250 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY of Mr. Huysman took place December 8, 1872, to Mrs. Mary Miller, widow of Christian Miller, but who bore the maiden name of Mary Vogt. To this union have been born five children, viz: Maggie, who died at the age of nine years; Aaron, Mary, Rickie and Bertha. Mr. Huysman first settled on a farm of eighty acres in the woods of Montery township, and this he succeeded in clearing up and adding to until he became the owner of 240 acres of fine farming land, on which he has made many excellent improvements. He and wife are consistent members of the Presbyterian church, and in politics he is a republican. He enjoys the full confidence of the people, and has filled several township offices with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his fellow-citizens. A thoroughly practical farmer, he possesses one of the best farms in Putnam county. As a soldier he was faithful and 'active, and was one of the first men of his company to be placed on picket duty; as a civilian he is honored and respected for his public spirit and liberal aid to all measures devised for the promotion of the general welfare. BENJAMIN F. IRVIN, of Sugar Creek township, Putnam county, Ohio, was born in Fairfield county November 30, 1821, and is a son of Josiah K. and Catherine (Barkman) Irvin, of Lancaster county, Pa., where they were married and where all their children were born, with the exception of our subject. In 1820 the Irvin family came to Ohio, lived in Fairfield county a few years, then passed two years in Franklin county, and in 1832 entered 120 acres in Sugar Creek township, Putnam county, on which they settled permanently in the fall of 1833, the father and two sons building a rude log cabin in the meantime and setting out potatoes, planting corn, etc. Game, of course, was plentiful, and the pelts thereof were current as legal tender, and were about the only currency used by these hardy pioneers—even for the payment of taxes. The county seat was Kalida; Sidney and Fort Ball soon afterward sprang up and formed milling points, but it required a long time to make the trip to either town. The first barrel of salt purchased by Mr. Irvin cost him twenty bushels of wheat, and other necessaries were equally costly. Mr. Irvin is ohe of the organizers of the township of Sugar Creek, and was its first assessor, and was subsequently assessor of the county, but when the county became more thickly settled he declined holding public office—having served more from a sense of duty to the sparse population than from a desire to. be prominent as a public man. Politically he was a democrat, and religiously, with his wife, was a member of the Presbyterian church—to which they were compelled to go a long distance on horseback over trails and through timber and brush, infested with Indians, who were, however, of a friendly disposition. In the fold of this church both Mr. and Mrs. Irvin passed to the better life. The family born to Josiah K. and Catherine Irvin numbered seven, and was named as follows in order of birth: Anna, who married a Mr. Downing, moved to the state of Delaware and there died, the mother of four children; Rebecca, deceased wife. of Matthew. K. Mayberry, a farmer; Josiah K., also a farmer, died the father of five children; Washington, deceased, was the father of eleven children; Margaret, married to E. Nichols, became the mother of eight children, and was with her husband called to the world beyond; Hettie was married to William Bell, ex-county auditor, became the mother of four children, and is now, .with her husband, resting in the quiet grave; the seventh child, Benjamin F., our subject, is the only survivor of the family. OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 251 Benjamin F. Irvin, our subject, for a long time had control of the homestead on which he was reared, and eventually purchased the interest of the other heirs to the estate, who, it will readily be perceived, were chiefly the grandchildren of his parents. Here he engaged in farming continuously for several years, and then, with a partner, entered the saw-mill business, but, in about two years, became dissatisfied with his partner's management, sold to him his mill interest, and returned to farming, which he has since followed with a success seldom equaled. From the original tract of 20 acres he has increased his possessions to over 600 acres, of which he has by persistent effort and the expenditure of the capital that has come to him by still more persistent toil and the exercise of natural skill, cleared, ditched and brought under cultivation at least 400 acres, and improved with as fine buildings as there are in the county. In 1892 he moved from his primitive dwelling to his new two-story brick mansion, situated about three miles west of Columbus Grove. Beside devoting his attention to his general crop interests, Mr. Irvin has not neglected live stock, Of which he owns probably some of the best grades of shorthorn cattle in Putnam county. Mr. Irvin was first married, in 1856, to Miss Sarah Leese, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, and was an orphan of an old pioneer of Putnam county. To this union were born four children, viz: Lafayette, in the wire-fence business; Margaret, yet single; Della, who married Samuel Searfoss, who died in Kansas, Mrs. Searfoss being now at home with her father, and being the mother of one child; Sarah J., married to William Vanwye, is a resident of Van Wert county, Ohio, but is now unfortunately deprived of sight. The mother of .this family having died in 1861 , Mr. Irvin married, in 1863, Miss Sarah J. Hayton, who was born in Franklin county, Ohio, a daughter of Nathaniel Hayton, who died about 1860. To this second marriage have beer born eight children, named as follows: Emma, widow of a Mr. Orwick, and mother of one child; George, a farmer; Benjamin F., Nathaniel, James, Charles, Kimmer and Guy. Mr. Irvin is a democrat in his politics, has held a number of township offices, being implicitly trusted by his fellow-citizens, and is, with his wife, a consistent member of the Christian church. ASHLEY JACKSON. —Descended from a line of American ancestors who had long been residents of this country and who were prominently identified with the early development of this great republic—men who were known as respected and upright citizens, it is meet that our subject, Ashley Jackson, be accorded due mention in this work, possessing as he does, in a marked degree, the sterling attributes, of his progenitors, coupled with a large share of modern push and enterprise. His great-grandfather was a citizen of the state of New Jersey, where his grandfather, Joseph Jackson, was born in 1795. The latter was married to Chloe Watson in Pennsylvania, and they settled on Fishing creek, in that state. In 1834 the family removed to Seneca county, Ohio, and afterward made their home in various portions of the state. For fifty years the head of the 'family was a Baptist minister and as such. met with a success and attained a reputation far above the ordinary. He died in Clyde, Ohio, in the fall of 1892. He was a " dyed-in-the-wool " abolitionist, and for years before the breaking out of the Civil war kept a station on the once famous underground railway, often forwarding the escaping negroes miles toward Canada under the cover of some dark night. Noah Jackson, our subject's father, was 252 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY born in Pennsylvania in 1823. He was reared upon a farm, but after reaching manhood worked in machine shops in Philadelphia and later traveled for an extensive tea house which had its headquarters in that city. He was united in marriage with Miss Mary A. Shiveley, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1826, being the daughter of Joseph and Eve Shiveley, respected citizens of that state. In 1853 they removed to Ohio, settling in Henry county upon an entirely new farm of 160 acres, where they lived to see it develop under their industry and thrift into a fine, productive farm and a most comfortable home. The family were identified with the early history of Henry county, where they made their home for so many years. Like his father, Noah Jackson was an abolitionist and an ardent republican, and was deeply interested in the outcome of the great slavery question. The children of the family were seven in number, being named in order of birth: Vernon, 'Frank, Ashley, Willis, Gratia, Lincoln and Della M.