CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 225 one of signal integrity and honor. He reclaimed his farm from the virgin forests and lived to enjoy the fruits of his years of toil and endeavor, being revered as one of the sterling pioneers of the county. On the old homestead John Neikirk was reared to maturity, early becoming familiar with the strenuous work pertaining to its development and cultivation and securing his preliminary educational discipline in the common schools. This was effectively supplemented by a course of study in the academy then maintained in the village of Republic, and thereafter he became a teacher in the schools of the county, devoting his attention to successful pedagogic work during the winters of 1856 and 1857. In 1859 occurred his marriage, and after this important event in his career Mr. Neikirk rented a tract of land near the old home and continued its cultivation for a period of four years. In March, 1864, he located on a farm of eighty acres in Adams township, and this continued to be his home until 1888, in March of which year he returned to the old homestead, where he has since been successfully engaged in general farming and stock-raising, having a well improved place of seventy acres. In May, 1864, Mr. Neikirk tendered his services to the Union by enlisting as a private in Company G, One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, of which regiment his brothers David, William and Samuel, as well as his brother-in-law, Dorsey Hardsock, were also members. The regiment was sent to aid in the defense of the national capital, and there our subject was in service for a period of one hundred days, at the expiration of which he received his honorable discharge. He still manifests his interest in his old comrades by retaining membership in the Grand Army of the Republic, being identified with Robinson Post, No. 135, at Republic. In politics he has ever given his support to the Republican party, taking a proper interest in public affairs of a local nature and keeping well informed on the questions and issues of the hour. On the 6th of October, 1859, Mr. Neikirk was united in marriage to Miss Sarah E. Noel, who was born in Allen county, Indiana, the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Ensley) Noel, who removed from 226 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Seneca county, Ohio, to Dekalb c0unty, Indiana, in 1839, where the father died at the age of forty-seven years, his widow still maintaining her home in that state and having attained the advanced age of eighty-five years (1902). They became the parents of seven sons and four daughters, of whom five are living at the present time, namely : Philip, who served in the Thirtieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry during the Civil war, is a resident of Dekalb county, Indiana ; Sarah E. is the wife of our subject; Solomon is a resident of Knob, Shasta county, California ; and Perry and Samuel are residents of Indiana. Those deceased are George, who died at Memphis, Tennessee, during the Rebellion, having been a soldier in the One Hundredth Indiana Volunteer Infantry ; Susan, wh0 became the wife of John Long; Lucy, who married Holmes Link ; Eliza, who became the wife of Joseph Rechtenwald; and two who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Neikirk are prominent and influential members of the English Lutheran church, with which our subject has been identified for forty years, having served as elder and deacon. Our subject and his wife have no children of their own, but have reared one girl from the age of eight years, Clara Elnora Redfox, now a young lady. GEORGE W. FITZ. Among the honored veterans of the war of the Rebellion is numbered Mr. Fitz, who accorded to his country the loyal and patriotic service of a true son of the republic, and whose life has been such as t0 commend him to the respect and good will of his fellow men. He is one of the enterprising and successful farmers of Adams township, Seneca county, having purchased his present fine homestead in 1886. The old Keystone state figures as the place of Mr.. Fitz's nativity, since he was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania., on the 4th of July, 1842, being the son of Henry and Sarah (Harbaugh) Fitz, both of whom were born in that state, of German lineage.. His father was engaged in agricultural pursuits, and thus our subject was reared under CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 227 the invigorating discipline of the old homestead, receiving his educational training in the common schools. At the age of twenty-two years, on the 19th of September, 1864, Mr. Fitz signalized his patriotism by enlisting as a private in Company M, Seventeenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry, with which he proceeded to West Virginia, taking part in the engagements at Cedar Creek and Gordonsville, the regiment being attached to Sheridan's command, in the Army of the Potomac. In the battle at Gordonsville Mr. Fitz was wounded, receiving a minie ball in the right arm just below the shoulder, but he was not long incapacitated for active duty and continued in the service with his regiment until victory had crowned the Union arms, when he received his honorable discharge, having made a record as a faithful and valiant soldier in the ranks. After the close of the war Mr. Fitz returned to Pennsylvania, where he remained until 1867, when he came to Ohio, locating in Sandusky county, where he was employed as a day laborer for one year, after which he came to Seneca county and turned his attention to farming, renting land until 1886, when he effected the purchase of his present farm, which is located two and one-half miles southeast of Green Spring, in Adams township, and which comprises one hundred and ten acres, having formerly been known as the Benner farm. The place is well improved and is of marked fertility, while to his operations our subject has brought to bear so much discrimination, energy and good judgment that he has gained a place as one of the substantial farmers of the county, his place being a model farm and giving evidence of the care bestowed in keeping everything in the best condition and in securing the maximum returns from its cultivation. Mr. Fitz has not failed to take a proper interest in public affairs of a local nature, and the confidence and esteem in which he is held in the community has been shown in his official preferment, since he served with ability as township trustee. His political proclivities are indicated in the stanch allegiance which he gives to the Republican party, in whose cause he has contributed his efforts and influence. He keeps in touch with his old comrades in arms 228 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. by his identification with the Grand Army of the Republic, being a popular member of Potter Post, No. 105, at Green Spring. On the 25th of December, 1867, Mr. Fitz was united in marriage to Miss Ethel Donaldson, who