CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 425 their declining years. Captain Au, however, is enjoying a well earned rest. Long connected with mercantile interests, his capital management and the careful husbanding of his resources have brought to him a very desirable competence, which now supplies him with all the necessities and many of the luxuries that go to make life worth the living. On the 12th of December, 1824, in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, Captain Au was born. His father, Henry Au, was probably a native of Perry county, that state, and was born in 1784, but his last days were spent on his farm four miles west of Mansfield, in Richland county, where he died, in April, 1863. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Barbara Ann Stough, was also born in "Cumberland county, where they were married in 1816. Their children were born in the same locality. Four of their family died in early childhood, but they reared five sons and four daughters. Of this number their sons and three of the daughters were married and had children. The five representatives of the family still living are : Henry, who is now in his eighty-fourth year and lives in Springfield township, adjoining the old homestead; Samuel, who, at the age of eighty years, lives in Madison township; Catherine, the wife of Philip Lutz, of Mifflin township; Christopher ; and Jane, the widow of William Bloor, of Mansfield. Jacob Au died in November, 1899, when about eighty-one years of age ; John died in 1895, in his sixty-ninth year ; Mary M. died about 1894, at the age of sixty-five; and Amanda, the wife of Obadiah Munnell, died in 1864, about thirty-three years of age. The mother of these children was called to her final rest in 1870, when she had reached the psalmist's span of three-score years and ten. The Captain spent the first seventeen years of his life on the old farm homestead and acquired a knowledge of the branches of learning taught in the common schools. He then (1843) removed from Pennsylvania to Mansfield and began working at the carpenter's trade. Our subject worked in southern Ohio among some of his friends and later went to Iowa in the spring of 1846. From there he proceeded southward to Tennessee and Mississippi, spending the winter in those states, and with broken health he returned to Iowa. During his residence in the Hawkeye state he formed the acquaintance of Miss Laura J. Greenfield and won her hand in marriage June 27, 1848. She was born in Locke township, Cayuga county, New York, November 16, 1829, a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Walters) Greenfield. He was formerly a minister of the Freewill Baptist church. Mrs. Au was the youngest of twelve children born to her parents. Her father was twice married and had eighteen children. Her mother, who was born January 426 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 20, 1788, died in Livingston county, New York, June 12, 1835, and her remains were there interred. The father died in 1855, at a very advanced age. He was a man of large frame, of strong constitution, vigorous in both mind and body, and he had a high moral character. He served in the war of 1812, and prior to that struggle with England three of his children were born. Mr. and Mrs. Au were married in Fort Madison, Iowa, and for two years thereafter they resided in that city, but in 1850 Captain Au returned to Mansfield with his wife. Theirs has been a very harmonious and happy life, and in 1898 they celebrated their golden wedding, having for fifty years shared with each other their joys and sorrows, their adversity and prosperity. In the summer of 1862, during the Civil war, our subject organized Company I of the One Hundred and Twentieth Regiment of Ohio Volunteers and as its captain went to the front, remaining in that service until December, 1864, when his regiment was consolidated with the Forty-second Ohio and he was assigned to Company A. The boys of his command, however, were assigned to another company and this occasioned great dissatisfaction to the Captain and his company, who were quick to make known their opposition. The Captain Was then mustered out and he returned home. He was afterward tendered a colonelcy in a new organization, but he declined to accept the appointment. With the exception of one month's furlough, which he spent at home, he was never off duty for a single day while with his command. In his political views the Captain is a stanch Republican and is a valued member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He served as the first commander of the Ontario Post, No. 485. His fellow townsmen, recognizing his ability, have frequently called him to public service. For six years he served as township trustee and for twenty years he has been the postmaster of Ontario. Thirty-one years ago he began merchandising in Ontario and continued in that business until in 1900, when he was succeeded by his son. He is now practically living retired in the home where he took up his abode thirty years ago. He owns twenty-five acres of land on the outskirts of the village and has a cottage at Lakeside, where he and his wife. have spent the .hot summer months through the past nineteen years. Both are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and he Las been one of its most active workers and held all of its official positions at various times. Unto the Captain and his wife were born the following children : George Washington, born May 31, 1849, and died in infancy ; Adessa J., born in 1851 and died at the age of five .months ; John Henry, born May 2, 1852; CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 427 Mary Ella, who was born March 27, 1854, and is the wife of P. M. Ringer, a grocery dealer of Mansfield ; Martha Ann, born April 8, 1856, and is the wife of W. H. Roasberry, a practicing physician at Olivesburg ; Sherman G., who was born in 1858 and is a grocer of Mansfield ; Abraham H., born in 1860 and is engaged in the same line of business in Mansfield ; Laura F., born in November, 1862, and became the wife of W. N. Coats, but died in 1892, at the age of thirty, leaving a daughter ; and Christopher S. was born in 1866 and killed in a railroad accident at the age of twenty years. Mr. and Mrs. Au have fourteen grandchildren living and have lost three. It was long before Captain Au applied for a pension, but he is now receiving a small one. The bravery and loyalty which his wife displayed during the Civil war was no less pronounced than that of many a veteran on the field. While her husband was at the front she cared for her family and instilled into their minds the spirit of patriotic devotion to their country. She made for them a flag which was unfurled in their yard. A man of the community threatened to tear it down, but when he found her ready to defend it even with her life he retreated. Surely the heroic citizens were not all at the front in that terrible struggle. In all life's relations Captain Au has followed a course at once honorable and upright and his life demon, strates the worth of integrity and enterprise in the busy affairs of the world. As a citizen his course has ever been commendable. As a public official he has ever been true to the public trust, and as a husband and father he has been loyal and devoted to the best interests of home, JOSEPH W. SHARP. Joseph Walton Sharp, who has won a position of distinction in educational circles, is now conducting the Ohio Business College at Mansfield. Realizing fully not only the need of education but also of systematic and thorough preparation for life's duties, he has made it his aim to fully prepare those who leave his school for the work which they will undertake in the larger school of experience. Professor Sharp is a native of York county, Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred there in 1838. His great-grandfather, James Sharp, was born in Ireland, of English parentage, and he and his brother came to America prior to 1753, locating in York county, Pennsylvania, upon a farm in Fawn township. He was married in that state, and on the old homestead his son John was born in 1753. The latter spent his last days at Frederickstown, in Knox county, Ohio, where he died in 1840, having come to Ohio about 1839. He was a 428 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. surveyor and astronomer and made the calculations for the Philadelphia and Baltimore almanacs as early as 1797. The religious faith of