1200 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. hopes of benefiting Mr. Wintersteen's health, but he continued to grow worse and the end came at Claremont, southern California, on December 24, 1904. His remains were sent back to Wayne county, Ohio, and interred at Reedsburg. Mr. Wintersteen was married on December 12, 1885, to Lillian Houser, daughter of David and Susan (Barnhart) Houser, who were influential citizens of West Unity, Ohio. Mrs. Wintersteen was born at West Unity, Williams county, Ohio. To this union six children were born, three of whom are deceased ; those living are : Guy, an electrical engineer, now working in Alaska; Ralph and Charles. Mr. Wintersteen was a member of the Reformed church, and fraternally he was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen. He was regarded by all who knew him as a most congenial and companionable gentleman and he had scores of friends throughout the county. He was kind and indulgent to his family and a successful business man. Mrs. Wintersteen is living in a cozy and nicely furnished home in Orrville, a woman of pleasing personality, who has many warm personal friends here. JAMES TAGGART. From the early pioneer epoch the life of the honored subject of this review has been identified with the agricultural and commercial activities of Wayne county, of which he is a native son and in which he has maintained a consecutive residence. He has now passed the psalmist's allotted span of three score years and ten, and this fact is significant, since it indicates the early date at which his parents must have cast in their lot with the pioneers of this now prosperdus and opulent section of the old Buckeye state. His father exercised a potent influence in the development and advancement of the county in the early days, and this is also true of the son, who has here lived and labored to goodly ends, so ordering his life as to command the unreserved confidence and regard of all who know him. To a review of his earnest and honorable life the writer turns with a feeling of respect and satisfaction, since the same offers both lesson and incentive. James Taggart, of Wooster township, was born in the city of Wooster, Ohio, on March 20, 1836, and is a son of William and Lydia A. (Reiter) Taggart. William Taggart was born in Belmont county, Ohio, March 5, 1811, and was a son of James Taggart, who came to the United States from WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1201 county Cork, Ireland. That was prior to the war of the Revolution and he was then but three years old, having been brought to this country by his parents. The family came at once to Belmont county, Ohio, and there James Taggart spent the remaining years of his life. William Taggart came from Belmont county to Wooster in 1833. He was a saddler by trade and was employed at this work at Wooster until 1846, when he removed to a farm in Wayne township, where he lived during the remainder of his life. He and his wife are now buried in the Wooster cemetery. Religiously he was a member of the Baptist church, of which he was a trustee, and he and his wife both took a deep interest in the various activities of the society. His political affiliation was with the Republican party. To him and his wife were born the following children : James, the immediate subject of this sketch ; William, who now lives in Kansas, was a member of Company A, One Hundred and Twentieth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil war, was captured during the Red River campaign, and was confined in rebel prisons at Tyler, Texas, thirteen months and seven days ; Samuel died April 26, 1863, at the age of twenty-three years; Joseph is deceased ; Emmett F., who now lives at Akron, Ohio, was a private in the One Hundred and Second Ohio Regiment during the Civil war and has since held the rank of major in the National Guards ; Isaac is assistant cashier of the Merchants National Bank at Massillon, Ohio ; John lives at Columbus Mary Catherine is the wife of William Hatfield, a furniture dealer at Chicago. William Taggart died October 31, 1862. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Lydia A. Reiter. was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, November 11, 1814, and died May 31, 1882. She was a daughter of William Reiter, who came to Wooster township, Wayne county, Ohio, in the early twenties. He here followed the occupation of a farmer, in which he was fairly successful, and became a well-known and influential man in Wayne county. He was widely known as Squire Reiter, having served for many years as a justice of the peace. Part of the farm which he owned is now included in the farm owned by the subject of this sketch. William .Taggart was posessed of strong qualities of mind, being a man of marked intelligence and sound judgment. He was energetic and progressive in his methods, and during his active years was identified with practically every local movement looking to the betterment of the community, especially along educational lines. He served efficiently as president of the Wayne County Agricultural Society for a number of years and was a number of times a delegate to the State Agricultural Society meetings. He was a well informed man on the general topics of the day, and (76) 1202 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. during the Civil war he was an ardent supporter of the war measures of the government. He was a faithful supporter of all moral efforts and his influence was ever found on the side of good and against evil. James Taggart was reared by his parents and received a district school education. He remained at home with his parents until he was twenty years of age, when he went to work for the Pennsylvania railroad. Two years later, however, he returned to farming, in which he has since been continuously engaged, with noteworthy success. He is wide awake and progressive in his ideas acid gives his personal attention to everything he undertakes, so that all his .undertakings have been rewarded with a gratifying result. His fine country home in Wooster township presents an attractive appearance, its general aspect indicating the owner to be a man of good taste and excellent judgment. Aside from his agricultural operations, Mr. Taggart is also identified with a number .of other enterprises, in all of which he takes a leading part. He is a stockholder in and chairman of the board of directors of the Coach Pad Company, Wooster, one of the successful enterprises of that city, and is also a stockholder in the Wayne County National Bank. In politics Mr. Taggart is a stanch Republican and has taken a very active part in the local affairs of his party. He has been honored several times by election to public office, having served as assessor and for three years as a member of the county infirmary board. In 1907 he was elected a trustee of the township, and is now serving as such with marked credit to himself and the benefit of the township. He has several times served as a delegate to the state conventions of his party. For twenty-seven years he has been a member of the school board and for a number of years has been president of that body. His religious faith is that of the Baptist church and he is now a member of the church of that denomination at Wooster, of which he is an earnest and liberal supporter. Mr. Taggart has taken a deep interest in military affairs and for fifteen years he was a member of the Ohio National Guard, belongings' to the Eighth Regiment, and during the greater part of this time was a sergeant, being regimental quartermaster for six years. Mr. Taggart was united in marriage to Catherine Scentman, a native of Pennsylvania, and to them were born the following children : William S., who lives at Wooster, married Bell Tettars, and they have one child, Flossie; John H., of Columbus, married Viola Tettars, and they have one child, Howard ; Anna lives at Dayton, Ohio; Sarah Jane, now deceased, was the wife of a Mr. Etter, and they had three children, Grant, James and Chloe, who married Addie Weaver, of Congress township, this county, this union resulting in three children; James Lincoln, of Akron, Ohio, married Mary Eckart, who died, leaving two