CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 25 conscientious lawyer, a judge whose rulings were wise and impartial, based on the stern code of justice to which he tenaciously held, and yet tempered with mercy prompted by a deep knowledge of the well-springs of human thought and action. That a man of so high intellectuality and such intrinsic strength and purity of character should command unqualified confidence and. esteem, was a natural sequel, and Seneca county was dignified by the life and services of the man to whom this slight tribute is rendered. John H. Ridgely was born in Allegany county, Maryland, on the 16th of August, 1847, being the son of William and Catherine (Hoye) Ridgely, who were likewise. natives of that state. In fact, it may consistently be said that the eastern part of Maryland figured as the cradle of the Ridgely family in America, five brothers of the name having come thither from England, in the seventeenth century and having become prominent in the colonial history. Indeed, historical data assure us that representatives of the name, in the first and in succeeding generations, became distinguished in both the civil and military service of the nation. William Ridgely, the father of the Judge, was a prominent merchant of Grantsville, Maryland, and was also the owner and operator of a fine' farm in that locality, conducting operations in this line somewhat as a diversion from his commercial business, which was of important scope. John H. Ridgely was but one year of age at the time of his father's death, and in the town of Grantsville his early educational discipline was secured, since he there attended the public schools until he had attained the age of fifteen years, when, in 1862, he came to Tiffin, Seneca county, Ohio, for the purpose of completing his classical education in Heidelberg College. He was duly matriculated in this institution, where he continued his stuides until June, 1863, when he enlisted for service in the Civil war, as a member of Company I, Eigthy-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which entered into active service under General Burnside, in command of the Army of the Potomac. From Kentucky the regiment was sent to Tennessee, and it thereafter remained in the vicinity of Knoxville until March, 1864, when the command was mustered out. The subject of this memoir then returned to Tiffin and resumed his interrupted studies in Heidelberg - 2 - 26 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. College; but, in the following February, his patriotic ardor prompted him to again enter the military service of the Union. He accordingly enlisted in the One Hundred and Ninety-seventh Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served in the vicinity of the national capital and in his native state until victory had crowned the Union arms, being mustered out in August, 1865. He then resumed his work in Heidelberg, where he was graduated in June, 1867, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Shortly after his graduation he proceeded to Cumberland, Maryland, where he began the reading of law in the office and under the direction of George A. Pierce, one of the leading members of the bar of the state of Maryland. Judge Ridgely was a close and avidious student of the science of jurisprudence, as is evident from the fact that he was duly admitted to the bar of his native state in 1869. In January of the following year he came again to Tiffin, where he established himself in the general practice of his chosen profession, proving himself thoroughly equipped for the same, both by natural talent and predilection and by scrupulous study and preparation; so that he held high prestige at the bar of this section of the state when he was elevated to the bench of the court of common pleas of Seneca county, in 1887. He brought to his judicial office the dignity of a sterling manhood, a wisdom mature and practical and an intrinsic appreciation of justice which could not be swerved by any matter of expediency or by any extraneous pressure or influence. His knowledge of the law was so wide and so exact that he was ever able to base his decisions on the equity involved and the facts presented, his conservatism and self-control being such that he could never be led aside from the main issues. In his decisions he had no friends, no enemies; his integrity was never questioned. Through the reputation which he made on the bench he gained still wider confidence and recognition, and at the expiration of his term of office, in 1893, he found awaiting him in his private practice a large and representative clientage, while no member of the bar of the state held in his own district a higher degree of public confidence and esteem than did Judge Ridgely in Seneca county. His political allegi- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 27 ance was given to the Republican party, and fraternally he was identified with the Masonic order, having passed the Chivalric degrees in DeMolay Commandery of Knights Templar in Tiffin, while he was also a prominent member of General William H. Gibson Post, No. 31, G. A. R., of the same city, having served as commander of the same for one term. He was a member of the directorate of the Tiffin National Bank and of the board of trustees of Heidelberg College. His religious faith was that of the Reformed church and was an essential influence in his strong and generous nature. Judge Ridgely was summoned into eternal rest on the 24th of January, 1899, and the community mourned the loss of .one of its most honored citizens and most noble and trustworthy men. He was an honor to his profession and to true citizenship, and such men never fail to gain the appreciative estimate of those among whom their life work is wrought. On the 16th of August, 1870, was solemnized the marriage of Judge Ridgely to Miss Ella E. Bacher, who survives' him. She was born in Tiffin, where she still maintains her home, and was a classmate of her husband in Heidelberg College, of which she likewise is a graduate. Mrs. Ridgely is the daughter of Jacob T. and Eliza (Rinker). Bacher, both of whom were born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where they were reared and where their marriage was solemnized. They removed thence to Tiffin in 1847, and here Mr. Bacher was engaged in the merchant tailoring business until his advanced age compelled him to retire from active pursuits. He is now living in Tiffin, having attained the venerable age of seventy-six years. His cherished and devoted wife passed away in 1882, aged fifty-five years. Both were of German lineage and representatives of prominent old families of the Keystone state. Mr. Bacher is one of the honored and devoted members of th.e First Reformed church. of Tiffin, in which his wife also was an active worker, and the same is signally true of their daughter, Mrs. Ridgely, who has passed her entire life in Tiffin and who has been prominent in the social and religious life of the community, being a woman of gracious refinement and one who has gained a wide circle of appreciative and cherished friends. 