CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 625 of whom two died in childhood, while three others are now deceased. Those still living are : Frank, Mary, Ella, William and Phoebe. The last named now owns and occupies the old homestead near Mansfield. In politics Mr. Wise was a stanch Jeffersonian Democrat, and in religious belief he was a Dunkard. He had the highest rank in his denomination, being a bishop of the third degree. For twenty years he served as the surveyor of Richland county, and this brought him a wide acquaintance. In pioneer days his circle of friends embraced almost every resident of this portion of the state, and throughout the years he had enjoyed the warm regard and confidence of all with whom he was associated, being highly esteemed for his many excellent .qualities. He kept in close touch with the advanced thought and progress of the day, and when he was called to his final rest the community mourned the loss of one of its honored and respected citizens. T. S. MARVIN. T. S. Marvin, scale inspector for the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, residing at No. 861 South Broadway, in Shelby, was born July 28, 1839, in Jackson township, Richland county. His father, Silas Marvin, was born near New Haven, Connecticut, November 15, 1805, and was a son of Isaac Marvin, also a native of that locality, born about 1774. The family is of English lineage, and in the days when feeling ran high between the colonies and the mother country the grandfather of our subject shot a red-coated soldier across the Connecticut river. His brother was an exhorter in a church and was known as Deacon Marvin. The grandfather of T. S., having arrived at years of maturity, wedded Hannah Hoyt, of Connecticut, and unto them were born fourteen children,—eight sons and six daughters,—all of whom reached years of maturity with the exception of one son. Of these all were married but one, and twelve of the number had families, some of them having as many as twelve children, so that the descendants are very numerous. Isaac Marvin emigrated from Connecticut to Ohio at an early period in the development of Richland county and located in Jackson township, where he died in 1850. About 1814, while the Indians were still numerous in this part of the state, he established his home in the midst of the wild forest. Silas Marvin was the Nimrod of the family and killed many a deer, shooting one in 1843. It was discovered by T. S. Marvin, of this review, who told his father the 'animal was near, and the latter thus secured the venison for the family. The grandfather passed away at the age of seventy-six and his widow survived him until 1858, departing this   626 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.   life at the age of eighty-four, her remains being interred in Oakland cemetery.   Silas Marvin was reared amid the wild scenes of frontier life in Richland county. It was not unusual to see Indians in motley garb stalking through the forest in search of game. He aided in the arduous task of developing new land, and when he had reached man's estate he was married, in 1824, to Judith Kemp, who was born either in Virginia or Pennsylvania. The groom was nineteen and the bride seventeen years of age. They became the parents of six sons and six daughters, and all of the sons and four of the daughters reached mature years, while nine of the children married and had families. Three sons and two daughters are still living. Mrs. Rachel Leiter, a widow, resides in Shelby with her two children ; John Q., of Shelby, has two children ; T. S., of this review, is the next; Catherine, the wife of Robert Kinkaid, a farmer of Cass township; and Alonzo P., the proprietor of a meat market in Shelby. The father's death occurred in July, 187r, when he had attained the age of sixty-six years, and the mother was called to her final rest in March, 1895. They now lay sleeping in London cemetery in Jackson township. The father was a cabinet-maker by trade and followed that pursuit in Jackson township, operating his factory with horse power. At a later date, however, he gave his entire attention to the cultivation and improvement of his land on Mohawk Hill, which was named in remembrance of the Mohawk chief. He was a Universalist in his religious faith and was a man of enterprise and reliability, widely and favorably known in his community.   Tip S. Marvin, the immediate subject of this sketch, was reared as a farmer boy until nineteen years of age, when he began learning the carpenter's trade, in Rome. He served an apprenticeship of two years, and in November, 1860, he began working at his trade in the employ of the railroad of which he is now a representative. On the 15th of April, 1861, when the smoke from Fort Sumter's guns had scarcely cleared away he offered his services to the government in response to the first call for aid, and enlisted in Company D, Fifteenth Ohio Infantry. His was the fifth name upon the roll. They were mustered in for three months' service, but served for four months and eleven days. On the 12th of October, of the same year, Mr. Marvin re-enlisted for three years' service. On the 31st of November he was commissioned first lieutenant and assigned to Company H., of the Sixty-fourth United States Infantry from Ohio. After the battle of Shiloh he was detailed as a quartermaster on staff duty and for a short time was under General Garfield, who was commanding the brigade. In July,   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 627   1864, he was promoted to the rank of captain, but declined the honor. He participated in the battles of Chickamauga, Chattanooga and the Atlanta campaign, and when the army was divided, Sherman starting on his march to the sea, Mr. Marvin was attached to General Thomas' division, and while on detached duty in this department he had some varied and most interesting experience. While serving under General Wood he was detailed to build a corduroy road and ably executed the task assigned him by reason of his knowledge of carpentering.   On the 7th of December, 1865, Mr. Marvin was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Leitner, and to them have been born three children : Silas William, a commercial traveler of Shelby, who has a wife and three children ; Ruth L., the wife of H. K. Houpt, of Shelby, by whom she has six children ; Elizabeth Judith, the wife of John W. Mykrantz ; and Daniel, of Ashland. Mr. Marvin is a member of the Royal Arcanum and in politics is a Republican. He served for two terms as a member of the city council and exercises his official prerogative in support of all measures which seems to promise for the public good. He was appointed scale inspector for the railroad company in 1895, but his connection with the corporation dates from 186o, covering a period of forty years. It is certainly a creditable record, indicating marked fidelity to duty and ability in the discharge of the task assigned him. With the exception of the four years spent in the army he has always been a resident of Richland county, and since 1868 has resided at his present home, at No. 86 Broadway, where his wife has lived since October, 1847. They have a wide acquaintance in Shelby and their many excellent qualities have secured them the high regard of their many friends.   WILLIAM SCOTT.   Among the farmers of Richland county who are now enjoying honorable retirement from labor is William Scott, who is living on his valuable farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Sandusky township, near Crestline. He has advanced far on. life's journey, having lived through each presidential administration from the time when James Madison occupied the executive chair at Washington.   He was born in Union county, Pennsylvania, now Snyder county, September 25, 1815. His father, Thomas Scott, was a native of Scotland, born in 1775. During his childhood he left the land of his nativity and became a resident of Pennsylvania, where he married one of the native daughters of the Keystone state. He died in 1830, leaving to the care of his widow eight chil-   628 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.   dren. All reached mature years and were married, and the eldest daughter died in Pennsylvania. The widowed mother came to Ohio with her other children, save those who had preceded her to this state. At the age of nineteen, in the year 1834, William Scott and his sister Elizabeth, with her husband, Mr. Keeler, sought a home in Richland county, locating south of Galion. Eighteen months later the other members of the family also came to Ohio and resided here during the early period of the development of this section of the state.   