children, namely : Alvirda, the wife of WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1203 Charles Brubaker, of Rittman, this county, and they have two children, Mildred Pauline and James Clifford; Florence, who has made her home with her grandfather, is now the wife of Lee Drabenstock and her mother of one child; Arline; Ulysses Grant, of Wooster, married Margaret Taylor and they have one child, Mary ; Miley Bell is the wife of J. D. McKee, of Chicago, Illinois, and they have one child, Robert. Mrs. Taggart died on the 22d of April, 1904. She was a faithful member of the Baptist church at Wooster and was possessed of many fine womanly qualities of character which commended her to the love and good feeling of all who knew her. During a residence of many years in this community, Mr. Taggart has lived a life that ,has given him a high standing in the opinion of those who know him best. A man of progressive spirit and marked enterprise, he has always been foremost in all movements for the general good and his influence has ever been a potential factor for the best things in the life of his fellow men. HENRY H. FORRER. The state of Pennsylvania has furnished a large number of its best citizens to Wayne county, Ohio. This is not strange, for the distance is not great and this is a much newer country and richer, also, than many parts of the great Keystone state. Of this number of progressive citizens Henry H. Forrer should be mentioned in this work, along with other leading citizens of the county. He was born in Pennsylvania, September 3o, 1842, the son of Henry K. and Charlotte (Kendig) Forrer. The former was born in Pennsylvania, but came to Wayne county, Ohio, and engaged in farming, becoming fairly well situated, spending the remaining years of his life here. He had married before coming to Ohio. He was the son of Martin Forrer, who also was born in Pennsylvania. Henry K. Forrer moved to Wayne county, Ohio, in 1855 and here he engaged in farming during the remaining years of his life, becoming well established, owning one hundred and fifty acres of land. He was a member of the Mennonite church and a good and useful man. His death occurred in March, about 1897. Henry H. Forrer, of this sketch, was about twelve years of age when he accompanied his parents to Ohio, and here he worked on the home farm until he was twenty-one years of age. He received a limited education in the district schools of his community. He learned the carpenter's trade and became a very skilled workman, doing considerable contract work and there- 1204 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. by got a good start in the business world, having saved enough to purchase seventy-seven acres of excellent land in 1895; he also owns three and one-half acres in the city of Orrville. The land had but few improvements on it when he bought it, but he has made a number of changes and now has one of the choice farms in this vicinity, clearing much of the land himself. He erected a modern and commodious dwelling and a substantial barn, each being among the most attractive and modern in the township. He carries on general farming and stock raising in a manner that shows him to be fully abreast of the times. Mr. Forrer married Margaret Anderson, a woman of fine personal traits and the daughter of an excellent family. To this union three children have been born, two sons living and one daughter deceased, namely : G. W. Forrer. who is single and living with his parents, and J. E. Forrer, also at home. In politics Mr. Forrer is a Republican and he has always been a worker in his party ; however, he prefers to spend most of his time in looking after his personal business affairs rather than mingling with the crowd of office seekers. He is a quiet, unassuming, honest and highly respected man, one of the best known citizens of Baughman township. ABNER G. ORR. The people who constitute the bone and sinew of this country are not those who are unstable and unsettled, who fly from this occupation to that, who do not know how to vote until they are told, and who take no active and intelligent interest in affairs affecting their schools, churches and property. The backbone of this country is made up of the families which have made their homes, who are alive to the best interests of the community in which they reside, and who attend to their own business and are too busy to attend to that of others, who work on steadily from day to day taking the sunshine with the storm, and who rear a fine family to a comfortable home and an honest life. Such people are always welcome in any country and any community. They are wealth producers and Wayne county is blessed with many of them, among the number being the subject of this sketch. Abner G. Orr is descended from sturdy Irish ancestry, his grandfather. Samuel Orr, having emigrated to this country from Ireland in young man- WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1205 hood. He came at once to Wayne county, Ohio, and located in East Union township. At that time he had no means, but he possessed strong arms and a willing heart, and by dint of tireless energy and a wise economy he was enabled to buy a small tract of land, to which he added from time to time as he was able until at the time of his death he was the owner of a fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres. He married Mary Burnett, and they became the parents of eight sons and one daughter. Of these sons, Thomas was the father of the subject of this sketch. He was born in East Union township on October 31, 1820, and was reared on his father's farm, which he continued to till during his active years. He married Nancy Gaddis and they became the parents of six children, two boys and four girls, namely : Martha, the wife of Albert Hughes, of Defiance county, Ohio ; Mary, the wife of Abram shelman, of Milton township; Abner G., the subject of this sketch ; Emma, the wife of Charles Swaingart, of East Union township; William J. married Emma J. Brenneman and resides on the old homestead in East Union township; Sarah A., who was the wife of C. M. Badger, is now deceased. One sad accident happened in the Bechtel family. In 1837 there was a fire and the house burned, and four girls were burned to death. This affected the health of the father so that he passed away and one year later on Christmas day they buried him. Abner G. Orr was born in East Union township, Wayne county, February 3, 1856, and was reared under the parental roof. He attended the common schools of his locality, supplementing this by attendance at Professor Eberly's school at Smithville. On the completion of his education he began teaching school and followed this vocation seven years. He then resumed labor on the farm and subsequently came into possession of a fine farm of his own, on which he is successfully prosecuting his chosen vocation. He has a splendid farm of three hundred and eight acres, on which he raises all the crops common to this locality, and in connection therewith he also gives considerable attention to the breaking and raising of live stock, in which also he has been successful. He is a careful and painstaking man, and the appearance of his property indicates him to be a man of good taste and sound judgment. He has a comfortable and commodious residence, substantial and convenient outbuildings and barns, and in all departments of his work he is up to date. On February 27, 189o, Mr.. Orr was united in marriage to Sarah M. Bechtel. She is a daughter of Jacob Bechtel, who was born on February 29, 1206 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. 