550 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. of demand and supply governs the world. Hungry passengers and teamsters passed that way who wanted .food for themselves and feed for their horses, and the Bells were soon induced to open. a public house. Accordingly the sign of "Bell's Tavern" was put out, and stables and feed sheds erected and accommodations provided for "man and beast," as it was idiomatically expressed. This Lexington-Bellville road was a feeder of the State road, which was the great route for both passengers and freight between the north and the south, and teams loaded with grain and other farm products were driven from the Ohio river and intermediate. points to Huron and Sandusky, and there exchanged for merchandise, which was taken upon the return trip. This tavern soon became an important way station on the route. Deputy Sheriff Bell has the sign of this tavern, which he keeps as an heirloom. Bell's Tavern was opened to supply a want and served its day, fulfilled its purpose and as a hotel is now no more. It belonged not to the earliest pioneer epoch, but to a later era—to a period that spans the past with the present—to which we can look back at what might be termed the drama of events, without taking the time to unveil the farce of particulars, and be thankful that we live in an age of inventions, improvement and advancement far superior to the stage-coach clays of other years. ADAM BERRY. An attractive farm of one hundred and twenty-two acres, supplied with all the modern improvements and accessories, located on section 33, Monroe township, is the property of Adam Berry, who has a wide acquaintance in Richland county, and is highly esteemed as a citizen of worth. He was born near Canton, Ohio, July 6, 1827, his parents being Jacob and Mary (Albright) Berry. His father was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, March 26, 1800, and in early manhood removed to Canton, Ohio, where he married Miss Albright, a native of Stark county, this state. They located in Monroe township, upon a farm where the son now makes his home, and he was there reared, sharing with his family in the experiences incident to the development of a farm upon the frontier. He obtained his education in the common schools and afterward went to live with his grandfather, with whom he remained until the latter's death. Subsequently he began working for his uncle, J. Hersh, at five dollars per month. In the following summer he was given seven dollars per month in compensation for his service. Through the five succeeding- years he worked as a farm hand in the neighborhood, and during the construction of the CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 551 Baltimore & Ohio Railroad he for some months assisted in the work on that line. In 1851 he was married, and in the spring of 1852 he removed to the tract of fifty-seven acres that is now a part of his home farm, beginning life here in a log cabin. At a later date he cultivated his mother-in-law's farm for ten years, and now he has one hundred and twenty-two acres of land on section 33, in Monroe township, where he is successfully carrying on agricultural pursuits in connection with the raising of hogs. He has a well equipped farm, is practical and progressive in his methods, and from his well tilled fields he derives a good income. On the 19th of October, 1851, occurred the marriage of Adam Berry to Miss Susan Stimely, a native of Pennsylvania. She was three years of age when brought to Ohio, her people locating in Wayne county, Whence they afterward came to Ashland. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Berry have been born four children : Franklin P., at home ; George W., a farmer of Monroe township; Mina 0., the wife of Charles Smith, an agriculturist in the same township; and Jeanette, who is still with her parents. Mr. Berry belongs to the Mohawk Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry and in politics is a Democrat. His has been an active and useful career, demonstrating the power of industry in winning success. Such a career amply proves that success does not depend upon inheritance or influence, but upon the efforts of the individual, his close application, indefatigable diligence and his keen business sagacity. THOMAS B. ANDREWS. Thomas B. Andrews, Esq., was one of the most prominent men in Richland county in his day and generation. He was the first postmaster at Butler and had the honor of naming the office for General William 0. Butler, candidate for vice-president of the United States on the Democratic ticket in 1848. He was a justice of the peace in Worthington township for many years, and was a county commissioner from 1845 to 1851, and during his terms remodeled and enlarged the old brick court-house by adding a story and extending the same beyond the ends of the original building, and for the support of these extensions heavy brick columns were erected, making the edifice more imposing in appearance. 'Squire Andrews was of Scotch-English parentage. He was born near Canton, Ohio, May 17, 1807, and came to Richland county in 1823. He married Marilla Pollard in 1829, and they reared a large family of children. He resided upon his farm near Butler, and his home, a commodious 552 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. brick building, was always hospitably opened to his friends. His life was an active, earnest one; he was influential in public affairs and enjoyed the respect and confidence of his neighbors. He died February 28, 1889, aged eighty-one years, nine months and eleven days. His widow still survives. OLIN M. FARBER. Mansfield has long been distinguished as the center of a law practice as brilliant as it has been solid and substantial. It has afforded good opportunities for advancement to young lawyers of ability, and many such have sought worldly success and professional distinction in its courts. Among the more prominent young lawyers of the Richland county bar during recent years none has been more deservedly successful and popular than Olin M. Farber. His thorough preparation for admission to the bar, his recognized ability as a public speaker and tact in the trial of cases, have given him professional prestige, while a strict adherence to the ethics of his profession and his manifest interest in the public welfare, coupled with a warm geniality, have made him popular. Olin M. Farber is the eldest of three children of Harmon Farber and Esther J. (Olin) Farber, both natives of Richland county, and was born at Bryan, Ohio, June 15, 1869, where. his father was operating a stave mill in partnership with a brother-in-law, M. C. Moores. When this son was about six months old his parents returned and his father engaged in the business of blacksmithing and carriage building in Bellville, and so continued until the fall of 1883, when he opened a hardware store and is now the senior member of the firm of H. Farber & Son, of that town. Harmon Farber served as a private of Company C, Sixty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the war of the Rebellion. He has been honored by the people of Belleville and Jefferson township with the office of township trustee for two terms, township treasurer three terms, and member of the Bellville board of education for two terms. As a member of the Democratic county executive committee and otherwise he has exercised an appreciable influence in county politics. His son and partner, Harry Benton Farber, is now serving as the township clerk. Peter Farber, the father of Harmon Farber and grandfather of Olin M.. Farber, was a substantial farmer of Richland county: He in turn was a son of Harmon Farber, a millwright, who died at the Hammond home near Butler while on his way overland with his family from Blair county, Pennsylvania, to the state of Indiana, where he had purchased a large tract of land. He was buried in the Mount Carmel church cemetery, and his fam- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 553 ily returned to Pennsylvania with the exception of Peter, who married Margaret Ramsey and located in Perry township. wife, the grandmother of Olin M. Farber, came of old Revolutionary stock, whose names grace the muster roll of the continental army. Besides Harmon, another of their sons, William H. Farber, when but nineteen years of age enlisted as a private in the war of the Rebellion and by valiant service attained the