4 - PHOTO OF CALEB H. GALLUP 5 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY BIOGRAPHICAL HON. CALEB HATHAWAY GALLUP. On reviewing the life record of any individual it is interesting to note something of the ancestry from which he sprang and their characteristics, and thus to find the root of his own well developed traits. A contemporary historian has given the following : "John Gallup (I) born 1590, the ancestor of most of our families of that name, came to America from the parish of Mosterne, county Dorset, England, in 1630. Just before leaving the old for New England, with solemn fasting and prayer, one hundred and forty persons at the new hospital at Plymouth, organized a Congregational church and chose Rev. John Warham and Rev. John Maverick to be their pastor and teacher, and sailed from Plymouth, England, March 20, 1630, in the Mary and John, a ship of four hundred tons, which arrived at Nantasket (now Hull), Massachusetts, May 30. "They were a very godly and religious people and many of them persons of note and figures, being dignified with the title of Mr., which few in those days were. Some of the principal men were Mr. Rosseter, Mr. Ludlow, Mr. Glover, Mr. Wolcott, Mr. Gallup and others." "His wife was Christobel (full name now unknown), and children were John (2), born in England, Joan, Samuel and Nathan. He became the owner and gave his name to Gallup's island off Boston harbor, by grant from Governor Winthrop, whose wife was a sister of Gallup's wife. A skillful mariner, he became memorable as commander of the first naval action off Block island, fought in North American waters, to avenge the murder of his friend Captain John Oldham by Indians in the famous Pequot war of 1637. His son John (2) participated in the naval engagement off Block island and in King Philip's war as a captain, led a company of soldiers into the 'fearful swamp fight' at Narragansett, December 19, 1675 (within the limits of the present town of South Kingston, Rhode Island), where he was killed. His wife was Hannah Lake and children : Hannah, John, Esther, Benadum (3), William, Samuel, Christobel, Elizabeth, Mary and Margaret. "In the colonial records at Hartford may be found the following: 'February 9, 1652-3, John Gallup in consideration and with respect unto the services his 6 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY father hath done for the country, hath given him up the river of Mistick, which side he will 300 acres of upland.' " 'February 6, 1653-4, John Gallup, hath given him a further addition to his land at Mistick, 150 acres, which he accepts of and acknowledgeth himself satisfyde for what lands he formerly laide claim unto upon the general neck as a gift of his father's, which as he saith was given to his father by General Stoughton, after the Pequott war.' "Benadum of the third generation, born in 1655, married Esther Prentice, and their children were Hannah, Esther, Mercy, Benadum (4), Joseph, Margaret and Lucy. "Lieutenant Benadum (4), born 1693, married Eunice Cobb. Their children were Benadum, Esther, Eunice, Lois, William (5), Henry, Nathan, Ebenezer, Thomas P., Hannah and Sarah.   "William of the fifth generation was living at Kingston, Pennsylvania, with seven children, in 1778, at the time of 'the Wyoming massacre.' His son Hallet, twenty-two years old, escaped death by floating down the Susquehanna river patrolled by hostile Indians, his body, under water and face between two rails grasped in his hands. Twin daughters, five years of age, were carried off by the Indians as pretty prizes, but soon recovered by ransom. He was born July 4, 1723, married Judith Reed, their children were Lydia, Hallet, Mary, William (6), Hannah, Sarah and Lucy. "William of the sixth, born at Groton, Connecticut, married Freelove Hathaway, a Philadelphia Quakeress, and had William, Hallet (7), James Devine, and Caleb Hathaway. "Hallet of the seventh generation was an artillery gunner in Captain Thomas' company of Pennsylvania volunteers and served under General William Henry Harrison in the war of 1812. He was born 1796, married Clarissa Benedict, daughter of Platt and Salley DeForest Benedict, first settlers 0f Norwalk. Their children were Catherine, Mariah, Lydia, Carroll, Sarah, Eliza, Caleb Hathaway (8), and Elizabeth F." Caleb Hathaway Gallup is a representative of the eighth generation of Gallups in America and was born in Norwalk, Ohio, May 10, 1834. He was reared to hard work on a farm and his first school experience was in the Norwalk Union schools, which he attended during the winters of 1850, 1851 and 1852. In 1853, he filled a position in the office of the Huron county clerk and then, resuming his interrupted education, matriculated at Denison University, Granville, Ohio, in 1854, entering for the scientific course. In the fall of that year, he was transferred to the same class and course at Madison University, now Colgate, at Hamilton, New York, where he promoted the founding of Mu chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. On the completion of his course, he was graduated in 1856 with the degree of Bachelor of Science and followed this by preparations for the bar as a student in the office of Worcester & Pennewell in Norwalk, Ohio. There he remained until the fall of 1857, when he entered the law school of the Cincinnati College and was graduated therefrom with the Bachelor of Law degree on the Nth of April, 1858. Mr. Gallup was admitted to practice before the bar of Michigan, July 19, 1859, and in 1860 was elected prosecuting attorney of Huron county, Michigan, which HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 7 office he held by re-election for ten consecutive years. During that same period, in 1866-7, he represented his district in the state legislature and left the impress of his individuality and clear insight into public affairs upon the legislative enactments of that section. Among other laws and resolutions enacted on his initiation, was a law for the relief of a stranded colony of educated Germans, an offshoot or protege of the "Economites" of Harmony, Pennsylvania, giving the head of each family a forty-acre homestead of state lands. He also introduced a law appropriating ten sections of state land for the navigable improvement 0f the outlet of the River Du Fill in Huron county, Michigan, and a joint resolution calling for the construction by the general government of a harbor of refuge o. Lake Huron at or near Point Au Barques. Mr. Gallup's labors and efforts throughout his entire life have largely been of service to the general public. In 1868 he procured by personal solicitation of resident citizens along the route the donation and erection of seventy miles of telegraph poles, from Lexington to Port Austin, Michigan, and through his influence, with Anson Stager, of the Western Union Telegraph Company, the completion of the first telegraph line of the west coast of Lake Huron—a work that has been of immeasurable benefit to the citizens 0f that locality. In the meantime, Mr. Gallup had done military service as deputy United States marshal, from 1863 to 1865 inclusive, in which connection, he was active in enforcing the draft during the war. He was himself drafted, but was ordered back to the service of the marshal. Again he was identified with military affairs, when in 1877 he became a member of the Ohio National Guard and so continued for five years, or until 1882. Mr. Gallup has been married twice. He first wedded Kate V. Vredenburgh, a representative of an old New York Dutch family, the wedding being celebrated Jun 20, 1860. They had one son, Richard Carroll, who was nineteen months old at the time of the mother's death, on the 25th of May, On the 3d of November, 1869, Mr. Gallup wedded Helen Alphena Glover, a niece of the Hon. Joel Parker, "war governor" of New Jersey. The death of his second wife, April 8, 1872, leaving him with a daughter, Mabel Parker, eighteen months old, and a son, Herbert Alpheus, four days old, caused his return to his old home in Norwalk, Ohio. Since again taking up his abode in Norwalk, Mr. Gallup has been prominently and actively interested in business affairs and in other interests relating to the welfare and progress of the community. From 1873 until 1883, he was connected with the promotion and construction of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad, and for three years, beginning in 1877, served on its board of directors. In 1888, he was associated with other substantial business men in founding the financially successful Home Savings & Loan Company of Norwalk, at which time he was chosen president and one of the directors, his official connection therewith continuing to the present. He has also extended his efforts to other fields of activity, becoming one of the directors and a member of the executive committee of the Toledo, Fremont & Norwalk Electric Railway at the time of its construction in 1899. He thus served until its sale in 1901 to the Lake Shore Electric Company. Few men have taken so active a part in the work of general progress and improvement as Mr. Gallup. All matters of general concern elicit his interest 8 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY and whenever his judgment sanctions, he gives to a measure his hearty support and co-operation. In 1877, he became a life member of the Whittlesey Academy of Arts and Sciences, and since 1878, has served as a member of its board of trustees, acting as chairman of the board throughout the entire time and as treasurer of the institution, since 1901. In 1879, he wrote a history of Norwalk for W. W. Williams' "History of Huron and Erie Counties," and because of his deep research into the annals of the county, no man is more competent to write upon historical subjects in this locality, than he. Mr. Gallup has also been a life member of the Firelands Historical Society since 1876 and a member of its board of trustees, librarian, curator of its museum and editor of its publications, since 1888. In 1889, he became a member of the board of trustees of the Huron county Children's Home Association and has been its treasurer since 1902. He is likewise a member of the Young Men's Library and Reading Room Association, of Norwalk, controlling the Free Public Library, and has been a member of its board of trustees and chairman of its executive committee, since 1903. He is a member of the Norwalk Board of Commerce and of the National Geographical Society, and is a life member of the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society, of which he was elected a member of its board of trustees and executive com mittee on the 2d of March, 1909. Hon. E. 0. Randall, secretary and editor of that society, in comment on his selection as a trustee said : "Mr. Gallup is known throughout the country for his historical scholarship and for the active and extensive work he has done in connection with the Firelands Historical Society, of which he has been an influential and official member for a number of years. He has always been an enthusiastic student of Ohio and western history and has written much that is interesting and accurate concerning the early settlement of the Buckeye state." CHARLES P. WICKHAM. Charles P. Wickham, who by the consensus of public opinion is regarded as a high type of American manhood and citizenship, has for many years been engaged in the practice of law in Norwalk and throughout the entire period has been numbered among the representative members of the Huron county bar. His birth occurred in this city, September 15, 1836. He is the oldest of the thirteen children of Judge Frederick and Lucy (Preston) Wickham, both of whom were descended from Puritan ancestry. In the paternal line was Governor Winthrop, an early colonial governor of Massachusetts. The first representative of the Wickham family in the middle west was William Wickham, a native of Rhode Island, who with an instinctive love of the sea, settled on the shores of Lake Ontario at Sodus Point. His four sons, John, Thomas, Frederick and Samuel Wickham, were there reared and when they had attained their majority, all except Thomas removed to Huron, situated on one of Lake Erie's natural harbors. Samuel Wickham sailed on the lakes, being thus engaged up to the time of his death. John Wickham engaged in lake commerce and was also the owner of one of the largest fish packing establishments on the lake. Frederick Wickham 9 - PHOTO OF CHARLES P. WICKHAM 10 - BLANK HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 11 removed to Norwalk and later became proprietor of the Norwalk Reflector, a paper which had been established as the Huron Reflector by Samuel Preston, whose daughter Lucy he had married. In the roomy, old-fashioned house in the center of the town, the upper floor of which was used as a printing office, were born the six sons and seven daughters of this marriage. This number included Charles P. Wickham who, after acquiring his early education in the public schools, attended the Norwalk Academy. He longed for a college education, but the expense attending, the support of a large family, prevented the father from enabling the son to carry out his wishes in this direction. He prepared for a professional career by attending the Cincinnati Law School, from which he was graduated in April, 1858. He then entered upon the active practice of his profession in his native state and, with the exception of the period spent at the front during the Civil war, has been a continuous representative of the Huron county bar to the present time. He is widely recognized as one of the most important, best known and highly respected lawyers in this part of the state, confining his attention to the active practice of his profession. He is the president and director of the A. B. Chase Company, of Norwalk, manufacturers of pianos. In August, 1860, Mr. Wickham was united in marriage to Miss Emma J. Wildman, a daughter of Frederick A. and Mariette (Patch) Wildman, natives of Danbury, Connecticut. By this union there are six living children, four sons and two daughters, namely : Charles P., Jr., who is a general life insurance agent at Norwalk ; Grace W., the wife of C. C. Curran, a well known artist of New York city ; Louis W., an attorney at law and late prosecuting attorney of Huron county Winthrop H., a mining engineer and merchandise broker, now residing in Denver, Colorado ; Romeyn D., a practicing attorney, who is now in partnership with his father ; and Mary G., at home. In September, 1861, Mr. Wickham bade adieu to his young wife and with patriotic ardor, offered his services to the government, enlisting as a member of the Fifty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served for four years. He rose from private through the ranks of first lieutenant, captain and major to that of lieutenant colonel, receiving in addition thereto a brevet commission direct from the president, "for gallant and meritorious services in Georgia and the Carolinas." He participated in a number of important engagements, including the second battle of Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mission Ridge, Resaca, Peach Tree Creek and all of the campaign from Chattanooga to Atlanta, including the siege and surrender of the latter place, followed by the march to the sea, which exposed the weakness of the southern Confederacy. He inspired the soldiers under him with much of his own valor and bravery and made a most creditable record throughout his long military experience. He is a valued member of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Loyal Legion. At the close of the war Colonel Wickham returned to Norwalk and entered upon the private practice of his profession. In 1866, he was elected prosecuting attorney of the county and two years later was re-elected, so that his incumbency continued until 1871. In 1880, he was elected judge of the common pleas court of the fourth judicial district, was re-elected in 1885, and sat upon the bench until 1886, when he resigned to become a candidate for congress from the four- 12 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY teenth district. He Ns elected in that year and re-elected in 1888, proving an active working member in the national halls of legislation. It is a notable fact that to each office to which he has been called, he has also been re-elected-proof positive of his ability and fidelity in the discharge of his duties. His entire official service has been in the direct path of his profession and the record is an untarnished one. Since his retirement from office, he has continuously and successfully practiced in Norwalk and has ever maintained a foremost place in the ranks of her leading attorneys. He is a man of broad scholarly attainments, an able speaker at the bar, in congress and on public occasions on which he has been called to address the people at large. He stands as a splendid representative of American manhood and citizenship, a high type of the Christian gentleman who is actuated in all that he does by lofty purposes and principles. HAMILTON A. LOWTHER. Hamilton A. Lowther, a farmer of Greenfield township and the owner of ninety acres of land on which he lives, was born in this township about half a mile from his present place of residence in a southerly direction February 4, 1861, was the day of his birth and Jackson and Susan (Tower) Lowther were his parents. His paternal great-grandfather was a resident of New York city and was a prize fighter by profession. He achieved quite a reputation in his day for physical strength and prowess, and his name was frequently that of the victor in boxing contests. He was also a man of considerable wealth, which he one time put to the service of a friend, only to find that his trust was misplaced, for the latter jumped his bond and Mr. Lowther had to forfeit the sum of money he had guaranteed. His son Edward came to this part of Ohio from New York at an early day. He secured a grant of land from the government and immediately set about clearing it and making it ready for habitation. For lack of a better home he lived for many years in a log cabin which he had himself erected. His son, Jackson Lowther, the father of our subject, was born here and has passed all his life in this county. His wife was also of Ohio nativity, Sandusky having been her birthplace. Her cares as a faithful wife and mother were brought to an end in 1904, and a husband and three children have since mourned her loss. The latter are Hamilton A.; Hermie, the wife of Elvin McCord, of Sherwood, Ohio ; and Nora, the wife of Henry White of this county. Mr. Lowther still follows farming despite his seventy years and is a member of the Universalist church. This township has always been the home of Hamilton A. Lowther, and to the schools here does he owe the education he was able to acquire in the intervals between the busy seasons on the farm, for he was reared at home and early was given his tasks to perform about the house and in the fields. He follows diversified farming, which has brought him more than a mere living. Of late years the hard work has been lightened by the assistance of his sons, who are promising young men and display an aptitude for farming. On the 17th of December, 1889, was performed the ceremony that made Hamilton A. Lowther and Miss Nellie Fewson man and wife. Mrs. Lowther is a HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 13 daughter of Michael and Sarah (Daly) Fewson, well known citizens of Greenfield township. Three children have been born of this union : James, Harry and Jay, all of whom live at home. A hard worker, a careful manager and thrifty farmer, Mr. Lowther is one of those that raise the standard of Greenfield township as a great farming community. MRS. AMANDA J. SKILTON. I Mrs. Amanda J. Skilton, a well known and highly esteemed resident of Ridgefield township, making her home on her farm of sixty-five acres, was born at Galion, Crawford county, Ohio, her parents being John S. and Catharine (Neff) Davis. The family is an old one in this country, several representatives of the name having participated in the Revolutionary war. The place on which Mrs. Skilton lives is a portion of the original farm belonging to her great-grandfather, John Sowers, who owned seven hundred acres of land. The grandfather, John Sowers, was an early settler of Huron county, coming here in 1814. John S. Davis, the father of Mrs. Skilton, was born in Maryland in 18o8 and passed away in the year 1888. His wife, whose birth occurred in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, in 1822, was called to her final rest in 189o. Their family numbered four children, namely: John S. Jr., who is now deceased ; Amanda J., of this review ; Kittie Belle, who has also passed away ; and Mary E., who gave her hand in marriage to Thomas Latham and now resides in Monroeville, Ohio. In 1865, at Galion, Ohio, Amanda J. Davis was united in marriage to Alva. S. Skilton, a son of Elijah and Elizabeth (Wilson) Skilton, of Ravenna, Ohio. At the time of the Civil war Alva S. Skilton enlisted for service in the Union army, returning home at the end of his three months' term. A short time afterward he reenlisted and was soon made captain of Company I, Fifty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He underwent all of the hardships, privations and dangers incident to the life of a soldier, participated in a number of hotly contested engagements and was also a prisoner for a time. At the battle of Pittsburg Landing he received a wound and was sent home to recuperate, again joining the army when his health had been restored. He was captured at Atlanta and was on his way to be exchanged as a prisoner of war when the news of Lincoln's assassination was received. When hostilities had ceased and the supremacy of the Union had been established he returned to Galion and in 1866 came to Monroeville, Ohio, where he became engaged in the grain business and conducted an elevator. For a number of years he was also an engineer on the Big Four Railroad and was widely recognized as a most substantial, progressive and respected citizen of his community. His political allegiance was given to the republican party, while his religious faith was indicated by his membership in the Episcopal church, in which he served as junior warden. He attained the Knight Templar degree in Masonry and organized the G. A. R. post at Monroeville, of which he was the first commander. His death occurred July 27, 1887. