CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 325 which day General Miles arranged the terms of surrender with the Spanish. On the 17th the entrance to Santiago was made and Company M participated in the occupation of the city. Mr. Huston was promoted to corporal at Camp Alger. Since the return of the Eighth Regiment a reorganization has been effected, and our subject is now battalion adjutant, with rank of second lieutenant. In politics Mr. Huston is an active worker in the ranks of the Democratic party. Fraternally he is identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His family in religious matters are members of the Church of God, in Blooming Grove township. Mr. Huston was united in marriage, June 21, 1900, to Miss Marie F. Pettker, of St. Louis, Missouri. FRANK L. BOALS. Among the agriculturists of Richland county who have attained a well-merited success in their chosen calling is Frank L. Boals, one of the leading agriculturists of Mifflin township, whose home is on section 16. He was born upon his present farm January 4, 1860, and is a worthy representative of one of the honored pioneer families of the county. On the paternal side he traces his ancestry back to James Boals, a native of Ireland, who was the suitor for the hand of a young lady who had emigrated with her parents to America. Against the wishes of his parents he came to the new world and was rewarded by her consenting to become his bride. After their marriage they settled in Jefferson county. Ohio, where they continued to make their home throughout the remainder of their lives. Among their children was David Boals, the grandfather of our subject. He was born in Jefferson county, in 1801, and on attaining man's estate was married there to Susan Glover, who was born in the same county, in 1803, a daughter of Josiah and Susan Glover. Her father was one of the pioneers of Jefferson county, having come to this state at an early day from Vermont. His parents were natives of England. After his marriage David Boats engaged in farming in his native county until 1828. and then removed to Richland county, locating on the southwest quarter of section 9, Mifflin township, which land had been entered by his father some time previously. In the midst of the forest he built a log cabin, and experienced all the hardships and privations incident to pioneer life. In politics he was a Democrat, and for a Dumber of years he efficiently served as township trustee. Religiously he was 326 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. an earnest member of the Presbyterian church. This worthy pioneer died upon his farm in Mifflin township, in 186o, and his wife passed away in 1858. James W. Boals, the father of our subject, was born in Jefferson county, June 20, 1825, and was only three years old when brought by his parents to this county. He married Miss Elizabeth Parkinson, by whom he had four children, three still living, namely : Frank L., of this review ; Mary L., the wife of C. L. Reed, a farmer of Madison township, this county ; and Wade P., a farmer of Mifflin township. After his marriage Mr. Boals purchased the farm on which Gideon E. Hoover now resides, and there he followed agricultural pursuits until 1859, when he disposed of the place and purchased the farm of one hundred and sixty acres which is now the property of our subject. Here he spent the remaining years of his life. He met with excellent success in his farming operations, owning at the time of his death two farms,—one containing one hundred and ninety-two acres and the other one hundred and seventy-two acres. Politically Mr. Boals was an ardent Democrat, but never cared for official honors. Although he never allied himself with any religious denomination, he was a liberal supporter of all church and charitable work; was a kind husband and indulgent father, and was highly esteemed by all who knew him. He died August 5, 1895. His wife, who was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, about 1837, died about 1869. Her parents were Jacob and Mary (Keller) Parkinson, natives of Pennsylvania and Maryland, respectively, who came to this state after their marriage, and spent the remainder of their lives in Jefferson county. Mr. Parkinson was a machinist by trade and had a shop on his farm, where he manufactured threshing machines, finding a market for his products throughout different sections of Pennsylvania and Ohio. He was very successful and became quite well-to-do. He served as a captain in the Mexican war, and the sword used by him in the service is still in possession of the family. Frank L. Boals was reared on the home farm, and his early education was obtained in the local schools, but later he attended Frazier Business College at Mansfield. He was married on the 24th of December, 1889, the lady of his choice being Miss Josie Brindle, a native of Ashland county, Ohio, and a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Burns) Brindle. In early life her father removed from Franklin county, Pennsylvania, to Ashland county, this state, and for many years was one of the prominent and influential farmers of Ashland county, where his death occurred. Mr. and Mrs. Boals have five children, namely : Edwin, Herman, Bryan, Shirley and Mabel. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 327 After his marriage Mr. Boals and his brother Wade took charge of the home farm, and carried on the same for the father up to the latter's death, when the home farm was transferred to our subject, while the upper farm became the property of his brother. Here he has since resided, engaged in general farming and stock-raising. Being a natural mechanic he also runs a machine and wagon repair shop upon his farm, and does all kinds of general blacksmithing. Industrious, enterprising and progressive, he has become one of the substantial men of leis community, as well as one of its most highly respected citizens. He uses his right of franchise in support of the Democratic party, and for the past six years has most capably and acceptably served as the treasurer of Mifflin township. JOHN COLE. John Cole, whose farm in Worthington township comprises two hundred acres of land, is regarded as one of the leading and substantial residents of this part of the county. Upon the place stands a beautiful residence erected at a cost of five thousand dollars. The farm is improved with all modern accessories and conveniences, including substantial barns and outbuildings, good machinery and well kept fences which divide the place into fields of convenient size. Mr. Cole was born near Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, March 24, 1824. His father, George Cole, was a native of the same locality, born about 1803, and there he spent the greater part of his life. His last three years, however, were passed in the home of his son John, where he died at the age of eighty-three years and five months. He exercised his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democratic party, and held membership in the Baptist church, taking an active part in its work. His father, John Cole, was also a native of Pennsylvania, where he followed farming and lived to an advanced age. He was of German lineage. The mother of our subject was in her maidenhood Miss Catherine Overly. She was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1805, and lived to he more than ninety-one years of age. She held membership in the Baptist church and died at the home of her son John. In their family were eight children, of whom five are still living. John Cole remained upon the old homestead in the Keystone state until he had attained his majority, and the public schools afforded him his educational privileges. On reaching manhood he rented land in Pennsylvania and there 328 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. engaged in farming for eight or nine years. In November, 1859, he sought a home in Ohio and purchased two hundred acres of land, which he yet owns, lying partly in Richland and partly in Ashland counties. It has since been his place of residence, the scene of an active and useful business career. He married Miss Hannah J. White, who was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and died on the 15th of June, 1897, at the age of sixty-eight years, eight months and seven clays. She was a member of the Lutheran church. In the family were seven children : Alsinas E., of Greene county, Iowa ; Margaret J., the wife of