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WM. F. BARTLETT, merchant; Chesterville, O. (now transiently at Upper Sandusky, O.).This gentleman, whose portrait appears in this work, is one of the oldest merchants in the county, be having spent 50 years in commercial pursuits in the vicinity of' Chesterville. He was born in Clinton (as it was then called), 2 miles north of Mt. Vernon, Knox Co., O., in April 1813. His education was limited to the facilities of the old log school houses of his period-he attending the Clinton, Plummers and Work Schools, located in the neighborhood of his birth-place. At the age of 17 he engaged in the store of Mr. Gilman Bryant, at Mt. Vernon, and clerked for him for .3 years; he then served I year with T. W. Rogers & Co. of the same place. Feb. 1, he moved to Chesterville, O., and assisted Mr. Wm. Shur in closing out a stock of auction goods. In Sept. following he went to New York with I. Warner Miller, and purchased a stock of Woods for the firm of Bartlett & Shur, who opened in Oct., 1834, at Chesterville., Our Subject's father, Hugh Bartlett, came to Chesterville in 1835, and died in 1837. Messrs. Shur & Bartlet took the stock in store at appraisement, under the firm name of Shur & Bartlett. They continued until 1841 when the business was disposed of; during, this year he bought a farm of R. E. Lord, and began improving same; also built a place for his mother in Chesterville. In 1842 he again went into merchandising with his brother George, firm, W. F. Bartlett & Co.; they continued for 6 years, when it changed to Wm F. & G. V. Bartlett, Mr. Wm. F. living on his farm part of this time. In the fall of 1845 he and his brother, C. T., occupied their new store in Chesterville, and later the firm of Bartlett & Moore was formed, and the business is continued under that name. Few indeed are they who can boast of 50 years of commercial life. During this long term 'Mr. Bartlett has seen whole generations pass away, and a vast forest turned to a productive county; the old lonesome and winding wood-road turned to wen attended highways, dotted with beautiful homes and leading to cities then unknown.
JOHN THEODORE BUCK, County Surveyor; Cardington, Ohio, who's portrait appears in this work, was born in Lincoln Tp. (then in Delaware Co.), on the old homestead where he now lives, May 24, 1832. His father, Edmund Buck, was a native of Connecticut, and came when a young man, to Peru Tp., in Delaware Co., Ohio, about 1S13. He soon after married Anna Hubbell, a native of New York, and after purchasing, settled in 1817, on the land now owned by the subject of' our sketch; here John divided his time between the farm and the district school until 21 years of age, gaining it good common school education. During the years 1853-4 lie attended Mt. Hesper Seminary, under the tuition of Jesse and Cynthia Harkness, whose nam e's have almost become household words in this vicinity. In the winters of 1844-5, and 1862 he taught school; in 1856 lie entered the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, Ohio , where he paid especial attention to the department of civil engineering; in the following year he was appointed Deputy County Surveyor of Morrow Co., under Thomas Sharp ; lie served under him for the balance of the unexpired term, doing the greater part of the business of the office, and on the 11th da of October, 1859, was elected to the office of Surveyor on the Republican ticket. Mr. Buck has filled this office with rare acceptance, and has been re-elected time after time, until be is now serving on his twenty-third year of service, with two more to fill out in his unexpired term; his ability in the line of his profession is recognized abroad, and he is frequently called into adjoining counties for the purpose of making surveys, or hunting up lost lines and corners. During the winter of 1879-80, Mr. Buck prepared for the County Commissioners of Morrow Co. an elaborate
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set of maps for the use of the county, which are greatly admired for the elegance of the drawing, and the accuracy of the plats. Mr. Buck is also a Notary Public, having served as such since Feb. 10, 1870; in 1863 he was commissioned First Lieutenant in the first regiment of Ohio 'Militia, and, subsequently on the 16th day of September, 1863, was promoted to the position of Lieutenant Colonel of said regiment. In 1862, during the Rebellion, he served in the defense of the Southern border of Ohio against the threatened invasion from Kentucky. Mr. Buck was united in marriage to Miss Martha Ann Nichols, Nov. 19, 1863; the latter was born in Lincoln Tp., July 5, 1814. Five children have been born to them-Thaddeus Eugene, Arthur Henry, Annie Mary, Minnie and Ralph. Annie Marv died of that dreadful scourge-diphtheria- Oct. 26, 1875, aged four years and 24 days.