rank of captain of Company F, Sixty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served during the whole war. After the war he made an excellent record as a public official, having filled the positions of deputy clerk and deputy auditor of Richland county, and after moving to Columbus, the position of statistician under State Auditor Poe for two terms. He was then transferred to the office of State Insurance Commissioner Matthews, where he remained until his death in February, 1898, and was buried at Mansfield. He left one son, Charles, who resides at Columbus, in the employ of The State Savings & Trust Company. On the maternal side Olin M. Farber's ancestry can be traced for centuries. His grandfather, Nathaniel Green Olin, attracted by the golden promises of the "west," moved with his then growing family from Shafts-bury, Vermont, to the county of Richland. He was an industrious farmer and stock man, and was the owner of a large and beautiful tract of land in the Clear Fork valley, three miles west of Bellville. He was directly descended from John Olin, the founder of the Olin family in America, and, for that matter, in the world, as he was the first of that name. The family of Olin, therefore, is not large nor of many branches, but all of that name are closely related. John Olin's real name was Llewellyn, a direct descendant of Prince Llewellyn and his wife Eleanora, the last of the royal family of the Welsh when Wales passed under the dominion of the English crown. History says : "In the last struggle for Welsh independence Prince Llewellyn fell in a sudden skirmish at Builth, in the valley of the Wye; his head was sent to Edward, who placed it on the walls of the Tower of London crowned with an ivy wreath in mockery of a prediction of Merlin, that when the English money should become circular the Prince of Wales should be crowned in London." After six months David, a brother of the prince, was tried before a parliament summoned to meet at Shrewsbury and suffered the penalty of treason. The family was scattered and persecuted by English rulers for generations. In 1678 John Llewellyn, a youth of fourteen years, was seized on the coast of Wales and pressed on board a British man of war, where he was forced to act as "powder monkey." On the arrival of the vessel in Boston Harbor the youngster deserted, took to the woods, changed his name to 554 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Olin and finally settled at East Greenwich, Rhode Island. From his loins has sprung an able family, many of whom have distinguished themselves in the higher walks of life. Among them may be mentioned Stephen Olin, D. D., once the president of Wesleyan University and a leading divine of the Methodist church ; Job S. Olin, a brother of the grandfather of Olin M. Farber, one of the judges of the court of the District of Columbia ; while of the present generation there is Stephen H. Olin, of the law firm of Olin, Rives & Montgomery, New York city; also John M. Olin, an uncle of Olin NI. Farber, who, in connection with his extensive law practice, is a lecturer in the law department of the University of Wisconsin, at Madison. Some years ago he was a candidate for governor of the state of Wisconsin on the Prohibition ticket and received an enormous vote. Another of this name is a professor in Buchtel College, Akron, Ohio. Olin M. Farber completed a fourteen-year course in the Bellville public schools and graduated with the honors of his class June 3, 1887. He was an industrious youth and outside of school hours and during his vacations his time was spent clerking in his father's store, working on a farm of his father's, or toiling all summer long in the hot sun in a brick yard. His father gave him and each of his sons all possible encouragement along the lines of education, and in the fall of 1887 he entered the University at Wooster, Ohio, and after spending three years there he went to the Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, at which institution he graduated in the classical course, June 18, 1891. He received honors from both universities, not for making the highest grades in text-book lore, although he was among the foremost of his class in this respect, but by being selected to represent the university, or his class, or his literary society, on public occasions and contests. He went in for the broader culture of the university by making special use of the library, taking extra studies, doing college newspaper work, and being active in field athletics. He became a ready debater and was awarded the junior oratorical prize open to contest for the members of his class at Wooster. At Cornell he was awarded the Woodford prize for oratory open to members of the senior class. At graduation he was, on recommendation of the faculty, elected to the professorship of English literature in Carthage College, at Carthage, Illinois. He occupied this chair for one year and resigned to accept a more lucrative one as the superintendent of the public schools at Litchfield, Michigan. He resigned this position and spent the summer of 1893 in the law office of Powell, Owens, Ricketts & Black, Columbus, Ohio, where he entered upon the study of his long cherished profession, In the fall of that year he entered the law office of Douglass & Douglass, in Mansfield, Ohio, where he diligently pursued his studies until March 8, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 555 1894, when he was admitted to the bar at Columbus, Ohio. He retained a connection with this term until May 15, 1897, when he entered into partnership with H. L. Bowers, under the firm name of Farber & Bowers, which continued until December 1, 1899, when Mr. Bowers retired from the practice. Since then Mr. Farber has enjoyed a lucrative and growing practice, with. offices in the Dickson building. He has been chancellor commander of Madison Lodge, No. 26, Knights of Pythias, is a member of the K. O. T. M., M. W. of A., of the Three Link Club and of the First Presbyterian church. He is prominent socially. In politics Mr. Farber is a sterling Democrat and prominent in the the councils of his party. Since his admission to the bar he has taken an active interest in campaign work, and on March 2, 1901, was rewarded by being nominated for the office of city solicitor, receiving more votes than his opponents taken together. He was elected by the handsome majority of three hundred and twenty-four over his opponent, James M. Reed, an attorney of established reputation, and entered upon the duties of the office May 7, 1901. ALBERT MILLIGAN. Albert Milligan is successfully engaged in farming on section 1o, Monroe township. He deserves great credit for what he has accomplished, as he. started in life a poor boy and has worked his way upward unaided. His labors have not been intermittent, but have been continuous and have been guided by sound judgment. Industry always forms the foundation for success, and such has been the case with Mr. Milligan, Who to-day is numbered among the substantial residents of Richland county. He was born in Ashland county July 7, 1834, his parents being Jonas and Margaret (Swinesford)Milligan. The father was born in Pennsylvania and when a young man came to Ohio. After some years spent as a farm hand in Ashland county he purchased ten acres of land on Honey creek, near Hayesville, and there he and his wife located. In connection with the subject of this review he afterward purchased two hundred and ten acres of land near Perryville and thereon made his home until his death, which occurred when he was seventy-one years of age. He married Margaret Swinesford and they became the parents of five children, of whom four are living, namely : Martha A., the widow of William Woodhull, of Green township, Ashland county ; Albert, of this review ; George Washington, a farmer of Mifflin township; and Jonas, who cultivates a tract of land near Crestline, Richland county. 