., the youngest of the children, whose birth occurred January 28, 1885, still remains at home. Mr. and Mrs. Walter are both members of the United Brethren church. In politics he is a Democrat. HAMILTON L. RAMSEY. It is a pleasure to enter in this work a brief review of the genealogical history and personal career of the popular and efficient chief of police of the city of Findlay. His life has been one of continuous application and he has gained prestige as an able and discriminating business man and official, while he has so ordered his life as to retain the respect and esteeem of those with whom he has been thrown in contact. He has passed practically his entire life in Ohio, and from his youth has depended upon his own resources, so that he is thoroughly appreciative of the dignity of honest toil and is known as a whole-souled, tolerant and genial gentleman. Back to that cradle of much of our national history, the Old Dominion state, must we turn in tracing the genealogy of Hamilton Lee Ramsey, and he himself is a native of that patrician old commonwealth, having been 290 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY born in Augusta county, Virginia, on the 16th of September, 1861. In 1865 he accompanied his parents on their removal to Washington Court House, Ohio, where they maintained their home about five years, then removing to Bucyrus, in which place our subject received the major portion of his early education. At the expiration of about six, years they removed to another point in Crawford county and a year later to Shelby, which was the family home for two years, and thereafter they resided for intervals of greater or less length in other parts of the state, while in 1882 our subject came to Findlay, and has ever since been a resident of Hancok county. Here he was employed at farm work for two years, and then turned his attention to the building of oil rigs in the oil fields of this locality, having been identified with this line of work from the time of the discovery of oil in Findlay up to April, 1900, when he was appointed to his present responsible office as chief of police. He has brought to bear marked energy and judgment in the discharge of the duties of his office and has made his department a model of efficiency, safeguarding the city and adequately handling such malefactors as seek to infringe law and order. He is a thorough disciplinarian, but has the respect and high regard of his men and the confidence of the general public. He is also popular in fraternal circles, 'being, identified with the local organization of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party. In the year 1888, at Dunkirk, Ohio, Chief Ramsey was united in marriage to Miss Florence Alexander, the daughter of Joseph B. and Charlottie (Smith) Alexander, and they have a pleasant home at 218 West Main Cross. The chief is familiarly known by his second name, Lee. Rev. Osbert Hamilton Ramsey, the father of our subject, was born in Augusta county, Virginia, in 1829, and was there reared and educated. He was a wheelwright by trade and followed this vocation for a number of years. At the outbreak of the Civil war he held commission as first lieutenant in the Virginia militia, and was given the same rank in the Confederate service, becoming a member of Company F, Fifth Regiment of Infantry, which was assigned to Stonewall Jackson's brigade. He served as first lieutenant until the spring of 1862, when he was detailed to superintend the manufacture of saddles for the cavalry, in which connection he was located in turn at several different, points, passing the greater portion of the time at Clarksville, West Virginia, where he remained until February, when he came to the north, securing a position in a machine shop at Pittsburg Landing, Pennsylvania, where he remained for a year and then removed to Washington Court House, Ohio. In 1872 he entered the ministry of the CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 291 United Brethren church and rendered effective service to this denomination until 1886, when he united with the Wesleyan Methodist conference, with which he has since been identified as a zealous and devoted clergyman, being now located in Greersville, Knox county, Ohio. In the year 1842, in Virginia, he was united in marriage to Miss Ann Brown, who still survives. They became the parents of six children, of whom two sons and one daughter survive, namely : Augusta V.; the widow of John W. Michener, of Delaware, Ohio; H. Lee, the subject of this sketch; and William H., who is a clerk in the department of justice in Washington, D. C. HAVILAH L. PARKER. This gentleman, who is one of the most progressive and successful agriculturists in Hancock county, is the renter of a valuable farm in Marion township, and his management of the estate is marked by the scientific knowledge and skill which characterizes the modern farmer. He was born at Findlay and throughout his active business life has been prominently identified with the agricultural and industrial interests of Hancock county. The date of his birth was April 28, 1853. He was reared and educated in his native town, and has been a continuous resident of the county ever since. His parents were George W. and Margaret (Anderson) Parker. Mr. Parker was a native of Virginia, while Mrs. Parker was born in Wayne county, Ohio. The Parkers are of German extraction, while the Andersons are natives of the Emerald Isle. Havilah L. Parker operates the Burnes farm, consisting of ninety-seven acres of land, on the Sandusky road, two miles east of the city of Findlay. He is a man of many fine traits of character, a member in good standing in the Methodist Episcopal church