MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 225 Scarff is a Scottish Rite Mason and has numerous friends in that order and he is also a Shriner. As a citizen, he has supported worthy movements making for the betterment of his community and during the war period was a member of all the local committees in the various drives for war funds. During the six years that he served as treasurer of Tippecanoe City, he established an excellent record. Hon. James A. Scheip, mayor of Tippecanoe City for the third time, and the head of a thriving manufacturing business, was born in London, England, December 25, 1869, a son of John and Elizabeth (Ricketts) Scheip. When he was but a lad the family came to America, and after. a short stay at Montreal located at Westfield, Mass., where the father died. There were six children in the family : John, Charles, Alfred, James A., Martha and Robert. Robert became a whip manufacturer and founder of the firm of Robert Scheip & Company, of ;Westfield, Mass., and has one son, Robert, Jr., who fought in the World war with the American Expeditionary Forces. James A. Scheip was educated in the public schools of Westfield, Mass., and after attaining manhood came to Springfield, where he helped to establish a company for the manufacture of a patent steel-center whip. In 1896 he moved to Tippecanoe City. Subsequently Mr. Scheip became the founder of the Tippecanoe Novelty Company, manufacturing whips, canes and various devices used at fairs, carnivals, shows, circuses, etc. He does a splendid business, his patronage extending into nearly every state in the Union. This business has been developed under the management of Mr. Scheip, who is possessed of excellent executive ability, a trained and practical knowledge of trade conditions and keen, farsighted judgment in business affairs. When the citizens of Tippecanoe City began casting about for a man to fill the mayoralty chair and to place the little city on a sound financial basis, Mr. Scheip was found to possess the necessary, qualifications and was duly elected to the office. So capable was his handling of the city's affairs that he was retained in office and is now serving his third term. During his administrations, a number of beneficial movements have been carried through to a successful conclusion, making for better government and better civic conditions. He was a four-minute speaker during the war period, local chairman of the Red Cross, a member of all the local committees and local chairman of the Victory Loan drive. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Masons, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Knights of the Maccabees and Tribe of Ben Hur, in all of which he has numerous friends. Mr. Scheip married Dora M., daughter of Nicholas Frantz, of New Carlisle, Ohio, and three children have been born to this union : one who is deceased ; James R., educated at the University of Pennsylvania, who married Emma Ketlinger, of Pittsburgh and has one son, James R., Jr., and Naomi, who resides with her parents. James R. Scheip joined the national guards prior to the World war, and was with Company G, of Dayton, during the Mexican border troubles. He trained at Leon Springs, 226 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY Tex., where he received a second lieutenant's commission in the tank corps, and was assigned to the Three Hundred and Third battalion. Sent overseas, he arrived at Warham, England, August 29, 1918, and received intensive training, following which he was sent to LeHavre, France, and then to Neuro-Parlloiux, in the center of the Anglo-American tank corps, where he was placed in charge of reconnaissance of the heavy tank division. He was honorably discharged and mustered out of the service August 12, 1919. Joseph H. Torbeck, one of the substantial retail cigar merchants of Troy, was born at Richmond, Ind., September 26, 1869, a son of William and Mary Torbeck. Mr. Torbeck was educated in the public schools of his native place, and as a young man became interested in the cigar business. Eventually coming to Troy, he opened a modest establishment which has since grown and developed under his capable management into one of the successful stores of its kind in the city. In connection with his cigar business, Mr. Torbeck conducts a well-equipped and modernly-kept carom and pocket billiard parlor, which has an excellent patronage of the better kind, and the entire establishment has proven a financial success. Mr. Torbeck is very popular with his patrons and business associates, as he is also with his fellow-members in the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Knights of the Golden Eagle, the Improved Order of Red Men and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He first married Miss Susan Funk, and after her death was united in marriage with Miss Carrie Ditmer. They have one child, Catherine Elizabeth. Mr. Ditmer, father of Mrs. Torbeck, was a farmer of Miami county. He married Elizabeth Welbaum, and had six children : Charles, Alfie, Carrie (Mrs. Torbeck), Emma, Jesse and Glen. The father is deceased, and the mother makes her home with her daughter; Mrs. Torbeck, at Troy. George V. Schnell, plumber of Troy, Ohio, was born in Tippecanoe City, this State, May 31, 1868, a son of Charles A. and Barbara (Eitel) Schnell, to whom were born the following children: Charles F., deceased ; Mary, now the wife of Dave Metz, of Norwalk, Ohio, and George V., of this review. George V. Schnell received his education in the public schools at Troy, and realizing the benefits to be derived from an education, took advantage of his opportunity and pursued his studies diligently. Upon leaving the school room, he served an apprenticeship to the plumbing trade with T. E. Coles Co., of Troy, having decided upon that business as his life work. In 1904, having saved a sufficient amount of capital to start in business for himself, he established his present concern, which for quality of goods handled and service, cannot be excelled by a similar enterprise in the county. Mr. Schnell married Anna, a daughter of Jacob Botzenhart, of Monroe, Ohio, and to this union have been born these children : Charles J., Magdalene, and Robert, of whom the first two are assisting their father in his business, and the last named is attending school. Charles J. served with distinction during the recent war, having been twenty-one months overseas in the air service. Mr. Schnell did a good citizen's part in the MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 227 civilian war work, giving his support whole heartedly to all Government drives, such as the Red Cross, war loans, war savings stamps, and similar movements. Everett J. Schultz. The connection of Everett J. Schultz with the agricultural interests of Miami county is that of a substantial and well-to-do farmer and stock raiser, with a well-cultivated property lying in the fertile community of Spring Creek township. Mr. Schultz was born at Piqua, Ohio, a son of Christian and Catherine (Stein) Schultz. His parents were well and favorably known in the Piqua community and it was there that he was reared and secured his education in the public schools. His home was made with his parents until the time of his marriage, when he settled on his present farm, the birthplace of his wife, and here has carried on farming with much success. A decidedly progressive and enterprising man, Mr. Schultz has made intelligent use of the various inventions connected with farming, and during his long residence here has made numerous improvements on his property, thus contributing materially to the general development of the section. He has several civic and social connections and has attained friendships and substantially placed himself high in the confidence of his associates. Mr. Schultz married Emma, daughter of Jacob and Magdalena Zimmerlin, long residents of the property now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Schultz. To this union there have been born two children : Fred A., and Marie, who married Roy Lennox, and they are the parents of three children, Norma, Edward, and Wilbur. Fred A. Schultz was reared on the home farm, and attended the district schools, the high school at Piqua and the Ohio State University. During the World war he went into training at Camp Sherman and was commissioned a second lieutenant of heavy artillery. After his arrival in France he was detailed to a French artillery school, and was ready for the front when the Armistice was signed. Since his honorable discharge he has been manager of a Piggly Wiggly store at Sidney, Ohio. He married Lillian Taylor, a daughter of James and Callie Taylor, of Piqua. John G. Scott, who has passed his entire career in Miami county, has been, since February, 1903, a member of the plumbing and sheet metal firm of Hatfield & Scott, at Troy, and is accounted one of the thoroughly informed men of his calling. He is a product of the agricultural districts, having been born on a farm in Miami county, April 29, 1878, a son of Samuel S. and Mary E. (Farver) Scott. The only boy in a family of seven children, he was reared on the home place in the country, where he attended the district schools and assisted his father in the work of the home place. Later he secured added educational advantages in the town schools and began his connection with business affairs as shipping clerk for the Pioneer Pole & Shaft Company, with which he was identified for two years. Next he entered the hardware line, with the firm of Harter & Casley, at Troy, and in February, 1903, severed his connection with that concern to form a partnership with G. B. Hatfield, under the style of Hatfield & Scott. This business has 228 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY become the leader in its line at Troy, where the firm owns a modern establishment, at this time being greatly enlarged to accommodate its fast-growing business. For a time a hardware department was maintained, but this was disposed of in 1913, since which time the business has been confined to sheet metal work and plumbing, and the concern has handled numerous large .contracts. Mr. Scott is a public-spirited citizen, always ready to support worthy movements which promise to contribute to the welfare of his community, and during the war period generously gave his aid to the Government's enterprises. He married Mrs. Zella Robinson Conover, daughter of Charles A. Robinson, of Troy, and to this union there have been born two children : Tom and Bob. E. C. Scott. During the period of his connection with the business interests of Piqua, E. C. Scott has not only built up a splendid patronage in the jewelry line, but has also made his name one synonymous with integrity in business affairs. He is a native of Loudenville, Ohio, where he received a public school education and learned the trade of jeweler, and prior to coming to Piqua was employed as an expert watchmaker by the Ball Watch Company of Cleveland. Coming to Piqua in 1907, he founded his present business on Wayne street, and when he outgrew his original establishment came to his present location at Wayne and Ash streets. Mr. Scott carries a complete line of watches and jewelry and has built up a large and representative trade, a special feature of his business being his watch repairing department. He is a member of the Piqua Club, Cosmopolitan Club, the Rotary Club of Piqua, the Piqua Golf Club and the Piqua Chamber of Commerce. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Masons and Elks. He has always shown himself a public-spirited citizen, and during the war period was a generous supporter of all war activities. Lauren W. See. Among the younger members of the business fraternity of Tippecanoe City, one who is making rapid progress in forging to the front is Lauren W. See, proprietor of a flourishing garage business. Mr. See is a product of the agricultural districts. having been born in Elizabeth township, Miami county, in 1896, a son of William and Clara (Hoover) See, and a brother of Miss Verna See. After attending the country schools and those of Troy, Lauren W. See engaged in agricultural pursuits at home, and was thus employed until he was twenty years of age when he came to Tippecanoe City and purchased the automobile garage business formerly conducted by Harry Peters. Mr. See had established a good business and was progressing rapidly, when his establishment was destroyed by fire, in 1919. He lost no time in replacing this with a handsome and substantial brick garage of imposing appearance, 75x80 feet, which offers splendid garage facilities, and in connection with which he conducts a fully-equipped repair department, where competent mechanics are always in attendance. Mr. See is also local agent for the Studebaker and Overland automobiles, and carries a full line of all standard accessories, tires, etc. He has built up a splendid business, which is growing rapidly, and which MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 229 has been the result of his own enterprise and industrious labor. Mr. See married Helen, daughter of Charles McCoole, a well-known agriculturist of Elizabeth township, and to this union there has been born one child, Lauren McCoole. Mr. See and his wife were active in all local war activities, and he has also discharged a good citizen's responsibilities in civic affairs. He has several social connections, and is the center of a wide circle of friends at Tippecanoe City. William E. See. Among the honored and substantial families of Miami county, none are held in higher esteem than that bearing the name of See. A worthy representative of this name is found in William E. See, who is carrying on extensive and profitable agricultural operations in Elizabeth township, where he is the owner of a valuable property. Mr. See was born in thiS township, January 5, 1863, a son of Jacob and Ellen (Jackson) See. Jacob See, a native of Pennsylvania, was a young man when he migrated to Ohio, and, taking up his residence in Miami county, met and married Miss Jackson. They were engaged in agricultural operations here throughout the rest of their lives, living to advanced age and securing and holding the confidence and good will of those among whom their lives were spent. Of their children, two survive : William E., and Amanda, now the widow of Charles D. Martin, of Troy. William E. See was given his educational training in the district school located near the home farm and passed his boyhood and youth in assisting his father in the duties of the place. When he reached man's estate he adopted farming for his life work, and this vocation he has. followed to the present, being the Owner of a good property of eighty acres, on which he has commodious buildings and modern improvements. He is a practical farmer of modern tendencies and his intelligent use of up-to-date methods and machinery has assisted him in the working out of a worth-while success. Mr. See has discharged faithfully the duties of citizenship, and his financial help was freely given to various war movements during the time of his country's need. He has not been a seeker for public preferment. Mr. See married Clara, daughter of Wilson S. and Margaret (Wells) Hoover, of Elizabeth township. Mr. Hoover, a veteran of the Civil war, throughout which he served as a soldier of the Union, was for many years engaged actively in agricultural pursuits in Elizabeth township, but is now living in retirement near Troy, Ohio. Two children have been born to Mr. and ,Mrs. See : Lauren W., the owner of a garage at Tippecanoe City, a sketch of whose career will be found elsewhere in this work, and Verna B., the wife of Joseph Curtis, who is associated with his father-in-law in the cultivation of the See farm. Homer O. Senseman, a substantial young farmer of Bethel township, who is the owner and operator of a well-cultivated property, was born in this township, August 16, 1887, a son of Charles H. and Rhoda (Swallow) Senseman. The parents of Mr. Senseman have been long-time residents of Miami county, where they are well known and highly respected for their honorable lives and 230 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY worthy motives. Of their five children, four are living. Following the family custom, Homer 0. Senseman was reared to the life of an agriculturist and his boyhood surroundings were all of a rural nature. His education was acquired in the district school and high school, from which he graduated. After the completion of his studies he applied himself to farming, in which he has been engaged to the present time. Since 1918 he has resided on his property of 175 acres, upon which he has a comfortable home, located on Tippecanoe City R. F. D. No. 1. He carries on general farming and raises some cattle of a good grade, and in his work is intelligent and practical. During the war period he served on a number of committees in his territory and was an active worker in behalf of a number of movements. He has several fraternal and social connections and a long list of friendships. Mr. Senseman married Pearl, daughter of George W. Rudy, an agriculturist of Miami county, and they are the parents of two children : Hugh and Phyllis. John C. Suber, a well-known and highly regarded citizen of Fletcher, who has been engaged in the undertaking business here for thirty-nine years, was born in Miami county, a son of W. D. Suber. His father, a native of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, came to Ohio and settled in Butler county, in 1829; ten years later he came to Miami county, and settled in Brown township, where he rounded out a long and honorable career. W. D. Suber married Mary Caven, of Spring Creek township, daughter of a farmer and supervisor of that township. They became the parents of five children : two who died in infancy ; George W., a farmer and member of the school board of Lena, Ohio ; Oral M., and John C. John C. Suber attended the public schools of Lena and Conover and was still a young man when he embarked in the undertaking business at Fletcher in 1882. In the following year he secured a certificate of embalming from the Cincinnati Medical School, and in 1906 was given a state license after passing an examination at Toledo, Ohio. He has continued to maintain his undertaking establishment, in connection with which he conducts a large furniture and hardware business, and his activities have been attended with continuous and gratifying success. While Mr. Suber has been a busy merchant, whose time has been largely demanded by his personal interests, he has been by no means inactive as a citizen. He was a member of the Fletcher school board for four years, and during the war period was chairman of the Fletcher division of the Red Cross and canvassed Brown township in behalf of Liberty bonds, the war chest movement, etc. As a fraternalist he has been affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since 1884 and the Knights of Pythias since 1887. He belongs to the Presbyterian church. In 1879 Mr. Suber married Sarah P. Carmony, who died in 1896, leaving one daughter, Bertha, who is 1911 married Clifford Hartley, of Piqua, and they have a son, John C., born August 13, 1913. In 1898, Mr. Suber married Margaret Thompson, who died in 1906, being survived by one son, William Dilts. In 1907 Mr. Suber was united in marriage with Mrs. Ella Robinson, who died without MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 231 issue. The present Mrs. Suber, with whom he was united in marriage in 1915, was formerly Mrs. Lodemia Moon. Mr. Suber was clerk of his township for two years. In 1894 he was ordained an elder in the Presbyterian church and is still serving in that capacity. In his professional work he was one of the first to adopt motor vehicles in the county. Sumner Senseman. Several generations of the Senseman family have contributed to the agricultural development of Miami county and those bearing this name have been found invariably to be men of industry, energy and good