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Skilton were born four children. John D , living in Cheshire, Connecticut, wedded Miss Ida Beistle, of Pennsylvania, by whom he had three 14 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY children: Henry A.; Jane D., who is deceased; and John D. He is a graduate of the public schools of Monroeville, the Kenyon College and also of Divinity School at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and for a number of years was assistant rector to Dr. Bates of St. Paul's church at Cleveland. Later he was assistant rector at the American church at Nice, France, but is now headmaster of the schools of Cheshire, Connecticut. Elizabeth, the second child of Mr. and Mrs. Skilton, attended Oberlin College and now makes her home with her mother. Mary Grace, who obtained her education in the schools of Gambier, gave her hand in marriage to Clarence L. Powley and resides at Monroeville. Catharine, the youngest member of the family, who likewise acquired her education at Gambier, lives with her mother. The different members of the family belong to the Episcopal church, in the, work of which they are deeply and helpfully interested. Mrs. Skilton and two of her daughters live in a commodious and attractive brick residence on her farm of sixty-five acres in Ridgefield township and the place is lacking in none of the equipments and accessories of a model farming property of the twentieth century. She has an extensive circle of friends throughout the community where she has now long resided, her many good traits of heart and mind having endeared her to all with whom she has come in contact. C. A. SCHEID. A well improved and highly developed farm of one hundred and forty acres, situated in Sherman township, is the home of C. A. Scheid. His birth occurred in February, 1867, and he has remained a resident of Sherman township throughout his entire life. His parents, Jacob and Barbara (Beilstein) Scheid, who were natives of Germany, became early settlers of Huron county, Ohio. Their family numbered ten children, namely : William and Elizabeth, both of whom are now deceased ; Emma ; C. A., of this review ; Henry ; Minnie ; George ; John ; Fred ; and Albert. C. A. Scheid attended the district schools until twelve years of age and then became identified with general agricultural pursuits, in which he has been successfully engaged to the present time. In 1906 he bought his present farm of one hundred and forty acres from his father and has since been busily engaged in its operation, the well tilled fields annually yielding golden harvests of grain. Everything at out the place indicates that he is in touch with the modern spirit of progress which is manifest in agricultural lines. On the 21 st of October, 1897, Mr. Scheid was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Boehler, a daughter of William and Mary Boehler, residents of Monroeville, Ohio. She was the eldest in a family of eight children, her brothers and sisters being as follows : Anna, who has passed away ; August ; Minnie, who is likewise deceased ; Amanda ; Edith ; Karl, and Elmer. Mr. and Mrs. Scheid now have four children: Mabel, who was born in 1897; Ada, whose birth occurred in 1899 ; Marion, born in 1904 and Olive, in 1905. HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 15 Mr. Scheid gives his political support to the men and measures of the republican party and has served as road supervisor, in which position he proved a most capable and faithful incumbent. He and his family are all members of the Lutheran church. His life has been one of continuous activity, in which has been accorded due recognition of labor, and today he is numbered among the substantial citizens of his community. His interests are thoroughly identified with those of Huron county and at all times he is ready to lend his aid and cooperation to any movement calculated to benefit this section of the country or advance its wonderful development. ED. L. YOUNG. Ed. L. Young, editor of The Bee Hive national organ of the Knights of the Maccabees of the World, was born in New Haven, Huron county, Ohio, January 19, 1864, his parents being Morgan and Amelia (House) Young. The father was born March 9, 1819, and the mother's birth occurred April 20, 1823. The father, Morgan Young, for a time attended the old Norwalk Academy, in which school his future wife was at the same time a student. They were married on the 29th of November, 1846, and established their home at North Monroeville, Ohio, where Mr. Young engaged in general farming ; they moved to New Haven, Huron county, some years after. Unto him and his wife were born eight children, namely : Lucy, who was born October 5, 1847 ; Louisa, October 22, 1848 ; Mehetta, December 15, 1852 ; Julius N., November 7, 1854 ; Albert, March To, 1857 ; Clara, who was born June 5, 1861, and died September 6, 1863 ; and Ed. L. and Edna, twins, whose birth occurred January 19, 1864. The death of the husband and father occurred September 24, 1884 in Ripley township ; the mother is still living. In the common schools, Ed. L. Young mastered the early branches of English learning and subsequently engaged in teaching. He has always been of a studious nature and his reading and research have covered a wide range. Leaving the teacher's profession, he entered the field of journalism in Norwalk and was with The Chronicle for eight years, four of these as editor. He became state manager for the Knights of the Maccabees of the World in 1892, and in 1901, became the national editor of the order, retaining position as manager for Ohio also. When he assumed the office of manager the order numbered four thousand in Ohio and thirteen thousand in the United States. Now there is a membership of thirty-seven thousand in Ohio, with three hundred thousand in the country, representing three hundred and fifty million dollars in insurance, protection of members in five thousand tents. Mr. Young's advocacy of the order through the columns of the paper has done not a little to further its interests and he is widely and favorably known among the representatives of the fraternity in this country. On the l0th of March, 1884, Mr. Young was married to Miss Carrie M. Houfstetter, a native of Ripley township, Huron county, and a daughter of Jacob M. and Rowena (Carpenter) Houfstetter, who were pioneer residents of 16 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY this county. Her grandfather, Rev. Orson Center, was one of the early Baptist preachers of this part of the state. Mr. and Mrs. Young have become parents of two children: Ethel M., who was born March 10, 1885, and died April 2, 1891 ; and Arthur F., who was born July 31, 1889, and is now a law student in Western Reserve University. Mr. Young is identified with several other organizations in addition to the Maccabees, being now affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Masonic fraternity, in which he has attained the Knight Templar degree. He is a man of good business ability, who is now bending his energies to administrative direction and executive control as manager of the paper which has the support of and is the expression of the best interests of the Knights of the Maccabees. D. W. RUMBAUGH, M. D. Dr. D. W. Rumbaugh, president of the Huron County Medical Association, who has successfully practiced in Huron county since 1878, opening his office in Chicago Junction in 1891, was born in Wayne county, Pennsylvania, August 24, 1846. His father, Isaac Rumbaugh, was a native of Northampton county, Pennsylvania, born December 23, 1815, and in 1819, he accompanied his parents on their removal to Chester township, Wayne county, Ohio. The mother of the Doctor was Mrs. Mary Rumbaugh, who was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and arrived in Green township, Wayne county, Ohio, in 1835. On the 8th of March, 1838, she gave her hand in marriage to Isaac Rumbaugh and they have become the parents of five children. The father lived and died in Wayne county, passing away in 1888. He had long survived his wife who died in 1851. Tracing back the ancestral history of the family, we learn that the first Rumbaughs in America, were located here in 1764, in which year three brothers sailed from Germany and settled in Connecticut. Of these Henry and Solomon Rumbaugh served as loyal soldiers of the American army in the Revolutionary war, while the other brother, David Rumbaugh, went to Canada and was never heard from again. In 1797, Henry Rumbaugh settled in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, and was the father of twenty-five children, all of whom married and reared families. Dr. Rumbaugh, a decendant of that family, was educated in the public schools, continuing his studies until he was graduated from the Smithville (Ohio) high school. Eventually, he pursued a course in the university at Canton, Missouri, and then, taking up the study of medicine, attended lectures and studied at Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery. He was graduated from the medical department of the University of Wooster at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1873, and commenced practice in Polk, Ashland county, where he remained for five years. On the expiration of that period, he opened an office at Greenwich, Huron county, where he remained from 1878 until 1891. In that year, he came to Chicago Junction and has in the intervening years, sustained an enviable reputation as one of the leading practitioners of the county. His patronage is continually 17 - PHOTO OF DR. D. W. RUMBAUGH 18 - BLANK HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 19 increasing, for he has given proof of his ability to successfully cope with the intricate problems that continually confront the physician. In the diagnosis of his cases, he is very careful and his professional brethren entertain high respect for his judgment. Moreover, he closely conforms to a high standard of professional ethics. In addition to his private practice, he is acting as surgeon for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company and he belongs to the Association of Baltimore & Ohio Railway Surgeons, to the International Association of Railway Surgeons, to the American Medical Association, to the Ohio State Medical Association and to the Huron County Medical Society, being president of the last named. On the 23d of March, 1871, Dr. Rumbaugh was married to Miss Sarah A. Jones, who died in 1883 and in 1888, he was again married, his second union being with Jennie Graham, a native of Greenfield township, Huron county, and a daughter of Alexander Graham, one of the earliest settlers of this part of the state. There were three children of the first marriage : Hattie 0., now the wife of Thomas McMahon ; Samuel C.; and Bertha M., now Mrs. Keith Van Horn, of Chicago, Ohio. Dr. Rumbaugh has always been an active democrat and has ever taken a helpful interest in party work, doing everything in his power to promote the growth and insure the success of the party. While living at Polk, he served as a member of the board of education and also of the town council. He rendered similar service at Greenwich and at Chicago Junction and has likewise served as a member of the board of public affairs in this place. His work has at all times been of a beneficial nature, being actuated by a public-spirited devotion to the general good. Fraternally Dr. Rumbaugh is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is a Mason of high rank, belonging to Golden Rule Lodge, No. 562, F. & A. M. ; Golden Rule Chapter, No. 167, R. A. M. ; Norwalk Commandery, No. 18, K. T. ; and. Lake Erie Consistory and is also a director in the Chicago, Ohio Temple Company. He is in thorough sympathy with the beneficent spirit of the craft, which is based upon mutual helpfulness and brotherly kindness and in practice, he utilizes the opportunities to bring its principles into active play. ASHER M. COLE. Asher M. Cole is the sole owner of the beautiful homestead property of one hundred and twenty-five acres just outside of the city limits of Norwalk whereon the Cole family has lived for many years. He is one of the best known citizens of Huron county, respected and honored wherever known and most of all where best known. In tracing the ancestry of the family we find that the first authentic record is of one John Cole, who was born in England in 1670. His son and namesake, born in the same country in 1705, came to America in colonial days and spent the latter portion of his life in Connecticut. He was twice married, his first wife being a sister of Benjamin Franklin, while his second wife, bore the maiden name of Mary Brown. John Cole was the father of six children, two sons and four daughters, the eldest of whom was John, while the second was named Thomas. The lat- 20 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY ter was born in Windham county, Connecticut, August 25, 1735, and on the 7th of December, 1757, he married Miss Miriam Kinne, by whom he had the following children: Silas, Amos, Spencer, Levi, Thomas, Jeremiah, Samuel, Mary, Eunice and Marion. The descendants of this family are very numerous and are scattered throughout many portions of the United States. Levi Cole, the fourth son of Thomas and Miriam (Kinne) Cole, was born November 30, 1766, in Windham county, Connecticut, was married November 25, 1790, and died in Norwalk, Ohio, February 11, 1820. His wife, Hannah Kinne, was born in Windham county, Connecticut, July 24, 1770, and died at Norwalk, Ohio, February 27, 1840. They had seven sons and two daughters, namely : Jeremiah, born March 7, 1795, came to Ohio in 1815 and died July 30, 1818 ; Asher, born April 23, 1797, came to Ohio in 1816 and died November 4, 1830 ; James, who was born April 25, 1799, and came to Ohio in 1816, was married January 15, 1824, to Miss Philena Johnson, who was born October 4, 1802, and they had four sons and one daughter : Albert, born October 2, 1824 ; Bryan, who was born March 7, 1828, and died May 10, 1863 ; Starry H., who was born March 6, 1831, and died October 30, 1876, after having served for ninety days as a soldier of Company B, One Hundred Sixty-sixth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with the rank of second lieutenant ; George W., who was born February 22, 1835 and died January 6, 1893, after having served for three years in the Third Ohio Cavalry ; and Maria, who was born August 13, 1841, and died January 1, 1892. The father of these children died December 26, 1881, and the mother passed away on the 30th of April of the same year. Levi Cole, Jr., son of Levi Cole, Sr., was born March 23, 1801, came to Ohio in 1816, and died in Richfield township, Huron county. Miner, born July 26, 1803, came to Ohio in 1816 and died in Norwalk. Manley K., born February 11, 1807, came to Ohio in 1816. Lyman, born March 10, 1810, arrived in this state in 1816 and died October 10, 1853. The daughters were Hannah, who was born March I 1, 1792, and died August 24, 1795 ; and Ardelia, who was born December 4, 1811, and died May 8, 1812. In 1813 Levi Cole, Sr., was living in Herkimer county, New York, where he met with financial reverses after his marriage and in that year, in company with Major David Underhill and Timothy Baker, he came to Ohio to look at lands owned by Mr. Underhill in Richfield township, Huron county. The land and prospect suited him and he arranged for the purchase of a tract adjoining the farm of Sidney Brown, after which he returned home. In 1815 he again came to Ohio accompanied by his son Jeremy, by Horace Morse, Dr. Joseph Pierce and David Underhill. He at once erected a house on his land, began clearing away the timber and otherwise prepared for bringing his family the next year. In the fall, leaving his son Jeremy to look after the place and continue the improvements, he returned home. During this visit, on the 16th of July, 1815, Levi Cole, with Major Underhill and Dr. Joseph Pierce, brushed out a trail, or road, from Abijah Comstock's place to the Sand Ridge, now Norwalk. At night they returned to Mr. Comstock's home and the next day started out and completed their work through the Underhill place on the 17th. This was the first highway labor done on Main street. They followed the old Indian trail, which came out on the Ridge road somewhere between Main and Chatham streets. In January, 1816, Mr. Cole and Major Underhill started with their families and such goods and supplies as they might re- HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 21 quire in their new homes, with six teams and sleighs, three to each family. The party contained twenty people. After spending six weeks on the road, including a five days rest at Avery, the old county seat, they reached Major Underhill's place on the 22d of February, 1816. The Huron river was then so high that Mr. Cole could not cross with his family and teams to his own house, so he took them to the home of Dr. Pierce and soon afterward purchased the place and remained there as long as he lived. In 1818 Mr. Cole took a prominent part in the movement which culminated in-the removal of the county seat to Norwalk. On February 9, 1820, Mr, Cole was engaged in hauling a large saw log and one of his legs, owing to an accident in unloading, was caught between the logs and so terribly crushed that he died two days afterward. Levi and Hannah Cole had several children, of whom the following is a brief record : Colonel Asher Cole, the second son, was married January 6, 1828, to Narcissa Lawrence and they had a son, Asher, who was born November 12, 1828, and on October 19, 1859, married Miss Sarah J. Purdy. He died May 29, 1885, leaving a widow and seven children. Miner Cole, the fifth son, was boyn July 26, 1803, in Herkimer county, .New York, where he received his school training. In 1816 he came to Huron county, Ohio, with his father, making his home on a farm of one hundred acres m Norwalk township. In addition to his elementary education he attended Norwalk Academy for one term and further improved his mind by home study and close observation of men and events. On July 30, 1840, he married Miss Mary A. Allen, of Ripley township, born November 7, 1819, a daughter of Hiram Allen, of near Utica, New York. After his marriage Miner Cole continued to engage in general agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred August 20, 1885. He was a republican in politics and served his township faithfully as a trustee. Asher M. Cole, the only son of Miner Cole, was born November 19, 1843, on the farm in Norwalk township which he now owns and occupies. He attended the public schools of the neighborhood and at the same time was trained to the work of the farm under his father's direction. He was twenty years of age when in response to the country's call for troops he offered his services to the government and was mustered in on the 15th of May, 1864, as a member of Company B, One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was first engaged on garrison duty at Arlington Heights, where he remained until September of the same year when his term of enlistment expired and he was honorably discharged. Prior to joining the United States