—the first two named now being deceased. Ashley Jackson,. our subject, was born in Henry county, Ohio, June 9, 1854. He remained on the farm home until he was twenty-one years of age, after which he passed five years in the west, where he was engaged in selling windmills, chiefly through Nebraska. He then returned to Ohio and engaged in the stave-milling business. At present he is foreman of the extensive stave factories of the Buckeye Hoop & Stave company, a concern whose operations are exceedingly large. Mr. Jackson oversees all of the men employed in this institution and superintends the operations of the factory, and buys the timber—a position of responsibility and trust which he fills most acceptably and with credit to himself and his employers. Ashley Jackson was married, in 1884, to Miss Mary G. Watson, daughter of William and Eliza W. Watson. To them was born one son, Glenn. Mrs. Jackson died in 1886, and our subject was later united in marriage with Miss Margaret Shaffer, whose parents were William and Mary (Morris) Shaffer. This union has been blessed with one daugh ter, Edith. Mr. Jackson is at present a member of the common council of Continental. He is also affiliated with several fraternal societies, being a charter member of the Masonic lodge of his town, a present master Mason, and also a charter member of the local lodge of Knights of Pythias. Our subject's religion is that of nature and of humanity. He is an agnostic and altogether liberal in his views, while there is nothing apologetic in his attitude in this re gard. He is ready to accept truth from whatever source derived, and not from mere traditional tenets and dogmas, having a clear apprehension of the fundamental truth and the altruistic element in human life. ROBERT JAMISON, one of the most skillful and experienced farmers of Jennings township, Putnam county, was born March 11, 1825, in Ross county, Ohio, of Scotch-Irish ancestry. His grandfather, Francis Jamison, came from Ireland to America before the Revolutionary war, and, being still a young man; took an active part in that struggle, serving at Cowpens, as. well as in other battles. He was married in Pennsylvania, later came to Ross county, Ohio, from Westmorland county, Pa., reared a family of nine children, and died, between fifty and sixty years of age, a member of the Seceder Presbyterian church. Francis Jamison, son of above and father of our subject, was born in Westmorland county, Pa., came to Ohio with his father, and was married, in Ross county, to Rachel Wroten, a daughter of Frederick and Ellen Wroten, of Delaware, and OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 253 of English extraction. To Mr. and Mrs. Jamison were born ten children, viz: Julia A., John, Robert, Mary, Elizabeth, Susan, Cynthia, William, Doretta and Rachel. From Ross county the family moved to Allen county and settled in German township in 183o, and in 1840 came to Putnam county, settling in Jennings township, and here the father died December 25, 1855, in his sixty-fifth year; his wife died subsequently, in her seventieth year, and both were highly honored members of the Methodist church. Robert Jamison, whose name introduces this biography, was but five years of age when his father located just south of Elida, in German township, Allen county, Ohio. He attended the first school of Elida, which was held in a 16x 18 log cabin, with logs sawed out here and there for windows, which were covered with greased paper in lieu of glass; with puncheon seats and desks; a fire place the entire width of the room, with stick and mud chimney, and with a pedagogue that could lead his pupils through the "three R's", reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic. This temple of learning afforded him -mental pabulum until the family came to Putnam county, where but little more was added to his scholastic acquirements. As a matter of course he was employed on the home farm during his minority as an assistant to his father, both in Allen and Putnam counties. In 1850 he bought a tract of land in section No. 16, Jennings township, to reach which he had to cut a road two miles long through the forest. October 18, 1855, he married Alida H. Myre, a native of Holland and a daughter of Harmon and Magdaline (Smit) Myre. Harmon Myre came from Holland in 185o, in company with Frederick Smit, to which event allusion is made in the sketch of C. Baugh, on another page, his family then consisting of himself, his wife and three children—Alida H., Wilhelmina and George B. He bought a farm in Jennings township and improved and cultivated it until his death, about 1865, a member of the Dntch Reform church. After marriage Mr. Jamison, with his wife, settled on the land mentioned above, and has continued to develop his farm until the present time. Here his wife, Elida H., bore him seven children, who were named Magdalena, Rachael, Harmon, F., Hilletje, Sarah W., John and Elida H. The mother of these, however, died June 7, 1884, a member of the Methodist church, and for his second life companion, Mr. Jamison was united September 1, 1886, to Miss Rebecca J. Myers, widow of Harrison Myers and daughter of Peter and Elizabeth (Pruden) Klingman. To this union have been born two children, Minnie Zoe and Robert. The first marriage of Mrs. Jamison (with Harrison Myers) took place May 22, 1870, Mr. Myers being at that time a farmer of Jennings township and the owner of 120 acres of land. He had served under Capt. B. F. H. Hankins in company H, One Hundred and Thirty-second Ohio infantry, from May 2, 1864, until September 1o, of the same year. He was born in Allen county, Ohio, November 24, 1840, was a son of . Henry and Elizabeth (Ward) Myers, and died October 22, 1878, the father of five children, viz: Sarah, Catherine, Ellen, Charles and Annie. Mr. and Mrs. Jamison are members of the Methodist church, of which he has been a trustee. In politics he is a democrat, and has served as township trustee several terms as supervisor, and as a member of the school board; fraternally he is a member of Hope lodge, F. & A. M., at Delphos. He is a pioneer who has seen the forests of Allen and Putnam counties dwindle away beneath the strokes of the sturdy axman, transforming the land from a wilderness into the blooming garden of fertility it now is. An honored and 254 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY venerated citizen, husband and father, he now enjoys the rest and comfort to which his well spent and useful life so deservedly entitles him, and but few residents of Jennings township can claim more devoted friends than he. JACOB R. JONES, one of the oldest and most experienced farmers of Union township, Putnam county, Ohio, is a native of Denbighshire, north Wales, a son of Robert and Mary (Roberts) Jones, and was born July 5, 1822. The father, also of Denbighshire, was a shoemaker, and about 1820 married Mary, daughter of Thomas Roberts, the union resulting in the birth of six children, viz: Mrs. Mary Hughes, Jacob R. (subject), Abel, Ellen, and David (deceased), and Isaac, a merchant of Denver, Colo. Jacob R. Jones was reared to farming, hiring out at eleven years of age and working until 1848, when he came to America, and, until 1854, worked on a farm in the vicinity of Rome, N. Y., and then came to Ohio and for four years was employed in a machine shop at Newark, where, November 20, 1858, he married Miss Jane Price, born in Cardingshire, Wales, April II, 1831, and a daughter of John and Bridget Price. Mr. and Mrs. Price were also natives of Wales, came to Newark, Ohio, in 1854, and were the parents of five children, viz: Lettie and May, deceased; Annie, wife of William Davis, of Van Wert county, Ohio; Jane, wife of our subject, and James, a sailor, who was drowned at sea when sixteen years of age. To the marriage of Mr. Jones and Miss Price have been born five children, as follows: Mary, widow of John J. Jones, who died February 25, 1894; Price, a clerk at Columbus Grove; Abel, farming on the homestead; Annie, a seamstress of Columbus Grove, and Bertie, at home with her parents. After his marriage Mr. Jones continued to reside in Newark for seven years, and in 1865 went to Columbus, Ohio, where he worked in a cemetery until late in 1867, when he came to Putnam county, Ohio, and purchased 120 acres of uncleared land, built a log house, wrought out a farm from the wilderness, and in 1880 erected present handsome dwelling. In politics Mr. Jones is a republican. He is a member of the Calvinistic Methodist church (sometimes denominated the Calvinistic Presbyterian), and has been a communicant since 1849. He was a deacon for about twenty-eight years and also treasurer for the same length of time, but about 1891 he had the misfortune of meeting with an accident, in which he broke his leg, thus becoming incapacitated for active church work. His wife has been a member of the same denomination since she was sixteen years of age. Mr. Jones and his family are much respected by their neighbors, and Mr. Jones is recognized as one of the most progressive farmers of the township, his place being now in a most excellent state of cultivation and exceedingly remunerative. J. F. JONES, a citizen of Columbus Grove, Ohio, and head of the firm of J. F. Jones & Sons, handle manufacturers, is a native of Miami county, Ohio, born on December 31, 1832, He is the son of George W. and Eleanor (Gearhart) Jones the former a native of Bath county, Ky., born in 1808, the latter a native of Rockbridge county (now West), Va., born in 1812. In about 1827 grandfather Jones came to Ohio from Kentucky, locating in Miami county, and in 1816 grandfather Gearhart came from Virginia and entered land in Miami county, where he remained until a few years before his death, which occurred in Greene county, Ohio. Grandfather Jones died in Kentucky, whither he had gone to settle up his business after re- OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 255 moving to Ohio. The parents 'of our subject were married in Miami county, Ohio, about 1857 removed to Greene county, and in 1868 removed from Greene county to Logan county, Ohio, where the mother died in 1884. The father died in the same county in 1890. To the parents five children were born, as follows: our subject; Samantha, deceased; Simeon G., now a resident of Cleveland; Anna T., now Mrs. Samuel Kildow, of Cedarville, Greene county; and M. B., of Qunicy, Ohio. The parents were members of the Christian church. J. F. Jones, our subject, was reared on his father's farm in Miami county. He attended the common 'district schools about two months in the year, and then entered Linden Hill academy, now at New Carlisle, Clarke county, Ohio, where he pursued his studies during two terms. He then taught his first school, during the fall and winter of 1853-54, in Champaign county, in what was and is known as Esq. Woods' school-house, in the western part of the county. After the