COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 475 dren—six sons and two daughters—namely: Nancy, born December 16, 1844, now the wife of Fred Gillard; Lucy, born January 15, 1847, now the wife of Frank Arnett, a carpenter of Fremont, Ohio; Absalom, born May 11, 1850; William, born February 23, 1852, and is engaged in carpentering in Fremont; Freeman; who was born January 13, 1854, and resides in Hessville, Ohio; Levi, who was born August 5, 1856, and follows milling in Fremont; Franklin, a resident of Lindsey, Ohio, born May 31, 1861; and David E., born August 25, 1864, now a contractor of Toledo, Ohio. Mr. Fought is a stalwart Republican in politics, and has filled the offiCe of school director, taking a deep interest in the cause of education, of which he is a warm friend. He belongs to the United Brethren Church. ALBERT E. RICHARDS (better known as Bert), who is engaged in the publication of the Farmers' Reporter, of which he is editor and proprietor, has spent his entire life in Sandusky county, his birth having occurred in Townsend township, November 2, 1862. He is a son of Archibald and Mary (George) Richards. His father was born near New London, Conn., in 1812, and when a young man he came to the West, taking up his residence in Sandusky county, where he carried on agricultural pursuits and succeeded in amassing a comfortable fortune. In politics the elder Richards was a Democrat until after the division came on the slavery question, when he became a stalwart Republican. His death occurred in 1884. The mother of the subject of this sketch was born in Seneca county, Ohio, in 1819. Her parents were from Vermont, and were among the first settlers in this section of the State. Mrs. Richards is still living and is a resident of Clyde. In the Richards family there were thirteen children, of whom our subject is the youngest. He attended the district schools until twelve years of age, when the family left the farm and moved to Clyde, thus giving him the advantage of a better grade of public schools. In 1879 he became a student at Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Mich., and remained there three years. He left school at about the time of his father's death, and engaged in the insurance business, which he pursued with success during a period of two years. He then disposed of his insurance interests, and devoted his whole time and attention to art, for which he had always displayed a natural taste and inclination. In art he was fairly successful from a financial standpoint, and his work in black and white was warmly received by some of the best art critics. Our subject, however, could not be satisfied with anything less than a thorough schooling in color work among the masters abroad, and did not feel financially able to pursue such a course of study. In 1892 he decided to drop his art work for a time, and purchased the Farmers' Reporter, a Republican newspaper with a good circulation, published at Clyde. Mr. Richards at once changed the paper to a Democratic sheet, being a stanch Democrat himself. It is well edited, neat in appearance and devoted to the best interests of the city and county. Being well conducted it receives a liberal patronage, and its business is steadily increasing. One commendable feature about the paper, so rare now-a-days, is that it contains no medical or other advertisements of a questionable sort, regardless of the high prices offered for space by such advertisers. Mr. Richards is an inflexible supporter of the principles of his party. He is well known among local politicians throughout northwestern Ohio, and his figure is a familiar one at conventions and other political gatherings. His friends are many throughout the county, where his genial, 476 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. affable nature has made him popular with everybody. Our subject was united in marriage on May 17, 1894, to Miss Millicent Fancher, the charming and accomplished daughter of Postmaster Fancher, of Lorain, Ohio. A. A. FENN, one of the prosperous and successful business men of Clyde, Sandusky county, a fruit farmer and ice dealer, is the son of a well-known pioneer of the county, Amos Fenn. The latter came to Clyde in 1820, with the Pogue family, Silas Dewey and Giles Thompson, the earliest settlers, and for more than half a century was a prominent character in the community. Amos Fenn was born in Litchfield county, Conn., in September, 1793, and was a young man when he came west. He was a carpenter by trade, and built the first frame house in the city of Sandusky. He was twice married, first at Marblehead to Nancy Smith, by whom he had five children, as follows: Susan P., now Mrs. Wing, of Kansas; Charles G., a grocer at Adrian, Ohio; Clara D., who married Horace Woodward, and died near Norwalk; William D., who died many years ago; and Harriet J. , unmarried, a resident of Tiffin. Mrs. Fenn died in June, 1839, and in 1840 Amos Fenn married Emeline, widow of Orrin F. Brace, and daughter of Nathan and Lucy (Smith) Jacobs. She was born in Vermont September 30, 1810, and was married at Ithaca, N. Y., to Mr. Brace, who went west, contracted a fever and returned to Milan to die soon after. By that marriage there was one child, George Brace, now of Grand Ledge, Mich. To Amos and Emeline Fenn came two children, who grew to maturity—Nancy, born February 3, 1841, who was married to Joseph Dufran, of Bucyrus, and died February 16, 1892, leaving five children— Charles, George, Allen, Jean and Fred; and A. A., subject of this sketch, born September 9, 1848. Amos Fenn remained a resident of Clyde until his death, January 16, 1879. He was buried in Clyde cemetery. He was a man of deep conviction, and was universally admired and respected. For a time after coming to Clyde he operated an old water sawmill on Coon creek, near the village. For a period of eighteen years from 1843 he served as a justice of the peace, and he was also elected township clerk; in politics he was a Republican. For a man of pioneer times he was fairly educated, and in 1844 he was ordained a Methodist minister, during his later years devoting his life almost exclusively to ministerial duties, and his farewell sermon in the M. E. Church attracted one of the largest audiences ever assembled in Clyde. Father Fenn, as he was generally known, delivered more funeral sermons, perhaps, than any other man in Sandusky county, and often left the harvest field to officiate at some burial service. This was purely a labor of love, for all he ever received for these ministrations was one white shirt. It was not alone in the lugubrious aspects of life that he participated, for in disposition he was jovial and generous; he married hundreds of young couples, and his one daughter, Nancy, was among the large number joined in wedlock by him. His widow, at this writing, still survives. She was in early life a member of the Baptist Church, the faith of her parents, but in 1835 joined the M. E. Church at Milan. By letter she, in 1840, became a member of the Clyde Church, and still holds that membership. Somewhat enfeebled by age, she now makes her home with her son, A. A. Our subject spent his boyhood days in the vicinity of Clyde, and assisted his father on the farm. He was drummer in Company B, One Hundred and Sixty-ninth O. V. I which did guard service at Fort Ethan Allen during the summer of 1864, and like most of his comrades he COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 477 came home broken down in health from his long stay in a malarial locality. In 1876 he was married to Lida Rathbun, who was born in Clyde June 16, 1856, daughter of Franklin and Louisa (Tucker) Rathbun, the former also a native of Clyde, the latter born February 17, 1827, in Lorain, Lorain county. Franklin Rathbun and wife had five children, as follows: Newton, of Clyde; Mary, wife of James Stokes, of Clyde; Amy, wife of John H. Keller, of Pomona, Cal. ; Lida; and Burt, of Clyde. A. A. and Lida Fenn have three children: Franklin Amos, Jay Leon and Ethel May. After marriage Mr. Fenn purchased his father's farm, and embarked in the ice and fruit business which he has ever since very successfully cenducted; he is thoroughly attached to this industry, which is one of inestimable value to the community in which he lives. He has a fine spring water pond, with gate outlet, used for thoroughly cleansing the pond, which is used for boating in summer. He has sixteen acres in small fruits, three acres of which are devoted to blackberries, the yield increasing every year. In politics Mr. Fenn is a Republican, and in religious belief a Methodist. He is a prominent member of the G. A. R. and of the K. of P. JOSHUA D. SAMPSEL. The subject of this sketch is well-known in Sandusky county, where he has resided all his life, and especially in Madison township, of which he is one of the prominent and substantial citizens. The story of his life is that of many of the early settlers of Ohio; a boyhood of hard work and privation, with few advantages and still fewer pleasures, but with plenty of grit, earnest endeavor, and stubborn perseverance which have, in the end, lifted him to the level of success and secured for him a competence which enables him to enjoy those privileges of which he was deprived in youth. Mr. Sampsel was born, September 27, 1849, in the township in which he still makes his home, son of George and Mary (Dick) Sampsel, who came thither from Union county, Penn., in the early days of Ohio, and long before our subject was born. His ancestors on both sides were natives of Pennsylvania, and lived there throughout their lives, with the exception of his maternal grandmother, who accompanied her daughter to her western home and died in Sandusky county. George Sampsel settled on a forty-acre tract of land on which his son Joshua still lives, and which was then covered with a wild growth of timber. He worked assiduously to clear the land and prepare the fields for crops by which to support his little family, but before his task was done his life was crushed out by a log rolling onto him. At the time of this sad event our subject was but two years old, and the other children too young to be of any assistance to their mother. This brave woman took up the heavy burden thus thrown upon her shoulders, and with what she could raise upon the farm, and by weaving carpets, managed to keep the wolf from the door. The family consisted of four children: Sophia, who married William Ickes, a farmer in Madison township (they have one child, Erma); Rebecca, wife of Henry Friar, also a farmer in Madison township (they have three children, a daughter, Minnie—wife of Louis Driftmyer—and two sons, Bertie and Clifford); Joshua D., our subject; and Zephaniah, who died when eighteen years old. On May 5, 1875, Mr. Sampsel was married to Miss Julia Kingston, who was born May 24, 1858, in Ottawa county, daughter of Henry and Minnie (Socedia) Kingston, farming people, who were of German birth. Their children were seven in number: Minnie, Eliza, Mary, Anna, Julia, Angeline, and one who died in in- 478 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. fancy. Since his marriage, Mr. Sampsel has added to his original farm, and now owns 104 acres of valuable land in the center of the oil district. On it he has seven good wells, which bring him in a comfortable monthly income. All the land is cleared with the exception. of about thirty acres, which he uses for timber and pasturage. His family consists of six bright children, as follows: Justis, born July 11, 1876; Vernie, born August 4, 1878; Elsworth, born August 28, 