556 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Albert Milligan received but limited educational privileges, for at an early age he began to earn his own livelihood, working as a farm hand for two dollars and a half per month. He possessed a resolute spirit and strong determination, and these qualities have served as stepping-stones on which he has risen in life. In 1859 he was united in marriage to Miss Anna B. Culler, a daughter of Michael Culler, near Mifflin, Ohio, and she has proved to him a faithful companion and helpmate on life's journey. They began their domestic life on the farm where they yet reside, and as the years have passed Mr. Milligan's income has increased and he has made judicious investments in real estate until he now owns six hundred and twenty-four acres of valuable land. He devotes his attention to general farming, raising the cereals best adapted to this climate. His fields are well tilled and are divided by carefully repaired fences. The buildings are in good condition and all the accessories and improvements of a model farm are found upon his place. Mr. Milligan votes with the Democratic party and has membership relations with Mohawk Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry.. His wife is a member of the Lutheran church. Mr. Milligan is justly numbered among the representative men of his county. His life is an illustration of what may be accomplished when one has the will to do. Indolence and idleness have never formed any part of his nature, and his energy has enabled him to rise from humble surroundings to a position of affluence. JOHN CHRISTIAN ACKERMAN. The subject of this review, one of the 'highly esteemed citizens of Mansfield, is a native of Germany, born in Wurtemberg, in 1846, and is a son of Jacob and Magdalene (Marpas) Ackerman. Reared in his native land, he acquired a good practical education in its public schools and there learned the cabinetmaker's trade. On coming to the new world in 1866. he first located in Canton, Ohio, where he was employed in a furniture establishment for five years, and then removed to New Cumberland, Tuscarawas county, where he was interested in the furniture and undertaking business for about nine years, and also served as a township clerk, taking an active and prominent part in Democratic politics. In 1879 he came to Mansfield and has resided in the same house ever since. On locating here he entered the employ of the Aultman-Taylor Company in their pattern department, and has remained with them, an honored and trusted employe, up to the present time. He was married, in 1871, to Miss Mary Lerch,. by whom he CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 557 had three children : William, who married Miss Ada Nagle and lives in Mansfield ; Lena, the wife of William Snyder, of the same place ; and Charles, who married Miss Laura Copeland and also resides in Mansfield. Mrs. Ackerman died in the spring of 1879, and in the fall of that year he was married to Mrs. Rose Adams. Mrs. Ackerman's first husband was John Adams, by whom she had two daughters, Villa and Zora, who were graduates of the Mansfield high school and live with Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman. Mr. Ackerman is a popular and influential citizen of his community, and has served two terms in the city council of Mansfield, being elected to that office in 1886 and 1889. In 1893 he was elected a member of the school board, was re-elected in 1894, 1896, 1898 and 1900, and since April, 1900, has served as the president of the same, being re-elected in 1901. He has always taken an active and commendable interest in educational affairs, and for the last five years has been a member of the teachers' committee. Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic order, and religiously a member of the Methodist church. He is highly respected and esteemed by all who know him, and his friends are many throughout the county. SAMUEL ANDREWS. A man's life and labors make him known to his fellow citizens, and Samuel Andrews needs no introduction to the men and women of Monroe township, Richland county, Ohio, but a man's life and works entitle him to the remembrance of mankind in the generations after he has passed away from the active field of human endeavor, and it is to record the chief incidents in his busy and useful career that this brief biographical sketch has been prepared and is presented in this connection. Samuel Andrews was born on the farm on which he now lives July 29, 1840, a son of James and Lovina (Carrick) Andrews. His father was a native of Jefferson county, Ohio, married there and in 1823 located in Monroe township, Richland county, on the farm now owned and occupied by the subject of this sketch, which had been purchased from the government by Colonel John Andrews, his father who had served his country in the battles of the war of 1812, who was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, and who died in Richland county, Ohio. Few improvements had been made on the place when James Andrews took up his home on it. He built a log cabin for a temporary residence and later provided his family with a more comfortable home and made a good farm, on which he died in 1850, aged fifty-four years. James and Lovina (Carrick) Andrews had children 558 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. as follows, mentioned in the order of their nativity : John G., who lives at Freeport, Michigan; James, who died in 1898; William, who died in 1892 ; Mary J., who lives at Beaver Dam, Indiana ; David, a sergeant in the One Hundred and Twentieth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in the war of the Rebellion, who died at Vicksburg ; Joseph, who served in the Civil war in the Sixty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and now lives at Atchison, Kansas ; and Samuel. Samuel Andrews was reared on his father's farm and educated in the district schools. Like some of his brothers above mentioned, he risked his life in defense of the Union in the great war with the south. October 9, 1861, he enlisted as a private in the Sixth Ohio Battery for three years or during the war. He was mustered into the service at Mansfield, Ohio, and went in turn to Louisville, Columbia and Jamestown, Kentucky. At the last mentioned place he helped to guard the approaches to the Cumberland river. From Jamestown he went to Nashville, Tennessee, and thence to Corinth, where he was at the time of the evacuation. He went thence to Huntsville, Alabama, and then to Stephenson, in the same state, and from there back to Louisville, Kentucky, and there he was taken ill and was taken to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was discharged from the service on account of disability, November 2, 1862. He at once returned home and assumed the management of the Andrews homestead, which became his in 1874, when he bought the interest of the other heirs of his father in the same. Mr. Andrews was married, June 9, 1864, to Miss Amanda Wiles, sister of Rev. Mr. Wiles, a minister of the gospel well and favorably known in this vicinity. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews have had children named as follows: Cary S., of Shelby, Ohio ; Minnie ; Alta, the wife of Frank Inks ; Lovina ; Lloyd ; Herman, who is dead ; and another child who died in infancy. In politics Mr. Andrews is a stanch Republican, a consistent voter and worker for the prevalence of the principles of his party, but not an office-seeker and not in the accepted sense of the term an active politician. He ranks with the leading general farmers of his township and is the owner of one hundred and fifty-six acres of good land, one hundred and thirty-five acres of which is under cultivation. He keeps alive the memory of the days when he was a soldier by membership of Swigert Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of which he is one of the honored past commanders, and he is a devoted and generously helpful member of the Lutheran church, upon the services of which he and his family are attendants. In all things he is a good and useful citizen, public-spirited to an unusual degree and with the welfare of his township and county close to his heart. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 559 WESLEY R. McDERMUT. Among the many worthy and prominent farmers of Richland county, Ohio, there, is none more deserving of a place in this work than the well known citizen whose name appears above. Wesley R. McDermut was born in Mifflin township February 20, 1831, a son of Mark and Sarah (Hanley) McDermut. His father was a native of Mercer county, Pennsylvania, and came to Ohio in the fall of 1814 and located in Mifflin township, on land which he purchased from the government on the easy terms in vogue at that time. He built a log cabin on the land, and in 1815 his father, a Revolutionary soldier, who lived to be more than a hundred years old, came from Pennsylvania, bringing his family, and they found a home on the place. This patriot pioneer was a Mason, and was in all ways a prominent and influential citizen. Mark and Sarah (Hanley) McDermut had seven sons and two daughters, five of whom are now living. Wesley R. McDermut, the immediate subject of this sketch, was their fourth son in order of birth. He was reared on the old family homestead in Mifflin township and remained there until he was twenty-three years old. He then went to Davis county, Iowa, where he worked for two years. He was next employed for a time in another part of Iowa and then went to a point near Iowa City, remaining there two years. On the expiration of that time he returned to Richland county, Ohio, and married Miss Lydia A. Chew, and they had three children. The two living are : James, who married a daughter of William and Harriet Rodman and lives on the old family homestead ; and Sarah, who married O. H. McFarland and lives upon a farm above Lucas. Ida May died in infancy. For three years after marriage Mr. McDermut lived on a rented farm, until he bought eighty acres in Blooming Grove township, where he lived for three years. He then sold his place there, and returning to Monroe township purchased his wife's grandfather's eighty-acre farm, on which he lived from 1864 until 1882, when he moved to the farm which has since been the family home. This place has an area of one hundred and twenty acres and Mr. McDermut owns enough other land to make an aggregate acreage of two hundred and thirty. He is recognized as a successful general farmer and makes a specialty of Poland China hogs and shorthorn cattle. Although starting in poverty he never was sued on any account he ever contracted. Politically Mr. McDermut is a Democrat, and he is a public-spirited man who takes a deep interest in all public questions, national and local. He 560 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. has served his fellow townsmen as township trustee for two years, and his interest in educational affairs has influenced him to perform the duties of school director for twenty years. ISAAC N. THOMPSON. Isaac N. Thompson was born in Monroe township, Richland county, on the 18th of December, 1837, his parents being William and Margaret (Raitt) Thompson. His father was a native of Adams county, Pennsylvania, born March 20, 1793. He served in the war of 1812, and when eighteen years of age he accompanied his parents on their removal to Belmont county, Ohio, where he attained his majority, and was married, wedding Miss Margaret Raitt, a native of Scotland, who came to America with her parents, David and Lillis Raitt, when she was a child of only two summers. The family located on the dividing line between Belmont and Guernsey counties, Ohio, where Mrs. Thompson grew to womanhood and was married. Soon after their marriage the young couple took up their abode in Richland county, where Mr. Thompson purchased a quarter section of land,—the farm upon which Amos Hunter now resides. The place was in its primitive condition, but he at once began to clear away the timber and soon acre after acre was placed under the plow. As opportunities offered he added to his land possessions until he became an extensive land-owner, owning lands in both Richland and Ashland counties. He made his home on the farm on which he settled, in Monroe township, until his death, and in his business affairs met with very gratifying success. He was a man of indefatigable energy, strong determination and excellent executive ability, and in this way gained a handsome competence. Not only did he follow agricultural pursuits, but for many years he operated. a sawmill. In early life he gave his political support to the Democracy, but becoming convinced that its principles were not calculated to promote the welfare of the nation, he allied himself with the Free-soil party, and when the Republican party was formed he joined its ranks. He was a strong anti-slavery man, heartily endorsing abolition principles. Of the United Presbyterian church he was an active member, and served as an elder and trustee for many years. One of nature's nobleman, he commanded the respect, confidence and admiration of all with whom he came in contact, and at his death, which occurred on the 13th of October, 1877, the community mourned the loss of one of its valued citizens. By his marriage to Margaret Raitt, he had eleven children, of whom all grew to mature age, but only four are now living. namely : William, a farmer of Benton county, Iowa ; James V., CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 561 a retired farmer of Lucas, Ohio ; Maria, who resides with her brother in Iowa; and Isaac N. The influences of a good home aided in shaping the character of Isaac N. Thompson. He remained with his parents during his youth, and in the common schools pursued his early education, after which he entered Monroe Seminary. He was also a student in a private seminary conducted at Lucas by Professor Strickler, and at the age of eighteen he began teaching, following that profession during the winter season, while in the summer months he worked upon the farm. After the inauguration of the Civil war he patriotically responded to the country's call for aid, and on the 15th of October, 1861, joined the "boys in blue," Company E, Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He took part in the siege of Corinth and the battles of Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Pulaski; Columbia, and was in the memorable Franklin-Nashville campaign, When General Thomas with his forces routed Hood's army, with a loss to the enemy of twenty-five thousand men in killed, wounded and missing. During those forty days of fighting and marching the weather became worse and worse= the 'winter being unusually severe for that latitude. There were cold, freezing nights, followed by days of rain and snow. The country was poor and thinly settled, and had been stripped of forage and provisions by the march of contending armies ; the rations were short and at times none at all. The men of both armies suffered severely from cold and want of food. After three years of faithful service Mr. Thompson was mustered out on the loth of December, 1864, at Nashville. With a creditable military record Mr. Thompson at once returned to his home, and soon afterward was united in marriage to Miss Alice Welsh, a native of Ireland, who came to America with her mother, Mary (Dundon) Welsh, when she was two years of age. Her father, Dennis Welsh, died on the Emerald Isle: Mr. and Mrs. Thompson began their domestic life on a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Washington township, which he had acquired prior to his enlistment in the army. After residing there for three years he removed to Perrysville and engaged in the grocery business. Later he disposed of his store and established a furniture business, which he conducted until 1892, when he removed to his present home on section 30, Monroe township, where he has since resided. He has one hundred and fourteen acres in the home farm, which is under a high state of cultivation and yields to him a golden return for the care and labor which he bestows upon it. His business career has been one of marked activity, in which his earnest labor and unceasing effort have brought to him creditable success. In his political views Mr. Thompson is a stalwart Republican. He studies 562 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. closely the issues of the clay and does all in his power to promote the growth and insure the success of the party. He has served as a delegate to various state and county conventions, yet has never been an aspirant to office, preferring that his attention shall be given to his business affairs. He and wife are members of the Baptist church and for many years he has served as one of its deacons. He is also a member of the Ohio State Baptist Convention. Mrs. Thompson is one of the two charter members of the Perrysville Baptist church. Mr. Thompson also belongs to Lodge No. 558 of the Royal Arcanum, of Perrysville, has passed through all its chairs and for some years was one of its state officers. He entered upon his business career empty handed and may well be termed the architect of his own fortunes. He has builded wisely and well, for upon a foundation of energy, perseverance