CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 625 the time noted he also bought the homestead of which he had thus remained in charge, the same comprising one hundred and four acres. Later he purchased an adjoining fifty-four acres and still later a contiguous tract of fifty-three acres, thus. increasing the area of this fine farm to an aggregate of two hundred and eleven acres. As time has passed he has increased his. landed estate in the county, and his properties are considered to be among the most valuable in this section of the state. He is also the owner of the Grassman farm, of eighty acres, in Liberty township; the Crall farm, in the same township and of equal area, and upon all of his properties the best of improvements have been made. For the past decade Mr. Martin has figured as one of the leading stock buyers and shippers in the county, while in addition to general agriculture he gives special attention to the raising of high-grade stock. His extensive operations as a buyer have given him a wide acquaintanceship throughout this section of the state, and he is known as a man of marked business and executive capacity and as one whose integrity of purpose is beyond cavil, thus retaining uniform confidence and esteem. His political support has been given to the Democratic party from the time when he first exercised his right of franchise, but he has had no desire for public office, and this was so signally manifested on one occasion, when he was his party's nominee for trustee of his township, that he was defeated, having made no personal effort to forward his own interests in the connection and having given frequent assurance that he preferred not to accept the position. Notwithstanding these conditions he was defeated by only twenty votes. His religious faith is that of the Methodist Protestant church, and he is one of the trustees of the Shiloh church. On the 19th of May, 1872, Mr. Martin was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Ellen Zeis, who was born in Liberty township, this county, on the farm now owned by her husband, being the daughter of Godfrey and Margaret (Sager) Zeis, sterling pioneer settlers of this county Of the six children of Mr. and Mrs. Martin all are living except an infant daughter, those surviving being Eva M., the wife of William Rosenberger of Liberty township; Homer A., a successful young farmer of 626 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. the same township; Celesta E., the wife of Harry Beck, of Pleasant township; Wilbert W., who is now a student in Heidelberg College, at Tiffin; and Rufus M., who remains at the parental home. HENRY SEEWALD Among the many honored sons of Seneca county who still continue to make their home within its borders there are few whose careers have been more varied and interesting than that of the gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph and who is now one of the influential and highly esteemed members of the agricultural community of this section of the Buckeye state. He was left an orphan at an early age but was thereafter not deprived of the advantage's of a cultured and refined home; he became a sailor on the Great Lakes, later identifying himself with the wider maritime realm, as a sailor on boats plying the ocean; it was his to render most valiant and meritorious service as a soldier in the Union army during the war of the Rebellion, while in the gaining of the no less honorable victories which, peace ever hath in store he has shown himself equally loyal to himself, to truth and to the duties-of citizenship. It is thus signally appropriate that a review of his life history be incorporated. in this publication, which has to do with those who have contributed to the development and upbuilding of the county of which he is a native and a -representative of a sterling pioneer family.. Mr. Seewald was born in the city of Tiffin, which was then a mere village, on the 8th of March, 1836, being the son of Valentine and Philipena (Lang) Seewald, of whose three children he is now the only survivor. The children were Lewis, who left home when eleven years old and was never heard of thereafter; and Charles, who was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil war, having been a member of Company A, Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he was an active. participant in the battle of Gettysburg, where he received a wound which finally necessitated the amputation of one of his legs, and he died Au-- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 627 gust 16, 1863, from the result of the injury, aged twenty-one years. The father of our subject was a native of the kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, where he was reared to maturity and where he learned the trade of locksmith and gunsmith. As a young man he severed the ties which bound him to home and fatherland and emigrated to the United States, settling in Tiffin, Ohio, where he continued to follow his trade until his death, on the 22d of December, 1846, at the age of forty-four years. His wife was likewise a native of Germany, whence she came to America in company with her parents, Henry and Catherine Lang, and family, first locating in Baltimore, where they remained for a time and then came to Tiffin, making the entire journey on foot. They were thus pioneers of this county and their descendants have been prominent in the annals of the state, as were other representatives of their family in the same generation. Her brother, William Lang, is the author of Lang's History of Seneca County. Philipena (Lang) Seewald was born in the year i&:)9, and she died in Tiffin, at the age of thirty-three years. Henry Seewald was but six years of age when he was deprived of his mother's care, and four years later he was doubly orphaned by the death of his father. He then went to Fremont, this state, where he found a home with his uncle, Rev. Henry Lang, his early educational advantages having been such as were to be had in the somewhat primitive public schools of the day. At the age of fifteen years he became a sailor on the Great Lakes and was thus engaged for a period of six years, after which he was employed as a sailor before the mast, on the Atlantic ocean, for four years, within which time he had a varied and, in retrospective view, an interesting experience. In the meanwhile the ominous cloud of civil war had obscured the national horizon, and when the conflict was finally precipitated Mr. Seewald was not slow to give distinctive evidence of his intrinsic patriotism. On the 7th of September, 1861, he enlisted, at Philadelphia, on his return from a voyage to Cuba, as a private in Company D, Ninety-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to the Army of the Potomac and with which he took an active part in many of the most notable 628 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. and sanguinary battles of the Rebellion, notably the following: The engagement at West Point, the