650 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Opequan Creek, Virginia., and at once was detailed to serve at brigade headquarters in the quartermaster department, serving in that capacity most of the time in the Army of the James until St. Howland, of the Thirty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment, Volunteer Infantry, was relieved as brigade quartermaster. Mr. Dunn remained at headquarters, serving in the ordnance department until the close of the war. Receiving his discharge at Camp Chase, Ohio, on the 28th of June, 1865; Mr. Dunn then returned to his home, where he again took up the peaceful duties of civil life. In the following fall he began work in the store of a Mr. Sullivan, in Tiffin, where for the following twelve years he was employed as a. bookkeeper, remaining with the widow after the proprietor's death. In 1869 he became the owner of his present home place, walking three miles to and from his work each day for the following three years, and it was, not until 1873 that he gave his undivided attention to the operation of his farm. He is now the owner of eighty acres of rich and fertile land, all of which is under an excellent state of cultivation and annually yields abundant harvests. In 1885 he erected one of the handsomest residences in the locality, and many other substantial buildings and improvements now adorn his place. As a companion on the journey of life Mr. Dunn chose Miss Mary L. Oster, their wedding having been celebrated in 1873. The lady is a daughter of Jacob W. and Catherine (Sewald) Oster, the former a native of Nassau and the latter of Bavaria, Germany. They came to the United States in 1843, and from Philadelphia they made their way on foot to this state. Four children have blessed the union of our subject and wife, namely: Coma, the wife of J. R. Ricketts, of Loudon township; Clara M., a student in the class of 1903 of the State Normal School at Angola, Indiana; William, manager of a branch office of the Postal Telegraph Company at Chicago-, Illinois; and Carl Otto, at home. The Republican party receives Mr. Dunn's hearty support and co-operation, and for three terms he has served his township with efficiency as its clerk, although the locality is strongly Democratic. He has, however, refused his name to be used as a candidate for other public offices, preferring to give his time and attention to his business duties. Since CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 651 February, 1902, he has: held an active connection with the City National Bank and is now serving his fifth year as secretary of the Farmers' Mutual Relief Association, and is a member of General William H. Gibson Post, No. 31, G. A. R. Mrs. Dunn has been a member of the Second Reformed church since her eighteenth year, and is one of its active workers. Our subject is one of the most honored and highly esteemed citizens of his community, and it is safe to say that no man in Seneca county has a wider circle of friends and acquaintances than Arlington Dunn. EPHRAIM J. McCOLLUM, M. D. Not only in Tiffin but in the surrounding country Dr. McCollum is known as a successful and skilled physician and surgeon, one who has given years of thought and painstaking preparation to his profession and who is thoroughly qualified for its practice. Nature endowed him with the qualities necessary for success as a practitioner, for he is sympathetic, patient and thoughtful, and in the hour of extremity is cool and courageous. Though his practice has always engrossed much of his attention, he has always found time to keep posted upon the practical details in the improvements of the science and avails himself of every development in remedial agencies. For a half century he has ministered to the sick and suffering here and has always maintained an irreproachable character, worthy of respect and emulation. The Doctor was born in Richland county, Ohio, four miles south of Mansfield, in June, 1825. His father, John McCollum, was a native of Pennsylvania, and about the time of his marriage, in 1815, he entered land in Richland county, upon which he engaged in farming for about ten years, when death ended his labors. He was a son of Ephraim and Catherine McCollum, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, where they spent their entire lives as farming people, living to an advanced age. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Sarah Barber and she likewise was a native of the Keystone state. She sur- 652 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. vived her husband some time and passed away at the advanced age of eighty years. Her religious faith was indicated by her membership in the Presbyterian church. By her marriage she became the mother of five children, of whom the Doctor was the third in order of birth. Dr. McCollum was about five years old when his father died, and he and his sister then went to live with their paternal grandfather in Pennsylvania. Upon his farm our subject was reared, and after acquiring his elementary education in the public schools he entered the Lewisburg Academy, when about sixteen years of age. He attended through the summer and engaged in teaching in the winter months in order to earn the money necessary for the prosecution of his own studies. At length determining- to engage in the practice of medicine, he read for two years, and spent the year 1849 as a student in the Jefferson Medical College, in Philadelphia, after which he located in McCutchenville, Seneca county, Ohio, practicing there until 1853, when he returned to the Jefferson Medical College and was graduated. In the spring of 1853 he made a permanent location in Tiffin, and now for almost half a century has been an active member of the medical fraternity in this city. He engaged in general practice through a long period and is now doing quite a large office practice, as his patrons of former days do not like to dispense with his services, having found that he is learned, skillful and reliable in the performance of the important duties which devolve upon the physician and surgeon. Dr. McCollum was united in marriage in 1853 to Miss Margaret Marr, of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, who was a schoolmate of the wife of General "Stonewall" Jackson. Mrs. McCollum died in Tiffin, at the age of seventy-six years. She was a member of the Presbyterian church, in which an uncle and two of her brothers became ministers, while another brother was a physician. Unto the Doctor and his wife were born two children : Gaylord, who died at the age of five years, and Leon, who was formerly engaged in the practice of medicine, being a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk, Iowa, but, not finding this congenial, is now engaged in the lumber business CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 653 in Johnson City, Tennessee. For his second wife Dr. McCollum chose Miss Mary E. Collins, of Tiffin. In his political views Dr. McCollum is a Democrat. He has been pension examiner and railway