COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL. RECORD - 125 lican ticket. He was also a director of schools for a number of years, taking a deep interest in the cause of education. He was unfaltering in his support of the Republican party, and in his religious views was a German Methodist. His life was that of an upright and just man, whose kindness and generosity were manifest toward all. He was a loving husband and good neighbor, his genial disposition winning for him many friends, and making him very popular with all classes of people. His integrity and honor were above question, and his fidelity to the best interests of his adopted county was shown in his devotion to everything calculated to prove of public benefit—indeed, this Biographical Record would be incomplete without a sketch of his life. He passed away in 1892 at the advanced age of seventy-seven years, five months, twelve days, mourned by all who knew him. Mrs. Frabish, a most estimable lady, still resides on the homestead, which is now operated by her son, Nelson Tucker, who was married, in 1882, to Miss Emma Rearick, of Woodville, Sandusky Co., Ohio, and resides with his mother. She is now surrounded with the comforts of life, and enjoys the esteem of a large circle of friends. JAMES CAMPBELL. One does not have to be very old to recall the time when the greater part of the magnificent State of Ohio was a " howling wilderness," nor even to have been a participant in the work of pioneer settlers, clearing away the mighty forests, cultivating the virgin soil, building roads and bridges, and subduing Nature until she became the obedient servant of her masters. Then, as the years rolled by, these same pioneers have seen the results of their labors in busy hamlets, towns and cities, in schoolhouses and churches, and, best of all, in their children grown to be strong and noble men and women, who take their places among the wisest and best of the land. Happy the people who have watched the steady progress of the glorious Buckeye State in her march to prosperity and honor. Among the early settlers of Sandusky county were the parents of our subject, James and Nancy (Mickmin) Campbell, who came hither December 2, 1835, from Beaver county, Penn., and settled on eighty acres of land in Madison township. The father was born March 17, 1796, in Beaver county, Penn, of Scotch and Irish descent, his paternal grandparents being natives of Ireland, those on his mother's side coming from Scotland. The mother was born in 1794, in Pennsylvania, and died in November, 1878, in Sandusky county. When this worthy couple came west and took up their abode in Sandusky county, they settled in the midst of a forest. With the assistance of their sturdy boys a space was soon cleared, a log cabin erected, and the almost incessant stroke of the axes told daily of fallen trees, whose space was speedily converted into fruitful fields, smiling with golden harvests. On this land, wrested from the wilderness, the brave pioneer passed the remainder of his peaceful life, closing his eyes in death March 17, 1861, at the age of seventy-three years. His wife survived until November 20, 1878. A family of nine children composed the parental household, of which our subject was the youngest. The others in order of birth were as follows: Robert, born June 19, 1823, lives in Madison township, where he carries on farming; Elisan, born July 17, 1825, died May To, 1848; Mary, born March 15, 1827, is the wife of Adam Ickes, a farmer in Steuben county, Ind. ; Daniel, born September 16, 1828, lives in Indiana; Louise Jane, born April 3, 1830, died August 8, 1832; Beisilve born December 19, 1831, died July 16, 1862; George, born December It, 1833, is a farmer of Madison township; Sinthiann, born September 8, 1836, is 126 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. the wife of Jonathan Taylor, and lives in Madison township. James Campbell, the subject of this sketch, was born in Madison township, August 16, 1839, on the home farm one half mile from Gibsonburg. His early days were spent in the hard work which falls to the lot of a pioneer's son, and he chopped timber and cleared away brush with his father and brothers, the only break in the steady labor being the few weeks in the depth of winter, when he attended the primitive schools of those days and gained what meager stock of information could be imparted in that short space of time. He grew up, however, to be a strong and sturdy young man, and in 1862, at the age of twenty-three, fired with the patriotism which is inborn in a native American, he laid aside his axe and plough and donned the Union blue, enlisting in Company H, One Hundred and Sixty-ninth Regiment 0. N. G. They were sent to Virginia to guard the Capital from the advancing Rebel army, and were on duty for 115 days. He then returned to the farm and resumed his peaceful occupations. On April 11, 1878, Mr. Campbell was married to Miss Caroline Zorn, daughter of Christian and Catherine (Snyder) Zorn, her parents being natives of Germany. Mrs. Campbell is the eldest of four children, viz. : Caspar, unmarried and living in Deuel county, Neb. ; Philip, who lives in the same county, married Miss Santa Hartman, and has one child; Mary, who is the wife of John Blausley, also living in Deuel county, Neb., and has three children. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell have had a family of six children, of whom one is dead; their names and dates of birth are as follows: Eda, August 3, 1879; Eli, August 1, 1881; Nelia, September 15, 1883; Ira, July 24, 1886 (died June 28, 1891, aged four years, eleven months and four days); Matilda, June 6, 1892; and Ray, July 11, 1894. Mr. Campbell has always lived upon the home farm, he buying the interests of his brothers and sisters after the death of the father. He has upon this property nine oil wells, which yield him an income of $50. per month. He is a Democrat in politics, and a man of integrity and good business ability. While he is not connected with any religious body, he believes in Christianity, is a reader of the Bible, and donates liberally to all good causes. He has filled the office of school director. His wife is a member of the Lutheran Church. FLETCHER HARTSHORN. The subject of this memorial was born March 17, 1831, at Danbury, Ottawa county, where he spent the days of his boyhood, youth and early manhood. He was a son of Wyatt and Jane (Kelly) Hartshorn, the former born October 16, 1793, the latter on September 17, 1805. His parents were married on the 18th of March, 1824, and he was the fourth in their family of eight children: Catherine D., born March 8, 1825, became the wife of George Mallory, May 18, 1845; Isaac B., born November II, 1826, married Matilda Bryson, January 28, 1853; Byron, born January I, 1829, wedded Mary Knapp, July 28, 1853; Sarah M. was born August 17, 1833; Alfred, born October 31, 1835, married Jane Mathews, August 31, 1859; Harriet, born December 27, 1837, became the wife of Charles D. Johnson, February 13, 1859; and Jane, born September 17, 1842, married Marshall Duroy, March 6, 1864. His studious habits enabled Fletcher Hartshorn to quickly master all that the common schools of that day had to teach, and td this he added a course of study at Delaware and Oberlin. At an early age he left school to take charge of his father's business, and was soon brought to notice as a business manager by the success which attended his efforts. Soon his COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 127 financial abilities became well known in the commercial circles in which he moved. His energy was untiring and his integrity beyond question. His sagacity and insight led to many desirable offers of business connections, some of which he made available. He had the Midas touch—all ventures seemed to prosper under his hands. He became interested at different times in farming, grazing, fruit growing, the handling and shipping of live stock, speculating in real estate, and later in the manufacture and shipment of lime. In furtherance of the last-named enterprise, contiguous to his extensive quarries and kilns, he built the work that is known as Hartshorn's Dock. Mr. Hartshorn was a man of strong reliance, resolute character, always remarkably reticent in matters concerning himself. In such an active career he must have met with disappointments, but he made no mention of them. He was an enthusiast in outdoor sports, his dogs and gun furnishing the pastime in which he most delighted. He was a royal entertainer, and in his younger days delighted in playing the host to his bachelor friends, and later his home, until darkened by the affliction under which he suffered, was a model of hospitality. When a student at Oberlin, he was converted, united with the Congregational Church, and often acted as teacher in the Sabbath-school. He was free from narrowness and bigotry, had an open hand for all worthy objects of charity, and accepted nothing but good works as proof of good character. On December 9, 1869, Mr. Hartshorn was united in marriage with Ann Jemmetta Elwell, the eldest daughter of H. H. Elwell, a former resident of Sandusky, Ohio, now of Danbury township, Ottawa county. Two children were born of this union--Lee, born December 1o, 1872, died January 25, .1873; and F. Pierre, born June 4, 1875, still residing on the homestead. Remaining on his farm for several years, his time and en ergies were given to the development of its superior resources. While still a young man in the enjoyment of a prosperous and rapidly increasing business, Mr. Hartshorn was stricken with paralysis. The best medical advice was summoned, mineral springs sought, and every known means employed, hoping to prevent a recurrence of the dreaded malady. Few may know the deep anxiety which his case elicited from all his friends. His aged mother, who still survives him, with her superior intelligence and skill; with the accumulated experience of years, gave her loving, watchful care, striving with a mother's solicitude to lessen his sufferings. His young wife, with devotion unparalleled, was ever at his side to comfort and cheer, and to minister to his every want. But the insidious disease could not be eliminated. The attacks were repeated, and as time passed slowly but surely he was forced to yield to the blighting influence, and at length became a hopeless invalid. Through years of physical suffering, though disappointed in hopes and aspirations, his unimpaired mind was actively engaged with his business interests, which he advised and dictated with the clearness and precision of former days until a short time before the end came. Mr. Hartshorn knew his life work was well done, his loved ones abundantly provided for, and he often expressed a desire to be released from the life which was now a burden, to enter into rest—to go to his Father's house, and there in the beautiful mansion prepared for him, abide the coming of his beloved whom he was to leave for a short time. He knew his time was very brief at most—a mere fragment, as he indicated by measurement upon his wasted finger —when they might join him there. As these thoughts were presented, the light in his dimming eyes grew brighter and an expression of satisfaction and trust came to his countenance. By faith in the precious promises vouch- 128 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. safed him, he had gained a victory over death. The tardy messenger came on Sunday morning, December 22, 1889. The church bells were tolling the hour of six as the released spirit took its flight, leaving in our presence the " temple " untenanted; the seeming requiem of the bells unbroken. The wife