and resolute purpose he has erected a superstructure of financial success. Comrade Thompson and wife now enjoy prosperity, peace and happiness in their beautiful country home. There are classical associations connected with their residence, it having been for a number of years the home of the late Rev. Richard Galley when he was the principal of the Monroe Seminary, a prosperous educational institution in its day. Then, too, the locality—the charming little valley—inspires sentimental contentment—a desire for rural domesticity ; and this worthy couple, whose hospitable doors are always open to their friends, live happily together in each other's love. SAMUEL WILSON. When we investigate the causes of success we find that they he in the individual and are not to be found in some outside environment or influence; opportunities very similar encompass all individuals and it is the man whose innate ability and desire to advance enables him to improve these that thus works his way upward. Such a man is Mr. Wilson, his home being on section 2, Monroe township. Mr. Wilson first opened his eyes to the light of day on Christmas day of 1844, his birthplace being in Vermilion township, Ashland county. His grandfather was born in Pennsylvania and was there reared to farm life. Throughout an active business career he carried on agricultural pursuits, becoming one of the enterprising farmers of Ohio at a period when this state was being opened up to civilization. He married Margaret Wilson, a native of Scotland, who came to America with her mother during her early .girlhood. The grandparents were both of Calvinistic faith, being active and CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 563 earnest members of the United Presbyterian church. His father, Robert Wilson, was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in May, 1816. When only four years of age he came to Ohio with his parents, who located in Vermilion township, Ashland county, upon a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, where they spent their remaining days. His grandfather was not a very robust man and Robert Wilson early assumed the management of the farm, taking control when only twenty years of age. About 1850 he purchased the place from the other heirs and to its further cultivation and improvement continued to devote his energies. He ultimately became the owner of four hundred acres of valuable land. He was reared in the Democratic faith, but studied closely the issues and questions of the clay, and when the Republican party was formed became one of its loyal adherents. Of the United Presbyterian church he was an active member and for many years he served as one of its officers. Robert Wilson married Miss Martha J. Robinson, who was born in Holmes county, Ohio, in 1814. Her parents, James and Christine (Hannah) Robinson, were both natives of Pennsylvania, and the latter died in Holmes county, Ohio. The former came to Richland county in 1861 and purchased the farm upon which Samuel Wilson now resides. His death occurred on that place in 1871. Robert Wilson, the father of our subject, passed away in February, 1892. By his marriage he had seven children, of whom four are living, namely : John, a farmer of Vermillion township, Ashland county ; Samuel, of this review ; Sarah M., wife of Samuel Mowery, an architect and carpenter and builder of Mansfield, Ohio ; and William, who carries on agricultural pursuits in Mifflin township, Ashland county. No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for Samuel. Wilson during his boyhood and youth. He pursued his education in the common schools, but his opportunities in that direction were limited and after attaining his majority he gained more knowledge than he had during his attendance at the schools of his neighborhood. Reading, experience and observation have made him a well-informed man and he keeps in touch with the questions and issues of the day. As .a companion and helpmate on life's journey he chose Mary E. Hannah, a native of Holmes county, Ohio, and a daughter of Robert and Christine (Hannah) Hannah. Her father was a carpenter and cabinetmaker and died in Holmes county. Ten children have been born in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, namely : Robert, deceased ; Janett M., the wife of Isaac Mowers, who operates a sawmill in Monroe township; Martha E., Emrie and Anna J., 564 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. all now deceased ; Clyde ; Ida B., Sarah M., George and Mary E., all at home. After his marriage Mr. Wilson located upon a farm where he has since resided, and in 1892 he became the owner of a tract of one hundred and forty-three acres. This is a valuable place, the rich land being highly cultivated and bringing a golden tribute in return for the care and labor of the owner. From early boyhood he has been connected with agricultural pursuits and his thorough understanding of the business has enabled him to follow methods that have resulted in bringing to him creditable and gratifying success. In 1900 Mr. Wilson was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the 23d of March. She was an active member of the Lutheran church, an earnest Christian woman, a loving and devoted wife and mother. Mr. Wilson is also a consistent member of the same church and has filled many of its offices. For nine years he served as a deacon, for four years was a trustee and is now an elder of the church. He is a member of the board of trustees of Mount Zion cemetery, one of the best equipped burying-grounds in the county. Socially he is connected with Mohawk orange of the Patrons of Husbandry, and in politics he is an earnest Republican, who faithfully gives his support to the measures of the party. He is a wide-awake, progressive man, widely known in Richland county, and is highly esteemed for his devotion to the public good and his fidelity to duty in all life's relations. JOHN SHERMAN. Hon. John Sherman, one of the most eminent statesmen of America, was a resident of Mansfield. He was born at Lancaster, Ohio, May 10, 1823. His father, Charles Robert Sherman, was a man of great legal ability, who, in 1823, was elected by the legislature to the supreme court of the state, and after serving a little over six years died suddenly, of cholera, while attending court at Lebanon, June 24, 1829, leaving a widow and eleven children, of whom John was the eighth. After that event the subject of this sketch went to Mount Vernon, this state, to live with his cousin John, a son of his father's brother. It is stated that at this time he was rather a wild and reckless boy, with more decided tendencies to belligerency than his celebrated military brother, the renowned General William Tecumseh Sherman. Though but fourteen years of age, in 1837, he obtained a position as a rodsman on the government works on the Muskingum river, but was removed after two years' service CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 565 because he was a Whig. He then came to Mansfield to live with his brother, Charles, studied law in his office and was admitted to the bar May 11, 1844. He was one of the delegates to the Whig national convention at Philadelphia in 1848, of which he and Schuyler Colfax, of Indiana, were respectively secretary and assistant secretary. In 1854 he was elected to congress as an anti-Nebraska Republican from the thirteenth district, defeating William D. Lindsley for re-election. He was appointed by the speaker of the house, Nathaniel P. Banks, one of a committee of three to investigate and report on the border ruffian troubles in Kansas. This committee visited the territory and took testimony, under great difficulties. The members received rough treatment, and at least on one occasion their lives were saved only by the intervention of United States troops. Mr. Sherman was elected to the thirty-fifth, congress in 1856, defeating Herman J. Brumback, and to the thirty-sixth in 1858, defeating S. J. Patrick. In 1859 he was the Republican candidate for speaker in the national house of representatives and came within two votes of an election. In 186o he was again elected to congress, defeating Barnabas. Burns ; but, on the resignation of Salmon P. Chase to take a position in the cabinet of President Lincoln, Mr. Sherman was elected to the United States senate, taking his seat March 23, 1861, Samuel T. Worcester becoming his successor in the