1880; Goldie, born April 3, 1884; Mabel, born August 3, 1887, and Arthur R., born October 11, 1894, all at home. Mr. Sampsel has one of the finest and most comfortable homes in the township, and the handsomely furnished rooms are indicative of the excellent taste of its owner. That he stands high in the estimation of his fellow citizens is shown by the various responsible public offices in which he has been placed, he having held the position of school director and road supervisor, and at present that of township trustee. In politics he is a Democrat, and, with his wife, is a member of the Evangelical Church. Mr. Sampsel's father was in sympathy with the principles now held by the Republican party, and served as justice of the peace. GEORGE W. BAILEY (deceased) was one of the honored pioneers and highly-esteemed citizens of Catawba Island township, Ottawa county. He was a native of Connecticut, born in Danbury, Fairfield county, February I, 181i, and was a son of William Ward and Anna (Bowton) Bailey, the former of whom served as a soldier in the war of 1812. In his native city our subject spent the days of his boyhood and youth, and there learned the trades of shoemaker and bricklayer, following the former during the winter months, while through the summer season he worked at the latter. In 1844 he removed to Ohio, and on May 14 of that year located on Catawba Island (then Van Rensselaer township), when this county was almost an unbroken wilderness. Here he engaged in shoemaking until his death, which occurred March 19, 1848. At New Fairfield, Conn., January 12, I 83 5 , Mr. Bailey married Miss Mary E. Bearss, a native of New Fairfield, born May 16, 1813, and a daughter of Joseph T. and Annie (Hubble) Bearss, also natives of Fairfield county, Conn. In the war of 1812, her father fought in defense of the stars and stripes, and her grandfathers were soldiers in the Revolutionary war. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey became the parents of four children: Thomas W., born May 13, 1837, died March 8, I890; Lorenzo S., born December 24, 1838; Anna A., born August 19, 1840, is the wife of Frank Wonnel, residing in Port. age township, Ottawa county; and George 0., born October 29, 1843, died March 4, 1890, from hardships incurred while serving in the army. In religious faith the family is identified with the Universalist Church. LORENZO S. BAILEY, since the death of his father, has looked after the interests of the homestead farm and cared for his mother, who is now one of the oldest living residents of the community, having attained her eighty-second year, is still hale and hearty, and able to attend to her household duties. During her life she has been a great weaver and has woven thousands of yards of rag carpet, prior to which for years she spun the wool and wove the cloth for the family's clothes. In the summer time they wore cotton clothes colored with yellow oak or black walnut bark boiled down to an extract and set with copperas to hold its color. " Our young people of to-day," says Mr. Lorenzo Bailey, " think they have hard times, but they know nothing about hard times. I remember very plainly when our family had nothing but boiled wheat and hulled COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 479 corn to eat. Flour was not made in the county, and was hard to get. I worked many a day for twenty-five cents per day, and the winter I was sixteen I chopped wood for my uncle at fifty cents a cord, and boarded myself. At eighteen I went to learn the carpenter's trade, and for three years worked for almost only my board; then followed fishing for several years, made a little money, bought a piece of land and commenced fruit growing." Lorenzo Bailey is one of the most successful fruit growers of the island, and is held in high esteem by all who know him. THOMAS P. DEWEY, member of the law firm of Finch & Dewey, and one of the prominent attorneys of Clyde, Sandusky county, was born in Crawford county, Penn. , December 27, 1853, son of George and Harriet (Ensign) Dewey. George Dewey is the descendant of an old Massachusetts family of Scotch extraction. He was born in 1818, and still survives, a resident of Clyde. His wife, who was born in 1822 in Ashtabula county, Ohio, died in 1881. George and Harriet Dewey had six children, all of whom are yet living, as follows: Carlie, wife of Henry Bruning, of Toledo, Ohio; Charles, of Fremont, Ohio; Thomas P. ; George, a merchant of Shelby, Mich. ; and Hattie and Mattie, twins. Thomas P. Dewey had not the advantages of a collegiate training, but his education was by no means neglected. He attended the public schools of his native town, afterward the excellent schools at Kelloggsville, Ohio, and he was amply compensated by private study for the absence of extraneous opportunities. In 1876 Mr. Dewey began the study of law at Painesville, Lake Co., Ohio, with the firm of Tinker & Alvord, the following year coming to Clyde, where he continued his studies under Judge John M. Lennon. He was admitted to the bar April 23, 1879, and in the following autumn began practice at Tiffin, about a year later, however, returning to Clyde, where he has ever since continued in active practice. For three years he practiced alone, but in 1883 the firm of Finch & Dewey was formed, and these two attorneys have ever since been very successfully associ- ated in a professional way. Theirs is one of the leading firms in the city, and does an extensive legal business, practicing in all the courts. In politics Mr. Dewey is a strong Republican. He is actively interested in the triumph of the party's principles, and is recognized as one of the county leaders of his party. On September 9, 1879, Mr. Dewey was married to Miss Jennie Stilwell, and to their union have been born three children: Hattie. Benjamin and Lucy. As a sort of recreation, and to get relaxation from his law practice, Mr. Dewey purchased two farms one mile west of Clyde, and has put them in splendid state of fertilization, and they are very productive, having been thoroughly drained by tiling, etc. On one of these farms Mr. Dewey was so fortunate as to strike a mineral fountain spring, from which constantly flows a stream of nearly five inches in diameter. The waters have great healing and medicinal properties, and are highly prized by the people of the city and surrounding country, the waters being very cold and pure. RANDALL SPARKS, who with his wife is renowned for his many virtues and exemplary Christian life, is one of the oldest living settlers of York township, Sandusky county. He was born in Fayette county, Penn., January 24, 1814, son of Ephraim L. and Sarah (Cook) Sparks. Ephraim Sparks was born January 1, 1790, in Fayette county, Penn., whither his father, Isaac Sparks, who was a native of New Jersey, of Welsh ancestry, 480 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. had migrated, and there married Anna Lloyd. He followed farming, but also engaged in an early day in the manufacture of glass, in which enterprise, however, he did not meet with the financial success that he had anticipated. Ephraim Sparks, his son, migrated about 1817 with a team and covered wagon to Tuscarawas county, Ohio, with a brother John, locating on a farm in Warren township which had been purchased by their father some years before. Here they remained through life. Ephraim Sparks was twice married. His first wife, Sarah Cook, was born in Pennsylvania July 17, 1794, of old Dutch ancestry. Their seven children were: Randall, subject of this sketch; Thomas, a resident of Boone county, Iowa; David, who was a Lutheran minister, of Carroll county, Ohio; Isaac, of Clyde, Ohio; Elizabeth, who married Samuel Tressel and reared thirteen children, in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, still living at this writing; Annie, who married James McCreary and died in Townsend township; and Mary, who married James Neal and lives in Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland Co., Penn. Mrs. Sparks died September 16, 1828, and Mr. Sparks subsequently married a Mrs. Lappin, by whom he had five children. In politics he was a Democrat. He died March 24, 1871. Randall Sparks was reared on the farm in Tuscarawas county, attending school for a few months each year when pressing farm work was done. He was an apt pupil, and before his marriage, at the age of twenty-one, he had taught three terms of school. On May 31, 1835, he married Ann Wingate, who was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, November 7, 1818, daughter of Henry and Mary (Bridall) Wingate, both natives of Delaware, who became early settlers of Carroll county, Ohio. Henry Wingate was of English ancestry; his wife was of French parentage. He died at the age of sixty-six years, she dying when Ann, the youngest child, was five weeks old. She was the mother of fifteen children, twelve of whom grew to manhood and womanhood. Ann (Mrs. Sparks) is now the only survivor of the family. One of her brothers died at the age of eighty-three years, another at the age of eighty-five; the eldest brother, who remained in Delaware, she never saw. After his marriage Randall Sparks settled in Tuscarawas county. He taught another term of school in the winter, and for nearly eight years he remained there, engaged in farming. In the fall of 1842 he came to York township, Sandusky county, and purchasing eighty acres of land on the ridge began to clear it up. In the following spring he removed with his family to the new home, and he has lived there ever since. To Mr. and Mrs. Sparks eight children have been born, only one of whom is now living. They were as follows: (1) Lemuel, born December 8, 1836, enlisted November 9, 1861, in Company B, Seventy-second O. V. I., participated in the battle of Shiloh, and died of typhoid fever near Corinth, Miss., May 16, 1862, after two days' illness. (2) Catherine, born July 8, 1839, died January 5, 1858. (3) Albert, born November 26, 1841, died May 31, 1861. (4) Leslie E., born March 21, 1844, joined Company M of the First Ohio Heavy Artillery, and was drowned in the Tennessee river, near Loudon, Tenn., June 2, 1864. With others he had been ordered to guard a railroad bridge, and while they were crossing the river the canoe capsized and he was drowned. (5) Melissa, born January 13, 1847, died November 6, 1869. (6) Elinda Jane, born September 16, 1850, died April 25, 1872. (7) Wilbur L., born February 27, 1854, was married June r 1, 189o, to Alice Jarvis, by whom he had one child, born June 5, 1891. Wilbur L. died May 24, 1893. (8) Ella Belle, born June 15, 1859, at home. In politics Mr. Sparks was an Old-line Whig, casting his first vote for that COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 481 party in 1836. He was an earnest antislavery man, and when the Free-Soil party was organized he readily adopted its principles. A little later he helped to organize the Republican party in Sandusky county. When attending a convention of that party in Fremont he tried to secure the introduction in the county platform of a declaration " That the traffic in intoxicating drinks is a curse and ought to be prohibited by law." This resolution was rejected by the convention, and Mr. Sparks withdrew from the party and has since voted with the Prohibition cause. He has been a Church member for fifty-six years. They celebrated their golden wedding in 1885, and few if any residents in Sandusky county have been blessed with a married life of a duration as long as theirs. Both he and his faithful and devoted wife are hale and hearty at this writing. ORLIN W. HARRISON. In the tense strife and