and only living child, though bowed with sorrow inexpressible, could not ask that he might longer remain this side of the " portal." For weary years they had witnessed the ravages of relentless disease ; with tender sympathy felt his affliction—had been " sad in his sadness," and now they were " glad in his gladness " and they saw him Sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach the grave. Like one who wraps the drapery of the couch About him and lies down to peaceful dreams. The obsequies, conducted by Rev. George Peeke, pastor of the Congregational Church, were observed at the family residence on East Washington street, Sandusky, Ohio, Tuesday, December 24, at two o'clock in the afternoon. Mrs. Mary Robinson assisted by Messrs. McFall and Talcott of the Aeolian Quartette, rendered with much feeling the beautiful hymn, " Weary of Earth and Laden With my Sin." Rev. Peeke selected, for the subject of his sermon the following appropriate text, 'taken from St. Paul's Second Epistle to Timothy, second chapter and twelfth verse: "If we suffer, we shall reign with Him." After an eloquent and pathetic address on the sufferings of mankind and the reward thereof, he referred to the departed in the following touching manner: " The scope of these remarks applies to our departed friend, Fletcher Hartshorn. God called him toward suffering in order to prepare him for divine nobility. During seventeen years he has been a sufferer, and during the past nine years a sufferer confined to his home, shut in from the busy activities he so much loved. The keenness of his suffering can be somewhat estimated by considering the exceptional vital force with which he was endowed. He was a man with immense vital powers, which, had he carefully considered, might have given him an active life until four-score years, but his ambition to achieve business success, coupled with a desire to see all his affairs progress rapidly and hormoniously, made him unsparing in his application to every detail of business. Early in his business life he paid the price of his devotion by a paralytic shock. The last nine years were years of patient waiting and uncomplaining suffering. It was a signal and unusual providence that called so strong a man to so many years of trial apart from that business life with which his sympathies were entwined. None but the unseen witnesses of God's moral kingdom can know what a soul so placed could suffer. A disciplining providence placed him in the hottest fires, but it melted his dross and refined his gold. The result of this trial was an unwavering faith, a beautiful confidence in God. His frequent expression was It is all right, all right. During all his years of trial this was his unswerving attitude. To sit nine years wasting away and waiting for the end and to feel It is all right' is the very sublimity of confidence and trust. His kindness was as marked as his confidence. The tendency of suffering is to make one sensitive, acerb and impatient. None of these in our friend. His soul was serene and sweet. Conspicuous above all shone his remarkable patience. He suffered and was resigned: His royalty was apparent day by day. His patience was truely sublime. No saint ever suffered martyrdom with more apparent submission and fortitude than he. During my six years acquaintance with him, he has been to me a constant wonder. To the end he resigned in true nobility. All that suffering can do for a soul seemed to have been produced in Fletcher Hartshorn, and we devoutly COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 129 recognize the fact that he won the crown of spiritual martyrdom. Such suffering as his could only lead to humble trust in Christ. His confessions of confidence and hope were clear and explicit. Patiently he waited for the hour of deliverance, and after the fierce conflict of years he rests; Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep,. From which none ever wake to weep." The services were concluded with the singing of that beautiful hymn " Lead kindly light amid th' encircling gloom." The burial was in Oakland Cemetery. The spires of the " Silent City " were casting lengthening shadows across our pathway when we left him to his long coveted rest.--[The foregoing is from the pens of his loving and devoted wife and her mother, Mrs. H. H. Elwell.] In connection with the above sketch so ably written, there is little to add, though it might truthfully be said of the deceased that he was a man of fine education, broad and general reading, and of a genial, sunny temperament, and every citizen in Ottawa county was his warm friend. In his domestic life he was a devoted husband and father, attentive to his home duties through all his undertakings; economical, yet given to acts of kindness and deeds of charity where deserved. Always busy himself, he had no sympathy for the shiftless and idle; but to the unfortunate he was a kind and helpful friend, whose sympathy was shown in acts rather than words, and in all plans for the advancement of his community, his active co-operation could be relied upon. No biography of Mr. Hartshorn would be complete which failed to make mention of his most estimable wife and widow. Side by side for twenty years they journeyed along life's pathway together, mutually encouraging and helping—he a kind husband and indulgent father—she a faithful wife and loving mother. During his long and tedious illness, she was not only his constant attendant and faithful nurse, but also looked after his business matters, in connection with his quarry interests, and in these matters not only proved her love and devotion, but also her excellent executive ability as a thorough business woman. EDWIN C. TINNEY, one of the pioneers of Scott township, is a son of Stephen Tinney, and was born in Niagara Co., New York State, June 6, 1828. When five years old he moved with his parents to Lena-wee county, Mich., where he lived six years; thence came to Scott township, Sandusky county, where he has since lived. After the death of his father there was quite an indebtedness on the farm, but the boys remained at home and paid up the debt, during which time they added one hundred acres to the original purchase. When all was paid the four children—three boys and one girl—divided the property among them, our subject taking the eighty acres where he now lives at -Finney. On his farm is a very productive gas well, which supplies the home with fuel and light. On November 25, 1858, Mr. Tinney was married to Miss Catherine Wiggins, of Tinney, and to them were born two children: Ida May, born March 2, 1860; and Charlie, born September 21, 1862, at Tinney. Ida was educated in the district school, and the Normal at Fostoria and Fremont High School. She made a specialty of music under Prof. Menkhous, of Fremont, and for fourteen years has been a teacher of instrumental music, she finding this preferable to public-school teaching, in which she was engaged for a time. The son Charlie was educated in the Mansfield Normal and in the district schools. He was one of Sandusky county's most promising teachers, and had also acquired an enviable reputation as an 130 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. editor, his first work in that line being on the Daily Herald of Fremont; during the last years of his life he was local and managing editor of the Fremont Messenger. He died in the prime of life January 31, 1885. Mrs. Tinney, wife of our subject, was born January 22, 1837, in Scott township, Sandusky county, daughter of John and Jane (Kelly) Wiggins. She was educated in the country schools, and was for a time a teacher in Sandusky county. When she was a child her mother died, leaving her with Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Swickard, by whom she was brought up and with whom she lived until she was sixteen years of age, after which she made her home with D. S. Tinney until her marriage. Her father, John Wiggins, was one of Sandusky county's early settlers, coming hither when the country was new, and began the clearing of the forest and making a home for himself and family. He died in 1841, at an early age, his wife dying in 1844. Mrs. Tinney's parents are thought to have been born about the year 1808. ELI REEVES. A man can not hold public office without either gaining the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens, or incurring their distrust and animosity. That he can retain the same office or be elected to others equally responsible, for long terms of years is, therefore, proof that he has performed his duties in an acceptable manner, and is popular in both public and private life. The record of the subject of this sketch, who since boyhood has been a resident of Gibsonburg, Sandusky county, illustrates this argument. For twenty terms he filled the important position of township assessor; he was a notary public for eighteen years; justice of the peace from 1854 to 1860, and township clerk for six years. In all these capacities he earned the commendation of the community by his integrity of character and upright dealings, while his genial disposition has gained him many warm personal friends. Mr. Reeves was born February 7, 1819, in Burlington county, N. J., son of David and Grace (Rineer) Reeves, the former born in 1778, in Burlington county, N. J. David Reeves was married in 1807, and with his family came to Ohio in July, 1821, settling in Salem, Columbiana county. Here he worked at his trade of a carpenter until 1832, when he removed to Cleveland, Ohio, remaining one year. He then located in Madison township, Sandusky county, and was elected county surveyor, which office he filled eleven years. At the expiration of that time he removed to Fremont, and again worked at his trade for several years, when he returned to Madison township and there died in 1849; his wife survived him until 1871, dying at the advanced age of ninety years. They had a large family, thirteen children in all, of whom four are living. Eli Reeves was married September 26, 1844, to Miss Elizabeth Taylor, who was born December 2, 1824, in Belmont county, Ohio, daughter of Caleb and Sarah (Yost) Taylor, the former born October 22, 1800, in the State of Maryland, the latter on October 21, 1802, in Belmont county, Ohio. The father came to Ohio, in 181o, living in Belmont county, where, on arriving at manhood, he rented some land which he farmed until 1822. In that year he was married, and then removed to Richland county, where he lived nine years, at the end of which time he took up his residence in Madison township where he spent the rest of his days, dying in 1873. The mother is still living at the venerable age of ninety-three years, and makes her home with our subject and his wife. She was the mother of eleven children, six of whom are living. At the time of his death Mr. Taylor owned a farm of 120 acres, eighty of which he cleared. COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 131 To our subject and his wife have been born ten children, two of whom died in infancy; the others in order of birth are as follows: Lucinda, born April 28, 1845; Melissa, November 1, 1847; Miriam, September 18, 1849; R. D. , October 13, 1851; John C., April 21, 1854; Sarah A., September 17, 1860; Candis E., October 6, 1864, and Grace S., December 27, 1866. Mr. Reeves began to learn the carpenter's trade when eleven years old. In later life he bought twenty acres of land, and afterward purchased eighty acres more. He retired from active work in 1889. In politics, he is a Democrat. Popular with all classes, and interested in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community, he enjoys the respect and esteem of all. CONRAD