Volunteer army he served for some time with the Home Guards. On the 5th of March, 1869, Asher M. Cole was married to Miss Louisa E. Channing, who was born in Somersetshire, England, November 21, 1846, and at the age of five years was brought to Huron county, Ohio, where her youthful days were spent upon a farm. They had one child, Miner A. Cole, born August 26, 1880. During the same year they adopted a bright little boy of six years, named Orill Allen, a distant relative. Miner A. Cole, the son, was married May 11, 1902, to Miss Elizabeth M. Fisher, whose birth occurred May 2, 1886. They have a charming little daughter, Verna Louise K. Cole. Orill A. Cole, the legally adopted son, married Miss Carrie Cassady, who was educated at Akron, Ohio. She is a daughter of Frank and Sarah Cassady, and has two children, Winfred Elizabeth 22 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY and Allen Cassady. Orill A. Cole occupies a fine position in Toronto, Canada, and is making steady progress in the business world. With the exception of the time which he spent as a soldier in the Civil war, Asher M. Cole remained upon the home farm with his parents until he reached his majority, at which time his father gave him a team and some farming tools, and he then began operating the old homestead. He was there busily employed in carrying on general agricultural pursuits until 1881, when he rented a farm, paying five hundred dollars per year, for a term of five years, and also taking care of his father in his declining days, or until the father's demise. After the expiration of his lease Asher M. Cole became sole owner of the beautiful homestead property of one hundred and twenty-five acres, lying just outside the corporation limits of Norwalk. His son is now operating the farm and living at home with his parents. Mr. Cole has always been interested in the cause of education and for several terms has acceptably served as a member of the school board. He has been a successful farmer and a most useful and well known representative of Huron county's broad minded citizens. Both he and his wife are members of the Universalist church and he gives his political allegiance to the republican party. His life has at all times been an upright one and he is justly accounted among the most honored and respected citizens of Norwalk township. HARRY H. AND WILLARD E. MARSH. Harry H. and Willard E. Marsh are successfully engaged in the conduct of a dry goods establishment in Norwalk under the firm style of The Marsh Company. Their paternal grandparents were Abram Reynolds and Sarah L. Marsh, the former born at Rahway, New Jersey, on the 8th of July, 1800, while the latter's birth occurred in Orange, New Jersey, March 8, 1802. After coming to this state Abram R. Marsh made his home for many years on a farm in Ridgefield township, Huron county, and was more than ninety years of age when called to his final rest. For a long period he acted as an elder in the Presbyterian church, the teachings of which he exemplified in his daily life, his upright and honorable career winning him the regard and admiration of all with whom he was associated. The maternal grandfather of H. H. and W. E. Marsh was Jonas Hinkley, who was born in Elizabethtown, Essex county, New York, September 21, 1816, and accompanied his parents on their removal to Huron, Ohio, in 1841. He and his brother, Philander Hinkley, were awarded the contract for the construction of the first railroad through Huron and he was also engaged in mercantile pursuits there for several years. The year of 1859 witnessed his arrived in Norwalk and during the period of his residence here he devoted his time and energies to perfecting a number of practical and useful inventions which had long occupied his attention and which he eventually succeeded in patenting. He was a man of considerable inventive genius and one of the most expert mechanics in the country and was the originator of a sewing machine which was afterward 23 - PHOTO OF CHARLES E. MARSH 24 - BLANK HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 25 manufactured in Norwalk by the firm of Hinkley & Wildman. He realized quite a fortune through his invention of the first knitting machine for the knitting of hosiery—a machine that was manufactured at Biddeford, Maine. Many other useful, valuable and original devices were the outcome of his mechanical skill and ingenuity, including a carpet sweeper. He was a great reader of books and papers bearing upon mechanics and sciences and his wonderful mind was wholly absorbed in study and investigation along these lines. Though quiet and retiring in disposition, he was very entertaining in manner and speech and his genial, kindly nature made him popular with a large circle of friends. His demise occurred when he had reached the ripe old age of seventy-five years. Charles E. Marsh, the father of, the gentlemen whose names initiate this review, was born in Coshocton, Ohio, on the 28th of August, 1840, and was one of a large family of children. In 186o he made his way to Norwalk, securing a clerkship in the dry goods house of Beardsley & Brother, with whom he continued until 1862, when he enlisted for service in the Union army as a member of the One Hundred and First Ohio Infantry. His health failing, however, he was eventually honorably discharged on account of physical disability. Returning to Norwalk, he again entered the employ of Beardsley & Brother and subsequently worked in a clerical capacity for Watson & Lovrien and Wooster & Patrick. In 1872, feeling that his training and experience in mercantile lines justified him in starting out in business life on his own account, he established a dry goods store in association with Mrs. S. B. Pease. In 1880 the style of the firm was changed to Marsh & Jackson and in 1887 became known as Marsh & Bloxham, thus continuing until the death of the partners, Mr. Marsh passing away on the 21st of June, 1906, while A. T. Bloxham died in the following November, Mr. Marsh was probably one of the best salesmen and judges of dry goods in the country. He established his mercantile enterprise on borrowed capital but as the years went by won a most gratifying measure of prosperity as the result of his well directed and untiring energy, guided by sound judgment and keen discrimination. Brooking no obstacles that honest effort could overcome, he steadily worked his way upward until he gained a place among the leading merchants of the county. His personal characteristics, too, were such as commanded the admiration and respect of all with whom he came in contact and in Norwalk, where he made his home for almost a half century, he was well known and highly esteemed as one of its most honored residents. On the 7th of February, 1866, Charles E. Marsh was united in marriage to Miss Ellen A. Hinkley, a daughter of Jonas Hinkley, who was of Scotch descent. The birth of Mrs. Marsh occurred in 1844, and by her marriage she became the mother of four children, all of whom obtained their preliminary education in Norwalk. Harry H. is the eldest son of the family. Charles R., who attended business college at Poughkeepsie, New York, and also a military school at Roslyn, Long Island, is now a manufacturer of wire specialties in Cleveland. As a companion and helpmate on the journey of life he chose Miss Alice Widlar. Willard E. is the next in order of birth. Lewis C., the youngest son of Charles E. and Ellen A. (Hinkley) Marsh, was called to his final rest in 1898. Harry H. Marsh completed his education in a private school at Buffalo and is now ,at the head of the extensive dry goods enterprise established by his father, 26 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY the business being at present conducted under the name of The Marsh Company. The house enjoys an extensive and profitable patronage, owing to its straightforward and reliable business policy. In 1891 was celebrated the marriage of H. H. Marsh and Miss Clara C. Poor, a daughter of Richard D. Poor, of old New England stock. By this union there are two children, Richard C. and Irene C. When a lad of sixteen years Willard E. Marsh took up the study of photography and for thirteen years remained a successful representative of that art. Since the death of his father, however, he has been associated with his brother in the conduct and management of the Marsh dry goods establishment and, like his brother, is recognized throughout the community as a most substantial, enterprising and progressive business man and citizen. On the 26th of October, 1906, he wedded Miss Bessie M. Watts, a daughter of Joseph Watts, of Oakharbor, Ohio. They have a little daughter, Asenath R., born June 24, 1908. AMOS K. EASTMAN. Amos K. Eastman, who is well known in agricultural circles, owning and cultivating eighty-eight acres of good land in Peru township, is numbered among the native sons of the county, his birth having occurred March 9, 1884, in the house in which he now resides. He is a son of Elbridge G. E. Eastman, who was born in Bronson township, Huron county, April 17, 1838. He has always remained a resident of Ohio and is now living in Richland county. He is a son of Seba A. Eastman, who came from Vermont and settled in Crawford county, Ohio. About 1835 he removed to Greenfield township, Huron county, and was identified with farming interests in this locality until his death, which occurred in Peru township in 185o. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Mary Jane Kendall and came from New York to Ohio with her parents, Amos and Mary J. (Richy) Kendall, the family settling in Peru township about 1848. Mrs. Eastman is still living at the age of sixty-three years, her birth having occurred June 9, 1846. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Elbridge Eastman were born four children, namely : Effie G., who married J. W. Billiard, of Seneca county, Ohio ; Grace, who married Henry Sulser, of Marion county, Ohio, and had four children, Cleo, Kasia, Garry, and Bernice, who has passed away. Garry E., residing with his parents, who married Ida Boose, by whom he has the following children: Wayne, Gladys, Alice and Bernice and Amos K., of this review. Amos K. Eastman has always resided upon the farm which is now his home, his father having purchased the property from Laurence Ott. Since the son came into possession of the place he has made a number of substantial improvements thereon and his farm is regarded as one of the desirable properties of the county. He is diligent, persistent and practical in all that he undertakes and has been quite successful in cultivating the cereals best adapted to soil and climate. Throughout his entire life he has engaged in farming and his broad practical experience and undaunted energy make him a leading agriculturist of the community. HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 27 Amos K. Eastman was united in marriage to Elnora M. Smith, a daughter of Ambrose and Libby (Shild) Smith, of Peru township, the wedding being celebrated on the 4th of June, 1908. They now have a little daughter, Elizabeth Jane Lola, born on the 6th of July, 1909. Mr. Eastman is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees, belonging to the tent at Norwalk. Both he and his wile have a wide circle of warm friends in the community and are popular among those who know them. THOMAS J. BROWN. Thomas J. Brown, a prosperous farmer and stock man of Clarksfield township, was born March 16, 1848, in Sherman township, Huron county, and is the son of William and Elizabeth (Greer) Brown, the former of whom was born in Geneva, Seneca county, New York, but came as a small child with his parents to Ohio. Thomas H. Brown, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was of Irish birth and came to this country at the age of seventeen. He was the eldest of a family of twenty-three children, his father having been twice married, and having by his first wife six, and by his second seventeen children, all of whom lived to young manhood and young womanhood. On coming to this country, the family settled first in Baltimore, Maryland, which they forsook after a few years for Seneca, New York. Later John and Thomas H. Brown came to Ohio, locating in Ashland county, near Jeromesville, where the latter lived until he was nearly eighty years of age. He engaged in farming and stock raising and feeding, and became a large landowner, many of his tracts being situated in other townships. During the war of 1812, he served as a soldier, and at one time made the journey from Cleveland to Old Portland, now Sandusky, in a row boat. He died at McComb, from the results of an accidental injury, at the advanced age of ninety-nine years. He had been a man of means, interested and prominent in all public affairs. His son, William, the father of Thomas J. Brown, was born in Seneca county, New York, and came to Huron county, Ohio, prior to his marriage. Here he engaged in general farming and stock raising and became an influential man in his community. For a number of years, he was treasurer of Norwich township, his home at the time, and he also served as township trustee and as a member of the school board for a long period. He and his family belonged to the United Brethren church, the Union chapel congregation or class of which denomination Mr. and Mrs. Brown has helped to establish. In fact when Mrs. Brown died, April 10, 1908, the last of the original charter members had passed away. Mr. Brown had died eight years previously, at about the age of seventy-seven, six years younger than his wife when she responded to the call of death. Both husband and wife are buried in Norwich cemetery. In the affairs of Union chapel, Mr. Brown ever took an active part anti was one of its trustees from its organization until his death. He was an upright man, whose influence was strongly felt in the community in which he lived. He was a soldier of the Civil war, enlisting in Company H, One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He had a family of five sons : Thomas J., James E., Franklin H., William L., and 28 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY one who died in infancy. Those living are all farmers and prominent in their respective localities. Thomas J. Brown spent his boyhood and young manhood on his father's farm, receiving his education in the district schools of the county and in Milan Academy and the schools at Clyde and Geneva, Ohio. His own schooling completed, he engaged in teaching during the winter months in the schools of Seneca and Huron counties. During the summer, he worked on the farm. At the age of twenty-three, he engaged in mercantile business at Havana, Norwich township, to which he devoted his time for about two and a half years, after which he returned to farming in Norwich township, which was his home until March 10, 1904, when he removed to Clarksfield township. During these years, he has pursued a general line of agriculture and has also engaged in the breeding of short horn cattle. In the latter work, he has attained quite a reputation beyond the township borders, for his animals are shipped to distant markets, where they are recognized as being of fine, pure breed, and many stockmen have bred cattle from his stock. He also raises silver Wyandotte poultry, of a high order. His farm, one hundred acres in extent, is under a fine state of cultivation and gives rich returns for the labor expended upon it. On the 23d of October, 1873, Mr. Brown was married to Mrs. Jennie Knoles, the widow of Smith Knoles and the daughter of Dennis Downing, of Penn Yan, New York, but who at the time of her marriage was living in Seneca county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have had no children of their own but have taken three children of other families into their home, and have given them all the educational opportunities and advantages that they would give to their own offspring. In politics, Mr. Brown has been rather independent. For twenty years he voted the prohibition ticket, but of late years has voted for whatever men and measures appealed to his idea of right. He has always shown a great interest in public matters, and never fails to exercise his right of franchise, but he has never sought an office at the disposition of the people. He keeps well posted on all matters of general concern and is well able to defend his position, taken after he has convinced himself of its justness, against all opposition. In religious matters, he gives his allegiance to the Congregational church, in which he holds the position of deacon. In the Sunday school, he is a teacher and assistant superintendent, for he has ever shown a deep concern for the progress of the work of the church and the school. LOUIE SCHICK. Louie Snick, successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits in Ridgefield township, Huron county, was born in Germany on the 19th of May, 1870, and is a son of Peter and Wilhelmina Schick. The parents, who were also natives of the fatherland, came to the United States in 1883 and settled in Milan, Ohio, where they resided for about six months. On the 1st of March of the following year, they removed to Ridgefield township, Huron county, where the father purchased thirty-eight acres of land, which is still in his possession. He and his wife be- HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 29 came the parents of four children, namely: William; Jacob; Wilhelmina, the wife of Henry Klein ; and Louie, of this review. Both parents still survive while the father who devoted his life to farming pursuits now lives retired, enjoying in well earned rest the fruits of his former toil. Louie Schick spent the years of his boyhood and youth under the parental roof, acquiring his education in the district schools, while the periods of vacation were devoted to the work of the fields. After laying aside his text-books, however, he became identified with railroading, being employed upon the work train for four years, and he also spent some time in the boiler shop. Later he severed his connection with the railroad business and resumed agricultural pursuits, renting a farm of fifty-two acres, which he continues to operate and upon which he makes his home. He owns thirteen acres of land which, in connection with his father's farm, he also cultivates. He is up-to-date and progressive in his methods, carrying on his business along strictly modern lines, while his various interests, carefully managed and directed, are bringing to him gratifying returns. Mr. Schick has been twice married. In 1899, he wedded Miss Bertha Bower, a daughter of William Bower, of this county, who was a native of Germany. Unto this union was born one daughter, Louisa. The wife and mother was called away to her final rest in 1905, while two years later, in 1907, Mr. Schick married Miss Louisa Bower, a sister of his former wife. He is a member of the German Lutheran church and is public-spirited in his citizenship, lending his aid to all measures and movements which have for their object the substantial and permanent development and upbuilding of the community. Honorable and upright in all of his dealings, he has won the respect and confidence of those with whom he is associated, and he is held in high regard by a large circle of warm friends. O. C. LITZKEY. O. C. Litzkey, as superintendent of the Bellevue water works, is well known here and the record which he has made in all official business relations, has won him the unqualified respect and confidence of his fellow townsmen. He is numbered among Ohio's native sons for his birth occurred in Fremont on the 16th of July, 1864, his parents being John and Minnie (Nash) Litzkey, both of whom were natives of Germany, who, coming to America, spent their last days in this country, the father dying at the age of sixty-five years, while the mother passed away at the age of sixty-seven. They were the parents of ten children : Tillie, deceased ; Lizzie, the wife of Dan McGrady ; Lena, John and Mary, all of whom have passed away ; and four who died in infancy. The other member of the family is O. C. Litzkey, whose name introduces this record. He was reared in the place of his nativity and, spending his boyhood days under the parental roof, was afforded the opportunities for the acquirement of an education in the public schools. In the periods of vacation, he worked upon the farm and after putting aside his text-books, he gave his time and energies to farm work and also was employed at the Ohio Cultivator Plant at Fremont, where he filled the responsible position of foreman of the shipping depart- 30 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY ment. After the removal of the plant to Bellevue, he came to this city and retained his position in connection with that corporation a quarter of a century. No higher testimonial of his