450 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. and Jane E. Miles located in Hartland township. For three or four years he operated a sawmill in that township, and then moved to Fitchville, bringing with him the mill. Trading the machinery for lands in Wood county, Ohio, he established a general store in Fitchville, also a blacksmith's shop and tin store. He remained at Fitchville until 1882, when he moved to his present farm, which he had purchased some years previous. This land is in a high state of cultivation, and improved with a substantial residence and fine farm buildings. Republican in political faith, Mr. Miles gives his party a hearty support, and is looked upon as a safe counsellor in local political affairs. Since he arrived at the age of twenty-one years he has held township offices, and has frequently filled several at one and the same time; for six years he was postmaster of Fitchville. In the days of the Civil war he was an earnest worker in meeting the demands made upon the township by the draft. Some years ago, when there was a prospect of connecting Fitchville with the outside world by railroad, he favored the scheme and aided the promoters in a very decided manner. For eighteen years he was connected with the Greenwich Fair Association, and held every office in connection with it, during that long period. For over twenty years he was superintendent of the Sabbath-school of the Congregational Church, and held various offices in that church. The part taken by his wife in domestic affairs and in the social doings of the township has been a material one, and her influence for good has been recognized. To-day she shares with her husband the esteem and confidence of the people. JASON A. WHEELER was born January 21, 1854, in Greenfield town- jship, Huron Co., Ohio. His grandfather, John Wheeler, was a native of Massachusetts, and when a youth, of seventeen years settled in western New York, where he grew to manhood. While residing in Ontario county, New York, he cleared a tract of farm land, where he established his home. There he married Polly Franklin, a native of Massachusetts, and to this union the following named children were born in Ontario county, N. Y.: Sylvester F., John H., Benoni, Aaron and Calvin. In the fall of 1818 the father visited Ohio, and purchased land in Greenfield township, Huron county. Early in the spring of 1819 he set out with his wife and children for their new home, making the journey in a wagon drawn by a team of oxen and a team of horses. The trip occupied four weeks. They had no lack of friends in the new country, for neighbors of the family, such as the Starrs, Adams, McKelveys and others, had previously located in Huron county. The splendor of the forests, no less than the hopes for the future, buoyed up the courage of the new corners. John Wheeler was an ardent lover of out-door sports, and here he could enjoy them ad libitum. The animals of the chase abounded; bear and deer offered themselves as targets for the hunter and food for the settlers, and the rich soil promised rewards corresponding with the industry of the husbandman. In such a country the younger children of John and Polly Wheeler-Chauncy B., Almira and Samuel B.—were born. Of the children who came to Ohio with their parents, Aaron (of Norwalk) and Calvin are the only survivors, the others having passed away in Huron county. Of the children born in Greenfield township, Chauncy died in Crawford county, Kans.; Almira, who first married a Mr. Van Tine and later a Mr. Tucker, is a widow; and Samuel B. resides at Parsons, Kans. They were all reared in Ohio in the manner of pioneer children. When Calvin was four years old his parents left him and three brothers in the cabin, while they assisted at the burial of a neighbor. During their HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 451 absence the children saw a large sow rooting in the soil near the house, and, while they were watching, a black bear appeared in the clearing and carried off the frightened hog to the edge of the woods, where he killed it. Some time after a clearing was made in Greenfield township the father revisited Ontario county, N. Y., and there was ordained a Free-will Baptist minister. On his return he became an active worker in that Church, and organized several Societies in Huron and Ashland counties. His first wife died in June, 18-, aged sixty-three years. For his second he married Mrs, Hulda (Osborn) Gregory, widow of Lansing Gregory, and she died some years before him. He was a strong Democrat until the slave question arose, when he joined the Republican ranks. He possessed a stentorian voice, and when leading religious services could be heard at long distances. He preached for a number of years at Steuben, where he was the first Baptist minister; and, though his circuit was a wide one, it was all known to him, for he was a hunter and a fisherman as well as a farmer and preacher. He died about 1877, in his ninety-first year. Calvin Wheeler, son of John Wheeler, was born January 19, 1818, in Ontario county, N. Y. Little over a year later he was brought to Huron county, and here was reared on his father's farm. He obtained the rudiments of an education in a school, to which he had to walk two miles each winter morning and return the same evening. In February, 1842, he married Mary Richards, who was born January 27, 1821, in Herkimer county, N. Y., and came with her father to Huron county in 1837. The children of this marriage were as follows: Nancy Genette, born January 15, 1843, who married E. T. Trimmer, and died in Kalamazoo county, Mich., March 5, 1868; Agnes E., born March 9, 1844, now Mrs. Marion Parsons, of Shiloh, Ohio; David M., born December 29, 1846, a traveling salesman, whose home is at Plymouth, Huron county; Benjamin R., born November 20, 1848, a farmer and stock buyer of Greenfield township; Calvin J., born July 31, 1850, a farmer of Peru township; Chauncy B., born January 3, 1852, an engineer on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad; Jason A., born January 21, 1854; Jesse (twin of Jason A.), a merchant at Chicago Junction; Alice, born January 18, 1857, widow of Henry Bronson, now engaged in mercantile business at Chicago Junction ; Alfred (twin of Alice), now a harness maker at Plymouth, Ohio; Lillis, born November 14, 1861, now the widow of Dayton L. Green, residing at Steuben; and Linda Belle, born October 3, 1863, now Mrs. Elmer McMorris, of Steuben. The father of this large family was engaged in farm work up to 1870, when he removed to Steuben to engage in mercantile business. He was postmaster there for some years. His wife died March 5, 1866, and was buried in Steuben cemetery with the rites of the Free-Will Baptists, of which Church she was a member. Mr. Wheeler was a Democrat until the organization of the Republican party, when he became a Free-soiler. For over fifty-six years he has been a member of the Baptist Church. Jason A. Wheeler was born January 21, 1854, in Greenfield township, and received his education in the district schools and in the Buckeye College. When school days were passed he entered the store of his brother, D. M. Wheeler, of Steuben, in whose employ he remained until 1874. For a time he was a clerk for A. J. Coulton, of Steuben, in which capacity he learned all the details of business, and on January 7, 1877, he established himself in trade at Steuben. Here for ten years he conducted a general store, and built up an extensive trade, his courteous manners and reputation for fair dealing winning him an immense patronage. On May 30, 1887, his store and goods, valued at $8,000, were destroyed by fire, but without delay he opened a stock at Chicago Junction, and was engaged in general 452 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. trade there for a short time, when he retired to his farm, one mile south of Steuben, whither he had moved in 1886. The tract was known as the "Platt Farm." Mr. Wheeler was married October 15, 1873, to Charlotte Ashley, who was born in Clinton county, Iowa, February 11, 1856, and came to Ohio with her father, Dennis Ashley, in March of that year. The children of Jason A. and Charlotte Wheeler are Charles N., George M., Mary L., Jason A., Jr., and Ruth. The eldest graduated from Oberlin College in his eighteenth year. On October 21, 1891, he delivered the oration on " Columbus Day," being selected by the faculty for this task in recognition of his high standing in oratory. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, with the three elder members of the family, belong to the Presbyterian Church. He is one of the leaders of the Republican party in Huron county; was postmaster at Steuben for some years; was clerk of Greenfield township eight years, is now a trustee of that township, and November 7, 1893, was elected commissioner of Huron county three years. Since 1886 he has given close attention to his fine farm, and has the reputation of being a methodical agriculturist and a most excellent citizen. RUDOLPH GEIGER, retired, is a native of Baden, Germany, born December 17, 1823, a son of John Geiger, who died in Baden when Rudolph was five years old, leaving five children. In March, 1844, the widow and three of her children—Lawrence (who had visited the United States twelve years before), Josephine (who died six weeks after arriving in the country), and Rudolph—set out for the shores of Columbia, here to better their condition and make a new home. They first proceeded to Rotterdam, Holland, thence to Havre, France, where they took sailing ship for New York, landing after a voyage of forty-two days. From there they traveled westward to Ohio, arriving in course of time at the town of Huron, Erie county, whence Lawrence and Rudolph walked to Greenfield township, Huron county, where they hired a team, drove back to Huron, and brought their mother and sister to Greenfield. Rudolph Geiger received his education in the Fatherland, and commenced to learn the trade of blacksmith; but he had to abandon it on account of his lungs being easily affected while working at the forge; he then for a brief spell tried his hand at carpentry, at which time he came to America. In Huron county he first secured employment in a brickyard, later in the tannery in Norwalk belonging to Judge Baker's brother, who was so much pleased with him, on account of his sterling honesty and characteristic industry, that he offered to give him seventy acres of land in Clarksfield township if he would stay with him two years longer. This highly complimentary and valued offer Mr. Geiger was constrained to decline, however, on account of the tannery business impairing his health. He then drove team for Pickett Lattimore, a brewer of Norwalk, and from there, after a time, he returned to Greenfield township, and learning the trade of a brickmaker soon became owner of a kiln, which he conducted up to his marriage. After that event he and his young wife made their home in Milan, Erie county, where for four years he burned brick each season; and many of the best buildings in that town, and also in Norwalk, were made in his yard—in fact his brick was by far the best made in the county at that time. Until he commenced in the business only a few brick buildings had been erected, but afterward, so popular had the product of his yards become, a "boom " in putting up brick houses was the result. He next came to Sherman township, and bought eighty acres of land in the woods, the trees being (to use his own language) " as thick as hairs on a dog's back." After two years labor HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 453 here in clearing the land he moved to Sandusky, and there made four kilns of brick, which sold rapidly, notwithstanding the many other kilns in the place—the reason being, simply, that he made better brick than any one else. On the breaking out of cholera in that city, in 1855, he once more came to Sherman township, renewed farming operations, and has lived here ever since. In February, 1849, Mr. Geiger married Miss Sarah Ann Ott, who was born in Baden, Germany, in 1826, and came to the United States in young womanhood. The children of this union were John and Adolph, both in Sandusky; Louisa, who married John Smith, and died when twenty-five years old; Odelia, now Mrs. Frederick Brown, of Pulaski county, Ind.; Mary, now Mrs. John Weidenger, of Sherman township; and Anna, at home. The family are all members of the Catholic Church. Mr. and Mrs. Geiger, honored and respected in their old age, have been living for the past few years a comparatively retired life, compulsory in his case more on account of an accident he met with a few years ago, a log rolling on him, which hastened his retirement from active work. G. S. LANTERMAN, M. D., mayor ( of Bellevue, was born in 1847, in Tompkins county, N. Y., a son of John and Julia (Brown) Lanterman. The father was also a native of New York State, where he passed from earth at the age of forty-six years; the mother, who is a native of New England, is now eighty-one years old. Dr. G. S. Lanterman was educated in his native county, and read medicine there under a preceptor for some time. Later he was enrolled as a student in the University of Michigan, and graduated from the Medical Department of that institution of learning in 1867. The same year he located in Cayuga county, N. Y., where he practiced medicine and surgery for one year, and then removed to Bellevue, Ohio. He is the oldest practicing physician of the regular school here to-day, and is undoubtedly the most popular citizen in this particular section of Huron county. He was a member of the old Delamater Medical Association of Norwalk, and for a long period was the life of that organization. He has been connected with the municipal affairs of Bellevue for a number of years, served as councilman for several terms, and is now serving his third term as mayor. In political life he is a thorough Republican, earnest in the support of his party, but always good natured and logical in his arguments. He is well up in Masonic work, and has reached the thirty- second degree. In August, 1862, at the age of fourteen years, our subject enlisted in the One Hundred and Ninth N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, and served in that command and in the Third N. Y. Light Artillery until the close of the war. Dr. Lanterman was united in marriage, September 26, 1872, with Miss Emma .Heal, a native of England, daughter of Enoch and Charlotte Heal. He has proved himself a conservative power in the council of Bellevue, and a most able physician and surgeon; and it may be here stated that the municipal body is as safe in his hands as are his patients. W. C. HEYMANN. Among the earliest German settlers of Sherman township is the subject of this sketch, who is an honored representative of a large and respected family of the name, noted for their thrift and wealth. Mr. Heymann was born in Germany in 1808, and came to America in 1852, settling in Sherman township, where he enjoys the distinction of being now the oldest citizen. He married, and has ten children, named as follows: William, John, Charles, Jacob, Philip, Henry, 454 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. George, Frederick, Mattie and Lizzie, to each of whom Mr. Heymann has given a good start in life. By industry and judicious economy he has accumulated a comfortable competence, being an extensive landholder, and is now living retired at Weaver's Corners. In his political preferences he is a Republican, and in religions belief he is a member of the Lutheran Church. SAMUEL W. CURTISS, one of the progressive, active spirits of Fitchville township, and a friend of every worthy enterprise, was born in that township July 10, 1832. Joseph C. Curtiss, his father, was born in June, 1803, in Oneida county, N. Y., attended the school of his native place for some time, and then learned the gunsmith's trade. He was there married to Lucina Ward, and early in 1825 the young couple set out for Ohio. It was then the paradise of hunters, and Mr. Curtiss saw plainly that, where hunters were, would undoubtedly be the proper place to carry on his trade. Locating at Norwalk, Huron county, he purchased a town lot on Main street, known as " The Todd Lot," and thereon erected a small house, to serve the dual purpose of dwelling and workshop. Early in 1832 he removed to Fitchville, and entering into partnership with Union White, established a general store at the center. Political incompatibility led to the dissolution of this partnership in 1835. There was no possibility of an agreement between Whig and Democrat, under one roof, and hence the establishment of a second general store at Fitchville, in the year named. In 1835 Mr. Curtiss erected a residence adjoining his store, and there lived to the close of his life. In 1861 he retired from mercantile pursuits, but up to the period of his death, September 1, 1871, he took an active interest in politics, and particularly in the development of Fitchville village and township. Prior to 1856 he was an Old-line Whig, and during his remaining years a stanch Republican. In 1839-40 he was an active partisan in the Harrison Tyler campaign, and was himself elected a commissioner of Huron county on the Whig ticket. That office he held four years, when he was elected a member of the Legislature, in which be served during the sessions of 1845 and 1846. A temperance man by experience, he studied the devastation of human life by drink, and opposed free liquor with all the force of his mind. In fact he carried the principle so far as to enlarge his dwelling and establish a temperance hotel for the convenience of the public. The enterprise was unpopular. Travelers, as a rule, were drinking men then, and the regular hotel-keepers furnished a certain amount of strong drink with board and lodging; so that the temperance hotel was compelled to fight a long and strong battle against the sophistry and liberality of its opponents. Mr. Curtiss met their actions by furnishing board and lodgings twenty per cent. below the price charged by the regular hotel men, and this action compelled them to cut prices. Thus matters went along for thirteen years, when the temperance house closed its doors. It was conducted at a profit, and taught lessons which bore rich fruit. Mr. Curtiss was twice married, first to Lucina Ward, to whom three sons—J. C., Jr., S. W. and D. A.—and one daughter —Mary J.—were born. After the death of this wife he married a Mrs. Allen, who is the mother of one daughter, Jane, now living in Hamilton, N. Y. While a resident of Norwalk Mr. Curtiss produced a greater number of guns than the demands of local trade required. The surplus he would load on a pack horse, at stated intervals, and sell along the old Wooster trail, and what remained on arriving at Wooster he could easily dispose of there to hunters and farmers. He afterward became a heavy dealer in farm products, HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 455 which he received in exchange for merchandise. On one occasion he sent forward a drove of 1,700 hogs to New York City, and often shipped vast quantities of stock and grain to the markets north, south and east. Samuel W. Curtiss was born in Fitchville township, immediately after the removal of the family from Norwalk, and in his boyhood attended the school of Miss Sarah Mason. just south of Fitchville village. After her day he continued to attend the school of the district, the hours after school being given to work in his father's store. Later he attended the academy of Rev. T. F. Thompson, of Norwalk, and when his school days were passed took a position in the Curtiss store. On one occasion, in winter time, when he was seventeen years old, he was sent with the drovers to deliver 1,700 hogs, which his father promised to supply to a party or parties at Baltimore. The route lay through Pennsylvania. The Ohio river was crossed at Smith's Ferry, and they proceeded thence via the National Pike, through Washington county, Penn. Before reaching Baltimore the destination was changed to New York, and while en route they sold 1,300 of the hogs at Reading, Penn., the balance being traded for fat hogs, which they took to New York and there sold. After returning to Fitchville our subject became a regular clerk in his father's store. In 1851 he married Fidelia Tucker, who was born in 1830, in Madison county, N. Y., daughter of Lester Tucker, and after marriage the young couple went to reside on a farm in Greenwich township. His first experience in agricultural pursuits was on the farm he now owns, where he remained some three years, and then moved to Greenwich, whence after two years residence there he returned to Fitchville and re-entered his father's store. For three years thereafter he clerked, and then continued as partner with his father until the fall of 1864. Retaining his interest in the store, he returned to the farm, and was engaged in agriculture until 1871, when the death of his father called him to Fitchville village to take charge of the store. In 1878 he admitted as partner his son•, who managed the house from 1883 to 1887, while the father gave his attention to his fine farm, situated northeast of the village. On this farm he built an elegant residence and made many improvements, but since 1887 he has made his home in the village, entrusting his farm to the care of tenants. The children of Samuel W. and Fidelia Curtiss are as follows: Ada M., Mrs. E. E. Townsend, of New London township; Sidney 0., of New London village; Carrie, who died when twenty-two years old; Doren, who died when four years old; Lena F., deceased wife of William Palmer; Bertha and Pearl, who reside at home. The mother of this family is a member of the Baptist Church. Mr. Curtiss enlisted April 2, 1864, in an independent company of the Sixty-third Regiment, Ohio National Guards. In 1863 the One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Regiment was organized in Huron county as Home Guards, and in the spring of 1864 Gov. Brough turned the Sixty-third over to the Government as United States troops, to go wherever called. On May 2, 1864, they were ordered to Camp Taylor, at Cleveland, Ohio, but when mustered it was found there were some 200 men unfit for duty, and Mr. Curtiss' company was then consolidated with the Seventy-ninth Battalion, 0. N. G., of Medina county, a senior organization. On May 15, 1864, when the change was made in the disposal of the Sixty-third Regiment, he was mustered in as first lieutenant; and when his company was consolidated with the Medina battalion (at which time he was quartermaster), he was deprived of his commission on a technicality. Thereupon he was about returning home, when his superiors prevailed upon him to remain as lieutenant in Company B. The regiment proceeded to Virginia, and did duty at Forts Richardson, 456 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. Barnard, Reynolds and Ward, until muster- out, September 9, 1864. After the excitement attendant on Jubal Early's raid on Washington had died out, the men of Mr. Curtiss' regiment suffered much from camp sickness. At one time his own illness was so serious that his wife traveled from Ohio to attend upon him, and to her ministrations his recovery is attributed. Our subject cast his first vote for the first Republican Presidential nominee, and his loyalty to the party is well known in Huron county. He has filled various offices in his township. Under the charter of the village of Fitchville he is mayor, although the corporation is sleeping. It was he who contributed lumber for the first sidewalk laid by the municipality, and to him must be credited, specially, the lighting of the streets of the village. ORREN W. HEAD was born at Paris, Oneida Co., N. Y., on the 18th day of May, 1808. His parents, Jonathan and Hepzibath (Livermore) Head, were both born in New England— the father in Rhode Island, the mother in New Hampshire. Mr. Head grew to manhood on the farm, receiving his education in the subscription schools of the neighborhood. In 1836 he contracted a matrimonial alliance with Julia Crane, a resident of Marshall, Oneida Co., N. Y., and to this union were born five children—three sons and two daughters, the latter of whom are both dead. In 1842 Mr. Head and his family settled in Ridgefield township, Huron Co., Ohio, where he purchased the " Sours farm," together with other lands adjoining, making a farm of 420 acres, which he kept well cultivated and improved. In 1857 he built what is now known as the "Davis Block " in Monroeville, in which for a number of years he did a banking business—first under the name of the Perkins & Head exchange Bank; then, after the death of E. B. Perkins, under the name of the O. W. Head Exchange Bank. In 1862 he sold out to S. V. Harkness, but always did a private banking business. He occupied, and deservedly so, a high place in the esteem of his fellow townsmen, and by close attention to business; by strict and honorable dealing; by careful and wise management, he succeeded in accumulating a good competency. He was one of the founders of the Monroeville National Bank, and served as its first president, which position he held up to the time of his death, He died October 2, 1882, and was buried in Monroeville cemetery. Mr. Head was ever willing to assist any movement tending to improve the condition of the community in which he lived, and was well and favorably known through. out the county. He never refused aid to those worthy of assistance, and it can be said of him that he assisted more men, at the time they needed it most, to secure homes, than any other one man in the con nty. On October 4, 1872, Mr. Head was married to Annie M. Newcomer, of Ashland, Ashland Co., Ohio, a daughter of Benjamin and Annie (Albert) Newcomer, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Since the death of her husband Mrs, Head has resided upon the home farm, and has conducted her business interests with success. She is now owner of over eight hundred acres of land, besides other properties. Though not a professor of religion, she contributes liberally of her means to such institutions of which her husband was also a hearty supporter, HENRY KIMMEL, the pioneer carpenter and builder of Bellevue, is a son of Henry and Anna Maria (Brandau) Kimmel, farming people of Germany, who lived and died in their native land. Henry Kimmel was born December 24. 1828, in Niedernguda, Kreiss Rodenberg, HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 457 Germany. When not eighteen years old he, with a brother, came to the United States, locating at Sandusky, Ohio, where Henry learned the carpenter's trace. In 1848 or 1849 he came to Bellevue, Huron Co., Ohio, and worked at his trade by the day for a number of years. He was married July 22, 1851, to Miss Eva R Streck, of Bellevue, and to this marriage seven children were born, namely: Louisa, who is married to James Aigler, and has three children—Ernest, Ethel and Amos; Julia, who married Charles E. Burgess, and has two children—Aid and Robert; Isabel, married to Henry Mansfield; Franklin (married); Adelaide (unmarried); Eva R., married to J. Rudd, and one son deceased. After his marriage Mr. Kimmel returned to Sandusky, where he resided for one year, and then moved to New Haven, Ohio, remaining there six or seven months, during which time he purchased, conducted, and sold the hotel at that point. Returning to Bellevue, he has made this city his home up to the present time. In 1862 he was drafted, but he furnished a substitute. Mr. Kimmel has been engaged in contract work for about thirty-four years. The first block in the town of Bellevue, the "Kern Block," was erected by him, and of the many buildings he has put up it is said that the owner was invariably satisfied, a record which speaks most forcibly of Mr. Kimmel's practical honesty. DAVID GRIEVE, one of the large landowners of Greenfield township, was born April 28, 1819, in Bergen county, N. J., son of Thomas Grieve, who was a native of Edinburgh, Scotland. At an early age Thomas Grieve removed to County Tyrone, Ireland, where in 1810 he married Elizabeth Stewart, a native of that county, where one son—Thomas was born to them. In 1812 the father sailed from Ireland for the United States, and for two years worked at the weaver's trade in New Jersey. Having earned sufficient money to pay for the passage of his wife and son, he sent fm. them, and in 1814 they arrived after a rough voyage of ninety days, the cost of passage for each being two hundred dollars. The family located in New Jersey, and there the father worked at his trade until 1836. The children born in New Jersey to Thomas and Elizabeth Grieve are named as follows: David, James, William and George (twins), Elizabeth J. and John. In 1836 the whole family came to Ohio via the Erie Canal and Lake Erie, and proceeding south located in Huron county. The father purchased land in Greenfield township at eight dollars per acre, improved the tract with the aid of his sons, and had a comfortable home made for his family, when disease carried him off in 1838, he and his three sons—William, John and James—being buried within one month. The widow survived this terrible affliction until 1858, when she died, and was buried in Greenfield township. David Grieve attended school for six and one-half years, intending to devote his life to mercantile or clerical work. When an infant six weeks old his right hand was burned so terribly as to render the member of little use, and to this incident his long educational course must be credited. In his youth he went to New York City and found employment in a grocery store on the corner of Spring and Hudson streets, remaining there until 1836, when he followed his parents to Ohio, where he taught school in an old-fashioned log house, boarding around with his pupils. He caught the " Ohio Itch," and suffered from lung troubles fostered by exposure in the ancient school buildings, and all this was rewarded by twelve dollars a month, with bed and board in various places. Clearing the forest was preferable, and he abandoned the teacher's profession, and for the seven following years worked as a farm laborer. In 1865 458 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. he married Sarah M. Koch, who was born in 1842, near Pottstown, Penn., and came to Huron county with her father, Jonathan Koch, when a girl. The children born to this marriage are Elmira G., who resides at home, and John A., a farmer of Peru township. For some years before his marriage the mother and sister of our subject were his housekeepers. At the time of his father's death David Grieve was bequeathed a tract of land of forty acres, in consideration of the care bestowed by him on his mother and members of the family, and to this small tract he added gradually, until he now has over 270 acres of good land. In 1854 he located on the farm which he now occupies. Politically Mr. Grieve is a Republican, formerly a Whig; in 1840 he voted for William H. Harrison. With the exception of one year, which he passed as clerk in a wholesale grocery house at Toledo, Mr. Grieve has devoted his attention to agriculture. He has filled various township offices, and is a man who reads extensively and thinks for himself. Mrs. Grieve is a member of the Lutheran Church. MARTIN ORDWAY, carpenter and joiner, of Townsend township, is a native of the county, born May 29, 1823, in Norwalk, the fifth in a family of nine children born to Nehemiah and Eleanor (Ferand) Ordway, both of whom were natives of Vermont, and of English descent. Nehemiah Ordway was educated land married in his native State, where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits for several years. He was a gallant soldier during the war of 1812, soon after which, in 1816, he immigrated with his wife and family to the then western frontier of northern Ohio, settling near Norwalk, Huron county, then almost an unbroken wilderness, accomplishing the entire journey overland, from the hills of Vermont to this wild region, with wagons and teams. In the winter of 1823-24 he bought wild lands two miles south of the center of Townsend township, Huron county, where he subsequently improved a farm. Here the family suffered all the hardships and privations incident to a frontier life, their white neighbors being few and far between, the nearest one two and a half or three miles distant; the Redmen, however, were still numerous, but they were generally quite peaceable and caused but little trouble or anxiety to the white settlers. In about 1832 Mr. Ordway sold his place and bought another near Townsend Center, and there remained until 1852, when he again sold out, and removed to Wood county, Ohio. Here he bought a farm, and successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred in May, 1876. He was for many years trustee of his township, and for the last thirty years of his life was an earnest member of the Christian Church, to which his wife also belonged. Martin Ordway, the subject proper of this sketch, received such an education in youth as could be obtained at the common schools, taught in the rude schoolhouses of that early day, which were usually constructed of logs, with puncheon floor and clap-board roof. He was employed on the home farm until he was nineteen years old, and then went to Milan, Ohio, to learn the carpenter's trade with his brother, with whom he remained about three years. He then went to work at his trade on his own account, and he has ever since continued to follow same, at various points, with most abundant success. He owns a small farm near Townsend Center, upon which he has resided for the last forty-six years. Mr. Ordway was married December 24. 