activity of modern times the man who excels in any field of action is necessarily endowed either with superior natural abilities or with a surpassing will. The men who are best respected hold their good name because of personal character, which is the resultant of inherited qualities and the efforts of will. Some men rise from the masses with no traceable ancestry of notable quality; but perhaps there are more whose prominence is easily explained by ancestral traits. Pioneer life breeds a stronger, more enduring race of men than a city housing. The mental life of Orlin W. Harrison has been marked by unusual activities, and he has proved to be well fitted for these conditions. His ancestry, paternally, stretches back through records and parchment to the sixteenth century, and all the links in the genealogy have been landowners. His great-grandfather, William Marks Harrison, of New Jersey, was a descend ant of John Harrison, an early settler of Plymouth Rock, and the supposed ancestor, also, of President Harrison. Orlin W. Harrison was born in Chautauqua county, N. Y., October 4, 1844, son of William Marks and Adaline (Wright) Harrison. William Marks Harrison was born in Galway, N. Y., March 9, 1809, son of James and Clarinda (Rose) Harrison. James Harrison was born in Trenton, N. J., September 9, 1779; Clarinda Rose was born in Windsor, Vt., October 8, 1782. After marriage they settled, in the spring of 1814, in Galway, N. Y., and removed to Chautauqua county in May, 1827. Here, at Panama, James Harrison died, January 12, 1858; his wife died September 24, 1853. William Marks Harrison was seventeen years old when he moved with his parents to Chautauqua county. There he purchased 120 acres of land from the Holland Land Co., and there engaged in farming until the spring, of 1845, when he came to Ohio, purchasing eighty acres of land a half mile east of Clyde, on the Maumee and Western Reserve pike, a part of the old McPherson farm. His wife, whom he married July 4, 1836, was born April 2, 1816, in Avon, N. Y., daughter of Eli and Martha (Bullard) Wright, who migrated from Massachusetts. The fathers of Eli and Martha Wright both served in the Revolutionary war. Martha's father was, with two companions, taken prisoner by Indians. The savages painted the two companions black, which meant death; Mr. Bullard, however, was favored with a coat of red paint, which signified adoption. He witnessed the death of his two companions, who were burned at the stake. A squaw befriended him, and while the Indian war was still in progress aided him in escaping, Eli Wright was a soldier of the war of 1812. In 1845 he migrated from New York to Clyde, Ohio, where he lived until his death, which occurred when he was seventy-five years old. He was the father of seven chil- 482 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. dren, all of whom came to Ohio, married and reared families. William Marks Harrison resided on his farm east of Clyde until 1865, when he moved to that city. For over thirty years he was deputy sheriff of Sandusky county. He was the first high priest of Clyde Chapter No. 90, Royal Arch Masons, the first worshipful master of Monticello Lodge No. 244, F. & A. M., Clyde, also the first thrice illustrious master of Morton Council No. 38, Royal & Select Masters, and.was a member of Erie Commandery No. 23, Knights Templar, of Sandusky. In politics he was an active Democrat, and while not a Church member led an exemplary moral life, religiously eschewing oaths, tobacco and intoxicating drinks. He had three children: Helen, for many years a school teacher, and still living at the old home; Orlin W. , subject of this sketch ;,and Viola, wife of Eugene Mathews, and the mother of two children, Maggie and Pearl, of whom Maggie is the wife of Russell Mugg and has one child, Madeline. William Marks Harrison died, December 4, 1884; his widow died March 18, 1895, at Clyde. She was an active church goer and a highly-esteemed lady. Orlin W. Harrison was educated at Clyde, and at the age of seventeen, October 12, 186 r , enlisted in Company A, Seventy-second O. V. I. The regiment was assigned to the army of the Tennessee, and participated in the battle of Shiloh. Mr. Harrison was taken sick after the battle with typhoid fever, and lay in the hospital tent at Shiloh, Tenn., until removed to Cincinnati, in May. He was unconscious all the way up the river, and after remaining two days at Cincinnati was sent home on a thirty-days' furlough, afterward extended to sixty-days. Returning to Camp Chase in July, the board of examining surgeons discharged him from further service,, despite his remonstrance. He was sick all through the fall. In the spring of 1863 he entered the Law Department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, but the war spirit was in his veins, and returning home he enlisted in the Fiftieth 0. N. G., and was elected second sergeant of Company B. The imperfectly formed regiment did drill work during the summer and winter, and in the spring of 1864 went into active service as the One Hundred and Sixty-ninth Ohio National Guard Infantry. From Washington city it was ordered on guard duty at Fort Ethan. Allen, where it remained all summer. Returning to Camp Cleveland, the regiment was discharged, September 4, 1864. During the following winter Mr. Harrison procured a recruiting commission, and recruited a portion of a company for the One Hundred and Ninety-eight O. V. I., until receiving orders in February, 1865, to stop further enlistments. For two years the young soldier remained at home, then in 1867 entered a department of railroad service which requires endurance and close application. He became a messenger for the. Merchants Union Express Co., between Dayton and Cincinnati, and on various other western runs. In this service he remained two years, and was then for six years messenger for the United States Express Co., between Cleveland and Toledo, between Sandusky and Newark, between Cleveland and Sharon, Penn., between Columbus and Indianapolis and between Columbus and Chicago. He was also sent out at various times to relieve agents, and had charge of offices at Elyria, Monroeville and Tiffin. For four years—from 1876 to 1880—he traveled for Weideman Stetson & Co., wholesale liquor dealers, and in 1883 entered the Lake Shore freight office at Clyde, and has been with that company ever since, excepting three years when he was clerk in Judge Lemmon's office. He is now billing clerk for the Lake Shore and Big Four joint office. In politics Mr. Harrison has been a lifelong Republican. At the age of COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 483 twenty-one he became a member of Monticello Lodge, F. & A. M., and has taken all the degrees. He is a member of Morton Council No. 38, Clyde, and of Erie Commandery No. 23, K. T., since 1877. He was secretary of the committee which arranged for the McPherson monument unveiling, and in that capacity corresponded with President Garfield, James G. Blaine and other celebrities, entertaining some of them at his home. In 1870 he was married to Anna L. Brown, a native of Tiffin, and daughter of Abordas Brown, who was born in Tompkins county, N. Y., and when a young man migrated to Tiffin, Ohio, where he married Miss Mary A. Taylor, and became one of the proprietors of the Tiffin Woolen Mills; he died in 1866. Orlin W. and Anna L. Harrison have one child, Clara. In manners Mr. Harrison is genial and sociable. He possesses a rare fund of information, and is a gifted conversationalist. He would have been an attorney but for the war excitement during his early manhood. He is popular in the community at Clyde, and ranks with that city's most highly esteemed citizens. FRANK M. INMAN is numbered among the leading educators of Sandusky county. He was born December 25, 1855, in Scott township, where he still resides, and is a son of Benjamin and Eliza (Jennings) Inman. His father was born in New Jersey, in 1817, made farming his life work, and became one of the pioneer settlers of Sandusky county more than half a century ago. Here he entered a claim, transforming the wild land into a rich and fertile farm, which our subject has recently sold. His wife was born in New York in 1820, and they became the parents of these children: Mrs. Amanda Putnam, of Middleville, Mich. ; Mrs. Annette Shiverly; Brazilla; Mary, wife of William Bates; Benjamin, deceased; Mrs. Eldorado Fousy; Mrs. Alfarette Ralph; Frank, subject of this sketch; and Mrs. Candace Shawl. The great-grandparents were from England. Our subject acquired his early education in the district schools of his native township, after which he pursued his studies in the Fremont High School, and the Ohio University, at Columbus. He was therefore well fitted for the profession of teacher, and has become one of the most successful educators of Sandusky county. In 1892 he was appointed to the county board of examiners of teachers of Sandusky county, and at the present time is clerk of the Sandusky county School Examiners; has held other positions of public trust, having served for some time in the capacity of clerk of Scott township. He is a very progressive man, a supporter of the advanced ideas of modern education, and has done much to raise the standard of schools in his locality. On Christmas Day, 1875, Mr. Inman married Miss Dellia V. Ernsberger, of Fremont, Ohio, a daughter of John and Martha (Long) Ernsberger. Her father was born in Maryland, in 1836, her mother in Sandusky county, Ohio, in 1840, and their marriage was celebrated in 1858. They now have three children: (1) Vernon, born in 1867, married to Lula. Halter, and they have two children; they reside in Fremont, where he is engaged in the printing business; (2) Juniata, born in 1873, is the wife of Ralph Parke, of Ohio, and they have one child; and (3) Mrs. Inman, who was born January 4, 1860, and was educated in the district schools and in Fremont. Her paternal great-grandmother was born about 1783, died in 1870, and her paternal grandparents, Michael and Sarah (Gear) Long, were natives of Ohio, the former born in 1817, the latter in 1819; his death occurred in 1892. Of their six children five are now living. In 1875 Mr. and Mrs. Inman located on a farm which they have just recently 484 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. sold to an oil company of Fremont, several good oil wells having been located on the place. They have since resided in Scott township, Sandusky county, with the exception of two years, when Mr. Inman was teaching in Martin, Ottawa county. They have one son, B. M., who was born May 10, 1877, and obtained his early education in the district schools, after which he pursued a course in the Fremont High School. In 1894 he commenced teaching in Rollersville, Sandusky county, and is now engaged in the oil business near his home. Frank M. Inman, the subject proper of this review, is one of the ablest educators in this section of the State. He is a man of broad general information, and has the happy faculty of imparting readily and clearly to others his knowledge. He also wins the respect of his scholars, and this, combined with his superior talent, has made his career one of success. DAVID W. BOWE. About a half century ago, when Scott township, Sandusky county, was an almost unbroken wilderness, before roads were made or oil wells dreamed of, there settled on the now Greensburg pike, about two miles from the present village of Bradner, a gentleman by the name of George Bowe, and his wife, Catherine (Wegstein). Since that time the tract of land which he secured has been known as