Clark Graven, a prominent farmer of Greene county, Iowa ; Ida C., the wife of M. M. Darling, whose sketch is given on another page of this work ; Wesley, a mechanic of Cleveland, Ohio ; Nancy A., the wife of McKinley McCurdy ; John E., a farmer of Ashland county ; and Homer, who works his father's farm. Mr. Cole lost his right arm ih a threshing machine about nine years ago, but since that he has learned to write with his left hand. This is an indication of his enterprise and determined nature. He has been very successful in business and his beautiful home stands as a monument to his thrift and enterprise. Prosperity has come to him not through speculation, but along well defined lines of labor and is richly merited. He and his family are members of the Lutheran church, and he is a Democrat in his political views. He has held various township offices and in all has discharged his duties capably, promptly and faithfully. FREDERICK E. TRACY. The value of genealogy is now widely recognized and many important historical facts have been discovered by genealogical research. Family history is peculiarly interesting and it is especially so when it involves so much of historical interest as does the history of the family of Tracy, which has produced men of prominence in all generations since its establishment in . America. Of this notable family Frederick E. Tracy, of Mansfield, Ohio, is a worthy representative. Mr. Tracy was born at Painesville, Ohio, May 6, 1831, the third child of Judge Josiah and Diantha (Lathrop) Tracy. Judge Tracy was born at Franklin, Connecticut, October I, 1796. Diantha Lathrop was a daughter of Eleazer Lathrop, of Connecticut, who was an early settler at Sherburne, New York, and she was born about 1802. Judge Tracy married her August 18, 1824, and they settled at Painesville, Ohio, where, in company CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 329 with his brother, he carried on a mercantile business until 1832. While at Painesville he was appointed a colonel in the old militia. In 1832 he removed to Vermillion, Ohio, and was the superintendent of the Huron Iron Works until 1835, when he located at Huron and became interested in a business enterprise there. He soon became popular and influential and was elected a justice of. the peace, the mayor of Huron, a state senator and the county judge of Erie county. His wife died at Huron April 22, 1840, and in 1847 he removed to Mansfield, Ohio, where he died January 11, 1857, but was buried at Huron beside the remains of his wife. However, in an after year (1897), the subject of this.mention removed their remains and those of other members of the family to the Mansfield cemetery. Josiah Tracy., the father of Judge Josiah Tracy and grandfather of Frederick E. Tracy, was born at Norwich, Connecticut, May 7, 1772, and was married, January 20, 1795, to Mary Birchard, who was born at Norwich July 25, 1773, a daughter of Jesse and Lydia (Waterman) Birchard. Lydia Waterman was a daughter of William and Margaret (Tracy) Waterman. This William Waterman, who was born in 1710, was a grandson of Ensign Thomas Waterman and his wife Miriam, nee Tracy, the only daughter of Lieutenant Thomas Tracy, and from this fact it will be seen that our subject's grandmother, Mary (Birchard) Tracy, descended from the only daughter of Lieutenant Thomas Tracy and his grandfather, Josiah Tracy, from Captain John Tracy, the eldest son of the same Lieutenant Thomas Tracy. Captain John Tracy was born in 1642 and was one of the original proprietors of Norwich, Connecticut, was a justice of the peace and represented Norwich in the general assembly for six sessions. He married Mary Winslow, a niece of Governor Edward Winslow. Lieutenant Thomas Tracy was born at Tewksbury, England, in 1610, and came to Massachusetts in 1636, in the interest of his friends, Lord Say and Lord Brook, in whose honor Saybrook, Connecticut, was named ; and his second wife was the widow of John Bradford, a son of Governor Bradford. He was a talented and active man and represented Norwich, Connecticut, in the general assembly for twenty-seven years. He was a commissary and quartermaster in King Philip's war and assisted in the relief of Uncas, the sachem of the Mohicans, when he was besieged. Lieenant Thomas Tracy's grandfather, Richard Tracy, was the sheriff at Tewksbury, England, in 165o, and married Barbara Lucy, who was a pupil of Fox, the martyrologist. She was descended in the sixteenth generation from Hugh De Montfort, a son of Gilbert Gaunt, who was a great-grandson of Baldwin, the fifth count of Flanders, who married Alice, a daughter of 330 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Robert II, of France. Through Judith, the wife of Baldwin I, she was descended from the Emperor Charlemagne, and through his ancestress, Alfretta, the wife of Baldwin, the second count of Flanders, from Alfred the Great. The Tracy ancestors of Lieutenant Thomas Tracy were knights and sheriffs from the time of he sire de Tracy, who came over with the conqueror. Frederick E. Tracy married, May 10, 1855, Anna Tracy Lord, of Honesdale, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Russell F. and Mary Ann (Garrett) Lord. Her father was the chief engineer of the Hudson & Delaware Canal Company. Mr. Tracy was a teller in a bank at Zanesville, Ohio, 1853-57. In 1858 he came to Mansfield and engaged in the retail grocery business. In 1869, as the senior member of the firm of Tracy & Avery, he entered the wholesale grocery trade. In 1893 the concern was incorporated under the style of the Tracy & Avery Company, with Mr. Tracy as the president. It occupies a fine modern brick block on North Diamond street and does a large and increasing business. Fraternally Mr. Tracy is a Freemason, politically a Republican, and religiously a Congregationalist. He is a member of the Young Men's Christian Association of Mansfield, of which he has been a most earnest supporter, being a liberal contributor to the maintenance of their institution. Mr. Tracy's business career has been a conservative, successful one, and he is numbered among the men who have materially contributed to the prosperity of Mansfield. The following facts concerning the children of Frederick E. and Anna (Lord) Tracy will be found of interest in this connection : Howard Tracy was educated at Oberlin and at Amherst, graduating at the latter institution, and married Bessie Lindsley, of Nashville, Tennessee. He is in the coal and coke business at Chicago, Illinois. Louise Massa Tracy married Dr. Charles E. Winslow, of Los Angeles, California. Russell Lord Tracy was educated at Oberlin and at Carlton College, Minnesota. He married Luella Smith, a daughter of Edward P. Smith, of St. Paul, Minnesota, and is a prominent financier and resident of Salt Lake City, Utah. Ruth Maria Tracy is the wife of the Rev. Sidney Strong, of Oak Park, Chicago, Illinois; and Waldo Tracy married Fayette Darwin Winslow, who is a lawyer at Aurora, Illinois. SAMUEL PUGH. Samuel Pugh is one of Richland county's highly respected citizens, whose useful and well-spent life has not only gained for him the confidence of his fellow men but has also secured for him a comfortable competence which CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 331 enables him to lay aside all business cares and spend the remainder of his days in ease and retirement. His home is on section 36, Weller township. Mr. Pugh was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, February 24, 1845, a son of John and Elizabeth (Pifer) Pugh, both natives of Lancaster county, that state, the former born in 1801, the latter in 1809. His paternal grandparents came to this country from Ireland at an early day, and settled in the Key Stone state. Shortly after his marriage John Pugh moved to Franklin county, where for a number of years he drove a stage prior to the introduction of railroads, and later engaged in farming, gardening and lime burning as a means of livelihood. He was one of the influential men of his community, was an ardent Democrat in politics, and for many years was an active member of the German Reformed church. He died in 1879, at the ripe old age of seventy-eight years, his wife in 1897, at the age of eighty-eight. Her parents were Jacob and Elizabeth Pifer, who emigrated to Ohio at an early clay, becoming pioneer settlers of Franklin township, Richland county, where her father purchased a small farm, upon which they made their home