1846, to Miss Amilla Van Tassell, a native of Genesee county, N. Y., born September 4, 1822, a daughter of Tunis and Puah (Haven) Van Tassell, both of whom were natives of Onondaga county, N. Y., the former of Holland-Dutch extraction and the latter of English descent. To Mr. and HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 459 Mrs. Ordway have been born five children, viz.: Betsey Jane, now Mrs. J. C. Wissert; Electa D., now Mrs. Niles H. House; Jefferson H.; Effie A., now Mrs. W. G. Dart; and Emma N. (Birdie), now Mrs. C. B. Canfield. Mr. Ordway is at present serving as trustee of Townsend township, and has served as such at various times for many years. He has been a member of the Masonic Fraternity for over thirty years. Both he and his wife are devout members of the M. E. Church, and in politics he is a stanch and uncompromising Republican. Mrs. Ordway's father, Tunis Van Tassell, was also one of the early pioneers of northern Ohio, having removed from New York to Townsend township, Huron county, in 1836. Here he bought wild land and subsequently improved a farm, where he was successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits all his life. His father and father-in-law were soldiers in the Continental army during the Revolutionary war. The ancestors of the Van Tassell family were among the hardy and patriotic Holland pioneers of the old Dutch colony of New Netherlands, while the Haven family were also among the early pioneers of the same colony, later known as New York, FRANK CAMPBELL, a well-known citizen of Fairfield township, is a grandson of Hugh A. Campbell, and is descended from the Argyle branch of the Campbell family of Scotland. Hugh A. Campbell was born May 15, 1783. He married Margaret Mather, and to this union the following named children were born: Ann Eliza, who married William Inscho, died September 14, 1839; Lorenzo Q., born November 7, 1808, died December 25, 1884; Argyle, born February 20, 1810, died August 7, 1836; James M., born November 15, 1812; Angeline, born November 8, 1815, married James Burns, and died in Iowa; Helen M., born April 6, 1818, died November 30, 1853; Margaret S., born July 3, 1821, who married Jonathan Atherton; and DeWitt C., born December 23, 1823. In the spring of 1817 Hugh Campbell and his family set out from their home at Genoa, Cayuga, Co., N. Y., for the " Fire-lands" in Huron county, Ohio. Traveling via Cleveland, Rocky river and Norwalk, they arrived in Greenfield township and located on the farm where the father died August 23, 1861. At the time of their settlement here a small log but stood in a one-acre clearing on this land, an oasis in the wilderness. From 1817 to 1861 the father of this large family toiled on the farm or at his trade, that of a shoemaker. In politics he was a Whig until the organization of the Republican party. He was a Presbyterian for many years and was a deacon in that church, but later he united with the Congregationalists. The mother, Margaret Mather, was truly a pioneer woman, and like her husband was a member of the Presbyterian Church. The parents were buried in Steuben cemetery. Lorenzo Q. Campbell accompanied the family to Huron county, Ohio, in 1817. He learned the shoemaker's trade here from his father, and also learned the cooper's and carpenter's trades, and with all this obtained a primary education in the pioneer schools of Greenfield township. On April 15, 1834, he married Betsy Mathers, a native of Connecticut, who accompanied her parents to Huron county in girlhood, and to this union two children were born: Frank, born February 6, 1835, and Satira, born October 31, 1836 (she first married John H. Eaker, later Jesse Snyder, and died September 4, 1864). The mother died January 26, 1837, the father many years afterward, on December 25, 1884. Like his father he was a Whig until the formation of the Republican party, and filled nearly every township office, serving as justice of the peace for many years. In religions connection he was a member of the Presbyterian Church, in which he held office. To him must be 460 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. credited the excellent condition of the homestead in Greenfield township, for, some years after his father's death, he built a substantial residence and made very many important improvements. Frank Campbell was born February 6, 1835, in Greenfield township. Up to the age of twelve years he attended the common schools of his district, and then went to the Hillsdale (-Alicia) Academy, subsequently attending the Ohio Normal School at Milan. School days over, he resumed farm life and worked for his father until the latter's death. On September 26, 1860, he married Martha J. Shourds, who was born February 5, 1841, in Cayuga county, N. Y., daughter of Daniel Shourds, who settled in Huron county. The only child born to this marriage is Mary Del, who was married October 6, 1891, to Roscoe B. Fisher, of Sandusky, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell are members of the Congregational Church. In politics Mr. Campbell is a Republican. He has traveled considerably over his native country, and passed eighteen months on the Pacific coast. He is an active farmer and a skilled apiarist, much interested in bee culture. SHELTON. When far advanced in life, Gershon Shelton (grandfather of Charles R. and Henry S. Shelton, of Wakeman township) came to Ohio, settling in Vermillion township (at that time in Huron county, now in Erie), where, during the later days of his life, he was engaged in broom making. His children, all of whom were born in Connecticut, were as follows: Jennette (Mrs. French); Julia, Sallie and Daniel, all three deceased; William, in Vermillion township, Erie county; and Lyman and Gershon (both deceased). The last named, father of Charles R. and Henry S., was reared on the home farm in Connecticut, receiving a limited subscription school education during a few months in the winter season. About the year 1825 he came to Huron county, and trading a small piece of improved land in Connecticut for a large tract of wild land in Wakeman township, he set to work to improve it, first building for himself a substantial log cabin. This tract consisted of 240 acres lying a short distance south of the present site of Wakeman village. Here by industrious labor and judicious management he cleared his land, having at the time of his death the best improved farm in the locality. His wife was Hepsey, daughter of David Smith, both natives of Connecticut, and who were among the first settlers of Wakeman township. To this union were born four children, to wit: Henriette (Mrs. Joseph Hoskins), living in Wakeman; Charles R., sketch of whom follows; Mary Ann (Mrs. Green), a widow, having her home in Wakeman; and Henry S., sketch of whom follows. The father passed from earth about the year 1840, a stanch Democrat, and a useful adviser of his party. When he first came to Huron county, wild animals of many kinds roamed the forest at will, wolves being particularly troublesome. While building his log cabin, with the assistance of the few far- scattered neighbors, darkness set in the first day considerably before the work was completed. Thereupon, having to wait till next morning, the little party gathered together their provisions, together with a sufficient amount of firewood, and laid themselves down to rest for the night, Suddenly they were awakened by most ferocious howls and yelpings, and starting to their feet found to their dismay that they were surrounded by a pack of ravenous wolves. Being totally unarmed, and the danger imminent, they at once betook themselves to places of security—some climbing trees, others the half-built house —and, in no little fear for their safety, in that manner passed the rest of the night, With the grey dawn of morning, the wolves, disappointed of their prey, retired HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 461 to the fastnesses of the forest, and the heroes of our narrative descended to terra firma, and completed the building without further molestation. CHARLES R. SHELTON, a retired farmer of Wakeman township, and now proprietor of a prosperous hardware business in the town of Wakeman, was born January 3, 1820, in Oxford township, New Haven Co., Conn., and was there reared. In his boyhood he received an elementary education, and after attaining his majority attended Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, one year, and further improved his education by considerable home study and careful reading. When his widowed mother married a second time, our subject formed the resolution to " paddle his own canoe," struck out for himself, and for some years worked on farms. In the spring of 1851 he married Miss Eunice 0. Whitney, a daughter of Abel Whitney, of Florence township, Erie county, and Mr. Shelton then followed teaming, buying timber and hauling it to Ashland, where he traded it for wheat, which in turn he conveyed to Milan, Erie county, where it was sold, that town being, on account of a canal connecting it with Lake Erie, an important market point for wheat and other produce. After three years so engaged, Mr. Shelton, having made and saved money, bought land in Wakeman township, increased by fifty acres of wild land left to him by his father. This he cleared and further added to until he was owner of a considerable amount of good farm land, at .one time owning 500 acres; but he has ,sold and given away a great deal, and now has 143 acres, all in excellent condition. In 1880 he retired from agricultural pursuits, and coming to the town of Wakeman, began what has proven a successful mercantile career, and now conducts a thriving hardware establishment. In his political sympathies he is a straight Republican, and years ago held many offices .of public trust; in religious faith he and his wife are members of the Methodist Church. During the Civil war he was debarred from joining the Union army through physical disability, but in giving pecuniary assistance he was as generous as he was loyal. HENRY S. SHELTON, a well-known prominent farmer and stock raiser of Wakeman township, is probably the wealthiest among the agricultural community of his section. He is a native of the township, born November 10, 1832, on the old homestead, a part of which he now owns. He received his elementary education in his native township, and he well remembers the old red schoolhouse with its primitive furnishings, and not less primitive " dominie." After a time he attended the schools of Milan, Erie county and later, Oberlin College, at Oberlin, Ohio, taking a partial course. When he was about ten years old his mother married a Mr. Squiers, of the " inn " at Milan, and he was there reared, being employed, from time to time after leaving school, on the surrounding farms. Being gifted with more than ordinary strength, and having naturally industrious habits, his services were much sought after and appreciated. At the age of thirteen he, unassisted, sowed to wheat thirteen acres of newly cleared land, from which he harvested 133 bushels, from the proceeds of the sale of which he invested in a team of oxen, and an old " Scotch drag." Thus equipped, he began the cultivation of his mother's portion of his father's small estate. Meanwhile, his stepfather having died, his twice-widowed mother and he continued to live together, for his true filial devotion for her, and her love for him, would never permit a separation, he toiling and saving his earnings that she might be comfortably cared for in her fast declining years. By the time he reached his majority our subject had saved some sixteen hundred dollars, and he then married Miss A. M., daughter of Hoxey and Abigail Benson, natives of Dutchess county, N. Y., by which union there are no children. This 462 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. wife dying after eleven years of married life, Mr. Shelton, for his second spouse, wedded Miss Antoinette Vincent, of Clarksfield township, Huron county, who bore him children as follows: Charles H., a resident of Berlin Heights, Ohio; Mary E. (Mrs. Charles Todd), in Wakeman; and Addie B., George H., Myron A. and Harry S., all at home. The mother of these was called from earth in April, 1890. Politically, our subject is a Republican; a devoted adherent of the Methodist Church, he is a liberal supporter of same, and he is a useful and influential member of society. He is now the owner of 350 acres of land in Wakeman township. and forty in Clarksfield, and his remarkable success is clearly the result of his assiduous industry, indomitable perseverance and good management. HIRAM LATHAM, a prosperous grocer of Lyme, and agent for the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway, is a native of Huron county, born June 9, 1835, a son of Alexander W, and Anna (Wood) Latham. Alexander W. Latham was born in 1806 in Connecticut, where he passed his childhood and youth, attending the district schools of his neighborhood, and working on his father's farm. Feeling desirous of making a new home for himself, where he could have better, opportunities for accumulating money, he journeyed west and located in Sherman township, Huron Co., Ohio, where for sixty years he was prominently identified with its interests and progress. Nature endowed hint; with a great amount of tact and energy, characteristics that enabled him to win the respect of his new neighbors and to succeed in business. The country at that time was in an undeveloped condition, and he shared the hardships incident to pioneer life. It was his aim to deal fairly with every man, and at his death, which occurred in 1889, he was sincerely mourned by all who knew him. He devoted his attention exclusively to agricultural pursuits, and worked diligently in cultivating his farm. He married Miss Anna Wood, a native of Pennsylvania, and their union was blessed with four children: Thomas (deceased), Lyman (deceased), Hiram and Riley. His wife passed away in 1879, after having passed many useful and happy years with her husband and children. The subject of this biographical memoir received his education in Huron county, attending the rude log schools in his district. Until a year ago he engaged in farming, since which time has been agent for the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway, His wife is postmistress at Lyme, and assists in conducting their grocery business. Mr. Latham was married, April 19, 1860, to Miss Mary A. Evans, who was born in London, England, and came to America with her parents in 1849, and of their union have been born five children, viz.: Wilbur H., Thomas W., Fred E., Arthur W. and Stella M. The family are members of the Episcopal Church, of which they are liberal supporters. Mr. Latham is a member of Raby Lodge, Monroeville, A. F. & A. M., and of the I. O. O. F., Subordinate Lodge No. 122. He was at one time elected justice of the peace, but did not serve, and has been assessor for four terms. He is a wide-awake, active business man, and popular in the commercial and social circles of Lyme township. FREDERICK PARROTT (deceased), who for many years was a leading farmer of Fairfield township, was born March 24, 1825, in England. His father, William Parrott, also a native of England, immigrated to America, locating in Ripley township, Huron Co., Ohio, where he resided for a few years with his family. He then returned to England on a visit, during which time his family became scattered; and after his return he re- HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 463 sided with our subject the remainder of his life. Of his children, one resides in Ripley township, Huron county; three of the daughters make their home in Toledo, Ohio, and one resides in Bloomington, Illinois. Our subject was but sixteen years of age at the time of his immigration to America, but even then he was looked upon by the family as the provider. His education was consequently somewhat limited, but in after life he devoted much of his leisure time to reading, thus acquiring a store of valuable general information. He was one of those who " felled the giant oak," cleared from the land the brush and waste, and made thereon a home for himself and his family, destined then to be what it is now, one of the handsomest of rural homes to be found in Huron county. Mr. Parrott was married October 7, 1847, to. Miss Rosa M. Smith, daughter of Aaron and Esther (Wallin) Smith, natives of New York State, who came to Fairfield township, Huron county, when it was yet a vast ;wilderness. The land upon which they located is that on which Mrs. Parrott now resides. Upon his marriage our subject purchased the interests of the " heirs apparent" to the Smith place, and assumed control and ownership of the large farm. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, late in their lives, moved to the West, where they resided with their children until they departed this life, the latter dying January 18, 1851. To our subject and wife were born three children, as follows: Phonie, deceased; William, who is now a representative of the D. W. Osborne Machine Co., of Auburn, N. Y.; and Smith, at home. Mr. Parrott was very much interested in all kinds of machinery; for many years he was a thresher, owning and operating one of the first threshing machines in Huron county. He also took the first threshing outfit into the State of Wisconsin, where, to enable him to do business with the machinery, it was necessary to insure the stock of grain against fire before he would be permitted on the premises of the owners. He was also engaged in selling various machines, and for years represented in his locality the firm in whose employ his son William now is. Mr. Parrott was a Democrat, and while taking an active interest in the affairs of his country, he was not a politician, though for a number of years he held the office of township trustee. Mrs. Parrott is a member of the Disciple Church. WILLIAM H. ERDRICH, a prominent business man of Bellevue, was born in that city in 1858, a son of Joseph and Pervis (Lutz) Erdrich, the former a native of Baden, Germany, the latter of Ohio. Joseph Erdrich emigrated to the United States in 1855, and in 1861 established a cooperage in Bellevue, Huron Co., Ohio, carrying same on until his death, which occurred in 1889, when he was in his sixty-fourth year. His widow still resides here, where her parents had settled in 1820; her father was born in Pennsylvania about the year 1800, and died at the age of eighty-eight; her mother died in the "sixties." William H. Erdrich was educated in the public schools of Bellevue, in which town he grew to manhood, learning the Cooper's trade in his father's shop. As has been stated, the industry was established in 1861, and the work was all done by hand until 1880, when steam power and modern machinery were introduced. The specialty of the cooperage is a light cask, made in imitation of foreign casks, the tannin being so extracted from the wood as to insure its future contents against discoloration. The founder of this cooperage saw it grow into a great industry before his death, and left to his widow and sons a valuable plant and a more valuable business. Casks are made in all sizes, and of all suitable woods. The trade, which extends from Buffalo, N. Y., 464 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO to Omaha, Neb., is steadily growing, and with it the reputation of this Bellevue industry. When running on full time the establishment gives employment to forty men, and produces 60,000 light casks per annum. The equipment for handling the output is arranged with a view to economy in labor, as is also the machinery. Since the death of their father, our subject and a brother have conducted the business with much ability. William H. Erdrich was married to Miss Amelia Gelle, and to them were born two children, Eugene and William. In 1885 Mr: Erdrich was elected clerk of Lyme township, and was re-elected six times. He has been president of the Water-Works Company for over four years, and is closely connected with public affairs in township and city. Besides his cooperage he is interested in other business enterprises, and is a wide-awake citizen. Politically a Democrat, he gives loyal service to his party. In social affairs he is a member of of the I. O. O. F. and of the Elks, being a popular member of both associations. JOHN F. GRABILL, M. D., one of the prominent physicians of Townsend township, was born in Hayesville, Ashland Co., Ohio, February 19, 1856, a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Habeck) Grabill. Samuel Grabill was born in Germany, received a classical education in a college in that country, and was there married to Miss Elizabeth Habeck, also a native of the Fatherland. In 1830 Samuel Grabill emigrated from his native country, and after reaching America located in Ashland county, Ohio, where he purchased a partially improved farm near Hayesville and engaged in agricultural pursuits. During his early life he served several years as cavalryman under Napoleon, participated in many of the most noted battles fought by that Emperor, and was several times wounded. His death occurred in the fall of 1870, when he was eighty-two years of age. Both he and his wife were devoted members of the Lutheran Church. His parents, who lived always in Germany, were quite wealthy, his father owning and controlling a large milling business. Dr. John F. Grabill was the fifth in order of birth of the seven children born to his parents. He received a common-school and academic education in his youth, attending the spring and fall sessions of the Perrysville Academy about six years, and teaching during the winter months. In 1877 lie commenced to study medicine, under the preceptorship of Doctors Erwin and Craig, of Mansfield, Ohio, and during the session of 1878-79 he attended lectures at the Medical Department of the Western Reserve University of Cleveland, Ohio. In 1879-80 he attended the Miami University of Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduated with honors in the class of 1880. The same year he began to practice his profession in Reeds- burgh, Ohio, but after four years located in Townsend township, Huron county. He has built up an extensive and lucrative practice, is remarkably successful in his treatment of patients, and is undoubtedly one of the most eminent physicians in Huron county. In the fall of 1880, Dr. Grabill married Miss Rosina Buchanan, who was born in Hayesville, Ashland county, in July, 1856, a daughter of George and Rosina (Hyatt) Buchanan. Their marriage was blessed with two children: Wade Hampton and Vera. Dr. Grabill is a member of the North Central Medical Society of Ohio, and is thoroughly posted in all the latest discoveries and advancements made in his profession. Politically he is a Republican. George Buchanan, father of Mrs. Grabill, was born in Washington county, Penn., of Scotch descent. He was a man of splendid scholastic attainments, being a graduate of Washington College, both in the classical and theological departments. HURON. COUNTY, OHIO - 465 Though prepared for the ministry, he had no inclination for the profession, and never entered it. He moved South, where he engaged in teaching, and where he was first married. But with the first signs of the Civil war he returned to Ohio, and settled in Ashland county, where he died in September, 1882, being eighty-two years of age. He was a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church. BARTLETT DAVIS. In the year 1635 there came to America from Wales one Joseph Davis, a Cymrodion of no small degree of prominence in his day, and from him are descended the numerous family of Davis in America. This Joseph Davis was born in 1617, and the best part of his life was passed in Roxbury, Mass. The next lineal descendant, of whom there is record, was another Joseph, who owned a tract of land in what is now the South Gore of Oxford, Mass., and later bought land and settled in Worcester, same State. He was engaged to some extent in mercantile business, and frequently made trips to Boston with farm produce, which he would exchange for groceries, etc., dealing in such extensively, and he was widely known as a man of the highest integrity. Aaron Davis (a twin), son of the last mentioned Joseph, and father of Bartlett Davis, was born in Massachusetts June 9, 1771. He was married November 29, 1800, at Dudley, in that State, to Thomasine Bartlett, of Dudley, whose father, Roger Bartlett, was a farmer by occupation, and had served in the war of the Revolution; so far as known he had three children—two daughters and one son. After marriage Aaron Davis made his home for a tune in Charlton, Mass., afterward went to Palmer. He was a laborer, and for thirty-two years suffered much from lameness caused by fever sores, which alone was the cause of his being a poor man up to the day of his death. About the year 1844 He went to Wisconsin, and at Bristol, Kenosha county, died December 19, 1849. He was a lifelong Whig in his political sympathies, but was never ambitious for office; his wife, who passed away August 9, 1866, was a member of the Congregational Church. The names of the children born to this couple are as follows: Pharos, Sarah, Dexter, Thomasine, Aaron, Joseph, Bartlett, Wealthy Ann, Diantha and Samantha. Bartlett Davis, the subject proper of this sketch, was born May 14, 1815, in the town of Palmer, Mass., at the subscription schools of which place he received his education, necessarily very limited. At the early age of nine years he commenced work on a farm, receiving as compensation his board and clothes, and a few weeks instruction at the neighboring schools. At the age of sixteen he entered a woolen factory to learn the trade of spinner, and for the first year received six dollars per month for his services, afterward from twelve dollars to fourteen dollars per month; and at the end of two years he had saved some two hundred and ten dollars. In 1836, in company with relatives, he came to Ohio, by way of the Erie canal to Buffalo, thence by lake to Sandusky, and from there by wagon to Bronson township, Huron county. After a summer's residence there, he and Calvin O. Chaffee jointly made a purchase of one hundred acres of wild land at five dollars per acre, in Hartland township, and built thereon a stout log house. In 1865 Mr. Davis built a handsome residence, and still owns eighty-three acres of as fine land as can be found in the county. On May 10, 1836, Bartlett Davis was united in marriage with Miss Maria Beal, daughter of William Beal, a native of Vermont, and the children of this union were: Louisa (Mrs. E. Burr), deceased; Mary A. (Mrs. James Blakeman), in Hartland township, Huron county; Martha, de- 466 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. ceased ; Flora, who died in infancy; Charles, who was a soldier in Company A, Twenty- fourth O. V. I., was wounded at Shiloh, and died in Jefferson barracks, Mo., while a member of the U. S. Signal Corps, in which he had enlisted after recovering from his wound; Lucy (Mrs. Ezra Webb). and Frank K., by trade a carpenter, living in Missouri. The mother of these died in