OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 375 She was a noble christian woman and a devout member of the Christian church. Her death occurred July 14, 1875. Later the father married Miss Diana Seitz, of Fairfield county, Ohio, and to them two children were born—Robert D. and Elizabeth. Alfred Morris, our subject, was born in Allen county, Ohio, October 1, 1862, He lived upon the home farm until he had attained the age of sixteen years, and received a good education in the schools of Columbus Grove, Before he had reached his majority his father engaged in contracting and building macadamized roads, making our subject his foreman and superintendent, in which position he developed an excellent business capacity and a general knowledge of affairs. Afterward, our subject entered a machine shop at Lima as an apprentice, but after six months it became apparent that his health would not permit of such occupation. He now engaged in the saw-mill business at Randolph, Mo., for one year, then in the ice business at Columbus Grove for one year. After this he purchased a farm and lived thereon for four years, and after this engaged in the saw-mill business at Rimer, Ohio, for a similar length of time. In 1892 he came to Continental, .where he has since done an extensive business. His plant is valued at $3, 300, and besides, he owns various pieces of village property. Connected with his business is the Nickle Plate stock yard, which he controls and operates, and he also deals extensively in coal. He has made the major portion of his possessions himself by energetic and honorable business methods. In politics he is a republican, and has held the office of city clerk, and is a member of the school board. He has officiated as superintendent of the Sabbath-school, is at present a teacher, and has aided most liberally in the erection of the United Brethren church at Continental, of which society he and his wife are members, as also they are of the Good Templars' lodge. He was united in marriage, January 1, 1884, to Miss Maggie A. Billheimer, who was born in Putnam county, she being the daughter of Joseph and Loraine (Beardsley) Billheimer, who were early pioneers of the county and who lived to become leading agriculturists of the section. Mr. Billheimer was a strong republican, and both were prominent members of the United Brethren church. Four children have been born to our subject and his wife, they being, in order of birth, Joseph, Clarence A., Glaydus, and Homer. They form a happy circle and take great comfort in their home. JACOB CROUSE MYERS, one of the leading farmers and citizens of Perry township, Putnam county, Ohio, was born in Putnam county, January 11, 1839, On the farm on which he now lives and owns, and is a son of Peter and Anna (Crouse) Myers. Michael Myers, the great-grandfather of our subject, was born in Germany and there married; he later came to America and settled in Maryland, being among the early settlers, and here he spent his life on a farm. His son, John Myers, was married to Mary Dillon, of English ancestry, but who had been reared by German Mennonites. After marriage he settled in Washington county, Md., and became a very wealthy distiller, and very prominent in public affairs of his county. He was an old-line whig, and during the famous whisky rebellion he espoused the' cause of the government. Both he and his wife were members of the Mennonite church, and to them were born thirteen children: Elizabeth, the wife of Christian Shenk; Abraham, who died in California; John; Samuel (see sketch); Jacob; Maria, the wife of Christian Shenk; Peter, born October 376 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY 16, 1800, the father Of the subject of our sketch ; Anna, the wife of John Stauffer; Joseph; Barbara, married to Henry Shenk; Christian, of Maryland; Henry N., and Fannie, the wife of Jonas Shenk. The father died about 1841. Peter Myers was given an education in the common schools of Maryland, and when grown to young manhood learned the blacksmith's trade. On January 12, 1833, at Lambertsville, N. J., he married Mrs. Anna (Crouse) Whiting, who was born in New Jersey on June 14, 1798, had been married on June 20, 1819, to Nathan Whiting, and was the mother of six children by this first marriage, viz: Charlotte, deceased; Mrs. Mary Cooley, of New Jersey; Mrs. Hannah Harmon, of Oakwood, and three children who died in infancy. After his marriage Mr. Myers followed his trade at Lambertsville, N. J., until 1835, when he came to Putnam county, Ohio, and settled on the site of the present homestead, where one Kendall had secured control of a section of land on which he laid out a town and called it Franconia; formerly a post-office called Forest Grove, had been at that place. Here he erected a two-story frame building 26x36 feet, which was considered very large and fine in those days; in this building he kept an inn, and from 185o to 1865 was postmaster. He was a member of the Whig party until the 'republican party was organized, when he joined it and became an active worker in it. He was very prominent in all public affairs of the community and for twelve years was justice of the peace. He also held several other offices, holding that of township trustee for several terms and that of land appraiser in 1860. Death called him away on August 9, 1879, his wife having died in 1860—both members of the Mennonite church. Their children were five in number, viz: Anna E., widow of Warren Lee, of Oakwood; John W, a soldier of the Seventh Kansas cavalry; Thomas, who was killed at Independence, Mo., November 9, 186 Peter, who died in infancy, and Jacob Crouse. Jacob Crouse Myers was reared on the farm where he now lives and was educated in the common schools. In June of 1862 he enlisted in company C, Eighty-seventh Ohio volunteer infantry, and after four months' services was captured by the enemy and paroled at Harper's Ferry, Md. Here turned home, and, after being exchanged, he re-enlisted in Janu- ary, 1864, in company L, Second Ohio heavy artillery, in which he served until the close of, the war, most of the time on garrison duty in Tennessee. On August 29, 1865, he was hon- orably discharged at Nashville, Tenn. He immediately returned home and resumed farming during the summer months and during the winters for seven terms he taught school in Putnam county. On March 17, 1872, he married Frances, the daughter of Dr. Zachariah and Susan (Jemison) Metcalfe, of Delphos, Ohio; to them two children were born: 'Florence, the wife of Ed. Beck, of Dupont, and an infant, Charles A., who died with the mother, March 17, 1875. On January q, 1876, Mr. Myers married Maggie D. Wilcox, who was born in Kalida August 8, 1856, a daughter of Richard and Diana (Whiters) Wilcox, her father being a native of England, who came to America when twenty-one years of age. He was a tanner by trade, but taught school at times. The mother was of Welsh descent. In 1865 Mr. Myers purchased the farm on which he was reared. After marriage he took his wife there and since then they have prospered, and five children have been born to them, viz: Laura B., born February 20, 1877; Morton P., born July 13, 1878; Daisy, born June 10, 1881; John C., born January 22, 1885, and Warren, born October 24, 1893. To this farm Mr. Myers has added until now he has 190 acres, most of which is cleared and OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 379 under a fine state of cultivation. In politics he is a republican, and cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln. He served as constable for seven years, and as notary public for fifteen years. Since 1891 he has been pension attorney and is a member of the Wisor post, No. 93, G. A. R., of Dupont, of which he has three times been commander. His wife is president of the Women's Relief corps. Mr. Myers is an excellent and successful farmer, and an upright, public-spirited citizen, and is honored and respected' by all who know him. SAMUEL MYERS, deceased farmer of Perry township, Putnam county, Ohio, was a son of John and Mary (Dillon)Myers and was born in Washington county, Md., April 21, 1793. John Myers, the father, was also a native of Maryland, of German descent, was a wealthy farmer and a land owner, and also the owner of a mill and distillery. His children were named Abraham, John, Jacob, Mrs. Mira Shank, Mrs. Barbara Shank, Henry, Samuel, our subject, and Mrs. Anna Stauffer. Mrs. Mary (Dillon) Myers was a native of Pennsylvania and died at a ripe old. age, in the Mennonite faith; John, father of our subject, was a stanch democrat in his politics, was an influential citizen, and also died at an advanced age. Samuel Myers, subject of this sketch, was reared on the home farm in Maryland, learned the trades of miller and blacksmith, and for a time was employed in a woolen factory, becoming a very proficient mechanic. In 1829 he came to Ohio and entered a tract of land in Putnam county; on this tract he lived two years and then settled on the. farm in Perry township, on which his widow still resides, and which he cleared up from the wilderness. He was one of the most successful of the pioneers of the township and reached a position of prominence and influence before death closed the scene. On Christmas day, 1833, he was united in marriage with Miss Margaret Hardin, daughter of Abraham and Catherine (Wishart) Hardin, the ceremony being performed by Rev. Christian Sroufe, and the first to be solemnized in Putnam county. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Myers, William Hardin, served seven years in the war of the Revolution from Bedford county, Pa., and died at the remarkably old age of 104 years. Her father, Abraham, served in the war of 1812 from Licking county, Ohio, under Gen. Wayne. Her grandfather Wishart was born in Scotland, and settled in Bedford county, Pa., and lived to be ninety-eight years old. Both of the grandparents were pioneers of Bedford county, Pa. The union of Samuel and Margaret Myers was blessed with ten children, as follows: Adelina, deceased wife of Joseph Boxwell; Mrs. Anna A. Ayers, of Columbus Grove; Samuel, a farmer of Perry township; Jacob, killed at the battle of Rome, Ga. ; Abraham, who died at Nashville, Tenn., during the late war; Susannah, wife of G. D. McClure, of Jackson township; Margaret, deceased wife of Daniel Willsire, also deceased; David, who died in infancy; Huldah, deceased wife of Godfrey Guyer, of Palmer township, and Malida, deceased wife of Sam Price. The mother of this family was born in Licking county, Ohio, May 8, 1816; her father was a native of Maryland, and her mother, at the age of twelve years, came from Scotland with her parents, who settled in Pennsylvania, in which state Dr. David Wishart, grandfather of Mrs. Myers, attained great celebrity as a physician. After marriage Mr. Myers settled on and cleared off his land, and soon took rank among the foremost of the farmers of Perry township; he also built the first saw, flour, and grist-mill in Putnam county, and this mill still stands as a monument to his enterprise. He was a man 380-BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY of broad views and extraordinary public spirit, and unaided built three miles of the plank road through the county, and also gave $1,000 toward its construction. Politically he was a whig, and was honored by election, at various times, to a11 the local offices; he was one of the first county commissioners and the first school examiner; was township trustee for years and built the first school-house in the township; as a member of the Menonnite church he was influential and useful, and was a liberal contributor to its support. To him the people of the county are deeply indebted for its early development, and his work tells the story of a well-spent life. His death occurred August 27, 186o, and the loss of no man in the county was ever more deplored by the public than his. Mrs. Myers still resides on the old homestead, which has been her home for sixty-two years, she having reached her four-score years of life and being venerated and respected as but few residents of Perry township can ever hope to be. She is the grandmother of fifty children and the great-grandmother of about seventy-five. When she first came here with her husband, he was compelled to go to Piqua, through the woods, with no roads, to have his corn ground (except what was ground at home with hand-mills), until his own mill was erected, which men for miles around came to assist in building and in constructing the mill dam, but it was five years before the former was completed. No man more useful, or more enterprising citizen ever resided in Perry township than Samuel Myers. JOHN F. MYERS, one of the most prosperous and honored farmers of Greensburg township, was born in Putnam county, September 22, 1848, a son of Solomon and Mary (Shenk) Myers, the former of whom was born in Franklin county, Pa., near the Maryland state line, October 29, 1817. The parents of Solomon were Peter and Elizabeth (Slice) Myers. The father was born in Lancaster county, Pa., in 1780, and the mother was a native of Switzerland. The great-grandfather of subject, Peter Myers, Sr., was a native of Prussia, and came to America in early manhood, was a shoemaker by trade and also followed fanning. He died in Maryland; his family consisted of six children, viz: Annie Heidlough, Elizabeth, Mary, John, Peter and Samuel. His son, Peter Myers, Jr., followed farming in Pennsylvania until 1835, when, on October 1, he started for Ohio, and after a twenty-two day journey, most of the way on foot, he arrived in Putnam county, and entered forty acres of government land in Greensburg township. Martin, his son, persuaded him to move to Perry township; here he lived until 1865, when he moved to Williams county, where he died in 1873, honored and respected by all who knew him. He was an old-line whig and a prominent member of the German Baptist church. Solomon Myers, the son of Peter Myers, Jr., and the father of our subject, was educated in the common schools of Pennsylvania. In 1835 he came to Ohio, and helped to clear the newly entered land until November 17, 1842, when he married Mary, the daughter of Michael and Mary (Whitman)" Shenk, who was born in Canada, near Toronto, in August, 1823. Her father was a native of Pennsylvania, but when seventeen years of age went to Canada, where he married and reared a family. After his marriage Mr. Myers lived on a farm in Greensburg township for six months, and then moved to Perry township, where he lived. until 1846, when he returned to Greensburg township, and two years later purchased the farm on which he now lives, paying $1,000 for ninety-five acres, and at different times since has added to it until he had a farm con- OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 381 sisting of 117 acres, most of which he has distributed among his children, of whom he has thirteen, eleven reaching maturity, namely: Peter, a farmer in Michigan; Sarah, married to Jacob Shenk, of Ottawa township; Abraham, deceased; John and Solomon, Jr., both of whom are mentioned above in this sketch; Susan, the wife of Isaac Stike, of Perry township; Mary, the wife of Henry Sink, of Greensburg township; Sophia, married to John Le-master, of the same township; David and Daniel, both of whom are deceased, and Martha, married to John Bear, of Greensburg township. The mother died on June 8, 1885, and had been a faithful member of the German Baptist church for many years. Mr. Myers is a republican in politics, and is known as one of the most successful and prosperous farmers in Greensburg township. John F. Myers, son of Solomon, was reared on his father's farm and given a good education in the common schools of his native township. On December 8, 1872, he married Ella, the daughter of Richard and .Mary (Layton) Davis. This lady was borh in Vermillion county, Ill., December 6, 1854. Her father was born in Pennsylvania, March 3, 1822, and married in Marion county, Ohio, April 1827. They were the parents of eleven children: Agnes, the wife of Eli May, of Michigan; Harriet A., married to Burdette Lamson, of Williams county, Ohio; Hannah and Matilda, twins, who died in. infancy; Ella B., of this mention; Mary, the wife of Herschel Opsumer, of Chicago; Ida, wife of W. L. Wallon; Sarah, married to Bryan Carmes, of Bryan, Ohio; Emma, the wife of William Miller, of Williams county; Nancy, the wife of James Rosendall, deputy marshal of. Stryker, Williams county, and Louie G., deceased. Richard Davis, after his marriage, went to Illinois, where he farmed for some years and then came to Putnam county, remained a short time, and then moved to Williams county, Ohio, where he still lives, and is a republican in politics. He and his wife are members of the Disciples' church. Immediately after his marriage Mr. Myers and his wife settled on the farm where they now live, which was then owned by his father, and was still uncleared. He set bravely to work clearing it and making a good farm out of it, and his father then gave him a deed for forty acres; he has greatly improved it since then and is an industrious and successful farmer; he has spent all his married life on this farm except one year, during which he lived in Perry township. Politically he is a republican and has served as supervisor of his township. He is honored and respected by all who know him and is considered a very enterprising citizen. His wife is a member of the Mennonite church, and their children are five in number, viz:. Alfred Herman, Frank Wilbur, Davis W., Mary M. and John P. REV. WILLIAM HORSTMANN.