CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 425 John M. Palmer, who sent him to Louisville, Kentucky, to drill the colored troops. This detail was not regarded with favor by many of the officers, who declined such assignment, but Lieutenant Norton, believing it a soldier's duty to obey orders, hastened to his post and at once began to carry out his orders. After the dark-skinned soldiers had acquired considerable proficiency in military tactics and were under good discipline he was made adjutant and detailed with a body of troops to go to Bowling Green, Kentucky, to locate and care for a quantity of ordnance, remaining at this place until October 16, 1865, when he was mustered out by an error. Orders had been sent to muster out the One Hundred and Twenty-second Regiment, but in copying the order at division headquarters it was made to read "One Hundred and Twenty-third," and thus, inadvertently, his connection with the army ceased. In the meantime Lieutenant Norton had married. While at home on his furlough, on the 19th day of July, 1865, he went to Fostoria, the home of his bride, and there wedded Miss Adeline Hemming, then in her twentieth year of age, who accompanied him back to Louisville and remained with him until he was mustered out. Miss Hemming was the daughter of Thomas Hemming, who was one of the early settlers of the: county, and who was the oldest educator, in point of service, in northwestern Ohio, having been engaged in teaching for over fifty years. He was also county surveyor for a number of years, and as such made the of Seneca county. Returning to civil life, Mr. Norton took up the study of medicine! in his father's office and soon became a valued assistant. His close application was, however, too great a strain upon his health, and in 1869 he! went to Hampton, Iowa, and entered upon a separate practice of his: chosen profession. Deriving great benefit from the invigorating climate, his health became restored, and he soon had a large practice, constantly increasing, until in 1871, his father being accidentally killed, he returned to his native village and for eight years was the leading physician of that part of the country. Having inherited the creed of Democracy, observation and study but deepened and strengthened his convictions and belief in the truth and - 27 - 426 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY; solidity of Democratic principles. In those stirring times of political action he could not refrain from taking more than a passing interest in the events of the day, and when he entered into the field of political conflict his keen sagacity, sound judgment and enthusiastic devotion to party principles soon placed him at the forefront as a leader. Recognizing his ability and fitness, his party in Seneca county in 1873 placed him in nomination as their representative to. the general assembly of the state, to which office he was elected by a large majority. Here his qualifications were quickly recognized, and he became one of the leaders, and his fund of information, his readiness in debate, his fluency of speech and his eloquence gave him prominence. He was placed on important committees, and was elected speaker pro tern. of the house. His course while in the legislature gave him a high standing in the councils of his party in the state, where he was recognized as one of its foremost adyisers. During his attendance at the general assembly he devoted his evenings and spare moments to the study of law, in the office of Hon. George L. Converse, at Columbus, and in 1879 was admitted to the bar. It was largely due to Mr. Norton's efforts that the law was passed requiring all public officers to execute all pension papers free. At the close of the general assembly in 1879 Mr. Norton returned to Tiffin, which he made his headquarters while acting as general manager and solicitor for the Wiley Construction Company, of Massachusetts. During 1880 he purchased the paper known as the Herald, and edited it with such vigor that the first issue brought a five-thousand-dollar libel suit, which, however, was never prosecuted. The Herald was later sold to Dr. E. B. Hubbard, and subsequently became the Tribune. Mr. Norton still kept an active interest in local politics, serving as president of the school board, president of the common council, and as a member of the Seneca County Agricultural Society. The only political defeat that Dr. Norton ever met was when he ran for councilman on the famous "cow ordinance." Standing for rigid enforcement of its proyisions, he was defeated by the vote of a large number who wanted their cows to run at large. In 1884 he was delegate to the national Democratic convention. In August, 1885, he was appointed auditor of Seneca county in place of CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 427 F. E. Stoner, deceased, and in October of the same year was elected to the office, and again in 1887 was re-elected. He was appointed as United States inspector of customs at Panama by President Cleveland, but declined. He served as chairman of the Democratic state central and executive committees, and as chairman of the state convention. In 1890 he was appointed by Governor Campbell as state commissioner of railroads and telegraphs, serving the state with fidelity and success during the whole of Governor Campbell's administration, and for four months under Governor McKinley, when he resigned to accept a position in the law department of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. In 1896 Dr. Norton was nominated by the Democracy of the thirteenth district of Ohio for representative in congress, at a convention held at Marion, Ohio. In 1898 he was renominated, at Upper Sandusky ; in 190o, at Bucyrus, he was again for the third time nominated ; and in 1902, at Sandusky, by an overwhelming majority, he was again selected as candidate for the fourth term in congress, and each time he has been elected by increasing majority. In congress he has served on the invalid pensions and District of Columbia committees, and he has given time and attention to the duties of his office. His quick perception, his sound judgment, wise counsel and unfailing good nature join in giving him a firm hold upon the esteem, confidence, and friendship of his fellow members. He is ever ready to champion the principles of his party, and is ever at the front, taking the advance step, and points out in speeches of combined logic, argument, sarcasm and eloquence the true position upon which Americans, as such, regardless of party can stand. Dr. Norton, with his social nature, of course could not but have some affiliation with fraternal organizations, so we find that in the winter of 1864-5, at Louisville, Kentucky, he became a member of Compass Lodge, No. 222, F. & A. M., and in 1882 a member of Tiffin Lodge, No. 80, Knights of Pythias. He was a charter member of Leander Stem Post, G. A. R., and a regular attendant until, at the death of General W. H. Gibson, this