When twenty-one years of age our subject returned to Pennsylvania to bring a drove of five hundred and thirty-five cattle to Ohio. For two years he was employed by Daniel Riblet, of Pennsylvania, who had formerly been his school-teacher, and in 1832 came to Richland county, where for twenty years he served as a justice of the peace. After remaining in the service of Mr. Riblet for two years Mr. Scott wedded his daughter, Mary Ann. They became the parents of twelve children, of whom seven are living. The mother passed away about 1858, at the age of forty-one, and Mr. Scott was again married, in 1863, at which time Mrs. Eliza (Beckwith) Fried became his wife. Of that marriage three of the children are still living. Mrs. Scott died about 1871, at the age of fifty-four years, and for his third wife our subject chose Mrs. Charley (Sprow) Chambers, a widow, who was born in Germany and on coming to America located in Pennsylvania, whence she made her way to Ohio. By a former marriage she had one son and one daughter, who still survive. Mr. Scott's children are all now gone from home and are married with the exception of the youngest son, Simon, who is a bachelor farmer of Henry county, Ohio. There are many grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.   With the exception of John Castle, Mr. Scott is the oldest pioneer if his township. His has been an honorable life, in which his fidelity to duty has commanded uniform confidence. He has paid his debts promptly and has never been sued nor has he sued any one. He received from his father's estate about one hundred and thirty dollars, and with this exception all of his possessions have been self-acquired. He lost one thousand dollars through an act of kindness to a supposed friend. He labored earnestly, following general farming, and has cleared two valuable tracts of land and is now clearing the third farm, upon which he settled about 1850. He erected his residence in 1860 and his barn in 1862. He raises wheat, corn, oats, barley and clover, and keeps on hand some excellent Durham cattle and fine horses, being engaged in the breeding and sale of these.   His educational privileges were limited, but he possessed sound business   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 629   judgment. and through experience in practical affairs of life he has become a well informed man. His career exemplifies the power of integrity and industry in business, and his life should serve as a source of encouragement and inspiration to others who are forced to depend upon their own resources for prosperity. In an honorable old age he is enjoying the friendship of many and is held in high regard by young and old, rich and poor. As one of the pioneers of this portion of the state we are glad to present to our readers the record of his life, for the history of Richland county would be incomplete without it,   AUSTIN M. FERRELL.   As a representative of one of the honored families of Ohio, and as a man of sterling worth held in high regard for his own excellent qualities, Austin M. Ferrell well deserves representation in this volume. He was born in Ashland county on the 13th of August, 1852, and is a son of George W. and Elizabeth (Berlin) Ferrell. His father was born in Ashland county on the Toth of January, 1828, the grandfather of our subject having emigrated from Pennsylvania at an early epoch in the development of the Buckeye state, taking up his abode in what was then Richland county but is now a part of Ashland county. On the homestead farm which was there developed George W. Ferrell was reared to manhood amid the wild scenes of the frontier, experiencing with the family all the hardships and trials of pioneer life. He married Miss Elizabeth Berlin and then began farming on his own account, renting a tract of land from his brother, Obadiah. Ferrell. On that farm all his children were born and he made the place his home until 1864, when he purchased what is now known as the Ferrell farm, in Richland county, removing with the family to the new home. He was an active member of the Lutheran church from his early years, and in his political faith was a Democrat. For several terms he served in the offices of treasurer and trustee of his township, and labored earnestly to promote the welfare of the community. He died March 30, 1899, but is still survived by his widow, who is now in the seventy-second year of her life. She was born in Pennsylvania, March 8, 1829. Her father died during her early girlhood and her mother removed with her family to Ohio, locating in Ashland county, where Mrs. Ferrell was married. She now resides on the old homestead in Richland county. All of her six children are living, namely : Irene, the wife of Martin Zigler, a merchant of Rome, Ohio ; Austin M., of this review ; Arthur W., a farmer of Blooming Grove township ; Alverda, the wife of Hon. J. M. Hunter, of Blooming Grove township; Aldelfus, an agriculturist of   630 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.   Franklin township, Richland county; and Ardella, the wife of George Lautermilch, who follows farming and operates a threshing machine in Cass township, Richland county.   Austin M. Ferrell spent the days of happy youth at his parental home, indulging in the pleasures common to boys of that period, assisting in the work of the farm and familiarizing himself with the branches of English learning taught in the common schools. He was married September 14, 1876, to Miss Mary E. Haun, a native of Blooming Grove township, Richland county, and a daughter of James Haun, now deceased. When a young man her father left his Virginia home for Ohio and here remained until his life's labors were ended in death.   For some years after his marriage Mr. Ferrell operated the old homestead on shares, but later removed to the Martin Zigler farm near Rome, where he carried on agricultural pursuits for a year. He then took up his abode in Ashland county on a farm belonging to his uncle, Alanson Ferrell, and three years later he removed to the Gebhart farm, where he remained for a year. At that time he determined to see something of the west, and, selling his farming implements, he left his family in Richland county and for two months traveled over Kansas and Nebraska, hoping he might find a favorable opening there. In the same spring, however, he returned to Richland county and spent the summer near Rome. He then took up his abode near Savannah, Butler township, where he occupied a tract of rented land. Later he sold out his stock and implements and removed to the county infirmary, where he remained for seven years, after which he returned home and assumed the management of the Ferrell farm, his father having become incapacitated for work by a stroke of paralysis. He has since given his attention to its conduct and the well tilled fields and excellent improvements on the place indicate his careful supervision.   Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ferrell have been born two children,—Leo C, and Vida,--both at home. Mr. Ferrell votes with the Democracy, and, as every true American should do, feels an interest in the growth and success of his party; yet he has never sought or desired office.   PETER LANEHART.   Germany has furnished to the new world many of her most valuable and useful citizens,—men who have taken an active and prominent part in the development of that section in which they locate. In Peter Lanehart we find a worthy representative of this class. He was born in the fatherland,   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 631   October 13, 1815, a son of John W. and Mary Lanehart, in whose family were seven children,— three sons and four daughters. The father spent his entire life in Germany.   Peter Lanehart was reared upon a farm in his native land, and continued to make his home there until 1843, when he took passage on a sailing vessel, and after a voyage of fifty-three days landed in New York. By way of the Erie canal and Great Lakes, he proceeded at once to Cleveland, Ohio, and thence by team to Mansfield, where he found employment in the building of a railroad. He continued to work by the day from 1843 until 1850, and then he and his brother Philip purchased a forty-acre tract of land, which they worked together for four years. At the end of that time they bought a farm of eighty acres in Jefferson township, where they made their home for three years, and then our subject purchased eighty acres for himself in the same township, to the cultivation and improvement of which he devoted his energies for fourteen years. He then exchanged the place for his present farm in Washington township, consisting of one hundred and fifty-five acres, upon which he has made many useful and valuable improvements that stand as monuments to his thrift and enterprise.   