CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 225 was the grandfather of our subject. He married Margaret Zercher, a native of Switzerland, and to them were born ten children, five sons and five daughters, of whom our subject's father was the ninth in order of birth. The grandfather settled in Belmont, Ohio, prior to the war of 1812, in which he took part. His military duties brought him through Richland county. After the war he returned to Belmont county, where he remained until 1834. and then brought his family to this county, locating on a half section of land one mile south of Lucas in Monroe township, where he died in 1848. On the maternal side our subject is of English origin, his ancestors having come to America soon after the Revolutionary war and settling in 'Baltimore, Maryland, where they lived until about 1825, when his grandfather, Patrick Yates, came to Richland county, Ohio, and also settled in Monroe township. About 1818 he married Elizabeth Dome, of Hagerstown, Maryland, and to them were born nine children, of whom our subject's mother was the fifth in order of birth. Nicholas S. Henry. our subject's father, was born in Belmont county, Ohio, December 16, 1826. and was married in Richland county, February 10, 1853, to Margaret Yates, who was born in this county. February 28, 1830. They became the parents of six children and the first three born are still living, namely : Joseph Patrick, our subject ; Ursula, the wife of Joseph P. Scott, of Fort Wayne, Indiana ; and Laura L.. the wife of Alonzo G. Warren, of Mansfield. Those deceased were Alexander W., who died at the age of twenty-seven years ; Mary P., who died at the age of thirty-five ; and Jessie May, who died at the age of eighteen. The wife and mother died December 12, 1878, and two years later the father married Miss Matilda Ott, a native of Noble county, Indiana, by whom he has one daughter, Georgia, now seventeen years of age. The family reside on a farm in Mifflin township, this county, where the father has made his home for thirty years. During his active years he cleared about fifty-five acres of heavily timbered land. He served through the war of the Rebellion as a member of Company B, One Hundred and Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and on two occasions received serious injuries, which have disabled him largely since leaving the army. He was discharged for disability in July, 1863. He is a man of powerful physique, being six feet, four inches in height, and weighing about two hundred pounds when in health. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic ; in politics is a Democrat and in religious belief a Lutheran. He is one of the well-to-do, as well as one of the highly respected, men of his community. The early education of Joseph P. Henry was acquired in the common 226 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. schools of his native township, and at the age of fifteen years he entered the Greentown Academy, where he pursued his studies two years less one term. The removal of the family necessitated his returning home to assist in clearing up a debt of three thousand dollars which the father had incurred in buying a larger farm. In four years the farm was free from mortgage, and there was a snug deposit on the credit side of the family cashbook. Our subject then told his father he desired a more thorough education and was willing to work on the farm in later years. His mother favored the boy, as mothers always do, and after attending school four years and teaching in an academy three and one-half years, he entered LaFayette College, at Easton, Pennsylvania, in the last term of the freshman year. He completed the classical course and was graduated in June, 1880, with the degree of A. B., the degree of A. M being conferred upon him three years later. LaFayette College is one of the prominent, well known institutions of higher learning, and was named in honor of the great philanthropist and lover of freedom, General LaFayette. On the l0th of September, 1880, Mr. Henry commenced the study of law in the office of Pritchard & Wolfe, of Mansfield, and by examination at Columbus, Ohio, in June, 1882, was admitted to the bar. He entered into partnership with his preceptors, and remained with them until January, 1885, when Mr. Pritchard withdrew and the firm became Wolfe & Henry, and continued such until Mr. Wolfe was elected judge of the common pleas court in 1891. In July of that year Mr. Henry formed a partnership with James M. Reed, under the firm name of Henry & Reed, and they have since successfully engaged in general practice. Mr. Henry was married, October 28, 1886, to Miss Margaret A. Lutz, who was born .in Mifflin township, this county, May 29, 1855, and was there reared and educated. Her parents, John P. and Catherine Lutz, are still living, the former at the age of eighty, the latter at seventy-eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Henry have two children : Alice, born February II, 1893 ; and Harvey, born June 3, 1897. The parents are both members of the First Presbyterian church of Mansfield. As a Democrat, Mr. Henry takes a very active and prominent part in political affairs; is a zealous worker for the supremacy of his party; and as a political orator has achieved an enviable reputation. From August, 1890, to August, 1897, he was a member of the board of school examiners of Mansfield, examining teachers for the city schools ; and served as the mayor from May, 1897, to May, 1899. He is prominently associated with several secret societies, being a member of Venus Lodge, No. 152, F. & A. M.; CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 227 Mansfield Chapter, No. 28, R. A. M. ; Mansfield Commandery, No. 21, K. T.; and the Knights of Pythias, and Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Holding marked precedence among the members of the bar of this county, and as one of Mansfield's most public-spirited and enterprising citizens, Mr. Henry certainly deserves prominent mention in this volume, whose object it is to record the lives of the leading citizens of Richland county. ENOCH HEGG FRANCE. The venerable citizen whose name introduces this biographical mention was born in Yorkshire, England, January 6, 1821, and has therefore not only rounded the psalmist's span of three-score years and ten, but has completed four-score years upon life's journey. His parents, William and Malinda (Davenport) France., were both natives of Yorkshire, born near Leeds, and were of pure English lineage. The father was a weaver by trade and was especially skilled in the weaving of fancy fabrics. He came to the United States in 1828 and located in Northfield, Ohio. About a year later his wife and three children sailed for this country to join him, but on the ocean voyage one of the sons died and was buried in the Atlantic. The other children were Enoch H., of this review ; Ann, now the widow of David Lillie and a resident of Spokane, Oregon ; Sarah McClure, of Dale City, Iowa ; Lillie Peters, also of Dale City ; James France, in Iowa ; Walter France, at Spokane ; and George France, at Hoquiam, Washington. Accompanied by two children, the mother joined her husband in Northfield, where the family resided for about five years and then came to Richland county. The father established a woolen-mill near Lucas and operated it for several years, after which he sold it to his son and a Mr. Lawnsdale, and removed to Guthrie county, Iowa, where he followed farming the remainder of his days. He passed away about twenty years ago, at the age of sixty-nine years. Mr. France, of this sketch, was about eight years of age when he accompanied his mother to the new world and under the parental roof he was reared, receiving his business training in his father's mill, of which he afterward became a half owner. In connection with his partner, Mr. Lawnsdale, he operated the woolen-mill near Lucas until about the time of the outbreak of the Civil war. He then purchased his partner's interest, becoming sole proprietor, and for about six years following he continued the manufacture of woolen cloth, blankets, stocking yarn and other goods in that line. 228 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. On abandoning the enterprise he at once became engaged in the business of supplying wooden ties to the railroad companies under contract, and later he