citizenship. Among the representatives of this family in Bethel township, one who worthily maintains the highest principles and traditions of the name he bears is Sumner Senseman, a leading farmer and stock raiser and a citizen who has contributed to his community's welfare and progress. Mr. Senseman was born in Bethel township, Miami county, November 5, 1880, a son of Charles H. and Rhoda (Swallow) Senseman. His parents, natives of Ohio, passed their lives in the pursuits of farming here, and were known as honorable, God-fearing people, who tilled their acres with energy and who reared their family to lives of honesty and industry. They had four children to survive to maturity : Vira, wife of Harry C. Krider, of Tippecanoe, Ohio, died in October, 1918. A brother of Sumner Senseman, Homer O. Senseman, is a well-known farmer of Bethel township. Sumner Senseman obtained his education in the public schools and worked as his father's assistant on the home place until he reached the age of twenty years. At that time he commenced farming on his own account, and to this vocation he has devoted his activities uninterruptedly to the present time. Through painstaking labor and an intelligent use of modern methods he has developed a substantial property, one which pays him well for the labors which he expends upon it, and which bears the impress of his progressiveness in its modern improvements. This property, which Mr. Senseman has owned for sixteen years, is known as the old Studebaker and Coppock farm. Mr. Senseman was particularly active during the war period, when he was placed in charge of all Liberty bond drives in this township and likewise served on the executive committees of the war chest movement, was a solicitor for the Red Cross, and gave his unqualified aid to the citizens' relief enterprise. On January 1, 1903, Mr. Senseman was united in marriage with Deda Coppock, daughter of Jacob and Susan (Studebaker) Coppock, and to this union there have been born five children : Maynard, Roland, Virginia, Burdette and Evangeline. John Sharits. Under present-day conditions, one of the most important members of the mayor's cabinet is the chief of police. At Troy, Ohio, this office is being very satisfactorily filled by John Sharits, an officer of experience, ability and courage. Chief Sharits was born at Germantown, Ohio, January 23, 1872, a son of John Wesley and Mary Alice (Emerick) Sharits, agricultural people of that community who were the parents of eleven children. With their children, John W. and Mary A. Sharits moved to Union City, 232 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY Ohio, and there John Sharits attended school. As a youth he learned the trade of blacksmith, which he followed at Union City and elsewhere until 1906, then moving to Troy, where he entered the services of the Troy Bentwood factory. Subsequently he became a member of the Troy police department, in addition to which he acted as merchant policeman. He was appointed chief of police of the Miami Trailer Company during the war period, and January 1, 192o, was appointed chief of police of Troy. In his official capacity he has shown marked resource in handling affairs during occasions of stress and excitement, and his courage and physical prowess have been put to the test repeatedly and not found wanting. Chief Sharits married Myrtle, daughter of Jacob and Alice (Myley) Elicker, two of whose brothers, Robert and Ralph Elicker; served with the American Expeditionary Forces during the great World war. To Chief and Mrs. Sharits there have been born eight children : Mary, Leslie, Edward, Maude, David, Harry, Jennie and John. The family holds membership in the First Christian Church of Troy, and Chief- Sharits is a popular and valued member of the Knights of the Golden Eagle and the Loyal Order of Moose. Samuel E. Shellhaas, whose long and honorable career as an agriculturist of Miami county entitles him to the general respect and esteem in which he is held, was born in Staunton township, Miami county, December 28, 1865, a son of Michael and Charlotte (Ullery) Shellhaas. The family has been known well and favorably in Miami county for many years and its members have been for the most part agriculturists. In their vocation they have been noted for their industry and progressiveness, and in their citizenship they have been supporters of beneficial movements and high principles. Michael Shellhaas was a worthy representative of this family as a farmer, citizen and man. He spent practically his entire life in Miami county, where he was engaged honorably and successfully as a farmer, and where he and his worthy wife were highly esteemed. They were the parents of ten children, of whom nine are living. Samuel E. Shellhaas was educated in the public schools of Staunton and Newton township, following which he began farming for his father. When he reached years of maturity he embarked in agricultural ventures of his own, and continued to be engaged in farming in Newton township until the spring of 1918, when he located on his present property in Elizabeth township. He is carrying on extensive operations on a farm of 102 acres, upon which he has installed modern improvements, which, with good buildings and modern equipment, serve to make his property attractive and valuable. He applies his efforts to general farming, a field in which he has met with success, and also raises a few hogs and cattle. In his newly adopted community he has become recognized as a man of intelligence and worth, of ability and public spirit. Mr. Shellhaas married Vinnie, daughter of William and Sarah (Longnecker) Mote, and to this union there have been born five children: Anna, who is deceased Rev. Joseph, an evangelist, a resident of MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 233 Lima; William, who was five months in the United States Army at Camp Sherman and Detroit, now associated with his father in the cultivation of the home farm ; Glenna, who is the wife of Marc Stebelton, associated with the National Cash Register Company of Dayton, and Forrest, who is attending school and resides with his parents.. During the World war period the members of this family were liberal in their support of the war chest and other movements, and took an active part in the campaign for the sale of Liberty bonds and the support of the Red Cross. Harry E. Shilling, M. D. is one of the able physicians and surgeons of Troy, and also one of its versatile, broad and strong citizens. He was born at Troy, September 13, 1876, a son of Charles R. and Emma (Rebholz) Shilling, who were the parents of four children : David, bookkeeper at the plant of the Peter Kunz Lumber Company, Dayton, Ohio ; Ida, who took a course at the Ohio State University, Columbus, where she taught for one year, later a teacher of domestic science in the public schools of Troy and at Present in charge of food conservation at Kansas City, Mo. ; Emma. who married E. E. Waite, of Vancouver, Wash., and Harry E. After many years spent in business activities at Troy, Charles R. Shilling is now living in comfortable and honorable retirement. Harry E. Shilling acquired his primary educational training in the public schools of Troy, and as a youth decided upon a career in the broad, difficult and interesting field of medicine and surgery. After some further preparation he entered the Cincinnati Medical College, from which he was duly graduated with the class of 1903 and the degree of Doctor of Medicine, and following this became an interne in the Cincinnati City Hospital, where he remained for eighteen months securing practical experience. In November, 1904, he came to Troy, where he established himself in the practice of his calling, and since that time his professional patronage has shown a gratifying growth, both in importance and in emoluments. He now occupies a leading position among the medical and surgical men of his county, and his worth both professionally and as a citizen is fully recognized. He belongs to the Miami County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Society and the American Medical Association, and has various civic connections at Troy, in addition to which he is fraternally affiliated with the local lodges of the Masonic order, the Odd Fellows and the Woodmen of the World. Doctor Shilling married Clara, daughter of Webb Prugh, of Piqua, Ohio, and to this union there were born four children : Katherine, Lon, Harry, and Robert, the last named being deceased. Doctor and Mrs. Shilling are also rearing a boy, David. Wade H. Shilling, who has been prominently identified with the business interests of Troy for a number of years, and now the proprietor of one of the city's leading undertaking and funeral directing establishments, was born at Troy, March 2, 1876, a son of Townsend C. and Jennie (Hartzell) Shilling. His brother, Eugene G. Shilling, is in charge of the furniture department of Elder & Johnston's department store, at Dayton. Townsend C. 234 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY Shilling was during his day, one of the best known business men of Troy, having been engaged in the furniture and undertaking business in this city for nearly forty years. He was a man of high principles and the strictest integrity, and in his death, which occurred June 2, 1919, his community lost an upright man and a reliable, public-spirited citizen. Wade H. Shilling attended the public schools of Troy, and as a youth began to learn the undertaking business under the preceptorship of his father. Later, he pursued a course in the Cincinnati College of Embalming, and when he was graduated therefrom accepted employment in his father's business, which was then conducted as Shilling & Roberts, a concern with which he was identified for about fifteen years. In 1913 or 1914 he embarked in business on his own account at Troy and through honorable methods and fair representation has attracted public confidence and patronage. Mr. Shilling's establishment is fully equipped for the proper