250 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. upon a farm of eighty-three acres in Huron county, which he had purchased some years before. Throughout the greater part of his business life he was an active member of the Methodist church, having joined that organization in 1859. He long served as one of its trustees and took an active part in its work and upbuilding. His political support was given to the Democracy and several years he served as a trustee of his township. His .death occurred in April. 1891. Of his eight children six are yet living, as follows : John, of Huron county ; Judith, the wife of George W. Vanscoy, of Butler township, Richland county; Sarah, the widow of Daniel Sizer, of Greenwich, Ohio; George, of Huron county ; Elizabeth A., the widow of E. N. Burgess, of Huron county; and William, Upon the home farm William Strimple spent the days of his boyhood, acquiring in the district schools of the neighborhood his elementary education, which was supplemented by study in Baldwin University, at Berea, Ohio. At the age of nineteen he began teaching, but ill health forced him to abandon that profession after seven weeks' experience in the schoolroom. At the time of the Civil war he was found among the "boys in blue" who went forth to battle for the Union, enlisting on the 2d of October, 1862, as a member of Company C, Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served for ten months. He participated in the battles of Raymond, Fort Gibson, Jackson and Vicksburg, and was mustered out of service in July, 1863. Mr. Strimple then returned to his hoMe and in the spring of 1865 was united in marriage to Miss Harriet E. Gorham, a native of Perryville, Ashland county, and a daughter of Hezekiah Gorham, who in early life was a sea Captain but later abandoned the sea and worked at the mason's trade. Mr. and Mrs. Strimple began their domestic life on the old home farm which he cultivated for a time on shares, but in 1874 he purchased the property of his father and he has since made it his place of abode. Thoroughly understanding farming methods, he has a well developed place, and the rotation of crops keeps his field in a productive condition. Good harvests annually augment his income and his farming interests have made him one of the well-to-do residents of Butler township. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Strimple was blessed with seven children, but only four are now living : Ernest H., who is a graduate of Baldwin University, at Berea, Ohio, and now a teacher in the Olivesburg schools; Lenna E., who is a graduate of Savannah Academy, and now the wife of Rev. F. S. Fancher, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church ; Samuel H., a farmer of Huron county ; and Leilla F., who is with her parents. Mr. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 251 Strimple votes the Republican ticket and is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has served as a trustee through various periods for the past thirty years. He has a wide acquaintance in his native county and his fidelity to duty in all life's relations has gained him the regard of his fellow men to a high degree. THE TRAUGER FAMILY. When the Trauger family was founded in America this was indeed a "new world." The colonies were ruled by King George III, and George Washington, who was to lead his nation from bondage into liberty, was still a youth ; the French and Indian war had not yet occurred and the most far-sighted could not have foretold the struggle of the Revolution ; the Alleghany mountains were in the far west and beyond that the country was an unexplored wilderness. The earliest family record extant locates Christian Trauger, the ancestor of the branch of the family to which our subject belongs, at his home in Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, where many of the same name still reside. The German spelling of the name was Drocker, but in the change to English the present form was assumed, about 1800. It was probably in the year 1744 that Christian Trauger, accompanied by his family, his brother Henry and a sister, left the fatherland to seek a new home in America. They located in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, where they remained until 1767, when the brothers purchased adjoining farms in Nockamixon township, Bucks county, that state. One of these farms is still owned by a descendant of the family. In later years some of the Trauger family located in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and others in Troy township, Ashland county, Ohio. Christian Trauger was born in Beckenbaugh, Germany, in 1726, and died in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, in 1811. His wife, Anna Barbara Trauger, was born in 1729, and died in 1821. They were the parents of four sons and three daughters. That Christian Trauger participated in the Revolutionary war seems. to be a certainty, and thus his descendants are rendered eligible to membership in the Revolutionary societies of the present time. His son, John Frederick Trauger, was born in 1765. and died in 1824. He married Magdalena Harpel, who was born in 1763. and died in 1848. They were the parents of three sons and four daughters, two of whom—Samuel H. and his sister—became residents of Richland county, Ohio. The latter, Mrs. Elizabeth Fenner, came with her husband. Felix Fenner, and their family to Plymouth township, Richland county, in 1833 252 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. locating on a quarter-section of timber land three miles west of the town of Plymouth. Samuel Harpel Trauger was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, October 2, 1795, and was married, in 1825, to Susannah Maust, a daughter of George Maust, of Tinicum township, with whom he lived for fifty-four years. In 1835 Mr. Trauger came to Ohio and purchased a quarter-section of timber land two and a half miles southwest of Plymouth. The entire region was an unbroken forest and the work of progress and civilization seemed scarcely begun. In April, 1836, he removed his family and household goods by wagon from Pennsylvania, fording rivers and crossing mountains, making the journey over roads which were in very poor condition, the route by which they traveled covering about six hundred miles. But at length they located on a farm in Richland county, and there Samuel H. Trauger resided for forty-three years. He at once began the erection of a log cabin and through the succeeding twenty years he continued to clear and cultivate his land. His farm was awarded the first premium at three different county contests as the best farm in Richland county. Mr. Trauger was a charter member of the Plymouth Lutheran church, gave liberally toward the erection of the first house of worship, and also contributed largely to the support of the church. At the age of twenty-one, while still living in Pennsylvania, he was chosen captain of a militia company, which commission he held until his removal to Ohio. In politics he was a Democrat, cast his first presidential vote for James Madison and his last presidential ballot for Samuel J. Tilden. On the 3d of January, 1875, Mr. and Mrs. Trauger had a family reunion, celebrating their golden wedding, at which all of their descendants were present except Mrs. Ralston and her family, who had but recently removed to Illinois. Mrs. Trauger died in May, 1879, at the age of eighty years, and Mr. Trauger passed away in November of the same year, at the age of eighty-four. They were the parents of five sons and four daughters, namely : Jonas; Tobias M.; Henry ; Frank P. ; Samuel; Saloma, the wife of Alexander Ralston ; Sevilla, the wife of William Newton Conover; and two daughters who died in early life. Jonas Trauger, the eldest son of Samuel H. Trauger, was born May 8, 1826, and in 1836 accompanied his parents on their removal to Ohio. He justly deserves mention among the honored pioneers, for he came to this State when the greater portion of Richland county was still covered with a heavy growth of natural forest. He assisted in clearing and cultivating the homestead until his marriage. Miss Sarah Wyandt became his wife. She. was born January 8, 1831, the eldest daughter of Joseph Wyandt, one of CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 253 the pioneers of Plymouth township, Richland county. They began their domestic life on a farm adjoining the old homestead, which had recently been purchased by his father, and there they remained for seven years. On the expiration of that period Jonas Trauger purchased of William Enderby an adjoining