600 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. but one of these still surviving and being numbered among the prominent residents of Tiffin. They are as follows : Louisa, who grew to young womanhood and was educated in this city, married Hon. J. L. Kaley, of Omaha, Nebraska; C. Charles, who is engaged in the oil busi ness at the wells here, married Miss Nellie Dean, of Tiffin; Samuel carries on the hide and pelt business established by his father ; Emma married William Hertzer, who is the cashier of the Tiffin National Bank; Frank, who married Miss Ida M. Riedel, of Fostoria, is connected with his brother Arthur as joint proprietor of the Empire hotel, and, with their brother Charles, they are interested in the four oil wells located on their mother's estate; William is clerk in the Empire hotel ; Ida, a young lady, remains at the parental home ; and Oscar died at the age of six years. Both Mr. Geyer and wife were prominent in the English Lutheran church, to which he was a liberal contributor. His death took place on May 6, 1891. Mr. Geyer was a man of large physique, and he was large in mind and heart, a man who was devoted to the welfare of his city, to his friends and to his family. On account of his business connections he was well known and his death was felt to be a serious loss to this community. The concerns which he was instrumental in organizing still flourish and reflect credit upon his business sagacity. PETER BRAYTON. The subject of this sketch, who is one of the representative farmers and honored citizens of Big. Spring township, is a representative of one of the pioneer families. of this section of the Buckeye state, and is distinctly entitled to consideration in this publication. He was born in Crawford township, Wyandot county, then a portion of Crawford county, on the 7th of February, 1825, being a son of Elijah and Anna. (Holbrook) Brayton, of whose eleven children only our subject and his brother Asa survive, the latter being a leading physician of Carey, Ohio. Elijah Brayton was born in Vermont, about the year 1785, and was. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY         - 601 reared to years of maturity there. About the year 1816, in company with his wife and children, he emigrated to Ohio, settling in Crawford township, Wyandot (then Crawford) county, where he entered a claim to a tract of eighty acres. A few years later he built a gristmill on Tymochtee creek and operated it successfully for several years, this being. one of the first mills in that locality. In the year 1826 Matthew Brayton, a brother of our subject, was stolen by members of a tribe of Seneca Indians from Canada, when he was seven years of age, and all efforts to recover him proved fruitless and all trace of him was finally lost. In 1833 Elijah Brayton removed with his family to Seneca county, and here became the owner of about four hundred acres of land in Big Spring township, the present home farm of our subject being a partial" of the original estate. Here he passed the remainder of his long and, useful life, passing away at the age of eighty years. In politics he was originally a Whig and later gave his allegiance to the Republican party.. For a number of years he was the overseer of the poor in this township,. and he was a man who commanded the confidence and esteem of all who knew him. He was a devoted member of the United Brethren church at Carey, in which he served as an official for several years.. His house, which was erected in 1833, was the place of the earliest preaching of his church ministers. This house is still standing, in fair preservation. Mrs. Brayton died at the age of fifty years. In Elijah Brayton's family were eleven children, of whom three sons—William, Peter and Asa—reached maturity. The daughters were Harriet, Lucy, Mary and Olive,. who grew up and married. Harriet became the wife of Jonathan Hildebrand and died at the age of seventy-. five years. Lucy became the wife of William Davis and died at the age of fifty years. Mary married David Burns and died at the advanced age of eighty years, in Audrain county, Missouri. Olive married Alvin Dow and died at the early age of twenty-two years. William Brayton became. an extensive and prosperous farmer in Crawford township, where he owned about seven hundred acres of land, most of which he had given. to his children. He died in 1897, in his eighty-seventh year. Peter Brayton received his early educational training in the log: - 38 - 602 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. school-house of the pioneer days, standing on the site of the present school-house. Of course it had the usual puncheon floor, slab benches and other characteristic equipments of the period. Young Peter was early called upon to assist in the work of clearing the homestead, which was heavily timbered, and thus he was enabled to attend school only at irregular intervals. He was married in 1845 and then located on a tract of sixty-one and a half acres which had been given to him by his father, and here he began farming. After the death of his father he purchased an adjoining eighty acres, which was a part of the old homestead; and .as prosperity attended his efforts he purchased other land from time to time and became the owner of a fine estate of six hundred acres, the greater portion of which he has divided among his children. One tract contained the two famous springs that gave the township its name. In 1834 he attended the first town election, held in an Indian cabin at these springs; and he recalls that but thirteen votes were cast, almost every :man securing an office and his father being chosen fence-viewer and his brother William clerk of the township. Mr. Brayton's life has been one of signal usefulness and honor; and now, as its shadows begin to lengthen, he rests secure in the high esteem of all who know him, and is. known as one of the representative :pioneers of his township. The only person now living in the township who was here when the Brayton family came is Austin Knowlton, now aged ninety-two years, who lives near the village of Adrian, on land that he entered a year or two previously to the arrival of the Brayton family. John Luzada, who is now a resident of the village of Springville and is eighty-seven years old, came with Elijah Brayton, being brought up by him. In politics Mr. Brayton is a Republican, and his religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he has long been a devoted member, at Carey. On the 1st of January, 1845, Mr. Brayton was united in marriage -with Miss Mary A. Ogg, who was born in Ross county, Ohio, the daughter of Kinsey Ogg. She proved a true helpmeet during their married life of more than a score of years, her death occurring on the 1st of Au- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 603 gust, 1871. She is survived by five of her six children, namely: Josephine, the wife of John Fulk, of Putnam county; Jesse, also a resident of that county; Emma, the wife of Joseph Crislip; Lafayette, a