was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Andrew J. Donaldson. Our subject and his wife have no children, but he has made a home for her niece, Flora Fowler, from her childhood, and she remains as a member of the family. Mrs. Fitz is one of the active members of the Woman's Relief Corps, maintained as auxiliary to Potter Post, G. A. R. IRA H. LEPARD. Ira H. Lepard, one of the prominent and successful agriculturists of Seneca county, is a native son of Venice township, his birth having here occurred on the 5th of March, 1858. He is a son of John and Harriet (Hoyle) Lepard. The father is also a native of the Buckeye state, where he was born in Lancaster, February 23, 1828, a son of Isaac and Nancy (Huffman) Lepard, natives, respectively, of Pennsylvania and Maryland. When two years of age, in 1830, the son John was brought by his parents to Seneca county, the family locating on the south line of Reed township, where the grandfather entered eighty acres of land, and, after clearing a sufficient space, built a cabin thereon. During the erection of this round-log dwelling the family lived in wagons. He at once began the arduous and difficult task of clearing and placing his land under cultivation, and there his life's labors were ended on the 21st of January, 1848, when he had reached the fifty-first milestone on the journey of life. Some years after his death his widow removed to Attica, and there she was called to the spirit world September II, 1892,. at the age of ninety-three years. They were among the earliest residents in Reed township, there having been but two houses in Attica at the time of their arrival, and Tiffin, then called Fort Ball, was a small hamlet of about a dozen houses. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 229 John Lepard, their son and the father of our subject, received but limited school advantages, and after his father's death he assumed the management of the home farm. One year after his marriage he located on a rented farm one mile west of the old homestead, where he made his home for about nine years, and on the expiration of that period, in 1864, he purchased the farm of one hundred and twenty acres where his son Ira now resides. As time passed, however, he increased his landed possessions by adding a forty-acre tract, thus making him the owner of one hundred and sixty acres. From the age of two years his entire life was spent in Seneca county, and he therefore witnessed its growth from a. wilderness to its present improved conditions. His political support was given to the Democracy, and although not a member of any religious denomination he was an attendant and liberal supporter of the Baptist church and was ever active in any movement tending to promote the welfare of his fellow men. He died on the 7th of October, 1893, at the age of sixty-five years. On the 8th of October, 1854, Mr. Lepard was united in marriage to Miss Harriet Hoyle, who was born in the state of New York March I, 1827, a daughter of Horace and Grizella (Holcomb) Hoyle, the former a native of Providence, Rhode Island, and the latter of New York. After their marriage the parents' removed to Lorain county, Ohio. Their daughter Harriet became a successful teacher at sixteen, and after coming to Seneca county was the first teacher in the Attica schools, in 1852, where she taught up to the time of her marriage. She is still living on the old home farm, and is well preserved in all her mental faculties:. She has ever shown a decided interest in educational work, being thoroughly informed on all lines of literature and takes special delight in the study of the Bible. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lepard were born six children who grew to years of maturity, namely : Mary, who died at twenty-six ; Eunice, who has been an invalid for thirty-four years; Ira, the immediate subject of this review ; Emma and Hattie, also at home; and Flora, the wife of A. N. Kelly of Chicago, Illinois, and who was a teacher for three years:. 230 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Ira H. Lepard acquired his primary education in the district schools near his home and later attended the Attica high school. He worked with his father on the home place until 1886, and in that year began farming a portion of the old homestead on the shares, thus continuing until his father's death, when he assumed the entire management of the place, besides fifty acres of his own purchase. Throughout his entire business career he has been industrious, energetic and successful, and he has won for himself an honorable name in trade circles, while at all times he has received the unbounded confidence of his fellow men. Mr. Lepard was married on the 3d of September, 1887, to Miss May Neikirk, a native of Adams township, Seneca county, and a daughter of D. J. Neikirk. She passed away on the 27th of February, 1898, and on the 1st of January, 1902, our subject married Miss Jennie L. Alter, a native of Middletown, Ohio. Her parents, John K. and Emma E. (Bainbridge) Alter, removed to Dakota in 1883, and there the daughter attained to womanhood. After completing a common-school education she received a course in the high school of Ellendale, North Dakota, and later in the Manual Training School at the same place. At the age of seventeen she began teaching, and for a period of ten years taught in the country schools, in the Mound City schools of South Dakota and in the Ellendale schools, in North Dakota, resigning from the latter school to get married. She is one of the correspondents of the "West Land Educator," the official teachers' bulletin of North Dakota, which is a journal founded to assist teachers, and in the conduct of which she retains an interest. At the time of her marriage, however, she endeavored to withdraw her correspondence, but her resignation was not accepted.. Mr. Lepard gives his political support to the Republican party, and is frequently a delegate to the conventions. In his social relations he is a member of Venice Lodge, No. 197, I. 0. 