the family was that of the Society of Friends. John Sharp married Mrs. Elizabeth Walton, nee Kinnard, and on the old family homestead their son John, the father of our subject, was born in 1804. He married Hannah Benson. of Harford, Maryland, a daughter of Levi Benson, and they remained on the old home place in Pennsylvania until 1840, when they removed to Marion county, Ohio, where they lived upon a farm. That section of the county afterward became a part of Morrow county. John Sharp had a brother Thomas, who for many years was county surveyor of Morrow county. The father of our subject died at Cardington, Ohio, in 1865, and his wife passed away in 1854. They were the parents of five children : Elizabeth, who became the wife of Isaac C. Hall, of Guernsey county, this state, and died in 1858; Levi, a retired farmer, now living in Marshalltown, Iowa; Joseph W.; Oliver, a retired merchant of Ashley, Ohio; and Mary E., the wife of James R. Jeffreys, a farmer of Eureka, Michigan. Professor J. W. Sharp, whose name introduces this review, also claims the old family homestead in Pennsylvania as the place of his birth, but when he was two years of age his parents removed to Ohio and he was reared upon the farm in this state. He attended the common schools and in 1864 entered Oberlin College, and some twenty years later took a course in the Chicago University, in which he won the degrees of Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy. In 1866 he established a business college in Delaware, Ohio, in partnership with R. R. Hinds, a connection which continued for three years, when Mr. Sharp purchased Mr. Hind's interest and conducted the school, with excellent success, for twenty years, during which time he instructed and graduated two thousand, four hundred and seventy-nine students, who are now widely scattered over the Union, many of them occupying leading positions in the business world. In 1884 the Ohio Wesleyan University of Delaware established a commercial department, and Professor Sharp then removed to Mansfield. where he opened the Ohio Business College, now an incorporated institution of learning, which he has since successfully conducted. Here he has instructed and graduated over fourteen hundred students in all departments of commercial training. His school has made steady advancement along progressive lines. for Professor Sharp realizes fully the need of business training as a preparation for business life, and that the young men and women of the day should be well trained so that they may be competent to fill any position in their special department of labor. It has ever been the purpose of the Ohio Busi- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 429 ness College to impress upon the minds of the students the fact that success depends upon thoroughness of preparation ; and hence those who go out from that school are well qualified. The institution has a reputation second to no school of the kind in this part of the country and Professor Sharp has done an important work for those who have come under his care. He is the chairman of the auditing committee of the Richland Savings Bank of Mansfield, and in that capacity twice each year he examines and reports upon all assets, liabilities and condition of the bank. He also does much work as an expert accountant for local concerns. In 1872 he won the first prize for penmanship at the Ohio State Fair, held in Mansfield. As a temperance worker Professor Sharp is widely known, and for three years, from 1873 until 1876, he was on the editorial staff of the Delaware Signal, the state Prohibition organ. He has twice been a candidate for lieutenant-governor of Ohio on the Prohibition ticket, and between 1870 and 1896 he was very active in the ranks of the party, attending all of its national conventions, with two exceptions, and also twenty-six state conventions. He was the chairman of the state executive committee for about ten years, and his labors were most effective in promoting the cause of the party, increasing its support to thirty thousand votes in the state. He was known as a vigorous writer and his editorials were copied largely in other temperance papers. He is a personal friend of St. John, Neal Dow, James Black, John Russell and other leading Prohibitionists. In 1862 Professor Sharp married Miss Elizabeth A. Kelly, a daughter of Samuel and Lodemia (Pearson) Kelly, of Morrow county, Ohio. She died in 1898, at the age of fifty-six years, and her loss was deeply mourned by her large circle of friends, for her many excellencies of character endeared her to all who made her acquaintance. The children of Professor and Mrs. Sharp were : Hervey Elmer, who died at the age of sixteen months ; W. Way ; and Louella May. the latter dying in 1873. at the age of six and a half years. W. Way Sharp married Miss Anna Ballard, of Magnetic Springs, Union county. Ohio. and they have three children : Hazel, Eugene Walton and Forest Holt. who are attending school. Since the death of Mrs. Sharp the son and his family reside with the subject of this review. Professor Sharp is a member of the Methodist church, is serving on the hoard of stewards and for many years was the treasurer of the church. Socially he is connected with the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has filled all of the chairs in the lodge and encampment of the latter fraternity. In 1899 Professor Sharp made a trip to the Pacific ocean, traveling nearly seven thousand miles. He visited the 430 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. many points of interest in the western section of the country and along the coast, including Omaha, Denver, Manitou, Pike's Peak, Pueblo, Salt Lake City and the leading places of interest in California,—Santa Catalina island and the Yosemite valley. He is a man of high scholarly attainments, of marked individuality and strong character, with broad humanitarian principles. His life, ever honorable and upright, has commanded the respect and confidence of students, friends and business associates, and his influence for good is immeasurable. JOHN F. GERHART. This gentleman, whose home is in section 34, Washington township, has throughout his active business life been actively. identified with the agricultural interests of Richland county. A native of Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, he was born near Carlisle, on the 3d of October, 1835, and is a son of David and Jane (Parkinson) Gerhart, in whose family were eight children, —four sons and four daughters. It was in 1837 that they came to Ohio, making the journey by team and taking up their residence in Troy township, Richland county, where the father purchased a farm, and to its cultivation and improvement he devoted his time and energies for some years. In 1853 he bought the farm in Washington township on which our subject now resides, and continued to make that place his home until his removal to Bellville in 1865. There he died, at the age of seventy-seven years. Honored and respected by all who knew him. John F. Gerhart was only two years old when brought by his parents to Richland county, and upon the farm in Troy township he grew to manhood. He assisted his father in his farming operations until the latter's removal to Bellville, when he took charge of the farm. He was educated in the common schools and early acquired an excellent knowledge of every department of farm work, so that he has met with good success in his chosen Occupation. His farm comprises eighty acres of well improved land. On the 14th of October, 188, Mr. Gerhart married Miss Elizabeth Chronister, a native of Bellville, Ohio, and they have become the parents of eight children, namely : Mary E., deceased ; William F. ; Andrew L., deceased ; Charles S., John 0., Daisy B., and David W. and Rosha A., both deceased. Religiously Mr. Gerhart is a member of the Evangelical church, and politically is identified with the Democratic party. He has always taken quite an active and prominent part in local affairs, and has been honored with several CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 431 offices of trust and responsibility, serving first as township clerk from 1871 to 1877, later as county commissioner for two terms, and again as the clerk of Washington township to fill a vacancy, and again as township clerk for one term. For over fifteen years he has been a member of the school board, and a justice of the peace for fourteen years, the duties of which offices he has