faithfulness, capability and of the confidence reposed in him could be given than the fact that he was associated with the business in the responsible position of foreman for twenty-five years. He resigned on his appointment as superintendent of the water works, January 6, 1909, and he is now serving in that capacity. At Fremont on the 29th of June, 1886, Mr. Litzkey was united in marriage to Miss Mary Hilt, a daughter of Peter Hilt, of that place. They became the parents of two children, but lost the first born, Anna, at the age of two years. The surviving daughter, Lula, is at home. The parents are members of the Lutheran church and Mr. Litzkey is widely and prominently known in fraternal circles. He is now acting as treasurer of the Forester lodge, is treasurer and one of the trustees of the Eagle lodge and is a member of the German Beneficial Union and the German Aid Society. These latter indicate the broad humanitarian spirit which actuates him in all his relations with his fellow men. His political allegiance is given to the democracy and for ten years, he served as a member of the city council, exercising his official prerogatives in support of many measures for the public good. He has ever advocated retrenchment in public expenditure yet never to the extent of blocking progress or excluding needed public improvements. In his present office, he is giving an administration that is characterized by .system so that there is no loss of time, labor or material. His course is receiving uniform commendation and he well deserves classification with the public officials of whom Bellevue has had reason to be proud. CALEB F. JACKSON. Without invidious distinction, Caleb F. Jackson may be termed the foremost business man of Norwalk from the fact that his interests are most varied as well as extensive. Starting out in life on a humble financial plane, he has steadily worked his way upward and his careful management, coupled with unfaltering industry and keen discernment, have brought him to the position which he now occupies. Honored and respected by all there is no resident of Norwalk who fills a more enviable place in the commercial and financial circles of the city. He was born June 25, 1854, upon the old Jackson farm a mile and a half south of Norwalk, upon the old state road. His parents were Charles and Alberta (Fitch) Jackson and he is a great-grandson of Colonel Giles Jackson of Berkshire county, Massachusetts, who won fame as a colonel of infantry in the Revolutionary war and as chief of staff to Major General Gates he penned the article of surrender at Yorktown and Saratoga. The original articles of convention for the surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga, October 16, 1877, signed by J. Burgoyne and Horatio Gates, are now in possession of C. F. Jackson at Norwalk, having been inherited by the "second son" for three generations. Numerous other historical Revolutionary papers of great value are preserved to be handed down to the second son, Thayer Elden Jackson. Charles Jackson, the father 0f our sub- 31 - PHOTO OF CALEB F. JACKSON 32 - BLANK HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 33 ject, was a prominent farmer of Norwalk township, who spent six years of his early manhood in the employ of Shepherd Patrick as a salesman in his general store at Norwalk. Subsequently, he bought the Jackson farm homestead, which remained in the family for sixty years and his capable management of his business interests, placed him with the substantial agriculturists of Huron county. Caleb F. Jackson attended the country school in Norwalk, district No. 3, until he prepared to enter high school in 1868. He was graduated therefrom in 1871 on the completion of a complete scientific and classical course of study. He had expected to study medicine, but the death of both parents left him the care of two sisters and a younger brother, a financial burden which made further study in school or college impossible. At the age of seventeen years, he began work in the dry-goods, grocery and drug store of Wooster & Patrick as "boy of all work," entering their employ on the 13th of November, 1871. Within three months, he was made a salesman and promotions followed rapidly. In 1873, he was head salesman in the drygoods department on a salary of a thousand dollars per year, which at that date was the largest salary paid any salesman in Norwalk—and he was not yet twenty years of age. In January, 1874, at the age of nineteen and a half years, he formed a copartnership with L. C. Prescott and purchased a drug and grocery store at Flint, Michigan. The firm of Prescott & Jackson possessed but twelve hundred dollars, but they had energy, determination and perseverance. They assumed a debt of five thousand dollars and after two years, with all the indebtedness discharged, C. F. Jackson sold his interests to his partner and returned to Norwalk to enter the employ of C. E. Marsh & Company, as salesman and manager of the interests of Mrs. S. P. Pease in the firm. His next advanced step was made in 1881, when he joined C. E. Marsh in organizing the firm of Marsh & Jackson for the purpose of opening a dry-goods and carpet store at No. I1 West Main street. Great financial success followed this venture for five years and in 1886 Mr. Jackson sold his interests to his partner and went to Minneapolis, Minnesota. In that growing city, he established the "Jackson Black Goods Store" which became known throughout the northwest as specializing in every known article of dry goods, black or white. Mr. Jackson was sole owner of the Minneapolis business and in seven years, had sufficient capital to warrant the stocking of a department store, which he could foresee at that early date, was the coming mercantile establishment of this country. In the winter of 1892-3 Mr. Jacks0n, in partnership with H. H. Hoyt of Norwalk, purchased from the First Methodist Episcopal church of this city, their church property at the corner of Main street and Benedict avenue. In May, 1893, the old church was demolished to make room for the beautiful five-story brick and brown stone building known as The Glass Block. The building when complete, was leased to the Hoyt & Jackson Company, a corporation of which C. F. Jackson was the president, for a department store and was opened to the public November 29, 1893. This marked the beginning of a new era in mercantile affairs in Norwalk. In that day the department store was untried, except in the large cities and in Norwalk it was looked upon as a venturesome undertaking, which would probably result in failure. Mr. Jackson's perceptions of the business future, were much keener than the old-school merchants and instead of failure, the business was a great success and for sixteen years has paid its stock- 34 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY holders splendid dividends every year. In October, 1895, Mr. Jackson purchased his partner's interest in the Glass Block real estate and became sole owner of this valuable property. He also secured Mr. Hoyt's interest in the mercantile company and immediately changed the corporate name to The C. F. Jackson Company, which is so well known in the business world today. Even after acquiring this valuable property, Mr. Jackson's ambition was not satisfied, for in 1902, he secured the first Glass Block Annex by a lease of a three-story brick block adjoining on the west, thereby increasing the floor space and obtaining better facilities to handle the vast growing trade. The business has been conducted on a cash basis with a fixed price and to these rules and the straightforward principles which have governed his commercial affairs, the success of Mr. Jackson is due. In 1904, in order to utilize surplus earnings, Mr. Jackson bought for the company a business block at Findlay, Ohio, for one hundred and thirty thousand dollars and established at that point a second Glass Block department store larger and more beautiful than the original store at Norwalk. His eldest son, Edward E. Jackson, was made vice-president of the company and general manager at Findlay. The success of the store at that place has been beyond the expectations of even its projector. In December, 1908, a second annex was added at Norwalk, comprising three floors with a frontage of sixty feet on Benedict avenue, giving the Norwalk store a total of ninety thousand square feet of sales room or nearly two and a half acres—a monument to the business foresight and executive ability of its founder. In addition to the general management of these great mercantile establishments, Mr. Jackson is interested in numerous manufacturing and business enterprises to which he devotes a portion of his time. He is president of the Norwalk Vault Company, vice-president of the Auto Buggy Company, treasurer of the Miller Anchor Company, a director of the Local Telephone Company, of the Interstate Ice Company and the Tinker Concrete Company, while in numerous other concerns, he is a stockholder, giving him diversified interests probably not exceeded by those of any other business man in Norwalk. For two years he has been the president of the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce, a strong organization of business men, looking after the welfare and prosperity of Norwalk's business interests. On the 11th of November, 1874, Mr. Jackson was married to Miss Mary L. Stevens, of Norwalk and unto them have been born four children : Edward Everett., who was born January 2, 1876, and was married at Findlay, Ohio, September 1, 1905, to Miss Glenna Weil; Thayer Elden, born June 19. 1884; Kenneth Seymour, born July 9, 1886; and Hortense Ione, born March 16, 1891. Mr. Jackson is not only well known because of the extent and importance of his business affairs, but also by reason of his co-operation in many interests and measures which relate to the individual or public welfare. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, in which he has attained the Knight Templar degree, to the Knights of Pythias lodge, the Royal Arcanum, the Knights of the Maccabees and the National Union. He is a member of the Ohio Sons of the American Revolution and was for many years a member of the Shakespeare Club, Norwalk's leading literary and social club. He is likewise a liberal supporter of the Presbyterian church and for many years has served on its board of trustees. He has never become actively connected with politics or aspired to public office. He is HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 35 rather retiring in disposition, but most public-spirited and in a quiet and unostentatious way, has devoted much time and money to the public good. He finds his pleasure in his elegant home and his close, enduring friends and he deserves in the largest degree the respect and confidence as well as the success, which have been accorded him. MILO F. JOHNSON. Milo F. Johnson, a progressive and prosperous farmer of Norwalk township, was born in Peru township, July 21, 1859. His birth occurred on the old homestead farm taken up by his grandfather, Marcus Johnson, in the early part of the eighteenth century, which property is yet owned by one of his daughters, Mrs. Della M. Linder. He is a son of Luther B. Johnson, who was born on the 1st of November, 1822, in Elba, Genesee county, New York. He came west to Ohio with his parents, when eighteen months of age, settling on the old homestead farm in 1824. This continued to be his place of residence until 1888, when he retired from active life and came to Norwalk, where he passed away in April, 1905, at a ripe old age. The wife preceded him to the great beyond in May, 1895. He belonged to the Universalist church and was a stanch republican in politics. A successful and substantial farmer, he devoted his entire efforts to that line of activity, and, though quiet and unassuming in manner, was well known and honored for his strict integrity and his loyalty to the general good, doing all in his power to further the growth and upbuilding of the community in which he lived. His family consisted of three children, namely : Milo F., of this review ; Della M., who passed away in August, 1909; and Mrs. Alma E. Call, of Williams county, Ohio. Reared on the old homestead farm, Milo F. Johnson pursued his education in the district schools of Peru township and spent the years of his boyhood and youth under the parental roof. Upon attaining his majority, he decided to adopt as his life work the occupation to which he had been reared and has since been engaged in agricultural pursuits, with the exception of three years, when connected with the Ohio Metal Company. He has a finely improved place, equipped with good barns and outbuildings. and all latest devices and equipments for facilitating the work of the farm. He is progressive and up-to-date in his methods and has attained a creditable degree of prosperity in his agricultural pursuits. On the 24th of October, 1888, Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Miss Sadie E. Nicholson, and they have become the parents of one daughter, Helen B., born February 24, 1897. Mrs. Johnson is the daughter of William Nicholson, of Mansfield, Ohio, and is one of a family of six children. The father was born in England and came to Mansfield when twenty-three years of age. He had been a grocer in his native land and continued to engage in that line in this country. He passed away in 1887. His wife, who was also born in England, was brought by her parents to America when six weeks old. Her father, Charles Hutchinson, on his arrival in the United States, came direct to Huron county 36 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY where he settled on a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Perry township, which is still in the family. Mr. Johnson's church affiliations are with the Presbyterians, and he has given stalwart support to the republican party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He has served as township trustee for seven years and is still the incumbent in that office. Mr. Johnson has not only been industrious, but has evidenced in his transactions those qualities which make friends, and, being upright in all of his dealings and interested in the moral as well as the financial welfare of the community, he enjoys the confidence and respect of all who know him. • LEANDER L. DOUD. Leander L. Doud, secretary of the A. B. Chase Company and thus connected with the manufacturing interests of Norwalk, is well known by reason of his activities in behalf of the best interests of the community, his influence always being on the side of right, justice, progress and improvement. He is a descendent of Henry Doud, who came from Surrey county, England, in 1639, with a colony under the Rev. Henry Whitfield and settled in Guilf0rd, Connecticut. His ancestry also traces back to the Tallmans, prominently identified with the history of Connecticut, Governor Tallman being one of the early governors of that state. Mr. Doud was born in Huron county, Ohio, May 20, 1838, a son of Samuel and Philura (Niles) Doud, who were natives of New York and Vermont respectively. The paternal grandfather, Solomon Doud, was born in Connecticut and in 1823, after living some time in the Empire state, came to Huron county, settling in Greenwich township, where he made the first clearing and built him a house at the center of the township. The journey westward was made by way of the lakes to Sandusky, and thence with ox-teams through the woods to their destination. Samuel Doud was at that time a lad of ten years and through the period of his boyhood and youth he assisted as best he could in the arduous task of developing the new country, frequently clearing land on his own account. He boasted of the fact that he bought his farm of one hundred and six acres in the southeast corner of Greenwich township with his ax. Here, having cleared off a few acres of the timber and building a log cabin, he married Miss Philura Niles, a young school teacher from Vermont. A few years later he built one of the first colonial homes in that section of the county and here reared his family, Leander L. Doud, the subject of this sketch, being the eldest of six children. In 1868 the father removed to New London, Huron county, adjoining the corporation on the south. Be was one of the influential and enterprising men 0f the community where he lived, took a prominent place in the business circles, acting for some time as director and vice-president of the New London National Bank, while in other connections his labors constituted an important element in the business activity of the district. He was a highly respected man, whose integrity was one of the salient points in his career. He was a leading and valued mem- 37 - PHOTO OF LEANDER L. DOUD 38 - BLANK HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 39 ber of, and local preacher in the Methodist church. The last year of his life was devoted to the building of the present brick Methodist Episcopal church in New London, which he lived to see completed and paid for, taking up the last note a few days before his death, which occurred December 20, 1880. Leander L. Doud acquired his early education in the country schools of this state, taught five seasons, and received his later education in the Norwalk Seminary, Savannah Academy, Baldwin University at Berea, Ohio, and the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio. At the latter college it was his good fortune to come under the direct influence of the late Bishop McCabe as a fellow student, and of Bishop Thompson, then president of the institution. In his early twenties, Mr. Doud was engaged With his father in extensive stock-raising and wool-growing business, selling their products in the eastern markets of Boston and New York. On September 10, 1863, he was united in marriage to Miss Harriet Bloom Eberly, a teacher in the public schools of Wood county, Ohio, and established his home on a farm in Greenwich township. Of their four children, two—Philura Semeramis and Ida Winifred-died in early childhood. A daughter, Louie Naomi, and a son, Harry Lea, are living, the latter an attorney of Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1866 Mr. Doud removed to New London, Ohio, where together with Albert White, he built the town hall block and engaged in merchandising for eight years, acting also as postmaster for several .years. It was here that he formed the acquaintance of Captain A. B. Chase, who later became the founder and president of the company that bears his name. In 1875 he removed to Norwalk, Ohio, and joined with A. B. Chase and others in organizing the A. B. Chase Company for the manufacture of musical instruments. Being a charter member, Mr. Doud became its first secretary and treasurer and has continued as secretary and general manager to the present time. He has seen the business grow and prosper until it is one of the most important in Huron county, second to none of its kind in the state, with the highest reputation for organs, pianos and player- pianos that is world wide. His keen discrimination, his capable management and his undaunted enterprise have been salient features in its success. He has been watchful of all the details pointing to the growth and perfection of the business and has ever maintained a high standard in the character of the output, in the personnel of the house and in the nature of the service rendered to the public. In 1880 Mr. Doud built the Doud block, now the Maccabee Temple, at Norwalk, Ohio, and in 1882 erected his brick residence on West Main street. Mr. Doud is an active Methodist and an enthusiastic Sunday-school worker. At the age of fifteen, soon after uniting with the church, he was elected secretary of the local Sunday school, and has held official relations with the church and Sunday school ever since. He was Sunday-school superintendent for over twenty-five years, frequently in the early days, superintending his home school in the morning and one in the country in the afternoon. He was for many years secretary or president of the Huron County Sunday School Association, president of the Huron county branch of the American Bible Society, and has for many years conducted a large adult Bible class in the Norwalk Methodist Sunday school. 