took contracts for supplying crushed stone for railroads, public roads and street improvement. In that business he met with gratifying success from the beginning and after a time he admitted to a partnership his sons, who are excellent business men and in late years have contributed largely to the success of the enterprise, which has been conducted under the firm style of E. H. France. At Bloomville and Middle Point they operate two large limestone quarries, where three thousand yards of stone is crushed daily, and their sandstone quarry is located in Coshocton county.. Their trade has now assumed mammoth proportions, and in addition to contracting in crushed stone Mr. France and his sons have constructed many miles of railroad. Mr. France began life with a limited common-school education, as a son of a poor weaver, from whom he learned the trade, and when he began what has been a very successful business career he had an extremely limited capital. His career, however, has been an active and useful one. He has ever been industrious, energetic and determined, has improved his opportunities and has utilized his ability to the best advantage. Far-sighted in matters of business, and with ambition and wisdom, he has directed his affairs to successful completion, and has established for himself an excellent reputation as a reliable and energetic business man. At the same time he has secured a handsome competence as the result of his integrity and honorable dealing, and he has long held the respect and esteem of his contemporaries in the business world. On the 9th of October, 1851, Mr. France was joined in wedlock to Miss Rachel Ross, a daughter of Natcher and Sophia (Arnold) Ross. She was born near Lucas, Richland county, May 10, 1829. Her parents were natives of Harrison 'county, Ohio, and were of Scotch-Irish extraction. At an early period in the history of this portion of the state they came to Richland county and spent their remaining days within its borders, being numbered among its respected and worthy pioneers. Mr. and Mrs. France have his five children, namely : Mary, now deceased Ira Fremont, a contractor, residing in Bloomville, Ohio; Myra Myrtle, the wife of R. A. Hale, of Mansfield ; Natcher Ross, a contractor and a resident of Bloomville ; and Willie Grant, a contractor who is living in Middle Point, Ohio. In his political affiliations Mr. France is a Republican, but has never sought official preferment. To his business affairs he has given his time, efforts and strict attention. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 229 church and are numbered among the oldest and most highly esteemed citizens of the county seat, where they have long resided and are well and favorably known. JAMES H. RUMMEL, M. D. Engaged in the practice of medicine in Lucas and in the conduct of a drug store, Dr. Rummel is accounted one of the leading business men and epresentative citizens of the village. He was born in Worthington township, Richland county, on the 29th of January, 1856, his parents being William and Elizabeth A. (Bishop) Rummel, who had four children, the Doctor being the eldest. Almond, the second child, is now a farmer- of Madison township ; Thomas C., a graduate of the Western Reserve Medical College of Cleveland, Ohio, is now a practicing physician of Tacoma, Washington ; and Mary J., the only. daughter, is the wife of L. E. Perry, of Lucas. Dr. Rummel spent the first twelve years of his life in Worthington township. He was only seven years of age at the time of his father's death, and at the age of thirteen he was left an orphan. He then started out in life on his own account, being employed as a farm hand in Worthington township for !about two years, when he went to Monroe township, where he worked on farms until eighteen years of .age. During that time he attended school in the winter seasons, and, manifesting special aptitude in his studies, be was, at the age of eighteen, qualified for teaching, a profession which he followed through the winter seasons for some time. He also attended the Greentown Academy at Perryville for two terms and on the completion of his literary course began reading medicine under the direction of Dr. R. S. Boals, who directed his studies for three years. He then entered the Wooster Medical College at Cleveland and was graduated in that institution with the class of 1881, on the completion of a thorough course, which well fitted him for the responsible duties that fall to the lot of the medical practitioner. Coming to Lucas he engaged in the drug business for three years and then practiced his profession for a year, since which time he has given his attention largely to the conduct of his store. The Doctor has been twice married. He first wedded Miss Sadie Ervin, the marriage taking place on the l0th of March, 1881. She died May 25, 1883, and on the 9th of October, 1884, he married Miss Mary 0. Burger. They now have four. children, Carl E., May 0., Stella F. and Crete M., and the family circle yet remains unbroken. His fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and 230 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ability, have several times called the Doctor to positions of public trust. He was for three years township clerk and for four years township treasurer. His political. support is given the Democracy, and socially he is connected with Mansfield Lodge, No. 35, F. & A. M., Mansfield Chapter, No. 28, R. A. M., Commandery No. 21, K. T. and Monroe Lodge, I. 0. 0. F. He has filled all of the chairs and is now past master of the last named. Dr. Rummel• is a progressive business man, energetic and capable, and his courteous and obliging manner render his store one of the popular mercantile establishments of Lucas. ADAM H. WEISER. Adam H. Weiser, who is a farmer and stock-raiser, was born in Cass township, Richland county, June 11, 1852, and now carries on business on section 35 of that township. He represents one of the pioneer families of that locality. His father, Adam Weiser, Sr., was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, and was there reared to manhood, acquiring his education in the common schools. With his parents he came to Ohio and soon afterward he accepted a position as a farm hand for John Bender, who later became his father-in-law. He worked for Mr. Bender for several years and during that time he wooed and won the daughter Susan. Shortly after their marriage Mr. Weiser purchased a tract of timber land of eighty acres in Cass township, one-half mile southwest of London. He then began clearing his land and erected a log cabin, which became the pioneer home of the young couple. The cracks between the logs in the upper part of the building had not been filled up and squirrels frequently made their way through and engaged in a morning gambol before Mr. and Mrs. Weiser had arisen. With marked energy the father of our subject continued the work of clearing and improving his land, making his home thereon until 1860, when he sold that farm and purchased the present home of our subject, becoming the owner of the one hundred and sixty acres on which he located, continuing to make it his place of residence until 1877, when he bought a home in Shelby. There he resided until the death of his wife, after which he made his 'home with his children until his demise in 1893. He was an ardent Democrat, but never accepted an office, although township positions were frequently tendered him. Of the Lutheran church he was an active and consistent member, and for a number of years served as a deacon and elder therein. His life was at all times honorable and worthy of emulation. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 231 His wife was born in Cumberland. county, Pennsylvania, and in her girlhood accompanied her parents on their removal to Madison township, Richland county, Ohio. Her father, John Bender, purchased and improved a farm of one hundred and sixty acres four miles northwest of Mansfield. Later in life he removed to Shelby, where he lived for about six or seven years, when he and his wife broke up housekeeping, making their home among their children. Mr. and Mrs. Weiser became the parents of twelve children, of whom six are now living: Jacob, a farmer of Williams county, Ohio; Barbara, the wife of David Dick, a farmer of Hancock county, Ohio; Adam H. ; William, who owns and cultivates land in Hancock county; Alice, the wife of William Sherman, a farmer of Hancock county ; and Mary, the wife of George K. Suter, the president of the Suter Furniture Company, of Shelby, Ohio. The parents were honored pioneer people who experienced the various hardships and trials of life on the frontier, and also enjoyed the pleasures incident to a residence on the borders of civilization. They witnessed the remarkable growth and development of this section of the state, and aided in laying broad and deep the foundation of the present prosperity and progress of Richland county. The old homestead was the scene of the boyhood labors and pleasures in which Adam H. Weiser indulged, and he became familiar with the curriculum in the public schools, where he pursued his studies during the winter months, aiding in the labors of the farm through the summer season. In 1874 he was united in marriage to Miss Barbara Lybarger, a daughter of Louise Lybarger. With his bride he took up his abode at his parental home, and he and his brother Jacob cultivated the home farm on shares for two years. On the expiration of that period Jacob Weiser removed to Williams county, Ohio, and Adam continued to manage the farm alone. After he had conducted it as a renter for eighteen years, he purchased the old home place and is now its owner. He engaged in the operation of a threshing machine from 1893 till 1899, running two threshers much of that time. He believes in progress and advancement and has upon his place the latest improved machinery to facilitate the farm work. His buildings are kept in good repair, and in his business he is methodical and systematic. To Mr. and Mrs. Weiser have been born three. children : Archie, who runs the Wesley Fickes farm in Cass township; Otto Herman, at home; and Louis Curtis. The last named was killed by lightning July 3, 1900, his death proving a very great blow to the family and to many friends, for he was popular in the neighborhood. As every true American citizen should do, Adam H. Weiser keeps well informed on the issues of the day. He votes with 232 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. the Democratic party, but has always refused to accept office. Of the Reformed church he is an active member and for eight years has served as a deacon. He co-operates in all movements for the public good and at the same time neglects not his business affairs, successfully farming and raising stock. He is widely known as a representative agriculturist, and in Richland county has a large acquaintance, for his entire life has here been passed. The circle of his friends is extensive and the regard in which he is held is uniform. HENRY WENTZ. Henry Wentz, one of the prominent citizens of Shelby, Ohio, was born two miles from that city, in December, 1839. He is a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Sheibley) Wentz, who were the parents of thirteen children, two of whom died in infancy. The eldest daughter of the family, Mary, was born May 23, 1825, and married John Feiroved, a farmer. Hannah, born December 25, 1826, married Adam Stine and lives at Crestline, Crawford county, Ohio; she is now a widow. John was born November 11, 1828, is a carpenter by trade, and is living in the city of Shelby. David, born June 6, 1830, is a farmer and lives near Shiloh, Richland county, Ohio. Lydia A., born January 13, 1832, married George Bloom and died also in Richland county, October 12, 1889. George, born July 3, 1834, died in 1886. The next was a daughter that died in infancy. Elizabeth, born October 11, 1837. Henry, the subject of this sketch, born December 9, 1839. The next was a son that died in infancy. Sarah Anna, born September 9, 1843, married Samuel Miller, of Shelby, and died January I, 1890. Levi S., born September 8, 1845, lives on the old homestead in Cass township. Priscilla Catherine, born November 13, 1847, married David S. Stroup, a farmer, and lives in Cass township. The parents of these children removed from Perry county, Pennsylvania, to Cass township, Richland county, Ohio, in April, 1834, the former having been a native of Little York, Pennsylvania. The Wentz family in the United States sprang from brothers that came from Switzerland in the early settlement of this country and located in Binghamton, New York. Mr. Wentz was married June 8, 1865, to Miss Sarah A. Bushey, of Shelby. and by her has had three children, namely : Harry R.. born March 21, 1867. and died in November. 1877: Estella Blanche, born October 4. 1869 ; and George Ralph, born March 1, 1879, and died in August. 1886. Estella Blanche was married to Dr. D. V. Summers, of Shelby, June 7, 1894. Henry Wentz remained at home until he was eighteen years of age and CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 233 then learned the carpenter's trade. When he was twenty-one years of age, the war breaking out, he enlisted in Company E, Eleventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Lew Wallace, and immediately entered upon active service. From the ranks he was promoted through different grades up to that of first lieutenant. Having served three years and a half he resigned, in December, 1864. He participated in the battles of Forts Donelson and Henry; the battle of Shiloh ; was with his company in Arkansas and Tennessee and was present also at the siege of Vicksburg; was in the battles of Port Gibson, May 1, 1863, and of Champion Hills, May 16, 1863 ; and of the forty-three men of his company that entered the last named battle only fifteen returned. the others, twenty-eight in number, being killed or wounded. He himself was shot with a ball which went through his cap, and the heel shot from his boot. After the Vicksburg campaign came to a victorious termination for the Union forces, he participated in the Sherman expedition to Jackson, Mississippi; he was transferred to the Gulf department and took part in the Teche campaign, and in 1864 went to the Shenandoah valley and fought in the battles of Hall Town, Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar creek, resigning in the fall and returning to his home. After spending one year working at his trade, of carpenter, he engaged in. the hardware, tin and stove business at Crestline, remaining there until 1875, when he sold out and removed to Shelby in 1876. Here he became engaged in the insurance business and was chosen the secretary of the Mutual Fire Insurance Association. In 1885 this association reinsured their fire insurance business, and, reorganizing, changed the name to the Mutual Plate Glass Insurance Association, of Shelby, Ohio, of which organization he is the secretary. Mr. Wentz is also actively engaged in the real-estate business in company with Mr. Francis Brucker, in an addition to the town of Shelby, known as the Boulevard addition, which is destined to be the principal residence portion of The city. It was laid out in 1896. Mr. Wentz is a director in the Citizens' Bank, in the Sutter Furniture Company, in the Shelby Electric Company, and also a stockholder in the Shelby Tube Works, in the Ball Bearing Umbrella Company, in the New Shelby Stove Company, and Sheets Printing and Manufacturing Company. He is now a member of the city council and has been commander of Harker Post, No. 146, G. A. R., for many years. He is a member of the order of Ben Hur, Royal Arcanum, Knights of Pythias, Uniform Rank (in which order he is lieutenant-colonel of the Ninth Regiment of Ohio Brigade), and of the Lutheran church. He is the president of the church council and is treasurer of the church. Few men fill so many positions and in such an acceptable manner as does Mr. Wentz, all of which tends to show the character and ability of the man. 234 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. JAMES L. CHAMBERLAIN. The history of mankind is replete with illustrations of the fact that it is only under the pressure of adversity and the stimulus of opposition that the best and strongest in men are brought out and developed. Perhaps the history of .no people so forcibly impresses one with this truth as the annals of our own republic. If anything can inspire the youth of our country to persistent, honest and laudable endeavor it should be the life record of such men as he of whom we write. The example of the illustrious few of our countrymen who have risen from obscurity to the highest positions in the gift of the nation