28 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. JOHN ROSPERT. There is no element which has entered our composite national fabric that has been of more practical strength, value and utility than that furnished by the sturdy, persevering and honorable sons of Germany, and in the progress of our Union this element has played an important part. Intensely practical, and ever having a clear comprehension of the ethics of life, the German contingent has wielded a powerful influence, and this service cannot be held in light estimation by those who appreciate true civilization and true advancement. Among the most prominent German-American citizens of this section of Ohio is John Rospert, who was born in the town of Berus, in a Rhenish province of Prussia, October 21, 1841, a. son of George and Catherine (Haas) Rospert. The father was also a native of that locality, where he was born on the 1st of April, 1815, and there he learned the trade of weaver which he followed in his native country until 1850. In that year he emigrated to America, embarking at Havre de Grace and landing at New Orleans after a voyage of forty-two days, on the 28th of November. From that city he made the river voyage to Cincinnati, but during the trip his wife and one daughter died, and the third day after their arrival in Cincinnati a son died. Two weeks later another son was called to the home beyond, thus leaving the father and our subject the sole survivors of the family. In the spring of 1851 they came to Seneca county, arriving in Thompson township on the 19th of March of that year, and there the father found employment at farm labor, while the son was left with a friend of the family, John Glassner, where he remained for about two years. From there he was sent to St. Mary's Institute, at Dayton, Ohio, where he continued his studies for the following two years. In the meantime his father had been a second time married, a Mrs. Fisher, who bore the maiden name or Elizabeth Heitz, becoming his wife. They became the parents of fire children, but of this family one only is now living, Catherine, the wife of Jacob Kuhn, Jr., of Miriam, Michigan.. After leaving the Dayton institute our subject returned to his father's home, the latter having CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 29 purchased a small farm in Thompson township, but .three years later he sold that place and bought the land on which his son John now resides, in Reed township, and there he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring on the 6th of November, 1887, caused by injuries received in the burning of his house on that date. John Rospert, whose name introduces this review, grew to years of maturity in the Buckeye state, and at the age of sixteen he entered the teacher's profession, that occupation claiming his attention during the winter months, while during the summer season he followed the tilling of the soil. Continuing as an instructor in the parochial schools from 1863 until 1871, he then abandoned that occupation and returned to the old home farm, which subsequently came into his possession, together with about one hundred and seventy acres of adjoining land. He has erected substantial and modern buildings on his land, has placed his fields under an excellent state of cultivation, and his is now one of the most valuable and best-improved homesteads in this locality. The marriage of 'Mr. Rospert was celebrated on the d of May, 1865, Miss Catherine Wagner becoming his wife. Their union was blessed with eight children, namely: Mary L., the wife of Roger Palmer, of Bellevue, Ohio; Pius A., who became a sailor and was drowned May 8, 1891, in Saginaw Bay, Michigan, at the age of twenty-three; Oranna M., at home; Cornelius, who carries on the work of the home farm; Addie, the wife of Peter A. Burens, of Bellevue, Ohio; Mary J., the wife of Theodore Thiry, of Toledo; Leo A., an employe of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad Company; and Colleta T., at home. The wife and mother was called to her final rest on the 14th of December, 1886, and on the 31st of September, 189o, Mr. Rospert was united in marriage to Miss Anna V. Hann, a native of Thompson township, Seneca county, and five children came to brighten and bless their home,—Anthony T., Ruperta M., Anna C., Frederick G. and Rose M. The mother of these children also' has passed away, her death occurring on the 17th of December, 1899. The Democracy receives Mr. Rospert's hearty support and cooperation. In 1871 'he was made a notary public, which position he has 30 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ever since continued to fill, and he has also served at various times as a justice of the peace, has been a member of the school board for many years, and at the present time is filling the position of township treasurer. He is a member of St. Mary's Assumption Catholic church at Reed, of which he has long served as secretary and trustee. In 1901 Mr. Rospert and three friends made a tour of Europe, where they spent the summer and visited the principal points of interest, Rotterdam and other Holland' cities, then to Cologne, Coblentz and Treves, Strasburg, and into Switzerland, thence through St. Gotthardt tunnel to Milan, Italy, Genoa, along the Mediterranean to Pisa and the Eternal City, where they visited the Vatican, including audience of the pope as he took his walk. They saw the sights of the city, including the catacombs. Thence they went to Venice and Padua, returning over the Alps, through the Tyrol to Innspruck, Austria, and back through the Rhinish provinces and through Alsace and Lorraine to Paris; thence they went to Rheims and Boulogne, where they boarded steamers for home, which was reached after an absence of three months. HENRY MANSFIELD. One of the leading citizens of Tiffin, Ohio, is Henry Mansfield, who has been prominently identified with both commercial and political life in his native state for a long period. The birth of Henry Mansfield occurred in Bellevue, Ohio, September 6, 185o, and( he is a son of Christian and Frances (Bauman) Mansfield, the former of whom was born in Bavaria, Germany, on January 9, 1808. By trade Christian Mansfield was a tanner, and he carried on the tanning business in Bellevue, Ohio, until 1852, when he located in Seneca county. He engaged in the same industry in Republic, and continued the enterprise until 1872, retiring at that time from active life, and he died there, at the age of eighty-three years. He was a self-made man, a leading and consistent member of the Lutheran church, and was prominently identified with the Democratic party. His wife, whose CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 31 maiden name was Frances Bauman, was born iii Switzerland, whence she came to America when she was a child of ten years. To this marriage six children were born, Henry Mansfield of this biography being the eldest. The others were as