900 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY blow not only to his immediate family but to many friends scattered far and near. He was born in Wellington Township October 4, 1881, and was not quite thirty-one years of age when he died, His parents were George D, and Ida (Peck) Bacon, both of whom were natives of Wellington Township, George D. Bacon, after the death of his wife moved to Michigan and is now living at Adrian in that state. Aaron L. Bacon grew up in the home of his grandparents after his mother's death, They were Sereno Dwight and Mary (Bailey-) Bacon, His grandfather was born in Grafton, Vermont, in 1825, and came to Carlisle Township in Lorain County in 1842, In May, 1851, he bought a farm in Wellington Township, but he and his wife moved to the village of Wellington in 1881, The late A, L. Bacon acquired an education in the common schools and also pursued a business course at Oberlin. In 1903 he married for his first wife Amanda Friend, who died in 1907. The one child of that union, Helen, now lives with Mrs, Bacon and is a student in school, In 1910 Mr. Bacon married Miss Lida Miller, a daughter of Nathan B, and Elizabeth (Dute) Miller, a well known family of Wellington Township, reference to whom is made on other pages. Mrs, Bacon has one daughter, Elizabeth, now four years of age. She is an active member of the Baptist Church, and since the death of her husband has made her home in Wellington, Mr. Bacon was a republican in politics and was a member of the Tribe of Ben Hur. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs, Bacon moved to his farm of 200 acres in Wellington Township, and for a number of years he had been a successful raiser of Holstein cattle, He had just completed a fine modern country home by remodeling the old two-story brick house that had stood on his farm since 1861, and it may be said that he and Mrs, Bacon were just equipped to live happily and prosperously when. the accident occurred by which he lost his life, Mr. Bacon's grandfather died in 1901 and his grandmother in 1909. JOHN CORTS, In the year 1900 Mr, Corts came to the City of Lorain and effected the purchase of an established laundry plant and business of modest order, and from this inception he has developed a thoroughly modern and metropolitan establishment, conducted under the corporate title of the Corts Laundry & Dry Cleaning Company. Mr. Corts is president of the company, and his sons are his coadjutors in the large and prosperous business, as will be more specifically noted in a later paragraph, It has been given to Mr. Corts to gain secure vantage-ground as one of the representative business men and loyal, popular and public spirited citizens of Lorain County, and he is well entitled to special consideration in this history of one of the favored counties of his native state. Mr. Corts was born on the paternal 'homestead farm in Ashland County, Ohio, and the date of his nativity was September, 1851, He is a son of Lewis and Lydia A. (Long) Corts, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania and both of whom were honored citizens of Ashland County. Ohio, for many years before their death. the father having there been a substantial agriculturist and a man of influence in community affairs. He whose name introduces this article was reared to the sturdy discipline of the home farm and in the meanwhile duly profited by the advantages afforded in the public schools of his native county. There he was thereafter engaged in independent operations as a farmer for a few years. and he then learned the trade of marble cutter. For a full quarter of a century he was engaged in the marble and granite business HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 901 in the City of Ashland, where he developed a large and profitable business in the manufacturing and handling of monuments and minor stones for memorial use in cemeteries, He continued his residence at Ashland until 1900, when he came to Lorain, as previously noted, and purchased a small laundry. He made minor improvements in the establishment as soon as he assumed control, and in 1905 he erected his present modern building, which is 40 by 130 feet in dimensions, two stories in height and of brick construction. The plant is amplified by the dry-cleaning establishment, in an annex 40 by 20 feet in dimensions and likewise two stories in height, and by adequate buildings for the stabling of horses, wagons and automobiles used in connection with the business, as well as a separate building for the direct washing department, The equipment throughout is of the best modern type, and with such facilities all work turned out is such as to constitute the most effective of all advertising for the establishment, The business is incorporated as the Corts Laundry & Dry Cleaning Company with Mr, Corts as president, his son Tullus P, as vice president and with his elder son, Charles W,, as secretary and treasurer, Mr. Corts is liberal and progressive in his attitude as a citizen, is a staunch republican in politics, is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Knights of the Maccabees, and both he and his wife are most zealous members of the United Brethren Church, in which he is serving as a trustee of the church at Lorain and also as superintendent of its Sunday school. In the year 1874 was solemnized the marriage of Mr, Corts to Miss Sadie McIlvain, of Ashland, Ohio, and they have two children, Charles Wesley and Tullus Pedro. Charles Wesley Corts was born at Ashland, this state, on the 5th of October, 1875, and there received his early education in the public schools. He was employed as a bookkeeper in Cleveland until he became associated with his father in the laundry business at Lorain, and he is now secretary and treasurer of the Lorain industry before mentioned, He is a Knights Templars Mason, besides being affiliated with the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and he holds membership also in the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He married Miss Elizabeth Schopf, of Ashland, and no children have been born of this union, Tullus Pedro Corts was born at Ashland, Ohio, in 1877, and after completing the curriculum of the public schools he was for two years in the employ of the Myers Manufacturing Company. In that city he then learned the laundry business, and thus he was the "practical man" of the concern when he joined his father and brother in the laundry business at Lorain. where he is vice president of the company. He is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, in which he has attained the Knights Templar degree, and he is also identified with the Knights of Pythias. He married Miss Alberta Mansfield, of Ashland, and they have two children—Margaret Rebecca and John Mansfield. R. C. ADAMS. For a man to have lived usefully and honorably for more than three quarters of a century is itself a distinction deserving of more than passing attention in a community. Now one of the oldest native sons of Lorain County, R. C. Adams was born in Wellingrton Township February 1, 1838, more than seventy-seven years ago, For considerably more than half a century he and his devoted wife and companion have walked along life's highway together. On September 29, 1859, R. C. Adams married Melva A. Whitney, whose father, Seaver Whitney, was an early settler of Pittsfield town- 902 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY ship, In September, 19019, Mr, and Mrs. Adams celebrated their golden wedding anniversary, and at that time almost the entire village of Wellington turned out to celebrate and congratulate the venerable couple on the event, It is equally noteworthy that every one of their four children born to their union is still living. Evidently it was of such people that the Scriptural writer spoke when he said : “With their seed shall continually remain a good inheritance and their children are within the covenant, Their seed shall remain forever and their glory shall not be blotted out." The parents of R. C. Adams were Calvin and Eunice (Smith: Adams, both natives of Connecticut. They came to Ohio in an early day and located in Wellington Township, where they spent their lives. Calvin Adams was twice married. R, C, Adams is now the only one living of the five children born to his mother. His parents were both active members of the Congregational Church and his father was first a whig and afterwards a republican, When the Adams family located in Wellington Township there were only two other families residing there. R. C. Adams acquired his early education in the common schools, found plenty to do on the home place, and afterwards turned to farming as a regular vocation, He acquired and developed a good place of 157 acres, but in 1880 he left the farm and moved to Wellington. where after a year of work on the public highways and one year spent as a carpcnter he engaged in the implement and feed business, and he now gives all his time to the latter work. He is a republican and Mrs. Adams is a member of the Methodist Church. A brief record of their four children. is as follows: Rosa M. is the widow of Mr. Delmar Beckley, Edith is the wife of Edson L. Wilcox, a farmer in Huntington Township, Grace married Charles Rodell of Wellington and has three children, Marian, Charles and Delmar. Leon R,, a banker at Willoughby, Ohio, married Cora Oble, WALTER ALBERT DAVIES. The record of Walter Albert Davies is that of a man who has by his own unaided efforts worked his way upward to a position of affluence. His life has been one of industry and perseverance, and the systematic and honorable business methods which he has followed have won him the support and confidence of his business associates. Occupying a leading position in financial circles as cashier of the City Bank Company of Lorain, he is also prominent in civic affairs, and his wide circle of friends testifies to his general popularity. Mr. Davies was born in the. City of Cleveland, Ohio, May 20. 1870, and is a son of George S. and Jane (Hillyer) Davies, His father was chief clerk to the auditor of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad for a number of years. Mr. Davies was five years of age when brought to Elyria, Ohio, and here his education was acquired in the public schools, When he put aside his studies he entered the auditing department of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway as a clerk, and continued to be connected with that line from 1887 until 1899, in the latter year joining the office force of the National Tube Works, where he also held a position in the auditing department. In 1901 Mr. Davies became identified with the City Bank Company, in the capacity of teller, a position which he retained until 1910, being then elected to his present position of cashier, an office earned by patient industry, faithful discharge of duty and fidelity at all times to the hank's interests. The City Bank Company was organized in 1899 with a capital stock of $100,000, and the following officers: W. A. Donaldson, president : Max M. Suppes, vice president : Spencer K. Ortt, cashier. The officers in 1915 were as follows: Charles Fell, president; R, L. Rankin, vice president ; HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 903 Walter A. Davies, cashier. The institution has a capital stock of $100,000, with a surplus of $40,000 and undivided profits of $10,000, while its annual deposits average $900,000, The concern owns its own bank-ing house, a three-story brick structure, 50 by 75 feet, of which the bank occupies 50 by 40 feet of floor space on the first floor, the remainder of the building being devoted to offices. This is a conservative institution, conducted by local capital, financed by men whose interests are wrapped up in its welfare, and directed by minds well trained in the field of finance. It offers 4 per cent interest on savings and caters to these kind of deposits, being considered one of the safest repositories in the northern part of the state. As cashier of this banking house, Mr, Davies has done much to increase its credit, his own well known integrity having contributed toward establishing public confidence. On April 5, 1893, Mr, Davies was married to Miss Fannie Gaudern of Elyria. Lorain County, Ohio, a daughter of E. E, Gaudern, a well known merchant for a number of years at Elyria. Mr. Davies is popular in social circles, and a valued member of the Elyria Country Club. As a citizen he has been a generous and stanch supporter of beneficial move-ments in the community. He is a republican in politics. HENRY R. DAUGHERTY, During many years of residence at Wellington Henry R. Daugherty has reached that enviable position where his word is accepted in business matters the same as a bond, and all his friends and acquaintances repose the utmost confidence in his judgment and integrity. While much of his early career was identified with farming and he still owns a farm in Medina County, he has been chiefly interested in mercantile affairs, and now conducts the leading hardware establishment in the Village of 'Wellington. He was born in Spencer, Ohio, January 5, 1864, a son of James and Sarah (Bernard) Daugherty. His grandfather, Charles Daugh-erty, came from New York State to Medina County, Ohio, and in 1833 bought a farm of four or five hundred acres, on which he settled his family in 18:35. A part of this original homestead is still in the family. The Daughertys came originally from Ireland, Mr. Daugherty's maternal grandfather. Joshua Bernard, was born in Pennsylvania, and was also one of the early settlers in Medina County. James Daugherty, father of the Wellington merchant, was born in New York State in 1831 and: was four years of age when he came to Medina County, He grew up on: a farm and for a year was in Company C of the One Hundred and Seventy-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil war. He afterwards was well known in Grand Army circles, and in politics was a republican, Though starting out comparatively poor, he made a substantial success. He and his family were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, James Daugherty was married at Chatham, Ohio, in 1856 to Miss Sarah Bernard, who was born in Medina County in 1835 and is still living. while her husband passed away in 1897. Of their children Henry R, is the only one now living, The son, Harry B., who was born in Spencer, Ohio, January 27, 1868, and was educated both at Spencer and Wellington, was one of the first men to engage in the telephone business at Wellington. He was in telephone construction work for several years. Afterwards he bought a local hardware store, and subsequently in 1905 his brother, Henry R., joined him as partner. Harry B. Daugherty died February 12, 1914, and his death was greatly lamented over all this section of Lorain County. He married Marian Franks. Henry R. Daugherty received his early education in the Wellington schools, When quite young he began farming and teaching, alternatine those vocations according to the seasons of the year. Altogether he 904 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY taught six or seven terms and is remembered by his old pupils as a very able schoolmaster, His first mercantile experience was as clerk in a dry-goods store, For his services the first year he was paid $4 a week, his wages being increased to $6 a week the second year and afterwards to $8. He was in business at Wellington for eight years and for twelve years was located at Cleveland, In 1905 he returned to Wellington and took a share in the hardware business with his brother, Harry. and the firm of Daugherty Brothers Hardware Company was a live and prosperous concern, and Mr, Daugherty has continued it more successfully than ever during the last year of his individual proprietorship. He carried a complete line of general hardware, and he also takes some time to supervise the management of his farm in Medina County. In 1891 Mr, Daugherty married Elizabeth Hollenbach, who was born at Wellington, a daughter of Reuben Hollenbach. a tailor who first settled at Elyria and afterwards at Wellington. Mr. and Mrs, Daugherty have one son, Robert, who graduated from the Wellington High School in 1914, spent a year in the store with his father and is now in the freshmen class of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Mr, Daugherty and family are members of the Congregational Church and fraternally he is affiliated with the lodge and Royal Arch Chapter of the Masons. Politically his affiliations are with the republican party. E. E, WATTERS. The important and high-class commercial establishment of E, E. Watters at Wellington is one that testifies to the truth of the saying that in concentration of effort lies success, Such concentration, combined with special ability for that work, with frugal conservation of funds at the beginning and judicious handling of them as they increase, Mr, E, E. Watters has employed with notable results. He was born in Medina County, Ohio, June 10. 1876, a on of William A. and Clara J, (Reese) Watters. His grandfather. William Watters, was a native of England, and was an early settler on a farm in Medina County, The maternal grandfather, Jacob M. Reese, was born in Vermont and also went to Medina County in the early days. William A, Watters was born in Medina County in 1842 and died in 1897, his wife was born in the same locality in 1854 and died in 1914. They were married in Medina County in 1875, William A. Watters was a successful farmer and stock buyer, and both he and his wife spent their lives on the old farm, He was a republican in politics. was honored with several township offices, and he and his wife were members of the Congregational Church, Of their three children E, E. Watters is the oldest, The two younger were twins, Dorian C., who now runs a retail store at Riverside, California, and Dorothy, wife of Fred Todd, a machinist at Elyria. E. E. Watters grew up on his father's farm in Medina County, He graduated from the high school at Medina in 1894, and soon afterwards gained his first experience as clerk in a dry goods store. His home has been in Wellington since 1899, and for a time he was in the dry goods business with George D, Griesinger, In 1903 he was able to buy out his partner and for the past thirteen years he has conducted the leading establishment of its kind in that section of Lorain County. Hc is the type of business man who has courage and resourcefulness sufficient to overcome all difficulties. On February 25, 1915. a fire destroyed his building and stock, but he was not long in resuming business, and he constructed a handsome building for his headquarters, and the store was opened with much eclat for the Christmas holidays of 1915. In 1900 Mr. Watters married Ninette Nichols, a native of Medina HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 905 County and a daughter of A, P. Nichols, who for many years has been a successful practicing dentist in that city, There are two children, Elberta Ninette and William A,, both of whom are in school, The family are members of the Congregational Church and Mr. Watters is affiliated with the Masonic Order; the Royal Arcanum and the Knights of Pythias, Politically he is a republican, CLARENCE E, PIERCE, A popular and prominently known resident of Lorain, Clarence E. Pierce has devoted his entire career to activities in connection with railroading, and at present is terminal agent for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Lorain, the importance of this position being indicated by the fact that at this point. 4,500,000 tons of coal are handled by the line annually, Mr. Pierce was born in Medina County, Ohio, May 11, 1869, and is a son of Orlin D, and Mary (Judson) Pierce, His parents were lifelong farming people of Medina County. He came to Lorain in 1890 and has continued to make that his home, Clarence E. Pierce received a public school education, and when he laid aside his studies secured a position as clerk in the offices. of the C. L. & W, Railroad, He proved faithful, energetic, painstaking and industrious, qualities which count for much in railroad offices, and won rapid promotion to cashier, then to chief clerk, and finally to agent. On April 1, 1907, he was made agent and April 1, 1913, was advanced to terminal agent for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Lorain, a position in which he has charge of its large interests including the handling of the coal and ore docks, The Lorain business of the Baltimore & Ohio is one of the most important of its whole system, being the receiving as well as shipping point for coal. and iron ore. In this position he has won the unqualified approval and confidence of his company, He is a member of the First Congregational Church of Lorain, in which he has been a deacon for years, and was formerly superintendent of the Sunday school. He is a member of the Lorain Board of Commerce. Mr. Pierce was married January 23, 1893, to Miss Pearl Seeley, of Mallet Creek, Medina County, Ohio, and to this union there has been born one daughter, Marjorie Rosilla. Mr. Pierce is not a politician nor an office seeker, but has always taken an interest in his community's welfare and has aided in public-spirited movements, He is highly regarded as an industrious representative of railroad affairs, as a good citizen, and as a neighbor and friend whose loyalty may be relied upon, W. D, WARREN is one of the oldest and best known residents of Wellington Township, where, in the village of that name he has been for many years engaged in the hardware business, The Warren family has been identified with Lorain County fully eighty-five years, and in that time its members have borne -a full share in the work of development and progress, The Warrens are of old Colonial stock and Mr, Warren's great-grandfather, Joseph Warren, served as a quartermaster in the American army during the Revolutionary war, His grandparents were Benjamin and Lucy (Burr) Warren, who were Massachusetts people and came. West to Lorain County in the year 1831, They bought a farm and paid for it with a large quantity of cloth which they brought from the East. They spent the rest of their lives on the old homestead, W. D, Warren was born in Wellington Township September 15, 1851, a son of Luther Day and Laura (Wait) Warren, His maternal 906 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY grandfather. George Wait, spent his life as a New York State farmers Luther D. Warren was born in Tyringham, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, in 1813, and was about seventeen years of age when he accompanied his parents to Lorain County, He soon identified himself with the pioneer community, taught school for a number of years. and later gave his attention to farming, and though starting on a very modest scale he was for many years one of the substantial men of Wellington Township. He died on the old homestead in 1889, He was a republican in politics, served as school director and supervisor, and he and his wife were members of the Congregational Church. His wife, Miss Laura Wait, was born in Fredonia, New York. in 1814, and she also died in the year 1889, Of their three children the two now living are Frank D, Warren and W. D, Warren. After acquiring a district school education, W. D, Warren took up the duties of the home farm, and he is now owner of the old homestead, Since 1898 his home has been in the village of Wellington, where at first he was in the roofing and slating