0. F., in which he served as a noble grand for seven terms; is a member of the Independent Order of Good Templars, in which he has' held office for the past fifteen years; and during the past year was master of Honey Creek Grange, No. 1314, P. of H. His religious preference is indicated by CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 231 his membership in the Baptist church, in which he has been an officeholder for twenty years, and throughout his life he has been an active worker in the cause of Christianity. JAMES LEROY LAKE. Reed township, Seneca. county, Ohio, includes among its representative farmers and respected citizens James Leroy Lake, who is a native son of this township, his birth here occurring on the 27th of May, 1846. His father, Joshua Lake, was born in Cayuga county, New York, May 6, 1805, and there he was reared to years of maturity. About 1833 he came to Seneca county, Ohio, locating on an eighty-acre tract in Reed township, but in 1862 he sold this place and removed to the farm on which our subject now resides, there purchasing one hundred and ten acres, which continued to be his home until his life's labors were ended in death, in his seventy-ninth year. He gave an unfaltering support to the Democratic party, a.nd for many years he served his township as a justice of the peace, as treasurer and assessor, holding the latter position when there were but fifteen families in the township. He later filled various other township positions. He was a leading member of the Methodist Episcopal church. As a companion on the journey of life Mr. Lake chose Miss Lydia Thatcher, who was born in Tompkins county, New York, December 4, 1818, and her death occurred on the 21st of August, 1899, when she had reached the age of eighty-one years. She, too, was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Unto this worthy couple were born four children, but only two now survive;, our subject and Dr. 0. A. Lake, of Green Spring, Ohio. James Leroy Lake enjoyed the educational privileges afforded by the common schools of his neighborhood during his youth and early manhood, and at the age of twenty years he began the business of stave-making, which was a very profitable occupation at that time. While thus engaged he made over three thousand staves, and at the same 232 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. time he also carried on agricultural pursuits during the summer months. As the years have passed by and prosperity has rewarded his well directed efforts he has purchased land and is now the owner of his present fine homestead, located in Reed township, Seneca county. In addition to farming- he does considerable work as a stone mason. In political matters he has followed in the footsteps of his father and also gives a stanch support to the principles of the Democracy, and for four years he served his township with efficiency as a justice of the peace. He has also held the offices of township trustee and assessor, and in all these positions he has discharged his duties with promptness and fidelity. In his social relations he is a member of Lodi Lodge, No. 493, I. O. O. F., and is a charter member of Harmony Grange., No. 481, P. of H. In February, 1868, Mr. Lake was united in marriage to Miss Samantha Insley, but this union was soon terminated in death, for the wife was called to her final rest on the 15th of September, 1869. For his second wife he chose Miss Helen Hakes, but this union was also terminated in death, April 5, 1893. On the 15th of April, 1896, Mr. Lake married Miss Elsie M. Wilhelm, a native of Stark county, Ohio, and a daughter of David and Margaret (Brillhart) Wilhelm, a prominent farmer of Reed township. They have one child, Irvin Leroy, who was born July 15, 1898. JOSEPH M. BEVER. Upon the roll of the representative members of the legal profession in Seneca county, Ohio, consistently appears the name of Joseph Milton Bever, who is a native son of the county and a representative of one of the sterling pioneer families of the state. In no profession is there a career more open to talent than in that of the law, and in no field of endeavor is there demanded a more careful preparation, a more thorough appreciation of the absolute ethics of life, or of the underlying principles which form the basis of all human rights and privileges. Unflagging CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 233 application, mature judgment and a determination to fully utilize the means at hand, are the concomitants. which insure personal success and prestige in this great profession, which stands as the stern conservator of justice, and it is one into which none should enter without a recognition of the obstacles to be overcome and the battles to be won, for sucess does not perch on the falchion of every person, who enters the competitive fray, but comes only as the legitimate result of application and unmistakable ability. Possessing the qualifications of the able' lawyer, Mr. Bever has attained marked precedence in his chosen profession and has high standing at the bar of his. native state,—a bar that has been graced by the transcendant abilities of many of the ablest men in the annals of the nation. He has been actively engaged in the practice of his profession in the city of Fostoria for nearly a quarter of a century, has been concerned in much important litigation and is known to be thoroughly informed in the science of jurisprudence, an able attorney and a safe and duly conservative counsel, while his personal integrity and honesty of purpose have begotten an objective confidence and esteem of no equivocal order. In a work touching those who have been concerned in the public and civic life of Seneca county it is clearly incumbent that specific men: tion be made of Mr. Bever. Joseph Milton Bever was born on a farm in Eden township, Seneca county, Ohio, on the 9th of December, 1853, being the youngest of the six sons of Rev. Joseph and Elizabeth (Knouse) Bever, the former of whom was born in Virginia and the latter in Pennsylvania, she being of stanch old Pennsylvania German stock. Rev. Joseph Bever was one of a family of thirteen children who accompanied their parents on their emigration from Virginia to Ohio, in the year 1822, and within the following year they located about five And one-half miles south of Tiffin, Seneca county, where they made their home in the almost unbroken wilderness. Seneca county was not then organized, and this family endured, with other hardy pioneers, the labors and privations incident to life in the sylvan wilds of this section. One of the early teachers of Rev. Joseph Bever was Mr. Burlingame, father of Hon. Anson Burlingame, late minister to Russia, but his early scholastic dis- - 15 - 234 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. cipline was confined to a period of about nine months' duration, the popular appreciation of educational training at that time being greatly subordinate to that of developing a capacity for arduous toil. The youth, however, realized to no slight degree to how great an extent his sphere of usefulness would be circumscribed through lack of proper mental training, and through every means possible he sought earnestly to increase his store of knowledge, reading the few books which he could secure in the frontier settlement and undoubtedly thus applying himself by the light of the open fireplace or the flickering candle, since it is not to be thought that he would or could be released from his share of the arduous daily toil incident to the reclaiming of the farm in the virgin forest. His determination, however, proved sufficient to insure his continuance of study and reading and he developed marked intellectual strength and became a man of no inconsiderable scholastic attainments. As. a young man he felt himself called to preach the gospel, his nature being intrinsically fervent and spiritual, and thus he identified himself with the United Brethren church, by which, in due course of time, he was licensed to preach, forthwith entering upon the active work