follows : Louise; Frances ; Christian; Man-die, who died in her nineteenth year ; and one child which died in infancy. Mrs. Mansfield still resides in Republic, and although she has reached the age of eighty-one years, time has touched her lightly and she is the center of family life. As early as the age of sixteen years Henry Mansfield became interested in business, his first experience being as a clerk in a store, in Republic. In 1872 he embarked in the mercantile business on his own account. For six years he conducted a very satisfactory business, but he then suffered a loss by fire, and his two-thirds insurance but partially enabled him to reorganize his enterprise. Later he again entered into business, in association with his brother, Christian, and the firm now stands as H. Mansfield & Brother, our subject still retaining his interest, although since 1894 his residence has been in Tiffin. For a long period Mr. Mansfield was the leading merchant in Republic and was also an extensive operator in grain. In the fall of 1893 Mr. Mansfield was made the choice of the Democracy for county treasurer, and in November of the same year was elected to that responsible position. In 1895 he was re-elected. He has been actively engaged in public life for years, was treasurer of Republic and of Scipio township for some years and was also a member of the local board of education and prominent in all progressive enterprises. In all his official acts as treasurer, in the administration and management of the office, he has given the best of satisfaction to the taxpayers of the county. On January 12, 1876, Mr. Mansfield was married to Miss Isabella Kimmel, who was a daughter of Henry and Eva Kimmel, and' who was born in Sandusky, Ohio, on June 19, 1857. The family residence is located at No. 245 East Perry street, Tiffin, where are enjoyed the comforts of a handsome and well appointed home, and where a generous hospitality is offered to a large circle of friends. 32 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Fraternally Mr. Mansfield is connected with Hildreth Lodge, No. 165, F. & A. M., of Republic; Republic Lodge, No. 4o, I. O. O. F.; and Tiffin Lodge, No. 94, B. P. O. E., taking an active interest in all of these organizations and being highly valued therein. Mr. Mansfield from his young manhood, has been recognized as honest, energetic and enterprising, and the record of his life shows that he has been active in the promotion of those measures which have been for the advancement and uplifting of his locality. Although an active partisan, he is a man of such kind impulses and genial personality that he is justly popular with all casses. His attitude has been that of a public-spirited citizen who has conscientiously labored for the honor and progress of the nation, the commercial development of his state and section and the welfare of his family and friends. JEREMIAH REX. There is no man in Seneca county that has longer occupied political positions or borne himself with more signal honor and uprightness than Squire Jeremiah Rex. Almost continuously for a half century did popular ballot continue him in office, and he ever bore an unblemished reputation by reason of his capability and unquestioned honesty in the administration of the duties devolving upon him. He was born in Stark county, Ohio, October 9, 1836, and is of Swiss lineage, his first American ancestors having come from Switzerland to America at a very early period in the colonization of this country. They located in Pennsylvania, and for several generations that state was the home of the family. William Rex, the grandfather of our subject, was born and reared in Pennsylvania and eventually came to Ohio, spending his last days in Stark County. He was a farmer by occupation. William Rex, Jr., the father of Jeremiah, was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, in 1802, and during his early boyhood his parents removed to a farm near Pittsburg, where he was reared. When a young man of about twenty years he CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 33 came to Ohio, settling at Osnaburg, Stark county, where he followed the blacksmith's trade until 1844, when he came to Seneca county and purchased eighty acres of timber land in Seneca township. This he cleared and improved, and ten years later he bought a farm of one hundred acres four miles south of Tiffin, in Seneca township, whereon he erected a saw mill and engaged in the manufacture of lumber until his death, which occurred in 1872, when he was seventy years of age. He was a self made man and met with a fair degree of success in his undertakings. His political support was given to the Democracy and he held a number of township offices. His religious faith was that of the Lutheran church, in which he held membership. He married Susan Sloss, who was born in Frederick county, Maryland, in 1797, and at an early age came to Ohio, where she married and spent her remaining days, her death cccurring in 1882, when she was eighty-five years of age. She also was a member of the Lutheran church and took an active part in its work. By her marriage she became the mother of six children, four sons and two daughters: Mary, who died in 1850; John, a wealthy farmer of Wells county, Indiana; Susan, who married David Stoner, and died in Henry county, Ohio, in 1876, when about forty-five years of age; William, who died in this county, when about fifty-five years of age ; Jeremiah, of this review; and Simon, who is engaged in teaming in Tiffin. Jeremiah Rex was about eight years of age when he came to Seneca county. As no railroads had been built through this part of the state the. journey was made by wagon. His boyhood days were passed upon the home farm and he attended the public schools, while through two summer terms he was student in Heidelberg College. When sixteen years of age he began teaching, and for about seven years he continued to follow that profession. He then engaged in the sawmill and lumber business, three miles south of Tiffin, the manufacture and sale of lumber occupying his attention for seventeen years, at the expiration of which time was elected, in 1876, to the office of clerk of the court, by a majority of two hundred and forty. He then sold his mill and removed to Tiffin. In 1878 he was re-elected by the marvelously increased majority of fourteen hundred. On his retirement from that office he engaged in the 34 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. shoe trade, and thus continued for two years, but the new venture did not prove profitable. Most of the time since he has been continued in office. For fifteen years he held the office of justice of the peace, and his fair and impartial rulings won golden opinions from all sorts of people. For eight years he was trustee, for seven years city clerk and for four years mayor, while altogether he served about fifty years in the city council and on the school. board. He has held office for a longer period than any other man in Tiffin. Many who enter