close of his school he returned to his father's farm, where he worked until the opening of next school term, and in 1854-55 taught at what was called Spring Creek School, in Miami county. During the session of this school he became acquainted with the lady, Martha J. Hart, who became his wife April 10, 1855. The following summer he farmed on his father's place, and the term of 1855-56 he taught in the Cecil district, in Miami county, being assisted by his wife, as he had more scholars than he could well look after alone. The three following years he taught in what was known as Knoop's school-house, in Staunton township, Miami county; the following two years he taught in the Peterson district, and in Favorite's district. In the spring of 1861 he removed, with his family, to Monroe township, Putnam county, whither his father-in-law had moved, in what is now known as Hartsburg, a station on the Nickel-Plate railroad, named for his father-in-law, where for two years he followed farming. In February, 1864, he went to Delphos, Ohio, and took charge of the union school of that place as superintendent. In April, 1864, a few months after going to Delphos, he entered the army as a member of company H of the One Hundred and Thirty-second Ohio volunteer infantry, and went to the front in Virginia, where he saw service until the following September, when his term of enlistment expired and he was mustered out of service. He then returned to Delphos and took up his school work, of which he had charge for four years in succession; thence moved to Anderson City, Ind., where he had charge of the fall term of the First ward school until the holidays, after which term he was called to Pendleton, Ind. , and there took charge of the schools as principal for the remainder of that year and the following school year. After finishing his second year in Pendleton he returned to Delphos, where he again had charge of the union schools for two years, following which he taught an independent school in Delphos, making altogether seven years of school experience in that city. In the fall of 1875 he was called to Columbus Grove to take charge of the public schools as superintendent, a position he held for three consecutive years. He next had charge of the school at Deshler, Ohio, for one year, and the following year he had charge of the schools of Belmore, Ohio. The next two years he was assistant superintendent of the Columbus Grove schools, which finished his career as an educator. For twenty years Mr. Jones has been more or less identified with and interested in the manufacture of handles, and since leaving the school-room he has given all his attention to that industry. His factory was established in 1879, but was then on a small scale, only four or five men being employed. The business 256 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY has steadily increased, until he now employs from forty-five to fifty men. They make a specialty of ax handles, also manufacture railroad and mining-tool handles, all of second-growth hickory, and their trade extends from New York to the state of Washington, and from Cincinnati to Duluth. The firm of Jones & Sons was formed in 1882, the junior members being his sons, Charlie H. and George E. Mr. Jones is a member of the Masonic fraternity, being a member of Rufus Putnam lodge, No. 564, and of Shawnee commandery (Lima), K. T. Mr. Jones owns improved real estate in Columbus Grove, and also a farm near this city, in company with his eldest son, Charles H. Jones. Mrs. Jones was born in Miami county, Ohio, on May 22, 1834, and was the daughter of William Hart. Her death occurred at her daughter's home in Chicago on March 18, 1891, leaving three children—one daughter and two sons. Mr. Jones is a member of the Presbyterian church of Columbus Grove, of which he is a trustee. After severing his connection With the schools as an educator, he served as president of the Columbus Grove board of education for two years and as a member of the board for three years. FRANK S. JONES, one of the rising young farmers of Monroe township, Putnam county, was born in Fayette county, Ohio, June 7, 1866. His great-grandfather, Moses Jones, came from Wales in early colonial days and settled in Virginia, and there his son, John Jones, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, had his nativity. John Jones married Miss Martha Shinholt, a native of Maryland, in which state his marriage took place, and then moved to Hardy county (now West), Va., and for some years was there engaged in farming. From Virginia Mr. and Mrs. Jones came to Ohio and located at first in Athens county, whence they moved to Fayette county, where the father passed the remainder of his life, the mother subsequently passing away in Mercer county, Ohio. J. W. Jones, the father of our subject, was born in Hardy county, Va., June 7, 1839, and was reared to farming pursuits. He married, first, Miss Keller, who bore one son, Keuser (deceased). He next married Hibernia Fifer, and to this union were born the following children: Frank S.; Ida M., widow of Albert Brentlinzer; Rosette, wife of William Adams; William, Fred, Cora, Pearl, Maud and Clyde. The second marriage of J. W. Jones took place in Fayette county, Ohio, and twelve years after that event he came to Putnam county, in October, 1874, and settled in Monroe township, where, as a democrat, he has served his fellow-citizens as township assessor. His beloved helpmate here passed away July 1, 1887, and was deeply mourned by her bereaved husband, children and numerous friends, whose love and respect she had won after becoming a resident of the township. Frank S. Jones, our subject, was reared to farming and has always followed agricultural pursuits, with the exception of four years he passed in mercantile trade in Continental, Ohio. His homestead comprises 160 acres of fertile land, all of which is well cultivated and improved in a manner to make farm life happy. In 1890 he married Miss Agnes Hall, who was born in Monroe township, Putnam county, Ohio, April 20, 1867, a daughter of J.D. Hall. To Mr. and Mrs. Jones has been born one child--Theodore E.—whose infantile pranks are a continuous source of amusement and interest to his parents. In politics Mr. Jones is a democrat, and under the auspices of that party served as the first city clerk of Continental. In religion both Mr. and Mrs. Jones are devoted members of the Christian church, OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 257 of which Mr. Jones has been superintendent of the Sunday-school since sixteen years of age. Mr. Jones is also a member of Oakwood lodge, No. 737, I. 0. 0. F., and socially he and wife mingle with the best people of Mori-roe township. Mr. Jones, by his industry and judicious management of his property, has made rapid strides in the pursuit of a competence, which he will surely acquire. He has won the confidence and respect of the corn= munity, and bears a name that stands without a blemish. WILLIAM JONES, one of the rising young farmers of Pleasant township, Putnam county, was born in Fayette county, Ohio, March 2, 1870, and is a son of James W. and Hiberna (Fifer) Jones, natives of Virginia, but married in Illinois, where they resided two years, .and then moved to Ohio. Here they located in Fayette county, where they lived until 1875, when they came to Putnam county, where Mr. Jones, a few years later, purchased a tract of wild land, which he cleared up and improved, and on which he still makes his home. The father of Mrs. Jones, John Fifer, a farmer and cattle dealer, came from Virginia to Ohio at a comparatively early day, and also preceded Mr. Jones some years in his coming to Putnam county. He here cleared up a farm. on which he passed the remainder of his days, having reared a family of ten children, viz: Silas, John, Ephraim, Richard, Joseph, Angeline, Jane, Sallie, Bettie and Hiberna. He died some years since,, at an unremembered date, and his wife followed him to the grave in the spring of 1895. To the marriage of. James W. and Hiberna Jones were born twelve children, of whom one died in infancy; the others were named Kennison, who died at the age of twenty; Frank, William (our subject) and Frederick, all farmers; John C., at home; Ida, widow of Albert Brinklinger and the mother of one child; Etta, wife of William Adams, a farmer of Defiance county,'Ohio; Cora, married to L. Gilts, also a farmer; Pearl, wife of Dan Range; Maud, at home, and Anna, who died at the age of fourteen years. The mother of these children was called to the home beyond in 1888, a consistent member of the Lutheran church, leaving, to mourn their loss, her loving husband and surviving children. The husband has now reached his fifty-sixth year, and is a highly honored citizen of Pleasant township, Putnam county. William Jones, our subject, was reared, from the age of five years to manhood, in Putnam county, and here received his schooling, and was early inured to the life of a farmer'. March 18, 1894, he married Mrs. Elizabeth (Gettman) Pope, a widow, who was borh in Fairfield county, Ohio, June 26, 1859, a daughter of Adam Gettman, one of the most substantial citizens of Pleasant township, whose biography may be found on another page of this volume. The first husband of Mrs. Jones was George Pope, who died September 26, 1892, leaving three children, viz: Francis A., born October 17, 1882; Almina, born June 26, 1884, and Jasper, born March 10, 1886. Mr. and Mrs. Jones own a fine farm of 110 acres, improved with an elegant brick residence, a commodious barn and all necessary out-buildings, wind-pump, and all the other modern conveniences pertaining to a model farm. It is desirably situated five miles north of Columbus Grove and about the same distance south of Ottawa, and under the skillful management of Mr. Jones is made to compare most favorably with, if not to excel, in productiveness, any farm of its size in the township, if not in the county. 