and reverent care of the dead, and includes a private chapel and automobile service. He is interested in fraternal affairs, belonging to the local lodges of the Masons and Improved Order of Red Men, in both of which he has numerous friends. During the period of the participation of the United States in the great World war, he contributed his full share to the local movements which assisted the country's fighting forces. He has not cared for politics, but takes a good citizen's interest in the welfare of his community and supports able men and good measures. Mr. Shilling married Gertrude, adopted daughter of John Wilson, of Troy, and they are the parents of one child, Joseph. Joseph S. Shinn, M. D. Among the medical practitioners of Miami county who have worked their way to recognition, one who is favorably known because of his attainments as a specialist in the cure of blood diseases is Dr. Joseph S. Shinn, of Troy. He was born in Adams county, Ohio, February 3, 1879, a son of Joseph W. and Laura M. (Swearinger) Shinn, natives of the same county, where his father was a leading member of the bar and served as county auditor, county clerk and prosecuting attorney. He was finally elected to the Ohio legislature in 1888-1889, and was one of the leading members of that distinguished body, being sponsor of the bill which validated titles for farmers on certain lands in question. He died at West Union, in 1891. He and his wife were the parents of two children : Joseph S. and Nellie. Joseph S. Shinn attended the public schools and normal school at West Union, following which he commenced a course at Starling Medical College, from which he was graduated with his degree in 1905. he specialized in the treatment and cure of blood diseases of a virulent type, and after taking post-graduate work at Chicago began practice at Troy in 1905. Here he soon built up a large and lucrative practice, which he gave up September 26, 1918, to enter the United States Army medical service at Fort Oglethorpe as first lieutenant, hospital corps. His services were confined to treating all enlisted men infected with virulent blood diseases and segregating them from their fellows until they had been successfully treated. His military MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 235 duties completed and his honorable discharge secured, Doctor Shinn returned to Troy, January I, 1920, and since that time has been engaged in caring for his practice as a specialist. He has something more than a local reputation as an authority and expert in his particular line of research, to which he has devoted much study, investigation and thought. He spent much time and money in advocating the passage of the Hughes law, which would have provided for the segregation and treatment of persons infected with communicable sexual diseases. He belongs to the various organizations of his profession, including the county, state and national medical bodies, and is a Mason and a member of the American Legion. He married Marvel, daughter of John Henry Winters, of Troy. They have no children. F. M. Shipley, secretary-treasurer and general manager of the Piqua Hosiery Company, of Piqua, Ohio, and a business man of recognized worth and standing, was born at Piqua, November 22, 1874, a son of J. W. and Harriet (Griggs) Shipley. J. W. Shipley was a well-known resident and merchant of this community, where he likewise served efficiently for some years in the capacity of postmaster. He was likewise a veteran of the Civil war, in which he fought as a private in an Ohio volunteer infantry regiment. F. M. Shipley acquired his education in the Piqua public schools, and after working at various occupations rose to the position of manager of the Columbus plant of the Piqua Handle Company. Later he became an active official in the management of the Columbus Iron & Steel Company, and eventually came to his present firm, the Piqua Hosiery Company, of which he is secretary and treasurer, also its general manager. During the war period, aside from the industrial activities of the Piqua Hosiery Company, which worked on Government contracts, Mr. Shipley took an active part in various war movements. He had charge of the factory employes' division in the war loan drives and also interested himself in the Red Cross funds. He and his family are consistent members of St. James Episcopal Church, and he is a Mason and a Shriner and holds membership in the Piqua Club and the Piqua Rotary Club. Mr. Shipley married Elizabeth K., daughter of William W. Wood, and to this union there have been born two children : Elizabeth W. and Robert. T. H. Troute, M. D., a leading physician and surgean of Miami county, particularly well known in the field of abdominal surgery, has been engaged in a successful practice at Tippecanoe City since 1911. He is a native of Hamilton county, Ohio, born September 7, 1869, a son of John S. and Sarah Martha (McGregor) Troute, his father having been a prominent farmer and tobacco grower of Hamilton county. There were four children in the family : David, who is an ex-member of the police force at Cincinnati ; Alonzo, bookkeeper for a coal mining company, in West Virginia ; Charlie, who is a trainer and owner of race horses in the East, and Dr. T. H. T. H. Troute attended the public schools of Hamilton county, including the high school at Russellville, fol- 236 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY lowing which he pursued a course at the University of Cincinnati, and then spent four years in studying medicine at that institution. Graduated in 1898 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, he began practice at Cincinnati, and then entered the service of the United States Government, in Kentucky, continuing to be thus engaged from February 4, 1900, until 1903. Returning then to Cincinnati, he practiced in that city until 1911, May 3 of which year he began his activities at Tippecanoe City, where he has since become one of the leading physicians and surgeons of Miami county. Doctor Troute carries on a general practice, but specializes to some extent in abdominal surgery, a department in which he is an acknowledged authority. He belongs to the various organizations of his profession, county, state and national, and has an excellent standing in the esteem of his fellow-practitioners, by whom he is called into consultation frequently. He likewise has a number of important civic, business and social connections and is accepted as a valuable and public-spirited member of his community. Doctor Troute married Ida, daughter of William Ramsey, of Georgetown, Brown county, Ohio, and to this union there have been born two children : John W., an automobile mechanic of Tippecanoe City, and Hazel, the wife of Leslie Eickhoff, of Tippecanoe City. In 1920 the doctor was persuaded to run for coroner and was the only Democrat elected, receiving a majority of 7,253. The county went Republican by 5,209, showing the popularity of the doctor. Leonard H. Shipman is not only an attorney of high professional standing and attainments, but a business man of sound judgment and breadth of view and during the twenty-one years that lie has followed his profession at Troy has filled a prominent position in the life of the community. He was born near St. Mary's, Ohio, October 23, 1874, a son of John N. and Louise A. (Haas) Shipman, and a grandson of John L. Shipman, a well-known miller of Auglaize county, Ohio, who fought as a soldier of the Union during the war between the states. Lewis C. Shipman, a brother of Leonard H., was a member of the Eighteenth Field Artillery during the great World war and saw eighteen months of overseas service, while another brother, John Shipman, was a member of the United States Army veterinary corps. Leonard H. Shipman attended the country district schools near St. Mary's, and the high school at St. Mary's, the National Normal School, at Lebanon, and the law department of the Ohio State University. After the courts had admitted him to practice he took up his profession at Troy, in 1899, and here has continued ever since in the enjoyment of a professional business that reflects in its size and importance the measure of his skill and learning and the high place which he has attained in the ranks of Miami county attorneys. During the period in which he has applied himself to his calling, he has likewise interested himself in business and financial affairs, and at this time is a director in the First National Bank, a director in and second vice-president of the Troy Wagon Works, a director in the Skinner Irrigation Company, and president of the Quilling-Brock MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 237 Company, of Piqua. He is a member of the official board and secretary of the Feghtly Lutheran Home, a refuge for aged ladies at Tippecanoe City. In fraternal work, Mr. Shipman is prominent, being a. well-known Mason, generalissimo of Coleman Commandery, Knights Templar, and is a member of the Consistory, of Dayton, and of the Mystic Shrine, and is likewise past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias. He has other civic and social connections, including membership in the Troy Club. Mr. Shipman is the proud possessor of a medal awarded him by the United States Government for his patriotic work during the war period in which he AN as a convincing and result-attaining four-minute man, attorney for the relief committee of the Red Cross Society, chairman of the Red Cross for one year, a member of the committee for soldiers' relief and an untiring worker in behalf of the war loans. In this work he had as an able and energetic assistant, Mrs. Shipman, who rendered valiant and valuable services to the Red Cross and to other activities. Mrs. Shipman was formerly Miss Jessie G. Shannon, daughter of Samuel H. Shannon. She and Mr. Shipman are the parents of one son, Franklin L. J. W. Shrader. Belonging to that class of citizens who have passed their entire lives on the same property and have followed no other vocation