post united with another post and took the name of W. H. Gibson Post ; then Mr. Norton, with a large number of others, withdrew, believing it was a wrong to the memory of the heroes who 428 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. died on the field of battle to drop their name for one who had no greater-military claim and who had been honored in civil life. Mr. Norton is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and finds pleas-. ure in the friendships and fraternal spirit found in that order. Generous to a fault and social to a high degree, Mr. Norton wins friends easily, and he has the happy faculty of drawing them closer to him as the years pass by. Viewed in a personal light he is a strong man, of excellent judgment, fair in his views and highly honorable in his. relations with is fellow men. His integrity stands as an unquestioned. fact in his career and his example is well worthy of emulation. HENRY K. FUNK. An old resident, esteemed citizen and successful agriculturist of Seneca county, Ohio, is found in Henry K. Funk, who was born on the farm which he now owns and occupies, in Seneca township, March 19, 1837. He was a son of Daniel and Sarah (Kearns) Funk, the former of whom was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, on June 2I, 1804, and passed out of life on August 19, 1879. The latter was also born in Fairfield county, on April 11, 1812, was reared and educated and also married, April 11, 1829, in that county, but died in Seneca county on October 17, 1893. Although a family of seven children was born to the parents of our subject, the only survivor is the latter. The others were as follows Ellen, who married Daniel Hemming and died at the age of twenty years; Ann Catherine, who married Henry Jones and died in 1875, aged forty-one years; Mary, who became the wife of Daniel Reisz and died when thirty-three years of age; Jacob, who married Sylvia A. Stoner, the eldest sister of the wife of our subject, and they have five children,—Oliver M., Hattie Ellen, Arthur, Bertha and Harry. Jacob died February 19, 1890, in his forty-ninth year ; and John and Daniel, the other. brothers of our subject, died unmarried. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 429 It was in the year 1834 that Daniel Funk moved from Fairfield county to Seneca county, where he entered a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of government land on section 19, in Seneca township, now comprised in the farms of Jacob and Henry Funk. Upon this land he immediately erected a hewed-log cabin, containing but one room, in which picturesque little home his family was safely sheltered. This land was heavily timbered and became of value as the town of Tiffin expanded into a little city, and railroad lines began to connect this locality with the great west. Mr. Funk was an industrious man, one who enjoyed the esteem of his neighbors and was well known at the time of his death, in 1879. His widow survived until her eighty-first year, dying in 1893. Henry K. Funk, who is the subject of this sketch, was reared on the farm of his birth, and remained at home until the outbreak of the civil war in 1861. When every town, yillage and country lane was responding to the call for young life to be offered upon the altar of country, our subject was one of that courageous and loyal band. He entered Company K, Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for a service of three years, and with his regiment was sent into the locality which soon became historic and sacred ground to the true American citizen. He took part in his first battle at Green river, Kentucky, and then came Nashville, Corinth, Missionary Ridge, Chickamauga and then Nashville again. Mr. Funk was twice wounded, first at New Hope Church, when he was incapacitated by a ball passing through his left cheek, coming to the surface under his right ear. This serious wound kept him in hospitals in Louisville and camp for three months, his regiment being in Georgia when he returned to it. He accompanied his comrades in the last war movements when his portion of the army marched from Nashville to New Orleans and then to Texas, where his term of service expired, and he was mustered out on November 13, 1865, at Columbus, Ohio, his gallantry have caused his promotion from private to sergeant. Mr. Funk returned to the old home and in this vicinity he was married, in March, 1866, to Miss Elmira: Shoup, and a family of five children was born to this union, two of whom died in infancy, Daniel B. and John dying of scarlet fever in young boyhood, and Clara, reaching matur- 430 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ity, became the wife of Elsworth Corfman and died at about twenty-two, leaving one son, Dayton Corfman. Mrs. Funk died June 12, 1887. The second marriage of Mr. Funk was on July 21, 1891, to Mrs. Rozella (Stoner) Snyder, who was the widow of Frank Snyder, and the daughter of George and Louisa (Wilkins) Stoner. Two children have been born to this marriage, namely : Rolla C., April 13, 1892 ; and Henry Franklin, October 8, 1898. Soon after his first marriage Mr. Funk went to Harrison township, Henry county, where he lived for seven years, coming then to his present farm, where he has been a successful farmer and stock-raiser ever since. The excellent improvements which make this one of the model farms of the township have been placed here by him, who now has one of the best arranged, most comfortable and attractive homes in this vicinity. Here he has one hundred and twenty-five acres, which is in a high state of cultivation. Mr. Funk has always upheld the principles of the Republican party, although he has. been no politician in the real sense of the word. His quiet, busy home life has had more attraction for him than the excitements of politics. For some forty years, however, he has been a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is a valued brother Mason in Wyandot Lodge, No. 314, at McCutchenville. Mr. Funk has many friends in this township, where his character as an upright and honorable man is well known. He is pleasant and agreeable in manner, and both he and estimable wife delight to offer the hospitality of their pleasant home xo their many friends. VERNON H. SLOSSER. Of all the young men who have acquired their educational discipline in Seneca county and have had their characters molded and developed in its institutions, receiving here the impetus toward progress and achievement characteristic of the times, certainly none have reflected greater CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 431 credit upon the county than the gentleman whose name forms the caption of this review. Mr. Slosser was born on the farm on which he now resides on the 13th of May, 1871, a son of John and Louisa A. (Wolf) Slosser, and of their two children he alone survives. The father was born in Virginia October 10, 1811, and in 1830 he came with his parents to Seneca county, Ohio, his father, Peter Slosser, locating