of the ministry. His first circuit comprised many of the counties of north-western Ohio,—a section then traversed by few roads, and those of the most primitive type, while few of the streams were spanned by bridges of any sort, thus making the field far from inviting. His zeal and devotion did not falter by reason of these and other obstacles, and he continued in the active work of the Master for the greater portion of his life, as pastor and presiding elder, being one of the revered pioneer clergymen of his denomination in this section. He removed to Fostoria from the old homestead, which he had aided to reclaim, in 1871, and he did not withdraw from pastoral work until about 1882, when his advanced age caused him to resign to a considerable extent his active labors. He continued to make his home in Fostoria until his death, which occurred in November, 1896, his devoted wife having passed away in 1883. Of Rev. Joseph Bever it may well be said that he was a "friend to truth, of soul sincere, in action thoughtful and in honor clear; who broke no promise, served no private end; who gained no title and CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 235 who lost no friend." Six sons survive him, namely : Captain Russel H., of Tiffin, is now deceased; M. A., of Marion; D. M., of Tiffin; L. O., of Kenton ; J. T., of Bowling Green; and Joseph M., the subject of this sketch. To the district schools of Eden township Joseph M. Bever is indebted for his early educational training, and there he continued his studies, also assisting- in the work of the old homestead, until he had attained the age of seventeen years, when he accompanied his father on his removal to Fostoria, which has ever since been his home. In 1873 he was matriculated in Otterbein University, at Westerville, Ohio, where he was graduated in the centennial year, 1876, with the degree of Bachelor of Science. Shortly after his graduation Mr. Bever entered the office of W. J. Rigby, in Fostoria, and there began the technical reading and study which were to fit him for his chosen profession, his devotion to his work and his excellent assimilative powers being such that he became eligible for and was admitted to the bar of the state in 1878. He at once entered upon the practice of his profession in Fostoria, where he has ever since continued. His years of close application and his reliability and talent in the various branches of his professional work have eventuated in a definite and worthy success, giving him prestige as one of the leading members of the Seneca county bar, while his hold upon the confidence and esteem of the local public has' been shown in the preferments which have come to him in official capacities. In 1878 he was elected city solicitor of Fostoria and was again chosen as incumbent of this office in 1880. Two years later he was appointed city clerk, to fill a vacancy, and at the regular election following, in 1883, he was chosen to fill out the unexpired term in this office. In 1884 came to him the distinction of being elected to the chief executive office of the municipal government, and that his administration met with popular approval is manifest when we revert to the fact that he was re-elected mayor in 1888, and for a third time in 1891. In January, 1897, Mr. Bever was appointed city solicitor, to fill a vacancy, and was retained in this office by popular election in April of the same year, while he was re-elected in 1899. He has ever taken a deep and active interest in educational matters and served for twelve years as a member of the city board of school 236 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. examiners, while he was also a member of the first board of trustees of Fostoria Academy. In politics. Mr. Bever gives his allegiance to the Republican party, of whose principles and policies he has been an able advocate. In connection with that noble fraternal organization, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Mr. Bever has attained the most distinguished preferment in the gift of his brothers in the order, being at the present time grand master of the grand lodge of the state of Ohio, within whose jurisdiction are found seventy thousand members. He became identified with the order in 188i and has been one of its most honored and enthusiastic devotees, having been frequently a representative to the grand lodge and having served in other official capacities. He holds his membership in Fostoria Lodge, No. 305, in his home city. On the l0th of July, 1878, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Bever and Miss Sootie J. Rugg, of Franklin county, and they have three children,—Mabel M., Roscoe and Thurlow, all of whom are graduates of the Fostoria high school, and all of whom are zealous members of the Presbyterian church. NICHOLAS ROCK. It is gratifying in this age to meet a man who has had the courage to face the battles of life with strong heart and steady hand and to win in the stern conflict by bringing to bear only those forces with which nature has equipped him,—determined purpose, invincible courage, sturdy self-reliance and that self-respect which is begotten of worthy ambition and a desire to do right under all circumstances. These elemental attributes of character have been signally exemplified in the career of the gentleman whose name initiates this review, for he came to this country from the fatherland without the aid of capitalistic reinforcement or influential friends, and has gained a notable victory through the normal and legitimate avenues of industrial activity, being now a successful merchant of Reedstown, Seneca county, and also having in the CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 237 same township a valuable farm property. He has become one of the representative citizens of his township, and his course has been such as not only to gain him distinct prosperity but also the great reward implied in the confidence and esteem of those who know him. Mr. Rock was born in the grand duchy of Luxemburg, on the 30th of May, 1857, the son of John and Catherine (Lang) Rock, who became the parents of sixteen children, of whom eleven survive, while only four of the number are residents of the United States, namely : Dominick, of Bismarck, Huron county, Ohio; Matthew, a resident of Sandusky; Catherine, the wife of John Fritz, of Thompson township, Seneca county ; and Nicholas, the subject of this review. John Rock was for many years engaged in the hat, cap and furnishing-goods business in the town of Dudlingen, Luxemburg, where his death occurred in the year 1874, his widow still maintaining her home there. Our subject was reared and educated in his native place and there learned the trade of shoemaking, to which he devoted his attention, until 1880, when he came to America, his resources at the time of his arrival being represented in the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars, and this being borrowed capital. From New York he came to Sandusky, Ohio, where he entered the employ of his