the " Bowe homestead." These honored pioneer people reared a family of six sons, five of whom are living, and are numbered among the most prominent citizens of the township, worthy representatives of the name. They are possessors of fine homes and extensive business interests, and are highly esteemed by all. The subject of this sketch is the youngest of the five sons. Like his brothers, he was born on the farm which he now owns, the date of his birth being November 10, 1847. There is a marked contrast between the farm as it appears to-day and that of half a century ago. The giant trees have fallen, and in their place, towering skyward, are the oil derricks. The old log house, in which the sons of our subject, as well as himself, were born, still stands and is well preserved. In front of this, however, is 'a modern residence, large and commodious, supplied with many comforts and conveniences. Mr. Bowe was educated in the district schools, and then took a trip through Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, returning after nearly a year. He next entered the Fremont High School, and on the completion of a two-years' course of study taught one term in a district school. In his mercantile career he began as a clerk in a jewelry store in Fremont, but on account of poor health he was obliged to abandon his labors in that direction, and employed himself in teaching for several terms. On November 28, 1872, Mr. Bowe married Martha P. Lansdale, of Scott township, Sandusky county, who was born April 13, 1851, and is the only child of Rezin Addison and Martha (Moore) Lansdale. Her father was born April 7, 1827, her mother December 19, 1833, and their marriage was celebrated June 27, 185o. Mrs. Bowe's maternal grandfather, Elisha Moore, was born December 27, 1809, and died in September, 1892. He married Phoebe Smith, who was born May 8, 1807, and is still living. Her father, Randall Smith, was born in 1779, and served in the war of 1812. He wedded Martha Crow, who was born about 178o, and was one of seventeen children. By her marriage she became the mother of thirteen children, three of whom are now living. Randall Smith was noted as a humorist. On one occasion he was present at a gathering, and remarked that he had a white Crow. This seemed such an improbability that his friends were rather inclined to question his statement, whereon he remarked: " If you will accompany COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 485 me home I will prove to you I am a truthful man." This his friends concluded to do, and on reaching home he presented his wife, whose maiden name was Crow. They at once saw the joke, and joined with Mr. Smith in his hearty laugh at their expense. Mr. and Mrs. Moore were the parents of six children: Daniel W., born September 18, 1830; Charity Ann, born January 15, 1832, became Mrs. Braden, and died March 26, 1878; Mrs. Martha Lansdale, who died April 27, 1851; Mrs. Rachel Jane Edwards, born November 4, 1836; Mrs. Alvina Shively; and Mrs. Minerva Angus. Mrs. Bowe was educated in the high school of Fremont, and at Milan, Ohio, and became a teacher of recognized ability in Sandusky county. She is a lady of culture and refinement, and has been to her husband a faithful companion and helpmeet. They began their domestic life on the farm which is still their home, and to them have come three children: Agnes Estella, born January 8, 1876, died August 25, 1877; Hugh H., born January 19, 1880, now assisting his father in the oil business; and Warren W., born May 31, 1881. After his marriage, Mr. Bowe engaged in farming and the dairy business, meeting with excellent success in his undertaking. About 1890 a new industry was established in this section of the country. Oil was found, and a few wells were producing quite fair returns. Our subject had many chances to lease his land to oil companies, but always declined. In March, 1895, he decided to find out if there was oil upon his farm, and accordingly sunk a well near the center of his land. It proved very profitable, and there has since been a steady yield. He has now sunk the sixth well, and from the oil business he is deriving a good income, and will continue to sink wells as long as practicable. In addition to his other interests, he has for some years been the owner of a fine apiary, keeping some fifty - five colonies of bees. In politics, Mr. Bowe is a Democrat, and has served as trustee of Scott township for two years, as justice of the peace six years, and was president of the board of education for several years. He is devoted to the best interests of the community, and no one is more deserving of the high regard in which he is universally held than David Bowe, a worthy representative of an honored pioneer family. WILLIAM MAURER, a retired farmer, of Fremont, Sandusky county, is a native of Ballville township, that county, where he grew to manhood and received a common-school education. When the Civil war broke out Mr. Maurer enlisted August 7, 1862, at Fremont, in Company K, One Hundreth Regiment O. V. I., which was assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division, Twenty-third Army Corps. At Limestone Station the enemy were about two thousand strong, under Gen. Jackson, while the Union forces numbered only three hundred, under Lt. -Col. Hayes. Like Spartans they held the Rebels at bay from 12 M. to 4 P. M., when they were surrounded, and all but one man taken prisoners. They were sent to Libby Prison, at Richmond, Va., for a few days, and then to Belle Isle, where they remained for six months, suffering great hardships and privations. In March, 1864, they were paroled and sent by way of An napolis and Baltimore, Md., to Columbus, Ohio. Having recovered somewhat from the infirmities contracted at Belle Isle, Mr. Maurer was again sent to the front. He afterward took part in the battles of Columbia and Franklin, Tenn., and in the campaign under Gen. Cox against Gen. Morgan. On November 20, 1864, he was wounded in the wrist by a minie ball at the battle of Franklin, and he: 486 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. walked to Nashville, a distance of twenty-five miles, to the hospital, before having his wound dressed. After a few days he was sent to the hospital at Covington, Ky., and thence on a furlough of twenty days home, which was extended to forty days, when he returned to the hospital and remained until May 23, 1865, when he was mustered out. With the exception of the time he was in prisons and in hospitals, he was with his regiment in all its marches and engagements, during two years and ten months of service. He is a member of Manville Moore Post, 525, G. A. R., Fremont, Ohio. After the war Mr. Maurer returned to his father's home in Ballville township and resumed farming. On September 3, 1865, he married Miss Eliza J. Worst, who was born in Ballville township December 7, 1845, daughter of Jacob and Hannah (Parks) Worst. Mr. Maurer built a fine farm residence on his excellent farm adjoining that of his father, and followed agricultural pursuits about fifteen years. He then moved to Fremont to give his children better opportunities for education, and for three years carried on a grocery store on Buckland avenue. The children of William and Eliza J. Maurer were: Lilly L., born March 6, 1867, was married April 16, 1888, to E. A. Adams, and died May 16, 1889; they had one child, Charles H., who died in infancy. Delphin B., born September 1, 1868, who graduated from the Oberlin Business College, and is now freight solicitor for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad at Toledo, Ohio. Orpheus C., born September 21, 1871, who attended Fremont schools and a few terms at Oberlin College, then took a position in the Fremont Savings Bank, about five years, and is now traveling salesman for the Capewell Horse Shoe Nail Co. Isaac Maurer, father of our subject, was born in Chester county, Penn., January 2, 1809, came to Ashland county, Ohio, when a boy, and became a skillful farm hand, In Wayne county, Ohio, he married Miss Mary Ann Ernsperger, and in 1834 moved to Ballville township, Sandusky county, where he cleared up a large farm and reared a family of children. He was a Republican in politics, and in religion a member of the Reformed Church. His death occurred October 31, 1893. His wife was born in Maryland in 1812, and died in Sandusky county in 1879. They had eight children, six of whom grew to maturity: Martin, who was a soldier in the Civil war, serving in Company H, One Hundred and Sixty-ninth Regiment O. V. I., and who now lives in Nebraska; Emanuel, a retired farmer and capitalist, at Springfield, Mo.; William, our subject; Eli B., who is a minister of the United Brethren Church, in Springfield, Illinois; Jane, wife of H. C. Smith, of Ballville township; and Owen L., a farmer, who lives on the old Maurer homestead. CASPER MOLITOR, a fruit grower and wine manufacturer of Danbury township, Ottawa county, was born in Rhenish Prussia, Germany, July 30, 1828, and is a son of Joseph and Katrina (Cleis) Molitor, also natives of Germany, who passed away in the Fatherland, the former about the year 1887, the latter in 1866. In their family were eleven children, and those who still survive are John Joseph, who since 1894 has resided in Chicago; Wentzel, a resident of St. Louis, Mo. ; Catherina Miller, living in Germany; Marie Josephine, wife of Henry Spay, a resident of Bloomington, Ill. ; and Moritz, who is still living in the Fatherland. The gentleman, whose name introduces this record, was reared to manhood in his native land, and acquired his education in the common schools. His father was a contractor and builder, and in the days of his early manhood he acted as COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 487 overseer of his father's business. In 1849, on account of the Revolution then in progress there, he left his own country for France, and made his home in the Province of Loraine some two years. He then determined to try his fortune in America, and in 1851 crossed the Atlantic to New York, where he resided three years, A similar period he spent in Wisconsin, and in 1857 he settled in Cincinnati, where for a time he was engaged in the leather business which pursuit he had previously followed in Springfield, Ohio. In 1869 he returned to Germany, and there remained three years. In 1872 he again took up his residence in Cincinnati, and in 1873 removed to Sandusky, Erie county, Ohio, spending the succeeding four years of his life in that place, engaged in the manufacture of wine. In 1877 he purchased his present place of business, and erected the winery which he now owns, and which is one of the largest in the county, with a cask. capacity of 150,000 gallons. He conducts his affairs on strict business principles, and is meeting with excellent success in his undertakings, deriving therefrom a good income. Mr. Molitor has been twice married: first time to Mrs. Katrina Hemish, widow of Edward Hemish, the wedding being celebrated in Cincinnati: This lady died August 24, 1877, and in 1881 Mr. Molitor was again married, this time in Buffalo, N. Y., to Josephine, daughter of Mathias and Margaret Molitor, natives of the Rhenish Province in Germany, the former of whom has passed away, and the latter is now making her home in New Orleans. To our subject and his wife have been born five children, three of whom are living: Bertha Mina, born January 8, 1884; Theressa Josephine, born March 21, 1885; and Marguiretta, born January 12, 1889. In his political views, Mr. Molitor is a Republican, having supported that party since 1856, becoming