serves often to awe our young men rather than inspire them to emulation, because they 'reason that only a few can ever ,attain such eminence ; but the history of such men as James Logan Chamberlain proves conclusively that with a reasonable amount of mental and physical power success is bound eventually to crown the endeavor of those who have the ambition to put forth their best efforts and the will and manliness to persevere therein. Mr. Chamberlain is to-day one of the most successful men of Richland county and certainly deserves great credit for what he has accomplished. He was born in Butler township, this county, on the 24th of September, 1860, a son of Josiah and Rachel A. ( Stratton) Chamberlain, who are much interested in his work. His boyhood days were spent on the home farm and as soon as he was old enough to handle the plow he assisted in the cultivation of the fields. The common schools afforded him his educational privileges, conning his les'sons therein through the winter months when the labors of the farm were over. On the 21st of August, 1879, Mr. Chamberlain chose as a companion and helpmeet on life's journey Miss Catherine E. Ford, a native of Butler township and a daughter of George Ford, who also was born in the same township, his parents having come to Richland county from Jefferson county, Ohio. After his marriage Mr. Chamberlain worked with his father for two years, and, with the capital he had acquired by his industry and economy, he then purchased eighty acres of his father's land on section 19, Butler township, paying twenty-one hundred dollars for the tract. He then began farming on his own account and continued the cultivation of that place for four years, when he sold out and with his family removed to Missouri, taking up his abode in Cedar county. There he purchased a farm of two hundred and eighty acres, upon which he resided for seven years, when he disposed of that property, receiving- twice as much for it as he had paid. He then returned to Richland CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 235 County and purchased the Hunter farm of eighty acres, making it his place of abode for two years, when, in 1894, he removed to the farm which is now his home. It was then known as the William McKibben farm and. comprised one hundred and ninety-nine acres of rich land in Butler township. In 1896 he became the owner of the old Stratton farm of eighty acres, which had been entered from the government by G. M. Stratton, who was one of the first settlers of Richland county. This was the farm upon which Mr. Chamberlain was born and the place was also dear to him as the scene of his boyhood days. In 1900 he purchased the Ruth Ford farm of eighty acres, so that his landed possessions now aggregate four hundred and thirty-nine acres, a very valuable and productive property. He has engaged very extensively in feeding cattle, sheep and hogs. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain have been born five children, namely : Mary R., Maggie M., Verdie B., Charles L. and Carrie Ruth. The family circle remains unbroken by the hand. of death and the children are still with their parents. In his political views Mr. Chamberlain is a stanch Republican and for one term he served as township treasurer, proving a capable and trustworthy officer, yet the honors and emoluments of public office have had little attraction for him as he prefers to give his attention to his business affairs. Of the Methodist Episcopal church he is a faithful member, and is serving as a steward and class-leader and also as superintendent of the Sunday-school. He is a man of marked influence, owing to his sterling worth and reliability. His circle of friends is extensive, and all who know him entertain for him a high regard. In business he sustains an unassailable reputation, and integrity is synonymous with his name. His business transactions have been attended with a high degree of success, which may be ascribed to his close application and untiring industry. WILLIAM H. GORHAM. William Harvey Gorham, the foreman of the wood department of the great manufacturing establishment of the Aultman-Taylor Machinery Company, at Mansfield, Ohio, is an energetic, up-to-date man in his line and one whose services are appreciated by the company with which he is connected. Mr. Gorham has been in the employ of this establishment for eighteen years,— since 1882, and in 1899, in recognition of his valued services, he was promoted to the position he now occupies,—that of foreman. A native of the Buckeye State, Mr. Gorham was born in Ashland county, 236 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. in 1859, a son of John G. and Susan (Adams) Gorham, the former a native of Long Island and the latter of Knox county, Ohio. John G. Gorham, when a boy, came with his parents to Perrysville, Ashland county, where he was reared and married and where he remained until 1881, when he came with his family to Mansfield. During the Civil war he served as a member of Company G, Sixty-fifth Regiment, in Sherman's brigade, the date of his enlistment being 1861. Like most veterans of that war, he is identified with the G. A. R. Also he is a member of the Masonic order. He is now and has been for some time with the Aultman-Taylor Machinery Company, in the same department with his son. William H. Gorham was reared and educated in his native county and `here learned the trade of carpenter, under his father's instructions, his father having been employed for a number of years as a builder in Ashland. Corning to Mansfield in 1881, about the time he reached his majority, he soon afterward entered the employ of the Aultman-Taylor Machinery Company, and, as already stated, he has worked his way up to the head of one of its important departments, and now has under his immediate supervision one hundred. and twenty-five men, who do all the wood-work of the establishment. Mr. Gorham was married in Mansfield in 1884, to Miss Carrie Drake, a daughter of Phineas and Angeline Drake, deceased. They have an attractive home, which he built in 1885, and their happy union has been blessed in the birth of three children,—Ruth Charity, Helen L., and Don. G. Politically Mr. Gorham is a Republican, and fraternally he is identified with the Foresters. HIRAM S. ROSE. A historical work devoted to the pioneer clays in Ohio would be most interesting, and a carefully compiled history of pioneering in Richland county would be specially valuable. Ohio's part in American wars has been an important one and the patriotism of the citizens of Richland county has been proved on many a field of carnage. This biographical sketch will deal not only with the sacrifices and achievements of pioneers but with those of soldiers. It has been often remarked that the same qualities which characterize the bold, self-denying pioneer characterize the brave and devoted soldier. Hiram S. Rose, a prominent citizen of Shiloh, Cass township, Richland county, Ohio, was born in the township mentioned April 23, 1841, a son of Andrew M. and Mary M. (Green) Rose, and is one of five of their six children CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 237 who survive. These are Hiram S. ; Bentley, of Butler, Indiana ; Elmore Y., a farmer of Cass township ; Osborne B., of Piqua, Ohio ; and Sophronia, the wife of Thomas Swanger, of Angola, Indiana. Andrew M. Rose was born in Belmont county, Ohio, in 1817, a son of Aaron Rose, a native of New Jersey, who came with his family from Belmont county to Richland county in 1829 and entered the farm of one hundred and sixty acres now owned by Wesley McLaughlin, where he lived and died. Andrew grew up on the home farm and about the time of his marriage bought eighty acres of land a mile and a quarter east of Shiloh, where he began housekeeping and farming in a typical log cabin. His farm was heavily timbered, but he soon made a clearing which he gradually enlarged and brought under cultivation. He sold this farm late in the '40s and purchased another in Mercer county, to which, however, he never removed, but which he sold soon afterward in order to purchase a farm in Lorain county. Upon the last mentioned he lived three years; until he removed to Richland county and bought a portion of the Green farm from his father-in-law, which he sold a year later, when he bought fifty acres of the Rose homestead and fifty acres