business. In 1907 he bought a stock of hardware and has since kept all articles and commodities of that line needed to supply his extensive trade over the country surrounding Wellington. In 1875 Mr. Warren married Helen M. Comstock, who was born in Wellington Township, daughter of. Isaac L. and Emeline (Loveland) Comstock, who were natives of Massachusetts and early settlers on a farm in Lorain County, where they spent the rest of their lives. Mr, and Mrs. Warren have three children : Clarence is a contractor at Wellington ; Albert I. lives on his father's farm; Emma is the wife of J, K. Gannett. a civil engineer at Cleveland. Mrs. Warren is an active member of the Methodist Church, For many years Mr. Warren took a very active part in the Patrons of Husbandry. served as master of the Grange a number of times, organized various Granges, and at one time was deputy state master. He is a republican in politics, F. E. ANDREWS of Wellington has been a resident of Lorain County more than thirty-five years, and has been successfully engaged as a miller. farmer and merchant. His own enterprise has been at the foundation of the successful business which he now manages, one of the best equipped furniture stores and undertaking establishments in the county. A native of Connecticut and of old New England stock, he is a son of Almon and Esther Hart (Hall) Andrews., His father was born in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1818 and died there in 1901, while his wife was born in Vermont in 1828 and died in 1911. They were married in Vermont and Miss Hall was his third wife, and of their four children the two now living are Emma C. Andrews of Meriden and F. E. Andrews of Lorain County. Almon Andrews spent many years operating a flour mill and afterwards engaged in the flour and feed business. He held the position of street commissioner in Meriden, and in the early part of his life was very successful, met with reverses. but succeeded in reestablishing himself financially before his death. He and his third wife lived together for more than fifty years. At one time Almon Andrews came to Lorain County and spent three or four years in this county with his brother. part of the time being engaged as a teacher. He married his first wife in Penfield Township. He was reared a member of the Episcopal faith, but afterwards went with his wife into the Methodist Church. and both were very active in church affairs. He was a republican. and affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. F. E. Andrews attended the common schools in Meriden, Connecticut. and also had the advantage of private school instruction. After HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 907 his education he spent two years in Vermont, and in 1880 came to Lorain County to visit a cousin in Penfield Township. He worked on farms, spent a year in California and Washington, and then returned to Wellington and was employed in a flour mill. He was entirely dependent upon his own exertions to put him ahead in the world, but quite early in life he married and established a home of his own. In 1885 he married Alena R, Starr, who was born in Penfield Township of Lorain County, a daughter of O. K. Starr, one of the early settlers there. To their union have been born four children. Georgia, who graduated from the Wellington High School and from Oberlin College. taught a few years, then took a course in the Dykeman School at Cleveland, and is now private secretary to Mr. Baker of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Mamye, the second daughter, lives at home and assists her father in the store. Keith S. graduated from the Wellington High School in 1915 and is now pursuing special studies, Robert is still in school, Mrs. Andrews and two of her children are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Fraternally Mr, Andrews is affiliated with the Masonic. Order, he and his wife are members of the Order of the Eastern Star, and in politics he is a republican. After leaving the flour mill at Wellington Mr, Andrews spent twelve years on a farm in Penfield Township, for a year was in a meat market at LaGrange, and since 1901 has been in the furniture and undertaking business at Wellington. He had a very small capital when he started and his first associate was James Damon under the firm name of Damon & Andrews. Six years later the firm became Andrews & Vincent, and later Andrews & Estey, As the prosperity increased Mr, Andrews was able to buy out his partner and has since conducted the business alone and has made a success of it. He. carried a large stock of furniture and is also a licensed embalmer and has all the equipment for pro-ficient work in this line, FREDERICK C. WOLF, The facts in the career of the late Fred C, Wolf. a general builder and contractor of Elyria, indicate a strong knack for constructive accomplishment, an untiring industry, a constant vigilance in observing and accepting opportunity, and an unusual ability in handling a varied line of business affairs. Mr. Wolf was for many years one of the leading builders in Elyria, and the best evidence of his work is found in the solid structures which at different times he built in and about that city, In the midst of a busy career death came to him and he passed away October 1, 1915, at the age of forty-seven years. His life began in Germany, where he was born in the City of Mecklenburg, Strelitz, April 19, 1868, a son of Fred and Sophia (Rankie) Wolf, who were also natives of that province in Germany, About 1881 the family came to the United States, there being four children at the time, Fred Wolf, Sr., while living in Germany rose to the rank of captain in the armies of the Empire, but after coming to America gave all his time to practical labor. From New York the family came direct to Lorain County. locating at Amherst, where the father has since lived and is now retired from active work at the age of about eighty. The mother died in Amherst, December 13, 1914. Altogether there were six children in the family, among whom is Mrs, Kreeger, widow of William Kreeger, and she was born in Germany and now resides at Amherst. The oldest daughter. Lena, was married in Germany to Albert Wockenfus, and did not come to this country until 1890, and now resides at Elyria. The four children who came with their parents are Fred C,, Carl, who lives at Amherst, William of Elyria, and Edward of Amherst. Frederick C. Wolf was thirteen years of age when he came to the Vol. II-23 908 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY United States, and all his regular education was acquired in Germany, He never saw the inside of an English schoolhouse until as a contractor he built one of the schools at Elyria. In his younger days, at Amherst, he joined a club of fifty-two young men of about his own age and they hired an instructor by the name of John McCall, who taught the voluntary organization of ambitious young men four nights a week, Mr. Wolf had the benefit of this private instruction for 2 1/2 years. After coining to this country he spent about a year in the employ of a farmer, but then started to learn the trade of stone cutting, Mechanical industry came naturally to him, and besides stone cutting he learned the blacksmith trade, the machinist trade and the trade of bricklayer, and arrived at the age of twenty-two with all these accomplishments. However, stone cutting was his favorite line of work, and he showed a great deal of ability in designing and carving, and he made a favorable impression by his artistic skill. For about eight years he was employed mainly as a stone carver, though also at different times working in his other trades. Much of his time was spent in the quarries at Amherst, Later he was with the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway on construction work and became assistant superintendent on bridge and construction work for that line, a position he held 3 1/2 years, Necessarily this employment kept him from home a good share of the time, and as he had been recently married he and his young bride found difficulty in reconciling themselves to this unsettled condition, It was at the suggestion of three of his old friends that young Wolf finally entered the business of contractor, These friends were Judge .Nye of Elyria, the late Parks Foster, who in his time was one of the best. friends of Mr, Wolf, and the late ex-Mayor Levergood of Elyria, At their suggestion and influence Mr. Wolf left the road and began business for himself at Elyria as a general contractor, He was twenty-five years of age at the time, and ever afterward followed steadily the business for which his skill in the trade and his native business enterprise so well fitted him. From 1886 Mr, Wolf had his home in Elyria, having moved from Amherst in that year, On May 21, 1891, at Elyria he married Miss Ida Zarnke of Elyria, daughter of Mr, and Mrs, Carl Zarnke, old settlers who are ,still living in the city, Her father, who was a quarryman in his active days, is now retired. Mrs, Wolf was born in Germany, grew up and received her education there, and was about sixteen years of age when her parents emigrated to America and settled at Elyria. It is important to give some idea of Mr, Wolf's accomplishments as a building contractor through a partial list of his activities, While he constructed many residences in Elyria, his specialty was largely in the construction of business blocks, schools and factories, He put up the Turner Block, the Sweet and Endley Block, the Century Block, the Masonic Temple, the Columbia Steel Works, the Perry Fay Factory Building. He constructed a three-story building at the Dean plant and also the power plant there, He also built the power plant and a large addition to the lace factory. His record included the construction of a number of school buildings, including the following : The Jefferson Street School, two additions to the Hamilton School, a large addition to the school east of the cemetery, the Lincoln High School on Sixth Street, the remodeling and additions to the Franklin School, the Centralized School at Amherst, the high school at Berea. The Elks Club Building at Elyria is another sample of his work. Mr. Wolf constructed hundreds of homes in and about Elyria for others and many for himself, and an important feature of his business was the building and selling of houses, He built the Wolf Block on Second Street, but sold that in HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 909 1914, At different times his enterprise was led into other lines, He remodeled and fitted the room in which he conducted the Walk-Over Shoe Store at Elyria for ten years, but finally sold the business in 1914. He also owned a millinery store, which he sold in 1913, and in the same year he sold a cigar store at Lorain of which he was owner for a time. He was also engaged for one year as agent for the Jackson Automobile Company and carried on the business in Cleveland under the style of the Wolf Motor Car Company at Seventeenth and Euclid Avenue. Mr. Wolf was one of the genial and popular citizens of Elyria and stood high in social life, In Masonry he was affiliated with King Solomon Lodge No, 56, Free and Accepted Masons ; Marshall Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; Elyria Council, Royal and Select Masons ; Elyria Commandery of the Knights Templar; the Order of the Eastern Star, and had taken thirty-two degrees in the Scottish Rite and was a member of the Al Koran Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Cleveland. Other fraternities with which he was identified were the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Elyria, An exceedingly busy man Mr, Wolf seldom found time to take a vacation, but when he did his favorite recreation was hunting and fishing. Important though his material achievements have been, he took his keenest delight in his home and family, He was the father of a group of children of whom any parents might be proud. There are two sons and four daughters. Elsie is now the wife of Herbert Tucker of Oberlin, and they have a daughter, Cleo Alice Tucker, born June 7, 1915. All the other children are still at home, their names being Emma, Esther, Carl, Alfred and Florence, All were born and educated in Elyria, The girls attended the German Lutheran School, while the boys both completed their education in the public schools, Carl having graduated from the high school with the class of 1915, while Alfred is a member of the class of 1917, They constitute an ideal family, and morality and earnestness of purpose have been cardinal principles in their training, The boys have never been in a saloon or poolroom in all their lives, and are sturdy and industrious and can usually be found within the home circle, LOUIS W. KOTHE, No small part of the development of Lorain County from wilderness conditions to the present time is to be credited to the influence and energies of the sturdy people who came from Germany at different periods in the last seventy years. It is as a representative of this fine class of citizenship that Louis W. Kothe stands, and through his energy and thrift he has become one of the leading farmers in the neighborhood of Kipton. He was born in Black River Township of Lorain County September 13, 1870, a son of John and Anna (Kothe) Kothe, Both parents were natives of Hesse, Germany, The paternal grandparents were Jonas and Martha (Grunewalt) Kothe, while the maternal grandfather was John Kothe, a German farmer, who died in the old country. The paternal grandparents settled in Black River Township in the early days, and from there moved to Amherst Township, where they died. John Kothe, the father, was born August 26, 1845, and died June 16, 1891, His wife was born in 1844 and died September 24, 1902. They were married in Erie County, Ohio, and later moved to Lorain County, and eventually secured a farm in Amherst Township, which was occupied by John Kothe until his death. He and his wife were members of St, Peter's Church at Amherst, he was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and in politics was a democrat, Of the seven children born to the parents, the three now, living are : Louis W,; Peter, who owns 910 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY a farm in Amherst, Ohio : and Lizzie, wife of William Shriner, a stonemason at Amherst, Louis W, Kothe grew up on a farm in Amherst Township, gained his education in that locality, and has made his success in life by persistent application to the vocation of farming. After his marriage he lived four years on his mother's place and in 1898 bought his present farm of -103 acres. Since taking possession he has rebuilt the barn and has a very attractive as well as valuable country home. While he does general farming he also makes dairying a feature of his prosperity, and raises considerable stock, his dairy herd consisting of six or seven cows, In 1894 Mr. Kothe married Miss Anna Braun, daughter of Henry Braun, and a granddaughter of Adam and Martha Braun. Adam. Braun brought his family to America in 1860 and settled in Black River Township, but subsequently removed to Ottawa County, where he died, The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Kothe was Martin .Dote. Mr, and Mrs. Kothe have two children : Edward, who has finished his education and assists his father in the farming business and is a member of the Grange. The son, Walter, is still in school. The family attend St. Peter's Church in Amherst, and Mr, Kothe is one of the leaders in the Grange movement in this section of the county. The successful manner in which he has managed his own affairs has gained him the confidence of his fellow citizens, and in the fall of 1914 he was elected township trustee, an office which he is still capably filling. In politics he is a democrat, CHARLES HENRY BUTTENBENDER, The City of Elyria counts as one of its livest and most enterprising citizens Captain Buttenhender, who has been identified with this community for the past twenty-five years, and in business, public affairs, and all the more notable movements of organization which go to make up the life of a thriving city, has exercised an influence in keeping with his magnetic personality, his boundless energy, and a public spirit which never seeks anything for himself but is always at the service of the community. A native of New York City, Charles Henry Buttenbender was born October 7, 1854, a son of Henry and Caroline (Bower) Buttenbender, both of whom were natives of Germany. They came to this country when young, were married in America, and about 1860 the father, who had up to that time been in business in New York City, moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he died at the age of sixty-six, The mother died there January 6, 1910, in her eighty-third year. Six years of age when taken to Fort Wayne, Charles H. Buttenbender grew up in that Indiana city, and showed the independence of his nature when at the age of twelve he left school and began earning a living at wages of $2 per week in a grocery store. He found more profitable employment in another store, but soon discovered that he was not fitted for the grocery trade, and at the age of sixteen began an apprenticeship with a Fort Wayne manufacturer of silk hats. Later he was employed as a journeyman hatter, but with the passing of the fashion for the wearing of silk hats as a regular part of men's apparel, he turned his attention to a more substantial industry, and until about 1886 was a moulder in Fort Wayne. His career as an independent business man began as a flour and seed merchant. and after selling that busincss he did a wholesale trade in buying and shipping of hay for several years. Captain Buttenhender got into active politics in Fort Wayne in 1887, when elected a member of the city council from the Eighth Ward. He was a republican and the HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 911 eighth was the stronghold of the democratic party in the city. His personal popularity enabled him to carry the ward by a majority of 150 votes, but in the following year the same section of the city gave a majority of 500 in the general election to President Cleveland. After being in the city council two years, he was deputy county assessor for a time, In 1889 he became a railway postal clerk on the division between Cleve-land and Syracuse, and it was this employment which led to his removal to Elyria, Mr, Buttenbender was in the mail service up to 1906. In that year he resigned and organized the Hinkson-Buttenbender Company, Incorporated, which was soon developed as one of the leading local firms of contractors and builders, real estate and insurance agents. Mr, Buttenbender was secretary of this organization until June, 1915, and since then has been in business as a real estate and general contractor under his own name, with offices in the Sharp Block, Since March, 1915, his insurance business has been carried on under the firm name of Sotherden & Buttenbender, also with offices in the Sharp Block. From 1908 he was in the insurance business as a member of the firm of Sotherden, Buttenbender & Hinkson, Mr, Hinkson retiring in March, 1915. This fire in-surance firm represents some of the largest and leading companies in that field, and are also agents for automobile insurance in the Travel-ers Insurance Company of Hartford, the largest underwriters of acci-dent and liability insurance in the world. Other companies which they represent are: The American Central Insurance Company of St. Louis; the Phoenix Assurance Company (Limited), the Standard, the Royal Exchange Assurance, the Commercial Union, the New Jersey of Newark, and the Nord-Deutsche of Hamburg, Germany. From the beginning of his residence at Elyria in November, 1889, Captain Buttenbender has always exhibited the characteristics of a public spirited citizen. In November, 1909, he was elected councilman at large, and on the organization of the council on January 3 of the fol-lowing year was elected president pro tem, and filled that position two years, In 1912 he was -an unsuccessful candidate for the republican nomination for the office of mayor of Elyria, and in the fall of that year was appointed by the city council as councilman of the Fourth Ward to fill the vacancy caused by the death of George Guthmann. He was again a member of the city council until February 1, 1913, and then resigned to accept appointment as director of public safety, an office he filled until February 1, 1914, Probably no local resident has been more prominent in fraternal affairs and has received more honors at the hands of fraternal organizations than Captain Buttenbender. In 1879 he joined Fort Wayne Lodge No, 14, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is past noble grand and past grand representative of that organization. He was one of the trustees of the lodge when the Odd Fellows Temple was built in Fort Wayne and filled all the chairs in the local organization, For a number of years he was captain of Canton Fort Wayne of the Patriarchs Militant and served as major of the Second Battalion, First Regiment. Since 1883 he has also been an active member of the Knights of Pythias, having joined the order at Fort Wayne in that year, and is now past chancellor of Chevalier Lodge No, 316 at Elyria, having filled all the chairs and gone as representative to the Grand Lodge. He assisted in organizing Uniform Rank, Company No, 117, Knights of Pythias. and served with the rank of captain fifteen years, On November 21, 1907. he was made a Master Mason in King Solomon Lodge No. 56, Free and Accepted Masons, and attained to the thirty-second degree of Scottish Rite in the Lake Erie Consistory at Cleveland less than one year later. He is past eminent commander of Elyria Commandery No. 60, Knights Templar, 912 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY and is also a member of the Al Koran Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Cleveland. The Elyria Lodge of Elks has also found him a most valuable brother, and he is past exalted ruler of the lodge and was representative to the Grand Lodge in Denver in 1914, and in 191:3 was president of the Elks Club Company, In the Fraternal Order of Eagles at Elyria he served in 1912 as chairman of committee when the Grand Lodge of Eagles, of which he is a member, held its convention in this city in 1913. He is also a member of the auxiliary organizations of the Eastern Star, the Pythian Sisters and the Rebekahs, Captain Buttenbender has for a number of years taken much interest in the Lorain County Volunteer Firemen's Association, of which he was president, and his influence was chiefly instrumental in inaugurating the Fire and Police Pension Fund in 1913, the measure having been adopted by the city council in that year and the first appropriation made, and the fund is now increased by regular appropriations from the county and state. Captain Buttenbender is a member of the Elyria Builders Exchange, is a stockholder in various business enterprises in that city and elsewhere and since 1906 has held a commission as notary public. Captain Buttenbender is noted for the versatility of his interests and avocations, and one of his chief enthusiasms is automobiling, and since 1908 he has served as secretary of the Elyria Automobile Club. He is usually found at all the racing meets, and is occasionally called upon to act as an official in these automobile events, and was recently a timekeeper in the races conducted under the