450 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY ried Rosie Moore and lives in Ballville Township; Ray, who married Elizabeth Sater and lives at home; Clarence, who lives in Rice Township; and one who died in infancy. Mary B. Babione, the eldest daughter, was first married to a Mr. Walker, who met death by drowning, and they had one son, Carl. She was subsequently married to Douglas Fought and they reside in Washington Township, Sandusky County. Clarence Babione was married (first) to Fay Smith, and after her death was married to Miss Edna Bloom. Mr. Babione is a Republican in politics, and for six years served with marked ability as township trustee. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, belonging to the Post at Fremont. EMMET C. SAYLES, prosecuting attorney of Sandusky County, and formerly city solicitor of Fremont, has been a resident of this city since he was twenty-three years of age and he has made its interests his own. He was born May 3, 1867, at Chicago, Illinois, but was reared at Lowell, Michigan. His schooling was obtained in the country schools near Lowell and finished in the high school at Lowell. In large measure Mr. Sayles is a self made man, for, from the age of twelve years he provided his own opportunities for advancement and earned the means in mill, factory and on the farm, to pursue his higher studies, those which later contributed largely to his success in life's battle. After reaching Fremont, he began the study of law in the office of Kinney & O'Farrel, and subsequently passed with more than ordinary credit, the state legal examination in both civil and criminal law and was admitted to the bar in December 1901. For four years and eight months Mr. Sayles served the city as its solicitor, at a particularly trying period on account of differing interpretation of numerous new laws, particularly applying to city improvements. He points with commendable pride to the fact that during his long period of service, there was but one small verdict secured against the city. In 1908 the Democratic party brought him forward as its candidate for prosecuting attorney and he was elected by a majority of 992 votes over his opponent, Edward Voorhees. In the administration of this office there is one fact certain, that Mr. Sayles will do his full duty without fear or favor. The office is one of great responsibility, entailing much labor and requiring the possession of both experience and profound legal knowledge, qualities Mr. Sayles has proven he possesses. Mr. Sayles was married to Miss Catherine M. Gordon, a daughter of John Gordon, of Toledo, Ohio. They reside at No. 812 West State Street, Fremont. Mrs. Sayles is a member of the Catholic Church, but Mr. Sayles was reared in the Baptist faith. Mr. Sayles has taken much interest in military affairs and has been a captain in the National Guards. He is identified with the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Sons of Veterans, the Maccabees, the Improved Order of Red Men, the Elks and the Eagles. CHRISTIAN SCHNEIDER, whose comfortable home is in the village of Hessville, Sandusky County, Ohio, owns his property here and also a valuable farm of eighty acres, which is situated in Washington Township. He was born in Germany, October 9, 1834, and is a son of Henry and Mary (Sehr) Schneider and a grandson of Christian Schneider, all of whom died in Germany. Neither one of his parents nor any of the children except two ever crossed the Atlantic Ocean to America, and of these two Christian is the only survivor, the other brother, William, having died at Forest Hill, California, in 1908. In 1852 Christian Schneider landed at the port of New York and from there he made his way to Fremont, Ohio, where he began to work as a blacksmth for George Griner and later, at Woodville, he worked for Barnum and Whitmore, then for Captain Newfur and later for Ged Wolfe, at Hessville. After this he went to toolmaking at Rocky Ridge, for the Northern Division Railroad, going from there to Monroeville and later worked for one year at Rochester, Indiana. After returning to Ohio, he worked at Perrysburg, in Wood County, one year, then bought a shop of George Thrafe, at Hessville, and conducted it for two and one- AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 451 half years. Later he bought eighty acres of land from Israel Eversole and another eighty from Isaac Eversole, and retains the latter farm but sold the former eighty to his son, C. H. Schneider. In 1855, at Hessville, Mr. Schneider was married to Miss Sophia Strock, a daughter of Philip and Elizabeth (Shriner) Strock. The Strock family came to Ohio from Germany in 1848 and lived in Washington Township, Sandusky County, the remainder of their lives. The children born to Christian Schneider and wife were the following: Charles H., who married Stevana Burkett, lives in Washington Township; Louisa, who married Leonard Schwartz, lives in Washington Township; Louis, who married Adella Whitney, lives in Washington Township; Elizabeth, who was married (first) to Christian Moll, and after his death to Jacob Reed, lives in Sandusky County; Christian H., who married Catherine Schmaltz, lives on the old homestead in Washington Township ; Sophia, who married (first) George Mowery and after his death, Benjamin Graham, lives at Bradner, Ohio ; Philip, who married Alta Bowmer, lives at Hessville, and Ida and William, both of whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Schneider are old and valued members of the Lutheran Church. He takes no very active interest in politics, but he casts his vote in favor of the principles and candidates of the Democratic party. Mr. Schneider has witnessed many wonderful changes since he first came to Sandusky County, changes in farming, in methods of work at his trade and changes in modes of living. Some of these changes he considers of no material advantage, but others he has approved of and has often lent his influence to help bring them about. June 24, 1909, a family reunion was held at the home of Philip Schneider, son of our subject. A count was had and it was found that Christian and Sophia Schneider, their children and grand children, together with their respective wives and husbands, numbered fifty-eight persons. DRYFOOS & BACH, a firm name representing the oldest established clothing house at Fremont and one of the leading business concerns of the city, is located in fine quarters in the Dryfoos & Bach Block, on South Front Street. It was established in 1850, by I. and M. Dryfoos, natives of Germany and older brothers of Simon Dryfoos, who is now the senior member of the firm. The first firm name was I. and M. Dryfoos, clothiers, later becoming Dryfoos Brothers and still later, Dryfoos Brothers & Bach, which continued until 1892, when the present firm style was assumed. Simon Dryfoos was born November 24, 1844, in Germany, and is a son of Henry Dryfoos. In 1866 he came to America and located at Fremont, and he has made this city his home for more than forty-three years. In 1873 he became a member of the firm of Dryfoos Brothers & Bach. He was married about this time to Rachel Lehman and they have four children : Henry, Sidney, Minette and Alfred. Mr. Dryfoos owns a beautiful residence on Birchard Avenue. Louis Bach, of the firm, was born in Bavaria, Germany, February 11, 1848, and is a son of Jacob and Fannie (Swatzenberg) Bach. When he was six years old his parents came to America and for several years the family lived at Tiffin, Ohio, and then moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Jacob Bach entered into business and his son began to go to school. Later the family moved to Nashville, Tennessee and from there to Chattanooga, where Jacob Bach died. Lewis had been in partnership with his father in business and he remained at Chattanooga until 1873, when he came to Fremont, where he entered into his present business relations with Dryfoos Brothers. In 1882, Mr. Bach was married to Barbara Kahn, and they have three children : Fred, Jessie and Walter. Mr. Bach owns a handsome home on South Arch Street, Fremont. In the old days of the clothing business, it was the general habit to put a price on an article and after a certain seemingly necessary amount of dickering, sell the article for less price than asked at first. The members of the firm have brought about a different method in Fremont, one more dignified and honorable, having but one price and thereby treating all customers alike. Their reputation for relia- 452 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY bility and honesty is known all through the county. They carry the largest stock and the best class of merchandise in this section, own their own sales room and the one adjoining it on the south. This is a firm that Fremont can take pride in. FRED RUTSCHOW, proprietor of the Fred Rutschow Department Store, at Helena, Ohio, and buyer of grain, poultry, butter and eggs, hides and all farm produce and also proprietor of the elevator and electric light plant at this point, is one of Sandusky County's leading business men. Mr. Rutschow was born at Toledo, Ohio, October 21, 1854, and is a son of William and Mina Rutschow. The parents of Mr. Rutschow were born in Germany but they have been residents of America during the larger portion of their lives. Their comfortable home is in the city of Toledo. The father is now seventy-six years old and the mother one year older. They had two children, Fred and Josephine, the latter of whom died when aged eleven years. Fred Rutschow obtained his education in the public schools of Toledo and the State College situated there. He then started to work, being employed first as an errand boy by a local business man, after which he made his way to Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked as a clerk in a dry goods store for two years and then came back to Toledo and entered the employ of a Toledo merchant for a short time. In the meanwhile he had married and as his responsibilities increased, he concluded that the only way in which he could add to his capital and clear off the debts he had incurred, was to make a bold strike and embark in business for himself. He had only $25 in cash when he came to Helena, but lie had credit, and after renting a small room he stocked it with desirable general merchandise and launched out as a merchant on his own responsibility. His business ability was sufficiently proved within four years, when J. J. Garn entered into partnership with him and they built the present commodious store building. This partnership continued for several years and when Mr. Garn retired, Mr. Ruts- chow took over the entire business and has successfully conducted it ever since. In almost every business there have been times of crisis, but few of these have disturbed Mr. Rutschow, for with the exception of several small fires, which caused but little loss, he has prospered from the first. His indefatigable industry and unceasing energy have resulted in the large advance made in his own fortunes and have contributed in no small degree to the prosperity of Helena. He carries a stock of goods valued at $12,000, including groceries. dry goods, boots and shoes, crockery, shelf hardware and clothing, tinware, tobacco and salt; owns his own electric light plant for his own use, it being one of the two in the place, the other, which furnishes light for the town being owned by Mrs. Monroe Garn; owns the grain elevator which has a capacity of 12,000 bushels ; owns a cold storage plant ; owns eleven acres of very valuable farm land in Washington Township; is a stockholder in the Helena Banking Company, and since 1876 has also been interested in oil production. The Garn-Rutschow Oil Company leased land all over the country, the first well found in this section being one struck in 1890, in Washington Township, which produced 125 barrels a day. Mr. Rutschow undoubtedly possesses great business faculty and his foresight and judgment are frequently consulted by those not so well equipped by nature. He has been a very useful citizen of Sandusky County and a dominating force in the business life of Helena. In 1876 Mr. Rutschow was married at Toledo, Ohio, to Miss Carrie Schumaker, who is a daughter of John Schumaker. They have had three children : William, born in 1881, married Hattie Bremer and conducts a wholesale commission house at Toledo J. F. S., who died aged four years, and Fred, born in 1889, who is his father's able assistant. Mrs. Ruts-chow has been of great assistance to her husband. In earlier years her frugal and careful administration of domestic affairs gave him help and encouragement and she still gives assistance by looking after details in the store. The family belong to the German Lutheran Church. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 453 LOUIS SCHNEIDER, who has been a member of the School Board of Washington Township for the past ten years and in every way is a representative citizen, lives on his excellent farm of sixty-seven acres and also has a two-third interest in a tract of forty acres in the same township. Mr. Schneider was born January 12, 1863, in Washington Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, and is a son of Christian and Sophia (Strock) Schneider. The venerable father of Mr. Schneider was born in Germany, October 9, 1834, and in 1852 he came by himself to America and settled in Sandusky County, where he has lived ever since. He married Sophia Strock and they had the following children : Charles C., residing in Washington Township, married Stevana Burkett; Louisa, married Lenard Schwartz; Elizabeth, married (first) Christian Moll and (second) Jacob Reed, of Sandusky County; Louis; Christian, who married Catherine Schmaltz, lives on the old homestead in Washington Township; Sophia, married (first) George Mowery and (second) Benjamin Graham and they live at Bradner, Ohio ; Philip Alta Bowmer and resides at Hessville; Edith and William are both deceased. Louis Schneider was fourteen years old when he left school and began to be of great assistance to his father on the farm and remained at home until his own marriage, in 1883. After this event he settled on a farm of forty acres which his wife had inherited from her father and lived there for twenty years, during that time building a new house and barns. After purchasing his present property, from Mrs. Julia A. Whitney, Mr. Schneider took possession of it and has been engaged here in general farming ever since. He raises good stock but has none that is registered. In 1883 Mr. Schneider was married to Miss Adela Whitney, who was born August 22, 1865, in Sandusky County, Ohio, the second daughter of Ami W. and Julia Anna (Damschroder) Whitney. Mrs. Schneider has one sister, Mary M., who is the wife of Hayden Arnold, of Fremont. Mr. and Mrs. Schneider have three sons : Clarence, who was born July 9, 1885, married May Smith of Washington Township, and they have one daughter Lulu, who was born Oct. 23, 1906; William, who was born March 14, 1888, lives at home; Dewey, born Aug. 5, 1898, is a school boy. Mr. Schneider is a Democrat in National politics, but in local matters he casts an independent vote. With his family he belongs to the Grace Reformed Church. His postoffice is at Gibsonburg, not far distant from his farm and his mail comes on rural route No. 3. MEADE G. THRAVES, attorney at law, with office in the Bristol Block, on Front Street, Fremont, has been engaged in the practice of his profession in this city for twenty years and occupies a leading position on the Sandusky County bar. He was born February 15, 1863, on a farm in Ballville Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, and is a son of George and Mary (Crowell) Thraves, the former of whom followed the blacksmith business for many years in Fremont, Hessville and in California. Meade G. Thraves attended the Ballville Township schools and later the Fremont High School, where he was graduated in 1884. He taught school for several terms in Ballville and Green Creek Townships in the meanwhile beginning his law reading and after four years of study in the office of Finefrock & Dudrow, at Fremont, he was admitted to the bar on June 6, 1889, immediately securing his present quarters where he has remained ever since. He has been an active and interested citizen and both in and outside his profession, has been given tokens of the general esteem in which he is held. From 1900 until 1905 he served as secretary and treasurer of the board of directors and as librarian of the law library, which is located in the Sandusky County Court House. He is a leading Democrat and from 1896 to 1898 was a member of the Democratic State Central Committee, representing the Thirteenth District. Mr. Thraves married Miss Mary Bristol, who died November 28, 1906. She was a daughter of E. A. and Maria L. Bristol. Mr. Thraves is fraternally identified with the order of Foresters, the Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Knights of Pythias, the K. O. T. M., and the Elks. 454 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY ANSON H. MILLER, deceased, late president of the First National Bank of Fremont, Ohio, was connected with the banking interests of this city for more than a half century. He was a member of the first board of directors of the First National, when the institution was founded, in 1863, subsequently served as cashier, later became vice president and finally president, occupying the last named office at the time of his death, which occurred March 30, 1905. Mr. Miller was born May 2, 1824, at Hillsdale, New Hampshire, and was the second son of John and Hannah (Bassett) Miller. In the year following his birth the parents of Mr. Miller moved to Norwalk, Ohio, and in 1839 they settled in New London Township, in Huron County. Anson H. was educated in the Norwalk Seminary and at Milan Academy, after which he eagerly turned his attention to business. In 1847 he became an employe of a lumber firm at New Orleans, and after about one year's experience, he returned to New London Township, where he engaged in farming until 1852. He had no taste, however, for agricultural pursuits and after taking a commercial course in a business college at Cleveland, became bookkeeper for Dr. William F. Kittridge, who was then treasurer of the Toledo, Norwalk & Cleveland Railroad. In 1854 he became cashier for the firm of Birchard & Otis, bankers, at Fremont, and became a resident of this city on August 2, 1854, and remained identified with its many interests throughout the remainder of his life. Changes soon came about in the firm, Judge Otis retiring in January, 1856, and at that time Mr. Miller became a partner, the firm style becoming. Birchard, Miller & Company. In the following year when the late Dr. James W. Wilson became a member of the firm, its resources were increased, but no change was made in the firm name, which continued until 1863. It was a purely private banking enterprise and did a large volume of business. Notwithstanding the general financial