of the McConnell farm adjoining. There he lived from 1851 to 1872, when he died. He worked hard during the earlier years of his life, doing his full share of the labor of reclaiming the country from the forest. It is believed by his family that this hard struggle with nature gradually undermined his health and brought him to death years before his time. Politically he was a Whig and later a rock-ribbed Republican, and he was a recognized leader in the work of the Methodist church in his neighborhood. His widow, now in her eighty-second year, was born in Cass township, on the old Green homestead, entered by her father, Robert Green, and one of the first farms settled in this part of the county. Her grandfather Green came to Richland county from Licking county, entered one hundred and sixty acres of land, built a log cabin on it and then returned to Licking county, where he married Miss Susannah Messmore, whose parents were natives of Switzerland. He then came back to Richland county and located on his farm, where he spent the remainder of his days. He was a soldier of the war of 1812. The Messmore family of Switzerland was a wealthy and influential one, and were there during a revolution. Mr. Rose's ancestors were compelled to leave their lands, and, with such money and portable valuables as they could bring with them, they came to America, whose hospitable shores offered them a refuge and a hope for the future. In later years they made some effort to have their lands restored to them, but their deeds had been lost and for that reason they were unable to establish their right to the property. 238 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Hiram S. Rose received a common-school education and was 'brought up to farm work. August 15, 1862, when he was some months past his twenty-first birthday, he enlisted in the first independent Ohio artillery and served in that organization until the close of the Civil war and was mustered out of the service June 26, 1865. He participated in fifteen regular engagements. He was in Washington on the day of the assassination of President Lincoln and saw the martyr president only a few hours before that tragic event. After his discharge he returned home and was married, November 1, 1866, to Miss Mary Hunter, a native of Blooming Grove township, Richland county, and a daughter of Benjamin Hunter, who came to the county from Columbiana county with his parents when he was a child. For several years after his marriage he was engaged in farming. He then took up blacksmithing, without any practical knowledge of the trade. In 1873 he bought the blacksmith shop of John Ward at Shiloh and employed expert blacksmiths, in working with whom he learned the trade, and he has continued the enterprise with much success to the present time. To Hiram S. and Mary (Hunter) Rose have been born children as follows : Adelbert, who is an employe of the dry goods house of Hunter & Hardy, at Dayton, Ohio ; and Cassius E., Flossie M. and Bessie P., who are members of their father's household. Mr. Rose is a stanch Republican and wields an appreciable influence in local political affairs. He has been a member of the town council two years, town clerk ten years and township clerk four years. He is a comrade of Speigel Post, No. 208, Grand Army of the Republic, and has been its quartermaster during the entire period of his affiliation with it: He and all the members of his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of Shiloh, and he is one of its trustees. A man of much public spirit, he has a real live interest in every movement affecting the welfare of his fellow townsmen and advocates and assists to the extent of his ability every measure, which in his judgment tends to the advancement of the interests of his township and county. JOHN R. WOLFE. John Rice Wolfe, one. of the prominent and best known citizens of Richland county, and at present the postmaster at Shelby, was born at Ganges, this county, October 22, 1837. He is a son of Augustus and Sarah (Rice) Wolfe, the former of whom was a native of Knox county, Ohio, and the latter of Juniata county, Pennsylvania. He was born November 22, 1809, and was a son of Peter and Sarah (Ayers) Wolfe, who were married at Ganges, Ohio, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 239 June 6, 1832. To them were born four sons and one daughter, as follows : Porter Ayers 'Wolfe, born April 10, 1833 ; James A., born in 1835 ; John Rice, the subject of this sketch ; Charles T., born in 1840; and Amy A., who married Dr. W. S. McBride, of Lucas, Richland county, Ohio, and died in 1864. James A. Wolfe went to California in 1860 and died there in 1886. Porter A. lives in Nebraska, and Charles T. and the subject live in Shelby. The father of :these children died in 1846 and the mother in 1888, both being well known people and highly esteemed by all. John Rice Wolfe was married in 1866 to Miss Nancy English, of Craw ford county, Ohio, and a daughter of James and Nancy (Cummins) English, and to this marriage there have been born eight children, as follows : Amy A., born March 29, 1867: she married William R. Brooks, of Shelby, Ohio ; Charles E., born August 6, 1870, and married Miss Jennie Roberts, also of Shelby; Sarah N., born April 11, 1873; Zorayda F., born November 3, 1875; Mary E., born April 3, 1878; Kathryn C., born August 30, 1883.; John Rice, Jr., born August 9, 1885; and Esther Marie, born March 11, 1888. All, of these children are living either at home or in the vicinity. Mr. Wolfe. began life on his own account as a school-teacher in 1856, and followed that most useful profession until the breaking out of the war of 1861. He enlisted as color sergeant in the Eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, a three-months regiment commanded by Col. W. P. Benton,, which was organized at Indianapolis and was a part of the brigade commanded by Rosencrans. But one severe battle was fought by his brigade, namely, at Rich Mountain. Mr. Wolfe served in the Eighth Regiment from the 18th of April, 1861, to August 6, 1861, being mustered out on the day last named, and returned to Shelby, Ohio, where on the 18th clay of the same month he enlisted in the Second Ohio Cavalry, in which he served until March 10, 1865, when he was commissioned as adjutant of the One Hundred and Ninety-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served in this capacity until September 7. 1865, on which day he was mustered out of the service of the government at Columbus, Ohio, having been in the service of his country for a period of four years and five months. Returning to his home he resumed his profession of school-teacher, following it for three years. Since that time, so many have been his occupations and so active the life that he has led, that it would be difficult to trace his career through them all. Suffice it to say that he has been a most successful man, and has supported his family faithfully and well, though at times it seemed that he had all on his hands that he could manage ; but now his fam- 240 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ily are mostly grown to mature age, and he is capable of living more at his ease than when in middle life. While in not any sense of the term an office-seeker, yet he has been honored by appointment to the office of postmaster of Shelby, first by President Harrison, at the close of whose administration he removed to Columbus, Ohio, there holding a position as examining clerk in the state insurance department under commissioner W. M. Hahn during Governor McKinley's administration of the chief executive office of Ohio.. Upon Mr. McKinley's election to the Presidency of the United States he was again appointed postmaster at Shelby, and still retains the position. His wife is still living, and both are well known for many miles around, and are among the best citizens of the county. JAMES N. PATTERSON. A worthy representative of that sturdy Irish element which is so important a factor in the population of Ohio is James Nelson Patterson, of Mansfield, Richland county, who was born in Springfield township in 1845, a son of John Patterson, born in Londonderry, Ireland, in 1802, who came to Ohio at the age of twenty-two and died there at the age of eighty-two. John Patterson settled in Harrison county, Ohio, and there married Mary Delaney, who was born in the year 1800 and