OBERST. Prominent among the surviving pioneers of Madison township, Sandusky county, stands this well-known agriculturist, who is a native of Germany, born near the city of Louden, Baden, near the River Rhine, September 10, 1827. John Oberst, the father of our subject, was a native of Wurtemburg, Germany, and followed the trade of a wagon maker in his native country until 1832, when he crossed the Atlantic to America, the voyage occupying ninety days. He was married in Germany to Barbara Ault, and they became parents of eight children: Daniel, a farmer, who died in Indiana; John, who also followed farming, and died in that State; Conrad; George, who died and was buried in Nebraska; Maria, widow of Peter Bowman, a farmer of Jackson township, Sandusky county; Elizabeth, wife of Martin Smith, a farmer of Nebraska; Catherine, wife of Solomon Hineline, who also follows agricultural pursuits in Nebraska; and Christopher, a farmer of Indiana, who served in the Civil war, and still carries a bullet by which he was wounded at Lookout Mountain. On coming to this country, John Oberst located in Bay township, then a part of Sandusky county, but now in Ottawa county, Ohio, where he farmed 140 acres of land. He was one of the signers of the petition to separate Ottawa county. Subsequently he purchased a tract of land in Sandusky county, which he owned and operated up to the time of his death, and he also followed his trade in this country. His wife died in Ottawa county. They experienced all the hardships and inconveniences of life in such an unsettled region, and they were often obliged to go as far as Fremont to mill. Their stock of provisions, at the time of their commencing life in Ohio, consisted of one bushel of cornmeal, one-half bushel of green coffee, forty pounds of maple sugar and fourteen bushels of potatoes, but no meat whatever, and they ate many a meal from the old chest in which their wearing apparel was kept. Conrad Oberst attended the schools of Bay township, and at the tender age of twelve years began to earn his living by working on his father's farm, also cutting and hewing timber for building purposes to be used for dwelling houses, barns, bridges, etc. He continued to make his home under the paternal roof until twenty-two years of age, when he went to Erie county, and worked for one year as a farm laborer, being employed by the month. Later he came to Sandusky county, and worked by the year for his brother on the latter's farm in Madison township. After two years had passed he was married, and then operated, on shares, 160 acres of land owned by his brother, being thus engaged for several years, during which time, through industry and economy, he saved enough capital with which to purchase forty acres of wooded land in Madison township, Sandusky county. This he cleared, but not liking the location he sold out, with the intention of going to Michigan; this plan he abandon- 132 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. ed, however, and purchasing another farm in Sandusky county, set about its further improvement and development. He has erected a substantial. residence, good barns and other outbuildings, planted an orchard and made all the improvements that are found upon a model farm, and is also the owner of three oil wells, which are now operated by a Toledo oil firm. On September 16, 1853, in Madison township, Sandusky county, Mr. Oberst married Betsy Florence, who was born April 21, 1832, and is one of the twelve children of John and Lydia (Roberts) Florence. Her father, a prominent farmer of Madison township, died in 186o; her mother passed away in 1862. Mr. and Mrs. Oberst became the parents of eight children, the eldest of whom was Jennie; Robert is engaged in farming and bee culture in Jackson township, Sandusky county (he married Hattie, daughter of Peter Bauman, a farmer of Jackson township, Sandusky county); Ellen is the wife of Augustus Bowman; Frank is a contractor and builder; Lucy is engaged in school teaching; Harry is a farmer and oil pumper (he married Minnie, daughter of John Peoples, an agriculturist of Madison township, Sandusky county); Tillie is the wife of William Peters, an oil operator of Woodville township, Sandusky county; John M., who is a farmer and oil operator, married Minnie, daughter of Casper Dausey, an oil speculator of Rollersville, Ohio. Mr. Oberst was for many years elected trustee of Madison township, of which he was treasurer some eight years, and during the Civil war he had at one time over $2,000 in his log cabin belonging to the township. He was also elected constable, filling that position for a long period, including the trying times between 1861 and 1865. He also did police duty, and his service often equaled in danger and hardships that of the " boys in blue " at the front. He would have gone to the war had it been possible, but there would have been no one left to care for his wife and children; so he discharged his duties to his family by remaining at home, and to his country by helping to send substitutes for those drafted, until he paid $175. He has held the office of school director, was clerk of school District No. 9 for a number of years, is still serving as director and is one of the most earnest and efficient advocates of the cause of education in this locality, doing all in his power to advance the standard of 'the schools and secure capable teachers. While serving as trustee he did much for the improvement of the township in the way of making roads. His duties of citizenship have ever been faithfully performed, and his irreproachable service in office won him the confidence and respect of all. For some years he has been a member of the band of Rollersville, playing the tuba. His success in life has been secured through his own enterprising and well-directed efforts, and industry and energy are numbered among his chief characteristics. In politics he is a Democrat, and he and his family attend the Disciple Church. He and his estimable wife are now enjoying the fruits of their former toil, and the high regard of many warm friends who respect them for their genuine worth. M. D. WELLER, attorney at law, Fremont, Sandusky county. It is generally admitted that rural pursuits and rural scenes are most conducive to health, happiness and contentment, which city life and the mere accumulation of wealth can never impart. As a professional gentleman who enjoyed these favorable environments in his younger days, and who appreciates their salutary influence on him in later life, we present the subject of this sketch. Mr. Weller was born in Thompson township, Seneca county, Ohio, May 9, COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 133 1860, a son of John and Christena (Orner) Weller. The father of our subject was born in Freeburg, Snyder Co., Penn., March 18, 1821, a son Isaac and Elizabeth Weller, well-to-do farmers of that county, and who died there. John Weller came from Pennsylvania to Ohio when a young man, and worked as a farm hand about a year at Osceola, Crawford Co., Ohio; then four years on the model farm of George Close, north of Bellevue, Ohio; then six years for Daniel Close, one of the substantial farmers of Seneca county; then one year for his next neighbor, Edward Kern, taking good care of his earnings and investing them in real estate. He first bought and moved upon a farm of eighty acres, which in the pioneer days constituted a part of what was known as the Henry Miller farm, on the Kilburn road, northwest of West Lodi. This he sold a few years later, and then bought the John Payne farm, in Adams township, which he likewise sold. He afterward bought and sold other landed property, until he now owns about 500 acres, some of which is valued at $125 per acre. Mr. Weller was self-reliant, never had a dollar given him, but accumulated all his property by hard work, economy and prudent investments. In all his deals he never gave a mortgage in his life. His school education was limited to three months, in Pennsylvania, but he snatched many spare moments from his daily toil for self-instruction in the common branches of an English education. In 1851, he married Miss Christena Orner, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Keller) Orner, of Adams township, Seneca Co., Ohio, and their children were: Henry J., attorney at law, in the firm of McCauley & Weller, Tiffin, Ohio; Amanda, wife of John Dornbach, a farmer of Adams township, Seneca county; M. D., our subject; Laura, wife of Louis Breyman, a railroad man, of Republic, Ohio; Dexter B., a farmer, living with his parents; Andrew J., a farmer, living on one of the old homesteads; Emma C., at home; one that died in infancy; B. Jay, also at home. Our subject grew up on his father's farm where he learned valuable lessons in practical agriculture, and from which he attended a country school near by. He made such rapid progress in his studies that at the age of seventeen he was able to teach a country school with good success. After spending one whole year in attendance at the Bellevue Union schools, he resumed teaching winter schools and working on a farm during the summer seasons; by the age of twenty-two he had taught seven terms of school in the vicinity of his home, his last term being at Flat Rock, Ohio. Mr. Weller began the study of law in April, 1883, with Smith & Kinney, Fremont, Ohio, was admitted to the bar December 1, 1885, and has been in the legal practice at Fremont and vicinity ever since. From August, 1887, to August, 1891, he was in the firm of Weller & Butman, in fire and life insurance. In 1884 he was chosen secretary of the Sandusky County Agricultural Society, and held that office four years with credit to himself and profit to the society. He is at present a member of Croghan Lodge No. 77, I. 0. 0. F., and of Brainard Lodge, and Fremont Chapter, F. & A. M. , also of the Knights of Pythias, Clyde, Ohio, and last, but not least, of the Fremont German Aid Society. Mr. Weller was married January 30, 1889, to Miss Carrie Smith, daughter of S. H. Smith, grain and lumber merchant, of Green Spring, Ohio. Her mother's name was Van Sickle. Both of her parents came from New Jersey. She was reared at Green Spring, attended the Union schools of that village and then the academy, from which she was the first graduate, and had the honor of receiving her diploma from the hands of ex-President R. B. Hayes, chairman of the board of trustees of that institution. She afterwards taught school in Seneca county, and later took a course in painting in an 134 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. art school at Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to his law practice, Mr. Weller is at present engaged in a general loan and real-estate business. He is the owner of landed property in the oil and gas region, Wood county, where he has several oil wells in operation. In politics he is a Democrat; his wife is a member of the Presbyterian Church. CHRISTOPHER STREETER is one of the best known old pioneers of Green Creek township, Sandusky county. He was born in Heath, Franklin Co., Mass., April 9, 1815, son of David and Sylva (Roach) Streeter, the former of whom was a native of the same county, and a farmer by occupation. He was a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, where he died at the age of seventy years; the mother died when about sixty years of age. The family is one of old New England stock. Our subject broke away from the ancestral ties in his young manhood at the age of twenty-two years, and sought a home in the then distant West. In 1837 he disposed of his interest in the homestead, and in the fall of the same year came to Ohio by means that now