surgeon for many years, occupying the latter position since the railroad was built through Tiffin. Socially he is connected with Tiffin Lodge, No. 77, F. & A. M., and he belongs to the Presbyterian church. In the line of his profession he is connected with the Seneca County Medical Society, of which he was one of the founders, and was at one time its president ; the Ohio State Medical Society ; the International Association of Railway Surgeons ; and the American Medical Association. Thus, through connection with other members of the profession, through the discussion of means and methods of promoting their work and its effectiveness, as well as through individual study, reading and investigation, Dr. McCollum has kept steadily in touch with the progress which has made great changes in medical practice since he first located in Tiffin, thus rendering his efforts much more effective in producing the desired result of lessening pain and restoring health. His efforts, however, have not been so closely confined to. his profession that it has excluded all connection with other business relations, for he was one of the organizers of the Tiffin Savings Bank, of which he is now vice-president. He has lost considerable money by going security, but altogether his career has been a successful one, and respect and honor have been accorded him, together with a comfortable competence. Although he is now seventy-six years of age he yet practices, his nature being one to which idleness is utterly foreign. His worth is such that to know Dr. McCollum is to esteem and honor him. SYLVESTER CUNNINGHAM. Sylvester Cunningham was one of the honored and respected residents of Seneca county, and when called to his final rest the community mourned the loss of a valued citizen,—one who was esteemed by all with 654 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. whom he had come in contact. He was born in Homer, New York, January 10, 1815, and upon his father's farm was reared, early becoming familiar with all the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. The common schools offered him his educational privileges and he afterward learned the stone-mason's trade. Removing from Homer to Aurora, New York, he followed that trade and also engaged in farming there until 1856, when he determined to establish his home in the Buckeye state, whither he came and took up his residence in Scipio township, Seneca county. He purchased a farm of sixty acres, where Lemuel Stewart now resides, and for a few years resided thereon, after which he purchased another tract of land, of eighty acres, and upon the second farm he spent his remaining days. He was closly associated with agricultural pursuits in this part of the county and contributed in no small measure to the improvement and development of the locality. His farm work was conducted along progressive lines and he made for his family a very comfortable home. In his religious views he was a Methodist, belonging to the church of that denomination in Republic. He also held membership relations with the Masonic fraternity, in which he attained to the degree of a Knight Templar. He passed away May 30, 1883, at the age of sixty-eight years. His life was a busy, useful and upright one, characterized by energy, by straightforward dealing in business, loyalty in citizenship and honor in social relations. Thus his example is in many respects well worthy of emulation and his memory is enshrined by all who knew him. In early manhood Mr. Cunningham was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Wilkerson, and they became the parents of three children. The eldest is Charles M., who is now living. in Osborn, Kansas, and is a retired farmer and ranchman. When the country was engaged in civil war he offered his services to the government, in 1861, and became a member of Company B, Seventh Ohio Infantry. With his command he participated in the battles of Bull Run, Winchester and Gettysburg. He was in the army commanded by Sherman, and during the latter part of his service he was a member of the Ninth Ohio Cavalry, under Kilpatrick, and at the front he remained until the close of hostilities, when he CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 655 was honorably discharged with the rank of captain of Company I, Ninth Ohio Cavalry, being promoted from first lieutenant. His valor and meritorious conduct had won him promotion and he made for himself a most creditable military record. Elizabeth, the second child of the family, became the wife of Sydney J. Anway and died in 1893. Helen J., the youngest child, is the widow of Eli F. Beard, to whom she was married October 27, 1873. Her husband was born in Reed township, September 6, 1842, and was reared upon a farm, where he remained until a short time prior to the commencement of the war of the Rebellion, when he began working at the carriage-maker's trade. However, he watched with interest the progress of events in the south and determined that if an attempt was made to overthrow the Union he would strike a blow in its defense. Accordingly on the 18th of June, 1861, he enlisted at Camp Chase, as a member of Company G, Twenty-fifth Regiment of Ohio. Volunteer Infantry, for three years' service. Proceeding to the front, he participated in both battles of Bull Run, and on the 8th of June, 1862, was wounded in the left knee at the battle of Cross Keys. Not long after this he was granted a furlough and returned to his home. On the expiration of his leave of absence, however, he rejoined his regiment, and at Chancellorsville, on the 3d of May, 1863, was again wounded, this time in the right shoulder. On the 21st of December of the same year Mr. Beard re-enlisted in the same company and regiment, and in the engagement at Deveaux Neck he was very seriously wounded in the lower jaw, on account of which injury he was sent to the hospital, and there, by reason of his disability, he was discharged, on the 18th of May, 1865, with the rank of corporal. On being mustered out of service Mr. Beard came to Republic, Seneca county, his parents having removed to that place during his absence. In 1874 he patented and became the manufacturer of the Buckeye churn, establishing a factory in Republic. There he carried on the business until 1888, when, on account of failing health, he placed his plant in charge of parties from Sidney, Ohio, who were to manufacture the churns, giving Mr. Beard a royalty upon the same. The value of his invention has been widely acknowledged and the churn is now in general use through- 656 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. out a large portion of this part of the country. Of Robinson Post, G. A. R., of Republic, Mr. Beard became a charter member, and he was one of its honored and valued representatives. In the Masonic fraternity he belonged to both the blue lodge and chapter, and in his life he ex, emplified the beneficent principles of the craft. Of the Methodist Episcopal church he was a consistent and faithful member, and his life was ever in harmony