died in the year 1881. She was a daughter of Philip Delaney. of Irish ancestry, who married Miss Betts, who in one line of descent was of French extraction and was a relative of that Betts who is known in history as an early settler. at Cincinnati. That pioneer's father was killed during the Revolutionary war, and his widow and son, Philip, the last mentioned of whom was Mr. Patterson's grandfather, lived for several years under General Washington's roof at Mount Vernon. Later in life Philip Delaney often talked of Washington and often referred to the fact that when he was a boy Jack Custis frequently carried him on his back. He became a man of wealth and influence in Harrison county, Ohio. and died there at the age of about seventy-five years. The parents of James N. Patterson came to Springfield township, Richland county. about 1835, and the father took up land in the wilderness four miles west of Mansfield, which subsequently became known as the John Patterson farm and is now owned by James N. Patterson. There were originally one hundred and sixty acres in the place. John Patterson had ten children, of whom James Nelson Patterson and Mrs. James Marshall, of Ontario, are the only ones living in Richland county. One sister lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 241 and there are two others in Iowa. William B. was a member of the Fifteenth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry and died in the service while participating in the historic raid in pursuit of Bragg. S. A. Patterson also saw service in the Civil war, and died in Richland county, leaving no children, and all others of Mr. Patterson's brothers are dead without issue. Young Patterson attended the public school near his home and was brought up to farm work by his father. He left the farm, however, at the age of twenty, and eight years later went to Missouri, where for a year he was engaged in the furniture business. Selling out his enterprise there, he went to Cedar Falls. Iowa, where, in 1873, he married Miss Lucy M. Markley, a daughter of James and Catherine (Ankeny) Markley, both of whom were of Pennsylvania birth. Her mother's name has been perpetuated in that of Ankeny, Ohio. James Markley first located in Knox county, Ohio, and went from there to Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he became wealthy and influential. Hon. M. D. Harter, late member of congress from this district and for years at the head of the Aultman-Taylor Manufacturing Company, was Mrs. Patterson's cousin. Her brother, James Markley, was a prominent lawyer of Mason City, Iowa. After he was married, in 1873, Mr. Patterson returned to Mansfield, bringing his wife with him, and entered the employ of the Aultman-Taylor Manufacturing Company, as general traveling agent for the southern and western states, and was so employed until 1880, when he accepted a position in the service of the Nichols-Shepherd Company, of Battle Creek, Michigan, for which he acted as branch manager at Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he remained until 1883, when he opened a branch for the same concern at Mansfield, which he has since conducted successfully, with jurisdiction over territory in Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Patterson have two sons and two daughters : Miss May Patterson married Sylvester Houston, of Mansfield ; James Markley Patterson is the name of one son ; Gus. is at Cornell University ; and Bertha is in school in Mansfield. Associated with his brother, S. A. Patterson, Mr. Patterson conducted a fine stock farm on the old homestead, breeding many head of fine trotting stock. They were pioneers in that line at Mansfield and did more than all others to improve the speed of horses in the county. They brought the first high-bred stock to Richland county forty years ago, and their farm produced a number of fast trotters and pacers, some of them representatives of the celebrated Highatoga family. Hayden Delaney, a grandson of Philip Delaney and' a cousin of James Nelson Patterson, entered the United States Army at the age of fifteen and 242 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. was orderly to General Logan. In one engagement in which the division participated, it ran out of ammunition. The firing had been so hot that the teamsters had deserted the ammunition wagons. Young Delaney was sent back to order them forward, and, finding them without teamsters, dismounted from his horse and drove one of them to the firing line, where he distributed ammunition from his hat. At the close of the war General Logan, at the grand review at Washington, recommended him to be sent to West Point, and he was one of twelve chosen to be sent at that time. After his graduation he served in Indian campaigns and rose to the rank of lieutenant. He was twice wounded and died in service in California. Cyrus Delaney, Lieutenant Delaney's brother, entered active service in the Civil war at the age of seventeen and was mustered out as adjutant general. He was then appointed captain in the regular army and served in Indian wars, and, like his brother, died in service. They were the sons of Samuel Delaney, of Harrison county, Ohio. John Delaney, of the state of Washington, is the only representative of this family whom death has spared. He has been an Indian agent on the western frontier and has held other important government positions. JOHN D. LEWIS. A representative of the farming interests of Springfield township, living on section 8, John D. Lewis. was born in Mifflin township, Richland county, January 31, 1846. His father is John F. Lewis, also a native of this county, born February 4, 1820. His grandfather, Samuel Lewis, a native of New York, was a Methodist circuit-rider and died at the age of thirty-five years, leaving a widow and six children. His wife survived him until eighty-six years of age, and her death was occasioned, by a broken hip. John F. Lewis was reared in Richland county and here married Christina Peters, who was born in New Jersey in 1824. She is the youngest of a large family, of whom six are living, the eldest being eighty-eight years of age. Their parents were Daniel and Lizzie (Gates) Peters. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis were married in 1844 and are still living. They became the parents of five children, their first-born being John D., of this review ; Almond C., a farmer of Franklin township, has ,twice been a widower and has eight children ; Charles S., of Mansfield, is married and has one daughter ; Elizabeth died at the age of seventeen years; and George died at the age of four years. John D. Lewis was reared to farm life, having assisted in the arduous task of clearing an eighty-acre farm. At one time his father owned one hun- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 243 dred and eighty acres of land, but sold the property and is now living retired in Mansfield, enjoying a rest which he has truly earned and has been made possible to him through the competence acquired in earlier years. His children assisted him in the work of the farm and John D. remained at honk until twenty-two years of age. He was married October 20, 1868, to Harriet Bell, who was born in Franklin township, Richland county, a daughter of Samuel and Martha (Gates) Bell, both of whom are still living. The marriage of our subject and his wife has been blessed with nine children, of whom eight still survive, namely : Frank H., a widower of Mansfield, who has two children ; George, who was hit with a ball which caused his death at the age of ten years ; Harry C., a farmer of Springfield township, who is married and has one daughter; Walter, of Shelby ; Byron, who is married and engaged in school-teaching in Springfield township; Roy, who follows school-teaching and assists in the work of the home farm ; Willis, who also is upon the farm ; Nellie and Maud T., who are still with their parents. The children have been trained to habits of industry and have been provided with good educational privileges, fitting them for the practical duties of life. Mr. Lewis holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Pathfinders' Society and the Patrons of Husbandry. In politics he is a Democrat, but has never sought or desired office, preferring to give his attention to his business. He has always followed the farm as a life work, but for the past five years