258 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY JOSEPH JUSTICE, recorder of Putnam county, Ohio, is a native of the Buckeye state, born January 27, 1846, in the county of Marion, being a son of John and Jane (Lloyd) Justice. His youthful years were passed amid the routine of farm labor, and in the common schools he acquired a good English education, such being his progress that at the age of twenty he was sufficiently advanced to obtain a teacher's license. He taught the schools of Marion county for a period of about eight years, and in 1872 located at Columbus Grove, where for a short time he was employed as salesman in a dry-goods house. Subsequently he entered a drug store, where he clerked about' one year, when he purchased an interest in the establishment. and continued the business with gratifying success at Columbus Grove until he removed his stock, in 1878, to Ottawa. He continued the business in the latter city until 1885, when he disposed of his stock, and opened a similar business at the town of Gilboa, where he continued the trade for a period of four years, returning to Ottawa at the end of that time to take charge of the recorder's office, to which position he was elected in 1889. He has since discharged the duties of recorder in a most efficient manner and has proved himself not only a capable official but a most courteous and progressive citizen. In March, 1891, Mr. Justice purchased a half-interest in a flouring-mill, at Columbus Grove, with which he is still identified, operating the establishment in partnership with his father-in-law, E. Henderson, under the firm name of E. Henderson & Co. Mr. Justice expects to give his entire attention to manufacturing at the expiration of his official term, and is already planning to enlarge his business by increasing the capacity of his mill. He was one of the incorporators of the Putnam County Abstract company of Ottawa, and for a number of years has been one of the leading democrats of the county, contributing largely to his party's success in many state and national contests. In addition to the office of recorder, Mr. Justice served two terms as mayor of Ottawa, having been elected in the years 1882, and 1884 respectively. He has also been the representative of his party in several congressional and judicial conventions, and at this time is a member of the executive committee for the county of Putnam. Fraternally, Mr. Justice belongs to the F. & A. M., having been made a Mason in 1869, at Marion, in lodge No. 7o. He was the first master of Leipsic lodge, No. 548, and held the position for seven years; is also a member of Ottawa chapter, No. Tic; Putnam council, No. 69, and belongs to the. Eastern Star chapter, No. 28. Mr. Justice was married at Columbus Grove, October 14, 1875, to Miss C. Irene Henderson, daughter of Eli and Melissa (Hall) Henderson. Mrs. Justice was borh in the town of Gilboa, September 8, 1855, and has borne her husband three children, viz: Henderson Clair, born June 21, 1876—died September 5, 1883.; Charles L., born November 26, 1880, and Joseph M.,whose birth occurred May 31, 1884. Mr. Justice's paternal ancestors were English, and the mother belongs to an old Welsh family. John Justice, the subject's grandfather, was a native of Pennsylvania, and there married Elizabeth Foraker, who bore him three children—William F., John and Rhoda, who married William Moses, of Brown county, Ill. After her husband's death Mrs. Elizabeth Justice brought her children to Ohio, settling near Circleville, and about 1813 removed to what is now Marion county. John Justice, father of Joseph, our subject, was born in Pennsylvania in 1805, accompanied his mother to Ohio, and died in the year 1870. By occupation, he was a farmer, and is remembered as a man of integrity and a substantial citizen. His OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 259 wife, Jane Lloyd, was born in Wales, September 13, 1809, and came to America when nine years of age in company with her parents, David and Elizabeth Jones Lloyd, who settled in Delaware county, Ohio. Mrs. Justice was the mother of nine childreh, and departed this life May 29, 1892. The following are the names of the children of John and Jane Justice: Elizabeth A., deceased, Sarah J., deceased; William F., deceased; Isabella P., wife of Samuel Luellen; John B., deceased; David L., now living in Casselton, North Dak.; Joseph; Thomas P., deceased, and Mary C., wife of John Shroat.  JOSEPH KERSTING, the popular general merchant of Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio, is a native of Wurtemberg, Westphalia, Germany, was born April 14, 1856, and is a son of Anthony and Catherine (Doering) Kersting, who died in Germany, leaving five children, viz: Francis, who died in Germany; Frank, a retired contractor of Westphalia; Anthony was ordained a priest in the Franciscan order at Cincinnati, Ohio, is now known as father David, and is prelate of the theological school at Oldenburg, Ind. ; Felix is a merchant tailor of Miamisburg, Ohio; and Joseph is the subject of this memoir. Joseph Kersting attended the elementary schools of his native country until thirteen years of age, and then began working by the day; at fifteen years of age he went to Bologne and entered a wine and liquor house as bottle-washer, but in less than eighteen months worked himself up to a position in the counting-room; two years later he went to Bonn, managed a business for a widow for ten months, and then, in 1874, he came to America, located in Cincinnati, and for 'five months was employed as a collector by a newspaper firm, next by Benling Bros., a Catholic book concern, for a year, and then for a short time in the liquor business. The six and a half years following he was book-keeper for a wholesale leather house, but the confinement was too wearing, and for two years following he traveled as salesman for a wholesale tailors' trimmings house through northern Ohio, southern Michigan, the entire state of Indiana, and southwestern Illinois. A Philadelphia firm offering him better inducements, he accepted, and for four years traveled for this house over the same territory. He then came to Glandorf and embarked in his present business May 1, 1888, in partnership with Ignatius H. Kahle, the firm continuing until December 8, 1892, when Mr. Kersting succeeded as sole proprietor. He carries a line of general merchandise, as full and as well selected as any in the county, and his knowledge of the business, general tact and pleasant manners have brought him a success seldom equaled. He is by nature a public-spirited man, and has taken a decided stand in favor of public education—compulsory, if necessary—and much credit is due him for the part he has taken in elevating the Glandorf graded schools to the present state of efficiency. He is the founder of the Glandorf Building & Loan association, which is one of the strongest organizations of the kind in the state, and is the present secretary of the concern. He is a stanch democrat, and his labors have been greatly conducive to the success of his party. The marriage of Mr. Kersting took place June 3, 1879, to Miss Anna Gieringer, who was born in White Oak, Hamilton county, Ohio, October 30, 1860, a daughter of Anthony and Thirsa (Blasi) Gieringer. To this union have been eight children, in the following order: Joseph Felix, June 3, 1880, Julia Elizabeth, November 24, 1882; Stella Marguerite, September 20, 1885; Edwin John, November 25, 1887; Frances Magdalene, June 5, 1889; Albert Waldemar Valentine, February 8, 1891 ; 260 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY Alphonso Adam, June 5, 1893, and Carl Anthony, born August 16, 1895. The family are all communicants of Saint John's Catholic church at Glandorf, and the parents enjoy the esteem of the whole population of the city and township. IGNATIUS H. KAHLE, vice-president of the Bank of Ottawa, and one of the leading business men of the county of Putnam, of which he is a native, was born August 22, 1850. His parents, John F. and Bernardina (Welberding) Kahle, were natives of Hanover, Germany, the former born in Glandorf and the latter in the town of Steinfeld. John F. Kahle came to the United States in 1832, in company with Prof. Horstman, and located at the town of Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio, where he afterward engaged in farming, purchasing a section of land in the county of Putnam. In his native country he had been a merchant, and met with good success in that calling. He was a man of generous impulses and proved a friend indeed to many of his fellow-countrymen by assisting them in getting a start in this new a country. He developed large tract of land, became a successful agriculturist, and to his public spirit is the town of Glandorf and the adjacent country indebted for much of the prosperity which they now enjoy. Politically he was one of the leading democrats of the community in which he -resided, and the Catholic church, in the faith of which he had been born ,and reared, always found in him a devout friend and liberal patron. He died on Palm Sunday, in 1876, at the age of seventy-three years. Mrs. Kahle also reached the age of seventy-three and died in the year of 1890. By a previous marriage with a Miss Meyers, Mr. Kahle had one child, August, who died while serving his country in the late Civil war. The following are the names of the children of John F. and Bernardina Kahle: Bernardina, wife of William