— The history of Saint John's Roman Catholic church at Glandorf, Putnam county, which is here presented, through the kind offices of Rev. Francis Nigsch, the present pastor, is probably as interesting as that of any institution or event connected with Putnam county's growth ; and the self-sacrificing spirit of its founder, manifested throughout the many years of his labors in Putnam and adjoining counties, though on a smaller scale, is as attractive and as admirable as is that of Marquette, Hennepin or La Salle. The Rev. William Horstmann was the founder and the upbuilder of this historic congregation. He resigned his professorship at Osnabruck, Germany, in April, 1833, and at a meeting held at Glandorf, near Osnabruck, or Osnaburg, the following persons volunteered 382 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY to accompany him to America, with the intention of founding a colony: John F. Kahle, William Guelker, Christian Strope, Matthias Bockrath, F. Wischmann, Fred. Bockrath and Fred. Brodeick. These people left their fatherland on August 28 following, embarking on the ship Columbus on September 7, and arriving in New York, November 6. From New York they went to Detroit, Mich., via Albany and Buffalo. From Detroit Rev. Win. Horstmann, or the Professor, as he was familiarly called, and Mr. Kahle, in order to find a suitable place for the entire family or colony, traveled partly on foot and partly by stage through western Ohio, passing Fort Defiance, Fort Jennings and Wapakoneta, and reaching Cincinnati, December 12, 1833. Returning by the same route they paid a short visit to the colonists at Stallo, or Minster, in Auglaize county. Samuel Meyer, of Fort Jennings, directed them to John Meyer, in Greensburg township, where Mr. Kahle purchased section 15. Prof. Horstmann procured, in Ottawa township, 560 acres in section 20, and 16o acres in section 29. The rest of their party, whom they had left in Detroit, were brought to the location selected, after a wearisome journey in the latter part of January, 1834. This journey was indeed an adventurous one, and fraught with many difficulties. The driver of the only wagon which they could hire could not be induced to go further than Maumee City, where they undertook to hire another one, but failed in this attempt, and so had to continue their journey on foot, taking of the baggage as much as they could possibly carry, and finally in this way reached their destination. Here these few men were in midwinter, in the wide, wild forest, surrounded by Indians as houseless as themselves, but friendly; but they possessed undaunted courage and muscular arms. They cut down trees, tilled the ground around the stumps, and constructed their primitive log houses, one of which, 16x18 feet in size, served as church, school-house and dwelling, for the pastor. It was located on the western bank of Cranberry creek, near the present site of Henry Nartker's house; and in this small log cabin Prof. Horstmann celebrated mass, for the first time, on Easter Sunday, March 30, 1834. It will be readily understood that the years of colonization that followed, were years of painful privations and trials. The scanty provisions, which had been taken from Detroit, were soon exhausted. Corn and potatoes, which the poorly cultivated soil could yield, were not plenty. Roads were not yet opened, and the woods, which had to be penetrated in order to reach any market, abounded in swamps and rendered traveling almost impossible. All farming implements had to be brought from great distances, and often their transportation caused as much anxiety as did the means of procuring them. In the spring of 1834 the colony was increased by the following arrivals: H. Kolhoff, H. Schroeder, H. Duling, Ed. Mueller, Joseph Uttendorf, B. H. Unverferth, C. Gerding, C. Shirloh, T. Meyer, and William Feldmann. In 1835 J. B. Drerup, J. B. Lehmkuhle, J. H. Moening, J. G. Uphaus and H. Recker, were the arrivals, and in 1836 the numbers there were still further increased by the arrival of J. F. Verhoff, T. Ellerbrock, B. Erhart and others. By this time the little room hitherto used for a church became too small, and a new one, 22x40 feet, was built on the northwest corner of Jackson street and La Belle avenue, where is now found the elegant house erected for the organist. The Indians, with whom the pioneers managed to be on good terms, assisted greatly in the erection of the building. This church was dedicated February 26, 1837. About this time a log house was con- OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 383 structed, containing three rooms----one for the school, the others for the pastoral residence. Rev. William Horstman acted as the first teacher of that school, and he was followed by George Unverferth and Mr. Tolgeman, the first of whom died in 1837, the latter continuing to teach until mental infirmities compelled him to retire. A proper dwelling, 38x36 feet, for the priest, was built by Prof. Horstmann in 1838, about where the pastoral residence is at the present time. Prof. Horstmann, perceiving that he was not able to comply with all the demands of a constantly increasing congregation, and the missionary work abroad, obtained in 1841 an assistant in the person of Rev. George Boehne, who worked there most zealously until 1848, when he was transferred to Fort Jennings, where he died in 1860.   The manifold difficulties, the hardships and privations which Rev. Prof. Horstmann had to undergo at home and in traversing the whole of Putnam county, and also the greater part of Auglaize county, accelerated the decline of his health, and in the spring of 1842 he was taken dangerously ill. He suffered severely, but with christian fortitude and resignation,   with rheumatism during all of the summer and autumn and until February 21, 1843, when it pleased the all-seeing Ruler of the universe to call his untiring and faithful servant to a better home, he being at that time sixty-five years of age. Little is known regarding his parentage, his early life, his education, or of his ordination and subsequent priestly career, prior to his emigration to the wilds of northwestern Ohio. He was born in 1778 in Glandorf, Germany, of poor but pious parents; add having received holy orders, May 31, 1866, at the hands of Rt. Rev. Von Gruben, bishop of Osnabruck, he was appointed assistant pastor at Glandorf, where, by his energy and untiring zeal, an addition to the church was built, and he was promoted to a professorship in the famous Gymnasium Carolinum in Osnaburg. Here he labored among books and papers up to the year of his resignation and emigration to America. Rev. William Horstmann was above medium height, well proportioned, but of pale complexion. He was a man of great learning, versed in all the sacred sciences, in mathematics, in astronomy, and philology; and being a practical naturalist, he was excellently qualified for colonization. He could survey and parcel out the lands, select wood for building porposes, designate proper places for dwellings, and being, in addition to all his other qualifications,a thorough homeopathist, he was a succoring physician to the sick. A man better adapted by nature and by education for the