In March, 1854, Mr. Lanehart was united in marriage with Miss Mary Faust, and to them have been born nine children, as follows : Fred ; John; William ; Mary, deceased ; Lewis ; Philip ; George ; Albert and Christopher.   In religious belief Mr. Lanehart is a Lutheran, and in politics is a strong Democrat. On coming to America he was two dollars in debt, but he has labored earnestly and persistently, and through his own well directed efforts has acquired a comfortable competence. In his farming operations he has met with the success that usually follows the industrious and enterprising man, and is now enabled to live in ease and comfort, surrounded by all that makes life worth living.   DAVID D. SAMSEL.   David D. Samsel, a native of Ashland county, Ohio, was born on the 12th of June, 1845, one of the five children of Peter and Elizabeth (Dick) Samsel. His father was a native of Bavaria, Germany, born in 1809, and in the land of his birth he was reared to manhood and learned the weaver's trade, following that pursuit in Germany until 1836, when, with his wife and two children he crossed the broad Atlantic to the new world, taking up his abode in Olivesburg, Richland county. There he resided for some time, working at the looms, and afterward removed to a farm a half-mile east of the village, in Ashland county, where he had purchased twenty acres of   632 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.   land. He continued weaving until the middle of the century and has since followed agriculture. He moved to a farm of sixty acres west of Olivesburg, in Weller township, Richland county, and on disposing of that property became the owner of the quarter section of land upon which our subject now resides and where he lived until the time of his death, in 1883. He was a member of the Reformed church, a Democrat in politics and was one of the well known and influential men of the county. He married Miss Elizabeth Dick, and three of their children survive : Catherine, the wife of Reuben Zigler, of Williams county, Ohio ; Jacob, a farmer of Butler township; and David D., of this review.   In taking up the personal history of David D. Samsel we present to our readers the life record of one who has a wide acquaintance in Richland county and whose many excellencies of character have gained him high regard. As a schoolboy he learned the lessons taught in the common schools of the neighborhood and under his father's direction was trained to the work of the home farm. After his marriage he began. working the old homestead, which he supervised until his father's death. He then purchased the farm, comprising one hundred and fifteen acres, forty-five acres of the place having previously been given to his sister.   In 1867 occurred the marriage of Mr. Samsel and Miss Margaret Huston, a native of Richland county, Ohio, and a daughter of Jesse Huston. Five children graced their marriage, of whom four are yet living : Walter, who is now the proprietor of a meat market in Mansfield, Ohio; Etta, the wife of Henry Wolf, who is cultivating her father's farm; Mary, the wife of William Hirsch, a druggist of Mansfield ; and Arthur, who is now a student in the State Normal, at Ada, Ohio.   In his political faith Mr. Samsel is a Democrat. He belongs to the Reformed church and is a progressive and public-spirited citizen, deeply interested in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community and withholding his support from no measure for the public good. He is a broadminded man, and his sterling qualities are those which in every land and in every clime command respect.   HON. JOHN M. MAY.   During the first half of the nineteenth century the name of John M. May figured conspicuously in connection with the history of jurisprudence in Richland county, for he located in Mansfield as a practitioner at the bar in 1813 and continued in practice here until his death, which occurred in 1869. He   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 633   was born in Conway, Hampshire county, Massachusetts, October 13, 1787, and traced his ancestry in America back to John May, of Mayfield, Sussex county, England, who was the captain of the ship James which sailed between the ports of New England and London from 1635 to 1640. He then located in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and from him are descended the Mays of New England, New York and Michigan, many of whom have been favorably known in military and civil life.' Theodore May, the father of our subject, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war and received his pay in the greatly depreciated continental money, which his sons afterward used as thumb-papers in school, so great had its value decreased. In 1797 the family removed to Washington county, New York.   It was in the year 1811 that John Milton May came alone to Ohio, crossing the Alleghany mountains on foot, and proceeding from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, to Marietta, Ohio, by boat. During his sojourn in Marietta there occurred the great earthquake which is noted as the greatest known in the United States, being most forcibly felt in the Mississippi valley. In the fall of that year Mr. May began the study of law in the office of Philemon Beecher, of Lancaster, Ohio, his fellow students being the Hon. Thomas Ewing and the late Judge Jacob Parker, afterward of this city. During his novitiate in the law he supported himself by teaching school in the winter season. Hocking H. Hunter was among his pupils.   Mr. May was admitted to the bar July 26, 1815, and in the autumn of the same year came to Mansfield, where he resided until his death. He was the first resident lawyer of the place. When he came to Mansfield the legal business was in the hands. of non-resident lawyers, who would visit the different county seats, traveling on horseback. This was called "riding the circuit" —a practice which was common in pioneer days in many states. In 1816 Mr. May was elected prosecuting attorney, but resigned the office the following year because he could. secure a better compensation for his services by acting as the counsel for defendant in the cases which came into court. He was the second prosecuting attorney of Richland county, and from the time he arrived in Mansfield until his life's labors were ended in death he was a prominent figure at the bar of his district. For many years he rode the circuit of northern and western Ohio and enjoyed a large and lucrative clientage. For fifty-three years he practiced at the Mansfield bar and easily maintained a foremost, position among the legal practitioners by reason of his comprehensive understanding of the principles of jurisprudence, his thorough prep, aration of cases and his logical, masterly arguments. He was regarded as 'a splendid advocate as well as an able chancery lawyer, .and in his later years   634 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.   among his associate lawyers he was styled the "Nestor of the bar," and was also known as "Father May."   In 1825 Mr. May married Miss Artemesia Wolfe, a representative of one of the pioneer families of the county, her people having removed from Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, to Knox county, Ohio, in 1809, at which time Knox and Richland counties were within the same territorial limits. At the same time Amariah Watson, Solomon Culver and the Ayres family also took up their abode in this locality. After settling in Knox county Mrs. Wolfe purchased a farm near the present site of Fredericktown. It was while the family were residing upon this farm that "Johnny Appleseed" made his memorable trip from Mansfield to Mount Vernon to obtain military protection for the Mansfield block-house, and in passing the Wolfe home he gave his shout of warning to the inmates to flee to the block-house, saying that Levi Jones had been killed and an Indian outbreak, was expected. Soon after this the Wolfe family removed to Mansfield and lived in a house which stood on the present site of the First English Lutheran church.   