resident of Big Spring township; and Tefronia, who is the wife of Major Bright, of Hancock county. Newton, the third child, died at the age of twenty-two years, having devoted his life to the demands of the home. Forest E. Crislip, a son of Joseph and Emma !Crislip, now manages the old homestead of Mr. Brayton, receiving the same for his devotion and attention to the declining years of his honored grandfather. He married Lucy Williamson, and they have one little daughter, Gertrude, of the fourth generation of the family to live on the old homestead. In March, 1872, Mr. Brayton was married to Miss Hannah Little, who was born in Hancock county, a daughter of Solomon Little, who was a pioneer of that county ; and the only child by this marriage is deceased. Our honored subject has seventeen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. PLINY TRUMBO. It is a well attested maxim that the greatness of a state lies not in its machinery of government, nor even in its institutions, but in the sterling qualities of its individual citizens, in their capacity for definite accomplishment and their devotion to the public, good. One of the native sons of Seneca county who has attained marked success in connection with agricultural pursuits and who was a valiant soldier in the war of the Rebellion is Mr. Trumbo, who is now living retired in the pleasant village of Amsden. He belongs to that public-spirited, useful type of men whose ambitions and desires are directed in those channels through which flow the greatest and most permanent good to the greatest number, and it is therefore consistent with the purpose and plan of his work that his record be given among those of other representative citizens of Seneca county. Mr. Trumbo was born on a farm in Jackson township, Seneca county, 604 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. on the 17th of May, 1845, being the son of Enoch Trumbo, who was born in Allegheny county., Pennsylvania, where he was reared and where he learned the trade of stone mason. He came to Ohio in 1832 and assisted in the construction of the canal locks at Youngstown, while in the meanwhile he filed claim to one hundred and sixty acres of government land in Jackson township, Seneca county, where he remained a short time and then resumed his work on the canal. The same fall he came back to his farm, which was as yet a sylvan wild, being covered with a dense growth of hardwood timber. Here he erected a log. cabin, sixteen feet square, in which he and his brother Andrew established "bachelor's hall" and instituted the work of clearing the land. In. this township was celebrated his marriage to Eleanora Robertson, daughter of Robert Robertson, who was born in Ireland and who was numbered among the pioneer settlers in Jackson township. Of this union six children were born, namely : Rebecca, the wife of William Ash,. of Jackson township; Daniel W., who died at the age of sixteen years; Maria, who died at the age of four years ; Pliny, the subject of this sketch; Marcus D., who resides on the old homestead; and Mary E., the wife of John Pankhurst, of this township. The father died on the 30th of July, 1894, and his loss was deeply felt in the community, where he had ever been a progressive and representative citizen and one who. commanded unqualified confidence and esteem. He held the office of county commissioner, assisted in the organization of Jackson township, and for many years was incumbent of the offices of township trustee and justice of the peace. His political support was given to the Republican party, and he was actively concerned in the public affairs of local nature having been prominent in connection with the establishment of the early schools in the township and ever aiming to promote the general: good by ready interposition and lively interest. He became the owner of more than five hundred acres of land and was numbered among the honored and successful citizens of the county. His wife preceded him.. into eternal rest, passing away on the 18th of June, 1873. Pliny Trumbo, the immediate subject of this review, was reared on.. the old homestead farm and received his early educational training in CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 605 the common schools. On the 12th of September, 1862, he gave distinctive evidence of his intrinsic loyalty by enlisting as a private in Company E, Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, commanded by General William H. Gibson. The first engagement in which he participated was that at Stone River, where he was wounded by a minie ball. He then went to a house on the battlefield, and soon afterward the building was surrounded by Wheeler's cavalry and he was taken prisoner. He was removed to Libby prison, where he was confined for one week and then taken to City Point, where his exchange was effected after one month's imprisonment, and whence he proceeded to the parole camp at Annapolis. Finally he was sent to Camp. Chase, in Ohio's capital city, where he was granted a furlough. He remained at his home until the expiration of his furlough and then, having been exchanged, rejoined his regiment near Murfreesboro after an absence of five months. Thereafter he participated in the engagements at Liberty Gap, Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge, and still later was in pursuit of Longstreet. At the expiration of its term of enlistment his regiment veteranized and Mr. Trumbo was then assigned to the Sixty-eighth Indiana Infantry, with which he served two months and then rejoined his old regiment, He then took part in the battles of Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, Pickett's Mills, Kenesaw Mountain and Peach Tree creek, and finally succumbed to a sunstroke just previous to the Jonesboro campaign and was sent to the hospital at Vining Station and thence to Nashville, being detailed for hospital service and so continued till discharged, in June, 1865. After thus rendering the valiant service of a true son of the republic Mr. Trumbo returned to his home, and after his marriage, in 1867, he located on a part of the old homestead and there engaged in farming, continuing successfully in this line until 1899, when he retired from active labor and took up his residence in his present attractive home, in the village of Amsden. He still owns his fine farm of one hundred and sixty-five .acres, on which he has made the best of improvements and which is one of the model places of this section of the state. In his political proclivities Mr. Trumbo is a stalwart Republican, and when but twenty-one years of age he was called upon to serve in a 606 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. local official capacity, and for many years, at intervals, was incumbent of various offices, having been trustee of his township and having served eight years as township clerk and six years as assessor. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and fraternally is identified with Norris Post, No. 27, G. A. R., at Fostoria. He was vice-president of the Farmers' Mutual Relief Association of Seneca County for a period of four years and has been a member of its directorate for the past eighteen years. On the 12th of May, 1867, Mr. Trumbo was united in marriage to Miss Lydia Nederhouser, who was born in Summit county, Ohio, the daughter of Jacob Nederhouser, and of this union three children have been born, namely: Clara, the wife of Elmer Harrison, of Jackson township; and Milan and Irvin, who are engaged in farming in the same township, the latter operating the homestead. MORE FLACK. To the early settlement of Seneca county, Ohio, the old Keystone state made many contributions, and thus was gained at the start a most desirable class :of citizens,—sturdy, energetic, progressive and of inflexible integrity. One of the early pioneer families of the county has a representative in the subject of this review, who has inherited the sterling traits which have made the name an honored one in the annals of this section of the state. Reis one of the progressive and prosperous farmers of the county, holds the respect of all who know him and is well entitled to representation in this work. Mr. Flack was born on the old homestead farm where he now resides, in Liberty township, the date of his nativity being May 26, 1859. He was one of the sixteen children of Louis S. and Margaret A. (Null) Flack, and is one of the nine who still survive, the others being Joseph, Warren, Byron, Ada, john, Henry, Alice and Jane. Louis S. Flack,.. father of our subject, was likewise born in Liberty township, being the CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 607 son of John L. Flack, who emigrated to this county from Pennsylvania in an early day, becoming one of the pioneer settlers in the forest wilds which then designated this section of the state, and he lived and died on this same farm. Here Louis S. was reared to the sturdy discipline of the pioneer farm, and here his marriage was solemnized. Finally he purchased the interests of the other heirs to the homestead, in Liberty township, where he thus passed the remainder of his life, being successfully engaged in general farming and owning about five hundred and forty acres at the time of his death, which ocurred in August, 1866, at which time he was forty-nine years of age. He was an ardent Democrat in his political proclivities, was influential in public affairs of a local nature and on many occasions acted as delegate to county and state conventions of his party. His widow subsequently became the wife of John Crawford, and she died on the homestead in 1896, at the age of seventy-two years, no children having been born of the second marriage. More Flack, the immediate subject of this sketch, was reared on the old homestead which has been in the possession of the family for so many years, and his educational training was secured in the public schools. Upon attaining his legal majority he engaged in agricultural pursuits on the old farm, and thereafter rented the same until 1897, when he purchased the interests of the other heirs and now continues in the successful conducting of diversified farming, keeping everything about the place in first-class order and bringing to bear every agency which will add to the facility of the farm work and insure the highest possible measure of success in return for the labor expended. The typical American term of "hustler" may well be applied to him, and the same • expresses much that could, not otherwise be indicated save by extended circumlocution. In political matters Mr. Flack gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, and while he keeps well informed in regard to the issues of the hour, and also shows a lively interest in all that touches the progress and material prosperity of the community, he has never been an aspirant for public office. Mr. Flack still clings to the independent state of "single blessedness," his home being presided over by a housekeeper. 608 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. JOSEPH SENDELBACH. History generally treats of those who have attained eminence in politics or statecraft, in military circles and to some extent in the field of letters and art, but has little to do with those toilers upon whom the real prosperity and progress of the nations depend. It is left to specific biography to perpetuate the record of those law-abiding citizens who, in the midst of the active affairs of this work-a-day world, stand forth in integrity of purpose, loyalty to friends and native land, and in that enterprise and industry which make for the well-being of their respective communities. To this class belongs Mr. Sendelbach, who is of stanch old German lineage and who is one of the progressive and successful farmers and stock-growers of Liberty township, Seneca county, where he has passed his entire life and where he has gained prosperity through his own well directed effort, the while commanding the unequivocal esteem of the community in which his life history is familiar. Mr. Sendelbach was born on the farm where he now resides on the 1st of April, 1846, being the only child of Joseph and Anna Mary Sendelbach. His father was born in Germany, where he was reared and where his first marriage was solemnized. He finally emigrated from his native land to America, settling in Seneca county, Ohio, in the pioneer days, and here securing the tract of wild land which constitutes the present home of his son, the subject of this review. He became the .owner of two hundred acres of land, which he largely reclaimed, and here he continued to make his home until his death, which occurred in 1864. After the death of his first wife, who bore him one son and three daughters, he married Ama Mary, the. mother of our subject, who was the only child of the second union. The devoted mother died in 1881, having been a zealous member of St. Andrew's Catholic church, as was also her husband. In this faith their son was reared, and he and his family are communicants of the church, holding membership in the parish of St. Andrew's, in Liberty, of which Mr. Sendelbach has. served as trustee. Mr. Sendelbach was eighteen years of age at the time of his father's CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 609 death, and thereupon he assumed charge of the old homestead, of which he purchased one hundred and sixty acres about five years later, while subsequently he acquired title to the remaining forty acres. Here he has passed his entire life, devoting his attention to diversified farming and to the raising of high-grade stock, while he has brought to bear such discrimination and energy that his efforts have been attended by a high degree of success. He has made fine improvements of a permanent nature, including a commodious, modern residence, of attractive architectural design, which he erected in 1896, while the other farm buildings are indicatory of the progressiveness which has conserved our subject's prosperity. His educational