position he held could not have found. The nobility of his soul is easily discovered when we take into considaration the favorable circumstances by which he was surrounded in Germany, which he cheerfully exchanged for a hazardous voyage across the Atlantic ocean, the wild forest of America, and all the inconveniences incident to pioneer life in the wilderness; and this he did for love of his fellowmen, his object being to procure for them a free home, and indeed for the greater honor of the God he worshiped. He was generous and benevolent in the extreme, defraying nearly all the expenses of the journey of the colonists, procuring lands for them in the new country, implements for farming, provisions for their households, and assisted them wherever and whenever assistance was required. Courage and self-denial marked his character, and in the many and toilsome journeys on foot, neither dense forests, nor swamps, nor rivers, nor any of the dangers from wild beasts or wild men, could daunt him or detain him. Through the forests he sought the way by means of the compass, and swamps and streams 384 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY he crossed by swimming on logs, frequently carrying heavy burdens, purchased at some distant market, strengthening himself for these labors with corn meal and milk or water. His missionary zeal was indefatigable, his conduct pious and thoroughly sacerdotal. When at home he instructed the. children at school, visited the sick, offered up the holy sacrifice of the mass, administered the sacrament to his parishioners, and 'then hastened to bring the same consolation to Catholics scattered throughout Putnam county. Nearly every month he traveled to Wapakoneta, and Minster. Through his agency a little frame church was built at Wapakoneta, and in Minster a log church, 40x60 feet; and also at Petersburg, five miles south of Wapakoneta, a church was built by him. Thus did Rev. Prof. Horstmann labor in the vineyard of Christ, being all to all, and it is undoubtedly owing to his animated, self-sacrivicing spirit that he fell a victim to premature death. The members of Saint J ohn's church in 1883 erected a monument to his memory, which monument is well deserved, for Prof. Horstmann was a kind father to all. When his end drew near he willed all his land to the congregation for which he had worked for so many years, and the proceeds of the estate, amounting to about $6,000, were devoted to to the building of the present beautiful church edifice. The mortality during the first years of the congregation was within natural limits; though greater, comparatively, than in later times, which is accounted for by the many pools producing malaria, which have in recent years been thoroughly drained. The average of annual burials was from ten to twelve; though in 1839 twenty-one deaths occurred, that being the greatest number up to 1860, in which year forty-two deaths appeared in the record of burials. The first death in the congregation was that of William Shroeder, a boy of nine years; the first marriage recorded is that of John F. Kahle to Mary Anna Meyer, celebrated October 7, 1834; the first baptism was that of Anna Maria Slueter, daughter of Gerhard Slueter and Ann Maria Lamers. The child is now dead, but the mother is living in the home of her son-in-law, Joseph Gerdeman. Rt. Rev. J. B. Purcell, bishop of Cincinnati, visited Glandorf in 1841, and when he came again, in 1845, he encouraged Father Boehne to build a larger and more durable church. The foundation of this church was laid in 1846, and the church, 50 x 90 feet, was dedicated December 3, 1854. The necessary cash outlay for this church was reduced to a minimum by gratis labor, every member of the congregation having his appointed days to work; thus all the foundation stones were quarried and brought to the place, all the bricks made and much of the other material furnished free of cost. The church was considered in those times the ne plus ultra of churches, and spacious enough for centuries to come. In the meantime all northern Ohio was separated from the diocese of Cincinnati, and formed into a new diocese, with Rt. Rev. A. Rappe, of Cleveland, for its first bishop. Bishop Rappe requested Father Brunner, founder and superior of the Society of the Precious Blood in America, to take charge of the parish at Glandorf. Revs. H. Obermueller, A. Kunkler, A. Herbstritt, Max Homburger, Al. Schelbert and A. Kramer, successively worked as pastors of Glandorf from 1848 to 1861, when Rev. August Reichert was appointed to the position. In 1862. he built the present pastoral residence, and in 1864 procured the pipe organ still in use. He also built the Saint Peter and Saint Paul's church at Ottawa. It may be here mentioned that church members at Glandorf furnished not less than fifty-four men to the Union army during OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 385 the late rebellion, thirty-three of whom were volunteers, twenty-one drafted. Glandorf's patriotism can therefore not be called in question. Hitherto all Catholics living in Greensburg, Ottawa, in north Union and Pleasant townships, attended church in Glandorf. In 1862 the church of New Cleveland was built; in 1868 that in Ottawa, and in 1878 that in Kalida, and still the necessity of a more spacious church building was imperative. Therefore Rev. R. Dickman, who succeeded Rev. August Reichert in May, 1874, undertook the laborious task of raising the funds necessary to build the new church. During the first year he succeeded in raising a subscription of $25, - 000, notwithstanding the great financial depression felt at that time. The foundation of the new church was laid in 1875, and the building put under roof in 1876. The tower was finished in 1877 and the interior of the building completed in 1878. The dedication of the church took place December 15, 1878, by the Rt. Rev. R. Gilmour. This building is cruciform in shape, Gothic in style of architecture, is constructed of brick and ornamented with white sandstone. It is 175 feet long, and has an average width of 70 feet. The transept is 86 feet, and the spire is 225 feet high. The outside is imposing in appearance, and is of the most perfect symmetry. With its lofty pillars, its high arches and its beautiful windows, its rare frescos and paintings, together with its rich altars, the devout representation of Christ's Way of the Cross, and its magnificent pulpit, it has indeed all the sacredness of the House of God, and it fills the visitor with reverence and awe. Innumerable are the commendations due to Rev. R. Dickman for rearing so beautiful a temple. His grand ideas were an impetus to Delphos, to Fort Jennings and to Ottoville, and the church is an everlasting proof of his enterprising spirit, abilities, courage and perseverance. The members of the congregation faithfully supported their pastor, and universal was the regret when, in May, 1881, he went to Nashville, and was succeeded by Rev. M. Kenk, who, however, remained only a few months. The Rev. Francis Nigsch received his appointment in 1881, as pastor of Saint John's church at Glandorf. By the generosity of his people he was enabled to procure the stations of the cross in 1885; the side altars in 1887, the magnificent main altar and the church pews in 1888, and in 1888 and 1891, two beautiful shrines in honor of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and of Mary were placed in the sanctuary. By this time, too, the debt which had been incurred in the building of the church, was paid, so that in 1892 the congregation owed not one cent. The furnaces originally placed in the basement of the church were, in 1892, replaced by Smead's heating and ventilating apparatus, and in 1893 a house was built opposite the church, for the organist. This house is a two-story brick building, and is an ornament to the town. In looking back over the sixty-two years of the church's history, though there is still room for improvement, Saint John's congregation at Glandorf has kept pace with the general progress of the county, and it is to be hoped that it may continue to prosper as it deserves in the generations to come. REV. FRANCIS NIGSCH, pastor of the Catholic church at Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio, a son