an American citizen, - 31 - and in its growth and success he takes a deep interest. Socially he is connected with Castle Rock Lodge, No. 21, Knights of G. R., of Lakeside. PHILIP MICHAELS, retired agriculturist, now residing in Fremont, Sandusky county, was born November 10, 1840, in Fairfield county, Ohio, son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Hutchins) Michaels, who were of Pennsylvania-German descent. Their children were: Jesse, John, Jackson, Sarah Jane, Philip, Thomas, James, Susan, and three who died in childhood. Jesse Michaels was three times married: First to a Miss Carr; then to Miss Ritter, by whom he had three children-- Hannah, Jemima and Martha; and, finally, to Miss Margaret Duncan, by whom he had one son--John. John Michaels, son of Isaac, married Miss Mary Miner, in Hancock county, Ohio; he went as a soldier in the Civil war, from Findlay, Ohio, in the Fifty-seventh Regiment, O. V. I. Jackson Michaels married Miss Hoover, and lives at Green Spring, Ohio; they have three children: LeRoy, Richard, and a daughter; he was a soldier in a New York regiment during the Civil war, serving as a teamster, and died in the service. James Michaels married a Miss Ritter, by whom he had one son; he also was a Union soldier in the Civil war, in the Forty-ninth Regiment, O. V. I., and died soon after his return home. Sarah Jane Michaels married Richard Bigelow, who followed various occupations; he was for a few years street commissioner at Oak Harbor, Ohio; they had four children: Mary Ann, Samuel, Samantha and Emma. Thomas Michaels, farmer, lived in Sandusky county, from where he enlisted, in 1862, in the Seventy-second Regiment, O. V. I. ; he died after the battle of Shiloh, while on his way to Cincinnati, where he was buried; he had one son, William. Susan Michaels married 488 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. George Losey, of Oak Harbor, and is now living in Michigan; they have one son, Willie. Philip Michaels, our subject, lived in Fairfield county, Ohio, with his parents, until he was about twelve years old, when he removed with them to Hancock county. Here he worked upon a farm and attended a few terms of school. When he was seventeen years of age his father died, and he soon after moved to Seneca county, to live with his brother Jackson. Eight months later he went to work for Mr. Jacob Bechtel, in a sawmill on Green creek in Sandusky county, remaining there two years, and then went to work for Jacob Strohl, one of the pioneers of Ballville township, at clearing a strip of land north of his residence. He afterward worked for other farmers of that vicinity, until, by prudence, economy and good management, he was able to purchase a farm of his own. He was married, June 24, 1860, to Miss Martha Batzole, who was born October 27, 1840, daughter of John and Sarah (Ernsberger) Batzole. Mr. Michaels worked on rented farms until 1871, when he bought the Mc-Gormley farm, in Ballyille township, on Which they lived about twenty years, erecting a fine residence now occupied by his son William. About the year 1890 the family removed to Fremont, Ohio. Mr. Michaels Ad his wife have been members of the Mt. Lebanon U. B. Church, Ballville township, but now belong to the M. E. Church, Fremont, He is a member of the Patrons of Industry. The children of Philip and Martha Michaels, born in Ballville township, are: Ida Cordelia, James William, George Franklin, Chauncey Adelphus, Cora Lavada, Berton Ellsworth, Ray Clifton, and Ernest LeRoy. Of these Ida C. Michaels married Douglass Morrison, son of John Morrison, on January 30, 1879, and their children are Ettie Estelle, Lottie Lavada, Harry James, Edith May, Hazel Bell, Arthur Lee and Ruth. James W. Michaels married Miss Minerva Belle Keiser on May 25, 1889, and they live on the Michaels homestead; their children are Carl S. and Arthur. George Franklin Michaels, a. farmer, was married November 26, 1889, to Miss Minnie, daughter of Charles and Emma (Smith) Hampsher; she took sick while at the World's Fair in Chicago, Ill., and died at home September 1, 1893. Chauncey Michaels, unmarried, lives with his parents at Fremont, Ohio; he has been successful as a traveling salesman, and represented the Clauss Shear Company, of Fremont, Ohio, at the World's Fair, Chicago, 1893. Cora Lavada Michaels married Arthur H. Swank, January 26, 1893, at Fremont, Ohio, their present residence; they had a son, Howard Michaels Swank, who died July 26, 1895, aged one year, seven months and ten days. REV. PAUL RAETHER, pastor of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Woodville township, Sandusky county, was born in Prussia, Germany, June 4, 1850, and is a son of Fred and Minnie (Arndt) Raether, who never came to America, but lived and died in their native land. Fred Raether was born April 18, 1814, and was a teacher of the German Lutheran doctrine. Rev. Paul Raether was one of eleven children, four of whom came to America. Bertha died here, and Ida, Emily and Paul are still living. Our subject came to this country in 1866, prepared to follow in the footsteps of his father. Having received a very thorough education his prospects were bright, and to-day he occupies a position which shows how well he has improved his opportunities. After a pleasant voyage across the Atlantic he landed in New York City, and from there went direct to Buffalo, N. Y., where he remained two weeks, going thence to Detroit, Mich. , and from there to Monroe, COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 489 Mich., where he accepted his first position as a teacher in the German Lutheran school. After that he entered upon a classical and theological course in the University at Columbus, Ohio, where he remained seven long years, graduating from the college in 1872, and from the theological seminary in 1875. On October 21, 1875, Rev. Paul Raether was united in marriage with Anna C. Kessler, and four children have been born to them, as follows: Federick, December 9, 1876; George, November 9, 1879; Marie, March 16, 1882; and Carl, May 12, 1884. Mrs. Raether is a daughter of Henry and Margaret Kessler, of Columbus, Ohio, the former of whom was a wagon maker. From Columbus Rev. Mr. Raether went to North Lima, in Beaver township, Mahoning Co., Ohio, where he took charge of two congregations, having been ordained to the ministry on leaving Columbus. He remained at Lima seven years, when he was called to take charge of a missionary post at Steubenville, Jefferson Co., Ohio, in which capaccity he remained some six years, at the end of that time, in 1887, coming to Woodville, Sandusky county, to accept a position as professor in the Teachers' Seminary. In January, 1888, Rev. Mr. Cronenwett died, and the congregation resolved to have the vacancy filled by Dr. Stinemann and by Rev. Mr. Raether. On March 28, 1888, Rev. Paul Raether was chosen sole minister of the congregation, accepting the call on condition that he be allowed to continue as professor in the seminary until June, 1888. This was granted him, and on April 29, 1888, he was installed by the president of the Synod. He is a faithful and earnest worker, and is much beloved. This congregation, of which he is pastor, consists of over 200 families, 250 voting members and 500 communicants, and has a parochial school in Woodville of over 100 pupils, with two teachers. Politically our subject is a Democrat. GROVER FAMILY. Few citizens. of Sandusky county have a genealogical record so complete as has Enos Grover, of Clyde, one of the most prominent and influential farmers of Green Creek township. Few citizens have more successfully engaged in agricultural and kindred pursuits, and few have left a deeper impression for the weal of the commonwealth than he. Steven Grover is the recognized ancestor of the family in America, and the fact that the President of the United States was christened Steven Grover Cleveland indicates his affinity to the family. Steven Grover, the elder, was a resident of Stoneham, Mass., early in the seventeenth century. He was the parent of John Grover and the grandparent of Steven Grover (second), who was the great-grandfather of Enos, subject of this sketch. Steven Grover (2) was born September 30, 1725, and married Miriam Cady, who was born July J0, 1728, and whose mother was Elizabeth Winters, an Irish girl. Steven Grover (2) died June 28, 1798; his wife April 5, 1803. Joseph Grover, their son, was born October 29, 1764, at West Gloucester, R. I. He was married to his second cousin, Mehetabel Gould, who was born October 13, 1766, in Killingly, Windham Co., Conn., daughter of Capt. Thomas and Ruth (Bateman) Gould. (Alice Grover, sister of Steven Grover (2), was the mother of Ruth Bateman.) Capt. Thomas Gould was born June 23, 1738, and died in 1807. His wife, Ruth Bateman, was born September 10, 1744, and died in 1825. The eight children of Capt. Thomas and Ruth Gould were as follows: Sarah, horn May 25, 1765, married Timothy Baker; Mehitabel, who married Joseph Grover; Eunice, born January 23, 1769, married Cromwell Bennett; Ruth, born March 23, 1771, married Steven Grover, a brother of Joseph Grover; Phoebe, born March 21, 1773, married Samuel Grover, cousin of Joseph (both are buried in Ball- 490 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. ville township, Sandusky Co., Ohio); Thomas, born March 17, 1775, married Elde Egberson; Annie, born March 8, 1781, married Calvin Goodrich; Ruby, born July 18, 1783, married Peter Surdam, who was born February 20, 1775, and she died in Russell township, Geauga Co., Ohio, at an advanced age. After marriage Joseph and Mehitabel Grover settled in Granville township, Washington Co., N. Y., and later removed to Cayuga county, N. Y., where Joseph was farmer, merchant and proprietor of an ashery and distillery, all at the same time. He was a man of great energy and large business capacity, and died in 18i1. His wife died September 4, 1855, in Willoughby, Lake Co., Ohio, at the age of ninety-three, of dysentery, which as an epidemic also carried off, within six weeks, her other brother, Thomas Gould, and several of the kin. To the union of Joseph and Mehitabel Grover were born thirteen children, as follows: (1) Rachel, born March 23, 1785, was married in 1802 to Silas Chatfield, afterward a captain in the war of 1812. He became a prominent citizen of Crawford county, Ohio, giving his name to a township, and later moved with his family to McHenry county, Ill., where Mrs. Chatfield lived to the age of eighty-six years. (2) Luther, father of Enos, born February 6, 1787, in Greenfield, Washington Co. , N. Y. , and died June 12, 1877, at the home of his son Enos, near Clyde. (3) Mehitabel, born March 28, 1789, and became the wife of Wheeler Sperry; they resided for sixty years in Painesville, Ohio, where they both died. (4) Joseph, born May 19, 1791, died October 31, 1835. (5) Miriam, born April 20, 1793, died August 15, 1793. (6) Edna, born June 9, 1794, died April 2, 1796. (7) Stephen, born February 25, 1797, died January 16, 1843. (8) Hannah, born July 16, 1799, married Noah Warden, February 14, 1821, died January 13, 1827. (9) Asa, born March 16, 1802, died at Bellevue, December 29, 1855. (0) Charles, born January 9, 1804, died at Willoughby, Lake county, October 6, 1886. (I I) Parma, born April 15, 1806, died about 1870. (12) Maria, born May 22, 1808, married Charles Cummings, of Geauga county, and died in the summer of 1880 in Marengo township, McHenry Co., Ill. (i3) Ira, born July 21, 18 i 0, was run over by a sleigh and killed February 19, 1813. Luther Grover was reared in Cayuga county, N. Y., and was