farm, upon which they erected a dwelling, taking up their abode in their new home. There they resided together for thirty-three years. During Mr. Trauger's younger clays he spent many seasons in threshing grain and clover seed and enjoyed the reputation of being the most successful thresher in the vicinity of Plymouth. He transferred his threshing business to his son, Samuel W., who still continues the same, while he is living retired. His first wife died October 26, 1893. In the year 1895 he married Sarah E. Trauger, and removed to the village of Plymouth, since which time he has been connected with no active business interests. He still owns his farm of two hundred acres, however, and it is under a high state of cultivation, yielding him a good income. For several years he held the position of township trustee, discharging his duties with promptness and fidelity. Of the Lutheran church he is a member and 18 now serving as one of its elders. Tobias M. Trauger was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, October 11, 1827. At the age of seven years he went to live with his uncle, Henry Kruger, with whom he remained until his father's removal to Ohio, when he again joined the family, in 1836. During his minority he aided in the clearing and cultivation of the fields and after arriving at man's estate he operated his father's farm on the shares until 1860, when he purchased a farm adjoining the old homestead, then owned by his father. It consisted of ninety-six acres, to which he afterward added a tract of twenty acres. Tobias M. Trauger held the office of school director for about twenty years and the cause of education found in him a warm friend who earnestly promoted the interests of the. schools. In the year 1875 he was the township treasurer. In 1860 he became a member of the Lutheran church, in which he held the office of deacon for thirty-one years or until 1894, since which time he has been an elder in the church. On the 20th of May, 1858, he married Mary Ann King, of Winesburg, Holmes county, Ohio, the eldest daughter of Elias King, a native of Somerset county, Pennsylvania, who went with his father's family to Wilmot, Stark county, Ohio, in 1822. There he married Leah Wyandt, the eldest daughter of James Wyandt. They began their domestic life in Dalton, Wayne county, Ohio, and afterward resided near Winesburg in Holmes county. Mrs. Trauger was born in Wayne county and resided with her father's family in Holmes county until 254 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. her marriage, when she became a resident of Richland county. The Trauger family lived upon a farm two miles southwest of Plymouth for forty-two years. In early life she joined the Methodist church, but afterward united with the Plymouth Lutheran church. Her death occurred June 1900. Mr. and Mrs. Trauger were the parents of one son and two daughters. The son, Elmer King Trauger, was born October 12, 1861. He early became familiar with all the labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist, and in the district schools of the neighborhood he pursued his preliminary education, which was supplemented by a course in Plymouth hschoollool, in which he was graduated in 1882. He then entered Wittenberg College, in Springfield, Ohio, and on the completion of a classical course was graduated in 1886. During his senior year he acted as the editor of the college journal. Subsequently he began teaching school in Clark county and became the superintendent of the public schools in Leipsic. Putnam county, Ohio, in 1888. He also taught in the Plymouth public schools in 1893. From 1894 until 1897 he pursued the study of law in the office of F. D. Gunsaullers, an attorney at Plymouth, and was admitted to the bar in March, 1897. He has since engaged in practice in Plymouth and has attained an enviable position in the ranks of the profession. He has already gained a creditable clientage and is now serving as justice of the peace. He takes a very active part in church work, holds membership in the Lutheran church, and is the president of the Plymouth Township Sunday-school Union. He is the secretary of the Lutheran church of Plymouth and the treasurer of the Plymouth Bible Association. He also belongs to the Knights of Pythias and is a member of the Phi Gamma Delta Association, a college fraternity. He received from his alma mater the degree of Bachelor of Arts in the year 1886, and the degree of Master of Arts in the year 189o. In politics he is a stalwart Democrat and is secretary of the Democratic Club of his township. Clara Trauger was born August 1, 1869, and died May 9, 1897. She was a graduate of the Plymouth high school, of the class of 1886. She engaged in teaching in 1891 and later was elected a teacher of the primary department of the public schools at Chicago Junction, Ohio, filling that position until 1891, when she became the wife of Mr. Monteith, who is now the cashier of the National Bank of Crestline, Ohio. They established their home in Shelby, Ohio, and after six months' illness Mrs. Monteith passed away, in 1897. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 255 Rilla, the younger daughter of the Trauger family, is residing with her parents and is a graduate of the high school of Plymouth, of the class of 1891. JEHU L. GARBER. Jehu L. Garber, an industrious and enterprising farmer and stock raiser of Jefferson township, was born on the 29th of October, 1835, in the township where he yet makes hiS home. He comes of a family of Swiss lineage, and his grandfather, John Garber, was probably a native of the land of the Alps and became the founder of the family in the new world. He was killed at the battle of York in Upper Canada, in 1812. Samuel Garber, the father of our subject, was a native of Morrison's Cove, Pennsylvania, and was reared there as a farmer and shoemaker. When about twenty-five years of age he came to Ohio, making the journey on foot, and located in Jefferson township, Richland county, where he devoted his energies to shoemaking for a time. Later he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits and died upon the farm where our subject now lives, when about eighty-nine years of age. He was successful in his business affairs and at one time owned an extensive tract of land, valued at twenty thousand dollars. He was truly the architect of his own fortune and built wisely and well, for when he came to this county he had only twenty-five cents and with that meager capital began life in Ohio. His prosperity was the legitimate outcome of his own earnest and well directed efforts. In politics he was a Democrat and served as township trustee for several terms, yet seldom aspired to office. His religious faith was that of the Universalist church. His wife bore the maiden name of Catharine Leedy and was a daughter of John Leedy. She died when about seventy-one years of age. In their family were eleven children : John L., a farmer of Jefferson township; Levi L., who died at the age of twenty-one; David L., who passed away at the age of fifty-five; Louis L., a resident of Bellville ; Jehu L. ; Elizabeth, the wife of Aaron Leedy ; Jackson L., whose home is in Missouri ; Washington, a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio; Benton L., who died at the age of forty years ; Mary, the wife of O. B. Rummel, of Bellville; Theodore L., a farmer of Jefferson township; and Minnie, who died in childhood. No event of special importance occurred to vary the monotony of farm life for Jehu Garber. He remained at his parental home until he had attained his majority, and in the meantime engaged in teaching in the district school through three winter terms. On reaching man's estate he worked 256 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. at the carpenter's trade and engaged in cultivating the home farm on the shares fcr his father and brother. His time was thus occupied several years, after which he purchased one hundred and eighty acres of land adjoining the old home and there continued to reside until 1898, when he purchased his present farm of ninety-two acres, renting the old place of two hundred and fifty-five acres to his son. His life has been an active and useful one, and as a result of his capable business management and indefatigable industry he has gained prosperity. He owns altogether three hundred and forty-seven acres of land and derives therefrom a good income. He was chiefly instrumental in organizing the Patrons' Relief Association and Fire Insurance Company, which was formed in L876, and of which he was secretary for sixteen years. The company