200 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. bers have invariably maintained the highest standard. of integrity and honor, commanding unequivocal respect and esteem. Of his immediate family the subject of this review is now the only survivor, and he has passed the age of three score years and ten, while his life and labors have granted dignity and honor to the industrial and social fabric of the county in which he has made his home from his early youth. Mr. Kistler is a native of the state of Pennsylvania, having been born in Lehigh county on the 12th of August, 1827, one of the seven children of Michael and Mary (Hoppes) Kistler, who were likewise born in the old Keystone state, of stanch German ancestry. Of their children we record that John died in Seneca county at the age of sixty-five years; Michael in Adams county, aged sixty-five; Selma became the wife of John Garman and died in Indiana, aged seventy-six years; Judith married William Evert and died in Seneca county, aged forty-eight ; Joseph died in Adams township, aged eighty-two, and Nathan in Illinois, aged fifty-eight; Monroe J., the youngest member of the family, is the immediate subject of this review. Michael Kistler came with his family from Pennsylvania to Seneca county, Ohio, in the year 1832, there having been ten other families in the company which made the trip from the old Keystone state with teams and wagons, all locating in the practically unbroken wilds of Seneca county. Mr. Kistler purchased one hundred and sixty acres of timbered land in Adams township, about the only improvement on the place being a primitive log cabin, in which the family duly installed the household effects and prepared to grapple with the problems of pioneer life. The father cleared and improved his farm, with the assistance of his sons, and there continued to reside until death ended his labors, in 1866, at which time he had attained the venerable age of eighty-four years, being honored and revered as one of the patriarchs of the community. His wife entered into eternal rest in 1852, both having been devoted members of the Lutheran church, in which they were zealous workers and original- members. Upon attaining his legal majority Monroe J. Kistler, the immediate subject of this review, began the work of clearing a piece of wild land CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 201 in Adams township, for the purpose of establishing a home of his own. On the 4th of April, 1852, at the age of twenty-five, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Rine, who was born in Fostoria, Ohio, the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Drake) Rine, who. were numbered among the early- settlers in Seneca county. Being but six years old at her mother's death, she lived twelve years with her uncle, Abraham Rine, on the farm where she had made her home for the past thirty-five years. A few months afeer his marriage Mr. Kistler located on another farm of one hundred acres, in Adams township, improving the place and there continuing to reside for a period of ten years, after which he purchased his present homestead of Abraham Rine, his wife's uncle, who had entered it from the government. He did not take up his residence there until five years later, having passed the interim in cultivating another farm. In the home farm are one hundred and six acres, and in addition to this our subject owns an adjacent tract of forty acres, in Thompson township. He has brought his farm to a high state of cultivation, has made the best of improvements on the same and has one of the most attractive homes to be found in this section, the success which has attended his earnest and indefatigable efforts in the past years being shown in the general air of thrift and prosperity which pervades the homestead. In politics Mr. Kistler gives his support to the principles of the Democratic party, and he has served in various offices of local character. His religious faith is that of the German Reformed church, and for many years he has been one of the influential members of Salem church, having served for several years as one of its elders. Mr. and Mrs. Kistler became the parents of three daughters,—Sarah E., who remains at the parental home, though she is in constant demand as an expert dressmaker; Rachel Angeline, the wife of Emery Butz, a farmer of Adams township; and Jane A., who died in infancy. Our subject and his estimable wife have also reared, with utmost care and kindliness, four other children, one being a grandniece, Lana Overmiller, who came into their home at the age of two years and who was reared with the same advantages as their own children. She is now the wife of John - 13 - 202 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Flicker, of Thompson township. The other three were from the Protestant Orphans' Home, at Cleveland. Maggie Axe, who entered their home at the age of twelve years, is now the wife of Herbert Kistler ; James Gordon Ben:nett came to them at nine years of age and remained until he was eighteen, and he now resides near Clyde. Pearl Airhart, who is now thirteen years of age (June, 1902), has been a member of their family circle from the age of nine. DEROY C. DUNN. One of the most valuable and most highly improved farm properties in Seneca county is that owned by the gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph and who is recognized as one of the representative citizens of the county, where he has passed practically his entire life, the family having been one of prominence in the community from the early pioneer epoch to the present time. Mr. Dunn was born on the farm which is now his home, the date of his nativity having been October 16, 1851. His parents, William N. and Sophia W. (Clark) Dunn, were natives of Sullivan county, New York, and they were numbered among the first settlers in Hopewell township, Seneca county, Ohio, where the father took up a tract of government land, the same having been heavily timbered. They became the parents of six children, of whom five are living at the present time, namely : Arlington., of whom individual mention is made on another page of this work; Devolson, who is a resident of Tiffin; Deroy C., the subject of this sketch ; Norman, who likewise is a representative farmer of Hopewell township; and John, of Tiffin. Deroy C. Dunn was reared on the old homestead farm and received Such educational privileges as were afforded in the public schools. of the neighborhood. At the age of eighteen years he went to Lyons, New York, and was there employed on a farm for a period of three months, after which he returned to his native county and again became identified CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 203 with the work of the old homestead. After his marriage, in 1876, Mr. Dunn continued to work the homestead for his father for a period of five years, at the expiration of which, in 1881, he purchased