PUTNAM COUNTY. GEN. A. V. RICE.--The history of the family of which the subject of this biography is a worthy representative is traceable to England. One of the general's ancestors came to America as early as 1637, and located at Worcester, Mass., where he became the progenitor of a large family. During the war of Independence the name became quite .prominent by reason of the distinguished part borne by a number of the family in that great struggle, and later the general's grandfather, Ebenezer Rice, served as captain of artillery in the war of 1812. About the year 1799 he left the paternal home in Massachusetts and located at Montpelier, Vt. ; thence, in 1802, he went further west, settling on the border of Lake Champlain, N. Y. In 1812 the family emigrated to Ohio, locating first in Licking county, later moving to Richland county, and settling in the town of Perrysville (now within the limits of Ashland county), where Ebenezer Rice passed the remaining years of his life. Ebenezer Rice was a man of prominence, possessing in a most remarkable degree the confidence of the people wherever his lot was cast. His judgment in all matters of business was exceptionally good. He was broad minded and liberal in all his dealings, and for years exercised the office of arbiter in adjusting difficulties among members of the community, thus preventing much unpleasant and costly litigation. Clark Hammond Rice, son of Ebenezer Rice, and father of Gen. A. V. Rice, was born in 1804. He was brought up among the stirring scenes of pioneer times, and in early life began teaching school, which profession he followed for some time. Subsequently he engaged in the river trade, taking produce by flatboat to New Orleans, by which means his real start in business was obtained. After this he opened a general store in Perrysville, Ohio, in which business he continued until 1839, when he moved to Putnam county, locating at Kalida, where he also engaged in the mercantile business. The history of Putnam county and the biography of Clark H. Rice were closely identified. For much of its growth and prosperity the county was indebted to him. In the fall of 1868 he removed to Ottawa, where he established, and remained in active business as the senior member of, the banking house of C. H. Rice & Co., until the time of his death, in 1870. In 1832 he was married to Miss Catherine Mowers, a lovely christian woman. 6 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Mrs. C. H. Rice was born in the year 1808, of German lineage, and departed this life in 1874. Like her husband, she was a devout member of the Presbyterian church, and contributed liberally of her means to the cause of religion, which she loved so well. Mr. and Mrs. Rice had a family of six children, whose names are as follows: Angerona, Americus V., whose name introduces this biography; Sarah E., deceased; Samuel B., deceased; Julia R. and Clark. H., who died in early childhood. Mr. Rice's business career was untarnished by a single dishonorable act, and his success was commensurate with the superior judgment displayed in the management of all his affairs; he accumulated a handsome estate, and will always be remembered as one of the leading business men and representative citizens of Ottawa, Putnam county. Americus V. Rice was born in Perrysville, then in Richland county, Ohio, in 1835. He prepared for college at Antioch (Yellow Springs P. 0.), Ohio, and was graduated from Union college, Schenectady, N. Y., in 186o. On leaving college he began the study of law, which he continued until the breaking out of the Rebellion, in the spring of i861, when he offered his services as a private soldier, enlisting in company E, Twenty-first regiment, Ohio infantry, for the three-months' service. He was elected second lieutenant April 29, 1861, was chosen captain May 16th, and served in the latter capacity in Western Virginia, under Gen. J. D. Cox, until mustered out the following August. During the month of September, 1861, Capt. Rice recruited a company for the three-years' service, and was mustered in as captain of company A, Fifty-seventh Ohio infantry. He also largely assisted in recruiting and organizing this regiment. At the instance of his many friends, and on the unanimous recom mendation of the officers of his regiment, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel by Gov. Tod in February, '862. He accompanied his command to Paducah, Ky. , where it was made part of Sherman's division. At the battle of Shiloh he commanded his regiment, and during the thickest of the fight was wounded by the bursting of a shell above him. In the advance on Corinth he took an active part, and in all the battles commanded his regiment in such a manner as to elicit the encomium of his superior officers. Lieut. -Col. Rice was with Sherman's army during the summer and fall of 1862, and participated in the battle of Chicksaw Bayou, Miss., and in Sherman's efforts to reduce Vicksburg, commanding his regiment in the different engagements from December 27, 1862, to January 2, 1863. He led his command at the battle of Arkansas Post, worked on the canal at Vicksburg, and in March, 1863, commanded the First brigade, First division, Fifteenth army corps, in the Black Bayou expedition. Later he distinguished himself at Slander's Bluff, on the Yazoo river, and by rapid marches led his command around Vicksburg-, by way of Grand Gulf, Miss., reaching Baker's Creek in time to engage in the battle of Champion Hills. His regiment was also in the engagement at Big Black River, and he was in the first assault at Vicksburg after the investment of that city. Gen. Rice led his regiment in the terrible charge on the enemy's works at Vicksburg-, May 22, 1863, at which time his right leg was broken by a shot in the knee, and he was also severely wounded by a minie ball. These serious injuries obliged him to remain out of active service until January, 1864. On May 16, 1863, he was appointed colonel of his regiment. For his actions in the various campaigns about Vicksburg, Gen. Sherman recommended Col. Rice for promotion to brigadier general. Subsequently he was with Sherman in the Atlanta campaign and took a distinguished OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 7 part in the battles of Sugar Valley, Resaca (where he was wounded in the left thigh), Dallas, New Hope, Big Shanty, and little Kenesaw. In the last of these he received three wounds almost simultaneously—the first in the head, near the temple, caused great loss of blood, the second badly shattered the left foot, while the third crushed the right leg, making amputation above the knee necessary. These wounds necessitated his retirement from active service until April, 1865, when he again rejoined his command in North Carolina. In May, 1865, he received his commission as brigadier general which had been so frequently recommended. He took part in the grand review at Washington, May 24, 1865, and the following June was assigned to the command of the Third brigade, Second division, Fifteenth army corps, in which capacity he continued until these troops were mustered out of service August, 1865. Gen. Rice was honorably discharged January 15. 