of Francis A. and Regina (Erhart) Nigsch, both deceased. Of the five children born to these parents, two are still living in Austria, the remaining three coming to America. Of these three Rev. Christian Nigsch came to the United States when a young man of twenty years, in 386 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY 1868, having been well educated in his native land, and having taught in the public schools. Here he entered the seminary at Carthagena, Mercer county, Ohio, and was ordained, in 1878, by Archbishop Purcell, in Cincinnati. He was for a time located in Jay county, Ind., and next given a charge at Saint John's, Mercer county, Ohio. He was next placed in charge at Winamac, Pulaski county, Ind., was the pastor for five years, and there he built a beautiful church; in 1885 he was transferred to Minster, Auglaize county, Ohio, where, after another ministration of five years, he died November 25, 1890, after a faithful service of thirteen years to his church and its people. Frederick Nigsch, another brother of our subject and one of the three that came to America, died in 1873, while being prepared for the priesthood. Rev. Francis Nigsch, the subject of our sketch, came to the United States in 1866, and entered the theological seminary at Carthagena, having passed through the classical course in his native land, and for five years was under tuition and discipline for the priesthood. In January, 1872, he was ordained by Archbishop Purcell, and was given a charge in Mercer county, Ohio, which he retained about eighteen months. His next charge was at Saint Mary's, Auglaize county, Ohio, where he filled his sacred office for seven months, and then for three months ministered to the flock at Minster, in the same county, as assistant pastor. The next year was passed in the performance of church duties in Missouri, and from 1875 to 1881 he had the arduous charge of the congregation at Wapakoneta, Auglaize county, Ohio. He was next appointed to the pastorate of Glandorf, Putnam county, his present charge, where he has done much toward improving the church edifice and in strengthening the congregation, the membership of the latter being now nearly 300 fam ilies. The reverend father is progressive and indefatigable in his labors, and the beneficial results thereof are daily made apparent in the improved condition of his congregation, the increased beauty of the church building interiorly and exteriorly, and in the essential fact that he has succeeded in liquidating the church debt of upward of $14,000, aside from raising quite a large sum for furnishing the sacred edifice, amounting probably to an equal sum. His church is his only pride, and he is deservedly the pride of his congregation. In 1889 he traveled extensively in Europe, and while there visited Rome and was received by Pope Leo XIII, on June 23, that year. SAMUEL H. MYERS, a retired farmer and prominent and influential citizen of Perry township, Putnam county, Ohio, is a son of Samuel and Margaret (Wishart) Myers, is a native of Perry township, and was born February 22, .1840. He was reared on his father's farm and educated in his native township, in the old log school-house, and on April 14, 1862, married Miss Mary E. Mercer, who was born in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, August 1, 1842, a daughter of Stephen and Catherine (Dillworth) Mercer, early settlers of the state, the mother being now a resident of Williams county. This union has been blessed by the birth of three children, namely: Abraham H., a farmer of Perry township, and proprietor of the Cascade Resort; Margaret Catherine, wife of George Curtis, and Susanne, wife of A. J. Ladd, the husbands of both these ladies also being farmers of Perry township. After marriage Samuel H. Myers located on a farm in Paulding county, Ohio, and for about a year he ran a canal boat: February 15, 1864, Mr. Myers enlisted in company G, Fifty-fourth Ohio volunteer infantry, served for eighteen months, and was honorably dis- OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 391 charged at Little Rock, Ark., the war having come to a close. He took part in fourteen regular and desperate engagements, beside a number of sanguinary skirmishes, which, in the early stages of the war, would have been denominated battles. Among the former were those at Resaca, Dallas, Dalton, Buzzard's Roost, Nickajack Creek (where he was wounded in the hip by a fragment of shell, from which wound he has never fully recovered), Big Kenesaw Mountain, Little Kenesaw Mountain (July 22), Atlanta, Jonesboro, Fort McAllister, Raleigh, N. C., Columbus, S. C„ and participated in the grand review at Washington, D. C. In February, 1866, Mr. Myers bought his present place in Perry township, formerly his father's, having husbanded his earnings before and during the war. He had this land cleared and improved and engaged in farming, calling into play his accurate knowledge of this pursuit and making it profitable. He then for three years turned his attention to saw-milling and timber shipping, and for four years was interested in quarrying—furnishing stone for a number of bridges. During these periods his farming was not neglected, but was held under his own strict supervision, and he is now one of the largest land-owners in the township, and also has one of the finest home residences to be seen for miles around. In politics Mr. Myers is a stanch republican, and by that party has been elected to the office of township trustee and to a number of minor positions, in all of which he has given the utmost satisfaction to the public and filled with credit to himself. As an agriculturist, and socialistic economist, he is a member of Perry grange, No. 567, Patrons of Husbandry, and in commemoration of the " sieges he has passed through, " is a member of Wisor post, No. 63, Grand Army of the Republic. His views in religious matters are liberal, and he freely contributes to the support of all denominations, as well as to all educational enterprises, and to every well designed plan for the benefit of his native township and county, and has thus deservedly won the esteem and true friendship of each and every man and woman throughout the broad expanse of Perry township. JAMES MYERS, a skillful and well-to-do farmer of Union township, Putnam county, Ohio, was born in Licking county, September 7, 1833, a son of Daniel and Dorcas (Critten) Myers, the former also a native of Licking county, Ohio, and born in 1809. George Myers, father of Daniel Myers above mentioned, was a native of Virginia of German descent, was educated in the German language and was an early settler of Licking county, Ohio. He married Elizabeth Horn, of Scotch-Irish descent, and reared a family of twelve children, of whom four are living, viz: David, of Auglaize county; Mrs. Elizabeth Elliott, of Saint John's, in the same county; Rhoda, wife of James Clutter, and Solomcn, both of Licking county. Mr. and Mrs. George Myers were both devoted members of the Christian church, and in politics Mr. Myers was a democrat. Daniel Myers, son of George, and the sixth child born in the family of twelve above mentioned, was reared and educated in his native county of Licking, and became an expert agriculturist. About the year 1829 he married Dorcas Critten, who was born in 1812, a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Johnson) Critten. Her father, James Critten, was a native of Virginia, of Irish descent, and held a captain's commission in the war of 1812. He came to Putnam county, Ohio, in 1839, and bought a farm in the woods, which, like the other sturdy frontiersman of his day, he transformed into a comfortable home, where he resided until his 392 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY death, a member of the Christian church, about the year 1856, and a highly honored citizen. Daniel Myers, after marriage, lived in Licking county until 1839, when he brought his family to Putnam county, bought one tract of eighty acres and entered an additional tract of forty acres of uncleared land, built a log cabin and proceeded, after the custom of the day, to clear up a farm from the wilderness, in which effort he met with success, and here passed the active days of his life until 1874, when he retired to Columbus