one hundred acres of the place, including the residence and other farm buildings, and in 1898 he purchased from his mother an additional tract of ninety-two acres, and thus he has one of the best farms in the county, the land being exceptionally prolific, while the improvements are such as to greatly enhance the value of the property. Mr. Dunn is a progressive and public-spirited citizen, and no man in this section is held in higher confidence and esteem. In political affairs he gives his support to the Democratic party so far as national issues are involved, but in local affairs he maintains an independent attitude, not being directed by strict partisan lines. He and his wife are both active and consistent members of the Protestant Methodist church. The attractive residence of our subject is one of the finest rural homes in the county, and it is a center of refined hospitality. On the 16th of January, 1876, Mr. Dunn was united in marriage to Miss Savilla S. Crum, who was born in this county, of which her father, the late Frederick Crum, was a pioneer settler. Mr. and Mrs. Dunn have two children, Nelson F. and Mary 0., both of whom remain at the parental home. GEORGE W. MEYERS. He whose life now comes under review must be distinctively regarded as one of the representative citizens of Seneca county,—one whose prominence in the annals noting the progress of agriculture in this favored section of the Buckeye commonwealth is similar to the position occupied, in the earlier stages of development and reclamation, by his honored father, who was one of the intelligent and enterprising pioneers of the county, where he lent his assistance in causing the towering forests to give place to the grain fields whose soil has for years been furrowed and refurrowed by the plowshare. Mr. Meyers was born on the parental homestead in Bloom town- 204 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ship, Seneca county, Ohio, on the 27th of May, 1835, being the son of Jacob and Maria (Warren) Meyers, of whose nine children the four surviving are as follows: Mary F., the wife of Henry Meyers, of Attica; George W., of this review; William T., who is engaged in the insurance business in the city of Toledo; and Frederick, a resident of Denver, Colorado. The father of our subject was born in Switzerland in the year 1797, and there he was reared and educated, learning the trade of shoemaker. About the year 1821 he emigrated to America and made his way to Philadelphia, where he worked at his trade until he had accumulated sufficient money to enable him to return to his native land for his parents, thus. showing how deep was his filial devotion and how sterling his character. On his return to the United States he was accompanied not only by his venerable parents, but also by his two brothers. Henry and David. From Philadelphia they started for Ohio, but while en route the parents became ill, compelling them to stop in Meadville, Pennsylvania, where both died about two years later. Jacob Meyers and his brother David then came to Seneca county, locating in Bloom township, where Jacob purchased a small tract of land, to which he added by entering claim to adjoining tracts, and finally became the owner of one hundred and eighty acres, while his brother David accumulated two hundred. They also filed entry on an eighty-acre tract for their brother Henry, who had remained in Philadelphia, where he was employed as an instructor in the blind institute, there remaining about eighteen years, and having been the first to teach .to the blind the art of making brooms and brushes. His health finally became impaired and he then came to Seneca county and settled on his farm, so that the three brothers were numbered among the pioneers of this section. The father of our subject died in 1861, and his wife, whom he married in Philadelphia, passed away four years later. He was a Democrat in his earlier years of residence here, but was an ardent supporter of the Union cause as the Civil war drew on, and cast his vote in support of Abraham Lincoln for the presidency. He and his wife were devoted members of the Reformed church, and their lives were ever in harmony with the sincere faith which they professed. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 205 George W. Meyers was reared on the old homestead farm, in Bloom township, receiving the basis of a good practical education in the schools of the neighborhood, the supplementation having come by reading, personal application and association with the practical affairs of life. Upon attaining maturity his father gave him employment by the month, and he thus continued to be concerned in the management and improvement of the homestead until the death of his father, and thereafter until the farm was sold by the heirs and the estate settled up, in 1870. Upon thus dividing the estate our subject invested his funds in his present farm, in Venice township, the same comprising one hundred and sixteen acres, and here he has since maintained his home, having been signally prospered in his efforts and having made the best of improvements on the place. In moo he purchased an adjoining farm of sixty acres, but he anticipates removing to the town of Attica in: the near future and practically retiring from the active duties and labors of the industry through which he has attained success. This will prove the consistent reward of his many years of toil and endeavor. In politics he is a stalwart Republican, and in religion his faith is that of the Universalist church. February 28, 1867, Mr. Meyers was united in Marriage to Miss Mary Meyers. who was born in this county, the daughter of Rudolph and Magdalena Meyers, who also were born in Switzerland, the two families. however, being not of the same lineal descent. Mr. and Mrs. Meyers have no children. HARRISON DETTERMAN. The Detterman family has been conspicuously identified with the development and the industrial activities of Seneca county from an early epoch in its history, and the subject of this sketch is a worthy representative of this sterling pioneer family, the name which he bears standing for absolute integrity of character and for that productive industry which has conserved the development and substantial upbuilding of this fa- 206 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. vored section of the Buckeye state. He is a native of Seneca county, where he has passed his entire life and where he commands the highest esteem of those among whom he has lived and labored to such goodly ends. Mr. Detterman was born in Bloom township, on the 30th of November, 1837, being the son of John H. and Catherine (Stigameyer) Detterman, both of whom were born in Prussia, the respective families having been neighbors there. John H. Detterman, in company with his brother Harmon and another young man, named Buckholt, emigrated to America when about twenty years of age, the three running away from home in