of Findlay, a member of the Protected Home Circle, a fraternal organization, and a gentleman in whom his neighbors have implicit confidence. His married life dates from January 7, 1879, when he was united to Miss Irene, daughter of George W. and Emily Graham, of Findlay, and to this most felicitous union twelve children have been born, nine of whom are living :—Nellie B., born November 23, 1881, a successful and popular teacher in the Findlay public schools; Lemuel O., born July 20, 1883 ; Clark L., born November 4, 1886, a student in college at Findlay; Ruby M., born May 3, 1890; Willard H., born December 7, 1891; Roy C., born February 17, 1894; Florence, born July 20, 1895 Helen L., born July 18, 1898; and Clara F., born August 9, 1899. Lemuel 0., after finishing at Findlay College, received from the board 292 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY of agriculture a free scholarship in the Ohio State University, and is now there. He is very popular and is making his way by his industry. Mrs. Parker, the mother of these children, is a native of Big Lick township of this county, where she was born October 21, 1858. George W. Parker, the father of the subject of this review, was born in Virginia in 1825, came to this county in 1849, located at Findlay and died in March, 1899. He was a cabinet and chair maker, and for many years was in partnership with Mr. J. R. Clark, now a prominent business man of Findlay. He was a man of great force of character and of considerable influence in the community in which he resided, being connected with much of the public service. He was a firm believer in the principles of faith as enunciated by the Methodist Episcopal creed, and held membership during his entire life in the church of that name in Findlay. He was an active member of the organization, having for long years prior to his death been a class leader. His family consisted of seven children, five of whom are now living, namely : Havilah L., the subject of this review ; Jonathan A.; Mary C.; Phila J.; and George W. The father died March 4, 1899 and the mother of the family, who was a lady of fine intelligence and many estimable traits of character, still lives at the age of seventy-three years. John Graham, grandfather of Mrs. Parker was a native of Virginia and one of the first pioneers of Hancock county, where he entered one hundred and sixty acres of land which still remain in the family. George W. Graham, his son and father of Mrs. Parker, is living in retirement at Findlay, after a successful career as a farmer. THOMAS H. CLYMER. Thomas H. Clymer, a young man of superior business ability and executive force, whose labors are bringing to him creditable and gratifying success in industrial circles, is a native son of the Buckeye state. His birth occurred in Union township, Hancock county, on the 16th of November, 1861, and he is a grandson of Francis and Susan Clymer, who removed from Fairfield county, Ohio, to Hancock county in 1834, being accompanied by their family, and the father of our subject was one of the number. Francis Clymer entered one hundred and sixty acres of government land in Union township, one hundred and eight acres of which is now owned by his son David, and he was one of the sturdy old pioneers of the commonwealth. With his family, consisting of six children, three of whom are now living, he endured the privations incident to a new and unsettled country, and he nobly bore his share in its subsequent development and improvement. Both he and CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 293 his wife lived to a good old age, and in their death the community suffered the loss of true and upright citizens. David Clymer, the father. of him whose name introduces this review, is now the only member of his father's family residing in Hancock county. He was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1828, and in his youth accompanied his parents on their removal to this county, where he has won an enviable place among the progressive and influential agriculturists of his community. His landed possessions consist of about eight hundred acres, and he is recognized as one of the largest real estate owners in Hancock county. His career has ever been such as to warrant the trust and confidence of the business world, for he has always conducted all transactions on the strictest principles of honor and integrity, and at the same time his devotion to the public good is unquestioned. Mr. Clymer was united in marriage to Emily Cook,. also a native of Fairfield county, where her birth occurred in 1830, and this union was blessed by the birth of eight children, five of whom are now living, and .all are residents of Hancock county. They have all been provided with excellent farms, the result of the father's forethought and enterprise. In political matters the Clymers have long been allied with Democratic principles. Thomas H. Clymer, the immediate subject of this review, was reared and educated in the township of his nativity, and here he has spent his entire life. After completing his studies he assisted his father in the work of the home farm until his marriage, after which he purchased and removed to his present place. He is a young man of exceptional promise, and his fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, have chosen him as a member of the school board, in which capacity he has served for seven years. For his wife he chose Miss Nora, the daughter of Henry Aurand. Their marriage was celebrated in 1884, and four children have come to brighten and bless their home,—Jessie, Estella, Lewis and Grace. Mrs. Clymer was born in Blanchard township, Hancock county, in 1866. The