1866. From the foregoing hasty review of his military career it will be seen that Gen. Rice's army record is one of which any soldier might feel deservedly proud, and surely the government archives are graced by no abler or more gallant defender of the national honor. Gen. Rice is a member of the G. A. R., also of the Loyal Legion. For some time after leaving the army Gen. Rice resided in the state of Arkansas, engaged in cotton planting. In October, 1866, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Metcalf, daughter of the late Judge Benjamin Metcalf of Lima, Ohio, a lady 'of rare intelligence and accomplishments. In June, 1868, Gen. Rice became the manager of the banking house of C. H. Rice & Co., at Ottawa, Ohio, giving the business his whole attention until his election, in 1874, to the congress of the United States. As a legislator in the national councils Gen. Rice proved himself worthy of the confidence reposed in him, and at the ensuing election, in 1876, he was chosen his own successor. While in congress he closely identified himself with the soldiers' interest. He was made chairman of the committee on invalid pensions, and his great work, to which he devoted his best energies, was the passage of the arrears of pension bill. This secured to every veteran who obtained a pension not only the money due him each quarter, but all that had accumulated since the war. At the expiration of his congressional term, Gen. Rice returned to Ottawa and took charge of the bank, which later on was reorganized under the name of A. V. Rice & Co. Though not naturally a politician Gen. Rice from force of circumstances was drawn, perhaps not unwillingly, into the arena of politics, where his commanding talents and energy soon won recognition. He belongs to an old democratic family of the Jeffersonian type. He was a war democrat, and has never given his adherence to any other school of politics. He was a delegate to the national convention at Baltimore in 1868 that nominated Greeley for the presidency. In 1879 Gen. Rice was a candidate for lieutenant-governor on the ticket of " Ewing and Rice." In 1880 he was first alternate for the state at large to the national convention at Cincinnati, which nominated Gen. Hancock for president. In 1884 he was on the electoral ticket for the state at large. He was a delegate to the national democratic convention at St. Louis in 1888, at which Grover Cleveland was nominated for the presidency. On the 21 st of March, 1894, Gen. Rice was appointed United States pension agent for Ohio by President Cleveland. After having devoted so much of his life to the soldier interest, this was considered a most fitting appointment. For a number of years Gen. Rice has been a member of the board of trustees of the 8 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Soldiers and Sailors' Orphans' Home, located at Xenia, Ohio. He was president of the board two years. This is a labor of love with him, to help look after and take care of the wards of the state, his comrades' orphans, to which he has given much time and attention. He took possession of his new office at Columbus, Ohio, May 1, 1894, which position he still holds. He is now, with his family, which consists of his wife and two daughters, Mary and Katherine, temporarily living in that city. SAMUEL BARNABAS RICE, deceased, brother of Gen. A. V. Rice, was born in the town of Kalida, Putnam county, Ohio, November 2, 1841. He was reared in his native county, and after attending the common school began the study of law, which he pursued under private instructions and at the university of Michigan, and in due time was admitted to the bar. He served with his brother, Gen. Rice, during the latter part of the war, and in 1863 entered into the marriage relation with Charlotte Spencer, of Kalida, a union blessed with the birth of the following children: Zella, wife of J. Cook Tillinghast, of Toledo; Clark H., assistant cashier of the banking firm of A. V. Rice & Co., Ottawa (which firm was succeeded, December 12, 1895, by Matthews & Rice, the members of the new firm being N. E. Matthews and C. H. Rice); Charlotte, Lenora; Seney died at the age of one year, and Samuel Barnabas died at the- age of four years. After spending a few years in Arkansas in the early 'sixties, Mr. Rice engaged in the mercantile business at Kalida, but severed his connection with that line of trade upon the organization of the banking house of C. H. Rice & Co. at Ottawa, Ohio, in order to accept a position with that institution, having been one of the promoters and stockholders of the same. In 1868 Mr. Rice was elected clerk of the courts of Putnam county, the duties of which he discharged in a most satisfactory and capable manner for a period of six years, proving himself one of the most popular and effi cient men ever called to that office. On retiring from the clerkship, Mr. Rice assumed control of the bank in Ottawa, and remained identified with the same until his death, which occurred in June, 1877. He was a man of great popularity, possessed the 'unbounded confidence of his fellow-citizens of Ottawa and Putnam county, and his untimely death, which was felt as a personal loss by the community, terminated a career fraught with many flattering prospects. He was an active member of the F. & A: M. and Royal Arcanum, and a broad-minded, liberal man, whom