40 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY Mr. Doud has acted as trustee of Baldwin University, Berea, Ohio, and of the Lakeside Association. He is a steward and trustee of the Norwalk Methodist Episcopal church, and was secretary of the building committee when their new stone edifice was erected. In 1904 he was a delegate to the World's Fourth International Sunday school convention, which met at Jerusalem, and while abroad visited many points of ancient and modern historic interest: Being a keen observer, he profited by the knowledge which ht, gained concerning the social and religious work of the old world. Mr. Doud was a delegate also to the International Sunday School convention at Toronto, Canada, in 1907. He has been an extensive traveler, his business relations having taken him into nearly every state in the Union, and his vacation trips including Canada, Cuba, Mexico and countries of Europe, Asia and Africa. He is a well read man, a good writer on the subjects which he discusses and an original and strong thinker, and a man of high moral character. Realizing that the purposes of life are manifold and that the interests of the individual should touch many lines, he has not confined his attention to business affairs alone, but has been an interested and liberal supporter of education, of temperance, of church work, and in fact all movements for the general good. GEORGE A. NICOLLS. George A. Nicolls, residing on his well improved and valuable farm of one hundred and seventy acres in Bronson township, has been successfully identified with general agricultural, pursuits throughout his active business career. His birth occurred in Cayuga county, New York, on the 30th of October, 1829, his parents being John and Sarah (Peck) Nicolls, the latter a native of Massachussetts. The paternal grandfather of our subject was William Nicolls, who served all thrcugh the Revolutionary war of 1776, and the maternal grandfather, Abijah Peck, served in the war of 1812 with the rank of major. John Nicolls, the father of George A. ,Nicolls, likewise did duty as a soldier in the war of 1812, serving throughout the entire conflict. In the year 1837, he brought his wife and children to Huron county, Ohio, the family home being established in Bronson township. This part of the state was still largely wild and undeveloped and he found it necessary to clear the land of the timber before it could be utilized for farming purposes. Unto him and his wife were born eight children, namely : Seymour, who died in infancy ; William ; Ray ; Levina ; Samantha ; John ; Abijah and George A. George A. Nicolls, who was but a little lad of eight years when he accompanied his parents on their removal to this county, early became familiar with the duties and labors which fall to the lot of the agriculturist through the assistance which he rendered his father in the opening up and development of the latter's farm. Throughout his entire business career, he has devoted his time and energies to the work of general farming, in which he has won a substantial measure of success, being most practical and progressive in his methods. He is the owner of an excellent farm of one hundred and seventy acres in Bronson town- HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 41 ship, where he resides and is well entitled to be classed with the substantial and representative citizens of the community. He is one of the stockholders in the Sandusky, Norwalk and Mansfield Railroad. On the l0th of March, 1870, Mr. Nicolls was united in marriage to Miss Clarissa Burnap, a daughter of Job and Olive Burnap. Sarah and Mary, the two daughters born of this union, are now deceased. Mr. Nicolls is a firm believer in the principles of the republican party arrd always casts his ballot in support of its men and measures. He has now been a resident of this county for seventy-two years and is therefore thoroughly familiar with its annuals from a pioneer period down to the present time, having not only been an interested witness but also an active Participant in the work of upbuilding and improvement. He has now reached the eightieth milestone on the journey of life and can look back over the past without regret and forward to the future without fear, for his life has been characterized by honor and integrity in all relations. LANNES LAMAR ANTRIM. A history of Greenwich township would hardly be complete without mention of Lannes Lamar Antrim, one of the most prominent and highly respected citizens of the community. He was born in West Middleburg, Logan comity, Ohio, January IO, 1841, a son of Joshua and Mary (Grubb) Antrim. His grandfather, Thomas Antrim, who came from Culpeper county, Virginia, was.; Quaker and was the first minister of any denomination to arrive in Logan county, while his son, Daniel Antrim, was the first white child born in that county. Joshua Antrim, the father of our subject, was identified with the tailoring business and was also a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church for some time, while later he became an adherent of the Swedenborgian faith. He was a man of great literary ability and a historian of broad information. He was also greatly interested at all times in the pioneer organizations of Logan and Champaign counties and at the solicitation of the Logan County Pioneer Society, in 1874, he prepared and published a, history of that county. His death occurred in November, 1874. He had wedded Miss Mary Grubb and unto them were born twelve children, namely: Avarilla, the wife of Eli Cowgill ; Lannes Lamar, of this review ; Hester, the wife of William Stoop, of Ottumwa, Iowa ; Elizabeth, the wife of Moses Euans ; Matilda, deceased ; Joseph, also deceased ; Sarah, who wedded William Glasgow, of Muncie, Indiana ; Ida and Anna, who have passed away ; Thomas, residing in Columbus ; Mary, deceased ; and one who died in infancy. Joseph Antrim was a prominent minister of the Episcopal church and preached the funeral sermon over the remains of General Gordon, the well known and eloquent lecturer. He passed away several years ago in New Orleans. In a home of culture and refinement, Lannes Lamar Antrim passed the days of his boyhood and youth, acquiring his education in the public scho0ls of West Middleburg, and at the age of 'sixteen years took up the blacksmith's trade, in which line of work he has continuously engaged to the present time. He remained in his native town until 1896, when he came to Greenwich and has since made 42 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY his home in this city. Here he has devoted his time and energies to the conduct of his business affairs, in which he has met with most gratifying success. On the 18th of January, 1862, Mr. Antrim was united in marriage to Miss Anna Prall, a daughter of Isaac and Catherine (Hutchins) Prall, natives of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who came to Ohio about the year 1844. Her father was a prominent horse dealer and Nought horses for the government during the period of the Mexican war, being considered an expert in this line of business. He passed away many years ago in Logan county. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Antrim was blessed with six children, as follows Catherine,. the wife of Scott Norvall, of Arizona ; Jessie, engaged in teaching in the public schools of Cleveland; Homer, deceased ; Louise, also teaching in the Cleveland public schools ; Carl, of Greenwich ; and Crystal, the wife of Fred Hines, the cashier of the Farmers Bank of Greenwich. The family were for years members of the Methodist Protestant church, while Mr. Antrim acted as superintendent .of the Sunday school most of the time for twenty-five years and was always active in the work of the church and Sunday school. Since coming to Greenwich, however, the family have attended the Methodist Episcopal church, there being no Methodist Protestant organization in this city. Mr. Antrim now gives his allegiance to the republican party, although for some years he was affiliated with the prohibition party, being deeply interested in and active in the support of the cause of temperance. He is a splendid type of the American citizen who at all times stands for that which is highest and best in the world, supporting many measures of reform and improvement that uplift humanity and work for the common weal. WASHINGTON IRVING ADAMS. Washington Irving Adams is one of the active and progressive agriculturists • of Huron county, making his home on his farm of one hundred acres in Fairfield township. He is a native of that township, his birth having there occurred on the 7th of November, 1842. His parents were Sherwood and Delecta (Foote) Adams, the former a son of David and Betsy (Lyon) Adams and the latter a daughter of Ebenezer and Lydia (Gage) Foote. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood Adams were born two children, Linden and Washington Irving. The last named has been engaged in general agricultural pursuits throughout his entire business career and has resided on his present farm of one hundred acres for the past twenty-five years. As the result of his unremitting industry and capable management he has gained a gratifying measure of prosperity in his undertakings and has long been numbered among the substantial and enterprising citizens of the community. in 1864 Mr. Adams was united in marriage to Miss Lovisa Carbine, a daughter of Horace and Clarissa Carbine, by whom he has one child, Lena, who was born in 1870. She was educated in a college at Hillsdale, Michigan, and afterward taught in a high school of P0plar Bluff, Missouri, but is now in Logansport, Indiana. HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 43 In his political views Mr. Adams is a stanch republican, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Baptist church, with which his wife is also identified. Having spent his entire life in this locality, he is well known and the fact that many of his stanchest friends are those who have known him from his boyhood is an indication that his career is worthy of respect and confidence. ANNA J. McPHERSON. Mrs. Anna J. McPherson, Who is of Scotch-Irish descent, owns one hundred and twenty-three acres of land in Greenfield township, where she has lived for more than sixty years, being born in this township, January 17, 1824. Her parents, John and Martha (Easter) Arthur, were of Irish birth but came to this county in the days of the pioneers. They settled in Greenfield township, cleared their own farm and became substantial citizens of the land of their adoption. A more extended mention of them and of their descendants is given in the sketch of Robert Arthur, a farmer of Greenfield township. Mrs. McPherson has spent all her life in this township. Her education was acquired in the public schools of Steuben and the practical experience that fitted her to be the wife of a farmer was obtained at home with her parents. In her young womanhood she was married August 12, 1841, to James McPherson, the son of William and Mary McPherson, natives of Ireland but numbered among the early settlers of Bronson township. James McPherson was also of Irish birth and was the first of his family t0 come to this c0untry. He was a young man and came alone, but, after finding that the chances of making his way in the world were so much better here than in Ireland sent for his parents. He had learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed on coming to Ohio, and it is said that he helped to build some of the first houses in Norwalk. After obtaining employment in several other places, he went to Steuben, where he assisted in building the Congregational church. Shortly after that he abandoned his trade for the pursuit of farming, for in 1846, he had purchased a good-sized tract of land, that on which his widow lives today. It was at the time virgin soil, well covered with timber, and the work of clearing the forest was no small undertaking. The greater part of this he did himself as well as building his fine house. Many improvements have since been made, and were, in fact, instituted before Mr. McPherson's life was closed on the 22d of June, 1858, at the age of forty-four years and four months to the day. A hard-working man, his integrity of deed and purpose was recognized by his fellows, who as whigs elected him to fill the office of treasurer of the township. His religious affiliation was with the Congregational church. Of the marriage that was solemnized in the Arthur home on the 12th of August, 1841, there were born three children: William Hamilton, living in Bronson township, was twice married, the first time to Miss Lucy A. Wheeler, who left three children. Arthur, William H. and Scott, and the second time to Miss Margaret Much, and they have two sons, Clyde and Glenn. George A., the second son, is a resident of Greenfield township. He married Miss Emma Willoughby, by whom he has had two children: Robert, deceased ; and Jennie, who is the wife of Fred 44 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY Flyn and has a daughter Helen. They live in Ashland county, Ohio. John F., the youngest son, lives at home and manages his mother's farm. He attended the public scho0l at Steuben, from which he went to the National Normal College at Lebanon, Ohio, where he took a teacher’s course. For a few years after completing his education he devoted himself to instructing others in the rudiments of the English language and other school subjects and then engaged in farming. He hag been successful in agriculture and has won for himself a respected position among the citizens of Greenfield township, whom he has served to their satisfaction as justice of the peace and as town clerk and in other capacities, having held the first mentioned office through a period of twenty-three years, and the second for twenty- one years. He is a demccrat in politics and a member of the Presbyterian church, in which he has held several offices. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of the Maccabees and has held almost all the offices of the tent. During the more than half-century that Mrs. McPherson has lived upon her farm she has witnessed and participated in the many changes that have transformed the country from a sparsely inhabited tract of undeveloped field and forest, into one of the best improved portions of the state. The progress is gratifying and especially is the knowledge that her farm has kept up with the march of time and is as improved and well cultivated a tract as is included in the township of Greenfield. MRS. ANNIE M. STENTZ. Analyzation of character is perhaps the most difficult task that ever c0nfronts the historian, so complex are the interests that enter in and so diversified are the forces which have influence upon the individual. It would seem almost impossible to point out the salient factors in the life of Mrs. Annie M. Stentz, for hers is a well rounded life in which notable business ability, broad humanitarianism, kindly spirit and liberal culture are well balanced forces. She is probably without exception the most prominent and best known woman in Huron county and has had the notable distinction of being the only woman national bank president in the United States. A native of Ashland county, Ohio, her birth occurred in Mifflin township, March 31, 1846, her parents being Benjamin and Annie (Albert) Newcomer, both of whom were natives of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She has been a resident of Monroeville, Huron county, since 1863, and on the 4th of October, 1872. she gave her hand in marriage to Orren W. Head, a native of Paris, Oneida county, New York, born in May, 1808. His parents were Jonathan and Hepzibah (Livermore) Head, natives of Rhode Island and New Hampshire, respectively. Orren W. Head was reared to farm life and was educated in the subscription schools of the neighborhood. In 1836 he wedded Julia Crane of Marshall, Oneida county, New York, and unto them were born three sons and two daughters, but the latter are now deceased. In 1842 Mr. Head and his family became residents of Ridgefield township, Huron county, where he purchased four hundred and twenty acres of land, the greater part of which was formerly the Sours farm. 45 - BLANK \ 46 - PHOTO HENRY P. STENTZ 47 - PHOTO OF ANNIE M. STENTZ 48 - BLANK HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 49 As the years passed he kept his land well improved and cultivated, bringing the fields under a high state of development so that rich crops were annually harvested. In 1857 he erected what is now known as the Davis block in Monroeville, where he conducted a banking business for a number of years, the enterprise being first conducted as the Perkins & Head Exchange Bank. Following the death of the senior partner it became known as the 0. W. Head Exchange Bank and was so maintained until 1863, when Mr. Head sold out to S. V. Harkness. He always conducted a private banking business and through his careful and wise management accumulated a goodly fortune, while the integrity of his business methods won him the high regard of all. One of the founders of the Monroeville National Bank, he served as its president from the time of its inception until his death, which occurred October 2, 1882. Mr. Head was honored for his loyalty to his friends, for his public-spirited devotion t0 the general good and his support of all projects for the intellectual and moral uplift of the community. He assisted more men in their hour of need to secure homes than any other one citizen in the county, and the spirit of friendless thus manifested won for him an almost limitless circle of friends. It was upon the death of Mr. Head that his widow, now Mrs. Stentz, gave evidence of her superior business qualifications. Assuming the management of the estate she soon brought order out of chaos in a manner that at once stamped her as one of the most capable of modern business women. She received a goodly inheritance from her husband and, possessing a fondness for business management, controlled her affairs with rare skill and discrimination. One of her favorite investments was the stock of the First National Bank of Monroeville, and in the course of time she and Henry P. Stentz became the largest stockholders. Their marriage, which occurred April 15, 1901, brought about a transfusion of interests which gave them control of the corporation. Henry P. Stentz, up to the time of his death the president of the First National Bank, was prominent in the array of leading financiers and capitalists of Monroeville and Ohio. He was always a builder and not a wrecker 0f fortunes, his work being along constructive lines and of a character that contributed to general success as well as to individual prosperity. There was no name more honored or respected throughout Huron county than that of Henry P. Stentz, who was richly endowed with all those qualities which constituted good citizenship and honorable manhood. He was born in Middletown, Pennsylvania, February 26, 1838, and was descended from German ancestry, from whom he inherited his characteristic energy, good judgment and other business qualities that made him the successful financier he proved himself to be. His parents were Peter and Catherine (Keller) Stentz, natives of Pennsylvania, who removed to Huron county, Ohio, in 1840. After a brief period they established their home in Plymouth, Richmond county, but much of the residue of their days was passed at Galion, Crawford county, to which place they removed in 1853. Henry P. Stentz acquired his education in the Union schools of Plymouth and crossed the threshold of business life as an employe of A. Atwood, a merchant and banker of that place. He gave unfaltering loyalty to his employer and manifested unremitting diligence in the discharge of the duties that devolved upon him. His remuneration at the outset was only eight dollars per month, 50 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY but he gradually worked his way upward, winning the confidence and good will of his employer by his diligence, enterprise and trustworthiness. He remained with Mr. Atwood until after the outbreak of the Civil war, when he launched out upon an independent business venture, speculating in several articles of merchandise, including cotton, hemp, sugar and molasses. This caused him to travel largely in the south and while he did not meet with very substantial success in the undertaking, owing doubtless to the condition of the markets in those feverish times, he yet gained broad experience that proved an excellent stock in trade for future business development. Following the close of the war Mr. Stentz retired from the field of speculation and in 1866 accepted a cashiership in the Exchange Bank of Monroeville as successor to S. V. Harkness. In 1879 this bank was organized as the First National Bank of Monroeville, with a capital of fifty thousand dollars, Mr. Stentz coptinuing as cashier until 1889, when he was promoted to the presidency. He also organized the First National Bank of Galion, Ohio, one of the first institutions of the kind established under the new regime and he was subsequently one of the promoters and organizers of the National Bank of Plymouth. He manifested the keenest discernment in the solution of intricate financial problems and in connection with his banking interests he developed