house. Mr. Sherman was soon a recognized national authority on 'finance and scrutinized all government expenditures closely. The custom of making contracts in advance of appropriations then prevailing was denounced by him as illegal. In 1861, during the recess of congress, he joined the Ohio volunteer troops then in Philadelphia and was appointed aide de camp to General Robert Patterson, remaining until the meeting of congress in extra session in July. At the close of this session he returned to Ohio and raised and equipped what was then, and throughout the war, known as the Sherman brigade of volunteer soldiers. He intended to resign his seat in the United States senate and enter the army with these troops, but upon informing President Lincoln and Secretary Chase of this fact they objected so strenuously that he abandoned the idea, remained in congress and aided in the prosecution of the war in helping to sustain and defend the President's war measures. In 1866 he was elected to the senate for the second time, and in 1872 for a third time. In 1867 he introduced a refunding act, which was adopted in 1870, but without the resumption clause. From that time forward until 1896 he was the most conspicuous figure in the financial affairs of the nation. He was appointed secretary of the treasury by President Hayes in 1877, and as such officer, on January 1, 1879, had the pleasure of 566 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. witnessing the crowning triumph of his fiscal policy, despite the dismal forebodings of other acknowledged financiers, in the successful resumption of specie payment of national obligations. In 1880 he was the most prominent candidate for the presidency of the United States, but James A. Garfield's speech so captivated the convention when naming Mr. Sherman that he himself became the nominee of the party. In 1881 Mr. Sherman was again returned to the senate, to take the place of Mr. Garfield. In 1885 he was elected president pro tem. of the senate, and by virtue of that office became acting vice-president of the United States. In 1886 he was chosen for the fifth term in the senate. In 1884, and again in 1888, he was an active aspirant for the presidency of the nation and was the leading candidate in the latter year until the nomination of Benjamin Harrison. In 1892 he was again elected United States senator for the term of six years from March 4, 1893, but resigned March 4, 1897, to accept the office of secretary of state in President McKinley's cabinet. In a few months, however, he showed signs of intellectual failure, and during the year 1898 he resigned and lived in retirement, with intervals of travel, until October 21, 1900, when he passed away in Washington, D. C. MANSFIELD SCHOOLS. There are 3,385 pupils enrolled in the public schools of Mansfield, 1,625 boys and 1,720 girls. These figures do not include the children in the kindergartens. The estimated value of school property is estimated at $325,000: There are 89 teachers employed. The average cost of tuition per pupil below the high school on average daily attendance is $11.51 ; on total enrollment, $9.50. Average cost of tuition per pupil on average daily attendance in high school, $28.10 ; on enrollment, $24.78. Total annual amount of salaries paid to teaching force, including superintendent, $41,315; cost of maintenance of buildings and payment of bonds, about $20,000. The first graduating class was in 1862, and consisted of four girls. The total number of graduates to the present time (1900) is 606, - 452 girls and 154 boys. The largest class numbered 42. There are nine school buildings, and 73 schools and kindergartens. In the foregoing the parochial schools, four in number,—in charge of the Sisters of St. Francis,—are not included. In addition to the advantages of graded schools in acquiring an education, there is the public library, free for all, with Miss Mercer and her assist- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 567 ants ever ready obligingly to serve the public. Another important auxiliary in the educational line is the Mansfield museum, under the control of the school board and in charge of E. Wilkinson, where pupils can further and more fully study the animals, birds, reptiles, insects, etc., of Which their studies treat ; and there, too, is the gymnasium at the Y. M. C. A. building, where the boys of to-day can exercise in order to develop muscle and nerve, instead of sawing wood, as their fathers did in the old time before them. The first schoolhouse in Mansfield was paid for by subscription and cost two hundred dollars. The man who would then have predicted that Mansfield in 1900 would have had in round numbers a school enumeration of over three thousand would have been putting himself liable to be placed on trial "de lunatico inquirendo," and to have had a trustee appointed to manage his business affairs. In no other way has the growth of this city been better shown than in the progress of her schools, in the increased number of her pupils and in the addition of school buildings. The village of the past quietly and hopefully plodded along, and, without the misfortune of a boom, passed through the transition stages that intervened between the past and the present, until we now have a city whose healthful growth will continue and increase, and our population reach fifty thousand, the number the league aims to secure ere Mansfield celebrates its centennial. The American school is a product of early planting. In the pioneer times, When a few families settled near each other, it was not long until a school was started. Even in that early day the settlers believed that education was the bulwark of liberty. Subscription schools were taught Icing before schoolhouses were built or public money could be obtained for educational purposes. The present school system was organized under the law of 1852, soon after its passage, and the late J. H. Cook, A. L. Grimes and Isaac Gass were the members of the first school board in Mansfield. Alexander Bartlett was appointed the principal of the high schools and superintendent of instruction. He was succeeded by H. Merrell. Dr. William C. Catlin became the superintendent in 1855 and his successors have been J. H. Reed, Henry M. Parker, John Simpson, J. W. Knott and E. D. Lyon. In 1859 the enrollment of pupils was nine hundred and twenty-five. Among the men who as boys attended the public schools of Mansfield, the Days and Woods have become distinguished in the army and navy awl Frank G. Carpenter in the field of literature. In the newspaper line, Peter Trumpler and Henry G. McKnight have won success in other states. Many others might be men- 568 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. tioned who have been successful in life at home and abroad. And there are those who had not the advantage of the graded system, but who, as country lads, had to attend the often-sneered-at "deestrict" school, and among that number was Judge Geddes, who served fifteen years on the bench, eight years in congress and as a lawyer was the peer of the best men of his time. Judge Geddes received his early education in Monroe township, as did also Congressman Kerr, Judge Douglass and Judge Wolfe at a later period. And there is John P. Altgeld, a Richland county boy, who went west and became a judge of the court at Chicago, and later the governor of the great state of Illinois. Many of America's greatest statesmen, most brilliant lawyers, profound thinkers and popular orators have been reared on farms. While some were self-taught, others worked their ways from the country school to academies and colleges, where they learned the beauties of poetic imagery from the Iliad and the AEneid, the strong declamatory invective from Cicero's orations against Catiline, and the spirit and the genius of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations from the standard classical authors. In the development of schools, in the growth of systems of teaching, two ideas have hitherto prevailed in reference to education, one side claiming it should be a crowding process, or, at best, a nourishing one. Under this system the pupil is made to amass particulars "ad infinitum." The second lays stress upon the word "discipline,"—that man is a muscle generally, and that the mind grows by gymnastic training. But whether teaching should be merely, a training of the sensuous element of the