Mr. and Mrs. May became the parents of but two children,—Judge Manuel May and Lizzie E. May ; but the daughter died in 1866. The mother passed away in 1853 and Mr. May departed this life on the 12th of December, 1869, when eighty-two years of age. During his long life he always maintained a high character as a good citizen and an honest man and always enjoyed the confidence, good will and respect of every one with whom he came in contact.   WILLIAM BROOK.   William Brook, whose pleasant residence is situated on a farm of two hundred and twelve acres in Springfield township, Richland county, is one of the native sons of England who has sought a home in America, hoping here to benefit his financial condition ; and in this he has not been disappointed, for prosperity has attended his efforts and he is now accounted one of the substantial residents of his community. He was born in Kent county, England, February 26, 1832, and in 1852 crossed the Atlantic, the voyage consuming eleven days. He sailed frOm London to New York, but the voyage was a very rough one, the sails being broken and other damage done to the ship. He was accompanied by his brother John. They had no capital, depending upon their own resources for a living. To Cleveland they made their way, but, failing to secure employment there, they started with their trunks upon their backs, walking twelve miles to Brier, where they worked   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 635   on the new railroad, earning enough money to take them to Mansfield, where lived their uncle, John Mount, who had come to Richland county at an early day. With him they had a home until they found employment on a farm, working for eight dollars per month. Mr. Brook of this review was employed for four years, at eleven dollars per month, which was the largest pay given to any workman at that place. He was next employed as a section man on the railroad, receiving ninety cents per day, and later he secured work at another place, where he continued for six years, receiving from ninety cents to a dollar and a quarter per day.   During that time Mr. Brook was married, on the 15th of November, 1858, to Rebecca Scott, of Lincolnshire, who came to this country at the age of eighteen years with her two brothers and a sister. She is a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Holmes) Scott, and by her marriage has become the mother of six children, who are yet living, namely : Mary Ann, the wife of Theodore Forbes, of Topeka, Kansas, who is the proprietor of a grain elevator, and they have three daughters and two sons; Mrs. Emma Strofield, whose husband has a farm in Springfield township and who has two sons and one daughter; Mrs. Mattie Corman, whose husband has a farm six miles east of her father's home; William S., who cultivates the home farm and has one son, Russell; Grace, the wife of Milo McMickin; and Laura, the wife of George Shryock, by whom she has a little daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Brook also lost two sons and one daughter in infancy.   In 1865 Mr. Brook took up his abode upon his present farm of sixty-six acres, to which he has made additions from time to time until it now comprises two hundred and twelve acres of rich and arable land. Through his own industry and capable management and the assistance of his able wife he has prospered. He has always devoted his energies to general farming, keeping his fields under a high state of cultivation and practicing the rotation of crops. He also seeds his fields occasionally to grass and is generous in the use of fertilizers. He has two sets of buildings upon the farm, his son occupying one of the residences.   Mr. Brook is but slowly recovering from a paralytic stroke which he suffered two years ago, but by the care and attention of his faithful wife he has been rendered quite comfortable. He has been a member of the Baptist church for more than forty-five years, and through a long period has served as one of its deacons. His wife and several children also belong to the same church. In politics he is a Republican, and he keeps well informed on the issues of the day, but has neither sought nor held office. In the evening   636 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.   of life Mr. and Mrs. Brook reside on their good farm, there enjoying the comforts of former toil, and throughout the community where they reside many entertain for them sincere friendship.   JAMES ZEHNER.   James Zehner was born in Milton township, in what is now Ashland county, January 19, 1835, a son of Peter and Mary (Cook) Zehner, who had but two children, twins, the sister of our subject being Mary, now the widow of Christ Stover, of -Ashland, Ohio. The father was born in Schuyler county, Pennsylvania, and was a son of Peter Zehner, a native of that state and of German extraction. The latter emigrated with his family to Ohio and entered from the government a tract of land of one hundred and .sixty acres in what is now Milton township, Ashland county. There he and his wife spent their remaining days, his attention being given to the work of the farm. He had previously operated a sawmill in Pennsylvania, but on arriving in Ohio he built a log cabin in the midst of the forest and began to clear and cultivate his land, which was transformed into a very rich and valuable fields. In politics he was an old-line Whig until the dissolution of the party, after which he became an ardent Republican. He was also a consistent member of the Lutheran church and was a man of much influence in the neighborhood, highly respected for his many virtues.   Peter Zehner, the father of our subject, was reared to manhood amid the wild scenes of the frontier and with the family shared in all the hardships and trials of pioneer life. He wedded Miss Mary Cook and with his bride settled on the old homestead, working with his father until his death, which occurred in 1844, when he was still a young man. His wife had preceded him to the home beyond several months, and their twin children, then nine years of age, were reared by their paternal grandparents. The subject of this review acquired his education in the common schools, and at the age of sixteen went to live with his uncle, Henry Zehner, who also resided on the home farm, which he afterward purchased in connection with his brother Isaac. There Mr. Zehner remained until the time of his marriage, in 1859, Miss Catherine Letz, a native of Pennsylvania, becoming his wife. She was a daughter of John Letz, who emigrated to Ohio in 185o, settling in Milton township.   When sixteen years of age, James Zehner had apprenticed himself to the carpenter's trade and continuously followed that calling until 1862, when the Civil war caused a cessation in building, and he accordingly removed to his   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 637   father-in-law's farm, where he entered upon an active career as an agriculturist. There he remained for eight years, and on the expiration of that period purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres four miles west of Ashland, in Milton township. That continued to be his place of abode until 1885, when he sold the property and removed to his present farm in Butler township, becoming the owner of two hundred and ten acres of rich and productive land. The fields yield to him an excellent return for the care and labor he bestows upon them. The farm is one of the best improved in the county, being supplied with all modern accessories and conveniences, including the latest improved machinery, substantial buildings for the shelter of grain and stock and a pleasant residence.   Unto Mr. and Mrs. Zehner have been born seven children, as follows : John T., a carpenter of Wabash county, Indiana ; Samuel, a farmer of Butler township ; Esther, now the wife of Irvin Schweyer, who runs her father's farm; Ella, the wife of Judd Cline, an agriculturist of Franklin township ; H. Harmon, who is living in Cleveland, Ohio, where he conducts a grocery store; Dora, at home; and Kate, the wife of Alvin Wolford, a farmer of Blooming Grove township.   