advantages were such as were afforded in the public schools in the vicinity of his home, and he is honored as one of Seneca county's sterling sons and able business men. His political support is given to the Democratic party, and while he takes a proper interest in all that concerns the well-being- of the community he has never sought official preferment. Mr. Sendelbach was united in marriage to Miss Louise Long, who entered into eternal rest in 1876, leaving four children, namely : Mary, the wife of Nicholas Altwies; Catherine, the wife of Charles Walter ; Teresa, the wife of Nl0thlas Blazer ; and Henry W. On the loth of January, 1877, Mr. Sendelbach married Miss Margaret Brickner, who was born on the adjoining farm, the daughter of George Adam and Eve (Smith) Brickner, and of the ten children of this union Joseph and .John are deceased, the survivors, all of whom remain at the parental home, being as follows : Laura, Michael, Frank, Sebastian, Leona, Lena, Josephine and Louis. HENRY G. FALTER. If one is to sojourn for any length of time in that naturally favored section of Seneca county designated as Venice township he is sure to note with appreciation the changes wrought by the hand of man to the end of securing the great fields of waving grain, the undulating meadows, 610 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. with their herds and flocks, the substantial improvements and various. other conditions indicatory of a prosperous agricultural community. He is almost sure also to forthwith hear specific mention made of one of the model framsteads of the township, that being the domain of the subject of this sketch, who is a member of one of the pioneer families of this county, where he has passed his entire life, and who has by his course given added honor to a name which has been honored in this locality from the early days when was inaugurated the work of reclaiming the forest wilds. Abiding here in. peace, contentment and plenty, esteemed by those among whom his life has been passed, conspicuous in all that tends to the conservation of the best interests of the community, known as one of its most progressive and able farmers,—what more consonant than that the life of such a man be taken under consideration in this connection? Mr. Falter was born in Venice township, this county, on the 30th of October, 1852, being a son of Philip and Elizabeth (Houk) Falter, of whose eight children five survive, namely: Henry G., the subject of this sketch; Christina, the wife of Lewis Phillips, of Bloom township; Joseph, a resident. of Huron county; Anna, the wife of Joseph Thoma, of Saginaw county, Michigan; and John, a resident of the city of Cleveland. Philip. Falter was born. in Germany in 1826, and when a boy of ten years he came with his parents to America and the family settled in the heavily timbered section of this county known as. Venice township. On the spot where our subject was born many years later the grandfather erected his primitive log cabin, and then essayed the herculean task of hewing out a farm in the forest. The farm upon which he thus located is that now owned by John Worm. There the father of our subject was reared to years of maturity and after his mar-- riage acquired the old homestead, to whose cultivation and improvement he continued to devote his attention until 1863, when he disposed of the property and purchased the farm now owned by our subject. Here he continued to reside until his death, in April, 1873, his devoted wife having passed away in the preceding month, while the death of their eldest daughter occurred in the July following. Philip Falter was a Democrat CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 611 in politics, was a member of the Catholic church, as was also his wife, and was one of the representative and highly esteemed citizens of the county. Henry G. Falter was but twenty year's of age at the time of his parents' death, and as he was the eldest of the family the management of the farm and the care of the family devolved upon him, though he was scarcely more than a boy. He bravely assumed the responsibility, his father's will providing that he should have the use of the farm for a period of four years, and at the expiration of this period the stipulation was that he should receive eighty acres of the homestead and his brother Frank forty acres, while they were to pay the other heirs for their interests. Our subject at this time assumed an indebtedness of four thousand dollars, having nothing save the farm of eighty acres and a yearling colt, which subsequently died. The crops of the first year were almost a total failure, and the same discouraging condition was its evidence the second year, the outlook being so unpropitious that Mr. Falter nearly decided to give up the farm. The third season, however, excellent crops were garnered, good prices for produce prevailed and an era of prosperity for him was finally ushered in. He has had, as a matter of course, certain reverses since that time, but his discrimination and good management have enabled him to make a steady progress and to attain a high degree of success. He takes special pride in maintaining good fences, keeping his buildings in the best of repair and so enriching his land as to keep its productiveness at the maximum point, not permitting it to retrograde, as have many farmers in the older-settled sections of Ohio and other states of the middle west. As the result of his ability and well directed efforts Mr. Falter is to-day known as one of the best and most substantial farmers in this section, now having one hundred and forty-nine acres in his home farM, while for the past six years he has also rented and operated an adjoining farm of one hundred and sixty acres, and has so added to its value and fertility that the owner who had placed it on the market recently refused to sell the property, after having investigated as to its condition and intrinsic worth. In politics Mr. Falter gives a stalwart allegiance to the Democratic 612 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. party, and he served as township trustee for six years and for a long term of years he has been a member of the school board. His religious faith is that of the Catholic church, and he is one of its most influential and devoted members in this section, being a member of the board of trustees of St. Stephen's church, at St. Stephen, and a member of the building committee, under whose direction a new rectory is being constructed. In the year 1875 Mr. Falter was united in marriage to Miss Mary Worm, who was born in this township, of which her father, the late Christian Worm, was an early settler, having emigrated hither from Germany. Of the eight children born to our subject and his estimable wife all except one are living and all these remain at the parental home, their names, in order of birth, being as follows : Philomena, Philip, Lawrence, Edward, Anthony., Clement and Theresa. Oliver died at the .age of six years. The