uncle, John Greethan, who was there engaged in the grocery and provision business. He was thus employed for a period of three years and within this time there was assigned to him the duty of driving a huckstering wagon through the section of Seneca county where he now makes his home. While thus engaged Mr. Rock formed the acquaintance of Miss Veronica Gerber, to whom he was united in marriage on the 24th of October, 1882, she having been born in Thompson township, the daughter of Michael Gerber, who was born in the province of Alsace, which was then, a portion of the territory of France, and who emigrated thence to America and became one of the early settlers of Seneca county, Ohio. In the spring subsequent to his marriage Mr. Rock located on the farm, in Reed township, which be now owns, the same comprising eighty acres and having been then the property of his father-in-law. Here he continued to devote his attention to general agriculture and stock-raising and here, on the 27th of Octo- 238 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ber, 1887, occurred the death of his wife, who is survived by four children,—Charles M., Monica R., Peter M. and Veronica. On the 22d of October, 1889, Mr. Rock was married to Miss Rosa Dannenmiller, who was born in Crawford county, Ohio, the daughter of John Dannen miller, who was an influential farmer of that locality, where his death occurred. Two children have been born toScholastica and his wife,—Julia and Scholastica. In 1892 Mr. Rock left the farm, which he had purchased of his first wife's father several years previously, and located in Reedtown, where he purchased the mercantile establishment and business of John G. Weaver, and here he has since continued to do a thriving business, handling a select and comprehensive stock of general merchandise and securing a representative patronage from the wide rat0us of territory normally tributary to the village. He is progressive and public-spirited in his attitude, and none can envy him a success so worthily achieved. He still owns his farm property, the place being well improved and under effective cultivation. Though never an aspirant for office Mr. Rock has given a steadfast allegiance to the Democratic party, and his religious faith is that of the Catholic church, in which he was reared, his communion being with St. Mary's Assumption church in Reed. He visited the Paris exposition of 1900 and incidentally made a quite extended tour of the European continent visiting his pleasure at the time of visiting his old home in Luxemburg. ELLSWORTH L. McDOLE. It is a well attested maxim that the greatness of the state lies not in its machinery of government, or even its institutions, but in the sterling qualities of its individual citizens, in their capacity for high and unselfish effort and their devotion to the public good. To this class belongs Ellsworth L. McDole, of Kansas, Seneca county, a man prominent in the business, social, political and church circles of the village. Mr. McDole was born in Meigs county, Ohio, July 1, 1861, a son of Joseph and Sarah (Ad0fs) McDole. The father was a native of the CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 239 Keystone state, his birth having there occurred in Beaver county, on the 28th of December, 1825, and he was of Irish extraction. When a child he removed with his parents to Meigs county, Ohio, where he grew to years of maturity, and there he was married. When the time came for him to assume the responsible duties of life for himself he chose the life of a farmer, and in that county he followed the tilling of the soil until 1884. He, was an energetic and capable agriculturist, and became a man of much influence in his locality. In that year he came to Kansas, Ohio, and after his son's marriage he took up his abode with him, and here he and his wife both still reside. In political matters he was formerly an old-line Whig, but in later years he has been an active worker in the ranks of the Republican party, although he has never sought the honors of public office. For many years he has also been an active member of the Disciples' church. As a companion on the journey of life Mr. McDole chose Miss Sarah Adams, who was born at Yellow Creek, Jefferson county, Ohio, June 19, 1835. Her father, John Adams, was descended from the old Revolutionary branch of the family of that name. Unto this union were born three children,—W. Asbury, who for many years has been a teacher and merchant in Parkersburg, West Virginia ; Ulysses C., of Kansas., Ohio; and Ellsworth L., the subject of this review. Ellsworth L. McDole was reared to years of maturity under the parental roof, and during his early youth he attended the common schools of his locality, while later he entered the Longbottom Academy, of Meigs county, where he enjoyed superior advantages. At the age of twenty-one years he entered the school-room as an instructor, and for the twelve following years he devoted his entire time and attention to educational work, in West Virginia, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri and again in Ohio. During four years of that time he was the efficient principal of the Kansas, Ohio, schools. While engaged in the teacher's profession he also studied medicine, under the preceptorship of Drs. E. H. and A. M. Chilcote, of Bloomdale, Wood county, Ohio, and later entered the medical department of the University of Wooster, but one year prior to his graduation he was obliged to leave that institution on account of ill health. After abandoning the profession of teaching he engaged in 240 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. the drug business, in 1894, and has continued in the same to the present time. Mr. McDole has ever been a stalwart advocate of Republican principles, and by that party he has been many times elected to positions of honor and trust. For a number of years past he has been a member of the county and executive committees of his party. For a short time he served as deputy collector of revenues, under Colonel Waldorf, and was later appointed a gauger at Troy, Ohio; but, although he stood the highest in the civil-service examination, he did not accept the position, owing to his extensive business interests. He has served as a member of the county board of school examiners, and on January 1, 1898, was made the postmaster at Kansas, Ohio. Prior to that time, in April, 1893, he was elected a justice of the peace, and has ever since continued to fill that position. He has also served as deputy- state superintendent of elections. The marriage of Mr. McDole was celebrated on February 25, 1900, when Miss Minnie I. Hinsman became his wife. She is a native of Sandusky county, Ohio, and a daughter of Christian Hinsman. They have one child, Julia, born February 24, 1902. In his social relations Mr. Mc-Dole is a member of Kansas Lodge, No. 183, Knights of Pythias, in which he has served as deputy grand chancellor, under appointment by Grand Chancellor Winn; he is also a member of Kansas Lodge, No. 405, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of Kansas Tent, Knights of the Maccabees. Since 1884 he has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which for several years he served as a steward and as Sunday-school superintendent. He is a man of strong mentality, keen discernment, great tact and resolute purpose, and is therefore well fitted for the political honors which have been conferred upon him. JAMES PILLARS. The late Judge James Pillars, of Tiffin, well deserves more than casual mention in connection with those men whose lives here carried an influence in shaping the history of this community. He was born, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 241 as he himself often expressed it, on "Yellow creek," in Jefferson county, Ohio, about 1820, the exact date of his nativity being unknown, even to himself. Scarcely anything can be learned of his family, though we know that he early inclined to study, familiarizing himself with such limited books as he could secure for himself or borrow for the time being. His desire was for the acquirement of an education, and in accordance with that fixed idea he entered the academy at Norwalk, Ohio, though no data can now be obtained touching his removal from his native county. After obtaining such advantages as the academy afforded he began reading law in the office and under the preceptorship of John Whitbeck, at Norwalk. In seeking for a suitable location in which to begin the practice of his chosen profession he chose Tiffin, having already formed some few acquaintances here, among others being Warren P. Noble, who was then a young lawyer of about his own age. He applied himself to the principles of the law, the abstruse reasoning upon which it was based appealing strongly to his peculiarly analytical mind. Clients were slow in coming, and for several years the practice of his profession afforded him a precarious living. He had not learned the art of retaining money, and the end of each year found him no better off financially than at its beginning until the time when he decided to join his fortunes with those of the lady of his choice, Miss Sarah M. Deming. of Norwalk. She possessed to a high degree the business tact and managerial ability lacking in her husband, and henceforth the financial clouds were less ominous, the sunshine of prosperity being more frequently seen through the rift. Judge Pillars was never of a popular turn of mind, his warmest friendships being with those few who could understand him. Never a special aspirant for public honors, he was prevailed upon, in 1859, to become a candidate for the nomination for state senator, but not being disposed to make a personal canvass and lacking those traits that enhance personal popularity he was defeated. When he was nominated for a seat on the common-pleas bench, in 1868, he was chosen without special effort, as his legal ability was well known to be second to that of no man in the district. As a judge he was hard-working and methodical, 242 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. his technical and profound knowledge of law enabling him to hand down decisions that were notable for clarity and for soundness of logic, and strength and brilliancy of diction, while they ever manifested his thorough familiarity with law and precedent. Judge Pillars' ability and keenness of intellect were such that he would have graced a seat on the supreme bench, delighting as he did in the analytical discussion of those fundamental principles that form the basis of all law. He took a deep interest in the younger members of the bar, no task asked at his hands being too onerous or too great for him to grant and fulfill. He often wrote the entries for them, and in this his exactness, clearness and mastery of the language were clearly shown, the articles being models of brevity, conciseness and powerful composition. He was a wide reader and his powers of assimilation were prodigious, his private library standing pre-eminent in this section of the state. He found greatest consolation in the perusal of those old authors whose wit and learning have graced the past, and no sacrifice was too great when the object was to secure some ancient volume valuable in edition, contents or binding. His arguments on the bench, while noted for incisive logic, brevity, clarity and force, often led to conclusions that caused much opposition, it not being merely hinted but openly declared that his decisions were sometimes shaped by extraneous influences that militated against strict justice. He demanded more exactness of procedure on the part of attorneys who had fallen into somewhat loose methods, and thus elevated the courts, placing business upon a more methodical basis than heretofore, though what was gained in one way might have been lost in another. His keenness of intellect and command of the basic principles made his mind specially ready to grasp new points of law,—possibly to the exclusion of reasoning that might lead to sounder judgment. He was never more at home than when supporting by the subtlest logic what seemed to others a losing side, his facility of argument and coloring with delicate shades of language leading his opponents to accept his views.• Whatever may have been said in criticism of Judge Pillars, no one ever questioned his ability or learning, and had his nature been evenly balanced there would have come from his life an influence for good beyond the power CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 243 of man to conjecture. He was a peculiar man,—probably with more diversified elements and attributes than any other man who has ever lived in Tiffin, and whatever phases of character were presented, for contemplation, there would be ever found a brilliancy second to none. His mind was of that texture found in the pessimist, the world carrying a dark and forbidding aspect for him, the result of this attitude being that in his later years he became almost misanthropic, recourse being frequently had to those stimulants whose effect was to momentarily enhance and emphasize the natural brilliancy of a once powerful mind, but whose reflex was to intensify the darker, sadder musings of a disordered and distorted imagination. Judge Pillars died in the year 1888, having tasted much of life, feeling the thrill that comes from pure, abstract reasoning and from living in touch with the master minds of centuries past, and also realizing to the full the bitterness resulting from being out of sympathy with those with whom he lived and moved. C. G. COOK. Mr. Cook is the superintendent of the Peabody Buggy Company. of Fostoria. He has resided in this city since 1887 and has occupied his present position since 1897. Previous to that time he was for five years connected with the Fostoria Buggy Company, the predecessor of the corporation which he now represents. Mr. Cook is a native of Dayton, Ohio, in which city his birth occurred in 1850. After acquiring his education in the public schools he began learning the carriagemaker's