married January 31, 1808, to Nancy Nettleton, who was born in New Haven, Conn., July 2, 1792. They remained in Cayuga county, N. Y., until 1818, then migrated to' a wilderness home in what is now Willoughby township, Lake Co., Ohio. Here Luther lived to the age of ninety years, four months and five days; his wife died at the age of sixty-three years, ten months and nine days. The seven children of Luther and Nancy Grover were Sheldon, born December TO, 1809, died October 13, 1823; Joseph N., born July 1811, died August 14, 1892; Grace, born June 12, 1816, married Rev. R. Storm, February 13, 1839, died July 16, 1883; Enos, subject of this sketch, born November 25, 1818, the first child of the family born in Ohio; Rachel, born January 24, 1821, married Hiram Fox, died in 1883; Mary Ann, born July 1, 1825, died March 7, 1846; and Dewitt, born April 12, 1828, died in May, 1889. ENOS GROVER was born in Lake county, Ohio, was reared on his father's farm, and was married, January I1, 1842, to Miss Sarah Swart. She was born in Oneida county, N. Y., February 28, 1823. For two years after marriage he lived in Lake county, then in 1844 moved by ox-team to McHenry county, Ill. Two years later, on the death of his sister, he returned with his family to Ohio, and for fifteen months worked at stave-making. Then in 1847 he removed to Green Creek township, near Clyde, pur- COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 491 chasing a portion of the land which he now owns. He lived for a time in a small house built of boards, and in 1862 erected his present home. His first wife died October 13, 1877, leaving six children, as follows: (1) Louisa Jennett, born February 23, 1843, married Silas P. Leach, and had nine children—Leroy, Cynthia, Sarah, Mary, Zenas, Hattie, Lou Enos, Arvada, and Clyde—of whom Mary died at the age of three months; Hattie died about seventeen years ago at the age of seven years, and Clyde is also deceased; Zenas is married, and has had three children—Frank, Mary and Arthur. (2) Eugene P., born September 11, 1846, married first to Vestal Seger, by whom he had two children—Enos and Morna, the latter being now Mrs. Mumford, and the mother of one child; after the death of his first wife Eugene P. married Miss Lena Donings, by whom he has had five children—Hattie, Mervin, Mabel, Maud and Sibyl.     Eugene P. is a street builder in Chicago. (3) Mary Ann, born January 29, 1849, married Samuel George, and died July 9, 1883, leaving four children—Bertha, wife of Rev. John Wagoner, of Michigan; Claudius, Floyd and Elsie. (4) Luther Conrad, born January 1, 1855, married Belle Meek, and has one child, Robert. (5) Nancy, born August 30, 1858, married W. C. Schellhammer, and is the mother of three children—Edith (deceased at the age of two years), Carlton and Sarah. (6) William E., born November 20, 1860, married Lizzie Seely, and has had two children—Mabel (deceased) and John, the last named now (November, 1895) two and a half years old. The second wife of Enos Grover was Mrs. Mahala E. Davis, widow of Gursham Davis (to whom she was wedded April 29, 1856), and daughter of John Lloyd. She was born in Northumberland county, Penn., in 1831, of German ancestry. When she was three months old her father died, and her mother subsequently moved to Delaware county, Ohio. After her mother's death she lived with Quakers and attended a Quaker school. On June 25, 1850, she first wedded Dr. Nelson Wyatt Clifton, who died in 1852. By her second marriage she had one child—Frank Lloyd Davis, a resident of Peru, Ind., who is married and has two children, Wayne and Ralph. Mr. Grover has been one of the most prosperous farmers of Sandusky county, and now owns over 400 acres of excellent land. He formerly owned farms in Canada and in Illinois. He is a man of broad intelligence, and wide general information. He was acquainted with the early pioneers of Sandusky county, most of whom have now passed away, and he knew intimately their character and winning traits. His standing in the community for integrity is the highest, and the pure motives and purposes of his life have ever been unquestioned. CYRUS L. HARNDEN, M. D., one of the most popular and successful physicians of Clyde, Sandusky county, a graduate of the regular school, is a native of the county. He was born January 22, 1850, on his father's farm, situated one and a half miles south of Clyde, and is a son of Jonathan and Nancy (Smith) Harnden. Jonathan Harnden was born in New York State in 1813 of English paternal ancestry, his mother being of Irish birth. Nancy Smith was also a native of the Empire State, descended from an English family. Jonathan migrated from New York to Ohio, and settled on a farm in Huron county which he cleared. About 1850 he removed from Huron county to a farm south of Clyde, where he remained, a prosperous farmer and an influential citizen, until his death, which occurred when he was aged sixty-five years. To Jonathan and Nancy Harnden were born eight children: Two died in infancy; 492 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. Hosea, of Bellevue, Ohio; Kneeland, an ex-soldier of the Civil war, living at Clyde; Smith, a farmer at Rising Sun, Wood county; Alexander, marshal of Clyde; Cyrus L.; and May, deceased. The foundation for his thorough education Dr. Harnden received in the common schools. Subsequently he attended Wooster University, at Wooster, and later entered the Medical Department of that institution, at Cleveland, graduating in the class of 1875, his preceptor being the well-known Dr. C. G. Eaton. In 1883 he received his ad eundein degree from Western Reserve College. Dr. Harnden began his medical practice in Clyde the year before his post-graduation, and he has remained there ever since. By his strong natural endowments and his thorough acquirements in medical science he has built up a splendid practice, quite the maximum even for one of his activity and endurance. He is a member of the Sandusky County Medical Society, and, socially, is prominent in the Masonic Lodge. In politics he is a Republican. The Doctor was married in 1887 to Miss Anna C. Hawk, and they have two children—Robert Lee and Charles Justin. FRANCIS GNEPPER, whose entire life has been passed in Sandusky county, was born in Rice township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, May 12, 1859, and is of German lineage. His father, Ernest Gnepper, was a native of Germany, coming thence to America, and to Ohio, taking up his residence in Rice township, Sandusky county, where he carried on agricultural pursuits the rest of his life. He died February 22, 1891, at the age of sixty-seven years, and was laid to rest in Lindsey Cemetery. His wife's maiden name was Mary Friar. In the family were five children, a brief record of whom is as follows: (1) Henry, the eldest, married Ella Boyer, is a resident of Oak Harbor, and is a farmer by occupation. (2) Angeline is the wife of Phillip Siegenthaler, and they had eight children—Frank E., who lives at home; George, who died in infancy; John W., at home; Charlie H., who died at the age of four years; Fred, born in 1885; Mary, born in 1887; Cora, born in 1889; and Chester, born in 1891. (3) Francis Gnepper is next in the order of birth. (4) Fred, the next younger, married Cass Overmyer, and they have three children—John, born in 1886; Pearl, born in 1889; and Amos, born in 1891. (5) John was united in marriage with Alice Boyer, and their family also numbers three children--Katie, born in 1887; Charlie, born in 1889; and Bertie, born in 1891. In taking up the personal history of Francis Gnepper we present to our readers the life record of one of the practical and progressive famers of Rice township, Sandusky county. He has always lived within the borders of that county, and was reared upon the old homestead where he was early trained to habits of industry. His education was obtained in the district schools of the neighborhood, and during the greater part of the year he aided in the labors of the farm. Thus his childhood and youth were passed, and when he had reached manhood experience had made him familiar with farm work in all its departments. He now has a well-cultivated place, and is raising the cereals best adapted to this climate. He takes no very prominent part in public affairs, but gives his support to the men and measures of the Democracy, and in religious faith he is a devout Catholic. On February 26, 1885, Mr. Gnepper was married, in Sandusky county, to Miss Sarah A. Yeagle, who was born October 8, 1864, in Washington, Sandusky county, and five children have been born to them: Cora Ann, November 15, 1885; Noah E., March 19, 1887; Mary E., January 30, 1889; Clarence D., December 16, 1891; and Clara A., April 2, 1894, all born in COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 493 Washington township, except the young- est, whose place of birth is in Rice township. CORNELIUS HUFFORD, a farmer and pioneer of Sandusky county, son of Christopher Hufford, was born May 30, 1806, in the State of Kentucky, and when about nine years of age came with his father's family to Greene county, Ohio. Here he married Miss Mary Jane, daughter of Abraham Zook. She was born in Bedford county, Penn., January 13, 1809, of Pennsylvania Dutch descent. Her father removed to Seneca county, Ohio, three miles north of Tiffin, where he died at the age of sixty years, and her mother died at the age of seventy-nine years. In 1836 Cornelius Hufford moved to Sandusky township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, and in 1838 to Ballville township, same county, where he bought 130 acres of heavily-timbered land, on which he followed blacksmithing for about twelve years and then devoted himself exclusively to farming. In 1868 he sold his farm to, Julius Patterson, and bought another farm of eighty acres in Washington township. His son Simon lived with him on this place and farmed for him. Mary. Hufford died April 7, 1882, and he afterward lived among his children, dying March 14, 1884. In politics Mr. Hufford was a Democrat; he and his wife were members of the Reformed Church for many years. He was a man of large size, stout, hearty and vigorous until past fifty years of age, when he became afflicted with rheumatism which obliged him to use a cane in walking. They had ten children, only five of whom grew to maturity: Sarah, born April 17, 1834, married Mark Thraves; Simon, born January 14, 1837; Elizabeth, born February 17, 1842, married Norton Rathbone, and lives in Green Creek township; Catharine, born July 12, 1844, married James Emerson, and lives in Ballville township; and Martha, born December 14, 1845, married Elliot Ferrenberg, and lives near Gibsonburg, Ohio. SIMON HUFFORD, a son of Cornelius Hufford, was born in Sandusky township, Sandusky county, January 14, 1837. His early life was spent on his father's farm in Ballville township, where he attended common school and acquired habits of industry, economy and thrift. On December 26, 1861, he married Miss Sarah E. Short, daughter of Moulton and Matilda (Tracy) Short, born August 13, 1842, of Yankee descent. He carried on farming on his father's farm in Ballville township for a number of years, and later in Washington township, but now lives on a farm of his own in. Ballville township. He is a member of the M. E. Church at Fremont, Ohio, and in politics is a Democrat. A record of their children is given as follows: (1) Lillie Jeannette, born November 2, 1862, married Joseph. Herr, and their children are-Harry J., born October 24, 1883, and Hattie May, born July 20, 1885. (2) Jennie Lenora, born March 20, 