Mr. Zehner is unswerving in his advocacy of Republican principles, believing that the platform of the party contains the best elements of good government. He is a member of the Lutheran church and contributes lib-, erally to the support of all Christian and charitable work. His life is in harmony with his professions, and in business circles he sustains an unassailable reputation by reason of his trustworthy methods. He is a man of ambition and much energy and his success in life is clue entirely to his own efforts. His persistency of purpose has been the chief element of his success.   "Let the fool prate of luck. The fortunate Is he whose earnest purpose never swerves. His slighest action or inaction serves The one great aim."   SIDNEY ELLIS.   Recent researches concerning the early history of the Ellis family iii America indicate that Robert E., the grandfather of our subject, was descended from one of three brothers who came from Wales to the new world at an early period in the development and settlement of New England. He died in Pompey, New York, at the age of seventy-six years. Clark Ellis, the father of our subject, was born in Massachusetts in 1789, and during his   638 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.   childhood accompanied his parents on their removal to Rhode Island and later to the Empire state, where he assisted in clearing, cultivating and improving his father's land. He wedded Miss Thirza Elwell, and afterward settled on a farm of sixty-three acres, of which he had become the possessor some time before. There he spent his remaining days, but extended the boundaries of his property by purchasing an additional tract of twenty-five acres and inheriting another portion of twenty-five acres from his father's estate, his farm then comprising one hundred and thirteen acres. He lived a quiet, but useful and honorable life and died in 1843, at the age of fifty-four years. Of the Democratic party he was a stanch supporter. Unto Clark and Thirza Ellis were born thirteen children, of whom three died in infancy, while ten reached the years of maturity, the youngest of that number being fifty-two years of age at death. Four of the family are still living, namely : Eliza, the widow of John Hunter, of Huron county, Ohio; Polly, the wife of Gorham Randall, of Nemaha, Nebraska ; Sidney ; and Henry, who is living in Montgomery county, Missouri.   In taking up the personal history of Sidney Ellis, we present to our readers the life record of one who is well known in Richland county. He was born in the town of Pompey, Onondaga county, New York, November 9, 1824, and the days of his youth were quietly passed on the old homestead farm. His educational privileges were limited, but he has been a great reader throughout his entire life and has ever kept well informed on questions of general interest. After his father's death he entered upon an independent business career as a farm hand, working by the month for four years. In 1840 he purchased. a farm of eighty-two acres lying between the towns of Pompey and Fabius and there began farming on his own account. The year previous he had married Miss Hannah Benedict, a native of Pompey and a, daughter of Stephen. Benedict, one of the wealthiest farmers of Onondaga county. He had begun business as the possessor of only twenty-six acres of forest land, and with that to serve as a nucleus he added to his possessions by his energy and perseverance until his realty and bank account made him one of the most substantial citizens of his community.   Mr. and Mrs. Ellis resided at their new home for only a year, however, when they sold the property and rented a farm. He there planted a crop, but sold the harvest ere it was garnered, and in the fall of 1849 came to Ohio, where, in Ripley township, Huron county, in partnership with his brother, Henry A., he had previously purchased a farm of one hundred acres. His brother Henry and four older brothers had preceded him to Huron county. His property had been leased to a man for a term of two years and during   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 639   that time Sidney Ellis rented and cultivated other land. In 1851, however, he removed to his own home, but after a year he and his brother sold their land and for several months Sidney Ellis was a resident of Fitchville.   He next purchased one hundred and thirty-one acres of land in Butler township, Richland county, on which he resided for two years, when he sold that farm and removed to Huron county, having become the owner of fifty acres of a farm, upon which he resided for three years. During that time his father-in-law died, and disposing of his Huron county farm Mr. Ellis and his family returned to the Empire state, where his wife inherited thirty-six acres of her father's old homestead, with the buildings and residence upon the place. Mr. Ellis then purchased an adjoining forty-two acres and in New York they remained for four years, when they sold the property and returned to Ohio, once more becoming residents of Ripley township, Huron county. Mr. Ellis purchased there a tract of ninety-eight acres in the spring of 1862, and in July of the same year he became the owner of the remaining half of the farm known as the old Stiles place. In 1864 he removed to this half and made it his residence until 1873, when he sold the property for fourteen thousand dollars, and became the owner of his present home in Blooming Grove township, Richland county, where he has one hundred and fifty-eight acres of valuable land. In 1887 he bought the Burgess farm in Greenwich township, Huron county—one hundred and eight and three-quarters acres—and it is still numbered among his possessions.   Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ellis have been born four children : Polly M., the wife. of Alanson Maynard, of Blooming Grove township, where he follows farming : Ella S., the wife of Frank L. Baker, a farmer of Shelby, Ohio ; Louise C., at home ; and Stephen E., who married Emma Sheely and is managing the home farm. Mr. Ellis is a stanch Democrat, thoroughly in sympathy with the principles of his party, and for many years served as a school director, doing everything in his power to promote the cause of education, for he realizes its importance in the active affairs of life as a training for the duties which a business career always brings.   LEVI H. HUMBERT.   Levi H. Humbert has a wide acquaintance in Richland county and in agricultural circles throughout the state ; and his many excellent qualities, his genial manner and kindly disposition have made him popular, gaining him many friends. His record therefore cannot fail to prove of interest to many of our readers.   640 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.   He was born a mile and a half northeast of Ashland, in Ashland county, Ohio, May. 26, 1846, his parents being William and Margaret (Wolf) Humbert. His father was born September 20, 1821, and died January 30, 189o. His wife's birth occurred on the 3d of May, 1821, and she passed away November 14, 1899. After her husband's death she resided on the home farm with her son, Albert M.   The father of our subject was a native of Maryland, and in that state learned the shoemaker's trade, under the direction of his stepfather, Mr. Shaffer. After his marriage he located on the old Wolf farm near Ashland, renting that tract, which he cultivated in addition to working at his trade. Seven years later he removed to Cass township, where he purchased eighty acres of land, upon which he resided for three, years. He then sold the property and in 1852 bought eighty acres in Blooming Grove township, now included within the old homestead. He was a very industrious and energetic man, working in the fields from early morning until late at night, and on rainy days continuing his labors at the bench. His success enabled him to add to his property and he extended the boundaries of his farm until it comprised one hundred and forty acres. In early life he gave his political support to the Whig party and after its dissolution joined the Democratic ranks. That he was regarded as a citizen of sterling worth and fidelity is shown by the fact that he served as a supervisor and a school director in his township for twenty years. He held membership in the German Reformed church. His wife, who proved to him a faithful companion and helpmate on life's journey, was a native of Pennsylvania, and during her early girlhood came with her parents, John and Mary Wolf, to Ohio, the family locating in Ashland. They were also natives of the Keystone state, and the former died in early manhood. By the marriage of William Humbert and Margaret Wolf eight children were .born, of whom six are yet living.   