with its teachings. He passed away October 3, 1893, leaving to his widow not only a comfortable competence but also the priceless heritage of an untarnished name. Mrs. Beard is well known in Seneca county, where she has many warm friends. She belongs to Cornelia Chapter, No. 93, Order of the Eastern Star, and is the present worthy matron of that body. She has also served as president of Robinson Relief Corps, No. 106. DANIEL LOOSE. Daniel Loose, a well-known citizen of Clinton township, Seneca county, Ohio, owns and operates a valuable farm whose neat and thrifty appearance well indicates his careful supervision. Substantial improvements are surrounded by well-tilled fields, and all of the accessories and conveniences of a model farm are there found. Mr. Loose is a native of this state, his birth having occurred near Baltimore, Fairfield county, December 25, 1829. He is one of a family of seven children born to Rev. John and Sarah (Measey) Loose, the others being Israel, a resident of Tiffin, Ohio; Sarah A., deceased; John H., who makes his home in Clinton township; Sophia, the wife of Jacob Rosenberger, of the same township; Eli, a minister of the United Brethren church, now ministering to a church in Morrow county, Ohio; and William, deceased. The parents of our subject were born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where they were married, and from there they removed to Fairfield county, Ohio. In 1837 they came to Seneca county and settled in Clinton township, where the father erected a saw- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 657 mill and engaged in its operation, in connection with his farming. He later purchased two hundred acres of the land in Hopewell township and there gave his attention to agricultural pursuits, which he followed throughout the remainder of his life. For many years he served as a local minister of the Evangelical church, and was an earnest, consistent Christian gentleman, honored and respected by all who. knew him. He died at the age of sixty-eight years. The subject of this sketch was a child of eight years when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Seneca county, and here he was reared upon a farm, being given the usual advantages of a common-school education. During his minority he gave his father the benefit of his labors upon the home farm, and at the age of twenty-one rented the place, carrying it on quite successfully for three years. He also was associated with his brother in the sawmill business for two years. At the end of that time Mr. Loose purchased a tract of eighty acres, on which he made his home for three years. At the end of that time he bought the Bretz farm, of one hundred and sixty acres, in Eden township, and lived there until taking up his residence upon his present farm, lying a short distance south of the city limits of Tiffin. Industrious, progressive and energetic, he has met with excellent success in his farming operations and is to-day the owner of three places, aggregating three hundred and twenty-one acres, all under cultivation and well improved with good and .substantial buildings. In connection with general farming he follows stock-raising, and has found that branch of his business quite profitable. On November 20, 1864, Mr. Loose was united in marriage to. Miss Sarah Bretz, daughter of Philip. and Mary Bretz. They are among the esteemed citizens of their community and are active members of the Eden Evangelical church, in which Mr. Loose has served as trustee and steward for many years. By his ballot he supports the men and measures of the Republican party, and takes a commendable interest in public affairs. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Loose we enter the following brief record : Orrin Edward is a bookkeeper in Kansas City, Missouri ; Wi- 658 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. burt Reverdy resides in Tiffin; Carrie Marie is the wife of Dr. Jesse B. Gilbert, of East Grand Forks, Minnesota; Otto Bretz was killed at Katchubig, Samar, Philippine Islands, on the 18th of April, 1899, as will be noted later; Harvey G. is identified with the operation of the farm; and Elmer DeWitt is a student in Heidelberg University, in Tiffin. Of the untimely death of Otto Bretz Loose we may speak farther. Thirty soldiers of the Forty-third Regiment were on guard at the place mentioned and were attacked by six hundred of the insurgents and all but ten of their number were killed. They had taken refuge in a convent and for four days from Easter Sunday were continuously engaged in endeavoring to repel the attack of the rebellious enemy, and on Wednesday the convent was set afire and the unprotected and valiant soldiers were mercilessly shot down. Otto had left his home about six months previously and the news of his death came as a shock to the community in which he had been reared and brought deep sorrow to the family and a large circle of warm friends. He was a bright young man of twenty-five years and thus sacrificed his life in his country's cause, far from home and native land. WILLIAM B. ROLLINS. William B. Rollins is now living retired in Fostoria, enjoying a well-earned rest. His birth occurred in 1842, in Montgomery township, Wood county, Ohio, not far from this city, his parents being Almon and Mary (Sherwood) Rollins. His paternal grandfather was William Rollins. The father of our subject became one of the early settlers of Wood county, where in pioneer times he served as justice of the peace and where he died during the boyhood days of his son William, passing away in 1847, at the age of fifty-two years, his birth having occurred in 1795 in Connecticut. The family was founded in New England at a very early date, his ancestors establishing a home in New Hampshire. He was united in marriage to Miss Mary Sherwood, a daughter of William Sherwood. Her mother belonged to the same family of which Ethan CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 659 Allen was a descendant. William Sherwood served as grand master of the Masonic Lodge of New Jersey. Later he emigrated westward and took up his abode in Honey Creek, near Fort Seneca, Seneca county, there spending his remaining days. Under the paternal roof William B. Rollins spent the days of his childhood, and when about nineteen years of age he offered his services to the government. He had watched with interest the progress of evenfs in the south and resolved that if an attempt was made to overthrow the Union he would strike a blow in its defense. Hardly had the smoke of Fort Sumter's guns cleared away when, in April, 1861, he became a member of Company H, Twenty-first Ohio Infantry, for three months. The command saw service in West Virginia. It was soon proven, however, that the war was not to be a mere holiday affair and troops were enlisted for three years. On the 5th of August, 1861, Mr. Rollins joined Company H, of the Forty-ninth Ohio Infantry, with which he remained until 1865, when, the war having ended, he returned to his home. He participated in