Maag; Bertha, wife of Henry Stechschulte; Frank; Theresa, deceased; George, deceased; Paulina, wife of Henry Recker; Emelia, 'deceased wife of Herman Rolker; Joseph, deceased; Ignatius H. ; Theresa, wife of Joseph Smith, and Mary, wife of John Schroder. Ignatius H. Kahle, the gentleman whose name opens this biography, was reared to farm life in Putnam county, and received his educational training in the district schools, which he attended during the years of his youth and early manhood, and on attaining his majority was put in possession of 156 acres of land in Greensburg township, but twenty-five acres of which were at that time improved. With the energy and industry characteristic of the man, Mr. Kahle began clearing his farm, and in due season had it well improved, thus greatly enhancing its value. He continued the pursuit of agriculture on this place until 1886, but in the meantime engaged in the manufacture of drain tile in partnership with August Kahle, which venture was carried on with success and financial profit for a period of four years, the subject disposing of his interest at the end of that time to his partner. In 1881 Mr. Kahle was elected, on the democratic ticket, to represent the county of Putnam in the lower house of the state legislature, receiving a majority of 1, 26 5 over his competitor.. His record as a legislator was so satisfactory to his constituents that, in 1883, he was re-elected by a largely increased majority, the number of votes received in excess of those cast for his opponent being 1,935, one of the largest majorities ever received in Putnam county. While in the legislature he was untiring in in behalf 'of the interest of his constituents, and he took an active part in the memorable senatorial contests between Payne and Pendleton, standing firmly to his convictions, regardless of the great OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 263 pressure that was brought to bear upon him. He proved a faithful and conscientious public servant, served on several important committees, among which was that of public works. In 1886 Mr. Kahle purchased a half-interest in the Glandorf flouring-mill, forming a partnership with Theodore Leopold, and under their joint management the mill was thoroughly remodeled and supplied with the latest improved machinery for the manufacture of flour by the roller process. The above firm continued to operate the mill until 1893, in May of which year Mr. Kahle disposed of his interests, having in the meantime effected a copartnership in the mercantile business with Joseph Kersting at Glandorf. Mr. Kahle was identified with the commercial interests of Glandorf from 1886 until 1893, when he sold 'out to his partner, and, arranging his business affairs, made a three-months' tour of Europe, accompanied by his son, Frank G. Kahle, visiting many places of interest- in Germany, France, Austria and Italy. Not the least interesting point visited was his ancestral home at Glandorf, after which the settlement in Putnam county was named. Returning home, Mr. Kahle determined to establish a bank in Glandorf, but seeing a better opening for such an undertaking in Ottawa, he reconsidered his decision, and in partnership with Dr. W. F. Reed and W. H. Harper, Jr., organized the Bank of Ottawa, of which he has since been vice-president. This bank does a general business, is successfully managed, and is one of the leading establishments of the kind in northwestern Ohio. While his business interests are in Ottawa, Mr. Kahle has never changed his residence from Glandorf. He was married November 24, 1875, to Miss Mary A. Miehls, daughter of George Miehls. Mrs. Kahle was born in Pittsburg, Pa., in 1853, and is the mother of the following children: Frank G., graduate of the Glandorf schools, also of the Toledo business college, and at the present time holds the position of assistant cashier in the Bank of Ottawa; Emma B., graduate of the public schools of Glandorf and a student of Winamac seminary, of Indiana; Adelia B., Laura M., George W., Harry I., Albert L., Bertha M. and Mary A. As already stated Mr. Kahle is a Catholic, and his wife and different members of the family belong to the same church. In politics, he is a stanch supporter of the democratic party, and as such wields a potent influence in its councils in Putnam county. In matters educational he has always manifested a lively interest, and to him more than to any other man are the schools of -Glandorf indebted for their efficiency. Mr. Kahle has met with success such as few attain, and has been throughout life a thorough business man, full of honesty and integrity. He is among the wealthy and prominent citizens of Putnam county and his name is without reproach among his fellow-men. MICHAEL KEHRES, one of the oldest and most experienced agriculturists of Monterey township, Putnam county, Ohio, is a native of the village of Reunzenheim, Alsace, France. His grandfather, Valentine Kehres, Sr., was born in the above named village, was a carpenter by trade, and married a Miss Elchinger, who bore him nine children, viz: Valentine, Michael, Sebastian, Joseph, John, George, Mary, Katie and Maggie. Valentine, the father, died in his native village at the age of sixty-five years, a member of the Catholic church. His son, Valentine, Jr., the father of our subject, was born in the village above named in 1800, was also a carpenter by trade, and married Annie Morelotte, who was of French birth, and bore her husband seven children, 264 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY named as follows: Valentine and Katie, who died young; Josephine, Michael, Maggie, Kate and Valentine the second. Valentine, the father of this family, died in Alsace May 10, 1882, at the age of eighty-two years, and was also a devout Catholic. Michael Kehres, the subject of this sketch, was born February 24, 1834, received a very good education in the excellent common school of his native village, and also became a carpenter by trade. He came to America at the age of eighteen years, taking passage in a sail-file vessel at Havre, France, and arriving in New York, after a voyage of thirty-six days, April 30, 1852. He came directly to Ohio and located in Seneca county, worked on a farm for eight years, and there married Maggie Perin, a native of Columbus, Ohio, and daughter of Andrew and Louisa (Fary) Perin. The father, Andrew Perin, was an old, settler of Putnam county, and owned a farm of i60 acres one mile north of Ottoville, where he was greatly respected. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Kehres settled, in 1860, on a sixty-acre farm in Monterey township, Putnam county, and to this farm Mr. Kehres has added from time to time until he now owns 120 acres of as fine land as is to be found in the county, all properly cleared up from the forest by his own hands and thoroughly drained. He has a tasteful frame residence of two stories, conveniently arranged, and has improved the place with all necessary farm buildings of the most substantial construction. To Mr. and Mrs. Kehres have been born thirteen children, of whom ten are still living, viz: Caroline, Louisa, Bridget, Lizzie, Maggie, Mary, Fannie, Josephine, Regina and Michael. Mr. and Mrs. Kehres are ardent Catholics in religion, and he aided with his own hands in the construction of the stately Saint Mary's edifice in Ottoville, to which he also contributed from his means $200. In politics he is a democrat. He is one of Putnam county's most respectable pioneers, and has done much toward redeeming Monterey township from the primitive wilderness and making it the fertile and productive garden it now is. He has reared a respected family of children, who are an honor to their parents and a credit to the land they live in. AUGUSTIN KEHRES, a highly respected farmer of Monterey township, Putnam county, Ohio, was born in Alsace, France, September 3, 1847, and springs from an old family of the village of Reunzenheim, in the district of Bishweiler. His grandfather, Valentine Kehres, was a carpenter, married Mary Elchinger, and of his children the names of the following can be remembered, to-wit: V ilentine, Magdalene, Se bastian, Michael, Catherine, George, Carrie, Joseph, and John. Valentine, the grandfather, lived to be sixty-five years of age, died in his native village, and is still remembered by our subject. Sebastain Kehres, father of Augustin, also became a carpenter under the instruction of Valentine, his father, and later served fourteen years in the armies of Napoleon III. He married, in his native village, Barbara Heintzman. (died 9th January, 1896), a native of Anenheim, Alsace, and settled down to his trade, at which he worked until 1852, in the latter part of March of which year he sailed from Harve, France, and after a voyage of thirty-six days arrived safely in New York, whence he came to Ohio and located in Seneca county, with his family, arriving May 1, 1852. After working at his trade two years he bought forty acres of land in the woods near New Riegel, and, with the assistance of his sons, cleared up a farm. He was a very hard-working man, and often, after laboring all day in the harvest fields for others, would OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 265 work far into the night on his own land in his anxiety to make a home for his family. He frequently cut his wheat by moonlight, and the next day his mother, whom he had also brought with him, would bind it up. He succeeded in clearing up his farm, but, as his family increased, he needed more land, and so disposed of his Seneca county farm, and in November, 1860, came to Putnam county and purchased 160 acres in Jackson township, of which about thirteen acres had been