than that of the agriculturist, J. W. Shrader also typifies the solid and substantial type of tillers of the soil upon whom the nation is dependent for its food supplies. This progressive and intelligent Monroe township agriculturist was born on the farm which he now owns and operates, on December 22, 1873, a son of William and Elizabeth (Knife) Shrader. William Shrader was well and favorably known as an agriculturist in Monroe township for many years arid had the respect and confidence of those with whom he was associated. He made a success of his affairs, being a man of industry and possessed of good managerial abilities, and during the war between the states fought as a soldier of the Union. He and his wife were the parents of two children who grew to maturity : J. W., and Mrs. Susan Burnsides. J. W. Shrader acquired a public school education in the country districts, and has always lived on the home place, of which he became the owner after the death of his parents. He has a farm consisting of fifty acres, in addition to which he farms another fifty acres, which is well improved in every way, and carries on general farming and stock raising in a way that insures success. He married, July 28, 1901, May, daughter of Elijah and Rosa (Fisher) Rutter, residents of Tippecanoe City, Ohio, and to this union there has been born one son, William E., who is assisting his father in the work of the home place. The good citizenship that has always characterized Mr. Shrader's career was .particularly evident during the period of the World war, when he was a loyal support of all war movements and activities. Andrew Smith. In Andrew Smith, of the firm of Fisher & Smith, Piqua has a business man who conforms his activities to high standards and who is advancing to prosperity on qualities of 238 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY industry, good judgment and perseverance. He was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, February 13, 1874, a son of Andrew and Julia (Stroefer) Smith, and was educated in the public schools of Piqua, to which place his parents had moved when he was a child. After leaving school, he mastered the harness-maker's trade, and later joined in partnership C. G. Fisher, under the firm name of Fisher & Smith. This business has since grown to be one of marked prominence at Piqua, being widely known for its excellent line of leather goods, harness and automobile accessories. Mr. Smith is an earnest, painstaking gentleman, a business man of sound and reliable qualities, and a man whose integrity and worth are known and appreciated by a wide circle of friends. He married Miss Caroline Frances Graef, of Piqua, and they have one son, Stephen. While Mr. Smith is essentially a merchant and has little desire for political prestige or public prominence, he is likewise a good citizen who takes an active interest in local affairs and supports good measures to the limit of his abilities. During the war period he was generous in his contributions to the movements that were formulated to insure the success of American arms. As a fraternalist he has been active for some years, and at present holds membership in the local lodges of the Knights of Pythias, Masons and Improved Order of Red Men, in all of which he has numerous friends. With Mrs. Smith, he belongs to the Presbyterian church. Stanley R. Smith, senior member of the firm of Smith & Parsons, proprietors of a garage and dealers in farm implements at Tippecanoe City, is one of the energetic and substantial business men of his community. He was born in Staunton township, Miami county, July 27, 1874, a son of Robert R. and Jane (Snyder) Smith. His father, a native of England, immigrated to the United States in young manhood, and during the Civil war joined an Ohio contingent of 100-day men. Later he engaged in agricultural pursuits in Miami county in which he continued to be occupied until his retirement from active affairs, and since then has been making his home with his son, Stanley R. He and his wife, who is now deceased, were the parents of nine children, of whom six are still living. Stanley R. Smith received his education in the country schools and grew up as a farmer's son. He spent about five years in farming, after reaching manhood and then became a salesman of farm implements for his brother-in-law, R. H. Deam, of Phoneton, for whom he worked for ten years. Next, Mr. Smith entered the employ of the international Harvester Company as a traveling salesman and continued to be thus employed for ten years. In 1918 he embarked in the garage and implement business at Tippecanoe City, where he first bought a half interest from Mr. Snell, and after three months bought out his partner, and took as his ,associate Mr. Parsons, with whom he has since been in partnership under the firm style of Smith & Parsons. The concern conducts a large garage and salesroom, acts as agent for the Chevrolet and Oldsmobile automobiles, and handles a complete and up-to-date line of farm implements, automobile accessories, tires, etc. Under excellent MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 239 management the business is prospering greatly and is now recognized as a reliable commercial adjunct of the city's business interests. Mr. Smith is a man of energy, progressive ideas and acknowledged ability, and his long experience in the implement business makes him thoroughly familiar with all its principles. In addition to the Oldsmobile, the firm handles Chevrolet cars and during the period that it has handled these two makes has had numerous sales, with a consequent number of added friends as represented by satisfied customers. Mr. Smith first married Alta Welch, daughter of J. W. Welch, of New Carlisle, Ohio, and they had one son, Russell, now identified with the International Harvester Company. During the World war, Russell Smith enlisted in the United States Aviation corps, in which he served about one year, being stationed first .at Columbus, later at Kelly Flying Field, Tex., and finally at Fort Sill, Okla. The present Mrs. Smith was formerly Ella, daughter of Levi Short, of Troy, Ohio, and they have three children : Iris, Mildred and Janette. Mr. Smith is a popular member of the local lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Masons, and holds membership in the United Commercial Travelers. He has always exemplified good citizenship and during the war period was a contributor to all movements for the accumulation of war funds. John A. Smith, a progressive and wide-awake merchant of Tippecanoe City, where he is proprietor of a general merchandise store, was born at Wapakoneta, Ohio, in 1866, a son of Joseph and Bertha (Wahree) Smith. The family came to Tippecanoe City in 1881 and here John A. Smith completed his education in the public schools and in 1885 began the conduct of a cigar store and barber shop. Later he established his present business, in which he handles a general line of merchandise, periodicals, stationery, etc., and, Maintains a well-patronized soda fountain. Mr. Smith has been the architect of his own fortune and has worked his way to a substantial and satisfying business success. He has also shown a commendable interest in public affairs, and for some years served as justice of the peace. Mr. Smith has the ditinction of having purchased the first Liberty bond bought at Tippecanoe City, and during the war period served as explosive license inspector. He is thoroughly alive to his opportunities, is a man of the strictest integrity, and during his career at Tippecanoe City has made and maintained many sincere friendships. Mrs. Smith, a native of Miami county, was formerly Miss Nellie Herr. Loren D. Snapp. Both Logan and Miami counties have profited by the agricultural ability and good citizenship of Loren D. Snapp, who since 1905 has been a resident of the latter county, where he owns and operates a well-cultivated and productive farm in Elizabeth township. Mr. Snapp was horn on a farm in Auglaize county, Ohio, December 26, 1876, a son of Hamilton and Felena (Rogers) Snapp. His parents were highly respected farming people of Auglaize county, where they resided for some years, but later moved to Logan county and finally to Miami county, where 240 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY they rounded out their careers. They were industrious and God-fearing people, reared their children to lives of industry and honesty and had the respect and esteem of those among whom they made their home in their several communities. Loren D. Snapp was given the advantages of a public school education in Auglaize, and as a lad was taken by his parents to Logan county, where he grew to manhood and engaged in agricultural pursuits. That community continued to be his home until he was nearly thirty years of age, but in 1905 he came to Miami county, attracted by the opportunities offered in this region, and his home has since been in Elizabeth township, where he is now engaged in farming a valuable and productive tract of eighty acres. Mr. Snapp has installed modern improvements and equipment and has erected substantial buildings, adding value and attractiveness to his property, which he devotes to the cultivation of general crops and the raising of a small herd of cattle of a good grade. His reputation in business circles is that of a man of high principles and proved integrity, and as a citizen his public spirit has been made evident on a number of occasions. During the World war period he was one of the most active workers in Elizabeth township, where he had charge of vari- ous committees and assisted materially in raising funds which helped the county to maintain its .quota. He married Lola Keesecker, daughter of John and Martha (Souders) Keesecker. Mrs. Snapp died March 18, 1903, leaving three children : Paul W., who married Lorie Leffel, and they reside in Miami county, the parents of one child, Bettie Louise ; Ellena May, the wife of Roy Saylor, who resides in Akron, and Vance, who died at the age