order to escape service in the Prussian army. They first located in the city of Sandusky, Ohio, and thence the three came to Scipio township, Seneca county, whence, somewhat later, the two brothers proceeded to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where they were employed in connection with the construction of a canal during one summer. They then came again to Seneca county, and here John H. was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Stigameyer, who had crossed the ocean in the same vessel. He then effected the lease of eighty acres of raw land in Bloom township, clearing the same of its heavy growth of timber and developing a good farm. There he' continued to reside for a period of ten years, at the expiration of which, in 1844, he located on the farm where our subject now resides. Here his original purchase comprised one hundred and twenty acres of wild land, and upon the same he built a log cabin of two rooms, making this primitive domicile his habitation for several years. He cleared and improved the place and there remained until 1869, when he purchased another tract. of two hundred acres, in Bloom township, where he continued to make his home until his death, on the 27th of April, 1900, at a patriarchal age, lacking but twenty-six days of ninety years. His wife died on the 1st of August, 1866, and he subsequently was united in marriage to Mrs. Anna Somers, who died at the age of seventy-seven years. Of the first marriage six children were born, of whom three—William. Mary and an infant—died young, the others being Harrison, the subject of this sketch; Amos, a representative farmer of Adams township; and Samuel, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 207 who is engaged in agricultural pursuits in Bloom township. Of the second marriage there were no children. John H. Detterman had only five dollars when he arrived in America and here faced the problems of life, and his industry and good judgment were so effectively brought to bear that he became the owner of more than four hundred acres of land in Seneca county. He was a Democrat in politics, and his religious faith was that of the Evangelical Association, of which he was a devoted and influential member, having been. class leader in the Detterman church for more than sixty years consecutively and having been honored by all who knew him. His wife, the mother of our subject. was a devoted Christian woman, being a member of the same church and a lady of gentle and noble character. Harrison Detterman was a child of seven years at the time when his parents removed to the farm which he now owns, and in the primitive district schools he secured his early educational training. He continued to assist in the cultivation of the homestead until his marriage, after which he located on a farm of one 'hundred and nine acres, in Adams township. He disposed of this property at the expiration of nine years and returned to his father's homestead, of which he assumed charge, and here he has ever since continued operations in the line of general farming and stock-growing. He added to his holdings from time to time until he became the owner of four hundred acres of fine land. but he has since divided much of the property among his children, retaining in his homestead one hundred and twenty acres, and haying one of the well improved and valuable farms of this section of the state. His political support is given to the Dem0cratic party, and he served for several years as trustee of his township, proving a capable and discriminating executive' and doing all in his power to forward the best interests of the community. He is a zealous member of the Evangelical Association and has been an active worker in the church for many years, haying held the office of steward for nearly forty years, while for thirty years he has been incumbent of the office of superintendent of the Sunday-school of Trinity church, which is located opposite his own residence. 208 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. On the 17th of November, 1859, Mr. Detterman was united in marriage to Miss Sophia Einsel, who was born in Pleasant township, on the 12th of October, 1837, the daughter of Henry and Sarah (Keller) Einsel, who removed to Seneca county from Fairfield county in the early pioneer days and here passed the remainder of their lives, the father passing away on the 1st of September, 1886; and his wife on the 3d of November of the succeeding year, aged, respectively, eighty-one and seventy-four years. Both were lifelong members of the Evangelical Association and were numbered among the honored pioneers of the county. To Mr. and Mrs. Detterman five children have been born, of whom one died in infancy, while those surviving are: John H. and William A., who are representative farmers of Adams township ; Martha E., who remains at the parental home; and George E., who is likewise a successful farmer of Adams township. HENRY D. KEPPEL. Among the prominent and successful farmers and influential citizens of Seneca county is numbered Mr. Keppel, whose fine estate is located in Hopewell township. He is a native son of the county and a representative of one of its honored pioneer families, while it has been his to maintain the high reputation borne by his father, who was one of the leading men of this section of the county, being honored and esteemed by all who knew him. Mr. Keppel was born on the farm where he now maintains his home, the date of his nativity being April 30, 1849. He is one of the five children born to George and Mary E. (Rosenberger) Keppel, and four of the number still survive, namely : Anna C., the wife of Daniel L. Crum, of whom specific mention is made on another page of this work; Jane E., the wife of J. B. Lautzenheiser, of Hopewell township ; Hattie L., the wife of Nelson A. Miller, likewise of this township; and Henry D., the subject of this review. George Keppel, father of our subject, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 209 was born in Westinoreland county, Pennsylvania, on the 4th of March, 1810, being the son of Henry and Anna C. (Steimetz) Keppel, natives respectively of Northampton and Westmoreland counties and representatives of old and prominent families of the Keystone state. They removed to Knox county, Ohio, in the year 1822 and resided there until 1839, when they came to Seneca county,. where they passed the residue of their lives, the former passing away in 1842, at the age of seventy-four years. His wife survived him by many years, her death occurring in 1860. Henry- Keppel served a year in the Indian wars in Pennsylvania. George Keppel, who was the eldest son and the third child in a family of six children, was reared on the homestead farm, and the management of the place largely devolved upon him after he had attained years of maturity, his educational advantages having been such as were afforded in the public schools of the clay. In the