stringency in the third year of the Civil War, the capitalists of Fremont did not hesitate in increasing their responsibilties, and in this year the private firm was merged into the First National Bank of Fremont, with the following first officers : Sardis Birchard, president ; James W. Wilson, vice president ; and Anson H. Miller, cashier. The bank started out with a paid up capital of $100,000, and an authorized capital of $2oo,000. This bank was the fifth National Bank organized in the United States, and through all these succeeding years it has held its supremacy, owing, in large measure its unquestioned solvency and its successful business career to the high personal character of its officers, and their careful, conservative methods. The fine quarters of the bank, the solid, substantial building on the corner of Front and Croghan Streets, its exterior appearance being typical of the solidity of the bank itself, offer quite a contrast to the small one-story building where Mr. Miller first served as one of its officials. Mr. Miller was married in March, 1854, to Miss Nancy J. Otis, who is a daughter of Joseph and Nancy B. Otis, a family of age and prominence at Berlin, Ohio. They had three daughters : Mary O., Fannie B. and Julia E. DAVID STIGER, a veteran of the Civil War and well known citizen of Ballville Township, resides on his valuable little farm of fourteen acres, which has been his home for twenty-three years. He was born at Havens Station, Sandusky County, Ohio, July 2, 1844, and is a son of Joseph and Sarah (Foust) Stiger. The parents of Mr. Stiger during his boyhood and youth, resided in both Sandusky and Seneca Counties. The father was born April 14, 181o, and died April 20, 1887. The mother was born in 1813, and died in 1866. In 1833 they moved from Circleville, Pickaway County to Sandusky County. They had the following children : Caroline, Isaac, Lucinda, Amos, Wilson, David, Elizabeth, Catherine, Joseph, Matilda and Charles. HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY - 457 David Stiger resided in Jackson Township, Sandusky County, until he was fourteen years of age and obtained his education there. He then went to Seneca County for two years, and from there to Ballville Township for three years and then back to Jackson Township and resided near Bettsville until he first enlisted for service in the Civil War. This was in the fall of 1861, when he entered Company F, 72d Ohio Volunteer Infantry. While in camp he was attacked with measles and became so ill that he was sent home. During his second enlistment, which included a service of fifteen months in the 64th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, he participated in the battles of Spring Hill, Franklin, Nashville and Columbia, Tennessee, and in that of Decatur, Alabama, and others of less importance. Mr. Stiger was struck once in the breast by a spent ball and still bears the scar and on two occasions was prostrated by a sunstroke. He was honorably discharged September 25, 1865, at Benton Barracks, St. Louis, but was confined to a hospital for three months at Jefferson Station, Missouri, and did not reach home until the middle of December. He is a member of the Grand Army Post at Fremont, and of Company K, of Old Fort. Mr. Stiger purchased his present farm in 1883 from Daniel V. Flumerfelt and carries on general farming. In 1868 he was married to Miss Anna M. Beck, a daughter of Gerhart and Sarah Beck, and they have had seven children, namely : Charles, who resides at Old Fort, who married Mary Everhart, has three children—Ralph, Lester and Harry; William who lives near Old Fort, married Nora Smith and they have two children—George and Bernice; Marion, who resides at home ; Lulu, who married John Kleim, of Old Fort, has three children—Owen, Lawrence and Charles ; Earl, who lives at Old Fort, married Clara Sweasey, and they have three children—Merl, Alice and Florence; and Frank, who resides in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. Stiger and family attend the United Brethren Church. OSCAR B. PATTERSON, residing on his well improved farm of sixty-two and one-half acres, situated eight miles west of Fremont, is one of Washington Township's representative citizens and prosperous farmers. He was born February 5, 1850, on what is known as the old Patterson reservation, one mile north of Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio, and is a son of Julius and Margaret (Larey) Patterson. Julius Patterson was born May 23, 1808, at Syracuse, New York, and was brought by his parents to Ohio, in 1815. They settled near the mouth of the Huron River, where they lived for two years, and then moved to the peninsula in Ottawa County, but in 1818 they returned to Sandusky County and located at Lower Sandusky, now Fremont. They took up their residence in one of the block houses that then stood on the site of Fort Stephenson. Julius Patterson grew to manhood there and became identified with the growth and development of the county. He was one of the promoters of the Maumee turnpike road but lost heavily in that enterprise. On June 17, 1836 he married Margaret Larey and both are now deceased. They had ten children, the seven survivors being: Robert, John, Rawson, Oscar, Charles J., Sarah and Julia. One son, Sardis, was a soldier in the Civil War, a member of the 72d Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and it was his unfortunate fate to be captured by a relentless enemy, and to be imprisoned and he died at Andersonville, Georgia. Oscar B. Patterson attended the public schools more or less regularly until he was eighteen years of age, after which he assisted his father on the home farm until he was twenty-two, and then went to Michigan, where he spent one year in farming and two years in threshing. After he came back to Sandusky County he remained at home until his father died, when he went into railroading, in which he continued for twenty-two years. In 1895 he retired from the road and bought his present farm from Samuel Skinner, and he has been concerned in its development and improvement ever since. Mr. Patterson married Miss Frona Moss, a daughter of James and Lucy (Long) Moss, of Clay County, Indiana. Mrs. Patterson was an only child. Mr. and Mrs. Patterson have four children, namely : Golden, born April I I, 1890, at Worthington, Indiana ; Orville, born January 1, 1895, at Fremont, Ohio; Lucy, born 458 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY June 2, 1899, and Robert, born February 4, 1902. Mr. Patterson and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics he is a Republican and he has served for four years on the School Board. H. C. PLAGMAN, who occupies a place among Fremont's leading business men, is secretary of the Sandusky County Building & Loan Company and a member of its board of directors and he is likewise largely interested in the oil industry both in Sandusky and Wood Counties. Mr. Plagman is a native of Ohio, born in Eric County, November 21, 1857, and is a son of Henry and Dorothy (Henning) Plagman. When Mr. Plagman was about five years old his parents moved to Sandusky County, Ohio, settling on a farm in Riley Township, and there he was reared. His education was obtained in the country schools and the Ohio Northern University at Ada, and later he taught school for several winters and worked on the farm in the summers and for several years, from about seventeen to twenty-two years of age, taught school during a large portion of the time, continuing however, to keep his home on the farm. He then came to Fremont and for about three years engaged in clerking for the Herman-Wilson Dry Goods Company, after which he went into business for himself, embarking in the grocery and crockery line. He continued this business until 1898 when he disposed of his mercantile interests and for the next year was a salesman for the S. F. Evans Grocery Company, of Findlay, at Fremont. When the Sandusky County Building & Loan Company was organized, in 1899, Mr. Plagman became its secretary and has retained this office ever since. This business concern is one of large importance in the county and its officers are all business men of capital and experience. Mr. Plagman has been an active and useful citizen. For twelve years he has been a member of the Fremont Board of Education, a part of the time being its clerk and a larger part being president of the body. In 1880 Mr. Plagman was married in Fremont, to Miss Sarah L. Karshner, a daughter of Daniel Karshner, and they have two children : Lester W. and Fern Mildred. The son is in the mail service. He married Miss Myrtle King and they have two children. Mr. Flagman and family are members of the First Presbyterian Church. He is identified with the Odd Fellows. JOHN FRONIZER, who for many years engaged in carpentering in Fremont, Ohio, now owns and resides upon a farm of eighty acres in Ballville Township. He was born in this township, September 10, 1855, and is a son of Henry and Mary (Young) Fronizer. Henry Fronizer was born in Hessen, Germany, in 1824, and lived there until he reached the age of twenty-one years when he came to the United States. He first located at Buffalo, New York, where he lived three years, and then came west to Sandusky County, Ohio, settling in Ballville Township, where he died November 18, 1907. He was united in marriage with Mary Young, who was born in Hessen, Germany, in 1823, and died in Sandusky County, Ohio, in 1879. They were parents of the following children : Fred; John; Simon ; Matilda. deceased ; Magdalena, wife of Frank Pryer ; Susan, deceased ; Katherine (Fought), and Joseph. John Fronizer attended the public schools of his native county and at an early age learned the trade of a carpenter, which he has followed during most of his business career. He followed his trade in Fremont until 1898, since which time he has been a resident of Ballville Township. In 1907, he purchased his present farm of Alfonso Courser and is engaged in general farming. August 10, 1878, Mr. Fronizer was united in marriage with Miss Cynthia Pryer, a daughter of Isaac and Mary (Ash) Pryer of Sandusky County, and they have had three children : Frank, Nettie (deceased) and Larkin. Frank Fronizer was united in marriage with Miss Lola Slatter, a daughter of Christian Slatter, and they had one child who died in infancy. Mr. Fronizer is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He does not take an active part in political affairs, but served one term as township constable. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 459 RAY WILLIAM BOWLUS, one of the enterprising and successful young agriculturists of Washington Township, Sandusky County, resides on and, in association with his brother, Clyde H. Bowlus, operates the large farm be longing to his father. He was born August 18, 1885, and is a son of Orville W. and Ida Ann (Keefer) Bowlus. Orville W. Bowlus was born in Sandusky County, Ohio, carried on farming in Washington Township for many years and now lives retired at Fremont. He married (first) Ida Ann Keefer, who was born in Pennsylvania, and she is survived by the following children : Ray William, born in 1885 ; Clyde H., born July 20, 1888 ; Ralph Elmer, born November 2, 189o, who is a student in the Metropolitan Business College at Toledo; Grace, born November 4, 1892, attends the Fremont High School and Rollo, born January 1, 1894. Mr. Bowlus was married (second) to Hattie Boyer. Ray W. Bowlus attended the public schools in Sandusky County, also those of Kansas, and completed his school attendance by taking a business course in a commercial college at Fremont, where he was a student for two years. when he returned home he assisted his father and later served two years as assistant station agent for the Lake Shore Electric Railroad Company, at Monroeville, Ohio. This position he gave up when his father decided to retire and, in partnership with his next younger brother, he entered the management of the home farm. He has proved himself a capable agriculturist and takes a large amount of interest in the development of his property, making every part of the land produce to its fullest extent. In 1907 Mr. Bowlus was married to Miss Elda Walker, the eldest daughter of James Perry and Anabel (Kieser) Walker, of Gibsonburg, Ohio. Mrs. Bowlus has two sisters and three brothers : Lydia, Florence, Milo, Russel and Leigh. Mr. and Mrs. Bowlus have a son, Ray William, Jr., named for his father and born September 19, 1908. Mrs. Bowlus is a member of the Christian Church at Gibsonhurg. He is a Republican in politics. AUGUST LIEBER, treasurer of Sandusky County, Ohio, from 1901 until 1905,. is at the present time engaged in the real estate and insurance business in Fremont. He has a wide acquaintance through the county and has built up an extensive business. He was, born in Huron County, Ohio, near Bellevue, August 20, 1861, and is a son of William and Catherine (Heyman) Lieber, both natives of Germany. Although born on a farm, Mr. Lieber was reared in Bellevue where he attended the grade schools and one year in high school. He then worked at farming several years before learning the trade of a blacksmith and carriage maker. From the time he was twenty-one he spent ten years in traveling about in the United States, working at his trade at various places. He was at Van Wert, Ohio, several months, then went to Michigan, and later to Milwaukee, 'Wisconsin. From there he went to Atlanta, Georgia, thence to New Orleans during the exposition in the winter of 1884-1885. He crossed the Gulf of Mexico to Tampa, Florida, and worked at his trade at Jacksonville. After two years in the south, he visited at his old home a short time, and from there went to Chicago, Illinois. Returning to Ohio, he spent one season working in the J. P. Moore Carriage Works at Fremont, and the following spring, 1888, went to Tacoma, Washington. He was in the west five years, working at his trade about the mines. He returned to Bellevue, Ohio, in 1893, and, his father having died in the meantime, took up the latter's real estate and insurance business at that place. He became active in Democratic politics and in 1898 was elected mayor of Bellevue. He was re-elected to that office, and while serving his second term was elected on the Democratic ticket to the office of treasurer of Sandusky County, and moved to Fremont in August, 1901, to assume the duties of said office, where he has lived ever since. He served two terms as treasurer and his efficiency in office gained him many friends in both parties and won the commendation of the general public. In 1897 Mr. Lieber was united in marriage with Miss Emma Schwan, a daughter of George Schwan, of Ballville Township, San- 460 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY dusky County, and they have three children : George Martin, Gertrude and Irene. They reside in a fine new home on Birchard Avenue which he recently built. Religiously, they are members of the Grace Lutheran Church. HON. SAMUEL BRINKERHOFF, formerly probate judge of Sandusky County, and for years up to the time of his death one of the highly esteemed citizens in the county, was born at Phelps, Ontario County, New York, May 13, 1856, son of Abraham C. and Eliza (Swartwout) Brinkerhoff. Judge Brinkerhoff was educated in the schools of his native state and at Hillsdale, Michigan. Coming to Fremont in 1876, he was for some time a teacher in the district schools of the county. He then entered the law, office of Bartlett & Fine-frock, of Fremont, and after adequate preparation, was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court on March 1, 1881. In the spring of 1880, while yet a law student, he was elected a justice of the peace for the city of Fremont, and held that office for a term of three years. In 1888 he became associated in the practice of his profession with the late Henry R. Finefrock, the partnership being continued until the death of Mr. Finefrock in 1894. In 1896 he was elected probate judge of Sandusky County, and being subsequently re-elected, served in that office until February 9, 1903. A man of large business capacity, he was interested in a number of important business enterprises, achieving in this direction a marked success, with appropriate financial reward. These triumphs were the result, not merely of his natural ability for commercial pursuits, but also, and in large measure, of his unremitting industry, a quality which was ever one of the of his foremost traits of character. By his professional associates Judge Brinkerhoff was held in high esteem, and his death, which took place in Fremont, August 5, 1906, brought forth from them expressions warmly eulogistic of his memory, the County Bar Association passing appropriate resolutions. His honesty and impartiality on the bench were fully recognized ; as were also his sacred regard for his plighted word and his uniform courtesy to all who came before him iii his professional capacity. Hon. James Hunt summed up his leading characteristics when he said: "I have known Judge Brinkerhoff for twenty years and during that time I was in a position to realize his many good traits of character. He had a high sense of personal responsibility. His promises were fulfilled. He was one of the few who do more than they agree. He was frank and open in his dealings and insistent in pushing his own ideas, though always willing to change if in the wrong. He was a hard worker and had a wonderful capacity for business, and his mind had a wonderful grasp of details, which gave him the power to see through propositions more quickly than others. He is dead, but he has left us the priceless treasure of a good and honest man." Others spoke in a similar strain, and the resolutions, in the form of a memorial of the Judge's life and character were then adopted, addressed to the Court of Common Pleas of Sandusky County, and ordered to be spread upon the journal of the Court. The wife of Judge Brinkerhoff, who survives him, was Miss Mary 0. Miller, daughter of the late Anson H. Miller. JOHN M. RHINEHART, owner of a valuable farm of 165 acres, which is situated in Jackson Township, is numbered with the prosperous agriculturists and representative men of this section. He was born November 8, 1868, in the house which is still his home, in Sandusky County, Ohio, and is a son of Theodore and Keziah (Eversole) Rhinehart. The Rhinehart family is one that has long been and favorably known in Jackson Township and it was established here by the grandparents, Jacob and Isabella Rhinehart, who came from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1834. Jacob Rhinehart bought 160 acres of land in Jackson Township, this being the farm on which their grandson, John M., resides, and later he bought 240 acres in Scott Township HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY - 463 and on that farm both he and wife died when aged about seventy years. All of their seven children are deceased. Theodore Rhinehart, the youngest child of the above family, was born on the