the political field will, after but a brief service, leave office wealthy men; this is not so in the case of Mr. Rex. His office yielded to him but the salary allowed by law, but he gained something better than wealth,—an untarnished reputation, over which there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil, and he may rejoice in the possession of that "good name which is rather to be chosen than great riches." On the 26th of October, 1865, Mr. Rex was united in marriage to Miss Laura J. A. Barrick, a daughter of William Barrick. She was born in Frederick county, Maryland, and when three years old was brought to Seneca county by her parents and has since resided here. By her marriage she became the mother of seven children, of whom two died in childhood, the others being Oliver C., who resides in Tiffin ; Irvin C., who is acceptably filling the position of county clerk ; Claude C., who is engaged in manufacturing cigars in Tiffin ; Ralph J., a printer; and Grace L., at home. Both Mr. and Mrs. Rex are consistent and faithful members of the First Reformed church. He is a man fearless in defense of his own convictions—a man over whom threats or bribes could have no influence, but who will ever continue steadfast in the course he has marked out, because he believes it to be the right one. While he has usually been a stanch adherent of the Democracy, he did not hesitate to cast his vote with the opposition party when slavery was the paramount issue. He opposed the repeal of the Missouri compromise and indicated this by his ballot, and when the Republican party was formed to prevent the further extension of slavery he endorsed the movement and voted for Lincoln. When the question was settled he returned to the ranks of the Democracy, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 35 for his views are usually in accord with its principles. Socially he is identified with the Benevolent, Protective Order of Elks. In every relation of life in which he has been placed his has been an upright manhood, and there is no man in Tiffin more widely or favorably known than Jeremiah Rex, whose efforts have been of the greatest possible benefit to the city. SOLOMON WOLFE. One of the fine farm properties of Hopewell township, Seneca county, is that owned by Mr. Wolfe, who has here maintained his home for two score years and who is known as one of the progressive and successful business men of this section of the state, and as a citizen whose life has been dominated by high principles and a determination to achieve a success worthy of the name, so that he has not been denied the fullest measure of confidence and esteem. Such are the men who are particularly worthy of consideration in a publication of this nature, for though they have not stood in the "great white light" of publicity, they have been of the world's workers and have played well their assigned part in the making of history. Mr. Wolfe claims the old Keystone state of the Union as the place of his nativity, since he was born in Union county, Pennsylvania, on the 8th of February, 1838, one of the fourteen children of Michael and Margaret (Engleman) Wolfe, both of whom were likewise born in Union county, of sterling German ancestry, the respective families having been established in America in the colonial epoch. Of their children six are living at the present time, our subject being the eldest of these, while the others are all residents of Sandusky county, Ohio,—Josiah; Andrew J.; Ellen J., the wife of A. D. Hook; Catherine A., the wife of William H. Baker, of Fremont; and Margaret S., the wife of James Hensel. The father was born about the year 1808 and was reared on the paternal farm in Union county, Pennsylvania. His marriage occurred in his native county and there four of his children were born. In 1843 he 36 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. came with his family to Sandusky county, Ohio, purchasing a farm of one hundred and seventy-seven acres, three miles west of Fremont, and there developing a fine property, continuing to reside on his farm until his death, which occurred in 1881. He was a man of influence in his community, was a Democrat in his political adherency and in religion held, to the faith of the Lutheran church. Solomon Wolfe remained on the old homestead in Sandusky county until he had attained the age of eighteen years, his educational advantages having been such as were afforded in the common schools of the place and period. At the age noted he secured a clerkship in a general store in Fremont, and followed this vocation for four years, after which he devoted a year to farming on rented land. In 1862 he married, and soon afterward came to Seneca county and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of his present farm, three miles northwest of Tiffin, where he has consecutively maintained his home during the long intervening years. To his original purchase he added subsequently an adjoining tract of eighty-six acres and he also has a farm of sixty acres in Pulaski county, Indiana. He has made the best of improvements on his homestead, having a good residence and other farm buildings, and has brought the place under most effective cultivation and productivity. In addition to his agricultural enterprise Mr. Wolfe is also one of the extensive raisers of cattle, sheep and hogs in this section of the state, and for several years he conducted a large business in the buying and shipping of live stock, but has now withdrawn from this branch of enterprise. His progressive spirit and executive ability have been still further man. ifested, for, since the year 1888, he has operated two threshing outfits and a corn shredder, securing a representative support throughout the county and giving the most careful service with his fine equipments. He has ever shown a deep interest in all that tends to conserve the progress and general prosperity of the community, though he has never been an aspirant' for public office, and his franchise is used in support of the principles and policies of the Republican party. He is one of the influential members of the Bethel Methodist Protestant church, of which CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 37 he has served as trustee for many years, taking a marked interest in religious and educational affairs. On the 16th of January, 1862, .Mr. Wolfe was united in marriage to Miss Mahala A. Bowlus, who was born in Sandusky county, Ohio, the daughter of Henry and Catherine Bowlus, pioneers of that section. Our subject and his wife became the parents. of five children, namely : George W., who was killed by a threshing engine at the age of twenty-six years ; Josiah, who assists in the management of the homestead farm; Rosa, the wife of George E. Shroth, a prominent attorney of Tiffin; Catherine M., who now resides in the city of Chicago; and Howard E., who remains at the parental home. WILLIAM GRAY. The life of the subject of this review has been such. as to bear aloft the high standard which had been