Levi H. Humbert spent his boyhood days at his parents' home, and in the district schools of the neighborhood acquired a. limited education, his privileges in that direction being somewhat limited, for the sons performed the greater portion of the farm work, their father devoting his time to trade. After arriving at years of maturity Mr. Humbert was married, on the 28th of November, 1867, to Miss Nancy Pifer, a native of Rome, Ohio, and a daughter of Jacob Pifer, a harness-maker and farmer of that place, where he resided for many years, his death ultimately occurring there. Mr. and Mrs. Humbert began their domestic life on a portion of the old homestead, in a log cabin which had been erected in pioneer days. For four years our subject continued to cultivate that land, and in 1872 removed to Marion   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 641   county, where he engaged in the sawmill business, having previously operated a sawmill for one year in Rome. He remained in Marion county for eighteen months and then sold his mill, returning to Rome, where he engaged in merchandising for a year. On disposing of that business he removed to Mercer county, where he purchased a farm of eighty acres, following agricultural pursuits for six months. After harvesting his crops he sold his land, on account of the excessive rains in that district, and removed to Fayette, Fulton county, where he bought another tract of land of eighty acres. During his residence in that county he purchased and operated the first thresher ever seen in the locality. After remaining there for eight years he once more sold out and at that time took up his abode in Olney, Illinois, purchasing a farm of five hundred and twenty acres, and resided in the city. He was engaged in selling threshing machines, buggies and farm implements of various kinds. Since 1897 he has been a resident of Richland county, his home being on his present farm of one hundred and ten acres in Weller township. For a number of years he was a well known representative of various firms dealing in farming implements, threshing machines, sawmill machinery and buggies, representing these firms on the road, while for two or three years he was their chosen representative at the St. Louis exposition, having charge of the displays.   After the death of his first wife Mr. Humbert married Miss Izora Pifer, of Williams county, and on the 17th of March, 1897, he wedded Sarah M. Foulks, a daughter of William Foulks, now deceased. Her father was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in 1800, and with his parents came to Ohio in 1824, his father, William Foulks, entering a quarter-section of land from the government in Weller township. There he and his wife spent their remaining days. After his father's death William Foulks, Jr., purchased the interest of the other heirs in the home place and there carried on agricultural pursuits until his own demise. For many years he served as a justice of the peace and was widely known throughout the county as Esquire Foulks. He also served as a township trustee, proving a capable and reliable officer. His wife bore the maiden name of Mary Grimes and was a daughter of James Grimes, who lived near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and in 1821 removed from that place to Richland county, entering a farm in Weller township, which is still in the possession of the family.   Mr. Humbert became the father of nine children. By his first wife he had two children, one of whom is living, Frederick Leroy, now a resident of California. Of the seven children of the second marriage four are yet living, namely : Alfred, at home; Harry, who is engaged in the hotel   642 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.   business in Olney, Illinois ; Frank, at home ; and Ray, who also is with his father. In political views Mr. Humbert is an inflexible adherent to Democratic principles. He belongs to the Presbyterian church and is a member of Olney Lodge, I. O. O. F. He owns one hundred and thirteen acres of land, constituting a valuable farm, and his residence is situated on the sixteen acres in Blooming Grove township, while the remainder of his land is in Weller township. Throughout the years of an active business career his industry and diligence have ,added to his capital, and he is now numbered among the substantial citizens of Richland county.   AARON E. PETERSON.   Prominent among the progressive and successful farmers of Monroe township, Richland county, Ohio, is the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. His birth occurred in that township on the 22d of July, 1846, and he is a son of William and Esther (Gladden) Peterson, whose sketch appears on another page of this volume. During his boyhood and youth he acquired an excellent knowledge of all the duties which fall to the lot of the agriculturist, and he obtained his literary education in the public schools near his home and the Greentown Academy at Perrysville, Ohio.   At the age of seventeen years he entered the service of his country during the dark days of the Rebellion, enlisting March 25, 1864, in Company I, Thirty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was with Sherman's army in the siege of Atlanta, and participated in the battles of Ackworth, Kenesaw Mountain, Big Shanty Station, Marietta, Peach Tree Creek, Jonesboro and Lovejoy. The war having ended, and his services being no longer needed, he was mustered out at Columbus, Ohio, July 28, 1865, and returned to his home in this county.   Going to Perrysville, in the fall of 1866, Mr. Peterson worked in a general store and grain warehouse that winter, and the following spring began railroading as a brakeman on the Fort Wayne Railroad. Four years later he was advanced to the position of conductor, which he held for two years, and then accepted a similar position on the Erie Railroad, which he held for two years. He was then employed in the Bee Line yards at Galion until 1880, having charge of the same a portion of the time. In 188o he located upon his present farm in Monroe township, this county, and has since engaged in general farming, meeting with marked success in his labors.   On the 23d of February, 1871, Mr. Peterson was united in marriage   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 643   with Miss Livonia Taylor, .a native of Ashland county, Ohio, and a daughter of Hon. John and Lucretia (Bell) Taylor. Her father was a prominent stockman of that county and one of its most influential and popular citizens. He was a member of the state legislature two terms, and was serving as a probate judge at the time of his death, which occurred in 1882, when he was sixty-eight years of age. Mrs. Taylor, who was born in 1820, is still living and makes her 'home with her son. William in Ashland. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson have five children, four sons and one daughter, namely : Karl D., a farmer of De Kalb county, Indiana ; Zella M., the wife of George L. Rummel, a farmer of Monroe township. this county ; William H., a mandril dresser in the Shelby Tube Works, of Shelby, Indiana; Harry E., who assists his father in the labors of the farm ; and Rex C., who is attending the home school.   Mr. Peterson is unswerving in his allegiance to the Republican party, and is now efficiently serving as a member of the school board. Richland county has no more patriotic or loyal citizen, whose support is never withheld from any enterprise tending to advance the public welfare. His wife is a member of the Baptist church, and although he is not associated with any religious denomination he supports church work.   ELMORE D. NELSON.   Elmore D. Nelson was born in Wayne county, Ohio, on the 3d of April, 1839. His father, Andrew Nelson, was a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and a son of William Nelson, who came with his parents to Wayne county, Ohio, while his son Andrew was a mere boy. A location was made on a farm of one hundred acres, one mile from. West Lebanon, and there the father of our subject was reared to manhood. After his marriage to Miss Rachel Doty he located upon his father's farm, which he operated until 1853, when he came with his wife and children to Richland county, settling on a farm of eighty acres south of Olivesburg in Weller township. He purchased and improved the land and continued to make his home there until his declining years, when he retired from active business life and removed to Olivesburg, where he spent his remaining days, his death occurring in May, 189o. He was a stanch supporter of the Republican party and several terms served as a trustee of his township. In the Methodist church he held membership and took an active part in its work, and was one of the progressive and influential men of his section of the county. He prospered in his business undertakings and became the owner of a valuable   644 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.   