most faithfully and conscientiously discharged. THOMAS DICKERSON. This biographical sketch will be found especially interesting for the reason that, in "beginning at the beginning," it has been found necessary to go back to the days of primitive things in Ohio, when the best houses were log cabins, neighbors were few and scattered over a large territory, Indians were more plentiful than white men, and wild beasts—those now extinct terrors of the forest—were more numerous than Indians and whites together. Those were the days in Ohio's history that literally "tried men's souls." Thomas Dickerson, a well known citizen of Cass township, Richland county, Ohio, was born near Cadiz, in Harrison county, this state, July 11, 1822, a son of Thomas and Mary (Chew) Dickerson. Thomas was a son of that other Thomas who was numbered among pioneer settlers in Ohio as early as the year 1802. Thomas, the pioneer, came out from Fayette county, Pennsylvania, where Thomas the second was born, and with his family settled in Harrison county. There the younger Thomas grew to manhood, learning not largely from books but much from nature and more from experience, and courted and married Miss Chew. They had seven children, four of whom were sons, and three of the sons are living. In October, 1822, when the immediate subject of this notice was about three months old, his father brought his family and settled in Blooming Grove township, on one hundred and sixty acres of land which Thomas Dickerson, Jr., had acquired from the government by legal entry in 1818. He erected a log cabin,—a primitive affair,—one-storied and with one floorless room. A blacksmith by trade, he had a primitive shop on his farm, and it is related of him that he was such an indefatigable. worker that he kept his anvil ringing or was following the plow from daybreak until long after dark. He was the only worker in iron in that part of the county and he was patronized not only by the settlers round about but also by the Indians, who often called upon him to repair their hatchets and metal tomahawks, their knives and other weapons and utensils. This pioneer artisan-farmer died at the age of fifty- 432 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. five years,—perhaps not worn out by hard work, but probably years before death could have claimed him had he taken life easier. As a boy Thomas Dickerson, the third of the name in direct line, helped his father in the work of the farm and the blacksmith shop. All his schooling was obtained in a log schoolhouse two miles from his home. This simple educational edifice had slab benches and was otherwise primitive and inconvenient, but it represented the beginning of the development of Ohio's present splendid educational system, and though the work it did was limited it paved the way for larger and better things. Young Dickerson was his father's assistant until the latter's death, and after that event he remained on the home farm until he was twenty-six years old. He then bought a farm of sixty-eight acres in Cass township, on which there was a log house and some small improvements, including a four-acre clearing. After some years' residence there he moved to a farm in Franklin township, where he lived one year, and then he acquired the interest of all other heirs in his father's old home farm and again took up his residence upon it and remained there midi 1897, when he removed to Shiloh. His farm consists of one hundred acres, well improved and productive. November 30, 1843, Mr. Dickerson married Miss Susan Miller, and she has borne him nine children, named as follows in the sequence of their nativity : William C. (dead), born March 25, 1845; Manuel W., born May 22, 1847; Angeline N., born January 13, 1849, now deceased; George O., born August 23, 1852 ; Ambrose H., born October 14, 1854; Irene B., born May 26, 1857, now deceased ; Mary E., born June 17, 1859; Elmer E., born August 22, 1861, now deceased ; and Amon G., born March 27, 1866. A Republican in political ,creed, Mr. Dickerson has always wielded a considerable influence upon the affairs of his township, which he served officially for some years as a trustee. He has been for forty years an active and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His solicitude for the public welfare has been such as to distinguish him as a public-spirited citizen, and he has done as much as any man in his township to improve the schools, the highways and the general administration of public affairs. JAMES F. BOALS. James Francis Boals. formerly the sheriff of Richland county, is descended from two of the pioneer settlers of the county. His grandfather, James Boals, an Irishman by birth, came to this country in early life, and was one of the primitive settlers of Weller township, this county, where he CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 433 entered a tract of government land and developed the same into a farm. On this farm, in 1830, his son John was born. John Boals grew up here and for a number of years made this place his home, taking an active part in local affairs and being recognized as one of the leading spirits of the community. He married Miss Eliza Ashton. also a native of Weller township. Her parents were Francis and Elizabeth Ashton, the former an Englishman, who, on coming to this country, at once located in Weller township. He entered the land now known as the A. L. Martin farm. Subsequently he moved to Hardin county and thence to Allen county, Ohio, and during his active, useful life he accumulated a fortune, most of it however, in Allen county. At his death his estate was valued at two hundred thousand dollars. John Boals and his wife reared six sons and four daughters. One of the latter, Esther, is the wife of William G. Hughes, and resides in Weller township, she and the subject of this sketch being the only members of the family now living in Richland county. The parents and other children are residents of Hardin county. James F. Boals was born July 30, 1854, in the same house, in Weller township, in which his father was ushered into life. Reared on the farm, and early giving his assistance to its various kinds of work, he developed a rugged constitution and a fine physique. He remained at home until he was twenty-two years of age, when, in 1877, he married and started out in life on his own account. His first business venture was with a sawmill and threshing machine, which he operated for some years in Weller and Franklin townships, and with which he was successful, running the AultmanTaylor machinery. Selling out in 1884, he went to work for the AultmanTaylor Machinery Company, with which he was connected from that time until 1896, as a traveling representative. His travels covered all parts of the United States and numerous foreign lands, including England, Holland, Germany, Turkey, Roumania, Egypt, South America and Mexico. On one occasion he was shipwrecked. That was in 1887, in the North. sea. He had sailed from Amsterdam at noon on Sunday, for South America, and at 2 A. M. the next morning the vessel collided with another vessel, both sinking shortly afterward. Passengers and crew, numbering in all six hundred and two people, were saved in life boats and were picked up at 4 P. M. on Monday by a vessel bound for Hamburg. A keen observer with a just appreciation of the variety and novelty of travel abroad, Mr. Boals has a fund of information that is seemingly inexhaustible, and he has a pleasing way of reciting the incidents which occurred on his various trips. A description of his travels would make a volume of much interest and no small proportions. 