fall of 1838 he purchased the homestead now owned by our subject, the same having comprised one hundred and sixty acres of heavily timbered land, and in the following year he established his home here, clearing the greater portion of the tract and making the best of improvements, including a thorough system of tile drainage. In the year 1872 he erected a fine brick residence, at a cost of about three thousand dollars, and he attained a high degree of success through his well directed efforts, being one of the influential citizens of the. community. He also acquired another farm, of one hundred acres, located two and one-half miles west of the homestead, and was progressive and energetic in his methods, while his attitude was ever that of a public-spirited citizen. On the l0th of November, 1842, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Rosenberger, who was born in Jefferson county, West Virginia, the daughter of Henry and Jane Rosenberger, who were numbered among the pioneers of Seneca county, Ohio. George Keppel was a man of fine mentality and inflexible integrity. and he did much to advance the interests of this section of the county. In politics he gave his support to the Democratic party, but he was never an aspirant for public office. He was a devoted member of the First English Lutheran church in the city of Tiffin, and his generous support of the same was indicated by the contribution of five 210 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. hundred dollars to aid in the erection of the church edifice. No man commanded a higher degree of confidence and esteem in the community and his memory is revered by all who know him, his death occurring on the l0th of September, 1897, at the venerable age of eighty-seven years, six months and six days. His widow still survives him, in her eighty-first year, and makes her home with her children, who accord her the utmost filial solicitude. Henry D. Keppel, the immediate subject of this review, was reared on the old homestead and received his early educational training in the public schools, effectively supplementing the same by a course of study in Heidelberg College, in Tiffin. Upon attaining his majority he assumed the management of the farm, and thus continued until the death of his honored father, when he became the owner of the homestead, where he has passed his entire life. Mr. Keppel has been successful in his farming operations and has made further improvements on the fine old homestead, having erected, in 1899, one of the best barns in the county, while in every respect his estate shows that he is a progressive and energetic member of the agricultural community. In politics, while never seeking the honors or emoluments of public office, he has given a stanch allegiance to the Democratic party and has been very influential in public affairs of a local nature. His wife is a member of the United Brethren church, to whose support they contribute in a liberal way. On the 18th of December, 1877, Mr. Keppel was united in marriage to Miss Mary M. Miller, a daughter of Adam Miller, of whom individual mention is made in appending paragraphs, and of this union three children have been born, namely : Hattie Z., the wife of A. D. Biehler, of Pleasant township; Jesse E. and Nettie C., the two latter remainng at home. Adam Miller, father of Mrs. Keppel, was born in Maryland, in the year 1818, and when he was a lad of eight years he came with his father, Daniel Miller, to Seneca county, the family locating on one of the pioneer farms of Hopewell township, where his parents passed the residue of their lives. He assisted in the reclamation and cultivation CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 211 of the home farm until he attained years of maturity, and after his marriage to Miss Margaret Creeger, he rented the farm now owned by the widow of Michael Flynn and there continued in agricultural pursuits for a period of five years, at the expiration of which he purchased eighty acres of the present homestead, in section 20, Hopewell township, adding to the same from time to time until he accumulated a fine estate of two hundred and eighty acres. Here he continued to make his home until his death, which occurred on the 27th of October, 1901. He gave a stanch support to the Republican party and was prominent in public affairs in the community, having held the office of township clerk for a number of years and having been one of the influential men of this section of the county. His religious faith was that of the United Brethren church, of which he was a zealous and consistent member of the church of this name at Bascom. His six living children are as follows : Henrietta, the wife of William Glick, of Tiffin; Nelson A., of Hopewell; Mary, the wife of the subject of this sketch; Bertha, the wife of John Adams; James A., a resident of Bascom; and Hattie, the wife of Elmer Lott, of Boston, Massachusetts. HENRY L. WENNER, M. D. Tiffin is fortunate in that she has many very able representatives of the medical fraternity among her citizens,—men whose comprehensive study and ready adaptation of scientific knowledge to the needs of suffering humanity has resulted beneficially in the alleviation of humon suffering and the restoration of health.. Occupying an enviable position among the prominent representatives of the profession is Dr. Wenner, one of Tiffin's native sons, his birth having occurred here On the 19th of September, 1861. Here he spent his boyhood days until he was seven years of age, and then went to Bucyrus, where he remained for ten years, attending the public schools: until he had .attained the age of seventeen. He then returned to Tiffin and was graduated in the 212 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. high school here at the age of eighteen. He began reading medicine with Dr. A. B. Hovey, with whom he remained for a year, and afterward studied under the direction of Dr. X. C. Scott, of.Cleveland, Ohio, and in the medical department of the Western Reserve University, in which institution he was graduated in March, 1882, before he had reached his majority. Dr. Wenner began practice in McCutchenville, Seneca county, where he remained for six months, and was then in Arcadia for two years, after which he located in Tiffin, where he has since remained. Here he has since been in continuous practice and the success which has attended his efforts has been based upon a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the principles of the sciences of medicine and surgery, and correct application to the needs of suffering humanity. While he has engaged in general practice he makes a specialty of surgery. His success in this direction is due to his minute and accurate acquaintance with anatomy, combined with power of diagnosis, a cool head, steady muscles and mechanical genius. April 22, 1883, Dr. Wenner was united in marriage to Miss Jennie R. Smith, who died