500 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY became a, prospector for oil on his own account in a short time, and before long went to work as a clerk for the Buckeye Supply Company, which later became the National Supply Company. His business ability has been of such a character that he has advanced steadily, and is now the district manager of that concern. Mr. Mascho was married, in 1899, in Findlay, to Matilda, a daughter of Joseph Martin. He is identified with the Knights of Pythias, and. is thoroughly independent in politics Mr. Mascho's father was John J. Mascho, who was born, in, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1838, and died in 1899. He was a farmer during his early years and was engaged in the oil business during the latter part of his life, in which occupation he was engaged at the time of his death. He left five children surviving. ANDREW BISH The gentleman of whom we are now permitted to write was. county treasurer of Hancock county at the time of his death, which occurred September 14, 1901. He was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, April 2, 1834, and was a son of Henry Bish, and a grandson of Henry Bish, Sr. The latter was born in Virginia in 1795, but late in life removed to Sandusky county, Ohio, where his death occurred in 1875. Andrew Bish, of this review, was reared and educated in the place of his nativity, and after arriving at the age of maturity came with his parents to Sandusky county, Ohio, where the father purchased a farm. The son continued to reside at home for the following five years, and in 1858 came to Marion township; Hancock county, where he was a prominent member of the agricultural class until 1895. In that year he rented his farm and moved into the city of Findlay, where he continued to reside until his death. During the period of the Civil war he served with what is known as the Hundred Day Men, and in 1898, on the Republican ticket, he was elected treasurer of Hancock county, being re-elected to the position in 1900, and was the incumbent at the time of his death. In 1857 Mr. Bish was united in marriage to Minerva, daughter of George and Catherine Gear, and to this union were born the following children: William S., who is mentioned below ; Mary C., the wife of Benjamin F. Burns, of Findlay, Ohio ;. Martha, who died in infancy; and Charles. William S. Bish, the eldest son of Andrew and Minerva Bish, was born in Sandusky county, Ohio, November 26, 1857, and came with his parents CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 501 to Hancock county in 1858. He was reared on the home farm in Marion township, receiving an excellent education in the schools of the district, and this was supplemented by further study in the Findlay city schools. Closing his school life in 1877, he returned to the home farm, and there remained for the following two years engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1879 he entered upon a course in a business college at Grand Rapids, Michigan, following which he passed six months in a grocery store in Findlay. He then became bookkeeper at the First National Bank of Findlay, where he remained until the latter part of 1883, and then bought an interest in a grocery store in this city. Selling his interest therein a year later, he went to Garden City, Kansas, where for the following four years he was engaged in the banking business, but finding there was no state like the old Buckeye he returned to Findlay and for a period was engaged in oil operations. In September, 1898, he entered the treasurer's office as his father's deputy, and after the latter's death was appointed by the county commissioners of Hancock county to fill out the unexpired term. On the 5th of November, 1901, he was elected to that office for a term of two years, and is now acceptably discharging the duties of that important position. On the 16th of January, 3:884, at Findlay, Mr. Bish was united in marriage to Alice Anderson, the daughter of William and Harriet (Alban) Anderson. They have had the following named children : Helen M., born May 5, 1885, and died July 28, 1886; Howard A., born November 9, 1886; Marian, born October 18, 1892, and died July 11, 1894; and Alma, born. August 6, 1897. Fraternally Mr. Bish is a worthy member. of Hancock Lodge, No. 73, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, and in politics is a stanch supporter of the principles laid down in the Republican platform. MARION BELL. Perhaps the best judge of horses in Findlay to-day is Mr. Marion Bell, who has made a study of horses all his life. His earliest life was connected with horses, having been born and brought up on a farm, and in every calling in which he has engaged ever since, it has been one in which he has employed horses. Mr. Bell is of pioneer Ohio stock, his grandfather, Jack Bell, having been a native of Fairfield county, Ohio. His father, Alfred Bell, was also born in Fairfield county, but came to Hancock county in early Manhood. He Was a farmer all his life, and died in Wyandot county in 1891. He was married in 1847 to. Emmeline Glick, daughter of David Glick, of Hancock 502 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY county, and they had nine children; of whom six now survive, as follows : Russell B. ; Joseph T. Emma, widow of Soloman Zimmerman ; Marion; David; and Charles. The mother of this family died in 1883. The life of Marion Bell has mostly been passed near his native place, He was born November 23, 1856, and lived on his father's farm until he was fifteen years of age, attending the country schools. He decided to start out for himself, and for eight years worked on the farm of M. J. George; this was followed by a year's work for George June, at Fremont, Ohio, who was a horse trader. Mr. Bell then contracted to carry the mail from Findlay to Mt. Blanchard, and from Mt. Blanchard to Forest for a year. At the end of that time he bought a half interest in a steam thresher, which he ran for three years. His acquaintance throughout the country being considable, he began the business of buying and trading horses, in which occupation he has ever since been engaged. Mr. Bell was married in 1883, at Mt. Blanchard, to Carrie H., daughter of M. J. George, and they had one child, Eva L. The wife died in 1889, and Mr. Bell was again married, on May 21, 1891, to Sarah E., daughter of Grundy Ake, and they have one son, Frank Rice Bell. Mr. Bell belongs to no church and to no secret order. In politics he is a Republican in good standing. WILLIAM A. DEMLAND. One of the popular young business men, of the city of Findlay is Mr. Demland, who is incumbent of the office of secretary of the Findlay Water Works Company and also of the Hancock County Agricultural Society, in each of which capacities he is rendering most effective service. He has applied his energies and abilities to the best possible advantages and has ever retained the confidenc and good will of those with whom he has been thrown in contact. Mr. Demland was born on a farm in Henry county Ohio, on the 3d of May, 1866, and there he grew tip under the invigorating influences of the agricultural life, attending the district schools and assisting in the work of the farm. At the age noted, in 1882, he made a trip to Colorado and the Dakotas, returning within the same year and locating in Fostoria, Seneca county, where he remained about one year and then removed to Defiance, where he was employed in a clerical capacity in a dry goods establishment for two years. In 1885 Mr. Demland came to Findlay and became a clerk in the dry goods establishment of A. A. Dillinger, in whose employ he con- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 503 tinued until 1899, when he secured his present important preferment as secretary of the Findlay Water Works 'Company. Two years previously Mr. Demland had been chosen secretary of the Hancock County Agricultural Society, and he has been indefatigable in promoting the interests of this organization, through which is given a proper representation of the agricultural, stock growing and other industrial interests of the county, the annual exhibitions proving of much value and interest. In politics our subject gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, his religious faith is that of the Church of Christ, and fraternally he is a popular member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elk's and the Knights of Pythias. In 1890 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Demland to Miss Myrtle Dillinger, .daughter of Archibald A. Dillinger, the well known merchant of Findlay, and previously mentioned in this sketch. THOMAS J. STACKHOUSE. Ranking among the old. settlers of Hancock county, Ohio, where he has lived for more than fifty years, and a worthy citizen of Ohio, is that worthy.citizen of Findlay, Thomas J. Stackhouse. His father, Joshua Stackhouse, one of the pioneer settlers of Ohio, was born in Pennsylvania in 1802, but moved to Ohio, and died there in 1847. Thomas J. Stackhouse was born in Hanover, Ohio, February 13, 1835, where he lived until five years of age; when his parents moved to Seneca county, and located, on a farm. Here he lived the happy, healthy and active life of a farmer's boy, helping with the farm work in the summer, and in the winter attending the public school and doing chores. His father died when he was twelve years old. In. 1851 when about seventeen years of age, he came to Findlay, and being ambitious and anxious. to start in. business for himself., he learned the baker's trade and carried on a bakery for several years. Then, his trade increasing and business prospering, he started a restaurant, and after six years in that line, having gained experience and patronage, he opened a hotel in Findlay, in which business he continued up to the year 1895. He then went into the feed and provision business, which he continued for some time and in 1902 again engaged in the hotel business. Mr. Stackhouse has been twice married : First, in 1864, in Findlay, to Fannie Hime, who died in 1894, after thirty years of married life, leaving five children, as follows : Cora E., wife of J. W. Carney; Thomas B.; James J.; Rolla R.; and Rosa, wife of John Negrotto. November 7, 1897, Mr. 504 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Stackhouse was again married, to Elfie P. Lape, and they have two children, Ruth and Esther. Mr. Stackhouse is one of that noble army—the veterans of the Civil war—which daily diminishes, until in a few years there will be none left to answer the roll call. He enlisted in the Union army in May, 1864, at Findlay, Ohio, as a private in. Company I, One Hundred and Sixty-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served until September 13, 1864, being mustered out at Columbus, Ohio. He was under fire in fights at Martinsburg, West Virginia, and Maryland Heights. Mr. Stackhouse also had three brothers in the army, one of whom died fighting for his country. David, now deceased, was a member of the Fifty-fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry; Madison belonged to the Twenty-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry and Eighty-seventh Ohio Volunteer., Infantry; and Harison, who was in the Twenty-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was killed at Chickamauga. Mr. Stackhouse is a member of the Baptist church, a Knight of Pythias, and in politics a Republican. He is an honored and respected citizen in the community and has many friends. LOUIS W. EOFF. The progress of a city is largely due to its financial institutions, in as much as it is upon these that the industries and business establishments depend for capital to meet their obligations, and it is safe to say that a good town always has good banks. Those therefore who havecharge of the banks, are necessarily in position to exercise much influence for good or ill, and it is of vital importance that they should be men of the highest character and ability. Aside from their immediate duties, their advice and assistance in conducting the government and giving the impetus to new enterprises are invaluable, and for this reason the banking staffs are found filling all kinds of positions of trust and responsibility. Findlay has always been fortunate in its financiers and few cities of its size are better known for the probity as well as general ability of those who have had the direction of its large affairs. in this corps of civic servants, who have been conspicuous at every stage of its growth, no man of his age has achieved more for his community or deserved more for himself than the gentleman whose life work forms the basis for this brief biography. He has been connected with banks from early boyhood, and in reward for those qualities which are so highly appreciated in these institutions, he has risen with rapidity through various grades to his. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 505 present position of responsibility as cashier of one of the most important financial concerns of the city. The Eoff family is of Holland origin, and the first emigrants of the name came to America as far back as 1638 in after years, descendants of these first arrivals found lodgment in various colonies of the east, including New Jersey, where Cornelius Eoff was born during the Jotter half of the eighteenth century. When the troubles preceding the American. Revolution became acute they touched .a sympathetic chord in this descendant of a people who had always been noted. for their friendliness to freedom and hatred of oppression in all its forms. Young Eoff was fired with enthusiasm to do something for the cause of the struggling colonies, and this desire was gratified by his becoming a drum-major in General. Washington's body-guard, with which company he served through the subsequent stirring scenes. Cornelius was the great-grandfather of Louis W. Eoff, the Findlay banker, and: it is needless to add that the latter is justly proud of having such an ancestor. Eli Eoff, grandson of the Revolutionary patriot, was born in New York, in 1824, and married Mary White, whose birth occurred in the same state in 1833. Some years afterward they removed to Ohio, locating at Elmore, Where Mr. Eoff rose to a position of influence and for thirty years held the position of village postmaster. His wife died there in 1886, and some years later he removed to Toledo, Ohio, of which city he has since been a resident. Louis W. Eoff, son of this worthy couple; was born at Elmore, Ohio, January 1, 1865, and remained at the home of his parents until fifteen years. of age. After the usual preliminary attendance in the common schools of his native place, he entered Oberlin College and .spent one year in that excellent institution, during which period he improved his opportunities to the utmost. Returning home he spent a short time teaching school, but this was ,soon abandoned for more congenial occupation. His ambition, which early took shape, was to pursue a business career and soon an opportunity offered which promised an outlet along the lines of his desire. Being offered a position as bookkeeper' in the bank at .Elmore, he gladly accepted and for *a year and a half discharged the duties of this place ,so well that, the ground work was laid and an opening made for better things. December 18, 1883,, Mr. Eoff accepted a position. as teller in the First National Bank of Findlay, which he held four years, and this proved the beginning of .his long and intimate connection with the financial affairs of the city, which has continued until the present time. In 1887 he assisted in organizing the American National Bank of Findlay, and in June of the same year was appointed assistant cashier of that institution. In 1889, after service of two years, he was made cash- 32 506 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY ier of this popular bank, and from, that time up to the present has discharged the duties of this responsible position with marked .ability and constantly growing appreciation. Under his able management the American National Bank has had a steady growth and now ranks as one of the leading financial institutions of northwestern Ohio. In line with his business interests Mr. Eoff is a member of the executive council of the Ohio Bankers' Association, and he is also president of the Findlay board of trade. But it is not simply as a banker that Mr. Eoff's services have proven valuable to the citizens of Findlay. Desiring to avail themselves of his financial skill and sound business judgment, they elected him a member of the city council, and retained him in that office from 1894 until 1900. During these six years of public