cleared, and on which stood a log cabin. With the help of his son he also succeeded in clearing up this place and in making a good home. By his thrift and industry Mr. Kehres earned the means necessary to purchase forty acres adjoining his homestead, and also the eighty-acre tract on which his son Augustin, our subject, lives, making his total possessions reach 28o acres, all now in fine condition and well improved. Mr. Kehres was a man of more than ordinarily robust constitution, was short of stature, broad shouldered, heavily knit, and phenomenal strength, and well fitted for the life of a pioneer, and for subduing the heavily timbered forests of northwestern Ohio. In politics he was a democrat, and in religion a Roman Catholic. He aided in building the first Catholic church at Ottoville, and lived to contribute liberally toward the erection of the stately Saint Mary's church of the same village. His marriage was blessed with ten children, of whom one died in infancy, the survivors being Augustin (our subject), Bridget, Charles, Sebastain, Andrew, Elizabeth, Barbara, John, and Helena—the first four natives of Alsace, and the remainder of Ohio—John and Helena of Jackson township, Putnam county. Mr. Kehres had reached the age of seventy-six years at the time of his death, which occurred April 2, 1892, and was well known among the neighbors for his sterling worth, strict morality, charitable disposition and untiring industry. Augustin Kehres, our subject, was between four and five years of age when brought to America by his parents, yet he still remembers his grandfather's death and many scenes in the fatherland; the wagon which bore the family from their native village, the ship and the voyage across the ocean. He received the elements of an education in Seneca county, and was about thirteen when the family came to Putnam county, and can easily recall the old pioneer days. He was early inured to hard work at clearing land and at farming. When about seventeen years old he left home and worked on the state boat on the Miami canal for two years, and was then employed in an elevator at Toledo for a short time; he next passed three years in Upper Sandusky, driving a team; next was employed at Massillon at the same work and in a stone quarry. He married at Massillon, Ohio, April 23, 1872, Miss Louisa Marks, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, a daughter of Matthias and Emma (Knobloch) Marks, both of Prussia. The father was a tailor by trade and died at Canal Fulton, Ohio, a member of the Catholic church and the father of three children—Louisa, Kate and Frank. After his marriage our subject lived at Canal Fulton for a year, and then returned to Putnam county, and March 6, 1870, settled on his present farm, which he bought from his •father, and of which ten acres had been partially cleared. He has since cleared up the entire eighty acres, drained the land and placed the farm under a high state of cultivation, and improved it with substantial and commodious buildings. June 27, 1874, about three o'clock in the afternoon—in the absence of the family, fortunately—a cyclone passed over the farm and destroyed his dwelling and barn, but left uninjured the two horses con- 266 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY fined in the latter. He immediately re-erected his barn on the same site, and twelve years ago, August 23, 1883, when it was filled with hay, grain and farming implements, including a threshing machine, it was struck by lightning and destroyed by fire, with its contents. To Mr. Kehres and wife were born five children, of whom two died infants; the living three are named Henry, Louisa and Annie. March 6, 1876, Mrs. Kehres died in the Catholic faith—a woman of many good qualities and the idol of her husband and children. Mr. Kehres next married, May 5, 1880, Maria A. Dunz, who was born in Cincinnati March 1, 1850, a daughter of George Dunz, a wagon-maker from Baden, Germany, who died in Delphos, Ohio, at the age of seventy-eight years, the father of six children—Maria A., Annie, Christine, Philomena, Lena and Elizabeth. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Kehres went to housekeeping on the old farm, where they still live, the parents of four children--Cecile, Ludwig, Francis and Walter. In politics Mr. Kehres is a democrat, and has served as supervisor eleven years, as assessor four terms, as school director twelve years, and as land appraiser since 1890. He and family are all members of the Ottoville Catholic church. He is a self-made man, and no other stands higher in the esteem of the community in which he has so long lived and striven to serve. CHARLES KEHRES, a successful farmer of Monterey township, Putnam county, Ohio, and the head of a respected family, is a son of Sebastian and Barbara (Heintzman) Kehres, was born in Alsace, France, February 5, 1850, and at the age of two years was brought to America by his parents, and at the age of nearly eleven came with the family to Putnam county. They settled in Jackson township, where our subject was educated in the common schools and reared to the hard w0rk of clearing away the forest and of cultivating a rugged frontier farm. At the age of twenty-three years, February 18, 1873, he was married at Ottoville, by Father Mueller, to Miss Mary C. Hug, who was born May 24, 1852, on the wide, wide, sea, when her parents, John and Maria A. (Luchtle) Hug, were on the voyage from Europe to America. John Hug was a native of Alsace, where he owned a small farm, was there married, ahd to himself and wife were born six children, viz: Mary, Caroline, Kate, Louisa, Theresa and Elizabeth. The Hug family. first located in Seneca county, Ohio, but shortly afterward came to Putnam county, bought a farm of forty acres where Peter Wannemacher now lives, cleared up the land, made a good home and then sold out and bought the eighty-acre tract on which Mr. Kehres now lives; this land he also cleared, and died here October 18, 1888, at the age of seventy-seven years—a devout member of the Catholic church, in which faith he also reared his children. He also aided from his means in the erection of the handsome Saint Mary's church at Ottoville, and was a generous man, a hard worker, and earned his property by his own sturdy labor. After his marriage Mr. Kehres and wife lived on this farm until I 880, when they went to Gasconade county, Mo., bought forty. acres of land, on which they resided until 1886; then moved to Shawnee county, Kans., remained a year, and then returned to Putnam county, Ohio, in 1887, and settled on the Hug homestead, which, on the death of Mr. Hug, was deeded to our subject, who has drained and otherwise improved it. To Mr. and Mrs. Kehres were born eight children, named as follows: John S., Mary M., Charles A., Maria Rosalie, Mary C., Mary Elenora, Mary. Sabina and Leo Peter. The mother of this family, a devout Catholic and a lady of many OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 267 shining virtues, was called away from earth at the early age of thirty-eight years, April 26, 1891. Since the death of his wife Mr. Kehres has remained unmarried, his household being cared for by his eldest daughter, Mary Matilda. Mr. Kehres was one of the most liberal of the contributors to the building fund of Saint Mary's Catholic church at Ottoville, of which he is a devout member. In politics he is a democrat and has filled the office of supervisor. He is having his children educated in the best manner possible, giving them the advantage of every facility offered in the township. He is a practical farmer, and one of the most progressive in the county, and is respected wherever known. ANDREW KEHRES, of Ottoville, Putnam county, one of the most popular hotel men in northwestern Ohio, was born in Seneca county, November 30, 1853. His father, Sebastian Kehres, was born January 22, 1816, in Alsace, then a province of France, served the obligatory term of seven years in the French army and then enlisted for an additional term of seven years. At the age of twenty-eight he married' in his native village of Reunzenheim, Barbara Heitz-man, and ten children were the result, four of whom were born in Alsace and the remaining six after the parents came to America, which event happened in 1851. Mr. Kehres, on his arrival, bought forty acres of land in Seneca county; on which he lived with his family until 186o, farming and following his trade of carpenter, and then came t0 Putnam county and settled on 160 acres in the woods near Ottoville. This land he succeeded in entirely clearing up from the forest and in increasing to 28o acres. He was a devout Catholic and assisted in a pecuniary way, and as a mechanic in the erection of the beautiful Catholic church edifice in Ottoville, and died in the faith at about seventy-seven years of age. He was an honored and respected citizen, and in politics was a democrat. Andrew Kehres was but seven years of age when he came to Ottoville with his father's family. He was reared to farming, and for twelve years after reaching his majority had an interest with his father in a threshing machine. May 3, 1881, he married Antoinette Ann Miller, born in Ohio in February, 1860, a daughter of John D. Miller. For two years after marriage Mr. Kehres lived in Jackson township, Putnam county, and in 1883 started in the tile business in partnership with J. J. Miller and Frank Gmeiner, under the firm name of Frank Gmeiner & Co., and for three years a successful trade was done, and then, for one year, Mr. Kehres was out of business; in 1890 he went to Douglas, Ohio, and bought a general store, kept the postoffice and was station agent of the Clover Leaf railroad company until 1893, when he returned to Ottoville and bought the Beckman House, which, under his management, has been placed in first-class condition, and offers to the traveling public accommodations of a superior character, and at the same time is homelike and comfortable— he proving himself to be a genial landlord, anticipative at all times of the wants of his guests. To Mr. Kehres have been born eight children, viz: Regina, Elizabeth, Josephine, Clara, Amelia, Ida; Barbara J. and Barbara C. both deceased. The parents are strict members of the Roman Catholic church, and, like all the faithful, have contributed liberally to assist in the erection of the beautiful Catholic church building in Ottoville. Mr. Kehres is also a member of the Catholic Knights of Ohio. In politics he is a democrat. He is a gentleman of the strictest integrity, is of a happy disposition, and eminently qualified for the position he has so apropriately chosen. 