his fellow-citizens hold in grateful remembrance. Mrs. Rice departed this life on the 23d day of May, 1884. CLARK HAMMOND RICE, son of Samuel Barnabas Rice and grandson of Clark Hammond Rice, whose portrait adorns this volume, is the assistant cashier of the banking house of A. V. Rice & Co., Ottawa, and was born April 3o, 1865, at the town of Kalida, Putnam county, Ohio. He received his early education in the public schools of Ottawa, for two years attended the high school at Denver, Colo., and in 1894, when nineteen years of age, accepted a clerical position in the bank of A. V. Rice & Co., with which institution he has since been identified. Mr. Rice is a skilled accountant, thoroughly posted in all the details of the banking business, and is one of the progressive and substantial young men of Ottawa, keeping pace with the times in all things and doing well his part toward the promotion and advancement of the best interests of the city. Politically OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 11 he is a democrat, and, while active in the councils of his party, is not an aspirant for official honors, preferring to devote his attention to his business affairs. He is a member of the city board of education, being clerk of the same, and in his official capacity has contributed not a little to the efficiency of the present educational system of Ottawa. December 12, 1895, the banking firm of A. V. Rice & Co. was succeeded by Matthews & Rice, the firm consisting of N. E. Matthews and C. H. Rice. Mr. Rice is a Mason of high degree, belonging to the blue lodge, chapter and council, in the deliberations of all of which he takes an active part. He was married June 20, 1894, to Miss Ida Goetschius, daughter of Nicholas Goetschius. Mrs. Rice is an accomplished lady, moves in the best circles of society, and is an active member of the Presbyterian church of Ottawa, of which Mr. Rice is also a communicant. FRANKLIN MONROE ACKERMAN was born in Bryan, Williams county, Ohio, December. 25, 1858, and is a son of Caleb and Lydia Ackerman. Caleb Ackerman was a son of Christopher Ackerman, a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, and who emigrated to the United States about 1815, settling in Lancaster county, Pa. He afterward lived in Lisbon and Springfield, Ohio, and subsequently purchased a farm in Mahoning county, upon which he died in 1848. He was married in Wurtemberg, Germany, to Mary Keafer, who bore him five sons and two daughters. Caleb, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born at Springfield, Ohio, March 23, 1824, was reared in Mahoning county, and learned the trade of wagon-maker, which trade he followed in Findlay and in Bryan, Ohio, for some years. He then purchased a farm in Fulton county, upon which he lived until 1891, when he retired from active life, and in 1892 located in Ottawa and died the same year. His family consisted of four children, as follows: Alice A. (Mrs. Sweetland); Franklin Monroe, the subject of this sketch; Electa M. and William W. His wife, the mother of these children, still survives and is living in Ottawa. When Franklin Monroe Ackerman was seven years of age his parents moved to a farm in Fulton county and there he grew to manhood, attending the district schools until his seventeenth year. Later he pursued his studies in the schools of Fayette, and afterward attended the Normal school at Valparaiso, Ind., in which he took the scientific and commercial courses, graduating in the latter department in 1882. In the meantime, in 1879, he began teaching and followed the profession for some years, earning, thereby, means to prosecute his studies in the aforementioned institution. He dropped the scientific course to accept the principalship of the Archibald schools, which position he held for one year, to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. A short time after his graduation Mr. Ackerman went to Chicago, where, on the 31st day of January, 1884, he was united in marriage with Miss Cora A. Wightman, daughter of L. E. and Sarah Wightman. Shortly after his marriage Mr. Ackerman returned to Fulton county, Ohio, where until 1887 he was engaged in farming and teaching, pursuing the former in the summer, and the latter in the winter seasons. In the aforesaid year Mr. Ackerman came to Ottawa and accepted a position with the Clover Creamery company, with which he has since been identified. This creamery was organized as a stock company in the winter of 1886-87, with a capital of $10,000, and the following are the 12 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY names of the present officers: N. E. Matthews, president, and F. M. Ackerman, secretary and treasurer. The company erected a building south of the river in the winter of 1886-87, its capacity being i,000 pounds per day, and began gathering cream, for the manufacture of butter, over a radius of about ten miles. From the beginning of the enterprise its success exceeded the expectation of the originators and it is now one of the largest and most thoroughly equipped establishments of the kind in northwestern Ohio, the average weekly out-put being over two thousand pounds of the choicest butter, which finds a ready sale in the local and general markets. In addition to the manufacture of. butter, the firm deals largely in eggs, which are collected along the milk routes and shipped to eastern cities. Mr. Ackerman has been the leading spirit of the creamery enterprise, and has contributed more to its success than any other man. He took charge of the butter making in 1888, at which time he also became virtual manager of the establishment, a position which he still retains. Mr. Ackerman has striven in every possible way to master in detail the creamery business, and tries to make his goods as fine as the finest in the market. How well he has succeeded is shown by the fact that few can distinguish his make of butter from gathered cream from that manufactured from separated cream. He receives the hightest commendations from his numerous patrons, and his goods in the eastern markets retail with the best Elgin grades. The Clover creamery plant was destroyed by fire in 1891, but was rebuilt the same year with enlarged capacity. In politics Mr. Ackerman is a stanch supporter of the republican party, and fraternally belongs to the Masonic order, in which he holds an important official position; he is also a K. of P., being at present C. C. of Ottawa lodge, No. 565. Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman have a family of four children: Ethel M., Lyman E., Genevieve S. and Caleb Franklyn. WILLIAM W. ACKERMAN, local agent of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton railroad at Ottawa, was born in Fulton county, Ohio, June 2, 1866, and is a son of Caleb and Lydia (Lenhart) Ackermn. The father, also a native of Ohio, was by trade a carriage-maker, and followed his chosen calling for a number of years in the city of Bryan. Later he engaged in agricultural pursuits, and was thus employed until his death, which occurred June 2, I 892, at the age of sixty-seven years. He was a man of many excellent parts, an ardent prohibitionist in his political belief, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, with which denomination his wife was also identified. The Ackermans are of German descent, and the branch of the family to which the subject of this sketch belongs settled a great many years ago in the state of Pennsylvania. Four children were born to Caleb and Lydia Ackerman, viz: Alice, wife of Leonard Sweetland; Frank M., a biography of whom appears elsewhere; Elida M., of Mount Hope, Kans., and William W. With the exception of the eldest child all of the above children have been engaged in educational work, the daughter being, at this time, a teacher in Kansas. The mother is still living, and makes her home with the subject of this sketch. William W. Ackerman, like the majority of bays in our western country, passed his early youth amid the rugged duties of the farm, attending the public schools and the Fayette Normal, and at the age of seventeen was sufficiently advanced to engage in teaching. He followed this useful calling for a period of six years, during which time he earned the reputation of OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 13 a very successful instructor, and the last years of his educational work were spent as principal of the public schools at Fayette. In 1889 Mr. Ackerman accepted a position with the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton railroad company at Ottawa, and has since been identified with that company in various capacities. He began railroading as head clerk of the yards, holding the position for ten months, and then became night operator and ticket agent, in which capacity he served four months, being transferred at the end of that time to Columbus Grove, where he became day operator and ticket agent. Three months later he was sent to Lima as clerk and operator, thence, at the end of five months, was returned to Ottawa as night operator, discharging the duties of that position with commendable fidelity until placed in charge of the office, February 1, 1893. Mr. Ackerman has proven his efficiency as a railroad man, and enjoys the confidence of the company by which he is employed. He is painstaking in looking after the interest of the company, and has gained much popularity by his affable manner and kind treatment of the patrons of the road. Fraternally Mr. Ackerman belongs to the K. of P. order, Ottawa lodge, No. 565, and is also a member of Ottawa lodge, No. 2, I. 0. 0. F. He was married August 24, 1893, to Miss Carrie Light, daughter of J. C. and Susan Light, to which union one child, Mildred, has been born. G. W. ALKIRE, of Riley township, Putnam county, was born in Madison county, Ohio, December 25, 1826, and was reared a farmer. In 1834 he was brought to Putnam county by his parents, who entered 380 acres of land, 300 of which were located in what is now Allen county, from which they eventually cleared a handsome and fruitful farm. His parents were William N. and Hannah (Osborn) Alkire. The former was born in Kentucky in 1799, and the latter in Virginia in 1803, and when young both were brought to Ohio by their parents, who settled in Madison county, where the marriage of William N. and Hannah was in due time solemnized. When yet a mere lad, William N. Alkire served in the war of 1812; he later became a millwright, and, after his marriage, a farmer. He lost his wife April 15, 1843, and he himself died January 25, 1886, both having lived a wholesome life within the pale of the Presbyterian church. Their six children were named as follows: Edward P., who served during the late Civil war, and is now a resident of Manistee county, Mich. ; George W., our subject; Richard, a Putnam county farmer; Madison, an orange grower of California, and John, of Pickaway county, Ohio. When William N. Alkire settled in Putnam county there were no roads, no fences, no white population. He cut most of the road through to his land from Lima, taking three days to make a passage of fourteen miles. The swamps were deep and rank, and malarial fever held sway over the neighborhood; bears and deer abounded, and wild turkeys were so plentiful that no sale could be found for them, but Mr. Alkire generally managed to pay his taxes through the sale of pelts and ginseng. Wyandot and Choctaw Indians roamed the forests, but, as they could easily secure a subsistence by hunting, were not at all hostile or troublesome. Amid these wild scenes our subject was reared, became an expert marksman and hunter, and happily passed his days until 1843, when the death of his mother disrupted the family. Our subject then worked out by the month at farm labor for a year or more, and then engaged in carpentering, a trade he followed for eighteen years, all told. In 1851 Mr. Alkire married and moved to 14 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Pandora, where he worked at his trade industriously, and in 1863 had accumulated sufficient means with which to purchase a portion of his present farm, which now comprises 210 acres. In 1864 he moved to his property, and by diligent labor has placed nearly all of the broad acres under a high state of cultivation, improved it with two substantial residences, with out-buildings to match, and now rents out a portion of his premises, while he superintends the portion retained for his own use, and lives in ease and comfort, devoting his spare time to the attention of other