434 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. In November, 1896, Mr. Boals was elected sheriff of Richland county, and in performing the duties of this office gave such general satisfaction that in 1898 he was elected for a second term, without any opposition whatever. His term of office expiring January 1, 1900, he became connected with the Twentieth Century Manufacturing Company, of Mansfield, with which he is at present identified. He is a member of the board of directors of the Mansfield, Savannah & Wellington Electric Railway Company. Mr. Boals was married. March 29, 1877, to Miss Eunice Cline, a daughter of Louis Cline, one of the pioneers of Weller township. They have no children. Of a genial social nature, Mr. Boals has identified himself with fraternal organizations. For fifteen years he has been an Odd Fellow, having advanced through the various I. O. O. F. degrees, and both he and his wife are members of the Rebekah-degree Lodge. From his boyhood he has been a lover of fine horses, and has seldom, if ever, been without one or more at this writing he has seven. He is a member of the Mansfield Driving Association, which has two race meetings each year, and he is now serving his third term as the president of the association. Also at this writing he is serving as a member of the Mansfield city council, to which office he was elected in April, 1900. GEORGE M. SKILES. George M. Skiles, of Shelby, was born in Stoughstown, Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, on the 25th of February, 1852, and was a child of two years when brought to Richland county by his parents, John G. and Sarah J. (Martin) Skiles. He was the third in order of birth in their family of seven children, the others being Mary Caroline, William Woodburn, John Clark, Jennie, Valletta and Burgetta. His parents were of Scotch-Irish extraction. His father was a farmer by occupation and to farm labor George M. Skiles and his brothers were reared. In the public schools he acquired an education which fitted him for teaching, and with the money he obtained in that way he was enabled to defray the expenses of a collegiate course. In order to pursue a more advanced education he entered Baldwin University, at Berea, Ohio, where he was ultimately graduated. The manner in which he obtained his education indicated the elemental strength of his character and gave promise of a successful future, for through. the winter months he continued teaching and during the remainder of the year was a student in college. In 1876 both he and his brother William were graduated in Berea University, and almost immediately afterward they began the study of law in the office CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 435 of Matson & Dirlam, of Mansfield. In the fall of 1878 they were admitted to the bar, and in the same year opened a law office in Shelby, when the city was an unpretentious town, its population not exceeding fifteen hundred. Under the firm name of Skiles & Skiles the brothers entered upon what has been a very successful professional career. As the years passed and their reputation grew they became known as leading lawyers of Ohio. Besides conducting a general practice they have made a specialty of railroad litigation, and by means of their ability many a man who has been injured through the railroad has been compensated. Both brothers possess marked ability, arising from thorough preparation and close and discriminating study in subsequent years. They prepare their cases with great care and precision and are thus well equipped for forensic combat. They have ever been closely associated in their professional labors and are self-made men whose advancement is due in no measure to the aid or influence of wealth or friends, but has resulted from personal worth and their skill in handling intricate problems of jurisprudence. The brothers have also been closely associated in the advancement of many business concerns, which have contributed not only to their prosperity but also to the welfare of the city along many lines. They are stockholders in the Citizens' Bank, the Shelby Electric Company, the Shelby Water Company, the Ball-Bearing Umbrella Company, the Shelby Stove & Foundry Company, the Shelby Steel Tube Company and other organizations whose success are due in no small degree to their wise counsel. In 1877 George M. Skiles was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Clark, and their union has been blessed by the following children : Roscoe, Blanche G., Grace A. and Glen G. Mrs. Skiles is a daughter of Samuel A. Clark and a granddaughter of Calvin Clark, a pioneer of Richland county. In politics Mr. Skiles is a stanch Republican and fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and prominent in its circles, having for seven years been a member of the grand tribunal of the order in the state of Ohio. SOLOMON EVARTS. Solomon Evarts, who follows farming in Sandusky township, was born in Jefferson township, Richland county, April 19, 1829, and thus for more than three-score years and ten he has been a witness of the progress and development of this section of the state. His father, G. C. Evarts, was born in Vermont, in 1813, and was reared in Canada. The grandfather, Timothy Evarts, came to Ohio about 1817 and died on his farm south of Beliville, about 436 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 1846, at a very advanced age. He married Hannah Bigelow and they had a large number of sons and two daughters. G. C. Evarts was the second eldest of the seven sons, all of whom were married and had children. His brother Reuben had twelve children, ten of whom reached mature years, and the father of our subject also had twelve children, ten of whom grew up to manhood or womanhood. His wife bore the maiden name of Catherine Walters and was born in Jefferson county, Ohio. They were married in Jefferson township, Richland county, about 1827, the bride being fifteen years of age. Their eldest child, Mary Ann, is now Mrs. Paxton, a widow, of Robinson, Kansas ; Solomon is the next younger ; Susan, the wife of Thomas Bull, had five children and died in 1899, at the age of sixty-eight years; Mrs. Sarah Beal had two children and died at Bellville, May 2, 1867 ; Gilbert, who engaged in railroading, died in Fort Wayne, Indiana, leaving three sons and two daughters; George, of Murphysboro, Illinois, has four sons and three daughters; Mrs. Rebecca Reed died in Crestline, Crawford county, Ohio, leaving four children; Mrs. Lucy Baer is living in Robinson, Kansas, and has four daughters and two sons ; Matilda is the wife of H. Hiskey, of Kansas, and has two sons; and Harriet, the wife of James Stough, Bucyrus, this state, has one son and one daughter grown up. One child, Reuben, died in infancy and a daughter also died in early life. The father's death occurred in Robinson, Kansas, March 12, 1886, when he was eighty-two years of age. Solomon Evarts vas reared to farm life. He began following the plow when only nine years of age and when it got fast in the furrow he had to hitch the team to the rear of the plow to pull it loose. His educational privileges were limited, for his services were needed on the home farm and he remained upon that place, comprising one hundred and ninety-two acres, until he was twenty-five years of age. He was then married, on the 6th of October, 1853, to Lucy Ellen Coile, a daughter of David Coile, of the Shenandoah Valley, in Virginia. He was born April 25, 1811, and came to Ohio in 1830, following farming in Morrow county. He married Amanda Osborne, of Knox county, Ohio, and to them were born nine children, of whom four sons and four daughters are yet living. The mother was born in 1819 and died March 12, 1888, and the father, whose birth occurred in 1811, was called to his final rest on the l0th of June, 1900. Mr. and Mrs. Evarts have but two children : Amanda Melvina, who was born October 14, 1854, and is the wife of E. A. Ashbaugh ; and John M., who was born August 10, 1857. He wedded Sarah Harris, of Springfield township, Richland county, and CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 437 they have a daughter, who is now living in Baileyville, Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. Evarts have one great-grandson, Eugene A. Morehead. For thirteen years Mr. Evarts rented land in Springfield township and in 1882 took up his abode on his present farm of eighty acres in Sandusky township. He also owns another tract of twenty-seven acres near by, and has timber upon both of these. He carries on general farming, raising crops and stock, making a specialty of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. In politics he is a stalwart Republican, and, though living in a Democratic stronghold, he has served as road supervisor and school director. He and his wife hold membership in the Methodist church in Blooming Grove. He is a man of even temper and genial disposition, possessing many admirable qualities that have gained him warm friendship. EDWIN MANSFIELD. Edwin Mansfield, a prominent attorney of Shelby, Ohio, was born June 9, 1861, and is a son of Martin H. and Anna (Saeger) Mansfield, the former a native of the state of New York and the latter of the state of Pennsylvania. They removed to Ashland county, Ohio, about 1842, where Mr. Mansfield was engaged in the manufacture of