Seven Days' fight before Richmond, the battles of South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness and Spottsylvania. At Chancellorsville, on May 3, 1863, he was wounded, being struck by rifle balls three different times, and owing his life to a diary and a Testament which he had picked up a few minutes before the battle and placed in his breast pocket, the book so retarding the course of the bullet as to render the injury not a serious one. He still has the old Testament to which he owes his life. On picking it up he remarked : "This is thick enough to stop a ball." In the engagement at Spottsylvania, however, on the 12th of May, 1864, Mr. Seewald received a severe wound which developed blood poisoning and necessitated his confinement in the Lincoln general hospital, in Washington, until the expiration of his term of service, 'when he received his honorable discharge, on the 19th of September, 1864. That he still retains an interest in his old comrades is manifest in his attending reunions of the old soldiers and visiting the battle ground .of Gettysburg. After the expiration of his military service, which was one of distinction, Mr. Seewald returned to his home in Tiffin, and shortly afterward, in the spring of 1865, he purchased ninety acres of his present farm, in Loudon township, to which he has added until he now has a fine place of one hundred and forty acres, well improved and under most effective cultivation. Much of the land was still covered with the native timber at the time he took up his residence here, and he has personally cleared more than half of his place and reclaimed the land to cultivation, so that he has had his share of the pioneer experiences. In addition to his general agricultural operations Mr. Seewald also devotes special attention to the raising of shorthorn cattle, of which he has some fine types. He has ever given an uncompromising support to the Republican party and has taken a deep interest in public affairs of a local nature. He served for fifteen years as a member of the school board of his district, and as a public-spirited and progressive citizen has given his influence in the furtherance of good government, educational and re- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 629 ligious interests and all that conserves the general welfare, while to him is accorded in his native county the fullest measure of esteem and confidence. On the 18th of April, 1865, Mr. Seewald was united in marriage to Miss Susan Strausbaugh, who was born in Seneca county, the daughter of Jacob Strausbaugh, who was one of the pioneers of the county, whither he removed from York county, Pennsylvania. They reared ten children, namely : Blanche B., wife of John Bessler, of Los Angeles, California ; Jessie C., the wife of James Dunn, of Tiffin; Charles V.,. a successful teacher in the schools of Loudon township; Leo 0., a resident of Bismarck, North Dakota; Arthur W., in the employ of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad ; Grace, the wife of Daniel Flannagan, of Toledo ; Asa, who remains on the old homestead; Ira H., a resident of Toledo, as is also Raleigh T. ; and Maud S., who remains at the pa-. rental home. Mrs. Seewald died on the 15th of February, 1894, at the age of forty-nine years. DAVID BOYD. One of the venerable pioneers and honored citizens of Seneca county. is Mr. Boyd, who is now living retired from active business, after a long life of signal industry and well directed endeavor. His career has been characterized by an inflexible integrity of purpose and he has ever commanded the fullest measure of esteem in the community where he has passed so many years of his life, his home being in Jackson township. Mr. Boyd claims the old Keystone state as the place of his nativity, having been born in Perry county, Pennsylvania, on the 22d of February, 1822. He was reared and educated in his native county and when fourteen years of age entered upon an apprenticeship at the blacksmith trade. After attaining maturity he removed to Cumberland county, where he was employed at his trade for a period of two years. 630 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. He then set forth for Ohio, making the trip on foot and locating in Richland county, where he remained one year, at the expiration of which time he came to Seneca county and established his home in Jackson township, where he has ever since resided. He at one time owned a farm of three hundred and sixty acres, but has disposed of this property with the exception of one acre, where he has maintained his home from the time when he first located in the township. Upon locating here he established a blacksmith shop, and here he continued in the active work of his trade. until 1891, when he retired. His services were in demand by a large circle of patrons, and he is well known to the people of this section of the county. In 1844 Mr. Boyd was united in marriage to Miss Rosana Weiser, who was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, on the 9th of February, 1822, and they became the parents; of five children, namely : Hugh W. A., who is engaged. in farming in this township and who served as a valiant soldier during the war of the Rebellion, having enlisted, in June, 1863, as a private in Company C, Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served six months, the regiment having been in pursuit of Morgan. on his famous raid and having participated in the engagement at Cumberland Gap. On the 2d of May, 1864, Mr. Boyd re-enlisted, becoming a member of the One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in the one hundred days' service, being assigned to duty in the defense of the national capital. After the expiration of his second term Mr. Boyd returned to his home, and in October, 1864, he again tendered his services to the Union, becoming a member of Company G, One Hundred and. Eighty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was with General Thomas in the Franklin and Nashville campaign, and in this regiment he served until the close of the war, when he received his honorable discharge and was duly mustered out. He retains a vital interest in his old comrades in arms and is prominently identified with the Grand Army of the Republic, being a member of Norris Post, at Fostoria, of which he has ever served as commander. Jacob H. C. Boyd, the second son of our subject, was likewise a soldier in the Civil war, having served for seven months in the One Hundred CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 631 and Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and he is now a successful farmer of his township. John A. S., Benjamin F. and David I. died in early childhood. In politics Mr. Boyd is a stanch Republican, and he has served as trustee of his township. His religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he has been a member since 1848, his wife also being a devoted member of the same. Mr. Boyd has eleven oil wells on