April 26, 1885. On the 26th of October, 1886, the Doctor was united in marriage to Miss Emma Huss. of Tiffin. and they now have two children: Henry L. and Marjorie E. In his political views the Doctor is a Republican, firm in his faith in, and support of, the principles of the party. He was presidential elector from his district when William McKinley was first chosen to the presidency. For two years he was a member and one year president of the school board of Tiffin and vas a candidate for congress in 1898, making a strong run in a district which has an acknowledged Democratic majority of great strength. He has served on the county executive committee for ten years, a part of the time as its chairman, and he takes an active and helpful interest in the work of the party. his labors having been attended with gratifying results. He has been state councilor of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics, and is now its state treasurer and is also the Ohio trustee of the Orphans' Home of that order which institution is located in Tiffin. The Doctor is also connected CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 213 with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. In the line of his profession he is identified with the Seneca County, Cleveland and the Northwestern Ohio Medical Associations., and thereby keeps in touch with the advanced thought and improved methods which are brought before those bodies and discussed for the good of all, thus rendering more proficient the labors of the physicians practicing in these districts. In his religious faith. and membership he is a Baptist, while his wife belongs to the Methodist church. His life has been consistent with his. church relations, and no physician in Tiffin has higher regard for the ethics of his profession. His skill has led to gratifying success and at the same time his hopeful spirit and genial temperament have been important factors in sustaining the courage of those to whom he has ministered thus aiding nature in her attempts to restore the normal condition of the patient. PROFESSOR REUBEN GOOD, A. M., Sc. D. Among the citizen's of Seneca county there is none to whom is accorded a greater meed of honor and affection than to the venerable gentleman whose name appears above, for his life has been consecrated to exalted aims and he has been one of the most potent factors in the religious and educational advancement of this section of the state, having been one of the founders of Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, one of the prominent educational institutions of Ohio, with whose work he was actively identified for the long term of two score years. He is a representative of a family of distinction and sterling worth, long identified with the annals of American history, and his personal career has been one of signal usefulness, contributing new laurels to the honored name which he bears. Many will there be who will read with pleasure and profit this brief review of his life history. Reuben Good was born at Rehrersburg, Berks county, Pennsylvania, on the 8th of July, 1818,- the son of Philip A. and Elizabeth 214 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. (Haak) Good, both of whom passed their entire lives in Pennsylvania, being of sterling German ancestry. Philip A. Good became one of the influential citizens of his native state, being a man of strong intellectuality and having been a successful teacher for a number of years. He served as a member of the state legislature and was also incumbent of various county offices of trust and responsibility, such as prothonotary of the orphans' court, county surveyor and clerk of the common pleas court. He was an active and devoted member of the Reformed church, as was also his wife, a woman of gracious presence and distinctive refinement. He died on the 4th of October, 1832, aged about forty-eight years. His father, Jacob Good, was born in one of the German speaking cantons of Switzerland, whence he emigrated to America about 1763, being a young man at that time, and he located in Pennsylvania, where he became a teacher and also followed other vocations and where he passed the residue of his life. He had received a good education in his native land and his mentality was of that high order which has been characteristic of the family in succeeding generations. Upon coming to America he changed the orthography of his name to the present form, the original patronymic having been Guth. In Pennsylvania he prepared himself for the ministry of the German Reformed church, but his career as a clergyman was cut short by his death, at the age of about forty-five years. The mother of our subject was born near Reading, Berks county, Pennsylvania, and in that locality she passed the greater portion of her life, being summoned into eternal rest on the l0th of March, 1840, at the age of about sixty-three years. By her marriage to Philip A. Good she became the mother of eleven children, of whom we enter record as follows : Johanna died at the age of eighty-five years : William A., a teacher and a clergyman of the Reformed church, was the first superintendent of schools in Berks county, Pennsylvania, where he practically introduced the public-school system, and there died at the age of sixty-five years, haying received the degree of Master of Arts from Marshall College at Mercersburg. Pennsylvania : Margaret died in 1896, aged eighty-four years: John P. died in infancy : CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 215 Elizabeth passed away in 1840, aged twenty-five; Reuben is the immediate subject of this sketch; Jonathan J. was a soldier in the Union army in the Rebellion and was instantly killed by a shot in the forehead, at the battle of Chickamauga, in 1863, at the age of forty-three years; Jeremiah, A. M., D. D., was graduated in Marshall College and was practically the father of Heidelberg College, and is now deceased; Sarah is the wife of Rev. William K. Lieber, D. D., of Hanover, Pennsylvania; James, who likewise was a graduate of Marshall College, died at the age of twenty-four ; and Anna M., who became the wife of Dennis Holtz, of Seneca county, Ohio, died in 1890, at the age of sixty years. The boyhood (lays of Reuben Good were passed in the parental home, in Reading, Pennsylvania, where he received excellent instruction under private tutors and in Dr. Daw'son's classical school. When he had attained the age of fourteen years he secured a clerkship in a local mercantile establishment and followed this vocation until he was nineteen, when he resumed his interrupted educational work, being then matriculated in Marshall College (now known as Franklin & Marshall College), at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he was graduated in 1842, with the degree of A. B. He then entered the theological seminary of that institution, continuing his studies for three years and finishing the