family are held in high esteem in Hancock county, and their many excellent qualities render them favorites with a large circle of friends. Mr. and Mrs. Clymer are members of the United Brethren church. WILBUR F. TRUESLOW. The above named gentleman has devoted all the active years 0f his business life to the carpet trade, in which he has been employed in various cities and states and is a recognized expert in that line. He has also risen to prom- 294 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY inence in the political world at Findlay, where he has long been connected with public affairs, and at present holds the position of president of the city council. His father, George W. Trueslow, was born at Malden, now West Virginia, in 1813, and after reaching manhood removed to Lynchburg, Virginia, where he accumulated a fortune amounting to near one hundred thousand dollars in the mercantile business. He was intensely Union in his sentiments, however, and when the Civil war opened found it impossible to live in the hotbed of secession where he found himself, the result being that he had to leave at a sacrifice of all his hard-earned wealth. He therefore fled with his family to the more congenial atmosphere of Illinois, and about 1861 enlisted, at Jacksonville, in Company F, Eighty-seventh Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, of which he was elected captain. He served gallantly with his command until ill health compelled his resignation in December, 1864. In 1866 he removed to Hannibal, Missouri, where he engaged in the lumber business, which he carried on until his death in 1876. About 185o he was married at Gallipolis, Ohio, to Mary A. Jewell, by whom he had three children : Alice, deceased wife of George W. Hugo ; Wilbur F.; and Silas, who died in the nineteenth year of his age. Wilbur F. Trueslow, second of the children, was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, January 29, 1853, and was consequently eight years old when his parents fled to Illinois to escape the fury of the hot-headed "secesh." While the father was absent in the army his family continued to reside at Jacksonville, and later, as previously stated, accompanied him to Missouri. Wilbur F. attended school at Hannibal, and remained there until 1871, when he went to St. Louis and secured employment in the carpet store of Henry Barr. He retained this position about six years and then entered the carpet store of Albert Gall at Indianapolis. After a period of five years in the Indiana capital Mr. Trueslow's next move was to Cincinnati, where he took service with .Lowry & Goble, and remained with that well known firm of carpet dealers until 1888. In June of that year he transferred his scene of operations to Findlay, where he has since been engaged in laying carpets for the large firms in that city. Mr. Trueslow is rather fond of the excitement of politics, and has long been active on the Republican side in the political battles that have made Ohio famous. In 1898 he was elected to the city council from the seventh ward of Findlay, and was endorsed by a re-election in 190o. At the organization of the council in that year he was chosen vice president, and several months later, upon the resignation of the president, succeeded to that place by election, and in April, 1900, was elected to succeed himself in the same honorable CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 295 position. He has traveled over a vast amount of territory for a man of moderate means, having visited every state and territory of the Union with the exception of the far eastern states. He has made the trip from Denver to Pike's Peak, by government train, this being before railroads had invaded that then wild country, and one incident of his travels worthy of note is that when at Charleston, South. Carolina, he went by ferry to Sullivan's Island and stood upon the gun, which fired the first shot at Major Anderson's men in Fort Sumter. As he thus stood upon that gun in Fort Moultre, looking across the channel at the stars and stripes once again waving over Fort Sumter, his remarks were : "Oh if this island could have sunk before that shot was fired." Mr. Trueslow's fraternal connections are with the Knights of Pythias, his membership being in Justus H. Rathbone Lodge, No. 400, of which he is a past chancellor, also past county deputy and a past district deputy, and he is also a member of the uniform and endowment ranks. His lodge now has a membership of three hundred and ninety. In December, 1890, Mr. Trueslow was married to Jessie D. Wentz, a daughter of Jacob A. and Elizabeth Wentz. She was born in Blackford county, Indiana, in 1867, and came with her parents in 1874 to Findlay, Ohio, her father purchasing a farm four miles north of that city, where they resided for a number of years, finally moving to Findlay, making this their permanent home. Mr. and Mrs. Trueslow have two children,—Alice E., born February J0, 1892 ; and Myron W., born November 13, 1893. JACOB GRESSLY. Hancock county has no more honored or highly esteemed citizen than the gentleman whose name introduces this review. He was born in Hocking county, Ohio, on the 18th of February, 1842, his parents being Henry and Annie (Whisler) Gressly. The former, who was born in Germany, in 1809, was a son of Jacob Gressly, who emigrated from that country to America in 1829, being accompanied on the journey by his six children,— Barabara, Henry, Jacob, Catherine, Charles and Margaret. Jacob Gressly first took up his abode in Fairfield county, Ohio, but a short time afterward removed to Pickaway county, this state, where he spent the remainder of his life, his life's labors having been ended