1864, married. William Inks, and their children are-Ralph, Jesse, Birchard, Florence and Maud. (3) Frank W., born August- 4, 1867, was married October 2, 1889, to Miss Eugenia Myers, who was born July 30, 1871, and they have one child-Hallie Bell,. born September 9, 1891. (4) Armina, born August 13, 1870, was married May 13, 1891, to Frederick Maurer, who was born May 24, 1868, now residing in Helena, Washington township; one of their children, S. Q., was born October 8, 1892, and died February 22, 1893, the other child, Gorman Daine, was born February 22, 1894. (5) Burton Hudson, born December 21, 1873, died November 3, 1874. (6) Hattie May, born July 31, 1876. Mrs. Hufford, whose health had been failing for several years, died at the home of her daughter Mina, November 15, 1895, aged fifty- 494 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. three years, three months and two days, and was buried in McGormley cemetery, Ballville township. CHARLES H. RADEMACHER. Among those who are devoting their time and energies to agricultural and horticultural pursuits in Ottawa county, is this gentleman, who was born on the old homestead farm in Portage township, October 18, 1863. He is descended from worthy German ancestry. Henry Rademacher, his father, was born in the. Province of. Hanover, Germany, November 16, 1813, and after arriving at years of maturity married Annie D. Buck, who was born in the same province, August 9, 1822. In 1835 he crossed the Atlantic to the New World, spending two years in New York, and in 1837 went to Florida, where he remained four years, returning in 1841 to the Eastern metropolis, where he was engaged in the grocery business until 1847. In New York City, November 21, 1845, Henry Rademacher married Miss Buck, and in 1847 returned to the Fatherland, where he spent about a year. In 1848 he again came to this country, and for twelve years was engaged in the grocery business, when in 1860 he started for Ohio, and on. the 12th of May took up his residence in Portage township, Ottawa county, where he continued to make his home until his death. He was born November 16, 1813, and passed away January 17, 1892. His faithful wife still survives him, and now resides on the homestead farm with our. subject. In the family of this worthy couple were seven children, three of whom are still living, namely: Margaret, wife of John Bosch, of Green Spring, Sandusky Co., Ohio; Anna D., wife of C. C. Steffens, living on Catawba Island; and Charles H. The members of the family were born as follows. Margaret, November, 18, 1846; Herman, November 8, 1848, and died .August 10, 1850; John, February 15, 1850, and died in infancy; Annie, October 26, 1852; Mary K., November 25, 1855; Henry, March 3 1, 1861; and Charles H., October 18, 1863. The last named was educated in the. district schools of his native township, also in the Normal School of Port Clinton, Ohio, and since his early boyhood days, has been connected with the agricultural interests of the community, and of later years has been extensively engaged in fruit growing. He has a fine farm, well improved, and supplied with all modern accessories and conveniences for carrying on a successful business. He has a reputation for honest dealing that has won him a. liberal patronage, and today he is one of the prosperous. farmers of the locality. In his political views, Mr. Rademacher is a Democrat, and he and his family attend the Lutheran Church. He was married December 18, 1890, to Miss Annie Ellena Sass, who was born in Danbury, .Ohio, June 11, 1862, a daughter of Herman and Adelaide (Tewers) Sass. The parents were both natives of Germany, became early settlers of Danbury township;. Ottawa. county, and have now passed away; The father was born in Hanover, February 18, 1823, and was a son of Christian and Gesche (Ropke) Sass. He was married in New York City, February 21, 1852, to Adelaide Tewers, who was born in Hanover, January 25, 1826. They came to Ohio in 1855, and the mother died December 7, 1877, the father on January 17, 1886. They had eight children: Mary, born November 30, 1852, wife of Martin Kihlken, of Danbury, Ohio; Hermina, born March 12, 1855; William, born July 17, 1857, now deceased; Frederick, born June 6, 1860, also deceased; Elizabeth Louisa, born June 1 1, 1862, now the wife of William Libben, of Erie, Ohio; Annie Ellena, twin sister of Mrs. Libben, and the honored wife of our subject; Henry COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 495 H., born December 22, 1864, residing in Danbury; and John H., born July 22, 1869. By her first husband, John Lull-man, Mrs. Sass had a daughter: Katherina, who was born January 25, 1851, and is the wife of Henry Bosch, of Danbury. R. BELL. The subject of this sketch, senior partner in the firm of R. Bell & Co., is one of the leading men of Port Clinton, Ottawa county, where he has carried on the fishery business for many years. He was born April 7, 1832, in Cecil county, Md., and is the son of Abraham and Sarah Trump Bell. Abraham Bell was born in Pennsylvania, near the Maryland State line, in 180o, and carried on his occupation of a tanner and currier in Maryland until 1834, when he came to Ohio and located five miles west of Port Clinton, on Lake Erie, in Erie township. Here he bought a farm, built a tannery, and manufactured the first leather ever made in the county. He was engaged in the business for some thirty-eight years, and died in Ottawa county in 1875. In politics he was a Whig; afterward, on the absorption of that party into the Republican party, joining the ranks of the latter. In religious faith he was brought up in the Quaker faith, and was connected with that denomination throughout his life. His wife was born, in 1802, in Cecil county, Md., and died in 1841, the mother of twelve children—six sons, and six daughters. The following is a record of the parental family: Robert M. lived at home until eighteen years of age, when he returned to the East, married and practiced medicine at Harrisburg, Penn. ; he afterward returned to Ohio, where he died, leaving a widow and two sons. Samuel T. is living retired at Riverside, Cal.; Mary Anna married James Hoops, and lives in Chester county, Penn. ; Rachel died when about twenty years old; Rebecca, who lives in Louisville, Ky., is the widow of Dr. Officer, and has had two children, both living with her; Philena, who married W. W. Batlin, is deceased; Sarah Melissa married William Clark, and died in early womanhood; our subject comes next in order of birth; Abraham, who is in the general merchandise business, lives at Elwell, Ohio; Joseph M., who was a member of Company I, Forty-first Regiment Ohio Infantry, in the Civil war, died near Chattanooga, Tenn., in the latter part of 1863. The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood days cn his father's farm, assisting in the farm work and in the tannery, and having only the limited advantages to be obtained at a country school, until he was sixteen years old, when he started for himself, becoming a clerk in a store at Port Clinton, where ,he remained two years" At the early age of eighteen years he was married to Miss Amelia Wilson, and made his home in Erie township. Here he began fishing with seines in 1850, carrying on a small business at first, which has steadily grown ever since. In all these years he has missed but one season's fishing. In 1859 he went to California, crossing the Plains with an ox-team, and locating near the foot hills of the Sierra Nevada range. It was a wearisome journey to the land of gold in those days, and Mr. Bell was five months making the trip, leaving home on the 6th of March, and reaching Placerville, or Hangtown, August 8. He returned home via the Panama Route, and was twenty-four days coming from San Francisco to New York. In 1873 Mr. Bell erected the building which he still occupies, and has been carrying on a prosperous business ever since, sending carloads of fish as far west as Omaha and east to the Atlantic. His yearly catch is between five thousand and eight thousand tons of fish, and he uses two steam tugs in his 496 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. business. Mr. Bell's first wife died in Port Clinton in 1873, when forty-one years old. They were the parents of the following named children: Perry; who died when twenty-four years old, was married, and left four children—Amelia, Norah, Richard and Perry; Phylena and George died in early youth; Joseph lives in Port Clinton (he married Miss Angeline Magruder, and has one child—Ruth; he is a member of the firm of RI Bell & Co., and captain of one of his father's tugs); Rebecca; Josephine; Sarah Lucinda, who married W. R. Webster, editor of the Port Clinton News, and has one child—Chauncey; and two that died in infancy unnamed. Mr. Bell was married in 1874 to Miss Huldah L. Masten, who was born in Scottsburg, N. Y., in 1852. Of this marriage four children have been born: John McAllister, Bessie, Edna and Earl. Mr. Bell is a Republican, and, socially, has passed all the chairs in the I. O. O. F. [Since the above was written Mr. Bell informs us that he left Port Clinton September 19, 1895, and will spend the remainder of his life at Riverside, Calif ornia.—Editor. OSCAR BILLINGS, who during his long and useful life was closely identified with the flourishing township of Allen, Ottawa county, and whose death was sincerely mourned by hosts of friends who knew him as the devoted husband and father, good citizen and faithful minister, was born December 20, 1824, at Syracuse, New. York. He was a son of Augustus and Clarinda (English) Billings, both of whom were natives of New York State. After completing his education in the schools of his native town, Mr. Billings came with his mother to Ohio, settling in Woodville township, Sandusky county, where he learned The manufacture of furniture, with a man named Chamberlin. He worked at this trade until the Civil war broke out, when he enlisted, in 1861, in Company I, Twenty-first Ohio Infantry, under command of Capt. I. K. Seaman, as a drummer. He served four months and received his discharge in August, of the same year, returning to Sandusky county. Here he remained a short time, and then took his wife and family to Minnesota, settling in Waseca county and engaging in farming. Here he lived for nine years, and then went back to Ottawa county, locating near Genoa, and bought a farm which he carried on for three years. He again sold out and came to Allen (then Clay) township, and buying seventy acres of partially cleared land, remained here until his death. Mr. Billings was married in Woodville, February 4, 1854, to Miss Mary A. Bosse, and to this union came one child,. Alice, born. November 5, 1854, who died April i8, 1855, the mother passing away July 21, of the same year. Mr. Billings was again married, October 27, 1858, taking for his second wife Philinda. Baldwin, daughter of Nelson T. Baldwin, a farmer of Sandusky county. Of this marriage nine children have been born, viz.: Minerva C., born July 3, 1859, is the wife of Jacob S. Stewart; Sarah J., born June 22, 1861, became the wife of Bradford Lidsey, a farmer of Allen township; Nelson O., born March 1o, 1863, is a barber at Genoa (he is married and has one child, Harold); Arthur T., born August 31, .1864, and Lorenzo A., born March 3, 1868, live at home with their mother and carry on farming; Leonard G., born December 11, 1870, received his primary education in the public schools of Allen township, and was for one year in the High School at Elmore, after which he spent three years at the Academy of the United Brethren at