throughout the remainder of their lives. Samuel Pugh is one of a family of twelve children, ten of whom are still living, namely : George and Mark, both residents of Franklin county, Pennsylvania; Mary, the wife of William Poe, of the same place; Jacob, also a resident of Franklin county ; Samuel, our subject ; Edward and Henry, twins, the former a teamster of Shelby, this county, the latter a farmer of Franklin township; Margaret J., the wife of Adam Henry, a farmer of Weller township; Emaline, the wife of Manuel Oliver, a farmer of Franklin county, Pennsylvania; and fames, a farmer of Weller township, this county. In the county of his nativity, Samuel Pugh passed the days of his boyhood and youth, and pursued his studies in the common schools. On reaching his eighteenth year he left the parental roof and came west, locating in Franklin township, Richland county, Ohio, where he apprenticed himself to the carpenter's trade. When his term of apprenticeship expired, he began contracting and building on his own account, and during the following nine years he steadily prospered. In 1874 he purchased ninety-six acres of land on section 36, Weller township, where he has since made his home, employing hired help to operate his farm, while he continued to follow contracting until 1888. Since then he has practically lived a retired life, though he occasionally does some work at his trade for the accommodation of his neighbors. Success has attended his well-directed efforts, and he now owns three good farms, aggregating two hundred and twenty-three acres. His home place is one of the best improved and most desirable farms of its size in the township. 332 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. In 1871, Mr. Pugh was united in marriage with Miss Maria Wolford, a daughter of David Wolford, a well-known retired farmer of Weller township, and they have become the parents of four children. Those living are Allen W., who has been teaching in the public schools for the past four years ; Arthur E., a graduate of the Savannah Academy, who taught history in that institution in the year 1899-1900, and is now teaching in the public schools ; and Carrie Mae. All reside at home. The cause of education has always found in Mr. Pugh a stanch friend. He has given his children good advantages along that line,.and has efficiently served as a member of the school board for twelve years. He is an active and influential member of the Lutheran church, of which he has been a deacon for about fourteen years, and elder for the past five years. Fraternally he affiliates with the Patrons of Husbandry, and politically is identified with the Democratic party. He is now serving his second term as a trustee of the township. Notwithstanding the fact that he is a strong Democrat, he was elected to that office in a Republican community, thus showing his personal popularity and the confidence and trust reposed in him by his fellow citizens. He is justly numbered among the leading and representative citizens of his township. MRS. MARY C. GANS. We are now permitted to touch briefly upon the life history of one who has retained personal association with the affairs of Ohio throughout almost her entire life and one whose ancestral line traces back to an early epoch in the history of the state. Mary Churchill (Weldon) Gans was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 28:1865, and died in Mansfield, August 23, 1899. She was the wife of E. W. Gans, an influential citizen and for many years connected with the Aultman & Taylor Machinery Company as the manager of its collection department. Her parentage connected her with many of the prominent pioneers of the comity, who were potent factors in determining its progress. Her paternal grandfather, James Weldon, was a pioneer of Mansfield, and early erected a block on the corner of Fourth and Main streets. For many years he followed merchandising, confining his business operations to his own city. His was a long and honorable career, and he had a wide acquaintance. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Gans was James Purdy, who was of Scotch-Irish descent, born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and studied law at Canandaigua, New York. He came from there to Mansfield in CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 333 1823, when the city was a mere frontier hamlet. He owned and edited the first newspaper, the Mansfield Gazette, and was prominent in the movement for internal improvement in the state, obtaining the location and partial completion of the canal through the Mohican valley, and when railroads came into favorable consideration, as early as 1836, secured a partial survey of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago road, but did not secure the charter until 1848. He was also instrumental in the organization of the Mansfield & Sandusky Railroad and became the president of the company. In 1856 he was the projector, vice-president and joint owner of the Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska Railroad and many town sites located along its route. In 1846 he assisted in securing the charter for the State Bank of Ohio and was a member of its board of control, establishing a branch of the bank in Mansfield in 1847. Of this he was the president until it was merged into the present Farmers' National Bank, his presidency covering a period of over forty years. He also established banks in Chicago and California. He served in three wars, namely : that of 1812, the Mexican war and the war of the Rebellion,—surely a record which is scarcely. paralleled for patriotism and active service. His wife, together with other prominent citizens' of Mansfield, was a descendant of the Hodges of Buffalo, New York, who traced their lineage back through a line of patriots to those who fought in the Revolution. William Harrison Weldon, father of Mrs. Gans, was born January 8, 1839. and died December 11, 1867, when yet a young man. As a boy he was of very studious habits, completed the course in the Mansfield city schools and a business course in Cleveland, and entered the bank of James Purdy at the age of fourteen years. He made such rapid progress that when, in 186o, Mr. Purdy, Judge William Granger and James Weldon established a bank in Chicago they placed him in charge of it. On the breaking out of the Rebellion he was appointed assistant paymaster in the navy, shipping first with the old Bainbridge, then with the steam sloop Sacramento, filling that position from February, 1862, until January, 1865. At the close of the Rebellion he formed a partnership with Colonel William Painter in the banking business in Philadelphia, but a form of low fever contracted while on blockade duty at Panama forced him to return to Mansfield, and he was never again able to take up business cares. In early manhood he had wedded Mary Hodge Purdy, the eldest daughter of James Purdy, and on the early death of her husband she devoted herself to the education of her daughter and younger son, the latter, William McElroy Weldon, now a successful lawyer. Mrs. Gans, the daughter, enjoyed the educational advantages afforded by the Mansfield schools and was graduated in the high school with the class 334 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. of 1883. The following years she took a special course at Vassar College, and the subsequent year studied in Dr. Ganett's school in Chester Square, Boston. After a year spent among her many friends in the south and some months passed in Miss Willard's special school in Berlin, Germany, she joined a party of college mates in a travel and study tour over much of the old world, the party traveling under the direction of Professor Dorchester, then famous in this specialty. They visited England, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Greece, after which, being joined by her mother and brother, another year was spent in study and travel. She spent much time in Florence, which city she greatly loved and which was her favorite next to Mansfield, to which she returned for permanent residence in 1889. Subsequently she traveled extensively in the United States. Her patriotism was intense. While her journals show careful study and thorough appreciation of all the old world has accomplished, the love of her own country and town was ever first and strongest, and her friends often heard her say that no views in all her travels so thrilled her as the sight of New York