Grove, but for the latter sixteen years of his life made his home under the filial roof of his son James, our subject. In politics he was a democrat, and had served as school director and filled several of the township offices; in religion he was a member of the Christian church, in which he filled the office of deacon for many years, and in this faith he died, January Jo, 1894, lamented and honored by a large circle of sincere and devoted friends. His three children—all that were born to their marriage —were named, in order of birth, as follows: George, deceased; James, our subject; and Amanda, wife of John Dooley, of southern Missouri. James Myers, the subject of this sketch, was reared to agricultural pursuits in Putnam county, having been but about six years of age when brought here by his parents. Here he was united in the bonds of matrimony in 1855, with Miss Deborah McDole, who was born in Beaver connty, Pa., June 29, 1835, a daughter Matthew and Elizabeth (Stewart) McDole, of whom further mention will immediately be made. To the prolific marriage of James and Deborah Myers were born the family of thirteen children, viz: Elizabeth C., wife of A. May-bury, of Rockport, Allen county, Ohio; Matthew L., a farmer of Iowa; Daniel S., of Paulding county, Ohio; and Mrs, Dorcas Jane Vandemark, twin sister of Daniel S., of Sugar Creek township, Putnam county; Sarah, wife of John Streator; Margaret A., wife of Charles Clarke, of Marion county; Martha F., wife of W. Streator, of Pleasant township, Putnam county; Mary Alice, wife of Stanley Goodwin, of Union township; Rosa, who died in October, 1890; James William, Lillie F., Emma B., and Della M., at home with their parents. Matthew McDole, the father of Mrs. Myers, was a native of Virginia, of Irish descent, and a son of Matthew McDole, a farmer and a soldier in the war of 1812. Matthew, the son, had also volunteered and started for the field, but hostilities had closed before he reached the front. In 1837 the parents of Mrs. Myers came from Pennsylvania to Putnam county, Ohio, whence they moved to Allen county and purchased land, but in 185o returned to Putnam county and bought the farm on which Mr. Myers now resides, but which was then in the wilderness. After his marriage, however, Mr. Myers first bought a tract of eighty acres in Union township, on which he lived and which cultivated until 1875, when he settled on his present farm, as stated. In 1882 he erected a his handsome dwelling, which is an ornament to the neighborhood. In politics Mr. Myers is a democrat, and has served as township trustee for several years; he, with his wife and children, is a member of the Christian church, of which he has long been a deacon. He is one of the most progressive farmers of the township, and has made his mark as a good, sound, substantial citizen, and has won the warm regard of all classes. SOLOMON MYERS, JR., son of Solomon, Sr., and a brother of John F., was born in Greensburg township, Putnam county, Ohio, May 20, 1850, and was given a good common-school education near home. He lived on his father's farm OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 393 until 1881, when he married Angeline Guyton, who was born in the same township in 1857 and there spent her childhood days. Her father, William Guyton, was a native of Virginia, and her mother, Polly (Burkhart) Guyton, was born in eastern Ohio, near the Pennsylvania line. After their marriage Mr. Myers and his young wife settled on his father's farm. in Ottawa township and farmed on it for two years, when they moved to the farm where they now live, and which at that time was still uncleared. Mr. Myers built himself a house and then proceeded to clear a away the heavy timber. Soon he had converted the dreary forest land into a fine farm and he has continued to improve it, ditching it thoroughly and putting good buildings on it. He has been very successful as a farmer and is an enterprising citizen, being in politics a republican. His family consists of three children, viz: Mary, born July 4, 1883; Stella, deceased, and Arthur, who was born November 13, 1889. EDWARD NEUFER, one of the most enterprising and industrious young farmers of Perry township, Putnam county, is the son .of Samuel and Susan Neufer, and was born in Franklin county, Ohio, January 1, 1859. His father born in Maryland, and had there lived on a farm. Five other children blessed this union, viz: Calvin and Henry, living in Kansas; John, living in Perry township; Florina, living somewhere in the west, and Edward, the youngest and the subject of our sketch, who was left an orphan by the death of both parents when he was but one year old. Edward Neufer was reared on the farm of Frank Demer in Franklin county, and given a fair education in the common schools of the neighborhood. At the age of fourteen, with a courage rarely seen in one so young, he left the kind home which had sheltered him during his childhood, and resolutely braved the world and began an independent life as a day laborer and farm hand, determined to make the most of life and to take this seeming early misfortune cheerfully. He prospered, and on December 11, 1879, he married Mary, a daughter of Henry and Sarah (Wilcox) Davis, and born in Franklin county, March 5, 1861. After their marriage the happy and ambitious couple went upon a rented farm in Franklin county and worked hard, from early to late, for ten years, and by 1889 they had prospered so well that they were able to buy a piece of timber in Perry township, Putnam county, and there moved his wife and family, which then consisted of four children—Minnie, born in October, 1880; Clara, born February 5, 1883, and died when eight years old; Allie, born November I I, 1885; and Ottie, born September 15, 1887. He set resolutely to work to clear the farm which he had just purchased, and as time passed he could gradually, but surely see, as a result of his industry, a fine farm forming itself out of what had but a short time before been a dense forest. He cleared sixty acres of the land, and has ever since kept it in an excellent state of cultivation.' Here three more children have been added to his family—Stella, born March 23, 1890; Addie, born March 13, 1893, and one, Clara, who has been taken away from the happy family. Mr. Neufer, besides farming his land, raises fine 'stock, and has been very successful in both callings. He is essentially a self-made man, and can truthfully say that what he owns is the result of his own perseverance and industry, and, though he started out in the world with nothing but his indomitable courage and industry, he now can point to much, the result of faithfulness in little things, out of which have come great things. He is a liberal 394 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY and public-spirited citizen, and respected and honored by all for his thrift and uprightness. In politics he is a democrat. AMOS NICHOLS, son of Edward and Margaret (Ervin) Nichols, is a native of Putnam county, Ohio, and was born October 7, 185o, Edward Nichols having been a resident of Putnam county since 1836 and dying in 1863. Amos, our subject, has passed all his life in Union township, where he was reared on the home farm, and where he was educated in the old-fashioned log school-house. January 7, 1872, he married Miss Martha E. Hayden, who is also a native of Putnam county, born May 22, 1854, a daughter of Nathaniel and Louisa (Brothers) Hayden, both natives of Ohio, who settled in Putnam county in 1848; here Mrs. Louisa Hayden died in 1858, Mr. Hayden remarrying. Mr. and Mrs. Hayden were the parents of the following children: Lydia J., wife of B. F. Erwin, of Pleasant township; Caroline, wife of D. Salyards, of Iowa; Isaiah, Nathaniel and Hester A., deceased; Eli, of Nebraska; Martha, wife of Mr. Nichols, and Sarah E., deceased. The children born to Amos and Martha E. Nichols were eleven in number and were born in the following order: Lucinda, wife of Phineas Shane, of Vaughnsville; Clark and Alvin, farmers, at home; Mina May, also at home; Gilbert L., aged fifteen years; Hannah, aged eleven, attending school; Grover C., Edward, Elmer, Ethel and Hazel. Mr. Nichols bought the farm he now occupies shortly after or just about the time of his marriage, and through hard