Fostoria, and then began teaching till he was twenty-one, then began barbering with his brother Nelson; Casper A., born July 23, 1874, lived at home; Myrtie B., born August 29, 1876, and Laura, born May COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 497 28, 1880. Nelson T. Baldwin, the father of Mrs. Billings, was born in the State of New York and came to Ohio with his parents, when a small boy. They settled in Sandusky county, where Mr. Baldwin still lives. He married Cathrine C. Boose, and they have had a family of four children as follows: Philinda, wife of the subject of this sketch, was born in Woodville, May 14, 1842; Warren, born March 6, 1844, is a farmer and stonemason, and lives in Nebraska (he married Matilda Widmer); Sarah, born June I, 1846, is the wife of Frederick Volkel, of Genoa; William, born July 2, 1850, is a farmer at Woodville. The mOther of these children died in Woodville, March 3, 1892, and Mr. Baldwin married, for his second wife, Mrs. Sneakburger, a widow. Oscar Billings, the subject of this sketch, was a member of George Douglass Post No. 183, G. A. R., of Millbury, Ohio, and in his political. views he was a Republican. He and his family were devout members of the United, Brethren Church, in which Church he was a local preacher for more than twelve years preceding his death, which took place August 12, 1894. He was a man of excellent character and a good father and husband, whose death will long be mourned. FRED BOLTE, a highly popular citizen of Port Clinton, Ottawa county, and a well-to-do business man, is a native of Hanover, Germany, born August 20, 1851, a son of Cord and Charlotte (Harms) Bolte. Cord Bolte, father of our subject, was born in 1818, in Germany, was .a blacksmith by trade, and died in 1865; his wife, Charlotte (Harms), was born in 1815, and died in 1892, at the residence of her son Fred, in Port Clinton, Ohio. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cord Bolte, as follows: William, a blacksmith, residing in Germany; Louisa, now the wife of George F. Meyer, of Port Clinton; Anna (widow of William Dickman), also living in Port Clinton; Meta, wife of Benjamin Boock, of Catawba Island, Ottawa county; Henry (deceased); Sophy, wife of Mr. Andrew Heinsen, of Bay township, Ottawa county; and Fred, our. subject. When the latter was six years old his parents moved with their family to Amt Syke, Germany, five years later taking up their abode in Osterholz, in both of which places young Fred received his education, which was concluded when he was fourteen years old, after which he served a three-years' apprenticeship to the trade of blacksmith, and for two years followed that business in Osterholz. During the next two or three years his time was occupied in working at his trade in Bremen, Stade, Gadebusch, Berlin and Hanover, which brings us to 1873, in which year, desirous of bettering his condition, he emigrated to the United States arriving at New York on July to. From there he came directly to Sandusky, Ohio, where for eight months he followed his trade, and then moved to Oak Harbor, being here similiarly employed other eight months; but returning to Sandusky, he once more made his home there, this time remaining about a year. From Ohio Mr. Bolte was attracted to Indiana by magnet, and April 10, 1876, was married to the lady of his choice—Miss Mary Cloy, who was. born February 18, 1859, in Auburn, Ind., daughter of Christopher Cloy, of that city, where she passed all her days up to' her marriage. Her parents were pioneers of near Garrett, Ind., and had a family of four children: Julia (deceased); Mary (Mrs. Bolte); Fred, an upholsterer in a railroad shop, at Garrett, Ind. ; and Charles (deceased). The father of these died in 1893; the mother is still living. After his marriage Mr. Bolte remained in the " Hoosier State " about a year, and then moved to Flat Rock, Ohio, where he followed his trade nine months. From 498 - COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. there he proceeded to Graytown, Ottawa Co., Ohio, and for two years conducted a blacksmith shop there, at the end of which time he opened a saloon and restaurant there, twelve months later embarking in the hotel business in the same town, in which he continued some seven years. Mr. Bolte then rented the hotel, and gave his undivided attention to the saloon and restaurant until 1890, when he was elected sheriff of Ottawa county on the Democratic ticket, and this incumbency he ably filled four years. At the time of his election to that office he removed his residence to Port Clinton, the county seat, where is still his home, although his business is in Graytown. During the winter of 1894-95 Mr. Bolte took a trip to Europe, spending some time at the place of his birth, and visiting his brother William, who has never left the Fatherland. On his return from Germany: our subject sold his hotel property at Graytown and opened his present new saloon and restaurant at that place. In politics he is an ardent supporter of the Democratic party, and on that ticket he was elected treasurer of Benton township, which position he held for some time prior to his election to the office of county sheriff. To him and his-amiable wife have been born four children, their names and dates of birth being as follows: Louise, February 24, 1878, at present devoting her time to the study of instrumental music; Henry, February 4, 1880, also studying music; Otto, October J0, 188 t, and Charles, March 13, 1885, all born in Graytown, Ohio, except Louise, whose place of birth is Flat Rock, Ohio. They are all attending the public schools of Port Clinton. NATHANIEL AMOS HADDEN, the well-known and highly-respected fruit grower and shipper, of Catawba Island, Ottawa county, was born at Rice Creek, Calhoun Co., Mich., August 7, 1836, and was the third son of Amos and Mary Jane (Dutcher) Hadden, both natives of New York State. His parents left New York, and settled in Michigan in 1835, buying, from the government, 1 20 acres of wild land in southern Michigan, among the wolves and Indians, their nearest neighbors being four miles away, and there made for themselves a fine farm home, which stands today (1895) a monument to the energy and good management of its owner, Amos Hadden, who died suddenly in his own yard, in November, 1893, at the age of eighty-three years. His wife, now eighty-four, still lives there, where for sixty years she has lived, and faithfully assisted her husband in making the home and family what it is. They were Methodists in religious faith, and in a few years, with others who followed them from New York, planted Methodism in that section of country, and built a good church, which still stands. A small stream of water runs through this section, called Rice creek from the quantities of wild rice growing on its banks, and from this the early settlers named themselves the " Rice Creek Settlement," which name has since been given the post office now there, with its daily mail. It was there at Rice Creek in 1836, the year after the settlement of his parents, that N. A. Hadden, the subject of this sketch, was born and reared to young manhood, assisting his father in everything pertaining to the farm, and receiving a liberal education in the good schools which naturally followed in the wake of this civilized people from the East. In the spring of 1859, when he was twenty-two, he, like thousands of others, was seized with the Pike's Peak gold fever, and, with a party of eleven men, left the old farm and started for Pike's Peak. At St. Joseph, Mo., they were discouraged by returning men, and the eleven, with two additions, decided to go to California. They bought oxen and provisions, and COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 499 started on their long journey across the Plains, which took six months. They all arrived in safety, but our Mr. Hadden was the only man of the thirteen who was not obliged to ride on account of illness. He literally walked almost the entire distance. On their arrival each went his own way, our subject working in the gold mines with good and ill success, until called home by the death of a brother in the army, in 1862. In the spring of 1863 he was married, and with his wife lived on the old farm until the fall of 1865. Here two children were born to them, one dying. He then removed with his wife and little daughter to Mendon, Mich., where for five years he he was successfully engaged in the drug and grocery business. Here a son was born and died, and his own health became impaired, and then it was that he turned his attention to Ottawa county, Ohio, the former home of his wife. In 1870 he bought a vineyard, also two lake lots on the north point of Catawba Island, and erected a summer hotel, which, when just finished and opened, and, with its first guest, was entirely destroyed by fire, on the. night of March 13, 1872, at the close of a fine school entertainment, which he had generously allowed to be given on the third unfinished floor, and which was undoubtedly the cause of the fire. By this calamity he was thrown out of home and business, and left heavily in debt. During that summer his third son was born, and in the fall he took his family to Kalamazoo, Mich., where they spent a year, and in July, 1873, he accepted the position of bookkeeper and salesman for the firm of J. C. Butler & Co. (now George R. Butler), proprietors of the sash, 'door and blind factory in Sandusky, Erie Co., Ohio, whither he moved his family and where he lived for fifteen years, during which time he settled his entire indebtedness, built him a good home, and bought land on Catawba Island. This last purchase of fifty-five acres was made in November, 1879, and was entirely woods and stone, and looked to many like an unprofitable investment, but with his characteristic pluck, energy, push and hard work he has made for himself a fine fruit farm of about ten thousand trees, and erected a comfortable and commodious residence, with all the necessary outbuildings. This he has named " Sunnyside Orchard," and is the present home of himself and wife. In 1888 he left the Butlers and devoted his entire time to fruit culture. For eight years he has been rewarded with good crops, and has become the third largest grower and shipper of fruit on the Island, making a specialty of the peach. In religion, Mr. Hadden has been a Methodist from boyhood; in politics a Republican, having cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, and he has voted for every Republican President since. He has been president and manager of the Catawba Island Fruit Co., since its organization in 1888. Mr. Hadden is a man of perfect habits, and is one of the most social and liberal of men. He has one ,brother living, Smith Hadden, of Olivet, Mich., and a widowed sister, Mrs. N. L. McCormick, who with her daughter lives with the aged mother at the old Hadden homestead. On May 14, 1863, Mr. Hadden was married in the old M. E. Church at Port Clinton, Ottawa Co.,' Ohio., to Miss Marion J. Dutcher, who was born June 22, 1839, at Oswego, N. Y., eldest daughter. of Ira S. Dutcher, a sketch of whom follows. Miss Dutcher first came to Catawba Island with her father's family when she was but sixteen years old. The " point " was then called " Ottawa City." Two years later she taught her first school, and the first school ever taught on North Bass Island, or " Isle St. George," as it is now called. From here she was called to the high school of Port Clinton, which she successfully taught a year or more, and then went to Elmore, and taught music. From there she was called to Gyp-