a safe and conservative business policy which made his among the strongest financial enterprises of this part of the state. Realizing that realty is one of the safest of all investments, he made judicious purchases of property, particularly fine farming land in the vicinity of Monroeville, and ultimately became the owner of one thousand and five acres. Mr. Stentz never selfishly hoarded his wealth but was a generous contributor to many institutions and movements which were based upon humanitarian principles. Although he did not hold membership with any religious denomination, he attended and generously supported the Presbyterian church at Monroeville. His record furnishes a notable example of what may be accomplished by a conservative, enterprising business man. Assuming the responsibilities of a bank cashiership when twenty-eight years of age, through his close application to every duty and his thorough understanding of the business in principle and detail he widely promoted its growth and extended its business connections. Following methods which neither sought nor required disguise, he furnished an example of honorable endeavor that is indeed well worthy of emulation. Mr. Stentz not only succeeded in elevating the Monroeville Exchange Bank to the highest point of excellence attained by any institution of the kind in Huron county, but in order that its interests might be extended he succeeded in hawing it reorganized as a national bank and under his capable control it was made to rank with the soundest and best managed banks of northern Ohio. The Monroeville Weekly Spectator, during the wild financial panic that occurred in the summer of 1893, said : "During a commercial crisis like that through which we are now passing, when doubt and distrust are apparent on every hand, there is sweet consolation in the thought that the solvency of our own home bank is unquestioned. While hundreds of similar institutions throughout the length and breadth of the land are forced into suspension or failure, because of the existing lack of confidence, the First National Bank of Monroeville stands 51 - PHOTO OF O. W. HEAD 52 - BLANK HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 53 and will stand a monument of integrity, judgment and fidelity to the efficient management it has ever enjoyed and which today is identical with that under which it began its career over twenty-seven years ag0. The present crisis finds it in better condition than ever before to cope with panical problems and it will speedily and satisfactorily solve all that are presented provided they legitimately come within the sphere of its action. Mr. Stentz has been the moving spirit, the power behind the throne, the manager from the organization to the present time, and to his efforts are chiefly attributable the long continued prosperity and substantial growth that have characterized the bank's career and the enviable reputation, standing and confidence which it now enjoys." The death of Mr. Stentz occurred in Monroeville, June 9, 1933, after an illness of six weeks. He had been called one 0f nature's noblemen and was a man honored by young and old, rich and poor. One of the local papers said of him : "Mr. Stentz never aspired to official honors, but when in 1901 Governor Nash honored him with the appointment of trustee of the State Hospital at Toledo he accepted. As an officer he was painstaking, prompt and accurate in duty, accommodating to those for whom he transacted business, and urbane to all with whom he had to deal. His business judgment was sought and relied upon. He was always cautious in advancing an opinion, all the consequences of which he could not forecast with reasonable certainty. There were traits of character in H. P. Stentz that should be mentioned not only to his individual credit but to the honor of mankind. He was always courteous and full of genial qualities which attracted others to him, and which Will make his loss sorely felt." Without making professions of exalted goodness, he was just to his enemies, charitable to his associates and full of sympathy and devotion to his friends. His funeral was one of the largest ever held in Monroeville, many coming from distant points to pay the last tribute of honor and respect to one whom they had long known and honored, while the entire town regretted his loss as a personal bereavement, so closely was he associated with the life and interests of the community. Following the death of her husband Mrs. Stentz took up the burden of the business affairs. The control of the bank stock passed to her and she was immediately made president of the institution. This was a rare distinction, as she was the only lady president of a national bank in the United States. Her advent was heralded by all financial and daily papers over the country. She insisted on conducting the business in a thorough, businesslike manner and soon found favor with patrons and stockholders of the bank alike. The first National under her control became recognized as a safe, sound and prosperous concern. Not contented with her interests in that direction, Mrs, Stentz soon turned her attention to traction interests and now owns and controls the Sandusky, Norwalk & Mansfield electric line between Norwalk and Shelby, Ohio. This is one of her best investments and she is the vice president and a director of the company. She also has many 0ther important business interests which engage her wise sagacity and untiring enterprise. She is the vice president of the Hull-Stentz Realty Company, of Toledo, and numerous other concerns and corporations. She is entirely fearless in all of her business operations, entering 54 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY upon large deals with intrepidity and confidence. Her insight is most keen, her judgment seldom if ever at fault. Notwithstanding all this Mrs. Stentz is essentially feminine and domestic in her taste, spending a great deal of her time in her beautiful country home on the Monroeville road between Norwalk and Monroeville. Her charities are many and she contributes to churches and benevolent organizations most generously, yet she never gives with ostentation or display. She has undoubtedly given as much for such causes as any other person in the county. One of her gifts, for which she will never cease to be remembered, was that of a handsome monument erected in honor of the soldiers and sailors of Ridgefield. In 1901 Rev. Charles S. Ayes started a movement for raising a fund for the purpose, his plans being to take up a collection each Memorial day until a sufficient amount was secured, but in two years only eighty-seven dollars had been received. Mrs, Annie M. Stentz afterward announced her determination to erect the monument to perpetuate the memory of the brave boys in blue. The contract was awarded, the work was executed and on the 29th of September, 1904, she unveiled the monument and presented it as a gift to the city. It was made a gala day in the history of Monroeville. On that occasion there was witnessed the largest procession ever known in the town and with appropriate music and addresses the occasion was made 0ne never to be forgotten by any who were present. Mrs. Stentz is ever ready to extend a helping hand to the poor and needy and yet she does not believe in that indiscriminate giving which fosters vagrancy or idleness, Her charities are broad and practical, and her influence on the business life of the community has been essentially along, constructive lines. Recognized as the equal in ability of the men who are most prominent in the commercial and financial circles of Huron county, she is at the same time lacking in none of those social graces which make her a most charming hostess and valued companion in social functions. FRANCIS J. ELMLINGER. Francis J. Elmlinger, now deceased, was for many years numbered among the prominent and successful agriculturists of Sherman township, there owning a well improved and valuable farm of one hundred and seventy-two acres at the time of his demise. He was born in Baden, Germany, his parents being Conrad and Mary. Elmlinger, by whom he was brought to the United States when a little lad of seven years. They first took up their abode in Huron county, Ohio, but subsequently removed to Paulding county, this state, where they spent the remainder of their lives. On attaining man's estate Francis J. Elmlinger was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Weidinger, a daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Weidinger, who was a little maiden of eight years when she accompanied her parents on their emigration to the new world. The children born of this union are as follows : Joseph J., who resides on the home farm with his mother and sisters ; John F., who wedded. Miss Monica Brobst and makes his home in Sherman township ; Peter C., living at Norwalk, Ohio, who married Miss Catherine Schell ; Mary C., who is at HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 55 home; Rosa E., the wife of Aloys Miller, of Sherman township ; and Anna D., who is likewise at home. Francis J. Elmlinger devoted his timeand energies to general agricultural pursuits throughout his active business career and was widely recognized as a most substantial, enterprising and progressive citizen of Sherman township. His political allegiance was unfalteringly given to the democratic party and he capably served in the position of road supervisor for several years. He was a Catholic •in religious belief and acted as a councilman in St. Sebastian's church,. Honorable in business, loyal in citizenship, charitable in thought, kindly in action, true to every trust confided to his care, his life was the highest type of Christian manhood. Since the death of their father Joseph J. and John F. Elmlinger have operated the old homestead farm in partnership, conducting their interests under the name of Elmlinger Brothers. The place comprises one hundred and seventy-two, acres of rich and arable land in Sherman township and in its cultivation the brothers are meeting with well merited and gratifying success, being men of energy, enterprise and good business ability. Joseph J. Elmlinger is a stockholder in the Sherman Oil & Gas Company, which is drilling for oil in Sherman township at the present time. The officers of the company are as follows : J. R. Bischoff, president ; Daniel Heyman, vice president ; J. P. Heyman, treasurer ; and Joseph J. Elmlinger, secretary. Henry Scheid, L. P. Heyman and A. F. Heyman are the directors of the concern. Joseph J. Elmlinger exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the democracy and has acted as road supervisor. while at the present time he is serving as clerk of Sherman township. He is a faithful communicant of the Catholic church and fraternally is identified with the Knights of Columbus at Monroeville. John F. Elmlinger lives just across the road from the old homestead farm but is making preparations to erect a new residence on the ground adjoining the home of his mother, brother and sisters. The members of the family are well known and highly esteemed throughout the community and are numbered among the representative, respected and leading residents of Sherman township. ELZIE G. PALMER. A well improved farm of eighty-five acres, situated in Fairfield township, is the home of Elzie G. Palmer, who has followed agriculture as a life work. His birth occurred in New Haven township, Huron county, Ohio, on the 20th of June, 1867, his parents being Milton and Isadore (Burlingham) Palmer, who were also natives of this county, the father having been born in New Haven township in 1842, while the mother's birth occurred in Norwich township. The Palmer family is of English extraction. The paternal grandparents of Elzie G. Palmer were Meigs and Betsy (Curtis) Palmer, while his maternal grandparents were Earl and Rosetta (Carpenter) Burlingham. Elzie G. Palmer obtained his education in the district schools and was reared in the usual manner of farm lads, assisting his father from the time of early spring planting until the crops were harvested in the late autumn. As stated above, he 56 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY has given his attention to the work of general farming throughout his entire business career; and for the past four years he has resided on his farm of eighty-five acres in Fairfield township. He annually harvests rich crops as a reward for the care and labor which he bestows upon the fields, cultivating the land according to the modern methods of farming. On the 23d of July, 1890, Mr. Palmer was joined in wedlock to Miss Emma Russell, a daughter of John and Mary (Lewis) Russell, of Ripley township, this county. Their union has been blessed with seven children, namely : Florence ; Ross ; Elva ; Carl ; Esther and Isadore, twins ; and Clarence. Mr. Palmer gives his political allegiance to the men and measures of the republican party, being convinced that its principles are most conducive to good government: His entire life has been passed in this county and his fellow townsmen know him as a straightforward, reliable and progressive citizen, who well merits the esteem that is uniformly accorded him. FRANK J. GIES. Not all who take up the work of the farm meet with success. There are certain indispensable elements, including industry, perseverance and good judgment, to tell the individual when is the best time of planting and what are the best methods of caring for the crops. Mr. Gies seems to possess all the essential elements of success in agricultural lines, for he is now one of the substantial and prosperous farmer of Peru township. A glance at his place at once indicates to the passerby that his methods are practical and progressive. His farm, comprising one hundred and thirty acres, presents a most attractive appearance, for the land is under a high state of cultivation and gives promise of golden harvests in the autumn. He was born in Bronson township, Huron county, Ohio, on the 25th of October, 1872, his parents being Michael and Blondina (Remley) Gies. The paternal grandfather, who was a native of Germany, made the voyage to this country about 1822 and became one of the early settlers of Bronson township, this county. The log house which he here erected was the birthplace of his son Michael, who remained a resident of Huron county throughout his entire life. The latter was an agriculturist by occupation, in which line of activity he won success by reason of his untiring industry and capable management. He was a valued and prominent member of the Catholic church, to which he contributed liberally of his time and means and in the faith of which he passed away in 1905. His wife, wh0se birth occurred in Germany in 1840, accompanied her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Remley, on their emigration to the United States in 1848, the family home being established in Bronson township, this county. She still survives and is well known and highly esteemed throughout the entire community. By her marriage she became the mother of seven children, namely : August, who is now a resident of Crawford county, Ohio ; Ferdinand, living in Bronson township ; Amelia, who is the wife of Emil Schnurr and makes her home in Bronson township ; Lawrence, at home ; Frank J., of this review ;"William, likewise a resident of Bronson township ; and Leo, who is at home. HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 57 Frank, J. Gies attended the district and German schools in the acquirement of an education and continued a resident of Bronson township until 1891. He worked for Mr. Remley for about three years, on the expiration of which period he went to Norwalk and was there in the employ of John Gardner for about nine years. Subsequently he purchased his present farm of one hundred and thirty acres in Peru township from Ed Lawrence and has here since carried on his 'agricultural interests with excellent results. He has remodeled the house and barn, also erected a number of outbuildings and altogether has a Well improved and model farming property. On the 15th of February, 1900, Mr. Gies was united in marriage to Miss Rose Reichert, a native of Germany and a daughter of Conrad and Helen Reichert. When a maiden of sixteen years she crossed the Atlantic to the United States in company with some friends but her parents never left the fatherland. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Gies have been born three children: Oscar, whose birth occurred February 20, 1003 ; Walter, whose natal day was September 6, 1905 ; and Leander, who was born on the 6th of April, 1909. Mr. Gies is a faithful communicant of the Catholic church. In 5908, in company with his wife, he made a trip to Europe and visited Germany, Switzerland and Italy, spending about nine weeks abroad. Having lived in Huron county throughout his entire life, he is well known within its borders and the ,many excellent traits of his character have brought to him the warm friendship of those with whom he has been associated. REV. P. J. QUINN. Rev. P. J. Quinn, who since the 4th of October, 1903, has been in charge of the parish of.St. Mary's church in Norwalk, was born in Niles, Ohio, on the 16th of February, 1874. His father, Charles Quinn, was a native of County Tyrone, Ireland, and came to the United States in the late '60s, at which time he settled in Ohio, remaining a resident here until his death on the 54th of December, 1907. His widow, who bore the name of Bridget Gallagher, is also a native of Ireland and is still living, being now a resident of Niles, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Quinn became the parents of fourteen children, six sons and eight daughters. In the schools of his native town P. J. Quinn acquired his early education and afterward had the benefit of instruction at Notre Dame University for three and a half years. He also spent a year and a half at St. Charles College in Maryland and pursued a theological course at St. Mary's Seminary in Cleveland. He was then ordained to the priesthood on the 9th of June, m00, in Cleveland and his first two years of pastoral work were spent as assistant at St. Agnes' church - in that city. Later, he was given charge of the Catholic church in Van Wert, Ohio, where he remained for one year and three months as guardian over the spiritual interests of St. Mary's church and on the 4th of October, 1903, he came to Norwalk to take charge of St. Mary's church at this place. He has been located here for about six years and is doing excellent work for the cause of Catholicism. The interests 0f the church are well organized and he has the hearty co- 58 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY operation of its members. He is very zealous in the work and is, moreover, a man of scholarly attainments, capable of holding the interest of his auditors when he addresses them upon religious themes. Father Quinn has three sisters who are members of religious bodies, Sadie and Ellen being connected with the Sisters of the Humility of Mary in the diocese of Cleveland, while Catherine is associated with the Sisters of St. Joseph in Erie, Pennsylvania. WILLIAM H. PIERCE. William H. Pierce, a well known and successful merchant of Wakeman, was born at that place cn the 19th of August, 1840, a son of Lemuel B. and Eunice (Burr) Pierce. In 1815, Lemuel B. Pierce accompanied his parents Mr. and Mrs. Amile P. Pierce, on their removal from Connecticut to Huron county, Ohio. They made the journey by wagon, bringing all their earthly possessions with them. The log cabin which they erected was "the third one built in Wakeman township and as this part of the state was still covered with timber, they had to clear the land before it could be utilized for farming purposes. As the years passed, Lemuel B. Pierce won success in his agricultural interests, owing to his untiring and well directed labor, and eventually became an extensive landowner. He also built and operated one of the first sawmills in Wakeman and was highly esteemed throughout the community as one of its worthy pioneer settlers whose efforts proved an important factor in the work of early development. He was a man of powerful physique and when in his prime could stand with his feet in a half bushel measure and shoulder five bushels of wheat, weighing three hundred pounds. Public-spirited and progressive, his aid and co-operation could always be counted upon to further any movement or measure instituted to promote the general welfare and at the polls, he gave his ,support to the candidates whom he believed would best conserve the public weal, but never sought office as a reward for his party fealty. His demise occurred in September, 1875, while his wife was called to her final rest in 1866, their remains being interred in the Wakeman cemetery. Their family numbered five children, namely : Amelia, who died when about seven years of age ; Elbert B., who is now deceased ; William H., of this review ; Julia J., the widow of Theodore V. Bunce; and frank L., who has also passed away. William H. Pierce was reared under the parental roof and early in life aided his father in the arduous labor incident to the devel0pment of a frontier farm. He obtained his preliminary education in the public schools of Wakeman and afterward attended Oberlin University for several terms. During the winter of 1860-61, he taught school in Wakeman township and in September, 1861, enlisted for service in the Union army as a member of Company H, Forty-first Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In 1862, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and transferred to Company B of the same regiment, commanding the company for two years. The regiment was attached to the Army of the Cumberland and saw much arduous service, participating in many hotly contested engagements. In the campaign from Chattanooga to Atlanta, Mr. Pierce was under fire for one hundred days, but in spite of this and many other hazardous experiences, HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 59 he escaped injury and imprisonment and had been in the service for more than three years before suffering from even a day's illness. He was mustered out 0n the 31st of January, 1865, about, six months after the expiration of his three years' term of enlistment, and returned home with a military record of which he had every reason to be proud. Soon afterward, he became identified with the mercantile interests of Wakeman as a 'member of the firm of Harris, Pierce & Baldwin, handling a general line of merchandise and farm implements. In 1880, he sold his interest to his partners and purchased a farm in Richland county, being there engaged in agricultural pursuits for about six years. Returning to Wakeman on the expiration of that period, he once more became connected with mercantile pursuits and had been continuously connected with that line of activity to the present time, conducting his enterprise under the firm name of W. H. Pierce .