his place and the same are being profitably operated. He has attained prosperity through his own well directed efforts, and in the evening of his life enjoys the due reward of his active and useful career. FRANCIS H. SCHLINK, M. D. Among the representatives of the medical profession in Seneca county is Francis Henry Schlink, who is established in active practice in the village of New Riegel. Dr. Schlink is a native of the state of Indiana, having been born in Allen county, on the 14th of January, 1856, a son of George P. and Mary A. (Rose) Schlink, of whose nine children four are living at the present time, namely: John, a resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana; George and Joseph, who reside in Allen county, that state; and Francis H., the subject of this review. George P. Sclilink was born in the kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, in the year 1812, and came to America, in company with his mother and step-father, in the year 1833. After residing for a short time in the city of Buffalo: New York, the father of our subject removed to Allen county, Indiana, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits. There, on the 1st of January, 1843, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Mary A. Rose, who was born in Alsace, France (now a German province), and who had come to America with her parents in the year previous to her marriage, the family locating in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The father of the Doctor continued to be engaged in agricultural pursuits in Allen county, Indiana, until his death, which occurred on the 11th of February, 1865, 632 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. while his wife passed away on the 25th of the succeeding month, both. having succumbed to. attacks of typhoid fever, as did also one of their-daughters, who died about the same time. They were devoted members of the Catholic church and were people of sterling' worth of character. Dr. Schlink was but nine years of age at the time of the death of his parents, and thereafter he lived until his fourteenth year in the home of two families of the neighborhood, one of the men with whom he was thus placed later becoming his brother-in-law. Under these conditions the Doctor resided in New Haven, Indiana, where he secured his preliminary educational discipline in the public schools. At the age of sixteen years he entered Notre Dame College, at Notre Dame, Indiana, where he completed the literary and scientific courses and was graduated as a member of the class of 1877. He thereafter took a course. of study in the' medical department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and later continued his technical studies in the Miami Medical College, in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was graduated as a member of the class of 1880. In the meantime the Doctor further reinforced himself in the line of his profession by taking a special course of study in physical diagnosis in the hospital wards, together with a course of lectures in the city hospital of Cincinnati, so that he was specially well equipped for professional work at the time of his graduation. In the-spring of 1880 Dr. Schlink entered upon the active practice of his profession at Delphos, Ohio, where he built up a representative business and attained high prestige. In 1882 the Doctor became a member of the Northwestern Ohio Medical Association, which, in the following year, he represented as a delegate to the convention of the American Medical Association, of which he became a prominent member. In the same year he was chosen as a member of the board of health of Delphos, and in that capacity served for a number of years, while he was also examining physician for the Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Company, of Detroit, as he was also local surgeon, at Delphos, for the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad. The Doctor continued in the practice of his profession at Delphos until the spring of 1894, when he came to New Riegel, where he has since been established in a. large and repre- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 633 sentative practice, being held in the highest esteem in the community and being recognized as one of the leading members of the medical fraternity in Seneca county, many difficult surgical operations being as successfully handled by him as when treated by specialists in the larger cities. His religious faith is that of the Catholic church, and he is a communicant of St. Boniface church. On the 18th of May, 1881, Dr. Schlink was united in marriage to Miss Agnes A. Ostendorf, who was born in Delphos, Ohio, the daughter of Joseph Ostendorf, who was one of the stockholders and the foreman of the Union Stave Works, at Delphos, being thus in active service for a quarter of a century, but being now retired from active business. Dr. and Mrs. Schlink became the parents of five children,. of whom four survive, namely: Josephine M., who is a graduate of the musical conservatory of the Ohio Normal University and who is. a successful teacher of music in Tiffin, where she is organist of St.. Mary's church; Albert G., a student of the. Ohio Normal University,. at Ada; and Rosa T. and Henry A., who remain at the parental home. Elmer, the second in order of birth, died at the age of twelve years. ELIAS HOLLENBAUGH. At this juncture we enter memoir of one of the sterling citizens of Seneca county, where he located in pioneer days, developing a fine farm from the forest wilds of Jackson township and attaining a high degree of success through his energy and well directed efforts. He was a man of exalted honor and integrity and he ever held the highest esteem of all who knew him. It is signally fitting that in this compilation be incorporated a tribute to this sterling citizen, who entered into eternal rest on the 4th of June, 1901. Mr. Hollenbaugh was a native of the state of Pennsylvania, having been born in Berks county, on the 8th of April, 1838, and he was reared to the sturdy discipline of farm life, receiving a common-school - 40 - 634 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. education. As a young man he came to Seneca county, where he began working on a farm, by the month, so continuing until his patriotism and loyalty led him to tender his services in defense of the Union during the war of the Rebellion. He enlisted as a private in Company A, One Hundred and Eleventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of the war,—a term of nearly three years. After receiving his honorable discharge and being mustered out, Mr. Hollenbaugh returned to Pennsylvania, where his second marriage was solemnized, and soon afterward he returned to Seneca county, in company with his wife, being located near Bettsville for a period of seven months, after which he purchased forty acres of land in Jackson township, the tract being covered with native timber, with the exception of