clover hullers. He was a member of a family of six sons and four daughters, the sons being Martin H., Cloyd, Henry and Newton, all of whom are living, and two others that died in infancy. The daughters were Mary E., who remains single ; Belle, the wife of S. G. Weist ; Portia, who died in 1888, at the age of twenty-two; and Myra E., the wife of E. R. Swett. The father of our subject died in 1880, at the age of fifty-eight, and the mother in. 1899, at the age of seventy-four, her death occurring at Ashland, Ohio. The school life of the subject of this sketch was passed in the Ashland public schools and at Ashland College, and afterward for some time he was in railroad service at Zanesville, Ohio, for the Zanesville & Southeastern Railroad Company, returning to Ashland in the latter part of the year 1881. Remaining there until 1882, he then removed to Shelby, Ohio, where he became the night clerk in the Junction hotel. While serving in this capacity he began the study of the law with Skiles & Skiles, and after two years thus spent was admitted to the bar in 1886. After practicing alone until 1891 he then formed a copartnership with B. F. Long, whose biographical sketch appears on another page in this work, the firm having made a specialty of municipal law. Mr. Mansfield was married in October, 1891, to Mrs. Ada E. (Davis) 438 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Low, and by her has one daughter, born March 23, 1897. Mr. Mansfield was elected the mayor of Shelby in 1886, and for four years has been a member of the board of examiners of the city schools of which he is now president. For the past nine years he has been the city attorney of Shelby, which capacity he is still serving. He is a member of the order of Knights of Pythias, and also of the Maccabees and National Union. While his father was a member of the Lutheran church, Mr. Mansfield attends the Presbyterian church. Henry Davis, the father of Mrs. Mansfield, died June 17, 1896, and Homer Davis, a brother, died June 10, 1892. Henry Davis was for many years one of the most prominent and successful business men of Shelby, and is well and favorably remembered by many of the citizens of the present day. CLARK B. HINES. Among the prominent representatives of professional life of Bellville is Clark B. Hines, a leading attorney. He was born February 6, 1860, in the house in which he yet resides, his parents being Benjamin F. and Mary J. (Armstrong) Hines. He represents an old southern family, his grandfather, Phillip Hines, having been born in Maryland, whence he came to Ohio at an early day, settling near Palmyra on the Fredericktown road. He was a farmer by occupation and died at an advanced age. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Lydia Root, also belonged to a prominent family living near Hagerstown, Maryland. Their son, Benjamin F. Hines, was born in Richland county, September 26, 1829, on his father's farm three miles south of the present home of his son Clark, and died in Bellville, March 23, 1893. Having arrived at years of maturity he married Mary J. Armstrong, who was born in this county, four miles south of Bellville on the old state road, and is still living, her home being in this city with her son Clark. She is a daughter of Isaac Armstrong, who removed from Maryland to the Buckeye state and became identified with agricultural pursuits in Richland county. In 1850 Benjamin F. Hines removed to Bellville, where he engaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes until 1881, when he retired to private life. He was very successful in his business undertakings and deserved great credit for his prosperity, for it was due entirely to his own labors. In addition to his store he owned valuable farming lands. In politics he was an active Democrat and held various township and municipal offices, while fraternally he was connected with Bellville Lodge, No. 376, F. & A. M., and the I. 0. 0. F. lodge of Bellville, No. 306. In the family were two sons and one daughter, but Clark B. is the only one living, the others dying in childhood. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 439 Amid the refining influences of a good home Clark B. Hines was reared and in the public schools he acquired his education. He early became familiar with the work of his father's shoe shop and when only ten years of age made a pair of shoes. He worked in the shop at various intervals, his labors there being alternated with pursuance of his studies. His preliminary studies were supplemented by a course in the high school at Mansfield and subsequently at a college in Cleveland, Ohio. The following years he succeeded his father as the proprietor of the boot and shoe store in Bellville and managed that enterprise with good success until 1899, when he sold out. In the meantime he took up the study of law, beginning his reading in 1885. As opportunity offered he devoted his time to the mastery of the principles of jurisprudence under the direction of lion. C. E. McBride, of Mansfield, and in March, 1897, was admitted to the Ohio bar. He has elegantly furnished offices in Bellville and a good law library, and has a large practice in Richland, Morrow and Knox counties, and is a member of the federal bar. He is a member of the county, the state, the American and International Law Associations. He carefully prepares his cases and protects every point of attack. He is keen to note the salient features in a suit, and, while neglecting not the slightest details, gives due prominence to the important points upon which the case finally turns. From his father he inherited three good farms in Richland county and he personally superintends his property interests. In his political affiliations he is a Democrat, and from 1890 until 1894 he served as the mayor of Bellville, discharging his duties in a very capable manner, his administration being practical and business like and proving of marked benefit to the city. MICHAEL CRUM. Michael Crum was born in Adams county, Tennessee, in 1832, a son of Moses and Margaret (Rex) Crum. In their family were four sons and two daughters,—three sons still living. The sons have always followed farming, which was the life work of the father, who removed to Sharon township with his family in 1840. The year previously the father walked the entire distance to see the country where he intended to settle, and on returning hitched his four horses to the wagon and with his family and household goods started for the then new country. Both he and his wife have passed away. No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for Mr. Crum in his youth. He assisted in the labors of the field and gar- 440 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. den, and acquired his education in the public schools. At the time of the Civil war Mr. Crum, with patriotic spirit, responded to the nine-months call for troops and enlisted in Company F, Eighty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, His time expired two days before the battle of Gettysburg, but he did not resign; feeling that his services were still needed, he entered that fight and was wounded in both legs by a minie ball on the first day of the engagement. After three weeks spent in the hospital he returned home and later received an honorable discharge. As a companion on life's journey he chose Elizabeth Coble, a daughter of Christian and Mary (Gortnier) Coble, who were among the early settlers of Richland county, and they aided in laying broad and deep the foundation of the present prosperity and progress of, this section of the state. In their family were four sons and five daughters, eight of them living. Mr. Crum was married September 28, 1876. In the next spring he erected an elegant residence upon his farm, one mile west of Shelby, and there he and his wife are still living, in the enjoyment of the fruits of their former toil. They have but one child, Franklin Paul, who was born. January 25, 1879, and is now married and lives on the old. homestead adjoining. SAMUEL J. COLWELL. Prominent among the energetic, far-seeing and successful business men of Richland county is the subject of this sketch. His life history most happily illustrates what may be accomplished by faithful and continued effort in carrying out an honest purpose. Integrity, activity and energy have been the crowning points of his success, and his connection with various enterprises and industries have been a decided advantage to this portion of the state, promoting its material welfare in no uncertain manner. As a wholesale and retail dealer in hardware in Mansfield he holds a conspicuous place in commercial circles in the city which is now his home. Mr. Colwell is a native son of Richland county, his birth having occurred in Lexington September 10, 1859, his parents being Samuel B. and Mary (McIntire) Colwell, both of whom are natives of Pennsylvania. His father was born in Southampton township. Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, June 12 1810, and there grew to manhood and learned the trade of blacksmith-Mg, which he followed until his removal to the west in 1830. In that year he came with his father, Samuel Colwell. to Richland county, settling at Lexington. where they were associated in operating one of the first gristmills in this portion of the state. They carried on business for some time, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 441 and afterward the father of our subject engaged in farming near Lexington. Later he removed with his family to Missouri, where also he followed agricultural pursuits, making his home in that state for about eight years. While there his wife passed away in death, in 1871, and soon afterward the family returned to Ohio, locating in Mansfield, where the father made his home until his death, which occurred June 23, 1879. He was highly respected for his many good qualities of heart and mind and in his life manifested many of the sterling characteristics of his Scotch lineage. His wife, of Irish extraction, came with her parents to Richland county in 1835. This worthy couple had nine children, three of whom are now deceased. Samuel J. Colwell, whose name introduces this review, was about four years of age when his parents removed to Missouri, where he gained a common-school education. After the return of the family to Mansfield he secured a clerical position in the employ of A. & E. Thompson, wholesale milliners of this city, and in the employ of that firm he remained for eight years. During the latter part of the time he represented the house as a traveling salesman. For about two years thereafter he was a traveling salesman in the employ of W. S. Plummer & Company, wholesale milliners, of Toledo, and later he became a representative upon the road of the suspender industries of Mansfield. This city is known far and wide for its large and successful suspender factories, and for fifteen years Mr. Colwell was a traveling salesman, introducing that line of goods first for one house and then another, the changes in his business connection being induced by the increased salary offered him. He was the first salesman west of Chicago to sell suspenders direct from the manufacturers to the dealers. His territory was large and the volume of business transacted was correspondingly extensive. He was widely and favorably known and his career as a "traveling man" was a marked success. On the 1st of December, 1899, he engaged in the wholesale and retail hardware business in Mansfield, under the firm name of the Colwell Hardware Company, and has since enjoyed a steadily increasing trade. He carries a complete and excellent stock of hardware, tools and farm implements, and the business methods and policy which he has followed have gained for him in a brief period a most excellent reputation in commercial circles. In 1886 Mr. Colwell was united in marriage to Miss Fannie B. Miller, a daughter of David P. and Harriet (Beverstock) Miller, of Richland county. Our subject and his wife have two sons, namely : David Miller and Jud Allen. The parents and their elder son are members of the Pres- 442 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. byterian church, and fraternally Mr. Colwell is connected with the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. He is broad in his views, liberal in his judgment, strong in his convictions and earnest in his opinions. His life will bear the closest scrutiny without suffering criticism. Such man leave a lasting impress for good and their histories cannot fail to exert a beneficial influence on the youth of succeeding generations. SAMUEL SHAFER. Samuel Shafer, deceased, was identified with the farming interests of Richland county for a number of years, but spent his last days in a well-earned retirement from labor in the city of Bellville. He was truly a self-made man, one who owed his advancement entirely to his own efforts, and by determined purpose and unfaltering labor worked his way steadily upward to a position of affluence. He was born in Jefferson township, August 6, 1817, and was the first child baptized in the Salem Lutheran church. His parents were Adam and Sarah (Kess) Shafer, who came from Bedford county, Pennsylvania, to Jefferson county in 1817, locating in the midst of the forest, within the present site of the city of Bellville. Amid the wild scenes of the frontier Samuel Shafer was reared, and with the family experienced the hardships and trials of pioneer life when the comforts of civilization were difficult to secure, owing to the isolated condition of the farms and the bad condition of the roads. He assisted in clearing and cultivating his father's land until twenty-seven years of age, when he was married, his wedding day being March 21, 1844, on which occasion Miss Rebecca Durbin became his wife. At her death she left a family of eight children, all of whom reached years of maturity. She passed away May 13, 1872, at the age of forty-five years, and on the 28th of February, 1875, Mr. Shafer was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Mary A. (Lemley) Weaver, who was born August 21, 1845, in Richland county, near Butler, a daughter of Caleb and Mary (Montz) Lemley. Her parents were both natives of Germany and were married in the Fatherland. They had twelve children, eight of whom are deceased, one having died while the parents were crossing the ocean. After reaching the new world they took up their abode in Butler, Ohio, in the midst of the forest, erecting a log cabin, where they spent their remaining days. The father died when about seventy years of age. He was a self-made man and a successful agriculturist. In his political views he was a stanch Democrat, and in his religious connections CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 443 was a German Lutheran. His wife died when about sixty-five years of age, and she, too, was a devoted member of the Lutheran church. Mrs. Shafer spent her girlhood days in her parents' home and was early trained to the labors of caring for the household. She was first married to David Weaver, a native of Richland county, where he spent his entire life. He survived his marriage only four years. In March, 1875, Mr. and Mrs. Shafer took up their abode on the farm, but the same year removed to Bellville, where Mr. Shafer died, on the 17th of November, 1898. His business ̊affairs were energetically prosecuted, and by close application, energy and sound judgment he accumulated a comfortable competence. In politics he was a stanch Republican, but the honors or emoluments of office had no attraction for him. He and his wife held membership in the Lutheran church and his life was in harmony with his professions. His word was as good as his bond, and in all his dealings he was straightforward and honorable, commanding the respect of those with whom he was associated. His widow is a thorough Christian woman, whose many excellencies of character have gained for her a large circle of friends. CHARLES HENRY HUBER. In these days, when politics is dominated by business men and managed on business principles, men of business ability are called to places requiring good judgment and experience in affairs of moment, and the line which long practically separated business men from politicians is being rapidly erased and bids fair soon to be entirely obliterated. The office of county recorder is an important one, demanding much of its incumbent and having much to do with the most important affairs of property owners and heirs to estates. in Richland county, Ohio, this office is filled ably and satisfactorily by Mr. Charles Henry Huber, who, while his official duties require his presence in Mansfield, retains his residence in Shelby. Mr. Huber was born in Shelby, April 21, 1857. His parents were brought from Germany, in 1852, by their parents, and both families settled at Shelby. At that time his father was sixteen years old, his mother twelve. They advanced to manhood and womanhood and