seem insufferably tedious and slow. He settled on a farm in York township, Sandusky county, which he opened up, erecting a small dwelling. On December 3, 1835, he had married Miss Louisa Kennedy, and to them were born four children: Edward, born in Heath, Mass., June 25, 1837; Albert, born September 29, 1839; and Alonzo and Lorenzo, born June 25, 1842, the latter of whom died September 3o, 185 1 ; the mother passed from earth December 26, 1851. Thus within the space of three short months Mr. Streeter lost a dear child, and the partner of his youth, who died with the confident hope of Heaven and a bright place on the Resurrection morn. Edward, the eldest son, is married, and had five children—Lydia, Charles, Ira, Louisa and Levi—of whom Louisa died while young. Albert, the second son, married and had four children—Minnie, George, Alice and Mabel—the last named dying young. Alonzo married, and had seven children—Waller, Roly, Elmer, Clarence, Abbie, Nora and Lena, of whom Abbie died young. On February 2, 1853, our subject married his present wife, Henrietta Clark. Mr. Streeter in politics has been a Whig and a Republican, and cast his first Presidential vote for William H. Harrison. In religious faith he has been a prominent member of the Advent Church. He has been an eminently successful farmer, and accumulated 300 acres of well-improved land. This farm he divided among his three son----one hundred acres each—and there they reside with their families. In 1882 Mr. Streeter erected a fine brick residence in Clyde, where he now lives a retired life, with the respect and esteem of the entire community in which he dwells. DAVID A. C. SHERRARD. This prosperous farmer of Sandusky county, Ohio, near Fremont, was born January 10, 1820, at Rush Run, Jefferson Co., Ohio, a son of Robert Andrew and Mary (Kithcart) Sherrard. Robert Andrew Sherrard is a descendant of Huguenot ancestors who, having been driven out of the north of France, fled to the Lowlands of Scotland and afterward removed to Ireland. A coat of arms, and a pedigree in tabular form, were in existence in 1872, tracing the lineage of the Sherrard family back to Robert, whose father emigrated with the Duke of Normandy. There were two brothers, Hugh and William Sherrard, whose father came over from Scotland about 1710, and settled in Limavady, County Londonderry, Ireland. Here Hugh and William were born, and when the former arrived at manhood he married and settled across the Bann Water, near Coleraine. He COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 135 had a son, Hugh Sherrard, who emigrated to America in 1770, and settled on Miller's run, in Washington county, Pennsylvania. William Sherrard, from whom are descended the Sherrard families in Sandusky county, Ohio, was born in 1720 in Limavady, where he carried on the business of farming and linen weaving. He died wealthy in 1781. In 1750 he married Margaret Johnston, by whom he had five children—John, Elizabeth, Margaret, James and Mary. John Sherrard was born about 1750, immigrated to America in 1772, and on May 5, 1784, married Mary Cathcart, by whom he had children as follows: William J., David Alexander, John James, Robert Andrew, Ann and Thomas G. The last named was one of the pioneers of Sandusky county, and was found dead in Sandusky river April 21, 1824, supposed to have been murdered by parties who had rented his brother John's sugar camp, of which he was manager at the time. John Sherrard was with Col. Crawford's expedition against the Indians at Upper Sandusky, during which he had many narrow escapes. Robert Andrew Sherrard was born May 4, 1789, and married Mary Kithcart, by whom he had five children: Mary Ann, Joseph K., David A. C., Elizabeth and Robert. For his second wife Robert A. Sherrard married Miss Jane Hindman, by whom he had seven children: Nancy, who for the past twenty-one years has been principal of the Female Seminary of Washington, Penn. ; J. H., a Presbyterian minister at Rockville, Ind. ; June; Susan; Sarah, deceased; William, deceased; and Thomas J., who is also a Presbyterian minister, now preaching in Chambersburg, Penn. During the winter of 1894-95 three of the sons of Robert A. Sherrard paid a visit to Europe, visiting, among other places, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France and Italy, in which latter country they trod the streets of old - 9 - Rome; thence they journeyed to Egypt and Palestine; near Limavady, Ireland, they found some of their cousins living. Robert Andrew Sherrard was the author of a genealogy of the Sherrard family of Steubenville, which was edited by his son, Thomas Johnston Sherrard, in 1890. David A. C. Sherrard, our subject, grew to manhood on his father's farm, two miles southwest of Steubenville, Ohio. On June 1, 1844, he came to Sandusky county on horseback, and immediately began to improve the forest land which he had bought of his father. For about three weeks he made his home in a hewed-log house which he had rented of his uncle Thomas, and which was said to be the first hewed-log house erected in Ballville township, having been put up in 1823. He then returned to Jefferson county, and, on the 4th of September following, set out from there with his wife and seven-weeks-old child, in a covered two-horse wagon, arriving at Lower Sandusky September 12. He finished clearing up nine acres, fenced it, plowed it and sowed it to wheat, and then commenced the struggle of clearing up a home in the Black Swamp. His timber was chopped into cordwood, and sold in Lower Sandusky. In October, 1851, Mr. Sherrard took the job of clearing off the timber on Sections 24, 2,5, 26 and half of 27, for the T., N. & C. railroad (now the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern), and graded half a mile of the road-bed east and west of Little Mud creek. In May and June, 1852, he furnished and delivered timber for bridges over the Muskalounge and over Little Mud creek, and hauled and delivered timber for Big Mud creek and Nine-Mile creek bridges. On September 20, 1852, he left home with men, teams and tools for Hardin county, Ohio, where he had a contract on the Pittsburgh & Fort Wayne railroad, spending thirteen months at grading Sections 43 and 45 of that road. In August, 1853, he contracted to clear and grade Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the 136 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. Fremont & Indiana railroad (now the Lake Erie & Western); he also sent part of his men and teams to work upon the Pittsburg & Fort Wayne railroad, grading the road-bed. In the summer of 1854 the finances of the Lake Erie & Western Company failed, and the work stopped. In March and April, 1854, he bought wild land in various places, at second hand, giving as part pay some horses and oxen which he had been using on public works; he bought forty acres in Barry county, Mich., 320 acres in Ottawa county, Ohio, and eighty acres in Sandusky county, Ohio. These lands he kept from ten to twenty years, and sold them at a profit. In January, 1858, he bought of his father, R. A. Sherrard, the east half of the northwest quarter of Section 5, Ballville township, which is now half of his home farm. He dealt in real estate in Kansas, and in Putnam and Fulton counties, Ohio, and he and his son, J. F. Sherrard, bought a farm in the oil and gas region west of Fremont, which they have leased to the Carbon Company of Fremont for a term of years. Mr. Sherrard was the first man to ship lime in barrels from Fremont, Ohio, to the glass works at Wheeling, W. Va., in 1864, and he continued this for eighteen years, also shipping largely to other points for the manufacture of glass and paper, and for plastering purposes. During the Civil war Mr. Sherrard bought horses for the Ohio cavalry. Since 1875 he has rented his farms and bought up live stock, cows and sheep for Eastern men, who sold them principally in New Jersey. He has now 125 acres under cultivation on each of his two farms. In 1891 he bought a farm of 190 acres in Alabama, ten miles north of Huntsville, on which his two daughters, with their husbands and families, reside. This land is very productive, yielding large crops of clover, corn, wheat, oats and garden vegetables. In politics Mr. Sherrard has acted with the Whig and Republican parties. On July 4, 1843, our subject married Catharine M. Welday, by whom he had three children —Laura A., Keziah W. and Elizabeth C. The mother of these died September 29, 1847, and on February 24, 1848, he wedded Narcissa T. Grant, by whom he had children, as follows: Harriet B., Robert W., John F., Emma V., Mary J., Rose T., and Ida M. Of this large family, Laura A. married Benjamin Mooney, and their children are Lottie S., Emma, Mary A. and Nettie. Keziah W. married Homer Overmyer, and their daughter, Dora, is the wife of Clifton Hunn. Elizabeth C. married J. S. Brust, and they have a daughter—Ida. Harriet B. married Charles E. Tindall, and died September 16, 1873; they had a daughter, Hattie, who married William, son of A. J. Wolfe, a farmer west of Fremont, Ohio. Robert W. is fully mentioned farther on. John F. married Jennie E. Bowlus, by whom he had five children—Harry, Ida, Robert, Zelpha and Don. Emma V. married Josiah Smith, and to them were born the following named children: Milan, Robert, Jesse, Howard, Orie, Lulu and Granville. Mary J. married David W. Cookson, and they have a son—Clarence. Rose T. married John R. Tindall, and they have had three children—Mabel, Louis and Etta. Ida M. is the wife of J. U. Bodenman, a druggist, of St. Louis. ROBERT W. SHERRARD, of the firm of Plagman & Sherrard, dealers in groceries, provisions and queensware, East State street, Fremont, Sandusky county, was born December 21, 1849, in Ballville township, Sandusky county, Ohio, a son of D. A. C. Sherrard. Our subject grew to manhood on a farm in the vicinity of Fremont, and attended the country and city schools. He remained with his parents until he was twenty-one years of age, and while yet in his " teens " began to alternate each year COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 137 between teaching country school in the winter season and farming the rest of the time. In the spring of 1872 he attended the State Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio, and in the fall of the same year and the spring of the next he attended the Seneca County Academy at Republic, Ohio, then in charge of Prof. J. Fraise Richards. He then taught four more terms of winter school, alternating with farming. In 1885 he bought out the interest of John Ulsh, in the firm of Plagman & Ulsh, grocers, and has since continued in the same place with his brother-in-law, C. H. Plagman. By enterprise, fair dealing and good management this firm have built up a prosperous trade. Our subject is a Republican in politics, and has held various local offices. He and Mrs. Sherrard are members of the Presbyterian Church, and socially he belongs to McPherson Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., to the Order of the Red Cross and the Equitable Aid Union. Robert W. Sherrard married, on May 18, 1875, Miss Clara A. Karshner, who was born November 23, 1855, daughter of Daniel and Lydia (Robinson) Karshner, of Riley township, Sandusky Co., Ohio. Daniel Karshner, born September 9, 1822, was a son of John and Christena (Drum) Karshner, both of whom died at an advanced age in Riley township. The children of Daniel Karshner were: Frank, who married Louisa Niester; Charles, who died in childhood; Alfred L., unmarried; Clara A. , wife of Robert W. Sherrard; Ella L., who died when aged seven; Sarah L., wife of H. C. Plagman; Anna N., wife of John N. Smith; Edwin U., who married Mary