mind, a presentation of thought through the senses, or whether it should seize the whole matter formally on abstractedly and discipline the mind by developing the muscles and by studying things not valuable in themselves ; whether we should have the object lesson or the discipline system, it is not the purpose of this article to discuss or consider, but to infer that in the public schools .of Mansfield there is that judicious blending of the twain that best promotes and enhances the education of the pupils of to-day. JOHN W. WAGNER. John W. Wagner was born in the attractive little village of Canal Fulton, Stark county, Ohio, on the 21st of January, 1836, being the son of Henry and Mary (Cox) Wagner, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, whence they emigrated to Ohio, becoming identified with the early settlement of Stark county, the paternal ancestry being of stanch German and CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 569 Irish origin and the maternal Irish. Henry Wagner was a potter by trade, but directed his efforts in other directions upon coming to Ohio. He primarily located at New Lisbon, Columbiana county, where he entered the employ of the McKinleys, ancestors of President McKinley. He was thus employed in a furnace and also maintained a boarding house. After a time he removed to Canal Fulton, where he became the general manager of the successful enterprise conducted by John Robinson, in the way of general merchandising and the forwarding and commission business. His death occurred in the year 1868. He was a man of spotless integrity of character and his life was one of devotion to duty and of consecutive and faithful industry. The boyhood days of our subject were passed in the little hamlet where he was born, his educational privileges being such as were afforded in the common schools of that section and period. At the early age of fourteen years he assumed the individual responsibilities of life by securing employment as a driver on the canal. The sturdy boy who thus trudged his way along the tow-path of that primitive, though then important, "artery of commerce," found that his ambition was more alert than that of the dejected beast which he urged forward with its unwieldy burden, and he was ready to grasp the first opportunity for advancement. At the age of seventeen he secured a position as salesman in the hardware store conducted by his father's employer, and he continued to be thus occupied until 1862, when he was enabled to buy the stock and good will of the business. He carried the enterprise successfully forward until the fall of 187o, when he disposed of the business to W. G. Myers and removed to Canton, Ohio. He was determined to make his operations consecutive and progressive, and throughout his entire business career he has never hesitated to broaden his sphere of endeavor as rapidly as circumstances and duly conservative judgment would justify. Upon locating in Canton, Mr. Wagner engaged in the manufacture of plows, associating himself with the firm of Bucher & Gibbs, and continued to be concerned in this line of industry until 1873, when he associated himself with E. J. Forney, under the firm name of Wagner & Forney, and effected the purchase of the hardware stock of John Reed, of Mansfield, which city then became his home. In 1882 Mr. Wagner purchased his partner's interest in the enterprise, which had by that time greatly expanded. He continued the business individually until 1891, when he admitted his son Clayton to partnership, whereupon the firm name of Wagner & Son was adopted. The further expansion of the enterprise rendered expedient the organization of a stock company, and the year 1896 witnessed the incorporation of the Wagner Hardware Company, whose official corps 570 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. is as follows: John W. Wagner, president ; James E. Shires, secretary; Clayton Wagner, vice-president and manager; A. C. Ackerman, treasurer. The building used for the accommodation of the company is one of the .finest business structures in the city, the stock carried being exceptionally large and comprehensive, while the reputation of the concern is such that it holds unmistakable prestige among the important commercial industries of the city of Mansfield. Thoroughly progressive and public-spirited, Mr. Wagner has naturally extended his interests in other directions. In 1884, soon after the organization of the Mansfield Mutual Fire Insurance Company, he was chosen as its president, and has since served in that capacity. The company is known as one of the most solid and effectively managed in the state. Mr. Wagner is also director of the Citizens' National Bank of Mansfield and of the Humphryes Manufacturing Company. He is the owner of two excellent farms,—one being located in Richland county and the other in Stark county. The marriage of Mr. Wagner was solemnized in the year 1861, when he was united to Miss Melinda Cook, a daughter of Rev. Samuel Cook, who was a clergyman of the United Brethren church and a resident of Stark county. Mr. and Mrs. Wagner are the parents of three childen, namely: Clayton, who is associated with his father in business, as already noted; Edith, the wife of Rufus A. Tracy, of Mansfield ; and Mary E., who is still with her parents. JOHN CHAPMAN. A monument to the memory of John Chapman—who was commonly called Johnny Appleseed—was unveiled at the Sherman-Heineman Park, Mansfield, Ohio, November 8, 1900. It was the gift of the Hon. M. B. Bushnell. The ceremonies of the occasion were held under the auspices of the Richland County Historical Society, and the historical address \Vas made by its secretary, A. J. Baughman. "Johnny" was the pioneer nurseryman of Richland county, and his real name was John Chapman,—not Jonathan, as some have claimed. The muniments of his estate show that his name was John. He had a half-brother named Jonathan, who was a deaf-mute. "Johnny" was born at Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1775, and came west in the beginning of the nineteenth century. Little was known of his early life, but there were traditions among the pioneers of Ohio of a romance in which a woman scorned the young man's love. He began his apple mission in Pennsylvania in 1802 or 1803, but soon transferred his field to Ohio. He made frequent visits to CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 571 the Keystone state for apple seeds, and on his return selected favorable spots for his pioneer nurseries. He sought fertile soil and sheltered places, and often made clearings to give his tender shoots protection from wind and blizzard. As one section of the state became supplied with trees he moved to another. The early settlers were too busy in wrestling a livelihood from nature and in fighting Indians to engage in the slow process of raising apple-trees from seed, and Chapman, full of faith in the virtue of the fruit, took upon himself the duty of supplying the need. Usually a man of few words, be became eloquent when speaking of apples, and his fine flow of language gave the impression that he had been well educated. Living upon the bounty of field and forest, eating fruits and nuts like the beasts and birds, never harming an animal for fur or food, Johnny Appleseed led a life of supreme simplicity. Sometimes he replenished his scanty wardrobe by bartering young trees for old clothes or cast-off boots. More often he gave freely of his trees, and thus started many a pioneer orchard. He carried on this work in Ohio for twenty years or more. For the greater part of this time he made his home in Richland county, and then he followed the star of empire westward to continue his mission in the newer field of Indiana, where he died in 1845. For his tramps in the woods he carried a saucepan on •his head and cooked such vegetable foods as he could find. Living much in the forests, he became an adept in woodcraft and wandered at will. He never carried a weapon and was never molested, even the wild animals appearing to understand that he was their friend. The Indians respected him, and regarded him as a great "medicine man." "Johnny" regarded all animals as God's creatures, and he would suffer himself rather than harm one of the least of them. One chilly night in the woods he built a fire to warm himself, but when he saw the insects attracted to his blaze fall into the flames he extinguished