268 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY JOHN KEHRES, of Jackson township, Putnam county, Ohio, though still quite a young man, has already gained prominence and influence in his neighborhood. He is a prosperous farmer, living on the old homestead, which he inherited from his father, and where he was born February 27, 1862. Sebastian Kehres, father of our subject, was born in Reunzenheim, Elsass, France (French spelling, Alsace), on January 22, 1816, where he was educated and learned the carpenter's trade. He was the sixth born in a family of nine children, viz: Valentine, Magdalena, Michael, Catherine, Anna, Sebastian, Joseph, John and George, the last named now living in Findlay, Ohio. Sebastian served the fatherland faithfully for six years in the army, and about 1845 married Barbara, the daughter of Joe and Margretha (Lang) Hintzman. She was born on December 31, 1826. For six years after their marriage they continued to live in France, and on March 25, 1857, they took passage for America, and located in New Riegel, Seneca county, Ohio, where he farmed and followed his trade for a number of years and then bought a farm of forty acres. In 1861 he moved to Putnam county and bought 160 acres of land, which he carefully cleared and brought to an unusually excellent state of cultivation. But the road to prosperity was not always to be smooth; in 1885, May 15, fire destroyed the home. He built himself a fine new handsome residence, in which he lived until his death occurred, April 2, 1892, his widow surviving uhtil January 9, 1896, when she, too, died, at the age of seventy years and nine days. Mr. Kehres died a faithful member of the Catholic church, and was respected and honored by all. He was a democrat in politics, and held the office of township supervisor and school director. His family consisted of ten children : August, born September 3, 1847, in Elsass, France; Brigitta, born December 23, 1848, also in Elsass; Charley, born in Elsass February 8, 1850; Sebastian, also a native of Elsass, born January 22, 1852; and the following six children born in America: Andrew, November 30, 1853; Barbara, June 7, 1855; Lizzie, February 2, 1857 (deceased); Elizabeth, June 28, 1859; John, February 27, 1862, and Helena, April 3, 1864. Of these children, August is now living on his farm in Monterey township, Putnam county, Ohio; Brigitta was married, November 8, 1870, to Peter Wurst, whose parents, Joseph and Magdelena (Kiener) Wurst, were Germans, but had early emigrated to America and located in New Washington, Crawford county, Ohio, where he was born July 13, 1838, but now lives in Jackson township, Putnam county. Brigitta is the mother of nine children, named Barbara, who died when three years old; Annie, of Akron, Ohio; Lizzie, of Kalida; Lena, of Douglas; Mary, who is at home and who was fifteen years old February 19, 1895; with her, also, are Sebastian, thirteen years old April 25, 1895; August, eleven March 26, 1895; Thersa, nine March 20, 1895; Charlie, six April 18th of the same year. They are all members of the Ottoville Catholic church. The other children of Sebastian and Barbara Kehres, Charles is a farmer in Monterey township; Sebastian, Jr.,, is farming in Jackson township; Andrew is the proprietor of a hotel and saloon in Ottoville, Ohio; Barbara is in a convent in Tiffin, Ohio; Lizzie is deceased; Elizabeth is now living with her mother in Ottoville; John is the subject of this sketch, and Lena is a clerk at Delphos. John Kehres, the subject of this sketch, during his boyhood days lived on his father's farm and attended the common schools in his township. He was faithful and industrious in all his work, whether it was on the farm or in the school-house. On June 6, 1893, he married Anna, the accomplished daughter of Bar- OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 269 ney and Clara (Grewe) Helmkamp; this lady was born in Ottoville September 24, 1867, where she was educated. Her father was a native of Ohio, and died December 26, 1875. Her mother was married a second time to B. Schlagbaum and became the mother of five children, named Dora, Louisa, Mary, Joseph and Rosa, and lives near Ottoville. After John Kehres had married he took his young wife to the old homestead, which is one of the best improved farms in the township. Here a beautiful and bright daughter, Hildegarde, was born to them May 25, 1894. Both husband and wife are members of the Catholic church at Ottoville, and in politics Mr. Kehres is a stanch democrat. JACOB KESSLER.—There has entered into our complex national fabric no element of more value and substantial worth than that supplied by the German empire, and to this source the subject of this review traces his lineage. His own life has been an eventful one, and many points of interest may be related concerning his career prior to the time when he settled down to the peaceful pastoral pursuits in Union township, Putnam county, Ohio. Mr. Kessler's parents were Joseph and Elizabeth (Rohr) Kessler, and he was born in Bishweiler, France, in July, 1828. The father was borh in the same canton on the 19th of March, 1789, the son of Philip Kessler, a native of Germany. Philip Kessler's father was a merchant of great wealth and prominence in Germany, and had numerous trading vessels plying on the Rhine. Philip learned the tailor's trade, after which he left home and made his way to France, this act entailing to him the loss of his inheritance. He had been admirably educated, and was sufficiently self-reliant to gain for himself success in the affairs of life. In France he married Eve Schaliger. Joseph Kessler, father of our subject, was born near Strassburg, Germany, was reared to farm life, and in 1814 was united in marriage to Elizabeth Rohr, who was a native of the same canton. Of their children we make a record as follows: John, deceased; Mrs. Magdalene Horter, deceased; Elizabeth, deceased; Philip is a blacksmith of Carroll county, Ohio; Michael; deceased; Mrs. Elizabeth Bechtel, deceased; Jacob, deceased; Jacob (second), subject of this review; Charles, deceased; Louis, a farmer near Miller City, Putnam county; Mary, wife of Charles Brankle, a farmer and carpenter of Carroll county. After his marriage the father of our subject resided in Bishweiler, France, until 1831 , when he emigrated to America and located in Carroll county, Ohio, where he purchased a farm and there passed the residue of his days, living to attain the patriarchal age of ninety-five years. In politics he was a democrat, and in religion he clung to the faith of his fathers, being a devoted member of the Catholic church. Jacob Kessler, our subject, was about five years of age at the time that his parents left Havre, by sailing vessel, for America, and he was reared on the parental farmstead in Carroll county, and here received his education. He continued his residence in Carroll county until 1848, having in the meantime learned the shoemaker's trade. In I he year noted he went to Buffalo, N. Y., where he was engaged in work at his trade for a period of five years, when he turned his attention to a seafaring life, sailing the great lakes for a score of years, and encountering many vicissitudes and perils. He sailed on board a number of different vessels, and twice encountered shipwreck, escaping once on the ice and the second time in an open boat. The most of the time he served as steward on the lakes, and in the centennial year, 270 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY 1876, he abandoned the lakes and came to Putnam county, where he effected the purchase of a farm of 140 acres, for which he paid the sum of $1,100, representing his accumulations for his service on the lakes. On this place he has erected an attractive and commodious residence. His efforts have been attended with excellent success, and he is one of the intelligent and honored residents of the community,. In politics he is a. stanch democrat, and is an ardent member of the Roman Catholic church at Kalida, having been confirmed by Bishop Purcell, of Cincinnati, at the age of seventeen years, said confirmation taking place at Marseilles, Ohio. GEORGE D. KINDER occupies a position of distinctive precedence as one of the representative men of Putnam county and editor of the Putnam County Sentinel, published in Ottawa. The son of Capt. George and Eliza ( Schnorf ) Kinder, our subject, was born November 6, 1836, at Franklin, Warren county, Ohio. His father was one of the first of those inland mariners, who, early in the 'thirties, navigated the Miami canal, that great water way of the state, which aided so largely in developing the resources and advancing the rapid settlement of that portion of the state through which it passed. His mother was of Pennsylvania-German extraction. Our subject had three