present farm, June 24, 1841, and this was his home through life, one from which he was seldom absent. During the Civil War he served in Company K, 169th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for some months, and subsequently, on account of this honorable service, became identified with the Grand Army of the Republic. He was also an Odd Fellow. In 1863 he married Keziah Eversole, daughter of Jacob Eversol, and they had two children : Emma and John M. Emma was born September 1, 1864, and died March 12, 1895. She married Edward Wertz and they lived at Helena, Ohio, and had one son, Rosco. Mrs. Rhinehart, who was born April 3o, 1843, still survives. John M. Rhinehart obtained a public school education and was trained by his father to he a capable farmer. His well improved land and finely cultivated fields show the interest be has in his work and also prove that Sandusky County has productive land, fruitful orchards and first class stock, success depending on the farmer. On October 23, 1889, Mr. Rhinehart was married to Miss Addie Maurer, a daughter of Conrad and Mary (Gurlack) Maurer, and they have three children : Izetta, born June 29, 189o; Clifford, born May 17, 1892, and Fena, born February 26, 1901. Mr. Rhinehart and family are members of the United Brethren Church at Helena. JOHN HENRICKS, one of Washington Township's representative citizens, resides on his fine farm of 157 acres, 142 of which is fertile, well improved farming land and fifteen of which is in timber; was born on this farm in Sandusky County, Ohio, January 20, 1838. His parents were Noah and Catherine (Reed) Henricks. The paternal grandfather, Jacob Henricks, was the first member of the family to own this property and it has never changed hands since he bought it in 1830, from George Waggoner. Noah Henricks, father of John, was a well known minister of the German Baptist Church in Washington Township. He was born in Perry County, Ohio, November 13, 1818, a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Hufford) Henricks, and accompanied his parents to Sandusky County and subsequently came into possession of the home farm, on which he lived until several. years prior to his death, when he retired. He died at Lindsey, August I, 1896. In that year a cyclone swept through Washington Township and completely wrecked the farm residence. Noah Henricks then bought a house from Solomon Shively, which was moved to the site of the old one, and it is now called the homestead. He married Catherine Reed, who was also born in Perry County, Ohio, a daughter of Joseph and Susannah (Swinehart) Reed. She survived her husband for four year, dying in May, 1900. John Henricks received his education in the district schools of Washington Township, leaving his books when eighteen years of age in order to give his father assistance on the farm. Two years after the father died, John Henricks and his two sisters, Elizabeth and Emily, purchased the farm and in 1903, he bought one sister's interest and in 1905 he bought the other sister's interest and now is the half owner, with his daughter, Clara J. owning the other half. His one sister, Sarah, married Josiah Hetrick and both she and husband are deceased. They had five children : Effie, deceased, Alfred, William, Noah and Elizabeth. The other sister of Mr. Henricks, Emily, married John P. Anspauch, and they have two children, William and Rollin. A third sister, Elizabeth, married Charles Buck, and they have three children : Noah, Ida and Jennie. On November 3, 1861, Mr. Henricks was married to Miss Catherine Yeagle, a daughter of Michael and Catherine (Krilick) Yeagle. The Yeagles came to Ohio from Pennsylvania and settled in Rice Township, Sandusky County. To John Henricks and wife have been born the following children : Alice, now deceased, who married William W. Engler, has one son, Arthur ; Ardella, who married Charles F. Baskey, has one son, Carl; Clara J., who married Clayton P. Long, has three sons, Earl H and Merle H., twins; and Howard Donald, 464 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY and Estella M., who married Delbert H. Rearick, has one son, George H. Mr. Henricks conducted his farm alone for some years and then sold a one-half interest to his daughter, Mrs. Clara J. Long, whose husband and Mr. Henricks carry on the farm on shares. They raise wheat, oats, corn and hay, and stock for their own use. The land is also valuable as oil land, there being eight good producing wells on the farm. Mr. Henricks takes no interest in politics beyond performing the duties of a good citizen. He is identified with the Democratic party. HON. S. S. RICHARDS, who is serving his second term as judge of the Court of Common Pleas in this judicial district, has been a member of the Sandusky County bar for the past thirty years, having his home at Clyde. Judge Richards was born August 8, 1857, in Townsend Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, and is a son of Archibald and Mary (George) Richards. The maternal grandfather of Judge Rich- ards was Joseph George, who was a soldier in the War of 1812. He came to Sandusky County in early days, probably about the same time that the Richards family settled in this section, for both names are connected with the early development of the county. The father of Judge Richards, who was a substantial farmer in Townsend Township, died in 188a at his home in Clyde. Judge Richards spent his early life on his father's farm and attended school at Clyde, graduating from the Clyde High School in 1875. He immediately started for California and remained in the far West until the fall of 1876, when he entered upon the study of law in the office of Attorney Basil Meek, a well known practitioner at Clyde. In the spring of 1879, after his admission to the bar, by the Supreme Court at Columbus, he opened an office in Clyde, and in the following June admitted D. A. Heffner to a partnership. For a long period this firm, under the name of Richards & Heffner, was a leading one at Clyde and took part in much of the important litigation in San dusky County. In 1905 Judge Richards was elected to the bench and at the expiration of his term was renominated by acclamation. His subsequent re-election followed his able administration during his first term. Judge Richards married Miss Jennie Harding, a member of an old and respected family of the county, her father, John Harding, being a retired farmer. To this marriage were born three children; Robert G., Rena, and William M. Judge and Mrs. Richards are regular attendants at the Presbyterian Church. They have a pleasant home at Clyde and are identified with the agreeable social life of the place. EDWARD SCHWARTZ, senior member of the firm of E. Schwartz & Son, funeral directors at Fremont, Ohio, also conducting a livery, hacks and ambulance service, has been a representative business man of this city for a number of years. He was born January 26, 1851, at Williamsville, Erie County, New York, and is a son of Joseph and Theresa (Batt) Schwartz. The parents of Edward Schwartz were born in Alsace, France. In 1853 Joseph Schwartz settled on a farm in Ballville Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, where he died in 1859. He married Theresa Batt and they had the following children : John (deceased). Joseph. Magdalene M., John, Mary A. (deceased), Edward, Frank X., Louis, and Mary C. All grew to maturity with the exception of two. Edward Schwartz remained at home until his father died, when he went to live at Williamsville, New York, in the home of his uncle, John Daul, and remained there three years, when he returned to his mother for about four years. In 1866 he came first to Fremont and began to learn the cabinet-making trade, completing his apprenticeship at Buffalo, New York. In 1873 he returned to Fremont, establishing his permanent home here, investing in property and embarking in business. Prior to 1878 he was engaged in the furniture line, but since then has given a large part of his attention to embalming and funeral directing, and, in partnership with his son, William H. Schwartz. who is county coroner, to carry- HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY - 467 ing on a livery, hacks and ambulance service business with commodious quarters at Nos. 815-817 Croghan Street. In 1883 Mr. Schwartz was graduated from a School of Embalming at Cincinnati, and was one of the first undertakers in Ohio to so perfect himself. In 1893 he was elected third vice president of the Ohio State Undertaker's Association, and later became first vice president. He has been a very active and useful citizen. He has served four terms in the city council and for a number of years has filled the office of county coroner. He has set an example of public spirit and served as chairman of the committee on civic improvements while a member of the council. He has served officially in various fraternal organizations, including the Elks, the National Union, the Maccabees, and the Red Men. In 1874 Mr. Schwartz was married to Miss Mary Eichel, who is a daughter of Louis and Elizabeth Eichel, former well known German residents of Fremont. Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz have four children, namely : Edward L., residing at Detroit, Michigan; Frances M. E.; Hilda, deceased ; and William H. In his political views Mr. Schwartz is a staunch Democrat. WILLIAM H. SCHWARTZ, who was elected coroner of Sandusky County, Ohio, in November, 1908, is one of the progressive and enterprising young business men of Fremont, and is the junior member of the firm of E. Schwartz & Son, leading funeral directors and proprietors of a livery, hacks and ambulance service. The establishment of this firm at Nos. 815-817 Croghan Street, is kept open day and night, for the accommodation of the public, and is one of the best equipped business stands in the city. William H. Schwartz was born October 7, 1882, at Fremont, Ohio, and is one of a family of four children born to his parents, Edward and Mary (Eichnel) Schwartz. From the parochial schools at Fremont he went to Fremont High School, then to a business college, then to Columbus, Ohio, where he took a collegiate course and also a course that gave him his diploma in anatomy, general embalming and funeral directing. Later he received a certificate of the first class from the Ohio State Board of Health. For some eight years he has, at various times, performed the duties of coroner, and his election to the office was regarded by the general public as a well merited mark of confidence in his efficiency. Since 1902 he has been in partnership with his father, Edward Schwartz, who has been in business here since 1873 and is one of the city's leading citizens. Mr. Schwartz married Miss Honora Nolan, a daughter of Thomas Nolan, of Tiffin, Ohio. They reside at No. 119 South Wayne Street. Mr. Schwartz is a zealous member of the Democratic party. He belongs to the Home Guards, the Eagles, the Elks, and the Knights of Columbus, being past exalted ruler of the latter organization. OBADIAH KERNS, an influential and progressive farmer of Washington Township, residing on a fine farm of 135 3-4 acres, situated about five and •a half miles west of Fremont, was born July 3, 1859, in the same house in which he now resides and is a son of Daniel and Julia A. (Walters) Kerns. Daniel Kerns was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, and died in 1904, in his 87th year at Lindsey, Sandusky County, Ohio. He bought the farm which is now owned by his son, and subject of this record, in 1843, when it was practically all in timberland, which he cleared and placed in a state of cultivation. He married Julia A. Walters, who was born in Pennsylvania, and when a young girl came with her parents to Sandusky County, Ohio. where she was reared and educated. She still survives, residing at Lindsey, and will be 85 years old on her next birthday, December 31, 1909. Daniel and Julia Kerns were the parents of the following children : Caroline, is the wife of William Collar, of Toledo, Ohio; Rebecca. married William Smith, and they are making their home in Oklahoma ; Lydia A., is the wife of T. I. Kerns, of Cleveland, Ohio; Obadiah, our subject ; Emma S., married John Slates. of Cleveland. Ohio Allen, married Annette Fought, and owns a farm adjoining our subject's farm ; Dora V., married (first) Charles 468 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY Scheibner, and (second) A. A. French, of Cleveland, Ohio. Obadiah Kerns was reared on his present farm and received a liberal amount of schooling in the local schools of this township, and he is today a man with a good practical education. He bought the homestead farm from his father in 1893, has made many important improvements in the way of tiling and fencing and has always carried on farming in a general way, raising wheat, oats, corn, hay, and other products. His stock is all of a very high grade although not registered. He has two oil wells in operation on the land, the output averaging two barrels per day. On March 10, 1887, Mr. Kerns was united in marriage with Louisa K. Longanbach, a daughter of Martin and Rosina Longanbach, of Sandusky County, and to them have been born three children : Irvin Lester, who was born March 17, 1890, assists his father with the work cn the farm; Elvin Chester, who was born April 24, 1893, attends the local schools of Washington Township; and Bernice Ora, who was born July 9, 1906. Mr. Kerns has served the township four years as a school director and is a Republican in politics, although an independent voter. EDWIN J. FRANKS, a prominent agriculturist of Ballville Township, Sandusky County. Ohio, owner of a farm of 10o acres, residing on a farm of z00 acres, a part of which extends across the line into Sandusky Township. was born on the farm on which he lives, July 24, 1868, and is a son of Abel M. and Eliza (McQuigg) Franks. Abel M. Franks was born in Wayne County, Ohio, June 3, 1833, and always engaged in farming. He was married in that county April 3, 1862, to Eliza McQuigg, who was born in Ireland, September 12, 1832. She was about 5 years of age when brought by her parents to the United States, and was there reared to maturity. Her father died there at the age of 81 years, and her mother at 91. She was one of the following children : William and Eliza (Franks), twins ; Martha, deceased; Mary ; Samuel, deceased; John, Sarah, James, and Margaret. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Franks moved to Huron County, Ohio, where they lived until 1865, then came to Sandusky County. He died here May 21, 1907, after an active and useful life, and is survived by Mrs. Franks, who resides in Fremont. They became parents of the following children: Franklin, John, Sadie, Edwin J., and Samuel. Franklin Franks, a graduate of Fremont High School and Cincinnati College of Law, married Harriet Barnes and resides at Findlay, Ohio, where he is engaged in the practice of his profession. John Franks is a graduate of Fremont High School and read law under the preceptorship of several well known lawyers of Fremont, where he is now in practice; Sadie Franks, who attended Fremont High School and Oberlin College, is now a resident of Fremont ; Samuel Franks married Tillie Siegenthaler, and has three children—Irene, John and Mary E. Edwin J. Franks has always followed farming since his schooldays and has been more than ordinarily successful. He is the owner of a highly improved farm and has a splendid home, located about one-half mile from Fremont, on the Maumee and Perrysburg Turnpike Road. He was married October J0, 1891, at Norwalk, Ohio, to Miss Agnes Snyder, a daughter of Samuel and Ellen (Rafferty) Snyder, early residents of Sandusky County. They have an adopted daughter, Gladys, to whom they are giving the same parental care and careful training they would a natural daughter. Religiously, they are members of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Franks is a member of the Order of Eagles at Fremont. MICHAEL W. LATTIG, an honored surviving soldier of the great Civil War and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, at Fremont, resides on his valuable farm of seventy acres, which is situated in Section 7, Sandusky Township, Sandusky County, Ohio. He was born in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, November 28, 1841, and is a son of Benjamin F. and Maria (Messinger) Lattig. The parents of Mr. Lattig were born also in Pennsylvania. In the early fifties they came to Ohio and for a short period lived in Summit AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 469 County, coming from there to Sandusky County and settling on the farm now owned by their son, Michael W., in Sandusky Township. The place had been improved with a log cabin and barn but otherwise was almost in its natural state. Here the parents of Mr. Lattig continued to live and in 1901 the father died in his eighty-third year. Of his children, three survive, namely : John J., of Ballville Township, Sandusky County who owns one-half of the old home farm in Sandusky Township; Daniel L., of Reynolds County, Missouri and Michael W. Benjamin F. Lattig was one of the township's reliable men, and for many years his judgment was consulted in matters of importance in this neighborhood. He was a Democrat in his political opinions and served as township trustee. Michael W. Lattig went to school as opportunity offered and grew to manhood on the home farm. He was 20 years old when, in December, 1861, he enlisted for service in the Civil War, entering Company C, 72d Ohio Vol. Inf., and at first was in the wing of the Federal army commanded by General Grant, and later, that commanded by General Sherman. Mr. Lattig saw hard service. He participated in the Battle of Shiloh and the Siege of Vicksburg, and later in numerous sharp skirmishes before he was captured by a band of Confederate soldiers in Mississippi. He was hastened to Andersonville and was confined in that notorious prison pen for ten long months and seventeen days, surviving only to be transferred to two other prisons and was still in confinement when President Lincoln was assassinated and he was not released until the war was over. His honorable discharge followed and Mr. Lattig returned to Sandusky County and, with the exception of two years spent in Alabama, he has resided here ever since, successfully carrying on farming and stockraising. Mr. Lattig married Miss Matilda A. Anspach, born in Perry County, Ohio, a daughter of David Anspach, formerly of Rice Township. They have the following children : Edessa, wife of E. Overmyer, living near Columbus; Wearden, living in California; Rosa, wife of Charles Hensel, residing at Fremont ; Elizabeth, living in Sandusky Township; Emily, wife of Wesley Hetrick, of. Lindsey, Ohio; and Charles R., of Sandusky Township. Mr. Lattig and family are members of the Lutheran Church. In politics he is identified with the Democratic party. JOHN HOUTZ, one of Sandusky County's substantial citizens, who now lives retired in his handsome