trade, which he also followed in Cincinnati. He became an expert workman, mastertering the business in every detail. He thoroughly understands mechanical principles, is practical and is fully competent to direct the efforts of the large force of workmen employed in the factory. He has supervision over the labors of from one hundred to one hundred and thirty men, and is thus controlling a business of considerable magnitude. In his relations 244 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. with those who work under him he is always fair and just, and is ready to recommend for promotion, as opportunity offers, all those who are diligent, honorable and loyal to the company's interests. He owes his own advancement to reliability, close application and steadfast principles. These qualities have won him continual promotion until he today occupies a very prominent position in trade circles. Mr. Cook was married, in Dayton, Ohio, to Miss Kate Linkert, of Rochester, New York, and they now have two sons and a daughter. One son, Harry, occupies the position of foreman in the employ of E. W. Walker, at Goshen, Indiana, while William works with his father in the factory of the Peabody Buggy Company. The daughter is Gertrude, a student in the high school. Socially Mr. Cook is identified with the Masonic fraternity, in which he had taken royal-arch degree. He, also has membership relations with the Knights. of the Maccabees and in his political affiliations is a Republican, but the honors and emoluments of office have had no attraction for him as he prefers to give his entire time and attention to his business interests. His life history illustrates how potent are loyal principles, diligence and honorable effort in attaining success when one does not have friends or wealth to aid him at the outset of a career. WILLIAM HENRY NORRIS. Among the most highly regarded citizens of the city of Tiffin, Ohio, is William H. Norris, who has resided here since 1891, having been previously engaged in agricultural pursuits. Although not actively engaged in farming Mr. Norris still exercises a superintendence over his land, which is located in the near vicinity, while he enjoys all the comforts of city life in his pleasant home, at No. 191 North Sandusky street. Mr. Norris is a son of the Buckeye state, having been born in Seneca county November 11, 1831. His ancestral line runs back to England, from which land .cantle his great-grandparents., Nathaniel and Grace Norris, who settled in Frederick county, Maryland. There the grandparents of CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 245 our subject were born, Thomas P. and Susanna Norris, the former on February 18, 1765, and the latter on March 16, 1775. They moved to Harrison county, Ohio, in the early days of its settlement, and they were accompanied by their son Lott, who was then a young man. An older brother, Nathaniel, had come to Seneca county in 1827, and in the latter part of the same year Lott Norris, who was the father of our subject, also came hither. They entered government land in Scipio township, four miles northwest of Republic. At that time the whole country was covered with a heavy growth of timber, and it required much hard work to clear this land and convert it into its present state of fertile productiveness. After his marriage, in the spring following his location, Lott Norris erected a comfortable log cabin on his land and devoted his energies to the clearing of his acres and improving his condition. He owned ninety acres here and remained on the farm for some eight years, removing then to a new purchase, near by, of ninety-two acres, of which eight acres had already been cleared. Here Mr. Norris worked with unceasing industry until within a few years of his death, retiring prior to that event to Tiffin, where he passed away at the age of sixty-one years.. Although he had been a busy man from his earliest days of activity, he found time to faithfully serve his community in various official positions, his clear judgment and known integrity making him a valuable citizen. He accumulated means, and at the time of his death owned one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land in Adams township and an additional one hundred and eighty-two acres in Scipio township, all of which had been acquired by his own energy. When the Mad River Railroad was built through this county it materially increased the value of his property. He was an interested and active member of the Republican party, and was a leading member of the Methodist church, aiding in its early establishment in his locality. The mother of our subject belonged to one of the old and long-established families of Maryland. Her name was Lourana Todd, and she accompanied her parents upon their removal to Seneca county, where they also entered government land. She was an attendant of the 246 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Dunkard church, and although she never became a member the simplicity of life and the pious and unworldly belief of the adherents of their faith attracted her. She died at the age of forty-eight years. Eight children were born to Lott and Lourana (Todd) Norris, two of whom are deceased, namely : Mary, who died in 1864; and Charles, who died when but eighteen years of age, while serving in the army. The survivors are as follows: William, who is our subject and the eldest of the family; Ephraim, who is a farmer in Adams township; John, who resides in Tiffin ; Sarah, who married Jacob Bunnell ; Susan, who married B. J. Vandervere; and Emma, who married Albert Bunnell. The boyhood days of our subject were spent at home, where his youthful energies found plenty of exercise in assisting in farm work. His educational advantages were rather limited, not on account of any want of ambition on his part or neglect on the part of his parents, but because of conditions prevailing at the time in this locality. He remained at home and gave his assistance to his father until he was twenty-four years of age, and then started out in life for himself. He went to Mason county, Illinois, and there worked for several years as a carpenter, but at the request of his parents he returned to his home and remained there, giving needed assistance in the management of his father's large interests for eighteen months. Mr. Norris was married October 7, 1858, to Miss Lizzie Coffman, who was born in Perry county, Pennsylvania, July 19, 1833, being a daughter of Joseph and Fannie (Kanagy) Coffman, the spelling of the family name having formerly been Kauffman. Her parents were natives of Pennsylvania, whence they came to Seneca county in 1842, settling in Scipio township, where her father became a large farmer and an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He died at the age of eighty years and seven months, and was a man who was noted not only for his prominence and financial prestige, but also for his many benefactions to the poor, his charities being liberal and wide spread. He was generous to his children, giving eighty acres of land to each one of the six. His father, Peter Coffman, was a native of Switzerland and belonged to the Moravian faith. The mother of Mrs. Norris was likewise CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 247 a consistent and devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and her years were extended to ninety-two. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Norris were of English lineage, the original American ancestors having come to Pennsylvania, the grandparents being born in Shippensburg, that state, and later became residents of Stark county, Ohio, in the days of its early settlement. Mr. and Mrs. Norris had a family of four sons, two of whom died in early childhood, the survivors being: Charles Albert, who is a prosperous farmer of Adams township; and Martin Edward, who is also successfully engaged in farming, in Scipio township. Mrs. Norris inherited eighty acres of land from her father's estate, and this she transferred to one of her sons, and eighty acres were also given to the other son, this still leaving a tract of eighty acres, which Mr. Norris rents. After his marriage Mr. Norris bought a farm in Scipio township, although he was obliged to go into debt, but in a short time was able to add an adjoining tract of eighty acres, in Adams township. His industry has been rewarded by prosperity. Mr. Norris has not been unmindful of public affairs, even while his family and business called for his close attention. For two years he belonged to the state militia, and in May, 1864, when the call came for defenders of the nation's capital, he, like Cincinnatus of old, left his plow in the furrow, and with Company K, One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Regiment, under Colonel Lee, hastened to the city of Washington. Mr. Norris remained On his farm until increasing years prompted him to turn over its active management to a tenant and enjoy the ease which his industry and energy had earned. In 1891 he erected his present comfortable residence in Tiffin, and since removing there has been one of the city's esteemed citizens, interested in its development and assisting in public-spirited enterprises. Mrs. Norris and her sons are particularly active in the Methodist church and in the charitable and benevolent work in this city. Although Mr. Norris has reached the psalmist's age, there is small indication of failing powers in either mind or body, the strength of youth still remaining to a remarkable degree. Mr. Norris rightly attributes his excellent health and freedom from many of the ills of advancing 248 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. years to his perfectly temperate life, as he has never indulged in either strong drink or in the use of tobacco in any form. He is a man of integrity and of noble purpose,—one who has done his share in the upbuilding of the prosperity of his section and who most justly deserves the high measure of esteem in which he is held. LORENZO SHERMAN. This venerable pioneer and representative agriculturist of Seneca county has lived on the farm which is now his home for More than half a century, while he has been a resident of the county from his infancy, thus having witnessed and taken an active part in the development of this section of the state from a sylvan wild to its present condition as an opulent agricultural and industrial community, with admirably improved farms and thriving cities and villages. From the rude forest lodge of the early days, the primitive schools and the meager advantages of the pioneer epoch, he has seen the varied transitions and in the evening of his life is enabled to enjoy the fruits of his long years of earnest toil and endeavor. He early began to contribute to the work of clearing the land from its heavy forest, later assisted in the establishing of better schools and better public improvements, while his life course has ever been so directed as to retain to him the unqualified approval and esteem of the community in which he has passed practically his entire life. As a sterling representative of one of the pioneer families of this section of the Buckeye state, it is imperative that a due tribute be incorporated in this publication. Lorenzo Sherman is a native of the old Empire state of the Union, having been born in Oswego county, New York, on the 27th of April. 1823, the son of Japhet and Hannah (Holmes) Sherman, the former of whom was born in the state of Rhode Island, in the first year of the nineteenth century. They became the parents of six children, namely : Lorenzo, the subject of this sketch ; Elkanah, who was in the one bun- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 249 dred days' service during the war of the Rebellion, and who is now deceased: Hiram, a resident of Kansas; Caroline, deceased; Warren, a resident of Oregon; and Franklin, who is deceased, having also been a Union soldier in the Civil war. Our subject was but two years of age when his parents removed from New York state to Ohio, in 1825, settling on a tract of land in Eden township, the father having here purchased eighty acres, all of which was still covered with the primeval forest, the place being now owned by J. R. Holmes. Here he erected a primitive log cabin of one room, utilizing the logs in their original shape, as there was not sufficient time or the needed assistance for the hewing of the timber. This rude domicile was equipped with a slab roof and such other meager fittings as were available, and yet the toil, deprivation and isolation. were borne with stanch fortitude and the humble home was worthy the name. On this farm the father of our subject passed the remainder of his. life, his death occurring when he was forty-three years of age. His widow lived to attain remarkable longevity, passing away at the age of one hundred years and eleven months. Our subject grew up on the pioneer farm, and while still a youth attained a local reputation as an ox-driver and logger, having contributed in the work of clearing out roads and making other necessary improvements in the locality. He remained on the old homestead until the time of his marriage, having attended the primitive subscription schools as opportunity afforded, the same being held in log houses, with puncheon floors, slab seats and wide fireplace, familiar in the early days, and yet in "scholastic institutions" of this type many of the eminent men of the nation have received their early discipline. In the year 1847 Mr. Sherman purchased a tract of sixty acres of wild timbered land in Eden township, paying ten and one half dollars per acre for the same; and this he cleared and improved and it is interesting to note that it is still his homestead, though he has added to the area of the same by the purchasing of one hundred acres, thus having two fine farms, both being under a high state of cultivation and devoted to diversified agriculture. His long years of earnest effort have not been denied the reward due and he has long been known as one of the substantial