about five acres, which had been previously cleared. In a primitive log cabin of two 'MOMS he and his devoted wife established their home and he then set :himself valiantly to the work of reclaiming his farm from the sylvan wilds, his efforts being attended with ,such success that he was able to add, to. the area of his farm, becoming the owner of one hundred acres, nearly all of which he cleared of its heavy. growth of timber while he made the best of improvements. on the place, including a commodious .and attractive residence, where his widow still maintains her home. On the farm are several oil wells, which add to the value of the fine property. Mr. Hollenbaugh ever gave his influence and tangible aid in support of all measures and enterprises projected for the general good, being active in the upholding of educational and religious work and being a Prohibitionist in his political allegiance. He was a man whose integrity was unimpeachable and to him was given the unstinted confidence and esteem of the community in which he lived and labored to such goodly ends. He was a devoted member of St. John's Evangelical church, in which he was ever found an active worker. Mr. Hollenbaugh was first married to Miss Susanna Mangle, who passed away in 1862, leaving two children,—Syriah, who is the widow John C. Wonders; and -Amelia, the wife of Eli Schaeffer, of Berks county, Pennsylvania. On the 8th of February, 1866, in Berks county, Pennsylvania, Mr. Hollenbaugh was united in marriage to Miss Caro- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 635 line Reigle, who was born in Berks county, and they became the parents of ten children, of whom we enter brief record, as follows: Frank is a successful farmer of Paulding county, Ohio; Mary is the wife of Nathaniel Zimmerman, of the same county; John is a resident of Sandusky county; Eli is engaged in operating the homestead; Samuel and Cordelia are deceased; Sarah is the wife of William Zimmerman, of Paulding county; Clara is the wife of Alfred Saum, of Seneca county; Ida is the wife of Francis Kline, of Sandusky county; and Alda is the wife of Henry Myers, of Wood county. LEMUEL DOWNS. Not all men order their lives to their liking; nor yet are all men true to themselves in living as nearly to their ideals as possible and attaining to such success as their opportunities and talents render accessible. We now turn to one who accomplished much during his long and useful life, the entire span of which was passed in Seneca county, where he stood as a worthy scion of one of the early pioneer families, and though his was not a pretentious or exalted life, it was true to itself and its possibilities, and one to whom the biographist may revert with a feeling of respect and satisfaction. Mr. Downs was born on the old homestead farm, in Eden township, Seneca county, March 10, 1834, and it is interesting to note the fact that this continued to be his abiding place until death set its seal upon his mortal lips, thus closing a life of signal usefulness and honor, his death occurring on the 3d of April, 1895, at the age of sixty-one years. He was one of the progressive and influential farmers and stock-growers of this section, and his efforts were directed with such discrimination, energy and ability that his success was much above the average attained in connection with the dignified vocation of the husbandman. His father, John Downs, was born in the state of Virginia, where he was reared to maturity. Ht. removed to Ross county, Ohio, where his 636 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. marriage to Caroline Holder was solemnized, and thence he came to Seneca county in 1824. Here he entered four hundred acres of government land, the greater portion being still an unbroken forest wild, and. established his home in one of the primitive log houses common to the place and period and for many years later. Of this estate the farm now owned by the widow of our subject was an integral portion, and here.. John Downs and his devoted companion passed the residue of their days, each being about eighty years of age at the time of death. They had a. family of thirteen children, all of whom are deceased, our subject having been the youngest and the last to pass away. Lemuel Downs was born on this old homestead and was here reared amid the scenes and conditions incidental to pioneer life, his educational advantages, though meagre, being the best afforded in the locality, the schools being of primitive order,—simple log buildings, with the slab seats and puncheon floors. He early began to assist in the work of the farm and after his marriage began his independent career on a portion of the old homestead, eventually developing a fine place, making the best of permanent improvements, as is evident from the appearance of the farm to-day, and from time to time accumulating other land until, at the time of his death, his estate comprised more than six hundred acres. In properly handling a property of this sort it is needless to say that much administrative and executive ability was demanded, in addition to a thorough knowledge of the science of agriculture and the proper handling of details. That his success was one of large measure was due to his own efforts, and he was one of the leading farmers and stock-growers of the county, having devoted special attention to the raising of sheep of the best grade, as well as cattle. In politics Mr. Downs was a life-long Democrat, and he served as township trustee and in other local offices. The title of "Squire," by which he was familiarly known, was given him when a boy on account of his father having served in that capacity for years. He was a man of inflexible integrity, making no compromise for the sake of advancing personal aims or ambitions, and yet showing that kindly tolerance which ever commands strong and abiding friendships.. On the 13th of February, 1862, Mr. Downs was united in mar- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 637 riage to Miss Lucinda Miller, who was born near Mexico, Wyandot ,county, the daughter of George and Esther (Stratton) Miller, pioneer settlers of that county. Mr. and Mrs. Downs became the parents of six .children, of whom we make brief mention as follows James. W. died at the age of nine years; Cora May is the wife of Charles Gulick, of Eden township; Jennie Esther is the wife of Calvin Spitler, an attorney of Tiffin; Allen J. died at the age of eleven years; John Guy is proprietor of a livery in Tiffin; and George L. is operating the old homestead. WILLIAM N. DUNN. In order to perpetuate for coming generations the record of one who was very prominently connected with the growth and development of Seneca county, but who has now passed to his final reward, a brief account of the life of William Nelson Dunn is placed on the pages of this volume. He was a public-spirited citizen, in harmony with advanced ideas,, intelligent progress and one always liberal in his contributions to