now have between three and four millions insurance. He was also instrumental in organizing the first farmers' institute held in the county, in the year 1881, and has been the president of one of these organizations nearly every year since. On the 19th of June, 1856, occurred the marriage of Mr. Garber and Miss Susan 'Wallace, a native of Knox county, Ohio, and a daughter of George and Mary Wallace. Their marriage was blessed with nine children: Ellen, the wife of John Watson ; Irene, who was married but is now deceased; Clara A., the widow of Stephen A. Oyster ; Ida M., at home; Horatio S., James W. and Wallace, who follow farming; Myrtle, at home; Mamie, who died at the age of twelve years; and one who died in infancy. Mr. Garber held the office of county commissioner from January, 1890, to September, 1896, there being no opposition to his election at the first term. He filled the office of township trustee for several years and was a member of the township school board for ten years. In politics he is a Democrat. He belongs to the Grange and to Cask's Lodge, No. 382, K. of P., of Bellville, and he and his family are members of the Universalist church. His en-:tire life has been passed in Richland county and his many acquaintances know him to be a man of sterling worth, reliable in business and trustworthy in all life's relations. THOMAS HAMMON. Thomas Hammon was one of the representative men of Worthington township and in his death the community lost one of its valued citizens. He was a man whom to know was to respect and honor, for his career was ever an upright one and in all life's relations he was faithful to right and duty. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 257 A native of Virginia, was born in Rockingham county, May 5, 1822, and with his parents carne to Richland county, Ohio, in the fall of 1826. He was a son of George and Catherine (Hammon) Hammon, the former born in Kew Jersey in 1780, the latter in Pennsylvania in 1785. Mrs. Hammon lived in the Keystone state at the time of the Indian troubles there and later removed to Virginia, where she was married and made her home .for a number of years. As before stated, Mr. and Mrs. Hammon came to Richland county in the autumn of 1826, and a year later the father purchased the farm that is now occupied by Mrs. Thomas Hammon and her. family. It was school land and was sold of auction. Upon the place was a log cabin and a small field had been cleared, but the greater part of the land was still in its primitive condition, awaiting the awakening touch of the agriculturist to make it a desirable tract. Throughout the greater part of his remaining days George Hammon resided there and in his business he accumulated a handsome competence. He served in the war of 1812 and was ever loyal to all his duties of citizenship. A leading Jacksonian Democrat in politics, he served as a trustee for several terms. Both he and his wife held membership in the Lutheran church and enjoyed the high regard of a large circle of friends. His father, John Hammon, was a native of New Jersey, but his mother was born in Germany. Mrs. Hammon, the mother of our subject, died in Richland county, October 9, 1855, at the age of sixty-eight years. In her family were fourteen children, twelve of whom reached mature years. At the old homestead Thomas Hammon spent the days of his boyhood and youth, remaining with his parents for twelve years after his marriage, when he removed to Jefferson township and bought a farm which he worked for three years. He then returned and purchased the old home place from his father, continuing its cultivation and improvement throughout his remaining days. His business was diligently prosecuted. He did not neglect in the slightest degree his work ; and his close application to business, combined with his excellent farming methods, enabled him to win very desirable prosperity. He made a specialty of the raising of shorthorn cattle, and as his financial resources increased he added to his property until his landed possessions aggregated over five hundred acres. He was probably the wealthiest man in Worthington township and his life record demonstrated the possibilities that lie before men of energy and determination. On the 8th of June, 1848, Thomas Hammon was united in marriage to Mrs. Rachel Simmerman, nee Taggart, who was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, December 1. 1823, a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Mc,. Dowell) Taggart, both of whom were natives of Westmoreland county, in 258 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. which they were reared. In the fall of 1831 they came to Richland county, Ohio, and the father purchased a farm in Jefferson township, of which twelve acres had been cleared. There he resided for several years, and upon that farm his wife died, when forty -nine years of age. He afterward removed to Clark county, Illinois, and purchased a farm, upon which his death occurred, when he had attained the age of seventy. His success came to him in return for his own labor and he justly won the title of a self-made man. His wife was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hammon were born five children, namely : Catherine, the wife of Henry Wolford, of Kansas ; Mary, the wife of Erastus L. Calhoun, a farmer of Worthington township ; Ellen, the wife of Abner Dunmire, of Knox county, Ohio ; John and George H. The last two now own the old homestead and are among the active agriculturists of the community. The principles of the Democracy received the indorsement of Mr. Hammon and he always voted that ticket, yet never sought or desired office for himself. He served for several years as a school director, but otherwise occupied no official position. He followed closely the course which he believed to be right and in his business affairs he enjoyed an unassailable reputation, for he was ever just and honorable. Mrs. Hammon proved to her husband a faithful companion and helpmeet on life's journey, and her sound advice and assistance were important factors in his prosperity. She possessed excellent business and executive ability and was one of the world's busy workers. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hammon enjoyed the warm regard of many friends and were both widely and favorably known in Richland county. JOHN W. McCONKIE. John Walter McConkie, teacher, politician, journalist and insurance solicitor, is the second and eldest living son of William and Rebecca McConkie. He was born in Worthington township, Richland county, Ohio, April 24, 1864. As a youth he was quite reserved and did not give much promise of future greatness, nor did he seem especially devoted to study, but later he developed a strong inclination for books and for learning and for a time was ambitious to become a student at the University of Michigan. During this time he cultivated a love for 'political history almost marvelous in that it prompted such wide and comprehensive reading of subjects bearing upon that department of knowledge. He is often to-day consulted upon various points at issue. Language, too, was most carefully studied then, as now, and word analysis, which goes to the origin of words, still finds great favor with him. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 259 At one time he and Professor J. W. Scott, now of Colorado Springs. Colorado, stood highest in orthography of all teachers then employed in Ashland county, and that, too, at an examination that passed the critical eye of Professor J. E. Stubbs, whose success has since made him famous in the educational world. Mr. McConkie's devotion and close application to study often led him to pore over his books until the small hours of night, and this, in addition to the physi-tal strength required to cultivate and conduct his father's farm (adorned with a log house ripe with age, located by the roadside over which it is said passed a section of General William Henry Harrison's army in his remarkable campaign against the Indians) told upon the then strong and vigorous young man and resulted in severe sickness in 1882 and again in a milder form in 1883. After his recovery, in 1884, having been weakened physically to a considerable extent by a severe attack of inflammatory rheumatism that he had suffered in connection with other ailments which involved the liver and stomach, he concluded to turn his attention more fully to learning; so, in connection with James M. Reed, now prominent at the Mansfield bar, and Charlie L. McClellan, deputy clerk of courts for Richland county, he entered Greentown