& Sons. In addition to carrying a fine line of groceries, boots and shoes and school supplies, they make a specialty of handling and shipping eggs and are generally conceded to be the m0st extensive dealers in eggs in the entire county. Mr. Pierce is a man of resourceful business ability, whose capably directed labors and keen discernment constitute the basis of the splendid success which has attended his effort. The neat and tasteful arrangement of his store, combined with the reasonable pfices and earnest desire to please his patrons have secured for him a large and very gratifying trade. On the 18th of April, 1864, while at home on a recruiting mission, Mr. Pierce was united in marriage to Miss Docia A. Waugh, a daughter of Lansing and Docia (Minor) Waugh, of Wakeman township. Unto them were born five children, the record of whom is as follows : Clarence H., who is associated with his father in business, was married on the 9th of February, 1886, to Miss Eva Brandt, a daughter of W. Shannon and Elizabeth (Cassell) Brandt, of Richland county. They now have four daughters : Flora A., Bessie B., Mabel B. and Docia E. Arthur M. Pierce, who is associated in business with his father and brother, celebrated his marriage on the 25th of December, 1890, the lady of his choice being Miss Flora Marshall, a daughter of William H. and Rebecca (Will) Marshall, of Richland county. By this union there are three children : Lester, Florence and William, Gilbert Pier e, son of William H. Pierce, passed away when but two years of age. Ada M. was called to her final rest at the age of twenty-five years, and Anna died in infancy. In 1909, Mr. Pierce was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who passed away on the 14th of January of that year, her demise being the occasion of deep and sincere regret to all who knew her. Though his business interests make extensive demands upon his time and energies, Mr. Pierce still finds opportunity for active co-operation in matters pertaining to the public welfare and is an influential factor in the local ranks of the repubhcan party. He is a member of the republican county committee and almost every year attends the county, district and state conventions as a delegate. He polled Wakeman township for twelve consecutive years, his service in this connection being remarkable for its accuracy. He was recognized as the most expert poller of voters in Huron county, for in most instances it was found that his polls were absolutely correct and in perfect accord with the results shown on election day. For a number of years prior to 1880, which year witnessed his removal to Richland county, he served as postmaster at Wakeman and after re- 60 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY turning to this town, he was again appointed postmaster in 1890, capably discharging the duties of the 0ffice for four years. He has also acted as constable of Wakeman township and was likewise township trustee and township clerk for a number of years. From the time that he returned from the army until within the past few .years, his fellow townsmen kept him almost continuously in public office—a fact which speaks in unmistakable terms of his personal popularity and the confidence and trust reposed in him. His sons, emulating the splendid record of their father in private and public life, have become widely recognized as substantial and progressive citizens and take a helpful interest in matters of public concern. Clarence H. Pierce now serving as treasurer of Wakeman township. A valued representative of the Masonic fraternity here, William H. Pierce belongs to Gibson Lodge, No. 301, F. & A. M., in which he has filled most of the offrces. He is also a member of Wilson Todd Post, No. 559, G. A. R., in which he has filled all of the offices and for the past twelve years, has been quarter-master of the post. He has frequently been a delegate to the state encampments, often attends the national encampments and for the past forty years, has been a regular attendant at the annual reunions of the Forty-first Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He and his family are pr0minent members of the Congregational church and are active workers in both church and Sunday school. Mr. Pierce having frequently served as an officer on the different church boards. Such in brief is the life history of one of Huron county's most widely known and highly respected citizens. In whatever relation of life we find him—in the government service, in political circles, in business or in social relations-he is always the same honorable and honored gentleman, whose worth well merits the high regard which is uniformly given him. WILLIAM A. KNAPP. One of the influential business men of Greenwich township, Huron c0unty, is William A. Knapp, a farmer, stockman and banker. He was born in Maranac, Connecticut, January 10, 1841, and is the son of William A. and Harriet (Marshall) Knapp, both of whom were natives of Westchester county, New York. They grew up and were married there: The second year after their union they removed to Connecticut, where Mr. Knapp assumed the management of the farm of Judge I. Roosevelt, the grandfather of ex-President Theodore Roosevelt, who though a resident of New York had large farming interests in the adjoining state. In 1846 Mr. Knapp decided to bring his family to Ohio, and made the trip by the circuitous route of the Erie canal to Buffalo and by lake vessel from Buffalo to Huron, Ohio, which they reached October 3, 1846. The family located in Fitchville township, where Mr. Knapp purchased fifty acres of good land from his father Sylvanus Knapp, who had secured the land in 1836 as a part of the Firelands reservation, but had never become a resident of Ohio. The entire fifty acres were heavily covered with timber, and the winter of 1846-47 was spent in clearing two acres and• in building a frame house for his family, which was one of the first frame buildings erected in that township. In the spring 61 - PHOTO OF WILLIAM A. KNAPP 62 - BLANK HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 63 of 1847 the two acres he had cleared Mr. Knapp planted in corn, employing a method of doing this that was crude in the extreme. With his ax he would first make a hole in the ground, drop in the grains of corn, and then with his foot brush back the dirt to cover the hole. The work of clearing went on rapidly. and as he saw opportunity Mr. Knapp bought large tracts of land until he owned two hundred and forty acres. He pursued general farming and also engaged in stock buying and shipping, finding a market for hiss stock in Buffalo. In 1881 he sold his farm and removed to Greenwich, where he became active in the organization of the Greenwich Banking Company, the first bank in the village. He was elected its first president and held the position until his death, July 17, 1888. He was a man of means, who took a deep interest in public matters, although he never participated in politics with a view to self-advancement. Originally he was a whig, but of later years espoused the republican cause and was always to be seen at the polls at election time. He had for a number of years been a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church and when he died was mourned as- a man of sterling traits of character. His wife, who possessed many virtues and was beloved by all who knew her, survived him a little over a year, her death occurring on the l0th of September, 1889, and she was buried by his side in the cemetery at Fitchville. William A. Knapp, the subject of this sketch, was reared under the parental roof and received his education in the district schools of the county, but because of the need of his services on the farm did not continue the period of his training beyond his sixteenth year. During the Civil war he enlisted in Company C, One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served for four months with the Army of the Potomac. At the end of his term of enlistment he entered the government telegraph service under Dennis Doren, superintendent of construction with the Army of the Potomac. During the two years he was engaged in this work he was rapidly promoted and was given the position of foreman for meritorious service. In the fall of 1867, when the telegraph lines south of the Mason and Dixon's line were returned to the control of the original owners, Mr. Knapp left the employ of the government, entering that of the Western Union Telegraph Company. He remained with this corporation for one year, in that time assisting in the building of the cable connection between Pirate's Cove, on the northern line of Nova Scotia, to the northern line of New Brunswick. Returning home at the expiration of a year, he engaged with his father in farming and stock shipping, a partnership that continued until the older man removed to Greenwich village, after which Mr. Knapp continued the business alone. In 1895 he removed to Greenwich, where in addition to his farming and stock business he has identified himself with the village life and work. He was made president of the Farmers' Banking Company and is a stockholder in the First National Bank of New London and in the Capital Trust Company of Columbus. In 1900 he served as land appraiser for Fitchville township and has in other ways evinced his interest in public matters. In politics he is a republican and is frequently a representative of his party in county, district and state conventions. On the 27th of March, 1879, Mr. Knapp was married to Miss Philena Kirkpatrick, a daughter of William and Charlotte (Coden), the former a farmer of 64 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY Fitchville township. To Mr. and Mrs. Knapp have been born two sons, Jay D., who was formerly. assistant cashier of the Greenwich Banking Company, but on account of ill health has removed to California ; and Harley B., who is assistant cashier of the Farmers Banking Company, of which his father is president. Mrs. Knapp died July 31, 1892, mourned by those who knew her and had been the recipients of her many acts of thoughtfulness and kindness. Mr. Knapp and his family affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church and support all Christian and charitable work. He belongs to Floral Lodge, No. 260, F. & A. M., in which he takes an active part. A man of means, his landholdings amount to three hundred and ten acres besides his fine home in Greenwich. He is distinguished for his public spirit and is a strong advocate of good government and improvements, being of the opinion that by such things may the progress of a community be gauged. BYRON EMORY JENNINGS. Byron Emory Jennings, who is now living practically retired in North Fairfield, where he owns a tract of ten acres of land, was formerly actively and successfully identified with the agricultural interests of this county. His birth occurred in Fairfield township, Huron county, Ohio, on the 26th of October, 1853, his parents being Ezra and Harriet (Godden) Jennings, who were natives of Connecticut and New York respectively. The father was born on the 6th of August, 1828, while the m0ther's birth occurred October 13, 1829. Byron Emory Jennings has always devoted his time and energies to agricultural pursuits, in which he has met with excellent success, annually harvesting good crops as the result of his practical and progressive methods m the cultivation of the soil. He has now disposed of his farm, however, and is living practically retired on a tract of ten acres in North Fairfield. On the 24th of January, 1877, Mr. Jennings was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Cowpe, whose birth occurred in England on the 15th of June, 1858, her parents being John and Ellen (Frith) Cowpe, also natives of that country. The latter, who was born March 24, 1827, gave her hand in marriage to John Cowpe on the 23d of March, 1853. Mr. and Mrs. Cowpe made the ocean voyage to the United States when their daughter Jennie was but nine months old and in 1859, took up their abode at Olena, Huron county, Ohio. The father was a brickmaker by trade and followed that pursuit until the outbreak of the Civil war, when he enlisted in defense of the Union as a member of Company E, Fifty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was killed at the battle of Peach Tree Creek on the l0th of July, 1864, thus laying down his life on the altar of his adopted country. Unto him and his wife were born the following children: John Sherman, Jennie and Mary Ann. Mr. and Mrs. Jennings had four children, namely : Otto, born October 3, 1878, who wedded Miss Grace Kinger on the 30th of June, 1906, and resides in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania ; Clair Elbert, whose birth occurred March 13, 1886, and who is now pursuing a course in mechanical engineering at the Ohio State HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 65 University; Lee, born May 19, 1891, who is at home ; and Harold, born October 5, 1897, who passed away on the 3d of January, 1898. Mr. Jennings is a consistent member of the Presbyterian church, in the work of which he takes an active and helpful interest. He is well known and highly esteemed throughout the county in which he has made his home from his birth to the present time, his upright and honorable life commanding the respect and admiration of all with whom business or social relations have brought him in contact. ELIAS BEACH MITCHELL. Elias Beach Mitchell, a retired agriculturist residing in North Fairfield, was born in Greenfield township, Huron county, Ohio, on the 30th of December, 1839. The paternal grandfather, James Mitchell, who was of Scotch Irish descent, was born in New Jersey, about 1745. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Lorena Sutton, was of Holland Dutch lineage. Their children were seven in number, namely: William N.., Betsy, Sarah, Polly, Hezekiah, Moses and James. N. Mitchell, the lather of our subject, whose birtU occurred in Montgomery county, New York, on the 1st of January, 1799, came to Greenwich township, Huron county, Ohio, in 1821, making the journey with his father. As a companand helpmate on the journey of life, he chose Miss Charisy Beach, who was born in Montgomery county, New York, in October, 1812, a daughter of Ehas and Amanda (Herrick) Beach. Her parents were natives of Massachusetts and Connecticut respectively, and the father served as a soldier in the War of 1812. Mrs. Mitchell was the eldest in a family of eleven children, her brothers and sisters being as follows : Miles, T., Milton, Erastus, Marshall, Thomas, Jane, Sarah, Emily, Flora and Henrietta. About 1824, the Beach family established their home in Ashtabula county, Ohio, and about 1830, they came to Huron county, this state. Unto William N. and Charisy (Beach) Mitchell, were born two children: Philander ; and Elias Beach, of this review. The last named obtained his education in the common schools of his home neighborhood and after putting aside his text-books, became identified with general agricultural pursuits, in which he was successfully engaged throughout his active business career. At the present time, however, he is living retired in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil, having left the farm and removed to North Fairfield in the spring of 1909. He still retains possession of his farm, which is a rich and productive tract of land of sixty-four acres in Fairfield township. He is now a member of the board of directors of the Huron County Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company, of which he formerly served as vice-president. On the 4th of November, 1862, Mr. Mitchell was united in marriage to Miss Cornelia Place, whose birth occurred in New York city on the 26th of Nevember, 1843, her parents being Thomas and Dora (Barker) Place, whom she accompanied on their removal to Huron county, Ohio, in 1856. Mr. and Mrs. Place had a family of five children, namely: George, Lorenzo, Walter, Sarah and Cornelia. Unto Elias B. and Cornelia (Place) Mitchell, were born the following children: Fremon P., whose birth occurred November 5, 1866, and who wedded Miss Kate 66 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY Ryerson, of Greenfield township, Huron county ; Donald W.; Philip ; and Cornelia. Subsequent to the death of his first wife Mr. Mitchell was again married, in 1886, his second union being with Mrs. Martha J. Sherman, a widow, who was born in February, 1843. Her parents were Jonathan and Eliza (Munsel) Collin- wood. Mr. Mitchell is a prominent and valued member of the Baptist church, in which he has served as trustee for about nineteen years. He has always made his home in this county, and the fact that many of his stanchest friends are those who have known hini from his boyhood to the present time, is an indication that his life has at all times been honorable and upright—worthy of the high esteem in which he is uniformly held. DOOR TWADDLE. Door Twaddle, a well-to-do_ farmer of Clarksfield township, Huron county, Ohio, was born in this township, March 28, 1852, the son of John J. and Julia A. (Palmer) Twaddle. The father was a son of Alexander Twaddle, and was born in the southwestern part of Pennsylvania, where the family lived from 1823 to 1836, and engaged in farming. John J. Twaddle, and his brother Alexander came to Clarksfield township in 1835, where the former was married to Miss Julia A. Palmer. who had come to Ohio with her parents from Westchester county, New York. After their marriage the young couple lived near Norwalk, Ohio, where John J. Twaddle worked for Isaac Underhill, a pioneer resident of that section. During the twelve years in his employ, Mr. Twaddle saved up sufficient money to purchase a farm in Clarksfield township, which was his home until his death, which occurred December 28, 1885. His widow survived him until November 8, 1889, when she was buried by his side in Clarksfield cemetery. Of the children that were born to Mr. and Mrs. Twaddle, Frank died in infancy ; Ella married J. T. King, and is now a widow living in Wakeman village ; Door is the subject of this sketch ; Charlotte married Eugene Fox and lives on the old homestead in Clarksfield township; Leroy and Lilly A., were twins. The f0rmer of the two died December 14, 1897, but the other married J. L. Judd and lives in Marshall county, Kansas. Door Twaddle was educated in the schools of Clarksfield and spent his youth on his father's farm, assisting in every way he could with the work that went on there. At the age of sixteen, he went to Michigan to purchase some land and while there worked at various pursuits. At the age of nineteen, he returned home and