course. He was ordained in Ohio, in 1845, to the ministry by the proper judicators of the Reformed church. Locating at Greenville, Darke county, he engaged in missionary work on a circuit including that vicinity and the field-about Dayton, while he supported himself during these early years of devoted labor by teaching. In September, 180, Rev. Mr. Good was elected by the Ohio synod as rector or head master of the projected school at Tiffin, which preparatory school was expected to expand into Heidelberg College. Early in November, immediately upon Rector Good's arrival in Tiffin, he, in company with Major Louis Baltzell, a prominent man of the city, personally canvassed Tiffin for the first students, whose number, on the day of opening, was but seven, rapidly increasing to eighty-five, and by the end of the scholastic year the total enrollment showed one hundred and fifty different names. Mrs. A. M. Lee, an experienced teacher, devoted all her time, as did Rector 216 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Reuben Good, to the school, and as did Professor J. H. Good in the chair of mathematics and in the way of an extensive correspondence with preachers and liberal laymen throughout the Ohio synod, and elsewhere in Pennsylvania and Maryland, in behalf of the' school with its flattering beginning as to students and its needs as to money for endowment, buildings, etc. The latter gentleman was strong enough to do the work of a half dozen men and he "did it most excellently well," so as to be justly named the "Father of Heidelberg College." Like this gifted brother, Rector Reuben Good's work increased, he being chosen to occupy the professorial chair of natural sciences, in which capacity he rendered effective and devoted service until his retirement, in 1890, by reason of advanced age, but he is still connected with the institution as an emeritus professor, retaining a deep. interest in the affairs of the college, to whose upbuilding he gave the best years of his life and to whose alumni he is endeared by ties of unequivocal respect and affection. He now enjoys that otium cum dignitate which is the just reward for his many years of able service as one of the world's workers, having a pleasant home, surrounded by twenty acres of land, within the city limits of Tiffin and being still vigorous in mind and body for one of his advanced age. He is well known to the people of this section of the state in educational and religious circles, while to him is granted the veneration due to one who has ordered his life upon a lofty plane and labored for the good of his fellow men. In politics Mr. Good has given his allegiance to the Republican party from the time of its organization, and during the Rebellion he was a zealous supporter of the cause of the Union. On the 29th of September, 1847, was solemnized the marriage of Professor Good to Miss Mary J. Winters, who was born in the city of Dayton, Ohio, and who remains his devoted and cherished companion as the shadows of their lives begin to tenderly lengthen, she being now seventy-five years of age. She has been active in church work and has proved a true helpmeet to her husband, being a woman of unassuming presence and gentle refinement. Her father, Rev. David Winters, D. D., was an influential clergyman and the regular pastor of the First CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 217 Reformed church in Dayton, Ohio, for a long term of years. At the Dayton Academy Mrs. Good received her education. Professor and Mrs. Good were the parents of eleven children, of whom four died in infancy. Those who lived to mature years are as follows : Rev. Charles W., a clergyman of the Reformed church, has held several important charges and is now at the old home, caring for his parents with true filial solicitude:; he was graduated at Heidelberg College, and thereafter continued his studies for one year at Yale and one at Oxford, England ; Edward R., likewise a graduate of Heidelberg, was a member of the firm of E. R. Good & Brother, leading publishers in Tiffin, and his death occurred September 28, 1901, at the age of forty-six years ; Mary is also a graduate of Heidelberg; William H., who received the degree of Bachelor of Arts from the same institution, is a publisher and dealer in books and photographic supplies in Tiffin; Anna received the degree of Bachelor of Science in Heidelberg and is now the wife of Professor M. E. Kleckner, who holds the chair of biology and geology in that institution; Lily, likewise a graduate of the college, with the same degree as her sister, is the wife of Rev. Harvey S. Nicholson, pastor of the Reformed church at Colon, Michigan ; and Irving is a compositor in his brother's printing establishment. THOMAS J. KINTZ. One of the prominent citizens of Tiffin, Ohio, is Thomas J. Kintz, who is cashier of the Tiffin Savings Bank, and who is also financially interested in a number of successful enterprises in this locality, in addition to being identified with public affairs. Mr. Kintz is a native of Ohio, having been born at Canton, Stark county, February 14, 1844. His parents were George and Eliza (Conaghan) Kintz, the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania. In his young manhood he came to Ohio and located in Stark county, and there for a period of about twelve years, he was engaged in the hotel - 14 - 218 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. business. He then lived for a short time in Tennessee, going from that state to Indiana, where he went into business:, making his home in Terre Haute, where he died at the age of eighty years. The mother of our subject was a. daughter of Dennis Callaghan, who was born in Ireland, but who became a resident of the United States in his youth, his marriage occurring in the state of Pennsylvania, where his children were born. Mrs. Kintz became a resident of Ohio at the time of her marriage, and she died, of typhoid fever, at her home in Canton, at the early age of thirty-five years. She was a woman of many virtues, a devoted mother, and a consistent member of the Catholic church. Thomas J., of this sketch, was a babe of eighteen months when he was thus deprived of his mother's care and affection, and he was then taken to the home of his grandfather Conaghan, in Wyanclot county, Ohio. Here he lived until he was three years of age. when his uncle, Joseph Callaghan, who was a prosperous farmer in Seneca township, Seneca. county, took the little lad into his household and there he remained until he was twenty-one. He grew up on the farm and assisted his uncle, but he was given excellent educational advantages by this kind relative. After finishing a preparatory course in the common schools of Seneca township, at the a.ge of eighteen he entered Heidelberg College, at Tiffin. After one term of study Mr. Kintz engaged in teaching and by this plan was enabled to continue at the college, following this profession