April, 1850, and was buried in Norwalk; she was a member of the Methodist Church. On December 25, 1850, Mr. Davis married Miss Mary A. Jackson, daughter of John and Clarissa (Vandeveer) Jackson, of Elmira, N. Y., whose children were Maria, Clarissa, John and Mary A. Mr. Jackson was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was drowned in Lake Owasco, Cayuga Co., N. Y.; his widow was subsequently intermarried with James Hiles. Mrs. Mary A. Davis came to Huron county with the Monahan family in 1833. The children by this second marriage of Mr. Davis are: Milo O., married to Flora Fish, and Cora L., wife of Ephraim Temple. Politically our subject is a Republican, formerly a Whig, and for twenty years has served as trustee of Hartland, of which township he was constable for some time after his arrival. He and the entire family are members of the M. E. Church, with which he has been connected nearly sixty years, and has been trustee for some considerable time. Notwithstanding his years, Mr. Davis is hale and hearty, enjoying excellent physical health, and he still supervises his farm, which in its productiveness and neatness is a credit to the owner. ADELBERT E. PECK, owner of 101 acres of prime farm land in Wakeman township, is a native of the locality, born February 3, 1844, a son of Henry Peck. He was reared to the arduous duties of farm life, and remained with his father until he was twenty-six years old, when he commenced for his own account. Having saved a little money, and being assisted by his father, he in 1874 went west and bought a farm in Henry county, Ill., remaining there nine years, and making a fair success. In 1877 he revisited his old home, and married Miss Julia E. Sweet, daughter of Mrs. Elizabeth Sweet, of Lorain county, Ohio, born of English parentage. Taking his young wife out to his western home, they there remained till 1883, when he sold the property and bought his present farm of 101 acres in Wakeman township. On it, same year, he built an elegant home, and put up about one and one-half miles of fence; his specialty, in addition to general farming, is the breeding of high-grade live stock. Mr. Peck is a pronounced Prohibitionist, and when he first went west was the only voter on that ticket in Henry county, Ill., where there are now eight votes. During the Civil war, in 1864, he enlisted in Company E, Capt. I. O. Peck, One Hundred and Sixty-sixth O. V. I., one hundred- days men, and was mustered in at Cleveland. His brother Edward was a member of the Twenty-fourth O. V. I., having enlisted at the commencement of the war, and was killed at the battle of Pittsburgh Landing (Shiloh). LUCIAN JONES, a venerable and respected pioneer of Sherman township, is a native of Vermont, born in Windsor county March 11, 1812. Bruce Jones, father of subject, was born November 8, 1772, in Massachusetts, whence when a young man he moved to Vermont, and was there married December 6, 1804, to Miss L. Partridge, who was born November 9, 1778, and died May 12, 1819. The record of the children by this marriage is as follows: Amanda was married March 19, 1827, to Willard Crandall, and always resided in Vermont; Solon, born June 25, 1809, died in December, 1809; Lucian is the subject of this sketch, HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 467 and Steorn, born September 2, 1814, died November 11, 1862. For his second wife Bruce Jones married Miss Lucy Sanderson, who was born March 18, 1784, and died March 19, 1865. Three children were the result of this union, viz.: Lucretia, now the widow of P. Bright, living in New London, Huron county; Sarah, born May 15, 1822, died September 6, 1838; and Susan E., born April 8, 1827, unmarried. The father died in 1846. He had settled on the land in Sherman township, Huron county, on which some of his children are yet living. The subject of this sketch came to Huron county with his parents, and has lived longer in Sherman township than any one else. He has never married. He is a Republican in politics, and one of the most highly respected citizens of his section, honored the more, probably, on account of his blindness, caused by disease, an affliction he bears with Christian resignation. His half-sister, Susan E,, keeps house for him, and, Mr. Jones being very wealthy, has a vast lamount of business to transact, which she does with most commendable care and accuracy. She also took care of her parents in their declining years. J. H. BEATTIE, a leading clothier of New London, is a native of Ohio, born in Ruggles, Ashland county, in 1849, a son of John Beattie, a native of Scotland, who came to America at the age of twenty-one years. Our subject was reared in Ashland county, attending the common schools of the neighborhood of his birth, and also the academy at Savannah, same county. In 1874 he commenced business for his own account, having previously served as clerk in various mercantile houses in New London, but closed out his business in 1877. In 1889 he opened out his present clothing and merchant tailoring establishment in New London, and it has become the leading one of its kind in the place. In 1874 Mr. Beattie was married to Miss Martha L. Middlesworth, of Knoxville, Iowa, and six children, as follows, have been born to them: Edna Mary, F. J. M., Jennie Alberta, Louie Isabel, Lester M. and Alice. Our subject is a member of the F. & A. M., Royal Arcanum, Knights of Honor, and National Union. In politics he is a Republican, and has been a delegate to various conventions; was State delegate for his party when Foraker was nominated for governor, and also when McKinley was the nominee of the party for the same office. JUSTICE TOWNSEND, the popular and courteous proprietor of the "Gregory House," New London, is a native of Huron county, born in Hartland township in 1852. His father, D. T. Townsend, was born in Ulster county, N. Y., whence when twenty-one years old he came to Huron county, Ohio, making a settlement in Greenwich township. Here' he married Miss G. W. Dewitt, a native of New York State, born in 1828, and three children came to them, two of whom are yet living, our subject being second in order of birth. The parents after marriage moved to Hartland township, Huron county, where the mother is yet living; the father died at the age of sixty-five years; he was by trade a millwright, and operated a sawmill; in politics he was a Republican, and in religious faith a member of the M. E. Church, as is his widow. Justice Townsend received a liberal education at the common schools of Hartland township, Huron county, as well as at the schools of Milan, Erie county, for a time, after which he commenced business. His first experience was on a farm, where he remained one year; he then went west to Beatrice, Neb., where he was in a sheep business two years, after which he returned home and bought a farm, which he con- 468 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. ducted one and one-half years. We next find Mr. Townsend, for he was never idle, conducting a grocery business in Norwalk, Huron county, up to the time of his father's death, when he returned to the homestead, on which he remained about three years. Embarking then in the grain and general stock trade in Clarksfield, Huron county, he built an elevator, and continued in the business two years, at the end of which time he went into the hotel business in the same town, remaining in it some four years. In 1891 he became proprietor of the Gregory House" in New London, and has since been its genial and obliging host, meeting with well- merited success, at the same time conducting his farm. In 1873 Mr. Townsend was united in marriage with Miss Mabel Merrick, a native of Knox county, Ohio, and four children were born to them, viz.: One deceased in infancy, Charles O., Julia E. mid John. Mr. and Mrs. Townsend are adherents of the M. E. Church ; socially he is a member of the K. O. T. M., and in politics he is a solid Republican. OTIS SYKES, the oldest and most prominent business man at Chicago Junction, was born May 2, 1847, in Richmond township, Huron Co., Ohio. Daniel Sykes, his father, was born June 6, 1806, at East Berkshire, Franklin Co., Vt., where he attended school, afterward working on the home or neighboring farms until 1827, when he determined to seek a wider field for his industry in New York State. The following three years he passed at Sweden, Monroe Co., N. Y., as a farm hand, and there, on April 5, 1832, he was married to Arabella Butler. In May of that year he visited Michigan, purchased a quarter section of United States lands, and passed the summer there, clearing the land and preparing a home. That fall, on returning to Monroe county, N. Y., he was urged by his friends to settle in Ohio, and in October, accompanied by his young wife and a few friends, set out for that State. The journey was made by wagon to Buffalo, and thence to Sandusky by lake-boat. At this point Daniel Sykes separated from the party, leaving his wife in care of her uncle, who took her to Milan on horseback. Her husband went to Michigan to dispose of his land there, but failed in his mission, returned to Huron county, Ohio, and purchased forty acres of wild land one and a half miles northwest of Greenfield Center. On this tract was a small log cabin, and into it the young pioneer couple moved, to begin life in the wilderness. With undaunted courage Daniel began the work of clearing the forest. He had yet to pay for this forty-acre tract, for his earnings were nearly all invested in the Michigan purchase. With strong heart and hands and a brave wife he persevered, and within a comparatively short space of time succeeded, not only in paying for the land, but also in obtaining various household articles and comforts. In 1836 he sold the old farm and purchased sixty acres in Richmond township from a Mr. McMaster, on which the home was established. A few years later he purchased an adjoining tract of sixty acres from Robert Askins; but owing to a defect in the title, Mr. Sykes was compelled to pay for this property a second time, to Henry Mills, the actual owner. Mr. Sykes had now a good farm of 120 acres, with substantial buildings, and all this he made out of his labor, before his children were old enough to help. His death, which occurred June 10, 1883, was the result of an accident; while crossing the railroad he was struck by a locomotive, fell under the wheels, and his lower limbs were severed from his body. He was a man of few words but of many deeds, and was loved wherever known. Of the eight children born to Daniel and Arabella Sykes, five grew to maturity, a brief record of them being as follows: HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 469 William H. is a physician at Plymouth; Andrew J. served in the Fifty-fifth 0. V. I., and was killed at Resaca, Ga.; Royal, who served in the Third O. V. C., died of typhoid fever at Pittsburg Landing; Au rilla resides on the old homestead in Richmond township; Otis is the subject proper of this sketch. In religious faith Mr. Sykes was a Baptist; in politics he was originally a Democrat, and later became a Republican. Otis Sykes was educated in the district schools of his native township. On August 13, 1862, while yet a mere boy, he entered the United States service with Company C, One Hundred and Twenty-third 0. V. I., and going to the front with the command, participated in many of the brilliant engagements which took place in the Shenandoah Valley, taking part in the battle of Winchester (where the famous cavalry officer, Sheridan, saved the day), in the Lynchburg raid, and in the battle of Staunton, Va. At Winchester he lost his left limb, and was sent to the field hospital. Thence he was removed to the hospital at Baltimore, and later to that at Philadelphia, where he remained until June 6, 1865, when he received an honorable discharge and returned to his home. Some time later he commenced the study of dentistry at Plymouth, Ohio, and practiced his profession for three years. In 1872 he established a drug store at Wabash, Ind., which he carried on until 1876, and then came to Chicago Junction, where in 1878 he opened his present drug business, to which he has since given his exclusive attention. Mr. Sykes, in his political preferences, is a Republican, and on the incorporation of the town of Chicago Junction was elected a member of the first council. He was also a member of the school board, and in both offices exercised a wide influence for good. In Society affairs he is a member of Chicago Junction Lodge No. 748, I. 0. 0. F. In 1873 Mr. Sykes was married to Miss Elizabeth A., daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Miller, and to this union the following named children were born: Maud I., who died in 1891, aged fifteen years, and Doris, who resides with her parents. Mr. Sykes began mercantile life with little or no assistance, and through his own efforts he has not only built up a prosperous business, but also that which is more difficult to acquire and sustain—a fine reputation. ENOCH HEAL. The beginning of the modern buildings of Bellevue may be credited to the year in which Enoch Heal arrived there. Mr. Heal was born February 1, 1826, in Devoushire, England, and learned the trade of stone and brick mason under his father. He was married in his native country, and in 1849 emigrated to the United ,States, arriving at Bellevue, Ohio, the same year. His first work here was the building of the stone gristmill. Later he put up the old stone residence for Dr. Woodward, and he has since been continuously engaged as contractor and builder, and as stone and brick mason, building many of the substantial structures now found in Bellevue, Monroeville and Norwalk. From 1849 to the present time his home has been at Bellevue, save for eleven weeks in 1873, which he with his wife and relatives passed in England. During the Civil war, when Cincinnati was threatened by the Confederate forces, he joined a Bellevue company, and went to the front to defend the city. Mr. Heal was united in .marriage with Elizabeth C. Joint, and to this union were born ten children, a brief record of whom is as follows: One child died in infancy; Elizabeth C. is the widow of W. K. Hilbert; Emma is the wife of Dr. Lanterman; Mary is the wife of W. E. Miller; Amelia is married to George C. Beckworth, of Bellevue; W. A. is a clerk in the " Ball House" at Fremont; Nellie is the wife of R. H. Boyer, of Minneapolis, Minn.; 470 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. Francis P. is a druggist in Bellevue; Newton W. is a traveling salesman; Nettie E. is the wife of C. B. Cupp, a druggist. The mother of this large family died December 18, 1883. She carried on a millinery store here for about twenty years. In October, 1891, Mr. Heal married Carrie W. Dunning, a native of New York State, who for some time was a stenographer at Chicago, and for about three years was engaged in the dry-goods business at Bellevue. In political life Mr. Heal is a Prohibitionist, and in church connection a Congregationalist. Mr. Heal is the employer of a number of skilled mechanics and laborers, is the owner of valuable property at Bellevue, and altogether is a shining example of industry and enterprise. The parents of Mr. Heal, Enoch and Elizabeth (Tamlin) Heal, came from Devonshire, England, to America in 1854, and located at Bellevue, Ohio, where the mother died in 1868, the father in 1872. He had been twice married, the subject of this sketch being one of the children born to the second marriage. Our subject has two full sisters and one full brother, the latter and one of the sisters—Mrs. Elizabeth Head, a widow—being residents of Bellevue. Four sons in the family were stone masons. ELMER E. McKESSON, proprietor of a leading grocery establishment in Bellevue, is a son of James McKesson, a native of Pennsylvania. Many years ago James McKesson located in Erie county, Ohio, where he followed farming and railroad work. When a young man he was united in marriage with Mayetta Provnt, a native of the State of New York, and to this union were born four children, Elmer E. being the youngest. The father is now a resident of Bellevue,,and is still farming. Elmer E. McKesson was born November 16, 1862, in Erie county, Ohio, where he attended the common schools. He selected a life companion in the person of Helen M. Riese, a young lady who moved in the highest social circles of Bellevue. On March 1, 1891, Mr. McKesson embarked in a grocery business, which is very prosperous, as he carries a full line of excellent goods. DAVID BORES. Of the industrious and prosperous German settlers of Sherman township, Huron county, none is more deserving of the respect and esteem of the community than this gentleman. Mr. Bores was born January 24, 1832, in Nassau, Prussia, a son of John and Catherine Bores, the former of whom was by trade a harness maker. David received his education in his native land, and learned harness making of his father. At about the age of twenty-two years he set sail for the United States in the good ship "Southampton," and after a voyage of twenty-eight days landed in New York December 13 following—"a stranger in a strange land." After a few days sojourn in New York City he came westward to Ohio, making his first stop in the Buckeye State at Monroeville, Huron county, where for three months he was employed by Philip Knoll at six dollars per month. He next moved to Indiana. and worked as a laborer on the railroad then being constructed between Indianapolis and Peru. Returning to Huron county, he engaged with Christ Knoll, with whom he worked some time, but, suffering from fever and ague for three years, he was almost totally incapacitated for labor of any kind. After a partial recovery from his illness, Mr. Bores married, in 1855, Miss Anna Mary Fachinger, also a native of Nassau, Prussia, daughter of John Fachinger, who came with his family to the United States when Mrs. Bores was twenty-six years old. After marriage our subject, though still unwell, worked as a farm hand in Lyme township, Huron county, and then rented HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 471 farms for six years. In 1862 he purchased fifty acres of wild land in Sherman township, Huron county, at forty dollars per acre; this he has by hard work and assiduous industry converted into a productive farm. He went into debt for this property, and has not only succeeded in paying for it, but has added thereto until now he has 240 acres of prime land, in the accumulating of which, and in the converting of the farm generally, he has been ably and faithfully assisted by his amiable wife. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Bores were as follows: Joseph, who died young; Henry, a farmer of Sherman township; Elizabeth, Mrs. Chris. Wilhelm, of Leipsic, Putnam Co., Ohio; August, a farmer of Sherman township; John, living at home; and Emma, now Mrs. Wilhelm Ringlein, of Putnam county, Ohio. Politically our subject is a Democrat, and he has held the office of school director with acceptability. He and his wife are members of the Catholic Church, of which he is trustee. He is a typical self-made man, and considering his long period of sickness and the expenses incident to same, he has been wonderfully successful. JOHN F. GURNEY, one of the most extensive farmers of Richmond township, was born November 10, 1832, a son of Samuel and Jane (Cross) Gurney. In 1838 the parents came to Ohio, bringing their family, which then cousisted of four children, viz.: Olive Jane, now the widow of John Detweiler, of Mansfield, Ohio; John F., who is mentioned farther on; Oliver, of Bellville, Ohio; and Lewis, a bricklayer and plasterer, of Mansfield. After coming to Ohio they had born to them one child, Sarah Elizabeth. When Samuel Gurney arrived in Ohio he settled near Bellville, Richland county, where he owned one of the best farms in the section, being a man of no small means. He was possessed of con- siderable genius as a mechanic, and invented a shingle machine, a contrivance for pulling stumps, and also a machine for converting palm leaves into fans; while in the South he made many profitable sales of his inventions, and it is supposed that he was killed in New Orleans for his money. Some time later his widow married, for her second husband, Hiram Bailey; she died about 1878 near Bellville, Richland county, where she was buried. John F. Gurney was about six years old when he came with the rest of the family to Ohio. He received the greater part of his education from a private instructor in the person of his employer, John C. Bateman, a farmer of Knox county, Ohio, and attended school very little, in fact for only one winter. Being the eldest son the family depended principally on him after the death of the father, and at the age of eighteen he commenced to learn plastering, serving an apprenticeship of three years, after which he bought out his employer, William C. Weirick, and continued in the business for twenty-one years in Mansfield and vicinity. On January 6, 1856, he was united in marriage with Miss Lavina Tinkey, who was born December 16, 1829, in Washington county, Penn., daughter of George and Elizabeth (Swickard) Tinkey, who came to Ohio in 1853, locating in Richland county. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Gurney rented a house in Bellville, where they resided for about ten years, and then purchased a small place south of the town, where they made their home another ten years. On July 19, 1874, they came to Richmond township, Huron Co., Ohio, locating on their present farm, where Mr. Gurney has ever since been actively engaged in agriculture and stock raising. To our subject and wife have been born children as follows: Elizabeth Jane, Mrs. James L. Frederick, of Chicago Junction, Ohio; Ann Eliza, Mrs. William Cox, of Richmond township; Mary Inez, Mrs. D. B. Ziegler, of Plymouth; Otis Washington, a 472 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. farmer of Hicksville, Ohio; Ella May, Mrs. Portice Williams, of Fostoria, Ohio; and Martha Adele, Mrs. J. A. Rang, of Chicago Junction. I n May, 1864, Mr. Gurney enlisted, for one hundred days' service, in Company D, One Hundred and Sixty-third Regiment 0. V. I. (of which he had been a member for five years), and participated in the engagements in the Shenandoah Valley, around Richmond, etc., serving with special bravery and distinction; on one occasion he was one of four soldiers, who, after having been ordered to surrender, defied and held at bay 300 rebels, until their comrades rallied and captured the enemy. Our subject is the owner of 268 acres of most excellent land, the result of his own unremitting energy and industry, and his continual perseverance in improving and cultivating. This tract, located in the north end of what was known as the " Black Swamp," was once a vast swamp, and was considered practically worthless; but it is now the most productive land in this section of the county. Mr. Gurney is a member of the Republican party, but takes no active part in politics; in religious connection he was originally a Cumberland Presbyterian, but is now a member of the U. B. Church, and he has always contributed liberally toward churches and church work. JOHN A. HETTEL, retired farmer of Peru township, was born March 20, 1816, in Germany, and is a son of John A. Hettel, a hatter who emigrated to the United States with his family in 1834. They sailed from the port of Havre, France, and after a voyage of thirty days landed at New York, proceeding thence by river, canal and lake boats to Huron, Ohio, and from that village to the wilderness of what is now the beautiful township of Peru. Here the father purchased, at ten dollars per acre, the land on which there was at that time a clearing of six acres, and increased gradually the area of the tract. Mr. Hettel and his wife resided on this tract until their death. Each arrived at a ripe old age, living to see some of their children settled, and fair provision made for the younger members of the family. The pioneers rest in St. Peter's Catholic cemetery at Norwalk, where so many of the early settlers are buried. John A. Hettel, was eighteen years old when he accompanied the rest of the family into the wilderness of Ohio. He had received a good education in his native land, and after coming to America assisted his father in making a new home. On November 15, 1847, he married Miss Maggie Horn, who was born February 10, 1822, near the birthplace of Mr. Hettel, and came to the United States with her father, Joseph Horn, in 1843, residing for the next three years in Massachusetts, when the family came to Huron county. The following named children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hettel: Louisa, Rose, Albert and Louis, all deceased when young; Anna M., residing at home; John F., a farmer in Peru township; Edward A., a farmer of Henry county, Ohio, and Frank A,, residing at home. The mother of this family died July 25, 1887, and was buried in the Catholic cemetery at Monroeville. From the period of her marriage until her death the old homestead, still occupied by Mr. Hettel, was her home. Mr. Hettel, though retired from active work, is not an idle onlooker. Rounding out as he now is fourscore years, he is still hale and hearty, and takes especial pride in seeing the farm which he helped to hew out of the forest grow in beauty and productiveness at the hands of his children. In his old age he can look back over a useful and honorable life, and take pride in the children who grew up around him. He appreciates the assistance he has received from them and their mother, who has passed away, in amassing, or rather the HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 473 making, the wealth which he calls his own, and which they will enjoy after him. Since the mother's death, his daughter, Anna Mary. has been mistress of the old home, while the farm is managed by the sons. Mr. Hettel has always been a consistent Republican, but takes no active interest in party affairs. He and his children hold to the Catholic faith, and as he aided in planting it in northern Ohio, so his sons and daughters to-day aid in sustaining it. STEPHEN BERRY, a wealthy and highly honored agriculturist of Lyme township, was born March 12,1844, in Waldo township, Marion county, Ohio, a son of Henry and Christina (Powel) Berry. Henry Berry was born in Virginia, and there received the most complete education afforded by the schools of that period. At an early age he became familiar with agricultural pursuits, an occupation which engaged his exclusive attention until his death, which occurred in 1882. He was a man of unusual culture and sterling worth, and used his wealth to succor the helpless neighbors who invariably appealed to him for assistance. His vast estate was highly cultivated, and his fortune of eighty thousand dollars carefully managed. He served in the war of 1812. He married Miss Christina Powel, a native of Pennsylvania, and of this union were born nine children (six of whom are now living), viz.: Strander, Thomas, William, Stephen, Massey (Mrs. Barney Collins), Mary (Mrs. John Showers), Christina (Mrs. Jonathan Wrights, of Michigan), Cordelia (Mrs. William Mills, who died in Bellevue) and one whose name is not given. The mother of this family died in 1872, after a life filled with kind impulses and generous deeds, and was sincerely mourned by her family, friends and neighbors. Stephen Berry was quite young when he came with his parents to Lyme township, where he has since continued to reside. He received an education in the district schools of the township, but his natural ability and the advantages of cultured parents enabled him to attain a much greater degree of knowledge than the teachers of those days were prepared to impart to their pupils. For eight years he operated a sawmill, but has chiefly engaged in agricultural pursuits, and owns two farms, one of forty-four acres in Lyme township, the other comprising 102 acres, in Sherman township. At present he rents his land, and is surrounded by all the comforts that attend wealth. He is a Republican, and very prominent in the political circles of Huron county. Mr. Berry was married, in 1872, to Miss Priscilla Gensal, who was born in Pennsylvania, and their union has been blessed with two children: Ada and Arthur W. Mr. and Mrs. Berry are members of the Reformed Church,and are actively interested in all charitable enterprises. JOSEPH SHERCK, who for four years —from April, 1882, to April, 1886—served as mayor of Bellevue, was born November 10, 1828, in Mifflin county,Penn. John and Magdalena (Kreider) Sherck, parents of our subject, moved from Pennsylvania to Seneca county, Ohio, locating in Thompson township October 1, 1834. In 1868 the family migrated to Michigan, locating in St. Joseph county, where Mrs. Magdalena Sherck died in 1882; the father also died there. They reared a family of twelve children (our subject being the eldest), of whom five are yet living. Joseph Sherck received a primary education in the district school of Thompson township, Seneca county, and afterward worked on the home farm, where he grew to manhood. On August 19, 1851, he married Barbara A. Decker, the youngest child of Jacob and Susanna (Hillman) Decker. Jacob Decker is a son of John 474 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. and Julia Ann (Royer) Decker, who came in. 1816 from Union county, Penn., to Wayne county, Ohio, and thence in 1830 to Seneca county, where Mrs. Sherck was born. To her marriage with Joseph Sherck two children were born, namely: Mary A., Mrs. Miller, of Seneca county, and Charles M., associated with his father in business at Bellevue. From the time of his marriage until 1873 Mr. Sherck worked on the farm, and in 1860 purchased the 160 acres in the center of Thompson township, Seneca county, known as the Sherck homestead.. While on this farm he was elected justice of the peace, and served in that position for nine years. In 1873 lie moved to Bellevue, Huron county, and established a saddle and harness house, which he conducted until 1884, when he engaged in the grain trade. To-day he operates the large elevator at Bellevue, and carries on a most extensive business in grain, seed, coal, plaster, salt, water-lime, etc. Mr. Sherck can trace his ancestry back 300 years, and for a century or more can claim this country as the family home. Prominent in Masonic work, he is a member of the Lodge, Chapter and Council at Bellevue, and of the Commandery, K. T., at Norwalk, Ohio. In religions affairs he affiliates with the Methodist Episcopal Church. An active, enterprising business man, one who has taken a full part in the development of Bellevue, be enjoys, as he merits, the confidence of the community. M. J. STAPF, general agent for all kinds of agricultural implements, with residence at Weaver's Corners, is a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1848, whence when five years old he was brought to Huron county, Ohio, by his parents. Mr. Stapf received his education at the public schools of Bellevue, Huron county, and learned the trade. of butcher, at which he worked in various places. Abandoning this business, he secured a position as traveling salesman for Nicholas Seckler, wholesale liquor dealer, Cleveland, his territory covering the States of Ohio and Pennsylvania, and in this line he remained some eighteen years. He then came to Weaver's Corners, Huron county, where he has since been successfully engaged in his present business, doing a large and profitable trade. In 1869 Mr. Stapf was married to Miss Catherine Walter, and eight children were born to them, namely: George, Hester, Rosa, Frank, Nettie, Henry, Lucy and John. Politically our subject is an active Republican, and has been assessor of Sherman township two years; socially he is a member of the 1. 