maintained by his father, who was one of the pioneers of Seneca county and whose life was signally noble, upright and useful,—one over which falls no shadow of wrong in thought, word or deed. Such was the type of men who laid the foundations and aided in the development of this favored section of the Buckeye state, and to their memories will ever be paid a tribute of reverence and gratitude by those who have profited by their well directed endeavors and appreciated the lessons of their lives. William Gray, who is one of the successful farmers, and stock-'growers of Reed township, Seneca county, Ohio, is a native of this township, where he was born on the 1st of May, 1844, the son of Harry and Sally (Reed) Gray. They became the parents of two children, one of whom died in infancy. Harry Gray was a native of New York state, having been born in Steuben county, in the year 1818, and there reared and educated. As a young man he came to Seneca county, Ohio, and here for a short time he was employed on a farm, but he soon effected the purchase of a tract of one hundred and thirty-two acres, in Reed town- 38 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ship, located on the turnpike road and at a point one mile north of the village of Attica. Shortly after acquiring this property he was married and he settled on his farm, his original residence having been one of the log cabins so common to the section at that epoch in its history. He here became eventually engaged in the raising of live stock on an extensive scale, and his excellent management and progressive methods brought to him a high degree of prosperity. He became the owner of a fine estate of six hundred and sixty-four acres in this township and was one of the most highly respected citizens of the county, influential in business and giving his support to all measures for the advancement of the best interests of the community. He gave an unfaltering allegiance to the Republican party from the time of its organization, but never aspired to the honors or emoluments of public office. He was summoned into his eternal rest in the year 1894, in his seventy-sixth year. He was twice married, the mother of our subject having died in 1858, at the age of thirty-two years. For his second wife Harry Gray married Miss Martha J. Hull, who bore him two children, one of whom survives,—Frank, —who is a farmer of this township. The mother of our subject was a daughter of Seth Reed, the first settler in Reed township, which was named in his honor. He removed here from Steuben county, New York, and was one of the representative pioneer settlers of the county. William Gray, the subject of this sketch, was thirteen years of age at the time of his mother's death, and thereafter he and his father boarded in the homes of various families in this vicinity until he had attained the age of twenty, when his father was again married, and our subject continued at the paternal home for about three years. He then gave inception to his successful career as a stock buyer and shipper, and in this line he has ever since continued, his operations having been of wide scope and importance and having been of great incidental benefit in the promotion of the stock interests of this section of the state. In 1872 he purchased and removed to his present fine farm, which comprises seventy-nine acres and here he has ever since continued to make his home, having a good residence and having made other excellent improvements on the place, while he has also become the owner of other CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 39 farm land, in Seneca and Huron. counties, having about five hundred and twenty acres in all. He has been consecutively engaged in the stock business for thirty-five years and has been very successful, being known as a careful and able business man and one whose integrity of purpose is beyond question. He is a stanch Republican in his political proclivities, and he served one term as treasurer of his township. He is at this time president of the Attica Fair Association, of which he was vice-president for many years, taking a lively interest in its affairs. On Christmas day, 187o, Mr. Gray was united in marriage to Miss Phoebe A. Post, who was born in Huron county, Ohio, the daughter of Christopher Post, a native of New York and one of the influential farmers of Huron county, Ohio, where he located many years ago. Mr. Gray has one daughter, Cora, who is the wife of Guy Redden, of Huron county. Mrs. Gray died August 8, 1883, aged thirty-four years. HENRY A. SALIERS. This well known and highly esteemed citizen of Reed township is a worthy representative of one of the honored pioneer families of Seneca county. He was born in Orleans county, Vermont, on the 15th of January, 1844, a son of Adolphus and Mary (Tisdale) Saliers. The father was born near Quebec, in Lower Canada, September 19, 1819, a son of Gabriel Saliers, who was a Frenchman and for seven years served as a soldier under Napoleon. He was wounded and taken prisoner at the battle of Waterloo, and was sent to Canada as a prisoner. He loved Napoleon as a father, and in speaking of him in after years the tears would start to his eyes. He was married in Canada, and there lived until about seventy-five years of age, when he .removed to Michigan, there spending his remaining years, his death occurring at the home of one of his sons. Adolphus Saliers, his son and the father of our subject, remained under the parental roof until sixteen years of age, when he went to 40 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. North Troy, Vermont, and apprenticed himself to the carpenter and cabinet-making buiness, spending most of his time at the latter. In 1845 when our subject was but one year old, he came to Seneca county, Ohio, locating in Reed township, just across the road from where his son Henry now resides, and for seven years he there made his home, working at his trade. On the expiration of that period, however, he returned to his old home in Vermont, and there remained until March, 1861, when he came again to the Buckeye state. In the following year he purchased a residence and ten acres of land at Reedtown, but continued to work at his trade throughout the remainder of his active business career. On the 16th of August, 1862, the father and son both enlisted for service in the Civil war, entering Company E, One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and in the following summer they were put on detached duty as carpenters to assist in the erection of the United States general hospital buildings at Clarysville, Maryland, the father having charge of the building operations, with seventeen men under his direction. In August, 1863, while working at the top of one of the buildings, our subject suffered a sunstroke, and from that time on he has never worked at the trade. In the following winter he was employed in carrying the mail from Clarysville to Cumberland, and when the weather became warmer he was given employment in the office at