farm of one hundred and sixty-eight acres. Unto Andrew and Rachel (Doty) Nelson have been born seven children, but only three are now living, namely : Elmore D.; Amanda, the wife of Michael France, a farmer. of Ashland county; and Levi, an agriculturist living in Olivesburg.   Elmore D. Nelson spent the days of his boyhood and youth under the parental roof and pursued his studies in the common schools of the neighborhood. As a companion and helpmeet on life's journey he chose Miss Angeline Ward, their marriage taking place on the 26th of January, 1860. The lady. is a native of Olivesburg and a daughter of P. B. Ward, who at the time of his retirement was one of the oldest representatives of the undertaking business in Richland county, carrying on an establishment in Olivesburg and later in Shiloh. For more than forty-five years he continued operations in that line. At the time of their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Nelson began their domestic life upon his father's farm, renting the property, but they were not long permitted to enjoy their new home, for in June, 1861, the wife died, leaving a little son, who was born on the 9th of May of that year and died on the 24th of August.   On the 19th of September, 1861, Mr. Nelson offered his services to his country, enlisting as a member of Company G, Fifteenth Ohio Infantry, in which he served for three years, four months and four days. Fourteen months of that time was spent in rebel prisons. He was first incarcerated at Richland and on the 17th of February left there, arriving at Andersonville on the 23d of that month, being one of the prisoners on the first trainload to that point. On the 7th of July following he was transferred to Savannah, Georgia, where he was held for one month, and next was sent to Millen, Georgia, where he remained as a prisoner of war until the 20th of May, 1864. On that date the sick were paroled and Mr. Nelson purchased his own liberty and that of four others, being selected by a Rebel Captain to act as a nurse for the sick who were taken to Annapolis, Maryland. Mr. Nelson then received a thirty-day furlough and went to Columbus, where he was discharged the the 13th of January, 1865.   His service was indeed arduous, for in addition to the time spent in Rebel prisons he participated in many important engagements, including the battles of Pittsburg Landing, the siege of Corinth, Stone River or Murfreesboro, Liberty Gap and Perryville. From that place the troops proceeded to Louisville, Kentucky, and thence to Chickamauga, where an engagement occurred, and: on the 10th of December, 1863, Mr. Nelson was captured, together with Henry Satterwaith, of Bellaire, Ohio ; W. G. Malin, of Des Moines, Iowa, who is serving as a member of the state legislature; John   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 645   Capper, of Van Wert, Ohio; and another comrade, who is now living in Illinois. Mr. Malin and Mr. Capper now have sons named for the subject of this review On one occasion Mr. Satterwaith tried to escape from Andersonville and was badly lacerated by the hounds that were put upon his track, all of his clothing being torn from his body.   On the 28th of March, 1865, Mr. Nelson was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ruth, of Ashland county, a daughter of Henry Ruth. He then began cultivating the farm belonging to his father-in-law and continued for three years. In 1868 he purchased his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres and has since made it his home. In 1895 he also became the owner of the old Clayberg place of one hundred and sixty acres adjoining his farm on the west, so that his landed possessions now aggregate three hundred and twenty acres. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson has been blessed with six children, namely : Henry S., a shoe merchant of Plymouth, Ohio; Cora, the wife of Dayton Shayne, of Cleveland, Ohio; Alice, wife. of Alanson Martin, of Weller township; Myrtle, the wife of Tully Chamberlain, a merchant of Olivesburg; and William. A. and Edward T., who are working their father's land.   Mr. Nelson is a stalwart supporter of Republican principles and does what he can to promote the growth and secure the success of his party, yet has refused all offices. He is, however, recognized as one of the influential men of Richland county and is classed among its leading farmers, owing to the creditable methods which he follows in his work and to the success which has attended his efforts.   JOSIAH CHAMBERLAIN.   Among the veterans of the Civil war now connected with the farming interests of Richland county is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. He vas born on Christmas clay of 1832, in what was then Richland county, but is now Clear Creek township, Ashland county, his parents being James and Sarah (Peterson) Chamberlain. The father was born in West Virginia in 1700, and spent the clays of his boyhood and youth in that state, coming to Ohio when a young man. With some friends he located in what is now Ashland county, and during the first winter he engaged in hunting, finding this a pleasant as well as profitable work. During that season Ile killed fifty-two deer, for he was an expert with the rifle, seldom failing to bring down any game at which he aimed. After his marriage to Miss Peterson he located on a quarter-section of land which he had entered from   646 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY   the government some time before, and there he erected a hewed-log cabin, which is still standing. The young couple bore all the hardships and trials incident to pioneer life and were also hampered by a very limited income. They dug and sold ginseng in order to buy their first bedding; but as the years passed and their farm became productive they were enabled to add many comforts to their home. About fifteen years later, when Mr. Chamberlain had placed more land under a high state of cultivation, he sold his farm with the intention of removing to Illinois, but finally abandoned that plan and purchased one hundred and ten acres of land in the southern part of Clear Creek township, where he made his home until his death, which occurred in 1876. In politics he was first an old-line Whig, but on the dissolution of that party he joined the ranks of the Republican party and continued to march under its banners throughout his remaining days. A consistent member of the Christian church, he was a man highly esteemed and beloved by all who knew him for his many noble traits of character. HiS wife was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1809, and died in 1897. She was a daughter of Abraham N. Peterson, who married a Miss Middleton and came with his family to Richland county, Ohio, soon after the war of 1812, but some years later removed to Fulton county, Illinois, where he and his wife spent their remaining days.   By the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain ten children have been born, of whom seven are yet living, namely : John, a resident of Monroe county, Iowa; Mary,.the widow of Charles Stout, of Ashland county; Josiah, of this review ; James, who is living in Havana, Kansas; Henry H., of Lincoln, Nebraska ; Weeden S., of Greenwich, Ohio; and Abraham, who is a resident of Weller township, Richland county.   