0. 0. F. and K. of P.; in Church connection be is a Lutheran. Frederick and Christina (Baer) Stapf, parents of M. J., immigrated from Germany to this country, and they took up their residence in Bellevue, Huron Co., Ohio, where the father followed his business, that of brewer. He died in 1887 at the age of seventy-five years; his widow, now seventy-six years old, the mother of four children, is living with her son M. J., and with him enjoys the respect and esteem of the community. WILLIAM WELLS VAN GORDER, a prominent and influential citizen of New London, where he conducts a flourishing furniture store and undertaking establishment, is a native of Willoughby township, Lake Co., Ohio, born September 23, 1834. Peter Van Gorder, his father, married Miss Martha Allen, and nine children were born to them, named respectively: Allen, Mary, Sarah Ann, Henry, John, Miranda, Martha, Daniel and William W. The last named, our subject, received a liberal education at the common schools of the neighborhood of his place of birth, and at the age of seventeen commenced to learn carpentry, working at the same for others for HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 475 about three years, by the end of which time he had saved about three hundred dollars, being thus enabled to commence business for his own account. For eleven years he followed the trade with varying success, and found himself the possessor of five thousand dollars of hard-earned cash, which he invested in property, and then embarked in his present business. Mr. Van Gorder was united in marriage with Miss Angeline Sarah King, by which union there is one child, Lillian Adelaide, who was first married to Dr. Andrews, by whom she has two children, named Mildred and Ermy. Dr. Andrews dying. his widow was subsequently married to Mr. Sheerer, who controls the lecture course in a college in Cincinnati. As will readily be seen, Mr. Van Gorder is a self-made man in the strictest sense of the expression. He is a director of the First National Bank of New London, and one of the most enterprising citizens of the town. Politically he is a strong Prohibitionist, having been a member of that party since its organization. HUGH KENDEIGH, an enterprising, highly respected farmer citizen of Townsend township, was born October 15, 1828, in Westmoreland county, Penn. He is the second child in a family of six born to Daniel and Sarah (McKinney) Kendeigh, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, and of German and Scotch-Irish descent respectively. Daniel Kendeigh received no education in youth, never having attended school a day in his life; but after attaining to mauhood's years he succeeded, by his own exertions, in obtaining sufficient education for the ordinary transactions of life, and was possessed of a varied stock of useful knowledge, acquired in the great school of experience. His youth was passed on the old homestead farm in Pennsylvania, where he was also married, soon after which event he went to Pittsburgh, where he was engaged in the manufacture of brick for some four or five years. He then engaged in coal mining at the same place, in which he continued for some ten or twelve years, and in 1833 removed with his family to Amherst township, Lorain Co., Ohio, where he bought a partially-improved farm, and other lands in the same county. In 1840 he sold the home place in Lorain county and returned to Pittsburgh, remain- ing three or four years, and then coming back to Lorain county, whence, after a residence of about one year, he removed to Lenawee county, Mich., selling his property. In Michigan he purchased a farm whereon he resided and engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred in 1885, when he was in his seventy-second year. In 1863 he enlisted in a Michigan volunteer regiment, serving under Gen. Gilmore in South Carolina, and participating with his regiment in all its marches and engagements until the close of the war. Both he and his wife were earnest lifelong members of the Presby- terian Church. The McKinney family were among the early pioneers of the old Keystone State, and took an active part in the progress and development of that Commonwealth in the early Colonial days. Hugh Kendeigh received a fair English education in youth at the select and subscription schools of his native State and also in Ohio, and remained with his parents until he was about twenty-three years old, when he commenced the battle of life on his own account. He bought wild land in Townsend township, Huron Co., Ohio, where he subsequently improved a farm. This he sold in 1862, the next year, 1863, buying another farm in the same township, where he yet resides, and has since been successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits. The place is well improved and under a high state of cultivation. Mr. Kendeigh was married in 1855 to Miss Hannah Love, who was a native of New Jersey, born in 1836, daughter of Andrew 476 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. and Eliza (Kelsey) Love, both also natives of New Jersey. Three children, only one of whom is now living, were born to this union, viz.: Charles L.; Arvilla Ann, who died November 18, 1882, in her twentieth year; and Myra D., Mrs Elmer Belmey, who died July 18, 1886. Mrs. Hannah Kendeigh departed this life January 3, 1874, in her thirty-sixth year. In politics Mr. Kendeigh is a Republican, and he is one of the progressive and highly esteemed citizens of the township and county. JOHN C. PALMER, a descendant of one of the pioneer families of Huron county, is a son of John C. Palmer, whose father, Roger Palmer, was a farmer of Washington county, New York. John C. Palmer, father of our subject, attended the rate schools, and when a young man married Mary Piester, of Washington county, N. Y. They moved to Huron county, Ohio, making a portion of the journey by wagon, the remainder via canal and lake, landing at Huron, on Lake Erie. At this time Mr. Palmer's capital amounted to forty dollars and a span of horses, one of which was killed while being taken from the boat at Huron, whence they proceeded southward, locating along the Huron river in Ridgefield township. The land was covered with dense forest, and after a rude means of shelter had been provided he set to work to "fell the giant oak." Year after year of hard labor brought slow but sure reward, and fields of golden grain in due time supplanted the grand old forests, and the pioneer became a prosperous agriculturist. In politics he was a Whig and Republican, and in religion he and his wife were members of the Baptist Church. A brief record of their children is as follows: Matilda, widow of Philo Whitford, is living on the home farm; Elzina, widow of Robert Richey, is also living on the old place; Emily is the wife of Ira 0. Stewart, of Michigan; Melissa is married to Luther Ashley, of California; John C., whose name opens this sketch; Luther is a farmer of Ridgefield township; Myron lives in Wauseon, Fulton Co., Ohio, and Harlow, who sailed from New Bedford, Mass., on a whaling vessel, was lost in the Straits of Sunda. The father of this family died in 1862, aged fifty-seven years, followed by the mother in 1882, at the age of seventy-eight years. To citizens of Mr. Palmer's stamp too much praise cannot be given for the hardships and struggles which they endured in the early settlement of Huron county. These pioneers sleep side by side in the Monroeville cemetery. John C. Palmer was born November 17, 1838, on the farm in Ridgefield township which he now owns. His earliest education was obtained at the subscription schools, and this was supplemented by a short course in an institution away from home. Since then his entire time and attention have been given to the farm, and those principles of enterprise and energy, characteristic of his father, are equally noticeable in the son. He has charge of the home farm, and in addition to general agriculture deals extensively in cattle. In politics he has been a lifelong Republican, taking an active interest in the success of the party. Mr. Palmer is unmarried, and his two widowed sisters and a brother make their home with him. PHILIP HORN. Huron county has within her borders many men toward whom she may point the finger of pride, men who in their advancement have not been blind to their country's welfare, and while winning honor and success for themselves have also shaped her destiny. Chief among these men ranks Philip Horn, who was born in 1826 in Germany, and settled in Huron county as early as 1854. His father, Gott- fret Horn, is a prosperous farmer in Ger- HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 477 many, and has eight children, six of whom are now in America, our subject being third in order of birth. Philip Horn received a good practical education in Germany. Growing tired of the customs of his native land, he came to America, and in Huron county, Ohio, worked two years as farm laborer for Joseph Wood, of Lyme township, and one year for his brother. At the end of that time he had, by practicing strict economy, accumulated sufficient money to rent a few acres of land from Isaac Bently, and began farming for his own account. Five years later he purchased a farm in Bellevue, but sold that and purchased his present place, comprising 128 acres of highly cultivated land, where he devotes his attention to agricultural pursuits and stock raising. In politics he is a Democrat, and served as school director of Lyme township eight years, and as supervisor six years. 'He and his wife are members of the Protestant Church. Mr. Horn was married, in 1856, to Miss Catherine Steel, and by her has nine children, five of whom married and are now living in Huron county, viz.: Louisa (Mrs. Henry Boehler); Gustave (married); Charles (married); Minnie (Mrs. Christ Uttar) and Emma (Mrs. Otto Boehler). J. CAL. WARD, a progressive and successful dry-goods merchant of Chicago Junction, was born June 5, 1853, in Richland county, Ohio, son of S. F. and Jane (Hunter) Ward, who were natives of Richland and Columbiana counties respectively. The father was a cabinet maker, an adept at his trade, at which he worked all his life, and he always found ready work for his hands. He had served an apprenticeship of four years in Mansfield while learning cabinet making, during which time he received only his board and clothes. Of his children, J. C. Ward is the subject of this sketch; and Sophronia is the wife of Albert Gething, of Mansfield, Ohio. J. Cal. Ward attended the common schools of his district in youth, but owing to poor health gave study very little attention, and at the age of sixteen years entered the general store of Uriah Uhler, at Shiloh, Richland Co., Ohio. Here he held the position of clerk for six years, never losing a day or day's pay in that long term, and though beginning work at but ten dollars a month (and boarding himself), his untiring attention to business soon secured for him higher pay. Leaving this old house he entered the employ of Williams, who kept a dry-goods and grocery store at Shiloh, but left this position within a very short time. In 1878 he established a grocery house (borrowing the necessary capital), which he carried on until February, 1881, when he closed out the stock and entered the employ of the Acme Grease & Oil Manufacturing Co., of Cleveland, Ohio, as traveling salesman, in which he continued for about six months. In the fall of 1881 he took a position in a dry goods house at Berea, where he worked until the spring of 1883, and then resumed his position with the Acme Co. at an increased salary, remaining with them until Christmas time, 1885, when he and S. S. Holtz purchased the Brinemond stock of dry goods at Shiloh. In September, 1887, Messrs. Ward & Holtz, dissolving partnership, made an equal division of the stock, and the former continued the business until the spring of 1888, when he located at Chicago Junction, and opened up a dry-goods and notion store in the old Hockett Building. In October, 1890, he moved into the Woolford Building, where he remained until February, 1892, when his present establishment in the Opera House Building was opened. He carries a select assortment of dry goods, notions and wall-paper, ranging in value from five thousand dollars to seven thousand dollars. 478 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. Mr. Ward was married, July 4, 1878, to Miss Ellen Holtz, who died February 14, 1887, and on October 17, 1887, he married Miss Flora E. Case, daughter of Israel Case. Politically Mr. Ward is a Republican, but not especially active in party affairs. Socially he is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, of the Knights of Pythias, and of the I. 0. 0. F. and Encampment. He is a thorough business man, but takes a deep interest in municipal affairs and private enterprises affecting the the welfare of the town. LOUIS WILLIAMS. Of the many prosperous agriculturists of Norwich township, none is better known or more highly respected than this gentleman. He is a son of John Williams, whose father, also named John, a tailor by trade in Germany, married a Miss Leicht, by whom he had one child: John. Soon after John's birth the mother died, and the father subsequently married Miss Stien, who bore him three children, all now deceased. John Williams, Jr., was born in 1795, in Nassau, Prussia, where, on a farm, his boyhood was passed. In early youth he entered the Prussian army, and he served at the battle of Waterloo, for which he received a silver medal now in the possession of Mrs. John Willow, daughter of the subject of this sketch. After the close of that memorable campaign he served six years in the Prussian army, in Holland. On leaving the army he married Miss Catherine Herschberger, and then commenced farming in his native land. In 1853 they came to America, and in Norwich township, Huron Co., Ohio, Mr. Williams opened up a farm of 110 acres, for which he paid the sum of three thousand dollars. He had a family of five children, viz.: John, Jennette, Anthony, Christian and Louis, all now deceased except Anthony and Louis. Mr. Williams never became a naturalized citizen, but was a Democrat in principle. Louis Williams, of whom this sketch more particularly relates, was born in 1835 in Nassau, Prussia, where he first received a good education. After coining to this country, which he did at the age of eighteen years, he lived with his father until he was twenty-one years old, and subsequently worked out by the month until after his marriage, when he came to his present farm, now consisting of 459 acres, on which he has since carried on general agriculture, including the raising of Shorthorn cattle. In 1861 he married Mrs. Elizabeth Williams, widow of his brother Christian, and six children were born to this union, namely: Jennie, Artilla, Elizabeth, Wilhelmina, Edward and Gustavus. In his political associations our subject is a Democrat, and he is a member of the Lutheran Church. G. P. JACOBS, a popular and public-spirited citizen of Chicago Junction, was born August 27, 1855, in Livingston county, N. Y., son of Gustavus and Sarah (Roth) Jacobs. Our subject is the fourth in order of birth in a family of nine children—five sons and four daughters. Completing his education in the schools of Norwalk, lie at once embarked in the lumber business, in which he has since been continuously engaged. In 1872 he purchased a mill in Wood county, Ohio, and conducted same for six years, during which time he received injuries in a mill accident, which for two years incapacitated him for active work. On recovering he carried on the industry at Millbury, Wood Co., Ohio, for two years, and in 1886 located at Chicago Junction, where he established a mill and lumberyard, and at once built up an extensive trade. He supplies large quantities of timber to railroads, and lumber HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 479 and mill work to the local trade, Together with this lie is a building contractor and an extensive dealer in real estate, owning property in Norwalk and Chicago Junction. His trade in fine hardwoods, and sash, doors and blinds is proportionately great. In November, 1872, Mr. Jacobs was married to Miss Ida S. Davis, daughter of Benjamin F. Davis, of Norwalk, and to them have been born eight children, six sons and two daughters, namely: Earl, Welton, Wesley, Clarence, Harry, Vernon, Bertha and Mabel, all residing at Chicago Junction. Mr. Jacobs votes with the Republicans, is active in the councils of his party, and has filled various local offices with satisfaction to the people, and credit to himself. He is a member of Lodge No. 748, I. O. O. F.; he is a thorough-going business man, and one of the most enterprising citizens of the town. SAMUEL MILLER, a prosperous liveryman of Bellevue, was born, in 1810, in Lancaster, Penn., a son of Samuel Miller. His parents were well-to-do, and his mother was well educated both in English and German; she died in Wisconsin. Our subject passed his school days in his native State, receiving his education in the primitive schools of his neighborhood. In 1832 he came west, seeking broader fields of labor and a home where he could put in practice the habits of thrift and energy that he had been taught at home. With this object in view he settled in Ohio, which at that time was but sparsely populated, and where the pioneers were enduring many hardships and clearing land preparatory to cultivating the soil. He lived two years in Fremont, working at his trade of shoemaking, and from there moved to Thompson township, Seneca county, where he farmed for two years, at the end of which time he located permanently in Bellevue, and engaged in the livery business, in which he has since continued, meeting with great success. He is widely interested in buying and selling horses in connection with his regular business, purchasing car-loads of horses from all over the country for both himself and others. His livery and sale stable are well stocked with fine horses. In 1830 Mr. Miller was married to Miss Sarah Oswick, who was born in Pennsylvania,. a daughter of George Oswick, a prominent agriculturist of that State. Their union has been blessed by eight children, viz.: Reuben G. (deceased), Edward (who married Miss Hale, and lives in Bellevue), John (deceased), Charles (married, in partnership in the livery business with his father in Bellevue), Belle (who is married, and resides in Huron county), Sarah (deceased), Clara (Mrs. Weil), and Emma (who lives with her parents). Mr. Miller was remarkably active in his youth, and has through every period of his life manifested energy and great business ability. He took no part in the Civil war, being too old, but his sons Edward and John were both in the service. He is popular alike in commercial and political circles, and has served as marshal of Bellevue for several years. W. B. CUYKENDALL, who is prominently identified with the business interests of Plymouth, was born, in 1828, in Cayuga county, N. Y., son of Solomon and Mary Bran) Cuykendall, also natives of New York State. The American ancestors of the family emigrated from Holland. Solomon Cuykendall was a well-to-do farmer of Cayuga county, and resided on the homestead there during his life. Of the three sons born to Solomon and Mary Cuykendall, the eldest died in his native State; the second still resides there, and W. B. lives in Ohio. 480 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. W. B. Cuykendall received a liberal common-school and academic education in his native State, and, school days over, entered a dry-goods house at Owasco, N. Y., where he remained three years. In 1852 he married Miss Adelaide Tompkins, a native of Cayuga county, and two years later they started for Davenport, Iowa, visiting, en route, friends at Plymouth, Huron Co., Ohio, and thence pushing on by rail to Chicago. The streets of the Garden City were not then graded, and to all but the hunter after the " almighty dollar " it was a rather uninviting spot. His wife became sick there, arid he was compelled to take her to Adrian, Mich., during their stay at which place Mr. Cuykendall purchased property at Charlotte, Eaton Co., Mich., intending to locate there. But correspondence with his friends at Plymouth, Ohio, changed this purpose, and going thither in the fall of 1854, he purchased a stock of drugs from H. M. Wooster, and estab- lished himself in the drug business on the south side of the Square, conducting same for seven years. For a while he was connected with the dry-goods house of II. Graham here, and also engaged in the grocery business at Bucyrus, In 186465 he was clerk in the quartermaster's department at Pittsburgh, Penn., and Washington, D. C., under Gen. Brinkerhoff. After the war he went to Newberne, N. C., and was engaged in cotton growing there until 1870, meeting with considerable success. Returning to Plymouth in 1870 Mr. Cuykendall entered into partnership with H. Graham, but in 1873 he sold his interest and started a lumber yard, which he carried on until appointed cashier of the First National Bank of Plymouth in 1875. This bank was founded in 1871, under United States charter, and the important office of cashier was filled by Mr. Cuykendall from 1875 to 1886, when he resigned to make a tour of the country on the Pacific Slope. In August, 1889, he succeeded Josiah Brinkerhoff as president of the bank. For about twenty years he has been engaged in the insurance business, representing standard companies. He is the owner of a farm of one hundred acres near Plymouth, and in every way is closely identified with the town and surrounding country. In politics he is a Republican, and in social affairs a member of the Masonic Fraternity. Mr. and Mrs. Cuykendall have had three children, all of whom died young. WILLIAM H. SHEDD is one of the wealthiest citizens and most successful agriculturists of Bronson township, having accumulated a handsome competence by strict economy and untiring industry. He is a son of Simon and Rachel (Wood) Shedd, natives of Connecticut, the former of whom, a farmer by occupation, died in New York at about the age of seventy-three years, followed by his wife, who died when eighty-five years of age. They were the parents of nine children—seven sons and two daughters—of whom one son died at the, age of twelve, and one at the age of nineteen; another son, Foster L., is living at Bridgewater, S. D., and with the exception of William H. the remaining children are residing in the East. William H. Shedd is the third child in order of birth, and the only representative of his family now.living in Ohio. He was born in April, 1824, in Jefferson county, N. Y., attended the subscription schools of the neighborhood, and began life as a farmer in his native State. When twenty- two years old he was married to Miss Sarah Willard, who bore him one son, Willard H., now living in Erie, Penn. Mrs. Shedd died three years after her marriage, and in April, 1857, our subject was married to Rachel Shedd, who has borne him two sons and one daughter, viz.: Herbert C., a railroad mail clerk, in Bronson township; Milton B., of Bridge- HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 481 water, S. D., and Florence May, living at home. In 1852 Mr. Shedd went to California, and there remained four years, mining the first year, and then farming successfully for three years. Having secured a competence in California he decided to make a home in Huron county, Ohio, and in 1868 he bought 231 acres of land in Bronson township, located one mile and a quarter west of Olena. He has invested six thousand dollars in improving this place, and in the spring of 1888 erected a handsome dwelling in the outskirts of Olena, where he has since resided. In politics he votes the Republican ticket. DAVID A.WHITE, who conducts a snug, fertile farm of seventy-five acres which he owns in Norwich township, is a native of Greenfield township, Huron county, born in 1842. Nathaniel White, his father, a native of near Mansfield, Ohio, was a son of Nathaniel White, who was born in Pennsylvania, was a tanner by occupation, and was married to Miss Nancy Thornton, of the same place. They had thirteen children, of whom nine grew to maturity : Thomas, Nathaniel; William, Mahlon, John, Edwin, Polly, Sarah and Emily, all now deceased except Edwin, who lives in California. Nathaniel, the second son, was born in 1806, and passed his boyhood days on a farm, learning at the same time the trade of tanner. He married Miss Elizabeth Skeels, of the same locality, and they then settled on fifty acres of land in Greenfield township, Huron county, where children, as follows, were born to them: William, Isaac, John (deceased), Mary, David A., Leander, John and James, all now scattered over the United States. David A. White, whose name appears at the opening of this biographical sketch, received a fair education at the common schools of his native township, was reared on a farm, and learned the trade of harness maker. In 1862 he enlisted in the First Ohio Heavy Artillery, which was attached to the army of the Cumberland, and participated in the battles of Mission Ridge, Chickamauga and others, after a service of two years and seven months receiving an honorable discharge and returuing home. Recommencing the pursuits of peace, he first opened out a harness shop in Centreton, Norwich township, Huron county, which he conducted two years, and then moved to Wood county, this State, where he bought 160 acres of land close to the town of Milton Center; but selling out in about one year he again came to Norwich township and commenced farming on a fifty-acre tract of land. At the end of two years he went to California, traveling over the greater part of the State, following his trade, and to some extent mining. He made some forty-five thousand dollars, but lost it all in quicksilver speculation. On his return to Norwich township he settled on his present farm, and has met with considerable success. He owns a hotel and a half interest in a farm of 160 acres in California, besides his seventy-five acres in Norwich township, Huron county. Mr. White was united in marriage with' Miss Olivia G. Magee, of Norwich township, daughter of William Magee, and five children, named as follows, were born to them : Dolly, Page (deceased), Grace, Myrtle (deceased) and Dora. In his political affiliations our subject was a Democrat until four years ago, at which time he enlisted in the ranks of the Republican party. MRS. M. A. CORWIN. This lady is one of the most popular and useful citizens of Norwalk. She is a daughter of the late Hon. Timothy Baker, and traces her lineage to three brothers who sailed from England and located in Lyme, Mass.; 482 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. afterward one of the brothers, Abner, settled in Northampton, Mass., in early Colonial days. Abner Baker was a member of the church of Dr. Edwards. He married Lois Waters, of Connecticut. He spent the later years of his life in Norwalk, Ohio. His son, Timothy, was born August 5, 1787, in Northampton, Mass. He went to Utica, N. Y., in 1801, and in 1805 made his home in Herkimer, N. Y. In 1814 he joined some friends in a journey to Huron county, Ohio, with no intention of purchasing land or making a home in the locality. "Passing through Norwalk on an Indian trail, the party found shelter for the night, with several other similar companies, in a log cabin about fifteen feet square, two miles south of the village, ten or twelve making their bed on the poles and bark that formed the floor under the primitive roof. In 1815 he again visited Ohio, and purchased several large tracts of land, including the farm in Norwalk." After returning to Herkimer, he was married, March 23, 1816, to Miss Eliza Remington, a resident of Fairfield, who was born in 1794, in Providence, R. I., and whose maternal grandfather was a cousin of Gen. Greene, of Revolutionary fame. She was reared on a farm, and educated in Fairfield Academy, N. Y., being a very intellectual woman, and was of material assistance in promoting the success of her distinguished husband. On September 27, 1819, Timothy Baker, accompanied by his family and brother Theodore, moved upon his property in Norwalk, Ohio, the village then consisting of ten or twelve families. He immediately entered heartily into every plan for the progress and development of the place, and was a prominent citizen for forty years. In 1821 he was made associate judge of Huron county, serving in that capacity for twenty-one years, in 1842 declining reappointment. He was also president of the Bank of Norwalk for many years, and in all these responsible positions won a reputation for integrity and good judgment which has been accorded to but few, and which was never better deserved. In 1842 he united with the First Baptist Church of Norwalk, and the tie thus formed proved a source of strength and blessing during his remaining years, growing more precious as the years passed. Mrs. Baker died September 27, 1862, followed by her husband January 27, 1878. They