began learning the cheese manufacturing business, entering the fact0ry of Parker, Morgan & Hovey. He worked for them for four years and then was appointed night superintendent of the factory, subsequently, being put in full charge of the establishment. Some years later, he became a partner in another cheese factory, located in Clarksfield, which business he conducted for seven years. He next entered tit firm of J. C. Ransom & Company, where he gained a reputation as a successful cheese separator. In 1882, Mr. Twaddle gave up his interests in the cheese factory and took up farming, to which he has devoted all HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 67 his attention since. He has a tract of two hundred and six acres, all fine land and under a fine state of cultivation. Mr. Twaddle married Miss Celia Rowland, the daughter of Daniel and Harriet (Chaffee) Rowland, a pioneer family of this county. They came here from New York state in 1818 and became very prominent in the development of the resources of the township. To Mr. and Mrs. Twaddle have been born three children. Wanda, the only daughter, married Elmer P. Finch, of Wilmington. William E. was married on the 17th of June, 1903, to Miss Edna Spurrier, the daughter of Royal and Rheta (Stiles) Spurrier. Jay C., the youngest, was married May 9, 1903, to Miss Bertha Pearsall, the daughter of James and Julia (Scott) Pearsall. Both sons are excellent young men, well educated and thoroughly equipped for the affairs of life. They .assist their father in the management of his large acreage and are up-to-date in the best manner of cultivating the soil: Mr. Twaddle is a democrat and is deeply interested in public affairs, though not active in his party. He has, however, on many occasions served the people well as township trustee, as road supervior and as a member of the school board. He is a member of the Gibson lodge, No. 301, F. & A. M., of Wakeman and also of the chapter. The New London lodge of the Independant Order of Odd Fellows as well numbers him upon it r0ll call. In the meetings of his lodges and in the general affairs of life, he has proved to be a man of sound principles and strong personality. He is progressive and well informed and is accounted one of the prosperous farmers of Clarksfield township. F. P. STONE. F. P, Stone, a well known and enterprising agriculturist residing on his farm of thirty acres in Fitchville township, was born in Lorain county, Ohio, on the 9th of October, 1849, his parents being Ezra and Isabelle (Baldwin) Stone, the former a native or Vermont and the latter of Jefferson county, New York. In his boyhood days, Ezra Stone was brought to Lorain county, this state, by. his father, Josiah Stone, who there purchased a farm of one hundred and fifteen acres. Ezra Stone successfully carried on general agricultural pursuits throughout his active business career and subsequent. to the death of his father, he came into possession of the lattersis farm, thereon spending his remaining days. Eighty-five acres of the original farm of one hundred and fifteen acres is still in possession of the family, now belonging to Mrs. Olivia Mull and Joseph P. Stone, a sister and brother of our subject. The father gave his political allegiance to the men and measures of the democracy. In the year 1846, he wedded Miss Isabell Baldwin and their union was blessed with six children, two of whom died in infancy. F. P.. of this review ; Orlando G., whose birth occurred in 1853 ; Mrs. Olivia Mull ; and Joseph P. With the exception of the first named, all are residents of Lorain county. The father, who was born June 7, 1824, died February 15, 1880, and the mother, whose birth occurred April 11, 1825, passed away May 19, 1902. F. P. Stone remained under the parental roof until after he had attained his majority, working out by the month as a farm hand. When twenty-three years 68 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY of age, he was united in marriage to Miss Julia L. Clark, a daughter of Jewet and Adeline Clark, of Lorain county. For fourteen years after his marriage, h followed his trade as a carpenter and joiner and then turned his attention to th work of farming, which has since claimed his time and energies. In 1898, he bought his present place of thirty acres in Fitchville township, Huron county, and annually gathers good harvests as a reward of the intelligence which he displays in the planting and cultivation of his crops. Mr. and Mrs. Stone have three children : Roy E., who was born in 1874 an completed a course in the Oberlin high school and Moody Institute of Chicago Illinois ; Ona M., who is married to Frank Russell of Clarksfield, this county and Leon B., who is a teacher in the schools of Fitchville. Both were educated in the Fitchville high school. In his political views Mr. Stone is a stanch republican, being a firm believe in the principles of that party. Both he and his wife are esteemed in their home community as people of genuine personal worth, the hospitality of the best homes being freely accorded them. HARLOW CASE STAHL. Among the names of those who stand as the most prominent representatives of industrial Ohio, is that of Harlow Case Stahl. Not by leaps or bounds but by steady progress that ultimately reaches the objective point has he gained his present position, yet his rise has been rapid, owing to his ready recognition and intelligent appreciation of opportunities. He early learned to place the correct value upon life's contacts and experiences and this, combined with his study of trade conditions, has placed him in a position to quickly utilize every opportunity and male each moment count to the best advantage. He is today widely known as the president and treasurer of the Ohio Cultivator C0mpany and since its inception, has been the leading spirit in the enterprise. Mr. Stahl was born in a log house on a farm south of Fremont, Ohio, February 12, 1849, and as the name indicates is of German descent. His grandfather, John Stahl, was born in 1773, and came to the United States at an early day. His son, Jacob B. Stahl, the father of our subject, was also born in Germany and came to Ohio in 1832 at the age of eighteen years. He devoted his life to farming and spent his latter years near Fremont, Ohio. On the 21st of 'December, 1841, in Fremont, Ohio, he was married to Rachel E. Camp, who died September 5, 1877, while his death occurred January 27, 1883. He was born February t0, 1814, and he was, therefore, in the sixty-ninth year of his age at the time of his demise. After acquiring his preliminary education in the public schools of Fremont, Harlow C. Stahl pursued a special business course at Oberlin, Ohio. His youth, ful days were largely devoted to the work of the home farm, whereon he remained until he attained the age of thirty, at which time he became identified with manufacturing interests in Fremont. The Ohio Cultivator Company, which stands today as Bellevue's largest industry, was established on a very small scale at 69 - PHOTO OF HARLOW CASE STAHL 70 - BLANK HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 71 Fremont in 1878. Mr. Stahl's mechanical ingenuity and his recognition of needs in the agricultural world that might be met through invention and manufacture, led.him to take up the work of building cultivators, and his first year's output amounted to eighty-one machines, which were practically manufactured and marketed by him with the assistance of a local blacksmith. Up to that time, no successful riding cultivator had ever been placed upon the market and the first year’s output was disposed of to farmers in the immediate vicinity of Fremont. The machines met with such unbounded success that their popularity was soon heralded in the neighboring counties so that it was possible for Mr. Stahl to find ready sale for two hundred cultivators in the second year. They were manufactured throughout the winter months in the blacksmith shop and when the spring trade cpened were trailed behind a wagon and retailed to the farmers personally by Mr. Stahl. His keen prescience enabled him to recognize the possibilities of this piece of farm machinery and the necessity for increased capital prompted him to form a partnership under the name of Stahl & Peck. Originally, they conducted a feed store in connection with their manufacturing business, but the rapid increase of the trade led to the concentration of their energies upcn manufacturing lines and this step toward expansion was rapidly followed by the organization of a stock company known as the Fremont Cultivator Company. From the beginning the growth of the business has been .rapid and substantial, so much so that in 1886, enlarged quarters had to be secured. At that time negotiations were opened with the citizens at Bellevue for a location which terminated in the Fremont Cultivator Company's leaving its cramped quarters and removing to Bellevue. Soon afterward the business was reorganized under the name of the Ohio Cultivator Company, and although the new location gave them at the time much needed manufacturing facilities, this condition lasted for only a short time, as the increasing popularity of the famous Ohio cultivator was extending into the corn belts of the west. The growing trade demanded additions to the factory and the main building was converted into a three-story structure, after which a foundry was built, for up to that time both grey iron and malleable was purchased under contract from foundries in Cleveland. While increasing the factory facilities, it was also found advisable to increase the line of machines and as a result the disc harrow business of the Dayton Farm Implement Company was purchased and removed to this place and made a part of the famous Ohio line. From that time, the growth of the business was very rapid and nearly every year has -been marked by new additions being built to the factory and mcdern machinery being installed throughout all departments of the plant. The next important addition to the line of implements as well as to the plant of the cultivator company was the purchase of the buildings and equipment of the Bellevue Plow Company, whose property adjoined that of the. cultivator company, lying on the opposite side of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad tracks. This gave to the cultivator company, one of the largest and strongest lines of small tools manufactures in the country and, with the increased and available capital at their command, this plant immediately entered upon a new and even more successful era. A few years later followed the purchase of the patents, good will, etc., of the Ohio Hay Press Company, whose product. was at the time limited to but one style of press-a steam or belt power hay 72 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY press. To this has been added a full and complete line of one and two horse presses that have rapidly sprung into favor with the progressive hay balers throughout the United States. This branch of the business within a few years has developed to mammoth proportions until a large two-story building, one hundred and thirty by eighty feet, is now utilized for its conduct. Later came the purchase of the Bissell chilled plows, manufactured by the Bissell Plow Company of South Bend, Indiana. With the removal of this business to Bellevue the old foundry capacity soon reached its limit and a new foundry was placed in course of construction, ranking today as one of the largest and most modern foundries in Ohio. An entirely new power plant was put in operation in the summer of 1909, being driven by electricity and furnishing the power for every department cf the works. With the purchase of the Bissell plow came a largely increased foreign trade for the output had been successfully introduced into European markets. No other agricultural implement factory in this country has enjoyed so rapid and substantial a growth as the Ohi0 Cultivator Company and throughout the entire period at its head, controlling and directing its interests, has stood H. C. Stahl. Branch houses have been established throughout the country, the company maintaining transfer stocks at Philadelphia ; Rochester, New York; Richmond, Virginia ; Columbus, Ohio ; Lexington, Kentucky ; Indianapolis, Indiana ; Peoria, Illinois ; Milwaukee, Wisconsin ; Minneapolis, Minnesota ; Cedar Rapids, Iowa ; Des Moines, Iowa ; Wichita, Kansas ; and Kansas City, Missouri. The company owns its own building in Council Bluffs, I0wa, where the business has outgrown the facilities of the average transfer or distributing house of agricultural implements and the business is conducted tinder a branch house management. At Kansas City, another large implement center, the company maintains a branch house manager together with an efficient corps of traveling men, as is done at Council Bluffs. At Dallas, Texas, the business reached such proportions that it was deemed advisable to purchase a warehouse, which was secured several years ago. Throughout these years of expansion and advancement, H. C. Stahl has always been at the head, managing and directing the affairs of the company to its present successful proporitions. The capital stock has from time to time been increased until it is recorded today at one million dollars. Moreover, the enterprise has been one of immense value to Bellevue where, throughout the busy season in normal years, the factory has as high as three hundred men upon its pay roll, approximately one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars being paid to the employes. As his associate officers, Mr. Stahl, who is president and treasurer, has A. C. Stahl as vice-president ; E. A. King, secretary ; C. V. Brown, assistant secretary ; J. E. Marvin, auditor ; A. C. Dann, superintendent ; and Dan Seltzer, assistant superintendent. Mr. Stahlls hand is also the guiding factor in other enterprises, although the interests of the Ohio Cultivator Company claim the greater portion of his time, attention and energies. He is the president of the Bellevue Savings Bank, is president of the Harrah State Bank, of Harrah, Oklahoma, and is interested in various other organizations. He is likewise the owner of several farms in the immediate vicinity of Bellevue and has considerable land in other sections of the country. HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY - 73 On the 21st of October, 1874, in Southbury, New Haven county, Connecticut, Mr. Stahl was married to Miss Annie C. Mitchell of that place, a daughter Of Nelson Warren and Edna Eliza (Platt) Mitchell, who were also natives of Connecticut. Her father married and took his bride to his father's home, there living for fifty years. The old home is still in possession of the Mitchell family. The great-grandfather of Mrs. Stahl was a soldier of the Revolutionary war. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Stahl have been born four children : Edna Rachel, now the wife of Joseph. E. Marvin, of Bellevue, Ohio ; Alice Emeline, the wife of Daniel Seltzer of Bellevue ; Marion Belle, the wife of Henry N. Schofield of Dallas, Texas ; and Harlow Mitchell, who was born June 22, 1893, and is now attending the Culver Military College at Culver, Indiana. Mr. Stahl is a member of the Masonic fraternity, while his political allegiance is given to the republican party. A public spirit and marked philanthropy are strong characteristics of his nature and are manifest in his active aid and cooperation with every movement tending toward the development and improvement of Bellevue. His life work is notable by reason of the fact that without any especially favoring advantages at the outset of his career, he has worked his way steadily upward, meriting the prosperity that he has enjoyed and which has led him into the most important industrial relations. He is honored and respected for what he has accomplished and none the less so for the means which he has employed for the attainment of his success. GEORGE H. GATES. George H. Gates, who is serving efficiently as court bailiff of Huron county, is a native son of the Buckeye state, born in Newark, Ohio, May 26, 1858, his parents being Jacob and Rose (Chamberlin) Gates. The father was an engineer on the Pan Handle Railroad and was killed at Coshocton the morning prior to Thanksgiving day of 1872. George H. Gates, the subject of this review, pursued his early education in the common schools and attended the Newark high school one year. Upon the death of his father, it was necessary that he provide for his own support, and accordingly he secured employment with S. A. Parr, a grocer of Newark, driving a delivery wagon and clerking in the store. At the age of nineteen years, he entered the employ of Cherry & Woolson, proprietors of the eating house of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company at Chicago Junction and Garrett, Indiana, remaining in their employ fifteen years. Entering public life, Mr. Gates then served as deputy under Sheriff N. 0. Allen, four years, while for a similar period, he acted in the same capacity under Sheriff Seneca Rouk. He was then, in 1900, elected sheriff of Huron county on the republican ticket and was re-elected to that office in 1902, which indicated that his services were entirely satisfactory to the public at large. After the expiration of his second term, he was appointed court bailiff and is the present incumbent in that office. He is well qualified to fill the office to the satisfaction of his people and with credit to himself, as he has demonstrated in the past: 74 - HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY Mr. Gates wedded Miss Lizzie A. Wilcox, of Centerton, Ohio, and their union has been blessed with a son and a daughter, Louis W., and Helen M. The family are prominent in the social circles of Norwalk, and all who know them entertain for them high regard, while as a public official, Mr. Gates has won the confidence of all with whom his business relations bring him in contact. CALVERT A. MEAD. A well developed and highly improved farm of ninety-three acres, situated within two miles and a half of the courthouse in Norwalk, is not only the present home of Calvert A. Mead, but was the place of his birth and here his entire life has been spent. He was born in a log house on this farm, Julre 9, 1834, and is the youngest in a family of ten children born of the marriage of Edmund W. Mead and Rachel Knapp. The former was born April 4, 1788, while the birth of the latter occurred February 14, 1790. They were married October 2, 1813, and it was in 1828, that Edmund W. Mead, with his family, then consisting of wife and six children, left their home in Putnam county, New York, and located in Huron county.' Four years later, in 1832, the father took up his abode upon the farm which is now the home of his son Calvert A. He followed farming throughout his entire life, was industrious and prudent in his manner of living, and thus acquired a good farm. He eventually retired to private life, spending his last days in Norwalk, where his death occurred April 5, 1876, when he had reached the extreme old age of eighty-eight years. He was a republican in politics and was highly respected in the community in which he so long made his home. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Edmund W. Mead numbered nine children, as follows: Jane E., who was born April 28, 1814 ; Elizabeth A., born February 26, 1816; Susan, born May 11, 1818 ; Silas K., November 19, 1820; Almira, born February 13, 1823 ; Alfred G., July 12, 1825 ; Rachel, born April 5, 1829 ; Charles E., January 14, 1832 ; and Calvert A., born June 9, 1834. The last three named were born after the removal of the family to Huron county. Calvert A. Mead, as above stated, was born on the farm which is still his home. As as boy, he was reared to agricultural pursuits and has made farming his life work. He has improved his place with good substantial buildmgs, having a comfortable residence and ample outbuildings for the shelter of grain and stock. The place, comprising ninety-three acres, is conveniently located within two and a half miles of the courthouse in Norwalk. Near the house is a natural spring of water, supplying a small lake, which has been dug by Mr. Mead. He has stocked this with fish and it also affords a place for rowing, which adds greatly to the pleasure of the family and their friends, during the heated season. He formerly gave much of his attention to dairying, supplying a large number of patrons with milk, but he has abandoned this branch of his business and now gives his entire time t0 the cultivation of crops. Mr. Mead chose as a companion and helpmate for the journey of life, Miss Ellen Mesnard, who was born April 30, 1836, their marriage being celebrated in 1857. Her father, Eri Mesnard, was of French descent and served as standard