Bardus; and Willis C., who died at the age of fifteen. Mrs. Clara A. (Karshner) Sherrard grew to womanhood in Riley township, attended the country schools and the Fremont High School, and taught three terms of school in the vicinity of her home in Riley and Sandusky townships. She now presides over a neat family residence on East State street, honored by its historic connection with Gen. Bell, one of the earliest pioneers of Lower Sandusky. The children of Robert W. and Clara A. Sherrard are Blanche Mae, born March 1o, 1876, and Zella Gertrude, born January 18, 1884; the former is a graduate of the Fremont High School, and the latter is a student of the same. SALES A. JUNE was born in Tompkins county, N. Y., August 2, 1829, son of Peter June. In 1833 he came with his father's family to Ohio, locating in Sandusky city, where he remained until 1849, when, at the age of twenty years, he went to Cleveland to learn the trade of machinist. During the period from 1849 to 1856 Mr. June alternated between sailing on the lakes as an engineer in the summer time, and working in the Cuyahoga shops in the winter time. About the year 1857 he went to Brantford, Canada, where he became connected with sawmilling, and took a contract for furnishing lumber for a branch of the Grand Trunk railroad. He had a partner in the business, and the enterprise was successful, they furnishing lumber for the western end of the Buffalo & Lake Erie, then known as the Buffalo & Lake Huron Branch, Grand Trunk railroad. Mr. June next took a contract to build a plank road into the oil regions of Canada, at Ennisskillen, which he completed just before the Civil war broke out in the United States. He then returned to Cleveland, Ohio. In 1862 he went to Buffalo and assisted in building and finishing out the United States steamer " Commodore Perry," and became engaged as an engineer on the vessel, in the employ of the United States Government, continuing thus until the latter part of 1865. After this he superintended the building of a propellor for the Fremont Steam Navigation Com- 138 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. pany, and ran her on the lakes until about 1867, at which time he started a boiler works in Fremont, Ohio. After operating these works about eight years he sold out to D. June & Co., remaining in the employ of said company, and being a partner in the same until 1890. In the year 1891 he received an appointment from the United States Lighthouse Board at Washington, D. C., to go to Cleveland, Ohio, and superintend the building of engines and boilers of two lighthouse boats, the " Columbia " and the " Lilac;" the latter boat is now on the coast of Maine, and the former on the coast of Oregon. In the fall of 1892 Mr. June returned to Fremont and engaged in the manufacture of the boiler-scale solvent, which has been introduced into all the leading boiler shops of Ohio, and is presumed to be a great success. Sales A. June was married to Miss Jane J. Campbell, who was born in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, December 29, 1827, daughter of John N. and Jane (Quiggin) Campbell, and three children were born to them, of whom (I) Adelaide J., born May I so, 1857, was married in 1880 to William Waugh, a Scotchman, who is a wholesale fur dealer at Montreal, P. Q. ; their children are Florence, Oliver S., Marion and William. (2) Peter J. June, born September 6, 1858, grew to manhood and received his education in Fremont, where he learned the trade of mechanical engineer in the shops of D. June & Co. , subsequently going to Cleveland, where he worked in the Cuyahoga shops and for the Globe Shipbuilding Co. several years. After this he followed steamboating, as engineer, on the lakes from 1878 until 1892, during the summer seasons, for several lines, running the " Conestoga," " Gordon Campbell," and " Lehigh," of the Anchor Line; the " Wocoken," " Egyptian " and " Cormorant,"of the Winslow Fleet; the " Northern Light," of the Northern Steamship Co., and the " City of Toledo," of the Toledo & Island Steam Navigation Co. In the season of 1890 he had charge of the McKinnon Iron Works at Ashtabula, Ohio. He is now a partner in the Fremont Boiler-Scale Solvent Co., Fremont, Ohio. Mr. June was married at Tyler, Texas, to Miss Jennie, daughter of J. C. and Agnes (Boyd) Jones, who were from Beaver county, Penn., and of Welsh descent. They have one child, Robert F. , born October 24, 1887. (3) Elmer Ellsworth, youngest in the family of Sales A. June, was born in 1861, and died when nine months old. In politics Sales A. June and his son are Republicans. They are members of the Masonic Fraternity, the former having attained the seventh and the latter the third degree. GEORGE JUNE, retired farmer and horse dealer, Fremont, Sandusky county, was born in the town of Dryden, Tompkins Co., N. Y., December 26, 1822, son of Peter June. He came with his father's family, in 1833, to Sandusky city, where he attended school a few terms, as he could be spared from work. At the age of fifteen George June left home to work on his own account, going with his brother Daniel to serve as teamster, in the construction of mason work in Maumee (Lucas county) and vicinity, and helped build the first poor house in Lucas county. In 1838 he went south to Springfield, Cincinnati and other cities in quest of work. He drove a stage for the Ohio Stage Company, on the National road, about eleven years, and also drove stage for some time at Bellefontaine, his wages being usually about $14 per month and board. After this he went to Cincinnati, and engaged first as a common hand to assist a stock company in shipping live stock down the Mississippi river; but his natural tact and his long experience in handling horses soon caused him to be put COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 139 in charge of large consignments of horses on vessels, as foreman. For about ten years he went south in the fall, and returned in the spring. Having accumulated some money, he invested it in a large farm in Sandusky county, whereon he afterward settled. During the Civil war Mr. June furnished cavalry horses for the Ohio troops, at the rate of nearly 2,000 per year. He shipped the first carload of horses that ever was shipped from Fremont to Boston, and has shipped many a carload since. By his long and active out-door life, and his temperate habits, he has retained robust health in a green old age. JOHN GEIGER, farmer, of Fremont, Sandusky county, was born in Baden, Germany, March 12, 1819, a son of John and Josephine (Cramer) Geiger. His father was born in the same place, and was by occupation a glass-cutter and window-grainer. He died at the age of forty-eight years. His widow came to America, and died at the advanced age of ninety years, in Reed township, Huron Co., Ohio. Their children were: Lawrence, who died at the age of forty-eight years in Shannon township (he was a farmer and wagon-maker by trade); Rosa, who married a Mr. Nesser, and died in Huron county; Mary Ann, a widow, living in Huron county; Frances, who died young in Germany; John, the subject of this sketch, and Rudolph, who lives in Sherman township, Huron county. Our subject worked by the month and by the year until he came to America, and continued thus for some time after coming here. On March 14, 1840, he landed in New York City after a voyage of forty-eight days, and shortly after came to Huron county, Ohio, where he settled. He borrowed $8.00 in Buffalo from an old schoolmate with which to come to Ohio, where he worked for $8 per month at harvesting. After working for a while on a farm he commenced wagon-making, but in about two weeks he was taken sick with a fever which did not leave him until cold weather—in fact, it was the ague. He left Huron county to get rid of it, coming to Fremont in the fall of 1840, and remaining in the region of the Black Swamp about three months, after which he went to where Toledo now is, but failing to get any business he returned to Bellevue. When he left Huron county he owed a doctor bill, to pay which he had to sell his clothes. He had had the ague every other day, and the rest of the time was employed driving a team, but he only received two dollars of his wages in money, the rest in trade to the amount of six dollars. In the latter part of February he had a falling out with his employer, and would not stay with him over night. He concluded to go away ten or twelve miles, to Greenfield township, and on the way he went through a wilderness and found himself on a prairie. Here he fell into a ditch where the water was up to his waist, but he managed to get out, and proceeding on his way fell into another ditch in trying to jump it, this time losing his bundle of goods. He now was soaking wet, but he had saved his money. He went on until he saw a light, which he followed. The light went out, but he found a house, and when the door opened he dodged in without invitation among a Yankee family, with whom he could not talk a word of English. He was not slow, however, in making his wants known by gestures, at which the Germans are so apt, and was at once provided for; but he shoot with the ague, which was worse than the wet. He got to Greenfield township, and then started for Huron. On the way he took a chill, and lay down till it was over. On reaching Huron he got on a boat, but he was too sick to sit up, so he lay down in a bunk and waited till the boat should get ready to go, saying to himself, Let the boat go where it will," 140 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. and fell asleep. The boat started, and on the voyage he got seasick, but the ague left him, and the next morning he was in Cleveland, where he found work. When he was getting off the boat they stopped him to get his passage money. He said, " No monish." He got a kind Dutchman to help him out, whom he paid later. Subsequently going to Buffalo, he was employed there as a hostler, earning $25. He then took passage to Canada, where wages were good, and worked there two years for a Dutchman at twelve dollars per month. His employer was a kind man, and paid him $200 in good money. After working for others and earning some more money Mr. Geiger returned to Huron county, Ohio, and bought forty acres of land in Sherman township. Here at Milan he started a brick-yard, and continued to run it about six years. He hauled lumber sixteen miles with one horse to build his house, paying out every dollar he had for it, and gave a chattel mortgage for a barrel of flour. He sold these forty-two acres and bought seventy-two acres between Norwalk and Milan, which he fitted up for a home, and afterward traded it off for one hundred acres in Sherman township, upon which he moved and went to farming during the Civil war. He was drafted on the first draft, and hired a substitute, but he was loyal to the Government. From Sherman township he moved to Peru township, where he was again drafted, and here he put in a substitute for three years, or during the war. When he was to be drafted a third time he was exempted by this last substitute. In Peru he cleared up a farm of 160 acres. Mr. Geiger is a Republican and a Catholic. On June 11, 1847, John Geiger married Miss Catharine Grabner, who was born January 3o, 1823, in Bavaria, and the children born to this union were: John J. ; Laura, who married Louis Bours and had children as follows—Fannie, Metz, Alpha, Arthur and two others; Mary, who married Albert Smith and had children—Rosa, Alta, Charles and Frank; Frank, who married Mary Hipple, and had six children, and Mathias, who married Ann Bitzer, and whose children were Herod, Alice, Theresa, and Ada May. Mr. Geiger moved to his