land in Clinton township, where he continued to reside for eighteen months. In the meantime he had entered the farm which our subject now owns, on which he erected a cabin, and there the grandparents lived and died. The grandfather and his eldest son, Peter, together acquired about eighteen hundred acres of land in Seneca county and also about two hundred acres in Wood county, the latter being heavily timbered, and there they conducted a sawmill for a number of years. After the grandfather's death the son John, the father of our subject, was made administrator of the estate, and as his share of the property he acquired the home farm of one hundred and sixty acres. Soon afterward he was married to Miss Emaline Wolf, but three years later their happy married life was ended in death, the wife having been called to the home byond. Mr. Slosser afterward married her cousin, Miss Louisa A. Wolf, who was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, August 13, 1834, a daughter of Andrew Wolf. Mr. Slosser continued to reside on the homestead farm until his death, which occurred on the 17th of October, 1897, in his eighty-sixth year, passing away in the faith of the United Protestant church, in which he had long served as a deacon. He gave his political support to the Republican party, and for many years he was a justice of the peace, during which time he united in marriage many residents of the county. The year following her husband's death Mrs. Slosser removed to Bascom, where she has ever since made her home. Vernon H. Slosser, the immediate subject of this review, was reared to manhood amid the refining influences of a cultured home, and the educational advantages which he received in his youth were those afforded by the common schools of the neighborhood. After his marriage he took charge of the old family homestead, which he farmed, on the shares for 432 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. a time, and after his father's death he acquired as his share of the property one hundred and twenty acres, where he is extensively engaged in general farming. He is a young man of keen foresight and sagacity, and therefore is enabled to make judicious investments, which yield him a good profit. He is energetic, enterprising and reliable, and therefore has won and retains the confidence of the residents of the locality in which his entire life has been passed. On the 22d of December, 1892, Mr. Slosser was united in marriage to Miss Cora Dewald, a native of Loudon township, Seneca county, and a daughter of Philip Dewald, one of the early pioneers and prominent farmers of that township. Three children have graced this marriage, but only Nina E. is now living. Marion J. died of pneumonia February 20, 1902, aged two years and seven months. JAMES H. KNAPP. The Empire state has sent her sons into eyery portion of the Union, Seneca county claiming a share of those who have come to Ohio. Among them is James H. Knapp, who was born in Putnam county, New York, July 12, 1842, his parents being Gilbert and Cynthia (Chase) Knapp, In the family were three children, John and Cyrus, both residents of Erie county, Ohio, being the younger brothers. They are operating the old family homestead near Castalia, Erie county, where their father purchased one hundred sixty acres of land, to. which he added as his financial resources increased, until his .farm comprised three hundred and twenty acres. He made extensive improvements and, converting his land into productive fields, they annually returned to him abundant harvests. Throughout his entire life he was a farmer and died at the old homestead March 8, 1894., at the age of seventy-two years. His widow still surviyes him, now in her eighty-second year. James H. Knapp. was a lad of but six when he came to Ohio, and upon the home farm he grew to manhood. In 1864 he offered his serv- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 433 ices to the government, joining Company I, One Hundred and Forty-fifth Ohio Infantry, which was in the hundred-day service in defense of Washington. In 1867 he went to Marshalltown, Iowa, where he was engaged in the dry-goods business two years. Returning, he located in Scipio township, where he took charge of the farm for his wife's step-father, Hon. Daniel Brown. Here he has since resided, and that he is an enterprising and energetic farmer is indicated by the farm's neat and thrifty appearance. On the 12th of October, 1870, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Knapp and his cousin, Mrs. Joanna Crissel, a native of Putnam county, New York, and the widow. of Captain W. J. Crissel. Captain W. J. Crissel was a native son of Perry county, Ohio, and in his youth learned the harnessmaker's trade, though quite early in life he became a merchant, conducting a successful dry-goods trade at Republic for several years. His marriage to Miss Joanna Brown took place in 1853, from which time he resided on the present home, where he died February 9, 1869. At the outbreak of the Mexican war he enlisted in an Ohio regiment, serving as sergeant throughout the war and receiving a wound in one arm during one of those ever memorable and desperate battles. In 1864, when the national capital was thought to be in danger, he organized a company for its defense. At the organization of the One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Regiment he was elected captain of Company K, and so served during the brief but interesting period required by the government. He was a brave, popular and efficient officer and one who gained and retained the esteem of his mien. As in all matters in which he became interested, 'he took a leading part in advancing the farming interests of the community, and rendered much encouragement and help in the introduction of the best breeds of stock, his farm really becoming headquarters for sheep men, as many sales of Vermont Spanish Merinos were held here and breeders from all sections of this and surrounding states came to recognize him as a wide-awake, enthusiastic and progressive citizen. The results of his ambition were well exemplified in the many substantial improvements he made on the farm, which had been for many years the well-known home of his wife's parents. 