Cleveland Automobile Association. Captain Buttenbender is one of the active members of the First Congregational Church at Elyria and also belongs to the Men's Club of that. church, He was one of the captains of the teams who raised $127,000 in ten days for the beautiful Young-Men's Christian Association Building which adorns the public square of Elyria, He was elected and is now serving as one of the trustees of the association. He married Miss Estella C. Grout. Mrs. Buttenbender was born in Franklin County, New York. daughter of William Grout. CHARLES T. JAMIESON has been one of the well known bankers of Lorain County for the past eighteen years, and was formerly a bank examiner and comes of a family long prominent in banking and other affairs, He was born in Clermont County, Ohio, May 2, 1855, a son of Milton and Maria (Titus) Jamieson, His father was born in Williamsburg, Ohio, in 1825 and died in 1907, The mother was born in Dutchess County. New York, in 1836 and died in 1879. They were married in 1854 at Batavia, Clermont County, Ohio, where Milton Jamieson was for many years a well known attorney and banker, Though a man who was self educated and self-made, his success was pronounced, and he was one of the foremost men in his section of the state, In early life he served one year as a lieutenant in the war with Mexico, and lost his health while in the army. He was very active in Masonry, attained the Royal Arch degrees, was a Whig and later a republican in politics, and was very influential in that line although never a seeker for office. Both he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian Church. At the age of eleven years Milton Jamieson set type on the first issue of the Clermont Courier, and owned and conducted this newspaper for some time. Milton Jamieson was a son of John and Catherine (Perrino) Jamieson, the former a native of Cynthiana, Kentucky, and a soldier in the War of 1812, having settled in Ohio after the close of that conflict. He was a saddler by trade, and kept one of the early hotels in Southern Ohio. The Jamieson family came from Aberdeen, Scotland. and Mr. Charles HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 913 T. Jamieson's great and great-great-grandfathers were both soldiers in the Revolutionary war, The great-grandfather was Samuel Jamieson and the great-great-grandfather was John Jamieson. Charles T. Jamieson's maternal grandfather, Titus, was a native of New York State. but settled in Clermont County, Ohio, on a farm about 1840. He should he remembered as having introduced the first Merino sheep into the state. The Titus family were Quakers, Charles T, Jamieson was one of four children and is the oldest of the three now living. His sister, Mrs. Charles Belt, lives in Batavia, Ohio, the wife of a physician, His brother, Percy, is president of a bank at Batavia, Mr. Jamieson was liberally educated, attending Hanover College and in 1875 graduating from the University of Wooster, For a short time he was assistant treasurer and paymaster in the railway service, and he was also admitted to the bar, For ten years Mr, Jamieson was proprietor of the Urbana Citizen and Gazette, and he established the daily issue of that paper, Subsequently he was special foreign agent of the United States Treasury Department, then filled the office of bank examiner for one year, and since 1898 has had his home at Wellington in Lorain County. At Wellington he became cashier of the First Wellington Bank, which was originally a national bank, but is now under a state charter. This is one of the strongest banks of Lorain County, has a capital of. $85,000, surplus and undivided profits of $70,000, and its deposits average $950,000, In 1885 Mr, Jamieson married Miss Angie West, who was born in Lebanon, Ohio. Her father, Rev. Enoch G, West, died rather early in life and was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. and Mrs. Jamieson have one daughter, Miriam, who lives at home, and she and her mother are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Mr. Jamieson is a Presbyterian and for many years has been closely identified with church and Sunday school affairs and has served as superintendent of the Sunday school at Wellington for sixteen years, Fraternally he is a charter member of Urbana Lodge of the Masonic Order, of which he is past master, and he is also a Knight Templar, In politics he is a republican, and has given some capable public service as a member of the board of education. JUSTUS M. STARR is a banker at LaGrange Village and through banking and other activities has long enjoyed a place of prominence in that section of Lorain County. He is also a practical farmer and dairyman, and for a number of years was one of the merchants of the village, His birth occurred on a farm which he still owns, in Penfield Township of Lorain County March 28, 1864. His parents were Orrin K. and Elizabeth (Blanchard) Starr, Mr. Starr grew to manhood on the old farm, and was well educated. As a boy he attended country school, spent a year in the Elyria High School, a year at Wellington, another year at the Valparaiso University in Indiana, and in 1882 he finished a commercial course at Oberlin. Following this came several years of traveling over the country, and in January, 1888, at Los Angeles, California, he married Miss Kitty C, Bailey, Soon after his marriage he returned to Lorain County and for ten years conducted a general merchandise store, On February 1, 1898, he sold out and established at LaGrange a bank which he has since carried on with steadily accumulating success, In the fall of 1897 a fire had destroyed the building on the site where Mr. Starr's bank now stands, 914 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY He then acquired the property, built a substantial structure in. which his bank was opened for business on August 18, 1898. A part of the building is rented for business purposes, and the second story has the Masonic Lodge rooms. Mr. Starr owns the 120 acre farm in Penfield Township where he was born, and he has. developed it as a first class dairy farm, and it is operated with profit and efficiency, He has also been active in public affairs, served eleven years on the school board, is now a member of the council and for one term was mayor of LaGrange. As a republican he cast his first presidential vote for President Harrison, Both he and his wife were reared in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In Masonry he is active, being affiliated with the lodge at LaGrange and the chapter and council at Elyria. He is a. charter member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge at Wellington, in which he filled the various chairs and is a past chancellor, but his membership is now in LaGrange Lodge No. 500. Mr. and Mrs. Starr have one daughter, Frances B., who was born in Penfield September 30, 1893. She graduated from the. LaGrange public schools and is a member of the class of 1916 in Oberlin College. R. H. KINNISON, After a long and useful career as a schoolman R. H. Kinnison retired in 1915, having spent fully half a century in the profession and for more than thirty years had been connected. with the Wellington schools as superintendent. He is now taking life somewhat at ease and enjoys the comforts of a fine home at Wellington. Mr. Kinnison's ancestors were English who settled in New England in the Colonial times and it is interesting to recall that his great-great-granduncle, David Kinnison, who lived to be one hundred-fourteen years of age, served through both the Revolution and the War of 1812 and was the last surviving member Of the famous Boston tea party, Professor Kinnison's grandfather, Charles Kinnison, a native of Virginia, was an early settler in Jackson County, Ohio. R. H. Kinnison was born at Middleton, Jackson County, Ohio, February 8, 1846, a son of Charles S. and Hulda (Smith) Kinnison, His maternal grandfather, Francis Smith, served in the Civil war, and was killed in the battle of Pittsburg Landing when sixty-three years of age. He had enlisted first in the three months service and then re-enlisted for three years. Charles S, Kinnison was born in Jackson County, Ohio, December 16, 1815, and. died December 18. 1892. He was also a teacher, was educated in academie grades and continued active in the schoolroom for fifteen years, after which Ile followed farming. He was a republican and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Charles S. Kinnison married for his first wife' on September 6, 1841, at Middleton, Ohio, Miss Hulda Smith, who was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, April 22, 1821, and died in 1850: Of his three children Professor Kinnison is the only one now living. The lather married for his second wife Margaret Jane Carrick, who was born April 7. 1821, By this union there were foul—children, and the two now living are: James E. Kinnison, who is a graduate of Ohio University of which he is now a trustee and for thirty-four years has been superintendent of the public schools of Jackson, Ohio; and Lola, wife of William V, Wclls, a coal dealer at Columbus, Ohio. Professor Kinnison began teaching when little more than a boy. He first attended the Jackson County public schools, spending one year in the high school at Jackson and two terms in the Ewington Academy in Gallia County. He paid his way through college by teaching. and in 1873 was graduated from the Ohio University at Athens in the classical HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 915 course, received his Master's degree in 1876, and he was recently honored by his university with the degree Doctor of Pedagogy, At his graduation he represented his class in oratory, After leaving college Professor Kinnison was superintendent of the schools at Willoughby, Ohio, for two years, and filled several other places with credit and ability, In 1879 he came to Wellington to take charge of the schools as superintendent and almost the entire history of the local school system might be written as a pertinent part of his individual history, He finally retired from his active duties in 1915 as superintendent emeritus, an honor conferred by the board of education. On December 30, 1874, Professor Kinnison married Lida C. Woodworth, a daughter of Lysander and Emily (Cumings) Woodworth, Mrs. Kinnison was born in Lake County, Ohio, in 1851, and her father was a farmer and spent most of his life in Madison, Ohio, Professor and Mrs. Kinnison have three children, Charles W,, who was born at Norwalk, Ohio, is now office manager and secretary of the Samuel Austin Construction Company of Cleveland, Ohio. Paul F., the second son, is assistant manager of the varnish department for the Sherwin Williams Company at Cleveland. The daughter, Ruth, is the wife of Roy F, Cope, a successful commission merchant at Topeka, Kansas. These children were educated at the college at Delaware; Ohio. Mr. Kinnison and wife have for many years been leading members of the Methodist Church at Wellington, and both have taught in the Sunday school for thirty-six years and he is a member of the official board of the church. He is a Master Mason, and a republican in politics. In 1883 he built his beautiful home at Wellington. and having given most of his life to public service in the capacity of teacher is now prepared to spend his declining years in comfort and well-earned ease, FRANK B. GREGG, M. D, In the practice of medicine at Wellington for over twenty years, Dr, Frank B. Gregg is now one of the oldest established physicians in that part of Lorain County, He has an excellent general practice, has won a worthy place in professional affairs, and while not a specialist he has become well known through increasing years for his ability in handling diseases of the eye and ear, Wellington counts him as one of its most capable and useful citizens. Born at Springboro, Ohio, September 27, 1865, Doctor Gregg is a son of Jonah R, and Ella S, (Gregg) Gregg, His grandfather, William Gregg, was born near Deerfield, Ohio, and spent all his active career on a farm in that locality, He was active in church affairs, being first a Quaker and later a Univeralist, Several of his sons were soldiers in the Civil war, and one of them, Harrison Gregg, was killed during the Atlanta campaign, while George, another soldier, died at Fayetteville, West Virginia. Dr, Gregg's maternal grandfather was Aaron Gregg, who was born in Loudon County, Virginia, moved to Kentucky and from there to Ohio, He served in the State Senate of Kentucky, and was prominent in republican politics at a time when that party was very unpopular, and it was largely on account of political persecution that he left Kentucky and moved to Ohio. Jonah R. Gregg was born in Springboro, Ohio, in 1836 and died in 1893, His wife was born in Kentucky in 1844 and died in February, 1915, They were married at Springboro and Jonah Gregg followed farming for many years in Warren County, Ohio. He was a member of the Universalist Church and in politics a republican, Of the four children the two now living are Dr, Frank B, Gregg and Earl L,, who is Eastern representative in New York City for the Clark Teachers Agency of Chicago, 916 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY Doctor Gregg as a boy attended the district. school, was reared on a farm, afterwards continued his literary education in Buchtel College at Akron, and in 1889 graduated from the Ohio State University at Columbus, Ohio, and in 1892 completed his course in the Miami Medical College at. Cincinnati. For three years Doctor Gregg had exceptional opportunities by his service as assistant surgeon in the Dayton Soldiers Home, With this mature experience and thorough equipment he moved to Wellington in 1895, and in a few years was comfortably established in a large practice, He is surgeon for the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway Company, and is a member of both the County and State Medical societies. In April, 1895, he married Miss Carrie Danforth, who was born near Maineville in Warren County, Ohio. Her father was Horace Danforth, and her mother's maiden name was Emma Butterworth, of a prominent old Ohio family and a cousin of Benjamin Butterworth. Doctor and Mrs. Gregg have one child, Robert, who is now in the first year of the high school. Mrs. Gregg is a member of the Friends Church, Fraternally Doctor Gregg is a Maccabee and in politics a republican. RAY D. JOHNSON. To no one class does Lorain County owe more of its wealth and strength and prosperity than to the agriculturist, While the county as a whole has a well diversified development, many industries and productive resources, it is the farms taken in the aggregate which furnish the great hulk of material for the well being of its inhabitants, One of the present generation of progressive farmers is Ray D, Johnson whose home is about a mile and a half east of LaGrange postoffice in LaGrange Township. The energy and enterprise which he has furnished as a propelling force in his own career and by which he has rendered his best service to the community are well indicated by the fact that when he was about sixteen '.-ears of age he and his brother contracted for the purchase of eighty acres of land. He worked steadily, denied himself all luxuries, and he did not finish paying out his share on that land until he was twenty-nine years of age. He kept his interest in this farm for a number of years, He represents pioneer stock in Lorain County, and was born on the Johnson homestead a mile and three-quarters south of LaGrange May 10, 1867, a son of George D. and Adaline (Luce) Johnson, His father was also born on the Johnson homestead in LaGrange Township October 4, 1836. The grandparents were Nathaniel and Rhoda (frowner) Johnson, Nathaniel Johnson was born at Watertown, New York, and came from that locality at a very early day, long before railroads were built into Ohio. With a team of oxen and a wagon he made the journey to Lorain County, being six weeks en route, and located in the midst of the woods a mile and three-quarters south of LaGrange Village, He paid about $3 an acre for 160 acres, and at one time owned 178 acres in that vicinity, At the time of his settlement there were only three or four other families in the entire township, His energy enabled him to clear up much of his land, and he died there when about sixty-four years of age, while his wife lived to be almost eighty-eight. George D. Johnson, father of Ray D,, grew to manhood on the old farm, had a common school education to start with, and lived to enjoy contentment and prosperity in his later years, He was a republican and a member of the Baptist Church, Of six children, five grew- up, and the three now living are : Flora, wife of Durell Battles of Wellington Ray D.: and Lucy, wife of Gideon Leiby of LaGrange. Ray D. Johnson also spent his boyhood on the old farm south of HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 917 LaGrange, and made his first independent venture in the manner already related. He spent most of his years at home until nineteen, earning considerable money working for others, After becoming established as a result of his hard and persistent labor he was married on October 28, 1896, to Miss Cora Swartz, Mrs. Johnson was born on the home where she and her husband now reside October 23, 1871, a daughter of Jacob and Hannah (Purdy) Swartz. Her father was a native of Wuertemberg, Germany, coming to America at the age of two years with his parents, Frederick and Catherine (Metzgar) Swartz, who settled on a farm near Liverpool in Medina County, Jacob Swartz grew up in Medina County and when about thirty-five years of age married Miss Purdy, who was born at Yonkers, Westchester County, New York, and had come to Medina County at the age of eight years, Mr, and Mrs. Swartz after their marriage moved to their farm near LaGrange, where Mr, Swartz acquired 112 acres of land, and where he spent the rest of his years. There were five children in the Swartz family, and the two now living are Mrs, Johnson and her brother Don A., who also lives in LaGrange Township. For two years after his marriage Mr, Johnson worked for Mr. Swartz on the farm, and then for one year worked by the day wherever needed, He then bought eighty-five acres of land one mile south of LaGrange, the purchase price being $3,280, He went in debt for it, paid off all his obligations, and at the end of ten years left the farm with a number of improvements including a new barn, Much of his prosperity as a farmer has come from the dairy business, Since 1910 he has lived on his present place east of LaGrange, Mr, and Mrs. Johnson have nine children : Walter, born March 18, 1898 ; Lola L., born September 6, 1899, and now in the freshman class of the LaGrange High School; Erwin L, born September 28, 1900 ; Everett Leland, born December 17, 1901; Harvey W., born February 22, 1903 ; Harland, born December 11, 1905 ; Letha, born January 25, 1907 ; Russell F., born January 28, 1911; and Flora I,, born January 5, 1916, In politics Mr, Johnson is an independent, NORMAN M. POND of Wellington has recently completed fifteen years of successful practice as a member of the bar, He began practice in Cleveland and he still appears frequently in the interests of his clients in Cleveland courts, and from the first has enjoyed a steadily increasing and promising business as a lawyer, His legal home has been in Lorain County for more than thirty-five years. He was born at New London, Ohio, April 25, 1861, a son of Asahel A. and Mary M, (Crandall) Pond, His ancestry goes back to the early days of New England, His great-great-grandfather, Abel Pond, was born at Lenox, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and was a soldier on the American side of the Revolutionary war. The maternal grandfather, Merton Crandall, a native of New York State, was descended from Rev, John Crandall, who was a prominent Colonial minister and one of the founders of Newport, Rhode Island, Grandfather Daniel S. Pond was born in Poultney, Vermont, June 29, 1805; and was an early settler in Northeastern Ohio, settling in Portage County in 1826. He walked the entire distance from Vermont to Ohio, became a pioneer farmer, and afterwards from 1865 to 1875 served as a station agent on the Big Four Railroad, Asahel A, Pond, father of the Wellington lawyer, was born in Knox County, Ohio, May 28, 1829, and gave practically his entire active career to farming. His death occurred October 10, 1913, and he had lived retired for a number of years, In 1867 he moved to Lorain County, 918 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY but his last years were spent at Norwalk, He was active in Grand Army circles and had enlisted in 1864 in Company C One Hundred and Ninety-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, held the rank of corporal and took part in the Shenandoah Valley campaign in Virginia and in the pursuit of General Mosby's Confederate raiders, He held various township offices, was well known in republican circles and at one time was director of the County Infirmary. He was a member of the First Universalist Church at Norwalk. Mary M, Crandall, his wife, was born near Oberlin, Ohio, May 18, 1832, and is still living at the advanced age of eighty-four. Before her marriage she was a school teacher. Norman M, Pond was about six years old when the family Caine to Lorain County, and he grew up on a farm here, attendcd the public schools of Lorain County, Ohio, and the Ohio Northern Univcrsity at Ada, It was as a teacher that he became well known in a number of districts in this section of Ohio and by his able work in that profession gained a strong hold on the confidence of many people who have since employed his services to equal advantage as a lawyer. For four years he was superintendent of schools at Ridgeville. While studying law he taught in a business college at Cleveland. and after his admission to the Ohio bar in 1900 he took up practice in that city. He confined his practice to Cleveland for nine years. but since 1910 has had an office and has had his home at Wellington, He is now serving as justice of the peace and city attorney of Wellington, and enjoys a high standing among the members of the Lorain County and Cleveland bars. On August 3, 1887, Mr, Pond married Lotta II. Howard. a daughter of William H. and Charlotte. (Laboree) Howard. Mrs, Pond is an accomplished musician and teacher, is a certified teacher of the Cleveland School of Music, and conducts a studio and music classes both in Wellington and at Cleveland, She is also choir director in the Wellington Methodist Episcopal Church, and both she and her husband are active in that church. Mr, Pond is affiliated with Ellsworth 'Lodge of Masons at Cleveland, and in politics is a republican, JOHN JACOB HAAG. The claim of John Jacob Haag upon. thc good will and consideration of his townsmen in Elyria Township is based upon many years of effective work as an agriculturist, upon his record as a self-made man, and upon his activity in promoting the welfare of his community, A life of industry and thrift has resulted in the accumulation of a fine property of ninety acres, located on the South Ridge Road. formerly known as the Telegraph Road, where he carries on general farming and also raises some stock, Mr, Haag was born August 4, 1853, on a farm located one mile west of his present place. on the Old Township Line Road, between Elyria and Amherst townships, and is a son of Daniel and Catherine (Heger) Haag. Daniel