Academy, at Perrysville, where not a few young men and women have found inspiration and hope that have led on and on to higher and broader fields. After a year's study at that institution he began teaching, and at intervals during his academic course he taught in Ashland and Richland counties. In 1889, when Professor Lycurgus L. Ford severed his connection with the above institution by reason of its failure to adopt the more advanced methods of the time, Mr. McConkie promptly sided with that gentleman, who has since grown prominent, and headed a paper strongly testifying to the Professor's worth and ability,— a paper which is still held in grateful appreciation. Later in the year Mr. McConkie was offered and accepted a position in the public schools of Iowa, and in October he left for that state, where he was granted a first-class teacher's certificate, that he values most highly. There he first observed the practical workings of female suffrage in school affairs. He served successfully under the superintendency of Mrs. A. N. Filson. whose personal ability and worth won for her a third election as the county superintendent in a Democratic county, while she was a Republican. Higher in authority at the state capitol was that noted educator, Henry Sabin, introducing model methods that have since grown very popular and have been widely adopted. During this period and under such inspiration Mr. McConkie was prominent in institute work, and he speaks in enthusiastic terms of praise of those with whom he was thus associated, and particularly 260 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. of the deceased Miss Dora B. Johnston, who ranked high at college and occupied an enviable position in both intellectual and social circles. Later, when the economical era was manifest in the Hawkeye state and made itself felt among Iowa teachers laboring for the advancement and growth of its people to an extent not usually appreciated, Mr. McConkie, in connection with L. M. Gerhard, now of South Dakota, and others, left the state. Returning to Ohio, he launched boldly in the field of politics, opposing the "tariff reform" ideas of Grover Cleveland, and during the campaign of 1888 he supported most earnestly and enthusiastically the candidacy of Benjamin Harrison, for whom he entertained a most friendly feeling. In 1889 he again took up teaching, being employed in Knox county, Ohio. In 1890 he was associated with the work of the eleventh census and imbibed somewhat the statistical admiration possessed by Robert P. Porter, then the superintendent of the census. In 1891 Mr. McConkie again put on the political armor, and as a member of the county central and executive committees he zealously and earnestly supported William McKinley, who was then the Republican candidate for governor. That this work was effective, is attested by the fact that his precinct at that election showed a net Republican gain of fifty-six. Later, when an attempt was made to lessen the victory by dethroning John Sherman and place J. B. Foraker in the senate of the United States, he did not hesitate to take sides with the great statesman from Mansfield, who was so prominently identified with the financial history of the United States and of the world. With voice and pen he insisted most firmly that honor demanded the re-election of Mr. Sherman and he championed his cause with others in a public speech in the Memorial Opera House in Mansfield, where the friends and neighbors of Senator Sherman met to resent the charge advanced by W. S. Cappeller and others that he was unpopular at home. The following year, having brought himself to the favorable attention of William M. Hahn, the chairman of the Ohio Republican state executive committee and a resident of Richland county—where politics have always taken a deep root—as well as Senator Sherman, Frank W. Pierson, the chairman of the local committee, Captain W. S. Bradford and others prominent and influential, he was made a delegate to the Republican state convention that assembled in Cleveland. During this convention, presided over by William McKinley, now twice chosen the chief magistrate of the nation, he successfully widened his acquaintance. Among fast friendships there formed was one with L. C. Laylin, now the secretary of state, Mr. Laylin at that time being a delegate from Huron county. Three times in presidential years has CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 261 Mr. McConkie been chosen to represent his native county in state conventions. In 1893 he taught again in Knox county, near Fredericktown, where ex-Secretary of the Treasury William Windom spent a Dart of his early manhood, and it was understood that his devotion to politics would bring a state appointment from Governor McKinley ; but it was decreed otherwise. In 1894 he was invited and accepted a place with the Republican state executive committee, then as now under the leadership of Charles Dick, and participated actively in the contest that resulted in the re-election of Samuel M. Taylor by one hundred and thirty-seven thousand and eighty-six, the largest plurality ever recorded in Ohio. That his services were appreciated during this memorable contest is evident from the strong letter. in his possession from Chairman .Dick, testifying to his zeal, industry and capability. Previous to this, in the campaign of 1893, Mr. McConkie wrote much in support of the Republican party and often have articles from his pen found places in the New York Tribune, Philadelphia Press, Cleveland Leader, Ohio State Journal and the American Economist. The latter, .strong and uncompromising in its support of the policy of protection, then as to-day, lifting up the hands of William McKinley in the bitter struggle for supremacy, sent out inquiries to leading Republicans asking "Why William McKinley should be re-elected governor of Ohio Among those consulted in the Buckeye state was T. W. McConkie, of Richland county, and at the head of the list of those replies we find his ringing, earnest words ; and when the future political historian glances over the pages of that noted publication for words of inspiration as he writes the life of William McKinley he will see as many as three articles from the pen of Mr. McConkie in one issue. Later the subject of this sketch branched still more strongly into journalism and the list of articles extant from his pen is now a long one. Mr. McConkie possesses great command of the English language. awl often his articles along political lines are pointed to a remarkable degree. In 1896 William McKinley, under the leadership of Marcus A. Hanna, having won the nomination for president over strong and powerful combinations, there was presented a campaign of unusual activity. Mr. Hanna being in charge of the Republican end, with William M. Hahn, of Mansfield, for the second time in control of the speakers' bureau. Mr. McConkie was invited into a broader field and participated somewhat in the contest that resulted in a signal Republican victory. It was quite generally believed that Mr. McConkie would receive recognition by the national administration, but to the disappointment of his friends he was forgotten ; and when advancement 262 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. seemed probable in the census bureau Congressman W. S. Kerr, whom he had supported and helped into public life, stood in the way while 1 e professing warmest friendship. This form of conduct extended in other directions, operating often to the detriment of those worthy and deserving; and this, together with the selfish, grasping nature developed, led to the defeat of Mr. Kerr in the convention that followed. President McKinley having been renominated at Philadelphia, and Marcus A. Hanna, whom Mr. McConkie had supported with pen and might in the ever memorable Ohio. senatorial contest of 1897-8 that sustained, as he believes, the honor of the Republican party and sent Mr. Hanna to the senate of the United States, the successor of John Sherman, who had elected to enter the cabinet of William McKinley, being again in control of the national executive committee, this time with Henry C. Hedges, of Mansfield, as chief of the speakers' bureau, Mr. McConkie, whom fortune seems to lead into the fight rather than where remuneration is to he had, was invited and for eight weeks he participated most actively in the campaign that resulted so decidedly for the Republican party. That Mr. McConkie possesses political instinct is evident from the accuracy with which he forecasts results in both state and nation. In fact, one of the strong