aid the social, material and religious advancement of the county. He was one of Seneca county's poneer settlers and was a most worthy and exemplary citizen. William Nelson Dunn was a native of the Empire state, his birth having there occurred in Sullivan county, February 1, 1815, and he was a son of James and Mehitable (Hopkins) Dunn. Of the parents' large family of eight children all. are now deceased. His father was a farmer and lumber dealer, owning about four hundred acres of timber land, on which he operated two sawmills and rafted lumber to Philadelphia. In 1831 he moved upon his farm in Wayne county, New York, where he lived until life's labors were ended in death. In the fall of 1841, in company with Henry D. Clark, who later became his brother-in-law, William N. Dunn, of this review, came to Seneca county, Ohio, locating in Hopewell township. Our subject cleared and improved his farm and became the owner of over twelve hundred 638 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. acres of land in the state of 'Michigan and in Seneca county. His life was characterized by energy, perseverance and hard work, and to these principles his success was due. In 1872 he put aside the active cares of the farm and removed to Tiffin, where the remainder of his life was spent. For eight years he was a constant sufferer from partial paralysis of the muscles and nerves, but he bore his. affliction with a noble courage and fortitude. In 1842 Mr. Dunn was united in marriage to Miss Sophia W. Clark, a native of Rensselaer cotinty, New York, and a daughter of George. and Dorcas (Sweet) Clark. The father died, when the daughter was a child, and her mother afterward Married Elijah Lake and removed to Wayne county, New York. Mr. Dunn was called to his final rest in 1883, and the community thereby lost one of its valued citizens, the church a consistent benefactor, his neighbors a faithful friend and his family a devoted husband and, father. In his political associations he was a Democrat. His widow still survives and now resides in the home property in Tiffin. She is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church and a member of the Industrial Chapter of the church Guild. She is very active in church and charitable work and is loved and honored for her many noble characteristics. FREDERICK E. ENGLAND. Frederick Ellsworth England, who for nine years has been engaged in merchandising as the proprietor of a grocery in Fostoria, is one of the native sons of this city who has attained to prominence in commercial circles here. His father, Humphrey England, was a native of Ashland county, Ohio, where the grandfather of our subject located in pioneer days, becoming an active factor in the improvement and development of that portion of the state. After arriving at years of maturity Humphrey England was united in marriage to Lavina Hollopeter, a sister of Dr. Hollopeter, of Fostoria. She was born in Wayne county, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 639 Ohio, and in 1836, when six years of age, was brought by her parents to this city. Her father was Frederick Hollopeter, who located in Jackson township and throughout the remainder of his life carried on farming there. He was a native of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and became one of the progressive agriculturists of Seneca county, Ohio. He passed away at the age of seventy years. The father of our subject arrived in this county about 1836, and as a carpenter and contractor was identified with building interests here until his death, which occurred when he was about sixty years of age. His widow still survives him and has. reached the age of seventy-one years. In the public schools of Fostoria, Frederick E. England acquired a knowledge of the common branches of learning which fit one for the practical and responsible duties of life. When a young man he became connected with the grocery trade and for nine years has been the proprietor of a store which he has successfully conducted. He carries a large and well selected stock of staple and fancy groceries and has secured a good trade, which is annually, increasing, as a result of his reasonable prices, honorable dealing and earnest desire to please his patrons. Mr. England was married in Fostoria to Miss Susie Hatfield, a daughter of John Hatfield, who came from Kentucky to Ohio, and was one of the pioneer settlers of Seneca county. Three children grace this union: Grover Hatfield, Lucile and Thelma. Mr. England is an advocate of the Democratic party, has been very prominent in its. support and has served as a member of the county committee. He is, now treasurer of the central committee of Seneca county and has long put forth every effort in his power to promote his party's success.. In 1897 he was elected to the city council and filled the position so capably that on the expiration of his two years' term he was re-elected. He belongs to the Junior Order of American Mechanics and to the Masonic fraternity, and in social circles as well as in politics and business life he has had many friends who maintain for him warm personal regard in recognition of his many estimable characteristics. He is of a genial nature, and the fact that many of his friends are numbered among those who have known him from his youth to the present time is an indication that his career has ever been honorable and' straightforward. 640 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. MADISON FINCH. Among the well-known citizens of Seneca county, Ohio, is Madison Finch, who owns a large and well cultivated farm in Bloom township. and who is justly considered one of the leading farmers and stock-raisers of this locality. His birth occurred on January 11, 1825, in Yates county, New York, and he is a son. of Solomon R. and Hester (Dean) Finch, natives of the same locality. In 1840 the parents decided to seek a home in the state of Ohio, where better opportunities were offered for extensive farming than in the more thickly settled portions of the old home state. To the home-keeping people of that locality and time the trip seemed long and dangerous, but it was safely accomplished by water to Sandusky City, two of the sons„ Madison and Jesse, being left to drive overland from Livingston county, New York. In the course of time the family was united and comfortably settled on the farm now owned by our subject. Mr. Finch purchased here two hundred and thirty-six acres of land, which served as the family home for many years, and here the mother died, being called to her final rest at the age of fifty-six years. Soon afterward the father removed to Fulton county, Ohio, where he secured another farm,, and there he spent the remainder of his life, passing away at the age of sixty-five years. Both he and his wife were charter members of the Rockaway Baptist church, in which he long served as a deacon, and in that position he was succeeded by his son Madison. He was familiarly known as "Uncle