the battles of Pittsburg Landing, 'Corinth, Stone River, Liberty Gap, Lawrenceburg, Kenesaw Mountain and Chickamauga, and in the last named was wounded and taken prisoner on the second day of the battle, September 20, 1863. He was held as a prisoner of war for seventeen months and ten days, being incarcerated on Belle Island and in the small-pox hospital of Richmond, in Libby Prison, in Macon, Georgia, and was the first prisoner put in Andersonville Prison, being one of the first men to enter that notorious place. He was afterward transferred to Milan Prison, later to Florence, South Carolina, and then sent to Savannah, Georgia, where he was paroled in 1865. Immediately after the war Mr. Rollins carne to Fostoria and for twenty-one years was engaged in the produce business, during which time he enjoyed a liberal patronage and acquired a handsome competence which enabled him to retire to private life in 1886. He was the junior member of the firm of Morgan & Company, whose operations were extensive and whose business reputation was unassailable. In this city Mr. Rollins was joined in wedlock to Miss Louise E. Lewis, a daughter of James and Phoebe (Gregg) Lewis, of Fostoria. 660 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Her father was born in Albion, New York, and his ancestors were among those who valiantly aided in winning independence for the nation in the Revolutionary war. He is now deceased but his widow still survives and makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. Rollins. Our subject and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and fraternally he is connected with the Knights of the Maccabees, the Knights of Pythias and with the Masonic order, exemplifying in his life the beneficent and helpful spirit of these fraternities. If one examines into his life record to find the secret of his success it will be seen that his prosperity has resulted from close application, unfaltering diligence and keen discrimination. His history contains no exciting chapters, but in it are many examples well worthy of emulation. He has not only won success but also that ()pod name which is rather to be chosen than great riches. LOUIS PHILLIPS. One of the prominent old pioneer families of Seneca county is that of Phillips. They have ever borne their part in the upbuilding and development of this region and have invariably been exponents of progress and liberal ideas upon all subjects. Mr. Phillips, of this review, was born in Norwich township, Huron county, Ohio, December 27, 1853, and is a son of John and Catherine (Groves) Phillips. Of the parents' ten children eight are now living, namely : John, a resident of Tiffin ; Louis, of this review ; Joseph, a prominent farmer of Venice township, Seneca county; Martin, of Bellevue, Ohio; Jacob, also of Venice township; Mary, the widow of Frank A. Falter and a resident of St. Stephen, Seneca county; Fannie, the wife of Philip Stemmetz, of Toledo; Anna, the wife of Daniel Unser, of Hopewell township, Seneca county. Helen and Matilda are deceased. Louis Phillips was reared to years of maturity in his native county, but on account of impaired hearing his educational privileges were naturally very limited. After his marriage he located on the farm where CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 661 he still resides, then the property of his father, but later he became the owner of seventy-seven acres, and in addition thereto he also farms seventy-seven acres belonging to his father. In business circles he sustains a most enviable reputation. His energetic nature, strong determination, sagacity and capable management have brought to him a handsome competence, and he is now numbered among the influential and representative agriculturists of Bloom township. The marriage of Mr. Phillips was celebrated in 1877, when Miss Christena Falter became his wife. She is a daughter of Philip Falter, whose history will be found in the sketch of Henry G. Falter in this volume. Ten children have been born unto this union, nine of whom still survive: Edward, Mary, Rosa, Loretta, George, Helen, Clara, Frederick and Clarence. The children are all at home with the exception of the eldest, who. is a farmer in Indiana. Mr. Phillips exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democracy, but he has never been an aspirant for the emoluments of public office, preferring to give his entire time and attention to his business interests. The family are members of the Catholic church, and they are respected and highly esteemed throughout the county. HENRY BALBIAN. The city of Tiffin, Ohio, is the home of some of the most flourishing industries of Seneca county, and the place of residence of those whose energy and ability control these enterprises. One of the leading business citizens of Tiffin is Henry Baibian, whose connection with the Tiffin Woolen Mills has existed since 1899, and he is a worthy representative of that class of large-brained, progressive and public-spirited men without whose business acumen and advanced ideas many lines of trade would become entirely inactive. By birth Mr. Balbian is a German, his residence in the United States dating from the day of the assassination of President Garfield, in 662 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 1881. He was born in Rhein-Pfalz, Bavaria, Germany, March 13, 1860, and was given good educational opportunities, studying for a time in an academy in Heidelberg. His father, Gustave Balbian, is a native of the same place, and still resides there, at the age of eighty years, venerable and respected. For a long priod he was a prominent and prosperous woolen manufacturer, and it was in his father's mills that our subject acquired his thorough knowledge, of the manufacture of woolens. When Mr. Balbian reached the city of New York he was but twenty years old, but he was already a skilled workman and very soon he entered upon a business engagement in Lisbon Falls, Maine, where he was superintendent of mills, at a salary of five thousand dollars a year, this connection lasting for four years. His next business association was in Philadelphia, where he managed a large mill for six years, leaving there to assist in the starting of a new plant at Louisville, Kentucky, which he successfully and satisfactorily managed for the succeeding three years. In the fall of 1892 he returned to the north and became the manager of a mill at North Vassalboro, Maine, remaining with that concern until 1897, when he went to Cleveland, Ohio, there taking charge of the largest plant of its kind in America. The fertile brain of Mr. Balbian was continually busy, seeking out new methods, projecting new plans and preparing for a permanent future for himself. In 1898, in connection with his brother Frederick, he bought the Vassar Woolen Mills and the electric-light plant in Vassar, Michigan, this large enterprise now being under the superintendency of Frederick Balbian. Mr. Balbian still had expansive ideas, and in 1899 he came to Tiffin, Ohio, and considered the