features in his makeup is the reading of public sentiment, and he looks to see it better understood and recognized in its higher advanced condition. Will his expectations be realized ? Possibly so when the jar of politics bring men to a full realization of the situation and when deceit and treachery shall mean political death always and everywhere,—an era when it is to be hoped party platforms will say what they mean and mean what they say and when wider. broader opportunities shall encourage the honest legitimate efforts of men and women too. Mr. McConkie, being a nephew of Professor John McConkie, has imbibed somewhat of the educational spirit that characterizes that gentleman, as well as the dead wife and aunt, for whom he cherishes the highest regard. His close association, too, with the splendid daughters that have blessed that union, and particularly with Bessie, the younger, and their splendid brother, who is winning fame and position, has served to broaden and widen the field that makes womanly instinct shine with a brighter luster. That Mr. McConkie's personal and political acquaintance is very large is evident from the demands upon his time; and that he enjoys and appreciates the value of a well chosen library is understood from the volumes in his possession, notably and distinctly along statistical and economic lines ; and that he has even found time to study the American trotter in. a development not yet complete. is apparent when we see him with Harvest King, or better still with the granddaughter of Greenlander, the world's champion two-mile trotter, built, we CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 263 might say, for strength and action, and again when we gaze upon the lifelike forms in his possession of The Abbott and Crescens, who have made the closing hours of the nineteenth century ever memorable in the annals of the American turf. At some future time Mr. McConkie may present something relative to the high degree of intelligence possessed by the American horse, and the clog, whose instinct and good judgment often make him a fitting companion. GEORGE W. GEDDES. No man was ever more liked in Richland county and no man ever more fully enjoyed the confidence of the public than George W. Geddes, while none ever better deserved such esteem and confidence. In his lifetime the people of his state, recognizing his merit, rejoiced in his advancement and in the honors to which he attained, and since his death they have cherished his memory. It is an important public duty to honor and perpetuate as far as possible the memory of the eminent citizen—one who by his blameless and honorable life and distinguished career reflected credit not only upon his city and state but also upon the whole country. Through such memorials as this at hand the individual and the character of his services are kept in remembrance, and the. importance of those services acknowledged. His example in whatever field his work may have been done thus stands as an object lesson to those who come after him, and though dead he still speaks. Long after all recollection of his personality shall have faded from the minds of men, the less perishable record may tell the story of his life and commend his example for imitation. George M. Geddes was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio, July 16, 1824, and a few years later accompanied his parents on their removal to Richland county. As the family was in limited financial circumstances, he was early forced to earn his own living, and the splendid position to which he attained was an indication of his merit and splendid ability. His life illustrates the possibilities that lie before the young men of ambition. determination and upright character. After acquiring a common-school education Mr. Geddes spent a few years as clerk in a store, and during his leisure hours and at night he pursued a course of study, including the law. He finally entered the law office of the Hon. Columbus Delano. under whom he completed his preparatory reading, being admitted to the bar in July, 1845. Mr. Geddes then opened a law office in Mansfield and continued to engage in practice at the bar or on the bench until his death. He was not 264 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. long in gaining a large clientage and his ability won recognition in 1856 by his election to the office of judge of the court of common pleas of the sixth judicial district. After serving a term of five years he was re-elected. in 1861, without opposition, and served a full second term, after which he retired and resumed the practice at the bar. Two years later he was once again elected a common-pleas judge for the full term of five years and again discharged his duty in a manner most highly acceptable to the people. When this period also had ended he once more took his place among the lawyers of Richland county and enjoyed an extensive legal practice, being connected with the most important litigation held in the courts of his district. Many public honors were conferred upon Judge Geddes. He was a recognized leader in the Democracy and became a candidate of his party for supreme judge in 1871, without his solicitation. He was a prominent candidate for the nomination for governor in 1877 and at the Democratic congressional convention in 1878, after a contest of five days, and when twelve hundred and fifty ballots had been cast for the candidates before the convention, Judge Geddes was induced to accept the nomination and thus reconciled the differences. With reluctance he did so and was elected as a Democrat, receiving fifteen thousand, six hundred and seventeen votes against eleven thousand and thirty-nine cast for General S. 0. Jones, the Republican candidate. He was re-elected to the forty-seventh congress by a vote of eighteen thousand, five hundred and twenty against twelve thousand, six hundred and fifty-three for his Republican opponent. The district was again changed, this time being composed of Ashland, Huron, Lorain and Richland, with a Republican majority of twenty-one hundred, but Judge Geddes was re-elected to the forty-eighth congress by a majority of more than sixteen hundred votes. To the forty-ninth congress he was again chosen, serving for four consecutive terms. Judge Geddes made his first speech in the council chamber of the nation on the. 22d of April, 1879, against the use of federal officials and military at the polls. The speech attracted not only the attention of the house, but also of the entire country and gave prominence in that political proficiency and usefulness to which Judge Geddes afterward attained, for he served as chairman of the committee on war claims during the forty-eighth and forty-ninth congresses, and was again nominated by acclamation for the fiftieth congress, but declined to become a candidate. In 1848 the Judge was united in marriage to Miss Nancy Lemon,. of Ashland county, who died in September, 1878. They had three sons : Samuel Lemon, James I. and George M. The first has passed away. James is CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 265 now successfully engaged in merchandising at Joplin, Missouri, while George is connected with Shield & Banner, a newspaper published at Mansfield. The Judge was again married in December, 1880, his second union being with Mrs. Amelia Gass, the widow of the late Colonel Isaac Gass. Judge Geddes was always deeply interested in the cause of education, for which he had a sincere love. He was ever a close and discriminating student, analytical in his study and sound and logical in his reasoning, and his distinction as a representative of the bar was well merited. He was also an ardent Democrat, unswerving in his advocacy of the principles of his party. He was a delegate to the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal church held in Baltimore in 1876, and was for many years one of the trustees of the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, Ohio, and of Mount Union College, at Mount Union, Ohio. He was of stern integrity and honesty of purpose and despised all unworthy or questionable means to secure success in any undertaking or for any purpose, or to promote his own advancement in any direction, whether political or .otherwise. Not even the tongue of calumny ever uttered a word to the contrary, nor did the malevolence of detraction dare to assail his private reputation. He was an earnest and consistent Christian. It is our duty to mark our appreciation of such a man—a man true in every relation of life, faithful to every trust, a statesman diligent in the service