Solly." Their surviving children are : Madison, the subject of this biography ; Jesse, of Newton, Iowa; David, who resides in Adair county, that state; Margaret A., now Mrs. Henderson, and a resident of Osceola, Iowa; Mary J., who married Elisha Wheeler, of Bellefontaine, Ohio; Catherine, the wife of Daniel Dunlap, of Abilene, Kansas; and Juliette, the wife of W. O. Butler, a resident of Waterloo, Indiana. The deceased members of the family are : Randolph, Esther, Caroline and Sarah. The early years of our subject were passed on the home farm.s Yates and Livingston counties, New York. After the settlement was made in Ohio he assisted in the clearing of the land, but there were many CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 641 helpers in his father's household and at the age of seventeen years he began to assist in his neighbor's fields during the busy summer seasons. His education had not been neglected, however, and his district was glad to receive his services as a teacher during the winter seasons. He taught his first term when seventeen years of age, receiving fifteen dollars per month, while at that time his wages as a farm hand during the summer months amounted to but ten dollars a month. As he grew older and more experienced and as the neighborhood became more thickly settled and the number of his pupils increased he was able to command a larger remuneration as a teacher, being very successful in his work. For fifteen consecutive years he was thus employed, working in the fields during the summer months and teaching school during- the winters. During the Civil war he became a member of the One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and. was stationed at Arlington Heights, to guard the city of Washington. He is now a member of Brown Post, G. A. R., at Bloomville. Since Mr. Finch purchased the old homestead he has continued to reside thereon, with the exception of two years spent in Tiffin, and he is one of the most successful farmers and stock-raisers of Bloom township. He has a well-improved farm of one hundred and sixty-two acres, where he carries on general farming, and he has secured a competence which ranks him among the substantial men of this section. On the 16th of October, 1861, Mr. Finch was united in marriage to Miss Anna E. Biggs, of Mexico, Ohio. Her father, Joseph Biggs, was born in Maryland, June 30, 1796. About 1828 he took up his abode in Tiffin, Ohio, where be owned and. conducted the first hat store in the city. About eight years later he located on a farm near Mexico, Ohio, where his death occurred on the 11th of August, 1864. In 1820 he was united in marriage to Juliett Ann Hoy, who was born in 1799, and her death occurred in 1873. Mrs. Finch is now the only survivor of their family of four children,—one son and three daughters, and she was born in Tiffin on the 19th of August, 1829. Mr. and Mrs. Finch have had no children of their own, but they have reared two from childhood,—Etta 642 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Simpson, a niece of Mrs. Finch, and now the wife of Theobold Riffle, of Tiffin; and Dee Smith, now of Williams county, Ohio. In his political preference Mir. Finch is a Republican, and he has shown his deep interest in his township by serving as its trustee, and for many years was a valued and useful member of the school board. For forty years he has been a deacon in the Rockaway Baptist church and one of its leading members, and has also taken a deep interest in the work of the Sunday-school. Hie is one of the oldest members of the Odd Fellows' order in this locality, haying been connected and in good fellowship with the fraternity for a period of fifty years, and during all that time has been a member of Melmore Lodge, No. 164. He is a man universally respected in Bloom township, owing to his high moral character and upright, useful and industrious life. He is a good citizen in every sense of the word, and belongs to that type which has placed the state of Ohio in the front rank of the sisterhood of states. JOHN W. SHAW. In the history of Republic John W. Shaw well deserves honorable mention, for with its business affairs he is closely connected and is numbered among its leading and and progressive citizens. He was born in Cayuga county, New York, May 18, 1844, and is a son of John Shaw, who was a native of Westmoreland, England. The father there learned. the tailor's trade, and at the early age of fifteen came to America, to remain until called to his final home. He began work in New York and there met and married Miss Maria Lane, who was a representative. of the Monmouth county, New .jersey, Revolutionary stock. The lam ily resided upon a farm, on which John W. Shaw spent the greater part of his youth. In the common schools he acquired his earlier education, and when but a lad of fourteen began working as a farm hand, being thus engaged until July, 1862, when he enlisted in Company I, One Hundred and Eleventh New York Regiment, which was assigned to the Sec- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 643 ond Army Corps, under General Hancock, and September 15, 1862, was first engaged at Harper's Ferry, where, with eleven thousand other troops, it was captured by Stonewall Jackson. Young Shaw, however, was paroled soon afterward and sent to Camp Douglas, Chicago. In three months all were exchanged and the regiment was returned to Washington, participating in the defense of the capital until the spring of 1863. Soon after the battle of Chancellorsville it was assigned to General Meade's army and advanced with him into Pennsylvania, taking a conspicuous part in the greatest battle of the war, Gettysburg. During Pickett's famous charge, on the 3d of July, Mr. Shaw was wounded by a minie ball, which shattered the bone of the right leg just below the knee. He was sent to the hospital at Fort Schuyler, where, on account of the serious condition of his injuries, he remained more than a year, rejoining his regiment in front of Petersburg, and remaining with the army until the close of the war, and after participating in the grand review he received an honorable discharge, on the 16th of June, 1865. His wound continued a source of annoyance, finally reducing his nerves. to a serious condition. His general health was so shattered, with no likelihood of perfect health ever being otherwise regained, that, in 1873„ he yielded to the advice of friends and surgeons and permitted an amputation above the knee; and while never since perfectly robust, he has. enjoyed comparative immunity from continued distress. In the fall of 1865 Mr. Shaw came to Republic and clerked in the store of H. G. Ogden, with whom he remained three years. He then established a dry-goods and general mercantile store, which he conducted from 1870 until 1883. He met with deserved success in his venture, for his honorable methods, earnest desire to please and his reasonable prices secured a liberal patronage. Since retiring from mercantile