advisability of purchasing the old Tiffin Woolen Mills, a plant which had been idle for some years. Mr. Balbian, with the business ability which has always distinguished him, finally determined to take charge of this plant, which formerly had not been successfully conducted, and to put in improved machinery, apply his own enlightened methods of management and to endeavor to make this a valuable and paying Property. This he has done, and now the industry is one of the leading ones of the city, employing a very large force of workmen and attracting a great volume of trade. The CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 663 output of the plant consists of all classes of woolen goods, and in connection with the mills Mr. Balbian conducts a large tailoring establishment. His methods are practical, because he is a practical man. He understands every detail of his work and knows just .where to expand and where to economize and still to keep his goods up to the standard he has. led the trade to expect. Henry Balbian was married on October 3, 1882, to Miss Lena Ellen Batz, who was born in Connecticut, and they have three daughters, namely : Lillian May, Lena Ellen and Anna Matilda, all well educated young ladies and fitted for the best social circles in Tiffin. Mr. Balbian was reared in the Lutheran church, and his wife is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church. In politics he votes more for the man than in the interests of any party, while fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and has attained the thirty-second degree in the Masonic order. Mr. Balbian is one of the substantial citizens of Tiffin, and his beautiful home, on Milmore street, is the center of a genial hospitality. He is liberal and public-spirited and takes pride in the progress of this city, being ever ready to assist in all enterprises which promise to be of benefit. He is recognized as a leader in all matters of business, and is always at home where shrewdness, clear-headedness and sound judgment are brought into play. As manager of the Tiffin Woolen Mills he has shown his ability and skill, having a large capacity for work himself, and possessing those qualifications which enable him to manage large forces of men without friction. ALBERT L. FLACK. Albert L. Flack, Sr., the founder of the house of A. L. Flack & Company, wholesale dealers in specialties, cigars, groceries, sundries, etc., in Tiffin, Ohio, is one of the leading business men of this city, as well as one of its most substantial and progressive citizens. 664 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Mr. Flack was born in the village of McCutchenville, Seneca county, Ohio, February 8, 1849, being a son of Josiah and Sylvia Ann (Daily) Flack, and a grandson of George Flack, who was one of the early settlers of Seneca county and who was an extensive farmer six miles south of Tiffin, where he died, and for many years was a victim of the cholera epidemic. Josiah Flack, the father of our subject, was born in Frederick county, Maryland, and accompanied his father when he came to Seneca county, learning the tailoring business under the instruction of a Mr. Rose, and following the same for a. number of years. In middle life he moved to Adrian, this county, and for several years was engaged in the grain business, handling it in the interests of David M. Arndt, but his last days were spent in Tiffin, where .he died at the age of seventy-four. In politics he was an adherent of the Republican party, and in religion was a member of the Methodist church. He was an upright, honorable man and his memory is respected by all who knew him. The mother of our subject was a daughter of Samuel Daily, who was a pioneer of this locality, where in those early days he conducted a large tannery, on the site of the present engine house and city hall, on Market street. Mrs. Flack was born in Tiffin and has grown with the growth of the city, and is still surviving, being one of the most highly esteemed members of the Methodist church, with which she has been so long connected. She has always resided in Tiffin with the exception of the period during which her husband' was in business in Adrian and some eight years spent in. Williams county, Ohio, and is well known to all of the older residents. The boyhood of Albert J. Flack of this sketch was spent in Adrian, Ohio, and in Williams county, this state, and his education was acquired in the public schools. For a period of about three years he et-gaged in teaching in Adrian and Sycamore, and then came to Tiffin, where he engaged at this time in the insurance business. After several years he became identified with a manufacturing industry in this city, known as the Tiffin Union Churn Company, and for a time traveled in its interest, with excellent success. He then purchased an interest in the Oval Wood Dish Company, the general offices of which are located at Delta, Ohio, the large factories being operated at Traverse City, Michi- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 665 gan, and for the past sixteen years he has been in charge of the sales department, successfully managing the general agency of this business. The increasing demands for the products of this company have made it necessary for Mr. Flack to give much of his time to traveling, the goods finding ready sale all over the United States and in Canada. As an energetic man of business Mr. Flack has few superiors. He has, in addition to promoting the business of the company which he has so long represented, established in Tiffin the house of A. L. Flack & Company, and has organized a cigar manufactory, located at No. 157 'ashington street, the same being the second largest of its kind in the city, although established only three years ago. He is identified with several important business enterprises in addition to those already named, a notable one being the Home Telephone Company, of which he is president. He is the owner of valuable property in Tiffin, including his beautiful modern residence on Monroe street, the same being one of the most desirable in the city. Recently Mr. Flack has effected' the organization of the Knisely-Flack Company, in the city of Toledo, the same being incorporated, and its enterprise being- that of the manufacture of custom-made shirts and underwear, while the Golden Elixir Company, whose product is the widely celebrated health tonic of the narrre mentioned, is also a recent acquisition of the Knisely-Flack Company, Ralph E. Flack, son of our subject. being secretary and acting treasurer of both companies. From early manhood Mr. Flack has been an active Republican, but has never consented to become a candidate for office, having no personal political ambition but having been ever ready to promote the interests of his friends and the party cause. He has taken a very active interest in the Masonic fraternity for many years, being identified with Tiffin Lodge, No. 77, F. & A. M., and the various organizations in this city and the Scottish Rite bodies and the