of his country and seeking only the public good. JOSEPH HAVERFIELD. Not in the desultory manner that renders effort without result, but with steady persistence has Joseph Haverfield carried on his work, and to-day he is numbered among the substantial farmers of Weller township. At the time of the Civil wart he put aside all personal considerations and loyally served his country as a defender of the Union, after which he returned to the farm and has since devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits, with excellent results. He was born on the farm where he now resides, February 28, 1831, his parents being James and Mary (Allen) Haverfield. The father was probably a native of Harrison county, Ohio, born January 17, 1784, and there he was reared to manhood. On the 6th of November, i 806, he married Miss Allen, and amid the wild scenes of the frontier they began their domestic life. establishing a comfortable home for their family. James Haverfield served through the war of 1812 and after his return came to Richland county, in 1814, entering from the government the farm of eighty acres that is now owned by his. son Joseph. Here he built a log cabin in the midst of the forest and began 266 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. the work of clearing the land and preparing it for cultivation. Throughout his remaining clays he carried on agricultural pursuits. For many years he served as a justice of the peace, and his dealings were ever fair and impartial. He was one of the well known and highly respected men of the county, and his death, which occurred in 1851, was deeply mourned, the community losing one of its valued citizens. Joseph Haverfield, whose name introduces this review, spent his youth upon his father's farm and was early trained to habits of industry and economy that have proved a substantial foundation upon which to rear the superstructure of his manhood's success. His education was obtained in the common schools, and after his father's death he and his brothers conducted the home farm. On the 26th of April, 1855, he chose as a companion and helpmate on life's journey Miss Louisa McMillan, a native of Richland county and a daughter of Alexander McMillan, one of the pioneer settlers of Weller township. In the meantime his older brothers had married and left the home place and so at the time of his marriage he brought his bride to the old homestead and resumed farming. During the succeeding five years at different times he purchased the interest of the other heirs and the farm became his own. But the war cloud gathered over the nation, and feeling that his duty was to his country he left the plow and took up the rifle. It' was on the 25th of August, 1861, that he offered his services to the government, enlisting in Company M, Second Ohio Cavalry. Soon afterward the regiment was sent to the front, going first to St. Louis, Missouri, and thence to Fort Leavenworth, where they remained until the spring of 1862, when they went to Fort Scott and afterward to Carthage, Missouri, Little Rock, Pea Ridge, the Boston mountains and into Indian Territory as far as Fort Gibson. Mr. Haverfield's services were of a very arduous nature, consisting largely of an attempt to keep the guerrillas in subjection. After eighteen months he returned with his regiment to Columbus, where they were given fresh horses and new supplies and went up the Ohio to Maysville, thence across the river into Kentucky and proceeded to Danville and Crab Orchard. He was in Kentucky when Morgan made his raid into Ohio, and the Second Ohio and other troops were sent in pursuit of the Rebel leader, who was thus advancing upon the north. They afterward went to Cumberland Gap, to Knoxville, Tennessee, and to Lenore Station, where Mr. Haverfield for the first time engaged in a pitched battle. He participated in the siege of Knoxville and thence returned to Cumberland Gap under General Burnside, the Union troops capturing two thousand Rebels who then held the gap. Later they proceeded to Straw- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 267 berry Plains, winning a victory at that place, and afterward participated in the battles of Blaine's Cross Roads and Blue Springs. Not long after that engagement most of the regiment re-enlisted, but Mr. Haverfield felt that his family now needed him more than his country, but he was, however, put on detached duty at Knoxville, where he remained until the term of his enlistment had expired, when he was mustered out, on the l0th of September, 1864, at Columbus, Ohio. He had two brothers, John and Allen, who were also in the service, and the family was thus well represented in the struggle which preserved the Union entire. After his discharge Mr. Haverfield returned to his home and gladly resumed the work of the farm, for his wife and his sister Jane had done the plowing and mowing during his absence, and he willingly released them of this self-imposed task. He has since devoted his energies to the cultivation of his land and now has a well improved farm, which yields to him a golden tribute in return for the care and labor he bestows upon the place. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Haverfield has been blessed with nine children, seven of whom are yet living, namely : Alexander M., a resident of Benson, Nebraska; James A., who is conducting the home farm; Elizabeth A. ; Emma, the wife of Frederick Johnston, a carpenter and builder of Ashland county, Ohio; Cynthia, the wife •of 0. F. Stull, of East Mansfield, Ohio ; Nettie, a teacher in the public schools; and Rhoda, the wife of Edward Pugh. In his political views Mr. Haverfield is a Republican and does what he can to disseminate the principles of the party and secure their adoption. He is not a politician in the usual accepted sense of office-seeking, yet has held a number of minor positions, including that of township trustee. Socially he is connected with Jacob Ward Post, No. 467, G. A. R., in which he is now serving as the officer of the day, and with Weller Grange, No. 1072, of the Patrons of Husbandry. Not only when following the old flag upon southern battle-fields but at all times has he been faithful to his duties of citizenship and to the obligations of business and social life. His sterling worth is widely recognized and his friends in the community are many. SILAS M. DOUGLASS. Occupying a prominent position in the circles of the legal profession; Silas M. Douglass has been called to the bench of the circuit court and is a lawyer of distinguished ability. An excellent presence, earnest manner, marked strength of character, a thorough grasp of the law and the ability to to apply its principles accurately, made him an effective and successful advo- 268 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. sate and has insured him high rank among the representatives of the jurisprudence of the state. Judge Douglass was born on a farm in Monroe township, Richland county, on the 1st of January, 1853. His father, John J. Douglass, was of Scotch-Irish lineage, and his mother was of German and French descent. Amid rural scenes he spent his boyhood and youth, early becoming familiar with the labors and duties that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He remained under the parental roof until he had attained his majority, and his preliminary education, acquired in the public schools, was supplemented by study in Greentown Academy. Not content with the knowledge he had acquired he entered Wittenberg College in 1876, and on the expiration of two years was matriculated in Heidelberg College, in which institution he was graduated in June, 1879. In his efforts to secure an education he engaged in teaching school and also acted as tutor while pursuing his collegiate course. With the determination to make the practice of law his life work he began reading under the direction of Judge May, of Mansfield, and when he had mastered the fundamental principles of jurisprudence he entered the senior class of the Cincinnati Law School in 1882, and completed the course with the class of 1883. In July of the same year Judge Douglass began practicing in Mansfield, where he was associated with John A. Connelly. Three years later his brother, A. A. Douglass, was admitted to the bar and became Mr. Connelly's successor, the firm of Douglass & Douglass being then formed. This professional relation between the brothers was continued until Judge Douglass was elevated to the circuit bench. His success as a lawyer came soon, because his equipment was good, he having been a close and earnest student of the