434 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Captain Crissel's enthusiasm was never shown to better advantage than when he was advocating the principles of the Republican party, and being thoroughly informed on political history, he was never at loss for substantial argument to maintain his views, which were ever foremost, though his strength lay largely in his personal contact with men and his persuasive private conversation. Though never aspiring- to political honor, he ably filled various local offices. His wide reading and scholarly attainments made him one of the best-informed men of the township, and his active participation in public matters and the Masonic fraternity, in which he was highly honored, coupled with pleasing personality and affable manners, made him universally respected and loved. Two sons were born to Captain and Mrs. Crissel : Daniel B. and Fred, both of whom are residents of Scipio township. The parents of Mrs. Knapp were Hon. Daniel and Sally M. (Chase) Brown, who, in the year 1836, came from Tompkins county, New York, to Seneca county, Ohio, where her father purchased one hundred and thirty-three acres of land, constituting the farm upon which Morgan Ink now resides. He there cleared the fields and developed an excellent farm property, upon which he resided until 1853, when he came to the farm which is now the home of Mr. and Mrs. Knapp and 'which adjoins the old homestead. There he died in 1872, at the age of 'seventy-two years. He was a member of the state legislature in 1844-5 and was widely recognized as a leader of public thought and opinion in his locality. He also held some local offices, including those of justice of the peace, coroner and trustee, and after the organization of the Republican party he became one of its stanch advocates and worked unceasingly to promote its growth and insure its success. Of the Universalist church he was an, active and zealous member. His wife survived him for many years and passed away January 25, 1896, at the age of eighty-one. Their only child was she who is now Mrs. Knapp. Mr. Knapp is now the owner of three hundred and thirty-five acres of rich and arable land, all in one body, and carries on general farming and stock-raising, making a specialty of the breeding of short-horn 'cattle. In public affairs he takes a deep and active interest, and his CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 435 fellow townsmen elected him township trustee for ten years and in further recognition of his worth and ability elected him county commissioner in 1895. Mr. Knapp is active and earnest in his adherence to and advocacy of Republican principles, though his ability and proved honesty as a trustee gave him, when a candidate for the commissioner-ship, the support of a large element within Democratic ranks. He received a majority of about eight hundred, when the county is conceded to the Democrats by about eleven hundred under normal conditions. Such extravagance had crept into the management of the county's affairs that a man was needed whose influence would tend to counteract that tendency, and Mr. Knapp was thought to possess just the essential elements,—sagacity, keen business acumen, absolute honesty and a will that could be stubborn if necessary. In. 1882 he had been selected as. secretary of the Farmers' Mutual Relief Association, and during his ten years of service its business had more than doubled, having four millions of insurance at risk in 1895. His value as a shrewd financier and economical manager was thus well known, and that no mistake was' made in his selection as commissioner is amply proven by reference to the financial condition of the county when he entered upon his duties and that shown two and one-half years later. The total indebtedness. March 1, 1895, was in excess of $161,500, while September 21, 1897, it was but $17,750, a reduction of $143,800. A comparison of tax levies is even more interesting. In 1894 it was seven and seventy hundredths, while for 1897 it was but three and seventy-six hundredths.. The above statistics amply illustrate the value of such a man on the board of commissioners. Yet in the face of what was accomplished for the county,. Mr. Knapp was' defeated for re-election. The Knapp homestead, one mile south of Republic, on the Kilburn road, is not only one of the best appointed farms of the county, whose operation returns ample tribute to the owner's sagacity and management, but it is also noted for the cordial hospitality ever extended; whether to the personal friend or to the stranger. No children have crowned the union of Mr. and Mrs. Knapp, yet one little girl, Minnie Knapp, was taken into the family and an excellent permanent home 436 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. provided; and now that she has reached mature womanhood she still remains to partially compensate in presence and tender attention for the generous solicitude of which she has been the recipient. It affords us pleasure to present herewith excellent portraits of this esteemed couple. DANIEL REISZ. One of the excellent farmers, old settlers and prominent citizens of Seneca county, Ohio, is Daniel Reisz, who owns and occupies a farm in Seneca township, a tract of valuable land which his father entered from the government in 1833. The birthplace of Daniel Reisz was in the Rhine province of Bavaria, Germany, November 9, 1829, and he was a son of Jacob and Mary E. (Scheer) Reisz, both of whom were natives of the fatherland. Jacob Reisz and family started from Europe in 1833, taking passage on a French sailing vessel, finally reaching the friendly shores of America after .fifty-one days of exposure to the tumults of the ocean. Mr. Reisz brought his wife and children to Seneca county, Ohio, and as he found land in this locality to suit his purpose he entered eighty acres and immediately began its improvement. The first work was the building of a log house, and although it contained but a single room it proyed a comfortable home in which a family of sixteen children found parental care. Mr. Reisz was a hard-working man and lived to be only fifty years of age, dying in 1846. Twelve of his children grew to manhood, the wholesome, outdoor life with its accompanying duties making these children strong and robust, able to fill successfully useful positions in life. At the outbreak of the civil war three of these home-bred boys offered their lives for their adopted country, our subject being the only one who survived. John became a private soldier in the Fifty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry and died in 1862, in Memphis, Tennessee; and Jacob joined a Wisconsin regiment, and later was sent home on account of disability, his death occurring ten days later. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 437 Our subject was not four years old when his parents located on this farm. It was wild timber land, crossed by a trail of the Seneca and Wyandot Indians, and it was no uncommon sight to see members of these tribes on some part of the farm. Mr. Reisz had few educational opportunities, no schools having been established in the vicinity, and as early as eight years old his services were of considerable value in the clearing of the land. Game was plentiful and when only five years of age he was entrusted with a rifle and added to the contents of the family larder by shooting squirrels. Until his enlistment for army service, in 1864, our subject remained on the farm, but at that date he followed the example of his brothers and became a private in the Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was mustered in at Sandusky, and joined the regiment at Chattanooga. He participated in the battles at Pulaski, Columbia, Spring Hill, Franklin and Nashville, and remained in the service until the close of the war, accompanying his regiment in all of its movements, finally returning unharmed to his old home. Here Mr. Reisz has resided ever since, engaging successfully in farming and stock-raising, having brought his land to a high state of cultiyation, his improvements making it one of the most desirable farms in Seneca township. The first marriage of Mr. Reisz was in 186o, to Miss Mary A. Funk, whose death occurred in 1872. In 1873 he was united in marriage to Miss Susan Henry, and to this union a family of four children has been added, viz. : Lucy Idella, who is the wife of William Herbert,. of Loudon township; Laura, who resides at home and is a popular teacher in this county ; Lamanda J., who is an expert dressmaker residing at home ; and Charles Tecumseh Sherman, who is a teacher and one of the successful farmers of this vicinity. In his political convictions Mr. Reisz has never wavered in his allegiance to the Republican party. He was reared in the Lutheran church, where he has officiated the greater part of his life, though holding decided views on questions relating to theology, being a close Bible student and familiar with both ancient and modern history. For forty-three years Mr. Reisz has been a member of the Masonic fraternity, hav- 438 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ing joined it in 1858, and belongs to Wyandotte Lodge, No. 314, of McCutchenville. Mr. Reisz is widely known and universally esteemed. His long residence here has identified him with the changes which have taken place in this county, and he has ever been an important factor in promoting enterprises looking to the upbuilding of the agricultural interests of Seneca township and county. Ever alive to the advantages of education, he has not only afforded his own children the best opportunities, but also has constantly worked for a better grade of public schools, seeing in them the greatest safeguard to American institutions. C. A. FORCE, M. D. In viewing the mass of mankind in the varied occupations of life, the conclusion is forced upon the observer that in the vast majority of cases men have sought employment not in the line of their peculiar fitness, but in those fields where caprice or circumstances have placed them, thus explaining the reason of the failure of ninety-five per cent. of those Who enter commercial and professional circles. In a few cases it seems that men with a peculiar fitness for a certain line have taken it up and marked success has followed. Such is the fact in the case of the subject of this biography. He has attained to a distinguished position in connection with the medical fraternity of Seneca county, making his home in Attica. He was born in Hardinsburg, Indiana, April 2, 1858, and is a son of Alfred and Lucinda (Davison) Force. His father was born in Schuyler county, New York, June 8, 1822, and was there reared to manhood. He engaged in farming and was also well known for his musical ability and talent, giving instruction in vocal music. Later he entered the Scudder Medical College at Cincinnati, Ohio, and was graduated in 1857, after which he went to Hardinsburg, where he practiced for three years. He then came to Attica and opened an office and practiced until 1864, when he sent his family to the east while he enlisted in the Union CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 439 army as a surgeon in the One Hundred and Eighty-first Regiment of Ohio Volunteers, remaining at the front until the close of the war. He rendered valuable service to the sick and suffering troops, and when hostilities had ceased he went to the east, locating in Horseheads, New York. There he remained until 1881, when he again came to Attica, where he resided up to the time of his death, which occurred on the 17th of September, 1900. He was one of the most prominent and skilled physicians of the county and had a large and important patronage. His political support was given the Republican party and he was an active and influential member of the Universalist church. The Force family is of French lineage, the name having been originally La Force. The mother of our subject was of Scotch-Irish descent. She was born in Schuyler county, New York, February 20, 1826, and died May 5, 1895. In the family of this worthy couple were four children, of whom three are living: Winfield S. ; Alice; the widow of Rev. S. T. Tackabury ; and: C. A., of this review. Dr. Force, whose name introduces this review, was reared under the parental roof, and after attending the graded schools was graduated in the high school in Horseheads. In 1879 he took up the study of medicine, his reading being directed for two years by Dr. R. P. Bush, of Horseheads. Later he became a traveling salesman and for two years represented a Philadelphia drug house. In 1883 he came to Attica and in the fall of the same year matriculated in the Starling Medical College at Columbus, where he completed a regular course and was graduated in the spring of 1885. He then entered' into partnership with his father, with whom he practiced until 1889, when, on account of ill health, the senior physician retired from active connection with the medical profession, and Dr. Force, of this sketch, succeeded to the business of the firm. He has built up a very large and lucrative practice and is ranked among the leading physicians of the county. On the 15th of September, 1885, Dr. Force was united in marriage to Miss Emma Tendick, a native of Attica, Ohio, and a daughter of the Rev. Peter Tendick, now deceased. They have two children, Mary H. and Rockwell C. The Doctor belongs to Attica Lodge, No. 367, F. & 440 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. A. M., has filled all of its offices,, and is identified with Attica Lodge, No. 302, K. of P. In politics he is a stanch Republican, and for eight years was a member of the town council, while for about ten years he was the health officer. He is now the president of the school board at Attica and the cause of education finds in him a warm friend. He also served for three years as president of the water-works. His public-spirited interest in the general good has been manifest in many ways, especially in the hearty co-operation which he gives to every movement or measure calculated to advance the general welfare. However, he makes his professional duties his first care. He took a post-graduate course in New York in 1888 and another in the same school in 1895, while in 1901 he pursued post-graduate work in the Clinical School and the Cook county hospital, of Chicago. He is a member of the Northwestern Ohio Medical Association, and through reading and investigation keeps in touch with the advanced thought of the profession. Anything is of interest to him which tends to bring to man the key to that mystery which we call life. He has the closest regard for the highest professional ethics and enjoys in an unusual degree the respect of the members of the medical fraternity as well as of the public. CHARLES ASH. Seneca county, Ohio, has been the home and scene of labor of many men who have not only led lives which should serve as a lesson and incentive to those who come after them, but who have also been of important service to their county and state through various avenues of usefulness. Like his honored father, Charles Ash has been an important factor in connection with the industrial activities of this his native county, where he has not only attained a high degree of success in connection with the great basic art of agriculture, but has also done much to promote the industry of stock-raising and forward the agricultural interests as a buyer and shipper of grain. In September of the present year. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 441 (1902) Mr. Ash will enter upon the active duties of the office of treasurer of Seneca county, and his election to the same is significant of the high estimate placed upon his integrity and abilities by the people of his native county, for he was chosen to this responsible office as the candidate on the Republican ticket, by a majority of about twelve hundred votes, and that in face of a normal Democratic majority of about fifteen hundred in the county. His preferment under these conditions is, indeed, significant, and no further endorsement need be entered as indicating the confidence and esteem in which he is so uniformly held, for the public is a discriminating factor and ever pronounces unequivocally upon the intrinsic worth of the individual. Charles Ash was born on the parental homestead, in Jackson township, Seneca county, Ohio, on the 78th of December, 1837, being the son of that honored pioneer citizen, William Ash, to whom individual refer-, ence is made on another page of this work, so that a genealogical recapitulation is not demanded at this juncture. Our subject was reared on the old homestead and received his early educational training in the public schools of the locality. At the age of eighteen years he became actively associated with his father in the buying and shipping of live stock, soon giving evidence of that discrimination and that executive capacity which have been the conservators of his success. In February, 1883, Mr. Ash effected the purchase of eighty acres of his present fine homestead, and forthwith located on the same, where, in connection with general agriculture, he continued to devote his attention to the buying and' selling of live stock for a number of years, his operations in the line being' of marked benefit in furthering the advancement of the stock industry in: this locality. He has added to his landed estate until he now owns six.. hundred and ninety-one acres, in five farms, of as valuable land as can he found in the county, the same having been equipped with the best of permanent improvements and standing as model farms of this section of the state. His farming is conducted by tenants, though in past years he did an extensive business, cultivating several hundred acres, with several men in his employ. His principal crops are wheat, corn, clover-seed and hogs. For twenty years he tilled on a much larger scale than at - 28 - 442 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. present, though he now manages the home farm of three hundred acres, growing nearly one hundred acres of corn as one feature of this line of his business. He also owns three hundred and twenty acres of land in Logan county, Kansas.. Nearly a decade ago Mr. Ash enlarged the scope of his operations by beginning to buy and ship grain, initiating this enterprise in a somewhat modest way. It has, however, been cumulative in character, and in the summer of 1901 he erected a well-equipped grain elevator in the village of Amsden, and has since handled a large business in this line, making extensive shipments and thus aiding materially in advancing the agricultural interests of the locality. He is essentially alert and public-spirited in his attitude, and his interest in all that conserves the general welfare is unabating. In political matters Mr. Ash has ever been found stanchly arrayed in support of the principles and policies of the Republican party, and ne has been called upon to serve in postions of local trust and responsibility aside from that to which' reference has already been made. He was incumbent of the position of township clerk for two years, and for the past sixteen years has served as justice of the peace, an office in which his father gave able and efficient administration for more than a quarter of .a century. In November, 1901, our subject was elected to preside over the fiscal affairs of the county, and, as before stated, will enter upon the discharge of his duties as treasurer in September of the present year. In 1900 he served as land appraiser of his township. Fraternally Mr. Ash is identified with Fostoria Lodge, No. 305, Independent Order of Odd Fellows with Kansas Lodge, No. 183, Knights of Pythias, at Kansas, this county ; and with Kansas Tent, No. 282, Knights of the Maccabees.\ On the 25th of March, 1883, Mr. Ash was united in marriage to Miss Belle F. Foster. who was born in Jackson township, the daughter of Sampson and. Margaret (Stahl) Foster, an influential farmer of that locality, and of this union five children were born, namely : Earl, Herbert F. and Carmen, who remain at the parental home; and William and Rebecca, who died in infancy. Mrs. Ash is a member of the Methodist Protestant church, and while our subject is not a member of any religious CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 443 body he is chairman of the board of trustees of the Methodist Episcopal church at Amsden and takes a consistent concern in the promotion of religious, educational and other interests for the general good. THOMAS BLAIR. Thomas Blair, who is engaged in general farming in Seneca township, is numbered among Ohio's native sons, for his birth occurred near New Lancaster on the 1st of January, 1816. More than eighty-five years have passed since that time and great changes have occurred in the Buckeye state. It has long since ceased to be a "western” state, for progress and civilization have moved far beyond the Mississippi. Its wild lands have been reclaimed and transformed into fertile farms, towns and villages have sprung up and some of the most extensive business interests of the country have been established within its borders. Mr. Blair has taken a deep interest and just pride in what has been accomplished here, and at all times in a quiet but loyal way he has supported the measures and movements which he believed to be for the general good. His parents, John and Rachel (Wilson) Blair, were honored pioneer settlers of Ohio and in 1824 they came with their family to Seneca county, taking up their abode in Seneca township, living upon the Indian reserve for a few years. Mr. Blair afterward entered eighty acres of land from the