Mystic Shrine in Toledo and Cincinnati. Both he and his two elder sons are thirty-second degree Masons and are widely and favorably known in the order. Mr. Flack is also a member of Pickwick Lodge, No. 175, Knights of Pythias, and of Tiffin Lodge of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. The religious - 42 - 666 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. connection of the family is with St. Paul's Methodist church, to which he contributes liberally in the support of all its benevolent work. On the 28th of March, 1872, Mr. Flack was united in marriage to Miss Amelia Brown, the daughter of Jeptha Brown, residing near Sycamore, Wyandot county, and the three sons of this union are all interested in the business with which their father has so long been connected. They are among the prominent and highly esteemed young men of Tiffin, their names, in order of birth, being as follows: Edgar B., Ralph E. and Clifford J. Mr. Flack is a self-made man. His entrance into business life was in an indifferent capacity, but his energy and industry soon won him recognition and since then his progress has continually been upward. He understands most thoroughly the many details of his various enterprises which owe much to his thoroughness. Socially and in a business way he is a man to make friends, and they are legion, not confined to his home in Tiffin, but all over the country where business has called him. GEORGE STEARNS. George Stearns is one of the extensive land-owners of Seneca county and now makes his home in Republic, although he yet supervises his agricultural interests. He was born in Ellisburg, Jefferson county, New York, on the 10th of July, 1826, and has therefore passed the spalmist's span of three score years and ten, but old age is not necessarily a synonym of weakness and helplessness and need not suggest, as a matter of course, want of action. There is an old age which grows stronger as the years advance and gives out of its rich stores of learning and experience for the benefit of others. Such is the life of George Stearns, one of the honored and esteemed citizens of Seneca county. His father, George Stearns, Sr., was a native of Vermont and after arriving at years of maturity married Sophia Baker, a daughter cf Judge Samuel Baker. He removed from the Green Mountain state to New York at an early date and was married in Steuben county, whence, in 1825, he CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 667 came to Seneca county and, entered from the government three hundred and twenty acres. of land in Scipio township. He then returned to the Empire state and four years later, in 1829, brought his family to Ohio. At that time he took up his abode in Eden township, upon the farm now owned by Dr. Fleet, making it his: place of residence until his death, which occurred August 27, 1831, when he was thirty-seven years of age. His wife survived him and became the wife of William Fleet. She remained on the homestead, in Eden township, until her death, in 1839, leaving one daughter born of this; second, marriage,—Sophia, who married Charles Nolan and now lives at Ottawa, Kansas. Of the four children of the first marriage who survived their parents we .enter the following brief record: John B., who lived for many years in Scipio township, moved to South Dakota, where he died in 1890, his remains being brought back to Seneca. county and interred in Rock Creek cemetery; George is the subject of this review ; Daniel, who made his home in Garden Grove, Iowa, passed away in 1892; and Alfred, is living at Garden Grove, Iowa. When only five years of age George Stearns lost his father, and at the early age of thirteen he was left an orphan by his mother's death. He remained upon the home farm with his stepfather, Mr. Fleet, through the succeeding year and. then went to live with his guardian, Richard Baker, of Eden township, with whom he remained for six years. In the meantime he pursued his education in a log school-house, instruction being given after the primitive manner of the times. When twenty years of age he came to Scipio township and began clearing the farm which his father had entered from the government. He and his brother John inherited this property, comprising three hundred and twenty acres of heavily timbered land, many of the tree's being black walnut. Mr. Stearns boarded with a family that he had employed and they lived in a log cabin. With characteristic energy he began clearing away the trees, and the sound of his ax in the forest indicated that one after another those monarchs of the woods were falling before his: sturdy strokes. As the land was cleared he plowed and. planted it and in course of time his labors were rewarded with good harvests. He remained upon his old homestead until 1887, when he came to Republic. He cleared all of his 668 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. share of the land, comprising one hundred and sixty acres, and made excellent improvements, including the erection of a commodious residence, substantial barns and outbuildings and all other equipments that constitute a model farm. He still owns the property, which has never been out of the Stearns family since it was entered from the government, more than three-quarters of a century ago. As his financial resources increased he added to his property, until he now has three hundred and sixty acres of rich land in the homestead, and he also owns a valuable farm, of one hundred and ninety acres, in Decatur county, Iowa. While living upon his farm' he engaged quite extensively in sheep-raising, making a specialty of Merino sheep. More than a half a century has, passed since George Stearns and Orvilla King started in life together as man and wife. Their wedding was celebrated August 2, 1849, the lady being a daughter of Obediah and Phoebe King, of Scipio township. Two children were born unto them: Frank E., who is now living in Chicago; and Clary S., a banker of Garden Grove, Iowa. The two sons went west as. young men and for a few years were engaged in clerking for their uncles, in Garden Grove, Iowa, where they finally engaged in general merchandising for themselves. Later on they were identified with the organization of the First National Bank in that place, with a branch bank at Leroy. C. S. Stearns now devotes his entire attention to the banking interests, while Frank E. still continues in mercantile pursuits, having a store at Carrollton, Missouri, and also being resident buyer in Chicago for a number of country merchants. Mr. and Mrs. Stearns gained a very large circle of friends and acquaintances. in Seneca county, for the latter passed her entire life here, and our subject was but an infant at the time he was brought by his parents to this locality. The loved and devoted wife of our subject was summoned into eternal rest on the 9th of October, 1892, having been an invalid for about two years. prior to her death. She was a woman of fine intellectual gifts, was widely read in the best literature and had that intrinsic