in death in 1857. His son Henry came to Hancock county in 1846, locating on a farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres in Union township, which he placed under an excellent state of cultivation, and to this tract he subsequently added one hundred and forty acres more, making it one of the valuable homesteads of Union town- 296 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY ship. He was well versed in all the branches of agriculture, and his life was characterized by energy, perseverance and hard work, qualities which won for him a high and well merited degree of success. At one time he was the owner of over seven hundred acres of land, and was long recognized as one of the most progressive farmers of his community. He was united in marriage to Annie Whisler, who was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, in 1818, being a daughter of Michael Whisler. This union was blessed with the following children : Jacob, Rebecca, Sarah (deceased), Loretta J., Samuel and two who died in infancy, The living ones are all residents of Hancock county. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gressly were worthy members for many years of the Evangelical church. The father died in 1891 and the mother in 1882. Jacob Gressly, the immediate subject of this review, was early inured to the work of the farm, and when the time came for him to inaugurate independent action he chose the vocation of farming, which has been his life occupation. In 1871 he located on the farm on which he now resides, where he has erected a substantial and commodious residence, suitable barns and outbuildings, and has placed his fields under an excellent state of cultivation. He is one of the representative citizens of Hancock county, and has achieved a most worthy success. His public spirit is such that he always aids every movement which in his judgment promises good to the people at large, and for one year he efficiently served his township as its trustee. The marriage of Mr. Gressly was celebrated in 186, when Miss Martha West became his wife. She was born in Hancock county, Ohio, in 1845, and is a daughter of John and Catherine West. By her marriage she became the mother of the the following children : Theodocia (deceased), Ferdinand W., Ivy A., Pearl J. and Bessie E. Mrs. Gressly and her daughters are members of the Church of God, and the family are among the well known and highly respected residents of Hancock county. In politics Mr. Gressly is a Democrat. The improvements on the farm of Mr. Gressly are among the best in this party of Hancock county. JEFFERSON C. McRILL. Among the most promising and successful of the younger generation of Hancock county farmers is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. He comes of a family which has been represented in the county for seventy years, whose members have always stood well and enjoyed high consideration among their neighbors. A brief review, given in chronological order, will show who they have been and something of what they have done to bring this county to CENTENNIAL. BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 297 the front. Elijah McRill, who was born January 18, 1789, married Rebecca England in early manhood and came with her to Hancock county in 1832. In the common parlance of that day, he "entered" one hundred and sixty acres of land in Washington township, where he put up a round-log house in the pioneer style, to be replaced a few years later by a more pretentious structure built `of hewed logs, which was then considered somewhat "stylish." Elijah was a hard-working man, of simple and unpretentious manners, who belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church and tried to do his duty in all the relations of life. In the course of time he sold his farm and led a retired life until the final summons came to him in 1879. Of his nine children only two are now living. B. J. McRill, the eldest of his surviving children, was born in Ashland county, Ohio, October 27, 1823, and was nine years of age when his parents came to Hancock county, where he has ever since made his home. At the age of nineteen he made his first purchase of real estate, consisting of forty acres, to which he kept adding until his present holdings embrace one hundred and fourteen acres of good land. He is one of the veteran educators of the county, having taught school for over forty-five years. In this way he contributed much toward the welfare of the county by that surest road to civilization which is found in the education of the people. During his long residence in the county of seventy years, which gives him right to the honored title of "one of the oldest settlers," Mr. McRill has enjoyed and fully deserved the confidence and esteem of his neighbors for two generations. At various times he has held the office of justice of the peace, assessor and. trustee of his township, the duties of all which positions were ever discharged with fidelity and integrity. A faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he was class-leader for many years, he always aimed to practice what he preached, and the example he set before the. rising generation was wholesome and worthy of imitation. His fraternal relations were. confined to membership in the old and useful order of Odd Fellows, of which he has long been a shining light and active member. Mr. McRill's first marriage was with Miss Fannie Carpenter, who bore him two children, but these, as well as their mother, have long since passed from earth. His second marriage was in 1850 with Rosanna Zimmerman, who was born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, June 5, 1831. The children of