life he has devoted his attention almost wholly to the oversight of his farm property, the outdoor life in connection tending to enhance his comfort and pleasure. On the 5th of July, 1882, Mr. Shaw was united in marriage to Miss Celia I. Williams, a daughter of John D. Williams, who was born in Fairfield county, Ohio. His father, Lieutenant Reuben Williams, was 644 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. born in Frederick county, Maryland, lived for some years in Fairfield county, Ohio, and about 1824 came to Seneca county. Here in Clinton township, he entered land and developed from the wilderness the farm upon which Mrs. Callie C. Shaw now resides, just outside the city limits of Tiffin. He was commissioned justice of the peace in 1826 by Governor Morrow, being the first to fill that office in Clinton township. He had rendered to his country loyal military service in the war of 1812, in which he held the rank of first lieutenant, serving under command of General Crogan, and was present when Crogan received the surrender of the British at Fort Stevenson. He was then engaged in farming, but at .a later date sold his farm and removed to. Warsaw, Indiana, where, in connection with his son, General Reuben Williams, he edited the Northern Indiana Journal, making his home, however, upon a farm. He there :spent his remaining days, being a prominent and influential citizen of Indiana, as well as of Ohio. John D. Williams was united in marriage to Mrs. Elizabeth (Flaugher) Stoner. She was the daughter of .Jacob Flaugher, who came from Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, about 1830, and, being a man of considerable wealth, purchased from Josiah Hedges an extensive tract of land in Tiffin, the same extending on either side of Sandusky street. He erected the large brick house still to be seen at the corner of Sandusky and Miami streets, and here, after a residence of fifty-seven years, he died at an advanced age. He was a blacksmith by trade, and did an extensive business in that line and in the carriage making business, which he established in connection. He platted the section of the city and erected several of the fine residences which have drawn uniform admiration to that part of the town. He gave each child, of which Elizabeth was the eldest, a competence, and in his day was one of the most public-spirited citizens of Tiffin. Mr. Williams was a farmer and operated a sawmill on Rock Creek until 1869, when he, too, removed to Warsaw, Indiana, where he spent his remaining days, his death occurring in 188o, when he had attained the age. of sixty-eight years. He died at Tiffin, where he was visiting, and, in accordance with his own request, was buried in Rock Creek cemetery, to lie among so many of his old friends. He was a man among men and one whose fearless, stain- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 645 less life ever sounded the notes for a better citizenship and more exalted. personal living. His widow survived till November 25, 1898, dying in Tiffin, at the age of seventy-four. Hers was a singularly ennobling Christian life, her strength of mind emphasizing a naturally delicate and. refined nature. His country proved his loyalty, for at the time of the. Civil war he enlisted as a private in the One Hundred and First Ohio Regiment, with which he served for thirteen months, when he was honorably discharged on account of disability. Mrs. Shaw comes from patriotic stock, as her great-grandfather was a Revolutionary soldier,.. being laid to rest in the cemetery at Sugar Creek; her grandfather served faithfully in the war of 1812; and her father in the Civil war. She. yields honors to none in loyalty and patriotism and ever inculcates in her children due love and reverence for home and country. She was graduated in the Tiffin schools and was herself a teacher there for eight years. The home of our subject and wife has been blessed with four children : Eleanor Palmer, who was born July 12, 1885, is a member of the senior class of the high school (1902) ; John W. was born September 30. 1888: Lane Williams was born January 25, 1894; and Florence Cronise Shaw, the eldest of the children, died on the 11th of September, 1900, .at the age of seventeen years. When Florence died every person, young or old, in Republic felt the loss as a personal affliction, for her amiability and many excellencies of mind and character had endeared her to all. Foremost in her school work and mature beyond her years, she gave promise that led her friends to await womanhood's years with earnest anticipation. "There is no death; what seems so is transition. This life of mortal breath Is but the suburbs of the life elysian, Whose portals we call death." In his political affiliations Mr. Shaw has always been a Republican, and he is a stanch advocate of the principles of the party, believing that. the best interests of the nation will be conserved through that channel. In 1875-6 he served as mayor of Republic, proving a most capable offi- 646 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. cial and giving a practical and progressive administration. In the same decade he was candidate for county recorder, but, as Seneca county has a strong Democratic majority, he was defeated. For three years he also served as justice of the peace. In political thought and action he has always been independent, carrying out his honest views without fear or favor. In business he has achieved success through honorable effort, untiring industry and capable management, and in private life he has gained that warm personal regard which arises from true nobility of character, deference for the opinion of others, kindliness and geniality. In the home Mr. and Mrs. Shaw practice a generous and kindly hospitality, finding greatest pleasure in intercourse with congenial friends. Leading quiet lives, their greatest interest is centered in the future of their own family, but they ever maintain a lively interest in all that pertains to the advancement of the community, morally, intellectually and socially, and try to exemplify through their own lives the religious faith they profess, following carefully the precepts of the golden rule. JOHN B. FALTER. Seneca county is characterized by a full share of the honored pioneer elements who have done so much for the development of the county and the state and the establishment of the institutions of higher civilization in this fertile and well-favored section of the old Buckeye commonwealth. The biographical sketches in this work are to a large extent in recognition of those who are pioneers or members of pioneer families, and it is signally fitting that there should be perpetuated records which will defy the ravages of time and betoken to the coming generations the earnest lives and devoted labors of those who have been such noble contributors to the state's prosperity and pride. The subject of this sketch is one of the venerable and honored citizens of the