courtesy, kindliness and refinement which denote the true gentlewoman. She was ever ready to lend her aid and influence in furthering all that tended to help the community, was charitable and tolerant in her judgment and liberal in her contributions to worthy CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 669 causes. She was a woman of noble and gracious character and held the appreciative affection of an exceptionally wide circle of friends. When the civil war was in progress Mr. Stearns enlisted for one hundred days' service, becoming a member of Company K, One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which command participated in the defense of Washington. Since the organization of the Republican party, he has been one of its stanch advocates, unswerving in his loyalty to its principles. His worth is widely recognized, for his life has been a busy, useful and upright one. Great changes have occurred in Seneca county since he took up his abode here. Time and man have wrought a wonderful transformation, for at the time of the arrival of the family this portion of Ohio was largely a frontier district in which the work of progress and improvement was scarcely begun. The greater part of the land was in its primitive condition, just as it came from the hand of nature, but the labors of the pioneers soon produced a great change in the appearance of the country, the wild forest districts being transformed into rich farms which became the homes of a contented and happy people. In the work of progress and improvement Mr. Stearns has ever borne his part, and his labors have resulted in promoting the public good and at the same time have brought to him prosperity as the reward of his enterprise and diligence. CAPTAIN JOHN W. CHAMBERLIN. In the death of Captain John W. Chamberlin, in 1901, the city of Tiffin, Ohio, lost one of her leading citizens. He was at that time the cashier of the Tiffin National Bank, a very prominent member of the Masonic fraternity and a well known veteran of the civil war. Captain Chamberlin was born on a farm, in Crawford county, Ohio, May 21. 1837, being a son of James and Roxanna (Courtright) Chamberlin, the former of whom was born in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and the latter being also a native of the same place. James Chamberlin moved with his family to Ohio in 1832 and embarked in the mercantile 670 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. business in McCutchenville, on the plank road: between Tiffin and Sandusky, and remained there a number of years, where he was well known as a business man and postmaster. His first wife, who was the mother of our subject, spent the whole of her life in this state, dying January 19, 185o, at the age of forty-four years. She was a consistent member of the Methodist church, and he had been a member of the Presbyterian church, in which he was an elder. The only child by this marriage. was the late John W. Chamberlin. The second: marriage of Mr. Chamberlin was to a Mrs. Hall, by which union there were four children. After passing his boyhood in farm work John W. obtained a situation in a store in McCutchenville and began a business career which ended only with his death. He taught school in the vicinity of the village for one year, going then to Iowa, where also he engaged in teaching. On his return to this state he was employed in a store until the outbreak of the civil war. At the age of twenty-four he set about recruiting a company at and near Carey, and was elected and commissioned its captain. This new organization, which was raised in seven days, was made Company A of the One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Captain Chamberlin, whose commission was dated August 12, 1862, was mustered out of service with the rank of major, his commission as such being dated March 13, 1865. At Winchester, on June 15, 1863, the brigade of which his regiment was a part, while on the advance to Gettysburg, was surrendered to the enemy by an officer temporarily in charge, and Captain Chamberlin and his brother officers were confined nearly ten months in Libby prison at Richmond,—till March 21, 1864. While a prisoner Captain Chamberlin was placed on a board of distribution of supplies sent by our government to the enlisted soldiers and had personal charge of three large hospitals, with twelve hundred inmates. July 6, 1863, he and twenty-three other captives were compelled to draw lots, two to be executed in place of two Confederate captives executed by our government ; but the lot did not fall upon him. He was paroled March 21, 1864, and rejoined his regiment at Newmarket, Virginia, May, 1864, and he was finally discharged June 2, 1865, at Camp Chase, Ohio. Returning to Carey, Captain Chamberlin resumed his mercantile. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 671 pursuits. In 1874 he came to Tiffin as secretary of the Tiffin shoe factory and held this position until 1878, when he .was elected cashier of the National Exchange Bank. Upon its reorganization as, the present institution, the Tiffin National Bank, he was retained in the same position. He took a prominent part in the organization of the State Bankers' Association and was elected its president. Distinguished as was the late Captain Chamberlin as a soldier, a man of business and a financier, he is chiefly remembered for his eminence as a member of the fraternity of Freemasons. Masonry was the rule and guide of his life, and his improvement and excellence therein was with him his highest avocation. His dignity of presence and conversation, his uprightness of character as well as his erectness of stature, his equable demeanor and his gentleness to all, were outward expressions of the esoteric truths which he not only believed but also lived. He was the only Mason in this part of the state who had attained the thirty-third degree of the craft,—an honor which is held by only a few in each state and which, unlike the thirty-second degree, cannot be obtained by application, but is conferred only for excellent and meritorious work in advancing the cause of Masonry. His Masonic record will best indicate his standing in the order locally and throughout the whole country, and is here presented in an abridged form : He was made a Master Mason November 9, 1858; a Royal Arch Mason June 9, 1859; a Royal and Sclect Master Mason June 2, 1865; and a Knight Templar November 28, 1860; and the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite was conferred upon him April 5, 1866, and the thirty-third degree September 5, 1885. He was the master of Carey Lodge six years,. of Tiffin Lodge four years, and conferred the lodge degrees on forty-nine candidates; was the high priest of Seneca Chapter, R. A. M., three years, and conferred, the chapter degrees on thirty-four candidates.; was thrice illustrious: master of Clinton Council for ten years, conferring the degrees on thirteen candidates; was eminent commander of De Molay Commandery seven years, and conferred the chivalric degrees