work and incessant industry cleared it from the woods, and converted it into one of the most productive and elegant pieces of farming land in the county. In 1888 he erected his present commodious and convenient dwelling, and he has also improved his place with all requisite barns and outbuildings, of modern and improved construction. He is one of the most successful and intelligent farmers of the township and has served as a school director, but he has never sought public office either as a matter of ambition or for the emolument pertaining thereto. He is a genial neighbor and a public-spirited citizen, taking a broad and active interest in the affairs of the county which has always been his home, is a kind husband, and an indulgent father, as well as faithful friend. JOSEPH NIENBERG, one of the leading merchants of Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio, has been a resident of the place since 1858, having come here when a lad of fifteen years. He was born in Minster, Auglaize county, Ohio, September 13, 1843, a son of B. H. and Angela (Sprehe) Nienberg, who were natives of Germany, were married in Minster, Ohio, where the father was a dry-goods and general merchant, and where he died at the age of about sixty years, and his wife in 1892, when upwards of seventy-nine years old. They were the parents of six children, viz: Mary, widow of Henry Luckman; Joseph, our subject; William, a merchant of Minster; Annie, deceased wife of August Stechschulte; Agnes, deceased wife of William Rampe; of Ottawa, and Bernardina, deceased wife of Barnard Miners. Joseph Nienberg, our subject, was reared and educated in Minster until fifteen years of age, when he came to Glandorf and learned the tinner's trade; at which he was employed four years, when he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked two years, and then returned to Glandorf and operated a tin shop one year. He then formed a partnership, at Ottawa, OF PUTNAM COUNTY -395 with Mr. Stechschulte in the manufacture of furniture and operated a foundry for about four years, when Mr. Neinberg re-embarked in the tinner's trade until 1875, when he opened a general merchandise store, but still continued to operate his tin shop. In March, 1893, he formed a partnership with Joseph Thome in the hardware and tinware business combined, under the firm name of Joseph Thome & Co., but still retained his general store, where his stock is replete with everything usually found in similar establishments, while the immense hardware concern is the only store of that character in the town. In his politics Mr. Nienberg is a democrat. He was the first postmaster of Glandorf, and held the office for fourteen years, he is the present treasurer and a member of the school board; also treasurer of Glandorf corporation; is vice-president of the Glandorf Building & Loan association, of which he was one of the founders, and has always been a live wide-awake citizen, quick to discern what was for the public good, and prompt to carry into effect any measure that his financial contributions could promote. Mr. Nienberg has been twice married; first, in 1865, in Glandorf, to Miss Anna Kemper, who was born in the town, and died in 1880; secondly, he married, in 1881, Miss Veronica Thome, who is also a native of Glandorf, and to this union have been born six children, viz: Bernard A., Harry H., Joseph F., Edward, Oscar and Mary. The parents are members of Saint John's Catholic courch, and socially are much respected. Mr. Nienberg is a self-made man, in the sense in which the term is usually used, having been a close applicant to business ever since he began at the bottom of the ladder; he has always been quick to perceive opportunities for advancing his interests as they presented themselves, and these good qualities of the business man have been fully recognized by an appreciative public. CHARLES C. NUTTER, a native-born farmer of Putnam county, Ohio, and one of the most enterprising young business men of Leipsic, is the fourth son in the family born to Clement and Cordelia (Hitchcock) Nutter. His paternal grandfather, Thomas Nutter, was a native of Delaware, of Irish parentage, and died at his home near Dover, the capital of the state. Clement Nutter, father of our subject, was born in Delaware, near Dover, in 1813, was reared on the home farm, and in 1834 came to Ohio, and settled in Fairfield county, where he resided until 1844, when he came to Putnam county, selected eighty acres in Blanchard township for a homestead, and subsequently purchased lands until his acreage reached 1 ,000 acres; of this he cleared and placed under cultivation about 50o acres, and was one of the most enterprising and wide-awake agriculturists the country ever knew. He was a whig and then a republican in politics, but was never an office seeker on any occasion. He died in peace and tranquility on his homestead in Blanchard township in 1877, 'an honored citizen and a deeply mourned husband and father. His wife, whom he had married in Fairfield county, became the mother of the following children: William H.,' Sarah A. (Mrs. David Worden), Blythe G., John W., Charles C. (our subject), Ansel (deceased), Jane (deceased), Rebecca C. (Mrs. Isaac Baker) and Elvira (Mrs. Louis Clark). Charles C. Nutter, the subject of this sketch, was born on the homestead in Blanchard township, Putnam county, Ohio, May 11, 1850; was educated in the common schools, and was reared to farming, inheriting the homestead at his father's death. To this farm he added ten acres and continued the cultivation of the ninety acres until 1878, when he purchased his present farm of 100 acres in Van Buren township, which he has cleared, ditched and 396 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY placed under an admirable state of cultivation as well as improved with first-class buildings. In i8.90 he purchased the tile factory at Leipsic, established by George Lewis in 1885, and which comprises five acres of land, with a building 20 x 220 feet, connected with a wing 20 x II() feet, and operated by a twenty-horsepower engine inclosed in a house 20 x 25 feet; the tile manufactured is from three and one-half to twelve inches in diameter, and the output is 12,000 tile daily; his brick-kiln has a capacity of 15,000 daily and is fitted with the latest improved machinery; giving employment constantly to eight men. In 1893 Mr. Nutter was the chief factor in establishing the Leipsic Creamery company, of which he was the president; an office he still holds, the other officers and stockholders being as follows: D. A. Fouck,. secretary; Isaac Levarson, treasurer; William Hasselman, Fred Schroder, B. F. Myer, Eli Buckland, H. D. Mack and A. Newmiet, directors. The building is 45 x 5o feet and the machinery is complete in every detail, operated by a six-horsepower engine with a twelve-horse boiler: and a capacity of. 20,000 pounds milk daily, giving constant employment .to' two men. Mr. Nutter was most happily married November 23, 1871, to Miss Elmira L., daughter of Joseph Oren, of: Blanchard township, and this union has been blessed with the following children: Bertha G. (deceased), Oren C., . Putnam C., Leroy a, Charles. F. and Dean Mc. In politics Mr. Nutter is a republican and has filled the office of township trustee. With his wife he is a member of the Protestant Methodist church of Blanchard township, and the social standing of the family is with the best people of the township and county. Although a comparatively young man, Mr. Nutter has manifested amazing business qualifications that have led to an undeniable success in all his undertakings, and he is a citizen well worthy of the high esteem in which he is held throughout Blanchard and surrounding town. ships. GERHARD H. OTTE, prominent as a citizen of Ottoville, Monterey township, Putnam county, Ohio, was born May 13, 1834, on his father's farm, near Osnabruck, Germany. His father, also named Gerhard, was the owner of fifty-six acres of land in Hanover, which has been in the family for generations and on which he passed all his life. He married Agnes Barlag, and to this union were born eight children, in the following order: Gerhard H., Agnes, Elizabeth, Catherine, henry, Joseph, Mary E. and George. He was a devout Catholic, and died in that