for five years. In 1867 Mr. Kintz was selected for the position of deputy recorder of Seneca county, filling the position with so much efficiency for eight years that he was made recorder, upon the death of the former incumbent. This vacancy he filled for the unexpired term of one year an;', two weeks, and at the expiration of that time he was honored with an election to the office and subsequently re-elected, the combined terms covering a period of upwards. of seven years. During this service Mr. Kintz had not been unmindful of the interests of the Democratic party, of which he is an active member, and by which he has been frequently honored. For the ten years succeeding his long service in the recorder's CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 219 office, from 1880 to 1890, Mr. Kintz was engaged in the abstract and real-estate business in this city. When the project of establishing the Tiffin Savings Bank was agitated, Mr. Kintz was one of the financiers who recognized the wisdom of this move and he became one of the organizers of this enterprise. The bank began business on March 3, 1890, Mr. Kintz entering as cashier, which position he has faithfully filled ever since. The financial disturbances of the country in 1893 left no trace on the business of this institution. Its capital stock is fifty thousand dollars, of which Mr. Kintz owns eleven thousand. The deposits range from three hundred and ninety to four hundred thousand dollars, and it is considered one of the safest banking institutions in the state of Ohio, the careful, conservative method's of its management meeting with the approbation of the public and gaining unqualified confidence. Mr. Kintz has other large business interests in this city. He is also interested in a large amount of real estate, one valuable holding being his handsome residence on Perry street. On February 15, 1872, Mr. Kintz was united in marriage to Miss Adalaide V. Weller, who was born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, where she was educated and reared, but who later became a resident of Rochester. New York, and still later of Tiffin, Ohio. Ever since his first entrance into political life Mr. Kintz has been a stanch supporter of the Democratic party, and in 1873 he was elected on its ticket a. member of the city council, his personal popularity having an influence, as his residence was then in a Republican ward. Upon removing from) the ward within the next year he resigned his position, but he was recalled by the council in 1898 and again in 1900, and he is still serving the city, being one of its most loyal officials. Fraternally our subject is a member of Seneca Lodge, No. 35, I. O. O. F., of Tiffin, and also of the B. P. O. E. of this city. Both he and his wife are valued members of the Methodist church, and for a time he served as a member of its building committee. Mr. Kintz is a representative self-made man, and is a liberal, public-spirited citizen, ever living up to the demands of the clay and taking an interest in all which will benefit his city. 220 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. NEWTON U. EGBERT. The subject of this sketch is of the third generation of his family in Seneca county, which fact gives the natural implication that the 0riginal location here was made in those early days when the section now marked by fruitful farms, thriving cities and attractive villages was yet practically unreclaimed from the primeval forests. The transitions have been marked, and the Egbert family has contributed to the work of development and progress and has ever stood representative of sterling integrity of character and of definite energy and enterprise. It is assuredly fitting that mention be here. made of the lives and labors of those who: have wrought to goodly ends. Newton Uriah Egbert was born in Pleasant township, Seneca county, Ohio, on the 18th of September, 1844, being the son of Jeremiah W. and Lucy A. (Rule) Egbert. The father was born in Franklin county, Ohio, on the 19th of September, 1817, and his wife was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, being the daughter of Daniel and Jane (Groscost) Rule, honored pioneers of Seneca county. Our subject is one of the nine children born of this union, and seven of the number grew to years of maturity, namely: Norman D., a farmer of Clinton township; Newton U., the immediate subect of this sketch; Dora, the wife of Clay Holtz, of Adams township; Elizabeth, who became the wife of Henry Stinchcomb and who died in Michigan, aged forty-four years; John, a farmer of Clinton township; Lillian, a young lady who resides in the same township, as does also Isaac ‘R. Jeremiah W. Egbert was the son of Uriah and Susanna A. (Williams) Egbert, who came from Pennsylvania to Franklin county, Ohio, and thence to Seneca county in 1823, taking up a tract of government land in Clinton township and there establishing their family in the primitive log house characteristic of the locality and period. This farm continued to be the family home until 1832, when they removed to Pleasant township, where Uriah Egbert entered a claim of two hundred and forty acres of government land, there developing a good farm and there living to a venerable age, as did his wife Susanna. After his marriage the father CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 221 of our subject located on a two-acre tract in Pleasant township, where the two elder children were born. Soon afterward he secured eighty acres in Clinton township, and cleared the place of its heavy growth of timber, making good improvements. There he continued to reside until fifteen years prior to his death, when, at the settlement of the estate, he purchased his father's old homestead, where he was engaged in farming until his demise, on the 18th of December, 1898, his cherished and devoted wife having preceded him into eternal rest in February, 1890. They were well known and uniformly esteemed in the community, both having been zealous and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. The Egbert church and cemetery are on his farm entered by his father Uriah. Newton U. Egbert grew up on the parental farm, assisting in its work and receiving such educational advantages as were afforded by the public school of the locality and Baldwin University, which he attended for three years. He remained at the parental home until his marriage, save for the period of his military service in the civil war, and then located on a farm of two hundred and five acres, in Adams township, developing this into one of the valuable places in this county and there continuing to make his home for the long period of twenty-six years. He then located on his present homestead place, which comprises one hundred and thirty-seven acres, and his attention is still given to farming and stock-raising. He is the owner of an estate of one hundred and thirty-seven acres in Adams township, and his farm is one of the most attractive in this locality, having a commodious residence and other excellent improvements. In 1864 Mr. Egbert enlisted, for a term of one hundred days, as a private in Company H, One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he was sent to assist in the protection of the federal capital, being honorably discharged at the expiration of his term. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and since 1868 has been a member of the. Green Springs Lodge, No. 318, I. O. O. F., having passed all the chairs in the same. In politics he is a stanch Re- 222 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. publican, but has never sought nor desired official preferment in this line. On the 8th of November, 1874, Mr. Egbert was united in marriage to Miss Amanda H. Beard, who was born in Washington county, Maryland, the daughter of John and Susan (Sager) Beard. She continued his devoted companion and helpmeet until her death, which occurred on the 12th of August, 1897, at the age of fifty-six years, her memory remaining as a benediction to all who knew her and had appreciation of her true and noble character. She left three children: Bessie H.. who is her father's housekeeper; Mildred, the wife of John Riggle, of Clinton township; and Schuyler C., who remains at the paternal home. DANIEL C. RULE. It can not be other than gratifying, in view of the nomadic spirit which is growing to animate all classes of American citizens, to find a locality in which are to be found citizens of worth and prominence who have passed their entire lives in the localities where they were born, and who command the respect and esteem of those who have been familiar with their entire careers. In the older settled sections of the far east we find instances where property has been held from generation to generation by one family, and where the old homesteads signify something more than mere names, but in the western and middle states this condition has not been so pronounced. In Seneca county, Ohio, however, as the pages of this work clearly prove, are to be found many representatives of families who here initiated the work of reclaiming the virgin wilderness and who here made for themselves homes which their children and grandchildren are glad to retain as homes. One of the scions of pioneer stock in Adams township is Mr. Rule, of whose career we are pleased to enter a brief review. Daniel C. Rule was born in Adams township, this county, on the loth of December, 1838, being the son of Daniel and Jane (Groscost) CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 223 Rule, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania. They became the parents of nine children, of whom only two survive,—Jane, the widow cf D. W. Dudrow, of this county; and Daniel C., to whom this sketch is devoted. Those deceased are Lucy A., Elizabeth, Samuel, Albert, Byron, Matilda and Isaac P. The father of our subject came from Pennsylvania to Seneca county in the year 1832, locating in Scipio township, where he entered claim to a tract of government land, whose reclamation he instituted, and there he remained for a period of five years, at the expiration of which he removed to Adams township, where he purchased two hundred and sixty-three acres of wild land, which he developed into a valuable and productive farm and which continued to be his home until his death, which occurred in 1887, at the venerable age of eighty-six years, his wife. having passed away in 1879, aged seventy-seven. Daniel C. Rule was born and reared in Adams township, his educational advantages being such as were afforded in the common schools of the place and period, while he supplemented this discipline by a course of study in the academy then maintained in the village of Republic. When eighteen years of age he put his scholastic abilities to practical test, and was a successful teacher for. seven terms, teaching during the winter months and assisting in the work of the homestead farm in the summer seasons. He was married in 1862, and thereupon located on his present farm, which he reclaimed and which he has placed under a high state of cultivation, having a finely improved place of one hundred and sixty acres and carrying on diversified farming, his efforts having been attended with success, implying the reward justly due for his assiduous labors and application in the past. He also gives attention to the raising of stock, and for many years was engaged in the buying and shipping of the same. In politics his support is given unreservedly to the Republican party, and in 1876 he was elected assessor of his township, giving an effective and acceptable administration. He was the candidate of his party for representative in the state legislature in 1877. On the 30th of March, 1862, Mr. Rule was united in marriage to Miss Eleanor Church, who was born in Adams township, the daughter 224 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. of Earl and Galena Church. Mr. and Mrs. Rule have three children : Annie, the wife of Martin Brunthaven, of Sandusky county; Ralph R., a representative young member of the bar of Norwalk, Ohio; and Daniel C., Jr., who was a student at Adelbert and who is a graduate of the Northwestern Ohio Normal School, at Ada, being a civil engineer by profession. JOHN NEIKIRK. One of the native sons of Seneca county who rendered to the nation the valiant service of a loyal son of the republic at the time of the war of the Rebellion and who is now one of the honored citizens and successful farmers of Adams township, is Mr. Neikirk, and it is our privilege to here incorporate a brief review of his life, according him due consideration as a representative of one of the pioneer families of this section of the state. Mr. Neikirk was born 0n the farm where he now maintains his home, the date of his nativity being December 23, 1834. His father, Joseph Neikirk, was born in Washington county, Indiana, the son of Michael Neikirk, who came thence to Seneca county with his family in the early pioneer epoch. Joseph Neikirk was married in Seneca county, Barbara Noel becoming his wife, and to them seven children were born : Mary, the widow of Dorsey Hardsock, of Adams township; William, who lost his life while serving in the Civil war ; David, who also was a soldier in the Union army and who is now deceased ; John. the subject of this review ; and Samuel, Elizabeth and Barbara, all of whom are deceased. The father of our subject passed away in 1887, at the venerable age of eighty-two years, and the death of his devoted and cherished wife occurred in 1873, at the age of sixty-four. They located on the farm now owned by our subject shortly after their marriage, and here continued to reside until death terminated their mortal careers. The father was a blacksmith by trade, and followed this vocation in his earlier years in connection with his farming, and his life was