were the parents of six children, all of whom lived to be over sixty years of age. They were as follows: M. A., James W., William (an attorney in Toledo), Timothy (now deceased, connected with the Chicago Board of Trade), and Charles H. and George, in Toledo. Mrs. M. A. Corwin grew to womanhood beneath the -paternal roof, and was educated at the old Norwalk seminary when it was a leading institution of the State. Among her schoolmates were students who have risen to national fame, and she has developed into a woman of rare culture. On September 3, 1840, she was united in marriage with Rev. Ira Corwin, who was born December 12, 1809, in Cazenovia, N. Y. He was educated in the schools of his native State, and then took a theological course at Hamilton, N. Y., now Colgate University. He then came to Medina, Ohio, being ordained a Baptist minister in 1838, which was his first charge. He had pastorates in Erie, Penn., three years, and then came to Ohio; was nearly nine years in Marietta, Ohio, and then was seven years in South Bend, Ind. In 1861 he resigned his pastorate in South Bend, and came to Norwalk, and supplied vacancies in Huron and adjoining counties. He was a thorough scholar, and watchful pastor, doing grand service for the cause to which his life was given. He died July 7,1886. The children were as follows: Timothy B., William H., George Whipple, Eliza, Charles, and George W., last named being deceased. There are two grandchildren, Bertha and Maria. Mrs. Corwin has been a prominent leader in promoting the HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 483 literary and social culture of Norwalk, as one of the organizers of the Society for that purpose which prospered for many years, and whose influence is yet evident. She is now living at Norwalk in semiretirement, though yet a devoted worker in the Baptist Church, and gives liberally to all worthy enterprises. For morning exercise she indulges in a novel but successful method of healthy recreation, pulling weeds in the garden before breakfast, which she affirms produces a salutary effect, and is very conducive to a good appetite. AUSTIN CUSHMAN, a native-born agriculturist of Norwich township, where he is well-known for his industry and frugality, first saw the light in 1846, his parents being Henry and Julia (Turner) Cushman. The father of the subject of this sketch was a native of Ohio, born in 1820 in Knox county, and was brought up a farmer boy, his education being limited to twenty- six days attendance at the subscription schools, to which brief experience he materially added by home study and a close attention to men and things. When commencing life for himself, he bought a farm of forty acres in Norwich township, Huron county, and in course of time commenced the practice of law, in which he still continues, mainly the carrying through the court of petty cases in his township. He is a Democrat, and has held township offices, such as justice of the peace and clerk; in religious views he is an adherent of the Universalist faith. Henry Cushman married Miss Julia Turner, of Peru township, Huron county, a daughter of Jacob Turner, the owner of several small farms in the county. To this union were born four children, viz.: Austin (subject of sketch), Seymour, Ellen, and one that died in infancy. The mother of these was called from earth in 1852, and Mr. Cushman subsequently wedded Miss Mary Cole, of Richmond, Ohio, by which marriage there were five children, as follows: Charles, Amos, Addison, John, and one that died in infancy. Mr. Cushman is now retired from active life. Austin Cushman, whose name introduces this biographical sketch, received a liberal education at the common schools of the neighborhood of his place of birth. Up to the time of his marriage he worked by the month, after which, in 1867, he settled on his present place of seventy-six acres excellent farm land, where he is engaged in general agriculture, including the breeding of sheep. His success, which has been marked, has been due entirely to his own untiring efforts and honesty of purpose. In 1867 Mr. Cushman was united in marriage with Miss Alice Clark, daughter of William Clark, of Norwich township, Huron county, and one child, Artie, born in 1883, brightens and cheers their home. Politically our subject is a Democrat. WILLIAM H. HOULE. In every county there are men who, by their strength of will and irreproachable character, impress their individuality upon the entire community, and succeed in whatever they undertake. Such a man is William H. Houle, who, since 1854, has resided in Huron county. He was born, in 1828, in Devonshire, England, where he received his education, and where he served for a time as footman to a wealthy family. Since his arrival in Lyme township he has devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits. When he emigrated from England his only capital consisted of energy, perseverance and good health, and he was, therefore, compelled to accept the first means of earning money that presented itself. He worked for a number of years as a farm laborer, before he accumulated a sufficient amount of 484 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. money to purchase his present farm, consisting of 114 acres of valuable land, two and a half miles from Bellevue. Mr. Houle was married in 1854 (just before leaving England), to Miss Lucy Gaydon, who was also born in that country, and their union was blessed with four sons and three daughters, viz.: William H., John G., Lucy H., Frank G., Ida M., Frederick G. and Jennie. All of these children reside on the home farm, with the exception of Jennie, who is deceased, and William H., who is married to Miss Jennie Collins, daughter of J. D. Collins, and lives with his wife's parents. Mr. Houle is a self- made man of more than ordinary ability, of sound judgment, whose integrity was never questioned, and whose influence through life has always been for good. DWIGHT M. BARRE, a lifelong farmer of Ripley township, is a native of same, born in 1848. John Barre, his grandfather, was born in Northumberland county, Penn., where he was reared, and resided until his removal to Tompkins county, N. Y., in early manhood. He was married in Pennsylvania, and to this marriage were born three sons and two daughters, namely: Thomas, David, John, Betts and Catherine, all deceased but the last named. John Barre was a practical farmer, both in Pennsylvania and in New York, and when he came to Ripley township, Huron Co., Ohio, about the year 1830, he brought with him capital sufficient to purchase 400 acres in that township, and confidence in himself to be able to hew a good home out of the wilderness. At the period of his settlement in Ripley, the township was almost wholly in its primitive state, roads were not then laid out, and bear, deer, wolves and 'other game were numerous. He resided there until his death, which occurred in 1836. John Barre, father of Dwight M. Barre, was born in Northumberland county, Penn., and passed his boyhood there and in Tompkins county, N. Y. On August 25, 1825, he married Amy Stout, a daughter of Jonathan Stout, of Tompkins county, N. Y., and for a few years after marriage the couple resided in that county, and then, in 1832, moved to Huron county, Ohio. To their union were born fifteen children, namely: Cornelius (deceased), David, Herman (deceased), Jane, Jonathan, Wellington, Henry, Ira, Maryetta, Lyman, James, Corvis M., Dwight M., Josephine and Jessie. Of these Corvis M. and Henry served in the war of the Rebellion. Corvis M. Barre is now an attorney of Hillsdale, Mich.; he was formerly cashier of the bank there, and subsequently served as United States consul in Chili, having been appointed by President Harrison. For one year the Barre family resided in North Fairfield township, in 1833 moving to Ripley township, where the father engaged in general farming and stock growing. Dwight M. Barre attended the district school, subsequently took a course in a select school, and then entered agricultural life. In 1876 he was united in marriage with Ella Wolcott, daughter of Rensselaer Wolcott, a farmer of Berkshire county, Mass., and after marriage the young couple settled on the farm where they now reside, and here two children have been born to them: Walter and T. DeWitt. Mr. Barre is a Republican in politics, and has served his township as trustee for eight years. In religious faith he is a member of the Congregational Church. His farm of eighty-five acres is highly improved, and speaks well for the industry of the owner. DANIEL W. LONEY, M. D., of Olena, is a son of Calvin Loney, whose father, John Loney, was born in Virginia, of Scotch-Irish parents. Calvin Loney, a native of Knox county, Ohio, was married to Mary Ridenour, HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 485 who was born in Washington county, Md., and they have always since resided in Knox county, Ohio, where three sons and three daughters were born to them, of whom Daniel W. is third in order of birth. The names of the others are John A., Clarence, Annie, Belle and Bernice. Both parents are yet living. Dr. Daniel W. Loney was born May 20, 1861, in Knox county, Ohio, and after attending Greentown Academy at Perrysville, Ohio, for three years, spent two years at Kenyon College. In 1882 he entered the medical school of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, graduating therefrom in 1885. While yet a student, he was married, December 18, 1884, to Hallie, daughter of Jacob Foltz, of Fort Smith, Ark. In the spring of 1886 they came to their, present home in Olena, where the Doctor has since been engaged in the practice of medicine. Dr. and Mrs. Loney have two daughters, Mary E. and Doratha E. In his political preferences be is a Democrat, as were his father and grandfather. G. W. HOFMAN, a highly respected, influential citizen of Plymouth, is a son of John H. Hofman, who was a native of Pennsylvania, born near Hagerstown, Md., of German descent. He was a jeweler by trade, and in 1823 came to Richland county, Ohio, embarking at Mansfield in the jewelry business, in which he continued for twenty years. In 1843 he removed to Plymouth, and later, in 1850, to Bucyrus, conducting a jewelry business in both places. He died in Bucyrus in 1854. Mr. Hofman was united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Huffman, of near Hagerstown, Md., and to their union were born eleven children, namely: Aaron, Catherine, Eliza, Charles, G. W., John H., Jr., R. E., Allen G., Mary E., Laura, and Frank. In politics the father of this family was a Democrat. G. W. Hofman was born in 1831, in Mansfield, Ohio, and was twelve years of age when the family removed to Plymouth. He received his education in the common schools, and when yet a young man embarked in the jewelry business with his brother, Aaron Hofman, with whom he remained until the breaking out of the Civil war. In 1861 he enlisted in the First Ohio Independent Battery, and served three years with the army of the East, taking an active part in twelve engagements—Lynchburg (Va.), Cloyd Mountain, etc. He returned from the war in 1865, and buying out his brother— A. Hofman—embarked in the jewelry business, in which he is still engaged; and though at times he has been unfortunate, he has, in the main, been prosperous and successful in his mercantile career. In 1889 Mr. Hofman received the appointment of postmaster of Plymouth from President Harrison; he is a Republican politically, and has always been active in party affairs in Richland county. In 1858 Mr. Hofman was united in marriage with Miss Susan Frye, of New Haven township, Huron county, daughter of Abraham Frye, a farmer. To this union have come two children, viz.: Belle, who married Robert McDonough, a traveling salesman; and Maude, married to W. F. Reed, a newspaper man of Plymouth. CAPTAIN JOHN WILLIAMS, for nearly half a century, a resident of Lorain county, was born January 22, 1796, at New Haven, Connecticut. In the spring of 1804 he came with his parents to Ohio, locating in Columbia, Cuyahoga county, this part of the State being at that time a comparative wilderness, awaiting the westward march of civilization. Where is now the magnificent city of Cleveland there was, when Mr. Williams' landed at that port, but a single log building, and he assisted in the 486 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. erection of the first frame structure in the place. In 1820 he removed to Ridgeville, Lorain county, where he resided twenty years, during the first five of which he taught the first school held in Elyria. In 1825 he married Lorain Root, who was born August 1, 1810, in Hartford, Conn., whence when she was but six weeks old she was brought to Ohio by her parents, being the first white child to be baptized in what is now Lorain county, which was named after her. Her father's family consisted of eleven boys and one girl (Lorain), all of whom lived to rear families of their own. To Capt. John and Lorain (Root) Williams were born twelve children. He died February 27, 1867, at the age of seventy-one years, one month, his widow surviving him till January 16, 1881, when she too was called to her long home. J. S. WILLIAMS, the only surviving son of this honored pioneer couple, was born April 16, 1844, in Lorain county, Ohio. On January 15, 1867, he was united in marriage with Mary A. Greig, and there have been born to them nine children— three sons and six daughters—all yet living. LYMAN AUSTIN. The New England States have always been distinguished for their industrious, honest and frugal sons, one of whom, bearing all these enviable characteristics, is the subject of this sketch. Mr. Austin was born in New Hampshire in 1815, a son of Daniel Austin, a native of Plainfield, same State, who was a son of John Austin, a carpenter and joiner by trade, who was killed while raising a building. Daniel Austin was born May 22, 1783, and in 1811 married Miss Electa Lyman, of Norwich, Mass., daughter of Luther Lyman, a farmer. After marriage Daniel moved to Vermont, and carried on farming there for a few years, after which he came to New York State, making a settlement in Genesee county, where he died July 1, 1852. He was generally successful, but in the panic of 1833 he lost all he had made; nevertheless he died comparatively well off. He had a family of eight children, viz,: Albert, Lyman, William, Betsy, Harriet, Rodney, Adeline and Oscar, all now deceased except Albert, William and Lyman. The father was a stanch Whig, held some township offices, and was a member of the Methodist Protestant Church. The subject proper of this sketch was educated at the common schools of Genesee county, N. Y., whither his parents had brought him when a boy. After his marriage he worked on the home farm for five years, and in 1845 came to Huron county, Ohio, where, in Norwich township, he located on the farm which he subsequently bought, and now owns. It originally contained fifty acres, to which from time to time he has added until it now comprises some 175 acres of prime farming land. In 1882 he retired from active work, and is at present living in the village of Centreton, same township. In 1840 Mr. Austin married Miss Revilla Rolf, of Cayuga county, N. Y., daughter of Jonathan Rolf, a carpenter and joiner, and two children were born to them, to wit: L. D., a resident of Norwich township, and L. W., living on the home farm. Politically our subject was originally a Whig, and since the formation of the party has been a straight Republican. GEORGE C. PARKER, a prosperous and prominent agriculturist of Bronson township, was born September 23, 1841, on a farm situated one and one-half miles south of his present home. Our subject is a grandson of George Parker, a farmer, of English descent, who lived in Cayuga county, N. Y. He was quite wealthy, and gave all his children a good start in life. HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 487 Nelson Parker, son of George Parker, was born September 9, 1809, in Cayuga county, N. Y., and grew to manhood on the home farm. He then taught school and a singing class, and on May 1, 1834, was united in marriage with Malancy Wade, who was born February 26, 1809, in Massachusetts. In early life he came to Bronson township, Huron Co., Ohio, preceded thither by three brothers and two sisters, and here he became a prosperous farmer, at one time owning 450 acres of land. In politics he was a strong Abolitionist. Mrs. Parker was the second in a family of eight children, three of whom located in Huron county. She was a remarkably intelligent woman, and through reading acquired a liberal education. She was a minister in the Christian Church, and during active life was an earnest, forcible preacher. She died in June, 1892, having been preceded to the grave by her husband in December, 1887. They were the parents of eight children, as follows: Two that died in infancy; Phoebe, who died at the age of seventeen; George C., whose sketch follows; Hannah F., wife of William Cole, deceased in 1890, at the age of forty-six years, leaving two children; Celia, wife of Aro Carpenter, a farmer in Fairfield township, who has one child; Eunice, who is married to A. G. Dale, of Bronson township, her second husband, and has six children; and Laura M., who died in 1872, at the age of twenty years. George C. Parker received but a limited education, his help having been much needed on the home farm, as he was the only son. He took entire charge of the place upon attaining his majority, and remained with his father until his marriage. On October 7, 1872, he was united in marriage with Miss Esther Ann Chapin, a native of Hartland township, Huron county, daughter of Morris and Clarissa (Granger) Chapin, and to this union have been born two children: Clara Ann and Edward Conger. In October, 1882, Mr. and Mrs. Parker came to their present home, consisting of 148 acres, in Bronson township, where he has conducted a prosperous agricultural business; during the past year he sold over one thousand and three hundred dollars worth of produce. Politically he is a Democrat, and has served as township trustee, being, with one exception, the only Democrat who has ever held an office in Bronson township. VITUS HOERNER, a successful farmer of Peru township, was born August 7, 1832, in Baden, Germany, and is the pioneer of the Hoerner family in Ohio. The father of our subject, also named Vitus, was a native-born farmer of Baden, where his son attended school until he attained the age of fourteen years, when he began farm life for himself. At the age of twenty-two years he proceeded to Havre, France, from which port he embarked in the sailing-vessel "New York," landing at New York City after a memorable voyage of forty-seven days. Mr. Hoerner set out at once for northern Ohio, arriving at Norwalk during the cholera epidemic, when the town was almost depopulated. Learning of the deplorable condition of affairs there, he did not wait for the command to go, but betook himself to Sherman township, Huron county, where he found work, the compensation for same being fifty cents per day. Later he was engaged to chop wood at fifty cents a cord. On May 15, 1854, our subject was married, by Rev. Mr. Klein, a Lutheran minister, to Mary Hildebrand, who was also born in Baden in 1832, and came to America with her parents in 1853, locating at Norwalk with them. She became the mother of a large family, as follows: Mary, Mrs. C. Bowman, of Indiana; Margaret, Mrs. L. Liuder; Vitus, a farmer of Peru township; Lizzie, Mrs. George Sheidt, of Peru township; Catharine, Mrs. Charles Sheidt, of Peru township; William, of Sherman 488 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. township; Charles, Minnie and Frederick, residing at home; and Jacob, Louis and Lottie, deceased. Immediately after marriage these sturdy pioneers settled on a farm, which both worked hard to clear and buy. Within a year or so they purchased twenty acres in Sherman township, where they erected a log cabin and resided until 1873, when they purchased the present farm in Peru township, and took up their residence here. He still owns the pioneer farm in Sherman township, together with valuable tracts in other divisions of the county. Arriving in the United States with a capital of thirty dollars, he and his wife have built up a valuable property, provided well for each member of their family, and still own a considerable estate. Mr. Hoerner, though non-partisan in politics, has been honored with various township offices. The men, rather than the measures, claim his support; for bad men cannot administer good measures. In religion be is a member of the Pontiac Lutheran Church. P. H. SCHUYLER, a successful agriculturist of Lyme township, was born in 1826 in Pennsylvania, a son of Garret and Mary (Heacock) Schuyler, and came to Huron county in 1834. The country was in a wild condition, and in order to till the soil it was first necessary to clear the land and transform the dense woods into farms. The pioneers of those days were sturdy and energetic, and practiced frugality to a degree that is unknown to their children. Mr. Schuyler now ranks among the most highly esteemed residents of Huron county, and has accumulated a comfortable fortune. He has married. Garret Schuyler, father of our subject, was born in New Jersey, and was there married to Miss Mary Heacock, also a native of that State. Their union was blessed with six children, viz.: Philip N., Sarah A. (who died in 1842), Mary, P. H. (our subject), Elizabeth, and Nancy (who died in 1834). In 1834 Garret Schuyler moved to Ohio, and located in Sherman township, Huron county, where he engaged in farming. His thrift and economy soon enabled him to take a prominent place among his neighbors, and he was on several occasions honored with township offices. His death occurred in 1849; his wife preceded him to the grave in 1834. CHARLES SAWYER ranks among the prominent pioneer farmers of Lyme township, who came to Ohio when the State was almost an unbroken wilderness, thickly populated by Indians. Those early days were filled with hardships and dangers of which the present residents of the State have little knowledge, and our subject, like the other children of pioneer parents, received only a limited education, and that under difficulties that the average youth of to-day would never undertake. He was born in 1816 in Sussex, England, a son of Stephen and Dorothy (Lanstell) Sawyer, and came with his parents to America when three years of age. Stephen Sawyer was born in Sussex, England, where he received an ordinary school education, and in 1819 immigrated to the United States, settling near Cincinnati, on the Ohio river. He engaged in farming and stock raising, and died at the age of eighty-six. He was married in England to Miss Dorothy Lanstell, who was also born in Sussex, and died in Ohio at the age of eighty years. Their union was blessed with nine sons and four daughters, of whom four are now living. Charles Sawyer worked on the home farm, comprising 364 acres of land, from 1826 up to the time of his father's death, and has always been engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was largely instrumental in making Lyme township what it now is, being one of the oldest and most highly respected citizens of same, and has HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 489 been prominently identified with all of the important events connected with the history of Huron county. In 1851 Mr. Sawyer was united in marriage with Miss Rachel A. Gates, who was born in 1819, in New York, a daughter of Elijah and Hannah Gates. Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer are members of the Episcopal Church, of which they are liberal supporters, and after long and well-spent years are enjoying the sunset of life. Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer have no children of their own, but some they have adopted. THADDEUS SPRAGUE, an enterprising and successful farmer and stock raiser of Wakeman township, is a native of New York State, born January 28, 1826, in Ulster county. George Sprague, father of subject, was born in Dutchess county, N. Y., and was a lifelong farmer. He married Elizabeth Gray, and seven children were born to them, of whom are living Thaddeus, Henry (in Hartland, Huron county), Joseph (in Nebraska) and Minerva (in Fitchville, Ohio). The parents both died in 1884, aged about seventy-six years, in Wakeman township. They came to Huron county in 1833, and purchased sixty-three acres of partly improved land at five dollars per acre, on which they erected suitable farm buildings, and here they made a success, being enabled to give each of their sons a good start in life. They were members of the Free-will Baptist Church, and in politics Mr. Sprague was a lifelong Democrat. Thaddeus Sprague, the subject proper of these lines, received his early elementary education at the schools of his native place, and when seven years old was brought to Huron county by his parents, who took up a farm in Hartland township. Here he resumed his studies, attending the subscription schools a few months in the winter season, the rest of his time being occupied in working on his father’s farm, whereon he remained till his marriage. He then bought sixty-six and three-quarters acres in Wakeman township, to which from time to time he added until ultimately he found himself the owner of 200 acres of prime land, fifty-five of which he has given to his son, Elver, and fifty to his other son, Elmer. In 1852 Mr. Sprague married Sarah Arnot, daughter of Terry and Catherine (Townsend) Arnot, who in an early day came to Huron county from Penn Yan, N. Y., settling in Hartland township, where Mrs. Sarah Sprague was born April 24, 1833. Four children have been born to this union, viz.: Elver and Elmer (on the home farm), Lydia Bell (wife of John Denman, of Norwalk) and Nora(wife of Doran Rowland, in Mansfield, Ohio). Mr. Sprague has in his day traveled considerably, and is well informed on most topics, a great observer of men and things. He is a Democrat, and has served his township as trustee. In 1854 he erected substantial and commodious buildings on his farm, greatly enhancing the value of his property, which has since been further improved. [Since the above was written we have been informed of the death of Mr. Sprague.—ED. FRANK CHASE, a well-known farmer of Townsend township, was born December 23, 1826, in Putnam county, N. Y., the second youngest child in a family of twelve born to Alvin and Ruth (Cole) Chase, both of whom were natives of New York State and of English descent. Alvin Chase was educated and married in his native State, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits all his life. He was a veteran of the war of 1812, having served in the New York line, and for more than thirty years officiated as justice of the peace. Both he and his wife were ardent, lifelong members of the Presbyterian Church. In politics he was a Whig and a great admirer of Henry Clay, and 490 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. was bitterly opposed to secret societies of all kinds. His father was a stanch patriot, and served in the Continental army during the entire seven years of the Revolutionary struggle. The Chase family were among the early English settlers of the old Empire State, taking an active and honorable part in the various struggles of that commonwealth in the early days. The Cole family were also among the pioneers of New York State, many of them serving with distinction in the war of the Revolution as well as in the Indian wars of an earlier period. Frank Chase, the subject proper of this sketch, received a very fair common-school and academic education in his early life, and at the age of sixteen years (in 1842) came to Seneca county, Ohio, with his sister and brother-in-law, on whose farm he was employed until he attained his majority, after which he taught school for a short time in Crawford county, Ohio. In 1849 he went south, and was employed on a packet steamboat plying between Vicksburg and New Orleans for some seven years, after which he returned north and was employed on a farm in Erie county, Ohio, for about one year. He then purchased a farm in that county, upon which he remained for about seven years, and then traded for another farm in the same neighborhood. After a few years he traded this place for a farm in Sandusky county, Ohio, upon which he remained some eighteen or twenty years, selling it in 1890, and purchasing another in Townsend township, Huron county, where lie now resides and is successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits. While living in Sandusky county he was twice elected trustee of his township. In the spring of 1864 he enlisted in Company I, One Hundred and Forty-fifth 0. V. I, proceeded with his command to Washington, D. C., was engaged in garrison duty on Arlington Heights during the entire summer, and was mustered out at Camp Chase, Ohio, August 24, 1864. On May 5, 1858, Mr. Chase married Miss Sarah J. Tompkins, a native of Dutchess county, N. Y., and daughter of Nelson and Hannah (Knapp) Tompkins, both of whom were natives of New York and of English descent. Four children have come to this union, viz.: Lester T., U. S. Grant, Arthur and Burton B. Mr. Chase belongs to no church, but he is a firm believer in practical Christianity. Socially he is a member of Townsend Post No. 414, G. A. R. He was distantly related to the late Hon. Salmon P. Chase. In politics he is a Republican, and is one of the enterprising and most respected citizens of his township and county. The Tompkins family were also early settlers of the Empire State, and bore an active part in the various struggles of that grand old commonwealth—civil and military—both before and after the Revolutionary war. GEORGE SCHUSTER, a successful , harness maker of Bellevue, was born in 1829, in Germany, where he . learned his trade and received a fair education. Becoming dissatisfied with the commercial prospects of his native land, he determined to make for himself a new home in a country where broader fields of labor were open to young men. With this in view he emigrated from Germany in 1851, the only member of his family who came to America, and immediately after landing traveled westward, locating in Bellevue, Ohio. He worked two years on a farm, and then as a journeyman at his trade until 1854, at which time he began business for himself, opening one of the largest harness shops in Bellevue. In 1854 Mr. Schuster married Miss Barbara Cox, and or their union were born five children, two of whom, Hattie and Addie, are now living. The mother of of these dying in 1864, Mr. Schuster was married in 1866, for his second wife, to Miss Elizabeth Kaiser, of Thompson, Ohio, HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 491 by which marriage he has two children, George and Laura. Mr. Schuster commenced life with a capital composed chiefly of energy, a thorough knowledge of his trade, and a determination to succeed, and now ranks high in business, social and religious circles. He and his family are members of the Reformed Church, and are actively interested in whatever is intended for the public good. In the Civil war be served two years and nine months, having enlisted in Company D, Thirty-fourth Regiment, O. V. I., under Gen. Cox, and took part in the battle of Wytheville; he was also a private in the Thirty-ninth Regiment, O. V. I. He is pre-eminently a self-made man, and has by his own efforts built up a good trade. SOL. SPEAR, a successful merchant of Plymouth, one who possesses the confidence and esteem of all who deal with him, is a native of the Fatherland, born -near Hessen-Cassel in 1843. His father, Wolf Spear, who was a son of Nathaniel Spear, was a merchant in Hessen-Cassel, Germany, where he passed his entire life, dying there in 1889. He married a Miss Schoenberg, a native of a neighboring province, and they became the parents of six children, as follows: Two that died in infancy; Nathaniel, deceased at the age of nine years; Sol., who is mentioned farther on; Betty, married to Moses Shield, a merchant of Plymouth, Ohio, and Jacob, who is a general merchant in his native town. Sol. Spear passed his boyhood in attending school in his native country, and at the age of fourteen years came to America, settling immediately in Plymouth, Ohio, where he has ever since remained. At first he attended school, then for a while engaged in peddling, but finally commenced clerking, first with W. B. Kahn, with whom he remained two years. He next entered the employ of Billstein & Schoenberg, in the stock business, continuing with them until the spring of 1866, when he engaged in the stock business for a few months on his own account. In the fall of 1866 he bought out the store of W. B. Kahn, conducting the business alone until 1868, in which year he admitted M. Shield into partnership, and they carried on the establishment jointly until 1891, when Mr. Shield sold his interest to our subject, who has since been sole proprietor. Besides the regular business, the firm also dealt extensively in wool, seeds, etc. In 1867 Mr. Spear was united in marriage with Miss Augusta Billstein, by whom he has six children, viz.: Nathaniel (residing in Cincinnati), Alexander, Joel (in Cincinnati), Ida, Maurice and Bernice. In politics our subject has always been a Democrat, and has held various offices of honor and trust in his community; he has served on the school board for eighteen years, a longer term of service than any other member can boast of. Mr. Spear owns a storeroom, warehouse and dwelling in Plymouth. He has made a complete success as a business man, and fully merits the respect and good opinion which he has won from all who come in contact with him, J. H. HALLER, whose successful business career is everywhere recognized in Huron county, was born in 1864, in Germany, son of John Haller, a tailor in the Fatherland, where he followed his trade. J. H. Haller received a practical education in the schools of his native place, and, in 1880, immigrated to America. He had acquired sufficient knowledge of the tailor's trade from his father to enable him to work as a journeyman, and on arriving in New York City he found ready employment, and worked at his trade in the metropolis until 1885, when he revisited Germany. 