Haag was born in Germany and came to the United States during the '40s with his parents, being then a young man. The mother's parents, also of Germany, settled at a point in Lorain County known as Whiskyville, probably owing to the fact that a tavern had been located there in early days. Her father was George Heger who was well known among the pioneers of this locality. The parents. of John J. Haag were married in Lorain County and took up their residence on the township line, where Daniel Haag was for many years the operator of a successful sawmill. He died in 1872, His first wife had died when the son. John J., was eight years of age and he had married again, wedding a Mrs. Colb, a widow of Cleveland, who had three children by her former marriage, Daniel and Catherine Haag had eight children, of whom two died in infancy, the others being: John Jacob: George D., a druggist of Cleveland, HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 919 Ohio ; Daniel C., a farmer residing on the same road as his brother John J,, but a little farther to the west; Leonard, a resident of Salt Lake City, Utah, where he went thirty-four years ago to join the Mormons; John, unmarried, a resident of Cleveland, and engaged in carpentry; Margaret, who married Herman Diner, and resides alternately at Elyria and North Amherst. John Jacob Haag was reared on the homestead farm and attended the district school, a Lutheran school and the high school for one year.. After his father's second marriage he found home conditions not as pleasant as they had been formerly, and accordingly decided to start out for himself. He worked at various occupations for several years, carefully saving his earnings, until he was finally able to buy the sawmill business from his brothers who had come into possession of the property, This mill, which was located on his present property close to his home, he conducted with success for fifteen or twenty years, then turning his attention to farming, in' which he has continued to be engaged to the present time. He is one of the progressive and enterprising men of the community, a stanch supporter of good men and beneficial movements, and an agriculturist who believes in the use of the most modern machinery and methods in his work. He has erected good buildings on his land and has other improvements which have not only enhanced the value of his farm but has contributed to the upbuilding of the community, He maintains an independent attitude in regard to public affairs, has held no offices nor has cared for any, and is not a lodge man, preferring his home to fraternal orders. When twenty-two years of age Mr. Haag was married to Miss Anna M. Diner, of Barea, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, daughter of Fred and Caroline Diner, now deceased, who operated a farm of ninety acres, as well as a stone quarry at Berea, where Mr. Diner was born. Mrs, Haag died in 1907, the mother of six children: Theodore, a baker in the employ of the R, B, Biscuit Company, at Elyria, who married Miss Albertina Barbknecht and has three children, Leona, Ruth and Theodore, Jr. ; Charlotta, who is the wife of Henry Coath, a policeman of Cleveland; Christiana, who married John Silberhorn, a clothing merchant of Cleveland; and has three sons, Harold, Howard and Arthur; Louisa, who married Emil Pohl, a teacher in a Lutheran school at Cleveland, and has three children, Margaret, Caroline and Edward; Florence, who married, in 1914, William Bechstein, a farmer of South Amherst and also the operator of a threshing machine, sawmill, etc.; and Henry, who resides on the farm with his father and conducts the operations, married Christina Born, and has four children, Henry, Ernest, Walter and Anna. Henry Haag is a member of the English Lutheran Church. L. V. BANNING, It is said that opportunity soon or late comes to every man, It is the ability to recognize and improve opportunity which is the keynote of success, For a number of years L. V, Banning was in the retail grocery business at Wellington, He also developed the wholesale feature of the business, and there came a time a few years ago when he recognized the possibilities of concentrating his entire attention along one line, and as a result he has developed a wholesale brokerage business in the handling of sugar and during 1915 he sold $200,000 worth of that commodity. which was distributed through his agency at Wellington -to retail firms all over this section of Northern Ohio. He now buys from fifteen to twenty carloads of sugar in a single purchase, and at the age of forty finds himself at the head of a very prosperous and promising business. Mr. Banning was born at Rochester in Lorain County, Ohio, Jan- 920 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY uary 12, 1876, a son of A. H, and Mary Jane (Anderson) Banning, His grandfather was one of the early settlers of Lorain County and the father was born in this county in 1836 and is still living at the age of eighty, The mother was born in Albion, Ohio, in 1840, and died in June, 1913, The parents were married in Rochester, and the father spent most of his active career in laboring pursuits. He is a republican in politics, and both he and his wife were members of the Congregational Church, Of their two children the daughter, Cora, also lives at Wellington. L. V. Banning finished his education in the high school at Wellington in 1893, and soon became a clerk in a grocery store. On January 1, 1900, profiting by his experience and by the accumulation of a modest capital, he started in business for himself, was for two years associated with F, W, Renouard as a partner, and after that was alone until 1912, when he sold the grocery trade and has since concentrated all his time on the wholesale sugar business. He has a plant comprising a 300-barrel warehouse at Wellington, and his accomplishments are the more noteworthy since he started in life on only a clerk's salary. In October, 1911, he married Miss Victoria Richmond who was born in Penfield Township of Lorain County. Her father, Lester Richmond, also a native of Lorain County, was a soldier in the Civil war from 1862 until the close of hostilities. Mr. Banning is a Knight Templar Mason and is also affiliated with the Scottish Rite, is past master of his lodge and past high priest of the chapter, and is also past patron of the Order of Eastern Star. His wife is also a member of the Eastern Star, In politics he is independent, and wields considerable influence in his section of the county. He is now serving as township treasurer and formerly filled the office of village treasurer. JOHN B. DUDLEY, A native of Lorain County John B. Dudley is identified with this county by many ties of family, work and civic loyalty, He is perhaps the chief stock breeder, particularly in the department of Holstein cattle, in the county, and has a splendidly equipped farm and fine home in the vicinity of Oberlin. He was born in Henrietta Township of Lorain County September 17, 1861, a son of Stowell B, and Sarah (Gillman) Dudley. His father was born in Vermont and died in 1904, and the mother was a native of England and is living at the age of eighty, They were married in Lorain County, and Stowell B, Dudley likewise followed farming all his active career. He became prosperous though he was a poor boy when he came to Lorain County, For six years he held the office of county commissioner, He was quite active in republican politics, his father's name was Jonathan Dudley. Mrs, Sarah Dudley was a member of the Episcopal Church, There were five children in the family, and John B, Dudley is the oldest of the three now living. His sister, Mary Duross, is the wife of a Cleveland manufacturer of brass fixtures. The other sister is Mrs, Winifred Darby, whose husband is a physician in Cleveland, John B, Dudley grew up on a farm, and completed his education during the freshmen year at Oberlin College, He had all the early influences conducive to a life of honest industry, and after remaining with his father until twenty-two he bought a farm of 240 acres, which he subsequently sold in order to acquire his present fine farm near Oberlin, comprising 215 acres of well cultivated and well improved land, He specializes in thoroughbred Holstein cattle, and has about fifty head all the time, and recently he had the largest sale of cattle ever held in HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 921 Ohio. He also keeps a large number of hogs, horses and other stock, and pursues general farming and crop raising almost sufficient to feed all his own stock, Mr. Dudley married Mary A, Whitney of Oberlin, daughter of G. W, Whitney, who was an early settler in Lorain County, and first followed farming and afterwards became identified with the gas industry. Mr. and Mrs, Dudley have six children : Howard, who finished his education at Oberlin, was for several years in the candy business and is now located in Spokane, Washington; George S., who was educated at Oberlin, is employed to test cattle under the state government ; Ben B, lives at home and has finished his education ; Florence also attended schools at Oberlin and lives at home ; Daniel P, is a vigorous and enterprising young chicken farmer at his father's place ; and Robert is thirteen years of age, Mrs, Dudley and three of her children, George, Florence and Daniel, are all active members of the First Congregational Church of Oberlin. Mr. Dudley is a republican in politics, but gives practically all his time and attention to his business as a stock raiser and general farmer. HENRY W. GEUKES. A self-made man, who merits admiration for his fine success in life, is Henry W. Geukes, a grower and dealer in celery in Elyria Township, this county. Mr. Geukes is a large property owner in Lorain and he receives a goodly income from houses he has rented out in that city, He was born at Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1861, and is a son of Derk and Johanna (Bemer) Geukes, both of whom were born and reared in Holland, whence they immigrated to the United States in 1857, locating in Grand Rapids, where the father was engaged in the dairy business for many years, There were seven children born to Mr. and Mrs, Geukes, two of whom died in infancy. Concerning the others the following brief facts are here inserted : Aaron D, is a resident of Kalamazoo, Michigan ; Mary is the wife of Joseph Washburn, of Kala-mazoo ; Minnie married W. F, Landen and they live in Los Angeles, California ; Anna is the wife of John Miller, of Kalamazoo: and Henry W. is the subject of this sketch, As a boy Henry W, Geukes attended the common schools of Kalamazoo and when ready to start life in real earnest he engaged in the celery business at Kalamazoo, Michigan, right in the famous celery belt, He remained in that city for two years and then went to Greentown. Ohio. One year later he located in Canton, Ohio, and there was engaged in the same line of enterprise for a period of twenty years, In 1901 he came to Lorain County and rented his present place in Elyria Township. This little estate consists of a little less than three acres and he purchased the place in 1907. On his arrival here he engaged in buying and selling celery and continued as a dealer only until 1910, when he began to grow that plant on a small scale. In recent years fie has raised from 80,000 to 100,000 plants per season but in 1915 he rented additional land and raised over 200,000 plants. He finds his market chiefly in Lorain and Elyria, Lorain County, and also in Vermilion, Erie County, Ohio. He is the owner of some splendid residence property in Lorain, including a double house at No. 2071 E, Twenty-ninth Street, a private house on the corner of Thirty-fourth Street and Broadway, and two other houses on Thirty-third Street, All of the above houses are rented and net him a nice income every year. Mr, Geukes' success in life is the result of his own ambitious endeavors and for that reason is most gratifying to contemplate, While not an active politician Mr. Geukes usually votes the straight republican ticket, In a fraternal way he is affiliated with the following 922 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY organizations : Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Improved Order of Red Men, the Knights of Pythias, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Mr. Geukes has been twice married. In 1881 he wed Miss Rosa Glorr, a native of Switzerland. To this union were born three children: William D. is employed by the Santa Fe Railroad Company and maintains his home at Seattle, Washington ; May is the wife of John Maurer, of Grafton, Ohio, they have two sons, Raymond and Herbert ; and Florence is the wife of Peter Phillips, of Stege, California, For his second wife Mr. Geukes married Emma (Meier) Meyers, a daughter of Jacob and Mary Magdalene (Hofstetter) Meier, Mrs. Geukes was born in Switzerland, in 1868, and her marriage to Mr, Geukes occurred April 16, 1901, By a former marriage, to Louis J. Meyers in 1889, she had a daughter, Mabelle Louise, born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, January 29, 1893, and now the wife of Paul M, Taylor, of Elyria, Mr. Taylor is a son of J. M. Taylor, of Sheffield Township, Lorain County, Ohio, the Taylor family being one of old standing in this state. Mr. and Mrs, Paul M, Taylor reside in Sheffield Township, Lorain County, Ohio. FREDERICK HAIST Coming from his German fatherland to the United States when a young man of about twenty-three years, Mr, Haist has been in the most significant sense the architect of. his own fortunes and has made the passing years count in worthy achievement that has been crowned with definite success, He has been a resident of Ohio since 1867 and has maintained his residence on his present farm, in Russia Township, Lorain County, for nearly forty years, Energy, circumspection and good business judgment have enabled him to win distinctive prosperity in connection with the basic industry of agriculture, and he stands as one of the substantial farmers and highly esteemed citizens of Lorain Connty, within whose borders he has found ample scope for the directing of his earnest efforts during the years of a signally industrious and useful career. As a sterling citizen of worth and unalloyed popularity he is well entitled to definite recognition in this history of his home county, "which he has honored by his character and his accomplishment, Mr. Haist was born in Germany on the 7th of August, 1844, and is a son of Frederick and Helen (Geist) Haist, of whose two children he is the younger, his sister, Mrs. Joos, having been a resident of the city of Cleveland for many years prior to her death. Frederick Haist, Sr., passed his entire life in Germany. where he was for many years employed in a steel manufactory. His widow came to the United States in 1871 and passed the closing years of her life in the home of her daughter, in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. Hc whose name introduces this article acquired his early education in the schools of his native land and there also he acquired in his youth practical experience as a workman in a foundry. He carefully conserved his earnings and in 1867 he came to America and made Cleveland, Ohio, his destination. There he was employed for eleven years as a skilled artisan in a foundry, and at the expiration of this period he came to Lorain County and purchased a farm of forty-five acres, this constituting his present fine homestead. The place was much run down when it came into his possession and the original dwelling was a small house of most unpretentious order. With characteristic energy lit' set himself to the task of improving his farm. which he soon brought under effcctive cultivation, and with increasing prosperity he made the same evident in the erection of good buildings, including his present attractive residence. which was complcted in 1894, and which is one of the HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 923 many attractive rural homes of the county, Mr, Haist has long been recognized as one of the representative farmers and stock-raisers of Russia. Township, and he has reason to view with pride and satisfaction the gracious prosperity that is his after many years of earnest toil and endeavor, While giving due attention to the advancement of his personal interests Mr. Haist has not been self-centered or in the least negligent of the duties of citizenship, He has co-operated in the furtherance of measures and enterprises tending to advance the communal welfare and while never in the least ambitious for political office he has given loyal support to the cause of the democratic party, He is affiliated with the local Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry and with the Knights and Ladies of Security. In 1877 Mr, Haist wedded Miss Augusta Wangerine, daughter of Carl Wangerine, who was one of the early settlers of Lorain County, Mrs. Haist was called to the life eternal in March, 1879, and of their three children two are living,—Henrietta, who is the wife of Charles Gibson, a prosperous farmer of Russia Township ; and Carl, who is employed as a street car conductor in the city of Cleveland, On the 4th of October, 1882, was solemnized the marriage of Mr, Haist to Miss Rosa Menz, a daughter of Peter and Matilda (Holtenrite) Menz, both natives of Germany, Mr. Menz having established his home in Lorain County, Ohio, upon his immigration to America and having been foreman of a stone quarry at Amherst for a number of years. Mr. and Mrs. Haist have five children, concerning whom brief record is given in con-clusion of this sketch : Matilda is the wife of James Curtis, who is engaged in the drug business in the City of Cleveland ; Rose is the wife of William Baker, who is engaged in the grocery and meat business at Lorain ; Albert is a representative grocer and meat dealer' at Lorain, in which line of enterprise he is associated with his younger brother ; Alice is the wife of Arthur Lang, who with his brother-in-law, Clarence Haist, conducts the Meadow Brook Dairy and Creamery business at Lorain, Ohio, EARL N. GIBBS, Few citizens of Lorain County have had a busier and more effective career in various lines than Earl N, Gibbs, banker, merchant, farmer and former member of the State Legislature, whose home is at Kipton in Camden Township, A little more than forty years of age, he has filled his years with energetic activities and has always been a leader, one of his chief characteristics being his initiative and enterprise, He comes of fine old American stock, Mr. Gibbs was born in Medina County, Ohio, March 12, 1874, a son of Farnum M, and Calista (Garlock) Gibbs, Back in the early years of the eighteenth century three brothers named Gibbs came to this country from England. They were shipwrecked and separated and did not meet for a number of years after they reached this country, Two of the brothers went to Virginia, while Joseph Gibbs, who was born in 1727, located in one of the New England states, This Joseph Gibbs was a man of note, and was long known as Lieutenant Gibbs, He served with that rank on the staff of Gen. George Washington during the Revolutionary war, His death occurred in 1805, On September 11, 1749, he married Elizabeth Palmer. A son of Lieutenant Gibbs was Benjamin, who was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 25, 1783, and when quite an old man came with younger members of the family to Ohio in 1842, Farnum Gibbs was born at Cambridge, Massachusetts, March 1, 1835, and died February 28, 1909, He was very young when he came to Ohio in 1842 and he lived on a farm, Vol. II-24 924 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY but was educated as a minister and for some years served as a pastor. During the war he was a member of the Second 'Ohio Cavalry, a regiment that did more riding and went through more diverse parts of the country than probably any other regiment in the Union army. Two times he rode horseback west of the Mississippi, and took part in one of the campaigns in Indian Territory. After two years of active service he was injured when his horse threw him, and spent a number of months in the hospital, After the war he bought a farm in Medina County, and reared his family on the farm, He retired a number of years before his death, which occurred at Brunswick. He was a republican in politics, served as justice of the peace a number of years, and was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was also noted for his progressiveness and his sterling integrity and was a valuable neighbor and friend, Farnum Gibbs was married at Parma, Ohio, to Miss Garlock, who was born at Parma in 1834 and died February 5, 1912. Her father, George Garlock, was a native of New York State and came to Ohio about 1842, locating on a farm at Parma, where he spent the rest of his days. Earl N. Gibbs had a liberal education as a preparation for his active career. He attended the Oberlin Academy and for four years was a student in Hiram College, On leaving college he gained a liberal training in merchandising by serving five years as clerk in a store at Kipton, and in 1901 he bought the business and has since developed a large and flourishing general store, controlling a trade over a radius of a number of miles about Kipton, In 1895 Mr, Gibbs married Georgia Breckinridge, a daughter of B. F, Breckinridge, who for a number of years was a merchant at Kipton and is now living with Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs. The latter have one daughter, Margaret, who is now in the junior class of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. The family are active members of the Christian Church, kind in politics Mr, Gibbs is a republican and is affiliated with the Masonic Order. His service in the Legislature was during the Seventy-eighth and Seventy-ninth sessions, and he proved himself an able conservator of the interests and welfare of the state and of his own constituency. He served as a member of committees on common schools. railroads and telegraph, banks and banking, After becoming securely established as a. merchant, Mr. Gibbs turned his energies toward other lines, and in 1905 organized the Kipton Banking Company of which he has been president. This is a very substantial institution and commands and deserves the support of a large community, It has a capital stock of $25,000 with surplus of $4,500, and the average deposits are $200,000, Mr, Gibbs for a great many years has been interested in general farming and not only makes a success of the business for himself but wherever possible lends his efforts toward improving and raising the agricultural standards in his township. In fact, farming is his recreation as well .as a vocation. WESLEY B. PHIPPS was for many years a leading and influential citizen of Elyria Township and his activity in agricultural affairs, his co-operation in public interests and his zealous support of all objects that he believed would contribute to the material or moral improvement of the community kept him in the foremost rank of those to whom this honorable principles and it also exemplified the truth of the Emersonian philosophy that "the way to win a friend is to be one," His genial, kindly manner won him the high regard and good will of all with whom he came in contact and thus his death, December 23, 1914, was uni- HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 925 formly mourned throughout Elyria Township and the surrounding