the fire rather than have the death of a bug on his conscience ! On another occasion he crawled into a log to sleep, but finding it already occupied by a squirrel and her little ones he was worried by the chattering of the frightened mother and backed out to sleep in the snow ! "Appleseed J ohnny" was a hero, too. During the war of 1812 Mansfield was frightened by rumors of a hostile attack. The nearest soldiers were at Mount Vernon, thirty miles away, where Captain Douglass had a troop. When a call was made for a volunteer to carry a message to Mount Vernon "Johnny" stepped forward and said "I'll go." He was bareheaded, barefooted and unarmed. The journey had to be made at night over a new 572 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. road that was but little better than a trail and through a country swarming with bloodthirsty Indians. The unarmed apostle of apples sped through the woods like a runner and came back in the morning with a squad of soldiers. It was an incident worthy of a poem, but has been almost forgotten. The death of this strange missionary was in keeping with his life work. The latter years of his life were spent near Fort Wayne, where, although seventy years old, he continued to grow and scatter apple trees. He learned that some cattle had broken down the brushwood fence of a nursery he had planted. It was winter and the nursery was twenty miles away, but the brave old crusader started out on foot to save his beloved trees. He worked for hours in cold and snow, repairing the fence, and started to walk back home, but became ill and sought refuge in the cabin of a Mr. Worth, who had lived in Richland county when a boy, and, when he learned his caller was "Johnny Appleseed" gave him a friendly welcome. In the morning it was discovered that pneumonia had developed during the night. The physician who was called stated that "Johnny" was beyond medical aid, and inquired particularly about his religious belief, remarking that he had never seen a dying man so perfectly calm, for upon his wan face there was an expression of happiness, and upon his pale lips there was a smile of joy, as though he was communing with loved ones who had come to meet and comfort him in his dying moments. John Chapman was buried in David Archer's graveyard, two and one half miles north of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the monument now erected at his grave is well deserved. The monument erected to his memory is a fitting memorial to the man in whom there dwelt a comprehensive love that reaches downward to the lowest form of life, and upward to the Divine. "Johnny Appleseed" believed in the doctrine taught by Emanuel Swedenborg and took pleasure in distributing Swedenborgian tracts among the settlers. He led a blameless Christian life, and at the age of seventy-two years he passed into death as beautifully as the apple-seeds of his planting had grown into treees, had budded into blossoms and ripened into fruit. W. H. ALBACH. W. Harrison Albach was born in Morrow county, Ohio, February 10, 1840. His early life was passed on a farm in Perry township, Morrow county. In addition to the district school of the neighborhood he also attended the public schools at Chesterville, Fredericktown and Mount Gilead. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 573 At the age of sixteen he taught school. In 186o he began to read law under the preceptorship of Judge A. K. Dunn at Mount Gilead, and was admitted to the bar in 1864. That year he recruited a company for the war and became a lieutenant of Company E, One Hundred and Ninety-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the war. Returning to Mount Gilead, Mr. Albach was elected the mayor of the town—the county seat of Morrow county. Engaging in the practice of the law, he was associated for a short time with Bert Andrews. In 1867 he engaged in the drug business at Cardington, in which trade he continued for three years. For many years after retiring from the drug business he dealt in farm implements, machinery and supplies, and was also engaged in the nursery business. In 1885 he became interested in a cash and package carrier patent, the invention of S. W. Barr, of Mansfield. He organized a company and devoted his entire time to traveling and marketing the machines for a number of years. He made several improvements upon the invention, which were patented in his name and assigned to the company. During the time he was interested in the Barr carrier he invented also what is now known as the "Shelby stove," for gas and gasoline, and in April, 1900, founded the Shelby Stove Company, of which he is the vice-president. The company makes a line of thirty distinct stoves, and also manufactures the Beecher furnace and the Shelby plow. Mr. Albach has been successful in his business enterprises. Seeing the evidences of the future growth of Shelby, and its advantageous location and railroad facilities for shipping purposes, he wisely selected that place for the location of his works. He is an upright, enterprising business man, capable of conducting large enterprises. He has traveled and has a knowledge of the world that assists him in meeting the wants of the trade in whatever line of industry he may engage. LEWIS L. SNYDER. Lewis L. Snyder, one of the prosperous and enterprising farmers of Monroe township, was born in Richland county, Ohio, March 27, 1857. He was a son of John D. and Barbara Ann (Rummell) Snyder. In tracing the ancestral history of this family of Snyders we find that John D. Snyder, the father of our subject, was born May 20, 1829, a son of Peter Snyder, a soldier of the Revolutionary war, and the son of another Peter Snyder, who came from Germany to America and settled in Pennsylvania. The mother of John D. Snyder was in her maidenhood Elizabeth Goodman. Her 574 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. death occurred in 1876. The Snyders became pioneer settlers of Richland county, coming here in the early '30s. John D. Snyder, the father of our subject, has through the greater part of his life followed farming, and reared his family on a farm. Lewis L. Snyder, the subject of this sketch, gained a common-school education, and on the 5th of January, 1881, married Sarah A. Smith, a daughter of Daniel and Charlotte (Harter) Smith. The marriage has been blessed with three children, namely : Mellie L., Grover 0. and Gusta L. In politics Mr. Snyder is a Democrat. He is held in high esteem by his neighbors and ranks among the most successful farmers of the county. JOHN GILGER. Through more than six decades John Gilger has been a resident of Richland county and its progress and upbuilding are a matter of deep interest to him. He takes just pride in its advancement and has clone what Ile could to promote its growth. He is numbered among the native residents of this locality, for his birth occurred in Blooming Grove township on the 1641 of October, 1836, his parents being Jacob and Phoebe (Dick) Gilger. The parents were both natives of Germany, where they were reared. The father learned the weaver's trade in early life, and in 1832 he crossed the briny deep to the new world, locating a mile east of Rome, in Blooming Grove township, Richland county. There he followed his trade for seven years, during which time he was married. A year after he had come to the new world his wife crossed the Atlantic, and a year after her arrival they were married. They began keeping house one mile east of Rome, where they remained for about twelve months and then located in the village of Rome, where they spent two years. In 1839 they removed. to a place a quarter of a mile east of Richland, now Planktown, where. Mr. Gilger followed the weaver's trade and also acquired a small farm of forty acres, which was conducted by his sons after they had attained a sufficient age to assume its management. About 1860 the father purchased the old William Tucker farm, one mile north of Planktown, after which he largely devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits, making his home on that place until his death. In early life he was a member of the German Reformed church, but later he became identified with the Lutheran church, for the distance between him and the church of his own choice was too great to permit of his attending services there regularly. He died March 30, 1875, at the age of sixty-nine years, eight months and twenty-