fundamental principles of the science. Along with those qualities indispensable to the lawyer—a keen, rapid, logical mind, plus the business sense and a large capacity for earnest labor—he brought to the starting point of his legal career certain real gifts,—eloquence of language and a strong personality. In November, 1896, he was elected to the circuit bench of the fifth judicial circuit of Ohio for a term of six years. He has here demonstrated his ability to handle the intricate problems of the law, has shown strict impartiality in disposing of cases and in his decisions has given evidence of his comprehensive and accurate knowledge of legal principles and precedents. He has jurisdiction over fifteen counties. At the annual meeting of Ohio circuit judges in September, 1900, he was elected chief justice of Ohio circuit courts. He was also honored with the office of mayor of Mansfield by appointment CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 269 to fill an unexpired term of six months. Later he was elected. city solicitor and served for two terms. On the l0th of October, 1883, occurred the marriage of Judge Douglass and Miss May Weagley, a daughter of Captain William H. Weagley, of Bell-\Tulle, Ohio. To them have been born four children : Stephen Augustus, Eleanor May, Marian Hilary, and Marion Drexel. Mrs. Douglass is a lady of marked culture and innate refinement, who presides with gracious hospitality over her pleasant home and displays excellent management in the care of her household and her children. Socially Judge Douglass is connected with Alpha Gamma Chapter of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity ; is a member of Monroe Lodge, No. 224, I. 0. 0. F. ; of Madison Lodge, No. 56, K. of P. ; and of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; and he exemplifies in his life the benevolent. spirit of these orders. In politics he is a stanch Jacksonian Democrat, unswerving in his allegiance to those principles. He belongs to the First Presbyterian church of Mansfield, but is liberal in his Views, believing in the spirit of Christ without regard for creeds. His nature is kindly, his temperament genial and his manner courteous. He is a student and a clear and logical thinker. His friends find him a most companionable gentleman, but when on the bench his attitude at once indicates the student, earnest and scholarly, fully upholding the majesty of the law. JACOB G. HILL. Jacob Grove Hill, a representative of the journalistic interests or Shelby, was born on the 13th of August, 1839, near Strasburg, Stark county, Ohio, a son of Peter and Julia (Willard) Hill, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Maryland. His father was a shoemaker by trade. In the family were ten children. At the age of sixteen years the subject of this review entered upon an apprenticeship to Robert Wilson, of New Lisbon, Ohio, to learn the printer's trade, serving for a term of three years. When he was twenty-one years of age a spirit of patriotism prompted his enlistment in the Union army and he joined the "boys in blue" of Company E, Nineteenth Regiment, Olio Infantry. During the first four months of his service he was engaged. in skirmishing at and near Laurel Hill. The first real engagement in which he participated was at Rich Mountain. He was often in the thickest of the fight, but was never wounded. He served under Captain Erwin Beam, who was a veteran of the Mexican war, and under Colonel Samuel Batty, who was afterward appointed brigadier-general. 270 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Upon his return home Mr. Hill resumed work at the printer's trade and was thus engaged until May 12, 1864, when he re-enlisted, under Captain 0. M. Todd, as a member of Company K, of the One Hundred and Forty-third Ohio National Guard. He became a member of Company K, Eighteenth Battalion of Ohio Volunteers, which was raised in Columbiana county, Ohio. The regiment was sent to Wilson's Landing, where Colonel Miller, of Mansfield, was in command of the post. After one hundred days' service at Camp Chase, Ohio, Mr. Hill received an honorable discharge, on the 13th of December, 1864. Subsequently our subject returned to New Lisbon, Ohio, and there worked at the printer's trade until the fall of 1868, when he came to Shelby. Here he entered into partnership with Hinkly Young, establishing a weekly paper known as the Shelby Chronicle, which he conducted for about two years, when the paper was sold to S. S. Bloom, who changed the name to the Shelby Independent. Mr. Hill acted as its publisher for eight years and also shared in the profits of the business. On the expiration of that period the partnership was dissolved, in the fall of 1876, and Mr. Hill established what has since been known as the Shelby Times. The paper_has a good circulation and is proving a profitable investment,. It is Republican in its political complexion and is an earnest champion of all measures and movements calculated to prove of public benefit. He is earnest in his advocacy of the political principles in which he believes and through his editorials has done much to promote the cause of the party. Socially he is connected with the Grand Army of the Republic and with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. OSCAR A. HUBBS, M. D. In the medical fraternity Dr. Hubbs has attained a position of relative distinction and occupies a leading place as a representative of his profession. For twenty-one years he has practiced medicine in Butler, and his marked ability has won for him a large and constantly growing patronage, which is well merited, for he has qualified. himself by a comprehensive and thorough mastery of the principles of medical science and the best methods of applying these to the needs of suffering humanity. The Doctor was born in Fayette City, Pennsylvania, September 25, 1851. His grandfather, Charles Hubbs, was also a native of Pennsylvania and was a successful physician. Edwin Hubbs, the Doctor's father, was born and reared in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and became a salesman for a jewelry CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 271 and drug firm. In 1856 he came to Richland county, locating in Olivesburg„ where for several years he engaged in the cultivation of rented land. In politics he was a stanch Republican, but never sought or desired political office. His death occurred when he had reached the age of sixty-three years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Caroline Storer, was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, and is still living, at the age of eighty-nine years, in the enjoyment of good health. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. By her marriage she had eight children, of whom five are still living. Her grandfather, John Davitt, was a native of Ireland and emigrated from that country to the new world. Dr. Hubbs was the fifth in order of birth .in his father's family. His early youth was spent in his parents' home and at the age of thirteen he began learning the printer's trade in Ashland, Ohio. He was employed in a printing office until eighteen years of age in Ashland, becoming familiar with the various branches of the business. He also worked, on the Loudonville Independent, and for five or six years was the publisher of the Loudonville Advocate; but, not content to devote his energies to journalistic work, during that time he began reading medicine, his studies being directed by Dr. S. S. Mills. Subsequently he was graduated in March, 1879, at the Pulte Homeopathic College, of Cincinnati, and for six months practiced in Loudonville, but in 1879 came to Butler, where he has since followed his chosen calling. He soon demonstrated his ability to cope with disease and his efforts were attended with very creditable success. This brought to him a constantly increasing patronage and he now has a large practice among the best citizens of Butler and the surrounding country. In addition to his home property he owns a valuable farm of one hundred and fifteen acres, which he rents. The Doctor married Miss Maggie A. Ruth, of Ashland, Ohio, who was born in Arkansas and during her early girlhood accompanied her parents to Ashland. She now has three children : Roy S., who in 1895 was graduated at the Pulte Homeopathic College and is now associated with his father in practice; Floyd M., who is an adopted son and who is one of the most talented pianists in the state; and Hazel E., at home. In his political views the Doctor is a valiant Democrat, but has always refused to accept public office. He