county, where he was for many years successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits and CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 647 where he has maintained his home from the days of his early boyhood,—representing a period of seventy years of consecutive residence in the county. He has now retired from active labors and is enjoying the aftermath of his years of earnest endeavor, having his home in the pleasant little village of St. Stephen, but still retaining his landed estate in the county. Mr. Falter was born in Darmstadt, the beautiful old capital of the grand duchy of Hesse, Germany, on the 26th of December, 1826, and is one of the two surviving children of Philip and :Christina (Koerner) Falter, his sister Margaret being the widow of Peter Cassanova and now maintaining her home in Paulding county, this state. The three other children of the family are deceased. The parents of our subject were likewise natives of Darmstadt, and the father had been previously married, the four children born of the first union being all deceased. Philip Falter was a shoemaker by trade and followed this vocation in the fatherland until the fall of 1831, when he emigrated with his family to America, making the voyage on a sailing vessel and being forty-two days on the ocean. They passed the first winter in Buffalo, New Yolk, and in the spring of 1832 set forth for their new home in the virgin forests of Seneca county, making the trip by the Great Lakes to Huron and thence coming through by wagon to Seneca county. Here Philip Falter entered claim to eighty acres of government land, one-half mile north of the present village of Carrothers,—the farm now owned by J. C. Wurm. He made a little clearing in the heavily timbered tract and there built one of the log cabins of the primitive frontier type, installed his famly in the unpretentious domicile and prepared to literally hew out a farm in the midst of the forest. He vigorously continued his efforts and had made excellent developments prior to his death, which occurred in 1848, his wife surviving until 1862. Both were folk of the most sterling character and were among the most honored pioneers of this section. They were communicants of the Catholic church and their lives were in harmony with their religious faith and trust. In politics Mr. Falter was a stalwart supporter of the Democratic party. In the early pioneer epoch the subject of this sketch might have 648 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. been found, as a lad, contributing his share to the arduous work of clear ing the farm and adapting it to cultivation, while in the little log schoolhouse, with its puncheon floors, slab benches, yawning fireplace and. oiled-paper windows, he gained his initial scholastic lore. After the death of his father he assumed charge of the home farm, and prior to his marriage, in 1853, he had acquired- a half interest in this property.. He there continued to devote his attention to cultivating and improving his farm until 1856, when he disposed of the property and purchased a tract of eighty acres in Reed township, where he made his home tor seven years, at the expiration of which he disposed of the property and purchased the old Steinmetz homestead of one hundred acres, in Venice township, this having been the property of his wife's father. Later lie sold this and purchased the old Marshall homestead, of one hundred and forty-two acres, in Venice township, and there he maintained his home for the long period of thirty years, making the best of improvements. He is a prosperous farmer and fine stock breeder of this locality. He still owns this farm, which is in charge of his son Cornelius. In politics Mr. Falter has always given his support to the Democratic party, but he has never desired any official preferment. He and his wife are zealous members of the Catholic church. In 1853 Mr. Falter was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Steinmetz, who has been his companion and helpmeet for nearly a half century, their golden-wedding anniversary occurring on the 15th of November, 1903. .Mrs. Falter was born in Alsace, France (now a German province), being the daughter of Balthasar and Elizabeth (Long) Steinmetz, who emigrated to the United States in the spring of 1833, settling in Stark county, Ohio, whence a few years later they came to Seneca. county, where they passed the residue of their lives. Of the twelve children born to Mr. and Mrs. Falter only five survive, namely : Joseph T., a resident of Allen county, Ohio; W. Edward, a commercial salesman for the Plano Manufacturing Company, of Chicago, Illinois ; Cornelius H., who has charge of the old home farm; Martha C., the wife of Matthias Wurm, of this township; and Anna E., who remains at the parental home. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 649 ARLINGTON DUNN. A most exemplary citizen and an honored soldier of the Civil war is Arlington Dunn, of Hopewell township, Seneca county, Ohio. During his army career he was always found faithful to the duties imposed upon him and won the confidence and high regard of his comrades and superior officers, while in business life and social relations he has ever manifested the same justice, integrity and reliability, and none knew him but to wish him well. Mr. Dunn is a son of the Buckeye state and of Seneca county, his birth having occurred in Hopewell township on the 6th of February, 1845, a son of William N. and Sophia W. (Clark) Dunn. The father claimed New York as the state of his nativity, his birth having there occurred in Sullivan county. By his marriage to Sophia W. Clark he became the father of seven children, five of whom still survive, namely : Arlington, the subject of this review; Devolson, of Tiffin; Deroy C., a prominent farmer of Hopewell township; Norman, also of this township; and John A., of Tiffin. Arlington Dunn, the eldest son and the subject of this review, grew. to years of maturity under the paternal roof, and the educational privileges which he enjoyed in his youth were those afforded by the common schools of his neighborhood. In 1863, when but seventeen years of age, he responded to the call of his country in her hour of need, and on the 22d of August of that year he became a member of Company D, One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving in the Army of West Virginia and also in the Army of the James, and having been for some time in the commissary department, under H. L. McKee. After General Milroy's defeat at Winchester, Virginia, soldiers of his command not taken prisoners of war assembled at Bedford, Pennsylvania, where he was detailed in the provost marshal's office, serving in that capacity many months, under eight different provost marshals, most of the time at Martinsburg, West Virginia, and during that time was compelled to retreat northward in care of office supplies twice. In compliance with military law he was obliged to join his command at - 41 -