district. May 18, 1852, on the parental homestead in Elyria Township, Lorain County, Ohio, occurred the birth of Wesley Bird Phipps, who was a son of John Jackson and Chloe A, (Garrett) Phipps, The father was born at Messina, on the St, Lawrence. River in the State of New York, and there he passed his boyhood and youth. As a young man he accompanied his parents to Ohio and located in the vicinity of Elyria, where he acquired a large parcel of farm land, He also engaged in buying timber and staves which he sold to a Mr. Harbeck, who manufactured barrels for the Standard Oil Company, then in its infancy. About this time, 1840, he was married and after continuing in the above business for thirty-five years he gave it up and then turned his attention to the cultivation of a farm of 120 acres, which he had purchased in Elyria Township. He was the landlord of the first hotel in Elyria, the Franklin House, which burned down just after the insurance had expired and he thereby lost $3,000. His great spirit of optimism, however, did not allow him to worry as he cooly remarked that he had earned the money once and could do so again, He was summoned to the life eternal July 28, 1886, and his cherished and devoted wife, who survived him for several years, died January 9, 1893, Mr. and Mrs. Phipps became the parents of seven children, concerning whom the following brief data are here incorporated : George, born February 24, 1841, married Maria Ely on December 5, 1859. He enlisted for service in the Civil war, was attacked with typhoid fever and died shortly after being brought home, October 24, 1862, He had two children : Early, born August 31, 1860, and John A., born January 2, 1862, Owen, born February 13, 1843, died October 2, 1907, He married Eunice Brown, September 13, 1862, and to this union were born two sons, Frankie and Archie, both now deceased, Heman, born October 11, 1845, died in 1904, He married Margaret Higgins, June 26, 1872 ; no children, Louisa Sarah, born February 16, 1848, is deceased. She married Lyman Kemp, October 16, 1866, and to them were born four children : Clarence, born in 1868, died in 1890 ; Waffle, born October 17, 1869, died in 1893 ; Edith, born July 10, 1875 ; and Harry, born June 27, 1883, is married and resides in Cleveland, Ohio. Wesley Bird is the immediate subject of this review. Elnora, born September 11, 1855, died May 31, 1867, aged eleven years, Levilla, born January 28, 1863, died in 1911. She married Frank Andrews, December 15, 1881. Under the sturdy and invigorating descipline of the parental homestead Wesley Bird Phipps was reared to maturity. His early schooling consisted of such advantages as were afforded in the district schools of Elyria Township, He was engaged in agricultural pursuits during the entire period of his active career and he became the owner of his father's farm on Lake Avenue, He was a shrewd and intelligent farmer and kept his estate in splendid condition. He was a man of forceful character and strong common sense and while not highly educated a fact he always regretted still he possessed a marked influence for good in the community and his judgment in town affairs was held in high esteem by his fellow citizens. His demise, December 23, 1914, caused widespread sorrow and deprived Elyria Township of one of its most industrious and useful citizens, Although not physically a strong man, he labored hard to place his family in good circumstances and to provide the means for educating his children, He will long he remembered for his upright life and sterling character. March 26, 1878, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Phipps to Miss Emma Walton, a daughter of Thomas and Christina (Christian) 926 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY Walton, of Elyria Township, Mrs. Phipps' ancestors on the maternal side came from the Isle of Man, where the Christians were people of great prominence and large means. To Mr. and Mrs. Phipps were born two children: Elnora Anna, whose birth occurred December 20, 1878, married Frederick E, Baker, December 5, 1900, and they reside in Elyria, Ohio; they have two children, Wesley Edward and Dorothy Evelyn; and Stella May, born February 6, 1881, married Earl Smith, February 10, 1910; they reside on Lake Avenue in Elyria Township, In political allegiance Mr. Phipps gave his support to the democratic party. Mrs. Phipps survives her honored husband and maintains her home in the old residence on Lake Avenue, She attends the Disciples Church in Elyria and is a woman of kindly personality and her charm and innate goodness make her a favorite with her many neighbors. NORMAN LEE is one of Lorain County's citizens who volunteered their services during the dark days of the Civil war and is one of that small army of surviving veterans of the great war. For many years. He has been one of the leading and successful farmers of Camden Township, and in that community has lived respected and has surrounded himself with material comforts as well as the esteem which goes with honorable citizenship. His family has been identified with Camden Township since the earliest pioneer times, for more than eighty years, Mr. Lee was born in Camden, May 22, 1843, a son of Thomas T, and Lucinda (Waugh) Lee. Both parents were natives of New York State, his father born June 30, 1799, and died September 5, 1877, and his mother born July 10, 1811, and died February 5, 1894. After their marriage in New York they came to Ohio in 1833, and were the first family to settle in Camden Township, where Thomas Lee bought a tract of ninety acres. He cleared up all his land and was quite successful, leaving an estate of 140 acres at the time of his death. He was a whig and afterwards a republican in politics, holding several town offices and was a member of the Baptist Church, Norman Lee is the only survivor of a family of six sons and one daughter, He grew up on the old homestead in Camden Township. attended the public schools there, and was a valuable helper to his father until past the age of twenty-one. On August 4, 1864, he enlisted in Company G of the One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Ohio Regiment and was with the army eleven months. Most of the time he spent on Johnston's Island in Lake Erie as a guard for the Confederate prisoners. On December 16, 1873, Mr. Lee married Frances L. Hurd. Her father, Harrison Hurd, was born July 11, 1805, and died July 11, 1896. on his ninety-first birthday. was the fourth of the family to locate in Cam-den Township, and was a very influential man in that community from pioneer times, He took much part in church affairs and served as deacon. In the Hurd family were twelve children, and the five now living are: Ann Eliza, widow of John Weeks and living with Mr. and Mrs. Norman Lee; Elizabeth, wife of G. R. Parker. a retired citizen of Lorain, Ohio; Mrs, Lee; Albert Hurd, who lives with his daughter in Cleveland ; and J. N. Hurd, who occupies the old Hurd homestead in Camden Township. Mr. and Mrs. Lee became the parents of four children and the three DOW living are: Lucinda, wife of Herman Hach, an upholsterer at Cleveland ; Thomas Lee, at home with his parents; and Andrew H., who is a farmer in Wakeman Township of Huron County. Mrs. Lec is an active member of the Baptist Church at Kipton. In polities Mr, Lee is identified with the republican organization. He has HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 927 been a general farmer for half a century or more, and has given much of his attention to cattle and other stock, His fine rural place comprises 125 acres of land and all its buildings and important improvements are the result of his management and supervision. C. B. INGERSOLL, The Ingersolls were among the families that established pioneer homes in the vicinity of Grafton upwards of a century ago, C. B, Ingersoll is a native son of Lorain County and for nearly fifty years has been closely identified with its farming and stock raising interests, He has one of the fine rural homes in the neighborhood of Kipton. He was born at Grafton, January 21, 1847, a son of William and Elizabeth A, (Welburn) Ingersoll. His paternal grandfather, William Ingersoll, was born in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and located in Lorain County not long after the close of the War of 1812, He married Catherine Houk, The maternal grandfather of Mr. Ingersoll was Jesse Welburn, who was a native of England, and settled in Lorain County in 1825, spending the balance of his days here. William Ingersoll, father of C. B. Ingersoll, was born at Grafton, Ohio, September 30, 1820, and died January 25, 1879. His wife was born in the State of. Massachusetts, August 17, 1825, and died November 22, 1909, They were married at Grafton. William Ingersoll in 1853 sold his farm of fifty acres in Grafton Township and moved to Camden in the spring of 1854, buying a farm of 275 acres, to the cultivation of which he devoted the remainder of his years. He was a republican in politics, and a man who enjoyed the full esteem of his fellow citizens, He and his wife had eight children, three sons and five daughters, and the four now living are : C, B. Ingersoll, who was the first born ; Mary, widow of George Brooks; Kate, wife of George Bois, a mail carrier at Warren, Ohio ; and Frank, who is the youngest, and was born January 22, 1870, being a farmer at Kipton, C. B. Ingersoll grew up on his father's farm, attended district schools, and when still young became a practical farmer. He now owns a fine place of 275 acres and besides general crops gives much attention to stock. He keeps about 125 sheep, His farm is well improved, has all the tile necessary to thorough drainage, and the building equipment comprises two very commodious barns and a comfortable residence, Mr. Ingersoll is still active and giving all his time to his business, though his prosperity is such that he might be justified in retiring and spending the rest of his life in comfort and ease. In 1887 he married Miss Anna Watson, who was born in Ireland, a daughter of William and Martha (McNeilly) Watson, Her mother is still living and resides in Cleveland. Mr, and Mrs, Ingersoll are the parents of ten children, named as follows : William, a farmer at Brighton, Ohio; Emma, wife of Allen E. Hayes, a farmer at Clarksfield ; Mary, now deceased ; Gracie, at home ; Seth, Charles, Walter, Mabel, F, A,, and Blanche, all of whom are living at home. Mr, Ingersoll is a republican in politics. WALTER HICKMAN WATTS, official stenographer of the courts of Lorain County, Ohio, was born in the City of London, England, December 31, 1865, being the third in a family of eleven children born to William Andrews and Louisa (Hickman) Watts. His forbears on his father's side were principally engaged in farming and stock raising in the fertile valleys of the West of England, although in different generations the family has given to the world men who have distinguished themselves as soldiers, artists, writers and preachers, among the last named being the immortal hymnologist, Dr. Isaac Watts. The family 928 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY has also furnished to the American continent a fair share of pioneers, On his mother's side, Mr, Watts is descended from a family that has produced statesmen, lawyers and physicians, some of whom were distinguished in their day, His maternal grandfather, John Hickman, of Old Smithfield, London, was a famous character in the social life of London, in the early Victorian days. When Walter Hickman Watts was two years of age, his parents settled at Blackley, a suburb of Manchester, noted as a Saxon settlement and rich alike in its historic lore and romantic scenery. He received his education in the famous Allsop Foundation School, at Blackley, and at the Albert Memorial School, Manchester. His parents were prominent church and Sunday school workers and enjoyed in common the study of Biblical literature, on which subject they were regarded as authorities, The father of Mr, Watts was also a deep student of English literature, and numbered among his close friends, writers and literary critics, In addition to the care of a large family, he and the mother found time to engage in various lines of altruistic labor and left the impress of their high character upon the community in which they lived. The male members of the Watts family were all engaged in newspaper work, the father and three sons being identified at the same time with one newspaper, the Manchester Evening News. For the past forty-five years some one or more members of the family have been at work with this publication in various departments, and at the present time representatives of the second and third generations are engaged in the production of this paper, which is one of the greatest of English journals, It was on this paper that Walter H, Watts received his early training as a newspaper man, beginning as an amanuensis to the editor and eventually working into the reporting department. Then for a few years he was engaged with a firm of law reporters, at the head of which was R, R. Dodds, known to literary fame as "Rab Robinson." Subsequently Mr, Watts joined the staff of the Bolton Guardian, where he rose to the position of chief reporter, being reputed to be the youngest man in the North of England to occupy such a responsible position. In his newspaper work he specialized in court work and municipal affairs and achieved distinction as a free lance. In his English newspaper experience Mr. Watts reported many of the famous trials of the day, including the case at Liverpool of Florence Maybrick. the American woman who was convicted of poisoning her husband by means of arsenic extracted from fly papers. He also followed the leading statesmen of the country on the "stump" and figured as a descriptive writer on the occasion of some of the great mining disasters of his time. In the summer of 1892, on the verge of a breakdown from overwork, Mr, Watts came to visit the United States, and was so much impressed with what he saw that he soon decided to stay, It was while visiting in Cleveland that he was offered a position with a Cleveland paper, which he accepted, and went to Sandusky, where he later became city editor of the Sandusky Register, His newspaper work at Sandusky brought him into contact with. Governor McKinley, who became much interested in his labors and who was friendly with the Englishman until his death. Having shown his familiarity with court procedure, Mr, Watts was offered the position of official stenographer of Erie County, in April, 1894, which office he held until April, 1907, when he resigned to accept a similar position in Lorain County, He recently (1916) rounded out twenty-two years of service in court work in Ohio, and in that time has been engaged in many famous cases, his services being called into requisition in surrounding counties when cases of more than usual importance have been on trial, The Billow murder trial, at Fremont, the famous HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 929 Hayes dog case there, the Hoyt will case, at Tiffin, and the more recent Rasor murder trial at Medina are among the big cases in which he has figured, When the municipal code was being considered by a special committee in the House of Representatives at Columbus (of which Mr, A, G. Comings, of Oberlin, was chairman), Mr. Watts was one of two expert stenographers who were called in to report the proceedings, Mr. Watts is deeply interested in the cause of public education and has given largely of his time to the interests of the public schools of Elyria, He was first elected to the Elyria Board of Education in the spring of 1909, to fill a vacancy, and was elected at the general election in 1911 for a term of four years, At the time of the death of W. N. Gates, in the spring of 1913, he held the office of vice.president and was then elevated to the office of president, which position he held until his retirement in January, 1916. Mr, Watts is known as a progressive school man and takes great pride in the new school buildings erected during the past few years from funds raised by a bond issue of $300,000 authorized by a vote of the people in 1912, particularly in the large manual training building connected with the high school, which he believes will accomplish much in the training of the high class of artizans which the industries of Elyria require, Among Mr, Watts' many activities are his connection with the Elyria Social Settlement Association, which devotes its energies to uplift work among the foreigners of the city, and of which he is a trustee and a former chairman of the council of workers. He is also a director of the Elyria Associated Charities, a member of the Elyria Memorial Hospital Association, of which he was formerly chairman, and a member of the Elyria Chamber of Commerce. For many years Mr, Watts has been active in republican politics, although never seeking an elective office of profit. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, having been a member of Science Lodge No, 50, Free & Accepted Masons, since 1894, and is a member of Sandusky City Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of Sandusky City Council, Royal and Select Masters, of Elyria Commandery No, 60, Knights Templar, of Lake Erie Consistory, Valley of Cleveland, and of El Koran Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He occupied the office of prelate of Elyria Commandery from 1910 to 1915, He is also a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, in which body he held the office of worthy patron in the years' 1911-12, Mr, Watts was connected with Company B, Sixth Ohio National Guard from 1902 until 1905, first as first lieutenant and later as captain. Although he was reared in the faith of the English Established Church, Mr. Watts and his family worship at the First Congregational Church of Elyria. Despite the fact that his many activities make heavy demands upon his time, Mr, Watts indulges an inherited taste for good literature and finds his greatest recreation in his well-chosen library, one of the largest private collections at Elyria, to which he is constantly adding, Mr. Watts was married July 30, 1888, at Ashton-on-Ribble, England, to Clara Reed, only daughter of Capt, William Reed, a retired salt-water mariner, and Maria Reed, who now reside at Sandusky, Ohio, where in 1915 they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. Mr, and Mrs. Watts reside at the family home on Furnace Street, Elyria, their family consisting of two charming daughters, Alice Reed and Dorothy Louisa. JUDSON N. HURD has been one of the live factors in the country around Kipton for a long period of years. The old homestead on which he grew up in Camden Township is the place where he still resides, He acquired the interest of the other heirs in the property but ill health 930 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY compelled him. some years ago to sell off most of his laud, and he now keeps only forty-five acres, with which le does a business as a general farmer. Mr. Hurd has a fine family, and has always taken much interest in local affairs. He has held the principal township offices and for a number of years was road supervisor and much of the constructive road work in his community is due to his capable leadership and encouragement. He and his family are especially active in the affairs of the Baptist Church, He and his wife and children are all musicians, espe-cially talented in singing, and for years he has been a choir leader and prominent in other branches of such work. He is still called upon to sing on many occasions, and for years has sung at most of the funerals in his community, He was born in Camden Township of Lorain County, December 21, 1849, a son of Harrison and Rebecca (Stillson) Hurd. His grandfather. was Norman Hurd, who died in New York, and the maternal grand-father, Phineas Stillson, came to Camden Township, where he spent the rest of his days with his daughter, Mrs. Hurd, Mr, Hurd's parents were both natives of Jefferson County, New York, where his father was born in 1804 and his mother in 1807. The father passed away in 1895 and the mother in 1885. After their marriage in New York State they came to Ohio and located in Camden Township in 1834, In the previous year Harrison Hurd had bought some land and after making a permanent settlement he applied himself vigorously to clearing it up. The first home of the Hurds in the county was a log cabin, but in 1854 this was replaced by the substantial home where Judge N, Hurd now resides. Harrison Hurd took a very prominent part in the early affairs of Camden Township, particularly in church matters. He was one of the six members who organized the Camden Church, was the first chorister and for years led the choir and was widely known as Deacon Hurd. In his private business affairs he was likewise prosperous, and at the time of his death owned a good estate of 153 acres, He served as township trustee and as a member of the school board, and while living; in New York was a. member of the state militia, In politics he was a democrat. Of the twelve children of the parents those now living are: Mrs. Weeks of Lorain County; Mrs. G. R. Parker of Lorain; Albert, a retired citizen at Elyria; Judson N,; and Mrs, Norman Lee, Judson N, Hurd grew up in Camden Township when most of the country was still wild and from the district schools of his community he later attended school at Oberlin, After his school days were ovcr he took up work as a farmer and has spent practically all his life on the old homestead. On October 12, 1871, he married Miss Nancy Bartlett, daughter of Nelson D, and Jane (Rankin) Bartlett, the former a native of New Hampshire and the latter of Massachusetts. Her parents came to Lorain County when young people, and both died in Oberlin, Her father was a farmer until he retired late in life. Of the six children in the Bartlett family, four are living: Horace G,, a farmer in Pittsfield Township; Maro L., who is a. musician and for a. number of years was head of a musical conservatory at Des Moines, Iowa ; Mrs, Hurd ; and Harry M., of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Hurd have four children. Maurice Hurd was formerly a machinist and now doing work as a janitor at Warren, Ohio: Roy D. is in the grocery business at Elyria; Mabel J. is the wife of Clayton Whitney, an insurance man at Springfield, Ohio: Myrtle L. still lives at home, HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 931 ANDREW DAVIDSON has traveled along the highway of mortal experience for more than ninety-three years and is now dwelling in the shadows of an old age after a lifetime of usefulness, He arrived in Lorain County in time to participate in some phases of its early development and the labors of his vigorous young manhood helped to convert some of the unshorn wilderness into a productive and fertile landscape, Many years ago he was able to retire with a satisfying competence for all the needs of later years, and besides his material prosperity he is able to take a satisfying retrospect over the past, Mr, Davidson still owns 152 acres, constituting an excellent farm in the vicinity of Oberlin, and all this prosperity has been the direct result of his own hard work. He was born at Rathfryland, County Down, Ireland, November 19, 1822, a son of Andrew and Jane (McGaw) Davidson. Both parents spent all their lives in County Down, and the father was born there in 1795 and died in 1860. He was a farmer and also did an extensive business in the buying of horses and cattle, and was quite well to do. In the family were five sons and two daughters, and the three still living, all of them quite old, are Andrew ; Joseph, a farmer in Ireland ; and Jane, wife of Robert Martin, an Irish farmer. The family were members of the Presbyterian Church, Andrew Davidson received his early education in Ireland and first came to America in 1855, when he was about thirty-three years of age, After spending about nine years in this country and having good prospects for the future he returned to his native land and on March 1, 1864, married Miss Martha Edgar, who returned with him to the United States as his bride. Mrs. Davidson died. March 2, 1914, The day before her death they had completed fifty years of married companionship. Mr. Davidson on first coming to Lorain County farmed on the shares and bought his first place in 1868. The. land could hardly be considered a farm, since it was almost completely covered by woods and brush, and a less vigorous man would have become discouraged at the prospect of so much hard labor necessary to convert it into a profitable place. He cleared it up, and every year marked an advance in success, In the meantime he erected an attractive home for himself and family and also improved the land with substantial outbuildings. To Mr. Davidson and wife were born nine children, and the seven still living are : John Edgar, who is a well known farmer and stock buyer at Kipton ; Andrew William, also a Lorain County farmer ; Joseph Henry, an engineer with the New York Central Lines and with headquarters at Toledo; Frank E,, a farmer living at home with his father ; Herbert H,, a farmer ; Lona, wife of C. A, Glass, a traveling salesman with home at Elyria ; and James G,, at home, Mayme Vera, who died March 13, 1916, was a graduate of the Oberlin High School and was housekeeper for her father, to whom she was greatly devoted, Mr. Davidson and wife were both reared in the Presbyterian Church in their native land, In politics he has always supported the democratic party. CHARLES FRANCIS PARK, M. D. For more than forty years Doctor Park has been in the active practice of medicine in Lorain County. His service has been commensurate with the length of years in practice, and among the wide circle of his patients he has been both a friend and a physician. Doctor Park is a man of gentle manner in all his dealings, and this quality, together with an expert knowledge and skill in medicine, combined to win him the strong affections of hundreds of families, particularly in the vicinity of Grafton, where he has had his home for so many years. 