belongs to Bellville Lodge, No. 376, F. & A. M., of Bellville; to Sturgess. Lodge, No. 357, I. 0. O.' F., of Butler; and the Lucullus Lodge, No. 121, K. P. His career is a creditable one, well worthy of emulation. He had but limited opportunities in his youth, for his parents were poor and he not only provided for his own support but also assisted his brother and sister. With undaunted energy he prepared himself for one of the higher callings of 272 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. life and has attained prominence as a representative of the medical fraternity, having long since left the ranks of the many to stand among the successful few. NELSON OZIER. It becomes the duty of every American citizen upon attaining his majority to support in one way and another the constitution of the United States. By exercising his privilege of voting he evinces his fealty to his country and his pride in its citizenship. In this respect Mr. Ozier has never failed to show his loyalty, and as an uncompromising Republican has taken a most active part in local and county matters in behalf of his party and friends. He has himself been honored with public office and is now serving for the second time as the postmaster of Mansfield. He is an ardent adherent of the principles incorporated in the platform of the Republican party and has served long and faithfully in the ranks of the organization, resolutely following in the footsteps of the leaders and ever evincing that intelligent discrimination and integrity which marked the supporters of Republicanism and maintained the high standard adopted at the .inception of the party. Mr. Ozier is also widely known as a pioneer and prominent and successful business man of Richland county. He was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, on the 4th of January, 1823, and is a son of Stephen and Margaret (Nichols) Ozier. His father was born in Delaware and died in Richland county, Ohio, at the age of fifty-two years, having been a resident of the county from 1824. His wife was a native of Belmont, Washington county, Pennsylvania, and her death occurred in this county, when she had attained the age of seventy-two years. They were the parents of four sons and three daughters, but of the family only two, David and Nelson, are now living. The latter pursued his education in the primitive schools of Richland county and was reared amid the wild scenes of the frontier, early becoming familiar with the arduous duties and labors of farm life at that early period. He was a youth of only about ten summers when his father died, after which he aided in supporting his mother and the family. His early business efforts were in the line of buying stock and wool, in which enterprise he continued from 1848 until 1863. For twenty years he was associated in partnership with his brother David, who is now engaged in the banking business in Shiloh, Ohio. The conditions attending stock-dealing at that time were very different from the present, when horses, cattle, hogs and sheep are loaded into cars and shipped to every part of the country. Mr. Ozier has driven sheep CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 273 from this county to New Jersey, taking sixty days to make the trip, often having charge of from one to two thousand head. He has also driven hogs from this county to Buffalo, forty days being consumed upon the road. In his business affairs, however, he prospered. He made judicious investments in stock and profitable sales. His excellent judgment enabled him to quickly determine upon the good qualities of the animals and his familiarity with the market enabled him to dispose of them at a time when he could realize upon his investment. From the organization of the party Mr. Ozier has been a stalwart Republican, unswerving in his allegiance to the principles which have upbuilded the nation along all lines of advancement. In 1863, unsolicited by him, he received the nomination for sheriff and was elected to that office by a majority of three hundred, when the county usually gave a Democratic majority of from fifteen to eighteen hundred. His election was a tribute to his personal worth, his ability and popularity. He served for one term during the troublous times of the Civil war and was perfectly fearless, prompt and decided in the discharge of his duties. He was a warm personal friend and admirer of Senator Sherman, and as a member of the convention he gave his influence and aid toward securing his nomination for his first term in congress, the convention being held in Shelby, Richland county, in 1854. At that time the congressional district gave a usual Democratic majority of three thousand, but Mr. Ozier and others labored untiringly for the interests of their friend who was destined to occupy so prominent a place in the political councils of the nation, and he was elected by a majority of twenty-five hundred. Ever afterward our subject continued earnest in his support of the Ohio statesman and took an active interest in securing for him the large vote he polled in this locality. When Benjamin Harrison was elected to the presidency Mr. Ozier was appointed by him to the office of postmaster of Mansfield. In March, 1898, he was again appointed postmaster of Mansfield by President McKinley, and entered upon the duties of the office in April, so that he is the present incumbent. He has made one of the best postmasters that Mansfield has ever had, has increased the business of the office in volume, has improved its methods and has made marked advancement in its administration along many lines. In 1852 Mr. Ozier was happily married to Miss Margaret J. Snapp, who was born in Virginia. Her father, Peter Snapp, also a native of the Old Dominion, was a stalwart Democrat, and at one time was a county commissioner of Richland county. He died in Rome, Ohio, at the age of seventy-six years. Mr. and Mrs. Ozier have one child, Fred S. They occupy a 274 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. pleasant home in Mansfield and also own the old family homestead at Rome. Mrs. Ozier is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is an estimable lady. Mr. Ozier is public-spirited in an eminent degree. National progress and local advancement are causes both dear to the heart of this thoroughly loyal son of the republic. His devotion to his country is above question and his labors have contributed in a large measure to the welfare and progress of his adopted county. In manner he is pleasant and genial, an approachable gentleman who enjoys the friendship of a large circle of acquaintances. It is not alone because of special prominence in public affairs that he has and is justly entitled to the respect and confidence of his fellow men, for his personal qualities are such as to make .men esteem and honor him. DAVID McCORMIC. The county whose history is now under consideration has been well named, Richland,—for its broad acres are easily transformed into rich fields which yield excellent returns for the care and cultivation bestowed upon them. Mr. McCormic is one who has successfully carried on agricultural pursuits here for some years and is now classed among the substantial agriculturists of Blooming Grove township. He was born in Hancock county, Ohio, on the 2d of August, 1842, of the marriage of Daniel and Freelove (Bradin) McCormic, whose family numbered nine children. The father was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1822, a son of Joseph and Betsey McCormic, who came to Ohio when he was a young man, taking up their abode about a mile east of Petersburg, in what is now Ashland county. After a short time, however, they removed to Hancock county, where the grandmother of our subject died in the year 1870. The grandfather then sold his farm and returned to Richland county, making his home with Mr. McCormic of this review up to the time of his death, which occurred three years later. Daniel McCormic was married soon after his arrival in Richland county, and when his parents removed to Hancock county, with his wife and one child he accompanied them, but not being favorably impressed with that section of the country he returned with his little family, and some time later bought a farm of ninety-four acres a mile and a quarter west of Olivesburg, in Weller township. There he carried on agricultural pursuits throughout his remaining days, and reared a family that became a credit to his name. His fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, frequently called him to public office, and in the discharge of his duties he was ever prompt