necessary business only. The marriage of Mr. Alkire, alluded to above as having taken place in 1851, was with Miss Mary C. Heart, daughter of John and. Mary (Meng) Heart, both natives of Pennsylvania, but married in Ashland county, Ohio, whence John Heart came to Putnam county in 1842, entered land in the forest and made a good home. He was three times married, and the offspring of his first union, which was with Mary Meng, was as follows: Three children who died in infancy, the survivors being Mrs. Alkire, Elizabeth, Mrs. Dora D. Brown, Absalom, Samuel, John F. and Margaret. The mother of this family died in 1866, and, subsequently, Mr. Heart removed to Allen county, where his death occurred in 1887, both having been consistent members of the Presbyterian church. To Mr. and Mrs. Alkire have been born six children, of whom four have been reared to maturity, viz: John A., an educator, of Valparaiso, Ind. ; Fremont, a farmer of Putnam county, Ohio; 'William H., in the same vocation in the same county, and Mary E., wife of James Preston, a farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Alkire, are also rearing a granddaughter, Mary C. Alkire, who was born in 1882, and whom they have had in charge since she was three weeks of age. Mr. and Mrs. Alkire are devoted members of the Presbyterian church, and move in a social circle of strict propriety and the most refined .respectability. Mr. Alkire has made three trips to California, chiefly to visit relatives; first, in 1875, in company with his wife, staging 1,300 miles, and remaining two months; second, in 1880, in company with his father-in-law, taking in Oregon on the trip, and remaining again two months, and third, in 1891, in company with a brother, during which trip six weeks were passed away. JOHN M. ALLGIRE, well known as a thriving farmer of Union township:, Putnam county, was born in Franklin county, Ohio, December 13, 1849, a son of Joshua and Lavina (Eyer) Allgire. Joshua Allgire, the father, was also a native of Franklin county, born December 28, 1828, and was reared a farmer. In 1847 he married, and farmed in Franklin county until 1853, when he came to Putnam county and engaged in farming on the Auglaize river until his enlistment, in 1862, in company A, Ninety-ninth Ohio volunteer infantry. His wife and her children, with the exception of our subject, went to Van Wert in 1873, and in 1875 returned to Putnam county. John M. Allgire, subject of this sketch, was reared to farming and was educated in the common schools of Putnam county. December 1o, 1873, he married Sarah Kessell, who was born in Cumberland county, Ills., April 2, 1852, daughter of John W. and Rebecca J. (Good) Kessell, natives of West Virginia and respectively of English and Irish-Dutch descent; they were early settlers of Illinois and members of the Methodist Episcopal church. To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Allgire have been born the unusually large family of fourteen children, named, in order OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 15 of birth, as follows: Jesse H., on the home farm; Lavina J., studying to become a teacher; John, Thomas 0., William, Frank, Lewis (died at five months of age), Flora M., Georgia (died at four months), Harry A., Luella (died at nine months), Mary L., a. n infant that died unnamed, and Sarah Amanda, now three weeks old. After his marriage Mr. Allgire located in Mercer county, Ohio, where he farmed for two years, and then came to Putnam county, and farmed in Jennings township six years; thence he went to Illinois, where he lived two years, and in 1884 bought his present farm in Union township, Putnam county, *Ohio, which has since been his home, and where prosperity has attended on all his undertakings. In politics Mr. Allgire is a democrat. His wife is a consistent, member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in their social standing the family occupy a high and respected position. JAMES F. ALT, one of the leading merchants of Columbus Grove, Ohio, and head of the well-known firm of J. L. Alt & Co., dealers in dry goods and notions, boots and shoes, hats, caps and groceries, was born on a farm in Fairfield county, Ohio, one and a half miles east of Baltimore, on the 8th day of January, 1858. He is the son of John and Elizabeth (Chupp) Alt, both natives of Fairfield county, Ohio. The grandfather of our subject was Joseph Alt, who was a native of Germany, came with his wife and one son to America early in the present century, and was one of the pioneers of Fairfield county. John Alt was reared on his father's farm, and was a farmer and carpenter by trade. He framed most all of the large barns and buildings in that section of the country, going to the woods and getting out the timber himself. The first fifty-cent piece he ever got hold of he put into a forty-acre tract of land, which he subsequently sold at a profit. His birth was on November 22, 1809; his death occurred in 1880. His widow still survives; her parents both came from Germany and settled in the woods in Fairfield county. To these parents were born seven children, all of whom survive. Of the children our subject is the fifth in number. James F. Alt was reared on the farm, and attended the public schools, and also attended the high school at Baltimore, securing a fair business education. He remained on the farm until he was twenty-three years of age, and then worked at the carpenter's trade for a time, following which he taught music for two years. On September 26, 1887, he came to Columbus Grove and went to work for C. F. & J. W. Hausberger, dry-goods merchants, after which he went into business with J. W. Hausberger, under the firm name of Hausberger & Alt, successors to the firm of C. F. & J. W. Hausberger. This co-partnership lasted three years and nine months, when they closed out their stock and retired from business. On January I, a 892, Mr. Alt bought out the busineSs of W. T. Maple, in the Maple block, on High and Sycamore streets, where he has since continued. January a , 1894, the firm of J. F. Alt & Co. was formed by the admission into the business of Joshua Hausberger. Mr. Alt was married October 8, 1886, to Ella F. Johnson, who was born and reared in Baltimore, Fairfield county, Ohio, and is the daughter of John Johnson. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Alt three children have been born, as follows: Hazel B., born on August 8, 1887; Mabel, born February 7, 1890, and Pearl, born February 19, 1893. Mr. and Mrs. Alt are members of the Methodist Episcopal church by transfer from the Evangelical church 16 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY of Baltimore. Mr. Alt is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and politically he is a democrat; he is a member of the central committee, and takes an active and prominent interest in the affairs of his party. HENRY M. ANDREWS, a pioneer of Greensburg township, Putnam county, Ohio, was born in eastern Pennsylvania March 2, 1824, a son of Christian and Susan (Marsellus) Andrews. Christian Andrews was also a native of the Keystone state, and was born in 1803 of Irish parentage, but at the age of three years was left an orphan. He was reared by a Mr. Alberson to farming, and he acquired his education from books he carried in his hat and perused during his hours of rest in the field and of leisure at home night and morning, preparing himself, even in his youthful days, for teaching school, in which vocation he made quite a success. In 1823, having now passed his majority, he was united in marriage with Miss Susan Marsellus, who was born in New Jersey, of French and Irish extraction, her father having been a soldier in the war of 1812 and her paternal grandfather a patriot of the war of the Revolution. The father of Susan Marsellus was named Henry, and his wife bore the maiden name of Carr. To the union of Christian and Susan Andrews the following children were born: Henry, subject of this sketch; Sarah, widow of George Krites, of Nebraska; Hester, deceased wife of David Mellin, of Paulding county, Ohio; David, of Gage county, Nebr. ; William, deceased; Hugh, of Kansas; Mary, wife of John Lambert, of Kansas; Addison, also of Kansas; Elizabeth, deceased wife of Silas Burrells, also deceased. Christian Andrews continued teaching for some years after his marriage, and also learned the carpenter's trade, at which he worked in the state of New York until 1836, being there employed two years in the construction of bridges. In the year last named he came to Putnam county, Ohio, and was one of the earliest settlers of Greensburg township, and here, entering a tract of land, cleared it from the forest, undergoing all the hardships of pioneer farming, but becoming a prosperous and prominent citizen, filling, ere his death, which occurred in 1855, the office of township clerk under the auspices of the Whig party for a number of years, as well as serving in a number of other local offices. He was a lifelong member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and died in this faith; his widow, equally devoted, dying in the same faith in 1870. Henry M. Andrews, the immediate subject of this biographical memoir, was reared both as a farmer and carpenter, learning the latter trade under an uncle in Defiance, Ohio. At the age of fourteen years, however, and after learning this trade, he was married, in 1845, to Miss Martha Bell, who was born May 18, 1825, in Beverly, Washington county, Ohio, a daughter .of William and Dorcas (Hambleton) Bell. William Bell was born in Massachusetts in 1783, was a son of John Bell, and was a sailor; he made many perilous voyages, but eventually gave up a seafaring life and in 1824 came to Ohio, locating in Washington county. His wife, Dorcas Hambleton, was a daughter of Richard Hambleton, a sailor of Nova Scotia; was born in 1784 in Nova Scotia and died in Ottawa, Ohio, in 1859. Mr. Bell removed to and settled in Putnam county in 1833, and died in Ottawa in 1862, a member of the Presbyterian church and of the Masonic order, and father of eight children, two of whom are still living, viz: Mrs. Lucretia Taylor, of Ashland county, Ohio, and Mrs. Martha Andrews. To the OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 19. union of our subject, H. M. Andrews, and his wife, Martha, have been born four children, viz: Dr. Bazelle B., of Johnson county, Nebr. ; Freeman R., of Memphis, Tenn., Mary D., wife of Jacob Kitchen, and Malissa J., wife of W. H. Kitchen, of Greensburg township, Putnam county, Ohio. After his marriage Mr. Andrews lived on the farm of his father-in-law until 1855, when he moved to Ottawa, where he worked at his trade for nine years, and then purchased the farm on which he now lives. In 1863 he responded to his country's call and enlisted in company G, Twelfth Ohio volunteer cavalry, and while on guard duty at Johnston island, was injured by an accident which was the cause of his being sent home for treatment; on his supposed recovery he rejoined his regiment, but was found to be incapacitated for duty, and was honorably discharged as a corporal and again returned to his home. Both his sons were also soldiers in the war of the Rebellion. Dr. B. B. enlisted in the Twenty-first Ohio, three months' service, but served four months, re-enlisting in the Sixteenth Illinois cavalry, and serving three years, of which time he was confined as a prisoner fifteen months and ten days in the dens of Libby prison and Andersonville. Freeman, the younger son, saw eighteen months of actual service. Both Mr. and Mrs. Andrews are consistent members of the United Brethren church', and fraternally Mr. Andrews is a member of the G. A. R. post, No. 96, of Dupont, Ohio. Both have passed the three score and ten years allotted to the life of man, and for half a century have lived together in conjugal bliss. They have won the esteem of all who know them, and their declining years are made happy with the thought that their life can be looked back upon as one of usefulness to their fellow-creatures and as well entitling them to the reverence which is universally accorded them. GEORGE W. ANDREWS, a prominent farmer and dealer in agricultural implements at Cascade, Perry township, Putnam county, Ohio, is a son of Jeremiah E. and Electa (Shaw) Andrews, and was born in Defiance county, Ohio, September 18, 1842. Jeremiah E. Andrews was born near Syracuse, Onondaga county, N. Y., May 8, 1818, and was a son of Elijah Andrews, who was born in 1783 and died November 5, 1847. Elijah married Polly Kinney, who