brothers, the eldest of whom, William R. Kinder, was with the party which ran the boundary line between the United States and Mexico after the close of the Mexican war. He was afterward editor and proprietor of the Hamilton Telegraph, which, under his direction, was one of the most influential newspapers in the southern part of Ohio. Upon his election to the office of probate judge of Butler county, however, he disposed of the paper, and died before the expiration of the term of office for which he was elected. The next brother, John E., was for a long time connected with the revenue department of the government service and his death occurred. at his home in Miamisburg, where his son Charles' is now postmaster and the owner and editor of the Miamisburg News. The third brother, Clinton B., is the editor and proprietor of the Rockford Free Press, at Rockford, Ohio. From the above it is clearly to be seen that the family has been well represented in journalistic ranks. George D. Kinder, the immediate subject of this sketch, entered, at the age of fifteen, the office of the Hamilton Telegraph, which was then under the 'administration of his brother, and there familiarized himself with the " art preservative of all arts," and, with the exception of about two years spent at college, has ever since devoted his time to the printing business. In 1862 he established the Erie News at Sandusky city, this being one of the democratic newspapers which •were published on the Western Reserve during the years 1862 and 1863. In the latter year he removed the material of the News office to Port Clinton, Ottawa county, and there established the Ottawa News. In 1865 he disposed of this property to George R. Clark, and forthwith effected the purchase of the Greenville Democrat, continuing its publication for somewhat over a year, after which he sold it to the present owner. He afterward became business manager of the Bucyrus Forum, and while acting in that capacity purchased the Putnam County Sentinel, of which he has ever since remained proprietor, conducting it very successfully, building up an extensive and profitable business, and making the office one of the finest and most complete newspaper and job offices in the state. Mr. Kinder was married in February, 1869, OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 273 at Ottawa, to Miss Zella Gordon, daughter of Hon. John Gordon, a distinguished resident of the place. The offspring of this union was three children: Zella, Gordon, and George—the last named having died at the age of one year. The push and energy of his eastern born father, coupled with the thrifty Pennsylvania-German strain thr0ugh his mother, have combined in Mr. Kinder the elements of a successful man, not only as regards financial ability, but also in the influence which he has been able to wield as an editor, a citizen, and business man; while his inflexible integrity and independence of thought have made him a valuable counselor in party action, and his paper a recognized power in northwestern Ohio. Always ready to do his part in the furnishing of of means, as well as in the advocacy of every enterprise proposed for the benefit of his town and county, his work and influence have aided largely in the construction of the admirable graveled roads with which Putnam county is so liberally provided; in the construction of the railroads through which its development has been so rapidly effected, and in those town improvements which have made Ottawa one of the best, if not the best, of the municipalities in the state, as touching conveniences and public accessories. WILLIAM W. KELLY, one of the reliable business men of Ottawa, Putnam county, Ohio, was born December 29, 1839, near Lewisburg, Pa., and is a son of David H. and Mary (Baker) Kelly, natives of the same state. The family to which Mr. Kelly belongs had its origin in county Donegal, Ireland, where John Kelly, the subject's paternal ancestor, was born and reared. John Kelly came to America in the time of the colonies, and settled in Lancaster county, Pa., where he married Mrs. Elizabeth (Allison) Buchanan, by whom he had four children, John, William, Andrew and Elizabeth. Andrew died at the age of twenty-one; William married and died in the county of Lancaster,, leaving several daughters; Elizabeth married Gen. Robert Hannah, and John located in Union county, Pa., where he married Sarah Pollock. John and Sarah Kelly had a family of eight sons and two daughters, viz: John, James, William, Samuel, Elizabeth, Mary, David, Joseph, Andrew, and Robert, all of whom reared families, except the two last named. John Kelly, the father of the above children, was born in Lancaster county, Pa., in February, 1747. After the purchase of the land from the Indians in 1767, and before the opening of the land office rn 1769, he located in Buffalo Valley, a part of what was Northumberland county, where he suffered all the hardships and privations of life in a new and undeveloped country. He was almost a giant in stature, being over six feet in height, vigorous and muscular, and his labors, though arduous, had but little effect on him, he being almost insensible to fatigue. In early life he took a commanding position among his fellows and was made a captain in the army and became major of a regiment before his twenty-seventh year. He served in the war of the Revolution, and in the fall of 1776, when hope was almost buried in despair, he took part in Washington's campaign in New Jersey. He was present at Trenton when the Hessians surrendered, and assisted in the masterly movement on Princeton, by which the chain of communication of the enemy was broken. In the course of one of their retreats, the commander-in-chief, through one Col. Potter, sent an order to Major Kelly to have a certain bridge destroyed, in order to prevent the advance of the British, who were then in sight. 274 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY The major sent for an ax, but saw that the enterprise would be attended with great danger. He said he could not order another to do what some might say he was afraid to do himself, accordingly he began cutting down the bridge, but before the task was accomplished, the enemy were within range, and several balls struck the log upon which he was standing. He proceeded, however, with the work, and succeeded so well that at last the only support of the bridge, upon which he was standing, broke and fell into the swollen stream, the major going down with it. His comrades moved on, believing it impossible for him to escape, and he floated a considerable distance with the current before reaching the shore. He followed the troops, encumbered with wet frozen clothing, and while in this sad plight encountered a British scout, whom he captured, and led a prisoner to the American camp. History mentions that the American army was preserved from utter defeat by the destruction of that bridge. After leaving the army Major Kelly returned to his family, and during the three years following assisted in protecting the settlement from the encroachments of the Indians. He became colonel of a home regiment, and his duty was to keep watch and guard against the hostiles and prevent their incursions into the settlements. So dangerous were the savages that at one time the country was abandoned and left to their mercy. Col. Kelly was the first to return, others following him later, and for at least two years the people were obliged to carry their rifles to the fields in order to protect themselves while at work. The Indians seemed to have a special hatred toward Col. Kelly and resolved upon his death, but were afraid to meet him openly. One night he had reason to apprehend that they were near his house. Accordingly, he arose in the early morning, and looking through the crevices of his log cabin, discovered two warriors lying with their rifles so presented as to shoot him when he opened the door. He fixed his own rifle, took position, and with a string swung the door open, upon which two bullets were fired into the room. The Indians sprang up to advance for the scalp of their supposed victim, which gave him an opportunity of firing, which he did, wounding one, and causing the other to beat a hasty retreat. For many years Col. Kelly served as magistrate of his county, and would at any time give up his own fees, and if the parties were too poor to pay the constable's cost, would settle those also, in order to effect a compromise. He was an affectionate father and husband, a friendly and hospitable neighbor, and his death occurred in 1832, at the age of eighty-eight years. David Kelley, son of the above, and father of the subject of this biography, was born in November, 1798, and departed this life in February, 1875, near Lewisburg, Pa. By occupation he was a farmer, and was a leading man of the community in which he lived. He served as county commissioner, and held other local offices as a democrat of the old school. In addition to farming, he also carried on the manufacture of flour for some years, owning and operating one of the best mills in his county. He married, in 1831, Mary Baker, who was born in Pennsylvania in February, 1811, and who is still living. David and Mary Kelly reared a large family of children, whose names are as follows: John A., who lives on the old home ,farm in Pennsylvania; Catherine R., wife of Dr. Lewis Myers, of Fremont, Ohio; Jacob B., died in 1890; Sarah E., wife of Joseph Kleckner of Union county, Pa.; Robert H., died in 1860, William W., subject of this biography; Mary Ann, wife of James S. McCreight, of Lewisburg, Pa. ; James B., died in 1888; Emma C., wife of David Frederick, of Northumberland county, Pa. ; David S.,