present residence May 8, 1891. Mrs. Geiger was a daughter of Lawrence and Katharine (Ohl) Grabner, who landed in America after a passage of eight weeks on the ocean, and settled in Huron county, Ohio, in 1839. Mr. Grabner died at fifty-three years of age. His children were: Mary, who married John Suter; Margaret, who married Casper Kirgner; Catharine, now Mrs. Geiger; John, who married Rebecca Bigler (now deceased), and Peter, who is also deceased. JOHN B. LOVELAND, of Fremont, Sandusky county, was born February 20, 1 8 27, in New Haven township, Huron Co., Ohio, of English descent, his great ancestor having settled in the Connecticut Valley in the year 1635. At the age of nineteen Mr. Loveland left his father's home and farm for Oberlin College, which was then a manual labor institution, and here for four years he paid his way with manual labor during term time, and by teaching district schools during the winter vacations. In 1854 he took a position as teacher in the Fremont Union Schools, which he held for ten years with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. He next served as superintendent of schools at Bellevue, Green Spring and Woodville, adjoining towns in the same county, and during his connection with these schools he was a member of the Sandusky County Board of school examiners, faithfully discharging the duties of his office for the term of fourteen years. He was also an officer of the Sandusky County Teachers' Institute some twenty-five years. Having found leisure time for the study of law, Mr. COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 141 Loveland was admitted to the bar March 20, 1876, by the district court at Fremont, but he does not make the practice of law a specialty, preferring the retirement of his farm just outside the city limits. He is the author of " The Loveland Genealogy," in three large octavo volumes, published in 1892-95. Mr. Loveland is a stanch Republican, and believes that the mission of the Republican party is not yet ended. He cast his first vote in 1848 for the nominee of the Free-Soil party, in 1852 voted for John P. Hale, candidate of the new party, in 1856 for John C. Fremont, and in 1860 for Abraham Lincoln. From first to last he was opposed to slavery. He is a decided advocate of temperance and prohibition, uses no tobacco, and despises the use of alcohol in all its forms as a beverage. He believes the use of the one is the stepping-stone to the use of the other. John B. Loveland was married at New Haven, Huron Co., Ohio, August 22, 1850, to Miss Martha Jane, daughter of Nicholas and Delilah (Hunsicker) Watts. She was born in Owasco, N. Y., March 3, 1831, and died. at Fremont, February 27, 1883, the mother of children as follows: Martha Amelia, born July 31, 1851, died August 22, 1851; Nicholas Eugene, born November 2o, 1852; and John Elmer, born December 22, I 862. On April 22, 1884, John B. Loveland,for his second wife, married, at Fremont, Mrs. Harriet Newell Paxson, nee Loveland, who was born at Waterville, Penn., February 17, i 838. At the age of sixteen our subject united with the Free-Will Baptist Church in New Haven, and he and Mrs. Loveland are now members of the M. E. Church at Fremont. N. E. LOVELAND, farmer, of Green Spring, Ohio, was born in Greenfield township, Huron county, November 20, 1852, and spent his early life on his father's farm at Fremont. In 1872 he graduated from the Fremont High School, after which he served as superintendent of the Port Clinton and Woodville schools. He studied law with the firm of Everett & Fowler, Fremont, and was admitted to the bar by the district court, March 20, 1876, subsequently practicing his profession at Columbus Grove and at Fremont, but he has now retired to his farm. He is a strong advocate of temperance, and in politics is a Republican. On November 16, 1876, he married Miss Annie Parker, of Green Spring, who was born there July 24, 1857. They are both members of the Seventh-Day Advent Church. The names and dates of birth of their children are Bertha Eugenie, December 15, 1877; Grace Eola, April 25, 1883; Roy Dana, April 2, 1886; Daisy Melita, June 3, 1889; and Ernest Eugene, October 20, 1892. J. ELMER LOVELAND, an emyloye in the Carbon Works, was born at Fremont, December 22, 1862, and received his education in the Fremont city schools. His present residence is on a lot of land adjoining that of his father. On October 29, 1882, he was married, at Clyde, Ohio, to Miss Anna Murphy, who was born in New York city September 1, 1864, daughter of Michael and Nora (Dillon) Murphy, and their children are: Martha Hazel, born April 22, 1884; Herman, born September 26, 1887; and John Talcott, born July 22, 1892. JOHN F. GOTTRON, proprietor of stone quarry, and dealer in building stone, lime, etc., at Fremont, Sandusky county, is a native of same, having been born there July 21, 1855, a son of Philip and Clara (Fertig) Gottron. Philip Gottron was born September 12, 1812, in Mumbach, Germany, where he grew to manhood, and was engaged in the lime and the roofing-tile business until he emigrated to America. He was mayor of Mumbach, and at different times held other public offices, serving as a member of the city council. In 1854 he came to America, locating in Fremont, 142 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. Ohio, where he conducted a hotel for some years and a brick-yard. About the year 1862-63 he did the first extensive business in lime in Fremont. He bought a part of the extensive quarries now owned by his sons, and carried on a profitable trade, retiring from business in 1878; he died in 1881. He was a Democrat in politics, and a Roman Catholic in religious faith. His wife was also born in Mumbach, Germany, where they were married, and she came with him to America, dying April 26, 1871. They had eleven children (two of whom were born in America), as follows: Margaret, wife of George Engler, of the firm of Engler, Baker & Co., stock and grain buyers, Fremont, Ohio; Clara, widow of Philip Setzler; Herman, who died at the age of thirty-four; Frank, who is foreman of the kilns in connection with his brothers' business at Fremont, Ohio; Anna, widow of Andrew Hodes; Anthony N., keeper of a restaurant at Fremont, Ohio; Rosa, wife of S. Geier, of Cleveland, Ohio; Barbara, wife of W. G. Andrews; of Cleveland, Ohio; Adam, who is a partner with his brother John F. in the stone quarry, of Fremont, Ohio; John F. ; and Philip, who married Miss Ellen Hidber, and lives at Fremont, Ohio. John F. Gottron was reared in Fremont, where he attended both parochial and public schools, and assisted his father in business. At the age of thirteen he was taken out of school to do work in lime-kilns, continuing thus until he was twenty, when he went to Cleveland, Ohio, and worked a year and a half on Broadway and Central avenue, for a brother-in-law, after which, in 1877, he returned to Fremont, where he has been engaged in the lime business ever since. When the Gottron Brothers started in this business, our subject had only $20 and his brother $100. In 1890 they bought out all competitors, and now have full control of the business. They furnish foundation stones for buildings and bridges, employing twenty-five men in the summer season in the quarries, and ship lime to various parts of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania and New York. On October 3, 1882, John F. Gottron married Miss Bertha Andrews, who was born June 13, 1859; she received a part of her education in a convent in Germany. Her parents were Christopher and Mary (Fertig) Andrews, the father born in North Germany January 8, 1828, and the mother June 11, 1824, in Bensheim. They both came to America in childhood. He died March 27, 1878; she is living with her daughter at Fremont, Ohio. Their children were: William G., who married Barbara Gottron, and is in the milling business at Cleveland, Ohio, being vice-president and one of the principal stockholders in the Broadway Mills Co., of which he was one of the organizers; T. M., living at Cleveland; Catharine, wife of A. N. Gottron, of Fremont, Ohio; and Bertha, wife of our subject. After marriage Mr. Gottron moved to his home in the Fourth ward of Fremont, and during the second year thereafter was elected to the city council, of which he was president from 1885 to 1889, and served as clerk for four years following. In 1894 Mr. Gottron completed' one of the most beautiful homes in the city at the corner of Birchard avenue and Monroe street, where he now resides. He is a member of the Roman Catholic Church, the Catholic Knights of Ohio, the Order of Elks and of the German Aid Society. Mr. and Mrs. Gottron have two children; Mabelle and John F., Jr. MERLIN BABCOCK, one of the substantial and popular farmers of York township, Sandusky county, comes of pioneer stock. He was born in Ontario county, New York, June 27, 1819, son of Elisha and Prudence (Hinkley) Babcock, both natives COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 143 of Stevens township, Rensselaer Co., New York. Elisha Babcock was born in 1783, of remote Holland ancestry, but he himself always used to insist that he was a Yankee. He was a Whig in politics. In 1823 he migrated by team with his family from New York to Green Creek township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, where he purchased government land, and was among the earliest settlers, the family living for a few weeks in an old sugar shanty while a cabin was being erected. The parents went to their long rest many years later, after they had converted the wilderness into a fruitful farm. To Elisha and Prudence Babcock were born five children, as follows: Laura, who first married P. C. Chapel, and for her second husband wedded J. C. Coleman, a grocer of Fremont, where she died; Esther, who married George Waldorf, of Allegany county, N. Y., and died there; Clark, who married Ann Lee, and was a farmer of Porter county, Ind. ; Hiram, who married Mary Ann Lay, and after her decease wedded Josephine Woodruff; and who died in Green Creek township, in 1886, leaving seven children; Merlin, the youngest child, is the only survivor of the family. Merlin Babcock was but four years of age when he migrated with his parents to Sandusky county, He remained on the old homestead in Green Creek township until he was twenty-seven years old, in his youth attending school in winter about three months, and in summer two months. For his first wife he married Almira Dirlam, a native of Massachusetts. She died in 1846, leaving three children: Sarah, wife of John J. Craig, of Coffey county, Kans. ; Callie B., who married G. M. Kinney, by whom she had one child, Merlin, and who now keeps house for her father; and Frank, a resident of Gibson-burg, who has five children—Burton, Edith, Amy, Chauncey and Jesse. After the death of his first wife Mr. Babcock left his father's homestead and moved to his present farm in York township. Here he married Agnes E. Donaldson, by whom he had one child, John C., now a resident of Nevada. He engaged in general farming for a time, then removed to Wadsworth, Nevada, and there engaged in the hotel business. After his wife died in the western home he returned to Sandusky county, and has since resided on his farm in York township. In politics Mr. Babcock has been a Henry Clay Whig. He cast his first vote for W. H. H. Harrison, and also voted for his grandson, Benjamin Harrison, for President. Mr. Babcock remembers hearing Gen. Harrison make a speech at Old Fort Meigs in 184o. He remembers, too, with vividness, the remarkable change that has come upon the face of the country during the past fifty years, and among other things the three old mills on Coon