was born June 27, 1786, and died August 31, 1874. To Elijah and Polly Andrews were born twelve children, viz: Elvira, Elisha, Elnora, Elijah, Ira, Harrison, Jeremiah E., Mary, Simons, Theodosia (wife of Vinson Shaw, of Minnesota), John Q. (also of Minnesota) and Rufus. The father of this family, Elijah Andrews, was a patriot in the war of the Revolution, and in 1825 came to Ohio, settled in Wayne county, and passed his years away in farming. He was a pious Methodist, was an active, old-line whig, and wielded a strong influence in the politics of his day. After his death his widow made her home with her children until her death—dying full of years, honored and venerated by all who knew her. Jeremiah E. Andrews was born on a farm and agriculture was his life pursuit. At the age of three years he was taken to Wayne county, Vt., and thence brought to Ohio, his parents settling in Wayne county, this state, Jeremiah being at this time seven years old. Here they cleared up a farm in the woods, on which they resided until 1839, when Jeremiah E. moved to Defiance county, Ohio, and there, May 17, 1840, he was united in marriage with Miss Electa Shaw, who was born in New York state May 2, 182r, the union resulting in eight children, who were named as follows: George W., the subject of this sketch; Charles, a farmer of Perry township, born February 13, 1845; 20 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY James, farmer of Paulding county, born January 23, 1847; Alonzo, born March 4, 1849— died October 31, 1860; Edwin, born February 7, 185 I —died March II, 1853; Nancy, born May 9, 1853—died October 5, 1857; Benjamin, farmer of Perry township, born February 15, 1855, and Albert, an insurance agent of Toledo, who was born May 22, 1857. The mother of this family died September 7, 1859, a very prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church and a very active and efficient worker in the cause of Jesus, being a sincere Christian, and a truly devout believer in the faith she professed. November 1, 1859, Mr. Andrews selected for his second helpmate Mrs. Margaret (Donley) Steen, who was born April I I, 1822, and to this marriage have been born two children, viz: Electa, who was born February 16, 861—died March 7, 1875, and Laura, born March 26, 1864, now the wife of Warren N. Tooker, a physician of Grover Hill, Paulding county. Mr. Andrews, always a man of energy, when health permitted, assisted as a contractor in building the canal between Toledo and Denfiace, but, his health failing, he was forced to withdraw from active work and his willing helpmate undertook the onerous task of boarding the laborers—using a barrel of flour daily—and Mr. Andrews that of hauling the other necessary provisions from Toledo to Defiance. In this way they accumulated the money necessary _to pay for the tract of government land on which they later made their home. In 1867 Mr. Andrews came to Cascade, Putnam county, where he and his two eldest sons entered a large tract of land, on a portion of which our subject, George W. Andrews, now makes his home. Here he passed the remainder of his life. In politics he was a whig during the existence of that old-time party, and on its disintegration united with its legitimate successor, the republican organization, in which he became very popular, and by which he was elected to serve in several offices, chief among which were those of township treasurer and township trustee for several terms each He was also charter member of Perry grange, P. of H., and was quite instrumental in forwarding the agricultural interests of Perry township and Putnam county. In religion he was first a Methodist, which denomination he joined at the age of thirty-three years, and then in 1860, with his second wife, affrliated with the Christian church; he held membership until it went into decadence, when he united with the Presbyterian church. As a citizen Mr. Andrews was always ready to act in any matter that was intended to aid the public welfare, and as a farmer was one of the most intelligent and progressive in the township; as a husband and father he was kind and indulgent, but ever kept in view the moral and mental training of his children. He gave to his country, in order to preserve it from disintegration, the services of three of his sons, viz: George W., Charles and James. Of these, Charles served in company E, One Hundred and Eleventh regiment, Ohio volunteer infantry, and James in company G, Thirty-eighth regiment, Ohio volunteer infantry, and both served until the close of the struggle, James being .seriously wounded. The career of George W. will be mentioned in a succeeding paragraph. The lamented death of Jeremiah E. Andrews took place January 11, 1894, and his work told the story of a life well spent. His second wife still lives and has her residence in Defiance, Ohio, where she is passing away, in serene peace, the remainder of her days. George W. Andrews, the subject proper of this memoir, passed his life on the home farm, and was educated at Defiance, Ohio, up to nearly the completion of twenty years, when he enlisted, September 5, 1862, in company E, One Hundred and Eleventh Ohio volunteer OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 21 infantry, for three years, served his full term, and was honorably discharged at Louisville, Ky., September 5, 1865, with the rank of corporal, having been promoted January 8, 1863. His regiment took part in forty battles, and in all its marches, engagements and skirmishes Mx. Andrews did his duty faithfully and gallantly, and though he escaped being seriously wounded, he lost his rugged health. After his discharge he resided at Defiance until 1867, when he came to Putnam county, and on the 31st of December, 1868, was united in marriage with Miss Amanda L. Strauss, daughter of Moses and Sarah (Boor) Strauss. This lady was born in Middletown, Butler county, Ohio, May 3, 1859; her parents are natives of Pennsylvania, where her father was born December 26, 1828, and her mother March 1o, 1829, and came to Putnam county, Ohio, in 1867, on the same day on which Mr. Andrews arrived, and located in Delphos, where they still reside. Mr. and Mrs. Strauss are the parents of the following children, beside their daughter, Mrs. Andrews: Mary, who died at the age of ten years; Emma, wife of T. Cline, of Osceola, Nebr. ; Jennie, married to J. Cordell, also of Osceola; Hessie, at home; and Laura, wife of B. Lind, of Defiance, Ohio. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Andrews has been blessed with ten children, two of whom—Harry and Bertie died in infancy; the remaining eight still survive, having been born in the following order: Clarence, June 24,1874; Fred E., May 9, 1877; Jennie Gertrude, August 2, 1879; Bessie A., September 24, 1881; George L., November 16, 1884; William Howard, March 19, 1887; Goldie Bell, June 25, 1889; and Hazel Fern, June 3, 1892. After marriage Mr. Andrews located, with his father and brother, on his present place of 200 acres in Perry township. February 27, 1891, his dwelling house was destroyed by fire, but, with his usual energy, he immediately re- built and still continued to carry on his thriving trade in agricultural implements, which he had conducted ever since the early days of his married life.. In politics Mr. Andrews is a stalwart republican, and has served his fellow-townsmen as constable and township trustee for several years. In religion he is a member of the United Brethren church, of which he is a steward and trustee, and of which his amiable wife is also a consistent member. He is also a member of Wisor post, No. 93, G. A. R., of which he is commander, and was at one time a member of Perry grange, P. of H. Mr. Andrews has been one of the most enterprising farmers and successful business men of his county; he is a genial gentleman and a man of solid worth; he is courteous, upright, and is a free contributor to all public improvements and benevolent enterprises, and his social attributes fully entitle him to the high position he holds in the community in which he has so long lived. CHARLES ANDREWS, a well-known business man of Cascade, Perry township, Putnam county, was born in Defiance county, Ohio, February 13, 1845, and is a son of J. E. Andrews, whose biography appears above. He was reared on a farm and was educated in Defiance county, and August 16, 1863, enlisted in company E, One Hundred and Eleventh Ohio volunteer infantry, and served until the termination of the war, receiving an honorable discharge July 18, 1865. He took part in nineteen battles, including Stone River, Huff's Ferry, Lenoir, Campbell's Station, Knoxville, Fort Sanders, Dandridge, Strawberry Plains, Blain's Cross Roads, Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, Pumpkin Vine Creek, Burnt Hickory, Lost Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Nickajack, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Stone Mountain, Frank- 22 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY lin, Nashville, Fort Anderson and Raleigh, N. C. He married, March 25, 1860, Miss Martha J. Steen, who was born in Carlisle, Cumberland county, Pa., April 26, 1842, a daughter of James and Margaret (Donley) Steen, to which union have been born eight children, named as follows: Nannie, who died in infancy; Austria M., born December 1 2, 1867; wife of Emphrey Hospengarner, dealer in implements, of Grover Hill; Clara Bell, who died in infancy, February 10, •1870; Allen a conductor, of Toledo, Ohio, born July 13, 1871; Alonzo, deceased; Burdette, of Perry township, born August 22, 1875; John, born July 17, 1877, and Maggie Florence, born January 4, 1880, died September, 13, 1894. The parents of Mrs. Andrews came to Ohio about 1851 and located in Crawford county, where the father was engaged in farming for five years, and then the family moved to Paulding county, where the death of the father took place in 1859, at the age of thirty-five years. After marriage, Mr. Andrews located in Paulding county and was employed upon a cattle farm until the opening of the Civil war, and after the war had closed lived a year in Defiance county. In 1867 he came to Putnam county and bought his present farm, at that' time uncleared and in no respect improved, but he has, through untiring industry, cleared the land, and now the farm equals, in tillage and improvements, any farm in the township. On this land was built the first house erected in Putnam county, the first owners bearing the name of Holden, and it was conducted as a house of public entertainment. In 1879 Mr. Andrews embarked in the agricultural implement, buggy and wagon business at Cascade, of which, through his obliging disposition and straightforward method of dealing with his customers, he has made a decided success. In politics he is a republican, and was once nominated as candidate for sheriff, a fact which indicates the high esteem in which he is held by his party. He and wife are members of the Christian church, of which he is a trustee, and for eleven years has been a member of lodge No. 719, I. 0. 0. F.; he is also a member of Wisor post, No. 93, G. A. R. He is a self-made man, and has been very successful in all his undertakings. Miss Maggie Florence Andrews, daughter of our subject, who was a natural-born musician, was born January 4, 188o, and died September 13, 1894. At the age of six years she became a chorister in the Sunday-school, and at the age of twelve years she became a member of the United Brethren church. She was always anxious to do her part in church work; was brave and cheerful to the last, and possessed a most amiable disposition, although she had been a sufferer from spinal curvature for years. Her death was a severe blow to her parents and the infliction sat heavily upon them. By her class-mates and by the elder members of the church her loss was deeply deplored, her sweet temper having won her the love and admiration of all. WILLIAM ANNESSER, proprietor of the Ottawa flouring-mills, also a prominent grain dealer and successful business man, was born July 8, 1834, in Seneca county, Ohio, the son of Michael and Mary (Sholl) Annesser, both parents of the province of Alsace-Lorraine, Germany. Michael and Mary Annesser were reared in their native country, married there, and in 1830 emigrated to the United States, locating first at Hagerstown, Md., thence, three years later, moving to Seneca county, Ohio, which was their home until their removal, in 1844, to the county of Auglaize. Michael Annesser learned the tailor's trade in Germany,