harbor andMansfield. Her religious work was always engaging, as she was an enthusiastic member of the Presbyterian church and found full occupation along all lines of its service. But her training and study in foreign lands led her naturally into great activity in the literary club life for which Mansfield is justly famous. She was a prominent member of "The Nomads," a club for literary study. This club was the first of the now numerous Mansfield clubs to break away from specific instruction and start on independent lines, determining its own course of study and doing its own investigating. In all its work Mrs. Gans was a prominent figure, and was at all times and to the end of her life by her gentle and wise counsel a strong factor in determining the policy of the club. The club gave expression to its regard in these words : "She was one of the club's most efficient and devoted members,—at one time its president and many times the moving spirit which directed the course of study. The strength and nobleness of her character and wise counsel have been an inspiration." Intimate with literary work and arduous in it and everything of interest and value to her native city, she was, on the death of Mrs. Perkins Bigelow, who was one of the charter members of the Memorial Library Association, elected to fill her place as a trustee. She was elected the treasurer and was a trustee continuously from her first election until her decease. She knew this work thoroughly, having acted at intervals as substitute librarian and given much of her time and attention to it. Though the youngest on the CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 335 board of trustees, her opinion had great weight in shaping the wise councils of that body, which has given the city an auxiliary of which every citizen is proud, and which undoubtedly is a source of more permanent benefit to the city than any one of its institutions, the public schools alone being excepted. In the words of her associates, "She came into the board of trustees in the grace of girlhood and has grown into the wider influence of a winsome womanhood. Amid innumerable demands upon her time and attention she has given most generously of her time and thought to the library. There was no display, but the strength of practical common sense united with a large sense of justice. There was a certain poise, the equilibrium of a clear-thinking mind, that made her a safe counselor. In her earnest character and conscientious work we have marked the high-featured beauty of plain devotedness to duty.' " Few women of her ability shrank more from the publicity of her work. Her public work, while engaging her whole heart, always cost her a great effort of the will. The explanation of this was found in her almost abject self-depreciation. As is usually the case, this is the truest index of superior talent and ability : "He that humbleth himself shall be exalted." She saw and heard so much that the whole world calls the best in art, literature and music, that her own feeble efforts seldom won her reasonable regard. Yet enthusiastic appreciation and a high regard for the efforts of others was her strongest characteristic and was the key to her sweet and lovable nature. Whether in the daily routine, the social function, auxiliary work of the church, literary club work or neighborly kindness, she showed always the kindly regard for the thought, intent and achievement of others that is the fruit of true culture and a pure soul, in accord with its environments, physical, mental and spiritual. Blessed with perfect health, even the mere joy of living was a daily ecstacy to her; and it has always seemed an inscrutable providence of God to remove so early a life of such pure and wholesome influence. Though young and her life potential of much greater good, yet she left on her associates and town the indelible stamp of a perfectly symmetrical, sympathetic, cultured Christian character that is the richest of earthly rewards. "A personality so strong and well poised leaves an impress that years do not efface ;" and those who knew her best and felt her influence strongest laid on the smouldering altar of her quenched life the fragrant incense of a sincere love that is its own best measure. 336 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. BENJAMIN F. WHARTON. Actively associated with the farming interests of Richland county, Mr. Wharton is the owner of a valuable tract of land of one hundred and sixty acres in Butler township. He has his place under a high state of cultivation, the fields being well tilled, while substantial buildings and all modern accessories add to the value and attractive appearance of the place. In his farming methods he is progressive, keeping the soil productive through the rotation of crops and thus annually garnering rich harvests. Mr. Wharton is a native son of Ohio, his birth having occurred in Ashland county, on the 28th of February, 1851. His father, John Wharton, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1781, and in his youth was inured to the work of the farm. After arriving at years of maturity he wedded Mary Holtz and later he came to the Buckeye state, locating in Ashland county, where he purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, on which he resided until about a year prior to his death, when he sold that property and bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in Weller township, Richland county, where he died twelve months later. His first wife passed away many years previously, and he afterward wedded Anna McMillan, who was born Pane 6, 1814, in Jefferson county, Ohio, and removed with her parents to Ashland county during her girlhood. She died March 26, 190o, in the eighty-sixth year of her age, having spent the last decade of her earthly pilgrimage among her children. In the family were ten children, of whom three are living, namely : Thomas, a resident farmer of Ashland county ; Hulbert J., who is living in Mansfield, Ohio ; and Benjamin F. In the community where they resided the family were prominent and well known. The father gave his political support to the Democracy and was honored with a number of township offices. He held membership in the Presbyterian church and his life was in harmony with Ills professions. In 1860 he was called to his final rest, his second wife surviving him for about forty years. Benjamin F. Wharton spent his boyhood days on the old homestead, the mother caring for her children and keeping the family together after the father's death. In his early youth he attended the common schools, and at the age of sixteen began operating the home farm, continuing its supervision for many years. He was married in 1876, to Miss Sarah J. Ward, a native of Richland county, Ohio, and a daughter of Jacob \Vard, who emigrated westward from Pennsylvania, taking up his abode in the Buckeye state. He is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Wharton began their domestic life on the old homestead, which continued to be their place of residence until 1883, when CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 337 they purchased a small farm south of Olivesburg, in Weller township. There he remained for eleven months, when he sold that property and purchased his present home place, comprising one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land in Butler township. In 1894 he erected a commodious and pleasant country residence, and his farm is one of the best improved in the county, giving indication of the supervision of a careful and painstaking owner. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Wharton has been blessed with seven children, of whom six are living, namely : Hattie, at home; May, the wife of Andrew Glenn, a farmer of Butler township; and Etta, Maud, Edna and Madge, who are still at their parental home. When it comes time to designate his political belief and indicate his preference of candidates for office, Mr. Wharton deposits his ballot for the men and measures of the Democracy. Socially he is connected with Shenandoah Tent, No. 445, K. O. T. M., and is one of the highly esteemed men of the county, faithful to duty in all life's relations, whether of a public or private nature. HENRY O. PITTENGER. This gentleman, who is one of the most progressive and successful agriculturists of Richland county, is the owner of a valuable farm on section 19, Weller township, and his management of the estate is marked by the scientific knowledge and skill which characterize the modern farmer. A native of this county, he was born in Franklin township, November 29, 1839, and throughout his active business life has been prominently identified with its agricultural and industrial interests. Isaac Pittenger, the father of our subject, was born in Harrison county, Ohio, November 9, 1807, a son of Abraham and Susanna (Osborn) Pittenger. The grandfather was born in Virginia, of English parentage, and some years after his marriage moved to Harrison county, Ohio, where he bought a quarter-section of land, making it his home throughout the remainder of his life. He was quite an active member of the Methodist church, and his home became headquarters for Methodism in his community, it being often used, indeed, as a meeting-house. He died at the ripe old age of eighty-eight years. On the old homestead in Harrison county, Isaac Pittenger grew to manhood, and on the 12th of June, 1832, married Miss Harriet Myers, by whom he had five children. Those still living are John M., a farmer of Jackson township, this county; Mary A., the wife df Charles Johnson, of Stark county, Ohio; and Henry O., of this sketch. The year after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Pittenger came to Richland county, and he purchased eighty acres of land 338 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. in Franklin township, upon which he erected a log cabin. There the family made their home while he carried on the work of improving his farm. After residing there for eighteen years he sold the place and bought one hundred and four acres in Weller township, where our subject now resides. In 1865 he disposed of that place, and after one year's residence on Big Hill he bought eighty-four acres in the northeastern corner of Madison township, where he lived until his death, which occurred February 14, 1880. For fifty years he was an active and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and although rather a conservative and unassuming man, he was held in high regard by all who knew him. He was very decided in his views and was an ardent supporter of the Republican party. Mrs. Harriet Pittenger, the mother of our subject, was born in what is now West Virginia, May 6, 1814, a daughter of George and Catherine (Starkey) Myers, both natives of Virginia. Her paternal grandfather, George Myers, Sr., at an early day came to America with his parents and one brother, the family locating in the Old Dominion, Virginia. George Myers, Jr., who was a farmer by occupation, came to Ohio in 1815, and after a short residence in Licking county moved to Clinton county. His first wife died when Mrs. Pittenger was only eight years old, and he then broke 'up housekeeping, his daughter finding a home with a neighbor for four years. The following year was spent with an uncle in Licking county, and at the end of that time he went to live with an aunt in Harrison county, who had been visiting in Licking county and persuaded the young girl to return home with her. Mrs. Pittenger remained with her until her marriage. In early life she engaged extensively in spinning and weaving, and with her loom materially assisted her husband in getting a start in life. Her father married for his second wife Amelia Squires, and later moved to Indiana, where his last days were passed. For his early education Henry O. Pittenger is indebted to the common schools near his boyhood home, but was attending the Hayesville Academy at the outbreak of the Civil war. He laid aside his text-books to enter the service of his country, enlisting August 13, 1862, in Company D, One Hundred and Second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In September the regiment started for the front and remained in the service for thirty-three months, being on detached duty most of the time. Mr. Pittenger was discharged at Camp Dennison, May 31, 1865, and returned to his home. He assisted his father in carrying on the farm for about three years, and also operated a sawmill, in which he owned a half interest. On the 23d of March, 1871, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Pitt- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 339 enger and Miss Sarah M. Morgan, a native of Weller township, this county, and a daughter of Simon Morgan, a wealthy land-owner of that locality, who died in 1855. By this union were born three children, two of whom survive : Isaac Morgan, who was graduated at the Mansfield high school and is now engaged in teaching in the public schools of this county ; Tracey Elsworth, who was graduated at Sharp's Business College at Mansfield and is now at home. After his marriage Mr. Pittenger purchased one hundred and four acres of land in Weller township, where he now resides, and began his career here as a farmer. His success has been rapid, and he is now the owner of over eight hundred acres of fine farming land. He has always given considerable attention to stock, and to that branch of his business he attributes the greater part of his success, it having proved quite profitable. He is a wide-awake, energetic business man, of known reliability, and is to-day numbered among the leading and representative citizens of his community. He is an honored member of Jacob Ward Post, G. A. R., and is a stanch supporter of the Republican party, while in religious belief he is a Methodist. GIDEON E. HOOVER. Gideon E. Hoover was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania. on the 28th of March, 1847. The family is of German descent and was established in America by Jacob Hoover, the grandfather of our subject, who was born in Germany and with his parents came to the new world during his early boyhood, the family locating in Franklin county, Pennsylvania. There he was reared to manhood and for many years followed farming. In early life he also became a minister of the Brethren of Christ church and until called to the home beyond he devoted much of his time to gospel work, carrying the glad tidings of joy to his fellow men. Henry Hoover, the father of our subject, was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, in 1820, and upon a farm and in a Christian home he was reared. Owing to his father's ministerial duties much of the work of the farm devolved upon him when he was yet very young, and ,his education was therefore necessarily limited. He attended school only three weeks, but through experience and observation he became a man of good general knowledge. After attaining his majority he married Lydia Byers, who was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, January 26, 1821. Her father, Andrew Byers, was one of the well known farmers of that county and was also a blacksmith by trade He entered upon his business career with only half an 340 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. acre of land, yet at his death was a wealthy man. At the time of his marriage Henry Hoover purchased a farm in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and began its development. In 1850 he emigrated to Ohio and purchased in Mifflin township, Richland county, the old homestead, upon which his son Jacob now resides. It comprises at the present time one hundred and seventy-one acres, but at the time of the father's purchase was only one hundred and twenty acres in extent. Mr. Hoover prospered in his undertakings and adding to his property from time to time he became one of the leading land-owners of his township, his possessions aggregating between four and five hundred acres. He was a member of the German Baptist church and one whose daily life was in harmony with his Christian profession. He was straightforward in all his dealings and his honesty was above question. He passed away March 5, 1884, and his wife died March 24, 188o, at the age of sixty-four years, ten months and ten days. This worthy couple were the parents of ten children, of whom six are living : Lydia, the wife of John Lantz, who carries on agricultural pursuits in Madison township, Richland county; Benjamin, who is a farmer of Mifflin township and also a minister of the German Baptist church; Gideon E.; Andrew, a resident farmer of Mifflin township ; Mary M., who is the widow of Joseph C. Zook and resides in the same township ; and Jacob, who occupies the old homestead farm. Catherine married Christian Brenner, a farmer of Wayne county, Ohio, and she is now deceased. On the farm Gideon E. was reared, his boyhood days being passed amid the scenes of rural life. He worked in the fields from the time of early planting in the spring until crops were harvested in the autumn, and in the winter season pursued his education in the district schools. Be gave his father the benefit of his services until he had attained his majority, after which his father gave him twenty dollars per month. He was thus employed for one year, and on the expiration of that period he was married and located upon his present farm, a tract of seventy-one acres which belonged to his father. He operated the place on the shares for five years, during which time he made enough to purchase the farm by paying one-half down, the remainder to be paid in five years. About 1880 he bought fifty acres of his brother Jacob, adjoining his farm, and in 1895 he purchased another tract of forty-four acres. A month later his residence was destroyed by fire. This loss, added to the debt he had contracted, would have proved a source of great discouragement to many men, but the resolute spirit of Mr. Hoover enabled him to take up his work with renewed energy. He has since built a handsome residence and to-day he has one of the best improved farms in his township, supplied with all modern accessories and conveniences. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 341 On the 27th of February, 1869, he married Miss Mary J. Lutz, a daughter of John P. Lutz, a well known farmer of Mifflin township. They now have four children : William, a carpenter and pattern-maker of Mansfield, Ohio; Samuel, who is a bookkeeper for the American Biscuit Company, of Mansfield; and Anna and George, at home. Mr. Hoover gives his political support to the Republican party and was made its candidate for the position of trustee but withdrew his nomination before the election. He belongs to Madison Grange, No. 63, of the Patrons of Husbandry, and has served as a lecturer and chaplain of the lodge. He also holds membership in the Lutheran church and for the past five years he has served as one of its deacons, contributing liberally to its support and doing all in his power to advance its interests. In his business dealings Mr. Hoover has, on all occasions, proven strictly honest, and wherever he is known his word is as good as his bond. Strictly temperate, though never allied with any temperance movement or society, he has by means of his; own will power continued throughout his life an abstainer from the use of both tobacco and liquor in any form ; nor has he ever paid, for tobacco or liquor for any one's use, for what he would not do for himself he would not do for others. A splendid example to young men and old alike has been his course as to the use of tobacco and liquors, both of which are so ruinous to both health and morals. AUGUST FRED WITT. Among the leading industries of the thriving city of Mansfield is the Mansfield Plating Company, which has been consolidated with the Ohio Brass Works and which now furnishes employment to no less than two hundred and fifty men. Its various departments are in charge of competent, up-to-date mechanics, the plating department being under the direct management of Mr. E. F. Cook. In this branch of the business all kinds of plating, including gold, silver, nickel, brass, copper and zinc, is done, and a force of sixteen men are constantly at work. The shipment from the factory goes to all parts of the world. Mr. Witt has been connected with this establishment for seventeen years and for the past twelve years, since 1888, has been foreman: He is a native of Germany, born in 1865. In his early childhood he was brought to America, reared and educated in Greenfield, Massachusetts, and there learned his trade. From Greenfield he came west to Ohio, locating first in Cleveland, where he was employed for a short time, whence he came to Mansfield. He was married, in Mansfield, to Miss Alice Prosser, a daughter of Kempley Prosser, who came from Pennsylvania to Ohio at an early 342 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. day. The fruits of their union are three. children,—Mary, Minnie and Charles. Mr. Witt resides with his family in a pleasant home of his own on Bowman street. In his political principles he harmonizes with the Republican party and is also active in local affairs. Fraternally he is a Forester and religiously a Congregationalist, identified. with Memorial church, of Mansfield, of which he is a trustee. JAMES W. LEPPO. James W. Leppo, who lives at No. 35 Second street, Shelby, Ohio, and who is a retired carpenter and builder, was born in Mount Vernon, Knox county, Ohio, June 4, 1834. He was formerly a member of the firm of Bushey & Leppo, well known for their responsibility and excellent work. The father of the subject of this sketch was John Leppo, Jr., who was born near Hagerstown, Maryland, in March, 181o, he being a son of John Leppo, who was born in France, while his parents were temporarily sojourning in that country. John Leppo was born either in 1779 or 1780, and came to the United States late in the eighteenth century, participating later in the war of 1812, and being present at Fort McHenry. He married an English lady named Mary Pheasant, by whom he had nine children,—six sons and three daughters, of whom one son, William, the youngest of the family, is still living in Springfield township. The grandparents of the subject of this sketch came to Ohio in 1832. The father of our subject, in 1833, married Mary Ann Heller, the marriage taking place near Hagerstown, Maryland, and they soon .afterward removed to Ohio, making the journey, as was customary in those days, by means of a team, their conveyance being a one-horse carryall. Their route was over the national turnpike to Jack Town, and thence to Mount Vernon. The grandfather was a farmer by occupation, and upon reaching Ohio settled on a quarter-section of land, which had been somewhat improved, and which lay about one-half a mile south of Spring Mills, upon which he lived till his death, which occurred in the early part of 1860, he being then eighty-four years of age. He was one of the successful men of his day, beginning life in a most humble manner and accumulating considerable property, owning at the time of his death somewhat more than one entire section of land. The father of the subject was an excellent boot and shoe maker, having followed this trade in Maryland, learning it when a young man near Hagerstown, that state, but after settling in Ohio he devoted most of his time to CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 343 farming. After managing his father's farm five years he settled in 1838 or 1839 on a one-hundred-and-sixty-acre farm adjoining, which he purchased at nine dollars per acre. At length he became the owner, by successive purchases, of an entire section of land, and it is within the recollection of the subject of this sketch that his father carried eggs to market in Mansfield, seven miles distant, and sold them for three cents a dozen, and butter, which he sold for five cents per pound, taking pay in sugar and in calico, paying for the latter thirty-seven and a half cents per yard. The father and mother of our subject were the parents of nine children, —five sons and four daughters,—as follows : James W., the subject of this sketch ; Sarah, the wife of George Bowman ; she died leaving three children ; John and Mary, twins, who died in childhood ; Margaret, the wife of Reuben Hess, living on the old farm upon which her father settled ; Orpha, who died when twelve years of age ; a son and daughter, both of whom died in infancy; and Thomas H., who died in Mansfield, in 189o, at the age of forty years, leaving four children. The mother of these nine children died in 1884, at the age of seventy-two years, and the parents, as well as the grandparents of the subject are resting in the cemetery at Spring Mills. James W. Leppo was reared to farm life from boyhood up, obtaining his education in the log schoolhouse so common in those days, the one he attended being constructed of round logs, with puncheon floor, desks and seats, and being 28x32 feet in dimensions. In its construction but few nails were used, the roof boards being pegged on, and the hinges of the door being of wood. The "iron age" had not then much more than dawned in this new country. Mr. Leppo attended this primitive school but three months each winter for a few years, but he improved his time and opportunities so well that he obtained a