new residence at Helena, Ohio, owns a large amount of land in the county, including three valuable farms, on one of which he has eleven producing oil wells. Mr. Houtz was born October 7, 1855, on the old Houtz homestead in Scott Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Boyer) Houtz. The elder John Houtz was born in Pennsylvania and was brought to Mahoning County, Ohio, when 7 years of age, and later to Sandusky County, only to go back to Mahoning County for several years and finally to settle permanently in Sandusky County. He was married (first) to Catherine Houtz, of the same name but not known to be kindred, and they had one child, Mary Ellen, who is the widow of David Phister, and resides in Wood County. The second marriage of John Houtz, Sr., was to Elizabeth Boyer, and to this union were born the following children : Cornelius, now deceased, married (first) Mary Benton, and (second) Millie (Banks) Warner, who survives and lives in Scott Township; Zachariah, who married Jane Plantz, lives in Scott Township, Sandusky County ; Elizabeth, now deceased, who married George Tyson ; John, who was named for his father ; and Sarah, who married Levi Tyson. John Houtz, Jr., went to school in Scott Township .until he was 12 years of age, and from that time until he retired from active life, was engaged in farming, with one and one-half years at sa w-mill work. Mr. Houtz has been a very industrious man and has acquired a large amount of property, his natural good judgment regulating his investments so that all of it has given good returns. He owns ninety acres in Washington Township, on which his eleven oil wells produce 200 barrels of oil monthly; in Madison Township he owns 470 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY a second farm containing eighty acres, while he has a third farm of eighty-three and onebalf acres, also situated in Washington Township. In March, 1907, Mr. Houtz rented his home farm, containing six acres in timber, five in pasture and eighty-nine in cultivation, to his son-in-law, Ralph Bolen, and retired to Helena, where he had built his present residence. On February 11, 1875, Mr. Houtz was married to Miss Mary A. Baird, a daughter of John Shelman and Chisiah (Locey) Baird, long residents in Wood County, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Baird had the following children : Sarah Jane, who married George Zimmerman, of Scott Township; William S., who married Adda Pelton, lives in Michigan; Louisa, deceased ; Mary A.; David and Clara, twins, the latter of whom married Charles Milburn ; and Lorenzo, who married Irene Smith. Mr. and Mrs. Houtz have had the following children : Elsie Minerva, born in 1877, married John Gallagher„ and they live at Vandergrift Heights, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania ; John Garie, born in 1882, is engaged in the oil business, and lives at home; Iva Estella, born in 1884, married Ralph Bolen ; Mabel C., born in 1887, married Wilbur Swickard, of Washington Township; and Grace May, born in 1889, who lives at home. Mr. Houtz and family are members of the United Brethren Church at Helena. In politics Mr. Houtz is a Republican. He has always taken an active interest in public matters and while living on his farm served as school director and road supervisor and since coming to Helena has continued to serve as school director and also served one year as road commissioner. He is a representative man of this section. HEZEKIAH EDWARDS, a veteran of the Civil War and a well known farmer of Sandusky County, Ohio, is located on a farm of 106 acres in Ballville Township. He was born in this township June 23, 1842, and is a son of Joseph and Mary (Miller) Edwards. Joseph Edwards was born near Winchester. Virginia, July 22, 1807, and when 20 years of age he accompanied his widowed mother to Ohio. He operated a distillery at Fremont a number of years for a Mr. Williams, and then bought a farm in Green Creek Township. In 1856 he purchased the farm on which the subject of this sketch lives, in Ballville Township, and there passed the remainder of his days, dying in 187o. He married Mary Miller, who was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, October 12, 1819, and was three years of age when her parents removed to Pleasant Township, Seneca County, Ohio. Her death occurred April 12, 1890. They were parents of the following children : Tobias, who was born June 9, 1840, and was a member of Company A, 8th Ohio Vol. Inf., meeting his death at the battle of Winchester, Virginia, at the age of 21 years; Hezekiah; Theodore, who was born October Jo, 1844, and lives in Sandusky Township; Franklin, who was born September 22, 1846, and died February 1, 1895; George, who was born March 4, 1849, and lives in Jackson Township; and Mary (Nighswander), who was born October 23, 1851, and died in 1883. Hezekiah Edwards has always been a resident of Ballville Township except for the period in which he was in the army during the Civil War. He attended the district schools and then took up farming, which has been his life vocation. November 14. 1875, he was married at Green Springs, Ohio, to Miss Elmira Myers, who was born in Sandusky County, January 25, 1850, and is a daughter of John and Eunice (Walker) Myers. John Myers was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, January 8, 1821, and died in Seneca County, Ohio, October 29, 1903. Mrs. Myers was born in Youngstown, Canada, March 15, 1821, and died December 27, 190o. They were parents of the following children : Amanda, wife of John Fitzgerald : Henry. who died young; Albert, who also died young; Lydia, deceased wife of Philip Shirer of Seneca County, Ohio; Elmira; Jane, who married Joseph Blue, and resides at Fort Seneca ; Winfield, who died in 1901 ; Emma, wife of Lewis Shannon ; and Florence. wife of Orson Jopp. Mr. Edwards, on August 16, 1861, enlisted as a member of Company D, 3d Ohio Vol. Cav., and was in the service about twelve months, participating in the Battle of Shiloh AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 471 and other engagements. He was mustered out at Camp Chase. He re-enlisted in the 100-day service as a member of the 139th Ohio Vol. Inf. He was in the hospital at Pittsburg Landing about one month, and later was in the hospital at Cincinnati. He was mustered out at Camp Dennison. JOHN KIRSCH, who owns the excellent farm of 100 acres in Washington Township, Sandusky County, on which he resides, situated two miles east of Gibsonburg, is one of the representative German-American citizens of this section. He was born in Germany June 13, 1835, and came to America in 1853. His parents were Nicholas and Emma (Voegel) Kirsch. The father and mother of Mr. Kirsch remained in Germany for two years after their son had crossed the Atlantic, but in 1855 they also came to Ohio. For three months, Nicholas Kirsch remained at Fremont, during this time looking over different sections with a view to investment. and finally purchased a timbered farm in Washington Township. He cleared five acres of his land and built a log house and lived on the place until 1865, when John Kirsch bought the place from his father and the latter and his wife then moved to 'Wisconsin, where they subsequently died. They had the following children : John ; Philip, who married (first) Caroline Learman, and (second) Ann Reaper, lives in Mercer County. Ohio ; Mary. now deceased, who was the wife of John Haubert, of Fremont ; David. now deceased, left a widow who lives in Oregon ; and Emma, who married John Leonard, lives in Wisconsin. John Kirsch was 18 years of age when he came to America, unaccompanied by any member of his familv and with his own way to make in the world. Landing in New York City, he remained in the state five years, working at various things, mainly on farms, and then spent a year at railroad work in Indiana. He gradually accumulated capital through his thrift and industry, and when his parents wished to remove to Wisconsin, in 1865, was able to purchase the home farm. He continued to live in the log house for seventeen years, and during this time completed the clearing of the farm and later erected the present comfortable frame dwelling and substantial barn. He has prospered in his undertakings and has found his land valuable both for agricultural purposes and also for oil development, at the present time having eleven wells which produce 150 barrels of oil a month. Mr. Kirsch was married (first) to Lena Haubert, who died after becoming the mother of six children, namely : John, Odella, Peter, Mary, Joseph and Clara. Mary and Clara being deceased. To his second marriage with Mary Haas, no children were born. He was married (third) to Elizabeth Nick, and they have had the following children : Mary, Catherine, Rosie, Frank, Nicholas, and Veronica, the last named being the only one deceased. Mr. Kirsch and family are members of St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church at Gibsonburg. He has been a good and useful citizen, taking an interest in the development and improvement of the township. He has served three years as school director and for five years as road supervisor. In politics he is a Democrat. GEORGE W. SHREFFLER, one of Sandusky Township's busy and enterprising men, who operates a large stone quarry on his farm of seventy-one acres, which is situated at Four Mile House, Sandusky Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, has been continuously engaged in the stone business here for the past thirty years. He was born in Kankakee County, Illinois, September 15, 1847, and is a son of Aaron and Margaret (Waggoner) Shreffler. Both parents of Mr. Shreffler were born in Ohio, and early in the thirties Aaron Shreffler came to Sandusky County from Union County, and shortly afterward, with his wife, removed to Kankakee County, Illinois. He lived there for forty years and then moved to Marion County, in that state, and there he died in his 85th year. He was twice married and the children who survive him are as follows : Melvilla, wife of Dr. John F. Jolley, of Port Dover, Ontario, Canada ; Regina, wife of William Druitt, of Fostoria, Ohio ; George W.; Irving, Arthur and Milford, all living in Marion County, Illinois ; and Ida, wife of Edward Howell, residing in Oklahoma. 472 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY George W. Shreffler was reared and given a common school education in his native county and he then took a commercial course, for this purpose attending the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. For a short time he was engaged in the drug business at Bay City, Michigan, but practically the whole of his business life has been associated with agricultural pursuits together with his stone industry. His quarry is one of value, the stone being available 'for building purposes, bridge construction and concrete road making. In 1905 he erected his fine residence. On May 8, 1878, Mr. Shreffler was married to Miss Ruth Shepardson, a daughter of Dr. Noah Shepardson, of Kankakee, Illinois, and to this union has been born the following children : Samuel J., George, Benjamin H., John A. and Burdette, sons; and his daughters are : Mabel, wife of Harry Cooper, of Kankakee; Ruth, wife of Aquilla Woland, of Cleveland, Ohio; Lydia Lucy, a teacher in the High School of Kankakee, Illinois; and Carrie. Mr. Shreffler is a Democrat, and while living in Kankakee and Marion Counties, Illinois, was active in politics. JAMES JUSTICE AND FAMILY. Among the notable pioneers of Fremont few are more deserving a place in this history than the subject of this sketch and his family. James Justice was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, on the 18th day of August, 1794. His father was William Justice and his mother was Eleanor Umsted. The father of Mr. Justice was of English and his mother of German ancestry. At about the age of nine years he removed with his parents from Bedford County to Ross County, Ohio about six miles from the old State Capital, Chillicothe. There he received a rudimentary education, such as that early date in the history of Ohio afforded, which was indeed limited compared with the grand system of education now to be found in every part of the state. About 1817 or 1818 he engaged in the flatboat trade with New Orleans. The early settlers along the Ohio River and navigable tributaries all looked to this trade as a market for the bacon, flour and whisky so easily and abundantly produced in southern Ohio at that time, and from thence drew supplies by exchange, of sugars and all those goods which we now term groceries. Often however, the flatboat man would sell his cargo and boat at New Orleans for cash and work his way up the river to his home the best way he could. In his trade young Justice displayed first class financial talents and accumulated considerable cash. He maintained regular correspondence with the merchants of New Orleans, and was at all times well informed of the prices of goods there, as well as the price of the products which were designed for sale or exchange in the South. Before engaging in the New Orleans trade he had taken some interest in and understanding of the business of tanning at Chillicothe, but discontinued this to volunteer under General William H. Harrison in the War of 1812. He was with Harrison at Fort Seneca at the time of the Battle of Fort Stephenson, August 2, 1813. After the war he resided at Chillicothe, and for a time gave attention to the tanning business. On the 12th of October. 1820, he married Miss Eliza Moore, bornaughter of David Moore, and sister of John and James, deceased, two well known citizens of Ballville, both millers and manufacturers, and both wealthy and enterprising men. In the month of September, 1822, Mr. Justice removed from Ross to Sandusky County, and first located in Ballville Township, and in what is now known as Ballville Village. The manner of his moving from .Ross County is quite in contrast with the mode of travel at the present day. He placed his wife and child on horseback, while he started with them on foot. For a time after his arrival at Ballville, Mr. justice assisted his father-in-law, David Moore, in running his grist- and saw-mill at that place. After spending probably two years in this manner, he removed to Lower Sanduskv and erected a tannery on the north side of State Street, at the foot of the hill, HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY - 475 on the west side of the river. With the tannery he connected the business of harness and shoemaking. Here again, his financial talent was displayed, and he accumulated money in his business quite rapidly, and made large savings after supporting a family. In this business Mr. Justice simply managed the financial department, leaving the manual labor to expert workmen, whom he employed in the different shops. About 1847 he turned the business over to his son, Milton J. Justice. and gave his attention to investing and managing his capital. He made large gains by buying and selling lands, sometimes on his own account, and sometimes in partnership with Rodolphus Dickinson and Sardis Birchard. Mr. Justice was prominent in the part he took in constructing the Tiffin and Fostoria plank road which for a time contributed so much to the trade and prosperity of Fremont. When the Wvandot Reservation at Upper Sandusky was sold, and the. Indians removed to the Far West. Mr. Justice was selected by the Government as appraiser of the land on account of his soundness of judgment in matters of value. Shortly after coming to Lower Sandusky Mr. Justice was chosen bv the Legislature of Ohio one of the associate judges of the Court of Common Pleas of Sandusky Countv, which office lie filled with singular promptness and fidelity for a number of years under the first Constitution of the State. His commission signed by James Morrow, governor, dated February 4, 1825, hangs in the library of the old homestead and in this library there also hangs his commission as a lieutenant in the State Militia bv Governor Worthington dated January 20, 1816. For a period of perhaps ten years Judge Justice discharged efficiently the duties of a member of the board of education, acting most of the time as treasurer of the board, a position for which lie was peculiarly and well qualified. He was also mayor of the village for a term. When the First National Bank of Fremont was organized, Judge Justice placed some capital in the stock of that institution, and on account of his well known financial ability and integrity, was one of the first board of directors, and held this position by successive re-elections until the time of his death, which occurred on the 28th day of May, 1873, at the ripe age of seventy-eight years. He left a large estate for the support of his wife to descend to his four adult children. Those who enter the First National Bank of Fremont may see an admirable portrait of Judge Justice on the south wall of the office, which was presented by his children. The picture is the work of his son, Milton J. Justice, a natural artist, who has set forth his father's features with wonderful accuracy. His Wife was not only one of the pioneers of this county, but possessed virtues in a remarkable degree. She was born in Huntingdon County, State of Pennsylvania, on the 13th day of October, 1800, the daughter of David Moore and sister of Mrs. William Fields, and of the late worthy citizens James and John Moore of Ballville Township, so well remembered and esteemed by the people of the county as men of high merit and success in business and in usefulness to the community. At the age of fourteen years Miss Eliza Moore emigrated with her parents from Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, to Ross County, Ohio. Her father, David Moore, was of full Scotch blood, and her mother was born in Pennsylvania. In 1820 she was married to James Justice, near Chillicothe, and in 1822 emigrated thence to Sandusky County with her husband and only child and settled in Ballville Township. Her father had preceded her coming into the county and was then engaged in the erection of a grist- and saw-mill on the Sandusky River, in what is now known as Ballville Village. But Mr. Moore had not then brought his family into the county. The journey from Chillicothe to Ballville was made by Mrs. Justice on horseback. Her child, Nancy, she brought with her thus on horseback. 