were married and entered upon their life work together at Shelby. Their son, Charles Henry, attended the common and high schools at Shelby, and, having completed his education, engaged in business as a cigar manufacturer, and continued his enterprise with success until he disposed of it, advantageously, in 1899. While directing his energies to that industry he gained an enviable reputation as a relia- 444 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ble and substantial business man and became so popular with the general public that in 1895 he was elected to the office of recorder of Richland county, a compliment that will be more fully appreciated when it is understood that for twenty-two years no other man not a resident of the city of Mansfield had been called to that responsible position, or, in fact, to a county office in the court house. He was re-elected in 1898, and is now filling his second term. The population of Richland county is fifty thousand, and its taxable property aggregates two million and five hundred thousand dollars; and these figures will afford some idea to the casual reader of the responsibility resting on Mr. Huber in the discharge of his onerous official duties. From a period antedating his majority Mr. Huber has been actively identified with Democratic politics in Richland county-, and he has been a member of the Democratic county and state central committees and has been a delegate to several state conventions. He was elected a member of the Shelby city council in 1893. He is a popular secret-society member, being identified with the Knights Templar, the Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen and the Maccabees. He married Miss Rosamond Gates, a daughter of Martin Gates, who was brought to this county by his parents at the age of ten, from New Jersey, and is still living in the county, aged eighty-one years. Mr. and Mrs. Huber have three children, named in the order of their birth Mabel F., Mary L. and Charles F. A lover of home, Mr. Huber spends at his residence in Shelby the little leisure time his office permits. GEORGE W. STAKE. The Stake family is one of prominence in Richland county, where a settlement was made by the parents of our subject in early pioneer days. In the work of development and progress when this was a frontier region the father bore his part, and his labors were supplemented by those of his sons. At the time of the Civil war the loyalty of the family was plainly manifest, for the five sons all "donned the blue" and went to the defense of the Union. Few families can show a parallel of this record and it is one of which they have every reason to be proud. Peter Stake, the father, was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, reared upon a farm and was married in the Keystone state. He came to Richland county, Ohio, about 1834, purchasing a tract of wild land in Monroe township, which he cleared of timber and transformed into a good farm. He became the owner of a valuable tract of ninety-six acres, but was not long permitted to continue his labors here, his death occurring at the age of thirty- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 445 six years. He made the journey from Pennsylvania in a one-horse wagon and earnestly took up the labor of subduing the wild land for purposes of civilization. His political support was given the Democracy. His father, Peter Stake, was a native of Germany and when a young man came to the United States, locating in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, where he met with a fair degree of success in his farming operations. He died when eighty-seven years of age. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Caroline Hallman and was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania. She was an earnest Christian woman and lived to be sixty-five years of age. She had seven children, and all are now deceased with the exception of George W. and his brother Perry, a farmer living in Kansas. At the time when the south attempted to overthrow the Union, when men went from the workshops, the fields, the stores and offices to aid in its preservation, the five sons of Mr. and Mrs. Stake joined the army. Andrew J. became a member of Company H, One Hundred and Twentieth Ohio Infantry, and served for over three years. He was captured at Camp Ford, Texas, was held a prisoner for thirteen months and died in the fall of 1871, at the age of thirty-four years. Perry served for four years and three months as a member of the Fourth Missouri Cavalry and his clothing was eight times pierced by rebel bullets. Daniel, who enlisted in the Sixty-fourth Ohio Infantry, was killed after eighteen months' service in an engagement at Stone river. John was a member of the Fourth Missouri Cavalry for four years and four months. George W. Stake, whose name introduces this review, was born in Monroe township, Richland county, September 25, 1838, and his boyhood days were spent on the home farm. He was nine years of age at the time of his father's death, and two years later he began working by the month as a farm hand in Monroe township. During his youth he was also employed in a woolen mill at Newville for two years. On the 10th of August. 1862, prompted by a spirit of patriotism, he responded to the country's call for aid and was assigned to Company H, One Hundred and Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served for about one year, when he was discharged on account of disability. He participated in the battle of Vicksburg, taking part in the siege for five days and working on the canal there for six days. He was with Sherman's troops at Arkansas Post, where, on the 11th of January 1863 seven thousand prisoners were captured. He was also in a number of skirmishes and after his health failed he was in Van Buren Hospital at Milliken's Bend, near Vicksburg, for about two months. He was 446 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. also at Columbus and at Camp Chase Hospital, where he received his discharge. Mr. Stake then returned home and when he had sufficiently recovered he engaged in business by renting a farm in Worthington township, which he operated for five years. On the expiration of that period he purchased the farm which he now owns, and has since made it his home. As a companion and helpmeet on the journey of life he chose Miss Sarah Brubaker, a native of Wayne county, Ohio. She came to Richland county with her parents when fifteen years of age. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Stake has hem blessed with four children : Effie M., now the wife of Charles Forbes, of Worthington township ; Samuel Kirkwood, a farmer of the same township ; and John Franklin and James, who work their father's land. Mr. Stake owns a valuable tract of a hundred and sixty acres, which is under a high state of cultivation and is improved with all modern accessories, conveniences and buildings, including a beautiful residence which stands as a monument to his thrift and enterprise in former years. He is a stalwart Democrat and has served as a school director, but has always refused to accept other offices. For forty years he has been an active member of Sturges Lodge, No. 357, I. O. O. F., of Butler, and he also belongs to Samuel Bell Post, No. 536, G. A. R., of Butler, while he and his wife hold membership relations with the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has held various offices. He has also taken an active part in church work and is a man in whom the people place the utmost confidence. Their trust in him has never been betrayed in the slightest degree and he has many friends in the community. JOHN SIMPSON, PH. D. Rising above the heads of the mass there has always been a series of individuals, distinguished above others, who by reason of their pronounced ability and forceful personality have always commanded the homage of their fellow men and who have revealed to the world those two replendent virtues of lordly race,—perseverance in purpose and a directing spirit which never fails. Throughout all the great west have been found men who have marked with deeds the vanishing traces of swift-rolling time and whose names are kept green in the memory of those who have cognizance of their lives and accomplishments. Such a man was Professor John Simpson, who for twenty years was at the head of the Mansfield schools and placed the educational interests of the city upon the high plane which they now occupy. His work was far- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 447 reaching in its influence and immeasurable in its benefits, and his strong individuality left the impress for good upon the lives of nearly all with whom he was associated. Professor Simpson was born in Richland county, on the 26th of June, 1829, his parents being Samuel and Catherine Simpson. His father was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, November 26, 1793, and having arrived at years of maturity he married Catherine Hout, who was .born in Martinsburg, Virginia, March 13, 1796. In 1818 the parents removed from Jefferson county to Richland county, Ohio, locating near Petersburg, where they built their first log cabin in the midst of a wilderness which stood in its primeval strength. There the little home stood on a spot within a few feet of the site of the substantial brick residence in which they spent their remaining days in the enjoyment of all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. At the time of their arrival in Richland county there was only one cabin within what is now the corporation limits of Petersburg, and the county seat was a block house surrounded by probably about thirty pioneer cabin homes. The Presbyterians worshiped in a block house and the Simpson family traveled there, a distance of eight miles, making the journey through the wilderness on horseback in order to take part in its services. All the experiences of pioneer life were familiar to them, including the arduous task of developing new land in order to make it productive. Upon his father's farm John Simpson was reared and assisted him in clearing and cultivating the fields. His early educational privileges were quite limited, and when quite young his father sent him to the Vermillion Institute at Hayesville, where he continued his studies for one term. He displayed special aptitude in his school work and manifested a strong desire to improve his scholastic opportunities. After leaving Vermillion Institute he engaged in teaching in the district schools, and thus made and saved money enough to return to the institute, where he continued his studies and at the same time served as a tutor. On leaving Hayesville he removed to Alabama, where he engaged in teaching school for three years. Not content with the privileges he had already enjoyed he next entered Jefferson College, at Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, as a member of its senior class and was graduated in 1858. Throughout his entire life he devoted his energies to educational work. On the completion of his collegiate course he taught in an academy at Millersburg, Ohio, and about 1860 he became a member of the faculty in the Vermillion Institute. In a short time he was made the professor of mathematics and astronomy and subsequently became the president of the institution, filling the position with marked ability until 1871, when he accepted 448 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. a call to the principalship of the ungraded schools of Mansfield. In 1873 he was chosen the superintendent of the Mansfield public schools, and for twenty years was in control of the educational interests of this city, filling the position with rare efficiency and ability, as is indicated by his long connection therewith. He came to the position well equipped as far as education, habits and industry were concerned, but without experience in the direction of managing a graded school, and his task was severe. He had to. follow such eminent educators as Professors Henry M. Parker and J. H. Reid, but he entered upon his work with determined purpose, resolved to follow the best methods which he knew and to improve upon these as a result of his experience and observation. His connection with the schools was a period of continuous, persistent and devoted work. He was himself a most diligent student and on scientific questions kept abreast with the most advanced thinkers of the day. He had few equals in mathematics and astronomy, and his knowledge of the higher sciences was comprehensive and exact. As an instructor he was plain, direct and practical and as a disciplinarian he was firm, yet kindly, and his pupils recognized that he had their best interests at heart. The school buildings erected during his administration are objects of the city's pride and stand as monuments to the efforts of Professor Simpson, who made the schools a credit to Mansfield. He attempted to render the course of study as attractive as possible and at the same time of great benefit as a preparation for life's responsible duties. Ue received the hearty indorsement of the school board and of the citizens in general, and many of the students under his guidance have reason to remember him with gratitude for the aid which he gave to them. His success as an educator gained him prominence among the leading instructors of the state and the proficiency of the Mansfield schools became widely known. The honorary degree of Ph. D. was conferred upon Mr. Simpson by Wooster University, of Wooster, Ohio. On the 25th of December, 1862, Professor Simpson was united in marriage to Miss Millie J. Stringer, a native of Ashland county, Ohio, and a daughter of Thomas and Harriet (Potts) Stringer. For many years her father was a prominent merchant and business man of Ashland county, conducting two mercantile establishments, one of which was located in Ashland, the other in Loudonville. He also had milling interests, and was thus actively identified with industrial affairs. In 1849 he went to California, attracted by the discovery of gold there, and for three years he remained upon the Pacific slope, meeting with excellent success in his efforts as a miner, miller and merchant. In 1852 he returned to Ohio, with the intention of taking his CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 449 family to the west, but his wife objected because her children were so young, and they accordingly determined to remain in this part of the country. Mr. Stringer then again went to California to settle up his business there and two years later, when on the eve of returning to Ohio, he was murdered for his money. To Professor Simpson and his wife were born three children : Mary Blanche, the wife of Edwin D. Baxter ; Helen Augusta, a graduate of Cornell University, who is now completing her education in Europe ; and Gertrude, the wife of Charles H. Keating, a prominent attorney at Mansfield. Professor Simpson was a Knight Templar Mason and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and was also an active representative of the Royal Arcanum, serving for some years as the secretary of Ohio Council, No. 9. He took a deep and active interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of Mansfield and withheld his support from no movement or measure which he believed would contribute to the public good. He had faith in its future and pride in its growth and attainments, and when Mansfield was little more than a village he built for himself and family an elegant home in what was then a suburb of the town but is now almost within the heart of the city. He did all in his power to promote the intellectual and moral advancement, and he enjoyed the unqualified regard of Mansfield's citizens. His earnest Christian life led others to have faith in the sovereign power of Christianity, for he daily exemplified his belief in his dealings with his fellow men, and his history is as an open book that all might read. He was a member of the session of the Presbyterian church at Hayesville, and after locating in Mansfield was called to the same work, being for many years a member of the session of the First Presbyterian church in this city, acting as clerk of that body. He was long connected with the Mansfield Lyceum, becoming one of its charter members on its organization, more than two decades ago. During the year 1898 he was chairman of its committee upon general subjects in debate and he made the society a factor for good in the community. One of nature's noblemen, he will long be held in grateful remembrance by the people of Mansfield for his untiring labors in her behalf. What he did was done through a deep and abiding interest in his fellow men. He had a nature devoid of selfishness and characterized by careful consideration for the opinions and feelings of others. "His life was gentle and the elements so mixed in him that nature might stand up and say to all the world, This was a man." He died Sunday, March 5, 1899.