has been extensively engaged in buying and shipping stock. He rents the large and fertile farm owned by Bell & Brinkerhoff, and produces stock for William H. Beaver. His business affairs are prosecuted with marked energy and are bringing to him a comfortable competence. LOUIS S. KUEBLER. The Teutonic race has been an important element in framing our national commonwealth ; its qualities and characteristics have been infused with those of other races in the development of a strictly American type and the United States willingly acknowledges its indebtedness to the German people for certain admirable qualities which are found among the representatives of the fatherland and their descendants. Louis S. Kuebler is of German lineage and is the editor and proprietor of the Mansfield Courier, the only German paper published in Richland county. He was born in Tiffin, Seneca county, Ohio, in 1854. His father, Anthony 244 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Kuebler, came from Germany to America about 1840, locating in Seneca county. He married Frances Schabacker, also a native of Germany, and they reared their family in Tiffin. Mr. Kuebler of this review pursued his education in the public schools of Seneca county, and there learned the printer's trade. In 1876 he came from Cleveland. to Mansfield and began the publication of the Mansfield Courier, which was established in 1872. He has since been its editor and proprietor. This is a German paper and has a large circulation among the German-speaking people of the county. In politics it is. Democratic, strongly upholding the principles of the party as advanced by the Kansas City convention. In connection with the publication of the journal Mr. Kuebler is also doing a large general job printing business, and in this line his trade is constantly growing. He is recognized as one of the leading representatives of the Democratic party in Richland county, takes a very active part in politics and served as chairman of the Democratic executive committee of the county in 1899. Mr. Kuebler married Miss Lena Matthes, of Mansfield, a daughter of Adam Matthes, and they now have two children : Herman and Marie, who are attending school'. Mr. Kuebler is a progressive business man whose life is an exemplification of the true western spirit of enterprise and progress, and through the columns of his paper he supports all measures which are calculated to prove of benefit to the community. JAMES REYNOLDS. The great interests of the Aultman-Taylor Manufacturing Company command the services of some of the ablest business men in America. One of the most efficient and best known of these is James Reynolds, of Mansfield, Ohio, who has been connected with the old company and the new since April 1, 1878, and now fills the resposible position of treasurer. His first duties were in closing up settlements and starting threshing machines. After experience in such work, he was given charge of collections in Missouri and Kansas, with headquarters at Kansas City. He came to Mansfield in 1877 and held several positions in the collection department, one after the other, and October 1, 1891, he was made the treasurer of the concern. The business has ,increased greatly during the past ten years. In 1894 the water tube-boiler department was added, and that alone gives employment to about four hundred people. A large number are employed in the thresher and other departments. The Aultman-Taylor threshers are known the world over and the Cahall ver- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 245 tical boilers and the Cahall-Babcock-Wilcox vertical steam boilers are being sent to every part of the world where there is use for anything of the kind. Mr. Reynolds was born in New York city, July 14, 1846, a son of William and Ann (Bowden) Reynolds. His parents came from Clare, County Tyrone, Ireland, about 1836. His mother is still living, but his father died at Utica, Licking county, Ohio, at the age of sixty-four years, in 1885. He came to Ohio in 1863 and located in Crawford county whence he removed to Licking county in 1872. Young Reynolds received a practical education in New York city. At the age of sixteen he became errand boy in the office of a Wall street broker. He accompanied his parents to Ohio in 1863, and for eight years after his arrival taught country school. After that he taught town schools and was superintendent of high schools and inspector of schools at Crest-line, Ohio, and Warrensburg, Missouri, and other places. He came to Mansfield in 1877 as the principal of the Fourth-ward school, now the Tenth-ward school, and closed his career as a teacher in 1878 to enter the employment of the Aultman-Taylor Company.. He has been active in Young Men's Christian Association work at Mansfield and is one of the trustees of the Young Men's Christian Association of that city, whose fine home on West Park avenue he assisted to build with his time and money. He is a member of the Reformed Presbyterian church and was superintendent of its Sunday-school for four years and taught its bible class. He addressed the State Christian Endeavor Society at Columbus in 1899 on "Practical Problems in Christian Citizenship," and is to supplement this address by another on the same subject at the convention at Toledo in 1901. He is greatly interested in the lines of study indicated. December 28, 1869, Mr. Reynolds married Miss Charlotte A. Trimble, a daughter of William and Emma Trimble, originally from Harrison county', Ohio, who were pioneers in Crawford county. They have had four children : Emma, who died March 2, 1887, aged fifteen years ; Alexander Tully, who is his father's assistant in the office of the Aultman-Taylor Company ; Mary Bowden Reynolds ; and William Fielding, another son, who married Miss Orpha Staninger, of Mansfield, and is a resident of Galion, Ohio. The family have a beautiful residence at Mansfield commanding a wide view of the surrounding country, which has the reputation of being one of the most hospitable in the city. Mr. Reynolds is a hard-working business man of much progressiveness and enterprise, who finds time to devote himself to the interests of his fellow men along all helpful lines. and he is undoubtedly as good an example of the up-to-date useful American citizen as Mansfield can boast of. 246 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. MRS. MARY M. ZOOK. Mrs. Mary M. Zook, who is living in section 20, Mifflin township, was born January 26, 1851, in the township which is now her home, her parents being Henry and Lydia (Byers) Hoover. She spent her girlhood days under the parental roof, aiding in the work of the household and pursuing her education in the common schools. In January, 1872, she gave her hand in marriage to Joseph C. Zook, a native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, born August 5, 1844. He was the son of John Zook, who was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in December, 1817, and with his parents removed to Franklin county during his boyhood. There John Zook was reared, learning the miller's trade, which he followed until 1850, when his health failed and he engaged in farming, hoping that the outdoor life might prove a benefit to him. He married Miss Elizabeth Clippinger, who was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, in February, 1816. In his business affairs he prospered, becoming well-to-do. He was an active churchman whose consistent Christian life commended him to the confidence of all with whom he was associated. His death occurred in May, 1899, and the community thereby lost one of its valued citizens. Joseph C. Zook spent his youth on the home farm and the schools of the neighborhood afforded him his educational privileges. The Zook and Hoover families were neighbors in Pennsylvania, and in 1871, when Joseph C. was on a visit to friends in Illinois, he stopped in Ohio to see the Hoover family. His acquaintance with the daughter of the household ripened into love, and three weeks after his return to Pennsylvania he again came to Ohio to claim his bride. He took her back with him to the old homestead in the Keystone state and then assumed the management of his father's farm, which he ably conducted up to the time of his death, on the 29th of December, 1891. He was a gentleman of sterling worth, diligent in business, straightforward in all his dealings