Clarysville, under Major J. B. Lewis, surgeon in charge, thus continuing until his discharge, on the 12th of May, 1865. His father had received an honorable discharge from the service a few months previously, but was detained there as a paid employe, as superintendent of construction, receiving seventy dollars a month, until his son's discharge, when they both returned home. The father was called to his final rest in 1883, his death occurring quite suddenly from heart failure while employed in the moving of a building. In early life he was a. member of the Congregational church, but later united with the Methodist Protestant, in which he was an active and consistent member until his life's labors were ended in death. His political support was first given to the -Whigs, but after the formation of the Republican party he joined its ranks and was among its most CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 41 loyal supporters. His social relations connected him with the Grand Army of the Republic, in which he held pleasant relations with his old army comrades of the "blue." The mother of our subject was born in Canada, just across the Vermont line, and her people were from the latter state. Her death occurred in December, 1881. Unto this worthy couple were born four children, three of whom still survive, namely : Alice, the wife of Isaac Rosegrant, of Ithaca, Michigan; Lauraette, the wife of A. J. Harrison, a prominent farmer of Reed township, Seneca county ; and Henry A., whose name introduces this review. The latter spent the early years of his life in his parents' home and in the common schools of the neighborhood he received the educational advantages which he enjoyed in youth. At the age of seventeen years he began working with his father at the carpenter's trade, and also followed that occupation for two or three years during the winter months after the close of the Civil war, but he finally abandoned the trade and in 1871 engaged in the sawmill business, erecting his present mill at Reed-town, which he has followed uninterruptedly until recent years. He is now living retired at his. pleasant home in Reedtown, where he owns thirty-one acres of well improved and valuable land. The marriage of Mr. Saliers was celebrated on the 22.d of February, 1866, when Miss Amanda Cole became his wife. She is a. native daughter of Reed township. Her parents, Harrison and Ann Eliza (Phil lips) Cole, claimed the state of New York as the place of their nativity. They were married there, and in 1834 came to Seneca county, Ohio, locating a mile and a quarter west of Reedstown. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Saliers has. been blessed with four children, namely : Fred A., a resident of Tiffin, Ohio; Cora B., the wife of Charles Williams, of Deshler ; Nettie M., the wife of Charles Williams, of Reedtown; and Earl A., a teacher in the district schools and still a member of his parents' household, being still in his minority, and he is a. student at Heidelberg. Mr. Saliers gives his political support to the Republican party, and on its ticket he has been elected to many positions of honor and trust. For one term, of three years, he served as a justice of the peace ; was the efficient township assessor for one term, having accomplished - 3 - 42 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. his task six days quicker than any other assessor has been able to do it, either before or since; was the postmaster of Reedtown for twelve years; during the past thirty years has served much of the time as a member of the school board; and is now serving his fourth year as a notary public. He is one of the leading and active members of the Baptist church, in which he has long held the office of deacon, and in his social relations he is a member of Rice and Craiglow Post, No. 112, G. A. R. THE MYERS BROTHERS. In a publication which purports to touch upon the history of the men and forces whose contribution to the development and material prosperity of Seneca county has been of distinctive scope and importance, it is but consistent that more than passing attention be accorded to the Myers Brothers, publishers of the Seneca Advertiser and the Tiffin Daily Advertiser. They have been of marked service to their city, county and state through various avenues of usefulness, and the papers with whose publication they have been long and intimately identified have wielded a wide and beneficent influence in the local field, while the enterprise involved is one which can not be considered as other than a potent factor in connection with the industrial activities of this favored section of the Buckeye commonwealth. We are thus gratified in being able to here enter individual sketches of the careers of these honored citizens and representative business men of the city of Tiffin. JOHN M. MYERS, who has the editorial direction of the weekly and daily editions of the Advertiser, is a native of Maryland, having been born in the town of Clearspring, Washington county, on the 13th of September, 1838, the son of Michael and Anna E. (Wagner) Myers, the ancestors of both having been of stanch German stock, and the original American representatives having located in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, in the colonial epoch of our national history. In the year 1856 Michael Myers, in company with his wife and their four sons and CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 43 two daughters, came from Maryland to Seneca county, Ohio, and here the parents passed the remainder of their lives, the father having been a contractor and builder by vocation. He was a man of sterling character and became one of the highly esteemed citizens of this county, making his home in Tiffin, where he died in the year 1891, at the age of eighty-one years. His wife passed away in 1876, aged sixty-four years. John M. Myers had received his early educational discipline in the public schools of Maryland, and there also he had initiated his identification with the "art preservative of all arts," by serving an apprenticeship at the printer's_ trade. In February, 186o, he became a compositor in the office of the Seneca Advertiser, and three years later, in January, 1863, we find him installed as editor and publisher of this pioneer newspaper of Tiffin. In 1867 he became associated with his brother, E. Shelby, in the purchasing of a half interest in the enterprise, and in 1878 the third. brother, E. Bruce Myers, became a partner also. The brothers continued' to be thus associated in the conducting of the business until April, 1884, when they disposed of a two-thirds interest to L. A. Brunner and J. W. Geiger. During their connection: with the Advertiser the Myers brothers had developed the undertaking in all of its departments, and had one of the best equipped newspaper offices in the state, while their energy and well directed efforts have insured a large and profitable business. In 1888, after the death of Mr. Brunner, the Myers brothers repurchased the plant