service, Mr. Eoff .fully proved his capability for administrative duties and ability to deal in a broad way with large affairs. He devoted much attention to the important business coming before the council, especially all matters relating to the city's fiscal system, and largely through his instrumentality about two-thirds of the standing debt, amounting to six .hundred thousand dollars, was paid off. During his last term in council, Mr. Eoff served as president of the body, and when he left office it was with the good will and sincere esteem of every citizen of Findlay. In 1889, Mr. Eoff was united in marriage with Miss Lillie Bee, daughter of Judge F. and Pamy. Burket, and has an only child named Will Burket Eoff. His political affiliations have always been with the Republican party, to whose principles he lends ardent support and intelligent advocacy. Mr. Eoff's fraternal connections are with Findlay Lodge, No. 75, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, in addition to. which he holds membership in the Twentieth Century Club, a literary organization composed of some of the leading business and professional men of Findlay. MORGAN C. SHAFER. Among the younger members of the bar of Hancock county is numbered the subject of this review, who has been successfully engaged in the practice of his profession in his native city. of Findlay since 1893. He is a representative of one of the pioneer families of the state, and in his chosen profession is enjoying a prestige which was held by his honored father in the same field of endeavor, so that there is particular congruity in entering this brief record of his genealogical and personal history. Mr. Shafer was born in Findlay, on the 4th of December, 1866, and is descended from a good old German family. His paternal great-grand- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 507 father, Michael Shafer, in company with a brother, came from. the fatherland to the United States, landing at New York city late in the eighteenth Century, and there the brothers separated, Michael going to Washington county, Pennsylvania, from which time on the brothers never knew of each other's existence. Later in the eighteenth century Michael Shafer was married in Washington county, Pennsylvania, to a girl whose first name was Elizabeth, and among their children was Michael Shafer, the grandfather of our subject, who was born in the Keystone state, and was thirteen years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Knox county, Ohio. In Mount Vernon, this state, he learned the blacksmith's trade. When twenty-two years of age he married Miss Nancy Ireland, and in 1835 they moved to Hancock county, Ohio, where they became owners of real estate near Mt. Blanchard. Until he was twenty-one years of age Michael Shafer could only speak the German tongue, but his wife taught him the English language, and being a great reader he soon became a well informed man. This worthy couple were the parents of twelve children, eight sons and four daughters. Mr. Shafer was called from the scenes of this earth in August, 1852, when he was fifty-seven years of age. Morgan D. Shafer, the father of our subject, was born in Mt. Blanchard, Hancock county, Ohio, in 1838, and his education was received principally in the city of Delaware, this state, where he prosecuted his studies for a time in Ohio Wesleyan University, having defrayed his expenses by teaching school for several years. He was admitted to the bar in 1860, but soon afterward laid aside the work of his profession to go forth as a soldier during the Civil war, -enlisting at the first call for troops, in 1861, as a member of the Twenty-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he was first lieutenant of Company E. After a service of three months he returned home and did not again enlist, having been a strong Democrat and having had certain conscientious prejudices against the war policy of the government. He opened a law office in Findlay, and here continued in the active practice of his profession until his death, which occurred in 1899. He was a man of fine intellectuality and attained high reputation in his chosen profession, being concerned in much of the important litigation brought before the. courts of this section of the state and commanding the unequivocal esteem of his professional confrerers and the community in general. Morgan C. Shafer, the immediate subject of this review, was reared in the place of his nativity, securing his preliminary education in the public schools and being graduated in the high school as a member of the class of 1885. He thereafter put his scholastic acquirements to practical test by 508 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY teaching school in his native county, and finally continued his studies for a year in Findlay College, after which, in 1887, he matriculated in the law department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, where he was graduated as a member of the class of 189o. He then returned to his home in Findlay, Where he continued his technical reading in the law office of his father, whom he assisted in his professional work until 1893, when he secured admission to the bar of Ohio and has since been engaged in active practice here, being recognized as a thoroughly well informed and discriminating advocate and safely conservative counsel and gaining precedence through his careful and devoted attention to the work of his profession. He is a Democrat in his political proclivities and. gives a stanch support to the cause. Fraternally he is identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Shafer was married in 1893, at Findlay, to Miss Florence Hamlin, daughter of John M. Hamlin, and they take a prominent place in the social activities of the city, their home being one in which the refined amenities are ever in evidence. DANIEL L. SMITH. There could be no more gratifying thing to the citizens of Hancock county than to see many of its farmers spend their later days in ease, freed from the cares and responsibilities of farm life, yet able to enjoy its pleasant side. Mr. Daniel L. Smith is one of the many who have been fortunate in this respect, and as such deserves honorable mention in this volume. He was born on a farm in Amanda township, in this county, in 1845, and has lived on Hancock county farms all his life, with the exception of eleven years, from 1874 to 1885, when he lived on a farm in Henry county, this state. Though he has resided in Findlay since 1890, he still retains an active interest in agricultural pursuits, keeping in touch with his former life. Mr. Smith's grandfather, Stephen Smith, the first of his. family to move to Ohio, was born in New York, came to Hancock county at an early day and died in Wood county. His son, David K. Smith, father of Daniel L., was born in Hancock county in 1825, and he has also been a farmer all his life. He was one of the many loyal sons of Ohio who fought in the war of the Rebellion, having enlisted in the fall of 1864 as a private in Company G, Forty-fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served until the close of the war. He was in many important fights. David K. Smith married Elizabeth Zinn in 1844, and of their seven children six are still living : Daniel L.; Charity, wife of Jacob Thompson; America, wife of CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 509 Asa Morris; William; Catherine, wife of Peter Domer; and Charlotte, wife of Joseph Schwab. The first Mrs. Smith died in 1887, and our, subject's father is still living in Hancock county, married to his third wife, He is numbered among the members of the United Brethren church. Daniel Smith was first married in 1864 to Eliza Ewing, who died in 1873, leaving two children : Kelley L., wife of Lincoln Sheppard; and Jesse E. Mr. Smith was again married in 1875 to Amanda Kwis, and they have six children, all living, who are: Nellie E., wife of Charles Opp; Bertha, wife of Lemuel Huston; Maud, wife of Fred Johnson; John A. Logan; Harry D.; and Vita Z. Mr. Smith has always been a Republican, and that he is counted one of the worthy members of that party is shown by the fact that he served as postmaster under President Hayes at McClure, in Henry county; he also served as trustee of Damascus township, in the same -county. Like his father, he is associated with the United Brethren church. GEORGE GOEPPELE. George Goeppele is a hale and hearty old citizen. of Hancock county, Ohio, who has been connected with its business interests for fifty years, and in this time has fought the faithful fight which has brought honor and success to his old age. He is proud to claim the empire of Germany for his birth-place, where he came into the light of the world in the old state of Wurtemberg on the 4th day of December, 1825; his father and mother were George and Christina Goeppele, and they passed all their lives in their native land. The younger George had the fortune to spend the years before his maturity in Germany and he was there given the excellent training for which the schools of that country are famous. When deciding upon a pursuit in life he chose the trade of baker. The baker boys of Germany have been famous in song and history for centuries, and our subject became one of the jolly apprentices of that calling; so well did he apply himself that he became thoroughly conversant with all its details and he left his country an adept in the important art of cookery. With hopes and fears, but with a manly and independent spirit which augured well for this young Teuton, Mr. Goeppele crossed the ocean and arrived in America in the month of September, 1851. For a short time he was located in Philadelphia, but after moving about for a year or two he finally came to Hancock county in 1853. Having decided upon Findlay as a suitable place to engage in his trade, he applied himself to it diligently and was soon able to satisfy the taste of the most fastidious epicure and con- 510 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY vince him that the art of fancy baking had found a new master. He worked for various firms in the town and for fifty years the products of his ovens were articles of necessity in every household, no one ever being able to find fault with his methods or with the man. He is one of those genial, wholesouled, courteous old gentlemen whom people would patronize for his own personality, if he were not the best baker the town could boast of. But Mr. Goeppele has not merely been a master of his trade, but he has shown himself possessed of excellent business .sagacity as well, and has devoted his earnings to good investments in real estate.. He purchased his first property in Findlay in 1858 and he erected a house on his lot; he also built and owned other houses in the city, which bring him good returns for his money. In 1869 he bought a farm of eighteen acres; in 1896 he bought a farm of one hundred and seventy-five acres, consisting of two separate farms, located in Union township, and he also owns a place of one hundred and twenty-six acres in Cass township. This .latter farm proved to be productive in oil, and he developed the wells and received such incomes from them that he was able to buy other properties. With the wise foresight of a man of the world he has divided all his property among his children, so that litigation and the breaking of wills can play no part in his posthumous affairs. Mr. Goeppele was married a few years after coming to this country, in 1854, the lady of his choice being Miss Minnie Gotdman, who became the mother of four children, the three following still living: Charles, born in 1857; Henry, born in 1859; and Ida, born in 1861. The mother of these children died in October, 1861, and in the following year Mr. Goeppele married Elizabeth Broggee; there were born : Emma, in 1865; Katherine, in 1868; Joseph, in 1875; and Omar, in 1880. Mrs. Elizabeth Goeppele died October 29, 1885. These children are now in various walks in life and are among the representative citizens of the county. -While Mr. Goeppele never forgets the land of his birth and loves it with the ardor of all true sons of the fatherland, he has become thoroughly imbued with the American spirit, and his adopted country can surely point to no one born within her borders who is a more worthy and public spirited citizen than is George Goeppele. LOUIS A. WOLFF. Louis A. Wolff, though not a native born American, is one of the representative business men of Findlay, and a loyal citizen of the state of Ohio, having emigrated to this country and settled within her borders be- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 511 fore attaining his majority. He is a native of Germany, and was born in Bavaria in the year 1852. He left, the fatherland in 1870, for America, coming direct to London, Ohio, and has ever since made his home within the state of Ohio. From 1870. to 1882 he was clerking in London, Ohio, and then, having been frugal and industrious, he had saved sufficient money to start in business for himself, and opened a clothing house there, which he successfully conducted until the year 1891. In 1891 he closed out his business in London, and came to Findlay, and a year later opened a grocery store which he still continues to manage, and in which business he has been highly successful. Mr. Wolff was married at Bellefontaine, Ohio, in 1881; to Leonora Morgenroth, and they have one daughter, Sarah Wolff. Mr. Wolff is a stanch Republican in politics, and belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. BAKER DAILEY. A stranger driving through the beautiful county of Hancock cannot help being impressed with the healthfulness of the section, for he will meet with more gray heads to the square mile than in any other section of the state. They are hale and hearty people, some of whom have passed from seven to nine decades in agricultural pursuits in the county. We here present for the consideration of our readers one of this class of citizens, who is a well known farmer of Cass township, and a man of fine repute in the neighborhood. He is a direct descendant of D. J. and Mary Elizabeth (Hale) Dailey. The former of whom was born in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1811, and came with his parents and other members of the family to Hancock county, and located near the center of Washington township in 1825. The latter. was a native of Virginia was born in 1815, near Wheeling; she came to this county with her brother Baker, and located in the center of Washington township, where Baker Hale entered one hundred and sixty acres of uncultivated land from the government about 1830. Later' in life D. J. Dailey and Mary E. Hale were united in marriage, and made a purchase of their own of eighty acres, which was in time brought under subjection. Mr. Dailey was a hard working man, as indeed all pioneers were in that age, and he labored hard to clear his farm, and to rear his family of ten children, four of whom survive, Baker, Samuel, Alonzo and Margaret. The father and mother were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and the former affiliated with the Whigs, politically, and in time was a man of influence in his community, some of the offices 51 512 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY of which he administered. He died February 23, 1890, and his wife June 8, 1883. Baker Dailey was born in Washington township, November 24, 1839. Here he was reared amidst pioneer scenes, and under the sturdy and severe discipline of the farm developed that strong manhood which has been so characteristic of him during his life. He received excellent educational advantages, securing his scholastic discipline in the common schools, and completing his literary education in the schools of Fostoria and Findlay, where he fitted himself for the profession of teacher, entering the field in his nineteenth year. For a period of fifteen years thereafter he was a successful and popular teacher of the district schools in Hancock county. He kept his connection, however, with the agricultural interests by working on a farm in the summer, and he finally abandoned the schoolroom and gave his entire attention to the farm. His first purchase of real estate was made in 1868, when he made a modest beginning with eight acres. He now owns a farm which is valuable not only as farming land, but because of its situation in the oil belt of Hancock county. This farm was purchased in 1878. Mr. Dailey, while not a politician in any sense of the world, has always manifested a disposition to do his share of the work necessary to carry on a rural community, and has been trusted with some of the offices o E .the township. He was married on the 6th of November, 1862, to Mahala Fisher, the daughter of Samuel and Margaret Fisher, members of the Presbyterian church. Her birth occurred in Carroll county, Ohio, January 9, 1840, and she has borne her husband the following children : E. T., born October 10, 1863; E. A., August 16, 1865; Wilbert B., July 16, 1867; S. C., May 12, 1869 ; J. H., June 24, 1871; Maggie F., March 13, 1875. Mr. and Mrs. Baker Dailey are both members: of the Methodist church and are held in high esteem in their immediate community, and their good offices and acts of friendship are returned in kind by the host of friends who love to do them honor. JACOB E. POWELL, M. D. Dr. J. E. Powell was born in, Eagle township, Hancock county; Ohio, April 15, 1861. Being a farmer's son and one of the eldest of a family of thirteen children and with no other means of assistance at command than the earnings of his own labor, he enjoys the distinction of rising from the humble position of a farm laborer to be a member of the prominent profession of physicians and surgeons, enjoying the confidence and patronage of the com- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 513 munity to the fullest extent. His early and primary education was received in the common district school, and this was sufficient to prepare him to engage in teaching, thirteen successive terms having been taught in surrounding districts, while his leisure hours and vacations were spent in preparing for the contemplated course in medicine. Dr. Powell is a charter member of Findlay. College, and continued in the first class that was ever instructed in that institution until his final preparation for medical instruction, when he went to Baltimore, Maryland, and entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons, graduating therein in March, 1890. In June of the same year he located in Findlay, where he has continued the practice of his profession until the present time. In political and social affairs, on account of the duties incident to a busy man in his profession, Dr. Powell has been compelled to remain indifferent, yet he was elected coroner of Hancock county in 1892, and held that office for two years. He was a mamber of the Ohio State Medical Society, the Northwestern Ohio Medical Association and the Hancock Medical Society, but in the year 1900 he severed his connection with these honorable bodies for the purpose of commercial privileges which were barred by medical ethics. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is .active in the work of this body. Dr. Powell was married November 6; 1887, to Eva J., daughter of Jacob Oman, of Bluffton, Indiana, and their home has been blessed with one daughter, Hazel Marie Powell, born January 30, 1892, and who has added greatly to their cheerful and. happy home. The ancestors and name of the Powell family originated in Scotland, but the present generation is descended from the mingling of Scotch and German people, who formed the early settlers of Pennsylvania, and it was there. that Daniel L. Powell, the father of Dr. Powell, was born in 1829. With his parents and three brothers he came to Hancock county in 1836 and entered government land in Eagle township, where he still resides, and he is doubtless the Only citizen in the township or perhaps in the county who resides on the same farm which he received from the government, and upon which he has lived 'for more than half a century and watched the formation of a beautiful country from a wilderness. The perseverance and constant diligence in one who rears himself from the hardships of pioneer life to professional standing equal to that of Dr. Powell is worthy of the reward of a happy home with a bright and cheerful wife and daughter, as he enjoys, and this home, with its companions, is his greatest pride and delight. But next in life is a principle which he maintains, that he must add to the profession to which he belongs something which is new and of value to the coming generation or his life will have been wasted or of no value to the world. 514 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY PHILIP B. OLIVER. Philip B. Oliver, who now fills the office of city bill-poster in Findlay, Ohio, is a well known citizen and an honored survivor of the Civil war. He was born in South Whitley,. Indiana, in 1847, and is a son of James B. Oliver. James B. Oliver' was born in Dayton, Ohio, where his father, Philip Oliver, was an old citizen, and was reared in a frugal home. During his youth he was ambitious to obtain an education, and at one time chopped cord wood in order to obtain money with which to enter Wittenberg College, although he received but twenty-five cents a cord. Until he entered the army in 1862, for service in the Civil war, he engaged in farming. Mr. Oliver became a member of Company F, One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was detailed as wagon boss, serving thus for two years and four months. At the same time his son Charles E. enlisted in the same company, as a private. At Hatcher's Run he lost his right leg. He recovered from the injury, however, and at the time of his death, in May, 1901, was auditor of Potter county, South Dakota. During the army service of James B. Oliver, he was taken sick, in 1863, and was sent to the hospital at Frederick, Maryland. His wife left her home duties, at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, and hastened to him, where, on account of the scarcity of nurses, she was impressed and kept for six months. Although the government failed to recompense her, there is no doubt that many a poor sick soldier blessed her for her womanly ministrations. While our subject was still quite small, his parents moved to Liberty, Indiana, and eight years later to Dayton, Ohio, and the year following to Upper Sandusky. There he was given school advantages and there, on May 2, 1864, he enlisted in the army, in Company A, One Hundred and Forty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered in as a musician. His entrance into the regiment, however, was on account of a feeling of patriotism, and two weeks later he threw his fife into the Monocacy river. The adjutant of his regiment soon demanded 'an explanation, and he told him that he had enlisted to fight, and wanted a gun. From that time until his capture by the enemy he did his share of fighting. On August 13, 1864, he was Made a prisoner, at Barryville, Virginia, by General Mosby, and was marched to Culpeper Court House and thence sent by train to Lynchburg and two weeks later to Belle Isle. Six weeks later he was sent to Salisbury, North Carolina, and on April 10, 1865, was sent to a point near Wilmington and given his liberty. Finally our subject made his way to Annapolis, Maryland, and thence to Columbus, Ohio, where he was CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 515 discharged on April 20, 1865. During his captivity his weight had changed from about one hundred and thirty-two pounds to sixty-three pounds, which is commentary enough upon the treatment he received. Our subject returned to Upper Sandusky, Ohio, and began the carpenter trade two years later, at Dayton, and four years later went back to Upper Sandusky. There he followed farming until 1883 and then moved to Findlay where he engaged for a time in the sale of bicycles. Two years after he became the manager of the Davis opera house, in conjunction with Dr. J. H. Boyer, big two years after embarked in his present line. He is a man of energy and good business ability, is well known and popular and has made a success of his present enterprise. In 1876 our subject was married at Tiffin, Ohio, to Miss Dora A. Stimmel, and the one daughter born to this union bears the name of Nellie. In politics Mr. Oliver has been a life-long supporter of the Republican party. He is a valued comrade of Stoker Post, No. 54, Grand Army of the Republic, and also belongs to the local lodge of Elks. GEORGE W. WHITMAN. A well known and much respected business citizen of Findlay, Ohio, is George W. Whitman, whose great-grandfather was of English birth, but emigrated to America in colonial days and settled in Vermont. There his grandfather, Daniel Whitman, was born and took pat as a soldier in the war of 1812. The birth of George W. Whitman occurred on a farm, near Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1852, and he is a son of Selden and Lavina (Sterling) Whitman, the former of whom was born in 1821, in Vermont, and was taken by his parents to Pennsylvania when he was a boy. He has followed farming all his life, and now resides in Forest county, Pennsylvania, a respected member of his community. His venerable wife also survives. They were the parents of fourteen children, six sons and three daughters still surviving. When George Whitman had completed his education in the country schools in his vicinity and had attained the age of seventeen years, he left home and went to seek work in the Pennsylvania oil fields, commencing as a tool dresser, then working as a driller. He remained there until 1881, having commenced producing in 1878. In 1881 Mr. Whitman went to the oil fields of Allegany county, New York. He had gained a wide practical experience and was immediately engaged as a producer, and later was made superintendent of the I. E. Ackerly Oil Company. In 1888 he came 516 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY to Findlay, and has been a producer ever since. In 1894 he enlarged his interests by becoming a wholesale coal dealer, and in 1901 he added a retail branch. Mr. Whitman is a man of business acumen and activity. He possesses the safe judgment which insures success. In 1878, in Bradford, Pennsylvania, Mr. Whitman was united in marriage with Miss Lena Martin, who was born in Corning, New York, and the following interesting family has been born to this union; Fred D., Eva L., Lily M., Harry F., Frances L., and Goldie I. In the political arena our subject is a stanch supporter of Republican principles. He is active in several of the leading fraternal organizations, belonging to the Knights Templar, the Masons, the Odd Fellows and the Woodmen of the World. For some years he has been one of the leading member's of the Methodist church, and in every way is an estimable citizen. The family is highly_ regarded and prominent in the city's social life. AUGUSTUS M. SMITH. Among the marble and granite workers and dealers in Findlay, Ohio, Augustus M. Smith takes a leading position, on account of the taste he displays in designing and the perfection of the work he executes. The birth of Mr. Smith took place in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1854, and he is the son of John and Sarah J. (Hopkins) Smith, the former of whom was born in 1832, in Pennsylvania, and died in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1855. By trade he was a tailor. He left two children, our subject, and his sister .Fannie, who married Frank R. Price, and died. in 1895, leaving three children, namely: Marian, Charles and Arthur, in their home in Cleveland. Mrs. Smith married Alfred H: Slack and they have one son, Fred H., and reside in Findlay. Augustus M. Smith was but a babe when his parents moved to Dayton, Ohio, where he remained until he was about seven years old. Then with his widowed mother he went to Indianapolis, Indiana, and lived there until 1869, when they remoyed to Cleveland, Ohio. In the former city he had commenced to learn the stone cutter's trade and completed his apprenticeship in Cleveland, becoming so competent a workman that when he came to Findlay in 1875; he was placed in charge of the large marble shop of Louthan & Son, remaining with that firm from July 1, 1875, until January 1, 1881. At this date he began business on his own account and has prospered exceeding. In 1873, in Monroe, Michigan, our subject was married to Miss Letty M. Davis, and two children were born to this union, the one survivor being CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 517 Frank E. Mr. Smith was married a second time in 189o, in Wapakoneta, Ohio, to Miss Julia A. Myer, and the two children born to this union are Harry A. and Chester P. In fraternal life, Mr. Smith belongs to the Odd Fellows, the Elks and the Knights of Pythias. He is a very highly esteemed citizen of Findlay. ALBERT C. MATTHIAS, M. D. One of the best known citizens of Hancock county is Dr. Albert C. Matthias, of McComb, who has attained distinction in professional circles, and is a prominent representative of several fraternal organizations. Force- ful individuality and keen insight, combined with practical common sense, are the strong traits in his character which have served to win for him a. high place in .various circles. He was born in Stark county, Ohio, in 1844, on a farm that was entered from the government by his grandfather, Daniel Matthias, in 1806. The latter, born in Pennsylvania about 1762, was a son of Daniel Matthias, Sr., a native of Alsace-Lorraine. He became the founder of the family in Ohio and was closely identified with the pioneer development of this part of the state, his death occurring about 1853. Jacob Matthias, the father of our subject, was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, in 1803, and was brought by his parents to Ohio in 1806, becoming a resident of Hancock county in 1849. After residing for a long period in this county he removed to Cambria, Michigan, in 1866, and there his death occurred in 1881. He had followed agricultural pursuits throughout his entire life. He had seven children, as follows : Jesse A., who died in 1888, at the age of sixty-four years, was a private of Company D, Ninety-fourth Illinois Infantry, serving from 1861 until 1864, most of the time with the heavy artillery forces; Henry H. served for one hundred days as a private of Company G, One Hundred and Fiftieth Ohio Infantry; Julia is the wife of B. F. Showlty, of Pioneer, Ohio; Susan is the wife of J. H. Nickerson, of McComb; Lydia A. is the widow of George D. Wickman, of Hancock county, Ohio; the Doctor is the next younger; Jacob Frank resides in Fairbury, Nebraska. The mother of these children, who bore the maiden name of Mary Stambaugh, died in 1878, at the age of sixty-five years. When about five years of age the Doctor was brought by his parents to Hancock county and was reared to the age of fifteen in Blanchard township, attending the country schools and thereby laying the foundation for his more advanced education. At the age of fifteen he came to McComb and entered 518 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY the general store of B. F. Sholty, as salesman, clerking for him for two years, but the Civil war came on and he put aside all business and personal considerations in order to aid his country, enlisting in Company K, Sixty-fifth Ohio Infantry, as a private. He served until February, 1865, when he was honorably discharged on account of disability occasioned by wounds, holding, at the time, the rank of corporal. He participated in the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Perryville, Stone River, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, Rocky Face Ridge and Resaca. At the last named he was shot in the right elbow, which ended his service. He was commended for gallantry in that engagement by Colonel David E. Moore, commanding the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Ohio, and our subject would have been promoted had he been able to remain in the service. After being wounded he was sent to Chattanooga, where he lay in the hospital for ten weeks and was then sent to Nashville, Tennessee. Five or six weeks later he was transferred to the hospital in Jeffersonville, Indiana, where he remained until October, 1864, and was then sent to Cleveland, Ohio. While there during the winter of 1864-5, Dr. Matthias attended medical lectures at Cleveland Medical College, and in February, 1865, he received his discharge by Dr. George M. Sternberg, now surgeon general of the United States army. Dr. Charles C. Byrne, who performed the operation upon our subject at Chattanooga, is now the first assistant surgeon general of the United States army. Dr. Matthias was graduated in medicine at the Western Reserve University in the year 1869 and at once located in Gilboa, this state, where he remained in successful practice until 1897 when he came to McComb, Hancock county, where he has already gained recognition as a practitioner whose skill is above the average and whose ability is constantly augmented by reading and investigation. Membership in leading medical societies, wherein there is an interchange of thought and experience, has also led to the advancement of Dr. Matthias in his chosen calling. He belongs to the Northwestern Ohio Medical Association and the Ohio State Medical society, and for three years, while residing in Gilboa, he was the president of the Putnam County Medical Society. Doctor Matthias was married in 1861, in Leipsic, Ohio, to Eleanor Harris, and they have six children, four of whom are now living : Elva C., Everett H., Mary M. and Edward S. The daughter is the wife of Dr. M. A. Darbyshire, of McComb. Edward, who is now a practicing attorney in Van Wert county, Ohio, was captain of Company D, Second Regiment, Ohio Infantry, in the Spanish-American war, serving for ten months. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 519 In political circles Dr. Matthias is quite prominent. He served for twenty-four years as councilman in Gilboa and is now a member of the city council of McComb. For two years and seven months he was mayor of Gilboa and for six years was president of the board of education there. In 1899 he was elected justice of the peace by both parties, as the .Democrats would place no nominee in the field against him. For eight years he was a member of the United States pension examining board at Ottawa, Ohio, and for three years was its president. The Doctor belongs to John Howard Post, No. 154, Grand Army of the Republic, in which he has held all of the higher offices and is now serving his sixteenth term as commander of his post. From 1884 until 1885 he was medical director of the department of Ohio. He belongs to the lodge, chapter and council in Masonry, is also a member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity and for three years was captain of the uniform rank at Leipsic. He has passed all the chairs in the Odd Fellows fraternity, in both the lodge and the encampment. Few men are more prominent or more widely known in the enterprising city of McComb than Dr. Matthias. He has been an important factor in professional and social circles and his popularity is well deserved, as in him are embraced the characteristics of unbending integrity, unabating energy and industry that never flags. He is public-spirited and thoroughly interested in whatever tends to promote the moral, intellectual and material welfare of his town and McComb numbers him among her valued citizens. GEORGE W. HALL. George W. Hall, one of Findlay's leading merchants, and a successful business man, was born on his father's farm in Amanda township; Hancock county, Ohio, in the year 1854, and was one 'of a large family of children. Mr. Hall lived on the home farm until he was fifteen years of age, attending the neighborhood schools. He then went to Lawrence, Kansas, and clerked in a shoe store for three years, learning the business. Returning to Findlay, Ohio, and not feeling that he was competent to entirely manage a business for himself yet, he entered a shoe store there and clerked for five years longer, thus fitting himself more fully, and at the same time saving money with a view to owning his own business in future. At the end of the five years, having been frugal and industrious, and having laid by sufficient means for a start in life, he went into the shoe business with his brother, W. S. Hall, which firm continued for three years under the name of Hall Brothers. In 520 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY 1894 Mr. Hall bought out his brother's interest, and since that time has managed and owned the business himself. Mr. Hall was married in 1878, in Findlay, Ohio, to Lottie, daughter of M. B. Patterson, and they have one son, George. E. Hall. He is a member of the First Methodist Episcopal church, belongs to the Knights of Pythias, and is a Republican in politics. Mr. Hall is of Irish descent, his father, Richard Hall, being born in Ireland and coming to America in his boyhood located in Hancock county, Ohio. He married Eliza Maley, who still survives, and they had ten children, of whom five are now living. Mr. Hall is prospering in his business, his patronage is increasing, and his genial, kindly manner, and native Irish wit, have gained him many friends in the community. HARLAN F. BURKET. The law is a profession whose requirements are constantly increasing. In the early history of this country the attorney and also the jurist was as primitive in his mental makeup as was the country in its material development, many stories being told of the crude methods of justice in those times and of the curious characters who enjoyed the sounding title of judge or squire. But the profession is itself more strict as to the admission of new members to the ranks and we now find some of our most learned men among the lawyers of the land. Harlan F. Burket is one of the leading attorneys of the county of Hancock, Ohio, and has not only found a foremost place among the members of his profession but has shown much interest in other affairs and is possessed of a fine, all around character. Mr. Burke is the son of Hon. Jacob F. Burket and was born in Findlay, Hancock county, May 15, 186o. After completing the common school course he Went to Oberlin, College, where he was graduated in the class of 1882. Mr. Burket has always been studiously inclined, and since leaving college has kept up his interest in geology and archeology; on account of his work in these lines he has been twice honored with degrees from his alma mater, in 1890 the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy having been conferred upon him, and in 1891 the degree of Master of Arts. After the completion of his college course he began the study of law in the office of his father at Findlay and on October 6, 1887, he was admitted to the bar of the state. He at once entered into partnership with his father under the name of Burket & Burket, and the firm was continued until the election of his father to the supreme CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 521 bench of the state in 1893, since which time he has practiced alone. Mr. Burket has met with marked success as a lawyer. He has been able to see into the merits of a case almost intuitively and has formed his arguments in such a logical succession and presented them with such earnest and forceful eloquence that he has seldom failed to convince the court of the merits of his side. His great knowledge of legal precedent and his recognized power as an advocate have given him a well deserved place among the legal fraternity of the county. Mr. Burket has been one of the leading Republicans for a number of years and was an active party worker until the election of his father to the supreme bench, but since then he has been closely confined to the practice of his profession. He is one of the many who believe that a healthy interest in political affairs is the duty of every citizen and since 1877 he has been present at the conventions of his party and has been recognized as an able and effective speaker. In 1890 he was elected prosecuting attorney of the county and gave a very capable administration for three years, but refused another nomination because of the pressure of business at his father's leaving the firm. He has been director of the American National Bank at Findlay for the past ten years and since 1895 has been its vice president. Mr. Burket is also connected with various fraternal organizations, the Odd Fellows, the Elks, the Knights of Pythias, and the Masonic order, in which he has passed the chivalric degrees and is now a Knight Templar. Mr. Burket was married in Findlay, January 16, 1895, to Augusta Dukes, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa ; she is .a daughter of Cyrus Dukes, deceased, a member of one of the oldest and most influential families in Hancock county. They are now the parents of one son, Jacob F., Jr., who was born January 28, 1897, ROBERT H. FITZGERALD. One of the manufacturing industries which has greatly increased the wealth of the state of Ohio is the rectifying of coal oil or petroleum. When, within the fast decade, oil was struck, and a new oil field found in Ohio, it brought into the state oil men, or producers, from the older oil regions of Pennsylvania. Robert H. Fitzgerald, of Findlay, Ohio, is an oil producer who was reared in the oil regions and grew up in the business. He was born at Rouseville, Venango county, Pennsylvania, in 1869, from which place he moved when in infancy to various other points in the oil regions of Pennsylvania, where his father lived, and was engaged in the oil business; and Robert Fitzgerald, himself, went into the oil business when only eighteen 33 522 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY years of age. He settled in Findlay, Ohio, in the year 189o, and has lived there ever since, engaged in producing oil. Mr. Fitzgerald was married January 18, 1899, in Findlay, Ohio, to Margaret T., daughter of William F. Kearns, and they have one son, Robert Francis Fitzgerald, born December 20, 1899. Robert Fitzgerald, father of our subject, born in Rochester, New York, in 1842, was one of the original oil men in Pennsylvania, and is still engaged in that business. He was married in 1863 to Agnes Dowrey and they had five children, all living. Our subject's grandfather, Robert Fitzgerald, was born in county Clare, Ireland, in .1816, emigrated to America in 1831, and located at first in Canada, where he was employed as foreman in the construction of the old Erie Canal. Later, he went to New York and engaged in farming, in which occupation he spent the remainder of his days. He died at Ellicottville, New York, in 1880. Robert H. Fitzgerald holds to the faith of his ancestors, and belongs to the Roman Catholic church. Fraternally he is connected with the Elks, Knights of Columbus and Maccabees. Though still a young man, Mr. Fitzgerald has won the respect of his fellow citizens, and is known through- , out Hancock county as one who thoroughly understands his work, which has developed a very profitable industry for the people of Findlay and Hancock county generally. ALFRED H. BALSLEY To the deep student of the many forces which move and propagate our national, political, social and moral life it must appear that the modern newspaper is one of the most considerable factors, acting upon the masses, as the great Napoleon well recognized, with more power than an army; and it must, therefore, bring to the editor, whether in the local or larger fields of journalism, a feeling of pride as well as responsibility when he considers the instrument of molding public opinion which has been placed in his hands. And one of the enterprising and progressive journals of the twentieth century civilization in Hancock county, Ohio, is the '"Jeffersonian" of Findlay, owned and edited by 'the subject of this sketch. Alfred H. Balsley comes of a good old family, his maternal grandfather Miller having been one of the patriots of the war of the Revolution, and his father, Michael Balsley, who was a native of the state of Pennsylvania, was a soldier in the war of 1812. The birthplace of our subject was in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and the date the 15th of December, 1828. There CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 523 he lived up to his twenty-fourth year, taking advantage of such educational opportunities as he could obtain. He early decided to learn the printer's trade and in 1841 entered the office of the "Daily Chronicle," where he remained two years, mastering the details of that craft. For two years thereafter he Was engaged in learning the nailer's trade and from 1847 to 1851 was employed in the nail works at Pittsburg. In the latter year he entered the office of the "Pittsburg Dispatch" and worked there as a compositor until 1853, when a strike occurred and Mr. Baisley came to Painesville, Ohio. He bought the "Grand River Record," a weekly Democratic organ, but at the end of six months sold it, and went with it to St. Clairsville, Belmont county, Ohio, and continued in the capacity of manager for two years. In the fall of 1855 he became the owner of the "Plymouth Advertiser" at Plymouth, Ohio, a former proprietor of which paper had been the well known David R. Locke, more familiarly known as "Petroleum V. Nasby." Mr. Baisley remained in control of the "Advertiser" for thirteen years, and then selling out bought the "Fremont Journal," a weekly, and carried it on for seven years. Mr. Baisley has been the owner of the "Jeffersonian" since 1876. It was at first a weekly, but in November, 1880, he established a daily and conducted the two papers with gratifying success until January 7, 1902, when he sold out and retired. The "Jeffersonian," under his management, was an advocate of Republican principles, but was always ready to take a determined stand on the side of good government, regardless of partisan influences. From 1861 to 1869 Mr. Baisley was postmaster of the town of Plymouth, and since taking up his residence in Findlay has served in the city council several times. Fraternally he is a member of the ancient order of Masons and for many years has been a member of the I. O. O. F. WILLIAM H. McELWAINE. The bar of Findlay has always ranked well in the state, and some of its members have reached exalted positions both in the judiciary and the field of politics. The present chief justice of the Ohio supreme court is a Findlay lawyer, and both of the great parties have for years been in the habit of seeking for bright lights among the practitioners of this progressive city. It takes ability and energy to succeed in competition with such men, as there is no profession to which the doctrine of the survival of the fittest may be so appropriately applied as to that of the law. Therefore even to hold one's own among such a brilliant coterie of legal geniuses is no mean performance, while to be able to advance well toward the front is an achieve- 524 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY ment of which one may well feel proud, and. this praise seems justly due to Mr. McElwaine after fifteen years' practice at the Findlay bar. His family is of Scottish origin, the American branch being founded by Richard McElwaine, Who. came from Scotland when a young man and settled in Pennsylvania in the early part of the nineteenth century. His son, James McElwaine, was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, in 1819, and at the age of fifteen years accompanied his .parents on their removal to Mercer county. His first business venture after growing up was as a merchant at Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania, where he. remained many years and eventually met his death in 1888. In 1834 he married Penelope J. Long, and became the father of nine children, of whom six are now living, and among them the subject of this sketch. William H. McElwaine was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, April 22, 1859, but in early infancy was taken by his parents to the village of Sandy Lake, where he continued to reside until reaching his majority. Meantime. he had attended the common schools, improved his opportunities by diligence and after a course at Washington and Jefferson College was graduated by that institution in 1885. Immediately after leaving college he began the study of law in the in of John Smith at Mercer, Pennsylvania, and was admitted to the bar in the fall. of 1887. In the spring of the following year he located at Findlay and entered actively upon the practice of his profession, which he has continued up to the present time with increasing success, and is now regarded as one of the best lawyers in Hancock county. In 1887 Mr. McElwaine Was married at Oil. City, Pennsylvania, to Miss Nellie Nelson, who died in Findlay on the 8th of January, 1892, leaving two daughters, Jean M. and Mary M. Mr. McElwaine's religious affiliations are with the Presbyterians, and he is regular in his attendance at the church of that denomination. In politics his predilections have always been Republican, and lie lends to the principles of that great party his most zealous support and intelligent advocacy. SIMON WOLF. Simon Wolf, a well-known and respected farmer of Hancock county, Ohio, residing upon his farm in Marion township, is a practical agriculturist, having devoted the most part of his life to the tilling of the soil. The birth of Mr. Wolf was in 1834, in Stark county, Ohio, and he is a son of Solomon and Elizabeth (Hopple) Wolf, who removed to Findlay, Ohio, when their son was about sixteen years of age. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 525 Simon attended school both in Stark and in Hancock counties, Ohio, and has always been identified with farming interests since completing his education. His productive farm is located in Marion township. He is a leading member of the Methodist church in Findlay, has acceptably held the position of school director and served his township as supervisor. In 1855 Mr. Wolf was married to Miss Elizabeth Folk, who died October 21, 1885. The second marriage of Mr. Wolf was to Mrs. Maria Lanning .September 7, 1890. The eight children born to his first marriage are: Irwin, John, Nelson; Sophronia, Sarah, Lemuel, Solomon and Clifford. The family is much esteemed in the community and they have a wide circle of friends. ELIJAH T. DUNN. In reviewing the prominent members of the Hancock bar the name of Elijah T. Dunn takes precedence of many of his professional brethren, and we are pleased to present to his numerous friends and acquaintances a sketch of his useful life. The ancestry of the Dunn family is traced back to about 1720, when George Dunn, with two brothers, all /Protestants, came from near Londonderry, in the north of Ireland, to Long Island. One brother subsequently settled in New Jersey, while George took up his abode in Maryland, and from these brothers the Dunns of Hamilton county, Ohio, Indiana and a part of those in Kentucky, Virginia and Pennsylvania derive their descent. George Dunn was a Baptist minister, and he carried "the glad tidings of great joy" west of the Allegheny mountains into what, in his honor, was called Dunn's Gap. The date of his birth, death and marriage and the name of his wife are unknown. His son, also named George, became a farmer near Harper's Ferry, in Maryland or Virginia. By his wife, Susanna, he had four sons and two daughters, namely : John, who died in Washington county, Maryland, about 1831; George; Jacob, who died in Knox county, Ohio, about 1862 ; Peter, who died in Kentucky a few years before the war of the rebellion ; Catherine, who married James Schnebly, and with him settled near Xenia, Ohio; and Mary (or Polly), who married a Mr. Elam and settled in western Ohio. The father of this family departed this life on the 22d of February, 1817, while his wife was called to her final rest on the '27th of April, 1811. George Dunn, the second son of the second George Dunn and the third bearing the name, was born in Washington county, Maryland, January 8, 1779, and his death occurred in Wood county, Ohio, on the 13th of De- 526 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY cember, 1865. He was married near the close of the eighteenth century to Sarah Mills, who was born in 1776, and died in 1845. Their children, all born in Maryland, were as follows : Robert, who was born September 8, 1798, and died on the 21st of August, 1872, married Mary Forsyth; John, who was born December 1, 1799, and died March 9, 1851, married Elizabeth D. Boolman; Susanna died on the 7th of August, 1802, in infancy; Jacob, who was born July 8, 1803, and died in 1879, married Sally Boolman; George, who was born February 20, 1805, and died in 1881, married Rachel Mills; James, born February 20, 1807, and died March 16, 1867, married Margaret Coplin; Moses, who was born January 20, 1809, and died August 22, 1829, never married; William, who was born January 29, 181i, died before marriage on the 1st of February, 1859 ; Maria, who was born December 16, 1812, alone survives, and is the widow of Jonathan Dean; Elizabeth, born June 19, 1814, died January '31, 1817; and Peter, who was born May 4, 1816, and died August 19, 1855, never married. John Dunn, the second son of the third George Dunn, married Elizabeth Dorothea Boolman, who was born in Washington county, Maryland, January 1, 1803. Her father, Nicholas Boolman, was born about 1774, and his father came from Germany to Maryland about 1765. Nicholas Boolman married Magdalene Troxel, who was born about the same time as her husband, and but little is known of her family history. The children of Nicholas and Magdalene Boolman were as follows : Catharine, who was born about 1796, married Hiram Lynch: Samuel, who was born in 1798, and died in 1864, was twice married, the wives being sisters, and the last wife bore the name of Sarah A.. ; Jacob, who was born in 1800, and died before marriage, in 1817; Elizabeth D., born January 1, 1803, married John Dunn, and died in March, 1883; Sally, born in 1804, and died in 1856, married Jacob Dunn, a brother of John Dunn; and Nancy, who was born about 1806, died in 1822. John Dunn, with his wife and their three eldest children and his father, George Dunn, removed from Maryland to Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1826. From there they removed to Greene county, this state, thence to Knox county, Ohio, and in 1844 came to Wood county, where he died as above stated. The children of John and Elizabeth D. Dunn are as follows: Ann, born December 5, 1820, married Adam Cosner on the 15th of April, 1841; Jacob (B.), born September 30, 1823, married Angeline Culp September 23, 1847; Joseph, born January 1, 1826, married Mary Niebel April 12, 1883; George, born October 3, 1827, died August 29, 1855, unmarried; Maria, born September 22, 1829, married Wilson Stretcher July 20, 1865 ; Aaron, born December 16, 1831, died October 20, 184.6, unmarried; Sam- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 527 uel, born May 4, 1834, married Margaret Bishop March 3, 1859; Phebe, born May 7, 1836, married Joseph Hoot July 7, 1861; Nathaniel, born September 5, 1838, died October 14, 1846 ; Elijah (T.), born June 20, 1840, married Martha I. Strother January 12, 1865 ; Mary Magdalene, born June 5, 1842, died October 17, 1846; John (R.), born March 24, 1844, died .August 11, 1865, unmarried ; and Thomas Corwin, born November 3, 1847, was married on the 9th of March, 1871, to Emma T. Lewis. The above names, not including the initials in brackets, are those by which the children were christened, the initials "B., T. and R." being afterward chosen by Jacob, Elijah and John partly to aid in distinguishing from others having similar first initials and partly to preserve traces of the old family names of Boolman, Troxel and Rench, though in what way they are related to the latter family does not appear in the records. The mother was also related to the Hagers, from one of whom Hagerstown; Maryland, was named. A family of the name of Chambers, of Chambersburg, was also in some way con nected with the ancestry. Elijah T. Dunn, a son of John and Elizabeth D. Dunn, accompanied his parents on their removal to Wood county, Ohio, in 1844, a location. being made in what Was then known as the "Black Swamp," where, around a hickory bark fire and with three terms in a winter school, his early education was completed. At the age of thirteen he entered the office of the Herald of Freedom, at Wilmington, and became an expert printer. Subsequently he taught several terms of school in Clark. and Hancock counties, pursuing in the meantime the study of law. On the outbreak of the rebellion he united With the Union party while yet a minor, and did service for a short time as a member of the Twenty-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteers. Becoming unable to perform duty as a soldier, however, he continued for a time in. a clerkship in the quartermaster's department at Nashville, Tennessee,. and thence, returning to Findlay, he completed his law course, being, admitted to the bar. on the 2d of August, 1862. He was at that time twenty-two years of age, and he immediately located for practice at Findlay, where he has ever since been identified with the legal profession. Besides conducting a large law practice Mr. Dunn owns and controls a good farm and devotes considerable attention to fine cattle. He is a stockholder and director in the Farmers National Bank, a director and secretary of the Findlay Gas Light Company and of the Findlay Oil and Gas Company, and is president of the Wood and Hancock Oil and Gas Company. Much of his attention is devoted to financial Matters, but at the same time he favors public 528 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY improvement and on all questions involving public enterprises he takes a leading and aggressive part. On the 12th of January, 1865, Mr. Dunn was married to Martha I., a daughter of Anthony Strother, of Findlay, and they have had three sons : Bernard L., John A. and James C. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dunn are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and the former is also affiliated with Stoker Post, G. A. R., and Hancock Lodge, I. O. O. F. He votes with the Republican party, and, although not a politician, he has held the offices of justice of the peace and collector of internal revenue. He is a member of one of the oldest and most highly respected families of the Buckeye state, and as far back as they are known it may be said that they have been honest, industrious and intelligent, and never was one convicted of crime. They have never become distinguished, but along the vale of life have kept the even tenor of their way. ANDREW WISEMAN. The Wiseman family was one of the first in Hancock county, and is identified with its religious growth, and social development. We find Isaac Wiseman; the great-grandfather of Andrew, subsequent to the Revolutionary war, in Virginia, to which state he removed from Berks county, Pennsylvania. The descendants of this same Isaac Wiseman number over one thousand souls. One of his sons, the Rev. John Wiseman, a prominent Methodist preacher; was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, in 1762. He was a brave follower of Washington in his struggle for freedom, in whose services he remained for six years, experiencing with other patriots the severe and rigid winter spent at Valley Forge. Rev. John Wiseman was united in marriage to Sara Green, by whom he had ten children, The family removed from Virginia to Perry county, Ohio, in 1822. John was ordained by Bishop Asbury, who also furnished him with a special license to marry. He was a good preacher, a faithful follower of the Master, and consistent in his every day life. He died in Perry county in 1833, his wife Sara having outlived him some nine years, and dying at the extreme old age of ninety-four. Of this family was James G., the father of Andrew and Joseph Wiseman. James G. was born in Virginia, August 14, 1793, and when he came to maturity he married Elizabeth Summers, the marriage taking place in 1814. Mrs. Wiseman was a native of the old Dominion state, where she had been born November 17, 1795. Their children's names were John, Andrew, James G., Samuel, George W., Joseph J., Margaret A., Simon CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 529 O., Eliza, Sara, Rebecca, Emily E., Mary A. James G., the father of this family, served in the war of 1812. He was a blacksmith by trade and was a good mechanic in his day, whose services were in great demand in the early pioneer period, when mechanics. were scarce. He removed from Perry to Hancock .county in June, 1831, and located in Washington township, where he entered two :hundred and forty acres of government land, upon which he erected in 1843 a substantial brick residence. For long years it was one of the best residence properties in the county. During his life time he and his tons cleared the farm. James G. Wiseman was a man of considerable influence in his day, a good and loyal citizen, and was honored by being entrusted with some of the township offices. He was an honest man, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which body he was highly respected. He died in 1872 at the advanced age of eighty years. His wife, Elizabeth S., died six years later. Of their thirteen children, only three are now living : Andrew, Joseph and Angeline. Five of the sons served their country in the Civil war, and four of them died from the effects of the rigorous service. Besides those five brothers, the husbands of two of the daughters and one nephew served gallantly in the ranks. Surely the patriotic blood of John Wiseman of Revolutionary fame must have coursed through the veins of his descendants. The names of the five brothers who offered themselves as a sacrifice on the altar of their country were : James, Samuel, George, Andrew and Simon. Samuel and Simon lost their lives in battle at Shiloh. Andrew Wiseman, one of the surviving members of this family, whose name heads this biography, was born in Madison county, Ohio, September 28, 1817. He was thirteen years of age when he came to Hancock county, and his early life was spent in the severe labor of clearing a pioneer farm. As stated previously, his inherent patriotism was signally exemplified at the outbreak of the Civil war when he enlisted as a member of the Twenty-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. This company joined the fortunes of the army of the Cumberland, where it served for three years, participating in nearly all of the most prominent battles. At the battle of Nashville, Andrew was disabled, and incapacitated for active duty for quite a period. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of corporal and frequently acted in the higher Position of sergeant. He was honorably discharged at Huntsville, Alabama, in 1862. On return to civil life he took tip his former vocation, that of a farmer, which he has continued to the present time. In 1846 Mr. Wiseman was united in wedlock to Miss Louise Smith, who died without issue in 1862. In 1866 he again married, this time choosing as companion Ellen Lindsey. To this union one daughter, Minnie Newhouse, now a resident of Fostoria, 530 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY was born. The mother, who died December 20, 1900, is remembered as a woman of gentle disposition and was mourned by a very large number of friends and acquaintances. Mr. Wiseman owned one hundred and sixty acres of land in Hancock county and the same number in Iowa, and has held the offices of assessor, constable and census enumerator. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a worthy member of the F. and A. M., and is a charter member of the blue lodge of 'Fostoria. He is at the present time past master of that organization. He is also a member of the chapter and commandery of Findlay. Among other organizations in which Mr. Wiseman delights to work, is the G. A. R., he beonging to the post at Fostoria. In his early pioneer life Mr. Wiseman was an experienced hunter, 'a fact evidenced by the trophies of the chase which decorate his walls. He boasts of a record of having killed in his life-time over three hundred deer. JOSEPH WISEMAN. Joseph Wiseman, a younger brother of the above, is a resident of Washington township, owning and operating one of the best farms in Hancock county, and which contains one hundred and ninety acres. He was born in Perry county, Ohio, November 1, 1825, and was six years of age when he first came to the county. His entire training and education was in Washington township, and upon attaining his majority he settled there, and has since been successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits. His first purchase of land was made in 1848, the tract containing fifty acres. This he subsequently disposed of, and bought a farm near Fostoria, where he engaged in "trucking" for a few years. In 1874 he purchased his present farm, which he has improved extensively. The marriage of Mr. Joseph Wiseman occurred in Richland county, Ohio, in 1854. His wife's maiden. name was Ann Leedy. Nine children were born by her as follows : John, Jennie, Oran, Nettie, William and Della. The names of those deceased are Sophronia, Charles and Elmer. The mother of this family was a native of Richland county, Ohio, where she was born in 1829. On the side of the Wisemans, the family is of English extraction, the maternal branch of the family being of German descent. The name of Wiseman is one whose long association with the affairs of Hancock county has made it familiar with every citizen in the county, and no suspicion or taint of anything dishonorable has ever attached to it. The present generation are keeping up the excellent reputation handed down to them by the pioneer members of the family, and are looked upon as the most worthy representatives of the farming industry in Hancock county. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 531 ALLISON H. NICHOLS. The photograph gallery is an indispensable adjunct of every live town, and no village can be considered up-to-date which cannot boast a place of this kind. The " picture gallery " is a favorite place of resort for all classes, and the personage who performs the wonderful work of transferring the " human form divine " to cardboard is always an important and usually a very popular character in the community. Findlay is fortunate in this respect, as in the person of Mr. Nichols it possesses not only a genial gentleman and intelligent companion but an artist of acknowledged skill in the profession of photography. The family is of Vermont origin, and Walter Nichols, the grandfather of our subject, was born in that state in 1782, followed the occupation of farming during all the years of his active life, and enjoyed remarkable longevity, as his death did not occur until 1878. His son, Hiram B. Nichols, was born in Niagara county, New York, in 1824, and ten years later came with his father to Eaton county, Michigan, where he grew to manhood. In his early life he was engaged in agricultural pursuits, but in later years became a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, and devoted all his energies to making proselytes in the cause of Christianity. He was a worthy man in every respect, highly esteemed both in religious and other circles, and when he passed away in 1878 was sincerely mourned by the numerous body of friends who had learned to esteem his many admirable qualities. He was married in 1847, and the only, child by this union was Allison H. Nichols, whose birth occurred on .a farm in Eaton county, Michigan, January 24, 1849. He had the misfortune of losing his mother when only nine years old, that estimable lady's death having occurred ih 1858, and during his boyhood he worked on the farm in season while attending the district schools during the winter time. This routine continued until he reached the twenty-second year of his age, when he began to think of plans for the future. Following the bent of his inclinations, he entered a photographer's office at Charlotte, Michigan, and remained there until he had mastered the details of this interesting vocation. Feeling that he was duly equipped for the prosecution of this artistic profession on his own account Mr. Nichols chose the thriving city of Findlay as a desirable location and consequently took up his permanent abode there August 8, 1876. He has done well and has succeeded in building up a good business, while at the 'same time winning hosts of friends by his urbanity and accommodating disposition. In September, 1876, Mr. Nichols led to the altar as his chosen bride Miss Clara C., daughter of Augustus Sheffield, of Findlay, and their union, which 532 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY has been in every way congenial, resulted in the birth of two children : Lyman S. and Carrie M. The standing of Mr. Nichols in his adopted community is evidenced by the fact of his election to the city council in 1886 and his satisfactory service for one term, besides his membership of the school board, in which position he rendered efficient service in the cause of education. Mr. Nichols is connected with the First Methodist Episcopal church, and gratifies his inclination for fraternal fellowship by membership in the Independent order of Odd Fellows. CHARLES RUSSELL TAYLOR. The subject of this sketch is another of those men, many of whom are mentioned in this volume, who became identified with the oil industry in youth, made their success in that line and remained more or less in connection therewith all their lives. Mr. Taylor has been what is called an "oil man" for nearly thirty years, and there are few things connected with the business which he does not understand from practical experience. Though a native of Ohio, he has only been a resident of Findlay about twelve years, but during that time has done his full share toward the moral and industrial growth of the city. Charles Russell Taylor was born in Claridon, Ohio, January 17, 1854, and remained at the place of his nativity until he had reached the twenty-first year of his age. His thoughts for some time had been turned toward the great oil fields of Pennsylvania, where so many had made fortunes and which had become the breeding-ground for speculative ventures of all kinds. Without much capital, but a natural capacity for business, Mr. Taylor entered with enthusiasm into the work as soon as he arrived at Petrolia, Pennsylvania, and his career "in oil" thus commenced in .1876 lasted until 1891, during which time he greatly improved his financial fortunes. With this additional capital, secured and fortified with the large experience acquired in the oil regions, Mr. Taylor came to Findlay in the year last mentioned and resumed his occupation in the same line of business at that point. In November, 1875, Mr. Taylor was married at his birthplace to Miss Mary E., daughter of Henry Smith, by which union he has an only son, Arthur E., a youth of unusually bright promise. His birth occurred at Petrolia, Pennsylvania, October 21, 1877, and after coming to Findlay he was graduated in the high school of that city. Shortly thereafter he entered Hiram College in Portage county, Ohio, where he proved a diligent student and received his Ph. B. degree in the class of 1901. He is now in his second CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 533 year at the University of Chicago, taking a post-graduate course in geology. The family of Mr. Taylor are communicants of the Church of Christ and he himself has been active in religious work as a member of the Young Men's Christian Association at Findlay, of which he was elcted president in 1901. JACOB INGOLD. The noble land of freedom and of scenery, Switzerland, has produced many enterprising and capable citizens of this country, and the agricultural interests are especially indebted to this class of foreigners. Andrew and Annie Ingold, the parents of our subject, came from that country to America in 1853 and settled in Hancock county, Big Lick township, where they remained for four years; they then resided in Findlay for one year and in the spring of 186o took up their residence in Pleasant township, buying a farm of forty acres. Mr. Ingold was a miller by trade and followed this calling for several years. He was an industrious man and honest to a fault, living in the high esteem of all his neighbors. He belonged to the German Reformed church and later joined the Church of God. His death took place March 30, 1893, but his wife still survives, making her home in McComb. There :were three children, Anna, Elizabeth and Jacob. Jacob, the only son of the above parents,. was born in Switzerland in the year 1852, and passed his boyhood and received his education in Pleasant township. His whole. life has been devoted to farming. in 1880 he made his first purchase of land, buying out his sister's interest in the home farm, to which he has subsequently added by purchase eighty acres, making a nice farm of one hundred and twenty acres. On this land there were only a few acres of improved soil, and he went to work with that indomitable will of his and in a few years made his farm blossom like a rose. He is a modern and progressive agriculturist, believes in making use of all the late aids to farming in the way of improved machinery, and his farm is one of the models in the vicinity. It has large and commodious buildings and everything needed for the care and cultivation of crops. In 1876 Mr. Ingold was united in marriage to Laura A., daughter of Samuel and Sarah Ramsey. Six children have been born of this union, of whom four survive: Melvin J.; Daniel C.; Myrtle E.; and Charles F. His first wife died on April 14, 1887, and March 17, 1889, he was married to Mrs. Mary Brooks. The four children born of this union are Aaron E., Rachel A., Homer H. and Floyd B. 534 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY PROF. M. R. HAMMOND. We are, in reality, separated by only a very short time from the days of the log school house, with its slab seats, with its rude and inefficient methods of instruction and the teachers who followed the profession only as a stepping stone to something better, but so extensive and -far reaching have been the changes in the educational world in the last half century that we seem to have overleaped centuries of our former short strides, and the schools of our fathers seem a reminder of an age long past and antiquated. Who, then are responsible for these developments if not the progressive, energetic, large-souled and broad-minded teachers themseles ? The glorious encomiums spoken of the "little red school house on the hill" have often neglected him who was the soul and moving spirit of that wonderful edifice, the patient, toiling and small paid teacher. It is the object of this brief sketch to outline the life history of one of the foremost educators in Hancock county, Ohio, Professor M. R. Hammond, the superintendent of public instruction of Vanlue. Grandfather Thomas G. Hammond was one of the first settlers in Delaware township, Hancock county, having come there in 1835; he was the owner of about two sections of land which he had entered from the government. His son, who was known as Squire Hammond, was born in Delaware township in 1842 and there spent his life as a tiller of the soil. He married Miss Emeline Ballard, who was born in the same township in 1844, and they became the parents of the subject of this sketch. M. R. Hammond was born in Delaware township, Hancock county, Ohio, January 11, 1864, in the little town of Mount Blanchard; there he was reared and received the advantages of the schools of his native town; he completed his education in Ada University, in which institution he is now a senior. On arriving at manhood he took up his life work, and for seventeen years has followed his profession, confining his work to the southern part of his native county. One of the highest compliments that can be paid to his ability is that he taught for four years in his own town, where he commanded the utmost respect of those with whom he had grown up. In 1897 he accepted his present position as the principal of the Vanlue high school, where he is giving entire satisfaction to the patrons of the town. Mr. Hammond has under his supervision and care nearly two hundred pupils, with a corps of four teachers; the beautiful building, arranged and equipped according to the most approved ideas of modern educational architecture, was erected in 1892 and is a model for a rural school. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 535 In 1886 Mr. Hammond became the husband of Miss Nora E. Smith, the daughter of Jerome and Margaret Smith, of Mount Blanchard; two chil¬- dren have been born, Clarence. S. and Carrie E. In religion the family have always been devout Methodists. Mr. Hammond was reared in the belief of Democratic principles, but so many of the independent thinking men of the present day, has departed from the ancestral way and is now an ardent Republican. GEORGE W. OMAN. George W. Oman, a retired farmer of Jackson township, who now resides at his pleasant home in Findlay, Ohio, still owns a valuable farm of one hundred and sixty acres which is located in the oil belt of Hancock county, and has five, producing wells upon it. The paternal grandparents of Mr. Oman were John and Faithful (Elliott) Oman, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania, but in their early married life removed to Pickaway county, Ohio, in 1842, locating in Eagle. township, Hancock county. Here Grandfather Oman purchased a farm of eighty acres of new land and with great industry cleared it for cultivation. That . John Oman was a man of high character may be known from the fact that his neighbors were wont to call him Honest John, on account of his integrity and truthfulness. His family numbered five children, and three of these still survive, namely : Josiah, Ephraim and Hannah, the two older brothers residing in Hancock county. Josiah Oman, the eldest of the family, was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, in 1831 and came to Hancock county with his father. He is now an esteemed resident of Amanda township, owning there one of the finest -farms, consisting of one hundred and seventy acres. Mr. Oman has been prominent in township affairs, holding all of the offices with credit, and has been a sensible, practical and successful man. He married Susan Hartman, of Fairfield. county, in 1847, who died in 1895. They had a family of seven children, four of whom are still living, namely : John, Grant, Millie, Mary, Andrew, Franklin and George W. George W. Oman was born in Eagle township, Hancock county, in October, 1858, was reared on the farm and was educated in the district schools. His early interests' centered in agricultural affairs and he has devoted his life to the same. In 1887 he made his first purchase of land, buying eighty acres in Amanda township, which he immediately set about improving. In 1890 he was able to dispose of this property at an advanced rate, and in 536 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY 1891 he bought one hundred and sixty acres in Jackson township, which he still owns. In .1898 he retired from active labor and now enjoys the comforts of his city home in Findlay, having purchased this property in 1897. February 15, 1887, Mr. Oman was united in marriage with Miss Viola Van Sant, who was born in Hancock county. in 1861, and who is a daughter of William H. and Harriet E. (Mains) Van Sant, both of these families being among the old settlers of the county. To our subject and wife were born two children, Howard and Homer. ISAAC WALDO MARVIN. The subject of this sketch, now a retired business man, is a native of Hancock county, and has spent all his life within its limits. Most of his labors have been expended in agricultural pursuits, varied by the management of a planing mill, .but of late years Mr. Marvin has taken life more leisurely, his occupation consisting in looking after his property. The Marvin family originated in England, but by emigration became identified at an early period with Pennsylvania, where the descendants lived for several generations. Rev. Serah Marvin, son of the founder, spent his active life in the Keystone state and there reared a family. William Marvin, one of his children, was born in Pennsylvania in 1797, came to Hancock county in 1828 and died at Findlay in 1880. He was a distiller by occupation, and before the war kept the old Marvin Inn, three miles east of Findlay, which for years was a famous hostelry in northwestern Ohio. His son, Stephen Marvin, was born in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, in 1820, and came to Ohio with his parents in boyhood. He was married in 1841 to Mary Kelley, who died in 1893. He became a millwright and followed that trade for many years, his death occurring at Findlay in 1893. Isaac Waldo Marvin, 'son of the last mentioned, was born at Findlay, Ohio, November 17, 1855, and as he grew up was educated in the usual way in the county schools. At the age of twenty-one he took possession of a farm in Hancock county belonging to his father, and spent nine years in its cultivation and management. Returning to Findlay at the expiration of this timer he later joined his brother Cloyd in the ownership and management of a planing mill, which occupied his attention for the five following years. He then retired from active business and is now spending his time looking after farming at Findlay. In 1881 Mr. Marvin married Lucy Bish, who died in 1886, leaving a daughter named Frances. In 1890 he took a second wife, in the person of CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 537 Miss Ada Anthony, by whom he has four children : Bernice, Stephen, Mary and Ada Gertrude. Mr. Marvin's religious affiliations are with the Lutheran church and in politics he is a Republican. HARVEY G. CLARK. The gentleman above mentioned is a native of Findlay, has spent all of his life in and around that city, and has done his share in developing its industries and aiding in its growth. Commencing hard work at a very early age, he rose step by step until he became a producer of oil and prospered reasonably in that .business. Though of Pennsylvania origin, the family had representatives among the early pioneers of Ohio, and several generations have grown up on the soil of the Buckeye state. Daniel W. Clark, grandfather of our subject, was born in Hancock county, during the first decade of the nineteenth century, passed his life in its borders, and died there in 1866 when about fifty-eight years of age. His son, Harvey G. Clark, was born in Hancock county in 1838, became a soldier of the Civil war and sacrificed his life in the cause of his country. He was among the first volunteers in 1861, enlisting as a private in Company G, Ninety-Eighth Regiment of Ohio Infantry, and died in 1863, while in the service. He married Mary Todd, by whom he had two children, the eldest being John E., at present a resident of Columbus, Ohio, and the other, Harvey G. of Findlay, who is the subject of this sketch. Harvey G. Clark, his father's namesake and youngest child, was born at Findlay, Ohio, in 1863, the same year that his father's death occurred, while serving in the Union army. Harvey had but few educational advantages, such as he obtained being before he reached the age of fourteen, when he was compelled to quit school for work on the farm. He. was thus employed for two years, then drove a team in the country for three years, and in 1886 made his entry into the oil business. His first job in that line was as a pumper, which was followed by tool-dressing, and eventually Mr. Clark began contracting on his own account. From that time on he has continued steadily in this employment, and is so engaged at the present time. He has done much work for various firms and individuals, besides drilling several gas well for the city of Findlay. He has exhibited skill in his calling, has managed his business affairs with good judgment and now belongs to the class which in the common parlance is styled "well fixed." He is regarded in the community as a man who does his work well and discharges his duty towards those who entrust him with responsibility. 