of sixteen years. Mr. Snapp married as his second wife, March 25, 1914, Addie, daughter of George and Della (Thompson) Spigelmoyer, of Brown township, Miami county, and the former are the parents of two daughters, Doris Virginia, and Mary Felena. Mr. Snapp is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Grace Reformed Church of Alcony, Ohio. D. G. Wenrick, secretary and treasurer of the Buckeye State Mutual Insurance Company and president of the Stillwater Valley Bank, of Covington, and one of his community's most highly valued and respected citizen, was born in Adams township, Darke county, Ohio, November 25, 1849, a son of David and Elizabeth (Grubb) Wenrick. David Wenrick, a native of Harrisburg, Pa., was a capenter by trade and followed that vocation during his early years, but later turned his attention to agricultural pursuits and spent the greater part of his life therein in Darke county. Elizabeth Grubb was of Dutch ancestry and was born near Covington. They were the parents of the following children : John, Levi, D. G., Isaac, Mrs. Mary Reiff, Mrs. Hettie Bosseman, Malinda, the wife of J. S. Rover, of Bradford, Ohio, and Martha, the wife of S. B. Baughman, of Bradford. D. G. Wenrick attended the public schools in the country in Darke county and after pursuing a normal course took up the vocation of an educator. For fifteen years he taught in the rural districts of Adams and New- MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 241 berry townships, Darke county, and subsequently turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. Later he became one of the organizers and secretary of the German Baptist Mutual Insurance Association, now known as the Buckeye State Mutual, of which he has since been an official for some years. A history of this concern will be found in the general history of Miami county elsewhere in this work. Mr. Wenrick has been president of the Stillwater Valley Bank since 1917 and has various connections of a business, social and civic character that contribute to make him one of his community's most prominent men. As a citizen he has supported public-spiritedly all movements for the welfare of his locality. Mr. Wenrick married Miss Barbara Ellen Babylon, of Covington, and they have two children, who grew to maturity : Sherman, who married Dora Kertcher and has three children, Etoile, Raymond and Leslie ; and Florence, who married L. S. Schellenberger and has one child, Lela Frances. Mr. Wenrick for twenty-one years was a member of the board of education of Adams township, Darke county. He and his family are members of the Church of the Brethren, and he has been deacon for many years. Joseph Benson Snell. Among the agriculturists of Miami county, and particularly those of the younger generation, there are to be found many who have passed the entire period of their lives on the properties which they now occupy. In this class is Joseph Benson Snell, of Bethel township, a progressive and energetic young farmer whose' intelligent and practical labors are rapidly making him known as one of the substantial men of his township. Mr. Snell was born on his present farm, in 1888, a son of Jacob and Nancy (Studebaker) Snell, farming people of Miami county. His father, an early resident of this locality, secured the present Snell farm and made numerous improvements thereon, and during the many years that he operated this land established a reputation as a reliable citizen and an honorable man of business. Joseph B. Snell attended the public schools of the rural districts and as a youth adopted farming for his life work, and this, with stock raising, has since commanded his attention. He has won success through industry and close application and well merits the general confidence in which he is held. He was active during the WorId war as a solicitor during the drives for the war chest and in behalf of Liberty bonds, and has always played the part of a good citizen in civic affairs. Mr. Snell married Daisy, daughter of G. T. Parsons, of Tippecanoe City, and sister of John Cassius Parsons, who underwent training at Camp Sherman for service in the World war. Mr. and Mrs. Snell are the parents of two children : Jacob and Lester. Mrs. Kate Snyder, a well-known and highly esteemed resident of Piqua R. F. D. No. 2, in Brown township, and the owner of a good farm in that community, was horn December 9, 1858, in Clermont county, Ohio, a daughter of James and Julia (Hopkins) Long. Her father was an agriculturist and for some years made his home III-16 242 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY at Batavia, the county seat of Clermont county, while he was serving in public offices. When she was a small child, Mrs. Snyder witnessed a raid of the Confederate, Morgan, and his men, in her home city, the daring Southerner swooping down upon the town and confiscating groceries, clothing, guns and all manner of supplies before being driven out by hastily gathered Federal troops. The raiders were pursued for some distance and twelve of their number taken. 'Like her brothers and sisters, Mrs. Snyder was given a high school education and was reared in a home of culture and plenty. December 31, 1876, she was united in marriage with John H. Snyder, who came of an old family of farming people of Spring Creek township, and following their union they settled on the farm in Brown township, where they lived in happiness together until the death of Mr. Snyder, May 9, 1919. Mr. Snyder was one of the prominent and influential men of his community, where he was the owner of a farm of 120 acres, and had the full confidence of his fellow-citizens, who elected him road supervisor and he served for many years. He was also school director many years. In his death his locality lost a good and dependable citizen and a man whose loss was mourned by a wide circle of friends. Since his death Mrs. Snyder has continued to live on the home place, where she is surrounded by modern comforts and conveniences and by the affectionate regard of a wide circle of close acquaintances. She has always been generous and charitable, and during the war period was liberal in her support of the Liberty Bond and Red Cross campaigns. She and her husband were the parents of five children : Harley C., born in 1878, who married in 1899, Artie Sayres, of Brown township, formerly of Xenia, Ohio, is now engaged in operating the home farm for his mother, and has three children, the eldest of whom, Lucille, is a graduate of the Sidney High School and is now attending Ideal Business College, of Piqua, in order to prepare herself for a career as a stenographer ; Jessie B., born in 188o, who married Rev. Alva Houseman, a preacher at Covington and Eagle Creek, and has two children, Monta, aged eight years, and John, aged eighteen months ; May, born in 1883, who married, December 14, 1903, Burton Caven, and he died March 15, 1917; Margaret, who died in infancy, and Arminta, born in 1886, who married Cliff Russell, of Spring Creek township, now living at Mingo Junction, with one daughter, Catherine, who is attending Piqua High School. Mr. Snyder attended Spring Creek Christian Church, of which he was a deacon and trustee, and held these offices many years. He was a Democrat. William Andrew Snyder. Of the men who have long lent dignity and progressiveness to business interests of Piqua, none are held in higher esteem and confidence than William Andrew Snyder, chairman of the executive board of the Pioneer Pole & Shaft Company. Mr. Snyder was born at Albany, N. Y., December 5, 1858, a son of A. G. and Elizabeth (Carroll) Snyder. He was educated in the public schools of Ashtabula, Ohio, to which place his father, a wood bender by trade, had taken his family, and there MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 243 the lad, upon the completion of his studies, engaged in business with his father in the same line of work. When the family came to Piqua, in 1881, there was founded the firm of Snyder & Son, for the manufacture of poles and shafts for buggies, wagons, etc., and this continued in existence until 1900, when the firm of Snyder's Sons Company was incorporated. This concern later sold out to the Pioneer Pole & Shaft Company, one of Piqua's largest industries, a complete history of which will be found in the industrial section of this work. In the capacity of chairman of the executive board of this firm Mr. Snyder has continued to exert the same wholesome and beneficial influence which assisted through the years in building up the business to large proportions and which helped to make him one of the leading business figures of his community. His other interests are numerous and important, in business, financial and civic circles, and few men have had a more important part in promulgating, fostering and bringing to a successful conclusion movements which have contributed to the welfare and betterment of the city in various ways. He took an active and leading part in the various activities which assisted in the successful maintenance of our armies in the field during the great war and was a member of the several war loan committees. He is a valued member of several fraternal societies and his name has been linked with enterprises which have made for the advancement of education and better citizenship. Mr. Snyder married Fannie E., daughter of Dr. P. E. Hall, a dental practitioner of Ashtabula, and to this union there have been born two children : Mrs. Grace 0. Rundle and A. G. Snyder, both of Piqua. Leo Dent Spiesman, D. D. S., one of the rising younger members of the Miami county dental fraternity, was born at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, April 3o, 1893, a son of Edwin Spiesman. The only son of his father and the latter's wife, formerly a Miss Henderson, Doctor Spiesman received his early education in the public schools and was graduated from the high school at Bowling Green, Ohio. He then pursued a full course at the Ohio State College of Dentistry and when he graduated therefrom was