and business of the Advertiser, the daily edition of which had been established two years previously. About 1890 they erected their present building, the entire plant being simultaneously enlarged and otherwise improved, while at the present time the equipment throughout is of the most modern and metropolitan type, including the latest designs in power presses and involving the operation of the linotype typesetting machine, of which one has been installed. The demands of the business are such, however, that at the time of this writing (May, 1902) the brothers have in course of erection an addition to their building, and through this the floor space and accommodations will be doubled. The building as' thus remodeled will Le forty by ninety feet in lateral dimensions, and two stories and a 44 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. basement in height. The plant includes 41. well equipped bindery for pamphlet work, and the job department has the best of facilities for turning out all classes of work in the highest form of the printer's art and on short notice. New presses have been installed and the investment in the plant now reaches an aggregate of many thousand dollars. All machinery is operated by electric motors, each machine having its own individual motor. In connection with the publication of the papers a corps of twenty-two capable workmen is retained. The brothers of whom we write have been associated in various other enterprises which have conserved the normal advancement and material prosperity of the city and county, and John M. has always been considered the head of the firm, whose policies have been regulated with marked discrimination and ability, the brothers being duly conservative and counseling together on all matters of importance. A fair view of public questions, clearly presented, will do more to form the general opinion of any community than any other one agency, and the Myers brothers have been potent factors in shaping pubic opinion, both in the matter of politics and in all pertaining to the well-being of the community, of whose interests they have made the papers able exponents. Their influence has been exerted in support of the principles and policies of the Democratic party, but they have neither sought nor desired official preferment for themselves. In 1879 they became associated with four other citizens of Tiffin in the purchase of the Ohio Stove Works, this partnership obtaining until January, 1882, while in 1893 the works of the concern were removed from Tiffin to a point in Illinois. In January, 1882, the original partnership was abrogated by the organization of a stock company, which was duly incorporated, and of the same Mr. Myers has been secretary and treasurer from the time of organization. He is associated with his brothers in the operation of an extensive cattle ranch in New Mexico. In the year 1871 was solemnized the marriage of John M. Myers to Miss Lurena A. Frees, daughter of Wesley B. Frees, of Tiffin. E. SHELBY MYERS was born in Clearspring, Washington county, Maryland, on the 18th of December, 1840, and is now actively asso- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 45 ciated with his brothers in their business enterprises, being also a stockholder in and a member of the directorate of the Citizens' National Bank, in Tiffin. In 1870 he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah E. Haas, daughter of John R. Haas, one of the founders of the Tiffin Agricultural Works. E. BRUCE MYERS, who is business manager of the Seneca Advertiser and the Daily Advertiser, is likewise a native of Clearspring, Maryland, where he was born on the 1st of February, 1851. He has practically passed his entire life in Seneca county, having been a lad of five years at the time when the family removed to this section from Maryland. In 1879 he was united in marriage to Miss Ella M. Cunningham, daughter of George W. Cunningham, a well-known miller and grain dealer of Tiffin. Mr. and Mrs. Myers have two daughters,—Bessie and Marie. LEON B. MYERS, who is foreman of the news office of the Advertiser, both weekly and daily, was born. in Maryland, in 1855, and was thus an infant in arms at the time his parents made the long trip from his native state to become pioneers of Seneca county, where he was reared and educated. In 188o he was married to Miss Rebecca McDonald, daughter of Major McDonald, of Bucyrus, this state, and they have two daughters. In conclusion it certainly will not be malapropos to enter a brief resume of the history of the newspaper business which the Myers brothers have developed to an enterprise of so great importance. On the 4th of August, 1832, the Seneca Patriot was founded by J. H. Brown, the primitive hand press utilized having been one which was brought across the mountains about the year 1800, by James Colerick, and in 1816 it was in use at Mount Vernon, Ohio. The hebdomadal Patriot became defunct, and in 1834 Alonzo Rawson published in Tiffin the Independent Chronicle and the Seneca Advertiser. On the 6th of May, 1842, John G. Breslin appeared as publisher of the Seneca Advertiser, having purchased the office of the VanBurenite, which had developed from the earlier paper. In 1854 this well-known and honored citizen was elected to the office of state treasurer, and in the following year 46 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. W. W. Armstrong assumed editorial charge of the Advertiser, of which he became sole proprietor in 1857. He, too, was called to distinguished public office, having served as secretary of state in 1862-3. John M. Myers and Lewis Beilharz leased the office at this time and the former became sole lessee in 1864, since which time the history of the enterprise has already been a matter of record in this article. It may be further stated, however, that the Seneca Advertiser is issued on Thursday of each week, in the form of a six-column quarto, and that the Daily Advertiser, a seven-column folio, is issued each evening except Sunday, and is to be considered as unmistakably one of the brightest, cleanest and most attractive dailies issued in any of the smaller cities of the state. IRVIN N. REX. Irvin N. Rex, the efficient and popular county clerk, is numbered among the enterprising young men of Seneca county. He was born in Seneca township, January 8, 1871, and is a son of Jeremiah Rex. He spent his boyhood days in Tiffin and acquired his early education in the public schools. When eleven years of age he had a severe attack of rheumatism, which left him crippled in the right leg. After completing the work in the common schools he entered Heidelberg College, where he continued his studies until twenty-one years of age, when he entered the office of the judge of the probate court, Judge J. C. Royer, as his deputy, and continued in that position until elected to his present position. In 1896 he was chosen, by popular ballot, county clerk, and assumed his duties in August, 1897. In 1900 he was re-elected by a much larger majority