492 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. On his return to the United States Mr. Haller took a course in Mitchell's Cutting Academy, and after graduating was employed as cutter in New York and other large cities, becoming remarkably proficient in this important branch of the tailor's trade. In 1887 he engaged with a firm of merchant tailors in Plymouth, Ohio, with whom he remained nearly four years, and in September, 1891, established an independent tailoring house at Plymouth, meeting from the beginning with a most liberal patronage. In order to centralize his trade, in August, 1892, be transferred his stock to Chicago Junction, and his success here has been as decided as at Plymouth. He carries a large assortment of men's and boys' suitings, and conducts a profitable merchant tailoring establishment, doing good work at prices which do not fear competition. In 1887 our subject was married to Miss Jennie Peters, of Pataskala, Ohio, whom he brought to his home at Plymouth, and there, as well as at Chicago Junction, they have been highly esteemed. In Society affairs Mr. Haller is a member of Plymouth Lodge, F. & A. M. His life furnishes an example of what may be accomplished by energy in business and earnestness in the desire to please customers. AUGUSTUS JOSLIN, superintendent and secretary of the waterworks at Norwalk, is a soil of Dr. Perry and Fanny C. (Davis) Joslin, who were natives of New York, born of Scotch-Irish descent. Augustus Joslin was born in 1827, in Ft. Edward, Washington Co., N. Y. In 1844 he came west, and locating in Norwalk, Huron Co., Ohio, was here engaged in the distillery business for ten years. He then went to Tipton, Ohio, and took a railroad contract on the Air Line, returuing to Norwalk three years later, where he has since resided. For the past nine years Mr. Joslin has been connected with the water-works at Norwalk, having taken charge of the system when only four miles of pipe were laid. He has proved most efficient in this business, which has prospered under his management, fourteen miles of pipe being now in operation. Politically Mr. Joslin affiliates with the Democratic party. He was married to Miss Mary Weever, a native of the same State. RUGGLES. The families of this name in Ridgefield township are descended from Edward Ruggles, who was born May 13, 1766, in Danbury, Conn., of Scotch-Irish parents. Daniel Ruggles, son of this Edward Ruggles, was born December 23, 1796, also in Danbury, Conn., and was the seventh child in order of birth, and the second son of his parents. His literary education was completed before he was ten years of age, after which he made a practical use of his natural mechanical ability, and learned the carpenter trade. About 1820 he removed with his parents to Luzerne county, Penn., where, on November 27, 1823, he was united in marriage with Louisa, daughter of Benjamin and Catherine F. Fuller. The parents were of Saxon ancestry, and residents of Luzerne county, Penn., where the daughter Louisa was born June 3, 1799. About 1831 Daniel and Louisa Ruggles moved from Luzerne county, Penn., to Ohio, bringing with them two yoke of oxen, one span of horses, and two wagons, which contained all their worldly goods. They were over four weeks on the road, and on arriving at Cleveland, Ohio, the teams and wagons were pushed across the river with " set poles " on a flat-boat. There was only one log house on the west side of Cuyahoga river, and in coming through Berlin township, Erie county, to HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 493 Milan, Ohio, land was for sale at one dollar per acre. The people said then that the sandy soil between the two branches of the Huron river would not produce anything. Mr. Ruggles purchased one hundred acres of land of Jonathan Hess, in Ridgefield township, Huron county, for which he paid eight dollars per acre, adding to the original farm as years passed on, and at one time he owned over 500 acres, paying eighty dollars per acre for the last purchase. Politically he was originally an Old-line Whig, then a Free Soiler, and finally a Republican, but he gave his principal attention to personal business. He was a member of the Free- Will Baptist Church, and many services were held in his own home, where he was ever a genial, hospitable host. He died April 4, 1867, having been preceded to the grave by his wife August 16, 1865, and they were buried on the home farm. They were the parents of children as follows: Alonzo J.. sketch of whom follows; Alfred and Almond (twins), born February 12,, 1827, the former of whom, now deceased, was a farmer of Ridgefield township (Almond died at the age of eleven years); Daniel W., sketch of whom follows; Dwight, born May 28, 1834, who was a member of Company B, One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Regiment, O. V. I., and died August 3, 1864, in a hospital at Washington, D. C.; and Mary IL, born August 8, 1836, who became the wife of Charles Brown, of Milan, Ohio, and died in 1892, in California. ALONZO J. RUGGLES, eldest son of Dauiel Ruggles, was born in January, 1825, near Huntsville, Plymouth township, Luzerne Co., Penn., and was five years old when his parents moved to Ohio. He attended the schools of Huron county, receiving his elementary training in a small white frame schoolhouse, which was a fair specimen of the buildings then erected. He also attended school in Norwalk, and after returning home assisted in the work on the home farm. He would rise at four o'clock in the morning, get the ox-team ready and go to the clearing, where he felled many monarchs of the forest. At that time the streams had to be forded, as bridges were then unknown in the locality. On September 15, 1852, Mr. Ruggles married Thekla A. Lewis, who was born April 11, 1825, in Spafford, Onondaga Co., N. Y., daughter of Benjamin Lewis, who was born in Rhode Island, and was married to Betsey Whiting, a native of Vermont. In 1835 Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Lewis moved to Ashtabula county, Ohio, thence to Huron county, where their daughter, Thekla A., was married. Alonzo J. and Thekla A. Ruggles began wedded life on a portion of the old homestead in Ridgefield township, Huron county, where they remained until 1888. They then came to their present home in Norwalk, where he has since lived in semiretirement. He yet cultivates a small tract of land in Ridgefield township, and owns 150 acres of some of the finest and best improved land in the neighborhood. Politically Mr. Ruggles was first a Whig, then a Republican, and has filled various local offices. He is a member of the Free-Will Baptist Church, his wife is identified with the Disciple Church. They have had children as follows: Charles, deceased in infancy; Mary J., wife of Charles Bishop, of Norwalk; Betsy Louisa, deceased. at the age of four years; Elizabeth T., deceased in 1891; Celia F., wife of Hugh Jacobs, of Cleveland, Ohio; Dwight J., deceased in infancy; Flora M.; and Florence, married to Albert Prentiss, of Norwalk. Fred Stewart, who was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Ruggles when he was but four months old, and reared to manhood by them, is now a prominent manufacturer in Norwalk, Ohio. DANIEL W. RUGGLES, fourth son of Dauiel and Louisa (Fuller) Ruggles, was born August 1, 1831, in Erie county, Ohio, where his parents had made a temporary location while en route to Huron county, Ohio. When he was six months old the 494 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. family moved to the home farm in Huron county, where he was reared and educated. On December 25, 1862, he was united in marriage with Chloe, daughter of Lee and Phoebe (Bradley) Moore, the former of whom was born in Vermont, and married in Summit county, Ohio. Chloe was the ninth in a family of eleven children, and was born July 25, 1837, in Bowling Green, Ohio. To the union of Daniel W. and Chloe (Moore) Ruggles three children have been born, viz.: Frank W., Arthur L. and Dora NI., all living with their parents. Mr. Ruggles has given his time to agriculture, in which pursuit he has been successful, but for the past ten years he has not been strong enough to perform any manual labor. He has been a zealous worker in the Republican party, casting his first vote for John C. Fremont, and has represented his locality in numerous county conventions, serving also as school director and supervisor. He and his wife are members of the M. E. Church at Norwalk. THOMAS MILLER, one of the best and most hustling business men of Norwalk township, and a prosperous, enterprising agriculturist, is a native of Huron county, born, in 1843, in Townsend township. Levi Miller, his father, born near the Albany (N. Y.) salt-works, was a cooper, and at the age of twenty-five years removed to Richland county, Ohio, where for two years he followed his trade. He then came to Townsend township, Huron county, where he was engaged in farming for ten years, dying in 1855 at the age of forty-five, having been born in 1810. His first wife was a Miss Betsy Taylor, of Richland county, Ohio, and two children were born to them, viz.: Elizabeth and Maria, now Mrs. Jacob Rickett, of Toledo, Ohio. This wife died in 1838, and Mr. Miller subsequently married Miss Harriet Sanders, of Florence, Erie Co., Ohio, after which they came to Townsend township, as above stated. The children of this union were Jane Jarrett, now of Berlin, Erie county; Levi, who was a member of the Thirtieth Ohio Cavalry during the Civil war, and died at Corinth, Tenn.; Thomas, subject of sketch; and Henry and Charles, farmers in Fulton county, Ohio, Thomas Miller, whose name appears at the opening of this sketch, commenced active business life by selling farm machinery, and doing threshing, which he continued in till after his marriage, when he took up farming in Townsend township. Here he remained twelve years, at the end of which time (I882) he came to his present farm in Norwalk township, and has since been successfully engaged in both farming and selling machinery. He was married, in 1870, to Miss Arvilla, daughter of John Hunter, a pioneer of Huron county. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have two children, viz.: Ellery L. and Gertrude May, both at home. In 1864 Mr. Miller enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Regiment 0. V. I., under Col. Blake, attached to the army of the Potomac, and stationed at Fort Barnard, Va., eighteen miles from Washington. He has been a lifelong Democrat, as was his father before him, and has held various township offices. JOHN B. NIVER, a progressive and well-to-do farmer of Norwich town' ship, was born March 19, 1813, in Orange county, N. Y., where he lived nineteen years, working on his father's farm, and attending the common schools of the period. Mr. Niver is a son of Jacob Niver, of German descent, who came from Orange county, N. Y., to Huron county where he carried on farming, and died in the prime of life, when our subject was five months HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 495 old. In 1802 he married Margaret McMillan, a native of Scotland, and daughter of John McMillan, a shoemaker by trade, who came to this country with his family, settling in Orange county, N. Y., where he passed from earth. He and his wife had the following named children: Dennison, James, Charles B., Mary J., Jacob and John B., all now deceased except John B. The subject of these lines received a fair education at the schools of his native place, and was reared to farm life. In 1832 he came to Huron county, and settled on his present place of 122 acres, at that time covered with a dense and sombre forest, through which deer, wolves and other wild animals roamed at will. In 1843 he married Miss Sarah A. White, of Mansfield, Richland Co., Ohio, daughter of Nathaniel White, and four children—Edwin (who was a member of Company I, Third O. V. C., and died in Andersonville prison), Marietta (deceased), Emma J., and Nancy (deceased)—were born to them. The mother of these died in 1864, and for his second wife our subject was wedded to Miss Esther Simmons, of Greenfield township, Huron county, a daughter of Albert Simmons. Three children were born to this union, namely: Elmon L., Louie and Harry, all yet living. A stanch Republican in politics, Mr. Niver cast his first Presidential vote in 1836, for W. H. Harrison, when the latter ran against Martin Van Buren. In religious faith he is a member of the Methodist Church. E. S. TUTTLE, proprietor of elevator, and an extensive dealer in grain, coal, oil, etc., was born in 1853, in Erie county, Ohio, son of J. M. and Charlotte (Crawford) Tuttle, both natives of New York. J. M. Tuttle came with his father's family to the "Firelands " in Erie county, and here cleared his farm, which is still in the family's possession. About 1873 the family removed from the farm to Norwalk, and, in partnership with W. T. Bowen, built the elevator, which they successfully operated until 1887, when they leased to the present proprietor. The paternal grandfather, Nathan Tuttle, was also born in New York, and came to Ohio with his wife, who was a Leland. E. S. Tuttle came to Huron county with his parents, and was educated in the Norwalk public schools, passing through the high school with credit. He commenced his active life as a clerk in a hardware store, and there remained for thirteen years, when he engaged in the grain business, meeting from the first with marked success. He is regarded by all as one of the intelligent, rising business men of the city, liberal and enterprising, and of pleasing social qualities. He is sole proprietor of the elevator and grain department, and has two mills for making food and bolted corn meal. Mr. Tuttle is a man who keeps his mind in touch with the social and other interesting questions of the day. In 1876 he was married to Clara E. Lam- kin, a native of Seneca county, Ohio, daughter of Dr. George Lamkin, of Norwalk, and they have three children: Ora, Bessie and George. HON. H. K. HOUSE. The city of Norwalk takes proper pride in her many thrifty, intelligent and progressive citizens, of whom not the least prominent is the gentleman whose name introduces this brief sketch. Mr. House after leaving school commenced business life as an employe on the Pennsylvania Railroad, on which line for several years he was a popular, faithful and efficient conductor. Always frugal and careful, he saved his earnings, retired from the railroad, and locating in Norwalk purchased property and embarked in the furniture business. After a time he sold out this industry, and engaged in railroad contracting—his first contract being on 496 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad—a line of business that has since claimed his close attention. During the early " eighties" the Republican party in Norwalk, recognizing the ability, sagacity and acumen of Mr. House, by an almost unanimous movement invited him to represent the head of their ticket in municipal election. Being prevailed on to accept the nomination, he was easily elected mayor of the city, an incumbency he has filled with characteristic dignity and grace, and his administration is remembered as one of the most peaceful and prosperous in the municipal life of Norwalk. Mr. House was married to Mrs. Otis (nee Reed), whose father was the first white male child born in Greenwich township, Huron county. Our subject erected, in the southern part of the city, an elegant and pleasant home residence. ABRAHAM D. JENNEY was born May 19, 1813, at Fairhaven, Bristol Co., Mass. His grandfather, Benjamin Jenney, was born February 28, 1744, in New England, and married Bersheba Bassett, who was born December 14, 1744. They had four sons and one daughter, of whom John was the third son in order of birth. John Jenney was born July 12, 1773, in Bristol county, Mass., and when a young man married Catherine Davis, who was born May 28, same year. They resided in Massachusetts, where John followed the trade of ship carpenter until the removal of the family to Cayuga county, N. Y., where he worked at the millwright's trade, and for a time was engaged in milling. On May 19, 1823, he and family followed his sons to Ohio. It appears that the two sons—Mordecai and Obediah —visited Huron county, Ohio, about 1818, and selected lands in Greenwich township. A daughter, Bersheba, who was married in New York to E. L. Salisbury, came here in 1820. Thither the father and family moved in 1823, and he purchased the land at one dollar and fifty cents per acre, and erected a log house, the interior of which he furnished in a style hitherto unknown to the pioneers. After the home in the wilderness was made, the father went to Sandusky and built two vessels for Townsend & Chapman, which were called the "Ligura" and " The Charles Chapman." He passed several winters at Savannah, Ga., where he was recognized as a good ship carpenter, and always found work at his trade, so with that and farming he was an industrious and altogether a well-to-do citizen. He died March 4, 1852, his widow June 9, 1853, and both are buried in a private cemetery on the farm. Of their children the following record is made: Obediah died at Norwalk, aged eighty-nine years; Sarah married, in Massachusetts, Ebenezer Wing, and died in that State at an advanced age; Mordecai W. died in Greenwich township; Bersheba married E. L. Salisbury, and died in Greenwich township; Elizabeth married Joseph Bartlett, and died in Huron county; Sylvia C. was married in New York to Joseph Gifford, and died in Kansas; Jane married Humphrey Gifford, and died in Greenwich township; Benjamin resides in Montcalm county, Mich.; Mary married Benjamin Watson, and moved to Kansas; Abraham D. is the subject of this sketch. Abraham D. Jenney was reared in the manner common throughout western New York in pioneer days. He was ten years of age when his parents moved to Ohio, and here he passed his youth, working on the farm and attending the subscription schools of the period. Being the only son who did not learn a trade, he remained on the farm and assisted his father in clearing it. On March 20, 1842, he married Sally Ann Griffin, who was born in New York State October 7, 1818, and to this marriage came eleven children, as follows: HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 497 James W., now a citizen of Kansas; Salina, a physician; George D., a physician of Kenton, Ohio, where he died; Cornelia, who married Jasper Jennings, of Lexington, Ky., and died at Fitchville, Ohio; Smith, who died in youth; Mary, married to Otis Burge, of Greenwich township; Chloe, residing at home; A. Warren, a school teacher; and Charles A., residing on the home farm; besides the children named, there were two who died young. After his marriage Mr. Jenney located on his present farm, where he has been engaged in agricultural pursuits up to the present time. In 1856 he became a Republican, having previously been a Whig, but beyond filling various township positions he does not go actively into political life. He and his wife are members of the Society of Friends. Both are endowed with excellent memories. ELIJAH PRICE, retired farmer of Fairfield townsnip, is of Welsh i descent, and is a grandson of Alexander Price, who was a farmer in Cayuga county, N. Y. He was among the first to offer his services in the war of 1812, during which conflict he commanded a division of militia with the rank of general. He was a Democrat in politics and served many years as justice of the peace. Alexander Price was united in marriage with Polly Seely, and to this union were born six children, namely: Elijah, William, Mary (who married Lucas Foot, of North Fairfield), Betsey, Caroline, and Ann (who married James Vincent, a farmer of Chautauqua, N. Y.). Elijah Price, son of Alexander, was born in 1805, in Cayuga county, N. Y., was reared on the home farm, and received his education in the schools of the period. He was married at Skaneateles, Onondaga Co., N. Y., to Miss Abigail Foot, who was born there in 1806, and they had seven children, viz.: Alexander (who is now a stock grower in Idaho), Eben, Salvio, William, Elijah, Mary Louise and Grant. In May, 1832, Mr. Price brought his family to Huron county, Ohio, and settled on the present homestead in Fairfield township. He cleared the land and made a beautiful farm of 177 acres, and at his death, which occurred in 1888, left a valuable property to his heirs. In political opinion he was a Democrat, and served as township trustee. Mrs. Price died December 14, 1869. Elijah Price, the subject proper of this sketch, was born April 6, 1832, in Cayuga county, N. Y., and was brought by his parents to Ohio the same year. On September 7, 1856, he married Harriet Place, of Fairfield township, and they took up their residence on the home farm, where two children were born to them, one that died in infancy, and S. Grant, a business man of Norwalk. After his father's death he purchased the home farm of 177 acres, and engaged in general farming and stock growing, giving particular attention to the rearing of coach, trotting and draft horses. In politics Mr. Price is a Democrat, and has served his township as trustee. C. L. KREIDER, M. D., is the oldest medical practitioner in Monroeville, and has been very successful in his chosen vocation. He is a son of Michael Kreider, a native of Lebanon county, Penn., and his ancestry (who were of Dutch origin) have been natives of Pennsylvania for three generations. C. L. Kreider was born May 29, 1840, in Lebanon county, Penn., and received his early education at Lebanon Academy. He then took a medical course at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating therefrom in 1863, and began to practice in Lebanon county. In 1868 he came to Monroeville, where he has ever since been actively eugaged in the duties of his profession. Dr. 498 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. Kreider was united in marriage at Philadelphia, Penn., with Miss Caroline Walter, who has borne him four children. He was formerly a member of the American Medical Association, and is now identified with the Delamater Medical Association. In politics he votes with the Republican party, with which his sons are also associated. He and his family are all adherents of the M. E. Church, and socially he is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. Of the children born to Dr. and Mrs. Kreider the following is a brief record: Walter Kreider was educated in the public schools of Monroeville, then took a partial course in civil engineering at Ann Arbor, Mich.; he is now employed in Chicago, Ill. E. R. Kreider graduated from the Monroeville High School, then took a medical course at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, receiving his diploma in 1890; he is now in partnership with his father, and has already secured the confidence of the community as a rising young physician. Charles R. Kreider also graduated from the Monroeville High School, afterward preparing for business life at Poughkeepsie, N. Y.; he is now in the employ of Sanborn & Co., Chicago, Ill. Mabel, youngest child of Dr. and Mrs. Kreider, is a student in Delaware College, Ohio. D. A. WOOD, M. D., is one of the oldest physicians and surgeons now in practice in Huron county—indeed, with a solitary exception, he 4 the oldest. His parents, Alva and Levissa (Buck) Wood, were both natives of New York State, the former born in 1809 in Saratoga county, where he grew to manhood and carried on a farm in connection with a gristmill. He died at Utica, N. Y., in the sixty-eighth year of his age. Levissa (Buck) Wood died at Utica in the seventy-seventh year of her age. Of their six children, five are living. Their parents came from Connecticut to western New 'York at an early day, and were among the pioneers in the agricultural development of this now rich portion of the Empire State. The grandfather of Dr. Wood was a justice of the peace in Onondaga county for many terms, and is still remembered by the older residents of that county. Dr. D. A. Wood was born September 16, 1832, in Onondaga county, N. Y. He received an elementary education in the common schools, and subsequently entered Clinton University, where he took a full literary course. After reading medicine for some time, he went to Syracuse, N. Y., attended lectures there, and graduated from the Eclectic Medical College. Early in 1858 he removed to Ohio, and locating at Olena, practiced medicine there for many years. Meantime he neglected no opportunity which offered to him greater perfection as a physician, for he is found at Cleveland attending lectures, or at home reading Austrian, French or American authorities. He graduated, in the winter of 1871-72, from the Cleveland Medical College, and continued to reside at Olena. He had seen great changes in his district. The trials which awaited him in his early professional life were no longer to be looked for. Long rides through the forest were no longer necessary, nor was there a prospect of his being again compelled to lead his horse through the thickets or follow unfamiliar paths to the cabins of his patients. Dr. Wood was married, at Olena, to Miss Lucy A. Cherry, and to this marriage five children were born, namely: Louise, wife of W. C. Laney; Frederick; Elmer D., who died in' early boyhood; Gertie M., residing with her parents; and Harley D. In 1881 the Doctor moved to Greenwich, where greater successes rewarded his close studies and faithful attention to his patients. In early practice he made a reputation in restoring to health those stricken with fever; he was also very successful in ob- HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 499 stetrics, and won the entire confidence of the people. To-day he numbers among his patients many whose birth he attended. Dr. Wood belongs to the Alumni Medical Association of Cleveland, and is a regular attendant at meetings of this Association, as well as a periodical student in the college. Among his favorite medical journals are the "Cleveland Medical Journal" and the "New York Medical Journal." But his readings on medicine and surgery are not at all confined to these, for he takes special delight in anything and everything written on the two subjects. J. D. EASTON is descended from an- eestors who were prominent actors in the early history of the New England colonies. One of these pioneers of the Easton family settled in Providence Plantation, in Rhode Island, becoming an associate of Roger Williams. The grandmother of our subject, Miss M. Perry, was a full cousin of Commodore Perry, of Lake Erie fame. Perry Easton, father of J. D., was born January 8, 1790, in Woodbury, Conn., and when yet a boy came to Greene county, N. Y., and served in Capt. Clark's Company during the war of 1812. After the war he came to Ontario county, N. Y., and in 1818 moved to Huron county, Ohio, residing in Ridgefield and Bronson townships. When a young man he was married to Sallie Raymond, who was born in Great Barrington, Mass., a descendant of Lord Raymond, and they had three children, of whom are mentioned J. D., the subject proper of this sketch, and a twin brother who lives in Paris, Texas. Politically Mr. Easton was first a Jeffersonian Democrat, then a Henry Clay Whig, and subsequently a Republican. He and his family were members of the Presbyterian Church. He died in 1858. J. D. Easton was born in 1816, in Rushville, N. Y., and was reared and educated in Huron county, Ohio. In 1848 he was united in marriage with Miss Jane Barker, who was born in 1815, in Cayuga county, N. Y., and they made their home on a farm in Peru township, Huron Co., Ohio. During the war he bought horses for the Government. About 1873 they settled on their present home, containing 170 acres, ninety of which are within the limits of the corporation of Monroeville. In politics our subject was originally a Whig, now a Republican, and he has served six years as a member of the board of directors for the county infirmary. He has taken an active interest in other matters of local importance, and was recently elected vice- president of the Firelands Historical Association. His wife is a member of the Society of Friends. Mr. and Mrs. Easton are the parents of two children, namely : Ida S. and John P., the latter of whom is married to a Miss Fish, and is now living on a farm near Monroeville; he has two children, Eunice and Candace. MRS. DAVID L. GIESECK is a daughter of Henry D. and Hannah J. (Harris) Smith, both of whom were natives of Ohio, the former born in Knox county, the latter in Licking county. The father died at the age of sixty-five years. Carrie S. Smith was born on the home place in Knox county, where she grew to womanhood, attending the common schools of the vicinity. She also received a year's training in the normal school, then taught two years in Licking county, Ohio. On January 29, 1885, she was united in marriage with David L. Gieseck, whose father was a native of Germany, his mother an American, born of German ancestry. David L. Gieseck was born March 8, 1858, in Black Lick, Ohio, passed his 500 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. youth in his native county, and after his marriage came to Huron county, locating in Monroeville March 20, 1885. Here, in partnership with his father, he founded the tile works, the product of which was sent to the eastern and western part of Ohio, and also as far south as Columbus. In the following April they emplOyed eight men. Mr. Gieseck in politics was a Democrat. He was a member of the school board, and a justice of the peace, holding the latter position at the time of his death, which occurred February 9, 1892. He was baptized in the Lutheran Church; his widow is identified with the Baptist denomination. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Gieseck has conducted the tile business with great success. She has had three children, namely: Henry L. (deceased at the age of two years and nine months), Emma T. and Mable H. JACOB BROWN was born April 6, 1836, in Peru township, Huron . Co., Ohio, a son of Jacob Brown, who was the pioneer of the family in the United States. The father of our subject was a native of France, whence he emigrated when a young man, and found a home in the United States. He worked on the Erie Canal, at Milan, Erie Co., Ohio, and there met and married Mrs. Mary Ann Bentley, a widow. Soon after their marriage this couple located in Peru township, on a tract of five acres, and Mr. Brown, together with improving that little farm, worked for others, his industry enabling him to gradually extend the lines of the original purchase. His property was destroyed by fire once, obliging him to seek another location in the township. After a life of hard, honest toil, he died on the farm, and three years later was followed to the grave by his wife; both are buried in the Catholic cemetery. Mr. Brown merely exercised his constitutional right to vote, giving his closest attention to his farm and family interests. To his marriage with Mrs. Bentley were born five children, namely: Henry, who served during the Rebellion with the Fifty-fifth O. V. I., and.died shortly after the close of the war from injuries received in battle; Coleman, a farmmer of Peru township; Jacob, subject of this sketch; Lainie, married to Henry Brown, of Norwalk, Ohio; and Mary Ann, who married William Brown, of Peru township. Jacob Brown received a common-school education, and worked on the home farm until 1861, when he was married to Mary Ann Addleman, a native of Peru township, daughter of Joseph Addleman. To this union nine children were born, namely: Evaline (now Mrs. John Greseawer, of Sherman township), Charles (a farmer of Norwalk township), Alfred, Arthur, Ida, Laura (Mrs. William Hettel, of Peru township), Eleanor, Theodore and Otto, residing at home. In 1861 Mr. Brown located on the home farm, and remained thereon for five years, when he purchased a onehundred-acre tract. He owned several farms at different times prior to 1873, when he settled on his present place. The residence and other buildings erected here by Mr. Brown within the last two decades speak of his progressive character, his taste and his industry; while his farm is testimony to the methodical applicatio of agricultural knowledge. The members of the family belong to the Catholic Church. THOMAS THOMPSON, proprietor of the "Greenwich Hotel," is not only a pioneer of northern Ohio, but also an old and respected hotel man of this section. Thomas Thompson was born November 28, 1832, in Richland county, just across the Huron county line. His parents, Thomas and Mary (Bard) Thompson, were HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 501 pioneers of Richland county. The father was born in Washington county, Penn., moved to Richland county, Ohio, in 1823, bought a tract of wild land, and settled thereon with his young wife, a year after their marriage. The names of the six children born to them are as follows: Margaret, a widow; Ann, Mrs. McLaughlin; John, living in Greenwich township; Keziah, residing on the old homestead; Thomas, the subject of this sketch, and Absalom, a carpenter and joiner. Thomas Thompson grew to manhood on his father's farm, which he helped to improve. He assisted in opening the old road between Huron and Richland counties, and also aided in making the first road on the west branch of the Vermillion river. He was not yet fourteen years old when he hauled the grain and other products of the farm to Milan, the nearest market-town, and from that age to his twenty-eighth year was the man of all work on the homestead. On October 4, 1860, he married Miss Susan Clark, who was born in Orange township, Ashland county. One son George M., was born to them, who, entering the telegraph service at fourteen years of age, is now filling an important position with the Western Union Co., in the State of Washington. Soon after marriage Mr. and Mrs. Thompson located on a rented farm in Greenwich township, whence he shortly afterward moved to the center of the township, and carried on a hotel for three years. He next came to Greenwich, purchased property in the village, and conducted a hotel from September, 1866, to September, 1876, when he disposed of his interests in the old house, and purchased his present property, where he has since resided and carried on business. Mr. Thompson was one of the men who cut the first lumber used in the construction of the C. & I. R. R., and for four or five years was engaged in the lumber business, handling principally black walnut. During the Civil war he was represented in the field by his cousin, John Thompson, who is now living in Pennsylvania. In politics our subject is a Democrat. His paternal grandparents came from Ireland, where their fathers had settled on the confiscated lands. They came here with the theories of ownership of real and persona] property inculcated in Ireland, and those theories have been inherited by their children and grandchildren. On the maternal side the grandparents came from England, and found a home in Pennsylvania. MICHAEL STEIBER, JR., a prosperous, intelligent farmer of Ridgefield township, is a son of Joseph Steiber, a native of Germany, and by trade a stonemason. Michael Steiber was born in 1829 in Baden, Germany, and after attending the public schools of the Grand Duchy, learned his father's trade. In 1860 he was united in marriage with Victoria Holerbaugh, also a native of Baden, who bore him four children, namely: Frank, now a farmer of Ridgefield township, Huron county; Michael, whose sketch follows; Gretchen, and Louis, the latter two having died in their youth. The father followed his trade some years after his marriage, then farmed for a time. A brother (Franklin) who had settled in America, then bargained for a farm, which they purchased, and in 1872, with his wife and two sons, Michael Steiber sailed from Hamburg, landing at New York. They then proceeded to Norwalk, Ohio, remaining there four weeks, waiting till their property was vacated, then located on the farm where they have since resided. Among the many improvements which Mr. Steiber has made on his place should be mentioned the handsome dwelling and commodious new barn. He has successfully conducted a general farming and stock-raising business, and has succeeded in saving a good sum of money by 502 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. dint of constant toil and judicious economy. He is an unassuming but thoroughly substantial citizen, and in politics votes the Democratic ticket. He and his wife are zealous supporters of the Catholic Church at Norwalk. Michael Steiber, Jr., son of Michael and Victoria (Holerbaugh) Steiber, was born September 28, 1863, in Baden, Germany, where he attended school two years, then came with his parents to Huron county, Ohio. After settling in this country he finished his education at the schools of Ridgefield township, and on May 4, 1886, he married Mary Fitz, who was born in 1861, a daughter of Frank Fitz, of Sandusky, Ohio. Since their marriage Michael and Mary Steiber have resided on his father's farm, which he works. He is one of the leading young men of Ridgefield township, and in political opinion is a Democrat. He and his wife are members of the Catholic Church. ROBERT F. WADDELL, Hartland township. This gentleman is a grandson of Robert Waddell, a farmer, who was born near Baltimore, Md., whence in middle life he migrated to Ohio, dying in Knox county at about the age of seventy-two years. The names of some of his children are Charles, Abbott, Robert F., David, Bertha and Rachel. Robert F. Waddell, father of subject, was also a native of Maryland, and calne to Ohio along with his father. He was a farmer all his days, and in Brown towuship, Knox county, was a local preacher. He took up wild land in that township, and " blazed " a road from Danville to his farm, a distance of nearly eight miles through the woods. He cleared half an acre, and built him a log cabin, after which he returned to Maryland for his wife and child, whom he had left behind, bringing them to their new western home, together with all the household goods and chattels, the journey being made in winter-time with an ox-sled. Wild animals still roamed the forest, and wolves would frequentl! wake nocturnal attacks on the illy-protected cabin, rushing for the " door," which consisted of nothing stronger than a blanket hung up; but by keeping up a bright fire the ravenous brutes were held at bay. Mr. Waddell cleared 250 acres, and had many an adventure while engaged at either chopping or hunting, at one time having a narrow escape from a bear, which would have killed him but for his faithful dog. He built the first church and schoolhouse, and established the first burying-ground in Brown township, Knox county, Ohio. Robert F. Waddell, Sr., married Elizabeth Critchfield, a daughter of Alvin Critchfield, a native of near Cumberland, Md., who came to Knox county, Ohio, and there passed the rest of his days. To this union were born children as follows: Raymond, Milton and Matilda, all three deceased; Evaline (Mrs. Melton), also deceased; Mary Ann (Mrs. Phillips), in Hartland; Charles, a physician in Indiana, where he has an extensive practice; James, in Wauseon, Fulton Co., Ohio; and Robert F. The father died in 1850, a member of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the mother about 1868. The subject of this sketch was born February 7, 1848, on the old homestead in Knox county, Ohio, and received his education at the common schools of the vicinity. At the breaking out of the Civil war he would have joined the Union army but for physical disability, and, moreover, it was necessary for him to care for his aged mother, he being the only one left at home. He married Miss Christiana Blakely, daughter of William and Sarah Blakely, of Knox county, Ohio, and five children were born to this union, to wit: Jennie, Charles, Raymond, Sarah Elizabeth and Jessie Mabel, all at home except Charles, who is deceased. HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 503 After marriage Mr. Waddell sold the Old homestead and bought fifty acres of land in Huron county, which he paid for in four or five years, and then resold and purchased his present place in Hartland township, comprising ninety-one and a quarter acres of excellent farm land. In 1890 he built a commodious barn, and otherwise greatly improved the property. Politically Mr. Waddell is a Republican, and in religious faith he is a member of the United Brethren Church. A. C. FRIEND, M. D., a deservedly popular rising young physician and druggist of Monroeville, is a native of that town, born in 1862. He is a son of Charles Friend, who was born in Baden, Germany, in 1827, a son of John Friend, of the same place. Charles was a cooper by trade, working at which as a journeyman, he traveled over the greater part df Switzerland. When comparatively yet a young man, he immigrated to the United States, and to Ohio, making a new and permanent home in Monroeville, Huron county, where he carried on his trade several years, and then embarked in the grocery business, in which he met with fair success. In 1853 he married Miss Paulina Stoeckley, also of Baden, Germany, a daughter of John Stoeckley, who came from Germany to Monroeville, Ohio, some few years ago. To this marriage seven children were born, viz.: Henry, Alfred, Emma and Catherine, all deceased in infancy; and Mary L. (Mrs. Tyler), in Monroeville; Dr. A. C.; and John B. The father died April 2, 1889; the mother died July 19, 1888. They were worthy members of the Catholic Church. The subject of this biographical sketch was educated in his native town, and after leaving school entered the drug store of D, Jay Kling as clerk. He then, about 1882, went to the Western Reserve Medical School, where he graduated in 1884. He first commenced the practice of his profession in Sandusky, but remained only a short time, returning to Monroeville, where in 1887 he bought a half interest in a drug store, his brother John B. owning the other half. Not long afterward our subject bought out his brother's interest, and has since had undivided control of the business, an excellent one, the store being replete with everything essential to a first- class drug establishment, including the careful compounding of prescriptions. In 1888 Dr. Friend was married to Miss Loretta E. Worley, daughter of Andrew Worley, a retired merchant of New Riegel, Seneca Co., Ohio, and three children have come to brighten their fireside —Ralph W., Oliver J. and Sylvia Marie. The Doctor has been for a considerable time a prominent local Democrat of no little influence, and has served in various positions of trust, such as justice of the peace, and town clerk, which latter incumbency he is now filling with marked ability; has been president of the Democratic club of Norwalk, and chairman of the central committee. He is president of the National Building and Loan Association of Monroeville, and in religious faith is a prominent member of the Catholic Church. In addition to his thriving drug business, he enjoys a lucrative and fast increasing practice in his profession. [Since the above was written we have been informed of the death of Dr. Friend, which occurred November 8, 1893.—Ed. A. E. HERSHISER, M. D., who enjoys a wide reputation in Huron county and vicinity as a successful physician and surgeon, is a native of Ohio, born in the town of Shelby, Richland county, in 1854. He is a son of Solomon Hershiser, who, was born in Bradford, Penn., whence when a small boy he came with his father to Ohio, settling in Richland county, where he engaged in farming all his life. His grand- 504 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. father (great-grandfather of our subject), came to America before the Revolution, in which struggle he served on the side of the patriots. A. E. Hershiser received a liberal. common-school education, after which he graduated in a scientific course, and then took up the study of the classics. He read medicine first under the preceptorship of Dr. N. Huss, then of Shelby, Ohio, now of Brooklyn, N. Y., and attended lectures at Cleveland Medical College, two terms, finally graduating at Miami Medical College, Cincinnati. The Doctor commenced the practice of his profession at Collins, Ohio, whence after about three years he proceeded to Philadelphia, where for a year he attended hospitals and leading medical colleges, receiving his diploma from Jefferson Medical College. In 1885 he came to Wakeman, and has since enjoyed a wide and successful practice; he has given diseases of the lungs and abdomen special attention. Our subject was married, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Miss Nettie S. Purdy., and one child, Mary Beulah, has been born to them. Dr. and Mrs. Hershiser are members of the Congregational Church; politically he a Prohibitionist, socially a member of the North Central Ohio Medical Association. ISAAC McKESSON. The well-known family, of which this gentleman is a worthy member, originated in Scotland, where one John McKesson was born and educated, graduating with high honors from both the literary and theological departments of the University of Edinburgh. Immediately after graduation he was ordained to the ministry of the Presbyterian Church, and passed his life as a " watchman on the walls of Zion." About 1760 he set sail for the United States in company with some friends, first locating at Windsor, York Co., Penn., where in addition to his ministerial duties he owned and operated a large distillery, taking the produce to Baltimore and other markets by means of four-and-six-horse teams. His superior scholarship was of pr'actical use in land surveying, of which there.was much in those days, untangling knotty problems, adjusting compasses, levels and other mathematical instruments; and also enabled him to act as interpreter in the various courts. He was a stanch patriot, rendering numerous and important services to the young Republic. He and his wife, Jane McKesson, who was also a native of Scotland, had a family of seven children. Isaac McKesson, youngest child of John and Jane McKesson, was born July 25, 1782, in Pennsylvania. He received a good education, and began to study for the ministry, but theology did not suit his tastes, which were inclined to mechanical pursuits. Accordingly, he abandoned his theological studies, and served several years as an apprentice to his brother James, who was an expert millwright and equally skilled in all branches of woodwork. After serving his time, Isaac McKesson successfully followed his trade the greater part of his life. On October 1, 1811, he was united in marriage with Elizabeth, daughof James and Jane (Reed) Caldwell, the former of whom was a prominent patriot and colonel in the Continental army, rendering valuable service to his country during the Revolution. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. McKesson removed to Lycoming county, Penn., where he took up about 2,200 acres of land among the hills on the west branch of the Susquehanna river. He then built a saw and grist mill at Sinnarnahoning, Cameron county, near the mouth of Sinnamahoning creek, also dealing extensively in lumber, which he shipped down the river to Baltimore and other important points. After the war of 1812 he sustained heavy financial losses, through the depreciation of currency throughout the country. In 1827 he moved to northern Ohio, first locating HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 505 in Venice, Erie county, then moving to Huron county, where he repaired the saw and grist mills awned by E. Jessips, an extensive land owner, of whom Mr. McKesson purchased a farm in Margarefta township, Erie Co., Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. McKesson reared a family of eight children. They were members of the M. E. Church, in which he held numerous official positions. He died March 25, 1854, at the home of his son Isaac. Isaac McKesson, whose name introduces this sketch, was born January 12, 1821, in Lycoming county, Penn., and when seven years of age came with his parents to Ohio. After receiving a subscription- school education he taught for a while, at the same time assisting his father with the carpenter and mill-wright business. He then opened a lumber and sawmill establishment at Enterprize, Huron county, and after conducting this one year, resumed farming on his father's place, later moving to near Sandusky. During the winter season he dealt in lumber for about three pars, then bought a farm in York township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, and followed agricultural pursuits, also acting as agent for various kinds of agricultural implements. In 1851 Mr. McKesson moved to a place known as the " Seven-Mile House," in Erie county, Ohio, which lie purchased, and there continued farming, in addition to the agency business, until the autumn of 1869. He then sold a part of this farm, and moved to Townsend township, Huron county, where, about three years previously, he had purchased several hundred acres of land and the bending works situated at Collins. He continued to improve the works, which had been opened in 1852, being the first establishment of the kind in that part of Ohio, and in 1871 sold the business to his son, L. V., and established a sash and blind and pump and tubing factory at Collins. The famous " Collins force-pump" was first made at the factory just mentioned, which Mr. McKesson afterward sold and then conducted the first " Genesee separator" used in this country. He now owns a large tract of land in Eaton county, Mich., and for several years has conducted a large sawmill and turning factory about two miles below Eaton Rapids; he has also been part owner of an edge-too factory at the same place. He is now retired from active business, but still owns several hundred acres of land in Ohio,Virginia, Missouri and Michigan, besides town and village property in various places. During the Civil war he was elected lieutenant- colonel of the Erie county militia, and since then has filled numerous civil and military positions. He served eight successive terms as trustee of Groton township, Erie county, being elected by the Republican party in a township usually having a Democratic majority. He was originally a local leader of the Whigs, afterward assisting to organize the Republican party, in which he has been a prominent worker. At one time he was an earnest advocate of the " Greenback" theory, but never renounced fealty to the Republicans, and is now deeply interested in the National Bank system. He has served as township treasurer and justice of the peace, and for two years was commissioner of Erie county. Mr. McKesson has also been appointed administrator of various estates and guardian for minor children. He has been a trustee of the Childrens' Home Association of Huron county since that institution was organized, and for several years has been a director of the Agricultural Society of Erie and Huron counties, having assisted with the location and purchase of the grounds for the Erie County Agricultural Association. He has ever been a leading spirit in all public enterprises, and was the prime mover in the erection of the new depot at Collins. He also assisted in locating, grading and adorning the beautiful little park at that place, in securing the elegant music hall, the improvement of several streets, and has been interested in various public enterprises. 506 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. On October 28, 1841, Mr. McKesson was united in marriage with Lorada Jane Hunt, who was a native of Bridgewater, N. H., born August 8, 1817, and was educated at the Norwalk Seminary, being a pupil of the late Bishop Thomson. She was a daughter of John and Nancy (Lord) Hunt, both of whom were natives of New Hampshire, of English descent. Shgdied September 29, 1878, a lifelong member of the M. E. Church, leaving two children: Lester V. and Nancy E., wife of George D. Lyles. In March, 1880, Isaac McKesson married, for his second wife, Mrs. Harriet S. (Reed) Emerson, who was born July 19, 1818, in Connecticut. She died July 1, 1886,, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. J. D. Waggoner, a member of the M. E. Church, and on November 1, 1887, Mr. McKesson was married to his present wife, Mrs. Rebecca Jane (Balliet) Van Buskirk, who was born May 18, 1840, in Mansfield, Ohio, a daughter of Henry and Catherine (Montz) Balliet, natives of Pennsylvania, whither their ancestors. had emigrated from Alsace-Loraine (then in France, not in Germany). Our subject, in religious faith, is a member of the M. E. Church, which he has served in various capacities, while Mrs. McKesson is identified with the Presbyterian denomination. JOSEPH T. LAZELL, a successful farmer of Fitchville township, is a native of New York State, born at Moravia, Cayuga county, February 15, 1837. Calvin Laze11 (great-grandfather of subject) and his brother emigrated from France to America about the close of the eighteenth century, the first named locating in Cayuga county, N. Y., the latter in Pennsylvania. This Calvin was the father of fourteen children, of whom Daniel was one. Daniel Lazell married, and had six children, Jared, the third in order of birth, being the father of our subject. Jared Lazell was born in 1812, in Cayuga county, N. Y., was reared there in the manner common to the boys of his time, and while still a youth was apprenticed to a shoemaker. When a young man he married Hannah Turner, a native of Cayuga county, and they soon after migrated to Huron county, Ohio, locating in Hartland township, where they lived at the home of Spencer Phillips. Here he followed his trade for a short time, and then returned to Cayuga county, where Mrs. Lazell died in July, 1841. Mr. Lazell married, for his second wife, Mary Sawyer, and then, again determined to try Ohio, he came to Berlin, Erie county, where he worked at his trade one year, going from house to house, as was then the custom. The family then returned to Cayuga county, N. Y., where Mr. Lazell followed the trade for six or seven years, and then moved to Olena, Huron Co., Ohio. Later he established himself at Bairdstown, Wood Co., Ohio, where he is yet engaged at his trade, though now over eighty-two years of age. His wife also resides there, and both enjoy remarkable health for persons of their age. There were three children born to Jared and Hannah Lazell, namely: Joseph T., the subject of this sketch; Emeline, widow of Judson Smith, of Cleveland; and an infant who died unnamed. To his second marriage, with Mary Sawyer, two children were born: Franklin, of Bairdstown, Ohio, and Caropline, widow of Byron Fullson, of Garrettsville, Trumbull Co., Ohio. Joseph T. Lazell received an elementary education in the public schools, and when thirteen years old was apprenticed to Walter Sabin, a shoemaker in Cayuga county, N. Y. Having previously acquired a knowledge of the trade with his father, he learned quickly, and soon received seventy-five dollars per annum for his labor, working with Sabin nine months. HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 507 Later he received two hundred and fifty dollars a year, and subsequently worked at Montville, N. Y., until he began life as a journeyman. Owing to his youthful appearance he was known as " The Boy Shoemaker," a sobriquet generally conferred in the kindest sense, for the people knew that he was as capable of doing fine work as the most experienced tradesman. He worked as journeyman from Moravia to Buffalo, and at the age of nineteen years located at Olena, Huron Co., Ohio, where he began work for T. G. King, afterward working for Benjamin Green, and he subsequently became a partner with his father. On February 16, 1858, Mr. Lazell married Mary A. Burris, who was born at Olena, daughter of William H. Burris, who came from Cayuga county, N. Y., and settled in Hartland township, Huron Co., Ohio. To this marriage were born the following named children: Blanche H., Mrs. A. H. Luxon, of Chicago, Ohio; Ruth A., Mrs. J. E. Smith, of Fitchville; Nellie, Mrs. Eugene Lee, of Hartland township; Emma, Louise, and Jessie, all residing at home. After his marriage he built a home at Olena, and worked at his trade there until 1866, when he purchased the Abijah Palmer farm in Fitchville township. To this tract he has added seventy acres, and improved the whole area. A Republican in politics, he has filled various township offices; but his farm receives the greater part of his attention. CHARLES S. CLARK. This gentleman, who is one of the most enterprising and thoroughly successful young men of Wakeman, is a son of D. Stiles Clark, who was born in Milford, New Haven Co., Conn., in 1828. The latter received a liberal common-school education, and in early youth commenced to learn the trade of boot and shoe maker, which he followed for fully twenty-five years. In 1856 D. Stiles Clark came west to Ohio, and located in Wakeman