faith at the age of eighty-three years. Of the above children; Gerhard H. and Joseph came to America. Gerhard H. Otte received a good common-school education in Germany, and at the age of sixteen years sailed from Bremen, and after a tedious voyage of eight weeks and three days landed in New York in June, 1851. He immediately repaired to Albany via a Hudson river steamer, in company with his second cousin, Henry Esch, who later located in Ottawa, Ohio, but subsequently returned to Germany. From Albany the young man went to Buffalo, N. Y., via the Erie canal,, thence via the lake to Erie, Pa., then by canal to Beaver, Pa., and then via the Ohio river, reached Cincinnati, Ohio, and finally reached section No. 1o, at Delphos, on the Miami & Erie canal. A few days later he came to Ottoville, and in the latter part of the year Mr. Otte settled on section No. 16, in Monterey township. He first engaged in driving an ox team and hauling logs, as the county was all woods. Being unacclimated, he was seized with fever and ague and was compelled to retire to Delphos. OF PUTNAM COUNTY - 397 On partial recovery he began working in a cooper shop in Delphos, learned the trade and followed it for nine years, and then retired to Ottoville, where, in 1860, he embarked in mercantile trade, and was one of the first merchants of that town, H. W. Beckman alone having preceded him. Mr. Otte at once formed a partnership with Matthias Winkleman, but, in 1887, Mr. Winkleman sold his. interest in the business, and Mr. Otte held control until 1891, when he sold out and retired from active life, after an experience of over thirty years in the conduct of mercantile affairs. Mr. Otte has always clung to the religious faith of his ancestors, who had been Roman Catholics for generations, and is one of the councilmen of St. Mary's Immaculate church and was a member of the building committee on the erection of the present edifice. In politics Mr. Otto is a democrat, and was appointed the second postmaster of Ottoville, by President Buchanan—his parner, Mr. Winkleman, being the first appointed, and after the death of that gentleman,, who had served a second time, about 188o, Mr. Otte was again appointed and held 'the office until 1893. He is an honored and trusted citizen and for thirty years has filled the office of township treasurer, and for six years has been . a notary public. During the war he was a member of the home guards and was billeted at Camp Lucas, Ohio. Mr. Otte was united in marriage with Miss Annie Wurst, who was bor,n in 1842, in Crawford county, Ohio, a daughter of Joseph and Annie (Keever) Wurst, of Bavaria, Germany, but early settlers of Crawford county, Ohio. The result of the marriage of Mr. Otte was ten children, viz: Joseph S., John P., Annie A., Mary C., Girard H., Lizzie E., Louis W., Ferdinand W., Leo J. C., and William M., all born in Ottoville. The mother of this family was laid to rest March 26, 1891. She was a loving wife, an indulgent mother, a woman of many good qualities and a devout member of the Catholic church. Mr. Otte is a gentleman whose integrity has never been doubted, and who is honored for the part he has taken in building up the town in which he lives, and is esteemed for his just life and charitable disposition, and for his genial and friendly temperament. DAVID F. OWENS is one of the enterprising and most successful young agriculturists of Monroe township, owning a fine farm which is eligibly located, the soil brought to a good state of cultivation, and the farm buildings of that style of architecture amply indicative of the solid and substantial character of the proprietor. John B. Owens, paternal grandfather of our subject, was a native of Wales who came to the United States when he was twenty-eight years of age. Soon after his arrival he married and settled in Trumbull county, Ohio. This' was in an early day, and he possessed himself of a tract of new land, which was soon converted into a good home. He afterward sold his property and removed to Guernsey county, Ohio, where the couple liVed until their death. His wife was formerly Miss Elizabeth Strame, and both were prominently identified with the Methodist church. Mr. Owens, politically, was a Jacksonian democrat, and was a man of influence and respectability. Our subject's father, also named John B. Owens, was born in Trumbull county, January 26, 1817. After attaining to manhood he engaged in agriculture, but was also known as a most successful teacher, he having followed that profession for many years in Trumbull, Guernsey and Putnam counties. He was a man of rare intelligence, and pursued a wide course of reading, thus ever keeping fully 398 - BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY abreast with the times. He was united in marriage to Miss Rachel Spencer, who was born in Guernsey county, February i6, 1832, being a daughter of John and Eliza (Sevin) Spencer, early pioneers of Guernsey county. Our subject's parents were blessed with five children, as follows: Elizabeth A., wife. of William Fickle; Emma J., wife of William Gallispie; David F., the subject of this review; Amanda, wife of David Grant; and Ida C. The parents lived in Guernsey county until 1873, when they moved to Putnam county, settling in Monroe township, where they have developed a fine eighty-acre farm. They were industrious people and prominent in church and Sunday-school work. The father died February 15, 189o, and the mother still resides upon the old farm. David F. Owens, our subject, was born ir. Guernsey county, the date of his nativity being Feburary 1, 1855. He was only nine years of age when his parents removed to this county, and he has ever since made this place his home, following the vocation of farming. Febuary 16, 1881, he led to the hymeneal alter Miss Ida M. Gilbert, who was born in this township September 15, 1863. She is the daughter of Jacob and Martha A. (Butler) Gilbert, Mr. Gilbert being deceased. They were prominent and respected members of the farming community in which they lived, and consistent members of the Disciples' Church, and both were teachers in the public schools. The farm of our subject is a model one of 121 acres, and makes a most comfortable home. He is a strong democrat, and has been honored with positions of trust within the gift of the people. He has filled one term of township trustee, and the second term of his incumbency of the office of township assessor is now being completed by him. He is socially very popular, and fraternally is a member of Oakwood lodge, No. 737, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while both he and wife are charter members of Monroe grange, No. 376, of which he was the first master. CAPT. NOAH W. OGAN, one of the leading citizens of Putnam county, Ohio, residing on his farm in the edge of Columbus Grove, was born on a farm in Greene county, Ohio, near Fort William, on October 3, 1821. His parents were Peter and Jane (Jenkins) Ogan, the former being a native of England and the latter of Wales. Peter Ogan came to America when a boy, his parents settling in Pennsylvania. His wife also came over with her parents when she was young, and she likewise was reared in the Keystone state. The parents were married in Pennsylvania and removed from that state to Belmont county, Ohio, where they resided for about ten years. From Belmont county they removed to Greene county, and in 1834 they came to Putnam county and located on a farm in section No. 35, Pleasant township. When they came to this locality there were but few settlers here, there being no roads save those blazed out, through the timber. They continued to live in the township the balance of their lives, the mother dying about 1840 and the father about 1870, both being members of . the Methodist Episcopal church. There were thirteen children born to the parents, five sons and eight daughters, twelve of whom were reared to manhood and womanhood. Of these children our subject was the tenth in number, and was reared on the farm in Greene and Putnam counties. Noah W. Ogan, when about sixteen years of age, became dissatisfied, and left home, remaining away about four years, putting in that period working in different parts of Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, working on farms.