34 538 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY In 1887 Mr. Clark united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth, daughter of William Baldwin, and this union has resulted in the birth of five children : Frederick, Edith, Ethel, Edward and Charles. Mr. Clark is not connected with any religious organization, but is a member of the order of Maccabees. During his adult life he has been connected with the Republican party, but confines himself to voting, as he is not a seeker for office. GEORGE W. DE YORE. The subject of this sketch, whose name is above presented, now a prosperous farmer of Blanchard township, can look back over a long life, whose early beginnings gave little promise of future success. In fact his lot was that one which of all that befall human beings is perhaps the most to be dreaded—the being left 'and orphan of tender years to be thrust out upon the cold charities of the world, among strangers, with the consequent neglect and ill treatment which is almost sure to follow. Yet from such a fate Mr. De Vore struggled manfully up to a position of standing in his community, possessed of a comfortable competence and, what is still better, the good will and esteem of all his neighbors. It is pleasant to talk or write about such men and no doubt a brief summary of his career will be pursued with interest. In the early half of the nineteenth century there lived in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, a French family by the name of De Vore, who had arrived with the first settlers of that section. Among their children, born after the location in Tuscarawas, was a son called William, who after reaching maturity was married to Fannie Alford, a native of the adjoining county of Carroll. This couple lived but a few years after their marraige, and at their death left four helpless children, the youngest of which was only six months old. Of these three. are now living and one of them is the subject of this sketch. One brother, supposed to be still living, has not been seen or heard from since the separation in childhood. George W. De Vore was born in Carroll county, July. 4, 1840, and at the time his parents died was but seven years of age. He met the usual fate of orphans by being cast among strangers to be reared and his education was so badly neglected that he was compelled later in life to educate himself by reading with' the assistance of his wife. After a life of bitter struggle and privations he at length found himself at 'the age of nineteen confronted with the problem of obtaining a means of livelihood. In 1859 he arrived in Hancock county, not only without money, but with a debt of eight dollars hanging over him, which to this inexperienced wanderer. at that time seemed as heavy as a mountain. But young DeVore was CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 539 made of the stuff that is proof against hardship and which eventually never fails to rescue its possessor from the most trying environments. He set to work and though his tasks were arduous and but ill requitted he found steady labor, the true panacea for most of the ills of life. His wife's parents gave them forty acres of land in the wilds of Putnam county, which had cost them three hundred dollars. Mr. De Vore built on this, cleared and improved it and in time sold it for one thousand dollars. At a later period he bought one hundred and ninety acres of good land in Hancock county, and this estate, which is situated in Blanchard township, constitutes his present place of residence. In March, 1865, Mr. De Vore enlisted in Company I, One Hundred and Ninety-seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until honorably discharged at the close of the war. He has held several township offices and taken a modest part in public affairs of a local nature. His religious affiliations are with the United Brethren church and his fraternal connections with the Odd Fellows, Daughters of Rebecca and Lindsay Post No. 75, Grand Army of the Republic. Mr. De Vore was happy in his selection of a wife, his choice being Mary Jane Braze, to whom he was united July 1, 186o. This lady not only performed all her marital duties with unwearying affection but was helpful in enabling her husband to obtain a good English education. She was born June 20, 1840, of French parents, and passed away March I, 1901, without making an enemy during her long and blameless life. This union proved as fruitful as it was happy, the household being brightened by the following list of children : John W., born in 1861; James Isaac, born in 1864; George C., born in 1868; David A., 1871; Henry Raven, 1873; Lillie M., 1876; Samuel H., 1879; Mary E., 1881; and Jennie A., 1883. It remains only to be added that George W. De Vore is a man of integrity, honest in all his dealings and a selfmade man in the best sense of those words. JEFFERSON ROLLER. This gentleman is one of the prosperous farmers of Big Lick town:- ship, where, in partnership with his brother Thomas, he owns and culivates two hundred and forty acres of valuable land. The founder of this family in Ohio was William Roller, who purchased about nine hundred acres of land in the early part of the nineteenth century. At his death this land, all of which he had retained and much more, was distributed equally among his children. William Roller rose to a position of prominence and influence in his county, and for a number of years held the important office of 540 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY associate judge. One of his children was Wilson Roller, who came to Hancock county in 1834, was married to Mary Thomas in 1839; and located where their son Jefferson now resides. He became influential in local affairs, held several township offices and was regarded as a model citizen. He was born in 1817, and died in 1871, while his wife's death occurred in 1894, at the age of seventy-three years. Of their family of eight children five are living, namely : Nancy, Jane, Jefferson, Thomas and W. C. Jefferson Roller was born December 6, 1848, on the farm which he now .owns in Hancock county, Ohio. He was reared and educated in his native township and has never followed any other business excepting that of agriculture. In this, 'however, he has achieved marked success, being regarded as one of the most progressive and enterprising farmers in this section of county. The esteem felt for him by his fellow citizens. is indicated by the fact that they have repeatedly elected him to local offices. For seven years he 'held the office of township trustee and at the present time is township treasurer. In 1872 Mr. Roller was united in marriage to Miss Letitia Roberts and this union, which has been a happy one in all respects, resulted in the birth of two children,—Lyman L. and Clyd W. Mrs. Roller died March 29, 1874, and in 1890 Mr. Roller took a second wife in the person of Miss Nellie Ault. By this marriage there have been six children : Alma, James, Dewey, Mary, Ruth and Florence. Mr. Roller is a member of the Order of Ben Hur, and takes an active interest both in the social and business affairs of the community in which he resides. M. C. YOUNG. Though a resident of Hancock county only fourteen years the above named gentleman is well established as one of the enterprising farmers of Big Lick township. The family from which he comes is of German origin, and its representatives 'have been people of such quiet worth as to deserve more than passing notice. George Young, a successful farmer of Stark county, Ohio, died at the age of eighty-eight years, leaving a son named Daniel. The latter, a native of Stark county, was also a farmer by occupation, and died in the place of his nativity when sixty-four years old. He married Mary Darr, who still survives, and whose children gave her a surprise party September ,3, .1902, in honor of her eighty-third birthday. M. C. Young, one of the children of this venerable lady, was born in Stark county, Ohio, June 18, 1854, and lived there until the thirty-fourth year of CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 541 his age. His training was that of a farmer's boy and his education such as is obtainable in the district schools. In 1888 he came to Hancock county, and after renting land for several years- purchased the farm of fifty-eight acres in Big Lick township where he has resided since 1895. This place has been much improved by Mr. Young, and everything about the farm gives evidence of thrift and prosperity. He soon gained the esteem of his neighbors by his honorable dealings and has been honored by election to several of the important local offices. As a farmer he is progressive in his methods, up-to-date in improvements of all kinds and well informed concerning the details of his business. The Youngs have always been noted for their peace-loving disposition, and its is said there has not been a law suit in the family for three generations. The brother of Mr. Young's mother gave his life to his country in the hour of need, and on both sides of the house the representatives of this worthy family have always proved patriotic citizens. In 1876 Mr. Young married Miss Amanda E. Stands, born in Stark county, Ohio, May .9, 1856, concerning whose family relations a. word or two will prove of interest. Her grandfather, Leonard Stands, was of German descent and followed the occupation of a cooper in the state of Pennsylvania. His son, Henry Stands, who was born in Pennsylvania, learned the trade of a. weaver, but became a farmer in the latter part of his life. He married Lydia Holm., of Stark county, who died at the age of seventy-five,. while her husabnd's death occurred January 24, 1886, when he was seventy-four years old., Mr. and Mrs. Young have four children living: Sylvia O., Esta E., Nelson R. and Eva M. Emery A. and Mary A., died when quite small. There is no more pleasant household in Big Lick township than that of Mr. Young, nor any citizen of that community who enjoys or deserves more general esteem. J. H. BENNER. In 1845, shortly after his marriage to Caroline Fenstermaker, Israel Benner came into Hancock county for the purpose of seeking a permanent home. Though possessed of little of this world's goods he was master of a useful trade, was of an industrious disposition and as work was then plentiful in his line he soon began to make material headway. Israel's handicraft was that of a carpenter, and as there was considerable building in progress at that time in Hancock county he was never at a loss for steady employment. Land was also cheap at that period of the county's history, and Israel Benner had little difficulty in securing possession of eighty acres in 542 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Union township, on which he built the regulation log cabin and set. up housekeeping after the matter of fact style peculiar to pioneers. As sons grew up they assisted in the work, so that in course of time the original eighty had been increased to one hundred and twenty acres of land, and the Benders were in independent circumstances. The farm, of course, was greatly improved by cultivation, fencing and building, and eventually became quite a cosy as well as valuable home. By the .fact that he held several offices in the township, including that of trustee, it is evident that Israel Benner stood well with his neighbors and was a man of consequence in the community. In early life he had been admitted into the Evangelical church, but later joined the United Brethren, and his daily life was in keeping with the tenets of Christianinty, which teach honesty of purpose and integrity of conduct. Israel Benner's wife died September 10, 1873, but it was not until twenty years later that he himself was claimed by the "grim reaper," to whom all, sooner or later, must yield. This worthy couple had nine children, of whom eight are still living, and seven of these are residents of Hancock county. J. H. Benner, one of the eldest sons, was born on his father's farm in Hancock county, Ohio, in 1850, and as he grew up learned to handle the tools used in the carpenter's trade. He proved an apt pupil, and after completing his apprenticeship engaged regularly in all kinds of work embraced in the occupation of a journeyman carpenter. He prospered, as did his father before. him, and eventually was able to make some real estate invesments on his own account. His first purchase was in 1872, when he became owner of eighty acres of land in Union township, which he improved considerably during the next twelve years and in 1884 disposed of by sale. Being "footloose" for the time Mr. Benner concluded to travel and see something of the great western country of which he had heard so much. Certain influences drew him to the state of Kansas and, being pleased with the outlook, he invested in one hundred and sixty acres of land with a view of making his permanent home in that section. This was in 1885, and during the following twelve years Mr. Benner industriously cultivated his farm in Kansas, where agricultural conditions differed considerably from those with which he had been familiar in Ohio. He became popular while residing among the Kansans and was honored by his neighbors with elections as justice of the peace and clerk of the school board. After giving Kansas a fair trial, however, Mr. Benner concluded that he liked Ohio better, and so in 1897 we find him again eastward bound on his way to the place of his nativity. After returning to his old home he purchased the one hundred and sixty acres of CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 543 land in Union township which constitutes his present homestead and which he devotes to general farming and stock raising. He ranks well both as a farmer and business man, while all admit that in his line there is no better mechanic in the county than J. H. Benner. In 1870 he married Mary P., daughter of John C. and Elizabeth Smith, and the result of this union was an only son, whose birth occurred in 1871. This son, whose name is William S. Benner, grew to be an industrious and worthy man and is associated with his father in cultivating the home farm. In 1890 he married Miss Mary Jackall, by whom he has had six children, and of these there are five living. The family are members of the Methodist Protestant church, in which the father holds the position of trustee. W. C. WEBSTER. The above named, who is one of the busy men of Hancock county, is owner and proprietor of a saw mill situated on the Sandusky road about three miles east of the city of Findlay, in Marion township. This mill was built by Mathew Giles Gillespie. It was burned in 1896, but was rebuilt in the same year. Mr. Webster manufactures common native lumber. His mill is of the modern variety, and has a capacity of 10,000 feet per day. The engine which he uses for, power is a machine of forty-five horse-power strength. Mr. Webster is a native of Franklin county, Ohio, where he was born June 30, 1854. He passed the period of adolesence in his home county, receiving a good education in the common schools, where he was an apt and a progressive pupil, which fact accounts in part, at least, for his superior business qualities. He has kept himself in touch with the public affairs of his time and has held some of the township offices, having been clerk for a number of years between 1875 and 1900. The married life' of Mr. Webster dates from October, 1886, at which time he was joined in wedlock to Miss Clara L., the daughter of H. C. and A. E. Cook, of Franklin county, Ohio. The union, which has been one of great felicity, has been blessed with five children, four of whom are now living : Abbie C., Edward C., Lucy M.; and Cloyce C., the latter deceased. The mother of this family, Mrs. Clara L. Webster, was born in Franklin county, in 1854. The subject of this sketch is the son of Edward and Cornelia (Taylor) Webster. His father was a farmer, but died in early life, when his wife married Mathew Gillespie, a mechanic of ability. He followed milling extensively, at which he was an adept. Mr. and Mrs. Webster are looked upon as among the best citizens of Hancock county and are the center of a large circle of friends. 