for a time associated in practice with several other established dentists. Eventually, in May, 1918, he came to Troy, where he opened an office of his own, and since that time has become recognized as a skilled, careful and thoroughly learned practitioner, and has built up a large and lucrative practice. He belongs to the various organizations of his calling, in which he is held in high esteem and has numerous friends. During the war period he held a first lieutenancy in the dental reserve corps. Doctor Spiesman is fraternally affiliated with the local lodges of the Knights of Pythias and the Elks. Joseph Spangler. An example of well-applied industry is found in the handsome and highly cultivated farm of 165 acres in Spring Creek township which is the property of Joseph Spangler. Mr. Spangler, who is one of the substantial citizens of his locality, was born in Miami county, a son of Leopold and Christina (Schuler) 244 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY Spangler. Leopold Spangler, who spent many years in agricultural pursuits in Miami county, died several years ago, greatly respected by all who knew him. There were five children in the family : Joseph, John, William, Frank and Mrs. Mary Schaefer. A son of John Spangler, Clarence, served in France during the recent World war. Joseph Spangler was educated in the district schools and passed his boyhood and youth on the home farm. He early adopted agriculture as his life vocation, and at the present time is the owner and operator of a well-improved and highly cultivated farm of 165 acres in Spring Creek township. Good buildings and modern inprovements evidence his progressive spirit and industry, and his standing in his community is that of a dependable and public-spirited citizen. Mr. Spangler married Miss Minnie Schlosser, a daughter of John and Gertrude (Wegener) Schlosser, highly respected citizens of Piqua, now deceased, and they are the parents of three children : Joseph, Gertrude and Elizabeth, a graduate of Piqua High School, class of 1921, at home. Mr. Spangler is independent in his political views. He is a member of the Knights of St. John, the Holy Name Society, and the St. Boniface Catholic Church, of Piqua. Josiah N. Wiley. One of the old and honored residents of Elizabeth township, Josiah N. Wiley is also a veteran of the Civil war, in which great struggle he was wounded six times. At present he is somewhat retired from active labors, after a long and honorable career as an agriculturist, but continues to take an interest in farming matters, as well as in affairs which have a bearing upon the welfare of his community and its people. Mr. Wiley was born in Pennsylvania, November 27, 1843, a son of James and Margaret (Nelson) Wiley, and is the only survivor of a family of five children. Mr. Wiley began his education in his native state, but when he was eight years of age was taken by his parents to Clark county, Ohio, where he resided for four years, during which time he attended the district school. His education was completed in Elizabeth township, where he was brought when twelve years of age, and where he has lived ever since, with the exception of the time that he served in the Union Army. Mr. Wiley grew up to sturdy young manhood, and when the call for troops came early in the Civil war, enlisted in Company A, Eighth regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, an organization with which he was identified for four years, seeing much hard service and taking part in numerous hard-fought and important engagements. During this service he. received wounds on six occasions, the most serious being made by a bullet which lodged in his shoulder. When disabled by this injury he was captured by the enemy and spent seven months in Libby prison. He also had two brothers. From a strong robust young man, he became a weakling, so emaciated that he weighed only sixty-four pounds at the time of his release and exchange. This wound has troubled him more or less all his life, and was the probable reason for a .recent paralytic stroke, from which Mr. Wiley is now recovering. After securing his honorable MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 245 discharge from the army, Mr. Wiley returned to Elizabeth township and engaged in farming. As the years passed he added to his holdings from time to time, until he is now owner. of 400 acres of valuable property, which he rents to tenants. He is looked upon as one of the substantial intelligent and reliable men of his community, and has always supported worthy movements. This trait was particularly noticeable during the recent war period, when he contributed liberally to all movements. Mr. Wiley married Sallie Stratton, daughter of Orrie Stratton, who died without issue. For his second wife he was united October 27, 1896, with Mrs. A. (Beard) Thompson, a daughter of John and Margaret (Shellabarger) Beard, well-known and highly esteemed farming people of Miami county, deceased, By her former marriage, Mrs. Wiley had four daughters : Edna, residing at home with her mother ; Ollie, wife of Harley Stockstill, residing at Dayton ; Alma, wife of George Fissel, residing in St. Marys, Ohio, the parents of one daughter, Bettie, and Margaret, wife of George Goodall, residing in Auburn, Ind., the parents of one daughter, Lucy. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wiley are highly esteemed in Elizabeth township, where their pleasant home in the New Carlisle community is always open to their many warm friends. F. Will Steil, one of the leading merchants of Troy, Ohio, is proprietor of that city's largest dry goods establishment. He was born in Troy, June 4, 1879, the son of Fred and Christina (Ziegenf elder) Steil. Fred Steil was born in Rhenish Bavaria, Germany, but convinced that greater opportunity for advancement awaited him in the United States, emigrated from his native country. In 1865, he settled in Troy, where his uncle had already located and had operated a 'store since 1859. In 1878, Fred Steil bought this business and founded the present dry goods store, which is now the largest and most up-to-date in Troy. F. Will Steil, the only child of his parents, received his education in the public schools of Troy, and upon graduation entered the employ of his father. He began at the bottom of the ladder, and learned every phase of the business so thoroughly that when he became sole owner at the time of his father's death in 1908, he was well equipped to take over the complete management of the concern. With a well-defined and honorable method of conducting his business affairs he has gained the confidence of the community, and has a large and satisfied patronage. In addition to his store interests Mr. Steil finds time to act as a director in the Troy Building Association. He is extremely active in fraternal circles, and is a popular member of the Masons as a Knight Templar and Shriner, and also holds membership in the Knights of Pythias, Woodmen of the World, Junior Order of American Mechanics, and the Rotary Club. During the recent war he was one of the most active workers in Troy in behalf of the various war drives, having been chairman of the local labor board, a member of the committee in charge of the publicity for the war chest drive, and county chairman of the merchant's division of the war savings stamps, Red Cross and similar campaigns. Mr. Steil 246 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY married Fay, daughter of C. T. Gibson, of Troy, and to them has been born one daughter, Winifred, a graduate of 1920 from the Troy High School, who is a freshman in Western College, Oxford, Ohio. Mr. Steil and his family hold membership in the Presbyterian church. Damon M. Stahr, D. O., who has won recognized standing among the professional men of Piqua through his success as a practitioner of osteopathy, was born at Cambridge City, Ind., in June, 1888, a son of William P. and Mary E. (Michael) Stahr. William P. Stahr was the proprietor of a hotel at Cambridge City, and later removed to Elkhart, Ind.; where he established himself in the grocery business. He and his wife were the parents of five children : Frank G., editor of the Elkhart Truth ; Margaret E., in business in South Bend, Ind. ; Roberta L., confidential secretary, Elkhart, Ind. ; J. P., purchasing agent for the Dodge Manufacturing Company, of Mishawaka, Ind., and Damon Al. Damon M. Stahr received his early education in the graded and high schools of Elkhart, Ind., and later became a student at the American School of Osteopathy, at Kirksville, Mo., from which he was graduated in 1914. Soon thereafter he located at Piqua, where he has since built up an excellent practice, and at this time occupies well-appointed offices on the third floor of the Orr-Flesh building. Doctor Stahr has gained public confidence by the success which has attended his handling of several serious cases and his professional business is of the best kind that can be secured by a man of his vocation. He belongs to the Piqua Club, the Rotary Club, the Young Men's Christian Association and the Masons, and with his family holds membership in the Presbyterian church. Both he and Mrs. Stahr were very active in all movements pertaining to the assisting of the winning of the great war, and Mrs. Stahr was particularly effective in her work in behalf of the Red Cross. In May, 1915, Dr. Stahr married Leah M. daughter of Ellis M. Drake, who is superintendent of schools of M., Mich., and an educator of note. One child, Paul Herbert, has been born to Doctor and Mrs. Stahr. George H. Statler. One of the large land holders and extensive and successful farmers of Washington township, George H. Statler is also one of his community's progressive and public-spirited citizens. He was born in Miami county, where he has passed his whole life, June 27, 1881, and is a son of Samuel K. and Clara E. (Kinsman) Statler. His father, who was a life-long agriculturist of Miami county, was a veteran of the Civil war, in which he saw eighteen months of service as a member of an Ohio volunteer infantry regiment. In war and peace he was faithful and trustworthy and established an excellent record for conscientious performance of duty. He and his worthy wife, both deceased, were the parents of two children : Elizabeth K., who married Will Harr, of Troy, Ohio, and George H. George H. Statler was given the advantages of attendance at the schools of Piqua, but was brought up on the farm and reared as a farmer's son. He assisted MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 247 his father in the work of the home place until he reached years of maturity, at which time he entered upon operations as an agriculturist on his own account. Mr. Statler married Minnie S., daughter of John Shimmel, of Piqua, and following their union they settled down to agricultural pursuits in Washington township. From modest beginnings Mr. Statler has developed into one of the largest landowners in Washington township, where he is the possessor of 600 acres of valuable land, all in a high state of cultivation. He operates his land along modern lines and has it improved with good buildings and modern improvements in the way of machinery and equipment. He contributed liberally to the war drives during the period of the World war, and as a citizen has shown his public spirit by his support of worthy civic movements. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Statler : Neil, born in 1913 ; Jean, born in 1915, and Amy, born in 1919. Louis J. Stelzer. The career of Louis J. Stelzer, junior member of the firm of Neth & Stelzer, tailors, haberdashers and hatters, of Piqua, has been one of steady advancement from modest beginnings to a place among the staple business men of his city. His entire life has been passed at Piqua, where he was born July 30, 1876, a son of John and Mary (Bartel) Stelzer, his father being a cooper who conducted a cooperage at Piqua for many years. His maternal grandfather, Adam Bartel, was one of the early shoe dealers and manufacturers of Piqua, where he was well known among the members of an earlier generation. Louis J. Stelzer attended St. Boniface parochial school and prepared for a business career by taking a course in a commercial college. His first practical experience in a mercantile line was secured as an employe of the firm of Flesh-Prugh & Company, and when this firm was succeeded by Flesh & Louis he remained with the new organization. There he had as a fellow-employe, Louis C. Neth, and in 1910 the two established themselves in business as Neth & Stelzer and at this time have an excellent business, which has been built up through the exercise of fertile mental resource and much industry. They carry a complete line of men's furnishings, hats, haberdashery and made-to-order clothing, and their business is a constantly growing one. Mr. Stelzer is a public-spirited citizen and during the war period gave his unqualified support to all war measures. He is a member of the Piqua Golf Club, and belongs to the Knights of Columbus and the Knights of St. John, in addition to which he is prominent in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of which he was exalted ruler for a period of four years. He married Miss Alice Crowel, and they are consistent members of St. Boniface Catholic Church. J. Forest Stephens, president and general manager of the American Fixture Company, of Piqua and Troy, Ohio, is one of the leading business men of the former city. He was born at Troy. Ohio, February 1, 1878, a son of Hugh M. and Rose (Mills) Stephens, the former a leading merchant and real estate operator at Troy. There were four children in the family : Mary E., the wife 248 - MEMOIRS OF THE MIAMI VALLEY of E. C. Thomas ; Ada, the wife of Harry Henne, of Troy, and Homer S., sales manager for the Garford Company, of Elyria, Ohio, and J. Forest. J. Forest Stephens was educated in the public schools of Troy, after leaving which he secured a position with the Bell Telephone Company, where he advanced to the post of superintendent. He was then transferred to the Kansas City Home Telephone Company, of Kansas City, Mo., but returned to Troy, where he bought one-half interest in the C. C. Hobart Company, and subsequently, with Mr. Gibbs, acquired control of the concern. In 1913 a store was established at Piqua, and since that time the American Fixture Company has continued to grow in size and importance until it is now one of the leading concerns in its line at Piqua and Troy. Mr. Stephens occupies the position of president and general manager, while B. F. Gibbs is secretary and treasurer. All manner of electrical work is done,. the company is capable of handling any kind of an electrical contract, appliances of all kinds are sold, and the concern makes a specialty of designing fixtures. The superior workmanship and efficiency in handling contracts which have always been features of this business have been in large measure the reason for its success, combined with the business capacity, progressive ideas and native energy of the .directing heads. Mr. Stephens is a member of the Piqua Club, the Piqua Rotary Club and the Piqua Golf Club, and also holds membership in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He was a generous supporter of all war measures during the war, and likewise has been a helpful factor in securing the success of beneficial movements in his home city. Mr. Stephens married Pearl L., daughter of Milton Dilts, present member of the board of commissioners of Miami county, and they are the parents of one son, Robert. Thomas Melville Wright, Doctor of Medicine. During a period of forty-four years, Dr. Thomas Melville Wright has been engaged in the practise of medicine and surgery at Troy and in this long and faithful service has given the best years, abilities and energies of his life. He was born in Boone county, Indiana, October 5, 1848, a son of James Wesley and Nancy (Fugat) Wright, and had one brother and one sister to grow to maturity : Rev. Joseph Monroe, a minister of the Presbyterian church, who died in 1912, and Sarah Ann, who died in Kansas, in 1908, as the wife of Jacob Cook, formerly an Illinois farmer. Thomas Melville Wright attended the public schools and the ,National Normal School, at Lebanon, Ohio, and received his medical training at the Louisville Medical College, Louisville, Ky. Graduated July 1, 1876, he at once began practice at Troy, where he opened an office on Walnut street, and here he has continued to follow his profession to the present time, having gained a large and lucrative practice and a firmly established position among the leading practitioners of the city. Doctor Wright married Angeline Mendenhall, of West Milton, Ohio, daughter of Thaddeus and Eliza Mendenhall, and to this union there were born two children : James Wesley, who died in infacy, and Thomas Melville, Jr. The MIAMI COUNTY—BIOGRAPHICAL - 249 latter volunteered for service during the Spanish-American war and saw active service in Porto Rico. He was a practicing physician of Troy, being a graduate of Indiana State University and the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of Baltimore, Md., and his death, which occurred December 29, 1915, removed from the city one of its brilliant members of the profession. Dr. Thomas M. Wright, the elder, married for his second wife, Alice, daughter of B. F. and Priscilla Albaugh, of Covington, Ohio, and to this union there were born two children : Lucile, who died in infancy, and Angeline B., the wife of Quinn B. Mitchell, of Alcony, Ohio. Doctor Wright is a member of the state, county and national medical bodies, and surgeon at Troy for the Dayton & Troy railroad and the Big Four railroad. He continued to be a close student of his profession, to which he has devoted his entire attention throughout his life, although he is not indifferent to the pleasures of companionship with his fellows and is a popular and esteemed member of the Masonic fraternity, having attained the York Rite degrees. W. N. Stockstill. Since its establishment in Miami county many years ago, the Stockstill family has sustained the practical interest of the community and has manipulated with equal courage and ability the implements of the land-tiller and the weapons of the soldier. A worthy representative of this family is found in W. N. Stockstill, a prosperous agriculturist of Bethel township, who was born in this township, a son of J. P. and Jennie (Varner) Stockstill. One of Mr. Stockstill's sisters, Mrs. Bessie (Stockstill) Key, had two sons who fought as soldiers during the World war : Fred, who belonged to the engineers, and Otis, who was with the United States Marines, both graduates of the University of Tennessee. J. P. Stockstill was one of eleven children born to Elias and Elizabeth (Shroyer) Stockstill, and of these children seven sons fought as soldiers of the Union during the Civil war : Thomas, Ervin, Frank, who was wounded in action ; Wilson, Walker, David and J. P. J. P. Stockstill passed his life as a farmer and was well and favorably known in Miami county, being the owner of a valuable property in Bethel township. On this farm W. N. Stockstill was reared and received his training in his life vocation, his, education being acquired in the public schools. He has always devoted his energies to farming and the raising of stock and his labors have been rewarded by well-merited success. He married Miss Ethel Erwin and they are the parents of five children : Ruth, Helen, Lowell, Miriam and Howard. Augustus G. Stouder. In reviewing the attainments of any community, it is entirely proper to divert to the comparatively few persons who have been primarily responsible for these attainments. If a city is noted as a manufacturing center, there must be, of course, a number of positive personal forces who have made an industrial pre-eminence possible. The demands on the industrial element in the Miami valley, during the recent war, demonstrated fully that not only was the great Miami valley prepared to eclipse