1836, in Greene township, where he spent his entire life. Mrs. Orr was born July 26, 1861, on the farm on which she now lives. To Mr. and Mrs. Orr have been born four children, as follows : Walter B., born April 16, 1894; Mary E., born July 1o, 1896; Emily A., born January 23, 1899 Charlotte K., born September 27, 1901 ; Sarah Lucille, born March 17, 1906, died August 24, 1907. In politics Mr. Orr is an enthusiastic Republican and is now serving as one of the trustees of Greene township, having also served as a member of the school board. In religion, he and his wife are active members of the Presbyterian church at Orrville, to which they give an earnest and generous support. Mr. Orr is an excellent citizen, quiet and unostentatious, and enjoys the respect and confidence of his neighbors and friends, who have known him from early boyhood. DAVID WENGER. One of the best-known and most progressive native sons of Wayne county is David Wenger, whose entire life has been spent within her borders, and he has always had deeply at heart the well-being and improvement of the county, using his influence wherever possible for the promotion of enterprises calculated to be of lasting benefit to his fellow men, besides taking a leading part in all movements for advancing the community along social, intellectual and moral lines. Mr. Wenger was born in Sugar Creek township, March 22, 1864. He is the son of Emanuel Wenger, who was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where he grew to manhood and where he was educated, having married there, and soon afterwards came to Wayne county, Ohio, his wife also having been a native of Pennsylvania. They lived on a farm and became prosperous and highly respected citizens of Sugar Creek township. To them seven sons were born, three of whom are deceased ; those living are David, Emanuel, Christian and Amos. They have a half-sister living, Anna, the daughter of Emanuel Wenger by his second wife, who was Mary A. Tschantz. David Wenger was reared upon the home farm; however, when eleven years of age he removed with his parents to Burton City, where he attended the common schools and received a fairly good education. Not content to begin the battle of life with a common school education, however, he WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1207 went to Oberlin, Ohio, and took a commercial course, graduating there in the spring of 1885. Mr. Wenger's bent seemed to be toward merchandising and he accordingly sought employment in a store at Orrville, clerking in a clothing store there for a period of four years, giving his employers entire satisfaction, for he was courteous, alert and possessed innate ability that went to make a first-class clerk. Seeking a broader field, where he could learn more of the life of a merchant, he betook himself to the city of Dunkirk, New York, and lie remained in this prosperous little city for about a year, during which time he picked up many helpful hints, being a man of well-developed perceptive faculties, enabling him to closely observe the trend of events in the commercial world, so that in 1891 when he returned to Wayne county he was well equipped to enter business for himself. He purchased a stock of goods at Burton City and conducted a general store there, being successful from the first, and is still managing the same, having built up a very lucrative patronage with the surrounding country. He has a carefully selected and well-arranged stock, of large dimensions, and he owns his store building. He is also postmaster at Burton City, the duties of which he is ably discharging. As a Republican, Mr. Wenger takes considerable interest in local political affairs. Having studied law and having been admitted to the Ohio bar, before which he passed a very satisfactory examination, he does a little office work and is a notary public. He is at present clerk of Baughman township, filling this office to the satisfaction of all concerned. He has studied law at home until he is well grounded in its fundamental principles and should he devote .his attention exclusively to the practice of law he would doubtless build up a large practice and achieve more than ordinary success, seeming to be possessed of innate qualities that would redound to the accomplishment of definite and large results in the legal field. He is a man of untiring industry, force of character, public spirited and honest in his relations with his fellow men, consequently he has the confidence and good will of all who know him. In 1891 Mr. Wenger married Mary B. Spindler, of Burton City, Ohio, and they have two daughters, Grace M. and Margaret E., aged respectively fifteen and seventeen years. In 1898 Mr. Wenger was the Republican candidate for the Legislature, but Wayne county's Democratic majority was too great to overcome and he went down to defeat with the balance of the Republican ticket. 1208 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. DAVID CALVIN. ARMSTRONG. The first half of the nineteenth century was characterized by the immigration of that pioneer element which made the great state of Ohio what it is. These immigrants were sturdy, heroic, upright, sincere people, such as constitute the intrinsic strength of a commonwealth. It scarcely appears probable that in the future history of the world another such period can occur, or indeed any period when such a solid phalanx of strong-minded men and heroic, self-sacrificing women will take possession of a new country. Too careful or too frequent reference cannot be made in the pages of history concerning those who have figured e the founders and builders of a great commonwealth, and in connection with this brief review of the personal history of Mr. Armstrong it is our privilege to touch incidentally and specifically upon interesting data in regard to the sterling pioneer family of which he is a member and which has been identified with the annals of the Buckeye state since an early period in the last century. The subject of this sketch is known as one of the influential and worthy citizens and successful agriculturists of Seneca county, where he has passed practically his entire life. David C. Armstrong was born in Canaan township, Wayne county, Ohio, on the 2d day of October, 1853', and is a son of Calvin and Mary (McKee) Armstrong, the former of whom was born in Canaan township on June 3, 1826, and the latter in Wooster, Ohio, April 24, 1826. The subject's paternal grandfather, Thomas Armstrong, was born in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, on the 22d of August, 1776. In his youth he came to Ohio, locating in Columbiana county, where he grew to manhood, and, in 1801, married Jane Cook. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and after the surrender of General Hull at Detroit, he was commissioned a captain and won other military honors. After the close of the war he came to Wayne county, Ohio, and settled on Clear creek, where he lived two years. He then located on what became the Armstrong homestead in the southwestern part of Canaan township. This section of the county was at that time very sparsely settled, 'there being but three families within a radius of four miles of his cabin. He at once entered upon the herculean task of clearing this land and putting it in shape for cultivation and none but those who have performed this class of work can have any adequate idea of what it really meant. Mr. Armstrong quickly took a front place among the early settlers and long was considered one of the most influential and prominent men in his part of the county. He was the first justice of. the peace in Canaan township and officiated at the wedding of the first couple married in the township. At the WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1209 time of his death, which occurred on March 2, 1842, he was the owner of about four hundred acres of land. Mrs. Jane Armstrong died April 14, 1856. They were both members of the Wayne Presbyterian church, which he had materially assisted in erecting in 1840, and his was the first body interred in the graveyard adjoining. Calvin Armstrong, the subject's father, was married September 5, 1847, and built a fine residence one mile east of his father's home in Canaan township. In 1885 he moved two miles south and bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, where he lived until his death, which occurred on April 21, 1901. Mary McKee Armstrong died on June 16, 1909. They were both members of the Presbyterian church, and in politics he was a stanch Republican, and took an active interest in local public affairs, serving efficiently as township trustee. The children born to Calvin and Mary Armstrong were David C., the subject of this sketch ; Thomas Albert, born June to, 1849, who lives in Canaan township; Jane A., who was the wife