476 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY After arriving at Ballville Mrs. Justice passed a 'short time in a fisherman's shanty, until a log cabin was finished, in the performance of her domestic duties, with scanty means, and for nine months she never saw the face of a white woman. In this shanty the only fireplace was a heap of stones in one corner to prevent the fire from burning the wall. Above the fireplace was an opening in the roof for the escape of the smoke. If the rain put out the fire, Mrs. Justice would be compelled to go a mile and a quarter to the nearest neighbor's to obtain coals to rekindle it. Mrs. Justice survived her husband until the 17th day of October, 1876, when she died at the advanced age of seventy-six years and four days. Her remains now rest by the side of those of her husband marked by a granite monument, in that beautiful resting place, Oakwood Cemetery. This venerable and respected pair reared a family whose standing in society testify to the merits of their parents. The family consisted of three daughters, Nancy, Minerva and Eliza, and two sons, Granville and Milton J. Justice. Nancy married Dr. James W. Wilson ; Minerva married Hon. Homer Everett, and Eliza married Dr. J. W. Failing, to whom was born a daughter, Miss Minnie L. Failing. The only survivors of this family are Minerva, widow of Hon. Homer Everett ; Eliza, widow of Dr. J. W. Failing, and Miss Minnie L., daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Failing. On the 12th of October, 1870, this, then, venerable husband and wife celebrated their golden wedding. The occasion was one of great interest to a large assemblage of friends there present to witness the ceremonies and festivities. Among the other pleasant events of that evening was one of peculiar interest and pleasure to all present, but especially to Mrs. Justice. This was .the presentation from the children by Rev. R. L. Chittenden of a beautiful gold ring, on the inside of which neatly engraved was the sacred word. "Mother." This was surely a most fitting and significant expression of enduring love and filial affection of the children. Surely this pair of pioneers were honorable and honored by society for their virtues while living, and honored in and by their posterity, who live to revere their memories and imitate their virtues. It is worthy of note, that Mrs. Justice had received from her father as part of her outfit, a set of Windsor chairs, painted yellow, a bureau, a table, stand, and bedstead, all of solid black walnut and ornamented with brass knobs or handles, which she preserved to the close of her life and which are still kept by her daughter, in the family; at the old homestead on State Street, now occupied by the daughters, Minerva and Eliza, and granddaughter, Miss Minnie L. Failing. The chairs were used by the aged couple at their golden wedding above spoken of, and illustrates that care and economy of Mrs. Justice which contributed so much to the accumulation of wealth and the comfort of her descendants. Judge Justice possessed the first piano ever brought to Lower Sandusky ; it was known as the "Gilbert" piano. JOHN C. SMITH, who owns and resides upon a farm of too acres located about forty rods south of the corporation line of Fremont, in Ballville Township, has been a resident of Sandusky County, Ohio, for a period of more than sixty years. He was born in New Jersey. July 9, 1828, and is a son of William and Nancy (Trimmer) Smith, and a grandson of Peter Smith who was an officer in the Patriot Army during the Revolution. William Smith moved from New Jersey with his family to Perry County, Ohio, in 1839, and lived there until 1847, the year in which he moved to Sandusky County. He settled in Ballville Township at the time of his arrival and continued to live there until his death. He was married to Nancy Trimmer in New Jersey, and they became parents of the following children: Henry S., who was born November 15, 1814, and died October 23, 1865 ; Sarah (wife of Jacob Cole), who was born April 8, 1816, and died July 3, 1858 ; Jacob, who was born April 9, 1821, and died November 24, 1823 ; William, AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 477 who was born February 23, 1824, and died October 23, 186c ; George, who was born March 23, 1826; John, subject of this record ; and Anna M., who was born June 5, 1834, and died at the age of 11 years. John C. Smith received a limited schooling in his native state and in Perry County, Ohio, after which he turned his attention to farming, an occupation he has always followed. He was 19 years of age when he accompanied his parents to Ballville Township, and here he has since resided. His first purchase of land was a tract adjoining the one on which he now lives ; he cleared that place and lived there until 1865, when he erected a house on his present farm. He has To0 acres of valuable land, all of which he cleared, and has a finely improved property. He is a man of pleasing personality and enjoys the warm friendship of a large circle of acquaintances. On November I, 1850, Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Miss Ellen Bowland, who was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, October 28, 1831, and is a daughter of Hugh and Susan (Becker) Bowland, who came to Sandusky County from Fairfield County. Four children were born to bless this union : Susan, Frank P., Amanda and George B. Susan Smith was married to Judge Malcolm Kelley of Sandusky City and they have three children, Amy, Bessie and Donald. Frank P. Smith, who attended college at Ada, Ohio, is now superintendent of the Sandusky County Infirmary. He married Laura Spade and they have two sons, Homer and Clav. Amanda Smith, who attended college at Cleveland, married Frank Thomas of that city, and they have had four children : Addie, deceased Jessie, who married Harry Lanabaugh ; Esther, who is the wife of Ralph Hun-singer of Fremont and has three children—Harry, Paul and Eleanor ; and Eva, who is the wife of Harry Clone. George B. Smith, D. D. S.. who graduated from a dental college in Philadelphia, is engaged in the practice of his profession at Fremont. He married Miss Iva Fitch and they have two sons, Robert and John. In religious attachment John C. Smith and his wife have long been devout and active members of the United Brethren Church, of which he is one of the directors. EUGENE MAILLARD, farmer and oil producer, residing on his farm of eighty acres which is situated in Washington Township, Sandusky County, is one of the enterprising and prosperous citizens of this section. He was born in France, February 25, 1862, and is a son of Francis and Magdalena (Schular) Maillard. The parents of Mr. Maillard came to America in 1867, landing at the port of New York, and coming immediately from there to Sandusky County. After a residence of six months at Hessville the father moved his family to a farm of fifteen acres, which he had purchased in Washington Township and to which he later added forty acres. Subsequently his only son, Eugene, assisted him in buying a second forty-acre tract, both farms having previously belonged to William Overmyer. On this farm Francis Maillard died in 189o, his widow surviving until 1900 and dying at the home of a daughter, in Ballville Township. The family consisted of three children : Mary and Eugene, both born in France, and Lena, who was born in Washington Township. The elder sister of Mr. Maillard married Charles Steiber and they live at Fremont. The younger married Joseph Babion, and they live in Ballville Township. These two sisters are Mr. Maillard's only kindred in America, although the family has yet many representatives in the old country beyond the Atlantic. From the age of 5 years Eugene Maillard has lived in Sandusky County and his education was obtained in the Washington Township schools. After the death of his father he bought his sisters' interests in the farm and owns eighty acres of very good land, a large part of which he cultivates and the rest is given to oil production, there being twelve wells from which he obtains 200 barrels of oil a month. Mr. Maillard is recognized as an excellent business man and a wide awake, practical citizen. In March, 1883, Mr. Maillard was married to Miss Caroline Swinehart, of Sandusky County, Ohio, a daughter of George and Susan (Claybach) Swinehart, both of whom were born in Perry County, Ohio. The Swinehart family was made up of the following children : Henry, Mary, William, Jacob and George 478 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY Washington, all died young; Solomon, residing in Wood County, married Matilda Dobart ; Sarah, now deceased, was the wife of Gilbert Wilson, of Wyandot County; Lavina, of the same county, who is the widow of Isaiah Williams; David, living in Washington Township, married Ellen Wolfe; Levi, living in Perry County, married Rosa Newman; Caroline, who became Mrs. Maillard; Elizabeth, who married Henry Bennett; and Noah, living at White Pigeon, Michigan, married Belle Harrison. Mr. and Mrs. Maillard have ten children, and all of this large and happy family still live at home with the exception of the two older daughters, Celestaa, who married Calvin Sherk, who is in the oil business at Robinson, Illinois; and Mery Cecelia, who married Calvin Myers, of Gibsonburg. The others are : Blanche, Francis, Lena, David, Ellen, Eugenia, Leona and William John Henry. Mr. Maillard and family belong to St. Michael's Catholic Church at Gibsonburg. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, and of the St. Louis Society, at Toledo. The only township office he has ever consented to serve in was school director. BENJAMIN F. KESSLER, one of Sandusky Township's well known farmers, residing on a good farm of sixty-three acres, which is situated in Section 19, has also been largely interested in the horse business since 1877. He was born August 7, 1838, in Sandusky County, Ohio, and is a son of Jonathan and Susan (Overmyer) Kessler. The Kesslers came to Ohio from Pennsylvania. For some years Jonathan Kessler lived in Rice Township, Sandusky County, and then settled in Sandusky Township, becoming in time one of the substantial and valued citizens. He was a strong Democrat in his political opinions and was a worthy member of the Lutheran Church. His death occurred at Gibsonburg, Ohio. Of his children the following are yet living: Mrs. Sarah Lyberger, who resides in Indiana ; Lavina, who is the wife of Christian Binkley, lives in Michigan, and Benjamin F. Benjamin F. Kessler attended the country schools in his boyhood, helped his father on the home farm and also learned the blacksmith trade. He has always been fond of horses and has made a large amount of money dealing in them, his operations covering more than thirty years. He followed his trade for a long time, in addition to cultivating his farm, but in late years has not been as active as formerly, permitting many of his responsibilties to rest on younger shoulders, having three capable sons. In 1880 Mr. Kessler made a voyage to France and while there he purchased three Percheron stallions and two mares. He has done a great deal to raise the standard of horses in this section and is recognized as an authority in everything concerning this noblest of all animals. Mr. Kessler was married in early manhood to Miss Caroline Reed, who died in May, 1902. She was a daughter of George Reed, who was a pioneer in this section. To this marriage nine children were born and five of these survive, namely : Henry E., James T. and Charles W., all of Sandusky Township ; Sarah Elizabeth, wife of Frank Heflinger, of Fremont, and Mary Catherine who is the wife of Frank E. Siegenthaler, of Sandusky Township. In politics Mr. Kessler is a Democrat. He has served in township offices and for two years was a member of the board of trustees. He belongs to the Lutheran Church. JOHN E. RATHBUN, superintendent of the Oakwood Cemetery of Ballville Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, and the owner of forty-eight acres in Green Creek Township, was born August 11, 1857, in Green Creek Township, Sandusky County. Ohio, and is a son of Saxon S. and Barbara E. (Huss) Rathbun. Saxon S. Rathbun was born in Seneca County, New York, and in 1834 accompanied his parents, Chaplin and Lucinda (Sutliffe) Rathbun, to Sandusky County. The father entered forty acres of land in Green Creek Township and Saxon S. entered eighty acres, and the old lease bears the name of Andrew Jackson as President of the United States. Saxon S. Rathbun was married in Sandusky County, April 20, 1834, to Barbara E. Huss, who was born in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, and died March 13, 1894. He survived until February 3, 1895. They had thirteen children. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 479 the youngest of the family being John E. and the others as follows : Clark, who died in childhood; Edwin, who died at St. Louis, Missouri, of yellow fever, in 1878; Norton G., who resides in Green Creek Township; S. B., who also lives in that township; James H., who was killed in the Battle of Stone River, during the Civil War; C. L., who resides in Green Creek Township ; Thaddeus, who died in infancy ; Mary Lucinda, who married C. W. Storer, of Green Creek Township ; Norman H., who died in 1872 ; Jacob, who died aged 8 years ; B. M., who resides at Eaton Rapids, Michigan ; and Orvilla, who married Horace Sackrider and resides at Fremont. John E. Rathbun resided with his parents in Green Creek Township until the fall of 1880, when he married and moved to Ballville Township. While he assisted his father on the farm, he pursued his studies both in the district schools and the Normal School at Green Springs. On April 1, 1882, Mr. Rathbun was appointed superintendent of Oakwood Cemetery and immediately began the improvements which have made it a very beautiful City of the Dead. The enclosure was originally laid out by the venerable Mr. Hyde, now of Cleveland, who, in his eighty-ninth year, visited Mr. Rathbun and gave praise concerning the latter's artistic work. Beautiful drives wind through this sacred place and velvet lawns and properly grouped shade trees lend attractiveness to the view. Here lie some 3,500 bodies at rest, some of whom once were distinguished personages, but now, through the great leveler, Death, all are alike. It was Mr. Rathbun's sad duty to have the last resting place of that dear and admirable lady, Mrs. Lucy B. Hayes, prepared for her remains, and the equally sad one, eight years later, in 1897, that for her husband, one of Ohio's most beloved sons and great men, Rutherford B. Hayes. The trustees of Oakwood Cemetery meet on the first Monday of every May and the present board is made up of the following members : I. H. Burgoon, president ; C. R. McCullough, treasurer ; Edward Loudensleger, secretary, and S. A. Wilson and J. W. Worst and John E. Rathbun, superintendent. On September 14, 1880, Mr. Rathbun was married to Miss Elva Andrews, who is a daughter of Jeremiah and Mary J. (Craig) Andrews. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews were early settlers in Sandusky County, living first in York Township and then moving to Green Creek Township. Mr. Andrews was born in Mahoning County, Ohio, November 23, 1834, and died March 5, 1892. His wife was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, April 6, 1839, and died August I I, 1904. They had four children : Alma, who married C. R. Cleveland, lives in Green Creek Township; Grant, who lives in Michigan ; Mertie M., who married John Gun-yea, lives in North Dakota ; and Mrs. Rathbun. Mr. and Mrs. Rathbun have one daughter, Ferra Fern, who was born December 10, 1884. She is an accomplished and highly educated young lady, who graduated from the Fremont schools and then attended the Actual Business College and also took a collegiate course at Oxford, Ohio. She is a successful teacher in the public schools at Fremont. Mr. Rathbun and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a Knight Templar Mason and has also passed all the chairs in the Odd Fellows Lodge at Fremont. JACOB R. SPROUT, an honored veteran of the Civil \Var, resides on his excellent farm of eighty acres, which is situated four miles west of Fremont, in Washington Township, Sandusky County. He was born May 11, 1843, in Seneca County, Ohio, and is a son of Jacob and Margaret (Long) Sprout. The grandfather of Jacob R. Sprout was John Sprout, and he was born in Ireland and when he came first to Ohio he settled in Guernsey County and moved later to Seneca County. The following children were born to Jacob and Margaret (Long) Sprout : Mary Catherine, who married Joseph Cookson ; Margaret, who married Aaron Cox; David, who married Ellen Rosenberger; Jacob R.; Esther Ann, who is deceased ; Benjamin, who married Nancy Baer; Esther E., who married (first) Amos Shuman, and (second) E. P. Dicken ; Malinda, who is deceased; William, who married Angeline Dicken ; Jesse, who married (first) Slyvia Dicken, and (second) Phemia Russell ; Daniel, 480 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY who is deceased; and George Washington, who married Malissa Bassett. Jacob R. Sprout attended the district schools in his boyhood and remained on the farm until he enlisted for service in the Civil War, entering Company F, 55th O. Vol. Inf., in which he served for thirteen months. He then re-enlisted, in Company K, 9th O. Vol. Cav., during his first term participated in the second battle of Bull Run. He was with Sherman during the March to the Sea, but survived all the dangers of war and practically unharmed came back home and resumed peaceful pursuits. His farm was formerly the property of his wife's grandfather, Joseph Cookson, who settled on it when it was nothing more than a wilderness. Mr. Sprout cultivates seventy acres of his land and has ten in pasture. In 1865 Mr. Sprout was married to Miss Sarah Ellen Cookson, a daughter of Isaac and Nancy (Sellars) Cookson, who came from Perry to Sandusky County in 1831 and spent the remainder of their lives on this farm. Mr. and Mrs. Sprout have had the following children : Della E., Franklin J. and Nora, all now deceased; Nanna Belle. who married Chester Moomey, resides at Millersville, and they have one infant daughter ; and Hazel F., who married Orla Fausey, has one child, Mildred Irene. Mr. Fausey is the practical operator of the farm, working it for his father-in-law. Mr. Sprout and family are members of the Methodist Protestant Church. In his political views he is a Republican. DANIEL MILLER, who resides on a farm of ninety-three acres located about two miles southeast of Fremont, in Ballville Township, has long been a resident of Sandusky County, Ohio, and has always engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was born in Seneca County, Ohio, October 3, 1832, and is a son of Andrew and Charlotte (Snyder) Miller. His father was a native of Hagerstown, Maryland, and his mother of Berkeley County, West Virginia. Andrew Miller was an early resident of Seneca County, Ohio, where he lived until 1833, in which year he moved with his wife and children to Sandusky County, Ohio. He purchased eighty acres of Government land in Washington Township, cleared the place of its timber, and there followed farming until 1861. In that year he returned to Seneca County, purchasing a farm in Thompson Township on which he lived for eight years. At the end of that time he sold out and moved to Michigan, where he lived until his death at the age of eighty-five years. His wife also died in Michigan at the same age. They were parents of the following children : Abraham, deceased ; George W., living in Michigan ; James, who was killed in an accident at the age of fifteen years; Rose, wife of Levi Fought ; Daniel ; Charlotte, wife of Levi Smith ; Samantha, deceased wife of Casper Shirk ; and one who died in infancy. Daniel Miller was about one year old when his parents removed to Washington Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, and there he was reared to maturity and educated in the district schools. He followed farming from early manhood until he entered the army during the Civil War. He enlisted in the 100-day service in 1864, being a member of Company K, 169th 0. Vol. Inf. and was stationed at Fort Ethan Allen. He was mustered out of service at Fremont in September, 1865. He returned to the farm in Sandusky Township, which he operated until 1891, when he purchased his present farm in Ballville Township from William Mowery. He has a well improved place, having made many of the improvements himself, and is engaged in general farming. Mr. Miller was married January 27, 1854, to Miss Belinda Fisher, who was born January 13, 1834, in Sandusky County, and is a daughter of William and Mary (McCollough) Fisher. Eight children were born of this union, as follows: Rose (Robins), deceased ; Addie (Smith) ; William T.; James C.; Maud (Sacks) ; Charles E., who died at the age of four years ; and two who died in infancy. Rose Miller, who married C. B. Robins, died leaving two children : George W. and Maud M. Addie Miller married J. F. Smith, who is superintendent of schools at Findlay. Ohio, and they had one son, HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY - 483 Walter J., now deceased. William T. Miller, a man of high educational attainments, attended Oberlin College and Wooster University and is now superintendent of schools at Bell Center, Ohio. He married Bessie Thompson and has three children: Dale, Blake and Margaret. James C. Miller, who also attended Oberlin College, engaged in teaching for some years in the district schools and at Fremont, but is now located with his parents on the home place and engaged in farming. He married Martha Green and they have a daughter, Eva M. Maud Miller married Henry J. Sacks of Seneca County, Ohio, and they have three children : Laura, Eva and Adelaide. The subject of this record is a Republican in politics, and served some years as school director and two years as township trustee. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Fremont. JOHN STEINBERGER is a well-to-do farmer of Ballville Township, where he has lived for a period of fifty-seven years. He has a good substantial home and forty acres of land where he lives, and is also the owner of another tract of forty acres in the same vicinity. He was born in Bohemia, October 24, 1851, and is a son of Peter and Mary Steinberger. The mother of our subject died soon after his birth, and Peter Steinberger, in 1852, moved with his family to the United States, taking up his residence in Ballville Township, Sandusky County, Ohio. He was born in Bohemia in 1819, and is still living in the enjoyment of good health, making his home with his son, John. He and his wife were parents of the following children : Joseph, Albert, Mary, Katie, Lena, Lizzie and John ; Mary and Lena being deceased. John Steinberger received his education in the district school of his home community, and from his boyhood days has followed farming. He is a man of great energy and enterprise and through persevering efforts has won a place among the substantial men of the community. He purchased his farm from John Snyder, made many important improvements, and has followed general farming. On October 4, 1881, Mr. Steinberger was united in marriage with Miss May C. Schroff, a daughter of Coonrod and Mary (Toonhan) Schroff. Her father was born in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1812, and died in Sandusky County, Ohio, in February, 1883. Her mother was born in Austria in 1823, and died in 1892. The following are the offspring of this union : William H., Albert N., Ann Ella M., Joseph J.; Lavina A., deceased; Loretta C.; Carl A., deceased; Anna R., and Urban. Religiously, they are members of St. Joseph's Church at Fremont. PROF. W. W. ROSS. In recalling her distinguished citizens, those who have passed off the scene of life after a career of preeminent usefulness to their fellow men, the name of W. W. Ross will be given the honor due to one of the foremost scholars and educators of this part of the state of Ohio. Fremont cannot claim his birth, that having taken place December 24, 1834, in Medina County, Ohio, but she can point to his many years of useful and exemplary living here. His parents were Joseph and Mary (Harkness) Ross. The Ross family was of Scotch extraction and of noble lineage. The clear family record reaches back to the days when the earls of Ross lived in state in their castles in Ross-shire, Scotland, and the great-grandfather of W. W. Ross was a grandson of the Laird of Balnagown. The fifth Earl of Ross led the family clan at Bannockburn. It would have been impossible for a man of the learning, scholarly acquirements and natural temperament of a man like the late Professor Ross, not to have taken a deep interest in all that pertained to those forefathers, from whom he undoubtedly inherited many sterling traits. The first of the family to come to North America was Capt. Alexander Ross, who, it appears, was with General Wolfe, at the Plains of Abraham. His gallant services were rewarded by a grant of land in Prince Edward County, Upper Canada, and there he established his home and lived for the rest of his days. Alexander Ross, son of Captain Ross, was born in Scotland, and he later came to his father's estate and probably died there. The 484 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY name of his wife has not been preserved, but she was probably of New York, for the one son, Joseph, was a posthumous child and was born in Saratoga County, that state, within a few months following his father's death. In 1830 Joseph Ross came to Medina County, Ohio, and was one of the earliest settlers at the hamlet of Seville, which he lived to see develop into one of the prosperous towns of the county. For thirty years he served as a justice of the peace and was a man of importance in all that pertained to its life, peace and wellbeing. He died in 1876. In 1831 he married Mary Harkness, who was born at Salem, Washington County, New York, in 18o6, and died in 1897. She had been a teacher for some years and always took an interest in the intellectual development of her children. Of these there were seven, the eldest being the late Professor Ross. W. W. Ross was fortunate in having an intellectual mother and a wise and discerning father. After completing the school course at Seville, he enjoyed one term at the Twinsburg Institute, after which he Studied under the direction and guidance of Charles Foster, at that time a leading educator in Medina County. Mr. Ross entered upon what proved his life-work, when only 16 years of age, and finding in it . a congenial field, in 1853 he organized a Select and Normal School at Spencer, in Medina County. During the four years he conducted it, he made it the intellectual Mecca which drew students from miles and miles distant. In the fall of 1857 he took charge of the Seville Academy and in the fall of 186o went from there to Spencer, thence to Wadsworth, in the fall of 1862 to Clyde. and then came to Fremont, in 1864, called to this city to become superintendent of her educational system. For forty-two years Professor Ross devoted himself to educational work in connection with Fremont, and his intellectual force was so great and his personal magnetism so potent, that no city in the country could point to any such educational progress, in the same length of time. He was deeply interested in educational matters all over the world but particularly in his own land and most closely in his own state, which frequently honored him. During many years he was a member and frequently was president of the Ohio School Board of Examiners ; was president of the Ohio State Teachers' Association; was president of the Tri-State Teachers' Association ; was a member of the National Teachers' Association ; and received the degree of M. A. conferred by the Western Reserve College, at Hudson, Ohio. Although so eminently successful as an educator, Mr. Ross had early cherished ambitions for the bar and had prepared for the same and been admitted at Cleveland, Ohio, in 186i. He was gifted with the qualities which would have undoubtedly won him distinction as a lawyer, including talents as a public speaker and lecturer, but an indication of failing health prevented him at that time from leaving the educational field to take upon himself the heavy responsibilities of legal practice, and finally he was forced to lay aside what had been one of the dearest ambitions of his life. He was a ready writer, a forceful speaker, a convincing debater and a deep thinker, and his numerous writings if collected would form volumes. Some of his published pamphlets were on educational matters, others on political economy, but whatever the subject he was master of it. In his political convictions he was an ardent Democrat and no influence could ever be brought about that would change his party allegiance. He sought no political honors, however, on the other hand declined them. He was a man who exerted a wide influence and public men of considerable fame sat under his teaching and gained new inspiration. He had the highest ideals of personal honor and often expressed the thought that the same ideals should control the mass as well as the individual. The death of Professor Ross took place March 4, 1906. In 1863 W. W. Ross was married to Miss Julia Houghton, who was born at Wellington, Ohio. To this marriage were born three children : William DeWitt, Clara J. and Harry Houghton. William DeWitt formerly had charge of the Fremont High School. He is now engaged in the insurance business at Fremont, representing the Northwestern Mutual Life Company. He resides with his mother at No. 202 North Wood Street, Fremont. For a period of thirty years the late Profes- AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 485 sor Ross was identified with the Masonic fraternity. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was actively interested in all its agencies, for forty years was the superintendent of its large Sunday school, and a willing lecturer at its conventions. While he never posed as a philanthropist, there were few charities which came to his notice that he failed to further, and his private beneficences brought comfort to many who never knew 'to whom to attribute their good fortune. He has a monument in the affections of his fellow citizens and in the helpfulness he gave to so many which inspired them to further effort. FREDERICK MARTIN, whose death occurred July 26, 1906, was one of the best known citizens of Riley Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, where his entire life had been spent. He was a progressive farmer and a man who took a keen and intelligent interest in the affairs of the community, and in his death the people mourned the passing of one of its foremost citizens. He was born on a farm in Riley Township, September 24, 1854, and was a son of Jacob and Mary Martin, who were natives of Baden, Germany. Jacob Martin and his wife became early settlers in Riley Township, and for some years rented land prior to settling on the farm now owned by the heirs of Frederick Martin. They cleared the land and established a home there in the woods, on which they lived until their respective deaths. He died October 19, 1907, having survived his wife many years, she having passed away in the early nineties. Frederick Martin was reared in his native township and received a common school education. He engaged in agricultural pursuits throughout his active career and was the owner of the did homestead of 120 acres, which is one f the best improved places of the township and is now operated by his widow and children. April 3, 1883. he was united in marriage with Miss Emma C. Krass, who was born in Rice Township, Sandusky County. July 21, 1860, and is a daughter of Jacob and Mary A. (Longenbach) Krass. The parents of Mrs. Martin were born in Germany and after arriving at maturity came to the United States and located in Rice Township, Sandusky County, Ohio. Of their children the following are living: Emma C. (Martin) ; Clara E., wife of George Beckman of Jackson Township; Mary E. of Fremont, and Ida R., wife of William Kowalk of Fremont. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Martin : John J. of McKenzie County, North Dakota ; Lillie A., wife of George Schmittuz of Fremont, and Mary C., George F., Laura E., Ella E., Ida R., Estella V. and Emma A. With the exception of the two 'oldest the children will reside with their mother on the home place. Frederick Martin was a Democrat in politics. Religiously, he was affiliated with the Grace Lutheran Church of Fremont, of which his wife is also a member. He was a kind husband and father and an obliging neighbor, one whose personality gained him friends wherever known. His death occurred of apoplexy, while on a visit to his son at Schaffer, North Dakota, and his remains were brought back for burial, being interred in Oakwood Cemetery. ALFRED A. STIERWALT, who owns eighty acres of excellent land within seven miles of the western limits of Fremont, cultivates seventy-four acres and has six acres in valuable timber, and has been a resident of Washington Township ever since his marriage. He was born in Rice Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, October 2, 1856, and is a son of Moses and Elizabeth (Lay) Stierwalt. Moses Stierwalt was born in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, March 9, 1832, where his father, Henry Stierwalt, had settled when he came from Germany. About 1840 the parents of A. A. Stierwalt came to Sandusky County, Ohio, and settled in Rice Township. A. A. Stierwalt was the third born in his parent's family, the others being: Ellen, who is deceased John, who married Rebecca Siegenthaler, resides at Muscallonge ; William L., who is a physician at Fremont, married Ida Hine-line; and Emory E., who lives at Lindsey, Ohio, married Maggie Fenstermaker. Alfred A. Stierwalt was married November 22, 188r, to Miss Mary A. Rafferty, who is a 486 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY daughter of Michael and Margaret (Clem mens) Rafferty. The Raffertys came to San dusky County from Easton, Pennsylvania, ii 1865, and settled on the farm now owned 13] Mr. Stierwalt. They had the following chil dren: John, deceased, who married Arm Waggoner; Hannah, who married Theodor Hineline; Felix, who married Elizabeth Reed Jacob, who married Louisa Brownfelter, live! at Easton, Pennsylvania; Margaret, who is the widow of John May, who died in the army during the Civil War ; Ellen, who married S. B. Snyder ; Michael, who married Mary Kiser, lives at Creighton, Nebraska ; Peter, who married (first) Ellen Maria Hoagland, and (second) Ellen Yates; James, who married Emma Home; and Mary A., who is the wife of Mr. Stierwalt. Mr. and Mrs. Stierwalt have one son, Oscar J., who was born October 25, 1882. He married Lotta M. Nickles, and they have two children, Mildred Ruth and Donald Mead, and reside in Washington Township. Mr. Stierwalt is a member of the Lutheran Church and his wife of St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church at Fremont. In politics he is a Democrat. He has been a useful citizen in his township and has served for twelve years as a member of the School Board and six years as constable. He belongs to the K. O. T. M. JAMES G. FORGERSON is a representative farmer of Riley Township, residing on a farm of seventy-seven acres in Section 19. He was born in Rice Township, Sandusky County. October 29, 1856, and is a son of Grant and Nancy G. (Park) Forgerson. He belongs to one of the pioneer families of the county, his paternal grandfather having come to Rice Township from New York state at a very early period. Grant Forgerson was born in Rice Township and there followed farming all his active clays. He was a man of considerable prominence and for a time served as trustee of his native township. Politicallv, he was a Republican. He was affiliated with the Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Honor at Fremont, while in religious attachment he was a member of the Presbyterian Church. His death occurred December 17. 1906. and he is survived bv his widow, who resides in Rice Township, at the age of 76 years. She was born in Union County, Ohio. Of the chidren born to them, the following are living: Mary E., wife of Joseph Young of Rice Township; Addie F., wife of Frank Foster of Fremont; and James G. James G. Forgerson was reared on the home place in Rice Township and received a common school education, and also attended High School at Fremont for three years. He has always followed farming, and lived in Rice Township until 1900, when he moved to Riley Township and located on his present farm. which at one time was owned by the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Forgerson. He actively participated in the affairs of his native township, and for nine consexutive years served as a member of the School Board there, and has served three years on the School Board in Riley Township. He is a Republican in politics. On February 9, 1881, Mr. Forgerson was joined in marriage with Miss Clara L. House, who was born in Sandusky County, and is a daughter of Henry H. and Lucy L. (Woodford) House, and a granddaughter of Selah House, who was a well known early resident of the county. Henry H. House was born in Sandusky County and for a period of thirty years was a resident of Riley Township. He was for a number of years trustee of the township and a member of the School Board. His death occurred August 13, 18-96. He was married to Lucy L. Woodford, who was born in Riley Township, and was a daughter of Zerah Woodford, a pioneer of the township, who settled on the place now owned by the subject of this record when it was in the wilderness. The following children of Mr. and Mrs. House survive : Harriet M., widow of Elas Peterson of Henry County, Ohio; Laura A.. wife of R. W. Wortman of Defiance, Ohio : Lottie D., wife of Oscar L. Nord of Bloomington, Illinois ; Clara L. (Forgerson) ; William H. of Fremont, and Burton Z. of Henry County, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Forgerson have the following children : Mabel L.. wife of Homer Lambert of Rice Township; Hattie E.. wife of W. F. Bover of Ballville Township; Jessie L.. wife AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 487 of Roscoe Bowlus of Ballville Township ; Ad-die F., Novelle C., Laura N., Scott G., Ward H. and Miles McKinley. Mrs. Forgerson is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Fremont, Ohio. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Fremont. REV. FREDERICK RUPERT, pastor of St. Joseph's Catholic Church at Fremont, Ohio, who has had charge of this parish since June, 1907, has thirty years of satisfying priestly work behind him. He was born on November 21, 1848, at Massillon, Ohio, and is a son of George John Rupert. The ancestry of Father Rupert is German on the father's side. George John Rupert was born March 12, 1814, in Bavaria, a son of Peter Rupert, and he remained in his native land until 1836, when he came to America and located first at Cleveland, Ohio. In 1842 he removed to Massillon and there, during his earlier years, followed the trade of cooper, conducting a shop of his own, but, when the business was no longer a profitable one, about 1863. he moved to a farm which he purchased a short distance from Massillon. There his death occurred in 1895. He was twice married and Father Rupert is one of the four children born to his first wife, who died in 1850. During his boyhood, Father Rupert attended the St. Mary's Parocial School at Massillon, for two years, and subsequently the public schools, and in 1867 he graduated from the Massillon High School, with honors. In October, 1867, he entered college at Louisville, Stark County, to make his preparatory studies with a view of entering the priesthood, where he remained until December, 1868, when severe trouble with his eyes made it necessary for him to abandon his books for at time. In January, 1871, he resigned a civic office to which his friends had elected him, at Massillon, and returned to college, and continued there until June, 1873, having been a teacher of German during this period, while pursuing his own higher studies. In September, 1873, he entered Assumption College, at Sandwich, Dominion of Canada, and there he was graduated in June, 1876, not only creditably completing his course of study but also having officiated as a teacher. From there he entered St. Mary's Theological Seminary, at Cleveland, Ohio, and on July 5, 1879, he was ordained to the priesthood, by Bishop Gilmour. Father Rupert's first appointment was as pastor of St. Mary's Church at Antwerp, in Paulding County, but his pastoral supervision included a number of scattered missions throughout both Paulding and Defiance Counties. When he was appointed pastor of the Church of the Sacred Heart, at Shelby, in Richland County, in 1881, he left the affairs of his former parish in excellent shape, having built three churches, acquired valuable church property and added numbers to each church and mission. Equally successful was his pastorate in his new field, which included a number of missions, and the prosperous condition he brought about reflected on him the highest degree of credit. On July 1, 1882, Bishop Gilmour appointed him pastor of St. Joseph's Church at Maumee, in Lucas County. With renewed activity, Father Rupert entered upon his new field of labor and with his usual success had brought about a decided change for the better in the parish, when he was suddenly stricken with malaria and for months was obliged to see the work he had started so well pass into other hands. Bishop Gilmour then appointed him to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, at Bellevue, in Huron County, and during his nine years in that charge, he accomplished remarkable things. He paid off the church debts, purchased school property, placed sisters in charge, built them a residence, improved the church buildings, procured a fine pipe organ and left a balance of several hundred dollars in the church treasury. On October 24, 1894, he assumed charge of St. Paul's Church at Norwalk, Ohio, where he was again confronted with debt and difficulties, which from his previous experience, he had almost learned to consider inevitable. Needless to say that the ,good priest faced this condition, as others, bravely and cheerfully, and he left Norwalk and its churchly interests many hundred times better than when he arrived there. On June 20, 1901, he was appointed to organize the new parish of St. John, Evangelist. at Lima. 488 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY Ohio, and there again was repeated the labors, the duties and sacrifices as well as the successes which have attended almost the whole of his ecclesiastical career. Thus has been but too briefly outlined the priestly work of the present pastor of St. Joseph's. He took charge on June 22, 1967. Two years have passed and during this short space of time he has completed a new school building, at a cost of $75,000. He has placed the 400 pupils under the charge of eight sisters of Notre Dame and the advantages here enjoyed equal those of many seminaries. ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH, at Fremont, representing the religious home of 600 families of earnest Catholics, has an exceedingly interesting history. Its beginning dates away back to 1856. Until that year, St. Ann's was the only Catholic Church at Fremont, ministering to all Catholics for miles around, regardless of nativity, but each year, as the country became more closely settled, the German element began to be important and the German Catholics began to hope for a church of their own. In 1856, a celebrated missionary of the Society of Jesus, Rev. F. X. Wensinger, gave a mission at St. Ann's, and it was in following his advice that the German contingent began preliminary measures to organize for an exclusive German church. When the matter was laid before Bishop Rappe, it met with his dissaproval, which caused great disappointment and subsequently led to the withdrawal of the Rev. John Roos, then pastor of St. Ann's, and from June to December, 1857, the church was without a spiritual director. The German people, however, were not entirely discouraged and they entertained the hope that when Bishop Rappe saw how deep was their desire and how willing they were to practically prove their zeal, that his interdict would be withdrawn, and such proved the fact. They collected the funds, purchased land and on it erected a substantial brick edifice, 48 by 100 feet in dimensions, at a cost of $8,600. Other minor difficulties arose, but, owing to the wisdom of the Bishop and to the energetic spirit of the people, these were all adjusted satisfactorily and the property was deeded to the Bishop and on December 8, 1857, St. Joseph's congregation was recognized as a parish and Rev. L. Molon was assigned to its pastorate as well as to St. Ann's. It is right, seemly and proper that the names of those earnest men who organized this flourishing church and whose descendants still worship at its altar, should be preserved in every record concerning it. They bore respectively the following names : Andres, Buchmann, Baumgartner, Binsack, Duerr, Gabel, Giebel, Gompert, Geschwind, Haberstroh, Heim, Haser, Ochs, Reinick, Rimmeispacher, Stuber, Schmidt, Schwartz, Toeppe and Wilhelm. Of this honorable list especial mention is due Joseph Stuber and Godfrey Buchmann, both of whom through influence and personal effort did much to bring St. Joseph's Church into being. The church, however, had yet some stormy days ahead, the recital of which need not be inserted here, but a better and quieter era came about when Rev. Nicholas Moes. succeeding Father Molon and Rev. George Peter. came as pastor, in 1861. During his pastorate of a little more than one year, he had brought peace and tranquility to his parishioners and his name is still held in sweet memory. On September 21, 1862, Rev. Seraphin Bauer was appointed pastor of St. Joseph's. He found the parish encumbered with debt and he set to work immediately to clear it off. He also bought property and in every way proved himself a wise and judicious priest. There was, however, still a measure of dissatisfaction and this resulted, in 1864, in the withdrawal of thirteen families from St. Joseph's. These families lived in or near what was then the village of Hessville, but which is now known as Lindsey. Although they had permission from neither the Bishop nor Father Bauer they determined to build a church for themselves, contributing the money and actually erected a brick structure. 4o by 70 feet in dimension. Before it was entirely completed it was destroyed by a cyclone on October 4, 1864. No effort was made to rebuild, hut the dissatisfied members later became identified with what was then the parish of Greensburg, now Millersville. In spite of the loss of these families and of others whose business interests AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 489 had caused them to remove to other sections, St. Joseph's made a steady advance and fully justified its original organizers. In 1859 the church was provided with a bell and a very fine organ and in that year was built the first parish school. This school has continued its good work and kept pace with the growth of the parish in providing for the intellectual and moral needs of the young. The Notre Dame Sisters, of Cleveland, supplanted the lay sisters in 1876. For a number of years, however, a first-class school building was needed to take the place of several buildings which had been utilized for the purpose, and in June, 1903, three lots were purchased at a cost of $8,250. They adjoin the rectory lots and face the present fine church. The magnificent new school building was completed under the supervision of the present pastor, Rev. Frederick Rupert, in September, 1908, at a cost of $74,000. In 1864 the present pastoral residence was built and the land for a parish cemetery purchased, a tract of six acres, which, in 1897, was increased by the purchase of two and one-half additional acres. In 1870 a beautiful Calvary was constructed in the cemetery, with an image of the Crucified on His cross surmounting it. Father Bauer blessed it on the Feast of All Souls of the same year, in the presence of a large concourse. The two lots on which the present church stands were bought in 1873 for $4.000. In 1878 a fine brick house was erected which was intended to be the pastoral residence, but was first used as a school building and will be used as a club room and library. Improvements and repairs were continually made on the old church, entailing large expenditure. In 1874 new windows had to he put in to take the place of the old ones which had been shattered by a storm ; the old organ was practically rebuilt in 1876; in 1878 a new slate roof was put on and many other improvements testified to the faith, earnestness and pious zeal of both priests and people. However it became a burning question—the erection of a new church, one that would be a testimonial of the strength of St. Joseph's. On September 8, 1881, on the feast of Our Lady's Nativity, ground was broken for the imposing structure which now shelters the congregation of St. Joseph's.. On April 3o, 1882, Bishop Gilmour blessed the corner-stone of the new edifice, and the late Rutherford B. Hayes, formerly President of the United States, set the stone in place. The church was put under roof that year, at a cost of $50,000. On July 9, 1893, Bishop Horstman dedicated this superb edifice and it is one of the most beautiful and complete church buildings in this section of Ohio. Its total cost could not have been less than $100,000. To briefly mention some of its interior—the three fine altars are of oak and the pews of Canadian cherry birch. The sanctuary windows and the Stations of the Cross are choice examples of Munich and Insbruck art. The beautiful sanctuary, the vases for the altar and the rich vestments were imported from Europe. In 1899 a new organ was installed at a cost of $6,000. A grand ostensorium was imported from Paris in 1894. The dimensions of the new church are 71 by 162 feet and the beautiful spire, 250 feet high, can be seen from any part of the city. In November, 1893, the old church was converted into a hall for the use of the church societies, and in 1898 a residence was built for the parish sexton. St. Joseph's has been particularly mindful of the needs of all its members, establishing confraternities and societies for youth, middle life and age. In 1878 was established the Society of Holy Infancy, for the children ; in 1881, the Court of Mary. for young girls; in 1871 a sodality for young ladies and in 1872 one for young men ; in 1889 was established the St. Stanilas Union, for boys and young men ; in 1873 the confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament for married women and widows. The first society was established in 1867, for men of mature years and has been one of the most helpful organizations of the church. In the same year was founded the confraternity of the Living Rosary, an organization which numbers more than a thousand members. JOHN A. STOKES, farmer and horticulturist, is one of the best known residents of Riley Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, where lie owns and resides upon a farm of 490 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY 165 acres located in Section 34. He was born on that farm, February 16, 1851, and is a son of John and Catherine (Souers) Stokes, both natives of Pennsylvania. John Stokes was but a boy when he moved with his parents to Morgan County, Ohio, and thence, in 1834, to Sandusky County, Ohio. His father had previously entered from the Government eighty acres of the farm in Riley Township, on which the subject of this record lives, and after his arrival erected a log cabin on the place, which was at that time heavily timbered. Life in those pioneer days meant a hard struggle for existence, as the land had to be cleared before crops could be raised. For some time hunting and fishing were the means by which the table was supplied and starvation driven from their door, but at the end of five years the farm was in such condition as to support the family. From that time on John Stokes made steady advancement in a business way and continued to reside on that place until his death, which occurred in December, 1894. He was early in life a Whig in politics, and upon the organization of the Republican party joined its ranks. Of the children born to him and his wife five now are living: Jacob, of Riley Township; James A., of Clyde, Ohio ; Catherine, wife of Theodore Strickland,. of Kokomo, Indiana ; John A., and Ida L., wife of Robert L. Amey, of Fremont. Religiously, Mr. Stokes was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. John A. Stokes was reared to manhood on the farm on which he now lives and was educated in the public schools. He has followed farming from his youth, and for many years has made a specialty of fruit growing, being one of the best known men engaged in that business in Sandusky County. He is a member of the Ohio State Horticultural Society, and also of the Fruit Ridge Horticultural Society. He has an attractive and commodious home, in fact one of the most desirable country residences in this part of the county. On June 8, 1875, Mr. Stokes was married to Miss Mary Simon, who was born in Ball-vine Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, and is a daughter of John G. and Mary (Bowers) Simon, her father a native of Saxony, Ger many, and her mother of Amsterdam. Her parents came to America more than sixty years ago and for many years lived in Ballville Township, where her father died in 1437o. Her mother died at Fremont in 1903. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Simon, of whom four survive: John George Simon, of Clyde; Mary (Stokes) ; Emma, wife of John Brugger, of Riley Township, and Herman H., of Toledo. To the subject of this sketch and his wife were born the following: Florence, wife of Isadore L. Horn, a well known restaurateur of Fremont; Emma, who is the wife of H. Wen-singer, a prominent surveyor of Fremont; Maud, wife of R. J. Fangboner, of Fremont; George L., of Riley Township ; Clifford C.; Corinne; Howard, who is attending Fremont High School, and John L. Politically, Mr. Stokes is a Republican and takes a deep interest in public affairs. Fraternally, he is a member of Clyde Grange, No. 364, Patrons of Husbandry. ISAAC MARVIN KEELER was born September 8, 1823, in Richland Countv. Ohio, of old New England stock. His ancestors. Ralph Keeler and Matthew Marvin. came from England to this country in the great tide of Puritan emigration prior to 1640. His grandfathers, Luke Keeler and Isaac Marvin. each with wife and ten children, emigrated from Norwalk, Conn., to Ohio in the summer of 1817. Each took up a quarter section of land and became prosperous farmers. Luke Keeler and his son, Eri, father of Isaac, were both among the incorporators of Norwalk, Ohio, in 1828. In this town I. M. Keeler passed his boyhood, attending the public schools and the Norwalk Academy till 1840 when he came to Lower Sandusky (Fremont), and entered the office of Clark Waggoner, editor of the Lower Sanduskv Whig. Three vears later Mr. Keeler accompanied Mr. Waggoner to Milan, where they established the Milan Tribune, and where he remained two years. The following year was spent in New York City and Albany where he worked in the offices of Horace Greelev and Thurlow Weed. In 1850, under the admin- HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY - 493 istration of Zachary Taylor he became postmaster of Fremont, resigning two and a half years later. In 1854 he purchased the Fremont Journal, continuing its ownership and editorship—the later years aided by his son, Samuel Pease Keeler—until 1901; and in this position largely influenced Fremont affairs. In June, 1847, Mr. Keeler married Miss Anna Hulburd, daughter of Jacques Hulburd, one of the pioneers of this region, and the owner of the sites of both Fort Stephenson and Fort Seneca. She died in 1850, leaving one daughter, Miss Sarah S. Keeler. May 12, 1857, Mr. Keeler married Janette Elliott, daughter of Judge Samuel Elliott, of Brattleboro, Vermont, by whom he had two children, Samuel Pease and Lucy Elliot. Mrs. Keeler died September 6, 1899. In the spring of 1843 Mr. Keeler united with the Presbyterian Church and in 1869 became one of its ruling elders, holding that office nearly fifty years. In 1851 he united with the I. 0. 