544 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY FRANCIS M. LEWIS. The gentleman above mentioned is a representative of that class, not infrequently met with in the Ohio Valley, who literally cut his way to prosperity with an ax. In other words he is one who started in the world without other capital than his health and strength, but by dint of many hard blows and unswerving perseverance eventually established for himself a comfortable home and accumulated a handsome property. It is self-made men of this kind, unpretentious and unassuming, who constitute the real strength of every community. They are the yeomanry who have done the hard work which converted the western wilderness into a terrestrial paradise, and on them the state and nation always rely in their hour of trial. The Lewis family has been long resident in Hancock county and its members have ever been esteemed as among the most worthy citizens. George W. and Elizabeth (Roe) Lewis left their native state of Pennsylvania and made their way in 1854 to Hancock county, of which they become permanent residents. George was an industrious man, saving of his means and steady of habit, and in the course of time established a comfortable home for himself and family. He enjoyed the good will of his neighbors and was one of the loyal citizens of Hancock county until his death, which occurred October 17, 1896, his wife still surviving at a venerable age and enjoying increased esteem in the social circle to which she belongs. Of their sixteen children there are seven still living and four of these are residents of Hancock county. Among the latter is Francis M. Lewis, the subject of this sketch, who was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, November 5, 1849. He had few school advantages in youth, owing to the necessity of working to assist his parents, and later to make his own living. For a number of years he "worked out," as the phrase goes, by the day or month, but being sober, prudent and economical he managed to save his wages until they amounted to a sum large enough to enable him to make an investment on his own account. In 1878, therefore, he purchased his present farm of ninety acres in Big Lick township, which he proceeded to cultivate with energy, and by good management has converted it into a fine property. He devotes his place to what is called general farming, that is, he raises the standard crops and sufficient stock to supply his own wants besides a small surplus for the market. September 27, 1874, Mr. Lewis was united in marriage with .Mary M., daughter of James and Rachel Cole, and his home life with this good woman was always pleasant and happy. From time to time their household was brightened by the advent of offspring until ten children surrounded the hearthstone. These, with the names and CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 545 dates of birth, are thus recorded in the family register : Raymond W., August 23, 1875; Lida R., December 6, 1876; Lillie D., November 13, 1878, now deceased; Phebe J., August 2, 1880 ; James R., January 2, 1882 ; Marion E., November 8, 1884; Frosa O., November 22, 1886; John B., December 17, 1887; Lemuel J., May 29, 1889; Ralph M., September 20, 1892. The mother of this interesting family was born in Delaware, May 20, 1851, and after a useful life as wife and mother passed peacefully to her final rest on June 18, 1894. Mr. Lewis" has served his township in the offices of trustee, supervisor and school director and discharged his duties with such conscientious integrity as to gain the general esteem of his constituents. He is a consistent member of the United Brethren church and is a sample of that practical Christianity which carries the best precepts of religion into the affairs of every day life. In other words he treats others as he would have them treat him, and this, after all, is the real substance of "the law and the prophets." As a man and citizen true to himself and others in all the relations of life, no one in Hancock county stands better than Francis M. Lewis. JOHN BRENNER. The agricultural element of Hancock county cannot be surpassed for their high character as loyal citizens, and one of the worthiest of their number is John Brenner, who resides in Cass township,. where he owns and cultivates a farm of two hundred and eighty-seven acres. His birth occurred in Washington township, October 12, 1846. His father, who wrote his name both as Mathews and Matthias Brenner, and his mother, Caroline Mauser, were natives of Germany, who emigrated to this country in 1838. Mathews or Matthias Brenner was born February 7, 1811, and his wife four years later. In early life in his own country he learned the blacksmith trade, at which he worked with much success in the country of his adoption. He lived in various places, but finally settled in Stark county, Ohio, where he remained up to 1843, in which year he settled in Washington township, purchasing thirty acres of land, twenty acres of which he cleared. As he prospered he added to the original purchase, and at his death was in possession of a farm of eighty acres, which he had brought to a very high state of cultivation and on which he had many handsome improvements. Mathews Brenner was a skilled mechanic, and a man of sound principles and a devout member of the Lutheran church, to which he gave a most liberal support. He was possessed of more than average intelligence and, though pursuing an exacting occupation in early life, had become master of several 546 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY languages. His father was a justice of the peace in Germany, and being associated With him in business he succeeded in solving some perplexing questions in later life. He was a self made man in the true sense of that term. His wife died August 23, 189o, and after six years he passed away April 22, 1897. They had four children : Rosanna, deceased, Mary, John and Caroline, deceased. John Brenner, the only member of the family, living in Hancock county, received his early training in the district school of Cass township and passed his boyhood without incident of importance. He fitted himself for teaching in the Findlay high school, and was one of the successful teachers of the county for thirteen years. His early training, however, and his natural tastes made the monotony of the school room irksome, and he abandoned that calling for the farm. In i874 he bought sixty-four acres, in 1879 added forty more, and on this farm he has placed many improvements. In 1887 he built a fine barn for his stock and produce and in 1893 erected a commodious and comfortably situated house, which improvements add much to the general appearance of the farm. Politically Mr. Brenner favors the Democracy and was twice elected clerk of the township by his party, besides receiving the appointment of a census enumerator of his district in 1880. In 1897 he received the nomination on the Democratic ticket as candidate for county commissioner, but although making a gallant race he was unsuccessful. He is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has always been a very active worker, having been for a number of years a class leader and trustee. In 1872 Mr. Brenner was married to Miss Mary Ann, daughter of Gottleib and Mary Meyers, who was born in Washington township, April 27, 1848. She is 'a woman of estimable character, and has been an excellent mother to her five children: William H., Sara Ella, Ida Mae, John W:, deceased, and Treva Nettie. Mr. and Mrs. Brenner are popular and respected residents of their community, and their standing is such in the county as to merit their mention in a. volume devoted to the representative citizens of Hancock. LEVI STAHL. The above named representative farmer of Hancock county resides in Marion township on a well tilled farm of eighty acres, upon which is situated a valuable gas well. .He was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, January 8, 1855, was reared and educated in his native locality and had the usual experiences of the average farmer's boy. At the age of twenty CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 547 he left home and began life for himself in Wood county, Ohio, where he continued his agricultural labors for two years, and in 1877 came for the first time to Hancock county. After remaining three years he returned to Wood county, but in 1891 became a permanent resident of Hancock county. In the year mentioned he purchased the farm on Which he now resides and since then has been engaged in general farming and stock raising. Mr. Stahl takes an active interest in the educational affairs of his community, and was at one time a member of the school board of the second district. May 27, 1877, he married Ella A., a daughter of A. T. and Margaret Mason and six children have come to give joy to their home :—George B.; Alta.. E.; Orville A.; Lella G.; K. L.; and Charles B. Mrs. Stahl was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, on the 17th of October, 1854, and is a working member of the Lutheran denomination. Her father was a man of influence in the community, and established a reputation as a skilled mechanic. Indeed, he was one of those natural geniuses to whom are due many of the inventions of the day. The parents of Mr. Stahl were William and Manah Stahl, natives of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, from which section they removed a number of years subsequent to the departure of their son Levi. They now reside in Cass township, this county. They reared a family of nine children. JOSEPH STOFFEL. This representative of the farming interests of Hancock county is a resident of Washington township, where he owns and operates a farm of eighty acres, which he devotes to general farming. His birth occurred at Tiffin, Ohio, June 21, 1856. His parents, Peter and Margaret Stoffel, were natives of Germany, who emigrated to this country in 1852. They located in Tiffin, Ohio, where he engaged successfully in various occupations, but subsequently became an employe of a railroad company and removed his residence to Findlay, about 1861. Here he remained until his death in 1885, his good wife's death having occurred in 1879. Of their three children, the eldest was born in Germany and the subject of this sketch is the only surviving member of the family. He was reared and educated in the city of Findlay, in whose schools he received his elementary education. The period of youth was spent in teaming and general work for his father. Upon coming to maturity in 1887 he purchased from Jacob Wiseman his present farm, and has since been very successful in its cultivation. He chose for a life companion Mary C., daughter of Isaac and Julia Wolf, to whom he was mar- 548 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY ried in October, 1889. She was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, March 18, 1856, and her parents on both sides were of Dutch descent. They were a patriotic people, of good and upright principles, whose children fill their various roles in life with credit. One of Mrs. Stoffel's brothers is a prominent physician of Washington county, Pennsylvania. The Wolfs on the maternal side are a family of great longevity, Mrs: Staffers grandmother having lived to be ninety-two. years of age. She had reared eleven children, and for over sixty years no death had occurred in the family. Mrs. Stoffel is an educated lady, who has inherited the pride and principles of her ancestors, and Mr. Stoffel is a gentleman who receives and merits the good wishes of a large circle of friends in his community. Their marriage resulted in the birth of three children, George, Susan and an infant unnamed. CONRAD SHERMAN.. The farming element of Hancock county has a worthy representative in the gentleman whose name is above presented. He lives in Washington township, where he cultivates a farm of eighty acres and belongs to an old and highly respected family, whose descendants have acquitted themselves well in their respective spheres. Conrad is a son of Adam and Margaret (Powell) Sherman. The former was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, in 1803. The mother is a native of Eagle township, Hancock county, and belongs to the prominent family of Powells who came to this county at an early date, and whose history is elsewhere given in this book. Adam Sherman removed to this county in 1833, where he entered one hundred and twenty acres of virgin forest in Washington township. Here he passed the remainder of his days and established a reputation of being an honest, industrious man, who believed always in carrying out the injunction of the Golden Rule. He and his family were consistent members and earnest supporters of the Lutheran church. The father died at a comparatively early age, in 1854, leaving two children, Laura J. and Conrad. The paternal grandparents of our subject were Conrad and Catherine Sherman, alo natives of Baltimore county, Maryland. The great-grandparents, also named Conrad and Catherine, were natives of the same county in Maryland. The Shermans are of Swiss extraction on the paternal side. The maternal great-great-grandfather was Leonard Sabel, and his son, of the same name, married Catherine Witter. Conrad Sherman, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born in Washington township, Hancock county, Ohio, September 25, 1853, passed CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 549 his boyhood and youth in the pleasures and occupations of the farm, and received in the common schools an excellent education, which was tempered by the refining influences of a good home. Upon arriving at maturity he followed in the footsteps of his progenitors and adopted agricultural pursuits. He owns eighty acres of land purchased in 189o, which he devotes to general farming, and on which he uses the most modern methods and machinery. The most interesting event in his life occurred April 8, 1880, when he set up a domestic establishment of his own and called Miss Ella Pepple to preside over the same. Mrs. Sherman is the daughter of John and Mary Pepple, and a native of Cass township, born November 2, 1859. Her grandparents who were from Bedford county, Pennsylvania, settled in Columbiana county, Ohio, in 1820, and later came to Hancock county. Further information about this worthy couple will be found under the sketch of Eli W. Pepple, on another page of this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Sherman have four children, of whom Donald Conroy, born January 10, 1901, is the only one living, the deceased being Beatrice, Dwight L. and Dewey D. As members of families which have been intimately and honorably associated with the advancement and development of Hancock county, Mr. and Mrs. Sherman are entitled to and with pleasure accorded to place in this volume of biography. TOBIA G. BARNHILL, M. D. During his professional career at Findlay Dr. Barnhill has met with gratifying success and won the good will and patronage of many of the leading citizens and families of the place. He is a great student and nedeavors to keep abreast of the times in everything relating to discoveries in medical science. Though progressive in his ideas and favoring modern methods he does not dispense 'with the true and tried systems which have stood the test of years. Dr. Barnhill was born in Wayne county, Ohio, May 5, 1851, but when two years of age was brought by his parents to Hancock county, where he has ever since made his home. His elementary education was received in the public schools of Findlay, and after completing- his term therein he took up the profession of teaching, which he followed in Hancock county from 1869 until 1871. Desiring to enter upon the practice of medicine, he abandoned the work of the schoolroom in order that he might give his entire attention to the study of the healing art, and in 1873 he graduated at the Cleveland Homeopathic Hospital College. March 4, 1873, he embarked in the