932 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY He is a native of Massachusetts, born at Chelsea, November 16, 1846, a son of Richard and Sarah Turner (Cushing) Park. His father was a contractor. With his early boyhood spent in Massachusetts and with a public school education, Doctor Park was graduated from high school at an early age and at fifteen came to Elyria, Ohio, where he lived with his maternal uncle, Dr. Charles F, Cushing. In 1868 Doctor Park went to the Northwest and lived along the frontier in Montana and was in the service of the quartermaster's department of the United States Army stationed at Fort Shaw. He enjoyed the exciting and novel life of the Northwest until 1870, and then returning to St, Louis took his first course in the Medical College at St, Louis. He then came to Elyria, Ohio, where he was granted a certificate to practice his profession by the Lorain County Medical Society, He had also read medicine to some extent while living in Montana. Doctor Park paid all the expenses of his higher education, and did his first work at Chatham in Medina County. He practiced there from the spring of 1871 until the fall of 1872, and then entered the Homeopathic Medical College, where he was graduated in the spring of 1873. From that year until 1875 he was associated with his uncle Doctor Cushing in practice at Elyria. In October, 1875, Doctor Park located at LaGrange, Ohio, and remained in active practice there until October, 1888, when he came to Grafton, where he has since resided, On May 3, 1876, at the home of Dr. C. F. Cushing at Elyria, Doctor Park and Miss Helen Isabelle Gamble of Elyria were united in marriage. Mrs. Park was born at Toronto, Canada, daughter of Robert and Mary A. (Colby) Gamble, Of the five children born to Dr. and Mrs. Park three died in childhood. The two now living are Dr. William Cushing Park, a sketch of whose career is given in following paragraphs, and Olive Park, The daughter is a graduate of the Grafton High School, and later of Baldwin University at Berea. After several years of teaching she continued her studies in the Columbia University at New York City, from which she graduated in June, 1914, and is now engaged in church extension work and physical education in the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Charles F. Park has been a lifelong republican though not an office seeker, and has served only in local affairs, spending two years in the Grafton City Council. He is a member of the Knights of Maccabees and the Knights of Pythias, and was at one time examining physician for several life insurance companies. He twelve times represented his local as a delegate to the Grand Lodge of the Knights of Pythias. He is well known in his profession, and is one of the oldest members of the Lorain County Medical Society. WILLIAM CUSHING PARK, M. D. With a career which has exemplified its thorough usefulness in the field of medicine and surgery, Dr. William C. Park is a worthy successor of his honored father, one of the veteran physicians of Lorain County, and has been in practice at Grafton for the past tcn or fifteen years. He was born in the Village of LaGrange, Lorain County, October 7, 1877, and was eleven years of age when his parents removed in 1888 to Grafton. He was fourteen years of age when he graduated from the Grafton High School in the class of 1892 and was the first to receive a diploma from the high school of that town. He then spent three years in Baldwin University at Bcrea, and as a practical expcrience and as a means of paying his way through higher schools he taught for several years in Lorain County. Entering the medical department of Western Reserve University at Cleveland, he continued his studies there four years and during vacations read medicine with Dr. C. H. Cushing of Elyria. He was graduated M. D, in 1902 and at once became associated HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 933 in practice with his father at Grafton, and he now enjoys the largest individual practice of any physician in that part of the county, On January 14, 1903, Dr. Park married Miss Grace Angie Bruce, of Elyria, She was born in Carlisle Township of Lorain County, daughter of Isaac and Julia (Pangborn) Bruce. Mrs, Park graduated from the high school at Ionia, Michigan. To their marriage have been born two children : Marian B. and Jean Frances, Dr. Park is a republican and was for five years a member of the Grafton School Board, He has filled all the chairs in the Knights of Pythias Lodge, is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees, and belongs to the Lorain County Medical Society, R. HATHAWAY. M, D. One of the oldest medical practitioners in Lorain County is Dr. R, Hathaway of Wellington, where he has looked after the welfare of his patients and has been both a physician and friend to many of the leading families in that section for a period of nearly forty years, He is held in high esteem, and has performed a service which entitled him to the respect and admiration of his fellow men, His birth occurred in Sandusky, Ohio, July 21, 1847, and he is of English ancestry, the first of the name having come from England and settled at Deposit, New York, Robert Hathaway, father of Doctor Hathaway, was a native of New York State and in early manhood moved to Sandusky, Ohio, where for thirty years he was in the grocery business, Considering his opportunities, he was a very successful man, and late in life he retired from business and spent his last years with his son, Doctor Hathaway, in Wellington, He was a republican in politics and a member of the Sons of Malta, Robert Hathaway married Sarah Porter, a native of Ohio, They were married in Sandusky, Her father, Thomas Porter, was born in Ireland and was the oldest of fourteen children, not a girl in the entire family, Thomas Porter was an early settler near Sandusky, and followed the occupation of farming, Doctor Hathaway is the only one living of two children, As a boy he lived in Sandusky, graduated from the high school there, and in 1876 completed the course of the medical college at Cleveland, Soon after finishing his medical course he moved to Wellington, and has been continuously in practice, When he first located there his was almost entirely a country practice, and it was long before the introduction of telephones and automobiles, and he frequently rode horseback over the bottomless roads and in all kinds of weather to attend his patients. It was by such rugged service that he endeared himself to all the older people of that section. Doctor Hathaway is affiliated with the Masonic Order and in politics is a republican, In 1875 he married Miss Mollie Gordon of Sandusky. Mrs. Hathaway died leaving three children, and the two now living are : George, who resides in Cleveland ; and Roselle, widow of H. M. Horr and living at Wellington. Doctor Hathaway married for his present wife Emily. Waite of Ravenna, Ohio, Mrs, Hathaway is a member of the Congregational Church, REV. ROSWELL CHAPIN. The honored citizen whose name initiates this review was for thirty years actively engaged in effective service as a clergyman of the Congregational Church, and since his retirement from this high calling he has resided upon his fine farm in Russia Township, Lorain County,—a man of broad intellectuality and one whose gracious life and noble services have gained to him impregnable place in the confidence and affectionate esteem of all who have come within 934 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY the sphere of his benignant influence. Mr. Chapin is a native son of Ohio and a scion of one of the sterling pioneer families of the Buckeye State, both his paternal and maternal ancestors having settled in New England in the early colonial era of our national history. Mr, Chapin was born on a pioneer farm near the Village of Seville, Medina County, Ohio, and the date of his nativity was October 18, 1844. He is a son of Calvin and Susanna (Stiles) Chapin, the former of whom was born at Enfield, Hartford County, Connecticut. in 1805, and the latter of whom was born near Westfield, Hampden County, :Massa-chusetts, in 1812, their marriage having been solemnized in Ohio in 1831, Calvin Chapin was reared to years of maturity in his native state and received in his youth excellent educational advantages. as indi-cated by the fact that he became a successful and popular school teacher„ In 1830 he came to Ohio and numbered himself among the pionccrs of Medina County, where he obtained a tract of heavily timbered land and set to himself the arduous task of reclaiming a farm from the virgin wilderness. He became one of the prosperous farmers of Medina County, where he marked the passing years with large and worthy achievement and where he became a prominent and influential citizen. Through his own ability and well ordered endeavors he accumulated a valuable landed estate of three hundred acres, and he was one of thc organizers of the Ohio Farmers' Insurance Company, of which he served as thc second president. He commanded unqualified popular confidence and. respect and was called upon to become administrator of numerous estatcs in his home county, His political allegiance was given to the republican party, with which he united at the time of its organization, and both he and his wife were zealous members of the Presbyterian Church in thc Village of Seville, to which place he had removed from his farm about six months prior to his demise, his death having occurred in 1873, and his widow having survived him by a quarter of a century, as she was summoned to the life eternal in 1899, a gracious. kindly woman who had been loved by all who knew her. Mr. Chapin's father, Ebenezer Chapin, passed his entire life in Connecticut, where his vocation was that of farming and where he was a representative of one of the Colonial families of that part of New England, the cradle of much of our national history. The father of Mrs, Susanna (Stiles) Chapin was a nativc of Massachusetts, and when .venerable in years came to Ohio. where he passed the residue of his life with his children. Of the eight children of Calvin and Susanna Chapin only two are now living,—Eben S.. Who is a retired farmer and well-to-do citizen of Appleton City. St. Clair County, Missouri; and Rev, Roswell Chapin. to whom this sketch is dedicated. He whose name initiates this article found his childhood compassed by the conditions and influences of the pioneer farm and was signally favored in being reared in a home of distinctive culture and refinement. His early education was acquired in the common schools and in Seville Academy, and in 1870 he was graduated in Oberlin College. from which he received the degree of Bachelor or Arts. In preparation for the work or the ministry he thereafter completed a course in Yale Theological Seminary, at New Haven, Connecticut, in which -he was graduated in 1873, and in 1874 was ordained a clergyman of the Congregational Church. For the long period of thirty years Mr. Chapin labored with. consecrated zeal and devotion and with distinctive success in the ministry, and he held various pastoral charges in Ohio. One of his early pastorates was at Atwater. Portage County; for four years he was pastor of the church at Lodi. Medina County, and for ten years established in a pastorate at Litchfield, that county: and for one year he held a HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 935 charge at North Fairfield, Huron County. Upon his retirement from the active work of the ministry he purchased his present attractive and well improved farm of forty-seven acres, near the City of Oberlin, and he has since given to the same his general supervision, He finds pleasure and satisfaction in his home, his library and in the association with his wide circle of friends in the community. When the Civil war was precipitated upon the nation Mr. Chapin manifested his patriotism by tendering his services in defense of the Union. May 2, 1864, he enlisted as a private in Company F, One Hundred and Sixty-six Ohio National Guards, with which he continued in active service until he received his honorable discharge, September 10, 1864. He was sent to Washington, D, C., on guard duty, The political allegiance of Mr. Chapin is given to the republican party and he and his wife are numbered among the most earnest and valued members of the Second Congregational Church of Oberlin, all of their children except the youngest being likewise active members of the Congregational Church, On the 25th of June, 1873, was solemnized the marriage of Mr, Chapin to Mary Emma Turner, who was born at Oxford, Chester County, Pennsylvania, and who was a girl at the time of the family removal to Seville, Medina County, Ohio, in 1853, She is a daughter of William and Margaret (Riffett) Turner, who were born in Pennsylvania and who were residents of Medina County, Ohio, for many years prior to their death. Mr. and Mrs. Chapin have five children, concerning whom brief record is given, in the concluding paragraph of this article. Edward A,, who is now identified with the telephone business in the city of Cleveland, was graduated in the high school at Medina and in 1899 was graduated in Berea College, at Berea, Kentucky, after which he devoted a number of years to teaching school, John C. likewise was graduated in the Medina High School and in Berea College, and he supplemented this discipline by a course in historic old Harvard University, in which he was graduated. He is now superintendent of the public schools of Glendale, Hamilton County, Ohio, William W, remains at the parental home, Mary T. is head of the department of domestic science in the Ohio State Normal School at Bowling Green. Sidney S, holds the position of assistant purchasing agent for the American Fork & Hoe Company, in the City of Cleveland, PETER BUCHS, A stimulating example of industry has been furnished by Peter Buchs of Henrietta Township. Something more than thirty years ago he came to this country with his parents from Switzerland, was a strong and vigorous youth but without capital and with no knowledge of American language or customs. By honest industry and thrift he has found the way to success and enjoys all the comforts of material prosperity and the esteem paid to a good citizen, He was born in Switzerland August 4, 1862, a son of Peter and Elizabeth (Siegfried) Buchs. His father was born in Switzerland February 28, 1828, and died July 20, 1889. The mother was born in September, 1834, and died some years after her husband. They were married in Switzerland, where the father was a quite successful man, but having lost all his property he brought his family to the United States in 1882 and located in Henrietta Township, living on a small farm there until his death, He and his wife were members of the German Methodist Episcopal Church and in politics he was a republican. Of eight children six are still living: Elizabeth, unmarried ; Peter ; Mrs. Jacob Weldmann, of Lorain County; Jacob, a resident of Henrietta Township ; Gottlieb, who lives north of Oberlin ; and Rose, who is unmarried and lives in Oberlin. 936 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY Peter Buchs acquired his education in Switzerland and was twenty years of age when he came to America, For a time he earned wages by the heaviest work of a quarryman in the stone quarry at Amherst, and in that way got the start which has enabled him to provide not only for his own livelihood but for his family. In March, 1888, Mr. Buchs married Louisa Weidmann. a member of a well known German family of Lorain County, refercnce to which is made on other pages of this publication, Of the three children born to their union the two now living are twins, Jacob Leonard and Paulina Marie, both at home. The daughter spent two years in the high school at Oberlin, Mr, Buchs and family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church, he is a member of the Grange and in politics is a republican. For one term he served as town trustee. In 1889, the year following his marriage, Mr. Buchs hought a home in Henrietta Township and now has 106 acres of well improved land. His special business is dairying, and he ships large quantities of milk to Cleveland. He also grazes a number of cattle and hogs. has a fine barn, and in many ways has improved his home and land, JACOB WEIDMANN, Nothing less than hard working industry has brought Jacob Weidmann to a position among the most substantial and prosperous farmers in the Kipton community. As a boy he had only the ordinary advantages of a Lorain County farmer boy. and started life with only his hands and a determination to succeed. By hard work and economy he had saved $500 before he was twenty-one years of age. Some years later his accumulations amounted to $800 and he then made his first purchase in farming land. Since then he has continued his progress, and now has one of the most productive and valuable farms in his section of the county. Though born in Germany, December 6, 1860, Jacob Weidmann was brought to America in infancy, and is a thorough American by training and spirit, though he was reared and trained in the German language, which he speaks and reads fluently. His parents were George Henry and Eliza (Smith) Weidmann. The father was born December 20, 1831, and died in 1905, and the mother was born in July, 1827. and died in 1886. They were married in Germany in 1856. and a few years later they emigrated to America and located in Vermilion Township of Lorain County. Subsequently the father bought a farm in Henrietta Township, comprising sixty acres, and lived there until his death, He and his wife were members of the German Reformed Church and in politics he was a democrat, The paternal grandfather was George Weidmann, who died in Germany, and the maternal grandfather. Adam Smith, also died in that country. Of the five children of George H. Weidmann and wife, the four now living are: Mrs, George Dellefield, wife of a well known farmer of Henrietta Township: Mrs, Buchs. wife of a farmer in Henrietta Township ; Mrs. John Unger of Henrietta Township: and Jacob, Jacob Weidmann acquired his early training in the district schools of Lorain County, For fourteen years he worked out as a farm hand, and with the $800 which his thrift enabled him to accumulate he purchased his father's farm. In 1887 he married Miss Katie Buchs. daughter of Peter Buchs. The Buchs family came from Switzerland and settled in Lorain County thirty years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Weidmann, without children of their own. have adopted three: Lillie, now the wife of Carl Krieg, a farmer in Henrietta Township: Eda. wife of Albert Snyder of Henrietta Township ; and Twila. who is six years of age. The family attend worship at the Methodist Episcopal Church. HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 937 Mr. Weidmann is a member of the Grange and a republican in politics. Besides his general farm industry he furnishes a large quantity of meat to the trade at Oberlin, going with supplies into that town three or four times each week. His farm comprises 168 acres of land, and besides the genera] crops he raises considerable stock, principally hogs and horses. He built a substantial farm residence, has an excellent farm equipment of buildings and other improvements, and until recently he owned another farm which he had improved with a large barn, One of the most profitable features of his farm is a large apple orchard, and in 1915 he sold a crop of $600 worth of apples. His nephew, Harold Buchs, lives with him and assists in the management of the farm. Mr. and Mrs, Weidmann are excellent Christian people, both take an active interest in the church, and have always done their part or more in the philanthropic and benevolent work of their community. SAMUEL E. WURST. Lorain County has been and is signally favored in the class of men who have contributed to its development along commercial and agricultural lines and in the latter connection the subject of this review demands recognition as he has been actively engaged in farming operations and the raising of fancy poultry during the greater part of his active career, He has long been known as a prosperous and enterprising citizen and one whose business methods demonstrate the power of activity and honesty in the business world. Samuel E. Wurst was born at Brownhelm, Lorain County, Ohio, June 29, 1853, and he is a son of Echhart and Elizabeth (May) Wurst, the former of whom was born at Hesse-Cassel, Germany, where he spent his boyhood and youth and whence he immigrated to the United States in 1849. On arriving in this country Mr, Wurst located first in Rochester, New York, remaining there but a short time and going thence to Brownhelm, Ohio, where he spent one year, He then came to Elyria and located on East River Street an the east side of the city, where he owned two acres of land, He did not live long after arriving in America, however, as he was summoned to the life eternal in 1855, His widow, who survived him for many years, passed away in 1909, at the age of eighty-four years. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wurst, as follows : Henry is a retired merchant in Elyria ; Samuel E. is the subject of this sketch ; and Mary, who is the wife of John Daney, lives at Elyria, Ohio. They have one son, Norman. When Samuel E. Wurst was but one year of age his parents located in Elyria and here he attended the common school and also high school for a time. He began business life as a clerk in the grocery store of Hannan & Obitts and remained in their employ for three years. He then bought the publication known as The Poultry Nation, and he conducted that journal with great success for the ensuing six years, In the meantime his brother Henry had purchased the store of Hannan & Obitts, mentioned above, and Mr. Wurst began to work for him, devoting a part of his time to the raising of fancy poultry. He was unusually successful with his poultry and gained a great reputation throughout this section of the state as a chicken fancier, Every fall he would exhibit poultry in the county and state fairs of Ohio and neighboring states, It is interesting to note that he had exhibits at the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, at the St, Louis Centennial Exhibition and at the Ohio Centennial Exhibition. So great was his success in this line that he received prize ribbons enough to more than fill two bushel measures and he also received money prizes and other trophies. In May, 1891, he located on his present estate on Lake Avenue, just outside the corporate limits of Elyria, Originally he owned sixty acres in this vicinity 938 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY but recently he disposed of ten acres as town lots. On the remaining land he carries on farming and still raises poultry. He also has a herd of seventeen head of registered Jersey cattle. His principal crops are hay, wheat and corn. Every fall he is called upon to act as judge of poultry at various fairs in Ohio and adjoining states. He owns eleven houses on the west side of Elyria, just inside the city limits, and is known as a man of considerable means. April 20, 1887, Mr, Wurst was united in marriage to Miss Laura Standen, a daughter of George and Keziah (Smith) Standen, Mrs. Wurst was born in DOver, Ohio, August 22, 1861, and she lived on her parents' farm until her thirteenth year. In 1875 the Standen family located in Elyria, where Mr, Standen conducted a bottling works for eleven years. In 1886 he returned to his farm and the bottling works was conducted by his son, for whom Laura kept house until her marriage to Mr, Wurst, There were three children born to Mr, and Mrs, Wurst, concerning whom the following data are here inserted : Sherman St. Standen, born February 21, 1888, and a resident of Elyria, married, in 1911, Marie Sippel; Eunice Mabel, born April 19, 1892, died in 1907 : and a daughter, born in 1897, died at the age of eleven days. Mr. and Mrs. Wurst are among the best known and most popular residents of Elyria Township, where they are held in high esteem by all who know them. Although fairly well advanced in years they enjoy the best of health, They manifest a warm and intelligent interest in local affairs and do all in their power to advance the prosperity of their community, JOHN A, LATTEMAN, Still active and vigorous at the age of sixty-three, John A, Latteman has had an unusually active and worthy career. For nearly forty years he employed his energies at the carpenter trade and at the same time has developed a substantial home and farm, and is one of the men in the vicinity of Birmingham whose success is assured beyond all question. He is a native of Lorain County, having been born in Brownhelm Township July 5, 1853, a son of Adam and Mary (Englebry) Latteman. The father was born October 4, 1827, and died August 26, 1906, and the mother was born September 1, 1829, and died September 27, 1886. Both parents were natives of Germany, and are now deceased, They came to Lorain County in 1851, and were married in Brownhelm Township, where the father bought a farm. After eleven years he left. that place and moved to Vermilion Township and afterwards to Henri- etta 'Township. His last place comprised eighty-two acres. Of the seven children six are living: J. A,; Mary, wife of George Dute, a farmer in Russia Township ; Conrad, a farmer in Camden Township ; Charles, a farmer in Florence Township ; Ann, wife of Ira Kiplinger, a Lorain County farmer: Fred, a farmer in Lorain County, The parents were members of the German Reformed Church and the father was a democrat in politics, John A, Latteman acquired his early education in the public schools of Brownhelm and Henrietta townships. When little more than a boy he acquired a practical knowledge of the carpenter's trade, and followed that as his principal work in the proper seasons of the year for forty years. At the same time he looked after his farming interests which gradually developed. He owns two farms, one of forty-seven acres and another well improved farm of seventy acres. In 1878 he married Miss Mary Heidrich, daughter of Henry and Christine (Deice) Heidrich. Her parents were also natives of. Germany and came to Lorain County and spent the rest of their days on a farm, Mr, and Mrs, Latteman have six children: Amelia, wife of W. H. Was- HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 939 son, a Henrietta Township farmer; Martha, wife of Fred Berg, of Rush Township ; Phillip, who lives near his father on a farm; Albert, who married Etta Hoffner, and is a farmer on the old Latteman homestead; Jennette, at home; and Arthur, who is attending the Oberlin High School, The family are members of the German Reformed Church. Mr. Latteman is a member and takes considerable interest in the work of the Grange and in politics is a democrat, For the past ten years he has been a member of the board of education in his home township, and has also served as a township trustee. While his business is that of general farmer, his son now performs most of the practical work of the farm, operating on the shares, and also operating a small dairy. Mr. Latteman got his start in life through his own exertions, When his father's estate was divided he received the value of about $800, but that was the only important assistance he ever had. A number of years ago he built a beautiful farm home, and has also improved the land by other buildings and equipment and has a splendid place in which to spend his declining years, GEORGE DELLIFIELD, The career of a man who starts with nothing and attains a definite success is always encouraging and is worthy of some permanent record in the annals of his home county. Such a case is illustrated by George Dellifield, who by self reliance and industry has found prosperity and owns one of the fine farms in the vicinity of Kipton, Mr. Dellifield was born in Amherst Township of Lorain County March 9. 1860, a son of John and Anna (Neiding) Dellifield. Both parents were natives of Germany. The father was born in that country October 25, 1825, and was the son of Henry Dellifield, who was a veterinary surgeon. John Dellifield came to America when .a young man and was married in Lorain County to Miss Neiding, who was born in Germany in 1836. She died in 1866, and the father survived until February 6, 1893. Of their four children two are living, and Mr. Dellifield's sister is Mrs, Leimbach, wife of a farmer at Clarksfield, Huron County, The parents were both members of the German Reformed Church and in politics the father was a democrat, By trade he was a shoemaker and was employed in that line at North Amherst for some years, but subsequently bought a small farm and resided there until his death, George Dellifield grew up in Lorain County, attended the common schools, and was twenty-seven years of age when he was married, on December 8, 1887, to Emma Weidmann, The Weidmanns are a well known family of Lorain County and further information will be found concerning them under the name Jacob Weidmann on other pages. Mr. and Mrs. Dellifield have three children: Bertha, wife of P. H, Latteman, a farmer in this county ; Martha and Louis, both at home. The family attend worship at the German Reformed Church and all of them, both parents and children, are members of the Grange. Mr. Dellifield as a democrat in politics has served on the school board. and has been trustee of his township for four years and was re-elected for a third term in 1915. As a young man he started his independent career as a farmer on his father's place and also worked out at day and monthly wages for other people, He continued in that way until he married, and then bought his present farm paying only a small amount down and assuming a heavy obligation for the future. He and his wife co-operated in their thrifty management and eventually cleared off all debts and they now Vol. II-25 940 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY enjoy a fine farm of 143 acres. Mr, Dellifield has from time to time installed some improvements which have brought his farm up to the best standards of Lorain County agriculture, He carries on general farming, also operating a small dairy. Numerous improvements and repairs have gone into his residence, and he recently completed a large barn and silo, THOMAS B, BENNINGTON. Since he was born January 31, 1837, in a log house standing in the midst of the woods in Eaton Township in Lorain County, Thomas B. Bennington has been a witness of many remarkable transformations and changes in this section of Ohio. He is regarded as one of the largest land owners and most prosperous citizens of the county, and a number of years ago retired from active farming and has since made his home on South Main Street in Grafton, At the time of his birth Lorain County did not have a single railroad, nor was there a mile of railroad line in the entire State of Ohio. It was the era of canal building, and practically all traffic was either overland or by lakes and canals, In his boyhood he many times helped to thresh out the grain with an old fashioned flail or by treading, it out with horses on the barn floor, In such an environment and under such sturdy discipline as was afforded him he grew up strong and vigorous, and much of his success can be traced to the fact that along with constant industry he possessed the ability of doing more real work in a day than most men could accomplish in two days. He is still strong and vigorous both in mind and body, in spite of his nearly eighty years, and much of his health is no doubt due to the fact that he never contracted any bad habits, never used tobacco nor intoxicating liquors in any form, and there is an interesting piece of evidence as to his personal integrity and his fair dealing in that he was never sued at law throughout the many years he has had varied and extensive business transactions. Both his parents, Thomas and Jane (Webster) Bennington, were born in Yorkshire, England, where they were reared and married as country people, Thomas Bennington came to America before his marriage, and for about one year lived at Cleveland or that vicinity, finding whatever employment he could, He then returned to his native country, married, and brought his bride to America and settled in the comparatively new country of Northern Ohio, From Cleveland they moved to Vermilion, where they had a farm, but in 1836 he came to Eaton Town-ship in Lorain County and acquired 108 acres from the Government. This land was covered with heavy timber, and on a small clearing he put up the log cabin in which Thomas B, Bennington first saw the light of day, The elder Bennington was also characterized by remarkable vigor and industry, and besides clearing up the first tract of land he added to it until his estate comprised about two hundred and fifty acres, He also made some excellent improvements, and that old homestead is now part of his son, Thomas Bennington's possession. The father was about sixty-six years of age when he died, and is buried in the cemetery at Butternut Ridge. After acquiring American citizenship he voted as a democrat, and filled such local offices as township trustee and school director, In his family were ten children, three sons and seven daughters, but Thomas B. was the only son to reach maturity and he is the only survivor of all the children. When he was a boy he attended one of the country schools then so typical in this section of the Middle West. It was held in a log building, and he sat on a bench made of a split slab supported from the floor by wooden pins. Across one side of the room was a broad fireplace, and the larger boys rustled the wood used as fuel during the winter season. HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 941 The curriculum was confined to the three R's and as soon as a boy's services were needed at home he had little opportunity to attend school, except two or three months each winter, At the age of fifteen Mr, Bennington entered a select school at Grafton, and the two terms he attended, walking each night and morning three miles across swamps and through the woods to complete his education. On December 24, 1869, he married in Wakeman, Huron County, Miss Atalanta Peck, who died on the 6th of April, 1916. She was born on her father's farm in Wakeman Township, September 18, 1839, a daughter of Henry Tuttle and Abigail (Haskins) Peck, Her father was born in Vermont and her mother in Massachusetts but both had come as young people with their respective parents to Ohio and located in Wakeman Township. Mrs. Bennington acquired a common school education in very much the same kind of institutions as Mr, Bennington attended. Before his marriage Mr, Bennington had bought a tract of land in Eaton Township and was already fairly started in that career which he has pursued with such handsome results, He owned two farms, making his home on the one adjoining his father's place, From time to time he has added to his farm holdings, and after his father's death he bought out the interests of the other heirs, His landed possessions now include about thirteen hundred acres in Lorain County and his last investment was made in 1915 when he bought 171 acres in Erie County, Pennsylvania, As a citizen he has always been generous and public spirited. In 1912 he donated a piece of land at the corner of South Main and Vine streets in Oberlin for park purposes and that is now being developed and will always be known as Bennington Park. He also owns sixteen or seventeen residence properties in Elyria and is also owner of the Elyria Cement and Coal Yards, and he has several business buildings in Grafton, In 1895 he built his attractive home in Grafton, and in that year moved his family from the farm to the village. His only son Edward died when about fourteen years of age. Though the son of a democrat, Mr. Bennington became a republican in time to cast his first ballot for Lincoln in 1860 and has never wavered from that early choice of political party, His public service has been that of a thoroughly loyal and disinterested citizen, and he has filled such offices as school' director and trustee of Eaton Township and was president of the Board of Education in Grafton for several terms, He has especially favored good schools and has done all he could to promote the cause of public education, JOHN D. BORN, Something over twenty years ago John D, Born came to America, a poor emigrant German youth, and since then his activities have been identified with Lorain County, He was almost unknown and practically penniless when he came to Lorain County and he deserves 'much credit for the way in which he has utilized his opportunities and has made opportunities for himself, He is now one of the leading farmers and most prosperous citizens of Henrietta Township. Born in Germany April 2, 1876, he is a son of Daniel and Dorothy (Zuck) Born, His parents spent all their lives in Germany, where his father was a farmer, The father was born in 1827 and died in 1890 and the mother was born in 1828 and died in 1914. Of their eight children four are still living: John, a farmer and wagon maker in Germany ; Alexander, who is a prosperous farmer in Iowa; John D, ; and Mrs. Catherine Pippin, wife of a farmer and living in Germany, The parents were members of the German Lutheran Church. Grandfather John Born was a farmer and a government employe and an 942 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY architect of buildings. The father was a man of considerable influence in his home locality in the Province of Hesse, Nassau, John D, Born acquired a common school education in Germany and also attended school for two years after coming to Lorain County, It was in 1892 at the age of sixteen that he came to this country with his brother, and he soon found work for his hands as a farm laborer. Four years later he engaged in the meat and butcher business and for some time peddled meat through the country and in the City of Oberlin. For two years he was in the wholesale meat business at Lorain and for two years in the retail meat business at Amherst, Coining then to Henrietta Township Mr, Born spent two years assisting Jacob Weidmann in the management of his farm, and he recently bought a farm of seventy-five acres from Mr. Weidmann. he is associated in business with Mr. Weidmann as butcher, and he also operates the Hale farm on the shares, In addition to general farming he raises considerable stock and has several fullblood Holstein cattle, On April 11, 1907, Mr, Born married Miss Louise Bechstein, She was born at Amherst, Ohio, a daughter of John Bechstein, a native of Germany, and an old settler in Lorain County. Mr. and Mrs. Born 's four children are Harvey, aged eight, Arthur, aged six, Howard, aged four, and Dorothy, aged two, The family are members of the German Methodist Episcopal Church and he is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Grange, In politics he is a republican, and in the fall of 1914 was elected township assessor. Thus he enjoys not only a substantial prosperity but also the confidence and esteem of his entire community. FRANK JOSEPH KING, Few men have had more to do with the civic government of Lorain than has Frank Joseph King, a resident of this city for forty years, and during a large part of that time the incumbent of one or another public positions of importance. Ile started his life with no advantages save those of the public school, but was ambitious and persevering, educated himself in the higher branches and finally entered business, after which he established a record that should prove worthy of emulation by the younger generation. Mr, King was born in Lorain County, Ohio, Jnly 19, 1843. and is a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Simmonds) King, natives of England, His father, a salt water sailor in his youth, left the sea at the age of twenty-five years and came to the United States, settling finally in Avon Township, Lorain County, where the remaining years of his life were devoted to the pursuits of agriculture, He died in 1857, at the age of fifty-one years. while Mrs. King survived him for a long period and passed away at the home of her son at Lorain, in 1890, aged seventy-seven years. Frank Joseph King passed his boyhood on the home farm and eagerly accepted such opportunities in the way of education as were offered by the country school in Avon Township. but was not satisfied with this learning and decided to gain a more thorough training. Securing a teacher's certificate, for eight years he taught in the district schools during the winter months while working as a farmer in the summer seasons, and thus gained the means wherewith to attend college. In 1876 Mr, King came to Lorain, where he established himself in business as the proprietor of a modest grocery venture, an enterprise which during the sixteen years of its life grew to large and important proportions. Mr, King's connection with public affairs began in 1900, when he was appointed by the Lorain City Council a member of the Real Estate HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 943 Equalization Board, having had some experience in the realty line. Later he was made an appraiser on the real estate commission, His services as a member of these bodies brought him favorably before the public, and in 1902 he was elected mayor of Lorain, subsequently succeeding himself two terms of two years each, He met defeat in the next campaign, owing to political conditions, but in 1909 was again elected and served until 1912, At the present writing Mr, King is again a candidate for the mayoralty, He has always been a friend of education, and has served three terms as a member of the board of education, once by appointment and twice by election. His entire public service is one marked by faithful and efficient discharge of duty and of constant endeavor to contribute to his city's welfare and advancement. On October 9, 1879, Mr, King was married to Miss Ellen Lee Conklin, of Connecticut, and to this union there has been born one daughter : Mary Elizabeth, born in November, 1880, at Lorain, married in February, 1900, Rev, Francis W, Crowe, pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania. Reverend and Mrs. Crowe have one daughter, Margaret Ellen, born June 19, 1906, LOUIS ZIMMERMAN, A farmer and dairyman whose enterprise has been a useful factor in Lorain County's development for many years, Louis Zimmerman has his home in Grafton Township. While an unfortunate illness handicapped him in the matter of an education when he was a boy, he has made use of his opportunities in life beyond the average man and has acquired that material prosperity as well as the esteem of his fellow citizens which are among the best rewards of existence, He was born in the City of Cleveland, May 8, 1856, a son of Frederick and Hannah (Hahn) Zimmerman, Both parents were born, reared and married in Germany and soon after their marriage they emigrated to America, being two months in making the passage on a sailing vessel, a severe storm having dismasted the vessel and having greatly delayed the progress. For a few years the parents lived in Cleveland, where Frederick Zimmerman, who came to this country with a very thorough training such as is given to young men in Germany preparing for a trade, worked as a carpenter and while there he built himself a house, When Louis Zimmerman was three years of age his father traded the house toward the purchase of a farm of seventy acres near Oberlin, While living on that farm a daughter Carrie was born, who is now the wife of E, M. Sheldon and lives in Carlisle Township and is the mother of five children. On the farm near Oberlin the father placed many improvements during his residence there of fourteen years and then sold out and returned to Cleveland, A year later he bought a farm of sixty-five acres in LaGrange Township of Lorain County. He was a worthy and upright citizen and lived to be about ninety years of age. Thus until he was about seventeen years of age Louis Zimmerman lived on the home place near Oberlin. He had the advantages of the common schools, and the plans made for him contemplated his further education in Oberlin Academy and College. As these could not he carried out because of an