creek, near Clyde, that ran several months each year, that stream then being filled from bank to bank, in striking contrast to the present attenuated flow of water. He served York township for nineteen years as assessor, and has filled various other local offices. Mr. Babcock is an upright citizen, and is without an enemy. At his old home in York township he enjoys the serenity and comfort which should crown a life so well spent as his has been, and he commands the highest respect and esteem of a wide cir- cle of friends and acquaintances. A. J. HALE, station agent of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad, Fremont, was born in Steuben county, N. Y., May 25, 1828, son of Samuel and Sarah Hale. Samuel Hale was born in Massachusetts, and his wife in Connecticut, whence she early removed to western New York, and there grew to womanhood. They were married at Albany. He was first a lumber dealer in various sections of the State of New York, and later a general merchant, 144 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. doing business at Tyrone, Steuben county. He died in 1842, at the age of fifty-seven years, and she died at Lake Geneva, in 1857, at the age of sixty-three, a member of the Baptist Church. Ten children were born to them, nine of whom grew to maturity. A. J. Hale was reared in Steuben county, N. Y., and attended the public schools until thirteen years of age. He then served as clerk in a store, in New York State, for two years when, in 1842, he came to Bellevue, Ohio, and was there actively engaged in business until 1852, when he removed to Fremont, becoming agent for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad, in 1857, which position he filled until 1861. At the outbreak of the Civil war, in 1861, he helped to raise the first company of three-year men in Fremont, and entered the service as second lieutenant of Company E, Twenty-fifth 0. V. I. After serving with the company a short time at Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio, he was appointed and commissioned quartermaster of the Twenty-fifth 0. V. I., under Gov. Tod, at the suggestion of Gen. R. B. Hayes. Mr. Hale had not sought the position, but was chosen on account of his fitness for the place. His regiment was assigned to duty with the army of Western Virginia and he became senior regimental and post quartermaster, in October, 1863, resigning his post and returning to Fremont, where he resumed his old place as ticket and freight agent for the combined offices of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern and the Lake Erie & Western railroads. He continued thus until 1880, when the increasing business of the roads demanded that the business departments be separated, and he became freight and station agent for the Lake Shore alone, and is now acting in that capacity. His long period of service before the public and his excellent qualities as a citizen have made him one of the best known and most highly respected citizens in the community. In fraternal affiliation he is a member of the Knights of Honor and of the Royal Arcanum. Mr. Hale was married, in Bellevue, Ohio, in 1850, to Miss Elizabeth A. Simkins. ALBERT VOGT BAUMANN is a native " Buckeye," having been born in Fremont, in 1859, a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Vogt) Baumann, natives of Switzerland, who came from their native country to Fremont in 1854. Jacob Baumann, his father, has been identified with the business interests of Fremont since 1856, and by his perseverance and strict attention to business has acquired a competency which places him in the front rank as one of the solid, substantial business men of Fremont. He is and always has been an active Democrat in politics, but never seeking office. His wife died January 7, 1892, aged fifty-six years. Their children were: Jacob Baumann, Jr., of Fremont; Emma Baumann, who died recently; Elizabeth Baumann, at home; and Albert Vogt, our subject; they also had an adopted daughter, named Hattie. Our subject grew to manhood in Fremont, attended the city schools, and then took a thorough business course at Eastman College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. He has been identified with the progress and development of his native city since his boyhood days, and has taken an active interest in everything designed for the good of the county. He has recently become prominent among the oil and gas men of Sandusky and adjoining counties. In 1884 and 1885 he was principal owner and manager of the Democratic Messenger, the organ of the Sandusky County Democracy at Fremont. He was elected city clerk in 1882, and served in that capacity for six years, having been twice unanimously re-elected. In 1884 he received the nomination of the Democratic party COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 145 for auditor of Sandusky county, and was defeated by William L. Baker. In 1887 he was again nominated by the Democratic party for county auditor, and was elected over Mr. Baker, who defeated him three years previous. In 1891 he was renominated and re-elected county auditor, receiving the largest majority of any on the county ticket. His whole time and attention is now devoted to his business interests, which have become extensive, mainly through his persevering nature and untiring efforts. He is largely interested in The Fremont Gas Company and The Fremont Electric Light Company, being a director in each and secretary and treasurer of both companies. In January, 1889, Mr. Baumann was married at Fremont to Miss Anna Rose Greene, daughter of Judge John L. Greene, of Fremont. To their union were born two children: Albert Vogt, Jr., and Elsie Elizabeth. To his wife and children he is devotedly attached. CAPTAIN O. L. SHANNON was born in Sandusky township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, March 3o, 1848, grew up there and attended the district schools. Being a weakly child, the physicians ordered that he should take a voyage, hence he started on one on the lakes when he was a boy ten years old. He succeeded in sustaining himself from the outset, and sailed on the lakes every summer. He finally went before the mast, remaining in that capacity until his marriage, in 1873, to Miss Della Morrow, who was born in Sandusky City, Ohio, in 1854, and died in 1876, leaving one child, Le Roy, who is now a drug clerk in Fremont, Ohio. Our subject's second wife, Martha F. (Flinck), was born in Erie county, in 1867, married in 1882, in Lorain, Ohio, and has two children: Wilson O., and Westford F. After his first marriage Mr. Shannon located in Fremont, where he served in various occupations until 1874, when he passed the examinations in Cleveland, Ohio, and received his certificate as master seaman and first-class pilot on the Great Lakes. He has sailed a boat nearly every summer since after his location in Fremont, also operated his farm in Sandusky township in connection with sailing; but five years since he located permanently in Fremont. He is still commanding a steamer. He is a member of the I. 0.0.F. and of the Disciples Church of Lorain, Ohio. His wife is also a member of that Church. Capt. Shannon is well known on the lakes and around Fremont. John Shannon, father of our subject, was born March 2, 1 8 1 3, in the " Block House " at Scioto, which was erected as a fortress during the war of 1812. The name Shannon is of Low-Dutch origin, descending from our subject's great-grandfather, George Shannon. He came to America in the seventeenth century, located at Schenectady, N. Y., and was well-to-do financially. He died about the year 1828, at an advanced age. He had two children: John and George, the latter of whom, our subject's grandfather, came west to Ohio in 1809. Soon afterward he was married, in Sandusky county, to Mary Whittaker, who was born in that county in 1799, and died in 1827. She was the daughter of James and Elizabeth (Fulks) Whittaker, who were both stolen by a party of Indians from the Mohawk Valley, New York State. The great-grandfather of our subject was about two years old and his great-grandmother about four years old when they were taken to Lower Sandusky (now Fremont), which was then the headquarters of the Indians in this section. They were reared by Indians, and by some means were made head of the Indian tribes. They were married by Indian ceremonies. In due course of time they established a trading post on the Whittaker Reserve, which was given them by 146 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. the Indians. They also had a trading post at Upper Sandusky. Mr. Whittaker kept that post, and Mrs. Whittaker the one on the Whittaker Reserve. The Indians traded, from many miles around, at Lower Sandusky, and recognized the Whittakers as their rulers and chiefs. Mr. Whittaker had a partner at Lower Sandusky, and was poisoned by him so that he died; he was buried on the Whittaker Reserve. Our subject's grandmother died in the spring of 1832. They had children as follows: Isaac, Nancy, Mary (subject's grandmother), James, Rachel, Charlotte and George. Our subject's father saw and knew all of them except Nancy, who was married early in life to a Mr. Wilson, and moved to Canada. In 1832-33 two of her daughters visited here, and afterward a young man came and staid a short time; he was here at the time of grandmother's death, but was never seen afterward. The rest of that branch of the family died in Canada, or, at all events, all trace of them has been lost. Isaac died in Indiana; James died in White Pigeon, Mich., where he had been a merchant (our subject's father was there at that time); Rachel married James A. Scranton, of Lower Sandusky, and was a prominent figure here for years; Charlotte died single; George, the youngest, died in Indiana. Our subject's paternal grandfather never knew what became of his uncle John. Grandfather married a second time, but nothing positive is known of their history. He was a farmer and a great hunter. He made hunting his chief occupation, and employed others to operate his farm. He died at the age of forty-two, and his wife at thirty-six. They had eight children, six of which grew to maturity: Elizabeth, married to Samuel Hubble, a ship carpenter at Fort Miami; James, who died near Oregon; John, subject's father; William, a farmer, who died at Genoa, Ohio; Rachel, who died young; Samuel, who died at Plaster Bed, Ottawa Co., Ohio, and Jacob, who died in Fulton, Ohio. Our subject's father, John Shannon, is the only one of these now living. Capt. Shannon's paternal grandparents went away for safety from the war in the fall of 1812, and subject's father was born in the block house built at Scioto, to protect the whites against the Indians. While a party of whites were digging potatoes and tending other crops they were attacked by Indians, and the paternal grandfather of our subject was so badly wounded that he had to crawl two days and nights to reach a friendly Indian's cabin, and was assisted back to Scioto. He was severely wounded in the back, from which he suffered two years, during which time the doctor took thirty-one pieces of bone from his back. He was a strong man and a great hunter. Our subject's father grew up among the Indians, was a great hunter in the early days, and is still a noted duck shooter. On October I, 1840, he was married to Miss Eveline Patterson, who was born in Onondaga county, N. Y., in 1824. She died October 9, 1893. They had ten children: Sarah, Emma Jane, Julia (who married Andrew Franks, and lives in Michigan), Capt. 0. L. (our subject), John W. (who lives in Sandusky township), and Fannie (wife of Frank Scheffler, of Fremont, Ohio); the rest of the children died young. After