of W. F. Johnson and died on December 14, 1905 ; Ina M., the wife of Thomas Fletcher, of Illinois. David Calvin Armstrong received his education in the district school at Golden Corners and during his vacation periods he devoted his time to assisting his father in the work of the farm. He remained on the farm as assistant until 1885, when his father left the farm to him and moved to another place a mile south, since which time he has devoted his attention to its operation and in which he has been eminently successful. He lives in the commodious and attractive country residence, standing back a distance from the highway and at the end of an avenue of stately maples. His property embraces one hundred and seventy-three acres of as fine land as can be found in Wayne county. On the 22d of February, 1900, Mr. Armstrong was united in marriage to Alice J. Smith, who was born January 25, 1859, in Lucas county, Ohio, the daughter of James and Elizabeth Smith, of Chester township, this county. James Smith had been a resident for many years near Toledo, Ohio, and in 1859 moved to Chester township, where he spent his remaining years. NELSON R. COONEY. There is no positive rule for the achieving of success, and yet in the life of the successful man there are always lessons which might well be followed. The essential conditions of human life are practically ever the same, the surroundings of individuals differing but slightly, and when one man passes 1210 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. another on the highway of life to reach the goal of prosperity before others who perhaps started long before him, it is because he has the power to use advantages which probably encompass the whole human race. One of the young men of Wayne county, Ohio; who seems to have the happy faculty of grasping situations as they arise is Nelson R: Cooney, who was born in Hardin county, Ohio, November 3, 1874, the son of William H. and Mary E. (Nelson) Cooney, each representatives of old and highly respected families, the genealogy of which shows that his paternal ancestors were Virginians, while- that of his maternal ancestors shows that they were among the early inhabitants of Wayne county, his Grandmother Nelson having been born while her parents lived in a settlement where the city of Wooster now stands. The subject of this sketch was reared on the home farm and attended the district schools during the winter months, working in the fields during crop seasons. He had a natural literary turn and was ambitious to gain a higher education, consequently he entered Ohio Northern University, at Ada, Ohio, the winter of 1902-3, from which he graduated in the law department in 1905, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He not only stood high in his class, but was prominently identified with all the affairs of the college affecting student life in any of its phases. He came out of college well equipped in his profession. After leaving college, he was associated with a law firm in Kenton, Ohio, for a year, at the end of which he became engaged in law editorial work on the editorial staff of the Laning Company, of Norwalk, Ohio, and assisted in the editing of several important treatises on Ohio law ; later he was transferred to the sales department, and after a year and a half in the service of the above-named company he obtained a position on the sales force with the Edward Thompson Company, law book publishers, of Northport, Long Island, New York, with whom he remained until the spring of 1908. About the time Mr. Cooney came of age he became a teacher in the public schools of his native county, which vocation he followed for a period of eight years- in a very acceptable manner, his services as such always being in demand. Had he continued in this line of work he would doubtless have become one of the leading educators of his part of the state, but he chose the law and has won a wide reputation as a lawyer throughout the locality of his residence, not only as a man well versed in the law, but his arguments before a jury are always convincing ; he has also acquired some note as an orator and is frequently called upon to make public addresses. In the spring of 1908 Mr. Cooney located in Dalton, and on June 1st WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1211 of that year he was married to Lata B. Horbach, a talented and cultured young lady, the daughter of Frank E. and Mary E. Horbach, Mrs. Cooney's father, now deceased, having been a wealthy and successful business man of Dalton. Mrs. Cooney was born November Jo, 1882, and aside from the education she acquired in the village schools, she is accomplished along musical and elocutionary lines, having studied in Otterbein and Oberlin colleges. During the time Mr. Cooney was in college, he was interested in military affairs, he having held a commission as first lieutenant in Company G, Second Regiment Ohio National Guard. He is a member of Dunkirk Lodge, No. 549, Free and Accepted Masons, and of Ada Chapter, No. 138, Royal Arch Masons, and is also a member of Norwalk Lodge, No. 730, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Norwalk, Ohio. Mr. Cooney is a fraternity man, being a member of Sigma Phi Epilson, in which organization he is quite prominent and well known, having held the position of grand president of his fraternity since 1906, as a result of four elections in the grand chapter. In politics, the subject of this sketch is a Democrat, and has always taken an active interest in local political affairs, and in the fall of 1909 he was elected mayor of Dalton, on the Democratic ticket. Soon after his election, he was appointed to a position in the legal department of the general land office at Washington, D. C., which he accepted and held for several months, only returning to assume the duties of the office to which he had been elected and to execute the trust committed to his care by his constituents and fellow citizens. He takes an abiding interest in all matters pertaining to the welfare of his community, and by reason of his public spirit, genuine worth and his courteous demeanor he is held in high esteem by all who know him. JOHN H. HOUSER. The life of John H. Houser has been such as to bear aloft the high standard which was long maintained by his father, who was one of the early residents of Wayne county and whose life was signally noble, upright and useful, one over which falls no shadow of wrong in word, thought or deed. Such was the type of men who laid the foundation and aided in the development of this, one of the foremost counties in the Union, and to their memories will ever be paid a tribute of reverence and gratitude by those who have profited by their well directed endeavors and appreciated the lessons of their lives. 1212 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. John H. Houser was born in Baughman township, this county, where he has always made his home, his birth occurring on May 3o, 1875, the son of John H. and Elizabeth (Lang) Houser, the former a native of Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, where he first saw the light of day on September io, 1818. While yet a single man he came to Wayne county, Ohio, since he lived in an epoch when "westward" seemed to be the watchword. He obtained some good land, but farming was somewhat secondary, since he devoted the major part of his time to stock raising, having been a great horseman. He bought and shipped large numbers to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and made most of his money in that way. He was a competent judge of a horse and always had some fine ones about his place. He married, in this county, Elizabeth Lang, whose parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Lang, were natives of Germany. After a very industrious, honorable and useful life the father of the subject of this review passed away in February, 1893. To John H. and Elizabeth (Lang) Houser three sons were born, namely : John H., of this review ; Aquilla B. and Perry A. John H. Houser, subject of this sketch, was reared on the farm and he quite naturally chose that line of work for a livelihood and he has succeeded admirably well, being a hard worker and a good manager. While not working on the home place during the days of boyhod he attended the graded schools and the high school at Marshallville, this county, and he received a very serviceable education. In January, 1897, Mr. Houser was married to Elma E. Kosier. She was born and reared at Dalton, Sugar Creek township, this county, and she attended the Dalton graded schools, receiving a very good education. Her family has long been a prominent one in that vicinity. To Mr. and Mrs. Houser one daughter, named Evelyn, was born in January, 1901. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Houser moved to Marshallville, Ohio, where, for a period of six years, which were very successful, he engaged in buying and shipping hay, then moved back to his farm, to which he has since given his undivided attention. He is the owner of one hundred and sixty-six acres of highly improved land in sections 8 and 9, Baughman township, which is well worth one hundred dollars per acre. He keeps it well stocked with cattle, and, in fact, many varieties of high grade livestock, being. like his father before him, an excellent judge of stock, and no small part of his annual income is derived from this source. Everything about his place shows thrift and prosperity, and he has a modern and beautifully located dwelling and other substantial buildings. Mr. Houser is always one of the first ones to get the late inventions WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1213 and labor saving machinery, was one of the first to have the telephone placed in his home and is the owner of an excellent five-passenger automobile, by means of which he gets a great deal of pleasure. In fact, he and his family have everything that could contribute to their happiness and they are well situated to enjoy life. In his political relations Mr. Houser is a Republican, being an active worker in the party. Fraternally he is a member of the Maccabees. Mrs. Houser belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. They are pleasant people to know and are held in high esteem by their neighbors and many friends by reason of their hospitality and genuine friendliness. SAMUEL A. NOLT. By perseverance, industry and wise economy, the gentleman to whom the biographer now calls the reader's attention has attained a comfortable station in life, and is well and favorably known throughout Baughman and surrounding townships,—in fact, he is one of the leading agriculturists of Wayne county, as a result of the industrious life he has lived here for over a half century. Samuel A. Nolt was born in Stark county, Ohio, August 27, 1854, the son of Samuel H. and. Fannie (Huntsbarger) Nolt, both natives of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, the former's birth occurring on April 7, 1830, and the latter on June 7, 1827. The father was a man of many sterling qualities and he became a fairly well-to-do farmer for those days. He reached an advanced age, dying on February 15, 1900, his faithful helpmeet having preceded him to the grave by many years, having died August 6, 1883. They were the parents of nine children, namely : Sarah A., born December 22, 1850; David, January 15, 1852 ; Samuel A., of this review, was the next in order of birth ; John L., September 1, 1856; Jacob H., March 21, 1859; Barbara, November 23, 1861 ; Benjamin, April 16, 1865; Jacob and David (twins), May 20, 1867. This family came from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1854, to Stark county, Ohio, but not being favorably impressed with conditions there came on to Wayne county in the autumn of the same year. Samuel A. Nolt was reared on his father's farm in Wayne county, which he helped to develop when he became of proper age. He attended the common schools and got a very good education. On November 26, 1878. he 1214 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. was married to Mary Eicher, who was born February 7, 1855. She came of a good family and received a common school education. To Mr. and Mrs. Samuel A. Nolt four children have been born, namely : Ada, born August 24, 1879, is the wife of Vernon Jackson ; Clara, born March 14, 1881, is the wife of Carl Zimmerman ; Banks, born January 30, 1883, has remained single ; Esta, born February 26, 1885, died on December 25th of the same year. Mr. Nolt has devoted his life to agricultural pursuits, with the result that eminent success has attended his efforts, he now being the owner of one of the model farms of Baughman township, consisting of two hundred and ninety-two acres, worth conservatively seventy dollars per acre. He is also the owner of forty acres of good land in Texas. All his land is well improved and carefully managed. He has a modern, commodious and nicely furnished residence which is located in the midst of attractive surroundings. He keeps an excellent grade of various kinds of livestock, he being fond of good horses and cattle. His place shows that a gentleman of good tastes and excellent judgment has its management in hand. He has made his ample competency by hard work and honest investment and speculation. Mr. Nolt is influential in his community. He takes considerable interest in Republican politics ; however, he devotes nearly all his time to his personal affairs. For six years he was one of the trustees of Baughman township. He managed the affairs of this office in such a manner as to gain the hearty approval of all concerned. When he began in this office there was a balance of only eight hundred dollars in the treasury and when his term of office expired there was a sum of seven thousand and two hundred dollars. Personally Mr. Nolt is a man whom it is a pleasure to meet, jovial, agreeable, hospitable and a well informed man. The Nolt family bears an excellent reputation throughout the county' and takes first rank in the citizenship of this favored section of the Buckeye state. FREDERICK ANTHONY. Among the vast horde of progressive citizens which the province of Alsace-Lorraine ( formerly belonged to France, now a part of Germany) has sent to the United States it is safe to say that none are more deserving of specific mention for what they have accomplished for themselves and their fellow citizens and for the exemplary lives they have lived than the Anthony WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1215 family, of whom Frederick, whose name introduces this sketch, is an honored representative. He was born in the country referred to on February 4, 1857, the son of George and Caroline (Young) Anthony. George Anthony was a shoemaker of more than ordinary skill, having learned his trade in the old country. He married there and brought his family to the United States in 1865. They first located at Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where they remained for one year, then moved to Lockhaven, that state, remaining there for three years. In 1869 they moved to Loudonville, Ohio, but soon located on a farm in the vicinity of Burton City, Wayne county. After establishing a good home here for his family, George Anthony died in 1892, having become known as one of the leading farmers of his community and a man of exemplary character. He took a great interest in the Lutheran church, of which he was a devoted member. His widow, a woman of kindly and pleasing disposition, is still living, making her home at this writing in Akron, Ohio. They were the parents of the following children : Julia, wife of Levi Wolf, of Akron, Ohio; Lena, wife of Ellsworth Cooper, also of Akron ; Caroline is the wife of Will Coonday, living in Akron ; Tena, wife of Henry Bigler, of Akron, and Frederick, of this review. Frederick Anthony was eight years old when he landed in the United States. He found everything strikingly different to what he had been used to in old Alsace and with a boyish eagerness he began imbibing new ideas as to our customs and manners. He attended our common schools, where he learned rapidly and received a fairly good education. While he was attending school he was also learning one of the technical trades, that of shoemaking, under his father, whom he assisted in making the living for the family during his first years in this country. Thus he continued until his marriage, which occurred n 1886 to Lavina Rehm, a daughter of George Rehm, a well known family of Baughman township, whose members are noticed on other pages of this volume. Mrs. Anthony was born February 21, 1864, and received her education in the home schools. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Anthony moved on the old Rehm farm in section 24, Baughman township, it consisting of ninety-five acres. Although the place is an old one, the first settler of Baughman township, a Mr. Baughman, having settled on the same upwards of a century ago, it has been so well managed that the soil has retained much of its original vitality and bounteous harvests are still reaped from its well tilled fields. This township was named after the gentleman just referred to and the farm is known to this day as the Baughman Hill farm, since it covers a large hill. It was here that George Rehm started in life. Mr. Anthony has practically retired from active farming; however, he oversees the planting and harvest- 1216 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. ing and other general work, and now that the evening of life has begun to advance he finds himself surrounded with plenty on this historic old place, as an evidence of his former years of thrift. To Mr. and Mrs. Anthony three children have been born, namely : Stella M., born August 9, 1887; Warren F., born November 14, 1888 ; George R., born May 31, 1896. The Anthony family are members of the Lutheran church, Mr. Anthony being one of the deacons of the same, also treasurer of the local congregation. He takes an abiding interest in church work' and is practically one of the pillars of the society to which he belongs: He is a member of the board of education of Baughman township. In politics he is a Democrat. Mrs. Anthony is financial secretary of the Ladies' Society of the local church and she, too, takes much interest in church affairs. SAMUEL WOOD. among the prominent and successful citizens of West Salem, Congress township, Wayne county, Ohio, the subject of this sketch takes rank. As a business man, agriculturist and citizen in private life, he has so lived and acted as to win the unbounded confidence and the high regard of all who know him and he is eminently deserving of representation in this work. Samuel Wood was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, on the 3d of January, 1837, and is the son of Samuel and Christina (Brady) Wood, both of whom were also born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, the former on March 6, 1815, and the latter on June 17, 1815. The subject is a descendant of one Edward Wood, a native of England who emigrated to Pennsylvania about one hundred and fifty years ago. He was the son of James Wood, who was a prominent and wealthy banker in England, and it is a noteworthy fact that in nearly every subequent generation some member of the Wood family has been connected with the banking business. The subject's father, Samuel Wood, was a shoemaker by trade, and in 1842 he left Pennsylvania and settled in West Salem, Ohio, where he bought a farm. In 1855 he moved to Princeton, Bureau county, Illinois, where he resided until his death. By his union with Christina Brady he was the father of the following children : Samuel, George, William Henry, Frank, Sarah J., Margaret N., Lydia A., Mary and Emma A. Samuel Wood secured his education in the district schools of Congress township, this county, and the early schools in West Salem. He had been WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1217 brought to this state when he was five years old, and at that time there were but five houses in the town of West Salem. Mr. Wood remained at and near West Salem until he was eighteen years of age, and during the latter three years of this time he was engaged in assisting his father on the home farm. At the age of seventeen years he began teaching school at the Beech Grove schoolhouse and the next year he moved to Princeton, Illinois. There he taught two terms of school, followed by two terms back in Ohio, and then three terms in Benton county, Iowa. Other terms were taught in Illinois, making a total of eleven terms in that state. During the following five years he served as postmaster at Dysart, Iowa, resigning at the end of that time in order to become associated with a bank there. In 1888 he moved back to Congress township, Wayne county, Ohio, and purchased a farm of one hundred and forty acres, which he proceeded to improve and cultivate. Several times during the next few years he returned to Iowa to help in the bank there temporarily. In 1902 Mr. Wood established a bank in West Salem, which he has since developed into one of the foremost business institutions in the town. Mr. Wood bought and fitted up a building on the east side of Main street and the bank is now comfortably and conveniently quartered there. The bank has proved an important factor in the advance- ment of the business interests of the town and its institution here has been fully appreciated by the business men of the town and farmers of the community. In 1902 Mr. Wood purchased a splendid residence property on North Main street and has here a very comfortable and attractive home. In politics Mr. Wood is a stanch Republican, but does not take an active part in political matters. He is not a member of any religious denomination and makes no profession of religion, but he is a firm believer in the great truths of the Scriptures and is the teacher of the largest Bible class in West Salem. Socially he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons at West Salem, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Good Templars in Iowa. During the Civil war he was a member of the Union League, in connection with which he passed through a number of exciting experiences. On the 14th of November, 1866, Mr. Wood wedded Elizabeth Bucher, a native of Wayne county, Ohio, and the daughter of Henry Bucher, also a native of Pennsylvania and an early settler of Wayne- county, Ohio. They have become the parents of three children, namely : Otto H., of near Seattle, Washington ; Lillian Belle, at home, and Frank R., who is a clerk in a shoe store at West Salem. In all the relations of life Mr. Wood has proved true to every trust and now can feel assured of the sincere respect and esteem of all who know him. (77) 1218 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. D. B. KECK. Early in life D. B. Keck realized the fact that success never smiles upon the idler or dreamer and he has accordingly heeded such an aphorism, devoting his life to ardent toil along lines that cannot but insure success. The prosperity which he enjoys has been the result of Clergy rightly applied and has been won by commendable qualities. He is a native of Chippewa township, Wayne county, Ohio, where his birth occurred January 14, 1845, the son of David and Sarah (Benger) Keck, the former having been born in Columbiana county, this state, in 1817. He came to Wayne county about 1844, locating in Chippewa township, where he lived the remainder of his life. He received a meager schooling in the old-time log school houses and early took up farming, which he made a success, being a hard worker and delighting in denuding the virgin soil of the primeval forest. He reached an advanced age, his death occurring in 1895, his faithful life companion having preceded him to the silent land in 1894. They were well known and highly respected citizens of Chippewa township. Seven children were born to them, namely : Catherine, wife of Jacob Namman ; Eunice, wife of N. R. Gensemer ; Ephraim, who married Elizabeth Sichley, was a soldier in the Civil war ; D. B., of this review, was next in order of birth ; Harriet is the wife of David Van Kirk ; Mary is the wife of Amos Steel; Ezra married a Miss Damel. These children all received every advantage possible at the hands of their solicitous parents. D. B. Keck was reared in this county, receiving his education here; his opportunities along this line were not the best, but he made the most of his time and was enabled to begin teaching. All his brothers and sisters were also teachers, and this family became widely known as educators. D. B Keck was married on