upon ninety-three candidates. At the annual meetings of the grand lodge and grand chapter his 672 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ability was repeatedly recognized, and he was placed on the most important committees. For six years he was chairman of the committee on charities and dispensation. In the grand chapter he was elected to the several offices, and in 1883 became grand high priest of the grand chapter of Ohio. He was elected president of the council of high priests, in which office he continued until his death. During these years as president he conferred the order of high priesthood on fully six hundred candidates. His efforts toward the founding of the Ohio Masonic Home at Springfield led to his appointment as trustee and treasurer of the institution at the time of its inception, and he was thus incumbent to the day of his death. His lifelong zeal and his conspicuous abilities, recognized by the higher authorities, led to his recommendation and election to the thirty-third degree, the first and only time the honor has been enjoyed by a Seneca county Mason. His obsequies were conducted by the Knights Templar. The first marriage of Captain Chamberlin was solemnized on June 6, 1861, to Miss Mary Cowles, who died May 13, 1867. A daughter, Mary, was born to this marriage and died in girlhood. On November 2, 1870, Captain Chamberlin was married to Miss Livonia R. Buell, who with one son, John W., now in young manhood, survives him. Mrs. Chamberlin was born in Wyanclot county, Ohio, a daughter of Hon. William Myron and Laura P. (Starr) Buell, the former of whom was a native of Delaware county, Ohio, and the latter of New Hartford, Connecticut. Mr. Buell became a prominent merchant and grain-dealer at Crawfordsville and Carey, Ohio, and was a captain of militia in 1840, and went to California in 1852. In his political affiliations he was a Democrat, and at one time was a member of the California legislature. His death occurred in that state, when he was aged. about fifty-nine years. The mother of Mrs. Chamberlin had an ancestral line reaching to the Mayflower, being a lineal descendant of Elder William Brewster, who came on that historic vessel in 1620, its first voyage to America. Her death occurred in 1849, when she had attained her thirty-seventh year. She had been the faithful and tender mother of six children, Mrs. Chamberlin being eight years old at the time of her decease. The latter was educated at Carey, Ohio, and spent several years in teaching. She CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 673 now resides in the beautiful home left by her husband on Sycamore street in Tiffin, and is an active member of the Methodist church. Her son John is a student at the Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland. HARMON H. COOK. The life history of him whose name introduces this review is closely identified with the history of Seneca county, which has been his home for many years. His business career was begun in this county, and throughout the years which have since come and gone he has been closely allied with its interests and upbuilding. His life has been one of untiring activity and has been crowned with a degree of success attained by comparatively few. He is of the highest type of business men, and none more than he deserves a fitting recognition among those whose enterprise and abilities have enabled them to climb to the topmost round of the ladder. Harmon H. Cook was born in Prussia, Germany, January 14, 1849, a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Determan) Cook. The name was originally spelled Koch, but the present generation have adopted the English spelling of Cook. The father was also born in Prussia, his birth occurring in 1820, and he was there reared and married. While residing in his native land he was principally engaged in the manufacture of wooden shoes. In 1854, with his wife and four children, he left his little home across the sea and came to America, locating in Adams township, Seneca county, Ohio. He was then in poor circumstances, and was enabled to make the journey here only through the assistance of his wife's brothers,—John H. and Harmon Determan, who were among the earliest pioneers of Adams township. There the father of our subject worked by the day at clearing land and at whatever honorable occupation presented itself, and from his savings he was soon enabled to purchase one hundred and thirty acres of land. This he was able to free from all indebtedness in a few years, and as the years passed: by he added to his 674 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. possessions until he owned five hundred acres of well improved and valuable land. His life's labors were ended in death in 1894, at the age of seventy-two years. His wife's brothers, John H. and Harmon Determan, both began life in this country poor boys, and they, too, became wealthy. The sons and grandsons of these are all now well situated in life, and thus the Cook and Determan families are influential ones in this portion of the state. Henry Cook was a stanch Democrat in his political views and was an active worker in the Reformed church. His wife survived his death but two weeks, when she, too, passed away, dying at the age of sixty-eight years. This worthy couple became the parents of nine children, all of whom still survive, namely : Catherine, the wife of Melchior Kechly, of Nebraska; Harmon H., the subject of this review; Henry, a prominent farmer of Reed township; Frederick, who makes his home in Scipio township; Louis, also of that township ; Eliza, the wife of Wilson Cole, of Reed township; John, a prominent agriculturist of Scipio township; Anna, the wife of Robert Stroub, also of Scipio township; and Daniel, of Thompson township, Seneca county. Harmon H. Cook is indebted to the common schools of the neighborhood for the educational advantages which he enjoyed, but these, however, were extremely limited, as he was the eldest son of the family and much of the burden of the farm:, work fell on his young shoulders. At the age of twenty-one years he left his parents' home and began the active battle of life for himself, working as a farm hand for the following two years. He then continued agricultural pursuits as a renter, and two years after his marriage he purchased ninety-six acres and a fraction over, a part of his present home, while about six years later he increased the boundaries of his possessions by purchasing forty-eight acres adjoining, thus making his farm one of one hundred and forty-five acres. When he first purchased his land he assumed an indebtedness of four thousand dollars, but industry and economy, combined with excellent management and sound business judgment, soon reduced the amount; but when his second farm was purchased the debt was: again increased to four thousand dollars. However, this he was enabled to pay off through the same means, and in 1895, taking advantage of the depression in prices, he purchased one hundred and forty-six acres in Huron county,