the death of our subject's mother, his father, John Shannon, married Mrs. Sophia Peter, who was a widow at that time. BYRON R. DUDROW, a resident of Fremont, Sandusky county, is a native of Ohio, born March 1, 1855, in Adams township, near Green Spring, Seneca county, and is a son of David W. and Mary J. (Rule) Dudrow, the former of whom was born October 25, 1825, in Frederick county, Md., a son of David and Elizabeth COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 147 (Hines) Dudrow, also natives of Maryland, born of German ancestry. David W. Dudrow settled in Seneca county, Ohio, in 1845, becoming the owner of a large farm there, which he conducted up to the time of his decease, prospering himself and assisting others to prosper, his life presenting a striking example of industry, integrity and unselfishness. On January 8, 1853, he was married to Miss Mary J. Rule, who was born in Seneca county, Ohio, daughter of Daniel and Jane (Grosscost) Rule, to which union were born eight children, four of whom died in infancy, and three sons and one daughter are yet living, to wit: Byron R., in Fremont, Ohio; William and Fred, in Adams township, Seneca county, engaged in farming and stock-raising; and Jennie, with her mother on the old homestead. On May 16, 1888, the father, David W. Dudrow, met with a fatal accident, being instantly killed by the kick of a horse. Daniel Rule, grandfather of Byron R. Dudrow, was born October 28, 18o , on the banks of the Susquehanna river, in Perry county, Penn., was of Teutonic descent, and spoke the German language fluently, while his wife, Jane (Grosscost), was of Scotch-Irish lineage. In the fall of 1824 he moved to Seneca county, Ohio, at which time the Seneca Indians lived on the Seneca Reservation, and he became well acquainted with many of them, some of whom were Redmen of note in their day, including the famous warrior chief Small Cloud Spicer, who at that time was a resident of the Sandusky Valley. Samuel Rule, brother of Daniel, owned and improved a large farm in Menard county, Ill., dying there November 7, 1884, while George, a half-brother of Daniel, was one of the pioneers of Sandusky county, Ohio. Daniel Rule's grandfather was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, serving under Gen. Washington, and participated in the siege of Yorktown; after the surrender of Corn wallis he returned to his home in southern Pennsylvania, and there succumbed to an abscess which had formed in his side. Byron R. Dudrow, the subject proper of these lines, received his elementary education at the district schools of the neighborhood of his place of birth, which was supplemented with a course of study at the Union schools of Tiffin and Clyde, Ohio. This for a few years occupied his winter days, his summers being passed for the most part in assisting on his father's farm in Adams township. In the autumn of 1872 he entered the Preparatory Department of Baldwin University, Berea, Ohio, remaining there continuously until June, 1877, returning home only for his vacations. By close application and hard study he gained one year upon his class, and did not require to attend college during the session of 187778; but in the latter year he returned to Berea, and on June 6th graduated from Baldwin in the classical course, receiving the degree of B. A. On June 9, 1881, the degree of M. A. was conferred upon him. On June 18, 1877, Mr. Dudrow commenced the study of law in the office of Basil Meek, at Clyde, Ohio, and was admitted to the bar by the District Court, April 26, 1879. He did not, however, at once enter into active practice, but served as deputy clerk of courts of Sandusky county from the time of his admission to the bar until April 26, 188o, at which time he commenced the practice of the law. He has been engaged in the trial of some prominent cases, and with success. One of the most important trials in which he has engaged was the defense of Mrs. Lizzie Aldridge, who was charged with the murder of her husband, John Aldridge, the trial taking place at Hastings, Neb., in June, 1889. , Mrs. Aldridge was acquitted, and of Mr. Dudrow's efforts in this case the Hastings (Neb.) Republican said: " Mr. Dudrow, 148 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. of Fremont, Ohio, was an earnest and pleasing talker; every word and action had power and weight that exerted an influence upon the jurors." The Adams county (Neb.) Democrat, also speaking of his able argument at the same trial, said: " Of Mr. Dudrow, of Fremont, Ohio, it may be said that during the trial he won the good opinion and admiration of our people by his manly, eloquent and logical argument to the jury, and by the able manner in which he conducted the part of the case assigned to him." From 1883 till 1888 Mr. Dudrow practiced law in partnership with H. R. Finefrock, and since 1891 he has been associated with his father-in-law, Basil Meek, and John W. Worst. On November 21, 1878, Mr. Dudrow was united in marriage at Clyde, Ohio, with Miss Mary E. Meek, daughter of Basil Meek, and who for several years had been a teacher in the Clyde public schools. In his political predilections our subject is a Democrat, and has three times been elected to the office of city solicitor of Fremont, his services in that capacity covering a period of six years. Besides his residence on Birchard avenue, Fremont, he owns a 300-acre farm in Townsend township, and he is considered one of Sandusky county's most useful, progressive citizens. H. A. VAN EPPS. Thirty years have passed since the " cruel war " waged between the North and South was ended, and even the youngest of the men who served their country in those dark days are growing old. But they never tire of the stories of camp life, of forced marches through the burning heat and deadly swamps of the South, of hair-breadth escapes and desperate encounters, or of the dreary days in Libby Prison, or the lingering horrors of Andersonville and Belle Isle. A few more years, and these stories will be handed down by their descendants, for the old soldiers will have answered to their last roll call, and will have passed beyond, happy in the thought that they leave behind them a government united and at peace. While they live, however, it is our privilege to honor them for their noble deeds, and to show our gratitude for the bravery and zeal with which they defended the homes and institutions so dear to us. It is, therefore, with pleasure that we are enabled to give the record of the veteran whose name opens this sketch, and whose recollections of the war are always listened to with delight, especially at the camp-fires and reunions of the " boys in blue." Mr. Van Epps is a ready writer, and portrays most vividly the scenes which were enacted under his personal observation, especially the story of Grierson's raid, in which he was an active participant. The limits of a biographical sketch will not permit an extended account of Mr. Van Epps' life during the war, but the following brief story of his career will prove of interest to his many friends and acquaintances. H. A. Van Epps was born in Middlebury, Wyoming Co., N. Y., March 8, 1842, and came of good old Knickerbocker stock. His father, Charles Van-Epps, was born on the Mohawk river, N. Y., and removed to Middlebury, Wyoming Co., N. Y., in 1806. He was a carpenter by trade, and subsequently engaged in farming; in politics he was a Democrat. He died in Middlebury in 1854. Our subject's mother, whose maiden name was Betsy Wilson, was born in Middlebury in 1812, and died in 1893 at the good old age of eighty-one years. She was the mother of children as follows: Elizabeth, who married H. M. Choat, and lives in Darien, Genesee Co., N. Y.; Jane, who died when ten years old; Charles, who lives on the old homestead in Middlebury, and is fifty-five years old; H. A., our subject; Fayette, deceased COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 149 when quite young; Delphene, who lives in Darien, N. Y., and is unmarried; George, who died when fourteen years old. Mrs. Van Epps' father was a native of Vermont, of sturdy Yankee ancestors, and held the rank of colonel in the war of 1812. The subject of our sketch grew to manhood on the home farm in Middlebury, assisting his father in agricultural pursuits and obtaining his schooling in the district schools and Wyoming Academy. In March, 186r, he went to Carroll county, Ill., where he was engaged in farming. When the call to arms sounded throughout the land the patriot blood in his veins responded, and laying aside all personal considerations he enlisted September 5, 1861, in Company B, Seventh Illinois Cavalry, for the three-years' service. When the three years had expired the Rebellion was still unsubdued, and on February 1o, 1864, he re-enlisted in the same company and regiment, and remained until the close of the war, being honorably discharged November 12, 1865, after a continuous service of four years and two months. During this time he received several well-earned promotions. In 1863 he was made a corporal, in 1864 a sergeant, and April 20, 1865, he was appointed second lieutenant. During these four years Mr. Van-Epps followed his regiment through a considerable portion of Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. He was in sixty-three engagements, great and small, among which were the following: The siege of Corinth, in the spring of 1862; battle of Corinth, in October, 1862 ; Iuka ; Coffeeville ; Colliersville; Lynnville; West Point; Okalona; Summersville; siege of Port Hudson; fight at Clinton, La. ; Campbellsville, Tenn. ; Shoal Creek, Franklin and Nashville, when Hatch's brigade, of which he was a member, captured three forts or redoubts. He was also with his regiment when following Hood on his retreat from Nashville to the Tennessee river, a distance of 125 miles. This was a terrible experience, the marches being made through rain, sleet and snow, and when the weary soldiers reached Gravel Springs no food was to be obtained, and for two weeks they lived on parched corn. Mr. Van Epps also took an active part in the famous " Grierson Raid," from La Grange, Tenn., to Baton Rouge, La. He, with his company, was detached from the balance of the command and remained alone for five days in the very heart of the Rebels' country, during which time, it is estimated, they traveled four hundred miles, being in the saddle night and day and enduring untold hardships. While on picket duty at Coldwater, Tenn., guarding a bridge eight miles from camp, the enemy charged upon his company, capturing all but five of them—himself among the number—who made their escape by running across the fields. They finally reached camp at Colliersville, giving the alarm in time to save the entire command from being captured, as the enemy shortly made their appearance, expecting to take the Union soldiers by surprise. They met with a warm reception instead, and were badly defeated. While acting as sergeant Mr. Van Epps commanded his company for five months, and at the second day's battle before Nashville, while engaged with the enemy in the woods, his captain, who at the time was acting-major, fell mortally wounded; under Mr. Van Epps' leadership his little band held the Rebel line in check while the dying officer was removed from the field. Mr. Van Epps served under Gens. Rosecrans, Denver, Hatch, Grierson, Wilson, Thomas, Banks and McPherson, in different divisions and army corps. While escaping almost miraculously any serious accident during his long term of service, he was not without some mishaps. While on drill in the summer of 1864, he was thrown from his horse and received a severe injury from which he has never