0. F., filling all the chairs in the subordinate lodge and the encampment branch, and sat as representative in the grand lodge. In 1852 he became a Free Mason and a Scottish Rite Mason of the 32d degree in 1883. He was treasurer of the Masonic lodge, Chapter and Council in Fremont for twenty-five years, and organized the Commandery in this city acting as its first Eminent Commander. Mr. Keeler saw Fremont grow from a village of 1,500 people to a city of over moot) and during his life took an active part in most measures to advance its prosperity. He died February 17, 1907, at his residence for fifty years on Birchard Avenue, no citizen of Fremont more highly honored and beloved. The text chosen for his funeral sermon, "Know ye not that a prince and a great man hath this day fallen in Israel," was indicative of the respect in which he was held. CAPT. ANDREW KLINE, who now enjoys the comforts of a quiet home which is situated at No. 931 Rawson Avenue, Fremont, has witnessed many unusual scenes in his long life of 85 years, having participated in two notable wars and later took a prominent part in developing a section which eventually became a rich and fertile part of Sandusky County. Captain Kline was born June 18, 1824, in Baden, Germany, and is a son of Christian and Christina Kline. The parents of Captain Kline came to America with their children, in 1837, settling first on a swampy farm in Sandusky Township, near the Four-Mile House. The father soon realized that that land would require too much expenditure of effort to make it productive and removed his family to Maumee, living there for a few years and during this time worked on the construction of the Wabash and Lake Erie Canal, accumulating in this way enough money to purchase eighty acres of raw land in Rice Township, where the parents continued to live. Andrew Kline was 13 years old when the family came to the farm in Rice Township. His services were not needed at home and he soon started out for himself, securing farm work and also employment in the construction of the turnpike road between Fremont and Perrysburg. When one remembers that the wages for breaking stone was 25 cents a day, it is not difficult to calculate how long it probably took to accumulate what, in these modern days of expenditure, is considered a very small salary. He was 22 years old when he enlisted in Company F, First Ohio. Vol. Inf., under Captain Bradley, for the Mexican War, and the events which followed are yet easily recalled by this aged veteran. The company went from Maumee by canal to Cincinnati and then down the river to New Orleans, making camp on the spot where Gen. Andrew Jackson had fought the British in the War of 1812. From there the regiment was taken across the Gulf of Mexico to Texas and went into camp for two weeks, after which it was marched to the Rio Grande River, which was crossed and Mr. Kline participated in the Battle of Monterey. on September 21, 22 and 23, 1846. At Carmarko, the soldiers were inspected by General Croghan, who was the hero of the Battle of Fort Stephenson, on the present site of Fre- 494 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY mont, which took place August 2, 1813. In all probability, Captain Kline is the only survivor of all the officers who knew this old and grizzled soldier personally. During the war Captain Kline has seen the time that they had to march thirty and forty miles to get water. On March 5, 1847, Captain Kline took part in the Battle of Seralpho, Mexico, and after this the war drew to a conclusion and he returned with his regiment to his northern home. He had survived every danger and immediately settled down to farming in Rice Township, his marriage taking place in the following year. He continued the cultivating and improving his land until the call to arms came again in 1861. On October 11, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company H, 72d Ohio Vol. Inf., and prior to leaving Camp Croghan he was elected second lieutenant of this company. On April 6, 1862, at Shiloh, the commander of the company, Capt. Michael Wickstein, was killed and General Buckland promoted Mr. Kline from a second to a first lieutenantcy, promoting the former first lieutenant to the captaincy. The latter declined and General Buckland wrote to Lieutenant Kline that he should be commissioned captain. In the meanwhile, however, on the same bloody field where Captain Wickstein had been killed, Lieutenant Kline had received an almost mortal wound. With a shoulder shattered he spent months in various hospitals and finally was discharged by the War Department as totally unfit for further military duty. He returned home but for thirty-seven years he was hourly reminded of that day of carnage on the field of Shiloh, during all that time still bearing in his body the ball that had caused his cruel injury. It was finally extracted by a skilled surgeon. Captain Kline is an honored member of the Grand Army Post at Fremont. When sufficiently recuperated Captain Kline resumed farming and continued his agricultural pursuits from 1864 until 1889, when he disposed of his T00 acres to his children and retired to Fremont. He is a member of the German Lutheran Church. On October 22, 1848, Captain Kline was married to Miss Sarah Kreilick and they had thirteen children, four of whom died in infancy. They were all born in Rice Township and the survivors are as follows : Mrs. Christina Zilles, Mrs. Lucy Wolf, Mrs. Susan Smith, Adam, John, Mrs. Ellen Gressman, Mrs. Macity Rhodenhousen, Mrs. Mary Smith and Andrew W. This has long been one of the most highly respected families of Rice Township. HENRY LANCE, whose well cultivated farm of seventy-nine acres lies in Riley Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, was born on this same farm on October 6, 1835, and is a son of Jacob and Sarah (Slack) Lance. The parents of Mr. Lance came from West Virginia to Sandusky County in 1830, making the journey on horseback. Jacob Lance was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and his wife in Kanawah County, West Virginia, where they were married. With the courage that belongs to youth they traveled over the mountains and through the forest into Riley Township, Sandusky County, settling on the present farm of their son Henry, when the whole surrounding country was practically a wilderness. Through the labor of their hands a home was founded and in the course of time this became the center of a settled and fruitful section of the county. Jacob Lance was a man of usefulness to this community, being endowed with the practical qualities which a pioneer settlement needed in its citizens. He died in 1861 respected in life and regretted in death. His widow survived until 1889. Of their children the following survive : William, who lives in Riley Township; Julia, who is the widow of E. C. Lindsey, lives at Vickery, Ohio; Henry, of Riley Township; Sarah, who lives in Riley Township, and John, who is a resident of Wood County, Ohio. Henry Lance grew to manhood on the pioneer farm and for many years has lived the quiet life of an agriculturist. There was a time, however, when Mr. Lance's surroundings were far different, a time that is often recalled as he meets his old comrades in the Grand Army Post at Fremont, for he was a Union soldier in the great Civil War and faced death on many a battle field between August 7, 1862, and the time of his honorable discharge on June 20, 1865. He was a member of the gallant AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 495 Company K, 100th Regiment Ohio Vol. Inf., and took part in all the marches, battles and skirmishes of that regiment and these include the battles of Franklin, Nashville, Resaca and Knoxville, and the long campaign against General Hood. After his army service was over he returned to Riley Township, of which section lie is one of the best known and most respected citizens. Mr. Lance was married March 3, 187o, to Miss Annie E. Cramer, who died April 21 , 1898. She was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, August 19, 1846, and was a daughter of Conrad Cramer, who, at that time was a highly respected citizen of Jackson Township, Sandusky County. Mrs. Lance is survived by two children : Frank E., who resides in Riley Township, and Myrtie E., who resides at home. Miss Myrtie is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Fremont as was her beloved mother. In politics Mr. Lance is a Republican. B. M. INMAN, county clerk of Sandusky county, Ohio, and a representative citizen of Fremont, belongs to an old prominent Sandusky County family, where he was born, May Jo, 1877. His parents were Frank M. and Della (Ensberger) Inman. Frank M. Inman was born and spent his life in Sandusky County. He owned farming lands and was quite prominent in Democratic circles and served six years as county clerk. His father, Benjamin Inman, was a man of importance in his clay and served two terms in the Ohio State Legislature. Benjamin Inman died April 14, 1877. B. M. Inman was educated in the public schools of his native county and afterward taught school for some time, accepting then the office of assistant county clerk, in which capacity her served for six years, his father being clerk during this period. He then became interested to some degree in the oil business, but, since 1903, when he was first elected county clerk, the larger part of his time has been given to the duties of this office. In 1906 he was reelected and it is safe to say that he is one of the best qualified as well as most popular county clerks that Sandusky County has been able to secure, for years past. In his work he is ably assisted by his capable wife, who was formerly Miss Clara Swank, who is a daughter of David Swank, a prominent pioneer of Sandusky County. Mr. and Mrs. Inman are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically he is a Democrat and fraternally he is an Elk, Odd Fellow and Knight of Pythias. Mr. Inman was the only child of his parents and bears the rather unusual name of B. M. FERDINAND MARTIN, president of the board of trustees of Riley Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, has been a resident of this township continuously since 1862 and is the owner of a good farm of forty acres. He was born in Rice Township, Sandusky County, October 18, 1857, and is a son of Andrew and Anna E. (Werner) Martin. The parents of the subject of this record were born in Germany and some years after marriage, in 1857, emigrated to the United States. They immediately located in Rice Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, and set about making a home in the woods and clearing the land. About the year 1862 they moved to Riley Township and settled upon the farm now owned by their son, Ferdinand Martin. Here Andrew Martin died in 1894, after a long and useful life. Religiously, he and his wife were devout members of the Lutheran Church. Of the children born to them, the following survive : Sophia, who lives at Norwalk, Ohio, and is the widow of Frederick Schumm; Christina, widow of David Pew, and a resident of Bedford, Ohio; Rosina, who is the widow of Ambrose Reineck and lives at Norwalk, Ohio; Andrew, a veteran of the Civil War ; Frederick, of Riley Township; and Ferdinand, whose name heads this sketch. Ferdinand Martin was about five years of age when his parents moved to Riley Township, and here he grew to maturity and received a common school education. He has followed farming all his life and is recognized as a man of ability and substance. He is a Democrat in politics and has served several years as one of the trustees of Riley Township, and formerly was a member of the School Board. 496 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY Mr. Martin was first married to Miss Elizabeth Fogel, who died leaving two children; William of Riley Township; and Anna, wife of Rudolph Williams of Fremont, Ohio. By a second marriage he has a daughter, Martha H. On May 28, 1894, Mr. Martin was married to his present wife, Louisa Heck, who was born in Baden, Germany, July 5, 1859, and is a daughter of John and Rosina Heck. Her father died February 22, 1907, and her mother resides in Ottawa County, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Martin have one daughter, Emma R. Religiously, they are active members of St. John's Lutheran Church at Fremont, of which he is a deacon. He also is a member of the German Aid Society at Fremont. GEORGE H. NICKLES, residing on his farm of ninety acres in Washington Township, situated five miles west of Fremont, Ohio, was born in Sandusky County, Ohio, March 28, 1866, and is a son of Peter and Sarah ( Joseph) Nickles, and a grandson of Henry Nickles. Peter Nickles was born in France, Februarv 26, 1815, and came to America in 1836, landing at New York. Shortly afterward he came to Sandusky County, Ohio, and after living at several points, he finally settled in Jackson Township, where he purchased seventy-seven acres of timber land, which he cleared, and he lived there for thirteen years, coming then to Washington Township, where he continued to reside until the time of his death, which occurred in 1900. He married Sarah Joseph, who was born in Germany October 22, 1825. Her father was a German farmer and she was carefully reared and still survives. The children born to Peter Nickles and wife were: Sophia. born in 1846; Mary Ann, born in 1848; Christiana, born November 5. 1849: Margaret, born October 13, 1851, died October 1, 1874; Sarah, born October 28, 1853; John G., born October 13, 1855; Anna. born August 10, 1858; Catherine Jane, born March 9, 1861; Lydia, born August 3o, 1863; George H.; and Minnie, born April 9, 1871. George H. Nickles obtained his education in the schools of Sandusky County and until his father died he was associated with him on the farm. Mr. Nickles has valuable oil land, fourteen wells now producing about three hundred and seventy-five barrels monthly. He married Almeda Lantz, a daughter of Simon and Mary (Waggoner) Lantz, of Sandusky County, and they have two children, Claude and Cleona. Mr. Nickles and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The family is one that is held in very high esteem in this section. Mr. Nickles is a Republican in his political views, but he is not a seeker for office. JOHN MIARER, a prominent citizen of Sandusky Township, serving in the office of township clerk, owns a finely improved farm of ninety-four acres, situated in one of the best sections of the township. He was born in Riley Township, Sanduskv County, Ohio, January 16, 1868, and is a son of Philip and Catherine (Mahr) Miarer. Philip Miarer was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1828, and early in the fifties emigrated to America, in 15.4. coming to Sanduskv Countv. For a number of years he lived in Jackson Township, but during the Civil War lie moved into Riley Township, settling a short distance north of the present site of Erlin. and lived there until he came to Sandusky Township. about 1876. which section continued to he his place of residence until his death. which occurred November 25, 1903. He was a prominent citizen for many years and served four vears as trustee of Sanduskv Township, being the first one to serve in that office under the three-vear term. He married Catherine Mahr, who was born, in Seneca Comitv, Ohio, and who now lives in her seventieth year, in the old home in Sandusky Township. They had nine children. the five still living being as follows : David. who lives in Seneca Countv : Sarah E.. who is the wife of August Buehler, of Seneca Countv: John : Philip H., who lives in Sandusky Township: and Amelia, who also resides in Sanduskv Township. The late Philip Miarer was a pillar of the Reformed Church at Fremont. In politics he was a Democrat and fraternallv he was a Mason. John Miarer was eight years old when his parents came to Sandusky Township and lie HISTORY OF SAN DUSKY COUNTY - 499 obtained his education in the public schools and under private teachers. In this way he became qualified to teach and for five winter seasons he taught school in Sandusky Township and one in Washington Township, his services in this line being greatly appreciated by the children who came under his instruction. From early manhood lie has engaged in farm pursuits and has an excellent estate and probably one of the finest and most comfortable rural homes in all this part of the county, which was built in 1907. Its appearance is so attractive that passersby on the highway pause to admire. On March 29, 1904, Mr. Miarer was married to Miss Ella Bender, who was born in Sandusky Township, and is a daughter of John and Caroline (Kiser) Bender. Her father, now deceased, was born in Sandusky Countv, but her mother was born in Germany and was brought to America when seven years old and has been a resident of this county ever since, now making her home in the city of Fremont. Mr. and Mrs. Miarer have three daughters : Clara A., Ada M., and Florence M. The family belong to the Lutheran Church at Salem. In politics Mr. Miarer is an influential Democrat and at present is serving in his fifth consecutive year as clerk of the township. is a member in his second term of the Sandusky Countv Democratic Central Committee, having served also as secretarv of this bodv, and has acceptably served in other public offices. FRANK F. HIRT is a prominent agriculturist of Riley Township, Sandusky Countv. Ohio, where be is the owner of 292 acres of valuable land, his home place comprising 192 acres. He was born in this township, February 18, 1862, and is a son of Casper and Verena (Vogt) Hirt, both of whom were natives of Switzerland. Casper Hirt emigrated from his native land to the United States in 1848, and for a period of nearlv two years was located at Fremont, Ohio. He then went overland to California, where, for a time, lie engaged in gold mining, and subsequently to Australia, where lie continued at that occupation. After several years he returned to Switzerland and then to the United States, where lie was married at Philadelphia to Verena Vogt. In 1854, lie settled on the farm now owned by the subject of this record, in Riley Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, and there passed his remaining clays, dying on February 3, 1881. He was a Democrat in politics, and served two years as township trustee. Religiously, he and his wife were members of the German Reformed Church of Fremont. Of nine children born of their union, the following survive: Samuel J., of Fremont; Elizabeth, widow of C. P. Halbeisen, of Litchfield, Nebraska; Frank F.; Edward U., of Fremont; and Lewis S., of Riley Township. Frank P. Hirt was reared on the farm and received his educational training in the public schools of his native township. He has always followed farming, and in addition, for a period of fifteen years, was engaged as a wholesale butcher. His home farm, consisting of T92 acres is improved with a fine residence and one of the best barns in the county. He served three years as township trustee and a number of years as constable, and has always taken a deep interest in the affairs of the community. October 11, 1885, Mr. Hirt was joined in marriage with Miss Louisa T. Gross. a native of Rice Township, Sandusky County, and a daughter of John and Catherine Gross. Her mother is deceased, and her father still resides on the home farm in Rice Township. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hirt, of whom six are living, namely : Chester T., Clarence L.. Harold, Lester, and Miland and Mabel. twins. The three deceased were: John C., Fannie C., and Pearl. Religiously, the subject of this record and his wife are members of the German Reformed Church at Fremont, Ohio. Fraternally, he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. CAPT. JOHN V. BEERY, now living in retirement at Fremont, Ohio, was for many years a member of the firm of Beery and Davis, a leading business firm of the citv. During the Civil War he raised and organized Company