family occupy a position of prominence in the social life of the community, and the attractive home is a center of cordial hospitality. JOHN C. STEINMETZ. In the beautiful and industrially prolific county of Seneca, Ohio, there is a fine farmstead which has been owned by representatives of the Steinmetz family from the early epoch, when the sturdy pioneers came hither and set to themselves the task of reclaiming and making productive the forest primeval, where so long had the red man, in his motley garb, disputed dominion with the beasts of the field. The farm of which we speak is that owned by the gentleman whose name intro-duces this paragraph and who is known as one of the most successful and influential agriculturists of this favored section, while his is the 'distinction to be of the third generation of the family to be identified with the history of Seneca county. Here in the early days came Martin Steinmetz, the grandfather of our subject and of stanch old German lineage, having been born in the province of Alsace, which Germany suc- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 613 ceeded in wresting from France and annexing to its own great empire. He emigrated thence to America with his family, and they forthwith made their way through to Ohio, which was then held to be on, the: very frontier of civilization, and from Canton they came through to Seneca county, being compelled to cut their way through the dense forest.. The grandfather secured a tract of entirely wild and heavily timbered. land in Venice township, purchasing one hundred acres which 'had. shortly before been secured by government entry, and here he built his modest log cabin beneath the grateful umbrageous canopy of the Ohio forests. This noble pioneer, a man of the stanchest integrity, found.. as his portion a full quota of the vicissitudes which were the inevitable concomitants of pioneer life,—perils that shadowed the day and the: night, hardships and privations, all demanding fortitude, faith and indomitable perseverance in working toward desired ends. It is gratifying to note that the patriarchal homestead has remained in the possession of the family, for such tenure is too slightly typical of our restless,. ambitious American life. John C. Steinmetz was born on the farm. where he now resides, in Venice township, the date of his nativity having been December 29,.. 1852. He is a son of Michael and Mary (Falter) Steinmetz, who became the parents of eleven children, of whom nine survive, namely : John C., the subject of this sketch; Philip, a resident of Toledo, Ohio; Clement, of Tiffin; Anthony, of Dunnington, Indiana; Mary Angeline, wife of Joseph Phillips, of Venice township; Christina, wife of Stephen. Worm, of Paulding county ; Cecelia, wife of Isadore Worm, of St. Stephen, Seneca county ; Louisa, wife of John Ewald, of Dunnington, Indiana; and Mary, wife of Frank Freeland, of Dunnington. The father of our subject was born in Alsace, Germany, and was about eighteen months old at the time when the family emigrated to America. He was reared on the pioneer farm in this township, having very limited educational advantages, and. here his marriage was solemnized, some . years after which he purchased the farm now owned by our subject. He had learned the trade of carpenter and built for himself a residence-on his farm, where he continued to make his home and to work at his 614 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. trade, also developing and improving the farm. His wife died in the year 1881, and he later was united in marriage to Miss Lena Watts, of Tiffin, to which city he soon afterward removed and has there maintained his home ever since. At the time of his removal he owned one hundred and thirty-six acres in the home farm and eighty acres located three miles northwest of the same, all of which he has now sold, having made desirable investments in Tiffin property. Of his second marriage one child was born, but is now deceased. Mr. Steinmetz has been one of the prominent and honored men of the county, is a Democrat in his political proclivities, and for several years he was incumbent of office, having served both as assessor and trustee of Venice township. He is a devoted member of St. Joseph's Catholic church. John C. Steinmetz was reared on his present homestead and secured his educational discipline in the public schools of the locality. On the 26th of November, 1880, he was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Ball, who was born in this township, the daughter of Joseph Ball, who was born in Germany and who was a pioneer of Seneca county, being now deceased: After his marriage our subject located on his father's eighty-acre farm, to which reference has been made, and there he devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits until 1886, when he returned to the homestead farm, which he rented from his father until 1891, when he purchased the property, which he has greatly improved, making it one of the most attractive and valuable rural estates in this section. He has remodeled and enlarged the buildings on the place and his home is one which gives an unmistakable evidence of the energy and discrimination which have been brought to bear by the progressive owner. He is public-spirited in his attitude and gives his support to all legitimate measures and undertakings for the general good, his political allegiance being accorded to the Democratic party, while his religious faith is that of the Catholic church, under whose beneficent discipline he was reared. Catherine (Ball) Steinmetz was summoned into eternal rest on the 19th of February, 1896, and is survived by four of her five children, namely : Edward, Earl, Lawrence and Clement,—all of whom remain at the paternal home. On the 11th of October, 1899, Mr. Steinmetz was married a CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 615 second time, Miss Anna Zirger becoming his wife. She was born in Tiffin, and is the daughter of Marcus Zirger, of whom special mention is found on another page. The family are prominent in the social life of the community and are held in the highest regard by all who know them. BENJAMIN. F. KNEPPER. Back to the old Keystone state of the Union must we turn in tracing the genealogy of Mr. Knepper, since records extant indicate that his paternal ancestors located in Pennsylvania in the colonial epoch, having come thither from the German fatherland, as did also the maternal progenitors. Our subject is now one of the honored and prosperous farmers ,of Seneca county, and from his study ancestors he has. inherited those sterling traits of character which have enabled him to work out his own salvation and to gain and retain the confidence and esteem of his fellow men. He has been dependent upon his own resources from his boyhood, and through his indefatigable industry and determination has advanced step by step to the goal of independence and prosperity, richly meriting this reward of his ceaseless toil and endeavor. Benjamin