township, Huron county, where he continued his trade, and invested in real estate in and near the present site of Wakeman village, which was then but a mere " cross road." Some of his property was divided into town lots, the remainder he cultivated and farmed. In Connecticut he had married Miss 'Esther A. Boyd, and five children were born to them, as follows: Ella, Walter and Rollie (deceased); Harriet, now the wife of Prof. Andrews, of Oberlin College; and Charles, subject of sketch. The father died in February, 1887, a thorough Christian, and a member of the Congregational Church of Wakeman. In his political sympathies he was a Republican until a few years before his demise, when he became a Prohibitionist. In the course of his busy life he had accumulated wealth, but in later years he met with reverses and lost heavily. In the cemetery of Wakeman stands a beautiful monument, erected by the family to the memory of a devoted husband, a kind and loving father, an honored and trusted neighbor and citizen. His noble wife, who through sunshine and storm was ever his helpmate and comforter, survives him, and is now at the age of sixty-four years residing with her son, of whom she is justly proud. Charles S. Clark, whose name opens this sketch, was barn March 21, 1860, in Wakeman, Huron county, where his boyhood was passed, during the winter months attending the village school, the remainder of the year working on his father's farm. On reaching his majority he decided on his future sphere of life, and renting from his father an acre of ground, bought five dollars worth of coruseed, that sum being his entire capital. This seed he sowed on the land he had rented, and the crop thereof he sold for seed purposes; then the following year he rented more land, and this time planted sweet corn, on each occasion carefully cultivating and harvesting his crops. From this small beginning Mr. 508 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. Clark has gradually risen until to-day he is the most extensive seed-corn grower in America. He handles more than eighty different varieties of corn—including field, pop and sweet—and his business has grown to such proportions that he now has seven branch offices and warehouses in various parts of the United States. He is the originator of the varieties of corn known as "Clark's Mastodon Field Corn " and " None-such Sweet Corn," which, though placed on the market a few years ago, are known and grown by corn raisers all over the world. During the past few years he has invested many thousands of dollars in buildings, etc., while his daily freight bills reach far into the hundreds, which in themselves testify to the magnitude of his trade. In connection with his business interests, Mr. Clark has traveled extensively, and is well known in every part of the land. On June 12, 1888, our subject was united in marriage with Miss Sadie T. Smith, daughter of Stiles Smith, of Milford, Conn., and two children have come to brighten their home, viz.: Hazel, born February 20, 1892, and another daughter, born February 17, 1894. In his political predilections Mr. Clark may be said to be a " No Party" man, casting his vote for the candidate—Presidential or otherwise he considers best qualified for the position, and the best man for the people at large. His wife and mother are members of the Congregational Church. EDWIN DENNIS TODD, one of the many well-to-do farmer citizens of Wakeman township, is a native of same, born on the old homestead farm December 20, 1841. George Todd, father of Edwin D., was born in North Haven, Conn., in 1807, and was there educated, and reared to agricultural pursuits. In 1836 he came to Ohio, settling on land now owned by our subject, in Wakeman township, Huron county, at that time a vista of almost unbroken forest and deep-tangled undergrowth. He married Miss Betsy Pierpoint, also of Connecticut birth, and four children, as follows, came to their union: Edgar M., living in Wakeman, Huron county; Ellen G., wife of Rev. Edwin Irwin, of Middletown, Ohio; Edwin Dennis, subject of sketch, and one deceased. The father of this family died in April, 1853, owner at that time of 206 acres of land which he accumulated by industry and good management. Socially he was a good citizen, honest and upright; politically he was a stanch Democrat, loyal to his party and active in all its campaigns. His widow, now in her eighty-first year, is living with her son Edgar M. in Wakeman; she is a devout Christian, and enjoys the respect and esteem of the entire community. Edwin Dennis Todd received a limited elementary education at the common schools of the home district, which was supplemented with a two-terms course in the schools of Milan. He remained on his father's farm until twenty-six years of age, at which time he commenced working for his own account, and he is now the owner of ninety-six acres of prime land in Wakeman township, on which, in 1891, he built a commodious dwelling. On November 25, 1869, Mr. Todd was united in marriage with Miss Anna Bates, daughter of Hiram Bates, of Wakeman, and natives of New York State. They have no children. Our subject is a Prohibitionist, and is regarded as a good representative citizen. He has been a member of the Congregational Church several years. JAMES PARK, one of the prominent farmers of Huron county, was born April 20, 1832, in County Donegal, Ireland, within eighteen miles of Londonderry. His father, Joseph Park, son of Joseph Park, a farmer of County Donegal, Ire- HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 509 land, was born in 1802 on the farm of his father and there reared to manhood. In early manhood he married Sarah McAdoo, who was born in 1805 in County Donegal, Ireland, and to this marriage six children were born in Ireland, namely: Joseph and Robert, both farmers of Bronson township, Huron Co., Ohio; James, the subject of this sketch; William H., a farmer, who served in the Third Iowa Cavalry, and was for seven years U..S. guager at Cincinnati (he died in 1886); Alexander, a farmer of Bronson township, and Matthew, who served in the One Hundred and First O. V. I., and after the war was clerk for an iron company in Missouri, where he was taken ill (he returned home and died in Bronson township January 20, 1874). The father of this family was the owner of two good farms near Londonderry and the employer of many farm hands until 1847, when he sought a home in the United States, where a wide field was open for himself and his children. In 1847 Joseph, his wife and the six sons proceeded to Liverpool, England, and embarking on the ship " Royalist," sailed for the United States. The voyage was a stormy one from the start, so much so that the old experienced Scotch captain of the vessel recommended his passengers to prepare for death. The old captain, fortunately, was out in his reckonings, the storm abated, and the good ship anchored in the shadows of Quebec's heights twenty-eight days after leaving Liverpool. The Parks proceeded westward by river and lake boats until they reached the port of Huron, Ohio. They proceeded by wagon from that village to William McPherson's house in Bronson township, Huron county, and there rested for a few weeks. Later the family went to Ashland county, Ohio, and remained among friends from Donegal for a few months. In the fall of 1847 the father returned to Bronson township, purchased seventy-five acres of land at ten dollars and fifty cents per acre, and there resided until his death, November 6, 1860; he was followed to the grave by his wife January 1, 1861, and the remains of both lie in Olena cemetery. The land which he purchased was all wild with the exception of three acres, and in clearing it the father and sons expended much labor; for the work was new to them and their financial condition, Lowered by the extraordinary expenses of the journey to Huron county, Ohio, caused them to exercise the closest economy while making their home in the wilderness. The fact is that he had to buy his first farm on, credit, but throuuh the persistent industry of himself and sons he prospered, and before his death had made a comfortable home. James Park received an elementary education in the schools of his district in Donegal, Ireland, and as soon as he was old enough assisted in the farm work and cattle herding. In 1847 he accompanied the family to America, and gave his best labors here until their first home in the New World was made and clear of debt. He next entered the employ of Isaac Selover, in Bronson township, the consideration being one hundred and sixty-two dollars for the year ending in October, 1855. The next three months Our subject worked at carpentry, and on January 20, 1856, embarked at New York on board a vessel bound for Aspinwall, and after crossing the Isthmus of Panama took passage in the " John L. Stevens" for San Francisco. During the two years he passed in California he was engaged in various pursuits, such as mining, packing merchandise between Humboldt Bay and Salmon river, and butchering. On July 4, 1858, he re-embarked on the " John L. Stevens " for the Isthmus, crossed to Aspinwall, and thence sailed to New York on the " Moses Taylor." He paid another visit to California, and also revisited his native land—Ireland. In April, 1859, Mr. Park was married to Catherine Ernsberger, who bore him two children, William H. and Emma, both 510 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. of whom died in youth. The mother of these children dying in February, 1863, Mr. Park married Martha Ernsberger, sister of his first wife, and to this union were born three children: Jennie, Mrs. Charles F. Brown, of Hartland township; Emmett, who resides at home, and Lizzie, Mrs. A. D. M. Pratt, of Norwalk. After the death of Mrs. Martha Park, he married, for his third wife, Mary A. McPherson, and she became the mother of four children, namely: Louise E. (a student in Oberlin College), Clara B., Edna M. and Alice F., residing at home. On the death of his first wife Mr. Park took up his residence with his father-in-law, Mr. Ernsberger, on the farm which he now owns, later purchasing this place and adding to it gradually, until his estate now comprises over 200 acres of the best land in the township. In 1884 he selected a natural elevation on his farm for a residence, and thereon built the finest dwelling house in the township. Mr. Park's success rests on labor. He is an indefatigable worker and a most systematic agriculturist. Endowed with the vim and energy characteristic of the sons of Erin, he carved out for himself a fortune and gave to the fairest portion of Ohio one of its best improved farms. Politically a Republican,•he has always been loyal to the party, and is one of its most trusted members in Huron county. He has served his township in various official positions, as director of the County Infirmary for nine years, and township trustee for thirteen years. During the Civil war he helped in raising nineteen thousand dollars to clear the township of demands arising from the draft. He has taken a prominent part in the organization of agricultural societies, and has held various positions in agricultural fair associations throughout the county. A man of excellent judgment, his opinion is sought on questions affecting township and county; while, in private affairs, his reputation for honesty and sincerity causes him to be selected as guardian and executor. In religious connection he and his wife are members of Olen Presbyterian Church, in which he has teen elder for over twenty-five years, superintendent of Sabbath-school for over twenty-seven years, and is from every point of view a pillar in the Society. W. S. ANDREWS, son of Samuel and Eunice (Taylor) Andrews, was born in 1843, in Fairfield township, Huron county Ohio. Samuel Andrews was born in Cayuga county, N. Y., and resided there until his marriage with Eunice Taylor. The young couple then removed to Huron county, Ohio, and settled in Fairfield township, where Mrs. Andrews died in her seventy-sixth year. Samuel Andrews, now over eighty years old, resides with his son, W. S., at Greenwich. They had two sons. W. S. Andrews was educated in the district schools, and subsequently took a commercial course in Oberlin College. Returning home, he worked on the home place until he was twenty-six years old, when he established himself as a dealer in horses, making a specialty of fine coach and carriage horses for the New York and Boston markets. He located at Greenwich in 1882, when he established a livery in connection with his stables. In 1884 he sold his livery interests, in order to give exclusive attention to his growing business in fine horses. Animals worth from two hundred and fifty dollars to eight hundred dollars are always ready in his stables for shipment, and his representation of a horse is accepted, for there is no better judge of horses in the county than he is. The fact that he has a horse in his stable is a certain guarantee that the animal possesses all the points necessary in a coach or carriage horse. He is recognized as a thoroughly reliable, honest business man, and he generally receives his own price for his stock. HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 511 Mr. Andrews was united in marriage, in Fairfield, with Miss Flora Wright. In politics he is a Republican. As a citizen he has done much to encourage the breeding of fine stock, and has exerted a beneficial influence on the horse markets of eastern cities. NATHANIEL W. O'DELL, a prominent citizen of Fitchville township, was born February 8, 1842, in Hartland township, Huron Co., Ohio. His great-grandfather, James O'Dell, was one of three brothers who came from Ireland to the young Republic in the latter part of the eighteenth century. James settled in Connecticut; another brother located in Virginia, and one became a sailor, all trace of the latter being lost. Nathaniel O'Dell, son of James O'Dell, was born November 6, 1799, in Warren county, N. Y., where he grew to manhood, and learned the trades of mason and plasterer. In 1819 he was united in marriage to Sally Lane, who was born in the same county October 20, 1799, and there the following named children were born to them: Daniel, born July 4, 1819; Ansel, born April 19, 1821, came to Ohio with his parents, but about 1855 migrated to Michigan, settling in Ingham county, where he carried on farming until his retirement from active life (he now lives at Aurelius, Mich.); Lewis L., born August 31, 1823, died January 29, 1825; Amy, born September 30, 1825, wife of William Hopkins, of Aurelius, Ingham Co., Mich.; Lewis L. (2), born September 20, 1827, who was a farmer of Ingham county, Mich., died in Lucas county, Ohio; and Maria, born August 24, 1829, who married Ezra Stratton, and now resides at Swanton, Ohio. The family of Nathaniel O'Dell removed to Ohio about the beginning of the year 1833, the father having visited Huron county three years prior to their migration. The journey of the family, however, was not completed without disappointments. The lake was so rough that they were prevented from landing at Huron, and the teams sent down from Huron county to meet them and convey them to their new home returned. When the storm subsided, a landing was made, and Mr. O'Dell walked to Olena to procure other teams. His trip was successful, and returning to Huron he brought the family to Hosea Townsend's farm in New London township. His capital at this time was twelve dollars, and the members of the family that were old enough had to enter at once on work, to earn sustenance. In this county the following named children were born: William, born February 14, 1833, who died February 6, 1840, and was buried on the farm ; Emeline, born September 4, 1836, wife of Frank Miller, of Swanton, Ohio; and Charlotte, born September 20, 1844, married to Silas Munsil, of Swanton, Ohio, where she now resides. For six months after their arrival the family remained in New London township, and then moved to the site of the present town of Olena, then known as " Angel's Corners," where the father purchased some land. There he resided until about 1850, and then located on a farm some distance south of Olena, on which he made his home until his death, September 19, 1879. He was taken ill while visiting in Lucas county, Ohio, which illness led to his death. His wife died in 1878, and both lie in the cemetery at Olena, where monuments, erected by their children, mark their graves. Politically he was a Democrat until the time of the Civil war, when he joined the Republicans. Owing to the scarcity of work for him as a tradesman, he devoted his attention to agriculture, and even as an old man he could contest for the honors of work with the ablest hands on the farm. As a wrestler, he was never thrown by any one. His wife, known as " Aunt Sally," was a strong, healthy woman, and endured with the family all the trials of pioneer life. 512 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. Daniel O'Dell was born in 1819, at Queensbury, Warren county, N. Y., came to Ohio with his parents in 1833, and took a full share in supporting the family. Before leaving Warren county, N. Y., he attended school, and even in Ohio he realized the value of an elementary education, for, while working here for A. G. Post, he found time to attend the winter school of the district. When a young man he attended the masons in the erection of the first brick building at Norwalk, and he also cut the first four-foot fire-wood hauled to Norwalk, the consideration being two shillings per cord. He was united in marriage February 11, 1841, with Miss Almira Wooley, who was born April 28, 1824, in Genesee county, N. Y., and came to Ohio when a child ten years of age. To her marriage with Mr. O'Dell the following named children were born: Nathaniel W., the subject of this biographical memoir; Henry C., born May 18, 1844, a resident of Olena; Charles J., a farmer of Fitchville township; Wesley D., a resident of Olena; and Sarah J., born October 15, 1861, deceased July 3, 1862. In 1841 Daniel O'Dell and his wife settled on a farm of forty acres in Hartland township, Huron Co., Ohio, thence in 1860 removing to Townsend township, where he had purchased land. In 1.871 he returned to Hartland township, eight years later taking up his residence in Greenwich township, and remaining there until 1881, when he located at Fitchville. Here he resided uutil his death, March 16, 1891; the death of his wife, the preceding day, affected him so powerfully as to cause his own death within twenty-four hours, and the pioneers were buried side by side in Olena cemetery. Mr. O'Dell was an enthusiastic Democrat, and in Church connection affiliated with the Society of Friends. His wife joined the Methodist Church in early years, but seventeen years prior to her death united with the Society of Friends at Greenwich. Both were excellent people, as parents and citizens, and possessed broad sympathy for the unfortunate. At their golden wedding, held February 11, 1891, the large number of relatives and friends demonstrated clearly the esteem in which the old people were held. Nathaniel W. O'Dell passed his youth after the fashion of farmers' boys of the period, working on the farm and attending winter school, his first teacher being Miss Emma A. Pierce. From the age of eighteen to that of twenty-one years his health was poor, but recovering somewhat he went to Cleveland, where he obtained the position of traveling salesman in Noyeson Bros.' dry-goods and notions house. The salary of twenty dollars per month was soon increased to forty-five dollars, and he remained in the service of that firm until the close of June, 1869. On July 1, 1869, he was united in marriage with Mrs Dania (Templar) Deneen (widow of William Deneen), who was born January 22, 1850, in Hartland township. Her father, Jonathan Templar, was born March 20, 1813, in Schenectady county, N. Y., came westward to Ohio in 1848, and subsequently went to Mason, Mich., where he died October 10, 1866. To Mr. and Mrs. O'Dell came the following named children: Frank, a farmer of Fitchville township; Fred L., born August 1, 1871, also a farmer of Fitchville; Annie S., born November 14, 1875, Mrs. John Kennedy, of Olena; Nicholas T., born March 19, 1877; Colonel E., born April 23, 1882, and Della, born November 4, 1886, all residing at home. After marriage Mr. O'Dell and his wife located in Greenwich township, where he was engaged for one year in buying and furnishing wood for the C. C. C. & I. Railroad Co. He had fifty-three acres of land in Townsend township, the property of his maternal grandfather, and selling this tract, together with one of thirty acres in Greenwich township, he removed to Olmsted Falls, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, where he became interested in farming and stone quarrying. After a year he returned to PICTURE OF JOHN S. DAVIS HURON. COUNTY, OHIO - 513 Greenwich township, and, in partnership with his father, purchased a farm and carried it on for over six years. Then he removed to Hartland township, to take possession of Grandfather O'Dell's farm, which he purchased, and on which he remained for five years, a part of the time conducting a general store at Olena, in connection with his farming operations. In 1883 he purchased the Hezekiah Johnson farm in Fitchville township, and he now owns 178 acres, all improved, which he manages systematically. In connection with his agricultural pursuits on this beautiful farm, he does a large business in agricultural implements, a trade which he has built up during the last twelve or thirteen years. Politically Mr. O'Dell is a Democrat; religiously, a Presbyterian. JOHN S. DAVIS was born March 28, 1806, in Baltimore county, Md. His parents were Jesse and Mary Ann (Sowers) Davis. His mother died while he was still an infant, and he was brought up by his maternal grandparents, John and Mary Ann Sowers. After his mother's death his father was twice married—first to a Miss Hunt, by whom he had two children, Mary and Jackson—and again to a Miss Sewell, who bore him one child, Ann Eliza. Not long after his mother's death, his father removed to the State of Pennsylvania, where (in the village of Shrewsbury, York county) he died about the year 1833. In 1811, when he was but five years old, Mr. Davis came, with his grandparents above named, to Fairfield, Lancaster Co., Ohio. Not long after, they settled in Ridgefield township, on what is now known as the Cone farm a part of which is included in the corporation of Monroeville. Here his grandfather died July 23, 1820, aged sixty-three, and his grandmother twenty-eight years after, May 21, 1848, aged ninety-three. There grandparents had four sons, John, Moses, Daniel and James, with the older of whom Mr. Davis lived till after his majority. It is well worthy of record, as a remarkable physiological fact, that James, the youngest of these four uncles (who is still living in Whitley county, Ind.), was born when his mother was fifty-three years old, his next older brother, Daniel, being then in his fourteenth year. Mr. Davis lived in this township till 1835, when he removed to Lexington, Richland county. Three years later he moved again to Galion, Crawford county, where he lived twenty-eight years—rementurning to Monroeville in 1866. While living at Galion, on the 17th of May, 1843, he married Catharine Nave, who. was born in Path Valley, Franklin Co., Penn. They had four children, of whom two daughters are still living. The elder of these daughters, Amanda J., born February 17, 1844, married Capt. A. S. Skilton in Galion, December 20, 1865. They had two children, John Davis Skilton and Elizabeth Roby. Mr. Davis' youngest daughter, Mary Elizabeth, was born January 15, 1869. Mr. Davis followed the honorable profession of farmer, on a small place in Ridgefield township, till he was thirty years old, when he went into the dry-goods business with Mr. Bloomer as partner. About the year 1850 he embarked in the business of banking, first in the Exchange Bank of Galion, managed under the firm name of Atwood, Davis & Bloomer; afterward in the First National Bank at the same place. He was also interested in the Farmers' National Bank of Mansfield, the National Bank of Plymouth, and (more especially) the Exchange Bank of Monroeville, of which the managing firm was Davis, Crim & Stentz. Mr. Davis was also president of the First National Bank, Monroeville, acting in that capacity up to the time of his death. In all his business enterprises Mr. Davis was singularly suc- 514 - HURON COUNTY, OHIO. cessful, and if he did not " make money " quite as fast as Midas, he was more for- tunate than that fatally avaricious king, in that he was permitted to choose what should, and what should not, turn to gold under his touch. On the 28th of March, 1876, a very numerous company of his relatives, friends and neighbors assembled at his spacious mansion to celebrate his seventieth birthday. The affair was managed by his good wife, together with his daughter and son- in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Skilton, as a " surprise," and most complete was their success, Mr. Davis having not the least suspicion of what was going on, till the guests began to arrive. But his surprise reached its culmination when, after the company had all assembled, an elegant gold-headed cane, and a beautiful, life- sized crayon portrait of Mrs. Davis (a present from the above-mentioned parties), were produced and presented to him in an appropriate address. Touched to the heart by these manifestations of kindly regard, it would have been strange, indeed, if he had found any other than the simplest words of thanks, in which to express his grateful emotions. The Huron County Teachers' Institute, being then in session at Monroeville, were present in a body, and with them the distinguished grammarian, Professor Harvey, of Painesville. In the fall of the same year he enjoyed the distinguished, but unsought, honor of being chosen elector of president and vice-president of the United States; and afterward, in the college of electors, of casting his vote for Rutherford B. Hayes and William A. Wheeler, as president and vice-president of the nation. Mr. Davis enjoyed perfect health up to his last illness, which resulted in death, July 1, 1888, being over eighty-two years of age. He was looked up to by young and old as a kind friend and prudent counsellor. No object, looking toward the moral and religious improvement of the community, failed of his cordial support. JOSIAH LAWRENCE. The Lawrence family are represented among the oldest pioneers of Huron county, having been for many years prominently identified with the history of its development. Samuel and Hannah (Dibble) Lawrence were natives of Connecticut, where they were reared and married. In June, 1804, they removed to Cayuga county, N. Y., and there passed their remaining days on a farm, where nine children—six sons and three daughters—were born. Samuel Lawrence was ,a zealous member of the Presbyterian Church, and was known as a man of sterling worth. He died when about eighty-three years of age. Of his children, Timothy, George and a sister are mentioned, the latter of whom is now residing on the old home farm in New York. George Lawrence, son of Samuel and Hannah (Dibble) Lawrence, was born, in 1805, in Cayuga county, N. Y., and was the first member of the family to settle in Huron county, Ohio. In the spring of 1831 he was married, in his native State, to Rhodetna Smith, and the succeeding autumn came via Lake Erie to Sandusky, thence proceeding to Huron county, Ohio. He bought the home farm in Bronson township, and was obliged to cut a road through the woods before he could get to the place, which was cleared with the assistance of his son, Miner. The father gave his principal attention to carpentry, until obliged to retire from active life as old age approached. He is now living on the home farm in Bronson township at the age of eighty-seven years. He reared the following children: Miner, born in 1833, was married in 1865 to Julia Smith, and is now living on the home farm (they have had six children, five sons and one daughter); Alonzo E., born in 1838, was married to Jane Herrick (who has borne him one son), and is a prominent farmer of Bronson township; Addison, living in California, and Alice, widow of Hubbard Lawrence, living in Bronson township. HURON COUNTY, OHIO - 515 Timothy Lawrence, son of Samuel and Hannah (Dibble) Lawrence, was born in 1800, in Connecticut, and was a small boy when his parents moved to Cayuga county, N. Y. After attaining his majority he worked at the carpenter trade about twelve years. In 1831 he was married in New York to Calista Todd, a native of Tompkins county, N. Y., born March 6, 1812. In 1833 he came to Huron county, Ohio, and bought his present farm of 112 acres, in Lot 18, Section 4, Bronson township, the place at that time being a wild piece of heavily-wooded land. Here he resided the remainder of his life with the exception of the eight years, between 1868 and 1876, when he lived in Norwalk township. In personal appearance Timothy Lawrence was of medium size, somewhat below the average height. Politically he was originally a Whig and Abolitionist, afterward becoming a Republican, and in religious belief he was a Presbyterian. He died January 30, 1882, leaving a widow and two children—Josiah, and Mrs. Delia L. Curtis, of Calumet, Mich. The mother is yet living on the home farm. Josiah Lawrence, son of Timothy and Calista (Todd) Lawrence, was born November 9, 1834, on the home farm in Bronson township, Huron Co., Ohio. He attended the common schools, and from early boyhood has followed agricultural pursuits. In 1867 he was united in marriage with Alice Newman, a native of Indiana, who was residing in Ohio at the time of her marriage. She died in 1870, leaving two children, Eben and Mary, and in 1871 Josiah Lawrence was married to Maggie Baird, born in Monroe county, N. Y., of Scotch parents. She died in 1878, leaving one child, Yina, and for his third wife Mr. Lawrence married, in December, 1879, Nancy Rowland, of Clarksfield, Huron county. Since 1868 he has had full charge of the old place, upon which he carries on a successful business, and has added thirty-eight acres to the original tract. Politically, he is a Republican, and has served in various local offices; in religion he is a member of the Presbyterian Church. INDEX. HURON COUNTY.