and reliable in all life's relations. He, too, as an earnest church member, and was highly esteemed by all who knew him. By the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Zook five children were born : David L., who resides on the old Zook homestead in Pennsylvania ; John H., who is a farmer of Mifflin township, Richland county; and William S., Jacob W. and Prudence E., who are with their mother. Five years after her husband's death Mrs. Zook returned with her family to Richland county and located upon her farm of one hundred and seventeen acres which she had purchased four years previously. Shortly after her arrival she purchased another farm CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 247 of forty-two acres, and both tracts are now in a high state of cultivation. yielding a good income, which supplies Mrs. Zook with all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. She displays excellent business and executive ability in the care of her property and at the same time manifests those truly womanly qualities which everywhere command respect. Her home is celebrated for its gracious hospitality, which is enjoyed by her many friends. THOMAS HALL. Canada has furnished to the United States many bright, enterprising young men, who have left the Dominion to enter the business circles of this country with its more progressive methods, livelier competition and advancement more quickly secured. Among this number is Thomas Hall, the well known superintendent of the Mansfield Machine Company, of Mansfield, Ohio. He was born in Oxford county, Ontario, Canada and is a son of Thomas ,and Agnes (Robison) Hall, the former a native of Scotland, the latter of England. He spent six years as a student at Cornell Univers:ty, where he was graduated in 1893, and later took a post-graduate course of two years. He is a member of a Greek-letter society, and received a fellowship at that college. For two years he was practically engaged in building steam engines at the vise and lathe work at the Waterous Engine Works, at Brantford, Canada, and then was called to Cornell, where he taught steam engineering, designing and drafting in the mechanical department of that university. In 1898 he came to Mansfield, Ohio, and has since filled the responsible position of superintendent of the Mansfield Machine Company. This factory builds steam, fire and gas engines, boilers and sawmill machinery and does general job work, employing from two hundred to two hundred and fifty hands. They are now building steam engines from designs made by Mr. Hall and Mr. Treat, who also is from Cornell University. In 1894, in Ontario, Mr. Hall married Miss Mary Perry, of Oxford county, a daughter of Andrew and Martha Perry. By this union two children have been born, namely : Perry Oliver and Hazel. Mr. and Mrs. Hall attend the First Presbyterian church of Mansfield, and although their residence here is of short duration they have made a host of warm friends. 248 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. W. E. SEFTON. Occupying the responsible position of superintendent of the Ohio State Reformatory, W. E. Sefton is indeed well qualified for the discharge of the important duties which devolve upon him. He was born in Norwalk, Ohio, February 11, 1842, and in 1845 accompanied his parents on their removal to Ashland county. The common-school system afforded him his educational privileges and his youth was spent upon a farm where he early became familiar with all the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He was thus engaged until eighteen years of age, when he began learning the blacksmith's trade, following that pursuit until after, the inauguration of the Civil war, when he put aside all business considerations and with patriotic spirit offered his services to the government in 1861, joining Company G, of the Twenty-third Ohio Infantry. The regiment was organized at Camp Chase and left there on the. nth of July, or the first year of the long war, which was the call for the sacrifice of thousands of lives, yet was to bring liberty to three million enslaved people, and the establishment of the Union on a firmer basis than ever before. Mr. Sefton participated in all of the engagements with his regiment. including the battles of Carnifex Ferry, West Virginia, September 10, 1861 ; Princeton, West Virginia, May 15, 1862; South Mountain, September 14, 1862; Antietam. September 17, 1862; Cloyd Mountain, May 9, 1864; New River Bridge, May 10, 1864; and Buffalo Gap, June 6, 1864. He was wounded at the battle of Cloyd Mountain, on the 9th of May, and was honorably discharged on the 6th of July following, at Columbus, Ohio, his term of service having expired. Soon after his return home Mr. Sefton engaged in the manufacture of mowers and reapers at Salem, Ohio. with the Etna Manufacturing Company. On severing his connection with that company he became associated with the C. Aultman Company, at Canton. Ohio, and for thirteen years was the traveling salesman and general agent of that corporation. His next business connection was with the Princess Plow Company, in which he Served as secretary, treasurer and general manager. occupying those positions for seven years, when he dissolved his connection with the business, and in June, 1896, was elected assistant superintendent of the Ohio State Reformatory. In the following March. W. D. Patterson resigned as superintendent and Mr. Sefton was elected to that office, assuming the duties of the office on the 1st of April, 1897. He has been most faithful. earnest and efficient in the discharge of the obligations that rested upon him. The position is a most important and responsible one, entailing as it does the care of the young who through lack CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 249 of home influences or through a natural tendency toward the wrong have strayed into paths of crime. In the reformatory opportunity is offered to them to follow better methods of living, and upon the superintendent much depends. The discipline and order there maintained must teach the members of the school that they are amenable to law and at the same time they must not be deprived of the hope that when they have served their term opportunity for a different life will not be closed against them. Mr. Sefton is a man of broad humanitarian principles and deep sympathy, and his work in the institution is proving of great practical benefit. Among his friends he is a genial, social gentleman of cordial disposition and has a very large circle of acquaintances, who esteem him highly for his genuine worth. WILLIAM STRIMPLE. Perhaps a large per cent of the business failures is clue in greater degree to the lack of persistency of purpose than to any other one cause. A continual change in business renders effort futile and labor unavailing, but perseverance in a given lire, if guided by a fair measure of business judgment and practical common sense, will always result in prosperity. It is this which has brought to Mr. Strimple a good income, making him one of the substantial farmers of Richland county. He was born in Mifflin township, this county. on the loth of September, 1840, being one of the eight children of Aaron and Keziah (Stout) Strimple. The father, a native of New Jersey, was reared in that state, and as the grandfather of our subject died during the early boyhood of Aaron Strimple, the operation of the home farm devolved upon him when he was quite young. He bravely took up the task that fell upon his young shoulders and carefully prosecuted his business interests. In his native state he was united in marriage to Miss Keziah Stout and to them two children were born ere their removal to Ohio. On migrating to the Buckeye state they located in New Haven township, Huron county, where for some time the father cultivated a farm belonging to his brother. He afterward removed to Mifflin township, Richland county, where he rented land for some years and about 1850 he purchased the land upon which our subject now resides. During the first year of his ownership, he raised six hundred bushels of wheat, which enabled him to pay off nearly the entire indebtedness upon the place. He was an energetic and progressive agriculturist and became one of the substantial citizens of the community. A few years prior to his death he left the old homestead, taking up his residence