Franklin Knepper was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, on the 4th of December, 1838, and he and his sister Amanda, the wife of John Boner, of that county, are the two surviving children of Peter and Eliza (Wagemon) Knepper, the former of whom was born in the same county in 1793, being the son of Abraham Knepper, likewise a native of Franklin county and the son of Abraham, Sr., who came from Germany and established his home in Pennsylvania. The grandfather of our subject passed his entire life in his native county, where he lived to the patriarchal age of ninety-five years. There Peter Knepper was reared to the discipline of the farm, and after his marriage he purchased one hundred and thirty acres adjoining the old homestead, and there remained until his death, in 1847, at the age of fifty-four years. He was a Democrat in politics and his religious faith 616 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. was that of the Seventh' Day Adventists. He was twice married, his first wife having been a Miss Geeseman, and of their union three children were born, only one of whom survives,—Sarah, the widow of Daniel Bricker, of North Baltimore, Ohio. His second wife, the mother of our subject, was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, in 1820, being the daughter of Jacob Wagemon, likewise a native of that county and of German lineage. Mrs. Knepper survived her husband many years, passing away in 1892, at the age of seventy-two. Benjamin F. Knepper was but nine years of age at the time of his. father's death, and from that time forward he depended on his own resources for a livelihood, so that his educational advantages were necessarily limited in scope. Through reading and active association with the practical affairs of life he has, however, effectively supplemented the meager education gained in his boyhood. He began his independent career by living with various farmers in the vicinity of his old home,. working for his board until he had sufficiently advanced in years and strength to make his services of greater value. At the age of nineteen he came to Seneca county, Ohio, arriving here in the fall of 1856. He worked as a farm hand during the summer months and at chopping wood in the winter, being industrious and frugal and saving his earnings. By this means he accumulated a sufficient sum of money to justify him, in 1861, in the purchase of eighty acres of land in Hopewell township, and the following year he assumed the additional responsibilities, of a man of family, his marriage being then solemnized. With his bride he took up his residence on his farm, which was covered with heavy timber, having erected a primitive log house as a domicile. He. Cleared twenty acres of the land within the succeeding two years and then disposed of the place, in 1864, and purchased an eighty-acre tract in. Liberty township, the same being cleared of timber at the time, and this continued to be his home and field of operations for six years, at the expiration of which, in 1870, he sold the property and purchased one hundred and forty-three acres of his present fine homestead, in Hopewell township, four and one-half miles northwest of Tiffin, which is his postoffice address. By the purchase of adjoining lands he has increased: CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 617 the area of the homestead, which now comprises two hundred and forty acres of fertile land, the place being well improved with good farm buildings and maintained under a high state of cultivation, while Mr. Knepper also owns forty acres three miles east of the home farm, in Clinton township. His political support is given to the Democratic party, and both he and his wife are zealous members of the Bethel Methodist Protestant church. On the 6th of February, 1862, Mr. Knepper was united in marriage. to Miss Mary E. Reeme, the daughter of William Reeme, a native, as is she, of Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, whence he removed to Seneca county, Ohio, in the spring of 1857. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs.. Knepper we enter the following brief record : Minnie V. is the wife of John Loose, of Hopewell township; Cyrus D. is a farmer of Clinton township ; Eva G. is the wife of Frank Beck, of Liberty township ;. Arletta B. is the wife of Curtis Ash, of Hancock county ; Emma C. is the wife of Curtis Edwards, of Liberty township; Benjamin D. is engaged in farming in Hopewell township.; William I. has charge of the parental homestead; Russell M. is a notary public at Tiffin; and Clara. C. is at the parental home. LOUIS WILLIAMS BOLLINGER. Of stanch old German lineage is the subject of this sketch, who, is a native son of Seneca county and now numbered among its successful and influential farmers. Mr. Bollinger was born on the parental farm, in Venice township, on the 16th of June, 1856, being a son of Louis and Margaret Bollinger, the former of whom was born in the Rhine district of Germany and the latter in Wurtemberg. They became the parents of twelve children, of whom eight are living at the present time, namely : Margaret, the wife of George Duerr, of Gratiot county,. Michigan; Catherine, the wife of 'Samuel Kimmel, of Venice township, Seneca county ; Louisa, the wife of David Sellers, of Attica, this county,' - 39 - 618 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Louis W., the subject of this sketch; and Philip, Daniel, Alexander and John F., all of whom reside in Venice township. The parents emigrated from the German fatherland to America about the year 1840 and located in Venice township, their marriage having occurred after their arrival in the United States. The father of our subject was for some time employed as a locomotive fireman on the railroad from Sandusky to Carey, thereafter was employed in a warehouse in the town of Republic, and finally settled on his little farm of thirty acres, to which he subsequently added until he became the owner of a fine landed estate in this township, having in his possession two hundred and fifty acres at the time of his death, at the age of fifty-six years, June 25, 1880. He was a man of influence in the community, one whose integrity of character was beyond question, and he was held in high esteem in this section. He gave his support to the Democratic party, being one of the prominent workers in its cause in this township, of which he served as trustee at one time. He was a member of the Reformed church, as was also his wife, who survived him about sixteen years. Louis W. Bollinger, to whom this sketch is dedicated, was reared on the old homestead farm and received a common-school education. .After the death of his father he took charge of the home farm for his -mother, so continuing until his marriage, in 1882, when he rented and located upon a farm of sixty-four acres owned by his mother. He operated this farm on shares for a period of seven years, and then, in 189 1, purchased a tract of forty acres, upon which he took