than was given him the first term, showing that the people's confidence in his ability and fidelity was strengthened by capable service. He is a most loyal and trustworthy official and well deserves high encomiums from his fellow townsmen. On the 13th of December, 1899, Mr. Rex was united in marriage to Miss Blanche E. Wentz, of Tiffin, a daughter of James H. Wentz, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 47 and they have a pleasant and hospitable home, whose social function are greatly enjoyed by their many friends. Mr. Rex is identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in this place and in his political views he is a stanch Democrat. He is one of the popular young men of the town, and has a wide acquaintance here, for he has spent his entire life in the county and much of it in Tiffin, where his official duties bring him into contact with many. NICHOLAS PORTZ. Among the most successful business men of Fostoria is numbered Nicholas Portz, who is engaged in real-estate dealing and is also a manufacturer of pipe fittings, carrying on the latter business under the name of the Fostoria Novelty Company. He is one' of the native sons of Fostoria and has contributed in large measure to its upbuilding and progress. His birth here occurred in 1839. Two years previously his father, John Portz, had located here. The latter was a native of Merzig, in Rhenish Prussia, Germany, and after taking up his abode in Fostoria, he engaged in the manufacture of wagons until his death, which occurred in 1873, when he was sixty-seven years of age. He married Miss Mary Magdalena Bohna, also a native of Merzig, Germany, and her death occurred when she was forty-one years of age. The children born unto this worthy couple were as follows: Mary Magdalena, who became the wife of John Zimmer, of Crown Point, Indiana, and died at St. Cloud, Minnesota; Catherine, the wife of John Bick, of Fostoria; Ann Maria, who is the widow of Joseph Haines, of Fostoria; Nicholas, of this review; George; John; and Eva, the wife of George Hoot, of Fostoria. George and John were both soldiers of the Civil war. The former became a member of the Fifty-fifth Ohio Infantry and died at Chattanooga, while the latter was a member of the Fifty-seventh Ohio Infantry. He was the youngest soldier that went through the war, being only twelve years of age when he enlisted. He was then quite small for his years, but he carried a musket from the 48 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. start and bore uncomplainingly all the hardships and trials of military life, dispaying valor equal to that of many older men. For two months he was at Andersonville prison and he was with Sherman on the celebrated march to the sea. He now resides in Fostoria, and he has every reason to be proud of his military career. In the schools of Fostoria Nicholas Portz, of this review, pursued his education, and he entered upon his business career as an employe of C. W. Foster & Son. This was in 1851, when he was only twelve years of age. He became a clerk in the store and served in that capacity until the firm of Foster, Olmsted & Company was organized, the partners being ex-Governor Foster, Charles Olmsted and our subject. The company was formed in 1863 and carried on general merchandising, doing a business which has never been exceeded or equaled in Fostoria. Their average annual sales amounted to two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. The firm carried on business until 1867, when Mr. Portz and Governor Foster became the owners of the hardware department, carrying on that enterprise under the firm name of N. Portz & Company until 1892, covering a period of a quarter of a century. At that time our subject assumed the management of the plant of the Brass & Iron Works Company, of Fostoria., which was owned by himself and Governor Foster. It had been established in 1850 by Edward Bement and in 186o became the property of Governor Foster, while in 1883 it passed into the ownership of Foster & Portz. Sixty men were employed. More than two hundred thousand dollars were invested, and the industry became one of the most important in the town. In 1893, however, business was suspended, but at the present time the plant is operated by the Schwab. Safe Manufacturing Company, of Fostoria. Mr. Portz was largely instrumental in securing the building of the Nickel Plate Railroad to Fostoria, in 1883. He personally assumed the financial obligations, in order to have the road extended from Arcadia to this place instead of through Tiffin, as had been previously planned by the railroad company. This obligation involved thirty thousand dollars and later was supplanted by another arrangement. For thirty-five years Mr. Portz was associated in business with Mr. Foster, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 49 and for thirty years of that time was his partner. He is now at the head of the Fostoria Novelty Company and controls the patents for fitting lead pipes without solder and iron pipes without thread. He manufactures these pipe fittings on quite an extensive scale, and his business in this direction is steadily increasing. He. also deals quite extensively in real estate and is the Owner of much valuable property in Fostoria. In 1867 Mr. Portz was: united in marriage to Miss Hannah Adams; of Findlay, Ohio, a daughter of Louis and Mary (Junker) Adams, both of whom are now deceased. Her father was an early settler of Findlay and became one of the leading business men there, conducting a grocery and produce store, also a distillery. He came to Ohio from Alsace, France, and the business opportunities of the new world were so improved by him that he became the possessor of a comfortable competence. In religious faith Mr. Portz is a prominent Catholic and for almost thirty-five years has served continuously as a trustee of St. Wendelin church. His political support is given: the Republican party, but he has never been an aspirant for office, serving only as a member of the board of health. He has also been president of the board of trade of Fostoria and occupies a most prominent and honorable position in business circle's. From the age of twelve years until the present time he has been an active factor in the industrial and commercial life of his native city, and the extent and volume of his interests have contributed not alone to his own success but have also promoted the commercial prosperity of the town. His dealings have ever been conducted along the line of honorable effort and with strict regard for commercial ethics. He has maintained an unassailable reputation. He seems to have realized at each point of his career the highest degree of success possible at that point, and Fostoria claims him as one of her honored and representative citizens. J. R. McCRAY, M. D. No class of citizens are more justly held in high esteem than members of the medical profession, and in no other city of its size are more conspicuous examples of its skill and ability to be found than in Tiffin,