government and erected a hewed-log house. His land was covered with heavy timber and it required persistent and hard work to clear it and make it ready for the plow. As the years passed, however, great changes occurred in the appearance of the farm, which became a very attractive tract of land. The father of our subject made his home thereon until his death, which occurred when he was seventy-five years of age, while his wife had reached the age of seventy years, she dying but five days after him. They were the parents of seven children: William, who died at sixty-five; Rachel, who married John Swaney and died at seventy-five; Thomas, the subject of this review ; James, a resident of 444 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Iowa; and John, who resides in Wood county ; Alexander died a young man; and Andrew died at about sixty. In taking u the personal history of Thomas Blair we present to our readers the life record of one who is widely and favorably known in Seneca county, his residence here covering more than three-fourths of a century. He was a little lad of only eight years when he arrived in Seneca township and for a few years thereafter his playmates were the children of the Mohawk Indian tribe. He became thoroughly familiar with the Mohawk tongue and greatly enjoyed the sports of his Indian friends. He never had any trouble with them and expresses strongly the opinion that there is more honor among the red race than is often found among the white men. All the experiences and trials of pioneer life were familiar to him, as well as pleasures of a character that are unknown at the present day. When nineteen years of age he entered upon an independent business career, hiring out to clear land, and from that tithe forward he has depended entirely upon his own resources for all that he has enjoyed in the way of material comforts. Mr. Blair was first married in 1840, the lady of his choice being Mary Sailor, by whom he had five children : John W., who lives in Montana; Thomas J., a resident of Gratiot county, Michigan ; Rhoda, the widow of Benjamin Clay, of Adrian, Ohio; Jeremiah, who also resides in Montana; and Samuel, who died at thirty-two. After the death of his first wife Mr. Blair was again married, his second union being with Miss Elizabeth Spitler. by whom he also had fiye children, as follows : Joseph, who makes his home in Montana ; Mary, the wife of Joseph M. Conoway, of Virginia ; Grace, who married John Frufh; Frank, at home; and Amanda, who married Albert Fruth. At the time of his marriage Mr. Blair had but one horse and his financial resources were very limited. He erected a log cabin on the farm where he now resides, the primitive home containing but one room. Long since, however, it has been replaced by a commodious modern residence, and good barns and outbuildings have been added and all desirable improvements made. He owns one hundred and twenty acres of land, which he cleared and improved making the place a rich and arable CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 445 tract, the fields yielding to him a golden tribute in reward for his labor. For many years he has served as school director and has ever taken a deep and attaching interest in all that pertains to intellectual development. As one of the honored pioneers of the county, he justly deserves representation in this volume. His memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present and few men now living in Seneca county are better informed concerning its history when Ohio was a frontier state than is Thomas Blair, whose reminiscences of the early days are Most interesting.   ALFRED L. SHAFER. The agricultural interests of Seneca county have no better representatives than its native-born citizens, many of whom are classed among its most practical, enterprising and successful farmers. One of the number is Mr. Shafer, who is one of the prominent citizens of Pleasant township. Dependent upon his own resources from his boyhood, he has so applied his energies and ability as to attain a success worthy the tame, while his high standing in the community indicates, the objective appreciation of his sterling character. Mr. Shafer was born in Clinton township, this county, on the 30th of November, 1841, being the son of Joseph and Susan (Cain) Shafer, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania, where their marriage was solemnized. They became the parents of four children, namely : Mary J., the wife of Ransom Meredith, of Marshall county, Indiana ; Eliza, the widow of W. P. Daywald, of Clinton township; Alfred L., the subject of this review; and John A., who died in Indiana, at the age of fifty-seven years. The parents of our subject came to Seneca county in 1837, locating on a farm in Clinton township, where the father reclaimed a tract of wild land and where he made his home until his death, in 1849, at the age of forty-seven years, his wife passing away in 1881, at the age of seventy years. 446 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Alfred L. Shafer was reared in his native county and when but ten years of age he assumed the practical responsibilities of life, working by the day: or month for his board and clothing, and being in the employ ;A others until 1861. 'He secured his early educational discipline in the public schools, and through his own efforts accumulated sufficient funds to enable him to continue his studies for a time in Heidelberg College, at Tiffin. That he duly profited by the opportunities afforded him is evident from the fact that he began teaching school when seventeen years of age, and he continued his pedagogic work in Seneca county for twenty years during the winter months, while during the summers he devoted his attention to farm work. In 1861 he rented a farm and continued agricultural operations under these conditions until 1868, when he located on his present farm, which he likewise rented, the same being then the property of his father-in-law. In 1872 he purchased the farm, which comprises one hundred and forty acres, and here he has made the best 0f improvements and placed the land under a high state of cultivation, his success being due to his energy, discrimination and progressive methods. Mr. Shafer has ever maintained a lively interest in public affairs of a local nature and has been influential in his township. He is a stalwart advocate of the principles and policies of the Republican party, and for nearly thirty years served as justice of the peace, while he was a trustee of Pleasant township for several years. He is a man of forceful individuality and marked intellectuality, and to him has been given the most unequivocal confidence and esteem of the people of the community. He is one of the prominent and enthusiastic members of Union Grange. No. 1078, Patrons of Husbandry, of which he is the master at the time of this writing, and his religious faith is that of the Reformed church, being a member at Glade Union, in which he has been