up his abode. Later on he purchased his present home farm, which comprises eighty acres, and he has further added to his landed estate until he is now the .owner of two hundred and forty acres of valuable land in four tracts, the greater portion being in Venice township. He has been the architect of his own fortunes, having received from his father's estate only about nine hundred dollars, and he is now known as one of the most successful, energetic and progressive farmers of this section of the county, having made the best of improvements on his property and directing his efforts with marked discrimination and ability. He gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, but has never desired the honors of political CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 619 office. He and his wife are members of the Pike Reformed church, and are people who command the highest regard in the community. On the 16th of October, 1881, Mr. Bollinger was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Deisler, who was born in this township, the daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Dish) Deisler, pioneers of the county, and of the three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Bollinger two survive,—Matilda and Rosa, both of whom remain at the parental home. JOHN B. WILHELM. The pursuits of life are as varied as are the tastes and capacities of men, and it is an interesting and useful study to observe the degree of their assimilation. Among the progressive and influential farmers and apiarists of Seneca county is Mr. Wilhelm, whose attractive and valuable farmstead is located in Venice township. He has maintained his home here for more than two score years, being reared to maturity in this county, and here so directing his independent business career as to attain a high degree of prosperity and to command the unqualified confidence and regard of his fellow men. Mr. Wilhelm is a native of the province of Alsace, Germany, though the same was an integral portion of France at the time of his birth, which occurred on the 6th of October, 1844. His parents were John and Catherine (Swalier) Wilhelm, both of whom. were born in Alsace, the father of the former having been a soldier in Napoleon's army. John Wilhelm was born in the year 1808, and in 1857 he emigrated with his family to America, locating in the state of New York, where he remained until the fall of the following year, when he came to Seneca county, Ohio, and leased a tract of land in Bloom township, where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits for .several years. He then purchased forty acres of the farm now owned by his son Aloysius, one mile west of the village of St. Stephen, and there he passed the residue of his life, which was one of rectitude and signal usefulness, his death occurring 620 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. in 1886, at the age of seventy-eight years. He was a Democrat in his-political proclivities, and his religious faith was that of the Catholic church, of which his widow is also a devoted communicant, being now in her eighty-sixth year and making her home with her son Aloysius J., of Bloom township. Of her six children four yet survive, namely : John B., the immediate subject of this review ; Aloysius J., a successful farmer of Bloom township; Therese, who is Sister St. Clara in the Ursuline convent in the city of Tiffin; and Joseph C., a resident of Henry county, this state. The subject of this sketch was afforded excellent educational advantages in his youth, having secured his rudimentary discipline in the common schools in the vicinity of his home, and having effectively supplemented this by a course of study in the academy at Republic and later by one in Baldwin 'University, at Berea, Ohio. From the age of fourteen years he lived in the homes of various farmers, working on the farm during the summer months and attending school during the winters, defraying the expenses of his education. wholly through his own efforts. At the age of twenty-two years Mr. Wilhelm began teaching school, and he thereafter continued to follow the pedagogic profession for about a decade in Seneca and Stark counties, being very successful in his work and gaining marked prestige in that line. In the year 1871 Mr. Wilhelm was united in marriage to Miss Marcella Delaney, who was born in Venice township, this county, a daughter of Matthew Delaney, one of the pioneer farmers of this locality. In 1873 our subject took up his residence on his present homestead, which was a part of the estate of his father-in-law, the land having been entered as a government claim by Mr. Delaney in 1833. Mr. Wilhelm now owns one hundred and ten acres of very fertile and prolific land, has made the best of improvements on the place and is known as one of the substantial and progressive farmers of this section. He also has forty acres in a separate farm. For a number of years he has devoted special attention to the raising of bees, and he is known as one of the leading apiarists of the state, having made a careful study of the habits and needs of the busy little toilers and having been highly successful in- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 621 handling this department of his enterprise. He places on the market each year frcm fifteen hundred to two thousand pounds of the finest honey, the product always being sent out in the most inviting form and invariably commanding the highest market price. In politics Mr. Wilhelm gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, of whose cause he has been a. stanch supporter, and he served two terms in the office of township trustee, taking a deep interest in all that concerns the welfare of the community and being essentially public spirited. His religious faith is that under whose benign influence he was reared, and he is a communicant of the Catholic church, as are also his wife and children. Mr. and Mrs. Wilhelm became the parents of five children, of whom three survive, namely : Frank X., Anna C. and Clara, all of whom remain at the parental home, being popular in the best social life of the community. JOHN FRUTH. The subject to whose life history we now direct attention has passed practically his entire life in Seneca county, though he is a native of Germany, and has been conspicuously identified with the industrial and civic activities of this section of the state, being one of the successful farmers and highly honored citizens of Loudon township, where his parents took up their abode in the pioneer epoch of the county's history. Mr. Fruth was born in the kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, on the 17th of June, 1851, being a son. of Jacob and Sevilla (Sherdon) Fruth, of whose seven children four survive at the present time, namely : Sevilla, the wife of Conrad Herbert, of Big Spring township; Susannah, wife of David, Peters, of Alvada, this county; John, the subject of this sketch; and Gustave, who makes his home with our subject. The