November 21, 1872, to Amy Franks, daughter of James Franks, an old and prominent family of this county, where she was born, the date of her birth being October 14, 1849. She, too, attended the local schools, receiving a good education. She taught ten terms very acceptably, her services in this line of work being in great demand, for she had the happy faculty of pleasing both pupil and patron. To Mr. and Mrs. Keck one daughter, Edith, was born December 25, 1876. She graduated from the local high school at Marshallville, after which she took a philosophical course in the Wooster University, where she made a splendid record for scholarship, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. She took up teaching in the graded schools, which she followed with uniform success for some time. She married William Galehouse and WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1219 they are the parents of two children, namely : Daniel LeRoy, born April 19, 1906, and Florence I., born September 4, 1908. Mr. Keck has for a number of years given his attention to his fine farm, near Marshallville, Baughman township, which he has always maintained at a high standard of excellence, and he enjoys an excellent reputation as a progressive and successful agriculturist. In his political relations, Mr. Keck is a Republican and he has long taken considerable interest in the affairs of his party. He served very ably and conscientiously for a period of twelve years as one of the township trustees of Baughman township. He is a member of the Evangelical church and one of the trustees of the same, taking an active interest in its affairs, and, in fact,* in whatever has for its object the betterment of his township and county in any way. He is well known throughout the county and is judiciously guarding the good reputation of the Keck family which has ranked with the leading and most honorable in Wayne county since the days of the first settlement. H. A. SCHOLLENBERGER, M. D. The qualities that have made Dr. H. A. Schollenberger eminent in his chosen profession are proper intellectual training, thorough professional knowledge and the utilization of the various attributes essential to success, and he stands today in the front rank of physicians in a community noted for its high order of medical talent. He is an American by adoption only, having been born in Germany on August 5, 1862, and 'when a child he was brought to the United States by his parents, John Franklin and Elizabeth W. (Gilbert) Schollenberger, who came to Ohio and located in Wayne county on a farm, subsequently becoming known as progressive agriculturists. Here young Schollenberger grew to manhood amid the wholesome outdoor environments that contributed to a healthy body and mind. When he became of proper age he began working on the home place, attending the district schools during the winter months, receiving a good common school education. Very early his predilection to become a physician manifested itself and he accordingly entered the medical department of the Wooster University, later attending the Medical College of Cincinnati, also Columbus and Cleveland and was finally graduated from the medical department of the National Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio, in 1892, after making a very creditable record in all the above named institutions. He also holds other di- 1220 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. plomas, thus being exceptionally well trained for his work. He first located at Homerville, Ohio, where he remained five years, building up a good practice from the first; later he established an office at Danville and in time moved to Buckeye City, both in Knox county, successfully practicing in that county for over six years. It was in 1902 that he located in Smithville, Greene township, Wayne county, and he has since remained here, having built up a wonderful practice in the meantime and gaining a reputation as an able and conscientious physician second to none in the county. His practice covers a wide field and he is kept very busy attending to his numerous patients in this and adjoining townships, and even to remote parts of the county. He purchased a modern, beautifully located and nicely furnished home in Smithville. He is official examiner for a number of life insurance companies, and he is a member of the Wayne County Medical Society and the State Society of Medicine. Fraternally he is a member of West Salem Lodge, No. 398, Free and Accepted Masons, and also belongs to the Woodmen and Maccabees, carrying insurance in each. Politically, he has departed from his rearing as a Republican and votes with the Democrats ; however, he does not take a very active interest in local political matters, not having the time to do so. Religiously he belongs to the Disciple church at Danville, Knox county. Doctor Schollenberger was married in 1887 to Sarah J. Hutchinson, who was born in this county April 7, 186o, the daughter of an old and influential family. This union has resulted in the birth of the following children : Charles E. J., a graduate of the local high school, and is now a student in the chemical department of the Wooster University ; Hazel L. was born May 5, 1893 ; Rose X., born October 28, 1899; Zola E., who is deceased, was born in 1890. Doctor Schollenberger's family is regarded as leaders in all circles in this locality and they are the recipients of the friendship and esteem due people of their worth and honorable standing. CHARLES J. KOLLERT. Back to stanch old German stock does Mr. Kollert trace his lineage, and that in his character abide those sterling qualities which have ever marked the true type of the German nation, is manifest when we come to consider the more salient points in his life history, which has been marked by consecutive industry and invincible spirit, eventuating most naturally in securing WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1221 him a high position in the respect and confidence of his fellow men. In an analysis of his character we find the qualities of an upright manhood—loyalty in citizenship, reliability in business, conscientiousness in the discharge of the duties of private life—and these are so combined as to make his a strong personality, commanding respect and confidence. Charles J. Kollert was born on the 28th day of August, 1880, near Loudonville, Holmes county, Ohio, and is the son of Robert and Catherine (Heil) Kollert, both of whom were natives of the German empire, the former born near Leipzig and the latter at Grosenstadt. Robert Kollert entered the German army when he was about eighteen years of age and served his full period. He served throughout the bloody Franco-Prussian war, securing for 'himself a most honorable record and was shot twice, once in the wrist. and once in the back, between the shoulder blades, while a third bullet lodged in his coat pocket. When a young man of about twenty-three years of age he came to the United States and took up government land near Birmingham, Alabama. The same land, which at that time could be bought cheaply, is now very valuable. Subsequently Mr. Kollert sold his southern home and came to Loudonville, Ohio, where for two or three years he worked by the month. When about thirty years old he married and soon afterwards bought a farm a short distance west of Wooster, Ohio. In 1891 he disposed of this property and purchased a farm of one hundred and fifty-two and a half acres in Canaan township, where he lived until his death and which is the present home of the subject of this sketch. Mr. Kollert met with an untimely death on the 23d of May, 1904, when he was struck and instantly killed by lightning in his barn in Canaan township, the barn being destroyed by the fire which ensued. He was widely and favorably known in this county and in his death the community suffered a distinct loss. He was a Democrat in politics, and took a commendable interest in local public affairs, though he never held public office of any nature. He and his wife were members of the Lutheran church and were faithful and consistent in their lives. A man of many sterling qualities of character, he made friends of all who enjoyed his acquaintance