Upon the home farm amid the wild scenes of the frontier Josiah Chamberlain spent the clays of his boyhood and youth, and the work of the field and meadow early became familiar to him. In the common schools he acquired his education and five years prior to his marriage he began operating a threshing machine for his father. In 1853 he chose as a companion and helpmeet on life's journey Miss Rachel A. Stratton, their wedding being celebrated on the l0th of November of that year. The lady is a native of Butler township, Richland county, and a daughter of David and Mary (Logan) Stratton, who came to Ohio from Beaver county, Pennsylvania, soon after the war of 1812, locating in Richland county. Her father was born in Amsterdam, Holland, and was brought to America during his boyhood. When the country became involved in the second war with England he joined the army, and a wound which he sustained during the service   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 647   later caused his death, when he was forty-seven years of age. He left a widow and fourteen children. The mother was a woman of great courage and determined spirit. She paid. off the incumbrance upon the farm, purchased from her son forty acres of land, which had been willed to him by his father, and thereon carefully reared her family, providing them with fair educational advantages and instilling into their minds lessons of industry and honesty that proved of great value to them in later years.   After his marriage Mr. Chamberlain worked his mother-in-law's farm for nine years, and then put aside personal considerations to aid his country in her struggle to preserve the Union. In February, 1864, he enlisted as a member of Company B, Eighteenth Ohio Infantry, and served' until hostilities ceased, being mustered out at Chattanooga, Tennessee, in September, 1865. He belonged to a family noted for its loyalty, for four of his brothers were also numbered among the "boys in blue," Henry having been a member of the Sixth Iowa Infantry ; Washington, now deceased, of the Fifty-fifth Ohio Infantry ; and Abraham, of the Twenty-fifth Ohio Regiment; while Weeden served in the Forty-second Regiment of the Ohio Volunteers, commanded by General James A. Garfield.   After his return from the front Mr. Chamberlain, of this review, purchased a farm of eighty .acres on section 7, Butler township, and there made his home for nine years, when he sold that property and became the owner of a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in South Clear Creek township, Ashland county. A year later, however, he exchanged that farm for the Mitchell Starr farm, which continued to be his place of abode for eleven years, when he sold out owing to his wife's failing health. He then went to the west, hoping that the trip would prove beneficial to Mrs. Chamberlain. After a year they returned and he purchased his present farm, comprising eighty acres of rich and valuable land, the well tilled fields bringing to him a good income. Here he and his wife still reside. Three children have been born to them, of whom two are now living : Sarah Elizabeth, the wife of George Scroggie, of Butler township ; and James Logan.   In politics Mr. Chamberlain is a stanch Republican and for several terms was a trustee of his township, giving careful consideration to his official duties and discharging them with promptness and ability. For many years he has been a member of the school hoard and the cause of education has found in him a warm friend, doing all in his power to promote the efficiency of the schools. He belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic and the Christian church, and is interested in all that pertains to the welfare and prosperity of the community along social, intellectual, material and moral lines.   648 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.   JUDGE MANUEL MAY.   For a half century Judge Manuel May has been a representative of the bar of Mansfield and has been a prominent factor in public affairs. Both as a statesman and lawyer he has won fame and is to-day numbered among the honored and distinguished citizens of Richland county. A native of Mansfield, his entire life has here been passed. Among the educators of his boyhood were the Rev. James Rowland, Professor Lorin Andrews and the Hon. William Johnston. He was fortunate in having his early mental development thus directed by men of superior ability. Later he attended Kenyon College, of which he is a graduate; and after reading law under the direction of his father he matriculated in the Cincinnati Law School and completed the regular course. In 1858 he received the degree of Master of Arts from Kenyon College.   Judge May began practice in Mansfield, with his father, under the firm name of J. M. & M. May, and his subsequent law partners have been Thomas McBride, John K. Cowen, who is now the president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, and S. L. Geddes. From the beginning he attained success in his professional career. His is a natural discrimination as to legal ethics, and he is so thoroughly well read in the minutia of the law that he is able to base his arguments upon thorough knowledge of and familiarity with precedents, and to present a case upon its merits, never failing to recognize the main point at issue, and never neglecting to give a thorough preparation. His pleas have been characterized by a terse and decisive logic and a lucid presentation rather than by flights of oratory, and his power is the greater before court or jury from the fact that it is recognized that his aim is ever to secure justice and not to enshroud the cause in a sentimental garb or illusion which will thwart the principles of right and equity involved. A number of the successful lawyers and prominent men of to-day have read law under his guidance.   In his fraternal relations the Judge is a thirty-second-degree Mason,. belonging to Cincinnati Consistory. He has been the presiding officer of the Mansfield Commandery of Knights Templar and also the two branches of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Mansfield. In religious belief he is an Episcopalian. He has long been a recognized leader in political circles. For many years he was the county school examiner of Richland county, and has been identified with the educational interests of the county the greater part of his life. He served as prosecuting attorney from 1858 until 1862, and for four years represented the fourth ward in the city council, acting as   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 649   the president of that body a part of the time. In 1866 he was sent to the Ohio state senate from the district comprising Richland and Ashland counties, and so ably served the interests of the state that he was re-elected for a second term, continuing in office until 1870. During the second term he was a member of the judiciary committee and was identified with very important measures during that time. In 1882 Mr. May was elected a judge of the court of common pleas for the second division of the sixth judicial district of Ohio, composed of the counties of Ashland, Morrow and Richland ; was re-elected, and served until 1892. As a judge Mr. May was fair and impartial in his rulings, stanch in principle, clear in perception, with unswerving integrity and honesty of purpose, combined with a thorough knowledge of the law. He was an honor to both bench and bar. He deserves the good things which have come to him and the high esteem in which he is held by fellow citizens, regardless of party affiliations.   WILLIAM PETERSON.   Among the prosperous and influential citizens of Monroe township none stand higher in public esteem than William Peterson, who was born here October 31, 182o, and is a worthy representative of one of the honored pioneer families of this county. His father, John G. Peterson, was born in New Jersey, in 1791, and being left motherless at a tender age he was taken by a neighboring family to rear. Shortly afterward they moved to Virginia and later to Coshocton, Ohio, where Mr. Peterson grew to manhood. There he wedded Mary Vail, a native of Coshocton county, and about 1814 they came to Richland county, locating on what is now known as the old Peterson place in Monroe township, where he took up two quarter-sections ;of land. Building a rude cabin, he at once \commenced the arduous task of clearing and' transforming it into well cultivated fields. He added to his original farm a tract of ninety-six acres, and also acquired two hundred and thirty acres of land in Crawford county, having become one of the well-to-do and substantial citizens of his community. He was an active member of the Baptist church, and one of the most highly respected citizens of his township. He died in April, 1845, in his fifty-fourth year, and the mother of our subject departed this life in 1830. Of the ten children born to them only three are now living : Polly, the wife of William Jones, of Ashland county, Ohio ; William, of this review ; and Solomon, also a farmer of Monroe township, this county. William Peterson remained at home until reaching manhood, and