parents were both native of Bavaria, and there they maintained their home until 1854, when they bade adieu to the fatherland and emigrated to America, the subject of this review being but three years of age at the time. They landed in New York city after a voyage of thirty days' 622 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. duration, and thence came directly through to Cuyahoga county, Ohio, and settled on a farm near the city of Cleveland, the place having been purchased by Jacob Fruth prior to his emigration, through the medium of his sister, who, had preceded him to, America and had located with her husband in Cuyahoga county. Mr. Fruth remained in that county two years and then disposed of his farm and came to Seneca. county, locating in Loudon township, where he purchased a tract of one hundred and twenty-four. acres,' the same being now owned by his son-in-law, David Peters, previously mentioned. The father of our subject cleared and improved this farm and there made his home until his death, at the age of sixty years, his widow surviving him many years and passing away at the age of seventy-five. They were folk of sterling character--earnest, industrious and God-fearing,—and were devoted members of the United Evangelical church. Mr. Fruth gave his support to the Democratic party after becoming a naturalized citizen; and he ever commanded the esteem of the people of the community where he lived and labored to such goodly ends. John Fruth, to whom this sketch is dedicated, was reared on the old homestead and received a common-school education. He remained at home until his marriage, in 1874, and soon afterward purchased seventy acres of his present farm, where he began his independent career. In 1885 he purchased an adjoining sixty acres, and as he has made the best improvements and brought the place under a high state of cultivation, he now has one of the valuable and attractive farm estates in this section of the county. He has ever taken an active interest in the enterprises and undertakings which have been projected for the general good of the community and his attitude has been that of a public-spirited and progressive citizen. In politics his allegiance is given to the Democratic party, and he has served as a member of the township central committee of his party, while he has also been incumbent of other positions of trust and responsibility. He was assessor of his township for two terms, was road supervisor for an equal period and was the candidate of his party for township, trustee in 1895, but was defeated, owing to political exigencies. He is incumbent bf the office CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 623 of school director at the present time, and has, at intervals, held this office for several years. He is an elder in St. John's United Evangelical church and is a zealous worker in the same, his wife also being a devoted member of the church. Fraternally he is identified with Loudon Grange, No. 723, Patrons of Husbandry, of which he is chaplain at the time of this writing. On the 10th of February, 1874, Mr. Faith was united in marriage to Miss Magdalena Mergenthaler, who, was born in Loudon township, the daughter of Gottfried Mergenthaler, who was one of the early settlers of this township, having emigrated thither from Wurtemberg, Germany. Of the thirteen children born to Mr. and Mrs. Froth twelve survive, namely : Jacob F., a farmer of this township; William C., of Big Spring township; David, of Loudon township; Ida C., wife of Henry Zuern, of Seneca township, Christina. E., wife of George Heilman, of Hancock county; and Daniel L., Clara F., Abraham J., Sarah A., John C., Clarence H. and Lena M., who remain at the paternal home. JOSEPH M. MARTIN. It cannot be other than gratifying to note that within the pages of this compilation will be found mention of many prominent and successful citizens of the county who have here passed their entire lives and. who stand representative of the sturdy pioneer element which instituted the herculean task of reclaiming this section of the state from the wilderness, carrying the work valiantly forward and leaving it to their sons and daughters to rear the superstructure upon the foundations thus firmly laid. Those who have been the founders and builders of Seneca county are the ones who find place in this edition, and in the connection we are pleased in being permitted to briefly review. the genealogy and personal career of the gentleman whose name initiates this sketch and who is one of the influential farmers and stock dealers of the county in which he has lived his entire life. 624 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Mr. Martin was born in Liberty township, on the 29th of October, 1848, being the son of Jacob and Sarah (Hostler) Martin, of whose nine children six now survive, namely : Jacob B., a resident of Fostoria, Ohio; Hiram F., of Eaton county, Michigan; Joseph M., subject. of this review ; Sarah C., wife of Leander Zeis, of Seneca township, this county; Savannah, the wife of Edward Hepshire, of the same township; and Rufus, a successful farmer of Seneca township. Jacob Martin, father cf these children, was born. in Pennsylvania, on the 28th of October, 1816, being the son of Jacob and Margaret Martin, whom he accompanied on their removal to Seneca county, Ohio, in 1833. Jacob Martin, Sr., took up a quarter section of government land, in Liberty township, the tract now owned by Andrew Sherger, and there he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives. Jacob, Jr., father of our subject, assisted in clearing and improving the homestead, and after his marriage he rented land for a number of years and also cultivated another quarter section which his father had acquired, clearing the greater portion of the same. Later he purchased a tract of forty acre and there lived for some time, finally disposing of the property air'; purchasing the old home place, where he continued to reside until the time of his death, on the 3d of March, 1873. He was a Democrat in his political proclivities, but never sought official preferment, and he was a prominent and influential member of the United Brethren church, of which he was an officer for many years, being a man of unblemished character. His wife, who was born in Pennsylvania, in 1818, died in 1896, at the age of seventy-eight years, her family having come to Seneca county about the same time as did the Martin family. Joseph M. Martin, the immediate subject of this review, was reared on the old homestead and was indebted to the public schools of the locality for his early educational advantages. In 1872 his marriage occurred and thereafter he resided about seven months on a farm owned by one of his brothers. He then removed to the farm of his mother-in-law, renting the place and there continuing in agricultural pursuits for six years. In the meanwhile he effected the purchase of a tract of forty acres on the opposite side of the road, and at the expiration of