an elder for many years. On the 11th of April, 1865, Mr. Shafer was united in marriage to Miss Rachel McMeen, who was born in this county, being the daughter of William S. and Sophia (Stewart) McMeen, a pioneer farmer of this section of the state. Our subject and his estimable wife have four children, namely : Alice L., the wife of Frank J. Stinchcomb, superintendent of schools at Payne, Ohio. Nora, who remains at home, a popular and CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 447 successful teacher, having attended the Ada and Fostoria Normals and Heidelberg College; Nellie, the wife of Forrest Niswender, at Swander, Ohio; and Glenn, who is a student in Heidelberg College. William S. McMeen was born in Scotland ; married in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, Sophia Stewart, a native of Ireland. They located on the present homestead of Mr. Shafer in 1835, then in the woods, and here Mrs. Shafer was born on the 7th of April, 1839. The father, died at seventy-seven, the mother in her ninety-seventh year, having been born in 1799. Of their eleven children six reached maturity, and Mrs. Shafer is the only survivor. Two brothers, Robert and John, were killed in the war, Robert in the One Hundred and First Ohio Volunteer Infantry, wounded at Murfreesboro and dying from the effects. John was in the cavalry and was killed in action. Two died in California,—William and James,—who went there during the gold excitement. The only sister, Sophia, married Emmet F. Drake and died at the age of thirty-five years. The parents were among the original members of the Presbyterian church in Tiffin. JAMES STINCHCOMB. Among the early settlers and representative farmers of Seneca county is James Stinchcomb, a veteran of the great civil war, who was born in Bloom township, this county, March 25, 1832, a. son of John and Barbara (Tufflinger) Stinchcomb. The father was a native of the state of Maryland, born in 1799, and when a child he was brought by his parents to Ohio, locating near Salem, in Fairfield county, where the son grew to years of maturity and was married. In 1827 he took up his residence in Seneca county, but two years previous to that time he had visited this section and had here entered eighty acres of land in Bloom township, on which he made his home until 1851. In that year he disposed of his possessions there and came to Clinton township, purchasing the one hundred and sixty acres of land which is now owned by Charles Bender, and there his remaining days were passed, he having passed away 448 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. in death in 1854. His political support was given to the Whig party, and religiously he was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. By his marriage to Barbara Turflinger he became the father of ten children, four of whom are now living: Elizabeth A.; James ; Henry, of Odessa, Michigan; and John W., of Canton, Ohio. James Stinchcomb of this review has spent his entire life in the county of his nativity, and to its public-school system he is indebted for his early educational privileges. Later he became a student in Heidelberg College, and at the age of twenty years he became a member of the teachers' profession, continuing as an instructor for twenty-two terms during the winter months, while in the summer seasons he was engaged at carpentering and farming. After his marriage he located on the farm belonging to his father-in-law, but still continued the teacher's profession until the property passed into the possession of his wife, when he gave up that occupation, and since that time has devoted his entire time and attention to his agricultural interests, his farm being three miles north of Tiffin and containing one hundred and forty-seven acres. Through the careful direction of his business interests and by indefatigable industry he has acquired a handsome property and at the same time has so conformed to the ethics of business life that he has the unqualified confidence of all with whom he has had business transactions. During the civil war he entered the Union army on the 2d of May, 1864, becoming a member of Company B, One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and for four months was on detailed duty at Washington. Previous to this time he had served as a member of Company F, Home Guards, and while a member of that body was called to Johnson's Island at the time of the Vallandigham alarm. In 1870 Mr. Stinchcomb was united in marriage to Miss Matilda .E. Baker, who was born in the house in which our subject now resides. In February, 1871, this loving and devoted wife was called to the home beyond, and afterward Mr. Stinchcomb was married to her sister, Miss Anna S. Baker, and they have one son, Robert S. Mrs. Stinchcomb died August 2, 1890. The Prohibition party receives Mr. Stinchcomb's support and co-operation. He is well known for his uprightness and relia- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 449 bility in the practical affairs of life, and he is one of the highly respected members of the community. No man has taken keener or more decided interest in educational advancement than Mr. Stinchcomb. When in the profession he took a hand in securing better wages for teachers, enabling them to prepare better for that noblest of professions. He helped to organize the teachers of the county into a union, and a decided stand was taken that resulted in much better compensation to teachers, and, in consequence, much better schools throughout the county. He has pronounced views on the live questions of the clay and is fearless and vigorous in his expression, touching the abuses incident to present systems of government and struggles for civilization. JACOB STAIB. Among the native sons of Seneca county who still maintain their residence within her borders is Jacob Staib, who resides in Seneca township, owning a valuable tract of land which. each year returns to him a comfortable income. He was born in this township August 18, 1849, and is a son of Jacob Staib, a native of Wurtemberg, Germany. When the father had reached man's estate he sought a companion and helpmate for the journey of life and wooed and won Miss Sarah Haug, also a native of the same kingdom. They became the parents. of six children : Caroline, residing on the home farm; Jacob, our subject ; Nellie, the wife of Valentine Hoffman ; Catherine, who married Carl Wittig and resides. at Deep Water, Missouri ; Elizabeth, also residing on the home farm ; and Magdalena, who died in childhood. The father was a landscape gardener in Germany, continuing that pursuit until 1833, when, at eighteen years of age, he resolved to test the truth of the favorable reports which he had heard concerning the opportunities furnished by America in business circles. Accordingly he engaged passage on a sailing-vessel,—for it was prior to the era of steamboat navigation,—and after forty-two days spent on the briny deep, landed in New York. He made his way to Seneca