this second marriage were Amanda J. ; J. C. ; Sarah A. C.; A. A. ; R. W.; Nelson A., deceased; and Elijah E. Jefferson C. Zimmerman, the second in order of birth of the above enumerated children, was born in Marion township, Hancock county, Ohio, March 3, 1858, and grew to manhood on his father's farm. After the usual preliminary attendance at the district school he entered business for himself at a very 19 298 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY early age by the purchase of his present farm of seventy-two acres in Big Lick township, where he has since resided. He cultivated this place in the usual way, devoting it to general farming, until the year 1901, when he was lucky enough to "strike oil." The result of this happy discovery was seven producing oil wells, which are now in full operation and bringing a handsome revenue to their owner. Mr. McRill well deserves the success and good fortune with which he has met, as he has been painstaking and industrious, attentive to his business and in every way a worthy citizen. The only office Mr. McRill has held was that of justice of the peace, of which he was the incumbent from 1893 until 1899, and this important trust was discharged in an eminently satisfactory manner. April 6, 1886, Mr. McRill was happily wedded to Miss Ella C., daughter of Solomon and Rebecca (Neff) Eberhart, born in Steuben county, Indiana, in 1863, who has proved a most affectionate wife and mother. Her father was a native of Michigan, a farmer by occupation, and died in the prime of life. The children consist of two daughters : Myrtle I., born July 7, 1887, and Hazel. G., whose birth occurred September 11, 1889. Since 1888 the family have been members of the Christian Union church, in which Mr. McRill holds the position of trustee. WARNER COONTZ. One of the most substantial and prominent farmers of Hancock county, who is now living retired from activity, in Findlay, Ohio, is Warner Coontz, whose pleasant home is located at No. 901 Washington avenue, in this city. The birth of Mr. Coontz occurred April 2, 1826, in Jefferson county, Virginia, and he is a son of Jacob and Elizabeth Coontz, who came to Ohio when our subject was quite small. His parents located first in Fairfield county. Jacob Coontz was born in 1734 and died June 28, 1833, in Fairfield county. His wife was born in 1746 and survived until February 13, 1855. They had a family of seven children, the three survivors being : Warner, Sarah and Emanuel. Jacob Coontz was a man of education and culture, learned both in the German and the English language, and was a consistent member of the Presbyterian church. In every way our subject is a self-made man, the death of his father when he was but seven years of age, leaving him practically without a protector. However, the principles of right living had been instilled from earliest childhood, and the lessons learned then, and his inheritance of gentle blood from most estimable parents, have guided him safely through a long life. In CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 299 1865 he came to Hancock county and purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, to which he has at various times added until he now has four hundred and twenty acres, in three farms, one located in Liberty, one in Blanchard and the other in Marion townships, in addition to a valuable city property. February 20, 1854, our subject was married to Miss Mary Hott, who was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, September I, 1832, and died on January 27, 1899. The children of this union were : John, born January 17, 1855; Kate, June 26, 1856; Warner, Jr., born May 17, 1864, and now a resident of Greeley, Colorado; and William, born August 25, 1866, who is a physician of prominence, practicing in Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Coontz is a member of the First Methodist church of Findlay and one of the liberal contributors to its support. In 1888 he gave up practical farming and since that time has been an esteemed resident of Findlay. He worked hard in his early days and is now in a condition to thoroughly enjoy the declining years which his friends hope will be many in number. THOMAS FLICK. As far back as 1833, John and Elizabeth (Fox) Flick left their native place in Fairfield county and took up their abode on a tract of land in Hancock county, situated in Union township. This land, consisting of one hundred and twenty, acres, was obtained from the government and at the time of the purchase was decidedly wild and swampy. But pioneers were not to be discouraged by little things like this and the new arrivals set resolutely to work to see what .kind of home they could extract from this " lodge in the wilderness." John Flick was really. a great acquisition to the community at the time he arrived on the scene. Blacksmiths were always in demand in pioneer times and John was one of the best of his craft, strong, sturdy, industrious and skillful. There was soon plenty of demand both for his time and talent to shoe horses, retire wagons, mend tools and do all the other odds and ends characteristic of a cross-roads smithy. Between jobs of this kind, John worked in clearing his rather unpromising farm and in course of time had his swamp fairly well drained, the underbrush grubbed out and the land fit for cultivation. By his combined pursuits of farming and blacksmithing, working all day and part of the nights, John Flick finally reached the time when he could take things easier, having a competence laid by for a rainy day. The truth is that he was a model man as well as a very deserving one, as all knew who pulled the latch string on the door of his humble cabin. He