and his memory remains as a priceless heritage to his family. He and his wife were the parents of the following children : Charles J., the subject of this sketch; Fred, living in Congress township; Mrs. Mary Steltzer, of Ashland county, and Mrs. Ida Oswald, of Canaan township. Charles J. Kollert was reared under the parental roof and early became accustomed to the duties pertaining to agricultural life. His educational opportunities were somewhat abbreviated because of the necessity of his con- 1222 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. stant help on the farm, but his lack of school-room education has been made up during his subsequent life by much reading and habits of close observation, and today he is considered a well-informed man. He remained his father's assistant until the latter's death, since which time he has devoted himself to the operation of the farm and the care of his widowed mother, to whom he gives the most careful and solicitous attention. He possesses a thorough knowledge of agriculture in all its details and keeps in close touch with the most advanced ideas relating to the science of agriculture, so that he has been enabled to realize handsome returns for the labor he has bestowed. He is maintaining the place at the same high standard of excellence set by his father and is considered one of the enterprising and progressive young farmers of the township. He is a man of splendid qualifications and has a host of warm personal friends. On the 26th of February, 1905, Charles J. Kollert was united in the holy bonds of matrimony with Laura Briner, a native of Chester township, Wayne county, and this union has been a most happy and congenial one, being blessed in the birth of four children, namely : Theresa, Catherine, May and Robert. These children comprise a bright and interesting family and the comfortable and attractive home is the center of a refined hospitality which is ever in evidence. In matters political Mr. Kollert gives his support to the Democratic party, and he takes a live and commendable interest in the success of the ticket, though he is not an aspirant for office or public preferment of any nature. Mrs. Catherine Kollert, who makes her home with the subject, is a woman of splendid attainments and holds a warm place in the hearts of all who know her. ELMER U. BURKHOLDER. The emigrant ancestor of the family of this name was John Burkholder, a native of Bern, Switzerland, who, when only a boy, was seized with the wanderlust spirit, like so many of his contemporaries, and accordingly made his way across the broad Atlantic to the New World. Believing that greater opportunities awaited him in the then far West, he came to Ohio, locating in Wayne county, and, being a thrifty lad, he got possession of a farm which he redeemed from the wilderness and lived on the same the rest of his life, making a good living and leaving a competence to his descendants. His death occurred in Smithville, Greene township, in 1875. He and his faith- WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO - 1223 ful helpmeet were the parents of four children, namely : Jonathan S., Jonas K., Nancy and Sarah; the only one living in 1909 is Nancy, the widow of Enos Hartzler, of the state of Kansas. Jonas K., father of Elmer U. Burkholder, was reared upon the home farm in Greene township, which he assisted in developing. He married . Nancy Smucker and they went to farming, Mr. Burkholder becoming one of the leading farmers of his community and he was regarded as a man of excellent personal traits and was influential in local affairs. He is now sleeping the sleep of the just, his death occurring in 1892. His widow is still living. They were the parents of nine children, of whom one died in infancy and another when fifteen years of age. The others are Emma, David, Malinda, Lydia,. Anna, Amanda, and Elmer U. Elmer U. Burkholder was born in Greene township, Wayne county, June 12, 187'3, and he was reared upon the home farm which he helped improve, attending the district schools during the winter months, later going to school at Wadsworth. He received a good education, having applied himself very closely to his text-books, and he taught several terms very acceptably in Wayne county, and he was gaining a wide reputation as an educator when his father died, which event rendered his return to the home farm a necessity, consequently he abandoned teaching and resumed farming, which he continued very successfully for a period of ten years. Mr. Burkholder was married, in November, 1897, to Amanda Wenger, a woman of talent and refinement and the representative of an excellent family. This union has resulted in the birth of five children, namely : Raymond, born February i6, 1900; Mabel, born September 2, 1901 ; Forest, born April 16, 1903 ; Eva, born October 13, 1905 ; Vergil, born January I I, 1909. Mr. Burkholder is an all-round business man, exercising wise discrimination and sound judgment in all his affairs. His attention is now devoted almost exclusively to banking, since he is at this writing cashier of the Farmers' and Merchants' Bank at Smithville, Wayne county, and he is discharging the duties of the same in an able and satisfactory manner to all concerned, his careful methods and his courteous demeanor towards the patrons of the bank having done much in establishing its prestige throughout the community. This rapidly growing and sound institution was opened for business on August 6, 1906. Mr. Burkholder was at once chosen cashier, for when the organizers began to cast about for someone worthy of this responsible position, none more available could be found than Mr. Burkholder, and the successful manner in which he has looked after the same 1224 - WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO. would indicate that they were not misled in their estimate of the man they selected. This is a private bank of four stockholders, namely : Wesley H. Zaugg, president; E. W. Thompson, Charles M. Gray, Christian Tschantz. In his political relations, Mr. Burkholder is a Democrat, though in the midst of his many pressing duties he does not find much time to devote to his party's affairs. Religiously, he is a member of the Mennonite church. He has always borne a reputation such as those established by his father and grandfather—exemplary in every respect. MARTIN LAWRENCE. It is a rare privilege and should be duly appreciated, as indeed it is in the present instance, to be able to reside throughout life on the place where we were born, for there are tender memories and associations about the old home that nothing can take the place of. Martin Lawrence was born on the place he now owns in Chester township, Wayne county. January 28, 1859, the son of George and Julia Ann (Yetter) Lawrence. His paternal grandparents, Christian and Magdalena (Etley) Lawrence, were natives of Middletown, Pennsylvania, and as early as 1818 they came to Wayne county. Ohio, locating about three miles west of Wooster on the farm now owned by Doctor Ryall. They lived there for many years, but finally moved to Chester township, where Christian Lawrence spent his last days on his son's farm, which is now owned by the subject. He had taken up government land for each of his children. When he came here he found an undeveloped country, but one that abounded in great opportunities to the strong of heart and courageous. The maternal grandparents of the subject, Philip and Elizabeth Yetter, were natives of Pennsylvania, who came to Ohio very early, first settling in Holmes, later in Richland county, finally coming to Wayne county where they became owners of a good home, spending the remainder of their lives here ; however, the death of Philip Yetter occurred in Michigan, and that of his wife in Wayne county. George Lawrence, father of Martin Lawrence, was born in Wayne county, Ohio, in 1820, and his wife, Julia Ann Yetter, was born here in 1820. They grew to maturity in their respective communities and married here, taking up farming soon afterward, living and dying on the farm now owned by their son, Martin, of this review, the death of the father occurring in 1888 and that of the mother in 1892. Ten children were born to them, six of whom