unfortunate illness which kept him at home and as a result of which he partially lost his hearing, after regaining his strength he quickly adapted himself to the vocation of a farmer and after reaching manhood he continued to live with his father and finally bought eighty acres known as the Golden farm. At the age of twenty-eight, on March 4, 1885, Mr. Zimmerman married Lois A. Clark, She was born on a farm in LaGrange Township, 944 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY a daughter of Major E, and Mary C. (Bailey) Clark. Her father was of Scotch ancestry, a native of Vermont and lived to be about ninety-two years of age, After reaching manhood he came to Ohio and was married in LaGrange Township. Subsequently he enlisted and served during the Civil war in the One Hundred and Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, He was severely wounded at the battle of Gettysburg, and that ended his field service, and afterwards he was detailed to assist in the army hospitals until the close of his term of enlistment, Mrs, Zimmerman was the youngest of three children. Her brother James died unmarried and her brother Joseph W., who was a railway man and killed while on duty, married Sarah Obetts and left two children. Mr. and. Mrs. Zimmerman continued to live in LaGrange Township until 1910, when they moved to their present fine home of 150 acres, formerly known as the Fowler farm. This is one of the high class farms of Lorain County and Mr. Zimmerman has improved it in many ways, carries on general farm husbandry and makes a specialty of dairying, He and his wife have two children, Edna Veve, after graduating from the Grafton High School, entered Baldwin University at Berea, from which she graduated and then taught five years, three years as principal of the high school at Grafton, In October, 1915, she entered Leland Powers School of Expression at Boston, Massachusetts, and is continuing a student of a special course. Lloyd C. Zimmerman, the son, is now about eighteen years of age and has completed his education in the local schools, Mr, Zimmerman and son are both members of the Grange and in politics he is an independent republican, without aspirations for office. He and his wife attend the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mrs. Zimmerman is a member of the Ladies of the Maccabees. CHARLES R. KELLY, Gratifying to record is the success that has been won through individual effort and ability, and such achievement has been that of Mr, Kelly, the results of whose well ordered endeavors are represented in his fine homestead farm in Russia Township, about one mile distant from the City of Oberlin, Special interest pertains to his career by reason of the fact that he is a native of Lorain County and a scion of one of the sterling pioneer families of this county. Mr. Kelly was born in Henrietta Township, Lorain County, Ohio, on the 4th of May. 1851, and is the only child of Albert and Elizabeth (Eldridge) Kelly, whose marriage was solemnized in this county, though both were natives of the State of Vermont. Albert Kelly was born in the old Green Mountain State, in the year 1818, and was a boy at the time of the family removal to Ohio, where his father, Richard Kelly, became one of the pioneer farmers of Lorain County, success having attended his well ordered labors and his having been a place of prominence and influence in community affairs, Albert Kelly was reared to manhood in this county, where his early educational advantages were those afforded in the pioneer schools, and where his entire active career was one of close and effective association with the basic industries of agriculture and stock-growing. He continued to be one of the well known and highly esteemed citizens of Lorain County until his death, which occurred in 1890, and his wife survived him by a number of years. His political support was given to the republican party and he took a lively interest in all that concerned the progress and wellbeing of the county in which nearly his entire life was passed. Charles R. Kelly found the period of his childhood compassed by the influences of the home farm and he is indebted to the district schools of Henrietta Township for his early educational discipline, which has been effectively supplemented by the lessons gained in the practical school of HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 945 experience. At the age of thirteen years he found employment in a neighboring stone quarry, and from the position of derrick attendant he won advancement to that of foreman, of which latter he continued the valued incumbent for a number of years. For six years thereafter he was engaged in the general merchandise business in the Village of Amherst, this county, and after leaving the store opened a quarry for Marshall Sherben in Henrietta Township, and was foreman of this enterprise four years. He then purchased and established his home on his present farm in Russia Township, the same comprising sixty-two acres, He is the owner also of fifty acres in another section of Russia Township, and his farm property is notable for its evidences of thrift and prosperity, his beautiful residence having been erected by him and being one of the fine rural homes of the county, the while its attractions and advantages are enhanced by reason of its being situated only one mile distant from the beautiful little City of Oberlin, which is his post-office address. In addition to giving his attention to diversified agriculture Mr. Kelly has developed a splendid dairy business on his farm, with a select herd of high-grade milch cows. From his land he receives large yields of wheat, oats and corn, and in the season of 1.915 he obtained from five acres the noteworthy product of 702 bushels of corn, Mr, Kelly is loyal and public-spirited in his civic attitude and while he has had no desire for political preferment he accords unqualified allegiance to the republican party. Both he and his wife hold membership in the First Congregational Church at Oberlin. In the year 1872 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Kelly to Miss Mary Curtis, who was born in Erie County, Ohio, and who is a daughter of the late Hezekiah and Elizabeth (Mercer) Curtis, who were early settlers of that county, to which they removed from their native State of Vermont, Mr. Curtis having been for a number of years foreman of one of the prominent iron furnaces in Erie County, Mr. and Mrs, Kelly have two children : Mott Richard, who is a skilled horse trainer, with residence and business headquarters in the City of Oberlin ; and Mae Luella, who is a successful and popular instructor in the physical culture department of Oberlin College, in which institution she was graduated as a member of the class of 1913, CHARLES J. HASENFLUE. He whose name introduces this review has so directed his energies as to attain secure prestige as one of the representative agriculturists of Lorain County, and his well improved farm is one of the model homesteads of Russia Township. Aside from his status as a progressive and honored citizen further interest attaches to his career by reason of his being a native son of the Buckeye State, his loyalty and allegiance to which have never faltered. Mr. Hasenflue was born in Erie County, Ohio, on the 19th of July, 1863. and is a son of Henry and Emma (Roth) Hasenflue, both natives of Germany, where the former was born in 1841 and the latter in 1833, her death having occurred in June, 1915. Henry Hasenflue was reared and educated in his German fatherland and as a young man he served the home tie and set forth to seek his fortunes in America. He came to Ohio and established his home in Erie County, where his marriage was solemnized and where he engaged in the conducting of a meat market in the village of Vermilion. He had learned the butcher's trade in his native land and continued in business at Vermilion until 1869, when he removed with his family to Blissfield, Lenawee County, Michigan, where he engaged in the same line of enterprise and gained substantial success. He has lived retired from active business since 1893 and maintains his home at Blissfield. He celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday 946 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY anniversary in 1915 and his earnest and upright character has won to him the confidence of those with whom he has come in contact during the years of a signally long and useful life. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as was also his devoted wife, and he has never faltered in his allegiance to the principles of the democratic party. Of the four children three are living: Eliza is the wife of George Fix and they maintain their home in the City of Cleveland ; Charles J., of this review, was the next in order of birth; Frederick, who resides at Vermilion, Erie County, has been identified with navigation interests on the Great Lakes for many years, and is now captain of a vessel engaged in the fishing business, Charles J. Hasenflue gained his rudimentary education in the village schools of Vermilion, Erie County, and later attended the district schools, When but eleven years of age he began his independent career and assisted in the support of the other members of the family, his life having been marked by consecutive and well directed industry and his being the worthy honor of being one of the world's productive workers, the while his success represents the direct result of his own efforts along normal lines of enterprise, He has been identified with agricultural pursuits since early youth and is now one of the progressive farmers and stock-growers of Lorain County, where he has owned and operated his present farm, of ninety acres, since 1894, He has brought the farm up to the highest standard in all respects and gives his attention to diversified agriculture and stock-growing, the while he is known as one of the vigorous, progressive and substantial exponents of these lines of enterprise in Lorain County and as a citizen imbued with marked civic loyalty and public spirit, On his farm he erected, in 1905, his present attractive and modern residence, and all other of the excellent buildings on the place likewise stand in evidence of his progressiveness and enterprise, He is a staunch advocate of the cause of the democratic party and though he has not been imbued with aught of ambition for public office he served many years and with marked efficiency as a member of the school board of Russia Township, He is one of the appreciative and valued members of the Russia Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, and has been active and influential in its affairs, On the 19th of December, 1883, Mr. Hasenflue wedded Miss Minerva Fowl, who was born and reared in Lorain County and who is a representative of sterling pioneer families of this section of the Buckeye State, She is a daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Lapp) Fowl, both natives of Ohio and of German ancestry, John Henry Lapp, maternal grandfather of Mrs. Hasenflue, was one of the early settlers of Lorain County, and when he arrived within its borders his cash capital was reduced to the portentous minimum of 5 cents, He settled on a small farm and while giving his attention to its reclamation he provided for the needs of his family by working at his trade, that of tailor, in Cleveland and other places in which he could find demand for his services. On one occasion his wife went on foot to Cleveland to carry his washing to him, and she made the return trip to the home in Lorain County in the same way, thus traversing a total distance of thirty-three miles. Mr. and Mrs. Hasenflue have two children : Robert, who married Elizabeth Smith, and they have one child, Nelson C.; Frank married Christina Smith, a sister of his brother's wife, but they have no children. COMMODORE W. R. HUNTINGTON. For fifty years or more the name Huntington has been prominent in connection with the industrial, oil and gas development and marine interests of Northern Ohio, particularly HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 947 in Cleveland and in Elyria, where Commodore W. R. Huntington has his home. Commodore Huntington is a son of the late John Huntington, who was one of a group of Cleveland capitalists in the early days of the petroleum development, Commodore Huntington has long been a factor in business affairs not only in Lorain County but in other cities, and is especially well known in the world of sports as a yachtsman. He was born September 3, 1857, a son of John and Jane Huntington, who were natives of Preston, Lancashire, England. John Huntington came to America in 1853. By trade he was a roofer and was one of the pioneers in the slate and gravel roofing industry, He was also one of the organizers with John D. Rockefeller and others of the Standard Oil Company and became very prominent and influential in civic matters and financial affairs, He died in London, England, in 1893, at the age of sixty-one. His wife passed away in 1882 at the age of fifty-one. Five of their children lived to maturity, namely : Hannah B., who married A. C. Hord and lives in Cleveland ; William R. ; Margaret J., wife of Francis Perry Smith of Cleveland ; Matilda, wife of Edward A. Merritt, of Cleveland ; Arthur G., who was a graduate of Yale University with the class of 1889, was killed when about twenty-five years of age by being run down by a locomotive at North Amherst, where he was assistant superintendent of the Cleveland Stone Company, John Huntington, the father of these children, was a republican in politics and for fourteen years served as a member of the city council of Cleveland. Among other financial connections he was one of the chief stockholders in the Cleveland Stone Company and was also financially interested in lake marine affairs. He belonged to all the bodied Masonry, including the thirty-second degree of Scottish Rite, and was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellow's and the Knights of Pythias. His family were members of the Episcopal Church, Commodore Huntington grew up in Cleveland, attended the public schools of that city and the Cleveland Spencerian Business College, His first work after leaving school was in the oil fields of Pennsylvania and Ohio as a prospector and contracting driller. His operations in this line were partly independent and partly in connection with his father's extensive holdings, At that time he was a very young man, and after his experience in the oil fields from 1875 to 1878 he was appointed deputy county treasurer of Cuyahoga County, an office he filled until February 1, 1882. In February, 1882, he entered the firm of McIntosh, Good and Huntington, one of the leading hardware establishments in the City of Cleveland. He was one of the active men in the direction of this concern until 1891, when he retired, Commodore Huntington has extensive real estate interests both in Ohio and in Florida, and is financially connected with several business enterprises, including the Elyria Telephone Company of which he is a director. As a yachtsman he has been prominent on the Great Lakes for a number of years, He owns one of the swiftest yachts on Lake Erie, and has been owner of several of the noted boats which at various times and in contests with the finest pliers on the lake waters have captured a number of silver cups and other trophies. Besides yachting he is also fond of hunting and fishing. He is a member of the Cleveland Yacht Club, Sandusky Yacht Club, of which he was commodore ten years, of the Toledo Yacht Club, Maumee River Yacht Club, and the Put-In-Bay Yacht Club, of which he has been commodore for the past four years. He was also commodore of the Inter-State Yachting Association in 1901 and again in 1912. He also belongs to the Cleveland Athletic and Union clubs, the Cleveland Gun Club, the Ottawa Shooting Club. and is a life 948 - HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY member of the Masonic fraternity, having attained the thirty-second degree of Scottish Rite, and is also a life member of Holy good Commandery No, 32, Knights Templar, and Al Koran Temple Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, He is a past exalted ruler of Elyria Lodge Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and a member of the Knights of the Maccabees, the Knights of Pythias, the United Commercial Travelers, and is a member and was one of the founders of the Elyria Country Club. In January, 1884, Commodore Huntington married Miss Mary E. Baldwin, a granddaughter of the late Judge Horace Foote, of Cleveland, and a daughter of Jonas C. and Ann Eliza (Foote) Baldwin, Commodore Huntington has a daughter, Lillian Elizabeth, now the wife of Edward E, Bishop of Elyria. Mrs, Bishop, like her father, is an enthusiastic yachtswoman and is probably the most skillful woman navigator on the Great Lakes, Commodore Huntington, during the administrations of Governors Asa S. Bushnell, James E, Campbell and William McKinley served as game commissioner of Ohio for six years. HENRY HACKER. Even as the kindly earth and its natural resources must ever figure as the basis of all human prosperity, even so the able and enterprising representatives of the basic industry of agriculture must always play an important part in connection with the presentation of the productive activities of every community, for back to the land must the great metropolitan centers revert for the very necessities of life, It is always pleasing to find a locality in which the dignity and precedence of agriculture are maintained at a high standard and Lorain County is remarkably favored in the personnel of its leading exponents of this great fundamental art, and one of the substantial farmers and progressive citizens who can claim the farther distinction of being native sons of Lorain County is he whose name initiates this paragraph and whose well improved farmstead is eligibly situated in Russia Township. two miles northwest of the City of Oberlin. Mr. Hacker was born in Russia Township, this county, on the 24th of May, 1878, and is a son of Henry and Sophia (Kruse) Hacker, both natives of Germany, where the former was born in 1824 and the latter in 1834, their marriage having been solemnized in 1854, after each had become a resident of Lorain County, Ohio, where they passed the residue of their long and earnest lives, secure in the high regard of all who knew them, Mr, Hacker was called to eternal rest in 1910 and his loved wife passed away in the following year, both having been zealous communicants of the Evangelical Church, Henry Hacker, Sr,, came to the United. States as a youth and while he had no financial resources he was amply endowed with energy, self-reliance and a determination to make his way to the goal of independence and prosperity, For nine years after he came to America he was employed as a farm worker, and by the careful saving of his earnings and the gaining of high reputation for industry and sterling character, he was finally enabled to purchase a little farm of thirty acres in Lorain County, which became the stage of his first independent operations as one of the enterprising agriculturists of the county, With increasing prosperity, he eventually purchased another and larger farm, and at the time of his death he was the owner of one of the well improved and valuable places of the county, the same having comprised 100 acres of fertile land which he had brought to a high state of productiveness, He was deeply appreciative of the county in which he had thus found opportunity for the winning of worthy success and was always ready HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY - 949 to lend his support to progressive measures and enterprises projected for the general good of the community, his political allegiance having been given to the republican party, Of his six children all but one are living, the eldest being John, who is one of the prosperous farmers of Brighton Township, this county ; Frank is a skilled machinist and as such is em-ployed in the City of Elyria, judicial center of his native county; Polly is the wife of Henry Horning, another of the successful farmers of this county : Eliza is the wife of Louis Behnke, a substantial farmer of Amherst Township ; and Henry, Jr., of this review, is the youngest of the number. Henry Hacker, Jr., passed the period of his boyhood and youth on the homestead farm of his father and early began to contribute his quota to its work, the while he expanded his mental ken by availing himself effectually of the advantages afforded in the public schools of his native township. He has never severed his allegiance to agriculture and his independent operations have been successfully carried forward on his present fine farm of 125 acres, which he purchased when he was about thirty years of age. He has not been content merely to follow along in the beaten path but has brought to bear much discrimi-nation in utilizing scientific methods and progressive . policies in the work and management of his farm, besides which he has made excellent improvements, including the remodeling of his house and the erection of a large and well equipped barn and minor farm buildings, He has two large silos and other modern accessories for the facilitating of the work of the farm, and in addition to his diversified operations as an agriculturist he has been very successful in the raising of high-grade live stock, his dairy herd of more than twenty cows proving one a the valuable adjuncts to his farm. He is a republican in his political pro-clivities and though emphatically progressive and public spirited in his civic attitude he has not been diverted from his course by any ambition for political prominence or public office. He is one of the appreciative and popular members of the local Grange and takes a lively interest in its affairs, as does also his wife, who has been his able helpmeet and coadjutor in his earnest activities as a farmer and stock-grower. In 1903 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hacker to Miss Mary M. Lauer, a daughter of Martin Lauer, who was born and reared in Germany and who has been for many years one of the substantial agriculturists and representative citizen of Carlisle Township, Lorain County, where he is the owner of a valuable landed estate of more than 200 acres. Mr, and Mrs. Hacker have three children: Florence, Martin and Evangeline, and the two older children are attending the local schools. ALBERT THOMAS GRILLS, M, D, In the ten years of his work as a physician and surgeon in Lorain County, Doctor Grills has enjoyed many of the better distinctions and successes of professional activity. While representing the new and modern methods and learning in the science of medicine, Doctor Grills also has that fine character and conscientious devotion to duty which were so signally exemplified in the old time practitioner and family doctor. His youth and early manhood were spent in Lorain County, though he was born in Ashawa, Canada, June 9, 1877, His parents, Samuel and Elizabeth (Grant) Grills, natives of England, came from Canada to Ohio in 1882, and established their home on a farm in Carlisle Township of Lorain County, where they continued to reside until 1915, in which year they moved to Lorain and are now making their home with their son, Doctor Grills. The father and mother are now old people, and for many years have been worthy and esteemed citizens of the county,