good practical education which has served him well for all practical purposes throughout his life. His favorite study was mathematics, in which he became unusually proficient, but he was also a good reader and excelled in penmanship. Remaining at home with his parents until he was twenty-five years of age, he was married August 31, 1859, to Catherine Hawk, of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, who was then twenty years of age. She is a daughter of William Hawk and his wife, whose maiden name was Miller. Both are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Leppo have two daughters : Mary S., the widow of Michael Rice, now living at home and working in the Lion Laundry ; and Lillie L., also living at home. She is a young woman of great intelligence and unusually strong common sense and fine musical taste and talent. Mr. Leppo is a Democrat in politics, but, with the exception of having 344 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. served under Mr. Bloom as assistant postmaster, he has so far escaped official position and responsibility. He is an Odd Fellow and a member of the Reformed church. In March, 1865, Mr. Leppo retired from his farm and located in Shelby, then erecting his present house at No. 35 Second street, where he has lived for the past twenty-five years. While a retired gentleman, he yet goes out occasionally to his farm, which contains one hundred acres, lying four and a half miles southeast of Shelby, and adjoins the farm upon which he was reared. The lands formerly owned by the grandfather and also owned by the father still remain in the family, and are highly prized by them. Mr. Leppo and Mr. Bushey were contractors and builders for twenty-five years, the firm name having been Bushey & Leppo. Mr. Leppo has always been a man of strong frame and great endurance and energy, and has done much hard work during his life-time. His earlier years were spent in chopping and logging, and later he spent fully thirty-five years working at the carpenter's trade. But of recent years he merely keeps his fine garden in good order, cuts his own fire wood, and keeps his own horse, driving to his farm as occasion seems to require. From long habit he is still an industrious man, work keeping both body and mind in a healthy and happy state. He is well known for many miles around his own town, and is highly regarded by all that know him, as an honest, industrious and excellent citizen and neighbor. ROBERT G. HANCOCK. One of the progressive and successful business men of Mansfield and one who is known as a worthy citizen is Robert Greenway Hancock, to whom we are pleased to direct attention in the following paragraphs. He is a native son of merrie old England, to which he owes and pays a devoted allegiance, but he is thoroughly in harmony with the spirit of American independence and progress and is loyal to her institutions and zealous in her cause. Mr. Hancock was born in Wiltshire, England, in the year 1842, the son of Joseph and Eliza Hancock. His father was a quarry merchant in that section, where he died in 1851, leaving four small children to the care of his widow, who ably discharged the maternal duties thus devolving upon her. Our subject left his native land in 1870 and came to the United States, which has ever since been his home. He worked from May until October, 187o, in Columbus, this state, after which he located in Mansfield, where he has ever since been actively engaged in business as a contractor in cut-stone work, conducting operations on a large scale and being recognized as one CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 345 of our active and influential business men. Mr. Hancock is thoroughly familiar with every detail of the business in which he is concerned, having learned the quarrying and stone-cutting trades in his native land and being an authority in these lines. He began operations as a contractor in Mansfield under the firm name of Hancock & Dow, his associate being William Dow. The first contract executed was the erection of the Congregational church here, and since that time each successive year has seen further evidences of the professional skill and executive capacity of, our subject. Among the local buildings on which the stone contracting has been held by the firm may be mentioned the Mansfield Savings Bank building, erected in 1873 ; the Plymouth and the Shelby school buildings, the county jail and many other of our most attractive business and residence structures, while other work of importance has been done in various Sections of the state. Mr. Hancock began work on the state reformatory at Mansfield in 1886, and his skill has been demanded in connection with the work on the great building each year since that time, his contracts covering not only the stone and brick work, but also much of the iron and wood work. The main reformatory building has walls which will measure three-quarters of a mile as traced about, is four and five stories high, with seven hundred feet of frontage and four wings. In the construction of the entire buildings more than fifteen million brick have been used, the cost of the institution building up to date having aggregated $1,1 oo,000. Mr. Hancock is scrupulously exact in his dealings, living up to the specifications of a contract to the slightest detail and demanding of every employe the best service of which he is capable. This inflexible integrity has given to Mr. Hancock a wide reputation and distinctive prestige in business circles. Prior to leaving England Mr. Hancock had been united in marriage to Miss Anna Scutts, who, like himself, was born in Wiltshire. They became the parents of nine children, of whom five are deceased. Those who survive are as follows : Mrs. Ada Underwood, of Mansfield ; Robert Joseph, who is employed by the Barnes Manufacturing Company, of this city ; Albert Edward, who is the secretary of the works of our subject located at the reformatory mentioned, is a capable young business man ; he married Miss Emma Arley, of Mansfield ; and Miss Anna H. Hancock, who was educated at Gambier College, and recently wedded to Charles Fausett Goodwin, of East Liverpool, Ohio. In his political proclivities Mr. Hancock renders support to the Democratic party and its principles, and in religious views he is a thorough churchman, Protestant Episcopal, being a member of the vestry of the Grace 346 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Episcopal church in his home city. Fraternally Mr. Hancock is a member of the time-honored Masonic craft, in which he has advanced to the thirty-second degree of the Scottish rite. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, having taken a prominent part in the affairs of each of these organizations. His genial personality has gained to him a wide circle of devoted friends, his popularity being unmistakable. Mr. Hancock is a man of fine presence, is unostentatious in manners and is well worthy of the confidence and regard in which he is so uniformly held. He is president of the Barnes Manufacturing Company, and is one of our progressive business men. Mr. Hancock is a trustee of the Mansfield Cemetery Association, and is also a member of the Mansfield City Sanitary Board, of which he is the president. In 1892 our subject and his "Wife revisited the land of their nativity and also made a tour of portions of "the continent," deriving great satisfaction from their outing. J. HARVEY POST. Among the leading citizens and prominent farmers of Troy township, Richland county, we take great pleasure in giving the sketch of this worthy gentleman whose entire life has been spent there, his birth having occurred on the farm where he now lives August 22, 1841. His father, Henry Post, was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in November, 1805, and in November, 1819, came to this county with his father, Benjamin Post, the journey being made by team. The latter took up one hundred and sixty acres of government land on section 4, Troy township, and began the improvement of the farm which is now the home of our subject, and which has since been in possession of the family. Their first home here was a log cabin, but later a brick house was erected, the first of the kind in the township. The grandfather was quite a hunter, and game being plentiful at that time he had ample opportunity to indulge in that sport. He died here in 1830. Throughout life Henry Post remained on the old home farm and assisted in the arduous task of clearing the land and transforming it into highly cultivated fields, his time and energies being entirely devoted to agricultural pursuits, He died March 14, 1888, and his wife, who bore the maiden name of Annie Andrews, passed away September 24, 1868. Of the seven children born to them, three died in infancy, the others being William B., a resident of Sandusky township; Nancy, the wife of William Palmer, of the same place; J. Harvey, our subject ; and Almeda. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 347 Mr. Post, of this review, grew to manhood upon the old homestead, and after attending the district school of the neighborhood for some years he became a student at Baldwin University, where his education was completed. In the winter of 1863 he began teaching school, and successfully followed that pursuit for ten consecutive winters, while engaged in farming during the summer months. For some time he and his father carried on the farm together, but later he took entire charge of the place and in its operation has met with marked success, being one of the most skillful and thorough agriculturists of his township. He and Almeda now own sixty-seven acres of the homestead, and he is engaged in general farming. In politics Mr. Post is a stalwart Democrat, and has held the office of township trustee for several years, with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. JOSEPH E. SMITH. Joseph Edward Smith, the foreman of the paint department of the Aultman-Taylor Machinery Company, of Mansfield, Ohio, is a man well known in this city, where he has lived for many years and where his thorough-going, honest, upright life has won for him the respect of all who know him. A brief record of his life is herewith given. Joseph E. Smith was born in Canton, Ohio, in 1846, a son of Anthony Smith, who was a native of Alsace, Germany. In 1868 our subject moved from Canton to Bucyrus, and in 1869 he became connected with the Aultman-Taylor Machinery Company, of Mansfield. Since 1871, for a period of thirty years, he has occupied his present position of foreman. From time to time the factory has increased its capacity and labor, in 1868 employing two hundred hands and in 1900 eight hundred hands. With this large increase in business Mr. Smith's duties and responsibilities have increased. At this writing he has under his immediate charge thirty men. During the long time Mr. Smith has been identified with this concern he has been almost as steady and regular as clock work. Only one week in thirty years has he been absent from business on account of sickness. Mr. Smith has lived in the same house, No. 396 Spring Mill street, since 1874. That year he was married to Miss Minnie R. Alonas, of Mansfield, who was born in his own native town, Canton. They have four children, namely : Rose P., Lester, Anna Blanche and Eva Maria,—all at home. The son is a graduate of the Mansfield high school, with the class of 1899 and the youngest daughter is still in school. 348 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. In his views on religion Mr. Smith is broad and liberal. Politically he is what is known as a Union Reformer, and is one of the leaders of this party in Mansfield, having carried the party banner in several campaigns. An active, intelligent citizen, interested in public affairs, always striving to do what he believes to be right, Joseph E. Smith is valued for his true worth and is held in high esteem by his fellow citizens. JAMES W. WILLIAMS. History and biography for the most part record the lives of those only who have attained military, political or literary distinction, or who in any other career have passed through extraordinary vicissitudes of fortune. The unostentatious routine of private life, although in the aggregate more important to the welfare of the community, cannot, from its nature, figure in the public annals. But the names of men who have distinguished themselves in their day and generation for the possession, in an eminent degree, of those qualities of character which mainly contribute to the success of private life and to the public stability,—of men who without dazzling talents have been exemplary in all their personal and social relations, and enjoyed the esteem, respect and confidence of those around them,—ought not to be allowed to perish. Their example is more valuable to the majority of readers than that of illustrious heroes, statesmen or writers. Few can draw rules for their own guidance from the pages of Plutarch, but all are benefited by the delineation of those traits of character which find scope and exercise in the common walks of life, Among the individuals of this class in the state of Ohio none are better entitled to representation in this work than the subject of this sketch. His record is the account of a life, uneventful indeed as far as stirring incident or startling adventure is concerned, yet distinguished by the most substantial qualities of character. His life history exhibits a long and virtuous career of private industry, performed with moderation and crowned with success. It is the record of a well-balanced mental and moral constitution, strongly marked by those traits of character which are of especial value in such a state of society as exists in this country. A community depends upon commercial activity, its welfare is due to this, and the promoters of legitimate and extensive business enterprises may well be termed its benefactors. Prominent in business circles in Shelby stands James Walter Williams, who was born in Marion, Ohio, in 1853. His father removed to Missouri and he pursued his education in Allentown, that state, but had no opportunity to attend school after he was thirteen years of age. At the time of CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 349 his father's death he was thrown upon his own resources and has since depended entirely upon his own labor for a livelihood. He began selling papers and when fifteen years of age he commenced studying telegraphy, in 1869, in Missouri, securing a position on the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad as shifting clerk. While thus engaged he continued the study of telegraphy and after mastering it continued with the company until 1878, filling various positions. In that year he arrived in Shelby and was made the bookkeeper of the First National Bank. In 1883 he was made assistant cashier, which position he has since filled. He is a man of unusual business ability, whose efforts have by no means been confined to one line. He is the secretary of the Shelby Building & Loan Association, which was established in 1895 and was organized with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars. The entire business of the association is confined to Richland county. Mr. Williams is also connected with the Shelby Steel Tube Company and the Easy Spring Hinge Company and has been instrumental in promoting various enterprises which have contributed not only to the prosperity of the individual stockholders but have also resulted greatly to the benefit of the town. He has contributed in large measure to the upbuilding of Shelby, and as one of a firm erected the Ideal Row, an addition to Shelby, and also made the Sharon Park addition, which two sections of the city contain sixty beautiful homes. In 188o he established an insurance agency and now represents the Phoenix, of Hartford, the Northern Insurance Company, of London, and various other companies, for which he is doing a good business., In 1882 Mr. Williams was united in marriage to Miss Emma Funk, daughter of Lewis and Lucy (Gamble) Funk, who were among the early pioneers of the county. The father died in 1881, but her mother is still living. Mr. Williams votes the Republican ticket and from 1886 to 1890 he served as city clerk. He and his wife attend the Methodist Episcopal church and are prominent and influential citizens of the community, enjoying the high regard of an extensive circle of friends. CLAYTON BUSHNELL HOUT. Prominent among the successful agriculturists of Mifflin township is the subject of this review, who was born on the farm on section 7, where he now resides, his natal day being April 28, 1859. He comes of good old Revolutionary stock. His paternal great-grandfather, Peter Hout, a native of Germany, came to the new world when a young man soon after the breaking out of the war for independence and entered the continental service,